Cure For a Toxin

by RadBunny

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Starlight Glimmer, Romance, Princess Luna, Original Character, Adventure, Griffons, Princess Celestia, Death
Length: 277460

Toxic Shield goes by more than one name in rumor circles, none flattering. Now yanked into a conflict that threatens the lives of both himself and his new friends, Toxic must confront a poison that even he may not be immune to. Or worse, that he is.

This story continues directly after Sunspots and contains spoilers for that story and Timeless.

When a mysterious group attacks a chemical lab, there was only one pony who Celestia and Luna knew could survive the ensuing challenge that lurked beneath earth and concrete.

Called into action against a threat that seeks to destroy both him and his new friends, Toxic Shield is pulled into the remnants of a conflict that all thought was burned away by the wrath of a Solar Empress. Many remember him as the pony with an odd voice, others, as the sole survivor of the Oakbark incident. Many call him the Iceberg. Cold, unfeeling, and without empathy, immune to both chemical agents and emotions it would seem. Very few care to explore the truth of such stories, at least until a gryphoness befriends the odd stallion.

And as a poison in many shapes and forms seeks to spread across Equestria, a reformed Windigo and Shadow Pony from the Limbo realm struggle to find their place in a world that once loathed everything they represented.
Many still do.

Published 2020-04-11 15:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2022-04-02 16:15:41 UTC

Introduction

Twenty years ago.

The town was dead.

The streets were deserted, the emergency sirens still wailing as a sickly, brownish-green fog swirled through the streets. A previously distant arcane shield now slowly closed in, eradicating the poison but leaving all else untouched. It was pushed by an elite force of unicorns but came far too late for the local inhabitants.

The masked guards trotted through the street in earnest, many of their ears were flat with worry. From Canterlot to a small town south of Baltimare, the Hazard Response Team had taken a few hours to arrive to Oakbark knowing that a protective shield had already been activated and sealing off the town to protect the city downwind.

The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.

It was a decision made in a moment by the lone Solar Princess on hearing of the explosion at the chemical plant. She was in the operations center herself, overseeing rescue operations.

Rescue…but for whom?

The guards peeled off, each calling out as they entered house after house to search for survivors.

Every dwelling was the same. Unmoving ponies huddled together as a toxic fit of coughing had overtaken them, followed by a peaceful, eternal sleep. Some had donned Emergency Breathing Hoods (EBH), soft red lights blinking to indicate the air supply was long since expended, the backup filters expired.

Two guards entered a large school, one of them immediately turning around as his maroon-colored face turned green on seeing the motionless occupants of the nearest classroom.

A third guard trotted up, the second, originally-assigned pony shaking his head.

“What was your name again? You were the last-minute addition, right?”

The pony nodded, gently shouldering the others aside.
“Private Shifting Sands. You two search the outskirts. I’ll look inside. Send someone who won’t vomit inside their mask,” the stallion stated, tone then softening. “Enough lives have been lost today. I don’t want you two to be added to the tally; there’s no shame in admitting your limits.”

“Understood.”

Shifting trotted into the school, his heart aching on seeing so many young lives cut short. It was a mercy that such a fate had only been uncomfortable but ultimately peaceful and painless.

“Flare sighted! Anyone near the school, we have unknown survivors!”

He galloped into the courtyard, horn igniting in a communications spell as Shifting stared at the impossible sight in front of him.

“Found them!”

Dozens of used EBH’s were scattered around, and a dozen more blinked a soft green confirmation of air as they kept their users alive. A mare and students were huddled in the dead grass, sides slowly moving…

Most of them at least.

A single pony moved, a young blue unicorn sending up another magical flare. His EBH was blistered and cracked, hanging uselessly around his neck. He spit up some blood, looking to Shifting with horrified green eyes as he somehow breathed in the poison around them.

“H-help. Please…” he whispered, voice making Shifting’s head ache. It sounded unnatural, making the stallion wince in pain as his temples pounded at the noise. The blue colt then collapsed as Shifting galloped forwards. The guard was quick to hold the young pony in his forelimbs as the stallion firmly fastened a new escape hood around the student’s head.

‘How is he alive?!’

As rescuers swarmed the school, Shifting’s eyes drifted to a glowing mark that now adorned the student’s flank, pain tearing at the timeless Knight’s heart.

A bright green biohazard cutie-mark now shone brightly in the scene of death and chaos.

(Present)

Icait wrung her hooves nervously as they stood in the forest, the Windigo clearly on edge. Onyx appeared less phased, the shadow entity’s unicorn body standing completely still.

“S-so this is Tall Tale? We just wait here?” Icait asked, prompting a sign from Onyx.

“That is what the Solar Princess ordered. And I can sense no fewer than a bakers-dozen guards watching us. I’d rather not give them a reason to attack us. It’s likely they loath us as it is.”

“Why would-oh…right,” Icait whispered, the spectral mare floating to ground level as the *SNAP* of a teleportation spell drew their attention. A light pink mare waved to them and Onyx’s eyes immediately widened.

The power emanating off the individual was nothing short of spectacular, nearly on par with a certain purple princess.

“Icait, Onyx, my name is Starlight Glimmer. I’m the Principle at the School of Friendship, and will be your primary contact through all of this,” she explained, surprisingly not appearing too phased by their appearance.

The fact her fearless smile was sincere only served to set Onyx on edge. Who was this mare?!

“N-nice to meet you, Miss Glimmer,” Icait stammered, Starlight waving a hoof with a laugh.

“I appreciate the formality, but just Starlight is fine. Now, let’s get you settled in your apartment.”

“We have an apartment!?” Icait squealed, hopping into the air excitedly as Onyx raised an eyebrow, looking at the rather-amused Principle.

“Normal-life things make her rather excited,” he explained, Starlight not able to resist a grin as her horn sparked with a transportation spell.

They re-appeared in a simple, two-bedroom apartment on the third floor of the building. The stone and wood structure appeared fairly new and overlooked an industrial section of the medium-sized city.

“Away from the main center of the population in case we run wild?” Onyx remarked as he looked out the wall-sized window. “Smart, and something I would have recommended myself.”

“Oh?” Starlight asked, trotting up to his side as Icait floated around the apartment to examine every nook and cranny, a now-present pair of unicorn Legionnaires following her around.

“Of course. For all I know, I could explode tomorrow and level a city block. My kind has never existed outside of Limbo for such a long length of time before,” Onyx explained. “Icait, she is no threat. Obnoxious and innocent, but hardly a danger to you all.”

Starlight looked around to make sure they were alone, her mouth twitching at a smile on hearing the Shadow’s voice change when talking about the Windigo.

“Hmm. You’re fond of her.”

Onyx didn’t reply other than letting out a soft huff of annoyance, turning away from the window to look at the carpeted room.

“These dwellings will certainly suffice. I expected a dungeon, so this is certainly an upgrade. I believe we have a schedule to keep?” he asked.

Before Starlight could respond, a high-pitched scream drew her attention, the mare and shadow-stallion dashing to the end of the hall. Curled up in a ball was Icait, the Windigo’s form flickering violently.

“What did you do to her?!” Onyx bellowed, grey eyes igniting as two dagger-like shadow appendages erupted form his body, Starlight promptly canceling the magic with a snort and spark of her horn.

“Nothing, Onyx! Enough of that. Legionnaires, report!” she barked, one of the stallion gesturing to the shivering Windigo.

“She was babbling about how exciting electrical outlets are and then fell over with a scream. That’s all we know,” he explained.

Onyx trotted over, clearly rather miffed that his efforts had been so easily brushed aside by Starlight. Looking over the Windigo, he frowned and looked at the Principle in confusion.

“It’s a spell. I don’t-”

“They’re not all gone,” Icait whispered, “Something is still here….” Her form stabilized, the light teal Windigo sitting up and leaning on Onyx’s shoulder. The gesture made the stallion stiffen in surprise, but he stayed silent as the mare’s see-through sides heaved.

“That was an activation spell, a signal. It wouldn’t have hurt if I was like the others, I think,” she whispered. “Somecreatures are still acting under their will. I don’t know who or what. I was never told of such things. I put it all in the report to the Princess’s…but there’s something out there.”

“Celestia, you get all that?” Starlight asked, a previously-hidden transmitting crystal now sparking into view around her neck, the sight making Onyx grin. The fact creatures didn’t trust him seemed to validate the Shadow somehow.

“Confirmed. Icait, what can you tell us? Anything you may have heard? I know you put it all in the reports, but I need to know if anything comes to mind? We’re trusting you on this.”

Icait frowned, shaking her head. All at once her eyes widened, a soft gasp leaving her muzzle.

“Cel-Princess Celestia, there is one thing! I heard it a long time ago- and it didn’t make sense even when I was part of the Emissary’s plans. It was two words, and I don’t really understand what they mean. But maybe they’ll help? They mentioned a signal spell, and one other thing. They were talking about hidden…somethings, and all that was said were the words ‘Sleeper Cells.’”

A soft growl emanated from the crystal, Celestia letting out a sigh.

“Thank you, Icait. That means a great deal. Carry on, Starlight. Get them acclimated and tell them to shelter in place for a time.”

“Of course, Celestia.”

Onyx looked over to Icait in confusion, the stallion’s left eye twitching.

“You have no idea what a Sleeper Cell is, do you?”

Icait shook her head, cheeks tinging a slight pink as she realized she was still occupying Onyx’s shoulder.

“No? What are they? They sound important now…”

“You have a visitor.”

The cell door spun open smoothly, the sparse yet somewhat-comfortable light grey stone room neatly organized as the thestrel mare scrambled upright.

“Is it Barley? I thought he used his visitor’s allotment this-Princess?!” Knife Twist gasped as she bowed, limbs immediately shaking and furry ears flat against her skull.

“Barley has said quite a bit about you, Miss Twist,” Celestia mused as the ex-captain of the Night Guard cowered under her gaze. “All of it rather good, surprisingly good. And what is this I hear about refusing possible parole?”

Knife Twist shook her head, rising and sitting opposite the Princess with her head bowed.

“I don’t deserve it, not yet,” she whispered, shoulders slumped in dejection. “May I ask why you are here? You don’t seem like the gloating type and my sentence is just getting started.”

“I am not here to gloat, Knife Twist, nor would I. Your sentence was already reduced due to the Windigo magic having influenced your decisions.”

“Influenced, not controlled. It’s-it hurts my head to think about. The logic doesn’t make sense anymore. What was right then is so, so wrong now. But I remember it feeling right. I don’t know when that started to change…” Knife replied with a sorrowful huff. “It’s irrelevant. I tried to kill your sister. I don’t deserve parole, not after such a short amount of time.”

“Perhaps.”

The reply made Knife’s head snap up, Celestia looking at her calmly.

“Yet from the day you were committed to this maximum-security prison, you have been organizing others affected by the Windigo’s into support groups, helping them acclimate. Corporal Barley Husk certainly still believes in you.”

Knife snorted at that, her head shaking.

“My coltfriend is an idiot. I don’t understand-”

“Your coltfriend loves you rather dearly,” Celestia countered, making Knife’s eyes widened. “He sees you as I do, actually. I found out such when I spoke with him this morning. He and I see a mare who made grave, grave mistakes, but was heavily influenced by a malevolent force to do so. Your attempt on my sister’s life will haunt you for the rest of your life. However, I have come to realize it was not your goal, but your previous master’s.”

Not able to do anything but stare, the ex-captain could feel her hooves start to shiver as Celestia took a few steps forward.

“I am not here to speak of your sentence, Knife Twist. I need your help, as a matter of fact.”

“Of course.”

The immediate reply piqued Celestia’s curiosity, but the Princess continued.

“Sleeper Cells.’

Knife let out a hiss, angrily slamming a hoof down on the concrete.

“I knew I felt something the other day. I passed it off as just the shakes.”

“You felt what?”

Opening a small and simple journal, Knife scanned a personal entry.

“Two days ago. It was a full body shiver and just feeling ill,” she read, then closing the book. “I was filled with hate and anger at my situation, but then it passed. I thought nothing of it, a mental flare up if you will; I’ve had them before. But evidently, I was wrong. I didn’t even consider that possibility.”

“What possibility? Celestia asked.

“As you said, sleeper cells. I never heard a peep about such things, but I did organize a few of them for my own purposes, as per my report. However, you should have caught them all. I even listed ideas I had thought of.”

“I am not questioning your report, Knife Twist, it was extremely thorough. My question is, what would these Cells do now if activated? You aided in running one of the most successful, covert operations in Equestrian history. What would you tell such lurking groups to do if you had been in the Emissary’s position?”

Knife stayed quiet, staring at the floor. Celestia’s eyes widened as the ex-guard sniffled softly, shaking her head.

“I don’t want to think like that again, Princess. I really don’t. It’s taken me a long time to stop the ideas from coming, the unconscious scheming…I don’t want to go back to that mental place.”

Celestia bit back a frown, taking a step closer to rest a wing on Knife’s shoulder.

“I am asking you to think like ‘that’ again for good, not evil. This will help save lives, not take them,” she explained softly.

Knife nodded, wiping her eyes and sat up a bit straighter.

“I’d direct them to disrupt and spread cascading events,” she finally said. “Infrastructure attacks, power stations, anywhere with explosive potential, chemical labs, any joint-run projects or outposts. I’d say infrastructure is the biggest target, especially any biohazard waste dumps,” she paused, taking a few deep breaths as her jaw quivered. The fact that such thinking was so disturbing to the mare was a solid testament to how far she had come.

“Chemical labs I’d be very concerned about. During my…time, I considered hitting a few of them. Causing another Oakbark would be any terrorist organization’s dream. And with production of all this new mana-tech spinning up, I imagine there’s a lot of laboratories handling not-so-safe compounds and struggling to stay within safety regulations. Magic and spells are extremely regulated- but chemicals? That stuff has fallen by the wayside. You’ve shown everycreature that Equestria can’t be beaten by brute force. But isolated attacks? Invisible clouds of death that make the nation cower in fear? All you’d need is to smuggle in some accelerants, maybe other chemical agents to cause an explosion…” Knife shuddered, shaking her head. “That’s all I can think of. Can I not dwell on that any longer, please?”

Celestia nodded, Knife shivering briefly.

“Thank you, Knife Twist. That has been extremely helpful. We will speak again, I think,” Celestia remarked as she turned to leave.

“Let me know if I can help, Princess. I’d certainly like to.”

Pausing at the cell door, Celestia looked back, a slightly motherly-smile on her features.

“There is one thing I think you could work on.”

“Anything.”

“Learn that forgiving one’s self is sometimes the hardest part of past actions, especially ones you weren’t fully in control of.”

Knife Twist could only stare as Celestia left, and her confusion only intensified on hearing the Princess’s words to the Warden outside her cell.

“Please increase her visiting and leisure hours with the various support group. That applies especially for Corporal Husk.”

“Highness.”

Knife Twist sat down in shock, staring at the floor in disbelief.

“Why doesn’t she hate me?” she whispered.

Of course, she knew the answer to that. Celestia’s reign had been with fire and iron at times, but her love for her ponies was never called into question.

All her ponies.

Celestia sat in the conference room with Luna, Commander Shifting Sands, and Emperor Nacreous Thundering, all of them staring at the report in front of them in grim acceptance.

“Chemical labs, that’s the target? I can direct some of my forces to fortify them with shields,” Nacreous mused, Celestia walking over to slide underneath his wing with a sigh.

“I’d appreciate that. I’ll order an immediate inspection and bolstering of safeguards and security, if that is suitable, Lulu,” Celestia added with her sister nodding.

“Agreed, sister. I’ll re-deploy some of the Night Guard for nocturnal watch on various sites.”

“I’ll double-down on the Lunar Knights and their biohazard training,” Shifting replied firmly. “But what else can we do? We have a hazard response team, but they’re stretched pretty thin. The uptick in chemical development and industrial processes has outpaced a lot of overseeing entities.”

“Yes, and I’ve been trying to get various bills passed for a year,” Celestia grumbled. “Of course, this happens while you two are engaged.”

“Only us? Dear sister?” Luna countered with a knowing grin, Nacreous resting his head on Celestia’s with a similar smile.

“Fine. Both of us engaged, the timeframe pending at least as another crisis rears its head. I do know one more step we can do. There’s a pony who specializes in this sort of thing. He’s one of the lab inspectors for security and safeguards, as well as general risk analysis for chemical depots.”

Luna’s smile faded to a grim line, the Princess nodding curtly, knowing of who Celestia spoke of.

“I’ll send the word. Commander, continue his training. He’ll need the extra boost if his services are required.”

“Wait, he’s the inspector?”

“Among other things. A great deal many other things,” Luna sighed.

“Let’s get this done.” Nacreous rumbled in conclusion.

As the various individuals walked or teleported away, Celestia took a deep breath and sent a message to the stallion in question. The enchanted parchment had the pre-drafted orders already signed.

‘Specialist Toxic Shield; Maximum Readiness Warning and On-Call activation orders.’

Author's Note

Welcome to the (current) final installment of this story! I've got a decent amount of this mapped out, so get some popcorn and pillows! This one has some darker tones and points to it...but counter balanced by plenty of fluff!
So much fluff. Oh goodness.

Chapter One: Echos

“Good! You seem to have picked up the basics of leyline manipulation faster than I thought,” Commander Shifting Sands commented, the leader of the Lunar Knights watching the stallion in front of him continue an exercise. “The key with leyline energy is to not force it; it doesn’t work like that. The energy is there, all you’re doing is tapping into it, diverting a small amount for your own purposes. That is what you need to keep in mind and why you had that blowback on the previous exercise.”

“Interesting,” Toxic Shield mused, the blue unicorn stepping off the platform with a shake of his head. The green biohazard cutie-mark that matched a stream in his black mane was as visible as it had been over two decades ago, the young colt having shrugged off the effects of the nightmare which surrounded a previously jovial event.

Yet he was not unscathed.

“If I am to be honest, Commander, I do hope to utilize leylines in an active manner. I have a friend who aids with my equipment, and I think this form of energy could help power it. I’m not sure if permissions are required however,” Toxic voiced.

The silver and blue-crystal amulet around his neck flashed softy, and while Toxic’s mouth moved, the voice that delivered the words emanated from the odd necklace; emotions dulled and without much variation.

The price of survival was a fickle thing. Without the enchanted device, the stallion’s voice would cause nearly every creature within earshot to wince in pain due to the odd frequency, pony, gryphon, or otherwise.

“No permission needed, Specialist Shield,” Shifting chuckled, “in fact, if you friend can find a way to harness leyline energy in a device, I know a certain Princess of Friendship who would love to see the calculations. From what I understand, the energy highly dislikes being used in technology, and while some remote civilizations have managed it, such a thing has eluded us in Equestria.”

Toxic nodded, then pausing with a grin as his bright green eyes lit up.

“Understood. And Commander? Congratulations by the way. I don’t think I ever got the chance to tell you these past weeks,” he said with a smile, amulet still able to convey an amount of sincerity and happiness.

The dark silver engagement bracelet on Shifting’s forehoof flashed softly in the light, the stallion chuckling.

“Thank you, Toxic. A long engagement may seem like an odd thing to many. But when time blends together, it puts things in perspective. A year means different things, I’ve come to realize.”

Toxic nodded, not able to resist a smile as Shifting’s gaze turned slightly wistful, the Commander then shaking his head with a huff.

“Enough of that; you were trying to get me to forget your homework, weren’t you?”

Toxic placed a forehoof over his brow dramatically, an exaggerated pout on his features.

“Commander, I am pained with the insinuation!” he replied, a slightly guilty expression now dawning. “But perhaps.”

“Studying for three weeks and already wanting to evade my carefully crafted tasks! For shame!” Shifting teased back, the older stallion then levitating a parchment over. “But here you are. As I have said before, the leylines aren’t some dead form of energy to be tapped like a water main. They have an ebb and flow, and a strange consciousness at times. They can become acclimated to you, so the more time you spend becoming familiar with the energy, the easier it can be to muster.”

“Understood.”

A flashing light interrupted any further conversation, Toxic saluting the Commander with a grin.

“Duty calls?” the leader of the Lunar Knights asked, Toxic nodding curtly as a teleportation spell swirled around his body.

“Always does. Talk to you later, Commander.”

Two Weeks Later…

“Thank you! It’s been hours since we were able to even go in there, and we were sure if we were even going to open back up, and I think…” the stallion rambled as Toxic fought back a visible wince.

“I’m just glad to help. Give it a few minutes for the air circulation to kick on, and things will be back to normal.”

The factory worker nodded happily, following his fellow ponies back towards the main entrance as Toxic meandered to where his pile of emergency gear sat, completely unused.

A hot-sauce plant.

They called me because of…Hot. Sauce.

Furious didn’t even describe the emotions coursing through Toxic’s veins. Not at the workers, no, it wasn’t their fault by far.

Very few had any idea the mental preparations the stallion had to undergo after each call. And for two weeks it had all been futile. Such calls had slowed down his inspection of the chemical labs around Equestria, some sort of threat causing his normal duties to be of the highest priority.

I haven’t slept a full night ever since this started. And why haven’t they re-analyzed the duty roster yet?

“Control, this is Specialist Shield,” Toxic hissed into the crystal, the amulet not able to conceal his distaste. “Is there any progress on my urgent request?”

“Still in review, Toxic,” a mare’s voice echoed back, then dropping to a whisper. “The new supervisor, look, I don’t get it either, sorry.”

It wasn’t her fault of course, but clearly somepony didn’t get a lengthy memo.

“No worries, not your fault Linen- I’ll take it up with somepony else. Thanks,” Toxic then switched to a different frequency. “Toxic to control. Be advised if I am called on another superfluous assignment, I will be sending my immediate resignation. An accidental release at a hot sauce factory is not within my contract requirements. Expect to hear from a higher authority than I about the matter.”

A certain supervisor’s voice came over the radio in protest, but Toxic simply shut it off with a screech.

I don’t trust my self-control with that fool.

The stallion took off the microphone, carefully organizing his equipment with hooves that shook with pent up stress.

And to think they also cut my wage to hourly instead of per assignment? Not even a thousandth of what I made before. What is going on?

I don’t respond to these sorts of things, I can’t. That’s not my job.

Do they know what each call does to me? What I have to expect?

Closing his green eyes, Toxic struggled to control his breathing, carefully stuffing in a few earplugs as the ambient noise began to rise once again as the factory resumed activity.

Taking out a scroll, Toxic wrote a simple message, sending off the enchanted parchment with a sigh.

I hope you can help, Princess. These calls are starting to incur a hefty price on me.

Celestia trotted the halls, more than a few guards avoiding her direct path as the Solar Princess literally steamed. She had read over the parchment four times, each subsequent scan making her temper flare.

No anger. None of that. Ignorance and idiocy are much more common than malice.

Nacreous, I am going to need a very long hug after this.

And a kiss.

Lots of kisses.

Whenever one of her ponies was affected negatively, both she and Luna took the matter personally to some extent. It was the hallmark of their rule, being able to empathize with so many types of individuals.

But this pony was not the average citizen.

He doesn’t deserve this. Then again, I doubt this bumbling fool fully knows the importance of Toxic’s task, how essential he is.

I’m ashamed at myself for not catching this sooner.

Striding into the Canterlot Emergency Response Control room, Celestia looked around at the busy individuals and made a simple request. A dozen ponies were arrayed around new crystal monitors and sturdy wooden desks, massive screens spread across the wall in front of them.

“I am looking for Stalwart Pillar,” she stated, more than a few ponies staring in surprise. It wasn’t often the Princess visited here outside of a disaster, let alone looking for a single individual.

A cream-colored stallion with a bright red mane trotted up, bowing respectfully.

“Princess? What can I do for you?” he asked cheerily, and Celestia detected no hidden malice or any ill will from the stallion.

As I suspected. He honestly is wanting to help.

“I wanted to review a few past documents to keep myself apprised of the goings-on in the capital; do you have a minute?” Celestia asked tactfully, the stallion quickly ushering her into a small conference room.

“Of course! What documents would you like me to retrieve and go over?”

“The duty roster list, please.”

As the supervisor returned, the stallion took a deep breath, putting the documents on the table with a nervous smile.

“I apologize, Highness. I’m still trying to play catch-up after being transferred here.”

Celestia nodded, scanning over the roster as if checking it.

“Any issues thus far?”

“No- well, there is one,” Stalwart admitted with a sigh. “It’s one of the members of the Hazard Response Team. He’s begun the process of resigning, and I don’t fully understand why. There’s no documentation, and what he told me makes no sense.”

“Toxic Shield?”

“Yes. He’s listed as a regular, full-time guard on remote status, but apparently he takes issue with his normal duties.”

Celestia sighed, shaking her head as she turned to the required page.

‘Stalwart, Toxic Shield is anything but another guard. He’s not even to be treated as such. He’s a contractor, classified as -” her eyes widened on seeing the designation and notes under the afore mentioned stallion’s name.

“…what in the world?” she muttered, levitating her own, separate copy over to Stalwart.

“It does indeed show him as such; enrolled as a normal guard. And here I was thinking it was a different mistake,” Celestia sighed, looking over to a now very-quiet Stalwart, his eyes staring at the parchment in front of him.

In fact, the stallion looked rather ill.

“Stalwart?”

The supervisor swallowed, and Celestia saw his hooves shake slightly.

“T-this is a big mistake. I don’t know…how did…” the pony’s voice drifted off as the stallion sat down. “Is this document correct? The amount paid, his status, his top-secret security clearance?” he asked, voice barely a whisper.

“Yes. Toxic Shield is a contractor. Paid per job for the extreme assignments normal teams cannot complete, and otherwise occupies a full-time inspection duty station,” Celestia said.

“I thought the pay was in error- so when I cut his pay to normal like the other guards, called him on assignments others could do-what have I….”

“He was preparing himself for the worst for every call, and I imagine it has exacted a heavy toll,” Celestia added, shaking her head. She reached over and gently touched the pony’s shoulder with her wing, a kind smile on her face.

“Stalwart Pillar, you acted in the best interest of the Royal Guard and your teams. This was a clerical error, and you won’t be held accountable for such. However, I will need to do a review of the department as to why his complaints weren’t forwarded more promptly.”

The stallion nodded, clearly in a bit of a daze as Celestia took her leave.

Oh, Toxic. I’m so sorry.

I think it’s time you took a vacation. At least a few days to recover.

The stallion took a few deep breaths, finally away from the crowds of the city as he sat in a small park. The usual hum of the city was muted, allowing his exhausted mind to rest.

Too much noise.

It had been a challenge for years. While many would find a cacophony of sound to be a mild annoyance Toxic found it much harder to ignore such a thing. He could fake the lack of discomfort for a time, but eventually it grew to be all-encompassing, and a bit of quiet was a requirement rather than a recommendation to continue onwards.

Thankfully, such limitations vanished when lives were on the line.

He heard the soft *pop* of a teleportation spell, and the heavy hoof-falls indicated it could be only one of a few individuals.

“Princess?” he asked, a soft chuckle confirming his words. Celestia kept her voice soft, well aware of the stallion’s limitations.

“Indeed. Sorry to disturb you, Toxic, but I have news on these past weeks.”

He let out a huff, only now opening his eyes to see Celestia looking at him in clear worry.

“Are you alright?”

Toxic shook his head, forcing himself to sit up a bit straighter.

“Not entirely, but I’ll manage. I appreciate the gesture, contacting me personally.”

Celestia nodded, clearly still rather concerned about her distressed subject.

“I’d settle for nothing less. In short, it was a series of clerical errors. No malicious acts, nothing of that sort,” she explained. “In the chaos the Windigos caused, somehow you were set to be processed along with a new set of contractors and guards. Your status got switched, and your supervisor thought the wages was an error. I thought he’d be ill when he realized the mistake. Likewise, your complaints got bogged down with being shunted between various individuals who have either been promoted or no longer work for the guard.”

Toxic stayed silent for a few moments, shoulders slumping.

“A series of errors, that makes things a bit easier to process,” he murmured.

“Correct, one that has now been corrected to allow you continuation of inspecting the labs as soon as possible,” Celestia explained. “However, in no more than a week, I want you to take two days off at the very least, maybe a week. Recover, and then continue. I would give you longer, I intend to give you longer, but the various facilities need to be inspected immediately. Focus on the most at-risk locations first.”

Recognizing the urgency in her tone, Toxic nodded slowly.

“There’s another threat, isn’t there? Nopony is saying it, but I’ve heard the urgent reports floating about,” he asked.

“Yes. I cannot speak of it now, not here. Your security clearance allows full access however- and so I can send a briefing over, after your days off,” Celestia said. “After you finish your inspections in a month or so, I’m ordering you to take a week or two of partial leave. A few simple tasks, but overall, the goal will be to relax.”

Toxic nodded, the stallion’s green eyes flickering over to Celestia in curiosity.

“Why are you here, Princess Celestia?” he asked softly. There was no disrespect in his tone, only sincere questioning. “The approval for training with the Commander, the personal visits by yourself and Luna; I know you don’t do this for everypony.”

Toxic was not prepared by the shock to flash across Celestia’s case, nor the turmoil in her eyes as she struggled to maintain the mask she often wore. There seemed to be quite a bit she wanted to say, but couldn’t. Or wouldn’t.

The seconds of silence stretched on for hours, and that was more telling to Toxic than any words that would follow.

“Because, Toxic, you are essential,” she finally said. “There aren’t others who can do what you can, nor handle what you’ve seen. Like the Lunar Knights, my Legionnaires, you are able to handle the ugly side of the world, that which many cannot comprehend or fathom. As such, we’ve tried to find creatures to help, to get a team together so it’s not just you. And so, we want to offer what reassurance we can. But…”

His shoulders slumped, head nodding slowly.

“I know,” Toxic whispered, “I suppose that makes sense. What is normal for me is extraordinary for every other creature.”

“A blessing perhaps?” Celestia offered.

“Or a curse.”

The clenched jaw of the stallion told Celestia enough to drop the subject, the raging boil of emotion in Toxic’s eyes lending credence to such silence. And yet she pressed on for a few moments.

“I know a thing or two about blessings disguised as curses,” she said, “as does Nacreous, Shifting, and Luna. I’m sure any of them would be happy to speak with you about such.”

Shoulders relaxing, Toxic nodded, the hint of a smile now on his face.

“I suppose you all do,” he mused, “thank you, Celestia. It’s nice to have somecreature to talk to who isn’t paid to do so.”

“Anytime, Toxic,” Celestia replied, “May I ask if your family is well?”

“As well as can be expected. A few improvements with my little brother, thanks to Emperor Thunderwing’s medical knowledge. So…we’ll see,” Toxic relayed.

“That is good to hear,” a soft chime made Celestia frown, the alicorn standing back up. “I’ve got to go, but I do enjoy these talks. On a more professional topic, you’ve been back-compensated for each call. It’s not the full amount; I think you’d agree that would be excessive, but I hope more than enough to compensate you for your time and the strain.”

Toxic nodded, not seeming to care about the promise of bits that much.

“You could buy an island I suppose, with all the extra funds alone. I can ask Nacreous if he has any recommendations,” Celestia said, hoping to raise the mood slightly.

Her words indeed seemed to cheer Toxic up, the stallion standing with a grunt. A wry smile flickered across his face, head bowing respectfully.

“I’ve found a better use for the bits. I apologize if I remain coy to such. If I said more, it might involve a lot of red tape.”

Celestia clearly played the unknowing part, perhaps a bit too well as Toxic’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Oh? Well, I hope to see the fruits of your labor eventually.”

Shaking his head, Toxic picked up his saddlebags, a familiar, determined fire igniting behind his eyes.

“I hope not. The world would be better for it.”

A knowing glint arose in Celestia’s eye before she vanished, leaving the stallion to trot to the nearest antique shop to browse odds and ends.

Reappearing in her private study, Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat. It had been talked of only a few times between Luna and herself, and not ever to Shifting or Nacreous. But now Toxic’s question had brought it back to the forefront.

Essential.

It was supposed to have been buried, never discussed. Shifting and Nacreous were testament enough as to the burden such a curse could carry.

But they also were an embodiment of the good that come from such a unique, long life.

Hidden in a secret compartment and behind a dozen trapped locks, a parchment stared at Celestia as she carefully levitated the bound pages out.

She had once wanted to burn it, erase every trace of this desperate idea from existence. Yet now she was going to be briefing two individuals on its existence. These two, if any, could understand….

‘Project Unholy Ascension.

Candidates must be non-alicorn in origin for successful modification. Simulated tests indicate catastrophic failure when interacting with alicorn magic.

Candidates must be considered ‘essential’, to which the loss of their life would leave Equestria, if not the world vulnerable to catastrophic threats.

Candidates must accept willingly, no exceptions.

Candidates must be aware of all the dangers and hazards posed by the project.

Candidates must not have any replacements, immediate or potential pending.

Potential Candidate list- not yet informed.
- Arrow Flint - status stricken, now has a family. Cost too great.
- Vine Snap - status stricken, deceased.
- The Elements of Harmony in various forms – status stricken, one of alicorn status, and Harmony finds a way. Cannot, and should not interfere with such ancient and powerful magic.
- Toxic Shield – added after the Oakbark Incident. Status pending. Potential replacements, ongoing, 628, corrected to 0. No replacements found thus far with abilities even remotely close.

May Equestria and the stars above forgive us for considering this, especially if we must ask this of any creature, for none deserve to consider this burden.

May the sin of asking such a sacrifice be forgiven if any creature accepts such words with a pure heart.

-Solar Empress, Celestia.
-Lunar Guardian, Luna.

The words seemed harsh, and were written in a different time many years ago. Before both Celestia and Luna had seen beyond the curse of an ageless existence.

Before they realized truly how powerful love could be.

Celestia found herself smiling, looking at the classified project curiously.

“Could this bring more good to the world like you have, Nacreous?” she asked herself, “like Shifting to my sister? Perhaps I placed too much emphasis on the burden, the curse and not the blessing? Perhaps. And yet I hope never to ask this of you, Toxic Shield.”

Author's Note

And we're off! Welcome to a complete and total re-write of my first story on Fimfiction. Oh, I'm excited :yay: This is a bit of a unique one; a bit darker of an adventure, but compensated with a lot more deeper levels of fluff...oh the adorableness that will ensue!

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated, and I hope you enjoy the story!

Chapter Two: Tall Tales

The black sky held no warmth of stars for the stallion struggling to balance on a decaying boulder. Sicky green fluid spread out as far as the eye could see, dissolving everything in its path as the substance lapped at Toxic Shield’s hooves. The pony desperately scrambled back, the amulet around his neck feeling as though it had the weight of an anvil.

‘Why didn’t you save me, Toxic?’ a decaying mare asked, flesh and muscle falling from her skeleton as she reached up from the sludge towards him.

‘What about us?’ a stallion hissed, more rotting ponies and other creatures reaching up towards the terrified individual balanced on a sinking piece of rubble.

“I t-tried! I’m sorry!” Toxic cried, shivering as he struggled to not fall into the fluid. The clicking of a Geiger counter began to grow louder and louder, the corpses laughing even as their flesh continued to melt. The clicking continued to speed up, matching Toxic’s heartbeat in a sinister cacophony of sound as the bodies continued to taunt him.

‘He’s sorry.’

‘As if that makes it better.’

‘He failed us.’

‘You failed.’

‘You let us die!’

“NO!” Toxic yelled, sending a blast of energy towards the creatures. Punching through the decaying skull, the magical strike did nothing but make the rotten pony laugh. As the closest aberrations began to grab onto the sinking debris, a familiar voice punched through the nightmare.

“Wake, Toxic.”

Looking around at his dream surroundings, Toxic shuddered, curling into a ball as Luna’s jaw shivered with emotion, the alicorn changing the scenery to a peaceful forest for a moment.

“Please forgive me for not being able to stop these.”

The shaken stallion looked up at the floating Princess as the dream fragmented towards wakefulness.

“I always have, Luna.”

The relief was palpable on the Princess’s face; despite such an exchange having taken place more than once before.

Waking up fully with a gasp, Toxic’s chest heaved as a cold sweat soaked his fur. A waiting, pre-placed glass of water was downed from a wooden beside table, the pony then rolling over and wrapping his forelimbs tightly around a large, firm pillow. Tears streaked his dark fur as he shivered, the inanimate object held tightly in the pony’s arms only providing so much comfort as the stallion huddled under his blanket alone, the sinister voices fading for now.

“You sound horrible, Toxic,” the voice on the ear-communicator related, Toxic letting out a less than amused huff as he wandered the streets of Tall Tale, having arrived a week prior.

“Nice to hear from you too, Varti. Just the same old same old. Even on the tail end of a vacation I don’t get a break. Celestia extended it to a week after I finished inspecting all of the labs. They have made huge strides though; I’m actually fairly confident in their security,” Toxic said, the eccentric yak on the other end chuckling with a voice deep enough that it could cause an avalanche.

And, if the stallion recalled correctly, it had caused such a thing on one occasion.

“That is good to hear- and if I read your note correctly, you got the constant call issue sorted? Judging by the sizable increase in our funds, I’d assume that’s the case,” the yak mused. “I apologize in advance if I switch to traditional yak-mannerisms of speaking, I just got back from visiting my relatives. So, guard your ears.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, and I did get it all sorted. I’d rather put it all in the past however. How is your daughter by the way? She’s on that travel-the-world camp, isn’t she?”

“Oh, she is loving it. I get a letter every week from Turmi with a page or two of what they did, saw, or even ate,” the yak replied wistfully, Toxic resisting a chuckle. Whenever he could talk about his only adopted daughter, Turmilla, the outgoing and science-savy yak would gladly indulge the listener for some time.

His current record was over two hours.

“I’m glad to hear it, she has grown up quite a bit in the ten years I’ve know you two, huh?”

“Thanks to you, Toxic. A dept I can never fully repay,” the yak replied immediately.

“And I’ve tried to convince you otherwise about that debt to no avail. Everything ship-shape at the complex?”

“Indeed, just running diagnostics. It’s rather empty here, arcane machines and golems aside; when will we go public…director?”

Toxic let out a groan, trotting down the streets to look for any interesting shops.

“You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“I know. I just like reminding you of your dream, and how I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

“How much is my dream and how much is yours?”

The yak chuckled, making Toxic’s ears vibrate with the sound.

“You’ve set me loose, Toxic. Given me a purpose, a lab, and a means to help others like you helped me and my daughter. I have my dream. You, my good pony, still have a few of your own.”

“Fair point. But progress on all those fronts are slow and steady. As for the organization, we’ll go public in the next year, I think.”

“I await the day eagerly. SCIENCE YAK WILL SMASH ANY COMPETITION!”

Many a pony cast odd looks Toxic’s way as the stallion doubled over in wheezing laughter despite wincing from the roar that emanated from his earpiece.

‘The stallion tossed aside the sword and shield, trotting past the vanquished remains of the rock golems, his goal not but a few paces away.

The mare dashed into his arms, giving him a kiss that made the knight’s head spin. He had come for her; despite the outcry of the villages, the pleading to let her fate be decided by some arcane fanatic…

“W-why?” she asked, resting her head on the armored stallion’s chest.

“What do you mean, why?” the stoic stallion grunted, taking off his helmet to show blue eyes that radiated with love as he graced her lips with a kiss. “Why would I not?”

The mare’s arms held him all the tighter at such words, the Knight allowing a bit of respite as he nuzzled the top of her head, memories flooding his heart and mind at her familiar and comforting scent. “How could I not?”

The reader let out a sniffle, pillow clutched tightly between her forelimbs as the enchanted pages on the book turned once again. For a brief moment, forelimbs circled around her torso as a loving voice whispered in her ear….

Even as the mare pressed her head firmly against his chest, the stallion’s eyes narrowed as a few pieces of the golem began to tremble. He forced himself to take up the previously cast aside sword once again, readying himself for-

*BEEP!*

The gryphoness let out a surprised squawk, the pillow previously clutched in an affectionate embrace now sent rocketing across the room towards the offending alarm with impeccable aim. The enchanted book in front of her paused the turning of the pages, the reader grumbling at having been interrupted.

Splashing some water on her fluffed-up face feathers, Gelliana shook her wings, reluctantly getting ready for the day. Staring at herself in the mirror, the gryphoness frowned on seeing the remnants of her greenhouse-venture spotting her grey flecked face and claws. No matter. Gelliana narrowed her eyes slightly, ears perked up as her fierce reflection looked back at her, every inch a mean-looking gryphon.

The black highlights around her eyes stuck out from the speckles of similar color on her greyish-white cheeks and chest. The camouflaged coloration continued to flow down until it blended with her haunches, the dark brown pattern draping itself over like a cloak that flowed down until the white tuft of fur at the end of her tail.

All that was missing would be some armor, and Gelliana would look quite in place among the royal guard.

That is, until she slooooooowly stuck out her tongue, dissolving into giggles as she smoothed down her feathers.

A few minutes before going to lunch with Marigold, and then meeting Icait.

Eh, I’ll go there early.

A quick check on her shop and greenhouse, and the gryphoness was off down the streets of Tall Tale. The growing city was still small, barely out of ‘town’ status, only a few large stone skyscrapers dotting the city center. But it was home at least for the past five years. Her shop was booming; having just an open time during the afternoon made sure there was plenty of time to tend to the greenhouse and actually concoct the herbal remedies she so specialized in. The growing building was connected directly to her shop, the two-storied building also serving as Gelliana’s house as well.

While there weren’t many gryphons in Tall Tale, that suited the gryphoness just fine. Her past experiences with them hadn’t been exactly pleasant, not with males at least. Not being cut from the usual gruff and permanently-grouchy cloth wasn’t an easy thing.

Ugh, and if I hear any of them call me a ‘toy’ one more time…

She shuddered, banishing such thoughts with ease. Being a ‘runt’ among gryphons was a tricky thing, even with their society slowly starting to catch up.

Thank you, Equestrian parents.

Maybe that’s why I don’t mind ponies much, and think stallions are, well, special-somepony material.
…eventually.

Strangely enough, her best friend Marigold had brought up the matter with an observation.

‘Wouldn’t getting a hug from a guy gryphon like, squish you?’

Which wasn’t too far from the truth. Gelliana barely could see eye to eye with most stallions. Gryphons? She barely came up to their chest, maybe shoulders if they were a female.

Talk about another confidence killer.
And then having ponies being afraid of you…

A lump rose in the gryphoness’s throat at that, her ears lying flat.

It’s not my fault I have claws and a beak. I don’t want to look scary…
Is it too much to just want a h-

“Wow, Gelly, you look down,” a familiar voice called out, a hovering yellow Pegasus wincing. “Chocolate day! On me of course! I just finished cloud kicking this morning.”

“Hey Marigold, sorry, just a weird mental tangent,” Gelliana mumbled as the Pegasus literally dragged her towards a familiar eatery.

“POWDERED TOAST! WE NEED A CHOCOLATE SHAKE EMERGENCY INFUSION!” Marigold bellowed, a comical gasp sounding from the bright blue stallion behind the counter as his two regular customers entered.

“That bad? Do I need to break out the cherries?” he looked over and saw Gelly, and then nodded solemnly. “Oh dear, cherries and whipped cream it is!”

A smile quickly returned to the gryphoness’s face, for how could it not?

“I love you guys.”

“HURRY, POWDERED! WE MUST KEEP THE SMILE ALIVE!”

“I’M WORKING AS FAST AS I CAN!”

Half-finished with her chocolate shake, Gelliana couldn’t help but smile as Marigold regaled her with her most recent shopping experience. Or rather, what she discovered passed for fashion nowadays. While their interests differed on quite a few things, it was always nice to learn about such things from her best friend who could put it into amusing and interesting terms.

However, the pegasus’s words trailed off as Marigold suddenly stared, Gelliana looking from side to side uncomfortably under the focus of her friend’s gaze.

“…what?” she asked.

“How?” Marigold asked, then smacked her face on the table with a frustrated groan. “HOW do you do it, Gelly?”

“W-what?” she asked, genuinely confused as the Pegasus gestured towards her.

“I have spent hours learning how to do makeup in just the right style that I love. And then you walk out of your greenhouse like this!”

The gryphoness’s ears flattened, a familiar coldness starting to ice across her chest. She didn’t think she had looked that unpresentable.

“I…”

“It’s incredible. How is this cruel twist of fate possible?! What is your secret?! Tell meeeeeeeee!”

What?

Marigold gestured towards the gryphoness’s ears and claws, glaring in a good-natured but extremely jealous fashion.

“Those blue highlights are gorgeous, Gelly! And the perfect matching color on your claws? Oh, it softens those predatory highlights around your eyes-UGH!”

By now Gelliana was in a fit of giggles, her exasperated best friend angrily sipping at her own milkshake.

“I was just checking on some berry hybrids in my greenhouse, and I guess some of the color accidentally stained my feathers….’

“Accidentally. Stained,” Marigold grumbled, eyes drifting out of the stone workshop to watch the ponies trotting this way and that around the city center. “Huh, no way,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“Your eyes are better than mine, obviously. That blue unicorn across the street, the one with the black mane, has a green stripe, I think? Is he wearing an odd necklace?”

Gelliana focused, easily able to pick out the individual with her increased vision.

Perks of being a gryphon. Some have better eyes, some have better ears, and in Gelliana’s case, some have both.

Lucky me.

“Yeah? Some sort of silver chain with a gem set in the middle. It’s pulsing when he talks, why?” Gelliana asked, ears focusing on her friend as Marigold frowned. She could hear the mare’s heartbeat speed up slightly, a hit-and-miss ability some gryphons had. The generations-old combination of owl and eagle ancestry did have its perks for Gelliana at least.

She’s nervous?

“I heard about that guy from one of my mare friends in the guard. Rough Blade has a few stories about him too.”

“Your coltfriend says the same thing? Huh, all these guard contacts, your father’s side of the family?”

“Pretty much. I guess I’m a sucker for a stallion in armor. But I met Whistle when she was in boot camp. She was helping with the weather for a training exercise and we’ve been pen-pals on and off. She confirmed what Rough said when he got stationed in Canterlot for a time,” Marigold relayed, shaking her head as she looked at the unicorn trotting away. “I don’t know what he is doing here.”

Gelliana’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. There were very few times her best friend had seemed actively antagonistic towards somepony, let alone one she had never personally met.

“What’s up with him? I’ve not seen you this flustered in a while,” Gelliana asked cautiously, still hearing Marigold’s heartbeat speed up, but now flattened back to normal.

“The guards call him ‘Iceberg,’” Marigold explained, finishing her shake and pushing it aside. “Kind of a double meaning. That necklace speaks for him or something; not much emotion in his voice apparently. As for the name, the way I heard it described was of how there’s quite a bit of depth to an ice mountain but nopony wants to venture into such a cold place.”

“Ouch, that sounds rather harsh,” the gryphoness remarked, Marigold then dropping her voice to a whisper.

“I’ve heard stories from both Whisper and Rough. This guy is called into the nastiest hazards but shows no emotion. Apparently, it’s downright creepy, carrying out bodies of foals and adults, living and dead alike without a single tear or trace of unease. What kind of pony, or creature does that!? And a biohazard cutie mark? The signal for ‘danger, don’t touch me?’ And his name being literally Toxic Shield? Urg….” Marigold shuddered.

Gelliana didn’t say anything, brow furrowed as she shook her head.

“I don’t know, but I’ve never heard you judge somepony off just stories or appearance, not even getting to know them, Marigold.”

The mare frowned, shaking her head.

“I guess in some cases I’d rather just avoid the trouble if the stories are even half true, y’know?”

Ears flattening, Gelliana stood up and placed a few bits on the table to pay for her shake, looking to her friend with a genuinely hurt expression on her face.

“In some cases? I guess I got lucky then when you gave me a chance at friendship,” she whispered, Marigold’s eyes widening in horrified shock as her words finally took hold.

“Oh, Gelly, I didn’t….”

“I’ll catch you later, Marigold,” the gryphoness muttered, shaking her head and meandering out of the shop. There weren’t many buttons that could be an instant peeve for the gryphoness, but that sort of superficial judgement, obviously, was one of them.

Of all the ponies, Marigold, you should know how much that sort of thing bothers me. It’s why you were my first friend here, nocreature else would even bother to…

She wandered the streets, the gryphoness trying her hardest to push Marigold’s words aside. It was just an oversight and not intended towards her of course, but how could Gelliana not feel a bit hurt by such a view from her best friend? Marigold knew how hurtful such words could be, such quiet murmurings that eventually getting back around to the creature in question.

Such words and judgements that had been a part of Gelliana’s life since birth.

And it’s taken years to just be comfortable being me. It doesn’t mean I don’t get peeved about such things, especially when I’ve told her again and again it’s a sore spot.

She sighed, knowing full well she’d check on her friend later. A slight smile finally flickered at her beak at that thought as she walked.

I’d rather not have Marigold attack a gallon of ice cream again. We both have overreacted from time to time.

…my best friend.

Those words added strength to Gelliana’s smile. It had taken many years indeed, but the gryphoness now had quite a few things her past self may not have even comprehended.

Loving who I am.
Best friends.
A job I love.

…we’ll work on the stallion. Gryphon…GUY part.

Maybe someday.

Ok, soon. Ideally.
Maybe.

…I hope.

Icait pranced in place with nerves, the four Legionnaires stationed off to the side clearly finding her behavior a bit amusing as they waited in the empty herbalist shop. Starlight was off acclimating Onyx, but the Windigo could still sense an observation spell in the shop, along with the ever-present mental ‘pressure’ of a magical locking enchantment.

Smart mare.

Deep breaths.
Do I need to breath?
I have lungs, I think?
Breathing helps.

Just meeting a gryphon. Maybe she’ll like me?

…maybe?

I-

“Icait, is it?” a friendly voice called out, the Windigo letting out a yelp as she whipped around. Seeing a surprised gryphoness looking at her, the Windigo nodded, holding out a shaking hoof.

“Y-yes. Nice to m-meet you,” she stammered, the astral creature only staring in surprise as the gryphoness smiled, shaking her hoof with her talons.

Hey, her claws are shaking too!

“A bit nervous? My name is Gelliana by the way,” the gryphoness remarked, Icait blushing at least as best she could with a nod.

“Y-yeah, a bit. Ok, a lot. It has been a crazy few days,” she admitted.

“Well, same here. I’m usually a wreck on meeting new creatures, but I guess knowing you’re nervous too makes me a bit less nervous, sort of? Rambling, sorry…”

It started off as a soft *snrk* but before Icait could help it a full-blown nervous giggle left her muzzle, Gelliana not able to resist a bit of laughter of her own. She glared good-naturedly over to one of the four armored ponies, waving a set of claws at the amused stallion.

“We’re both shy, nervous wrecks; give us a break!” she remarked, then holding out her talons to Icait.

“Want to start again? Nice to meet you, I’m Gelliana. I hear you’re going to help me around the shop and greenhouse for a bit?” she asked, Icait nodding and now smiling as she shook the outstretched claws.

“Nice to meet you Gelliana, and yes, I think that’s the plan. I hope. I mean, I’m kind of new to this whole ‘life’ thing,” Icait admitted.

“Well, can you tell me a bit about…well, yourself? I kind of only know the basics. Not every day you get to meet a Windigo. Er, sort of Windigo?” Gelliana asked, Icait clearly becoming more and more at ease.

“Um, well, I haven’t really been me that long. I really like learning about stuff. Apartments? Electricity? It’s all so cool!” Icait gushed, trotting over to gesture at some various gardening implements.

“Like, this tiny spiked shovel? I have no idea what it is for, but I want to know! I guess that’s why I hung out at the library in that outpost. Uh, I’m getting off track, huh?” she muttered, walking back over to Gelliana and sitting down.

“I haven’t really had to tell anyone about myself. You’re one of the first creature’s I’ve met formally, and talked to. I mean, I was part of the Windigo group that tried to destroy Equestria….” Her ears flattened at that, light teal eyes drifting to the worn wooden floor.

“And I never liked it, if you’ll believe me. I always just was a scout, I never wanted to hurt anycreature. It just felt wrong, even though I still needed negative emotions to survive. I told Cele-erm, Princess Celestia and Luna everything I could in the interviews before I came here. They wanted to make double sure I wasn’t lying. And I’m not, I don’t really know what to feel. I was born with a desire to cause and feed off hate…”

“What about now?” Gelliana asked, interrupting the Windigo’s nervous rambling, causing Icait’s head to snap up in surprise. Her tone wasn’t condescending, only curious.

“Now, I don’t know. I can eat stuff, drink, but I’m not wanting to stir up negative emotions like before. It’s hard to explain, because I can still feel general emotions from others, especially negative ones,” Icait continued, gesturing to the guards.

“Like those four. They really, really don’t like me, and I don’t blame them. Well, except the last one, he finds me kind of funny, but still in the ‘don’t-like’ area.”

The Legionnaires blinked, then shrugged in acceptance of the generalization.

“That’s why I don’t know what to think about you, Gelliana,” Icait admitted, “You don’t hate me. I can’t sense really any dislike, just, caution. And I don’t know how to react to that. Ponies, creatures, they should hate me for what I did.”

The mare jumped slightly as Gelliana placed a set of talons on her shoulders, the Windigo staring in surprise at the gryphoness.

“I’ve learned to never judge another creature off what you first see, or what you think they did,” Gelliana said. “And so far, all I know that happened is that you were a scout for a bad group of creatures and regret it, and you want to be better. Does that sound about right?”

Icait nodded, the gryphoness then gesturing around the shop.

“Well, there you go. Obviously, I am a bit cautious, but I most certainly don’t hate you! You seem really fun, actually. And I was told you’re going to be volunteering at the library?”

“Y-yes, after I get settled helping you that is.”

The gryphoness nodded, beckoning to the Windigo mare.

“Then let me show you around! The shop is just for showcasing gardening products and the various tonics, antidotes, and other herbal concoctions I create.”

“You made all of these?!” Icait gasped, looking over and examining the shelves lined with vials of varying color.

“Yup! And I grow it all out back. Want to go see how I do it? You’ll be helping me with each step.”

“YES!” Icait yelled, floating into the air briefly before settling on the floor. “I mean…yes, I’d really like that.”

Gelliana could barely speak through her own giggles, waving the Windigo onwards.

“Well, let’s start at the greenhouse.”

Through the shop and down a hallway that branched upwards towards a staircase (and Gelliana’s bedroom,) the pair made their way to a large, house-sized growing area, four guards in tow.

“So, here’s where I grow well, just about everything,” Gelliana explained, gesturing to the dozens of planter boxes, pots, hydroponic beds, and towering vines visible under the glass roof. “I have to outsource some material because of the quantity needed, but for the most part I can grow it all here.”

Turning her head, Gelliana only smiled on seeing Icait’s eyes wide in wonder, the Windigo seeming to be a bit overloaded.

“S-so much green, so much life,” she whispered, “I’ve never seen something like this before.”

“Really?” Gelliana asked.

Icait nodded, sitting down and simply looking around in amazement.

“My kind is from the Frozen North, and Onyx and I were hiding out in a glacier, abandoned mine shafts and stuff. I didn’t realize how bleak it was until now. I didn’t get a chance to see much outside of towns or cities for information gathering before that, only distant views of trees. I don’t remember anything from before I was given a brain, per say.”

“There’s lots of areas that are this green for miles and miles. Jungles, forests- maybe once we get you acclimated, I can take you on one of my foraging journeys to see more.”

Of the many things Gelliana was expecting, clearly causing Icait to sniffle and wipe her eyes wasn’t one of them. The Windigo managed a grateful smile as she nodded.

“I’d like that a lot.’

“May I ask why my duties are so simple, Miss Glimmer?” Onyx rumbled as the two sat on one of the large, ancient guard towers that surrounded Tall Tale.

“Because you are having issues acclimating. Icait has embraced it all rather well. You, on the other hoof, clearly have some reservations. I would rather have you be bored than overloaded and discovering hidden issues. And enough with the ‘Miss’ stuff, I’ve told you that a dozen times,” Starlight Glimmer stated bluntly, the shadowy pony nodding.

“I appreciate the candor…Miss Glimmer.”

“Now you’re just enjoying it.”

“Perhaps,” he admitted, taking a breath and sighing, grey eyes narrowed in the sun. “I understand your logic, but I would like something to fill my time.”

Starlight grinned, levitating a massive pile of books into view, along with some checklists.

“These are the basic training manuals for town guards. In addition to that, they’ve agreed to give you a few introductory tasks.”

Nodding in approval, Onyx levitated a book over, his magic sparking with black sunbursts every now and again in the dark purple aura.

“This will suffice,” he mused, then looked over to Starlight. “May I ask why you thought the town guard was appropriate?”

Starlight waved a hoof, shaking her head.

“Wasn’t my idea. I believe it was Princess’s Luna’s,” she admitted, a sly grin dawning on her features. “Something about having a protective instinct…”

Onyx let out a huff, grey eyes narrowing as he turned away. He seemed to relent after a few moments of frowning, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

“How is Icait doing, if I may ask?” the Shadow finally questioned, steady tone now softening.

“Extremely well. She and Gelliana hit it off fantastically; you were correct in saying that Windigo is an innocent bottle of curious energy. She apparently was dumbfounded on seeing a greenhouse. I am curious as to why you seem more knowledgeable of the world though.”

Not responding immediately, Onyx seemed to be forming his thoughts before speaking.

“I was not cooped up with the Windigo group,” he finally said. “I was left to roam free, and did so for some time. I have a unique memory. There is simply what I know, and what I don’t. None of this...as you call it, ‘forgetting,’ you pony’s experience. I can read a book in an impossible amount of time compared to you, and remember all of it perfectly,” he explained, gesturing to one of the items. “But the meaning of the words may not register until later. I have read a few library’s worth of books; that would be the short answer.”

“Fascinating. I’m sure Twilight would be jealous…” Starlight murmured.

“Perhaps. But she would also likely be driven mad. To have most of your knowledge locked behind context is unnerving. For example, when ‘sleeper cells’ were mentioned, I was not aware fully of what it meant until context was provided. It is a difficult thing to explain.”

“Well, thank you for trying. I do have to get going- and obviously you will be under surveillance. Your duties are to track various movements of wildlife on the city outskirts and also learn more about an intricate part of pony life. That’s what these books are for.” Starlight pushed a larger stack his way, Onyx raising an eyebrow.

“What would that be?”

Starlight activated a portal, a sincere smile flickering onto her face.

“Something I didn’t understand for a long time, and that lack of knowledge nearly destroyed me and a lot of innocent creatures. All creatures, as a matter of fact.”

With that curt message, Onyx was left ‘alone,’ even though he could feel many watching eyes on him and the magical locks still in place. He pulled the largest of the books forward, a wry smile twitching at his usually stern features.

“Hmm. You would know, wouldn’t you, Starlight? And now I fully understand why they wanted you to aid me.”

‘Lessons in Friendship, Volume One, By Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Chapters 4-6 Written by Starlight Glimmer.’

Author's Note

This was a fun chapter to write; quite a few characters to get used to and flesh out! :yay: As always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter Three: Drums in the Deep

Toxic trotted along the streets of Tell Tale happily, his second day of vacation having yielded quite a bit of productivity in terms of finding fun odds and ends in the various shops among the city.

“Toxic? You there?” his crystal earpiece chirped, the pony tapping it with magic to begin the call.

“Varti? What’s up?”

“Just picking up some chatter. Got a weird magical signature and seismic reading near you, so heads up. Might just be a dragon with food poisoning but wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep it in mind,” Toxic chuckled. “By the way, I think Celestia is onto what I want to do; she joked that I might buy an island with my back pay,” he replied, frowning as a chime echoed over the message. “Horseapples, I’ll talk to you later; got another message.”

“Of course, Director,” Varti teased as he ended the call.

The yak stared at the large computer screen in front of him, a picture of a younger individual gathered with her new friends placed next to the oversized keyboard. A happy sigh left the scientist’s features as he stared at his adopted daughter, the younger yak grinning horn to horn.

‘To Dad, from Baltimare. This study program is great! Love you!’

Looking around, Varti trotted out of the massive laboratory with its automated, arcane-powered machines still humming away around a massive blue crystal encased in metal. The concrete hallway that led towards the main building was spotless, kept clean by a horde of robotic cleaners. The Professor looked out the window and to the ocean, a massive, empty facility of concrete, crystal, and metal sprawling out across the island. Communication arrays crowed the roof of each building, large watchtowers circling the remains of the extinct ocean volcano on which the entire complex was constructed. Fields of grains and vegetables were visible in the distance, simple arcane Golems tending to the crop’s day and night. Dormant factories huddled the ground awaiting the throw of a switch that would breathe life into their automated systems.

What I have helped you build, Toxic. I may have paid the currency for most of this, but I still am in dept to you, a price I cannot fully settle. My daughter’s life; how much more is that worth to me than concrete or mechanical devices? And knowing you will use my capital for good…

“A director, no, not yet. But you deserve to be,” Varti muttered with a grin, the yak continuing on through empty classrooms, cafeterias, training ranges, decontamination rooms, and fortified bunkers. “Not yet indeed, Toxic. But soon I think.”

Toxic frowned, trotting to a side alleyway as the caller identification seemed to be hidden.

“Hello? This is Specialist Shield,” he said.

“Toxic, thank the stars I reached you,” Celestia’s voice cut through, the desperation in her tone making the stallion’s fur stand on end.

“Princess, what can I-”

“Toxic, where are you?” the Princess interjected, her worried tone making Toxic’s hair stand on end.

“Tall Tale, I was finishing my days off here.”

He heard Celestia talking with someone off to the side, the Princess’s voice then returning to the fore.

“Fate is on our side, it would seem, or just luck,” she sighed, taking a clear pause. “You’re back on the clock, Toxic. There is a chemical lab west of the city and something just went wrong. No communications and every single remote warning sensor just tripped. The exterior sensors are intact, so whatever it is, the upper portions of the facility are intact. We need you there now. There are possible casualties. The lab has a greenhouse and other areas that are open to the public on the uppermost levels for tours and such. I will be heading to the city shortly. My legionnaires have already limited access and established an Incident Command location; get in touch with them when you arrive. Do you copy all that?”

Legionnaires at a chemical plan? Are we sure this is an accident?

Gelliana paused as her sensitive ears picked up a familiar tone, muffled, but coupled with another, odder speech pattern as she peeked into an alley.

Huh. Wonder what is going on here…

The blue stallion from before was sitting against a wall, eyes wide in shock as a voice spoke from an earpiece; was that Celestia?

Toxic Shield, that’s what Marigold said his name was.

She noticed the stallion’s hooves trembled, his green eyes closing briefly. Even from her distance, the gryphoness could hear his heartrate skyrocket. And yet when he opened them, however, a very different pony shed the nervous skin from a few moments ago, heartbeat stabilizing. There was a power behind those eyes, a determination that made Gelliana shiver but not necessarily from fear.

“Understood. Specialist Shield online, Princess. Stand by, I’ll contact you when I’m at the facility.”

As the unicorn yanked a large duffel bag out of a storage portal that opened with a flash of white magic, Gelliana suddenly letting out a surprised squawk as a communications crystal chimed in her own side bags.

“H-hello?” she stammered, feathers poofed out in surprise. There were only a few individuals with access to the device.

“Gelliana? Are you at your greenhouse” Celestia asked, the gryphoness nodding, cheeks growing rather pink against her grey feathers as a certain unicorn glanced her way.

“Y-yes, I am, I mean, I’m close at least, just out and about. What can I do for you?”

“There has been an accident at the underground chemical plant west of the city, end of the road called Fairweather. I am requesting your aid in the matter. Your stockpiles of herbal anti-toxin may be needed to supplement local supplies. Can you get there as soon as you can? You will be reimbursed of course. A specialist is already on his way there.”

Gelliana nodded, stammering her reply as Toxic Shield trotted past her, duffel bag slung across his back.

The ever-so-slightly amused grin on his face did not help her nerves however, the unicorn clearly having caught her eavesdropping. It did interrupt her thoughts briefly though, the gryphoness finding it rather odd that the stallion’s heartbeat wasn’t nearly as rapid as before and it stayed steady even as his green eyes met her tentative violet gaze.

And of course, that was a different feature that she couldn’t ignore.

Whoa, really bright eyes.

“Thank you, Gelliana. I’ll be on site shortly.”

“R-right, I’ll get my things and head there too,” she managed to say, nerves still making her feathers prickle. It was a wonder she hadn’t shrunk to the ground underneath Toxic’s gaze; it wouldn’t have been the first time she had frozen like that.

Creatures need help! Let’s go girl, get the anti-toxins and get to that lab!

“Varti. Is the prototype ready?”

“I’d hardly call it a prototype! It’s the sixteenth generation and seventh model that has been successfully tested by yourself for-”

“The lab in Tall Tale just went dark. Is the armor ready?”

The yak let out a stern hiss, tone changing abruptly.

“Dark? Not good. Yes, it is ready and waiting for retrieval. I’ll forward our data to the Canterlot Control Center.”

“Thank you. I imagine they’ll need your assistance tying in the video and audio feeds,” the stallion said.

“Shall I be ready to deploy the other response measures?”

Toxic paused, slowing to a trot as a congregation of legionnaires came into view, all clustered around a ‘requisitioned’ warehouse.

“No, but keep it on standby at least. We’ll stay in touch.”

“Specialist Shield?” one of the stallions asked, trotting forward and saluting. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the Incident Commander.”

The inside of the massive wooden warehouse was mostly empty, a series of plastic tables having been hastily pulled together and topped with various electronic screens and readouts. Communications portals circled the central conglomeration of furniture, feeding information back to the Canterlot Disaster Center.

“Ah, excellent. Specialist Shield has arrived,” a mare relayed to one of the portals, trotting forwards and shaking Toxic’s hoof.

“Sergeant Spear Clout, Incident Commander. I hear you’re going to help with our information problem?” she asked, Toxic nodding.

“Yes, as in, the lack thereof?”

The mare let out a huff, nodding as she gestured to the map which showed a now-projected three-dimensional image of the facility.

“In a word? Yes,” she explained, glaring at the image of the facility. “The top three levels have been sealed off from the lower ones. The safety systems have successfully isolated the facility floor by floor but otherwise appear to be inactive. The lower safety sensors are giving mixed readings.”

“Inactive? That’s…that makes no sense. I inspected this lab one week ago. It was probably the top three most compliant and safe locations I’ve seen,” Toxic muttered. “So, we don’t know what is going on, but am I to assume foul play is possible?”

“Yes, so be on your guard. Your orders are to find out what exactly is going on underneath those top levels. First however, there may be survivors that need extraction.”

“Toxin levels?”

The mare stayed quiet, tapping the screen and displaying a molecular compound that made Toxic’s eyes widen.

“What in the world is that…?”

“We don’t know what it is,” Clout admitted, “but on entering the facility, even the top levels, trace amounts of it gummed up our standard filters in minutes. No idea how it affects creatures but it wrecks our protective gear. Escape hoods seem to affected to a lesser extent, probably due to a different material used.”

“I take it the lab wasn’t producing anything like this? No weapons, military experiments…”

“No,” the legionnaire stated flatly, shaking her head. “This was strictly fertilizer and plant vitality compounds. The most dangerous thing they handled were the accelerants for plant growth and arcane stabilizing compounds, but those were strictly regulated and in small, isolated batches and stored in separate rooms as per your recommendations.”

Toxic let out a hum, brow furrowing as he tapped his ear with magic.

“Varti, you get that?” he asked, the yak on the other end letting out a grunt.

“Indeed. Simulations indicate the armor should be able to handle whatever it is.”

Toxin took a breath, looking over to the Incident Commander with a firm nod.

“Let me know if anything develops. I’ll sweep for survivors and then head to the lower levels.”

“Polearm! Scythe! Show Specialist Shield to the decon area!” Clout barked.

“And I need an exact location to teleport survivors to. I’ll be transporting my own decontamination gear here as well. I don’t think yours is thorough enough for me, no offense,” Toxic added, the mare chuckling.

“Celestia said that might be the case. Here.” She passed over a bundle of crystals, a spell glowing softly around the item. “Same as the others you have used. Press the crystal to the pony, and the spell will do the rest.”

Toxic put the crystals into his duffel, trotting after the previously-mentioned guards towards the lab. It was only a block away, a powerful shield shimmering around the innocent-looking facility as Royal Guards encouraged passers-by to move along. A familiar and slightly out-of-breath gryphoness arrived with a few large bags slung over her shoulder, prompting a slight grin from Toxic.

Hmm. So, she’s here as well? Interesting, whoever she is.

Stopping at a large container with various nozzles, plastic sheeting, and pressure-sealed doors, that served as the entry and exit point to the shield around the facility, Toxic inspected the decontamination setup with an approving nod.

“I’ll buzz you through, Toxic!” a brown unicorn with a bright yellow mane called, stowing a series of tools with a flash of his horn. “Just got all set up here-ugh, hold on, he added, rolling his eyes at a voice emanating from his own crystal communicator.

“Yes, I’m sure. Yes, I’ll get to it immediately after this- I told you about priorities,” the lead technician grumbled before turning back to Toxic with a sigh. “Oh, the joys of managing a crew. Sort of. Anyhow, you should be good to go!”

“Ah, Wire Strip, glad to see you’re the one handling all this,” Toxic remarked with a wave, the decontamination technician nodding and adjusting the controls on the entryway.

“Take care! You’ve still got a green zone just outside the entrance, haven’t adjusted the shield back yet.”

“Thanks, Wire. I’ll suit up there.”

That chamber is more than enough for civilians. I trust Varti’s design though for myself.

“No leakage still?” he asked, setting down the duffel bag in the green zone and unzipping it after trotting through the decontamination tunnel.

“I think that has changed. We thought it was clear, but an updated report just came in. Concertation of the toxin has been building in the second and third under-stories,” one of the legionnaires relayed.

“Alright, I’ll tie in with the Canterlot Command post, thank you,” Toxic added, strapping on a small breastplate and set of what appeared to be metal saddlebags. The two guards had since trotted off down the block towards what appeared to be an impromptu field hospital.

He took a deep breath, running one of the many mental exercises available to him.

You’re the only one who can go in there.
Nocreature else.
Even if there are those willing, could I live with myself knowing they’d be at such great a risk, when I will surely survive?
I won’t fail.

Igniting the dark grey breastplate with a surge of magic, the Specialist felt a surge of energy run down his spine. With a flick of his head, Toxic tied himself into the leylines, the boost of energy ensuring his own magical reserves wouldn’t run dry.

Nocreature else.

“Armor systems online. Stand by,” Varti relayed, Toxic’s hooves shaking not with nerves, but anticipation.

The armor spread out from the chest plate and saddlebags, blue lightning bolts coursing over the unicorn’s body. Dark grey scales of metal surged across Toxic’s chest and down his hooves, then spreading across his flanks. Flowing up his neck, the metal formed a slight ring just below the pony’s chin, a helmet retrieved from the duffel back being levitated into place with a *hiss* of positive pressure.

The saddlebags were now devoid of metal, instead showing two forelimb-sized crystals on either side of Toxic that glowed with a soft teal light. A nub on the armor, located in-between Toxic’s shoulders began to flash, bolts of energy coursing from it and down into the ground with barely-visible streamers of power.

“Armor atmospheric situation stable. Prototype leyline reactor holding steady,” Varti relayed, excitement bleeding through the yak’s voice. “Supplementary mana crystal reserves at maximum. You’re good to go, Director.”

Toxic trotted forwards, the armor feeling light as a feather due to the magic supplementing his own muscles.

It was a rather guilty pleasure to see a few guards and Legionnaires stare at him though through the shield surrounding the facility. A familiar gryphoness also was one of the creatures to stare, feathers puffed up slightly in shock.

The helmet encased the unicorn’s head completely, the two eye-slits heavily reinforced with chemical-resistant glass. Without the magical heads-up display Toxic’s vision would be severely limited.

But with the leyline reactor that won’t happen anymore. Batteries now are for emergency power only.

Oh how I love these armored suits.

The filters built into the helmet surpassed anything developed thus far by the Royal Guard. Varti’s design was currently awaiting approval and testing, but Toxic trusted the yak with his life.

“Canterlot Command, this is Specialist Shield testing joined communications,” Toxic barked into the helmet’s microphone.

“This is Canterlot Command. Reading you loud and clear.”

“Professor Varti, armor support, reading you clear as well, Director.”

Ok, Varti, now you’re just milking it.

“Princess Celestia here, I will be at the field hospital and Incident Command post. Good luck, Toxic. And glad to have your assistance, Professor Varti.”

“Any time, Highness.”

Trotting through the entrance to the shielded building, Toxic took a deep breath of the filtered air as he continued on to the steps. It almost looked like a simple, square library, columns and pillars rising up to flank the heavy wooden doors.

Pushing through the entrance, Toxic frowned as he walked, continuing on to the stairs. A conglomeration of desks, offices, and simple cafeteria was all that was present on the first floor- an underground greenhouse on the second.

“Filters reading a faint concentration of that chemical. No degradation yet,” Varti relayed.

“With luck, this armor will be overkill,” Toxic replied, “Keep me appraised on the filters. I could probably breath it fine but if it’s an unknown toxin I’d rather not test my lungs. Initiating scan.”

A magical sweep splayed out from Toxic’s horn, encompassing the immediate area both above and below the unicorn.

“Faint readings on the sub-second floor. You said there was a greenhouse there?” Toxic asked.

“Correct. There could be possible survivors there since it was open to the public. Emergency locks have engaged though, and each room has the recommended air supply plus two hours. Still another hour or so left.”

“Glad to hear they took my recommendations to heart. So far, just looks like an abandoned office….hmmm, wait a minute.” Toxic stared at a pile of sludge; the armor’s built in camera focusing a bit closer.

“Well. That is odd indeed, an interaction with a plastic material perhaps?” Varti mused.

“Perhaps. You getting this, Control?”

“Affirmative.”

Judging from the whispered in the background Toxic assumed that, as per the usual with his assignments, there was a bit of an audience in the Canterlot Control room.

I’ll take a supportive audience when I can get it. I get stared enough as it is in a not-so great fashion.

“Continuing on to the second floor.”

Down a flight of pristine concrete stairs and through a sealed door Toxic entered a long hall and frowned.

“Concentration of the toxin doubled. Filters still holding,” he relayed, taking a left at the first door.

“Arcane life signatures are past the greenhouse in a safe room, entering now.”

Punching in an override code, Toxic frowned as the door groaned but refused to budge.

“We’re showing a critical failure on the seals. I think they’ve…melted?” the mare in the Control room relayed.

“That would make sense if this eats away at artificial materials. Fascinating,” Varti added.

“Well, entering anyway,” Toxic grunted, encasing the door in a magical shield before ramming it with his shoulder. The metal buckled under his enhanced strength, the unicorn’s shield preventing any air from entering or exiting.

“Concentrations mimic that of the hallway; releasing shield. Looks like the seals didn’t hold for long.”

Staring at a series of plants, Toxic frowned as he got a close up, quite a few of the leaves seeming to bubble and hiss, releasing vapor.

“Uh, Control?”

“On it.”

There was a pause, and Celestia’s voice came over the earpiece once again.

“Toxic, this is Gelliana, a local herbalist. She’s the one who helped boost Emperor Thunderwing’s cure during the Fire Lung Epidemic.”

“H-hello? Ah…those plants? Ok, I’ll take a look.”

A soft, stuttering voice then took over, but it grew in strength as soon as the plants became the target of conversation.

Quite a calming voice, rather nice too; different from most mares. I didn’t see her in the control room when I got here...

“S-so…those p-plants, wait. Blisters? Zoom in please!” Gelliana remarked, Toxic complying. “Obviously reacting to the airborne toxin, can someone write this down please? Or I guess we’re recorded. Uh, looks like all tomato varieties are showing these erupting blisters. Any others?”

“I’ll check on my way to the safe room.”

“R-right, saving them first.”

Ok, that stutter is rather adorable.

Stopping at the safe room door, Toxic tapped the intercom with a hoof.
“Hello? This is Specialist Shield; is anyone there?”

A crackling voice immediately answered, panic infused with every voice.

“H-hello? Yes! Oh, thank goodness; I told you somepony would come!” a mare said both to the intercom and somecreature nearby. “There’s six of us here, two fillies as well that were visiting the greenhouse. Our escape hoods are holding, but the edges of the door are starting to bubble a rubbery…stuff.”

“Alright, just hold tight for a minute and I’ll get you all to safety. Did you get that Control?” Toxic asked, frowning as he looked at the readout in his helmet. “Levels are increasing, there has to be a leak. The safety systems aren’t holding; I need to get down there. I don’t have time to ferry them all up. I need a designated teleport site next to the decontamination area!”

“Site designated. My legionnaires have an arcane beacon ready,” Celestia relayed.

“Ok, let’s get this done,” Toxic muttered. “What is your name?” he asked the mare on the intercom.

“Herb Vial.”

“Ok, Miss Vial,” Toxic began, keeping his voice calm and steady, an easy feat considering the amulet still around his neck did half of that on its own. “I need you to make sure everypony’s hoods are secured. I’m going to get this door open and then give each of you a teleportation crystal. You’ll be transported to safety immediately.”

“O-ok,” there was a pause, “We’re standing away from the door now.”

“Alright. Here I come.”

After double-checking to ensure the door wouldn’t, in fact, open on its own, Toxic cast a shield and punched through the flimsy metal, easily tearing it off the already-corroded hinges.

The six ponies stared at the armored individual who trotted into the safe room, Toxic immediately floating over a small crystal bobble to each.

“Is there anyone else down here?” he asked, Vial nodding as the purple mare’s eyes widened.

“Yes! My friend and her daughter, Lime Centrifuge. They were on the third level. Last I heard before the intercom stopped working, she went to go engage the safety systems, or something like that. The fire doors? I kept talking to her daughter, but then the lines went dead. There’s a safety room near the stairwell!”

“Anyone else?”

“No. Just those two. Everyone else got out I think.”

As the ponies vanished in flashes of light, Toxic immediately began to trot quickly towards the stairwell.

“Control?”

“They’re being decontaminated now, Toxic. Get those final two ponies and get down there. A few backup sensors are coming online, and we’ve got pressure building under the floor.”

“The floor?”

“Affirmative.”

Toxic increased his pace with a hiss, his armored head shaking.
“Fantastic. I’m walking on a time bomb!”

“A time bomb that still has traces of magical interference. All the more reason for you to get in there and engage the safety systems.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Toxic replied, then frowning as Celestia’s voice cut in.

“This is just a private channel between you and me, Toxic,” she stated, tone clearly unsettled. “This shouldn’t be possible. I’ve personally gone through what this lab was working on. There just aren’t the materials to cause this sort of disaster. Be on your guard. The rising pressure indicates a chemical reaction taking place and I don’t know why.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better, Highness.”

“It shouldn’t. I’ll leave you to it.”

Toxic took a deep breath, shouldering open the third sub-level door as it squished open, the rubber seals having melted completely.
“Entering third level now.”

Igniting his horn, Toxic pinged the level for any arcane signatures, a faint reading coming from further down the hallway and in the safe room to his right. The metal and glass halls seemed pristine other than the absolute emptiness, papers tossed over desks, and lights that flickered ever so slightly.

Ok, safe room is probably much more secure; let’s check out down the hall.

It was a short trot onwards and around a corner or two and he came to a small maintenance room.

“Anyone in there?” he asked, frowning as he didn’t hear a response. His tried and true method of shield-and-shove method of opening the door worked like a charm, and he quickly came upon the prone body of a cream-colored mare, escape hood blinking red warning lights.

“Emergency teleportation. Unconscious mare with expired hood! Sending in five.”

Toxic activated the crystal, attaching it to the mare’s forelimb and watched as she vanished with a flash of light.

Now the one in the safe room. I assume that’s the filly.

“Hello? Is anyone in this room?”

A soft sniffle echoed over the intercom, a mumbling voice being unreadable.

“Ok, stand back from the door, alright? I’m coming inside.”

A soft mumble emanated from the speaker, Toxic shouldering his way through the disturbingly ‘wet’ metal.

A filly cowered in the corner of the safe room, emergency escape hood blistered and cracked as tears ran down her light blue cheeks. She let out a shriek at seeing the armored pony trot into the room, Toxic halting briefly.

“It’s ok! I’m here to help!”

Clearly words didn’t make much of a difference. He’d have to try-

“Toxic! Unknown magical substance is leaking onto your level!” Varti’s voice cut in. “The teleport crystals won’t work! Compensating for interference now.”

To Toxic’s horror, his armor began to flash warnings as the magical shield across the doorway didn’t even slow down the particles, flashing an odd purple and black in the stallion’s heads-up display as the view crackled as Varti tried to compensate for the odd magical surge.

The filly seemed to sense something was wrong, the terrified child letting out a choked cry as the escape hood suddenly began to steam, blisters forming across the surface.

Looking over the readings, Toxic let out a growl and yanked off his helmet, smoothly removing the failing escape hood and placing the new protective gear over the filly’s head. The filters and protective measures kicked in immediately, purging the toxins from the brief exposure.

Taking a slow breath, Toxic grinned, glaring at the offending hallway.

“Freaky magical partials? Zero. Toxic Shield, One,” the stallion chuckled, looking at the filly with a smile.

“See? Just a normal pony like you. Now how about we get you out of here. I don’t like it down here, do you?”

She shook her helmeted head, Varti’s voice cutting in on Toxic’s backup crystal communicator.

“Concentration is building. A safety seal must have been breached. You breathing alright, Toxic? That wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”

“I can’t even taste this stuff, so all well here. Wasn’t about to let a filly suffocate though,” Toxic replied, a soft chuckle radiating from the speaker as Celestia cut in.

“No, I didn’t think you would.”

“Leaving now. I can teleport her once we’re on the top level or two.”

As Toxic levitated the filly onto his back, a flicker of movement caught his gaze, a surge of magical interference making the unicorn wince.

“What in the world…” he hissed, head aching briefly. Turning around at the base of the stairwell, his green eyes widened in horror as a large figure paused at the opposite end of the hallway.

The armored gryphon chuckled, orange and grey feathers seeming to dissolve into nothingness as he grinned. His claws flicked a switch held in a firm grip, and it was then that Toxic saw the wires leading to the bulky vest strapped around the gryphon’s fading torso.

“A whisper remains. Relay that to your Sun Goddess!” the gryphon hissed at the distant pony, body continuing to vanish as Toxic bolted up the stairs.

A disturbing, sinister laugh echoed after the stallion, the pony swearing he saw two white eyes hovering in front of his nose.

“And mind the bump...Specialist Shield!

Toxic’s world surged as the floor buckled, fire blasting up through the cracks as Celestia’s voice crackled with static over his earpiece.

“TOXIC!”

The small city of Tall Tale rumbled. The previously mundane laboratory on the outskirts heaved with agony, fire blasting rock and rubble up and out from the depths of the facility. With a flash of power, an alabaster princess appeared at the safety shield’s exterior, her limitless reserves pushing the barrier closer and strengthening it beyond any unicorn’s ability. She abandoned all methods of concealing her power, a solar flare surging around the alicorn and melting the stone under her hooves. The shield refused to yield against fire or ejected stone, not a single pebble making it outside of the barrier.

While rock and concrete shattered against the shield a smaller bundle shot up above the main point of destruction, metal glinting in the sunlight.

This is not the kind of flying I like.

Toxic looked down at the crystal in his hoof, the teleportation crystal flashing red as the magical interference refused to yield. The filly in his arms let out a terrified scream as they began to fall, Toxic’s shields fading as they cleared the primary blast zone.

“Hold on to me tight, ok?” he yelled, the filly pressing her helmeted head against his chest as the stallion wrapped a forelimb around her.

A dozen memories flashed through the Specialist’s mind, having held creatures in this similar embrace before as he dragged them out of a contaminated area.

Only this time, she’s still breathing, and I aim to keep it that way!

Triggering an emergency failsafe in his armor, Toxic’s fall slowed slightly, arcane wings snapping out at his sides to belay their descent

His green eyes narrowed as the spell began to fail, the interference erupting in pockets above the ruined lab. They began to fall once again, the wings flickering in and out of reality.

Oh, this is going to hurt.

A simple lockdown command was sent to the armor around his limbs, remnants of magic able to relay at least that much with the accompanying spell. It was a form of teleportation in a sense- the shifting of momentum.

In this case, from straight down to angled outwards.

Wrapping the filly up in his limbs, the stallion cast a series of shielding spells around his head as the pair hurtled towards the shimmering shield. A hint of golden magic managed to punch through the disruption, a certain Alicorn lending her aid to slow their flight.

Regardless, Toxic slammed into the fortified shield with a crunch, falling a fair distance to clank against the ruined garden beds as dust settled around them.

Ow.

His head ringing slightly, the stallion staggered upright, now becoming aware of the voice in his ear- no, not his communicator…

Celestia wrapped the Specialist up in a powerful grip, moving him closer to the shield’s edge as the ruined lab steamed. Healing magic coursed through Toxic’s limbs, the Alicorn nodding in approval as the cobblestones around her cooled from her own arcane surge. She couldn’t resist a caring smile as the pony unwrapped his limbs from the now-in-awe filly, the youngster gazing up at the Sun Goddess from behind the helmet.

“You are two lucky ponies,” she sighed in, examining the shield with a frown. Her expression then softened into a smile. “Hold on, little one.”

The filly vanished with a *pop*, whisked away to safe decontamination area and leaving a metal object behind.

“I think this belongs to you,” Celestia remarked, nodding once to the stallion. “Well done.”

Putting his helmet back on with a half-smile-half-grimace, Toxic stretched, testing his limbs. Without the gel and cushioning spells in his armor he’d have broken his back and likely everything else with that impact.

“Director! Vitals reading good. Highness, do we continue?” Varti asked, the yak getting ahead of himself as Celestia chuckled.

“If Specialist Shield is able, yes.”

“Oh…erm…sorry Toxic…”

“No worries, Varti. I feel decent enough, especially with that healing magic. Thank you, Highness.” He then paused, opening a private channel with Celestia. “I’m not sure if you saw the picture. It was a gryphon, orange and grey. His body was dissolving, some sort of transport magic? He said-”

“A whisper remains. I heard. And it sounds like he was expecting you, so tread lightly. We’ll deal with that end of things, Toxic. I still need you to get in that lab. We don’t know what is being released into the air, but I don’t know if this shield can hold it forever, even with my link to the sun.” Celestia relayed. “I’m already feeling an increased concentration hitting the barrier. Whatever this substance is, it’s magical and chemical in nature. In terms of containment that complicates things. That gryphon wanted to blow the depths of the lab open and I need you to find out why. From what we can tell, it didn’t work. The blast only opened up the top levels and relieved the pressure building under the floors, probably just cracking the seals. There are still a few floors intact between level three and the deeper ones. The neutralizing agent is still there and intact. It should eradicate this.”

“Understood,” Toxic replied, double-checking his armor’s integrity before trotting towards the crater.

“Unfortunately, with the stairs and elevators destroyed, you’ll have to use the ventilation system.”

Despite the serious situation, more than a few ponies had to stifle a chuckle at the reply to Celestia’s statement, the stallion now angling towards a large, exposed air duct as he grumbled with a rebellions huff.

“I hate vents…”

Author's Note

Things picking up...:trixieshiftright:

Chapter Four: You'll Need a Crowbar

Gelliana shifted from claw to claw, feeling rather out of place as she sat in the incident command post next to her hastily-organized cart, retrieved by two legionnaires moments ago. It had almost all of her various herbal anti-toxins, the legionnaires having inspected them and instructed her to simply wait and watch after originally arriving.

Celestia being at her side did help matters, the alicorn watching a hastily-erected display as she kept the shield around the site active. She had simply told Gelliana to stay, as her expertise for antidotes may come in rather handy depending what was found in the lab. To that end, the live feed from Toxic’s helmet was rather boring at the moment, the stallion shoving his way through a mostly-intact air vent.

The grumbling under his breath was rather amusing though. The pony said something in a half-chuckle concerning a crowbar and crawling through vents that lifted his spirits for a moment.

“I’m now past the area damaged by the explosion. I’m surprised these shafts weren’t compromised more.”

“If I had to guess, that gryphon was wearing a somewhat shaped charge. Energy went up and down, likely to try and release the reaction below. It was partially successful in breeching the floor seals at least,” Celestia relayed.

“I suppose I’ll find a different way out of here once I activate the neutralizing agents.”

“A modified recall spell should be able to punch out with enough power, Toxic. We are strengthening the emergency recall runes at this time. If not that, there are plenty of drainage and side tunnels that lead out of the facility to water treatment plants.”

“Understood.”

There was no tension in Toxic’s voice, something the gryphoness found rather intriguing. What else had this pony seen that this was not anxiety inducing? Especially the possibility of having to crawl through drainage pipes to escape?

“Exiting on sub level six now. I should be two floors above the lab area that went dark in the base levels,” Toxic relayed.

“Copy that,” a mare in the Canterlot Control room relayed.

As Toxic pushed his way out of the vent and into a rock hallway lit by dim emergency lights, the stallion casually looked this way and that. Other than a few missing ceiling tiles and draped wiring, it looked fairly intact.

“Heading to the elevator shaft and then the stairway.”

Halfway down the hallway, the stallion froze. A sinister, steady notification was now registering both from the instruments in the command center, Toxic’s armor sensors, and the Canterlot Control boards.

*click*...*click*…*click*…

“Radiation detected,” Professor Varti stated calmly. “Low levels, but there’s something down there. Appears to be high energy rather than airborne particles, only trace amounts at your location.”

“Why is there radiation here?” Toxic hissed, and Gelliana’s sharp ears picked up the heart-rate monitor on one of the screens taking off at a marathon’s pace. “Is this from the gryphon’s explosion?”

“Unknown, but I doubt it,” Varti added.

“Toxic, there were no radioactive materials in that lab. This had to have been from the event that made the floors go dark.”

Toxic’s heart rate continued to spike, ragged breaths slowing slightly as the stallion struggled to control his breathing.

“U-understood.”

The first hitch in the stallion’s voice gave Gelliana a brief glimpse of how rattled he was, and Celestia’s stern and focused features weren’t helping.

Toxic’s pace was now a bit slower, a brief glance at the armor settings indicating that all of the external shielding that fed from the leyline generator were set to maximum.

*Click..Click..Click..*

Toxic stopped at the elevator doors, pulling one of them open slightly, edging a hairs-width into the empty shaft.

*CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

Toxic shoved the elevator doors closed with a panicked gasp, sweat dripping from his forehead. A radiation alert chimed in his helmet, the Specialist struggling to control the rising panic even as Celestia’s voice rang in his ear.

Focus.
Deep breaths.

There were very, very few things that truly frightened the stallion and made him shake with absolute dread. Unfortunately, one of those things appeared to be in abundance in this lab, enough to trigger more than one radiation warning in his suit.

“I’d recommend an alternate route,” Celestia suggested calmly, no doubt picking up on the rattled stallion’s demeanor.

