Fairlight - The Frozen Heart

Chapters

Chapter Two - Rogue agent
Chapter Four - Princess of the night
Chapter Five - Treading old paths
Chapter Six - A bottle made of glass
Chapter Seven - Plausible deniability
Chapter Eight - Gateway to another world
Chapter One - The frozen heart
Chapter Three - The sun and the moon

Chapter Two - Rogue agent

CHAPTER TWO

Rogue Agent

I spent another week practising with the PDW’s, which, as I’d later found out, actually stood for ‘Pony Defense Weapon’ of all things. Other than the cringe worthy name, I would also discover that the agency had a love affair with not only black outfits and black equipment, but also bloody acronyms. Everything had one, and as the new guy here it took all my time to decipher the conversations going on around me. Each day was a repeat of the last, with tactics, drills, TED protocols and, of course, target practice. After a little while I became quite proficient at handling the deadly little weapon. There were other types too, such as those designed for pegasi and earth ponies, utilising mouth-operated firing mechanisms. They’d been playing with ones you could use with your hooves, but that required balancing on your hind legs which not everypony was comfortable with. Good job the thestrals hadn’t had the things back when Nightmare Moon was on the rampage or else we’d all be clicking and hissing at each other now in that mind warping language of theirs. Still, despite my misgivings I had to admit my own hypocrisy in all of this. I had previously used crossbows to shoot ponies in the watch, but only as a very last resort, like that damned warehouse. At least here in the agency we had the ‘shocker’ which was a non-lethal option that didn’t involve battering some poor bugger senseless with a wooden truncheon. Not that being hit with all that magical energy wouldn’t hurt like hell of course, but it was certainly preferable to having a bloody great hole burnt through you.

What I missed the most in the agency though, was the camaraderie of the watch. I didn’t know anypony here other than Warlock and Wist, and I certainly wouldn’t include them in my list of ‘friends’ by any stretch of the imagination. The agency was a group of ponies who all seemed to have, I don’t know… ‘issues’? Nopony seemed to want to even attempt to get along with one another except on missions, and there was always that deeper sense of distance between them and me, which was decidedly discomforting. Wist was a bit wacky, but there was something beneath that outgoing façade of his which just didn’t sit right with me. It was the same with gruff old Warlock. I didn’t trust either of them, and I imagine the feeling was mutual. One day I would have to find out what was going on here before it drove me crazy, but for now I would keep my head down and do my job. The way I looked at it, the sooner we put a stop to these smugglers the better. With Luna’s help and a healthy dose of the good fortune I was owed, I would soon be reunited with Shadow and we’d both be able to get the hell out of this loony bin. Speaking of which, the ‘facility’ we were in was not much more than an agency version of the watch house. A lot more up-market and clean than my old work place in Manehattan, but lacking a lot of its character. Unless clinically clean and bland was to your taste of course. Wist had explained that the agency ponies stationed in various locations around Equestria operated remotely to the main hub, which I guessed would be the mountain facility I had been taken to that time. ‘That time’ being when I had been forced to hand over my badge and say goodbye to my career. Goddesses, I could never forget that, regardless of the reasons behind it. The memory was still like a dagger through my heart. One morning at breakfast, I decided to broach the subject with Wist. He sat opposite me, yawning expansively whilst stirring his warm oat porridge.

“Late night?” I asked pleasantly.

Wist nodded, stretching his forelegs out for emphasis. “Yeah, card game with Snap and the gang. Goddesses know what time that went on ‘til.” He took a swig of apple juice. “Bit of advice buddy; don’t play against Snap. She’ll wipe the friggin’ floor with yer.”

The breakfast choice in the agency was like its working practices: bland, mechanical, efficient, and necessary. Porridge and apple juice or apple juice and porridge. Delicious… I looked across the table at Wist. He had dark circles under his eyes, poor bugger. I imagined his pockets were pretty light right about now too.

“Hey, Wist, I never asked, how did you end up in the agency?” I asked.

He looked at me with a disinterested expression, “Same way you did, Chief.”

“Oh?”

Wist nodded. “Woke up here. You know: doctors, nurses, bright lights and all that. Same as everypony else.”

“You’re kidding me!” I put my spoon down and stared at him. “What, you’re just walking along one day and ‘poof!’ you’re here in the agency?”

Wist stared down at his porridge. “Pretty much. Thing is, none of us can remember what happened before then, or at least if they do, they’re not saying.”

“Can you remember?” I asked him curiously.

Wist’s eyes narrowed and a dark look ghosted across his face like clouds over the moon. “No. No I don’t. And Nox?” His eyes bored into me. “Don’t ask me again, alright?”

I paused looking into those deep green eyes. There it was again, that fathomless black hole which appeared from time to time in his gaze. “Sure, Wist,” I said calmly. “Didn’t mean to upset you, my friend. I’m sorry.”

With a blink the chirpy piebald stallion re-appeared like he’d never been away. “It’s cool, Chief. Just… y’know, what we don’t know can’t hurt us, right?” he laughed.

“Right,” I said, not believing my own reply. It wasn’t right. Not at all. I had the impression that the agency was full of damaged goods that they’d ‘patched up’ by applying a plaster rather than attempting a proper repair. I hoped I wasn’t working with a bunch of ticking time bombs. Bombs who were armed with magical energy weapons.

Attention to orders. Team Epsilon to briefing room in five minutes. Repeat - Team Epsilon to briefing room in five minutes.

The voice over the tannoy caught our attention. “Come on Chief, let’s shift flank. Don’t wanna be late for your first outing do yer?” Wist smiled ruefully and finished off his porridge with a final spoonful. I followed suit, downing the last mouthful quickly and headed for the door. Warlock was already there waiting for us with all the animation of a glacier.

“Nox, Wist, you’re with me,” the dour orange pony informed us turning away to walk down the brightly lit corridor.

The three of us sat in on the morning briefing together and watched the surveillance images projected onto a large drop-down screen whilst the briefing officer explained the usual whys and wherefores that were familiar to agency and watch alike. It all seemed straight forward enough so far. Instead of being dropped in at the deep end, this looked to be a nice easy routine job, ideal for my first outing with a new team. The target was a coffee shop on the junction of 39th street near Chester’s Movie House. Meadow and I had been there once and I still had a vague recollection of the layout of the area. It was in a typical Manehattan setting, with busy streets, equally busy pavements, and the overhead railway which had so fascinated me the first time I saw it. The sparks from the smoke stack in the early morning light as the locomotives thundered by was magical to behold, and like a foal I’d stood there staring up at them wide eyed. Meadow thought my reaction endearing at first, but after the second locomotive has passed and I hadn’t show any signs of moving she’d pulled me into a local tea shop, rolling her eyes at my behaviour. The inside of the shop itself had been wood panelled, with wooden tables and neat checked table covers. Several photographs of the local area adorned the walls displaying images of a time when ponies apparently all wore three piece suits. That must have been fun in the height of summer! Still, it was all quite quaint and welcoming in its own rustic way. We’d been the only couple in there at that time in the morning and the waitress, a cute cream filly with a yellow and blue striped mane, had cheerily taken our order. The manager had turned out to be her father whose expertise in brewing was the reason behind why Meadow had wanted to visit this part of the city in the first place. She’d always had a fondness for trying anything ‘home made’ and, I suppose, secretly I did myself to a degree. Personally I thought the place a touch run down for my liking and it was an area I’d made several arrests for drunkenness and damage to property when I’d been stationed here. Needless to say I was rather wary about taking Meadow to areas like this, but she had told me off for being ‘overprotective’ and said I needed to ‘relax and loosen up’. She was right of course, I did tend to be a bit stiff when it came to her safety. Not that I’d been able to protect her when I needed to. When it really mattered…

“Hey, Chief!” Wist nudged me, “You get all that?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We go in and secure the place when they’re about to close and all the customers are gone. Team Alpha secure the perimeter, while Beta search the place for contraband. When we’re finished, we take the family in for interrogation and memory alteration. Clean and simple, right?”

Wist smiled, nodding, “Clean and simple.”

I checked my sidearm and shocker. Perhaps a little impulsively I’d made the decision to leave the charger crystal out of the PDW, but there was no way in hell I was blowing holes in ponies with that infernal device. Not after the warehouse, and certainly not when I had a non-lethal means of disabling a target. Maybe I was growing soft in my old age, but… well, perhaps I’d seen too much death. Sometimes I could still see flashes of memories from my time in the Withers: the earl with his cloak of pony hides, the blood, the screaming, the sight of Glimmer dying after she’d... With a toss of my mane I pushed the intrusive thoughts out of my mind and trotted after the others as we headed for the sky carriage compound. I’d let the terror of flying scare those damned memories away, and you never know, I might even be able to get some sleep tonight without waking up in a cold sweat for a change too. It was almost a relief when the carriage lurched in the air. If there was one thing I can say about the agency, it was that they didn’t hang about. Messages flew back and force over the TED’s - none meant for me though, just incessant background chatter about weather conditions and estimated times for arrival at the target area. Out of habit I didn’t look out the window but noticed, with some relief, that my vertigo had simply…vanished. I silently thanked the wendigo part of me for that. Hey, maybe this spirit thing wasn’t so bad after all. In fact it was quite therapeutic watching the city far below with the sparkling river in the distance and the seagulls swooping past us.

Wist noticed me deep in thought and tapped me on the leg. “You okay there, Chief? You seem a bit distant.”

I smiled at him. “Hmm? Oh, sorry, Wist, haven’t been on a mission for a while and it brings back memories. Not all pleasant ones, you know?”

Wist blinked. “No, not really. We have a job to do and I keep focussed on that. It’s the way I keep myself going. Keep telling myself… it’s just a job.”

I don’t know about Wist being worried about me, I was more than a bit worried about the way the piebald stallion would slip between being cold one minute and perky the next. I hate to say it, but I simply didn’t have the same level of faith in my new colleagues that I used to have with my old team in the watch. Still, all things come in time. I was probably just as nervous back when I first joined up, but it all seemed so long ago now I couldn’t remember. Oh bollocks, I was becoming forgetful now too!

We hadn’t been airborne long when the carriage began to lose height, gradually dropping to ground level with a clatter of wheels on cobbles. Moments later the communication hatch opened.

“We’re here, people,” the driver called.

I sat and waited, listening intently to the TED. Surveillance teams were already on scene, the voices chattering back and forth:

One female customer inside. She’s paying for her drinks now. Stand by one.

Wist stared out the window of the chariot. I’m not sure what he thought he could see, we were parked one street over and had no view of the coffee shop from where we were. The radio voice came back:

Female has left the shop. Target male heading for the door now. All teams, move in.

“That’s our cue!” Wist shouted enthusiastically and threw the carriage door open, trotting towards the front of the shop with myself in hot pursuit.

I re-adjusted my sunglasses and patted my pockets to make sure my badge was handy. The air today was warm and dry, the sun dipping below the tops of the buildings casting ever deepening shadows across the road surface. I remembered there had been little wind in this part of the city, probably due to the density of the buildings that blocked out most of the sunlight and added a sense of despondence to the area that I remembered all too well. Unfortunately the lack of air circulation only emphasised the smell of decay and stench from piles of rotting refuse that waited forlornly to be cleared away. Apparently the city, as well as the locals, cared little for this part of Manehattan. But even so, there was the little coffee shop just as I remembered it. Despite the tired paintwork it stood out like a sore hoof amongst its fellows, virtually shining like a jewel. A jewel in a cess pit. My enthusiastic colleague reached the door of the shop just as the male I recognised as the owner was reaching for the ‘closed’ sign. Wist quickly pushed the door open and was stepping through, sporting a grin on his face just as the shocked cyan male backed up, still keeping hold of the handle.

“Um, I’m afraid were closed now gentlemen,” the owner said politely. “We’ll be open again tomorrow at eight.” He tried a smile but I could sense the nervousness in his voice.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be able to manage a couple more coffee’s for my friends and I won’t you? There’s a good fellow.” Wist produced his warrant card and the cyan male’s eyes went wide, looking to me as if for help.

I nodded at him and produced my card, holding it up for me to see. “Agent Nox, Celestian Bureau of Investigation. No need for alarm sir, we’re here on official business.”

There was a thump, followed by a small crashing noise from the back of the shop as Warlock and Beta team moved in to begin the search for any smuggled items. The agency briefing officer hadn’t deemed it necessary to give us poor grunts any background on why they thought there was smuggling going on here, but as the ‘new foal’ on the team, I guessed I was on a ‘need to know’ basis. Apparently, I didn’t need to know. I sighed inwardly; this was a completely different set up to what I was used to. The coffee shop owner walked behind the counter and began preparing a couple of cups of coffee while I locked the front door and closed the blinds. Meanwhile Wist followed the poor fellow like a second tail, smiling that knowing smile of his. You couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the owner though, he was visibly shaking in fright and managed to drop one of the cups which, fortunately, I was able to catch with my magic before we had a damages claim. I had to throw him a lifeline if for no other reason than to distract him from Wist’s attention.

“What’s your name, sir?” I asked politely.

“G… Green… Green Gauge,” he stammered, nervousness showing in his dilated pupils. He poured out two cups and leaned down to pull something from under the counter.

Wist clicked his tongue at him, reaching down himself and taking out a jar of sugar lumps. Eyes never leaving the owner, he called over, “Agent Nox, how many sugars do you take?”

“One,” I answered, peering between the blinds. The street was clear in both directions. I needn’t have bothered though, I could see Alpha team members stationed up the street and on the roof top opposite keeping an eye out for potential trouble. But there was nothing. There were no passers by, nor any traffic for that matter. I suspected they’d probably already had the road blocked off.

“None for me.” Wist spoke in a cheeky tone, hooking a foreleg around the beleaguered owner’s neck. He leaned close and whispered loudly into his ear, eyes flicking to me. “I’m sweet enough already...” Green Gauge quailed and pulled away from him, his antagonist laughing, “He’s good! I like him. Hope yer coffee’s good too, squire.” Wist leaned against the counter and sipped his freshly brewed beverage. “Hey! This really is good! Nox, come and get yours buddy.”

I trotted over and tried some of mine. True enough, it really was quite excellent - rich and smooth. The aroma brought back memories of the visit I’d had here with Meadow. Why in Equestria hadn’t we been back here? It was a rare treat to find a place that could produce such a flavoursome cup as this. “Thank you, Mister Gauge, this is excellent,” I said smiling to him.

“You… you’re welcome.” He tried to smile but it never reached his eyes. The poor guy looked like he was going to piss himself.

Suddenly a loud crash from upstairs and a scream caught all of our attention as Warlock’s voice crackled over the TED, “Female heading your way, Epsilon. Head’s up.”

A yellow mare with a red mane rushed at us from a back room, tears flying from her eyes as she rushed to embrace Green Gauge. Wist stepped back and chuckled, pressing his hoof to his TED, “Male and female secure. Anything to report?”

“Negative,” came Warlock’s reply. “Nothing up here. We’ll continue to… Wait… Stand by one.” There was a brief pause. “Contact! Hold it, it’s a female foal. Come here now, it’s okay… Ow! Dammit the little sod bit me! Look out Epsilon team, she’s heading your way!”

There was rumble of hoofsteps and a grass green foal burst into the room running headlong into Wist. He stumbled back, winded, while I scooped up the foal and pushed her back towards her parents. “Here you go, it’s alright little one,” I smiled. “We’re not going to hurt you”.

She glared at us with those typically huge round eyes all foals have. Normally they were quite cute, but this one... “Get out!” she shrieked. “You’re bad ponies! You’re frightening nanna and granddad!” Okay, so ‘grandparents’, not ‘parents’ then. So much for my detective skills! That was when I noticed the small toy pony lying on the floor. It was a plush model of Celestia. I went to pick it up but Wist beat me to it, levitating it up before the frightened foal.

“Looks just her doesn’t it?” he shouted over to me, “bet she’s a right goer, eh?”

I gave him a hard look, “Give her it back Wist, she’s just a child.”

“Give me that back!” the foal screamed stamping a hoof.

Wist ignored her, laughing, “Let’s see how well she can fly shall we?” He threw the toy up into the air, narrowly missing the ceiling fan. The little green foal cried out and rushed forward to tackle Wist, flailing her forelegs and bucking him, with surprising accuracy, right between the legs. It may have been funny except that the enraged piebald male snatched her up in his magic and slammed her tiny body against the wall, snarling, “You little BITCH!”

I rushed over to put a hoof on Wist’s shoulder. “For Celestia’s sake, Wist, chill the buck out will you? She’s just a foal! Put her down.”

The agent’s eyes narrowed as he lowered the foal and turned to me, breathing hard. Pulling off his sunglasses he stalked up to me until we were nose to nose, his bright green eyes boring into mine. “Don’t you ever, EVER, tell ME what to DO!” he yelled, foam spraying from his mouth.

I picked up the toy Celestia and stepped back from Wist. “Easy, Wist, noponies telling you what to do. Let me give the foal her toy back and we can get this job over with, okay?”

He glared at me, hatred and rage burning in his eyes. I’d never seen him like this and it was worrying that the guy was in a position of authority to say the least. I would have to report this when I returned. He was obviously… unstable. And that look in his eyes! Where had I seen it before? A bolt of green light made my vision flare and I ducked back instinctively, Wist doing the same.

“What the buck?!” Wist neighed loudly, staring over the table that was now covered in spilled coffee.

I looked up to see the grandparents cowering behind the counter and the foal standing on her hind legs holding… Oh gods... a PDW. Both Wist and I patted our pockets. As we looked at each other it was obvious from his face what had happened - the little foal had grabbed his pistol in the scuffle and it was now pointing right at him.

“Come on, darling…” he said to the foal, insincerity thick in his voice. “Put that down now, that’s not a toy. Here, look, my friend’s got your dolly. Nox, give her the toy for bucks sake!”

I levitated the Celestia toy to the foal and she started to cry. “You’re a bad pony!” she bawled at Wist, “You’re bad, bad, bad!”

A voice crackled over the TED. It was Warlock. “What’s going on down there, Wist? Nox, report!”

“Chief, we’ve got a situation,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm so as not to aggravate the situation any more than it already was. “The foal’s got a hold of Wist’s PDW. Keep position until we get the situation back under control”.

Warlock’s voice was heavy with condemnation. “Received. Holding position.”

Shit, this was going to take some explaining back at the facility. Some first job this was turning out to be - a stand-off with an armed child of all things. First off though I had to get the weapon away from the foal before somepony was hurt, and also to somehow keep Wist away from the family. Before I had a chance to react, Wist stepped forward towards the foal.

“Come on now,” he smiled grimly. “Give Uncle Wist the gun…”

The foal shrieked in fright and a bolt of green light shot out again, narrowly missing his ear and punching a hole in the wall behind him. Wis’ts eyes narrowed and I saw him reaching behind his back as a cream filly with a yellow and blue striped mane walked into the room from the restroom.

“Mum? Dad? What’s all the noise?” she asked casually. And paused. Quickly taking in the situation before her, she let out an almighty scream.

Dear Celestia! What happened to our bloody surveillance teams?! Weren’t they supposed to have checked this place before we went in? It was all too clear now how horribly unprepared we’d actually been. I remembered during watch training how planning was drummed into us. Piss poor planning, promotes piss poor performance, my trainer had told us. By the goddesses, he was right. In our excitement at being new recruits, we’d been all too willing to listen to some of the stories the veterans regaled us with. One had told us that when the ‘shit was about to hit the fan’, everything happened in slow motion. It may have been that way for him, but not for me. Not now. Now, everything happened in a terrifying blur. The foal, distracted by her mother’s scream, whirled away from Wist who made a lunge for her whilst reaching out with his magic to grab the PDW. The foal tried to hold onto it with her hooves and in the ensuing tug of war, her tiny hoof hit the trigger and it fired, sending a green lance of energy at Wist’s head. With surprising agility he dodged the full blast, but wasn’t quite fast enough. The magical energy beam clipped his ear and sent blood and burning flesh into the air along with a horrible smell of burning hair. Before the glow from the beam died away, Wist’s hoof had already produced another PDW from a hidden holster beneath his overcoat and took aim at the terrified foal. I shouted, rushing forward to try and wrest the gun from him... but I was too slow. Too damned slow. The beam from Wist’s gun lanced out and the foal’s head exploded into flying chunks of meat like a burst balloon, bits of red mane and yellow fur spattering across the counter and her grandparents alike. The world took a breath. And then, like a bad movie, the mother’s agonised screams echoed throughout the coffee shop.

Warlock and the other agency ponies charged into the room a heartbeat later. While we were distracted by the latest entrants, the grandfather clumsily reached under the counter and pulled out a tubular weapon, similar to the type I’d seen in the warehouse. It didn’t do him any good. Another green flash from Wist burned a hole through him from chest to tail, and he was dead before he even hit the ground.

The now hysterical mother ran for her foal, crying out in anguish and I barely managed to tackle her to the ground. “Stay down!” I shouted at her, but all she wanted to do was reach her daughter. The same daughter whose broken body lay strewn across the floor near her grandfather’s still warm corpse. In a sudden rush the grandmother picked up her husband’s fallen weapon and shot it wildly at Wist who ducked behind the counter in the nick of time. The loud ‘bang’ made my ears ring and pieces of splintered wood showered over me like a cloud burst of hard rain. Shaking the fragments from my muzzle I looked up in time to see Warlock reach around the corner of the counter and place a shot right between the older mare’s eyes. Silence fell, the smell of blood and burning flesh mingling with the blue smoke from singed hair that was hanging in the air around us. I looked down at the mare below me whose eyes had narrowed to pinpricks. She was going into shock and began shaking uncontrollably. I shouted over my TED, “We need a medic in here, now! We have ponies down, repeat, we ponies down.”

Warlock trotted over and pulled me off the mare, holstering his PDW. “Leave her, newbie,” he said in his gravelly monotone voice. “The medics will take care of her.”

Medics? How the hell were they going to ‘take care’ of anything now?! I stood up, wiping spatters of blood and splinters from my muzzle as my anger bubbled up inside me, threatening to overwhelm my conscious mind. In some ways I rather hoped it would. I stared at the impassive orange stallion before me. “You bastard Warlock,” I snarled. “You lousy, miserable, bucking bastard. Is this how you do things in the agency? Is it?! You just gun down ponies, just like that?” I pointed to Wist. “He just shot a foal, a bloody foal for Celestia’s bucking sake! What the hell is wrong with you ponies?” I was starting to lose it and I could feel a hint of rage spark down inside me. Who were we supposed to be here? Who was I for that matter? Gods almighty, weren’t we supposed to be the good guys? Wist picked up his PDW and slipped it back into its holster along with its twin and walked past me without another word. I couldn’t bear to look at him.

Warlock paused as a voice came over the TED, “Agent Warlock, we’ve found something.”

He pressed his hoof to the device, “On our way.”

Turning to me, Warlock hooked a foreleg under mine and hoisted me to my hooves. It was the first vaguely friendly gesture I’d ever had from the stallion, and one I barely noticed. “Come on Nox,” he said levelly, “there’s something you may want to see here.”

I fought back the rising bile in my throat as I followed the orange stallion through to the back of the shop. Radio chatter continued across my ear piece, but in my current state, none of it registered even the slightest. I could still hear the mares scream ringing in my ears, her pain and grief searing through my heart like a white hot lance. I’m sorry little one, I silently prayed. May thegoddesses guide your gentle soul to the peace of the eternal herd.

At the back of the shop a black coated agency pony from Beta team stood by an open hatch in the corridor floor, the rug which had been covering it pulled back to one side. Without another word, Warlock headed down the creaking wooden steps into the cellar beneath. The strong musty smell of damp hit my nostrils almost immediately. Damp, and something else, the smell of… I don’t know, but whatever it was it had my hackles going up like noponies business. Seemingly unaffected by the foul miasma, the big stallion halted at the bottom of the stairs and I drew up alongside him. There, in the dim lamplight, a row of rusty cages sat haphazardly along the side of one of the damp walls. Boxes, jars, and other detritus were piled up nearby. Agency ponies were busy breaking open crates with crowbars, their packaging material spilling out onto the dank floor. One of them levitated out a familiar long tubed device, the same as the one upstairs.

“Sir,” the pony nodded, passing the weapon to Warlock.

He took the thing and then passed it to me, his eyes watching for my reaction. “Equestrian made,” Warlock said levelly. “These get on the streets, Nox, and we’ll have more blood on our hooves than what you’ve seen upstairs today.”

I propped the weapon against the wall and turned to meet his gaze. “Is that an excuse for what happened up there? Warlock, we just killed three ponies - a little girl and her grandparents. Was that part of the plan?”

He spat on the floor, “Of course not. We don’t liquidate ponies unless absolutely necessary.”

I looked at the cages, “But Wist… Celestia’s arse, the guys not right in the head. We could have-”

“We will deal with Wist,” Warlock interrupted. “But this is not the time, nor the place for that.”

I sighed, removing my sunglasses and rubbed my eyes. Goddesses what a bucking mess. The whole situation stank almost as badly as the bloody cellar, and my first operation with the agency had turned into a complete clusterbuck. And then, unexpectedly, the quiet sound of something moving caught my attention. It was only on the very edges of my hearing, barely even audible, but it pulled my attention like iron filings to a magnet. Warlock had heard it too.

“Over here!” he called pulling one of the crates aside.

One of the agency ponies lifted up her lantern, casting light into the darker recesses of the cellar. There, concealed behind one of the crates was another cage, its rusty black metal glinting in the half-light. Disturbing the crate sent the stench I’d noticed earlier to new heights, the foul reek of manure and acrid urine catching the breath in my throat. I reached over and took the lantern from the pony, squeezing into the gap and edging towards the cage. Inside… Oh, dear gods. Two little foals looked up at me with shining eyes wet with tears, too terrified to cry out or even to speak. The two, one a sand colour and one black, hugged each other in terror, their wide pupils reflecting in the lamplight. They didn’t make a sound. Not even so much as a sniffle. I closed my eyes and looked back to the agency pony, levitating his crow-bar over which I then pushed into the padlock securing the cage. I froze. There, in the corner near the foals, lay another little body. Still. Unmoving. I swallowed, and heaved on the metal bar, trying my best not to let my mind wander from what I was doing right at that moment. With a crack the lock gave way and I pulled the rusted door open.

“Warlock, get some medics down here,” I whispered. “Please…” He nodded and turned back to the other ponies in the room. I took off my TED, my hoof half way to removing my glasses before thinking better of it. These three had been through enough. “Hey, what are your names,?” I asked gently. The black one tried to speak, but her dry lips could barely offer any words.

The other one spoke up, her voice cracking. “My… My names Palm. This is… Twinkle Sky.” Neither of them moved a muscle. “Are you… Are you going to hurt us, mister?” she asked shyly, her voice quavering. The black foal’s blue eyes watched me, twitching when I sat down on my haunches.

“No,” I said smiling to them, “I’m here to take you home. It’s all going to be okay now, you’re with friends.” I motioned to the watching agency mare to come over.

She took off her glasses and TED, sidling up next to me. “Come on now my little ones, it’s time to get you home,” she said merrily. “We’ve got some nice hot drinks and some yummy food for you too. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Of course you would!”

Slowly, carefully, the two moved towards her, the black one catching Palm’s tail in her mouth as she led her out of the cage. The same way Shadow had followed me from the village. Had that really happened? It felt like a dream now. A dream from so long ago... I could feel tears stinging my eyes. Was this what Equestria was coming too? The mare patted me on the back with a hoof before leading the two foals away, but as they passed me I couldn’t help but stare in abject horror at the dreadful condition they were in. Ribs showing through their coats bore witness to a level of cruelty I could never imagine an Equestrian inflicting on any creature, let along a helpless foal. It defied logic. I’d seen some nightmares in my time, but this? No… Nothing like this. And then my eyes drifted to the tiny figure of the unmoving green foal. I carefully reached out, feeling for a pulse. Nothing. Her body was stone cold. Cradling her in the blue glow of my magic, I gently lifted her out and took her in my forelegs. The tiny foal’s eyes were closed just like she was sleeping. And in a way, she truly was. Tears poured down my cheeks, mingling with the filth she had been lying in during her final moments in this stinking dark cellar. I held her close and began to weep, my whole body racked with a level of grief I had hoped I would never feel again. I was lost, lost in a flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me, but I didn’t care. What the hell had she done to deserve this? Where are you Celestia? And what about you, Luna? Where were you when this young life, this precious spark of magic in this miserable world, waned and died in your land of sunshine and rainbows?

Nopony spoke. Rising to my hooves I placed her on my back and walked past the others, some turning away, unable to watch. I couldn’t blame them. I headed back up the steps and out the back of the shop where several of the sky carriages were parked up, the medics tending to the mother of the foal from the shop. Warlock shouted something up from behind me, but I didn’t listen. The mare in front of me sat in silence with a blanket around her, shaking, her eyes tight shut against the tears. My magic glowed as I brought the lifeless body of the green foal before her. “Did you know?” My voice was barely a whisper. The mare looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot from crying as she took in the image before her. She said nothing. I advanced on her, my pain and anger growing more palpable by the second. “I said, DID YOU KNOW?” I all but screamed at her, but the mare remained silent, her eyes filled with nothing but the grief of her own loss. She had nothing to say for the green foal. No words of regret. No remorse. She was simply a commodity. A tool. She had to have known. She must have!

“Agent Nox!” Warlock bellowed at me, “Come on now, give me the foal. She shouldn’t see this.”

I looked back at Warlock, my anger soaring. A cold rage was building within me, rising on a tide of pain and bitter heartfelt vengeance. Some bastard was going to pay for this. I would find out who there were, where they were, and Celestia herself would not stop me from exacting retribution for the life of this child. Goddesses help me, they would all pay.

Warlock took the foal from me and passed her to the female agent who had taken the foals earlier. He took my head in his hooves and looked me straight in the eyes. “Get a grip Agent Nox,” he ordered. “I can’t afford to have you going nuts on me too. The mistress trusts you, and whether I like it or not, she believes in you.” He suddenly slapped me across the face with a hoof. “Get a bucking grip, Captain!”

I lifted my head and faced him, my thoughts re-arranging themselves into something approaching coherence. “You knew they were here, didn’t you?” I asked.

Warlock closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes. Or rather, we suspected.” He lead me out of earshot of the mare who was being bundled into one of the sky chariots. “The smugglers have been trading in slaves. Foals mostly. Ponies and gems, traded for guns and drug components.”

I drew a ragged breath, watching the sky carriage take to the air. “Celestia’s mercy…” I breathed.

The orange agent stood next to me. “Do you see now, Agent Nox? Do you see now why we must do what we do? Who’s foal will it be next? Who’s daughter, sister, wife or marefriend will simply not come home one day? If we don’t stop these scum, it won’t stop. It will never stop.” I rubbed the tears from my eyes and readjusted my sunglasses. Warlock shook his mane and called a sky carriage driver over to us. “I blame myself, Nox,” he rumbled. “I should have shown you the truth from the beginning. The mistress wanted me to, but I was worried you might…” He sighed, “End up like Wist.” I looked about myself, but the piebald stallion was nowhere to be seen. “Here, get in,” Warlock said pushing me in through the open door of the carriage.

I felt numb, emotionless… empty. I took a seat in the sky carriage and barely registered it taking to the air. Warlock sat opposite me listening to his TED. Robotically I put mine in, the radio chatter clear and clinical.

Disposal teams clear to move to target area.

Received, moving in now.

Sanitation Team to target area. Clean up procedure to be implemented immediately.

I knew what ‘sanitation’ meant. They’d completely remove any evidence of the terrible events that had unfolded at the coffee shop, which would also conveniently include any link to the agency. A cold thought hit me - Had the horrors in the cellar been going on when Meadow and I had been enjoying a coffee and a slice of cake there that time? Had there been foals, locked in the darkness in those rusting cages below our very hooves, crying in the darkness, calling for their mothers? Calling silently for help that would never come. I pushed the frightening thought away. I couldn’t give in to these feelings, I had to drive them down, to keep myself together the best I could. There was still a lot of work to do; work to help Equestria, and to try and find a way to stop this… this evil from spreading. I couldn’t do that if my head and heart gave in to hate and anger. I noticed Warlock was looking down at something next to me and I followed his gaze. It was my hoof. I’d been pressing it into the seat so hard I’d left a deep indentation in the material. I stared at it for a moment and then, carefully, lifted it up. Gods, what a nightmare this had been. And unfortunately, nightmares were what I was going to be having in abundance after today.

I rubbed my sore hoof and looked Warlock in the eye. “What will happen to them?” I asked.

Warlock turned to gaze out the window. “They’ll be taken to the hub,” he replied. “Memories wiped, families found. The usual.”

“And the mare?” I asked, readjusting my TED. “What about her?”

“Interrogated, then memory wiped. If it’s too deep she’ll be sent for re-education.”

“Re-education?” Wist had mentioned this before, and I still had no idea what it was.

“Total memory reset,” Warlock replied. “False memories implanted. A new I.D. A new start.”

A new start? I couldn’t imagine what it would be like having everything you’ve ever known obliterated. All your family, your loved ones, your memories of who you are, what you’ve done in life… Dear gods, it would be like killing you and yet keeping you alive. It was, frighteningly, exactly what the herd’s goons had wanted to do to me. I felt a felt a chill run down my spine as I asked, “Do some end up in the Agency?”

“Some,” Warlock nodded. “Depending upon temperament.”

I took my glasses off and fixed my gaze on Warlock, “Is that what happened to Wist?”

He glanced at me then back out the window. “We’re here,” he said quietly. But of Wist, he said no more.

********************

Outside the biting cold wind was the first thing to hit me. We were high up in the mountains and I quickly recognised the landing area from my first visit here. This was the agencies central ‘hub’, and I’ll say this for our driver, he was fast. Part of me had hoped to try and catch a few winks in the flight over here, but I’d barely had chance to close my eyes before I felt the bump of the wheels as we touched down. Warlock and I walked across the wide flat expanse and showed our cards to the guards before climbing into one of the magically powered buggies. These things were a marvel of magical innovation: smooth and quiet, with barely a hum from their rubber rimmed tyres. Why we didn’t have more of these in Equestria, I couldn’t say. Pony power was still very much the staple everywhere, but then Equestrians had always been resistant to change. Any change. A case in point were magically powered lights. You would think they were a niche thing, and yet they had been around for decades, if not hundreds of years. They worked. They gave off a clean white light. They certainly weren’t a fire hazard. And better still, they were affordable. Yet despite all of these benefits, paraffin lamps were just as prevalent. Mostly, it has to be said, in earth pony homes. Despite their aversion to magic, pegasi preferred the magical variety as they gave off no heat. Unicorns… I suppose it goes without saying what they preferred as a rule. Personally, I liked both. I loved the warmth and flickering flame of the older lamps, but were they practical? Not when there was a cheap, safer, and more efficient alternative readily available. Besides, I’d been to several fires started by upset paraffin lamps. One, with tragic consequences for the trapped family. Ever since then, Meadow had banned me from having paraffin lamps in the home. So much for nostalgia!

We glided down corridor after corridor, a white line delineating the ‘road’ traffic from the walking areas. It was probably just as well too. Agency ponies walked or drove everywhere I looked, some carrying files, some standing to chat. One thing I noticed though was that they all wore the same dour expression like Warlock, as if the very essence of joy inside them had been sucked clean away. Goddesses alone knew if they’d seen the sort of things I had today. If they had, then I was probably the last one in a position to criticise. Our buggy rolled to a halt near a set of double doors with a guard posted outside. Other than for a larger version of the PDW he held in his forehooves, he looked no different to all the other agency ponies we’d come across. He watched us approach impassively, and after we flashed our I.D cards he let us through to a small chamber beyond without uttering even a single word. What a fun place to work this must be! Well, at least it was clean. I’d even go so far as to say ‘sterile’.

A voice crackled over an intercom, “Wait a moment please, gentlecolts. Scan in progress.” A red light from the ceiling swept over me from nose to tail, then the same with Warlock. The voice returned, “Thank you. You may proceed.”

I watched Warlock, his expression never faltering. “What was the scan for?” I asked him.

He regarded me quietly. “Making sure we’re Equestrian.”

From what Mitre had told me, these ‘humans’ as Wist had called them, had been able to shape shift to look like us, but obviously there was something detectable in their physiology that made them different. I doubted it was little aerials sticking out of their heads somehow, but it would be something… ‘technical’ probably. Damn it all, I wished I’d spent more time studying at school rather than arsing around. We hoofed our weapons in at the desk and were patted down before being scanned once more for anything concealed. Cleared, we entered a long corridor through a sliding door, again guarded by a heavily armed agency pony. A row of rooms that could only be described as cells lined both walls. The first one we came to held a lime coloured pony, cowering in the corner, shaking and talking to himself. I moved closer to the hatch, trying to hear what he was saying.

“Inside you,” he rambled. “Taking you. Listening, watching… Always there, never listening, oh no! Inside… Inside… Yes, yes...”

Warlock closed the hatch. “Seen enough?” he asked.

I nodded. Cell after cell we passed, each containing a solitary, shaking pony. Every one of them was the same. They were just sat there, foaming at the mouth, chattering insanely, rocking back and forth. It was madness. Absolute madness. The last of the cells to our left held a purple filly with deep bite marks on all four legs. She’d been muzzled, but not before she’d done her damnedest to gnaw her own legs off. Her bloodshot eyes regarded us with insane hatred.

Suddenly she charged the door screaming, “YOU! My father’s, brother’s, sister’s bastard WHORE! Drowning in your own blood, I’ll eat your heart and piss in your eyes…”

She growled and hissed, biting at the glass covering the hatch before, with a snap, Warlock closed it firmly. He crossed the room and opened another panel, motioning me to look inside. In the corner sat a filly, not much more than a foal. She was sat on her haunches, rocking back and forth singing a tuneless melody. The walls were covered in formless drawings in crayon.

Warlock called to her, “Lilly? Lilly, it’s Uncle. Lilly…?”

The young unicorn filly, orange coated like the big stallion standing next to me, slowly dragged herself towards the door, pale white eyes staring up, sightlessly. “Uncle Warlock?” She spoke in a distant manner, as if her voice was already well beyond the mortal realm. “Is it time to go home, Uncle? I’ve been here so long. So, so long...”

The big orange stallion smiled at her. “It won’t be long now, Lilly. You’ll be going home to be with you mummy and daddy very soon.”

Lilly smiled. “I’d like that, Uncle. I’d like that...”

The macabre sight made my hackles go up and my mane quiver. There was something frightening about this child, and one that sent a chill down my spine just looking at her. Her face and even her entire bearing was like looking into the face of death itself, her eyes reminding me unnervingly of the lake serpent in the Withers – cold, and lifeless. Warlock closed the hatch and we walked back out the way we came in. In silence we climbed back into the buggy and were rolling quietly down the passageways before he spoke.

“Lilly is blind,” Warlock said calmly. “Her hind legs are withered. Completely useless now. Her mother, my sister...” He paused and took a breath. “She’s the purple coated mare in the room opposite hers. You remember?” I nodded. “She was a user,” Warlock continued. “Shot the breeze one too many times…” He shook his mane and snorted loudly. “Lilly was born an addict. Her mother was too far gone to look after her and the doctors can’t do anything either. The mistress herself had a look at her and she… she said that Lilly is…” The big stallion slammed the brakes on the buggy before closing his eyes against the tears. “…She’s passing over. The herd are calling to her. It’s only a matter of days now…”

I went to put a hoof on Warlocks shoulder and paused. Nothing I could say or do would ease this kind of pain, but to see anypony suffering was too much. “Warlock-” I began, but he interrupted me.

“Forget it,” the big stallion said dismissively. “There’s nothing you or I can do here, Nox. I just wanted you to see what I’ve seen, so you can see for yourself why we sometimes have to take what you think are ‘extreme measures’ to stop this nightmare from spreading any further than it already has.”

Wist had said we were at war, and at first I’d thought he was being overly dramatic. But now, after seeing these ponies, I was beginning to understand the true scale of what had been happening right under the very noses of the Watch. I knew we had a small drug problem in Manehattan, but this? Dear gods, how long had this been going on? And how the hell hadn’t we known about it? Lilly and her mother were but two of its victims; two of only the goddesses knew how many. Even Warlock’s own family had been touched with its deadly poison. It was no wonder he was so detached.

“What will happen to Lilly’s mother?” I asked him, dreading the answer.

Warlock started the buggy up again. “She’ll be retired, Nox.”

“What?” I said incredulously.

“I said she’ll be retired,” Warlock said levelly. “Put to sleep. Euthanized. Do you want me to spell it out for you?”

“Goddesses,” I said quietly half to myself, “they’re going to kill her…”

The big orange stallion briefly glanced at me before returning his attention to the road. “And what’s the alternative then?” he asked. “That’s not life, Nox, it’s not even death. Breeze destroys you by inches, rotting your mind and body until there’s nothing left. It destroys ponies, families, even whole villages. It’s a disease and we have to do whatever it takes to stamp it out.” He closed his eyes briefly. “Whatever it takes.”

We parked up the buggy near the entrance to the hub and headed for the sky chariot park. My mind was reeling with the information Warlock had given me, but no matter how hard I tried to reconcile it in my mind I still couldn’t believe it. We were killing ponies, or ‘putting them to sleep’ as he put it. But whatever fancy words you used as a salve to your conscience, it was still murder repackaged with a more palatable name. I felt sick to my stomach. It may have been necessary in Warlock’s eyes, but surely there was some hope for these ponies, right? I mean, we had medicine didn’t we? We had some incredible magic users who could- “Oh! I’m sorry.” I’d bumped into another agency pony walking in the opposite direction, knocking the files she’d been carrying onto the floor.

She clicked her tongue and took the files from me as I levitated them up to her. The mare shook her short red and white mane irritably, “Keep daydreaming like that agent…” Oh crap! I knew this mare, and she knew me, or at least who I had been. Agent Sweetie held out her hoof, “I.D, if you would be so kind.” It wasn’t a request. I took out my warrant and she inspected it closely, “Agent Nox? A new recruit are you?”

Warlock stood forward. “Showing him the ropes, ma’am,” he said politely.

Sweetie looked me up and down then reached forward, snatching my sunglasses from my face and looked into my eyes. “No. No, I wondered...” She tossed them back to me dismissively and I caught them in my magic. “Nasty horn damage there agent. Had that looked at yet?” she asked me.

“Yes Ma’am,” I confirmed with a polite bob of my head.

Sweetie made to walk away then suddenly whirled round, grabbing the hem of my overcoat and pulled it over my flank to reveal my cutie mark. She gasped, turning back to me with a strange look on her face, her tail swishing side to side. “You! You’re… No…No you’re not him. Excuse me, Agent Nox, Agent Warlock. It’s been a very long day.” Warlock and I watched her go as she hurried on up the corridor.

Climbing into the sky chariot, Warlock scratched his muzzle with his hoof. “Met her before?”

I closed the door behind me, “Yeah, right after I was kicked out of the watch. She had her goons, no offence, bring me here and give me the third degree.”

He smiled, the first time I’d ever actually seen the big lug do that. “I’m surprised you remember. The agency normally blank any memories of interaction with them.”

I nodded, “She flashed me with a rewriter, but all it did was make me see blue spots for an hour. Wist tried one on me too; thinks I must be immune to its effects because of my ‘freaky eyes’ or something.”

Warlock watched me like a bear looking at salmon for dinner. “Interesting,” he said. Part of me felt like I should be nervous about sharing a carriage with Warlock, but deep down I was sure he was just a big softy. Not.

I settled back and leaned into the corner of the carriage, trying to let go of some of the tension that had been building in me all day. The sunset from this height was truly something to behold and a welcome balm to the weary soul. All these years my vertigo had prevented me from travelling by sky carriage except out of necessity, and generally resulted in my stomach trying to empty itself of it own accord. I would have endured all of that, and more, just to be able to see the wondrous beauty of the Equestrian sun as Celestia lowered it below the horizon. The deep orange of this heavenly body illuminated the clouds and sky, bathing the world in its waning light before the slow rise of Luna’s pale moon would eventually take its place as night approached. Just for those precious few minutes I was a foal again, wondering in awe at the splendour of the world and revelling in the elation and joy of simply being alive. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. It was so… beautiful.

“Nox?” Warlock asked looking concerned.

I didn’t acknowledge him. How could anypony turn away from such majesty, from the warmth of the light the princesses brought to our world. “Beautiful…” I muttered.

“The sunset?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Never seen it from so high up. It’s breathtaking.”

Warlock leaned forward to look. “It is,” he agreed. “I never tire of it. The promise of a new tomorrow, and one I hope we can share with every pony, free from pain and fear.”

I nodded, “Amen to that.” Goddesses let it be so. For the sake of our foals and grandfoals, we had to succeed.

We began to descend, the carriage taking longer to bring us back than it did to reach the hub. I was glad of it too. Perhaps the driver simply wanted to take his time and enjoy the flight back as well. I mean, who wouldn’t? We swept in for a smooth landing with barely a jolt, and it was only when we started moving over to the parking bays and the clopping of hooves on concrete entered the carriage that I even realised we’d arrived. I’d have to thank the driver. Whoever he, or she was, they were damned good. Warlock was the first to step out and stretched his legs. His attention was caught by a charcoal grey mare running up to him, panting.

“Sir!” the mare said smartly. “Message from the mistress. We’ve got a situation that needs your immediate attention.”

The orange stallion looked at me, the serious look on his face was back once more. “Get yourself inside and cleaned up, Nox. I’ll see you at the debriefing.” With that, the two galloped away.

I smell apple blossom on the breeze and took a moment to breath it in. I could see the river from here too, the way the sun caught the ripples on its surface was quite mesmerising. Looking out at that artist’s palette of magnificent colours I could almost forget what I’d seen today. Almost. Letting out a long sigh I decided I’d grab a quick shower. Preferably in antiseptic, or possibly even bleach - the stink of that damned cellar was still clinging to me and would probably still be lingering in my nostrils long after I went to bed too. A pity I couldn’t wash my mind clean while I was at it. I couldn’t decide if I was becoming desensitized to the horrors I’d seen or if I was cracking up mentally, but only time would tell if this would have any long term effects on me. Maybe it would eventually transform me into just one more emotionless agency drone with their dead-pan expressions. It was a worrying thought, but hopefully when the princess found Shadow everything would be able to settle down and I could get back to my old life. Whatever was left of it.

Inside the expansive and well appointed bathroom I quickly pulled off my clothes, dumped them in the laundry basket, and got in the shower. I was the only one in there for once too, and it was nice change to have the place to myself. I guess it was a bit early for a shower unless you needed one, and great Luna, I really needed one. The hot water felt amazing against my fur, the blood, stench and who knew what else washing away with the soap suds down the drain. Steam rose and covered the windows with condensation, bringing to mind the wisps of smoke and fog that billowed around us that evening in the cell when Shadow’s eyes blazed with blood red fire. Goddesses, I missed her so much. Meadow, Sparrow... Sometimes I wished I could erase part of my memory to stop these waves of emotion washing across me, but whether I liked it or not they were a part of me, part of who I was. I could never stop loving them all, and one day… Damn it, I had to try and lock these feelings away! I had to push them into that little drawer in my mind, the one that couldn’t be tainted by the likes of what I had seen today. I sat on my haunches in the stream of water, closing my eyes and revelled in the simple feeling of its warmth crossing over me. Concentrating, I imagined the wooden bureau Meadow and I had in our old home, the elegant oak furniture, time worn but serviceable. I pictured the drawer inside, the lock turning, opening. My hoof stretched out, holding a tiny golden butterfly, delicate and precious. It flew into the drawer and it closed, the lock turning. I would return here when the time was right, when it would be safe to feel once again.

I opened my eyes suddenly as the stall next to me opened and another pony trotted in, their hooves clattering on the tiled floor. They sighed loudly then sneezed, swearing under their breath. I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the sneezed swear words, and felt my mood lift ever so slight. Maybe being here wasn’t so bad after all. Shrugging, I lathered myself up for another attack on my mane and tail. It was going to take a while to get all the knots out, but it would give me something to do this evening. After a short while I was reaching for the tap as a voice wafted over the dividing wall.

“Hey! Hey there, you got any spare soap? There’s none in here.” The voice was feminine and sounded tired. A few seconds later she swore again, “Ah, bugger it all, there’s no flamin’ feather conditioner either. Who’s meant to maintain these things?” I reached for the soap and was about to pass it over when a tangerine coloured mare’s head appeared over the divider. “Hey! You got any soap?”

I stood on my hind legs to pass the soap up to her. “Yeah, sure. Here you go.” My voice was muffled by the rope, a clever addition which made keeping hold of the slippery thing a lot more manageable.

She stood there staring at me, her mouth hanging open. Oh no, it was these bloody eyes again wasn’t it? I’d have to see about getting something done about them, I was sick of this reaction from ponies. I quickly tossed her the soap and looked away. “Sorry, the eyes freaking you out?” I chirped, turning off the water. No reply. Sighing, I opened the stall door.

A clatter of hooves later, the mare stepped out of her stall and stood before me passing me a towel. “No,” she said in a matter-of-fact manner. “It’s not your eyes. It’s just… you remind me of somepony.”

“Do I?” I remarked not paying much attention. I just wanted to get out of there and away from the inquisitive mare.

Unfortunately she wasn’t finished with me. “You do, aye. I wasn’t sure at first, but the coat, tail, and your mane are the same. Your cutie mark’s different though, and then there’s the eyes and the scar, not to mention the busted up horn. But your voice… It’s still the same.” She stepped closer, looking me up and down nodding, “My goddesses, it’s you, isn’t it! Captain Fairlight! We… We hoped that...” She trailed off, unsure what to say.

I dried off my coat and collected my thing from the laundry basket. “I’m sorry miss, you have me mistaken for somepony else,” I said politely. “The name’s Nox, Agent Nox.”

Her hoof shot out and stopped me short of the door. “Horse shit! I know my old C.O, and you know me too, so don’t buck me about, ‘Nox’ or whatever you call yourself now, I’d know your arse anywhere.”

I jumped in surprise. “My… My what?!”

She smiled, “Don’t worry, Cap. Sorry, I mean ‘Agent Nox’. I won’t let on. Pony feathers, what happened to your horn?”

Hell fire, this was all I needed! I shook my mane, looking for a drier. “It’s a long story, Tingles, but you mustn’t tell anyone who I really am. Some know, but so far as the rest of Equestria is aware, Captain Fairlight died in that fire. Understand?”

Tingles stretched out her wings and took a spare bottle of feather condition from the shelf. “Cap, I think we need to talk, privately. You got a bit of time after the briefing tonight?”

I did. I wasn’t restricted to the facility but I was normally so busy with drills, briefings and avoiding other ponies, the first outing I’d had since arriving was to the coffee shop. The foal’s head exploded in my minds eye and I closed my eyes tight shut against the image. Buck it, I needed a drink… “Sure Tingles,” I said. “I’m free, what do you want to do?”

She smiled broadly, clopping me on the shoulder. “Sweet! I’ll meet you by the landing strip at nine. We’ll go to this little place I know.” And with that, she trotted back into the stall and started the shower.

I’d dropped off my clothes at the laundry department before grabbing a quick sandwich on my way to the debriefing. Unfortunately it was as tedious as it sounded. The officer at the front of the hall had no real interest in hearing anyponies opinion but his own, and I mostly just sat there trying my damnedest to keep my eyes open. I’d sat in on countless debriefs over the years in the watch, and this wasn’t any different, apart from the complete lack of interaction between the chief officer and everypony else. To be honest, we may as well have not even bothered turning up. Let the bloody idiot stand there blabbering away to an empty room. I doubt he’d even notice he was on his own. It was still head-achingly difficult to work out what, if any, my particular role here was. I’d understood that we were part of the agency, but that our loyalties were ‘slanted’ if you like, more towards Luna and dealing with things in a more ‘pro-active’ manner. Exactly why the ‘Mistress’ had singled me out would probably become clear at some point, but I hoped she would bloody well hurry up. I was getting itchy hooves and wanted to get back to my old life, or at least try and see what there was left of it. But if I left, what use would I be to my homeland?Or to the princesses for that matter? I had a duty to perform and my own honour wouldn’t allow me to simply walk away and abandon my morals just like that. And to be fair, if it wasn’t for having to work with such bloody miserable goons as these agency slugs, it probably wouldn’t be so bad. Oh well, I’d leave matters another few days and then I would speak to Luna again and see if she had any progress. After what I saw at the coffee shop I figured I was owed at least some glimmer of hope. Goddesses, I hoped Shadow was safe. Everypony stood to file out of the briefing and I headed back to my room to pick up a few things and get changed into something less… black. Inside my room, the wall mirror taunted me with the now all too familiar blue eyed and scarred visage. With a sigh I leaned a hoof on the mirror and looked closely at the vivid white scar that complemented my broken horn. It was horribly noticeable, running from my cheek, over my eye and into my mane. I reasoned that if I didn’t have a black and white mane already, I’d more than likely have one by now. Not sure if that was a good thing or not though. Anyway, no sense worrying about it now, what was done was done. Grabbing my TED, I was about to put it on and paused. Did I really want that thing droning away when I was off duty? The device folded up quite well anyway, so I settled on pushing it into the depths of my coat pocket.

Checking myself over one last time, I popped on my sunglasses and left the room. Walking down the corridor on my way to meet Tingles, I passed Wist’s quarters. The door was shut. I hadn’t seen him since we’d got back, and I hadn’t seen him in the briefing hall either. Against my better judgement, I knocked tentatively… No reply. Slowly, I reached out and opened the door. It swung open quietly, revealing the clinically clean room beyond. Fresh bedding, clean floor, but no signs of life. In fact there were no signs of occupation either. It was like Wist had never even been there. I suppose it wasn’t that much of a surprise considering what had happened at the coffee shop, but it was Warlock who’d fired that last shot. Had it really been necessary to shoot the grandmother? Did anypony even care? I closed the door and made my way towards the sky carriage park by the landing strip. I hadn’t been particularly bothered about a drink with Tingles initially. In fact I wasn’t much of a drinker at the best of times, but now… yeah, I needed this.

“Evening, Agent Nox,” Tingles called sarcastically from her perch on top of a sleek black and silver sky chariot. She was dressed in a casual top and slim saddle bags. By comparison I looked like… well, Agent Nox-ish, I suppose. I made a mental note to use some of my pay to expand my limited wardrobe into something approaching ‘normal’ attire. “You do know you’re supposed to be off duty don’t you?” she asked with a smirk.

I grimaced. “I know, Tingles, but all my clothes come in one colour at the moment and I think we all know what that is. Come on, let’s get the hell out of here, I need a drink.” With a sarcastic bow, she waved me into the open topped chariot and hopped into the driver’s compartment. Moments later we were soaring over Manehattan, the wind in my mane and little between me and a long fall to a very messy end. “Little Place I know, Cap,” Tingles shouted. “You’ll like it.”

She nodded down to the city below. We were near the docks here, with their vibrant night life and mouth watering street food. I had no idea where we were going. It could have been any one of the myriad bars along the waterfront, their twinkling lights shining like yellow sparks in the darkness, contrasting with the purity of the white stars in the sky above. The night air was fresh and clean despite being over a city. I breathed it in deeply, savouring the enticing aromas of cooking wafting up to us and the salt air from the sea. There was no doubt there were other things in there too, becoming more noticeable as we descended, but it’s best not to ruin a good atmosphere by thinking too much. Tingles shouted something I couldn’t hear over the wind noise and began her final descent. We landed with barely a noticeable bump, something I now associated with Tingles’ flying skills. Stepping down from the chariot I noticed we were in a small parking lot with several other chariots and carriages. I was trying to get my bearings, but I wasn’t familiar with this part of Manehattan. There was one of the obligatory street vendors on the corner, several fast food joints, and any number of outdoor tables and chairs set about with ponies chatting and generally enjoying what I was hoping I’d have my hooves on very soon – an ice cold beer.

“Here we are!” Tingles smiled, and led me to a weather beaten door in the side of a building bordering the parking lot. “Cap, didn’t you hear what I said earlier?”

I shook my head, “Sorry, no. I didn’t want to shout over the wind noise. What did you want to say, anyway?”

“I was pointing out the fire below us,” Tingles explained. “You must have missed it. Doesn’t matter really, a pegasus has pretty good eyesight when it comes to spotting things others can’t you know!” She whinnied and pushed the door open while I rolled my eyes at her cheeky remark.

Inside, the bar was dimly lit with subdued mood lighting and individual stalls down one wall. The bar was a long black wood affair with a couple of mares milling around between the more open tables serving drinks and taking food order. It was odd place to say the least. It had an unusually neutral atmosphere to it, a sort of ‘detachment’ which I presumed was why Tingles had chosen it. There no music, no sign of any acts about to start, and struck me as a touch on the dull side for a mare who was all but overflowing with energy.

At the bar my companion hopped onto a stool and waved a hoof at the bar pony, “Two wheat beers here please.” The bartender nodded and collected two glasses from the rack.

“How did you know I wanted a-” I began.

“The wake, remember?” Tingles laughed. “I couldn’t forget that night, could I!” I could feel myself blushing, which only served to make here laugh even harder. Wiping a tear from her eye, she picked up both beers and we took a seat in one of the stalls. “Sorry…” She held up a hoof apologetically. “I’m sorry, Cap, I shouldn’t really. Anyway...” She took a sip of her beer. “You’re part of Equus now, right?”

“Who?” I asked, genuinely baffled. Tingles leaned in, “We all are. Warlock, me, Wist, everypony at the facility who took an oath to the mistress. You did too, didn’t you?”

I scratched my ear before taking a mouthful of the wheat beer. “Look, Tingles, we can’t discuss this outside of the facility, you should know that. Lets change the-”

“This place we’re in,” she interrupted smiling, “is a place only used by Equus ponies. The stalls are magically warded against intrusion. Carmine, the owner, is a senior pony in the organisation. He knows about you, and in fact most of us do, apparently. After all, the mistress nearly died saving your life, so its no surprise that word got out with that carry on.”

I almost choked on my own beer. “Nearly died!?” I gasped. Great goddesses! Princess Luna had nearly died saving my life? I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t worth that! I was the one who’d taken an oath to lay down his life to save others, and to serve the princesses. It wasn’t supposed to work both ways! This… This wasn’t right.

Tingles smiled and reached over to put a hoof on mine comfortingly, “I know what you’re thinking, ‘Nox’, and yes, the mistress pushed her powers to the limit to save you. But she’s just that kind of pony. ‘Alicorn’, I mean. Anyway, you’re necessary to the plans of our organisation to deal with these smugglers.”

“Does Warlock know you’re here talking to me?” I asked her.

“No.” Tingles shook her head, “The mistress asked me to keep an eye out for you. Warlock is, um… ‘special’ to her, but he can be a bit overprotective at times. He may be warming to you, I don’t know, but she feels he may not have the confidence in you that she does.”

I leaned back in my seat, “So what does all this mean, Tingles? What was the point of all that stuff about me serving Equestria? All I’ve done so far is shoot targets and go on one operation with a psychopath and watch a foal have her brains blown out. What’s next then?” Tingles looked a little taken aback, and I realised I’d put my hoof right in it. “I’m sorry,” I apologised, “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s not your fault.”

She shook her head, “I know Cap, I was the same when I joined up: sceptical, excited, frightened. It was quite the rollercoaster.”

“Why did you join?” I asked, trying to change the subject. “How? You were a great flyer in the watch and a real asset to us.”

Tingles smiled shyly. “I know, and… thanks, that means a lot. But, Blaze… she changed when Dawn died. She became ‘harder’, cold and unapproachable. She worked us round the clock on jobs that just didn’t seem to be of any real practical benefit, you know? It was all small time stuff, things that gave us higher clear-up rates sure, but all that did was give her career ambitions a boost until she took over Mitre’s old job.”

“What? Blaze is Watch Chief now?” I was stunned. I had no idea.

Tingles shrugged. “Yeah, she became a real bitch, and I had more than one row with her I can tell you. I wanted to take on real missions, take on the smugglers and try to make a difference out there, you know? She said I was being unrealistic, and that the army would deal with them. The army for Celestia’s sake! What a load of crap. Those numb buckers couldn’t organise a piss up in a… Sorry, I’m going a little off topic here.” She paused to take another drink. “Anyway, I was becoming more and more disenchanted with the Watch, until eventually I was approached by a pony who asked if I wanted to ‘make a difference’. And as you can see, here I am.”

A red light flared around us briefly and Tingles held up a hoof stopping any further conversation. One of the waitresses approached the stall. “Can I get you anything folks?” she asked politely.

“Two salt licks please, Nell. Some fries and a radish bowl for two.” Tingles gave me a wink while the filly trotted off to fetch the order.

She certainly had a habit of ‘reading’ me, which was a bit disconcerting to be honest. I knew that observation skills were a pegasi trait, which certainly fit the bill with Tingles, but it was much fun when I was on the receiving end of those big eyes of hers. Either that or she had some kind of mind reading ability I hadn’t heard about. I wasn’t that surprised Blaze was now Watch Chief though, after all she was ambitious, daring, and similar in many ways to how Dawn had been. It broke my heart to hear that the loss of her lover had caused her so much pain. If only I could have done more for her. Goddesses knew, I understood the pain of loss all too well, but to detach herself from those around her was a very lonely, and very dangerous path for her to tread. Dangerous for anypony for that matter.

I watched a small bead of moisture trailing down the outside of my glass. It was surprisingly peaceful somehow, the way it was oblivious of the world around it, heading inexorably down to its final destination. With a sigh I looked back up to Tingles. “How did you end up in Equus though?” I asked. “I mean, the agency’s one thing but-”

“Oh, well that’s easy,” she replied drily. “Mitre was an Equus agent in the Watch.”

I nearly balked, “Mitre?! He was an Equus agent? Damn… It all makes sense now. Bingo, the way he always seemed to have inside information. All the things he knew too… Good grief.”

She nodded, “Yeah, he wasn’t an ‘actual’ agency pony though. He was recruited into Equus years earlier to act as a sort of ‘eyes and ears’ guy. He recommended me to the mistress personally, but it wasn’t until he… You know what happened to Mitre?” I nodded sadly. Tingles looked down at her drink sadly and took a thoughtful sip before continuing, “Well, after that, after Blaze’s behaviour, I just knew it was time to move on. They must have been watching me, ‘coz it wasn’t long until Warlock contacted me and the rest is history I suppose.”

The light flared around us and the waitress trotted up balancing a tray on her back. “Two saltlicks?” she chirped.

Tingles smiled and nodded, the earth pony waitress deftly depositing a pink slab of the stuff in front of each of us, a small side of daisies and a couple of bowls of fries and radishes. The smell of the salt was heady and I took a quick taste. It was amazing! The warm richness had a depth I was surprised with, and it packed a hell of a punch too. This was truly something else.

“Good?” Tingles asked.

It was rude of me, but I couldn’t help myself. I spoke around the lick, “Oh hell, yeah! That’s some good salt right there!” I took another long lick before gulping down a mouthful of my beer. I could happily live here, and if this was the sort of thing they served you’d virtually have to pry me out of the place.

“I thought you’d like it!” she laughed. “The salt here is imported from Saddle Arabia. Top draw pink salt. Kicks like a mule, so go easy. You’ve got some on your nose by the way…” She reached across and brushed the salt away from my muzzle. Surprised, I jumped back almost reflexively, banging my head against the back of the stall.

“I’m sorry!” Tingles squeaked reaching out before putting her hooves back down on the table top. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

I waved a hoof, smiling, “It’s okay, seriously. By Celestia, I’m a bag of nerves! Look, Tingles, there’s nothing to apologise for, it’s just me. Ever since Meadow was…” I stopped. Goddesses, I didn’t want to talk about this now. I distracted myself with a radish and munched it down with a hoofful of fries. Tingles and I sat in silence for a while before an unbidden thought slithered into my mind, “Tingles, do you know what happened after the fire at the safe house?”

She nodded, taking a mouthful of her ale, “Yeah, yeah I know. Damn it, I knew we’d have to talk about this sooner or later, but… best to get it out of the way, right?” With a snort and a shake of her mane, she took a deep breath and continued, “We were sent to the wrong address. Don’t ask me how or why, but the information we got was completely wrong. Blaze was frantic, screaming at the control room to pull their act together like a mare possessed. Eventually we were diverted to the cabin, but we were too late. The whole place had been burnt to the ground. There was smoke everywhere, hoof prints from a lot of ponies and sky carriage tracks. It was only afterwards I found out the agency had beaten us to it and you had been taken to the Manehattan facility.” She paused, scratching her hoof intently. “Meadow… Her body was still there, burnt badly from the fire, but somepony still recognised her cutie mark. Mitre wasn’t far away. He was lying outside with a bolt through his chest. They’d just left him there… left both of them…”

I suspected the Equus ponies had only been after me and left the others for the Watch to recover. The thought of leaving the bodies of my wife and mentor was something I had to drive down for now, I couldn’t afford to become unglued in front of Tingles. I knew I couldn’t change the past; what was done was done, and as much as it hurt I should celebrate the time we had together. In fact, the times we’d had since she’d passed away too, but how could I explain that to Tingles? That I’d slept with my dead wife’s spirit? She’d think I’d had too much lick for sure. No, as much as I was terrified that the whole episode in the Withers had been a figment of my damaged mind and that damnable thing inside me, I had to keep faith that Luna had assured me she would find Shadow. She knew about her, so surely it was true… Wasn’t it?

“Cap?” Tingles asked reaching across and gave my shoulder a shake. “You okay?”

I nodded and wiped away a rogue tear that had rolled down my cheek. “I am… yeah. Bloody brain’s decided to torture me again! Sorry.” I gave my mane a shake and took a pull on my beer mug. “Can we talk about something else?”

She smiled, a look of relief passing over her face. Neither of us should be revisiting painful memories. It served no real purpose in any case. I knew what I knew and that was enough for me. For now at least. Anyway, there was something I needed to take care of and Tingles could help me with it. Just… not tonight. Tonight was for unwinding, and I fully intended to become so completely unwound I would need scraping off the floor at the end of it. Thankfully the rest of the evening passed without incident, the beer flowing and the lick disappearing along with the hours. I felt pleasantly buoyed up by my time with Tingles, our night out together reminding me that despite having convinced myself otherwise, I was still capable of smiling after all, and even laughing at her terrible jokes. Snatching even the smallest moments of happiness in the terrible mess we were all in was the best medicine in the world for a wounded heart and mind. And alcohol didn’t go amiss either of course.

It was well after midnight when, with a huge yawn, Tingles sat up and stretched her legs. She smacked her lips in quite a comical manner and left a tip under the radish bowl for the waitress. “Come on you,” she yawned. “I’m absolutely knackered. Time for home.”

Smiling happily, not that much worse for drink either I have to say, I pulled myself from the stall and followed my companion to the door on slightly wobbly legs. As we crossed the room, from the corner of my eye I thought I saw a pony watching me. I quickly turned to look more closely, but the occupants of the table were heavily engaged in conversation with one another and not paying any attention to little old me after all. Celestia’s grace! Was I becoming paranoid now too? Shrugging the thought off I made a clumsy attempt at buttoning up my coat, gave up, and walked out into the night air. The chill was as refreshing as it was enlivening and I felt oddly invigorated by it. By the gods, I felt so alive! I looked up at the sky and smiled happily to myself. Luna’s stars were extraordinarily beautiful tonight, which wasn’t saying much as they were beautiful every night, but you couldn’t always see them for the cloud layer that tended to hang over the city. Tonight however, the moon shone brightly, bathing the cityscape of Manehattan in its hauntingly otherworldly glow. The stars twinkled like diamonds in the clear black sky, and I suddenly realised just how I’d missed such simple sights as these in the Wither World. To think Shadow was trapped there still… I took a deep breath and sighed. In the morning, I would seek out the Mistress and ask whether there was any news, or something, anything that would give me hope.

Under Tingles’ careful, if rather drink fuelled flying skills, we were soon soaring over Manehattan. The tangerine Pegasus called back over her shoulder, “Hey Cap’, I want to go past that place we saw earlier and see if the fire’s out. You okay with having a look see?”

I leaned forward and shouted in reply, “Sure! Why not?”

We didn’t have to try hard to find the place either, the stink of burnt wood was heavy in the air and fire crews were still damping it down even now. The blackened shell of the building was visible in the floodlights set up to help the crew see what they were doing, but I didn’t need to look any closer. I knew where we were… There passing below us on the overhead line was a steam locomotive, below it the place where I had stood and watched as it rumbled past, steam and sparks flying into the air like some underworld demon. Now there was more smoke, the smoke from lives consumed by the flames of greed and misery. The agency had decided to ‘sanitise’ this place thoroughly alright. There would be no more foals in cages here, no more pain and suffering. Until the bastards found somewhere else to set up shop to perpetuate their particular brand of misery.

Tingles called back to me, “Looks like they’ve done a number on that place. Unusual to go to those lengths though. You seen enough?”

I nodded. With a gentle sway, the sky chariot altered course back to the facility.

********************

The sun was already up when I knocked on the large doors to the mistress’s chambers, but despite my hopes there was no reply. The door was just as magically sealed as it had been the first time I’d tried to gain access, and no amount of banging on it was going to change that fact. I’d try again later. Besides, as the princess of the night, she was probably asleep anyway. Ah, sod it, I’d try and grab something to eat. My mouth felt like something had died in it and my head felt decidedly tender, which considering how much I’d put away last night, it could have been a damned sight worse. Most of the agents had finished their breakfast by the time I wandered into the mess hall and gone off to their various assignments, leaving me sitting there like a spare part. Again. I suppose I was still a bit of an enigma here though; with no specific orders or routine I just sort of ‘hung around’ until somepony remembered I existed and gave me a job to do. Being associated with that nut-case Wist hadn’t helped either, let alone my involvement in the coffee shop debacle. Even so, I had the feeling I’d be called upon before long. What happened next though really was a surprise.

A familiar tangerine pegasus trotted through the mess hall doors and waved to me. “Ah ha! There you are!” She beamed at me as she approached. “Got a message from the mistress for you.” Tingles made a comedically surprised expression. “Aaaand guess who’s going to be working with you from now on?”

I couldn’t believe it! “What… you?” I exclaimed in surprise. “Good goddesses, Tingles, how did that happen? I didn’t even know you were here until yesterday, and then ‘boom’, you’re my partner?”

She hung he head, pawing the ground, “Oh. I… I thought you’d be pleased.”

“I am pleased!” I cried, “Very! I’m just surprised too. I mean… how? What happened to Wist?”

Tingles was suddenly serious, a coldness entering her voice that gave me pause. “I asked Warlock if I could work with you and he agreed. No arguments, no discussions. You know what he’s like.” She shrugged, “As for Wist… I don’t know. His room’s empty and noponies even so much as mentioned him to me in days.”

I nodded, “Yeah, I saw. It’s almost like he never existed, but somepony knows. Honestly, after what happened at the coffee shop I wouldn’t care if I never saw him again anyway.”

“I heard,” she replied. “Come on, what’s the mistress got to say?” The nosy pony pushed her muzzle towards my letter.

“Hey!” I laughed, “Give over, it’s addressed to me, not you.” Tingles nickered and stuck her tongue out at me playfully. Ignoring her antics I opened the letter and read it silently:

Agent Nox,

You are required to make yourself available for mission briefing, two days hence. Until this time you are free to put in order any affairs you may have had outstanding prior to your recruitment date.

Agent Tingles has been assigned to work with you as your partner and I request that you spend your free time getting to know each other better.

Please note that we have not forgotten your request and that enquiries are still ongoing.

“Getting to know each other better…” a female voice said over my shoulder. I moved my eyes to see the tangerine mare’s green ones inches from my own.

