To Earn One's Wings

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Library
Chapter 3: The Sage
Chapter 4: Canterlot General
Chapter 5: Arrested
Chapter 6: Discord
Chapter 7: A Royal Appointment
Chapter 8: The Train
Chapter 9: Old Friends
Chapter 10: Night Troubles
Chapter 11: The Everfree Forest
Chapter 12: The Castle of the Two Sisters
Chapter 13: Escape
Chapter 14: The Author of Life
Chapter 15: The Campfire
Chapter 16: Aftermath
Chapter 2: Interrogations and Examinations

Chapter 1: The Library

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter one: The library

Thunderbolt is a unicorn who solves problems. Ponies bring their troubles to him and he deals with them neatly and discreetly, for a price. Whether it is a mare who suspects her husband of infidelity or clearing out a monster-infested cave, he earns his Bits. This was why he was wandering the halls of the Canterlot Royal library in the dead of night. He had a job to do. Not that he wandered these halls alone. A golden pegasus mare hovered a few centimetres off of the ground beside him. A jeweller’s magnifying glass was pictured on the back of her flank. Her name was Aurum. The two didn’t know each other well. In fact, they had met the previous day. Aurum delivered a package into the beige unicorn’s hooves. She insisted, however, to join him on his job, hence she was with Thunderbolt that night.

A cold breeze pulled at Thunderbolt’s black cloak and hood that he wore. Aurum’s auburn braid shifted in the wind. A shiver escaped from her lips.

“How much further is this thing we are looking for?” she asked with a Manehattan accent.

“The archives should be around the corner,” Thunderbolt hissed, his voice rough with a slight Trottingham accent. He pointed to a sign above a door covered in gold inlays of prancing horses. It read Archives. “Look. There it is.” Thunderbolt pushed the door. He earned a soft rattle in response.

“Shit,” he swore. He looked around him, silver-blue eyes scanning the empty hallway. “Keep watch,” he ordered as he knelt down in front of the door’s keyhole.

“What?’ Aurum said, her head whipping around to look at Thunderbolt. Her voice seemed to echo through the hall.

“Keep your voice down,” Thunderbolt hissed. “Keep watch. Tell me if you hear or see anyone. I’m going to try and pick this lock.”
Aurum turned around. Her violet eyes started darting left and right. With a sigh, Thunderbolt closed his eyes. His horn started glowing a soft silver-blue. From under his cloak there emerged a set of lock picking tools covered in a silver-blue aura similar to his horn’s glow. The tools slid into the lock. Thunderbolt pressed one of his ears into the door, right next to the lock. Soon the soft clicking of moving tumblers filled his ears.

“So, what are we looking for?”

The sound of a snapping lock pick exploded in Thunderbolt’s ear. He swore under his breath. “Rosie, focus,” he hissed. “God, give me strength,” he muttered under his breath. He pulled another pick from under his cloak and slid it into the keyhole as he continued. “What was it you asked?”

“First off, why do you call me Rosie?”

“Cause you smelled like roses when we first met. Next question.”

“What are we looking for?”

“A book. The client didn’t tell me which one.”

“How are we supposed to find it then?”

“Not sure. He just told me to go to the place we met. I assume that the package you brought is supposed to help.”

“Oh.”

“Anything else?’

“No.”

“Then keep watch.”

A moment later the sound of moving tumblers filled Thunderbolts ears again. Aurum started humming a tune. If reminded Thunderbolt of a tune his mother used to sing to him. Shaking his head he refocused on the lock. Click. Click. Click. Tumblers shifted and clicked into place. A satisfied smile started forming on Thunderbolt’s lips.

“Uh, Thunderbolt. I think someone’s coming.”

“What?”

Aurum pointed to something on her right. Thunderbolt followed her hoof. A pinprick of light rounding the far corner of the hallway.

“Shit. Get down.” Thunderbolt squeezed himself flat against the wall. He heard the fluttering of feathers. He glanced upwards. Aurum was perched on top of a chandelier hanging above the hallway. She looked like she would fall at any moment. Thunderbolt turned his eyes toward the light bobbing toward him. He could make out a black unicorn pony shuffling in his direction. A grey stubble grew in patches across his jawline. The pony’s mouth opened wide in a yawn. The acrid smell of cigarette smoke assaulted Thunderbolt’s nose. His face contorted into a grimace at the smell.

A rattling sound echoed through the hallway. Thunderbolt glanced up. The chandelier Aurum was perched on was swaying side to side. The black unicorn’s light swept over the chandelier. Thunderbolt spotted Aurum. Her eyes were wide. Her face was pale. The light swept back over the chandelier. The black unicorn grunted something unintelligible and walked on. When he rounded the far corner Thunderbolt let out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. He turned to the door and started working at the lock again. Click. Click. Click. Ignore the ruffle of feathers. Click. Click. Clunk. The ornate door started to creak open.

“Get in. Quickly. Before the guard comes back.”

Behind the door was row upon row of shelves filled with books. It was like a legion of literature marching toward them. Aurum let out a relieved sigh. She sank to her haunches and was leaning against a wall. Her breaths were shallow. Her face was still as white as fresh snow.

“Are you ok?” Thunderbolt asked.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she gasped.

Thunderbolt nodded. He extended his hoof in her direction. “Come on. Let’s get what we came for before the guard comes back. I don’t want to open that door in his face.”

With a nod, Aurum took his hoof and Thunderbolt pulled her to her hooves. Her eyes widened at the sight of the literature legion before her.

“How are we supposed to find one book when there’s so many of them?”

“I told you. With this.” Thunderbolt held a small box in her direction. “The package you gave me.” He opened the box. Inside was a small green gem. It pulsated with a rhythmic green glow. Almost like a beating heart.

“How does it work?”

“I’m not sure.” Thunderbolt turned the gem over in his magic. “It looks like it might be a standard locator spell. The gem’s glow pulses faster until we find whatever it’s connected to. Do you know who cut this gem?”

“Uhm, I did.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “Really? It looks good.”

Aurum’s face became bright red. “Thanks,” she mumbled. Thunderbolt chuckled softly. He started walking toward the shelves, gem in front of him like a magical divining rod. “Come on Rosie. Let’s see where the glowing gem leads us.”

“I’ve been wondering something,” Aurum said after a long silence.

“What?”

“Aren’t you breaking the law to do your job?”

“Occupational hazard. Does it bother you?”

“I-I guess. Why do you do it?”

“I need to put food on my plate Rosie and if you hadn’t noticed, my skills aren’t exactly suited to an honest job.”

“Is there really nothing else you can do with those skills? No-”

Thunderbolt glared at Aurum. “If my profession rankles your moral sensibilities so much why are you here?” Aurum stuttered a half response, but Thunderbolt cut it off. “Did you read a couple of thrillers and think that some cloak and dagger nonsense might spice up your life? Allow me to let you in on a little secret. Most ponies like that barely make it through their first job.”

“Why did you let me tag along then?”

“To make sure you get back home. I’m not letting anyone die if I can help it.” Thunderbolt looked at the glowing gem. The rhythmic glow was now almost constant. “I think it’s this shelf.” He swerved into a small alley between two shelves. He pulled a book from the right shelf with his magic and held it up to the gem. It flashed an angry shade of red. Thunderbolt floated the book onto a nearby table. “Could you please get some of the books on the upper shelves?” he asked with a glance toward Aurum. “I want to finish this before a guard comes.”

Aurum flew up toward the higher shelves and started dropping books toward Thunderbolt, who caught them in his magical grip. The pile of books on the table grew as the red flashes on the gem increased. To Thunderbolt they seemed to become deeper and angrier. He was becoming nervous. This was taking too long. That guard might wander back and decide to poke his head into the archives. Another red flash. Another book on the pile.

“Would you have killed him?”

Aurum’s voice almost made Thunderbolt drop the gem and books.

“What?” he blurted, the single syllable springing from his mouth like a frog’s tongue shooting toward a fly.

“That guard,” she clarified. “If he found us, would you have killed him?”

“No,” he exclaimed. “I don’t kill unless the thing that I’m killing is a direct threat to me or my employer.”

“What if your employer ordered you to kill someone?”

“I’m not an assassin,” Thunderbolt said with finality. “You can’t put a price on life.”

“Oh. That’s good.” From the corner of his eye, Thunderbolt saw a small smile tugging at the corner of Aurum’s mouth.
Thunderbolt opened his mouth to respond when the green glow intensified and brightened. A small smirk formed on Thunderbolt’s face. The brightened green glow from the gem gave him a sinister appearance, banishing the shadows of his hood and reflecting off his silver-blue eyes. Books around him fell like stones.

“Rosie, we got it.” Thunderbolt reached out to touch the blue tome. His smile vanished and his eyes widened the moment his hoof touched soft leather. He felt an aura of rage and misery reaching out to him like a drowning pony. It felt like icy hooves clamped around his throat as a shadow fell over him. He did not notice this. He also did not notice Aurum screaming for his attention. Only once Aurum pulled at him was he roused from his stupor. Only now did he notice the shadow and the purple sun blossoming at the heart of its source.

He froze, his body refusing to move despite a brain screaming at him to run. To roll out of the way. To erect a magical shield. To whisper a prayer before immolation. To do something. A wave of heat preceded the wall of purple dragon fire that surged toward them, shattering the oversized window as it rolled over the pair. Thunderbolt’s eyes widened as he watched the tube of fire expand. Thunderbolt tackled Aurum out of the sky, pinning her under him. He felt her heart hammering against his chest. He lit his horn and a silver-blue shell appeared around them. The sea of fire rolled over the shell like a tsunami rolls over a beach ball. Thunderbolt felt like he was being cooked alive inside the shell of magic. It didn’t help that Aurum was flailing her legs and wings about underneath him or that a thin stream of blood started to make its way down the front of his muzzle to drip on Aurum’s chest. He would never figure out whether the blood flowed because of heat or the strain of keeping the shield intact.

When the barrage of purple fire had died down Thunderbolt disentangled himself off of the flailing mare and wiped the blood off his muzzle, taking a moment to stare at his blood on his hoof. He turned and looked into a pair of emerald reptilian eyes. A low growl came from the oversized lizard those eyes belonged to. It mingled with the sounds crackling fires fuelled by old bookshelves holding even older tomes. Thunderbolt licked his lips. He had not expected a dragon. Smoke curled from the black pits it called nostrils. A low growl emanated from its throat. Shattered stained glass crunched as the massive reptile set himself onto the white marble floors of the library, black scales glinting in the firelight. He stalked toward the pair before him, leaving deep trenches in the wake his claws.
Aurum whimpered behind Thunderbolt. He tore his eyes from the beast before him and glanced at the mare behind him. She looked terrified with her eyes darting around like geckos on a hot plate. With her knees arched and her wings outstretched she looked ready to fly to the moon. And fly she did. She zoomed through the shattered window as fast as mist disappearing before the sun, rolling over the dragon’s swiping tail as she did so.

Thunderbolt used this time to bolt to the exit of the archives, lugging the heavy tome they had come here for with him. It felt heavier than it did five minutes ago. He glanced back and saw the dragon rampaging after him through a forest of burning bookcases. The fire-breather opened his maw and a wave of sound hit Thunderbolt. Despite the cacophony that assaulting his ears, he could swear that he heard a voice. A guttural growl that proclaimed him a fool. Thunderbolt glanced back and saw a purple glow in the back of the dragon’s throat. He rolled to the side and into the hallway. The blast of flame scorched the dull carpet, blackened white doorframe and warped the golden window frame.

Thunderbolt bolted down the hallway, wracking his brain to figure out why a dragon would try to barbeque him. Would someone hire a dragon to immolate him? He knew of only three nobles who could afford dragon mercenaries and had been intentionally avoiding them. Or was it the dragon settling a grudge? Not all of his dealings with dragons was on friendly terms, after all. He accused you of being a fool, a little voice reminded him. What kind of assassin does that? No assassin, Thunderbolt answered himself. If he wasn’t here to kill somebody then why was he here? He had no more time to ponder over this, however, because through the gaudy front doors of the Royal library a deep growl could be heard.

Thunderbolt eased the doors open, cursing its unoiled hinges as he did so. Before him stood the beast he was fleeing from, a feral grin on the beast’s face. Emerald eyes glinted with pride. Pride diluted by a hint of sorrow. Thunderbolt took a deep breath, straightening as he did so. Then he threw the doors wide open. He would face this head on despite the fear curling around his throat and heart.
The dragon sucked in air through his nostrils, pulling at Thunderbolt’s mane and cloak. He opened his maw and a purple glow emanated from the back of his throat, sucking in an even greater gulp of air. Then he breathed back out, pushing the purple inferno past two complementary rows of jagged knives.

Time seemed to slow as the world before Thunderbolt got covered in a cobalt blue film. It sparkled and vibrated when the purple flames hit the expanding magic shell. The flames flowed around the shell, scorching the pristine tiles.
It is needless to say that the dragon was shocked when the saw Thunderbolt standing unharmed inside a circle untouched by the flames. Thunderbolt, for his part, wondered who would protect him from a barrage of dragon fire with magic. His saviour, if you could call her that, was not a unicorn. Then the voice came. Thundering from behind the reptile it was filled with fire and steel.

“SURRENDER, DRAGON!” the clearly feminine voice bellowed. “SURRENDER AND WE SHALL SHOW MERCY!”

The dragon whipped his head around to look at the newcomer. A midnight blue pony with wings spread and horn aglow. An alicorn. A near immortal race of ponies. Little is known about them save for their raw magical power that can even control the celestial bodies.
The alicorn was clad in armour of silver moonlight, her star sprinkled mane and tail flowing in the non-existent wind. An icy inferno burned in her pale blue eyes. A crescent moon on a smudge of black adorned her flanks. Shadows seemed to curve toward her like wires to a magnet. She was flanked by grey guards clad in lavender armour with a silver crescent moon insignia on their breasts. Leathery bat wings protruded from their sides. Reptilian eyes gazed ahead stonily.

The giant lizard shifted his weight toward the alicorn, his tail whipping Thunderbolt across the courtyard. He studied this ensemble before him. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. A chuckle that grew into a guttural laugh. That laughter grew into a deep and mocking cackle. The alicorn narrowed her eyes.

“Surrender?” the dragon asked, shaking with laughter. “A dragon surrenders to no one. Especially not a pony. Now step aside. This does not concern you.”

“I WILL ONLY GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE,” the alicorn bellowed, shadows millimetres from her hooves. “AS A PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA I DEMAND THAT YOU SURRENDER PEACEFULLY, LEST YOU WISH TO ENDURE MY WRATH!”

The dragon stopped laughing. A low growl escaped his lips. “I don’t care if you were God himself standing before me. This is between me,” a claw pointed at himself. “And that pony.” The claw pointed to Thunderbolt, who was still lying in a bundle of cloak and limbs and saddlebags. “So leave.”

The bundle groaned and shifted, lifting itself from the grassy courtyard. Thunderbolt regarded the dragon with a grimace. His cloak had shifted, covering only his side and pooling at his left hooves. This revealed the symbol of a crossed sword and lightning bolt on his back part of his flank. His faded saddlebags partially obscured angry red scar tissue around a black joint. A joint attached to a limb that stretched out like an errant branch covered in feathery leaves.

Thunderbolt reached up with a hoof and gripped the clasp on his cloak. “Then let’s do this, Scales,” he said as he ripped the cloak from his body, revealing the other half of his body, twin to the other save for a circular scar in his side with tiny branches, like the roots of a tree.

“ENOUGH!” the Princess cried, stomping her hoof on the ground. Shadows crept closer to her. Her guards took steps toward the dragon and pony glaring at each other. “Nightguard, seize the dragon!” The bat-ponies spread their leathery wings and sped toward the massive lizard. A bright tendril of arcing light flashed before them, bringing with it a crackling boom and the smell of ozone. Lightning scorched the dragon’s snout. The wisps of smoke lazily drifting from the reptile’s nostrils thickened. The alicorn whipped her head in Thunderbolt’s direction. Shadowy tendrils crawled up her legs like vines around a tree trunk.

“What are you doing!?” she screamed, the strain on her face evident. Thunderbolt bore a determined expression. His knees were bent. His wings were spread. Smoke drifted from the tip of his horn. A roar echoed across the courtyard. Thunderbolt glanced at the alicorn.

“I am just trying to not be flame grilled, princess,” he quipped. With a flap of his wings, he sped toward the dragon. More lightning wreathed itself around his horn, arcane symbols spicing the crackling magic. A glow formed once more in the back of the dragon’s throat. The nightguards, who had been preparing to collectively ram the reptile at that time, scattered like a firework. Thunderbolt arched his head back and threw the crackling bolt of lightning into the fire breather’s maw.

The dragon’s body was wracked with spasms. The breath of flames intended for Thunderbolt went wide, scorching a patch of grass and singing a nightguard’s tail. Thunderbolt veered upwards, a golden ball of magic forming on the tip of his horn. It kept growing in a swirling mass of energy and arcane runes. Thunderbolt whipped his head down, spreading his wings outward and his limbs downward. The golden ball shattered into shimmering blades that sped toward the overgrown lizard on the ground. Many harmlessly lodged themselves into the black scales, but others ripped and tore gaping holes in the dragon’s leathery wings, which had been extended to follow Thunderbolt. Globs of blood dripped onto the grass.

The Nightguards surrounded the downed dragon. The princess fired bursts of magic whenever he shot out a claw or swung his tail to harm her guards. Her face seemed almost relaxed despite the shadows that were slowly uncoiling themselves from her midsection.
Thunderbolt felt like he had just ran a marathon. The base of his horn ached. His was panting as he hovered above the scene, taking in what the spell had accomplished. He had taken a dragon down. He would be excited if a stiff breeze wouldn’t be able to blow him away. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed him in the flank. His left wing contracted and he clutched at it while falling toward the blood-stained grass, landing with a thud and a grunt of pain.

The princess’s head whipped in Thunderbolt’s direction. Taking advantage of her distraction the dragon swung his tail around, sending the Nightguard flying. With a hateful roar, he sped toward Thunderbolt. His maw was open wide, wide enough to eat a pony in a single bite. Thunderbolt looked up from where he stood on his knees, a grimace on his face. A hoof clutched at his side. Jaws snapped shut millimetres from his face. Shimmering cobalt blue chains lined with runes tethered the dragon to the grassy ground. A mocking cackle burst from where the princess stood. Or at least where she was supposed to be standing. In her place stood a creature with fur black as night. Her normally flowing mane of stars became a nebula surrounding her head. Her new fangs glinted in the pale moonlight. Her pale blue eyes became like those of a dragon. Eyes that glowed with madness.

Thunderbolt staggered to his hooves and turned to the not-princess. The not-princess had a predatory smirk on her face. She stood so much taller than her midnight blue counterpart. His ears lay flat against his skull. He still clutched his side with the cramping wing. His horn ached. He didn’t like his odds if he needed to fight.

“LUNA!” a voice cried. “Sister, what are you doing?”
The not-princess turned toward the voice. She narrowed her eyes at the snow white alicorn that set herself down before her. The newcomer’s mane and tail were like rainbow coloured flags waving in the wind. Concern filled her eyes.

“Celestia,” the not-princess stated. “Why are you here? The night is my domain.”

“I am here,” Celestia said. “Because somebody reported a dragon attacking one of our libraries. It seemed so absurd that I simply had to see for myself.”

The not-princess gestured to the chained reptile. “There it is! Now you may return to your ivory tower,” her voice turned into a low hiss. “Sister.”

The thumping of boots echoed across the courtyard.

“I am afraid I cannot,” Celestia replied.

The courtyard filled with ponies clad in golden armour. Some of them moved to help the Nightguard while others moved to secure the dragon for transport. One even helped Thunderbolt. All while the not-princess screeched and threatened.

“Luna! Control yourself!” Celestia demanded with a stomping of a hoof, her voice magically amplified “The danger is over.”
The not-princess blinked, her pupils expanding to a more normal form. Her coat lightened and her fangs grew blunter. Her mane twisted and contorted and shrunk. Luna, Princess of the night, stood before Celestia. Her eyes widened at the sight of the chained dragon and Thunderbolt’s wary gaze. Celestia draped a wing over her back, leading her back to the palace while answering her apologies with kind words and forgiveness.

Chapter 3: The Sage

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter three: The Sage

Thunderbolt motioned for silence as he pushed open the large front doors of the cathedral. The hinges’ screeching echoed through the cavernous cathedral. Thunderbolt covered his head with his hood and slipped through the yawning doors, Aurum not far behind him. The door closed behind them with a resounding bang.

The cathedral itself was deathly still. The white tiles were stained by the colours of the stained glass windows as soft moonlight filtered through them. A small candle stand with a small bucket of candles stood just left of the door. Two candles flickered forlornly within. Thunderbolt lifted a candle with his magic. It hung in the air before him. A small flame sparked to life on the wick. With a deep breath, the unicorn slotted the candle into the stand.

Thunderbolt looked at the pews stretching before him in the deafening silence of the cathedral. Even Aurum decided to land lest she disturbs the peace. The pair moved through the sea of pews toward a lone figure kneeling in front of a bas relief. The relief was of a set of people around a table. An Alicorn stallion with a halo of light around his head was in the middle of the scene. A total of twelve others spread out to his sides in pairs. A pair of unicorns. A pair of pegasi. A pair of earth ponies. A pair of griffons. A pair of dragons. Even a pair of black changelings, pony/insect-like shapeshifters, was present. Moonlight filtered through the canopy of cloud seats floating over the pews surrounding them with small rainbows. A figure sat at the far side of the sea. Its robe was like darkness made fabric and shadows seemed darker around it. At the sound of hooves, it turned its head. A bandaged muzzle was all that was visible. Something about him felt familiar to Thunderbolt.

“Are you the couriers?” the gravelly voice had a quiet authority to it.

“You are not our contact,” Thunderbolt answered. His eyes scanned the room. He took a step back. “Who are you?”

“Calm down, Courier. Mister Diamond is a bit tied up, so to speak. I am his superior. You may call me The Sage.”

Thunderbolt licked his lip. “And what exactly are you picking up for mister Diamond?”

The Sage did not answer immediately. A green glow emanated from under the hood. A cigarette and match floated from under the cloak. A stray shadow seemed to meander toward the pair of ponies from beneath his cloak. The stallion cleared his throat and the shadow shot back underneath the cloak. He sucked on the now lit cigarette. Its point glowed in the increasing darkness.

“Thunderbolt,” Aurum whispered. “That’s the stallion that sent the gem.”

“I don’t like this,” Thunderbolt whispered. “Rosie, get ready to get out of here the moment I tell you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll explain later. Just go when I tell you to.”

The Sage blew out a cloud of smoke. “You are carrying a tome. An ancient one. It is covered in blue leather and is written in an unintelligible language.” The cigarette’s tip glowed. Another cloud of smoke was breathed into the cathedral. “I believe it makes the reader feel an intense feeling of dread.”

Dryness crawled up Thunderbolt’s throat. His eyes darted across the room. His ears cocked in different directions. “How exactly do you know about this tome?” he asked, tail flicking nervously.

“Simple. I ordered Mr Diamond to retrieve the tome. I expected him to do so himself, but I seem to have underestimated him. A pity, really. He had so much potential.”

“I see,” Thunderbolt took a step back, his eyes on the unnaturally moving shadows at The Sage’s hooves. “Well, Mr Sage, I assume that since you are Mr Diamond’s boss you know about our agreement.” The Sage nodded. “Unless you want to renegotiate we can take our bits and leave,” Thunderbolt continued. “Let you get on with your business.”

“Ah, yes. Payment,” the smoking pony mused. “Mercenary individuals like you would be expecting compensation,” he took a deep tug and blew out the smoke. “I’m afraid that I would like to renegotiate.” Shadows burst from under the cloak. They wrapped themselves around Thunderbolt and Aurum before they could react. They struggled against their bonds as The Sage continued. “I can’t allow you to leave.” A shadow dug into Thunderbolt’s saddlebag. It pulled out both the tome and the green gem and transported it to The Sage, who took it in his green magical grip. “You are loose ends that I would like to have tied up. Besides,” he smirked, touching Thunderbolt’s face with a hoof. Thunderbolt’s eyes widened in recognition. “I can’t let my best experiment get away from me again, can I? My mind is buzzing with curiosity to see how your improvised field test affected your wings.” Thunderbolt lit his horn to summon lightning. It only sparked and fizzled.

“No,” he lamented under his breath. “Don’t conk out now…” The Sage simply chuckled.

“My shadows drained you of your magic,” he explained. “It is useful when restraining interlopers and escaped experiments.”

Aurum whimpered behind them. He turned to her. An idea sparked in his green eyes. He plastered a reassuring smile onto his face.
“Do not worry child, your death will be painful,” he assured her. “And when Celestia raises the sun,” he paused. His smile grew into a sadistic grin. “Your body will be found in this very cathedral as part of a ritualistic mass suicide.”

The Sage turned and walked to a door on the left side of the room. Behind it was a set of spiralling stairs leading upward to higher levels of the cathedral. The shadows peeled themselves from the floor and carried Thunderbolt and Aurum as they followed The Sage.
They ascended the steps in near silence. Aurum’s whimpers seemed to echo in Thunderbolt’s ears. He looked back at her. Her eyes were like two large windows into her mind. A pit of fear loomed there and she was being dragged in by her own shadow. He didn’t blame her for being afraid. Only fools face death without some sort of fear. Even he had some trepidation as The Sage stopped at the top of the stairs. Before them was a squat wooden door. Cracks and stains covered it. A red glow leaked from under it.

“Sage,” Thunderbolt called. “What are your plans?”

“Oh, you will see soon enough. Suffice it to say that you will bear witness to Equestria’s death knell,” The Sage answered as he pushed open the door.

The crimson glow flooded the staircase. Beyond the door silhouettes of ponies chanted.

“Blood of the innocent and blood of the damned
Mix together in time’s sand.
Blood of the innocent and blood of the damned
Stain these hallowed sands.
Blood of the innocent and blood of the damned
Sever the ponies from their creator’s hand.”

The Sage led his prisoners through the open door as the silhouettes chanted over and over. On the far side of the room was a stained glass window depicting an empty crucifix. As they approached the silhouettes they morphed into twelve ponies of the various pony tribes. Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies stood in a circle comprised of glowing magical runes. In the middle of the circle hung an earth pony stallion with red fur. A coin pouch was etched on his rump. He hung by his hind legs. His forelegs were tied to his sides.

“Please Sir,” he begged when he saw The Sage enter. Thunderbolt recognised the stallion’s voice as Rough Diamond, the pony who hired him to get the tome. “You don’t need to do this. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll-”

“No, you won’t,” The Sage cut him off. “Ponies do not learn their lessons and they do not change. I have no use for you if you cannot obey a simple command. You were to retrieve the tome and you passed it along to some mercenary. Your only saving grace is that the mercenary was an experiment that escaped,” The Sage paused. “Under your watch, if I remember correctly. Thus you have squandered your second chance.”

As they talked the shadows tossed Thunderbolt into a corner and started tying him up with a rope laying in the room. Aurum was lifted into the centre of the circle and tied up in a similar fashion as Rough Diamond. The shadows placed the blue tome in the centre of the circle. The Sage took position underneath the window. He joined in the chant.

Without a word a pegasus mare with blue fur lifted a knife and slashed her own throat. The circle’s glow intensified. Its colour changed into a deep crimson as the blood hit the floor. A crack seemed to appear in the fabric of reality above the circle. A sliver of golden light spilt through it, mingling with the crimson glow. The pony next to her, a grey unicorn, did the same. The circle’s glow brightened again.

“I’m so sorry miss,” Rough Diamond tried to apologize to the whimpering Aurum. A purple earth pony stallion picked up his knife. “I never meant -”

“Shut up,” Thunderbolt cut him off as the glow intensified again. The stallion’s body hit the floor with a dull thud. “It doesn’t matter what you meant to happen.” A fourth pony lifted a knife to her throat. “What matters is that we are in a mess and we need to get out.” The mare slit her throat. The crack widened. A shadow could be seen through it. Thunderbolt felt a slight tingling sensation form in his wing joints.

“What the hell-” he mumbled.

“How in the hell do you expect to get out?” Rough Diamond cut him off with a yell. as a fifth pony slit his throat.

“I’m working on it!” Thunderbolt yelled back. “Think, think think think…” he muttered. A knife fell not far from him as a sixth pony slit her throat. The crack in reality widened further. The shadowy figure could now be identified as a pony. The tingling in Thunderbolt’s wings turned into a burning sensation. He grit his teeth as he concentrated what little magic he could muster on the knife’s handle. A silver-blue aura formed around the handle. Thunderbolt pulled the knife toward him. The seventh pony slit her throat. The crack widened again. The shadowy spiral of a horn could be seen protruding from the shadow pony’s forehead. The burning sensation intensified in Thunderbolt’s wing joints. He pushed through the pain as he started cutting the ropes tying his wings and forelegs together. He glanced towards Aurum. She started thrashing about in her bonds.

Good, Thunderbolt thought, she’s fighting back.

He stretched his wings as he cut the first set of ropes. The ninth throat was slit as Thunderbolt started to cut the ropes around his hind legs. The burning in his wing joints spread to the rest of his wings. It caused Thunderbolt to lose his magical grip on the knife. It fell between his hind legs. He could feel the warmth of the wet blood on the knife seeping into his hind leg. Before he could pick the knife up again he felt something watching him. He looked up to see glowing eyes peering out from the crack in reality. The shadow pony was glaring at him. The tenth body dropped to the floor. Thunderbolt watched as the crack widened. Shadowy dings could be seen flanking the shadow pony’s head. The burning in Thunderbolt’s wings caused them to start cramping up. Gritting his teeth he tore his eyes away from the shadow pony and picked up the knife that fell between his hind legs. He tore through the last of the ropes and started toward the two hanging ponies. He stepped over the bodies and around pools of congealing blood. He glanced over at The Sage. The unicorn seemed completely focused on the ritual.

Then the eleventh pony slit her throat. Thunderbolt’s wings started cramping again. It caused him to lose his balance and took a step to the side and slipped on a spot of half congealed blood. With a grunt, he lifted himself from the pool. His entire left side was covered in blood.

“Aurum, hold still,” he urged the thrashing mare as he approached her. Using a bloody hoof to hold her steady he started sawing at the rope around her hind legs. Just before he was done a shadow slapped him across the room. The shadows then wrapped themselves around Thunderbolt.

“I won’t let you interrupt a ritual years in the making,” The Sage said as Aurum started to thrash around again. “Be assured that were you not still of use to me I would squeeze the life from you. Now be still,” he commanded.

The twelfth pony in the ritual circle was a blue unicorn. He lifted the knife to his throat with a purple aura. He hesitated. He glanced at Thunderbolt who was snorting as he struggled against his shadow prison.

“Come now Cup,” The Sage encouraged him with a paternal voice. “You were so full of zeal for our cause a few hours ago. What has changed?”

“Master Sage,” Cup whispered. “You never said that anyone would get hurt. You said that we would be saving ponies”

“We are saving ponies,” The Sage nodded wisely. “But saving ponies require sacrifice. A sacrifice your friends have made. If you stop now it will have been in vain.”

Cup looked around him. He took in the bodies of his friends. He saw the ropes around Aurum’s hind legs broke and she fell headfirst on the bloody floor. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She was unconscious. Cup looked at Thunderbolt. His struggling intensified at the sight of Aurum’s unconscious body. He drops the knife and takes a step back.

“Master, I don’t think that I can,” he is cut off when the knife he dropped is shoved into his throat.

“I do not remember giving you a choice, Cup,” The Sage hissed. Cup fell to the floor. His body writhed as he choked on his own blood. The Sage pulled the knife from Cup’s neck with his magic. Blood started spurting from the hole like water from a cracked dam. When it hit the magic circle it started to shine with a blinding white light. The crack in the fabric of reality burst open. The window behind The Sage burst from the force.

The room seemed different – bathed in the ethereal light that seemed to shine from everywhere. Everything seemed less solid. Less real. Right outside the now smashed window, an ethereal landscape extended past it. A pony with a tattered black cloak stood there. It had a skeletal foreleg wrapped around an old, but gleaming scythe. Behind him stood the twelve ponies who had performed the ritual. Some were scared. Others sobbed. One purple stallion looked at through the smashed window with dawning horror on his face.

Inside the room, Thunderbolt felt a burst of magic inside of him. It felt like he was closer to the source of magic than he ever was before. He looked up to fling a lightning bolt into The Sage when he locked eyes with the shadow pony that was in the crack. He towered above Thunderbolt. Unlike the rest of the room, he seemed far more solid than before, but shadowy wisps still trailed off of him like early morning mist.

“You have my wings,” the shadow pony accused. His voice was deep and regal, like that of a king. He was also becoming more solid by the second.

“I didn’t ask for them,” Thunderbolt deflected through gritted teeth. The burning in his wings made him want to tear them off.

“And yet you have them,” the shadow pony argued. He stepped closer to Thunderbolt. “It does not matter whether you asked for them or not. I want them -”

Something cut him off. The shadow pony fell to his knees. Thunderbolt could see ethereal chains wrap themselves around him. A gurgling noise came from the centre of the magic circle. The Sage’s voice joined the sound. He was chanting in an unintelligible tongue. Thunderbolt tore his eyes from the shadow to look at the source of the sound. He saw a waterfall of blood streaming from Rough Diamond’s neck. It splashed onto the blue tome; soaking its yellowed pages with blood. Next to the body hanging like a slaughtered lamb, The Sage stood. The bloody knife that he used to cut Rough Diamond’s throat hung next to him in a green aura of magic.

“I missed you Dominus, old friend,” The Sage said nonchalantly to the shadow pony. “How long has it been since I locked you into that book? 1000 years? 2000?”

Dominus glared at the Sage. At this point, almost no more wisps of shadow could be seen around his body save for his wings were. Those had remained a set of shadowy impressions.

“You’re a demon,” he spat.

“Is that any way to treat an old friend?” The Sage said with mock injury. “I’ve been experimenting while you were gone. Mind manipulation and mind control. I’ve even dabbled in surgery and as you can see,” he gestured with the knife in Thunderbolt’s direction. “It was a flying success.”

“You wouldn’t drag me back just to brag about your achievements,” he hissed.

“You’re right,” The Sage admitted. “I did call you back for a very specific reason. You see I felt that it was a waste to simply lock you into the spirit realm, but I couldn’t just let you go. I couldn’t kill you, but you really want to end my life. Thus I thought that the best solution would be to take your mind and make it my own,” The Sage gestured to the bloody scene around them. “That is why I arranged all of this. In the process, I would cripple the rulers of this land by cutting them off from their god and I would gain you as my servant. There is just one problem now,” he pointed the knife in Dominus’s direction. “You still have some free will. Some control over your actions. This simply won’t do,” The Sage lifted Aurum by one of her hind legs. She dangled limply in the air. He brought the knife close to her throat. The tip bit into her neck, drawing blood. It stained her golden coat crimson.

“Protect her,” an authoritative voice rang in Thunderbolt’s head. Thunderbolt looked around in confusion.

“What?” Thunderbolt asked loudly. Dominus and The Sage looked at him.

“Protect her,” the voice repeated.

“Who are you? Where are you?”

“Stop looking around and protect her,” the voice commanded.

“How in the hell am I supposed to do that?” Thunderbolt asked aloud.

“Who are you talking to?” The Sage demanded. Thunderbolt ignored him.

“You know how,” the voice assured him. “You just need to think. How do you stop a spell in progress?”

He was wracking his brain for an answer to the voice’s question.

‘What could stop a spell in progress?’ he thought. ‘Disrupt the circle?’ he glanced over at the glowing circle. It was carved into the floorboards. ‘Destroy the ingredients? No, the only ‘ingredients’ left seemed to be Aurum. That would be the exact opposite of my goal.’ Then a thought struck him. There existed a spell that could be used to counteract magic in progress. It was taught to young unicorns who couldn’t properly control their magic yet. It was a long shot, but it could be used to counteract whatever The Sage had done. Thunderbolt lit his horn. He focused his energy on the magic circle.

