Ponest Dungeon

Chapter 6: Flash Frenzy

Week 22, Day 5, Pre-Dawn

The dagger slid across Starlight’s leg. She didn’t even hiss from the pain anymore. Holding up her blood-soaked pastern, she eyelessly inspected it and released a weary sigh. Becoming used to the feeling of the cold steel cutting through her flesh, and experiencing the warm wave of pleasure which followed afterwards, was not something that she’d been expecting when she’d begun to mutilate herself. It was a good thing that death would soon claim her; self-punishment didn’t work if you started to enjoy it.

She swiveled her ears to face the wall to the next room as she wrapped a fresh set of bandages around her limb.

Silence.

Finally.

Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash, who were together in the next room over, had been celebrating Shining’s release from the sanitarium. Vigorously. They’d remained loudly awake into the wee hours of the morning. And knocked a book or two off her shelves.

Now—thankfully—the only noises Starlight could hear were the relatively quiet ones in the room with her. Twilight slept soundly in the bed on the opposite side of the room, peacefully dreaming about… books, no doubt. It was always books with her.

Then, there was the hissing of the protective wards Starlight had surreptitiously placed around the room. She knew that when Ametrine exposed Blueblood to more of the infected wine that the result would be a lethal surge of eldritch energies. The warding had done its job in preventing both Twilight and herself from suffering horrible deaths, which would have involved them bleeding out from every orifice.

With that wonderful thought now in hindsight, she turned her attention to the room’s only window. Hints of approaching daylight were barely beginning to make themselves known upon the sliver of sky visible through storm shutters.

Not that Starlight could see it, of course.

Starlight hadn’t slept, and not just because of the racket next door. She knew she wouldn’t. Just like she also knew that she would have to leave before the two teams returned, despite how much she wanted to see her four friends one last time. More important to her, though, was that they would be hurt by not being able to see her. They’d been through so much together. Before she’d met Twilight, they’d been the only real friends she’d ever had. The last time they had parted was truly the last time that they would all be together and alive.

If only there was more time.

Time.

She scoffed internally at how little of it she now had. The irony of her running out of the most valuable of commodities when she could foresee all things was not lost on her. Her hooves shook as she considered her future, or lack thereof. Everything she’d done, and everything that she knew she would have to do, had convinced her that she deserved nothing less than the worst death imaginable.

But something else weighed on her mind. This would be her last chance. Her last chance… for what? Redemption? Legacy? Striking the raw side of her left foreleg against the wall, she hissed as much-desired feelings of pain finally lanced through the limb. She would have to settle for solace.

The sound of Twilight stirring in the other bed caused Starlight’s ears to perk.

“What was that?” Twilight mumbled sleepily.

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry,” Starlight said to the mostly-unconscious pony. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.”

“Starlight,” Twilight whined, rolling over to face her, but keeping her eyes closed. “What time is it?”

“It’s early,” Starlight said. “I just wanted to tell you that before I headed out.”

“Tell me what?” Twilight barely lifted her head from her pillow before dropping it back down with a poof and a yawn.

“That I’m sorry,” Starlight said, feeling wetness running down her muzzle. She’d been crying a lot lately. Which was good, because she needed to get it out of her system so that she could be strong for the others later. “I know why things are the way they are.”

“Starlight,” Twilight mumbled into her pillow. “You’re not making any sense.” She hugged her blankets around herself more tightly and yawned again. “If you don’t start—” another terrific yawn “—making sense I’m gonna go back to sleep.”

“I—” Starlight struggled for words “—I know the reason for why this world is as horrible as it is. I never even knew this world was horrible until I saw the alternatives.” She knew that her desperate struggles to explain things to Twilight would come to naught. But she also knew she would try anyway. “A single pony, driven by revenge… changed things.”

Twilight groaned and rolled back over to face away from Starlight, grumbling into her pillow.

“I see her so clearly now.” Starlight choked on her own tears. “When I think of all the darkness in this land… the death, the suffering… and how it came out of petty jealousy.” She sightlessly inspected her foreleg. No matter how thoroughly she scarred it, it wouldn’t make up for her transgressions. “What kind of monster would so callously abuse time travel, heedless of the risks and ripple effects? The lost lives, the lost friendships…”

“Time travel?” Twilight said, rolling onto her back, her eyes still closed. “We both know that’s not scientifically possible. Your story is not scientifically possible,” she sing-songed in a sleepy voice, before letting out a terrific yawn. “Besides—” another yawn “—you’re my only friend.”

The taste of that particular irony was bitter, indeed.

Tears flowed freely down Starlight’s face. “You could have known so much more.”

Twilight mumbled something incomprehensible. But after a few silent moments, Starlight heard her issue a light snore.

“I’m so sorry.” Starlight got up from the bed. Sniffling, she turned her head towards Twilight. Without eyes, she regarded her best friend one final time. “At least you’ll live longer than me.”

Starlight pulled a book out from her saddlebags. It was a thick leatherbound tome, with a brass banding on the spine, singed patterning at the corners of the cover, and a stylized brass unicorn head on the front. The eye of the pony glowed with a faint, unnamable luminescence.

As she left the book on Twilight’s bed-side table, Starlight paused for a moment, just listening to Twilight breathe.

“Farewell, best friend.”

Week 22, Day 5, Morning

The route from the ruins to the Everfree was normally a stone-cobbled trail with nary more than a single tiny creek, usually a single hoof-span across, barring passage. Which is why Applejack’s and Double’s groups stood, perplexed, at the roaring torrent, at least several mare lengths wide, which now crossed their path.

“Well… that's new.” Applejack looked at the wide swath of water that flowed past.

“Most curious,” Double Diamond said, canting his head. “And most troublesome for our future endeavors.” He pointed a hoof as part of the streambank tore free and was washed downstream.

“Look,” Maud said, pointing. “The force of the current has already eroded the topsoil away to the underlying regolith.” She walked dangerously close to the edge of the water. “If the intensity of this stream doesn’t let up, it won’t be long before it gets to the saprolite layer and then the bedrock.”

“Pardon?” Applejack said.

“She’s saying that the water is cutting into the soil,” Vinyl said. “What, none of you guys ever took earth pony science in school?”

“At the rate it’s going—” Double took a step back as more of the embankment collapsed “—it’ll dig out a sizable gorge in no time.” He looked up into the sky. “Tempest? Can you inform Blueblood that access to the ruins are now cut off? He’ll need to build a bridge, or something similar.”

Understood. The stream appears to be flowing from north to south. I recommend you follow it north. You should come upon Saddle Lake, which is where I suspect it is sourced.”

“Good idea,” Night Glider said. “Saddle Lake is small; it’s really more of a large pool or tiny pond. We shouldn’t have problems either walking around it or crossing one of its tributaries.”

Blueblood had never slept worse in his life.

Rolling from the tangled, sodden sheets into the lancing light of dawn was like crashing through a pane of glass. Not even the night he’d spent three years previously with the Van Kloppen sisters—and brother—had left him feeling more like his head was a cracked cask of wine, spilling its contents out faster than the product of his own dry-heaves. He’d had nights of no sleep that had been more satisfying, if only for their clarity—of which there was none here.

He staggered from the bed—how had he even gotten into his bed?—hearing half-perceived noises from Ametrine behind him. He plowed into, and toppled, a chair… into the blazing hearth. New rippling growths upon his left leg burst forth, stabilizing him, and preventing him from sharing the chair’s fate. His eyesight fractured once again, though the pain of it was negligible.

It was nothing compared to the thirst.