“Tingles! Bloody hell, I didn’t see you move!” I squeaked.

“Nah,” she huffed, rummaged in her ear with a hoof, “I’m just that good. Like a winged ninja!”

I barely notice the parchment starting to get warm, then hot… burning hot! “Whoa!” I shouted in surprise, dropping it as it burst into flames.

Tingles laughed, her bottle green mane bouncing. “Oh! You may want to watch out for that happening. The mistress’s letters are a one shot deal. I guess you could say the contents are… ‘smoking hot’?”

She burst out laughing and shoulder barged me playfully. I face hoofed; these ponies were all cracked in the noggin. Well, they obviously weren’t all crazed lunatics like Wist of course, that would be unfair, but at the very least they were a bit on the potty side. Saying that, Tingles and I knew each other reasonably well, more so after last night, and although it wasn’t quite like the old days in the watch I was still grateful to Warlock and Luna for allowing me to work with an old comrade. We ordered some food, a coffee each, and wiled away the morning chatting about old times. Eventually, the uncomfortably hard chairs began to get the better of me. It was time to go.

“So, got any plans for the next couple of days?” Tingles asked.

“I hadn’t originally,” I said quietly. “But there are a few things I’d been planning on doing when I had the chance. I’m not sure if it’s something you’d want to get involved with though. I’ve got some… ‘family matters’ I’d like to take care of.”

“Oh? And how are you planning on doing that then exactly?” Tingles moved a little closer, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked in surprise.

“I mean,” Tingles said, rolling her eyes. “Are you going to walk everywhere? You only have two days remember, and, newsflash, no wings?”

“I can get a taxi,” I pointed out, “and there’s nothing wrong with my legs.”

“Have you any idea how much taxi’s cost around here?” Tingles snorted. “Yeah… You haven’t had your first pay packet yet, have you?”

“Um… No,” I confessed.

“Hmm! Well then, I guess you’d better take the express then, hadn’t you?”

“Express?”

Tingles beamed widely, “The Tingles Express of course!”

I buried my muzzle in my hooves. “Oh, gods…”

“Yup! We need to make the most of your couple of days off, and we’re already halfway through this one. So, grab your gear and let’s shake off those cobwebs!” The tangerine mare gave her wings a flap and floated nimbly into the air.

It was sometime around lunch when we arrived at my first destination for the day. Fortunately my feathered companion had decided to wait with the carriage whilst I went to collect my order. Chips was busy out the back of the studio, and I could hear the ringing of hammers and the occasional swear word echoing in its depths. A quick ‘ding’ on the old brass counter bell brought him out a moment later, sweat and grey dust matting his dusky fur.

“Sorry about that!” he apologised, wiping a cloth across his face. It didn’t do much to clear up the mess, and if anything it only made the dusty pony look even grimier. His muzzle was encrusted with the by-product of his trade and you couldn’t help but wonder what state the poor fellows lungs were in. Nevertheless he was damned good at his trade, and Chips was most certainly what I would have said was the very definition of a ‘solid’ pony - rather like the medium he worked with.

“Mister Nox, right?” he said smiling. I nodded. “Great, here you go. I’ve used the exact materials you asked for and the dimensions are correct. I inlaid the lettering in gold for you too. I hope it matches your expectations, sir.” He opened a cloth wrapped parcel on the bench and stood back allowing me to inspect his work. It was exactly what I’d asked for. Running my hoof gently along the smooth surface, I could feel the passion he had put into his work, and the extraordinary skill required to produce such a piece.

“You make the stone sing, Chips. You’ve excelled yourself.” I marvelled at the precision of the lettering. There was no magic involved here. No machines either. It was all hoof made by hammer and chisel, sweat, and honest hard work. He charged a fair price and was indeed the very best at his craft.

He smiled at me and I passed him the agreed sum. “Thank you Mister Nox,” he said, bobbing his head. “My work is something I take a personal pride in. Celestia willing, it will last an eternity.”

An eternity. Time without end. “Thanks again,” I said, placing the heavy stone into my pack. It was a small thing really. Something so simple, and yet so precious. Waving goodbye to Chips, I returned to the waiting sky carriage and strapped myself in.

“Get what you wanted, Nox?” Tingles enquired. I nodded. There must have been something in the way I looked at her as her jovial smile faltered momentarily before she asked, “Where to now?”

The sun was high in the sky and I could feel a light breeze blowing in off the river. This was going to be bloody awkward, but it needed to be done I suppose. “Here’s the address partner,” I said trying to sound cheerful. “You still okay to do this with me?”

Tingles looked down at the note and whinnied. “Does this answer your question?” The carriage suddenly rocketed into the air, flinging me back into the seat bodily. Celestia’s ears,she was fast! The world flew by us in a blur of colour, and before I knew it we were out over the river and arrowing towards the mountains beyond. Thankfully, after the initial burst of speed, we began to slow down to a more measured pace and I was able to catch my breath. Bloody pegasi! No wonder I used to have a fear of flying; anypony would be frightened having a nut-case towing you through the sky! Letting out a sigh, I let myself settle back and relax the best I could. This was going to be a fairly long flight and I was glad I’d brought my saddle blanket to keep me warm. Tingles had her own flight coat on which was designed to keep out the wind and avoid chilling her too much. Huh! I wish she’d had a spare!

We continued to climb until I could see the tops of the mountains in the distance, their snow covered white peaks glistened in the sunlight. Here above the clouds, the sky was a pure blue, the sun a bright ball of light so pure it made my heart feel as light as a feather. No wonder ponies worshipped Celestia, the one who brought us such beauty day after day. It was times like these I wished I’d be born a pegasus and been able to see this every whenever I wanted. Goddesses above, I could never tire of this magnificence. I let my mind wander, taking me wherever it wished. Normally I would have been hesitant about doing that, but how could anypony have dark thoughts when all around you was light, silence, and such absolute peace? If I hadn’t known better I could have believed I’d died and gone to heaven. Heaven… The eternal herd. The home of my family. One day… One day I would be with them again. But not today. Today, was a day for me.

Around two hours or so later we began a gentle descent, the clouds whipping past us like white insubstantial fluff. Hoping my companion didn’t see me, I couldn’t resist sticking my tongue out to see what they tasted like. Sadly, they didn’t taste of anything at all, but still, it was bit of foalish fun. A small chortle from the front of the carriage made me sit back down hurriedly. Bugger it! I’d forgotten about Tingles’ ability to spot things, and apparently through the back of her head too! With any luck she’d forget what I’d done or else the cheeky tangerine mare would never let me forget it. I turned my attention back to the view. As we emerged from beneath the cloud layer I could see in the distance a small collection of cottages, the smoke from their chimneys climbing lazily up into the sky. The hamlet was well situated for trade too. Due to their proximity to the expansive forest, many here made their trade from wood based crafts or the various plants which were used for homeopathic medicine. Despite the prevalence of magic in the field of medicine, traditional remedies still dominated and were widely exported. Personally however, I’d rather believe that these days we’d moved on from chewing on a mouthful of weird mushrooms and hoping for a bloody miracle. But some, earth ponies in particular, clung to their traditions with a fervour that was as natural to them as their inherent strength and ties to the land. Each to their own, I suppose.

We began our final approach, and one classic Tingles landing later we were back on terra firma. I patted my pilot on the shoulder as she raised her flying goggles, “Thanks Tingles. This means a lot to me you know.”

She grinned back, “I know Cap’. You want me to come with you? I can stay here If you like.”

I shook my head, “I’d like the company to be honest. We’ll be able to get something to eat while we’re here too. Come on, it’s the next building over.”

The narrow street was cobbled, flanked on both sides by stone cottages. Some were thatched in the old style, whilst some sported some rather natty wave-style roof tiles. The quirky little village had a small population, but despite that they had always been welcoming of strangers. A jade colt and a lilac filly raced past us laughing, daisy chains woven into their manes.

Tingles chuckled and gave me a sidelong glance with her big green eyes, “Young love eh, Cap’?”

Smiling, we both watched them race off into the tree’s. I remembered when I’d chased after Meadow like that once. Those memories were something nopony could take from me, and I would treasure them always. Right now though, my destination lay ahead. The red door with its highly polished bell sitting next to it had never changed. Sure, the paint had been refreshed and the planters maintained, but it was still the same cottage I remembered from my foalhood. I was about to reach out when without warning a tangerine foreleg shot past me and gripped the rope, ringing the bell for all it was worth. Oh, hell! I should have warned her...

“For goodness sake! You bloody kids, pack it in or I’ll be speaking to your parents!” The voice from behind the door was slightly muffled but clearly irritated. I glared at Tingles who shrugged, feigning innocence. The red door burst open. “What the bloody hell do you want? Go on, buck off!”

“Aunt Pewter?” I smirked. Good grief, she hadn’t changed a bit. A few more grey hairs in that black thatch on top of her head maybe, but the explosion of unruly mane was the reason why the locals were convinced she was a witch. Well, that, the black cat, the broom stick, the old iron cauldron, and the plethora of assorted skulls too of course. I think you get the general idea. She looked us both up and down and poked me in the nose. “Ow! Bloody hell, Aunty, what was that for?” I squeaked.

She lifted my sunglasses and peered into my eyes, nodding slowly to herself and, before I could stop her, she peeked at my cutie mark under my coat. “You’d better come in nephew,” she muttered, turning away. “Bring your marefriend too, but no shenanigans though! I won’t have any hanky-panky under my roof. I have a respectable business here and I don’t want ponies going around thinking I’ve turned it into the local bordello. I don’t know, back in my day we had a thing called ‘self control’. Ponies running about, pulling tails and…” She trailed off into mumbling while we followed her into the gloomy interior of my peculiar aunt’s home. Behind me, Tingles was grinning like an idiot.

As strange as it may sound I’d always loved visiting my aunt as a foal. Her house was a magical treasure trove of trinkets, potions, and other wonders that to a child had been brimming over with the mysteries of ancient wisdom. The same bones and skulls hung from the ceiling on cords just as I remembered, and her favourite incense burned in the pot near the recessed fire with its iron cauldron hanging above it. It was like time had stood still here. Even the hamlet itself looked the same.

“Hey…” Tingles nudged me, whispering, “She’s not planning on eating us is she? I mean, those skulls look like… ponies. Kinda.”

“Shut up!” I hissed back.

Aunt Pewter whirled around to face us, her old cloak flaring out behind her, her greying black mane striking against her grey coat and yellow eyes. She was like a mirror image of my mother, and I had inherited the same coat and hair colouring. My brown eyes, when they had been brown of course, had come from my father’s side. The eccentric behaviour however, apparently came from my mother’s lineage…

“Are you going to stand there all day looking untidy or are you going to sit down?” The old unicorn clicked her tongue irritably. “You’re making me feel tired just watching you!”

I smiled at my aunt and sat next to my bemused pegasus companion. Gratefully, we each took a cup each of the hot tea being offered. “I don’t get many guests these days,” Pewter huffed. “Customers, sure, but not many social calls.”

I’d barely taken a sip of my tea when she walked over and took my head in her hooves, muttering something I couldn’t understand. Pulling me this way and that, she gave me a tap on the nose and headed over to the mantelpiece. Pewter took out a long stemmed pipe from the black wooden rack she kept there and proceeded to light it from a taper. When the pipe was lit, the peculiar old mare pulled over a chair with her magic and wriggled into it, staring at me intently. I didn’t know where to put myself as she nodded to herself and took a deep pull on the pipe, blowing its smoke out in a thick cloud. Gods, it stank! I nearly choked as the grey cloud swirled and eddied around me in patterns that made my head spin, and not from the smell either. There were… ‘things’ in the smoke: moving, weaving, speaking. My mind reeled and I pulled back in alarm. I didn’t like what was going on here, even though I’d seen Pewter do this with her customers from time to time. Being the subject of it, however, was a different matter all together. I kept my mouth shut but noticed Tingles staring at us both in shock. Not many ponies could see anything other than the smoke, and I surprised that as a pegasus she could see some of what was going on. From her expression, she’d definitely seen… something.

“I’ve never had a dead pony in my home before,” Pewter snorted. “Not one that walks and talks anyway. So… Come on, who are you then?” Pewter asked curiously. “Truthfully now. You’re not a wraith are you. A lemur, maybe?”

“What?!” I nearly shout out of my chair. “Auntie, it’s me! Fairlight, your sister Tulip’s son. Remember?”

“Of course I bloody well remember,” Pewter huffed irritably. “I’m not senile for the goddess’s sake. Discord’s ball’s nephew, what the hell happened to you?”

I hung my head in despair. “It’s a long story, auntie. I… I’m not sure where to start.”

“The beginning is always a good place,” Pewter suggested without the slightest hint of sarcasm. “But I’m far more interested in what happened to you after you entered the Wither World. And more specifically, how you ended up back here.”

“The Wither World?” I asked in surprise. “How do you know about that place?”

“It’s pretty obvious to somepony with half a brain, nephew,” she sighed, taking another pull on her pipe. “Did you never read those books I gave you when you stayed here? You bear the mark of the Wither World on your flank. That...” she pointed at my cutie mark with her pipe stem, “is the mark of the wendigo, the hungry spirit, the spirit of vengeance, revenge, the harbinger of winter, ice and death…”

I glanced at Tingles who’d gone pale. For Celestia’s sake, all this mumbo jumbo was frightening her. And me! I put my hoof on her leg and she nearly shot through the ceiling. Thankfully, a smile from my aunt helped settle her down and she sat back in her chair. Her eyes however, belied her fear.

“Auntie for Celestia’s sake, please!” I pleaded.

“Don’t mention that bitch’s name in my house!” she shouted at me, her eyes bulging. I hung my head. I’d forgotten her peculiar hatred of the princess of the sun, and now I’d put my bloody hoof right in it. Aunt Pewter turned to my alarmed companion, “And what of you my dear? A pretty young mare like you. Does this frighten you? Do you fear legends?”

Tingles swallowed, her usual bravado vanishing like morning dew. “Yes…” she breathed. “Yes I do…”

Pewter nodded, clearly satisfied at Tingles’ response. “Good girl, and so you should. For one sits next to you now. But don’t worry, he’s on our side. For now at least…”

For goodness sake, I was really starting to wish I hadn’t come here, let alone bring Tingles into my aunt’s lunatic clutches. The old bugger was as mad as a box of frogs. Knowing her she probably had some in the cauldron on a light simmer right now.

“Does it speak to you, Fairlight? The spirit inside you?” Pewter asked.

I stared at my hooves. It had… whispered to me on occasion. In my fear, in my rage, it had answered. Together we had fought and smote my enemies, its power seething through me like a whirlwind. Now, it was little more than a faint presence on the edge of my consciousness. Sleeping. “Yes,” I replied quietly. “Sometimes.”

Pewter leaned forward. “Let me ask you, my nephew… Who is the master, and who the slave?”

I wasn’t sure I understood the question. “What? I… What do you mean?”

She just sat there taking another draw on her pipe.

I shook my mane in exasperation. “I'm in control, Auntie, of course. But please, what did you mean when you said ‘for now?’”

Pewter gave me a pitying look, leaning forward to pat my hind leg with a hoof. “Wendigo are powerful, Fairlight. There is one within you and eventually it will try to take control of you. They are dangerous, yes, but should you be able to control it instead of it controlling you. The spirit is a source of incredible power, the likes of which this world has not seen for over a thousand years.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Tingles jumped in ahead of me, “What, so the Captain… Fairlight… is one of those demon things? A wendigo? I thought they were an old mares tale - a legend told to frighten naughty foals. The freaky eyes and cutie mark are one thing, sure, but a demon? I mean, come on!”

Aunt Pewter gave a dry laugh, slapping her side with a hoof before turning her bemused gaze on me. “A demon? Hardly! But I suppose it all depends on which side of the fence you belong on my dear. In the great war some sided with the night, others with the day. Have a guess which side the wendigo fought on?”

A cold shudder rippled through my body. I could almost feel Tingles’ stare boring into me. She was terrified of me now, and so she should be. Whatever Aunt Pewter said, I was still ‘possessed’ by this thing, this... spirit. She hadn’t seen what I’d done in the Wither World, nor how I’d revelled in blood, singing a song of devastation as I cut down my enemies. I had been utterly merciless, and I’d loved it. Oh, gods, how I’d loved it. Dear goddesses, was I lost completely? Was there no hope for me?

Pewter stared into my eyes. “Has the hunger taken you yet, Fairlight?”

“The hunger?” I knew what she meant. That terrible need, that desire for absorbing the life energy of others. “No…” I replied quietly. “I’ve been eating the crystal berries. Some are supplied to my room each morning by the agency.”

Aunt Pewter laughed, “They may stave it off my dear nephew, but when you use your power, and you will, you must replenish you reserves. If you do not then the hunger could overwhelm you and the spirit take you. That…” she waved a hoof at me. “That is the time you must be at your strongest.”

I watched her eyes intently. “Auntie, please, can you help me?”

She sighed and leaned back for a draw on her pipe. “No. At least, not much I fear. The berries will help avoid the worst of the hunger, but when you use your power your energy reserves will fall and you’ll have to recover it by drinking. That is, absorbing the life energy of another. In the war the wendigo would drink the life energy of their fallen foe and were rightly feared for it. Nowadays there aren’t that many conflicts, and such ‘needs’ would doubtless be frowned upon by the lickspittle lackies of the white witch.”

Gods help me she was right, I had done this very thing - the terrible, dread act of drinking in the life energy of the fallen. The creature in the lake had been the first, but had there been more? How many others had I drained whilst blinded by my battle rage? I felt sick to my stomach.

Tingles leaned forward, “Aunt Pewter…” The old mare turned to watch her, her expression unmoving as the tangerine mare asked, “Is it possible to… ‘gift’ some of one’s own life energy to another?”

Aunt Pewter nodded solemnly, “Yes girl, but it is highly dangerous. When a wendigo feeds, it will usually do so until its spirit is either sated, or the source of the energy is emptied.”

“Dead,” I corrected. “You mean dead.” Well, that was never going to happen though, was it? I could imagine all the ponies queuing up to offer me some of their life energy. ‘Just a top up please, love!’ For bucks sake…

“I’ll… I will be his… donor,” Tingles said quietly.

What?! Oh, no! Oh, no bucking way! I jumped out of my seat, virtually glowing with anger, “Don’t be so bloody stupid! You haven’t seen that thing, Tingles. You’ve no idea what it does, or what it’s capable of! Goddess’s tits, why the hell would you even think of doing that?”

Tears welled in her eyes, “Because… Because I…”

I didn’t want to hear it. “NO!” I snapped. “And that’s final. I’m not bloody well changing my mind either, so you can forget it. You can both forget it! I don’t have to use the spirits power, I can rely on my own strength. I always did before.”

Aunt Pewter ignored me to comfort Tingles. I was incandescent with rage, furious with my aunt for goading me, and at Tingles for offering her own life. Had the world gone completely insane while I’d been in the Withers? For Luna’s sake, did they both think I was some kind of monster? An uncontrollable beast that sucked the life out of its victims? But… great goddesses, I was wasn’t I? I was a ‘thing’, a creature from a foal’s history book - a vengeful spirit of evil and suffering that should have stayed as nothing more that a frightening bed time story. They both watched me as I stood, anger boiling through me in a torrent. I had to get out of there. “Auntie, I’m going for a walk,” I rumbled. “Look after Tingles please, it’s been a long flight for her.” She nodded, putting a foreleg out to stop the tangerine mare from following me through the door as I swept out. Goddesses, so much for locking my emotions away…

*******************

The slog up the hill was heavy going. I’d been a lot younger the last time I’d followed the now overgrown path behind the cottage up through the dense forest. What seemed like five minutes ago was in reality more years than I cared to remember. I was getting older and I could feel it in my bones and muscles. Small aches and pains I’d never had before, maybe as a result of the injuries from the cabin or wear and tear, I don’t know, came and went with complete abandon. I was middle aged now. I should have been happily married with children of my own, and maybe even grandchildren for that matter. Well, there was no hope in hell of that ever happening now was there? Those bastards had put paid to that for me. The image of the piss coloured stallion gloating over the broken body of Meadow haunted my thoughts, laughing at me. He’d won. He knew it too, and he’d made sure it was something I’d take to my grave. The red bastard was next, his sickening stench filling my nose with its reek of decay, the crimson eyes, two blood drenched orbs glowering at me. Haunting laughter filled my ears and I fell to my knees, Meadow’s face floating before me covered in blood, tears running down her cheeks…

“Fairlight… Help…me… Please...”

I reached out to her but she was so far away. I had to get to her. I had to reach her! But the more I tried to reach out, the farther she was, calling out to me in her pain. All the while the laughter of her tormentors echoed around me. I did the only thing I could; I reached out for the calm, the anger, the bubbling rage and power that awaited deep inside my soul. Any thoughts of controlling the thing were gone,vanishing in the heat of raw desire. I needed its unbridled power. I needed it now. I would destroy the creatures who dared to lay a hoof on my precious Meadow, and I would bring her home. Her beautiful yellow eyes floated before me, calling to me, pleading with me. I found the calm spot, releasing its anger, little by little…

“ENOUGH!”

A deafening bellow hit me with enough force to make me lose my grip on the spirit. It shrieked in outrage as its chains covered it once again, my conscious thoughts and senses slamming back to the here and now. The hillside, the thick trees, the ice thick around me. Goddesses, I’d nearly lost it… I looked for the source of the shout and looked up into the shining eyes of a silver-grey pony, his long white mane and beard flowing in the breeze. He had an angry yet oddly gentle expression on his face and at same time seemed, insubstantial somehow. It was like looking at a ghost… in the daylight. I stood, ice and snow showering off my back as I gave myself a quick shake. The old fellow watched me silently with his fathomless golden eyes. Beside him, a green mare stood watching me, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Is he…” she began.

The stallion shook his head. “No, he’s still himself. For now at least. I fear there’s nopony left that can help him in this world, and I can only do so much my dear”

I struggled to remain standing, my strength felt like it had been sucked from me. Goddesses I was so tired…

“Darling, please listen, you have to take control. Try, please, for me?” The green mare pleaded with me, but it was so hard to focus on her.

“Meadow?” I whispered, my eyesight blurring in and out.

The grey stallion leaned toward me, “You must control yourself, boy. Your fate is in your own hooves in this, and nopony else can help you. Few if any would even remember the stories of what dwells within you, let alone how to control it. But remember this, somepony was always there first. They were able to master it and to pass down their knowledge to others. You will have to rediscover that knowledge for yourself and become the ruler, not the ruled. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

I nodded dumbly.

Meadow came forward, “We cannot stay long my love, but please, don’t give in to the spirit’s anger. You’re stronger than that, I know you are. You have the power now to help ponies, to truly help those who cannot help themselves, but that power will be of no use to anypony if you allow yourself to succumb to hatred and pain.”

I looked up at her helplessly. “Meadow… I’m a monster, a demon. The look in their eyes when they see me… All they see is horror and death. How can I-”

She knelt before me and smiled with such gentleness I felt my heart melt. “Hasn’t one pony offered her help to you?” Meadow asked softly.

I clenched my eyes shut. I know who she meant, and the answer was ‘no’. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t do that. Not to Tingles, not to anypony.

The grey stallion spoke next. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss a genuine offer of help, my boy. You only need a relatively small amount of life energy to survive, and so long as you remain focussed you can take sparingly from any companion willing to help you recover. They need not die. Life energy is like a well spring, it will replenish over time. It is the hunger itself that you must learn to suppress. Control it, bend it to your will, and use it to your advantage.”

I didn’t reply. There was no way in Equestria I was going to take this ‘life energy’, or whatever the hell they called it, from another living soul no matter how ‘willing’ they were. But… there was another way, wasn’t there? “What about the berries?” I asked. “Can’t I eat them instead? I’ve had them before and the seemed to work.”

The grey stallion shrugged. “Yes, but they only grow in areas of high magical energy concentrations. This is how we could reach you here today. Look about you.” He waved his staff and I followed its travel. Around me were dozens, if not hundreds of silvery leafed bushes, lush and heavy with the crystalline fruits. I nearly bolted forward into the nearest bush but caught myself. Damn it all, I had to stay focussed! The fruit could wait.

Meadow raised her hoof, “My love, I told you once that ponies are not meant to be alone. Don’t cut yourself off from the love of those around you. It is that love which makes your heart stronger, and will give you the strength to master the wendigo spirit.”

“Meadow, I am alone,” I said quietly. “You’re with the herd, Shadow is lost in the Withers. I feel so empty, so afraid… What if I can’t control this thing? What if I can’t find Shadow and return to you and Sparrow? Oh goddesses, I don’t know what to do!” I shook my mane in frustration. So many times in my life I had had to make decisions, sometimes ones that ponies very lives had depended upon. Yet now, now I had no idea what to do nor even which direction in which to turn next. Sure, Luna said she would try and help me find Shadow, but it wasn’t much more than an insubstantial promise. There was no guarantee I would ever see my mate again, nor that Luna truly would try to bring her to Equestria. Maybe it had all been a ruse, a clever game to bend me to her will. Was I just a tool to be used in the battle against the smugglers? Pointed like a crossbow and unleashed at the enemies of the princesses? And what about afterwards? Say we eventually won, and peace was restored once more to the land. Would the princesses really want a demonic spirit wandering about Equestria? I think I already knew the answer to that question. Lilly and her mother could attest to what happened to those who ‘didn’t fit it’.

The grey stallion slammed the base of his staff into the ground, Its impact lifting the earth around it. Thunder rolled across the hillside and shook the leaves in the trees. “See!” he cried. “Your heart is so full of fear and confusion that you cannot see the life all around you. There is always hope, boy. There is always a way to find the path, no matter how well it is hidden from your sight.”

I stomped a hoof angrily. I didn’t know who this character was, and I sure as hell didn’t like the way he kept referring to me as ‘boy’ either! I fixed him with a hard stare. “Everypony’s telling me I have to control this thing like it’s some kind of badly behaved dog that just needs smacking on the muzzle with a rolled up newspaper when it pees on the rug. I know what I have to do! You don’t have to keep telling me over and over and bloody over again. For bucks sake, It’s not like I can just wave my hooves and it’ll all be okay, or else I would have done it already! For the goddess’s sake, can’t you at least give me ‘some’ practical advice here instead of preaching at me?”

The grey pony’s eyes narrowed, “No. Haven’t you been listening, boy? Nopony lives who remembers those times, save for the princesses, and I would advise against seeking their counsel in this. The wendigo kept their lore unto themselves and they kept it well. If anything yet remained it would be in their mountain fortress, but even that, as impregnable as it was built to be, was annihilated during the war. No, you must master yourself in this. It is something only you can do.” He turned to Meadow. “I have said all I can, my dear. The rest, is up to him. I don’t know about the ponies in this age, they seem weaker than the ones in mine. I fear he may not have the strength to overcome this trial.”

Meadow’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I wont lose him, Star Swirl!” she said firmly. Turning to me she took another step forward. “I won’t lose you now. Not again! Damn it, Fairlight, fight this thing! Please, you have to.”

The grey pony put a foreleg around Meadow and nuzzled her neck kindly before fixing me with a hard stare, “This girl loves you, boy, more than I believed was possible. You share that love with her do you not?” I nodded. “Then use that strength,” he said levelly. “Take heart in your friends and believe in yourself.”

Wiping away an errant tear, Meadow smiled at me. “We have to go now, love. I know you’re scared, anypony would be, but please, even if you doubt yourself, never doubt the love we share.”

I watched both of them begin to fade into the air, shimmering like a heat haze. “We will be together again Meadow,” I called to her. “Kiss Sparrow for me and tell her daddy misses her.”

Meadow smiled, “I will. Farewell my love…”

The old grey stallion nodded to me and slammed his staff into the ground once more and their images vanished as if they were no more substantial than a breath in the wind. For a moment I sat there on my haunches staring into the blue sky far overhead, listening to the birds singing and the wind rustling the leaves. Whatever the future held for me, whatever Fate had in store for this wretched pony, I would face it head on. Meadow’s love for me was far more than I deserved, but it would help protect me from becoming dominated by this spirit, of that I was sure. In the days ahead I would need all the help I could get my hooves on in my quest to gain mastery of it, and in so doing would, I hoped, gain access to the herd some day. Unless… Unless there were some way to actually be rid of it? Good gods, that was it! If I could simply purge the damned thing from my body then there would be no need to ‘master’ anything, and all this ‘feeding’ bollocks would be nothing more than a bad memory. Surely somepony, somewhere, had knowledge of these things? Fortunately, I knew just the old bugger to ask too.

Chapter Four - Princess of the night

CHAPTER FOUR

Princess of the night

Somepony was wiping my muzzle with a damp cloth by the feel of it, the slightly rough texture and cooling sensation quite soothing to my sweat soaked hide. By the gods, what a nightmare! Part of me could still ‘feel’ the heat scorching my me, the smell of burning hair filling my nostrils. I took a deep breath and let out a low groan. I was aching all over, from the tips of my ears to the dock of my tail, and had the horrible dilemma of wanting to go back to sleep or wake up fully. Considering what was likely waiting for me back in the dream world, I opted for the latter. Wearily I opened my heavy eyelids to see the first rays of the sun edging over the hilltop. The land was still heavy in shadow, awaiting the warming light of day. I could almost sense the anticipation in the air, and yet there was still a tiny part of me that longed for the night sky, that magnificent blanket of velvet darkness lit with stars, twinkling like diamonds amidst the pale light of the moon. It was simultaneously conflicting and unsettling, a strangers memories conflicting with my own. In some respects you could liken it to that of reading a book, or watching a play. You may remember the story, the characters, but normally one would simply reach the end of the telling and then simply return to their normal life. The names, places, and general storyline may stay with you for some time afterwards of course, but eventually you would forget most of it and the story would simply fade into the background as no more than a pleasant recollection. This was something similar, and yet at the same time it was so alien to me I had trouble reconciling what was going on. The memories were so real, so tangible: my wife, my son, my people, the war - it had all happened. I could feel it with all my senses as though it had been myself experiencing it all, and yet I knew it had happened to somepony else. This... Maroc, the ‘Lord of the wendigo’, had died a thousand years ago. Goddess knows how, but I had ‘been’ him for a time, and somehow he and I had merged, if only for a brief time. In actual fact though I suspected I had been more of a passenger in his memories than having any actual control over the situation, but regardless of what the reality was behind it all, my experience had felt exactly that - real.

“Cap’? You okay? Can you speak?” Tingles’ voice was full of concern. She was stood next to me, a damp cloth her hooves.

I smiled at her. She was a good friend. “Thanks Tingles,” I replied, licking my dry lips. “That was… pretty intense.”

She nodded, continuing to wipe around my muzzle gently. “You’re not kidding! You scared the crap out of me back there, I thought you were…” She trailed off.

“I was what?” I asked curiously.

Tingles closed her eyes, her ears flattening for a moment. She didn’t want to say but I had no idea what had happened whilst I’d been-

“I thought you were going to kill me!” the tangerine mare blurted suddenly. “Pewter barely missed being blown to pieces by some magic beam from your horn, and I had to dive for cover behind a tree!”

What could I say? ‘Sorry’? I’d nearly killed my auntie and my partner? I hung my head and turned away. I couldn’t look her in the face. “Tingles…” I muttered. “I didn’t know, I... I wasn’t myself. I’d never want to hurt you, or Auntie… Great goddesses, I’m a… a monster.”

Aunt Pewter held a bowl of cherries under my nose. “You’re not a ‘monster’ you silly young fool, you’re simply untrained that’s all, like a foal with no schooling.”

Yeah right, a foal that could blast a pony to pieces and kill a dragon. I think the parents committee might have something to say about sending their foals to a school with somepony like that in the classroom! I took a mouthful of the berries, feeling the magic seeping into me. It wasn’t much, like trying to fill a bath from a dripping tap. But it was something, and it quenched a thirst for more than water.

“Tell me,” Pewter began. “What did you see?”

I glanced at Tingles who moved in even closer. I could smell her breath; she had been eating something with rosemary in it, and my stomach grumbled in response. She chuckled and fished out a couple of savoury cakes from the saddle pack pile. Greedily, I wolfed them down like a starved pony. “There was a battle,” I told her between mouthfuls of the cake, “I know it sounds weird, but it was like I was there, living it all in the body of a wendigo.”

“Yes?” Auntie asked, sounding a little impatient.

“His wife was killed during battle,” I continued. I decided to try and keep it short, remembering my training in the watch. It would also go some way to avoid having to remember the more gruesome parts of the story. “Their leader was an alicorn, Nightmare Moon I think, but we all know what happened to her. She was defeated by Celestia and her army routed. They fled the field, scattering in all directions, but the one I inhabited raced back to a fortress in the mountains to try and save his son. The Celestians attacked them in the mountain pass when they tried to escape. The last thing I remember is Celestia incinerating me… or rather, him.”

Tingles gasped in surprise. I suppose that the thought of our ‘benevolent ruler’ incinerating anypony, let alone a foal, went against all she knew. Bloody hell, it went against everything I ‘knew’ about her too. Guess I missed that class as well then.

“What was his name, Fairlight,” Pewter asked. “The father of the child, the one you inhabited?”

I licked a crumb from my hoof and selected another cake. “Maroc,” I replied. “Lord Maroc.”

She looked away thoughtfully, scratching her muzzle. Without looking back she asked, “Was his wife called Arathea by any chance?”

I nodded, “Yes! How did you-”

But Pewter cut in, “What was the name of the child?”

I answered quickly, trying not to dwell on the still raw emotions regarding him. “Vela. He was a small grey unicorn foal. He was given to another of the warriors to try to get him out of the pass, but he was caught in the dragon’s fire before he reached the caverns.”

“You saw this?” Pewter asked. “How can you be sure?”

I looked up at her and fixed the inquisitive mare with a hard stare. “I heard the child calling for his father just as the pass was deluged in fire. Is that not enough, Auntie? Lord Maroc believed his son to be dead and attacked Celestia, certain her forces had murdered him. But whether he’d survived the fire or not wouldn’t have mattered anyway. She’d already given the order to kill all the survivors.”

Tingles rose to her hooves, tears welling in her eyes. “NO! Goddesses Fairlight, the princess would never do such a thing! She loves her subject, especially children!” The tangerine mare choked back a sob. “She loves us! How could you say this, these… these lies?!”

“I saw what I saw, Tingles,” I replied levelly. “I don’t know whether it was all a dream or what, but if it was true, then… Well, let’s just say that perhaps good old Princess Celestia has a side to her she doesn’t want ponies to see. I’m sure she isn’t the only member of a royal household to have a few skeletons in the closet, that lot are always bumping each other off like it’s going out of fashion. After all, what’s a genocide or two between friends, eh?”

Aunt Pewter spoke up, “Nephew, what you experienced was something nopony has seen in over a thousand years. It was the last battle between the princesses - the battle, ultimately, between night and day. The wendigo you experienced was the Lord of the tribe of the Four Winds, Maroc, husband to Arathea and father to their son, Vela. History speaks of the battle at River Valley, and how Nightmare Moon was struck down and exiled. But the annihilation of her forces is one seldom mentioned, and-”

“Annihilation?” Tingles stepped in, her mane bristling in outrage. I’d never seen her so angry, and right now she was radiating outrage in waves. “You’re talking about genocide!” she roared. “Do you seriously thing the princess of the sun would murder foals, Fairlight? For the goddesses’ sake, you swore an oath to uphold the laws of the both Luna and Celestia! Was there anything in there about massacring innocent children? Bloody hell, you can’t seriously believe all this crap, can you?”

Pewter fixed Tingles with a look that could have nailed any less of a pony to the wall. “As I was trying to say,” she said calmly, “I would stake my life on the fact that the crap foals are taught in schools now is nothing like the truth of our history.” She narrowed her eyes, “What you have been told is a lie, girl, a façade, just like your precious murdering bitch princess!”

The tangerine mare took on a fighting stance and flattened her ears, “Shut the buck up, you vicious old hag! How would you know anything about the princess? You weren’t there! None of us were!” Tingles motioned towards me, “Captain, it’s a trick, all of this, this… bullshit! She’s bucking with your mind with her crazy witchcraft. Come on, lets get the hell out of here. I don’t want to hear another of her vile words against our princess!” She stared hatred at the old grey unicorn. “I don’t know what you hope to achieve by filling his mind with this shite, Pewter, but I’m taking him with me.”

Tingles advanced, trying to put herself between my aunt and I. But the elderly grey mare stood her ground, her eyes locked with her adversary as she addressed me, “Nephew, you are the one who must decide whether to stay or go. I won’t try to influence your decision, but decide you must.”

My vision was immediately filled with the expectant stares of two mares, both wanting me to make a decision. But really, I already had. This creature, this spirit or whatever it was, was a part of me whether I liked it or not. My friend and partner would have to understand that. “Tingles,” I began, “I have to see this through. I’m no good to Equestria if this thing takes hold of me. I need my aunt’s help, can’t you see that?” I tried to reason with her, but it was to no avail. I could almost hear her heart breaking.

“You… You believe her?” The tangerine mare’s eyes shone with tears. “These mirages, those conjured memories she put in your head with her magic? Cap’, please… please, just… come home with me. Please…”

My ears drooped, “I’m sorry, Tingles. I wish I could but you have to understand…”

I didn’t get a chance to finish. With a blast of air, the broken hearted mare rocketed skyward and vanished into the morning sunlight. Tiny twinkles of glistening light streamed behind her - the tears brought about by the betrayal of my friend. Damn it all to hell, what in the world was I doing here anyway, stuck in a clearing on a goddess forsaken hillside? Why couldn’t things just work out for once, eh? Just for bucking once?! Straining against the sunlight there was no chance of following her flight path now. And even if I could, what was the point? Suddenly I hadn’t realised I’d been holding in my breath and released it in a rush. “I’m sorry Tingles,” I murmured.

Aunt Pewter picked up the saddle packs and placed them on my back. “She’ll be back, Nephew, never fear,” she said calmly. “She’s just upset at the moment. Celestia’s children are never encouraged to see reality for what it really is, so you can’t really blame her. Goddess knows, in some ways I wish she’d been right.”

Well that was a surprise. Normally the old bugger hated Celestia with a passion. Was she finally warming up to her? No, of course not, auntie was too set in her ways for that, but she was knowledgeable and that was what I needed now. Now fully laden, we set off down the track back to the cabin, Pewter being especially careful of her footing and trying to avoid the low branches. She came alongside me and spoke in a low voice, a tone that struck me as quite different from her usual curt manner. It was almost as if she were addressing an equal.

“I suppose you want to know whether you can get rid of this thing don’t you,” she said.

I nodded, “Yes, Auntie”

Pewter nodded, knowingly. “Hmm, I thought so. Well, maybe at first you could have, but not now. The spirit has become a part of your soul. Like a drop of paint mixing into a tin of another colour, the two become inseparable. I can’t give you much help to control the spirit Fairlight, the old goat was right about that at least, but I can tell you what I know so that you may better understand what you need to do.” I listened as the mare continued to explain, “Not all the lord’s people died that day. In nearly every disaster, there is at least one survivor. The one who ran farther, that was able to run faster than the others, or could simply hide better. Who can say? But one such survivor did indeed survive. He found and rescued some of the books and scrolls from the ruins of the library, before the Celestians razed the last of the fortress to the ground.” She sighed. “When I think of how much knowledge was lost… Such an act of sacrilege. Anyway, the books were passed down from generation to generation until they finally reached myself. I have no further descendants, Fairlight, so when I die, the books pass to you.”

I shook my mane. It was beginning to make some sense, “But why auntie? Why me? Passed down I can understand, but are you saying we’re descended from the pony who rescued the books?”

“That’s precisely what I’m saying,” she replied, “The pony who recovered the books was called Herath. He was-”

“WAIT!” I nearly shouted, stopping Pewter in her tracks. “Say that name again.”

“Herath?” she replied a little surprised my reaction. “He was the one who found the books.”

“He was the one who took the Lord’s son to safety!” I exclaimed. “I thought he was dead. Maroc thought he was dead. My goddesses, Auntie, don’t you see what this means?”

“Vela survived…” she whispered.

I nodded. “Yes!”

Aunt Pewter stayed silent for a while, magicking out her long clay pipe. After expertly loading it, she held it in her teeth and I conjured a flickering flame for her to light the tobacco. We had come to a halt under some trees and I could just make out the cottage some ways below us. It wouldn’t take long to get back at a normal pace, but my aunt was no young filly. Taking a deep mouthful of the smoke, she exhaled luxuriously, “What did you notice of the wendigo, Fairlight? Their world, their people.”

I scratched my head, plopping down on my haunches to get comfy. “I didn’t get to see a lot to be honest. Other than the battle it was mostly running and fighting. The wendigo I came across all looked the same pretty much, like me when I, um… change,” I explained. Pewter nodded as I continued. “Most of the ones I saw weren’t even wendigo at all, they were just normal unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi - even some griffins I think. The Lord’s son was a pony though, and he kind of looked like...” I turned to face Aunt Pewter. Her eyes were slightly dulled with age, but still a rich yellow. Like mine her grey coat was a dark grey, but faded slightly from her advancing years. Her mane was mostly grey now, but I remembered how it had been black when I was young, and like mine, was a family trait. In fact, now that I thought about it, it was like Vela’s, like Maroc’s butler, and so many of the ponies in the pass.” Realisation suddenly washed over me. “Auntie! The wendigo were all unicorns, and they all looked alike too; grey coats, black manes, tails, and yellow eyes like yours. Like me too, except that my eyes were brown before this thing latched onto me. What does all this mean then, are we all interbred or something?” The thought was like an ice pick through my brain. Was I the product of generations of inbreeding? I did a quick check of my legs - still four, thank Luna. Pewter saw me looking and slapped my foreleg.

“Don’t be disgusting, of course not,” she snorted. “Unicorns have always been magical creatures, Fairlight, but some of us strove to attain more, to be able to use the old magics, the creation magic from the beginning of the world. Many believed that it was a fruitless search and simply gave up, whilst others continued. But as part of that quest, they only married other unicorns to keep the chance of producing a talented unicorn foal as high as possible. At some point, one tribe found a way to commune with spirits from the plane we know as the Wither World.” I nodded, I knew that place all too well. Auntie continued, “They welcomed the spirits to them, communed with them, and finally, accepted them. They gladly shared their own spirits with those of the Wither World, allowing the wendigo to stay in the mortal realm in exchange for the use of their power. Over time the interaction between the spirits and the ponies produced an anomaly - the grey coat, black hair and yellow eyes of our ancestors. Why, I don’t know, and the books never mentioned anypony being interested in finding out either, only that it became a mark of honour, of identifying those who eventually became known as a tribe of warriors.” She leaned back and send a thin stream of smoke up into the trees. “The wendigo spirits would only enter those who they deemed worthy. There were many references to rituals and selections that an acolyte would need to pass before being selected. After all, to become a wendigo warrior was a great honour and privilege. The families and other members of the tribe occasionally brought in those from outside who sought to become one with the spirits, if they showed the right character and aptitude. Soon, they too would find themselves changing. But even then, only a few would become truly one with the spirits. These were marked with the blue eyes and lightning flash of the Wither World.” Aunt Pewter paused, taking another pull on her pipe and leaning back against a tree with a sigh. “I think you can piece together the rest, Nephew.”

I watched my unusual relative smoking her pipe, blowing the occasional smoke ring into the morning air of the woodland. “You, me, mum, we’re all descendants from that tribe, aren’t we,” I reasoned out. “Are you saying it’s not just the act of actually entering the Wither World which attracted one of the spirits to me, but that I was descended from this particular tribe of unicorns?”

She nodded, regarding me with her yellow eyes. “I believe so, but it’s possibly a bit of both. Unfortunately we don’t know what the old rituals were, nor how candidates were selected in the first place. Sadly, that text was not recovered.” She raised an eyebrow and peered into my eyes. “Fairlight, do you see now why you must never divulge your heritage to others? Especially to the… ‘princess’.”

“Bit late for that,” I replied. “Luna knows, and she leads Equus. Even as Celestia’s sister, surely she would be running a risk herself by hiding my identity, regardless of her desire for me to help Equestria.”

“Pah!” Auntie spat on the ground, “Luna is a child, no longer the great princess of the night she once was. Once lauded as the ‘goddess of the moon’, reduced to nought but a puppet of the puppet master herself, the white witch ‘Celestia’. I warn you, my nephew, do not put too much faith in the protection of the younger princess. If it came to a choice to either surrender you to her sister or defy her, which do you think she would choose?”

She was right. Luna loved her sister, of that there was no doubt. But even so, Celestia had still banished her for a thousand years. How would she react to her younger sister protecting a creature she had once used to challenge her rule? Especially a creature whose kind the princess of the sun had attempted the extermination of and, I suspected, believed she had succeeded in. I sat in silence for a while, listening to the birds and the clicking of insects amongst the trees. Aunt Pewter yawned and tapped out her pipe on a hoof before putting it back in a protective case. Watching her, I could see my own mother. She had the same grey coat, the same mane, even the eyes were the same. I missed her so much. Mum had never mentioned any of this to me. In some ways I wished she had, but I could also see why she’d kept it a secret. Despite all of this however, it was still not much more than an interesting lesson in my family’s history and lineage. Revealing it may be important historically, but I was potentially still at risk from this thing if I didn’t learn to control it somehow. My ancestors had obviously managed to do it though, and as a descendant of them, hopefully I’d inherited some ability to do so too. Otherwise… Damn it, I didn’t want to start thinking about it.

“Auntie?” I began.

She looked up at me, “Hmm?”

It was worth a shot. “Do you think there’s any chance any of the books, scrolls, or whatever they were, may have survived in the fortress after all this time?”

She gave me an odd look. “No. The white witch destroyed it completely. And before you try to go off on some insane quest to see for yourself, let me tell you now - it’s all gone.”

“Gone?” I asked curiously. “What, the whole fortress?”

Pewter sighed. “Reduce to rubble, Fairlight. I know because I tried looking for it when I was a lot younger and fitter than I am now. I can assure you there’s nothing in the mountains but rocks, boulders, fog, and that damnable forest which surrounds it all.”

Now that surprised me. I’d have never credited Pewter as the adventuring type at all. I suppose it just goes to show how little you can know of a pony, even when they’re members of your own family. “You searched for it?” I asked. “Why?”

“Because I was young and foolish, that’s why,” my aunt replied dismissively. “I had some romantic notion of finding more books to help me ‘regain the lost knowledge of the wendigo’, or some such foolishness. I nearly died from hypothermia, and my bladder’s never been right since either.” She gestured dramatically, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ultimately I found... nothing. Not a damned thing.”

My brow furrowed in thought. “But… If you found nothing, then-”

“Because there was nothing left!” Pewter snapped. “That thrice cursed bitch princess destroyed every last trace, don’t you see? Damn it all, Fairlight, let it drop will you? There’s nothing there, and even if there was do you seriously think a book would survive in snow, ice, and soaking wet for a millennia? Of course not.”

I still couldn’t get my head around Celestia being this ‘bitch princess’ that Pewter despised so much. She appeared to have developed her hatred of her simply by reading the histories of the tribe from whom we were apparently descended. But I’d seen it first hoof, and as cruel as Celestia had been, the mare I had seen seemed so far removed from the princess who ruled us today they were like completely different creatures. What the hell had happened to her to make her like that? It didn’t bear thinking about. Whatever the truth of the matter, I didn’t want to foment a hatred of our princess based on something that happened a thousand years before I was born. I cleared my throat. “Auntie, how did you know about the destruction of the fortress. Was there a diary of some kind? Some clue left by Herath maybe?”

She nodded appreciatively. “Very perceptive of you. Yes, he left a diary of sorts, but not like you’re thinking. It was more of a note really, one explaining what had happened after the battle had ended and the end of the wendigo fortress. There was no mention of the child, only that the fortress had fallen, the books had been recovered, and that the bearer of the books should protect the memory of the tribe.”

“It’s a bit sad auntie, ‘protecting a memory’,” I reasoned. “It sounds to me like he’d given up on restoring the tribe, and I’d guess that he didn’t mention Vela in case somepony else found the books and note.”

Aunt Pewter sighed, “You can’t blame him for wanting ponies to give up on searching for the power the wendigo spirit can offer, can you? The princess would have hunted them down and slaughtered them to protect her precious utopia.”

“And Vela?” I queried.

“Dead long ago,” Pewter shrugged. “Whether in the pass or rescued by Herath, who can say. You and I could well be their great, great, great whatever grandfoals. What’s it really matter? It doesn’t change anything.”

“So what does matter auntie?” I asked. “This knowledge is interesting, sure, but ultimately it’s totally worthless. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”

She shook her head, “Knowledge is never worthless, Fairlight, you just don’t see the whole picture yet. I know it’s an old cliché, but you can’t build a house without foundations or else the whole structure will be weakened. Know your past, and use it to help better understand who you are. Whether you are a descendant of Maroc, Herath, Vela, or whoever, it doesn’t change who you are now.” Pewter clopped me on the shoulder, “You really do remind you of my sister, you know. She was a pain in the arse as well.”

That was the end of that conversation! Thankfully we soon reached the bottom of the hill and passed from the shade into the full sunshine of another glorious Equestrian day. The blessed warmth of the sun on my coat was blissful, and I felt like having a good roll in the grass. Damn it, I would too! “Auntie?” I asked, a foalish grin on my face. “Would you have any objection to me…?”

She chuckled and shook her mane, picking up the saddle bags in her magic and trotted to her door. Watching her go, I had a quick look round before flopping down onto the ground and rolling, covering both sides liberally in loose dry grass and goodness knows what else. Oh gods, it felt fantastic! Ponies didn’t like others to see them do this of course, and adults were meant to frown upon it, but how could you turn your nose up at something so deliciously natural? Tension and stress, knotted muscles and months of fear and misery, disappeared in that simple and unrestrained act of sheer indulgence. Some small grassy particles got stuck in my nose, but I soon blew them out with a good old snort, resting on my back with my forelegs facing skyward. The blue heavens above me were dotted with wispy white clouds that made me think back to my time with Meadow, Shadow and Sparrow in the room that was not a room. It had been a doorway to the land of the eternal herd, the world of golden wheat, laden fruit trees, blue sky and the sun on your back. I had some of that here, except for the company of a loving mare. Or ‘mares’ for that matter. I thought of Sparrow Song, my little foal. Her buzzing wings were not strong enough to hold her weight yet, but I so wanted to see her first flight. With time being different between here, the eternal herd and the withers, it could be years before she saw me next. Or moments. Goddesses, I didn’t want to think of this now, but one way or another she would see her father again. I would see my wife again and my Shadow too. All of us would be together. I wasn’t sure how, but I would make it happen somehow - this wendigo thing had to be good for something. Mind you, considering Thalio and his pals said I couldn’t enter the herd, how was it that I’d been able to spend time there with Meadow and Shadow? She was a thestral, I a wendigo, so how did that work out? Interesting. Apparently things weren’t quite as clear cut as they had initially appeared then. Which also meant that as much as I may tend to lean towards the negative in my world view, there was definitely some degree of hope.

In the midday sunlight I could feel my heartbeat slowing as my eyes began to close. Just a few minutes... I’d just rest my eyes for a bit and then I’d wake up to find Tingles back and Auntie fussing with a batch of tasty provisions for our trip back. I had to be back at work in two days, so I couldn’t delay too long. I yawned. Luna, it was so warm…

********************

The crystal trees shone and glittered in the peculiar half-light, the grass bowing with that strange breeze which would occasionally grace the Beyond with its presence. I sniffed at the air, my ears swivelling, trying to get my bearings. I could hear something on the edge of my hearing. Was that somepony crying? Straining my senses until I thought they’d snap I finally picked up a smell, the faint scent of… cinnamon? Yes, definitely cinnamon, or something very similar. It was a warm, spicy scent I had begun to associate with… “Shadow!” I broke into a gallop, something I should never do without warming my limbs up first, but to hell with it, she was near, I knew it!

The crying was louder now, a longing, plaintive sound that drew me nearer, the smell itself dancing around my muzzle. My mind was lost in my desire to find my mate, my Shadow, but where was she? As near as she sounded she was still so far away and I wasn’t making any headway no matter how fast I ran. Goddess damn me, where the buck was she? I ran on and on, up one hill and down another, darting between trees in my onward charge. But then, I caught a glimpse. There, standing amongst the crystal trees, I saw her. The black coated mare, her long midnight mane and tail flowing out behind her, saw me at the same time I saw her. Her eyes caught mine, flaring red like burning forge fires.

She called out to me, “Fairlight!”

“Shadow!” I called, “I’m coming love. Stay there, I’m coming…”

But no matter how near I came, she was as far away as ever, still calling to me over and over again. I was desperate, my heart thundering, lungs bursting, this place was bucking with me and I wouldn’t let it win, I couldn’t let it win!Suddenly the ground below me gave way and I plunged muzzle first down into a gully, rocks, gravel and soil cascading down with me as I fell. Frantically I called on my watch training and pulled in my legs and head to protect them from breaks. It wouldn’t help much if I slammed into a boulder, but it was the best hope I had. Faster and faster I tumbled until, with a hide grating slide, I came to a grinding halt. Wasting no time, I shook myself off and was on my hooves again. Thank Luna, I was in one piece too. Surprisingly in one piece actually; everything was still attached and I had barely a scuff to show for my rather dramatic tumble. Surely I would have had at least some injury? Not that I was wishing one on myself of course.

A cry from above me grabbed my attention and I looked up to see something that froze my heart. It was Shadow, gripped in the talons of some monstrous... thing. Oh dear goddesses, no! It was the black war dragon! The thing from Maroc’s memories. The damned beast was still alive!

It laughed at me with its huge booming voice. Directed partly into my mind and ears, it rattled my very soul. “She is mine now, toothless pony. The female will make me a good mate.”

“Fairlight!” Shadow screamed, trying to escape the massive beast, “Fairlight!”

“Goddesses, no!” I impotently swore.

Reaching for the power, the calm, I called to it - my other self. I needed it now more than ever. I had to have the power to save her! There was no reply. Taking deep breaths and slowing my heartbeat normally worked, but now did absolutely nothing at all. The bitter chill of fear gripped my heart. The power was gone. Gone! Frantically, I scrabbled to find it, to try and find anything left behind I could use, but it was useless. I didn’t even sense its presence any more. Taking a step towards my beloved Shadow, the dragon simply laughed, and with a mighty beat of his wings took to the air and was little more than a dot on the horizon in seconds. I tried to follow, but my legs refused to obey me. What the hell was going on here? “Come on!” I shouted at myself. Was I paralysed with fear or something? Damn it all, I’d faced worse than that thing! “COME ON, DAMN YOU!”

Somepony answered. “You want her?”

I span round, my legs suddenly freed of whatever encumbered them, to face… I don’t know what it was. It was like me, but white coated, with a blue mane and a wreath of white mist around its hind quarters. The pony’s blue eyes burned with cold fire.

“You want her, this… thestral. She is your mate?” the creature asked.

He, it, whatever the hell it was, knew me, and I knew it. I’d never really seen myself as others saw me before, but I could see why Tingles’ reaction was initially one of fear. The thing was huge, the air freezing around it as it watched me.

“Yes,” I replied. “You know I do.”

A hissing laugh emanated from the wendigo, white smoke leaking from its maw. “Yes, I know your heart, mortal. I know your memories. I know your soul.”

“This is a dream isn’t it?” I asked.

It cocked its head on one side, regarding me before shaking its mane. “A dream? Yes. A window into another world? Yes.It is reality and myth combined.”

I wasn’t in the mood for cryptic answers. “What do you want spirit?”

“What do you want pony?” it hissed, baring its teeth.

I stood my ground and lifted my head, “I want the power to rescue Shadow from the Wither World. I want the power to help Equestria. That, spirit, is what I want.”

“There is a price pony.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” it laughed ominously. “I may share my power with you, for we are already one… If divided. But there is a cost to any transaction, is there not?”

I cringed inside. What the hell did that mean? “Let me guess, you want to live in the mortal realm.”

I was right on the money. “Yes,” the wendigo replied. “I want to experience what you feel: light, breath, warmth, love. So… hungry.”

“I’m not killing ponies for you to feed on spirit, do you understand me?” I said firmly.

It laughed, “But you already have pony, have you not? Taking the life energy of one who is dead hurts nopony. Their soul has already moved on.”

“But I’d still need to kill in order to gain that energy!” I said feeling exasperated. “The berries give you energy, so why not-”

“THE BERRIES?” The wendigo lowered its front hooves and sent a roiling blast of white mist out to swirl around both of our hooves. “You would starve me! Starve us! We are hungry, pony, always so hungry. If we do not feed, then we will die, and who would save your mate then?”

The thing was right. No matter how many of the berries I ate, there was always that feeling of emptiness, of needing to feed. Was this why the tribe of wendigo warriors were so warlike? So they could feed their spirit through their love of conflict?

Its ears perked up suddenly, those blue eyes burning into mine with a bright intensity. “The orange mare…”it hissed. “She offered herself to you. She would help fill us. So young… So full of life…” Thick, glistening white mist oozed from between the spirits lethally sharp teeth, dripping to the ground. The damned thing was salivating! Feeling a dampness on my muzzle I was horrified to find that I was too. Dear gods, I was actually thinking about draining Tingles’ life from her, and enjoying the thought of it!

“NO!” I shouted at it. “I will not do that, she’s my friend. You, I… Damn it all, doing that could kill her!”

The wendigo spirit seemed perplexed by my statement as it asked, “Are you not hungry brother? Your eyes dim and your coat lacks its sheen. You must feed or you will wither and die. Has she not offered herself to you,? Take her, take what she gives freely.”

“I said NO, damn you!” I snapped. “Let me out of this bucking nightmare now, spirit. You can’t make me your damned puppet!”

The spirit chuckled, and in a different voice, one I had heard before somewhere, spoke. “Like you have a choice, my friend.”

*****************

Auntie was already packing my saddle bags with a flask and sandwiches for the return journey when I walked through the doorway rubbing my bleary eyes. She nodded to me and disappeared into the kitchen, returning momentarily with a parcel wrapped in paper and string. “That old hat and coat of yours,” she said, “and something else too you might like.”

She floated the package over and I immediately recognised what else was in there. “Dad’s old truncheon!” I exclaimed.

“Found it with some of your other things in the house,” Pewter replied solemnly. “I wouldn’t recommend going back there, but if you do, take this with you.” She threw me a small bottle of shimmering white liquid. At my puzzled glance the grey mare explained, “A little something I concocted to help your father. It creates a dampening effect around you, lightens your hoofsteps and eliminates any odours that may give you away. Ponies have big nosies, remember?”

We both laughed; it was a classic line from more care free days. When mum was at work she would sometimes leave me with her sister, and Pewter and I would happily while away the hours playing or reading until she got back. I’d like to think she’d enjoyed spending that time with me as much as I had with her. Pewter had never had foals of her own. I never knew why, nor had I asked either. As a child at the time it was simply the way things were. She would plop me on her knee and hold her forelegs out to each side, with me balanced there. Together we would say, “Ponies have big….” And she would grab my muzzle in her hooves, shouting “...nosies!” making me fall about hysterically. I loved Auntie, despite her weird ways. After today I would probably not see her again for a while. I really should make the time to visit more often.

Aunt Pewter passed me my saddle bags and kissed my muzzle, “You’re going now aren’t you.” She said as a statement rather than a question, but I could see a shadow of sadness ghosting across her face. “You could stay you know. You don’t owe these Celestians anything, Fairlight. You know that.”

I hung my head, “I know, Auntie, but as much as I love you, I don’t always agree with you. Equestria is my home, and Luna has asked for my help. Without her I don’t know what would have happened to me. I have my honour to uphold, and I have to find Shadow. Whether I like it or not, the agency are my best hope of getting her back.”

She just smiled, quietly adjusting my pack. “I pray you get her back, Fairlight, I really do.” Pewter shook her head sadly. “I wish you mother could see you now. Tulip died too young. Far too young. You are her legacy, my nephew. For all we know, you could be the last of our tribe. So, you make sure you live your life to the fullest, enjoy every second of it, but don’t forget your roots, and who you are. You are loved, my little grey foal. Always remember that.”

I smiled at her and gave her a nuzzle. “Farewell, Auntie. I love you.”

With a final hug I headed out the door, closing it behind me. I half expected Tingles to be there, but the sky chariot sat empty. The cargo compartment held my parcel which I removed and placed in my pack. It was heavier than I would have liked, but I had a strong back and could just about cope. Gods, if I could manage all that baggage I’d lugged up the hill, then this was the least of my problems! Still, onward and upward. My first order of business was to find a flyer, and the village taxi office was just the place. A short trot later and the small wagon shed with its crude work shed next to it came into view.

“Hey!” I called out, “Anypony home?”

“Hello?” A yellow jacket wearing stallion poked his head out from under a carriage, his muzzle covered in grease. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah. I’m looking for a cab to Manehattan,” I said, plopping my packs down for a moment. “You taking fares today?”

“Sure!” The pegasus pulled himself out from his work place and wiped his hooves on a cloth that only seemed to add to the dirt. “Just you?”

“Just me,” I smiled.

“You’re old Pewter’s son, aren’t you?” the pegasus asked pleasantly. “Been to visit?”

I nodded. “Nephew actually. And yeah, I called round to see her. Been away for quite a while.”

“I’ll say!” the cabbie replied. “Last time I saw you, you were just a nipper, no taller than my fetlocks!” He walked over and went to shake my hoof, paused, and put it down when he noticed the big blob of grease. “Glow Bug’s the name.”

“Fairlight,” I replied politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Glow Bug glanced up at the sky. “Going to be dark by the time we get there, you sure you don’t want to wait until morning?”

“I’m on leave,” I said honestly. “If I don’t get back in time my boss will give me a royal boot up the arse.”

The stallion laughed. “Say no more! You wait here while I clean up, and then we’ll get ourselves away. Won’t be a tick...”

He was right. Before I knew it we were sailing over the wide city scape I knew so well. Below us Manehattan was beginning to prepare for the evening, the yellow lights of the many homes across the city starting to appear even as the sun was barely setting. Soon the deep orange glow bathed the rooftops, sending the streets below into shadow, awaiting the lighting of the street lamps for the safety of its citizens. Watching them flicker and then burst into life was a sight I doubt I’d ever get tired of. Like the web of some giant magical spider, the roads criss-crossed the great city, illuminating a night-time world that was as busy as that of the day. I would have been down there once myself, walking the beat, stopping for a cup of java at the old coffee shop on the corner. Ha! I may even have enjoyed a doughnut or two as well.

The cabby called back over his shoulder, “Hey buddy, you sure ya wanna go there? I mean, it’s not the kinda place anypony would want to go late on, ya know?”

I nodded, shouting back, “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s not far from my home anyway.”

He shrugged and took us down in a looping descent before the sky taxi bumped to a halt. The thing jarred the bones in my backside and I was reminded of how spoilt I’d been with Tingles’ flying skills. Glow Bug tipped his cap to me, and with a few flaps of his wings quickly disappeared into the darkening sky. As if in response to my arrival, a series of ‘pinking’ sounds around me indicated the lights of the cemetery coming to life. Unlike its residents. The flags had been taken down since the last time I was here, and the graves had already developed a covering of grass rather than bare earth. Here and there, somepony had placed flowers on the graves of the watchponies, including a new one. I read the words and felt my heart grow cold. There was no doubt about it now, was there? No matter how much I wished it could have been otherwise, the harsh reality of my friend’s final resting place in this unforgiving world was staring me in the face for the whole of Equestria to see. With a heavy heart I walked over to the marker and ran my hoof over the cold stone before plopping myself back on my haunches.

“I’m sorry, Chief,” I said quietly. “I should have tried harder. It’s my fault you’re here...” I drew a breath and closed my eyes. “I never had the chance to thank you for everything you’ve done for me over the years. All the times you’ve pulled my fat out of the fire, the way you’d pull me up when I was down, and how you guided me in the right direction ever since that day I first walked through the doors of that run down old watch house. You were like another father to me. More even. When dad left home you were the one that I looked up to as not only a leader, but as a mentor, and I was proud to call you my friend. I know it’s too late, but… thanks.” I hung my head and felt the emotion washing through me. In my mind I imagined him standing there beside me, his large presence reassuring me and listening to my woes the way he had done so many time before. “I need you, my old friend,” I whispered. “I need your wisdom and guidance now more than ever.” But the only sound was the wind sighing through the silent expanse of the dead.

My foray into the forest to collect berries had also yielded an attractive bunch of marigolds. Thankfully they were still fresh, if a little bashed about from being stuffed in my panniers. I knew Mitre liked them from when I’d overheard his conversation in the office with Shelly one day. Well, it was more of an argument really I suppose, but that was their life, and they’d been happy in their own way. Personally I couldn’t stand marigolds. Far too bitter for my taste buds to handle. Still stiff from my journey in the sky taxi, I picked myself up and walked up the next few paths until I reached my destination - the grave of Chief Apple Pop. And next to his…

Meadow

Beloved wife of Watch Captain Fairlight

Rest in Peace

I closed my eyes against the tears which had begun to trickle down my cheeks unbidden. Dear goddesses, it didn’t seem real. It was a dream I would wake up from at any moment, and yet no matter how much I prayed, it was still there every time I opened my eyes. But of course it would be. What else did I expect? I knew she would be here, with her family. And next to hers was another marker. I made out the inscription in the last failing glow from the setting sun:

Watch Captain Fairlight

Beloved husband of Meadow

Rest in Peace

So simple and plain, wasn’t it. ‘Beloved husband’, ‘Beloved wife’. Your name on a bit of stone, your ashes in the ground beneath a scattering of fancy pebbles, and that was you done, mate. You were gone, a pony’s life quite literally reduced to no more than a pile of ashes. Thank the goddesses that I knew we had the eternal herd, but even so, seeing it like this... My wife’s grave, my own grave. I was a dead pony looking at his own death. Hell, I was starting to give myself goose bumps. Anyway, it was time to do what I came here to do. Hauling off my heavy pack, I magicked out the stone I’d collected from Chips. It sparkled slightly in the sun’s warm light and I smiled to myself whilst placing the stone marker in front of Meadow’s. It was just right, the dimensions absolutely perfect. Chips was indeed a master craftspony. The letters were gentle yet bold, clear and not at all intrusive. Running my hoof gently over the marker, I read the words out loud, “Sparrow Song. Beloved daughter of Meadow and Fairlight. Sleep well, little one.”

That was all it took. The tears I had tried to hold back broke forth, and I lay down over the final resting place of my wife and child, my body racked with grief. I dug my hooves into the ground, willing myself to be with them, to hold them one last time. Goddesses, I didn’t want to be in this world too long, but Shadow… Shadow was my anchor here. Meadow knew that too, and I wondered if it was partly why she’d approved of the thestral mare in the first place. My conflicting emotions were something I was still grappling with, but this, tonight, was a step to accepting my past. Even if it did feel like my heart was dying in my chest.

“Well, well, well!”

I looked up to see a dark shadowy figure standing some yards away from me.

“Well, well, well, well, well!”

I recognised the voice immediately. I’d always suspected there was something seriously wrong with the guy right from the very first moment I’d met him, and in fact I was amazed they’d paired me up with him at all. Personally I had the distinct impression his mental state had been on a razors edge for some time, and unfortunately, I’d been proved right. Now, oozing with borderline insanity, if he hadn’t tipped over the edge already, here he was. And somehow I doubted this was a social call.

Removing his sunglasses, Wist’s wide staring eyes shone, reflecting the white glow of the cemetery lights. “If it isn’t my old pal, Agent Nox. Or should I say ‘Fairlight’, ex-captain of the Manehattan Watch!” He span in place, rearing on his hind legs like some bizarre ballet dancer. “Come to bury your little wifey wifey?” He put a hoof to his mouth in mock surprise, “Oops! That’s right, you can’t can you? She’s already there.”

“Buck off Wist, I don’t give a damn what you have to say”, I growled.

Fast as lightning the unicorn stallion produced a PDW, and almost in the same instant a pulse of brilliant green light shot out, nicking my ear. I didn’t move, that bastard wasn’t going to frighten me no matter how crazy he was.

“Now that wasn’t very polite now was it, Chief?” Wist giggled. “Not very nice at all! No, no, no. We simply MUST have good manners at all times, isn’t that right, hmm?”

I had the distinct feeling Wist wasn’t talking about me, nor the agency for that matter. No. Something else was haunting this pony, and it wasn’t something I wanted to find out about either. Gods, what a place for him to show up! And how the hell did he know I was here anyway? But regardless of all that, I didn’t want this madness near my family. Meadow and Sparrow shouldn’t have to see this.

“Wist, what do you want?” I asked him levelly.

He cackled madly, like some cartoon villain. “Oh, we’re going to play a little game now, Noxie me boy, and when I hear something I don’t like… POW! You lose a body part. How d’ya like that, eh?”

For the first time I wished I’d brought my magical sidearm with me. My bull headedness may have cost me my life here tonight. Still, looking on the bright side they didn’t have far to take me for burial. Or was that re-burial? I took a deep breath and faced him. “You’re a big pony with a weapon in your hooves, Wist. Can’t abide the thought of losing, can you? Not to the new guy,” I said levelly.

The agency ponies eyes bulged, “You bucking twat! You bucking, bucking, TWAT! It’s your fault my career’s completely bucked! Everything was okay until YOU showed up, and then it’s all ‘Nox’ this, and ‘Nox’ that. It’s not even your real bloody name is it?! You’re a lie, Nox, a bucking fake!”

“So what’s it to be Wist?” I said smiling at him. “Going to show the world just how big of a stallion you are by gunning me down unarmed? Real tough pony, eh? Bet the girls love you…”

“SHUT UP!” he screamed at me. “You little bucker! You… No… Wait, here… here’s something for you.” He took out his second pistol and unloaded it, placing the weapon on the ground. He placed a single charger crystal next to it, all the while making insane giggling noises and talking to himself under his breath. Wist backed away until the pistol and crystal lay an equal distance between us. “You like the old westerns, Noxie?” he raved. “I’m going to give you a chance. You pick up the pistol, load it, and fire it. I’ll even holster mine for you to make it even, how’s that for you eh, new boy?”

“Goddesses, Wist, you call this fair?” I asked him. “What the hells gotten into you?” And then I suddenly realised what it was that had been itching at the back of my mind since he’d first appeared. The signs had been staring me in the face all along: The staring eyes, the chattering, the inability to keep a single train of thought for more than a few seconds. “Celestia’s mercy,” I breathed. “You’re a breeze addict.”

He screamed at me, foam flying from his muzzle. “What the buck do you know?! You don’t know what I’ve seen, what I’ve done! bome bucking kid tries to shoot me and you act all self righteous, like I’ve done something wrong!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Wist, you shot a foal in the face. In the bloody face! What sort of stallion does that?”

He stomped a hoof, holstering his pistol and threw back the corner of his coat. “Enough talk, Noxie, it’s time for you to die. Again!” Another round of manic giggling and he seemed to settle down. I eyed the pistol and its crystal. There was no chance of me getting to it, loading, and firing before Wist turned me into a colander.

His horn glowed, “On three, Noxie. One...”

I concentrated my magic, digging my hooves into the gravel ready to sprint. At the same time, I reached for the cold energy within me.

“Two...”

The spirit was hungry, aching for release, but even with its power I was too close. I’d have to try and dodge, buy myself time to embrace the spirit. Before me, Wist’s manic grin spread even wider.

“Three!”