“I changed my mind,” Toxic whispered as he trotted back down the hall, “I like vents.”

The joke may have lightened the mood on the other end of the feed, but Toxic was still shaking as he slid into the ventilation duct.

Ok. Down we go.

The Geiger counter fell silent in the ventilation shaft; odd, considering the radiation was likely to have been circulated in the air. Or that just meant the concentration was elsewhere and not in the air system.

Varti must be right; it’s not in the airborne particles, but high intensity radiating from something.

“Ok, I’ve reached the floor above the labs,” Toxic relayed, venturing out and relaxing slightly. Desks and tables abounded, simple beakers, whiteboards, and mostly benign teaching materials scattered about in the clear-partitioned rooms on the floor.

“Checking the elevator.”

As much as he hated to do it, if he was going to venture down below, there had to be a reading taken from that point.

The metal door seemed almost spongy, yet still opened somewhat smoothly. Toxic frowned as the Geiger counter failed to read anything.

What in the world?

Cautiously, the stallion poked his head out ever so slightly into the shaft-

And his vision went black.

In the control room, Celestia let out an audible gasp as the feed cut out, the backup communication switching over immediately. Panicked gasps emanated from the microphone as a crude video image was relayed from the ear-mounted device on Toxic’s head. The stallion had torn off the helmet, the pony now sitting against a wall on the opposite end of the floor and looking at the piece of armor in his hooves.

The front of the solid metal helmet was completely melted into a dripping, useless mess.

“Varti,” Toxic asked calmly, but his heartrate signified ‘calm’ was the opposite of what he was feeling. “What would it take to melt this metal?”

“I…stand by,” the yak stammered, clearly collecting himself. “I don’t know. That metal can withstand low levels of dragonfire. It wasn’t the radiation, that’s for sure.”

“Radiation levels spiked into lethal ranges. Something is at the bottom of that elevator shaft,” one of the legionnaires relayed. “It was in the last frame or two of the helmet’s feed. Not sure what it is, but it’s directing energy upwards, and there’s stuff we haven’t seen before with the other energy waves.”

“A nice way to prevent anycreature venturing down,” Celestia mused. “How are you doing, Toxic?”

“Well, on the plus side, I can still breathe easily. No adverse effects just like on the top levels,” the pony relayed. “The downside is that my backup respirator just melted in my hooves.”

Indeed, a rubbery, sludgy mess dripped over Toxic’s forelimb, the pony then poking his armor. “The metal is starting to feel spongy, but I’m not affected at least? Perhaps it’s an agent that primarily attacks artificial materials?”

“Be careful. Can you test that idea on any of the items in your vicinity?” Celestia asked.

Walking over to a whiteboard mounted on a support beam, Toxic gently pressed his hoof against it-

And promptly sank through the board and deep into the metal beam.

“What in-” Toxic yelped, taking a few steps back. “This entire place is putty! What does that?!”

“I don’t know.”

Celestia’s simple statement had Toxic more than a little worried. But the fact he was able to breath was both a comfort and a fear.

My first line of defense is gone, including any anti-radiation measures.

Calmly opening a disturbingly-soggy armored pocket, Toxic carefully downed some pills, last-ditch measures against radiation and other nasties.

His spit would probably turn purple for a day, but worth it just in case.

“Stairs it is.”

The stairwell at the opposite end of the hall was disturbingly pristine, yet the metal guardrails were, once again, spongy and malleable.

Thankfully the rock steps seemed sturdy as ever.

“Descending now.”

Trying a door, the stallion frowned as he was able to mold the metal aside, a pile of rubble greeting him.

“The first basement level lab is inaccessible. Trying the bottom floor.”

“Be careful, Toxic,” Celestia warned. “We still have a lock on you for emergency teleportation, but the spell will take a few seconds to fire it up and punch through the interference.”

“Understood.”

As Toxic took a step down, the rock underneath his hooves crumbled into dust. The entire remains of the stairwell collapsed, shoving the stallion and the debris through the now paper-thing wall of the lab down below.

Brushing the spongey mess from his eyes, Toxic’s limbs began to shake violently, the stallion scrambling back from the horrific sight in front of him.

I’ve seen this before.

Torn catwalks, wiring, white walls; it all hung this way and that around the edges of the scorched rectangular interior of the lab. Instead of decontamination equipment, chemistry sets, and computer banks, a lake of bright green fluid bubbled and frothed with red tendrils where the laboratory used to be. The entire two high-ceiling floors were destroyed in what could only have been an explosion, metal warped out from an apparent epicenter. Flickering lights added to the unnatural glow of the fluid, sparks spitting out from cut wires leading to rooms that no longer existed.

The video feed was frozen yet not from an error; Toxic was unable to tear his eyes away from a floating object that now turned towards him. It was no clear to both him and everypony watching that the sinister ocean before him held much darker dangers.

The bare muscle and bone of a dead pony stared back at him, face eaten away by the fluid that bubbled all around it.

Luna appeared at Celestia’s side with a *pop* of magic, the other Princess’s sides shaking with barely-contained emotion.

The world shimmered, Luna speaking on a different plane with her sister in utter privacy. “Celestia, you need to get him out of there!” Luna hissed, gesturing towards the scene. “I don’t think Toxic can handle this!”

“I…” Celestia said, then shaking her head. “If he can’t activate the neutralizing agent, things will spiral out of control. He’s the only one who can be there! He’s ok, he’s still breathing, not affected by the chemical thus far. The radiation alarm hasn’t gone off, so…”

“It’s not the chemicals I’m worried about harming him.”

The haunted look in Luna’s eyes gave Celestia a clue as to what she meant, the solar princess frowning as she shifted back to reality.

“Toxic, what is going on there? Can you see the neutralizing agent tanks? Second floor, to your upper right?” Celestia asked calmly, trying to give the stallion a task to tear his gaze away from the dead body- no, bodies.

More ponies were now visible, easily a dozen corpses draped amid the wreckage or floating in the chemical ocean. Flesh dripped off their skeletal frames like the metal around them, more than a few grinning in an eternal, boney expression.

“Toxic?” Luna now asked, the stallion still frozen and borderline hyperventilating. Canterlot Control was silent, even the battle-hardened legionnaires likewise frozen to their monitors in horror. Gelliana had her claws latched around a metal post, talons digging into the metal. While the sound of a pony losing their lunch sounded over the communications from the Canterlot center, the gryphoness was apparently able to steel herself against the sight, taking a few deep breaths as she glanced towards Celestia.

“Luna?” Toxic asked, his calm tone clearly artificial and carrying with it a panic that bordered on an absolute breakdown. “I need somecreature to talk to me. No offense, Luna, but not you. That makes this too real, you know what I mean.”

Luna nodded, solemnly, looking over to Celestia expectantly.

“Canterlot Control? Anyone?” Toxic asked, panic starting to rise in his voice.

“I’m here, Toxic,” Celestia stated calmly, brow furrowing as the pony bit back a whimper.

“It’s melting…the metal…”

His armor was indeed flowing down Toxic’s limbs and torso, the leyline generator sputtering out as the Specialist’s protective shell was eaten away by the harsh chemicals surrounding him, barely a forelimbs-length away as he balanced on some unsteady debris. Only the crystal earpiece and accompanying camera seemed unaffected.

“Toxic, can you hear me?” Celestia asked, eyes flickering across the room. She levitated a headset over to Gelliana, gesturing to the screen as the stallion refused to reply.

“Please, talk to him.”

“Me?!” the gryphoness squawked, Celestia nodding curtly.

“He’s too used to my voice or Luna’s. It won’t snap him out of this. I need you to distract him, get him to the tanks on that second story and open them!”

Ears flattening at Celestia’s stern tone, Gelliana nodded and then felt a wing on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Gelliana, I just…”

“No, I get it, Princess. I’ll t-try.”

The understanding nod from the gryphoness put the ruler at ease, the Alicorn sitting back as Gelliana keyed the microphone without so much as a single stutter carrying over.

“Hey, Toxic? This is Gelliana, can you hear me?”

A new voice now echoed through Toxic’s nightmare, the stallion blinking as he nodded slowly.

“Gelliana? Yes, I can hear you. You’re the herbalist, right? The mare with the nice voice,” Toxic replied, tone indicating some sort of borderline shock.

“Huh? Um, yep, that’s me. Look, can you see…um, some large white tanks? Big huge things on that second story?”

Toxic looked around numbly, spotting the containers with ease. They were sagging, their heavy-duty construction still bolted to roof, wall, and ceiling thankfully.

“Yeah, I see them.”

“Ok, apparently there’s some valves on the tanks that need opening. Can you get to them?”

“I’ll try.”

A bit of the fluid frothed nearby as the stallion moved, splashing a section of Toxic’s bare front-left hoof with the contents. His heart rose in his throat as an icy chill ran up his entire forelimb, yet the offending liquid slid off harmlessly, nothing but the memory of the sensation marking its passage.

Scrambling over sagging metal and concrete, Toxic skirted the deadly scene as he clambered upwards. With a hiss, he slipped and sliced his hind limb on a sharp piece of glass, a few drops of blood dripping into the fluid below and making it bubble violently like a ravenous creature getting its first taste of a meal.

Making his way now to the second story, Toxic clambered over ruined lab equipment and fallen support pillars, finally coming to the massive holding tanks. On testing one of the three red valves on the vanilla-covered containers, Toxic frowned as the metal sagged in his hooves and magical grip.

“Uh. The valves are frozen. I’m going to blast them off. There’s not as much magical interference where I’m at.”

“Ok, um, Celestia says to hold on a second. They’re getting ready to teleport you out.”

“Ok.”

The stallion promptly sat down, now clearly in a state of shock.

“We’re ready. You need to hit all of the tanks though,” Gelliana relayed.

“Yup. I can do that.”

Toxic positioned himself and charged his horn, taking aim at the three massive tubes. When the charged-up shot began to make his head ache, the stallion twisted his head and sent a magical strike searing across all of the containers.

As milky-white neutralizing agent blasted out from the pressurized tanks Toxic’s world vanished as a teleportation spell yanked him to safety.

Yet as a familiar voice chimed in over the intercom, the stallion wondered why he hadn’t woken up yet, despite now having the sun splash on his body next to a shimmering shield.

“Varti! The decontamination chamber!”

“On it, Highness! Levitate him into there…Perfect!”

As a solid metal room sealed with a pressurized hiss, Toxic slowly began to come back to reality. The soft blue light radiating off dulled steel greeted his view, tubes, hoses, nozzles and sprayers all taking up position around his body, two glass sides of the rectangular enclosure letting a familiar large yak look inside.

“Starting decontamination now, Director. You know the drill. Put that tube over there in your mouth first,” Varti instructed calmly, watching as Toxic began to come out of his stupor, maneuvering his muzzle over a shaped tube.

“Seals holding, beginning extreme decontamination, steps one of ten, cycle one of six, also monitoring vitals and scanning for exposure to that fluid as well.” the yak stated, tapping a few floating symbols in front of the keyboard set in the side of the rectangular unit.

“Thank you for clearing this space, Highness. I had the teleportation matrix for the room set up already, so all I needed….”

Varti’s voice faded away as Toxic closed his eyes, slumping on the mesh floor as water coursed over his frame and air blew through his lungs, carrying with it any remnants of the horrors below the surface. He mechanically coughed up some black sludge as the various neutralizing agents scrubbed the toxins from the stallion’s lungs, magically-driven brushes now beginning to lather his body with a foaming solution.

Yet in his mind’s eyes, a skeletal, flesh-flayed eye still stared back at the stallion, refusing to be washed away by chemicals or water.

Icait paced nervously in the living room, the Windigo’s ears flat as Onyx watched from his position on the couch. The two had been confined to the dwelling ever since an explosion had rocked the city, the legionnaires assigned to them seeming rather on edge.

And it didn’t help two of their guards had been diverted to inspect a suspicious individual lurking around their apartment.

Onyx could see the Windigo starting to breath a bit faster, especially as she the shield around the site beginning to flicker and fade. Clearly it meant the incident was over, but did she know that?

Seeing her upset is…I don’t like it.

The Shadow Pony frowned, the tightness in his chest becoming harder to ignore. He obviously had to do something about this.

“Plants.”

Icait blinked, looking to Onyx as he put down the book in his magic grip, the gruff stallion looking over to her.

“Huh?”

“Plants. You came back the other day nearly incoherent because you were babbling excitedly about plants. What was that all about?”

Rubbing her forelimb with the other, Icait blush a soft pink at the memory, sitting next to the couch with a shrug.

“Oh, um, Gelliana, that nice gryphoness, has a greenhouse. Wow, that’s a lot of ‘g’s’,” Icait mused, then continuing on. “Just, it’s so alive! I’ve never seen so much living green plants before! The variety and everything! It’s not like a forest that I saw from the distance, but everything is up close and just there! It just feels good to be around! As soon as I get used to the shop in general, she’s going to start teaching me the different types and uses….”

As the Windigo continued to talk, she seemed oblivious to how Onyx’s shoulders relaxed slightly, stallion seeming to become visibly more at ease.

The legionnaires, however, didn’t miss the fact the barest hint of a smile twitched on his dark features, grey eyes watched Icait as she continued to elaborate on the entire experience.

Author's Note

Well dang! That took a turn!
Poor Toxic...at least a certain gryphoness was able to snap him out of it!

Chapter Five: Detox

“Thank you for your help, Gelliana,” Celestia said quietly, the pair sitting outside the warehouse and temporary control room. “Luna filled me in on a few things, and I’m glad you were there to snap Toxic out of it.”

The gryphoness nodded, gaze drifting to the massive metal decontamination chamber where the afore-mentioned stallion still sat. Her curiosity was piqued to say the least.

“Cycle five complete. Beginning final cycle, step one,” Professor Varti relayed, the large yak adjusting the half-cloak half-lab coat around his massive barrel.

“You’re welcome. I mean, all I did was talk to him, not really that big a deal,” the herbalist replied, turning her attention back to the Alicorn.

“Oh, don’t sell yourself short,” Celestia chuckled. “A scene that froze my legionnaires and rendered the control room speechless and yet you were able to stay calm…” she then smiled gently at the gryphoness, a rather knowing look in her eyes then glancing over to the stallion in the decontamination chamber. “and be kind to somepony in need.”

Blushing slightly from embarrassment, Gelliana mumbled another ‘you’re welcome’ back, even as Celestia let out a soft titter.

“Sometimes a gentle and caring voice can make a bigger difference than armies or raw power,” the ruler added, a smile now on her own face as a certain hippogriff came to mind. “We’ve detected a reduction in chemical and arcane agents as well as radiation, so the neutralizing solution is working. We’d like to keep your herbal stock on standby however.”

“Of course,” Gelliana replied immediately.

As a soft chime sounded Celestia let out a mutter and gave the gryphoness a pat on the shoulder with a wing.

“Well, that’s my cue. We’ll talk a bit later? I am curious as to how Icait is doing.”

“Just let me know, Princess, and I’ll make time of course!”

As the ruler trotted away, Gelliana’s ears flicked back towards the stallion in the decontamination chamber. Her natural curiosity was at an all-time high. Having a massive container on standby to teleport in for this purpose? That was interesting indeed.

Her eyes widened as her vision was able to discern something most others likely didn’t even notice. Behind the glass, as water and chemicals coursed over his frame, the stallion’s sides were heaving. Coughing up some sort of medicine perhaps?

Wait, is he crying?

As the decontamination cycle wound down, Toxic’s demeanor changed dramatically.

“Beginning final arcane sweep and healing that cut on your hindquarters afterwards,” Professor Varti relayed, a screen of magic sweeping over the pony inside the chamber multiple times.

“Scans are clean, cut is healed; you’re all set, Director.”

Striding out of the chamber, the unicorn hoof-bumped the large yak with a grin and saying something, the professor then apparently…Jumping for joy? And making the ground shake as well.

“A new set of armor? Well, I suppose that’s obvious. But that’s also fantastic! I had more ideas I was struggling to incorporate into that model!” the yak gushed as Toxic chuckled.

“Let me know when it’s ready. I loved the feel of it by the way. That spell infused gel layer was perfect. Well, I think we need to fix the melting problem though.”

As the pair separated, Gelliana’s ears picked up an odd contradiction. While Toxic calmly retrieved his previously cast-off duffel bag and walked towards the Incident Command Center with a seemingly confident gait his heartbeat had already doubled in speed, thudding in her sensitive ears.

Even if she wasn’t a gryphon, Gelliana would have bet it’d be audible. Perhaps it was the ‘predator’ aspect of her biology but the gryphoness couldn’t help but notice the subtle shifts in posture that ponies like Marigold just never seemed to pick up.

Like when a creature is hiding an injury, except I don’t think this stallion is hurt?

The unicorn casually snagged an empty plastic trash can, walking down the side of the building and into a small alley that separated the warehouse from another as if he knew exactly where to go-

And vanished.

Hoping her curiosity wouldn’t come back to bite her, the gryphoness sidled along in that direction after a few moments, poking her head into the alley curiously. A teleportation spell perhaps?

Not seeing anything, she frowned as her ears picked up a muffled something.

Poking her head a bit farther in, she bit back a gasp as the alley changed, the gryphoness having moved through the illusionary wall that was in place.

At the end of the alley was a very, very different unicorn than what she had seen prior.

Heaving up the contents of what seemed like a weeks’ worth of meals, Toxic was bent over the trash can as his limbs shivered, a cold sweat dripping from his body. The stallion’s eyes were closed tight, tears leaking out form them regardless as two caring forelimbs wrapped around his shoulders in support.

Luna was clearly fighting back her own emotions, jaw quivering as she supported the distraught pony, rocking him back and forth. Her own eyes shimmered with dampness, the alicorn clearly noticing Gelliana’s presence but not seeming to care.

No, not lack of care. Gelliana thought as the Princess looked her way. Sincere, empathetic pain radiated from Luna’s eyes, the Princess seeming to take Toxic’s condition rather personally as she shook her head ever so slightly towards the gryphoness.

Gelliana nodded, quietly ducking away and sitting outside the command post, violet eyes looking at her claws.

Going to her cart, the apothecary retrieved a small package of herbal teas and then returned to the ‘empty’ ally, gently pushing the bundle through the shield in the center of the walkway.

Maybe that will help…I hope it does.

Seeing the previously stoic stallion reduced to an absolute wreck tugged on Gelliana’s heart a bit more than she originally thought, the gryphoness wandering back to her shop after being ‘officially’ released from the incident by one of the leading Legionnaires.

Who are you, Toxic? You’re not the Iceberg I’ve heard about.

Cold and unfeeling? You needed a hug more than anything.
That thought made a bit of a caring smile tug at Gelliana’s beak.
Almost like that rumor isn’t true.
I wonder who you are, underneath that stoic mask?

Toxic Shield’s sobs eventually slowed, the stallion rinsing his mouth out with some water offered by the Lunar Princess at his side.

“Thank you, Luna,” he whispered, the Alicorn nodding.

“Of course,” she paused briefly, Toxic standing on his own two hooves, even if shakily. “Toxic, the fact your dreams held such similarity to what was faced in that lab; I need to do some investigation. The fact that gryphon mentioned you by name, it is not out of the question that you may have been targeted.”

“I agree.”

Luna blinked, Toxic shrugging his shoulders in exhaustion.

“I’ve had that same nightmare before, years ago. But why would it crop up now and be so similar to that actually happened?” he questioned. “Didn’t Onyx- erm, that’s the shadow pony, right? Didn’t he try to influence Celestia’s dreams, if I read the reports correctly.”

Eyes narrowing, Luna let out a hum in thought as Toxic continued.

“So, it would make sense to target me in this case. I’m the only one who can help in situations like this. If I can be incapacitated, the cost of responding to these attacks would be astronomical.”

The fact Luna couldn’t refute his words made the stallion sigh, ears perking up as he spotted a tan package in the alleyway near his previously-cast shield.

“What…?”

Trotting over and opening it up, the stallion’s head tilted in curiosity on seeing the collection of herbal teas neatly packaged up. A gently brush on his shoulder from Luna’s wing made him glance over to her, the Alicorn smiling kindly.

“You may be the only one who can help in these disasters, Toxic,” she said softly “But you’re never alone.”

“Somecreature saw me back there? Ugh,” he muttered, Luna letting out a huff.

“Well, feel free to return the tea you don’t use. I’m sure Gelliana would be happy to know you at least used some of them however.”

“Gelliana? Oh, right. That mare’s voice in that lab. It felt like a nightmare,” Toxic muttered. “I guess I’ll do that and at least thank her.”

Luna seemed a bit amused by that statement, apparently holding her tongue from saying something.

Toxic looked at the package and gently levitated it up in his magic, then wincing and dropping it with a hiss.

“Ow.”

“Mana depletion? Whatever those chemicals were, they were an absolute pain to punch through with the teleportation spell,” Luna mused, retrieving a set of saddlebags out of a storage portal. “Looks like you’re going to be an earth pony for a day.”

Accepting the gift and stowing the teas, Toxic let out a chuckle, nodding in agreement.

“I guess so, thank you again, Luna.”

“Anytime, Toxic. Oh!” she paused, clearly hesitating about her next words. “May I share your nightmare challenges with Celestia, and perhaps Nacreous? I think she may have a solution, or at least an eventual one. Nacreous may have a remedy as well. I know Commander Sands may be able to adjust your training to lend aid too.”

A simple bob of Toxic’s head was answer enough, the alicorn smiling and waving before vanishing back to Canterlot with a *POP* of magic, no doubt to try and sleep before her usual evening duties.

“Well. Maybe I’ll wander back to my apartment,” the stallion mused, then frowning as his limbs seemed to shiver. “And hopefully not collapse on the way.”

Gelliana happy bounced down the side street in the ‘industrial’ side of Tall Tale, the streets becoming a bit rougher as the tall buildings gave way to smaller, more intimate shops and manufacturing spots built by the locals. Despite the chaos of earlier she now found her mood back to its normal cherry levels. She had left a note on Marigold’s door, the gryphoness certainly wanting to meet with her best friend for lunch and clear the air once again.

I just hope she didn’t stress-eat an entire double banana-split again…

Taking a left, the gryphoness entered a large wooden shop decorated with all sorts of sharp metal implements as a magical chime rang out through the large shopping room.

“Be right there!” a stallion called as the heavy falls of a hammer fell silent. Trotting out with a blacksmiths apron tied around his barrel, a large green earth pony immediately grinned on seeing his favorite customer.

“Gelly! How are you? I assume you are here for your newest order?” the smithy exclaimed as the gryphoness nodded.

“I’m doing alright, Slag, how about yourself?” she replied with a kind smile, the blacksmith waving a hoof.

“The same old same old. Oh! I did promise to pass along your father’s complaints on when he shipped me the metal. Something about his daughter refusing to take anything from his business for free, family or not.”

Gelliana smiled, shrugging her wings at that.

“Well, hopefully he understands why I still pay for it all…”

Her voice trailed off as Slag nodded, retrieving a large box from a shelf.

“Oh, personally I think he’s absolutely tickled that his daughter refuses to accept, or ask for free deals. Of course, if anyone appreciates such a gesture it’d be him. He’d never say that out loud though. Now then, here you are!”

Opening the box, the stallion stood back as the gryphoness withdrew the first of four items, a bright blade shining in the crystal light.

“You might have outdone yourself this time, Slag,” Gelliana murmured as she examined the thin dagger in her claws. While a simple wooden handle adorned the blade, strips of metal ran through the polished material, wrapping around and ensuring the full-tang dagger was as solid as a rock.

“And the balance; how is it for throwing?” she asked, a rather-giddy smith hopping up and down with a jovial bounce offset by his gruff appearance.

“Try it out!”

Pulling out a well-used wooden bulls-eye, Slag stepped to the side and let Gelliana balance the weapon in her talons. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the dagger slamming into the target’s center, the gryphoness nodding in approval.

“That’s razor sharp…the metal holds an edge?” she asked, looking at the matching weapons still in their packaging.

“Extremely well. The ore ordered from your father’s mines are almost a natural alloy; extremely curious but fun to work with! It won’t be dulling for some time,” Slag replied.

A heavy canvas pouch thudded onto the counter as a few bits spilled out from it, Gelliana grinning widely.

“I’ll take all of them.”

“Onyx!” Princess Luna called, looking around the large watchtower as the moon shone in the sky. With the crisis abated the Shadow and Windigo were allowed to return to their duties under heavy supervision.

But over the few days since the explosion, neither had shown even an inkling of ill intent. If anything, Icait appeared rather unsettled, occasionally asking if there was a way for her to help.

How very odd.

“Highness,” the shadow-pony stated as Luna rounded a corner, a stack of books balanced next to the stallion as he lay on the cool stone, a part of the city spread out underneath the tower as crystal lights flickered nearby, giving a bit of illumination to the book resting on his forelimbs.

“I have a question,” she stated flatly, the stallion putting aside his current reading and giving the Princess his full attention.

“I will try to provide an answer.”

“Are you aware of any influence in my dream realm?”

Onyx’s brow furrowed, the Shadow’s eyes flickering across the stone in thought.

“I do not understand the question,” he stated slowly, knowing full well that he treads on very uncertain ground, his past meddling coming to the forefront of Onyx’s mind. “I have not accessed your realm since warning of your Sister’s nightmare.”

“I am not questioning your intentions, I am asking if you could sense anything, if you were to access it.”

Luna got a completely blank stare from Onyx, her words clearly dumbfounding the pony as his jaw hung slightly open.

“I…” he began, then shrugged his shoulders. “I do not know. I interact with the dream realm different than you. For example, I do not need to leave my physical form to do so. You have a more intimate connection with it. But if allowed, I suppose I could sense things that are abnormal, other forces other than your own magic, yes.”

The Shadow’s eyes narrowed, now looking at Luna intently. “There are other things at work here, are there not? The strange individual stalking myself and Icait. The legionnaires found nothing, but I could sense something odd about it. And now somecreature is meddling in your realm?”

Luna’s silence was enough for Onyx to crack a grin, somehow seeing the Princess at a less-than-all-knowing state pleasing the Shadow.

“Or it’s worse than that. The sleeper cells; I’m right, aren’t I? If you want my help, I will gladly assist you. Just say the word.”

“Just like that?” Luna asked curiously, having stayed silent for a time. To her clear pleasure, Onyx let out a rather dissatisfied grunt, standing and looking away from her as his shoulders slumped.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I can think of a few reasons. Just as there is more to my words, there is more to yours, is there not?”

The stallion seemed to shrink slightly at that, clearly regretting his verbal sparring from before.

“Perhaps.”

“It’s the Windigo, isn’t it?”

“Her name is-” Onyx hissed as he whipped around, eyes then narrowing as he saw Luna smirking. “Well played.”

“You started the match, I finished it. Am I correct, however?”

Nodding once, Onyx refused to meet Luna’s gaze at that.

“I know not what these sleeper cells intend to do. But I doubt they would overlook a traitor living free and happy.” Shadows seemed to grow darker, the stone under Onyx’s hooves groaning.

“I will not allow their interference.”

The light then returned to normal, Luna still letting a casual, ever-so-slight smile on her face.

“Starlight was correct, fond indeed. I shall not say anything more of the matter, however.”

A barely imperceptible but thankful nod was Onyx’s reply, Luna activating her horn with a flick.

“Then let us begin. I will allow you access to the dream realm for a time. I need you to monitor if there is any outside interference. The type of magic you use is most difficult to pick up; could you detect the traces of it aside from active use?”

The stallion nodded, taking a few deep breaths as his horn sparked.

“I can. If you wish to allow me access for a brief moment now, I will do what I can.”

While Luna shifted to her dream realm, the Princess was surprised to see Onyx’s posture not really change at all, seamlessly simply ‘appearing’ at her side.

His form, however, was very different. Tendrils of shadow flickered out from him, reminding the Alicorn of a certain individual in Nacreous’s company. Yet where darkness had previously dominated his astral form, a flicker of white light seemed to peek through his barrel, like a candle in a dark tavern.

“I cannot sense any active use,” Onyx rumbled, Luna watching as his magic increased in power. She was quite pleased to note that he actively avoided the various dream bubbles, only pricking them a single time with a shadowy tendril.

“But…hmm…” he muttered.

I know this.

Onyx wracked his mind, knowing what he sensed was so intimately familiar, yet not being able to place it.

His vision of the dream realm suddenly fractured, Luna’s voice calling out his name seeming to come from a thousand miles away. Two white eyes wreathed in flames of shadow dominated Onxy’s vision as the stallion threw up a protective shield.

But no strikes were thrown, a fanged, pitch-black mouth opening wide as the eyes narrowed. It was only then that Onyx knew what magic this was as it sought to find him in the physical world. Yet it was mixed with another type of power he knew all too well.

“TRAITOR!”

As dagger-like appendages sprouted from the disconnected face, two forelimbs wrapped themselves around Onyx and yanked him free, both in a physical and metaphysical sense. His vision cleared, and the stallion found himself leaning against a familiar stone tower, sides heaving.

“Onyx, what was that?” Luna asked, the other pony taking comfort in the fact that the Alicorn had activated dozens of shields surrounding them. “You simply collapsed, and I sensed a flare of…something. I know not what type of magic it is.”

Onyx felt a very alien emotion surging in his chest, fear making his heart, if he had one, beat all the faster.

“There is something in your dream realm, something that knows I have changed,” Onyx whispered, struggling to gain control of his voice and loathing how vulnerable he appeared. “It does not dwell there permanently, but it is able to access the realm, lurking, waiting. And I know what magic this is.”

Luna waited, clearly unnerved at seeing the usually gruff, obnoxious and otherwise stalwart creature so shaken.

“That magic is from my realm,” Onyx whispered. “Those fools, what have they done?”

“Who?” Luna asked pointedly, the stallion shaking his head.

“I don’t know. I am the first of my kind to live without a host, but this is all wrong. Something from limbo is here, mixed with Windigo magic. Feeding on hate, giving it strength, but there’s more, I just don’t understand it. It’s all wrong.”

Luna seemed to zone out briefly, no doubt communicating her findings with Celestia.

“Your magic? Creatures from Limbo?” she confirmed, watching the stallion nod. “And Windigo magic? Somehow they are fused together?”

Onyx bowed his head, slowly standing up and shivering.

“That is correct,” he rumbled. “I do not know how, or even how such an unholy combination was achieved, but something is here. Something dark, something hungry. The magic shouldn’t work together, it just shouldn’t. The results would be too chaotic to even attempt to harness.”

At his last words, Luna’s eyes narrowed, the alicorn letting out a growl.

“I must go, Onyx. Will you be alright here? I shall place additional wards in your home if you wish.”

“I would appreciate that,” the shadow-pony admitted. “I am exhausted.”

“I will take you home. Thank you for your help, Onyx. I may need your assistance at a later date.”

The stallion simply nodded, Luna transporting him back to the shielded apartment before re-appearing next to her exhausted sister in a small conference room.

“Lulu,” Celestia whispered, reaching over to give her sister a hug. “Things just got a lot more interesting; I think.”

“I agree, sister,” Luna replied with a sigh, the pair separating. “Onyx is an ally; of that I believe to be true. His last words however….”

“Chaotic,” Celestia growled, but her brief flare of anger then vanished, becoming that of concern. “Luna, I did manage to see Discord briefly just before you got here. It was for but a few seconds, and no words were said. I don’t know where he has gone, but….”

“But?”

There were very few times Luna had seen her sister thoroughly unsettled, and that didn’t help the Lunar Princess’s nerves in the slightest.

“Luna, he looked scared.”

Author's Note

Hmmmmmm. :trixieshiftright: Quite a few developments....and it looks like Toxic doesn't have such a stone-cold heart after all.

Chapter Six: Sunbeam

Toxic Shield couldn’t tear his gaze away.

His body was wracked with shakes as the stallion slid against the wall of the hospital room, sheer panic and horror making his hooves limp. The occupant of the bed was turned away from him, Toxic never seeing her face.

It didn’t matter though. It was her. He who she was, knew every time this nightmare returned. No mental trigger ever worked, no trick to make it stop…

“Why did you do this to me, Toxic?” the creature asked in pain. “I trusted you, and look where that got me.”

No words could be said from the pony’s mouth, Toxic’s tongue feeling bloated and useless as tears began to trickle from his wide green eyes.

“I loved you more than anything and you killed me. How could you? Why did you do it?”

As the creature in the bed turned over, the eyeless corpse of the mare from the lab stared at him, and Toxic couldn’t even scream.

“ENOUGH!”

The scene was burned away by a harsh white light, Luna glaring at the retreating nightmare. She seemed to be focused on some of the shadows that lingered, subjecting them to another magical blast before the dreamscape turned to a peaceful meadow. All that remained was Specialist Shield, the once-stoic stallion curled into a ball with his eyes tightly closed.

Luna had no words that could ease his pain, instead sitting next to the stallion and letting him cry on her shoulder. Of all the creatures to understand the torment and fears nightmares encompassed, no better was the Princess of the Night.

Yet her continual failure to protect the pony who continued to aid Equestria made Luna’s heart sink within her chest. With the knowledge of the past few days still weighing on her mind, it made this stallion’s challenges all the more painful. There was no evil creature creating these nightmares, not this time at least. However, unlike the year’s past, Luna now saw a glimmer of hope. If not a solution at least it was another creature who could understand these fears and burdens.

And such a personal understanding was worth than a room of gold.

Emperor Nacreous Thunderwing sat on the empty Canterlot Castle battlements, the area cleared for a time. Celestia hadn’t told him much but not much had needed to be said. His answer had been immediate, heart aching in empathy as Luna also relayed a similar, simple request. Apparently, the past week had been weighing heavily on the mind of a certain stallion.

One who clearly had no idea how vital his duties were to Equestria, a certain project coming to mind. Even now the Emperor had deployed some of his closest guards to shield the pony in question from what little Windigo magic they knew remained.

Toxic Shield. You have been one of the vanguards of Equestria against a hazard so few know about and yet suffer from pain even Luna cannot aid you in. And now you are targeted by an evil we know nothing about?

Perhaps I can give you another shoulder to lean on. I know not of the specific nightmares of which you suffer, but I am no stranger to such fearful apparitions.

Seeing the stallion in question trot up to the empty battlements Nacreous waved him over. It didn’t take his eagle eyes to see exhaustion leaking from every pore of the pony, Toxic Shield sitting down next to him.

“Thank you for coming Specialist Shield,” Nacreous began, letting an easy-going smile slide onto his beak. “I wanted to meet with you regarding an issue Luna told Celestia, and then passed on to me.”

He saw the pony’s shoulders slump, the stallion nodding.

“Ah, I suppose I did give them permission to do so,” he muttered, amulet relaying the tiredness in his voice. “How specific were they if I may ask?”

“Not at all,” Nacreous immediately countered. “Luna holds the privacy of dreams and nightmares above all else. She only said that you were having nightmares disturbing enough to affect your daily life and that she was powerless to help. That is all I know. She and Celestia, thought I could help. If anything, I’d like to offer some words of encouragement if nothing else.”

Toxic nodded slowly, taking a deep breath.

“I appreciate the gesture, Highness-”

“Just Nacreous, Specialist Shield.”

The pony’s stern line of a nonexistent smile lightened ever so slightly at that.

“Well, just Toxic for me then.”

“Fair enough.”

“While I appreciate the gesture, I’m not sure how you can help with this. I know you’re a doctor beyond compare, and…” he paused, and Nacreous’s eyes widened ever so slightly. Even with the amulet’s spell, the stallion’s voice abruptly choked. “I wanted to thank you, before all else. Your Kingdom’s healing technology is giving my baby brother hope that had otherwise left his life. For that I cannot thank you enough.”

Making a mental note to pursue that lead further, Nacreous nodded once.

“You are most welcome. I’m just glad that I’m able to utilize the fortunes I’ve developed in life for good.”

Those words seemed to make Toxic sit up a bit straighter, a few more details about the stallion creeping to mind.

Hmm. I didn’t consider your subtle but rather widespread efforts in that respect.

“But Toxic, while I may not be able to cure you of such nightmares, I may be able to provide at least an empathetic ear,” Nacreous explained, the hippogriff’s voice lowering in volume. “I suffered from them for a very, very long time. Celestia continues to have them as well.”

The pony’s head snapped up, green eyes wide in surprise.

“She gave me permission to tell you as such. Nightmares are no alien thing to Celestia or myself. We’ve had a bit longer to develop our personal demons. If I knew the specifics, maybe I could make some recommendations, but it is not my business to ask if you have any hesitations about that. However, Luna did say that she suspects you are being targeted by another force in her dream realm to try and incapacitate you. Any assistance I can offer in that respect I’m more than willing to provide.”

The Specialist remained quiet for a time, finally letting out a slight huff.

“It’s odd. I dream of losing that which I haven’t come close to obtaining.”

Nacreous stayed silent, offering a sincere listening ear.

“I don’t know how much you are aware of my ability, Highn-erm, Nacreous. But I am essentially immune to all known poisons, toxins, irritants, chemicals; all of that. I can breathe in mustard gas without flinching, use pepper-spray as a mouthwash, or take a swim in pure sulfuric acid,” Toxic explained. “Even low doses of nerve agents have no effect on me, same with extreme biotoxins. But while I’m immune to such things, everyone else isn’t. So, if I come out of situation and don’t remove every trace of what I came in contact with…”

“You could hurt somecreature, a very special somecreature,” Nacreous finished quietly as Toxic’s voice trailed off. “Are you married, or have a special-somepony?”

“Neither.”

“Regardless, may I assume your nightmares combine those two aspects of your life?”

Silence was the pony’s answer at least for a time. When he did speak, the single whispered word carried the full burden of fear and genuine pain that his station demanded.

“Yes.”

Nacreous didn’t respond immediately, the Emperor finding himself in the extremely rare position of not being able to relate in a close sense. A thousand years offered him a great deal of experience to draw on for empathy. Yet in this case, the Doctor was truly stumped.

How can I imagine that? The fear that if I was to make a mistake a kiss could kill the one I love?

That is a fear that could break a soul.

“You know, living for a thousand years doesn’t get rid of such fears either,” Nacreous said softly, “In fact, I’d say it makes it worse. May I be so bold as to say you could use some encouragement right about now?”

Nacreous saw that had the stallion’s full attention as the pony nodded slightly, eyes flicking to his hooves briefly at the admittance.

“I can’t lie to you, Nacreous, you’d see right through it,” Toxic whispered. “But I’m starting to fracture, I think. I don’t know how long I can keep this up. There have been times like this before, but this is different. Years of having weekly nightmares at best, knowing that if I stop to rest for too long creatures will die. There is no creature else who can survive the things I can. But if I continue, it might break me. But I couldn’t live with myself if I stopped. I have plans to try and shift that responsibility even a portion, but when it comes down to it, it’s just me.”

The King shook his own head, surprised at the stallion’s honest words. To have a creature know their limits and admit to such honestly was an increasingly rare thing indeed. He twirled his claws, a golden staff spinning into existence.

“For one thousand years, Toxic Shield, I have helped creatures. Gryphons, Ponies, Kirins…and I have watched them die. I can sympathize in the burden you bear. Creatures like us, like Celestia, Luna, Shifting, we can’t stop, it’s not in our nature to ignore the pain,” he said quietly, looking over the staff. “To fear the death of the one you love most even in a dream is not an odd thing in the slightest, but I admit I cannot fathom the weight your calling bears, even if I can understand it logically. That said, in concern to your fears, I can relate very closely. I worried about the same fate for Celestia in a similar manner. The fear of potentially losing someone I love after waiting a millennium to find them? I know that all too well.”

The hippogriff saw the pony’s eyes widen ever so slightly at his blunt words, the Doctor continuing.

“Even before I knew it was her, I had the same nightmare for what must have been decades. My love trapped inside a burning building and who I could never save. No matter where I ran, what medicine I used, no matter how hard I tried, she always died. It was the nightmare of any doctor, any creature with a soul,” Nacreous remarked quietly. A smile then tugged at his face, the mood lightening. “How appropriate that my fiancé can’t be burned by any fire known to this world.”

The hippogriff fished out three crystals from the large satchels adorning his side, the simple clear teardrops holding a spinning snowflake pattern of pink magic within their depths.

“I do not have any immediate remedies for you, Toxic,” Nacreous admitted. “At least outside the usual recommendations of mediation and herbal teas. But these are made by Luna, and they will help in time.”

“In time?” Toxic asked, accepting the items curiously.

“Celestia had some nightmares, ones darker and more potent than my own,” Nacreous explained. “The same spell within those crystals allowed me to enter her dreams and destroy the root of the nightmare.” The Emperor reached over and gave the stallion a reassuring nudge on the shoulder with his wing.

“Whenever you find a creature you can trust, be it a special somecreature or otherwise, that spell may indeed help. It’s the best solution I can offer.”

Toxic accepted the crystals, brow then furrowing in thought.

“I do have a question. How do you do it, how did you do it, Nacreous?”

“Hmm?”

The pony gestured to the staff, the unicorn’s shoulders tensing ever so slightly.

“You ruled your kingdom once before now, a thousand years ago. How did you shoulder that burden? How did you carry the weight of a doctor for a millennium? I save lives, but in a different-”

“No,” the King interrupted, waving a set of claws. “Saving life carries a unique burden across professions or situations. While different in aspects, it is the same.” he paused, Nacreous’s brow furrowing.

“Toxic, you speak of two different things. Shouldering the burden of rule for a hundred years nearly broke me,” he admitted. “I made a promise to myself after that, refusing to take up the crown again until I could have someone at my side to lean on, to help me face the challenges in life a casual friend could not.”

“So, with Celestia…”

A smile couldn’t be kept from Nacreous’s face at that, the King continuing.

“Yes. The burden I share, that she also shares, it is not so daunting knowing that there is a shoulder to lean on in times of need. If you are to ever rule, to command, to direct, lean on your friends and your loved ones. That is how I was able to shoulder that specific burden.”

The Doctor didn’t elaborate further, the sharp-eyed hippogriff picking up a flicker of pain in the stallion’s eyes.

You hurt, Toxic Shield.

Perhaps I can help you harness it. Let me show you the power you have, and I do not mean magic or physical strength.

“However, Toxic, that is the burden of rule, that which you not have. While applicable to your situation, my answer to the burden of saving life is different, to see your success and failure time after time,” he explained. “You likely know that I am a Paladin but I doubt you know that is only part of my title. I would ask you not to speak of what I’m to tell you to anyone. Only a few outside my kingdom know the full extent and details.”

The Emperor stood up with a heave, golden armor spinning into existence around his frame. Three symbols glowed brightly on the metal breastplate, the pony in front of Nacreous looking on in awe.

A sun, a moon, and a heart.

“A single word is what helped me live through a thousand years of saving life, and of watching as my efforts sometimes failed,” the Paladin explained, a warmth blossoming in his chest as he spoke.

“Before I tell you, Toxic, why do you save lives? Why do you go on, day after day? You are a mortal given a task that would strain the heart of myself or Celestia. Why do you do it?”

Standing up and looking at the armored hippogriff proudly, the uneasy demeanor slid off Toxic like water, green eyes shining bright with determination.

“Because nocreature else can,” he stated, meeting Nacreous’s gaze, a slight smile now flickering at the tired stallion’s features. “Because if I do not help, creatures die. I didn’t survive Oakbark to ignore this gift, this talent. I couldn’t live with myself if I sat idly by while others died knowing I could have saved them.”

“Ah, there it is!” Nacreous exclaimed, gesturing to the pony.

“That is how I felt when I came to terms with my long life, how I tried to process the idea of living without time! What began as a curse I now saw could be a gift, and regardless of the circumstances, I could use it to help others. That is what pushed me to seek out those who trained me to be a Paladin.”

Could that be a path for you, Toxic?

Seeing the stallion at his side watching with rapt attention and a growing fire behind his eyes made Nacreous all the more confident that may indeed be such a possibility.

“I took test after test, and while I have some lesser titles, eight times the leylines and mentors said I was to be the Paladin of a single trait,” the King crouched down, putting himself almost eye level with the pony. “It was agonizing. I was to embody, protect, and be that which I could never have, at least that was my thinking. I thought I’d never be able to understand my title until I met my dear Celestia, and yet I was so wrong in that train of thought.”

“Love, Toxic. That is what I am a Paladin of. For one thousand years, I embodied and spread that which I could not have due to my curse. That could have destroyed me, but here is the advice I give to you. I will not ask the yearnings of your soul, but know this. Whatever pain you have, the suffering you endure with your calling, it can be lessened through others. For me, it was the love I had for life, for saving it, for protecting it. And eventually, in a much more intimate sense with Celestia.

Help them, Toxic. As you are doing, lose yourself in relieving others pain. While there must be a balance in your mind, make that a focus. Do not expend yourself more than you are able, but aid those who cannot help themselves.”

Nacreous sat down, his armor vanishing on the wind as he sighed.

“Despite the lives lost, the failures, the trials, the pain; being able to help others, lifting their burdens makes your own seem lighter somehow. It doesn’t fix everything, but it makes you a better creature, the world a better place. That is how I endured, Toxic, and is the best advice I can give you. It helps fill the holes in your heart, whatever the cause.” he paused, then letting out a slight huff.

“In your case, what may be as simple as throwing a few switches can spare hundreds of lives. I only wish at times it had been that easy for me. In my travels I met another doctor, one who healed more than the body, and he put it rather simply. ‘Sometimes the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else.’ And that is how I continued on for a thousand years. I hope this advice is of some use, and apologize if it was rather long-winded.”

Toxic stood up a bit straighter, nodding in thanks. While an exhausted pony still stood next to him, the stallion seemed proud, the beaten-down posture long since vanished.

“Not long winded at all. I’d be a fool to not accept advice from somecreature more experienced than myself in so many things. I honestly had not thought of it that way, Nacreous. Thank you. I think that will help; I just need a bit of time to think on it.”

The Paladin bowed his head in reply, sending the staff in his claws spinning away into golden dust.

“You are most welcome. If you need any additional suggestions or even a listening ear, just let me know,” the hippogriff paused, meeting the gaze of Toxic for a moment. “All of us; myself, Celestia, Luna, and Commander Sands know what it is like to see life snuffed out in an instant, to fear that same fate for those we love. Do not think you are alone battling such nightmares. Don’t ever think you’re alone. Both Celestia and I are guilty of that same mistake, and it is still a challenge for us to realize how wrong that thought is. So please, take that advice from your very, very elder…well, elders.”

The stern but amused reassurance of Nacreous’s last sentence made a ghost of a smile once again flicker on Toxic’s features, the stallion not having words for a few moments.

“Thank you.”

“Any time. Do you need a teleportation rune?” he asked, the stallion shaking his head.

“I should be alright. Always good to practice long-distance spells once in a while.”

“Take care, Toxic.”

“Likewise, Nacreous.”

As the stallion vanished with a magical flash, Nacreous couldn’t help but chuckle. While many would have thought their exchange had been a bit cold and unfeeling, the hippogriff knew otherwise. The turmoil of emotions behind those green eyes, the subtle shifting of the stallion’s posture and sharp intakes of breath at times, the determination and pride in his duties…

And a deep pain that Nacreous had seen far too many times in a mirror. There was indeed a sensitive pony underneath the monotone of that amulet, even after all he had seen.

And that, Toxic Shield, is something that you must protect. I know that all too well.

If you were a Paladin, what would it be of, I wonder? Has it come time for my titles to be passed to another?

Perhaps that is a path I can offer you.

The fire, the raw will behind Toxic’s eyes even now made the Emperor smile, a different thought springing to mind.

No. Perhaps not a Paladin. Perhaps another ancient station, the first in this age.

A starry sky.

A gentle breeze through the trees surrounding a simple grassy meadow.

She never saw him, a simple mercy, in many ways. Never even his figure, nor his face, in the rare times she had this dream, or variations of it.

The sound of somecreature walking through the meadow, two forelimbs then wrapping around her feathery torso in a tight hug. A soft voice always made a lump rise in the gryphoness’s throat and spill from her eyes, the figure hugging her close and nuzzled her headfeathers.

Whoever he was.

A steady heartbeat thundering in her ears, like the steady cadence of a waterfall hitting rocks. Soft fur that tickled her cheek as she pressed against his chest. Inside, a heart beat steadily only for-

Waking up with a pillow clutched under an arm, Gelliana closed her eyes, damp as they were. A few more minutes of that feeling was all she wanted. She never could remember the words he said, but for a few moments after waking, Gelliana always remembered how the brief dream made her feel.

Four letters described the emotion perfectly.

Icait shifted nervously on her spectral hooves, running through the inventory of the shop a fifth time. The week…or had it been longer? Nine days?

Maybe?

They blurred together, the Windigo quickly soaking up everything Gelliana was willing to teach. Surprising enough, it was fun! Of course, Icait wasn’t sure why, it just was! New plants, new ways to help them grow, new uses for the plants, ways to create helpful potions, so much to learn!

It’s. So. AWESOME!

The Windigo let out a soft squeal of excitement as she hopped up in down, lost in thought. Despite the few customers that had been rather negative towards her, the majority seemed more curious than anything. Such a positive wave of creatures had been most unexpected.

And then there was Onyx.

Such an odd grump. He’s always reading in those books, but is fine hearing how my day went. I come home, and he always asks-

Wait. He asks how my day is.
When did that become normal?
Four days?
Why does he do that?

Why would-

The chime of the shop rang, Icait taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Gelliana was in the greenhouse, so it was up to her to handle new customers at least for a few minutes.

An interesting blue unicorn was looking around the shop, an amulet firmly clasped around his neck and an empty package held in a magical grip.

Biohazard. Dangerous chemicals. Right. The symbol on some of the containers Gelliana has in the greenhouse!
But a cutie mark with that symbol? Neat!

Deep breaths.

“Hello! Can I help you find anything?” Icait asked, trying her absolute hardest to not let her nerves show.

The unicorn looked up, head tilting slightly as he observed the Windigo curiously. There was no flash of anger on his features, no annoyance, only a guarded interest, eyes flickering to the two Legionnaires not-so-subtly standing at the rear of the shop.

“Perhaps,” he said, or rather, voiced. The odd amulet around his neck did the talking, quite unique indeed.

He doesn’t hate me? Not even a remote pang of dislike?

“My name is Toxic Shield, by the way. I heard a few rumors a unique individual was working here, have to say I’m a bit surprised.”

Icait swallowed nervously, nodding once.

“Yup! My name’s Icait, I work mostly here and otherwise help re-organize one of the small libraries in town. I’m a Windigo, or was. Uh, sort of? I am but aren’t at the same time? I’m working on that; life’s a bit weird.”

Her ears perked up as the stallion chuckled, the pony trotting around to look at the various items on the shelves.

“That is a very good way to describe life indeed. ‘Weird.’ I’m actually here looking for a mare named Gelliana. I owe her some thanks.”

Icait blinked, gesturing towards the back room.

“Uh, she’s not-”

“Hey Icait! I- oh, hello!” the afore-mentioned ‘mare’ replied, the gryphoness walking in with a bag slung over her back.

“Didn’t I say to ring that bell at the back to let me know if someone was here?” Gelliana asked with a good-natured grin, the Windigo rubbing a forelimb in embarrassment as the gryphoness slung the bag onto the ground.

“Sorry, I forgot. Nervous and all that.”

“It’s fine. But what can I do for you? I’m the owner of the shop, Gelliana. I think we’ve already met, sort of.”

Both mare and gryphoness watched as Toxic’s left eye twitched, the stallion then smacking a hoof to his face with a groan.

“Now I see why Luna was so amused; whoops,” he grumbled, trotting forwards and levitating an empty package to the counter.

“I’ve been referring to you as a mare this entire time. Sorry about that, I thought your voice was different,” he remarked, Gelliana smiling slightly.

“Sorry to disappoint, but definitely a gryphon!” the gryphoness admitted, the stallion letting out a very soft laugh.

She paused, her keen purple eyes tracing over the stallion’s features. There was a certain ‘look’ Gelliana watched for when meeting individuals. Thus far, it hadn’t let her down in terms of a judgement of character in the long term. On seeing a gryphoness looking up at them, a good chunk of ponies she had met seemed almost condescending, gleefully happy that they could finally physically look down on gryphon and treating her as such. A smirk, a barely-contained laugh…

Yet nothing changed. If anything, Toxic perked up slightly, a confident, kind interest shining in his green gaze that made Gelliana’s over-active feathers fluff a bit.

“Disappoint? Never said I was,” he replied, “I wanted to thank you for your help in that control room. That was-it was bad, so, thanks.” Toxic then let out a frustrated huff. “That sounds rather lame, but I’ve never-yeah.”

“I’m just glad I could help,” Gelliana replied, finding her usual anxieties about meeting new creatures was banished to the backburner of her mind.

Perhaps because he isn’t ‘new’?

“I think we both know that ‘bad’ is about as descriptive as we should go.”

The gryphoness watched as the stallion nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. He seemed grateful?

And his heartbeat is only a bit higher, and definitely not scared of me or even the situation we’re talking about.
That’s really weird.

“I agree,” Toxic finally said, then seeming to snap out of his stupor and shift the empty package closer. “Also, thank you for the prescribed teas,” he added smoothly, eyes flickering ever so briefly to the Legionnaires and Icait. “They helped, but I was wondering if you have any stronger herbal teas.”

Ooooh. I get it. I don’t blame him.

“I think so. Icait, can you check the plants in the back-left corner of the greenhouse?” Gelliana asked briefly. “If they’re in full leaf, we can use those.”

“Yup!”

As the Legionnaires and Icait vanished, Toxic’s eyes widened in surprise, and then understanding. The stallion’s demeanor shifted again, becoming almost vulnerable. One of the many things you could notice as a gryphon.

Or by just paying attention a bit more than usual.

“Thank you, Gelliana,” Toxic said softly, green eyes meeting her own gaze for a brief moment. “Really. I was in serious trouble in that lab.”

“I’m j-just glad I was able to help,” Gelliana managed to say, her nervous stutter breaking through. A brief recollection then came to mind, something that definitely made her cheeks puff out a bit. “Least I could do, especially since I apparently have a nice voice?”

The gryphoness didn’t realize the complete satisfaction of making a stallion blush from her words until that point, but oh did she enjoy it. Of course, his thankful green eyes that flickered up from his hooves to look at her certainly repaid the gesture.

“Back!” Icait crowed, levitating a bag of dried herbs in a light-blue grip above her head.

“The leaves weren’t full, and I found a spare bag to refill the commonly-used stuff up…here….what?” she asked, Gelliana staring.

“I didn’t know you could levitate stuff,” the gryphoness stated, the mare then blinking in surprise.

“Huh. I just did it,” she murmured. “That’s neat.”

“Legionnaires? I assume you guys have that in your report?” the gryphoness asked, one of the earth-pony stallions nodding once. “Well, congratulations, I think?”

Icait shrugged, going on to refill the afore-mentioned container as Toxic trotted over to look at the two elite guards casually, a sly grin forming on his features.

“Hmmmmmmmmmm,” he mused.

Acting as though he was about to turn away, the stallion then whipped around-

“HELMET!”

To Gelliana’s surprise, one of the guards’ forelimbs shifted upwards a short distance- and then stopped as the pony scrunched up his muzzle, brown eyes glaring at the other stallion.

“Ah hah! I knew it was you. How are you, Hammer?” Toxic asked as the Legionnaire sighed in frustration.

“That was mean, Toxic. You know I’m on duty.”

“They talk?” Icait whispered to Gelliana in surprise. “I mean, I know they’re ponies, but like, super-duper-scary-trained ones.”

“They’re not really supposed to be relaxed when on duty, more-so than royal guards. That’s all I know,” the gryphoness replied quietly.

“Yes, but I couldn’t resist, and I’ve had a doozy of a week,” Toxic replied, bumping hooves with the Legionnaire. “I know you aren’t supposed to socialize, so I’ll stop bothering you. Just wanted to say hello.”

“Well, hello, Toxic,” Hammer Strike replied with a chuckle. “I’m off duty in a few days, so perhaps we can chow down on some hayburgers then?”

“Sounds good; I’ll leave you to it,” Toxic replied, then levitating the empty package up again with a shake. “Could, uh, I get some-”

“OH! Right! Uh, I think the best herbs would be the fresh ones. I don’t think you know the right combinations yet, Icait. So, let me know if someone else comes in, ok?” Gelliana instructed, the Windigo saluting with a smile.

“Will do!”

Toxic followed the gryphoness to the greenhouse, Gelliana looking around at her plants.

“You seemed a bit more at ease without the guards and Icait. So…”

The stallion winced, shoulders slumping. It was only now that the gryphoness noticed how exhausted the pony was, dark circles visible under his eyes. The stallion’s movements were visibly dragging, Gelly not understanding how she hadn’t noticed before.

“I’d rather not explain various things to them,” he replied softly, shaking his head. “Less questions, the better. You saw what I saw, more or less. They didn’t.”

“I get it,” Gelliana replied sitting down next to a few plants. “These are what you want. I can pick them now, or have them ready for pickup, or…” her voice trailed off, the stallion looking at her curiously.

“May I ask you something?” he voiced softly.

“Of course.”

“Why weren’t you frozen like the others? What I saw, what you saw, it froze even Legionnaires. I assume Celestia or Luna asked you to speak with me since nopony else could.”

Gelliana was quiet for a moment, finally letting out a long breath.

“If you ever visit Griffinstone in the winter, or any gryphon settlement, you see death,” she finally replied. “Sometimes it’s hidden or overlooked, but it’s there. So, there’s that. And the whole ‘being a gryphon’ thing. I actually don’t eat fish or rabbits but I’ve caught and skinned my fair share. I just can separate it, a sentient creature into just, well, not.”

A nice way of saying I can look at bodies the same way I see a gutted animal, but it works.

“That makes sense,” Toxic replied, shaking his head as though cobwebs were brushing across his face before looking up. “Well, I’m glad you were there.”

Gelliana felt her face heat up, two surprisingly gentle green eyes meeting her own as she stammered a reply.

“J-just glad I was able to help.”

The fact a slightly amused smile flickered across the exhausted pony’s features did not help the odd fluttering in the gryphoness’s chest.

“So, um, herbal tea stuff?” Toxic suggested, gesturing towards the plants.

“OH! Right. Uh, let me see,” Gelliana replied and giving herself a mental smack over the head. “For falling asleep and staying asleep, right?”

“Temporarily, yes. I imagine a different plant would be for a more permanent measure.”

Gelliana stared, the stallion shrugging awkwardly.

“Bad joke?”

*Snrk*

The gryphoness barely stifled a giggle, waving a set of claws.

“Bad, but also good, and correct,” she finally said, picking out a wide selection of leaves. “Temporary sleep it is. Let me see here…”

A few minutes later, and Toxic had a large bag stuffed full of various herbs and leaves grasped in the gentle white light of his magic.

“So, steep them for a while longer than before and it should maximize the effects,” Gelliana instructed. “That should last you for a week or two at the very least, and that’s using generous portions.”

“Huh, interesting,” the pony mused, then looking around at the greenhouse. “I really don’t know much about herbal teas and the like, so this is all new to me. Are most things in here herbs then? Or have a use?”

Gelly nodded, sitting down and gesturing at a certain selection of bush-like plants off to their left. “Yup! Everything in here is either edible or used to make some sort of herbal tonic, salve, or potions if I can find the specific arcane crystals that have been enchanted correctly,” she gushed, wings flaring as she pointed to what looked like some small trees. “Like these are super hard to get to grow, but the berries make some of the best antibiotic salves I’ve ever come across!”

The gryphoness’s mouth finally caught up to her brain, an embarrassed blush burning her cheeks as she turned her violet eyes away, almost nervous to look in Toxic’s direction.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, a familiar dreary weight lurking at the back of her mind. “I just, really like what I do.”

“Then why be sorry about it?” Toxic asked softly, even the artificial voice conveying a sense of sincerity. On looking up, the only thing Gelliana saw was him waiting patiently, the stallion’s ears perked up and watching her. “It’s nice seeing creatures passionate about things,” he paused, smiling awkwardly with a shrug. “Even if I don’t really know much about it.”

The gryphoness felt her heart skip a beat, thrown off by the answer.

“I u-um…”

Clearly seeing her flustered state, Toxic briefly looked around the shop, then waved a hoof her directly and took the initiative in the conversation.

“I am curious though, if I may ask, how does a gryphoness end up running an herbalist shop? I haven’t seen really any of this sort of thing in Griffinstone or surrounding areas when I’ve visited. It’s odd since I think they’d probably make the most use of it,” he mused.

“That’s true, b-but gryphons really just don’t care about herbal teas and the like,” Gelliana explained with a slight hitch, but quickly finding her voice again. “They’re more…blunt. Get a cut? Just keep it clean and it’ll heal on its own. Can’t sleep? Suck it up and deal with being tired. It’s rather obnoxious. But that said, I actually grew up in Equestria. Parents are two earth pony stone and metal smiths south of Luna Bay,” she added.

“Oh, that must have been interesting!” Toxic replied, letting out a soft chuckle. “If I recall, there’s just a few small mining towns there, clustered around the marble veins and then some metal deposits, right?”

“Yup! My parents own a few of the mines actually. It was kind of nice growing up away from a big city, never really liked it, at least not without being able to get away,” Gelliana agreed, finding herself more and more at ease as they talked.

I like this. It’s been a while since I’ve just talked to somecreature new without being a stuttering mess.

“I agree with you there. Obviously, I can’t really escape big cities due to work, but I try to get out and camp whenever I can. Clears the head and all that. Too much loud noise is a bit overwhelming.”

The herbalist nodded in agreement, gesturing upwards to the glass roof.

“Toooootally agree. I love looking at the stars. Not really too great an option here, but when I go hunting for wild cuttings or seeds it’s just freeing,” she sighed. “I need to do that again, actually…”

A soft chime echoed through the greenhouse, Toxic frowning as he levitated a crystal communicator out from a small attachment on his amulet.

“Hello? Ah, alright. Yeah, I’ll take a look, thank you, Varti,” he relayed, stowing the device and shrugging. “Guess I need to head out. I forgot I was supposed to call him later.”

“Oh! We’ve, uh, yeah. I probably need to check on Icait,” Gelliana admitted as they began to walk towards the shop.

The stallion then paused, letting out a slight huff as he turned to look at the curious gryphoness. “Hey, Gelliana?” he asked, the herbalist’s ears perking up.

His heartbeat is speeding up.

“Hmmm? Just Gelly is fine, Toxic.”

“Would…” Toxic paused, the pony hesitating as he seemed to be in thought. “I hope this is appropriate, but would you be interested in getting lunch sometime? Maybe day after tomorrow?” he asked, clearly a bit nervous as a hoof scratched at the floor slightly. His posture changed, a confidence still present, but not overpowering. Instead, the stallion seemed just gently sincere. “If I may be blunt, I think you’re quite an interesting gryphoness, and would really like to get to know you more, if that’s appropriate. If not, I understand. I don’t wish to overstep or cause any raised feathers with anycreature else.”

Looking up, Toxic blinked as Gelliana let out a squeak, her overactive fluffed-out feathers having made her figure appear as though she had been hit by lightning.

Of course, the blush didn’t help things.

He…wait…lunch?

When was the last time a genuinely nice stallion asked you out? Especially one you just feel comfortable talking to about things?

Say yes!
Say something!

“N-no, you’re-”

DON’T SAY THAT!

Gelliana let out a frustrated groan, smacking a set of claws to her face as she took a deep breath.

“S-sorry, Toxic. I just w-wasn’t expecting that. No, you’re not overstepping or anything, I’d love to,” she said, a warmth fluttering in her chest carrying the stutter away as if on a gentle breeze. She managed to look up, and the excitement in Toxic’s green eyes, his heartbeat still increasing.

He’s happy.

“It’s not inappropriate at all. No special somecreature here, if that’s what you were implying,” she added, the stallion nodding.

“I, uh, was trying to not be too blunt,” he admitted, scoring the wood with a hoof in a bashful gesture, “I didn’t come here planning to ask that, for the record, but I wasn’t about to leave without at least trying.”

Awww.

Gelliana felt something rising up in her throat, managing to nod as she forced herself to meet Toxic’s gaze, nerves and all.

“Just t-to clarify, is this a date?” she asked, the pony letting out a soft hum.

“Yes? Sort of? Maybe we can address that question over lunch?” Toxic suggested, and it was now that Gelliana definitely saw his blue cheeks radiating a pink hue. “A trial first date?”

“A diet-date?” Gelliana suggested, prompting a genuine chuckle from the stallion as he nodded.

“I mean, I could stand to lose a bit, but you look great...um…” Toxic blinked, gesturing with a hoof towards the counter. “I think I’d better pay before making a fool of myself, if that’s ok.”

Stifling a very blush-ridden giggle, Gelliana nodded and walked into the store briefly.

“Icait! Can you ring him up please?” she called, looking over as Toxic paused on his way towards the register.

“So, I’ll see you day after tomorrow? Meet here at noon?” he asked, Gelliana nodding.

“Y-yup!”

Toxic’s slightly nerves seemed to slip away, a rather confident smile stamping itself onto his features, one that did not help Gelliana’s blush in the slightest.

“I’ll see you then, Gelly,” he said softly and out of earshot of the Windigo or nearby guards. “If I may be so bold, I did mean what I said about your voice in that lab.”

And with that he trotted off to the register to pay, leaving a gryphoness looking more like a feathery ball of grey cotton candy than anything.

She barely registered the high-pitched squeal until Icait was hopping up and down in the air above the counter after the stallion left.

Oh, right. Sensing emotions.

“Don’t. You. Say. Anything,” she growled, pointing a talon at the Windigo who made a zipper motion with her hoof, still grinning widely

I just, I need to process all this. I do have a question for that guard though.

Knowing full well her feathers were still partially sticking out, Gelliana walked over to one of the legionnaires, sitting down in front of him.

“Well, now that I know you guys can actually talk when on duty,” she said, gesturing towards outside. “May I ask a question? Hammer, was it?”

“Of course, Miss Gelliana,” the stallion replied, prompting a huff from the gryphoness.

“Even if I tell you not to call me ‘Miss,’ you will, won’t you?” she asked, both legionnaires now having the flicker of a grin on their faces.

“Perhaps.”

“What can you tell me about Toxic Shield?”

Hammer blinked, raising an eyebrow and then shaking his head.

“Very little. He has a security clearance the same level as our own if not higher. Most of his work is classified.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Hammer let out an unamused grunt, Icait letting out a soft giggle.

“He likes dodging questions. I found that out pretty quick,” she added with a whisper.

“What can you tell me then? Outside what I already know?”

“May I be blunt, Miss Gelliana?” the Legionnaire asked, now definitely messing with her despite his stern expression.

“I would appreciate such.”

“Is this taking into account current context? To which it doesn’t take a mastermind to understand why you were both so flustered?”

Gelliana blinked, Hammer’s words taking a few seconds to register before she glanced away with a mumble, a very smug legionnaire still staring at her.

“I will take that as a yes. And if I may be frank, I technically am not supposed to converse this much when on duty. However, you asked. And Toxic is one of my best friends.”

The stallion’s tone definitely softened halfway through speaking, catching Gelly’s attention.

“Miss Gelliana, it is not my business to say more than this. Toxic is a good pony, and I’d trust him with my life. I have trusted him with my life, and I’ve known him for more than a decade through thick and thin.”

A rather sly, smug grin now began to spread across Hammer’s features.

“And you don’t have any competition for him, if that was a question.”

There was an audible *THUNK* as Gelliana planted her head onto a counter with a groan.

“I DID NOT ASK THAT!” she hissed; the two stalwart legionnaires barely able to suppress their laughter.

“But did you want to?” Icait chimed in, dodging a cup thrown her way with a grin. “What? I’m just being helpful! I’m learning more social cues!”

“Wrong kind of helpful!”

Hammer seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her discomfort, but finally settled back into his usual ‘at ready’ stance.

“Does that answer your questions, Miss Gelli-”

“YES! At ease. Or go do whatever you’re supposed to do.”

“Doing so, M’am.”

Gelliana let out a groan as she meandered back towards her greenhouse, going to double-check the watering systems that began their timed cycle. As she looked at the crystal device that kept her plants green and healthy, the gryphoness couldn’t help but smile.

“He asked me on a date? Sort of? I haven’t been on a date in ages,” she whispered. Yet the anxiety and nervousness such a statement produced faded away rather quickly as a few different words came to the forefront of the gryphoness’s mind, accompanied by two piercing green eyes.

“I did mean what I said about your voice.”

The fact her answer made Toxic happy, his entire posture and eyes having radiating excited joy made the long-awaited lump rise in Gelliana’s throat. She sat down and wrapped her arms around her feathery torso, sniffing slightly despite the tender smile on her beak.

A stallion who could talk about the worst hazards imaginable without blinking, and I made his heart speed up, just before asking me out on a sort-of-date.

He thinks I’m interesting, and wants to get to know me.

He wants to know more about me…

Even the general implication from what she learned made the gryphoness’s chest glow with warmth. Her next thought made genuine excitement flood her frame, the gryphoness collecting herself to go back out to the shop.

And I want to know more about him.

Unbeknownst to the herbalist, a certain blue unicorn was currently sitting at his desk and staring at the bag of herbs, then promptly plopping his head down on the package with a groan.

“Where in the world did that come from?” Toxic muttered, shaking his head. “Note to self. When exhausted, I become very bold. Oh, stars above I have a date. A sort of date! Still a date!”

The stallion stood, walking out of his large, multi-bedroomed apartment in Canterlot and sat outside on the balcony in thought. It had been a whimsical chance. He hadn’t really thought she’d be available, let alone say yes. That thought made his ears flick downwards, a hoof reaching up to poke the amulet on his chest.

She didn’t stare either, just talked to me like any other pony, despite knowing what I do, what I’ve seen.

A gentle smile twitched at his mouth, Toxic taking a breath and letting it out slowly. Even if things didn’t go further than a nice lunch with a new friend, he’d count that as a success. A new friend was a new friend, and he wasn’t about to shun that possibility.

Of course, ignoring the possibility of something more was now looking in the stallion’s mind.

I didn’t think I’d get this far; I’m not exactly a dating connoisseur.

But I have a date with a lovely gryphoness who is absolutely adorable when flustered. So puffy…

Adorable.

Oooooooooh my, that was easy to say. Think. Whatever.
And I guess it’s ok to think like that now, at least a bit.

The slight wind that blew didn’t feel so cold as it ruffled through the stallion’s blue coat, the words from a certain yak coming to mind. While the conversation earlier about funding had been hardly along this vein, the caring scientist had once made a rather blunt observation after both a budding relationship and subsequent relations with whom he thought were ‘friends’ had gone down in flames years prior.

‘You can’t barricade your heart forever, Toxic. I did that before I adopted my daughter and it drove me to a dark place. You have to open up eventually, or open up to the idea of opening up. Take your time, grieve, but do not give them the time of day. If I had listened to all of my naysayers I wouldn’t be here; happy, with my daughter and helping my best friend build a dream.’

‘Thank you, Varti, but that was quite a speech,’

‘Oh, don’t get me started! Toxic, if you remember anything, just take this advice from your barely-elder. You have helped so many creatures. Me, Equestria…countless lives. Let others help you, ok? Even if it takes time and some more hurt. You’re not alone in this.’

The stallion smiled, finding his eyes becoming clouded with an annoying bit of dampness.

“Even if it’s just a new friend,” he whispered to himself, “maybe it’s time I let myself think about having more of those again.”

And maybe something more.

Author's Note

:yay: Quite a bit happened in this chapter! It didn't feel right to split it up, would have just been a lot of talking otherwise, so hope you all enjoyed the rather beefy update! Most chapters aren't going to be this long, so fair warning.
....
....maybe. :trollestia:

The adorableness has officially begun. Oh, these two are fun!

Chapter Seven: Sparks

The feline bowed to the astral face hovering in front of him, two eagle eyes staring at the creature from the communications crystal in the dark cave.

“Your orders?”

The gryphon’s face bobbed, the owner letting out a huff.
“Things have changed. We will continue our work here. The explosives did not perform as anticipated, however.”

The feline was immediately bowing flat on the ground, fear making his sides shake.
“Please, I ask for mercy, we didn’t-”

A soft chuckle made the creature look up, the gryphon actually smiling gently.
“I am not here to lecture you or dispatch punishment, Commander Chaster,” he said calmly, claws now forming in the image to invite the feline to rise. “You did exactly as I instructed, and for that you and your entire division are to be commended. I intend to reward you all for such efforts, as a matter of fact, for I am quite pleased with both your performance and continued unique testing results.”

Chaster blinked, slowly standing up fully and smoothing his ruffled tan and grey fur.
“I-t-thank you, Highness,” he stammered, the gryphon letting out an affirming nod.

“Your success aside, there is a new task I would have you complete. The pony I encountered in the lab, Specialist Shield. You must try to kill him. I do not expect you personally to oversee this, but task your best creature for the job, for this is not a battle of brute force,” the gryphon explained. “. Alive, he has value to us but death would yield a greater reward at this point. That said, I do not expect you to succeed in this task. His meddling is tolerable for now, but as later steps progress his elimination will likely become of the highest priority..”

“I understand, Highness.”

“Do you?”

The feline blinked, brown eyes then flickering to the floor.

“Not completely, I admit. So, I am to dispatch an assassin? With the knowledge they will likely fail?”

“That is correct. Rest assured; your soldier will not perish. I will personally ensure their continued survival.”

The Commander stood up and bowed, confidence returning to his frame.

“Then it will be done. I will inform you personally of the results.”

“Excellent. I shall leave you to it.”

“A whisper remains.”

The gryphon paused, the smile on his beak dripping with eager malevolence that made the feline shiver.
“A whisper remains. Good luck, Commander.”

Leagues away, an orange and grey pattered gryphon shut down the communications spell, walking over to a small, elevated pool of liquid. Runes surrounded the table-sized rocky outcropping, the green and red contents frothing and swirling around the item in the center.

If one listened closely, the howling of wintering winds and the neighing of ancient creatures seemed to be emanating from the crystal shard balanced between three jet-black stone prongs. The faint tendrils of shadow curled from the stones, two white eyes seeming to appear and examine the gryphon briefly, the outlines of a fanged mouth widening in approval.

“A whisper remains indeed…” the gryphon chuckled.

“Hold up,” Marigold stated, waving at the stallion behind the counter. “One small Chocolate Monster please. Extra whipped cream.”

“Coming up!”

Gelliana was all smiles, having just broken the news to her best friend the morning before her sort-of-date.

“I know you had that rush order yesterday, but you could have left me a note about that,” Marigold stated, abruptly sucking down half of the chocolatey concoction placed in front of her, eye twitching slightly.

“I wanted to tell you face to face,” Gelliana admitted, her best friend letting out a snort.

“Ok, fair, and I appreciate it. But Toxic Shield? Really?”

A genuine glare from Gelliana made Marigold wave her hooves defensively.

“Not like that! Look, I’m sure he’s a great guy, and I felt bad for ages after what I said, you know this. I’m just really surprised. Then again, I guess I never really nailed down what kind of guys you are into. Other than ‘not big gryphon jerks.’ I’m surprised but curious. I take it the rumors were….”

“Total and absolute garbage,” Gelliana relayed with a firm nod, the Pegasus’s ears perking up in surprise.

“Wow. Serves me right I guess,” Marigold muttered to herself.

“But not totally though.”

“Oh?”

Gelly nodded, sipping her own shake as she tapped a set of talons on the table. Now she understood fully why Toxic hadn’t wanted to go into detail about the lab. It was hard to gauge how much to say to somepony.

“I mean, he does have a serious, confident side when he’s working, at least from what I saw. But that’s not all of him. I…” her voice trailed off, the gryphoness’s brow furrowing. “Just, I don’t want to say too much, ok? But he’s not an emotionless pony, far from it. I kind of stumbled into that realization.” It was only then Gelliana realized she was smiling, as was her friend.

“Huh. You really do like him, huh?”

Planting her head on the table, Gelly let out a groan, shrugging her wings futilely.
“I barely know him!”

“Ok, bad phrasing. You definitely find him interesting and good looking?” Marigold asked with a continuous grin. “I mean I suppose I know the answer to that. You did agree to have lunch with him.”

An affirming grunt was Gelliana’s reply, the mare across the table then letting out a curious huff.

“What about his voice? You don’t mind that?” she asked, genuinely curious. “I can’t say it wouldn’t be distracting for me at least. I’m just curious what he’s like, because apparently I was very, very wrong.”

That got a smile from Gelliana, the gryphoness looking up from burying her head in her forelimbs.

“Admitting you’re wrong? Are you SURE you’re Marigold and not some changeling?”

A cherry smacked Gelly in the face, the mare across the table glaring at her.

“I’m not THAT bad!”

“You are!”

“Sometimes! Only sometimes!”

“Ok, sometimes,” Gelly replied, good-natured smile back in full force. “But his voice? I really didn’t notice it. It just faded into the background as, well, him, if that makes sense. It didn’t really bother me at all. I didn’t want to ask of course, because that’d be rude.”

“But totally curious?”

“Well duh, but if he doesn’t want to tell me, I’m not going to pry.”

The Pegasus sighed, inspecting a hoof before waving it at her friend.
“You’re a lot more patient than me, I’ll give you that. But what about how he is? I mean, I’m obviously flying blind here.”

“It’s…” Gelliana searched for the words, the tender smile on her face making her friend grin all the wider.

“Ooooh. What was that thought, and you’re blushing; what, did he kiss you?”

A retaliatory cherry whacked Marigold in the check, the mare cackling as her feathery friend dissolved into grumbles, finally looking back up.

“No, you evil mare. But just, he was happy.”

“Huh? Not following,” Marigold replied, eyes widening as Gelliana’s demeanor shifted. Her friend just seemed relaxed, a bit of a wistful smile on her beak.

“Hearing heartbeats. He wasn’t afraid of me, Marigold,” Gelliana whispered, still resting her head on her forelimbs. “He didn’t skip a beat when talking about one of the disasters he responded to. But asking me on a sort-of date? He was nervous,” her smile got wider, over-active feathers fluffing visibly. “And when I said yes, he was just happy. Exhausted, but happy. I just haven’t had that reaction from somecreature before. Usually they’re scared, nervous, or something like that. Even the other guys asking me out usually did so with an ego the size of a house. Never just hopeful and being glad I said yes.”

“Awww.”

Gelly looked up to see her best friend grinning at her, the mare bouncing in her chair with excitement.

“That is so cute!”

Such words did not help the lurking blush on Gelliana’s features, but the gryphoness didn’t even bother to hide such.

“I’ve never seen you like this, Gelly. So, my incorrect view obviously aside, he must be something special.”

“I just felt….” Gelliana sat up stretching her neck and shrugging. “I just felt me. Nervous because, well-”

“You’re a nervous wreck anytime you usually meet somecreature new?”

“Well yeah, but I kind of knew him from before; the stuff I can’t talk about with the disaster. So, it wasn’t totally new, but I just didn’t feel as scared. No anxiety, just talking with a pony. I guess Toxic being comfortable around me was really something I haven’t gotten used to before. You know how some ponies here see gryphons, even with me being smaller than others.”

Marigold let out an angry snort at that.

“I’m surprised they can see anycreature with their heads shoved so far up their-”

“MARIGOLD!”

The mare grinned cheekily as she casually began to demolish a second milkshake, Gelliana blowing a stray set of feathers off her face.

“But thank you, and yes, you’re right. I just haven’t met a creature, let alone a stallion who can overlook me being…a…” Gelly’s tone trailed off under the withering glare of her best friend, Marigold angrily pointing a hoof at her.

“Don’t you dare start that!” Marigold replied fiercely. “You shouldn’t ever be with someone because they overlook who you are, but love you because of it! Sure, we all have faults, but that’s different!”

The mare then casually went back to sipping her shake, thoroughly pleased with herself as Gelliana’s feathers stuck out in shock.

“And I thought I was the romantic,” Gelly replied, Marigold waving a hoof.

“Bah. You definitely still are, but I’m not about to let you beat yourself up again. You deserve a guy who likes you for you. Eccentricities and all.” Another glare punctuated the mare’s pointing at the gryphoness as she glared. “The good kind. Seriously. If the guy doesn’t like learning about plants or going on romantic dates, toss him out the window!”

Gelliana couldn’t hold back giggles at this point, rarely having seen her friend become so animated.

“S-so are you my guardian Pegasus then?” she gasped, Marigold proudly flaring her wings at that.

“Protecting and serving my best friend’s sappy heart for years; at your service!”

Now in tears of laughter, Gelliana could barely breath as Marigold joined in with her own giggles.

“Now I won’t ask for details, but you’d better let me know how things go tomorrow!” the Pegasus added as Gelly finally started on her own half-melted shake.

“You’ll be the first to know,” Gelly replied, surprising herself at how much her wings relaxed simply at the thought.

“Huh. You really aren’t nervous. That’s different from the others, well, most of them.”

“All three? Or technically five?” Gelliana added, Marigold shrugging.

“I mean in general. Usually you’re a ball of nerves and anxiety. But the idea of going on a sort-of-date with this stallion doesn’t make you lock yourself in a closet and hyperventilate.”

“One. Time. And I was sleep deprived, already feeling sick, and…and…” Gelliana glared at her smug friend, the gryphoness returning to suck down her milkshake. “You know this of course. That was mean.”

“Buuuuut my point still stands! Quite a knight in shining armor to defuse your usual nerves. So, I can’t wait to hear eeeeeeeeverything!” Marigold then paused, looking at the gryphoness. “And I assume you haven’t told your parents yet?”

“Oh goodness no,” Gelly countered with a shudder. “I want to wait to see how things go before they start to get into that concerned spiral and try to pry.”

“Or get so over-the-top excited they start asking the names of your future kids?”

Gelliana nodded with a groan, shaking her head.
“I love them dearly, but rarely is there an in-between. Either super-duper over the top concerned, or totally nosy and wanting to know every detail.”

“Well, it sounds like you’ve learned, and perhaps they will too. Didn’t you say they have been getting better?”

Nodding in agreement, Gelliana conceded to that fact.

“That’s true. I would like to be more open with them, but, yeah. Here’s hoping,” she paused, then looking over to the mare. “Hmmm, enough about my date; don’t you have one this evening?” Gelliana asked, her friend sighing happily.

“Mmhmmm. About time he got an evening off.”

As Marigold delved into the plans of her night, Gelliana couldn’t help but have a small part of her own mind wander.

I have a date, and I’m not a complete nervous wreck.
I guess that IS new.

It was only then that Gelliana saw Marigold staring at her, a rather triumphant grin on her face.

“You are totally zoning out again, and is that a blush? OH, THIS IS SO CUTE!”

Gelliana groaned as she motioned to the extremely-amused stallion behind the counter, the pony clearly trying his hardest to not burst out laughing.

“Do you have a dessert called ‘overexcited friend?’” she asked, the shopkeeper letting out a hum in thought.

“Yup! It’s actually paired perfectly with the ‘upcoming date sundae’!” he played along with a complete straight face, causing the gryphoness to smack her head on the table with a groan much to the amusement of the shopkeeper and Marigold.

“We’ll take both! Sugar coma’s for everycreature!” Marigold exclaimed as Gelly’s giggles returned in force.

I’m one lucky gryphoness.

“A date? Oh, you must tell me about her! I’m so glad to hear you’re back in the game!” a mare’s voice said over Toxic’s earpiece, the stallion smiling.

“When I get to know her more, Mom, I most certainly will. And a single date is hardly back in the game, per say. It’s taken me this long to even consider it, and that’s after weeks of sleep deprivation,” Toxic replied with a huff as he paced in his roomy apartment.

“I know, I know, I’m just being an excited mother. I won’t pry, but I am a bit curious.”

“I…” Toxic frowned, trying to measure his words carefully. Having top-secret security clearance made even seemingly benign conversations difficult, even with certain permissions granted to family. “She helped me on one of my jobs when I was in trouble, and is an herbalist in Tall Tale.”

“An herbalist? That’s interesting! And don’t mistake this question for a snooty-noble question; you know how much I loathe that whole thing. But I do wonder. Unicorn? Pegasus? Earth pony?” Spectrum Shield asked her son.

“Gryphoness.”

Without missing a beat, Spectrum clopped her hooves together (apparently,) the sound echoing over the communicator.

“Oh! Well I have to say I’m a bit surprised but she certainly sounds interesting! You must let us know how it goes! I’ll tell your father of course but he’s busy with all these new orders for the upcoming airship release.”

Toxic chuckled, nodding in thought.

“Of course, I’ll let you all know in the next few days.”

“Oh, and Toxic?”

“Hmm?”

“Did…did you ask the Princess for help with Pick?”

Toxic felt a prick of pain in his heart at hearing the name of his younger brother, Pick Shield.

“Not since you asked last. Do I need to?”

It was then that a soft sniffle came over the call, Toxic’s worries immediately fleeing on hearing his mother’s voice.

“No. We just had a visit from a very kind Doctor, a very, very large hippogriff.”

Nacreous?

“There’s experimental treatments they’re developing in that new empire up north, and Pick qualifies for them. I’m still in shock that we got to meet an Emperor. Pick hasn’t stopped smiling in days, one of the top Archivists of that empire is talking to him constantly about new magical theories, even during this hospital stay.”

“I, that’s fantastic to hear, Mom,” Toxic stammered, a lump rising up in his throat. “Please let me know how things progress. Pick definitely caught the science bug from me, so I imagine that makes him quite happy.”

“To say the least, and I’ll keep you in the loop. Take care, I know you probably have a laundry list of things to do today, so I’ll let you go. Love you, Toxic.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

Toxic carefully levitated the communicator out of his ear, trotting over to sit on his bed. A few tears trickled down the stallion’s cheeks, the pony rubbing a forelimb across his eyes. He levitated an enchanted piece of parchment over, the letters to be sent in an instant.

‘To the Paladin of Love.

Thank you.

-Specialist Toxic Shield.’

Onyx set another book aside, letting his grey gaze drift out across Tall Tale from the tower he was perched on. The original plan for him to join the town guard was on hold, a new tension now present whenever Starlight checked up on him.

Something was wrong, and it didn’t help that nocreature would tell him what it was. He had a pretty good idea though from his interactions with Luna. There was a threat growing, one from his realm. A single interaction wasn’t enough to prove his fears, but if it was true, things were going to get messy very, very fast.

At least Icait is oblivious to it all.

The peppy Windigo always regaled him with the stories of the day when she got home, the shadow-pony asking regularly. It made her happy, and was interesting, so Onyx didn’t mind.

At least it’s something to do. I find myself looking forward to it sometimes.

Starlight had given him more books, more volumes on friendship and the like. It was an odd thing to have disparaged and despised such a topic not but a few months prior.

And now I just find it confusing. Ponies just fall into these friendships, and then there’s all the social rules.

Ugh.

Even more puzzling was when Icait returned absolutely gushing of how her gryphoness friend had a date.

How does one get joy from someone else’s activities? I mean, good for her? Icait always did like observing social interactions, even in that cave we were stuck in.

It’s interesting to be sure, but I don’t fully understand it. Then again, I’ve never had a friend before. Icait is always just happier after working with that gryphoness, Gelliana was it? Then again, she’s much more outgoing than me.

What would that be like, he wondered, to look forward to interactions like that? To care about another creature like that?

I don’t have anycreature like, that, a friend. I suppose I’ll have….to….

When the two neurons in Onyx’s brain finally connected, the shadow pony let his face smack into the stone underneath him, letting out a rather long and loud groan.

Oh.

The edges of his mouth turned up ever so slightly into a smile, the long-held resentment around the word having finally vanished it would seem.

“Onyx? I have some new…are you ok?”

“Yes. What can I do for you, Starlight?” Onyx mumbled from his face-plant position on the stone tower.

“Huh, ok. Well, I’ve got some new books for you, and a tentative plan. Well, sort of a plan. Stuff is up in the air…are you sure you’re ok?” the powerful unicorn asked, the shadow pony finally looking up. She seemed somewhat confused by the barest hint of a grin on his features, Onyx letting out a huff.

“I have a friend, don’t I, Starlight?” he asked softly. “I think I finally am realizing what that means. Something different than an ally.”

“I’d say you have a few, Onyx. And the terms don’t necessarily have to be separate. I’d argue they should be overlapping at times.”

The shadow pony nodded, Starlight then venturing a guess.

“Icait?”

A simple nod, Onyx’s brow furrowing.

“She was so eager to call me her friend, a week, a few months ago. I had so much resentment to the idea I couldn’t fathom it,” he explained. “I don’t get to have friends, that was my thinking. Creatures like me aren’t allowed that.”

“For what reason?”

The question seemed to stump Onyx, the stallion shrugging.

“I don’t know. I was so unsure of what I was, what I am, it was just a rule I made for myself, I guess. A creature who fed off hate and malcontent shouldn’t deserve such a thing, such was my reasoning. And yet I ignored the very obvious fact that while I refused to be a friend….”

“Icait certainly wasn’t about to stop,” Starlight finished with a grin. “Right?”

Another nod, Onyx sitting down and thinking.

“I have no idea what to do with this information.”

Starlight giggled, making the pony’s head whip over with a glare.

“Sorry! You don’t have to do anything special with it, that’s the point,” Starlight explained. “You just are nice to friends. That’s the point. You enjoy being around them, and you learn about life with them. It’s different for everycreature, but considering how much Icait has said about you, I’d certainly say she’s your friend,” the Principle paused, a tender smile now on her features as Onyx continued to stare at his hooves. “The question is, if you want to be her friend.”

“I am not sure I know how, Starlight,” Onyx admitted. “Books are one thing, implementing it is another.”

“Well, if all else fails, the books are something good to reference, but being a friend is easier than that. As I said, it’s just about being nice to somecreature, valuing their wellbeing and opinion. That’s pretty much a core of friendship, and a good place to start.”

Letting the stallion digest the information, Starlight ventured another comment, this one soft and sincere.

“She’s worried about you, Onyx.”

His head whipped up; grey eyes narrowed at the concerned mare.

“She says you’ve woken up at night, shivering and curled into a ball. I won’t pry, but if there is any way I can help, I’m glad to do so.”

The indignant demeanor faded from Onyx, the wisps of shadow around his body fading away.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I remember nothing from those times, only fear of…something. I didn’t know she saw me like that.”

“Well, she did, and doesn’t want to make you mad by asking. So perhaps you could tell her what you told me?” Starlight suggested. “She trusts you a lot more than I think you realize, and cares quite a bit about how you are doing. I haven’t gotten a single report without a mention of you at least once.”

Nodding slowly, Onyx let out a breath at that.

“I suppose that’s part of being a friend? Letting them help? Or at least not keeping secrets from them?” he asked.

“Well, everycreature has secrets. But ones that may impact your friendship, those are things that should be addressed. In this case, you have a friend who is really concerned about you, but doesn’t want to make you upset by asking about it. This is a time you could ignore it, but addressing it would potentially make things better, and stronger.”