His self-awareness at an all-time low, Blueblood had only the presence of mind to stand still and bark for Tempest until he collapsed on his rump, retching soundlessly. He had no clue how long he sat there, feeling alone, cold, and empty.

Yet in time, his nose perked with the scent of something warm. Something tantalizing. His eyes flicked upward as he salivated uncontrollably.

“Prince,” came a resonant boom that could only be Tempest.

“N—Nopony… today,” he stammered through slavering jaws. “K—keep… all… out.”

The plum-colored mass before him jerked; likely in a nod—disapproving, of course. It said a few more words. The only one he recognized was: “Ametrine?”

“N—No. Not… even Ametrine.”

The mass receded. Sound and color dropped away into a void of lost perception.

Yet the desperate thirst remained. It wracked him, left him shivering so badly that he couldn’t even scream.

After what seemed like hours later, Blueblood cringed at the squeal of his bedroom door opening. He was vaguely aware of hoofsteps as somepony entered.

Blueblood tried to say something along the lines of: “I said no visitors!” Although he wasn’t sure he was actually forming words; he may have just been gibbering incomprehensibly.

Without warning, the curtains were drawn, the windows opened, and the shutters thrown wide, flooding the room with even more of the accursed sunlight that singed his senses like a hot poker cauterizing a wound. Blueblood hissed and gave vocalization to his displeasure with a series of growls and snarls.

The voice which spoke to him was too damned cheery for his tastes. While the majority of the words she spoke were swallowed by waves of nausea and pain, he distinctly heard mention of “the gloriousness of the sun,” as well as something about “incandescence”—which had to mean it was Solmare. Her nonsense tried his patience on the best of days, much less one where his head felt like a coconut that had been exposed to Tempest’s hooves.

Blueblood felt himself hefted from the ground, and laid carefully in his bed. He tried to berate Solmare, but he was pretty sure that he just moaned through clenched teeth. With great effort, he managed to hold his vision straight enough to watch Solmare walk to the fireplace and hold out a hoof.

A blueish-white light emanated from Solmare’s outstretched hoof and the fire roared higher.

Although the warmth from the newly kindled flames penetrated his fur and reached his skin, Blueblood shivered. It felt like ice water ran through his veins, chilling him to the bone. When Solmare pulled the blankets up over him, it only intensified the cold, as if he were trapping it under the thick covers instead of his own body heat. He kicked the blankets off and writhed as waves of freezing agony passed through him.

He saw Solmare watching him, the bucket helmet obscuring every possible indicator of expression except for the eyes, which scrutinized him with merciless mirth. She pulled a flask from her robes, pulled the stopper from it, approached him, and held it to his lips. The material of the container glowed as if it were on fire.

Blueblood tried to pull away. Thirst beyond belief consumed his senses, but the smell coming from the flask was that of embers and heat. A hoof shot behind his head and fixed it in place with an iron grip. He opened his mouth to moan and found that liquid was being poured into it.

It burned. There was no other way to describe the sensation. Fire rushed down his throat and into his stomach, where it exploded outwards into his limbs. Though there was pain, there was also relief. Whereas before he felt as if he were dying, now he felt as if he were mending; painfully so, but mending nonetheless. His struggles slowed, and then ceased.

“W-What was that?” Blueblood pulled the blankets up to his neck now that he could feel his own body heat again.

Solmare walked to the fireplace and held out the flask, which had ceased to glow, revealing itself to be made from a huge emerald. Flames and embers flowed from the blaze, through the air, and then into the flask.

Blueblood turned away from the fire. “Okay, I’m hallucinating.” He was unsure of how long he continued to lay there, although it felt like days. His body continued to painfully mend itself. Despite the extreme exhaustion he felt, unconsciousness refused to take him. And yet Solmare stood watch over him, like a guardian angel.

“Great, now I’m delirious, too.”

Week 22, Day 5, Late Afternoon

The teams spent the better part of the day hiking through the edge of the Everfree forest, following the stream’s bank over rocks and fallen trees, all in hopes of finding an easier place to traverse it. Night Glider made several scouting runs during that time, none of which were ultimately successful. Their collective grumbling only intensified as they resigned themselves to circling the whole way around Saddle Lake.

“Well, butter my buns if that ain’t a proper lake,” Applejack said, emerging through the treeline and into full view of the swollen monstrosity stretching away from them much farther than she would’ve imagined. Scores of trees and shrubs were partially underwater nearby, a testament to the severity of the recent flooding. The definitive border of the opposing shoreline was lost in a thicket of half-submerged timber.

Double grunted alongside her. “This looks less like a lake and more like a small sea.”

“I know!” Party Favor giggled. “I can sea that!”

“Knock it off,” Double said, rubbing the temple of his helmet with one hoof. “It’ll take us a whole day to make it around this thing. That’s if we’re lucky.” He gazed out over the expanse of murky water. “Night, I hate to make you do this again, but scout out a path for us. And… keep an eye out for anything dangerous. Something smells wrong.”

“I smell it too,” Octavia said. “It’s peculiar, out of place, but… strangely familiar.”

Everypony started to sniff at the air.

“Sugar Belle,” Double said as she approached the edge of the lake, “you probably don’t want to get too close to it—”

Sugar responded by dipping a hoof into the water, and then bringing the damp extremity up to her muzzle. She briefly rested her tongue on the wetness, scrunched her face, and spat. “It’s salt water,” she announced.

“Salt?” Applejack looked at the lake and canted her head. “That… that don’t make no sense!”

“No,” Double said, “it doesn’t.” He looked around warily. “Night, be quick with your reconnoiter. The rest of us will get the camp set up. We’ll do it well away from the water’s edge; I don’t think it’s the best idea to be close to this pelagic oddity after sunset. Even without the smell, this place just doesn’t feel right.”

Week 22, Day 6, Morning

“Your leg,” Twilight stammered, as she sat down at the drawing room table, “it’s better—how?”

Despite his left foreleg having returned to its original shape, Blueblood looked like he hadn’t slept all night, maybe longer. Dark circles lay underneath eyes that were dull with exhaustion. “The problem resolved itself… somehow.” Blueblood made a circular motion with one hoof. “First there was wine, then Solmare shoved some weird potion down my throat.” A bowl of oats sat untouched in front of him. “Then she stayed with me all night, too—and not like that. She just stood there, watching me the whole time. It was weird. And then she didn’t even tag along with me to breakfast.”

“I think she fasts as part of her weird sun religion or something, I’ve never seen that mare eat.” Shaking her head, Twilight accepted her own bowl of oats from Ditzy and sat down. “Everything is crazy these last few days,” she muttered. “First Starlight went missing yesterday, and now your leg is randomly fixed.”

“What do you mean, she’s missing?” Blueblood turned his head and raised his eyebrows.

Twilight finished chewing a spoonful of her breakfast. “I mean that I woke up yesterday, and she wasn’t there like she normally is. And nopony has seen her.”

“She left westward from town early yesterday,” Tempest announced as she entered the drawing room, “just before sunrise, while I was doing my morning laps around town.” She sat down and waited for Ditzy. “I would have told any other pony not to go out alone, but the effort would have been wasted on Starlight. She is as stubborn as she is prescient.”

“Well,” Blueblood said, “as long as you think she’ll be ok.”

“I never said that,” Tempest replied with a nicker. “I just know that any attempt to stop her would be fruitless. Her ability to so precisely predict the future is quite irritating.” She grabbed the bowl of oats that Ditzy placed in front of her.

“I was going to ask why you disobeyed my order,” Blueblood said.