I dropped and rolled, Wist’s first shot frying a portion of my mane and tail. The stink of burning hair which normally made me gag was the last thing on my mind. Just as I began to feel the wendigo spirit spreading through me, a second shot punched through my shoulder making me cry out in agony. The burning pain scalded through my brain, and I reflexively dropped my grip on the spirit. The acrid stench of burning flesh and hair filled the air. There was no missing it this time. Nor could he. The bastard had me.

“You know, Noxie,” he said kneeling down next to me, “you really should be saying ‘thank you’. After all, you do want to be with your wife again, don’t you?” He giggled, throwing his head back and taking a deep breath. “All good things come to an end they say. And now, so ends the magical journey of Fairlight the dead, but not quite dead, pony.” He levelled the pistol at my head.

“Buck you, Wist, you useless foal murdering shithead,” I spat at him.

He just smirked at me, the pistol pointing right… between… my eyes.

A scream of anger echoed across the cemetery, momentarily making Wist turn and face his perceived new threat. An orange pegasus flew in like an avenging angel, firing brilliant beams of green light at deranged stallion before me. He dodged them all. I don’t know if it was the drugs in his system or natural reflexes, but goddesses he was fast. And a good shot too. His second shot took the pegasus in the wing, a third hit them square in the chest. There was a scream and the newcomer crashed into the ground heavily. Wist laughed at the sight, nonchalantly blowing a wisp of smoke away from the end of his weapon. Only the smoke wouldn’t quite go away… He blew again, puzzlement etched on his face. He brushed at it with a hoof, finding it too was beginning to be wreathed in the wispy smoke. I think he knew then, for his movements slowed and he looked back over his shoulder, ears flat and eyes shrinking to pinpoints. He looked up at me, bathed in the blue light from my eyes.

“Good play, Chief,” he muttered.

In a rush of adrenalin, he blasted off three more shots from his pistol, each on target, each dissipated by the ethereal white fog surrounding my body. Wist tried to run, finding his hind legs frozen to the ground in a thick blue ice. Crying out, he pulled with a strength born of insanity and, sickeningly, his legs shattered, bursting into minute crystals of frozen bone, blood and sinew. The broken stallion crawled away whimpering, trying desperately to reload his PDW, but an outstretched hoof knocked it away effortlessly. Another pinned the stricken creature to the ground, fixing him there, gasping and crying. He struggled madly, the pistol’s crystals spilling out across the ground. The magic around his horn was flickering now, a sure sign he wouldn’t last long. I looked down at his body below me and my hunger flared with anticipation. I felt nothing for this creature. All I felt was anger, a white hot fury burning inside my heart. He had dared, DARED, to attack ME! But this wasn’t a pony, it was a thing, a worthless foal killing beast. No. Worse than a beast. A beast kills as means to survive, this creature killed only for pleasure. The pathetic mass before me was nothing more than a damned Celestian insect that needed eradicating. But first, he would provide me with what I needed from him. Oh yes, but… wait, the drugs - the fool was full of them. I couldn’t take the life energy directly or else risk contaminating myself. No, there was another way…

Wist lay before me, giggling manically. He was going to pay for his arrogance and I could see it in his eyes that he knew it too. My forelegs pinning his to the ground, I tucked my head down and unleashed a beam of blue fire, hotter than the sun, colder than the frozen wastes of Tartarus. Slowly, I brought my head up. Wists eyes went wide as the energy sliced into him. His shaking and cries thrilled me, the smell of his innards and the steam rising from the spilled entrails so enticing it was all I could do to stop myself plunging head long into them. The beam cut upwards, slowly, his gurgling shrieks an eroticism I felt throughout my entire body, setting my fur on edge. Wist’s heart beat before my eyes, and then, with a final shudder, it stopped. The unicorn’s last tortured breath escaped into the night air, his life energy beginning to seep out. Gently, I breathed in, my jaws opening ever so slightly - tasting. As hungry as I was I wouldn’t take in tainted energy, but… no… this one had been prepared just right. My tongue lolled out, lapping up the dead pony’s life essence, pulling it in, sucking it down, a deep satisfying nourishment that only seemed to make me hunger for more. Dear gods, I was still hungry. A gnawing need for sustenance howled through my veins, threatening to swamp my consciousness completely as the void inside me cried out to be filled. I saw the tangerine coated pegasus across the cemetery. She was still alive, but barely. She would make a fine second course. My maw began to salivate at the mere thought of tasting her essence. Fog wreathed me and my intended meal as I approached the prone pegasus. She looked so tender, so young, and full of... life. My teeth chattered loudly, not from cold, but from the building anticipation. I leaned down and snuffed the air around her. She had been shot by Wist’s pistol and needed urgent care or she would soon expire from her wounds. It wouldn’t be long to wait. Smoke from the heat of the blast still lingered around the entry wound where a small trickle of blood was seeping out and soaking into her fur. My tongue snaked out and took a taste. It was iron rich, and so… so good...

A pair of green eyes opened slowly. “Cap’? Captain... Fairlight…” The voice was little more than a whisper upon the cold breeze.

Tingles tried to stand, her legs shaking with the effort. My former watch colleague and partner, my friend, was... dying before my very eyes. But that was right, wasn’t it? I was going to take her life from her, to feed my hunger… “No…” I breathed, shaking my head. “NO!”

The spirit’s voice raged through me, furious at being challenged, “Fool! She has offered herself to you and you would refuse her? Take the pony’s life energy for your own. Fill the need within you, within us. We must feed!”

“To hell with you, demon,” I snarled. “This mare is my friend. Do you have any concept of what that means?”

The answer came. “No.”

I sensed hesitation, and pressed my advantage. “Of course not. To you, friendship is something you can use to your advantage so you can take what you want and leave behind nothing but death?Did your fellow spirits steal what they wanted from ponies, or did they join them? They became one with them, did they not? Is it not true that the spirits followed their hosts through all their trials in life?” It remained silent, brooding. “I will save this young mares life, and you will help me,” I stated firmly. “In exchange, we will seek sustenance elsewhere. If she is still willing, then perhaps-”

“Perhaps?!” The spirit was incensed. “This means NOTHING! You will destroy us both with your intransigent pony foolishness!”

“SILENCE! DO NOT DARE CHALLENGE ME,” I bellowed at it, surprising myself with the amount of force I was able to amass. My anger was rising rapidly now, the magic coursing through me, a raging fire of determination melding with the ice of the spirit. “I am no puppet of yours, spirit! You will obey me in this.”

I felt more than heard the quiet resignation from the spirit, tinged as it was with indignation and a feeling of... betrayal? It may not have said anything, but it was far from cowed. This wasn’t over. Not yet. But that would be a battle I could fight another day. Now though, I had more pressing concerns. And those concerns were fading before my very eyes. Tingles tried to speak, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. Quietly, I knelt before her and lifted her head in my hooves, turning her face to mine. Her eyes glistened with a mix of both wonder and fear, taking in my burning blue gaze. She knew about Shadow. During my recollection of my time in the Wither World, I’d explained everything to Aunt Pewter. Tingles had been listening at the doorway to the kitchen, and had heard every word. The tangerine mare had known all about me, warts and all, but she had only fled when I refused her in favour of my aunt because of an disagreement over something that had happened over a thousand bloody years ago. As petty as it had seemed to me, to her it had meant a great deal more. Even so, she had come back, willing to throw her life away to save mine.

I closed my eyes and felt the magic respond to me. “Do you hear me spirit?” I rumbled. “If there is one thing I despise, it is ingratitude.”

The thing hissed at me from the recesses of my soul.

Tingles’ voice, little more than a whisper now, called to me, “Cap’?”

I leaned down to her, opening my maw slightly to release a syrupy dribble of silvery blue light into her mouth. Holding her so she wouldn’t spill any, my eyes surveyed her wound. As with Shadow when the lake serpent had ripped her open, Tingles’ wounds began to smoke in response to the magic coursing through, and she moaned pitifully. Suddenly she convulsed and her tongue lolled from the side of her mouth. I was losing. The magic wasn’t enough, damn it, I needed to do more. And quickly. Pulling her mouth open, I clamped mine over hers, breathing my life into her body. The spirit pined for its lost life energy, but it obeyed me nonetheless. Wasting no more time I poured my essence into the mare, sensing her life’s flame flicker and then burst back into a vibrant flame. Her wounds were closing quicker now, the vibrant light of life returning to her eyes, those big green eyes that matched her mane and tail so well.

A shudder ran through me, and I could feel my body weakening slightly. This was putting a strain on me that would take more than a few berries to put right. Wist’s life energy had been used up almost immediately, and now I was using my own. If I wasn’t careful I’d be knocking on the door of the herd a bit sooner than I’d expected. Slowing the flow of energy I pulled away from Tingles, feeling her strength flowing strongly once more. But as I went to stand she lunged forward, surprising me with her urgency. Her forelegs locked around my neck and she pulled me into a kiss, long and deep. Her soft, warm tongue tasting mine.

“Mmm,” she moaned, the heat emanating from her surprisingly intense against my muzzle.

I couldn’t withstand her advance. Weakness overtook me and my hind legs dumped my haunches onto the gravel. My need for sustenance was rapidly being replaced with a desperate desire for this pony, my loins aching with an urgency that was frightening in its ferocity. The emptiness inside me was not just from the wendigo’s incessant hunger, it was my own. I was… lonely. So horribly alone in this uncaring world that saw me as little more than a monster in the shape of a pony. Tingles knew who I was, maybe more than any other in this realm. And she was before me, here, now, and I only needed to reach out and…

I broke the kiss. Damn it all, I didn’t want to, and it was so hard. I wanted her it was true, but for my own selfish reasons: to sate my desires, to swim in the satiation of my aching heart. Goddesses, this was so wrong! But I wanted her so badly...

The green eyes looked up at me through long black lashes, “Fairlight?”

She reached up again for me, but coward that I am, I turned away. “I’m sorry, Tingles,” I said quietly. “It’s not… Please, not now. Forgive me…”

“Forgive you?” Tingles asked in surprise. “You save my life, and you ask me to forgive you? Captain Fairlight, I should apologise to you. I know how you feel about Meadow, and Shadow too. I’d hoped that somehow, maybe…” She laughed, “Stupid me, huh?”

I released my power, feeling the cold raw strength returning to another part of my being, as I became ‘me’ once more. I reached out my foreleg and drew her into a hug, “You’re not stupid, Tingles. I’m a fool, I always have been. I don’t deserve a friend like you.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have hugged her, goddesses knew I was no good with females, but she gave a little squeeze in return then stepped back, her eyes glistening. With a sniff she motioned to the carriage park, “Come on then, Cap’,” she smiled. “Let’s head home before we get in trouble for being late back.”

I gave her the best smile I could. It wasn’t much. My heart felt like lead, just like my hooves as I clambered into the chariot. The tangerine mare put her TED on and spoke into it, “Warlock, you receiving me?” I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation. Mine was still stuffed in my jacket pocket, and I had the horrible feeling I’d parked my amble backside on it all the way to Manehattan. Tingles nodded, pausing to listen to the instructions coming through her ear-piece, “Yes, Sir, he’s here... Yes, Sir, sanitisation is required... Understood, Sir… Received.” She looked back over her shoulder, motioning towards Wist’s corpse. “They know he’s here, followed his PDW tracer. Clean up crew’s on the way now, and we’re to get back to base for a wash and brush up.” Tingles looked down at her coat where the PDW blast had hit her. “Hell of a trick you’ve got there.”

“Yeah...” I muttered. “Just don’t ask me to do it more than once, eh?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You got it. Right, come on then, let’s get ourselves back to the barn. I’ve got a chariot waiting round the corner, and I don’t know about you but I want a shower more than all salt in Llamalia.” She brushed at her chest and pulled a face. “I need wash the Wist off me. You too, I think.”

I refused to look back at the destroyed body of Wist. Celestia’s tits, what had I done? Had I needed to do all that to him - to kill him like that? In fact, had I needed to kill him at all? Hell fire, there must be some other way than… than this. But if there was, I had no idea what it was. Wishful thinking hadn’t saved Meadow and Sparrow. If I was fated to be the bringer of destruction to the enemies of this land, then I would do so to protect others, like Tingles, from harm. Gods, so much for non-lethal means.

Somewhere deep inside, I heard a sarcastic chuckle.

********************

We landed back at the facility and trotted to the showers after dropping off my belongings in my billet. I’d sort through them later when I could relax and appreciate them more. And speaking of appreciation, my nose began to twitched as we neared out destination. The smell of soap and warm steam emanating from the shower room was amazingly inviting, and I quickly stripped off my overcoat, collecting a basket of toiletries in the process. I could almost feel the warm water on my coat now and shivered slightly in anticipation. For a brief moment though, I paused. Tingles was uncharacteristically quiet, standing behind me the way she was. I turned round, but... she was nowhere to be seen! A twinge of guilt hit me; I was the cause of this, wasn’t I. She was hurt because of me. She’d nearly died because of me. Buck me ragged, I’d tried to take her life myself! Some partner I was. The attractive tangerine mare, my comrade from the watch, deserved so much more. I couldn’t risk losing another. To hell with ‘ponies shouldn’t be alone’, if anypony was going to be put at risk, it was me. Me! I thumped my hoof into the tiled wall in an attempt to try and lessen my disgust with myself. It didn’t help. I closed my eyes and sighed; this was a matter for later of course, but one I had to address, if for no other reason than my own sanity. Angrily I scrubbed myself all but raw to try make myself feel at least a little bit cleaner than I felt I had the right to be right then. But there some are stains that just won’t come out, no matter how much you scrub.

Warlock was in his office shuffling paperwork when I knocked on the already open door and entered. The smell of coffee was delicious, but I had no time for one now, I had to deal with this matter head on.

“Agent Nox?” he asked in his usual disinterested manner.

I took a deep breath and got straight to point. “I want agent Tingles re-assigned.”

“No.” He didn’t even look up from his paperwork. “Was there anything else?”

“This isn’t up for discussion, Warlock,” I said firmly. “I’m not working with her or any other mare again, and that’s final. Do you understand me? No more mares!”

He looked up now, irritation in his expression. “You’re right at about one thing, Nox, this isn’t up for discussion. You don’t get a choice here. Nopony does. In the agency we all do as we’re told, whether you like it or not.”

For Luna’s sake, I should have seen this coming a mile away. My frustration at the intransigent unicorn was bubbling up already, and unfortunately my emotions were doing the talking instead of my head. “Then tell me,” I asked threateningly, “what’s to stop me telling you to go buck yourself and walking out that door right now, huh?”

“Nothing at all,” Warlock replied calmly. “But you won’t. You want your mare back, don’t you? And as I see it, the mistress is your only hope for making that happen. Of course, if you think you can do without her help, then I for one would be all too happy to see the back of you.” He watched me quietly for a moment and then nodded knowingly, “You see, Nox, you need us just as much as we need you. The mistress needs you. Equestria needs you.”

“Yeah, right,” I huffed testily. “Where is the mistress then, Warlock? Answer me that can you? I’ve tried to see her I don’t know how many times, and she never answers the damned door. I agreed to help the agency so I could find Shadow, but helping Equestria is secondary to that.” I snorted bitterly. “I’m being played like a bloody fiddle here, and you know it.”

“Now you listen to me, Agent Nox!” Warlock shouted across the desk, “The mistress risked her life saving your miserable bucking hide and you’d throw all that back in her face because you don’t like working with Tingles? What the seven hells is going through your head?!”

I took a calming breath, trying to slow my heartbeat, “How many of your partners have died Warlock? How many died in your hooves? You sit there behind your desk like you’re something bloody special but you haven’t got bucking clue have you? Do you know how many of my friends and family I’ve buried? How many times I’ve looked into their eyes as that precious spark of life goes out?” I grit my teeth. “I’m not going to lose another one. Not one more. For the goddess’s sake Warlock, try to understand.”

“NO!” he bellowed slamming the desk. “We all lose partners, Nox, it’s a part of what we do. It’s the risk we take every day we walk out that bloody door. My sister, my niece, my daughter, my friends… I’ve buried more of them than you could ever know. We’re at war here stallion, and we need every last soldier we can get right now, including you!”

Warlock’s words struck home with lethal accuracy, derailing my sense of outrage, but there was still the hurdle of pride remaining within me to get over, and all he’d really managed to do was solidify my determination. “Then I’ll do your dirty work for you,” I said levelly. “I’ll do my duty like a good little colt. But you have to re-assign Tingles, Warlock. That’s all I’m asking for.”

The orange stallion was intransigent. “No, Nox. I have my orders too.”

I closed my eyes, feeling my hopes splashing to the dark pit of despair that always seemed to be there, lurking in the blackness, waiting for them. “Then I’ve no other choice,” I said quietly. “I resign.”

He laughed, “Nopony ‘resigns’ from the agency, Nox. Nopony.”

I could feel the anger beginning to boil up inside me, my eyesight taking on the blue corona, my teeth itching… If I didn’t get out of there, this wouldn’t end well for either of us. I headed for the door and looked back at him over my shoulder, “Do you think you can stop me, Warlock?” I hissed. “Try…” A bolt of purple magic hurled me bodily across the room into the wall, the violence of the impact showering me with posters and other assorted paperwork. I was back on my hooves in a heartbeat, magic pulsing through my horn, ready to release at the cloaked attacker in the doorway. The attacker with the… silver shoes... oh, no…

She advanced on me, her horn glowing and eyes shining like the wrath of heaven. “Warlock,” she announced. “You may leave us.”

“But, Mistress!”

She shot him a look which said much more than words ever could. His expression said it all; you did not argue with the princess of the night. Warlock scuttled out the office, glowering at me as he did so. The threat of retribution was all too present in those eyes, leaving me with the distinct impression he didn’t like me very much. The feeling was decidedly mutual. Suddenly I was acutely aware of the silence in the room. The ‘mistress’ stood staring at me, the only movement the rippling of her midnight mane and tail which drew my eye like a magnet. There was a click as the office door closed behind Warlock. He wouldn’t be far away, I knew that.

Luna threw back the hood of her cloak and surveyed me calmly, “Can you release your power fully, Fairlight?”

Well, this was a surprise! I expected a reprimand, if not an outright attack for my behaviour. But here, the princess of the night wanted me to… change before her? I nodded. In the presence of her majesty, my resolve to storm out of the place disappeared in an instant. Carefully, I lifted my restraint on the spirit’s power and felt its strength flow through me. In moments the white fog began swirling around my haunches and hind legs, my teeth growing sharper, longer. The muscles in my chest and legs throbbed with the otherworldly energy. I felt strong, invincible… nopony could challenge me…

“Impressive.” Luna said looking me up and down, “We… I, have not seen a wendigo warrior for a long time, Captain. A very long time.”

“Your majesty,” I said quietly, “I-”

She held up a hoof to my mouth, smiling, “I know what you’re going to ask me, Captain. Come, let us retire to my quarters to talk. Please, would you retain that form for me? I find its nostalgia… pleasing.”

I barely had time to nod before a pulse of purple energy surrounded us both, and with a surprisingly loud ‘pop’ we appeared in her quarters near the large stone fireplace I remembered from my first visit. I gave my mane a shake; I’d never teleported before. It was something I’d heard of but never seen nor experienced in all honesty, and it made me feel a touch giddy too. It was a higher level of magic that few but the most talented unicorns ever achieved, and just as well I suppose. The thought of criminals being able to simply ‘pop up’ out nowhere, like bank vaults for example, was a frightening prospect for any law enforcement pony. Even so, I marvelled at the ease with which the princess had performed such an amazing feat. Meanwhile, Luna glided across the deep rug to ensconce herself in the large velvet chair that matched her coat colour. With an effortless application of magic she removed the cloak from around her shoulders, revealing the princess of the night in all her glory.

“I have something for you,” she said in her soft tone, and fished about in a saddle pack next to her chair. “Aha!” she cried in triumph, levitating a large bottle from its depths along with a drinking glass. The liquid inside sparkled and danced in the firelight, and to my surprise I found I couldn’t keep my eyes from it for some reason. The princess had noticed my reaction too. Watching my every move, Luna poured out a glass full and levitated it over to me which I took gratefully. Sniffing the contents, embarrassingly I began to salivate, a thick mist pouring out from between my fangs. She laughed mischievously, “I thought you’d like that,” and snuggled herself deeper into the chair. I looked back up at her while she poured herself a glass from a different bottle. The princess smiled, her eyes shining, “Oh, don’t stand on ceremony. Please, Captain, drink up. It’s not poisoned I assure you. It was made with true love.”

That didn’t assure me at all! But the smell... On an instinctual level I somehow knew what this was, and without even thinking about it I took a greedy gulp, downing the contents of the glass in one go. The feeling of being filled was beyond compare. I was ecstatic! I felt alive, truly alive, my senses keener and razor sharp. I rumbled in satisfaction, watching Luna as she watched me, those big azure eyes never leaving my face.

“Life energy,” she murmured demurely. “Such a rare commodity, and yet so abundant… given the right ‘conditions’. I’ve never failed to be impressed by your kind, Fairlight. You are truly a rare item indeed.”

Item? I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but in any case, it didn’t matter. Gathering my resolve I faced the alicorn mare. “Princess, I’m sorry for my behaviour in Warlock’s office. It’s about Tingles, the agent assigned to me? I can’t work with her any more. It’s nothing she’s done wrong, goddesses know she’d been the best partner I’ve ever had, it’s just that I can’t risk losing another partner. I don’t think I could bare to see another pony die because of me.”

Luna looked into the fireplace, appearing to be deep in thought. “Do you know why I assigned that pony to be your partner Captain?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes, she said that she’d asked you specifically as she’d worked with me before.”

“Tingles is special,” Luna explained. “She has a heart which is both generous and kind. Not especially rare traits in themselves, granted, however she also has an openness and accepting nature that I found… intriguing. She joined the agency because she wanted to help Equestria, Captain, and I agreed to allow her to work with you in that capacity. You two share a bond, and one I’m sure a perceptive stallion such as yourself have noticed at least a little?” I raised my but quickly put it down when I saw her expression. “I’m afraid that regardless of your protests, my mind is made up,” she said politely. “Agent Tingles is your partner until I say otherwise. I trust that is that clear, Captain?”

I could feel my heart sink, and answered, “Yes, my lady.”

Luna’s ears perked up, “‘My lady…’” An odd look flashed across her features momentarily. “Yes, well…I hope you will understand, Captain, that I cannot tell you everything. After all, a lady must have her secrets, no?”

Luna’s eyes bored into me and I could feel goosebumps prickling my hide. She sighed and whispered so quietly I could barely make out the words, “A secret, never to be told.” The princess stood abruptly, walking over to me and ran a hoof over my neck and back. “So strong, so powerful…” she murmured. “Beautiful, in a terrible, terrifying way. Tell me, Captain Fairlight, do you remember anything of your people?”

“Some of it, Princess,” I confessed. “My aunt helped me to see the past. I’m not sure how she did it though, or what it truly means.”

“Yes. Yes, she did didn’t she,” Luna said with a smile. “I thought she might. Pewter is quite a clever witch, but she has her limits. We all have our limits. Even wendigo.” The princess moved closer, lifting my tail and… was she sniffing me?!

“What do you recall, Fairlight?” she purred. “Who do you remember?”

My voice quavered for a moment before I took it back under control, “My lady, I recall a battle during the great war. I was... there, but not there, in the body of a wendigo - one called Lord Maroc.”

Luna paused, her hoof momentarily stopping in its travel down my flank before continuing, “Lord Maroc? Yes… I remember him. Such a powerful warrior. He was your ancestor, Fairlight, did you know?” Her voice was smooth, like honey, and deliciously alluring.

“No,” I replied honestly. “I didn’t know, my princess.” It was something of a revelation, true, but in all fairness it didn’t mean much to me. After all, Maroc was long gone. The wendigo themselves were gone too. Celestia had seen to that little problem alright. A thousand years had passed by and now, poor sod that I am, I was stuck with this spirit tainted soul that had been more of a curse than anything else. Somehow I didn’t think I’d be giving thanks for my distant ancestral ‘heritage’ any time soon.

“Call me, ‘My lady’,” Luna whispered in my ear. “I like that.” To my shock she nuzzled my hind leg and gave it a tentative... lick? I nearly jumped from the sensation. It wasn’t unpleasant, but was the last thing I’d expected from anypony, let alone one of the princesses! Resisting the urge to give myself a hard shake, I took a deep breath instead. I had regain the initiative and press my questions. Goddesses knew when I’d have another chance like this.

“Pr-” I began, quickly correcting myself. “My lady, may I ask, have you had any success in finding Shadow?”

Luna continued to examine me, holding my mane up to her muzzle. “Yes, I have found her.” She barely whispered, “Bringing her to the mortal world though, may prove a little difficult, although I do have faith that I can do this for you.” She appeared back in front of me, her eyes glinting in the firelight, “Do you have faith in me, my subject?”

“Yes, my lady, I do,” I replied.

Luna smiled, satisfied. “Good… Then you are willing to pay me my price for this help?”

“Price?” I asked in surprise. “My lady, I thought my help in the agency was-”

“-not enough,” she interrupted. “You are unique, my wendigo warrior, and it has been a long time… such a long time, my Lord Maroc...” She leaned forward and brushed her lips softly against mine. I jumped back in shock. What was she doing?! I wasn’t this Lord Maroc!

“Luna, my lady,” I said quickly. “I beg you, I think you’ve mistaken me for Lord Maroc. He died over a thousand years ago. Besides, I’m married, I can’ t…” I swallowed. “I mean, you’re the princess!”

She laughed girlishly, holding a hoof up before her muzzle, her azure eyes catching the flickering light from the fire. Goddesses, she was so beautiful…

“Oh my!” she teased, “Quite the shy gentlecolt, aren’t we?” Luna walked over to pick up her glass, taking another mouthful. Looking into the flames, she spoke, “Lord Maroc did indeed die, my dear Fairlight. Even if he had survived however, he would have lived out his span of years long, long ago. After all, nopony lives forever.” She licked her lips and put down her glass, her expression taking on a sad and distant cast. “Eternity can be a long time to be alone… such a very long time.” She turned to face me, her mane flowing out behind her, the stars twinkling brighter than I remembered the last time I had seen the princess of the night. “Your dedication to a dead mare is admirable, Captain. Admirable, but ultimately foolish. I cannot help but wonder why you insist on refer to being ‘married’ to Meadow, when you were happy enough to mate yourself with the thestral. Pray tell me, how can you explain this contradiction?”

I hung my head shamefully. “I was… alone.” I confessed. “I was lost in a world of nothing but darkness and the horrors of the unknown. Shadow was the only other living soul I encountered in the Wither World other than monsters, and we grew closerover time. I never meant what happened to…” I swallowed. “It just… it just did.” Goddesses I was hopeless.

The midnight mare stepped closer, “You spoke to Meadow though, didn’t you. And you shared your time with her, and the lady Shadow, in the wheat fields of Elysium – the Eternal Herd.”

I balked, “My lady! How can you know that?! I didn’t tell you what happened there!”

Luna smiled, “No, Captain, you didn’t. However, I don’t think you know your wife quiteas well as you think you do, or mares generally for that matter. I have lived for well over a thousand years, travelled to places and seen things you could not even begin to imagine. Do you really think the land of the eternal herd is unknown to me?” I shook my head silently as Luna continued, “My dear Fairlight,” she breathed, moving her muzzle next to my ear, “…do you know yourself?”

I shut my eyes tight. It was like she was staring into my very being. “I don’t know my lady,” I replied. “My heart is in turmoil, and my soul divided. I had hoped to try to accept the spirit and somehow make myself ‘whole’ again, but it’s so hard to remain… me.”

“Are you not yourself, now?” Luna asked. I said nothing. She ran a hoof through my mane and under my chin, her silver filigree shoes cold against my snowy white coat. “There is a way,” the mare smiled quietly. “Before the destruction of their fortress, the wendigo would invite selected members of their tribe to become one with the spirits of the Wither World. Only their strongest, or those who had performed great deeds for their people, would be chosen. Even so, the spirits would not always accept the chosen one, but those they did would be forever changed. The ones who successfully bonded with a spirit are the ones we know as ‘wendigo’.”

Huh! I don’t recall being ‘invited’ at all! The bloody thing had latched onto me like some nightmarish parasite and was constantly hovering on the edge of my consciousness, watching everything I did. And I mean, everything. “But that didn’t happen to me,” I said quietly.

“No. You’re case is quite unique,” Luna observed. “Your soul had passed over, but your body remained here, on the very cusp of death. It was only through my intervention that I was able to repair your physical self and call your soul back from the thestral realm with the aid of your friend, Star Beard. Unfortunately I had not expected your ancestral line to be what it was, or else I would have taken… ‘precautions’.” She shrugged. “The spirits that live between our world and that of the thestrals are drawn to strong emotion: anger, hatred, suffering, pain. Normally this does not cause too much of a problem for the deceased, but the tribal blood line developed a strong connection to the spirits over time, attracting them more than any normal pony would. In a sense, your ancestry acts as a conduit for them, somewhat like a vessel waiting to be filled.”

Well, that sounded positive! Not. Besides, I think I’d ticked most of those ‘emotional’ boxes Luna was talking about. Not really surprising for an ‘abnormal pony’! “So they’re not attracted to positive emotions then?” I asked hopefully.

“I am not aware of it,” Luna replied simply. “I do not know everything about wendigo, Captain. They were, after all, a remote and secretive people. What I do know, is that you are without doubt the descendant of the lord of the tribe of the four winds, the commander of the wendigo forces which my sister defeated. Seeing you stand before me now…” Her voice dropped to a murmur. “You look so much like him...” She rubbed her head up against me and breathed deeply, “You even smell like him”.

“My lady,” I said, trying to retain my grip on the conversation, “you said that there was a way I could bond with the spirit fully and remain in control?"

“Mmm, I did,” Luna purred. “That knowledge may indeed still exist somewhere in Equestria, but where exactly, I could not begin to imagine.” Her azure eyes loomed in my vision and I could myself being drawn in. “The first step is always the hardest. You must accept that not everything is as it appears on the surface. Trust in your instincts, and be prepared to make changes to yourself that will help you blend with the spirit, to become… one.”

“I don’t know whether I have the strength,” I said quietly.

Luna nuzzled my neck softly, “Oh, you have the strength, Fairlight. I saw it from the very moment you entered the dream world. It is only guidance you lack; a helping hoof to lead you and protect your heart.” The midnight mare glided her muzzle up my neck. “Ponies shouldn’t be alone, Fairlight. Don’t deny yourself love, it is the key to that which makes us whole.” I stood drinking in the sensation of the alicorn moving against my fur, her wings slipping over my flank, her breath on my cheek. “Tell me, Captain…” Luna’s lips brushed mine, sending a bolt of electricity through me, her voice as soft as the morning breeze, “...do you love your princess?”

“Yes…” I whispered.

Luna’s half lidded eyes blinked slowly. “Do you... want her?”

I swallowed. “Yes...”

Need flooded through me, my mind a blaze of urgent desire. Luna groaned as I grabbed her in my forelegs and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her deeply until the only necessity for air parted us. She gasped, pupils dilated, wispy motes of sparkling silver mist edging her mouth. “My lord,” she breathed, “you have returned…”

She trailed off, breathing in the mist, moaning in ecstasy before she reached across and kissed me. Her lips were soft, her breath warm and exotic. Luna groaned as she inhaled a little more of my life energy into herself. I could feel it draining from me, only a trickle, but just enough to bring her a pleasure far beyond the mere physical. Gently she pushed me onto the rug before the fire, pushing into me, her chest heaving and her mouth hanging open. She was pressing into me with a desperation that was as frightening as it was exciting. “My lord, your princess has waited a millennia for you,” Lune murmured. “I have been so alone without anypony to hold me, to be with me.” She pulled me into an embrace and I could feel tears soaking into my fur, “I don’t want to be alone again. P lease…never again…” Luna pulled back, shining tears dropping onto my chest. I gazed into her fathomless azure eyes, feeling like I was falling into them, tumbling weightlessly into the deepest voids of space. The shimmering star field of her mane and tail sang a song of her loneliness in the night, and I let myself be guided by her light.

“My lady…”

Suddenly Luna pushed away from me and twisted round to lie on her stomach, her tail brushing against my muzzle. “The night is young, and it ends, when the princess of the night has had her fill.” Inside my soul a voice answered. In that moment, there with the princess, the Wither World spirit and I both wished that the night could truly last forever…

Chapter Five - Treading old paths

CHAPTER FIVE

Treading old paths

The sun was just rising when I awoke, the early light of dawn soaking its way into the room, filling up the dark corners and chasing out the shadows of the night. Luna had curled up into me on the rug before the hearth. I rubbed the sleep from my bleary eyes, careful not to disturb her. The once crackling fire was now reduced to nothing more than a pile of warm ashes, but was still radiating some heat onto my back. I hadn’t felt this relaxed in an age, and I felt remarkably invigorated consider how tired I’d been after last nights exertions. Luna sighed and snuggled into me before opening an eye to look up at to me.

“Good morning,” she whispered before placing a kiss on my nose. “The moon has already set and my sister’s sun is rising in the sky. As sad as it is for me to say, I fear we must part for now.” She smiled gently, “You have your own duties to perform today also, my lord.”

Reluctantly pulling myself to my hooves, I stretched and gave an expansive yawn. I really wished she wouldn’t call me that. She’d started doing it last night for some reason, and it would probably be best if I nipped it in the bud before it became a habit. Gods help me if Tingles started doing it too. Having to work with her was going to be difficult enough as it was without that adding to it. “My lady, forgive me,” I asked gently, “would you please call me ‘Fairlight’? I find the title ‘lord’, a little strange. I’m just a pony, nothing more.”

Luna shrugged, “Very well… Fairlight.” She rolled her shoulders and sighed. “I will grant you this, however your would do well to remember that wishes do not change the facts of what is, no matter how much we may pretend otherwise. It is what you do in life that defines who you are. A title is, after all, simply a name, nothing more.”

I gave her a light nuzzle. “You loved Lord Maroc didn’t you? Why didn’t you-”

“Why didn’t I marry him? Mate myself to him?” She paused, her eyes looking into a past I could never begin to comprehend. “It was a difficult time, Captain, and not one I wish to recall.”

I’d never learn, would I? Always putting my hoof right in it. “I’m sorry, your majesty,” I said quietly. “Forgive me for being nosy.”

Luna chuckled slightly as she stretched her hind legs. I watched as she busied herself with tidying the scattered cushions and other objects from last nights activities. “I was in love with him,” she said quietly, “but at the time I was... not myself. My mind was elsewhere, focussed on matters that had nothing to do with those of the heart.” Luna shook her mane and hugged me suddenly, taking me by surprise. “I missed my time. The opportunity had been right before me all the while and when I finally realised how foolish I had been… I had lost it all. Everything. Even love.” With a gentle kiss, Luna turned away from me to collect her cloak. “Thank you for last night, Captain, it mean a great deal to me. I may… ‘call’ on you again in the future, if that is agreeable? For now, go back to your duties and do not speak of last night to anypony. They may not... ‘understand’, yes?”

I bowed and backed toward the door, “As you wish, my lady.” The midnight coloured mare watched me go. I caught a glimpse of her face before I closed the heavy wooden door. She looked… sad.

Back in my billet I had a quick trim, collected a change of clothes, and checked the time. It was still early and I had a good hour to get showered and dressed for the day’s briefing. Hopefully I would be needed for something other than the sort of bland mundane bollocks they’d been giving me lately. Ever since the disaster at the coffee shop I’d had the distinct impression I wasn’t fully trusted, like I was a loose cannon or some such, but it could always have been my overactive imagination I suppose. Mind you, the letter had said to have a couple of days free before attending for a briefing so… yeah, I was probably being needlessly pessimistic. Time to go to work then! Shaking my worries off, I picked up my things and trotted out of the room. There was no sense in being miserable, especially after last night. By the gods, I felt like a new stallion! Luna could certainly work miracles all right, but I would have to keep our ‘liaison’ a closely guarded secret. Others may not exactly approve of a commoner ‘carrying on’ with their princess. Ha! I still couldn’t believe it! Mind you, Luna had said I was the new ‘lord of the fortress’, hadn’t she? Meh, something like that, but who cared? Lord of a load of rocks on a mountain? Nope, give me a nice warm bed, a roaring fire, and an equally warm mare and I was as happy as Larry. Whoever that was. And so, after a refreshing and thankfully uneventful shower, I found myself back in my room once more. The shower block had been quite busy that morning too, with ponies going about their business of brushing teeth, cleaning manes - the usual stuff that you do in the morning. But there’d been so many of them! I wonder if there was something going on today? Speaking of things ‘going on’, a nicely cleaned and pressed uniform had been placed in my room together with a bowl of those crystalline berries. I popped one in my mouth, careful not to spill any of the juice on my smart black suit, shivering as the electric sensation fizzled through me. If that wasn’t enough though, there was also a bottle - the same glass bottle from last night. There was no accompanying note, just a drinking glass and a small screw top flask sitting next to it. It was an ideal size to pop in my saddle bag when I went on missions, and opening it revealed a rolled up piece of paper inside. It read simply:

Thanks,

Well, that was certainly short and sweet. Good old ‘M’! Just as I put it down, the heat radiating from the note warned me of its impending combustion. Honestly, I thought to myself as the small message disappeared in a ‘whoof’ of green flame, I’m surprised the whole bloody place hasn’t gone up yet! I trotted down to the meeting after pocketing my usual issue agency gear and felt quite buoyant for once. I put it down to Luna’s ministrations. Knowing this place I was probably going to feel like crap later, but who cared? Right now, I felt good… great even! Ah, life, it was about flaming time I had a smile on my face. Unfortunately, as I already know to my cost, a good mood is like a soap bubble - all it takes is one little prick to ruin it. And there he was, standing in the doorway to the briefing room glaring at me as I approached. Warlock never said a word, but his eyes told me all I needed to know. He was seriously pissed off with me. It wouldn’t take a genius to work out why of course, he’d probably already come to the conclusion that I’d had a right royal bollocking from the ‘Mistress’ after my outrageous display in his office. I didn’t want to cause a fuss so I solemnly hung my head as I passed him; just to make him feel better, bless him. Typically though I couldn’t help but privately smirk to myself, even if it was a bit wrong of me. Well, just a bit. After all, what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?

When the last of us was seated the lights dimmed and the briefing officer walked up to the podium which was set to the side of a large projection screen. The projector at the rear of the room loudly clattered a slide into place. ‘Operation Postal’, the letters read. Very dramatic, I thought sarcastically. Maybe we’d been upgraded to mailponies? Stifling a chuckle at my own joke, I quickly glanced left and right in case anypony heard my snort. Thank Celestia they hadn’t.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” the officer began. “I would like to start today’s briefing by acknowledging the excellent work our agents both here and abroad have done in tackling the scourge of organised crime that has been blighting our country these last few years.” He nodded towards a small group of agents near the front who gave each other pats on the back, one of whom I noticed to my cynical surprise even cracked a smile. “Your contribution has been noted,” the officer announced plainly, “and it is an inspiration to the rest of us to follow your example. And that brings us onto the subject for today, everypony. You will doubtless all be aware that the off-world constructed weapons we’ve seen being smuggled into Equestria recently...” The stallion paused as the slide changed to show a variety of the tube-like things I’d seen more than enough of already. He continued, “...have been re-worked once they arrived, to fit equine anatomy.” There was a general murmur of agreement. “Several of these sites, or ‘armouries’ as the underworld know them, have been targeted and successfully shut down by agency operatives. In each case, large quantities of property were seized. Two this last month alone.” A loud stomping of approval echoed around the room and the officer waved a hoof for quiet. “Please note that these items are known more commonly as ‘firearms’, or simply ‘guns’. Although the generally work off the same principal, there are numerous design variations that we have encountered so far, from the type that are easily concealed, to the larger mounted types we discovered following the incident at the Manehattan Wharf. You should familiarise yourselves with them if you have not done so already.” Why did I have the feeling he was looking at me? “The appendix to the briefing report has a list of the names, types, and other details you will need to study,” he summarised, holding up a sheaf of papers.

Ah, I thought my chair felt a bit funny. I moved experimentally to one side and felt something sticking to an arse cheek. Damn it all! Keeping a straight face, I nodded along with the rest like it was all understood and that I already knew exactly what he was talking about. Come to think of it, after what I’d seen at the warehouse, I probably did know more than most of the ponies here. The briefing continued after a short interlude whilst the slides changed to show more of the ‘firearms’, ‘guns’, or whatever they were supposed to be. Damned things. And anyway, what the hell were these ‘criminal elements’ planning to do with them all? Equip an army? My mane quivered at the prospect.

“Intel has been coming in to suggest that the latest batch of weapons have been coming in pre-made,” the officer explained. “That is, that they are already custom made and not retro-engineered.”

So, the humans were now tooling up to make ‘guns’ for the Equestrian market now, were they? That was very enterprising of them. Still, it seemed that the whole operation was a damned site more organised than we’d previously thought. Our raid at the warehouse had probably been little more than a minor setback to them before they went and started a new route up elsewhere.

“Our supervision has decided that it is time to take the initiative and be more pro-active rather than re-active to the problems our home has been facing.” The officer peered at his sheet. “Operation Postal is the first phase of our initiative. Our target…” The projector clacked over a new slide. I stared wide eyed… as the officer said, “…Is Ponyville post office.”

Dear goddesses! I used to work that patch! In fact, I used to chat with that funny little mare that had the really bad strabismus. She was cute too, once you got used to the way she appeared as if she was looking at you and up your nose at the same time.

The officer cleared his throat. “Several consignments of Breeze and Ryetalin have been intercepted which we believe have originated from this location. How the drugs have been getting to the office is unknown, however it is believed they may be bringing them in via a portal on site.”

That made sense. The mail could then be distributed across Equestria quite legitimately by unsuspecting mailponies. Interruption of the Royal Equestrian Mail was a crime by royal edict and severely punished, so it was doubtful any of the drugs would be encountered accidentally. It was handy to have the name ‘Royal’ in your job title. Or ‘Celestia’ for that matter. I wondered if it would get me a little discount next time I went shopping…

A light came on near the lectern and the briefing officer stepped aside. He held up his hoof,“I’d now like to introduce our guest speaker, Dr Bunsen of the C.B.I mountain facility.”

The familiar cerulean blue mare with the massive spectacles, stumbled up the steps to the podium. I felt compelled to clop my hooves, but quickly put them down as it would have been embarrassing both for myself and the doctor for me to be the only one doing it.

“Um… er… yes, thank you agent… er… right!” She pushed her thick glasses up her muzzle making her eyes look frighteningly large. “This device, um… sorry, next slide please… yes, that one…” A peculiar box like object with a dish on the top appeared in the next slide. “This is a, um, magical energy detector. You’ll have seen them before of course, they’re, er, used for tracing specific thaumaturgical signatures and such like, but this one has many more, um, functions than that old thing!” She was beginning to sound excited, “It can be set to detect all sort of things. In fact the only limit is a pony’s ‘imaaaaginaaaation’!” She stood on her hind legs and waved her forehooves out before her in a semi circle. I half expected to see a rainbow. By the looks on the faces of the ponies in the briefing hall, they did too.

The briefing officer whispered something to the good doctor who tittered to herself, a hoof held to her mouth. “Sorry!” she chuckled. “Sorry, everypony. I get quite excited by new gadgets you see! Anyway, we’ve calibrated this device to help us, that is, to help all of you, to detect and locate the particularly unique magical wavelength signature of a transdimensional portal activation. It’s all quite simple really.”

A few ponies scratched their heads and muttered to one another.

“Thank you, Doctor Bunsen,” the officer announced, quickly helping to usher the bespectacled mare from the podium. Bunsen seemed a bit irritated about being removed just as she was getting into her stride, but shrugged it off, muttering something I couldn’t hear. She was probably used to it working for this miserable lot.

One of the officers in the room held up a hoof, “Sir, how will we be conducting the operation? Ponyville may be small in terms of population density, but the post office is situated in the centre of the town. There’ll be a high probability of numerous witnesses and the risk of collateral damage should there be any resistance.”

The briefing officer nodded, “Next slide please”. The following picture was of a bizarre looking contraption, something like a steam engine without rails. “The operation is set to coincide with cider season in Ponyville. The orchard owners, the well known Apple family, are notorious for running out of cider every year, so we have a little side show planned to keep everypony occupied, and to keep us informed of any suspicious activity. Gentlecolts…” He held out a hoof and two pale coated ponies in what I can only describe as carnival outfits complete with boaters, trotted onto the podium sporting huge grins. “Agents Cox and Pippin here will be masquerading as cider sellers to keep ponies away from the town should the Apple’s run out of cider early. The machine in the slide is the brainchild of the scientists at the hub.”

I could see Doctor Bunsen waving her hooves enthusiastically from the corner of the room. Everypony was trying desperately to avoid paying attention to her.

A cyan stallion next to me facehoofed when he saw the two gangly ponies on the stage. “Celestia’s arse, not ‘Half-Cox’ and… oh goddesses… Pippin,” he muttered. I was tempted to ask what he was mumbling about, but the two grinning characters were already leaving, and the briefing felt as though it had picked up a notch.

“With the locals distracted,” the briefing officer continued, “Alpha will be free to provide perimeter security, whilst Beta will provide sniper cover. Gamma team will move in from the front door and Delta from the loading bay doors to the rear. Epsilon, you will be held in reserve in case resistance proves greater than expected. We can’t be caught with our pants down here everypony.” I tried to ignore the word ‘sniper’, as a schematic of the building appeared on the screen. “A copy of this is in your briefing papers,” he explained, ignorant of the fact that mine were still stuck to my bottom. “Take particular note of the timings, but be prepared to adapt as necessary. There is expected to be minimal resistance as most of the postal workers will be regular ponies, so keep it non-lethal please everypony. We don’t need another coffee shop incident.”

Well at least they’d recognised that for the complete buck up that it was. Fortunately this operation had been thought through properly by looks of it, and better still was the fact we wouldn’t have to worry about any psychotic agents gunning down innocents either. The briefing continued for a while longer, with details of locations, times and leadership breakdown discussed before final orders were relayed. The operation was planned for tomorrow morning, early. The Ponyville ponies would likely be queuing for their cider from dawn if not earlier according to the briefing, therefore to maximise our effect we would need to set off from the Manehattan facility whilst it was still dark. An early bed was in order, but first, was a good breakfast, and what I dreaded most - facing Tingles.

The canteen was packed. With agents being pulled in from all over Equestria, we had to use side rooms and even chairs in the corridors outside to accommodate them all. Breakfast itself was massive too, no doubt in anticipation of an early start. Personally I felt sorry for the kitchen staff, but also slightly relieved that it was such a mad house I wouldn’t have been able to see Tingles if she’d been standing six feet away from me. All the same I kept my eyes and ears open throughout breakfast, but of the tangerine mare there was no sign at all. If she’d been in the briefing I’d certainly missed her there, and checking her room on the way back to mine showed that she wasn’t there either. Maybe she’d gone for a check up with the doc? After all, it was only the other day when she’d been shot out of the sky by the psychotic Wist. I mean, she wouldn’t be avoiding me, would she? Nah, surely not. It wasn’t like I’d been rude to her or anything. Had I? Huh, who knew with mares! I spent the rest of the day reading up on the now rather crumpled briefing paper, got in a little target practice, revised my TED protocols, and so on to pass the time. Before I knew it the sun was going down and the ever present tannoy in the corridor crackled into life, reminding everypony to retire early as it would be an early start. They weren’t joking either, we’d have to be up around 2:30am to collect our gear and head off to Ponyville to make sure we were there before dawn.

I dumped myself on the bed and rolled, rubbing my back into the rough top sheet. It was a far cry from the lush grass of the fields surrounding auntie’s village of course, but comforting nonetheless. A sigh escaped my lips and I flopped over onto my side. My saddle bag and panniers sat unopened on the desk, inviting me to investigate the contents. I still had a little time before I’d have to get some sleep, and it would be a pleasant distraction to see what she’d packed for me. Levitating them over, I undid the clasps and brought out the items she’d put in there for me. It was certainly a trip down memory lane alright. My pocket watch, hat and coat I already had, but auntie had found far more than she’d let on. The first thing I uncovered was my photo album, smelling a bit of smoke, but surprisingly undamaged. Meadow and I had never been one for photos, preferring to live in the now and not in the past as we looked at it. I’d always found it a bit unsettling too, looking at photographs, and okay, maybe that might seem a little strange to some, but personally I’d rather look forward to what was going to happen rather than what already had. Still, some of the pictures would evoke memories of a time before… ‘that’ happened. I closed my eyes and sighed, placing a hoof on the top of the album. I’d look at it later. Out next came several jars of preserve, an almost fluorescent red goo sitting inside the glass containers, each of the them secured with a little paper lid and an elastic band. I couldn’t wait to have a taste! I quickly found my knife, fork and spoon set in the side pocket of my saddlebag, and after a moment of fiddling with the lid, was soon humming in bliss as the sweet, tangy taste hit my tongue. It was a lot more potent than just eating the berries too, I was even a little concerned about becoming ‘high’! So, just to be safe, I locked them in a cupboard for later enjoyment. Maybe with some toast too, if I could sneak into the canteen. They didn’t like agents taking food back to their rooms. Gods, it was like being in school sometimes! My mum and dad’s photo came next, and I put that on the shelf along with a brooch she used to wear that had been neatly wrapped in bubble-wrap. It was a pretty little thing too; a small spray of silver work and gemstones in the form of peacock feathers. She’d worn it nearly every day after dad left home, which had always struck me as strange at the time. I suppose it did even now. In the end he’d out lived her, and had never even gone to her funeral. I looked at it for a while, wondering what my folks would think of me now, but guessed that I’d probably find out some day anyway so it was something of a pointless exercise really. Goddesses, I hoped they’d be proud of me. Mum would love me regardless no doubt, but dad? Well… He could be cantankerous at the best of times. A pocket knife, several other odds and ends which would be useful, including a compass and water purifier, were duly removed and put to one side. The smell of soap suggested that auntie had tried to remove the pervasive smell of burnt wood, but it was still clinging determinedly to the more porous items. It was a constant reminder of a terrifying chain of events that had brought me here, to this place, and a future that held nothing but uncertainty.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to ignore the more troubling thoughts that were never more than a heartbeat away. Instead, I concentrated on my investigation into the mysterious contents of my packs. The heavier objects had been thoughtfully placed at the bottom - two leather bound tomes, each emblazoned with a white unicorn’s head and inset with a tiny blue gem for the eye. So, not a pony then - a wendigo. I put them to one side. As the histories of the tribe, I suppose it fell to me to protect these for future generations. No pressure at all then…

Inside the top most volume, a small piece of paper was sticking out. Intrigued, I pulled out the note and read it, or rather tried to. The hoofwriting was so bloody difficult to read I seriously doubted whether the writer had actually expected anypony to be able to understand it at all! Goddesses have mercy, it was like reading spaghetti that somepony had just dropped onto the page, but at long last, and after managing to give myself a clanging headache, I finally began to understand the lettering style and could read the message that called out across the ages...

Brother,

The army is gone. The lord is slain. The princess has vanished, and our connection to her severed. All our hopes and dreams for our people lie in ruin atop the lifeless mountain that was once our home. The Celestian’s have won.

Our fortress at Everwinter has been destroyed and our people butchered as they fled. I, along with several survivors, reached the caverns and escaped into the depths and what we believed was safety. Some fled north to the dead lands, hoping to escape the fighting. Several of us: the wounded, the sick and the elderly, stayed in the caverns hoping for rescue.

The Celestians found us on the third day. They murdered everypony they found. None were spared except myself and two others who were still fit enough to outrun them. We hid for several weeks in the caverns, until I decided to return to the fortress under the noses of the Celestians to recover our most treasured of items - the histories of our people. If this is to be the end of the tribe of the four winds, then somepony must remember us.

To you who read this, I beg you to keep them safe, to remember us and who we were.

I warn you, do not seek the fortress of the four winds, it has been seeded with death by the forces of the white witch. Only death awaits you there. Death, and the dead.

Remember us.

Herath

Well, that was cheerful, I mused. It certainly tied in with what I had seen in Maroc’s ‘memory’ though, and what auntie had told me too. It had been a slaughter, the Celestian army cutting down their enemy completely without mercy. My ancestors, my forebears, had been butchered by our ‘benevolent ruler’ Celestia, the ‘White Witch’. Goddesses, no wonder auntie felt the way she did, but still, it was a hell of a long time ago and very different times. In any case, I doubted that the vengeance of the Celestians was unprovoked and that they had simply liked killing for killings sake. There was doubtless much more to this war than I knew. Or was ever likely to know either.

The adventurer in me was intrigued by the whole ‘fortress of the four winds’ thing, but the line ‘seeded with death’ kind of put me off a little. Okay, a lot! These days I much preferred staying alive and keeping my hooves firmly on the earth. Mostly. I paused, staring up at the picture of my family. Staying alive… How strange. Not that long ago all I could think of was death, death and being with Meadow. Had I really changed that much? Perhaps I had. I was about to put the pack away when I found it was still a little heavier than expected. There was something in a side pocket I’d missed. Opening the flap I magicked out a thick parcel tied with string. Within all the dense packaging was a framed black and white photograph; one I had taken some time ago, under a tree. A tree in a park.

Meadow looked back at me, her big eyes unmistakable beneath the large floppy sun hat she liked to wear whenever the weather allowed. Her long lashes, her smile… I could never forget how much I had loved her, or how much I still did. I brought the photo to my muzzle and kissed her image. “I love you honey. Goddesses, I miss you so much…” Tears dropped onto the glass and I hugged the picture to my chest as my heart began to beat so hard I thought it would burst. With a shake of my mane I stood on my hind legs and placed the photo next to the one of my folks. I wished I had a picture of Shadow and Sparrow too despite my aversion to photographs, but right now I wanted to see them all so much it hurt like hell. I wiped my face with a damp flannel and got ready for bed, pulling back the sheets and wrapped myself in a fuzzy world of woollen warmth. With any luck I wouldn’t dream tonight. The last thing I needed was to be up all night with memories tearing at what was left of my soul. Going on a mission when you were sleep deprived was a recipe for disaster. Still, not much I could do about it now.

Sleep was just starting to tug me into its embrace when a creak from the doorway made my ears prick up. Opening one eye I saw a sliver of light from the corridor spilling into my room, the dark shape of a pony entering, and the door close carefully behind them. Reaching out quietly, I slipped my magic around my PDW and drew it back beneath the covers. After what had happened to me recently there was no sense in taking chances.

In the dark, the pony shape slipped into the bedroom. “Fairlight? Are you asleep?”

I clicked the light on. “Celestia, Tingles! I thought you were an assassin!” Letting out the breath I’d been holding in, I placed the PDW back into its holster by the bed.

“I can’t sleep,” she said quietly. “Can I… Can I stay with you tonight?”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “Tingles, no… It’s not right. Don’t-”

“Please?” she begged. “Please, Fairlight, every time I close my eyes I see Wist’s face, and that beam of green light. Goddesses, I’m so frightened! I’m…” She looked over her shoulder at the door, her resolve faultering.

How could I say no now? She was my partner, and the fear in her eyes made my heart cry out to her. “Come on then,” I said resignedly. “You can have the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor”

She shook her head and smiled, “No, it’s your room… I’ll share.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant until the tangerine mare leapt onto the bed, nearly sending my flying into the ceiling. I’ll say this for the beds at the agency, they were well sprung. A little too well sprung for my liking right then. Why the hell didn’t she use her wings? I felt her lie down on the top of the covers beside me and snuggle in.

“Cap’?” Tingles said softly. “I know this is presumptuous of me. I’m sorry.”

“Its okay”, I replied. “Are you going to be warm enough? There’s another blanket in the airing cupboard if you need one.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I just want to feel close to somepony tonight, that’s all. It’ll help me sleep.”

Well, I couldn’t disagree on that point. “Sure.” I lifted a hoof to turn off the light but my partner leaned across my shoulder, stopping me. Looking up, I saw she was looking at the photographs.

“Is that her? Meadow?” Tingles asked curiously.

I smiled, “Yeah, that’s her. Taken on the first date we had together.”

“She’s beautiful,” the tangerine mare replied. “I’m sorry you lost her, Fairlight. I know what its like to lose one you love.” Tingles sighed and snuggled into me, sharing my body heat. “It hurts to be alone…”

I pulled my foreleg out from the sheets and placed it over hers, giving it a little squeeze, “You’re not alone, Tingles. I promise.”

I heard the smallest of whimpers from her. “I… I thought you didn’t want me to work with you any more…”

Gods, I felt like I’d kicked a puppy! Somepony had obviously let the cat out of the bag, and that somepony was either Luna or Warlock since they’d been the only two I’d spoken to about it, but honestly she shouldn’t have been surprised considering the circumstances. Judging by her tone of voice though she was more upset than angry about it. “I still don’t,” I explained honestly. “I can’t bear even the mere thought of you being hurt again because of me. Every time I close my eyes I keep seeing you lying on the ground with a hole in you, Wist standing there laughing like a lunatic, and... It was all my fault. You nearly died trying to save me.”

“But, you did save me…” she breathed.

I closed my eyes. “Tingles?”

“Cap’?”

“I never got a chance to say something to you that I should have when I had the chance.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

I let out a little huff and snuggled into the pillow. “Thanks.”

She leaned forward and gave my ear a gentle nip. “Next time, shoot them before they shoot me eh?” We both chuckled and my dear friend laid her head across my neck. “Goodnight, my captain.”

“’Night Tingles.”

That had to be one of the best nights sleep I’d had in a long time, despite being bear hugged by my companion when I tried to get up for the bathroom during the night.

********************

Morning brought with it a cacophony of noise. It wasn’t to be unexpected in a city of course, but in the normally quiet world of the agency, it was deafening. There was a constant bustle of ponies rushing to collect equipment, last minute team updates, the list went on and on. The TED was a constant chatter of information, and I switched it to another channel dedicated to our own, Epsilon, if for no other reason than to give my ears a rest. We were the backup team. It was a little disappointing, sure, after all we’d trained ourselves well and were working together a lot better as a team now. At least, I hoped we were a lot better than we had been at the coffee shop debacle. Nutcase ponies not withstanding.

My ‘sleeping buddy’ had gone off to the showers already and I had packed my gear ready to set off. Right on time, Warlock knocked on the door, three other agency ponies and Tingles bringing up the rear. She looked to have had a better night’s sleep than I had, and she knew it. The perky creature gave me a cheeky wink, unseen by her burly companions.

“All set, Nox?” Warlock asked gruffly.

I nodded. “All set, Sir. Ready when you are.”

He looked over his shoulder at the others. “Okay everypony, let’s shift flank. They may not need us today, but we’d better be ready in case they do. Agent Tingles, you’re pilot on this jaunt.”

She nodded, and in silence our small band made its way to the landing area, joining the other teams one by one until we were indivisible from the rest of the river of black suited ponies, all of us heading in the same direction - Ponyville. Being part of a veritable flock of sky carriages was impressive to say the least. We kept formation high above the clouds, the moon still high in the sky. I tried to sneak a few minutes shut eye, but with the radio chatter had picked up and it was nigh on impossible. Within a few hours we were landing on the outskirts of Ponyville, the sun barely a glimmer on the horizon. An image of Celestia in slippers and sipping cocoa while yawning popped into my head and I sniggered aloud.

“Something funny, Nox?” Warlock asked, a look of disdain on his face.

“No, Sir,” I replied quickly. “Just thinking that it’s been a while since I was here last. I used to work the beat here when I was in the watch. Have some good memories of the place.”

He didn’t speak, but just sat there watching me. Bloody hell that was creepy! Did he know something I didn’t? The orange stallion huffed and looked away. I was definitely not in his good books, but who cared? Miserable sod. Well bollocks to him, the bloody arse. I was tired of ponies like him, and they always seemed to end up in positions of authority too, didn’t they? How in the name of the goddess did they do that?! Was it in the job description or something? Applicant must be a dull, miserable and generally unlikeable git. Ponies with personality need not apply. Yeah, something like that.

A voice crackled over the TED; it was Tingles. “Attention ponies, we are approaching target location. ETA is three minutes, no sign of activity so far, but stay frosty everypony. No trigger happy incidents here please, this is Celestia’s pet’s home remember.”

Celestia’s pet? She had that funny looking bird didn’t she? I’d seen a picture of it in the paper one morning when the bloody thing had caught a cold or something else just as equally scintillating that the publishers thought the masses were desperate to learn about. Ah, never mind. They lived in a different world here to the rest of us anyway. Ponyville had always been on the fringe after all. I mean, who needed a watch pony in a place where no crime happened? Literally, there wasno crime! ‘I lost my dictionary,’ or ‘somepony stole a cupcake,’ does NOT qualify as crime! Especially as the ‘thief’ would come back later because they had remembered they’d forgotten to pay. Goddess almighty, I’d been bored senseless here. Maybe I should have appreciated it more. I sighed as the carriage alighted on the ground with a light jolt, probably due to the extra load in the back. Probably Warlocks huge arse weighing us down, I thought to myself snidely. He lead the way out of course, the five of us following obediently. Buck me, this reminded me of the warehouse job a little too much: the dark sky, the dawn waiting to arrive, and us, waiting for a signal. In this case, one that probably wouldn’t be needed. Or at least, I hoped wouldn’t be needed. We stood there on station, weapons loaded and gear ready. The TED chattered constantly...

Alpha Team, area secured. Holding position.

Beta Team, area secured. Holding position.

Gamma Team, standing by.

Delta Team, standing by.

Warlock held a hoof up to his TED, “Epsilon Team, standing by.”

Confirmed. Gamma and Delta teams moving in.

We could see the post office clearly from where we were stationed. The hay shed was conveniently situated and had been selected as our jumping off point so as to provide both cover and to have us near to hoof in case we were needed quickly. Somepony had done their homework well, and everything was running like clockwork. So far, so good… We watched Gamma and Delta storm the post office. Shrieks of fright and the occasional muffled shout were all we heard across the TED, until a loud bang from the building made us all jump. There was no mistaking that noise.

“Warlock here, what’s going on in there people?”

“Sir, one of the postal workers has barricaded himself in the strong room with a mail mare,” a voice replied. “He’s threatening to kill her unless we let him walk.”

Warlock spat, “Nopony walks away, agent. Hold up, I’m on my way. Epsilon, let’s move out.”

We trotted across the cobbled street and straight in past two of the agents standing guard. Inside, black suited ponies ran detectors across the mail, opening some and tossing the more suspect packages into a wheeled basket for closer analysis. One of the agents waved us over to the steps to the basement where the strong room was located.

“Down here, Sir,” the mare stated. “We don’t know his name yet. The only other pony in here this morning was a grey pegasus mare. The male grabbed her before we could stop him and took her into the strong room. He’s armed and highly agitated. He fired at us when we tried to speak to him.”

“Anypony hurt?” Warlock asked.

The agent shook her head as we followed her down into the bowels of the post office. “No. Agent Lumier was lucky she didn’t get her head blown off though. Either that or our suspect’s just a bad shot.”

We approached the entrance hall to the strong room, noting the hole in the wall where Agent Lumier had so nearly come to a swift and sticky end. The heavy door was open slightly, and I noticed how the stallion inside occasionally peeked out like some furry cuckoo clock. His eyes were wide, but whether from fright or something altogether more chemically induced, it was too early to say. From further back came the occasional muffled whimper - the mail mare no doubt. The smell of fear was all pervasive, hanging heavily in air and reminiscent of the cellar of the coffee shop. Personally I suspected it to be more from the cornered stallion than the mare if his behaviour was any indication of his mental state. I placed my hoof on Warlock’s shoulder. “Can you feel it?” I said in a quiet voice. “He’s scared witless. In this state he’s liable to do something crazy. We need to calm him down somehow.”

Warlock barely looked at me, and I had the impression I’d been dismissed out of hoof. “Get hold of the manager and find out who he is,” he snapped at one of the agents. “Get names, family members, and do it quickly!”

Delta teams officer had overheard the conversation. “You, Agent Nox isn’t it?” he asked, walking over. I nodded as he continued, “You were an officer in the watch, weren’t you? Yes… Yes, I remember you. Do you have any negotiation skills?”

“Some, yes,” I agreed cautiously.

He turned to Warlock, “We don’t have time to buck about, Warlock. Send your pony in to deal with this. If there’s no joy in the next thirty minutes, we’re gassing him out.”

I didn’t know who he was but Warlock sure as hell did. He listened to the officer with rapt attention before nodding smartly and addressing me. “Okay Nox, this is your chance to show us what you can do. Buck it up and we’ll be taking you home in a body bag.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I replied sarcastically. I had thought Warlock had begun to warm to me a little, but I was beginning to think it was a lost cause; his personality clashed with mine far too much and my relationship with Luna wasn’t exactly helping smooth things out either. Edging to the corner of the hall I shouted to the pony in the room beyond, “Hey friend, what’s your name?”

“Buck off, Copper!”

“My name’s Nox, Mister Off,” I called back. “Or should I just call you ‘Buck’ instead? We can use first names here can’t we?”

“You smart arse bastard!” The stallion bellowed, “You want me to blow this pretty little filly’s head off? Do you? DO YOU?!”

I kept my tone jovial. “I’m sure you don’t really want to buddy. After all, you do that and you may as well shoot yourself. These guys will do it too, you know, they’re pretty pissed off with you right now.”

“I’ve already told you,” he called out, “get your goons to buck off or else. I want a sky carriage, and I’m taking my hostage out of here with me.”

“Okay, big guy, you’ll get the carriage,” I replied, “but let the filly go and you can have me as a hostage instead. How does that sound, eh?”

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah right! What a load of shit, you’ll try to trick me. I’m not that bucking stupid.”

“Fine, fine. Sheesh!” I made a show of flicking the keeper off my PDW holster. “You can have it your own way then, Buck. Tell you what, I’ll give you until the count of five and then I’m coming in there and I’ll gut you like a fish, okay? Right then, ready? One.”

“You take another step and I’ll kill her!” the stallion screached.

I nodded, smiling broadly. “No problem. Two.”

“You bastard! I’ll bucking do it!”

“Go ahead,” I called back. “She’s got no family and you’ll die too, so it’ll all be tidied up neat and clean. Three.”

I heard the weapon ‘click’, the voice panicked, “I’m warning you…!”

Warlock grabbed my shoulder, “What the buck are you doing, Nox? He’ll kill her, you idiot!”

I brushed his hoof off me, and focussed all my attention on the steel door of the strong room. “Not long now, Mister Off. You want me to send flowers to somepony?”

“What…?”

“Four.”

“OKAY! For bucks sake, okay!” The stallion’s voice sounded resigned, but he hadn’t quite lost his edginess. “You can come over, but you leave everything there. No weapons, no nothing, understand? And I want a bucking sky carriage!”

“Sure friend,” I called back, smiling. “Let the filly go and you can have me as a hostage as we agreed, right?”

“Okay ‘friend’,” the stallion shouted. “Come on in and join the party.”

I removed my coat and equipment, making a show of placing the pistol on the floor. “I’m coming over. Hold your fire, I’m unarmed.”

A hoof waved at me, beckoning me in from the door to the strong room. As I reached it, a lime green unicorn slammed me up against the wall, the muzzle of a pistol jammed into my forehead. “One move, one bucking move, and I’ll paint the wall with your brains you agency puppet. You get me?”

“Oh yeah, I get you friend.” I nodded to a coil of bright blue cording on the floor that was used to secure the sacks. “Say, why don’t you tie me up?” I suggested, trying to sound helpful. “That’ll make you feel better won’t it? There’s some binding there from the post bags you could use.”

He looked at me quizzically. I could almost hear the cogs turning as he asked, “Why’d you say that?”

I gave him my friendliest smile, “Because you want to leave here in one piece, don’t you? I want to leave too. We play this right then we can both walk out of here unharmed, and if this helps put your mind at ease, then I’m happy for you to do it.”

Apparently he was. He shoved me into a chair and quickly began to bind my legs to the furniture. Meanwhile the grey mare next to me peered at me with her unusual eyes. I thought I’d seen her before! Good grief, how did she find addresses with eyes like that?! Anyway, I’d make her my first priority when the time came. And by the looks of it, that time was rapidly approaching.

The stallion finished tying my bonds. “There, trussed up like a roast.”

“Great!” I said approvingly, “Now, let the mare go and you’ll get your sky carriage!”

“Oh no, not so fast,” the stallion leered. “I don’t trust you, you’re up to something.” He leaned forward and poked me in the chest. “I’m changing the game, ‘buddy’. I’m going to take you both hostage and then I can shoot one of you and use that to lever your pals into letting me go. Two birdies for the price of one! How does that sound to you, eh?” He sneered mockingly and then let out a raucous laugh, showing me his pristine white teeth. Ones I’d like to kick down his throat.

I shrugged, “Good thinking there my friend, you’ve got me beat. The guy you need to talk to is called Warlock, he’s the big orange bucker hiding behind the wall. Tell him I sent you.”

The pony wiped a sweaty foreleg on his mail. “Yeah… yeah I’ll do that, but the slightest glow from that horn of yours and you’ll go first, capeesh?”

I smiled and nodded, winking at the terrified mare next to me.

The stallion walked to the door, pistol raised, and shouted over to the assembled agency ponies. “Hey you! You black suit buckers! Yeah, you… the big orange bastard. Warlock, isn’t it? I’ve got your buckwit pal and the bitch in here. You don’t get me that sky carriage and I’ll kill one of them to show you I mean business, understand?”

Warlock shouted something back, but I couldn’t hear it. I was concentrating on other things…

I didn’t know what the ‘big orange bastard’ had said, but apparently negotiations weren’t exactly his strong suit. “I’ve bucking had it up to here with you wankers! That’s it!” the stallion screamed at Warlock, “I’ve warned you. Now I’m going to blow this… this buckers…” He slowed, looking down at the sparkling white mist swirling around his hooves. Without a word he turned to look at me, the frozen remnants of rope cracking and dropping on the floor. I shook the last pieces off as his eyes bulged. “What!” he gasped. “Wha-? What the buck?!”

Smiling, I stretched my legs. “And there I was thinking you didn’t like first name terms, Mister Off.”

“Ah! Buck, buck, buck!” he screamed, firing off several shots directly at my head. Every round hit a solid wall of crystalline ice before dropping harmlessly onto the ground. His weapon gave a click and his eyes widened in shock.

“Oh dear, Buck,” I smiled, “you seem to be out of ammunition. Sorry, do you mind if I call you buck?” I took off my sunglasses. “You can call me Nox if you like. After all…” I could feel my teeth growing, their sharp points poking up like mountain peaks above the mist dripping between them, “…we’re such good friends now, aren’t we...”

“Celestia’s cocking arse, whatare you? What the buck are you!” he shrieked.

I laughed, “Don’t be coy, Buck, I’ve come a long way to play with you today. But if you want to know ‘what’ I am, don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of time to find out... in hell.”

“Oh goddesses, NO!” The terrified stallion threw his empty firearm at me impotently and charged out the door, followed my echoing laughter. Great Luna, it was GOOD to be alive!

A few moments later Warlock appeared around the door, by which time I had relinquished my hold on the spirit and the protective ice shield around the mail mare was disappearing quickly as well. I shook my mane and helped cut her bonds. With a sudden cry of something completely incomprehensible, she ran out the door where she was accosted by Tingles, who deftly took her under a wing to another room.

The big orange stallion approached me. “I don’t like your methods, Nox.”

“You have your prisoner don’t you, Sir?” I asked politely. “It may have been unorthodox but the result is what mattered, and nopony was hurt.” I deliberately left out the ‘this time’ qualifier which I so desperately wanted to get it.

“You’re dangerous and reckless Nox,” Warlock huffed. “The mistress may approve of you, but I don’t! Get your gear and help clean up the mess upstairs.”