Onyx chuckled, glancing over to Starlight in amusement.

“Friendship is complicated, is it not?” he asked, a rather sly grin then coming across the mare’s face as she nodded.

“Yep. It’s kind of similar to magic, in a lot of ways…”

Author's Note

:yay: Things progressing on multiple fronts! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter Eight: A Date

“So, Varti, how is the complex?”

“It’s fine, Toxic. This is the third time you’ve called today. A bit nervous?”

“NO!”

“Uh huh.”

“Alright, maybe? But can you blame me?”

The yak’s rumbling chuckle rattled Toxic’s bones, the stallion nervously pacing in one of many Tall-Tale’s parks.

“I won’t bore you with advice, because I certainly may not be the best to give it. I am only a year or two your senior, and single. But Toxic?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell your doubts to shut up and just be yourself. If she doesn’t like that? Well, not worth it.”

“…I think that helps, thanks, Varti.”

“Oh, also,” the Professor’s voice got noticeably softer and carried a gentle tone, even over the communicator. “Remember, this gryphoness saw some of the worst demons you’ve had to face and what they did to you, and she helped. Didn’t run, freeze, laugh, or scorn. She helped. That has to count for something.”

Toxic couldn’t help but smile, now meandering towards a certain herbalist shop.

“I think that counts for quite a bit, Varti. Thank you for putting it in perspective.”

“Well, I’m much taller than you. I obviously have a different perspective you greatly need!”

The poor joke made Toxic chuckle, Varti ending the call with his well-wishes.

That is a good point. The most unappealing aspect of my job didn’t make Gelliana flinch.
And she doesn’t seem to mind my voice. Maybe….

A flicker of hope kindled in Toxic’s heart. Small and easily doused, but it was there. Instead of nerves a bit of genuine excitement spurred on his steps now as he got closer.

And I already know her a bit. This might actually be fun.

Walking into the shop, Toxic glanced around briefly, not seeing Icait around. He trotted over to the counter and rang the bell, noting a rather odd implement set near the register.

Is that a dagger?

Gelliana let out a happy chirp, hearing the bell and hastily smoothing down her feathers. After some last-minute pruning in her greenhouse to calm some nerves the gryphoness had busied about making sure the shop was set to be closed for lunch.

I assume that’s Toxic downstairs?
Feathers smoothed.
Deep breaths.
Ok.

Walking down the staircases and through the various doors to her shop, Gelliana looked around, indeed spotting a familiar black-maned unicorn.

“Hey, T-toxic?” she asked, mentally wincing at her stutter, as always.

Toxic’s ears immediately perked up, the peppy aura the unicorn radiating taking the edge off Gelly’s nerves. His eyes then drifted to…her shoulder?

“Hmm. A fan of daggers?” he asked, gesturing to near the register and then back to the gryphoness.

Her feathers fluffed immediately, Gelliana realizing she still had one of her blades strapped to her forearm from pruning some stubborn plants and practice-throwing.

“I, um-”

“Can I see one of them?” Toxic asked curiously, the surprised gryphoness nodding and offering the weapon with a smooth draw. His sincere curiosity was rather befuddling, and Gelly wasn’t entirely sure what to think. No explanation requested, nothing of the sort.

He’s just, accepting.

Looking over the dagger in his magic, the unicorn let out an interested hum.

“I don’t know much about daggers,” he murmured, “but I do know when there’s a really good balanced blade, one with love and care in its design. Did you make this one by chance?”

What Gelliana’s sharp eyes didn’t miss was the way the unicorn examined the weapon in his hoof without magic, giving it what he must have thought looked like an amateurish twirl.

Except, it very much wasn’t amateurish in the least.

Doesn’t know much about them? Huh. I don’t think that’s the whole truth…

On taking the blade back, Gelly shook her head firmly, gesturing outside the shop.
“N-no, there’s a local b-blacksmith I get them from,” she explained. “I order the raw ore from my family’s business and he refines it.”

“Into some rather beautiful blades. I may have to ask which smith it is for some of my own personal projects,” Toxic remarked, making Gelly’s ears perk up.

“Hmm?”

He waved a hoof, gesturing outside with a smile.

“Perhaps lunch first? Sorry, didn’t mean to get sidetracked. I think I found a good place to eat but may request a second opinion when we get on the main road.”

Gelliana unstrapped the dagger and shook her head, following the unicorn outside with a tentative smile of her own.

“No, it’s f-fine. It’s nice talking to someone about such things without a bit of, well, judgement.”

“Ah, I understand that,” Toxic mused. “So, is it just a general interest? Or do you use daggers and knives for your greenhouse work,” he asked as they walked.

“Both, actually. I’ve loved the idea of throwing knives for years, and while they do have a use in my greenhouse, they’re just also nice to have,” Gelliana admitted. Her ears then flattened on her next thought. “Also, being a small gryphoness comes with disadvantages that a dagger helps counteract.”

“But plenty of strengths too, I imagine,” Toxic replied immediately, his green eyes flickering over to the gryphoness. “But I get it.”

His last few words offset his casual remark, something Gelliana could appreciate.

Immediately not wanting to make me talk down about myself, but then acknowledging it.

That’s actually really sweet.

“Uh, Gelly?”

The gryphoness snapped out of her apparent daze, looking over to Toxic, his curious green eyes meeting hers for a split second.

“S-sorry. Lost in thought,” she mumbled, her sensitive feathers immediately fluffing, again.

“Happens to everyone. I was wondering if that diner on South Horseshoe Avenue is any good? The one with the bowl of noodles and the picture of a goose and panda on the front?”

Gelliana’s ears perked up immediately, the herbalist nodding in agreement.

“Ooooh I haven’t been there in ages, but it’s really good!” she replied. “They have spices from all over, and serve pretty much ever species. Fish, veggies, fruits; all with noodles!”

Her exuberance elicited an immediate smile from Toxic, the stallion letting out a hum as they walked down the neat cobblestone streets towards the shop.

“So, are you a fan of fish then? I’ll have to stick with the fruits and vegetables of course,” he asked.

“Actually, I can’t eat fish or meat in general,” Gelliana admitted, finding the surprised but interested look on the pony’s face rather endearing. “I’m rusty on the genetics, but something about a bit of parrot ancestry affecting my stomach. Oh, what was it? A series of Resetting genes?”

“Recessive?” Toxic suggested, Gelly nodding and gesturing with a claw.

“Recessive! That’s the word. It has been years since I looked up on it. Basically, I got an odd roll of the dice. Look like a fierce eagle but eat fruits, vegetables and the like,” Gelliana explained.

“Hmm. I can see the ‘fierce’ bit to be sure,” he mused, Gelliana letting out a soft grumble.

“It’s the darker highlights around my eyes. It makes me look like I’m always angry at someone or about to bite them. Not the best for first impressions.”

Toxic nodded in understanding, a slightly wry smirk dawning on his face for a moment.

“Hmm. Well I’d say your first impressions with me were quite fantastic.”

The mischievous glint in Toxic’s green eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Gelliana as her feathers fluffed again at the remark, and the gryphoness had a feeling that was going to be a common occurrence.

Not that I mind.

“Ok, now you’re trying to get me to look like a feather duster,” she said, rather interested in what his response would be.

“Won’t deny it!” he proclaimed with a grin.

Obviously, that didn’t help the gryphoness’s situation in the slightest, much to the stallion’s clear amusement.

After a lengthy chat about the types of noodles the restaurant offered (to which Toxic did refrain from causing any more feathery mischief,) the pair arrived at the eatery. The green and brown wooden structure held a very rustic appearance, painted much like a forest decorated with mossy draping from the branches. The interior was a similar shade of rough wood, but sleek, modern stone stuck out from sculptures and light fixtures above their heads.

They were quickly shown to a booth, the two taking a long, hard look at the menus.

“Gelliana, I have no idea what to order,” Toxic mused as he looked over the options. “Maybe staying safe? Eh, but spicy is tasty.”

“Fair warning, when they say spicy, they mean spicy,” Gelliana cautioned, settling with a new, but somewhat-similar mildly spicy nut-noodle bowl. “Seriously. My best friend Marigold and I ate here once and she thought the same thing. Turns out their ‘medium’ made the poor mare nearly drown herself in an ice bath. So, they really mean it.”

“Oh, do they?” he asked with a chuckle, looking at the menu more intently. “In that case, I’ll go fooooooooor…the number eighteen. Extra spice.”

Gelliana blinked, looking at the item and then staring at the grinning stallion.

“Uh, the one that has the subscript of ‘a health waiver will be provided’?”

“Yup!”

A tad confused, Gelliana shrugged, not entirely sure why he would want to go to the hospital.

“If you’re trying to impress me, you already did that with your job,” she said, “No need to get your stomach pumped on my account.”

The slightest embarrassed flush on Toxic’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed by the gryphoness, neither did his stammering for a response.

“Erm…I…” he let out a frustrated huff, looking up at the gryphoness. “Sorry, with how unpleasant that experience was, the last thing I expected was a sort of compliment. I admit it’s a mixed bag of emotions with my job.”

“Well, how about we leave that out of conversation over food?” Gelly suggested. “Good to know though. I figured it was a sore subject, just didn’t want to bring it up too much or something.”

“Nah, you’re fine. But definitely not a ‘while you’re eating’ topic,” Toxic replied in agreement. “Especially with such lovely company.”

The glare Gelliana shot Toxic’s way had the stallion stifling a cackling laugh, the absolute indignant gryphoness immediately responding to his words.

Or rather, her feathers did.

For a brief second, Toxic wondered if he went too far but the blush on Gelliana’s cheeks and the rather shy smile on her beak banished those thoughts.

Ok, tone it down.

Goodness what has gotten into me.

…sleep deprivation most likely. And just being happy to be on a sort of date?

Regardless, I know her, but not THAT well.

It is a lot of fun though.

“Sorry, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Toxic replied, the gryphoness immediately shaking her head, ears perking up.

“No, you’re fine! It’s just unexpected,” Gelly admitted, her violet eyes looking up to meet his for a moment.

I do love that color though. One of the first things I noticed about-

Ugh. Down, Toxic. Am I that easily drawn in? Has it really been that long since somecreature has…
Let’s not answer that question.

Toxic found his muzzle poked by a menu, Gelliana looking at him curiously.

“You ok there?”

The stallion chuckled, nodding as he recalled their previous conversation.

“Just zoned out, sorry. Lack of sleep makes that occur a bit more often than normal,” he admitted. “But the teas have been helping.”

Gelliana smiled gently, her demeanor having shifted to be a bit shyer now that they were in public. She still seemed comfortable, but not having the same eager, outgoing energy in her shop.

‘Reserved’ isn’t the word. ‘Gentle’ perhaps?
Either way, interesting to see she has two sides, and both are rather lovely.

Their waiter, a tan unicorn mare then interrupted the two, taking their orders (and promising to get two health waivers for the eager stallion.)

“I wonder if I’ll get my picture on the wall,” Toxic mused, “it is cheating though.”

“How so?”

Toxic poked his throat with a hoof, letting out a frustrated grumble.

“I’m immune to a lot of stuff, quite a few general chemicals that cause hot ‘spice’ included,” he replied. “Usually I get all of the taste, but none of the heat. There are a few things that I get a good burn out of, but it has to be a certain kind of spice, five or six different chemicals do it, but there’s a limit to that too.”

“Huh. So, you could down that entire bowl of peppers…”

“And probably not even sniffle,” Toxic finished. “But I like the burn!” he said with an exaggerated pout.

Gelliana couldn’t help but grin at that.

“That, is a unique problem indeed,” she said, then looking up at the stallion curiously. “You know, you asked about me in the shop, and I was left wanting to know a bit more about you.”

“Oh?”

Apparently, the amulet conveyed the excitement into Toxic’s voice, the stallion blushing as Gelliana grinned.

“Very much so. We already covered work and what my family does, but what about you? I’m curious about your family too.”

The stallion knew there was a bit of warmth on his cheeks, a fluttery excitement in his chest that Toxic sought to reign in with his words.

No excited babbling.

“Well, my dad works with one of the Airship manufacturing companies in Canterlot. He helps refine and re-design various engines, specifically. So, a mechanical engineer I suppose? Kind of a combination of things,” Toxic explained. “Mother was actually a chef before having my siblings, still kept up with it though.”

“So, are you the youngest? Or…”

“Oldest, actually,” Toxic chuckled. “It wouldn’t surprise me if my parents have a tongue-in-cheek-checklist. ‘First kid, ok, he graduated school? Check! Stable job? Check! Ok, so far so good! Go son go!’” the stallion waved a hoof in exaggeration as Gelliana giggled. “I have three younger siblings. A sister only a few years from me, a brother, and then the youngest sister who is just finishing her high school experience.”

“A chef? It’s a wonder you aren’t shaped like a balloon, all that good food,” Gelliana replied with a grin, Toxic reaching over to poke his side with a hoof.

“I’ve had to take extra care to avoid that. She discovered a knack for pies a few years ago…” he glanced up to the attentive gryphoness, her violet eyes locked onto his.

Well, at least she can’t hear my heartbeat. Throwing me for a loop, Gelly. Appearing rather fierce until someone gets a good look at those violet eyes.

Wow.

Gelliana had to fight down a silly grin on hearing Toxic’s heart thud a bit faster, green eyes looking at her curiously. Any nerves had long since fled and the gryphoness was fairly certain that having an interesting and attractive stallion being interested in her accounted for a far portion of that.

When was the last time I felt like this? Something similar with the other…individuals. But just this sincerity? And him being kind of a goof?

Points to Toxic, that’s for sure. Wait. Say something. NO ZONING OUT!

“Hmm. Pies are really good. It’s a toss-up between apple and pumpkin for me,” Gelly mused as the stallion nodded in agreement.

“Ooooh those are fantastic ones. Blueberry and cherry are great with ice cream; perhaps this is a bad thing to think about even before we’ve eaten?” Toxic asked. “But maybe we could stop by a pie shop after?”

Or for a second dat- SLOW DOWN GIRL.

Don’t get too excited, avoid a letdown if things don’t work out.

“Hmm, if we’re not stuffed, and if you can still feel your mouth,” Gelliana replied, Toxic grinning as he glanced back towards the kitchen.

“If I can’t I’d be quite happy. Has been a while since I’ve been able to taste that sort of burn. So, what about your family? You said they were stone smiths?”

“Yup! Well, my mom is at least. My dad is a metal-smith, but he mostly manages a bunch of mines and metal processing plants nowadays,” Gelliana explained. “No siblings, but a gryphoness growing up with two earth pony parents was, I dunno, it seemed normal to me. Obviously in hindsight it definitely wasn’t though.”

“Eh. Normal is boring,” Toxic waved a hoof dismissively. “Family is family. No matter how unique it may be. I don’t want to overstep, but did you become a part of their family when you were older? Or younger?”

That’s nice phrasing, instead of just ‘when were you adopted?’ A small thing, but meaningful. You are one thoughtful stallion, Toxic.

“When I was a chick. No memories of Griffinstone or the like,” Gelliana replied. “So as far as I knew, they were my mom and dad. Obviously, they explained things when I was old enough to understand, but it was never a negative thing, always a positive one.”

“That’s nice to hear. I know it can be a touchy subject to talk with a child about, among other things.”

“No kidding. I don’t remember this, but the first time they told me the basics about being adopted and stuff, I just looked at them and shrugged. ‘So, you’re my mom and dad still, right?’ They nodded, and I apparently just grinned. ‘Cool! Ok! Now where are we going for lunch?’”

Toxic couldn’t help but laugh, a cheery grin on his face at that.

“Ok, that is adorable. The innocent acceptance of a youngster. Your parents must have been so nervous at first!”

“Oh, I apparently rendered them speechless, which is a feat indeed. But yep! That’s how that all happened. They’re still back at home waaaaaay south of here. Kind of moved to Tall Tale to be on my own years ago, and I’d say it turned out pretty well.”

“So, when did you open up the shop? It looked pretty well established.”

“That was actually within the first year or two. I had been working in my family’s business with metalwork and processing orders, so I had some savings,” Gelliana said, “This honestly was just an incredible stroke of luck. A really lovely mare owned this house and the greenhouse- used to be a flower shop. She was getting rather elderly, and she and her husband were moving to Canterlot for some well-earned retirement. I helped out on the weekends with the shop, and she gave me the entire building for a handful of bits.”

Gelliana couldn’t help but smile, recalling the grey-maned mare.

“She threatened to smack me with her walking stick if I didn’t accept the low price. I believe her exact words were ‘You’ve been helping every week with this shop, and I’d hate to see it bulldozed for some ugly high-rise. Just promise me to grow something in it, even if it’s a cactus!”

Chuckling at that, Toxic gestured to a nearby plant.

“Well, I’d say you have a bit more than a cactus. Isn’t that something you have? I recognize it.”

“Yup!

The gryphoness was about to elaborate when two large steaming bowls were placed in front of them, Toxic’s green eyes dilating at the smell.

“Oh, that smells great,” he murmured, stifling a laugh as Gelliana caught wind of it an immediately had her eyes tear up.

“Oh my gosh, that smells amazing but…ow! How can a smell hurt me?” she asked, Toxic not able to resist laughing at that, a simple cast of magic removing the aggressive steam and causing it to rise straight up and away from Gelliana.

“There we go, sorry. I totally forgot about that,” Toxic admitted. “Hopefully no more smells that try and bully you.”

The gryphoness couldn’t help herself. It was a joke and such a simple gesture, and yet…

Just simple thoughtfulness. How can I not appreciate that? Really really like that?

I am NOT tearing up over this.

It’s the spice.

…maybe.

“Uh, Gelly?” Toxic asked, clearly noticing a slight poofing of his date’s feathers and watery eyes. “Did I cast the spell wrong? Evil bullying steam making its way over there?”

“N-no, Toxic, it’s fine,” Gelliana replied. The stallion clearly didn’t miss how her voice was a bit gentler and softer, a sincere and slightly shy smile on her beak. “Just…that was rather sweet.”

Toxic’s reaction didn’t help the flutters in Gelly’s chest, the stallion opening and closing his mouth as though planning to say something, but no words came. He shrugged slightly, averting his eyes briefly before glancing up to the gryphoness with the faintest flush on his cheeks.

You have no right being that sweet.

Dangit, Toxic. You are not making this easy for me.

Deciding to end the slightly awkward silence, Toxic promptly levitated some chopsticks to deliver some noodles into his waiting mouth. Gelliana could only smile as she did the same. The blissful moan that then emanated from the stallion made her nearly fall out of her chair laughing however.

I never thought I’d be jealous of some noodles, but here we are.

“Somepony happy?” Gelliana giggled as a goofy grin was cemented on Toxic’s face, the stallion eagerly twirling in another mouthful.

“Mmmmhmmmmm.”

Two of the waitress mares simply stared, not sure how to react to the pony that was demolishing what should be the hottest item on the menu.

A few mouthfuls later, Toxic took a break and breathed in the steam.

“My mouth burns. You have no idea how nice that feels,” he murmured as Gelly smiled.

“I don’t suppose I do, and in this case, I’ll gladly pass on that chance. I think that sauce would melt my feathers.”

A chuckle was Toxic’s response, the pony actually spooning some raw sauce into his mouth.

“No worries about that. Unless I kiss you, you’re safe, and that’d be mean.”

Considering how Gelliana was struggling to breath from laughter at the mental image, Toxic couldn’t help but smile.

“T-that’d be the worst prank ever!” Gelly gasped, “Eat a bunch of spicy peppers and then give your special somecreature a kiss!”

The grin on Toxic’s face refused to leave, the adorable gryphoness thoroughly enjoying herself. Even though the topic edged onto a darker fear, the stallion had to admit it would be a rather glorious prank.

One that I can try perhaps, with whoever that may be.

“But that would be mean, unless they liked spicy things,” Toxic mused as Gelliana nodded in agreement, the stallion deciding to turn up the cheekiness a bit. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t kiss on the first date.”

He was rewarded by an immediate fluffing of feathers and a glare, Toxic not able to resist a chuckle. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. I can stop if you’d like.”

The attempt at pouting didn’t help decrease Gelliana’s rather cute grumblings as she shook her head, Toxic taking another happy bite of his noodles.

“It’s not a matter of not liking. I’ve never really had a creature to joke around with like that,” Gelliana admitted softly. Her soft-spoken side radiated an immediate gentleness, something Toxic was quickly growing to enjoy.

“Well, I don’t want to push my luck.”

“You definitely aren’t…yet.” Gelly replied with a bit more energetic smile, ears then perking up as something came to mind. “Oh, I was wondering, what did you mean back in the shop?” she asked. “When you yelled at that Legionnaire?” the gryphoness then paused with a sly smirk. “Or do I need to rent a hotel room for you and those noodles?”

Toxic nearly choked at that, the stallion glaring at the gryphoness as she laughed at the simple payback.

I was NOT expecting that from her. You’ve got a bit of spice of your own it would seem.

“Well played,” he grumbled. “But the ‘helmet’ thing? That’s a fun story actually.”

The pony’s heart did a flip in his chest as Gelliana planted her cheeks on her claws, looking over at him curiously.

“I’m all ears!”

Focus.
Story.
Not on the gorgeous fluffy gryphoness.
And those eyes. Those incredible-
STORY.
HAMMER.

...say something.

“Right! Hammer! Um,” Toxic stammered, shaking his head before continuing. “So, when Hammer was in the training program for the legionnaires, part of it is having an immaculate uniform. And more often than not, he’d have his helmet either loose or not perfectly situated. Sooooooooo…”

The grin on Gelly’s face indicated she could see where this was going.

“Every time it wasn’t up to par, I’d yell ‘Helmet’ at the top of my lungs only an inch from his face. And sure enough, it eventually fixed the issue. Usually his hoof flew up to adjust the helmet, hence why he moved in the shop. Oh, that was a fun few months,” Toxic mused.

“You helped him a lot?” she asked.

Choose your words carefully, Toxic…

“Yeah, just as a mentor of sorts,” Toxic replied nonchalantly. “It’s a grueling program, so helping him with various practices and studying material. But in the end, you have to stand on your own hooves.”

Ooooh, very nice.

“That makes sense,” Gelliana said, the pair having a moment of silence as the waiter now took their empty bowls and replaced it with a receipt. Any argument was immediately forestalled by Toxic setting some bits down, the stallion smiling after scrawling a brief note to the staff.

“I asked you, so I pay,” the pony said gently, tone still carrying with it a no-argument edge.

“I won’t try to contest that, I know you’d win,” Gelliana replied with a grin of her own.

Should I?
It’s not a matter of should, but when. Now is a good a time as any, I guess.

“Hey, Gelly?” Toxic asked, feeling his heart start to thud about the same time Gelliana’s ears perked up.

“Hmm?”

“Well, I paid for this date. Maybe we can split the bill if you want to go on a second-”

“Yes!”

Gelliana clamped her talons over her beak, Toxic staring in shock before laughing, a dopey grin plastered on his face.

Just, an immediate yes?

She wants to?

“Sorry, I hope you were going to say second date?” Gelliana whispered, feathers returning to their usual flustered state as her voice drifted into a softer, more shy tone.

“I most certainly was. And I have no reply to that other than, ‘awesome,’” Toxic admitted, knowing full well the smile on his face was not about to leave anytime soon. “And I would hope you aren’t really sorry though. I, uh, wasn’t really expecting such a sudden answer.”

“Well, you certainly deserve such an answer, to be frank,” the gryphoness added softly. “And no, I’m not sorry about the answer, only for interrupting.”

“I…” words failed the stallion, his green eyes meeting her own tentative violet gaze. “Thank you, Gelliana.”

She nodded shyly back, clearly still flustered by her outburst.

“Sooo, maybe day after tomorrow? I’ve got to attend some meetings in Canterlot tomorrow, to which I’m totally looking forward to,” Toxic grumbled with a roll of his eyes. “I already have a pastry-themed idea.”

“Oh?” The immediate energy that was back in Gelliana’s voice and demeanor somehow complimented her still gentle voice, but now caring with genuine excitement.

“How good are you at baking? I admit my skills are rather basic.”

“I mean, I made bread a few times with a recipe? Same with some desserts? That’s not counting the time I accidentally made muffins instead of waffles.”

Toxic opened his mouth, then closed it as his brow furrowed.

“How…is that even…”

Gelliana smiled, making the stallion blush as she winked at him.

“I’ll tell you on our next date.”

‘Next Date.’

The pony had often wondered what it meant when someone described their demeanor as ‘melting.’

Well, now he knew.

She’s looking forward to it? Excited for it?

How do I respond to this?

As they walked outside, Toxic took a breath of the fresh air, levitating a large package next to the door beside him.

“Uh, Toxic?” Gelliana asked, gesturing to the large item.

“That, is as much of their sauce that they could fit into a container, and I plan on ordering more,” Toxic proclaimed proudly as Gelliana stifled a giggle.

“You love that sauce, huh?”

“Sooooo gooooooooooooood.”

Shaking her head in mirth, Gelliana looked around, clearly a tad uncertain as to how to leave things.

You’ve been bold this far. May as well give it a shot.

Feeling like a hug may be just a tad awkward for the situation, and the fact they were more than a pace or two apart, Toxic opted for a different gesture, one that was definitely rolling the dice. It was older, more common during an older period of Equestrian and, more importantly, Gryphon history, but it made a point rather well.

Reaching down with a hoof, Toxic picked up and held a set of Gelliana’s claws gently, smiling sincerely as he glanced at the gryphoness who looked up in surprise.

“I really did have a fun time, Gelly,” he said softly. “So, same time, day after tomorrow? Maybe we can meet at your shop?”

“Y-yes, s-sounds good!”

His chanced gesture was met with the brightest blush of the day, the gryphoness stammering a reply as the stallion put her talons back down.

“So, see you then?”

“S-see you!” Gelliana waved as the unicorn trotted of, sauce-cargo in tow.

I think that went well? Toxic mused as he meandered the streets, deciding to look around a bit before teleporting back to his apartment.

I mean, she said yes? And I have a second date?

I just need to be careful. I really want to trust her though…

Despite the nervous pit in his stomach that grew at that thought, it faded rather quickly as two violet eyes returned to Toxic’s mind.

I think I can trust her though. This seems different than the other times. Not guarded, at all, just nervous and curious.

The warm glow in his chest made the unicorn sit down after returning to his Canterlot dwelling, Toxic poking at the amulet around his neck.

Despite it all, she was eager to have another date with me, excited to…
Someone excited to be around me.

That thought made a bit of heat brim around Toxic’s eyes, the stallion shaking his head to clear it with a breath. That didn’t solve the problem, the warmth now firmly seated in his chest.

Maybe I can start trusting again. Maybe she’s the one to take another chance with.
I wonder what she’s thinking though? Hopefully I didn’t make a total fool of myself…

Gelliana slid against the wall of her shop, a blissful smile on her face as the gryphoness wrapped her arms around her torso. Her first date in ages, and it went perfectly!

Well, sort of perfectly. You were a puffball most of the time.
But at least Toxic enjoys that?

And holding my talons at the end. Not a hug, but an old knight-and-princess gesture!

She let out a soft squeal at that thought, knowing that maybe Toxic didn’t really know the history behind it. The gesture varied from species to species, but in gryphons, it was a respectful sign of interest.

Even if you had no clue, it was perfect! Even though I totally made myself look like a featherhead with that blurting out a yes…

But it made him happy. That goofy, sincere and just cute grin of his.

There hadn’t been any tension other than the usual nerves, and the sincere reactions from Toxic had the herbalist nearly bouncing off the walls. No ego, just a pony interested in her.

I do need to ask him, though. Gelliana thought, toying with her talons. It saved me from heartbreak more than once, a single word. But I don’t think my fears apply to Toxic. Maybe because I feel like I can trust him, at least more than some random individual. Usually I’ve been able to pick up on something else that was there. But with him? He’s just…him.

I wonder what his answer will be though?

Instead of her usual anxious nerves causing a knot in her chest, the single, questioning word made a flicker of hope rise instead.

Why?

One Day Later

Icait bounced her way home, more figuratively than literally. The Windigo skipped along, still amazed that most reactions to her were of mild curiosity, and surprise at the Legionnaires that followed her.

Library re-organized, nopony sneered at me when renting a book, and Gelliana was definitely in a good mood.

Apparently, the gryphoness had gone on a date the day before and had another one planned for tomorrow. Icait didn’t have to be a changeling or even try to sense Gelliana’s emotions, no, it was fairly clear by the constant smiles exactly how she felt.

What was his name? That stallion from before with the dangerous cutie mark? Toxic something.

As she neared her designated apartment, Icait’s thoughts drifted to a different spectrum.

I wonder what that’s like? Liking somepony more than a friend. It seems pretty overwhelming, if I’m being honest. I’m still getting used to the idea of having Gelly as a friend. From what I’ve read, it’s like…a super friend? Ish?

I’ll think about that later. I still have to deal with Mr.Grumpy.

Oddly enough, Onyx hadn’t been living up to his nickname the past day or two. He seemed almost at ease, usually on the couch reading a book when Icait got home. It was odd to see him without shadow tendrils edging out of his shoulders or the stallion appearing like a coiled-up spring.

It was curiously nice to see him like that. He almost looked happy at times, did look happy, at least the past few days. Something had changed, but Icait wasn’t sure what.

Eh. Hopefully he’ll tell me, but I’m not planning on it. I don’t even really know that much about him.
Huh. I never really realized that. I guess we’ve just been so busy trying to get used to ‘life’, we just didn’t ever talk about things.

Her brow furrowed as the Windigo trotted up the apartment stairs.

No, I talked about things, and Onyx listened. I never asked about him after the first grumpy reply or two weeks ago. He knows what my favorite food and hobby is. But what are his?

And that was something Icait was quite happy to change.

The legionnaire posted at the door let them in, Icait stretching her shoulders as she zipped into the air, no longer confined to ‘walk’ like everypony else.

She didn’t have to do that outside, but it made everypony else appear more comfortable though.

From his usual position on the couch, Onyx looked over to her and set aside his book, as he always did.
“Anything interesting today?” he asked.

Icait nodded, feeling a bit of excitement on being able to ‘turn the talking tables’ per say.
“A bit. Gelliana, that gryphoness I’m helping? She had a date yesterday and has been soooo much happier since then. I think she's got a date tomorrow too, and my goodness is she excited. I don’t really understand why, but I know it’s warranted.”

The shadow-stallion let out an affirming huff at that.

“A good way of putting it. Not understanding but knowing it’s logical.”

“Did anything happen interesting during your day?”

Onyx blinked, and then stared. It wasn’t in a negative or condescending fashion, but as though the pony had absolutely no idea how to respond.

“I…”

Icait sat down, ears perked up as she listened, taking a bit of guilty pleasure at seeing more emotion than just grumpy acceptance from the stallion.

“I learned a few things, these past days,” Onyx said finally, he deep voice much, much softer.

“Oh?”

This is new!

“Things I should have realized a while ago, but had a few barriers to overcome before admitting it to myself. I’d…rather not say what it is yet though.”

Darnit!

His grey gaze lifted up from the couch and met Icait’s, a rare occurrence more often than not- eye contact wasn’t his strong suit.

“It is something I’d like to talk about though. Soon.”

Yay!

Icait nodded, finding a bit of fluttery warmth in her chest choking her words. This was the most open she had seen her friend, even if he didn’t ever call her that.

But he’s still my friend. He didn’t let me fade, and even if he’s a grump, he’s changing.

“I’ll be here whenever that is,” Icait replied softly, feeling the general unease and annoyance the Legionnaires usually felt actually waver and lessen.

I guess we’re all growing, bit by bit.

Author's Note

What do you get with a total fluffy romantic and a silly stallion? Adorable shenanigans, that's what! :yay:

And looks like Mr.Grumpy is learning, bit by bit!

Depending how things go with my schedule, I may shift to every-other-week updates. with these larger chapters, simply due to story flow and graduate work/job. I hope everyone is enjoying the tale, and feedback is always appreciated.

Chapter Nine: Precious Pastry Ponderings

The mind is a strange thing. Even against logic or reason it may cause reactions on a whim. Perhaps a gut feeling, or maybe a simple reminder to a past stimulus.

Either way the smile automatically twitched at Toxic’s face as a familiar gryphoness rounded the corner was genuine, the nervous pang in his chest vanishing on seeing her wave cheerily as she approached. No hesitation, no glance to his chest at the ever-present amulet, just a happy reaction to seeing him.

The fact such a thing was more surprising than not was a dark blemish in the back of Toxic’s mind, but the current company certainly aided in banishing it. It was a positive trait, being self-aware of one’s emotions, but that certainly came with a bit of discomfort.

Said discomfort was knowing that this gryphoness had caught his complete attention, and Toxic didn’t want that to change.

Admitting that I’m starved in a social sense is the first step, I suppose. How long has it been since I’ve let myself relax? A lunch here and there; Varti and Hammer, that’s about it. Celestia and Luna are sort of half and half.
But this sort of thing? An attractive gryphoness who doesn’t seem to care about the usual hang ups? Who still wants to get to know me even after seeing what I deal with, what it does to me? How rare is that?
And those fluffy feath-

“So! Where are we going?” Gelliana asked cheerfully, seeming to smile a bit wider as two blue ears immediately perked up, Toxic quite aware of his dopey grin at a certain previous thought.

“To the land of culinary wonders!” he exclaimed as they walked along. “Otherwise known as a rentable kitchen!”

Gelliana’s curious head tilt was another adorable checkmark on the list in Toxic’s mind, the pony chuckling.

“You pay a fee for a totally stocked kitchen, time and supplies to bake what you want. Sooooo I thought we could have a baking contest! I-hmmm.” Toxic then remembered a rather crucial detail. “I know I said we could split this cost, but since it’s a surprise, I’d like to change that for this date.”

“Oh? Does that mean you’re already planning a third date?” Gelliana exclaimed with a rather sly grin. “I know you’re rather fearless, but I’m surprised!”

Toxic felt the neurons in his brain short-circuit, nearly tripping over his hooves as he stammered for a reply.

“I…ah…erm…”

The cheerful giggling at his side apparently meant his reaction was well-received, a feathery shoulder nudging his own.

“That’s fine, Toxic.”

“I, ok,” he then glared at the gryphoness good-naturedly. “Is this payback for my cheekiness on our first date?”

“No! Of course not! I’d neeeeeeeever do something like that!”

The fact Gelliana was struggling to not burst out laughing didn’t really add much weight behind those words, not that Toxic minded at all.

The building they went to was the pinnacle of industrial plainness; stark metal and stone that would ordinarily be an eyesore in the more rustic Tall Tale setting. However, the dozens of food sculptures surrounding and decorating the building certainly advertised its fun intentions.

“So, this place furnishes ingredients, and you can just experiment! I thought for our date we could make something with only a general recipe, and see whose turned out better?” Toxic explained, Gelliana eagerly examining a few of the statues.

“That sounds great!”

The two were greeted into the cream-colored reception area and shown to one of a dozen doors, Toxic walking in first and gesturing to the area behind him.

“Tada!”

Gelliana couldn’t help but look around in genuine surprise. The fully furnished kitchen was sparkling clean, and the counters were brimming with ingredients.

“Soooo? What do you think?”

The gryphoness could only blink for a few moments as she collected her thoughts.

“It’s…well, it’s a lot!” she finally stated, Toxic chuckling.

“Yeah, it’s a bit overwhelming,” he admitted, shyly looking down to his hooves for a moment. “It was a worry of mine. I didn’t want to have a huge extravagant thing, but thought it’d be a fun idea.”

“I suppose it’d have been a bit trickier to experiment with ingredients at our own kitchens, and would have taken a bit more planning too,” Gelly admitted. “So, I think this’ll be fun!”

Toxic trotted over to the pile of ingredients, his expression softening as he gestured to it.

“And as a side note, we just can’t be too wasteful in terms of taking stuff from the containers,” he explained. “The raw leftover ingredients are sterilized with magic and used for charity baking projects. It’s one of the reasons I like this place; very little actual waste.”

Two violet eyes softened at that, Gelliana’s demeanor shifting ever so slightly as she nodded.

“I think that’s really nice; I didn’t think about that.”

A stray thought then cemented itself into Toxic’s mind, the stallion knowing he had to address it sometime.

Hmm. Maybe start things first.

“So, want to get started?” he suggested. “I was thinking a dessert? Maybe not a pie, but something fruity?”

“How about turnovers?”

Toxic nodded in agreement, trotting over to gesture to the ovens.

“Turnovers it is! The only numbers on the instructions is the oven temperature. After that, it just tells us the ingredients and they’re out of order,” he then cast a glance towards the grinning gryphoness. “You’ve never baked those before…right?”

“Nope! So, we’re both on equal terms assuming you haven’t,” Gelliana countered.

“Certainly not here. Then ovens are pre-heating!”

After setting the correct temperature, Toxic trotted over to his date and sat down looking at the curious gryphoness with a flutter of nerves.

What is he up to?

“Gelliana, before we delve into things, I just wanted to thank you,” Toxic said softly.

“Hmm?”

Between the fun date idea and the playful teasing, Gelliana was certain her heart was going to zip out of her chest.

“For not asking about this,” the stallion whispered, prodding the amulet on his chest. “I know you must be curious but the fact you didn’t ask about it when we first met or on our first date, that means quite a bit.”

NO TEARING UP! If I do that every time he is sincere, I’m going to be a mess.

“S-sure,” Gelly replied, “It just didn’t seem right to do so. Yeah, I’m curious, but that’d be like asking a gryphon why they didn’t have two wings. It’s just rude.”

Toxic let out a huff at that, and Gelliana saw the figurative gleam of an edge, a sharper side to the pony.

“You’d be surprised how many individuals don’t realize that,” he replied, “so, thank you. And I would like to tell you so it’s out of the way, if that’s alright. It’s rather anticlimactic, or perhaps I’m just jaded to it all.” The stallion then gestured to the ovens. “I mean, those still have to heat up, even if it may take less time to make everything. I know it’s not the happiest thing, but…” he couldn’t help but smile gently. “Sad or not, it’s part of me.”

“No, I’d-I’d very much like to hear about it, about you,” Gelliana replied, settling down on her haunches.

“It’s rather simple, honestly. The Oakbark incident happened when I was a young colt- didn’t even have my cutie mark, but I was a late bloomer in that sense,” Toxic explained. “The industrial plant exploded. Safety regulations ignored, too much of certain chemicals; it all mixed into a magical slurry that vaporized and suffocated the entire town. Well, almost all of it.”

Toxic poked at the amulet, using his hoof to pull back a bit of fur on the side of his neck and exposed a small, flat blue crystal attached to the skin that glowed the same color as the gem in the necklace.

“Apparently, my vocal cords were the only part of me not immune to the gas. I don’t know the rhyme or reason, but it changed them to vibrate differently. Now, it causes anycreature within earshot to have near immediate headaches or actual hearing damage if they listen to me long enough. Youngsters can actually hear my voice for a few minutes before it begins to hurt, but that’s for a very specific age range. I have it all written down, but something about causing parts of the inner ear to vibrate; gryphons and hippogriffs have it worse off due to their more sensitive ears. The amulet mutes the vibrations and translates it into this less-emotional voice. And that’s really it,” he explained. “Surgery and stuff can’t correct it, oddly enough. My body reverts the changes; something to do with the magical aspects of whatever I breathed in. But hey, I got a cool looking necklace out of all of it and a cutie mark.”

Gelliana didn’t miss the barely-concealed pain in Toxic’s eyes. The fact he was able to joke about it all was definitely a sign of his strength. A few of his explanations seemed almost wrote- as though saying it from a script…

He must have had to explain it so many times, and now has learned to deal with it with a bit of humor.

Or perhaps a way to cope.

“I know you must have told that story a hundred times, but thank you,” Gelliana said, reaching over to give Toxic’s shoulder a pat. “I like knowing about you.”

Ok that sounded a bit lame-wait, is he blushing?!

Lame or not, the stallion was clearly a tad flustered, something Gelliana was quickly learning to enjoy.

“Erm…I…turnover time?” he suggested, the poor stallion scrambling for words as Gelly giggled.

“Turnover time it is.”

Thankfully, the ovens chimed for being pre-heated, giving some sort of further interruption as the two dove into their projects. With just bare-bones recipe as their guide, the conversations quickly had them in stitches from even what started as a simple question.

“Apples or cherry?” Toxic whispered as their recipes began to come together.

“Go bold. Go apple.”

“You just heard that from a slogan!”

“Did not!”

“I know that’s a slogan somewhere! Maybe a rejected slogan, but one nonetheless!”

“It is not that bad!”

“And how are apples bold?”

“Well considering you grabbed the smallest, most blue apples I’ve seen, I’d say it’s bold!”

And indeed, Toxic was holding a large jar of blueberries, his left eye twitching as Gelliana gasped for air.

“You sabotaged me!”

“I did nothing of the sort!”

“You berry much crossed the line!”

At that, Gelliana was in tears as the stallion struggled to catch his own breath. It had been a horrible pun, but he liked making creatures laugh.

Especially her.

While Gelliana’s humor defenses were down, Toxic deployed something he had been wanting to do since their first date. Of course, he did want to make sure. He knew how nicknames could be a negative instead of fun thing to joke about.

“Hey, Gelly?” he asked. “How do you feel about your nickname? I mean, I assume you’ve heard every joke there is…”

The gryphoness snorted, rolling her eyes at that.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, I really don’t mind. It’s my name, after all. Some guys have used some not-so-repeatable jokes, but most are just kinda…I dunno, old after a while,” she admitted, then smiling at the stallion. “But when I like the creature making the joke, that makes it rather fun if it’s new.”

“Soooooo no hard feelings on nickname jokes?” Toxic double checked, Gelliana giggling.

“No hard feelings. If it’s one I’ve heard before, you won’t get much more than a roll of the eyes. Then again, I haven’t really had that many jokes after growing up.”

“Huh. Well, good to know.”

“…you totally thought of one, didn’t you?”

Toxic shook his head innocently, but the completely cheeky grin likely negated that gesture.

“NOPE!”

“Uh huh….”

They busied about making their turnovers before Toxic pounced.

“Hey, I think you’re missing a crucial ingredient!” he called out, tossing a suspiciously-unmarked jar over to the gryphoness.

“Hmm?” she asked, looking at the item and opening it. “Peanut butter?”

“I mean, it goes great with-”

He really should have taken the eye-twitch as a sign, in hindsight.

*PAFT!*

A handful of blueberries bounced Toxic’s face, Gelliana glaring at him with a mischievous and playful smirk, the gryphoness stabbing a talon his way.

“YOU DID NOT!”

Toxic retaliated with a few raspberries of his own, ducking behind the counter.

“It’s a perfect match! How can I compete with such a potential suitor, if not for a turnover, than for your heart!”

“Do you have ANY idea how many times I’ve heard jokes about that?”

“That means I just have to try harder to come up with new ones!”

Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle, Toxic poking his head above the counter to see that the coast was now clear.

“In all honestly, Toxic, that was a new way to put it,” she admitted with a smile. “So, well done. No wonder you asked! I think…when…you….”

Her voice trailed off as the cheeky unicorn proudly stood at attention, going above and beyond what she thought possible for the joke. The peanut butter jar had been located and levitated back, Toxic securing the item upside-down on his horn proudly as the oily substance trickled down his face.

“Now we’re a perfect match!” he proclaimed.

From how Gelliana immediately doubled over with gasping laughs, Toxic figured the thorough shower after the date would be totally worth it.

The mirth in her violet eyes was testament enough for that. When was the last time he could be this silly and have it be appreciated?

Far too long. And if a jar on my head gets her to laugh, then I guess I’m a jarhead for good!

Their recipes finally concluded with only a few, left-over giggles and a conversation about the superior type of fruit pasty (to which they agreed it largely depended on the desert), then sticking their creations into the oven.

“Soooo now we wait?” Gelliana asked as her date nodded.

“Yep! I guess we can clean up and just chat while they cook?”

“I think you need to clean up. That was some dedication to the joke.”

As Toxic stuck his head under a faucet, the unicorn grinned at the amused gryphoness.

“Well, I apparently had past competition to come up with that one, and for the future.”

“Ooooh no.”

Gelliana couldn’t help but smile as they continued to clean. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been on a date and not been preoccupied with something. In terms of gryphons, there had always been, unfortunately, an ulterior motive for their temporary kindness.

And it’s a wonder I don’t have trust issues. Ugh.

But Toxic? He seemed sincere. A bit nervous and definitely over-thinking things a bit but it was in a considerate manner. He clearly thought the jokes about her shorter name were a sensitive subject, to which she could appreciate.

But I like when you’re relaxed, Toxic. Just that goofy grin.

And the fact his heartbeat still is faster when looking at me…

A bit of tender warmth continued to stir in Gelliana’s chest, a thought threatening to make a bit of dampness come to her eyes.

After all you’ve seen, you still don’t have that edge that many gryphons have, or ponies too for that matter.

She had to stop herself from being too excited. There was still a question, a very important matter she had to bring up, and the thought rightfully made the warmth in her breast ice over. Gelliana truly didn’t think Toxic would be one of those creatures, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility.

I guess how we met kind of added a level of trust. I’m not sure the intricacies of it, but I’d have to guess this job of his plays a big part of it.

Managing to shut her mind off for a moment, Gelliana went back to sorting the left-over materials, simply enjoying the company of her date.

The bonus of having eagle vision was not missing when his gaze flickered over to her, nor when an automatic smile twitched at his features when she met his own eyes with hers.

As they tidied up the counter, the stallion found himself actually relaxed, his mind not dwelling on anything else other than the time spent with the lovely gryphoness nearby. He knew his gaze drifted over to her a few times, but that wasn’t what a gentlestallion did; gawking like a star-struck colt, at least as much as he could consciously control.

Toxic wasn’t about to lie to anyone (including himself,) that he found Gelliana to be absolutely gorgeous. There was quite a list in terms of why, and while physical attraction was an essential part of a relationship he couldn’t help but see something else. There was another layer grafted to the gryphoness, something Toxic couldn’t separate.

You saw me at one of my worst times, pulled me out of a nightmare. You saw the worst my job had to offer and what it did to me.

And yet here you are.

“Toxic?”

Gelliana’s soft voice snapped the stallion back to reality, the pony managing an awkward grin. “Hmm?”

The gryphoness was at his side, gesturing to some soda bottles.

“You’ve been staring at those for a minute.”

Toxic’s attempt to pick up one of the bottles sent them rolling about, the pony letting out a huff.

“Sorry, I-”

*PSSSSSST!*

One of the bottles fell off the counter and smacked into a protruding edge. The plastic ruptured, releasing the gas and liquid with a loud hiss.

The kitchen faded into memory, and Toxic felt his horn sparking with a shielding spell on instinct.

The long corridor was lit with emergency lights, the sound of rupturing pipes echoing in his ears. A toxic red cloud burst from one of the glass-lined rooms with a loud hiss-

“Toxic?”

A set of reassuring claws on his shoulder made the stallion come back to reality, his sides heaving as a powerful shielding spell sputtered out. Two violet eyes looked into his, Toxic’s heartbeat slowing as a bit of sweat dotted his frame.

“Sorry,” he whispered in embarrassment, green eyes looking at the floor. “Just a memory. Job and such,” he said lamely.

Gelliana was quiet for a time, sitting down next to the stallion.

“Can you do me a favor, Toxic?” she asked, softly.

His ears still pinned back the stallion glanced over to her curiously.

“Never say you’re sorry for that,” Gelliana replied, her violet gaze fierce and sharp despite the gentle tone of her voice. “Not for what you’ve seen and been through.”

What?

Toxic’s head whipped over to stare at her, Gelliana’s gaze meeting his own with a steady assurance. A lump rose up in the stallion’s throat, her words punching through to reach the sincere parts of his heart.

Nobody has ever said that to me, not outside of a very well-paid therapist and the Princess’s.

“Why?” he managed to croak out, the word somehow making the gryphoness’s ears stand on end. “Forgive me, Gelly, but I don’t really understand,” Toxic admitted. “I’m not a broken pony by any means, but I deal with a lot of stuff and have rough patches. Are you saying you’re ok with that? Jumping at a hissing soda bottle? A laundry list of other challenges?”

Her head tilted slightly, the gryphoness looking somewhat confused as she smiled.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Gelly replied. “And I saw what you deal with. I’m not so naïve to think a pony can come out of such a thing unscathed. I’m amazed you’re still you after all of that. I…” her words drifted off, claws tapping against the ground. “I’m just happy Marigold was wrong. That they were all wrong. I had a feeling they were.”

“Huh?”

Gelliana winced, looking away briefly.

“Your nickname. The…cold one. My best friend told me about it before we even met,” Gelliana explained. “And I didn’t talk to her for a full day afterwards because of how mad I was at her being so judgemental. And now seeing what you go through, it would make me even more furious,” she growled.

She looked up to see the stallion’s eyes watering, Toxic not able to form words as he stared in shock. Her cheeks warmed, a bit of embarrassment flooding through the gryphoness’s frame.

“Sorry. I’ve been on the receiving end of rumors, so it’s a bit of a sore spot,” she admitted. “Even moreso now that I know how wrong they are for you.”

Toxic was speechless for a few more moments, finally able to shrug his shoulders.

“I don’t really know what to say other than ‘thank you.’”

Gelliana simply smiled back, fluttery warmth flooding her chest as an increasingly-familiar heartbeat sped up slightly, something she quickly was starting to adore every time Toxic looked into her eyes.

“I know this probably goes a lot deeper than most second dates, but I did have a question of my own,” Gelly said softly, which prompted a soft huff from Toxic.

“I think this is a unique case, and I know what you mean though,” he replied. “Seeing somepony at their worst, and the fact you’re still here after seeing what I deal with…I’m still trying to process it, quite frankly.”

“You’re not the only one trying to figure stuff out.”

“Huh?”

Gelliana waved at him with a set of claws, now avoiding his gaze as her feathers fluffed with embarrassment. “You asked ‘why?’, Toxic?” she whispered. “That’s what I want to know, but about myself.”

Seeing his perplexed look, the gryphoness let out a frustrated breath, wings then sagging along with her ears. “Look, based on how we met, I feel like I can trust you, at least more than others I’ve just met,” she admitted. “So, I’m asking you this not because I think it’s your intention, but because not asking has burned me in the past.”

“I mean, I agree with the trusting thing, but still don’t follow,” Toxic admitted, patiently listening.

“Did you ask me on a date or two just because I’m a gryphon?”

The pony stared in absolute surprise, only able to reply with. “Huh? Just because you’re a gryphon? No, of course not. Admittedly I think that’s a plus in my book, but not for some of the…uh, ‘common’ reasons.”

Gelliana could feel her eyes narrow in suspicion, even if she didn’t want to appear as such.
I trust you, Toxic. Please don’t be like the others.
Please.

“Common reasons?” she asked, pleasantly surprised to see Toxic not flustered or struggling to explain himself, his heartbeat remaining steady.

“Well, yeah. You probably know the reasons I’m talking about; am I right?” he asked. “Dating a gryphon as some sort of relationship-bucket-list. And I mean that in the least-intimate way possible, or…” he then frowned. “In a much more intimate way than most. I’ve talked to more than one individual who has a checklist to have a one-night stand with some other species. Those are the reasons I am not referring to.”

Gelliana felt a weight lift from her shoulders, one that she hadn’t even realized had been pressing down with increased strength. “I’ve had a few dates admit to just that,” she whispered. “As some sort of challenge. They just wanted to say they dated a gryphon. Or wanted to go a lot further than a kiss just to say they had done it. They didn’t care about me other than the fact I had feathers.”

“Well, I look forward to continuing to prove that is not my intention.”

The simple phrasing made Gelliana’s heart melt. No abrupt refuting, no denying, only ‘I want to prove you wrong.’ She could feel a lump in her throat rising to her eyes, but the gryphoness continued. “Other gryphons were the worst though,” she said. “I can’t count the number of times they thought it’d be fun to have a ‘toy’ to come home to. Being a runt raises a lot of issues I would have rather avoided.”

Gelly didn’t miss the narrowing of Toxic’s eyes at her ‘toy’ remark, and the slight twitch of his mouth in aggravation.

Wait. Did I just hear him growl?

….huh.

“They enjoyed the fact I was a physical pushover, and that was on top of gryphons usually not being very pleasant. Growing up in Equestria gave me a higher standard for social interactions it would seem.” She glanced over to Toxic, the stallion still sitting next to her, now slightly facing the gryphoness. “So, yeah. I guess it comes down to if those are your intentions in any way, I just want to know now instead of finding out later,” she said, ears drooping. “I don’t think they are, but I….”

I don’t want to get hurt again.

Gelliana could feel a few hot tears force their way out of her eyes, the emotional gryphoness wishing her feelings about all of this weren’t so close to the surface.

“Can I give you a hug?”

The amulet muted some of his tone, but the genuine care still came through Toxic’s voice, and Gelly nodded once. The simple embrace made the gryphoness melt, not able to stem the tears even the slightest anymore as she hugged the stallion back, resting her head tentatively on his shoulder.

“Y’know, I imagined something a tad more romantic for our first hug,” Toxic whispered. “Maybe a dinner on a hill? Candles?”

Gelliana couldn’t help but half-laugh, half-sniffle at that.

“A-aren’t you the romantic,” she teased.

“Oh, you have no idea. Just you wait. And I promise no PB and J jokes during such times.”

Wait.

The fact Toxic pulled back and grinned at her made Gelliana’s feathers poof out, her past memories and sorrows shoved to the side.

He’s not joking?

Please don’t be joking.

And then he pulled her closer again, but not so tight as to impose the gesture any longer than she wanted.

“Gelly, I know that whatever I say will leave a bit of doubt, at least for now,” Toxic said softly. “But for what it’s worth, I don’t have those intentions for what we have started here, I promise you that.” He paused briefly, and Gelliana was now thoroughly convinced he was perfect hugging height. “When I said you being a gryphon is a plus, can I explain why?”

She nodded, getting a bit of guilty pleasure that Toxic seemed to rest his head ever so slightly against hers, unintentional or not.

“I know this is painting gryphons with a broad brush, so I acknowledge that. But most ponies would have run screaming from that control room. Everypony there froze or lost their lunch. But you didn’t, most gryphons, I imagine, wouldn’t. I appreciate that about you in particular, because you’re still…you. The gryphons and creatures I’ve met who wouldn’t flinch at that sight have lost a part of themselves. You don’t seem to have that coldness, if that makes sense. Gryphons are just tougher than ponies in many ways. And I find that rather attractive.”

“That makes sense,” Gelliana replied, feeling her own heart beating like a drum.

That’s what I thought about you. You still have your ‘soul’, even after seeing so much.

“I mean, and then there’s the fur and feathers, the ‘fierce warrior princess’ look, if we’re going for positive physical characteristics…”

Gelliana let out a soft *eep*, feeling Toxic’s sides shudder with a chuckle.

“You know, you are hugging me tighter.”

She let him go with a glare, emotionally-sensitive feathers fully puffed out as Toxic smiled back.

“You did that on purpose!” she accused him with a very anemic pout.

“Of course I did. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t being truthful. Fur, feathers, eyes, it’s rude to stare though,” the stallion admitted, a playful glint in his green eyes not making it easier for Gelliana to smooth her feathers down.

As she sputtered, the stallion winced slightly, still smiling however.

“Too much?”

“A b-bit…” she admitted, even though the gryphoness was not about to complain at any further remarks.

“Well, you did ask.”

Well, he’s got me there.

Note to self. Make him be the one flustered next time when I tell him what is so blasted attractive....

….next time?

“S-so, does that mean you’d want to have a third date?” Gelliana asked tentatively, the ghost of her stutter entering her speech.

“I’d very much like that,” Toxic replied. “As well as a fourth, fifth, all the way up to and beyond double digit dates, if you’d like. I don’t mean to be too presumptuous though.”

DO NOT CRY.

You already lost it once. But you are NOT making this easy on me, Toxic. You have no idea how close to the chest this is for me.

“I’d l-like that very much,” Gelliana managed to say. “So, are we officially dating then?”

The sincere and excited smile that spread across the stallion’s face made that increasing warmth in Gelliana’s chest ignite into an inferno.

“I’d certainly like that, if you would,” he replied. “I think the whole ‘special somepony’ or ‘somegriff’ label in this case may be after a few more dates if that’s ok. But I’d very much like to go on as many dates as you’d be interested in.”

If these two are any indicator, that’s a lot of dates.

“I’d really like that,” Gelliana said softly.

A loud *DING* made them both jump, the oven signaling their creations were done. Toxic levitated his items out as Gelliana snagged her, the unicorn then gesturing to the steaming desserts.

“A hopefully-yummy treat to celebrate?” he suggested, the gryphoness all-smiles.

“My talons are crossed!”

After the turnovers cooled, each eyed their creations curiously. They seemed to look normal, if not a bit messy.

“Well, nothing to do but try them?” Toxic suggested, levitating one of his own as Gelly did the same for hers.

“Now I’m nervous,” she muttered. “Oh, this could taste horrible.”

“I’ll be the gentlecolt and go first?”

“You’re already a gentlecolt, but thank you.”

Gelly was rewarded by an embarrassed mumble, making a mental note to do that much more often. It was pretty clear that consistent compliments were an alien thing to the stallion in question.

That’s something I’ve seen a lot, sadly. Well, I’ll gladly change that!

Taking a large bite of his apple creation, Toxic chewed thoughtfully.

“Hmmmmm.”

“So how is it?” she asked.

The pony’s eyes widened in horror, the stallion promptly delivering his mouth’s contents to the trash can with a shudder.

“Egg,” he whispered. “So much egg. It’s all egg!”

Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle at the now indignant look on Toxic’s face, the stallion taking another bite from a different area.

“But this one is fine! Ugh, I must not have mixed it well enough,” he grumbled.

Reaching over to snag a bite, Gelliana grinned, shrugging her wings.

“Dunno what you’re talking about, this taste great!” she chirped, taking another large beakful.

Her expression fell, her date promptly chuckling.

“Oh, I see you found the egg.”

“Bleeeeeeeeeh,” the gryphoness likewise removed the offensive mouthful into the trash can as well, then eying her own creation warily. “Well, here it goes!”

A blissful hum left the gryphoness’s beak, Gelly eagerly downing half the pastry.

“Oh, I tooootally hit the mark on these,” she sighed, not able to resist a giggle as Toxic pouted.

“Could I have-”

He caught the turnover tossed his way, the unicorn taking a few bites and nodding.

“Ok, you win by a long shot. That’s awesome!” he agreed. “Ooooh, it’s actually a bit tart? That’s new!”

“I added a bit of lime and some other things to go with the sugar. I’d say it turned out well!” Gelly replied. “I may have to try this at home since it turned out…so…well…”

Her words drifted off as her date assaulted her with the most sincerely sad puppy eyes she had ever seen, the unicorn’s ears lying flat as his green eyes darted over to her pile of pastries, lower lip quivering slightly.

“Yes, you can have another. Just stop with the eyes!”

“Yay!”

Toxic was back to a full-on smug grin as he downed another turnover, Gelliana grumbling under her breath.

That worked far, FAR too well.

…lets hope he doesn’t find out how well that works for a while.

“Seriously though, these are great. I crown you the turnover queen!” Toxic proclaimed. “I’ll work on making a crown. Or maybe baking one?”

“Please no.”

Toxic opened his mouth, and then promptly shut it with a nod.

“Yeah, maybe not baking it,” he agreed.

After bagging up the edible turnovers, Gelliana turned to Toxic after looking around, sighing happily as they sat near the entrance to the kitchen.

“That was a lot of fun, Toxic,” she said softly as her shyer side decided to be a bit more dominant, ironically. “So, for our next date, want me to plan that?”

Toxic nodded, the stallion’s eyes widening at her words. The gryphoness didn’t miss how his heartbeat raced, especially at her last words.

“I look forward to it,” he replied softly, looking a tad nervous.

Oooooh. I can make a guess.

“Y’know, if you want to give me a hug, I won’t bite you.”

The stallion’s face immediately flushed, the pony shrugging his shoulders.

“I…erm…”

Setting down the turnovers, Gelly took a step forward and looked up slightly at the stallion, her own feathers fluffed as two green eyes widened in surprise.

“Can I give you a hug?” she asked, “Now that I’m not a mess and about to cry?”

On seeing Toxic nod, Gelly promptly wrapped up her date in her arms, letting out a happy breath as Toxic returned the gesture.

Perfect. Hugging. Height.

There weren’t too many times when Gelliana could say her small stature was a bonus in terms of being a gryphon, but this, this was definitely one of them. The crook of Toxic’s shoulder and neck was just at the right height to rest on and enjoy.

I’ve forgotten how much I’ve needed this. It’s not the same getting a hug from Marigold…obviously.

And now I can actually enjoy it.

It was an almost imperceptible gesture, but Gelliana’s heard skipped a beat when Toxic let himself relax a bit, removing the last remnants of nervous stiffness his gesture had held. He pressed

Maybe I’m not the only one who needed a hug.

“I’m going to take a guess and say you’re not a hugger?” she ventured to ask, her heart dropping slightly as she voiced her question.

“Not in a casual sense, usually at least,” he admitted. But before the words could sink in, his grip around the gryphoness tightened slightly. “But you don’t count for that. You obviously needed a hug earlier,” the stallion paused, “And I like you. So, I therefore like hugging you.”

Now the gryphoness definitely felt Toxic lean into her embrace, seeming to fully accept the gesture as his voice dropped to a near whisper. “Quite a bit, actually.”

Gelly couldn’t hold back a slight sniff at that. The fact that Toxic was continually willing to show the vulnerable side she had glimpsed in that alleyway and earlier today meant quite a bit.

“I’m g-glad,” she admitted.

“Is somecreature a hugger?”

“Not willy-nilly, but I don’t mind it.”

She could feel the stallion smile, face muscles tensing as he let out an amused huff.

“Would a lack of hugs be a deal breaker?”

“Totally.”

Toxic gave her another squeeze, the pair separating as the stallion smiled.

“Well, duly noted then,” he replied. “But, well, I’m not that used to it. So, I apologize if I’m a bit hesitant at first.”

“Considering the unique way we started off, Toxic, I’d say taking thing slow isn’t a bad idea?”

His ears perked up at that, the unicorn nodding in agreement.

“I was going to mention something like that. I agree.”

Toxic apparently having pre-paid for the event, they meandered back down the street towards Gelliana’s shop, the stallion appearing rather thoughtful.

“Bit for your thoughts?” Gelliana asked.

“Just how we met. I find it interesting, because it got rid of a lot of the usual awkwardness a first and second date would have,” Toxic mused as Gelly nodded in agreement.

“I agree with you there. We still don’t know each other well, but it was an introduction that just added a bit of trust.”

Her gaze flickered over to Toxic, a bit of nervousness making the gryphoness’s chest tight. To her absolute joy, emerald-green eyes met her own, the stallion smiling slightly.

“And that’s something that’s hard to earn at times,” he admitted softly. “And I admit, for me that is a sore spot. But it’s not for a lack of wanting.”

Gelliana reached over to give his shoulder a friendly nudge, finding it was her chance to steer Toxic’s thoughts in a better direction.

“Well, can you trust me to show up for a third date?” she asked cheerily.

Toxic immediately smiled, nodding with a laugh at that.

“Of course.”

“Then I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

As they paused outside her shop, Gelliana felt her feathers fluff, ears flicking back briefly.

“Look, Toxic,” she asked, the stallion listening attentively. “You’re not the only one who has been burned in terms of trust. So, I get it, at least in part. Slow and steady?”

Toxic met her gaze, expression that of pensive thought before nodding once.

“I like that idea,” he admitted. “And thank you, Gelly.”

He picked up a set of her claws, the gryphoness feeling her feathers poof out even further at the gesture.

“So, how about tomorrow?”

“T-tomorrow works, same time?” she squeaked, the stallion clearly enjoying her easily flustered nature.

“I’ll be here. Lunch and then whatever you come up with?”

“S-sounds good!

Gelliana’s heart nearly was thudding out of her chest as Toxic met her gaze…and smiled.

“See you then.”

And then he was off, leaving a completely melted gryphoness at her shop. No nerves, no wonderings of ‘what if’ buzzed through Gelliana’s mind. Only the happy glow of spending time with somepony she cared about.

And I most certainly care about him.

Trotting down the street happily, Toxic then began to slow his pace, letting his mind wander. To say the date went fantastically was an understatement.
She is truly ok with me. My challenges, everything.

He could hear Varti’s voice shouting in his ears already ‘She’s a keeper!’

Well, my friend, you were right at least. The fact she didn’t shy away after seeing what I went through, wanting to help; that speaks volumes.

The fact she was ok with taking things slow was another point for the gryphoness. No pressuring, just kind understanding.

Almost like she just wants me to be comfortable.

There’s a new revelation, you dense unicorn.

Toxic let out a huff at that.

I’ve never had someone know what I go through and be so accepting of it all. The job itself, the knowledge it does affect me. Most show at least a level of discomfort. I guess that is what is throwing me off more than anything.

As far as things to be puzzled about, Toxic would certainly have no complaints if this was the biggest one in his mind. He did want to talk to her more about it; and he was pretty sure he now had a way of phrasing it all.

But for now, he could only smile at recalling their date and the peanut-butter fiasco.

And she has a sense of humor similar to mine. I can make her laugh!

Her laugh was, to say the least, a pleasant sound. Almost an elevated sort of giggle that seemed to always carry with it a sincere, bubbly mirth.

And those eyes. I don’t know what it is, but wow.

Thankfully, Toxic’s attention was shifted before he could go into a stupor. A familiar pony was walking along the street, grumbling into an ever-present crystal communicator on his ear.

“Yes, the left pile of materials. And…oh?” Wire Strip asked, the brown unicorn blowing his long yellow mane out of his eyes. “So, the contract is still on but delayed? Eh, good enough.”

Toxic had to suppress a laugh as the other pony massaged his temple with a groan. He didn’t know Wire Strip extremely well, more of a casual friend who was five years his senior. They had hayburgers every now and again and it was nice to have a friendly acquaintance. Wire was a fantastic lead technician for the royal guard, specifically for the hazardous decontamination equipment Toxic usually interacted with. In terms of his personal life, it never really came up in conversation, as it often didn’t for casual stallion friends.

Some would say Wire was somewhat off-beat, but Toxic enjoyed such an observation. The other unicorn was one of the few who didn’t judge him; probably because he had his own quirks here and there. So, who was Toxic to judge?

I still have no idea why he fixes machines. The pony is a master strategist. I still can’t believe he beat me in chess in ten moves.

Repeatedly.

Wire Strip had certainly proven that his mind wasn’t the only thing that was sharp. The technician had saved two families when the Windigo threat was still being mopped up months ago. That was good enough for Toxic, and the pony had always been there to help during a disaster.

“Do I have to tell you how dangerous some of those products are if mixed? It doesn’t matter if it looks ‘fine’, you need to always read the-yes, the label is on the container! Don’t…do I have to tell you not to lick them? No? Ok, good. Yes, you’re still doing fine. So, repeat back what I said? Good. I’ll call you later.”

Noticing Toxic out of the corner of his eye, Wire waved a tired hoof at the pony. “Oh, hey there Toxic. How goes it?”

“Just returning from a pleasant outing, so pretty well. How about yourself?” Toxic asked. “Trouble with the crew?”

Wire let out a groan at that, nodding in exasperation.

“It’s more like a daycare center. Don’t poke the pretty-looking liquid, and so forth. I’m having to supervise the delivery some equipment and chemicals for decommissioning. So, with the Royal Guard breathing down my neck, the last thing I want is my crew to look incompetent.”

“Hence the instructions to not lick hazardous chemicals?”

“Precisely,” Wire groaned. “I’ve got a few more calls to make and pick up an order in this city; but maybe we could catch up over some hayburgers later? Assuming you didn’t stuff yourself during what I assume was a date judging by that grin you had earlier? Last I checked, you don’t live in Tall Tale.”

Toxic chuckled, nodding in agreement.

“Well, you’d be right. And that sounds good, so how about at five?”

“Aye, I can do that. There’s an eatery on Fifth and Horsehaven Avenue that I hear is fantastic, see you then?”

“See you then; take care Wire.”

“You too, Toxic.”

The unicorns went their separate ways for now, Toxic not able to keep a smile off his face.

A date and catching up with a friend.
I’m one lucky stallion.

Author's Note

The fluff continues! :yay: And we get a bit more background about Toxic and Gelliana!
....and the puns. The glorious peanut-butter and jelly jokes.

I am realizing how long this story is going to be; so to pace myself and balance it with other, real-life responsibilities, I'm planning to upload every other week due to larger chapter size.

So, fair warning. :moustache:

For the record, I'm at like 160 pages+, and we haven't even gotten to the main event. So I want to make sure I don't burn out on this fic. That all said, I hope you all are ready for the long, fluffy, adorable, and rip-roaring journey!

Chapter Ten: Look for the Light.

The stallion’s armor was rent and torn. The teeth from the Stone Wolves had shredded plate and barding alike.
But they were almost free, or would be, as soon as he limped on three good legs down the canyon.

His figurative Princess helped him along, the Knight not understanding how she could be so strong. He had come to rescue her. And yet now, his body, armor, and weapons broken, she was the one helping him out of the dangerous rocky abyss.

She saw the look in his eyes, her previously immaculate features marred by his blood and dirt. Despite all of that, she smiled. A genuine, loving, energetic gesture that made everything hurt a bit less.

“Hey, even a knight in shining armor has to be rescued from time to time,” she whispered, her stallion stumbling over a rock. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He was about to reply, but loud hisses erupted from the canyon walls. Large, unusually-sized rodents crept from their rocky burrows as they eyed the meal that crept towards them.

Levering himself up on a broken sword, the Knight looked over in surprise as the mare bucked a rock, sending it towards the offending creatures and caving in one of their skulls.

“What?” was her indignant reply, the fire in the mare’s eyes reminding the Knight once more why he had charged after her captors without hesitation.

Oh, how he loved her.

It was one of the bad nights.

Toxic woke up with his chest being constricted, the stallion gasping for air. Mercifully, the nightmarish images were blurred and without too much detail. It was enough though; he knew what had happened in this dream.

Flopping out of bed as he caught his breath, the pony’s body dripped with sweat as he sat up against the wall, motion-sensitive lights slowly brightening to a dim but comforting yellow glow.

Did I make a mistake? Get caught up in the joy of it?

A shudder ran through Toxic’s body, the room seeming a bit colder than normal.

I was so happy to have found somecreature. For two weeks, I was able to forget. For a brief moment…

The knowledge that some outside force could be influencing his nightmares wasn’t a comfort in the slightest. It was even more painful to know that even without their mysterious threat, the dreams would have been just as bad.

Melted feathers.

A single begging question of what she did to make me hurt her. Why wasn’t I more careful…

Then the screaming.

Toxic had expected it, but the stallion had blissfully hoped above hope that this time the dreams wouldn’t touch Gelliana.

He was wrong.

How do I go forward? Stuck between the fears I face every week, but wanting to have somecreature in my life?

Lots of therapy time had been devoted to that question, and it was likely part of the reason Toxic had been able to ignore it for so long. Pushing through fear was a valid tactic, but in the long term could be dangerously exhausting. The butterflies and affection he had for Gelliana had pushed aside the initial wall against opening up again, but now it loomed higher than ever.

The problem lies that I can’t put my fear to rest. I have to face it every time I get that call. And I’m just so tired.

It had been beautiful. A week or two of forgetting what he had to deal with. And now the chickens were coming home to roost, an amusing analogy considering his current relations with a feathery gryphoness.

On our date to the eatery. For the first time in ages, I didn’t jump at the sound of a milkshake being filled, or scan the room for nearby burst pipes.

I was able to forget.

And that was the crux of the matter, something Toxic knew was unhealthy. If he was given the chance, he’d forget it all. The sights, the sounds, everything that came with the inevitable calls from the Princess or Command.

It was odd; the fact he had been taking a break from his usual, weekly job of inspecting various labs for safety violations may have had unintended side effects.

I’m not getting exposure therapy; that’s how the therapist said it at least. Walking down a fully-functional lab when it isn’t exploding put me on edge, but I suppose helped get me used to a ‘normal’ sense of operation.

And I haven’t done that in weeks.

Knowing full well that sleep wouldn’t return for a time, Toxic meandered through his large apartment to refill the water bottle that usually resided by his bed, sitting down and looking at the large shelf of ‘gifts’ from various international countries. Tokens of a job well done.

A ceremonial horn from the Yak’s.

A piece of sculpted coral from the Hippogriffs- that’s the newest one.

And even that magma-gem sculpture from the dragons. Still not sure how I didn’t get burned up on that job, from both the dragons AND that volcano.

Abruptly and without any warning, the image of Gelliana’s horrifically maimed face invaded Toxic’s mental vision, the unicorn shaking his head as if that could banish the sight.

“Well. Tomorrow will be a fun therapy session,” he mumbled as he meandered back to the bed.

“Aaaand that was my night. Or morning depending on how literal I want to be,” Toxic explained, flopping on the well-worn cream couch in a high-rise building. The Royal Assistance Offices dealt with many, many issues ranging from financial, physical, and those of the mind. In this case, more than a dozen floors were dedicated to said mental challenges one may have when working for the Crown.

There were even puppy therapy rooms. Five, as a matter of fact.

Everypony loved puppy therapy.

Toxic had been meeting with Sharp Point for years, the older stallion having been an ex-guard that had seen that sometimes physical wounds weren’t a pony’s greatest hurdle. As with many of the counselors in the building he had the security clearance necessary to be able to address any on-the-job trauma that could arise. The mustached light-blue unicorn let out a hum, glancing over the notes from the previous week.

“You know, I’m surprised you didn’t foresee this, Toxic,” Sharp mused as he spun a pen in a magical field. “You’ve been pretty on target for anticipating events that would adversely affect you. Then again, these past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind I presume?”

Letting out a chuckle, Toxic nodded at that.

“Well I started dating again after years of running away from it. So, you could say that.”

“Running? Hmm. You haven’t used that term before, not recently at least.”

“I haven’t?”

The counselor looked through his notes; a decent stack of them, and that only covered the past few years. “I don’t believe so. Avoided? Yes, but never running away.”

Not replying immediately to that, Toxic’s brow furrowed, the stallion finally shrugging.

“I mean, it’s an apt descriptor.”

“How so? That implies not only actively avoiding it, but eagerly so.”

Toxic’s shoulders slumped, his head shaking back and forth at that.

“Well, when one of my greatest fears involves losing somecreature I love, that can eat away at you. Maybe I avoided seeking out such opportunities because I just couldn’t deal with the idea of that coming true. In hindsight, it was a self-fulfilling prophesy. Withdrawing when I was younger, seeing everycreature think of me as ‘odd’ due to my voice just compounded it. In reality, my past social life probably wasn’t that bad. Just me being far too sensitive…again.”

“The subconscious is a powerful thing indeed. But this new gryphoness, Gelliana, was it? Somehow you’ve approached things differently.”

“Well, our meeting pretty much eradicated the initial worries I had,” Toxic replied. “In my last relationship, in which I thought things were going well with, that mare was just really good at hiding discomfort, and distain for that matter,” the last words were said in a growl, the unicorn shaking his head. “But good riddance to bad rubbish in that case. That was definitely a learning experience, and why I am taking things slow.”

“Not a bad idea. You said earlier the usual hang-ups just weren’t there?”

“That’s what threw me for a loop. Usually it’s something that makes a pony uncomfortable around me. The voice, my job, or the jitters. But at least for a week or two, that all just didn’t exist.”

“That must have been nice.”

“It was, but it obviously didn’t last.”

The counselor continued to spin the pen in thought, gesturing to the stallion with a hoof.

“You said that on your second date, you had an anxiety attack?”

“A small one. The usual traumatic memory stuff. Kind of like those few months where every time I saw my own cutie mark I had flashbacks.”

“But Gelliana didn’t seem to mind?”

“No, and that’s part of why I think I was able to ignore everything. The usual reminders that somepony would inevitably give me just weren’t there.”

“Until last night.”

“Past few nights.” Toxic was then quiet, looking at the floor with a furrowed brow. “Sharp, I don’t want to give Gelly the wrong idea,” he said quietly. “I may have inadvertently put up a front with her. Not intentionally, but just been able to forget all the things that usually are buzzing around my head. Then there’s the trust issue; that is not going to go away anytime soon.”

Sharp let out a hum at that. Quite a few therapy sessions had been devoted to that topic…

“Do you trust her?”

“Yes. But at the same time, I don’t. Something won’t let me trust her completely.”

“Well, to be fair, Toxic, that’s healthy at this stage of your relationship. And from what I understand, your sense of trust in various individuals isn’t iron-clad.”

Toxic let out a grunt, waving a hoof at the older stallion.

“Obviously. But I’m speaking on a general level. There’s always a nagging ‘what if?’ I think I’ll bring it up, as a matter of fact.”

“Oh?”

“She has been burned before too. It’s not my place to say in depth, but she’s had her fair share of distrustful encounters. I just…”

Words drifting off, Toxic’s gaze returned to the floor as his ears pinned back. “I don’t want to go back to it all.”

“Go back to what?”

Lifting his gaze, Toxic’s demeanor slumped, genuine exhaustion radiating from the tired unicorn.

“Going back to jumping at odd sounds. The nightmares. Being afraid of getting close to somecreature; it all has been reduced until now.”

“You and I both know the real problem, Toxic,” Sharp said sincerely.

The other unicorn let out a tired grunt at that.

“And yet no solution. How do I allow myself to deal with years of this garbage without a break? If I take a break, creatures die and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“You work through it as best you can. But you do have to take care of yourself. Didn’t you say you have an idea to help in that regard, reducing the workload slightly?”

Toxic nodded, shifting on the couch.

“And I’m trying to, but as you know I can’t take a break yet. I do plan on launching my-”

As he spoke, the stallion’s hoof shifted to press into the chair. In an instant, it was not a soft, plushy material, but instead held the texture of a metal floor being eaten away by a caustic agent. The sea of chemicals underneath the Tall Tale lab spread out before him, the unicorn shivering and curling up into a ball as his heartrate skyrocketed, the stallion struggling to take deep breaths and not hyperventilate.

“Toxic?”

“Sorry. Just…”

“Take your time.”

Toxic got his breathing under control, shaking his head back and forth.

“It’s coming back. The small things that yank me to a memory.”

“That’s what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can do, one of the many symptoms we’ve covered. You know this, Toxic.”

“Yes, I do. But for a week or two I didn’t feel like I had that! I was…almost normal.”

Sharp let out a snort, gesturing to the stallion.

“Weren’t you the one telling me that normal is boring on multiple occasions? I understand the sentiment however, but running from the truth only postpones the inevitable, as you are seeing. It’s not what you want to hear though, I know.”

“Well, you aren’t paid to tell me what I want to know, Sharp,” Toxic said softly, returning to a different position on the sofa. “You are there to tell me what I need to hear.”

“And I’m telling you as both a paid counselor, and as your unpaid friend, that as an individual you need to find a way to accept your trauma and deal with it. If that means launching your project sooner, then so be it. But you can’t begin to heal with the constant work environment you’re in.”

Ears now flat against his skull, Toxic nodded in agreement.

“Then I guess that’s going to have to wait a bit.”

“I suppose so. May I make a bold observation, Toxic?”

“You’re my therapist; go for it.”

Sharp smiled at the younger unicorn, setting aside his clipboard for a moment.

“You’ve had something very few individuals get. You’ve lived a week, maybe two, as if your trauma had already been dealt with,” the counselor said. “You now know what life could be like after. Not many creatures get a chance to see what that is like before it happens. You’ve been given a potential look at what your life could be after properly dealing with your trauma. That is a rare gift indeed.”

Toxic could only stare in absolute shock, a soft chime ringing out from a clock.

“Same time next week?”

Toxic didn’t reply for a moment, but when he did, a confident, determined smirk made its way onto his face. It was a look that made Sharp smile as well.

“Plan on it.”

A short time later.

He should have been here earlier.

The last few words said to the stallion by Sharp Point had made something change in Toxic’s heart. It was a fire that had been dulled by the Tall Tale incident and the dozens before. It had been slowly guttering out, but now raged with an intensity almost forgotten. A confidence that had faded now returned in force, the unicorn lookout out across his island in satisfaction.

My dream is almost ready. After a decade of preparation and planning. No more ‘eventually’ or ‘soon,’ but now.

Toxic let the sea air run through his fur, a confident grin on his face as he looked out from the island’s primary lighthouse. Stationed above one of many independent leyline reactors, the tower was both a beacon and a generator for a number of defensive measures for his organization’s headquarters. The reactors were an engineering marvel, utilizing passive leyline energy to general both electrical and magical power to be distributed across vast distances. They were the perfect, if not complex power source for the island. To that end Toxic had once wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew.

Thankfully such doubts were behind him. He had even submitted an application pending to declare the island a city-state due to its massive value and other political mumbo-jumbo. That was for later. For now, this island, this organization was the culmination of over a decade of work. Everything had been planed down to the simple minutia; all that was needed was the go ahead.

The name itself had been decided on years ago, and hadn’t undergone many revisions at all. Toxic knew what he wanted to portray when creatures saw the symbol of a lighthouse.

The Last Light Organization. A light for when all others go out. Within the year, my dream will be a reality, I think. The stallion mused, the thought widening his smile. He couldn’t have done it without Varti, the yak lending his technical expertise to invent most of the systems on the island from scratch and adapting those that were bought. Within a year or two, the Last Light Organization could send emergency supplies and highly trained creatures to every corner of Equestria and beyond.

To help when the promises of safety fail, as they inevitably will. One way or another

That thought put a damper on his mood for a moment, the stray memory returning as the stallion shook his head. The curse of knowledge was knowing when a choice was correct, even if it was at the cost of your own wellbeing.

A determined smirk now took place of the carefree smile, Toxic adjusting the harness around his barrel. Jumping off the tower with ease, the unicorn activated the mechanical wings; the metal and crystal device opening with a snap. Purple arcane feathers moved in the wind, sending the unicorn soaring across his island.

It wasn’t so much true flight just yet, more of falling with style for an extended period of time. Even so, the dozen or so successful flapping motions and levitation spells could let Toxic soar for easily an hour before running out of power, more than enough time to oversee almost all of the massive volcanic facility.

What we have built here…

He still couldn’t fathom it all. The amount of money needed for this had been massive yet substantially less than anticipated. Varti had supplied the majority of the funds for the building; but the island itself was something Toxic insisted on paying for.

Well, the initial down-payment at least. Once the organization was up and running with material exports all over Equestria, they’d have it paid off within a few years or less. They could pay it all off now, but that was a last-resort measure with funds best left untouched for now. The things they could manufacture would easily outstrip the investment. Coupled with Varti’s mechanical genius and side projects, money was not going to be an issue.

Hazard suits, emergency food, water, blankets, raw food; there won’t be any disaster left untouched!

Fields of grain spread out underneath Toxic as he soared, then coasting over the factories that were almost completely automated due to Varti’s ingenious fiddling. The island itself was built on one of the many leylines, a necessary step for the reactors they drew power for the golems, lights, everything.

The reactors were an energy-efficient secret that would have even Twilight Sparkle jealous, or so Toxic assumed.

Then again, she may have already patented her version of it. That wouldn’t surprise me either.

Ok, if I’m being honest, that mare’s smart enough to have one underneath that castle already and miniaturized to the size of a horseshoe.

Past the factories was the mountains, the edges of the caldera. There were deep, hollowed-out caverns that had been blasted, dug, and furnished a good three years ago. They were heavily shielded, concealing a more controversial aspect of Toxic’s dream organization from everything but the most intensive and up-close magical scans. Even then, it would appear to just be an underground storage area until you opened the thick doors into the stone and metal compound.

I am sorry about that, Celestia. I wish I could be more honest with you. I wish I could trust you, even if I already do a great deal.

But I know where your priorities lie. Where they have to lie. I can’t fault you for that, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take every precaution. Your nation has to come first.

And so does mine, in a sense.

Perhaps you already know of my plans, even approve of them, but I can’t take the chance I’m wrong. I won’t have more blood on my hooves because of fearful bureaucrats. I hope you understand, because I’d sincerely appreciate your cooperation.

Toxic’s eyes narrowed, many a night spent in the fitness centers, the obstacle courses and magically-powered training dummies. It was here that quite a bit of his own personal, classified training had taken place. It had been a shock when Celestia had authorized it without question, every course he requested.

Perhaps because she knew he’d pursue it one way or another. Even when she knew what he’d use it for, she didn’t raise a single objection. Maybe it was because of the guilt she felt. That could explain the generous pay and authorized trainings; even if she didn’t ever admit to it.

She said that wasn’t it, so I’ll have to take her word for it not being special treatment in that sense. But I suppose if not through the official channels, I’d have found somecreature to teach me. I never want to feel so helpless again. Not when I can do something about it.

He could still hear the sobbing of the parents. It was almost a decade ago yet the sound rang clear as day. An announcement of a failed rescue operation, diplomacy and international red tape having taken too long.

Then again, for some creature’s diplomacy that was never truly a goal, only a stalling tactic. One of many realizations, along with that there was evil in the world that knew no mercy or empathy.

And then when it happened again, I showed Her what I was willing to do, what price I was willing to pay. I will never stand aside again, not with so much at stake.

He pushed those thoughts aside, now turning the wings to angle back towards the larger rocky outcroppings on the edge of the island back across the fields and factories. It was here the primary facilities lay; training grounds, bunkers, decontamination chambers, classrooms, training halls, and dozens of arcane portal platforms. It was a facility built for one purpose; to respond to any disaster that threatened the lives of any creatures, big or small.

And then I won’t be alone in this.

It had taken a lot of thought and therapy sessions to come to terms with his job, that he was the only creature that could handle certain environments. The responsibility had once been nearly enough to break him, and it took quite a bit of time for him to have admitted that. While Last Light was indeed his dream, a way to expand help across the land with the funds he earned, a secondary purpose quickly made itself clear from the start.

I can’t do this forever.

It had been insidious, the cracks and dark tendrils weaving their way into Toxic’s mind. The never-ending nightmares, poor sleep schedule; it didn’t take a well-trained eye to know he was being slowly buried underneath his work. And so, he had planned, hoping that an organization could accomplish what he was solely tasked to do.

The fact I have demonstrated nearly all of the symptoms for a post-traumatic stress disorder at one time or another made me snap out of it. The proud bravado I had for a year thinking I could do it on my own.

Ponyfeathers, Sharp Point showed me the checklist he made of PTSD. That was a shock.

To think I once thought I could do this without being affected. How wrong I was.

With luck, this organization can take my place, in time.

It was a freeing thought. Where once he had drawn from his own strength that only he could stop certain disasters, it was a relief to imagine that such a burden could now be shifted. Perhaps a past version of himself would have scoffed.

But no longer.

After Toxic landed on the roof of a large rectangular building, the offices for the Director and eventual-councilcreatures, the unicorn shrugged off the harness into a waiting container. Toxic’s thoughts then drifted to a much happier time. More specifically, in an hour or two when he’d meet a certain gryphoness.

He hadn’t told her about the organization, but he would. Most likely within the next few dates or whenever he got close to immediately launching things. The last thing he wanted was to scare Gelliana, or, a greater fear, add a motive for dates. The previous nervousness that she may want to date him just because he owned this organization had quickly faded after a few more dates. No, tonight, he wanted to make one thing clear. A simple question that made a few nerves knot in Toxic’s stomach.

“I wonder if she’ll be my special somegriff?” he asked himself, mechanically taking a subconscious tour of his office, then the private ‘home away from home’ section of the building, and the various conference rooms.

She’s still here. She still wants to be with me.

At that, the unicorn skidded to a halt, his eyes widening in shock. The emotion that simple thought carried with it surprised the pony, a lump clogging his throat. It had been a vague thought at first. But to put it into words magnified the impact by a thousand-fold.

She doesn’t need me to be there. She wants me to be there.

He made a mental note of that. Toxic would explore that train of thought with his hopefully-special-somegriff. She appreciated his more vulnerable side, and Toxic was just happy to have somecreature to show it to. Of course, even that simple realization had seemed to increase the worries, the fears, the doubts; and yet that made sense in an odd way.

I guess that lines up with what I know about stress. You can’t really deal with it until the event has passed, and I’ve been living the ‘event’.

Another thing to talk to her about. If she’s ok with helping me deal with a decade of trials. I should mention that before anything else.

Yet she saw what I dealt with, and is still here.

Toxic could have sworn Varti’s voice was echoing through the chamber.

‘She’s a keeper!’

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Toxic mumbled to himself with a grin. He trotted off towards the lab, intent on saying hello to the yak instead of an imagined response of such.

In spite of it all, I’m moving forward, and that’s a good thing.

And yet the dark tendrils of his past refused to be silenced, as evidenced by the stallion jumping slightly at the sound of a hissing pressure-release valve.

One step backwards, two steps forward.

Gelliana relaxed underneath the shady tree, looking out over Tall Tale happily. To say the past seven days had been a ‘good week’ was an understatement.

Another week and five more dates on top of our other four! I’m just happy he liked our third. A museum tour of Tall Tale’s founding. I was worried he’d find it boring.

Quite the contrary, Toxic had been thoroughly interested in learning about Gelliana’s now-home, the pair then having a simple lunch until the next date.

Tonight, they were taking a break from the ‘activity’ dates which they had been doing, and more of a simple relaxing with in each other’s company. Other than their second date, they hadn’t really touched on more personal topics as much, instead enjoying and getting used to each other’s company during various activities. Which wasn’t to say they couldn’t have brought up something, but it had just been a cheerful, enjoyable atmosphere. This time however, the quiet park they were going to meet at was far away from the city bustle and noise, something the stallion had said became rather uncomfortable for him in high enough doses.

With her sensitive ears, Gelliana completely understood that. While hers was an audio overload, Toxic’s qualms seemed to be both that and a mental one, from how he explained it.

Either way, it suited her just fine to meet in a park. She was tempted to suggest a hike in a few dates; Toxic shared her view that nature was just relaxing. It was a different kind of noise, a natural one, not like the city.

Makes it easier to hear his heartbeat too. I love that sound.

Over their past few dates, the pony had loosened up more and more and it made Gelliana’s heart glow at seeing a genuinely happy stallion shining out from the previously nervous pony. Despite all he had seen, all he was dealing with, Toxic didn’t seem like a naturally gloomy individual. Dealing with stuff, sure, but that was the exception to his attitude, from what Gelliana had seen.

And that’s something I really like, something I look for. I don’t want to be the only reason somepony is happy, just one of them.

I mean, a BIG reason, but not the reason.

She was wondering when they were going to talk about the ‘special somepony’ label. While more of a formality, it was still a step. It was the official ‘I’m dating you, and only you’ step.

Rather arbitrary at the moment since they were literally doing that, but still, it was a step. After two weeks and almost ten dates, she at least felt like it was a comfortable step.