“What are you doing?” The Sage screamed.

“I’m stopping you,” Thunderbolt hissed as he released the spell.

A wave of silver-blue energy burst from his horn. The magic circle lost its glow and the crack closed in on itself. Dominus’s wings blew away like ash in the wind leaving a straight scar on either of his flanks in their place. Aurum fell to the floor as The Sage’s magic gave out. The knife embedded itself in the floorboard next to her head. Thunderbolt fell over. The spell had completely drained him. The first thing that he noticed was that his wings no longer burned. The second was that he was no longer restrained by the shadows that The Sage controlled. He unsteadily got to his hooves.

“Do you realize what you have done?” The Sage asked.

“I stopped you,” Thunderbolt answered. “I protected her.”

“And in doing so you ensured Equestria’s doom,” The Sage replied with a sneer. “All for this mare. Doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t just open or close a rift to the spirit realm. It is a delicate process and you just slammed the door shut.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You didn’t close the rift properly. You left cracks in the metaphysical divide between our realm and the next. These cracks will widen and what you saw tonight will happen all across Equestria,” The Sage sneer grew into a mad grin. “In time it might even happen across the whole world.”

“Equestria will survive it,” Thunderbolt retorted.

“But it will never be the same,” The Sage laughed as he lifted Aurum and the knife again. “I should praise you for what you did, but you disrupted my plans. You need to learn to follow orders.”

“No,” Thunderbolt said as he took an unsteady step forward. “The voice told me to protect her,” he took another step. It was steadier this time.

“I don’t know what voice you are talking about, but you will fail,” The Sage mocked. He put the knife to Aurum’s throat.

“I might be going crazy,” Thunderbolt ignored The Sage and took another step forward. “I might be hearing things,” he took another step. “But whatever it was I agree with it. I must protect Rosie. I want to protect Rosie. She walked into my profession, my world, not knowing what awaited her and I want to deliver her safely back to her own.”

Thunderbolt charged forward. He lowered his horn. It was directed at The Sage’s chest. The Sage dropped the knife and turned to face the charging pony. He smirked. Everything about his stance dared Thunderbolt to succeed. Thunderbolt pushed himself to go faster. Then he felt something wrap itself around his hind legs. It caused him to fall forward, face millimetres from The Sage’s hooves. The thing around Thunderbolt’s hind legs dragged him backwards and lifted him until he was eye level with the Sage.

“You’re not worth the trouble,” The Sage said with disgust. A shadow wrapped itself around one of Thunderbolt’s wings. It squeezed until the bones snapped.

“Go to hell!” Thunderbolt screamed.

“You are not the first to say that to me,” The Sage laughed. “You won’t be the last.”

The thing lifting Thunderbolt moved to dangle Thunderbolt out of the shattered window. The Sage levitated the unconscious Aurum next to Thunderbolt.

“You will die on the steps of this cathedral,” The Sage predicted. “And if you don’t, the blood will ensure that you will be blamed for this,” The Sage swept a hoof over the scene behind him. Then The Sage let Aurum go. A moment later the thing around Thunderbolt’s hind legs let him go as well. The wind whipped in his ears. His broken wing fluttered uselessly at his side. His saddlebags spilt their contents. He tucked his unbroken wing in his side. His hooves stretched in the hopes of catching Aurum. A green gem hit Aurum in the head causing her to veer away from Thunderbolt. Concentrating the last shred of magic in his system Thunderbolt caught one of the ropes around Aurum in his magic aura. He tried pulling her closer to him but she was falling too fast. He decided to direct her descent into a nearby garden hoping that it would be a soft landing. Extending his wing he tried to shift his weight for a softer landing. He lost control and crashed into the Cathedral’s soft earth.

Chapter 4: Canterlot General

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter four: Canterlot General

A light stung Thunderbolt’s eyes. The smell of disinfectant invaded his nose. A steady beeping rang in his ears. He felt the comfort of a soft bed beneath him and the discomfort of tubes and bandages around his body. He sat up with a groan. An ache pounded through his bruised body. He opened his eyes and dumbly took in the room around him. Everything was blindingly white. The walls, the blankets, the bandages covering his torso, the white nurse’s cap on the white mane of the mare standing at the foot of his bed. It created a stark contrast with her black fur. She looked young. Like she had just graduated from nursing school. She was frowning at something. Her head shot up. Her bright green eyes locked onto Thunderbolt’s. Her eyes looked old. Like those of an old mare. The nurse with eyes too old for her face frowned at him. She pursed her lips.

“I see you’re awake,” she barked. Her voice was harsh. Cold, even. But there was the tiniest hint of compassion in it. Like a cherry on top of an iceberg.

“Where am I?” Thunderbolt groaned.

“Canterlot General Hospital.”

“Canterlot General?” he repeated, almost as if the words didn’t quite get through to him.

“Yes, Canterlot General,” The nurse with old eyes repeated. Exasperation oozed from her voice.

“What am I doing here?”

“Because you’re injured, obviously. The Guard dragged your sorry flank in here with a broken wing and covered in blood.”

Thunderbolt’s mind numbly processed the words. “Broken wing?” he mumbled. He tilted his head to the right. His right wing slowly extended. He tilted his head to the left. He tried lifting his left wing. It felt stiff and heavy. Something white was wrapped around it.

“Stop moving,” the nurse ordered. “You need to rest. Even with magic broken bones take time to heal.”

Thunderbolt lowered his wing and lay back with a sigh. His mind started wandering. ‘What the hell happened in the cathedral?’ he wondered. ‘What was that voice? Why was it so interested in protecting Aurum? What exactly was The Sage trying to accomplish by tearing a hole into the spirit realm? Does it have something to do with that shadow pony? His name was Dominus, I think. Then there is the-' Thunderbolt bolted upright. 'Wait, where's Aurum? Did she survive the fall?’

"I thought I told you to stop moving."

"Sorry, Nurse." Thunderbolt fell back onto the bed. "A thought just popped into my head. The guard didn't find anyone else near the Cathedral? A pegasus mare. Auburn mane. Golden coat. Some sort of eyepiece on her flank."

"I don't know. I'll ask the doctor when I see him."

The sound of the door opening interrupted the conversation. Thunderbolt tilted his head toward the sound. A slim red unicorn stallion walked through the door. He was staring at a clipboard floating in a blue aura.

“How’s the patient doing today, Nurse?” he idly asked. His voice had a soothing tone to it. A sharp contrast to the Nurse’s curt one.

“The patient has recovered well, Doctor. In fact, he has recovered so much that he has finally woken up.”

The stallion looked up from his clipboard. His eyes were lifted in surprise. “Really?” he asked. “I expected him to sleep for at least another day.”

Thunderbolt tried to sit up. “Doc,” he croaked. His throat felt dry. Like sandpaper rubbing against sandpaper.

The doctor glanced at the Nurse. “Nurse, if you will?”

She nodded and approached Thunderbolt. He lifted a hoof to defend himself but she walked past him and started fiddling with something outside his field of vision. A moment later his bed started rising until he was sitting upright.

“Thank you, Nurse.”

“A pleasure, Doctor. Do you need anything else?”

The Doctor looked back to his clipboard. “… No, I don’t think so. You can return to your rounds. I’ll call if I need anything.”

The nurse nodded and marched out of the room. Then she poked her head back in. "One last thing, doctor. Did the guard bring anyone in besides this patient?"

The doctor scratched his chin. "There was one mare. Her injuries were negligible so we discharged her almost immediately. Why?"

"The patient was asking after her."

"I see. Thank you, Nurse."

With a nod, the nurse retracted her head from the room.

“She’s friendly,” Thunderbolt commented. “Are all of your nurses so warm and compassionate?”

“You’ll have to forgive Nurse Candy. She’s been prickly since the Canterlot Raid. She lost her lover.”

“She has my condolences. I was in the city when the changelings attacked.”

“Really?” The doctor pulled a chair closer. “What was it like?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I guess I’m curious. I’ve never been in that situation before. I was on vacation during the raid.”

“What you have to understand is that while these creatures look like ponies, they’re completely different from us. They somehow have the ability to change their shape, to disguise themselves as ponies and no one would notice the difference. This is what makes them so dangerous, doctor. The attack barely lasted half a day, but I say dozens of ponies lured in by a familiar face, or the safety a guard patrol.”

“What happened to them? The victims, I mean.”

“Those I found were empty husks. Like a lemon that had been sucked dry. Something was missing from them. They were just staring at something in the distance, but they didn’t react to anything.”

The sound of the room’s door opening pulled them out of the conversation. Thunderbolt’s head swivelled toward the sound. A look of shock crossed his face. The doorway was filled by a giant beige pegasus stallion. His head nearly brushed the top of the doorframe.

“D-Dad...” Thunderbolt stammered. He tried to cover his wings with his forelegs.

“What happened?” Thunderbolt’s father growled in a voice that seemed to contain a few buckets of gravel.

“I-I fell. It looks worse than it is. Really. What are you doing here?”

“You’re more of an idiot than I thought if you even need to ask the question. What reason does a father need to visit his hospitalized son?” Thunderbolt’s father shifted his gaze to the doctor. “Doctor, what happened?”

“I was about to ask Mr Stormbringer that question when our conversation got derailed. Please come in.”

Thunderbolt’s father stepped through the doorway. A red pegasus mare with bright silver-blue eyes followed him. The moment she saw Thunderbolt was filled with relief. She sped toward him and wrapped him in her forelegs.

“My darling,” she cooed. “I'm so relieved to see you in one piece. What happened to you?”

“Ruby,” Thunderbolt’s father growled. “Give the colt space.”

Ruby reluctantly detached herself from Thunderbolt and sat down at the edge of the bed.

“So, Mr Stormbringer. Shall we go over your injuries before we get into how you got them in the first place?”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s do that. What’s the damage, Doc?”

“About two days ago you were dragged in by the Royal Guard. Your wing was broken along with a couple of ribs. What worried us was the fact that you weren’t reacting to external stimuli. Medical diagnostic spells revealed swelling of the brain. Sometime last night the swelling started to go down and we expected you to wake sometime tomorrow.”

“What happens now?”

“We want to keep you for a few days in order to observe your condition for signs of any long-lasting damage and symptoms. You should be able to go home in a week’s time.”

“I’m just wondering how you got these injuries.”

“Yes, my darling. What happened?”

“I’m not really sure. It happened so fast…”

“Doctor, where did the guard find the colt?”

The doctor scratched his head. “They said they found him in the, uhm, church courtyard. They think that he fell from the tower.”

“How tall is this tower?”

“I dunno. Three or four stories?”

“Three or four stories? Damn miracle the colt survived.”

“Indeed.”

A chime echoed through the room. The doctor’s eyes flicked to the clock hanging on the wall behind Thunderbolt.

“Shit. Is that the time already? I’m sorry. I must be starting my rounds.”

“No worries, Doctor. Don’t let us keep you.”

The doctor nodded and rushed out of the room. He softly closed the door on the way out. Thunderbolt’s father narrowed his eyes at him.

“What happened?”

“Dad, I said that I had a bad fall. Don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t worry about it?!” Ruby exclaimed. She swatted at Thunderbolt. She hit him right on his cast. He sucked air through grit teeth. “Don’t worry about it? I haven’t done anything but worry about you for the last two years.”

“Ruby. Give the colt space. She is right, however. Where have you been for the last two years?”

Thunderbolt looked out of the hospital window. The sky was turning orange. “I don’t really stay in one place for long. Work keeps me busy.”

“Too busy to send your family a postcard every other month?”

“It’s not like that, Dad.”

“What is it like then?”

Thunderbolt opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water as he searched for the words. “I-it’s a long story, Dad.”

“We’ve got time.”

Thunderbolt ground his teeth.

“Just start at the beginning,” his father grunted. “You can trust us, son. We’re family.”

“I-I guess it started-”

BAM! The door slammed against the wall. Inside the doorframe stood a brown earth pony stallion with a blond mane. Notebook.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” His voice was high and excited. It was like hearing a hummingbird speak. His eyes caught sight of Thunderbolt’s father. He snapped to attention, his right foreleg almost hitting his forehead as he lifted it in salute. “Colonel!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Thunderbolt’s father returned the salute. “At ease Lieutenant. I could say the same to you. What are you doing here?”

“Guard business, sir. Speaking of,” the Lieutenant turned to Thunderbolt. A smile formed on his lips. “I have some good news, Stormbringer!”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” The Lieutenant shot an apologetic look at Thunderbolt’s father. “I apologize, sir. I didn’t expect you to be here, but orders are orders,” he looked back at Thunderbolt. “Thunderbolt Stormbringer, you are hereby under arrest for the 13 murders that took place in the Canterlot Cathedral on June 5th of this year. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

Chapter 5: Arrested

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter five: Arrested

Everyone had a different reaction to Notebook’s announcement. Ruby’s face contorted in shock. Thunderbolt’s father snorted in anger. Thunderbolt simply glared at Notebook.

“How dare you!” Ruby roared. She zoomed toward Notebook, her wings like that of a hummingbird. “How dare you! My Thunderbolt wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less commit murder! Lies and slander!” She raised her hoof to poke Notebook in his chest. “I have half a mind to -” She didn’t get to finish her sentence. Thunderbolt’s father had taken hold of her tail with his teeth and yanked her away from Notebook.

“That’s enough, Ruby,” he chastised his wife. “The colt is just doing his job.” He turned toward Notebook, a silent fury in his eyes. “Still, she has a point.” His voice was a low whisper, like that of a snake hissing a warning. “My son is not the type to commit murder. Explain yourself, Lieutenant.”

Notebook pulled a stack of papers out of a bag. “There really isn’t much to say, Colonel. Your son is being arrested for murder. It’s all in here.” He handed the stack to Thunderbolt’s father. He cooly looked it over, his eyes occasionally flicking in Notebook’s direction. After several tense moments, he shoved the stack into Notebook’s chest.

“Who’s your commanding officer?”

Notebook gave Thunderbolt’s father a look of confusion as he shoved the papers back into his saddlebags. “Captain Mason, Sir. Captain Stone Mason. Why do you ask?”

Thunderbolt’s father waved his hoof dismissively. “Curiosity. No need to concern yourself, Lieutenant.” He looked away and started muttering under his breath: “Looks like I have a meeting to arrange.” He shook his head and turned to Thunderbolt. “The documents look real enough.”

Thunderbolt swore under his breath. “Fine. Let’s get this over with, Notebook,” he spat, offering his hooves to Notebook. “I can’t wait to meet my new roommate.”

“You’re taking this awfully well Stormbringer,” Notebook commented as he pulled a pair of hoofcuffs from a saddlebag.

Thunderbolt shrugged. “Notebook, someone would’ve come to me about what happened in the Cathedral at some point. If not to arrest me, then they’d at least approach me as an eyewitness. Besides, what do you want me to do? Knock you out and lead the guard on a merry chase through Canterlot?” He snorted dismissively. “That’d just make me look guilty, wouldn’t it? Even if I did try that, I’d bet bits to bread that you have guards right outside the door to nab me if I ran. And,” he pointed a hoof to the window. “If I jumped out of a window you probably have a bunch of archers who’ll use me for moving target practice.” A look of shock passed over Notebook’s face. Thunderbolt smiled smugly. “I should know you well enough to be sure that you’ll be predictably well prepared, Notebook.”

“I’m glad that spending a year in basic with me wasn’t a complete waste of your time,” Notebook grumbled as he finished placing the cuffs onto Thunderbolt’s hooves. “Any other comments?”

“Just that it’s a bit chilly. Mind if we get my cloak before we leave?”

“They’re not going to let you keep that in prison.”

“Well, you don’t want me to die of pneumonia before you get the chance to stuff me in a cell. Besides, don’t you think that these,” Thunderbolt extended his working wing. “Will attract a bit too much attention?”

Notebook sighed. “I’ll see what I can do, Stormbringer, but only because we used to be friends.”

“Thanks, Notebook.”

Notebook stuck his head through the door. Thunderbolt heard muffled whispers drifting through the crack left by Notebook’s neck. He turned to his father. He paced in front of the hospital bed, frustration etched onto his face.

“Bastards,” he swore. He stopped to point a hoof in Thunderbolt’s direction. “This isn’t over, my boy. I’ll get to the bottom of this and you’ll be acquited before you know it. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Thunderbolt bristled at the suggestion that he, a grown stallion, needed his father’s help. He was not a colt that couldn’t take care of himself. A more reasonable part of him reminded him that there was little he could do from inside a prison cell. He sighed wearily. “Thanks, dad. I appreciate the effort.”

Notebook chose this moment to reenter the room. “The guard will be back with your personal effects shortly, Stormbringer. Say your goodbyes while we wait. And make it quick, Stormbringer. I hate sappy goodbyes.”

Thunderbolt’s father approached him first. He put a hoof on Thunderbolt’s shoulder. The cold fury in his eyes was replaced by fatherly concern. “Remember what I said. Don’t do anything stupid and you’ll be acquited in no time. I’ll make sure of it.” He growled the last sentence, his voice filled with steel.

Thunderbolt nodded, a wry smile on his lips. “I’ll try my best.”

“And I’ll pray for you,” Ruby promised, a warm smile on her face. Thunderbolt stiffened at this but nodded after a moment’s hesitation returned her smile with one of his own.

“Thank you, Mother. I’ll keep you in my prayers too.”

Once outside Thunderbolt took a deep breath and sighed with satisfaction. They were walking over the parking lot to a single covered wagon. Notebook was in front, two guards were in the back, and Thunderbolt was in the middle.

“Enjoying your last breath as a free stallion, Stormbringer?” Notebook taunted. Thunderbolt chuckled.

“Just enjoying the fresh air. I just can’t get used to the smell of hospitals. It’s too clean. The air out hear might smell like a dirty city, but at least it smells alive.”

“I guess.” Notebook sighed. “Stormbringer, I want to thank you.”

“For what? Actually doing something that would get me arrested?”

Notebook spun around and glared at Thunderbolt. “Could you stop being an asshole for five minutes?”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “Fine. What did you want to say Notebook?”

“What I was trying to do was thank you for not causing a scene and making this harder than it needs to be.”

“I just didn’t want to drag my parents into something that doesn’t concern them.”

“Still, I appreciate it.”

They were close to the wagon now. Thunderbolt could see a symbol painted onto the side. It was a deep blue crescent moon laying on its back with a spire protruding from its centre. It split a golden dot that looked like a setting sun that lay between the crescent moon’s tips. Golden wings encircled the base while light blue wings sprouted from the crescent moon’s tips. The Equestrian seal. The two guards in the back made their way to the front of the wagon and hitched themselves to it. Thunderbolt silently boarded the wagon from the back with Notebook following close behind. Notebook banged one of the wagon’s sides and they set off.

“So, Stormbringer, when are you going to tell me how you got those wings?” Notebook asked once they were seated in the wagon.

“Never, if it’s up to me. It’s not a story I like to remember.”

“I’m not the only one that’s wondering.” Notebook pulled a paper from his bag and held it out to Thunderbolt. The headline read: ‘New Alicorn?’ over a photo of Thunderbolt in front of the Canterlot Library. He was relieved to see that his face wasn’t visible on the photo. He gave the paper back to Notebook.

“Keep wondering Notebook. I’m not telling you the story.”

Notebook shrugged. “Fine.”

They grew quiet. Notebook stared blankly out of the back of the wagon. Thunderbolt stared at Notebook.

“Hey, Notebook.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I did it?”

Notebook looked back at Thunderbolt. He looked confused. “Did what?”

“The murders, Notebook. What did you think I was talking about?”

Notebook opened his mouth. Then he closed it. His eyes wouldn’t quite meet Thunderbolts. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “For God’s sake, Notebook, you’re a guard, not a machine. Think for yourself, dammit.”

“The judges won’t care whether I think you did or didn’t do it, but…” Notebook rubbed his neck. “Something doesn’t sit right with me. Murder doesn’t fit your MO, Stormbringer. It’s just… you’re our only suspect. All the evidence we can find points to you.”

“And that’s enough to throw me in jail?”

“NO!” he cried, frustration in his voice. “And I told Captain Mason that when he gave me the arrest warrant. I looked at the forensics. All we can reliably establish is that you were there on the night of the murders. If they even are murders. There are no defensive wounds on the bodies. Only one body shows signs of a struggle. It's safe to assume that the guy who was tied up wasn’t there by choice, but the rest… Unless you took 13 ponies completely by surprise, something fishy is going on.” He shook his head. “Besides, murder is inconsistent with all of your usual shenanigans.”

“What do you think that means?”

“I think that someone’s out to get you, Stormbringer. Someone high up. I’m not sure that you’ll be able to wriggle out of this one.”
“Well, I suppose that it’s well past time that I pissed of someone important enough to get me arrested.”

“Don’t be so flippant about this!” Notebook cried in frustration. “You could get executed!” Thunderbolt reacted with a shrug. Notebook shook his head with a sigh. “Just one question. “What the hell happened in that Cathedral?”

“Do you really think that that will change anything, Notebook?”

“I don’t know. What I do know is that I need more information. Your account could fill in info we’re missing.”

Thunderbolt blew a raspberry. “Not sure if you’d believe me anyway. I’m not sure if I believe me.”

“Try me,” Notebook said as he pulled out a notepad.

“I guess it started after that dragon attacked the library…” Thunderbolt told him about what happened in the Cathedral, only omitting the voice that spoke with him. He still wasn’t sure where that fit in, save that it didn’t bode well for his sanity. Even then the story seemed fantastical. Like something from an adventure novel, and not necessarily a good one.

“So you’re telling me that you were thrown from the top of Canterlot Cathedral and survived?” the Notebook said in disbelief. “That’s three stories high, Stormbringer. I find it difficult to believe that you walked away from that with only a few broken bones and a concussion.”

“Yet here I am Notebook.” Thunderbolt lifted his cloak to show the cast around his wing. “I don’t suppose that this counts for anything.”

Notebook sighed. “You were right. I’m struggling to believe you, but…”

“But what?”

“I’ll have to go over the evidence we have. I’ll definitely talk to my superiors. If what you’re saying is true, we have a huge problem on our hands.”

Thunderbolt snorted. “That’s putting it lightly.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid like trying to escape. There’s only so much that I can do if you make yourself look guilty.”

Thunderbolt chuckled as the wagon eased to a stop. Notebook jerked his head in the direction of the wagon’s opening. Notebook stood up. Thunderbolt raised his eyes to meet his. Notebook motioned to the back of the wagon with his head. Thunderbolt got the message. He had to get out first. Thunderbolt sighed and stood up. He stared at the setting sun.

“Notebook. Can I ask you a favour?”

“Depends on the favour?”

Thunderbolt chuckled. “It’s not for me. Do you remember that mare that was with me? The one outside the library?”

“Yeah.”

“Could you find her for me? I know that she’s alive, but I don’t know where she is.”

“What? You have another business proposal for her?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Notebook, I just want to know if she’s safe.”

Notebook laughed. “So you do have a heart left in that chest of yours. What is this mare to you? Why do you want to know if she’s safe?”

“Notebook…” Thunderbolt licked his lips. “She’s just a civilian. She wandered into my profession, my world without knowing what she was getting herself into. I just want to make sure that she made it out ok.”

Notebook sighed. “Fine. I’ll look for her. Even if it’s to protect her from whatever you got her involved with. You know that you won’t be able to use the information, right? If and when they find you guilty you’ll be thrown to jail to rot for the rest of your life. And that’s the best-case scenario.”

“Yeah, I know. I just…” Thunderbolt faltered. “I don’t know. I guess that I just want closure. If she made it out safe and sound then I guess the whole mess isn’t as bad as I think it is.” He stepped out of the wagon. “I appreciate it, Notebook.”

Outside the wagon, he was surrounded by a pack of guards. Notebook nodded to one of them.

“Sergeant.”

The pony saluted. “Lieutenant. Second squad ready for prisoner transport.”

“A bit much for just me, isn’t it Notebook?”

Notebook shrugged. “Apparently my superiors think otherwise.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes and looked up. He saw a mass of white spires reaching for the sun. Canterlot Castle. Home of the Princesses of the Sun and Moon. The seat of Equestrian power. Notebook led Thunderbolt through the opulent halls of the castle with the guards flanking him. More guards lined the walls of the corridors. Large stained glass windows adorned the walls of the castle. The late dusk sunlight flowed through them in a myriad of colours. Thunderbolt was glad that he couldn’t see his reflection in them. Instead, they depicted various events in Equestrian history. An Alicorn being crucified. The founding of Equestria. Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon, a being who wanted to plunge the world into eternal night. Nightmare Moon looked similar to the being that Luna turned into on the night that the dragon attacked. Part of Thunderbolt shivered at the risk that Nightmare Moon could return. Another was curious as to the relationship between the two beings. Another window depicted the chaos spirit Discord being turned into stone. Thunderbolt watched the picture of the mismatched being as they passed. It seemed to be moving. He shook his head with a chuckle. He had to be seeing things. But as he looked back it looked like the picture was peeling itself from the window. Not just looked, it was peeling itself from the window.

First the mismatched horns, one of a deer and the other a blue goat horn. His grey head came next. It was similar to that of a horse. A close-cropped black mane ran from his forehead to the nape of his elongated neck. A fang poked out of the right side of his mouth. A white goat’s beard wriggled on his chin along with a pair of bushy white eyebrows. His pupils were of different sizes. The whites of his eyes were yellow and his irises were crimson. Next came his body. It was covered in brown feathers. On his back was a purple batwing and a blue pegasus wing. His right arm was that of a lion and his left was an eagle claw. His right leg was that of a green lizard and his left was a brown goat leg. Between his legs hung a red dragon tail with a white tuft of fluff at the tip.

The chimeric creature stretched his serpentine body in ways that would not be comfortable to any ordinary creature. The sound of his joints popping was like thunderclaps.

“Windows really are the least comfortable places to take naps,” the creature groaned in a perpetually amused baritone. Notebook ignored him and walked along. With a huff, the creature snapped his eagle claw and disappeared in a flash of white light. He reappeared in front of Notebook with another bright flash. He was in a bright orange safety vest. Behind him was a yellow tollbooth with the boom down.

“Piss off, abomination,” the sergeant swore from behind Notebook. “We have orders to follow.”

Notebook glared at him. “Quiet, Sergeant.” He turned to Discord. “Please get out of our way. We have orders to carry out.”

The chimeric creature placed his hand over his heart as if he was physically wounded. “And after I came all this way to visit you,” the creature complained, attempting to sound hurt, but the amused tone remained in his voice.

“Discord,” Notebook snarled, confirming that the creature was, in fact, the chaos spirit. “I don’t care if Celestia pardoned you and released you, if you keep blocking my progress I’ll be forced to -” the sergeant was cut off by a bright flash. A leather muzzle had appeared on his snout. After a moment’s surprised he steadied himself to fight the chaos spirit. The guards lining the corridor levelled their spears at the spirit. Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his claw again. With a flash, the tips of the spears turned into grade school flower arrangements. The sergeant found himself wearing a collar and a leash that was tied to a nearby pillar.

“Celestia really needs to train her dogs better,” Discord mused. “Their bark is still worse than their bite,” he turned his mismatched eyes to Thunderbolt, who was eyeing the chimeric creature warily. Discord waved his hand over his stomach, creating a red and white target in its wake. “Give me your best shot, pony.”

Thunderbolt widened his stance. His horn started glowing silver-blue. Circles lined with runes formed from the base of his horn to the tip with 10cm intervals. The air filled with the smell of ozone. He reared his head back while breathing deeply. Then he threw his head forward, intent to show Discord what he was made of. Lightning surged from the base of his horn to the tip, ready to burst from the tip like a fountain from the earth. Then… nothing. The lightning fizzled and sparked, but didn’t get much farther than Thunderbolt’s horn. One lucky spark scorched half a centimetre of tile.

“Humph,” Discord snorted. “I expected better.” He lunged forward and wrapped his serpentine body around Thunderbolt’s torso. “I’m sure Celly won’t mind if I steal you for a bit,” he whispered in Thunderbolt’s ears. With a “Tata” he snapped his fingers and disappeared along with his pony captive in a flash of white light.

Chapter 6: Discord

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter Six: Discord

When Thunderbolt could see again he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He was sitting on a small island floating in an inky abyss. Around the islands, various other things floated. A purple dolphin doing summersaults, an upside-down merry-go-round and a pink island lazily drifting on its side. As Thunderbolt watched, a purple tentacle wrapped itself around a tiny island covered in daffodils and yanked it into the yawning abyss below.

“Don’t stare too deeply into the abyss, pony,” Discord warned nonchalantly as if he didn’t really care if Thunderbolt stared or not. “It might start staring back,” he said with a shiver.

Thunderbolt spun around. Discord stood behind him. He was opening the door of a surprisingly normal single story house. Sure, its walls were bright purple and clashed with the canary yellow roof and carnivorous plants were planted the flower boxes underneath the windows, but other than that a seemingly normal house. Thunderbolt let loose a bolt of lightning at Discord. The Chaos spirit twisted his body around the bolt and it hit the house’s front door, scorching the wood painted the same yellow colour as the roof.

“Ah, so you can actually use magic,” Discord cackled in delight. He opened the scorched door. With his eagle claw, he beckoned Thunderbolt to follow him into the house. The winged unicorn looked around. An island made out of cotton candy floated down and a fruit bat made of fruit took a bite out of it. Noticing Thunderbolt’s gaze it screeched at him, revealing fangs made of toothpicks. Seeing no other clear option Thunderbolt followed the spirit of chaos into his home.

The inside was more unusual than outside. There he saw stairs leading nowhere. Dust bunnies were hopping under a couch covered in pink and green scales. Paintings without frames and frames without paintings covered the walls. A grey door was bolted onto the ceiling, which was tiled in a red and blue checkerboard while the floor was covered in a fluffy green carpet. Swirling shapes moved on the rug. It felt almost alive under Thunderbolt’s hooves. A ragged hole in the far wall revealed the hall into the rest of the building.

“Make yourself at home,” Discord’s voice rang from further inside the house. He poked his head out of the ragged hole. “Let me take care of those shackles.” He snapped his fingers. A bright light flashed beneath Thunderbolt. He felt the restrictions around his legs disappeared. Thunderbolt rolled the joints in his forelegs.

“What do you want?” Thunderbolt yelled. Discord did not answer. Thunderbolt scanned the room. A painting shifted from a scene in an empty meadow to an exploding volcano. A ripple in the carpet rolled under Thunderbolt’s hooves. He shuddered. He decided, that if Discord wanted him dead, he would have done it by now. He walked to the scaled couch and lowered himself onto it. He jumped back up. He had sat down on a dust bunny. It was squeaking at him in what he assumed to be an indignant manner. It hopped off the couch and, with a last squeak of indignation, it disappeared under the couch.

“What in God’s name…” he muttered. He didn’t try to sit down again. He felt like a bird in the water. Everything about the place screamed that he doesn’t belong here. His existence was too ordered and sensible. He was, for all intents and purposes, a foreigner.

Movement in the hallway through the ragged hole caught Thunderbolt’s eye. Discord emerged from the hole in a frilly pink apron. He was carrying a try with a completely ordinary green teapot on it. Thunderbolt doubted that it would stay ordinary. Next to it was three boxes of different colours. Green, yellow and red. Discord glanced at Thunderbolt as he set the tray on the low white table in front of the couch.

“I believe that I told you to make yourself at home,” Discord admonished in a good-natured tone.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Thunderbolt answered.

Discord raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers. The couch behind Thunderbolt moved closer to the table, sweeping his feet from under him and placing his tail end onto the seat. It was surprisingly comfortable. Discord started opening the various boxes on the tray. First, the yellow box was opened.

“Would you like some ginseng?” he asked before Thunderbolt could protest about being forced onto the couch and pinned underneath the table. A chorus of voices floated from the box along with their owners, the teabags. They were singing a show tune about a pony who lost his wallet. “Or would you rather have some Rooibos?” Discord opened the red box. Within a bunch of red bushes lay still. He reached for the green box. “Or would you have some green tea?”

“I’m fine, thanks. What do you want?” Discord shrugged, picked up one of the red bushed and threw it into the teapot.

“Did you know that Rooibos is not actually a tea plant? It’s actually a herb.”

“Fascinating. Why am I here?”

Discord poured the tea into a cup and took a sip. “Do you know what happens when a pony goes to the spirit realm?”

“No, it wasn’t a topic that caught my attention.”

Discord raised a hairy eyebrow. “Really?”

“No, but I’ll bite. What happens to them?”

“They become delicious.”

“What?” Thunderbolt’s eyes started darting around for an exit.

“Oh, just something I heard. Apparently, it spices up the taste. Like adding salt to a broth.”

“Interesting. Why are you telling me this? If you’re going to eat me just do it.”

Discord laughed. A mad, cackling laughter that sent the chimeric creature rolling around on his floor. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Thunderbolt squirmed from his seat and bolted for the door. He threw out his magic and yanked the door open. Freedom was just a few meters away. Freedom on a tiny island floating in an endless abyss with a near-omnipotent mishmash of animals looking for him, but it was freedom nonetheless. A loud snap reached his ears. A bright light filled his vision. Thunderbolt felt the comfortable texture of the couch on his hindquarters. When his vision cleared Thunderbolt saw Discord wiping tears from his eyes. From the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny version of Discord clad in a hard hat and construction vest boarding up the door.

“It’s rude to run out on a host like that,” Discord complained with mock indignation.

“Fuck you, Discord. What do you want?”

Discord laughed again. “This is why I prefer you ponies alive rather than dead. You’re so much more entertaining.”

“So I’m the evening’s entertainment rather than the main course?”

“I’ll have to thank Celestia for asking me to do this favour. I never imagined that it would be this entertaining.”

“Celestia asked you for a favour? And I’m involved somehow?”

“Yes, something about the fate of Equestria hanging in the balance and wanting ponies who could sort it out; I wasn’t really listening.”

‘What the hell does Celestia want with me?’ Thunderbolt thought. “I assume that she didn’t ask you to keep me locked up in your home?”

“Oh no.” Discord snapped his fingers and appeared inside his cup, a towel turban on his head. “She wanted you transported somewhere or another, but I wanted my own curiosity sated first.”

“Curiosity? Is it about what I know about ponies going into the spirit realm?”

“Exactly, though I wonder how you ended up there.” Discord snapped his fingers and appeared next to Thunderbolt in a deerstalker cap and trench coat. He had a magnifying glass in his claw and was looking at Thunderbolt through it. “You don’t seem the type.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t my choice. Not sure how much of a difference it makes now. In any case, I’m not going back if I have any say in it.”

Discord shrugged. “I don’t blame you. Spirits can be a nasty bunch. Persistent too. So if one takes an interest there isn’t much you can do to stop it.”

“How the hell are they going to find me if I never go back to the spirit realm? Do they have a spirit bloodhound?”

“No, but.” Discord sniffs the air. “Since you smell like a five-course meal I doubt that they would need one.”

“I’ll have to keep an eye out then.”

Discord shrugged and snapped his fingers. He appeared in his teacup again, this time with cucumbers on his eyes.

“Anything else?” Thunderbolt asked.

“Oh no. My curiosity is satisfied.” Discord lifted his talon. “One last thing,” he said with a smile as he lifted a cucumber in his lion’s paw. “Sleep tight.” He snapped his fingers and a white light filled the room.

Chapter 7: A Royal Appointment

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter Seven: A Royal Appointment

Thunderbolt felt solid ground underneath his hooves. Part of him felt relieved about that. It made being blinded and deafened by Discord’s magic easier. Still, he readied himself for a fight. He doubted that Discord had sent him anywhere pleasant. He grit his teeth and gathered magic in his horn. He would rip the first threat he saw to shreds.

