Ashes of Harmony

Swaths of harsh light pierced through the edges of the door frame, swishing and moving like the brilliant reflections of light through a calm ocean. They danced unpredictably, splotches of illumination swinging and swaying almost playfully before suddenly bursting into the fullness of their shine. The door flew open, thumping against the wall with an almost cracking sound as the soldiers entered, their weapons pointing around the room in search of its owners. The silent night air was disrupted by shrieks of fright as two ponies, a stallion and a mare, approached the group of unwanted guests, the mare wrapping her hooves around her husband in fear. Beams from the magic flashlights fixed on the couples’ faces, the tears in their eyes shimmering and reflecting the capped officer who now stood before them.

“Is this the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Cake?” Asked the uniformed stallion in front.

“Y-yes sir… I’m sorry, b-but, there must be some misunderstanding, I-… My wife and I, we haven’t done anything wrong… Who are you, and w-what business do you have with us?” Mr. Cake muttered in a bewildered stupor, unable to make eye contact with any of the intruders.

The officer glared down at the huddling mass before him. This stallion was rather young for an officer, an earth pony who had a black mane and a dark blue coat with matching eyes. He wore a navy suit with a black tie and gray undershirt, black leather boots adorning his hooves. A belt similarly of black leather wrapped around his breast which supported a knife and accompanying sheath strapped to his right hoof by two other buckles. The left hoof bore an armband of the flag of the Lunar Empire of Equestria, a dark purple band with a crescent moon of the same color facing to its left, contained within a white circle. The officer’s hat of an even darker purple now fell over the tops of his eyes, the shadow it cast on his features contrasting with the steely glimmer of the sky-pointing, upside down crescent of the Nightmare Legion Insignia frontal on his peaked cap.

“I will be asking the questions tonight, Mr. Cake.” He said as a pointed, menacing look affixed his expression, his glare intensifying as the couple seemed to almost melt into the floor beneath their shaking hooves. “But if you must know, I am Commander Stardust Nightfall of the Ponyville Military Police. I and my legionnaires have come to investigate an anonymous tip we received regarding the matter of runaway griffons we believe you might have hidden here.”

Mrs. Cake looked to her husband, his eyes cast down as a cold sweat broke on his forehead, before turning her attention to Commander Nightfall. “Commander, uh, sir, I’m sorry but we h-have no idea what made you think-”

“Listen to me very carefully. What you are about to say could be the biggest mistake you ever make.” The Commander’s light but oddly soothing voice chimed, silencing the mare before she could finish. “Choose your words wisely before answering me. Now then; are there any griffons in this house?”

Mrs. Cake gulped, backing down. Her husband soon took over, his pained and shaky voice barely able to get the words out. “N-no sir, um, there isn’t a s-single griffon here, n-nope…”

Nightfall’s glare stayed fixed on Mr. Cake’s terrified eyes before finally softening. “I see. Thank you.” He turned to face the door, slowly trotting towards it; as he reached the concrete steps outside, he looked back towards the couple. “Of course, my subordinates will have to search your home, I’m afraid. Don’t worry, I don’t doubt your honesty; this is simply standard operating procedure.”

With a wave of his hood before finally leaving through the door, the troops seemed to come back to life as they systematically moved to different rooms of the house as if their actions were pre-planned. They removed and overturned drawers, flung out the contents of cabinets, and even broke open a few picture frames, searching for any evidence of a griffon’s presence. Mr. and Mrs. Cake just sat there on the floor, unable to fully comprehend what was happening. They watched as their foals, a filly named Pumpkin and a colt named Pound, sprinted out of their bedroom and through the living room, their small teary eyes confused and afraid.

“What’s happening, momma? I’m scared…” mused the colt, his hooves locking to Mrs. Cake’s side.

“It’ll be alright, sweetie. They’ll only be here a little longer…” The mother said as the sobering touch of her child helped her to regain some of her composure. “We’ll be okay, all of us. I promise.” She said as she wrapped her hooves around both her foals, bringing them into a tight embrace. Mr. Cake joined them, though never took his eyes off of the soldiers sifting through their belongings.

It wasn’t longer than ten minutes before all of the soldiers returned to the front door where the Cakes were still huddled together, one marching out to retrieve their commander. When he walked in, he looked towards the family wearing an almost pitying expression as he awaited a report from one of his troops.

