Of Radiance and Sacrifice

Of Radiance and Sacrifice

Present Day

Canterlot Airspace

     The ride back to Canterlot was one Velocity had began loathing as she had made her walk back to Vanhoover. Now, she sat in an aerial transport vehicle dubbed the ‘Hightail’ as it flew towards the Capital of Equestria. The four blades attached above spinning at an exponential rate, cutting through the rain. She tried to avert her thoughts from what might happen upon her return. She tried to listen to the sounds the machine made. She tried to take in the view from her position, watch as the rain fell. But that's just it. She tried and failed. And it didn't help that the pilot of the aircraft happened to be nosy, speaking almost every part of the ride.

     “Hey. We just entered Canterlot Airspace and from what I'm hearing, command’s pissed. You ever gonna tell me what you did?” The pilot quipped.

     Velocity was just about fed up with the pilots shit. Pulling her legs up from the edge she sat on, she made way for the cockpit. “Another word comes out of your mouth and I'll cut your vocal cords out and feed them to you. Got it?” The pilot didn't turn around, just giving a nod. She headed back and sat on the edge of the cabin, the wind causing her grey mane to whip about, rain pelting her face. So many questions, such little answers. “Those robbers clearly knew what they were doing” she thought. “They got in, stole every bit in the vault and got out without having to face any resistance.”

     She scratched her mane with a hoof “And that one guy? He destroyed me. Blocked every punch. Maybe I should've brought something smaller.” Velocity continued to look out at the dark clouds, enjoying the ‘shower’ she was getting.

     “Landing in thirty seconds” the Pilot yelled.

     Soon after, they were above a helipad on the edge of the Canterlot Castle courtyard. Touching down, the pilot said “Good luck” as Velocity hopped off the side. As she made way for the entrance hall, she looked around the massive yard. Soldiers wearing green camo clothing and the like filled the space, some in massive groups and some in groups of two just standing around. Vehicles hummed by, crates full of weaponry littered around. Some soldiers were up on the wall carrying bolt action or semi-auto firearms as they patrolled. She walked on, the sounds of hoofsteps, vehicles and rain filling her ears. Some soldiers saluted as she passed them. After all, the Embers were the most respected group among Celestia's ranks. And equally the most feared.

     Reaching the Entrance Hall door, Velocity stepped inside. Instantly, she was dry from head to hoof, all traces of water gone. In the time spend working for Celestia, she's learned to just accept how and why the princess does things. Even if it meant she'd most likely kill her once she spoke of her recent venture. She kept going, passing royal guards as she made her way to Celestia's personal chambers. When it came into view, the door was already open, as if waiting for her. Stepping through, the door shut behind her.

     There she was, Princess Celestia. Staring right at Velocity from a cushion she lay on. And she looked… happy? Stacks of books were littered across the room. Raindrops pelted the windows and balcony door. “Velocity my friend! Please, sit.” Something was up. Obliging to Celestia's offer, she sat on her haunches next to the princess. “So, how was your trip to Vanhoover?”

     “It was fine… mostly.” Velocity responded, averting her eyes from the princess's.

     “Do tell? What events transpired on that day?” Celestia beckoned.

     “I… we…” she sighed, lowering her head.

     Velocity felt a hoof under her chin, raising it. Celestia looked into her eyes. “Velocity, please. You need not fear anything. I just ask you speak the truth” she pleaded.

     Velocity’s heart rate slowed as she locked eyes with her princess. “O-ok.” She took a deep breath. “Octavia and I arrived at the docks early. We were just passing time when Command starts hailing us on Comms. Said Arietis was being held up and that we were to go help out the local enforcement. I told Tavi to stay back whilst I go check it out.” She paused, thinking for a second. “When I arrived, they said the tunnel the runners escaped with was blocked off so I went outside and found an alternate route. It didn't take long to catch up and before I knew it, I saw three ponies, two with bags full of the bits. One pony took off to a tunnel on the left, another carrying both bags went straight. And one stayed behind to fight.”