There was a gesture that meant something along those lines for gryphons Gelliana was going to try. Hopefully.

If I don’t turn into a nervous wreck at least.

Thankfully her stutters seemed to have vanished when she was around Toxic. With others, especially on the guided museum tour, she had felt the weight of her usual anxieties settled around her shoulders. And yet with Toxic not acting any differently towards her it made her anxiety lessen slightly. Even the times she had stuttered, the stallion simply listened with that gentle smile on his face. No odd glance or sigh of exasperation, just the stallion being his easy-going self.

How could she not fall head over tail for that?

At least I know I’m falling for him. Doesn’t make it easier to wrap my mind around though. But still does at the same time.

However, she could still tell something was itching at the stallion. Most likely it was that question from their second date. They both had definitely been burned by past friends, of that Gelliana could tell. She got the sense Toxic wasn’t entirely convinced she’d stick around.

Of course, I intend to fix that!

To give Toxic a bit of credit though, Gelliana could completely understand. The usual factors that mares would have shied away from just didn’t apply to her; his profession, the challenges with it, the voice. That would logically take a bit of getting used to from his perspective.

And he’s not the only one.

She hadn’t brought it up much, but on some level Gelliana recognized she was dealing with the same thing. A subtle, intrusive thought here or there, wondering when Toxic would ask something, reveal some hidden motive like most of the others had.

But she wanted to trust him. And that was a start, and one of many things to talk about.

But first a hug.

He had quickly warmed up to such gestures much to Gelliana’s joy. She didn’t realize how much she needed that from somecreature she cared about; A simple gesture of reassurance and care. It was an odd thing to understand about one’s self, and it was something she definitely needed to let Toxic know about. But fact that he showed initiative in a physical gesture that made her happy…

I’m already a feathery puddle and he’s not even here yet.

She couldn’t help it. Gelliana’s love of romance stories had certainly bled though. But if anything, it only made her appreciate aspects of Toxic more. He wasn’t a knight in shining armor, not the one she had dreamed about when younger. No, he was so much better. Gelliana loved the quote from an old philosopher; that a knight with shining armor was one who had not been tested. Toxic certainly had been; his barding was scorched and torn, not a patch of untouched metal on him. But through all the battle and pain, he was still a knight.

Well, in my eyes he is at least.

Hearing a soft *pop* of magic, Gelliana looked around and spotted a familiar stallion with his back to her.

Heh. Surprise hug!

After triple-checking that it was Toxic, Gelliana crept up on the unsuspecting unicorn. Claw over claw, paw over paw. Soon she was close enough too…

“Hey Tox-EEP!”

Starting to hug him from behind, the gryphoness found her neatly thrown head-over-tail over Toxic’s shoulder with a heave. The unicorn’s eyes widened in surprise as his grip changed to a magical one, neatly setting her down in front of him. To his credit, Toxic’s cheeks were bright red as he stammered his apologies.

“Sorry, you surprised me…” he mumbled as Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle.

“Apparently! Where did you learn to do that? Like, that was a perfect throw! I’ve practiced a good amount and still haven’t got it down that smooth.”

Oh, how she loved to make the stallion blush, especially with compliments.

The fact he isn’t used to that…I shall fix that problem!

“I took some training when first getting started with this job, have kept up on it through the years,” he explained. Gelliana’s ears perked at that. His heartbeat strangely sped up, and the unicorn’s own ears flattened as he looked away. “I can’t tell you more than that, I’m sorry,” he added. “No matter how much I want to.”

Gelliana took a few steps closer and wrapped him up in a hug, the stallion sighing happily as he leaned into her embrace.

“Nuh uh. No sad times yet. Not at the start of our date,” she said softly into his ear prompting a chuckle.

“Fair enough, but your hugs always fix those easy enough.”

They do?! He hasn’t really mentioned stuff like that.

“Where did you learn body throws?”

Gelliana was about to smooth down her feathers, but ultimately just ignored it. With Toxic around she was going to be a puffball soon enough.

“I took some self-defense classes when I was younger. I found it a nice way to exercise and meet ponies. Having creatures being able to spar against kind of removed the ‘scary gryphon’ image in an odd way. I’ve kept up on it every now and again.”

“Huh, I should have guessed it with the daggers. Warrior princess indeed.”

The affection in Toxic’s tone made a pleasant shiver run down Gelliana’s spine, the gryphoness hugging him a bit tighter.

She hadn’t expected him to be so cuddly, especially after the ‘not used to hugs’ remark. But oh, how happy Gelliana was to find that out about him. Of course, she had to let him go eventually, the stallion all smiles as he gestured around.

“So? What’s the plan for today? Just a peaceful meal under a tree?”

“Something like that. I mean, I just like spending time with you, Toxic. Talking or activity or…whatever,” Gelliana admitted shyly, her violet gaze drifting to her claws as the stallion glanced her way with a smile.

“Well, I feel the same about you, Gelly. Very much so.”

Of course, all Gelliana could do was mumble a reply- the words unintelligible. Toxic seemed to understand, however. A gentle motion to scoot over so their shoulders touched lightly confirmed that at least.

“T-there is a thing or two I wanted to talk about,” Gelliana admitted. “All good things, mind you.”

“Oh? I had a few things on my mind as well. I do like the fact you, well, talk to me, and also listen,” Toxic replied. “Even if it’s hard to voice my feelings sometimes, I know lack of communication is pretty much what destroys many relationships.”

Gelliana nodded in agreement.

“Uh huh. I’ve had to force myself along in that aspect. I may seem comfortable with you, but I’m not exactly a social butterfly.”

“Like when the tour guide looked at you and asked if there were any other questions? You froze like a stone!”

“Y-yes, like that,” Gelliana muttered, a familiar, soft laugh making Toxic’s sides shake.

“Well, I do want you to know I greatly appreciate it.”

Toxic’s steady green gaze made Gelliana’s words turn to butter in her mouth. Just, gone.

“So, what was is it on your mind?”

Toxic’s heart fluttered as Gelliana fiddled with her own claws. He had to say, be it her shyer side or more outgoing one, this gryphoness had his heart tied up with a bow.

Not that he’d admitted that to anyone. But Toxic wasn’t a fool, and the sooner he was honest with himself the better.

Hopefully.

“W-well, I guess the first thing is just saying thanks,” she said softly. “For the hugs. It’s…it may seem like a small thing, but that’s actually a really important gesture for me. Somecreature showing they care.”

Toxic knew exactly the appropriate reply to that. Reaching over with a forelimb, he draped it over the gryphoness’s shoulders and gave her a single gentle squeeze.

“That is very good to know; and I will keep that in mind in the future,” he replied with a slightly cheeky grin. “So just hugs, or gestures in general?”

“I…uh, am not sure? I wouldn’t complain with either?” she managed to say, her feathers not likely to calm down for some time.

“I will definitely make sure I don’t neglect that. I do admit I’m the same way, but I’m still working on the specifics.”

“Specifics of hugs?”

“Of what means the most. Y’know, words, physical gestures, time spent with somecreature, that sort of thing. Pretty sure there’s a book on it on languages of affection between couples. Verbal, physical, time spent together and so forth.”

“Oooh, right! I gotcha. Wellllllll be sure to let me know! Maybe we could read the book together sometime?”

Gelliana was apparently able to push through her flustered state, her peppy energy now bleeding through.

“I most certainly will, and I’d like that.”

I’ll gloss over the fact it’s called ‘Love Languages’ for a bit though. Bit early for that.

“Soooo what’s on your mind? I said my first thing, so, if you want to…?”

Oh yes, I’d very much like to make something clear. But first things first.

Toxic swallowed his nerves. He couldn’t ask her, not before it was out in the open.

“Gelly, these past two weeks have made me realize something, but I’m a bit afraid of what you’ll think,” he said. “For two weeks, I’ve looked forward to every date, every moment spent with you. And for the first time in years, I forgot.”

“Hmm?”

Toxic sat up a bit straighter, his nerves replaced by the confident fire in his chest. She had to know.

“I forgot what I’ve been through,” the stallion said. “I got to live life without the impact of everything I’ve been through. You gave that to me.”

The tears that brimmed into Toxic’s eyes came out of nowhere, the stallion’s voice faltering. “And I can’t thank you enough for that,” he managed to choke out. “You showed me what life would be like after I’ve dealt with the things I’ve been through. The problem is, I can’t get to that stage yet.”

“Because you’re still in it.”

Rather shocked by her insight, Toxic nodded.

“Until I can be free of the burden, at least for a time, I can’t deal with it. But I’m worried, Gelly.”

“Of what?”

The tree behind them creaked in a soft breeze, the sound making Toxic flinch.

Poorly constructed metal buckling under the pressure.

Screaming ponies running past him, some bloody.

And in front of him, the bodies of-

A touch snapped him out of it, two affection eyes meeting his.

“Are you afraid of what I’ll think of this?” Gelliana asked. “Of you being jumpier than I’ve seen?”

Toxic lowed his head in shame as he nodded.

“I can’t help it,” he admitted. “I wish I could go back to that dessert shop again and just have a milkshake. Instead, I know if I go back, I’ll be looking for emergency exits, possible gas pipes, and dangers of flying glass. Jumping at the sound of a milkshake machine…” he couldn’t look at her, but hope began to push down the fears.

“Are you still interested in dating a stallion like that? Like me?”

“Please look at me, Toxic.”

He did so-

And the stallion felt his heart catch on fire.

Gelliana glared at him with a steely gaze, anger shining behind her violet eyes, but not directed necessarily at him. Her beak trembled slightly, reaching forward to poke him with a claw. The fierce look behind her eagle gaze made him pause, because something aggressive and passionate flickered behind the intense wall of emotion at the fore.

“Don’t…” she whispered. “Don’t you ever think of yourself like that again. Don’t you dare!” Her own sides were shivering, eyes dampening as she swiped a forelimb to clear them. “I want a stallion like you, Toxic!”

He couldn’t speak. All the stallion could do was yank her into a tight hug, a gesture Gelliana immediately returned.

“I thought of myself like that for a long time. I’ve been there; please don’t ever think like that,” Gelliana whispered.

The stallion tightened his hug, fears having been carried away in an instant.

“You want me?” Toxic asked softly, pulling back his head to look at Gelliana. “I know it may be silly, but that means a lot.”

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I?”

“I’ll try to explain, it may seem rather-”

“Don’t you dare say it’s silly again. Just tell me,” Gelliana said fiercely, meeting his gaze with her own.

Toxic was nearly certain his heart was going to beat out of his chest at those words.

Stars above she’s gorgeous.

“I’ll try. It comes down to being needed,” Toxic began. “Ever since Oakbark, I’ve been asked to help with various tasks. First were small things, and then bigger events. It didn’t take long for me to realize the nice requests had a tone of fear. A fear that I may say no. I wasn’t a fool; I then realized that I couldn’t say no, not if I wanted a clear conscience. If I was ever called, it was because I was needed, because no other creature could do what I was able to accomplish. Not without a gross loss of life and danger at least.”

While his shoulders slumped, and the stallion felt his confidence returned as Gelly stayed snuggled up close to him, ears perked and listening.

“I’ve been needed for so long, Gells. Needed to save the day, needed to prevent an explosion, a leak, or maybe just shut off a valve so nocreature gets sick,” he whispered. “But being wanted is something I don’t have a lot of experience with.”

“Well, I’m still here, and most definitely not going anywhere,” she stated firmly. “If anything, I’m happy to see who you are even with the stuff you need to deal with. And in terms of being needed and such, I will be more than happy to show that you most certainly are wanted. I can’t speak for anycreature else, b-but I most certainly want you to be here,” Gelliana replied. “I want that quite a bit. And I kinda have the same fears, y’know. Being wanted for the wrong reasons that is, on top of everything else.”

The stallion’s posture stiffened, pulling back to look at the sincere gryphoness.

“You’re afraid I’m going to just leave, even though I have told you I won’t? Well, I keep wondering when you’ll t-tell me…” she paused, claws curling as Gelly looked away in shame. “I keep waiting for when you’ll tell me the real reason you want to date me. Even though you assured me otherwise. You aren’t the only one with hidden fears, things that you may call silly or such.”

Now it was Toxic’s turn to tighten the hug, the stallion not able to prevent a soft chuckle.

“Well,” he began, knowing the amulet couldn’t hide the raspyness from emotion in his throat. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.”

Gelliana let out a soft giggle at that, nodding briefly, the gesture rubbing her cheek against his.

“Not by far.”

“I mean, there is a rather easy solution to our fears. It’s rather difficult though.”

“Oh?”

Toxic retracted his head, reaching up to gently boop Gelliana’s beak with his hoof as he scooted over to sit next to her.

“We have to spend more time together.”

The gryphoness dissolved into giggles, now all smiles as their fears took a back seat.

“Oh no, however will I cope?” she asked dramatically, placing a forelimb across her brow.

“I know, a trying task indeed. But we just have to learn to trust again, I think. We each have our own fears in that regard, and I have to get over being comfortable with you seeing…well, me, on a day to day basis.”

“I can’t wait,” Gelliana said sincerely.

Ask her,

“I need to ask you something, Gells. I didn’t feel like it would have been appropriate before being as honest as I could.”

Gelliana’s head tilted in that ever-adorable gesture of curiosity, her ears perking up.

“Oh?”

“Well, it’s a sort-of-asking…”

The stallion had done his research into gryphon culture. While much of it was old, very old, a few gestures were still applicable. He didn’t feel like a kiss was appropriate, not yet and with their ‘taking it slow’ attitude.

But this gesture, very much so. It was, traditionally, what happened before a kiss. It was a signaling of intent and feelings. Another way to say ‘I like you; what do you think of that?’ Nipping one’s ear was a similar, more playful gesture but Toxic hadn’t made that mental leap just yet.

But whether Gelliana knew of this gesture or not, Toxic had no idea. He’d gladly explain it, but was hoping she did know. It was still in place in gryphon culture, even if its meaning had been diluted slightly. Essentially, if reciprocated, it was a symbolic gesture of being a couple, that meaning varying across sub-cultures and such.

Scooting forward, Toxic reached down to hold a set of Gelliana’s claws in his hooves, something that always made her blush. The stallion then leaned forward and gently rubbed his cheek against hers, drawing his head back to see her reaction.

Nerves gripped his heart, the gryphoness staring at him in shock, the intensity and tidal wave of emotion returning to her beautiful violet eyes. Surprise, and then a surge of-

She yanked him into a hug with a sniffle, making it quite clear Gelliana knew exactly what the gesture meant as the gryphoness rubbed her own cheek against his affectionately. Apparently, hugs were the activity of the evening.

“Is that a yes?” Toxic asked as he hugged Gelliana close, not able to resist a soft laugh as she burrowed her head against his neck. “And I assume you know what that gesture means?”

“Mmhmm. I was going to do the same thing, actually,” Gelliana giggled softly. “Well, maybe this date or the next at least.”

The stallion’s nerves were immediately replaced by a happy warmth that spread from the tip of his hooves to the top of his head. He still wanted to make it official though.

“Wait, r-really? I, erm, mind if I ask you with words?”

Gelliana pulled back slightly, her eyes swimming with tears. The fact a smile seemed permanently affixed to her beak was clue enough they were not tears of sadness.

“Will you be my special somegriff?”

“O-only if you’re be my special somepony,” was her immediate reply, Toxic then leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

“Of course I will.”

She angled her head so she could look him in the eye, a soft but determined smile on her beak.

“T-then in that case, I most certainly will too.”

Out of nowhere, Toxic’s throat closed up as soon as Gelliana spoke and locked gazes with him. Genuine affection radiated from her violet eyes, a stream compared to the surprising wave of before.

The stallion could only pull her into another hug, the hot pressure in his eyes not fully changing to tears, but getting close.

She wants to be….

Gelliana obviously picked up on his demeanor change, eagerly returning the gesture and resting her cheek affectionately against his.

“And you said you weren’t a hugger.”

Not sure how to phrase his tumultuous thoughts, Toxic decide to add a bit of cheekiness in the meantime.

“Well, it was either this, or I totally would have kissed you. But taking things slow and all…”

A soft “eep” was Gelliana’s reply, but the shy smile indicated the stallion was on the right track as she pulled away slightly to look at him.

“Buuuut I haven’t researched how to do that with a beak. So, probably for the best,” Toxic added with a grin.

Pulling back slightly and still smiling, Gelliana met his gaze for a moment before looking to her claws with a bright blush.

“W-well I’d be more than happy to teach y-you…”

Toxic’s face flushed a bright red, his shocked expression prompting the shy gryphoness to dissolve into giggles. Of the things he had expected her to say, that was not one of them!

Apparently, she’s got quite a bold and cheeky side.

I like it.

“How about a r-rain check on that?” Toxic asked, pouting as the amulet perfectly translated the extremely embarrassing voice crack mid-sentence.

“Rain check it is.”

And then she blushed a bright pink, looking at Toxic shyly.

“Did you mean to come up with a different nickname?” she asked.

“Huh?” Toxic replied, blinking rather owlishly in surprise. “I did?”

“You called me ‘Gells’ just before you ‘asked’ me.”

“Uh…”

The cuddly gryphoness reached over to scoot her head underneath Toxic’s, letting out another laugh.

“I like it.”

“Yay?”

Gelly snorted, the surprised unicorn looking down at her in amusement.

“I mean, I totally meant to come up with one.”

“Oh of course,” Gelliana managed to say between a barely-suppressed laugh. She then was quiet for a time, leaning her head on Toxic’s chest. “I like this sound.”

“Huh?”

She poked him gently with a claw, then gestured to her ears. “Not all gryphons have as good a hearing as I do. Something about owl ancestry; but I can hear heartbeats if I focus. I’ve always liked the sound of yours.”

“Well, I can’t really change it, so I’m glad? Forgive me for not being sure how I feel about that at first. Just didn’t expect it,” Toxic admitted. “I imagine that gives you an edge when talking to creatures? Now that I think about it, that’s really neat.”

“Uh huh. Makes it easier to tell when somecreature is scared of me or lying. Obviously it’s not foolproof, but it gives an extra insight to what someone is meaning, or thinking.”

Toxic looked down at the shy gryphoness, a rather sly grin on her features as her eyes met his.

What is she-

WAIT.

His face turned a bright red as Gelliana giggled, the gryphoness not able to restrain her mirth.

“Something on your mind, Toxic?”

“I, uh, so you’ve been able to hear my heartbeat…”

“Since we first met. Yup!”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I think I know what it’s like to feel a bit naked.”

Gelliana couldn’t speak through her gasping laughs, letting Toxic go to catch her breath as she sat next to him.

“It’s true! I don’t know how or why, but it does!” Toxic objected, only able to smile at seeing Gelliana laugh.

I love seeing her so happy.

In moments such as this, the fierce highlights around the gryphoness’s eyes vanished, and it was like peeling back a layer. The initial look of being predatory was gone, revealing the bubbly, happy gryphoness underneath the first impression.

She caught his gaze, the stallion feeling his heart beat a bit faster looking into those gorgeous eyes.

Wait. My heartbeat.

His guess was clearly on the money, Gelliana blushing as she reached over to poke his chest with a claw.

“Juuuust like that,” she said shyly. “Like on our first date and ever since.”

“Well,” Toxic said, confidence returning after the initial shock. “I guess it’s out of the bag how much I really like your eyes among the laundry list of other things. Not like I can control my heartrate when I see you.”

His soft but sincere words made his special somegriff immediately puff up with a squeak, the stallion grinning as he poked her shoulder.

“Serves you right for snooping!”

“I c-can’t h-help it!”

With a grin, Toxic reached down and held a set of her claws, definitely not helping her flustered state.

“I know. But now you’ve opened up a whole new realm of teasing and feather-fluffing opportunities. You have only yourself to blame.”

The indignant but affectionate glare from his puffball gryphoness couldn’t have melted a single snowflake, but Toxic’s heart was a different story.

Author's Note

Adorable progression! :yay: And some background for our unicorn...

But official Special Somecreatures! And Toxic finally learns of Gelliana's hearing superpower!
T- *Looks in her general direction* *Heart beats faster*
G - *One happy blushing gryphoness*

Hope everyone enjoys these longer chapters, even if they're every-other week. It makes things a bit easier on my end. As always, feedback is appreciated.

To that end, I want to thank @Always Breakfast for their comments, pointing out a fatal flaw in my character development of Toxic which I had neglected to show, removing a huge, essential aspect from his character.

I have no idea how it fell by the wayside, but such issues should be remedied from here on out now that I'm back on track; or rather, Toxic is! So, thank you! As always, such feedback is greatly appreciated. :scootangel:

As a side note...for anyone who needs to hear it during this time; seeking help with various challenges via therapy or such is not a weakness. It's certainly the opposite.

Chapter Ten and a Half: Candy Doldrums

Icait crept along the floor, one hoof over the other. The Legionnaires watched with genuine amusement, their chilly attitude having softened over the weeks.

Of course, the Windigo could phase through the counter to surprise the gryphoness daydreaming at the register, but what’s the fun in that?

That had already occurred this morning anyhow!

Gelliana’s head may as well have been surrounded by pink clouds with flying hearts, her daydreaming almost on a predictable cycle.

I wonder what it’d be like to feel those things for somecreature?

Well, until I know, I get to tease my friend about it! Of course, then she’d get payback.

But for now, I get to have some fun since Onyx hates being startled.

Icait crept up behind the daydreaming gryphoness, edging forward until she was about a limbs-length away….and…

“HI GELLY!”

The gryphoness’s screech and flaring of wings had the Legionnaires in barely-contained snickers, Icait gasping as a very-poofy gryphoness threw a fruit at her.

“Dangit Icait!”

“Too easy!”

The Windigo’s friend grumbled, not able to counter Icait’s giggles.

“I am a bit sorry. You did look rather happy. You’ve been rather daydreamy of late.”

Shrugging her wings, Gelliana gestured outside the shop to the busy streets.

“Well, we aren’t slammed with customers yet, and I’ve had plenty to daydream about.”

“Are the dreams rather toxic?”

Gelliana groaned as she married her head to the counter, Icait smiling all the while.

“I’ll stop. It’s just fun to tease, even if I don’t really understand it.”

“Hmm. Says the mare who I know has been reading romance books from the library at lunchtime.”

That got a bright flush from the Windigo, the mare scuffing at the ground with a mumble.

“’tis interesting…”

“Hellooooo? I’ve been reading about that stuff since I was a chick. Why else do you think I noticed new chapter bookmarks? No reason to be embarrassed because you’re in good company. But last I checked, you probably should figure out friendship-stuff first,” Gelliana remarked. “To that end I’d say you are doing pretty well for somecreature who had no clue what to do a good month or two ago. Fast learner.”

“Well, it just feels right,” Icait admitted. “Just being nice to other creatures.”

“And that’s pretty much the crux of it. Honestly, I wouldn’t really have known you had never been around ponies if I talked to you now. I’d just assume you were anxious or nervous or something”

The mare smiled happily, levitating (an activity which never got old for the Windigo,) a few checklists over to the counter.

“That has been the goal. I’ve been nervous anytime I talk with somecreature, but having you be here has helped a ton.”

“Hey, I just guided you through the weird social stuff I had to learn the hard way! Oh, are we still on for movie night tomorrow?”

“Totally! What is it this time? A mare…something. You said it was a book adaptation? Something about giant rodents?”

I love movie night. Just time with a friend, like a normal pony.

“’A Mare Betrothed,’ and yep, it’s a classic! A bit dated but it’s just a simple, fun, and lighthearted movie,” Gelliana explained, the looking over to the Windigo with a sly grin. “It also centers around a love story.”

The mare mumbled incoherently as she busied herself tidying the counter, knowing full well this was the payback for earlier. Not that she minded of course.

It’s nice having a friend to tease back and forth.

A thought then flitted through her mind, one more common as of late.

I wonder what Onyx is up to?

The odd shadow-pony had been reading up a storm, along with starting the academic portion of being a town guard. Strangely enough, he seemed almost happier. Still grumpy and totally refusing to admit it, but a tad more at ease. He still hadn’t told Icait whatever-it-was that he wanted to talk about though. They had a nice routine though, one that had started quite innocently when Onyx had visited an ice cream shop.

Apparently, that was now one of his favorite foods, and he often brought back a small tub for Icait on such ventures around the town.

I wonder what today’s flavor will be?

“Mint Chocolate Chip!” Onyx proclaimed proudly as he levitated the small container over to the giggling Windigo, clearly finding her amusement at least enjoyable on some level. “Apparently it’s a classic that I should have tried by now. And it is definitely my new favorite.”

“You said that yesterday when you sampled ‘The Chocolate Deluge.”

“…fine. Second favorite.”

The usual grumpiness had fled at least for a few moments, instances that were cropping up fairly regularly.

I still don’t know why. Is this what feeling happy is like?

That’s…a bit of a depressing thought.

Such were the musing of the Shadow-pony, at least in the moments where he wasn’t exploring magical theory. Starlight had authorized him to delve into it, at least under heavy supervision. No spells, no runes or the like. No, this was trying to discover why there was the itch.

That’s what he called it at least. A nagging at the back of his mind, the whisperings of some unseen figure, the sensation of being watched that cropped up every now and again.

He didn’t like it.

And so, in addition to training for the guard, which was fairly mundane, the Shadow-pony continued to learn, and add, to what they knew of the shadow realm. The itch got louder whenever he did that so he must be on the right track.

It was an odd thing, to know something yet have lost the memory. The transformation to this realm had not been a smooth one, nor the severing of the tie with the Emissary. Perhaps that could account for some lack of the knowledge?

No, it isn’t that.

It was like other things Onyx had learned, or rather, re-learned. He had the knowledge, but something had to trigger it. Yet that something seemed to loom rather sinister, even if he didn’t know why.

As long as whatever it is stays away from Icait, we’ll deal with it.

He let out a huff at such a thought, watching the Windigo take a large spoonful of the ice-cream with a happy squeal of approval.

Onyx knew he was smiling, the tell-tale twitch of his mouth on his dark features, even if it was invisible to most others. What he was still struggling to understand was why.

Perhaps not understand, but accept. Starlight had been rather blunt in that fact.

“You know why. You have a friend, somecreature who is fine with being close to you. Maybe that’s something you want even if you don’t know why or to what extent.”

Onyx put the statement out of his mind. He was just struggling to figure out this friendship business, let alone 'to what extent’ implied. Icait seemed to take to this friendship-bubbles-and-rainbows business easily, and while it made logical sense, it still seemed…off to him.

Perhaps it would get easier whenever he told Icait that he wanted to be her friend, or admitted as such. He still needed to do that.

Admit it to myself first perhaps.

And yet as he watched the Windigo float in their apartment, the shadow-pony couldn’t refute Starlight’s words. He did like Icait, but as what, and to what extent he just wasn’t sure.

I guess time is one thing we have. Plenty of it to figure out. Seeing her happy makes me-

A dagger of something dug into Onyx’s chest. If he had a stomach, it twisted and turned, a spike of knowledge coming to the fore.

“Something is here,” he hissed, the two legionnaires inside looking at him in alarm.

“Nothing has tripped the shielding spells, or even the-”

“It’s outside,” Onyx growled, shadows sprouting from his back and shoulders and forming into dagger-like appendages.

It’s watching.

The Shadow’s world vanished for a moment, two familiar white eyes glaring at him with unchecked hatred and malevolence. Flames soared into the sky around Onyx, a grey and black fanged face sneering at him.

“TRAITOR!”

In an instant, a key in Onyx’s mind turned slightly, unlocking a peek into what he knew as a tomb of knowledge that still remained closed. Yet that brief peek opened a desperate fear that the Shadow hadn’t ever known.

Who is that?!

And yet the Shadow felt like he should know. What he did know was that he should be afraid.

Tearing through the door and out of the apartment as the Legionnaires cried out, Onyx cleared the steps four at a time, scrambling at the bottom of the stairwell, hooves cracking into the tiles.

Where is it?!

The source of the darkness emanated from something in the alleyway between the apartment building and the warehouse adjacent to them. Onyx darted down the alley, fully aware of the fail-safe spells that were beginning to activate. They would immobilize him in seconds, the legionnaires shortly behind.

Almost…there!

A single figure turned in alarm, pausing from talking into an ear-mounted communication crystal. The pony’s eyes then widened in-

Horror?

The Shadow’s movements faltered as he pinned the terrified stallion to the wall, sharp appendages angled at the pony’s head. The darkness was abruptly gone, the Shadow’s mind clear again as a pony begged for his life.

What…?

Letting him down, Onyx skittered back against the brick wall of their appartment, slumping down as the Legionnaires angled their spears towards him. The fail-safe spells anchored him to the ground, a very, very ticked-off mare now appeared at his side.

“Onyx! What. In. The. Actual-”

“Dark magic,” Onyx grunted, causing Starlight to pause in her fury.

“What?”

“Shadow and death. Something from my realm. It was coming from him,” Onyx stated flatly, pointing to the shaken stallion across from him.

“I sense nothing.”

“Neither do I, not anymore,” Onyx admitted.

Starlight sighed in frustration, helping the random stallion up with a frown.

“I’m sorry about that, Mister…?”

“Wire Strip, Miss Glimmer.”

“You know me?” Starlight asked, Wire Strip nodding briefly as he shook off the nervous remnants, eyes still glancing in worry to Onyx.

“Of course! Your newest commentary on magical theory was fantastic! Oh, I probably should give you this before continuing,” the unicorn grunted, levitating a security clearance badge out of his satchel to present to both the guards and Starlight. “I’m a decontamination technician, I usually work with Specialist Shield. I’m sorry for the mix-up here…I thought I was ok since I showed my badge at the perimeter guards. I just need to meet up with my crew at a nearby warehouse, assuming they bother to show up this time,” Wire grumbled.

Now thoroughly confused, Starlight massaged a temple with a hoof as she cast a magical scan over the other unicorn and shrugged.

“Well, no evidence of any odd magic with you. Onyx is…”

“A shadow pony? If I had to guess?” Wire remarked, looking a bit more curious as he looked at the other stallion. “Not sure what I did.”

“The fault is….” Onyx paused; he couldn’t have imagined it. “Mine? But I do not understand. You were clearly-”

“I have a theory,” Starlight interjected before the Shadow could continue. The sharp look in her eyes made Onyx shut up in an instant. “May I run a thorough scan, Wire Strip? It’s nothing too invasive, but examines some odder magics we are investigating.”

“Sure,” Wire replied with a shrug. “I’ve got a minute or two. And I’m more than happy to clear up any misunderstandings.”

Starlight’s horn lit up as she ran another pulse of magic over Wire, causing the stallion to snicker.

“Tickles!”

Starlight’s expression now lightened, nodding ever so slightly to Onyx.

She found something?

“Wire Strip, I’m going to need you to report to Canterlot. I’ll have guards escort you,” she instructed.

“What? Why?” the stallion asked, ears flattening. “Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head immediately, sending a brief message to the Princess’s, Twilight included.

“I don’t believe so, but you may be in danger. Onyx here did sense something off about you- but I don’t think it’s you. You said that you have a crew usually?”

“Yeah, we work decontamination, other jobs that require a certain technical finesse.”

“Have any of them seemed off lately?”

Wire strip paused, letting out a hum in thought.

“Not really….well…hmm.” he then nodded, ears perking back up. “Actually, yes! As I said earlier, or did I say it earlier? They have been late to their shifts. Not just one or two of them, but like, half my crew.”

“And that’s not normal?” Starlight asked.

“Normal? I’d say not! The dozen of them are usually early. To have six of them be late by ten or twenty minutes for six assignments in a row? No, that’s is weird.” The unicorn then frowned, then looking genuinely concerned. “Wait a minute. Why haven’t I investigated that? It seemed so normal. I just, accepted it, their odd reasons…”

Starlight gave the dejected stallion a friendly pat on the shoulder, the unicorn nodding in approval as two Royal Guards teleported into the alleyway.

“That makes sense. I think you’ve come in contact with some very, very dangerous ponies, Wire Strip. Onyx must have sensed the magical signature that bled into your own. We’ll take care of this, alright?”

“Ok, thank you, Miss Glimmer.”

“Just Starlight, take care, Wire.”

As the stallion was escorted away, Starlight sat down next to Onyx with a sigh.

“You had me scared for a minute there.”

“Thought I had gone rogue? Put my long-awaited plan into action?” Onyx asked with a huff.

“The thought crossed my mind.”

“I don’t blame you,” Onyx admitted, then nodding to his hooves. “Can I move now, please?”

Starlight released the spells, gesturing to the Legionnaires who now stood at the ready.

“You can’t do that again, Onyx. Things could have turned out a lot worse. What in the world made you do that?”

The shadow swallowed nervously, two white eyes seeming to bore into the back of his head.

“I remembered something. Something dark was here.”

“Can you tell me what exactly?”

Onyx shook his head, the world vanishing as Starlight teleported him and the guards back to the apartment with herself.

“Something evil was here,” Onyx continued, looking at the floor. “I don’t know what it was. Two white eyes, a mouth of fangs.”

An offered silent communication then opened up between him and the unicorn, the two-way mental ‘talking space’ accepted by the powerful mage.

‘Starlight, I was afraid, instinctually so. I think something is going to happen. I don’t know what though.’

The words Onyx couldn’t speak out loud were enough to make Starlight’s eyes narrow, the mare nodding in understanding. To have the grumpy and proud shadow-stallion admit such a thing, even in private was a significant step indeed.

“Just stay here, Onyx. Please remain in your apartment until I get back to you, alright?”

Onyx nodded, a worried Windigo floating over to tentatively poke his shoulder with a hoof.

“Onyx? What was that all about?” Icait asked worryingly. “You just ran out of here, the door is still in pieces.”

Letting out a frustrated grunt, Onyx leaned over on Icait’s shoulder, the Windigo stiffening in surprise. To say he wasn’t in a talking mood was an understatement. Yet knowing Icait was safe eased the Shadow’s heart, the Legionnaires muttering among themselves as Starlight vanished with a magical *pop*.

I was indeed afraid, but not for just myself.
But what was that creature?

He had a feeling that such a question would be answered soon enough, for good or ill.

The Next Day

Gelliana let out a groan, glaring at the pile of papers on her impromptu-workstation in the shop. Icait was out for the afternoon, leaving the gryphoness to handle an influx of orders. She plopped her head on a small waiting pillow, taking a break from the hunched-over posture. It was probably for the best that Icait was out today, but that meant more boring work for the gryphoness.

It was a good thing, the paperwork at least, because that meant more bits were flowing her way. But not so great because of all the repetitive paperwork to fill out. Add to that a rough night of sleeping and tripping down the stairs in the morning, and it had not been a pleasant start of the day. Then there was a lack of her usual comfort lunch and more forms. A rather unpleasant dream didn’t help the gryphoness’s mood; she could definitely sympathize with Toxic on that one. A nasty thunderstorm had rolled through during the night which explained that much. Not so much the rain and thunder, but the wind.

Toxic wasn’t the only one who got yanked back to the past; part of the reason why Gelliana didn’t hold it against him in the slightest. He just hadn’t learned about all of the gryphoness’s idiosyncrasies yet. If she held any of the stallion’s anxieties against him, she’d be quite the hypocrite.

Some things you never really get over, just lessens the impact.

Ugh. Today was not shaping up to be a happy one. Her back was now starting to ache, penance from hunching over the counter. Serves her right for not watching her posture; she knew this happened. Either she had definitely slept funny, or that storm had taken more out of the gryphoness than she thought. It felt like her body had been hit by a train; not in the immediate pain sense, but every part of her just…bleh.

At least she had the memory of yesterday’s date to daydream about. A visit to a frozen-yogurt shop had been just amazing.

Oh, it was fantastic. Toxic makes the best faces.

Like the majority of their other dates, the conversation had just been light and cheerful, ranging from curious topics to downright ridiculous.

Such as ‘what flavor would best be suited for ice-cream monsters to take over Equestria.’

It. Was. Awesome.

And the answer to the monster question was definitely decided to be mousse chocolate chip. Death by chocolate overload.

A stallion who isn’t afraid to express a bit of random silliness is fun! And it’s a balance; he’s not too all over the place, but tooootally not afraid to go down a crazy conversation rabbit hole or pull a ridiculous face!

Said pony had then taken a particularly brave bite of one of the many concoctions they had taste-tested at the shop, wanting to prove to Gelliana he could handle the brain freeze. He wasn’t a colt after all!

Toxic had been wrong, so, so wrong.

The agonizing face of brain-freezing agony he had pulled seemed frozen in time for a solid few seconds, the sight of which had Gelliana in such mirth that she hadn’t been able to breath. Tears having streamed from her eyes as her coltfriend had writhed in pain.

“I admit defeat,” he had finally pouted, glaring at the offensive chocolate-mousse frozen yogurt.

That had been a good day.

And then he had given me some parchments enchanted to reach him whenever. It’s like fast mail! I know I sent one this morning, but I think he said the spell had to recharge every hour or two.

One more order form was filled out and set aside, another few minutes of running the numbers for the cost. It was productive, but just so-

“Wow. That looks boring.”

Gelliana let out a screech, papers flying everywhere as her amused coltfriend laughed, magic having muffled his hoof steps and teleportation sound moments ago. A telekinetic grip caught the papers and put them back in order, the stallion smiling to his now-poofy gryphoness.

“Fluffy!”

That did not help Gelliana’s state as she smoothed her feathers, a soft grumble making the stallion frown.

“Sorry, this a bad time?” he asked sincerely. “Your parchment this morning didn’t sound very happy, so I thought I’d say hello.”

“A bit. Just a bunch of paperwork that I have to do,” the gryphoness admitted, ears then flattening against her skull. “And then tripping down the stairs when I was half asleep, after not even sleeping that well. Not a great dream, waking up every few hours, and then it turns out I have more paperwork than I originally assumed which is annoying. My back hurts from hunching over the blasted counter, and then I was out of my favorite stew for lunch, and-”

Toxic took a few steps forward and wrapped his special somegriff up in a gentle hug, the gryphoness immediately melting into his arms as Gelliana’s words trailed off. He didn’t say anything, only supported her weight as she leaned into the gesture, burying her head into Toxic’s shoulder.

Her ears naturally honed in on a steady, slightly-faster-than-normal sound, the strong heartbeat thudding away in the chest that rose and fell against hers with every breath. The stallion rested his cheek against hers, otherwise not moving as he held his distressed special-somegriff close.

She wasn’t sure how long Toxic held her in a hug; she obviously could have pulled away at any time but why would she want to? What Gelliana did know was that her previously cruddy day was suddenly much, much better.

How have I never noticed his fur smells nice? What kind of shampoo is that?

‘Toxic’ indeed.

The gentle nuzzles the stallion gave her across a cheek made Gelliana’s heart skip a few beats, her own arms tightening around him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, Toxic’s chest moving slightly in a soft huff of acknowledgement.

I could fall asleep like this.

In fact, she most certainly wanted to do just that.

Letting out a rebellious grumble, Gelliana broke the embrace slightly, still leaning on Toxic’s shoulder as she sat next to him.

“Tox, I’m afraid I’m going to fall asleep in your arms, and I still have these order forms to complete,” Gelliana sighed, letting out a yawn. “But I really do wish I could do just that.”

The amused look Toxic was giving her made the gryphoness’s ears perk up.

“What?”

“I guess I have a nickname now too?”

Blinking owlishly, Gelliana tilted her head.

“Huh?”

“You called me ‘Tox.”

An embarrassed blush and stammering reply were cut off by Toxic resting his head against hers.

“I like it, and I don’t mind at all. It may take a bit of getting used to though.”

“O-ok. I didn’t really even think about it.”

“Well, let me know if you come up with a different one. In the meantime, how about I help you with these forms?”

Gelliana smiled, gesturing to the stack of papers tiredly.

“I’d really like that. I don’t think you’ll know how to fill them out though.”

“Well, I can just work on my own bits of paperwork next to you and give some company, or I could read your forms out loud?” he then winced, letting out a soft chuckle. “Actually, that might put you to sleep with the whole ‘slight monotone’ thing.”

The stallion saw Gelliana’s eyes drooping, the pony scooting a bit closer.

“New plan. You rest for forty minutes or so, and I’ll wake you up. Then we can go from there?”

The poor gryphoness was already halfway to sleep, sagging against the unicorn’s shoulder with a soft hum of agreement.

“Thanks, Toxic,” she mumbled, nuzzling his shoulder with a content sigh.

The unicorn waited for Gelliana’s breathing to settle into a steady, sleepy rhythm before daring to move. Sliding the pillow over, he carefully set her head down into a more comfortable position. He sat next to her, teleporting a list of to-do items for the Organization that he wanted to go over.

Rather abruptly, Gelliana let out a mumble, reaching over with a set of claws and hugging Toxic’s right forelimb close, refusing to let go.

“Well, glad I can go over this with only one hoof,” Toxic said softly, not missing the slight smile on the sleeping gryphoness’s face.

A few hours later

Letting out a yawn, Toxic stood in the light decontamination shower at the entrance to his apartment, the usual procedure not taking more than a minute and assaying any nerves concerning the matter. A day spent with Gelliana was a good one indeed, especially if he could make it better for the tired gryphoness.

“She has been there for me more times than not; I’m just happy to repay the favor,” Toxic said to himself. When you operated alone on assignments, talking to one’s self was commonplace. It was a nice way to think out-loud too.

When alone that is. Toxic was self aware enough to understand that such a thing might be one too many idiosyncrasies to put up with for many. Then again, he had talked out loud with Gelliana, and she had seemed to find it rather endearing.

She was full of surprises it would seem.

“Read through a few plans, and then bed,” he mused. “Maybe check in on Gels tomorrow. Still no new jobs.”

After another shower (this one with normal soap and hot water,) the stallion settled on his bed, looking through a large folder of plans for his Organization. It wasn’t good to mix work and sleeping space, but seeing all the check marks on the ‘to do’ list put his heart at ease.

Yet something seemed to be pulling him towards a keypad on the wall. An urge, a nudge to do something.

“What in the world?” Toxic muttered, getting out of bed and staring at the crystal control. It was his apartments security system; a marvel designed by a certain Yak to prevent any intruders from entering, and dealing with those who did. Thankfully in downtown Canterlot it had never been needed, that’s why it was always on the typical setting. Immobilize and call the authorities.

Yet something was nudging Toxic’s mind, as though a soft, concerned voice was trying to tell him something.

Whatever this voice was, it sounded concerned, worrying.

“Did I get a spirit guide all of a sudden? A few years late, I think. It has been ages since I helped that that soothsayer’s tribe,” Toxic huffed.

And yet the nudging persisted. Toxic knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep or even relax until it was quiet. It was like a nagging thirst or an anxious twitching in one’s limbs that would occupy all thought until sated.

“I armed the system, what now?” he asked the empty air. As he stared at the controls, a slight chill ran down his spine.

I know that feeling.

In a smooth motion, the unicorn spun around and charged his horn with a spell, confronting the creature staring at-

An empty apartment stared back at the unicorn, the pony shuddering.

All spells are intact, but why does it feel like something is watching me? Eyes drilling into the back of my head.

The odd nudging voice seemed rather happy at that realization, and that was all it took for the Specialist to arm the system to full capacity.

‘Warning. All auditory and arcane immobilization systems will be fully charged and activated. Maximum power levels may cause severe damage to intruders. Confirm activation?’

Tapping the ‘yes’ option, Toxic sighed in relief as the pressure on his mind vanished. The system had enough power to freeze a dozen ponies in place and blast them into unconsciousness.

Overkill only to those who didn’t have a lot to lose.

Happily trotting back over to the bed, the stallion let out a loud sigh as a familiar nudge came back.

“Whaaaaaaaat?” he groaned. Such annoyance vanished as the nudging directed him to a hidden compartment underneath his nightstand.

“You have got to be kidding me. Am I just paranoid today?”

Not the first time that would have happened. I know well enough that hunches can be harmless…or save your life.

As he had in the past with many a job, Toxic decided to err on the side of caution and indulge this anxious gut feeling. He retrieved a large metal bracer and set it on the nightstand. It was a simple enough device; mana crystals wrapped around a gauntlet that would direct magical energy in a blast wherever the unicorn pointed it. Toxic had practiced it plenty of times after Varti sculpted it into existence, the device actually one of the stallion’s ideas. It had many applications; allowing non-magic users access to spells and so forth. In this case, it was a simple directed-energy weapon for a unicorn, a supplement to their own magic and potentially an addition to one of his hazard suits. It was a handy thing to have if one’s own horn became immobilized.

Or if you didn’t have the time to or awareness to charge a spell.

Clipping on a security bracelet, Toxic went through the rounds of getting ready for bed before flopping onto the covers. The bracelet would deliver a painful shock to his limb if the security system activated, pulling the stallion out of even the most vivid nightmare or deep sleep.

“Why do I feel like I am not going to get a lot of sleep tonight?” Toxic grumbled.

Whatever the ‘nudging’ force was, it seemed sadly amused by that fact.

Two white eyes narrowed in anticipation, locking onto the gryphon bowing before them.

“See to it your role is played. Give the order.”

“Of course, my Lord.”

Author's Note

This weekend's release is a big two-parter :pinkiehappy: So here's part one! It was supposed to be just small teaser. Seriously. I swear it started out as just 1.5k words or so.

Whoops. :facehoof:

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow. :trollestia:

Poor Wire Strip though, poor pony can't get a break! But we get some development with our resident Shadow Pony, Icait, and some adorable fluffy moments.

Chapter Eleven: Poison

Knife Twist parried a strike with her spear, cutting down the shadow ponies that sought to do her charge harm.

‘Just let us by,’ the dozens of enemy soldiers whispered in unison, Knife glaring at them as she backed up slightly.

‘NEVER! I won’t let you kill the Princess!’

The soldiers laughed, all pointing behind Knife Twist at the same time, their white eyes narrowed in amusement.
‘You already did!’

Knife Twist woke up with a horrified yell, the bloodied and mangled body of her best friend the last thing she remembered. Her thin body was soaked with sweat, the same reoccurring nightmare refusing to let her rest.

But before that, there was something else.

Ever since her first meeting with Celestia, the nightmares had gotten worse. Images of death and shadow, whispers of something dark in her mind; but this was different. The shadows of sunset began to lengthen across her room, the darkness making the mare’s heart ache. It was like a vice on her mind. No spell could detect or banish it, but it was always there, whispering and lurking. A weight, something squeezing her soul. Asking on her behalf, Celestia had even consulted Luna; Knife Twist dared not ask the Lunar Princess herself.

And yet the response had been the same. Nothing could be detected, and even Emperor Nacreous’s mages came up short. The ever-present darkness refused to leave, hiding from magical scans or banishing spells alike. It was maddening, until now.

Now she could use that constant feeling.

Something is going to happen.

Writing a letter, Knife Twist sent it on its way with a tap of her hoof. It was a special permission granted by the Solar Princess, a way to contact her in case of an emergency. She had sent such warnings this past week but none this urgent. This was more than a general unease, but a flicker of familiar power that she recognized from more than a year ago.

It was familiar, yes, but different too. Darker, more sinister. Not only a flood of the hate-filled magic the Windigos used, but something that made her stomach twist into knots, something wrong.

I cannot stand by.

And yet stuck in her cell, Knife Twist knew that was all she could do. Over the past few week’s food had lost its savor and sleep was a fleeting pleasure. But none of that mattered.

I have to warn them.

The faces of the dead stared unblinking at the terrified stallion. Trotting through a sea of green and red liquid, the army stopped a stone’s throw away from Toxic Shield, the stallion’s sides heaving.

A single item floated down in front of his face, making the pony blink in surprise.

A feather.

It was a mental signal, a fail-safe if Toxic wasn’t able to wake from a dream naturally. A feather was the switch that this was in fact a dream. Usually it was a passive awareness, other times a sudden realization to snap himself out of it that Toxic’s own mind provided in times of need. Other instances included if Luna wanted to cut off a nightmare at the start without directly interfering.

In fact, he could hear the faint, frantic calls of the familiar mare.

Luna?! Where are you?!

The boulder on which Toxic stood shivered, the stallion shaking himself mentally out of his stupor.

“A dream. So that means you all can leave!” he bellowed, horn sparking with power. The ocean vanished, thick grass replacing it as the reanimated corpses crumbled into dust.

“Oh, but I think we’ll stay a bit longer.”

The unicorn felt a shiver run down his spine at that, seeming to hear multiple tones overlapping into the sinister, malevolent voice.

The field of grass lightened into twilight, Toxic staring in shock as a disembodied face floated in front of him. Not responding to his usual lucid-dreaming techniques, the white eyes widened, a beak opening in laughter as the face of gryphon resolved itself.

“Oh, I am not a dream, little pony. Your tricks won’t work on me. And your precious princess can’t interfere, not for a few moments longer,” the gryphon chuckled.

“How does it feel, Toxic Shield, to see the future?”

The stallion stared, fear creeping into his heart.
What is this!? Who is this?!
Are they in my head?!

“Oh yes. We are here, Toxic. Your dreams, your thoughts are easy to read here,” the face chuckled. “As to who I am? It matters not. You can simply call me the Bringer. In this case, I am the Bringer of the unavoidable truth.”

The field shifted and warped, a noxious sea of thick fluid returning to the fore.

“And the truth is that you failed in the past, and you will fail in the future. How many creatures have died because of your failures? Dozens? Hundreds?” the Bringer asked. “It will be more, of course. Your family, your friends…”

“Get out of my head,” Toxic growled, sending a blast of arcane energy punching through the Bringer’s face. The energy did nothing but annoy the gryphon, claws materializing to wipe away the remnants of the strike.

“No. I need to make you understand,” the Bringer growled. “Your family. Your friends, you know that you can’t save them all! You saw the lab before it happened, so what do you think THIS is?”

The hundreds, thousands of creatures reanimated with soulless eyes now spread out as far as Toxic could see. Canterlot, ruined and burning was visible in the background as the stallion felt his heart thudding in his throat.

“You put that in my head. That is YOUR doing! Just trying to goad me,” Toxic replied even as a cold sweat soaked his fur. The mental barriers in place seemed to be bypassed, this new force not taking the usual methods of mind-reading magic.

“Oh, but of course. Yet you are the only one who could have saved them,” the gryphon replied dismissively. “I know who you are. Your fears, how well-founded they are. I wonder how that could be? To forget a step in that oh-so-important chemical shower. It’s not goading if it’s the truth!”

Toxic’s eyes widened in horror, knowing where the entity was going with this. The gryphon chuckled malevolently, gesturing with his claws to bring a familiar hospital room back to the fore.

“A simple, neglectful act, and you will kill the only creature in this world who dared to love you. How poetically tragic,” the Bringer quipped. “But with how tired you must be from day to day, it’s certainly understandable.”

Toxic’s eyes brimmed with tears; the stallion caught up in the flow of the nightmare as the bundled-up creature on the hospital bed shifted.

“Perhaps this new gryphoness will be the one you kill?”

That made Toxic’s throat close up with emotion, the words threatening to kill the spark of hope that had kindled in the pony’s chest the day before.

“Not her,” he whispered, the fear now giving way to something else, something that made the pony’s limbs cease their shaking, a growl rising up in Toxic’s throat.

I’m so sick of this, so tired.

“Get out of my head, creature!” he hissed, glaring at the gryphon.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. That’s not you to decide. Now watch your fate! Her fate! Watch all of their lives snuffed out in a moment because you failed!”

Even as the hospital scene began to return to motion once again, Toxic shook his head.

No.

A familiar pull then tugged at the pony’s consciousness, and the stallion couldn’t help but draw a surprised breath. The leylines were just within reach, and the unicorn dove into the offered energy without a second thought.

I don’t know why I can feel them so strongly without a spell, but I don’t care.

His horn flashed, a ropey, arcane tether of blue light wrapping around the pony’s hoof and startling the gryphon.

“What are you doing?” the intruder growled.

A surge of power coursed through Toxic’s mind, the peaceful ebb and flow of the world’s leylines grounding him like waves on the shore of an ocean. More tethers wrapped themselves around the stallion, his horn aglow with a piercing white light as he reached out to the leylines even from the dream realm.

Or are they reaching out to me?

“You don’t get to decide my fate! Not mine, not my friends, and not my family!” Toxic hissed. The energy surging around his body now tore into the dream, eating away at the noxious ocean and spreading outwards in a uniform circle towards the gryphon.

“You said it yourself, I’m the only one who can stop this!” Toxic bellowed, taking a tentative step forward. His hoof hit solid ground, the pony not looking away from the increasingly uncomfortable apparition.

“I’m the one who WILL stop this!”

A shield of white light materialized in front of the stallion, chains made of the same arcane energy reaching out from the stony ground and pinning the opposing half-gryphon in place.

“Will you now?”

The cocky reply threw the stallion off guard even as he sent an emergency location rune blasting ‘up’ through the dream, a beacon to the Lunar Princess.

A sudden pain stabbed into Toxic’s left forelimb and snapped him awake, even as the image of a raging Lunar Princess diving towards a horrified gryphon faded from his mind.

Toxic then realizing the red glow was from behind his closed eyes, his heart thudding in his ears.

Thump-thump.

“INTRUDER ALERT!” A disembodied voice blared, magical energy making Toxic’s fur stand on end. The unicorn opened his eyes, and Toxic’s blood ran cold. Magical suppression fields made the air hum with power as the security system in his apartment sent spell after spell coursing through the maroon-tinted room. A high-pitched whine echoed through the room, a combination of his own natural voice wavelengths to disorient and deafen any intruders. The shocking spells alone had enough power to flatten a manticore.

Thump-thump.

“INTRUDER ALERT! SYSTEMS COMPROMISED!”

Poised mid-flight, a sneering earth pony had a forelimb drawn back in a strike, a long dagger strapped on the end of his hoof. Clad in odd, leather-like armor the pony was frozen mid-air by the powerful paralyzing security spells. The pony’s body was now starting to move, the armor across the stallion’s frame sparking as hidden gems began to override Toxic’s countermeasures and block the auditory attack. The magical protections clearly insulated against the other security measures, even if not completely.

Thump-thump.

Toxic reached over and slammed his forelimb down on the nightstand, activating a panic button and also causing a large bracer to snap closed around his extended limb.

Activating with a mechanical whine the metal armor extended across Toxic’s entire forelimb, a dozen small crystals sparking with bolts of white lightning as they extended up from the grey surface. With a simple mental command, the bracer sparked with a powerful hum that eclipsed the blaring alarm. The crystals angled towards Toxic’s hoof, a leyline tether spell sucking up the power like a sponge.

“You cannot do anything but fail and watch them all die!”

The Bringer’s voice that radiated from the pony’s mouth didn’t match up with the non-moving lips, even as the would-be-assassin’s eyes glowing white.

The blast that seared from the activated weapon tore off the earth-pony’s right shoulder, limb, and half of its face, splattering shadow-like goo against the nearest wall. The assassin let out a gurgling hiss as the security systems failed, releasing the pony as he tottering up on three remaining good hooves and grinning at Toxic. A spectral outline half replaced the pony’s face, a shadow-gryphon’s beak matching up with lips even as Toxic took aim once again.

“Oh, I know you, Toxic Shield! You will fail them. You can only watch as your family suffers, your friends, and of course as she suffers.”

Toxic only saw red.

“Never.”

Even while fear tore at his heart and threatened to paralyze him rage pushed Toxic into action as the voice faded. Weeks of sleep deprivation and nightmares; it shoved aside the fear and conscious thought. For a brief moment, years of trauma and continually suppressed and raw pain were manifested as this leering assassin taunting him. Anger focused all that energy into a single spike of action and mental desire.

The bracer let out a high-pitched whine, the leyline magic becoming tinged crimson. Toxic’s eyes widened into an entirely green sclera as red pupils swam into focus. Dark violet magic dripped from his gaze like tears, two fangs lengthening in the sneer that now slid onto Toxic’s features. The leylines shifted their color from a light blue to an angry red, surging around the stallion with sparks that ate into the nearby walls and made the crystals on the bracer vibrate with arcane overload. Furious tongues of crimson magic surged through the pony’s body, spreading outwards from his back like an aggressive pair of flared wings tinged with shadow. The assassin’s eyes widened in genuine fear and shock, gryphon-half seeming to recoil slightly at the sight of the changed stallion.

“You know nothing about me!”

The bracer sparked and let out a roar that matched Toxic’s guttural growl, the weapon sending a spear of crimson and white arcane energy tearing through the horrified earth pony’s features. The assassin’s body was splattered against the wall, green, black, and red sludge dripping down a hidden shield that prevented the attack from leaving the apartment proper. The shadow portion shrieked and clawed desperately at the attack, red bolts of lightning angrily diving into the creature’s eyes as it was blown apart to match the liquified ‘body’ coating the walls.

As a Solar Princess disabled the remaining security systems with a surge of power, Legionnaires dashed into the room, spears and swords raised at the stallion on the bed-

“Toxic!” Princess Celestia called, pushing her way to the front of the line. The stallion let out a growl and glared at her, horn aglow with a crimson aura as uncontrolled magic tore into the carpet under his hooves. Standing at the ready, Specialist Shield took aim with the weaponized armor, head twitching as dark magic continued to spill from his eyes.

“Toxic, stand down. You are among friends. You’re safe,” she said softly. Yet there was a moment where Toxic saw it all; the fear, the horror, the genuine sorrow a split second before the mask slammed into place.

Celestia couldn’t take back those last two words, no matter how much she wanted to.

Toxic’s reflection looked back at him in the Alicorn’s eyes; black and green mane billowing with his face plastered with a sneer of rage. There was a glint of something else, an emotional dart that was aimed directly at the Alicorn herself. He knew fully well what he was saying, but in that moment Toxic didn’t care.

He vividly remembered seeing Celestia differently almost two decades prior as he had looked up to her in awe. A moment when the Princess of Equestria had asked him, a young colt, for help. Not for some simple task like before, but something bigger. How honored he had been…

A single word left Toxic’s lips as the dark magic faded from his eyes. There was no hatred left though, no anger directed at the Princess; only bitter pain. The dismay of having realized a parent wasn’t perfect, the unforgettable knowledge that what you once thought they were was based on a lie.

The searing reminder that you had been used by someone you trusted.

Celestia’s two words dredged up an ever-raw patch of memory. It could never be forgotten. Long since forgiven but scars were still reminders all the same.

Forgiveness did not always warrant trust.

“You’re safe.”

“Liar,” Toxic hissed, glaring at Celestia; he held her gaze without wavering even the slightest.

The moment quickly passed and Toxic’s sides began to heave. He began to hyperventilate as the bracer slid from his forelimb, the device now falling to pieces from the outburst. The dark magic faded from his eyes, the stallion starting to shiver violently.

“W-what?” he whispered, looking around and starting to wobble on his hooves. “What did I-?”

The last thing he remembered was collapsing into a golden aura and the familiar voice of Luna then easing him into a dreamless sleep.

Entire body aching from the unexpected magical attack, the Bringer growled at the corner of the dark room, levering himself up.

“Dark magic? A leyline connection? That hurt!”

“You dare complain? I blunted the majority of the shock. It is an unexpected development, but does not change our goals,” a smooth voice replied. Two white eyes flickered open in the darkness, the vague outlines of predator’s head taking shape. The simple, pony-like head was closest to that of a unicorn except fangs lined its mouth and the horn on its head was curved as though from a bladed weapon. White eyes glared at the gryphon, the apparition letting out a huff.

“You should be thankful I blessed you with my presence for that little attack. The Lunar Princess would have destroyed you, that stallion and his security systems doubly so. You can tell your Commander that his assassin is safe, as you are. The leyline magic would have easily thwarted my usual efforts; you are very lucky.”

As his general had bowed before him, it was now the Bringer that lay prone with a nod.

“Forgive my complaints. I was merely taken off guard. I do not have the foresight and full plan as you do, my Lord.”

“No, you do not,” the shadow replied smoothly without a hint of anger. “And yet you continue to follow my orders precisely. For that you are to be rewarded continually.”

The gryphon felt a blissful warmth in his mind, a piece of the shadow on the floor flowing over to spread across his figure.

“I am of the Lord’s personal guard, now assigned to you,” a familiar voice in the gryphon’s mind stated as the other figure continued to speak.

“I must return to my anchor now. Continue with the plans I have given you, but this new pony must be watched carefully. Extract, analyze, and eliminate him. If his resistance to our substances cannot be extracted for our own personal use, kill him. I leave it up to you how best to acquire him and force his cooperation, if such is even possible. The end result must be his death. Give him a bit of time to be worn down, for the guards to become complacent. Then strike. I doubt his mental state will remain stable for long after that attack. I will inform you if the timetable changes.”

“As you command, my Lord,” the Bringer replied, then pausing. The shadow-creature then grinned, fangs showing at the gryphon’s hesitation.

“Is there another matter?”

“I…”

“Come now, have I ever unfairly punished somecreature for a concern?”

Try as he might, the Bringer couldn’t think of one. He was always fair and just. Brutal and savage, yes, but never without reason.

“Some of my subordinates are asking questions, my Lord,” the gryphon finally said. “Commander Chaster and his squad in particular. They are some of the most loyal, and while I too am curious, such concerns are beneath you.”

“Are they now? But such miniscule concerns can grow to a problem that may threaten an empire. Do tell me,” the Shadow asked, voice calm and sincere.

“They wish to ask when you will resurrect Her, as you originally promised.”

It was a slight twitch of the eye, the Shadow actually appearing a tad annoyed. It was then gone, replaced with a forced patience of a ruler.

“Ah. And you have such concerns, do you not?”

“Curiosities, my Lord. Not so much as a concern.”

That seemed to please the shadow, the creature chuckling.

“Well put. Hmmm, I do think it’s time to clarify a few loyalties. You still have the crystal shard in your possession?”

“Yes, it is in the next chamber.”

“Do you hear the Windigos when you get close to it?”

“I do.”

The shadow then grinned, barely-hidden eagerness dripping from every fang in its expression.

“Tell me, Bringer,” the Shadow asked. “And I do hope you answer honestly. From what you have seen of my plans, my power, my resources; did you ever truly believe I would bring back some husk of a mare? A paltry Witch who sold her soul to hatred for personal gain? Your title was in reference to her, yes, the Bringer of the Emissary’s return, or whatever it must be. But knowing that I actually meant for you to be my Bringer, what say you? You’re one of the smarter mortals I’ve seen, surely this must not be a shock.”

The gryphon’s brow furrowed, what was once a fearful question now replaced with an answer that made sense, almost too much.

Why hadn’t he realized this sooner?

A soft voice chuckled in his mind; the Lord’s personal guard.

‘It is alright. My Lord knows emotion can cloud judgement. He thinks highly of you regardless. Your loyalty to your previous Master is commendable.’

“No. I see no reason you would bring back the Emissary other than for her to serve you,’ the Bringer finally said.

The Shadow chuckled, nodding in approval.

“And that is your answer. The free Windigos preserved in that crystal are our allies; they do not wish to trust their existence to another pitiful mortal soul. Such an action led to the destruction of many of their kind at the hoof of Celestia and her allies,” his Lord explained. “It is unfortunate I had to misdirect your loyalties and your subordinates at first but there was no other way. Your dedication to the Emissary was admirable, and I had to wait until my plans could be fully realized.”

“I understand,”

“Oh?”

The question was obviously left open ended, the gryphon simply shrugging.

“If you had simply asked our allegiance from the start, we would have doubted your power out of ignorant pride. Now there can be no doubt. I personally will gladly serve you instead of a ghostly remnant. I expect others will do the same.”

The Shadow grinned, nodding in approval.

“Then I leave it up to you, as to the best method of explaining the situation. If any doubt my willingness to fulfil my promises, I will gladly make an example of them,” the creature then laughed, shaking its head. “That sounds much more sinister than I intended. I will gladly give them the same gifts that I have others. I do not wish to have jealousy spread throughout my ranks.”

“Of course, thank you, my Lord.”

“Carry on, my Bringer.”

The apparition then vanished, leaving the gryphon to meander down the mountain-cut hallways.

“He is pleased with your work,” the gryphon’s shadow-half stated calmly. “You are to be commended.”

“I’ll accept such commendations after our plans are in motion, and that pony is dead or turned to our side,” the gryphon muttered, striding out of the stone room towards his generals. “I naturally feel annoyed at being misled, but my Lord is wise to have done so. We would have foolishly turned his gifts away with our past misguided loyalty. I’d rather serve a living King than a skeletal witch!

A sinister laugh echoed through his mind, the voice of the Greater shadow returning to the Bringer’s mind temporarily.

“Ah, and that is why I like you. Carry on, my right hoof.”

Some Time Later

Celestia let a few hot tears streak her cheeks in the privacy of her own study, useless spell books cast about her figure. Despite the safety measures she had meticulously crafted around Toxic’s apartment they had been swept aside by whatever evil magic the assassin had utilized. A shield bypassed; proximity alarms deactivated; the usual countermeasures had proven utterly useless. The power of the Sun at her disposal, and Celestia’s magic had been bypassed, her hooves tied by a force she didn’t fully understand.

Again.

She broke her promise.

Again.

Celestia at least had the frame of mind to cast a shielding spell before throwing out a fiery blast in rage-filled yell, the fire wrapping around her torso before vanishing.

She could excuse it, of course, her past regrets. Celestia had been alone without her sister, without a confidant. Confident in her rule of a millennium. She had settled into the routine of making the decision to benefit the many, for their needs outweighed the one. Pieces on a chessboard; that was how she had viewed things for the sake of her sanity. When ponies passed away in what was a blink of an eye for her it made things easier during a thousand years of sole rule.

Yet she had been wrong, so very wrong. Such a view had only isolated Celestia more during her reign and in this case damaged a very empathetic pony.

A few words said repeatedly to a colt years ago who had looked up at her in wonder as the Princess asked him to enter a broken laboratory to save dozens of ponies. Not the simple maintenance tasks like the year or two before, but an actual rescue mission. And she had promised, given a reassurance that had been blindly trusted and accepted. She was the Princess of Equestria; of course she was right.

Of course she would keep her word. A Goddess who had ruled for a thousand glorious years wouldn’t lie. She was good; the embodiment of light and kept promises.

That was what most ponies believed, and what Celestia herself had begun to.

Her reassurances had led him to accept the tasks, starting Toxic on a path earlier than he was ready for. Such blind wonder only lasted a year after that. Toxic learned too early the fallibility of Equestria’s ‘Goddess’. A chess set was roughly shoved off a small table in a flick of magic, tears of regret brewing in Celestia’s eyes.

I treated him like a Pawn when I should have spoken to him as a Knight from the start. I underestimated his importance by leagues. And now, he will never believe the Queen has his bests interests at heart; and he’s right. The Queen cannot lose the game to preserve a single piece, no matter how much she values it.

That knowledge didn’t make me feel better then, and it certainly doesn’t now.

It certainly doesn’t make my actions right. He should have known from the start.

In that moment years ago, Celestia had lost a sacred trust that could never be re-forged. From the time he had accused her and the Princess had only replied in silence, Toxic had made his position abundantly clear. In times more recent it had been said much more respectfully and in a kinder manner than Celestia felt she deserved.

But the tears of a betrayed friend still haunted her from that day more than a decade prior. A young stallion standing alone in the throne room, bandages across his side and forelimbs and asking the simple question of why, why she didn’t keep her promise?

Where was she when he needed her? Why didn’t she help when he cried out in fear and pain, trapped under a hundred tons of metal, steel, and fire?

Where was the Goddess who promised him safety? Why couldn’t she help? What stopped her?

Deadly chemicals, magical interference, a collapsing lab; but those don’t matter. Mere reasons that could only be seen as excuses to a pony who thought I had no weaknesses. I would have likely perished in moments, magic or not. Like today, I was faced with a force I didn’t fully understand. For one of the few moments in a thousand years, I wasn’t sure of the enemy I was facing.

But I promised.
If only I had been strong enough to be honest with him, with myself.
Even the memory of the angry conversation, the betrayed loathing in Toxic’s eyes was enough to ice over Celestia’s heart.
I can still hear his voice. His questions, rapid-fire and as valid a condemnation as I deserved.

‘Why did you promise me safety every time if you knew you might be powerless to help? Did you even know how dangerous it was down there? Was I ever safe?

Why did you lie to me? Did you think I wouldn’t help otherwise? Were you afraid I’d say no, because the greater good is greater than my life? Did you not trust me that I already knew that?’

Her silence may as well have been a guilty brand stamped across the Alicorn’s brow. She hadn’t trusted he’d stay. How could she? Of course, she had worried, perhaps not afraid, but concerned that he would refuse, that he didn’t understand what was at stake. Very few mortals did, not without harsh judgement of the Alicorn’s actions.

She had underestimated him by leagues and now was paying the price.

And a now, a long-familiar look had dawned on Toxic’s face. She had seen it this night and had hoped to never see it again. Rage, hurt, betrayal, and then just bitterness as Celestia’s words had re-opened a wound.

Very few creatures dared stand up to her, fewer to openly and honestly insult or pass judgement in the presence of the Solar Empress, especially until recently.

Toxic had said one word those many years ago, and Celestia wasn’t sure he even remembered. But she did remember the look in his eyes as the pony had fearlessly stared at her, not a speck of weakness on his figure despite the bandages, slowly-healing gashes and burns. In hindsight, he may not have even uttered it loud enough for anyone to hear; but Celestia could read lips well enough. The single word may as well have been a burning brand on the book of trust that was now closed between them.

‘Coward.’

And he had been right.

That incident more than a decade and a half ago had provided Celestia with a shock she hadn’t felt in generations; that even she was not untouchable, unkillable. For the first time in centuries, the Alicorn had been given a situation in which her own mortality was a very real concern. And in that moment, she had to choose; the stability of Equestria and her own life, or breaking a promise and not teleporting to come to the aid of a wounded pony.

Not that it mattered to the young stallion who trusted her to keep him safe, a pony who had then been barely old enough to consider asking a mare to his first school dance. Toxic bore the burden of her failure now, of her arrogance to think that her magic and skill could have protected against any threat faced in those underground labs.

Like today, her magic had proven useless, and Toxic’s own efforts had saved his life.

Even while Toxic may have forgiven Celestia in time, come to understand her reasoning with maturity and logic he had most certainly had not forgotten nor trusted her like he used to. He likely never would. The Specialist had never retracted any of the things he had said and small actions here and there made it very clear Celestia was not his trusted Princess.

A respected ruler, yes, but no longer a close friend or even steady ally. His Organization’s heavy concealment spells and airtight, if not borderline paranoid contracts with her nation certainly didn’t assay any of Celestia’s thoughts on the matter. He certainly didn’t trust her with his Organization’s best interests, let alone his own. One of her ponies would likely never trust her again, not with his life, and that hurt, even if it was justified.

That was why Luna was his confidant, his friend. She was blunt to a fault, honest even when it may come off as cruel or indifferent. She knew when to explain to the one when their needs were surpassed by the many. Luna had no qualms about letting ponies know she wasn’t perfect, that she had limits. Then again, unlike Celestia, Luna hadn’t kept a mask in place for a millennium and begun to believe that the mask was truth.

In one of the many confident moments during her sole, thousand-year rule and lacking her sister’s tact those years ago, Celestia had lied, and her words had subsequently exposed her flaws when her intentions were questioned.

As a consequence she lost the implicit trust and loyalty of one of Equestria’s most valuable ponies, and gained a mother who would never forgive the harm that had come to her son nor trust the Crown with her family’s wellbeing ever again.

And years later, a Yak would learn the same lesson as he begged for his daughter’s safe return, only to have a certain stallion intervene when the Crown was silent. Toxic had done what Celestia and all her power could not. Ripped aside political pleasantries and saved the fragile and innocent lives in danger when she could not.

Would not.

It was in her room that Nacreous found Celestia a short time later, the alicorn sobbing into his arms in sorrow. He knew, of course. She had told him everything weeks ago.

If anyone could understand her pain, it was him. The Doctor knew, the hippogriff who had lied to the face of a thousand dying creatures that they would be ok, giving them comfort and peace to replace panic. The Emperor could understand making choices to benefit a kingdom instead of the one and the guilt that caused. He knew above all others that sometimes you had to make promises you couldn’t keep.

‘I promise to keep you safe, Toxic Shield, as always.’

Author's Note

You didn't think things would remain all hunky-dory for Toxic, did you? Looks like things just ratcheted up a notch...or fifty....:trixieshiftright:

Who was it wondering if things would stay all lovely and peaceful? Here's your answer! :rainbowlaugh: This is a heavy chapter to be sure.

Chapter Twelve: The Board is Set

Shifting tapped his hoof in thought against the clipboard, the Commander’s brow furrowing.

“’The Bringer’, and he’s a gryphon? The same that attacked the chemical lab?" the Commander of the Lunar Nights mused. “That’s all you could get out of him?”

“Considering I had to blast him out of Toxic’s mind before anything else, yes,” Luna replied. “It was like there were two minds in that gryphon’s though, quite strange. Some other force perhaps? Or a supportive party.”

“Well I hope you gave him a few hits from me. So, all we know is that a nebulous organization, likely the remnants of the Windigo’s group is at large. A ‘Whisper’ could refer to their continued influence. But that’s all we’ve got for now.” Shifting let out a growl at that. “Which means very little. No motive other than targeting Toxic, which implies a chemical attack, or some sort of utilization of such that only he would be able to stop. That would make the assassination logical. But still, that’s an escalation I didn’t anticipate, along with Toxic’s use of dark magic utilized from the leylines no less,” Shifting let out a huff. “I most certainly didn’t teach you that.

“You probably didn’t have to,” Luna remarked, leaning on her love’s shoulder, the pair sitting in a private conference room. She put down the report from the guards; the aforementioned stallion’s family now under constant guard from disguised legionnaires. “From what I was able to gather before blasting that apparition to oblivion, fear and rage were amplified in Toxic’s mind and heart. It’s likely he just reacted. The game just changed with the attempt on his life, obviously. He and his family are under guard now, and he should be considered a high-risk target. I don’t recall him ever using dark magic in any report I’ve read, but certainly a few warranted moments where he has gotten rather emotional during an incident.”

“Ah, but for emotions you mean the Klugetown event? That one I remember hearing about personally. There’s a lot of redacted material though- things erased beyond recovery. Even from what I gathered, it doesn’t surprise me that he became more publicly emotionless after that. I certainly would have done the same,” Shifting mused. “Well, in this case, if he was able to access dark magic so easily that is troubling indeed. Perhaps due to the Windigo’s magic influencing him? They do thrive off such emotions, dark magic sometimes causing such,” the Commander said thoughtfully.

“Perhaps, but it may be much more natural than that, Shifting,” Luna added, “Dark magic is, after all, still just magic at its core. It’s naturally occurring but just feeds off different emotions. Despite its past uses, it isn’t inherently evil in nature, simply the other side of a figurative magical coin. In this case, it would make sense if he was able to utilize a leyline for it. It uses similar emotions to the Windigos and the like. However, this attack will necessitate a shift in his training as well as to control this other type of magic. The fact the leylines seemed to reach out to him is interesting and adds a new aspect. It seems he has an affinity for the energy as you do.”

“No kidding. His interactions are much more different than mine. I’m able to tap into that source of magic easily, but Toxic just, I don’t get it. It’s like the leylines are attracted to him in a way,” the Commander admitted, his fiancé reaching over to poke his side with a hoof.

“Well, we know there are creatures that live in the Leylines per se, right?” Luna suggested. “Nacreous’s friends for example. So, in a way, the leylines are alive, even if not in a corporeal sense like Nacreous has experienced. Toxic may have sparked their interest.”

Shifting let out a hum at that, the stallion shrugging.

“I don’t know much about that,” he admitted. “Are you saying these leylines chose Toxic? I know that your words are true, I’ve just never met one of these leyline creatures. I know the Order Nacreous was a part of communed heavily with such magic, but only the basics.”

“Oh, I’m not saying each leyline has one, only that they may be alive in the general sense the Tree of Harmony is. My knowledge of that sort of magic is rather primitive, I admit.”

The raised eyebrow from Shifting, prompting Luna to let out a huff.

“What?”

“Luna, the Tree is now sapient and evolved to be such. The leylines have been around longer than that.”

Luna stared at her stallion, reaching up to massage a temple with a hoof.

“You raise a fair point,” she admitted, “but my words stand. In whatever form the leylines exist, they may be more open to Toxic for some reason. Perhaps Nacreous could-”

A knock interrupted the pair, the afore-mentioned and familiar hippogriff poking his head in.

“Nacreous! What can we do for you? We actually had some questions of our own, but that can wait,” Luna asked from her comfy position on Shifting’s shoulder.

“Oh? I’d be glad to answer. My words are about Toxic. I assume you all were going to shift his training?” the Doctor asked. Seeing Shifting nod, Nacreous couldn’t help but grin widely, an alabaster Alicorn poking her head in as well. She was clearly unsettled about something, but still seemed supportive of her fiancé.

“I have a different idea. I’m curious what you two, and Toxic will think. I think we all agree that Specialist Shield will need more than just additional training in this fight.”

The longer Shifting and Luna listened to the Paladin the wider their smiles got.

“Will it work? I mean, that would aid in more resources to combat threats on his life, and I assume guard against the influence of darker magics on a passive level,” Shifting asked as Luna stared, his grin now matching her own. They had thought a previously-discussed project was on the mind of the Emperor and the Solar Princess, but this option was much more appealing.

“It’s not just up to me, but yes, it would most certainly fulfil those requirements,” Nacreous said with an eager chuckle, a previous spark of enthusiasm now becoming a roaring fire as the Emperor summoned his breastplate, claws tracing over the symbols gently. “But if anypony is worthy, it would be Toxic.”

“Will it not be another burden?” Celestia asked softly, “that stallion bears enough weight for his duties as it is. I will not recommend an option to Toxic that will put more stress into his life.” Her ears were flat against her skull, more words seeming to be unsaid, but her posture conveyed her reluctance.

“I don’t think he’d see it that way,” Nacreous replied, surprising Celestia as he reached over to grasp her hoof gently, Luna and Shifting watching curiously. There seemed to be a hidden weight to the hippogriff’s words. “He has already been walking the path, he just didn’t know it. All this would do is unlock some help. There is no more responsibility with this calling, only the promised power that this pony already should have access to. Would it be a burden to finally have the power to defend that which you hold dear? To know that you had a greater strength to draw upon than just your own? All of us here have that option; Toxic doesn’t in multiple meanings of it. I don’t just mean the sun and moon either. He’s a natural protector, Celestia.”

Luna couldn’t help but grin at seeing her sister so flustered, even after all the time she had spent with Nacreous. Shifting gave her a nudge on the shoulder, the Commander of the Lunar Knights winking at his Fiancé to accompany Nacreous’s words.

“Then ask him, Nacreous. You have my support. I’ll stand as a witness for him, if Toxic accepts,” Celestia said. “I made a promise to keep him safe, and to deny this potential source of strength from him would betray that trust.” Her voice then dropped to a whisper only Nacreous was able to hear. “What little trust that hasn’t been betrayed, that is.

“Likewise,” Luna added. “He needs the help, this recent incident showed as much. I cannot watch as a pony falls to a darkness we still don’t know how to combat. Perhaps this new opportunity can harden his mind against this evil. I trust you on that matter, Nacreous. Whatever this new evil threat is, it has targeted a pony already buckling under the weight of responsibility. I will gladly vouch for him.”

“For what weight my view carries, I as well,” Shifting concluded. “Luna was right when she spoke of Toxic many moons ago. I see quite a bit of myself in this stallion. There’s a great will in that pony, an odd attraction to the leylines that has given him some aid, but Specialist Shield can only take so much. If I can help prevent the darkness in another’s life that consumed myself for so many years, I must try.”

Nacreous nodded, summoning a parchment with a wave of his claws as the three other individuals signed it. It was a simple summons, but their signatures with his would add considerable weight. Considering things could immediately proceed if Toxic accepted, it was a weighty request indeed. It would be sent within a few days, at least until the stallion in question had recovered from his ordeal. But they could not wait too long, for predators often struck again when their prey was wounded.

A quip sprang to mind, modified from an ever-popular comic book of which a certain dragon assistant hypothetically had two original copies of.

“With great responsibility…” Nacreous whispered.

Once alone, Celestia called up a specific report from years ago, hoof massaging her temples.

How could she have forgotten?

“Lulu, I need to show you something. It’s about Toxic. Give me an hour first. Then again, see if you can snag Shifting and Nacreous too,” Celestia called out, sending her voice magically over a temporary mental link.

As her sister sent a soft chime back in acknowledgement, the Solar Princess shook her head. It was logical that she had forgotten. Over a decade of interactions, a single moment in time when so much had been chaotic with Luna returning a few years after.

Opening the classified recording, Celestia zipped through the crudely-recorded images of the incident, zeroing in on a single frame taken from a nearly-destroyed security camera from a remote warehouse in the Badlands.

Face a mask of vengeful rage and clad in a broken hazard suit, a familiar blue stallion leered over five cowering reptiles, broken weapons surrounding them as their claws were raised up in a begging gesture. The image was broken with static and a dense fog, light refracting across numerous bright surfaces to one side. Was that purple mist spilling from his eyes, or was it a trick of the light?

What else could I do? I monitored, spoke with you, and forgot. You said that nothing felt different, no intent on accessing those magics. I know how fickle magic can be so I passed it off as a one-time thing, if it even happened at all. I suppose I convinced myself of the lunacy of it all, and I didn’t want to pry and disrupt your life any more than I already had.

But this new incident; it wasn’t a trick of the light at all. I can’t afford for you to fall down a dark path, Toxic.
We can’t afford it.

And yet there was a strong fire of hope in Celestia’s chest. She knew this stallion. It wasn’t evil intentions that day that made dark magic course through Toxic’s veins, nor a desire for power or domination. It was rage, righteous anger at what he found in that warehouse.

Celestia would never hold such actions against him, nor any other creature. She herself had turned the area to glass not a few days later; Toxic had been more merciful to those monsters than she, even under the influence of such magic. There was a reason their interactions with the Badlands were next to none, and that was even before Twilight’s adventures.

Unlike other fallen sorcerers, Toxic hadn’t let the dark magic control his mind or actions that day in the Badlands. Pure intentions sometimes meant everything when meddling with such powers. The power Darkness held over one’s heart was next to nothing if your intentions were selfless and pure; that much had been shown.

You’re stronger than that. I know you are.

In some ways, you’re stronger than me.

“You’re sure that you’re ok?” Spectrum asked her son, Toxic nodding at the simple portal where his parents looked on in concern.

“Yes, I got released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and that was after being asleep for two days straight, and a third day of solid tests before they let me contact anyone myself. I’m just taking it easy in a hotel now, just got here. And I’ve got a few doctor appointments this week for the non-physical injuries.”

“Do keep us in the loop, and take care, Son, try not to get mugged again,” Manifold Shield said, Toxic actually surprised at seeing his father choked up slightly.

“I will, and I’m ok, I promise. I’ve got a dozen guards and probably two dozen more I don’t see on a daily basis. The bonus of high security clearance.”

“Love you.”

“Love you guys too.”

As the call ended, Toxic shook his head tiredly, the sleep in the hospital not seeming to have helped that much. No dreams, just completely out.

But at least it’s something.

He hated lying to his parents, and by now they could probably tell something was amiss. They always seemed to know when his various assignments took their toll, even if they knew not to ask. But now Toxic’s safety and whereabouts were being pushed up to top-secret levels. The less his parents knew the better and the safer they would be. That was how it had been for many years, and his parents knew better than to ask more.

And that’s why I understand, Celestia. Lies have to be told to keep those you love safe. I don’t like it, I never will, nor will I agree with it as a standard to operate on. But I get it. It feels different when you are the one being lied to though.

He opened a portal to retrieve some enchanted parchment, running down his list of who to contact. Parents, check. Varti? Check. Now for a certain, special gryphoness. Poor Gelly, she probably had no idea what was going on. It had been three days, and he had just sent a few parchments saying something had come up. How could explain it? He….

Toxic’s hooves abruptly began to shake, making the unicorn sit down on the floor. Every noise seemed to be amplified, the air itself seeming heavy.

Somecreature tried to kill me.
Again.

For the first time, the statement now began to disseminate through the pony’s mind, Toxic knowing full well the signs of an anxiety attack as his heartbeat thudded in his ears.

An assassin, sent to kill me. And he almost did, if not for my security systems and that weird leyline tug to get that bracer ready.

The world seemed to spin for a moment, Toxic taking deep breaths as he struggled to stop his hooves from shivering.

I guess it never sank in, still hasn’t sunk in. How do I even process this?
Am I even safe here?

I learned a long time ago that even a Goddess can’t save my life. And now…

A few tears trickled from his eyes, the stallion feeling pent-up sobs in his chest aching to be released.

I always feared it would happen again after that incident years ago. And now it did, in Equestria, not some backwoods forest bordering the badlands. This was much closer, not some random fanatic.

Someone tried to-

A knock on the door made the Unicorn’s fur stand on edge, a quick spell indicating there were just two individuals outside, one a legionnaire. It served as a good enough distraction to stem the tears as Toxic swiped a forelimb across his face.

Friends, that’s good. Guess I’ll be on edge for a while to say the least.
Fantastic. I get to add ‘attempted assassination’ to my list of mental traumas.
At least I didn’t kill them, contrary to what I thought.

The simple question to Celestia had assayed that thought; the ‘body’ of the assassin, while having been blown apart, was more magical than physical. Whatever it was, it definitely hadn’t been permanently destroyed by Toxic’s efforts.

That both made him feel better at not having taken a life, but also didn’t assay the fear of a returning event.

I still never want to take a life. Even in Klugetown, I never-

“Hey, Toxic. It’s Hammer.”

As Toxic opened the door, two concerned violet eyes met his, a familiar gryphoness’s beak clenched in worry.

“I’ll leave you two be. She’s got temporary security clearance for this incident by the way.”

Hammer trotted off promptly, leaving Gelliana looking over Toxic in genuine concern.

“Are you alright? T-they didn’t tell me anything until an hour ago, just that you were unavailable. There were more guards posted around Icait, and I didn’t know what was going on, only that you stopped answering my parchments,” Gelliana whispered, ears flat against her skull. “T-they said that you w-were ok, b-but I didn’t know i-if y-you…”

Her words faded as Toxic dropped his gaze to his hooves, a lump in his throat preventing everything but a few words. She must have seen his damp eyes, the way his voice wavered and cracked. Toxic could feel Gelliana’s gaze on him, even though his own eyes were now closed.

“S-sorry. I was going to…I…”

A quiet sniffle that accompanied the soft shaking of his sides was enough for Gelliana to quickly step forward and wrap Toxic up into a tight hug, her own worries taking a back seat. Burying his face into her soft shoulder, the stallion took a shuddering breath knowing that tears were running from his closed eyes but not caring in the slightest. As the gryphoness held him close the stallion let himself cry, barrel shivering as the dam holding back the emotional impact of the past events cracked and began to break.

And yet Gelliana didn’t say much more, only tightened her hug around Toxic and rested her head against his. The shaking of his hooves and sides refused to stop, the stallion just focusing on the warm gryphoness holding him close as he sobbed, burying his face into her feathers. Gelliana rocked the distraught pony back and forth as the peaceful scent of her feathers made everything else fade away.

“I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” she whispered, “but it’s ok to not be ok.”

Thank you, Gelliana.

Author's Note

I'm liking this idea of a double-chapter upload for the weekend. They are more beefy now, but will eventually settle into a shorter chapter on Friday, and a larger on Saturday, every other week.
That being said...

I feel like a weekly upload of shorter chapter and then longer chapter the next week disrupts the flow a bit more with the time inbetween, but let me know! Would you prefer a weekly upload of short then long chapters, or two on one weekend? (Short chapter Friday, bigger one Saturday).

Learning some more about the aftermath. The board is set...

Chapter Thirteen: The Pieces are Moving

“Thank you for meeting with me, Professor Varti,” Luna said kindly as the large yak waved a cloven hoof at her.

“Most welcome, your Highness. There are a few matters I needed to discuss with you too, so this is quite efficient,” the eccentric creature replied, adjusting his lab coat with a shrug of his furry shoulders. The pair had met on Toxic’s island, the two of them now sitting in a pleasant gazebo that overlooked a peaceful beach, the organization’s main complex behind them in the far distance.

“I am a bit surprised to be here, if I may be blunt,” Luna admitted. “I didn’t think Toxic would let either myself or my sister be here without a bit more…word fencing.”

The yak let out a sad sigh, nodding slowly.

“Well, if your sister had asked, I’d have refused,” he replied softly, “I stand with Toxic on that. I know you have your sister’s best interests in mind, as I have Toxic’s. Those two views are not mutually exclusive though.”

“And yet you clearly do not trust my Sister; may I ask why?” Luna asked, seeming genuinely curious. Those words made the yak let out a huff.

“You already know, Highness. I doubt my-rephrasing of past events will change things.”

“I…actually don’t, Professor.”

Having a mind that ran faster than the majority of others could be a blessing and a curse at times. Predicting social reactions, where a conversation was going; it was only through those methods that Varti had managed to even begin to navigate social circles.

And yet the Princess had truly and utterly stumped him. For all his intellect, he had never suspected that simple answer.

“What?” was the only word the Yak could ask, the gears in his mind grinding to a halt for a moment.

“Contrary to what many may thing, Celestia doesn’t share everything with me, especially now that she has Nacreous for more personal challenges,” Luna admitted, not able to keep a bit of sisterly bitterness out of her voice. “While I adore how happy she is, it does make breaching such topics a bit more difficult. So, I do not know what happened between her and Toxic Shield. I only know the absolute basics, not the fine details.”

“It is not my place to give you such details, Princess.”

“Just Luna, Varti. I am here as a friend now, Princess later. And I respect that decision. That said, is there any light you can offer on this matter? My sister has seemed more erratic concerning matters with Toxic, and that stallion’s challenges are many,” she then paused. “As a matter of fact, I only know what our official files detail about you as well. I regret not being more up to date in a more personal aspect.”

Varti frowned, furry brows furrowed in thought. What could he say? Both about himself and Toxic. The last thing he wanted was to betray his friend’s trust. But the stallion trusted Luna to approve this meeting, and if their private talk had been any indication, Toxic was going to take a breather for a short while.

Yaks are so much easier to read. Just blunt, and-

Ah!

“May I tell you something about Yaks, Luna?” Varti asked, shifting on the large cushion as he looked to her and then the ocean. “It is a bit convoluted, but I believe it’s the best way I can explain your sister’s position in regards to Toxic, and to myself, and to this entire Organization. If you permit me, it may explain in gentler terms why we can’t trust her, and I mean that in the kindest way possible. Both Toxic and myself still hold her in the highest regard, as contradictory as that may seem.”

“I am intrigued, do continue.”

Varti chuckle, nodding as he began.