When Thunderbolt’s vision cleared he saw not a threat, but an amused smile beneath an equally amused set of pale magenta eyes. Princess Celestia. Thunderbolt quickly lowered his head. “Your Majesty,” he breathed. He heard a serene chuckling. It was like the sound of bells.

“Rise, Mr Stormbringer.”

Thunderbolt lifted his head and took a good look at the Princess before him. She was sitting behind her sturdy mahogany desk with her wings spread and a serene smile on her face. Her rainbow mane that usually seemed to be flowing in the breeze hung limply around her head. Behind her was a clear window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Through it, the moon could be seen. It framed Celestia’s face like that of a saint in the stained glass in the old Cathedrals.

Movement below Celestia’s desk drew Thunderbolt’s eye. Whipping his head toward it he stared into a pair of violet eyes. Aurum had poked her head around the filigreed back of one of the chairs in front of Celestia’s desk. She looked tired. Deep bags were under her eyes and her mane was tied into an unkempt ponytail. When she saw Thunderbolt a slight blush formed on her cheeks and she waved shyly. Thunderbolt rushed to her side.

“Are you ok? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No. I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well. What happened to you? You were in a coma when I left the hospital.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad that you’re ok. What are you doing here?” Thunderbolt asked gruffly. Some part of him assumed that she had already hopped onto a train to Manehattan and was sipping cocktails with friends and gossiping about the ponies that came into the store or whatever it was that Manehattan jewellers did in their free time.

“I called her here,” Celestia answered for Aurum. “Just like I arranged your presence,” she indicated the chair to Aurum’s left. “Take a seat.”

Thunderbolt narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you mean ‘arranged your presence?’”

Celestia sighed. “I half expected Discord to blab about me asking him for help.”

“Oh no, he certainly blabbed. I’m not asking about that. I’m asking if you arranged my arrest.”

The princess arched an incredulous eyebrow. “If I could simply arrange your arrest why would I need outside help to get you into my office? It was your arrest that forced me to go to Discord.”

“And why would my arrest do that? What do you want with me?”

“That will be explained in time. We still have to wait for one more individual before we can begin in earnest,” Celestia said, pointing to the empty chair. “Would you like some tea while we wait?” The princess lifted a white teapot decorated with red roses.

“No thanks,” Thunderbolt answered. Discord’s antics had put him off of tea for the foreseeable future.

“Could I get another cup, please?” Aurum asked, lifting the cup in her hooves. Her voice held an exhausted tinge to it. Something about that made Thunderbolt worry about her.

“Certainly,” Celestia answered with a bright smile. While she poured the tea Thunderbolt allowed his eyes to wander around the room.

On Celestia’s desk lay papers neatly stacked next to a photo frame that was turned to her. On the opposite side was a gilded tea try with the white teapot decorated with red roses. Next to the teapot sat two teacups of a similar design. Built into the right wall of the office was a bookcase lined with books thick and thin. Some titles shone from the spines like veins of gold in a cliff face while others were dull and faded by time. On the other end of golden frames lined the wall. These frames contained photos ranging from monochromatic black and whites to the colourful photos of more modern times. They depicted Celestia through the ages. One showed Celestia surrounded by a group of stern-faced ponies in black and white suites. In the next one, she was surrounded young fillies with flower crowns on their heads. One crown was even dangling from Celestia’s ear. Another photo showed her with a group of aged mares who were all knitting. A photo of her holding a mug of ale in the air along with a bunch of teenaged colts and fillies hung next to one where Celestia was standing next to a grave.

“I see you like to spend time with your adoring subjects, Your Majesty,” Thunderbolt chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

Thunderbolt indicated the photos on the wall with his head. “You must love us dearly if you line the wall of your office with pictures of your subjects.”

“They are not my subjects,” she said with a wistful smile. Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “They are my family.”

“Your family?” Thunderbolt and Aurum asked in unison.

“Yes, my family,” Celestia echoed their words with a good-natured smile like a teacher that has heard the same question from students for years.

“You know, some part of me thought that you wouldn’t want a family,” Thunderbolt mused. “Doesn’t your near-immortality mean that they would always die while you just kept living?”

“True, but I’m still a mare, you know,” Celestia chuckled. “Even I desire companionship and the concubines of my peers had held seemed shallow.”

“So you got married rather than keep a harem of concubines,” Thunderbolt grunted.

“Exactly.”

“But Princess,” Aurum spoke up. “Doesn’t it hurt to see them die? It still hurts when I think of my dad’s death. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose someone like a husband.”

“I’ve watched my husbands and children grow old and die. I mourned each of them. It’s not easy and it’s never pleasant, but…” Celestia grew silent. She stared into her cup of tea. Almost like she was looking for the right words in the amber liquid. She lifted her head and looked Aurum straight in the eye. “You simply have to learn to live with it.”

“Was it worth it?” Thunderbolt asked. He stared into her pale magenta eyes. Happiness and sadness washed over those eyes as Celestia pondered the question. Memories of great happiness and great sorrow filled her mind.

“Undoubtedly,” she proclaimed, her face lighting up with happiness. “Each relationship is precious and my long life has made me realize that each second is something to be treasured.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s –” Thunderbolt started to respond. His ear twitched as he heard a scratching noise to his left. “Did you hear that?” he asked, his eyes scanning wall and floor for an indication of whatever made the noise.

“No, I didn’t,” Aurum whispered, a tinge of fear slithering into her tired voice. Celestia calmly sipped her tea.

Suddenly a piece of the wall burst open and a tiny white blur shot from the hole with an unholy screech. Thunderbolt lit his horn. A giant silver-blue circle lined with magical runes and shapes appeared between the desk and the white shape. From its edges a silver-blue wall of energy spread, splitting the office in half. The white shape slammed into the wall. The wall reflected the energy with which the shape hit it back and the shape flew backwards. The shape shakily got back onto its legs. Now that the shape had stopped moving Thunderbolt could make out what it was. It was a foal. A foal with tears that streamed from its bright blue eyes. A foal with a blond mane parted by a horn and a white coat. It didn’t even have a cutie mark yet.

“Could you drop the force field,” Celestia ordered politely. “It is just my daughter,” She stood up from her chair with a concerned look on her face. She walked over to her daughter and scooped her up into her hooves. “What happened, my darling?” she cooed.

“T-t-there w-w-was a m-m-monster, m-m-mommy,” the foal stammered.

“Where was the monster, darling?” Celestia asked in the softly.

“I-i-it was in the castle and it big and mean and scary!” the foal cried.

“Shhh,” Celestia cooed, squeezing her child. “Mommy’s here. She’ll protect you.”

The filly snuggled into Celestia’s fur, feeling safe and secure in her mother’s hooves. Then the sound of doors creaking open reached her ears. Her head whipped toward the noise. Her eyes widened and she burrowed herself into her mother’s side with as squeak as if she was trying to hide from the thing she saw.

The rest of the room turned their heads to the door as well. In the door, surrounded by guards in their shining golden barding, stood a dragon, muzzled and shackled. He was twice the size of the guards around him. His emerald eyes glittered with annoyance.

Celestia bent down and whispered something into her daughter’s ear. The filly nodded and detached herself from her mother reluctantly. With a deep breath, she started running from the room, making herself as small as possible as she squeezed through the door the dragon stood in. Celestia stood up and spread her wings.

“Leave us,” Celestia ordered. “Escort my daughter to her room and then return to your regular duties.”

“But Your Majesty,” one of the guards started protesting. Celestia cut him off with a glare. He bowed his head and left the room with his fellow guardsmen. Celestia lit her horn with a pale gold aura and started undoing the dragon’s shackles.

“Is that wise?” Thunderbolt protested.

Celestia glanced at him. “This is the individual we’ve been waiting for.”

“Ah, I see.”

Once the dragon was released Celestia walked over to her desk, sat down in her chair and gave the dragon a hard look. “Take a seat, Mr Char” she barked at the dragon.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Char said in a voice like that of a chronic smoker. He plopped himself down on the remaining chair and started rubbing his jaw. Thunderbolt could sense a defiant pride in this dragon. Despite being shackled and muzzled this dragon still held on to the stubborn pride that was endemic to the dragon race. “That muzzle was rather uncomfortable.”

“Well, you did try to burn down my library,” Celestia replied coldly.

“Impossible,” Thunderbolt cut in. “That dragon was ten time his size.”

Char started shaking. A deep growling laugh that filled the office.

“What’s so funny?”

“Dragons can alter their size, whelp,” the dragon answered. “It is part of our… what did those pony scholars call it… ah, yes, our magic,” the dragon smiled, revealing the row of dagger-like teeth set in his jaw. “It’s how I arrived at the library unnoticed.”

“You almost killed us,” Aurum piped in.

Char snorted. “No scales off my back.”

“Focus,” Celestia barked. “I called you us here for a reason. Your bickering is wasting all of our time.”

“But…” Aurum started to respond. The princess gave her a pointed look. The pegasus’s protest died in her throat.

“We can deal with this later,” Thunderbolt reassured her. He turned to Char. “And if we are going to be working together on whatever it is Celestia is going to ask of us I suggest you change your attitude about us.”

Char glared right back at Thunderbolt. He snorted smoke from his nostrils. “I will not lower myself to work with or for ponies.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Celestia said with a smile colder than a windigo’s heart. “The possibility that you would was the only thing preventing me from handing you over to Dragon Lord Torch.”

“To Torch?” Char growled. Thunderbolt noticed a nervous glint in his eyes. He did not know who Dragon Lord Torch was, but if a dragon got nervous at the mention of his name then he must be strong even among dragons. “On what charges?”

“Illegal entry into Equestria, arson and attempted murder,” Celestia calmly listed out his crimes. “I do not relish doing this, but I must protect my country and I believe that you will play a part in that goal.”

“Very well,” he muttered in a low growl. A green fire of hatred burned in his eyes. He pulled his upper lip back, revealing his fangs. Thunderbolt lit his horn in preparation for a fight if it came to it.

“So what did you call us for?” asked a small, tired, Manehattan accented voice. “I mean… you wouldn’t call us if it weren’t important, your majesty.”

“Quite so,” Celestia confirmed. “And that brings us to our point. I have called you here to help fix a mess that you have collectively helped create.”

“What mess would that be?” the dragon asked.

“The Sage,” Celestia answered. “On the night Mr Char attempted to turn one of my libraries to ash he performed a ritual that tore the veil between the material and spiritual realms. It is your job to locate, detain and bring him to Canterlot to be tried. If you are unable to do so you are authorized to eliminate him,” she slid three folders across the desk.

“What about the tear in the veil?” Thunderbolt asked.

She waved off the question with a hoof. “The Royal Mages will deal with that. All that you have to do is find and capture The Sage.”

“Would it not be easier to just kill this pony?” Char suggested with a sneer. “It would permanently solve your problem.”

“It would, but I do not want him dead. I want him to face justice for his crimes and I do not believe sending assassins after him would really be justice.” Celestia sighed. “Besides, I already tried that. I found their heads hanging from the chandelier in my throne room.”

Thunderbolt licked his lips. “And you expect us to, what? Succeed where they failed?”

“No. I expect you to do better. They were merely tasked with killing the Sage. You must bring him in alive.”

“Let’s say we fail? Or don’t accept this job in the first place?”

“If you do not do this you will be put on trial for the massacre in the cathedral. You will almost certainly found guilty. And the sentence will be death. Incidentally, I suspect that it was The Sage who arranged your arrest in the first place.” She glanced at Char. “Mr Char will be transported to the Dragon Lands to be tried in their courts. Dragon Lord Torch is not known for being merciful. Miss Aurum will simply be sent back home. There she will be killed by The Sage’s agents, either now because she is a witness that can be used against him or later when whatever he plans for Equestria comes to fruition. As for failure, if you attempt this task and fail, at best you will be killed at The Sage’s hooves or survive long enough to see Equestria torn apart. The Sage believes me weak and unfit to rule. He would take my place and turn Equestria into what he believes it should be: a cold, efficient, and ruthless empire.”

“I realize that my life could be on the line,” Char said with a hint of defiance. “But why should a dragon care about a pony overthrowing his pony government?”

“Because once he has moulded Equestria into whatever he wishes, he will set his sights beyond, starting, I suspect, with the Dragon Lands.”

Char snorted. “A pony will never succeed in conquering them.”

“That belief will not stop him. In fact, it will only encourage him.”

“Why? What does The Sage hope to gain?”

“Power, I suppose. He seems obsessed with dominating others. I suspect that he would try to oppose God directly if he could.”

“How do you know all this?”

“What few of his agents we’ve managed to capture become rather talkative once the right… pressure is applied. Anything else is pure conjecture.”

“I see,” Thunderbolt muttered. His brow furrowed as he processed the information he had just been given.

“W-Why don’t you just send the guard after them? Are- Aren’t they supposed to handle this sort of thing?” Aurum squeaked.

“Yeah, why send us to deal with this?” Thunderbolt agreed. “Don’t you have half a dozen agencies to deal with someone like this?”

“And I trust none of them in this, which is why I arranged for Discord to drop you off here and had a handpicked set of guards bring Char here under the pretence of negotiating a sentence,” Celestia answered. “Half of the ponies murdered in the cathedral were civil servants from across Equestria. The other half were members of various NGOs. They even had enough power to kidnap the pony I sent to investigate them.”

“Rough Diamond, right?” Thunderbolt asked.

“How do you know that name?” Celestia asked.

“He hired me to get the tome The Sage wanted,” Thunderbolt revealed.

“Diamond was working for The Sage? That’s troubling,” Celestia mused. “That’s even more reason for me to hire outside agents.”

Thunderbolt grew silent for a moment. Aurum’s chair creaked as she fidgeted. Smoke drifted from Char’s nostrils as he glared at Celestia.

“Why don’t you do it? When dragons speak of Celestia they speak of a goddess able to use the power of the sun to destroy her enemies. Yet the pony I see before me does not seem willing or able to do so. Were those stories lies?”

Celestia chuckled. “No, but they are exaggerations. As powerful as I am my title does restrict me. If I were to move against The Sage directly, he would be able to react far quicker than I could move.”

“So you expect us to do what you can’t?”

“Essentially. And I must insist that you remain discreet. The Sage seems to have eyes and ears everywhere.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it possible that he knows what we’re planning?”

“It is possible, but…” Celestia sighed. “I am out of real options. I can only pray that he doesn’t. Or if he does, that he doesn’t think it important enough to pay any serious attention to.”

Thunderbolt took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Well shit. Doesn’t seem like there are many alternatives.” Thunderbolt narrowed his eyes at Celestia. “So, what’s the payment?” he asked cautiously. “If we accept this job, that is.”

Aurum stared at him in shock. “Payment? The country is on the line. Is asking to be paid to save it really appropriate?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “Sure. And I am sure that I’ll need to eat if and when we succeed. Besides, isn’t it reasonable to expect compensation for work done?”

“Quite so, Mr Stormbringer,” Celestia agreed. “The assassins were offered 10 million Bits. How about we start negotiating there?”

“10 million…,” Thunderbolt said, a hoof rubbing his chin. “How about we start at 10 million Bits apiece plus expenses? I mean, you are asking us to outperform your assassins.”

“Done,” Celestia responded. “There have been reports of magical anomalies around the Everfree forest. I would suggest starting your search there.”

“How are we to get there?” Char asked. “Do you expect me to carry these ponies on my back?”

“Please don’t,” Aurum muttered.

“There is no need,” Celestia smiled and slid three pieces of paper across the desk. “There is a train to a town at the edge of the forest called Ponyville leaving in an hour. If you leave now you will have enough time to secure some seats on it. I have someone I trust in Ponyville; he will be meeting you at the train station.” Celestia pointed her hoof to the section of wall the foal had shot out from. “It would be best to leave through the castle’s secret passages. Just keep to the right.”

“Very well,” Char growled and slithered from his seat.

“I guess that means we are taking the job,” Thunderbolt chuckled as he jumped out of his chair. Aurum dragged herself out of the chair with a nod and the trio set off toward the hole in the wall.

Alone in her office, Celestia bowed her head, closed her eyes and started to pray.

Chapter 8: The Train

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 8: The Train

The moon hung high in the sky as Thunderbolt and Aurum stepped into the Canterlot train station. The station was a gigantic complex made almost entirely out of glass. The marble floor was decorated with images of the sun and moon along with a mosaic of Celestia herself. To the right of the entrance was a notice board.

“Where’s Char?” Aurum asked as she shifted a large saddlebag on her side.

“He said he’d meet us here.” Thunderbolt looked around the station. It was nearly deserted. Some straggles last stragglers milling around, waiting for the last trains to come into or leave the station. From the corner of his eye, Thunderbolt saw a duo of guards escorting a pony in rags in the direction of the train station’s entrance. When they got close he overheard them offering to take him to a nearby homeless shelter. One of them glanced at Thunderbolt and narrowed his eyes. Thunderbolt nodded in greeting. The pony in rags coughed and the guards had to keep him from falling over. Something poked Thunderbolt in the side. He turned and saw Aurum pointing at something. Following her hoof, he saw that she was pointing at the noticeboard.

The noticeboard itself was nothing noteworthy. A plain black notice board with various notices pinned on it: A charity asking for donations, a notice about a missing cat, a mare was advertising her tailor business. One pony was even offering fortune-telling and exorcism services. But that wasn’t what caught Thunderbolt’s eye. What caught his eye was a poster with a silver-eyed stallion. With beige fur and a close-cropped brown mane, the stallion was uncannily similar to Thunderbolt. The picture’s caption confirmed it.

WANTED: Thunderbolt Stormbringer

CHARGE: First-degree murder

The suspect is to be considered armed and dangerous. DO NOT APPROACH. Any information is to be sent to Lieutenant Notebook of the Royal Guard.

Thunderbolt yanked the poster from the noticeboard. He swore in disapproval before pulling his hood down to cover more of his face.

“What now?” Aurum asked.

“I’m not sure.” Thunderbolt started folding the poster. “I didn’t expect the Guard to put up a call for information this quickly. We’ll have to tread lightly.”

“I’m just surprised that they didn’t offer a reward,” a growling voice lazily opined. Glancing upwards Thunderbolt saw a black lizard laying on the noticeboard like a lazy scally cat.

“Char?”

“Who else?” The dragon stretched himself and jumped from the noticeboard into Thunderbolt’s head. “Let’s go. Before that train leaves without us.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to hide in my saddlebag? A dragon would attract attention.”

Char snorted. “I might yield to the force that compels me to cooperate with you ponies, but I will not lower myself to the level of a pet that needs to be carried around by its owner.”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “Suit yourself. Rosie, do you see where the Ponyville train platform is?”

“I’m not sure,” Aurum mumbled through a yawn. She pointed to a giant rectangular crystal suspended over the train tracks. On it, the names of cities appeared next to a series of numbers. “The Manehattan station has something like that shows when all of the trains are coming and going. Maybe we could look there.”

Thunderbolt narrowed his eyes at the crystal. He found the entry for the Ponyville third from the bottom. The train was on the second platform, departure in five minutes.

“The train leaves in five minutes.” Thunderbolt started pulling Aurum along. “Let’s get moving.”

The train was almost empty. In the first car, a family of earth ponies sat in the corner. Across from them was a single unicorn filly looking out the window. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the unusual form of Char perched on Thunderbolt’s head. Her head spun in his direction with an excited gasp. Her gasp attracted the attention of the earth Pony family. They noticed Char’s presence and reacted with a mix of excitement and nerves. The earth pony foals made excited shouts before being quieted by their mother, who was casting nervous glances at the dragon. Their father glared at him warily.

“Let’s try the next car,” Thunderbolt whispered. While they were walking through the car a unicorn stallion stepped through the door on the front end of the train. He looked at the group approaching him and stepped into the booth with the unicorn foal. He pushed the foal behind him when the group passed him and she tried to get an even closer look. His eyes narrowed in suspicion when they met Char’s emerald eyes. Char snorted and stepped into the next car. This car was empty save for a greying pegasus stallion asleep on the far side.

“This one is fine,” Char growled. He hopped off of Thunderbolt’s head, onto the back of the nearest velvet lined bench, scurried down the side and made himself at home on the seat. He looked like a cat sitting on the edge of a sofa. A scaly, fire breathing cat.

“This is so exciting,” Aurum gushed as she sat down on the bench next to the window and stowed her bag under the seat. Thunderbolt sat down next to her. “It’s like we’re in one of those spy novels.”

“Except we’re not in a novel, are we?” Char growled. “Not only the fate of your nation but your very life may depend on our success. Treat this task with the seriousness it demands.”

“Oi, what’s biting you, Scales?”

“Since you’re asking, I’ll start with that nickname.” Char snorted. “What in God’s name possessed you to give me a nickname? And, more importantly, do you even have a plan?”

“No. I need more information first. Hopefully, Celestia’s contact will be able to provide some.”

“Brilliant,” Char snorted. “We have no plan and must escort an airhead with no combat experience.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Aurum protested her designation as an airhead.

Char sighed. “I suppose that I was fated to die someday. I just wish that it was on the battlefield surrounded by comrades.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “No need to be that fatalistic. We’ll figure something out.” Thunderbolt looked down the aisle. “We have to,” he mumbled.

The train screeched around them as it pulled out of the station. Thunderbolt glanced out the window. The shining beacon of light that was Canterlot grew small in the distance like a lighthouse to a ship sailing off into the open ocean. He blankly stared at the mountainside city as his thoughts started drifting.

‘Char’s right, I don’t have a plan. I don’t have any idea of where to start looking for The Sage. I’ll figure something out. I always do. But... Surviving by the skin of my teeth isn’t going to cut it this time. My life isn’t the only one at stake. I'll just have to keep it in mind as things progress. But still, there's that voice that told me to protect Rosie... what the hell is it? Who does it belo-’

Stabbing pain in Thunderbolt’s side interrupted his thoughts. His head swivelled in the direction of the pain. He saw Aurum pointing at something behind him. Behind him was an aquamarine unicorn mare wide smile on her face. A small briefcase floated behind her. The mare’s pale cyan mane bobbed happily up and down as she seemed to bounce to a beat only she could hear. Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow and inspected her head to hoof. He saw a picture of a lyre on her flank, but nothing else of note.

“Hi,” the mare excitedly greeted him. Her entire body seemed to move as she waved her hoof above her head, despite standing right in front of the group. Thunderbolt nodded back in greeting. “You wouldn’t happen to have a free seat for me?” she twittered on, either ignoring or not noticing the muted response to her greeting. She glanced at the free seat next to the window and her smile seemed to grow wider.

“Of course,” Aurum answered before Thunderbolt could send her away. “Char, could you scooch over to make space for her?” she asked the dragon as politely as she could. Char narrowed his eyes at her.

“You don’t need to do that,” the mare said and deposited her briefcase on the empty seat beside. She started squeezing past Thunderbolt and Char to the seat next to the window. The dragon and pony leaned back as far as they could to let her past.

“My name’s Lyra,” the mare said once she sat down. “Lyra Heartstrings.”

“Char,” came a growl from next to her.

“Aurum,” the pegasus said with a yawn.

“Thunderbolt,” the winged unicorn said. “Why sit with us, Lyra?” he asked suspiciously.

She pointed at the next car over. “There’s no one else in there. So I thought that I might come up to look for some company and I found you,” she said with a bright smile.

“I see,” Thunderbolt said quietly. An awkward silence grew among the group. The train rumbled rhythmically around them. Aurum gave a final yawn and her head drooped in slumber. After a moment her head fell onto Thunderbolt’s shoulder. Privately he thought that her soft snores were adorable and he even blushed when he heard Lyra’s giggling. He pulled his hood over his head to hide his blush. His ear twitched as he heard Char’s bemused snort. He peeked from under the hood to see the corner of Char’s mouth curling upwards in a bemused sneer.

“So you can laugh,” Thunderbolt mocked. Glancing at Lyra he noticed that she kept glancing at Char. Another bout of silence grew after that.

“Soooo…” Lyra broke the silence. “What’re you guys planning to do in Ponyville?”

“Visiting a friend,” Thunderbolt answered.

“Work,” Char growled curtly at the same time.

“What sort of work?” Lyra asked with shining eyes, clearly more interested in the dragon than Thunderbolt. Char gave his lips a nervous lick. He glanced at Thunderbolt. He knew that he couldn’t tell her about the mission that Celestia gave them. He had assumed that once he said that he was just working that the conversation would stop there. “W-w-ell,” he stammered while wracking his brain for plausible jobs a dragon could do in a land of ponies.

“He’s conducting a geological survey for some company in Canterlot,” Thunderbolt saved him. “You know how dragons and gems are. Always gathering them up into their hoards. A friend of mine calls them the magpies of the reptile world.”

“I’d love to meet that friend,” Char whispered in a threatening growl.

“Wow,” Lyra exclaimed. “Dragons sure are amazing,” she stared at Char with amazement in her eyes.

“If you want to say something spit it out,” he growled.

“Can I-,” the mare started, her cheeks darkening in a slight blush. “Can I touch your scales?”

“What?” Char reacted in confusion. “Why would you want to do that?”

“I-I-I’ve never felt dragon scales before,” she stammered. “I was wondering how they felt.”

“Perhaps I should get you two a private car,” Thunderbolt suggested with a chuckle.

Char glared at him with narrowed eyes. Lyra’s face turned bright red.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Lyra protested. “It’s purely academic.”

“Academic?” Thunderbolt asked doubtfully. “Are you some sort of professor?”

“No, I’m a musician,” she admitted. “But I’m really just curious about non-ponies. Honest. Nothing more.”

“Sure, Miss Heartstrings,” Thunderbolt chuckled with a knowing smile as he brushed off her protest. “Good luck, Scales,” he said as he closed his eyes and let the train rock him to sleep. The last thing he heard was Char protesting the curious musician’s request.

Thunderbolt found himself in a clearing in the middle of a forest. A thick fog covered the floor of the forest, stopping at the treeline. It coiled and curled around tree trunks. Shapes shifted and stirred just beyond the treeline. Thunderbolt’s ear twitched as he heard a voice swear behind him. He whipped around, horn aglow. Behind him, on a black and white checkered blanket was Aurum. At least it looked like her. Something kept gnawing at the back of his mind. A feeling of wrongness; that something was not as it seemed. Something seemed to lurk in the corner of his eye, just out of sight, always disappearing when he turned to look at it. Shaking his head he approached Aurum. She was holding a hoof to her mouth while another was holding a steaming cup. Her eyes shot up and met Thunderbolt’s. She smiled and beckoned him over with a friendly wave. He hesitated. That gnawing feeling just wouldn’t go away. He shook his head again and Thunderbolt sat down on the blanket. Aurum gave him a steaming cup from a thermos lying next to her. Inside the cup was black tea. Thunderbolt swirled the rust-red liquid in his cup and took a sip. He licked his lips and looked at the Aurum, who was humming a tune Thunderbolt was unfamiliar with.

“So, tell me,” he asked, shifting his eyes from the pegasus mare to the treeline, where the shifting shapes and stirring shadows seemed to be getting closer. “What are you doing here, Rosie?”

“Doing where?” Aurum asked back, a look of peace on her face.

“Don’t be coy,” Thunderbolt answered. “A clearing in the middle of a misty forest is hardly the place for a city mare like you.”

“A forest?” Aurum asked, her eyes widening.

“I admit,” Thunderbolt said with a sly smile on his face. “I can see why you’d come here. It’s a pretty place, but a forest that seems to be filled with monsters makes the trip… less than appealing.”

“We’re in a forest?” Aurum asked again, her breathing shallow. Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow.

“Rosie?” Thunderbolt stood up “What’s going on?”

“Get away from me!”Aurum yelled as she backed away from him, her eyes darting around like a gecko on a hotplate. It was like she was seeing the shapes in the treeline for the first time. Thunderbolt frowned. He saw genuine fear in those eyes.

“Rosie, what is going on?”

Aurum didn’t answer him. Thunderbolt opened his mouth when a shadowy figure in the shape of a wolf peeled from the treeline behind Aurum. It started bounding toward her, a snarl coming from its shadowy throat. Fog coiled around its legs spread out into the clearing the further he got from the treeline. Thunderbolt lit his horn and shot a beam of raw magic at it. The beam went straight through the shadow wolf. It stopped and turned its eyeless head in Thunderbolt’s direction.

“Run!” Thunderbolt yelled at Aurum. She seemed paralysed. He shot at the shadow wolf again. Another shadow peeled itself from the treeline, a shadowy chimaera. Both started advancing at them again. Thunderbolt took Aurum by the shoulders and started shaking her.

“We can’t stay here!” he yelled at her. “Those things seem immune to magic and we don’t have time to find out how to kill them.”

Aurum just stared at him blankly. The shadow wolf was getting closer. A shadow chimaera rushed into the clearing and a shadow pony was not far behind it.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on but we can’t stay here,” Thunderbolt tried to explain quickly. “I don’t know how to fight these things and I definitely can’t figure it out while you stand here like a lemon, so I’m begging you, for the love of God, RUN!”

This seemed to have put life into Aurum. She started running in the opposite direction of the approaching shadows. She shot into the treeline, the fog and shaped parting before her. Thunderbolt took off after her. He caught up to her quickly.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m dreaming. I think. I’ve had this nightmare every time I fall asleep the last few days” Aurum shook her head. “I’m just confused. It’s never helped me escape the clearing before.”

“I don’t think that your nightmares are doing you any favours. It's possible that we’re sharing a dream. Don't ask me how. Just keep moving. I don’t know what happens if we die while sharing a dream, but whatever happens, I doubt that it’s pleasant.”

“Are you sure we won’t just wake up?” Aurum asked him as they ran. She glanced back.

“We might,” Thunderbolt answered, looking back as well. The shadows were chasing after them. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw shadows on either side of them. “I don’t want to test it if I don’t have to, though, so keep running.” Thunderbolt pushed Aurum to the side as a shadowy claw shot from the fog. Thunderbolt felt the wind on his side as he narrowly avoided it. Looking forward again he saw a mountain looming up before them, a gaping cave right in front of them like the mountain’s yawning mouth. He saw Aurum’s step falter as they got closer and closer to the cave. His felt himself hesitate as they grew closer as well. The inky blackness of the cave was no more inviting than the fog and shadows of the forest. Then he slammed into the ground. He glanced back. A thick shadow was coiled around one of his hind hooves. It started to drag him into the fog. He looked forward and saw that Aurum had turned around and was coming back.

“No!” he cried, trying to stop her. “Keep moving!” Then a shadow flew out of the mouth of the cave, caught her around the throat and yanked her inside like a frog that caught a fly. He screamed her name as the shadow around his leg tugged and pulled him in the opposite direction.

“Can I draw your picture?” Lyra asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Excuse me?” Char asked back. He frowned. She had interrupted him while he was in the middle of explaining how dragons dealt with lice and ticks, usually by taking a dip in a coolish pool of lave, when she had changed the subject with her question.

“Can I draw a picture of you?” she repeated, her eyes still shining. Char raised a questioning eyebrow. Then he looked forward and saw Thunderbolt and Aurum’s sleeping forms. Thunderbolt’s head had drooped to the side and was resting on Aurum’s. Her head was still laying on his shoulder. Char’s scowl softened into a nostalgic smile. The sight reminded him of his son snuggling up to his mate.

“I’ve already been too lenient in allowing your pestering requests up until now. If you want something to draw, draw them,” he growled and nodded his head in his companion’s direction. Lyra looked in their direction.

“Aww,” she cooed. “They look like a couple,” she squealed with delight as she set aside a notepad and plucked a sketchpad from her briefcase. Char grinned at her delight. She reminded him of a hatchling whose wings have just grown in. The rattling of the train mixed with the scratching of a quill on paper as he replayed sweet memories in his head.

“They look like they’re having nightmares,” Lyra broke into his thoughts. Char looked at the ponies. The serene faces of the sleeping ponies had morphed into troubled grimaces. Aurum even let a frightened whimper slip from her lips. As they watched she threw her hooves around Thunderbolt and squeezed closer to him as if he was a buoy and she a drowning mare.

“So it seems,” he growled in agreement.

“Should we wake them?” she asked.

“No,” Char growled with finality. “I don’t think that would be wise.”

“But they are having nightmares,” Lyra argued.

“Yes,” he agreed. “And if we wake them we will rob them of what the nightmare had to show them.”

“What do you mean?”

“The dragon sages have maintained that your dreams show you your path. You pony head doctors have said something similar. I’ve heard them say that dreams reflect a creature’s desires and fears. Let them sleep and see what they must see. Let them learn.”

“I guess,” Lyra said in defeat. The lone sound of the rattling train filled the silence in the train car. Char glanced at her. She was staring at Thunderbolt and Aurum. Concern flooded from her eyes. Her quill and sketchpad lay abandoned on the side of her seat. The picture of the sleeping ponies was almost finished, she just needed to add the faces. Char sighed.

“You said that you wanted to draw a picture of me,” he growled at her. She whipped her head in his direction.

“Yes, why do you ask?” she asked distractedly.

“You staring at them like that is not going to help them,” the dragon growled. “So I thought that I might distract you by granting your earlier request.”

Lyra picked up her sketchpad and quill. A sparkle of her earlier excitement had returned to her.

“Could you please hold still?” she ordered Char and flipped over to the next page.

Thunderbolt found himself on his stomach, strapped to a cold operating table. He noticed that his wings were gone. He started struggling against the straps. Despite the fact that he knew that this was a dream he felt that he needed to get out of here. Suddenly a white-hot spear of pain lanced into his side, where his wings were supposed to be. He suppressed a groan of pain through gritted teeth.

‘I thought that this was a dream,’ he thought, his mind panicking. ‘Don’t dreams end when you get hurt?’

He glanced back. He saw a shape shuffling and shifting next to him. It seemed to hold whatever was lodged in Thunderbolt’s side. As he watched the shape’s form solidified. It took the shape of a pony, its fur white and covered in a golden barding. Circular bits of metal was lodged in its eyes. Small streams of blood dripped from what was left of the sockets. The eyeless sockets stared at him. The shape twisted whatever was in Thunderbolt’s side.

“You left us!” it hissed in a low gravelly voice.

“You were dead when I found you,” Thunderbolt hissed back through a grunt of pain.

Another spear of pain lanced into his other side. Thunderbolt whipped his head around and saw another shifting, shuffling shaped holding onto whatever was lodged into his side. It moulded itself into another pony, its fur white and covered in the same golden barding as his counterpart on Thunderbolt’s other side. However, instead of standing on four regular pony legs, he was perched on six long, carapaced spider legs that kept skittering and fidgeting. His eyes, as blue as chips of ice and just as cold, bore into Thunderbolt’s soul.

“You released him!” it hissed in a voice as black as death.

“You left us!” his counterpart on Thunderbolt repeated.

The two ponies, as much as they could be called that, twisted the things in Thunderbolt’s sides. He grunted in pain.

“How was I supposed to know what he’d do?” he said through gritted teeth.

“But you gave him the opportunity,” a lilting female voice said from his front. Thunderbolt whipped his head forward. His eyes widened. He saw a mare approaching him. Her legs were long and slender. Her silky black mane and tail hung limply around her body. Her mane was parted by a horn coated in blood. A small, thin stream ran down her face, between her dead, green eyes, split in two when it reached her snout. In her throat was a ragged hole that periodically spurted blood.

“Captain,” Thunderbolt breathed. The ponies twisted the things in his side again, earning another grunt of pain.

“All for a pair of wings,” she continued. A pint of blood spurted from her neck and hit Thunderbolt in his face.

“I didn’t mean for this,” he protested, blood dripping from his lips onto his tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

‘What sort of dream is this?’ he wondered. ‘Not even nightmares get this vivid.’

“You caused this,” was her only response. She stopped in front of Thunderbolt. The ragged hole in her neck was at Thunderbolt’s eye level. He lifted his eyes, looking both away from the hole and into the Captain’s lifeless eyes. She lowered her head to Thunderbolt’s eye level. She opened her mouth and breathed in.