“What about the portal?” I asked.

“Its been secured,” Warlock said levelly. “You don’t need to worry about that now, it’s all in hoof. Go.” He dismissed me with a wave of his hoof.

By the doorway the delta team officer clopped me on the shoulder, “Damned good work, Nox! Don’t know what you said or did in there, but that fellow absolutely shit himself. Quite literally actually. We’ll have to hose him off before he gets in the carriage of course, but a top job my young friend.”

I blushed and several other ponies congratulated me as I headed up the stairs to the ground floor. Tingles glanced at me with a smile from a side room while she poured a cup of tea for the mail mare and offered her a muffin. That seemed to perk her up a bit.

“You both okay?” I called in gently from the doorway.

Tingles nodded. The grey mare however, watched me intently with… one of those eyes I suppose, before letting out a sudden ‘sqwee’ and lunged at me like a furry rocket. Before anypony could stop her, the little grey pegasus mare began hugging me for all she was worth, her wings flapping happily and covering my coat in muffin crumbs. We all laughed, more in relief I think than anything else, until Tingles was able to sit the mare back down and waved me out with a twinkle in her green eyes. Upstairs, some of the agents were still sifting through the huge number of parcels and I was quietly motioned towards a pile of ones that were still awaiting inspection. One of them immediately caught my eye, in fact several of them did. They were large, square, brown paper wrapped parcels. In fact there was nothing particularly unusual about them at first glance, but they were all similarly packaged, and had my horn tingling whenever I looked at them for some reason. Searching around I found a sharp parcel knife and lifted the first of them onto the bench. Carefully, I slit the packing tape and drew the paper back. Inside was a cardboard box, but inside that was the real prize. It was a plastic tub, surrounded by packaging to keep it from rattling around. My magic enveloped the lid, slowly rotating it until I could see what I suspected would be in there all along. It was. The tub was full of a fine white powder, like flour almost, but with a peculiar tinny smell that made my nose itch furiously. It was Breeze, and a lot of it. There had to be tens of thousands of bits worth in there if not more. Replacing the string I hoofed the box to the lead agent and went back down to the office with Tingles and the bubbly grey mare.

“Hey there miss,” I said happily to the mail mare. “I was wondering if you could do me a favour?”

********************

The house was pitch black, the distinctive smell of burnt wood pervading everything from the ceiling to the floor. They’d sealed it up pretty well, but not well enough to deter a trained watch pony. And knowing where the spare key was kept was always a bonus I suppose. The lovely new settee we’d bought was still by the hearth, and I ran my hoof over it recalling scenes from happier days: the smell of cooking, Meadow’s singing, the little looks she would give me - the ones reserved only for me. I closed my eyes and listened. Silence. There would be no more singing in this home, in fact, it wasn’t even a home at all now. At least, not for the living. The only things here were ghosts and memories, and every turn brought my past back to me with frightening clarity, haunting me with images of what was and what could have been. Ironically, it had all been lost long before the flames engulfed our dreams.

The kitchen was still as I remembered it, my wendigo eyes providing a surprising amount of clarity in the boarded up property. The fridge had been emptied, probably by Aunt Pewter. She was thoughtful like that. Not that anypony expected me to magically return from the dead for a quick sandwich of course, but these days you never knew what was around the corner. My stomach grumbled at the thought of food, and I rummaged through the cupboards until I found a forgotten tin of biscuits languishing in a dark corner. They were surprisingly still edible. Well, almost! The stale things were at least a change from the boring fayre on offer at the facility, and needs must… Wolfing down another of the sweet treats, I steeled myself and climbed the stairs. Memories continued to assail me from all sides, and despite it being my own home I could feel my hackles go up when I entered the bedroom. The floorboards creaked underhoof and I caught a glimpse of what I thought was movement from the opposite corner. A bird? No, it had been too big. Far too big. Quickly, I brushed the spirits power with my consciousness, keeping it ready, and at the same time drawing my pistol. Quietly edging past the bed, I strained to make out whether anything was there… Nothing. Damn it, I was seeing things even in my own house!

I gave my mane a hard shake. I’d expected something like this. Coming here, my old home, the signs of fire, the smells, the echoes of a life that was just coming into bloom before it was turned to ash. Being haunted by the ghosts of the past was something I was beginning to learn to live with now, no matter how much I wished it were otherwise. Gods, what a life. Still, whilst I was in here I’d have to see if my old secret stash of goodies would still be there. They should be, I hadn’t seen any signs of any break-ins, and I doubted Pewter would have known to look here. Perhaps the stories of the place being haunted that Pewter had told me about had kept my old home safe from the ravages of the local criminal element after all. Who knew. I stepped round the bed, trying not to focus on it too much. Fortunately the old wardrobe in the corner had been built to last, and came with a handy compartment at the back complete with a hidden release switch. I’d installed it myself, not particularly in case of theft, but rather in case Meadow and I had any foals and we didn’t want them getting into things they shouldn’t. Sparrow would have had quite the time finding this place. Sparrow… I could almost see her standing in the doorway, watching me with her… Buck it! I didn’t have time for this sort of stupidity! Emotions could bloody well wait until later. I had a job to do here, and I couldn’t afford to be seeing ghosts every five blasted minutes. Pulling myself together I swept my hoof over the inside and felt for the catch. Just along the beading I found the tiniest of joints in the wood, and pressed. With a click the concealed door swung open, and I quickly began rummaging inside the dark compartment for my long lost treasures. Thank Celestia, they were still there! I pulled out the items and laid them on the bed, careful not to use my magic. With the house in such darkness, any light could give away my presence to anypony watching outside. But here, in the darkness, I could see well enough to make out the shape of my dad’s old short sword and spare truncheon. The baldric was still in surprisingly good condition, if a little musty, and I was able to strap it under my overcoat quite comfortably. A touch of saddle soap later would soon have it coming back to life, and get rid of that nose tickling pong too. I tapped the brass and cord bound hilt of the sword, marvelling at the fact that the Watch only up until recently had always been armed with both sword and truncheon. I had been one of the last to train with one in basic, with the expectation we would be able to rely on being able to get close enough to a villain to bash them over the head, or shoot them with a crossbow. What the thought process was behind it was lost on me, but it was all very nostalgic. My time in the Wither world had been the last time I’d actually used a sword, and in some ways I’d hoped it would be the last. But now, I’d take all the help I could get, and dad’s sword was a reminder of him to boot.

My ears pricked up suddenly. Something moved. Damn it, were there mice in here? A scratching from under the bed made me jump and I clambered on the bed, pistol ready. What the hell was that? I waited, my heart pounding and sweat breaking out on my brow. Images of ghosts and spirits infiltrated the primitive recesses of my equine mind making my adrenaline levels spike. I knew I was probably being foalish, but goddesses, I didn’t like this at all. The scratching noise came again, and this time I clearly saw the bed covers moved slightly. That was no bloody mouse! A pitiful whimper emanated from beneath and I moved slowly to the edge. “Whoever, or whatever you are, you’d better come out,” I whispered, “fair warning, I’m armed.”

A small gasp followed, high pitched like a foal’s. I was suddenly acutely aware of being on my own in a dark, boarded up house that ponies thought was cursed. Stories of the ghosts of dead foals flitted through my mind, the images of dead staring eyes and vengeful spirits clawing their way from the pits of hell freezing my soul. Damn it all, they were only stories! What the hell was wrong with me? I’d been to the ‘other side’ and come back again for goodness sake. I was the last pony who should be quaking in their shoes over spooky bloody stories, right? Right! So... why did my spine feel like jelly, then? Instinctively I felt for the magic, allowing its cold essence to comfort me. It was there, waiting, eagerly anticipating the call. And then, abruptly, I let it go. The spirit hissed and spat at me angrily, but I ignored it. I couldn’t keep relying on it the way I was. I had to be the one in charge here. The spirit reacted to emotion, and showing weakness or fear would be playing right into the damned things hooves. No, I had to do this myself. Even if I did feel like bolting for the door. Getting a grip of myself, I took a deep breath and climbed off the bed. Without another thought, I threw back the covers with a flourish.

I don’t know who was more frightened, me or the owner of the bright red eyes glinting in the blackness under the bed. Whoever or whatever they belonged to, they backed away from me.

“Come out,” I said as calmly as I could. “I’m not going to hurt you, but I don’t have time for this. Please.”

A few seconds passed before a quavering voice drifted out from the owner of the glistening eyes. “Are…Are you going to take me away too?”

“What?” I blinked in confusion. Take them away? I shook my head, “No. No, of course not. I’m with the agency, I protect ponies. Come out, I promise I won’t hurt you, okay?”

“I want my mummy!” the voice said full of fear and sadness. Whoever it was began to sob quietly. It would have been heart wrenching if I hadn’t nearly pissed myself in fright at the surreal experience. Goddesses, I wasn’t good with supernatural stuff at all! Well, other than the fact I spoke to dead ponies on an alarmingly regular basis, but that was different. Wasn’t it?

The eyes blinked and moved forward towards me, until the head of a tiny foal appeared, peering up at me. The child, barely old enough to be on his own, came out from his hiding place shaking in fear. For Luna’s sake, what was he doing under my bed?!

“Where’s mummy? D’you know where she is?” he sniffed, wiping a tear away from his big eyes.

Well she sure as hell shouldn’t be in my house! Part of me felt like shouting at the child about trespassing in my home, whereas the other part wanted to comfort him. He was clearly distressed, but I wasn’t the best with kids, and I certainly didn’t have time to be messing about foalsitting now. Unfortunately I couldn’t just chuck the poor little bugger out on the street either. He’d probably been playing with his friends and wandered in here as a dare or something else daft that young ones get up to. Damn it, of all the times...

I leaned down to and smiled, “Sorry little one I don’t know where your mummy is, but I’ll help you find her, okay?”

He smiled weakly and nodded, “Okay.” Suddenly he eyed my panniers. “I’m hungry.”

My heart ached for the little fellow, and I gave him the rest of the biscuits I’d found. His eyes went wide as he eyed them, and he all but pitched into the tin muzzle first. Following the fire the water had been shut off to the property, but I’d come prepared for that and gave him the water from my canteen to help wash down his rather suspect repast. Under normal circumstances I’d probably have got into trouble feeding a child some manky old biscuits, but as I sat on my haunches watching him wolfing it all down, he didn’t utter even a single complaint. Luna’s mercy, he was so thin I could see his ribs.

“I’m Nox. What’s your name little guy?” I asked him trying to sound cheerful.

“I’m Brandy Snap,” the foal replied, licking crumbs from his muzzle. “Are you a watch pony, Mister? You’ve got a funny name.”

Cheeky little beggar! Anyway, I hadn’t chosen ‘Nox’ myself had I? Still, best to keep up appearances I suppose, even to a young one. “I used to be in the watch, but I’m with the agency now,” I said pleasantly. “We work for Princess Luna and Princess Celestia to help keep ponies safe.” I wasn’t sure if he was listening, as he so busy cramming his muzzle with biscuits I was starting worry he’d end up choking. I cleared my throat. “Can you tell my why you’re in my house, Brandy?”

He gobbled down the last of the biscuits and looked up at me. “The bad ponies came and took mummy and my sister into a big carriage,” he explained. “I was frightened and ran away really fast. This house has a hole in it and I climbed in so I could hide. I kept as quiet as a mouse!” He paused, frowning comically. “Is this your house? Billabong said it’s haunted.”

A big hole in it? I’d have to have a look at that later. What was really concerning me though was what he said about bad ponies taking his mother and sister away. It could the watch, maybe even the agency, but I doubted they’d leave young Brandy behind. Something stank here, and I had a sickening suspicion I had ties to the operation that used the coffee shop. I kept my concerns away from the little one. He didn’t need to know. “I don’t know about being haunted, Brandy, but yes, it’s my house. What’s left of it anyway,” I nodded to him. I checked my pocket watch, it was nearly 6:00am. The post would be arriving soon. “Listen, Brandy, I have an important job to do and I want you to be a good foal and stay under the bed and keep quiet. Can you do that for me?” He nodded, and without another word shot back under the bed as I replaced the covers. “Stay there Brandy, okay?”

“Okay, Mister Nox. Are you coming back?” came the muffled reply.

I felt my heart skip a beat at his innocent question. “Yes. And then we’ll find your mummy and sister. Deal?”

“Mmhmm.”

Doing my best to put the foal out of my mind, I settled down to wait. I didn’t have to wait long either. Before long I heard the distinct crunch of hooves on the gravel path, the squeak of the letter box being opened, and a rustling thump as several heavy parcels were pushed through followed by the sound of wings as the mailmare took off to her next delivery. Good old Miss Hooves, I’d have to make sure I supplied that most diligent of mares with an extra large box of muffins for this one. Now, all I had to do was wait. I just wished I didn’t have to worry about a certain foal in case things got… interesting.

Time oozed by with complete indifference to my miserable surroundings. In reality it was probably only a few minutes, but each second felt like hours sitting there in that absolute silence. It reminded me of being stuck in school on a Friday afternoon, waiting for the clock to slowly clunk round to four o’clock, and freedom. There was no real sense of time here now anyway. The old clock on the wall had long since wound down, and the light and life that had once lived here had been replaced with a heavy oppressive silence and a sense of total emptiness. Occasionally the house would creak like some wounded beast, still suffering from its recent brush with death. It was lucky too; the fire hadn’t caught properly, and there had only been superficial damage. Ironically, most of the damage had been from the fire department’s hoses, but that was a small price to pay for having my home saved. Somehow though, I doubted I’d ever be back here again after today. Everywhere I looked there were too many memories, and to the world, Fairlight was dead. And dead he must remain, at least for now.

Suddenly my ears pricked up. Hoofsteps. One pony by the sounds of it. They were approaching the front door without making any attempt at being stealthy either. Was it overconfidence? Or something else? With a click the front door was unlocked and then pushed open. Even with my unnatural eyesight I had some trouble seeing in this light, and it wasn’t helped by the fact I had to make sure to wear the sunglasses to disguise their glow too. Might have been fun to see their reaction of course, but for now, caution was key. Whoever it was though, they didn’t waster any time. They simply collected the parcels, turned, and walked away into the night.

I turned to Brandy who was still under the bed. “Okay, Brandy, I’m going to leave you here until a friend of mine comes to get you. She’s a pegasus mare called Tingles, and she’s got an orange coat and green eyes and hair. Do what she tells you and be a good foal okay?”

His squeaky voice tried desperately to be no more than a whisper as he replied, “Okay, Mister Nox.”

I edged to the door and saw the cloaked figure climb into a sky chariot and take flight straight away. I rushed to the door and hit the transmit button on my TED. “Tingles? They’ve taken the bait. Listen, there’s a foal in here, you’ll have to pick him up and get him back to the facility. I’m going after our target.”

“What?!” the voice blasted back through my earpiece. “Are you crazy? You can’t do that, you don’t know where they’re going! We’ll lose them!”

I ran off into the night releasing a small amount of the power, my wings bursting from my back and carrying me up into the early morning sky. “You’re not the only one with wings, you know,” I reminded her. “Please, Tingles, we can’t leave him there, he knows something that can help us.”

“How do you know that?” She sounded flustered.

I didn’t have time to argue with her. “I just do, okay?” I said a little testily. “Get him to safety and then catch me up.”

“Damn it Cap’!” Tingles huffed. “Okay… Bugger it all…”

She was picking up my habit of swearing lately. Fairlight, a guaranteed bad influence on any pony. Sighing, I kept my altitude low and swept out above the roof tops keeping an eye on the chariot in the distance. Hopefully, they wouldn’t spot me behind them, but I was a good distance back using full advantage of my ‘freaky eyes’. Huh! I could thank Wist for putting that comment in my head. Judging by their flight path though they were heading for the docks, and right to where I had a hunch it would be - Shire Wharf. Goddesses, I had hoped I’d been wrong, but there it was in its all its ramshackle glory. The damned place was probably still soaked in the blood of my comrades in the watch too. I’ll give them one thing though, they had some neck using this place after what had happened last time. But perhaps that was precisely why they had. After all, who could believe that a criminal organisation would set up in the exact same place they’d been raided once before? Not many. Even so, I would have thought the local Watch would have kept tabs on the place for a while afterwards though. But if they were, they weren’t doing a very good job of it. Still, whoever was behind this was going to regret their decision alright. Right after I’d fed them their own balls.

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon when the chariot landed in the shadows behind the warehouse. Using the clouds as cover I watched the two of them, both the pilot and the passenger, climb out and enter the side door of the warehouse. It was the same bloody door I had entered through too, but there was no way I was using it this time. If somehow they’d realised they were being followed, a hole in the head would more than likely be the only thing awaiting me on the other side. Fortunately I could remember the layout of this inauspicious place all too well. The entrance at the top of the gangway on the opposite side of the building led to the office above the main warehouse floor, and after a surprisingly well controlled glide, I alighted on the metal platform outside. Thankfully, it was unlocked. With a little push and a nudge I slipped inside, relieved that they obviously weren’t expecting company. Were they getting sloppy? Maybe a different gang? As always there were far too many questions and not enough answers, but with any luck I’d get some shortly. I certainly intended too, whether whoever was in here liked it or not.

In the items from my house had been my spare tactical hoof covers that helped muffle sound and gave better grip on smooth surfaces. Being a bit of a hoarder I’d kept a spare pair hanging up in the wardrobe, and I’d had the forethought to put them on while I’d been waiting for our morning ‘collection’. Thanks be to Luna for that! I’d have to speak to the stores pony at the agency to get these in for our operations in future. Quietly crossing the office floor, I checked to see if the inner door was unlocked. It was, but something made me pull up short. My horn was tingling, usually a reaction to magic fields nearby. It wasn’t much, but somepony was using magic, and they were close. Very close. Pausing and listening intently, I could definitely hear breathing coming from the other side of the door. Somepony was there, possibly a guard, I couldn’t tell. Testing the hinges with a hoof, I found they were still oiled from last time. If I was I careful I could quietly open the door and neutralise the pony on the other side, but it was a risk, maybe too much so. There was another way. There had to be. Looking around the room I saw a small metal nut and picked it up, tossing it behind me onto the metal gantry outside. The metal clanged on the wrought ironwork, echoing in the office. To my ears it sounded painfully loud, and I could only hope whoever was outside on the gantry would take the bait.

I heard a snort outside, the creak of leather straps, and the sound of hoof on metal. My plan was working, or at least it was so far. I squeezed myself into the corner as the inner door opened and the dark shape of a pony walked in. They were cloaked, and wearing one of those ‘gun’ things strapped to their back. I instantly recognised the ‘firing mechanism’ for the device too, held in the pony’s mouth and no doubt ready to unleash a fiery torrent of flesh rending death at a moments notice. Reading the familiarisation document had actually been useful for once, despite being creased to hell. But knowing the names of the components wouldn’t help me with what I had to do next. That was all up to me. I stepped quietly from the shadows and rammed my ‘shocker’ into the unsuspecting creature’s neck, and with a thankfully quiet fizzing noise, the stunned creature collapsed into my waiting hooves. I lowered the stallion down to the floor and removed his cloak and gear, ‘gun’ included. I didn’t recognise him from our briefing, but there was no sense in standing out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons here. Besides, this guy would be out for a good hour at least, he wouldn’t miss it. He probably wouldn’t miss the gag and hobbles I’d trussed him up with either.

Wriggling into the harness was awkward, but the weight was surprisingly light considering the size of it. The levers were apparently intended for pony use but were still a bit cumbersome. Interestingly the device looked to be partly powered rather than fully mechanical, the energy source being a small magical battery pack attached to the main assembly. No doubt it was that which I had picked up on, otherwise I probably would have blundered right into the guy, and I doubt that would have ended well for either of us. Thankfully the briefing paper had covered the way these alien devices worked in detail, but they certainly didn’t prepare you for the uncomfortable and altogether horrible experience of putting somepony else's bit in your mouth. Ugh! The guy must have had terrible teeth or been eating something off the floor for it to taste this bad! Still, no time to stand on ceremony, I had a job to do, and the quicker I got it over with the better. Disguise complete, I moved quietly through the now open door.

The warehouse interior was much the same as I remembered it, minus the ‘bullet’ holes. Somepony had been busy, patching up the great rents and tears the strange weapons had torn in the fabric of the warehouse. Those funny little bits of metal could have turned me into paste as they had with so many of my friends that night. We’d had no idea what we were up against and had walked in as unsuspecting as a chicken in a griffin butchers shop. But now a little wiser and, I hoped, more prepared, we had something approaching a fighting chance of dealing effectively with this scourge that was quietly infesting our once peaceful homeland. I moved to the landing and peered down into the depths. A pony waved up at me, and I waved back, signalling all was well. Down in the darkness several lanterns had been set up and a group of ponies waited nearby quietly talking between themselves, the boxes from my house sitting on a packing crate next to them. Patience was something needed on jobs like this, but fortunately for me, I didn’t have to hang around for more than a few minutes before the side door opened again and two more ponies trotted in. One of them, the largest of the group, was clearly annoyed if their body language was anything to go by.

“What the buck are you doing dragging me out here at this hour?” The mare, judging by the voice, had a heavy sounding accent, one I vaguely recognised but couldn't quite but my hoof on.

“Somepony’s been messing with the merchandise,” one of the others said, pushing another of their number forward.

A slim pony, the one who I recognised as the one who had collected the parcels, glared back at his harasser. “Bullshit! I never had time to do anything anyway,” he snapped. “I came straight here!”

Another pony spoke up, “It’s true, boss. He went to the house, got the packages, and came straight back to the chariot. We came here immediately, just as we planned.”

The large mare walked over to the parcel and examined the packaging. “It’s been opened,” she hissed. “Check his pockets and the chariot. If there’s even a grain missing you’ll be a bucking stain on the floor when I’m finished with you.”

The slim pony quailed, “I never took any! For Celestia’s sake, I wouldn’t betray you Bl-”

Quick as a flash the mare’s foreleg swung out and smashed the stallion in the jaw, lifting him off his hooves and sending him crashing into a pile of packing crates. She rushed over to him and brought a hoof down on his head, “How many bucking times do I have to tell you not to use my name?!” she shrieked. “By all the gods in the goddess cursed heavens, why do I have to work with such a bunch of imbecilic bucking cretins like you?! You can’t take orders, you can’t follow even the simplest of bucking instructions. Why are you so damned stupid? Can you tell me? Can you?! Why?! WHY?!” She stomped down on the hapless male again and again, foam flying from her mouth, the sound of hoof hitting bone echoing around the warehouse. The pony’s whimpers and cries gradually subsided to nothing more than a rattling gasp as the brutal attack continued with a ferocity that was frightening to behold. The other ponies did nothing to intervene. Whoever she was she had them in awe of her… or was that fear? The slim male had stopped moving and the mare backed away, the steam of sweat rising slowly from her back. Shaking herself, the telltale movement of wings beneath her cloak showed all I needed to know. The last piece of the puzzle was put into place.

“Oh goddesses, no…” I whispered to myself under my breath. “Not you. Please, no…” The last time I’d seen her, she’d been mourning the loss of her lover. She’d been a comrade in the watch, not necessarily a friend as such, but a valued workmate. We were a team, all of us. What the buck was she doing here, doing… this? How could she-

My train of thought was interrupted by the pony coming back in from inspecting the chariot. “Nothing there ma’am,” he said calmly noting the body as it were simply an accepted everyday part of the job.

“And the package?” she asked.

One of the others had checked the box and nodded his head to her, “Looks like it’s all here, boss.”

“Damn! Check it for bugs,” she ordered.

One of those assembled produced a device from under his cloak and waved it over the box. He shook his head, “Nothing.”

The mare wasn’t convinced. “Buck it, something stinks here. We’re being set up, and you dickheads have brought me here too! Shit, lets get the buck...” She paused, bringing up a small brass device to her ear. I strained to listen but could only hear muffled words from the thing. The big mare waved a hoof and one of them rushed out the side door. “Come on, it’s time to go,” she said, her voice sounding suddenly a lot more neutral than I’d expected. The ponies collected the boxes and packed them into their saddle bags. Two of their number collected their fallen comrade. To my surprise he was still alive, if barely. As they were leaving, the big mare stopped and threw back her hood. She smiled. “Won’t you be joining us, Captain?”

I started in alarm. Oh, buck me, she knew I was here! Backing quickly into the office, I turned in time to see a purple unicorn jam a gun barrel into my face. “Make a move agency pony and I’ll turn you into a bucking sieve,” she snarled. I had no doubt she meant to back up her threat too if I so much as twitched.

Two other pegasi trotted into the room and pointed guns at me. There was no way I could fight my way out of this one. Two others were coming up the steps on the other side now too. I made a quick calculation of my chances - they were not good. In any case, I’d get a chance to meet the lady herself and, it would seem, she wanted to see me too. Shoving me roughly down the stairs, the ponies pushed me at gun point until I was standing before their leader.

The mare’s unusual silver eyes looked me over with a slightly indifferent air. “Take off your sunglasses. Nice and easy now, we wouldn’t want any accidents, would we?”

The business end of one of the guns was shoved roughly behind my ear, and obediently I carefully removed my sunglasses and put them in my pocket. Some of them gasped as they took in the sight of my glowing blue eyes. The pony in front of me however, didn’t so much as flinch, but I still noticed her pupils widen momentarily.

“My goddesses,” she breathed. “I didn’t want to believe it, but it’s you. The scar, the broken horn, and…and those eyes! But… yes… it is you, isn’t it?”

“Hello, Blaze” I smiled bitterly. “Looks like grey is this years in colour, eh?”

She laughed, making the ponies around her shift nervously, “Oh, Captain, you always were a card!” She smiled and waved a hoof nonchalantly. “But I’m afraid you’ve blundered into my extracurricular business activities at a rather bad time, wouldn’t you say?”

“It sure looks that way Blaze,” I said levelly. “Care to explain? I mean, it’s been a while and all.”

She hung her head, “Yes… Yes, it has, Captain. But it’s all rather strange, isn’t it? I mean, the last I heard you were dead, burned up in that cabin. We tried so hard help you too, you know that? Burned feathers and fur, tears and sleepless nights thinking about you dying in that inferno. And all that time… you were alive.” Blaze’s voice took on a dangerous tone, “Bet that gave you a good laugh didn’t it? Bet you had a real good chuckle at our expense, whooping it up while we buried you, while we shed our tears for you?”

I kept my voice neutral. “It wasn’t like that, Blaze,” I explained. “I had no say in what happened. The agency do things their own way, you know that. Besides, do you think I staged the murder of my wife and friend as well?”

She shook her mane. “I cried for you, Captain. Like I cried for Dawn, when I buried her too. Something… broke in me that day; the Watch, the princesses - all of it. What was it all for? What was any of it for?”

“So what, you’re blaming the deaths of ponies to justify,” I waved a hoof around me, “all of this? Do you realise the misery, pain, and death you’re spreading by dealing in this shit, Blaze? After all we went through, together as a team, you’ll throw it all away for bits? Is that what this is all for? Bits?!”

She stepped forward and glared into my eyes. “What the buck would you know? This whole rotten land of sunshine and bucking rainbows has got you fooled the way it has with so many other idealists and dreamers.” Blaze’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Can’t you see? It’s a façade! It’s a lousy, stinking lie. It all is, Captain, every last stinking crumb of it. We’re fighting a war we can’t win, and Dawn, my Dawn, was butchered fighting for those cloistered, pampered arsed bitches in their ivory bucking tower!” Blaze spat on the floor. “Do you think they gave a buck about you, Meadow, Mitre, Dawn, or all the others who died that day?” Her anger peaked. “NO! Not one of those bucking alicorns bothered a single damned feather to come and pay their respects to our brothers and sisters. So buck them I say! And buck Equestria too! I’m going to make as much money as I can from this rotting carcase of lies and get the buck out of here before the whole stinking place falls in on itself.”

“Goddesses, Blaze!” I snapped. “I can’t believe you’re the same pony I worked with. You were a sister to us, a friend we trusted and loved like one of our own family. We swore an oath to protect Equestria and its ponies, the princesses too. And yeah, maybe I am blinkered, maybe I do look at world in simplistic terms, but I don’t give a damn about these ‘lies’ you’re talking about, and I certainly don’t give a toss about money either. The Watch are there to help those who can’t help themselves, and here you are, helping your self at the expense of their suffering. Blaze, please, can’t you see how wrong this is? For the goddesses sake, stop this before it goes too far!”

She hung her head slightly, a tear glistening in her eye. “I can’t, Fairlight, it’s... It’s gone too far now. There’s no turning back for me, not for any of us. Celestia doesn’t forgive. You don’t know what happens to ponies who don’t fit into her ideal world…”

I took a breath, hoping I could reach out to her. She had been a good officer once. Maybe, if I could appeal to what was left of that honour within her, I could help her by appealing to her reason. “I do, Blaze,” I said gently. “Believe me, I do. But it’s shit like the powder you’re selling that’s causing even more suffering amongst those who we used to protect. But you can stop this. You can stop all the pain, all the sadness. I’ll do what I can for you, I promise you that. Please, Blaze…”

For a moment I actually thought she would agree with me, and all this mess, all this horror, would come to a stop. Sadly, it was all too obvious what was coming next, and no amount of wishful thinking could change it.

Blaze’s eyes were wet as she looked into mine. “I’m sorry, Captain, but like I said, it’s too late for me now. The things I’ve done, the things I’ve seen…” She nodded to a pony beside me. “You should have left things alone, Fairlight. And really, you should have stayed dead.”

A bolt of energy surged through me, sparks flashing in my eyes as I crashed to the ground.

“Put him on the ship and bind his arms and legs.” Blaze paused. “Oh, and put a neutraliser on that horn of his. I wouldn’t want any more… ‘surprises’.”

Darkness pushed in on me until one of them decided to make sure of the job and hit me with another pulse of energy, sending me down into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. This time, I didn’t think I’d be coming back.

Chapter Six - A bottle made of glass

CHAPTER SIX

A bottle made of glass

The dappled sunlight through the tree’s lush green foliage warmed my coat wonderfully. It was a beautiful day, and not a cloud in the sky. I’d taken my overcoat off and was sat on my haunches to check the time, as well as to take a moment to enjoy the sunlight. It was still early, so that was good. It certainly didn’t do to be late, especially when expecting company, but… what if she didn’t come? I mean, it was always a possibility that she’d changed her mind, right? Girls were notorious for changing their mind at the last minute and as much as this one liked me, or seemed to like me, she could have already forgotten about me and moved on to somepony else! I could be stood here for hours like a complete arse, waiting for a mare who had absolutely no intention of coming here whatsoever. Oh, gods! I gave myself a shake and brushed my mane from my eyes, trying to calm my racing imagination as well as my nerves. I was hopeless with girls, so much so my folks had been worried I’d be single forever, and who could blame them? These days even colts and fillies were getting married, let alone stallions and mares. Well, so my dad thought anyway, but he’d always been a bit cynical. It was a trait I’d inherited from him, along with several other bad habits I tried to keep to myself. Still, I’d kept the ‘business with the mare’ from both of them, especially mum. Mum was keen to have grandfoals – very keen - and kept reminding me that she didn’t have any yet, as if it was somehow my fault I couldn’t magic the little furry darlings out of thin air. I dreaded the subject coming up. Every time she mentioned it, it was like a knife through my heart. Perhaps to her I was a failure, the son who hadn’t lived up to her expectations. She was right too I suppose. I’d let her down, and all because I couldn’t produce the offspring she’d always wanted to dote on in her later years. There were times when I’d challenged her on this notion of course, but she was adept at turning any sort of argument to her favour and so I’d given up even trying.

“You can’t just go into a shop and buy one, mum,” I said to her in irritation one day.

“You’ll never find one if you’re stuck inside reading books all day, or that endless ‘training’ nonsense. Get out there and meet somepony!” she’d replied.

It was so easy wasn’t it? Just ‘go out’ and ‘meet’ somepony, just like that. As if they’d been stood there all along simply waiting patiently for me to arrive, and say-

“HI!”

I nearly soiled myself in fright as a green muzzle and bright yellow eyes filled my vision without any warning.

“Bloody hell! I- Oh! I’m sorry, gosh, I shouldn’t have said that… sorry…” I blurted out hopelessly. It didn’t matter though, the mare wasn’t listening anyway.

“Come on then!” she chirped. “I’ve got plans for you and me. I hope you’re hungry!”

The green mare chuckled and took my hoof, pulling me out from the shade of the tree and into the blazing sunshine. On her back was a picnic hamper tied to her saddle bags, a large blanket rolled up and strapped behind it. Meadow ran across the open grassy field, heading down to the riverside and up onto the large flat rocks on its bank. Sunlight on her back made the happy green mare virtually shine in the radiant light. She turned to face me, the wide brimmed sun hat she wore casting some shade over her features, but nothing could hide the vibrancy of life in those big bright yellow eyes. I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot until I sat down on the rock. It was red hot. With a shriek I jumped in the air, trying to blow cold air on my singed backside while my companion fell about laughing.

“Wait until I put the rug out, for goodness sake!”

A few moments later, still chuckling, Meadow bade me sit next to her on the large checked rug. My bum was still sore, and part of me wanted desperately to jump in the river to cool it off, but a soggy stallion wasn’t likely to earn any favours with a new marefriend. Or at least, one I hoped would be. Celestia, I was so nervous! I had to get myself under control. If Meadow suspected my discomfort however, she didn’t let on in the slightest. Smiling expansively she levitated out a delicious looking selection of pies, salads and sandwiches, the aroma from which was making my nose twitch. Under the sensory assault of anticipated flavours it was all I could do to stop myself from drooling, and judging by the expression on her face, she must have found my reaction pleasing. Meadow opened a jar of something and floated it over to me.

“Fancy a taste?” she asked pleasantly.

I looked at the jar, its blue contents shiny and inviting. “What is it?” I asked.

“Just try it,” she replied, encouragingly. “You’ll see.”

I dipped a spoon into the stuff and spread a little on a piece of crusty bread next to me. Taking a tentative bite I felt the rush of sugar and fruit. Fresh fruit. Dear gods, it was… delicious. I closed my eyes as the tangy yet sweet taste of blueberries danced and played on my taste buds. I’d had jam before of course, but nothing like this, it was heavenly. Opening my eyes to the happy knowing smile of Meadow was a sight I could never tire of.

“Nice?” she asked me. I think she already knew the answer.

“Wonderful!” I exclaimed, genuinely thrilled by me new discovery. “How do you do it? That’s absolutely amazing! It’s nothing like what I’ve had from the shops.”

She nodded sagely, “That’s because I add a secret ingredient that they can’t.”

“Secret?” I was intrigued. “What’s that then?”

“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you would it, silly?” She reached out and tapped me on the muzzle with a hoof. The feeling was utterly electrifying. Goddesses, I felt so good just being near her, but, to feel her physical touch too… it sent me to a whole new level.

The next few hours went by like a ripple on the river bubbling past us. We chatted and laughed, neither saying very much, just small talk about this and that. Meadow told me about her training to be a nurse and asked me about my work in the watch. She seemed surprised by my enthusiasm to help ponies and looked a little sad when I mentioned looking for a more challenging posting. I mentally kicked myself for mentioning it and hoped I hadn’t ruined the mood.

“Fairlight…” Meadow began. “Do you like it here? In Ponyville, I mean.”

I nodded, “I do. It’s lovely, if a little dull for my career. But, you know, I can live with it.”

She sighed. “Look, I know it’s sudden, and I’ve barely known you five minutes, but… but I don’t have very long left and I’ve never been very good with colts you see, and-” Meadow shook her head, “Oh, no! Me and my big mouth! I’ve ruined everything now and spoiled the mood. I was having such a nice time too...”

I reached over and placed a hoof on her leg. “It’s okay, Meadow, you haven’t ruined anything.” I smiled gently. “Please, tell me what’s on your mind?”

The green mare took my hoof in both of hers and looked down shyly. “I’m going to be moving to… to Manehattan. The hospital there has offered me a full time job as a ward nurse.”

In those few words I felt my heart break as my dreams, so fresh and new born, shattered like glass around me. I don’t know how, but I managed to keep a smile on my face. “That wonderful news, Meadow! You must be really happy.”

“Must I?” she said sadly. “I’m not so sure I want to go anymore. Not now.”

I tried to keep my voice light and pleasant. “Why not?” I asked. “You’d be crazy not to take it up, Meadow. You’ve worked so hard to start your career a nurse, and here it is being offered to you at last. It’s what you’ve been working towards isn’t it?”

She nodded, “Yes. Yes, I suppose it is.” I could see a shimmer of a tear forming in the corner of her eye. Meadow took a shaking breath, “But the timing of it, Fairlight, I… I’ve only just met you and… I wanted to spend more time here… with you.”

I took her head in my hooves and brushed her tear away, “I want to stay with you too…”

Meadow looked up at me and threw herself forward, carrying us both off the rug, the rock, and onto the grass. I looked up at her in surprise, “Meadow?”

“Damn you, Fairlight, you’re going to make me say it aren’t you?” She half sobbed, half chuckled. Her face was wet with tears and grass.

“No. I’ll say it…” I whispered, slowly moving closer until my mouth was a hair’s breadth from hers. “I love you.” It was madness. Absolute madness. I’d barely met her, and yet it felt like we’d known each other all our lives. Something like this, it couldn’t last, it simply couldn’t! And yet… And yet I just didn’t care. Even if I never saw her again, I wanted her to know how she had moved a dull, grey stallion’s heart.

Meadow seemed to melt in my forelegs, wrapping hers around mine and pulled me towards her, kissing me hungrily. The flavours of the various picnic treats mingled in our mouths until she pulled away and took a deep breath, “Come away with me, Fairlight,” she murmured. “I have accommodation there, and you could get a posting to the Manehattan Watch.” She brushed my mane and rubbed her muzzle against mine. “We could be together.”

I hung my head slightly as reality encroached on my racing heart. “Meadow, I don’t know if I can so soon, I’m still in my probationary period.” I looked up suddenly, “But I’ll try.! I promise you I will and I’ll move heaven and earth to be with you if I have to.”

She hugged me tightly. “I know the chief officer there. If you want, I can have a word with him…” She half lidded her eyes, her scent sending shiver down my spine. “If you like…?”

“Of course!” I said, nearly squeaking. “It would make me the happiest stallion in Ponyville, no, Equestria, to go with you and… and to live with you.” Good gods, I couldn’t believe what was happening, let alone what I was saying. Was this a dream? Or had I completely lost my sense of reason as my heart overrode my head? Whatever the answer the two of us had been whipped up by a tumultuous whirlwind of emotions, and for good or ill I was along for the ride. I swallowed. “But Meadow, are you sure you want me? I mean, you’re a beautiful mare with a promising career and I’m just, you know… a drab grey-”

“Stop that right now!” she said tapping me on the nose. “I happen to like grey, and I won’t have you putting yourself down, Mister Fairlight. Do you understand me?”

“Yes ma’am,” I chuckled.

She reached up and nipped my ear. “I know I want you, my watch stallion. The question I have to ask you though, is… do you want me?” Meadow finished in a sultry whisper that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Oh goddesses, yes…” I breathed. “Meadow, I do. So much…”

She kissed me again on the lips and moaned softly as she spoke, “Will you… be gentle with me? Please?”

I nuzzled her and stroked her neck with my hoof, “I will love. I promise.”

In the late afternoon sun with its rays dancing across the sparkling ripples on the river’s surface, we came together as one. I don’t know if anypony saw, and I don’t think either of us would have cared even if they had. As Meadow’s groans and cries echoed out over the grassy plain, I knew then that I had found the love I had always been looking for without even realising it.

In a heaving gasp, she collapsed on my chest, panting into my ear, “Oh Celestia, Fairlight… I… Oh, I’m so happy!” She kissed me again and we rolled onto our sides looking into each other eyes. Meadow gave me a special smile, one that melted my heart, “I love you so much my watch pony. So, so much…”

We didn’t say any more, but lay together watching the sun as it slowly began so set.

********************

A loud roaring noise woke me from the comfort of my most precious memories. Damn it all, why did I have to come back to this? Why?! Buck this world and everything in it to the bowels of bloody hell! They’d taken my Meadow from me, destroyed everything I had ever loved and those… those bastards, those… I blinked in confusion. Where was I? Everything was moving, swaying, and it was dark too. Rain splashed on my face and… no, it wasn’t rain. Salt water? It stung my eyes, splashing my face in time with the swaying motion. I tried to move, to sit up, but my legs were tightly bound. Somehow I wasn’t surprised considering how I’d got to this point. With a little effort I managed to look down and saw that my hind legs were shackled to what looked like a length of chain and... a very large rock? Luna buck me, I knew what they had in store for me now. Why couldn’t they have just killed me and had done with it?

“He’s coming to, boss,” the black stallion next to me said flatly.

Blaze walked over. She was wearing water proofs to protect against the waves that the boat was ploughing through. When you had wings, getting soaked was to be avoided. Personally, I doubted I had that luxury. “Rough night eh, Captain?” Blaze said grinning ominously.

“Yeah,” I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of water. “Kinda depends whether you’re dragging a lump of rock around with you or not though. So what’s the plan then, Blaze. Going to dump me overboard?”

For a moment, just the most fleeting sliver of time, she looked unsure, sad even, but then the tough expression was back in full force. “I’m sorry, Captain Fairlight, it has to be like this,” she said calmly. “We can’t have you wandering around interfering in our business. I’m afraid you know too much about us.”

Shit, this was going to be it then; a terrifying, drowning death in the black depths of the sea. I tried to reach down to find the power, but typically when I needed it the most the bloody thing was like a scared cat hiding under the bed.

“I need to ask you though, Captain, how did you catch on to me?” Blaze asked.

I smiled despite myself, despite the cold and the spray hitting me. “It wasn’t too hard, Blaze. You left a few breadcrumbs along the way.”

“Oh?” she asked curiously.

I nodded. “Yeah. The boxes addressed to a house belonging to a dead pony, the way the house was surrounded in Watch crime scene tape long after the incident? It had to be somepony who knew I wouldn’t be coming back. Kinda narrowed it down a touch.”

“That could have been anypony in the watch though,” she reasoned.

“True,” I shrugged, “but then who has control of the evidence in a case where a watch pony dies? The watch chief. The pony that came to collect the boxes used a key to get into the house, and I know for a fact the locks hadn’t been changed.” I knew because Pewter had been the only other pony to have a key, one which Meadow and I had left her for when she visited. Blaze didn’t need to know that though, otherwise Pewter might be taking an unplanned swim in the near future too.

“Supposition, and not enough to get you hanged, Captain,” Blaze pointed out.

She was right too. “No, but somepony’s working on the inside, Blaze, both at the watch and the agency.” I watched her confidently, assessing her reaction. “How else would you know it was me on the gantry?”

The big pegasus mare laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. There’s always somepony who’ll sell their soul for a hoofful of bits, or to ‘scratch an itch’ if you get my drift.” She frowned in thought and rubbed her chin. “You have an uncanny knack for pissing ponies off, Captain, and our client has asked us to give you particularly… ‘special treatment’.”

My blood ran cold. “And this is it?” I asked.

Blaze shrugged. “I’m sorry, it’s just business you understand.”

“Oh, I understand, Blaze,” I snorted ironically. “You’ve sold out your friends and your soul for money. I thought more of you than that. I thought you thought more of yourself.”

The mare thumped her hoof on the side of the boat. “Don’t give me that, you self righteous prick! Don’t you bucking dare try to lecture me!”

I could feel the strength inside just starting to free itself. I encouraged it forth, teasing it out. If I could only keep her talking for a few more minutes I might have a chance to-

“Get him over the side and let’s get back home.” Blaze stood up and turned away, her decision made.

“Oh, Blaze?” I called as the brutish ponies grabbed at each end of my soaked body.

“What?” she snapped irritably.

I grinned toothily. “I’ll be seeing you…”

The world tipped upside down and I hit the water with a deafening splash. Gravity sucked on my already weakened body, and down I went, what little light there was vanishing quickly as I plunged ever deeper into the inky black embrace of the ocean’s depths. Memories of my near drowning as a foal came back in full force now, eliciting a terrifying surge of panic and fear that squeezed at my heart. Black images flickered through my mind, the shadows of the dead clawing at me, pulling me into their chill grip, the restless souls of the lost screaming out in joy at their newest arrival. And then, strangely, a peculiar wash of calm enveloped me, tantalising me with its gentle promise of eternal rest. Maybe now I could be finally be at peace, with myself, and the world. I only had to let myself go, just… let go. My lungs filled with water, the last of my air bubbling back up to the surface. Struggling was pointless, but I did anyway. My body burned, my lungs were on fire despite the freezing sea water. Mercifully it didn’t last long. Quickly the pain and panic began to ebb as my life faded away. It wouldn’t be long now, I kept saying to myself. Not long now.

“Are you just going to sit there and die?” the spirit asked, sitting there watching me with my own blue eyes. “Don’t you want the chance to live? To take revenge for what they’ve done to you?”

“What’s the point?” I thought back at the thing. “It’s too much for just one pony. Everypony is pulling at one another, trying to grab what they can at the expense of their fellows. Friends turning on one another, the ponies I would have once given my life to protect selling my soul for hoofful of coins. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

“What about the orange mare? You like her, don’t you?” it hissed.

“No,” I replied. “She’s my friend. She cares for me.”

“Friend?” the spirit laughed, its voice echoing and insubstantial. “Fool yourself all you want, but I am a part of you now, and I can read your soul like the pages of an open book. I know your heart, pony, and I have seen your darkest desires that you keep hidden from the light. I can feel the anger within you, the cold hatred you have hidden in plain sight. You want to take revenge on the ponies who killed your wife and your child. I know you do. I know...”

“Shut up!” I snapped.

“What about the thestral?” the spirit asked curiously. “She waits for you, does she not? If you are dead, how can you find her? This time you may not stay in the Wither World, you may cross over completely to the world of the eternal herd, and then who will save her?”

“Shut up damn you!” I roared. “Shut the buck UP!”

The spirit chuckled, “I know who you really are pony. I know who you were. His blood runs in your veins, as pure as the first snows of winter in the mountains. It called to me as your fear and anger calls me now. His strength lies within you, waiting to be awoken, if only you had the strength of heart to use it.”

I stared into those blue eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The spirit nodded slowly. “There is another way…”

I sighed, closed my eyes, and asked, “What do you want from me?”

“You already know,” it answered cryptically. “We must become one, you and I. One entity, one being,indivisible. I know you want this, pony. You long for it. You yearn for it. Together we can be strong, we can live freely and sing the songs of the ancestors. Divided as we are now only death awaits, butI can offer you life, the life you were always meant to have. When the time is right we will find a way to merge as we should have from the beginning. As it was always meant to be.”

“I don’t understand!” I thought back at it. “Who are you?”

It laughed, the mist spilling from its maw. “Me? I am you! Listen now. Can you hear them? Your people call out to you. Will you ignore their call?”

A figment of my dying minds imagination perhaps, but somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear them; voices, so many voices. They were calling to me, the sirens singing me to the afterlife. Regardless of what the spirit said, the reality of the situation was at the bottom of the sea. I was dying, and there was nothing I could do to save myself. Nothing...

As I hung there, floating in the emptiness, an unfamiliar voice rang through my tortured, fading self. “I believe I will take care of matters from here on in. You may wish to die, boy, but more depends upon you than you could possibly know, and now is not the time for selfish acts like dying.” The voice was strong, powerful, and full of the light of magic. “Give your trust to me. Release yourself into my hooves. Yes…that’s right. Good. Now, Fairlight, watch and learn my young friend.”

My lungs, bereft of life giving air, suddenly filled with a new kind of magic. My eyes opened. I could breath! Sweet goddesses, I couldn’t believe it! Air. Sweet, sweet air! I was enraptured. The magic of the spirit raged through me, freezing the water down to the chain binding my hind legs and splintered the metal like it was no more substantial than rotten matchwood. Upward the energy coursed, making my muscles bulge, straining my bindings until the ropes on my forelegs split apart. The horn lock on my head which should have blocked my magic exploded into fragments that floated away past my head in the swirling water.

The voice spoke again, “Now, Fairlight, use your magic to take you up, up to the night sky. Think of the moon and how it glows, the way the stars sparkle like diamonds on black velvet. You can make it happen. Will it to be so, and it will be so.”

The will to live screamed through me with an electrifying violence, lending me an ever increasing strength which I focussed like an arrow, concentrating on the surface, willing myself upward to reach it with outstretched hooves. Behind me the water boiled and froze simultaneously, an impossible mix of magics bending reality and physics, forming a pillar of ice and boiling water which acted like a gigantic spring, rising upwards at a phenomenal rate. Atop that pillar, a pure white wendigo, his eyes blazing bluer than the ocean around them. Whatever the voice was, whoever it was, had lit a fire within me, rocketing my body up to the surface like a shooting star. I bared my teeth, and grinned.

Goddesses help anypony who got in my way now.

************

The night sky was probably the most wonderful sight I had beheld in my entire lifetime. Pure, clear, and infinitely welcoming to one such as I, it felt like… home. I stood there atop a white and blue column of ice, coughing out the fluid in my lungs that had, only the goddess knows how, kept me alive. I shook out my wings, letting the frigid salt water slough off them and threw my head back to screech my defiance out into the emptiness of the night. That bitch Blaze would pay for her supreme arrogance. Oh yes, she would pay. I could feel my teeth itching, and smiled in anticipation at the feast to come. The pegasus would soon discover that none who dared challenge the lord of the four winds would live to see another sunrise.

Shaking my mane and coat, I took a grip of myself. When the hell had I started thinking of myself as the ‘lord of the four winds’? I didn’t normally think like this, nor did I salivate at the thought of drinking somepony’s life energy either. The very thought of it was utterly repugnant. Damn it all, was this something the spirit had put in my head? Unlikely. It was most likely linked to that stupid idea Luna had planted there with all that ‘lord’ and ‘lady’ nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, I actually quite liked the sound of it. In fact I thought it was, well… ‘cool’ I suppose. But Fairlight, the pony from the Manehattan Watch, was a far cry from any nobility, and who the hell wanted to be the master of a pile of frozen ruins in the middle of nowhere anyway? I sniggered to myself. Bollocks to that one! Still, ‘Lord Fairlight’ had a certain ring to it that had me grinning from ear to ear. I took a deep breath and looked around me. There was no sign of the boat, but no matter, I would find it sooner or later. For now, I wanted to get away from here and feel the wind beneath my wings, and a good shower too. Salt water wasn’t good for a pony, and I always liked to look my best for the enemy. A few experimental shakes later and my wings were ready for flight. Ready for the big orange pegasus that was coming right… at… me…

One bone jarring impact later, Tingles and I picked ourselves up from the home made iceberg. Her eyes brimmed with tears while she hung on to me like her life depended on it. Shocked at her sudden appearance, relief washed through me and I stood there for a while silently enjoying the sensation of her warmth seeping through my coat. I didn’t deserve a friend like her. I was a mess: emotionally, physically, and spiritually too I suppose. Everything about my life was more than complicated enough without involving myself with yet another mare. It didn’t mean I didn’t want to though. Tingles hugged me until I thought something was going to break. “Tingles!” I wheezed happily. “For goodness sake, let go! You’re going to suffocate me!”

Reluctantly she released me and stood back, taking me in fully as if expecting me to vanish like a puff of wind at any moment. She glanced around at the solid ice with the waves lapping at its edges, and I could sense her confusion. “Celestia’s grace, Fairlight,” she said breathily. “I thought you were… Oh goddess, no, I didn’t believe you were... I mean I couldn’t-”

I gave her a gentle nuzzle, “Shhh, it’s alright now. Please, love, wecan talk as soon as we get out of here, okay? I just want to get to dry land, and to be honest with you, I don’t know where in Equestria we are.”

She shook herself and looked at me in a very peculiar way; opening her mouth to speak she paused, closed it, then tried again. Finally, she actually said something. “We’re at the mouth of the bay. The Manehattan docks are a few miles back that way.” She blinked and then frowned as if trying to come to terms with something. “Come on, we can talk as we fly.”

A single light bound and we took flight, flying higher and higher above the waves, back towards the faint lights of Manehattan.

“How did you know where I was?” I asked, genuinely amazed at how she had located me literally miles from shore.

She laughed and looped effortlessly through the air around me. “When I dropped off the kid I came looking for you,” Tingles explained. “There was a pile of clothes, a sword, and all your gear in a pile on the shoreline. Couple of the agency ponies came with me and thought you’d… you know.”

“Yeah, I get the picture,” I said levelly. They’d actually thought I’d done myself in had they? I couldn’t blame them really I suppose, after all I didn’t exactly inspire confidence with my scary eyes, scar, and broken horn. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d secretly hoped I’d gone off and drowned myself just so they could have breakfast in peace without the weird grey pony sitting next to them. Mind you, it was hard to tell what that lot were thinking with their permanently miserable expressions. Working with ponies like that for any length of time would have anypony wanting to top themselves.

“I didn’t believe it,” Tingles chirped. “I couldn’t. Not you. You’ve too much life in you, Cap’, and so much to live for too. Anyway, I thought I saw something in the distance, out across the water. I wasn’t sure, so I flew out over the bay to have a look, and here you are!” The grinning pegasus barrel rolled happily.

“Here I am.” I sighed. I didn’t know what else to say. She’d believed in me, trusted me, and flew out here in the dark and cold, miles from land, and searched for what? Was she expecting to find me paddling out here somewhere having an evening swim? With Tingles, it was entirely possible. That was when I saw something I’d never really noticed before - Tingles’ cutie mark. A neat image of three ice cubes sat on her flank. They were quite cute really. Maybe she’d been destined to work in a cocktail bar, or a huge passenger liner like the Maretania. Whatever it was, fate had decided otherwise and lumbered the poor girl with me.

“Hey! Whatcha looking at back there?” she jibed.

Blast it, I’d been caught red hoofed! “Sorry, its your cutie mark,” I said quickly. “I’ve never really asked what the three ice cubes represented.”

“My special talent of course.” She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you know?”

“Of course I know that!” I huffed. “Everypony does, I’m not that stupid.”

She giggled, flying upside down and waving her legs like she was walking. How does she do that?! I wondered silently as Tingles floated past me, making my clumsy flight look like a brick layer attempting brain surgery.

“Dad thought I was destined to be a cocktail girl,” she explained. Ha! ‘nailed it’, I thought to myself. “Or an ice sculptor,” Tingles added.

“Must be a big call for that then,” I said sarcastically.

Shit, me and my big mouth. Tingles flew down and bopped me on the head with a hoof, “Don’t be cheeky!” she laughed and flew a loop around me again. “Dad liked sculpting you see. He worked with stone and bronze mostly, and has some of his best works in the Royal Museum of Art in Canterlot. Mum’s a teacher in Canterlot too, at the magic school there. As for me, well… fate brought me to a different vocation.”

I watched her barrel rolling beside me. She truly was in her own element up here in the sky, and she radiated joy as brightly as the sun on a summer’s day. Growing up I’d always been jealous of pegasi and their remarkable affinity with the sky, the wind, and the clouds. The sense of freedom they emanated seemed to be something the did effortlessly. And now here I was with wings of my own, even if they were kind of ‘loaned’. I’m not sure I was even fully in control of the things either; they just sort of… worked. How exactly I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t want to think about it in either case. The erratic nature of my spirit’s magic was something I was still trying to come to grips with. The last thing I wanted right now was to start doubting it and end up nose diving into the briny water again. Still, I wasn’t complaining. How many unicorns got to fly? Sure there were airships and balloons, but this? No, this was freedom. True freedom. I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. Flying together with Tingles was certainly a strange experience though, and held a peculiar sense of intimacy which I hadn’t really thought of before.

“You like them?” she asked flying closer to me.

“The ice cubes?” I nodded. “Yeah, they’re actually kinda cute. Really go with your colouringtoo; the tangerine and green complement each other well.”

She suddenly blushed beet red, and without a word suddenly shot straight up into the sky, vanishing from sight in a heartbeat. Damn it, I’d said too much! Buck me and my bloody big mouth too. How the hell was I supposed find the agency facility now? Not only did I have little more than a vague idea about where I was supposed to be going, I didn’t know where my stuff was either, and now Tingles had flown off somewhere too! I sighed loudly, letting my wings do the work. All I could do now was, quite literally, ‘follow my nose’ and hope I didn’t end up flying about in circles all night as I tried to find my way back. I flew on for a few more minutes, the waves far below me, until in the distance I saw torches and lanterns moving this way and that on the shoreline. Something told me that was my reception committee, although I suspected they were most likely waiting for Tingles. Only… she was already there, smirking at me as I came in for a flustered landing.

“Took you long enough,” the tangerine mare said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Get lost did you?”

Oooh! That bloody pegasus! “Hey thanks for buggering off and leaving me, ‘partner’. How do you know I wasn’t going to get lost out there?”

“‘Friend sense’,” she smirked. “All pegasi have it. I can home in on you from a mile away. Several to be exact. Works better when you’re not drowning though.”

I walked up to her and fixed her big green eyes with a hard stare before bursting out in laughter. That bloody pegasus! That annoying, crazy, beautiful tangerine flying nuisance. Goddesses, I-

She bopped me on the forehead with a hoof, “Heads up ‘agent Nox’, the boss is here. Act casual.”

I nearly burst out laughing again as the pony who’d been in charge of Delta team at the post office in Ponyville when I’d first met him, approached me. I saluted him and he gave a nod, “Good to see you, Nox, and you Agent Tingles. Would you excuse us please?” Tingles nodded and walked away to where the rest of the agents were running magical energy detectors over the foreshore and, by the looks of it, my gear. The slim offiver turned to me, “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.” He held out a hoof which I shook. “Brandy Wine, senior agent with Equus. I know who you are of course, Captain Fairlight, a.k.a Agent Nox.” I was a little surprised by this announcement, but then probably a lot less than I would have been normally. Agent Brandy Wine had the look of a stallion who got things done. “I suggest returning to your ‘normal’ state as soon as possible,” he said smiling wryly. “You look very, shall we say, ‘alicorny’ like that. The last thing we need is you drawing the wrong type of attention from one of the more eagle eyed members of the public. It’s bad enough as it is with all the rumours of unidentified alicorns popping up all over Manehattan without more of them appearing.”

Brandy Wine winked at me conspiratorially. I kinda liked this guy, I think he was going to be alright to deal with. He watched me in silent fascination as I released the power and felt myself returning to normal. Normal, and cold. Bloody hell it was absolutely freezing out here! I shook myself hard to try and get some warmth back into my damp fur. Ever since the spirit had taken up residence within me I hadn’t been feeling the cold particularly, but this time, soaked to the bone and stinking of salt water, I began to long for nothing more than a hot bath. Brandy called one of his agents over who was carrying my overcoat and other assorted accoutrements. Within no time the comfortable and familiar feeling of my old clothes was bringing at least some warmth back to my bones.

“Thanks, Sir,” I said gratefully.

“Brandy will do, Nox.” The officer bobbed his towards Tingles. “But please, remind your partner not to keep calling you ‘Cap’, Captain, or goddesses forgive me, ‘Fairlight’. If somepony hears it could get very messy for all of us, yes?”

“I understand, Sir, um, Brandy.” I felt a little strange speaking to him like I was his equal, but in some respects perhaps I was. I had been a Captain in the Watch after all, even if it did seem to be little more than a faint memory to me now. “I’ll speak to her tonight,” I finished.

He nodded, “Come on, we’ll get a hot cuppa and have a chat about what happened out here tonight.”

And we did. The two of us spoke at length, about the parcels at the house, the disagreement between Blaze and her crew, and my little dip in the sea. I didn’t go into too much detail about the last part, I didn’t want Brandy thinking I was becoming unglued and letting voices control my actions. That might not be a particularly good strategy in the long term. As I talked the veteran officer took it all in, making notes in his pocket book. He was a pleasantly insightful unicorn, his black and silver dappled coat was quite striking, and his maroon eyes were hard to look away from. They had a strange way of looking right into you, like he was assessing your honesty.

Finally, Brandy spoke. “Unlike your last team leader,” he began, “you’ll find I’m a lot more flexible. The mistress asked me specifically to give you more free rein, and as far as I am concerned, that begins now, Nox.”

I cocked my head to one side quizzically, “Last team leader? You mean Warlock?”

He nodded, “Yes. The mistress has re-assigned him to… other duties. You are with me now, and before you ask, Tingles is too. I have been told in no uncertain terms that you two come as a package.” He gave me that wry smile again, and I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by him for some reason. He knew things, this pony, and I would do well to keep him on my side. Brandy downed a mouthful of the hot tea and stretched. “So then, Nox, what’s your next move?”

I hadn’t really thought about it yet, other than how much I would like to smash my way into the watch house and take Blaze down. But caution was the order of the day here, and controlling my anger came as part of it. “I want to speak to the foal, Sir,” I said confidently.

“The foal,” Brandy mused. “The one Tingles brought in earlier, correct?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Brandy scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Why? You think he knows something?”

I nodded. “I do. He mentioned his mother and sister had been ‘taken’. I want to find out what he knows, there could be more to this business than just a crooked cop lining her pockets.”

Brandy nodded and looked towards the other agents who were sat about chatting in the lamplight. “It is more than just a crooked cop, Nox,” he said quietly, careful to keep his voice low, “and you know it too, don’t you?”

I nodded, “The commissioner.”

He grinned humourlessly, “The commissioner. Bent as a rubber bit.” He took out a cigarette and fished for a light before I held up a hoof stopping him, and lit it with a spark of magic from my horn. He raised his eyebrows and took a draw. “Cigarette?”

“No thanks,” I replied, “they’re bad for your health.”

Brandy raised an eyebrow, “So is drowning.” He had me there. “The commissioner is somehow connected to this mess,” he explained, “The mistress tells me that she’d had you suspended from work to get you off the case, and that she was later implicated somehow with the firebombing of several homes. Homes of ponies who had been involved in counter-smuggling ops. Sound familiar?”

I nodded. I knew all about that alright, and I was damned glad he did too. There was always the chance nopony would believe me, and hearing this was like a weight lifting off my shoulders.

“The problem,” Brandy said solemnly, “is that she has friends, powerful friends, and ones with links to Celestia herself.”

“Shit,” I spat.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Brandy took a pull on his cigarette, watching the smoke drift away into the chill night air. “The bitch is almost untouchable… Almost.”

“Almost?” I asked intrigued.

Brandy nodded. “Why do you think the mistress wanted your particular skills?”

My heart jumped in my chest, the spirit stirring excitedly. It was all I could do to avoid drooling at the prospect of getting my hooves on that evil creature. Instead, I fought the rising emotions down, and kept my voice sound as calm as I could. “I’m not an assassin, Brandy. You want to start murdering ponies, you can do it without my help.” I could hear the spirit grumbling quietly, slinking away. It was quiet now, but it was listening. It was always listening.

Brandy held up a hoof, shaking his head. “Nopony said you were an assassin, Nox, but there may come a time when evil is knocking at your door and hiding under the bed won’t make it go away. I pray that time never comes, but if we don’t act soon, there may be no more Equestria worth saving.”

“Are things that bad?” I asked in surprise.

He shook his head slowly, “There’s a problem with ponies, Nox. You know it, I know it, and for better or worse it’s in every single one of us. As a race we’re trusting and open. Some would even say gullible. It’s been a thousand years of peace and tranquillity that’s lead us to this point, a point where we have become the perfect target for those seeking to exploit a people unable, and unwilling, to fight back. All it takes is one pony to say, ‘hey, wanna try something new?’ and ‘boom’, you’ve got a new Ryetalin or Breeze-head running around. We have to stop this at its source, to take the fight to them. I need you, Nox. I need your strength to help us.”

“Then there’s one thing I want, Brandy,” I said quietly.

He gave a short nod, his eyes focussed on the other agents. “Sure, what is it?”

I stared past him towards the magic lights of the docks. “Let me deal with Blaze in my own way.”

He turned to me and stared for several seconds, weighing me up. I could sense him considering his options and then, finally, he came to a conclusion. “Okay, sure. But Nox, try to keep the body count under control?”

I grinned. “Yes, Sir. You know me.”

He gave me a sidelong glance as he finished off his tea. “Yes, Nox, I suppose I know enough to know that I trust you. I may not exactly approve of your methods particularly, they’re unorthodox certainly, but I like a pony who gets results. And you get results.” He wiped his muzzle. “Grab your gear, arrange what you need, and get to it. Keep me updated is all I ask.”

“One other thing, Brandy,” I said lifting a hoof.

“What?”

I glanced over my shoulder. “When I go after Blaze, find another task for Tingles that night. I don’t want anypony getting hurt.”

He nodded and sighed. “Okay, if that’s what you want. She won’t like it you know, and if the mistress finds out she’ll have my guts for garters.”

He was right of course. Tingles would flay me alive for it, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt, as much as I knew how effective an agent she was. I trusted her, but… I don’t know, I just work better alone sometimes. At least, that’s how I justified it to myself. I’d get the job done, then the anger of the tangerine pegasus would be like the wrath of the goddesses. Only worse. A lot worse.

********************

Tingles sat next to me in the small room, the foal seated opposite us with a rapidly emptying bag of sweets and a colouring book thoughtfully brought in by one of the other agency mares. The little fellow was busy colouring, the crayon held in his mouth.

He tried to speak, “Mffff ithh my mfmummff.”

By the goddess, I hated ponies talking with their mouths full. My companion must have read my mind. “Is that your mum?” Tingles asked. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Mmmfffmm!”

I cleared my throat. “Brandy, can you finish your picture after we’ve finished talking? We need to ask you some questions so we can find you mummy, okay?”

He put down the crayon reluctantly but nodded his head so vigorously I thought it might drop off his shoulders. I couldn’t help but smile. Brandy’s caramel coat and cream mane and tail really did echo his name, whilst his big red eyes shone like garnets.

I smiled kindly at the foal, but it was pretty clear who he trusted more, and it wasn’t the scary guy with the dodgy horn, scar and blue eyes! “Brandy, I want to find your mum and sister, so I need you to tell me what the ponies looked like who took them away. Can you do that?” I asked him.

He nodded and started to draw again, pulling different colours out and making a very interesting attempt at pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns. Their legs were straight lines, and the horns would put an alicorn to shame. Mind you, his drawing skills still knocked mine into a cocked hat. We’d already sent agents out looking for anypony who knew Brandy Snap and, importantly, those could take him in. I didn’t want the little guy ending up in the orphanage if I could help it. What we had already ascertained though, was that he and his family had been out near the waterfront when a gang of ponies grabbed his mother and his sister while out for a walk in broad daylight. I still couldn’t believe it. Celestia’s tits, is this what things had come to? Kidnapping in broad daylight? Part of me felt that Blaze was up to her fetlocks in this for not keeping up regular patrols, but then, that was probably the idea wasn’t it. It would be simplicity itself for her to redirect the Watch’s ‘priorities’ away from her dirty little enterprises. In fact now that I thought about it, I’d hardly seen hide nor tail of a watch pony since coming to in the agency medical bay.

The foal finished the picture, together with a big sun and lollipop trees. He pushed it to Tingles, not me I noticed, and tapped the ponies one by one. “That’s mummy, Carnation. That’s my sister, Flax. And these are the mean ponies.”

“Did you hear what they were said, Brandy?” Tingles asked in her kindly manner.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

Tingles’ smile could have melted diamond as she said, “Yes?”

The little foal picked up a crayon then put it down, looking from me to Tingles and then back again. “Will you tell them I told you?” His eyes went wide and he covered his mouth in horror. “They’ll come and get me! I don’t want to go away!” Brandy started to sniff and a glistening dribble of snot dropped from his nose onto the table. I was torn between wanting to hug him and give him a hankie. I settled on a hankie.

“I promise you, Brandy, on my honour as the lord of the four winds, I will hunt down the ponies who took your family and cut them down like wheat before the scythe.” I felt the corner of my mouth curl in a smile. “Your mummy and sister will come back with me, safe and sound. Fear not.”

Tingles looked at me, her jaw hanging open and her green eyes as wide as saucers, “Wha…?!”

Brandy clopped his hooves together. “WHOA! That’s so COOL!”

Well, yeah, it was kinda cool. Embarrassed, my cheeks flushed and I put a hoof behind my head rubbing my mane, “Um… So, Brandy, what did these bad ponies say. I need to know so I can go get ‘em!”

“Okay!” he chirped. “I heard them say mummy would ‘fetch top dollar’, and sis would be ‘good bait’. The ponies called each other funny names too. One called another one ‘Bates’ I think, and another was ‘Jingles’… no….” He tapped a hoof on his muzzle, rolling his eyes. “JINGO! That was her name! I remembered!” He stomped his hooves on the table while I stared at Tingles. We shared a look. My goddess, we both knew who that was. The other bucker was another story. Bates, the bastard who had raped my wife and ran me through with a poker was part of this nightmare. I owed him. Dear goddess, the bastard was so close now I could smell his stink…

“Cap’?” Tingles nudged me with a wing.

“Sorry, Tingles, I was a little lost in thought there,” I apologised. “And watch the Cap’ thing okay? Brandy has already told you off for calling me that.”

“No, I didn’t!” the little foal shouted at me. “Don’t be mean to the nice lady! You be mean to the nasty ponies instead!”

“It’s okay Brandy, Nox was talking about somepony else we know called Brandy,” Tingles explained gently. “He’s a friend of ours called Brandy Wine.”

The little fellow banged his hooves on the desk and kicked his chair, “Pfffff! What a silly name! My name’s cool, like lord thingy…”

Tingles had to hold her sides to keep her laughter in check, sniffing back tears of mirth. I could feel my cheeks reddening in embarrassment. ‘Lord Thingy’, the cheeky little bugger. In all fairness though, it was my fault. I hadn’t meant it to slip out, but it had all the same. I wonder why? Bloody hell, maybe I was going senile already? Nearly ready for pasture, Fairlight… I cleared my throat and tried to regain control of the situation by concentrating on the piece of paper in front of me. The third pony in Brandy’s picture was a purple unicorn I wasn’t familiar with. Brandy didn’t know her name, but said it was a mare. He wasn’t sure of any other details, they’d been wearing cloaks apparently, no doubt to cover any cutie marks, but he’d given me enough to point me in the right direction. I collected the piece of paper and stared at the pictures. The yellow male had to be Gates, and the indigo pegasus, Jingo, we knew too. But it was the unknown purple unicorn who had me scratching my head.

I was about to fold the paper when I noticed that only Gates and Jingo had cloaks drawn on them and sudden realisation popped into my head. “Brandy, was the purple unicorn wearing a cloak?”

He was busy drawing something else now, and his mouth was full of crayon. “Mno.”

“Did you see her cutie mark?”

“Mno, mnidnt af won,” he slobbered around the crayon.

Tingles stood up suddenly looking from me to the foal. “Brandy, this is important. Did the purple unicorn mare have a cutie mark?”

He spat out the crayon and shook his head. “She was a big foal! No cutie mark!” He laughed and jumped down and ran around the room shouting “Big blank flank!” and falling about in hysterics.

Tingles and I didn’t need to say any more, we’d both heard enough. We left Brandy Snap playing and exited the room. Thoughtfully the agency mare on duty outside smiled and went in with a plate of sandwiches for the foal, leaving us to our own devices. In the corridor my brightly coloured partner leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. I knew how she felt too, goddess damn it. Brandy’s family had already been sold into slavery, the sex trade most likely, and with the worst of the bunch - Gates, that pox upon ponykind.

Tingles spoke softly, “Gates. He’s one of the one’s who…” She tailed off.

I took a breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, him and Melon Patch.”