A pink mare, seemingly even younger than the commander, stepped up to deliver the news. “We checked every room in the house, sir; the kitchen, living room, dining room, and both bedrooms and bathrooms. We did not find any evidence of stowaway griffons.” She said in earnest.

“That’s excellent news. I’m glad to hear that we could resolve this situation without any further conflict.” Stardust said with a now strangely warm smile crossing his face. “I know we have bothered you a great deal and at such a late hour, but there is one more thing we have to do. If you don’t mind, I’m afraid I will have to ask one of you to come with me for questioning. It won’t take long, I promise; again, it’s just procedure when we receive leads like these. And since I already know that you have been truthful with me, I’m sure there is nothing for you to worry about.” He said, his grin seeming to darken ever so slightly.

“Uh, umm, I…” Mr. Cake started before his wife interrupted suddenly, “I’ll go, honey…” She slowly let her children go, looking back into her husband’s listless eyes as she trotted away.

She had nearly made it out the door when the young filly piped up in broken sobs, “Please don’t hurt mommy!”

The whole room froze as Stardust, having turned to follow Mrs. Cake out the door, slowly reversed. He trotted up to the young filly, his now comforting gaze meeting her eyes as he kneeled down to her level.

“…Why would I do anything like that, little one…?” He whispered, a calm smirk forming on his face.

“Because of the bird…” she muttered under her breath.

“I’m sorry my dear, I didn’t hear you. Would you repeat that, please?”

“T-the… the b-bird…”

“What was that? I’m afraid I still couldn’t make it ou-“

“The bird ponies!” The little filly blurted out in long sobs, her hooves now covering her eyes, unable to meet those of the stranger before her.

A tense silence fell over the room which lasted for several seconds, the only audible sound being the drumming of the parents’ hearts.

“…I see.” Stardust said, now beginning to stand. “And where exactly are these ‘bird ponies,’ dear child?”

“T-they’re in the… the basement…” Came the filly’s muffled cries from beneath her hooves. “P-please don’t hurt my mommy…”

The officer looked to the pink mare beside him, motioning his head to the side in the general direction he believed the basement to be. She quickly nodded, half of the soldiers following behind as the rest moved to seize Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

<     -----------------------     *      ---------------------     >

A musty air filled the room as two of the soldiers lifted the cellar door behind the house. It was a spacious but simple basement, the gray and dusty concrete walls lined with faded metal shelves holding countless boxes of various sizes. Many of them appeared as if they had not been opened in years, their folded lids still covered in the fine powder which now wafted around the room from the activity. A single kerosene lamp sat perched on an old wooden table beside the base of the stairs; the pink mare retrieved one of her matches to light it, causing the room to be filled with a pale, orange glow.

Stardust walked up and placed a hoof on part of the wall in the back of the room, swishing his foreleg around on it; the dust seemed to almost fuse with the stark black of his boots. Seeing no visible compartment or opening, he looked over at the filly; she appeared to have calmed slightly from her rampant crying, but was still nonetheless in an apparently broken state.

“There must be some hidden nook behind the wall here. Listen out for any signs of movement behind it.” He said, trotting back towards the center of the room before glancing down at Pumpkin Cake. The soldiers all began to move along the edges of the room, scanning them for anything that might allow the wall to slide or open up. Their domed helmets and glistening gray magic rifles clinked against the cold surface as they pressed their ears and hooves to it, hoping to hear a shift or a voice from some hidden room beyond.

The Commander was hesitant to try and make the child tell him where the griffons were; he didn’t want to scare the poor girl more than she already was. It took long enough the make her calm down after her parents were taken outside and locked up in the police carriage; the only thing keeping her from breaking down again was the false promise that her family would be let go unscathed.

As his eyes searched around the dingy interior in the flickering, dim glow of the lamp, Stardust saw a spot on the floor below a shelf to the left side of the room covered in much less dust than most other parts of the basement. It was mostly obscured in shadow, only barely visible in the low light conditions; A slightly crooked shelf marked exactly what the Commander was looking for.

“Sugardrop, Wildgrass, please help me move this.” He said, pointing towards the rusty shelf, “And bring that light with you.”

Wildgrass, a green earth pony stallion with a dirty blonde mane, placed the lamp on the floor beside their hooves as Stardust and the pink mare stepped up to pull the shelf from in front of the wall. It creaked and screeched as they slowly tugged it away, grunting in exertion as the boxes atop it shifted and threatened to tumble down onto them.