“You were feverish and delirious. I thought it was prudent to have Solmare watch over you, to make sure you didn’t expire.”

Blueblood shrugged. “Did your instructions include forcing some weird fire potion down my throat?”

“Prince, I—” Tempest was cut off by the sound of galloping hooves echoing from the hallway.

“Hey Tempest,” Ametrine said cheerfully, as she abruptly did a small hop and slid into the drawing room on her hooves.

“You are energetic today.” Tempest took a bite of oats.

“And you’re grumpy as usual,” Ametrine fired back.

“I am not needlessly cheerful. I am also engaged in an important conversation with the Prince. Give me a brief report on what Double Diamond’s team is up to, so we may return to the matter at hoof.”

“Eh,” Ametrine said, “they’re under attack.”

Tempest choked down the last of her breakfast and stood. “Open up, now.”

“What the Tartarus are these things?” Vinyl shouted as she dove out of the way of a rusty harpoon.

The scaled quadruped before her started reeling in its weapon by the long rope it trailed from. In many ways, it resembled a pony. But its gilled visage ended in a maw of needle-like teeth, and in place of its back legs was a fleshy, prehensile fin. It gasped oddly in the morning air, before emitting a sound something like: “Shooooooooooo.”

Vinyl jumped back from another finned fishpony bursting up from a cluster of reeds with a gurgling battle-cry of “Beeeeeeeeeee.”

“Dooooooooooo,” growled a third pelagic abomination that came flopping toward her.

“Celestia-damned sea ponies,” Applejack spat, bucking a rotted tree that crashed down squarely onto two of Vinyl’s attackers, while tearing an arm off the third. She then dodged behind another partially submerged tree several hoof lengths from the water’s edge, narrowly avoiding a fusillade of rusty harpoons.

“Aren’t these supposed to be confined to coastal areas?” Octavia asked. She burst out of a waterlogged shrub and brought her cello case down on the head of a shaman, staggering them.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied, grabbing one of the offending harpoons in his mouth, yanking a sea pony bodily from the water, and raking his spiked bracelet ineffectively against its tough belly scales. He released the weapon as its owner pulled back towards the other monstrosities.

“I knew we shouldn’t have let the others scout ahead,” Applejack said as she bucked a sea pony in the face. She wasn’t even sure if it was one of the ones that had thrown a harpoon at her; they all looked alike. “Splitting the party ain’t never a good idea.”

“Yo yo yo,” Vinyl called out to the aquatic abominations, “what do you call the area next to the water?”

The gaggle of monstrosities paused for a moment and exchanged confused glances.

“It’s the BEAT, cha!”

Octavia facehoofed as the sea ponies were blasted through the air and back into deeper water by concussive sonic waves.

“I see what you did there,” Maud deadpanned. “You utilized how ‘beat’ sounds like part of the word ‘beach.’ Your material regarding crushed silica is masterful.”

Vinyl draped a forehoof over Maud’s withers. “See Octi,” she gloated, “other ponies get my jokes!”

“Vinyl,” Octavia said in an exasperated tone. She sighed and looked at the rapidly retreating fish ponies. “Perhaps I should go out and finish them off?”

“No,” Applejack said. Splitting the group had already left them down members who could have made that ambush far less dangerous. “We need to find the others, and find out—”

“Find out if we’ve also been ambushed by sea ponies,” Double said as he and the others emerged onto the silty bank from the forest. They all looked cut up & bruised, but there were no serious injuries. “We’ve been able to avoid them thanks to Tempest. She directed us to a path that looped around through the woods and away from the water. We can take it to get back to the old road without having to deal with any more of these things.”

“Celestia-damned sea ponies,” Party Favor cackled, “with their blasphemous shoo’s, their bee’s and their doo’s!’” He devolved into unstable fits of laughter, which then deteriorated into a fit of sobbing.

Applejack wasn’t sure what to say to Party’s display of emotional whiplash. She settled for raising an eyebrow.

“His whole family was killed by sea ponies,” Night Glider whispered to her. She then put a hoof to her chin in thought. “At least, we think so. They may have just stolen his lunch when he was a foal, or popped one of his balloons; he’s not very coherent when it comes to discussing his past.”

“Brian!” Party favor wailed. “Briiiiaaaaaaan!”

“We need to keep moving,” Double said. “I’ve had my fill of sea ponies after just one fight.”

“Let’s stick together this time,” Applejack drawled. “If we keep up the pace, hopefully we’ll be in town by sundown.”

Week 22, Day 6, Night

A single lit candle barely illuminated the drawing room desk. Blueblood was cast in wavering shades of orange and red, while Applejack and Double Diamond stood across from him. Their eyes reflected red in the candlelight.

“We should send teams to map out both the diamond dog warrens, and this newly-flooded cove surrounding Saddle Lake,” Blueblood said while he looked at the woefully incomplete maps which were laid out between piles of recovered coins, gems, and artifacts. “Meanwhile, the ruins, warrens, and Castle of the Two Sisters will be less accessible to us unless we build a bridge to span this new river ravine. Otherwise it’ll be an extra day of travel to and from. The ruins were large enough,” he muttered. “With all this new ground to cover, we are truly a mere speck in a sea of spreading corruption.”

“Speaking of corruption—” Applejack pulled a thick book from her saddlebags.

Lighting his horn, Blueblood lifted the tome from Applejack’s outstretched hoof and folded open the cover. Seeing the table of contents, his eyes skimmed down the page, his eyes narrowing as he read. He halted when he reached a certain line.

“Yes.” Blueblood lifted his weary eyes to meet the fire of Applejack’s gaze. “I lied to you.”

“I know why,” Applejack said. “It would hurt me something awful to say something that could endanger my own kin.” Her eyes hardened. “But you shouldn’t have lied.”

“Never lead, Applejack,” Blueblood said, setting the book down. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Lies come with the job.”

“I am a leader,” Applejack said, stomping a hoof. “And I wouldn’t have betrayed you if you told me! I said I’d uphold the company mission when I signed on, and I. Don’t. Lie.”

Blueblood saw a small smile cross Diamond’s lips. He didn’t ascribe much meaning to it, but he felt sure that he hadn’t imagined it. “Noted,” he said. Then he opened the book again and reread the title of the first entry: “The Waif.” Looking up at the others’ expressions made his whole body feel heavier, somehow. “It seems my aunt’s depredations are worse than we thought. What this may portend for our company is a matter for another day. Applejack, Double Diamond, you both did well leading your teams through considerable adversity, and you are both free to go. Ditzy will see to your payment.”

As the two team leaders exited the room, he heard the faint sound of somepony silently stepping out from the shadows in one of the room’s corners.

“Any other pony,” Blueblood said without looking to face her, “wouldn’t have heard you breathing over there, Tempest.”

“I’m not sure that you qualify anymore,” Tempest said, eyeing Blueblood warily.

“I’m not sure either,” Blueblood said in a tone as dark as the room. “I haven’t eaten since Ametrine and Solmare… did what they did.” He turned his left foreleg back and forth in front of himself, looking as fascinated at the appendage as somepony possibly could after not having slept for days. “Truth be told, I don’t feel hungry at all.” He frowned. “I’m thirsty… but water and juice haven’t been sitting well with me. The last thing that satisfied me was Solmare’s potion.” He looked towards Tempest with eyes that screamed with exhaustion. “And I haven’t been able to sleep, despite the fact that I’ve never felt more tired in my entire life.”