“Oh Celestia, Nox, those poor ponies.” Tingles hung her head in horrified realisation of the nightmare that had swallowed a little foal’s mother and sister. All we could be thankful for was that young Brandy was too young to really understand what had happened.

I sighed. “I know, Tingles. Believe me, I know all too well what those scum are capable of.” I fished out a couple of mints from my pocket and hoofed one to her which she took gratefully. When ponies said something ‘left a bad taste in your mouth’, they weren’t kidding. “You worked with Jingo in the watch didn’t you?” I asked her.

She nodded, “I did, but we weren’t especially friendly with one another. She was always quite distant to be honest, and a real smart arse with other ponies which drove them away from her. Creeped around Blaze and Dawn a lot too, like they were the ‘in gang’ or some such.”

“Know anything about her personal life?” I asked.

Tingles shook her head. “Not really. She didn’t mix with the rest of us at all, even in the break room. A bit of a loner in some ways, but she was very family orientated, I know that much. Even brought her little sister to work one day and doted on her the whole time she was there. Cute I suppose, if she wasn’t such a… Oh, I don’t know. I don’t like to say ‘weirdo’, but in her case? Yeah, she was.”

“Where does she live?” I enquired. “Any partner? Husband maybe?”

“Been a while, but so far as I know she actually lives with her sister downtown on eleventh and mane.” Tingle’s eyebrows shot up hopefully. “Might want to check in on her, you think?”

“I think,” I nodded thoughtfully, “we can pay a little visit to… to… Oh, buck…”

The world lurched like I was on the deck of a ship and I slammed heavily against the wall. Damn it! What the hell was going on? I was so weak... And then I realised something. When was last time I’d taken any life energy? The massive expenditure in the sea had drained me, not to mention the flight back to shore immediately afterwards. The huge strain was finally taking its toll and was affecting me physically as well as magically. I could barely keep my eyes open.

“Cap! You okay? What’s wrong?” Tingles sounded panicked, and put a foreleg around me protectively. “Come on, we’d better get you to the medics.”

“No!” I gasped. “Can’t! Buck it all… Tingles, check my pack. The thermos flask...”

She looked inside and her face went white. “It’s broken! The whole lots leaked out!”

I thought I’d felt something damp against my flank. Blast, why didn’t I check? I needed to get back to my room and take some of the berries and the life energy in the glass bottle, if there was any left. There should be, right? Gods, I couldn’t remember, my head was a total disaster area. “Tingles, please, help me back to my room. Please…”

“Okay, you’re the boss.” Tingles didn’t sound convinced, but did as I requested. “Here, lean on me…that’s right, one leg at a time.”

How we got to my room I’ll never know. I remember collapsing on the bed and feeling like I could sleep forever. I had a vague sense of Tingles rummaged around the room and pouring out the last of the bottle and berries, crushing them into an ad-hoc smoothie.

“Get this down you, Cap’,” she urged. “Come on now…”

Gratefully, hungrily, I downed the mixture, feeling strength drip back into me. But it wasn’t much. Not much at all. What in Equestria was I going to- Wait! Aunt Pewter’s jam! Weakly I tried to stagger over to the cupboard until Tingles stopped me, realising what I was after. Guiding me back to the bed she brought out a jar for me and took off the lid.

“Is this what you’re after?” she asked, looking at the bright red sticky contents.

I nodded, and Tingles pulled out a spoon, lifted my head, and began feeding me the sweet preserve like a newborn foal. I didn’t care. The stuff tasted amazing, but its effects were what I really craved right then. And effects I got in spades. Thanks be to Luna, it was working. Slowly, my legs and spine began to shiver as the life giving energy seeped back into me, filling the void and making me feel whole once more. I’d have to be more careful in future and make sure I had a stock of the preserves. I’d have a word with the kitchen staff and see if they could make some with the berries that appeared each morning.

“Fairlight,” Tingles stated quietly, “the bottle… It’s empty…”

She sounded a lot more concerned than I was right then, but I was so relieved to feel my strength returning I didn’t give it much thought. The preserve had done its job well enough. “Yeah, it’s okay,” I said wearily. “It appears here most mornings with the berries anyway. The cleaners bring it in I think.” To be honest I’d never really considered where it came from, or how it got here. Luna had made the arrangements and who was I to look a gift mare in the mouth? I yawned. “I suppose… I suppose it must be… magic.” I smacked my lips and rubbed my eyes. Ah, magic, the answer to all life’s little mysteries! Well, at least my sense of humour hadn’t drained away completely yet. “I’m going to lie down for a bit, love,” I murmured. “I’m so tired… I can’t hardly…” I yawned so widely I heard my jaw crack and hauled myself onto the bed with an encouraging nudge from Tingles.

“Okay, Captain, sleep well.” She mumbled something else I couldn’t quite hear as she left the room and flicked off the light. She was such a good friend. Such a good… friend...

My dreams were a clouded mess of disjointed and terrifying images. Brandy the little foal featured heavily in them, weeping for his lost mother and sister. Their cries for help pulled me ever deeper into the dream world, emphasising the feeling of being helpless and alone. I was desperate to help them, to do what I could, anything, to save the two frightened ponies that were lost in a world totally alien to them. Desperation and anger at my impotence dragged me on past the laughing images of Gates and Melon Patch, their filthy visages decaying in the depravity they revelled in. Anger gave way to a steel hard need, a hatred beyond anything I had ever experienced. The voices, the smells, the faces… Gates and Melon Patch - I would find them, and by the time I had finished with them, they would pray for the merciful release of death. A grim determination settled through me. I felt… jubilant, excited at the prospect of revelling in their demise. They deserved it, called out for it. Death. A pony cloaked in black, scythe carried over its shoulder yet as insubstantial as a shadow, walked toward me, its hooves echoing as if we were in some great stone hall. It grew closer, solidifying as it came. There was no face, only a black nothingness.

“Who do you fear?” its hissing voice asked.

I reared and slammed my hooves down hard, “I fear NOPONY.”

“Do you fear death?” the cowled figure asked.

The answer came without pause. “NO.”

“Do you fear yourself?”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. The figure looked up, two bright blue eyes shining out through the dark mass under the cloak’s cowl. The pony threw back the hood and there was no mistaking it now, it was like a mirror. I was looking at… myself.

The thing wearing my face walked towards me, “Ponies fear the unknown. They fear death. They fear... you.” In the barest whisper of breath, it spoke next to my ear, “You have become death.”

Shouting out in panic I pulled my head away from the saturated pillow and sat up, panting hard. Rivulets of sweat were dripping off me. I was soaked in it, my bedsheets were stuck to my fur, and I felt terrible. Dear gods, I was shaking like a bloody leaf! Just to make matters worse my head was banging with a the mother of all headaches, my legs felt like lead and… Oh hell, my room. In the throws of my nightmare I must have lashed out with my magic. Around me the floor, walls and ceiling were solid with ice, even the door to the bathroom. This was going to take some explaining, and the worst of it was, I really needed to go to the loo. Gingerly I peeled off the covers, swung my hind legs over the edge of the bed, and promptly slipped on the floor, landing in a heap of sodden bed covers and steaming fur. I was burning up, so much so that the ice was actually melting beneath me. Buck me ragged, this wasn’t good! I grabbed the jars of jam and downed as much of the sticky stuff as I could. I felt sick to my stomach eating so much gooey sweetness in one go, but it didn’t matter, I had to try and do something to settle things down. The magic had leaked from me during the night, and what precious little I’d had before bed had probably already gone. The jam helped of course, but I was desperately low on reserves. I only hoped that whoever brought the bottle last time would do so again today. I took a sip of water and winced as the tart taste washed away down my throat. Gods, I was heartily sick of berries. I looked around the room at the mess and groaned. I think one of the worst things about all this was that I felt like a guilty foal who’d wet the bed, and I suppose in magical terms that was exactly what I’d done. I’d have to strip the bed and hide the evidence before the cleaners came round. Fortunately I had a laundry basket, and I doubt anypony would bother asking why I’d given them a ‘helping hoof’ this morning. For all they knew, I’d simply spilled some juice on my bedding. I only wish it had been. My guts rumbled ominously and I was swiftly reminded of a more pressing need than cleaning the room. Unfortunately the door to the bathroom was so solid with ice there was no hope of getting it open any time soon, so after quickly turning up the heating I set out for the nearest loo.

The corridor was quiet at this time of night, day, or whatever it was. To be honest I had no idea. My clock had been frozen solid and my pocket watch was locked somewhere in a huge icicle at the back of the room. I’d have to sort that out later too. What a treat! Fortunately the toilets weren’t too far and I virtually flung myself onto the seat in the first cubicle I came to, and just in the nick of time. All I can say is thank the goddesses that nopony came in whilst I was in there! A wave of heat flooded through me, passing quickly to a peculiar chill that made me feel a touch light headed. I don’t know what the hell that was, but thank Luna it passed as quickly as it had appeared. My insides were in turmoil, and the deadly aroma of digested berries was anything but pleasant. Eventually however, everything seemed to settle down. And so, after a freshen up with a damp flannel, I nipped out quick. I decided against going back to my room, and to let the heating do its job. I wasn’t sure how I’d explain the water on the floor, but I could cross that bridge when I came to it. There wasn’t much I could do just at the moment, and so I decided to hang out in the canteen until I felt a bit better, or had a shower, or… Damn it, I couldn’t decide! My head was still such a bloody mess, concentrating on anything was a task in itself. I rubbed my eyes. Along the corridor was Tingles’ room. I wonder if she was still awake?

I knocked lightly on the door. “Tingles? It’s Nox. You up?”

There was no answer. I was about to walk away when I thought I heard the sound of movement coming from the room, like something rolling across the floor. I tried again, slightly louder this time, but there was still no answer. I tried the handle. The door wasn’t locked, which wasn’t that unusual in the agency, but still, it was a mares room after all. I hesitated, second guessing myself. No harm in checking she was okay, right? Besides, something was niggling at the back of my mind - something wasn’t right here. I may be wrong of course, but if I was right and I did nothing I’d never forgive myself. Damn it all! I’d probably get a bollocking from her, but here goes…

I pushed the door open, surprised to find the light was still on. There was nopony here. The bed was unslept in, her overcoat hanging on the peg on the back of the door. Had she stayed out all night and forgot to turn the light off? Maybe, but wouldn’t she normally have taken her coat with her? The room was neat and tidy, with all her things well organised and not showing any signs of being disturbed. Where the hell was she? I moved further in and nearly tripped on a glass bottle on the floor. That must have been what the noise was, but what had made it roll in the first place? That was when I noticed the green tail poking round the corner of the bed. The rest of its owner was slumped further in and partly hidden behind the cupboard. She was draped over some sort of object that was studded with gems and glowing with a curious white light.

“TINGLES!” I shouted, and rushed over to her, slipping on the silvery white fluid that had spilled from the bottle. It was almost invisible against the white tiled flooring, but even in my panic to get to her I knew what it was. And I knew what the damned fool was doing too. “Oh goddesses, Tingles, no! What the hell have you done?”

She was weak, so terribly, terribly weak. Her coat was palid and her eyes sunken, and yet despite it she still tried to smile. “Hey… Cap’. Sorry, I couldn’t… make as much as… I thought…”

“You bloody fool!” I snapped. I looked around frantically. “Buck, buck, buck!” I didn’t know what the hell I was looking for, but one thing I knew I had to do was to get her away from that damned… ‘thing’. I pulled it out from under her and flung the cursed device across the room. Next, I went to help Tingles off the floor. I was still weak myself, painfully so, but she needed me and, damn it all, I would save my friend come hell or high water.

I sounds terrible, horrible I know, but I still did it. I managed to down the remains in the bottle and even licked the fluid off the floor, as much as I could, desperate to build some magic back up. It was barely enough to help me levitate her off the ground and onto my back, but thank the gods I managed. Holding her there by the magic from my horn I bolted out the room and down the corridor for the only one I knew who could help her. Corridors flew by, and the nearer I got the further my destination seemed to be, like one of those damned nightmares where you goal was always just out of your grasp. But finally, taking that last corner, the large heavy door loomed before me.

“Mistress! Open up, for the love of the all that’s holy! Please!” I hammered on the door with my hoof but no reply came. “Open the bucking door! I need your help now! LUNA!”

Still no reply.

I felt down inside myself. The spirit was weakened, but still there. With a little persuasion and driven by need, I released its power into my body, feeling it freeze and warm me in equal. My voice, heavy and filled with ethereal energy, boomed out in the corridor.

“PRINCESS! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW, OR BY THE GODS I WILL TURN IT INTO MATCHWOOD!”

With a flicker of purple light, the magic around the door suddenly shimmered and died, the locks snapping back as the heavy portal swung open. A voice from within flowed out,

“What is the meaning of this infernal noise?” Luna’s face appeared, staring at me in surprise. “You! What are you doing here?”

I rushed inside, “It’s Tingles, she’s… she’s dying. Damn it, Luna, she’s the one who’s been filling those cursed bottles isn’t she? You gave her that damned device and look what’s happened to her! My friend…This is your bloody fault, so DO SOMETHING!”

The princess slammed the door shut and locked it, throwing off her cloak and shot me an angry glance, “Put her in front of the fire. Gently now… that’s right.” She plucked a bottle from the shelf and hoofed it over to me. “Drink, you need energy, I can see it in your eyes.”

“Is this hers?” I hissed. “Is it?!”

Luna scowled, “No! And if you are going insist on shouting, I will throw you out of the window and see how fast you can learn to fly, so be quiet!”

I was virtually shaking with adrenalin, but followed the princess’s directions and swallowed the contents of the bottle. Almost immediately I felt a strong wave of energy encompassing me, rather like jumping into a hot bath. I was alive, alive and alert at last. But now, Tingles lay before me. I had to help her. I sat beside the tangerine mare and pulled a cushion off the chair to place gently under her head. Brushing a few wisps of hair from face I opened myself fully to the spirits power, letting it flow freely through me. Slowly, I opened my maw and allowed the mist to form.

A midnight coloured forehoof reached over and stopped me. “No, this is beyond you now I fear.” Luna looked me in the eyes. “To bring her back from where she is now will likely take all you have, and your spirit is already weakened. To go beyond your limits could result in death.”

“I feel strong!” I said assuredly. “I will save the girl. I will not fail again!”

Luna seemed surprised. Her eyes widened and then she leaned forward with a gentle smile playing across her lips. “You always did surprise me, my lord.”

Oh goddesses, this again! “Luna, please!”

“Oh, be quiet Captain, I know what I’m doing.” Luna huffed. “You must remain still now and, I pray, quiet!”

Chastened, I nodded and watched her intently as she worked. Luna raised her hooves above her head and began a peculiar chant, the room darkening noticeably as she continued. A black swirl of non-light ebbed and flowed around her hooves, gaining speed and emanating a sort of humming wail. Her chanting grew louder, its intensity shaking the walls, the doors, and even rattling the windows. My horn itched like crazy from the intense magical build up, and my eyes went wide as I saw a small pinprick of silver light seep out from the princess of the night’s chest only to be immediately sucked up into the black vortex swirling above her. With a strange shout that made my mane stand on end, Luna drew the black mass into her mouth and, in one fluid movement, leaned forward and clamped her mouth around Tingles’ own. The princess’s eyes blazed with white light, bleaching the room with their radiance. Alarmingly, Tingles’ own eyes began to glow now too. Brighter and brighter they shone, until she was filled to the brim with the magic of the night princess. I held my breath. Her colour was returning before my very eyes, her chest moving with her breathing, and her were legs beginning to twitch as life surged through her veins. With a shudder, Tingles came back to herself and locked eyes with the princess who carefully pulled her mouth away. Luna looked utterly exhausted, and Tingles looked like she was in a state of shock.

“What... What was that?” Tingles gasped, blinking her eyes. “Princess? What am I doing here? Fairlight!” The tangerine mare sat up in a flash and nearly knocked me flying, her forelegs pulling me into a crushing embrace.

Luna sat back, rubbing her brow. “Are you well my dear young mare?”

Tingles released me and turned to face the princess. “I am, your majesty, thank you. I… I don’t know what happened...”

“I do!” I said angrily, “It was that bloody thing you were using. What were you thinking, Tingles? Giving me your life? Do you want to die?!”

She looked abashed, and despite my anger I felt ashamed at my outburst. This mare was sacrificing her life daily to give me strength to help Equestria. She was truly one of a kind, an example of all that was good in a pony.

“No…” she said solemnly. “I want to-”

“She wants to help you, Captain,” Luna interrupted, “as do I. You have a remarkable talent for influencing those around you, affecting hearts and souls wherever you go without having any idea how, or even that you are.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “This is all, I don’t know... madness. Sheer madness. I appreciate why you’re doing this, Tingles, but giving me your life? Goddesses, please, don’t do this.” I sank to my haunches and hid my face in my hooves. The magic began to drain from me, my eyesight returning to normal, the wings retreating into my back as it they had never existed. All that was left was the broken, scarred unicorn I always had been.

The tangerine mare scooched over and held me in her forelegs. “It’s okay, Fairlight, I’m alright. Look, see? I’m okay!” She began to gently stroke my mane, holding me to her chest. “Don’t cry now, love. Come on now… Shhh, it’s alright, I’m not going away.”

I melted into her warm embrace as she held me tight, and I cried into her fur like a foal. Emotions raged through me, but with one overriding them all – relief. I barely noticed Luna walk up beside me and place a kiss on my forehead.

“You have many who love you, Captain… My lord of the four winds,” the princess said gently. “Never forget that.”

I felt the heat of the fire on my coat, the warmth of Tingles’ body and the smell of her breath, her fur, her mane… I wanted to go home and hide in her embrace forever, forgetting the world outside. But it was not to be, and probably rightly so. I couldn’t hide from my duties, nor from life. So many depended upon me including the princess, and my tangerine pegasus. The sheer relief of having her back with us, with me, was overloading my emotions.

Tingles moved her muzzle and brought my tear sodden face up to hers. “I know I shouldn’t say it, you have Meadow and Shadow, but…”

“Tingles,” I said quietly, listening to her heart beating beside me.

“I love you, Fairlight,” Tingles whispered, “I always have.”

I snuggled my muzzle into her chest, “I know,Tingles. I-”

“Shhh, its okay,” the orange pegasus said tapping me on the nose. “I understand. I’m quite a selfish pony at heart, my Captain, and whether you like it or not, whether you feel anything for me or not, I will still love you.” She let out a little whimper, “Damn you, Fairlight, I love you so much. Why do I feel like this? Why?”

I didn’t understand mares. I probably never would. Right then, like my dream, I didn’t truly understand myself either. Perhaps I was over thinking things again. Maybe I should just live for the moment and take tomorrow by the balls. Yes, there was always tomorrow. Right now though, a mare who loved me was holding me to her breast before a roaring fire on a soft warm rug. If the eternal herd was the heaven of the ponies then they could keep it. Here and now, I had found mine.

Chapter Seven - Plausible deniability

CHAPTER SEVEN

Plausible deniability

In the armoury, Snap was looking nervous. “You want what, again?”

I sighed. “It’s all on the list, Snap, read it again.”

“I don’t need to!” she snorted. “I can’t give you all this! What are you doing, going to war?”

I could feel my neck twitch in frustration. “Give me the items on the list, or I will come in there and take them myself. If you don’t like it, take it up with Brandy.”

“Brandy? Brandy said you can have all this?” Snap snorted loudly. “Buck off, Nox, you’re taking the piss.”

“‘Brandy’ said he could have it, Snap.” The armoury mare’s jaw hung open as the dappled silvery coated senior agent walked up to her booth. “I would appreciate you giving agent Nox what he needs to accomplish his mission, is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir!” She snapped a salute and disappeared into the bowels of the armoury.

Brandy spoke to me quietly, “Nox, I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but try not to destroy half of Manehattan while you’re at it, eh?”

“No, Sir,” I replied smartly. “I’ll be very selective.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me and chuckled quietly, “I like you, Nox, I like your style. By the way, what happened to that little foal you brought in here? I never saw him.”

“Oh, your namesake?” I shrugged. “He’s with one of the team in the guest quarters. We’re keeping him here until we get news of the whereabouts of his family. Poor little guy.”

Brandy stopped and stared ahead of him, “What? My namesake?”

I nodded. “Yeah, his name’s Brandy Snap apparently.”

“Brandy Snap?” The dappled officer never flinched. “What’s he look like?”

“Like his name,” I replied. “A caramel coloured foal with-”

The older stallion looked like he'd seen a ghost. “A white mane, like cream…”

I frowned in surprise. “I thought you hadn’t met him, Sir?”

“Oh, I would say so agent Nox,” Brandy said calmly. “He’s my son”

I was nearly floored. “What?!”

Brandy sighed. “My wife and I split up some time ago. Carnation couldn’t handle all the hours I worked in the agency, a problem which a lot of us in this profession have to face sooner or later. Work always comes first, eh?” He closed his eyes, adding, “Flax, my daughter, was due to start school soon…” He suddenly span round, taking me by surprise and put both of his front hooves on my shoulders. “Fairlight, find my family… please. The mistress trusts you, and so I trust you. I can see it in your eyes, you can do this, I know you can. Look, If you need anything let me know, we’ll be standing by.” Brandy stepped away, “Are sure though, absolutely sure you don’t need somepony to go with you on this?”

“I am, Sir,” I replied. “Tingles is still too weak and when the time comes I don’t want to be worried about anypony getting caught in the crossfire. I’m going to need all my focus to do what needs to be done.”

“Collateral damage?” he asked winking.

I nodded. “Collateral damage.”

The silver dappled stallion clapped me on the shoulder, “Good luck, Nox, may the goddesses bless you. I’ll have the backup a heartbeat away.”

“Thank you, Sir,” I replied.

I watched Brandy walk away. He was standing tall, but there was a droop to his ears that spoke of the turmoil that had gripped his heart. A turmoil I had inadvertently put there. I simply hadn’t made the connection between the two Brandies. The young one hadn’t known his father’s name though, and I suspected that his parents had separated not long after he’d been born. There was a clatter and bang of equipment followed by heavy breathing emanating from the armoury door. Snap, sweat dripping from her forehead, held up my list, pointing to it.

“Here! It’s all bloody here!” she gasped heavily. “Good luck lugging this lot around with you. Are you plumb crazy?”

I gave her my broadest grin, “Oh hell yeah, you better believe it.”

On reflection, maybe Snap had a point. Despite all my bravado, the harness and equipment straps along with all the packs and gear, was damned heavy. Still, I had no intention of using it all in one go. No, I had planned this down to the last detail, factoring in contingencies and preparing myself mentally. Luna had also come through for me in spades.

My pilot, ‘Loofa’ as he was known to the agency ponies, hooked himself into the cockpit and stretched his wings. The stallion’s goggles made him look a bit like some sort of bizarre giant bug, but the guy came well recommended by Brandy so I was confident I’d get there in one piece. My gear loaded I settled back for the journey, patting the pannier containing a full load of vacuum flasks. There was well more than I needed, and kindly donated by the citizens of Equestria too apparently. That was very thoughtful of them. I wondered if they knew? Probably best to dispense with that chain of thought…

We soared out over the Manehattan skyline. It was 2:00am. According to my calculations we’d be there in around twenty minutes. Give or take a few minutes to get myself set up and we were looking at around half two. And then it was showtime. Or at least the opening act. I felt surprisingly alert, and was twitching to get to my destination. How much of that was down to me, or the spirit, I didn’t know. I didn’t care either. I sat back and let my mind wander, thinking back to what had happened down in the depths of the ocean. That voice… Who was that? It wasn’t the spirit, and it wasn’t my own, so… who? Well, whoever or whatever it was, I was alive now thanks to them. And I was doing what I was born to do – helping ponies who couldn’t help themselves.

“Coming up on the target now, boss,” Loofa called. “I’ll bring us in.”

I checked my watch – five minutes ahead of schedule. Loofa really was quite the pilot. I checked my equipment, slipped on my sunglasses, and moved quickly and quietly along the deserted street. Eleventh and Mane was nothing special, it was just a bog standard street in a bog standard area. The sorts of ponies who’d normally be out at this time of night, or morning I suppose, were your typical ‘bog standard’ run of the mill piss heads. There would never be enough wheat beer and spirits in the world for these night owls. Fortunately for me the only ones I saw were collapsed in doorways three sheets to the wind and snoring merrily. In truth I don’t think they’d have noticed me if I’d been dancing past them in a jesters costume complete with bells and floppy hat. But you couldn’t take chances. With my special operations gear, black and figure hugging, my rubber shoe covers muffling any sound, I moved like a ghost.

There were only a few steps up from the street to the front door, and I stopped to take stock of the situation. There were no identifying marks on my equipment or clothing. There were no names, nor anything that could be traced back to my employers. It was a precaution; plausible deniability if this all went to shit. Tonight, it was just me. Moving through the shadows I glided up to the front door and tried the handle. It was locked. Sensible. A quick tap with my telekinesis and the lock clicked open, a handy little trick Mitre had taught me years earlier that involved learning about tumblers, pins, levers, and all sorts of knowledge we’d stolen from the locksmiths guild. Goddesses, if he could see me now he’d think I’d lost the plot completely. Still, I’d like to imagine he was proud of me, but we’d see. The next time I met him he could tell me himself. I took a breath and pushed. The door opened on surprisingly well oiled hinges with little more than a swish. It was only the soft sound of the bottom edge brushing against the deep pile carpet, but sounded deafeningly loud in the silence of the night. Once inside I pushed the door to, placing a wedge under it in case I needed to get out quickly. So far so good. I poked my head around the first corner, checking each room in turn. They were all dark, except… Damn, the kitchen light was on. Right, plan ‘B’ it was then.

I sidled up to the edge of the door. The light inside was uncomfortable against my now night adjusted eyes, but I could still make out a chocolate coloured filly stuffing herself with goodies from the fridge. She was probably just starting middle school judging by her age, but it was hard to tell for certain from this distance. The young pegasus was a little pudgy thing too, and boy could she eat! Sandwiches and cakes were consumed in short order, the girl almost grunting as she troughed through the fridge’s contents. She never heard me enter the room.

“Nopony ever tell you that you could end up with diabetes from eating all that?” I asked pleasantly.

The girl choked and sputtered, cake and sandwich components spraying out from her like a furry firehose. I’d timed the expected scream perfectly, and magicked a piece of tape over her mouth. Her forelegs and hind legs were next. In no time at all I had the treat filled creature trussed up like a Hearthswarming present. Now for phase two…

I heard the landing light come on and hoofsteps coming closer and closer. My visitor sounded a little flustered too. “Cocoa?” the female voice called out. “Where are you girl? Why aren’t you in bed? Goddess dammit, if you’re stuffing your face again, I swear…” The voice stopped by the kitchen door. “Why’s the light off? Are you sleep eating again?” She flicked on the switch and took in the sight of her daughter bound up and seated on the kitchen table.

“Oh my feathers! What the-” She stopped when I pressed the pistol to the back of her head and froze.

“Good evening citizen,” I smiled pleasantly. “I’d like to have a little word with you if I may.”

She turned to look at me, taking one look at my eyes and shrank back in fear, “D… D… Demon!” she squeaked.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” I said taking a bite of the sweet oak cake that I’d salvaged from the chocolate coated piglet. “Mmmm hmmm! That’s some good eatin’ there, miss...?”

She coughed and kept looking between the girl and myself, “Ma… my name?”

“Yeah, you do have one don’t you?” I asked. “I mean, it would be a first to not have one I suppose, but I’m guessing your folks followed normal convention right? So…” I examined my pistol, clicking the safety on and off for effect before leaning towards her grinning. “What’s your bucking name?”

“Cinder!” she gasped suddenly. “My name’s Cinder!”

I nodded. “Thanks Cinder, that’s very good of you to tell me so nicely.”

“What do you want?” she choked. “Please, I don’t have anything, just don’t hurt us… please!”

“Now why would I want to hurt you, Cinder?” I asked calmly. “I mean, a mare who can make such good pies and all? No, I tell you what, I want you to use this here and call Jingo. Tell her to come here. As quick as she can.” I lifted the comms device I’d recovered from the filly’s pocket and passed it to her. “Here you go, Cinder, Cocoa has a hotline to the watch doesn’t she? Isn’t that clever!” I leaned over and mussed the filly’s hair. She started crying in fright and I saw Cinder take an instinctual step forward to console her. “Ah, ah, ah!” I admonished, waving the pistol. “Let’s all keep calm and keep this cool. Mother Cinder, do call Jingo and ask her to come here will you. Tell her Cocoa can’t sleep and wants to see her big sister, there’s a dear.” I copied the line from a play I’d heard on the radio, the ‘Sinister Butler’. It came across quite well I thought. Cinder certainly thought so.

She picked up the device which Tingles had told me she’d seen Cocoa using when she’d been at the watch house with her older sister. I guessed it wouldn’t be on the same frequency as the one the watch generally operated. After all, Blaze was still a stickler for protocol even if she was a crooked cop now. Her suck up pal, Jingo, would no doubt want to keep conversations with her family private, and certainly wouldn’t want to piss off the boss.

The big beige mare’s eyes were staring at me as she spoke into the communicator. “Jingo? Jingo it’s mum. Can you hear me? Oh goddesses, please answer...”

A moment later, “Mum? what are you doing up this early, is something wrong?”

“It… It’s…” Cinder looked at me with terrified eyes. I finished another sandwich, waving my other hoof at her to continue. “Cocoa can’t sleep,” Cinder said quickly. “She’s having nightmares. Can you come home, darling? Please?”

Jingo’s voice sounded resigned, “Okay, mum. Look, I’ll be about twenty minutes or so. I’m off duty shortly anyway so I’ll ask the sergeant if I can get away a bit early. I’ll be round as soon as I can, yeah?”

I smiled at Cinder, nodding.

Her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. “Sure baby, just… don’t be long, okay?”

“Okay mum, see you soon.”

Cinder put down the comms device and opened her mouth to speak. I moved over and stuck a piece of tape over it, trussing her up like Cocoa. A few moments later the two of them were locked in the bathroom and sleeping peacefully, courtesy of one of the agency’s little knock-out sprays. Wouldn’t want to use that on a windy day! I trotted back downstairs and made myself comfortable as I waited for the star attraction to arrive. Twenty minutes, eh? I leaned back and stretched my legs. I hated waiting, but if there was one thing I knew, it was that pegasi could cover distances in the blink of an eye. From here to the watch house would be, what, two or three minutes by air? I heard a thump outside. Bang on time, the front door opened and Jingo trotted in. She noticed the light on in the kitchen and-

“Who the buck are you?!” she nickered in surprise. “Where’s my mum and sister?”

“Oh, Jingo. Jingo, Jingo, Jingo… You really do have a bad memory don’t you?” I waved my pistol at her, “Pull up a seat and let’s have a nice little chat you and I, eh? Your mum and sister have already told me soooo much about you!”

Jingo’s eyes narrowed and I saw her taking in everything around her, no doubt looking for anything she could use as a weapon. “You rat!” she snarled. “Where are they? What have you done with them? If you’ve hurt them-”

I waved a hoof. “Yeah, yeah, I get the idea; bloody vengeance and all that jazz. No. I want to speak to you, Jingo, that’s all. And you needn’t worry about your family either. Cocoa and Cinder are perfectly safe and they’re both unharmed. Mind you,” I said picking my teeth with a bit of card off the table, “I imagine you’ll be wanting to see them again, sooner rather than later. Don’t you?”

“You bucking pig! What do you want?” she hissed.

I leaned across the table and pushed Jingo into the chair, keeping the pistol trained on her. “I’ll tell you what I want, Jingo, I want answers, answers to questions. I don’t like what I hear and maybe, maybe Cocoa goes away, maybe mummy too, eh? How’s that sound to you?”

“You don’t scare me!” Jingo’s eyes flashed dangerously, and I had no doubt that if I so much as took my eyes off her even for a second, she’d be on me. “Is this some sort of stupid game to you? I don’t even know who you are!”

I smiled, and bowed sarcastically before her. “Allow me to introduce myself, my dear. Perhaps you will recall a certain young stallion, looked rather like me I suppose: fit, lean, a budding officer in the Manehattan watch. Imagine his surprise when his wife is raped and murdered before his very eyes. Quite the shocker wouldn’t you think? But wait, there’s more! Oh yes, his friend and comrade is shot dead beside him, and for added effect, our young hero is shot down too!” I leaned towards her and snarled, narrowing my blue eyes at her. I was really starting to feel the power bubbling within me now. “Am I ringing any bells now, you little bitch?”

Jingo looked like she’s seen a ghost, the colour draining from her indigo face. Her eyes were a lovely shade of violet, and it was hard to equate such lovely features to the dreadful things she’d done. “Captain… Fairlight?” she breathed. “But… But you’re dead! We… We buried you!”

“Yeah well, death just isn’t what it was anymore,” I said dismissively. “Sometimes when things get boring in the afterlife, you have to come back and take care of things here. Speaking of which, Jingo, you’ve been a busy girl haven’t you?”

“I… No. No, you can’t be him!” Jingo sputtered. “You’re… He’s dead!” She shook her head and let out a huff, doubting her own eyes. “You don’t look like him either, so I don’t know what your bucking game is pal, but-”

I released a little of the power and felt it sweep through me. The mares fear was tingeing the air with its scent and was tantalising my taste buds, making my teeth itch as they grew. I was hungry, so… hungry... and all I had to do was lean forward and take this mare as easily as plucking fruit from a tree. She looked… delicious.

Jingo looked like she was going to pass out as my wings broke from my back and stretched out across the kitchen before settling back down on my flanks. My eyes burned blue, my teeth elongating into razor sharp fangs and the white mist began to swirl, forming thick clouds around my hooves. I smiled, my tongue running over my teeth as I salivated, staring at her with a hunger I knew she could sense. The mare lifted her hooves off the kitchen floor and out of the mist. She opened her mouth, pointing at me. Go on, I thought to myself, say it…

“Demon!” Jingo’s shriek of fright echoed around the kitchen. “You’re a demon from hell!”

I shrugged and breathed out a fined mist which made her huddle in the chair for warmth. It wasn’t enough to harm her, but it had the desired effect. Before me the mare’s teeth began to chatter. I advanced on her. “Jingo,” I murmured. “My dear, dear, Jingo. You want to see mummy and sis again don’t you? You want me to go away don’t you?”

“Y… Yes!” she babbled. “Please, don’t… don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt my family… please…”

“Then tell me Jingo,” I said quietly. “What did you do with the foal and the mare you kidnapped from the waterfront?”

She shook her head furiously. “I don’t know what you’re-”

I released a blast of cold, just enough to make ice form on her fur. She cried out in fright and tried to jam herself between the table and the wall.

“Don’t lie to me, Jingo.” I didn’t raise my voice, but rather let it carry upon the icy fog that was rising ever higher. “If you do, I may bring Cocoa in here for us to… ‘play’ together. You haven’t seen me when I feed, have you my dear girl? It’s not pretty I’m afraid. Your sister is such a small life, so frail… I suspect she’s tender too.” I smiled, running my tongue over my teeth. “Succulent… barely a mouthful.”

It was probably the thick mist dripping from between my teeth that did it, but whatever it was the effect was instant. The smell of urine hit my nose full on. Crying silently, Jingo quite literally pissed herself in terror.

“I’ll ask again,”I tried. “Last chance, Jingo. Where are they?”

“Oh Celestia, Luna, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” The mare held her muzzle in her hooves, her eyes tight shut.

“Jingo? I’m getting hungry now, I won’t ask again.”

“They’re in the statue,” she breathed. “The statue in the bay.”

I hissed in anger, “You’re lying! Why would they be there?”

She was scared, but I was banking on her love of her family to override any fear of the criminal gang she was associated with. “Gates takes them there until night time,” she said quickly. “Then they’re taken by barge up river to a warehouse in New Baltimare. There’s a portal there where they send the merchandise through for… for sale.”

“When are they planning to move them?”

Jingo was turning paler by the minute, I’d have to ease off on the magic before there was any lasting damage.

“B… Before dawn,” she shuddered. “They’ll be taking the… them… up river…”

“Jingo, who was the unicorn with you when you kidnapped the ponies?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I… I don’t know. She never said her name, she came… came through the portal from the other side. She was… probably a… hu- human…”

She was going to black out any second. “One last thing, Jingo,” I said, looking her in the eyes. “Who is behind all this? You know, don’t you?”

Jingo shook like a leaf, the cold chilling her to the bone. “Blaze…” she gasped past chattering teeth. “Blaze is… Bl… Blaze… In charge… she...”

That was enough. I pulled the magic back in and used my normal magic to warm her up. I wanted to frighten her, not kill her. She just sat there and shook feebly. Part of me felt sorry for her, but after what she’d done the other part thought she could freeze to death for all I cared. Still, she had been truthful, of that I was certain. She’d believed her friend and master, Blaze, was the orchestrator of this performance, but I knew all too well that there would be far more behind the scenes that we hadn’t seen yet. Blaze may have been the one in charge on a local level, but she was still only a puppet, and where there was a puppet, there was a puppet master. All I could do for now was cut the strings and follow them to their source. I pulled on my TED, “Team windfall, mission complete. One to pick up, two for tidy up.”

Received, moving in. ETA, sixty seconds.

Good enough. I slipped out the shocker from my pocket and leaned forward, looking Jingo right in the eyes. “You won’t remember me, but I’ll remember you, you bucking traitor.”

A bolt of blue lightning flashed up and down the mare, making her shake violently before collapsing on the floor. For good measure I taped her mouth and legs together too. The agency ponies would be here any moment and I would need to be on my way. Pausing for a quick swig from my flask I patted the unconscious Jingo on the head. “Nighty night, Jingo. Don’t have any nightmares.”

Brandy was racing up the steps as I was leaving. So much for being ‘incognito’. “Any news, Nox?” he asked breathlessly.

I nodded, “She’s a gold mine, Sir. Have a chat with her, you’ll find she’s quite compliant. There’s two more in the bath. Don’t think they’ll know too much though.”

“Did she know anything about my daughter?” he asked. “What about her and Carnation?”

I could hear the fear in Brandy’s voice and my heart went out to him. But there was little to tell him right then. “They’re being kept in the statue on liberty island,” I replied adjusting my gear. “I’m on my way there now.”

Brandy closed his eyes for a moment and let out a pent up breath. No doubt the poor fellow had hoped for something that would give him something to cling to, even if it was only the faintest glimmer of hope. “I’d ask if you wanted backup, Nox, but I think I already know the answer.” He placed a hoof on my shoulder and nodded with a sigh, “Goddess speed you on your way.”

“Thanks, Sir.” I paused. “Oh, and try the pie. Jingo’s mum makes belting pastry”

Okay, so that may have been a bit thoughtless. Brandy’s family were facing horrors beyond imagining, and here I was making wise cracks. I despaired with myself at times, but I hoped that my making light of the seriousness of the situation would help him in some way to feel confident I would have his family, estranged as they may be, back soon. I knew all too well how it felt to lose the ones you loved, but how I would feel if they simply turned round to me one day and said they simply didn’t want to be around me anymore… I don’t know. We all had out burdens in life, but thank the gods that wasn’t one of mine. I snorted loudly, mentally blowing all the negative thoughts out of my body into the cool air. It was an old trick I’d learned as a colt. Bad things had always had a disturbing habit of sticking in my mind, slowly building, fomenting and maturing until they became a monster not even the blessed haven of sleep could dispel. Many nights I had lain awake, unable to sleep because of the innumerable insubstantial worries and concerns that had been waiting for me to let my guard down so they could begin clamouring for my undivided attention. Closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and snorting them out may have be a childish way to deal with the problem, but there was no denying it worked. Besides, I doubted I would have been able to afford a psychiatrist on my meagre salary in any case.

I leapt into the sky chariot and Loofa shot up into the air like a firework on Nightmare Night. Tonight though, I would be bringing a nightmare to the bastards on the island and, I hoped, light and hope to a little foal called Brandy Snap. Everything was ready as best as I could make it; my life energy was flowing, my weapon loaded, and the spirit was rumbled contentedly in the background. It knew what we had set out to do this day, and it sat there, smiling quietly to itself. Waiting. We flew low over the river and hovered just off shore, keeping the moon to our front to avoid being silhouetted. It was a precautionary measure, and since I was going into what was essentially the unknown, I would take any advantage I could. I unbuckled my restraining belts as Loofa brought us in to hover just above the waves, his wings keeping a steady beat.

“You sure about this, boss?” he whispered.

I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll send up a flare or radio in when I need back up. Keep your hooves crossed for me buddy.”

Loofa smiled, watching me as I rolled off the back of the chariot into the freezing water. Thank the goddesses the floatation suit worked as planned. Plummeting to the bottom of the sea was something I’d done once already in this lifetime, and it was an experience I didn’t especially wish to repeat either. I began to swim steadily towards the shoreline. I’d practised the manoeuvre time and time again back in the watch, back when I’d fancied a posting to the river patrol. It had never happened of course, Meadow had been so worried my potential drowning out in the bay I had scrapped that idea almost immediately. Still, it was fun to practice and got me out of the office for a few hours to lark around. Unsurprisingly however, the reality of rolling off a hovering platform into freezing water was a hell of a lot different from doing it near shore on a nice warm summers day. Here it was almost pitch black apart from the pale illumination cast by the distant moon and stars. By contrast, the artificial lights of Manehattan across the water reflected a myriad of colours upon the rippling glassy surface. It was all quite beautiful in its own way. If I had time, I’d have to come back here with Tingles for an evening flight. Yes. Yes, I’d like that.

I was getting closer now, and I refocused my mind on the job at hoof. Paddling for all I was worth, I was making some decent headway. The current here was strong, but I knew the right approach and had studied the island some years earlier when I’d planned to bring Meadow here for a trip out. Tonight, ironically, I wasn’t here for pleasure, but if Gates was here then I certainly wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’d smash its bucking teeth in. Growling with effort I ploughed on until my hooves began to touch bottom, kicking up the fine gravel that made up the narrow shore of the island in little plumes. A few more strokes and my hooves dug into something a little more solid. I breathed a sigh of relief and hauled myself out, feeling the water pouring off my wet suit. By the looks of my surroundings I was exactly where I’d intended to arrive, and thankfully, I was alone. It was certainly an odd feeling being stood there on the deserted shore of the solitary island that carried Manehattan’s most iconic statue. The impossibly gargantuan stone mare towered high above me, her beautifully carved eyes paying silent witness to the lone figure far below her, and to what was yet to come. Normally this most incredible of places pulled in visitors from all over Equestria, and yet here I was, armed, and hunting the worst kind of scum this country had ever produced. If there was ever a finer example of the word ‘irony’ I don’t know what it was. I pulled the suit off and checked the rest of my gear was free and ready to hoof. Flying here as a vengeful wendigo may have been tempting, but I was all too aware of how I would have stood out for miles around on a night like this. It wasn’t worth the risk. What those scum would have done to the ponies they’d kidnapped once they knew they were under attack, didn’t bare thinking about.

Away from the gravel shoreline, the rocks I had to navigate were slippery and difficult to climb. My overshoes gripped well enough of course, but the slick surface was little more than a mass of dark shadows in the moonlight and made progress treacherous. The last thing I wanted was a broken leg or fetlock here - I’d be right royally screwed then. And not in a good way. Jingo had said the kidnapped ponies were in the statue, but I decided to make a sweep of the area before rushing in there headlong. What I didn’t need, nor the kidnapped ponies for that matter, was their prospective rescuer needing to be rescued himself because he’d missed something important. What I had in my favour though was that the island was very well documented. The only large building there was the visitor centre, and it was completely shrouded in darkness. Considering the late hour it wasn’t all that surprising, but I knew for a fact they’d recently installed security lighting due to the problem of couples sneaking onto the island at night for a romantic canoodle or two. The island approaches were deadly if you didn’t know what you were doing, especially after dark, and tragedy had nearly struck several months before when a young couple were found clinging to the rocks and barely conscious by the staff heading there to open up for the day. That had been the end of that. Security lighting and, so far as I knew, a security guard, were now a permanent feature on the island. But right now there was no light to be seen, and certainly no sign of any security guard either. Perhaps he or she as in the statue itself keeping warm? I’d keep my eyes open for them just in case. I strained my ears, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Everything was deathly quiet here except for the gentle lapping of the waves on the rocks below. Had Jingo lied to me? Sent me on a wild goose chase in the dead of night? No. No, I’d seen the fear in her eyes and there was no doubting the sincerity in her words.

I checked through the windows of the visitor centre, finding the place locked from outside and like the rest of the island, silent. Other than a few storage sheds and the magical generator building it left only one place to check - the statue itself. If there were no guards here then they were either so cock sure of themselves that nopony could find them, or they’d already gone. Taking a gamble I released the spirit’s energy and felt my wings snap out from the slits cut in my suit. I never dreamed I’d ever have a need to wear pegasi clothing, but here I was all the same. Unfortunately the figure hugging flight suits weren’t really intended for those of a bigger frame and I’d had to tailor it myself, with a debatable degree of success. It certainly would win any fashion awards but seemed to work well enough though. And so with a few hard beats of my wings I ascended up the shadowed reverse of the statue until I was able to land on the back of its head. My eyes scanned the area, but still no sign of any movement. Other than the large magically powered torch the statue held in her left hoof, the only other light was from the ones inside the huge tiara that the statue wore. It was rather cleverly used as a viewing area for visitors to see Manehattan in all its rather dubious glory. If need be I could try to smash my way in and flashbug the ponies inside, if there were any, but there was no guarantee I’d be able to break the glass. I remembered the visitors guide proudly proclaiming that the numerous magical wards on the statue gave it incredible strength against the possibility of external damage from storms and so forth. There was another way in though, but it was one you could see from miles away. The torch held in the gargantuan pony’s hoof was not far away and filled the area around it with the flare from its magical fire. I shaded my eyes against the bright glare, straining to see any signs of movement. I was about to give up when I saw something moving. It could have been no more than a trick of the light of course, the flames flickering around in the wind caused shadows to leap and dance wildly. But… Yes! There, silhouetted against the flickering light was a solitary figure of a pony. He, or she, was walking slowly around the base of the torch, occasionally looking out into the night. One of the security guards maybe? I keep silent, watching for anything that might give them away. Patience was key here. As I watched they too a draw on a cigarette, and then flicked it off the edge of the railing. What happened next gave the game away. Standing on his hind legs the stallion put his forehooves on the railing, swinging a long metal firearm over his back, and began to urinate. There was no doubt in my mind now, this was a lookout for the gang working out of here. Not a very effective gang either judging by inattentiveness of this fellow, but that was all to my advantage tonight.

I took a breath, steadying my nerves. My suit covered most of my wendigo features, but the mist rolling off my haunches was a dead giveaway and unfortunately was something I couldn’t do much about. My leathery wings would likely be heard or seen at this distance too, and considering the fact I was here on a rescue mission, going in there like some avenging spirit of the north was out of the question. I let the magic seep away, my wings retracting into my back as my body returned to normal. Tonight, I would do this the old fashioned way. The spirit didn’t complain, but I’ll admit the loss of the wendigo’s magic was deeply unpleasant. Part of me felt almost naked, vulnerable, and all too aware of my mortality clinging here like some tick on the giant statue’s back. I hadn’t given it much though until now, but letting the magic flow through me felt extraordinarily comforting, like a shield I could use to protect me from any harm. In some respects that was indeed what it did, but did I really need a magical security blanket at my age? I shrugged. It didn’t hurt to have some assistance at a time like this, and thankfully I had just the thing. I reached into my satchel and took out the small bottle I had kept with me since my last trip to see Aunt Pewter. Quickly, I popped off the cork and took it down in one slug. Gods, it tasted rank! I winced, fighting down the sudden urge to empty my guts over the side of my precarious perch, but thankfully the nausea last no more than a few second. Damn it, why hadn’t she warned me? It was supposed to quieten my movements and make me less visible, and for the sake of the ponies in the statue I sure hoped she hadn’t been exaggerating. If there were any ponies in there. Grasping the edge of the statue’s robe I edged my way down and landed at the base of its outstretched foreleg. So far, so good. I began to carefully shimmy towards my goal, freezing stock still every time I detected even the slightest movement from the guard rail around the torch. Inch by torturous inch, I made my way along and up, my hoof covers giving a welcome grip on the slippery smooth surface. Thank the gods it wasn’t raining. The wind was ferocious up here, and goddesses help me, it was a long way down too. If I slipped I may not have a chance to get my wings free before I either smashed into the rocks or the freezing waters below. Pushing the frightening thought away, I concentrated all my attention on my goal. The figure of the platform was moving away now and disappeared around the other side, giving me the opening I was looking for. Carefully, I unclipped the line thrower from my pack, took aim, and fired it over the railing. With luck he wouldn’t hear the grapple catch. Keeping my hooves crossed, I watched as the grapple swung around the metal rail and snagged. A quick tug showed it was fast. Wasting no time, I hooked up the winder and hit the switch. Good grief, I remembered this from training, and how much I’d hated it! The thing wrenched at me and I was yanked along and up, only to end up dangling just below the walkway. I had to act fast, the pony would be coming round any moment. Unbuckling myself from the confines of the harness, I hooked my forelegs over the top rail and hauled myself over, laying flat and motionless until I could make out the silhouette of the pony. He wasn’t far away, having stopped to look out over the water. The view was amazing from up here, and the way the wind snatched at you and the flames from the magical fire of the statue’s torch, really added a touch of the dramatic. Suddenly the pony turned, yawning, then looked up at me, his eyes going wide in shock. Any lingering thoughts that he may be an official guard disappeared in that when he yanked the rifle from his back and levelled it at me.

The magic from his horn flared briefly, the firearm skittering across the platform while his body toppled over the guard rail and fell silently down into the black waters below. He’d never seen the knife flying towards his throat, nor had a good look at his killer either. So much for the non-lethal option then. If only he hadn’t turned when he had, if only he’d just stayed where he was even for a… I closed my eyes and huffed. Mercy was a luxury I couldn’t afford tonight. They hadn’t shown the girls any, and if it was down to a choice between risking their lives and killing a few scumbags, there was no contest. For now at least, morality was off the menu. The door to the interior was open, lit internally with small lanterns leading down to the viewing gallery and, with any luck, the missing ponies. Fortunately for this mission I’d brought along a contingency plan - the latest magical energy weapon from the sick and perverted mind of Doctor Bunsen, aka, the agency’s very own ‘mad scientist’. By Celestia’s randy arse, she’d excelled herself this time. The case it was in clicked open smoothly and the pieces inside, beetle black, slid and snapped into place with a precision I could only marvel at. I was a dab hoof in the garden and half decent in the DIY department to be sure, but making something this was way above my skill level. That wasn’t to say that I couldn’t show my appreciation of such a magnificent piece of equipment though. I’d have to make sure it got back safely, and with as few scratches as possible. I popped open the top cover and inserted the red crystal. It was a lot larger than the PDW’s I noticed, but then they had to be for this baby.

Finally, I was ready. Easing my way down the stairs I began to pick up voices, indistinct and echoing, but definitely Equestrian. Several of them too by the sounds of it, all talking at once. I used it to my advantage. The tightly twisting nature of the staircase meant I had to get a lot near than I would have liked, but the heated arguments were acting as the perfect diversion. I reached the last step, pressed myself against the wall, and deployed a small mirror on a stick to peer round the doorway that led to the inside of the statue’s head. Tilting the mirror I was able to see all I need to. It was brilliantly lit inside the viewing area, but fairly cramped. Several stallions and a couple of mares were pacing back and forth before a huddle of bound and terrified ponies. Most looked like they’d been beaten, and sported numerous cuts and bruises. Standing over them their animated guards all sported firearms of various types, which was not a good combination considering the heated argument that was being held between two of the meanest looking ones.

“I told you to leave them alone, Nelz, you dumb twat!” one of the mares snapped. “They’re going to be worthless if you beat them half to death. You do know what that means, right? No money! Not for me, not for you, not for anypony, and all this work will be for bucking nothing! Gods almighty, how dumb can you get?”

“They’re useless anyway, look at the state of them!” the male replied angrily. “Half of them are so weak they’ll never make the trip up the bloody river, let alone the portal jump.” He paused, a slow sneer spreading across his face. “What’s your problem, girl? Afraid to watch a stallion letting rip, is that it? Getting jealous are you?”

The other males laughed and hoof bumped the big cyan male.

The mare wasn’t impressed. “You ‘let rip’ fat arse, and you’ll rip her to pieces.” She gave a derisive snort. “If Gates finds out, he’ll do the same to you for costing him money.”

The stallion paused, thinking for a moment, and then spat on the floor in contempt. “Buck off, Prissy, she can take it. Bet you could too eh? Wanna try me baby? I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me...”

“You take a step toward me you bastard and I’ll take your stinking louse ridden head off,” Prissy hissed.

“Ooooh! Look at her boys, the big girl in the room! Tell you what, ‘big girl’, you sit your sweet arse down there, shut yer mouth, and watch how a real stallion can ride a pony, okay?” The cyan male, overflowing with self confidence, dismissed her out of hoof as he turned his attention to the group of huddling mares.

Prissy fell into a fighting stance but backed off when two of the other males levelled their weapons at her, laughing and chuckling to themselves. If was in their overshoes I would have been watching my back after this episode; Prissy’s eyes never left them, not even for a second. Emboldened by the apparent acquiescence of the only dissenting voice amongst his party, the smirking Nelz walked over and grabbed the hind leg of one of the foals in his teeth and began pulling her away from the others. An older female whom I presumed was probably the child’s mother, shrieked behind her gag and flailed her bound legs impotently. To Nelz however, the mother’s distress only seemed to add to his enjoyment of what he was planning on doing next.

He flung the foal across the floor and stood over her grinning, “Awww… Mummies little girl, eh? Ha! Don’t fret darling, old Nelz will make you a mare tonight. And maybe… How about my friends here too?” He leered over his shoulder to his companions. “I’ll soften her up a bit for you first, boys.” The foal struggled and cried, but the big male, impossibly big for her, held her down on the ground effortlessly. He smirked up at the female guard. “I heard the first inch is always the worst, Prissy. But don’t worry, you’ll get yours soon enough.”

“You piece of shit, Nelz,” Prissy snorted. “Gates will gut you for this…”

“Ha! Really?!” The stallion barked out a spittle drenched laugh. “That stinking walking corpse you mean? He just wants to buck her himself before he sells her to those pink ape scum. Don’t give me your high and mighty bullshit, girl, you’re just a bucking street whore and you should be grateful you’ve hit the big time with the Harpies. Now shut the buck up, this little bitch has this coming.” He straddled the foal and readied himself, his tongue lolling out in anticipation.

It was time.

“Hello everypony!” I called merrily. Each and every pony turned to face me in surprise. “Is this a private event? I must have missed my invite.”

“Who the buck are you?” Nelz shouted in surprise. For a big lunk he was surprisingly nimble and was quickly on his hooves, kicking the foal to one side like she was no more than a furry hoofball.

The girl squealed and coughed, tears pouring from her innocent eyes. When I had been her age, like so many others, I had believed in the monster under the bed, or the one lurking in the wardrobe. As I got older, such foolish thoughts of youth were things to look back on and laugh about over a few drinks with your friends. Nopony really took it seriously. When I joined the Watch, that innocent world view changed. There really were monsters in the world, and not just the ones in the deep forests and swamps, but here, lurking in the darkened shadows of a place where a pony should feel safe. She probably thought she had been. I think it was that moment, the look of pain on the young foal’s face and the leering grin of her attacker, that finally broke me. The spirit within me flared like a supernova, and I welcomed it, channelling the anger through my body as the white fog seeped from my haunches and spilled out across the floor. I took off my sunglasses and gave them a good long look at my blue eyes as I swept my gaze across them.

With a bow I smiled up at Nelz, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am the gate crasher, the party animal, the unexpected guest who nopony invited. And tonight fillies and gentle colts…” Standing on my rear legs, I stretched out my forelegs, the flashbugs dropping onto the ground before me. I howled out my defiance and laughter into the room as the ponies watched the flash bug casings split, and the angry cries from within rise in furious outrage. “IT’S PARTY TIME!”

The flashbugs exploded. Screams and shouts emanated from the frightened ponies, their captors desperately trying to see their attacker and falling to the hail of energy bolts rattling from my energy rifle. One by one the ponies fell, shrieking, lost in bursting fountains of blood and fur. The stink of burning flesh was sickening yet also horribly exciting. I could feel my fangs itching from the anticipation. Goddesses this felt good. I felt so alive! Suddenly there was a deafening sound of gunfire that sounded like a hailstorm from hell in the tight confines of the statue. One of the stallions had managed to get off a burst of fire that nicked my ear and muzzle before I walked over to him and sent his brain matter spraying out in a fountain of steaming fragments. I moaned in ecstasy, breathing in his escaping life force, healing my wounds and sending strength and determination into my limbs. There must be more for me here. There must be! And then I saw him. Nelz was scrabbling away from me, crying and gibbering like a drunken lunatic after his third bottle of gin. His hind leg had been blown off, the wound near cauterised by the energy blast. He was wreathed in an acrid blue smoke, and the burning stench from the hole in his chest that played in my nostrils, rather than turning my stomach, only heightened my level excitement.

“Goddesses take you, you demon,” he wheezed. “Go back to the pit! Go back to hell!”

I laughed, breathing the wind of the frozen north across his vile body. He shivered and whimpered at its touch, flinching away from me.

“Go back to the pit?” I whispered. “Why would I want to do that when I can play here with you? Oh Nelz, you disappoint me. A big pony like you, I thought you wanted to play with the little foal?”

“NO!” the cyan stallion gasped. “No, I didn’t mean it! I wouldn’t, I swear!”

I could imagine Gates and Melon Patch begging like this. I could see them in my mind’s eye, screaming, begging and pleading for their lives. It would be futile. Mercy was for the weak. “Too late, Nelz…” I breathed. “Far, far too late. Time to pay the piper…”

He shrieked as I lunged forward, my fangs biting deep into his neck, pulling and tearing. His dying gasps filled the room along with his spraying viscera, and I revelled in it all. I tasted his blood, the iron in it was tantalising, the life energy swirling out as I breathed it into my dripping maw. It filled me, taking me to a new level of ecstasy I would never have believe existed. But then, something always spoils the fun, doesn’t it. A shot rang out and clipped my mane, but it didn’t matter. All it meant was there was one more delicious flavour for me to sample tonight. Turning slowly I looked into the wild eyes of Prissy whose pistol was shaking so much in her magic, she was lucky not to shoot herself.

“Go away you… you monster!” she stammered. “Don’t hurt them!”

I stopped advancing and regarded her in my blue eyed gaze. “Don’t hurt them?” I sighed and rustled my wings. “Weren’t you going to give them to your friend Gates, Prissy? Or have you forgotten so soon? Perhaps you think that’s a better alternative do you? Raped by Nelz, raped by Gates - decisions, decisions, decisions.Well? What’s it to be?”

She backed away, tears filling her eyes as her pistol fell to the floor with a metallic clatter. “NO!” she cried. “Please… Luna, Celestia, forgive me. I never meant to hurt anypony! I… I thought it was a way off the streets, to get a few bits for a new life. A chance to start again. It didn’t seem real at first, and was all just a bit of fun. I didn’t know I’d be getting involved with things like… like this. But before I knew it I was up to my fetlocks in it all and there was no way out! Can’t you see that? You can’t leave the Harpies. Nopony leaves the Harpies!” She stomped a hoof and tossed her mane defiantly. “Kill me if you want demon, gods know I deserve it, but please, leave the foals alone I beg you.”

I looked down at her and hissed, my mouth opening in a toothy grin. Before I knew it I had my foreleg around the mare and in an embrace. She was shaking uncontrollably. “There is a place for you, Prissy. Not here, but there is a place where you can be more than you have become. Much, much more.” I released the power and felt myself returning to normal, the cold and anger fading away, warmed by the light in the mare’s eyes. I took out my shocker and sent her gently to the floor. “Sleep it off, Prissy, it’ll all be okay in the morning.” The ponies behind me were shaking in fear, and more than one had pissed themselves from fright. I couldn’t blame them, in the reflection from the window the bloodied, blue eyed stare of a pony I barely recognised anymore looked back at me. What the bloody hell was I becoming? I took out my knife and they tried to back away until they saw me cutting the binding of the foal Nelz had wanted to rape. “It’s alright little one,” I said kindly, “I’ve come to save you and your mummy. You’re going home soon.”

The foal was nervous, but still stepped forward and gave my foreleg a tentative nuzzle. “Thank you mister pony,” she said in a squeaky voice.

I mussed her mane with a hoof and smiled at her, “You going to help me untie everypony like a big filly?”

“Yeah!” she shouted clopping her hooves.

In a few short minutes I’d cut the bindings of all the mares, fillies and foals, with ‘help’ from my tiny assistant of course. I looked over the assembled ponies, binding cuts and setting broken limbs as best I could. Those bastards had really done a number on them. I tapped my TED, “Brandy? Nox… I’ve secured the merchandise. Area may still have hostiles. The top of the statue is secure. One in custody, three to clean up. We need medics here, there’s injured ponies and foals.”

The headset crackled and Brandy’s voice came back, “Received. Units on route now.”

One of the mares, sporting a black eye and split lip, walked over to me slowly. She was a sleek, ginger coated, middle aged earth pony with a golden yellow mane. “Sir?” she asked meekly. “Please, did you say… Brandy?”

I nodded. “What’s your name, miss?”

The mare bobbed her head and said the name I’d hoped to hear. “Carnation.”

I picked up the little foal by her hooves who squealed in delight when I plopped her on my back, “I don’t suppose your name is Flax is it, little lady?”

“Yeah!” came the excited squeak.

I smiled at the mare, “Your son is safe, Carnation. He’s safe and well at the agency facility waiting for you. You’ll be reunited as soon as we can get some transport for you, a hot meal and some medical attention.”

A wave of relief washed over her, softening her features as she sank to her haunches. “Oh, thank Celestia! And… thank you, mister… Nox?” She reached forward and hugged me, and I could feel little Flax hugging my neck from behind too. “You’re a good pony, Mister Nox,” Carnation said into my ear, “Celestia bless you.”

I’m not so sure she would somehow. I took Flax off my back and noticed the others staring at the bodies scattered around the room. “Carnation, can you take care of the others for me please? Brandy Wine and the others will be here soon, they’re bringing medical supplies and will take you to your son.” She nodded. I turned to the door, “I’m going to see if there’s any more of these characters around, but I suggest you tie up Prissy there, just in case. I think she may have saved Flax in her own way. She’s a good mare at heart.” Carnation didn’t seem so convinced, but nodded anyway.

Trotting down the long spiral stairs, I could see all the way to the bottom of the hollow copper statue. It reminded me of the inside of a light house and had nowhere a pony could readily hide. Unfortunately that also meant that neither could I. If anypony was at the bottom looking up, they would have spotted or at least heard me in a heart beat. Mind you, if they hadn’t heard all the racket we’d been making in the head they would have had to have been stone deaf. That left me with only one conclusion: the only members of the Harpies on the island were the ones in the statue. Any others were likely to be… I paused, listening to sound of the waves echoing around me. Even here inside this massive construction of magic and metal, the waves in the bay made their own music. Thousands of ponies sailed past here every in boats and ships of every size and… Oh, no…How could I have been so stupid?

I pressed my hoof to the communicator. “Brandy! What’s your ETA?”

“We’re five minutes out,” came the reply. “Medevac units are following us in. Situation?”

“They were due to be transported tonight, the barge hasn’t arrived,” I said quickly. “Has anything come in about that through agency channels or the watch?”

There was a pause. “Stand by one”

A tense minute went by before Brandy came back, “Negative on that. No reports.”

“Understood.” I reloaded my energy rifle, or ‘pulse gun’ as Bunsen had called it. Whatever it was called, it did the job. I tapped my TED, “Loofa, you nearby?”

“Check that boss,” the pegasus replied. “I’m around two minutes flight from your position.”

I nodded. “Received. Can you do a sweep of the northern approach and see if you can spot any river traffic heading your way in?”

“Wilco,” Loofa replied. “I’ll give you a shout back if I see anything”

Memories of the carnage at the wharf hurtled through my mind. Dawn had been cut in half by one of those multi barrelled ‘gun’ things. One that had been hidden in the roof section of a river barge. A barge coming up the river at night…

I tapped the send button. “Loofa? If you spot the barge, keep your distance and do not approach or engage. It’s probably heavily armed.”

A moment later, “Understood. Will maintain distance and call in any activity”

I closed my eyes and nodded to myself. “Received. Out.”

I leaned back against the cold stone plinth of the statue and breathed out a sigh of relief. It was times like these I wished I’d had my pipe with me. Some of that wonderful tobacco Star Beard had would have hit the spot. Gods, I could almost taste it now… Abruptly a shot from up the stairs echoed loudly through the statue. Buck! I must have missed one! But how? Fairlight, you bloody fool! Running as fast as my hooves would take me, I charged up the stairs and burst into the viewing area, my heart thundering. What I saw was the last thing I expected. Carnation stood in front of an unconscious Prissy, pistol in her mouth, fending off a vengeful mob of angry mares.

“Get back!” she bellowed around the weapon’s firing mechanism. “I won’t warn you again!”

“What are you going to do then, Carnation? Shoot us?” one of the mares snarled. Her eyes were fixed on the unmoving Prissy with murderous intent. “Have you forgotten what these scum did to us? What they did to you? It’s only by Celestia’s grace that any of us are still alive!”

I had to defuse the situation quickly before things got irrevocably out of hoof. Confidently, I walked over and took the pistol from the unresisting Carnation who immediately flopped down onto her haunches like a rapidly deflating balloon. She hung her head and let out a pent up breath, Flax huddling behind her as every eye in the room shifted to me.

“That’s enough please, ladies,” I said calmly. “You’ve got foals here. You don’t want them to see any more horror than they already have tonight.”

The black and white mare who had been facing down Carnation turned her attention to me. “You!” she bellowed. “You’re that monster who came in and shot those ponies down, like… like they were nothing! And what you did to that big blue stallion… Great Celestia! You’re as bad as them!”

I sighed, sitting on my haunches. Damn it all, I really would have liked that smoke now. “Yes, you’re probably right.” I looked at her from under my brows, weariness heavy in my voice. “I’m not the best pony in Manehattan by a long shot. So, if you like miss, I can leave you here until the authorities turn up. I’m not sure if there’s any more of these guys around out there, but I’m certain you’d be able to handle them by yourself. Not sure about the others though.” I motioned towards the other wary mares, some of whom were hiding their foals behind them.

One of the little ones trotted up to her, a lemon coloured unicorn around the same age as Flax. “Mummy? I’m frightened, I want to go home!”

The mare nuzzled her daughter and rounded on me. “You see? This is what you’ve brought us to. The children are scared witless. They’ll never be the same after this!”

“Ringo! Shut up for Celestia’s sake and sit down with the rest of us,” an older chocolate coated mare said with an authoritative tone. “There’s been quite enough out of you tonight already. We’re all dead on our hooves here, so do stop haranguing our rescuer will you?”

Ringo snorted and stomped a hoof in anger but mercifully backed down. I wasn’t so sure about the daughter though. The little tike who was sticking to her like glue, stuck her tongue out at me as she took cover behind her mother. Cheeky little sod. The TED crackled back into life a moment later.

“Nox? Brandy. We’re at the base of the statue.” Judging by the silence in the room, everypony was straining to hear what the officer was saying. “What’s the situation up there,” he continued, “we thought we heard gunfire.”

“The situation’s under control,” I replied. “One of the mares knocked a weapon and it went off accidentally. Noponies hurt.” I gave Ringo a meaningful look and she shook her mane, turning away with a huff. “Come on up, there’s a couple here who want to meet you.”

He didn’t reply. Seconds later the thunder of hooves up the stairs announced the arrival of a suited and panting Brandy Wine. He rushed forward and scooped up his jubilant daughter who whooped in happiness to see him. The agency pony showered her in kisses and squeezed her until she squeaked, “Daddy! Not so tight!”

Her father laughed and put her down gently, turning to his ex-wife and half lifting a hoof before putting it back down, a sad look crossing his face. “Carnation… Are you alright?”

“Yes, Brandy,” she replied softly. “We’re both okay. This pony says that Snap’s with you?”

“He’s safe at the facility,” Brandy confirmed. “Come on Carny, I’ll take us there. There’s a carriage waiting outside.” Quietly the three of them filed out as a stream of suited agency ponies and medics poured into the room to collect the others and, no doubt, to clear away the evidence of tonight’s events. Walking past me with the two females, the stallion clopped me on the shoulder. “Thanks, Nox. I mean it… Thanks.”

“You’d do the same for me, Sir,” I said with a smile.

He nodded and took a breath, the weight of the world visibly fading from his worn expression. “I would.”

I followed them down the stairs and out into the chill night air. Flax, full of the innocence of youth and acting as if the whole thing had been some sort of planned adventure, all but leaped into the carriage. Her mother followed, allowing the agency members to strap them in.

“The barge is still out there, Sir. Loofa’s looking now.” I checked my gear, watching Brandy adjusting the straps on his ex-wife’s harness. “With your permission, I’d like to search myself and take any pegasi you can spare.”

“You already know the answer, Nox,” Brandy said quietly. He reached forward and kissed Flax on the top of her head, checked her straps and turned to his wife. “I’ll be along soon.” The officer motioned to one of the pilots, “Make sure they get a hot bath, food, and have the medics check them over too. They can use my room.” He stood and watched as the carriage lifted off and quickly vanished into the night. “You still here?”

Within minutes, myself and four agency pegasi were flying up and across the river, checking for any water traffic. The others had night vision goggles to help them, but I relied on my wendigo eyesight. The goggles made everything a bizarre colour anyway, and the blasted things gave me banging headaches too – something I didn’t need distracting me tonight. One of the pegasi flew up alongside us and pointed at something. Up ahead of us I could see what looked like a pegasi flitting around in the light cloud, dodging this way and that. Suddenly a brilliant stream of orange lights streaked up from the surface of the river. No… not the surface, from a barge, a black painted barge which was almost invisible in the darkness. A second later, the rattling whine from the barge’s weapon rolled out across the river.

My PDW crackled, “Glad to see you, boss! These guys are NOT happy to see us.”

I was momentarily angry with Loofa for putting himself in danger. I’d lost too many comrades to these damnable devices already, but I reminded myself that I didn’t know the full circumstances and, more importantly, right now he needed my help. Those on the barge did too - help to the other side. I stared hard into the night and could just about out several ponies on the deck firing up at Loofa. Amongst them was... a yellow pony; a weasly little earth stallion by the looks of it, shouting orders and waving at the speeding pegasus animatedly. I couldn’t tell for certain, but it looked like he had a black mane and matching tail. I rubbed my eyes. It was so hard to make out at this distance, but… yes… YES! I hit the PDW, “This is Nox, we’re taking fire from the barge. Unlikely to be any innocents on this one boys and girls. Weapons free, we’re going in hot.”

I unleashed the spirit’s full power into my being, holding nothing back. The excitement it felt at being unleashed, at the delicious anticipation of battle brought a smile to my lips. I didn’t mind; Its cold rage, its desire for revenge and to send the souls of the damned to the other world, mirrored my own perfectly. Gates… The bastard was there, and before this night was out, I’d spit the bastard on my father’s sword. It was fitting somehow, but it could never be enough. Not until the head of his warped friend, Melon Patch, sat on a spike next to his. Even then, as some of the more poetic types would say, there were some wounds that would never heal. Still, you never knew until you tried, and I was always keen to try something new. I felt my teeth itching as the barge came into range, and we swept down like avenging angels upon the vessel. Ponies ran back and forth on the deck, shooting at Loofa who was unwittingly acting as a decoy. They never saw us coming. Our weapons screamed out torrents of green magical energy across the deck, chewing through wood and flesh alike. Cries rang out across the river, pulling me in closer like a fish on a line. I hoped he hadn’t been killed in that pass. Not yet.