After their work was finished, the three inspected their findings; a single rotted rug stood propped against the corner of the wall, hiding a small torn gap in the concrete. Wildgrass stepped up, taking down the rug to reveal a small opening barely traversable by a pony, even when standing on two hooves. “Sir, do you want me to go check it out?” He asked, still unsure as to whether or not he could actually squeeze himself into the hole.

“That will be alright, soldier.” Stardust replied, “I can push myself through. Keep your weapons at the ready; there’s no telling what I might find back there.”

He stood up on his hind legs, propping his back against the side of the wall as he slowly shimmied through the opening. Inside was a short tunnel of exposed pipes, most of which were connected by elaborate strings of cobwebs; the metal cylinders on the floor were covered by wooden boards which swayed with every slow step, often testing Stardust’s balance. The path ahead was dark, only illuminated by the shine from the soldiers’ flashlights beaming into the eventually impenetrable darkness.

By the time Stardust managed to reach the end of the tunnel, there ceased to be any light coming from the entrance. He could now only navigate by placing his hooves on the pipes and swinging himself to the side, hoping not to run into a broken or pointed piece of wood or metal which could be jutting out in his way; he had already encountered a few, but now swallowed in complete dark, there was no telling if the next step would result in severe injury.

As the Commander reached out a hoof to grasp the next pipe, he was only met with air; the shift in his weight was enough to have him collapse onto the ground, covering his uniform in milky gray dust. Standing up, Stardust realized that he had reached the end of the tunnel; the room before him was of indeterminate size; there was no source of light anywhere to be seen.

He stumbled into the dark, occasionally putting up a hoof to feel for the walls. “If there’s anypony in here, just come out now. I don’t want to have to hurt you.” He shouted at the blackness, his fur now beginning to stand from the tense silence.

“Find anything yet, Sir?” Sugardrop yelled from what seemed like far away, her voice echoing through the narrow path. “I or one of the others should go in there to help you.”

“That’s fine Sugardrop, thank you. Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself if I find any trouble.” Stardust yelled back. Despite his show of confidence, he wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

The Commander bumped into a wooden door somewhere in front of him. He couldn’t be sure where; he had already forgotten which way he had come from. Stardust worked his hooves over the door, looking for a knob or latch to pull it open. The wood on its surface was uneven and splintery, often catching on his boots and creating small tears before he could pull his leg away.

Without any warning, the door burst open as if the heavens had exploded. A burst of light from within temporarily blinded Stardust as he was thrown to the ground, covering his face with his hooves. Just as soon as he tried to reorient himself, gnashing talons gripped his suit collar and tossed him against the wall, causing his hat to fly off to the floor as his head smacked against the tough concrete.

Stardust’s eyes rolled about in his head before focusing on the ravenous beast before him. As the griffon swooped down for another strike, he deftly sidestepped before planting a hoof against the side of its head with an agonizing crack. The thing fell to the ground in a heap, struggling to stand on its claws before Stardust finally drew his knife and tackled it to the floor once again. Placing the tip of his blade under its throat, the beast stopped trying to escape.

“Dwn’t ywu fwcking mwve!” Stardust said through the hilt of his knife between his teeth, a deadly gleam now entering his pointed eyes. The griffon stammered back a bit, unable to decide what it should do next.

The rustle of hooves quickly shimmying their way through the tunnel could be heard as the flier finally submitted, dropping its wings to its sides with a cold stare towards the floor. Stardust stood, placing his knife back into its sheath with a click as the buckles latched it in place. He looked down at the broken mass before him; the griffon was a female, emaciated and dingy, appearing as if it had likely not left this room for many weeks. Her feathers were matted with dirt and grime; her ribs poked out of her chest to reveal her starving form. The griffon sat on the floor as one of her hind legs seemed to stick partially out of alignment, seeming as if it had been broken multiple times in the past.

Looking up only slightly, the griffon silently muttered incredulously, “I couldn’t protect them… My own babies…” Hearing this, Stardust looked over to the open cabinet next to wall, seeing the mangy two hatchlings with uncertain and terrified expressions on their equally dirty and hungry faces.