Tempest nodded slowly. “While I sent Solmare to watch over you, I am… disturbed… that she would administer medication without seeking approval from either myself or a doctor at the sanitarium.” Her eyes blazed with cold fire. “Her decision to make herself scarce since then does not bode well either, save for her own chances of survival.”

“Whatever she did helped, Tempest. You’re under orders not to kill or harm her in any significant way until I can get more information out of her.”

“Very well,” she said, inclining her head. “Though I will register my concern that not summarily beating her half to death sets a bad precedent.”

“I don’t care,” he grumbled, turning away. “I just wish my guts would stop churning long enough to let me get some damned sleep.”

“Warm milk,” Tempest said. “That should help to both settle your stomach and let you rest.”

“Thanks.” Blueblood managed a wan smile.

Week 23, Day 1, Evening

Blueblood sat at the drawing room table, barely cognizant of his surroundings. Having gone without sleep, food, or drink in days, he was unsure how he was even still alive. His hearing returned to the tail end of whatever plans Tempest had been explaining to him.

“Octavia should be the one to coordinate the efforts of my group,” Tempest said. Her intense gaze could have burned a hole through sheet iron. “As one of the most level-headed company members remaining in the hamlet, and as somepony who routinely experiences disturbing physical transformations not unlike Ametrine’s into her display-form, she is the best suited for the role. I spoke with Double and Applejack yesterday, and they described her innate leadership skills as exemplary, second only to her predatory instincts in the field.”

“That’s high praise.” Blueblood nodded. “While I am loath to send you out on a mission to build a bridge, instead of utilizing your extreme competency here, I cannot deny that your presence would benefit us out in the field.”

“I am certain it is the correct choice,” Tempest said. “The ponies I’ve chosen for my team are the best for the job. Snails has an arbalest, so he can fire the ropes across the new ravine. Bon Bon has an axe in case the wood we bring with us isn’t sufficient. Lyra has… hands, and is much better suited than others in the company for construction. As for myself, I can act as an anchor for one of the sides.” The corner of her mouth turned up slightly. “Plus, I wanted to try out the improvements Rivet made to my armor.”

With his eyes half-lidded from ongoing sleep deprivation, Blueblood looked down at the open journal which lay upon the drawing room table. “If the disturbing contents of Celestia’s journal are to be believed, I would have preferred that we reassembled the ‘surefire’ team. The only problem with that is that Big Mac and Octavia are still physically recovering from their last excursion. I trust that you will be able to make up the difference?”

“Absolutely,” Tempest said without a hint of doubt.

“Good,” Blueblood said. He steepled his hooves. “What about the mare who Applejack’s team met?”

“Maud Pie,” Tempest said. “She comes from a family of rock-farmers, and chose to return to them shortly after returning with the others. The upside is that she said she would speak to her family members about possibly joining us.”

“We can always use more help.” Blueblood leafed through the book on the table. “Send in Shining so I can brief him. And good luck. If we’re right—”

“If the Pillar of Old Equestria, Somnambula, is present in the warrens underneath the catacombs,” Tempest said in the manner of a master executioner, “then I shall reintroduce her to Mistmane.” She then performed a crisp about-face and walked out of the drawing room.

Blueblood used his magic to lift a glass of water from the table. He stared longingly at the drink, licked his dry lips, and poured the liquid into his mouth. With a violent heave, Blueblood turned his head and retched, spraying water all over the floor. Tears would have come to his eyes were he not already severely dehydrated.

How many days has it been?

“Sir,” Shining said as he limped into the drawing room. Despite the pain, he had a spring in his step. It was hard not to, given all of the time he’d been spending with Rainbow ever since he’d been discharged from the sanitarium.

“Shining,” Blueblood said, appearing to compose himself. “I’m sending your team to Saddle Lake.”

“To explore the new area, I assume?”

“No. Not now, at any rate. We definitely do need the area mapped, but there’s something far more pressing.” Blueblood pushed a book across the desk to Shining, appearing to make an effort to avoid the edges of the giant Tempest-hoof-shaped divot.

Shining looked down at the journal and began to read. If his faith weren’t already reduced to a steaming ruin by prior events, the words on those pages would have shaken it. He raised his gaze to meet Blueblood’s. “Is this right?”

“Yes,” Blueblood replied. “Celestia apparently had all of the Elements of Harmony in her possession at one point. After banishing her sister to reside in the moon, she distributed them to the legendary Six Pillars of Old Equestria, whom she plucked from an eternal limbo via dubious sorcery. According to the journal, she gave Generosity to Mistmane, who resided in the ruined crypts studying necromancy. Since that information matches with our team’s observations, I think it’s fair to assume she wasn’t lying… this time. The journal also goes on to describe the pillars: where they spent their time, their habits, and in some cases, her last interactions with them—none of which left them the same.”

“Wow,” was all Shining could manage. It was a lot to take in. But still, he was finding himself less and less surprised the more he heard of Celestia’s crimes.

“So here’s the good news: after reading through most of this thing, I think I’ve locked down where two more of the elements are.” Blueblood put his hoof down on a map that showed the Everfree and castle ruins. “Tempest and her team are going to enter the warrens here after setting up a proper bridge. They will be tasked with retrieving the Element of Laughter… no, that’s not a joke. Your team will be going after the Element of Loyalty, which she entrusted to Flash Magnus. Although he may not be its current bearer, as Celestia seems to have—” he cleared his throat “—sacrificed him to the sea ponies.”

“Sacrificed?” Shining scrunched his face. He wasn’t even sure what use for a regular pony a sea pony could possibly have. Maybe they ate them. The thought made him shudder.

“Yes,” Blueblublood said. “Betraying the pony to whom she gave the Element of Loyalty is just one of Celestia’s intensely ironic transgressions.”

Shining shook his head slowly, letting himself dwell on the residual pain still throbbing at the base of his horn from his catastrophic overuse of Harmony magic.

“I know that look,” Blueblood said. “Come on, Shining; out with it.”

Despite the sudden dryness in his mouth, Shining managed to croak: “Well, so what if we find the Elements?” His jaw clenched in anger. “Celestia claimed to be the essence and embodiment of Harmony. Look where that’s gotten any of us.”

“You’re not wrong. Mostly. But Celestia’s writings speak of Harmony issuing from a fundamental source wholly dissimilar to the eldtritch energies of The Heart. You know better than most that we’ve faced misfortune with harnessing Harmony so far. But I can’t ignore that Celestia took very strong, and very specific, steps to separate the Elements from each other—and to keep others from retrieving them.”

“I… suppose that could mean she saw value in them, and the power they possess.”

“Or a threat. Regardless—” Blueblood steepled his hooves “—I need you and your team to recover the Element.”

“But Sir, without Zecora, I’m short one pony.”

Blueblood stared flatly at Shining. “Rarity will be joining your team as its fourth member.”

“Sir—” Shining didn’t even know where to begin telling Blueblood how bad of an idea that was. Maybe he could start by mentioning the crude crayon-drawn cartoon likenesses of Rarity that Rainbow used for target practice… “—I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

“Shining,” Blueblood said tersely, “I know that Rainbow has a problem with Rarity, but—and forgive my being blunt—the Element she bears gives her a connection to Harmony that you no longer possess, which may be an asset in retrieving Flash Magnus’ Element. Besides, you’re Rainbow’s superior, and if the recent rumors I’ve been overhearing are true, her lover.”

Shining felt heat flood into his face.

“So, make it work.”