“Did you know I was the very first Yak in my entire family to get a formal education?” he asked. “The irony that a Yak could fit in most with ponies was…well, my parents truly couldn’t understand it. But they saw that I was happy. Back home in our Clan lands, and for most Yaks, for that matter, we deal with things in three ways,” Varti pressed his left hooves against the ground in emphasis. “Smash, yell, or just charge through. Those three ideals encompass military views, social constructs, everything. As a child, I didn’t understand it. I was curious, enough to realize that other creatures spoke more fluidly, that the world was bigger than just a village. I saw the oddity where culture and tradition should have guided me. It was only once getting an education that I could put words to my discomfort, realized how to see the world in my own way.”

The yak now looked over to Luna, genuine concern shining in his dark brown eyes.

“Luna, if you dropped any other Yak into a university, they would be lost. Thankfully for the school of Friendship, it’s not as strict in terms of academics. The goal is to learn about friendship. But if you asked any yak from my clan how to solve a math problem? How to cook a fine meal using precise measurements? They were wholly unfamiliar with such concepts. Not out of active avoidance, but simply because it had no place in their lives, do you follow?”

“Very much so. My experience returning to Equestria has shown that many things I thought were now outdated and wholly useless. How to interact with ponies, their views; I didn’t know what to do other than lash out in frustration for a time,” Luna admitted.

“Yaks, Ponies, Gryphons, and Alicorns are not so different at times,” Varti chuckled. “Now, concerning Celestia. From what I understand she ruled for a thousand years, never encountering a foe that could not be bested by raw force, save perhaps Discord.”

Luna stayed silent on that; her own true power and Celestia’s was a secret kept out of necessity, and also by blind acceptance by the masses. However, there were some who had realized the truth out of necessity, or just doing enough research.

“If I’m not wrong, for example, Celestia could have turned Chrysalis into a paste with a flick of her hoof, but she didn’t for the betterment of her ponies. For a thousand years, your sister played a part that I think was not entirely truthful to herself and her subjects, for various reasons. It was all to their benefit, but that had limits.”

That got a wince from Luna. She sometimes forgot how smart this Yak really was.

“And to be fair, this is from reading a lot of history. I might have Ph.D’s in physics and engineering, but I do love the past,” Varti admitted. “Now, what happens when you put not a Yak steeped in tradition, but a Princess into a situation where all her power, knowledge and will means absolutely nothing. A thousand years of rule, of vanquishing foes with barely a thought, of careful planning- suddenly that means nothing in a split second. Every preconceived solution is gone, what do you do? How can you predict somecreature would react?”

Luna shook her head at that. “You can’t.”

“And you’d be right. In terms of Toxic, I will say this. Celestia was placed in that exact situation. From what I understand she was suddenly confronted with an impossible choice that required immediate action. Her power meant nothing and she had to choose between saving my friend, and her own life.” Varti shrugged sadly at that.

“This was before your return, before I even met Toxic. He hasn’t told me everything in detail, but I’ve figured it out well enough. Celestia chose the well-being of herself and the nation over Toxic’s life, as any ruler should. That is what it comes down to. And that would not have had such an impact if she had not promised to do otherwise. But how could she? To anticipate such an event with a thousand years of experience would be like asking a Yak to predict the end equation spanning the length of a chalkboard. And yet the damage was done." The yak paused, and Luna saw a bit of a dangerous glint in the professor's teal eyes.

"I cannot continue without mentioning myself, for I at first thought Toxic was being a bit harsh. And yet not a few years later, he was proven right. Celestia's response to my daughter's kidnapping only proved Toxic's words true. She chose a nation over my daughter, as every ruler should. But it was not her daughter at risk that day. I was able to see her as Toxic did. She would choose the nation over my daughter, as she chose it over Toxic. Both of us understand that logic, but refuse to be dragged into it ever again.”

Varti was then silent for a time, and to her surprise, Luna saw the Yak toying with a loose bit of fur with his hooves anxiously.

“That said, I worry about Toxic, Luna,” Varti said quietly. “And I speak not of this attempt on his life. He can defend himself well enough. But he…I can see him changing ever so slightly. And I’m not sure your sister is helping the matter.”

“How so?” Luna asked softly, her previous conversations with Celestia at the fore. She did seem genuinely worried about Toxic, on a level that spoke of both compassion and guilt.

“Your sister is like a Yak, in this case,” Varti said bluntly. “I fear she does not know how to handle a problem outside of the past one thousand years of managing things. That requires not taking individual lives into account, but the whole picture. That can come off as very cold to those who are affected, amplified by past pains. That is why we cannot trust her, as well intentioned as Celestia may be. She would use Toxic, myself, and this organization to Equestria’s overall benefit if it came down to it. That is how it should be, but also why we must be careful. Toxic trusts you though, and so I tell you that in confidence.”

Not replying to that, Luna tapped her hooves against the stone in thought. Varti was right of course, but it wasn’t her place to confirm things. Nacreous had been helping Celestia immensely in that regard; but a thousand years of instinct couldn’t be undone in but a few years.

In the end, the Yak was right. Celestia would do exactly that. It was why she had sealed off Oakbark to protect tens of thousands from a toxic fog, and possibly doomed anycreature who had tried to escape through the hardened shield.

Oh, Sister. You’ve only shared brief moments of what it was like while you ruled alone. I cannot imagine the impossible choices you’ve had to make.

And now with Nacreous, you can finally open up about them to someone who can understand. But the past is not easily erased it would seem.

“Toxic was one of those affected, Luna,” Varti concluded, “I cannot emphasize the impact it had on him, but it was severe and long lasting. He has never told me the details of what happened that day, b-but I worry…” the Yak’s voice actually trembled, the scientist taking a shaking breath. “I worry that unless this organization can shoulder his burden, that I will lose my friend.”

“Varti, what are you-?”

“I am no stranger to challenges of the mind, Luna,” Varti said curtly. “I may be conversing with you easily now, but that has taken more than a decade of training and mental practice to do so. My intellect has a price, a severe one in terms of social anxieties. However, my challenges have now let me see that my friend is suffering, even if I don’t know how to fix it.”

There was a dangerous look in Varti’s eyes; that of an unsettled creature confronted with a problem that he wanted to solve but was barred from doing so.

“Toxic cannot take the necessary time to stop; a fool could see that. If he took the time needed to heal and refused a call that would inevitably cost lives, that guilt would tear him apart,” the Yak said softly. “You and I both know he meets with some of the best-paid therapists in Canterlot. But that can only delay the cost, not erase it. I fear the eventual dept to be paid will be too much. And this new foe…”

“I know,” Luna whispered, “His nightmares have become worse as of late, and this new enemy seems to specifically want to break his mind. I fear they will succeed unless he gets some help. But to that end,” Luna looked up, her gaze sharp as a spearpoint as a wry smile twitched at her lips, “we have some plans for that, if Toxic will accept the help. I can’t tell you of them yet.”

Varti nodded knowingly, shrugging his broad shoulders.

“If it will help Toxic, I wish you all the best,” he then glanced over to the Princess curiously. “I suppose that covers one matter. What was it you also wanted to discuss?

“Truthfully, we already touched on it,” Luna admitted. “I am concerned for Toxic, and wanted to learn more of why my sister is so touchy about conversing with him. It was starting to get a bit aggravating, seeing the tension so very present but not knowing why.”

“Understandable, but I have a feeling there is another reason.”

Luna couldn’t help but laugh, gesturing around at the ocean and the island.

“Perhaps. I have been curious about this island, this organization, and I have missed the ocean.” The alicorn then held up a hoof, a knowing smile on her face. “And no, as per my word, I haven’t cast any scanning spells or the like.”

The yak relaxed slightly, standing up with a wince and stretching.

“Thank you, Luna. I’m sure Toxic appreciates it. Do feel free to let me know if any other matters arise. I’m sure future meetings won’t be an issue.” He then let out a rumbling chuckle. “Well, as long as you make it clear to your fiancé, I am not trying to steal you away.”

Luna grinned at that, powering up a teleportation spell with a bow of her head, a gesture the yak returned.

“I look forward to it, Professor Varti. And perhaps next time Shifting can join us?”

The yak thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I’d like to meet him. Take care, Princess Luna.”

“You as well.”

After the Princess vanished, the Yak made his way up towards the sloping mountain path, getting his exercise in for the day. While he liked his lab, there was something peaceful about just listening to the ocean.

I hope you can find some peace, Toxic. Perhaps you don’t know how worried your friends are about you.

“Discord, what in the world? I’ve been trying to reach you for days, if not longer!” Celestia fumed, glaring at the back of the Lord of Chaos as the Draconequus fiddled with his claws and not looking at her. A few days after the attempt on Toxic’s life, and only now had the individual in question answered her summons. The fact even Fluttershy had been mum on his whereabouts was both cause for concern and aggravation. This was not the time for any of his pranks.

“What is the…Discord?”

Her tone immediately changed on seeing Discord recoil slightly, not a smidge of cocky bravado present on the usually boisterous creature.

“Discord, what is wrong?”

He let out a huff, the barest hint of a joyless smile twitching at Discord’s face.

“Quite a bit, my dear Princess. I apologize for the wait but I had to make sure. I had to try and fix it.”

“Fix what? Please, tell me what is wrong.”

Discord let out a laugh, but this one held no mirth. No, this held the tone of a creature absolutely frightened beyond belief and was laughing because no other emotion could leave his being.

“Wrong. Oh, so much is wrong, Celly,” he drolled, conjuring up a picture of his house in the chaotic realm. “Did you know my house has plumbing? It’s nothing like the stuff in your realm here, but it’s still there. Pipes carrying things to and fro, letting me have a glorious shower of steaming chocolate milk, so many pipes all over my domain!”

Celestia waited patiently, never having seen Discord so unsettled.

“Simply put, there’s a leak,” he stated flatly, glaring at a piece of pipe that floated between the two in the empty throne room. “Well, not so much a leak as much as some imbecilic creatures decided to try and merge their pipes with mine! DID merge it!”

He rounded on Celestia conjuring up a small, ragged piece of parchment.

“Read this. I was given this letter a week ago, when I first detected that something was wrong in my realm. How it showed up in my mailbox I still don’t know.”

Looking at the parchment, Celestia read it once, then twice…and then abruptly had to adjust her connection with the sun as the carpet under her hooves began to smolder.

‘To the Lord of Chaos.

Do not interfere.
It would be a shame for your precious butterfly’s wings to be plucked.

You will not try to find or stop us. Not if you value your butterfly.

-The Bringer’

“Discord,” Celestia whispered, the Draconequus letting out a hiss.

“Oh, but I tried at first, to find the leak and at least see if I could stop it! But nothing! Zilch! Nada! Everything in my realm is as it should be! That’s exactly why I never noticed this happening! And yet somehow, something is leaking, siphoned off into this world! Do you have any idea- no, of course you wouldn’t. You only see one piece, don’t you?” Discord asked, eyes flickering across the room wildly. “A month? A year? I have no idea how long this has been going on! You can’t have any idea how this affects you. No idea at all. How many ways this could affect- no, how many…no…what could even occur if-”

*SPLAT!*

A ball of raspberries slapped Discord in the face, Celestia then wiping it off with a clean napkin that was quickly incinerated.

“Discord, you need to tell me in simple terms what is going on. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re terrified.”

Discord took a few deep breaths, his form expanding ten times its size and then shrinking as he did so.

“Thank you, Celestia,” he admitted. “I needed a good rasberrying.”

“Anytime. I’d be happy to inform Fluttershy of that statement too for her future use.”

That made a familiar, smug grin return to Discord’s face.

“I’ll bet you would. However, now that my head is back on straight; In simple terms? I am terrified and I don’t like it. As I said, somecreature has found a way to siphon off energy from my realm into this plane. To contain it, utilize it, mess with it. For how long I truly don’t know, but I suspect for an extended length of time.”

“Isn’t that impossible? Your magic can’t be controlled except by, well, you.”

Discord nodded, letting out a growl at that.

“Correct. They clearly have found a way to at least direct it, and I think I know how. What is the opposite of Chaos, Celestia?”

“Order.”

“Oh, naturally. But go further. The opposite of light?”

“Dark.”

“A full container?”

“And empty one.”

“The opposite of certainty?”

“Uncertainty.”

“What is another word for that? Where darkness loves to thrive? Where do shadows live? A certain pony of shadows, a race of shadows, I might add?”

Celestia’s eyes widened at that.

“Limbo.”

Discord nodded once.

“A place of nothingness. What place can contain a creature even as powerful as the Pony of Shadows? A place and magic that would nullify chaos? For its very existence is that of chaos itself, or, at times, the lack thereof. I have no doubt such magic would render your attacks useless too. An opponent doesn’t always have to match your power to win. Just counter every move.”

“This is about Onyx, what he’s seen, this new Shadow creature, yes?” Celestia asked. “I don’t know more than that. But you’re saying somehow a creature from Limbo is able to harness your magic? Siphoned off from your realm for who knows how long?”

“Oh, not harness it in full, goodness no!” Discord drawled as he examined some floating bubbles that now appeared in front of him. “But modify? Infuse into matter from this plane? Oh yes, that they can do indeed, and my magic does not interact well with things here unless controlled by a loving, handsome, and experienced paw.”

“That fluid? The lab explosion?”

“Possibly infused with chaotic matter. I don’t know, simply because it’s not here anymore. I can’t trace it. Limbo magic canceled out everything. Your magic, my magic, it doesn’t care.”

Letting out a frustrated huff, Celestia then paused, rounding on the more-normally behaving creature.

“Why are you so scared then?” she asked softly. “For Fluttershy? Surely you could destroy them at a whim if they even stepped a hoof near her.”

With a wave of his paw, Discord conjured up a vial of familiar green liquid, and promptly poured it out onto the floor.

Eating through stone and metal, the liquid bored a neat hole straight down until it was out of sight.

“All I did was make water fuse with a bit of energy from my realm. That was just tap water from my house, in a raw form at least,” Discord said, voice surprisingly soft. “To realize that my realm can now affect things here without my consent? It’s…I can’t…it’s wrong!” he growled, now standing up and crossing his arms but refusing to look at Celestia. “Iam the Lord of Chaos. I control chaotic energy here! And now some upstarts have made that statement false! It’s-it isn’t right!”

“There’s more though, isn’t there?”

A soft growl left Discord’s maw, the Draconequus turning to look at Celestia with a dangerous gleam in his eye.

“Oh, so much more. Don’t you get it, Celestia?” he asked. “For the first time in my life, I am afraid of what my magic can do to the creatures here. Well, for one in particular. The raw arcane power that is usually only controlled by me is no longer my own and in the hands of psychopaths! Things have been altered you have no concept of. I planned on starting a theme park, maybe remolding my house, asking Fluttershy something rather important, I even had a rather ambitious plan to help Twilight get some confidence! But now? No. Things have changed. Threads in the tapestry crisscrossed and frayed.”

Blinking in surprise, Celestia couldn’t help but be on edge herself at Discord’s words.

“Because your magic…”

“Because my magic can hurt, kill, maim, corrupt, destroy things here! For the first time ever, I actually care that can happen!” Discord hissed. “I never wanted to kill anycreature, just have my fun, even in my most chaotic moments! Humiliate? Toy with? Drive absolutely batty? Of course! But never, never what these monsters have demonstrated. And now I am bound to not interfere, because that could make things worse, so much worse, for everycreature here and for myself.”

“Do you want me to post guards around Fluttershy? They will be hidden, of course.”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” Discord dismissed with a wave of his paw. “I have so many spells watching that if even a mugger tries to rob her I’ll turn his innards into tomato soup.”

“…..”

“Fine, maybe not that serious, but you understand,” Discord sighed, now reclining in a rather large and familiar ‘therapy couch’. “Celestia, I am having an emotional and logical crisis right now. So, to that end I must now take my leave. I have told you all that I know, and hope you can do some good with it. As for countermeasures? Talk with our friendly shadow pony; he may have some ideas, because I have none. If I use my magic here outside my own ‘self’, I don’t know how that may affect things. I have no doubts our mutual fiend can find a way to block his machinations from me anyhow.”

“Well, better safe than sorry. Thank you, Discord.”

As the God of Chaos got up and walked to a newly-created door, he paused, a brief but sincere moment of peace sliding onto his features.

“Celestia?” he said softly. “Thank you for listening. I do want to help.”

“You are most welcome, Discord. Take care of yourself.”

As soon as he vanished, Luna appeared next to her sister, having heard it through the mental link Celestia had opened almost immediately.

The fact her right eye was twitching indicated there was a lot of talking to be had.

“Let’s get our fiancés, hmm?” Celestia suggested.

“I am going to have such a headache, even if this is good information,” the tired Lunar Princess grumbled.

“Oh, hush. Just have Shifting give you a back rub.”

“Mmmmmm….”

“You’re drooling, Sister, on the carpet. Again.”

“I AM NOT!”

Far north past the borders of Equestria, east of the crystal empire, four ethereal creatures sat around an ancient stone table. The cave was on the edge of the realm of the Emperor of the Northern Ice Shelves, the ruler of the city-state of Hauyne. Others called him the Paladin of Love, Paladin of the Wayward Gods, or, in more recent times, ‘Doctor.’

Celestia called him, Fiancé.

The four individuals were well known to the Solar Empress; Nacreous’s timeless friends, individuals who knew not age nor death and had guided him for a millennium. Known to ancient tribes as the Four Northern, (or, to others, Wayward,) Gods. Yet the creatures were anything but, simply once-normal individuals changed by the leylines of the world for meddling with power beyond their comprehension like Commander Sands or Emperor Thunderwing.

Like others such as Celestia, their title of such ‘godly nature’ was simply given to them due to the power they yielded beyond normal understanding, even if it wasn’t as much as the tribes imagined. Their roles only applied to a small area in the northern ice shelves, and they had long since learned they were not solely unique- not in a general sense. Like Nacreous and Commander Sands, their once punishment was now a boon, a blessing that they could spread to others.

They now resided in his city, eagerly watching the nation grow and mesh with the world around it once again and occasionally checking in on Nacreous.

However, there was now a matter that yielded their undivided attention in their ancient meeting place, deep within ancient glaciers.

“Gaudi, you have been concealing something from us,” a feline growled, claws rapping the stone table. A pony stallion sat beside her, uncomfortably shifting as the Kirin in question’s ears drooped. A shadow pony next to her looked equally perplexed, looking over to the usually peppy embodiment of love and joy curiously.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Gaudi said softly. “She made me promise to not say anything. She would have just chosen someone else, but said I was the best one for this role. And that was decades ago, and just a tiny nudge!”

“Two decades,” Fori replied sharply. “You meddled in a pony’s life, why? And how? The changes you wrought have grown and blossomed, who is she?”

Gaudi looked up, glaring at the ‘goddess’ of fate and knowledge. “Don’t lecture me! I had no choice! It was to help him!”

“Who told you, Gaudi?” Fori asked.

“I don’t know their name! They don’t have a name! But they’re who made us….us!”

That caused the feline to pause. Arbo, the stallion to her right and ‘god’ of nature, raised a hoof and caused Fori to smack a set of claws against her face.

“You don’t have to raise your hoof, Arby,” she whispered, causing the shy stallion to blush.

“Um, Gaudi?” he asked cautiously. “We all ended up like this due to different mistakes. Very different mistakes. Are you saying it was connected?”

“Yup!” Gaudi replied. “I mean, sort of? Like, not forced or anything, but we all ended up like this for a reason. A really super confusing general reason. I dunno, they tried to explain it to me, but it made my head hurt.”

“We were created and changed by raw arcane magic, Gaudi,” Fori explained, “How is that something that can even speak to you? I tried to delve into the stream of time and past knowledge, and inadvertently touched one of the leylines of this world. Are you saying the reason I wasn’t destroyed, all of us weren’t destroyed, was because something prevented it?”

“Someone, and yep! Like, we know there’s ‘alive-ness’ all over, right?” Gaudi proclaimed. “The Tree of Harmony, that sort of thing! It’s like that for the leylines!”

Fori let out a growl and massaged her temples.

“This would be a first. We live in the leylines, Gaudi. I’ve never sensed anything but us, or raw energy in this realm.”

“You live in a part of them.”

The fifth member of the group spoke calmly. None of the four being remembered the mare existing before that. It was as though the blue wispy outline of an earth pony never was seen until her last word had been spoken. Her mane was neatly trimmed, bright eyes scanning over the group with a gentle smile on her lips.

“Seeeeeeee! I told you!” Gaudi exclaimed excitedly.

“May I ask who you are?” Fori requested, not able to stop her eyes from widening in shock. The amount of power radiating from the figure was immense; it was like standing next to the sun. Yet somehow it was cohesive, the arcane energy moving into a shape and then flowing back to the leylines and the world. It was as though a single thread in a tapestry sculpted a shape above the structure without breaking before diving back into the weave.

“Good to see you too, Fori,” the mare replied. “I don’t really have a name, as Gaudi said. Not for a long time at least. But do not blame her. I didn’t have a choice in this matter in my request. It was a contingency plan I never thought would need to be enacted. Thankfully Gaudi saw that it was necessary, as I explained to her.”

The mare turned, then waved at the shadow pony standing in front of Gaudi protectively.

“Ah, Iust. Tribal ‘god’ of conflict, righteous rage and one could argue, passion,” the pony mused, then smiling, “Gaudi has told me quite a bit about you.”

Then turning to Arbo, the mare waved happily, her demeanor being almost playful.

“Arbo, how are you?” she asked. “I have so appreciated your work these past centuries.”

The stallion blinked, stammering a reply in shock.

“I, do I know you?”

The mare laughed, cheerily floating up and sitting on the table. As she spoke, she became more animated and sincerely happy.

“Of course! You’ve been tending to so much of my work, I greatly appreciate it!”

As Arbo’s eyed widened, Fori made the connection.

“You’re the leylines? A form of them?” she asked, the now cheerful mare nodding.

“A form? That puts it best! I’m one of the leylines per say!” she exclaimed proudly. “I mean, that’s the best way to explain it, I think. It’s not just me. As Gaudi mentioned, similar to the now-changed Tree of Harmony! The difference is that I once was kind of like you! But then I changed. Does that make sense?”

“You were once mortal?”

The mare nodded, but then shook her head.

“Uh, not really? I mean, I once interacted with the mortal world like you did! Thousands of years ago? Maybe more? Hmm. It all blends together. I mean, I did the things you did. Helping along a certain group of ponies, or creatures. Making things work behind the scenes, but then I moved onto a bigger picture. That’s the best way I can explain it. Um, I think a version of the Tree of Harmony is the best way to explain myself? Just different, bigger, and not as focused on just harmony…things.” She then massaged her jaw, letting out a groan.

“Ow. Talking hurts when you haven’t done it for ages. Then again, I haven’t needed to do any of this micromanagement before. My sister usually handles that…”

“I still don’t have your name,” Fori remarked.

“Oh! Right. I guess I need that again,” the mare mused. “I suppose Clari will be fine? That’s what it was when I was like you all.”

“Clari, alright,” the feline replied with a sigh, still shaking her head. “So, you’re one of the leylines? Or a guardian of that power?”

“OH! That’s a much better way of explaining it!” Clari exclaimed and clopped her hooves together. “A guardian! I mean, I’m also literally the stuff I’m guarding, but that works! I direct it, control it, that sort of thing. It’s kind of a complicated blend of it? If it makes it easier, you can just think of me as the leyline. Or one of them. There’s so many, I just happen to be the one affecting you, everypony down south, to the east, there’s layers, ok?” Clari tried to explain. “Like, there’s the ones you can detect and use for magic directly, but then there’s deeper levels of the stuff; I don’t really think I can use words to explain it.”

“You help weave the tapestry of life,” Arbo stated softly. “You’re one of the numberless, powerful creatures on the loom, guiding one of the threads to where it needs to go. Part of a whole, but individual at the same time. The Tree of Harmony manages another thread, and so on and so forth. A guiding force in this world.”

Clari let out a squeal of joy, hopping over to muss up the stallion’s mane.

“And that is why I love you, Arbo,” the mare replied with a laugh, then breaking out into giggles at Fori’s glare. “Oh no need to be jealous, Fori, he’s still all yours. More like a son or daughter to me, you all are. He’s been involved in helping my thread go where it needs to be! At least in the nature-sense of things in this freezing place.”

“Ok, that makes a bit more sense. So why appear to us? What did you tell Gaudi?” Fori asked, trying to bring this entire new meeting somewhat back on track.

“Oh, right. Probably should have led with that,” Clari exclaimed bashfully. “Sorry, this is new to me, and so exciting! I think I’ll definitely do this more often. It wasn’t in the plan, but maybe can make things go so much more smoothly, I’m sure it-”

“Clari? Gaudi’s message?” Fori asked, feeling a headache coming on. It was no wonder why this individual had chosen Gaudi. Goodness.

“Huh? Right! I told Gaudi to remove some of the barriers for leyline access to a certain pony! This was before I figured out how to do it myself. I still needed to be more coherent like this, and I didn’t have that yet, soooooo Gaudi did it for me!” Clari gushed.

“You removed barriers?” Iust asked, deep voice shaking the ice walls.

“Yup! Well, sort of. I more of let him in. Like as Shifting Sands is teaching! You can’t brute-force your way into leyline magic, it has to be emotional, tentative, guiding. It’s like rafting a river,” Clari explained. “All I did is remove some of the rocks to speed things up. He could have gotten through them on his own, but that would have taken too much time. So, it’s still alllll him! I just needed him to be at a different point and he’s still a bit behind my plans. I am getting worried. My sister has taken up a bit of slack, but thankfully I won’t need her help-”

“Slow down, Clari. We’ve barely met you and this is all a bit much,” Fori requested. “You have a sister?”

Guiding ancient tribes had been easier than keeping up with this individual, to say the least.

The mare took a few deep breaths, then nodding as she hopped off the table.

“Right. Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “My sister usually helps me with this sort of thing so I don’t have to worry about stuff like this. You’ll probably meet her later. She’s a lot less…tactful, but efficient.”

“Is she the really pouty one?” Gaudi piped up, prompting Clari to nod.

“To say the least; you met her once, yes? She is the opposite of me, the other side of the coin in guiding threads. So broody….” The mare then shook her head as she got back on track. “Look, what is important is that I had a plan for this thread to go places. But then things have happened, and that thread is in danger of going to somecreature else, a darker creature. He will destroy my thread and infect the entire tapestry if he can. He wants out, to spread, to rule it all.”

“Wait, what?” Arbo asked, staring at the mare.

“He’s already here, and that was the hardest part! That’s-OH! That’s why I had to be like this! Sorry, it will take me a while to get used to this way of thinking,” Clari said. “He is here. So, I have to be here. To balance everything out! That’s why I had Gaudi remove the restrictions. For every reaction…”

“There is an equal and opposite reaction,” Fori whispered. “And may I assume that stands true for evil trying to influence this world?”

“Bingo! Well, I try to keep things slightly more tilted towards life, goodness, and light.”

“So, to counteract this new threat we’ve been hearing about, you chose a pony to help?” Fori asked.

“Not so much chose. It could have been somepony else, but his life led him to this point. I knew he’d be here, but it was his choice to be here!”

“Ow…” Gaudi grumbled. “This is why I had trouble explaining it to you. She doesn’t see time like we do.”

“I don’t see what’s going to happen though,” Clari explained, clearly struggling to choose her words. “I don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, but I know what’s going to happen based on the thousands of years of nudging things towards a certain result.”

“Ok, but to the point, who did you do all this to? Nacreous? Celestia?” Fori asked.

Clari shook her head, waving a hoof at the feline.

“Nope! But they’ve done exactly what I hoped they’d do! They’ve helped stabilize my thread in some areas. You four did too! That ancient order? The one that Nacreous is a part of? They helped too! But now they’re all gone to dust, even if they aren’t totally gone,” the mare said softly, ears drooping. “I used to talk to creatures like this, you know. Kind of like the role you all played. Guiding tribes as a sort of labeled deity, that sort of thing. But they pass away. It’s part of life, but it’s still sad to lose them in this form. But now things are changing, and things have to be balanced.”

“Balanced? To avoid a certain result?” Arbo asked.

“Yes. I mean, there’s always going to be an imbalance. Light and dark, good and evil, that sort of thing. But what’s happening now made the future…gone.”

“Gone?” Iust asked.

“Gone. Nothingness. Darkness. Evil and hatred that would destroy Harmony in an instance. Chaos reigning while good is smothered under fear. That is what he has ruled over for so long, it’s all he knows, all he loves, all he wants.”

Her words were spoken softly, but their weight made Fori shiver.

“What has happened? Who is he?” the feline asked.

“I can’t tell you his name, the less direct help I give now, the better the change of success later, at least for now. But Onyx knows. Discord too; he told Celestia, who will tell you. I want to keep things operating between you mortals if I can,” Clari explained. “But I have no idea how I am going to talk to this poor pony. Oh, he’s struggling as it is. I think Nacreous’s idea will help if he’ll accept it.”

“Wait, you’re talking about….?”

Clari’s eyes flickered to the floor, ears flattening against her skull.

“I’ve tried to help him, I really have,” Clari whispered in genuine distress. “But if I do too much, that gives leeway to Him to do worse. But this poor pony. I’ve tried to guide as much good into his life as I am able; I did manage to dull the pain for a week or two. He thankfully listened to me about the assassination warning, but I am prevented from direct help for now. Every good reaction has a consequence, and vice versa. If he can push through the bad there will be a ton of good waiting for him, that I know! But I don’t know if he can wait that long. I need you all to relay this meeting to Celestia, Luna, and their husbands.”

“Uh, they aren’t married yet,” Gaudi replied with a slightly raised hoof.

“Oh, right. Sorry. Seeing eventualities and all that. I need to go, but can you all tell them what I told you?”

“We’ll try,” Fori replied. “But why did you put this all on one pony? I think we all know who that is at this point. If he is struggling as it is, that seems almost cruel, to place even more responsibility on his success in helping Equestria.”

Clari shook her head, looking genuinely upset as she let out a frustrated breath.

“Who else can I trust in?” she asked. “He could have made difference choices that led away from this path, but he didn’t. Nocreature else can be who he is, not right now. If I didn’t do anything, I would have lost what little control I now have over things,” she then paused, voice dropping to a whisper. “Maybe now that I’m on this mortal plane for a time, I’ll be able to say I’m sorry for placing so much responsibility on him, especially when I can’t help much. Just, please let Celestia and the others know. I’ll contact you later.”

Clari vanished, leaving the four individuals to stare quietly at the table.

“Nice to meet you, Clari,” Arbo whispered quietly.

“Ok, so, plan for today and tomorrow,” Fori said steadily. “We meet with Celestia, Luna, and their fiancé’s, try to explain what we just learned, and hope for the best.” It was now Gaudi’s turn to receive a groan from the feline as she raised a hoof. “Yes, Gaudi?”

“Can we go get some food?” she asked. “We don’t really need to eat, but I really want a milkshake. My brain hurts.”

“We get milkshakes, then we inform the afore-mentioned individuals about this. That will give me time to figure out how in the world to explain this to them.”

And in time, to a certain stallion. I’m so sorry, Toxic Shield. This is so much bigger than you, yet you carry the majority of the weight.

As the feline mused, she failed to notice a shadowy pony sitting in thought off to the side, brow furrowed as Gaudi nuzzled his shoulder.

“Iust? What’s wrong?”

The stallion shook his head, a very rare smile flickering onto his features.

“Nothing. I think I need to ask somepony a question though. I’ve just been thinking…”

“Is this about Toxic? You said something about him was interesting.”

The entity nodded, a dark hoof tapping the frozen ground in thought.

“Yes. But there is another. I think there is another individual who could use my help first. He reminds me so much of myself when I first was cursed to be like this. A creature of flesh and shadow. Except he is solely the latter. ”

“Cursed?” Gaudi asked softly, a bit of hurt evident in her tone. A very rare nuzzle on her cheek, at least in public, was Iust’s response.

“It was at first. But as our mutual friend and a few Princess’s have learned, curses can turn into blessings,” Iust replied. “So, I’ll need to spend some time away. I have to convince a certain mare that it’s a good idea.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“As long as I don’t make her mad, perhaps so. That mare’s power scares me.”

Author's Note

Well how is that for some developments!

We had some meetings with old friends and introducing a new one! And we get a bit of background about Varti too!

Not so much about Toxic directly in this chapter, but as the title says....the pieces are moving.

We now also begin to see a glimpse into the enemy's plans...

Clari is a ton of fun to write. The Oracle from the Matrix movies and that way of seeing things was a bit of an inspiration for how she explains it.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and as always, feed back is appreciated! Let me know if weekly (small then large) or bi-weekly (Friday/Saturday) chapters would be preferred!

Chapter Fourteen: Ethereal Headaches

Starlight did a double-take at the individual who suddenly appeared in her office, a brief flick of magic locking the door behind the creature and setting up a simple privacy spell.

The stallion in front of her reminded the mare of Onyx; a pony-like frame with shadows constantly waving out like long hair. Except Onyx was more solid, an actual pony body. This creature was almost ethereal.

Thankfully, Starlight knew who he was. Twilight had kept her up to date with Nacreous’s friends, even if they were removed from the goings-on of such things in Ponyville.

Iust. The ‘God’ of War and Passion to some of the ancient tribes in the Ice Shelves to the north. An interesting pair of titles.

And apparently, he has a relationship with the ‘god’ of love and joy. Odd indeed.

It was a tad unsettling how easily the entity had appeared without any notice. The fact that the Princess of Friendship was tasked with making sure the town was isolated from the looming threat was no small task and obviously left some holes…present company as an example. But, like with the Fire Lung pandemic, Ponyville could be sealed off with shields and remain self-sufficient for some time with a bit more work.

Evidently such shields didn’t prevent this shadow-pony from entering. Starlight made a mental note about that.

Another magical theory to test. Goodness, the manic glee on Twilight’s face was rather frightening last time. Knowing she’d be the first one to know of any potential research to be done in this isolated bubble. Starlight mused.

Now, first things first.

Taking a deep breath to send any remnants of nerves out the proverbial window, Starlight nodded to the individual who was patiently waiting in front of her.

“Iust, was it?” she asked. “What can I do for you?”

“I am rather surprised you didn’t react more, if I’m being honest,” the Entity admitted. “I simply had a question concerning the shadow pony under your charge.”

“You do know that is rather classified information. I know who you are, but I still need to go through the official channels.”

“I unders-”

“Iust, what in the frozen wastes are you-” a feline called out with a growl, her ethereal form snapping into existence, her back turned to Starlight. “You can’t just pop in and out of places like this!” Fori then turned, nodding in greeting to the surprised mare. “My apologies, Principal Starlight.”

“Mhmm…”

The mare in question promptly summoned a cup of hot chocolate as the twinges of a headache itched at her mind. Dealing with…unique individuals that had the schedule of Discord never sat well with her.

At least they weren’t trying to turn her mane into an apple turnover, so that was a plus. And to be fair, the shadow-pony looked genuinely apologetic, his ears flat against his skull.

“I’m sorry about all this, Starlight,” Fori replied. “My name is Fori, by the way. I wish we could have met formally before this.”

“Apology accepted. I would appreciate a bit of notice next time,” Starlight replied. “Thankfully I do know of you, at least from the briefing released to Twilight from Emperor Thunderwing.”

“And to that end,” Fori began, waving a paw as a portal formed, a rather annoyed hippogriff and an alabaster alicorn looking at Starlight.

“I’m so sorry about this, Starlight. We would have let you know, but…” Celestia began, Starlight waving a hoof.

“It’s fine, Princess. But am I the only one here who doesn’t know what Iust’s question is?”

A nod from everyone in question made Starlight groan, the mare massaging her temples with her hooves. “Ok, then if all the formalities are done, I assume Iust has permission to ask…whatever it is? So, I can go ahead and approve whatever it is at my discression?”

Celestia appeared close to giggles as she nodded, Nacreous chiming in.

“Sorry for that mix up again, Principal Starlight. Yes, approval has been granted.”

Waving a hoof at the pair, Starlight took a few deep breaths as the portal vanished along with Fori, leaving a surprisingly meek shadow-pony in the office.

“How about we try this again,” Starlight said flatly, summoning a second cup of steamy chocolatey goodness. “Cocoa?”

Iust accepted the offered drink, the ‘god’ of war seeming surprisingly chastised.

Then again, considering the previous company that wasn’t a bad reaction.

“So, what exactly is this apparently important question concerning Onyx?” Starlight asked. “From what I understand from the report I was given, he is rather unlike you, but I could be wrong.”

“The report is not complete.”

That made the mare pause, Starlight setting the cup aside as her curiosity was piqued.

“Oh?”

Iust nodded, also setting aside his now-drained mug.

“What I am going to tell you, Miss Glimmer-”

“Just Starlight, please.”

“Very well. What I am going to tell you very few creatures know. I know such secrecy is expected when dealing with matters of Onyx, but I would request that such a level of discretion applies to me.”

“Well, all of Nacreous’s friends have a high security clearance. Nocreature outside maybe a dozen creatures know about you, in Equestria at least, the Elements being half of them. That’s outside of the Royals that is.”

“That will have to do. In this case, Celestia and Nacreous are likely the only ponies who know this about me.”

“Then I give you my word I won’t speak of it to anycreature other than them,” Starlight immediately said with a firm nod. “But I am curious as to why you are telling me.”

“Because I am similar to Onyx in more ways than one, and wish to make my case for my request,” Iust replied. “I was once a pony, a unicorn stallion. But I meddled in a power that I took for granted, a power Onyx came from.”

Starlight’s magic-loving side was in full gear, the mare having to resist gleefully clopping her hooves together at that. It was so interesting!

Limbo!? We know so little about it- so Onyx was affected by the energy there?

“The shadow realm? Limbo?” Starlight guessed, receiving a nod. “So, while Onyx came from Limbo…”

“I was hit with a surge of energy from that realm. When I awoke, I was like this,” Iust confirmed. “So, I know about the magic Onyx deals with, and is composed of.”

“Why weren’t you involved more with him from the start then?”

Iust shook his head at that.

“It was not my place. Not then. I am not a good mentor for social interactions. You, however, are.”

“You seem fine now though.”

“Because I have practiced for hundreds of years. And I’m trying to be actively pleasant. It is… tiring.”

“Ah.”

“My point is, Starlight, is that I can relate to Onyx in the sense of understanding the insidious nature of that realm. I request to help him adjust to ‘life’ as he knows it here.”

Starlight blinked; it didn’t take a genius to figure out all the positives such assistance could provide.

“Well, most certainly granted, after we develop a course of action at least. But I get the sense of there being a bit more to your request.”

“I…” he let out a huff, shaking his head and sending bits of shadow floating across the room. Grey eyes, a bit lighter than Onxy’s darted to the floor, the shadow-pony letting out a frustrated growl.

But it wasn’t a gesture of anger towards Starlight, no, this was a more internal battle it seemed.

I overestimated his social abilities indeed. Not that I am one to talk about reacting logically during a social incident.

“HIYA!” a kirin exclaimed, popping into existence above Iust and floating in the air.

“AAAAAAH!”

After picking herself up off the floor, Starlight glared at the clearly-apologetic individual.

So help me, if I have to deal with any more demi-god like entities today…

“Gaudi, I presume?” Starlight asked with a sigh.

“Yup! Sorry. I thought Iust would have said I’d pop in for a bit! I had to talk to Nacreous, then to Celestia, then to Fori, and then back to here, so here I am!” she crowed.

It’s like a mini-Pinkie Pie.

An ethereal Pinkie Pie.

Stars above we’re doomed. I can’t allow them to ever meet.

“He didn’t get to that part just yet,” Starlight replied, drawing upon a surprisingly deep reserve of patience with one of the day’s many deep breaths.

“Ooooooh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. What can I do for you?”

“Wellllll I think Iusty was trying to explain why else he wants to help Onxy. And then he was going to mention how I had thought Icait could use some help too! Wow, lots of ‘i’s.” Gaudi mused. “So here I am!”

Iusty?

“So, about that explanation?”

“Oh! Right. Well, Onyx is really grumpy, right? Probably doesn’t help he comes from a place that is like, the home of grumpy and unhappiness. Buuuut he’s happier when around a certain Windigo, riiiiiiight?”

“Ok, I know you’re technically the ‘god’ of love in the north, but don’t you think…” Starlight let out a groan, sending her head down to firmly plant against the desk. “Oh. I see where this is going. Let me have a stab at this.”

“Yay!”

“You two see yourselves in Onyx and Icait, in part, due to having needed to acclimate to a different sense of ‘life’ at one point in time. Am I on the right path?”

“So far so good!”

“And while you’ve learned how to deal with things over hundreds of years, Onyx and Icait are being fast-tracked in a way you never had the opportunity amid a potential national crisis. So, you want to help them avoid the mistakes you already made.”

“Oh, you’re good!” Gaudi proclaimed with a giggle, still hovering in the air in a lackadaisical manner that was disturbingly close to Discord’s manner of appearance.

“Well, assuming there is approval from everycreature, I don’t see the harm,” Starlight mused. “That said, I don’t want you pushing either of them to anything that otherwise wouldn’t naturally develop. I don’t care what your role was to ancient tribes. Clear?”

Gaudi saluted with a forelimb, a wide grin still on her face.

“Yuppers! And no worries. All we want to do is answer questions and offer pointers, we’re just extra advisors and mentors if needs be. You still have the reins on everything else!”

Seeing Starlight’s pink cheeks color ever so slightly at that, Gaudi looked down at Iust curiously, the shadow-pony starting to snicker.

“What?”

“Uh, remember when I told you that some innocent things can have not-so-innocent applications nowadays?” Iust whispered, a barely contained grin on his face.

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh.”

“I’ll…forward all of this through to the Emperor and Princess. And then I’ll ask Onyx and Icait.” Starlight said with a sigh. “There’s some empty crystals in my desk drawer. If you could enchant them or leave a magical signature, I’ll contact you when I’ve done that.”

Sending a surge of magic from her hoof into said drawer, Gaudi waved and vanished, Iust now grinning.

“Thank you for your time, Starlight,” he said respectfully.

“Most welcome.”

As he vanished, Starlight let out a shudder. While Iust had been nothing but pleasant, the abrupt show of fangs in an otherwise happy smile had been rather unsettling.

God of war and passion? I suppose in a vague sense those two are related.
Now I have some more letters to write, and then tell Icait and Onyx.
Oh, and then there’s the school stuff.

“Uh, Principal Starlight?” a meek voice asked from outside her door and as a knock sounded. “The melons gained consciousness again. Trixie said to get you for help.”

Letting out a groan, Starlight got up and trotted towards the door.

Dangit, Trixie! I told you to not use those spells!
Now I have to stop a melon uprising.
Again.

Author's Note

Oh, Starlight :rainbowlaugh:

Chapter Fifteen: Lunar Lights

‘Please, Princess Luna.
I don’t think Knife Twist is eating or sleeping; she’s gotten so much worse. I’m afraid she’s dying.
Can you help her?
-Corporal Barley Husk, 1st Battalion of the Night Guard’

The letter had come but an hour earlier, Luna excusing herself from the castle to immediately head to the maximum-security stockade on the outskirts of Canterlot. The very mare who had sought to warn them of a threat was now dying?

The very mare who tried to kill you.

Luna shook her head, knowing that thought didn’t add up. Something was missing from Knife Twist’s intentions. All the lunches they had together, laughs, friendly gossip traded over walks, all over years since her return. Was it a lie? It was something that had bothered Luna for months after the initial shock of the betrayal wore off. Yet the Alicorn hadn’t visited her ex-captain to investigate further, not until now.

I know the insidious nature of some magic, how it can twist a mind. I think she’s still in there, somewhere. Her abrupt change, her pleas to warn us; she is not my enemy any longer.

Further ammunition was the nightmares. Luna had detected them in Knife’s dreams; fleeting, agonizing scenes of failure. There was regret eating away at Knife Twist from the inside out.

I know the symptoms all too well, how guilt can be a punishment worse than prison.

Being immediately let into the metal and stone fortress, Luna made her way to the waiting room in the maximum-security section. The sparse waiting room was occupied by a sole thestral, his light grey sides shivering with barely contained sobs, fluffy ears flat against his skull.

“Barley?” Luna asked softly, sitting next to the male thestral.

He drew a sharp breath, and his scrambled movements to stand at attention were waved aside by the Princess.

“I am not here as your ruler or boss, but as your friend,” she said softly. “Your note was rather alarming. Can you please explain?”

Barley nodded, wiping away the moisture in his orange eyes.

“I think Knife Twist is dying,” he whispered. “I had no idea it was this bad. I haven’t seen her as much, even though I’ve made time to do so. She has always been busy. When I d-did-she’s wasting away. Not eating, not sleeping…”

He shook his head, shoulders slumping.

“I still don’t believe it was truly her who tried to kill you,” Barley whispered. “Perhaps it is a fool’s hope, but Celestia seems to see good in her. I beg of you to help her, even if you don’t think she deserves it.”

A hoof raised up the Thestral’s chin, the kind smile of the Lunar Princess brightening the room.

“I think the same of her, Barley,” Luna said softly. “I refuse to accept my friend of a decade was that easily swayed. The fact she turned on the Windigos shows that their hold was not a complete one. Now, let’s go.”

The pair were admitted to the long hallway that led to the sparse cells, Luna wincing at a stray thought.

“Does she think I will exact vengeance? I do not want to terrify her.”

Barley nodded sullenly at that.

“I think that’s what Knife will imagine is happening. You haven’t visited her, after all. I’m fairly certain she’s accepted that you hate her.”

At that, Luna’s wings drooped, a frown occupying her features.

“Which was not incorrect, not for a time at least,” she admitted. “I was unsure of my emotions regarding her until recently. However, I am certain that something doesn’t add up to her actions. I will do my best to convince her otherwise though; I have no intention of harming her.”

The two guards saluted to Luna, tapping on the cell as dim lights flickered.

“Miss Twist? Visitors for you.”

“I thought I said to remove those hours, too tired,” Knife Twist grumbled, clearly having been awake but not sleeping judging from her exhausted but clear tone.

Nodding to the guards, Luna stepped inside the cell and sat down near the entrance, a sad smile now on her face.

“It has been a while, Knife Twist,” Luna said softly. While her tone and intentions were calm and sincere, there were no less than a dozen protective spells waiting to jump in at a hair’s notice.

But it wasn’t Luna who needed it.

Knife Twist immediately shrieked, scampering to the floor and cowering in fear as shivers wracked her emaciated body, bat-like wings lifting to haphazardly shield her from the Princess.

“P-please don’t kill me!” she begged.

Tears immediately sprang to Luna’s eyes as she got a good look at her former friend and captain of the guard. The once proud Thestral’s dark grey frame, once lean with muscle and care, was gaunt and emaciated. There wasn’t a shred of pride or confidence left in the pony before Luna, only fear as she continued to beg for her life. The few words Luna tried to speak were drowned out by Knife’s horrified pleading, the alicorn finding her soul genuinely disturbed.

“Barley, can you…?”

The other Thestral trotted in and wrapped up his marefriend in a tight hug, the mare sobbing into his chest in fear. Luna’s own heart ached at the display; how she had sought to destroy the personification of fear her name and presence once accompanied.

“Knifey, she’s not here to hurt you,” Barley whispered into Knife’s ear as he rocked her back and forth. “She wants to help. She’s worried about you too.”

Knife Twist’s golden eyes cracked open, her matching, now-long and neglected mane being brushed out of her eyes with a sniffle.

“W-what?”

“Will you listen to her? Luna just wants to help. Please?”

Knife nodded, wiping off her face as she sat up, Luna walking back into the cell and sitting down. Fear still made the mare’s limbs quiver, but she was listening.

“Barley is right, Knife Twist,” Luna said softly, keeping her tone sincere and caring. “I share your coltfriend and Celestia’s view that you are not a bad mare. You may not believe me, but I think the mare that attacked me was very different than the one standing in front of me. I just need to confirm it.”

Knife’s gaze dropped to the floor in shame, a few more tears trickling from her eyes.

“I want to help you, Knife, but I am not sure how,” Luna admitted. “May I ask you something? It is a topic that I cannot full understand.”

“A-anything,” was the stammering reply.

“Did you know it was me you were betraying?”

Knife’s eyes widened at that, the mare drawing a sharp breath. She didn’t answer at first, but finally nodded, followed by a shake of the head.

“Yes and no. It hurts my head to think about; it wasn’t you…but it was.”

“Can you explain? I find it hard to believe that my best friend could do such a thing, especially after our weekly lunches and such. Ten years of friendship being erased doesn’t add up.”

Nodding once, the mare leaned on her coltfriend’s offered shoulder, the stallion whispering something into her ear lovingly before Knife took a deep breath.

“I tried to say it all in the report, but I guess I didn’t explain it well. Then again, I didn’t understand it myself until a month or two after being here,” she admitted. “I was betraying Princess Luna, the Ruler of the Night, not my friend, Luna.”

Luna’s eyes widened in realization, a smile immediately starting to form on her features.

So that is how those Windigo hounds did it.
They couldn’t break you, Knife Twist. I knew it! I was just wrong on the ‘how’ from the start.

“It just s-seemed like I was planning for a different pony. I still loved those lunches and talks we had. T-that seemed like s-somepony else though. I don’t know how or when it started to separate. You were yourself, but at the same time not, at least when you were in the throne room and stuff.”

And that is why you starve yourself, why you push to help others. You never betrayed me, did you? And now I sense a darker force is trying to poison your mind; I recognize those nightmare tendrils even now. You still blame yourself.
Oh, Knife Twist. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. I think I know how to help you now.

“So, that is it then,” Luna whispered, nodding once. “I think I understand now. You never betrayed me, Knife.”

The Thestral’s eyes widened, hear head shaking back and forth violently.

“Y-yes I did! I nearly killed you! I plotted for years to destroy my best friend!”

“No, you didn’t,” Luna reaffirmed.

Knife was openly crying, her head shaking slowly back and forth.

“I d-don’t understand.”

“The magic that affected you couldn’t break your will, Knife,” Luna explained. “It had to separate me within your own mind. A friend and a target. You were too strong to have those two views of me overlap. Even a subtle poisoning of your view concerning me wouldn’t have worked. The Windigo’s spell had to make me seem like a different mare. You would have never done their bidding otherwise! You even shook off their orders when that orphanage was bombed. You wouldn’t hurt innocent fillies, and you wouldn’t harm me.”

Yellow eyes widening, Knife Twist sniffled, nodding once.

“I’d n-never hurt you. But you die in my dreams, even if I t-try t-to stop them…”

And there’s the nightmares.

Luna decide to make the point further, standing up a bit taller.

“I know the mare who did betray me though.” Knife stared at the Princess as Luna pointed at her with a hoof. “And you killed her. All I see before me is Knife Twist, my best friend and former Captain of my guard. She would never betray me; but she would kill anyone who tried to do me harm! She has protected me and my ponies many times, and never would hurt either of them.”

Tears streaming from her eyes, Knife could only sob, a beautiful spark of hope arising in the depths of her previously dead gaze.

“Can I give my best friend a hug?” Luna asked, walking forward to wrap Knife up in an embrace as she nodded.

I don’t think you should stay here any longer.

“I’m s-so s-sorry!” Knife bawled, Luna rocking her back and forth.

“I know you are, and I forgive you, Knife Twist. I miss our lunches, and I want my friend back.” Luna let the mare down, a hint of decorum returning to the ex-captain as she sat up a bit straighter with a sniffle. “Can we do that again?”

Barely containing herself, Knife nodded once.

“I’d r-really like that.”

“Then how about tomorrow? Midnight as usual?”

Nodding with the first sincere smile Luna had seen in years, Knife nodded again. Reaching over to give her coltfriend a kiss, she waved him off as the pair were led out of the cell and back towards the entrance.

Sitting down in the reception area, Barley looked towards Luna with an absolutely shocked gaze.

“T-thank you, Princess. I, I still don’t know what to think. Just-I can’t thank you enough. That was the first time Knife was back, really, truly back.”

Luna smiled at the stallion, not able to resist a soft laugh of joy.

“I think she is back. I am so happy to have been wrong about her betrayal. There is more though,” she mused. “Barley, continue to meet with her. I refuse to let the spark of hope she now has die, know that much. I will contact both you, and her, when I have a solution to the problem.”

Nodding even though clearly confused the Corporal tilted his head curiously.

“The problem?”

Luna now was grinning widely, the plans of a different stallion now coming to mind.

“Your marefriend will perish inside these walls if she continues to live here, and I will not allow that. Knife Twist needs a purpose, but at the same time a sort of temporary ‘punishment’ to make sure her guilt doesn’t overtake things.” As she spoke a certain stallion came to mind, her Fiance once having near-demanded to be punished for his ancient crimes.

Oh, you’ve taught me a few things, Shifting. I think you’ll approve.

“I think I have just the idea.”

‘To Professor Varti,

Prepare the facility for immediate deployment and hiring of staff. Send out the notices to pre-hired individuals. Maintain maximum security alert and arm all defensive systems. Activate all available forces to protect the island. I do not trust myself to make further decisions other than that. I trust you with my life, and now with my dream for a time until I am of a better mindset. Take whatever steps you see fit to get the organization firing on all cylinders. Security is the highest priority.

Thank you, Varti.
-Director Toxic Shield.’

Leagues away on the extinct volcanic island chain, the large yak couldn’t help but grin, laughing as he threw a large switch on a dormant reactor. As bolts of energy began to lick the massive, underground tube-shaped crystal device Varti made his way to the roof, pride filling his chest as the dozens upon dozens of rectangular buildings ignited with bright lights. Large factories began to run their diagnostic procedures, their arcane and mechanical army of workers having been checked and re-checked for years by diligent yak oversight. Crystal lights snapped on, casting a peaceful but bright blue glow over the Island proper.

“I am glad you are safe, Toxic,” Varti said to himself as the island sprang to life all around him. “And now you decide to start your dream. I am living mine, thanks to you. Now I can finally coax yours to life!”

The yak trotted back down to his laboratory level, reveling in the hum of power that the scaled-up leyline reactor now produced. Faceless crystal pony golems, appearing as large, mannequin-like artifacts that marched this way and that, the artificial creatures serving as automated guards, farmers, and manual workers to supplement the eventual security forces and other employees that would live on the island.

“And you leave the task of preparing your dream on my shoulders? Oh, I have been waiting for this moment for years, my friend,” Varti chuckled.

Activating a portable scribe spell with one of the many storage crystals in his lab coat, the yak quickly sent off dozens of pre-written messages. With the organization having been ready to go live for months, if not a year or two, many individuals concerning hiring and essential upkeep had already been screened and hired. It was the beginnings of a skeleton crew, but the few dozen creatures hired were primarily tasked with hiring the bulk of the island’s staff. Hundreds, thousands of creatures would live here in time, ready to respond to any threat that loomed on the horizon. That was Toxic’s dream at least.

That said, Varti knew this entire venture had deeper roots than his friend let on. Toxic had changed, especially since rescuing his adopted daughter. The stallion had become more unsettled, yes, but his actions had a clear purpose.

When all else fails, look for the Last Light.

That slogan had once been the highlight of a matter Toxic refused to talk about it, and had only divulged a single bit of information when the yak had confronted him soon after his daughter had been rescued. The extensive training grounds and manufacturing facilities buried deep within the mountain spoke to the stallion’s intentions however. Those areas did not have chemical hazards in mind.

A toxic spill didn’t necessitate having an extensive armory.

Something had happened, something that made the stallion realize he could give that light to others. There was a fire in Toxic’s eyes surrounding that event the few times he had spoken of it.

It had been more than ten years ago when the organization was still in its planning stages and Varti didn’t know Toxic as well as he’d have liked. It had been a simple question of what had happened the day prior, and why the Yak was kept from seeing his daughter. It was the beginning of the Yak learning exactly how Equestria operated, and how fallible their ‘Goddess’ truly was, before Luna had returned, among other things.

Benevolent, powerful, and caring to a fault. But Celestia was neither omnipotent nor perfect, as he had spoken of with Luna recently.

‘Please, Varti, drop it. I beg of you. I will simply tell you this. I cannot, in good conscience keep standing idly by while creatures die waiting on pleasantries from governments and bureaucracy! The same governments that promised to keep them safe! I will not stand by! Not again!’ the stallion had said that day.

‘That is a dangerous view, Toxic. You’re smarter than that. Impulse and emotion can’t run this organization!’

‘You are right. That is why my decisions can be overruled by the eventual council that will manage the organization. You, and the other council-creatures can balance my vision with reality. What I do is my business, however, Director or not! I will not stand idly by!’

‘What of your own personal actions then? You are to be the head of this venture, that reflects on the organization! More to the point, why is the hazard suit shredded? I know the difference between chemical agents, explosions, and sword impacts! What were you doing? Nocreature will tell me what happened! I haven’t been able to see my daughter for over a day!’

Toxic had never responded in words to Varti’s question. However, the yak’s words had seemed to touch something within the pony’s soul. It had been a single look, but it spoke an ocean of emotion. Compassion, determination, and rage.

But it was not blind anger and not directed at the Yak. No, this was the righteous rage of a pony who had once seen innocents suffer while pen and paper had bound his hooves. It was the fury of an old trust betrayed and shattered.

And in that moment, Professor Varti had more fully understood his best friend. He had learned the details through gossip and eventual demanding of the Princess; and he was only among a few dozen who knew what transpired, of what Toxic had been willing to sacrifice to save his innocent daughter.

Varti had been reassured she’d be safe on her tour of the border, a trip she had begged him to go on with her school friends after completing some private, in-person paperwork with the Yak Yakistan embassy in Canterlot. Just an extra day down south and under constant supervision with her elementary class.

He had been promised that it was just a common chemical accident that trapped the group, borderline harmless chemicals that necessitated just casual precautions. Officials had said the Klugetown Clan representatives were there to help with any cross-border contamination. Time, that was all that was needed to rescue his precious little yak from emergency shelter in the middle of the spill.

All those promises and reassurances had just been lie upon lie, and Celestia had known it. The Yak didn’t blame her; he knew full well how the political machine worked, how the stability of a nation depended on a single individual in this case.

And yet Toxic had been the one to fulfill the broken assurances of governments, of individuals, and of friends. A stallion who had been burned once had refused to stand idle again. He had told Varti only one time of the incident that forged such a viewpoint, and the Yak had never forgotten. Toxic had already lived with the knowledge that lives had been lost and damaged because he had been ignored, forbidden to help, with his own brother no less. He had refused to be bound by politics and bureaucratic inefficiency when such innocent and precious lives were destined for a fate beyond nightmares.

Even if it risked being locked behind bars and being branded a traitor.

No, emotion and impulse shouldn’t solely guide an organization; but the Yak definitely realized they had their place. Such things were what had propelled Toxic to do what others could not, would not. And his dream, his organization would do the same. Their island was in international waters, and could eventually be considered a city-state. The other islands in this small chain were already being eyed for potential purpose. Toxic wasn’t about to limit this venture with space, that much was certain. More facilities, a potential city-state; a nation dedicated to helping others, not bound by political red tape.

A nation that could be both hated and adored, just as Toxic’s actions had been.

Pen and paper would never cost lives again. Toxic told me that once when I found him in the lighthouse not a few days after the tragedy. And he certainly never backtracked on his words when saving my daughter.

Varti also had learned of another side to his silly and determined friend, a part of Toxic’s life he had revealed to very few creatures. The training he had subjected himself to, the months spent in seclusion and study. He discovered exactly what Toxic would do to those who dared harm those who could not help themselves, regardless of the personal cost. In that moment, the Yak knew exactly what price the stallion was willing to pay to save his little girl. What he had paid.

When he found the stallion in the workshop shedding his suit, why was Toxic’s armor bent and broken? Why was it splashed with the blood of other creatures and the stallion’s own? Why were there broken arrow heads lodged in the hazard suit? Why was there sudden silence from the politicians and rulers who had been fawning over the crisis and promising safety?

Why were suddenly his daughter and the others found safe and sound at a border station? Why were they whisked away before any news stations could get there?

Why was a massive explosion then reported in the Badlands not a day or two later?

Why did the Kludgetown representatives look terrified of Celestia as they fled back to their lands?

And why did Toxic get called to the Castle abruptly?

The look in his best friend’s eyes was as good as words; the unicorn would do it again in a heartbeat. And for that, and delivering his daughter from the very literal jaws of harm, the Professor had pledged his life to aiding Toxic’s dream. He, along with a few others had his simplistic and naïve bubble of Equestrian safety shattered.

But they could protect that bubble for those who did not know the truth.

Toxic had the will, the drive, and a significant amount of funds. Varti had secured even more of the capital, and now Last Light had been officially launched; a beacon of hope and a warning to those seeking to do harm.

He let out a snort of surprise as a scroll unfurled itself in front of his nose, the magical signature being that of a certain Hippogriff Emperor and his Fiancé. It naturally would have appeared to him, rather than Toxic due to the ‘unavailable’ magical signature surrounding the unicorn.

On reading it, the professor began to laugh, hundreds of names following the initial message. It was clear that the island was being watched and a few parties were eager to help.

‘Dear Director Shield/Professor Varti.

Congratulations on the launch of your venture. At the risk of being too forward, I wish to humbly submit a list of names of creatures within my kingdom. They have been pre-vetted by my own security forces and are awaiting Equestrian Visa’s, as well as your own personal screening. Unlike many of those within my kingdom, these creatures want to explore the world and would be interested in any general positions for an organization such as yours. Their talents range from secretary work, cooking, mechanical engineering, arcane enchantments and mechanical alterations, and combat, among a few of the categories.

I furthermore wish to offer my kingdom’s services as both a trading partner and upgrading contractor. With another threat rearing its ugly head, I am offering to install our crystal technology on your island completely at my expense. This would supplement your shielding system to prevent Windigo interference, and allow Equestria and subsequent allies to strengthen our hold against the enemy. Such a system would be completely under your control after installation and instructive upkeep is delivered.

If appropriate, please let us know what positions are available and if you wish to accept our offer.
I await your response,

-Emperor Nacreous Borealis Thunderwing.

P.S. The offer of a prepared list of potential candidates is also extended from the Solar Princess, Celestia, if Director Shield will accept her offer.

The yak immediately sent the reply back on the enchanted parchment with a grin.

“I suppose I haven’t been the only one waiting!” the Professor crowed with a rumbling chuckle. The yak looked over to see a dozen lighthouses power up even further, their beams carrying more than simple light. Each of the miniature generators fed into the central tower, the balcony Toxic usually jumped off on his flights of now burning with a sun-like brilliance. The small reactor underneath the primary lighthouse was finally kick-started, a massive beam of energy surging upwards to project a shimmering shield over the entire island.

“Equestria and the world now has their Last Light; you’ve been just that to so many creatures. And now you bring that to the world. I’ve been waiting years to be a part of your dream, Director. You have many friends, Toxic. I hope you can see through the dark clouds to realize that. You are not alone.”

In Canterlot, Nacreous grinned along with Celestia as the parchment returned; the simple list bearing the signature of the Yak scientist and his humorous reply.

‘Hiring all creatures great and small. Will gladly accept the new light fixtures.

p.s. I’m sure the Director would appreciate the assistance from any benefactors.’

There was a knock on the door, and to their surprise Luna poked her head in, bags around her eyes.

“You said he did it?” Luna asked as her sister nodded.

“Toxic’s organization is going public. Professor Varti has taken charge while Toxic recovers, with his permission,” Celestia reaffirmed. “We detected the island’s activation not but an hour ago. I believe we underestimated the scope of the organization’s venture. The power readings are far above what was predicted.”

“Are they hiring?”

Blinking in surprise, Celestia nodded, levitating the list over to Luna.

“All positions, apparently.”

“What about security?”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed in amused anticipation, knowing full where her sister had previous visited. It didn’t take a genius to see her train of thought.

“Luna, what are you planning?”

The Lunar Princess smiled tiredly, gesturing towards the list.

“I have somepony I’d like to get approved. Two, as a matter of fact.”

Celestia looked at the clock, the day winding down without too much more fuss. A familiar pony trotted into the throne room, a subtle nod from the Princess clearing the area.

“Hammer, it has been too long since our personal check up chats, how are you?” Celestia asked kindly. She tried to stay on a first name basis with her Legionnaires despite the necessary professional distance, even if it was on rare occasions. With Hammer being one of Toxic’s closest friends it was nice to have another way to check in on the stallion.

“I’m doing well, Celestia,” the stallion replied, respectfully hoofing over a stack of papers. “I assume you know what this is? I know there’s about a dozen others who are doing the same. They should be meeting with you shortly.”

Ordinarily, the large number of her personal shock troops resigning would have raised alarm, but Celestia had to stop herself from letting out a gleeful laugh, opting for a reserved nod.

“Ah, yes. You all did put in your one-year notice. I assume it’s for the Last Light Organization?”

Hammer nodded, saluting his Princess sharply.

“It has been an honor, Princess Celestia,” he said sincerely. “And I would have gladly continued my service. But I would be conflicted.”

The Princess bowed to her respectfully, not able to resist a grin.

“With respect, Hammer,” she said, “I think you and a dozen others would have had quite a bit of trouble in a few years. The life of a Legionnaire is a very specific path, not suited for many. There is a reason many families consider it a generational position, so feel no shame in this. You have both my utmost permission to take what you have learned and apply it to your new position.” Celestia paused, having to choke back tears. Hope flared in her heart; the usually stoic ruler meeting Hammer’s curious gaze nonetheless. “You also have my blessing and support. Take care.”

With another salute, Hammer trotted off with a smile on his face and head held high. In the brief moment when the throne room was empty, Celestia jumped into the air with a laugh, a brief solar flare spinning around the room. A mental chime summoned her favorite hippogriff, the Alicorn wrapping up her fiancé as he teleported into the room.

“What’s this about, Celly?” Nacreous asked with a rumbling chuckle, spinning her around as the Princess continued to laugh.

“I’m just happy, Nacreous. You cannot imagine. Finally, somepony is doing it. After a thousand years. Somepony is taking charge.”

As she explained as best she could, Nacreous’s expression lightened up to match her own. Of course, he would understand; he always did.

Toxic, you cannot imagine how happy I am at your venture, every single part of it. Go with my blessing and every scrap of support I can muster! You may not trust me, nor do I deserve it. But if you will accept my help, I most certainly will.

A single phrase echoed the joy in the alicorn’s heart, flying past the boundaries imposed by societal and legal rules that governed Equestria, and herself.

Save those I cannot, as you always have.

Taking a few deep breaths of the fresh air, Toxic sat on a metal bench along on of Tall Tale’s many street-side parks, waiting for a certain gryphoness.

Three days.

With a large set of orders and some business to take care of in Canterlot, Gelly hadn’t been able to meet until today, three days after meeting him in that hotel.

And my subsequent sobbing fit; still not sure how I feel about that.

That was a lie, and Toxic knew it. He knew exactly how he felt about the matter. Gelliana hadn’t let him go until the stallion had released his grip, and he couldn’t deny that he felt better, a lot better.

I just- I don’t know how she feels about all that. Seeing me at my worst, still seeing me being affected by my job.

She seemed so sure of herself during that date under the tree.

His shoulders slumped at that, the pony letting out a tired huff.

I guess it’s a good indicator of how things could go between us. How she sees me after that. The stress I face isn’t going away, but hopefully the whole assassination thing isn’t a regular occurrence.

I still stand by my decision to push the organization to an active state. If worst comes to worse, that’s a safe haven once activated. We have all the hiring messages pre-recorded, training seminars, contracted teachers to instruct our own private professionals to get started; he could run it solo if needs be. And he may have to, I just can’t have another thing on my plate right now.

A stray thought then made the pony’s ears flatten, a dull pain seeming to echo through his chest.

My breakdown showed me that much. And what does Gelly think? I don’t want her to pity me...

I keep expecting her to say it’s too much, that she can’t deal with it. Even now after so many dates.

With barely a rustling of feathers, a familiar gryphoness slipped out of the sky and landed next to him, rustling her wings as she glanced his way.

“Hey, Toxic!” she chirped happily, then pursed her beak in a slight frown. “Everything alright? Wow, ok, that was a bad question,” Gelly admitted.

That made Toxic laugh, the innocent inquiry making him smile, even slightly.

“Yay! A smile!”

Her cheery spirit was impossible to resist, Toxic not able to resist a full, if not tired grin.

“Thank you, Gells.”

“’tis what I’m here for! Well, one of the oodles and oodles of reasons at least,” she replied. “But really, how are you holding up?”

“Still processing everything. It’s rather surreal,” he admitted. “There is something I wanted to ask you though.”

“Oh?”

He paused, the gryphoness clearly seeing his nerves and scooted a bit closer.

“Do you see me any differently now?” Toxic asked. “You were rather sure of your thoughts on our second date, but what about now? Seeing what I have to deal with, how I’m an absolute mess at times. Is that still something you’re ok with?”

“Huh? Of course it is! Like I was toooootally together when you cheered me up? I was almost crying because I was out of stew,” she said with a deadpan expression that quickly dissolved into a giggle.

Her immediate reply made Toxic’s ears stand up straight, the stallion looking to her in surprise.

“What? We all have off days. And if I’m being honest, I like the fact you’re willing to be a mess around me,” she said, then containing in a softer tone. “Lots of stallions would hide it and play it off. But you let me help, as much as I can at least. Showing that you have a really sensitive side; I really like that. I’m just excited to see it more when you aren’t feeling so down. If I wasn’t clear; I’m not going anywhere. And while I’ve only had an off day or two since we met, I can be a mess too. And I’d say getting attacked is a pretty good reason to be a bit more sensitive than normal, along with what you have to do for work.”

She tentatively reached over to rest her head on Toxic’s shoulder, the stallion immediately scooting a bit closer, much to her not-so-hidden glee as the gryphoness pressed against his side.

“Does that help?” she asked softly, not sure if Toxic’s reply would be to the words or the gesture.

Judging from the fact he leaned back onto her, she imagined little needed to be said about appreciating the physical contact.

“Very much. You’ll have to forgive me if I keep wondering about that. As you can imagine, how my job affects me was somewhat of a sticking point in the past.”

“Well, I’ve seen the worst of your job, and I’m still here, right? Aaaaand I will continue to remind you that you’re not the only one here with doubts, and I’m no hypocrite!”

Toxic let out a chuckle, leaning to gently place his head against Gelliana’s.

“Fair enough. I keep forgetting that you’re one of the few creatures who knows what I deal with. That helps,” he admitted. “I do have one more question.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you pity me?”

Gelliana was silent for a moment, her head then nodding.

“Yes. And can I tell you why that’s not a bad thing?” she asked. “Trust me, I’m a gryphon, I know how loaded a question about that topic can be.”

“Huh?” Of the follow-up answers Toxic was expecting, that had not been one of them.

“Toxic, I know that tone. I’ve heard it plenty of times. Look, gryphons are proud. One of the most insulting things would be to be pitied. It is seen as a weakness, and I think that’s the view you have of it, right? Even though it’s not correct?”

“…I guess so,” he admitted, brow furrowing in surprise. “Even though that’s not the definition of it.”

“I memorized the definition because I wondered for a time if I was really just a weakling, both in size and heart,” Gelliana whispered. “I grew up with creatures pitying me, and I realized that I had it all wrong at least for many of them,” she let out a frustrated sigh. “If I had realized that earlier, maybe I wouldn’t have spent so much time thinking everycreature thought I was a weakling, even if that sentiment did exist in many. Toxic, having pity is having compassion for somecreature else who is suffering. And you are hurting.”

The gryphoness hesitated, reaching over to hold one of his hooves with a set of her talons.

“And I care about you, a lot. So how could I not have pity for you? I’d be a horrible special somegriff if I didn’t.”

She couldn’t contain a smile as Toxic squeezed her talons gently, the stallion letting out a tired huff.

“Well, I feel like an idiot,” he muttered. “I’ve known having pity can be a positive thing, but it’s hard to separate what it feels like at times.”

“I understand, I really do,” Gelliana said. “But for what it’s worth, I think you’re one of the strongest ponies I’ve ever met. The fact you still care about so many creatures after everything you’ve been through; I don’t know if I could do it.”

“Thank you, Gelly.”

The gryphoness gave him a half-hug, scooting away a tad to sit next to him normally.
“Does that help even more?”

“Quite a bit, actually. It’s- there’s a lot of stuff I have to deal with, so hearing such reassurances from somecreature other than myself puts it in perspective,” he replied.

“Well, I’ll be glad to be your second brain! Not like I’m going anywhere. I’d be quite the hypocrite if I left just because my coltfriend isn’t picture perfect. Goodness knows I’m not,” the gryphoness glanced over to the pony, reaching over to give his hoof a squeeze with her claws.

“It’s still in your head, huh?” she asked softly. “Thinking I’ll learn something about you and just say that's it, I’m done?”

Toxic let out a huff, nodding once.

“Well, keep in mind I’m thinking the same thing, y’know. Thinking you’re dating me for reasons other than what I hope. Buuuut we’ll work on that for the both of us. Toxic, there is one thing you’re missing though, like, a giaaaaant thing. Something that lets me know to not be worried about us.”

“Oh?”

Gelliana nodded, quite happy that Toxic seemed content holding her claws as well.

“Uh huh. You may not agree right now, but the thing is, you’re a happy pony. So you have to deal with some stuff? Ok, don’t we all? With what you deal with, I pretty much expected it from day one. But despite the sad times, the rough moments, you’re still not a gloomy individual. Just naturally peppy and, well, you. You don’t need me or anyone to be happy. That shows how strong a pony you are, and is what makes me so sure that it’ll be ok with us. You’re not needing me to be happy, even with all the stuff you’re going through. I can’t imagine how hard that has to be, but a strong thing.”

“I never thought about it that way,” he mused, the slight melancholy having fled at her words. “I mean, that’s a very attractive thing about you too; being upbeat and not needing me to be happy. Ok, that sounds a bit off. We’re happier together, but…”

“Yeah, I get it. That type of needy is, urg, not a nice thing. Been there, done that. This is sooooo much better. This is like, advanced happiness. Happy apart, but advanced happy together!”

Toxic couldn’t help but laugh at that, not able to disagree.

“That’s one way of putting it.”

Gelliana let out a squeak as Toxic promptly scooted over and wrapped her up in a hug, the gryphoness melting into a puddle of feathers and blush-ridden mumbles at the gesture.

“Thank you, Gells,” he whispered.

“A-anytime…”

Toxic made her blush even further as he nuzzled his cheek against hers, staying there for a moment. The gryphoness felt tears welling up in her eyes as the stallion hugged her a bit closer, his heartbeat thudding in her sensitive ears. He then let her go, all smiles as Gelly desperately tried to smooth her feathers down. She was quickly starting to appreciate this snuggly side of her stallion.

Her stallion. Oh, now that thought made a tingle run down her spine. He wanted to date her. Just her.

“I thought you were the huggy one!” he proclaimed with a grin. “Miss romantic movie-lover!”

“I j-just don’t expect it!” she retaliated, looking down as a hoof gently poked her fluffy chest in exaggerated slowness.

“You.” *poke* “Really.” *poke* “Should.” *poke* “Expect.” *poke* “It.” *poke*”

“…Poke me again and I’ll bite you.”

Toxic grinned, Gelly’s tone holding zero malice. In fact, she seemed to be on the verge of a giggling attack. He couldn’t help but give her a wink, a sly smile now on his face.

“Bite me? Oh my. I mean, I know we’re dating, but is it a tad soon to reveal such desires? So adventurous.”

“Huh? What are y-”

Gelliana’s voice cut off halfway through her thought, feathers and wings snapping out as her face burned a bright red. Toxic nearly was falling off of the bench laughing as the gryphoness aided the process by shoving him over onto the grass.

“TOXIC!”

“What? I had no idea we were at that stage of-”

“We haven’t even kissed!”

“That’s why I was surprised! Aren’t you a daring and passionate one! Or did you mean an ear nibble? What else could you possibly be-”

“I WASN’T TALKING ABOUT THAT!”

Toxic had clearly won the war, the stallion sitting on the grass and wiping away tears of mirth as Gelliana grumbled, hopping off the bench to sit next to him, appearing more like a ball of feathers than a gryphon.

“Are you quite happy with what you’ve done?” she glared at him. “These feathers take forever to get back to normal!”

“W-worth it Miss C-cotton C-candy!”

Gelliana couldn’t help but smile now; seeing Toxic back to his happy self making her own spirits lift.

“Don’t think you’ll escape my wrath.”

“Oh, I am terrified,” Toxic chuckled, wiping away the remnants of his tears.

Seizing the moment, Gelliana reached her neck down to trace along Toxic’s neck with her beak, moving up along his cheek and to his right ear.

“You should be,” she whispered.

And then she nipped his ear.

The stallion sat up with a bolt, face bright red as he glared at the cackling gryphoness as she dashed off.

“YOU!”

“Byyyyyyyye!”

“GET BACK HERE!’

“Nooooooooope!”

The personal guards were hard-pressed to keep up as Toxic galloped after his special somegriff, all thoughts of trial and tribulation overtaken by the warm affectionate glow in his chest.

Author's Note

All the fluff and happy feelings! :yay: And some developments too!

Chapter Sixteen: Threads on a Tapestry

“Have we heard anything else from this Clari individual?” Nacreous asked as an alabaster Alicorn massaged her temples while Fori shook her head.

“Nope. We’ve had no contact since a week ago. You know everything we do.”

“Thank you, Fori,” Nacreous said with a wave as the feline disappeared. He looked over to his Fiancé, Celestia flopping onto the large conference table with a groan.

“So, nothing has changed? At last we’ve had time to process all of this. A pair of sisters managing some threads of leylines, Onyx and Icait being partially mentored by two of your friends, Toxic launching his new enterprise as we are asking him to meet with us, and still a new threat?” Celestia said with a sigh, then letting out a soft, happy hum as a familiar pair of talons massaged her shoulders.

“That about covers it, you doing ok?” Nacreous asked softly.

“It’s still just a lot to process in-between the day to day minutia. Your friends intervening is helpful, but just another piece of an ever-growing puzzle.”

Sitting down next to Celestia, the Hippogriff shifted to let her lean on his nearest shoulder, the Paladin reaching over to hold one of her hooves with a set of talons.

“I know processing everything with Toxic hasn’t been easy,” he whispered, “Just know that I’m here for you.”

“T-thank you, Nacreous,” was the soft reply a brief kiss on the cheek accompanying Celestia’s answer.

“And remember, Sunspots, he’s a lot more understanding than I think you give him credit for. I think you should talk to him about all of this when things have settled down a bit. It has only been a week or so.”

A brief nod of agreement was Celestia’s reply, the pair relaxing in silence for a time. The afternoon was going to be quite an eventful one indeed.

‘To Toxic Shield,
We wish to speak with you. We wish to extend an offer of help.

-Celestia, Luna, Nacreous, Shifting.’

The note had been oddly curt, the stallion not liking that in the slightest. But the fact it had all the heavy-hitters in terms of rule and power involved, and signed on a first-name basis…

It was something big, that much Toxic knew. He let his thoughts wander as the stallion made his way through the royal castle, aiming towards the throne room.

Well. I have enough on my plate. My organization is launching and I’m still trying to get my head on straight and not be completely paranoid about another attack. The goal is to reduce my stress, not add to it.

The fact all four aforementioned individuals were sitting at the bottom of the throne steps did little to lessen Toxic’s suspicious (and anxiety.) He knew that tactic; be on the same relative level as those you were speaking to in order to try and remove some of the ‘high and mighty’ view.

Or maybe they are just being nice and know it’s a comfort thing for ponies. Deep breaths, Toxic.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Emperor Thunderwing said kindly, the hippogriff clad in his familiar regalia, another curious piece to the puzzle. As the doors shut, the other three looked to Nacreous expectantly; apparently, he was going to lead things.

Now I’m intrigued.

“Of course. The note was rather curt though,” Toxic replied after bowing respectively. “What can I do for you…erm, everycreature?”

“It’s actually the opposite, Specialist Shield,” Nacreous replied. “In light of recent events, I thought it prudent to ask if you’d like to take up an offer of assistance. It is not in any way you can imagine, however.”

“I’m not following,” Toxic admitted, curiosity replacing his previous anxiety. “But I appreciate the offer.”

Nacreous rapped his claws on the stone in thought, sketching a brief rune and causing a simple symbol to hover in the air; three overlapping circles.

“Toxic, you know that I am a Paladin,” Nacreous said kindly. “Without beating around the bush too much, I would like to offer you the chance to be a part of the Order I was, and still am a part of, be it as a Paladin or some other station. Would that be an offer you’d accept?”

Toxic stared at the gathered creatures, his shoulders slumping. That was the offer of ‘help’? More responsibility, more lives that he had to try and save?

He knew it was an honor, a great honor. From what little he knew, the Order Nacreous was a part of had been a prestigious thing indeed, a strike example of helping those who could not help themselves. But this soon after an attempt on the stallion’s life? After opening his own organization? Toxic was buckling under the weight of it all as it was.

And so, his answer was short and to the point…

“Nope!”

…if not rather abrupt.

Celestia stared at the stallion in front of her in surprise- but only partly. She really should have seen this coming. To his credit, Nacreous simply let out a huff, collecting his thoughts for a moment. Luna seemed even less surprised than them, simply frowning, but not seeming at Toxic. Shifting stayed silent as well, knowing that he was a bit out of the loop in terms of the unspoken tension between Toxic and the other rulers.

“May I ask why, Toxic?” Nacreous asked simply. It wasn’t condescending or accusatory, but a simple request of curiosity.

Toxic’s posture shifted ever so slightly, and Celestia nearly drew in a surprised gasp.
Is this what it’s like seeing my own mask crack?

In a brief moment, the stallion that stood before them wasn’t nearly as confident as he had previously appeared. For a split second, genuine unease and borderline fear shone in Toxic’s gaze, fear of something.

And then it was gone.

“Because I cannot handle any more responsibility, Highness.” Toxic stated with surprising smoothness. “I survived an assassination attempt, have been targeted by an unknown assailant, opened my organization to the public…I cannot, I will not have any more weight on my shoulders.”

Luna was clearly biting her tongue, Celestia saw that much. They had pushed him too far, and clearly explained too little.

“Toxic, this isn’t another burden,” Nacreous tried to elaborate, clearly seeing his error. “This isn’t going to put more-”

“Highness, please, don’t…” Toxic said softly, making the hippogriff fall silent. “Don’t try and guilt me into this. Not you.”

It was an unintentional barb that Toxic likely didn’t even know resonated and clearly hadn’t directed it at her, but Celestia had to force herself to not react.

Please no, let me not have added that burden to this stallion over the years. Guilting him into all of this…?

A loud groan interrupted the verbal standoff, a shadow-pony sitting nearby with a roll of his eyes.

“And I thought I was bad at communicating.”

“Iust?!” Nacreous, Luna, Celestia and Shifting stated together, Toxic blinking in surprise.

“Who?”

A (mostly) familiar feline then snapped into existence, glaring at the shadow-pony angrily.

“We talked about this, Iust! No. Butting. In!”

“What are you two-?” Nacreous asked, seeing Toxic completely lost at seeing these two. Celestia appeared equally surprised as Luna. Shifting seemed to be close to a migraine, one of his eyes twitching.

“He said no!” Iust objected.

“And you just wanted to change his mind?” Fori countered. “We don’t interfere unless we have to!”

“We had to!”

“Why? First Onyx, now Toxic? What has gotten into you? Is this Gaudi’s doing?” the feline added.

“Do NOT bring her into this!”

“HEY!”

Everycreature present turned to Toxic, his mane waving rather unnaturally as an arcane surge flooded from his horn as his emotions bled into the pony’s control of magic, indicating how his mostly-calm demeanor was, in essence, only skin deep.

“Is anyone going to explain this to me?” he asked, his previous patience clearly having evaporated. “What is going on?”

It was rare to have so many politically-skilled creatures be at a loss for words, and yet the throne room was silent.

“My name is Iust. I am one of Nacreous’s oldest friends,” the shadow-pony said. “I could not stand by while you said no,” he added, shadows licking from his frame. “You didn’t even know what you were refusing.”

“Yes, I do know. A great honor, more responsibility, more weight that I can’t bear!” Toxic said, the stallion’s jaw quivering with stress. “And is she one of Nacreous’s friends too then?”

“Fori,” the feline stated simply with a respectful bow.

“Why all this fuss over me? What is so important about…you know what? I don’t want to-”

“What would you do to protect her? To protect them all?” Iust asked abruptly, making Toxic close his mouth immediately.

Toxic stared silently at the other stallion at that question, eyes widening in shock.

“What?”

“You heard me,” Iust growled. “What would you do? What obstacle would be too much for you to refuse? You speak of weight, perhaps. But forget the big picture. What is it worth, one innocent life? Perhaps one whom you care for, or perhaps one who is too young to even know of danger! What would you do for them? What have you done?”

As everyone else stared in shock, Iust grinned, fangs showing as a bit of shadow leaked from Toxic’s eyes. It didn’t take a changeling to feel the surge of determined anger from the pony.

“Good. Now that you are listening. They aren’t offering just a simple weight. They’re offering you power.”

A mental link poked at Celestia’s awareness- Nacreous’s astonished voice flooding her mind.

‘Iust is testing him.’

‘What?!’ Celestia replied.

‘He’s trying to show Toxic what we are offering, but also testing Toxic’s resolve. If Toxic isn’t strong enough to control the dark magic that he has tendencies to, the offering of power will show it.’

‘That’s brilliant- but why Iust? I thought he was the quiet one? The ‘god’ of war?’

‘Quiet usually, yes. But war…and passion at times. The determined drive inside everycreature. I’m not surprised he’s taken interest in Toxic. Not the best timing, but well-intentioned.’

The shadows flickered darker around Toxic’s eyes for a moment, then fading as the pony shook his head.

“Power? What are you talking about?” he muttered, clearly not seeing how pleased Iust and Nacreous were.

“The Order Nacreous is a part of, that we aided in. It grants access to ancient spells, direct pathways to leylines and magic far beyond what you know,” Iust explained. “I know not of what station you would hold, or if it would give more responsibility. However, would a weight be worth the power to defend them? You’ve already done so much without it; you know of what I speak.”

Toxic nodded, a dangerous glint shining in his green eyes.

“Then will you hear them out?”

The pony nodded again, sitting down and looking towards a surprised Fori and gathered royalty.

“Thank you, Iust,” Nacreous said, sending his armor spinning away on a magical breeze. “In short, he is correct. The ceremony grants access to spells and magical deterrents against a number of evils in this world, and other realms, even on a passive level.”

“You probably should have led with that,” Toxic sighed, now appearing more tired than anything. “Because I could really use the help. No offense, Highness, but your delivery was rather lousy considering the situation.”

“That is why I am here. I wanted to help you as you learn. Well, later at least,” Iust said, earning a shocked gaze from everycreature.

“What? You can’t just do that, Iust!” Fori countered. “What if Clari-”

“I said he could.”

The throne room quickly becoming packed with ethereal creatures, a familiar mare now stood in front of all those present. Celestia’s eyes widened at feeling the tsunami of arcane power emanating from her. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, as though her sun itself had been placed in the castle. It was both incredibly humbling and unnerving at the same time.

“I’ll…um…” Iust stammered, Fori rolling her eyes as she bowed towards Clari, the two quickly vanishing.

“I’m starting to lose track of everycreature,” Toxic stated tiredly, looking over to the leyline-mare curiously. “May I ask who you are? Ow…” he winced, touching his horn as the bleed-off from the entity’s figure interfered with his own magic.

“My name is Clari, Toxic Shield,” the mare said softly, her lips quivering as tears formed in her eyes. “And I can’t explain much, not until I say that I’m so sorry.”

“For?” the stallion asked. “Just a small headache…”

“No, I mean for not helping more, for placing so much pressure on you,” Clari said, ears flat against her skull. “I tried to warn you of the attack, but that’s all I’ve been able to do for the most part.”

Toxic now was fully alert, staring at the mare curiously and ignoring the others.

“Wait, that was you? The night before that assassin?”

Clari nodded, the hint of a hopeful smile on her face.
“I wish I could have done more,” she whispered. “Nopony, nocreature else could have done what you did. From the start, you were who I knew would be the one.”

Toxic’s head tilted to the side, quickly becoming lost.

“I…uh…”

“Toxic, Clari is like the Tree of Harmony,” Nacreous said, walking up to sit next to the stallion. “Except she is a Leyline. Well, one of them; a layer of them.”

Any fatigue now vanishing, Toxic looked over to the mare who waved at him sheepishly.

“That about covers it,” she agreed. “I haven’t needed to do this for hundreds, thousands of years.”

“Wait, so you’re…ok, like the Tree,” Toxic said partially to himself. “So, the Tree handles harmony matters, what do you do?”

Clari giggled, gesturing upwards and sending a projection of magical threads up to the ceiling.
“I do the same thing, just in a different way!” she explained. “I weave a thread or two of life, balance things in certain aspects. And I really only am like this when things are really out of balance, or if my sister asks me to be.”

“Your sister?” Toxic asked, making Clari wince.

“Sorry, yeah, she handles the other side of my threads…oh, I’m sorry, this must be super-duper confusing,” Clari grumbled. “There’s a lot of layers to leylines and all of this. Just think of me as a version of the Tree of Harmony, handling balance in an aspect of life. The part that can’t be solved by a blast of rainbows at least.”

“Ok, I can do that,” Toxic muttered, “but what does that have to do with me?”

Clari looked at him, actually appearing hopeful.
“Everything, Toxic,” she said softly. “You’ve done so much for so many creatures. I am not all-knowing, but I see time differently than you all. You were going to be here and be the stallion that I needed at this exact time. When He started making changes, I knew I had to find a creature to help. And you’ve always been that pony.”

“Wait, who is ‘He’?” Toxic asked, clearly picking up on the malevolence of that single word. “And what do you mean I’ve been ‘that pony’?”

“Nocreature else has your abilities, Toxic,” Clari stated flatly. “And you are in this world just as He is, and He is using the aspect your cutie mark protects against to try and destroy it all.”

Toxic’s green eyes now widened, the gears in his mind starting to connect and churn.
“Wait. I’m here- my cutie mark? My abilities? They’re a counter to whoever this thing is?”

Clari nodded, hopping up and down excitedly.
“Exactly! I didn’t do it, but it was the tapestry of life balancing things out! He would be here, and so you had to be here, I had to be here at the same time!” she then pointed an accusatory hoof at the stallion. “And don’t you dare think that makes you less!”

“I wasn’t…I…” his words trailed off, the pony realizing that any refuting of her words would have been a lie.

“Yes, you were! Just because you were supposed to be here doesn’t mean you are less!” Clari said. “You could have turned from the path at any time! All I did was remove a few magical barriers to try speed you up to this point- but it was never my choice. If you hadn’t helped creatures, been so selfless, ignored those in help, things may have changed! You chose this path!”

“I didn’t know I was on a path,” Toxic admitted.