Sugardrop and Wildgrass had now squeezed their way through the narrow passage, and made their way into the room behind the wall. The former walked over to tie the griffon’s wings and bind her claws, while the stallion trotted to the cabinet to remove the hatchlings. Stardust ordered her and her children to be taken out and placed under arrest along with the Cakes. As they all filed out of the room, the other two soldiers still waiting in the basement pointed their rifles at the griffon being herded through the tunnel from behind, ensuring that she would not make any attempt to escape.

<     -----------------------     *      ---------------------     >

When the group finally made their way up the stairs and out into the yard behind the Cake residence, Stardust closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The cold night air filled his lungs, chilling them as he held his breath for several seconds before finally releasing. He looked up at the moon blanketing the sky with its silver luminescence; its faint rainbow shimmer melded nicely with the flickering points of white surrounding it. With all the dusty powder shaken off, Stardust made his way over to the police carriage, following his squad as they took the griffin family and the Cake foals to the back of the vehicle.

“A-are you gonna let our parents go now…?” The young colt said, looking up at the officer before him as he helped load the griffin and her hatchlings onto the steel benches across from Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

Stardust looked down at the little foal, seeming to have such hope in his eyes; for just one final moment, he looked as if he genuinely believed that his mother and father would be set free. “I’m sorry, kid. They’re guilty of harboring runaways. I wish there was some way I could let them go.” He said solemnly, a tinge of regret now working its way into his voice. The child fell back, sitting down hard on the ground as the realization struck him; not long after, his sister followed suit.

A slight breeze picked up now; a few dead leaves rode the wind and flew carelessly past the group. Doors placed at an angle on the sides of the carriage opened up to reveal the seating area for the soldiers; it was tight, but had just enough room to allow the soldiers to file out from the front or back of the cramped benches if necessary. They placed their gear in overhead compartments and sat upright next to one another; not all of the seats were filled, so they did eventually spread out to a certain extent.

The foals were, after excessive amounts of crying, allowed to sit in the back of the carriage with their parents. Once loaded, they huddled close together; no one said a word as the dark steel doors were bolted shut. Stardust walked over to his own officer’s carriage; it was a much smaller vehicle manned by a single pegasus who, after his passenger climbed into the covered back, asked if he was ready to leave yet.

“Give me just a moment.” Stardust replied; his voice was so low it was barely audible. He removed his hat once the pegasus had turned away, placing it on the seat next to him. Stardust buried his face in his hooves; he lied back in the wide seat, trying only to compose his thoughts.

He knew what would happen to those griffons. Runaways were never tolerated by the Legion; only submissive Protos were allowed to work. Even more, he wondered what would become of the innocent foals; they would likely end up working in some factory under the watch of a state agent. Their parents would certainly be shot, likely a death by firing squad. Treason was an unforgivable crime. He knew this. Still, such questions would not surrender his mind…

<     -----------------------     *      ---------------------     >

Bursts of magical energy echoed through the sky. They sounded off like crackling fireworks, creating quick little splotches of light visible through the windows of the carriage, appearing almost like miniature flashes of lightning. Stardust’s initial reaction was to sit up, but he hastily suppressed it; to do so might mean certain death. Instead, once the few seconds of shock subsided, he knelt down to the floorboards, reaching towards a compartment hidden below the front end of the vehicle. Hurriedly undoing the lock, he flung open the steel case, revealing a magic rifle of the same make as his soldiers’ standard issues.

Slinging the strap of the weapon over his shoulder opposite to his knife, he attached the gun to his side and flipped off the safety. The quiet, droning whirr of the magic battery in the rifle’s base hummed and vibrated very slightly, its heat letting Stardust know that the weapon was primed. Ever so slowly, he crept to the right side door, preparing to push down the handle.

A flurry of holes appeared above the stallion’s head, several piercing his carriage’s windows while a few even went through the top of the seat. He ducked even lower, a bead of sweat now forming on his brow.

Multiple cracking sounds could be heard from outside behind Stardust’s carriage. He heard helmets roll on the ground and bodies meet the pavement as the sounds of magic bullets died out completely. After several seconds of complete silence, the sound of doors clunking open could be heard, ending in the clash of metal on metal. Chains rattled as hoofsteps could be heard creeping away from the scene.

Finally, after taking a deep gulp, Stardust worked up the courage to open his side door carefully, moving it centimeters at a time to reveal only a sliver of the outside world. Peeking out with a single eye, he spotted many different forms walking away towards the moon in the distance; he recognized these as the prisoners.