     “What did these ponies look like?” Celestia questioned.

     “I-I couldn't really see. It was quite dark down there.”

     “Very well. Do continue.”

     “Right. So I tried to fight that one pony… but he was just too good. Every punch I threw, he'd just block or dodge it. And when he threw his own punches, they hurt. Hurt more than any punch I've ever taken. He had metal sticks coming out of his hooves. I just couldn't compete against him.”

“Metal sticks… like fingers?” Celestia asked. Velocity gave a nod.

She rubbed her foreleg with a hoof. “After a while, he took off, with me chasing after him. We weaved through the city and eventually ended up on the train they used to escape where once again he kicked my flank. Quite literally. He kicked me off the train as they entered the Frozen North, making off with the goods. Had I tried flying in there… well, I wouldn't be here now.”

     “Ok” was all Celestia said. She got up and stretched her legs, Velocity just watched. “Everything is fine.” The grey mare’s heart froze. Celestia saw the fear in her eyes again. “Velocity, you've been by my side for many years now.” The alicorn placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I trust you and your capabilities. Whilst I am a bit agitated that you failed in retrieving the stolen bits, I'll let it slide.” She took a deep breath “Just one thing… ”

     “Yes Princ-” Velocity was cut off as Celestia levitated her up and slammed her into the hard, marble floor. She screamed as she felt her back  crack from the force. Levitating a quill, Celestia drove it through Velocity’s foreleg and into the ground, eliciting another loud scream of pain, blood running down her leg.

     “Do NOT fuck up again.” The look in Celestia's eyes as she said those words shook Velocity to her core. She nodded her head. “Good!” The quill was levitated out of her foreleg, slowly, causing her to moan in more pain. Once it was out, she held her leg and looked at Celestia. She looked just as she had when Velocity entered the room. “Do clean yourself up, Velocity. You are getting blood all over the floor” once again, sounding happy. Velocity limped towards the door as it was opened by Celestia with her magic and shut behind her.

     The two guards stationed at the door looked at Velocity and her injuries, mouths slightly agape. “Word of advice? Don't piss her off” she fake chuckled. She limped down the hall towards the castle infirmary, the guards looking on in shock. As she rounded the corner, she came muzzle to muzzle with Soarin.

     “Oh. Hey Velocity! How…” he looked down at her injuries “Shit. What happened to you?”

     “Celestia happened” she answered

     Soarin grabbed her foreleg and wrapped it around his neck to support her “Come on. Let's get you patched up.” They walked forward.

     “Thanks Soarin.” She grunted out. They walked in silence all the way up to the infirmary, pushing the double doors open and walking to a bed, doctors and nurses rushing about, some coming to treat Velocity.

“Alright. What happened here?” One of the doctors asked. “It's not everyday that Embers step into this room.”

     Soarin looked at the doctor “Uhh… Pri-”

     Velocity cut him off “Training accident”

     “Mmhmm. Right” the doctor scribbled some notes on a levitated clipboard. “We’ll have you fixed up in no time.”

     Soarin looked Velocity in the eyes as she laid on the bed “Look, I gotta go somewhere.” He placed a hoof on her hind leg “Get well soon. We need you out there. More than you realise.”

     “I'm just doing what I need to Soarin, nothing more.” She responded with.

     “I know. But you are the best we've got. Those oddities are up to something and we need you ready when they come knocking.” Soarin thought for a second. “I heard about Arietis. You don't think that they had anything to do with it, do you?”

     Velocity looked up. “No. They wouldn't have been able to pull it off. These ponies, they are on a whole new level. When I'm out of here, I'll be scrounging any information I can on them. They knew it was Celestia's money. Hell, they only went for her bits, all the other stacks were untouched.”