Thunderbolt screamed as pain wracked his body. It felt as if his soul was being pulled through his nostrils. The ponies to his sides kept twisting whatever they held and repeating their phrases of “You released him” and “You left us”. Thunderbolt looked forward and could only see a swirling blackness at the back of the Captain’s throat. For a moment the image shifted. A roiling mass of flesh and tentacles. A gaping maw with its sides lined with teeth. Some part of his mind said that it looked like a leech. Then the image was gone, replaced with the Captain sucking in air like her lungs were a vacuum desperate to be filled. Some part of Thunderbolt’s mind told him that this was the end. He would die here and now, trapped in a hellish nightmare. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a skeletal pony covered in a tattered black robe. Then a white light filled the room and the last thing Thunderbolt heard was a booming command that rang “BEGONE!”

Thunderbolt screamed as he woke. The sound tore from his throat like steam from a burst pipe. Then the scream was cut off when he noticed something curled around his torso. It tightened and squeezed like a particularly eager vice. Thunderbolt felt that the thing was attached to something heavy. He twisted and turned and kicked out at it. The first kick glanced off its side. Thunderbolt vaguely felt fur underneath his hoof. The second kick was dead on and made the thing loosen its grip. The third dislodged the thing and Thunderbolt leapt from the train seat and into the path. He lit his horn with a silver-blue glow and lightning arced around it. He could hear a high pitched scream accompanied by a low growl, but this was far off, almost inaudible through the haze of adrenalin coursing through his veins. He threw his head forward. The lightning gathered at the tip of his horn. Then it sparked weakly and dissipated. Thunderbolt’s heart stopped pounding in his ears. His breathing became deeper and less erratic. His ear twitched as a fearful whimper reached it. His head whipped toward the sound. Lyra’s fearful eyes peeked over Char’s extended wing. The dragon had grown in size, at least as big as a pony now. He had turned his body in Thunderbolt’s direction. His leathery wings covered both Lyra and Aurum behind him. He glared at the winged unicorn.

Char’s shoulders tensed up. His breathing slowed. His emerald eyes narrowed. His lips drew back revealing a threatening set of yellow fangs. He looked like a lion getting ready to pounce.

Thunderbolt, in turn, looked every bit like prey. His eyes were wide with shock. His breathing was still shallow, though it was getting deeper and more consistent with each passing moment. His hoof was on his chest. He could feel his heartbeat slowing down. His silver-blue eyes met Char’s.

“Are you done?” the dragon growled. Thunderbolt flinched. His words were harsh, but with an undertone of care, like a schoolmaster scolding a misbehaving student.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I am,” Thunderbolt said, his voice unfocused. Almost if he didn’t properly hear the question.

Char retracted his wings and started to gingerly touch Aurum’s body.

“Is she ok?” Thunderbolt asked as he retook his seat. Char cast a wary glance at him before continuing to look Aurum over. Out of the corner of his eye, Thunderbolt could see the greying pegasus at the back of the car glare at him. Thunderbolt flashed the stallion an apologetic smile.

“I’m no expert on pony physiology, but nothing seems broken,” Char answered.

“Thank God,” Thunderbolt sighed.

“Indeed,” Char nodded in agreement.

“Sorry about that, Miss Heartstrings,” Thunderbolt said to Lyra.

“That must have been one heck of a nightmare,” Lyra remarked with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah,” Thunderbolt chuckled in nervous agreement.

“What was the dream about?” she asked.

“If you don’t mind, miss, I’d prefer not to talk about it.”

“Oh.”

They grew silent. Thunderbolt stared out of the window. He could vaguely make out trees going by in the midnight gloom. On the horizon, he saw a faint glow of light. Ponyville, he assumed. Some part of his mind wondered why a small town in a land full of ponies was named “Ponyville”, but it was drowned out by the part that wanted to examine his dream. He didn’t really want to. The dream dredged up bad memories. Memories he didn’t want to remember. So he suppressed that part and just stared out the window, not really thinking anything. He idly noted things his senses picked up. The outline of a castle silhouetted by a mountain in the distance, a faint smell of smoke accompanied by the sound of boiling water, the scribbling of Lyra’s quill scratching against the paper.

A high pitched scream from right in front of him brought Thunderbolt’s thoughts back to the train. Aurum bolted up into his field of view. Her eyes were wide with panic and her breathing was shallow and erratic. Then Aurum’s eyes met Thunderbolt’s. He noticed that her pupils had grown so large that her irises were barely visible.

“Rosie. Take deep breaths. You’re safe. You’re fine.”

She tried to breathe as deeply as she can, her eyes focused squarely on Thunderbolt. Slowly her breathing became deeper and deeper. She started looking around her. Across from her Lyra had a concerned look on her face.

“What did you dream about?” Lyra asked gently. A rush of word flooded from Aurum’s mouth. Thunderbolt could only make out the words ‘wood’, ‘mine’, ‘father’ and his own name.

“Stop,” Char growled. “Gather your thoughts. Then speak.”

Aurum closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was drowned out by the high pitched squeal of the train pulling into the station. Thunderbolt looked out of the train window. They had pulled into a small, pink train station. It was nearly abandoned. Only a pair of ponies were on the platform. A red earth pony stallion with a close-cropped black mane stood next to a beige earth pony mare. Her mane was a dark blue with a bright pink streak going right through the middle.

“Hey, look,” Lyra exclaimed, pointing her hoof at the couple. “There’s Bon Bon and Onyx!” She stuffed her quill and sketchpad into her briefcase, excitedly climbed over Char and hopped up and down in the aisle. “Come on, Bon Bon makes the best sweets and Onyx’s stories always has me at the edge of my seat. I just have to introduce you!”

Chapter 9: Old Friends

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 9: Old Friends

The first thing that Thunderbolt noticed about Onyx was his size. He wasn’t particularly tall; he was about the same size as Thunderbolt, but he did have forelegs the size of tree trunks and shoulders that made Thunderbolt suspect that he could pull several wagons at once.

“So, what unit are you from?” Onyx’s voice was a deep, soothing timbre.

“Excuse me?” Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. Onyx chuckled.

“A guardsman should be able to recognize a fellow guardsman on sight, shouldn’t he?” Onyx pounded his chest. “I’m from the 76th regiment, Ponyville Guard.”

“Used to be 1st Recon. Doing some freelance work right now.”

“Really? Well, try not to stir up too much trouble.” Onyx leaned over and whispered into Thunderbolt’s ear. “And a tip from one guard to another, that guy’s been staring at you since you got off the train.” He tossed his head back to indicate a chestnut stallion leaning against the ticket booth that took up half of the train platform. The stallion was gigantic, at least a head taller than Thunderbolt and with legs comparable to Onyx’s. On each side of his hips was a picture of a green Erlenmeyer flask layered over two interlocking gears. When his warm brown eyes met Thunderbolt’s silver-blue ones he nodded at him with a friendly smile.

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“A pleasure.” Onyx glanced over to where Lyra was chatting with Aurum and the beige earth pony mare with a blue and pink mane. Bon Bon, if Thunderbolt remembered correctly. She gave a wide yawn. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get these lovely mares inside. Have a nice night.” With that Onyx walked over to Lyra, gave her a chaste peck on the forehead and whispered something into her ear. She nodded, said something to Bon Bon and the trio left the train station. Lyra turned around and waved at Thunderbolt and company before disappearing in the still Ponyville night.

“You know, Mags, you don’t have to look like a stalker when you pick me up at the train station.”

The stallion leaning against the ticket booth shrugged. “I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation. Do you know those ponies?”

“Nah, met them on the train. Aquamarine mare’s Lyra. Beige is Bon Bon. Stallion’s name is Onyx.”

The stallion snorted. “Corporal Onyx. The bane of my existence.”

“You know the guy?”

“Not personally. I haven’t really mingled with the rank and file since moving to R&D. But Onyx’s name often appears on reports about broken equipment. The colt doesn’t seem to know his own damn strength at times.”

A draconic head peeked over Thunderbolt’s hood. Char narrowed his emerald eyes at Thunderbolt.

“Who is this pony?”

“Sorry, Scales I should introduce you. This is Magnum O. Hooves. He’s my best mate.” Thunderbolt pointed to Aurum. “Mags, this is Aurum Quartz. She’s a jeweller from Manehattan. And this guy,” Thunderbolt pointed to Char perched on his head. “Is Char.”

Magnum inclined his head. “Charmed.”

Aurum waved with the tip of her hoof. Char snorted.

“So, Mags, what are you doing out here?”

“I, uh.” Magnum licked his lips. His eyes darted around in his skull like a gecko on a frying pan. “Ah, fuck it, I’m rubbish at making up stories.” He looked at Aurum with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the language, Miss Quartz. I’m supposed to pick someone up from the Ponyville train station. Some sort of mission for Celestia.”

Aurum’s eyes lit up. “We’re on a mission from Celestia!”

“Quiet,” Char hissed. “What is the point of your Princess’s request to be discreet if you loudly proclaim to be working for her.”

“Oi, stop it you two. So, Mags, who told you to find us.”

“Princess Celestia. Convenient, I know, but some of my assistants have been noticing some magical anomalies all over Equestria the last couple of days. I sent a message to my superiors and didn’t think much further, but not an hour ago, a message from the Princess herself arrived telling me to pick up some ponies from the train station.”

“How do we know you’re telling the truth? As you said, it is rather convenient that you receive a message from your Princess to pick us up.”

“Listen here you overgrown lizard, this here is my best friend. I’ve never lied to him and I’m not about to start. Especially not right to his face.”

“Still, Mags, Scales has a point. Even if you’re not lying, it’s still too bloody convenient. Too many questions. For example, how do you know Celestia sent that letter?”

“Do I look like the type of pony that gets letters from the Princess often? I don’t know her hoofwriting. It’s signed Princess Celestia, so I assume that she sent the bloody letter.”

Thunderbolt scratched his neck. “I guess that without any contradicting information we have to assume Celestia did, in fact, send the letter.”

“And,” Aurum interjected. “Since there’s no one else here, we have to assume that he’s telling the truth.”

“Unless I murdered the poor bloke that was supposed to meet you.”

“I thought that this was a clandestine mission. Is it wise for us to be discussing it in the open like this?”

“Ah, yes. Of course. Let’s get you inside. My home is a short walk away.”

A short walk away turned out to be the other side of town. Magnum stopped in front of a small single storey house. The walls were white with a red door in the centre of the façade. There was a window on either side of the door. Under one of the windows was a small rose garden. The property was surrounded by a white picket fence. Next to the gate was a mailbox that read ‘Hooves’. Behind it, the forest loomed like an ogre over a gingerbread house.

“We’re here,” Magnum announced. He opened the gate and walked onto the cobblestone walkway that led to the door. He opened the door with a flourish. “Casa Dolce Casa. Make yourselves at home.” He entered the door. Thunderbolt followed him. Through the door was a small foyer. Next to the front door was a coatrack with a thick brown coat hanging on it. The room itself was painted a soft cream colour. In each of the walls were a plain wooden that led, Thunderbolt presumed, further into the house. Once Aurum was inside the house, Magnum slammed the door shut. From behind the door across from the front, a shrill shout of “Daddy” could be heard. The door was thrown back and Thunderbolt gasped and took a step back.

Green eyes framed by a black fringe stared up at him. They were filled with excitement. Filled with life. The beige unicorn filly had a large smile on her face. For a moment Thunderbolt saw the Captain from his dream standing in front of him. He shook his head. When he looked back up the filly was gone.

“SNOWY!” a shrill voice shouted from further inside the house. “STRANGERS ARE AT THE DOOR!”

Magnum swore and squeezed past Thunderbolt. “Give me a moment. I didn’t tell them you’re coming yet.”

“That was interesting,” Char snorted. “Who’s the kid?”

“His daughter.”

“How do you know?”

“She looks just like his wife, just smaller.”

Something tapped Thunderbolt on his flank. He spun around and looked into a pair of red eyes. They were in the skull of a milk-white pegasus mare. Even her mane was the colour of snow. The only colour on her body was the picture of a blackboard on the back of her flank. Around her neck hung a small blackboard. Attached to it was a piece of chalk on a string. The board read: Hi. Would you like anything to drink? It was written in steady, neat letters.

“Uh, hi. Who are you?”

The mare cocked her head to the side. She then wiped the board clean with a wing, took the piece of chalk in her mouth and started writing on the board.

I’m Snowflake. Assistant to Maj Hooves. Would you like anything to drink?

“Coffee. Milk and one sugar. Thanks.” Thunderbolt turned to Aurum. “You want anything, Rosie?

“Tea. Just milk.”

And the dragon?

“I’m fine. Can’t you ask me yourself instead of writing everything on that damn board?”

The red-eyed mare sighed like she had heard something like that countless times before and opened her mouth. The group cocked their heads in confusion. Then they noticed something missing. Something that sat so comfortable in their mouths that they almost forgot it existed. She had no tongue.

“I see,” the dragon responded, looking away.

If that is all, please make yourselves at home. With that last message and a nod, Snowflake disappeared through a door at the right side of the foyer. The door Snowflake came through hung wide open. Thunderbolt could see a four-piece lounge set arranged around a low table. The corner of a small liquor cabinet was visible. Magnum sat on one of the chairs and invited Thunderbolt to join him with an enthusiastic wave. Char hopped off of Thunderbolt’s head and started growing in size. A snap of cold filled the room as the dragon grew to Magnum’s size rather than that of a housecat.

“That’s better,” Char sighed in relief.

“Fascinating,” Magnum exclaimed. “Not only can dragons alter their size at will, but they also seem to draw in thermal energy when the expansion of the body takes place,” he rambled. He looked at up at Char, his eyes shining with excitement. “Could you please enlarge yourself again? I want to test if the if it works the same in the other direction. Would you give off thermal energy if you contract your size?”

“God,” Char exclaimed in exasperation. “Not another one,” he turned to Thunderbolt. “I swear, all of you ponies incessantly ask the most inane questions. What the hell is he on about?”

“I think he’s just asking about your dragon traits,” Thunderbolt answered with a chuckle.

“I’m not subjecting myself to your enquiries any longer. I’ve dealt with enough of this with that blue pony on the train.”

Thunderbolt chuckled to himself as Magnum tried to coax Char into answering a couple of questions or donating a couple of samples for testing. The dragon was adamantly refusing his requests. Especially the ones regarding samples. Thunderbolt looked around the room and saw that Aurum had sunk into the couch on the far side of the room. He sat down across from her.

“How you holding up?” he asked.

“I still see the dream when I close my eyes,” she said with a shudder. “It was more like a memory than a dream.”

The clattering of cups interrupted Aurum. Snowflake had returned with a tray balanced on her wings. Several steaming mugs were on it. The filly bounced up and down behind her. Behind them was an unfamiliar mare. Her fur was white and her mane a shining black, like an insect’s carapace. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green. Strangely enough, her flank was bare, devoid of any markings like those of the other ponies.

“You should be in bed,” Magnum scolded the filly sternly, having caught a glimpse of his daughter’s bouncing form from the corner of his eye. Char took advantage of the earth pony’s distraction and sat down on a couch to Aurum’s left. Snowflake put the tray onto the table and sat down next to Aurum.

“But Snowy made cocoa,” the filly complained.

“Fine,” Magnum relented. “Drink your cocoa and then straight to bed.”
The filly bounced forward, thank-yous pouring from her mouth like water from a broken faucet. She latched onto her father’s leg in an excited hug.

Magnum nuzzled the filly affectionately. “Go on, drink up before it gets cold.”

The filly let go of the leg and bounced off toward the couch Char was sitting on. Showing no fear she hopped onto the couch. She stuck her tongue out as she lit her horn with a cheerful green aura. A similar aura appeared around the smallest mug on the tray. It had a picture of a dog printed on it and little hearts had been painted all over it. The mug moved millimetre by millimetre towards the edge of the tray. A silver-blue aura covered the green one.

“Let me get that for you,” Thunderbolt offered with a good-natured smile. The filly excitedly received the mug and started sipping the hot, sweet liquid as she snuggled up to the living heater named Char. The dragon didn’t seem to mind her presence. Magnum narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar mare.

“You’re supposed to be at home. What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, wanted to ask you something about the data I collected.” Her voice was deep and soothing.

“And it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“No”

Magnum sighed. “Fine, but you’re sleeping in the guest room. No way I’m sending you home this late.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “I thought that Ponyville was one of the safest towns in Equestria. Wouldn’t she be safe, even if it’s the middle of the night?”

“If she lived in Ponyville I’d agree with you, but…”

“I don’t live in Ponyville. I live in a quaint little hut made out of a hollow tree with a zebra who speaks in rhymes.”

“But it is a ten-minute walk from the edge of town into the Everfree forest. Manageable during the day, but I’m not letting you take the risk.”

“Ok, Mags, not to sound rude, but who is this?”

Magnum rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I haven’t introduced you yet. Her name’s Chitin. She’s an entomologist researching the insects of the Everfree. I’m helping her gather samples. Chitin, this is Thunderbolt. I call him Sparks. He used to be in the guard with me.” Magnum pointed to Aurum. “That’s Aurum, she’s a jeweller from Manehattan, and over there.” Magnum pointed to Char, who sat scowling at them. “Is Char.”

Chitin smiled politely. “Nice to meet you all.”

Thunderbolt inclined his head politely. “Likewise.”

Char nodded his head almost imperceptibly.

Aurum waved Chitin over with a smile on her face. The white mare made herself comfortable between the two pegasai and turned to Magnum.

“Do you have any stories about when you two were in the guard?”

Magnum scratched his chin. Thunderbolt started chuckling.

“What about the time you blew up the officer latrines.”

“HEY! That was an accident,” Magnum protested.

“You threw a bunch of grenades into the place.”

“I thought they were smoke grenades. Damn things looked the same to me at the time. Besides, if I remember correctly, you threw one or two as well. What was your words? ‘If you are going to get chased up and down a parade ground you shouldn’t do it alone.’”

“If I knew they would make the entire squad run laps around the parade ground in full combat gear I would have just left you alone. Not that it would have saved you from the pounding that the squad gave us after the laps.” Thunderbolt blew out a lungful of air. “It’s a bloody miracle we weren’t court-martialled.”

Magnum laughed from his belly. “We almost were. I overheard Sergeant Breastplate asking Major Feather Plume for one. Old bastard shot him down.”

“Still got fined though.”

“Better than a court-martial.”

A comfortable atmosphere settled over the room. Magnum and Thunderbolt reminisced over memories from their time in the Guard. Across from them Aurum, Chitin and Snowflake shared a seemingly one-sided conversation. However, the fact Snowflake was writing excitedly on her board in between sips of whatever was in her mug, told Thunderbolt that she found the conversation stimulating as well. Char told the filly at his side stories to her wide-eyed delight. The filly suppressed a yawn. Her mug slipped from her hooves. Char’s claw shot out and caught the falling mug.

“I think that someone needs to go to bed,” the dragon commented as he put the mug onto the table. He gently picked the filly up with one of his claws and placed her on the floor. Magnum and Snowflake got up from their seats.

“I’ll take her to bed,” Magnum told Snowflake. “You can go home. Have some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

Snowflake nodded. She nuzzled the filly, waved to the rest and left through the front door. Chitin got up with a yawn.

“I think that I’ll turn in as well. Which way’s the guest room?”

Magnum pointed to the foyer. “Into the foyer, take a right, down the hall, second door to the left.” He turned to his daughter and gave her a loving nuzzle. “Come on, my darling, let’s get you to bed.” Magnum picked up the filly and put her onto his back. She was fast asleep before Magnum had even left the room.

“I thought you didn’t care about ponies,” Thunderbolt said with a chuckle.

“I don’t,” Char snorted. “But whelps are the future of any race. They must be protected. Even if the whelp is a soft and weak pony.”

“Soft and weak, huh? Remind me, who kicked your arse?”

“If I remember correctly we never finished that fight.” Char shifted on the couch. He looked like a cat ready to pounce. Thunderbolt leapt up from the couch and planted his hooves shoulder-width apart. Exited smiles played across both their faces. Aurum’s protests went unheard as dragon and pony looked each other in the eyes, seeing who would pounce first.

“If you’re going to fight, do it outside,” Magnum grunted as he came back into the room.

“Sorry, Mags. Got a bit carried away.” Thunderbolt sat back down. Char relaxed as well.

“So, Sparks, how’d you find this motley crew?”

“Celestia threw us together. Char’s been offered amnesty, I’m trying to clear my name and Rosie… Celestia wants us to keep her safe.”

“Well, I guess we should get to work then. Follow me.”

Magnum led them through a small door hidden just inside the hall and down a narrow, winding set of stairs. Char had to shrink himself down the size of a cat to fit comfortably. At the bottom of the stairs was a large, white room. Crystals and equipment were scattered across the counters that lined the room’s walls. In the centre of the room was a round table with a diamond-shaped crystal suspended between two thin rods at the centre. Magnum tapped the crystal and light started shining out of it. Slowly the light covered the table. A picture filled with landscapes, forests and towns began to form on the table.

Magnum sighed. “I’m going to level with you guys. Until recently I didn’t even think that The Sage existed.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I thought that he was a bogeyman, meant only to scare the new recruits to the Military Intelligence branch.”

“And now?”

“I’m not sure. Some of Military Intelligence’s records date sightings back to the founding of Equestria. My working hypothesis is that it’s a title passed down from one pony to the next.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if The Sage isn’t merely a title, but a single pony.”

“An immortal? You have got to be kidding me, Sparks.”

“It’s not impossible,” Char chimed in. “Among the dragons, it is common to live for several centuries. And your Princesses have both lived at least a millennia, if not more. If this pony found a way to replicate their long lives…”

“Don’t even finish that thought. If we’re up against an immortal, we don’t have a fucking chance. A foal has a better chance of getting out of Tartarus than we have of capturing a nigh immortal pony.”

“This is all just speculation. We should see if we can’t get more information before we start crafting theories.”

Magnum nodded. “Right. Information. Data.” He pointed to the picture on the table. “This is a map of Equestria and this.” He tapped the crystal and green dots started appearing across the map. “Is magical anomalies catalogued by Military Intelligence over the past year.” He tapped the crystal again and the green dots disappeared until there were three left. “These are anomalies that were detected or changed over the last week. I’m hoping that if we investigate each one can discover something about The Sage or his plans.”

Thunderbolt nodded. “Ok. Where do we start?”

Magnum tapped the crystal and the map zoomed in on the green dot on the north side of Equestria. A large city with a central tower was to the left of the anomaly. “We could go north. The anomaly appeared just outside the Crystal Empire, but the entire area was hit by a blizzard right before the anomaly appeared, so we don’t have any more details on it.” He tapped the crystal and the map zoomed in on an area filled with volcanic islands. “There’s an anomaly in the Dragon Lands, but the area seems to be under heavy guard. Whether this is deliberate or merely a coincidence is unknown.” Next, the map zoomed in on a ruined castle surrounded by a forest. “That only leaves the Castle of the Two Sisters. It’s located deep in the Everfree forest. I know my way around the area, so I can lead you around the most dangerous areas.”

“We can hit up the castle tomorrow and plan from there. Any objections?” No one responded. “Good. Get some sleep. We leave first thing in the morning.”

Chapter 10: Night Troubles

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 10: Night Troubles

“You still up?”

Thunderbolt looked up. Magnum was standing in the door to the living room. He was rubbing his eyes while trying to suppress a yawn.

“Yeah, just…” Thunderbolt suppressed a yawn of his own. “Just having some trouble sleeping.”

Magnum entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Fine.” Magnum crossed the room and opened the door of the liquor cabinet. “Want something to drink instead?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Mags.”

“No problem. In the mood for anything specific?”

“Nah. You choose.”

Thunderbolt heard the clinking of bottles before Magnum placed a bottle of amber liquid on the table in front of him.

“What is this?”

Magnum put two glasses on the table. “Some sort of apple brandy the Apple family’s been experimenting with. I think it’s supposed to be Calvados, but because of some sort of legal issue they can’t actually call it that.”

“I see.”

Silence filled the room as Magnum poured the alcohol into the glasses. Thunderbolt licked his lips. He started tapping a hoof against his seat. He bit his lip.

“It’s just.” Thunderbolt sighed. “It’s just… I feel like if I’d done something different I could have saved them.”

Magnum sat down next to Thunderbolt. “Saved who?”

“The squad. My squad. The one that went on that mission right before I left the service. The one where your wife… where your wife...” Thunderbolt trailed off, the words getting caught in his throat. It was like acid coming up from his stomach. He took a swig of the brandy to wash it down. The alcohol burned as it went down. An aftertaste of apples lingered on his tongue.

“Where my wife died?”

“Yeah. That one.”

“Look, my wife’s dead. You can’t change that. Neither of us can. Don’t… don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“Still, I can’t help but feel that I got her killed.”

“Stop beating yourself up over it. You can’t change anything now and even if you could… you don’t know how it would change things.”

“Doesn’t change how I feel.”

Magnum sighed. “You know that mare with the blackboard around her neck?”

“Yeah. Her name’s Snowflake, right?”

Magnum nodded. “I found her a couple of months after the Guard told me about my wife’s death. After you dropped off the face of the earth. Back then I was still being deployed. There was a hostage situation with some terrorists from Griffonstone. They were hiding out in an abandoned building complex near the border. We deployed as fast as we could, but it still took us a week to get to them. Negotiations broke down almost immediately. We went in, captured six of the terrorists and killed three. In a backroom, we found… we found the hostages. It seems like they captured a class of foals who were out on a field trip. Snowflake was their teacher. Thank God the foals where unharmed, but Snowflake… they cut out her tongue and…” Magnum took a swig of brandy. “God only knows what they did to her.”

“What happened to the terrorists?”

“Celestia made some sort of deal with Griffonstone’s council of Elders. The surviving terrorists were handed over to the Elders. They voted on a punishment. The terrorists were executed. The griffons made it a public event. I attended. I think I wanted to make sure to confirm that they're dead.”

“I see.” Thunderbolt was quiet for a moment. “Why are you telling me this story?”

“Because after everything I couldn’t help but think that if we were faster, we could have prevented all of the shit that Snowflake went through. I kept thinking that if we had identified those pieces of shit that did all of this earlier, we could have prevented the whole mess from happening. I just kept thinking that if I had done something differently something would change and all of that could have been prevented.”

“How did you deal with that feeling?”

“It just took time, I suppose. And prayer.” Magnum drained his glass of Brandy. “Lots of prayer.”

“Prayer huh? I haven’t been good with that in a while.”

“It’s not always easy and I can’t guarantee that you’ll always feel better, but it helps.”

“Maybe. Some part of me just keeps wondering why God would allow it.”

“To preserve our free will maybe? Without the option to be evil, we can’t actually be good, can we?”

“That’s not… That’s not a satisfying answer. It doesn’t solve the problem, does it?”

“I don’t have a better answer for you Sparks. Not sure that there is a satisfying answer.”

“Me neither.”

The room got quiet. Thunderbolt nursed the glass of brandy between his hooves.

“Hey, Sparks.”

“Yeah.”

“Think you could tell me about Flare’s last mission?”

Thunderbolt squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. “You have access to the After Action Reports. Can’t you read it there?”

“I don’t want to read some dry military report. They just seem so impersonal. That’s why I’m asking you.”

“I don’t like remembering it.”

“I just want some closure. Maybe it’ll help you too.”

Thunderbolt licked his lips. Maybe it’ll help you too. He drained his glass and put it on the table. “Fine. I’ll tell the story, but only if you fill that glass back up.”

Magnum smiled. “I can definitely do that.”

“We were sent out to scout a cave where some bandits were reportedly hiding out. People had been going missing in the area. Captain Flare found fresh blood near the cave entrance. She sent Firefly back to the main force with a message and told us to prepare for combat.”

Chitin was awoken by a series of murmurs and groans. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she scanned the room for the sound. She saw the closet on the far side of the room. Next to it was the door. It creaked as it swung slightly ajar. Next Chitin’s eyes drifted onto other bed in the room. It was on the opposite end of the window that hung over the beds. On it was the shadowy bulge if a sleeping pony. The moonlight spilling in from the window illuminated the golden face and auburn mane of the bed’s occupant. The mare’s name was Aurum if Chitin remembered correctly. Chitin narrowed her eyes at her. Aurum’s eyes were squeezed shut. Her snout twitched as she murmured something. Chitin could’ve sworn that she had heard the word ‘daddy’, but that would be impossible. What sort of grown mare dreams about her father? Chitin slid out of the bed while keeping an eye on Aurum. It was like an inky black cloud of fear had formed around the sleeping pony. Chitin slinked over to the bed and nudged Aurum in the shoulder. All she earned was a soft groan. Chitin nudged again, a bit harder this time. Still no response. She lifted her hooves and prepared to start shaking Aurum when another murmur slipped from her lips.

“No… Daddy…please…”

It sounded pleading, almost desperate. Chitin grabbed Aurum’s shoulders and started shaking her like a foal shaking a can of soft drink.

“Come on, come on,” she muttered. “Wake up.”

Aurum’s eyes snapped open. The violet orbs darted around their sockets like a squirrel in a saucepan and a distracted “wha” drifted from her mouth. Chitin gave a relieved sigh and sat down on the bed.

“You looked like you were having a bad dream. What was it about?”

“It was about my dad.” Aurum squeezed her pillow like it was a stuffed bear. “About the day he died.”

“What happened to him?”

“They said it was a mining accident.” Aurum didn’t make eye contact. She just stared into space.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks, but it happened a long time ago. I was just a foal when it happened.”

“What was he like?”

“Who? My dad? He was strong. And he always had a smile on his face, but he never let us get away with anything. I remember this one time when my brother got into the neighbour’s apple orchard…”

As Aurum talked a rosy glow seemed to appear around her and a soft satisfied smile grew on Chitin’s lips.

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door to her bedroom. She cocked her head side to side in an attempt to work the kinks out of her neck.

“Long day?” a gravelly voice asked. It belonged to a black-coated Unicorn stallion laying on the modest four-poster bed with a thick book in his hooves.

“Very,” Celestia answered as she shuffled to the bed. “But it was our little girl that made me so tired. Who knew she would need that many lullabies to fall asleep,” she sighed as she fell face-first onto the bed, wings and mane splayed around her. She looked up at the stallion. “And your day, dear?”

“Same old, same old,” he answered with a distracted hoof wave. “Guard duty, drills, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes at the stallion. “Is something wrong dear?” she asked gently. “You seem a bit distracted.”

“What?” the stallion asked in confusion. “No, I’m fine. What makes you say that?”

“I can see the tension in your neck, dear,” she answered flippantly. “And you’ve pulled a random book from the library to distract you from whatever is distracting you from everything else.” She squinted at the book’s spine. “I didn’t think that you liked the 50 Bales of Hay.” Celestia giggled. “Honestly, dear, we’ve been married for 10 years. I would be a horrible wife if I didn’t notice if something was bothering you.”

“Well, you have had a lot of practice,” the stallion said snidely. He regretted the words before they properly left his mouth. Celestia frowned in anger. It was like a surly raincloud had been put in front of the sun. “I’m sorry,” the stallion started to apologize. “I didn’t mean it like-”

“No, no, you’re right.” Celestia cut him off, her voice low and threatening. “I’ve had other husbands. And not all of them were good,” She lifted herself off of the bed, revealing a long thin scar on her chest that was usually hidden beneath her golden regalia. “I have had a lot of practice being a wife. And it is because of that practice that I’m going to ask you again,” she breathed deeply. “Platemail, dear, please tell me what’s bothering you?”

“It’s noth-” Platemail started to evade the question.

“If you tell me that it is nothing you will be spending the night in the barracks with your fellow guards,” Celestia threatened. Platemail could see by the look in her eyes that she was not making an idle threat.

“Fine,” he snorted. “I’ll tell you, but it really is stupid. A couple of days ago some stallion came to the guard post. He was bandaged head to hoof and wore a black cloak. Gave me a really uneasy feeling,” he shuddered. “So he started mouthing off about you and how you just married me to, how did he put it, ‘scratch an itch’,” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “See what I told you. It’s stupid. Naturally, I had him thrown out, but the possibility of it being true just kept niggling at the back of my head and-” he was silenced by a kiss from Celestia.

“Dear,” she laughed. “If I just wanted to ‘scratch an itch’ there are easier ways than to marry a stallion and raising a child with him.”

“Yeah,” Platemail chuckled. “You could just reply to one of those letters propositioning you.”

Celestia grimaced. “How many today?”

“142, according to Kibitz,” Platemail answered, pointing to the small desk in the bedroom. On it was a small pile of letters. “Those are the important letters. Honestly, I don’t know how that stallion does it. He makes your schedules, does most of the administration and sorts your mail. If he weren’t here the country would fall apart.”

Celestia nodded glumly, her ears drooping. With a sigh, she stood up and dragged herself over to the desk. “How important do you think those letters are?” she complained. “Nothing to it, but to do it, I suppose. You can go to sleep dear, I just need to sort through the mail.”

Most of the mail turned out to be things that she could deal with in the morning. There was one trade proposal that needed to be redirected to the Royal Negotiators and a proposal from some prince in Saddle Arabia that slipped past Kibitz’s keen eye. Celestia glared at the letter as if she could simply will it, and its sender, out of existence. She sighed because reality decided that she was not able to do that, and tossed the letter into the fireplace. Celestia lit her horn and with a magical spark and ignited the contents of the fireplace. With the fireplace now merrily crackling away Celestia turned to the last letter on her desk.

The letter was bright blue and looked more like a brochure than anything else. The page was littered with pictures of hot springs in between text promising relaxation and healing for her soul. Celestia raised an eyebrow before allowing a coy smile to grow on her lips.

“Dear,” she said in a seductive whisper. Platemail looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow of his own. “You remember how we were planning a diplomatic visit to Neighpon?”

“You mentioned something like that, yes…” Platemail said cautiously.

“We have received an invitation for the opening of a new bathhouse. Apparently it has the Emperor’s approval.”

“Sounds fun,” he said with a smile. “I’m sure Solar Ray will love it too.”

“Our little sunshine,” Celestia said, trotting toward her husband with swaying hips. “Will be spending the week with her grandmother. It will be you alone in the land of the rising sun with the mare who raises the sun.”

“Don’t you have things to do here?” Platemail asked with a smirk, already predicting Celestia’s answer.

“Oh, I’m sure Kibitz and Luna will figure something out,” she whispered into his ear, her breath hot on his ear. “Now, how about a preview of what Neighpon holds?”

“When I got to the mouth of the cave, there was a platoon of getting ready to head into the cave. At least I assume that they were. I collapsed right as I saw them.” Thunderbolt took a sip of liquor. “I woke up about a week later in an army clinic the next town over. Firefly was next to the bed. She told me… she told me that the brass seemed hesitant to send troops to support us.” He chuckled. “She actually accused them of stalling. They kept hiding behind arguments of ignorance, saying that they couldn’t move in without more information. That’s why we get sent in right? To gather that information and if we don’t return, you send a recovery force, right?” Thunderbolt waved a hoof dismissively. “Whatever, after about a week Firefly convinced some of the officers that enough was enough and that we needed a rescue. They were about to head into the cave when I collapsed half-dead at their feet.”

“She say anything else? She say anything about Flare? What happened to my wife, Sparks?”

“Firefly said that they found The Captain’s body just inside the entrance, right after the cave started widening into a large cavern. She said that the Captain’s throat was punctured by something and that the wound was fresh, but they couldn’t save her.”

“And you? Firefly said that the wounds were fresh. Did you see Flare during your escape?”

“I don’t know. There was a fight. The details are hazy. Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. I just… don’t remember. Sorry Mags.”

Magnum lifted his glass in Thunderbolt’s direction. “Don’t worry about it. I just wish we could have gotten the body back.”

“Wait, you didn’t get the body?”

“Nah. Some of the brass insist that they still need it for research or something. They’re really vague about it.”

Thunderbolt raised his eyebrows. “Huh...”