They were all those he arrested except for one strange entity. It had the shape of a pony, but was entirely covered in an impenetrable black, its features completely hidden from view. It stood central to the others, seeming to lead them away.

Creeping as silently as possible, Stardust forced his way out the door of the carriage. “By Luna’s grace, please don’t turn around…” He thought as his hooves finally connected with the road. Upon fully emerging, he knelt down to the ground, trotting slowly forward, his eyes locked on the black figure several meters in front of him.

With a clearer view of the thing before him, Stardust noticed the dancing black cape and strange, almost pointed hat the creature wore. It, along with the other prisoners, stood together, gazing up at the moon. Betting that they would not turn around, the officer finally extended his legs to a full stand, aiming his rifle directly at the black figure.

“Turn around. Slowly.” He commanded, breaking the quiet. The figure looked startled for only an instant before moving its head to the side. “I said turn around now, or I’ll shoot!” Stardust barked, now with a bit more force than before.

The ominous being, along with the rest of its posse, did as the commander ordered. It stood now fully facing Stardust, its eyes revealing no pupils or white; they were only solid blotches of deep purple. Its cape fluttered evenly in the wind, appearing almost to be flowing like the waves of a calm ocean.

“Now. I want you to drop any weapons you have on you, and approach the vehicle. Make any sudden moves, and I’ll take off your fucking head.” Stardust said, motioning the barrel of his rifle towards the side of the police carriage.

No one moved.

“What, are you deaf? I said move!” Stardust ordered once more, a tinge of fear spreading over his body as he tensed.

The thing in black finally spoke. Its voice was synthetic, otherworldly; it sounded as if two different ponies, one high pitched and another low pitched, were talking simultaneously.

“You won’t do it.”

Stardust trembled. Anger spread across his face as he begged himself to open fire. All it would take is the mere thought… The simple conviction that he wanted to shoot… And yet he could not.

The weapon shook at his side as he began to tremble.

“You can’t take a life. Even one of these ‘Protos.’ You’re pathetic.”

Thoughts raced through Stardust’s head. That- Whatever it is- is disobeying my commands! I’m an officer of the Nightmare Legion for Luna’s sake! This is my duty! I’ll kill this bastard if he doesn’t start moving right fucking now!

And yet, he did not fire.

“I thought legionnaires weren’t supposed to think twice. I wonder why you are…?”

Tears began forming in Stardust’s eyes. He didn’t understand. Why can’t I do it? Why the FUCK can’t I do it? What in Equestria is wrong with me?!

“Hehe. So that’s it, huh? A big, tough legionnaire like you. And yet you can’t even kill a traitor like me. I can’t help but imagine what your father’s gonna think…”

At this point, the prisoners were starting to get antsy. They looked worryingly towards the figure, afraid that its taunts might actually stir the officer to action.

“If you’re g-going to save us, can we please go now?” Mr. Cake asked as he fidgeted about, trying to keep his children calm.

“Yes, you’re right. We really should be going now. If you’re gonna kill us, let’s get it over with already.”

Stardust couldn’t understand what was happening. Nothing seemed to make any sense anymore. All he could think was that he hated these whelps before him. A runaway Proto, a treasonous family, and that… thing? Pony? Proto? What the hell even is it? Does it really fucking matter right now? It would only take a thought. A thought, and this gun will fire. Why can’t I do that? What is stopping me?

It felt as if he had been overcome by some unseen magical force, like he had somehow been possessed. He slowly lowered the rifle, the hum of its battery dying down as the spark of energy began to dissipate. Stardust’s hat fell over his eyes as the water building in his eyes finally came down in a sniffling, muted drizzle.

“G-get the hell… Away from me…” He muttered under his breath, barely able to speak anymore.

“About damn time. See you on the other side.” The thing said as a bleached glow emitted from its forehead, obscured by the intensity of the moonlight. In an instant, all of the prisoners were enveloped in the same glow, and blinked out of existence, leaving Stardust alone in the road, surrounded by the dull blue heaps of his companions.

<     -----------------------     *      ---------------------     >

Sirens blared through the night as multiple troop transports pulled up in front of the house, parking themselves haphazardly around Stardust’s carriage. Dozens of soldiers poured out of them, weapons poised to gun down any sign of the escaping prisoners. Stardust still stood there in the road, baffled and bewildered at his own ineptitude; he was lost in thought, the sights and sounds around him blurred in the moment.