     “Looks like these ponies might be a bigger threat than the rebels currently are. We’ll see. I gotta go.” Soarin walked towards the door “Seeya Vel.”

     “Soarin?” He stopped. “If you find anything on those strange happenings, see me about it, yeah?”

     Soarin gave Velocity a nod and walked out he door.

     It had been about a few months since Luna's crew pulled off the heist. Since then, major upgrades had been made to the space they claimed for themselves thanks to Applejack’s smart investments. The ground floor looked like a professional tower lobby and all the floors above had been built. The speed at which all this had been done is thanks to unicorn magic. Unicorns. The supposed ‘master race’ of the three races. At least, that's what Vinyl claimed, to which Luna would argue that alicorns are the master race for obvious reasons. The pegasi and earth pony of the group, Spitfire, Applejack and Frost, just stayed quiet knowing they probably wouldn't be able to form decent arguments.

     They were on the second last floor from the top, hosting an event put together by Vinyl. Official looking ponies in dresses and suits milled around the massive, chandelier lit room. Some chatted amongst themselves, others admired the view of Manehattan from this high up. A buffet was in the corner of the room, tables and sofas strewn across the space. Vinyl and Luna were atop a stage on the side of the room with the former playing beats for the partygoers and the latter dressed in her royal regalia and watching the party unfold. Next to the exit doors were two ponies dressed in black suits and black shades. Both pegasi. One amber/gold coated and the other being grey. Spitfire and Frost noticed Luna looking their way and smiled, both giving her a nod to which the princess responded with a nod of her own. Applejack was also present at the party, mingling with her relatives of the Orange family.

     In the eyes of the ponies gathered in this very room, the party was something Vinyl and Luna threw together out of their goodwill. To be frank, that wasn't the case. It was more of a publicity stunt to get Luna to relate with the ponies of Manehattan. In less than a month, the New Lunar Commonwealth had established itself as a group looking to fix the city and its almost bottomless list of problems. At first, ponies thought it was some sort of joke. That was until it was unveiled that Princess Luna was leading the charge. Now, unemployment, homeless and crime rates had plummeted making Manehattan a safe, bustling, profitable city once more. Luna was heralded as a saviour.

     Such actions didn't go unnoticed by certain figureheads. Days prior to the unveiling of Luna's involvement, she’d received numerous letters from her sister, asking where she'd been all this time and if she was ok. Luna had only replied once saying “I am fixing your mistakes.” Manehattan was but one of many cities Luna was working to take back from the crime and disconnection. The entire east coast; Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Baltimare were all conquered and under Luna's control in two lone months. Amongst the letters she received were some from unknown sources ordering she stopped taking over territory owned by Celestia. Those ‘orders’ were simply ignored.

     “Hey, Luna?” The princess turned her head to the dj next to her.

     “Yes Vinyl?”

     “Where do we go from here?”

     “I know not what lies ahead, fair Vinyl.” Luna placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder “But know that whatever we face, we face together.”

     Vinyl smiled up at her princess and focused her attention to the turntable set, mixing it up a bit. Luna bobbed her head to the steady beat being played, enjoying the vibe she got from Vinyl’s music. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spitfire and Frost moving towards the front of the stage. Turning her head there, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

     A sudden pain coursed through her shoulder. Luna yelped in pain as frightened screams and gunshots that flew towards her filled the room, ponies dropping to the floor. Out of nowhere, Frost materialised from white… dust? Snow? In front of Luna. He stood on his hind legs and threw his forelegs upward, a white wall appearing in front of him. It looked to be made out of ice. Luna was in too much shock to try and understand how her friend was doing such unicornesque things. A moment later, he lowered his hooves and the wall disappeared into the ground.

     “Luna!” Frost helped her off the ground “Are you alright?”

     “I… I'm fine.” She looked toward the front of the stage. Spitfire stood there, a stallion in a suit knocked to the ground next to her. She looked to her right “Vinyl? Are you hurt?”