Magnum waved his hoof dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It’s my problem. I’ll deal with it. Now there’s just one more thing that I want to know about.” A wicked grin grew on his face and he threw a sly glance at Thunderbolt. “What’s the deal with that mare you’re travelling with?”

Thunderbolt choked on his drink. “Rosie? What about her?”

“Ignoring the nickname; how’s she involved in all this? Where does she fit in?”

“I told you. Celestia wants us to keep her safe.”

“Really? A pretty mare like her? She hasn’t caught your eye at all?”

“What do you want me to say? I find her attractive? Yeah, but right now I have a job to do. If by some fucking miracle we survive, yeah, I might ask her out for a coffee or something, but right now… I don’t think it’s the right time.”

Magnum shrugged. “Your choice. I wouldn’t sit on my hooves for too long though. Like my dad used to say if there’s a chance to get close to a pretty mare a stallion should seize the opportunity.”

“Like you did with that mare that popped in unannounced? What was her name? Chitin?”

“Oh, go soak your head. A child needs a mother. And an empty bed is a horrible thing to get used to. So I got back into the dating game. We met at the bowling alley and get along pretty well. I just didn’t want her to meet Eclipse before I had a clear idea that the relationship was going somewhere. And I’ve told her that her mother is gone.”

“You haven’t told her that Flare’s dead yet?”

“Yeah. I was never quite sure how to broach the subject. She thinks that Flare’s on an assignment far away.” Magnum looked at Thunderbolt with a conspiratorial smile. “Don’t let her find out you worked with Flare. She’s going to bombard you with questions you might not know the answers to.”

Thunderbolt chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He put his glass to his lips and drained the last of the amber liquid inside. “Now let’s get some shut-eye. We have a long day ahead tomorrow.”

“Roger that.” Magnum lifted his glass in a salute, downed the contents and slammed the glass onto the table.

Chapter 11: The Everfree Forest

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 11: The Everfree Forest

Thunderbolt woke with a start. He shook his head and closed his eyes. What had woke him up? He could only see vague images of a misty forest. A low growl interrupted his thoughts. His eyes snapped open. He swivelled his head toward the sound, horn lit and crackling with lightning. He saw Magnum asleep, drool gathering on his pillow. Char lied on his stomach like a cat.

“Fuuuuuck,” he breathed. ‘I’m getting jumpy.’ Thunderbolt slowly scanned the room. He was on a queen-sized bed. A linen sheet covered the mattress beneath him and duvet with spiral patterns covered him along with the rest of the bed. To the bed’s right was a window that covered almost the entire wall. He could see the last edges of the moon as it set for the night. There was a series of oak wardrobes across the bed and a full-length mirror hung to the right of the bed. His stomach growled. He chuckled and gave it a loving pat.

“All right, let’s get you something to digest.”

Thunderbolt squinted as he entered the kitchen. Once his eyes adjusted to the light he saw Chitin standing over the stove humming a soft, staccato tune. Her hips swayed slightly as she looked through the window at the Everfree forest. To Thunderbolt’s right, Aurum was hovering over a counter and pouring water from a kettle into a blue mug.

“Good morning, Ladies. You two sleep well?”

Aurum whipped around with a startled cry. Her wide eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark rings. As she turned her wing knocked the cup off balance. Thunderbolt’s eyes jumped from Aurum’s to the cup falling from the counter. He threw his magic at the cup. He wrapped it around the cup’s ear. Aurum shot him a sheepish smile. He returned it with an amused grin. Then the mug’s ear snapped. Aurum bit back a swear as the mug shattered on the cold tile floor.

“Sit down. I’ll clean this up… and make us both some fresh cups of coffee in the process.”

Aurum nodded and took a seat at the table in the centre of the room. Thunderbolt spread his wings and hovered a couple of inches above the ground. He picked out the larger pieces of the mug from the pile of shattered ceramics and powdered coffee and threw them into a nearby bin. He pulled two mugs from a cupboard and started pouring coffee into them.

“You look tired,” Thunderbolt observed. Aurum answered with an annoyed grunt. “What kept you up last night? How much sugar do you want?”

“Two.” Aurum rubbed her hooves into her eyes. “Just some nightmares.”

“What kind of nightmares?” Thunderbolt started to sweep up the mess from the broken mug as the kettle boiled. “Were they about that sh- mess at the cathedral?”

“No, not tonight. They were about my dad. He died in a mining accident. Some sort of cave in.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Thunderbolt placed a steaming mug in front of Aurum. He took a sip from the other one as he sat down across from Aurum. “Sorry if this sounds like prying, but why would you get nightmares about your dad’s death?”

“It’s fine. I can tell you. I was-”

“GOOD MORNING!” a voice boomed through the kitchen. In the door stood Magnum with a cheerful smile on his face. He was framed by Char’s bulky silhouette. Thunderbolt started getting up to make another cup of coffee.

“Don’t get up, Sparks. I’ll make my own.” Mangum crossed the distance between the door and the counter with great strides. “Oi, Lizard. You want a cup of coffee?”

“No. I can’t stand the stuff.” Char took a seat next to Aurum. Magnum shrugged and continued to make himself coffee. “Thunderbolt, what the hell is it with you two and nicknames?”

“Military thing, I suppose. Everyone in our squad except Corporal Shoeshiner had one.”

“He got one after you transferred.”

“Really? What is it?”

“They called him Greenhoof on account of him running his fillyfriend’s flower shop during one of his leaves.”

“No shit?” Thunderbolt shrugged. “Good for him, I suppose. What’s our plans today? We storming the castle?”

“We have to take Chitin back to Zecora’s place. I also have to pick up some supplies while we’re there. Then we can scout out the castle and figure out a detailed plan of action.”

“Why don’t I just fly above the castle and report what I see?” Char suggested.

“And get shot down by whatever the hell is guarding the place?”

Thunderbolt sipped his coffee. “Worth the risk, isn’t it?”

“Let’s just get to the castle first, okay?” Magnum turned to the window. “Look at that sunrise,” he whistled. Thunderbolt joined him to look out the window. The sky was turning that early morning greyish-blue as the sun was just peeking across the Everfree.

“We should get moving.”

“We should eat. And prepare some lunch. The forest isn’t a place to pack on unprepared and on an empty stomach.”

“Good thing I’ve been cooking up some oats, isn’t it?” Chitin chimed cheerfully. She presented the pot on the stove with a flourish. On the counter next to the stove was a set of four packed lunches. “I made you guys some lunches too.”

Magnum smiled gratefully. “Thanks, dear. I appreciate the effort. Just one thing… do you mind making an extra one? I’m not sure when we’ll be back, so I asked Eclipse to stay over at a friend’s and I don’t want her to go hungry.”

“No need. I’ll catch something in the forest. The foal can have my portion. Besides, I don’t eat plants like you ponies. A dragon eats meat. In any case, is that forest truly so dangerous?”

“According to the rumours, Scales. Most of them involve ponies going in and never coming out.”

“Yet your kind built a town at its edge.”

“We did. Mags, is the forest really that dangerous?”

Magnum scratched his neck. “Yes and no. There are things that will kill you if you get too close. But those things tend to stay away from the beaten paths as well as the town.”

“Hey, are there any apples?” Aurum interrupted. She had started ladling the oats into a series of bowls.

“In the fridge. Third rack. Can’t miss it. Where was I?” Magnum thought for a moment. “Right, the forest. The thing that makes ponies uneasy is how alien it is to them.”

“Alien how?”

“Ooh!” Aurum cooed. “I found yoghurt. Can I use some of that?”

“Yeah, but avoid the pink tub. That’s Eclipse’s. Back to your question, Lizard. It’s alien because there’s no one controlling the forest.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t nature uncontrollable by its, well, nature?”

“Not to ponies. Pegasai can manipulate clouds and thus control the weather. We’ve learned to control animals so well that in some areas we need to wake them up when winter ends. And in most of Equestria forests only grow where we want them to. The Everfree turns that on its head. Clouds become uncontrollable when they enter the forest. The animals there are wild, almost untameable. When the town started ponies tried to cut the forest back for farmland. In the morning the forest had reclaimed the ground it lost. This process repeated itself again and again. ”

“What does that mean for our quest?” Char asked.

“It shouldn’t change much. We just need to get investigate the magical anomaly at the Castle of the Two Sisters and see if it’s related to The Sage. Mags will be able to show us what’s normal and what’s not for the forest.”

Magnum nodded in agreement as Aurum placed bowls of oats covered in yoghurt and diced apples in front of them.

“What happens if we don’t find anything?” Aurum asked.

“Then we keep our eyes and ears open for anything that might be related to The Sage. Other than that, we try and see if the anomaly in the Crystal Empire shows anything.”

“What about the one in the Dragon Lands? Char should be able to get us in, right?”

“That might be difficult. Dragons aren’t hospitable to what they consider the weaker races.”

“And we are one of these weaker races?”

Char shrugged. “You have yet to prove to me that you aren’t.”

Thunderbolt narrowed his eyes. “Is that a challenge, Scales?”

Char sneered, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. “If you think you can prove me wrong you’re welcome to try.”

“Quit it. We don’t have time for you two to settle your personal grudges. Just eat your breakfasts. I want to be on the road in the next hour.”

The group’s first stop was a hut inside a hollowed-out tree about ten minutes’ walk into the Everfree forest. Thunderbolt peeked into the window. The inside of the hut was made up of a large central room. The walls were lined with large masks and shelves with multi-coloured bottles. Some were even hanging from the ceiling. In the centre of the room was a large black cauldron over a fire pit. Inside an unknown green liquid was bubbling away. Taking a deep breath, he could smell herbs but were unable to identify them. He pushed against the door. It was locked.

“No one’s here, Mags.”

“The zebra must be out then. Wait.” Magnum pointed down a small forest path. “There she is.” Thunderbolt followed his hoof. He saw a zebra trotting down the path. While she seemed more masculine than most mares that Thunderbolt knew, her smaller build marked her out as a female. Around her neck was a set of golden rings which matched her earrings and those wrapped around her left leg. A black and white striped mohawk that ran down the nape of her neck. Her dark cyan eyes shone with a quiet wisdom. Once she saw that she had guests she waved and opened her mouth to speak:

“Good morning pony folk, I didn’t expect to have guests, while having my morning soak.”

Her voice was deep. Her slow and deliberate speech was marked by a rhyming pattern. Chitin and Aurum returned the zebra’s wave with friendly smiles, though Aurum’s was notably shyer. Thunderbolt gave a curt nod. Char snorted.

“Morning, Zecora,” Magnum said with a smile. “We’re just dropping Chitin off here. You don’t happen to have that package I asked for, do you?”

Zecora nodded. “Indeed I do. Give me a moment, and you’ll have your flammable brew.”

Magnum smiled. “Thanks, Zecora.”

Without another word, the zebra entered her hut and shut her door. Thunderbolt glanced at the door and then looked at Magnum.

“What’s the package for, Mags?”

“Just some stuff in case we run into something. I’m going to try and avoid the worst areas, but things can still go wrong.”

“What are you expecting?”

“Knowing you ponies, it’s probably an angry butterfly,” Char chimed in from atop Thunderbolt’s back.

Magnum rolled his eyes. “I’m more worried about Timberwolves.”

“What’s a Timberwolf?” Aurum asked.

“A creature made of wood, who is always up to no good.” Zecora emerged from her hut with a brown paper bag. She stepped over toward Magnum and held out the bag. Thunderbolt could hear the clinking of glass against glass as she moved.

“Thanks, Zecora. Do I owe you anything?”

The zebra shook her head. “There is no greater deed, than helping a friend in need.”

Magnum bowed his head and carefully shoved the paper bag into his own saddlebag.

“You got everything you came for, Mags?”

“Yeah. Let’s get going.”

Chitin closed the door to Zecora’s hut and let out a long protracted sigh. Zecora raised an eyebrow.

“What is wrong my dear, that you would sigh in a manner so queer?”

“He has a foal. Magnum, I mean. He’s a father. His daughter seems to love him. He deserves better. He deserves to know the truth.”

“Then why do you keep it hidden? Is the truth really something so forbidden?”

“It’s just…” Chitin licked her lips. “It’s just… What if he rejects me? I mean… I’ve been lying to him from the start.”

“If deceit founds a relationship, it will be plagued by hardship. If his feelings are true, he will not reject you. Besides.” Zecora smiled. “Is it truly such a bad thing, if he knew you were a changeling?”

“Zebras didn’t try to invade Equestria less than a year ago. There is no love lost between ponies and changelings. And it doesn’t really change the fact that I’ve been lying to him all this time.”

“It does not, but do you really have to let your love rot? It would do you well, if the truth you would tell.”

“Maybe you’re right. I’ll find a way to tell him next time I see him. But first, he has a job to do and I… I have things to take care of. Thanks for the talk Zecora.” Chitin took a deep breath, opened the door of the hut and walked into the Everfree forest.

As the sun moved across the sky, the activity within the Everfree forest started picking up. Birds chirped and sang their songs. Insects buzzed and small creatures scurried across the undergrowth. One particularly adventurous rabbit hopped into a clearing. He sniffed the air. A new smell was drifting through the forest. His ear twitched. The sound of flapping leather made him turn his head. His brain barely had time to register the black shape before everything went dark.

“Is that really necessary, Scales?” Thunderbolt wrinkled his nose as he watched Char tear at the carcass of a small rabbit.

“I am a dragon. Unlike you ponies, we eat meat.” Char took a deep breath and blew purple flames over a scrap of meat held between two claws. “Does that upset you, pony?”

Thunderbolt didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled his hood back and turned to the clearing. Aurum was setting out a checkered blanket in the centre with Magnum watching over her.

“Mags, how far is it to the castle?”

“Should be another 30-minute walk. Why?”

Thunderbolt scanned the treeline. His tail twitched. “We shouldn’t be out in the open like this. Someone’s going to see us.”

“And what they’ll see is a group of friends having a picnic. If we’re lucky they’ll pay us no mind.”

“And if we’re unlucky we’ll be captured and experimented on.”

“Then we can lull them into a false sense of security and ambush them. What’s wrong with you?”

Something moved in Thunderbolt’s peripheral. His head snapped toward it. He narrowed his eyes. The treeline was quiet. The soft breeze barely rustled the branches. He shook his head.

“Sorry. This bloody forest must be getting to me. I feel like I’m being watched.”

“I don’t blame you. The Everfree does that to ponies. You get used to.”

“We don’t have time to get used to it.”

“Hopefully you have time for lunch?” Aurum’s cheerful voice cut in. Magnum smiled and thanked her. Thunderbolt nodded and sat down on the blanket. He barely tasted the slightly salted tomato and cucumber sandwich that Aurum gave him. His eyes kept darting from rustling bush to quivering. Despite Magnum’s reassurance, he couldn’t shake the feeling of someone watching him. His head snapped toward a black blur in his peripheral. Char had found another rabbit to devour. Thunderbolt shook his head.

“… and right over the ridge is a quarry filled with gems. One of the local fashion designers uses them in her designs.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Goldie here was just talking about what she wanted to do with that payment you were getting if you managed to catch The Sage.”

“I, uh, I want to open my own jewellery shop. Magnum was telling me that Ponyville might be a good place to open a store.”

“We already have a jewellery store, but the owners are pretty old and stuffy. Some competition and a fresh perspective might liven things up.”

“Maybe.”

“And what about you, Sparks? What are you going to do with the money get for delivering The Sage over to Celestia?”

“Assuming that we survive long enough to get paid.” Aurum let a distressed squeak slip from her body. “Sorry, Rosie. As for the question itself… I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about that.” Thunderbolt rubbed the back of his neck. “Buy a house. Settle some debts, maybe. You’re definitely getting a share.”

“What? Why?” Magnum frowned. “This isn’t because you feel guilty about what happened with my wife?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “I’d be lying if that didn’t factor into it, but you’re guiding us through the forest. Maybe even beyond. Without you, we wouldn’t know where to start. You deserve something.”

“Its fine, Sparks. I’m just doing my job. I’m just getting paid a lot less than you are.”

“All the more reason for me to give you some of my money. Being a single parent is tough and you’re my best friend. Helping ease your financial burdens is the least I can do.”

Magnum opened his mouth, closed it and smiled gratefully. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“What a touching heart to heart,” a voice sneered from behind. The two stallions whipped around. Char was behind them. The dragon gave a low chuckle at their fright. Thunderbolt swore under his breath.

“You finish eating?”

Char nodded. “Rabbits might not be as filling as larger creatures but the ones in this forest has a delightful tang to them.”

Magnum stood up. “If everyone’s done eating we should get moving. The castle is just across the next ridge.”

Char started sniffing the air like a dog smelling a rat. “Do you guys smell anything?”

Thunderbolt took a deep breath. He almost gagged at the smell that invaded his nostrils. It was an indescribable mixture of decomposing plants, rotting flesh, and blood. Thunderbolt turned to Magnum. He opened his mouth to speak when he heard the sound of snapping twigs. Thunderbolt’s head snapped toward the sound. At the edge of the clearing, in a shaking bush, was a pair of glowing green eyes.

A manticore blinked lazily as Chitin strolled past its cave. Leaves softly crunched under her hooves. She had left the beaten path some time ago, she wasn’t sure how long. She didn’t care. Her head was held high as she made her way into the darkened forest. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The smell of earth and rotting leaves invaded her nostrils. An excited smile grew on her face. She let out a relaxed and satisfied sigh. This was home. Her eyes scanning the surrounding forest for something. They widened and she stood still. She had stopped a large rock set into a small hill. There’s not much to say about the rock. It was, well, a rock. Cold and grey with some chips here and there. Some moss grew on a place where the sun rarely shone. Chitin opened her mouth. A series of insect-like chitters drifted from her throat. A series of chirps from her left answered her call. The rock in front of her was burst into green flames. When the flames subsided a black pony-like creature stood in the rock’s place. Its skin was made of chitin as black as the night. On its back was a pair of gossamer wings. Large holes were in both wings and the creature’s legs. Whatever light there was in the forest’s gloom reflected dully off of its solid blue eyes. From the middle of its forehead grew a jagged, curved horn and down its neck ran a webbed mane. Fangs protruded from its mouth. It bowed deeply at Chitin.

“Your majesty,” it said. Its voice was deep. Masculine.

Chitin inclined her head politely. “Did I miss anything?”

“No, except... except that some in the hive have noticed your absence. They are starting to get antsy.”

“I suppose I should set them at ease.”

The male changeling stepped to the side and revealed a gaping hole in the hill. He bowed deeply. “I do believe that would be wise, your majesty.”

With a nod, Chitin walked the gaping black hole. The masculine changeling burst into bright green flames and for a moment the tunnel Chitin found herself in was illuminated by the flames. It was straight and long and descended into the bowels of the earth. The flames died out and it was dark once more.

A shape burst from the forest. It collided with Char and carried the dragon into the forest. Thunderbolt kept scanning the treeline. Something moved in his peripheral. Another shape leapt from the treeline, directly at Magnum. Thunderbolt leapt in its direction. He threw his forehooves around his friend. He let his momentum carry them out of the shape’s path. Thunderbolt leapt up and around. The creature before him looked like a wolf, but larger, about the size of a small house. The entire creature was made up of branches, twigs and leaves. Sharpened sticks stuck out of its mouth like fangs. The sunken sockets that mimicked eyes glowed with an unnatural green light. The creature growled a low growl. It took a step forward. Thunderbolt glanced back. Aurum was shivering behind him. He swore and started gathering magic in the tip of his horn. He saw something enter his field of vision. It was a small bottle filled with clear fluid. The creature lurched forward as the bottle hit it between its eyes. The clear fluid drenched its face and shoulders.

“SET IT ON FIRE!” Magnum yelled from somewhere behind Thunderbolt.

“What? Do you want me to turn us all into charcoal? You know I’m shit with pyrokinesis.”

“It doesn’t matter. We just need a spark. Quickly, before it evaporates.”

“A spark? I’ll give you a spark,” Thunderbolt mumbled under his breath. He started moulding the magic gathered in his horn. The smell of ozone started forming. Lightning burst from the horn and hit the creature right between the eyes. The clear fluid caught fire from the heat. The fire rapidly spread across the creature. It wailed pitifully as the flames consumed its body. Thunderbolt felt himself relax.

“Contact, six o’clock.”

Thunderbolt spun around. His eyes widened. In the distance, three more creatures made of branches, twigs and sticks were making their approach.

“Shit,” he hissed. “Mags! I don’t suppose you have more the stuff you threw over the first one?”

“Fresh out.” Thunderbolt glanced back at Magnum. Two of the creatures were burning in front of him.

“Shit.” One of the creatures charged him. Digging his forehooves into ground Thunderbolt swung his body around. He pulled his hind legs into his stomach. At the peak of the swing, he threw his legs back in a kick. He felt his hooves connect with something. Twigs and branches flew past him. Thunderbolt looked around him. The creature had burst apart. One of the other creatures howled at the loss of its brother. Both of them charged at Thunderbolt simultaneously. Thunderbolt squared his shoulders and waited for them with a cocky grin on his face. He kicked the first creature in the side of the dead, sending it off course. Its parts flew apart when it hit a tree. Mid kick Thunderbolt sent out a pulse of magical force, causing the other creature to lose its balance and plough a furrow into the forest path. A swift kick from Magnum sent the creature’s head flying. The rest of its body simply fell apart.

“I guess kicking them works just as well as fire.”

“No, Sparks, it doesn’t.” Magnum started gathering up twigs and branches and threw them into the burning remains of the other creatures. “Now help me burn as much as we can before it’s too late.”

“What do you-” Thunderbolt was cut off when the branches and twigs started glowing with a sickly green aura. The pieces began vibrating and lifting from the forest floor. Twig by twig the pieced zoomed toward a single point in the middle of the forest path.

“What the hell’s happening?”

“They’re reforming, Sparks. These things don’t die just by breaking them apart.”

“Then how the hell do we kill these things?”

“We set them on fire.”

“And we don’t have a reliable way to do that. Brilliant.”

A low growl interrupted the discussion. The creature in front of them was three times larger than the others. Sap dripped from its mouth like saliva. The indescribable smelling mixture of decomposing plants, rotting flesh, and blood grew thicker. The creature roared the ponies’ faces. Thunderbolt had to suppress the urge to gag. Behind him, he could hear retching and something wet hitting the ground. Thunderbolt swore and the creature took a step forward.

Green flames sputtered to life in sconces along the tunnel walls. Chitin took a deep breath and breathed out slowly. As she breathed out she was engulfed in green flames. They were gone as quickly as they came. In the wake the flames the mare was different. She was almost a head taller. Her white fur had been replaced by a shiny black coat of chitin. Her black mane had turned a dark blue-green colour and hung limply around her face. A smooth, curved horn jutted from her forehead. Delicate gossamer wings sprouted from her back. Her smile widened, revealing a set of fangs. Only her bright green eyes remained the same. It was like a pair of emeralds set in an onyx statuette.

“Where have you been?” a feminine voice hissed from somewhere to Chitin’s left. She gave a slight start. Her head swivelled in the direction of the sound. A black pony-like figure stood before her. Its form was slender, much more than the bulky figure Chitin was outside the tunnel. It could even be described as feminine. Much like Chitin’s and the male changeling, the figure’s body was covered in a shiny coat of black chitin. Thin gossamer wings were tucked into its sides. A webbed mane ran down its scalp and neck and a similarly webbed tail hung from its backside. A stubby, curved horn poked out of its forehead. Its eyes were orbs of solid, unreflective bright blue like two dull sapphires set in an onyx base. Fangs peeked out from the corners of its mouth. On its snout sat a pair of functional, round glasses.

“Ovi,” the transformed mare cried. “Shit, you scared me. What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” ‘Ovi’ answered. “Where the hell have you been?”

“In the village. It was already dark and Magnum insisted that I stay.”

“So you spent the night, with a pony?” ‘Ovi’ glanced at Chitin’s stomach. “Chitin, you didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” Chitin’s eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. “NO! Nononononono. Ovipositor, don’t even suggest that. Magnum isn’t that sort of pony. And he had guests. And a daughter. And I don’t… I don’t want to enter into that sort of relationship with him if I’m keeping secrets from him.”

“Does he really need to know?”

“I want him to know,” Chitin’s voice was small. Pensive. “I want him to know. I don’t want to lie to him or anyone else about what I really am. I don’t want to hide in the ground like a rabbit anymore!”

“Chitin, while I believe that hiding underground is unique to your hive, hiding our presence and siphoning the love of those around us indirectly is what has kept the changeling race alive since its creation. Your mother-” Ovi stopped midsentence. Her blood froze in her veins. Chitin was glaring at her, her eye narrowed into slits. Like all changelings, she could feel and see the emotions of those around her and from her queen, she could only feel boiling rage and saw a cloud of boiling red anger.

“I AM NOT MY MOTHER!” Chitin hissed. “If she had agents in the places we do she would have sucked Equestria dry and moved on to the next kingdom. Then she would’ve sucked that one dry and moved on to the next. And then the next. And the next. On and on and on until only we changelings were left. Listen, Ovipositor, we changelings need love to survive. You know that, right?” Ovi nodded. “That means we need a consistent source of love feed on. Ponies are overflowing with love. Mother’s methods would have them sucked dry and discarded. I would rather have us protect them and form a symbiotic relationship. Besides…” The red cloud faded Chitin got a faraway look in her eyes. “I would really like to be able to walk among them without a disguise.”

“I understand that Chitin, but I do not feel that it is feasible at this time.”

Chitin gave a resigned sigh. “I guess. What are you here for, Ovi?”

“There are some pressing matters you must attend to, your highness.”

Chitin gave a frustrated groan. She started walking. Ovipositor followed. “Fine. What did the hive do this time?”

“It is an external matter.” Ovipositor answered. “A squadron of scouts disappeared near the Castle ruins. I’ve already taken the liberty of sending out a group to investigate.”

“Good. Why do you need me then?”

“Their preliminary report is troubling. A gang of mercenaries seems to have made the Castle ruins their home. They have not found the missing scouts, but they plan on entering the ruins today in hopes that they might have discovered what has happened to them.” Ovipositor’s voice grew nervous. “You don’t-You don’t think that the ponies are preparing an assault on the hive, do you?”

“No. No, I don’t think so.” There was a twinge of doubt in Chitin’s voice. “They don’t even know where the hive is…” Chitin shook her head. “No, it’s probably something else. Keep an eye on the situation and tell me of any new developments.”

Ovipositor nodded. A changeling ran into the tunnel and threw himself onto the ground in front of Chitin.

“An urgent report for you, your majesty.”

Chitin nodded. “Rise and give me the report.”

The changeling rose to his feet. “One of the pony rulers, Princess Celestia, will be leaving today on a trip with her husband to Neighpon. Their foal will stay behind and sent to her paternal grandparents. What should we do?”

Chitin frowned. “Should we do anything?” she wondered aloud. “Celestia’s foal is none of our business.”

“If handled correctly,” Ovipositor interjected. “This could be the opportunity to strengthen changeling relations with ponies. You could take the first step in achieving your dream of walking among ponies au naturel, so to speak.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have received reports suggest that the Princess’s foal may be in danger. If we ensure the foal remains unharmed, we could earn the Princess’s trust and start to mend the bridge between pony and changeling.”

Chitin pursed her lips as she thought about this. “Fine. Find out where the foal’s grandparents live and send a squad to protect her. Make sure nothing harms her.”

“As you command, your highness.” The changeling bowed deeply and ran off into the tunnel. Chitin turned to Ovipositor.

“Anything else, Ovi?”

“I can’t think of anything urgent.”

“Oh, good. I would really like a good, long soak in a hot bath.”

Thunderbolt turned to Magnum.

“So, Mags, what’s the plan?”

“I don’t know. Lightning might work like with the first one, but without a flammable liquid you’re going to have to put a lot of energy into the main bolt to make it hot enough to set the thing on fire.”

“That’s not much of a plan,” Thunderbolt complained as he poured magic into his horn.

“Do you have a better one?”

“Not really,” Thunderbolt admitted. He glared at the creature. Silver blue eyes stared into glowing green ones. It was then that Thunderbolt noticed something. A thin layer of frost had formed on the creature’s leafy whiskers. His own breath had started forming tiny, white clouds. He gave an involuntary shiver. In the back of his mind, he noted that it had gotten colder. A lot colder. Then a shadow fell over them. Thunderbolt looked up. He saw a purple glow above him.

“Take cover!” he yelled. He threw the magic gathered in his horn outward, moulding it into a shell of energy around him and his friends. The shield gave off a soft silver-blue glow. The creature bent its knees, coiling itself, ready to pounce on the ball filled with trespassing ponies. It never got the chance. A stream of purple fire fell on the creature like it was sent by an angry god. The creature roared impotently as the flames consumed it. Thunderbolt lifted his hoof to shield his eyes from the blinding purple light. He felt the heat through the shield.

“I feel almost sorry for it,” Magnum said with a smirk. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. He wiped it off with the back of his hoof.

“I’m just glad I’m not on the receiving end this time.”

“This time?”

“Let’s just say me and Scales didn’t start out as friends.”

“What do you mean, Sparks?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later over a pint.”

They watched the creature burn. It whimpered softly, realising its end had come. Then the stream of flames died down. Thunderbolt lowered his shield. The shadow over them darkened. The ground shook as something landed in the clearing. Thunderbolt found himself looking at a set of tree-trunk sized legs covered in black scales. He looked up and saw a pair of emerald reptilian eyes and mouth that was curled into a sneer, revealing rows of razor-sharp dragon teeth. The dragon was twice the size of the creature that it had immolated. The air started heating up. Smoke drifted from the dragon’s body as it shrunk until it was the size of a housecat. A flying scaled housecat.

“Took your bloody time, didn’t you, Scales?

Char laughed. “I had more trouble with the thing that carried me off than expected. The damn thing was fast. And it kept reforming any limbs that I ripped off. But that posed no real problem. I simply reduced it to a pile of smouldering ash.” Char set himself down on Thunderbolt’s back. “What was it anyway?”

Thunderbolt shrugged and looked at Magnum.

“These were timberwolves. They’re just magical constructs that seem to mimic the behaviour of regular wolves. The locals think of them as monsters. I’m not convinced they’re entirely wrong about that.” Magnum examined the smouldering ashes of the timberwolf that Char immolated. “This one was a timberwolf king. It’s rare, but sometimes timberwolves will merge and become a larger, more dangerous creature. It can act as an alpha or leader of a pack. What’s strange is that they aren’t usually found in this area.” He turned to Thunderbolt. “Think The Sage might be involved.”

Thunderbolt shrugged. He looked at Rosie. “You ok?” She gave a small nod. “Right. Let’s get moving. I’d like to get to the Castle of the Two Sisters before nightfall.”

“I’m sure that we can help with that,” a nasally voice replied. Thunderbolt spun toward the sound, his horn crackling with electricity. In the treeline stood around ten ponies clad in scale barding. Most were earth ponies. They were armed with swords held in their mouths. A pegasus hovered above them. Sunlight glinted off of her wingtips. Thunderbolt couldn’t quite make out what was on her wings, but he assumed that whatever it was, it was sharp and that she knew how to use it.

“Lower your horn, unicorn,” the nasally voice ordered. It came from a unicorn in centre of the group. He had crimson coat under his barding. A sword with a golden hilt floated lazily next to his head. It was pointed at Thunderbolt’s chest.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Lower your horn,” Nasally Voice repeated.

“And if I don’t?”

“Then we’ll simply have to subdue you and capture you the hard way.”

For a brief moment, Thunderbolt considered simply sending Nasally Voice to hell. Then he felt his body ache. The fight with the timberwolves drained him. At best he could stun Nasally Voice, but that might just be enough. If he was lucky, the scale armour would conduct the lightning across the ground troops, stunning them all for long enough for him to take them by surprise. The only one that worried him was that pegasus with her possibly lethal wings.

“Sparks, you got any ideas?” Magnum hissed.

“Stun the leader, hope that it gives us a window of opportunity.”

“They might take Aurum hostage.”

“If we’re quick, we won’t need to worry about that.”

Char growled. “I refuse to be captured by ponies for a second time. I’ll engage the winged one.”

“On the count of three… one… two…” Thunderbolt’s legs gave out from under him. The world turned sideways and he felt the itching prick of grass through his cloak. From the corner of his eye he could that Aurum had fallen as well. He shook his head. He could feel sleep trying to claim him. The last thing he heard was Nasally Voice’s delighted orders:

“Good work Slumber. Duke, Onyx, get the ropes. And someone get a muzzle on that dragon. I don’t want him to chomp anyone’s limbs off.”

Chapter 12: The Castle of the Two Sisters

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 12: The Castle of the Two Sisters

Thunderbolt awoke in a forest clearing. Lonely wisps of mist curled around his legs as a familiar feeling of wrongness settled into the back of his mind. Something lurked in his peripheral vision. He resisted the urge to try and find it. Some gut feeling told him that he wouldn’t find anything. Instead, he tried scanning the treeline. A thick fog covered the forest floor, wrapping itself around the tree trunks. He seemed to be the only thing in the area. Not even the trees were moved by the lonely wind that howled in his ears. He heard something groan behind him. Thunderbolt glanced back. Aurum was shaking her head.

“Where am I?” the pegasus mare asked.

“Some sort of forest.”

“Forest?” Aurum’s eyes widened. “You don’t think it’s that forest?”

“It might be. A lot quieter though. Nothing seems to be trying to eat us yet.” Thunderbolt chuckled. “Keep your eyes peeled.”

“Where do you think that they all went?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they are having a big monster bash and our invitations got lost in the mail.” Thunderbolt’s eyes widened as he spied a tiny forest path. He beckoned Aurum along with a shake of his head. “Come on, let’s see if we can’t find a way out of this place.”

“But what if there isn’t a way out.”

“We got in here somehow. That means that there is some way in and out of here.”

“But what if-”

“But what if what?” Thunderbolt spun around to face Aurum. He was met with empty air. “Rosie?” he cried. “Where are you? Rosie!” A sharp pain exploded in his stomach and everything went black.

Thunderbolt awoke to pain radiating from his stomach. He felt the cold sting of a stone floor and the pinpricks of rocks scattered beneath him. Opening his eyes he saw only a grey blur. He shook his head.

“Where am I?”

More pain exploded from his stomach. A gravelly voice told him to get up. Thunderbolt pushed himself off of the ground. He looked around him. The floor was, as his side testified, cold and barren stone. Similarly, the walls that surrounded him was stone, neatly stacked and ordered, save for the opening in front of him, which was covered in cast iron bars. A thin streak of sunlight filtered in through a small barred window at the top of the cell’s back wall. In the centre of the room, a grey Earth pony stallion stood, his face as hard as the stones that surrounded him. One of his eyes was a chip of blue ice, the other was milky white.

“Where am I?” Thunderbolt wheezed.

“The Castle ruins in the forest.” Milky Eye seemed to draw out the ‘a’ of ‘castle’. “You’re friends are in the courtyard. Don’t waste whatever time they have left by exploring your cell.” The stallion turned around and walked away. With a shake of his head and a sigh, Thunderbolt followed Milky Eye. Outside of his cell, a long, dank corridor stretched on into the darkness. At the end was a short spiral staircase. At the top Thunderbolt had to blink as he emerged into the courtyard. In the back of his mind, he noted that the sky had turned a magnificent mix of red and orange. The day was almost over. Thunderbolt’s ear twitched. He could hear voices.

“Contact Black Spot and Viper. Between the two of them, they should be able to locate the foal.” The gravelly voice had a familiar authority to it.

“And once they locate the child?” A nasally voice asked. “What then?”

“They are to bring the foal to me. Obviously.”

Thunderbolt rounded the corner and entered a courtyard. Ponies were lazily patrolling around it. At the centre was his friends, their legs bound and their backs to him. Char was hanging upside down from a stake that was shoved into the ground. Above them was a crack in reality much like the one back at the Cathedral in Canterlot. A white wisp squeezed out of it and floated into the Everfree forest. No one seemed to pay it any notice. Milky Eye looked back at Thunderbolt and jerked his head in the direction of his friends. Thunderbolt nodded. As he approached the crack he felt a tingling sensation in his wings.