“Y-yes Sir,” Shining stammered. He looked behind himself to make sure the drawing room doors were closed before looking back towards Blueblood. “Sir… can I ask—”

A ghost of a smile touched the corner of Blueblood’s mouth. “The entire company knew you two were an item before I started getting noise complaints from the rooms next to yours. And if you’re really interested in when I first figured out, it was on our initial carriage ride here. Took you two long enough to start knocking horseshoes.”

Somehow, the intensity of the heat across Shining’s face intensified. He could actually see the red emanating from his own muzzle. “I… I should go then.”

“Hold on a second,” Blueblood said, his hooded eyes giving off an air of combined exhaustion and exasperation. “While I’m obviously the last pony who should be lecturing anypony else on carnal restraint, you might want to take into consideration that your sister occupies one of the rooms next to yours. She made the complaints.”

Apparently Shining’s face could catch fire, as the heat he felt was approaching that of red-hot coals, which was, coincidentally, the same color radiating from every part of his own face that he could see.

“I’ll see about moving you two to a room less… adjacent to ones that are occupied.” Blueblood pulled a long piece of parchment from a pile which appeared to have an extensive list written upon it. Blueblood pushed it in Shining’s direction. “But until then, please try to refrain from prompting your sister to create checklists like this. She’s actually catalogued the number of thumps and any overheard words; she alphabetized those, by the way. Every. Single. Noise.”

Shining quickly nodded, turned about, and tried to leave before his face could explode.

“One more thing.”

Shining stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t dare turn around. “Sir?”

“Who is Squall?”

Shining shouldered through the drawing room doors and bolted down the hallway as quickly as his legs would take him. In his mind, it wasn’t nearly fast enough.

Week 23, Day 3, Morning

The inexplicably rising water levels of Saddle Lake had flooded the surrounding lowlands, resulting in knee-deep salt-water covering most of the terrain. This resulted in both slowed motion and the complication of normally simple movements for Shining’s party—and seemingly endless utterances of “Ew!,” “Ick!,” and “Gross!” from Rarity.

Resistance was light until they descended into a series of swamped caves that were water-hewn from some kind of limestone, and honeycombed the area surrounding what the company was now colloquially calling the “Saddle Sea.” But then came more of the harpoon wielding sea ponies, attacking from seemingly every angle. The group had taken to calling them “groupers,” after a species of large-mouthed fish that they somewhat resembled. And they were accompanied by smaller ones that tossed around a bizarre form of aquatic-eldritch magic; those, they called “shamans.” They’d decided that “thrall” was a most appropriate moniker for the bloated, trotting corpses that followed in the others’ wake.

Yet they dispatched them quickly. Shining avoided a vicious bite from one of the last few groupers by pivoting on his right foreleg, which caused his shoulder to scream in agony. Magically swinging his sword downward onto the creature’s neck with all of his might, he severed its spine but failed to decapitate it as he’d intended. He knew that he was going to have a long recovery ahead of him, if his loss of swing power and aching horn was any indicator.

He watched Rainbow dodge a thrown harpoon as she spun through the air and planted Squall's blade squarely in the back of a grouper’s head. The creature ululated as black ichor sprayed from its mouth. Pulling the trigger, Rainbow blew the front of the creature’s face out. She flipped off of the almost-headless creature before she splashed back down into the ubiquitous water.

“That’s the last one,” Shining said. “Hay Dashie, how is Stabooty working out for you?”

“His name is Squall!” Rainbow glared at Shining. “And he is awesome!”

“Squall?” Shining shook his head, even as his internal voice warned him that to continue would cost him. “I thought you settled on Stabooty, it’s so much more appropriate.”

“Shining.” Rainbow drew the word out and lowered her tone to one she usually used before committing to murder… or neutering.

“I’m kidding!” Shining stuck up his hooves in a playful warding gesture.

“Good.” Rainbow holstered Squall. “If you badmouth Mister Stabooty again—” Her eyes narrowed, and one twitched. “Squall. If you badmouth Squall again…”

Shining decided to quickly change the topic before he found himself castrated. He wiped the blood and saltwater from his blade. “This stuff is going to be murder on my gear,” he conspicuously whined. “Blueblood knows I like to keep my equipment—”

“Shiny,” Rainbow cut in with a chuckle. “We know.” She narrowed her eyes and looked back towards the other two ponies. “Hay Twilight, how’s the drama queen back there?”

“She’s fine,” came Twilight’s snappy response. She’d been pissy since Rarity had backpedaled into her at the beginning of the ambush, causing both mares to take a briny bath.

Rarity put on the most haughty expression Shining had ever seen. “I am not a drama queen!”

Rainbow’s expression flattened. “There’s seaweed in your mane.”

“Ew!” Rarity shrieked, shaking her head back and forth. “Gross, gross, gross!”

“Why did we bring her again?” Rainbow asked.

“Because Zecora is dead.” Shining realized he’d said that perhaps a bit too harshly. He tried his best to put on his leadership face and ignore Rainbow’s hurt expression. “Now quit instigating, and stick to the mission.”

Rainbow leveled a death-glare at him. Then she stalked off into the tunnel ahead.

Shining watched her stomp through the muck. “Guess I’m sleeping alone tonight then.”

“Good,” Twilight said. “Without you two going at it, I might finally be able to get some sleep.”

Shining’s face burned, and he contemplated how he might have to get used to being permanently shaded red.

Week 23, Day 3, Noon

Blueblood squinted into his open leg window. Watching Tempest’s team build a bridge was about as exciting as it sounded. The going was slow, and would likely take them the rest of the day.

“I honestly hadn’t heard anything while bunking in the room next to Mister Shining and Miss Rainbow,” Octavia said, continuing to watch her group through Ametrine.

“You’re probably desensitized to any kind of volume issues after having lived with Vinyl for so long,” Blueblood said absentmindedly. The exhaustion was not helping him concentrate on Tempest’s team.

“Prince Blueblood, I know that I don’t exactly sleep now that I’m part shark, so I’m not the best of judges when it comes to this.” Octavia looked over to him, and he saw the concern written across her muzzle. “But you look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“Haven’t eaten either,” Blueblood griped. “Haven’t wanted to.”

“Well,” Octavia said, “I understand the part about not being able to sleep. But… I’m always hungry.”

“How is Shining’s team doing?” Blueblood asked, changing the subject as his stomach twisted.

“They’re working their way through a side branch of the flooded cave system. The directions from Celestia’s journal appear to be spot on.” Octavia scrutinized the picture provided by Ametrine’s window. “Prince, may I ask you a question?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Why did you decide to have me direct a team?”

“Double Diamond recommended you.”

Octavia turned to look at him again. “He did?”

“Yes.” Blueblood smiled. Or grimaced; he was thirsty enough that he wasn’t sure what kind of face he was making anymore. “When I spoke to him, he said that you almost managed to ambush his team in the warrens. He also said that you were able to direct the others when Applejack was busy… looking at him.”

“I… did notice that,” Octavia said.

“Either way, I needed someone with a level head and tactical acumen watching Ametrine here while Tempest was in the field. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she demands to be deployed more often after this.”

Octavia nodded. “Tempest is a mare of action. She’s an impressive physical specimen, especially for a unicorn. Her level of physical fitness puts most of us earth ponies to shame. While her skills as a commander are exemplary, I don’t understand why you won’t just bite into my delectably juicy neck and suck the blood out of my carotid artery right now.”

“What did you just say?” Blueblood almost strained his neck with how fast he’d turned it. His eyes shot to Octavia’s.

“I said,” Octavia replied, while keeping her gaze on Shining’s group, “that her skills as a commander are exemplary, but not nearly as refined as her uncanny ability to violently end life.” She looked over to Blueblood and met his gaze. “Why are you eyeing me like a vagrant who has been presented with a hayburger and fries?”