“Bar Bell, take opposite position from Loofa, the two of you provide ranged cover,” I ordered.

“Roger.”

I waved a hoof, “The rest of you, with me.”

The spinning barrels on the top of the wheel house spat yellow death at us which I answered with a bolt of pure blue energy from my horn, turning the damnable contraption into a flaming eruption of molten slag. Exploding ammunition from the wrecked gun popped and fizzed, sending shards of metal across the deck as yet another hazard, but at least the damn thing wasn’t sinking. And it was onto this maelstrom of crimson and green fire that I landed, wreathed in clouds as white as the first snows upon the mountainside. Around me the deck of the barge was a mess of splintered wood and dead and wounded ponies. Those who were beyond help were being despatched without quarter by the agency suits, whilst the others were stunned with shockers for later interrogation. None of that however, interested me. There was no sign of my quarry, neither amongst the living nor the dead. Where the hell was he? Below decks maybe? Hiding like the rat he- I saw the flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye and ducked behind the main superstructure just as the stallion’s rifle fired. The bullet missed me, but I could feel the wind shriek as it tore by only inches from my head. Quickly, I reloaded my pulse gun and peered around the corner when another loud bang coincided with chunks of wood smashing out of the corner I was taking cover behind.

“Gates!” I shouted, “GAAATES!” My heart was hammering, the spirit singing its howling song of death through my soul. “I’m coming for you! I’M COMING FOR YOU, GATES, I’M COMING TO KILL YOU. YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, YOU BASTARD!”

Heedless of the shots I rolled out from cover, keeping my wings in tight and firing my weapon along the length of the barge’s deck. Green light reflected off the dark painted wood, then winked out. The shout of pain from the other end was all the cue I needed. Screaming in mindless hatred, a broiling comet of white fury made flesh, I charged at the downed yellow creature. I wanted to watch as he died, to look him in the eyes as the light of life finally went out. I would hound him into the other world if I could, just to see him die again, and again, and again… The stallion before me tried to lift his firearm just as my horn flared and a blast of energy blew his foreleg off, sending his weapon flying over the side of the barge with a splash. I was breathing heavily now, but not from effort. No. I had never felt such excitement in my life, such overwhelming anticipation that burned away any sense of caution I may have had left. I didn’t care. All I wanted, everything I had endured, had lead to this singular moment. Mist poured from my jaws, my eyes narrowing. I was so hungry... The stallion screamed in terror as he tried to crawl away from me, but a hard kick brought him to gasping halt. It was so pathetic I could have laughed.

My nostrils flaring, my tongue snaked out over my teeth, readying for the feast. I stood over him and smiled. “At last… AT LAST!” I bellowed in triumph; my prey was before me, and I would… What? No, that couldn’t be right. I inhaled, tasting the air and expecting the rotting stink of the foul beast from the cabin. That smell, the reek of cheap cologne, soap, and… Dear goddess, it was completely different. Letting the haze of anger subside, I examined the terrified creature. Yellow coat, black tail and mane…cutie mark of a pear… “Where’s Gates?” I snarled, “WHERE?!”

The wide eyed stallion whimpered, “He… He’s not here! Sent us instead, I… I don’t know where he is! I swear, I don’t know!”

The male watched me, trying to escape by crawling away. I slammed my hoof down on his mangled stump of a leg, eliciting a scream of pain. “What’s your name, scum?”

“Crumble!” the forlorn creature gasped. “Pear Crumble!”

I nodded slowly. “Say hello to the afterlife for me, Pear Crumble.” He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. After all, I expect it’s rather difficult to speak with no head.

Behind me, one of the agency ponies let out a gasp. “Celestia, Nox! What the hell did you do that for?”

Pausing, I shook my mane. I didn’t even bother to look round at him. “Pony traffickers? Drug pushers and murderers? You know why, agent.” I walked away, but he didn’t follow me. Below decks the barge’s hold was empty. For one horrible moment I wondered if I’d been wrong, if perhaps there really were prisoners on the barge when we’d attacked and I’d risked injuring or killing the innocent in my fervour to find Gates. Mercifully nopony had been in here, although there was plenty of evidence of previous use. Scuff marks, dents in the wooden walls... and chains. Lots and lots of chains. And there was one thing more that was unmistakable – the smell of piss and fear. I grimaced, leaving that vile scene as quickly as I could. It brought back a torrent of memories I’d wanted to keep buried, of cages with foals in them, a tiny broken body, and the wide eyes that had seen terrors beyond imagining. If I had my way we’d burn the whole damned thing. Still, at least we’d recovered a couple of prisoners from the evening’s operation and a batch of those ‘gun’ things. Not a bad haul considering, but more importantly a successful rescue of ponies due for ‘transport’ into a world of nightmares. With any luck we’d find out where this barge had come from, where it was heading, and where the portal was. Doubtless one of the Harpies gang members would know, and they’d soon be singing like a canary. Then… Then we’d have them.

The prisoners were lined up against the superstructure being treated by the medics whilst several transports were brought up alongside. The bravado and attitude I’d seen from the Harpies thugs in the statue had vanished, burned away in the sudden brutality of the assault on the barge. Some had been shot, others simply looked dazed. All except one.

“And what are you supposed to be?” the voice wheezed. “You a princess?” the stallion chuckled, letting out a rasping cough.

I span round and locked my eyes on him. He was a mint green earth stallion with white patches and a short black mane no more than a couple of inches long. I didn’t recognise him. “What’s your name?” I hissed.

“Ooh! Very dramatic!” the stallion sneered. “What are you going to do with me name if I give it to you, mmm? Steal my soul? Take me back to your nest and feed me to your young? Hah!”

I don’t know what the hell he thought I was, but I didn’t have time for his bullshit. “I’ll ask you one time, filth, where is Gates?”

“Gates?” The stallion shrugged, pulling a half amused face. “How should I know? Why, miss your little coltfriend do you?” He winced as the medic bandaging his chest wound shifted him over slightly. “Damn it, you cock! Watch what you’re doing!”

I leaned down, making sure I had his full attention. “Listen to me, you little prick, I want to know where Gates is. You tell me, and I let you live. You refuse, and I’ll pull your life essence from you until your soul screams for death, do you understand me?”

The stallion huffed and looked away, “Get stuffed, you wouldn’t dare-” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Quickly I was on him, my teeth locking round his throat, the medic yelling out in surprise.

“Get off me!” the stallion shrieked, “GET THIS THING OFF ME!”

“Gates...” I hissed. “Gates...”

“Nox!” One of the officers appeared behind me, “Let him go for Celestia’s sake!”

“Gates...” My jaws ached with anticipation. I applied a little more pressure to get his attention. I could just take a little, just a taste. It would get his attention, certainly, but what it would do to him I wasn’t sure. And I didn’t care even in the slightest. The stallion’s eye went wide as saucers. Everypony began shouting at once now, but I was beyond listening. The spirit was calling to me, hungering. We had fell well today, but the need never quite went away. Never…

The pistol pressed against my temple was the only thing that stopped me right then. I opened an eye and looked at him. It was the medic. “Let him go, Nox. This isn’t the way.”

But it was my way. I could taste the fear, thick in the air, the reek of the half washed creature in my jaws and the way he panted for breath. None of them deserved to live. Not even once of them.

“We don’t know where Gates is.” A mare, her foreleg in a sling and missing half her mane, shouted over to me from amongst the prisoners. “None of us do.” She peered at me, but not with fear, but rather with resignation. “His orders are passed down through his lieutenants, and then to us. I’ve only ever seen him once when he came to check up on the new operation, but that was it.”

I released the stallion. “Who is your Lieutenant?” I stood to my full height, my full attention on the mare. “Where is he?”

“Which bit of him?” the mare asked with a sniff, motioning towards the water.

I went to take a step towards her but the officer intervened, standing between us. “That’s enough, Agent,” he said firmly. “We’ll find out everything we can from them back at the facility.”

Damn it all! Sonone of them knew where Gates was then, did they? I shouldn’t have been surprised really. He’d left them to complete this little delivery run on their own whilst the sneaky little rat behind it all had stayed safe and secure back in his nest. And how things had changed! Once nothing more than a hired thug and a killer, it seemed our boy Gates had risen through the ranks and now had his own stooges to do all his dirty work for him. Had his murder of Meadow, Mitre, and his attempted murder of myself, given him the boost up the ranks of the criminal underworld to where he was now? It wouldn’t surprise me, shit always did float to the top. I walked away, lost in my own thoughts. There were so many questions that still needed answers, but right now I needed a bath to wash the stink of these vile creatures from my hide.

The TED came to life in my ear, “Nox? Brandy. You were right about Jingo, she’s spilled everything. I don’t know what you said to her, but it did the trick. Agents are at the watch house now to arrest Blaze. Get yourself back to the facility and cleaned off, I want you there when we have a little heart to heart with our new guest.”

I tapped the communicator, “Understood.” Damn it, I would have liked to have been there for that, but Brandy had the situation in hoof and Blaze wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, I was starting to feel a little fatigued. Gods, when was the last time I had a proper nights sleep?

Loofa landed next to me, a tired smile on his face, “Sky chariot isn’t far boss, want a lift back?”

I shook my head, “No thanks my friend, I want to get a bath sooner rather than later. I’ll be quicker flying myself.”

“Fair dos,” he shrugged. He looked me up and down, cocking an eyebrow. “That’s some trick you’ve got there, boss. You kinda look like an alicorn you know, apart from the dragon wings, blue eyes, and white fog thing you got going on. Scared the shit out of me, I can tell you!”

“Alicorn? Goddess forbid!” I felt a shudder run through me at the thought. “Hey, what happened with that one who was seen in the city a while back?”

“Oh, him?” Loofa chuckled. “He was promoting some god awful film about doughnuts apparently. Hot glued a plastic horn on his head and ended up in the hospital having to have it removed, the bloody idiot.”

I chuckled, “Give me a shout when you’re off duty next Loofa, I owe you a drink and I don’t know about you, but I could murder a salt lick.”

“You got it boss!” he replied with a smile.

I shook out my wings when a niggling thought struck me, “Loofa?”

“Yes, boss?”

“What’s your real name?”

“Soap Dish”, he undid his flight suit and showed me his cutie mark, sure enough, it was a bar of soap, “Mum and Dad didn’t have much imagination. I know, hard to believe isn’t it?”

‘Soap Dish’…Good grief, another poor sod named after things found in the house. These names ran in trends too. One year it had been kitchen utensils, another farm implements and so on. I wondered how many foals were walking around called ‘Fish Slice’ and ‘Colander’. I met twins once called “Salt” and “Pepper” too. The parents should have been publicly flogged.

“So why ‘Loofa?’” I asked perplexed.

The sky blue pegasus shrugged. “Ah… Well, you see, I had this marefriend you see, and one day we were, um... we were in the shower, and she thought my… that is, my…”

“Yes?” I asked intrigued.

Loofa sighed. “She thought I was a lot… er… bigger than she’d expected, and told her friends that I was the same… um, ‘size’ as the loofa in the shower. Anyway, you know what mares are like, and the name stuck. I don’t mind really.”

I stood there with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. As wrong as it was I felt a sudden urge to look for myself, and just as quickly stopped. Oh goddesses! Damn my inquisitive mind, there were some mysteries in this world that should forever remain just that. Bollocks to it, it was time to go anyway. I huffed and gave my wings a stretch; I was so totally not jealous. Unfortunately though, having a shower would never quite be the same again.

Chapter Eight - Gateway to another world

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gateway to another world

The frigid night air whipped past, cooling and reviving me. I may not have the speed of my feathered contemporaries, but my leathery wings did the job and swept me along effortlessly. To keep my profile down I kept to what little cloud there was, but I doubt there’d be many out and about star gazing at this hour. I was wearing my black tactical gear which helped cover a lot my body, although it didn’t do much to hide the white plume that trailed out behind me, nor my distinctly dragon-like wings. It didn’t matter too much though, Manehattan ponies never looked up. You couldn’t see that much above street level with all the bright lights anyway, and there was so much going on you’d likely trot right into somepony if you tried. Quite the lively place really. The smells and sounds of a city wafted into the air, forming a strange music of their own. It was the sound of the city, the beating of its deep and sonorous heart. Night clubs, bars, and in the distance fireworks popped and banged. There was always something for everypony in this city. Personally I loved fireworks displays, and the smell of sulphur on the air was something I’d always associated with the wonderful displays we used to have in Ponyville when I was stationed there. Some were magical of course, and those truly were amazing, but the more traditional ones still held a magic of their own. Some ponies hated the smell, very much like bad eggs I suppose, but I liked the whole ‘earthiness’ of the black powder, the fire and the clouds of smoke. I still couldn’t see much in the way of colour here tonight though. The flashes and bangs were usually accompanied by long rattles and… Damn, those weren’t fireworks! Right on cue, the TED burst into life.

“This is agent Dune, Snatch team Alpha.” the voice called. “We’re under fire and pinned down. We need back-up urgently. Location Manehattan watch house.”

A moment later, the call I half expected came in. “Nox? It’s Brandy. Where are you now?”

“I’m just south of the watch house sir,” I replied. “Altering course for it now.”

Brandy sounded concerned. Whatever was going on clearly hadn’t been anticipated, and now we’d been caught with our pants down. I could only hope we weren’t walking into a bloodbath.

“I’ve got more agents heading out there now,” he said quickly. “You have command when you get there, Nox.”

Command? Oh dear gods, that was something I didn’t want! It was good to be trusted of course, but memories of that damned warehouse were never more than a papers thickness away. I took a breath and huffed. I couldn’t let him down. “Yes, Sir,” I replied. I wasn’t far now, and put as much speed into my wings as I could. “Dune? Where are you and what’s the situation down there?”

There was a pause before the channel opened. Gunfire and shouting nearly drowned out the officer as she shouted into her microphone, “Not good, Nox, we’ve got a confused mess here. The watch house has been turned into a fortress. We’ve got at least four dead and another six wounded. Looks like the bastards were expecting us. We’re lucky to have any left at all.”

She wasn’t panicked, that was good. A situation like this needed a cool head. “What’s your location?” I asked.

“We made it back outside and are covering the alley behind the bank,” she replied. “I’ve other agents covering approaches to the watch house, but we’ve not many here. Once they realise that we won’t be able to contain them, there’s at least twenty in there and they’re all heavily armed. Watch your approach too, there’s one on the roof with one of those big multi barrelled things, it’s taken out two pegasi already.”

I nodded to myself. “Received. I’ll make that my first target. Keep your ponies out of range if you can, Dune, I know the building’s layout and I’ll do what I can. Backup’s on its way.”

Brandy had been listening and now his voice came back, full of authority. “Nox? Brandy. Don’t go in there on your own, stallion, it’s suicidal. We’ll be with you any minute now. Contain the situation and consolidate. Repeat, contain and consolidate.”

“Sorry, Sir,” I said into the TED calmly, “This was my home. These were my friends. I swore an oath to protect Equestria, the princesses, and that includes my old comrades as well as my new ones.” I took a breath, speeding my flight. “Nopony bucks with the watch.”

“Nox! Damn it all...” Brandy sounded oddly resigned. “Do what you need to do, but I’ll expect a full report at the end of this. Understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

The light show was in full effect by the time I arrived. Flashes of green light warred against yellow flashes, filling the air with the sizzle of magic and the hiss of projectiles. Bullets cracked off brick and concrete, splintering wood and making a sound like a soul in torment when they ricocheted off impenetrable surfaces. I’d half expected to see a mass of ponies darting this way and that, changing positions, shifting cover or looking for an advantage over their foe, but the reality was far different. The combatants on both sides were hunkering down, firing at anything and everything that moved even the slightest, or had taken to simply firing blindly towards where they believed their enemy to be. So far, nopony had stopped to look upwards. Nopony was firing at them from the skies, so every eye, every tiny scrap of attention, was focussed on what was going on right in front of them. With luck, they would continue to do so.

Sparse as it was, the cloud layer would be the best cover I could ask for. Wreathed in white, I pulled the mist in around me and glided ever nearer. Providing the mare on the rooftop didn’t look too closely, I would be in striking distance in no time. Another few yards, another few inches. The gunner on the rooftop had her full attention fixed on firing into the alley where Dune and her ponies were pinned down. Round after round snarled from her weapon, chewing up chunks of cobblestone and earth that had never seen anything more interesting in the last thousand years than countless hooves and cart wheels. Now, the modern age had come galloping in on the once peaceful land, and things would never be the same again. The wounds may heal, the memories fade, but the ground here would be forever scarred. The little chips in the stone, the small holes in the masonry, would always be waiting there to remind the viewer what had happened here. What was happening here. I had to bring this to a stop quickly, before somepony realised the agency fire was letting up. Second by second the intensity was falling noticeably, and sooner or later the proverbial penny would drop. Then, the blood letting would truly begin.

Flying vertically with as much speed as I could muster, the wind caught at my mane and roared around my ears. I rolled and banked into the cloud layer, twisting into a dive that brought me up behind the watch house gunner’s position. Landing as quietly as I could I slipped out the shocker device from its case, ready to incapacitate rather than kill the mare operating the huge weapon. I let the magic go and edged closer, I didn’t need everypony and his dog coming after me looking like some demonic beast from the pit. I could see the vibration shaking her forelegs now, the gritted teeth and the icy, staring eyes. I didn’t know who she was, but she was good - too bloody good. Alerted by some noise I hadn’t heard or a sense I didn’t understand, the mare suddenly whirled around and kicked the shocker from my magic’s grip, and then lunged for me, simultaneously drawing a short sword. Thank Luna I had mine, or I’d have been filleted on that wicked thing in an instant. She swung and stabbed, keeping the blade low and close. It was the result of hours of the kind of watch training I had endured over the years, and she’d been practising it well. The two of us danced around each other until she stumbled, slipping on a spent cartridge case. And in that instant, I was on her, bringing my blade to her throat.

“Brindle?!” I suddenly recognised her. Hidden beneath the tactical gear she’d looked like any other watch pony, but those terracotta eyes I recognised immediately.

“Bucking agency pony!” she roared. “You’ll get nothing from me!”

I snorted, shifting my stance. “Don’t need to girl, I know all about you and your pals. One chance; where’s Blaze?”

“Buck off,” she spat at me.

“Wrong answer.”

I brought the old truncheon across her head, knocking the mare out cold and adding yet another dent to the already scarred wood. The cables holding the roof mounted gun in place were next. Initially I’d planned to rip them out once I had a better idea of the overall situation, but the risk from leaving this thing here was too great. Who knew how many of Blaze’s crew were holed up in here, and the last thing anypony needed was to have this damnable creation coming back to life over their heads when they thought it was safe to emerge. Severing the cables I hoisted the huge weapon up with my magic and carried it into the back yard of the watch house, flaring my wings to arrest my descent. It was deserted. The only things left here now were the chill corpses of the dead, liberally strewn around. Some lay in the corners were they’d sought shelter, whilst others had been cut down in the open. All of those dead staring eyes gave silent testimony to the intensity of the fighting in this once mundane walled yard. Here on this forgotten front line, only death reigned now. A slight breeze lifted the grit and leaves, making them spin and dance, adding a surreal note to the background sound of gunfire that echoed around me. Even the ramp that lead down to the cells was dark with blood stains and, by the looks of things, was also devoid of life. It was a curious oversight by the defenders, but then the only way to get through the heavy steel door to the interior would be by either having the key, or cutting gear. The inside was probably bolted in any case. I tried my telekinesis to force the lock, but again and again the damn thing foiled any and all attempts. There was only one thing for it; I packed the lock with the explosive paste I’d managed to acquire from the armoury and stuck a length of safety fuse into it. One little flicker from the old Fairlight horn and it was sizzling away nicely.

It was always a good idea to keep away from explosives, particular when they were fizzing angrily, and so with myself tucked safely behind the corner of the main building I was oddly disappointed by the rather small ‘pop’ that announced the end of the lock. Better to keep things as quiet as possible I suppose, though with all the noise of the gunfire I could probably have screamed my head off and nopony would have heard me. Just as well too, as the massive door to the cell area was still as squeaky as I remembered from the last time I’d worked here. Some things never changed.I took out my pulse gun and checked it was ready. It was. I was breathing hard, unsure what I was going to face when I went in. As much as the explosive hadn’t made that much of a noise, inside it would have been a different story, and hard to miss to anypony with a working pair of ears. Kicking the door open I once again used the mirror to look for any opposition only to find the cell block corridor completely deserted. I expect everypony was out towards the front of the building and this area had been deemed secure enough. Careless? We weren’t talking about military trained ponies here, and in any case who in their right mind breaks in to a cell block? I took a breath and kept my guard up, keeping my eyes peeled. Other than the peculiar echoing of the distant gunfire, the cell block felt as cold and empty as… I froze. They weren’t completely empty after all. A cough and the sound of shuffling hooves on bare concrete drifted out, grabbing my attention. Whoever it was, they weren’t trying to conceal themselves at all. Perhaps they were prisoners caught up in this mess and were, in essence, completely innocent of the tragedy they were now a part of. I flexed my shoulders and moved forward quietly, peering around the corner into the cell’s interior. There were two of them, both wearing watch uniforms. I recognised them straight away as Corn Ball and Verdigris, two of the relief watch, and trusted officers from Mitre’s day.

“Hey! You’re not with the others are you? You with the agency?” one of them called out.

I stepped closer, wary of possible treachery. They could always have been left in here to lure in unsuspecting ponies then shoot them in the back. “I’m with the CBI, yes,” I said cautiously. “What are you doing in here?”

Corn Ball let out a deep sigh. “It’s Blaze, the new watch chief.” The greying stallion glanced at his friend, the pain of what he was saying clearly unsettling him. “She’s sold out and turned on the ones who swore to uphold the law and protect ponies. The first we knew about it was when the agency suits arrived to arrest her. A scuffle broke out between her and some of her cronies and the next thing we knew the shooting started. Those of us who tried to stop it are lying in the atrium, but there may be more.” Corn Ball grimaced. “The corruption has spread further than we thought.”

Verdigris walked up beside his companion and put a consoling hoof on his shoulder, looking closely at me. “You seem… familiar somehow. Do I know you?”

I shook my head. “Sorry, Sir, I don’t believe I’ve had that honour. Agent Nox, at your service.”

Corn Ball spoke up. “Well, It’s damned good to meet you, Nox. Now, how about getting us out of here, eh? You’ll be needing help I imagine.”

I suddenly realised what he was suggesting and dismissed it immediately. “No, I need you to hold this area and help any I send back down here. Agency ponies will be heading this way any minute and when they do, feel free to help out any way you see fit. Until then…”

“Okay, Agent Nox, we get the picture.” The big officer snorted and scratched his mane in irritation.

“Yeah, Verdigris, you old fart,” Corn Ball sniggered. “You’ll get in the young fellow’s way, didn’t you know?”

“What?! Bollocks!” his companion snapped back. “I’m miles off retirement yet, you ancient mangy git.”

I trotted out leaving the two veterans behind me arguing and completely oblivious to the fact I’d already left. I hoped they’d be okay, but in the deadly storm of chaos currently raging throughout the archaic watch house you could never tell what was around the next corner. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a loaded crossbow. I tapped the TED, “Brandy? Nox. The rear door to the cell block is open, and there’s two ponies in there on our side. Watch your fire when you go in, they’re sergeants Verdigris and Corn Ball.”

“Received Nox,” the reply came back. “I’ll pass it on to the assault teams. We’re coming in hard and heavy in five.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

The seldom used service steps up to the atrium were next. They were steep and narrow, used more for maintenance access than anything else, but they suited my purposes well. Years of accumulated dust and cobwebs so thick you’d need a builders trowel to remove them covered every available surface. A rusty lantern hung from the ceiling, seized onto its hook from years of corrosion, its wick and oil not having seen a flame for at least several decades. Of course, nopony ever bothered cleaning here. It was another reminder of how rotten and decaying things that were kept out of sight could truly be. I’d been brought up to believe that it was impossible to build something on top of bad foundations, that it didn’t matter how grand an edifice you built, as without a stable base it was undoubtedly doomed to fall. But now, after seeing everything I had so far in this life, I wasn’t so sure. What if the rot was the foundation? What if the countless years of slow decay, the accumulation of filth, rot and disease, had actually taken the place of the original foundation, replacing it with something that would maintain the outer public perception that all was well, but was in fact a whole different animal. We’d all known there had been some corruption in the Watch, but it had been glossed over, ignored and filed in the amorphous tray labelled ‘too difficult’. Blaze however, was on a different level altogether. Of course, she wasn’t a cause of the rot in the Watch, but more of a symptom. Low pay, unsociable hours, a populace who looked down their muzzle at you day after thankless day would grind down the best of us. Some didn’t make it to retirement, and those who did were often worn out from the endless night shifts, plodding from one street to the next. Maybe you’d be lucky, maybe you’d be the one who had the nice cushy office job, or perhaps you’d be the poor sod on the beat until one evening some fizzed up punk was just that little bit quicker than you were, and then it was only a cold hole in the ground to look forward to. Life would move on, but you? You would be forgotten, an image in a photograph that nopony ever bothered looking at any more. All the elements were there, waiting, and all it needed was that simple little push to send a pony over the edge. Dawn had been that push.

The top of the stairsended in a heavy wooden door that opened out onto the second floor, and Chief Mitre’s old office. Tentatively, I pushed it open, breathing hard and half expecting a bolt, blade, or blast of something equally lethal to greet me at any moment. The only thing that met me however, was a wave of ear popping sound. The rattle of gunfire resonating throughout the building was deafening and continuous. The hiss of magic and the occasional twang of a crossbow bolt made themselves heard occasionally, only to be quickly drowned out by the heavy and incessant boom of progress. Echoes of the past were everywhere in Manehattan, the old intermingling with the new as if it were trying to compete with the machinery of the modern age. But slowly, gradually, the city, even the world, was changing. Now, with the introduction of such lethal devices as I had seen recently, the future had come crashing down upon us like a tidal wave, sweeping us along helplessly into an unknown and terrifying future. Ponies killing each other was a rare event in and of itself, yet now those whose very job it had been to uphold the law and protect the innocent, had turned upon themselves so readily it boggled the mind. I reached up and adjusted my headset, silently thanking Brandy for allowing me access to the reactive ear defenders and light reactive eye lenses taken from the dead pony we’d recovered from the wharf warehouse. They worked amazingly well, filtering out the louder ‘pops’ and ‘bangs’ as well as dulling the bright flashes that flared around me like some crazed light show. It was no surprise the bloody flash bugs hadn’t worked for us as expected that day we’d raided the warehouse, but at the very least they’d be put to a positive purpose now.

The rumble of the heavier guns was making the floor vibrate beneath my hooves, sending small shockwaves up my legs. The brutal drum-roll followed me along the narrow, deserted corridor until I finally reached the landing. As I’d expected, the lobby below was in turmoil. Ponies were firing from windows and doorways, smoke and the scent of ozone from the high energy magic, hanging thick in the air. Papers, chairs, desks, and all the other paraphernalia I had come to associate with the Watch house, were now strewn everywhere as if some giant had picked up the entire building and shook it violently before dropping back down, a discarded snow-globe of the living. And the dead. And dead there were too. Groans from the wounded who had been left to fend for themselves mixed with the dire orchestra of death surging back and forth, whilst those lying motionless amongst the detritus of a once lively house of law lay silent and still, no more now than shadows lost in the flaring light. The landing were I was however, was totally devoid of life. So far I’d been undetected, but that was going to end now. Unstrapping my heavy cargo from my back, I hoisted the huge gun I’d taken from the rooftop and heaved it onto the railing, holding it fast with my magic. Gods, I hoped this was going to work…

With a deep breath, I filtered a trickle of the spirits power through me to amplify my voice. “Ponies of the Equestrian Watch, lay down your arms. The ones you are fighting are not your enemy. You have been lied to and manipulated for too long. Remember your oaths, brother and sisters: Honour, duty, and loyalty. This is what makes you special. The ponies of Manehattan depend on you, don’t turn on them now!”

“Who the buck are you?!” one of the ponies shouted up at me.

“Never mind that, just bucking kill him!” another yelled.

And all hell broke loose. Shit! So much for that plan… Bullets ate into the wood around me, splintering and shattering the ancient beams and tearing a chuck of meat from my shoulder for good measure. Wood, it seems, is not especially proof against these weapons, and I was beginning to find out the hard way just how proof my own hide was against them too. Blood seeped down my foreleg, but as nasty as it looked I didn’t have the luxury of time to worry about it now. Hah! So much for my negotiation course then! My eyes locked onto the weapon leaning on the railing. Now… Now it was time to do things the old fashioned way. Releasing enough spirit energy to shield me from the worst of the direct fire, I ducked behind the huge gun and flicked what appeared to be the power switch. Immediately a red light came on, bringing the thing humming to life. There was a hell of a wind up time on the motor, or so it felt, until a green light popped on showing it was ready. I took a breath, steadied myself, and then… hesitated. Despite everything, these ponies were still my colleagues, my friends. Could I just gun them down like they were nothing? I wasn’t sure, this wasn’t right! I couldn’t- And then that little voice in my head began to whisper, as soft as the gentlest breeze, reminding me with its silken tones that these buckers had already killed their own, that the names of the dead would never be forgotten. Nor vengeance satistfied.

Palm…

They had no qualms about killing agency ponies, and if they were linked with Blaze and the smugglers then they had no moral obstacles to overcome when it came to selling foals and mares for drugs and guns either. How could they do that? How?!

Twinkle Sky…

The suffering of innocents meant nothing to them. Locked in cages, covered in their own faeces and urine, quietly awaiting the hell that was to come. Until the mercy of death finally took them.

Lilly...

Did they see the children? Did they see the innocence of foals whose lives had been destroyed because these… these vermin wanted to line their own pockets with bits?! I could still see her eyes, her blind, unseeing eyes. They had forfeited any right to call themselves the Watch. Or ‘friends’.

Meadow...

Oh, dear gods, no. NO!

Shouting wordlessly I turned the weapon onto the ponies below and pulled the firing lever. A moment later the horribly familiar noise of humming and screeching filled the atrium with a barrage of smoke and death. I didn’t so much aim the thing as point it, but it didn’t make much difference. Those that didn’t run were turned into crimson paste, whilst others tried to take cover, finding that desks and chairs would provide little sanctuary from the stream of bullets tracing their way through their midst. The spirit inside me howled with unbridled ecstasy, revelling in the brutal sights and sounds of battle. Torn and bloodied ponies lay strewn across the floor, walls dripping with blood and entrails. It was over in a matter of seconds. Silence fell like a shroud, leaving only groans and coughs, but I knew it wouldn’t last. That few moments of firing had emptied the gun already, and I abandoned it, taking out my beam weapon and using the lull in the fighting to make my escape. Quickly, I turned and headed for Blaze’s office as those left in the atrium picked themselves back up. Sporadic fire suddenly erupted from farther back in the building, a stray shot clipping my hind leg and sending me sprawling across the floor. I swallowed, shoving a hoof against the wall and pulled myself to my hooves. I didn’t look to see how much damage had been caused, but a quick shake and I was off again. The wendigo spirit had a truly remarkable way of handling injury and pain I’d noticed, but I had the horrible impression I was going to pay for this later. For now at least, I could ignore it. As I ran I could feel the strange magic of the spirit channelling energy into the wound, feel its sting ebbing away almost as fast as it had come. But it was hungry. And with each moment, that rumbling need for nourishment grew, adding a fuel to its already insatiable need. Flasks of berry juice wouldn’t be enough this time.

Something moved in the corner of my vision.

My beam gun snapped off a shot, ripping through a stallion who appeared with a raised weapon from an office to my right. He shrieked and fell back, but I didn’t see if I’d dealt him a mortal wound. To the spirit however, the howl of pain and shock sent it into a near frenzy of delight. As much as the entity clearly enjoyed the experience, this time I was all too aware I was killing ponies I’d worked with not all that long ago. Warped and corrupted they may be, they had still been those I’d worked with and trusted.

And had betrayed you...

Occasionally I saw a pony lay down their weapon and raise their hooves in submission. These I left be; the agency would collect them and I had no time for them anyway. I was fixed upon my destination now - the Watch Chief’s office. Two ponies charged me, swords drawn as I reached the edge of the balcony in front of the office. My first swing gutted the nearest one, sending a spray of gore across his fellow who tried to spit me with his own weapon. I danced away, bringing my blade down on the hapless stallion’s neck, severing his spine and nearly decapitating him. The other lay writhing on the floor until I put a shot through his head to end his suffering. I didn’t stop to think. I couldn’t stop. The smell, heat, and intensity of the fighting set my soul on fire. Bullets zipped and howled around me, my energy weapon answering back, killing and maiming ponies that dared to challenge me. The spirit was lost in a raging fury now, screaming nearly out of control. It cried out for satiation, for a source of life energy it knew was near. And it was so near! I kicked open the door and stalked in without pause, breathing hard, sword low, my beam gun slung over my shoulder. Blaze… Blaze was there before me. She was shouting into her comms device until... she paused, lowered the device and turned to face me slowly, her face ashen.

“Hello Fairlight,” Blaze said quietly. “I had a feeling you’d be back. Returning from the dead seems to be a habit of yours.”

My voice rumbled low in my throat, “Blaze…”

I could hear ponies outside getting nearer and threw up a wall of ice, effectively locking the two of us inside the office.

“Quite the trick you got there, Captain,” the mare observed impassively. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.” She leaned back in her chair and raised her forehooves. “No magic, see?”

“Wanting to surrender Blaze?” I growled, my teeth itching furiously. “You disappoint me.”

Blaze snorted, tossing her mane. “Oh buck you, Fairlight. You know that’s not my style. I expect you’re wanting an exclusive interview with me now are you? Expecting me to spill the beans? A big expose on the whole crime family?”

“Not really,” I replied. “I know what they do, and I know what you did, but I’m guessing you don’t hold any love for Gates and Melon Patch though.”

She huffed loudly. “Of course not, those perverse bastards are the ones who commit all the depravity. I never agreed with that. Making drug money sure, but I didn’t involve myself in selling ponies for the sex trade.”

“Not what your little pal Jingo told me,” I retorted.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, just a moment which told me all I needed to know. “Ha! Well, you got me there,” Blaze shrugged. “No kidding you is there, Captain?” She sighed, “I guess you’ll be wanting your big showdown here then will you?”

My resolve was strong, but as I looked into her sad, distant eyes, I felt my heart begin to waver. I lowered my guard, foolishly perhaps, but I had to ask, “Why, Blaze? For the goddess’s sake, why? Was it bits? I know the pay’s crap, every watchpony knows that, but you were one of the best. How the hell did it turn out like this?”

“How?” She asked. I saw a single tear roll down the big pegasi’s cheek. “I told you before, Captain, Equestria is sinking into a pit of its own filth, and all I wanted was to take what I could before it was so far gone it took me down with it.” She closed her eyes and hung her head. “I didn’t want to be just another Dawn.”

The tension in the air was palpable. Magic seethed through my body, strengthening my muscles and joints, but it did nothing for the turmoil in my heart. Waves of emotion passed through me: memories of happier times, of Blaze and Dawn laughing and playing cards while the rest of the relief looked on, betting on who would win. They were both loved dearly by the ponies on her team, if not by the whole of the Manehattan watch.

I breathed in deeply. “Is there no other way? Blaze… if there is, please, tell me.”

The big pegasus mare shook her head with a little smile on her face. “Sorry, Fairlight, I’m not surrendering, and I know you won’t let me walk out of here either. You were the only guy I knew who took all that ‘honour’ and ‘duty’ crap seriously.” She smiled bitterly. “Nah, I suppose I’ve gone way too far down the rabbit hole to back out now, so you’ll just have to do what you have to do.”

I swallowed. “Please, Blaze, don’t do this…”

“Don’t do what?” she laughed. Dear gods, she actually laughed! “All good things come to an end, and perhaps all the bad things do too. But you remember what we always used to say, don’t you? Shit always floats to the top. The ones we trust today with all their fancy suits and fancy words are the ones shafting us tomorrow, while the rest of us are kept down in the dirt where we belong, right? It never changes. Nothing you, I, nor any watch pony in the whole of Equestria did would ever make a drop of difference to this midden of a world.” She closed her eyes and smiled faintly, the look of tension finally leaving her face. “Tell me, Captain, what’s it like, on the other side?”

I felt a shiver run through me as the reality of what the mare was saying began to sink in. “It’s all sunshine and wheat fields, Blaze. The sun’s on your back in a crystal blue sky, the trees are heavy with ripe fruit, and birdsong lulls you to sleep on a warm afternoon.”

She smiled, tears falling onto the debris strewn floor. “Sounds wonderful…” Blaze got up from her chair and took a sword down from the rack on the wall, giving it an experimental sweep. “Will Dawn be there?”

I nodded, trying to hold back my own tears. “She will be”

“Good.”

Blaze suddenly charge me, howling and swinging her sword. She was practised too, a flourish sending me back with a gash across a foreleg. She thrust forward and I blocked, dodging away as her next attack pressed in. Back and forth we clashed until the opening I was hoping for appeared. Blaze reared, her sword held high and she dived down on me screaming, the big eyes of hers wild and her wings flared. It was over in a heartbeat. The tip of my sword plunged through her defenceless breast and deep into her heart. She hung there for a moment and then, limply, the pegasus collapsed on top of me, her sword clattering to the floor. I grabbed her and carried her down, holding her as I did so. Blaze, the former Manehattan watch chief, lay dying on the floor of her office.

She shuddered and reached out a hoof toward the ceiling like she could see something I couldn’t. “Dawn?” Her eyes went wide. “Dawn! You’re here!” She gasped once, and went limp as her life escaped her.

I watched silently, as her life energy began to slowly seeped away, and I breathed it in. In some way it was as though I was keeping part of her inside of me alive, to remember her by. To the spirit, it was the taste of victory. I ignored it. My old friend would be with the herd soon, and flying once more with her beloved Blaze. The whole terrible scene was utterly heart rending, but oddly I felt a tinge of jealousy. I was still stuck here in the mortal world, tainted by the spirit and stained with the blood of countless ponies. At least Blaze and Dawn would be with the eternal herd. Personally, I wondered if I would ever be with my Meadow and Sparrow again. Had I become so warped, so utterly stained by the blood of those whose lives I had taken, that I could never be with my loved ones again? Did… Did I even care anymore? I felt a tear spill down my cheek and drop onto the still warm body of the mare whose life I had taken. Banging on the outside of the room caught my attention, and I lay Blaze’s head gently to the floor, placing a spare overcoat from the coat-rack over her face. She didn’t need to see any more of this shitty world.

“Nox! Its’ agent Dune, we’ve taken the watch house. Are you alright? We can’t get you on your TED.”

Damn it, I’d knocked the damned thing off in all the fighting. My horn flared with a magic aura and the ice began to melt around the door. Outside, Dune shoved hard and stumbled inside as it gave way. “Damn!” She recovered herself and looked up at me, her sweat matted mane stuck to her forehead. “Nox, are you…? Oh…” She took in the scene and stood to one side in silence.

I picked Blaze’s body up and placed her on my back. “Put all the dead watch together, Dune. Blaze should be with her ponies.” I took a breath, trying to keep my sanity together. “I want proper burials for them too. I think the city can spring for that, don’t you?”

She nodded, “I’ve got contacts, Nox, leave it to me.”

“Thanks, my friend.” I stared down at the floor, unable to meet her gaze. “I owe you one.”

I closed my eyes, letting the surge of emotional energy flush through me making my fur tingle. So… This was how it ended, was it? I had killed one of old colleagues and only the goddesses know how many more. In those few minutes of violence, the Fairlight I had been had been washed away forever in a sea of blood and death that I had taken to as naturally as a duck to water. Inside, part of me felt sick to my stomach at what I had done this day. The other revelled in it, singing with joy and the sheer exuberance of life - as I stared at a scene of death.I was the beginning and the end, the innocent child of my parents who had come into the world as pure and untainted as the first fall of snow. Now, I was the bringer of death, an echo of a people whom the princess had driven to extinction. And gods know, perhaps she was right to do it too. How could creatures like that, like me, live alongside ponies to whom the concepts of violence, of fighting and war, were simply unthinkable? It was no wonder the agency worked behind the scenes, living in the shadows. How many ponies were walking around today, blissfully ignorant of that undercurrent of horror which lay beneath the sugar coated frosting of modern equestrian society? How many had experienced it first hoof, only to wake in the morning having nothing more than a vague recollection of something ‘odd’ having happened to them and a bit of a headache? Memory alteration would only work so far, and one day, perhaps today, somepony would have seen what had transpire here and the bubble would finally be burst. Who knew? Who cared? I was beyond that now, the weight of the mare on my back reminding me with every step of what I had done.

Brandy and the others were already in the atrium, surrounded by innumerable wounded, prisoners, and a veritable sea of black clad agents. Thankfully somepony had had the sense to open what was left of the windows to let the smoke out, but fresh air in Manehattan was a rare commodity and there was little breeze to take away the stink that hung like an immovable miasma. I avoided the blank stares of the prisoners, ignoring too the grimaces of pain on the tortured features of the injured. I had seen more than enough for one day, if not a lifetime. Amongst this scene of misery the myriad medical staff were treating the most badly wounded, whilst in the distance I could hear the ringing of bells announcing the imminent arrival of yet more ambulances. They’d have a hell of a job keeping a lid on this disaster, but thankfully that wasn’t my problem. Mine was something a little more immediate. Ignored in the chaos, I slipped through the surging mass of ponies, finally reaching something I could never have imagined I would ever see here in the old watch house. Lined up like equine shaped sardines, the still and unmoving row of bodies lay cooling in the pale light, an island of silence surrounded by the low murmuring waves of life. One by one they were looked over by a doctor who barely even noticed my approach, nor the stack of body bags that had already been thoughtfully placed there. I tore my eyes away from them with a heavy heart. Gods, this was so surreal. I felt as though I were walking in somepony elses shoes, a dream that I could wake up from, brush myself off and go about my normal working day just the same as I always had. The eyes of a mare stared up at me, the glazed expression in those once vibrant blue eyes devoid of the familiar spark of life that we all took far too much for granted. There would be no more normal ‘working days’ for this girl, or for any of us now. How the hell could we walk back from this? How could Equestria ever return to normal? Oh, the authorities would try of course, washing their hooves of this atrocity right in the heart of one of their major cities, playing it off as an ‘unfortunate incident’ or such like. But the city would remember. It always remembered. As gently as I could, I lowered Blaze’s body beside those of her comrades. Stepping back, Brandy appeared beside me, the dark lines under his eyes speaking volumes about his mental state right now.

“Buck it, Nox, I don’t see how we can keep this disaster quiet, the place is a frigging bloodbath.” Brandy’s tone wasn’t so much accusatory as resigned. He looked at bodies, then over to the door where more medical teams were hurrying inside. “Innocents got caught in the crossfire,” the older stallion said quietly, “and we’ve got dead ponies all over the damned place. It’s going to take more than a few memory wipes to put this right.”

“Yes, Sir,” I replied. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No. No, I don’t suppose there is now. We’ll get the wounded treated, bury the dead, and hope to the goddesses that we can contain this mess the best we can.” Brandy looked down at Blaze’s body, “Wouldn’t give up, eh?”

I shook my head.

Brandy sighed. “I’m sorry, Nox, I didn’t know her personally, but… I know what it’s like to…” He rubbed his muzzle, closing his eyes. “You know what I mean”

I nodded. “I do, Sir.”

The older officer nodded towards the door. “Off you go, grab a shower and see to that orange mare of yours. I suspect you’ll be in for your own interrogation when you get back.”

I smiled faintly and trotted out to where Loofa was waiting with the sky chariot. I’m sure that guy could read minds. “I’m heading back boss,” he said pleasantly. “Jump in, you look dead on your hooves”.

I paused to look back at the watch house. The walls were pockmarked with bullet impacts and the black marks left by beam weapons, while splintered wood and smashed glass covered the ground like a carpet. For Celestia’s sake, what the hell had all this been for? What?!

“Boss?”

I climbed into the chariot and lay back, closing my eyes, willing the images away. “I’m tired Loofa. I’m so, so tired.” I felt absolutely worn out, wanting nothing more now than a wash and a clean bed. “Let’s go home.”

“Right you are, Boss.”

We lifted off the ground and were soon flying through the still darkened sky back to the facility and the waiting Tingles. Behind me, receding into the distance, the blackened and smoke filled memory of my past smouldered, a dark relic of what I had once called… home.

********************

I’ll say one thing for the agencies facility, it came fully loaded with everything a pony needed - if you had a fairly basic list of requirements that is. The cafeteria here food was truly dreadful by most standards, but the other amenities more than made up for that. Well, almost… The particular amenity I had in mind right now was a hot bath, and the large communal ones at the facility could comfortably accommodate at least ten ponies at once. There was one for mares and one for stallions, naturally. Not that you could really see much anatomically speaking I suppose, plus the showers were mixed too, but there was something about a mare stepping out of a steaming tub that was considered taboo by many. So much so it had been a recurring theme in the old ‘stallions only’ magazines I’d read as a colt. The dog-eared and decidedly musty publications had been passed around at school so often the pages were often falling out. Those that weren’t, rather worryingly, stuck together with some ‘unknown’ substance. Gods, I really wanted a wash now! Fortunately with most of the agents still out on the watch house job, that evening I had the place to myself, and I couldn’t wait to sink into the hot water. Removing my barding, clothing and gear, I could barely resist the urge to jump in and had to force myself into the shower room to wash off first. I was I glad I did too. Apart from being against regulations, the thought of floating around in all the filth I had accumulated today was something that was disturbing to say the least. No, a good scrub, a decent amount of soap, and then my reward awaited. Thank the gods for the laundry team too, and they certainly had their work cut out for them this time. My barding and tunic were spattered from head to hoof with dark wet patches, innumerable rips, and scorch marks. I tried not to look too hard at the tainted water as it sluiced away the past few hours in a soapy slurry that gurgled down the drain and into memory. Memory… Ha! More like a nightmare. How many times had I… Suddenly a thought struck me, and a quick examination of where I had been injured revealed that where I had been hit was now miraculously all but healed. I stared in amazement at the clean fresh flesh that would, I hoped, regrow my fur to cover the bald patches. Apart from looking like I had a bad case of mange, looking at some of them I was amazed I was still alive at all. The spirit had certainly saved my life, but it didn’t make me invulnerable. I’d have to be careful in future to make sure I didn’t take my ability to heal lightly and put myself at serious risk of something beyond its healing abilities. I sure as hell wasn’t going to take to anypony else about it either; the last thing I wanted was the management here thinking I was some sort of bullet proof machine they could use to go on suicide missions.

Finally clean I tossed the now empty soap dispenser in the bin and edged over to the hot steaming bath. Slowly, I lowered myself into the embrace of sheer, unadulterated bliss. The water gently lapped at my legs, tickled my hooves and soaked through my fur, warming my skin beneath. Dear gods, it felt... amazing! All the tension and stress that had been building up within me hour after hour, now began to seep out of me along with the uncomfortable cold sensation from my aching joints. So, the spirit couldn’t fix everything then, eh? I yawned expansively; I’d have to be careful not to fall asleep here, but it just felt so… so… good… Suddenly my ears twitched. On the other side of the bathroom divide I could hear the gentle singing of a mare, drifting across the water. I recognised the tune, if not so much the words. It was a lullaby that reminded me of my distant youth, and a small grey foal dropping off to sleep as my mother rocked me in her forelegs. I had been warm, loved, and safe. Nothing could harm me here. Nothing could disturb the tranquillity of simply… being. Unbidden my eyes began to droop, the world beginning to slip away. Her song was one of utter peace and joy, of love and all that good stuff.

The song finished and the voice called out, “Anypony there?”

I recognised it straight away. “Tingles?”

There was a pause, “Are you on your own?”

“Yeah, there’s nopony he-” I began.

“Hang on a minute…” she called back.

Water splashed behind the divider and I heard the clear sound of hoofsteps on tile. I was still looking up at the ceiling in a half daze when the sloshing of water against my face made me jump. “Tingles?!”

The tangerine coated mare pushed her way through the water to me and snuggled up close to me. “This is nice…” she sighed softly.

I gave her a nudge, “Hey! This is the stallions bath, you’ve got your own next door. You know what they’re like here about stuff like-”

Tingles huffed, a green eye peering up at me lazily. “Oh put a sock in it, Captain Uptight. Noponies here are they? Anyway, I can soon get out if we’re disturbed.” She rubbed her muzzle against me and chuckled quietly to herself.

“‘Disturbed’,” I echoed doubtfully.

Tingles leaned back and sighed. “Did you do what you set out to do?”

I had to admit that being here with a mare, warm and comfortable after such a nightmarish day, was quite disarming to say the least. I closed my eyes and nodded. “I did. We rescued the girls from the island and…”

“And what?” Tingles asked as I tailed off.

“The Watch House,” I replied quietly. “Blaze, the agency... it was such a mess. Her goons gunned down the agency ponies sent to take her in for questioning and then all hell broke loose.”

Tingles nodded knowingly. I suspected she must have known something about what had happened, if not necessarily the details. “What happened to Blaze?” she asked.

I splashed some water on my face and glanced across at Tingles’ big green eyes. “I’m sorry, Tingles…”

For a moment she paused, her face taking on a distant cast. “Oh,” she said finally. “I see. Right then…” I know they hadn’t been friends, but they’d still been comrades nonetheless. To know that somepony you’d worked with for years was gone was something none of us wanted to consider, but it was always a risk. The tangerine mare looked like she was struggling with some inner emotion I couldn’t feel, and the she looked up at me once more. “Cap?”

“Yeah?”

“Would it be okay if I hugged you?” Tingles tried a smile that ended up as more of a tremble. “Just, you know, for a minute…”

I nodded silently as the mare reached a foreleg around my neck and pulled herself into my chest. Her body shook, her sobbing muffled by a combination of the steam and my wet fur. I stroked Tingles’ mane, “I’m sorry love, I wish I could have done more, but she didn’t-”

“Stop calling me that.”

“-want to… Eh?” I blinked in surprise. “Stop calling you what?”

“You know what!” Tingles snapped suddenly. “Don’t call me something you don’t mean! It’s cruel, damn it!”

I tried to stand up but my hind hooves skidded on the bottom and I only succeeded in half choking myself on the water. “I don’t know what you’re going on about!” I sputtered.

Ignoring my plight, the pegasus snorted angrily. I was in trouble here, but with no idea what the hell had riled her up I was floundering. And in more ways than one. Green eyes glared at me, “You’re so bloody ignorant!”

“Tingles!” I huffed. “For Celestia’s sake, please!”

The mare span in the water with surprising ease, but instead of getting out as I’d half expected, she beat wetly on my chest with her hooves before pushing me away. “I hate you!” she nickered. “I bloody well hate you, you… you sodding, damned, ignorant… HORSE!”

“Hey! Now hang on a minute!” I protested.

But it was too late, the tangerine mare had stormed out of the bath in a whirling tempest of water and emotion. Mares! What the hell was going through that blasted feathery mind of hers? Gods, I didn’t need this, not now. Too much had been going on and all I’d wanted was to get clean and have a relaxing soak after the day from hell. Of course, that was too much to ask for though wasn’t it! Ah, damn it! It was too late now, the mood was ruined and all I wanted now was to get out, dry off, and get to bed. Bloody Tingles…

********************

Thankfully the ever vigilant cleaners had sorted my room out whilst I’d been away. Gods only know what they thought when they’d opened the door, but they’d done one hell of a job all the same. Apart from the usual empty bin, replaced toilet paper and soap, there was a distinct lack of ice, water, or musty bedding too. There was even a delightful smell of fresh laundry hanging in the air too which was very welcome indeed. Now that I thought about it, I never saw the cleaners. In fact, other than the suited agency ponies or medical staff, I barely saw any other staff at all. It was as if there was a secret army of unseen mystery ponies we never met, working in the shadows behind the shadows. Weird that. Almost as weird at the fact that Tingles was lying in my bed!

“Hey! Now just a minute madam-” I began.

As always, I never had a chance to finish. “Shut up and get in,” she huffed, “you’re causing a draft.”

With a resigned groan, I hung up the last of my gear and climbed into bed with my back to her, trying to ignore the furry mass behind me.

After a few moments, Tingles leaned forward and lay her head across my neck. “You don’t mind do you, Cap? I’ll go if you want me to.”

I closed my eyes. “No, no it’s okay. I’d like the company really. I feel a bit… you know. I want to…” I want to what? Gods, I didn’t know any more. My mind was all over the place and sleep was starting to pull urgently at the corners of my mind, and she was so warm...

“I know Cap’,” the mare murmured softly. “I can see it in your eyes. You’ve seen things no pony should ever have to see. I think we both have to some degree.”

Her warmth against my neck and back relaxed me far more that the bath ever could. I could feel the walls I’d never known were there, gradually melting away and unleashing emotions that began to ebb and flow around my consciousness. Images, memories of what was, what had been and what I’d dreamed of, flooded me. It was like trying to hold in the pressure from a hose with your hoof; sooner or later…

“Fairlight?”

I took a breath. “Hmmm?”

“It’s okay to cry, I won’t tell anypony.”

“I don’t want to cry Tingles,” I replied. “I want to sleep, that’s all.”

“Big ponies don’t cry eh?” the mare observed.

In answer to her words I felt my chest shudder and unexpected tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I kept my mouth and eyelids shut tight, not wanting her to see me like this. I don’t know if it was a culmination of the days horrors, or the way Tingles seemed to effortlessly cut through the barriers I threw up around myself, but whatever it was, I was beginning to come apart at the seams. Despite my efforts at keeping my emotions in check, I think she must have realised. I could feel her move behind me, the warm breath upon the back of my neck sending a shudder down my spine. The warm foreleg across my chest was the final key to the lock, and it opened the floodgates with a gentle silence. All my pain, my loss, the fear and sorrow of the disaster area that passed as my life, poured out in that instant. I cried. I cried like I never had, with my friend comforting me.

“Its okay love, I’m here…”

I turned over to face her and looked into those big green eyes. I didn’t know what to say, words had left me completely. All I could do was reach out and hold her, hold her like she was my last shred of hope for light in this damnable world of darkness. And there, hugging me to her chest like a distressed foal, she stayed and let me empty of all the suffering, all the misery and loss, until I finally fell asleep.

I slept like a log, devoid of dreams and wrapped in nothing but simple warmth and kindness. At sometime during the night, I eventually awoke, still in that deliciously warm embrace. Carefully, if a little sleepily, I

got up and went into the bathroom to wipe my face down and pour a glass of water. Climbing back in afterwards, I must have woken her up. Her half lidded eyes peering at me, a light smile on her lips.

“Can’t sleep?” she murmured.

“Better than I have been, you’re very warm,” I said honestly. I yawned. “It’s nice… to sleep next to somepony again.”

“Glad to be of service,” Tingles said chuckling.

“You know what I mean,” I mumbled.

Tingles shrugged. “Yeah, being psychic is one of my many talents.”

Oh gods, I didn’t want an argument now! “Tingles…please…”

Fortunately an argument was the furthest thing from her mind. “Sorry, Cap,” she smiled. “I’m just teasing. Want to talk for a bit?”

I wasn’t sure, but… “Yeah, do you mind?”

Tingles shook her head, “No. No, of course not.”

I took a deep breath and after another quick drink of water, poured out my heart. “I know this sounds weird, but this… this ‘spirit’, it speaks to me. The two of us, we’re one, but at the same time we’re not, like a split personality of sorts. I don’t know for sure, but it says we have to come together somehow, to ‘join’ properly.”

“You aunt said as much,” Tingles replied.

Good old Pewter! “I know,” I said, “but when Blaze threw me overboard, there was another voice. I haven’t really thought about it since then, I haven’t had much of a chance either, but it was there, strong and... authoritative.” I looked into Blaze’s eyes, she’d propped herself up on one foreleg to watch me. “When I fight, sometimes I can’t… I can’t control myself. I get ‘lost’ in the moment. The killing, the blood, the screams! I… Oh goddesses, Tingles, I think I’m losing my mind…”

She rubbed my forehead and gave me a small lick on the cheek. “You’re not losing you mind, Fairlight. I know you from the watch and you’ve always been one of the most reliable and stable ponies I know. This ‘thing’ you’re going through is something your ancestors went through too. They mastered it and so there must be a way. There has to be an answer, a book, a manual or something, something we just haven’t found yet.”

I couldn’t argue with her logic. “Maybe,” I muttered. “I don’t know where to start looking though. Besides, is something like that going to exist after a thousand years?”

“Your tribe’s books did,” Tingles reasoned. “Maybe there’s something in there?”

I snorted huffily. “I don’t know, it’s all blasted gobbledygook so far as I’m concerned.”

“What?” Green eyes peered into mine. “Don’t tell me you haven’t even read them yet?”

“Not in so many words…” I mumbled.

“Fairlight! Good grief!” She face hoofed, “Right, leave it to me then. I’ve got time to have a good look at them for you now anyway. I’ve been grounded for the next week until the doc okays me for flight again, so at least I’ll be able to do something useful.”

Oh bollocks! Whilst I’d been wallowing in self pity, I’d completely ignored Tingles’ own situation. It hadn’t been that long since she’d been at death’s door after trying to help protect me from that lunatic Wist, not to mention the way she’d drained herself of her own life energy for my benefit too. And now here I was, wrapped up in my own concerns without a thought in my head for anypony else. “Tingles, I’m so sorry,” I said quickly. “All I’ve done is moan about my troubles when you’ve got more than your own fair share. Are you feeling okay? What did the doc say?”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Well, better late than never I suppose, but yes, I’m fine. The doctor said that he’s spoken to the mistress and by and large I’m back to normal, but they still want me to take a few more days out to get my life energy levels back to what they should be.”

“Oh, Tingles…” I closed my eyes as the full realisation of just what she’d sacrificed for me, hit me with all the subtlety of a flying brick. “You scared the bloody life out of me back then. Promise me you’ll never do that again, okay?”

She paused, but seemed to relent. “You got it, Cap. But on one condition though.”

“What’s that?”

Tingles smiled, “That you remember you’ve got friends. Ponies who… you know…”

“I know, Tingles…” I reached forward and kissed her muzzle. “Thanks.”

She made a little grunt and squeezed me tight, “Go to sleep now, my captain. ‘Lord of the four winds’…Pffff!” She started laughing, which to my surprise, set me off too.

“Pack it in!” I chuckled. “Good night, you tangerine pest.”

“Good night to you too… love” She gave my ear a gentle nip and snuggled into me once me.

I lay there, my mouth hanging open. Goddesses, was I really so stupid? So blind to what had been right in front of me all along? Oh, goddesses… I was. Still, things could always wait until the morning, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep once more.

If I dreamed or not, I couldn’t say. I was warm, safe, and happier than I had been in as long as I could remember. Lying there in my happy state, a few more hours would have been just the balm my soul needed - until I awoke with a start to the urgent ringing of the bloody alarm clock. I reached out to silence the damnable thing, only to successfully knock it off the bedside table onto the floor. Swearing under my breath, I tried to move only to find an orange foreleg wrapped around my chest, and a hind leg over my flank. I tried to wriggle out, but the more I did the tighter she held on, murmuring in her sleep.

“Tingles…” I said quietly. No response. I tried again, “Tingles, wake up. I have to go, there’s a briefing this morning.”

“Mmmmmnnhhh…”

Whatever that meant! Still, at least she relaxed her grip long enough for me to be able to escape the furry clutches of the tangerine pest. Once successfully extricated I tucked the covers back around her, wishing I could have had a little more time in the warm bed. Or was it being cuddled that made me so… Oh, for bucks sake! I gave myself a hard shake and threw some water on my face. I couldn’t stay here all morning, I had to get moving, not lingering here no matter how warm it was - or how good she smelled. Forcing myself away from temptation, I turned my attention to my morning ablutions. One quick trip to the crapper, a refreshing shower and a general tidy up, and agent Nox was ready for action once again. I stood there, checking my teeth and the slightly weary expression I seemed to be sporting out of habit as much as anything these days. The reflection staring back at me from the mirror was no different from normal I suppose, except if I angled it just right, I could see a sleeping tangerine mare in my bed looking decidedly bedraggled. Hell yeah! I grinned and allowed myself a brief chuckle of smugness.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Agent Nox?” she said quietly, one eye half open.

“Morning, my dear pegasus,” I quipped. “A hard days reading awaits! See you when I get back from paddling more bad guys.”

“Take care Fa-” Tingles yawned and smacked her lips. “Nox, I mean. Play nice, hmm?”

I stuck my tongue out at her playfully but she’d already vanished beneath the duvet like some furry sea monster slipped down into the briny depths. I smiled broadly. Today I felt unusually happy, not to mention optimistic, although exactly why I wasn’t too sure. But whatever the reason I left my room with a spring in my step and trotted off down the corridor to the morning meeting. Passing a picture hanging on the wall I caught a glimpse of my grinning reflection, the stupid smirk of a stallion acting like a colt half his age. Bah! Who cared? Good gods, I hadn’t felt this good in ages! In fact I think I was still smirking to myself when I joined the queue heading into the briefing room. There weren’t many smiles with this lot, oh no, that would be far too much to expect! It was certainly packed out again, but this time with a large number of agents I’d never seen before. Glancing over my shoulder I saw even more heading this way, and before I knew it we were being crammed in there like sardines. A few faces I recognised turned to wave: Loofa, Brandy, Dune - quite a few in fact. What in Equestria was going on?

The officer at the front of the room tapped a stick on the lecturn, “Order please, everypony. Thank you.”

He nodded to the projectionist who switched off the lights and clicked a new slide into the magic lantern. After a few moments adjusting the focus, a picture of a familiar stone arch filled the screen drawing every eye in the room. There was no mistaking one of these things - it was a portal, the silvery light of one in operation was as clear as day. Personally I’d never seen one working for more than a few seconds before the smugglers somehow pulled the plug, but it was a sight I’d never forget. Unfortunately we’d never been able to get one working again afterwards, and the smugglers we’d captured wouldn’t talk. Considering the sort of dullards we brought in, I suspected they didn’t have a clue how they worked in any case. After all, you don’t have to know how to make a carriage to pull one, do you? Had they finally managed to get one of these things working? By the looks on the expectant faces of the audience, they were thinking the exact same thing.

The pony on the stage cleared his throat. “Agents, this is a portal to the ‘human world’, the world they call ‘earth’. Some of you will already be aware of this of course, some not. The briefing paper and explanatory notes will give you more detail, and you are advised to read them at your earliest opportunity. Another briefing on familiarisation with this species will take place later today, and details of each relief is on the notice board by the door”.

Briefing paper? Oh buck, not again! I shifted my weight to check and… yeah, it was stuck to my bloody arse again. I just nodded.

“The humans are a type of primate,” the officer continued, “mostly hairless, and come in various sizes and colours.”

The slide changed to show a number of hairless, monkey-like things standing on two legs. They were…naked… totally! Bloody hell fire, they must have evolved to live in an inferno to survive without fur covering their hides. Some of them were different colours too, varying in height, and… hang on, no tail either! And look at how short that mane was! I started chuckling, a couple of others following suit leading to a general rumbling that was quickly quashed by the briefing officer banging the lectern irritably.

“May I remind you that these creatures are responsible for the death and misery afflicting our homeland?” he snorted. Silence fell, my jovial mood souring quickly. Satisfied he had regained control of the meeting, the officer continued. “These beings are from a surprisingly advanced race, using ‘technology’ rather than magical science. Quite the clever little things really, and quite, quite violent too. You will all be more than familiar with the ‘earth’ weapons the humans smuggled into Equestria recently?” The slide changed to show a number of ‘guns’. “These are examples of weapons made in the human world, for human use. You will need to familiarise yourself with all of these and their operation. Details are, again, in the briefing paper”.

Why? Why would we need to know how to use human weapons? My mane was bristling now, I didn’t like the way this was going.

“Thanks to a recent informant,” the officer stated, “we have been able to re-activate a portal to the human world.” My money was on Jingo as that ‘recent informant’. Looks like we’d hit the jackpot with that one, and I think the others knew it too. A general sense of excitement rippled out from the assembled agents as ears twitched, tails swished and a low murmuring broke out. This really was news! We’d never managed to do get one of these things fire up, and now, now I had the distinct impression that the tide was about to turn. “We have already sent a recon team through the portal,” the officer explained. “After extensive tests of course. They were able to recover a good deal of intelligence, much of which is already in your packs.” You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife, and not a very sharp one either. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, for too long we have been fighting the fires and not the cause of them. With what we have learned, supervision are confident that we can strike a significant blow to those who are behind the troubles that Equestria is facing.” He took a deep breath, pausing dramatically. “At long last, it is time to take the fight... to them.”

A huge round of hoof stomping and cheers erupted around the room. So, this was it was it? We were finally going to be able to strike back against the pedlars of death and misery at their very core, or more specifically their suppliers. If we could take them down it would doubtlessly hit the wider criminal organisation hard, but at the back of my mind I had the horrible impression that it would only be a temporary victory. If I was being cynical I could say that it may all be academic anyway, what with scum like Gates and Mel still operating out there, and of course whoever their puppet master was, was still about too. However, we had to do something and it looked like this was it. I could feel the spirit stirring, and I knew why - I could almost taste the anticipation in the air. There was no denying the determination in the faces of these ponies. Whether this was temporary or not, it would be the first real chance to strike back at the filth who had been causing such pain for out people. We needed to stop being the victims.

“The operation will commence one week from today,” the officer stated. “Meanwhile you will each be assigned to a team and training leader. Operational requirements for this job are ‘red’, everypony - nopony is to leave the facility until the operation begins. Comms are locked down except for priority channels. This is a major operation with cross border involvement so it’s all one big happy family, ponies. Team commanders, take charge of your agents. Dismissed.”

We all stood and moved to the door, Brandy was waiting for me. “All set?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, looks like this is the big one then.”

“It is, at least for now.” He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. “The first of many, or, I hope, the last.” Brandy glanced past my flank, wrinkling his brow before adding, “You may want to read that.”

“What? Oh!” I pulled the briefing paper off my backside and slipped it into my bag. Brandy rolled his eyes and I smiled apologetically, “Sorry about that.”

“Never mind…” The older officer gestured towards the doorway. “Come on, we need to get you to the first briefing.”

Another briefing?! Good grief. I looked behind us and frowned. “Where’s everypony else from our team?” I asked. “It’s not just the two of us is it?” I was only half joking, but I noticed how Brandy’s eyes avoided mine.

“No…” He grimaced slightly, making my neck twitch in alarm as he said, “It’s actually just you. There is nopony else.”

I felt my heart leap in my chest, “What?!”

He didn’t reply, instead leading me off down a side corridor away from the main throng as if to emphasise the gravity of what he’d just told me. Oh great, I thought bitterly, a one-pony mission, andwith me as the poor sod doing it too no less. Sure, I’d done things as a solo operative before, but I’d had backup just around the corner in case things got too out of hoof. Unfortunately for me though they always seemed to. Not that this wasn’t going to be interesting of course, I’d just prefer to have a little tedium now and again – there was less chance of being shot that way. Personally, I think I was my own worst enemy here; I’d always preferred working alone, and I’m damned sure Brandy knew that as well, but the thing is I was always aware of being part of a wider team. Knowing you had effective backup nearby in case the guano hit the proverbial was always to be welcomed, even if you never actually needed them. This time however, I wasn’t sure having ‘backup’ was even going to be an option.

“We need to get you familiarised first.” Brandy’s voice sounded a touch distant, but that deep professional tone was still very much in evidence all the same. “You are not to say anything to anypony about working alone, Nox, do you understand?”

I nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good,” Brandy replied. “Those who need to know already do. As for your mission particulars, they will be covered later, but for now you will be joining the others as just another agent.” He lifted his head. “I don’t think I need to say why we’re keeping your involvement quiet, do I?”

“No, Sir.” I felt my heart sink, but the wendigo part of me began to sit up, paying rapt attention to this new and intriguing situation. It knew something was happening and was listening intently to every single word. What exactly this ‘something’ was however, didn’t matter to the spirit. Like a shark tasting blood in the water, it knew its prey was near. Trying to ignore it, I concentrated on the matter at hoof. From what I’d heard so far I don’t think it was just the whole wendigo aspect that had Brandy and the top brass keeping me under wraps. That would have been a touch difficult after the incident at the statue. No, I think there was some other angle to this. A mole in the agency, perhaps? After the incident with the watch it would have been more surprising if they hadn’t tightened security. One bent officer was bad enough, but half the watch had been in on it, or at the very least the majority of shift Blaze had on duty the day of the raid. From what titbits of information I’d been able to glean, it appeared that those officers who hadn’t been one of her gang when the agency had arrived had either been tied up or, as in the case of the two senior officers I’d encountered in the cell block, barricaded themselves in rooms awaiting help.

Brandy left me outside the training room and walked away, leaving me to to file in with the others. It was beginning to fill up quickly and I managed to grab a seat before it became standing room only. Fortunately we didn’t have long to wait either. Not long after the last of us entered the door was closed and a unicorn agent stepped up to the stage, carefully placing a selection of slides into the magic lantern. The lights went out, and the images of yet more of those weird furless monkey things appeared – the ape-like ‘humans’. I didn’t like the look of them at all, there was something ‘off’ about the way a creature could have no fur, no feathers, no scales, no... anything. They also had short tentacle like protrusions, or claws of a sort, on the end of each foreleg. There were similar ones on their hind legs too. I flicked through the documentation to the correct page and mouthed the word that had been printed next to each body part. ‘Hands’. Didn’t monkeys have paws? I shrugged to myself and listened to the briefing as well as referring to the documentation. Apparently these ‘hands’ allowed them to manufacture and manipulate objects a lot better than hooves, that was immediately apparent, however the trainer explained that although magic didn’t exist in their world as such, ours thankfully, would still work. Until he added, “To a degree.” Now that was worrying. The worst part though, was yet to come. When passing through the portal we would be magically ‘transformed’ to resemble humans, the same way they resembled us when they entered our world. How the hell this actually happened was way beyond my pay grade and was not even touched upon, so I guess it was either a secret or simply not deemed to be important to what lay ahead. What really caught mine and everypony else’s attention was when it was announced that a ‘simulator’ had been designed and set up for us courtesy of the hub labs, ostensibly to help us ‘adjust’ to the sensation of walking on half the normal number of legs. The trainer for this was none other than the enigmatic Doctor Bunsen, who waved at me enthusiastically from the other side of the room. I just smiled weakly, trying to blend into the background as much as possible.

A stallion next to me sniggered, treating me to a knowing sidelong glance. “Friend of yours?”

“Goddess knows…” I replied dismissively.

“So glad everypony could make it!” Bunsen exclaimed happily as if we’d all attended there for a jolly good wheeze and a few rounds of wheatbeer. “This amazing magical gadget will allow your mind, your very senses, to see, feel, and even move like almost any creature you can imagine.” Her eyes lit up brighter than the projector. “Just think of the possibilities!” Doctor Bunsen held the device up and seemed to be expecting something - a round of applause maybe? If she had been she was going to be disappointed with this miserable lot. My heart went out to her. For bringing in a device that was quite obviously the culmination of an unimaginable amount of highly skilled work, the poor creature was met with absolute silence - until some kindly soul took pity on her and clopped their hooves together. Slowly. I kind of felt sorry for the good doctor, they were one hell of a tough audience. But give her her dues, she soldiered on regardless, in fact I think I had actually begun to warm to her to a degree. That was, until I heard those dreaded words…

“Now then, for this next part I’m going to need a volunteer.”