“There is a difference between knowing a path, and walking a path, Toxic,” Nacreous said softly, causing the stallion to look up at him in surprise. “The induction to this Order would give you the power that you should already have access to. If I may be so bold, you’ve been living life as a Paladin already. You just don’t have the spells or formal training.”

“Or the awesome armor?” Toxic asked.

“Or the awesome armor,” Nacreous chuckled. “But Clari, please clarify who He is?”

“I can’t.”

“Why?” Toxic asked.

“Because the more information I give you, the more it unbalances things,” Clari explained, letting out a frustrated groan. “It’s like a measuring scale. Every change or bit of information given from myself or him is a weight. He makes pushes things out of balance to his side. I have to wait and make sure mortals, or mostly-mortals, can make changes in addition to my own when I act. That means it will swing back into balance favoring life!”

“We’re an additional balance, extra weight to your eventual counter-move.”

Clari nodded, appearing a bit teary at that statement.
“Yes. That’s why you’ve been so important. You didn’t have to be, but you chose to be. Especially to them.”

“Them?” Toxic asked.

“The little ones. An act at the beginning of a life can make all the difference.”

The stallion stiffened at that, the royals looking to each other curiously. It was Celestia who realized it first, Clari looking over to her with a nod.

“He did what you could not, what you should not have done.”

Tears welled up in Celestia’s gaze, a few words granting a bit of penance to her past actions, or lack thereof.

“It is part of the initiation, seeing how you have affected others,” Clari explained. “I worked with the Order Nacreous is a part of too- in a general sense, letting the leylines react to their magic.”

Toxic stayed silent for a time, processing the figurative book of information that had been thrown at him.

“Y’know, leading with the whole ‘a cousin of the Tree of Harmony needs your help’ would have probably been best,” he finally said, earning a few chuckles and grins from those present.

“So, do you need me to be a part of this Order?” he asked Clari, the entity firmly shaking her head.

“No. It will make things much, much easier though,” she admitted. “This is your choice. All this is, is an offering of help. He knows you can stop his plans, and will stop at nothing to destroy you. This can help blunt any attempts. I can’t protect you directly, not with making my own plans crumble down.”

“That’s…uh…a bit direct,” Toxic said with a wince.

“I thought you’d appreciate it. And all I can say is that his job will be much easier without somecreature with your abilities. I cannot say more.”

Despite that, it was fairly clear what the threat was to all those present, Toxic nodding firmly.
“What do I need to do?” he asked. “I want to know exactly what I am getting myself into.”

Nacreous reached over to give the stallion a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“You’re a special case, Toxic,” he said. “You aren’t going to be expected, or required to live by some new code, only continue on as you have been. I promise that regardless of what official requirements such a position in my Order may have demanded in the past, you will not have more burdens placed upon your shoulders.”

“You’ve already been doing all that you need to,” Clari interjected. “This just unlocks it. It’s one of the ways I gave some mortals the way to do it. Unfortunately, those ways faded away with Nacreous’s Order and the Paladins. I do miss talking with them…”

As everyone stared at her, Clari blushed a bright teal and winced.
“I, uh, probably should have said that sooner?”

Nacreous let out a soft chuckle, nodding briefly.
“That would have been best.”

A simple parchment was summoned by Nacreous, giving it over to the Unicorn with a knowing nod.

“That is the cliff-notes version of what the codes for being initiated into this order are,” he explained. “I simplified it as much as I could and updated it to fit modern times. No extra burdens, no required classes or mandatory trainings outside of learning to use the new spells and the like. It’s just a way of living life that, by all accounts, you already are doing. There are other stations that require a bit more work and diligence, but I am not speaking of those.”

“Can I have some time to think about all of this?” Toxic asked.

“Of course,” Celestia said softly, finally speaking. “The castle is open to you.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Toxic replied sincerely. The genuine interaction seemed to make Celestia’s mask crack, Nacreous seeing a bit of dampness in her eyes with his own sharp gaze.

“I’ll look this over, but how can I say no, after hearing all of this?” Toxic muttered. “I said I’d never let it happen again. Not to anyone else. Never!” The aggressive hiss of his words perked up a few ears.

Yet Clari and Celestia seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

“Can I have a portal to Tall Tale briefly? It goes without saying that I shouldn’t tell anycreature about this, but I’d like to at least have lunch with my special somegriff. If you can just open the portal near me in an hour then I’ll return and look over all of this.”

“As long as you know for this to stay between just us for now, of course,” Luna said with a smile, quickly summoning a portal.

Stowing the parchment in a personal storage portal, Toxic hopped through and left the gathering of individuals alone in the throne room.

“Huh. That went well,” Clari said happily, much to the groans of everycreature present. Yet there were lingering smiles on every face as they discussed the entire exchange, waiting for the stallion to return.

Taking a few steps forward, Nacreous drew Clari’s attention for a moment.

“Clari?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, I just wanted to say thank you,” Nacreous said sincerely, bowing before the smaller mare. “I had no idea the Order’s power was your doing. You’ve saved my life many times, and many others too.”

Clari giggled, poking the large hippogriff’s head with a hoof.

“You are most welcome. I’m just happy to see creatures like yourself and Toxic using it to help everycreature.”

“Toxic is already….?”

Clari let a knowing smile dawn on her features.
“Sorry. I see time a bit differently than everycreature.”

The sparkle in her eyes made Nacreous laugh, the Paladin nodding as he returned to discuss things with Luna, Shifting, and Celestia.

Once out of earshot, Clari couldn’t help but smile to herself.
“Thank you, Toxic,” she whispered. “You have so many friends who want to help; just let us!”

Gelliana let out happy chirp, setting aside a pot of bubbling vegetable stew to cool. She had learned from her mistakes and now ordered twice the usual ingredients, many of them dried for storage. No more days of lacking one of her comfort foods!

I wish we could have our lunch date though. I know he had some sort of thing in Canterlot. Something important. The gryphoness mused. At least I got to see him yesterday.

It was one of the times that Gelliana hoped Toxic could start to put in perspective. She knew the stallion felt uncomfortable about all of the moments he was cracking underneath the pressure he felt. He had voiced such concerns, that he didn’t want a lopsided relationship, that this wasn’t normal…

Gelliana had read between the lines well enough. Toxic was afraid she’d think the stallion needed someone to rely on day to day, going back on his previous statement of the whole ‘needing’ part of a relationship.

Oh Toxic, you sensitive goof. You don’t have to worry about that, I get it. I’ve seen enough moments outside of the hard days to see how happy you usually are.

And how caring.

Yesterday had not been a good one for the gryphoness, to say the least. But it was one of the times that even further solidified that she was not letting go of Toxic, not as long as he cared.

One Day Earlier.

Gelliana stared at the plants in front of her blankly, her limbs feeling like lead despite having taken a nap and indulging in a caffeinated soda.
Or three. And unfortunately, the painkillers had been taken too late and now the gryphoness’s headache was just awful.

The rain hadn’t let up for a full day, and while part of the gryphoness found the scene relaxing there was another part that made her fears run wild.

Growls of Timberwolves stalking me for hours.
Rain drenching me to the bone.
Hours upon hours shivering, covered in mud underneath a canopy of tree roots.

Shuddering slightly, the gryphoness forced herself to go through the motions caring for her plants. Everything seemed harder today, be it making breakfast, lunch, or even watering some plants with their special, fertilized mix. The rain barrels would be full; that was a nice plus.

At least I have lunch with Toxic tomorrow. He said he’s having to do some things for that side project of his.

I’m dating a pony starting his own company, who would have thought? I totally get him not wanting to tell me at first, or that much. He did promise to let me know fully what it is though, in time. I am curious of what exactly his organization is going to do aside from ‘help creatures.’

But if he has an entire island dedicated to it, I definitely understand the secrecy. I know what it’s like to be ‘wanted’ for what you can offer outside of who you are. Someone would totally want to get close just for bits, let alone power.

She had sent a parchment to said pony half an hour ago, the stallion apparently having been in some sort of meeting. Gelly didn’t want to come off as too negative, but bubbly-and-happy wasn’t her current mood, not by a longshot. It didn’t help that this sort of weather usually made her feel physically cruddy. Something about rapidly changing air pressure and (of course,) her unusually small figure, or specifically, her inner ear.

“Gells?” a familiar voice called after a soft *pop* of teleportation.

Hoof falls signaled her coltfriend’s presence nearing, familiar slightly-monotone voice staying somewhat soft and gentle.

“Hey, you ok?” Toxic asked as he walked into the greenhouse. “You definitely didn’t sound like your usual self in that note.”

“I thought you said teleporting here was a bit draining?” Gelliana mentioned as she turned around, Toxic’s eyes widening at seeing the bags under her eyes.

“Perhaps if I do it too much, but clearly I was needed. What can I do to help?”

Gelliana’s beak opened, a flurry of things she wanted to say on the tip of her tongue. Only one word made it out however, accompanying the drooping of her usually perky wings and ears.

“Hug?”

Sensing her distress, Toxic immediately took a few steps forward and wrapped up his special somegriff in his forelimbs. The exhausted gryphoness leaned on Toxic a bit more, the stallion shifting to support her weight with ease.

Despite her usually shy in public tendencies, Gelly couldn’t help but be constantly relieved at being able to be herself with Toxic. To know he wouldn’t judge her, mock, or do anything other than be his goofy and caring self.

Even in times when things weren’t really that bad, but seemed like it all was crashing down.

Gelliana sniffled softly in Toxic’s forelimbs, the stallion hugging her a bit tighter and nuzzling into her neck, something he had somehow figured out she absolutely adored.

It might have something to do with her immediately-poofing feathers, maybe.

“Rough day?” Toxic whispered, Gelly nodding into his blue fur.

“Just a bit. The storm and all.”

“Ah. Well, I don’t want to overstep, but maybe in the future I can have you start looking forward to stormy, rainy days.”

“Oh?” Gelliana looked up curiously, then immediately looked away as a cheeky grin filled her vision.

What could he-

A bright blush swarmed across the gryphoness’s cheeks, about the time Toxic let out a soft chuckle as her feathers poofed out even more.

“Somegriff looking forward to that?” he whispered. “Cuddles by a fire? Hot chocolate?”

Thankfully his words prevented Gelliana’s mind from coming up with anymore alternative ways to ignore a storm.

Mostly.

“Or did somegriff have different ideas? Miss ‘yes let’s take things slow.’”

Letting out a few grumbles, Gelliana was greeted by a laugh at that.

“Do you need to go stand outside in the cold rain for a minute?”

“NO!”

“Uh huh…”

A tired smile had now replaced the previously grumpy expression on her face, the gryphoness still enjoying snuggling close to her stallion.

“Feel a bit better?” he asked, giving her a final squeeze before letting her go slightly.

“Much better,” she admitted. “Thank you, Toxic.”

“Assume if I ever refuse to be a portable hug delivery system, I’ve been replaced by a changeling. I stand by that statement.”

Present

A cheesy, flirty, wide smile was on Gelliana’s face, as happened most times when thinking about her special somepony. She could understand why Toxic thought things were a bit one-sided, him needing some support more often than her.

But he clearly doesn’t realize how much it means to me for the times he is there for me. It balances out for me, if not outweighs it. Just the fact he was willing to teleport over to give me a hug, to be there when I needed him; that means the world to me.

…I should probably let him know that.

*pop*

“Hey, Gells?” her stallion’s voice echoed around the shop.
She happily zipped out of the kitchen and half-tackled her coltfriend into a hug, the stallion immediately returning the gesture with a happy sigh.

“Hey there.”

“Hello to you too,” he whispered, Gelliana not wanting to do anything but hug him close.

“So, what’s the occasion?”

“I was able to get away for a bit. I’m having to make some big decisions, but I wanted to, I just…” his words trailed off, Gelliana now feeling the tension in the stallion’s shoulders as he leaned into her embrace a bit more.

“This time you need a hug?” she asked softly, Toxic nodding at that.

As he relaxed in her arms, Toxic rested his head against Gelliana’s for a few moments. He then shifted to rest in the crook of her shoulder and neck, the stallion’s breathing slowing as he seemed to burrow ever so slightly into her soft feathers.

It was a simple thing that the stallion did at times, something the gryphoness wasn’t even sure he knew was a thing. But it was a small clue that let her know something was off.

She loved when he did that. Not that he needed to feel better, but a small intimate gesture that clearly showed how much he enjoyed it, and wanted it.

Wanted her.

The fact that just a hug could make her special somepony feel so much better, that Gelliana could help; was this what it was like when Toxic was there for her?

I logically understand why you may feel like it’s one sided, but I really like when I’m able to make you feel better.

It makes you feel more real. Not pretending around me, trusting me to not-

That thought made Gelliana’s heart skip a few beats. He hadn’t told her much outside of acknowledging and agreeing they both had to work on trusting each other, hence the slow and steady.

But the fact he was here, asking her for a hug, showing that vulnerability; that was something only now the gryphoness was starting to understand how big a deal that was.

I like being wanted, but the fact he trusts me enough to want some help in feeling better…

“Gells? Breathing.”

Letting out an embarrassed squeak, Gelliana relaxed her grip slightly- any immediate thoughts being squashed as a warm nuzzle from her stallion rubbed against her cheek.

“Something on your mind?”

It was times like this Gelliana really wondered how Toxic’s voice sounded without the safeguards of the crystal necklace. She could hear the tender concern, the simple affection in the statement, and yet there was that curiosity.

“I’m just happy,” she admitted, still thoroughly enjoying the fact Toxic hadn’t let her go- not that the gryphoness had done the same. “I really like the fact you’re ok opening up to me. It’s really attractive actually.”

“Oh?” Toxic asked, his tone indicating he did understand, but the playfulness was definitely clear. “So, asking for hugs makes me…”

“Extremely huggable.”

“Duly noted, and I will not complain.”

“And if you do, I’ll assume that you’re-”

“A changeling, yes.”

Gelliana giggled, shifting to snuggle her head underneath Toxic’s as he gave her a bit tighter of a hug. Unfortunately, a nearly-in-unison growling of stomachs interrupted them, the stallion chuckling.

“Y’know, this does prove that we aren’t changlings,” he mused. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be hungry.”

Gelliana’s feathers immediately poofed out at that, the gryphoness finally releasing her hold and looking at the cheeky stallion.

“That was both incredibly sweet, and rather weird,” she admitted, then smiling widely. “Good for you that I love both of those things.”

“Eh, ‘normal’ is just a way of saying ‘boring’ anyhow!” Toxic proclaimed with a grin as he walked towards the kitchen. “I have no intention of stealing your favorite stew, unless my nose deceives me. So, I can just run out and…uh…”

A very clear ‘oh no you don’t’ look quelled any more words, the gryphoness then giggling as she fished out a rather futuristic metal-foiled-wrapped package from the cupboard.

“You didn’t!” Toxic gasped as he accepted the package, eagerly tearing it open with a chuckle. “Where did you get this?!”

Gelliana was all smiles at that, getting her own serving of food as they meandered back to a table, the rough wooden surface already cleared of paraphernalia.

“It was a package from Varti a few days ago. I haven’t even met the Yak, but he said that if I’m dating you, especially if you’re having a rough time then I’d better have a stash of these rations on claw. Apparently, he keeps getting annoyed that they go missing from your organization’s kitchens, and he has an entire pantry dedicated to you. He wouldn’t tell me anything else of course. But here they have sat, all alone in the cupboard!”

“Mmmmmmm.”

The blissful hum from Toxic had Gelliana in stitches, a large piece of fruit jerky poking out of the stallion’s mouth.

“You’d better not hog all of it! I want a taste!” she pouted, the stallion separating a few pieces for her.

“I wouldn’t dare deprive my Princess of a sample.”

The adorable squeak that left Gelliana’s beak made Toxic pause, the stallion cocking his head to the left curiously. “What?”

As her feathers poofed up slightly, Toxic’s mind caught up with his mouth, a slight blush now also dawning on his cheeks. Gelliana’s demeanor became a bit shyer, an almost hopeful, affectionate look in her eyes.

Of course, Toxic didn’t say anything else on the matter, promptly levitating a piece of the fruit jerky over and poking her beak with it, prompting another giggle.

As their conversation drifted to just pleasant banter, Gelliana didn’t miss an intensity that was now behind Toxic’s gaze, his demeanor having shifted slightly. She wasn’t sure what it was; but it was something she liked.

I’m just glad I could help you feel better…

Of course, his ‘Princess’ comment wasn’t about to leave the gryphoness’s mind.
I’ve never been called that before. Not in an adoring manner at least.

Like many things Toxic said and did, she didn’t think he had any clue how much the actions or words meant. She definitely intended to change that; but not when he had much bigger decisions to make.

I wonder what you’re up to now.

Whatever it was, it certainly didn’t impede his ability to make Gelliana’s heart skip a beat when he purposefully matched her gaze with that slight, confident grin.

Whatever it is, I can’t wait to be a part of it, if you’ll let me.

Author's Note

More developments!
LOTS of developments! Looks like Toxic is finally getting a bit of extra help! At least after putting with with some confusing ethereal chats!
And of course the needed fluff :yay:

Just as a heads up, I'm slowing to one chapter since the previously 'small' chapters exploded to be a bit bigger than I intended (this one was 6k words, the next is 11k. :pinkiecrazy:), so just this chapter for this 2-week block.

In the future I may shift back and forth between the double-updates if there's a short then a long chapter, but I'd rather have a sustainable upload schedule than a burn out...which I've danced with before.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and as always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter Seventeen: Purpose

Toxic stared at the parchment, nerves and uneasiness having fled an hour ago after he had returned from lunch with his special somegriff. His eyes scanned over the simple bullet points, despite having read them a dozen times.

I know this feeling.

An eager grin had slid onto his face a few minutes ago and the stallion was fairly certain it was here to stay. The parchment was a simple affair; a code of conduct and the general outlines of the initiation ritual into the higher levels of Nacreous’s now-functionally-extinct Order.

But this feeling, this buildup of tension as if just before the drop on a roller coaster.

This sensation just before a big change,
The power of a chance to change things.

The stallion had felt a similar surge of excitement and determination when he and Varti had tested the island facilities a few years ago. The realization of a dream becoming reality; knowing you had the power to change something in the world.

And now I’m given the chance to stop a catastrophe from happening, some evil that wants to kill everything I love.

As two white eyes came to remembrance, fear wasn’t present in Toxic’s mind as he let out soft growl. It wasn’t his life that he feared the most, oddly enough.

It was living with the knowledge of souls he could not save.

I’ve faced creatures like you before. No training, just a desperate grasp to make a difference. Back then I was just some young colt in a cobbled together hazard suit hoping and praying to the stars I could save a life!
And now…

Rolling up the parchment and trotting out of the private study, Toxic angled towards the throne room, his mind made up.

If I’m supposed to be the pony that stands in the way of this new threat, then so be it!
Even if this ‘choice’ isn’t really one, the outcome is worth it.

A dozen faces flashed through the pony’s mind; young colts and fillies as they had looked up to him in wonder and thanks.

I made a promise then, and every year since. I’ll never stand by while creatures those past foes prey on the helpless. And now someone has targeted me, wanting to remove my hooves from their plans?
Let them try!

He paused at the throne room doors, Toxic swallowing a lump that rose in his throat, a few memories springing to the fore.

His younger brother in a hospital, surrounded by nurses and machines that helped ease the pain.

Gelliana smiling at him before wrapping him up in a hug.

Two parents’ ecstatic at seeing their son pursuing his dream.

A Yak hugging his daughter close, grateful tears streaming down his cheeks.

“You already knew your answer, didn’t you?” Clari asked as she appeared at his side, Toxic letting out a chuckle.

“Perhaps. I made the choice for this sort of thing a long time ago. I just had to remember why,” Toxic replied with a determined snort, eyes then narrowing. He knew when he was being played, and this was no exception, even if his mind was made up. “But that said, Clari, you do understand how this appears to me? Everycreature, you offering me a ‘choice’ at this time in my life with all the royalty backing you up? This is the appearance of choice, nothing more, and I’m well aware of that. The choice to live or die is hardly a fair one, don’t think I missed that."

To her credit, the Leyline entity nodded, ears flattened sadly.
“Yes, I know,” she whispered honestly. “And yet there is no other way I can phrase it or offer my help against this foe. I wish this could all happen at a different time, more naturally. But I’m out of time. Choosing between help that will save your life and the lack thereof that will end your life is no real choice at all. For what my words are worth, I am sorry. R-really I am. I n-never wanted it to go t-this way, I t-tried…”

Genuine tears brimmed in Clari’s eyes, the mare shaking her head back and forth.

“You don’t deserve this, T-toxic, not after what you’ve been through,” she said softly. “I know I must look like Celestia, offering you nothing more than burdens, words, and rigged choices despite my best efforts. And if that’s how you remember this, remember me, then I’ll l-live with that.”

Toxic frowned, the unicorn letting out a sigh.

“I wish I could trust you, Celestia, everyone. I really do,” Toxic said. “But you are looking out for an aspect of life itself. My well-being doesn’t mean that much in the grand-”

“You are wrong!” Clari hissed, a bit of fire igniting in the mare’s eyes as she locked gazes with him. “This is different! Everything depends on you living! I am not some ruler who will sacrifice a pony to save a nation. If you die, darkness wins! I can’t allow that! I wish I could give you a genuine choice, of accepting this help or not, but I can’t. He moved too fast for me to come to you with this offer earlier, so I either had to move now, suddenly, or not at all. You can win without joining this order, but it binds my hooves in offering help and makes your chances nearly impossible. I guess it really isn’t that much of a choice however you cut it.”

Toxic grinned, surprising the mare as he leaned over to give her a friendly nudge on the shoulder with his hoof.

“So, whoever this enemy is bears the brunt of taking my choice from me? More or less?”

Clari nodded firmly, now not able to meet Toxic’s gaze any longer despite the stallion’s sincere smile.

“For the most part, but that’s not excusing my actions though. I could have been faster, maybe gotten involved sooner and not been so blasted slow at realizing the threat. Maybe I could have headed things off, maybe then you’d have had a few years to make this choice instead of a few hours. It’s not fair to make this offer to somecreature who is hurting- and I know you are. Nacreous’s Order is very much my jurisdiction. They are one of the ways I can help guide things- were one of the ways.”

“You do know that I’d have said yes either way though.”

The mare’s head snapped up, Toxic still smiling, a bit of exhaustion entering his expression.

“Despite my words, I’m tired of not trusting creatures, Clari,” he admitted. “I said moments ago I couldn’t trust you, but now after hearing that, I think I can, at least a bit more. Your view and Celestia’s seem to differ on how I can best be used, more or less. Joining Nacreous’s order is something I’d have said yes to regardless of all this. Helping other creatures is what I do.”

The flurry of faces came to Toxic’s mind once again, the unicorn setting his jaw firmly.

“My brother, dozens of fillies and colts…I am buckling under the weight of all this, Clari,” he admitted, “but to refuse an offer of power such as this would be folly. It’s not a choice, it never was. The presentation however left something to be desired.”

Clari managed a smile at that, the entity clearly still remorseful.

“You don’t have to believe me, but if there was another way to help without putting so much responsibility on you, I’d have done it,” she said. “And once this is all over, I will not hold it against you if you leave the Order and all of it behind. I kind of expect that, to be honest.”

“Give up super-cool armor and powers that center around helping creatures?” Toxic chuckled. “You seem to know me more than Nacreous or Celestia. Does that sound like something I’d do? Maybe take a break to finally heal, but if you’re giving me this power, no takebacks.”

Clari giggled, sniffing back a few tears as the stallion appeared to be sincerely at ease around her. His distrust of her had clearly been an almost physical pain to the entity.

“Now, let’s get this rolling.”

Striding into the throne room, the unicorn looked at the gathered royals with a firm nod.

“When do we start?”

The triumphant grin on Nacreous’s beak lit up the room, the Paladin summoning his own armor and staff.

“How long can you stay here?” the Emperor asked. “The ceremony could take some time, the rest of the day or longer.”

“Well, as long as you’re providing dinner, here I stay then.”

That reply made the remaining three creatures smile, Clari happily hopping up and down at his side.

“The spell is simple. But usually initiates have months of preparation,” Nacreous explained as the throne room was sealed by a dozen privacy and security spells. “You do not have the training of an Initiate in the normal sense. However, you have walked the path, I think. As a Paladin I can allow a bit of leeway in the ceremonies. However, it is not up to me alone.”

A surprised look from Celestia and Luna clued Toxic into things a bit. Apparently, the Emperor hadn’t explained the details to anyone…

“Clari? How about you explain?” Nacreous stated.

“You will commune with the leylines,” the mare began. “Not mine specifically, but just the entire energy. Usually mentors serve as, what’s a good word? ‘Guides’ for you during this process. They will help you find what your ‘calling’ will be. Sorry, that’s a poor translation. It’s more of what station you will hold; initiate, Paladin, or otherwise. The evaluation consists of a simple oath to live the general requirements of the Order, similar to the Knights of old,” she paused, waiting until Toxic had nodded before continuing.

“After that, there will be a more in-depth evaluation of your character, and that is where your station, or lack thereof in the Order will be decided. Your mentors will be myself, Nacreous, perhaps Iust after I talk with him again, and two past, or should I say, present, teachers of Paladin Thunderwing.”

Her last words earned a few surprised stares, Nacreous beginning to send a few runes skittering out across the room.

“Past teachers?” the Emperor asked curiously, Clari nodded with a knowing nod. Despite her bubbly nature, her demeanor and eyes now shone with an ancient wisdom that was more befit of a village elder than anything else.

“You’ll know them. I can’t say too much. And Toxic?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a reason we aren’t telling you more about the other positions you may be guided to. This presents a unique opportunity for you to be guided to exactly what, and who you are. You’ve already walked a path, and now you can find out what it is without any preconceived notions. Paladin Thunderwing will handle the initial questioning.”

Clari then nodded to Nacreous, Celestia and Luna stepping to the side to watch curiously.

“Are you ready, Toxic Shield?” the Paladin asked. “If you want to decline, now is one of the final times to do so."

Toxic took a look around, breathing in and out a few times before nodding.
“I’m ready.”

Nacreous gently tapped his staff on the floor, blue lines of energy flickering out to connect the dozens of runes in the room. The ancient symbols brightened to the point of everycreature needing to close their eyes against the intensity.

When they all opened their eyes, the throne room was gone. Instead, a large room greeted them, the floor, walls, and ceiling composed of what looked like an ocean of threads, each line moving like lightning.

“Roughly translated, this is the ‘judgement realm,’” Clari explained. “It is here that Initiates commune with the leylines and speak with their mentors of what their title should be. There are other levels of judgement however; you know of this, Nacreous, but they are forbidden to speak of outside this realm.”

Nacreous nodded, gesturing to the representative leyline ‘ocean’s around them.
“Toxic, Celly, Luna, Shifting,” he began, “In this realm, before you are confirmed a Paladin or the like, you are questioned and examined. Here, time is not as linear as we think it is. Your deeds, your intentions, your relationships, your future actions- it all can be seen, in a sense.”

“It’s how I see things,” Clari said softly. “I can’t see the future, but I can extrapolate what will most likely happen. So, it may seem like I can, but that’s just because it's the best way to explain it.”

“So, I’m to be judged on my actions? There was a single line on the parchment concerning that, but I wasn’t sure what that meant,” Toxic muttered.

“Yes. But as I have said, you needn’t worry. Shall we begin the general questions?” Nacreous said.

“Wait a moment, Nacreous,” Clari interjected, nodding to Celestia, Luna, and Shifting. “Will you accept this invitation to serve as witnessed to this stallion’s induction to the Order? The name of this group has been lost on time, along with its members. Yet the codes of conduct remain, as does the untapped power. Perhaps this Order will return to the world once again, but that remains to be seen. Do you three affirm that Toxic Shield is of good conscience and a good candidate to serve as a force of good in this world?”

“Yes,” Luna immediately said, following by Shifting and Celestia.

“Then, Paladin Nacreous, let us proceed. You three must wait here. The questioning and examination are very personal, and is to only be seen by a few of the highest ranking and most powerful individuals within this organization,” Clari said, watching the reactions of the two alicorns and other unicorn. They simply bowed their heads- knowing this event was one of the areas they did not fully understand, many questions remaining unanswered.

“That goes for you too, Paladin. The two who will examine Toxic outside of the general questions have requested to be alone with him.”

Nacreous looked at Clari in surprise, his eyes then drifting to two shapes that began to coalesce behind her.

Motes of light formed around the outlines of the individuals, taking the translucent form similar to that of Clari. First was a large minotaur, the individual hefting a massive war axe. At his side, an elderly Earth Pony sat, a rough beard on his face.

“Hello, Trainee Thunderwing,” the Minotaur rumbled with a chuckle as he set his axe aside. “I hope that test I gave you wasn’t too difficult. I do believe you and the others are completing it tomorrow.”

Staring in absolute shock, Nacreous was unable to speak. The torrent of emotions was apparent as tears began to trickle from his eyes, beak quivering.

“T-teacher?” he whispered, “Master Granite?”

Celestia trotted over to her Fiancé’s side in worry as the minotaur chuckled, striding forwards to hold out a hand in greeting.

“It has been centuries for you, has it not?” Master Granite said, “Hundreds of years and you are still doing well. Even with us fading, you remain. And are to wed the Empress of the Sun nonetheless!” The minotaur was pushed off balance as Nacreous darted forwards, wrapping the equally large individual up in a hug.

“You didn’t really think we would vanish so easily, did you?” Granite chuckled, the earth pony at his side bowing in greeting, one which Nacreous returned after collecting himself.

“Master Torn Parchment, it is good to see you again,” Nacreous whispered.

“And you, Paladin,” the more reserved earth pony replied with a kind smile. “Even though technically we spoke yesterday for myself.”

Seeing Toxic raising his hoof, Granite laughed and gestured to the smaller (much) smaller pony.

“I apologize, Toxic Shield. This reunion must seem quite odd.”

“So, are you Nacreous’s teacher? Or were?” Toxic asked.

“When you commune with the leylines long enough, young unicorn, time doesn’t mean the same, neither does death,” Torn explained with a knowing nod. “We knew we would be needed at this point to judge a new initiate. And so, we are here, despite being in the past at the same time. Nacreous here was in our class just the other day, and will continue his training tomorrow. Yet we stand here now looking, to your perspective, ahead into the future.”

Granite let out another bellowing laugh as Toxic winced.
“Do not worry about it, young one,” the minotaur rumbled. “What matters is that we are here to continue the process. Clari will join us for that part of the process, but first, Nacreous, the modified questions?”

“Ah, right,” Nacreous said, collecting himself. “Toxic Shield, if you have read of ancient Knights, and perhaps some more recent, you may recognize some of these codes of conduct. These are to be some, but not all of the attributes you must continually seek to embody,” he then paused, looking at the stallion with a confident smile. “Continue to embody, as I can think of no conflict you will have with these.”

Toxic sat up straighter as Nacreous walked over to him, reading off a parchment that floated into view, the golden writing shedding bright sparks like grains of sand.

“There is no time limit for these questions; simply answer them honestly. Will you strive to be courageous for those who cannot?”

“Yes.”

“Will you strive to show mercy to the worthy and unworthy, as taking a life cannot be undone?

“Yes.”

“Do you promise to be generous to your fellow creature, to lift up those in need?”

“Yes.”

“Will you met out justice when it is necessary, to seek out fair council when your own judgement may be clouded by emotion?”

“Yes.”

“Will you push on through times that would otherwise crush your spirit? To be the creature others have faith in despite your own trials?

“Yes.”

“Will you be accountable for your actions? To change yourself if you have erred, and to recognize that no creature is above improvement, let alone yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be noble in your actions? Showing kindness, respect, and courtesy to all creatures of all kinds and creeds?”

“Yes.”

“Will you strive to have hope for yourself, and give it to those who may have lost it?”

At that question, Toxic’s jaw clenched as he nodded firmly, something that didn’t go unnoticed by anycreature.

“Yes.”

“Will you be loyal to those with whom you pledge your loyalty, your love, and your life to?”

Another firm nod, Toxic’s jaw still clenched.

“Yes.”

“Then proceed to the Masters who will continue the initiation. We will wait here,” Nacreous said calmly, reaching over to give Toxic’s shoulder a reassuring pat. He then walked over to sit next to Celestia, Luna, and Shifting.

“Please close your eyes, Initiate Shield.” Torn Parchment stated as arcane magic flooded from the Earth Pony’s frame.

As Toxic, Clari, Master Parchment and Granite vanished, Celestia chewed on her lip in slight worry.

“Will he…?”

“He’ll be fine, Sunspots,” Nacreous whispered. “I think he’s going to give my old teachers a surprise of his own.”

Toxic’s vision cleared, noticing that the room was no longer there. Instead he, Clari, Master Parchment and Granite stood in front of a large wall composed of clouds. It was as though slabs of granite contained equally grey storm clouds, lightning occasionally illuminating deeper depths.

“Well, Toxic,” Master Granite chuckled, gesturing to the wall of clouds. “You passed the initial questioning. We sensed no lies from you, and trust me, we’ve done this long enough to have picked up even a bit of that. With your consent, we’ll be able to see a map of your life, and to know the things Clari does.”

Toxic nodded, looking curiously at the large expanse of something.

“This is your life, Toxic.”

Wait WHAT?

“Uh, pardon?” he asked, Clari letting out a soft giggle but otherwise letting the Masters take the lead.

“Every creature has a theme. It may change depending on their current state of mind in their life. Yours appears to be clouds, storm clouds to be specific, thunderheads,” Torn explained. “During this test, we are to examine your deeds in general. That is part of the power that is granted to us with these leylines. We cannot see specifics however, only how choices have affected others, and how they may continue to affect others, and they to you. It is a simple good, bad, or neutral gauge.”

“That, uh, is a lot to take in,” Toxic admitted.

“For example,” Granite added, waving a hand towards a white slab of marble, the object appearing out of thin ‘air’.

A large blue dot pulsed brightly on one edge, traveling from left to right in a straight line. Along the way, small branches formed, other dots blinking blue or white and continuing on out of view. Other dots winked out of existence, a black dot forming and seeming to spread to a few dots like a fungus on a tree.

“Here you see a portion of my life, Toxic,” Granite said, gesturing to the main ‘trunk’ line. “This is the progression of my life. Here is where I met some of my first students.” He gestured to a few of the branching white dots that continued on out of view. “As you can see, I had a positive influence on their life and they continued to be a positive influence in my life.”

His gesture then drifted to the blackened, diseased portion of the lines, the minotaur’s voice growing rather somber.

“And here is where I made a mistake, Toxic,” the Master admitted. “In my joy of finally having my first class, I neglected some of my students in the second admittance. A few of them fell away into darker paths, and I was forced to face them in combat in the future. I was a negative influence on their life, and they to me. Yet the burden lies on myself. The color of the dots is only a rough indicator. Blue and white is a positive influence on your life, and you to them. This diseased, burned color is a negative. Do you understand?”

The now-nervous stallion nodding, taking a few deep breaths.
“I think so. So, this will basically just show if I’ve been a good pony, or a bad one, in terms of relating to others?”

“It’s much more than that. It takes into account whether you could have done more, if the fault of such negative interactions was yours or another and-”

“Yes, Toxic, that’s a good, simple way of putting it,” Granite interrupted Torn with a friendly roll of his eyes, the other stallion letting out a huff. “It is a more in-depth examination of your character. Did your interactions with family, friends, and so forth have positive impacts on yourself and them? Did you react accordingly and continue on when perhaps they were at fault? It is a way to examine your resilience throughout life, and yes, if you are a ‘good’ stallion, in a very crude way.”

“Alright, that both makes sense, and doesn’t,” Toxic admitted.

“Once the process starts, you’ll know what parts of your life the map shows,” Clari interjected. “It won’t be as confusing, I promise. Do we have your consent to continue?”

Steadying his breathing after letting his thoughts settle, Toxic nodded, sitting up a bit straighter.
“Alright. I’m ready. And yes.”

“You will just feel the leylines reaching out to you. Just like your meditation techniques, lose yourself in the flow,” Clari replied.

A flowing river of arcane energy rose from the flow, peacefully flowing through the pony and then aiming towards the cloudy wall. A strange sense of serenity eased all of Toxic’s anxieties, enough so that he almost burst into tears from relief as his eyes closed, the pony rocking back and forth slightly.

Like his exercises, it felt like he was on the shore of a powerful ocean. Waves flowing over his frame, pushing and pulling with a force far beyond his own. It was so easy to simply go with the motion, even with this experience being much more forceful.

Toxic didn’t see the three individuals present smile, trading knowing looks at the unimpeded energy that flowed through the stallion. Rare was it that the process was so smooth.

The energy began to form into a cohesive line on the left part of the wall, beginning to travel at an even pace across the background.

Life Map visual (click)

The first dot was a bright, sun-level intensity.

When I was born.

It was a simple confirmation, a strange knowing what the dot was. The two branches from the main line indicated the relationship Toxic had with his parents initially, a positive one he still maintained to this day.

Then the other lines, my siblings; my childhood friends.

Those lines faded; not out of malice, but simply as individuals grew apart. The river of Toxic’s life continued; a few blue dots forming and fading as such similar relationships occurred.

A large branch then formed, a gathering of small offshoots around the time the stallion was ten. An icy grip held Toxic’s heart at seeing that. He knew what that was.

The branches began to grow, blossoming, and then withered.

A purple, black disease tore away the blooming relationships with friends and teachers. A single word sprang to Toxic’s mind, making him take a few deep breaths.

Oakbark.

A dozen of the lines from the diseased branches continued, eventually fading as Toxic’s life continued on. And yet they were still…

“How?” Toxic croaked, gesturing to the stormy wall. “How are the survivors from that event-why does it show a good relationship?”

“Why would it not?” Clari asked softly, the mare sitting at his side. “You saved their lives.”

“I saved some of their lives!” Toxic whispered. “And the others I doomed to a decade of suffering, each withering in hospital beds one by one!”

“Do you think they thought that way?” Clari asked. “Perhaps some of them did at times, but did you ever consider the other side of it?”

Toxic didn’t reply. The last survivor had perished last year, and the knowledge that he was the last…

“How much do you think it mattered to those you saved, to the parents and loved ones, that they could have final moments? Perhaps they were in a hospital for their final years, but they were comfortable, lucid enough to be at peace.”

The stallion simply shook his head, a few tears welling up in his eyes.
“I d-don’t…”

“You feel guilty for those you have been unable to save.”

Granite’s statement was an exact echo of Toxic’s thoughts. It was not a question, and to the stallion it came off as a condemnation.

Yet the caring smiles on the faces of the two Masters were anything but angry. The wall of Toxic’s life faded, the exercise paused for a moment.

“Toxic, I believe there is a more relevant exercise that needs to be conducted right now,” Torn Parchment remarked. “Please, open your eyes.”

The stallion did so, swiping a forelimb across them as he looked at the map.

“Wait, it stopped?” he asked.

“You need something else,” Clari whispered, gesturing to the leyline river. It began to fray, each tendril zipping out underneath the ‘wall’.

“You are too clouded by doubt and guilt. Buried underneath your day to day duties, you’ve never really come to terms with it?” Granite asked. “Clari has told us; you are the only survivor now, and you have not been able to heal from the wounds of that day, not completely. You now serve others at the cost of your own health. You cannot stop, because the guilt of knowing that lives would be lost at your expense would be too much. Is that correct?”

Toxic could only nod once. It was humbling to have his deepest challenges laid bare, and yet there were none of the anxieties usually associated with such. He knew these three could be trusted, and that was saying a lot for him.

“I am going to show you two things,” Clari said softly. “This is an act of trust, Toxic. I know how this may seem cruel, but I beg you to trust me. The first are the creatures who have suffered due to you not putting their needs above your own. The second will be those whom you did save.”

Toxic’s limbs shook violently, the stallion shaking his head as he shut his eyes tightly.
“P-please, don’t,” he whispered. “I don’t know if I can…”

“Toxic, just look up.”
Drawing on all of his willpower, Toxic lifted his gaze, opening his eyes to gaze upon the hundreds he failed to-

A single set of eyes looked back at him.

Shock replaced trepidation, Toxic looking at the individual in shock. The pony that stared back at him was a mirror image of the stallion.

“I don’t understand,” he whispered.

“You have never refused a call to action, Toxic Shield,” Master Granite rumbled as he walked over to the dumbfounded stallion. “You have always responded to requests for aid, and even to times where it was not. You have never put your own life above that of another’s in need, not when their life would be extinguished. Do you really think that counts for so little? The pony that has suffered most because of your actions is yourself. We are not saying you were perfect in your actions, but none have died due to a lack of effort on your part. Even if you did not succeed in saving somecreature’s life, it was not due to a lack of trying.”

Toxic hung his head, not knowing how to react. What else could he have done? Knowing somecreature would have died while he relaxed in his apartment?

“I had to,” he said, mouth moving on its own without much preconceived thought. “How could I keep living knowing others would have suffered by my inaction? I was too late once, I never-”

“You were not too late, Toxic Shield!” Clari abruptly cut in. “You responded faster than any other creature to the incident in Baltimare, and it was no creature’s fault but the fanatics that day, and the officials who held off alerting Celestia and likewise you. Do not hold your brother’s condition over your head any longer.”

“Easier said than done,” Toxic whispered.

“Perhaps. But remember I know a bit more than you about the flow of things in this world,” Clari replied. “The attack that left your brother chronically injured was neither your fault nor within your ability to prevent. Does it look like he holds that against you?”

Toxic looked back to the life-map, and the lines showing his familiar relationships were solid and strong, even the one with his brother.

Especially with his brother.

“He loves you for being there for him before anycreature else was even able to get close to the blast site. He loves you for that; nothing less. The first pony he saw at his side was you.”

The tears threatened to spill out of Toxic’s eyes again, the stallion taking a few shuddering breaths as he looked to his hooves, trying to regain his composure.

“And now the creatures you have both saved directly, in a physical sense and otherwise.”

Toxic lifted his gaze and found the wall completely gone. Standing on puffy white clouds, a gathering of ethereal creatures looked back at him with gentle smiles on their face.

And at the forefront, dozens of foals, gryphon chicks, and youngsters of various other species smiled back at him.

His jaw quivering, Toxic stood up as more creatures began to form, the stallion’s eyes swimming with tears.

“Dark thoughts are powerful, insidious things,” Granite said quietly. “A drop of guilt and pain can drown out a waterfall of good, an ocean.”

More creatures continued to form. Dozens, hundreds…
Thousands.

Toxic couldn’t keep the tears back anymore, spying a large Yak with a forelimb around a younger individual.

“V-varti?” he croaked out, taking a few steps forward.

“And his daughter. They owe their lives to you, Toxic.”

“I’ve never saved Varti from death though?”

“Saving is not always physical, Toxic Shield,” Parchment remarked. “What would the impact have been to Varti if he had lost his daughter to those creatures? If any of those parents had lost their little ones?”

Jaw quivering, Toxic couldn’t respond as the field of individuals spread out in front of him, the number extending beyond view.

“I n-never knew…” he whispered.

“Wheat Pepper,” Clari said, a light in the distance lighting up to indicate the individual. “Earth pony. Her husband would have been a first responder to one of your incidents if you had not responded. He would have died due to the chemicals months later; she would never be the same.”

“Lime Glass. Her marefriend was a medic. She would have responded to an incident had you not shut it down. The chemicals would have killed her and every other first responder before they realized the toxicity. That was prevented when you fixed the pressure valves at a facility five years ago,” Granite explained.

“What may have been a two-hour job of closing valves and welding pipes in a poisonous cloud was an act that saved hundreds. And yet you never got to see the fruits of your labor, not until now,” Parchment stated. “Everycreature should know how many lives their small acts of kindness, of duty can impact.”

Two familiar figures now appeared, smiling next to a stallion and large hippogriff.

“Celestia? Luna? Shifting and Nacreous?” Toxic asked, shaking his head. “I don’t understand.”

“They would have died,” Granite said bluntly, gesturing to the four individuals with a grin. “Died or permanently crippled from trying to stop various disasters from occurring. And as such, they would have never met these two, and so on and so forth. Don’t think they are so far removed.” The minotaur then seemed to suppress a chuckle, Clari motioning off to his side.

“The map, Toxic,” Clari whispered.

Toxic looked back and drew in a surprised gasp. The life-map had exploded with branches. Life-saving tendrils and dots flew every which way off of the main trunk. Every life he had saved, every family that remained whole, every child that had come home safe.

And then all of the lives they had touched, an exponential spread of life and potential.

I did all of this?

A dark spot ignited across the branches however. What was once a collection of blue dots beginning to fade. A brief pink branch had begun to form- but it was cut off by a disease that ate the dot from the inside-out.

Just when I thought I had things figured out. A group of friends, and even had a few dates with an interested mare.
A special somepony…

Or so I thought.

“And yet there are those who cannot see the burden you bear as anything but an oddity,” Granite said sadly. “The scar you bear from Oakbark as anything but a negative. There will always been those creatures in this world.”

I trusted her, even began to like her; and in return she spread lies to those I thought companions. They believed her, and I lost those I thought were my friends, all except Varti and Hammer.

“And yet…”

Toxic looked back to the still-expanding map, every life he had touched still soaring upwards to the heavens with unspent potential. And yet now as the map neared the current time, another dot winked into existence next to him. Coming from what looked like to be another life-branch, it eagerly began to twine around his own before it stopped, the map pausing at the present time.

The pink branch was still firmly meshed with his own; just seeing the color spread warmth through Toxic’s chest.

“Gelliana,” he whispered.

“In a land where emotion can be harnessed and utilized, love is a powerful force indeed,” Granite chuckled.

A blush spread onto Toxic’s cheeks at that. They hadn’t even said…

“I wish you the best in that regard, Toxic. It is interesting though.”

The stallion looked over at Granite’s words- and his jaw nearly dropped as a new figure formed at the front of the creatures spread out before him.

A familiar gryphoness looked back at him, eyes wide with hope and an excited smile on her beak.

“Gells?”

“You must have impacted her life a great deal, Toxic, to have her show up here,” Granite remarked. “An incomplete relationship, but a strong one nonetheless. This map does not show what can be- only what is.”

The stallion didn’t say anything to that, only staring at the cheery line glowing happily back at him, an equally happy image of a certain gryphoness still standing amidst the other creatures.

Have I really missed how much she cares? Does she know? Is this just extrapolating on what I think is going on?

Of course, the obvious answer is to ask. Will definitely do that on our next date, which I wanted to be special anyhow.

“Do you understand now, Toxic?” Granite asked, gesturing to the map and creatures spread out of view due to their number. “These are the lives you have touched by yourself.”

A familiar fire ignited in the stallion’s chest, a wry grin now twitching at his features.
“Can this map show possibilities?” Toxic asked. “If my dream is realized, how many creatures can my organization help?”

Clari was smiled widely at that- making a gesture towards the map.

The entire scene exploded in lines, hundreds of them branching off with countless dots of individuals affected.

Toxic promptly sat down in surprise, having to blink from the intensity of the lights in front of him.

“Countless. That is the answer, Toxic Shield,” Clari stated proudly. “You have used your unique position to better others, not hoarding wealth but using it to help.” Her expression then softened, the mare trotting over to gently poke the stallion in the chest. “But you have endured this burden alone for too long. You’re still a pony, and you need the extra help. That is what all of this is about.”

“Indeed,” Granite rumbled, sending the life-wall fading away with a wave of his hand. The countless creatures faded- Gelliana lingering last before the four individuals were once again alone in the cloudy room.

“We have judged your past and present, and found you worthy to join our Order,” Master Granite proclaimed, sending his battle-axe thudding into the floor with a surprisingly loud THUD. “There are many stations in this Order. As of now, you would be an Initiate, but that would not grant to you the sufficient power you need to endure the trials ahead of you. Therefore, we have decided to extend another offer, as you may have expected.”

“I…thank you,” Toxic managed to say, “But that sounds a tad foreboding.”

“I will not lie to you, Toxic Shield,” Parchment sighed, “The path ahead of you is dangerous. Events that can tip a balance to life and death are on a knife’s edge. Some of the force that can push it either way lies with you. We see you fit for a greater station.”

Toxic’s head tilted curiously, Clari letting out a soft giggle.

“That must seem confusing; we’ve been talking to each other this entire time, Toxic. Remember, time doesn’t work the same way here,” she explained. “In the brief pauses we’ve had between conversing with you, the Masters and I have conversed what must have been hours, perhaps days on how best to help you, even though moments have passed for you.”

“Uh…ow, ok,” Toxic muttered, wincing as he shook his head. “That makes a bit more sense. But what positions are there?”

“You will learn them in time. Once this process is complete, Nacreous can teach you all there is to know about our Order. Perhaps you two can bring it back into modern times. He has all the records, even if he doesn’t realize it,” Parchment mused. “We left with him a few different maps to locate our archives. Not everything burned with our monastery and the lands surrounding it. But enough of that.”

“You are not to be a Paladin, Toxic,” Master Granite stated. “A Paladin plays a more passive roll, as is seen by Nacreous. He wandered, embodying the love for all creatures and helping those he could, defending those in need. To use a better analogy, a Paladin is a constant, positive influence wherever they go. A police-pony in the balance of good and evil. A Paladin has a broad calling, both passive and active.”

Toxic’s ears flattened, the stallion feeling his heart sink slightly.
“And I’m not suited for that?” he asked softly.

*Music Option*
https://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=N-ted7frO6U&p=n#/79;199

“No. You are not a police-pony,” Parchment stated, “You are a warrior.”

At Granite’s words, Toxic’s ears snapped back up, his green eyes widening in surprise.

“The stations above Initiate are all voluntary, so you may reject this offer,” Granite said, leaning on his axe. “One of the highest is a Paladin of or order, and was one of the most numerous positions. There is another, however. Less in number but greater in influence, and in controversy.”

“You are no Paladin, Toxic Shield. You are a Guardian.”

What felt like an electric shock ran through the stallion, Toxic looking down to see leyline energy flickering at his hooves.

“That’s not me, Toxic,” Clari stated softly. “I don’t control all of the leylines, just one of them.”

“A Guardian?” Toxic asked, “What…?”

“They are a bulwark against evil in this world,” Master Torn Parchment said, waving a hoof. An image of a dozen armored creatures snapped into existence, standing in front of a shining stone monastery, pyramidal in shape.

“Guardians in our order are similar to Paladins; they embody a singular, or in times of crisis, multiple aspects of this world,” Granite explained. “They are an active defense against those who would tip the balance of things to evil. They are dispatched when no other measures can stem the tide of suffering or death, a last resort designated by the leylines of this world to stop the balance from being overcome by darkness.”

“You may notice a similarity here,” Clari whispered.

“When I am called,” Toxic said softly. “There’s never been anyone else who can help. I’ve been…”

“You have been a Guardian for almost two decades, Toxic Shield. A guardian against chemical threats. But this station is much greater than that,” Granite replied. “You have stood as a guardian against other evils in this world, when no other creature could. Such actions would have immediately granted you recognition within our order.”

Clari looked over to her side- and Toxic’s heart lodged in his throat. It was like a movie playing, but this was familiar, taking up his entire field of view.

A dark, grimy warehouse wall was shown, a young Yak chained with some other foals sobbing in a corner. Magic immediately began to spark around Toxic’s frame before he realized it was a memory, but not his own. It was seen from a third person perspective; as if an invisible pair of eyes was watching.

“I-is anyone going t-to come?” one of the fillies whispered, the Yak shaking her head, lips quivering as she tried to not cry.

“I d-don’t know. My Papa always promised he’d be there for me.”

“The Princess will help!” a colt managed to say. “That’s what she does!”

“I…” the yak shook her head.

The dozen youngsters fell silent as a commotion erupted out from behind a locked door. Screams, yells, the loud clashing of metal on metal…

It went on for some time, a heavy impact then hitting the door. With a loud crash, the body of a large reptile was tossed through the sturdy wood.

A broken sword held in the only arm still attached to its torso, the other three nothing but bloody stumps, the reptile plastered himself against a wall as a figure walked steadily through the hole in the wall.

Dark magic licking from his eyes, the stallion in front of them briefly looked over to the youngsters, then taking a surprised breath from behind the shattered metal helmet.

His gaze then locked onto the reptile, the sword falling from its trembling claws. The stallion’s fanged mouth widened into a sneer, broken metal plates falling from the suit of armor that was wrapped around barrel and limb. Darting forward, the smaller pony sent the reptile slamming to the ground, magic snagging the broken sword and holding it at the creature’s throat.

“Are there more of them? SPEAK!” Toxic Shield demanded, the reptile shaking his head.

“NO! J-just these! No others! I swear on my life!” the creature begged.

“That is worth so little, I shouldn’t trust your words!” Toxic growled, dark magic dripping from his eyes. “Give me a reason I shouldn’t kill you right now!” he hissed; the sword’s edge held against a trembling throat.

The reptile refused to move, instead closing his eyes in fear. The sword was then lifted, Toxic sending a piece of metal crashing onto the creature’s skull and knocking him unconscious.

“A-are you h-hear to help?” the Yak whispered.

The stallion took a few deep breaths, eyes refocusing back to the normal white and green color. Dark violet tendrils and clouds still remained, radiating from the corner of the pony’s eyes steadily.

“I am. I know your dad,” Toxic said kindly- his gentle words oddly offsetting the dark figure. “I need to deal with a few more bad guys, then we’re going to leave. Can you stay here for a bit longer?”

“O-ok…”

“That was not the work of a Paladin, but a Guardian,” Granite stated as the memory ended. “No other creature could have saved them from such an unspeakable fate. You took it upon yourself to toss aside everything except saving their lives.”

“It was legal by mere technicalities of the Klugetown Rules of Acquisition,” Toxic said with a huff. “But I’d have done it regardless.”

“And that, is what a Guardian does,” Parchment said with a soft laugh. “They are the most controversial aspect of our order. They care little for borders or politics, much like the leylines of this world in a sense. If there is evil threatening those who are innocent, a Guardian is not far behind,” the elderly pony paused, shaking his head sadly. “However, we were blind to such intervention,” he admitted sadly. “We did not recognize that nations could band together to destroy us. We sought to save everycreature else, and that made us a target in the eyes of many evil souls. In saving others, we did not have the strength to fight of the armies that were sent our way. Perhaps you can see some parallels to this, Toxic.”

The pony then stood up a bit straighter, pointing a hoof at Toxic.
“But you can change that!” Parchment said with a surprising amount of emotion, voice trembling slightly. “You have been planning for such an eventuality for years! Your organization will be able to do what we, for all of our power and foresight could not!”

“Politics robbed my brother of living a normal life, would have let those fillies and colts perish to a nightmarish fate,” Toxic growled, “I don’t seek to push my views of right and wrong onto other cultures- but there is a limit to what will be excused by tradition and belief! It was legal in the Badlands to kidnap those foals, to sell them, to….” Dark magic flared around Toxic’s eyes, the leylines becoming tinged crimson for a moment before he got his emotions under control.

“I’m just glad I got them out of there unharmed. That is all I want to be able to do. And I didn’t kill anycreature, somehow.”

“You showed restraint and mercy to those who may not have deserved it. You acted as Guardian would, even if it was for your own views and what you thought was right,” Granite said. “If you accept our offer as a Guardian, nothing would change. There are levels within such a position, but in general, you would just be expected to continue on as you are doing,” the minotaur then paused, letting out a said breath and laying a massive hand on the stallion’s shoulder. “The main change is that you must take care of yourself more. A Guardian is of no use when their mind and body are broken.”

Toxic nodded, not able to refute such a statement.
“So, there’s no additional things to do now?” he asked.

“Oh, there is plenty to do,” Granite chuckled. “We can officially confirm you a Guardian and grant to you access to the spells and materials you are entitled to. But to understand how to use it all, to fully be aware of past teachings, the history, the specific codes of conduct, that requires some studying. However, due to the circumstances that usual precursor requirement is being waived.”

“Before it’s official, the basics are this, Toxic,” Parchment said steadily. “A Guardian is bound to act when there is a threat, in this case, when innocent lives are at stake. That is irrespective of government and borders. This station is one of the most respected, hated, and controversial of our order,” the pony paused, a wry smile twitching at his lips. “But you already know the responsibility of acting of your own accord, don’t you? Given to you from a different ruler.”

“How did you-” Toxic began, then shaking his head with a chuckle. “I won’t ask. She’s the only one who knows, outside of maybe Luna and a smattering of others.”

“I find it interesting the Solar Empress mirrored aspects of her Guard after our Order,” Granite mused. “But the duties from that, the responsibility is the same. Would you act in the same way now than you did back then? Risk imprisonment, hatred from nations, to save those who cannot defend themselves?”

“Yes,” Toxic immediately replied.

*end Music*

“Then let us continue. I do believe you said something about Nacreous having some ‘awesome armor’?” Parchment laughed. “And before you ask, it can be modified by your Yak counterpart to suit your unique challenges. It is not to be used for your job, however. That is not its primary function. Stopping a blade is one thing, but a chemical bath is quite different.”

“I understand.”

“Hmm. I imagine so. Now then, before we proceed. Do you accept this offer to be a Guardian within our order, only bound to the responsibilities explained here and not to that which may be revealed on further study?” Parchment asked.

“Wait, so…” Toxic asked, obviously not having expected that last part.

“We mean, Toxic, that the standards for being a guardian change with time, as do their responsibilities. You should not bear additional burdens at this time. This station is a recognition of what you already have been doing. On acceptance, you will not be asked to do anything outside what you already are asked to do; stepping in to save those who cannot save themselves,” Granite explained. “Your primary task is that of your cutie mark; being a Guardian in that sense. Other instances where your aid is needed are abnormal instances.”

“So, no new assignments, no extra calls?” Toxic clarified.

“Correct. Your organization alone covers more than chemical threats, does it not?” Granite remarked with a sly grin. “As long as you hold to your goal with the Last Light, you will exceed the requirements of a guardian irrespective of personal actions. As another note, we will be around to aid in your training and further questions as you get acclimated. But eventually Nacreous will be your primary teacher, along with one of his friends to help you master controlling dark magic.”

At that, Toxic’s ears flattened, the stallion looking to his hooves.
“So, I did use it,” he whispered. “I can’t tell when it happens; how am I still qualified for this position?”

“Dark magic is not evil, Toxic Shield,” Torn Parchment explained. “As the elements are the embodiment of ‘positive’ emotions, dark magic is simply the other side of the coin. Love cannot exist without hate, bravery without cowardice. The magic you have been taught as ‘negative’ is nothing more than a neutral force.”

Toxic was quiet, soaking up every word. Dark magic was considered heretical among unicorns; never dabble in it, for it would destroy you.

“Now, since dark magic is powered by these perceived ‘negative’ emotions, it does open the user to corruption, to be driven by only these darker thoughts. Lose yourself in hatred, and that is all you will see,” Parchment continued. “But you do not use this magic for personal gain. It has been an extension of your connection with the leylines, a natural source of power when you need it.”

“So, not a bad thing?” Toxic tentatively suggested.

“Not at all. The fact you have such control as to not lose yourself is a fantastic thing. However, as your confirmation as a Guardian will unlock greater spells, more instruction will be necessary to prevent any mistakes and losing yourself to these emotions.” The elderly pony paused, smiling sadly at the stallion. “You have a lot of festering trauma, Toxic. That will make dark magic both incredibly potent, but very dangerous for you to use without instruction. You are at a higher risk than many for potential, and unintentional misuse.”

“I understand. I suppose that’s why Celestia had it classified as being restricted magic, trying to suppress any use,” Toxic mused.

“Correct,” Parchment replied. “However, you are not the average unicorn. Now, Toxic Shield, will you accept our offer to be a Guardian within our order?”

“Yes,” Toxic said immediately, standing up a bit straighter.

“Then let us proceed. Now, you must discover of what you are to be a Guardian of in this world.”

“Huh? Oh, like Nacreous taking that test?” Toxic asked.

“Correct,” Granite chimed in. “When you are ready, simply open your mind to the leylines. The simple meditation exercise Shifting Sands instructed you to do is more than adequate.”

*Music Option*
https://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=QN9SduuzoC4&p=n#/154;235

The stallion nodded. He sat down, taking a few deep breaths as magic sparked from his horn. Almost immediately, a stream of leyline energy wrapped up around Toxic’s hooves, swirling around his body and head before darting back into the ‘ground.’

“Very good,” Granite rumbled. “Now, this is a bit of a different situation with Clari being here. Usually, the masters and the student, that being you, would commune together and arrive at the same answers. We can do the same thing, but modified slightly. We already know what you are to be the guardian of. However, you must come to that realization yourself. So, Toxic, we ask you this question. What aspects of this world are you to guard with your life? To defend against all adversity? Single words will come to your mind in time. Simply speak the ones you feel to be right.”

“If the leylines are like an ocean, these words will be a particularly powerful wave, impossible to ignore,” Parchment instructed. “It may take some time. I have seen tests completed in minutes, others, hours or multiple days. I do not believe it will take that long.”

“I understand,” Toxic said calmly, enjoying the ebb and flow of power around his body.

For a time, there was nothing, the pony relaxing in the quiet space the leylines provided. No anxieties, worries; nothing but him and this energy.

What felt like an electric shock through his hooves and chest made the stallion’s head snap up, eyes wide in surprise.

Whoa!

“Hope,” he stated, Clari and the two Masters grinning with a simultaneous nod.

“Correct. Now, Toxic Shield, you are to be a guardian of more than one attribute, as many as this world needs at this time. Keep listening,” Granite replied. “The strength and peace you will get from this continued exercise is what will sustain you through times of trial. You’ll know what I mean.”

It was a lesser shock this time, but just as noticeable.

“Innocence,” Toxic whispered, his throat closing up as he spoke.

The next word hit with not so much a jolt, but a warmth that nearly overwhelmed the stallion. A peace that he had never known flooded his entire frame, tears abruptly trickling from Toxic’s eyes. In that moment, he was wrapped up in what felt like a hug from somecreature he had never known.

Or had only begun to know.

“I….” he choked out, managing a wry grin, the word burning in his mind with an intensity that could not be ignored. “Not sure pink is my color…” On not hearing a reply, Toxic wiped his eyes and looked up at the expectant trio. “Love.”

Three smiles greeted him, Granite letting out a soft chuckle.
“I believe Princess Cadence has a monopoly on the ‘love and pink’ empire,” he said. “But who is to say it cannot be a fiercer color? It does not just encompass romantic love. What is it that prompted you to save those fillies and colts? Your empathy has been tested for years, and yet you remain!” Granite proclaimed. “In a world where emotion can be power, do not discount the influence of love, no matter its form!”

Toxic could only smile at that, taking a few deep breaths and standing up.
“I think that’s it,” he said softly. “So, I can tap into that force anytime I need help?”

The three present individuals nodded, kind smiles blossoming on their features.
“Yes,” Granite said, “That feeling by the way? That is the peace and support is the strength of this world, the leylines specific to you giving their aid. You don’t have to keep fighting alone, Toxic. That is what we wanted you to have access to in times of trial whenever you need it.”

Clari trotted forward with a trembling smile, nodding to Granite.
“There is one more thing,” she said softly. “There is one more title you would not have picked up without this.”

She poked his chest and a blast of energy sent the stallion staggering back a step.

“What-”

Toxic’s eyes widened as the ebb and flow of the ocean he was tapped into became a tsunami, yet even that was but ripples in another ocean that had no end. Leylines on leylines, possibilities on possibilities.

A steady pulse ran through his mind, one that had Clari’s voice attached to it.

“Life,” she whispered, “Life, and the Leylines. My leyline.”

He looked up to see Clari standing before him, lips trembling as she apparently fought back tears

“Will you be my Guardian, Toxic Shield?” Clari asked. “Will you guard not only the leylines, but the balance of life itself? Guard it against an emerging threat that seeks to destroy everything you hold dear? You are not here by accident, and yet here you stand by your own efforts. Will you answer this final call?”

Toxic felt a few more tears running from his eyes, the warmth returning to flood his entire frame. Peace, actual peace made everything pause for a beautiful brief moment. No worries, no second-guessing, simple acceptance.

“Yes!”

“Then, Guardian Toxic Shield, stand ready!” Granite proclaimed, sending the butt of his battle axe thudding into the cloudy floor. “Every Guardian is to be armored and equipped. Prepare yourself! This armor will only respond to your call, and only by you can it be dismissed! May it serve you through battle and flame, to protect yourself and the innocent throughout life!”

The leylines around Toxic surged upwards, bolts of lightning crackling around his body. A warm pressure surrounded the stallion’s hooves, an excitement flooding his veins as a chain mail began to weave itself over his blue fur. Bolts of arcane magic danced across his body like licks from a thundercloud, metal dancing at their tips.

There was an odd pressure in his mind; and with a simple mental prod, the pressure made Toxic’s head spin. Partially pushed to lean on a bent forelimb, the stallion couldn’t help but laugh as the white chainmail covered his entire body. Bolts of arcane energy surged skywards, a solid, rapid pulsing of raw power surrounding the pony.

The lighter metal chainmail was abruptly covered by darker plates of armor that slammed into Toxic’s forelimb. The dark, storm-cloud grey worked its way up the stallion’s limbs, a breastplate shoving itself against his chest. The armor weaved itself over the chain mail, plates meshing together like large dragon scales. A full-face helmet clamped down over Toxic’s eyes, the slits glowing as a magical spell made his field of vision expand.

Whoa…

The armor must have weighed twice as much as he did and yet it felt light as a feather. Toxic immediately recognized some of the spells, similar to that in his current hazard suits.

“This armor is the best that we were able to provide to our Guardians,” Granite said proudly. “It has stood the test of time, as it is the same that Paladin Thunderwing uses. It can be modified and upgraded as you see fit, as long as the core elements remain, namely the breastplate. It can withstand everything but the keenest blade and arrow, and spells will be dampened if not outright blocked. It is similar to your hazard suites, lightening the load and offering a wide range of customization,” the minotaur laughed at that. “I look forward to seeing what your Yak friend does!”

Toxic grinned, taking a few experimental steps with the armor.
“Oh, I have a few ideas,” he chuckled.

“Paladin Thunderwing can instruct you on summoning and dismissing your armor. For now, our time is concluded,” Parchment said calmly. “We will meet again soon, Guardian Toxic Shield! Clari?”

The mare stepped forwards, pointing to Toxic’s breastplate.
“Look at yourself, Toxic,” she said, a mirror snapping into reality. “You have chosen your own symbol.”

Toxic felt tears well up in his eyes on seeing his armored frame, but more specifically, the icon that shone brightly in a gold outline. It was a symbol that adorned every building on his island; a lighthouse emblazoned on a shield.

“Your organization is not the only Light in this world, Toxic,” Clari said kindly. “And it is customary for Guardians to have a rank, a different nickname to be used only in times of great trial. You can be referred to just this name, or as ‘Guardian,’ followed by the name. You have to option of requesting a different one if needs be, but it is usually chosen by those present in the Judgement period. Your symbol will be modified to reflect such.”

Toxic nodded, standing at the ready proudly.

“Like this creature, you have passed through so much death and destruction, and refined yourself into a better stallion; reborn as it were,” Granite said with a wry smile. “We wish to impart to you the name of Phoenix, for as you literally rose from the ashes of Oakbark, you re-made yourself into a force of good in this world!”

Toxic felt a lump rise in his throat, nodding firmly.
“I accept!”

“Then stand and see your Guardian name engraved on your armor!”

Looking into the mirror again, Toxic watched as two golden wings spread out from the center of the breastplate, reaching down in a protective pose around the shield and lighthouse symbols, a simple raptor-like head etching itself on the top of the entire emblem.

*End Music*

“Phoenix, your initiation is complete,” Master Granite said with finality. “We now release you to Paladin Thunderwing to complete the second portion, that of being introduced to the various spells that can aid you in times of trial. In addition, he alone knows what you can tell anyone else about this position. What you have learned here, especially the Judgement portion, is to not be revealed except to those with whom you would trust with such knowledge. It is not to be shared casually, but treated with the utmost respect. Many creatures will not understand what has transpired. Ask Paladin Thunderwing for any clarification on the matter.”

Toxic bowed his head towards the Masters, the two returning the gesture in kind.

“Thank you, Master Granite, Master Parchment, and Clari,” Toxic said respectfully, the aforementioned mare sniffling.

“S-sorry. I’m j-just so happy!” she managed to say.

Toxic grinned, then gestured to his armor briefly.

“How do I…?”

“Simply will it to fade, for the armor to stand at the ready. It will answer your mental call,” Parchment said.

Toxic nodded, taking a few breaths-

And promptly caught fire.

The pony yelped, then let out a laugh, the armor flaming away with blue fire as though cotton caught in a blaze.

“That, is so COOL!” he exclaimed, watching as the last of his suit burned away, then regaining his composure to bow his head again.

“Uh, sorry.”

“It is pretty impressive. Every individual has a different summoning and dismissing effect of the armor,” Parchment agreed with a chuckle. “We do have to bid you farewell, Toxic Shield. It has been a pleasure meeting you, and well speak again.” The pony then paused, tossing over a stone object with a surprisingly excited grin.

“By the way, can you give this to Nacreous? Just tell him that the Order should be like your nickname. I think the implication should be obvious,” the elder stallion’s eyes then brimmed with tears, a brief flame of hope igniting in their depths. “Perhaps in time your Organization can become what we never could.”

Toxic flashed a determined grin, briefly examining the stone key before nodding as he offered another formal bow, and the two Masters vanished with a wave, leaving Clari and Toxic alone.

“Before I transfer us back to the others, I just wanted to say something to you,” Clari whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry again. I know it’s so much of a burden, this new threat that is still a mystery, and I really really am sorry I couldn’t help more, I just- I hope you can hold on, I tried my hardest and I-

The rambling mare was wrapped up in a brief hug, the Leyline entity staring at Toxic in surprise.

“Clari, it’s ok,” the stallion said sincerely. “You saved my life by warning me of that assassination. I should be thanking you.”

His words must have had a greater impact than the stallion realized, because Clari began to cry softly, nodding as she waved a hoof.

The cloudy room vanished, and Toxic was abruptly placed back in front of a surprised Nacreous, Shifting, Celestia, and Luna.

“Back so soon?” Nacreous asked, then let out a chuckle. “Let me guess, it has been much longer than ten minutes for you?”

Toxic grinned, nodding to the Paladin.
“Just a bit.”

“So, do I call you anything else, Toxic Shield?” Nacreous asked, gesturing to the two royal sisters. “You can reveal what happened there to both myself and them.”

The two alicorns were looking at him curiously, and Toxic couldn’t resist a bit of flare.
Please work please work…
With a mental request, a breastplate clamped itself over Toxic’s chest, the stallion standing proudly in front of the four larger individuals.
Worth it.

“I am the Guardian of Hope,” Toxic said with finality, a confident grin on his face refusing to leave. “Of Innocence, of Life,” his expression softened, looking towards the Paladin. “And of Love. My other name is Phoenix.”

Nacreous burst out laughing, summoning his own armor as the two Sisters looked on in amusement.
“Then, Guardian Phoenix, let us train you a bit in that armor and the spells you are entitled to use!” Nacreous then paused, letting out an embarrassed mumble at seeing Luna raise a hoof. “Uh, and first explain what exactly happened in there to the two lovely mares.”

Toxic nodded, then levitating a stone key over to Nacreous.

“Master Parchment said I should give this to you, with the message ‘the Order should be like my nickname.’ Pretty sure I know what that means. I guess we’re going the be the first of many?”

Nacreous took the key, the large hippogriff seeming suddenly a lot smaller. The Emperor wiped his eyes, clearly shaken and struggling to hold back tears- but they weren’t of sadness.

“Thank you, Toxic,” he whispered. “It seems that you are correct. The Order isn’t as lost as I thought. More on that later, I think we need to explain a few things. I think you should not speak of the Judgement portion. That is a very personal matter; only divulged to a select few of your own choosing, those whom you’d trust your life to.”

Toxic nodded, collecting his thoughts before going into rough detail of what happened.
Yet one thought refused to leave, one that made the exhaustion and fear leave the Stallion in an instant, a familiar warmth and comfort filling his entire frame and making doubt and anxiety flee.

I’m a Guardian!

Across desert and ocean, a shadowy figure felt a disturbing chill run down its spine. Summoning up a portal, the fanged individual let out an abrupt growl.

“He must not be allowed to be trained! Do you understand me! You are ordered to act NOW!”

“Highness, I don’t understand, who?” the gryphon asked, clearly unsettled at seeing his Master so…

Afraid?

“Who else!? Capture the stallion. Attempt extraction of his resistance to our weapon. When you have succeeded or if you can’t extract anything, kill him!”

“I-right away, Highness! This is sudden, my forces will need at least a few days to get in position however,” the Bringer then paused. “What of the gryphon he is usually with?”

“I don’t care. Capture her for leverage to force his compliance, then kill her as well.” Fangs then parted, desperation leaking through the creature’s voice. “GO! He must be stopped!”

As the portal faded, the gryphon scrambling to relay orders, a second voice chuckled from in the room, a smaller figure trotting over to the shadowy apparition with a sly grin.

“You are right to fear him. This does not bode well for us.”

The shadow could only hiss at that, white eyes darting back in forth in thought.
“That wretched, meddling mare. She and her sister….”

“I warned you. Do not underestimate ponies, least of all him.”

“And you were correct. Not that such a statement will ever leave this room.”

“Of course not, but it doesn’t matter. My failure is your failure.”

The shadow grinned at that.
“We will have our victory, all in due time.”

And yet the statement was said with much less confidence than previous utterances.

As Celestia listened to Toxic’s explanation, excitement was surging through her veins. It had been so long since a brand-new form of magic had been explored, explained; it was fascinating!

Suddenly, everything froze.

Blinking in surprise, Celestia’s view was now of a parchment on her desk, a certain, sour-tasting project title visible.

“It won’t work.”

Clari’s voice drew Celestia’s attention, the pair now back in the strange cloud realm.

“What?” Celestia asked, checking her passive defensive spells out of habit. Clari seemed almost angry.

But then that sense faded, sincere concern and sadness radiating from the leyline mare’s frame.

“Your emergency measures. The last resort spell and runic inscriptions you hope never to use on Toxic,” Clari explained. “It won’t work unless I allow it. Such a spell requires leyline energy, more than can be drawn naturally.” Her eyes then grew as sharp an obsidian, the mare not looking away from the Solar Empress. “I will stop you if you dare use it on Toxic against his will!”

“I would NEVER!” Celestia exploded, fire dancing through her mane. “Don’t you dare suggest I’d curse such a creature like that! I know the agony of an ageless life, who do you think you are, to…” her words trailed off, a sad smile on Clari’s face.

“I’m sorry, but I had to be sure,” Clari whispered. “I know you wouldn’t. That’s why I’m not worried. If anyone can understand the burden of that spell, it’s you and Luna. I just had to check; my sister was not as trusting as I am.” She then paused, Celestia’s rage fading. “I know how painful it has been. But at least you’re not alone, not in the previous sense.” The mare looked over to Nacreous with a smile. “I am happy for you, and I hope you forgive me for that test. But such a spell meddles in a power that could disrupt the flow of life itself for a pony. That warranted my attention and concern.”

“I understand,” Celestia finally said with a sigh. “I’d be lying if I wouldn’t have done something similar. For what it is worth, I promise I’d never use such a spell on Toxic, or any creature without their permission,” she then paused, letting out a sad sigh, “or at least somecreature else who could vouch with utter certainty for such a decision.” Her wings drooped slightly at that. “As I’ve learned with Toxic, I certainly can’t trust my own decisions to have his best interests at heart.”

Celestia found Clari looking up at her kindly, the leyline entity shaking her head.
“You are a ruler, Princess Celestia,” Clari stated. “You bear a burden few can understand. To value the one above the many, in your case, would be to doom a nation. I take no issue with your words, and your promise still bears a great deal of weight with me.”

“Thank you, Clari,” the Alicorn whispered, “That means quite a bit.”

“I know,” Clari grinned, gesturing to Nacreous. “Know that I am watching over you all too. You’re not alone in all of this.”

The scene then sped back up, Toxic continuing to explain his experience. Celestia made a mental note to relay the experience to Nacreous, Shifting, and Luna.

I’m not alone, that means so much more now than it did a decade ago.

The Princess couldn’t help but scoot a bit close to Nacreous, letting her shoulder graze his own for a bit of simple, physical comfort. The action didn’t go unnoticed by the Paladin, his keen gaze flickering over to her briefly.

Ironic, in a way. Those of us with a great deal of power are delegated to watch while a mortal pony leads the charge against this threat. Perhaps that is how it should be.

That thought made a lump rise in Celestia’s throat, Twilight and her friends coming to mind.

Perhaps that’s how it should be at times.

Author's Note

HUZZAH! :yay: What more can be said?

Looks like some chills were sent down the spine of a certain creature...

Chapter Eighteen: Gathering Clouds

It had been a good day.

The morning had been spent filling Marigold in (again) on her love life…much to the mare’s joy.
Her grins were infectious though, and Gelliana indulged Marigold at least with a bit of the details. Nothing too personal, but just telling her best friend about her stallion.

My stallion…

And her spirits had still been lifted despite the rain that began pouring down just before Toxic met her at the shop for their date. She still had enjoyed it immensely despite the weather. Apparently, Toxic had implemented his ‘get his special somegriff to like the rain’ plan. With the weather ponies in Tall Tale having mixed up a summer shower with a freezing thunderstorm, the pair altered their plans to stay inside Gelliana’s shop and tried to come up with the best hot coco mix.
And then the worst. It had just been fun, and tasty! (For the most part.)

It has been such a good day, so why do I feel so horrible?

Toxic hadn’t left more than a few hours ago, the unicorn heading to his island to oversee some final preparations along with a project his yak friend was working on. He had been busy the day or two before that with some super-secret thing in Canterlot.

The warm glow in the gryphoness’s chest had faded, and now the thunder and rain battered against the window. The question of why she felt horrid was rhetorical; of course, she knew. A single day of fun couldn’t outweigh such an ingrained experience. With the storm’s air pressure change making her head ache, coupled with the memories…

Despite being wrapped up in thick sheets, Gelliana shivered, not able to shake the ghostly sensation of rain trickling through her feathers. Freezing mud seemed to mat her entire body as ghostly howls sounded all around her.

Then came the doubts. The insidious, double-edged blade that always followed. It was as though whenever her mental defenses were down that Gelliana’s deeper fears decided to bite. Much like how exhaustion made one’s speech become erratic; her already flustered mind froze. Logic took a back seat to emotion, past reassuring words seeming to be faint echoes.

What if he’s playing the long game, just being with me until he gets what he wants?
How long do I have to wait until I know for sure?
Does he just like the idea of a ‘helpless’ girl to save?
I….
It was a quick shake of the head and a simple, heartfelt and hopeful request scrawled on an enchanted parchment that made the gryphoness drag herself out of bed, sitting in the small study area next to a window.

Will he even come? It’s such a stupid thing.
Compared to what he goes through, what others have been through, I have no right to feel this way. It was just a single day and night. And yet here I am not able to get over it more than a decade later.

Toxic has been through worse a thousand times over, he wouldn’t care about-

Her sluggish mind was rattled by a *pop* of magic, a stallion nudging her shoulder with a familiar and soft inquiry.

“Hey Gels, what’s up?” Toxic asked softly, letting out a soft huff as the gryphoness scooted into his arms for a hug.

“The storm and stuff?”

She nodded, all her doubts fading at the sound of Toxic’s steady heartbeat as he rocked her back and forth. The tension bled from her shoulders, Gelliana finding herself quickly smiling.

Of course he’d care, he always does.

Toxic didn’t say anything for a time, letting the gryphoness relax in his arms. She wanted to tell him, and felt like she needed to tell him soon, how much moments like this meant to her. Despite the storm, her doubts, when she was in Toxic’s arms listening to his heartbeat, she just felt safe.

Safe to be herself; doubts, idiosyncrasies and all. Toxic was always there, even if it was something as silly as asking for a hug. No questions why, just a pop of teleportation magic, and here he was; not judging, not questioning, just here and wanting to help. No preconceived notions of gryphons, not even a hint of being thought of as a ‘runt’.

Even in moments like this, when he didn’t even really know what was troubling her, Toxic hugged first, and asked later. Ironic, for the stallion who had once said he wasn’t the huggy type.

It also made Gelliana feel wanted, even in her moments when her defenses were down and she just felt like an absolute mess, not really worth of being wanted, even if now it seemed like a silly thought.

But she knew such a sentiment was felt at times by a certain stallion, so Gelliana wasn’t so quick to dismiss it in terms of severity. And yet despite it all, Toxic just wanted to help, to make her feel better.

That’s who you are, Toxic, you always want to help others, I didn’t consider how that’d flow over to a relationship.

I don’t even think I realize how much this means to me. I’m only starting to understand how much I want this. I want to be there for you, Toxic, and I don’t think I’ve been very good at explaining how much times like this means to me. You’ve been there to help for so many ponies, and now to me; I don’t want you to think it’s a lopsided relationship.

If only you knew, feeling safe, for me, is kind of a big deal. Letting me be the one to help is also something I’ve wanted to do. Of course, you’d know most of this if I told you; the whole trusting-dance we are struggling to learn about each other.

That thought brought a smile to Gelly’s face. Slowly but surely, she had seen a few of the walls around Toxic start to come down, the stallion seeming to be more at ease around her.

And for her part, Gelliana’s own worries, despite their occasional resurgences, were fading faster than she thought possible, stormy nights aside. But she was still working on removing the various walls around her heart as well, not having explained things nearly as much as the stallion in her arms had.

How much I’d like to stay like this. Just warm and safe…

Toxic did finally break the silence, but it was in the tone Gelliana had quickly fallen head-over-tail for; soft, sincere, and an undercurrent of affection even through the amulet that accompanied a gentle nuzzle of her head feathers.

“Can I make a really bold suggestion, Gels? I really like these moments together, but I’m worried about you,” Toxic whispered. “I’ve seen you flinch at the sound of thunder, similar to what happens with me on our dates; I just want you to be happy. I’m not sure if it’s really my place, but it’s something that helped me. And I think it’d be good for us to try it together too.”

“Hmm?” An activity with her special somepony was always of interest to her.

“I know some reasonable therapists in Canterlot, both in demeanor and in price. I really don’t mind moments like this; I like making you feel better, and that won’t change. But if there’s any way to help in a way I can’t, I want to support you in that,” Toxic let out a slight chuckle, “I would suggest it for myself too as to not be a hypocrite, but I’ve already been pursuing it for many years. I don’t know what happened, but it doesn’t matter; it’s hurting you. I just- I know what it’s like to walk on eggshells around certain memory triggers.”

Toxic then winced, making Gelliana’s ears perk up curiously.

“Eggshells. Bad analogy…”

She let out a *snrk* at that, giggling softly as the gryphoness mused over his previous words. Gelliana didn’t say anything at first; she had considered it a few times, just never really went through with it.

“You also said, together?” she asked curiously, Toxic shifting to let her lean on a shoulder, one forelimb still wrapped around her side.

“Uh huh! Couples therapy!” he said happily. “Well, more like counseling. Like, not because there’s a current issue, but we both have stuff we’re dealing with that could cause problems. So, it’s kind of a way to make sure it stays smooth sailing.” His ears lay flat, Toxic nervously drawing circles on the floor with a hoof. “I mean, if you want. I care about you and I just want you to be happy, us to be happy. Anything that can improve the chances of us continuing to be happy I want to try with you.”

Aww…

Gelliana giggled again; she couldn’t help it. She scooted back around to give him a long hug, then letting her stallion go.

“I think it’s a really smart idea, Toxic,” she admitted. “I’ve thought about it, but never really gone through with it. Well, individual counseling at least. I never considered the couples stuff; but that makes a lot of sense.” She paused, not able to keep the smile off her face. “I think it’s really sweet of you to suggest it, actually. That you’re that serious about it all.”

A relieved breath prompted another round of giggles, Gelliana reaching up to tap her stallion’s snout with a claw.

“A bit nervous about suggesting it? I can see why, the stigma of it and stuff.”

“Yeah, a tad,” he admitted. “Most creatures don’t understand how it can be needed, even for things we think are small, or big.”

“I know you were probably busy, but, thanks,” Gelliana whispered, giving Toxic a final hug that he returned.

“Of course. I’m happy to help; always am.”

An affectionate nuzzle was Gelliana’s final reply, enjoying a stammering and blushing stallion as he charged a teleportation spell.

I hope I get enough guts to kiss you soon enough. And then it’ll be YOUR turn to be a blushing, stammering mess!

“Cya later, Toxic, and thank you.”

“Anytime, Gells,” he said, throwing a salute to the giggling gryphoness before vanishing. Gelliana returned to her bed, curling up under the blankets and hugging a large pillow close.

The storm didn’t seem so formidable now, especially when she imagined the pillow having a familiar heartbeat.

The Next Day:

“Are you serious?” Toxic asked Varti, the yak shrugging as he gestured to the folder on the table, the pair in one of the many conference rooms within the Last Light’s main headquarter building. The morning had been occupied by meetings and various discussions surrounding the newly-launched organization, at least as much as Toxic trusted himself to comment on.

“Very. Luna personally vouches for the both of them, and will do regular checkups herself-” Varti held up a hoof to forestall any objection, “And only checkups. No scans, just making sure everything is alright. Luna says she’ll take full responsibility, especially for her. She’ll even be present for the initial meeting, with your permission.”

“Attempted assassination of a Princess isn’t going to win her any points around here, even if she starts out as a low-level security guard, even over the crop fields,” Toxic muttered. “But if Luna vouches for her and her coltfriend, I trust that judgement. I’ll approve as long as the necessary trial period is in place, assuming the mare even takes the offer.”

“Uh, then there’s two more. I just barely got the requests.”

Toxic saw the odd look on the Yak’s face and chuckled, looking over the files.

“What’s that face for? Are they sending us Windigo’s?”

Varti’s deadpan expression made Toxic’s left eye twitch, the stallion massaging his temples on seeing two of the files.

“You have got to be joking. Them? Absolutely not!”

“There is an increasing worry that the pair of them will be targeted. Canterlot is too close to civilians for a conflict,” Varti explained. “You know as well as I do that the island is one of the most heavily defended-”

“Tough. They’re the Princess’s pet project, not mine!”

“Toxic…”

“No, Varti. Having an ex-Windigo operative is bad enough for a new organization. But now a Shadow Pony and an actual Windigo? We’re trying to build Public Relations, not annihilate the foundations!”

“And showing the organization is competent enough to rehabilitate and utilize creatures needing a second chance isn’t good PR? Showing that creatures can turn their lives around to help others for the better?”

“…”

“Toxic, you’re letting your own fears cloud your judgement partly.”

“Am I? This is a huge risk. We’re on a skeleton crew. And you know my reservations about having any of the Equestrian Royal Guard on my island! Ever. Posting of guards that accompany them? I won’t-”

“Read the stipulations. I made sure it was watertight before even considering letting you know.”

Toxic read and re-read the limitations, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“A time limited deployment of the guards? Completely under my jurisdiction, no mention of a permanent presence…ugh. I don’t like how much I know this was crafted to try and manipulate my views. What are they trying to-”

“Toxic.”

Varit’s deep and abrupt tone made the stallion’s ears flatten, the stallion shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Varti,” he whispered. “This is why I want you oversee things for a time. All this stress and new developments is getting to me. I think I’m starting to see threats where there should be friends.”

“I know, but your fears aren’t without a solid point. That said, you need to remember the Princesses are acutely aware of how distrustful you are of them. They asked dozens of questions to make sure this contract would meet your approval. They also seemed reluctant to suggest it, but outside of the Northern Ice Shelves with Nacreous’s domain, the island is one of the most secure locations outside Equestria. You may also want to read the payment.”

“Payment?” Toxic muttered, shifting through the files.

“Oh, come now, Toxic. I’m no business-yak, but did you think I’d take up their offers without ensuring some sort of compensation? While Last Light is focused on helping others, that doesn’t mean we will be doormats for any government request. I wanted your honest views before knowing about it,” Varti grinned widely at that. “Because I know you’d have agreed immediately.”

Toxic’s eyes nearly bugged out at seeing the stipulations, jaw dropping slightly.
“Sweet burning stars that is a lot of zero’s…” he whispered in shock. “Research contracts resulting from any technology that involves Windigo and Crystal energies, approval of our proprietary leyline patents, fast-tracking any potential nation-founding documents, expedited building permits, and enough bits to buy nearly half of the other islands?!”

“That’s only one of the payment articles for allowing the Windigo. The other is for Onyx, the shadow pony. Due to the increased threat, it’s larger.”

“Well, how could we refuse this? Of course, it’s approved, even if I don’t like it. This pushes our timetable ahead by a decade if not more!”

“I’ll send the forms along. Icait and Onyx will be on a later ship; but the new hires such as this security mare will be here day after tomorrow. Will you be here for that at least?”

Toxic grinned, nodding firmly.
“You bet on it. I have a date with Gells, and I’ll then head over here. Oh, by the way, is the armor ready?”

The yak promptly produced a large, metal plate bracer from somewhere in his massive lab coat, setting it on the table.

“Ready and waiting. All I did was mesh the existing combat prototype with this new armor. It was rather anticlimactic,” Varti explained. “There’s some sort of compatibility spell on it. I didn’t even really do anything! I pressed a slab of the metal from your suit onto it, and it just automatically combined into an alloy, nearly melting the table in the process I might add. This is some of the hardest metal I’ve ever seen, same with the chain mail. It won’t stop chemical threats, but if you have an entire suit of this, I’d say your odds of any traditional weaponry penetrating it are near zero. I’ve added the usual array of combat gear to it including the gauntlet, after I put it back together at least. The spells and heads-up display also copied over without so much as a single glitch.”

The yak then gave Toxic a friendly shove- even the slight gesture nearly knocking Toxic off balance.

“Belated congratulations on this ‘Guardian’ position by the way. I don’t fully understand it, and I know you need to keep it under wraps for a bit. I would recommend a few tests with the armor, perhaps with Nacreous?”

“Thanks, Varti. I do want to tell you more, but Nacreous and I are still in the introductory phases of training. I barely know the basics spells, let alone the heavy-duty stuff. I can test the armor there and let you know. I do want to let you know more, but it’s also a bit personal.”

“I get it. Now shoo, you’re supposed to be relaxing, and I have to go re-initialize the defensive matrices. The Ballista Golems are acting twitchy again.”

“Don’t you mean ‘brood in your underground lair?’” Toxic asked with a chuckle.

With a flourish, the yak produced a crystal and tapped it on the ground, a maniacal laugh leaving his muzzle as he vanished in a flash of light, leaving Toxic staring in shock at the smoking spot on the floor.

“Note to self. Do not recommend anymore theater classes to Varti. Ever.”

“We’re leaving?” Icait whispered, ears flat against her head. “But we just got settled here.”