     The dj got up from behind her set, shaking her head slowly.

     Frost inspected her shoulder “Bullet went straight through.” He raised his hoof over the wound and the same snow like particles from before were seen. They fell on her wound. “That should stop the bleeding.” He walked over to where Spitfire and the gunman were, motioning his head to the exit. She pushed the pony to his hooves and the trio exited the room. The crowds of ponies around them started to clap their hooves against the ground.

      Luna turned to the crowd “My little ponies, I am terribly sorry about this… mishap. I assure you that there won't be any more interruptions of the sort. Shall we continue the party?” Nods and murmurs of agreement filled the room. Vinyl kicked her music back up and the room felt lively once more. Luna would get to the bottom of the incident in due time.

Sometime after the party…

     Luna, Vinyl, Spitfire and Applejack all stood together in a dark room, peering into another dark room from behind a two way mirror. In that room were two ponies; the assassin that attempted to kill Luna, and Frost who was dressed in his trademark vest and cloak, the hood down. They both sat in chairs, in front of one another.

     “I'll ask again… Who ordered the hit?” Frost stared at the pony, waiting for an answer. When no answer came, he raised his hoof. A white, transparent, dagger made of ice began to form above his hoof. He gripped it with his fingers. “Last chance.”

     The pony looked up, his mane covering one of his eyes. “You'll get nothing from me!” He yelled

     Frost twirled the dagger with his fingers and sighed “That's what they all say before they break.”

     “Fuck yo-” Frost drove the ice dagger into the pony’s hind leg, just above the knee making the pony scream in pain. He twisted the blade in his flesh. The captive fidgeted in his chair, trying to get fight the intense pain he felt.

     Frost sighed again “Wrong answer.” He paused. “I take no pleasure in doing this… I'd rather not.” He slowly drove the blade up the assassin’s leg, blood gushing out quite quickly, more screams of pain followed. “Would you perhaps reconsider your options?” No response. “No?” Frost got up on his hind legs, picked his chair up with his fingers and slammed it over the top of the pony, the chair shattering from the force. Another scream. Things got physical, Frost throwing punch after punch at the pony’s face, blood getting on his hooves, the chair, ground, anywhere. The four ponies in the other room just watched as their captive was beat into submission, some spurts of blood landing on the mirror.

     “Stop… please… I have a daughter…” the pony wheezed out weakly.

     Stoic as ever, Frost looked down at him replying coldly “You should have thought of them first before you entered this life.” One more punch was thrown. Frost walked to the left of the room and got another chair, setting it down in front of the pony and sitting on it. He put a hoof under his chin and lifted his head. “Just tell me what I want to know and you're free, simple as that.” He pulled out the dagger in his leg, letting go of the pony’s chin.

     Silence.

     The pony’s breathing was shallow. “It was Celestia…”

      Frost twirled the dagger again “I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that.”

     The pony slowly raised his head and stared at Frost. “Princess Celestia.”

     Again, silence.

     Spitfire, Applejack and Vinyl all turned their heads toward Luna. Feelings of concern and disbelief running through them for their princess. There was motion back in the other room. Frost got up and in one quick motion, swung the dagger at the pony’s throat. The pony twitched and fell limp. Frost made way for the exit dropping the dagger. Before it hit the ground, it turned to dust and disappeared.

     “What do we do?” Spitfire asked in concern

     “Ah dunno what to tell ya sugarcube.” Applejack looked at Spitfire and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

     Luna fell to her haunches, unsure of what to think. The voices of everypony around her were muffled as she took in this new information “Sister wanted to kill us? Why…” Luna felt a tear run down her face. She also felt a hoof on her shoulder. A white one.

     Vinyl peered into Luna's eyes. “Whatever we face… we face together. Right?” Her expression was reassuring. Luna gave her a small nod and hugged her friend tightly.

     Applejack voiced her opinion “Ah just don't understand why Celestia would want to kill Luna.”