“Commander Nightfall! Commander Nightfall!!” He believed he heard from behind him. Stardust was frozen, unable to comprehend that noise.

“Stardust! Are you listening? Turn and face me!” There it was again, a little bit clearer. But still, he could not respond.

“COMMANDER STARDUST NIGHTFALL, I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF AGAIN!”

Finally yanking him back into reality, Stardust quickly swiped his hoof across his face, hoping to rid it of the tears whose streaks still covered it. He cleared his throat as he whirled around, realizing who it was behind him.

“High Commander, uh, Dreams, I apologize, I, um…” He sputtered, trying to regain his composure.

The mare before him was an earth pony with a milky white coat and piercing lilac eyes whose gaze seemed to shoot right through him. Her mane was green on its right side and scarlet on the left; as it approached the back of her head the colors seemed to mix together in a swirl as they curled up into a braided bun.

She lifted an eyebrow, anger still clearly visible on her face. Dreams’ glare shot down at the confused Stardust; her shiny black leather coat that covered her uniform swayed slightly in the wind as her high-topped peaked cap casted shadows over her eyes which stole any hope of redeeming himself from the terrified stallion.

“Oh, uh, sorry…” He coughed, standing as tall as he could manage in his current state. Stardust’s right hoof shot out in front of him as he exclaimed, “Hail Luna!”

“Hail Luna.” Dreams replied in a menacing tone, making a similar motion. Upon placing her hooves back on the ground, she sized up the trembling buck before her.

“Well then? Don’t you have a report that you’d like to share?” She asked as her patience grew thinner. “What happened to your troops?”

“I’m sorry High Commander, we received a tip about some runaway griffons being stashed here, and so we came to investigate…” He replied in a defeated but earnest tone. “We found and arrested them, as well as the ponies hiding them.”

She looked around at the soldiers sprawled out around them. Most of them were starting to wake up; it appeared to her that none of them had been shot.

“I don’t see any griffons or ponies in the back of that police carriage.” She said angrily, “In fact, the only signs of a struggle around here that I see are your troops on the ground!”

Stardust shifted around, taking in the scene around him. He could no longer make eye contact with the mare before him. “We were attacked, High Commander-”

She reached out a hoof and drove it into the left side of Stardust’s head, causing his hat to fly off onto the road; he grimaced from the pain.

“I WILL ACCEPT NO MORE EXCUSES FROM YOU, NIGHTFALL! FAILURE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!” She screamed as she lowered her face down only inches in front of Stardust’s.

Dreams backed away only slightly are she continued, “I give you command of your own squad, and these are the results you give me?! This is unacceptable!” Her seething anger seemed to subside only a little as she finally pulled away from him and began to turn around. “Pick up your damn cap, Nightfall.”

Stardust reached his shaking hoof down to retrieve his hat, placing it quickly back on his head as he fought with everything he had to keep the tears from returning. “I will not disappoint you again High Commander.” He said brokenly as she started to trot away, his eyes entirely hidden as he stared down at the ground.

She acknowledged him by only slightly turning her head backwards. “For your sake, see that you don’t. If this happens again, I can promise you that I won’t let you off the hook with just a threat for a second time. No matter what your father says.”

As she began to walk away once again, she stopped suddenly for one last remark, laughing slightly as she sighed, “You’re lucky, Stardust. If you’d lost any of your troops, I’d have had you shot.”

With that, the pale white mare finally left him alone; he scanned around the area to see that most of his soldiers had regained consciousness and were being seen to by medics to ensure that they weren’t severely harmed. Stardust was, once again, left unsure of himself, but not in the same way as before; he knew that he had to do something to redeem himself in his superior’s eyes. He would be the one to go out and capture that caped criminal. This was one thing that he knew he had to do.

For the time being, Stardust stayed until the moon had long since fallen below the horizon to help his troops, promising them that he would take full responsibility for what had happened to them. When they had finally been reloaded into the police carriage, it departed, leaving Stardust completely alone save for his driver.

The officer once again told the pegasus in the front of his carriage to wait for a few minutes before taking off. He would need a little while once again to lie in silence and contemplate his actions and feelings.