“Sorry,” Blueblood managed, shaking his head. “I just thought I heard you say… something else. Something that made me… thirsty for a moment.”

Their attention was suddenly brought to Octavia’s window as a haunting sound pierced through it.

Shiny! Rainbow Dash’s voice boomed through Ametrine. What in the hay are you doing?!

Rainbow dove out of the way of Shining’s sword as it swung down and splashed into the water. “Shiny!” she yelled. “What’s wrong with you?” The monster is over there!” She pointed a hoof towards a seaweed-draped, towering terror.

Easily twice as tall as a pony, the creature had no legs, and was decidedly pelagic in appearance. This included thick, amber-colored metallic scales, a body that descended into a finned tail, and a horrifically fanged maw. It had two arms, reminiscent of Lyra’s, though the monster’s ended in wicked, webbed claws. One grasped a massive conch shell while the other swiped at Rarity. There were only two things that indicated it could have once been a pony: One was the ragged remains of an amaranth mane which hung limply from the top of its vaguely equine head and neck. The other was a pair of fins that sprouted from its back, which had a disturbingly pegasus-wing quality to them.

“I—” Shining spoke in a halting manner, lurching as he swung at Rainbow again. “—must serve… my king!” His blade stopped a mere hooflength from her face.

Twilight struggled to keep a magical tentacle wrapped around Shining’s sword. “Shiny, stop! Rainbow is not your enemy!”

A dagger whizzed by Rainbow’s head and landed squarely in one of the creature’s eyes, eliciting a howl of pain and rage.

“It seems you don’t have an eye for fashion!” Rarity shouted.

“I can’t hold him,” Twilight said, her voice straining. The tentacle she had summoned started to tear as Shining flared the light from his horn with a horrible growl.

Rainbow jumped back as realization struck: if Shining hadn't been struggling with his injuries, her face would have already been cut in two. “Shiny! Please, Shiny!”

“He’s mine now.” The pelagic beast croaked as it pulled the blade from its eye. The vocalization felt viscous and slippery to one’s ears, almost as if oil itself had somehow been given voice.

“He’s not yours!” Rarity squared off with the monstrosity. “Give him back to us, you selfish ruffian!”

Without warning, Rarity’s necklace gave off an intense violet glow. Before anypony could react, a blast of blinding, colored illumination fired from it and engulfed Shining Armor.

Shining suddenly collapsed. His sword, no longer controlled by his magic, was wrenched back by Twilight’s tentacle.

The blade flew precariously in Twilight’s direction. She dodged at the last second, preventing the sword from embedding in her face; instead it sliced into her left cheek, nicking the bone underneath. She cried out in pain as she reared-up, grabbed the bleeding wound with a hoof, and fell backwards into the water.

There was a loud whoosh of air and a blown wake as Rainbow rocketed back towards Shining, grabbed him, and lifted his head above the water.

Fall back! Octavia’s voice echoed throughout the chamber.

The transmission seemed to jolt Shining to wakefulness, and he struggled to his hooves with Rainbow‘s assistance.

Rainbow turned her gaze to the monstrosity to see that it was grasping his head and thrashing about as if in pain. It was hurt, they could beat it. “Why? We have—” She stopped speaking when her eyes beheld Rarity.

Rarity had fallen to her knees. But that was not the most disconcerting thing. Even in the flickering light of their torches, it was easy to see that the actual color had been drained from both Rarity’s mane and eyes. She almost looked like a faded photograph.

“Rainbow.” Shining struggled to stay standing. “We can’t—”

“I won’t leave her,” Rainbow said, quickly propelling herself towards the collapsing mare. Gripping Rarity by the neck, Rainbow lifted her just before she sank beneath the water. “Don’t think this means I’m friends with you or anything.” She hauled Rarity up onto her back, and dodged a tail swipe from the scaly colossus.

Fall back! You can regroup after ascertaining the extent—

“—of Rarity’s injuries,” Octavia commanded.

The party followed her orders, with Rainbow hefting Rarity and following the others as they trudged away from the howling—

“Siren,” Octavia said. “It’s a siren.” She turned to see that Blueblood was standing over her, uncomfortably close, the ravenous expression from earlier distorting his features. At least his leg was closed up. “Prince?”

“Sorry,” Blueblood said, without actually giving Octavia any space. “Just… riveted by the action is all.” He suddenly backed up several hooflengths and tilted his head oddly. “Good job by the way. You made the right call to have the party withdraw. With Rarity down and Shining staggered, they were in no shape to continue.”

“Thank you,” Octavia said, eyeing Blueblood warily. “Prince?”

“Well,” Blueblood said in a very distracted manner, “I’ll umm… leave you… to it, since you’re doing so well.” He abruptly turned around and barreled down the observatory stairs.

“Miss Ametrine,” Octavia said.

Ametrine responded by cracking and squelching a head into existence under the viewing window. “What’s up?” she asked.

“Do you think,” Octavia asked, “that Prince Blueblood is acting… odd today?”

“He sure is,” Ametrine said merrily. “You should check on him!”

Octavia looked at Ametrine and raised an eyebrow. She felt that that was a most peculiar reaction. “But what about Shining’s group?”

“Don’t worry,” Ametrine said. “I’ll keep a careful watch on them and I’ll call for you if they get in trouble.”

“If you’re sure…”

“Positive! Besides, I’ve watched Blue and Tempest command teams a bunch of times! They’re in good hooves!”

“All right then.” Octavia stood. She eyed Ametrine warily before slowly turning and walking down the stairs.

“Finally,” Ametrine said, assuming her pony form. She shook her head a few times. “Starlight, do you know anything about—”

The feeling you’re experiencing is a result of your exposure to the harmonic energy of the Element of Generosity, Starlight said. It feels good to take burdens from others, doesn't it? Remember when I told you that I would help you find purpose? This is part of it.

Ametrine nodded to herself. “As long as it works,” she said. “I’ve hated this feeling, Starlight; that I’m just a tool to be used by Blueblood.” She raised an eyebrow. “But now… you’re right. I feel a drive I haven’t felt before.” A genuine smile creased her lips. “I’m ready on this end.”

Good. Now, find a safe place and do as I’ve instructed. I'll meet up with you and the other five tomorrow. Remain strong, Ametrine, and I promise you’ll find the purpose you’ve been searching for.

Ametrine’s smile vanished.

The other five.

She knew they were dangerous. Born of the same darkness as herself, they were as mutable as she had been… but Blueblood had neglected them, kept them in their coffin as if they were tools that weren’t currently needed—much like how he was now treating her. But using him in return, to make herself feel better, was insufficient to sate her needs. She wanted more.

She wanted revenge.

For being created.

Her features reshaped into an identical copy of Octavia. “Oi,” she said in a perfect imitation of Octavia’s Trottingham accent. “Oi, you lotta tossers!” She furrowed her brows. “Blimey,” she said as she exited the observatory. “How can she stand talking like this?”

Shining’s group pulled back to the cave entrance and hastily made camp on a raised stone slab that lay just inside. Shining helped Rainbow place Rarity on the ground next to the fire.

Rarity was deathly still, her breathing uneven and the color still fading from her body.

“I’ll scout around to make sure nothing sneaks up on us.” Rainbow turned to leave.

“No.” Shining stepped in front of Rainbow. “Dashie, we need to talk.”

At first looking like she was going to refuse, Rainbow suddenly cast her worry-filled eyes down to the sleeping mare. “What did Rarity do?”