I could see everypony cringe away, trying to make themselves as small and as ‘unpickable’ as possible, until Bunsen’s electrifying gaze alighted upon me. Bloody typical!

“You sir!” the mare announced. “Come on now, don’t be shy, don’t be shy…” She waved a hoof encouragingly, beckoning me up to the stage.

Buck it all! I had no choice now, did I? And besides, we’d all have to do this sooner or later. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get rid of the butterflies that had taken up residence there all of a sudden. Still, at least it got it over with quickly I suppose. I think the worst part of all of this though was the horrible knowledge that every eye in the room was looking directly at me, and more than a few of the normally emotionless swine were sniggering behind their hooves too. Gods, how I hated anything to do with ‘audience participation’. It was the main reason I avoided going to pantomimes whenever possible, and especially sitting near the front row at the theatre. For some inexplicable reason ponies who were after something, selling something, or otherwise wanted to pester some poor sod into doing something nopony in their right mind would do, without fail made a bee-line for yours truly. And now, here I was yet again. My ears felt like they were on fire and I was damned sure I was blushing too, which was yet another reason I preferred to avoid the spot-light. Well, this was all absolutely fan-bloody-tastic so far, wasn’t it! Thank you so bloody much, Bunsen.

Up on the stage the disturbingly cheery doctor quickly produced what I can only describe as a sort of silver coloured helmet, studded with lights which flashed different colours seemingly at random. It looked for all the world like a bunch of Hearthswarming fairy lights glued to a converted mixing bowl which, I noted upon further inspection, even had the handles still attached! A strap of some kind was dangling either side of it which Bunsen thoughtfully tied up for me.

“Comfy?” she asked toothily.

“Yeah!” I replied sarcastically, knowing full well that the doctor wouldn’t likely pick up on it. I wasn’t wrong either. She didn’t…

“Great!” the doctor chirped. “Okay, now we need to plug this in here… put these here, and... Oh!”

“‘Oh?’” I said a little alarmed.

She nodded. “I nearly forgot, can you put these goggles on too, please?”

Slightly relieved I complied, pulling the ungainly looking things over my eyes. Light vanished completely, and I was plunged in complete darkness. Taking in account that the helmet covered my ears too, the whole effect was surprisingly disorientating.

“Annnd…. we’re off!” shrieked Bunsen, as a whole new world of imagery burst into life around me from the darkness.

Dear goddesses in their bloody heaven, what was the hell was this?! It was… It was amazing! Trees, grass, blue skies… It was all here like a scene straight out of a holiday brochure. Even the musical sound of birds singing nearby seemed so natural it clashed horribly with the part of my brain desperately trying to remind me that none of this was real, and that I was in fact still stood on the stage before a load of inquisitive agents. This was like nothing I’d never experienced before, like being in a foal’s game but actually being there. It was extraordinary, and yet so real. I looked down at my hooves but... they’d gone! I stared in horror at what had replaced them and felt my stomach lurch. Instead of my neatly trimmed and oiled hooves, what hung there now were those pink sausage-like things that I’d seen on the slide, dangling there at the ends of my forelegs. Or what should have been my forelegs. Everything was wrong: my joints, my muscles, even my eyes. Goddesses, I felt sick with the sensation of bodily wrongness, my brain rebelling against all the sensory overload. But what was even weirder, if that were possible, was what had happened to my spine. I was stood on my hind legs, but rather than balancing on them, this was as if… as if I was meant to stand like this. All the time! My heart was racing, but throughout it all I kept trying to remind myself that this wasn’t real, that I wasn’t ‘really’ here at all, and that it was all an illusion created by magic. It wasn’t helping much.

“Try taking a step, Nox.” Bunsen’s disembodied voice spoke in my ear excitedly, snapping me out of my disorientated state of confusion. I think she was enjoying this too. I wish I was.

I tried lifting my hind leg and the ground rushed up to hit me in the face, although thankfully it didn’t hurt and the expected impact was, well… ‘weird’ to say the least. A moment later I was on my hooves again, and tried once more.

“Don’t think about how, just allow your body to move on its own,” Bunsen said chirpily. “You’ve walked on your hind legs before and this isn’t so different. Just let yourself relax, let your mind go free and simply go with the flow.”

‘Go with the flow,’ eh? Ha! The loopy old lunatic had probably been practising this for weeks, and yet expected me to get the hang of it in a few seconds, did she? Right then, I’d show her! Hopefully. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and put my best hoof, or rather ‘foot’, forward. A little bit of jiggling around, a touch of wobble, and I looked down to see that… I was still standing upright! I tried again with the left one with the same result. A few more tentative steps and I was surprised to find I quickly getting the feel for this artificial body. Although I was moving rather slowly, the sensation of gravity, of momentum, and how everything moved in concert, felt like it was all slotting into place. My ‘hand’ things were proving quite useful too. If I swung them with my forelegs ever so slightly they helped me keep my balance when moving, rather like the pendulum on a clock. On Bunsen’s prompting, I soon discovered they were also really good for carrying, lifting and so on. Not being able to use my magic was a bit weird, but given enough time I could probably get the hang of this. Unfortunately I was beginning to develop the horrible sinking feeling that I knew where this was all going to end too, but time would tell I suppose. Shrugging off my concerns I followed the nutty professor’s directions, throwing myself into this odd new world until the ‘demonstration’ came to an end. As the resident guinea pig, I can’t say I was sorry to get back to being myself once again either. The helmet powered down with a high pitched whine and I removed the goggles, allowing the real world to slam back into focus once again. Thank Luna for that! It was absolutely stomach wrenching jumping from one ‘body’ to another, but if this was going to help us in the human realm then I was all for it, nausea or no. And the human realm was our destination alright, of that I had no doubt. Probably best to take a sick bag though, because if the simulation was this bad I was sure the real thing was going to be one hell of a lot worse.

The rest of the week went by with incessant briefings, weapons drills and, of course, hours in that blasted simulator. By the end of it all it was becoming hard to remember whether I was a ‘human’ or still a pony. At one point I’d been in the thing that long I’d found myself trying to pick up a bottle of water in the canteen with fingers I didn’t have, and later on I’d even tried to run on just my hind legs, much to the amusement of the watching agents. Thankfully the rest of us were getting the same treatment and, as well as we all know, misery truly does love company. And miserable was what we were; after day of this all of us were heartily sick to the stomach of the incessant drills and training, until it was announced that ‘tomorrow’ would be our last briefing before the mission finally began. Brandy was waiting for me outside my billet when I emerged, still bleary eyed and feeling like I’d been battered black and blue during my sleep.

“Mornin’,” I yawned, trying to wipe sleep from my eyes.

The dark coated unicorn leaned forward and picked something off my face. “Hold your hoof out.”

“What?” I said groggily, doing as he asked.

Brandy placed a long green hair in my hoof, “Trying a new hair dye, agent Nox?” I blushed, making the senior agent chuckle quietly, “Come on, we need to go.”

And go we did. We headed in the opposite direction to the briefing and training rooms, out toward a long low building I’d never been in before. Judging by the number of armed guards lurking outside security was pretty tight here, but as to why or what was inside the rather plain looking structure that needed such a high level of protection I had no idea. Nopony ever mentioned it, nor had I bothered asking about it either, but there was no real mystery about it. Truthfully the whole agency facility was so security conscious anyway that all the armed guards, check points and barriers ended up simply blending into the background. In fact it hadn’t really registered with me where I was until I was standing at the door presenting my ID card for inspection. Mind you, I was so knackered from the incessant training I could have been walking off the edge of the world and not noticed until I was floating away into the depths of space. Thank the gods Brandy was there to point me in the right direction, otherwise who knows where I would have ended up. Back in bed would have been nice… Unfortunately for me, it seemed fate had other plans. The dappled grey stallion lead the way as the doors swished open on well oiled hinges, the guards waving us through without exchanging even a single word. It was brightly lit inside too, which was typical of the agency of course, but a touch much for my bleary eyes. All the bright lights, sky lights and white washed walls made the place shine like the inside of an ice cube on a sunny day. It wasn’t all that surprising if you considered that walking around in sunglasses, even indoors, was standard practice. I kept mine on habitually now, not out of any fashion sense particularly, but more because I was sick to death of the stares my eyes drew. Today though, they were a godsend. I yawned again, trying to hide it from Brandy. Gods, one of these days I might actually get a decent nights sleep and wake up feeling refreshed in morning, but such simple pleasures always seemed to elude me no matter how much I tried. Mind you, when you have something big and furry next to you that seems to think you’re a life-size plush toy, sleep isn’t always an option. Oooh, my aching ribs!

I patted my pockets, checking that I hadn’t left anything behind in my room. It all seemed to be there, including one of my most prized possessions, but I’d keep that under my hat for now – metaphorically speaking of course. I’d managed to hold onto the light reactive eye lenses which we’d recovered from the wharf ‘incident’, and they were absolutely fantastic. They’d helped me to get the drop on the goons at the statue but they didn’t alter my eye colour in any way, just darkening when subjected to bright lights. The similarly reactive ear defenders worked along the same lines with sound too, which was amazing considering these had been made by a race of intelligent monkeys. As they say, it always pays to be prepared. Unfortunately I wasn’t prepared at all for what happened next. I followed Brandy into a large room which was in complete darkness save for a spill of light from around the door we’d just entered through. A moment later my colleague tapped his TED.

“Lights please”

A curious low humming sound quickly changed into loud clicks and pings as row after row of lights came to life along the ceiling, illuminating the massive object in the middle of the room. I closed my eyes and sighed inwardly. The elaborately carved stone, arched and inlaid with silver filigree, was quite beautiful in a strange way. Architecturally it was most impressive, standing upright on a dais with three steps leading up to it from the front and rear. Various contraptions sat on tables next to it churning out roll after roll of paper which just seemed to be designed to display zigzag lines. It probably meant something to somepony…

“This it?” I asked.

“Aye, it’s a beauty isn’t it?” Brandy smiled, looking up at the arch. “Picked it up from the warehouse job you were involved in at Shire Wharf. Thing is, we’ve managed to get this one working.”

My ears pricked up. “How?” I asked in surprise. “The watch tried everything to get these things going, and the ponies we picked up wouldn’t say a thing. I don’t know whether it was because they were all thick as two short planks or what, but it was like trying to squeeze blood out of a stone.”

“Mmm, you’re right about that.” Brandy ran a hoof over the edge of the portal, his expression unreadable. “You know why?” he asked cryptically. I shook my head. “Because there was a spell implanted in their brains,” he explained. “It was a block, placed there so as to prevent them disclosing anything about the portals. The spell was buried way down in there, buried deeper than anything we’d ever encountered before. It took our specialists months to discover it, let alone find a way to defeat it, but they did. In actual fact you know the very pony who gave us the key to finding out what we needed to know.”

“Jingo,” I answered reflexively.

Brandy stomped a hoof for emphasis, “Got in one.”

“So, any particular reason you’re showing this to me now?” I asked. “I mean, we’ll be going in as a team, won’t we? Surely it won’t just be me on my tod, right?” The agency stallion hung his head for a moment and turned to face me. Damn it all… I sighed, shaking my mane, “We’re not…” I said quietly.

Brandy shook his head. “No. Fairlight, this is what you were picked by the mistress to do. This is your time.”

“My time?” I asked, nearly choking. “What about everypony else?”

He gave me an inscrutable look, nodding towards the portal. “The others are going in ten minutes before you, through a different portal.”

A different portal? I frowned, “I don’t understand, and I’m not sure I’m going to like the answer either.”

Brandy looked a little sad for a moment, as If he knew something I wasn’t going to like hearing. “Probably not,” he said confirming my suspicions. “The agency are going to launch an assault on a human run complex which we believe is being used to store and distribute the weapons coming into Equestria.”

“And?” I prompted.

“It’s not the full story.” Brandy took a deep breath. “There’s another building there, one which our scouts found and isn’t widely know about outside of agency supervision. It’s used to manufacture drugs: Breeze and Ryetalin. And there’s… there’s something else there too.”

“Slaves,” I said dejectedly.

Brandy nodded. “Aye. The place my daughter and ex-wife would have ended up. According to intel, the humans have been keeping the females there in a brothel. We think it’s because the risk of allowing non-humans out into the wider population, even as slaves, could tip off their authorities, thus risking exposure of their entire operation.”

“Sounds plausible,” I mused. “Not sure you’d want to keep all your eggs in one basket though. One mistake and you’d lose the whole lot.”

Brandy nodded. “True, but then we believe the sex trade hasn’t been going on that long. Initially it was drugs and guns in exchange for gems. When the gems started drying up, that was when we began seeing the first kidnappings. We spoke to some of the local diamond dog leaders who claimed the last of the gems had been stolen from their mines by a single mare. We’re looking into that now, but I don’t expect we’ll find many leads - the dogs are as thick as bricks.”

I chuckled, “You can say that again, but at least they don’t eat them.”

“Eat them?!” Brandy asked in surprise. “Oh! You mean that little dragon in Ponyville?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I saw him there quite regularly. He works in the village library along with Celestia’s pet project. Little beggar scoffed enough gemstones to buy half of Canterlot.”

Brandy huffed loudly. “Well at least we don’t have to worry about dragons on this one. This is a sweep and clear mission, Nox. Go in, destroy the drug making equipment and, if you can find them, get those ponies back.”

“Priority and secondary targets?” I asked.

“Officially? Taking the place out is the primary objective, the ponies second.” The dappled grey’s eyes became as hard as diamond. “I say they can stick that up their arses. Fairlight, get them out of there for the goddesses sake, I don’t want any more of our people to suffer. What those bastards did to my-” He shook his mane, closed his eyes and took a breath. “Never mind, at least we got to them before they were... sent there.”

I reached out a hoof to console him, “I’m sorry my friend. How are Carnation and Flax?”

The senior agent neighed quietly and looked me in the eye. “A lot better thanks to you. I don’t think things will ever be as they were with Carny, she still blames the agency for what happened to her and Flax.”

“But that’s ridiculous!” I exclaimed.

He rounded on me, “Is it? It’s not the first time agency ponies families have been targeted. Somepony’s trying to send us a message, Fairlight, and not a pleasant one at that.” I had a sudden image of a tangerine and green mare, the smoking hole in her chest rising from her still body. Brandy seemed to be able to read my mind as he reached out to me. “Don’t worry, Captain, the doctor has advised Tingles to sit this one out. She was furious about it of course, but she understood that her weakened condition could jeopardise the mission, putting us all in danger.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, and yet I was struck with a feeling that this was wrong, that she should be involved in something as important as this. My desire to protect her shouldn’t interfere with her making her own decisions and doing what she felt was right. Damn it all, my blood soaked past was clouding my judgement here, but... was I wrong? Didn’t I trust her?

“Fairlight?” Brandy’s eyes loomed large in my vision. “I know what you’re thinking, I’m not stupid.”

“Sir?”

“You know perfectly well what I mean, and no, there’s nothing clandestine behind Tingles not going on this mission.” Brandy frowned at me, “The doctor genuinely feels she needs a while longer to recuperate before she can return to operational duties. Apparently good bed rest is the best cure in her case, and I presume that you are allowing her to rest, Captain?” He raised his eyebrows and treated me to a wry grin.

I blinked in surprise, taking a step back as I suddenly realised what he was suggesting. “Of course!” I squeaked. “Bloody hell, Brandy, you’ve got a mucky mind.”

“Says the pony with the green hair on his face,” he retorted.

I could feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. Clearing my throat I tried changing the subject. “Look, never mind that, tell me more about this mission.”

Brandy shrugged. “That’s about it really. You’re on your own as we don’t expect any resistance following the initial assault.”

“You’re using the others as a diversion?” I asked.

“In a word, yes, although you will not repeat that to any of them.” Brandy looked at me seriously. “Understood, Captain?”

I nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

Brandy trotted over to a locked side room and waved me over as he flicked the lights on inside. One by one the magically powered lights popped into life, reflecting brightly off the gleaming items neatly arranged in the numerous racks and hangers that lined the walls. My eyes went wide in shock - the room was absolutely brim full of guns of every description and size imaginable, and then some. Alongside these lethal devices hung sets of body armour, swords, crossbows, and the kinds of weapons that would give anypony nightmares just thinking about them. I had never seen anything like it in my entire life. Dear Celestia, there was enough here to outfit a whole army! It was no wonder they had this place so secure, and I suspected it was being used as an overflow for the main armoury, but to my surprise Brandy ignored this treasure trove of death, his attention instead focussed on the table sat in the centre of the room. On it sat a large wooden box, plain except for that it was covered in more magical wards than you could shake the proverbial stick at. Three large black crosses were painted on the side warning anypony even thinking of tampering with the magic here that any attempt would likely result in being turned inside out in the blink of an eye. My horn itched horribly, the magical aura given off by the highly dangerous spells making my eyes water. It didn’t phase Brandy though, the stallion confidently walked up to it, held his ID card over the box, and a moment later the lid clicked as the wards deactivated. A quick flare of his horn and the lid was floated off to one side.

He beckoned me over, smiling wryly. “You like?”

I looked inside and felt my heart leap in my chest. “Oh… Oh, hell yes!”

I think my eyes must have been as big as dinner plates right then. I’d heard about them, read about them in books and seen the pictures in old training manuals, but I never dreamed I’d see one in real life, let alone a whole box of them. That being said there was no doubting what these were, the magical field surrounding them was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before and it was all I could do to stop myself from reaching out to touch one to just make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Mind you, considering what they were, that would not be a good idea. The box before me held six ‘M.A.D’s’:tiny, innocent little packages of unimaginable explosive power.Ostensibly these had been banned in Equestria a long, long time ago, probablyafter their last use in the great war with the Legion, but I’d always suspected that somewhere some still existed in hidden armouries as an unspoken deterrent against foreign invasion. Everypony in the Watch knew about them from the lists of ‘Banned Articles’ we were required to learn during basic training, but they’d been like the proverbial hen’s teeth. None had ever turned up, at least to my knowledge, but the description was all too accurate. They looked for all the world like small purple and green spotted egg’s. In fact they were very similar to dragon eggs in their general appearance, but that was where the similarity ended. Each one of those lethal little things emitted a distinctive emerald green glow that spoke volumes about what it was we were really dealing with here. Moving my horn near them sent it wild with that strong itching sensation I experienced whenever an intense magic field was nearby, and as exciting as it was to see a piece of history sitting there before my very eyes, there could be no doubt that these understated egg-like devices were insanely dangerous.

“Brandy, where the hell did you get these?” I whispered. “What are they for?”

“For you, of course,” he replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “The human installation needs neutralising and these will be the best way to achieve that result.”

I swallowed, licking my lips that had gone dry all of a sudden. “Goddesses, Brandy, you want to start a war? You set these off and you could wipe out an area the size of a city block!”

He nodded. “True, but we’ve already taken the possibility of collateral damage into account during our initial assessment of the target. Our scouts have taken full measurements of our objective, Captain, as well as the surrounding area. If you set these up according to plan, the blast radius will cover the target site and that alone. Fortunately the humans have set their operation up in a remote area anyway, no doubt to keep it out of sight of their own authorities, and that suits our purposes very nicely.”

“Is there no way we can liaise with the human authorities, Brandy?” I asked. “Surely they have something akin to the watch or the agency there? They could prove to be invaluable allies for us if we play our cards right.”

The older officer nodded, but his expression said it all. “We’ve sent envoys already, Captain. The authorities there seem to have enough problems of their own and dismissed our attempts at communication as nothing more than fantasy stories. Maybe a different approach is needed, I don’t know, but either way we can’t wait any longer. If this works we could potentially shut them down completely.”

“You believe that?” I asked sincerely.

“Not really,” Brandy huffed. “These kinds of problems are like ant hills – you can deal with what you see on the surface, but the rest is buried deep down out of sight and will just keep on coming back again and again unless you dig them out from the bottom up. But I have to have hope, Fairlight. We all do. At the very least we can throw a spanner in the works until we can find a way to shut down the portals for good, and that’s something the hub quacks are looking into as we speak. Bunsen thinks she may have found a way to interfere with their magical wavelength, but how you can get it to work countrywide I have no idea”

I nodded. It was a quandary alright, and one being addressed by ponies far better qualified than myself in such matters. This job however was something I was qualified for, and one that would involve wading fetlock deep in gore, if not deeper. Celestia buck me sideways, ‘Magical Annihilation Device’, or ‘M.A.D’ for short, was a disturbingly accurate acronym - you’d have to be insane to go near one, let alone use one of the damned things. I began to wonder if my wendigo magic alone could be enough to get the job done without the need to resort to such drastic measures, but if our magic really was ‘reduced’ over there like they said, it probably wouldn’t be. Now that I thought about it, would these magical explosives even work in the human realm? Suddenly Brandy clopped me on the forehead, bringing me out of my ruminations. “Here’s your instructions and briefing, plus a little something from the mistress. Oh, and you’ll find these a lot easier to read if you don’t sit on them first.” He smirked knowingly and I frowned back at him before shrugging my shoulders in resignation. The cheeky sod, he must have seen me walking out of the briefing with them stuck to my arse. It was probably all round the canteen too...

The two of us I spoke for a while longer regarding the specifics of the plan: the timings, gear load outs, the layout of the buildings, and so on. Despite my earlier reservations it quickly became clear that a serious amount of work had gone into the planning of this mission and I was relieved to see just how well thought through and detailed it was, quite unlike what I had been used to in the watch where briefings had a more ‘loose’ approach to them. Not so here. Maps, floor plans, estimation of numbers, choke points, ambush points – it was all here in extraordinary detail. I wasn’t sure who these ‘scouts’ were, but they’d earned their pay in spades for this job and had more than earned my respect. The part of the plan that didn’t sit right with me however, was the diversionary aspect of it. I really didn’t like seeing the agency ponies as bait to draw the humans away from what I was up to, but I took some comfort in the knowledge that they still had a job to do irrespective of mine. According to Brandy the agents would be using engineers to plant explosives in key locations around the main production plant whilst the others provided overwatch. Once that was done they’d all bail out the way they’d come in, leaving the explosives on a timed fuze. Brandy’s twist to it was that they would hold their position as long as possible to give me time to play my part – even if they weren’t aware that I was even there. I sighed inwardly. A lot seemed to be riding on unknowns here, but it was only to be expected considering the extraordinary nature of this mission. The number of humans on the other side was noted as ‘estimated’, the likely response to any attack was ‘uncertain’, and so on. It was all a risk, a big risk, but one the planners had genuinely done their best to make as foolproof as possible. The rest was up to us.

Unexpectedly, and rather embarrassingly, my stomach decided to intervene in the proceedings and began to rumble loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t had any breakfast this morning. Noting my gastric orchestra warming up in the background, Brandy took it as the cue to wrap things up. And I was glad of it too. My mind was reeling with the massive amount of information I had to digest, but I’d have to do my best to take it all in and make sense of it. After all, my life and that of who knew how many others depended on it. Gods, no pressure then! We walked out and shook hooves before I trotted back to my room, breakfast tray balanced on my back, and a mercifully quiet few hours study of the documents and briefing papers. Tonight I’d have to say goodbye to Tingles, and I could only pray I’d see her again. This mission, reading the documents… it was a lot riskier than I’d initially thought. Had we bitten off more than we could chew here? Was it all simply too ambitious? I hoped I was worrying unnecessarily, but we were going to an alien world for goodness sake, and whichever way you looked at it we were relatively unused to the ‘human’ bodies we’d be ‘morphed’ into. Simulators were all well and good, but somehow I doubted the real thing would be quite as congenial. I hoped to the good goddesses that Bunsen’s simulator was as accurate to the ‘real deal’ as we’d been assured. I turned the page and looked at the names of the senior officers. From what Brandy had told me this was a joint operation with ponies from all across Equestria, so command and control was potentially going to be an issue. I’d asked Brandy about this too.

“The agency don’t know about what I’m doing, do they?” I’d asked. “This is an Equus job, right?”

He’d nodded. “Keep your distance from the others, Captain. They have their orders, and you have yours.”

“And if it all goes to shit?” I’d asked.

Brandy’s answer had been simple and to the point. “Improvise.”

That had ended the conversation like hitting a brick wall at a full gallop, and now here I was making equipment lists, checking I had memorised floor plans, and generally cramming as much information into my poor tortured brain as equinely possible. Just as importantly I took the time to make sure I had enough flasks of life energy with me to get me through this, and back. Luna, however, had already seen to that potential problem. It had been her ‘gift’ for me that she’d left with Brandy. I peered inside at the silvery liquid, quickly screwing the lid back down before I was tempted to take an experimental mouthful. Hopefully it hadn’t been extracted from a certain tangerine coloured source this time. I rubbed my eyes as a yawn escaped my lips. It was getting late, and I could feel my body crying out for a nice relaxing sleep. Speaking of which, I thought I heard the door open behind me. Lifting my head up, two long elegant forelegs suddenly draped themselves over my shoulders, the neat little hooves… Hang on! What the hell was this?!

“Fairlight, you okay?” Tingles asked sleepily.

I blinked in surprise at what I was looking at. “I’m fine!” I squeaked. “What have you got on your legs?”

“These?” she asked. “My socks of course. It’s freezing in my room, the thermostat’s playing up again.”

I closed my eyes and swallowed. “Good grief, Tingles…”

She looked down at the long black and white striped socks covering her hooves and knees, genuinely perplexed by my reaction. “What? They’re just socks.”

Oh goddesses, why me…? I kept my mouth shut and tried to ignore the way she snuggled in beside me, the socks rubbing up against my fur. And the way my heart felt like it was going to burst.

********************

The day we had all been expecting finally arrived. The teams had a final briefing and, more for show than anything else I suspected, I’d been there too. I even caught a glimpse of Warlock stalking across the opposite side of the room from me, looking as happy as ever. I still had no idea what had happened to the miserable sod, although I had a sneaking suspicion why he’d been reassigned. After a few minutes of pep talks everypony trotted off to the equipment stores and from there to the respective assembly areas, whereas I slipped off down a side corridor with my own destination in mind. I pushed the steel door open and heard it clang shut behind me. For some reason the metallic sound made goosebumps begin to break out along my forelegs and I could feel my heart beating loudly, my breathing a lot heavier than usual. It was just starting to rain, the sky overhead an ominous steel grey, echoing the chill tingling down my spine. The normally busy facility felt eerily empty today, the sensation of being alone pressing down on me in a way that gave me pause. It was an unusual experience, and one I wasn’t altogether comfortable with either. I was used to working alone, I’d patrolled some of the darkest streets in Manehattan at night and it had never bothered me at all, but now… now I wasn’t so sure. I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and walked up to the guard room. Brandy was already waiting for me inside the high security building, along with my ‘special’ equipment. My kit was the usual loadout of black combat gear, webbing, and numerous packs, all loose fitting so that it could adjusted ‘on the other side’. Flashbugs, assorted other toys, the now familiar pulse gun, a PDW - the list went on and on. The M.A.D’s fitted neatly into a small padded pack along with a timer and remote detonator. I’d studied the instructions and knew their use like the back of my hoof, but it was still an odd feeling to have them mere inches from my skin. By the looks of things though, the agency boffins had thought of everything. Thankfully I had too, and I attached my pack containing the silver life essence provided by the princess. My shortsword complemented the issue gear and I felt the spirit stirring inside me, flushing the last of my doubts away. I could do this. I could do this. Ponies were relying on me, and I was going to bring them home. I was going to bring them all home. The spirit rumbled it’s approval, a pair of blue eyes glowing in the darkness of my soul, and I felt a smile spreading across my face. For once, I felt ready for anything.

Brandy clopped me on the shoulder. “Got everything, Agent Nox?”

I nodded. “Aye. Looks like everything but the kitchen sink, Sir.”

“Fully charged?”

I gave a snort. “To the fill level, including the pulse gun.”

Brandy nodded. “Sorry I can’t come with you my friend, the mistress has something else planned for me.”

“Anything exciting?” I asked.

“Don’t know the full details yet,” he replied with a shrug, “but it’s important. If I can I’ll talk to you about it when you get back.”

Well, at least he was expecting me to come back, so that was positive! I turned to the archway when suddenly the doors at the back of the room banged open, followed by angry shouting and a tangerine coated mare running full tilt towards me. One of the guards raced after her, grabbing her around the neck and taking her to the ground.

Brandy and I rushed over. “Tingles!” Brandy shouted at her, “For the goddess’s sake, what are you doing in here, girl?!”

She ignored him, trying to buck the guard off her back and near scarlet with rage. “Goddess damn it! Let me up you lout!”

I waved off the guard, “It’s okay, she’s with us.”

The guard was not impressed. “She kicked Sunny Days in the face!” she snorted. “He’s going to need medical care after this. This mare’s a bucking menace!”

Brandy walked over to console the bedraggled agent. “It’s alright, Race, leave her with me, you call the medics for Agent Days and get him looked at. I’ll take care of things here.”

The furious guard reluctantly nodded and stalked off, saving a final glare for Tingles as she did so. The tangerine mare for her part stood up and brushed herself off. “YOU!” she bellowed at me. “You upped and left without a single bloody word! Goddesses Fairlight, don’t you think I’d have liked to have had the chance to see you off? I thought I meant more to you than that, you selfish sod! We’re partners for Celestia’s sake!”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” I said reasonably. “And rightly so! Look at the state you’re in, you should be taking it easy like the doc said to.”

Tingles nickered loudly. “Oh, buck the doctor! Don’t be so bloody self-righteous, Fairlight. You’ve really hurt me by doing this, don’t you realise that?” Tears started to well in her eyes making my heart cry out to her. “I’m not some immature filly you know,” she sniffed. “I realise this mission is dangerous and… and there’s a chance that…” She closed her eyes and took a breath. “What if you don’t come back? What if the last time I saw you was last night, and I never got a chance to say… to say goodbye?” I went to put a comforting hoof on her shoulder but I didn’t get a chance. Like a streak of orange lightning, her foreleg whipped round and her hoof smacked me right across my muzzle. “Damn you!” she roared. “I hate you, Fairlight! I bloody hate you!” Tingles lunged forward and grabbed me in a bear hug, squeezing so tightly I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. Sobbing into my mane, her whole body was racked with spasms of grief. “I hate you, you bloody idiot…”

I nuzzled her neck and put my forelegs around her with a little nip on the ear for good measure. “I didn’t want to wake you and say goodbye,” I said gently, “because I’ll be home before you know it. Our table at the bar will be waiting for us for when I get back, and then it’ll be my turn to treat you to a night out. Okay?”

She released her grip and looked at Brandy, her large green eyes wet with tears. “You’d better not have sent him on a suicide mission, Brandy, or you’ll be going to the herd to get him back. Do you hear me?”

He gulped and took a step back; the tangerine pegasus meant business and he knew it, regardless of his rank within the agency. With a quick shake of his mane he checked his pocket watch and trotted to the control panel. “It’s time, Captain.”

The press of a few buttons, the turn of dial, the throw of a switch, and my horn began to itch like crazy. Before me the portal’s frame slowly started to emit a low hum, a white light building within it’s centre, spreading out until it reached the stonework. In a soundless flash of blinding light it seemed to implode suddenly, the space inside the archway now swirling with a deep silvery shimmering energy like some enormous mirror. I’d seen one of these before, when the beautiful white unicorn walked through and ordered her goons to gun down my friends. The memory stirred up mixed feeling of apprehension and excitement that made my hooves itch. I wanted to do this, to bring the whole sickening affair to a close, and they had chosen me to be the one to rescue the innocents these filth had taken. Failure was not an option. I walked over to the ramp, looking at Brandy on one side of me and Tingles on the other.

“Don’t think even about it,” I warned her, noting how her eyes were locked on the portal. “I want you here for when I get back, understood, Agent Tingles?”

Reluctantly she nodded, and our eyes met. Those deep green eyes shimmered in the ethereal light of the portal as swirling patterns of otherworldly magic danced silently across her sleek coat. By Celestia’s grace, she was so beautiful. I swallowed. My traitorous heart was pounding so hard I thought it was burst, and not from anxiety over the mission either. As I stood there, Agent Tingles stepped forward and pulled me into a kiss which, although surprising me at first, I melted into light butter in a hot skillet. Our lips crushed against each others, her tongue hungering, her breath warm and feminine. I hugged her tightly until finally, heart wrenchingly, we had to part.

Tingles nuzzled my neck and I gave her ear a little lick. “One last thing?” I breathed.

“Hmmm?” she sighed, nuzzling me.

“Socks,” I whispered into her ear with a cheeky grin.

She whinnied and clopped me on the shoulder, “Pervert!” I laughed, re-adjusting my gear one last time. “Come on then hero, you’ve got a job to do,” Tingles smiled. “I’ll be waiting…” She winked cheekily, and as I climbed the steps she gave me a playful slap on the behind.

Brandy shook his head in dismay, “Good luck, Nox. Goddesses bless you.”

With a wave of a hoof, I stepped into the light. And into the unknown.

End of Book Two

Chapter One - The frozen heart

THE FROZEN HEART

CHAPTER ONE

The emptiness within

They’d lied to me. All of them. Every last stinking one of them. Friends? I spat bitterly on the ground and bared my teeth as another wave of anger seared through my veins, reminding me of its presence. And it was always present. Always... I gave myself a shake and snorted the moisture from my nostrils. Once, not that long ago, I’d tried my best to push the worst of the memories aside, to try and move on, but it had been a losing battle. I’d been shot, beaten, tortured, and then left for dead. Left to burn alive next to the body of my beloved wife Meadow, the mother of my unborn foal who had been brutally raped and murdered before my very eyes whilst I’d lain there helpless in a pool of my own blood. How the hell could I simply forget all of that? And why should I? They had taken everything from me and left me a broken, empty shell. Death meant nothing. Life too, meant nothing. I was alone. Alone in a world where I simply didn’t belong any more. I could still see the faces of the murderers as clearly as though they were standing in front of me now. They’d killed us both; my beloved literally, and myself… Well, they should have finished what they’d started.

Water dripped constantly from the leaking rusty pipes overhead providing a background note that beat in time to my heart. The heart I had prayed so hard would stop some day, but the damned thing went on regardless of my desires. Thump, thump, thump. Inexorable. Unerring. It beat in time with the ticking of the old railway clock on the wall. I’d found it thrown away in a pile of rubbish behind the new Manehattan railway station. Dumped, because it had a cracked glass cover. The clock still worked though, and with a little care and attention I’d repaired it, even with my limited skills. In some warped way it was like a metaphor for my life - thrown away, discarded because of a flaw. A flaw that nopony had made the effort to see past, let alone help repair. Gods forbid they actually made an effort to help a pony who actually needed help, real help, instead of some of that superficial ‘feel good’ bollocks! Ha! No… No, like the clock it was all so much easier just to throw it away and get a new one, wasn’t it. I wonder who my replacement was? A fresh faced, chirpy thing who had no idea what the hell they were in for. Gods help them.

In the background the second hand clicked away the seconds, each one taking me nearer the time death would claim me. Seconds nearer the time I would claim them. They would all pay for what they had done. They were up there, walking… talking… doing all the things that ponies do. Or more accurately, what sick buckers like they do. Still, not for much longer though. They were already dead and just didn’t realise it yet, but they would. And soon, oh so soon… they would.

Shadows played along the damp brick walls, flickering in the old oil lantern’s warm light. Warm… I had given up on trying to keep ‘warm’. I’d been down here that long now that the damp and cold didn’t bother me in the slightest. The sewers were perpetually dank, wet and mouldering places by their very nature, so I could hardly complain about my choice of accomodation. I didn’t even notice the smell any more. It was difficult, but not impossible to keep a fire going of course, although I only used one now for practical applications and even then only sparingly. As much as I used to love lying in front of a log fire, the sensation of the sun on my fur and sleeping beneath the shade of a tree on a hot day, such things had become no more than a faded memory to me now. For some reason I simply couldn’t feel warmth any more, only… cold. A cold as bitter as the chill wind on the mountain side. I’d felt its touch in the Withers, but now the cold was everything. It encompassed everything. I had tried so hard to control it, to gain mastery over its grip on my soul. But here in Equestria, away from the emptiness of the black desert, the power hungered, lusting for nourishment. Regular food kept my physical body working of course, but the cold demanded sustenance of another sort - goddesses help me - the very life energy of living creatures. ‘Goddesses help me’? Ha! Yeah, they’d helped me all right, tried to help me by ridding themselves of their ‘problem’. Soon I would show them just how wrong they were to underestimate me. Sooner or later they would regret their honey words of deceit and lies.

My stone hissed as it passed along the hardened steel edge. A few different grades and a little oil to help smooth the flow made all the difference. I finished with a dry cloth and admired the final result of my labour. I was satisfied. It was quite an interesting piece, the wood dark and well seasoned. I’d found it almost by chance, propped up in the corner of a collapsing barn on the edge of an apple orchard. The blade had been rusted to nothing, crumbling away at the slightest touch, but I was skilled enough with metal work to forge a new one for myself. With the magic from my… ‘other’ self, I had little need for a forge, although I’d still found it easier to make use of the one on the abandoned farm. Initially I’d been concerned about being discovered there, however the farm was so far from anywhere, there was little chance of that happening. Still, it didn’t hurt to be cautious, and so I had only worked at night after repairing the doors and windows to block any escaping light and reduce the sound. The wickedly curved blade was not quite a mirror finish, for that I would have needed much finer stones than I had managed to find so far, but for this work it was more than enough. The one I’d had in the Withers was designed for combat, yet its maker had still taken the time to add surprisingly delicate engraving to the haft. I’d tried to replicate some of this myself with varying degrees of success and, I had to admit, I was quite pleased with the result. The mechanism which flicked the blade out and locked it into place was particularly impressive, and I nodded in approval as it did so now. The swish and click were a harbinger of what was to come, and I gave the scythe a test swing, listening to the way it cut the air in twain. I twirled round, my cloak billowing out behind me and swung again, the curved blade snarling through the air once more. Satisfied, I closed me eyes and let my heart settle itself back to a steady beat. It was time to go. As I walked off down the tunnel I locked the blade back into place and strapped it to my pack, the magic glowing from my horn lighting the darkness of the damp glistening walls. Behind me, the faint sound of a candle falling on the ground made me smile to myself. I’d done my job well.

********************

Traffic in the down town quarter was quieter at this time of the morning, but the city, as they say, never truly sleeps. It was certainly true of Manehattan. Nothing had changed. The hustle and bustle, the noise, the smells – they were still the same wretched by-products of life in the busy metropolis as they had been the first day I’d arrived here all those years ago. Once, it had really bothered me, keeping me up all hours of the day and night, especially when I was working shifts. I suppose it was only natural coming from a small country town like I had, but now I barely noticed it at all. It was just… there, fading into the background like a clock ticking away in the hallway at night. Another advantage of living in such a place was that nopony noticed one more stallion wrapped up against the heavy rain, walking the darkened streets and alleys. Here in the city of individuals, each wrapped up in their own self-centred little world, Manehattan was just as lonely as it ever had been. I’d passed 121st street and headed for the park, the large globe lights still visible even in this weather. Meadow and I had always loved this place. On a warm summer’s evening it was a cooling and relatively peaceful sanctuary in the chaos of life that was a major city. Tonight, however, it could have been on a different world. A young filly rushed past me, water splashing from her hooves as she dashed up the street to escape the rain. She was around the age my daughter would have been now had she lived, but that was a thought for another day. Today, I had to focus my mind, my will, in another direction.

Water poured off my rain cloak in rivulets, its cold touch not even registering in my consciousness any more. When your insides were colder than ice, temperature ceased to be a concern. They say love warms the heart, but fail to mention what happens when everything you’ve ever known and loved lies as ashes at your hooves. My heart had died along with my hopes and dreams, buried with my wife and child. I no longer knew if I would ever see them again - not even in the next world. The herd would not take me and I had no idea how, or even if I would be able to rid myself of this monstrous spirit within me. Goddesses knew… But even that I doubted. In the darkness between the street lamps I waited. I closed my eyes and listened for the tell-tale rattle of a carriage clattering over the cobbles as it turned the corner on its way to drop off its cargo. The cabby pulled up several yards away and waited for his passenger to alight.

“Thanks friend.”

“No, thank you sir!” the cabby replied happily.

His fare must have been a big tipper to elicit a cheerful response on such a rain soaked evening. Funny how times change around here. Still, the more they change, the more they stay the same, as the old quote goes. He stopped several feet away but hadn’t seen me in the heavy downpour. Taking a cigarette from his pocket, he rummaged in his pockets for a light. I obliged. The small flame flickered in front of his surprised face as I stepped from the shadows, “Here, let me get that for you… friend”.

Jumping Jack’s eyes widened in shock but he didn’t back up even a single step. He was still as cool as ever. “Yeah… Thanks buddy,” he replied, drawing on the cigarette. His eyes never left mine.

He cautiously reached a hoof toward a pocket and I put mine out to stop him. “That won’t be necessary J.J,” I said calmly. “I’m just after some info, that’s all.”

“Celestia almighty!” he gasped aloud. “I thought you were supposed to be… that is… everypony says you’re...” He cleared his throat and tried to regain some composure. “Goddesses, Fairlight, how are you still alive? The watch said you were dead - burnt to death in a fire along with your… Oh, hey, I’m sorry buddy. I really am.”

I nodded. “Yeah, death’s not all its cracked up to be, J.J. Bunch of arseholes in fancy armour and sand. Lots and lots of sand.”

Jumping Jack’s face was a picture. I almost wished I could have taken one of him right then. He was one hell of a cool customer, that was for sure, and for a stallion who’d just seen a pony come back from the dead I was quite impressed at how the regular old Jumping Jack reappeared just like always. Like nothing had ever happened. Gods, how I envied him that.

“Waddaya want then, Cap’? You like, undercover now or something?” he asked blowing smoke into the night air.

“Yeah, something like that,” I said calmly. “I need to know where I can meet a couple of... ‘old acquaintances’. With your connections it should be simple enough.”

Jack scratched his ear, adjusting his hat. “Sure thing, Cap’. Anything for an old pal. Who we lookin’ for then?”

I moved closer to him. “Old pal, eh? Okay...” I took a breath and let it out slowly. “The first one’s a big red coated meat-head called Melon Patch. The other’s a piss yellow skinny rat who goes by the name of Gates.”

J.J spat out his cigarette in alarm. “Are you bucking kidding me?” he choked. “Do you know who those two are?”

My expression never changed. “Yeah, I know who they are. Only too well.”

Jack baulked. “No way, Cap’! I know I said I’d do anything for an old pal, but these guys? There’s no bucking way! If those two, either of them, found out I’d told you, I’d-”

“End up like Meadow?” I finished for him, cocking my head to one side.

Jumping Jack froze, the cold light of realisation shining in his eyes. “Goddesses… Meadow? You mean, those two...?” He swallowed. “Oh no…”

I nodded. “Meadow was pregnant, J.J. They killed my wife and my unborn foal. They tortured her, before they raped her. Do you know what that was like for her? Do you know what it was like to see them doing that to my wife?!” I hadn’t realised I’d grabbed J.J’s coat until I was almost nose to nose with him. His eyes went wide as dinner plates.

“By Luna’s tits!” Jack blurted. “What the buck happened to your eyes?!”

Letting him go I stepped back, pulling the hood back down over my face. I’d forgotten how frightening my ‘new appearance’ was to some ponies. I’d have to do something about it, or I’d stand out a mile in the crowd. I took a deep breath and tried again. “Where are they J.J?”

The informant took out another cigarette and, once more, I magicked up a flame for him. After a few seconds he produced a hip flask and downed its contents in one pull. The frightened stallion was shivering with the cold and, most probably, a healthy dose of nerves. Speaking of which I needed to be aware that most ponies still felt the cold. I almost wished I could too. Jack watched me for a moment and seemed to gather himself, rebuilding the wall of confidence that defined him so well.

“Come on, Cap’,” he said suddenly. “There’s a covered street vendor down near the park entrance who’s a pal of mine. Hot food, drinks, and its out of this god-damned rain too.”

The street vendor’s cart was easily spotted even in this gloom. Magical lights had been strung up around the wooden cart which glowed every colour of the rainbow, reflecting invitingly off the puddles and canopy. Wreathed in steam and seemingly oblivious to the torrential rain, was an oriental stallion with a black spotted white coat; an unusual colouring I hadn’t seen very often. He was, as J.J stated, a friendly sort who quickly dished up some wheat noodles and spiced soup with practised ease. Under the canopy, out of ear shot from the vendor, J.J slurped his noodles, steam rising from them while the rain hammered down around us.

“Melon Patch.” J.J kept his voice low, not even looking up from his meal. “He’s known as ‘Mel’ in the underworld. Nasty bastard. I’ve heard bad things about that guy: rape, murder, extortion. And that’s the least of it. Word on the street is that he’s the guy who’s sent in when the boss wants something taking care of. Permanently.” He took a sip of his beer. “He’s is an enforcer for the Harpies.”

“Velvet Cream’s gang?” I asked.

J.J nodded. “The very same. Gates, the other one you mentioned? He works for them too.”

It was all slotting into place now. I knew of the Harpies from my days in the Watch, but they’d never been considered much more than low level thugs. “What are they into?” I asked.

J.J shrugged. “Usual guff: Racketeering, prostitution, smuggling, drugs, that sort of thing.”

Drugs? It wasn’t exactly a new problem in the city, but it had become a lo more prevalent in recent years. “Let me guess,” I suggested. “Ryetalin?”

“Yeah,” Jumping Jack agreed with wipe of his muzzzle, “and a new one too. Pushers call it ‘Breeze’. It’s inhaled straight up the old hooter. Users call it ‘shooting the breeze’. Nasty stuff, Cap’, nasty stuff.”

This ‘Breeze’ was new on me. I’d have to look into that at some point, but it was of secondary concern to me right now. “What are they smuggling?”

Jack paused and scratched his nose, giving me a sidelong look. “Look, Cap’, there’s some things I can’t-”

“Guns,” I cut in. “They’re bringing in guns, J.J, I know. I’ve seen them in action first hoof. You may have heard about what went down at the wharf?”

“Yeah”, Jack replied quietly, “I heard. Sorry, Cap’, it’s just… I’m frightened of these guys, yeah? I don’t mind admitting it, they scare the living shit out of me. If they knew I was talking to you about them then...” He shook his mane and breathed in heavily, “Okay. Okay, right, this is for Meadow, yeah?” Jack glanced over his shoulder at the vendor who was busy cooking chopping spring onions with his back to us. “Listen; the red one, Mel, he works the doors at the Strawberry Cream nightclub on 22nd. That is, of course, when he’s not doing ‘extra curricular activities’, if you get my drift.”

I nodded, taking one of Jack’s cigarettes. “And Gates?”

“He works down at the tourist office on Liberty Island.”

I nearly choked. “You got to be kidding me!”

Jack shook his head. “Nah, it’s all a front. They bring in barges there at night to load or unload their shit.”

“Do the watch know about this?” I asked him directly.

“Some, yeah.” He spat on the ground. “The commissioner’s been concentrating the watch’s activities in, er… ‘other directions.’”

It was all becoming clearer now. “J.J...” I turned to look him in the eye. “What’s the commissioner’s angle in all this?”

He winced, but carried on. “She’s up to her fetlocks in it. Word is that she’s the one behind the smuggling, but some think she’s just getting back hoofers from somepony higher up the food chain. Couldn’t say for sure, y’know? But whatever’s going on, she sure has taken a liking to the high life.”

I grimaced, “And all the while Manehattan’s going to hell in a hoof basket.”

“Yeah,” Jack spoke quietly. “It ain’t good for nopony, Cap’, and that’s for sure”.

I turned to go. “J.J, I can’t pay you, you know. You’ll have to put this one on the slate.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about it.” The strange stallion raised an eyebrow, “Hey, Cap’, you know your boys and girls will want to know you’re still kicking, right? You, um… want to stay, y’know, a shadow?”

I cringed as images of burning red eyes flashed through my mind, my heart leaping into my throat. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my flaring nerves. “Yes,” I replied quietly. “So far as anypony is concerned, you included, I’m just a… shadow. A nopony. You didn’t see me, you didn’t speak to me. J.J, Captain Fairlight died in that fire with his wife.”

“Dude, I don’t know what shit you went through, but there’s a lot of love out there for you, yeah?” J.J looked me right in the eyes. “Don’t forget that. Ponies shouldn’t be alone.”

I’d hear that once from some other pony. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. I suppose in some ways it was. Another me. Another world... I patted Jumping Jack on the shoulder, “See you J.J. Take it easy out there.”

He nodded, drawing on his cigarette and watched me as I walked off into the dark, rain soaked night.

*********************

“Captain Fairlight?”

My eyes felt like they were full of sand, and goddesses, did they hurt... The bright light was like staring into the sun directly and my throat was so dry my tongue had stuck to roof of my mouth. I tried to speak, but only a painfully croaking noise emanated from what was left of my vocal chords. “Wa… water… water.” It was, admittedly, pretty pathetic, but it was all I could manage.

“Of course, Captain. Here, please…”

The male’s voice sounded friendly enough and he reached forward to help me sit up whilst holding a glass to my parched lips. The water hitting my mouth was like liquid life: pure, cool, and I gulped it down greedily. “More,” I gasped. Another glass duly arrived and that too was downed in quick succession.

Another voice, female this time, travelled from across the room. “That’s enough. He’s going to take some time to come round. We can’t rush things.”

Hoof steps announced the arrival at my bedside of the owner of the voice. “I’m going to sit you up now, Captain,” she said. “Do you understand?” I nodded as she added, “Good. Now, once you’re sat up I’m going to put some drops in your eyes to freshen them up, yes?”

I nodded again.

The two of them slid their forelegs behind me and helped me up into a more comfortable sitting position. I was quite surprised by how much more alert I was beginning to feel, my nerves seemingly coming back under my control. Sensations of touch, taste, warmth, cold – one by one they were all stirring from their slumber. The female tilted my head back and I felt her try to pry my eyes open a little whilst wiping them gently with a moistened cloth. They were gunged up with something crusty and horribly, but I could feel it crumbling under her ministrations. Carefully, she dribbled some fluid into the corners.

“There you go,” she said softly. “that should-”

Light and colour flooded into my eyes momentarily blinding me, but suddenly, I could see again. The first thing I saw was a brown coated female nurse, staring at me with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. She half held the eye dropper in her hoof which I reached out and took from her before she dropped it. My movement broke whatever spell she was under and she let out the most ear-splitting scream I’d ever heard - even worse than a thestral shouting in your head. Well, almost.

“My goddess…” The male in the room was still there, gawping at me with wide wide eyes like the nurse’s. At least he didn’t run screaming from the room.

“Goddess? No… Not quite,” I replied dryly. “I’d prefer it if you just called me Fairlight. That is my name after all.” I took the glass of water from the bedside table and downed the rest of it before plopping some more of the deliciously cool drops into my eyes.

The cream coloured male shook his burgundy mane and fought to regain control of his faculties, “I…. you… your…” he stammered.

I tutted, swinging my hind legs off the bed. Great Luna’s buttocks they were stiff! I flexed them several times, rubbing them to get some circulation going. Bloody hell, what had happened to me? I stretched out gingerly, but not feeling any pain other than a general stiffness, I decided I’d try my luck and get out of bed. I spotted the mirror, a full length one across the room and walked over to it. Suddenly there was a loud metallic crash as the cream male backed up into the medical trolley, sending him and its contents spilling into the corner. I glanced at him and rolled my eyes. He was still staring at me with his mouth flapping open like a broken letterbox.

“You keep doing that and you’ll stick like it,” I quipped, dodging past him to look at the mirror.

Well, here goes nothing… I’d heard of ponies having a ‘double take’ but hadn’t really understood what they meant until now. What looked back at me… well… what can I say? I had to imagine that it actually was me. I mean, it’s not like somepony was on the other side ‘mirroring’ my movements, right? And that being the case then I was left with the only possible conclusion I could reach - that the pony looking back at me with - Great Celestia, no wonder they were scared - Those eyes! My eyes! That thing was me?! I still had the trademark grey coat, marked and scarred from various injuries. There were a few bald patches here and there where fur had either been burnt or been cut away along with a criss cross of stitches that made me look like a badly made quilt. My ears were still attached, which seemed to be working okay despite the odd nick or two. A quick muzzle check - all teeth present and in good order. Mane was a bit singed but still that nice black and white pattern. But as for my eyes... Now there was the sticking point. Hadn’t they been brown before? I felt sick to my stomach. For whatever reason, somehow, they were almost glowing a fluorescent ice blue. I’d never seen their like before on a pony. Sure, I’d seen blue eyes, but nothing like this! It was like… It was like looking into the void.

And this one really was staring back at me.

In a daze, I looked back at my flank, expecting my cutie mark to still be missing as it had been in the Wither World. What I saw was even more unexpected. There was one! Only… it wasn’t mine, or at least it wasn’t the one I used to have. This was a simple white flash, like lightning or something. What it meant I had no idea. I mean, what was my special talent now? Weather control? ‘Zapping’ magic? Hang on… magic? My horn! I turned back to the mirror and saw… damn, the bloody thing was still broken. It sparked slightly when I tried it out. Levitating small objects seemed to work somewhat but hurt like hell when I tried lifting a packet of bandages from the tray atop the trolley. I’d come back to that later; once I’d found out what had happened, what they’d done to me and… Hang on… Shadow! Where was she? Gripped with a sudden desperation I turned too quickly and skittered on the polished floor, sending the prone medical pony into conniptions. Thankfully I managed to catch hold of the bed before I broke my neck on the tiled floor. Who the hell designed this place?! Also hospital gowns are apparently designed to be a pain to remove too, and this one was no different. I managed to virtually strangle myself with the bloody thing in my attempts to get if off and run to the door all at the same time.

The doctor entering the room as I barrelled into him, was not impressed. “What in Equestria are you playing at, stallion?! Get back into bed!” he roared.

I picked myself up, throwing the gown over the shocked fellow’s head and took off down the corridor, looking into the various rooms in my desperate search for Shadow. They were all empty. One after the other, just empty lifeless rooms. This whole place felt abandoned, deserted, almost like I was intruding into a museum after closing time. Rooms exhausted, I charged towards the end of the corridor where I immediate spotted a large set of double doors of solid wood with heavy iron fittings. I tried pushing. Nothing. Bucking them. Nothing! What about magic? Yes! If I- Ow! Damn it, the bloody thing still wouldn’t budge and now I felt like somepony had stuck a red hot poker in the top of my head. I reached down inside, trying to tease out the strength within me. If I could freeze this door into ice or blast it to matchwood, then... But there was nothing there. Not even a trace. I had one more option - head back and take the second corridor. Maybe Shadow was there! My heart set, I charged off once more before I was picked up off my hooves and sent sliding along the floor to crash unceremoniously into a drinks dispenser. Rather typical of my luck, my horn smacked right into the thing making me see stars sending little pinpricks of blue light sparking in my vision while I pulled myself shakily back to my hooves. That’s when I saw the huge orange unicorn in front of me.

“I knew you would be trouble,” was all he said.

I stood there for a moment dumbfounded, my head still a confused mess of warring emotions and shock. The transition from the Wither World to the mortal world had not been kind to me mentally or, by the looks of things, physically either. I barely noticed the two ponies in black suits appear out of a side room sporting sunglasses and TED’s. Even in my muddled state of mind I noted how much neater their communications headsets looked compared to our old watch issued devices. These looked familiar too…

One of them spoke into their TED while the other whispered in the ear of the big orange pony who nodded and then addressed me. “The Mistress wishes to see you. Pick yourself up and come with us.”

Trying to clear my head, I nodded wearily. It didn’t seem like I exactly had much of a choice in the matter anyway, and so I followed them warily, the big guy leading and the other two behind blocking any chance of escape. Not that I had any idea where to go in any case. To my surprise, we arrived at the large double doors that had foiled my attempts to open earlier. Apparently the orange pony knew something I didn’t, and produced a glowing silver rod from his coat pocket. He pointed it at the door and a faint beam of white light shone out causing the door to click and swing open on silent hinges. I marvelled at the device. It must have been some kind of magically tuned key - very impressive indeed. Some high end magic was going on here and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my panic to find Shadow had lessened somewhat, replaced in part by curiosity. These characters would know where she was and I would stand more chance of getting to her if I played nice. For now at least. Beyond the double doors was a spacious office where a log fire was burning merrily in a large stone hearth. A set of tall bay windows let in the baleful light from the moon and stars, whilst magically powered lanterns adding their equally pale glow to the serene, if rather ominous setting. Before the window, standing tall on the thick purple carpet, was a black robed pony wearing a veil. All that was visible were the glittering silver shod hooves. I stood patiently waiting for something to happen, and feeling oddly naked somehow. Not a nice feeling for a creature covered in fur, but I was surprisingly conscious of the fact I was only one there not wearing clothes. I presumed the elegantly robed mare was this ‘Mistress’ Warlock had spoken of.

Whoever she was, she spoke in a loud commanding tone, “We thank thee, Warlock. Thou may leave us now.”

The orange stallion bowed low, “As you command, my mistress”. He then began to back out of the room whispering under his breath, “I warn you stallion; if you try anything, I’ll kill you where you stand. Remember that.”

I ignored him. I wasn’t intimidated by this character; I’d been threatened by bigger and meaner things than he could ever dream of. But I’d play along, play their game, and then I’d get the hell out of there. This place just didn’t seem right to me.

“Thou art well, Watch Captain Fairlight?” the voice boomed. Goddesses, it was like being inside a hurricane! What was it with ponies bellowing at me lately?

“Please, Mistress, forgive me,” I tried diplomatically. “I am still a little unwell. If it pleases you, would it be possible to speak a little quieter?”

She turned and faced me, her veil wafting as she breathed in and out. It was rather disconcerting being looked at from someone sequestered behind black cloth - I couldn’t even see their eyes. Not being able to see a ponies expression was unusual to say the least, and I can honestly say I didn’t like it at all. Ignoring my concerns, she walked around me several times muttering to herself and occasionally prodding me with those silver shod hooves. She was a unicorn, that was obvious, but there were also the bulges on her sides beneath the robe that twitched occasionally. The room was a little dark but I caught a passing glimpse of a delicate midnight coloured leg as she walked back to the window, facing me.

“Captain Fairlight” she said in, thankfully, a more normal volume. “We need thy help. Equestria needs thy help. Will thou come to her… our aid?”

This was all very formal sounding and I was floundering like a fish out of water. I decided I had to take a grip of the conversation and try to steer it back to what I wanted to talk about. “Mistress, forgive me, I find it hard to converse with somepony whom I cannot see, for only in your eyes can I determine the truth of things. I beg you, please remove your veil so that we may have nothing standing between us.”

She snorted, the veil lifting slightly and providing me with another glimpse of the midnight pony beneath. “We would not have thou knowest our true identity Captain,” she announced. “Thy honeyed words will avail thee naught and thy sight must, and will, remain averted.”

I grinned, then bowed low, “Very well, your majesty. I thank you for your wisdom and assistance in my recovery.”

The mare reared momentarily in shock, stomping a hoof angrily. “How…? How did thou knowest it was us? This is not acceptable at all!”

“Your majesty,” I began, “when I joined the Equestrian Watch, I gave an oath to protect and serve both the citizens and princesses of our great country. Your majesty has my utmost respect and gratitude. I beg you not to have any fear that I would divulge your identity.”

The robed figure laughed quietly, lifting a hoof to her mouth and then, in a glow of magic from her horn, lifted the robe and veil away to reveal the beautiful figure of the princess of the night. “May we ask, Captain,” she chuckled, “how did you know it was us?”

I smiled, “Forgive me your majesty, it wasn’t hard. The silver shoes, the colouring of your coat and the way you speak. There is only one who I know of that meets such a description.”

Luna smiled and waved me to a chair. “Our coat?” she asked loftily.

I settled into the comfortable settee and nodded to her, “I saw your leg.”

She smiled cheekily. “Eyeing thy princess’s leg subject? An offence that could land thee in the dungeon we’d wager!”

I laughed, “It would be worth it, your majesty. Your beauty is worthy of legend.”

Luna’s eyes opened wide, “Why Captain, whatever can thou mean?!” She covered her mouth with her forehooves in mock indignation and laughed, her sides shaking her robes all the more. I smiled and waited until she was ready to continue. Eventually the moment passed and the princess levitated a bowl of cherries over to me along with a pitcher of water. “Here, thou wilst need these,” she said politely. “We believe thou art well acquainted with them?” Luna asked me raising an eyebrow.

The cherries were red with a silvery crystalline structure. The last time I had seen these was when I was with… “Shadow...”

“Pardon?” The princess replied.

I came back to myself with a start and bobbed my head respectfully. “Forgive me princess, can you tell me where I can find my partner, the Lady Shadow?”

Luna sat there watching me quietly before taking a mouthful of what I presumed was wine. “We know of this ‘Lady Shadow’, Captain. She is a thestral is she not?”

I nodded. “Yes, your majesty. We travelled together in the Wither World. She was to follow me through the portal from the white city to Equestria. Star Beard was to help her, and I thought she would be here. I beg you, I must find her.”

Luna shook out her flowing mane. Dear gods, it was like nothing I had ever seen! The pictures in the books were like nothing compared to the reality of what was before me now. Stars, comets, planets, all glinting and alive, flowing in her mane and tail like a window into the infinity of the universe. “My dear Captain,” she said gently, “if we knew where thy friend was, we would have her here with thee now. We regret that we cannot do more for thee in this matter, however we will tell you this: Star Beard, the self styled ‘apprentice’ of Star Swirl the Bearded, is quite the accomplished thestral mage. If anypony can send your Lady Shadow to thee, it would be him. Of that, we are certain. Remember this though: time is different between here and the Wither World, even we cannot predict its passing. What seems like a day here may be a year there, or even more.

I hung my head as I felt my heart sink. A year? Goddesses, what had I done? I should have stayed there with her. I had abandoned my mate in a world of darkness and danger where-

Luna held a hoof up forestalling me. “Do not despair, Captain. Have faith that thou wilt be together again and it shall be so. There are powers in the world which even Celestia and us cannot change. Destiny is a powerful force and one that is not so easily changed, yet the power of a single heart can move the universe. Maybe... even the gods themselves.”

The world? Destiny? My head was spinning. Great goddesses, this was a nightmare. I just wanted to find Shadow and try to get some semblance of a normal life back. From what Luna was saying though, she didn’t know what had happened to Shadow and I had no way I knew of to contact her either.

Luna seemed to have read my mind and lay a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “Captain, we assure thee, we will do our best to try and find thy friend. There are… ‘channels’ we can go through that thou could not. We will do our best for thee, and as your princess, we promise thee this.”

I took a mouthful of the water, “Thank you, Princess Luna. This means more to me than I could say.”

She smiled at me and motioned towards the berries. Nodding my thanks I took one and savoured its sweet taste. It was just as delicious as I remembered from the ones Star Beard had given me – a little tart, with a slight background feeling of ‘something’ running down my spine. Luna nodded approvingly as she watched me eat, and readjusted herself in the chair.

“Your majesty,” I said after wiping a stray drop from my muzzle. “This is all very confusing for me. I don’t know where to start, I have so many questions I’d like to ask but-”

“We understand, Captain,” Luna said smiling. “We know what it was like when we… I… came back. So much had changed…” The princess trailed off, her eyes distant, lost in another world and another time. She blinked, “Captain, mine ponies found thee too late to save thy wife. We are sorry, there was nothing we could do. Alas, she was already with the eternal herd. The cabin was nought but a burnt out ruin when we arrived. Thou on the other hoof...” She paused, taking a drink of wine and sat down on her haunches, letting out a sigh before continuing. “Thou were alive. Barely. My ponies pulled thee out of the wreckage and brought thee here before the watch arrived. Thou hast been in our facility ever since, whilst we tried to rejoin thy soul to thy body.”

“Rejoin my soul?” I asked in surprise. I knew Meadow had said that I was still ‘tied’ to the mortal world, and Star Beard had said I couldn’t exist in both. Was this what she meant?

Luna nodded. “Yes, an old friend helped us to find thee in the Wither World, and find thee we did. We only have limited influence there, Captain. It is not as it once was. The universe is not as it once was. Thou dost understand, yes?”

I shook my head. This was confusing me to no end! “I’m sorry princess,” I said defeatedly. “I’m still a little surprised by what’s happened. I thought I was dead, then it turns out I wasn’t ‘really’ dead after all, and now I’m back and… changed somehow. My eyes, my cutie mark - It’s all so much, so fast.”

Luna smiled kindly to me, those large aquamarine eyes melting my worries away. “The Wither World was a place no pony was ever meant to return from. It has left its mark upon thee, Captain. Thy cutie mark is the mark of that place. We have not seen its like in a long, long time. Now, listen well, this is important…” Luna’s face was suddenly grave. “Thou must never allow anypony to see that mark outside of our facility. It is unlikely anypony alive now will recognise it, but still, precautions must be made.”

I looked back at my flank. It didn’t look like much to be honest, just a simple white lightning bolt. I’m sure many ponies had ones similar, perhaps the even Wonder Bolts? Wouldn’t get much flying done without wings though! Ah, hang on… I did have wings didn’t I? Dear gods, had all of that really happened? It all felt like a dream, and not a very good one either.

Luna’s horn glowed, the wine bottle floating over to refill her glass before she continued, “Thy wife, Meadow, is a truly remarkable pony, Captain. Her spirit is extraordinarily strong. Stronger than many we have met since we came home, and we know she will be overjoyed to know thou hast returned to us safely.”

“Is there some way I can speak to her?” I asked, a lump coming to my throat. “I’d like her to know I’m back safely at least.”

Luna shook her head. “It is not that easy, Captain. We fear that contacting the herd is frowned upon and we have stretched things as it is to help thee this far. We will try to speak to her for thee, however we cannot promise a favourable response to our enquiries. We are sorry.”

“I... I see…” I didn’t see at all, and that large pit in my minds eye seemed to be opening up, ready to swallow me whole once more.

Luna raised her hoof and smiled gently. “Captain, forgive us, we are tired from our ‘exertions’, so we will cut to the chase. When we were approached by, let us say a ‘mutual acquaintance’. We discovered that thou hadst some unique abilities which we feel may be of use to us in the coming months. Thou hast investigative experience from thy service with the watch?”

I nodded, “Yes, your majesty”.

“Good. Now Captain, from thy experience in the Wither World, thou may understand better than most that Equestria, the Wither World and the land of the Eternal Herd are all parts of a whole. They form the order of things - a type of ‘balance’ if thou will. Those who die in our world pass through the veil to the Eternal Herd. The veil acts as a ‘sieve’ of sorts, filtering out any potentially damaging emotions, thoughts, feelings and so forth, from the soul of the departed before they are allowed to enter the herd. In ages passed, wars and suffering in our world, the mortal plain, created a surge of negative emotions and energy that simply could not pass through the veil and so overflowed into the Wither World, giving birth to creatures which had minds and emotions of their own.”

I nodded, “Thestrals.”

“And others,” she sighed. “Eventually it lead to war between the mortal world and the Wither World. The Eternal Herd remained neutral. As usual.”

I noted the emphasis she put on ‘as usual’. I suspected she’d met other members of the eternal herd like the one I had - Aethel, the pompous clerk for example, or that tosser Thalio.

“The war… it was… terrible. A horror beyond imagining.” Luna’s looked past me, her gaze drawn to the flickering fire that reflected eerily in her large eyes. “Towns, even whole cities were turned to ash, the skies black with smoke and the stench of the dead. The herd ultimately intervened to ensure the balance between the worlds was restored. To this end, my sister, Celestia, was charged with keeping order and balance. This was over one thousand years ago, Captain, and peace has been maintained ever since.”

“Until now,” I interjected.

“Until now,” Luna confirmed nodding.

I popped another of the crystal cherries into my mouth, noting that Luna watched me very closely when I did so. It was a bit disconcerting and I felt myself blush a little. Considering I’d been poisoned not so long ago by somepony I trusted, and, it had to be said, with all best intentions. Still, I was surprised to find myself so trusting to accept food items from anypony, royalty or not.

“Captain,” Luna said rising from the chair and shaking her mane, “Thou art aware of the smuggling of weapons, the… ‘drugs’ and ‘other’ things. Ponies are dying, killing each other over bits, over power and control. The balance that has been maintained for so long is once again being lost. We have tried to combat this but our people are not warriors. They cannot stand against the unbridled greed and hate of those seeking to exploit our world. Before long the balance could tip too far, the armies rebuilt. The second great war could be upon us, and this time... this time we do not know if we could…” Luna was breathing hard, her chest heaving.

“Princess?” I asked in concern. She had a frightened, far away look. An innocence which made me want to rush to her side to protect her, to shelter her from any harm. Being in Luna’s presence was, quite literally, intoxicating. I checked and… yes, it was just water I was drinking.

She shook herself and lifted a hoof. “Captain, I need thee to… fix things. We will give thee carte blanch to do what must be done. Thou wilst have the best equipment and magics that Equestria can offer. However, there are certain conditions.”

“Very well, your majesty,” I nodded.

Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “Nopony must know of thy mission, other that those thou wilt meet here at this facility. Warlock will introduce thee to them later. Furthermore, the agency cannot be trusted, Captain.”

I sat up in shock, “The agency? But their ponies are here! I had two of them walk me here with the orange one.”

Luna walked to the large wooden desk and poured herself another drink “Captain, the agency is run by Celestia. Some of the agency ponies loyalties are, however, to us. We work together mostly, however our sister’s values and viewpoints are, how should we say, ‘different’ to mine on occasion. She thinks that every pony can be changed by the power of friendship and love. This is true to a degree, but we are seeing more and more non-equestrian ponies entering our land through the trans-dimensional portals. They look like us, they sound like us, but be assured, Captain, they are not ponies. They rape, steal and kill without any hesitation. Be assured, Equestria is being invaded. The enemy is amongst us, and I need somepony who can match them. We… that is, I need you Captain.”

I was amazed. I knew a little about these ‘non-equestrian’ ponies, or whatever the hell they were, but I’d no idea that things were this bad. And what was that about a second war with the Wither World? Invasions, drugs, guns - great goddesses, surely this was an exaggeration? Yet when I looked into Luna’s aquamarine eyes, I knew she was telling the truth. I finished the last of the berries and stood before my princess. I bowed low, taking her hoof and planted a kiss upon it. “Your majesty, I pledge to you that I will give my all to protect you, our people, and Equestria.”

When I stood… Wait, was that a blush? It was! Luna took a quick mouthful of wine, “We…I thank you, Captain. I wish we had more ponies like you and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours. As I said, in return for your service I will do all I can to return your ‘friend’ to you.”

The royal ‘we’ had disappeared at last, thank goodness! It was really difficult to keep up with the conversation with Luna as it was without trying to work out who ‘we’ were talking about all the time. “Thank you, your majesty,” I said bowing once more. And then a rogue thought suddenly popped into my head. “Princess?” She looked at me expectantly as I asked, “I don’t know if you are aware, but there is a reason why I couldn’t enter the herd and was trapped in the Withers. There is-”

“Yes, Captain,” she said suddenly, catching me off guard. “You have the spirit of the wendigo within you. I am aware of this and it is something that you must keep hidden as much as possible, like your cutie mark.” Luna’s wings spread out with a snap, her voice booming across the room. Eyes glowing as white as the centre of the sun, the room darkened around the princess as she spoke, “The creature within you must be controlled, Captain. Its power is terrible. Its wrath, legendary. Channel its power with your will. Dominate its spirit with your own. Once they were a terrible sight to behold upon the battlefield. Warriors threw down their spears and fled before them, mares were made widows and towns turned to frozen blocks of ice. Songs were sung of their deeds, and all trembled before their wrath! Bring their ancient might down to crush our enemies, Fairlight, ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

Luna’s voice echoed around the room and I felt a tingling up my spine and horn. This was the true princess of the night: exotic, terrifying, beautiful, ruthless, yet also exquisitely feminine. I could imagine warriors joyfully throwing themselves on the spears of their enemies for a mere glimpse of her smile. My heart answered her call. I would protect her, protect Equestria, and I would have Shadow returned to me. It was all going to work out the way it should.