“And once you have the foal?” the nasally voice asked. Beneath the crack stood the crimson unicorn that captured him in the Everfree forest. He stood next to a pony wearing a cloak made of fabric darkness. The Sage.

“Nothing. The foal would merely be a deterrent. What would you propose we do with the foal, Callous?”

“Do we even need the foal? Aren’t we in a position to overthrow Celestia’s government and take control of Equestria?”

“A coup is certainly feasible, but we would be unable to maintain our hold on Equestria. Celestia will undoubtedly attempt to form a resistance, and considering the loyalty that she inspires in her subjects, she will be able to take back her throne.”

“So you would rather kidnap a foal? What are you planning to do with it?”

“If Celestia knows that we have her foal it will make her hesitate, giving us time to prepare a response for any action that she attempts.”

“Why don’t we just kill it? The loss of a foal can cripple a mother with grief.” A cruel smile formed on Callous’s lips. “I’d like to see her crumble with grief and heartache.”

“Do you know what will happen if we kill Celestia’s only child, especially if we take credit for it? She will aim all her pain and anger and grief at us and we are not in a position to survive the wrath of a demigod that controls the sun.” The Sage sighed. “Callous, do you know why I wish to overthrow Celestia’s government?”

Callous hesitated. “Uh… because you view Equestria as weak and unable to properly defend itself from the wolves that would devour it?”

“Exactly. It seems that your memory is of some worth, at least. I believe that Equestria is too weak to defend itself. Celestia is too much of a pacifist, relying on diplomacy and treaties to avoid conflict. Understand, Callous, that my plans are not motivated by malice against Equestria or Celestia herself. She is an amicable individual. This is not personal. It is merely politics. If you kill her child, you will make it personal to her, which pollutes the impersonal politics I aim to work in. Besides, only the weakest of stallions kill those who cannot fight back. Are you a weak stallion, Callous?”

Callous lowered his head. “You shame me, sir.”

“No, you shame yourself.” The Sage smiled paternally. “But there is still potential in you. I chose you as my lieutenant, didn't I? Have you ever known me to be wrong?”

“Uh, no sir.”

“Exactly.” The Sage turned to Milky Eye. “Now, Commander, what do we have here?”

While The Sage and Callous were talking Thunderbolt had, under Milky Eyes’s watch, made his way to his friends. There his hooves were tied and he was forced to kneel next to Magnum. They nodded a greeting to each other. Milky Eye placed his hoof on Thunderbolt’s shoulder.

“These are intruders we caught in the forest earlier today.”

“Hmm... I have been running low on subjects… those changelings are surprisingly fragile… wait… Thunderbolt?” The Sage rushed over and cradled Thunderbolt’s face in his hooves. “Oh yes, it is you. I expected you dead or incarcerated right now. I am so glad you found your way back to me.” He looked at the group. “And you brought friends. How thoughtful of you.

Thunderbolt straightened his back. “Don’t get too excited. We’ll escape.”

“Oh yes, part of me hopes you do. I’ve always admired that part of you, that resilience, that ability to bounce back.” The Sage made a small bouncing motion. His face dropped. A frown formed. “Of course, some part of me believes that I should kill you now and get it over with. The events in Canterlot proved that you may be more trouble than you are worth.”

“But then you won’t be able to use me as a test subject in future experiments.”

The Sage’s face brightened. “Exactly. There is so much more you can do with a live subject as opposed to a dead one. And since you are back in my possession I just have to utilize this opportunity.” He rubbed his bandaged hooves together. “I have so many fun things planned. Just you wait. I-” The air next to The Sage rippled and two figures appeared next to him. It was as if they had been in his shadow the entire time. One was Dominus, as large and as black as back in the Cathedral. The other was a beige unicorn mare with a black mane and tail. Bandages covered her throat and her glassy green eyes seemed to look at nothing in particular.

“Captain…” Thunderbolt breathed. Magnum started struggling with his bonds and calling out “Flare”. The mare didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she leaned into The Sage and whispered something into his ear.

The Sage huffed. “Finally!” he exclaimed. “Thunderbolt, I’m afraid that our reunion will be cut short. Come, Callous, we’re off to the Dragon Lands. Brigadier Blitz has finally deigned to grant us a personal audience rather than the terse letters he usually sends.” Callous nodded. The Sage turned to Milkey Eye. “Commander, if the subjects attempt to escape and you determine that recapture is impossible, you may kill them. Just make sure you keep them in one piece. Autopsies are far less informative if we do not have all of the pieces.” He seemed to think to himself for a moment. “One last thing, Commander.” He pointed at Aurum. Thunderbolt could hear Milky Eye swallow. “If in your tiny, brutish mind there even exists the slightest notion of ‘entertaining’ that mare like your predecessor ‘entertained’ my previous female subjects… remember why you now hold his title.” Then he was gone as if swallowed up by his own shadow. Thunderbolt stared at the spot where he had been.

“You heard him!” Milky Eye yelled. “Get some proper cells ready!” He shoved Thunderbolt forward. “Get moving.” As they walked Milky Eye barked orders at whoever was in hearing range. Thunderbolt’s mind started racing.

‘I need to get out of here. We need to get out of here. Therein lies the difficulty. If it was me, I might be able to cause a distraction, maybe kick Milky Eye in the balls, escape into the Everfree and figure out a new plan once I get back into town. But I’m not the only one who needs to get out. Mags and Scales’ll probably be fine. They just need an opportunity. Rosie though… Rosie’s a civilian. She probably won’t know what to do, how to act… she’ll be a liability. I’ll need to hold her ho-’

Thunderbolt’s breath started appearing as white clouds. He stopped in his tracks. He started looking around him. A thick cloud of mist was rolling in from behind.

“Why are you stopping? Keep moving.” Milky Eye ordered. Thunderbolt ignored him. Instead, he turned around. Behind them was an expanding cloud of mist that threatened to cover the entire courtyard. In the centre of the mist was a giant black figure.

“With all due respect, mate, you might want to take cover.” As Thunderbolt said that a dark object flew from the mist and hit the castle’s inner wall with a wet splat. The object fell to the ground in a bloody heap. It was a pony’s bottom half. A picture of a coin purse was visible on its flank. Milky Eye swore and started screaming new orders: Kill the dragon. A beastly roar echoed from the centre of the mist. Seeing an opportunity, Thunderbolt undid the ropes around his legs with his magic. The top half of a torso landed next to him. The neck stump was still spurting blood. Thunderbolt almost gagged at the smell of blood.

“Shit,” he swore. ‘Rosie won’t survive this on her own. I need to find her. And Mags. Before Scales’s rampage gets them killed.’ He dove into the mist. Half a meter in a giant black claw slammed into the ground next to Thunderbolt. The force slammed him off his hooves.

“Does ‘friendly fire’ mean nothing to that asshole!?” he muttered under his breath. He got up and shook his head. The claw was lifted off the ground with a wet squelch. It left a red smear in the dirt. The smell of blood intensified. Thunderbolt started breathing through his mouth. He swore. He had to move quickly. Luckily the mist started clearing and he could make out Magnum’s chestnut form. He rushed toward him, dodging flying bodies and ducking under Char’s swiping tail. He heard a pony scream behind him. He resisted the urge to look back and pressed on. As he approached Magnum the tingling sensation in his wings started to turn into a burning one. He ignored it. A large black stallion blocked his path, dagger clutched between his teeth. The stallion took a step forward. Thunderbolt swore and licked his lips. He didn’t have time for this. He could see Magnum behind the stallion, along with the crack in reality. Was it getting bigger? The stallion charged and thrust the dagger at Thunderbolt. He sidestepped and kicked at the stallion. He felt his hooves make contact and heard the crack of bones breaking. Thunderbolt looked at the stallion. He was laying on his side, gasping for air. His neck looked lumpy and crooked. The dagger was lying a short distance away. Thunderbolt picked it up with his magic. He saw the dagger reflected in the stallion’s eye. The stallion’s breathing grew shallow and desperate. Thunderbolt could see him straining the muscles of his face and neck. He plunged the dagger into the stallion’s neck. A gurgling noise erupted from the stallion’s throat. A thin trail of blood dribbled from his mouth before his eyes became glassy and still. Thunderbolt pulled the dagger from the throat and wiped it off on the stallion’s body. He pressed the stallion’s eyelids closed and rushed to Magnum’s side.

Magnum hadn’t moved since the fight broke out. He was just blindly staring into the distance. It was a miracle he hadn’t been crushed. Thunderbolt started shaking his friend.

“Come on, Mags. We have to get out of here.”

Magnum’s head flopped in Thunderbolt’s direction. “Huh,” he said dumbly.

“Can’t you see what’s going on? We have to get Rosie and get out of here.”

“But Flare…”

“Yeah, the Captain’s alive.” Thunderbolt started cutting the ropes around Magnum’s legs with the dagger. “We can deal with it after we get out of here.”

“But…”

Thunderbolt slapped Magnum. “Snap out of it, Mags. We need to find Rosie and get out of here.”

Magnum shook his head. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Do you know where she could be?”

A high pitched scream split the air. “No, but I think that’s our clue.” Thunderbolt held the dagger hilt first to Magnum. “Let’s go.”

Aurum had her back pressed against the rough stone wall of the castle. Two rough-looking stallions were standing over her. She felt a wetness between her hind legs.

“Look, Rags. She pissed herself,” one sneered.

The other one, Rags, glanced back. “Shouldn’t we be helping with the fight?”

The first stallion blew a raspberry. “They’ll be fine. Besides, we’re supposed to prevent escapes. We’re just following orders.” He elbowed Rags in the ribs. “Think the commander will mind if we have a little fun with her first?”

“I don’t know about your commander, but I’ll sure as hell will mind.”

The two stallions spun around. Thunderbolt was approaching from behind. A fiery rage burned in his silver-blue eye and lightning crackled up and down the length of his horn.

“Pitch, that’s the other-” A bolt of lightning hit Rags. He flew back and slammed into the castle wall with a sickening crunch. Pitch’s eyes widened. He charged at Thunderbolt with a cry of anguish. Thunderbolt sidestepped him. Pitch ran into Magnum, who slashed his throat. Thunderbolt rushed over to Aurum and started checking her body for wounds. When he didn’t find any he grabbed her by the shoulders and said:

“Are you ok, Rosie? Are you hurt anywhere?” Aurum shook her head. Thunderbolt looked back at Magnum. “Mags, find Scales and get him to calm down. I’ll try to get Rosie somewhere safe.” Magnum nodded and ran off. Thunderbolt turned back to Aurum. “Can you walk?”

“I… I think so…” Aurum slowly got to her hooves. Her legs were shaking.

“Good… good.” Thunderbolt looked around for an opening. He saw that the gate to the castle was knocked down. The Everfree forest loomed beyond it in the fading light. Thunderbolt swore. The Everfree was far from ideal, but it was better than staying in the castle and Ponyville was just beyond it. Thunderbolt placed his working wing over Aurum’s shoulder and started guiding her to the gate. “Come on. Let’s go.”

They had crossed half the distance to the gate when they heard it: a blast of sound like that of a foghorn. The burning sensation in his wings intensified. It was like white-hot rods were being shoved into his sides. He cried out in pain and tripped over his own legs. Aurum tried to help him up, but he waved her off.

“No, no. Keep going. Get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Just go; don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not-”

“What happened to you Sparks?”

Thunderbolt looked past Aurum and saw Magnum with a pony-sized Char in tow. He struggled to his hooves. “Scales, get her out of here.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll figure something out, Scales. Just get her out of here.”

“I’ll wait for you in the forest,” Char said as he grabbed hold of Aurum, spread his wings and flew out of the castle. Thunderbolt glanced at Magnum.

“You go too. I’ll only slow you down.”

“And let you get the glory of telling this story after you get out of here? Sod off. Besides, someone has to drag your corpse back into town.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m not going to fight you on this.”

“Good. I wasn’t going to let you. What’s going on?”

“Not a clue. Just heard a sound like a bloody foghorn.” Thunderbolt grunted in pain. “Then I felt this pain in my back. Like rods being shoved in there.”

Magnum pointed to something behind Thunderbolt. “Think it could be connected to that? Because that’s definitely new.”

Thunderbolt followed Magnum’s hoof. What he saw made him swear under his breath. The crack in the courtyard had exploded to a gaping hole the size of a small billboard. As Thunderbolt watched half a dozen wisps flew out of the crack and scattered across the courtyard.

“Do you know what that is?”

“It’s…” Thunderbolt bit his lip. “It’s… I guess the best way to explain it is as a hole between the material world and the spirit realm.”

Magnum raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“I wish I wasn’t.” Thunderbolt started walking toward the crack. “We should probably try and close it.”

Magnum placed a hoof on his shoulder. “That might be a bit harder said than done, Sparks.” He motioned behind him. Thunderbolt stretched his neck to see around Magnum’s frame. Behind him, two figures were approaching. Thunderbolt recognized them as the ponies who attacked Aurum, Pitch and Rags.

“Didn’t you kill those guys?”

“I did. How the hell did they come back to life?”

“I’m not sure that they are alive,” Magnum mused as Pitch and Rags moaned, groaned and shuffled towards them. “I read that spirits and demons can possess dead bodies. It could be that.”

“Ok… what does that mean?”

“It means that we can’t exactly kill them. Not by any normal means. To top it all off broken bones or missing limbs won’t do much beyond slowing then down.”

“Then how are we supposed to kill them? Lop off their heads like in the stories?”

“That could work. It has worked. But it doesn’t always. The head still tries to chomp you. Nah, the most reliable way would be to cut off their connection to the material world.” Magnum pointed to the crack. “If the demons are coming out of that thing, we should close it.”

Thunderbolt breathed in and out. “How do you know all of this?”

“I was into this goth mare back in college. She was into the occult, so I read up on it.”

“And?”

“Sparks, when it comes to mares, my tastes are quite varied, but I draw the line at living sacrifices. Of course, it didn’t work out.” Magnum slapped Thunderbolt on the shoulder. “Let’s get going.”

There were about half a dozen meters between them and the crack. They had to avoid the living dead littered across the courtyard. It was easy enough, at first. Their slow, shambling gait along with their incessant groaning made it easy to spot their approach. However, as they neared the crack the crowd of bodies grew denser. One managed to knock Thunderbolt over and pinned him down with its weight. It moaned in his face. He smelled a sickening mixture of blood and bile. Magnum shoved the body off of him, breaking its jaw in the process. He pulled Thunderbolt to his hooves and pushed him forward with a cry of ‘come on!’. They pressed forward, breaking jaws and legs and other bones. As they approached the crack Thunderbolt felt his magic strengthening. A small burst of magical force sent a body flying rather than just knocking it down. Thunderbolt took his magic and moulded it into a cone of force that cleared a path to the crack.

Underneath the crack, they saw Milky Eye. He seemed to be shouting orders at what’s left of his troops. When he saw Thunderbolt and Magnum he narrowed his eyes.

“What the hell is going on here?” he shouted. A body leapt onto him before Thunderbolt could answer. After a moment’s struggle, he bucked the body off and kicked it back into the crowd. “You know what? I don’t care. Can you fix this mess?”

“We have an idea.”

“Can you fix it?”

“Maybe.”

Milky Eye swore. “Better than nothing. Just make sure that I can get my guys out of here. Anything else is secondary.”

“What about-” Magnum started.

“Anything. Else. Is. Secondary.”

Magnum nodded and turned his attention to the crack.

“Now, how are we supposed to close this thing?”

“I don’t know. This isn’t like last time.”

“How’s this different?”

Thunderbolt licked his lips. “Dead bodies didn’t start walking around, that’s for sure. It was also more structured. The crack was opened deliberately. I could dispel the ritual that opened the portal. I assume that removed the anchor point for the portal. It’s the exact opposite of this.”

“I don’t know if one unicorn is powerful enough to disrupt a spell that opens a tear in reality.”

“It’s like my magic was amplified, supercharged. Not the point. We’ll have to find a different way to close the crack.”

“Different how?” An indistinct scream echoed in their ears. “We don’t have time for trial and error.”

“I know!” Thunderbolt bit his lip. He stared at the crack. He could see the courtyard through it. It looked hazy and washed out; like he was looking at an old postcard through a dirty window. In the corner of the crack, he could see a skeletal pony in a tattered black cloak with a gleaming scythe. Behind him was a bunch of stallions. Each of them had varying degrees of horror etched onto their faces. Thunderbolt grit his teeth. He needed a way to close this crack.

Thunderbolt glanced back. He saw Magnum fending off a yellow stallion with a bloody hole where his eye should be. The stallion bellowed with an unearthly wail, covering Magnum’s face with spittle. Magnum caught Thunderbolt’s eye.

“Any minute now, Sparks.”

Thunderbolt turned back to the crack. From the corner of his eye, he saw Milky Eye being dragged to the ground by a group of bloody stallions. A moment later he heard a thunderous shout followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground. Thunderbolt’s head snapped toward the sound. Milky Eye was standing at the centre of a ring of bodies, covered in bite marks.

“Get on with it,” he screamed. “I’ll kill you if you get me killed!”

‘How the fuck am I supposed to close this thing?’ he thought while grinding his teeth.

“Reach out your hoof,” a familiar voice echoed in Thunderbolt’s head.

“What?” Thunderbolt responded dumbly.

“Reach out your hoof,” the voice calmly repeated. “And touch the tear between dimensions?”

Thunderbolt swore under his breath. “You’re the voice from back at the Cathedral, aren’t you?”

“I’m glad your memory is still intact. Now, touch the tear, it’s the only way to close it now.”

“What do you mean ‘the only way’?”

“Do you have the time to ask that question?” The moment the voice said this, Magnum’s voice reached Thunderbolt’s ears.

“Oi, Sparks, what’s going on over there?”

“I guess not,” Thunderbolt whispered. Still, he hesitated. His stomach was tied into a knot.

‘What’s going to happen when I touch this thing?’ he wondered. He shook his head. ‘I don’t have time to wonder about that.’

He lifted his hoof. He reached for the crack, what the voice called ‘a tear’. He felt his heart beat faster. An unpleasant tingle spread from his hoof to his foreleg and into the rest of his body. Magic, his brain translated the feeling, pouring into his body from the tear. As his hoof drew closer to it, the tingle turned into pins and needles and then into stabbing pain. Thunderbolt’s eyes started watering. He grunted. He couldn’t back out now. He didn’t know if there was another option, another plan. Thus, he pressed on, pushing past the pain. After what felt like an eternity, his hoof made contact with the tear. In that instant, his eyes started to glow. He felt the pain reverse course. Rather than magic pouring into him, he felt himself being sucked dry. A flash erupted from the crack and Thunderbolt collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Chapter 13: Escape

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 13: Escape

Magnum was distracted. How could he not be? Dead bodies possessed by vengeful spirits or demons or some other immaterial thing were trying to eat him. It is no surprise then, that he didn’t immediately react when Thunderbolt collapsed. When he did notice, he rushed to Thunderbolt’s side. Fear coiled around his heart. He tried to suppress the traitorous thoughts that told him his best friend had just died. Holding his breath he put his ear against Thunderbolt’s chest. At first, he could only hear the thundering of his own heart in his ears. His throat tightened. Unbidden, a tear started to roll down his cheek. Then he heard it.

Lub-dub.

A heartbeat! It was faint, like a whisper, but was a heartbeat nonetheless.

Lub-dub.

If Magnum hadn’t been listening, he wouldn’t have heard it.

Lub-dub.

It may have been his imagination, but the heartbeat seemed to grow louder. Steadier too, if slow. So agonizingly slow.

Lub-dub.

With each beat the coil around his heart loosened, if only a little. He barely noticed his own heartbeat slowing down or his own breathing becoming less shallow. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on his haunches. Casting his eyes up at the sky he said a silent prayer of thanks.

“Is he alive?”

The gravelly voice startled Magnum. In his concern for Thunderbolt, he had lost track of his surroundings. He looked around. The crack had sealed up, only the most observant of ponies would notice the paper-thin scar it had left. Around the courtyard, what was left of the castle’s guards were dragging corpses and body parts into a pile. Some of them had started digging holes next to the pile. Graves, Magnum assumed. Next to him, Milky Eye stood, a cigarette and fire crystal in his forehooves.

“Is he alive?” Milky Eye repeated. The tip of his cigarette glowed as he sucked on it.

“Ye-Yeah. He’s alive.” Magnum narrowed his eyes. “Why do you care?”

“I’d prefer not to tell my employer that one of his test subjects died under my watch.” Milky Eye blew streams of smoke through his nostrils. “Besides, even I would hate for a pony to die while assisting me and my men in surviving whatever the hell this was.”

“Huh...” Magnum was quiet for a moment. He licked his lips. “What happens now?”

Milky Eye rubbed his eyes. “I suppose that I should have some of my men escort you to one of the holding cells. But,” He waved his hoof across the courtyard. “I am afraid that they are occupied at the moment. Besides,” Milky Eye took a long draw of the cigarette, took a moment to take it from his mouth and flick the ash onto the courtyard. Magnum raised an eyebrow.

“Besides?”

Milky Eye sighed. A thick cloud of black smoke filled the air. “I would prefer to not let a good deed go unrewarded. You saved the lives of me and some of my men. I believe that it is only fitting to give you a head start in escaping.”

Magnum licked his lips. “Why not just let us go?”

Milky Eye chuckled. “I am still your warden, for all intents and purposes. It would be a dereliction of duty to simply let you go.” He smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. It is the best I can do.”

Magnum nodded. “How long do we have?”

Milky Eye looked at the horizon where the sun was just disappearing behind the canopy of the Everfree Forest. “Until the sun finishes setting. I can’t give you any more time.”

Magnum bit his lip. If he was lucky it would take 30 minutes for the sun to finish setting. If he was alone, it might have been enough time to hide or escape, but he wasn’t willing to abandon Thunderbolt. He looked at Milky Eye. “That’s not a lot of time.”

“Then you shouldn’t waste it making such obvious remarks.”

Magnum nodded, bowed down, slid his snout underneath Thunderbolt’s body. He proceeded to lift him on his back. ‘How well have you been eating, Sparks?’ he thought before making his way to the open castle gates.

“One last thing” Milky Eye shouted. Magnum turned back to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Milky Eye threw the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed with a forehoof. “I don’t know what you are planning, but if you are truly going to go against the Sage, I wish you good luck”

Weightless.

That is how Thunderbolt would later describe what he felt after touching the crack in reality. He would never feel that it quite captured his experience in that void between the material and spiritual realms. For how do you describe the feeling of being blind, deaf and mute at the same time? How would you describe the absence of air on your skin? Or the lack of solid ground underneath your hooves?

Before his brain could process the lack of data from his senses, new data was already flooding it. His hooves felt hard dirt beneath them. A light breeze caressed his skin. The smell of the forest invaded his nostrils and birdsong nestled itself into his ears. Thunderbolt opened his eyes… and had to blink.

He found himself in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters. However, this version was free of the blood and bodies and other scars of battle that marked the ruins he had recently come from.

“What the hell…” he breathed.

“Rest assured, pony,” a hoarse voice behind Thunderbolt echoed. “You are not in hell.”

Thunderbolt spun around. Behind him stood a skeletal pony wrapped in a tattered black cloak. The long wooden handle of a scythe leaned against his shoulder. The scythe’s blade was burned as black as his cloak.

“But do not get too comfortable,” the skeletal pony continued. “This is not heaven either.”

The obvious questions popped into Thunderbolt’s mind first. ‘Where am I?’ ‘Who are you?’ ‘What are you?’ Then he noticed something. The skeletal pony was alone. Thunderbolt vaguely remembered catching a glimpse of him through the crack in the ruined castle’s courtyard standing within a group of ponies.

“Where’s your entourage?” he asked, motioning with his head to the area behind the skeleton.

“My entourage?” The skeletal pony cocked its head to the side. After a moment its eye sockets seemed to widen. “Ah, yes. The souls of the dead that have yet to pass on. I have taken them to their final judgement. Whatever happens from there is between them and their Creator.”

Thunderbolt straightened his back and set his jaw. “Are you here to take me to my judgement?” The steel in his voice marked the statement as a challenge rather than a question. The skeletal pony chuckled.

“No… no… I have it on good authority that it is some time yet before you face your own judgement.”

Thunderbolt licked his lips. He flicked his tail nervously. “What are you here for then?”

“To observe. I’ve been told that something of interest will occur.”

“Something of interest?” Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “You have any more information than that?”

The skeletal pony shook his head. “I am afraid that I do not. However, if I may offer you some advice… you best not linger here. The realm of spirit is no place for a mortal soul to wander.”

“Any idea how I’m supposed to get out?” Thunderbolt jerked his head at a thin scar that hung in the middle of the courtyard. “I don’t think that I can get out the way that I got in.”

The skeletal pony shrugged. “I merely guide the souls of the dead to their final judgement. I do not need nor do I care to know how to return to the realm of the living. Though, if I may hazard a guess, look for a door.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “A door? Really? Do you think that the way out would be that obvious?”

“The realm of spirits is a place influenced by concepts. You ponies tend to be rather straightforward in my experience. A ring for commitment; books for knowledge; a shield for protection. Are you truly surprised that an exit would be represented by a door?”

Thunderbolt snorted. “Fair point.” He started looking around for something resembling a door. The gates on the far end of the courtyard caught his eye. He trotted towards it. He felt lighter than usual.

“So,” he asked over his shoulder. “You have a name?”

The skeletal pony chuckled. “The living has been kind enough to give me several. The Reaper. Charon. Those from the East call me a ‘shinigami’, a death spirit. Personally, I prefer Thanatos. And how may I address you?”

“Thunderbolt’s fine. So, Thanatos, I don’t suppose you know what happens during the judgements?”

“I am afraid that I do not. I merely escort the dead to their final judgement. It is God’s privilege and responsibility to judge the lives of the deceased. It is not for me to know what verdicts He decrees.”

“Oh. I see.” Thunderbolt couldn’t hide the dejection in his voice. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and looked up at the gates of the courtyard. They seemed to be unbarred. Thunderbolt wrapped his magic around one of the rings and pulled. The gate rattled but did not move. Thunderbolt frowned and cocked his head sideways.

“I don’t think that I’m getting out this way…” he mumbled. He looked up at the castle ramparts. “Perhaps if I fly up there I can-”

“Fly? How do you intend to do that?”

“How do you think? With-” Thunderbolt froze. He had overlooked something. He had neglected to check himself for injuries. As he clutched his sides and discovered the absence of the expected feathery limbs, it dawned on him with cold horror that his wings were missing.

“Thanatos,” he growled. “Where are my wings?”

The skeletal pony seemed to be lazily examining his hoof. “Where are your wings? That’s a strange question to ask. What sort of unicorn has wings?”

“But…” Thunderbolt protested. His mouth became dry and his throat grew tight.

“Whatever the case may be in the material realm,” Thanatos continued. “You remain a unicorn in essence. Nothing you, or any of your mortal peers, do will change that. Besides,” a smug tome crept into his hoarse voice. “Those aren’t your wings. You took them from someone else.”

Thunderbolt grinded his teeth. “How do you know that?”

“Thunderbolt, you have been surrounded by enough death that I believe that I can construct a rather accurate picture of who you are by only looking at the lives of those who died around you. The lives of your comrades two years ago was quite informative.”

“And what kind of image is that?” he growled.

“The image of a pony who deserves better than to endlessly wander the realm of spirit. Having said that, I am not sure that simply hopping over this castle’s ramparts will help you find your way back to the world of the living.” Thanatos pointed to a staircase to Thunderbolt’s right. “But if you insist on traversing the castle’s ramparts, those stairs might prove useful.”

Thunderbolt clenched his jaw. Then he relaxed it with a sigh. ‘He’s not responsible for their deaths,’ he chided himself. ‘Besides, he’s not wrong. Those wings…’ he shook his head. ‘Are not important right now. I need to get out of here. The question is how...’ he scanned the courtyard. ‘Thanatos suggested that the exit might be represented by a door.’ He scanned the courtyard. ‘If the gate doesn’t work… Yes, there!’ On the far side of the courtyard, a small side door hid in a corner. In an ordinary castle, it would lead deeper into the castle, but this was not an ordinary castle. Here, it may just be a way back to the material realm. At least that’s what Thunderbolt hoped as he started trotting toward it. It briefly occurred to him that Thanatos might not be trustworthy, but he dismissed the thought. He seemed to know more about the place that they were in than Thunderbolt did. He needed that knowledge if he were to escape. And if he did prove to be untrustworthy? Thunderbolt decided that he would cross that bridge when he got there. There was one thing that was bothering him, however.

“Hey, Thanatos, have we met before?”

“I doubt it,” Thanatos answered as he sauntered after Thunderbolt. “I do not deal with the living. But… I must admit that some of the dead profess to have seen me at some point in their lives. These individuals are the exception, however. They were sensitive to spirits as well as surrounded by the dead at that time.” Thanatos seemed to raise his non-existent eyebrows. “Are you one of those exceptional individuals?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not ‘sensitive to spirits’, whatever that means. I just thought I saw something that looked like you at Canterlot Cathedral earlier this week as well as during this weird dream I had.”

“A dream, you say. I remember observing some dreamers a day or so ago that were almost devoured by a demon.”

Thunderbolt stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to gape at Thanatos. “Devoured?”

“It’s a rare occurrence,” Thanatos reassured him. “Occasionally a powerful demon will find its way into a dream and devour the life force of the dreamer. Usually, the dreamer dies, but in this instance, one of the Seraphim managed to save them from the demon.”

“Does that happen often?”

“No. As I said, it is a rare occurrence and it falls to the Seraphim to protect mortals from being devoured like that.”

“Why even allow the demons to even try to eat life force? Why not just wipe them out?”

Thanatos shrugged. “I am not one to question Providence.”

“You’re alone in that," Thunderbolt mumbled as he placed his hoof on the small side door. He froze. His ears pricked up. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Thunderbolt strained his ears. “I’m not sure it’s some sort of-” There it was again. Fillyish giggling could be heard through the side door. “It sounds like a foal,” he breathed. As if in a daze, he pushed the door open

“Thunderbolt, I don’t think that’s wise,” Thanatos protested, but Thunderbolt didn’t hear him.

Behind the door, a bare stone hall stretched out. In the middle, a pale white earth pony filly sat playing with a patchwork ragdoll. Her oily black mane clung to her skull. Thunderbolt’s hoofstep echoed as he stepped into the hallway. The filly’s head snapped up at the sound. Her pupiless eyes seemed to glow with a dull yellow light.

Cautiously, Thunderbolt approached the filly. She smelled of smoke. Thunderbolt licked his lips. He felt a twitch in his tail. Something about this filly set him on edge.

“Where are your parents, little one?” Thunderbolt tried to keep the discomfort out of his voice. The filly looked up at him uncomprehendingly. Her pupiless eyes and blank stare sent a shiver down his spine. After a moment she held her patchwork ragdoll out toward Thunderbolt. She wore an expectant smile on her lips. Thunderbolt responded with an uncomfortable half-smile of his own.

“That nice, little one, but…” A thought struck him. The filly might know a way out. Granted, she could lead him deeper into the spirit realm and make any return journey more difficult, but, Thunderbolt reasoned, it could not make his much worse, could it? With this thought firmly in mind, he knelt down in front of her, pushed his discomfort at looking directly into her pupiless eyes and plastered the friendliest smile possible onto his face.

“Listen, little one, I’m a bit lost. You wouldn’t happen to know a way out of here?”

Again the filly looked at him uncomprehendingly. Then she dropped her patchwork ragdoll on the ground and dashed down the hallway and around the corner.

‘Lovely, you chased a filly away,’ Thunderbolt chided himself with a roll of the eyes. ‘I suppose that there’s nothing left to do, but wander until I found an exit.’ He had barely finished the thought when the filly poked her head around the corner and beckoned Thunderbolt with an exaggerated wave of her foreleg. With a chuckle and shake of his head, Thunderbolt trotted after the filly.

Soon he had to turn his trot into a gallop. The filly was fast. Inequinely fast. He would barely round a corner and he’d see her oily black tail round the next one. She didn’t seem to tire either. Despite the seemingly endless maze of twists and turns, the filly did not slow down a bit. Thunderbolt felt his legs start to ache. A sharp pain stabbed into his sides. His lungs started to burn. Still, he pressed on. He needed to find a way back to the material world and this filly might just be leading him to it. Despite this part of him thought it strange for a filly to also be in the spirit realm. Stranger still was the great coincidence that he would find her just sitting in a hallway playing with her doll. Additionally, she seemed awfully eager to help him. Thunderbolt pushed the thought away. If she knew a way out he needed to follow her.

After rounding yet another corner, Thunderbolt found himself in a dead-end. The filly was nowhere to be seen. The discomfort that he pushed away earlier returned in full force. His tail started twitching back and forth. His ears swivelled in his skull, searching for a sound. It was eerily quiet.

“Little one,” he hissed. “Where are you?” He heard a shuffling sound from behind him. Spinning around he saw the filly. She had a cheerful smile on her face and was waving in his direction. It was like she was wishing a friend farewell. Thunderbolt gaped at her. Sluggishly his brain processed the fact that she was behind him. ‘How did she get there,’ was his last thought before blackness enveloped him.

Magnum was worried. The sun had dipped its head below the horizon and whatever light was left was fading fast. Soon the Everfree would be waking up in earnest. During the day, navigating the forest was manageable. Hell, it could even be downright pleasant. If you knew where to look you could find beauty unlike anywhere else in Equestria. But when night fell, all kinds of creatures crawled out of their holes. Leonine manticores and chicken headed cockatrices roamed the darkened forest. Anyone unfortunate enough to be caught by them was rarely heard from again. With this knowledge in mind, Magnum made his way into the forest. His ears swivelled side to side in his skull. His eyes darted around in their sockets. He tried to take note of every rustling bush and every moving shadow along the forest path. He chided himself. He couldn’t keep track of every little thing around him. He needed to find shelter and wait out the night.

A mournful howl echoed in the fading dusk. The sound sent a shiver down Magnum’s spine. Timberwolves would be out hunting. Magnum quickened his pace. He was not in a position to deal with a pack of the wooden abominations. Now he really needed to find shelter. No, first he needed to find Aurum and Char.

‘That damn mare,’ he thought. ‘The lizard seems like he can at least hold his own, but that damn mare is just a liability. Why’d you even bring her with you?’ Magnum rolled his eyes. ‘Right, because Celestia told you to. Not that you could ever refuse a pretty mare.’ Magnum thought with a chuckle. Then, he paused. He heard something splashing deeper into the forest. He knew that a stream ran to his left. Perhaps some creature had fallen into the stream and was caught in the iron grip of a cragadile’s jaws. Magnum was about to ignore the splashing and return to his search but it occurred to him that it could be Aurum that fell into the river. Swearing under his breath, he swerved off of the forest path.

Magnum found Char sitting at the edge of the stream. He sat with his back ramrod stiff and his eyes focused on the river in front of him. He reminded Magnum of a gargoyle, those silent, stony guardians perched on the roofs of cathedrals everywhere. The dragon glanced back. The movement was almost imperceptible, barely a flick of emerald eyes in Magnum’s direction.

“What happened?” the dragon asked. His voice sounded almost bored.

“I’m not sure. He collapsed. But he is still alive, thank God.” Char replied with a grunt. Magnum glanced around him. “Where’s the mare?”

Char pointed to his left with his head. A little distance away Aurum was up to her belly in the water.

“She wanted to wash herself,” the dragon rumbled. Magnum looked away, a slight blush on his face.

“She’s making too much noise,” he complained. “She’s going to attract cragadiles or worse.”

Char rolled his eyes. “Is that not why I am keeping watch? While I am far enough to give her privacy, I am close enough to ensure that she is safe.”