“She freed me.” Shining took a seat next to Rarity. “I don’t know how she did it, Rainbow.” He sighed. “I was wandering in darkness. I only wanted to fulfil… his wishes. I would have fought all of his enemies if I had to. But then, Rarity arrived in a wave of light that let me see again. And I know she did it… for the two of us.”

“How do you know?”

Shining could only shake his head. He had no idea how that information had been conveyed to him. All he knew was that the knowledge was irrefutable in his mind.

Twilight dropped Shining’s sword next to Rarity. Somehow she’d managed to keep a hold on it even though it had nearly killed her. She seemed to be ignoring the gash on her left cheek, despite the fact that blood was flowing from it and down her neck. A flattened beam of lavender energy emanated from her horn and passed back and forth over Rarity; likely a scan of some kind. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s almost as if—”

A branch snapped.

Rainbow spun, and aimed Squall towards the shrubs outside the cave. “Come out,” she called, “or I’ll shoot.”

Shining remained by Rarity’s side as Twilight rose to her hooves.

A few tense moments passed before a hoof stepped out into the open. Then came the rest of the pony, who turned out to be a pink pegasus mare, with light purple eyes and a tricolored mane of light violet, rose, and pale gold. She was armored in full plate and carried a holstered mace and a slung shield.

Struggling through the intense pain in his shoulder, Shining rose to his hooves, only to freeze in place, utterly speechless. What could he even say to a marefriend he hadn’t seen in years?

“Impossible,” Twilight said softly as she canted her head to the side. “Cadance?”

“Twilight?” Cadance tilted her own head in confusion.

Twilight slowly approached Cadance.

Blinking furiously, Cadance shook her head, as if to dispel a ghost. “What are you doing out here Twilight? It’s dangerous!”

“I should say the same for you,” Twilight retorted. “I have three other ponies with me; you’re out here alone.”

“Not alone,” said a voice from within the cave.

Shining interposed himself in front of Rarity, and Rainbow spun around to see a spear less than a hooflength from her own face.

The gamboge pegasus stallion with the weapon hung from the high ceiling by all four hooves, the spear itself held in one wing. His eyes, which sparkled the same deep blue as his mane, belied a hint of suppressed ferocity. “I won’t allow my wife to be harmed,” he said, dropping with a splash to all fours, but keeping the spear trained on Rainbow.

Cadance motioned for him to lower his spear with one of her wing. “Flash, put your weapon away; this is the Twilight I told you about.” She studied Twilight with great attentiveness, her gaze wandering to take in every part of her. “I haven’t seen you since you were very little. My, how you’ve grown!”

Flash slowly hooked his spear back through his saddlebag straps, and reached out to Rainbow with his wing. “Flash Sentry,” he said.

Rainbow echoed Flash’s motions, slowly holstering Squall before reaching out with her wing to shake his. “Rainbow Dash,” she said. It was when she let go that she noticed the bloody, bandaged stump where his left wing should have been.

Flash followed her gaze and winced. “That is a tale for another time,” he said. He turned to Cadance. “C’mere, sweetums!”

Rolling her eyes, Cadance walked over to Flash and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek.

“Really?” Flash whined. “I risk myself to save you from this rainbowed rapscallion, and that’s all I get?”

Cadance responded by ruffling his mane playfully. “Not the time, hunny bun.”

“We’re actually in the middle of a mission.” Twilight looked to where Rarity lay. “We had to withdraw from a fight with a Siren after something happened to Rarity.”

“Hello Cadance.” Shining choked on his own words.

Spinning to face him, Cadance opened her mouth and did her best impression of a suffocating fish. “Shining?”

“Shining?” Flash cocked his head. “As in Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor?” He turned to face Cadance. “Cady, didn’t you say you were sweet on him when you were younger?”

Looking on as a fierce blush crept across Cadance’s muzzle, Shining struggled to swallow the lump that had formed in his own throat.

There’s no time for introductions, Octavia said. we’ve looked through the journal, and Blueblood is certain that the siren is Flash Magnus. He’s worried that Rarity’s condition may be related to Magnus still being alive. Shining, your team needs to go back in and take him down as soon as possible.

Shining looked down at Rarity. “But we’re down a pony.”

Take that Flash.

“As funny as having one Flash fight the other Flash would be,” Rainbow deadpanned, “we only just met him.”

“Huh?” Flash looked between Rainbow and Shining. “Who are you talking to?”

“It’s an enchantment,” Twilight said. “We’re in contact with our company back in Ponyville.”

With Rarity out of commission, Flash’s high level of agility will make for a good replacement.

“Okay,” Shining said, “we’ll take him.”

“Hay now,” Flash said. “I didn’t agree to go fight some siren-thing.”

“You should.” Cadance approached Rarity. “They’re already down one pony. It’s the right thing to do.” She sat down. “I’ll watch this one.”

Flash harrumphed. “The things I do for love.”

Week 23, Day 3, Evening

“Prince?” Octavia called as she searched the estate.

“I saw him go into town,” Double Diamond said, looking down from the grandfather clock in the foyer. Party Favor, Night Glider, and Sugar Belle were all standing beside him and echoed his movements.

Octavia couldn’t quite place the look Double was giving her. There was a sadness that tugged at the corner of his eyes, but resolution showed in the tightening of his jaw. The effect was distracting enough that she felt it warranted a question from her. She started to open her mouth.

“He said he was going to Berry’s tavern.” Double’s voice sounded like it did when he’d been passing around that bottle of alcohol. He focused his gaze on hers. “You have to go get him.” Double’s eyes narrowed, conveying to her a sense of urgency. “Hurry.”

As Octavia turned away from Double Diamond’s team, she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of finality to their parting. The moment was soon lost however, as she galloped full-tilt out the front of the manor and towards the tavern.

Berry’s tavern had undergone renovations since Blueblood had called in some of Celestia’s favors. The largest improvement was that the gaping hole in the roof had finally been patched. Apparently, replacing the loose floorboards wasn’t on the list of extensive repairs; Octavia stumbled immediately after she shouldered her way through the door, lurching her way past Bulk Biceps as she tried to regain her balance.

“Hay!” Berry shouted. “Where are you galloping off to in such a hurry?”

“YEEEEAAAAH!” inquired Bulk.

“The Prince,” Octavia panted. “Where is the Prince?”

“Upstairs with Carrot Top,” Berry said. “He’s about to put a carrot in her top, if you catch my meaning.”

Octavia rolled her eyes and galloped for the stairway.

“Hay!” Berry’s shouts followed Octavia’s frantic scramble up the stairs. “C.T. doesn’t do group jobs! I mean… if she does, it’ll be double!”

Pushing the door open, Octavia stood, shocked, as she took in the scene before her.

At the back of the room, Blueblood had the golden-coated, orange-maned mare—Carrot Top, Octavia assumed—pinned face-first up against the wall, his muzzle buried in the side of her neck. Small whimpering moans came from Carrot’s throat as Blueblood moved his head around with a puckering, sucking sound.

“Oh,” Octavia said. She felt heat in her face. “I’ll uh… um. I’ll leave you to it then—”

Blueblood turned to face her.

“Harmony… above.” Octavia’s eyes widened and she felt heat drain from her face as the blood left it. She quickly reached back and closed the door.

Blueblood’s wide, dilated eyes betrayed a sense of surprise and, upon registering Octavia’s presence, shame. The eeriness of the scene was intensified by the fact that his eyes glowed red, giving her the impression that she was staring into the soul of a demon. More terrifying were the carnivorous fangs that had sprouted from both his upper and lower jaws, turning his mouth into that of a predator.