“Can’t be helped,” Starlight said calmly, Onyx staying silent. “I will let Gelliana know, and you’re happy to visit. But right now, there are some real concerns about your safety. You still have a day or so here though.”

“But things have been so nice here. I haven’t sensed anything.”

“I have,” Onyx rumbled, “every day.”

Starlight’s mouth drew into a thin line, nodding curtly.
“And the Princesses agree with you. I’ve also run some scans, and something is watching you two. I don’t know what it is, but there’s a secure island where you can stay.”

“How much more can we know about our new temporary home?” Onyx asked, grey eyes flickering to his side as Icait slid a bit closer.

“Not much, simply because I don’t know. In terms of if we can trust the creatures who run said island, I’d say absolutely,” Starlight managed a slight smile. “I mean, Gelliana is dating the Director of the Organization.”

At that, Icait perked up, a nervous smile managing to flicker onto her face.
“Toxic? Oh, ok. That makes me feel a bit better,” she whispered.

“How so?” Onyx asked curiously.

“You have no idea how much she likes this guy, and for her, that means trusting him a lot. The other day, a changeling came to visit and it looked like he ran into a wall; Gelly had just gotten a parchment from Toxic. The Changeling couldn’t stop grinning. I had to help him out because that poor gryphoness was a total blushing mess,” Icait giggled, not able to help it at recalling the memory. “I trust her, and she’s not a fool. If she likes this stallion that much, he has to be a good one.”

“Good enough for me” Onyx let out a grunt, looking around the apartment. “So, we just pack our things, all…ten items and go?”

“Essentially,” Starlight said. “You still have a day or so. You’ll arrive shortly after the others do for the organization. They’ll be too focused on getting things started to be distracted by you, at least that’s the plan.”

“Can we take the sofa?” Icait piped up, gesturing to the slightly-overstuffed green item. “Onyx likes reading on that sofa. And it’s comfy.”

Starlight was treated with a rather embarrassed grumble by the shadow pony, to which she barely picked out the phrase ‘I do like that sofa,’ the mare then letting out a light laugh.

“I think I can come up with something.”

Forty.
Forty-one.
Ow.

Forty-one wing-ups for a pony who used to have done a hundred with ease was a humbling thing indeed, Knife Twist flopping onto the floor with a grunt. The Thestrel took a long swig of water, finishing her working just as the prison alarm sounded; signaling their recreation time was at an end.

Knife Twist had a long way to go in order to regain her former strength. Months of tapering-off exercise, and then weeks of caring little for food, drink, or movement had taken its toll.

But I’m back on the path, even it’s a long one. I don’t know what comes next, but the fact I have a lunch with Luna planned shows that I have a future.

Even if I have to earn every scrap of trust back, not from Luna though.

At that, Knife let out a frown.

Luna trusts me, much more than I do.
I have a lot to prove, but I don’t know how.

As she returned to her cell after showering off, Knife Twist paused at seeing a simple parchment laying on her bed.

Despite the contents being covered, the Thestrel felt an odd warmth in her chest on seeing the note. The dark tendrils in her mind, ever-present and whispering in the quiet moments of her day seemed to flee in fear.

She trotted over to the parchment, opening it up and staring at the odd symbol above the simple letter.

‘Luna, here is that simple hiring explanation you asked for, along with the caveat. Toxic trusts you to use such a statement, and so I include it with his blessing.

To whom it may concern;

Hiring all positions; The Last Light Organization.
Goals of the Organization; aiding creatures both in and outside Equestria with supplementary supplies, training, and on-the-ground creatures.

Job Openings include but are not limited to;
Diplomatic Negotiators (including Economic, Political, Hostage, and so forth.)
Food Preparation.
Janitorial.
Security.
Mage-craft.
Farming (Manual Labor and harvesting.)
Heavy Machinery Operating.
Instructors for all the above.

Applicants must pass a high-level security screening unless otherwise pardoned and recommended by the Royal Princesses.

Sincerely, Professor Varti,
Co-signed, Director Toxic Shield.’

A large lighthouse was stamped on the bottom of the parchment, the golden symbol now being dotted with tears that dripped down Knife’s face. There was another note at the bottom of the page that the Thestrel couldn’t tear her eyes from.

‘You have both my pardon and recommendation, Knife Twist. All you must do is choose. I assume that the security positions hold a bit of interest?

Just tap the parchment if that’s what you want to apply for. If it’s for another position, wait until I visit you next week and I’ll make arrangements.’

Knife didn’t even have to think more than a few moments, tears still streaming from her eyes as the tapped the parchment with a hoof. The message curled up and vanished with a *snap* of golden dust, the ex-captain sitting down in shock, eyes then narrowing in determination.

Thank you, Luna.
I won’t let you down!

Author's Note

Short and then long chapter format; stay tuned for tomorrow!
Things picking up for all parties! :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Nineteen: Cracked Skies.

Knife Twist shifted back and forth on her hooves nervously, her gaunt frame partially hidden by a simple backpack with her meager belongings. Barley Husk had made it clear he’d help transport the rest of her stuff, what little she wanted at least.

If it came down to it, just that stallion was enough. She could get by without anything else.
But you’ve been there for me through all of this, Barley.

Even the simple act of moving from the prison to the airship platform in Canterlot had been exhausting, even after the mare had started to eat and exercise more for the days prior. She’d need a lot of work to get back up to her regular stamina once again.

But I have a chance. A second chance to make it all right.

The airship was now over the ocean to the East, the Last Light’s island apparently located between Equestria and the Gryphon lands. They had been flying for hours, and Knife was getting anxious. The personal guards assigned to her were the quiet sort, apparently knowing the stallion who had led the introductions hours before.

Will everycreature know what I did? What I’m trying to fix?

Luna trusts me, and apparently the Director of this organization does enough to allow an interview. I understand the caution and can appreciate it.

She looked over to Barley, the other thestrel sporting some rather stylish bright red sunglasses.
And you came with me. Just up and left like that. You’re not even my husband, and you…

That thought made a lump rise in Knife’s throat, lip quivering slightly. Barley had always been there for her. Even though living apart, not being as intimate as they technically could…

He was still here, fine with taking things slow, and still believing in her.
As soon as I get back to myself, prove that I’m not under those monster’s control any longer, I’ll ask you a question long overdue, Barley. If you’re willing to stick with me though all of this, there’s not much else that could shake you.

“Island in sight!” a stallion barked, the guard wearing an odd, silver metal breastplate with the same symbol that had been on the parchment Knife had received.

“As I told you at the start, I’m Sergeant Hammer, ex-legionnaire and Head of Security on the island until further notice,” the stallion bellowed to be heard over the rushing wind. The two dozen other creatures; mostly ponies and a few gryphons, moved a bit closer to listen.

“The Island has changed a lot since we were initially hired, but it’s still our new home. Remember, once you sign the contract, you are bound to it for the minimum time. If situations have changed, nocreature will hold it against you to back out. That will all be decided in the final interview.”

There were a few nods, Hammer then chuckling and waving towards the bow of the ship.

“To some, welcome again, and to others, welcome, to the Last Light Organization!”

Knife Twist scrambled to the side of the airship, a strange, desperate curiosity giving energy to her limbs. Craning her neck over the side, the Thestral’s eyes widened as the island came into view.

A beautiful green expanse surrounded by jagged mountains, the island was a literal star on the ocean, white energy pouring from various towers dotted around the perimeter. In the ocean itself, large, massive marble lookout towers rose from the waves, a few figures mechanically marching to and fro on the steps.

“We are now passing through the island’s perimeter shield,” Hammer stated, “If any of you are under a hostile influence, you’re going to be in for a nasty shock.”

There was a brief moment of terror for Knife as they passed through the shimmering barrier- but she felt nothing. Instead, one of the other ponies began to shriek, his body bursting into flame. It was for but a single moment and then only a pile of ash remained.

Hammer calmly trotted over and kicked the pile away and shook his head.
“You did not see a pony die,” he stated flatly, “that was an arcane golem, a projection. It’s a form of a clever spying spell. The user on the other end got a nasty shock, but that’s it. We expected something like that.”

That seemed to reassure a few ponies, the ex-legionnaire barely phased.

He’s right. I’ve seen it once before. Looks like there’s some scum trying to get a hoof into this place already.

“Now passing through a newly installed shield; a gift from Emperor Thunderwing!”

Knife’s thoughts were suddenly stopped. As the shimmering energy coursed over the ship, the Thestrel found an alien warmth spreading through her entire body, the ex-captain sitting down in shock.

“Knifey?”

Barley’s voice barely resisted, Knife Twist feeling tears start to course from her eyes. A weight on her mind and heart she had never known of was suddenly gone, torn screaming from her body.

The ever-present whispers, the inclinations, the unsettling sensation of being watched; it was as if it had never been there.

I’m free.

Lunging forwards, Knife wrapped up Barely in the tightest hug she could, burying her muzzle into her neck as she cried.

“They’re gone, Barley,” she whispered between sobs. “The voices. I can’t hear them anymore. They’re finally gone.”

Barley tightened his grip around her, and Knife felt a fire rekindling in her chest. Where before it had been slowly igniting, this was now a raging inferno.

I’m free.

Her eyes narrowed, flickering over to the landing platform the airship now angled towards.

I have a home, a job, a stallion who loves me.

I have a purpose.

Hammer explained the interview procedure as they were led off the airship, of how they’d mainly be spending time in the main building (the new hires at least,) they all then beginning to walk towards a primary screening area. Apparently there was some sort of in-depth interview first. As they walked, Knife Twist caught the Sergeant’s eye, the Thestrel raising a hoof.

“Yes?”

“Are there any physical training facilities? Outside of the normal gym stuff?” she asked, not able to quell her hopes.

“I can’t reveal the details just yet, but there’s very little in terms of exercises you can’t do on this island,” Hammer replied with a grin. Knife could read the legionnaire well enough- he wasn’t trying to hide anything.

I can train.

I’m back!

Looking at her gaunt limbs and frame, the mare’s enthusiasm was dampened slightly.

Well. After I fill out again. I’ve got a long road ahead. But I’m not about to stop!

She walked a bit closer to Barley, letting a wing drift over to nudge his side.

I’ll make you proud, Barley. You, Luna; I’ll prove it to you both!

Another thought then made her jaw set in determination as she walked.

Maybe someday I’ll prove it to myself once again.

Toxic had never been much of a napper. Whenever he tried to do so, the stallion was cursed with not being able to get to sleep later that night. That was on top of always waking up feeling even more tired.

That was aside from the fact such naps gave nightmares another chance to disrupt his day.

He hadn’t meant to sleep, but after having a light lunch with Gelly and talking about a possible date where they’d fly down a canyon (using one of his suits of course,) it had sort of just crept up onto him. They had been relaxing underneath their usual tree in a Tall Tale park, and he must have dozed off leaning against her.

She was rather comfy. Really, really comfy, as a matter of fact. Perfect height to lean over and use her head as a pillow.

The past three days of training with Nacreous had been extra tiring, but certainly worth it. It had been a flood of new information, ways of using Leyline magic to augment spells he already knew, and quite a bit of mental exercises concerning the dark magic tendrils he occasionally accessed. They had not practiced much with the new stuff, mainly building a foundation as steadily as they could.

Now however, the stallion tried to keep his breathing steady as a feather drifted across his vision. He knew this was a dream.

With a mental command, the stallion reached out to the leylines, a light blue field of energy illuminating the area around his hooves as a familiar reassurance settled his nerves.

Even though I just am learning the basics, this helps. Being a Guardian, having that extra magical boost, it’s a noticeable aid against these nightmares.

No rotting faces assaulted Toxic’s consciousness, just a massive expanse of darkness. For a nightmare, this wasn’t half bad. In fact, ever since being taught how to access the leylines on a subconscious level, his nightmares had been noticeably softer, muted on awakening instead of-

“THEY WILL ALL DIE!”

From out of nowhere, a voice bellowed with a volume that was deafening, malicious, eager intent dripping from every word. Images flashed through Toxic’s mind as if he was seeing through another pair of eyes; his Organization’s island, Canterlot, Tall Tale.

And they were all in flames.

Shadowy claws began to scrape at the light around Toxic’s ‘body’, the stallion enacting one of his various waking spells.

Toxic woke with a gasp and sharp jerk, sides heaving as a gryphoness let out a surprised squawk next to him. His heartbeat thudding in his ears, the stallion took a few staggered steps forward, oblivious of the heavy armor that clamped down around his frame with bolts of blue lightning, summoned unconsciously.

It was only after a few moments that he caught his breath, Toxic aware of a few curious glances from the guards that were never more than a few seconds away at all times.

“Tox? Hey, talk to me…” Gelliana asked, walking up next to the armored pony. “I guess this answers my questions of what exactly you’ve been up to these past few days.”

The armor vanished in a subdued flash of flames leaving the stallion sitting on the grassy ground as a chime rang in his ear from Varti.

“Toxic? What’s going on? I was working on your armor and it just vanished! I- wait, no, now it’s back. Everything ok?” the concerned yak asked.

“I-yeah, Varti. I’m alright. Sorry about that. Please double check the defenses and any anti-scrying spells.”

“Understood.”

Toxic waved off the legionnaires, returning to sit underneath the tree with a tired grunt, Gelliana following suit.

“Sorry, just…” his words trailed off, a slight shiver running down the pony’s spine. Making a rather sour face, he sent a simple spell running over his fur, getting rid of at least a portion of the cold sweat. A quick summoning of an enchanted parchment and a scribbled note was next; it was worth mentioning to Luna at least.

“Nightmare?” Gelliana asked softly.

“Yes, and no,” Toxic replied. “This was something else.”

“I figured. The armor and all that.”

The stallion’s ears flattened, an embarrassed flush coming over his cheeks.
“Sorry. I didn’t know it could do that. I’d tell you more, but-”

An affectionate nuzzle across his cheek cut off Toxic’s words, Gelliana let out a soft giggle.
“I’m not asking you to explain secret stuff. I’m just letting you know I’m still here,” a slight, pensive frown then slid onto her beak. “Um, if that helps?”

The fact Toxic’s shoulders immediately relaxed was an indication enough of that, the stallion enjoying her caring touch for a moment.

“It always does,” he admitted. “But now you get to see first-claw why I dislike naps, sleeping, y’know.”

An exaggerated, horrified gasp left Gelliana’s beak, the peppy gryphoness giving him a final nuzzle before they stood up to walk back to her shop.

“NOT like sleep!?” she asked in mock horror. “But the comfy bed! Warm blankets! Especially when it’s cold!”

She knew full well the sincere meaning behind his words, but such playfulness always brought a smile to Toxic’s face- especially when it wasn’t him who initiated it.

“Well, hopefully that will change in time,” he admitted. “But it’s a slow journey. Thank you for being here with me regardless.”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be!” was her happy reply, “Soooooo, food?”

“Definitely food.”

As they meandered back to Gelliana’s shop, Toxic couldn’t help but notice a bit of adorable feather-fluffing from his special somegriff, accompanied by a soft squeak.

“Uh, you ok there, Gells?”

She nodded, mumbling something under hear breath.

“Didn’t catch that…”

“You looked pretty good in that armor, even if it was just a glimpse,” she finally muttered, the blushing gryphoness not able to look the chuckling stallion in the eyes while speaking.

“Well, when things settle down, I’d be more than happy to give you a personal fashion show. A knight showing off to his princess?”

The adorable squeak confirmed to Toxic that it was definitely an approved idea.

“Until then, you’ll have to make do with just me,” he added with a laugh. A brief nudge to his neck made the stallion grin, the gryphoness letting out a soft giggle.

“‘Make do’ makes it sound like I’m not totally ok with ‘just you’,” she whispered, “And last I checked, that’s all I really wanted from the start.”

Toxic could feel his cheeks burning from that; but what could he say?
Nothing that an affectionate nuzzle to her cheek couldn’t convey, not yet.

“Maybe we can snag a snack at the shop, and then go out somewhere?” Toxic suggested, mentally crossing his hooves.

“Sounds good!” Gelliana chirped happily, Toxic forcing himself to not prance with joy.

I’m so glad I set up things beforehoof. Oh, Gells, I think you’re going to love this.

Knife Twist collapsed with a grunt of aggravation, flopping onto the exercise mat with a few fierce mutters. The introduction to her position on the island had been remarkably straightforward. She was to be a low-level security guard under constant supervision, at least for a time. It was a probationary period, another test. Even if it was watching a crop field for hours on end, the job was hers.

I’m free to choose again, free to choose my life!

The paperwork had been signed, her simple quarters assigned, and now the Thestrel had dedicated herself to starting up her usual training regimen.

I’m so sick of being weak, of not trusting myself.

Looking over to her side, Knife saw Luna enter the large gym with a smile; the pair having had their first friendly lunch in what felt like years. No ulterior motives, no dark whispers in Knife’s mind; just herself and Luna. The alicorn was quite pleased to know that Nacreous’s shield had aided her. Apparently, it had eradicated whatever had been avoiding detection in Knife’s mind, and the Thestrel wasn’t about to let that go to waste.

I’ll prove that I’m back, Luna. Just you wait!

The two ex-legionnaires assigned to her took their job seriously but seemed a tad more relaxed after being reassured by Luna. Apparently the Alicorn was going to be a steady visitor on the island.

While many security measures were classified to Knife, the general layout and set of procedures were not. The artificial golems that roamed to and fro she found rather fascinating; a logical and rather ingenious way to supplement security forces.

Her eyes widened in surprise as two new creatures poked their heads into the gym; and now Knife knew why Luna was visiting. The first was a shadow-like pony, grey eyes flickering across the room.

The second…

Adrenaline surged into the Thestral’s veins, an icy fear stabbing at her heart before a familiar hoof gently pressed against her shoulder. Luna had mentioned the two of them, but it hadn’t registered just yet.

“They’re friends, Knife,” Luna explained. “They’re on our side.”

Knife had to control a bit of rage rising up in her throat, the Thestrel letting out a soft growl.
“Smart. Having me see them in a public place. Less chance I’d lash out,” she muttered.

“I thought we should get things over with before more creatures arrive.”

“And you’re sure they’re…?”

“Yes. They are under constant guard. They have been rather helpful against the Windigos, as a matter of fact,” Luna mused, taking a deep breath. “I think you should say hello, it will help.”

A rather icy glare was Knife’s response, the mare knowing logically that Luna had her best interests in mind.

“Do you trust me, Knife? It may sound silly, but I think you and Icait may actually have something in common outside your negative initial impressions.”

Me and an ex-windigo? Right. The same creatures who took years of my life away.

But I trust Luna.

Swallowing her pride, Knife drew on every ounce of her willpower and nodded once, even though Luna looked rather surprised at the acceptance of her suggestion.

“I don’t like it, but fine,” Knife muttered, knowing that this may be the only interaction she may need to endure.

Just say hello, that’s it. Don’t need to trust her, not even a smidge. Maybe it’s hypocritical, but this is a lot to dump on me within the first few days, Luna.

Walking up to Icait, Knife Twist could feel her temple pulsing. The Windigo turned to look at her, eyes widening in surprise-

And promptly began to cry. The mare looked downright scared of the Thestrel as she flinched as if struck, not able to meet Knife’s gaze.

Absolute shock drained every ounce of malice from Knife Twist’s mind, staring in surprise as tears ran down the ethereal mare’s face, her head hanging in shame. The shadow pony, Onyx, took a few protective steps forward before Icait waved him off.

Sniffling and taking a few deep breaths, Icait lifted her head up slowly, as if it was made of lead, to look Knife Twist in the eyes for a brief moment.

“I’m s-sorry,” Icait whimpered, then dropping her head to cry quietly.

What do I do?

Knife could only stare, every preconceived reaction and response having been thrown aside. Luna was simply watching, Icait continuing to sniffle.

With an almost physical jolt of realization, Knife realized that this similar situation had occurred weeks prior in her cell. A bit of self-loathing entered Knife’s heart, the mare shaking her head as a slight smile twitched at her features.

How could I ever move on if I couldn’t at least hear an apology? Even if it takes time to accept. I just want to move on. I’m so sick of dwelling on what I did, on how these creatures hurt me.

On how I was controlled.

Taking a few steps forward, Knife reached over and gently rested a hoof on Icait’s shoulder, the gesture causing the Windigo mare to look up in surprise.

“Yeah, I’ve been there. Not fun, is it?” Knife asked, Icait shaking her head. “How much did you know about me?”

Icait sniffed, wiping her eyes as she struggled to regain her composure.

“J-just a bit. I didn’t l-like it, none of the o-other’s plans. I j-just wanted to learn, not h-hurt anyone!”

That cause a spike of pity to enter Knife’s heart. She didn’t know much about Icait; only that the Windigo was on the outskirts of the ‘others’ plans.

“Learn?” she asked.

“Uh huh. I d-didn’t have a l-life before. No t-thinking for myself,” Icait struggled to explain. “I didn’t understand why the o-others still wanted to focus on hate. There was so much to see! B-but I couldn’t go against them, not if I wanted to continue to live.” She then lowered her gaze again. “I didn’t like what they were doing to you, but I didn’t speak up. I’m s-sorry. I-”

Knife reached up and gently booped Icait’s nose with a hoof, shaking her head with a huff.
“I still don’t trust you, but it seems you were in a lose-lose situation,” Knife admitted with a sigh. “But I’m honestly just tired of it all.”

That drew a surprised gaze from the Windigo, Knife continuing.
“I had your kind in my head for over a decade, poisoning my thoughts with evil and hatred. I just want to move on. I’m sick of it all,” she then paused, pointing a hoof at the surprised Windigo. “And I would be a hypocrite in a way, if I didn’t at least accept an apology from somecreature who wanted to do the same.”

The Thestrel then let out a huff, shaking her head. “I need to go shower off. That’s all the deep-feelings-talk I can do for now.”

Icait let out a sniffle, nodding in response.
“T-thank you, Knife Twist.”

As Knife trotted down the halls towards the showers, she caught Luna nodding in approval, a grateful smile on her face.

How could I swear an oath to you, Luna, and not be willing to forgive a creature? You know more than anyone the burden that can carry.

She was surprised as another security guard trotted out of the doorway, a familiar Thestrel wrapping her up in a hug.

“Knifey!”

“GAH! I’m sweaty!” Knife gasped as her coltfriend chuckled.

“Don’t care!”

I can start again here, maybe even forgive the Windigo’s.
Thank you for the push, Luna.

Varti’s eyes flickered over a control panel, jaw clenching as a few lights flickered across a large, projected map of the island.

“What are you?” he muttered, sending a magical ping across the lookout towers.

“You asked for me, Professor Varti?” Luna butted in as she teleported into the control room, six golem Guards turning to ‘look’ at her with their blank faces.

“Yes,” Varti grunted, gesturing to the map. “Something is out there, watching us. I only see small blips of air displacement, but I do not like it.”

“Any idea what it is?” Luna asked, relaying the information to Celestia as they spoke.

“An airship. Maybe two or three,” Varti growled. “They’re just out of range of the more detailed sensors and heavily shielded. They’re circling us like sharks. Clearly they don’t realize they’re the smaller fish in this pond.”

“Keep me appraised, Varti. If our enemy is to make a move, this would be a logical time.”

Neither party in the room noticed the faint outlines of a mare standing against the back wall during the exchange. Her larger-than-average build was similar to that of a certain Ex-Storm king Commander, lithe and more suited for armor than anything else.

Her intelligent eyes narrowed at hearing the conversation before vanishing, Varti not noticing a slight spike in Leyline energy from the reactor.

“Toxic, you are up to something,” Gelliana stated as they walked to the main shop area, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. She could tell something was making him extra flighty.

“What possibly could you be talking about?” Toxic asked in an almost sing-song manner, at least as much as the amulet let him.

Ok, now he’s just milking it.

“What are you….?” Her words trailed off as they entered the front of the shop, or at least what used to be it. The gryphoness wasn’t sure what spell had been used to neatly push all of the items and storage shelves to the side, but nothing was even slightly moved on the organized shelving. The result was a rather large space in the center of the room, lit up by some soft but cheery blue crystal lights placed on the walls.

“What in the world?” she asked, then turning to Toxic in surprise. The stallion was all smiles, levitating a simple record player out from behind the cashier register to their left and setting it on the shelf.

What are you playing at, Toxic?

Toxic calmly set a record to begin spinning and then withdrew two more items out from behind the counter. They immediately clued Gelliana into what was going on, especially as the introduction to a classical music piece began to play.

Toxic, you didn’t.

Affixing the simple clip-on black bow-tie around his neck, Toxic levitated and gently placed a white flower behind Gelliana’s ear.

“May I have this dance?” he asked with an offered hoof.

His very-poofy special somegriff grasped the stallion’s hoof, Toxic forcing himself to remember the lessons he had ages ago as the stallion moved in some simple waltz steps.

“I don’t know many fancy moves, but I did take a few classes. Maybe we could take some together?” he suggested, a soft sniffle being Gelliana’s response as she leaned into his gesture, the stallion still expertly balancing on his hind hooves. “Oh, and the shop has a closed sign, and the windows are reflective. So, don’t worry about anyone seeing.”

An immediate and grateful nuzzling of the stallion’s neck was as good an answer as any.

No more talking; I have a feeling this means a lot more to her than I originally thought.
No, I think I do know how much this means. I’m just glad I remembered the window spell, last thing I’d want is for her to be self-conscious.

My lack of care about public perceptions doesn’t carry over to her.

Satisfied that all of his spells were in order, Toxic let himself enjoy the dance, sending the gryphoness into a giggling twirl before pulling her back in, placing his hoof correctly around her waist.

Not in between the wings, below, but not too low. Dancing with gryphons I recall is a tricky thing.

…at least from what I read. I only practiced with ponies.

To her credit, Gelliana definitely had a few more classes than Toxic, her moves being much more fluid as she let him lead regardless. He had only the experience from some upper-class etiquette classes in his youth; apparently Gelliana had quite a bit more.

And yet she clearly loved it regardless, her beak trembling slightly as her gorgeous violet gaze met his own, her eyes swimming with tears. As the song volume decreased, a natural interlude in the music, Toxic ventured a brief question, wanting nothing more than to gaze into the pair of eyes that met his, brimming with affection.

“Do you like it?” he asked softly, the pair swaying back and forth. Gelliana reached over with her closest set of claws, gently toying with the fur on Toxic’s chest in a rather intimate gesture. Her ears flickered as she pressed her claws against his chest, the gryphoness smiling as she always did whenever she did that ‘heartbeat focusing’ trick. Toxic had quickly become adept at spotting the expression, a slightly unfocused look in her eyes as a peaceful smile dawned on her face.

When she looked up, the gryphoness simply nodded, beak trembling as she struggled to put words to emotions.

“I love it,” she whispered, hesitating briefly before gently reaching up and giving the stallion a kiss on the cheek, her own face blushing brightly.

Toxic couldn’t get rid of the dopey grin on his face even if he wanted to, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

“Thank you for taking things slow, Toxic,” Gelliana whispered, to his surprise. “But there’s only so much I can ignore of what I…” her feelings trailed off, and the stallion’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

“I just never want you to think I’m here for anything else but you,” he said softly in response. “I still think we are going slow, and I will never do anything that you aren’t comfortable with first. Even something as simple as that,” Toxic promised.

A few tears trickled from Gelliana’s eyes, his words apparently having touched a hidden doubt, or perhaps an unspoken question. He knew what that felt like; Gelliana answering his own questions left unsaid.

“Thank you, Toxic,” she said as the pair began to dance again, a bit of familiar peppy energy returning to her frame. After a few moments, the gryphoness was giggling as she was spun in a twirl, the simple dance moves not being a barrier to her enjoyment in the slightest.

As the song wound down, Gelliana hugged her stallion close, pressing her cheek firmly against his. She pulled back, making sure to meet his gaze with her own as she spoke, the pair sitting down next to each other.

“Really,” she said softly, pausing for a moment which caught the stallion’s attention before the gryphoness continued in a quieter, more intimate tone. “Thank you.”

It was an odd warmth that spread immediately from Toxic’s chest, making his own eyes a bit damp. It was the way the gryphoness said that last phrase a bit quieter, her claws tightening around his hooves as she spoke it. It reminded the stallion of a similar phrase from her favorite movie, at least appropriate for this moment.

It was as though when she said ‘Thank you’ she was instead saying, ‘Love you.’

That gave the stallion an idea, but he didn’t say anything at first, simply enjoying the touch of Gelliana’s feathers against his cheek. The idea stemmed from the beginnings of the same film and book his special somegriff adored, and he was quickly appreciating more and more.

“So, we should definitely do this again sometime?” he asked, already knowing what his response would be; and perhaps it would give him a clue if Gelliana meant more than the previous gesture implied.

And yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a lot left unsaid…

“Definitely,” Gelliana replied immediately with a tender smile, pulling back briefly as Toxic couldn’t resist a cheeky grin which softened to a more affectionate one.

“As you wish.”

The immediate shift to her shyer demeanor was a big a clue as any, a few tears dampening Gelliana’s eyes at that; she could practically quote A Queen Betrothed line by line.

I look forward to when I can say those three words sincerely, not just hint at them. I certainly know I’m falling for you, more and more each day.

“Y-you…” Gelliana began, then just let out a sniffle and then a soft laugh, resting her head against Toxic’s with a grin. “You are amazing, Toxic.”

For reasons Toxic had only begun to come to grips with, the stallion felt a lump rise in his throat, voice lowering to a rough whisper.
“Gells.”

I hope never to take you for granted. Thinking I’m amazing, the mess I am.

Gelliana had shifted to her favorite position, head leaning against his chest slightly. If she was listening, which she obviously was, she probably could hear Toxic’s heart nearly thudding out of his chest. They simply stayed like that for a time before a very obvious sound captured their attention.

“Someone’s stomach doesn’t agree with cuddles,” Toxic chuckled, Gelliana blushing with a grumble.

“Maybe resume after lunch?” Gelliana asked, the pair slowly standing up and moving towards the door as if already having decided.

“Sounds good, the usual place?” Toxic asked, Gelly nodding happily as they began to walk into the sun towards the eatery.

As the gryphoness brushed against his side, Toxic let himself relax even further. He almost felt normal. Walking to lunch with his special-somegriff…

“Y’know, I found a really interesting book the other day,” the stallion began, secretly laughing to himself.

Oh, she’s going to hate me.

“Oh?”

“Uh huh. It prompted a question, as a matter of fact. Gryphons come from eggs, riiiight?”

Gelliana’s eyes narrowed, sensing something was up.

“Yeah? Hippogriffs are the ones who have live births.”

“Interesting.”

“How so?”

Wait for it.

Toxic let out a somewhat-convincing hum of thought.

“Well, that means hippogriffs would have belly-buttons, and gryphons would have something different?” he paused, leaning over to whisper in her ear. “a jelly-button perhaps?”

Gelliana’s left eye twitched, but the gryphoness couldn’t help but let out a soft *snrk* at the remark.

“Dangit, Toxic!” she groaned, the stallion letting himself cackle.

“It was a pun book, I admit,” his special somegriff letting out a groan.

“Oh no…”

With a rather rude jolt that interrupted Toxic’s levity as they continued to walk, something made his entire body shudder, the stallion stumbling slightly. His breathing increased, eyes darting across the street.

I know this feeling. Clari, what is going on!?

“Tox?”

The stallion shook his head, resuming his gait a bit more cautiously. The feeling persisted, and Toxic sent a silent message to Clari, as if she could hear his desires.

Please, not now. Do not let whatever is happening affect Gelliana. Don’t let her get dragged into my troubles.

The replying feeling was almost a somber warning now, and that made a lump rise into Toxic’s throat.

“Gels?” he croaked out, “you have your daggers, right?”

The gryphoness nodded, sharp eyes now looking out into the various alleys they passed.
“Yeah. You get a feeling?”

The sensation faded to a warm reassurance, the stallion nodding as they entered the eatery.

“Yeah. Looks like more dancing will have to wait. Something is up. Talk about a mood killer.”

The fact Gelliana didn’t seem more put-off by his words and demeanor was still a surprise to Toxic, but a brief glance in her violet eyes made the stallion realize something that was, funny enough, a shock.

She trusts me that much. That everything will be ok.

The attack began without even so much as a flicker of fanfare.

Varti’s eyes widened in horror as red alarms abruptly flashed throughout the control room, the Yak immediately galloping over to a large crystal panel. Slamming his hoof onto a red button and shattering the protective plastic cover in the process, the Yak felt rising horror threaten to overwhelm his usually straightforward thoughts. He and Toxic had run dozens of scenarios, even more practice runs, but now…

“Intruders have breached the perimeter! Communications have been cut off,” The yak paused, the shock and fear being replaced by a very, very familiar emotion, one present in every yak to some extent.

And he embraced it.

They DARE attack us?!

“All security forces, prepare to repel intruders! Report to your muster stations!” Varti bellowed, now seeing the two large airships on his crystal monitor. Belching black smoke, the vehicles were easily thrice the size of the Storm King’s vessels, and likely constructed from a few decommissioned craft bolted together. Tapping a few controls, the yak sent simple commands to the hundreds of golems on the island with a grin.

“Oh, we’ve been waiting for you!” the yak chuckled, excitement starting to surge in his veins as he then activated his own personal security measures, a rune teleporting him into his lab adjacent to the lifeblood of the island’s defenses- the leyline reactor.

The two airships punched through the magical shields with a sickening blast of energy that matched the material they were constructed off; black and purple streaked with green, the primary protective barrier now breached. It tore pieces of the craft off; but not nearly enough to stop them.

The stone watchtowers instantly burst into action. Large ballistae were aimed and fired immediately, the bolts burying themselves into the ships strange-colored sides. There was probably a moment of satisfaction as nothing seemed to happen for a moment; then the bolts detonated.

The explosions tore holes in the airships and caused them to slow, but only barely. Nothing but splinters should have remained after that.

“What in the world?!” Varti hissed, watching the display from his lab. The Professor was now clad in thick armor more fit for a train than a Yak, a battle-axe leaning against the control panel at his right.

“These are not normal airships,” he muttered, continuing to modify the Golem’s commands, training them to aim at the ‘engines’ of the ship; odd, crystal spikes that burned with a sinister black energy that scrambled any attempts to analyze it. The magic was unlike anything the Yak had seen before.

“No, they are not.”

Varti immediately grabbed his axe and swung at the source of the voice, the ethereal mare at his side smoothly ducking the strike. Before he could do anything else, she held up her hooves disarmingly.

“I am a friend,” she stated flatly. “Release the security constraints on the nearest watchtower. I will help.”

Varti didn’t lower his axe, the mare growling in frustration as she stomped a hoof.

“Ugh. Mortals. Clari is my sister! I’m here to help!”

Simply blinking, the Yak only took a moment to decide before tapping out the commands, watching in amazement as the reactor began to surge, the mare vanishing. Toxic had only told him briefly of who Clari was; and that was enough for him.

“What in the world?”

On the security cameras, one of the ballistae was now crewed by the odd mare, the golems shoved to the side and immobile. Yanking one of the tree-sized bolts off of the device with an impossible heave, the mare sent the projectile rocketing towards the nearest airship with a blast of energy, hurling the massive item as if it were a javelin.

Burying itself completely into the airship, the tree trunk-sized projectile then exploded, a new, blue energy flashing amid the usual detonation of magical explosives. Before the smoke cleared, another three bolts slammed into the airship, nearly tearing it in half as it began to dissolve into a foul sludge and sink towards the rocky shoreline.

Before Varti could blink, the mare was gone, the final airship now shakily aiming towards the Organization’s main complex.

“Brace for impact!” he bellowed, tapping instructions to the golems. “Luna! If you can hear this, get to a safe room!”

Toxic, I hope you’re ok!

Gelliana could tell Toxic was on edge; and she certainly was too. Something was up; she could feel it.

Odd noises tickled at her awareness, ears flickering this way and that. They could barely eat their appetizers, Toxic finally shaking his head.

“We should go,” he whispered, Gelliana nodding. She had felt like this before.

Hunted.

As they stood up, the gryphoness caught a snipped of something Toxic was whispering into his earpiece;

‘…tor Toxic Shield. Code Black Skies, authorization seven two eight nine nine. Scramble all of my personal command codes and transfer primary control authorizations to Professor Varti and Princess Luna.’

As they made for the door in the sparsely-populate eatery, and odd thing for this time of day, Toxic abruptly stopped, glaring at the door, wincing as his earpiece erupted in static.

“Let us pass,” he stated, taking out the crystal communicator as the air seemed to shimmer.

“Oh, he’s good,” a voice chuckled, a large creature stepping out of what appeared to be thin air. Most of the other occupants of the eatery changed shape, large reptiles bursting out of the flimsy, paper-like pony forms with a few laughs. The few actual ponies in the room were frozen in terror at seeing the creatures wielding weapons ranging from swords to maces.

“Well, best not waste any time,” the reptile in front of Toxic stated, one of the taller and lither of the grey lizards. “You come with us peacefully, and we let the others go. One chance.”

Toxic didn’t even hesitate, nodding once.
“Let everyone else go, and I agree.”

“Tox!” Gelliana hissed, her coltfriend pushing her away.

“Gelly, don’t. I’ll be ok,” he whispered, green eyes widening in horror as the other ponies were allowed to scamper past the reptile, but the gryphoness was not.

“By ‘you’ I meant your gryphoness friend too. Boss’s orders.”

Gelliana could see something was changing within Toxic. His demeanor shifted, taking a few steps back and pulling Gelliana with him as the reptiles began to circle them.

“Don’t do this,” Toxic said softly, and Gelliana saw his hooves began to shake. “Let us go, let her go! What business you have is with me alone.”

“No can do. Now stay still and we’ll-”

Gelliana had backed up too far. A large reptile with matching scars around the base of three of his four limbs chuckled.

“That’s far enough.”

Toxic turned, and his eyes widened in shock, recognition…

And then rage.

The pony Gelliana knew suddenly vanished. Toxic’s eyes became as hard as flint, something shining from their depths that actually frightened her, the stallion radiating a predatory demeanor that was more suited for a gryphon than a pony.

It was scary until he looked at her, a fierce, protective affection radiating from the green depths. There was still something else about Toxic that made Gelliana shiver, a previously hidden edge that she didn’t know existed.

“Ok, hard way it is,” the reptile sighed, and there was a soft ‘twang’ from one of his squad; two large syringes buried themselves into Toxic’s flank. The pony ripped them out immediately with a burst of magic, the vials already having dumped their contents however.

Tranquilizers?!

Toxic could feel the magic suppression field making his head ache. There was some sort of shield set up around the shop preventing everything from teleportation to long-range communications. They were very much on their own here; a coordinated attempt to capture himself and Gelliana.

What do I do what do I do what do? Think. Get the armor. Reason out of things. I…

The tranquilizers didn’t seem to be doing anything- not that they would have helped at this point. A mental line had been crossed when he saw that filth standing behind Gelliana.

He had spared that reptile’s life years ago, and this was Toxic’s reward, the penance for not killing. The stallion could see the scars around the limbs where he had hacked them off in that warehouse.

Clari, Luna, anyone. Give me the strength to see this through.

Give me…

In that moment, everything was connected. These creatures, the threat looming on the horizon, the very real and immediate danger they were in.

This is not new.

Toxic’s mind shifted into old but familiar gears, churning away as strength surged into his limbs. He knew exactly what was about to happen.

I know what to do here. Now let’s get-

Seeing a signal from his leader, the reptile behind Gelliana grabbed her by the back of the neck, making the gryphoness whimper in pain and terror.

“Ok, different tactic. You come peacefully or she-”

The ‘leader’ of the group seemed to realize the error far too late as he gestured towards the other individual frantically, everycreature drawing their weapons and advancing.

Toxic was already airborne.

With a crack of thunder that shattered the windows, blue lightning licked across Toxic’s frame mid-flight. In a much more aggressive manner than before, chain mail and plates of armor slammed into Toxic’s body, locking together with thunderous impacts like a blacksmiths hammer on an anvil. Now clad in a suit that effectively quadrupled his body weight, Toxic slammed into the reptile and knocked him into the stone wall.

Dark magic danced and flared, radiating from the pony’s eyes like an ignited gas main, green sclera narrowing at the reptile in front of him.

“I G-GAVE YOU A C-CHANCE!” Toxic bellowed, teeth chattering with rage. His breastplate glowed with power, golden symbol of a wing-framed lighthouse shining brightly. A ring of crystals on Toxic’s armored gauntlet glowed and spat angry red sparks, the Guardian planting his hoof against the reptile’s chest as the creature fruitlessly tried to throw him off.

The ensuing blast from the gauntlet tore a cabinet-sized hole in the wall after passing through the reptile, the energy slamming into a powerful containment shield surrounding the structure.

Toxic was already launching himself towards the nearest attacker, horrified cries leaving the creature as it desperately slashed at the enraged stallion with a sword. The weapon didn’t so much as scratch Toxic’s armor, the pony knocking the reptile off balance and breaking its neck with a stomp of his hooves. Another blast from the gauntlet tore into a six-limbed creature loading a crossbow, the bottom half of the individual flopping to the floor in a puddle of its own gore.

It was only then that Toxic skidded to a stop in front of Gelliana, limbs spread protectively over her as the gryphoness grasped her daggers, fear having frozen her on the floor.

“I’ll kill you if you touch her!” Toxic roared at the now-hesitating reptiles, leyline energy coursing across his frame. His voice abruptly dropped, helmeted head glancing down at the gryphoness. “You ok, Gells?”

She nodded, managing to stand on quaking limbs. It was too much to take in, so she didn’t even try. Just breathing and staying alive.

I can do this.

“They’re going to come at us again. I’ll trying to keep them away from you,” Toxic stated as more reptiles and now some ponies began to teleport into the already-ruined eatery.

“W-well, I’m not harmless,” Gelliana managed to say, taking a deep breath and getting into a fighting stance with her two daggers. “I’ve got your back, as best as I can at least!”

The stallion froze, and somehow Gelliana sensed that her words had touched a deep something, a hidden doubt or fear.

And then it was gone, her special somepony meeting a reptile four times his size head on. It wasn’t even a contest, Toxic sweeping their legs- all four of them and crushing the creature’s skull with a hoof and sending gore splattering across the floor.

A gryphon scored a blow across Toxic’s back, but a levitated, previously-fallen sword buried itself into the creature’s chest with a flick of the pony’s horn.

I didn’t know you could do this, Toxic. You’re…killing them. No hesitation.
What in the world have no not told me!?
Who are you?

Her thoughts were cut off as a sneaky pony teleported behind her, a jagged sword angled at her throat in a magical grip.

“Now, if the little birdy would just-”

The large stallion didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, Gelliana twirling her body away from the weapon and lashing out with her own out of reflex.

The attacking pony stared at the dagger buried in his chest and promptly collapsed, time freezing for Gelliana for a moment.

It wasn’t a reptile that now was charging towards her, but a Timberwolf amid the rain, three times her size.

She froze.

“GELS!” Toxic bellowed, “FIGHT!” The stallion bucked a reptile with his hind hooves, collapsing the creature’s ribcage as he was flattened by a blow from a sword, two reptiles piling onto him and tearing at the Guardian’s armor.

“FIGHT!”

His words tore through Gelliana’s stupor, the gryphoness tightening her hold on the remaining dagger.

An old, rotting mental block finally shattered, energy surging through Gelly’s frame.
I am not some helpless chick anymore!

Her gaze turned towards her special somepony, who even now was struggling under the creatures that were desperately trying to restrain him, kill him.

Her stallion.

Fight.

FIGHT.

FIGHT!

With a furious screech, Gelliana ripped the dagger from her deceased target, launching herself at the nearest reptile. Burying the weapons in the shocked creature’s throat, she ripped them free and tackled one of the larger creature pinning Toxic to the ground. Two daggers were stuck into its sides and then ten talons raked across the reptile’s face.

When two ponies yanked her off the reptile, Gelliana latched onto the nearest one, cutting a throat with a single swipe of her talons. There wasn’t any thought process; just a hunter finishing off her prey. Gryphons were predators at their core, and Gelliana realized in that instant that she had forgotten that.

And now she fought against a prey that was trying to kill her stallion.

The second pony met an end from a dagger she ripped free, then tackled another reptile as Toxic managed to break free.

“I told ya!” she crowed as Toxic stood back to back with her, the reptiles backing off briefly. “I’ve got your back!”

Gelliana’s world then spun, a sharp pain in her sides making the gryphoness aware of the large syringe that stuck out of her flank. The last thing she remembered was a furious roar from Toxic as a knife was held against her throat, the unicorn freezing in his movements as a loud voice barked orders; and then the world went black.

The island was under siege.

The intruders were creatures from the badlands; exiled ponies, gryphons, and largely reptiles. Luna didn’t know what they were after, but the large group that had targeted her was a decent clue. Apparently, the main force was trying to attack the leyline reactor but they hadn’t expected an enraged yak backed by two hundred security golems.

From what she understood from the horrified, retreating intruders, it had been like trying to stop a train armed with a battle-axe.

Her sword dancing across the throat of a pony that aimed a magical strike at Knife Twist, Luna pushed the thestrel back. It was just Luna, Knife, and six Legionnaires backed against this wall.

Thankfully, the numerous reptiles were many things, but extremely skilled fighters they were not. It was clear this was all a distraction, but for what, Luna didn’t know.

“S-sorry, Luna,” Knife panted, wielding a thin sword taken from one of the fallen attackers. “Out of shape…”

“You are forgiven, Knife. I would prefer our lunches as opposed to this form of bonding however,” Luna quipped, watching the reptiles lurk at the end of the hallway.

It was only a flicker of warning that she got. The air shimmered, and two things happened nearly simultaneously.

One of the legionnaire’s eyes flashed, a disguise dropping as a scarred pony angled his polearm at Luna’s neck. Even as the other five loyal guards attacked the traitorous individual, Luna’s attention was split. The polearm shone with a counter-spell, and even as Luna raised an armored hoof to block it, the reptile that had dropped the concealment spell in front of her had no such obstacle. Even with her speed, she was going to get hit, one way or another. The alicorn twisted her body, hoping the thin, likely-poisoned dagger in the reptile’s grip would hit one of the less vital portions of her body.

The creature was then hit by a fang-filled missile.

Knife Twist saw it happening in slow motion, the ex-captain of the guard already moving.

It was just like in her dreams. She was too slow, and her best friend was about to be killed in front of her. The laughter of a thousand white-eyed creatures echoed through her mind-

NO!

Propelling herself with every ounce of strength in her limbs, the thestrel aimed directly at the attacker’s exposed throat, her mouth wide open.

YOU’RE MINE!

Latching on with a savage bite, Knife Twist ripped a chunk of flesh from the attacker, spitting out blood as she aimed her flight towards another, second concealed reptile that had begun to attack, his personal cloaking spell dropping.

Knife wrapped her limbs around the horrified reptile’s head, sinking her fangs into the creature’s neck artery. A blast from Luna quickly made the reptile drop to the ground, Knife Twist spitting out a mouthful of foul blood as she glared at two other creatures, the gryphon and pony having skidded to a stop halfway down the hallway. Her wings were spread wide, the gaunt Thestral’s mouth dripping with blood as she let out a hiss.

The two attackers decided enough was enough, quickly retreating and leaving them alone, the five remaining legionnaires taking up protective positions in front of the Thestrel and Luna.

“Thank you, Knife,” Luna whispered as her friend collapsed, sitting down as her sides heaved.

“Never again,” the Thestrel whispered, reaching over to grab a fallen dagger to lever herself upright. “Now, where is that safe room?”

The seven individuals navigated hallways littered with shattered golems and the bodies of their attackers. While the automated security forces weren’t trained warriors, they were hardly pushovers it would seem, holding their own against the often-lopsided attackers in size and number.

The sounds of battle as they neared the designated safe room area put them all on guard, the group slowly peering around the corner.

They abruptly jumped back as two reptiles sped down the hallway, but not under their own power. They slid to a stop and didn’t move after impacting the distant wall.

Recovering from blasting two creatures back with a surge of magic, Onyx barred his fangs at the reptile in his grasp, arm-like appendages slitting the walking snake’s throat. Icait cowered behind him at the locked safe room door, the Windigo whimpering. They had been separated from their guards only moments ago; and then this group had rushed them. The last one, a scarred gryphon with a cracked beak, aimed a strike at the pony-

And then, as if to spite Onyx for the death of his fellows, turned his long pike towards the shivering Icait.

The Windigo’s eyes widened as Onyx skidded in front of her, taking the strike square to his shoulder and snapping the weapon’s blade off with the impact. A quick stab of his shadow arms left the gryphon a lifeless sack on the floor, the shadow pony grunting in pain as he ripped the pike head from his shoulder.

Two new creatures promptly appeared in front of him, shadow-creatures with the bodies of ponies but eyes that glowed white laced with red.

“You dare fight against Him?” one of them asked in a voice that seemed to be an amalgamation of dozens of creatures.

“To think you do anything but bow, TRAITOR! You dare protect that abomination?” the second hissed, aiming a strike at Onyx as he yanked the dead gryphons’ body in the path of the shadowy appendage. The second strike dug into Onyx’s shoulder, the shadow-pony once again darting over to block a strike at Icait.

“I don’t answer to him any longer!” Onyx growled, lashing out with a dagger-like limb at the two attackers.

A blast from behind shattered the two threatening shadow creatures, Luna trotting up with her guards and looking curiously at the pair.

“Are you ok?” Onyx asked the Windigo, ignoring Luna as Icait nodding numbly, her eyes wide at seeing his shoulder ‘bleeding’ dark traces of black material.

“Onyx, why did you do that?” Icait asked, looking up and seeing Luna watching them out of the corner of her eye, keying the emergency code for the shelter door behind them.

Onyx paused, but only for a moment. A rare, genuine smile twitched at his features.

“Because you’re my friend.”

In Tall Tale.

Toxic knew there was no getting out of this.

The attackers continued to pour in, somehow teleporting into the destroyed remnants of the eatery. Gelliana was coming under the effects of the tranquilizers, and the unicorn could sense a teleportation spell powering up, foul runes on the floor starting to flicker and spark with green and purple colorations.

We’re all going to get yanked somewhere, and I can’t fight them all!

The stallion only had one plan, and it very well may fail miserably. But he couldn’t keep fighting, not if he wanted the strength to escape.

The opening for the plan was given to the Guardian on a silver platter, one of the attacking gryphons holding a blade against Gelliana’s throat, the gryphoness fighting a losing battle against the drugs.

“Stop fighting or she dies!” the gryphon bellowed, causing Toxic to immediately stand still, the soft chuckling of reptiles echoing around the room.

Oh, Gells. Forgive me. I won’t let them hurt you, but I can’t fight anymore!

Toxic blinked, armor fading away from his body as the pony started to sway on his hooves.

“Looks like those darts worked after all! A bit late,” one of the reptiles mused.

His legs gave out, the stallion slamming to the ground as his armor vanished completely.

After getting poked by a rather sharp knife to make sure he was unconscious, the unicorn was slung over the shoulder of a reptile, a magic-inhibiting ring being latched over his horn.

And then they were gone.

Author's Note

To those who were wondering if things were going to be all hunky-dory for a while...
.....:pinkiecrazy:

Chapter Twenty: Reckoning

Celestia’s throne drooped on the stone, half-melted from the alicorn’s outburst a few moments ago. Luna was safe in the Castle infirmary; the past few hours having been a flurry of activity.

The Last Light Organization had repelled the intruders but at great cost to their security systems. Luna and the others were safe; Icait, Onyx, Knife, and Barley. Varti too had escaped harm, the yak already beginning to reconstruct many of the shattered security systems.

Apparently, his efforts were being pushed along by Clari’s sister…somehow. It was a lot to take in, even for the Solar Empress.

Luna had immediately confided in Celestia after the attack; apparently one the Organization’s relays had picked up a command from Toxic just before they lost contact, transferring command of the Island’s systems to herself and Professor Varti. After they had ensured the Island was secure, Varti removed most of Luna’s access, but left in place some emergency measures in case he too was captured.

The fact such emergency commands had not included Celestia stung a bit; but the alicorn understood Toxic’s reasoning. That, however, was not what Celestia was currently furious about.

She had failed that stallion again, and possibly for the last time.

Word had reached her an hour ago of the details concerning the attack in Tall Tale; dozens of creatures trying to take down a certain armored stallion and gryphoness. They had then been teleported away to who-knows where, leaving behind the bodies of their dead and dozens of horrified onlookers, the creatures outside the shield unable to do anything but watch.

Toxic was gone, as was Gelliana.

The site of their fight was useless in terms of evidence; an alien, sinister magic masking any attempts at tracking the teleportation rune. But the bodies of the fallen attackers let Celestia know Toxic and Gelliana had not been taken quietly; two daggers from the latter still embedded in the chest of a very-dead reptile.

There was one aspect of their capture that gave the Alicorn hope, however. Confirmed by multiple witnesses as well.

I hope you know what you are doing, Toxic.

Word had spread fast, and a passing journalist had captured a few images that were already being spun up into new stories. That wasn’t Celestia’s concern; she’d be honest with her ponies, as much as she could.

There was one pony, however, that made the Alicorn genuinely dread the next hour. The meeting had been put off long enough, and Celestia knew that every bit of venom in the mare’s words would be well-deserved. The lies of decades would come crashing down, and the Alicorn knew this was one individual that would never be cowed by her title or power.

All she had to face the pony was to open those doors.

“Take a few breaths, Spectrum,” Manifold suggested to his literally-steaming wife, the unicorn mare shaking her head.

“Don’t, Manifold, not now,” Toxic’s mother growled. “I am so sick of being lied to! By our son out of security and necessity, and now by the Princess again? No, I will not breathe easy!”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Just, she’s the Princess.”

“You always have seen her differently than I, Manifold,” Spectrum said softly. “And there’s a reason I haven’t pushed it or tried to explain it further to you. I love you too much for that.”

“E-excuse me?” An earth pony mare asked, her light purplish-grey hide adorned with a white marble block cutie mark. “Is this where we meet the Princess? We don’t have an appointment…”

Spectrum’s demeanor shifted immediately, the light teal mare now taking a deep breath and nodded.
“Yes, we don’t have an appointment either. This is where the guards told us to wait,” she explained.

The other mare nodded, sitting down and nervously fiddled with her hooves, her assumed husband, a stallion of a bit brighter blueish-purple coloring draping a forelimb over her shoulder.

“It’s just, I think our daughter was on the news, and nocreature knows where she is,” the mare whispered. “Tall Tale had that attack, and,” she sniffled at that, “our little Gelly.”

A that, Spectrum’s ears perked up; could they be…?

“Gelly? As in Gelliana?” she ventured to guess, the other pair immediately jerking up in attention.

“Yes! Do you know where she is?” the mare asked desperately, Spectrum shaking her head.

“No, but I know who she is. We haven’t met, but we’ve heard a lot about her.”

The dumbfounded look on the other parent’s face should have clued in Spectrum that something more was amiss, but she didn’t pick up on it in time.

“We’re Toxic Shield’s parents; our son is the one she’s dating.”

“She’s what? Who?! Dating?!”

There was a soft *clop* as Manifold smacked his face with a hoof, Spectrum wincing.

“Oh.”

To any casual observer, Celestia appeared as she always did when the four ponies trotted in, the two mares apparently still engaging in some back and forth verbal…sparing?

Bonding?

“He’s a garbage collector?!” one mare said, Spectrum Shield letting out a groan.

“I can’t-”

Her voice then cut off, a new target drawing the mare’s attention.

Celestia sat at the bottom of the royal davit; knowing full well what was about to come.

“You!” Spectrum hissed, her husband making a half-hearted attempt to hold her back but getting shrugged off as the furious mother trotted up to be nose-to-nose with Celestia, her horn aglow.

The Princess sensed it, of course. Celestia could have done a thousand different things; dodged, summoned a shield, moved the entire Castle ten paces to the right...

But she deserved this.

*WHACK!*

The entire throne room was silent, the royal guards staring dumbfounded at the mare who had just slapped the Princess with an arcane hoof.

“Guards. Leave us,” Celestia commanded, struggling to maintain her compose, but not to anger. The other couple, Gelliana’s parents, probably thought she was quaking with fury.

Nothing could have been further from the truth.

“You promised,” Spectrum hissed, her light blue eyes still locked on the Princess. “How many jobs did he do before this!? I know my son has been in danger all this time! Now tell me, how many times have you broken our promise!?”

“One hundred and six,” Celestia said softly. Spectrum stared dumbfounded at the Princess as the alicorn took a shaky breath. “On average, five a year.”

The shock then passed, the mother’s face a mask of anger as she continued to stare at Celestia.
“And now he’s gone. Where is my son?!”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, or you won’t tell me?” Spectrum demanded.

“I don’t know, Spectrum! What do you want of me?!” Celestia replied, the air increasing in temperature slightly and making the unicorn pause. “I have made egregious mistakes surrounding your son and I am still paying for them! Do not take these events as a lack of care on my part! I had a dozen spells around Toxic to warn me of something like this, and every single one failed!”

It was clear Spectrum was still unconvinced, the other two earth ponies present then raising a tentative hoof.

“H-highness?” the mare spoke up, Celestia’s warm smile immediately turning to them as her demeanor shifted.

“Ah, Obsidian and Marble Forge, I do apologize, this must seem quite confusing to you,” Celestia said, Spectrum clearly both infuriated yet impressed on the Princess’s ability to switch demeanors. “I assume you are here to ask of your daughter’s whereabouts? That is what my guards tell me at least.”

“Y-yes, Princess,” Marble said, her husband nodding as well.

Celestia took a deep breath, her heart relaxing as some familiar claw and hoof-falls signaled her love’s presence.

“Sunspots? You alright?” Nacreous asked softly, the four ponies staring in shock at the armored hippogriff.

“Yes, just…” Celestia began, then shaking her head.

“Ah, this is Toxic and Gelliana’s parents I presume?” Nacreous asked, the two latter earth ponies nodding as fast as a woodpecker with wide eyes. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“H-highness,” Obsidian managed to stammer out, the Shield’s simply bowing respectfully.

“Have you told them?” Nacreous asked softly, Celestia shaking her head.

“No. I’d appreciate your help though,” she admitted, the soft, more sincere voice making Spectrum Shield clearly pause.

“Well, here I’ll stay, as always,” Nacreous said, paying the ponies no mind as he gave his Fiancé’s hoof a squeeze, then moving over to sit next to her. It could have been seen as a political move; having an emperor present in negotiation talks, but such a simple gesture showed those present that it was something of a more supportive role.

“Spectrum Shield, your son is the unfortunate recipient of one of the greatest mistakes of my life,” Celestia said softly, not able to meet the shocked gaze of the mother who stared at her. “I do not know what you are aware of concerning myself and your son, but I imagine the relationship we hold in your mind is far more positive than reality.”

Spectrum continued to stare as Celestia turned to smile towards the Forge’s.
“The incident surrounding your daughter is a top-security matter and intertwined with Toxic Shield’s current whereabouts. What I can say is,” Celestia paused, her wings then slumping, “honestly, I do not know where she is,” the Princess said flatly. “However, what I do know is that she is with a highly trained pony that will defend her with his life, and is one of the most incredible stallions I have ever met.”

Spectrum’s eyes softened at that, the Forge’s raising a hoof respectfully

“P-princess, what you mean about this ‘Toxic’ fellow? A stallion who is apparently dating out daughter?” Marble asked with a slight snort. “That alone is news to us! I don’t mean to be rude, but I think we’ve been a bit left out of the loop here!”

Celestia winced at that.

Oh, Oh dear.

“Ah. You were not aware of this fact?” she asked kindly, easily reading that Gelliana’s adoptive mother seemed to have regained her voice.

“No! Only that there was somepony she was interested in and went on a few dates with. I know we can be overbearing! And nosy, and pushy, and just…over-the top at times! That’s why our Gelly doesn’t tell us as much as we’d like.” The mare’s ears flattened at that, letting out a soft sniffle. “But we are trying to be better, we really are. I just want to know w-what happened to my little girl.”

As one mother began to cry, and the other continued to regard Celestia with a steely gaze, the Princess let out a soft huff. As was becoming more often than not, her Love had a simple answer.

“Tell them, Sunspots,” Nacreous whispered. “This will get out, it already has gotten out. Better for it to spread by honest admittance to the parents of those affected. If this event is to threaten every province, this can be a good way to reveal it if by no other means.”

Celestia nodded; she had been thinking the same but in much less eloquent terms.

“Obsidian, Marble, Spectrum and Manifold?” Celestia asked, the four ponies giving her their full attention. “The event surrounding your children is one of great secrecy and importance. It involves a threat to both Equestria and our allies. If I am to tell you what I know of your children, it comes with a cost. You will not see Equestria the same, nor myself in the same light as you do now. This situation is a high security clearance matter, and as such you cannot tell anyone until I’ve made an address to the nation. You can withdraw now if you wish, and I will not hold it against you in the slightest.”

It only took a few looks between ponies for them to nod simply.

“P-princess,” Marble said simply, “If we get to know about what has happened to our daughter, and be informed of what is going on as it happens, that’s worth losing some comfort.”

“Likewise,” Spectrum stated with a firm nod from her husband.

Celestia took a deep breath at that, a reassuring glance from Nacreous pushing her onwards.

“Very well. Please accept the spell in front of you granting security clearance. It will alert me if you spread the specific knowledge of your children willingly to anyone other than amongst yourselves before this crisis is resolved, and I will be forced to either wipe memories if worst comes to worse. I have no other choice due to the secrecy of this matter.”

Tapping a simple blue circle that levitated in front of them, the ponies then trotted a bit closer as Celestia gestured to them,

The Princess summoned a simple map, gesturing to Tall Tale.

“Toxic Shield and Gelliana were seen in Tall Tale, an eatery to be exact,” she explained. “They were attacked by more than a dozen creatures who usually live in the badlands. His personal guards were completely incapacitated by an unknown spell. I do not know where the attackers came from precisely, but they targeted Toxic Shield due to his unique abilities. This we do know.”

A raised hoof by Marble drew Celestia’s attention.

“Yes?”

“Who is Toxic Shield, in simple terms?” the concerned mother asked, wincing as she looked to Spectrum. “No offence, but he sounds rather important, and he’s dating our daughter. He’s some sort of garbage collector?”

Celestia managed a chuckle, Spectrum watching her curiously, no doubt very interested on how the Princess would portray her son.

Oh, Spectrum. Any words I can say will undersell your son’s importance.

“Toxic Shield is one of Equestria’s most important ponies. I would classify his importance near to that of the Elements of Harmony, but in a very different sense,” Celestia explained. “His cutie mark renders him invulnerable to chemical and biological threats. He has stopped no less than a hundred disasters that would have killed thousands, if not tens of thousands across Equestria and a dozen other nations. He can survive in environments that nocreature else can, not even me.”

That earned a stare from the Gelliana’s parents, Celestia mentally wincing.
This is always the hard part. Breaking from the perception I’ve upheld.

“Contrary to what many may think, I am not invincible,” the Princess admitted. “But that said, I am a great deal more powerful than you understand. And yet for all my power, I cannot do what Toxic Shield does. That is how important he is.”

The two ponies clearly were thinking it all over, finally nodding in at least somewhat-understanding.

“O-ok, so he’s important. But this isn’t a chemical threat. He sounds highly trained, but hardly in a way that can protect my little girl! Just in removing nasty spills and such.”

“I have to agree with Marble,” Spectrum muttered. “My son only has a few self-defense courses he took as a colt. This…you’re talking about war, aren’t you? We’ve heard rumors, whispers here and there. Something is out there, and it just captured my son and their daughter.”

Celestia nodded firmly, a slight smile now dawning on her lips.
“I am. And your son is prepared to deal with even that threat.”

Four very confused and rather cautious ponies looked at her, and Celestia let out a soft sigh.

“No matter what I say, I feel as though there will be some doubt my words concerning your children’s safety, is that correct? As much as you would like to trust me, especially due to how sensitive this matter is to the nation?”

Spectrum didn’t even bother nodding; Celestia knew her answer. Three other heads bobbed up and down however, as was natural for parents concerned for their children.

“I will say this only then, and let other speak as well. Toxic Shield has taken it upon himself to expand outside just chemical threats. He is trained to handle anything from hostile escape and evasion tactics to active combat scenarios. He will defend Gelliana with his life, I have no doubt. The bodies in the Eatery where they were kidnapped are testament to that.”

Those words made the pony’s eyes widen, all but one being unused to death and suffering, for the most part. Spectrum was the most involved in Toxic’s life, so that only made her eyes narrow.

“My son killed? What are you saying?” she asked, simply earning a nod.

“He did. And I am not surprised in the slightest.”

“Our D-daughter is with a killer?” Marble whimpered, Spectrum glaring at the mare before Celestia waved a hoof. Such reactions from her passive subjects were hardly uncommon- even if they were adoptive parents to, technically, a predator.

“The creatures who keep Equestria safe from certain threats are killers, which includes myself,” Celestia stated bluntly, earning a shocked stare from the parties. Ordinarily, the Princess would have taken great care to blunt the truth, keep the truth from her subjects…

But she was so tired of it all. Tired of playing a part in a play that had worn her down to the bone.

“The pony in question killed to save your daughter’s life, Miss Forge,” she continued, “From what I understand, there was an individual who grabbed Gelliana’s neck. He was the first to be killed and is what spurred Toxic to act.”

That made the sensitive ponies pause.

“This doesn’t sound like my son. Killing that quickly?” Spectrum muttered, Celestia’s wings drooping.

“No creature knows their limits until the ones they care about are threatened. That said, there is a lot you do not know about him, and I hope he will forgive me for telling you this,” Celestia said. “He certainly hasn’t forgotten my other mistakes, nor do I expect him to…”

A gentle nudge from Nacreous, almost forgotten, snapped Celestia out of her thoughts.

“Spectrum and Manifold, your son has more training than my royal guards in handling violence. He has been pursuing such knowledge for some time.”

Confusion was all that Celestia saw, Gelliana’s parents staying quiet, clearly wanting to know exactly what kind of pony their daughter was dating and stuck with.

“Professor Varti?” Celestia asked, a portal snapping into focus to their right. “Do you have a moment?”

“Huh? Princess? Of course.”

“Can you please tell these kind ponies the situation your daughter was in, more than a decade ago- plus five more years I think?”

The large Yak nodded at that.

“There was a chemical leak along the Badlands border. Toxic Shield saved the life of my daughter and her classmates. I can never repay that debt.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“I heard about that,” Marble whispered, “a horrible affair, being trapped underground and waiting for rescue. And that stallion saved them? Toxic Shield”

“He did, but that entire situation is incorrect,” Celestia said, looking to a very-surprised Yak in the portal. “Tell them the truth, Varti. The entirety of it.”

The Professor, for one of the few moments in his life was at a loss for words.
“I…” he began, letting out a soft chuckle. “So, it has come to that? Very well. My daughter and her class were at the border of the badlands for but a few hours for a field trip. That chemical spill was a cover up to preserve the innocence of those within Equestria,” he paused, letting out an angry snort, the Yak not able to conceal his bitterness at the lies. “They were taken by slavers from outside Klugetown. They were to be sold within a week to the highest bidder. Toxic intervened when no other government would, saving my daughter and her classmates from such a fate.”

“Thank you, Varti,” Celestia whispered, the portal closing. Four pairs of accusing eyes turned to her, and the Alicorn raised a hoof. “Before you ask, now you can see the impossible choices I must make. Do I declare war on a nation over what may be the act of a rogue group? Invade with armies against those who have lived a life of war? Save the lives of a dozen over hundreds of soldiers? How do I place a value on life, how-” her words drifted off from a nudge from Nacreous, the rather guilty expressions in front of the Princess showing her point had been made.

“Thankfully, Toxic made that choice for me, and I couldn’t be happier,” Celestia said, Spectrum and Manifold staring at her.

“What?” the mare asked.

“My Legionnaires were watching the warehouse where the children were kept. I couldn’t give an order for them to engage, as the leading clan had promised they would handle it. Considering I was trying to avoid a war with them at the time I couldn’t risk a covert assault, not yet,” Celestia explained. “Yet from International lands, a unicorn teleported outside the warehouse, sliced off the limbs of every single reptile inside and then led the hostages to safety before vanishing. That was before he had any training.”

“Toxic did that on his own?” Spectrum asked, clearly suspicious.

“Miss Shield, you greatly overestimate how much influence I have over your son,” Celestia said simply. “He has actively worked against efforts to have any sort of relationship to the crown. Most dealings he has now are through Luna. That is not by accident.”

Those words seemed to further soften Spectrum’s view, but not completely.

“So, Mister and Miss Forge,” Celestia said kindly, “Back then, Toxic Shield on his own accord, risked his life to save fillies and youngsters he barely knew. He risked imprisonment, death, and being hunted for years by that act. And yet he succeeded and said he’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Her expression then warmed. “Now, how far would he go to protect one he is interested in, dating even? I’d say just as far if not more so, even though such a revelation is rather new to you.”

While it made sense, Marble and her husband were clearly struggling to process it all.
“But where did he learn to do that? Killing? That’s not natural,” the mare muttered.

“For ponies, no it is not,” Celestia said. “But we are all different, are we not? I granted him access to high level courses only my personal guard are usually instructed in. Miss Shield, what did Hammer say about Toxic? When he was training? Hammer was one of my Legionnaires before moving on to other ventures recently.”

“He said that Toxic helped him practice, getting ready for the tests,” Spectrum replied.

“And that is correct. What Hammer didn’t say, is that Toxic was teaching him,” Celestia said, making Spectrum’s eyes widen.

“Wait, so he’s a legionnaire!?” the mare asked in shock, Celestia shaking her head.

“Not officially. He is one of perhaps a dozen ponies who refused to take an oath to serve the crown during such varied classes however,” the Princess said. “I granted him access to a modified training regimen that my legionnaires use, because he would have sought out the training from other sources regardless. Toxic mentored Hammer through the courses that he excelled in; no less than the top five in more than one class I may add.”

“So, our daughter…” Marble asked, Celestia finishing her sentence.

“Is with a pony trained in handling these sorts of situations, and is with someone who cares about her very much, and, I imagine, would like to meet you when they get back,” the Princess said softly. “He is a good stallion, one who,” her voice wandered off, Celestia dropping her gaze. “One who I have underestimated greatly and who is better than me in more ways than one.”

A tender caress of talons against her cheek snapped Celestia out of her self-loathing, the Alicorn managing a smile to her Fiancé who then resumed his stoic place at her side.

“I am worried about your daughter, and Toxic,” Celestia admitted, not able to resist a grin. “But I would worry much more for those who would dare lay a hoof on her. Toxic will put his life above hers, above others, as he has always done,” the Princess swallowed the lump in her throat, a bit of pride welling up in her chest. “I trust him with my life, I always have.”

As the parents talked among themselves as they were led to their guest quarters for a complimentary stay in the castle, Nacreous slid over to give his Fiancé a nudge on the shoulder.

“You’re doing fine, Sunspots, just hang in there,” Nacreous whispered. “Probably was best to not tell them about the Guardian business. They would not understand.”

Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to enjoy the comfort Nacreous provided. Things were still too raw for her to process it all fully.

“I just hope they’re ok, Nacreous,” she whispered.

“I think you should believe your own words more, Celly,” Nacreous said, at least making sure no creature was staring before occupying Celestia’s lips with a long kiss. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back shortly.”

Celestia looked to him in surprise, the large hippogriff managing a soft smile.

“There’s a patient in a hospital that requested to speak to me, less than an hour after Toxic was abducted. I think he already knows. I’ve heard whisperings in my kingdom about this pony, and I think there’s quite a bit we need to discuss.”

The alicorn’s ears drooped at that, the Princess bracing herself mentally for the impending bad news.

“Oh no, Pick Shield? Is he…?”

“I don’t know, but Toxic is not the only one of his family I think we have underestimated.”

Author's Note

We get to meet some parents! :yay: And a bit of background....
...oh no. Gelly, you didn't tell them?
Oh dear. :rainbowlaugh:

Chapter Twenty-One: Burning Bright

“And you’re sure of those numbers?”

“Yes. And I’ll take those odds, they’re better than what I have now.”

An ethereal pony sighed, finally nodding in acceptance through the portal.
“Then you have my recommendation. I’m sure Nacreous will understand.”

“Thank you, Coarse.”

“Take care, Pick.”

Toxic’s younger brother leaned up in his bed, using the last of his allotted magical energy to close the communications spell to the high-level Councilpony.

“Well, back to being an earth pony for the evening,” the unicorn muttered, the magical locking ring on his horn chiming right on cue, indicating his arcane usage for the day was done.

“This is so, so stupid. But I blame you for influencing me, Toxic,” Pick Shield chuckled to himself, forcing his emaciated dark-green body out of bed for his ‘exercise’; a short stroll around the decorated hospital room. “Going behind the backs of rulers? International rulers?” his gaze drifted to a simple seashell with googly-eyes sitting on a small bookshelf to his right. “In more ways than one.”

Pick had known something was up less than ten minutes after his older brother was abducted. When one is confined to bed but your mind remains as sharp as a tack, you have your ways of getting information. In this case, remote-monitoring stations set up in every single city courtesy of a curious Yak. Varti wasn’t the only one who liked to have a constant flow of information, nor the only creature with a creative knack for magical and technological gadgetry.

“I hope you forgive me, Toxic,” Pick muttered as he limped about. “I wanted to keep my contributions to your dream secret, at least until I was about to pass on. But it seems that fate has a different path for both me and you.”

It’s a fool’s hope, but it worked once. And for me, someone outside of the Ice Shelves, I just had to find a different catalyst.

Pick’s life had been the hospital for the better part of a decade, ever since Toxic had yanked him out of the nightmarish scene that had poisoned the young unicorn’s body. It had since then slowly consuming him despite the laundry lists of treatments, all of them seeming to delay the poison but never heal it.

Poisoned with a compound nocreature can understand, magic use seeming to feed the illness too.
And to think I finally have found the source, after all this time!

Pick’s jaw clenched in determination of that, brown eyes narrowing at the thought. They had never found out what the fanatics had used when they bombed a warehouse, nor even their reasoning. All that remained of the incident was Pick, everycreature else either having recovered from the illness that followed or perished. He was the lone case of the lingering effects.

But not for much longer.

My brother is taken, and now I know what is killing me, who bombed that warehouse! I have to wonder, was that building even the target?

Or was Toxic?

His parents as loving as they were, couldn’t understand his mind. Pick related more to Varti, enjoying ‘mining’ the depths of magical theory and various contraptions, as his cutie mark indicated with a pick over a glowing blue gear.

For a stallion who had at a young age enjoyed having control over his life, even in youth, being dependent on hospice care had been a harsh adjustment, even if the hospital room had been personalized for many years.

A strange flicker of warmth blossomed in Pick’s chest, the stallion forcing back a few tears.

Is this what hope feels like? I made my peace months ago, knowing my time was ticking down. Even Toxic doesn’t know.

And now I might actually…
No. First I have to convince an Emperor. This isn’t just about me anymore. Those pieces of filth have to pay. They hurt me? Fine. But now they go after my older brother?

Pick’s eyes narrowed at that, the unicorn letting out a growl.

He has suffered enough.

His mom knew, at least partly. But Pick was one of the few others in his family that understood a bigger picture of the burden placed on his older brother. Toxic hid it well, from mom and dad at least, both for security’s sake and their own well-being.

They didn’t see him flinch at loud noises as much, nor see how tired he was. The pain behind his brother’s eyes that never was able to settle. Pick, with his ever-spinning mind, had always sought out information, even if it was hidden or hastily covered up. That included knowing what his brother was really feeling.

What hurt even more, was that once you knew what to look for when talking with Toxic, it really wasn’t hidden at all. Every horror was on his brother’s face, raw and always eating at him. Toxic was just really good at covering it.

That said, Pick knew about the nightmares his brother had faced, even if it had been covered in black ink. And now, just as Pick began to see more life in Toxic’s eyes again, pulling away from the pain, he was abducted?

That was unacceptable to Toxic’s younger brother.

And that just made Pick think even more; how to help from his hospital room. He always had looked up to Toxic, and not just because his big brother was there to help him out of a fiery tomb. They always had been different but grown up together. Just as friends, there for each other when it mattered. Of course, there was a bit of a rivalry, a friendly one.

The Unicorn’s intellect was definitely one of the jokes between himself and Toxic; the latter simply not matching him in terms of magical and mechanical theory.

Toxic was smart, but not Varti levels of smart. Pick wasn’t being mean, simply pragmatic. It was just an observation and why he could relate more to Coarse Pen with his hundreds of years of knowledge, and the Professor. Toxic could come up with ideas Pick could never dream of; but he just didn’t know how to make them. Toxic had more ambitions than he had time.

But with his illness all Pick had for the past decade, was time. Time to think, time to find alternatives which until recently had been for naught. And now he had both the source of his illness identified, and a potential cure. Quite an eventful month.

Well, it’s not a cure if there’s a one-in-ten chance I die immediately, Two out of ten it fails outright and then I die. But a one hundred percent chance of helping other ponies. That’s what you’ve taught me, Toxic, how fulfilling that can be.

I’ll take those odds rather than wasting away here. Perhaps my gift to Toxic can be revealed when I’m not at death’s door.

Regardless, I want to help him. Goodness knows he needs it.

A knock at Pick’s door drew the unicorn’s attention, the pony now sitting on his low-lying bed with a huff.

“Come in.”

Pick immediately smiled as Nacreous strode through the door.

To be on a first-name basis with an Emperor is a gift indeed.
Thank you, big bro. That has been a gift in and of itself that has payed beyond measure.

“You wanted to see me, Pick?” Nacreous asked, sitting down as the unicorn nodded. The Doctor quickly picked up that something was up as Pick sighed.

There was no avoiding it, after all. Pick just wanted to get the ugly stuff out of the way; the accepted truth he had been living with.

“I did, Nacreous,” the stallion said softly. “I would like you to listen what I have to say, and then give your honest answer. That is all I would ask.”

The hippogriff blinked, making sure the door was closed and a privacy spell erected around the room.

“Of course.”

Pick took a deep breath. It was never easy saying this to himself, harder when it was out loud.

“I am dying, Nacreous,” the stallion said calmly. The Doctor stiffened in surprise, Pick letting out a soft chuckle. “But you knew that from the minute you saw me, didn’t you? I do want to know if you picked up on that.”

“Yes,” Nacreous replied softly.

“Well, I’ve found a way to measure my time, funny enough,” Pick continued. “My magical reserves are diminishing at linear rate. This illness is slowly consuming me, magically and physically. I have a month or two at most. I also want you to know that I found the source of my illness, before I ask you my question.”

That caught Nacreous’s attention even more so, Pick gesturing tiredly to a stack of papers on the nightstand.

“You’ll find my research there,” he said, “I’ve been a sneaky stallion in my time. Varti installed some monitoring posts and I have had time to send various information back and forth to your mages up north. They confirmed that the poison in my body has been seen recently. Well, they don’t know it has, but I do. I haven’t spread that information around due to how important it is.”

“What are you saying, Pick?”

“I’m saying that those fanatics that bombed the warehouse I was at years ago? Whatever they used matches traces I picked up in a total of three different areas and time periods,” Pick stated, “The first being in the accident I was involved in, the second the lab explosion my brother was dispatched to most recently. The third was earlier today. The remote sensors are a ninety percent match- there’s some stuff that’s new, but the core material is there.”

Nacreous stared at the unicorn, not entirely sure what to say.

“Meaning, more than ten years ago these freaks were working on this formula. I don’t know how or why, but it’s all connected, and now they’re back.” Pick’s teeth ground on each other, the unicorn forcing down a surge of anger. “Back to finish the job! And they got my brother! I think he was the target from the start! I was just bait to see how he’d react, and it worked!”

“It’s not your fault, Pick, even if that is the case.”

The unicorn let out an angry huff, head hanging as his uncut main fell in front of his eyes.

“I know. I don’t feel guilt over that. What I do feel is anger. I’m stuck in this room while my brother is likely being either tortured or killed. Don’t sugarcoat it, Nacreous. You’re too smart for that. But Toxic will fight, and I would be a sad excuse of a brother if I just accepted my fate to fade away! Toxic taught me that, to fight, to help others. I’ve always respected him for that, even if I haven’t understood it completely.”

Pick then gestured to another stack of papers with a slight smile.
“I’ve been busy, and I have found a way to cure my illness with the help of your archivists. Well, it’s more of a cure for everycreature else in my position, a healthy mind in a decaying body. For myself, it’s a cure in the sense of curing a broken limb is to cut off the entire appendage. Success rate is about…eh, seven out of ten if I use some generous rounding of numbers. Very generous rounding, I might add.”

“Considering the alternative, those are still fantastic odds,” Nacreous mused. “But it’s not a simple cure, I take it?”

Pick laughed.

“Oh, naturally! I am asking you this because it involves your consent and your subjects. I have run the numbers, the magic required; and until recently I didn’t have a magical catalyst, a copy of the spell needed to preserve my mind on the transfer.”

Nacreous’s eyes widened; he could see where this was going.

“You did it once, Nacreous, for the clan of Archivists. I’m asking for your permission and help to do it again,” Pick said, levering himself up onto all four hooves, swaying slightly. “Varti has helped me construct a hybrid golem with Coarse Pen’s help, and we’ve refined the spell for this specific, one-time use. All they are waiting for is your approval. My mind is still intact; my body failing. If nothing else, will you allow me to try this?”

Nacreous stared in surprise; this unicorn had been busy indeed, and behind his back no less.

“Please don’t blame either of them. I found out about the magic and such all on my own. I may have been a bit persistent in asking Coarse about the specifics,” Pick admitted. “And I know there are risks. Heck, I won’t age, and that brings a whole new set of issues. But I want to try.”

The Doctor couldn’t help but chuckle, a surprised smile dawning on his beak.

“How could I say no?” he replied, “you’ve already done the work. I will talk with Celestia, but this is within my domain to answer. I never thought my spell would work, but if you have crafted your own, then you have my permission to do so. I assume you understand the sensitive nature of all this?” Nacreous confirmed, “Granting a timeless existence, more or less, is something we cannot take lightly. However, I do know you and Coarse have been working on Golem’s being an alternative to serious illness and disease. Will this aid in such an endeavor?”

Pick nodded firmly.
“Even if the spell completely fails for myself, then it still can be adjusted to not last forever. Even if I die in this effort, others can have a chance. Ponies can have a life, staying with their families, growing up and aging normally, just with a body that doesn’t deteriorate and hurt. The anti-aging aspect can be a tightly held secret or spread to everypony; that’s not really my concern. Myself or Coarse Pen can’t adjust it until it’s tested though, whether I survive or not.”

“I am curious what you are using as the catalyst spell. I used my own curse as a template to not age- what are you using?” Nacreous asked curiously. He knew he was treading on sensitive ground; the spell Celestia had crafted for an emergency ascension was similar to this, but much more refined.

“I’d…I don’t want to get her in trouble,” Pick admitted. “So please keep this between yourself and Celestia.”

“Of course.”

Pick looked over to the googly-eyed seashell fondly, the stallion actually blushing as his gaze drifted to the ground, ragged grey mane drifting across his brow.

“I have a…friend, and we’ve been steady pen pals for a year or two. Apparently one of her artifacts has an optional ‘don’t age’ spell for royals. The current queen just didn’t want to use it for her own sanity, which I can respect. Enough traces of that spell remain in the Hippogriff’s pearl fragments to be used as a template even in a passive sense.”

Nacreous stared at the stallion who didn’t quite meet his gaze.

“You have got to be kidding me. A Princess is involved in this?!” he asked smacking a set of claws to his face with a groan as Pick shook his head.

“What?! No! It’s not the Princess!” he protested. “From what I hear, Skystar has someone else on her mind, some mysterious gryphon captain. It’s one of her best friends, Salina Blue, and we are just- she’s a…friend! I told her what I was planning, roughly. It’s not like we need to destroy a piece of a pearl, just use it as a copy!” Pick protested, very much failing to hide the continual blush on his cheeks.

‘Friend’ indeed.

“And may I ask if this hippogriff is single? I assume that had nothing to do with any of these plans?” Nacreous mused, the stallion still refusing to look at him. Pick finally did, however, jaw set firmly as he shook his head.

“She had nothing to do with that, no,” Pick admitted. “Nacreous, I was dying, am dying. Until two months ago I didn’t know this was even a possibility. I made my peace, even told Salina some of my funeral arrangements. She promised she’d attend.”

That made the hippogriff pause; he forgot who he was talking to. For his oddities, Pick was certainly more aware of his situation more than most.

“Exactly. It didn’t sit right with me to expect anything more than a friendship with me, not when I know I’m going to die in a month, maybe two. I have a week or so before my situation greatly deteriorates,” Pick explained, his expression sobering but with a hint of fondness. “She made me laugh, Nacreous, even gave me a shell with google-eyes to name, just as she suggested to Skystar. I got to laugh, to feel normal. Even on the days when I wasn’t sure why I still clung on to living in this room, I got to feel like a normal pony laughing with their friend. You’re a doctor- you know how valuable those moments are. And Salina gave me lots of them.” The stallion shrugged. “How could I not like that? Really, really like that? But I couldn’t think about it in a different sense, I had to stay focused,” Pick let out a sigh, shaking his head.

“I have to try this now or never is what it comes down to. If Salina wants to stay friends andmaybeseewherethingsgo after that…I dunno,” the stallion shrugged. “I’m still trying to change my mindset to ‘might not die’ instead of ‘definitely will die.’”

“Well, Pick Shield, you have my blessing and my help,” Nacreous rumbled, then eying a drawing sticking out from underneath the other stacks.

“May I ask what…?”

Pick retrieved the drawing, showing the sketch of an airship with a hearty grin.
“I may love magical theory, but I also picked up on my dad’s love for machines. You didn’t think Varti designed all airships for Toxic’s organization, did you?” the cheeky stallion’s smile then widened.

“Did you know they offer a distance learning program for airship pilots? Learning everything except the actual hoofs-on experience? You’d be amazed at how much you can get done from a hospital room. Simulated piloting, gunnery courses, engineering troubleshooting, fleet tactics, simulated battles…”

Now Nacreous couldn’t help but grin at seeing the fiery determination in Pick’s eyes.
“And this wouldn’t have to do with the fleet of as-yet-vacant airships without a Commander, now would it?”

“I’m going to help my brother, Nacreous,” Pick stated firmly, eyes narrowing. “Those monsters took my life away, and now they’re coming after my big brother and the one creature that has been able to ease his pain! Regardless, my gift to him will live on even if I die and can’t do anything else; my designs for his organization, my recorded messages, the airships, everything. And now I can for a certainty help others avoid the situation I’ve been given. Seven out of ten chance that I live? I’d do it if it was a hundred to one!”

“Let me know when you plan on starting. If I can help, I most certainly will,” Nacreous said with caring smile.

“Thank you, Nacreous.”

After the Emperor left, Pick immediately sent some pre-recorded messages, hopping up and down despite knowing it’d leave him in pain for an hour.

Worth it.

The stallion then wrote two words on an enchanted parchment with his mouth-grasped pen, sending it off to two individuals; one in an island laboratory, the other in the frozen North.

‘Green Light!’

His eyes then drifted over to a family picture, the unicorn gritting his teeth.

Hang in there, big bro. You were there for me once, now let me do the same!

Just hang on!

“We have them both, Highness,” the Bringer said with a barely-suppressed grin of pride. His forces had taken some casualties, true, but they had delivered both individuals relatively unharmed.

“Very impressive,” the shadowy head said with a fanged smile. “And the tranquilizers?”

“I’ve given the pony another double-dose. It took a bit longer than we thought to work, but he has been completely out of it. The Equestrians tried to conceal his medical history, but we dug up the correct drugs,” the Bringer chuckled. “Shall I begin the analyzing of his abilities? Copying over a cutie mark like this has never been done before.”

“Yes. You said the calibration will take some time?” the Shadow said calmly. “His promotion to that filth’s ‘Guardian’ will likely scramble the magic.

“No more than an hour or two, Highness, even with the odd magical shielding he has. What of the gryphoness? The tranquilizers are starting to wear off.”

The shadow let out a huff, an ethereal hoof now coming into view and waving dismissively.

“I doubt his cooperation can be forced even with her life in the balance. Now that we have been able to examine him, it’s impossible to assimilate him with any of my followers due to the protection he has,” the Shadow remarked. “I had hoped to force at least some of his cooperation, but his capture proved that such a thing is folly. Kill her. I don’t care what happens to her as long as her dead body is the result. No reason to waste any more resources on her.”

The Bringer let out a chuckle, bowing before making his way downstairs.

“As you wish, my Lord.”

Some time later

“Princess, I,” Spectrum began, head then bowing as a few tears welled up in her eyes. “The new reports of my Son, is he…?”

The Mare had run into Celestia walking the halls; new information swirling about from supposed eye-witnesses having come in over dinner. It was troubling indeed, at least on the surface.

“Walk with me, Spectrum,” Celestia said, casting powerful privacy spells around them as they strode the halls.

“The newest eyewitness says they were drugged, right? A pony from the eatery? A dozen creatures who witnessed the fight?”

Spectrum nodded, trying to hold back more tears.
“And t-that my son collapsed. They’re h-helpless! H-he…”

Celestia stopped, not able to resist a genuine smile.
“Spectrum, do not mistake my apparent lack of worry for lack of care,” she said gently. “I know you do not have a high opinion of me, and rightfully so. But please trust that your son is more capable than you realize. The tranquilizers couldn’t have worked, not without a ludicrous amount of luck.”

Spectrum lifted her head at that.

“W-what?”

“Toxic is immune to almost every single tranquilizing agent in our medical arsenal,” Celestia said, finding herself increasingly proud of letting Toxic’s mother know of his accomplishments. For so long it had been shrouded in secrecy, yet now there was a pony who deserved to know, a mother who should have known from the start.

“Part of his job is discovering the limits of his abilities. We’ve tested hundreds if not thousands of compounds, and we found only one that is able to put him to sleep effectively, and that’s at a specifically high dose; any variation above or below it renders the drug useless. Nocreature knows what the compound and dose is outside myself and Luna; I haven’t even told Nacreous or Shifting yet. Knock-out spells would have been disrupted by Toxic’s armor and the magical interference, probably why they didn’t use them.”

Spectrum’s eyes widened at that.

“So, he…”

“Was faking it, yes. Assuming it’s not a new concoction, but there’s no reason why they’d try something untested,” Celestia confirmed. “There are no fewer than a dozen misdirects in Toxic’s medical files, all leading to dead ends and a ‘hidden’ real drug or two that, by the mountains of false reports we constructed, would falsely appear to work. However, those drugs are ultimately useless against Toxic. Your son was not knocked out if the darts and such are true.”

Spectrum didn’t say anything to that, but it was clear her trepidation had fled for the moment.