Magnum snorted. “We have to find shelter.”

“We have to get back to that village.”

“It took us half a day to get here, Lizard. Trying to cover that distance at night is just asking for trouble.”

Char straightened his back. Smoke started wafting from his nostrils. “Are you doubting the power of a dragon?” he snarled.

“If it were just the two of us trying to make the trip, I’d risk it, but we have an invalid and a civilian tagging along. I’d prefer not to take that gamble with my best friend’s life on the line.”

Char didn’t immediately respond. His jaw tightened. A staring match ensued. A low growl escaped from Char’s lips. After several tense moments, the dragon sighed, blowing out a thick cloud of coal-black smoke in the process.

“Do you have anywhere in mind?” Char asked with a resigned tone.

“There’s a,” Magnum licked his lips as he consulted his mental map of the Everfree. “There’s a cave just to the south of here. It’s too big for…”

An anguished cry interrupted him. Swivelling his head in the sound’s direction, he saw Aurum standing at the river’s edge. She rushed forward, water droplets flying off of her flowing mane like diamonds being flung to the wind. She knelt next to Magnum and cradled Thunderbolt’s head in her hooves. She looked up at Magnum, her amethyst eyes wide with worry.

“Is he…” Aurum couldn’t finish the question and let it hang in the air.

Placing his hoof on her head, Magnum shook his head. A reassuring smile formed on his face. “Don’t worry, he’s still alive. But we have to get going. The forest is no place for us to stay in the open.”

“But where will we go.”

“There is a cave to the south. We can stay there till morning.”

Char snorted. “And then? What happens once the sun rises?”

Magnum shrugged. “I don’t know. Hopefully, Thunderbolt will have woken up, but if not…” He sighed. “We’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there. In any case.” Magnum turned and made his way into the forest. “We can discuss it once we’ve made camp.”

Thunderbolt swore. A darkness that seemed darker than black surrounded him. He felt a thick, viscous fluid coming up to his ankles. Some acrid smell invaded his nose. The smell made him dizzy. He shook his head and took a step forward. His knees buckled. An unpleasant tingle went down his spine. He felt himself weakening, as if something was siphoning his strength. The feeling was strangely familiar, like a long-forgotten dream.

Thunderbolt’s eyes widened. He had felt this feeling before. In that nightmare on the train to Ponyville. The one where a demon tried to devour his soul. Compared to that feeling of having his soul ripped from his body, this tingling feeling was almost pleasant.

Thunderbolt felt his breath grow shallow as panic rose within him. He needed to get out of wherever the hell he was before his soul or life force or whatever was completely sucked out of him. Before he was devoured by whatever lurked in this darkness.

‘First things first,’ he thought, suppressing the panic within him. ‘Let’s get rid of this darkness.’ He started pouring magic into his horn. It seemed more difficult to direct magic than in the material realm. There it simply flowed. Here, it felt like he was trying to direct the magic against itself. Thus, it was an arduously slow process. He grunted under the strain. After several minutes he had enough magic gathered. Gritting his teeth, he sent the magic outward in the form of a brilliant silver-blue light.

The light revealed a gaping hole right in front of Thunderbolt’s snout. It seemed to have no bottom. Its sides were lined with row upon row of teeth. Thunderbolt stumbled back with a swear. As he did so, he lost his balance and fell flank first into the viscous liquid. Some of it got into his mouth. He tasted a familiar metallic tang. Looking down, he saw that the viscous liquid he was covered in was a dark crimson. Blood. The panic he suppressed earlier returned in full force, manifesting in a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.

A maniacal cackle rang in his ears. It seemed to come from all around him.

“Who the fuck’s there?” he screamed. Part of him winced at the hysterical crack in his voice. “Show yourself!”

The world around Thunderbolt blurred. The hole filled with teeth, which was set in a roiling mass of flesh and tentacles, turned into a wide hallway of pristine white marble lined with torches. Fires burned in them, bathing the hallway in an ominous red light. The floor of blood turned into black marble. A bright red carpet ran down the middle. At the end of the hallway, on a raised dais, a black goat sat on a red throne. Its head was resting its cloven hoof, a glass of wine in the other. An amused smile played on his lips.

“Not many can use magic while their life is being sucked out of them,” the goat drawled in a distinctly masculine voice. “I’m impressed.”

The goat’s voice sent an unpleasant tingle down Thunderbolt’s spine. He felt his tail twitch involuntarily. His throat felt dry. His muscles tense. His breath felt shallow. He felt fear curl itself around his heart and throat. He was not convinced that he could win a fight if it came to it.

“Who are you?” Thunderbolt growled.

The goat clicked his tongue in response. “You shouldn’t ask someone’s name so casually,” he chided playfully, swirling the wine in his glass. “Names have more power than you realize, Mr Stormbringer.” A cold shiver went down Thunderbolt’s spine at the mention of his surname.

“Fine. No names. What the hell do you want?”

The goat sighed and his smile vanished from his face. He sat upright and took a lingering look into his glass of wine. “You ponies are so boringly predictable.” His voice took on a mocking tone. “‘Who are you?’ ‘What do you want?’ ‘Please don’t kill me. I have a family.’ I truly thought that you were something different. Something more than a morsel to enjoy.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “What? You wanted dinner and a show?”

“What I want, Mr Stormbringer is to be entertained. I see an opportunity in you, but if you’re only going to ask boring questions…” The goat let the sentence hang in the air.

Thunderbolt bit his lip. The goat wasn’t giving him much of a choice. Entertain him or be devoured. He looked around the room. No obvious escape routes presented themselves. Thunderbolt swore internally. He needed time to think. He glanced at the goat. He was lounging on his throne, swirling the wine in his glass and blowing a bored raspberry. Thunderbolt doubted that it would be long before the goat decided to create his own entertainment and he was sure that he would play a central role. He needed time to think of a way to escape. Thus, the only thing to do was to stall.

“Fine, I’ll bite,” Thunderbolt finally said with a mock sigh. “What sort of opportunity?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” the goat cried. He drained his wine glass and threw it aside, the glass turning into mist midair. He jumped off of his throne and started sauntering down the hallway. “You see, I didn’t recognize you at first,” he cheerfully explained. “But you’re the newest thorn in Golden Dawn’s side and I thought.”

“Golden Dawn?” Thunderbolt interrupted.

The goat looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before realization set in. “Right, he goes by a different name now… what was it?” He tapped his chin. “Ah, yes. The Sage.”

“How the hell do you know The Sage?”

The goat spread his forelegs wide and smiled even wider. “I’m his benefactor, of course. I gave Dawn a long life and power over shadows and in return, he sends me a tasty morsel every now and then.”

‘Morsels? He probably means living sacrifices.’ Thunderbolt had to suppress the bile rising in his throat. Treating life, especially pony life, as nothing more than food was abhorrent to him. Yet, he could not object. Not yet. He still needed to find a way out of… wherever he was. Thus he forced himself to be agreeable.

“Sounds like quite the lucrative arrangement,”

“It is,” the goat sighed contentedly. “It really is.” His voice took on a petulant tone. “But Dawn is becoming so booring.” He stuck his bottom lip out in what seemed to Thunderbolt like an overexaggerated pout. “With his goal within reach, he is becoming so stale and predictable…”

“And you think that I can spice things up?”

An excited smile grew on the goat’s face. “You already have. I must compliment you at your display at the cathedral. Quite unexpected. It has had Dawn in a tizzy, adjusting and readjusting his plans. And today at the castle? Magnificent!”

“Then let me go. I can’t disrupt The Sage’s plans from here.”

“A tempting proposal, but no. It would not do for a demon of my stature to just let a mortal go… but I am sure we could work out something. A nice quid pro quo.”

There it was, the Faustian bargain. Whatever the terms the goat offered, Thunderbolt doubted that they would be beneficial to him at the end of the day. He grit his teeth. Despite his stalling, he couldn’t find an escape route. This bargain seemed the only way out, save perhaps fighting and defeating the goat. Something told him that even trying would be foolish. What he needed was a guarantee, some clause that would ensure that he was not screwed over too badly.

“How can I trust you?” Thunderbolt started the negotiation. “You seem awfully eager to betray someone you’ve been supporting.”

The goat shrugged. “I don’t see it that way. I believe that I have held up my end of that bargain as much as he has. He has the power and long life that he asked for. Besides...” A cruel smirk grew on the goat’s face. “I never promised him success, nor did I promise that I would not interfere should the mood strike me.”

“So you’d interfere with my goals ‘should the mood strike you’? “

The goat shrugged again. “I might. Does it really matter? You get something you want, and I get entertained.”

“What exactly’s on offer?”

The goat’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Whatever you want. Wealth.”

An image of Thunderbolt surrounded by piles of gold entered his mind.

“Power.”

He saw himself towering over fearful ponies, wings spread and eyes aglow with terrible power.

“Mares.”

An image of a room full of mares of every kind gazing at him lustfully swam before his eyes.

“Wisdom and knowledge.”

A room filled with books filled his vision with himself at its centre. Thunderbolt licked his lips and swallowed nervously. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted by the offer. But he could not take it. He had no guarantee that he would not be one the losing end of the deal, and Faustian bargains have a reputation of screwing over the mortals involved. Still, he needed a way out and this deal seemed like the only way. Thunderbolt looked at the goat’s outstretched hoof with venom. He didn’t like his position. He didn’t like the smug smile on the goat’s lips and the gleam of victory in his eyes. Hesitatingly he raised his own hoof and extended it toward the goat. Before they could touch, however, a white light tore through the space between them.

Magnum considered Aurum from across the firepit in the middle of the cave. She was trying to make Thunderbolt comfortable. She had laid him on his stomach and was busy fiddling with his wings. ‘Preening’ she had called it. Wing maintenance. A pegasus would go over their wings with their snouts to remove dead feathers and reposition those that are out of place. The process would also spread oils that contribute to the lifespan of feathers. She said that Thunderbolt’s wings looked like they haven’t been preened for a long time, so she’d do it for him. She slowly went over his unbroken wing, adjusting and readjusting the feathers. Magnum sighed. The mare seemed to be chipper despite the day’s events. But the mind was fragile, like a robin’s egg. Magnum knew that she’ll break sooner or later and he doubted that it would be pretty.

‘What the hell was Celestia thinking?’ he wondered. ‘If she wanted to keep Aurum safe, wouldn’t it be easier to just put her under guard in the castle rather than sending her out into the field to catch what’s essentially the boogyman?’ Magnum shook his head. In doing so, he caught sight of Char staring at him intently.

“What?” the stallion asked stupidly.

“You never told us how you escaped from our captors.”

It took Magnum a moment to realize that Char was referring to The Sage’s men back at the castle ruins. When he did, he simply shrugged. “They just… let us go.”

Char had an incredulous look on his face. “They let you go? You didn’t need to kill or incapacitate them?”

“No, we didn’t need to.” Magnum proceeded to update Char on the events after he and Aurum had escaped the ruins.

“It could be a trap,”

Magnum snorted. “If it is, it’s a pretty stupid one. Like I said before, this place is a deathtrap at night. If they’re smart, they won’t send out anyone until the sun rises. If we leave right before dawn we can put a lot of distance between them and us. Perhaps even make it back to town.”

“And from there? Where do you plan on going?”

Magnum blew a raspberry. “I’m going home. This is Spark’s problem. He can deal with it when he wakes up.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Lizard, the only reason that I’m here is to guide you through the forest. That’s it. I have a daughter to take care of. I can’t tag along until you catch a stallion that can literally melt into the shadows.”

Char sighed and turned to stare out of the cave. “At least you have your priorities straight,” he muttered. Magnum thought that he could hear a resigned tone in his voice. Magnum shook his head before slowly blowing the air out his lungs. He went back to considering Aurum from across the fire as she slowly preened Thunderbolt’s wing.

When the light subsided, Thunderbolt found his vision filled with golden fur. Taking a step back, he saw a stallion twice his size. The wings his back were spread wide, each one the length of Thunderbolt’s entire body. He also had wings on his hooves, these the size of a regular pegasus’s wings and folded neatly against his legs. The stallion’s horn was burned with terrible golden power. All of it directed at the red goat.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Gabriel?” The goat’s voice was nonchalant.

“Begone, demon,” Gabriel demanded, his voice ringing with quiet authority. One of the goat’s forehooves flew to his chest.

“You wound me, brother. Is that really the first thing you say to me after not seeing me in, what, 3 centuries? How’s our Father doing, by the way? Is he still playing house with his mortal creations?”

In response, Gabriel unleashed his power. A golden beam shot from his horn and enveloped the goat. Thunderbolt could see his body being torn apart by the force. Then a mad, maniacal cackle rang in Thunderbolt’s ears.

“My offer still stands, pony,” the goat whispered in Thunderbolt’s ear. He spun around, trying to see the speaker. “If you’re interested, find me in your dreams.” Having delivered his message, the goat’s mad cackling subsided, ending completely when Gabriel decided to reign in his powers. Not a trace of the goat was left.

“Damnable creatures,” the equine-like creature swore. He spat on the ground where the goat stood. He turned to Thunderbolt. His eyes were completely white, including the pupil.

“Are you hurt?” he asked. Thunderbolt shook his head in reply. Gabriel nodded. “Good. Good. Let’s get you out of here.” He lit his horn, it was a soothing golden glow this time and the white marble corridor vanished, replaced with an empty white space extending in all directions.

Questions flooded Thunderbolt’s mind. It took him several moments to sort through them. Finally, he settled on the most practical one.

“Is he dead?”

Gabriel sighed. “Sadly, he is not. He is a creature of spirit. Unlike you mortals, he can only be banished. He will return in time.”

“Shit…” Thunderbolt sighed, earning himself a dirty look from Gabriel. “What are you?”

“I am of the Seraphim, the highest of the angelic beings.”

“Why did you save me?”

“It is my duty.” Gabriel looked away, his mouth a thin line. “You mortals cannot stand against a demon, not on your own. Thus it falls to me and the other Seraphim to gather the lost souls and return them to their bodies.”

Thunderbolt looked around him. “Then where am I now?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Technically, you haven’t moved an inch,” a hoarse voice behind him said. Thunderbolt spun around. The skeletal form of Thanatos was behind him. “You are still in the realm of spirits.”

Thunderbolt turned to Gabriel. “I thought you returned lost spirits to their bodies.” His tone was accusatory. His goal was to return to his body, not get stuck in some other dimension of the spirit realm, heavenly or otherwise.

“Normally this is the case,” the Seraph admitted. “However, He wished to see you.” He turned and started walking into the distance. Thunderbolt turned to Thanatos, his mouth agape in confusion. The skeletal pony simply brushed an invisible mote of dust from Thunderbolt’s shoulder.

“Pull yourself together,” he said. “You’re about to meet your Maker.”

Author's Note

It has been a while, hasn't it readers. I hope that you have had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Apologies for the delay in the release of this chapter. The last three months have been busy with exams, projects and familial events. Hopefully, this upload will mean a return to a more or less consistent upload schedule, though I can guarantee nothing.

Chapter 14: The Author of Life

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 14: The Author of Life

Thunderbolt’s thoughts were bouncing around in his head. A part of him thought that he was dead. You don’t ‘meet your maker’ unless you were dead, right? A part of him objected. The skeletal pony in front of him, supposedly an angel of death, had assured him that he still had some time left before his death. Additionally, the Seraph had said that he would be returning his spirit to his own body after the meeting.

Right, the meeting. The meeting with his Maker, or at least that’s what Thanatos claimed. Assuming they weren’t lying, why would He want to see him? Why now? They weren’t exactly talking to each other. At least not since… It’s been a while.

Someone cleared their throat. Thunderbolt turned his head toward the sound. Gabriel stood a short distance away. He was tapping his hoof impatiently. Thunderbolt shook his head in annoyance and trotted in the Seraph’s direction.

“What’s this meeting about?” he asked when he caught up to Gabriel.

“I don’t know,” the Seraph answered. His voice didn’t betray any emotion. He didn’t even turn to look at Thunderbolt as he walked. “It’s not for me to know.” Thunderbolt snorted and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

‘Of course not. You guys don’t question ‘Providence’ or whatever, right?’ A part of him chided himself for the sarcastic remark. He shook his head and blew out a long, weary sigh.

Gabriel glanced down. “Are you worried?” His voice took on a reassuring tone. “Do not be. If He were angry at you, He would not have sent for you.”

“I just prefer to know what to expect.”

“If only life were so convenient, mortal,” Gabriel laughed. The sound was soothing, like that of ringing bells. He leaned in conspiratorially. “Even we angels do not know what the future holds. That said,” his voice took on a serious tone. “We do not have knowledge of the inner workings of another creature’s mind either. I have some questions for you.”

Thunderbolt snorted. ‘Round one of the interrogation,’ he thought. “Fine. Ask away.”

“What were you doing in the spirit realm?”

‘Ah, the obvious first question.’ “Trying to get out, mostly.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “So you aren’t here by choice?”

Thunderbolt’s face contorted into a look of confusion. “No. Why the fuck would I want to be here? I have a job to do and I can’t bloody well do it stuck in here, can I?”

Gabriel shrugged. “You’d be surprised. Mortals have attempted to enter the spirit realm for many reasons. Some seek a lost loved one. Others seek knowledge of what lies beyond the veil of death.” He clicked his tongue. “The most troublesome mortals, however, are those who seek out spirits and demons for unholy power.”

“What do you do with them?”

“God has a standing policy to not directly interfere with them once they have made their contract. They have made their choice. He does not abandon them completely, but we Seraphs are to keep our distance from them.”

“How do you know that I’m not one of them?”

“You’re not angry enough. Those who seek out demons are angered by my interference,” Gabriel winked at Thunderbolt. “Especially when they had almost sealed the deal. Thus it is my personal policy to leave them to their fate.”

“Huh… I see,” Thunderbolt muttered under his breath. “Anything else?”

“Just one. What was your plan? You claim to have been looking for a way out and yet I found you on the verge of accepting a demon’s bargain. Why?”

Thunderbolt snorted. “I wanted to get back to my body. I saw an opportunity. I thought that I could deal with the contract later.”

Gabrial laughed again. “Good luck with that. No matter how much power a demon’s contract provides a mortal, he is always weaker than the demon he made it with. You would have to be very cunning.” He tapped his chest. “Or have some help, to break it.”

“I assume that fighting is out of the question then?” Thunderbolt said with a sly smile.

Gabriel chuckled. “You wouldn’t last a second. Now,” He stopped and gestured to a door. “Are you ready?”

Thunderbolt scrutinized the door. It was standing free from any walls in the middle of the white space. He extended his neck to look around it. The white space stretched out behind. The door itself was made of simple, unadorned wood. He suspected that it hadn’t even received a coat of varnish. The gold plating on the handle was flaking. All in all, the door seemed rather ordinary. Yet, something about that ordinary door set Thunderbolt on edge. A pit formed in his stomach. His throat dried out.

‘I don’t want to go.’ The thought rushed up from the depths of his mind like a rocket. He clenched his teeth.

“I admit, I expected something more… grandiose,” he said in an attempt to suppress his own discomfort.

Gabriel smiled softly. “‘Charm is deceiving and beauty is fleeting.’ Many would open an opulent door, it catches the eye quite readily, but only those who seek Him earnestly will be willing to look behind a door like this.”

Thunderbolt sighed. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” Gabriel shook his head. “Thought not.” He placed his hoof on the door handle and glanced at Gabriel, who was still softly smiling. “Well, see you on the other side, then.” He turned the handle, opened the door, and stepped through.

On the other side of the door, Thunderbolt found himself in a small kitchen. The walls were painted a soothing pink sandstone colour. A set of marble counters lined the left wall. Above them, a large window provided a view of a rolling green meadow. An old-fashioned woodstove[1] was nestled into the far right corner. A small rosewood table stood in the centre of the room. On the opposite side, an alicorn lounged in a chair with a steaming cup rested at his elbow. Tea, Thunderbolt assumed.

If the alicorn noticed Thunderbolt’s presence, he did not react. Part of him appreciated the lack of attention. A strange feeling of guilt had settled in his stomach, like the time his mother had caught him barrel deep in the cookie jar. Yet an equally strange feeling of relief and joy radiated from his heart. It felt like he had finally arrived home after a long and exhausting trip. The conflicting feelings gave him a headache.

Thunderbolt shook his head as if it would eject the feelings from his body. It didn’t, but it did help him focus enough to glare at the pony across the table. The alicorn had a coffee brown coat and a dark brown, almost black mane, which hung loosely past his shoulders. As Thunderbolt watched he picked up his cup to take another sip. Halfway to his mouth, it stopped.

“Take a seat, little pony,” the alicorn said, his voice deep and soothing and familiar. Thunderbolt bit his lip as he tried to place it. “You’re only wasting your own time by standing there.”

Thunderbolt started at the alicorn.

“You’re the voice from before… the one from the Cathedral. A-a-and from the castle.”

The Alicorn smiled sagely. “So I am. Take a seat. We have much to discuss.”

Thunderbolt pulled a seat from under the table, scraping its legs on the tiles as he did so.

“Why did you help me?”

“Does a father need a reason to help his children?”

Thunderbolt clenched his teeth. “You’re not my father.”

“You’re missing my point, pony. I don’t need a reason to help you. Regardless, that is not what I wish to discuss.”

“Fine. Let’s stop wasting our time.” A hint of steel crept into his voice. “What is it you want to talk to me about?”

The alicorn looked up from his papers. His eyes were bright gold and as friendly as the smile on his face. Thunderbolt thought that he looked like he was meeting an old friend for the first time in a long time.

“Forgiveness,” the alicorn answered. Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow.

“Forgiveness?”

“Yes, forgiveness.” The alicorn took a sip from his cup. “The act of giving up one’s claim to retribution and the resentment that comes with it.”

“I am familiar with the concept,” Thunderbolt said through grit teeth. He couldn’t keep an annoyed tone out of his voice. He was eager to get back to his body. It didn’t help that the guilty feeling in his gut was still fighting with the peaceful feeling his heart was trying to spread to the rest of his body. Consequently, he still had a headache. Another reason to get through this conversation as quickly as possible. “Why do you want to talk about it?”

“Because it will form an essential part of your journey.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”

“If you continue to tread the path before you, you will be confronted by your past. I urge you to make peace with it. If you do not, you will be crushed by the weight of your own guilt or consumed by anger over what has been done to you.”

“How do you propose I do that?”

“You will need to put your past behind you…”

‘What do you think I’ve been doing for the past two years?’ Thunderbolt snorted internally.

“And to do that,” the alicorn continued. “You will need to learn to forgive. Only then will you be able to free yourself of your past.”

Thunderbolt grew silent. Forgiving usually meant forgiving someone else. Moreover, forgiving usually meant that the pony being forgiven had done something wrong. Thunderbolt bit his lip. There were few candidates eligible for forgiveness in his mind and of those, only one stood out. Thunderbolt felt rage boil up inside him.

“THE BASTARD DOESN’T DESERVE IT!” he cried as he slammed his hooves onto the table. The cup at the alicorn’s elbow tipped over, spilling the brown liquid inside across the table.

The alicorn frowned at Thunderbolt. His facial features hardened. Before his face was like that of a close friend or a brother, soft and welcoming. Now it was as stern as a judge about to pass judgement. Silently he straightened in his seat. He was now a head taller than Thunderbolt. The alicorn placed his hooves on the table and slowly lifted himself out of his seat, his wings spread wide. Through all of this, the alicorn never broke eye contact. An angry fire had been lit behind his golden eyes. When he spoke, it was no louder than a whisper, but it chilled Thunderbolt to the bone.

“And what makes you think that you do?”

Thunderbolt opened his mouth to protest but the alicorn cut him off. The joy from his heart evaporated, replaced by guilt.

“It is true that Golden Dawn is guilty of far more severe sins by any mortal standards and that he has caused far more tragedies in his life than you have, but I do not judge by mortal standards, nor do I compare the sins of one mortal to another. No, I judge you by your own merits and just like him, you have fallen short. You have broken the moral law and thus stand condemned.” The alicorn’s face softened and he slumped back into his chair. “But I did not call you here to talk to you of condemnation.”

“You wanted to talk about forgiveness.” Thunderbolt didn’t bother hiding the sarcastic tone in his voice. “Look, I don’t see how it will help me finish my job. I can’t just forgive The Sage. He must pay for the things he has done, for the lives he has ruined.”

“And he will be,” the alicorn assured him. “If not by Celestia while he is alive, then by me once his mortal life has ended.” He took a sip of his tea. “However, I must ask you, how will not forgiving Golden Dawn assist you in your task of capturing him?” Thunderbolt looked away, unable to answer him. “But I do not require that you forgive him today, Mr Stormbringer. Rather, I require you to forgive...” the alicorn paused, a sly smile on his lips. “Yourself.”

Thunderbolt raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Myself? Why? Aren’t I just as guilty as The Sage in your eyes?”

The alicorn nodded sagely. “You are, but unlike him, you have accepted my offer of absolution. I no longer need to hold your sins against you for I have already paid for them in your stead. If you do not forgive yourself, you are trying to pay a debt that has already been paid.”

Thunderbolt sighed. “Look, this is nice and all, but how is me forgiving myself going to help me capture the Sage?”

“The spectre of your past stalks you, Thunderbolt. It is relentless. If you do not make peace with it, your past will mean the death of you, your companions and even Equestria itself.”

Thunderbolt cocked his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You do not have the time for me to simplify it any further.” The alicorn pointed to the door Thunderbolt came from. It swung open and a bright light spilled through. “Now go. Conflict approaches and your companions will require your aid if they are to survive this night.’

Thunderbolt stared at the alicorn in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it. Instead, he looked out of the kitchen window. A breeze made the meadow beyond dance. After a moment, Thunderbolt snorted, seemingly having made up his mind about something. He turned around and glared at the alicorn.

“So that’s it,” he started, his voice tinged with barely suppressed anger. “You just give me a bullshit speech about and expect me to go back into the meat grinder with nothing more than a pat on the head?”

The alicorn looked at Thunderbolt, his face a mask of serenity. Then he sighed.

“Whether you want to or not, you have been placed on a path that will bring you face to face with your past. That conflict is unavoidable. However.” A reassuring smile played on the alicorn’s lips. “There is a role for you to play here, and if you play it well many lives can be spared and many souls can be saved.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “I didn’t realize that I had a role to play. Sorry for not jumping with joy. Why me? What’s so special about me that this is my role to play? Surely there are ponies better suited for this.”

“They have their own roles to play and they are far better suited for them than they are for yours.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “Lovely.” Sarcasm oozed from his voice. “I’ll be sure to get right on that then.”

The alicorn chuckled. “Take heart, Thunderbolt. I will not burden you with a weight you cannot carry. However, this is not a weight that you need to carry alone. Should you feel the strain, you have loyal companions to help ease your burden.”

‘Right,’ Thunderbolt thought with a roll of his eyes. ‘I’m sure that Scales is willing to help ease my burden. Maybe he’d like a cup of tea too? And maybe Rosie could take some of that weight too. It’s not like she has been thrown into this meat grinder without any preparation.’ He signed. ‘I suppose that he is right that I have to do this. It’s no use cursing the way things are.’ With that thought, he turned to the open door.

“Any other sage advice before I leave?” he asked over his shoulder. The alicorn seemed to think for a moment, his hoof on his chin.

“You would do well to remember that old enemies can become new allies. In a similar vein, you should remember that forgiveness must precede redemption.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

The alicorn smiled knowingly. “I’m afraid that you must wrestle with these ideas on your own. It will hold no value if I simply explained them to you.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes and walked through the door with an annoyed expression on his face. The alicorn looked at him leaving with sadness in his eyes.

Chapter 15: The Campfire

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 15: The Campfire

When Thunderbolt awoke, he groggily looked around him. He was in the mouth of a small tunnel, with a fire crackling merrily nearby. On the far side, with his back to him, Magnum was staring into the darkened forest. With a groan, Thunderbolt pulled himself to his hooves. Magnum’s head spun around, presumably alerted by the groan, and his face broke into a wide grin.

“Ah, you’re awake. Miss Quartz will be pleased.”

Thunderbolt nodded groggily. He felt oddly happy about that but couldn’t quite put his hoof on why. Rather than ponder on that conundrum he let his eyes roam the room again, slower this time. His brain finally registered that he and Magnum were alone. “Where is she, anyway? I don’t see Scales either.”

“She went to answer a call of nature. The lizard is keeping watch.”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “Is that necessary?”

Magnum gave him a pointed look. “There are things in this forest that make our scrap with the Timberwolves look like foals playfighting. And some of those things only come out at night. So, yes, it is pretty fucking necessary.”

Thunderbolt held up his hooves defensively. “Alright, alright. I get it.” Magnum nodded and went back to staring into the forest. “What’s biting you, Mags? You aren’t usually this aggressive.”

Magnum glared at Thunderbolt. “What the hell do you think is biting me? My best friend collapsed, and I had to drag him to a cave in the middle of the Everfree. What the fuck happened back there?”

“I’m not sure. It feels more like a dream than anything else…” Thunderbolt shook his head. “But after I touched that thing in the courtyard, I found myself in the same courtyard, just without the bodies and chaos. Someone was waiting for me. Called himself… Thanatos. Said he was a reaper.”

“A reaper? Like the Grim Reaper? How is that possible. You didn’t die.”

“And he would agree with you. He said that he wasn’t there to take me to my ‘final judgement’.”

“Why was he was there then?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “To observe, he said.”

“To observe what?”

“Hell if I know. He didn’t exactly make himself useful in helping me escape.”

“What did he do then?”

“He just spouted some bullshit about providence and how the lives of my dead companions made him believe that I didn’t deserve to wander in the spirit realm or something.”

“Your dead companions? He didn’t mention anyone by name, did he?”

“No. Why are you asking that? Do you have someone specific in mind?”

Magnum looked out of the cave and sighed.

“Flare.”

“Flare?”

“Yes, Flare. Are you deaf?”

“Why?”

“That mare back at the ruins… She looks a lot like her, right?”

Thunderbolt frowned. He had to admit that the mare did look like the late Captain, but…

“So what? It’s rare, but some people have eerily similar lookalikes.”

“I’m not sure that that mare is just a lookalike. The way she moved, the way she smelled… It couldn’t have been anyone else. It had to be Flare.”

Thunderbolt shook his head. “She’s dead. You know that.”

“Do I? All I have is second-hoof information. People have only told me that she’s dead. But I’ve never seen the body. The brass refuses to show it to me.”

“Do you think they’re hiding something?”

“They’re always hiding something.”

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. “She’s dead, Mags. There is nothing we can do to change that. Those are your words.”

“The situation has changed. If Flare is still alive, I have to find her.”

“And I understand that, really, I do. But ponies don’t just come back from the dead. No one can change that.”

“Why are you so insistent? Of all the ponies I know, I thought that you would want to see my wife alive and healthy again at least as much as I do?”

“You’re right, but I can’t change the facts. She is dead.”

“And how the hell are you sure that’s the case? Did you see the body?”

Thunderbolt hesitated. “Not exactly, but...”

“Then how are you so sure? Unless you saw the body, you can’t-”

“I know because I killed her!”

Magnum frowned in confusion, his mouth hanging open. Thunderbolt could see the gears in his head turn as he processed the assertion. After a few tense moments, he slowly closed his mouth and glared at Thunderbolt.

“Explain.” The word was little more than a whisper.

Thunderbolt swore. “I lied to you,” he admitted after a tense moment. “I lied about not remembering much about my escape. The truth is that I remember more than I want to.”

“And what is it you remember?” Magnum hissed through clenched teeth.

“I remember Flare blocking my path out of the cave. I remember her attacking me. We fought. She was relentless. I could barely keep up.” Thunderbolt pointed to the circular scar on his left side. “She shoved her horn into my side and fired off some sort of spell. I don’t know what kind. All I know is that I went flying and that I felt a burning sensation throughout my body. I barely had time to get back onto my hooves before she charged. I rolled out of the way and…” He hesitated and bit his lip.

“And?” Magnum pressed for the answer.

Thunderbolt licked his lips. “I thrust my horn into her neck. Her body stiffened, I had to try and support her weight on my neck. Her attack must have weakened me. I collapsed with her on top of me. Somehow I pulled myself from under her and… well, you know the rest.”

Magnum was quiet for a long moment. He furrowed his brow as he processed this new information.

“If what you are saying is true, Sparks-”

“It is.”

Magnum glared at Thunderbolt. “IF what you are saying is true, it means that you killed my wife.”

“I’m sorry, Mags, but it was-”

Magnum threw a wide punch at Thunderbolt’s head. He ducked under it reflexively.

“Screw your sorry! It won’t bring my wife back, will it? Because of you, the love of my life is dead! Eclipse is motherless because of you. I have to raise her on my own.” He pointed an accusing hoof in Thunderbolt’s direction. “All because of you. Do you really think ‘sorry’ will fix that?”

“What do you expect me to do? I can’t bring Flare back from the dead, can I? Look, it was me or her. I had to make a choice-”

“And I understand that. I just…” Magnum sighed. “I just need some air.” He started walking to the cave entrance.

“Mags…”

Magnum spun around. A murderous look had entered his eyes. “Shut up, Thunderbolt! Just… shut up. I’m still processing what you told me and your voice makes me want to cave your head in right now.” He grimaced. “I’d rather avoid killing my best friend, so… just… shut up.”

With that Magnum stalked out of the cave and into the forest. Thunderbolt watched him leave with a grimace. He wished that the conversation had gone smoother. In reality, he wished that the conversation didn’t happen, but since the conversation did happen he opted for the next best thing. He did not have much time to dwell on it, however, because shortly after Magnum’s departure Aurum stepped into the firelight, with Char curled up on her back like a cat. The mare’s face was filled with confusion. She kept looking back at the entrance of the cave. It was only once Thunderbolt asked her what was troubling her that she noticed his presence. Her eyes widened. She rushed forward and embraced him, throwing Char off of her back in the process.

“Thank God you’re awake!” she cried. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Not as glad as I am,” Thunderbolt chuckled. A look of concern entered his eyes. “How are you holding up? You’ve been through a lot today.” Aurum grew quiet. Thunderbolt saw her reliving the day’s events in her eyes. He opened his mouth to reassure her when her mouth cracked open in a smile that was too wide.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She started poking Thunderbolt in the chest. “You should be more worried about yourself. You collapsed. What happened to you?”

Thunderbolt hesitated. Aurum almost died today. Would it be fair to burden her with the things that he had seen?

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” he said, deciding against telling her. “We can talk about it in the morning. It’s been a long day.” He plastered an encouraging smile onto his face, hoping that she wouldn’t press the question. Aurum nodded as she took in the question. Thunderbolt felt a feeling of relief flow through him. His deflection worked.

‘No,” Char interjected. He had settled next to the fire before growing to about the size of a pony. The growth sent a chill through the cave. “Tell us what happened.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because, pony, my wellbeing depends on it,” Char growled. “Do not forget that in exchange for not being handed over to be tried in the courts of my homeland, your ruler has obligated me to ensure your safety and I can not do that if I do not have all the available information. Tell me what happened.”

Thunderbolt ground his teeth before sighing. ‘Fine, I’ll tell you. Do you remember some sort of distortion at the castle ruins.”

Char nodded. “It looked like some sort of mirage, right?”

“Yeah. After you left, it grew bigger and the dead started walking around. Mags thought we could fix things by closing the source of the problems, the tear in reality.”

“And how did you do that?”

“I’m not quite sure. We fought our way to the tear and… this is going to sound crazy, but I heard a voice.”

Char raised an eyebrow. “A voice?”

“I know how it sounds, but it’s not the first time I heard it. I heard it back at the cathedral.” Thunderbolt glanced at Aurum. She had a concerned look in her eyes. “He gave me some advice back then too. This time, he suggested touching the portal.”

“Did it work?”

“I think so. I don’t think that we’d be here if it didn’t, but I don’t remember how I got into the cave.”

“What do you remember?”