     At that moment, Frost walked around the corner. “She's afraid of her. Celestia thinks she's attempting a hostile takeover.”

     “That bitch tried to kill Luna. Fuck her. This just got personal.” Spitfire spat. “Let's challenge her. The whole of Equestria on the table.”

     “Upping the ante. Presuming we all know what we signed up for, we’re game. Anyone wanna cash out?” Frost looked around the room. “Luna?” The princess gave a nod. “Let's go.”

     They all made way for the elevator door.

     Spitfire piped up “We’re gonna need another place to set up at. Somewhere more secluded. Anypony with any ideas?”

     Luna thought for a second “I might know of a location you can check out.”

     “And that location is?” Spitfire deadpanned

     “It is a place by the name of Eranin Bay, directly north of here. Untouched by pony hooves for a long time.”

     The elevator doors opened. Once everypony was inside, Spitfire hit the button for the roof. The doors shut and began climbing, floor after floor.

     Spitfire looked at the group before her. “Luna, you are staying here. Double the guards.” She turned to the stallion of the group. “Frost, you are to stay with Luna. Never leave her side.”

     He gave a salute. “Just like old times, eh L?” Luna nodded in agreement.

     “AJ, Vinyl, you're with me. We're checking out this ‘Eranin Bay’.”

    They reached the roof, doors opening as they stepped out. The sound of a busy Manehattan afternoon filled their ears. The roof was like a garden. Trees, grass and flowers littered the ground. In the middle was a helipad with two spaces. One was empty whilst the other had an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter on it.

      As they walked toward the chopper, Frost spoke up “One small request if I may. There have been rumors of some kind of shady business going down in the centre of Equestria. Nopony is allowed near there. Some say it's military.”

     “We’ll check it out” Spitfire climbed into the cockpit of the aircraft, the others sitting on the sides. The blades above began spinning as Luna and Frost took a few steps back. The aircraft lifted into the air and flew west, leaving the city behind. The sun setting as they did.

     Luna turned to Frost, a question on her mind. The stallion took notice of the expression on her face.

     Frost sighed “Ask away, Luna.”

     “The ice wall, the dagger… how?” Luna didn't know how to ask such a question. How a pegasus could conjure magic as if they were a unicorn.

     “I cannot say.”

     Luna knew the look she saw on his face. He wasn't going to open up about it. They turned and made way for the elevator “Even after all these years, you are so full of mysteries.” Frost raised an eyebrow at her. “And that's what makes you interesting.”

     Frost snorted at that. They entered the elevator and began the descent.

     The Little Bird hovered in a still position. Nothing but a black dot in the night sky. Spitfire had flown the group somewhere near the Foal Mountains. Directly below was a valley in between the mountain ranges, and at the end of said valley was a wall. One massive wall. Along the top were work lights, guards and construction pony's.

     “I'm gonna take her up a bit” Spitfire yelled into the mic on her headset. The chopper elevated until they were able to see above the mountains. What they saw amazed them. The wall they saw in the valley was just a part of the bigger picture. The wall expanded both north and south, as far as the eye could see. “Sweet Luna. This is a big find.”

     “All of this done in just a few months…” Applejack mused.

     “How'd they mana-” Spitfire was cut off.

     “Unicorn master race.” Vinyl quipped ecstatically.

      “Ok Scratch. Don't be a dick. That's enough sightseeing for the night.”

     Spitfire rotated the chopper to face north-east and started flying in that direction. They flew for about an hour and a half, none of them uttering a single word. The sounds of the blades cutting the air and the machinery they sat in working to stay aloft filling the empty silence. A voice on the radio added to the sounds they heard.

      “Spitfire. This is Luna. Can you hear me?” Luna hailed.

      “Roger that, L. I hear you. What do you need?” Spitfire responded.

     “You are flying directly above a gorge, yes?”

      Spitfire averted her gaze downward. “Yup.”