And then there was the blood.

There was so much of it, smeared across Blueblood’s muzzle and running down Carrot’s neck, that Octavia was surprised Carrot was still alive. Octavia’s fur stood on end and she grit her sharpening teeth as she inhaled the metallic aroma.

It was euphoric.

“Help me,” Carrot sobbed pitifully.

Tempest stood in front of the campfire, allowing the heat to soak through her armor, fur and skin. It kept the evening chill at bay. Her ears perked.

“What was that?” Lyra’s question caused everypony else to jump to their hooves.

Snails swiveled his ears back and forth. “Eh? I didn’t hear nothing, eh?”

Bon Bon slowly turned her head. “Snails is right, I don’t—”

A sharp hiss from Tempest made everypony hold their breath. She nodded her head towards the warrens entrance and made a series of deliberate hoof signals.

Nodding, Bon Bon silently took up a position flanking the left entrance of the tunnel.

Lyra and Snails looked at Tempest with blank expressions.

If it were physically possible for Tempest to ignite the two with her gaze alone, it would have happened right then and there. She settled for a death glare and blatantly pointing of her hoof to the side of the tunnel opposite of Bon Bon. Thankfully the two could figure that much out.

Tempest stared into the darkness where she’d heard the noise right before Lyra had opened her mouth.

It had been a single, deliberate hoofstep.

A drop of water landed on Rainbow’s muzzle, causing her to wrinkle her face. “It’s in there,” she whispered, gesturing through a set of stone doors. She silently withdrew Squall from his holster.

Flanking one side of the entry, Flash drew his spear. “Is there a plan of attack here?”

“We hit it hard and fast,” Shining said. “We can’t give it the opportunity to use that conch to control one of us again.”

Raising a hoof, Twilight got everypony’s attention. “Did anypony see if it was carrying the Element?”

Shining and Rainbow shook their heads. Flash just looked confused.

“Then I agree with Shiny on this one,” Twilight said. Her cheek wound was still bleeding slightly. “Bring it down before it can enchant one of us.”

“Ok.” Shining drew his sword and lightly pressed his left shoulder against one of the doors. “One, two—” he threw the door open and charged the startled siren “—THREE!”

Swinging hard, Shining hacked his sword into the siren’s side. Despite him not penetrating its scales, it responded with a shriek and backhanded him through the air, into Rainbow, and into a jagged, barnacle-encrusted wall.

Flash performed a sideways flip to avoid Shining and threw his spear, clipping the Siren in the shoulder. He jumped back to avoid a swift charge and tripped backwards over Rainbow, causing her to sputter and swear. Rolling with the fall, Flash quickly righted himself.

Red circles of runic inscriptions appeared both above and below the Siren as Twilight chanted, finally resolving into a single eye-watering sigil that caused its thick scales to crack and flake.

As Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves from the briny water, she came muzzle to conch with the siren. A haunting note was blasted directly into her face.

Almost deafened by the concussive sound, Rainbow was left dazed and reeling. A voice cut through her mind, a call to action in defense of her king. It told her that her king’s life mattered more than anything, that those with her in the cave were enemies. Grunting, Rainbow took several shaky steps to stand in front of the Siren.

“Dash!” Shining emerged from the water. “Dash, no!”

As Rainbow turned to face Shining, she knew what she had to do. A swift flick of her wing, and time slowed as she lifted Squall. Her movements were steady, while everything around her moved as if through thick tar. Squall’s sights lined up with Shining’s mortified expression, which morphed to one of confusion when Rainbow winked at him.

Spinning, Rainbow wing-punched the Siren in the gut with Squall, piercing scales and impaling vital organs.

“Nopony—” Rainbow spoke through clenched teeth “—and I mean nopony, can make me betray my friends.”

She pulled the trigger.

Releasing a pain-filled shriek, the siren stumbled backwards, trailing viscera in the brackish water.

There was a whooshing sound as a large quantity of sand sprayed out of the Siren’s conch shell and into the air. The sand glowed with an intense red color.

“Woah.” Rainbow took a shocked step back as the sand flew towards her. The illumination from the cloud increased in intensity as it began to swirl about her faster and faster. She was bodily lifted into the air and the water was repelled beneath her.

The others held their hooves up to shield their eyes as the radiance was elevated to blinding levels. In a final flash of brilliance, a golden necklace, with a red lightning bolt gem in its center, formed around Rainbow’s neck.

She heard a single word echoing throughout her mind.

“Hay, siren!” Rainbow planted all four hooves on the ground and lined up with it.

The siren, still holding its bleeding stomach-wound, turned to face Dash.

“Have a taste of Loyalty, fish-face!”

Shining watched as Rainbow’s necklace erupted in crimson light, blasting the siren right between the eyes. The Harmonic energy washed over it, which caused it to produce the unholy keening that Shining had begun to associate with it being injured. But that screeching soon devolved into a pitiful wailing—wailing that was decidedly pony in nature.

As the Element of Loyalty ceased its bombardment, Shining beheld a pony. While horribly deformed, with far too many pelagic features, it was now actually recognizable as a pegasus; as Flash Magnus.

With a deep wheeze, Magnus fell forward to land on shaky hooves that were barely able to hold him upright. “Cel—” he croaked. “Celestia… you traitor!” Despite his damp fur, tears ran clearly down his muzzle. He looked up shakily at Shining and the others, then back at himself and gasped. “No.” He sobbed in defeat. “Please, no.”

Shining galloped over to Rainbow and caught her as she collapsed under her own weight. The color had drained from her just as it had from Rarity. He ran a damp hoof through her fading mane, before turning to Magnus with a look of anger.

“Kill me,” Magnus begged.

Shining motioned for Flash Sentry to approach, and passed Rainbow over and onto his back.

Turning to face Magnus again, Shining slowly walked towards him. He lit his horn, lifting his sword from the brackish water and raised it to strike… As he observed the shaking pony, his thoughts of violence and retribution melted away, to be replaced by pity. He slowly lowered his blade. “We can help you, Magnus.”

Magnus looked Shining in the eyes. “You know my name,” he said. “But you do not know what I have done, or what has been done to me.”

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done.” The words came to Shining’s mouth unbidden, as if a new purpose had seized him. “Celestia lied to all of us. We’ve all done things in her name that we likely wouldn’t have, had we known her true nature.”

Magnus shook his head “You… you don’t understand.” He motioned for Shining to come closer.

While wary at first, Shining saw that Magnus was having trouble standing, despite being supported by the water. He leaned forward, so that his ear was close to Magnus’ muzzle.

“The sea ponies—” Magnus’s voice hitched as he whispered “—they did… things to me. After… after she gave me to them.”

Shining’s eyes widened as he listened. What they’d done to Magnus was far worse than anything he had imagined prior. Those words bored into his brain, like worms through an apple. That Equish could be used to describe what Magus related to him… the very idea was repulsive to Shining. He knew that the imagery resulting from those revelations would haunt him, lingering forever in his mind, as long as he lived.

Perhaps longer.

Magnus finished speaking, and fell back onto his scaled haunches.

Shining stepped back and turned around. Regardless of what expression any of the others had been wearing prior, they quickly changed to ones of concern as he locked eyes with each member of the group.

Shining hesitated. Regardless of what Magnus had done, he had been tricked by Celestia. They all had. But what had been done to Magnus… Shining spun, his sword flashing through the air.

Flash Magnus’ head toppled from his shoulders, the expression upon it one of profound relief.