“After touching the tear, I found myself in the spirit realm. There I met-”

“Hold on,” Aurum interjected. “What is the spirit realm?”

“It’s exactly what it says on the tin. It’s the realm of spirits.”

“Yeah, but what is it? Is that where dead ponies go?”

“No,” Char answered in a low rumble. “It is not the land of the dead. The Great Sages tell us that it is the source of magic. All creatures draw from it, whether unicorns casting spells or changelings changing their shape.” He narrowed his eyes at Aurum. Thunderbolt felt her heartbeat speed up as she pressed into his body. “Even your pegasus flight draws from this realm.”

“My instructor back at the Academy said something similar. In any case, we’re getting off track. Thanks, we get the idea, Scales. Now, where was I? Right, I was in the spirit realm…” Thunderbolt recounted his journey through the spirit realm. When he concluded with him waking up at the campfire, Char had a sceptical look on his face. Aurum seemed to struggle to believe the tale as well. She couldn’t meet his eyes and kept biting her lip.

“Look, I know how this sounds…”

“Do you?” Aurum interrupted him. “It sounds insane, Thunderbolt. Do you expect us to believe that you met a demon that gave The Sage some sort of special powers? And you met God? And he wants you to do what exactly? Forgive The Sage? For what? What did he do to you?”

“I know that it sounds crazy, but I’m just telling you what I remember.”

“In his defence, the Great Sages tell of stories where mortals are empowered by spirits. They can surpass their natural limits, but these pacts always come at a terrible cost.” Char narrows his eyes at Thunderbolt. “She does make a good point, however. What exactly is the nature of your relationship with our enemy?”

“Yes, Mister Stormbringer. What is our relationship?” a raspy voice from the cave entrance cut through the air like a knife. A deep growl rumbled from his chest. From the gloom of the cave entrance, the cloaked figure of The Sage emerged. Behind him floated a familiar chestnut pony, held aloft by shadowy tendrils. Thunderbolt pushed Aurum behind him, his horn alight with magical energy. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Char had adopted a low fighting stance. Thunderbolt ground his teeth. The Sage was blocking the cave entrance. Not only that, but he also had a hostage. They were trapped. And the smirk on his face told Thunderbold that he knew it.

“I’m hurt, Mister Stormbringer,” The Sage complained. “Is that really how you’re going to greet an old acquaintance?” He pointed to his captive. “And after I returned your lost friend to you.” The shadowy tendrils shook the stallion like a ragdoll. “He was surprisingly easy to capture. Almost walked right into me. He seemed rather distracted.”

Char started to inch forward, his fangs bared. Thunderbolt shot a hoof out to stop him. The dragon looked at him questioningly. Thunderbolt kept his eyes on The Sage.

“What is it you want?”

“That’s what I want to ask you, Mister Stormbringer. I cannot find you for two years and now I encounter you three times in the same two week period? That can’t be a coincidence. It’s almost like you’re hunting me…” The Sage paused. A sneer grew on his lips. “Did Celestia put you up to this? That would explain our recent encounters. She must be getting desperate if she’s sending such a motley group to kill me.” He laughed. “Is it not a great irony that I have captured you each time we’ve met? Now, will you not come along quietly this time? If you do, I will consider not harming your companions. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time, do we? Such a shame what happened to your previous companions.”

Time seemed to freeze. Thunderbolt’s vision tunnelled. He could see nothing but The Sage in front of him. A rational part of him understood the threat. Cooperate or your friends get hurt. Like the old squad. Like Flare. Like Mags right in front of you.

‘Over my dead body,’ he swore. With that thought and a guttural warcry, he released the magic built up in his horn as a blinding white bolt of lightning. The bolt hit The Sage square in the chest, blasting him into the darkness of the forest beyond the cave.

He did not have a chance to follow up on that attack, however. He had forgotten one element that was inextricably linked with lightning: thunder. The sound rang in his ears, amplified by the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cave. It caused him to clutch at his ears and stagger. He didn’t notice the rumble of the earth or the pebbles falling around him. What he did notice was the stones falling on his back. Looking up, he saw cracks forming in the ceiling. Along those cracks, stones started falling. With a swear, Thunderbolt threw up a forcefield around him. Rocks bounced off the magical bubble.

‘Now, where are the others?’ He looked around him. Char and Aurum were inside the bubble. ‘Good… good, now, where’s Mags?’ Thunderbolt spied him near the entrance, stones piling up around him. A swear slipped from between his lips. He glanced back at the two under the shield.

“Scales, Rosie, listen up.” He pointed at Magnum. “I’m going to get him out of there. Keep up if you don’t want to get crushed.”

With those words, Thunderbolt started inching toward his best friend. It felt like he was going at a snail’s pace. The falling rocks did not help. Each time a significant mass of stone impacted the shield, it flickered, threatening to collapse. The strain threatened to pop the veins in Thunderbolt’s forehead. Yet he pressed on with a grimace. He had to get to Mags. No one would die today, not if he could help it.

When they got to Magnum, they found that one of his legs had been pinned underneath a growing pile of rocks. Thunderbolt knelt next to him and grabbed his torso.

“Scales, help me get him out of here.” He pointed at the rubble on Magnum’s legs. “See if you can’t lift those stones so I can drag him out.”

“This pile of stones are very unstable. You do realize that you risk us being crushed under them, right?”

“I know. I don’t need you to pick them up, Scales. Just lift them enough for me to move him.”

“Fine,” Char growled, placing his claws underneath the stone pinning Magnum’s leg. “Just be wary, once I lower this stone, the pile will likely shift. It could collapse on top of us.”

Thunderbolt nodded in response. “On the count of three… one… two… three!”

Char lifted the stone with a grunt. Pebbles cascaded down the pile.

“Hurry,” he hissed at Thunderbolt, who had already started to pull Magnum’s body away from the pile of stones.

“He’s out! You can let go, Scales.”

Carefully, Char lowered the stone he was holding. His eyes darted across the pile of stones, watching for every shift, every shower of pebbles. Yet, the pile seemed stable. Not a stone moved as he dropped the stone the final distance as to not flatten his own claws. He turned to Thunderbolt. He was looking over Magnum’s body with Aurum peering over his shoulder.

“Are you satisfied?”

Thunderbolt nodded. “All we need to do now is-”

At that moment, a gigantic stone hit the forcefield, causing it to shatter. The magical feedback from the broken spell sent pain lancing through Thunderbolt’s horn and his vision blurred. The stone itself bounced from the now broken forcefield, landing in the campfire, extinguishing it, plunging the cave into complete darkness.

Chapter 16: Aftermath

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 16: Aftermath

The sage rubbed his chest as he leaned back against a tree. He had forgotten how much young ponies can grow. If the circumstances were different, he would have liked to witness Thunderbolt’s development. Who knows, he may even have taken the young stallion under his wing, directing and shaping his development in the process. He clicked his tongue. Circumstances weren’t different, however. Thunderbolt is developing into a rather annoying thorn in his side. He must be dealt with before he becomes a true threat. The question was how. He has been remarkably difficult to locate. The Sage bit his lip. He needed a way to keep track of Thunderbolt before he developed into a real problem. While he was pondering this conundrum, the wind stirred as a beige unicorn mare stepped out of the shadows. The Sage glanced at her. His face broke into a polite smile.
“Ah, Thirteen. What do you have to report?”
The mare lowered her head respectfully before speaking. “What’s left of The Crows are still burying their dead. By my estimates, they won’t be done before dawn,” Thirteen reported, her deep voice a disinterested monotone. “What do you intend to do with them now, Master?”

The Sage sighed. An entire company ripped to shreds. Less than a hoofful of them left. What was left was useless to him now.

“Nothing. I will have Callous find a replacement. Hopefully, this one will be more competent. Could you find out what happened?”

“The Crows’ commander reports that after our departure, the dragon went berserk. It grew until it was the size of a house and started tearing everyone apart. After several minutes, the dragon disappeared in a cloud of dust and smoke. He assumes that our new captives escaped during this time.”

The Sage raised a sceptical eyebrow. Many of the bodies that he had seen were torn apart, proving beyond a doubt that a large creature rampaged through the courtyard, but not all bodies. Others showed signs of blunt force trauma inconsistent with a creature of the size reported by the commander. Their wounds were characteristic of hoof-to-hoof combat. Something didn’t add up.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“No, Master. I interviewed some of the other survivors to confirm the commander’s report. Their accounts revealed that in addition to the rampaging dragon, the bodies of the dead rose, seemingly intent on devouring them.”

The Sage’s other eyebrow joined the first in surprise. “Oh?”

Thirteen nodded. “The other mercenaries do not know how it happened, nor do they know how it ended. After a desperate struggle, the bodies collapsed as inexplicably as they rose.”

The Sage rubbed his chin. If he had time, he would have loved to examine these walking corpses. He dismissed the idea. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

“Did you discover anything else?”

“Just one more thing: One account mentions seeing the commander speaking with one of the prisoners, a brown stallion, after the battle. The stallion then left carrying another pony on his back.”

“Did this account mention anything else?”

“Simply that the pony being carried had black wings.”

‘So the Commander let them go…’ The Sage pursed his lips and frowned. ‘Did they cooperate from the start? Or was it simply a matter of desperate opportunity? The majority of the Crows’ forces had been killed. Either way, he cannot be trusted.’ He turned to Thirteen. “The Crows’ Commander is a liability.”

The first spark of emotion entered her glazed, green eyes. A cruel smile formed on her lips. “Shall I deal with him?”

The Sage shook his head. “No. I shall leave that to Callous as well. I have far more important matters for you to deal with.” He pointed behind her, in the direction of the castle ruins. “Recall the changeling spies we captured? Do they still live?” Thirteen nodded. “Good. Interrogate them thoroughly. Discover where they came from, as well as their purpose. Then neutralize them. We are too close to our goal to allow unpredictable elements free reign.”

“I assume this includes their commanders?”

The Sage pursed his lips. How much damage would killing the spies cause? Whoever commanded them would undoubtedly retaliate. A sinister smile grew on his lips. He was assuming the changeling commanders would discover that he was behind the spies’ deaths. But there was a way to cover his tracks. He didn’t realize it at first, but there was a perfect patsy right under his nose.

“No, it does not, Thirteen.”

The mare cocked her head in confusion. “It doesn’t? Surely they will retaliate once they learn of their deaths.”

“Undoubtedly, but not against us. Ensure that any evidence points to The Crows. It must seem like they tortured the spies to death. Understood?” The mare nodded. “Now go. Time is of the essence.” Thirteen nodded and turned to leave. “One last thing,” The Sage called her back. “Where is our newest member? I believe that I instructed you and Dominus to remain together.”

Thirteen hesitated. “He… Uhm… He made his way to the Dragon Lands. He refused to explain why.”

The Sage raised an eyebrow. “The Dragon Lands? I thought that we had already concluded our business there… Unless…” He started pacing back and forth. ‘While incredibly prideful, the dragons have an extremely strict hierarchy of strength. It is extremely rare for a dragon to act independently. Is it possible that someone sent the dragon we captured to disrupt our plans? If so, is it possible that they are working with Thunderbolt? Regardless, I believe that I must make another appointment with Brigadier Blitz. With a final nod, he started melting into the shadows. “See to your orders, Thirteen,” he commanded. “Once you’re done, meet me in the Dragon Lands. I believe that we have more business with the good Brigadier.”

Thunderbolt tried to peer through the darkness of the cave. Dust filled his lungs every time he breathed. With a cough he lit his horn, bathing everything around him in a silver-blue light. A sharp pain lanced through his forehead. He grimaced. He knew that he needed rest, the day’s events had put a strain on his magic. Yet, the day was not over. Thunderbolt glanced at the pile of stones blocking the cave entrance. He swore under his breath. He wasn’t going to move them on his own.

“Is everyone all right?” he asked. Char gave an affirmative grunt in response and started moving toward the place where the fire used to be. Thunderbolt looked behind him where Aurum was. She sat on her haunches, staring into space. When he touched her shoulder, she jumped with a startled expression on her face.

“Rosie, are you ok?” he asked again, this time with a concerned expression on his face. Aurum stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment.

“Yes, yes. I-I’m not hurt or anything,” she stammered with a nod of her head. Thunderbolt returned the nod. He turned his head toward Char. As he did so, the cave lit up with the soft glow of a campfire. The dragon stoked the newly lit campfire with an intense look of concentration on his face. He glanced at Thunderbolt.

“So, pony, what happens now?”

Thunderbolt extinguished his horn and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking me?”

“Whatever plans we had to complete our mission seem untenable now. We need a new course of action. However, I do not have the requisite knowledge of pony affairs to determine that course. That leaves you three.” He pointed a claw to Aurum. “The problem is that that mare has neither the inclination nor the ability to lead us. And your friend.” He shifted his claw to Magnum’s unconscious body. “If he is not wounded from what just happened, he has his daughter to consider. I doubt that he would abandon her. Either way, he is unlikely to join us for the remainder of the mission.” Char narrowed his eyes at Thunderbolt. “That leaves only you. You are the only one left who can determine our course of action. Thus, I ask again, what happens now?”

Thunderbolt bit his lip. Was he truly fit to lead this group? He glanced at Aurum. She was still staring into the distance. He sighed. Char might be right. He might be the only one who can do it. He motioned his head toward the pile of rocks blocking the cave entrance.

“Do you think that we can move that?” The dragon looked at the rocks for a moment.

“That would be unwise. That lightning bolt of yours has already caused one cave-in. We’d better not cause another trying to get out.”

“Oh…” Thunderbolt replied dejectedly. Mentally he kicked himself for trapping them. His emotions must have shown on his face because Char looked at him with a gentle smile.

“Do not beat yourself up,” the dragon tried to encourage him. “It was necessary to protect us from the threat that our target posed. It should be noted that it was quite an impressive display of magic. I may need to rethink my assessment of your species’ ability.” Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow.

“The pony researchers in the Dragon Lands did not make much of an impression,” Char explained with a shrug.

Thunderbolt nodded absentmindedly. He stared into the gloom past the fire. They needed a way out of their current predicament. If the entrance was no longer an option, they had to find another way out. A sudden thought occurred to him, a possible solution to their problem.

“Hey, Scales,” he started. Char looked up from the fire. “Did you ever look to see how deep the cave was?”

The dragon shook his head. “We had other priorities.”

“Go do that. See if you can’t find another entrance or a side tunnel or something. Anything that might get us out of here. While you do that, I’ll try to wake Mags up. Even if he doesn’t join us for the rest of this job, he will only slow us down if he’s unconscious.”

The dragon nodded and rushed into the darkness, shrinking as he did so. Thunderbolt sighed and glanced at Magnum’s body. He was lying at the edge of the firelight. Thunderbolt clicked his tongue. Too dark for a proper examination. He tapped Aurum on the shoulder.

“Help me move him,” he said while gesturing to Magnum with his head. The mare hurriedly grabbed Magnum’s legs while Thunderbolt lifted him by the shoulders. With grunts of exertion, they carried his body to the fire.

“Couldn’t you have just carried him with magic?” Aurum panted.

“I’d rather save my magic. It may be needed.”

“Needed for what?” A fearful tone crept into Aurum’s voice.

Thunderbolt sighed. “The night is long, Rosie. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“What- what do you mean?” Aurum stammered.

Thunderbolt knelt next to Magnum’s body. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “We just have to wait until Scales gets back. Then we can plan our next move. See if you can’t get some rest,” he advised her. “You’ve had a long day.” Silently, he added: ‘And you may have an even longer night ahead of you.’

With that thought, Thunderbolt started to examine Magnum’s body. Strangely, he could find no signs of injury. Neither a blow that might have knocked him out nor the shadowy tendrils that held him captive left any marks. Only the leg that had been trapped under the rockslide was an exception. It had started swelling. Thunderbolt swore under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Aurum asked timidly. Thunderbolt pointed at the swollen leg.

“Mags’s leg is injured. The best-case scenario is that it’s just a sprain. Worst case scenario is a fucking broken bone.” Thunderbolt sighed and gave Aurum an apologetic look. “Sorry about the language. This just… needlessly complicates things.”

“Can’t you heal him or something?” Aurum asked desperately. Thunderbolt laughed in response. The sound echoed off of the cave walls. It sounded cruel and mocking to his ears. Once his laughter died down, he shook his head.

“Only if you want him worse off than he started. Even if I didn’t want to save my magic, it would be a bad idea. I suck at healing spells. I’m likely to worsen his injury rather than anything else.” Thunderbolt bit his lip. “We should try to immobilize the leg if we can.” He looked around the cave. Spotting a small pile of logs next to a small boulder, he nodded approvingly. “We can use some of the firewood as a splint. We just need some kind of bandage or material to tie it in place.”

He heard shuffling behind him. He turned to see Aurum fiddling around with her braid. As he watched, it came undone and her mane started falling down her shoulders like an auburn waterfall. Silently, she held a bunch of hair ties in Thunderbolt’s direction. He raised a questioning eyebrow. She frowned in confusion.

“Th-th-the splint. You said that you need something to tie it in place.”

Thunderbolt pursed his lips. He doubted that hair ties could be used to make a proper splint. A glance around the cave reminded him that he may not have any alternatives. He sighed and looked Aurum square in her violet eyes.

“Thank you,” he said as he took the hair ties in his magic. Taking the flattest log from the pile of firewood, he tried to secure the makeshift splint as best he could. He swore under his breath. The log could still be moved with a little effort. He needed a proper medic as soon as possible. He tried to console himself with the idea that he had done what he could with what he had. With that thought in his head, he trudged toward Aurum.

“How do you do that?” she asked as he approached. Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow.

“Do what?” he returned the question as he sank into the dirt next to her.

She pointed to Magnum’s body. “That,” she waved a hoof in the air in a vague gesture. “All of this. You just take charge and do what you think is necessary. It’s like you don’t have to wonder about it.”

Thunderbolt chuckled. “I used to be a soldier, remember? I was trained for this kind of thing.”

“Still, I don’t think that I’d be able to do it. I’d just panic and freeze.” Her eyes widened in recollection. “I did panic and freeze. Back at the castle. If you and Magnum weren’t there…” She didn’t have to finish the thought. Thunderbolt pursed his lips in thought. After a moment he looked her square in the eye.

“Listen, you weren’t trained for this. It’s perfectly normal for a civilian to panic in that situation. As for me…” He looked back into the gloom of the cave. “Scales may be right. I have to lead us. I can’t afford to panic.”

“Why not?” Aurum’s question was laced with concern. Thunderbolt was quiet for a moment.

“Back when I was in the guard, one of my COss told me that if a soldier panics on the battlefield, he dies. But that wasn’t that big a problem to him. No, he was more worried about a panicking squad leader. If he panicked, the entire squad might die.” He licked his lips. “I am our ‘squad leader’. It’s my responsibility to get you all through this mess alive.” Aurum opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by deep, growling chuckling.

“Don’t think too highly of yourself, pony,” Char chided with a toothy grin. “You may determine our course but that is merely a necessity. You are no leader yet.”

“Scales!” Thunderbolt cried as he jumped from the dirt. “Did you find anything?”

“The tunnel stretches on for quite some length… but”

“Does it lead anywhere?”

“I have yet to determine that. There is a more important factor to consider.”

“Which is?”

“This tunnel did not form naturally.” Thunderbolt frowned upon hearing this.

“How do you know?”

Char spread his claws. “Look around you, pony. Caves form either in the presence of molten rock or water.” He scraped dirt off of the ground and threw it at Thunderbolt. “This place is dry. And I am not aware of any volcanic activity in this region. This cave cannot be natural.”

Thunderbolt swore under his breath. ‘This could either simplify or needlessly complicate things. It just depends on-’

“What does that mean?” Aurum interrupted his thoughts. A note of fear had crept into her voice.

“It means that someone carved out that tunnel. With any luck, they made some sort of side tunnel to use as an escape.”

“If they had any sense, they’d have done so.”

“And if they didn’t?” More fear had seeped into Aurum’s voice. Thunderbolt turned and looked her straight in the eye.

“I’ll get you out of here. I promise.” He turned to Char. “Scales, I need your help. Follow me.” With this, he walked towards Magnum’s unconscious body. A wave of cold washed over him. An enlarged Char appeared in the corners of his vision. “I need you to carry Mags while we go down the tunnel. I’m not strong enough to carry him. Rosie can’t do it either. I need you to do it. If we encounter hostiles, we can make another plan, but for now, I need you to do this.” Char narrowed his eyes narrowed his eyes at Magnum’s body. After an extended silence, he slowly turned to face Thunderbolt. His emerald eyes glowed severely in the firelight.

“Tell me, pony,” he said in a low voice. “Do you truly believe that you can keep that promise?” Thunderbolt returned the dragon’s gaze, his jaw set with determination.

“I have to.”

“That was not my question, pony. Can you keep that promise?” Thunderbolt clenched his teeth.

“I can’t see the future, Scales,” he hissed. “There is only so much one pony can do. But,” Thunderbolt straightened his back. “I will do my best. That is all I can tell you.” Char didn’t immediately respond. Thunderbolt watched the firelight dance in the dragon’s eyes. Slowly, a nearly imperceptible smile grew on Char’s lips.

“That is all that we mortals are capable of.” He broke his gaze from Thunderbolt to look at Magnum’s body. “I will carry this one. I see sense in your proposal. However, if I do this, you must lead us through the tunnels. I cannot do so and carry your friend.”

Thunderbolt nodded in response and turned to the tunnel. It looked like the throat of some creature eager to swallow him whole. With a snort, he lit up his horn.

“Come on, Rosie,” he said with a glance at the pegasus mare. “Let’s get out of here.”

Author's Note

Goodness, how long has it been since I've worked on this story? The last chapter was posted [checks notes] in August of 2020. I've really let this fall by the wayside, haven't I? I've finished my graduate degree and moved to a different country.

Don't worry, I assure you that I am still working on it, though the schedule might be a bit inconsistent. Nonetheless, I hope that those who read it will enjoy it.

Chapter 2: Interrogations and Examinations

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 2: Interrogations and Examinations

A cold wind blew over the crowded courtyard. The chained dragon shivered uncomfortably and snorted in annoyance. A green recruit guarding the dragon jumped with a girlish squeal. He pointed his spear at the dragon. The dragon lazily trained an emerald eye on the recruit.

“They told me that I can’t break these chains,” he growled. “If you poke me with that toothpick I might just get the motivation to prove them wrong.”

The guard’s eyes widened. His breathing grew shallow. The dragon chuckled.

“You don’t need to fear me, little pony. I am not interested in harming you, I assure you. Besides, there are things far more worthy of your fear,” he said as he looked across the courtyard, emerald eyes locking with silver-blue ones.

Thunderbolt narrowed his eyes at the dragon chained up in the middle of the courtyard. ‘Who are you?’ he wondered as the wind tugged at his reacquired cloak. ‘What do you want? Why did you attack?’ His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in his ribs. Thunderbolt jerked his head up and stared into the brilliant amethysts that were Aurum’s eyes. A steaming cup of tea was in her hooves. She pointed a wing at a stallion standing in front of them. He had a blond mane and brown coat. Dark bags were under his piercing blue eyes.

“Stormbringer,” the guard growled. “Why is it that whenever something goes wrong in this city you’re involved?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “It has to be a conspiracy. I think that fate wants us to hook up.”

“Need I remind you that I am married?”

Thunderbolt shrugged. “Well, fate must really hate your wife then. I mean, she fell in love with you.”

The guard sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a stallion take a stroll with a pretty mare without being interrogated?”

“Stormbringer…”

“Frankly, it’s none of your business, Notebook. I saved your asses by fighting that dragon and you know it.”

Notebook glared at Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt retaliated with a cocky half-smile. The sound of grinding teeth could be heard from Notebook.

“Do you two know each other?” Aurum interrupted the staring contest.

Thunderbolt shook his head for a moment. “Sorry, Rosie. I forgot to introduce you. This is Notebook. He’s a detective for the Guard and an old drinking buddy.”

“Second Lieutenant Notebook at your service, Ma’am. And you are?”

“Aurum. Aurum Quartz.”

Notebook glanced at Thunderbolt. “I don’t mean to pry, Miss Quartz, but how do you know Stormbringer?”

“Uhm.” Aurum’s eyes darted to Thunderbolt and back to Notebook. He narrowed his eyes.

“Back off Notebook. Can’t you see you’re making her nervous?”

“One of your partners in crimes should be able to handle one intimidating guard, Stormbringer.”

“Come on, Notebook. Not everyone I know is a criminal.”

“Just most of them. Answer the question, Miss. How do you know Stormbringer?”

“I met him at the train station yesterday,” Aurum blurted out. “I was delivering a package to him, and when I asked what it was for, he invited me to see for myself.”

“You’re a nosy delivery mare, aren’t you? That could get you killed, you know.”

“Lay off Notebook.” Thunderbolt stepped in between Notebook and Aurum. “What do you want? We already gave our statements to one of your lackeys.”

“Right. The medic wanted me to tell you that he wants to examine you for injuries.”

“Thanks. We’ll get right to that. Now run along. I’m sure that there’s some kid you haven’t made cry yet.”

Notebook laughed. “I’ll look into it. Have a nice night. And watch your back, Miss Quartz. You never know what might go wrong when Stormbringer’s involved.” He turned and left.

“Are you two really friends?”

“We used to be. Now… He means well, but…” Thunderbolt shook his head. “Whatever. Let’s go see that medic.”

Thunderbolt looked around the medical tent. There was a stretcher in the far left corner. A small grey figure lay on it. A purple unicorn tended to the small pony.

“Please remove your cloak,” said the unicorn in a lilting French accent, barely looking up from his current patient. “Then we can start examining you.”

Thunderbolt hesitated. Despite the fact that most ponies went without clothes he felt uncomfortable without his cloak. He grit his teeth and levitated his cloak from his body. He dropped it on the floor.

“What about your patient?” he asked after a moment, trying to hide his discomfort.

“She’ll be fine,” the doctor said nonchalantly. “She simply took a bad hit while fighting the dragon and was knocked unconscious. A little bed rest and she will be fine,” he gave Thunderbolt a knowing smile. “Enough about the Nightguard; let’s look at you,” he took in Thunderbolt’s scars with a knowing gaze. He started prodding Thunderbolt with his hooves. “By your scars, I assume that you are an off-duty guard. Good work with the dragon,” he commented. Thunderbolt flinched when the doctor poked at his ribs.

“I’m not a guard anymore. I’ve been discharged,” Thunderbolt responded. “Could we hurry this along, doc? I have an appointment to keep.”

The unicorn chuckled. “That makes two of us. My wife is waiting for me with a bottle of chardonnay.”

“A dangerous combination,” Thunderbolt quipped. “Let’s get to that examination.”

The Doctor lit his horn with a healthy green glow.

“Well said. If you would kindly stand still, I need to do a medical scan.”

A green light shone from the doctor’s horn and enveloped Thunderbolt. His body tingled as the doctor’s magic poked and probed his body for injuries and other maladies. A confused look formed on the doctor’s face as the tingling reached Thunderbolt’s wings. The look melted off his face and worry made itself known. The words “Oh, dear,” escaped his lips.

“Doc,” Thunderbolt growled. “What’s going on?”

“Could you please extend your wings?”

“Talk to me, doc,” Thunderbolt said as he spread his wings. The doctor squinted in concentration. Thunderbolt felt the tingling sensation in his wings intensify.

“Where did you get these wings?” the doctor asked.

“I don’t like telling that story.”

“I see,” the doctor sighed. “Very well. Just answer this question: Why aren’t wings transplanted?”

Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. “That’s a rather strange question.”

“Indulge me.”

“It’s unnatural. It is like getting someone else’s leg sown to your body. I admit my wings feel like they don’t belong,” he answered. After a moment he added: “The only other reason I can think of is that it might cause some magical interference.”

‘My own magic has been a bit unstable since I’ve gotten these wings,’ he thought to himself. ‘Thank God nothing happened tonight.’

“It goes further,” the doctor replied with an excited smile, like a teacher whose student gave a good answer. “Some years back a mad scientist performed some involuntary limb transplants. His found that ponies who had received limbs died when the donor died. Not only that, if the donor died before the transplant was complete the pony receiving the wings died once the operation was complete.”

“Did anyone survive these experiments?”

“The only survivors are those whose donors did not die.”

“Why are you telling me this? The pony whose wings these were is dead. He has to be.”

The doctor’s mouth became a thin line. “If that were the case we would not be having this conversation.”

Thunderbolt licked his lips. His throat became dry. “Anything else, Doctor?” he asked nervously.

“Just a couple of scrapes and bruises. I detect no serious injuries. You can go,” the doctor said. “NEXT!” he yelled.

“Have a nice night then Doc,” Thunderbolt said with a nervous chuckle. He walked toward the tent’s flap in a daze, colliding with a pony coming in the opposite direction. He and the pony descended in a tangled mess of legs and wings. When he came to his senses he found himself looking into Aurum’s violet eyes. Her breath mingled with his as they stared into each other’s eyes. Thunderbolt felt his cheeks heating up.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Thunderbolt muttered as he got off of the pegasus mare.

“Clearly,” Aurum huffed with a slight blush on her golden cheeks. She rolled onto her stomach and with a flap of her wings lifted herself onto her hooves. Turning to the doctor she timidly said: “You’re the doctor, right? You’re supposed to examine me?”

“Certainly, Miss. Please step this way,” the doctor replied gently.

Thunderbolt stepped out of the tent. He looked up at the clear night sky. He didn’t see any of its twinkling beauty. The doctor’s words kept running through his mind.

Ponies who had received limbs died when the donor died.

‘If I’m still alive,’ Thunderbolt thought, ‘and what the doctor said is true, then he must be alive too. But that’s impossible. I saw… It doesn’t matter what I saw. If he’s alive I’ll deal with him after I finish this job.’

Something touched his shoulder lightly. He turned his head to see Aurum’s violet eyes.

“What happened tonight?” Aurum whispered to Thunderbolt. The night around them held a pregnant silence.

“I don’t know,” Thunderbolt whispered back. His gaze wandered to the dragon being hauled away on a low cart. An enchanted muzzle had been placed over his mouth after he gave a reckless pegasus guard singed feathers. The dragon had laughed at the guard. Inky trails of smoke wafted from his nostrils. Emerald eyes burned with annoyance at the equines dragging him away.

“You didn’t make any angry, did you?” she asked accusingly.

“Made any what angry?”

“A dragon. You didn’t make one angry, did you?”

“I don’t know,” he said. He put a hoof to his chin. “Let me think… there were some pegasi… a unicorn or two… there is that one griffon in Las Pegasus, not that she can deny that she benefitted most from the arrangement… No, I don’t remember ever pissing off a dragon.”

“Then why would he want to kill you?” Aurum asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Do I look like I know why a dragon would try to grill me?” Thunderbolt said with a shrug. “It makes no sense. He said that whatever he was here for was between me and him. But I don’t know what he could be after. I haven’t had business with dragons yet.” He gave her a reassuring look. “Look, I’ll sort it out after we deliver the book.”

They travelled through the empty streets of Canterlot in slightly awkward silence. Aurum hummed a tune tinged with the nervousness of one being alone with a new acquaintance. Thunderbolt brooded as he walked. ‘The appearance of the dragon could indicate another player in this job. That would undoubtedly complicate things. At least it will stop being my problem soon.’ A grimace flashed across his face. His left wing started aching. ‘Bloody wing. I need to stretch it out, but-’

“Did you really mean it back there?” Aurum had a deep blush on her cheeks. Her nervous voice was like the eye of Thunderbolt’s hurricane of thoughts.

“Mean what?”

“What you said. You know. That I’m pretty.”

“That’s what’s on your mind?”

Aurum swatted at Thunderbolt. “Did you mean it? Do you really think that I’m pretty?”

“Well, if I’m honest, I can’t say you’re the most beautiful mare that I’ve ever met, but you really are one of the prettier ones. And you don’t seem as shallow as most mares that I know.”

“I see.”

A silence grew. Thunderbolt’s thoughts started wandering again.

“Where do you come from?” Aurum asked, pulling Thunderbolt back to the present.

“Cloudsdale.” The word slipped from his mouth before he could stop it. “I mean, I grew up in Cloudsdale.” The flood continued at her dubious look. “I live near Ponyville now. Its central location makes it easy to travel.”

“How could you have lived in Cloudsdale? It’s a city made of clouds. Only pegasi can walk on clouds. You didn’t always have those wings, did you?”

Thunderbolt chuckled nervously. “No, I didn’t. That is a long story. You should ask my mother how I survived Cloudsdale when I was young. I went to boarding schools for most of my life. Once I learned the cloud walking spell it wasn’t a problem. Where do you live?” he asked, clearing his throat. “I mean you asked me. It’s only fair that I ask you.”

A small smile graced the face in the moonlit night. “I’m from Manehatten. In this tiny apartment. Pawprints is probably wondering where mommy is…”

“Your foal?”

“Oh, no,” the pegasus said, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. “Pawprints is my cat. She used to leave little paw prints in the butter. That’s where she got her name.”

“I see.”

Another bout of silence rose. A question started niggling at Thunderbolt. Aurum didn’t seem like the typical pony he saw in his line of work. She still seemed rather carefree, if the tune she was humming was any indication. Then there was the army. While not unusual to run from an enraged dragon, and those are even rarer than calm ones, at least in Equestria, it was rare for his occasional partners to rush to the authorities when trouble arose. Yet she came back with the army.

“Rosie,” Thunderbolt said, stifling a yawn. “I know I already asked you, but why are you here? Why didn’t you get back on the train to Manehatten after you dropped the gem off?”

Aurum’s humming stopped. “I...I don’t know really,” she stammered. “The pony who delivered the stone told my boss to make sure the gem made it to him and she told me to stay with whoever picked up the gem until it made it to the pony.” She was quiet for a moment. Thunderbolt could see the gears in her head turning, could see the mare examining her own thoughts. “It just seemed so mysterious. Romantic, even. Like those thriller novels,” Her eyes lit up. “Those with stallions of action and mares of danger,” the pegasus whispered. A sigh escaped her lips. “You were right. I just craved some excitement. I think I’ve had enough now.”

“That’s understandable. I’m lucky to have lasted as long as I have,” Thunderbolt said. “Those stories exaggerate the excitement anyway. It’s mostly nobles wanting to get one up on one of their peers. Those are usually more likely to get dangerous,” he shook his head. “They can’t strike directly at each other, but their agents… fair game. Other times a collector wants some rare thing. Very few conspiracies or shady back ally dealings,” Thunderbolt gave a shrug. “But it pays well, so I can’t really complain about a lack of excitement.”

“Really?” Aurum raised an eyebrow. “You seemed pretty used to excitement back there. I mean, a dragon? No pony I know would have done it. If you didn’t…” she realised how close to fiery death she was. She stopped mid-air and lowered herself to the ground, eyes like full moons. Her flank hit the cobblestone path with a thump.

“Aurum?” Thunderbolt said. “You okay?”

“You saved me.” Aurum clutched her head with her hooves. “Oh, God. What am I doing here? I’m not cut out for this… How can I ever repay you?”

“Buy me a drink when we get to Manehattan. I’ll make sure that you get home safely.”
“Why? I can get home on my own.”

“Because after tonight you will be a single mare with a large bag of Bits. What sort of street scum will be able to resist?” Thunderbolt sighed. “Look, even if it weren’t the case I would like to get a drink with you.” He stuck a hoof in Aurum’s direction. “Come on. The cathedral is not far.”

Aurum uttered a small “Thank you” as she accepted Thunderbolt’s hoof. Beating her wings she hovered next to Thunderbolt. “Who are we delivering the book to anyway?”

“Rough Diamond. He is some low-level bureaucrat. He is probably a stand-in for whoever is paying us,” Thunderbolt stopped before a building looming over them. It was made of pure white marble. The coloured glass in the windows reflected the soft moonlight.

“We’re here,” he announced as he placed his hoof on the opulent front door of the cathedral and pushed.