      “Fly within it and don't stop nor leave no matter what.”

     Spitfire complied, flying low within the ravine. They took a corner and saw the end of the gorge, a waterfall within view. “Luna? We're at a dead end and a massive mountain in front of us.”

     “Do you see a waterfall?”

     “Yes I do but-”

     “Fly through it.”

     The mare took in the new information. “Fly… through it? What… Are you fucking insane?”

     “She wouldn't ask you to do such a thing if she wasn't sure.” It was Frost.

     “I… Fuck. Alright.” Spitfire glanced back at Vinyl and AJ. “You two better hold onto your flanks. Things might get bumpy and a little wet.” The two passengers looked at each other comically and held onto their seats. Spitfire gunned it for the waterfall, flying as fast as the machine could. They hit the wall of water, but instead of hitting rocks on the other side, they kept on flying. They were in a long dark tunnel. Dim light could be seen at the end of it. Spitfire turned on the crash lights and looked around the tunnel. They barely had enough space to manoeuvre. They flew until they shot out of the exit, revealing the location of interest. Eranin Bay. It was… well, a bay, surrounded by tall, snow covered mountains. A few snowflakes floated downwards as they whizzed past. The most standout part of the bay was a half built bridge in the middle of the water. The tower sat in the centre. Some suspension cables were attached to the suspender, some were dangling off the side.

     Spitfire took in the sight. As did AJ and Vinyl “Luna. What is this?”

     “That, my friend is an old road project that would've linked the east coast with the west. Unfortunately, they started in that bay and built half the bridge before the project was cancelled. It's been like what you now see since.” Luna explained.

     Vinyl activated the mic on her headset. “I've already got some rad ideas for a base. We are so using the remains.”

     “One step ahead of you, Vi.” Piped Spitfire. Applejack remained silent. They landed on what little road there was next to the tower, the engine shutting down. They walked around the broken ruins of the bridge, the moonlight lighting up the bay.

     Vinyl saw Applejack in deep thought. “What you thinking, Jack?”

     AJ rubbed her chin with a hoof. “The place looks stable enough. Repairs will be needed but with the bits we’re bringing in, that won't be a problem.” She drew circles and mumbled a few figures to herself. “Eyup. This'll do.”

     Luna's voice came through the radio strapped to Spitfire’s shoulder. “How does the bay look?”

     “We can make it work, princess.” AJ stepped forward.

     “Good. You know what to do.” The sound of a door opening was heard through the radio. “Excuse me, I must get going. Luna, out.”

     Luna put the radio down on her desk and turned toward the door. Frost had walked in with a silver tray balanced atop his outstretched wing. On the tray were two mugs and a pot of black coffee. He set the tray on a small round table to the left of Luna's main desk. Two chairs were also conveniently next to the table. Luna walked to the table and they both took a seat. Using her telekinesis, Luna poured coffee into the two cups, setting one out for Frost and levitating hers to her muzzle, taking a long sip.

     Luna gave a sigh of content “Ahh. Your brew?” She asked.

     Frost made a clicking sound with his mouth “Nothing but the best for my lady.” He spoke with a formal accent.

     “The best of the best.” Luna thought for a moment. “I swear we were building a place to call home just yesterday.”

     “Ain't it true. Think of this place as your Administration Hub. Eranin Bay will be a Forward Operating Base. We house our military there, waiting for when we choose to strike Celestia or vice versa.” Luna looked a little downed by those last words. Frost took notice. “Hey. She hired somepony to assassinate you. That's an act of war. She's no sister to you.”

     The words hit Luna like a brick. They were harsh but true, and Luna couldn't fault Frost over those traits. “You speak the truth, I see that. But I just don't know how to take this.”

     “I'm here for you, Luna. Every step of the way.” He reached across the table and placed a hoof on her foreleg. The princess gave a small nod. They continued to sip their coffee as the night dragged on almost endlessly.