Luna and I talked for a while longer until, with a yawn, she excused herself from the room. I reached over and helped myself to the last of the berries, thinking that I maybe should have asked where she’d got them. I doubted they were from the local grocers, so they must be cultivated nearby. I made a mental note to ask about them later. Interestingly the princess had been particularly interested in the interplay between the two tribes I had encountered in the Wither World: the tribe of the Beyond and that of the Purple Sands. I’d asked her about the wendigo ‘spirit’, or whatever the hell it was, and Luna had explained that the one that had taken up residence within me had most likely been attracted to me due to the trauma of the attack on myself and Meadow. Whilst in a state of near death, the ‘spirit of the wendigo’ as she called it, had kept my physical body alive. If she knew why it had done this, she wasn’t saying. Suffice to say she wanted to tap into the wendigo’s power, its ruthlessness, and to put out the fire beginning to take hold in Equestria. Something reminded me of a song about an old mare who swallowed a fly, but I kept my own council in this regard in case it gave Luna any ideas about bringing in something to eliminate me too. Still, I could understand her concerns. Under Celestia’s rule, ponies had enjoyed a thousand years of peace and prosperity. The downside to this however, was that as a rule we were hopelessly susceptible to anything that threatened us. Sure, a lot of ponies had magic abilities or physical strength to help them fend off the odd attack by wild predators, but these were normally contained in areas ponies seldom travelled. The spirit within me was apparently born of me - a corruption that regular ponies should not have experienced in this day and age. Personally I viewed the thing as both a blessing and a curse. Without it I would have been able to cross with my family to the eternal herd, but on the other hoof I would never have met Shadow and the incredible world of the thestrals either. Nor, of course, would I be stood here speaking to the princess and being given the opportunity to help protect ponies as I had done in the watch. ‘Honour’, ‘Loyalty’, and ‘Duty’ - the three words hammered into me by my father had been part of the motto of the watch. I missed my old career, and my friends too. Meadow was right, a pony was not meant to be alone, any yet here I was. Again. But not for long I hoped.

The door behind me opened and the ever cheerful orange stallion stalked in. “Follow me,” he rumbled.

The miserable sod walked out and like a well behaved little terrier, and I followed close behind. He was a big fellow, scarred and weather beaten. Warlock was not a unicorn I’d like to meet on a dark night…unarmed. We headed back to the medical room where the doctor was waiting with an exasperated look on his face.

“Ah! The wanderer returns!” he squawked sarcastically. “Going to let me examine you, or are you going to run out of the room after trashing the place again?”

I stood there with my mouth hanging open like an idiot before giving the doctor a sidelong glance and hopping obediently up onto the bed for him to check my chest. Sarcastic sod that he was, I don’t suppose he’d considered that it was his own staff who’d gone running and screaming in terror because I had ‘frightening’ blue eyes which had caused all the commotion in the first place. Still, I wasn’t going to argue with the guy, he had a lot of sharp metal instruments next to him and had most likely saved my life too. Don’t be ungrateful now, Fairlight! Warlock stood quietly watching from the doorway while the doctor commenced poking and prodding me without a care for where he was examining.

“Fascinating,” he muttered, checking my pulse and temperature. “Quite remarkable in fact. Hmm.”

Warlock rumbled to the doctor in his deep gravelly voice, “What’s the story with those eyes, Doc? Anything we can do about them?”

The medical pony held one of my eyes open and peered at it with a painfully bright light, “Well... Hmm no. There’s nothing wrong with his eyes. Strictly speaking it’s just the pigmentation that’s changed. There’s a significant magic field running through him which, together with the trauma to his head, appears to have created this unusual effect. The glowing is a particularly fascinating phenomenon. I’d like to run some more tests when I get a chance.”

The doctor took some pictures with a tripod mounted camera before continuing, “In answer to your question, agent Warlock, I believe the issue glasses will do just fine. If we tried to magically interfere with them, I have honestly no idea what would happen.” He examined my broken horn, tapping it with a metal instrument of some kind. “Nasty. Could take a long time to heal judging by the direction of the crack line. Possibly never depending upon how deep the damage goes.”

He measured the broken stump, muttering to himself under his breath. It was a frightening revelation, and I could feel my spirits sink as my heart rate increased alarmingly. I may never have my horn back? I simply couldn’t imagine it - a unicorn without a horn. Great goddesses, what in Equestria was I going to do?

“What did you specialise in, Captain ?” the Doctor asked while filling in a clipboard. “Levitation, spell casting… what?”

“Basic levitation and manipulation, plus some limited fire making,” I replied.

He fished a box of matches out from his top pocket. “Try and take a match out for me if you would,” he said watching my horn intently.

Well, here goes. I carefully channelled my senses to release the magic, relieved to see the familiar deep blue glow as it enveloped the little cardboard box. The pain was still there, just on the edge of discomfort and making me a little cautious so as to not allow too much magic to rush out at once. Carefully, slowly, I felt the box, feeling its shape and dimensions. A slight push and the box opened, another small trickle and gently, oh so gently, one of the matches floated out to hover before the doctor’s nodding head.

“Good. Now, light it,” he said seriously.

Dropping the box, I concentrated on holding the match in place and exciting the air around it, creating heat, friction and- “Ow! Damn it…” I cursed as a bolt of white hot pain lanced down through my horn into my brain. Celestia’s tits that hurt like hell!

“Never mind, Captain,” the doctor said making a note on his clipboard. “Your magic is still flowing which is an excellent sign. You’ve probably lost some strength in your levitation but that’s only to be expected. Pyrotechnical abilities often suffer as they put the most strain on your horn, but keep practising though, it will help with the recovery.” Well, at least that was some weight off my mind. Not much, but I’d take whatever hope I could.

Warlock unfortunately didn’t seem particularly impressed as he shook his mane. “What about the cutie mark?” he growled. “He stands out like a sore hoof with that… ‘thing’ on his arse.” I was really starting to take a dislike to this pony, and I certainly didn’t like being talked about when I was only a couple of feet away. The doctor glanced at Warlock, all the while checking my body over.

“I’m not performing surgery to remove it, if that’s what you’re thinking,” the doctor replied calmly. “I’m sure the agency budget can stretch to a raincoat or cloak, Agent Warlock. There’s always alteration magic as an option too, of course.”

Warlock harrumphed. “The Mistress wants him ready for field assignment as soon as possible, so we don’t have time to be buggering about with damned parlour tricks. He’ll just have to do as he is.” Oh lucky me, I wasn’t exactly enamoured about working with this prick either!

“Hey, Lucky, how’s our patient doing?” The chirpy voice from the doorway was followed by a piebald stallion who pushed past Warlock to gawp at me, his bright green eyes staring right at mine.

Fantastic, more testosterone in the room. I wonder whatever happened to that nurse? Oh yeah, the running from the room thing. I sighed.

“Crikey! Look at his eyes! Proper freak you out, they, eh? Some spooky juju you got going on there, mate.” The newcomer had a peculiar accent, and not one I was familiar. His colouring too was not that common in Manehattan, but at least he seemed… friendly? Or was that just weird?

I blinked self consciously before replying, “Name’s Fairlight. Former watch captain. Former corpse.”

The piebald stallion grabbed my hoof and shook it vigorously, “Agent Wist at your service buddy. Must say, yer looking pretty good for a dead guy. Feeling better then, yeah?”

I smiled, still a little unsure about this guy. There was something a little ‘off’ about him that I couldn’t quite put my hoof on. “I’m feeling a lot better thanks, Agent Wist,” I said pleasantly.

He patted me on the shoulder, “Just ‘Wist’ when we’re alone, Captain. You know, just the two of us, lights down low, soft music playing on the gramophone, maybe a few chocolates…” Wist drew out the last syllable and burst out laughing at the look on my face. “Oh, captain my captain! I’m sorry, new guys have to get a bit of a hazing, you know? Anyways, come on, we’ve gotta get you sorted out.” Wist helped pull me off the bed, nodding to the doctor, “You okay if I pinch yer patient, Doc?” The doctor sighed, placing his stethoscope back on the medical trolley and waved us off. “Good-o!” Wist chirped and guided me past the silent Warlock. I’ll bet he was just the sort of pony you’d want your daughter to come home with too. I swear, if Sparrow ever came home with somepony like that, I wouldn’t care how big he was, I’d probably kick him in the nuts and then run for all I was worth. Well, maybe not, but the thought of bucking the miserable git right in the bollocks was sheer gold.

Wist must have noticed the expression on my face and sniggered, “Don’t mind old orange boy, bud. Miserable sod at the best of times, but handy in a scrap.”

The piebald male chattered away until we came to another room with a suited pony behind a desk. “This the new guy?” he asked.

“Yeah, Flail, he’s the mistress’s new pet project. Give him the works will ya?” Wist beamed expressively in overly excited manner. No doubt used to this wacky behaviour, the pale cream mare, Flail, walked over and looked me up and down, taking measurements and ticking off boxes on a clipboard. Before you knew it I was suited in the regulation black: black shoes, black coat, black sunglasses. “Oh yeah!” Wist said clopping his forehooves together. “Lookin’ sa-wish!” I wasn’t sure if that was a complement or not, but I had to admit, against my grey coat it did look pretty damned good. Better still, it covered the weird cutie mark too. The natty shades would help me conceal the glowing blue eyes up nicely and the white shirt with the black tie looked sharp as a pin. Nice! Much better than my old watch coat, but… I still kind of missed it. “Okay…” said Wist examining me carefully, “Let’s get you some gear next, ‘kay?” I don’t think it was a question. The odd fellow took me into a storage room with banks of lockers and shelves. Black was apparently the go-to colour choice for agency ponies and, sure enough, everything in here had that shiny beetles wings sheen to it. “Let’s see now…” Wist muttered to himself, “Here you go! One TED, one shocker, bzzzzt! And one rewriter. Used these before?”

I looked at the TED. It seemed almost identical to the one recovered from the dead pony at the warehouse - the ‘non-equestrian’ pony. But still, whether from this world or somewhere else it fit comfortably into my ear, and the thin flexible wire kept it in place along with a small microphone attachment. It would take a little getting used to of course, but not overly much. The other two items were more unusual though. The first of which was a small black box with a button that would be too small for hoof manipulation, so I guessed was intended for unicorns. Could be an issue with my busted up horn, but I’d be-

“Whoa! Careful with that, tiger!” Wist laughed as he took the box from me. “This thing is for dealing with ponies who won’t behave themselves. Here…” He levitated it from me with a flourish and pressed the button. Suddenly an intense blue-white spark of energy jumped across the small metal prongs that projected from the casing. “Jam that into somepony and, fifty thousand volts of fun later, it’s lights out.”

Yeah, I could imagine the ‘fun’ you could have using one of those things on some poor unsuspecting pony. I suddenly got the previous ‘bzzzzt’ reference now too. “Magical?” I asked curiously.

“Nah,” Wist replied in a disinterested tone. “A kinda hybrid of human and equestrian tech. You’ll see more of it eventually, you mark my words.”

I nearly dropped the thing as he tossed it back to me, “Human? Tech?” I asked, intrigued.

The piebald stallion shrugged. “Yeah, never actually seen one myself. Apparently they look like us when they arrive. Come through them portals flogging their shite to any mug who’ll use it.” Wist scratched behind his ear, “Ah, probably shouldn’t have told you that yet. Here, just a tick…” He took the black rod from me, held it up to my face, removed my sunglasses, and there was a brief bright flash of light.

“OW! Bloody hell fire!” I shouted, “What the buck was that for?! Goddesses, Wist, you nearly blinded me!”

Wist checked his device and looked me in the eyes. “What do you remember?”

“Remember? Remember what?” I asked, irritably. My blasted eyes felt like somepony had thrown lemon juice in them.

Wist sighed, “Do you remember how the shocker works?”

“You jam it into some poor sod and press the button,” I grumbled. “You just told me that.”

“What makes it work?” he asked, closely watching my reaction.

“How the bloody hell should I know?” I snapped. “You said it’s some hybrid tech or something. Human and-”

I never got to finish as Wist flashed another bright light in my eyes. “For Celestia’s sake, Wist, will you pack that it in?” I yelled. “It’s like needles in my bloody eyes!” I swiped the black rod from him and put it in my pocket before he had the chance to use it again.

He eyed me curiously, almost like he hadn’t seen me before and shook his head slowly. “Never seen that before,” he said in a dismissive tone of voice. “Must be those funny eyes of yours. Best keep the shades on there, Chief.”

“What is that thing?” I asked him, rubbing my eyes to try and get rid of the blue spots.

“Memory rewriter,” Wist replied casually. “Variable settings: minutes, hours, even days. One flash and ponies forget you were there. Cracking bit of kit that too. Don’t forget that most ponies are still blissfully ignorant of what’s going on just around the corner, and we want to keep it that way. The princesses want to keep it that way. You don’t tell anypony about the humans, the portals, the agency - nothing. You do, and you’re next to be sent for re-education… or worse.”

Wists demeanor had changed completely. The flippant, joking young unicorn was replaced with a hard, cold agency pony. “Oh, nearly forgot to give you this.” He held out a leather wallet which I flipped open to reveal a small badge with a silver sunburst, the same as Celestia’s cutie mark if memory served. A white metal plaque underneath was inscribed with a name on it too.

“Agent Nox,” I read out loud. “Who’s that?”

Wist gave me a sardonic smile. “Why, that’s you, me old mucker. Can’t have a dead pony wandering about town can we? Ponies would piss themselves.” He chuckled and trotted out of the room.

In a state of befuddlement I followed. Bloody hell, when had my life become so incurably peculiar? Surely I’d had to have lead a normal life at some point in the past, right? Yeah, right... Only the goddesses knew what I was in store for next, and whatever it was would probably make all of this madness seem like a foals game knowing my luck. I sighed and resignedly trotted after the agency pony. Down the corridor and into another new room, a long one set up with stalls and a caged off area at one end. It was spotlessly clean and the lights reflected brightly from the highly polished white floor and walls. Wist trotted up to the cage and spoke to a pony who appeared behind it, a disinterested look on her face.

“New guy, Wist?” she asked around a pen she held in her mouth.

“Yup,” Wist smiled scratching his ear nonchalantly. “Sort him out with a PDW please, Snap.”

The violet earth pony behind the cage produced a cold black metal device and a box of orange gemstones. The thing looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t quite place my hoof on it.

“That’s yours now, Chief,” Wist chirped. “Just remember not to shoot the wrong guys, okay?”

Shoot? I nodded, “You’re going to have to explain this to me, Wist. It’s some kind of weapon isn’t it?” Now I remembered what had been niggling at the back of my mind - it was those damned tube things the smugglers had used to mow down my ponies at the warehouse. This looked like one of them, or at least vaguely. I felt sick even lifting the device up in my magic.

“Sure thing, Chief.” The agency pony took the device and placed it on a table between the walls of one of the stalls, flicking a nearby switch with a hoof. A long row of lights hummed and flickered into life, the life size picture of a changeling illuminated at the far end. I’d used similar during basic training with the watch, but nothing nearly as fancy as this and something told me that I wasn’t going to be using a crossbow here somehow. Wist pulled a catch on the device, the ‘PDW’ I think he called it, and popped in one of the orange crystals. With a flick of his foreleg the thing snapped shut and he floated it over to me grinning. “Used to something a little more agricultural I bet.”

I took the PDW and pointed it towards the target.

“Line up the two little posts on the top and pull the lever,” Wist instructed. “Even with your knackered levitation skills, it should be straight forward.” He was right, it was kindergarten level object manipulation. Despite odd twinges of pain from my broken horn, I could still manage it. I squeezed the lever and a brilliant green streak of magical energy lanced out of the end of the weapon and blew a glowing hole through the target. I marvelled at the thing: the power, the weight, the ease of use of such lethal burning death housed in such a small device. It was terrifying. Wist laughed out loud, clopping his forehooves together. “Top job, buddy!” he laughed. “Well impressive that. Tell you what, let’s see if it was skill or just luck, eh? You’ve got another four shots before you need to change the crystal too. Keep going!”

I kept shooting at the target, each blast founding its mark with lethal accuracy. It was insanely simple to use and quite, quite deadly. My surprise and excitement was short lived however when the reality of these things getting into the wrong hooves hit me like a bucket of ice water. “Wist,” I said quietly, “what the hell are we doing with these things? The mistress wants us to stop weapons coming into Equestria and we’re developing our own? What if these get into the hooves of the very ponies, or ‘humans’ we’re trying to stop?”

Wist shook his head, a dark look crossing his face “These are magically coded for only ponies to use. Humans couldn’t operate them, even if they do look like us. They’re also limited issue - one per agency member. The crystals are specially grown here for agency members too. If somepony happened to get hold of one they’d need the crystals to make it work, and each one has a magical trace on it so we can find it if it’s ever ‘lost’. Clever, eh?”

Clever indeed, but even so, “I don’t like it, Wist,” I said honestly. “We would have to use these on another living being, and it just seems so easy to use. Too easy. You just point, press the button, and pow – one dead pony. Great goddesses, are we starting a war here or something?”

“Starting?” Wist replied. He looked away shaking his mane, “You may not have noticed it yet, Agent Nox, but we already are at war. Most ponies just don’t even realise it.”

Chapter Three - The sun and the moon

CHAPTER THREE

The sun and the moon

“Where the bloody hell have you been? The cats already eaten your food, so don’t blame me if you get hungry later.” The elderly mare was more than a little irritated by my rather late arrival back at the cottage, apparently missing the several full baskets of crystal berries behind me.

“Sorry, Auntie,” I replied, wiping the sweat from my brow. “I pinched a few of your baskets from the shed out back and used them to collect some fruit in the forest. Hey, maybe you could use them to make some jam later? I used to love your home made preserves.”

Pewter pushed past me in a blur, “Eh? Luna’s mercy! Where in Equestria did you find these?! I know you said you’d been able to find some, but I thought…” She paused. “You followed that old path up the hill didn’t you? For the goddess’s sake, Fairlight, how many times did I tell you not to go up there?!” She was absolutely livid, her eyes narrowing as she advanced on me, grabbing a convenient ladle in her magic. With an almighty swing, she cracked me right on the muzzle.

“Ow! Auntie, for Celestia’s sake pack it- Ouch!” I ducked as again and again the old mare hit me with her culinary cudgel.

Her voice cracked as she shrieked, “And how many bloody times have I told you not to blaspheme in this house, child!”

Attracted by the sound of metal impacting on my cranium, Tingles appeared from the kitchen wearing an apron and covered in what looked like flour. With lightning speed, my tangerine coloured saviour darted forward and grabbed the ladle from the enraged grey mare, pushing her way in between us. Aunt Pewter’s chest heaved and she neighed angrily before tossing her mane and trotting off to leave us alone by the bubbling cauldron.

“Are you alright?” The tangerine mare asked me, inspecting me for damage.

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “I am, thanks,” I breathed. “She’s got quite a strong swing for an old timer.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Tingles replied with a frown. “You’ve been gone for nearly the whole day. We were worried sick.”

I had to admit I’d lost track of time up there picking berries in the sunlight, and of course there was my conversation with Meadow and, well, whoever he was. I can’t say I cared for much for him either, but I suppose he was trying to be helpful. I’m not entirely sure how exactly, but I’d think more on it later. The whole situation was a bit weird to begin with and may have been no more than a hallucination, but I wasn’t convinced it was something I could speak to Tingles and Pewter about in any case. With everything else that had been going on, telling them I was able to speak to my dead wife might be one step too far. Personally, as peaceful as it may be, being locked in a padded cell was not a priority on my ‘to do’ list. But honestly, the way they were going on at me about being late for tea was a bit much. I mean, it wasn’t like I was a child any more for goodness sake. Unfortunately, “Sorry,” was all I could manage.

“Tingles may have been ‘worried sick’,” came the voice from the kitchen, “but I wasn’t, you bloody young fool.”

Tingles and I shared a smile and laughed quietly. Auntie may be a cantankerous old mare but she had a heart of gold, if a little ‘tarnished’ these days. My reactions were put to the test a moment later when a shiny brass object flew at me from across the room. My horn glowed and I snatched the thing from the air and levitated it to my hoof. To my amazement it was a small brass pocket watch. A very familiar one too. I was my dad’s old one. He’d given it to me when I’d been passed my entrance exams to the watch. I thought I’d never see it again. “Auntie,” I breathed. “How did you-?”

“All your things are here,” the grey mare called over in her matter-of-fact way. “What they could salvage anyway. Not much I’m sorry to say. I cleaned the watch up and kept it for you, together with that tatty old coat and hat you liked so much.”

“My coat and hat!” I cried, pocketing the watch in delight. Aunt Pewter trotted back in and produced a box which held a number of items from my home. They showed some evidence of… burning? But… I’d been in the safe house when we’d been attacked. This made no sense!

Pewter glanced at Tingles, “Nopony told him yet?”

The agency mare shook her head, and sighed. “The day you and Meadow were attacked at the safehouse, your home as well as Mitre’s and Dawn’s were firebombed, “Tingles explained quietly. “The fire crews managed to save your house, but it’s been cordoned off as a crime scene ever since. Some ponies even think it’s cursed and won’t go near the place. I’m sorry Cap’, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you about this.”

Aunt Pewter motioned to the box, “A couple of pegasi including this one here,” she pointed at Tingles, “brought me what they could get their hooves on before the house was boarded up by the insurance company. Don’t you think you should be thanking her?”

I tried my best to smile, but… oh gods, my home? For some reason ever since I’d returned to Equestria it just hadn’t registered in my mind even for a second. Everything had just happened so fast, like a roller coaster of events, one after the other. I suppose it was all academic now anyway, I mean, how could a dead pony go back to his house? I’d have to have a word with Warlock and see whether there was anything I could do. Perhaps I could sell it? Nopony needed know what happened to the money and I could always put it towards a new one elsewhere. What saddened me the most was that was where Meadow and I had lived together. Where we had planned to start a family. Had started a family.

I closed my eyes and swallowed down my emotions. “Thanks, Tingles. This really means a lot to me.”

She smiled at me and trotted back to the kitchen. Aunt Pewter, watched her go, “I think she likes you, nephew,” she observed. “Must be the old family charm!” she cackled. I groaned inwardly. Sometimes, she really did seem like the local witch.

“Auntie, please,” I pleaded. “We’re not like that. She’s my partner in the agency.”

Pewter snorted in derision, “Bollocks!” She poked me in the chest with her hoof, “The sooner you wake up and see what’s right in front of your muzzle the better. She’s good looking that one too. Looks a bit like an orange, what with that coat and mane and all. Hmm... might make the foals look a bit off.” She shrugged. “Never had a pegasus in the family that I can remember…”

“Auntie for-” I stopped mid-sentence as she shot me a warning glare. I quickly changed tack, “Look, I need to ask you some things. Can we talk, please?”

She nodded, magicking down a set of glasses and a bottle of brandy from the shelf. “I want to ask you some things first, Fairlight,” Pewter replied. “To begin with, I want to hear everything that happened to you. And I mean, everything.”

I face hoofed, “Oh goddesses, not again! I’m going to have to write a book about this…”

Aunt Pewter paused in filling the glasses and smirked, “You do want my help don’t you?”

I sighed in resignation and began…

****************

I finally reached the part where I joined the agency and left it there. Auntie needn’t know about the coffee shop disaster. That terrible scene was one nopony should have staining their memories, and reliving it was too much for me to face right now. Pewter stretched, her joints creaking like the chair she occupied. I had no idea how old she was but she was still quite spry for a mare her age.

She called over her shoulder, “You can come in you know, my dear.”

Oh gods, I’d completely forgotten about Tingles in the kitchen, and by the look on her face she now knew everything. Her eyes were wide as she approached, looking at me in a new light. Was it fear I saw? Wonder, maybe? I had no idea, and to be honest I didn’t want to know either. Everypony I grew close to eventually became entangled in the disasters which I attracted like some cursed furry lightning rod. I think she knew it too. She didn’t speak nor, I noticed, did she seem as confident in approaching me as she had only minutes earlier. Sitting on her haunches, the tangerine mare fiddled with her mane while Aunt Pewter continued her interrogation.

“Did you happen to meet anyone up on the hillside while you were there?” she asked.

My eyes went wide in shock. Damn it all! Damn, damn, DAMN! How did the old bag now about that?! Was she fishing for information, casting out a line and hoping I’d take the bait? No. No, I knew her better than that. And knowing Pewter the crafty old bugger knew the answer already. The look on her face said it all.

“I did,” I confessed. “A grey pony from the herd, and… Meadow.”

“And what did they say to you?” Pewter pressed.

“What everypony else has been telling me,” I replied. “That I have to master control of this spirit thing.”

“And?”

“And what?”

Pewter rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Did they tell you anything else?”

The image of Meadow and the grey stallion drifted into my minds eye. “The stallion told me that there was nopony alive who knew how the wendigo used to control their power, that their fortress was destroyed and the knowledge lost. He said I should take strength from my friends. Something like that anyway.”

Aunt Pewter harrumphed, “Arrogant old fool.” She leaned towards me, “Still, you would do well to follow his advice, Fairlight. There was something else though wasn’t there, something Meadow said to you?”

I scratched my head. She had. Her words were still as clear as if she had spoken them only moments ago. “Ponies aren’t meant to be alone,” I said quietly. “Don’t cut yourself off from the love of those around you.”

Auntie nodded sagely, “Hmmm, true. But that wasn’t actually what I was getting at. I think you know what I’m talking about don’t you?”

I looked across at Tingles, a single tear falling from her eye to land on the dark wooden floor. It glistened as it fell, a tiny star in the gloomy room, her green eyes shining while she stared at me. She saw the monster within me, the demonic form of a beast from a thousand years ago that should have stayed there as no more than a faint memory of much darker times. I knew what Pewter was trying to do, but even if I’d let Tingles offer herself to me there was no way she’d do it now, not after hearing my tale. I could only hope it hadn’t ruined my working partnership with her, but I doubted it. First it was Wist, now Tingles. Goddesses, nopony would want to work with me in the agency ever again, and who could blame them?

I fixed Pewter with a stare of my own. “I know what you’re thinking auntie, and the answer is still no. I’ll find another way to deal with this on my own. Thanks for your help, but I think I’d better get going. It’s probably dangerous to be around me.”

“And that’s exactly the sort of bollocks I expected to come out of your mouth!” She slammed her glass down on the table and whirled round to look back at Tingles. “Look at him! He’s a bloody mess, girl. You’re going to have your work cut out helping this one. Honestly, I don’t know what you see in him.”

“Auntie! For the goddess’s sake!” I shouted.

She wasn’t impressed. “Oh, shut up! Stallions are thick as bricks. Always were, always will be. Now then, let’s all enjoy a nice brandy and have dinner together. Afterwards, we’ll go for a walk.” She grinned expansively, showing her teeth. “All three of us.” I balked; there was no getting away from her this time.

It was evening by the time we were trudging back up the hillside. Aunt Pewter had packed lanterns and food for us as well as other odds and ends which were duly placed in saddle bags and panniers. As the stallion I had been designated as the pack mule for this journey apparently. Leading the way, Aunt Pewter made good time, and we could still clearly see the hoofprints I had made earlier in the day. Judging by how overgrown the track was, I’d probably been the only pony up here in a good long while. Meanwhile Tingles walked next to Aunt Pewter when the track was wide enough, the two of them chatting away like a couple of hens. I couldn’t hear what they were saying and I suppose, in a selfish way, I was glad of it too. I was running over what I’d been told earlier; I had to concentrate all my energies on learning how to control this being within me. It was easy to say these thing of course, but in the Wither world it had been fairly easy to do. So why had it been easier there than it was here in Equestria? It didn’t make sense. I still had its power ‘chained up’ within me but I could also feel its desire to escape, to run free. There was always that background ‘need’ as well, the constant background urge to feed. Berries would placate it in the short term, but that wasn’t what it desired. I could feel it scratching away quietly at my subconscious, wanting to be noticed. I took my mind off if by looking fixedly ahead at… Tingles’ rump. Not deliberately of course, but it was hard to look away when it was right in front of you. Besides, she had a decidedly well formed rear for a pegasus. For one more used to flying than walking it was surprisingly shapely, strong, and lean. Her bottle green tail swished from side to side and I could just make out her cutie mark peeking out from under her overcoat. It looked like-

“Looks like you’ve got an admirer!” Auntie cackled, looking back at me.

Tingles’ head whipped round and she fixed me with a look, her cheeks flushing a deep red, echoing my own. Thanks auntie, now my partner thought I was a pervert too! I took a deep breath and kept my head down, staring at the ground as I plodded along. Goddesses, had it taken this long to reach the top when I was collecting the berries earlier? Mind you, I hadn’t been laden down with ridiculous amounts of baggage then, had I. Eventually though I noticed we’d broken off from the main track onto what looked like a game trail, with the ever energetic Pewter forging on ahead. We continued along the sun dappled trail for a few minutes until we reached the edge of a clearing. White stones were dotted around the edges of it like teeth bleached by the sunlight, and I could feel my horn itching already with the background magic that infused this place.

The old mare motioned me onward. “We’re here,” she announced adjusting her pack. “Come on, let’s get the fire going and get comfy. This may take a while.”

Following her directions we set up lanterns around the edges of the clearing and set a fire in an ancient iron brazier that had been covered over with vines. To my surprise it showed signs of regular use despite its rusty condition, and it was soon crackling away, sending sparks and heat radiating outwards. To my relief Tingles began to help me remove the saddle bags and panniers from my back, for which I was extremely grateful. One by one we dumped the heavy things into as neat a pile as possible. I’m not sure what was in them, but it felt like I’d been carrying half a tonne of house bricks up here. What was she doing anyway, building a barbecue up here or something? Ooh, by the gods, my aching back!

“Why are we here, Auntie?” I stated, catching my breath. “This all seems a bit surreal if you ask me.”

She smiled at me distantly, watching the last dying rays of the sun as it dipped below the edge of the horizon. With a suddenly chirpy voice she announced, “Why are we here nephew? Why, we’re waiting of course. If we weren’t, we’d be doing something else!”

I heard the gentle sound of Tingles chuckling behind me. She was sat on her haunches running her hooves through her mane and smiling happily. With a shrug, I turned back to the old grey mare. Pewter was damnably exasperating at times and I told her as much too. But instead of berating me however, she just rolled her eyes and returned to studying the horizon. Well, I knew when I was beaten. And if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, as they say. I sank to my haunches and let out a deep sigh, rubbing my hind legs and taking in the fresh, unpolluted air. It was certainly very quiet here that was for sure. There was no wind noise, no birds, only an odd stillness that felt almost tangible. The air felt old too, like it had lingered here for an eternity and had simply never moved on. In the light from the lanterns the otherworldly feel to the place made me feel a touch uncomfortable, and I sensed the spirit inside me stir in response. At least the brazier was welcoming. Warmth always is I suppose, but once again I was unsure of what was going on, and this time it was Aunt Pewter’s turn to confound me. The old mare had been sat watching the sun gradually disappear behind the horizon, the moon slowly beginning to rise in its place, and at that moment she rose to her hooves and walked over to me.

“Stand here, Fairlight, and don’t move. Whatever happens, you have to stay here.” Pewter’s eyes brooked no nonsense. “Do you understand?”

I nodded. If there was one thing Auntie knewf, it was magic. “Yes, Auntie. I’ll stay here.”

She smiled and took out a pair of gourds from the saddle bags, walking around me chanting in a language I didn’t recognise. Maybe it was just as well too, because whatever she was saying was making my fur stand on end all along my spine. I watched in awe as Pewter’s horn glowed with a blue light while she sprinkled a fine silvery sand from the gourds. She passed me on a wide circuit, once, twice, getting nearer and nearer each time. I was at the centre of a spiral of sand, and I looked up to see Tingles standing over by the brazier watching intently. She looked as fascinated as I was. Auntie was from a long line of unicorn mares in our family who had kept in touch with the older magics. Many these days considered them antiquated, ‘out of touch’, and even ‘quaint’ by modern standards. But when a mare was having trouble with a pregnancy or crops failed for no apparent reason, many of the villagers would seek her out rather than risk the modern hospitals or officials in the towns and cities. As much as these ponies pretended to be modern, they were still superstitious and traditionalist at heart. Was this what Luna and Celestia were trying to protect? The old ways of our people? I was all for modern conveniences personally, but from what I’d seen recently I was beginning to wonder If we’d lost our way somewhere along the road of years. If we forgot who we were and where we’d come from, how could be maintain a solid foundation for future generations? It was a worrying thought.

The grey mare returned to the outside of the spiral, reversing her steps, shaking a dash of the powder out ever few steps and shouting out to the sky above in that weird language. I would have found it slightly comical only for the fact that I knew my aunt only too well. I trusted her skill more than anyponies, and I wouldn’t dare laugh at her. Besides, if she caught me I’d be in for a serious walloping. Despite the general strangeness of what was happening I was still startled when she suddenly clopped her hooves together and cried out into the night air as her horn flared a brilliant white. But that wasn’t the only thing that had grabbed my attention, it was the sand spiral around me too. It was glowing, shining brightly in an odd imitation of the moon’s light as Luna rose it into the night sky above us. In the ethereal light it was like I was floating between two seas of stars, one above, and one below. It was quite beautiful really.

“Fairlight. Listen to me,” Pewter said clearly. “Call upon your power. Reach out to it, gently but firmly. Keep a tight grip on it and keep your mind focussed on me. You are my family, my kin, our blood ties are strong. Your mother’s blood runs in your veins as her mother’s runs in mine. Remember we are family. I am here for you. Do you understand?”

I nodded, “Yes, Auntie.”

“Good boy. Now, open your mind, and reach for the power within you…”

Closing my eyes I controlled my breathing the best I could, letting the world around me fade away until I could hear only the crackle from the fire and my own heartbeat. The more I concentrated, the more I began to sense things on a deep level; the breathing of my body, the warmth of my blood as it flowed through my veins. My body began to relax, the tension unwinding and seeping away, the aches and pains so noticeable before, now fading until they were no more than a memory. And there… there in the corner of my consciousness, cloaked in bitter cold, fear and pain, the small sphere of ice blue light waited. I followed the chains of my control, tracing them to the expectant power, and grasped them, pulling them off one by one. The light intensified. I could feel it questing, wondering, asking… ‘why was I doing this?’ The chains slipped off until finally I reached out and felt the icy touch of the spirit. It backed away at first, unsure of me. Anger and suffering radiated from it, and another sense, one of… betrayal…

Images of Meadow flashed through my mind: smiling, crying, her face twisting in pain. She cried out for me, the vile images of her tormentors floating around her, laughing at her, goading me, challenging me. I ignored them all. Meadow was with the herd now, and these images meant nothing. Gates and Melon Patch would meet their end one day, and it would be me who brought them to it. Vengeance would be served, but I was the one in control. I was the master here. The ice cold screamed through me in a burning torrent, a tempest of magical anger and hate. I could feel my body changing, the pain of the wings bursting from my back, my teeth growing, altering, the magic building into a storm of barely restrained power. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, and goddesses, I had missed this feeling. The spirit wasn’t finished with me though. Like a different creature altogether, it threw horrifying images at me of Shadow, and Maelstrom striking her across the ground, the lake creature tearing into her body, and lastly, worst of all - Shadow… alone and crying out my name. I was powerless to help her, and the spirit knew this all too well. It was exploiting my fear, drawing on my loneliness. Wordlessly it offered me limitless power, unimaginable strength. We, not the princess, would bring Shadow back and we would exact revenge upon the evil bastards who had killed my friends, my wife, my foal… My beautiful little Sparrow Song, her innocent face looking up at me… “Daddy? Are you coming home soon?” Inside my mind my resolve quavered, my heart aching for the loss of my family. Goddesses, why? WHY?

A cry of utter despair, thick with the unyielding cruelty of a winter’s night, erupted from my throat and soared up into the starry sky. I opened my eyes and saw the snow beginning to fall around me… And so it should. My heart was as empty as the Withers, and as dark as the void. Everything had been taken from me… everything. There was nothing left. Simply… nothing.

“Fairlight!”

A pulse of light and heat caught my attention from across the field of starlight. And a voice, clear and strong.

“FAIRLIGHT!”

I stared, my vision tinged in blue, focussing on the grey mare holding a staff with a prancing bronze pony atop it. Feathers and bones hung down from the figure, bright red gems surrounding it shimmering as if ablaze. She was so familiar... “Mum?” I hissed in the otherworldly voice of the wendigo.

“Fairlight, it’s me, Aunt Pewter,” the mare replied. “We are family, you and I. Remember the bond we share. Meadow is safe, Sparrow is safe. You will find Shadow soon and there are those who love you here. Can you understand my words, my nephew?”

I nodded. The spirit was calmer now and I could feel its rage coming under my control. The experience was nothing short of phenomenal. So much power! It was at the same time both exciting and terrifying to know that at any moment I could unleash its fury upon the world. But this was not the time, my aunt was stood across from me, and there, a tangerine pegasus watching me with huge saucer-like eyes. Despite all she had seen, she had remained brave enough to stay with us… with me. I stretched my wings and shook out my brilliant blue mane, “Yes, Auntie. I can understand you.”

“Good.” She sounded relieved. “Now, Fairlight, try to remember the feeling you have now: the control, the sense of being one with your spirit. Listen to it, befriend it, but keep your awareness and focus on remaining yourself. You are strong, my nephew. All our family are strong. We share the bloodline and you must heed its call now. Remember who you are. Remember our history. Remember...”

I closed my eyes and tried to think back, but to what I wasn’t sure. My mother? My father? I could see them standing there in my minds eye, smiling and congratulating me on joining the watch, mum kissing my fetlock better when I’d fallen playing hoofball, dad helping me build a tree house. Further back…There was grandfather holding me as a foal, and granny, hugging my mum as she lay in the hospital bed. Further still… Mum as a teenager being bullied in the school playground, and a young stallion coming to her aid to stand by her. He struck out, bucking one of the bullies to the ground watched the rest run off. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Those big, love filled yellow eyes. I fell. Faster and faster, images of ponies I didn’t know and yet somehow on an instinctual level did, rushed past me in a blur.

The world stopped… then started again.

With a deafening roar of noise I was plunged into what I could only describe as an image from hell. I was on a hillside, a hillside upon a broiling sea of ponies, thestrals, minotaurs, griffins, and more - thousands upon thousands of them, blanketing the land as far as the eye could see. Black shining armour and weapons glinted in the half light beneath banners of purple, silver and black whilst battles cries and shouts made the very air vibrate around me. Suddenly the ground beneath me shook as a war dragon swooped low over me and with a massive beat of its leathery wings, climbed steeply upwards to keep station before a large group of armoured warriors. As I watched, the group parted and a tall black unicorn in a magnificent set of armour that looked as if it had been made of starlight, strode forward. The dragon bowed and spoke briefly to the tall one before bowing once more as it swept away back the way it had come. I watched in awe, my eyes drawn to the huge red lizard flying effortless to where a large group of its fellows awaited, their metallic scales glistening in the half light.

Across the valley before us lay another mass of creatures, mostly ponies from what I could make out, their blood red banners flying in the breeze above the gleaming shoal of silver and gold armour glinting in the sunlight that bathed their army. They too had dragons, though not as many I noticed, but there in the centre of their number was what appeared to be a tall white unicorn mare in golden armour. Hard to make out at this distance, but there was no doubting that this one was their leader. I had a feeling I knew her too, more so than her counterpart amidst our own ranks. I turned back to watch the group of thestrals once more. There she was, standing proudly amidst the dark mass of her warriors, her eyes gleaming proudly. Abruptly she spread her wings and rose elegantly into the air, gliding silently towards me. No unicorn this one. The word came to me in a heartbeat – alicorn. She strode up to the party I was with, her mane and tail flowing with all the stars of the night sky, her eyes flaring like supernovas. The silver armour glittered, contrasting with her crescent moon cutie mark. We all went to our knees before her. She was our leader, our princess. We would follow her unto the end of the world and beyond if she commanded, and sing joyfully as we did so.

A blare of trumpets and a great cry went up. The enemy were advancing. The princess nodded to us and we took flight, my wings beating powerfully, sending me up into the sky for a panoramic view of the battlefield. The armies looked to be almost endless, and fairly evenly matched, at least in sheer numbers. All around me the rumble of hooves and battle cries blotted out everything except the trumpeted commands of our army. Beside me, a brilliant white creature appeared, her eyes burning a blue as deep as the ocean and as bright as the sky above the mountains. A delicate silver chain with a golden heart pendant hung from her neck, while her great wings kept her on station as delicately as a snowflake. Thick clouds of white fog wreathed her hind quarters and she smiled at me. I bowed to her, grinning broadly. She was my beloved wife. Mr Arathea.

“Are you ready my husband?” she called to me, white mist dripping from her maw.

I laughed, gazing into those beautiful deep blue eyes, “Of course, Wife! For the enemy, I am as ready as I am for you!”

She laughed heartily and glided up to me, embracing me in her forelegs and pulled me into a deep kiss. Our breath mingled, sampling each others life energy, the sweet taste of love… of life itself. Arathea broke the kiss and drew up next to me. “Come my love!” she beamed. “It’s time to play!”

With a great howl of joy and anger combined we swept down upon our foes, unleashing our power into their midst. Great swathes of ice and blue fire lashed through the creatures below, sending screams of pain and fear into the air. It was… rapture - the thrill of the hunt, the anger of the goddess unleashed upon our foe. I inhaled their energies released into the air as I passed above them, breathing another pulse of blue fire into the mass below. A bellow followed by a yellow-white jet of flame shot past me making me barrel roll to avoid it. The enemy war dragon charged me, claws outstretched and reaching. Beating my wings I pulled up into the thin cloud layer, the giant creature in pursuit. Quickly I wove my magic into the vapour trail behind me and circled the dragon which tried to rake my flank with another blast of fire. We circled and danced around each other in a ballet of blue and yellow light. I blasted blue fire at the beast, eliciting a scream of pain when my attack struck its shoulder. In retaliation its fire caught my wing, sending a shock of pain through me. I cried out in anger and drew in all my power for the final part of my plan. The dragon realised too late what was happening. The white cloud was now almost completely covering its scales and starting to freeze rapidly. Clawing at itself and trying to crane its neck, the thing attempted to burn off the ice. It was all far too late, the flame barely guttered now, the great wings stiffening like boards. With barely a cry the dragon dropped like a lead weight to the ground far below, crushing those unfortunate enough to be in the way of the enormous corpse. I grimaced; how I would have taken joy in feasting on that being’s life energy! Still, no time for that, there were many more for me to taste this day.

Although the battle must have lasted for hours, I barely noticed it. Again and again I strafed the enemy lines, killing countless and maiming many more. Their numbers were endless, but I felt like their energy, their impetus, was slowly being blunted with each pass. A great cry of excitement greeted me.

“Maroc, we’re doing it! We’re winning!” Arathea looped around me, her joy palpable.

I laughed with her, “Don’t let up, my love, there are many more who need our help to send them to the next world. And I for one will not be happy until I have tasted a dragon’s energy this day!”

She laughed, “You haven’t already? How slow you are! I’m already on my third!” The brilliant white wendigo mare flew off in a trail of cloud to dive down on the enemy forces below. I had no time to watch her go, my own foe were awaiting me, and I do so hated being late.

The fighting rolled back and forth below me like waves upon a beach, with reinforcements being brought up, and trumpets blasting out their orders to the massed ranks. And then, up above us, it was as if the world had taken a breath. The princesses faced one another; one white, one black, the sky itself divided between them. The living goddesses of Equestria, the living embodiments of the light of day and the darkness of night, faced one another at last. I couldn’t hear what they said, but what happened next could never be forgotten. Purple and black lightning burst from the princess of the night, narrowly missing her sister who replied with a brilliant flash of intense heat which missed its target but slashed through the ranks below. Where it hit, troops were instantly turned to ash, smoking furrows in the ground marking where once living beings had stood only a moment earlier. Within seconds those same gaps were filled by more warriors engaging the enemy of our princess, our goddess, Nightmare Moon. With redoubled efforts I screamed down like an avenging spirit upon the creatures below, blasting them with my magic, freezing their flesh and rending their bodies. My princess had called and we had answered. I would fight for her and help usher in the rule of the eternal moon.

Around me the light flashed again and again, whole units of ponies, minotaurs, thestrals, annihilated in the crossfire from the battle in the sky above. The fight below was becoming uncertain. Emboldened by Celestia’s attacks, the enemy had gained heart and began to push harder, our troops holding but struggling to stem the tide. Our dragons swooped down to burn then with fire, our wendigo similarly raking their lines. In response, enemy unicorns helped shield a good number of their army but it was not enough to save all of them. Many died, on their side and ours. The Celestian army’s dragons and griffins devastated our ranks, fighting with the thestrals both in the air and on the ground. There were so many of them! Had there been this many dragons before? And then… the end came. Something swept through the clouds. I couldn’t see what it was from where I was, it was only a shape, but then explosions of green fire, one after the other, erupted amongst our ranks below where the shape passed. The warriors struggled to fill the gaps, to stem the tide by crossing the smoking craters where their brothers and sisters lay dead or dying, but it wasn’t enough. The Celestians were flooding into the pockets left by the explosions, driving deeper in the heart of the Legion. As if in response to our woes, a whirling floodlight of colour suddenly filled the air around Celestia, coalescing into a great beam of rainbow light. I stared in horror as it span, formed, and then blasted into our beloved Nightmare Moon who simply… vanished. The world held its breath once more, the armies below stopping to stare upward, the night sky disappearing and bathing the warriors of the night in golden sunlight.

They broke.

Fear burned through the Legion’s ranks faster than Celestia’s vengeance. Many dropped their weapons, turned tail, and ran for all they were worth. They didn’t know where to run to, their only desire now to escape the breaking fury of Celestia who was even now diving upon them like an avenging golden spirit. Her terrible magic lashed out again and again - hundreds dying in an instant. Those who hadn’t already fled tried to keep some semblance of order as they retreated, but even they were wavering. It was only a matter of time now, and they knew it. Some stayed to the very end, trying to rally their comrades around them, only to be cut down by the heartened Celestians. Lost in a haze of confusion, I hesitated. And it was all it took. A flash of brilliant light blinded me and I fell, my right wing no longer attached to my body. Agony cut through me like a white hot knife, making me cry out. I’d never felt such searing pain like this in my life! Fighting against the darkness pushing in on the edge of my vision I gathered my magics around me in a thick cloud to arrest my fall, hoping that it would cushion my landing to some degree. Then... Then I would find Arathea and we would get away from here. Away from this place of death.

“Maroc!” The distressed shout of my beloved grabbed my attention and she swept down to catch me in her forelegs, tears leaking from her blazing eyes. “Oh goddess, no! My love…”

“It’s alright Arathea, I can restore my wing later,” I gasped. “For now we must escape quickly, the Celestian’s have the field.”

My wife nodded and helped me to the ground. Without my wing I was severely handicapped, but there was nothing wrong with my legs. With a kiss for my beloved, we turned to run, blending into the crush of panicked soldiers. They rushed past us in a desperate dash for safety, but wherever that may lie for them, I knew not. But I knew where we must go, and now, we had no choice in the matter. In our retreat, Celestia’s vengeance was terrible to behold, her beam lancing out through our ranks without mercy. This wasn’t a defeat, it wasn’t even a rout. It was anextermination. A dreadful pulse of white hot energy cut through the ground next to me, turning my world to a howling mass of steam and ash. A minotaur, one of his legs gone, crashed into me, sending me flying across the ground only to pick himself up and crawl away with a drive borne of desperation.

“Arathea!” I called. I couldn’t see her. “ARATHEA!” I shouted for her again and again, but of my wife there was no sign, except… In the steaming molten furrow left by Celestia’s magic, half buried amongst the still falling ash… lay a small silver chain with a golden heart. I picked up the chain in my hooves, the ash and mud clinging to it all that remained of my beloved Arathea. I choked back the tears as unimaginable pain and outrage filled my soul. “NO! Damn you, Celestia, damn you to bowels of hell!” I snarled and turned, blasting blue fire up into the sky at the princess. It was useless, my power was near depleted and she was too far away. I would have to escape now and mourn my love later. There was something I had to do before it was too late. And so I ran. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, running for whatever cover I could find. Dodging through the remnants of our once magnificent army, I managed to slip away into the cooling darkness forest. Many others had found refuge here too, but it was only an illusion of safety. The vengeance of the Celestians would not be so easily sated, and the sensible ones pushed on, myself with them. Ahead, a minotaur argued with a thestral - an officer judging by his armour.

“We must rally what we can and form a rear guard. Get your warriors together and help me defend this position,” the thestral officer commanded.

The minotaur gave a sarcastic laugh in its booming voic. “You are mad! Our army is defeated. Routed. Look around you! There is nothing left to defend, you fool!”

The officer’s eyes flared, “Damn you, you coward. Stand and fight!”

“Out of my way or I will cut you down where you stand!” the bullish creature snorted back.

I tried to get around them but the officer pushed in front of me. “You!” he growled. “A wendigo! We need your kind here. I beg you, stand with me and help the others to escape.”

“Sir,” I tried to reason with him, “The minotaur is right, there’s nothing left to save. We must escape now. The army is gone!”

He pulled out a sword and held it before my eyes, “You’re both cowards! If you will not stand with me, then you will serve as an example to the others.”

With a shout he swung the sword at the minotaur, cleaving the creature’s throat open to the air. The horned beast gasped for breath, clawing at its wound and sank to the ground, twitching its life away. I saw my chance and lunged for the thestral, my fangs sinking into his throat. He shrieked, dropped his sword and tried to blast me with his fire, but it was already over. I could feel the thestral’s body twitching beneath me as his life energy leached from his body, filling my maw with its delectable flavour. As reenergising at was, it was not enough. Not nearly enough. Moving to the minotaur, I breathed in the creature’s spirit to replenish my own, channelling my magic to heal my wing. The pain was simply exquisite, nearly flooring me with its sheer intensity, but I fought it with every fibre of my being. It was necessary to what I must do next. Re-growing bone and membrane, muscle and sinew, my new wing formed itself in a swirling mist of white and blue energy. I was tiring quickly, most of my recently acquired energy already spent, but I could still fly… and fly I did. With a bound I took to the air and headed for the fortress. And home.

Keeping to what cloud cover I could find, I followed the river below as it passed between the green rolling hills and farmlands, right up to the edge of the black forest. The river narrowed here on its path through the trees and I traced it to the base of the foothills, then onward up into the blue mountains beyond. The clouds around me gradually grew thicker, denser, becoming a solid wall of swirling white around my beating wings until there, gradually unveiling itself against the magnificence of the snowy mountains, was the great fortress of the wendigo. The Fortress of the Four Winds. The scale of the fortress was staggering; a mind reeling blend of magic, ice and stone, with needle thin spires reaching up to the heavens while numerous turrets and sky bridges gave the structure an elegant and otherworldly beauty that never failed to stir the soul. Unlike when I had left here with Arathea to join the goddess, the skies were now empty save for the occasional bird. It was as if the mountains themselves knew something was coming, and awaited the gathering storm with baited breath.

The home of the wendigo was normally abuzz with life, song and the sound of laughter. Our sanctuary from the rest of the world built centuries ago, the cold of the northern snows kept all but the most hardy or inquisitive away, and that was how we liked it. The chill of such a remote place barely touched our people, and it had helped to keep us apart from the rest of Equestria since before I was born. But such isolation is a double edged sword and can foment superstition. Born in the minds of those who saw us only as little more than monsters of the northern wastes, it was that fear of the unknown which we struck into the hearts of the local denizens that had in part lead us to construct this place, our sanctuary, for our own. Here we felt the world could not touch us. But now our princess was gone, our army shattered. The vengeance of the Celestians would reach even here. I knew I didn’t have long.

Diving in through the south turret’s open window, my hooves skittered on the stone floor. An old blue stallion, his eyes gleaming blue, rushed in to challenge me, his sword glinting in the light from his horn. “Lord Maroc, you have returned! Is there news? What of Lady Arathea?”

I pushed past him more roughly that I intended. I didn’t have time to explain, shouting over my shoulder, “Take your family and flee, Nelian, the Legion is defeated. Save yourself and take any with you that you find. But hurry, there’s no time to lose!”

I rushed down corridors and stairs, racing past empty chambers, suits of armour, and countless banners. They were the memories and trophies of past battles, the pointless vanities of my ancestors. What did such trivialities mean now anyway? We had sided with the night and for that we would be punished. Damn those Celestian bastards. Damn them all! In the distance I could hear shouting, commands being given, and the fortress’s inhabitants grabbing what they could in their rush to escape. But escape to where? I knew these people. Some would fight, some would flee, but in my desperation and heartache I had to ignore them for now. I had to save the last vestige of my life that was worth protecting. Rounding the last corner, the huge door was already open. Within rang shouts and the clash of battle, the unmistakable stench of blood thick in air, tantalising my nostrils. The damned Celestians were already here? How?! But no matter. Battle was upon us and I would need to pass through this chamber to my destination beyond. I took a breath, readied myself, and charged in. Inside the chamber the metallic ring of steel and the heat of combat magic was so intense it was like walking into a blacksmiths forge. Wendigo and pony fought hoof to hoof. Blood, both red and blue, spattered the floor. Bodies of friend and foe alike were spread out around me, some groaning and moving, others gasping their last. I took in a deep breath of the leaking life energy and snatched up a sword from a fallen warrior in my magic. Celestia’s elite pegasi shock troops, clad in their magic resistant armour, pressed in on the fortress’s defenders. Their crass impudence in attacking our fortress has cost them dearly too - at least twelve of their number lay slain. Suddenly a bolt of blue fire flew past me to gouge a chunk from the wall as a pegasus howled in pain, its armour failing to protect it from the close range magical energy blast. I screamed in anger, charging the damnable creatures before me. The pegasi were quick on their hooves, but there was little they could do when attacked from two directions. Most of their attention was focussed on attacking, not defending, and I cut into them with sword, hoof and magic, breaking bones and freezing flesh. My blade slashed through the air, opening hides and veins, crimson viscera splashing my coat and wings with their life essence. It was over as almost soon as it had begun. Quickly dispatching the wounded pegasi I faced my warriors, weary, but alive.

One of them approached me, lowering his sword wearily. “My Lord, what is happening? These bastards came out of nowhere and attacked us!”

I clopped him on the shoulder. “The battle is lost, Herath. The white witch will soon be here, and we must save who we can. Take your warriors and help evacuate the fortress. If any refuse, don’t waste time, leave them and get out.”

His eyes flared and he saluted, the others doing the same. “My Lord… will we meet again?”

“I don’t know old friend,” I said solemnly. “Goddess willing, we will. If not here, then we will meet up in the next world.”

We clasped forelegs, and I prayed they would escape and find peace in their lives away from this nightmare. For now though, my focus was on the room beyond. Throwing its heavy oak door open, my eyes swept the great stone room. Light from the fireplace was more for comfort than heat, and the heavy drapes, tapestries and deep pile rug leant a splash of colour to the otherwise austere chamber. A light whimper emanated from beneath the bed, and I trotted over, bending down to catch the bed spread with a forehoof. “Vela? Vela, it’s daddy. You can come out now little one.”

A small grey muzzle poked out from beneath the bed and gave a little snort, wide yellow eyes looking up curiously, “Daddy? Are the bad ponies gone?”

I smiled down at him, “Yes love, they are. Come on, let me get your things, we need to go now.”

“Where’s mummy?” the grey foal said, emerging from his hiding place.

I felt a stab of pain in my heart., “She’s going to meet us soon, Vela. Now come along, I need you to be strong for me. Can you be strong for me?”

He looked unsure, but then stomped a forehoof trying to look fierce, “Yes Daddy!”

At any other time I would have laughed and swept him up in my forelegs, but this was not the time for that. We had to escape and get as far away from Equestria as we could. Perhaps one of the other countries could take us? A mercenaries life wouldn’t be too bad, but I’d probably have to drop the ‘Lord’ title though. It meant nothing now anyway. Sweeping my foal onto my back, I replaced the sword I’d recovered with my father’s old one from over the mantelpiece and set about grabbing a few sparse provisions to put into a saddle bag. Satisfied, we rushed from the room just as a huge rumble shook the fortress. “Dragons,” I breathed.

Vela spoke behind me, “Daddy?”

I tried to keep my voice light-hearted as I replied, “It’s alright, Vela, we’re going to go fast now, so hang on tight, okay?” I felt him dig his hooves into my coat in response.

I’d strapped Vela to my saddle pack as best I could. I knew the be belts were too tight for him, but he never complained. Not once. Damn it, if I’d only had more time! But time was a luxury none of us could afford any more. The fortress was now fully under siege. Fire and blue magic flew back and forth between my people and the Celestians. We were putting up a spirited defence, but I knew it was only a matter of time before their princess arrived to annihilate us. I had seen the Equestrian’s mercy today, and for us, there would be none. I wouldn’t stay to find out either. As strong as the fortress was it couldn’t hope to stand up to the power of the white witch. When she was finished with us little would remain on the mountain but rubble and memories. Homes however, could always be rebuilt. Lives were something altogether different. The corridors flew past in a blur, the way to the mountain pass the only viable escape route for us now unless I wanted to run the gauntlet of war dragons and pegasi. I couldn’t risk my foal, he was all I had left of Arathea and was my legacy in this world. Vela remained silent as I ran, but I barely noticed. Even nearby skirmishes were mere background noise as I galloped by.

Bursting from the high window at the end of the uppermost landing, my wings snapped open, my heart thundering in my chest as I flew as fast as I could straight for the pass. Wendigo warriors fought around me, backed up by a number of thestrals who had sought safety at the fortress. Poor devils, all they had found was another battlefield. Shouts and cries echoed around me, magical energy and fire sizzling past my speeding form, but the pass was not far ahead now. Plunging down through a bank of mist, I beat my wings hard and flared them just before landing in the snow. Ahead of me, my people, what was left of them, headed up the pass. With luck the clouds would hide them from the Celestians’ fury that was razing our home behind us even now. I uttered a prayer for those who had stayed behind, unknowingly helping secure our escape. The column we joined moved quickly and silently, even the wounded on the backs of carts barely whimpered. We were a proud people. There were not many of us left now, but what there was remained strong and true. Some called us monsters, ostracised us and cast us out, but our strength of will kept us together. And then… the princess came. She helped us to rebuild, rekindling the fire in our hearts and promising us farm land to call our own. Just as importantly, we would finally have a voice in how Equestria was governed. When she made the call to arms, we were the first to answer. Now it was all unravelling around us, blue blood and tears staining the ground. We would return some day and reclaim our home, but for now, we must escape. My son had to survive no matter what.

From the throng of equines a voice called to me, a filly not quite into marehood, “Lord Maroc, is it true? Has the princess been defeated?”

I smiled to her kindly, “Don’t worry about such matters young one. Take heart and help our people through the pass and beyond these cursed lands. The past is the past, let it stay there. We must all look to the future now, and what happens from here on is in our hooves. Yours too. I can see it in your eyes - you have the spark within you to become a great wendigo. Embrace your true self and rise to be more than you are.”

The filly nodded, brushing a tear away with a forehoof before vanishing back into the crowd. Did I believe my own words? Goddess, I hoped so. We had made a home for ourselves once, and we I saw no reason why we couldn’t do so again. All we had to do was get out of here and save who we could first. Future plans would need to remain there for now. And Vela was the future. I trudged, on pausing only to look back at my son who was nestled into my back asleep. He slept so much lately, even the thought of it made me long for a rest myself. I was utterly exhausted after the fighting and the rush to escape the fortress had taken its toll. Fortunately it wouldn’t be long until we reached the end of the pass and safety of the caverns that would take us deep into the earth and away to our ancestral home in the frozen north. At least, that had been my plan, hasty as it had been. The Celestians however, had a very different plan for us.

Without warning, a sonorous rumbling boom from above us shook the pass, echoing along its length and dislodging snow and boulders that broke free, crashing down onto the helpless mass below. Cries and shouts of alarm rang out, the crush of refugees picking up speed towards caverns. It was close now. So, so close. I could hear the sound changing and smell the difference in the air. Damn that bitch princess and her bastard army, could they not leave the meagre scraps of our people to flee? The answer to my silent question came quickly in a plume of searing flame which engulfed the leading ponies of the column. Anypony who has ever smelt the stink of burning hair and flesh will never forget it… nor the screams of those dying in its infernal heat. A war dragon the size of which I had never seen before, let alone in the last battle, flew low, raking our ranks. Ponies and wounded wendigo warriors alike replied with crossbow bolts and blue fire of their own. In our weakened state few could take flight, and I could not risk attacking the beast personally with Vela strapped to my back, nor could I leave him here either. Both options could end in death, not just for me but for my precious foal too. But I was out of options. If I didn’t do something both of us would end up with our bones smouldering in the mountain pass. I took a breath, my mind made up. I would fight. Then, as if answering an unspoken prayer, Herath arrived through the roiling mist and smoke, pulling up a few feet away from me.

“My Lord!” He shouted over the panicked din. “The Celestians have broken through. They are on their way here now. We have to fly for the caverns without delay.”

Screams and cries from ahead and, goddess help us, behind, filled my ears. “Herath, my friend, take Vela. Fly for the cavern for all you are worth and don’t stop for anything or anypony. Do you understand me?”

He stood there, his eyes going wide. “Lord Maroc, what do you mean? You can fly with us!”

I shook my head, “Our people are dying, Herath. I don’t have time to argue. If I don’t do something quickly we won’t have anypony left to save. Please, take my son north. Get him out of here. NOW!”

Herath bowed and took Vela from my back, and between us we strapped him onto the warrior’s back.

“Daddy? What’s happening?” Vela asked in his squeaky voice. “I’m scared!”

Vela was frightened, but I couldn’t do anything to ease his fear now. If I didn’t try to stop the Celestian attack we would all die, my son included. “Vela,” I said softly, stroking his mane. “You must go now. Herath will look after you, so you have to be strong, my little warrior. Yes?”

He was so young, his heart warring between his distress and wanting to impress his father. “I’ll be brave, Daddy” He squeaked. “…I’ll…” His eyes welled with tears.

I turned to Herath, “Take him and go, Herath. Goddess be with you. Wherever she is…”

The wendigo clasped forelegs with me and without another word, shot forward like an arrow for the caverns ahead. “Daddy loves you, my little one…” I called. Whether Vela heard me or not I couldn’t say, all was drowned in blistering fire and cries of pain as the damned war dragon made another pass. Blasts of fire and magical energy were coming from all directions now, closer than ever. My target was clear. The dragon had to be removed.

The wintry clouds shot past me. I was like a streak of purest white lightening, arrowing for my target - the black onyx dragon. It was a terrifying beast to behold, true, but one a wendigo could match with his own magical fire and ice. My warriors had faced these creatures and bested them, but we were now few, and most of those wounded. I myself was suffering from fatigue, and my magic was desperately low. If we were to survive we had to take this monster down and my first attack would hopefully divert its attention from the fleeing refugees below. The distance between me and my targetclosed quickly. It hadn’t seen me. Good. I concentrated and unleashed a bolt of bright blue magical energy which struck the dragon slightly below its left shoulder, scoring up and across its spine covered back. Splinters of scales were flensed off the beast’s back in a satisfying plume of magical fire and smoke. The stink of burning hit me again, but it was a good smell - my enemy’s blood would stain the mountain side this day. One last victory for the tribe of the Four Winds.

Screams of rage and fire erupted from the dragon, the great serpent spiralling in the air, searching for its attacker. I’m certain the foul thing believed it could simply incinerate us from above with impunity, the possibility of attack never factoring into its plan. The arrogance of the dragon was sickening to me. Fortunately an advantage of the cloud in the pass was that I could use it to help hide my location. Breathing deeply, I breathed out my own freezing mist, wrapping it round myself both for concealment, and attack. Wendigo were no cowards, but foolhardiness would not serve myself or my people well. I had to be swift, and precise. It was time to press my attack. The dragon passed under me and I dove on it, sinking my teeth into its neck and unleashing a full blast of my power into the thing. The white mist cascaded over its back, instantly freezing scales which shattered like thin glass that trailed out behind the beast like snow. It rolled, lashing out with it claws, finding to its fury that I was still latched firmly onto its back. I sent another bolt of energy directly into the giant lizard’s neck. Roaring, the dragon flew straight for the mountainside, pulling up and angling itself to drive me against the rocks. At the last possible moment I let go, and just in time. The stupid beast misjudged its approach and ploughed into the unforgiving rock. Rubble, flame and fountaining blood avalanched down, yet the damned thing refused to die. The terrible wound in its neck was pouring its life essence away in a crimson torrent, but still it bellowed defiance. I swooped down and pulled up in front of the crippled creature, readying another bolt of magic. The dragon glared hatred at me, its golden reptilian eyes glowing.

“Your time is over wendigo,” the beast hissed. “The princess of the sun has this day. You and all your filth will be washed away in a river of your own blood.”

I smirked at the creature. He didn’t impress me, and I would make sure he knew it. “You know, there’s really no need for drama.” I tapped my chin in thought, “Then again, perhaps where you’re going, there is…”

He looked at me momentarily surprised. That was when I spotted what I knew was coming - the massive inhale before the release of dragon fire. I timed it perfectly. The dragon’s lungs were full, ready to incinerate his comparatively small adversary. He didn’t expect me to beat him to it with a blast of my own. Not of magical blue fire this time, but of mist, sparkling blue-white, filling the creature’s maw to bursting. Unable to release the fire inside itself, the dragon gagged, clawing at its mouth, desperately trying to dislodge the frozen deadly fog. Ice spread around his neck and head, the inferno building inside it until the dragon was radiating heat like a furnace. I knew what was coming next and threw up a shield of ice a second before, with a cacophonous detonation, the reptile erupted in a massive shower of flame, bone, gore and scale. Chunks of giant lizard rained down wetly all around me, and despite protecting myself from the worst of the blast I was still spattered with the remnants of my enemy. Still, a quick shake of my mane dislodged the worst of it. Washing the rest off would be a task in itself, but one I would enjoy later. For now, however, I had to see how many had reached the caverns.

I never made it.

A blinding flash of light and heat seared past me, burning a wide patch of my fur and skin, sending rocks and melted snow into the air. Twisting away, I saw her. Celestia. The white witch. She flew down into the pass, the very image of an avenging spirit: beautiful, terrifying, and full of unbridled rage. Her eyes shone like twin suns, matching the golden armour encasing her alicorn body. Either side of her, pegasi and dragons flew through the rapidly dispersing cloud and mist, her sunlight burning away the last vestiges of cover my people had. The bitch herself glanced at me only for a second before sending a solid white hot beam into the mass of bodies below her.

“NO!” I screamed at her, shooting a blast of my own magical energy toward the leader of Equestria. She couldn’t be doing this! Goddess protect us, why couldn’t she let us leave her damned lands in peace?!

I watched in horror as dragon fire and bolts rained down on the helpless fleeing refugees, their cries filling the normally peaceful mountain air. Screams of pain, terror, and utter despair cut through me like a knife, my heart resonating with their suffering. I should be down there with them! This wasn’t revenge, this was murder! The bastards wanted us all dead. Every last one of us. I dropped my head and charged the source of my hate, my anger raging. The witch loomed in my vision, her face set in a determined glare, her long horn beginning to glow, readying for another attack. A pegasi’s bolt took me in the chest without my ever seeing him. Weakened as I was, it was a hammer blow. I plunged down into the pass below, crashing into the deep snow which helped in some small way to break my fall. White hot agony ran through me and I cried out, trying desperately to stand, huffing blood from my nostrils. Another bolt took me through my flank, another, and then another. Pain, shock, and the surprising weight of the impacts from the bolts took me to my knees. Panting, trying to take a breath through the blood beginning to flood my lungs, I looked up to the alicorn princess who merely held her station, watching me with impassive eyes.

“Why?” I gasped up at her. “Why...?”

I expected her to laugh at me, to grin at her helpless foe lying before her, or at least smirk. She could do something… Something to make me hate her all the more. Damn her! She was victorious, she could afford to gloat. The goddess knew she could. We’d lost, utterly. I… had lost. Celestia landed a few feet from me, her horn glowing. She needn’t have bothered herself, I was finished and I think she knew it as well. Those beautiful eyes of hers, her brow brought down over them in a frown, bore into mine.

“Why?” she asked. “Because Equestria must have peace, wendigo. There has been too much war, too much suffering, the land is scarred and its people are broken. So long as creatures like you exist, so long as evil exists in this land, ponies will never be able to live their lives as they were meant to. Your time is over, monster. The time of darkness has ended. The time of sunlight is now.”

I shook my head, “And what about mercy, Celestia? Will you not find any in your heart for those you have vanquished? I will not beg you, but I ask - let what few of my people remain leave in peace. You have your victory.”

She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them looking straight up into the blue sky. The princess breathed in deeply, considering her reply. “No.” Her voice never so much as quavered. “I am sorry, wendigo, but my decision has been made. You are too much of a risk to this land, and as much as it wounds my heart to do this, you must all be… removed. For the good of all.” She called to her troops in a voice which echoed through the pass and skies beyond, “Celestians! Now is your time to take revenge upon the forces of the night, against those who would plunge your world into darkness. Strike your enemy down without hesitation. No prisoners.” She took a breath. “No mercy.”

I struggled to stand. How could she? Dear goddess, how could she?! There were old ponies here; the sick, wounded, fillies, colts and foals too. Few wendigo warriors remained and most of those were half dead already. If this was the cost of bringing sunlight to the land of Equestria, then I would gladly take the eternal night. This evil bitch was the true source of cruelty in the land. I lay there, helpless, as the death cries of my people rose and fell in the pass, gradually fading away, ebbing into history along with their souls. Somewhere in the distance, I thought I heard a tiny voice, carrying faintly on the breeze.

“Daddy…”

Oh goddess, my son! Vela… I closed me eyes and felt a tear roll down my cheek. He was gone. We had lost… I had lost… everything. It was all over. My wife, my son, my people… It was the end of our world. What strength now remained in my broken body was pitiful. The pegasi advanced on me, reloading crossbows or drawing swords. Some looked smug, others determined, yet all I saw was death coming to claim its next soul. The reaper had taken a full harvest this day. Whatever these ponies believed I wouldn’t let the bastards take me without fighting to my last breath. Standing weakly, I challenged the alicorn who had arrogantly turned away from me.

“Princess Celestia…” I gasped. “You claim to bring the sun, but all you bring is death. Your hooves are soaked in the blood of foals. Your sister spoke truly - you are the true evil in this land. You took my family from me and have slaughtered my people. I will see you burn in Hades, you BITCH!”

I poured my magic, my very life energy, into my horn and threw the brilliant blue beam at the alicorn princess. It was all I had left, and yet she deflected it with a shield spell effortlessly, the blast slamming into the mountainside behind her and sending splintered rocks flying into the pegasi below. I’ll say this for Celestia, her expression never changed. She didn’t smile once. I, on the other hoof, even as her beam of white hot energy engulfed me… did.