“There is another reason I am less worried for Toxic,” Celestia said. “In his training, your son was known by many things, some less-than-polite names to be sure. But one thing they never called him was a coward or a quitter.”

Lifting her head, Spectrum managed a smile at that.

“Your son has training in escape and evasion, as well as extensive training to survive on his own in a hostile land,” Celestia said, now smiling as well. “In fact, he is one of the few who…” she caught herself at that. There were some things that should not be-

No.

“Spectrum, I tell you this because Toxic is your son, and because you deserve some comfort which I cannot otherwise give,” Celestia said, standing up a bit taller. “Your son was the first of my Rangers.”

Unseen by all the guards who prowled outside the large metal cages, the eyes of a blue stallion cracked open to look at the dark stone wall, his back to the front of the enclosure. Covered by his raised forelimbs which had conveniently flopped over his face, the magical restraining ring began to glow an angry red, the overload starting to peel away the metal bit by bit. The bindings around the pony’s hooves had already been loosened by small movements over the course of an hour. Flickering over to look at an unconscious gryphoness, the green eyes closed again, dark magic leaking out from their edges.

“Ranger?” Spectrum asked.

“His designation was only temporary, and the program was meant to be as well,” Celestia admitted. “It was first created as a smokescreen to cover up Toxic’s involvement in the Klugetown incident, to protect Equestria’s reputation in a sense, having a legal explanation for his actions. For a time, Toxic was entrusted to act irrespective of political boundaries and my consent, an oath-less guard that I gave the authority to save ponies outside my jurisdiction. Do you understand, Spectrum? I trusted your son enough to make decisions that could potentially backfire on Equestria itself. For all his troubles, emotional turmoil, and complete lack of faith in me, Toxic never misused that privilege,” she explained.

“After the Klugetown incident, I knew he would act in that manner regardless. He only acted one more time under that authority in a minor incident but saved a few lives regardless. As I said, it was more of a formality to protect Equestria against legal action but this situation is not something new to your son. The courses he passed with flying colors were used a template for a few Rangers still currently in my service. They are an independent division of my Legionnaires, and your son was, informally, the first.”

Celestia couldn’t help but look out the window at the setting sun, Spectrum following her gaze.
“As I told Gelliana’s parents, your son risked his life to save creatures he barely knew outside of Varti’s daughter,” she said softly. “How much more power and will do you think he’d muster for a gryphoness that has captured his heart? Do not worry too much for your son, Spectrum. I am not about to let him go either.”

Despite her better mood, Spectrum couldn’t help but frown slightly at that. Celestia saw that, and decided to make a point. A good point, but one nonetheless.

“Spectrum, I know you doubt me, and do not fault you for that. But I promise that rescuing Toxic and Gelliana is one of my highest priorities.” Celestia then sat down, wings drooping. “But I must put Equestria over the life of the one or two. That is the burden of the crown.” She then stood, letting a bit more of her sun’s power trickle through.

“But I promise, if I can save them, I will!” Golden armor shone on her chest, Celestia’s mane igniting into fire even as her eyes shone with sincere kindness. “I am not omnipotent nor all-powerful, but Toxic is still one of my ponies. And I will defend them!”

Her power faded, Celestia returning to her usual, gently-smiling self.
“But until I can have a target to fight against, we must trust in your son. For all of the tasks I have given him, Toxic hasn’t failed a single one.”

“Never?” Spectrum asked softly, the intent of Celestia’s words clearly having softened her view further.

“No. More than a hundred calls to action, and he has always gone above and beyond what I have asked. He may not consider me a close friend, but I would rely on him in an instant. And now we both must do so. I trust your son, and with that trust, I know he’ll be ok.”

Spectrum leaned over onto Celestia’s forelimb, the mother letting out a soft sniffle.

“Thank you, C-celestia.”

The mare didn’t see how the Princess’s own eyes dampened, the alicorn spreading a wing over the distressed mother.

“You are most welcome.”

Spectrum didn’t miss the soft whisper that left Celestia’s lips, the temperature of the room increasing ever so slightly.

“Come home to us safe and sound, Toxic. And bring Tartarus down onto whoever took you and Gelliana.”

“Oh. H-he will,” Spectrum sniffed. “He never quits. And G-gelliana has made him so happy. The w-way he talks about her…”

That brought a smile to Celestia’s face. She knew the pair weren’t at the verbal stage of saying it just yet.

But love was a powerful thing indeed.

Toxic’s body felt like ground meat.

Being carried for what felt like hours over the back of a smelly reptile had hardly been high on his list of ‘things to do’, but it beat getting stabbed.

Thankfully, there was a spell to mimic being knocked out, including general numbness of limbs. Who knew?

Well, he did, for one. But that was now wearing off, the stallion only having caught glimpses of where the creatures were taking him after being ‘knocked out’. The air had changed from an oppressive, humid swampy-like atmosphere to a colder, brisker climate. Claws and hooves had pounded on stone instead of squishy ground or pine needles; apparently their teleportation spell didn’t get them that close.

As the had light changed, Toxic had cracked his eyes ever so slightly before closing them again. They had come inside a mountain now, high, high up, the sloping path telling him as much. The sound of industry and arcane spells being cast now echoed all around, an odd, guttural language hurting his ears. It was the language of the badlands and of another tongue, ancient and foreign mixed with the common language.

With a heave, he had been tossed onto the ground, the spell aiding in letting Toxic having his limbs flop this way and that. It was a simple move to have his forelimbs cover his horn and looked completely natural. He had heard a softer impact of Gelliana being tossed down; heavy locks and doors being shut. They were in cages, that much he knew.

If they hurt her…

Escaping from a magical horn-restraint was one of the first things he learned in his hybrid Legionnaire/Ranger training. The device relied on blocking ALL magic from even leaving one’s horn.

But what if you just start to cast a spell over and over again?

It would leave him with a massive headache, but the constant micro-pulses of magic would eventually overload even the most durable horn-locks. That was their fatal flaw. It wasn’t really even well-known because training yourself to ‘sort of’ cast a spell took quite a bit of instruction.

Instruction that Toxic had dedicated himself to for hours on end.

A flicker of magic made the Unicorn’s hair stand on end- some sort of spell that was beginning to sweep him from head to tail.

“How long is this supposed to take?” a gruff voice asked, the cage creaking as the creature leaned on it.

“From what I just heard? An hour or two. Boss says then we’ll know how to extract his magical whatever. I dunno. Ponies and their cutie marks just is a weird thing to me,” said another. “No idea how they’re going to give it to us. I don’t want some mark on my rear.

They’re trying to extract my cutie mark?!
My resilience to toxins. That would make sense, especially if I’m the only who one can combat their weapons. They’d need that for their troops; then they could blanket everything with it. A perfect, deadly cloud to take a city without a fight.

Then I have an hour or so to plan my escape. Make for the tunnel they brought me in through.

“What about the gryphon?”

“Well, all I know is the most recent order is to make sure she ends up dead. What happens before that, boss doesn’t care.”

“Oh, really?”

The malevolent chuckle made it feel like Toxic’s veins burned with magma.

You filth. Lay one claw on her…

The unicorn’s horn suppressor began to glow brighter and brighter, Toxic letting his eyes crack open slightly. Dark magic flared from behind partially-closed lids, rage feeding the power coursing through his frame. Shadows began to crack the magical restraint even faster, digging into the metal eagerly.

Just like I learned with Nacreous. Dark magic isn’t evil.
Neither is rage, anger; it can be for the good of others. You just have to focus.
I have to focus!

There was a soft whine, metal beginning to voice its distress as it flaked off and cracked from around Toxic’s horn.

“Well, if that’s the case…” the reptile chuckled as keys jangled against a lock.

The boiling in Toxic’s blood reached a critical point; he knew that tone, that malevolent, slimly edge to words. His limbs shook with pent up anger and power, the unicorn’s muscles bunching.

There had been few times he had been this furious, this eager to tear into a creature.

Another just like the other one in the eatery! I gave him a chance at life! How many more of these creatures squandered it?

I won’t be too late ever again!

“What’s that look for? You want to go-”

The air ignited.

With an air-ripping roar that made Toxic’s ears ring, the unicorn sent the pent-up overload of magical energy tearing in the direction of the voice, angled upwards and away from where he had glimpsed Gelliana lying on the floor.

The reptile didn’t get to finish his vile thoughts, eyes widening slightly as he staggered, leaning on the large iron cage with a wet cough.

Toxic’s sides heaved as dark shadows bled from his frame, armor slamming onto his body with bolts of blue lightning. Two pinpricks of pain dotted his flank- but the unicorn paid it no mind as he bared his fanged teeth in rage.

The targeted reptile finally fell to the ground in a puddle of gore, the left half of his body having been completely blown away by the magical beam of unfocused energy. An arrow glanced off Toxic’s chest, the amulet worn around his neck deflecting the projectile. Apparently, there were more creatures watching them than the stallion initially thought.

The entire scene seemed to freeze for a moment, Toxic taking in his surroundings. The two cages he and Gelliana had been kept were placed against a wall, a massive, dome-like room spreading out in front of them. It could easily fit a hoofball stadium or two, boxes and odd crystal device scattered here and there. A smattering of tunnels led off into deeper sections of the mountain where the glow of what must be forges burned, loud voices echoing from the others.

Dozens of creatures now stared in shock at the unicorn and molten hole on the opposite wall, the individuals apparently having moved supplies here and there. It appeared to be a holding area-slash-supply depot, large stone and metal stairways leading up to floors built higher in the mountain. A few bits of wooden scaffolding spread across the roof of the mountain room, dark figures moving to and fro rapidly; likely the archers watching the cages.

Considering the number of creatures Toxic had killed in the Eatery, they probably wanted to avoid confrontation on the ground. Smart, to a point.

Toxic sent a second spell through his horn, grinning wickedly as dozens of runes now began to blossom across the floor and distant walls as he whipped his head across a wide angle, sending the spells splashing across all surfaces.

Burn in Tartarus, you demons!

The symbol of the Solar Princess shone bright as day; the locator runes melting the walls as the powerful magic attempted to pierce the heavy shielding around the mountain. The unfortunate creatures caught in the grasp of the runes that landed on the ground flashed to ash in an instant. The tuned magical suppression fields were already making Toxic’s head ache- he hadn’t noticed them at first.

Not that it mattered.

As the last of his armor clamped around his torso, Toxic noticed two large syringes sticking out from a bare point in his back-left haunches, the armor not attaching due to the pointy obstructions. Apparently somecreature had been watching them with more tranquilizers at the ready; pity they didn’t work. Yanking out the syringes, Toxic felt the final piece of armor cover the exposed spot as a flurry of arrows glanced off his back.

Ripping through the thick metal cage with a shove, Toxic took aim and sent two blasts of his gauntlet towards the approaching creatures, one of them connecting and melting the reptile where he stood.

That made the group pause, one of them appearing rather ill at seeing their friend reduced to a pile of gore and charred bone.

Scooping up Gelliana with a magical heave, Toxic slung her across his back and began to gallop towards the distant large doors. There was glimmer of something in his peripheral vison, and the stallion managed to slap the tranquilizing dart out of Gelliana’s side a split second after it had hit her, the stallion boosting the magical shields around his precious cargo.

“STOP HIM!” a deep voice bellowed, shadows seeming to lengthen as something neared the upper staircase. The voice was clear as day despite being across the massive room. “DESTROY THE RUNES!”

As reinforcements poured from the side tunnels, half desperately tried to disrupt the locating spells, the other half charging towards Toxic. The stallion was already on the move, galloping full-speed towards a metal door with no fewer than ten guards by it.

Hang on, Gells!

It wasn’t so much as a single spell that poured from Toxic’s horn, but raw leyline energy that coated his body like a film, speeding up his movements. The armor’s build-in shielding protected Gelliana for the moment, Toxic not even slowing as he slammed through a reptile trying to stop him and sent the creature slamming into the wall. A second reptile swung a sword- the weapon glancing along Toxic’s outstretched forehoof as he broke every bone in the creature’s head with a furious, passing blow.

The solid metal door was peeled aside like an orange skin, the leyline energy making Toxic’s armored body act like a hot knife through butter. They were out-

And airborne, the unicorn’s rage fading to shock and surprise.

Toxic only barely managed to activate the winged slow-fall spells as they fell down the side of the mountain, completely having missed the slowly-sloping stairs and ramps to the side. It was an effective entrance, preventing any enemy forces entering head on.

His hooves hit solid stone, the added weight to Toxic’s frame sending him skidding through any small protruding rocks as they slid down an impromptu slide, the stallion finding himself now zipping down the face of half a mountain.

Ok. Somehow escape, check. Sliding down a mountain is the immediate problem.

…Time for the Baker’s Dozen! This will wipe me out, but good luck tracking me after this!

The spell was nicknamed after an incident with Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and a pastry bake-off. Apparently, it had also involved a teleportation spell, five watermelons, a can of hair-gel, three cardboard boxes, and an alarming amount of sugar.

Regardless of its origins, the Baker’s Dozen spell was the best anti-tracking magic available, a powerful teleportation spell that sent out teleportation mimics in five directions other than the one the user went. After completion, it duplicated five more times in addition to the caster’s jump, hence the ‘baker’s dozen.’ The end result was a hopping, multi-stage teleportation spell that appeared the exact same in six different directions for some distance.

Unfortunately, while Princess Twilight could cast it with ease, it would wipe out any other skilled unicorn for the day or more without mana batteries.

Keying up the spell for maximum distance and dispersion, Toxic directed the leyline connections to dump as much power as needed into the casting; the armor’s power levels visibly dropping. And that was in addition to the mental strain the unicorn felt, pressure stabbing at his temples.

Come on!

The ground was fast approaching, and Toxic could make out the ruins of some sort of temple-like structure at the base of the mountain. As they got ever-closer, the unicorn felt the spell finally activate.

Track this!

With a bolt of pink energy that smelled vaguely of cotton-candy, the teleportation spell blasted out a hole in the mountain, the unicorn being sent to the outer reaches of what a typical teleportation spell could safely transport. And then again, and again…

They were free, but where were they?!

The large, fanged head of what appeared to be a shadow-pony glared at his Bringer, the gryphon letting out a frustrated grunt.

“They have escaped. At least for now. I would not worry, Highness.”

“Why would I worry? The one individual capable of stopping us is free,” the creature hissed sarcastically, a dangerous edge to his tone.

“Highness, I took some precautions that no other creature knew about, I wanted to further prove that you could trust in my efforts,” the Bringer stated calmly, now actually smiling as he tossed a large, metal tube to the Shadow. A simple appendage caught the item, looking it over curiously.

“Oh? Taking some initiative? I am intrigued. Why should I not worry then?”

“Because I instructed my best sharpshooter to load his custom tranquilizing darts with that.”

The Shadow paused, and then began to laugh. It started as a mild chuckle, then evolved to a full belly-laugh, if the creature even had a belly.

“A-and how much did our troublesome unicorn take?” the Shadow wheezed, the Bringer still grinning.

“Two extra-large syringes. The gryphoness probably only had a drop or two of it, the unicorn tore out the syringe before it could inject any more. But that’s of the concentrated formula, not even in its aerosolized form so she’ll be dead fifty times over. For the pony? He got about as much as can fit in that container. He’ll be dead in a few days, the body dissolved to sludge within a week. With luck he’ll die in a creek and poison everything downstream for a decade. Eventually we’ll be able to see the die-off from the air where his body once was.”

The Shadow snorted, tossing the large tube back to the gryphon with an approving nod.

“I give him a week at most, maybe two due to his tenacity. Well done, my Bringer. I can indeed trust you it would seem. I assume that your efforts to find him will not slacken, however?”

“Of course not. To trust in one outcome would be folly. We are beginning the search as I speak, but the spell he used will hamper our efforts.”

“Good. However, you must first deal with the individual at our borders. Tread carefully, she is not to be underestimated.”

The gryphon winced, knowing full well who it was that his Master spoke of.

A meteor tore the sky asunder.

Ancient armor wrapping around her body, the Solar Empress ripped through the sky towards the last of her flickering beacons. Inwardly she seethed, but Celestia’s rage was tempered by the loving kiss her Fiancé had given her moments ago; he would meet her as soon as she arrived, the Paladin having summoned his own armor.

I am so sick of these underhanded creatures attacking my ponies! The Emissary, this new Shadow; and now targeting the one pony I continually can’t protect.

Not until now!

She wasn’t sure how much would actually be on the table in terms of action; but what the Princess did know was that no fewer than ten emergency beacons had lit up across her spell detection network. They had been frantically extinguished, their location scrambled by the same powerful magic that prevented her from teleporting in. But she had gotten a good enough fix; south of the Dragon Lands border and deep in the thick abandoned forests of that continent near a mountain range.

Celestia’s senses hit a literal wall as she sped over the forests, the Alicorn letting out a frustrated snort. There was a shield, a massive one over this area. A mountain was visible in the distance, an odd, cylindrical formation at the top of it, like a vacuum that pulled in clouds and spat out darker ones on the other side.

“So, this is where the slime hides,” Celestia hissed, settling on the ground that was instantly scorched to glass with every step. Standing close to the invisible shield, she probed it with a series of spells, quite impressed (albeit annoyingly so,) that the projection was quite advanced. Despite the range and distance, it contained enough power to knock even her unconscious, or at least close to it.

“You found them,” Nacreous said calmly, the armored paladin walking up to Celestia’s side. He poked the shield with his staff, frowning as it was halted immediately. “That is a powerful spell.”

“Too powerful to venture into. This is an odd magic; more power is here than should be possible,” Celestia mused, then noticed an odd, grey shape approaching. It appeared that despite looking translucent, the shield masked the real individuals on the other side.

Stepping out of the shield, a familiar gryphon appeared and looked at the pair, a cocky grin on his face.

“The Bringer, I presume?” Celestia asked bluntly, the gryphon nodding.

“Indeed. Welcome to our Kingdom, even if it is lacking in formality as of yet,” the Bringer stated with a chuckle. “But all of that will be completed in due time.”

“You will return the creatures you have stolen,” Celestia said, gaze refusing to leave the gryphon as her mane became flecked with flame. To his credit, the Bringer only flinched slightly before regaining his confidence.

“Unfortunately, that is out of my power to do so. I can, however, promise that our borders will not expand beyond this shield. I believe it’s an area equivalent to half of Equestria in size.”

It was meaningless banter, and Celestia knew it.

“Return my subjects,” she said finally, the gryphon shaking his head, now actually smirking as shadows began to leak from his frame.

“No. My Master has forbidden such.”

“Then you have declared war on Equestria and her allies. Your claim is not recognized,” Celestia countered.

“My Master expects war. You are quite powerless to help, Princess Celestia,” the Bringer chuckled. His demeanor changed abruptly, eyes glowing white as his voice deepened. “But you can watch, perhaps hear his screams…”

The goading had the desired effect; or, more likely, Celestia was beyond caring. The magical blast that hit the gryphon should have turned his body to ash.

Instead, he only chuckled, Celestia’s magic having been stopped a hairs-breath from his head. A black, mirror-like surface sucked in the attack completely as it vanished as quick as it had appeared.

“As I said, you are completely powerless here, Celestia!” the Bringer hissed with a laugh.

Two more blasts were equally nullified, Celestia now the one smirking.

“Fascinating that you would reveal your magical source so readily; that will be quite useful,” she said happily, her previous outburst clearly not having been much more than a sham, for the most part. The Princess’s eyes narrowed, sending another spell the Bringer’s way.

This time, the gryphon had nothing to block. He found his claws embedded in molten stone; his shadow-half preventing any injury. The Alicorn then took a step closer, flames licking from her frame. Now, her rage was quite real.

“You have attacked my subjects, and for that you will be destroyed,” she stated, “perhaps not today, or even tomorrow. But I will see to it that the stars themselves will wipe your kind from this earth.”

“Hollow words from an alicorn who can’t even hit me,” the Bringer teased, seeming quite at peace with being effectively imprisoned in front of the enraged Ruler. “My Master-”

“Is a coward for sending his lacky to relay words,” Celestia dismissed, “I’ve seen it a hundred times before. Where is this Master? Cowering behind mercenaries paid with coin and cider? This isn’t a kingdom; this is the start of a liquor bar! I’ve seen such childish ‘nations’ rise and fall dozens of times. This will be no different.”

The shadows darkened around the gryphon, a fanged mouth appearing to hover above the creature. Easily the size of Celestia, the shadowy head glared at the alicorn, letting out an angry growl.

“You cannot stop this, Empress of the Sun!” the creature retorted. “And you are one to talk of cowering. What have you done for a thousand years, after all?”

“Grown a nation of peace; much more than can be said for you,” Celestia replied dismissively, “the remnants of a Limbo Shadow, now trying to get a hold in this world? Did I guess correctly?”

The face laughed, a sincere, genuine and rather disturbing sound.

“You know nothing of me or my realm, Princess,” the creature chuckled. “you will not stop this. I will bring my kingdom to reign on this world; and perhaps in time I’ll give you back the body of your pony, at least when we have no more use for him.”

“So, it is war then,” Celestia whispered almost to herself, “So be it.”

“By all means, Empress, strike us down! Have your sister call the very moon upon us! You will find such magic quite useless,” the shadow-creature taunted.

Celestia smirked, casually sending a small solar flare zipping along the ground. The spell skirted the edge of the shield, large runes automatically being drawn in the ground as the spell vanished in the distance.

“You cannot prevent us from leaving!” the Shadow chuckled, watching as how the entire area was now encircled with a containment spell.

“It’s not a shield, it’s to let me know if you try to expand anymore, or if you try to leave,” Celestia explained. “I will not allow that. For all your lofty claims, that makes you my prisoner, shadow!”

That seemed to strike a nerve with the creature.

“Allow?! Prisoner!? You dare talk down to me?” it bellowed, “what can you do but issue threats! You dare not even strike me!”

“Is that an offer?” Celestia asked.

“If you can, Princess!”

Clearly the shadow didn’t notice that Celestia’s words were spoken almost eagerly, a certain hippogriff having to suppress a grin as he took a step back.

Nacreous watched as Celestia pulled off a piece of her armor. Crushing the metal into a ball that was promptly melted, the Alicorn flash-quenched the orb, then sending it spinning around her body. It quickly was lost from view, vanishing with a flash of light.

Only it was no longer in Equestria. Rather, it orbited a large, flaming lunar body in the sky for a few brief moments.

“Oh? Did you attack me with a marble?” the Shadow grinned, “It appears you missed.”

“You are cocky for a creature who should fear the light!” Celestia snarled, the white-hot projectile returning to her control and igniting the air around it. Punching through the center of the shadowy head, the sun-heated metal sent a supersonic crack ringing through the forest as it impacted the mountain in the distant range.

The shadow re-formed, appearing to wince as a white crack shone on its face as it looked towards the mountain, the odd, circular tube at the top of the outcropping now shattered to pieces.

That was in addition to the village-sized hole that now adorned what used to be the peak of the fortress, molten stone dripping off the impact site.

“Well played, and I suppose I did indeed ask for that. But our games have ended for now. Any more moves like that, and I will kill your precious pony. Perhaps the gryphon too,” the shadow grunted in annoyance.

“Yet if you do that, you lose the only leverage you have keeping your ‘empire’ from being destroyed. Do not think I will stand idly by,” Celestia reminded the creature with no small amount of internal satisfaction as it let out a rather angry growl. Using lives as a shield against her was effective; but it also ensured that the parties involved wouldn’t be killed out of necessity…yet.

The threat of killing Toxic and Gelliana was a vital bit of information. They were alive, and if her hunch was correct, they had escaped. It was unlikely the Shadow would reveal ever such; but the Princess had one thing this creature didn’t; experience.

And experience let her read this monster like a book. The slight clenching of the jaw, the ever so slight wavering gaze; Toxic and Gelliana were out of their reach, of that, Celestia was nearly certain. Hopefully her attack showed that they were not forgotten. The Shadow was also far too cocky, clearly not used to treating anycreature as an equal. She could use that to her-

Wait, what is that?!

A sudden burst of magic nearly drew Celestia’s attention away; but she still had a part to play.

“These are my final words, Solar Empress,” the Shadow growled, wincing as the white crack in its face pulsed. “If you attack us, I will ensure cities across your land and others will choke on their own blood before you wipe us out. That is my standing ultimatum.”

Celestia simply glared back in return; it was quite a lofty claim, but one she took seriously.

“So be it,” she stated. “Do not consider yourself safe here, Shadow.”

“Likewise.”

The fact that Celestia briefly had fangs seemed to shut the Shadow up, seeming to throw caution to the wind as its form dissipated, the meeting effectively concluded.

“I’m sorry I can’t do more, Toxic,” Celestia then whispered, audibly as a teleportation spell yanked them both back to Canterlot.

A stalemate.

A slight smirk managed to dawn on the Princess’s face at that. She now knew what spell had been triggered just after her attack.

A locating beacon, a simple ‘I’m here and ok’ spell, far outside the mountain.

At least Toxic is alive, and we have this creature contained, for now.

I won’t make the same mistake as I have with other threats. This is not something for the Elements. If they step a single claw outside that barrier, I’ll have Luna aid me in raining the sky down upon them.

I just hope I don’t have to choose between Equestria and Toxic, not again. I need to make sure that creature’s threat doesn’t come to pass.

The Bringer re-formed back in their fortress, his Master letting out a frustrated hiss.

“What did that mare do? That hurt! And now we have to re-build the entire delivery mechanism!” he growled, a stallion chuckling in the shadows, features cloaked by darkness.

“I tried to warn you both, and you did goad and ask for an attack. You are too cocky. Perhaps we can bypass any more games? You revealed far too much in that exchange. Bragging that you would kill them when they are our only leverage?” the pony let out a rather annoyed snort. “That was a duel with words that she won. No, they are out of our reach, even if it was a half-truth. Celestia likely saw through that. We also detected a surge of magic somewhere inside our shields; likely the unicorn trying to signal his Princess.”

“Bah. There is little she can do even if that is the case,” the Shadow creature said dismissively.

“That we know of. Do not forget the fate of the Ice King or the Emissary. Both had the same confidence you possess. Do not place our victory in one basket. We now have the Princesses and the Lord of Chaos united against us, and we cannot use the lives of our ex-hostages to guarantee our safety any longer. That puts us in a very dangerous situation. Your ultimatum exposed one of our actual plans. That was not wise, and they will redouble their efforts to secure their cities.”

That seemed to placate the larger Shadow, the individual letting out a huff. It was one of the few times the Bringer had seen his master so subdued by a mortal.
…..mostly mortal.

“As many times before, it would be wise for us to heed your words,” the Shadow mused. “I admit that my reign in Limbo may have clouded my judgement after such a millennium. I am not used to fighting forces that are my equal.”

“Potentially greater forces. And yes, I would agree,” the pony said calmly, waving a hoof. “But now, I need to return before I am missed. Thankfully the mis-directions we placed have worked and my identity is safe for now. That said, try not to get yourself killed, because I like to live as well. We must proceed and act as if we still have that pony and gryphoness; to do otherwise is to court the wrath of both the sun and moon.”

“Varti? What can I do for you?” Celestia asked, eyes widening as a familiar shadow-pony poked his head into the frame of the communications portal, the previously-mentioned yak simply gesturing as he moved out of the way.

“Princess.”

“Onyx? To what do I have the pleasure?”

“I know who He is.”

The way Onyx said that one word made Celestia’s blood chill slightly.

“I had to make sure, and I’ve been thinking ever since the attack, ever since I met my fellow shadow ponies. Seeing them made me remember. And I just felt another ripple of familiar magic.”

“Remember what, Onyx?” Celestia asked, not liking the prickling sensation that ran up her spine. The shadow pony refused to look at her, gaze darting about as if hidden forces were waiting for a moment of weakness.

“I remember who He is. Why I and Icait are abominations in His eyes. We betrayed him…”

“Who, Onyx?”

He now lifted his gaze, grey eyes full of turmoil and genuine fear.

“There are many rulers in Limbo, Princess,” Onyx explained. “Many who claim areas of the space and the subsequent creatures in it. Many have called themselves a King, but there are only a few who rightfully deserve the title.

He is one of the greater ones, bringing all the power and influence from his kingdom in Limbo to this world; The King of Shadows.”

Author's Note

Well dang! :moustache: Go Toxic!
And don't forget about Pick! :yay:
And now we finally get to see the enemy unveiled...

Chapter Twenty-Two: Lighthouse

Onyx shifted on the sofa with a grunt, the shadow pony shivering underneath the thick blanket. The scattered memories were few and far between, but at least he had done his duty.

The fact that Celestia seemed unnerved didn’t help his own confidence however.

“You ok?” Icait asked, the Windigo hopping onto the couch with him as Onyx’s ears flattened.

“I am not sure,” he admitted. “Remembering flashes of what life was like in Limbo is disturbing with the context of my new life. Just a whirlwind of emotion, a landscape that doesn’t make sense to my mind; but at least I know it’s a part of me that I can remember.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Icait said softly. “I can’t remember anything before I was ‘born’, only remember the feelings of hatred and stuff. Not fun at all.”

Now she was getting depressed. Onyx wasn’t about to have that at all. It didn’t suit the bubbly Windigo at all. After all, he was the grump.

The designated grump, at that.

“I heard you had another run-in with Knife Twist?” he asked, shifting under the blanket to then glance over to the Windigo, her ears promptly perking back up.

“Uh huh! We’re actually going to have lunch in a day or two with Luna. I think it helps her get over stuff, seeing that I really didn’t want to hurt her,” Icait explained. “It helps me too, knowing that even somepony that I hurt, even by inaction doesn’t totally hate me. It’s just…nice. Even if we never talk again, at least we can be on ok terms after my total blubber-fest when first meeting her.”

Icait then blushed, a bright pink against her ethereal, teal frame, prompting a raised eyebrow from Onyx.

“Huh?”

“I was just thinking,” she whispered, “I thought it was rather sweet. You being concerned when I started crying in the gym, and before that having taken those blades for me.”

Onyx let out a huff, definitely not blushing as well as his grey eyes drifted to the floor.
The blanket seemed much warmer, however. Did the temperature increase drastically? He’d have to ask about the air conditioning here.

“Well. I finally came to terms that you are my friend. And therefore, I should act like one,” he stated bluntly. “But that doesn’t mean I am giving up my grumpy card.”

Icait tried to laugh- but instead it came out as a half-snort that dissolved into a giggle.

“I w-want that t-to be a real b-business card!” she gasped, Onyx watching in amusement as she felt to the floor and struggled to breathe through giggles.

He wasn’t sure what the warm glow in his chest meant, but it was a nice feeling, despite it never having been felt until he was living in this world. Especially never until meeting Icait. It made him want to smile, and prompted a very simple resolution.

I need to get a business card.

“That’s a rather interesting report,” Shifting mused as Luna let out a rather annoyed groan, the Alicorn going over her own set of papers after flopping over her Fiancé’s back in exasperation.

“Indeed. My Sister learned quite a bit, and at least we have a target now, even if it is locked behind a shield,” Luna replied. “She believes Toxic is safe though, and that is a plus. How goes the training on your end?”

The Commander shrugged at that, levitating a report over to Luna, as he was rather immobile at the moment.

“Well, I’ve interviewed more drill Sergeants, revamped the training schedules and budget, the ranks are still growing, and the Lunar Knights are still in tip-top shape. By Equestrian standards, things are going extremely well.”

“…by other standards?” Luna asked, shifting over to settle next to Shifting. She couldn’t resist a grin at seeing her Fiancé pout. “Shifting, are you jealous? Of a certain organization I suspect?”

“MAYBE!”

“That’s a yes.”

Shifting couldn’t help but groan, gesturing to an obnoxiously sparse parchment.

“We barely have any information on the Last Light Island, and already they’re one of the most militarized organizations I’ve ever seen,” the Commander grumbled. “I know Equestria isn’t meant to have a strong military arm, recent events notwithstanding, but they have an airship navy that only needs crewing. An Airship. Navy. We have a few large retrofitted ships but nothing I’d trust to send into battle! Nacreous’s kingdom is the closest thing we have to compare, but they are specifically geared towards Windigo-type magic containment. Not this…” the pony’s voice trailed off, Shifting letting out a sigh.

“This organization is training for real-world combat in addition to chemical threats. I suppose I am both surprised, and very much not. I expected the void to be filled somehow, but I’m just surprised.”

“And…?”

“And yes, a bit jealous at their military capacity. For a charitable organization, they’re armed to the teeth,” Shifting grumbled. “And I’m more than certain they aren’t even showing a quarter of their capacity. Varti has the place locked up tight and certainly isn’t releasing any information.”

“Well, I know he, and Toxic have their reasons. We have to trust them on this,” Luna said in a subdued tone.

“And I do. It’s just surprising, but a bit of relief at the same time. At least we know they can handle themselves.”

Luna’s ears perked up in surprise as Shifting leaned over to give her a rather long kiss, then nuzzling her nose with his.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be-”

“Ooooh don’t you dare!” Luna interjected. “Don’t pull the ‘I wasn’t there to defend you’ line! Everything turned out alright, and we all can’t be there every single moment of the other’s life.”

Shifting blinked, Luna then scooting close to wrap a wing over her Fiancé, nuzzling the top of his head lovingly.

“I certainly wasn’t there for you for a thousand years,” she whispered, “so don’t you dare go down that train of thought. It’s just as silly. We’re both ok, and that’s what matters.”

Snuggling closer, the stallion let out an agreeing nod, enjoying the moments peace they had before duty would call once again.

“Well, fair enough then,” he replied with a grin. “It’s probably a good thing you couldn’t hear me all those years though. I occasionally talked to the moon, you know. Probably said some embarrassing things…”

Luna sat up straight in surprise at that.
“You what?”

A chime sounded, and Shifting literally bounded up and began to trot down the halls.

“Oh! There’s the timer! Back to work!”

“SHIFTING GET BACK HERE!”

The stallion raced pell-mell through the castle while cackling in defiance, much to the amusement of the few guards they passed.

Of course, one couldn’t interrupt such a chase between the Lunar Princess and her Commander. It was, naturally, a royal matter.

Toxic’s legs ached.

They, or rather, he had been trotting for a good few hours after the teleportation spell had thrown them clear of the mountain. Something had happened though, a loud CRACK that had made his ears ring as a projectile had impacted the mountain an hour ago. The rocky formation was now just a monolith in the distance, the top of the oddly-shaped peak, previously a tube that had pulled clouds in, was now shattered to pieces along with most of the top forth of the mountain.

If Toxic had to guess Celestia had made contact with their enemies. That was a comfort even if no further signs were given, despite the frantic rune he had sketched and sent up. If he could let her know they weren’t being held hostage perhaps she won’t pull any punches.

Then again if the mountain was any indicator the Solar Empress was very tired of playing the ‘nice’ Princess part, especially when dealing with these sorts of creatures. But for all he knew, the shield blocked it; he had to make it untraceable which reduced the spell’s power, and even then, Toxic had change course to throw off any pursuers.

Thankfully, locating beacon or not, there had been no sign of individuals following, and Toxic had changed course a few times to make sure along with a hoofprint-masking spell. They had passed from a foul swamp into a denser conifer forest, large boulders, bare dirt and roots becoming more prevalent, as well as some small caves. As well as he could tell, they were not on the Equestrian continent anymore, likely south of the dragon’s domain, judging by the occasional types of mosses present on the rocks.

The teleportation and continual hoofprint-masking spell had sapped the armor’s batteries, and the leylines weren’t seeming to be able to recharge them completely. There was an odd, slightly-sickening field of magic over this place that prevented Toxic from fully utilizing the leylines. It was like a dammed river, only a trickle seeping through, barely enough to power the armor outside of his own magical reserves. And even though they were far away from the mountain the field remained.

How big of an area have these creatures claimed? WHO is after me? That shadowy voice I assume is their leader? It didn’t sound like that gryphon, the Bringer.

There were a lot of questions on Toxic’s mind, but the more pressing matter was that of survival obviously. He had already tried another locator rune; but it had fizzled out. Apparently ‘they’ had learned and enhanced the suppression field around the territory which explained the annoying ache at the base of his skull.

But this far from the mountain? The amount of power such a spell would require put Canterlot’s shield to shame, Toxic’s island reactors at mere hoof-sized batteries in comparison.

No matter. I need to find somewhere safe. It’s going to get dark soon, and I have no supplies outside of the emergency kit on my flanks. I hope I have enough energy to activate those storage portals.

I never wanted to use them again, but here we are.

“Warning, subject’s vitals destabilizing,” a disembodied voice warned Toxic, the unicorn having set his suit to monitor himself and Gelliana.

What?!

Backtracking over some boulders, Toxic peered into a cave underneath a series of large trees. It must have been used by some sort of creature once upon a time, because while the entrance was barely the size of a pony the inside matched the space of the living room of a cheap apartment.

It would have to do. A small stream of fresh water trickled in from an underground stream and pooled slightly in the corner, indicating why the walls were rather mossy. It was a fair bit underground and didn’t smell horrible; so, this would be home for now. They had water, the dirt and rock walls seemed solid, and there was even an elevated area which could serve as a bed, dirt scooped out and mounded against a wall. A quick scan indicated there wasn’t any animal occupants, and hadn’t been for some time due to the lack of hair or other refuse.

Toxic gently lay Gelliana on the elevated dirt mound, sending his armor’s magical sensors scanning over her body.

“Unknown toxins detected,” the software said calmly, Toxic’s eyes widening in horror. This wasn’t a tranquilizer at all. “Correction, three neurotoxins detected- correction, five neurotoxins, correction-”

He shut off the audible alerts, the analysis seeming to fluctuate with every passing second along with Gelliana’s heartbeat and magical field. Creatures had two sets of vitals, even non-magical ones had a field of such energy, even if it was weaker. This pathogen seemed to be targeting both. If either of those failed, you’d perish.

His mouth was as dry as a desert, the unicorn quickly using the last of both his, and the suit’s magical energy to open a simple, pre-set storage portal. The odd interference made the spell flicker and fade, and Toxic was barely able to yank the three massive metal crates out from their location before the portal collapsed.

In fact, the rearmost part on the final crate was sheared off within the portal, lost to the magical ether as the spell failed, the batteries now flashing depletion warnings on his heads-up display.

The contents of the large military-like containers were simple; everything Toxic needed to survive with potential victims for an extended period of time in a hostile chemical atmosphere. There were a few additions for different threats, but ultimately the crates allowed a complete shelter-in-place scenario for some time.

Unfortunately, a battalion of Legionnaires couldn’t fit inside one of the crates; so, this would have to do.

Despite his heart thudding in his ears, Toxic opened the first large, stallion-sized crate, tapping a large, white, octagonal crystal located in the center of the container.

“Authorization code?” a feminine voice asked.

“Director Shield. Emergency authorization Alpha-Two-Seven-Gamma-Beta-Five-Five,” Toxic said with a trembling voice. “Activate Supplementary Magical Assistant Lexicon, full functionality.”

“Activating S.M.A.L Stand by.”

A mare snapped into focus, a magical projection full of pre-programed medical procedures and instructional lectures. While not a sapient program, the Golem could handle just about any medical emergency one could run in to; performing operations, assisting, even some experimental combat and support roles. And right now, Toxic needed all the help he could get.

“Awaiting instructions,” SMAL stated calmly, Toxic wincing as his magic sputtered, a defibrillator falling before he caught it.

“S-scan her!” he said quickly, the armor becoming heavier and heavier as its power source continued to be depleted. His own magical reserves couldn’t power the armor and levitation.

“Scanning. Stand by. Please authorize consent for continued treatment.”

“Yes, authorized as an emergency responder! Director level access across all functions, code beta-eight-five-five-two-zeta!”

Toxic activated the emergency escape of his suit, the armor not fading away in a burst of flame but instead simply falling to the ground in pieces. His magic no longer being used as a power source for the armor, the unicorn was able to ferry a few more items from the crate, namely two large boxes and what looked like a cross between an hourglass and a microscope.

Please let this be enough. What did they do to you, Gelliana?

Opening one of the boxes, Toxic looked at the array of graduated vials, each containing a different colored liquid ready to be loaded into a syringe; antitoxins to virtually every chemical weapon, biohazard, neurotoxin and various other oddball poison known to Equestria (and quite a few from other nations), enough for hundreds of doses. They weren’t for him but for any potential victims he may be isolated with. The broad-spectrum doses were still in approval by the Equestrian Government, but Toxic had utmost faith in Varti’s analysis. The cures were little to no risk of overloading the body, dissolving harmlessly in the bloodstream and being excreted normally, even with antiviral treatments.

The bonuses of magic; being able to bypass a potentially deadly cytokine storm for pathogens, and only targeting a present poison for those situations. The unused antigens wouldn’t activate and therefore leave the body without issue.

“Scanning complete. Unknown arcane-bonded chemicals detected, but that is changing,” SMAL mused, “best description is a mutagenic, magic-boosted blood poison that can mimic a wide array of chemicals and pathogens for an extended period of time.”

“Is that even possible?!” Toxic hissed, the Golem shaking its head.

“Unknown. This is not in any of my data files. Treatment must commence immediately or the patient will expire. Are you able to assist? Scans show your vital signs are abnormal.”

“I’m fine for now, she’s the priority. Yes, I can assist,” Toxic replied quickly.

“Please prepare the vials in this order. Colors will be used to save time in designating dosages. Do you understand these instructions?”

“Yes!”

“Please load the red vial first.”

Toxic slotted the large container into the delivery syringe, the needle hidden and aided by a spring mechanism.

“Please empty the syringe into the patent’s nearest shoulder.”

Toxic felt his hooves start to shake, the unicorn forcing the fear down. An entire vial had enough doses for dozens of patients many times over. To use the entire thing…

Injecting the entire vial into Gelliana’s shoulder, Toxic replaced the empty container, looking to the Golem as ‘she’ monitored the gryphoness.

“Next, the blue.”

The vials quickly began to run out. Blue, purple, yellow, clear, green; it was a rainbow of lifelines that was quickly vanishing. Occasionally Gelliana’s body glowed a soft white as the magic-enhanced chemicals did their work, but otherwise there was no visible change.

“Please inject additional doses of the blue vial from the other container; one half of the graduated amount.”

Reloading the syringe, Toxic followed the new instructions, depleting a good third of the second crate’s contents.

“Please use the entirety of either of the black syringes and that will conclude this portion of treatment.”

That caused the unicorn’s head to snap over to SMAL as Gelliana’s breathing became labored.

“Confirm?” Toxic asked in horror. The black syringe contained a last-resort antitoxin, a massive, physically punishing dose that would expel both magical and physical contaminants from one’s body. It was to be used only when other methods had failed; not when hundreds of doses of antitoxin had already been used! And even then, the black substance was to be used by the drop, not like this!

Toxic himself had only used it once, and he couldn’t move for hours afterwards; and that amount had been about ten drops.

“Analysis confirmed. Patient will require supportive care immediately after. Unless this final dose is utilized, other doses will not be sufficient and patient will die in less than ten minutes. The antigens, due to their high doses, will counteract the majority of the negative side effects of this final antitoxin.”

So, she’ll be ok? Not get laid out as I did with this dose?

Please, don’t let her suffer anymore.

Emptying the syringe into her shoulder, Toxic propped the gryphoness up into an easy-breathing position, watching as the medical golem continued to scan her. He could treat broken limbs, known illness and traumas; but this was entirely unknown.

I hate being so helpless.

“Toxin levels decreasing. Attention, patient will require defibrillation.”

Toxic retrieved the defibrillator, placing the two large pads underneath Gelliana’s feathers mechanically. He had done this before, but never with a gryphoness who he…

“Analyzing heart rhythm. Stand by.”

Tears began to stream from Toxic’s eyes, the unicorn feeling the wave of absolute horror starting to crest in his heart.

Not her. Don’t take her. Please…

“Shock advised. Please stand clear.”

She is here because of me. Don’t let her suffer on my account.

“Shocking.”

Gelliana’s body jolted, Toxic barely able to see through the tears. His own breaths came in short, panicked gasps.

I could lose her, just because she was close to me.

My fault.

“Analyzing. Additional shock advised. Shocking.”

Please.

Let me suffer, I’ll take it all. Just let her live.

A second jolt, but then the Golem nurse paused, nodding in approval. The action let Toxic breath again, the stallion’s limbs starting to quiver.

“Immediate treatment complete. Please retrieve supportive fluids, I shall administer the IV and monitor the patient. As predicted, the majority of the negative side effects of the final injection will not present themselves.”

Locating the pre-packaged IV backs and fluid held in magical suspension, Toxic numbly hung the bag on a tree root, sitting down as the Golem neatly slid the needle into Gelliana’s arm.

“I anticipate she will feel quite ill for a short time when waking up, but no lasting effects anticipated,” the mare turned to Toxic, eyes narrowing slightly. “You are my next patient. Please sit down as I scan you.”

Toxic did so, also fishing out a large orb from the first crate with his magic. Activating it with a tap, Toxic watched as a shimmering shield expanded, filling in every crack and crevasse of the cave from the outside world; an airtight seal through which magically filtered air could pass through in and out as needed. Sketching a rune with a stick across the ground and walls after the SMAL’s scan, Toxic breathed a sigh of relief as the magical symbols sputtered to life, the concealment spells both making their cave appear like a boulder and effectively hiding it from visual and magical view.

As the shield solidified, a strange pressure seemed to disappear from Toxic’s mind; barely noticeable, but his fear seemed a bit less now. The concealment spells were an after-thought addition to the crate’s years ago; and now it paid off.

But they were safe, at least as much as could be expected for their situation. He took a few moments to place the respective items next to their most-likely area of use; a water filtration crystal and filter to the underground stream, and a simple rune that burrowed a hole in the ground around one of the rocky ‘walls’ of the cave, a low-range spell incinerating anything that was dropped far enough down.

Water and waste disposal; two essentials.

After that, things became a blur for Toxic; the SMAL not recommending anything except supportive fluids for himself until they could complete a more in-depth scan. Apparently, his results were inconclusive.

Gells.

As mental and physical exhaustion made his limbs tremble, Toxic staggered over to lay on the ground beside Gelliana. With a shaking hoof, he reached up and held her claws, fresh tears now starting to fall from his eyes.

“Please be ok, please…” he whispered, the SMAL calmly tutting.

“Patient one will make a full recovery.”

The calm, pragmatic tone eased a bit of the worry in Toxic’s heart.
“Monitor us, please,” the Unicorn managed to say before the world began to fade to black.

“Command confirmed. Monitoring mode engaged.”

After the stallion had slipped into a dreamless sleep, the SMAL walked around their shelter and double-checked the various measures set in place. After she was sure he was asleep, the mare’s frame expanded and grew to a lankier size. Her eyes looked at the sleeping pair curiously, the mare’s head tilting as though not quite understanding, but then her expression softened at seeing Toxic holding Gelliana’s claws in an iron grip.

And then she was gone, the previous, static and stoic Golem figure standing guard silently.

Author's Note

Chapter Twenty-Three: Haven

It was done.

Varti hated the fact that he didn’t know the outcome, but Pick Shield’s condition would remain in limbo until the magical currents settled. The Yak, as per the unicorn’s wishes, would only be informed with a yes or no of the eventual success to avoid any potential confusion (or overthinking, for that matter). Pick had already spoken to his parents, but been quite adamant before the procedure to go through with it.

Having his brother stolen had struck a nerve, and Varti had never seen the unicorn so determined.

In a world where love, friendship, emotion can be harnessed, determination to save a family member may well turn the tide. The Yak mused, running through the standard checks on the Organization’s main reactor.

Things were starting to settle down thankfully, even if but a few days after the attack. Within two months, they’d have a good portion of their strength, the various trainings completed. Before that, they-

“How does it work?”

Varti nearly activated the internal defense grid, but the Yak paused on pressing the concealed button attached to his long furry coat.

“Come again?” he asked, looking over to the lanky, now armored mare who stood staring at the leyline reactor. Apparently, the Entity had been busy in the wardrobe department since her first appearance during the attack on the Organization.

“How did you overcome the arcane resistance? It should have blown this machine apart,” the mare asked, voice rough and wavering, but not with fear. It was as if she was not used to asking questions, only answering them.

“Nice to meet you again too,” Varti huffed. “I’m hesitant to tell you about anything until I know more, quite frankly. But you clearly handled yourself in saving this island, so you have my thanks.”

The mare actually winced at that, as if suddenly recalling what you should do when talking to another creature.

“I…” she paused, letting out a grunt of frustration. “My name is Fidelia. Or Fide for short.

“A version of the old poneish name meaning Devotedness. Interesting,” Varti replied calmly. “Well, nice to meet you, Fidelia. My name is Varti. So, you are Clari’s sister? I admit I do not know much about her, and therefore you.”

Fide let out an almost annoyed snort at that.
“I am very different from my sister. Knowing about her would do you no good,” she said roughly, ethereal ears then flattening. “I apologize. I am not used to dealing with mortals. Or anyone for that matter.”

“Forgiven. We all have our quirks. I have been called a mad scientist by more than one creature, so you’re in good, odd company,” Varti said cheerfully. “To answer your question, the reactor was actual able to work all due to Toxic. I originally followed Nicki Tesari’s designs, but that would have likely blown up in my face.”

“It certainly did for him,” Fide said.

“Toxic then had an idea. What if, instead of forcibly tapping into the leylines, it acts a miniature dam?”

“A dam?”

“Well, a hydroelectric one! There are a few in Equestria that I know of. The resistors are not used to control the leylines, only guide them through the crystal chamber,” Varti said, quickly losing himself in the excited explanation as he gestured to the device.

“Toxic was right. You can’t control leyline energy, not by brute force. It’s an emotional energy. So, we don’t even try. We let it pass through the interior naturally, only tweaked out into our plane for a brief moment. The natural bleed-off of such energy could power this island ten times over! The only thing limiting our power output are the resistors, which make sure the entire thing doesn’t melt.”

The expression of surprise on Fide’s face was rather endearing, the previous stoic mask shattering for a few moments.

“Toxic Shield thought of that?” she mused, the mask quickly settling back in place, the mare looking back at the reactor. “And then you built it? Interesting. My sister is not as reckless as I thought.”

“You almost sound impressed,” Varti huffed, waving a hoof at her.

“Almost.”

Varti had to stifle a chuckle at that. For being rather monotone and serious, the mare apparently did have a sense of humor.

“I do have to ask, what can I help you with? Obviously, you’re here for a reason.”

“Not entirely. I was primarily curious,” Fide replied. “My sister is in need of assistance without her knowledge, apparently. So, I would prefer if you not speak of anything I tell you. Well, aside from this.” She then turned to look at the yak, and he was surprised that her eyes were an actual soft green, a different shade from the rest of her body. “Toxic and Gelliana are free and safe for the moment. I cannot say more than that.”

“Wait, what?!” Varti exclaimed, “what do you mean you can’t tell more? That’s a bit of a bombshell. I need to let at least Celestia and-”

“You can,” Fide interrupted. “But you must understand. The less I intervene the better. What I tell you only confirms what Celestia already suspects if not knows. There is a balance that must be preserved. If I or my Sister help you, Toxic, the mortals; that means He gets more leeway to help his own causes.”

“The King of Shadows.”

Fide’s eyes narrowed at that.
“You have been busy. The Shadow pony figured it out already?”

“Apparently. So, we’re in a proxy war then? The more aid you give to our ‘side’ the more the other ‘side’ has leeway to change things to their advantage?”

“A crude but apt description.”

Varti let out a snort, trotting over to examine a nearby crystal display.
“We’re mortals. I imagine we’re all rather crude to creatures like yourself, assuming you are from the leylines.”

“Some more than others,” Fide admitted, looking back to the reactor. “And some less so.”

Raising an eyebrow, Varti adjusted a few settings before walking back towards her.
“Was that a compliment?”

“And observation.”

This Yak was very quickly starting to enjoy this individual’s company in an odd way.

“Well, I will only let Celestia and the others know of Toxic’s condition. Nothing more. I assume I can’t say who informed me?”

“That is preferred. Equestria is a sieve of information.”

“As in, the enemy has eyes and ears?”

“Correct. None on this island, hence why I show myself to you. Well, none that won’t be dealt with shortly.”

An almost-annoyed glare from Varti didn’t faze the mare, the Yak rolling his eyes.

“Let me guess. Less we know the better?”

“Correct.”

Varti couldn’t resist a grin at that, turning to look at her-

And only saw air.

“Is this your daughter?” Fide asked; surprisingly talkative for such an abrupt initial appearance. The mare was looking at the main control panel, a simple framed photo on the side.

“Yes. She’s thankfully safe on her distance learning program,” Varti replied. “I love her to death, but she needs to have her own life. I was about to have a way to let her actually have a home to come back to, but then things spiraled. She’s safer the less she knows.”

Fide didn’t say anything at first, simply nodding once in…approval?

“She is adopted,” the entity mused.

On seeing the data flowing across a nearby monitor about ‘someone’ accessing data files, Varti nodded in reply.

“Yes. But you could have asked me that instead of accessing the personnel files. So much for magical and coded firewalls I suppose.”

Another wince, the mare appearing genuinely apologetic.
“Sorry. I am not used to…this.”

“Talking? Or asking questions?”

“Yes.”

That elicited a chuckle from the Yak, Varti continuing to run his usual checks on the reactor.

“Well, if Toxic trusts you, even if it’s through Clari, I can to. Not much I’d be able to do to stop you, I doubt. But yes, she is adopted, only at a year or two.”

The silence from Fide was rather telling, the Yak seeing her open her mouth a few times and then close it. For being standoffish, it was clear that was partially due to not knowing how to talk to others, not just being naturally aloof.

“I assume you’re curious as to why? How?”

That was when Varti learned leyline entities could blush in embarrassment, the mare nodding.

“A freak accident, actually. An avalanche overtook a caravan through the mountains. She was one of three survivors. Unfortunately, her parents were not among them. The orphanage was already over-worked, and she was displaying some very ‘non-yak’ tendencies, so that sparked my interest,” Varti explained. “I had wanted to be a father sometime; that much I knew. And so, it was an easy decision, especially when I saw her curiosity for the world, for things outside what most Yaks were content with. I saw a portion of myself in someone that I could be family to, even if not by blood.”

The look on Fide’s face was conflicted; as if she both understood but at the same time did not. There was something else there though, something deeper that most wouldn’t have picked up on.

A vulnerability?

Working around Toxic had taught Varti quite a few things about noticing small hints, and this mare had quite a few. He wasn’t about to push his luck though, odd first meeting aside.

“Thank you,” Fide said slowly, as if not entirely sure what else TO say. “We…will talk again.”

The mare vanished with an abrupt *SNAP* of magic, leaving Varti to shake his head.

“Pleasure talking with you, Fide.”

To his surprise, the reactor pitch changed slightly; a soft hum of acknowledgment.

Gelliana’s dreams were the stuff of nightmares. Her entire body pulsed with a strange ache, like she had worked out in all the wrong ways at a gym. Flashes of images in-between stints of extreme exhaustion. The last thing she remembered was-

Toxic.

The gryphoness awoke with a start, simply lying still and breathing, which was an endeavor in and of itself. Her stomach was in knots and a cold sweat plastered her body.

We were captured- I was drugged? I don’t remember anything after that. Flashes of a cage…

Things started to become clearer after that. A voice saying things that made her sick to her stomach, a flash of light…

Being carried on somecreature’s back, a soft voice pleading with her.

I know that voice.

After forcing her eyes open, Gelliana immediately regretted the decision, her stomach doing flip-flops. Her limbs were stiff, and it felt like she had gotten kicked in the chest; why couldn’t she move her left-

Eyes slowing moving over, the gryphoness drew in a surprised (and painful) breath, Toxic completely asleep at her side, the gryphoness’s claws clutched in a tight grip. Dried tears matted his cheeks, and it was only now Gelliana saw the two IV leads into both her and his arms, defibrillator wires leading to pads on her chest.

What happened to me?!

It was at that point Gelliana’s stomach determined the contents needed to get out NOW, and the gryphoness scrambled off the dirt bed with a *hurk*, the IV and pads disconnecting with quick release mechanisms. It only took looking around for a few seconds to spot a hole in the floor off to the side, and Gelliana promptly threw up every lunch she had ever eaten for the past two years.

Scratch that, every meal her ancient ancestors had ever consumed as well.

What was a bit more disturbing was that she did throw up a lot more than she ate; odd, multi-colored liquid that both tasted like anti-acid medication and gone-bad orange juice. And there was a lot of it. By the time she was done, the gryphoness’s stomach ached and a cold sweat dotted her feathers and fur. Gelliana staggered back to the ‘bed’, looking around as Toxic stirred.

They were underground and an odd translucent shield made the dirt room shimmer slightly, barely visible between the cracks in the rock and thick roots. The discarded medical equipment and large crates let the gryphoness know Toxic had indeed been busy, his armor dropped in a pile next to the bed. The large, empty syringes gave a clue of where all the contents of the gryphoness’s stomach came from, a shudder running through her body.

How that worked biologically she had no idea. ‘Magic’ most likely. A bit of logic told the gryphoness that the excess fluid had been shunted to her stomach primarily; a shorter route than having it leave other ways.

Her limbs then gave out, and Gelliana flopped to the ground with a grunt. She certainly didn’t feel one-hundred-percent, but at least she didn’t feel like vomiting anymore.

“Hello, Patient One.”

Letting out a less than dignified squawk, Gelliana scrambled half-upright, then pausing as the artificial mare looked at her calmly.

“Apologies. My social conduct programs are not complete. I am the Supplementary Magical Assistant Lexicon or SMAL for short. I was last instructed to monitor you and the Director. I am pleased to see you recovered faster than anticipated.”

Gelliana blinked, settling down at that.

An artificial nurse? Magical Assistant?

“So, you’re not real?” she asked, the mare shrugging.

“That depends on your definition. I am not capable of independent thought. I run off of pre-programmed responses with added adaptation. I am capable of learning, but only within certain parameters. I am as ‘real’ as you are, in a magical or physical sense, but lack sapience.”

“You’re not alive?”

“Correct. I am, however, programed to simulate all the aspects of life. Despite acting alive, I will never be such.”

Gelliana nodded at that, digesting the information as Toxic continued to stir, prompting the Golem to scan him with a magical beam.

“Would you like a situation summary?” ‘she’ asked, the gryphoness nodding.

“Yes, please.”

“Some of this is conjecture from what I observed. I was activated when you were near death. The Director secured this location as a safe haven from an unknown threat. Shields are deployed to counteract any attempts at locating you or the Director and shield this shelter from external threats. Outside air reads breathable and free of toxins. There is an odd magical energy signature permeating the outside environment. However, I am unable to identify. The Director aided me in treating you, and you will make a full recovery. I am uncertain the status of the Director; his bloodwork and scans are inconclusive but show traces of the toxin that was in your blood.”

“Wait, I almost died?” Gelliana asked, forcing herself to take deep breaths to head off any anxiety, or as much as she could. It seemed so surreal.

“By some crude definitions you did die. Your heart experienced an abnormal rhythm which would have led to death within minutes, but defibrillation was successful,” SMAL reported. “That was due to the toxicity in your blood and the reaction to the antidotes administers. Such high levels of antitoxic has never been administrated to patients before, but did achieve a ninety-one-point-two success rate in all simulated trials. If not for the treatment administered, your death would have been assured. Normal side effects were counteracted, thankfully, due to the high doses involved.”

Not saying anything for a time, the gryphoness stared at the discarded medical supplies, then looking over to Toxic.

“Is he going to be ok? You said things are inconclusive?”

SMAL nodded, proceeding to organize the supplies as if finally recognizing the mess.
“Correct. He is waking from sleep now. I will continue to monitor both of you but must power down to process the current data as soon as the Director is fully conscious.” The entity seemed to think for a moment, demeanor shifting slightly. “I believe your present condition will aid in his mental health. He was most distressed when we were treating you.”

That made Gelly’s ears flatten, her beak quivering slightly.

I can only imagine.

“Do you know what happened here?” she asked.

“Not until the moment of my activation. All I am aware of is the treatment you received.”

As Toxic began to blink sleepily, Gelliana couldn’t help but reach down and wrap him up in a tight hug, tears brimming in her eyes. The memories slowly were becoming clearer; a certain stallion having most definitely saved her.

What did you go through for my sake?

“Gelliana?” Toxic asked, voice hoarse even with the amulet blinking. He pulled away to look at her face in shock, and Gelliana felt her heart crack. Her stallion’s eyes were filled with turmoil; surprise, joy, shock, and fear as he reached a shaking hoof up to gently rest against her cheek. One emotion shone through though, something much deeper than affection that made Gelliana’s face immediately warm. It was a look nocreature had ever given her before…

No, I’ve seen that look before, in some of my dreams.

“You’re ok?” he asked with a quavering voice, Gelliana nodding.

“T-thanks to you. Are you alright?” she replied, still captivated by the tender affection in those two green eyes. Something then changed, a tension settling on Toxic’s shoulders.

Then the look was gone, and Gelliana then saw something abruptly break in those green depths, some dark fear deeply hidden and tucked away. Toxic buried his muzzle into her feathers as he started to cry, holding onto the gryphoness tightly as if she could vanish at any moment.

“G-gells…”

“I’m here Toxic, and I’m ok,” she whispered.

Gelliana didn’t say anything else only held him close as Toxic cried. Her own tears traced down her cheeks; the gryphoness not fully understanding what pained the pony so, but knowing it was something much deeper than she initially thought. A choked sob clued her in on what tore at the stallion’s heart, however, in addition to the raw fear she had seen.

“I’m s-sorry.”

Toxic simply held his gryphoness close, reveling the simplest aspects of life; the fact she was breathing, conscious, and here. As his breathing escalated to almost hyperventilating sobs, Gelliana only held him all the tighter, tears brimming at her own eyes at seeing the stallion so distressed.

Oh, Toxic.

Using a trick her own friend had deployed a few times during her own anxiety attacks, Gelliana matched her breathing to Toxic’s, and then began to slow it ever so slightly. His chest expanding against her own feathers certainly aided the gesture, and soon the stallion was breathing normally, no more tears left to cry as she held him close.

I won’t dare let him start to be sorry about all this! Not after what he’s done for me!

What he’s already been through.

“Tox?” Gelliana asked softly, pulling back so she could look him in the eyes. “Can you just listen to me for a second?”

He nodded at that, still not able to speak clearly.

“S-something isn’t ok, and I don’t mean this mess w-we’re in,” she continued to stammer, then reaching out to poke the pony’s chest. “In h-here. Y-you said you were sorry, but what f-for? I’ve never s-seen you so scared.”

Her words trailed off, Toxic then hanging his head. He couldn’t-perhaps part of the truth?

No, all of it.

“I can’t tell you everything,” Toxic whispered. “It’s still too fresh. But the apology I can.”

Gelliana smiled, the gryphoness’s beak quivering. The fact she could see that something was wrong outside their immediate predicament was touching on a level Toxic couldn’t fully grasp.

“You’re here because of me,” he admitted, “if not for being close to me, I-”

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Gelliana hissed, glaring at him with a fierceness that made Toxic almost take a step back and it seemed to surprise the gryphoness herself. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this!” she poked his chest with a talon, a few tears in her eyes as the weight of what had just happened seemed to settle on her shoulders. “Y-you defend me against those creatures, save my life, and then blame yourself? You wouldn’t be here if not for me!”

“What?” Toxic sputtered, Gelliana setting her beak firmly with a nod.

“I remember you stopping after they grabbed me when I got stuck by that dart! If not for that, you probably could have escaped! You stopped to save me.”

Toxic opened his mouth to object, and then promptly shut it under the glare of the gryphoness.

“T-tox, you killed to protect me,” Gelliana whispered, a few thankful tears in her eyes. “And if not for how much you care about me, you could have gotten away. S-so how about we call it even?” she asked, tone softening as her feathers fluffed, the gryphoness now seeming to realize her previous intensity.

“I j-just, I can’t have you blaming yourself. Please don’t.” She then leaned forward, resting her cheek against his with a sniffle. “You have enough stuff to deal with as it is. From what I remember, I think my thank-you outweighs it all. And I’ll argue that point forever and ever.”

The surprise at having his special-somegriff rebuff the beginnings of his guilt still lingering, Toxic could only nod, gently pressing his cheek back against Gelliana’s.

“Alright, I think I can do that,” he whispered. “And thank you, Gelly.”

She couldn’t help but giggle at that.
“Anytime.”

Toxic’s eyes widened as some of Gelliana’s words began to register, the stallion quickly scrambling away from the gryphoness towards the deep garbage hole the SMAL had wisely dug for them.

I killed.

His stomach heaved, the stress making the stallion wanting to throw up- but nothing came. The pony simply leaned over the hole, dry-wrenching for a few moments before letting out a soft growl, the nausea being burned by the fire that ignited in his chest.

I’d kill again for her.

“Uh, Toxic? Your eyes?” Gelliana asked, the stallion noticing the wisps of dark magic starting to bleed from his pupils, easily dismissed with a shake of the head.

“Sorry,” he muttered, now sitting down on the bare dirt. “The killing thing. I’ve never done that.”

“Wait, you haven’t?” The gryphoness seemed genuinely surprised. “I’d never ask if you had, but…”

“I’ve come close, but I stopped myself. I suppose I can tell you sometime, just, not now,” Toxic admitted. “I’m just a bit frightened at what I did. How easy,” he then winced, ears flattening to his skull. “I’m surprised you don’t think of-”

“Oooooh no you don’t. No more of that,” Gelliana said flatly. “Unless you’ve forgotten, I left my best daggers stuck in one of those creatures that attacked us, and I have no qualms about that! Don’t you dare ask if I see you differently in a negative light because of what happened! We’re in the same boat. I’m surprised you’re not a-afraid of…” her voice trailed off, the gryphoness’s eyes widening as her own actions began to resonate.

“I mean, I’ve only killed small animals when hunting for other gryphons. Learning how to skin and stuff, even if I didn’t eat it; but others always did,” she whispered, tone then growing a bit bolder. “But I’ve thought about what I’d do if I had to defend myself, and they attacked us. So, I don’t regret it, do you?”

Toxic let out a huff, shaking his head firmly.
“Not in the slightest,” he admitted. “But I think we’ll have to deal with this new mindset in time.”

“But together,” Gelliana said with a smile.

“Together. Now, let’s figure out what in the world is going on. What do you remember?”

“So, you watch the crops?” Icait asked cautiously, the Thestrel across the table rolling her eyes as she bit into a mango.

“Yes, and unlike some of the bugs here, I won’t bite, Icait,” Knife Twist sighed, Luna stifling a laugh. “I know you’re uncomfortable around me, but I’m not going to yell at you.”

The fact the Windigo dissolved into mumbles seemed to please the Thestrel slightly, the mare calmly reaching over to poke Icait’s shoulder with a hoof.

“Seriously, relax. I’m not exactly at ease around you either, but if we’re going to see each other on the island I’d rather it not be when glaring at each other. To be fair it was my coltfriend’s idea to have these lunches. I swear he can sense grouchiness from a mile away…”

Knife Twist had to stop herself from choking on a bite of mango at seeing Icait’s ears perk up at that. “Ohhhhh, right, that’d be a new thing for Windigos? The opposite of hate?” Knife suggested with a grin, Icait nodding.

“It’s…uh…yeah….”

Oh. This is too good.

The Ex-captain couldn’t resist. It was an icebreaker after all.

“Somepony is flustered,” Knife teased, not able to help herself. It was nice now viewing Icait as just another creature; not some hate-filled entity that had been poisoning the Thestral’s’ mind. It made her different, able to be separated from those other creatures. Just the fact it wasn’t Knife that was nervous put her at ease, and she found herself pleasantly surprised how easy it was to just look past their shared history, at least the unsavory parts.

“I mean, I liked watching A Queen Betrothed with Gelliana,” the Windigo mare’s ears flattened, demeanor shifting as she took a shaky breath. “I hope she’s ok. I know something happened, but nothing too detailed yet.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I have a copy if you want to watch it here,” Knife then sighed, rolling her eyes. “Or rather, my coltfriend does. I swear he says ‘Inconceivable’ every other dinner date we’ve been on. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, but I like the fighting scenes more. He’s the more….” She waved a hoof as the mare searched for an appropriate word.

“Romantic one?” Luna interjected with a grin, Knife rolling her eyes again.

“Hey, I have my ways! But he’s mushier than me; what is that look for!?”

Knife Twist was suddenly subjected to Luna struggling not to cackle while Icait tried to suppress a grin.

“Oh yes. Knife Twist. I do agree he is definitely the ‘mushier’ of you two. And yet, what was it last Nightmare Night? What did you two dress up as again?” Luna asked.

Knife Twist’s face went beet red, the mare angrily biting into a pastry as Icait giggled.

“Oh, now I want to know!” the Windigo asked excitedly. “Maybe I can convince Onyx to wear something! There’s so many holidays I can’t wait to experience!”

“Oh, it was adorable! She and Barley-”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Knife Twist hissed, still pouting but struggling to keep a grin off her face at the same time.

Thankfully, Icait had just given Knife a new topic of conversation.

“Onyx? That’s the shadow pony, right?” Knife asked, still feeling her face burning but now quite eager to change the subject.

I need to have Barley burn those pictures.
…after I save copies.
Maybe.

Icait nodded, testing one of the dozen or so bite-sized portions on her plate. Apparently, she didn’t need to eat that much; but sampling was ‘on the menu’ per se.

“Yup! He’s interesting. Kind of a grump, but he’s my friend, so I still like seeing him happy,” she explained.

What Icait either didn’t know or couldn’t control was the lightening of her cheeks and the ever-so-slight aversion to any pony’s gaze when she spoke about said shadow-creature.

But in this case, Knife knew when not to press.
…mostly.

“From what I understand, he helped out during the invasion, right? Big knife-arms or something?” she asked, Icait replying with a nod.

“Uh huh. He’s a really good fighter and be really scary. But that’s only some of the time.”

“Oh?”

“He really likes reading books on that sofa. I guess they didn’t have such a thing as ‘comfy’ in Limbo? I’ll bet there will be a mold of him in those cushions after a time!” Icait replied, all three of them chuckling.

Luna’s gaze briefly met with Knife’s, and the mare couldn’t help but smile. There was relief behind the Princess’s eyes. Three what could have been, and once were, enemies, eating lunch and joking.

It felt good.

“I suppose I’ll have to meet him sometime,” Knife mused. “He seemed pretty protective of you when we first talked.”

“Oh, yeah, that. He does that sometimes,” Icait said far too quickly with a wave of her hoof.

“Sometimes?” Knife decided to press with a grin.

“I dunno. He has looked out for me from the start. It’s kind of nice in a way,” the Windigo said, tracing circles on the table with a soft smile. “He’s the reason I’m here, and vice versa.” She then looked up and saw the two smiling faces looking at her. “What?”

“Well, you obviously like him. It’s rather cute,” Knife remarked with a grin, thoroughly enjoying Icait now blushing as she shrugged.

“I mean, yeah? I’ve always thought of him as a friend, and he only recently told me the same. So, it’s nice.” The Windigo was then the one to roll her eyes as she matched Knife’s gaze.
“I’m still learning what it’s like to have a friend. We’re still learning about how to do that, much less anything else, for now.”

Knife couldn’t help but nod with a rather surprised but respectful huff. She had written of the Windigo as a bit of an airhead. Apparently Icait was a lot more aware of things than the Thestral gave her credit for; she could respect that.

“Fair enough,” Knife chuckled, “maybe you can watch the movie with him. I’m sure my coltfriend can live a few days without seeing it.”

“Inconceivable!”

The loud voice next to Knife’s ear made the thestrel nearly jump out of her chair, letting out a very undignified yelp as Barley laughed, Luna wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, the alicorn having seen Barley sneaking up on his marefriend. Icait couldn’t help but join in, the Windigo seeming to forget her anxieties as she laughed along.

“BARLEY!” Knife yelped, voice cracking slightly as the stallion wrapped her up in a laughing hug.

“Knifey!”

The rest of the table continued to laugh, the grumbling thestrel hardly able to pout- but she could try.

How long has it been since I’ve had friends?

Knife’s gaze drifted to the Windigo, the other mare seeming to be genuinnly enjoying herself.

Even if it’s not a normal start, a new job, new friends…

It’s my life.

Icait looked over to the Thestral, a bit of uneasiness entering into her expression, still clearly a bit nervous about how she was seen.

Maybe I can move on and build something better.

To that end, Knife made sure Icait was looking at her before smirking, nodding once. The Windigo seemed to get the hint, relaxing as Luna began to chat with Barley about his new position.

Maybe we all can build something better.

Gelliana rubbed her eyes, the twinges of exhaustion eating away at her body and mind. Toxic had explained it all as best he could, but it all seemed so surreal; especially since they were ‘safe’ in this cave.

“And that about sums up what happened after you were unconscious. We’re near the dragon-lands, as best as I can tell, and these attackers want to modify the clouds, if I can guess,” Toxic explained. “The top of their mountain had a weird stone formation where it pulled in the clouds and pushed them out the other side before something shattered it. I’d like to think that was Celestia, but I don’t know. This continent would be the best for a rogue group to try something; the dragons don’t really care, and this is unclaimed land, pretty much wildland like the Everfree forest,” he let out a huff at that.

“Of course, that’s a bit of speculation. But the air is breathable outside, and there’s still a magical suppression field this far from the mountain. I am only assuming that’s going to be projected over their ‘domain,’ so all we can do is wait, because they’re certainly going to be searching for us. Hopefully the locator runes alerted Celestia and Luna. If not, we may be on our own. But for now, we stay put.”

The steady tone of Toxic’s voice let Gelliana know two things; first, this scenario was not nearly as shocking in terms of new information to him than it was to the gryphoness, and two, that Toxic had thought about this sort of thing before. But first things first.

“So those dream-like flashes I had, those were real,” she muttered. “Captured, and they were going to try and extract your cutie mark?”

“As best as I can tell,” Toxic said with a huff as he examined the large crates in front of them. “It would make sense for a group developing chemical weapons to try and get an immunity to them or remove the one pony who IS immune. They were going to kill you when they realized that I couldn’t be bargained with, which is the reason they captured you if I had to guess.”

Gelliana did remember that moment, at least what happened after. Her feathers fluffed out slightly, the gryphoness walking over to the stallion and planting her head against his shoulder as her limbs began to quake slightly.

“They were going to do quite a bit more before killing me,” she whispered. “Thank you for…”

Toxic simply nodded, the stallion gritting his teeth as he took a few deep breaths. The gryphoness pulled back slightly, seeing dark magic seep from the unicorn’s eyes briefly.

“I’d never let them hurt you,” he replied, voice shifting to a rather unnatural growl, the stallion clearly fighting an inner turmoil as he shook his head. “Sorry. Still learning to modulate dark magic and emotions. It’s tricky.”

“I thought dark magic was banned for unicorns?” Gelliana asked, sitting down on the dirt ‘bed’ with a curious tilt of her head. “For that matter, Toxic, I think there’s a lot you haven’t told me. You didn’t fight like some untrained pony, and all this stuff?” she paused, gaze drifting to her claws for a moment as the shyer part of the gryphoness surfaced. “I k-know there’s top secret things you can’t tell me, but there’s s-so much I don’t understand about you right now. Can you tell me anything?” she asked softly.

“I can tell you quite a bit, as a matter of fact,” Toxic replied with a sigh. “I couldn’t tell you before because you weren’t directly affected by it; only I was. But now? Security clearance is out the window if it helps us survive.” He trotted over and sat down again with a wince, blowing out a tired breath as the pony gathered his thoughts. “You’ll have to forgive me though; I haven’t really talked about this stuff before. Not even to my parents, just Varti. And even then, he was on a need-to-know basis, even if he figured it out on his own.”

“Huh?”

“The less creatures know about what I do, the better. The safer they will be. My parents didn’t even know I got attacked by an assassin; just a random mugger. That removes them from being potential information leaks. Seeing as how they already came after you, we’re past that point.”

“Oh,” Gelliana said, eyes lowering to her claws, “that makes sense, but must have been hard for you.” The gryphoness was clearly holding back a flood of questions, her eager energy nearly palpable despite the seriousness of the matter. Toxic seemed pick up on that but was fighting a battle of his own. He seemed to be tussling with what to say; but finally seemed to just let the words flow. If anything, he seemed tired of holding all of the secrets in.

“It goes without saying that all of this is top secret, so you can’t tell anyone. So…”

“I had security clearance for a time after you got attacked; I’ll treat everything you say just like that situation,” she said immediately. “I promise. If you have a form, I’ll sign it.”

Toxic managed a slight smile at that.
“Fair enough. Where do you want me to start?”

“How about how you escaped? Like, weren’t you tied up? Did they even bother to suppress your magic?” Gelliana asked immediately. “And what about all of,” she gestured around to the gear and supplies. “And all that fighting? Uh, if you want to start there?” she asked, an adorable blush on her face as Toxic couldn’t help but smile.

“In that order? They did have me fitted with a magic suppressor- but that was easy enough to break. The ropes they tied me up with were pretty standard to slide free. Other than that, I assume they thought the metal cages and the general magic suppression field would keep me placated. They also assumed the tranquilizers worked; which they didn’t,” Toxic explained. “The reason they got the tranquilizers wrong is the same reason I have various training to break out of those suppressors. Secrecy in case things go bad; maybe this will make more sense. You remember Hammer?”

“Yeah, the Legionnaire?”

“Remember when I said that I helped him during his training? Kind of a study buddy?”

“Uh huh.”

“That was only a half truth. I was mentoring him through various classes. Particularly, the escape and evasion courses.”

Gelliana pulled back and stared at Toxic in surprise at that.
“You’re a legionnaire?!” she asked, the pony then shaking his head.

“No, I’ve just gone through a decent number of their courses and other, hybrid ones. Escape and evasion, combat, and so forth. That’s how I learned to fight, break the restraints, and all that. There’s an added magical boost I can’t talk about just yet though…” his voice trailed off at that, Gelliana giving him a nudge with her shoulder.

“Hey, I won’t press things. All you say is that; and I’ll drop it. But how did you get the training? I thought that was super-secret and stuff?”

“I demanded it from Celestia.”

Gelliana’s jaw dropped, Toxic having growled that statement with no small amount of lingering anger before it faded quickly, the pony’s demeanor shifting abruptly and making the gryphoness’s curiosity flare. She had seen him like this before, brief flashes of something hidden.

“Something happened between you two, didn’t it?” Gelliana asked. “Celestia, I mean. I’ve seen it before. When she comes up in conversation you change, become more cold and abrupt. You don’t see her like everycreature else, do you?”

Toxic was quiet at that, but the fact his ears flattened and didn’t meet the gryphoness’s gaze told her enough.

“I didn’t know it was that obvious,” he muttered.

“Well, it isn’t. But I can hear your heartbeat speed up when she comes up in conversation. And I happen to like you a lot and notice when you’re not feeling good. So, I kinda have an advantage.”

Toxic smiled at that, shaking his head as he gathered his thoughts again. Gelliana’s sharp hearing picked up a soft, barely-audible whisper that hitched slightly as the stallion leaned over to nuzzle her cheek with his tenderly,

“I like you a lot t-too…”

After then pulling back and thinking for a time, Toxic finally spoke. It was in a subdued tone, the emotional weight present even with the slight monotone of the amulet.

“Celestia was once forced to choose her own life, Equestria’s well-being over keeping a promise to me, Gelly,” he said finally. “When I was first asked to help, not even a legal adult of age, Celestia promised me that she’d keep me safe, no matter what, even on simple tasks. So, when I was asked a little over a decade ago to go into a collapsing laboratory and activate the emergency relief valves on some chemical tanks, I said yes. It was my first real assignment, actually doing something other than poking buttons or switches when the air was contaminated. But this was very different. I don’t think Celestia realized that some chemicals can kill her too, or didn’t want to admit it to the public or herself for that matter. So, when the laboratory began to crumble around me and I was pinned under some rubble submerged in a toxic cloud, she had to make a choice. To save me and keep her promise while possibly dying, or to not, and ensure Equestria continued to have a ruler.”

Toxic took a deep breath, staring at the floor as a few shivers ran through his frame.
“She made the correct call, and put the nation above the one pony in distress,” he said finally. “But that pony would never trust her with his life again, nor anything else he held dear. A ruler always has to put the many above the one, the nation above the individual. But when you’re the one begging for help, stuck under a mountain of rock and steel with no way out...”

Gelliana looked over and saw a few tears tracing down Toxic’s face, the gryphoness leaning on his shoulder to offer as much comfort as she could.

“That’s why I talk to Luna,” Toxic continued, swiping the tears from his eyes as though annoyed by them. “Because that’s when I realized how much I was being used, being seen as just another pawn, a cog in the machine. Celestia may not have intended that at first, but that’s how I was treated; and that hurt. She realized it eventually, but the damage was long done. I once held her in such high regard, but now am among the few who realize how very imperfect she is. Unfortunately, now you know too, for better or worse.”

The pair were then quiet for a time; what more could be said? Gelliana herself couldn’t formulate any words to counter Toxic’s view, nor add anything of her own.

“I can’t say I’m that surprised,” Gelliana finally said. “I had lunches with Celestia every now and again and got to see her outside the ‘all-powerful-princess’ roll. So, I guess it’s not really a shock to me at all. I mean, even though my parents had a bit of that view, I never really believed it. Knowing what I do about Griffinstone, how much suffering was going on there before Equestria finally reached out; I never really could understand how a ‘perfect’ Princess would allow such a thing to happen even beyond her own borders. And then there’s the cruelty within Equestria. The ponies that look down on other creatures just for not being like them. But getting to know her, I know she did the best she could, just like all of us do. She really does care, but makes mistakes like anyone else. I can’t hold that against her.”

Toxic nodded, then shaking his head slowly.
“Despite the flares of anger, I really don’t blame her for the choice, not anymore,” he admitted. “I have forgiven her, funny enough, but that breaking of trust, of having her make a promise she must have known she couldn’t keep; that still hurts. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I wonder if Celestia even knew she’d need to break it. But at least now I know how I am seen, whether she wanted to indicate that or not, and is why I won’t trust her with my life. We haven’t talked about the issue since, and there have been a few times in getting my Organization ready that various boundaries have needed to be enforced. So, there’s trust issue number one, and a doozy at that.”

“There’s a number two?” The gryphoness immediately winced, shaking her head at her words. “S-sorry, that was a bit too…”

“Personal?” Toxic chuckled sadly. “I don’t think so. I’ve made it no secret my issues with trust, and you have been honest with yours. Number two is much simpler. Just a special-somepony I thought liked me. Turns out I got used again as a social stepladder, and when she spread lies about who I was after I found out her real intentions, the majority of my ‘friends’ believed her accusations and turned their backs on me. Hammer and Varti are the only two who knew otherwise, who cared enough to ask what happened from my point of view. They’re also the only two who didn’t mind certain things…” His hoof drifted to poke the amulet on his chest, eyes not meeting the gryphoness’s.

Gelliana turned to stare at Toxic, jaw dropping in absolute shock. She hadn’t expected such a blunt explanation; nor an explanation at all.

But it made sense, more pieces of her interesting coltfriend starting to be tied together.

“Still a bit bitter about that, but it was for the better. Friends who do that, creatures who ‘like’ you don’t really act that way. Would have learned it sooner or later. I’m glad it was the former rather than the latter.”

“I…uh…” Gelliana stammered, “I’m rather shocked you’re able to be so casual about this.”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Toxic admitted. “I swore off trying to get close to anycreature after that, at least for a few years. But then you decided to waltz into my life, and here we are.”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be, even if it’s in some crazy jungle in a cave,” Gelliana said with a chirp. “Speaking of which, as lovely as this place is, you said the plan is to stay put for now?”

Toxic nodded, the weight of their previous topic now being shed, the unicorn clearly having been bothered by such secrets beyond even what he consciously knew.

“Stay put for now until the search parties start to get bored. They can only sustain intensive searches for so long, then they’ll get lazy. That’s when we try to keep moving,” he then smirked, gesturing to the cave. “I’m surprised you’re so excited to leave, however.”

“Huh?”

The smirk really should have been a clue to Gelliana. It really should have.

“It’s such a lovely honeymoon destination!” Toxic crowed, gesturing to the walls. “Natural earth interior,” he then pointed to the area around a slight bend where ‘the hole’ was located, “five-star bathroom facilities,” then to the large military crates “ample provisions.”

At this point Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle, a blushing, half-tired gesture she couldn’t help but embrace, even as a few tears gathered in her eyes that weren’t entirely from mirth. Toxic seemed to pick up on this and reached up a hoof to rest on her shoulder.

“We’ll be ok, Gells,” he said softly, the gryphoness sniffling as she nodded.

“J-just a little overwhelmed,” she admitted.

“But we are safe, at least for now. Varti built the S.M.A.L and most of this equipment himself; I trust him with my life,” Toxic explained. “We have everything we need to stay hidden for a long time until rescue comes, if necessary. Unlike my situation, this is an attack by an enemy. Equestria won’t ignore that, can’t ignore it.” He then paused, the gryphoness seeing the flickering of a confident grin.

There was quite suddenly a fire behind the stallion’s eyes, Toxic seeming to know more than he let on. Gelliana could have sworn that the larger piece of the stallion’s discarded armor started to glow.

“And if they do, for whatever reason, leave us on our own, I have plans for that,” he then let out a frustrated huff, “if not for the suppression field, I’d teleport us out. It has to be powerful to block so much of my magic.”

“W-well, we’ll just stay put then,” Gelliana agreed. “Are you doing ok though? The Nurse said you have some weird readings.”

Toxic shrugged, gesturing to the hibernating SMAL.
“It’s not too much to worry about. I imagine they hit me with the same dose of whatever you got. But as my cutie mark says, I’m immune, so far at least,” he said. “I do think we need to eat something though, even if we don’t want to.”

Gelliana reluctantly agreed, and wasn’t surprised to find that there was an ample supply of Toxic’s favorite fruit-and-nut jerky, among other things.

“Gonna get rather boring in here,” she admitted, letting out a soft, tired laugh. “But I guess that’s probably the best thing to complain about.”

Toxic agreed with a chuckle.
“Indeed. I’ll take boredom any day of the week over dealing with those freaks again. The cloaking and deflection spells will hide us even if they stand directly on top of this hideout. As a bonus, it filters any air coming in, so they can’t even smoke us out! Boring, but effective. But hey, we’ll become experts at cave painting!”

Toxic’s upbeat mood was infectious, Gelliana not able to resist a smile.

Maybe they would be ok.

Author's Note

Progress for everycreature! :moustache:

Chapter Twenty-Four: Flares

“Nothing from our search parties?”

The Bringer shook his head, the large, shadow-entity in front of him letting out a growl. The gesture was interrupted by another, more steady tone, an individual in the shadows chuckling.

“Patience. You have a kingdom that spans many leagues. It cannot all be searched easily, much less in a day,” the individual mused, hooves tapping on the stone, for it appeared to be a stallion indeed. “To that end, we have other methods of flushing out and eliminating our foes. With the destruction of the primary dispersion coil, perhaps it is time we let our assets practice. The repairs will be complete within a week, but all of our other assets are intact. They must be tested.”

At that, the King of Shadows turned to the pony and smiled, the latter’s features still not visible as a dark coloration appeared to keep him hidden in the darkness.

“Oh, that is right, they were your idea. I assume you are quite eager to prove their worth? They required significant energy expenditures on my part.”

The pony nodded, the Bringer shuddering as the individual’s mouth parted, showing normally flat teeth that had been recently filed to fangs before a concealment spell masked the self-mutilation.

“They will prove their worth. For an eternal reign, you need eternal soldiers, do you not?” the pony chuckled. “I think they are getting restless as well.” He then turned to the Bringer, and the large gryphon felt a shiver down his spine. The eyes, a golden yellow that seemed to match a brief bit of long mane flickered over to match his gaze. The look was cold, calculating and utterly devoid of any care.

The Bringer had never seen such a thing before, let alone in a pony. There was a disturbing, predatory and calculated eagerness behind this creature’s eyes. The fact the pony conversed with his master on such an equal footing also unsettled the gryphon to no end.

“Have your forces continue their sweeps for the week,” the pony remarked calmly. “Then have them withdraw to the fortress. We need to apply the immunity spells against the Cloak we will deploy. The formula hasn’t changed for our oversea agents.”

The King of Shadows let out a grunt, nodding to the Bringer who promptly scampered away.

“They still cannot survive outside of the gas?” the Shadow asked, eliciting a shake of the head.

“No. Unfortunately they cannot. But it matters little in the long run. Now all we must do is wait for our prey to be caught. I must return; I cannot arouse suspicion just yet. I have spoken with our cells in Equestria; they can poison the water supply at any time. I do believe we are safe here, for now.”

“Agreed.”

The room was then empty with the *crack* of a teleportation spell, leaving the King of Shadows to his thoughts; and dark thoughts they were indeed.

Knife Twist cracked her neck as she surveyed the field in front of her. While a boring job, it was hers, and she took it seriously. Apparently, this Organization could produce their own rations, of which they grew their own wheat, vegetables, fruit, and farmed their own freshwater fish.

It was rather impressive, if she was being honest. From her limited access, the Thestral had seen only cutting-edge equipment, along with building codes that raised more than a few questions to the security-minded ex-Captain.

For example; why were the walls heavily reinforced? Heavily locked doors leading down to somewhere? She had only seen this sort of fortification once before; the Canterlot Bunkers. The entire facility, even the cafeteria, was built to withstand a blast from…Knife wasn’t sure what. Even the windows on closer examination were a thick type of glass, strange, barely-visible threads running through their depths. The more she paid attention, the more the Ex-Captain noticed arrow slits and buried rooms across the entire island.

This wasn’t just the location of a charitable organization; the builders of this island were expecting nothing less than an all-out siege. But why? She had only heard whisperings of more confrontational aspects of the organization, but otherwise just rumors.

A few golems trotted here and there along cobblestone paths, and a familiar Alicorn landed next to the Thestrel with a smile. Their lunch had ended a while ago, each of the individuals going back to their respective positions, but it had been actually a nice experience, and for that Knife was still learning to appreciate.

“Back to work?” Luna asked calmly, the two of them looking over as Hammer was conversing with the golems.

“Yup. I’m not about to mess this up,” Knife replied, her ears perking up, eyes narrowing behind the custom sunglasses. Something quite abruptly made her fur itch along her spine.

“Hmm. You sense that as well?” Luna asked softly.

“Something is off. Not sure what though,” Knife agreed. Her eyes then widened, the mare flipping up her weapon up; a rather bulky spear. With a hop, she flared her wings once and hurled it towards Hammer. The Stallion didn’t have time to dodge, partially ducking as he anticipated the-

A shimmering blob creeping up on him blocked the strike, the reptile’s concealment spell fading with an abrupt, bloody gurgle as the spear buried itself completely in his back. Dropping a dagger, the creature spasmed once in front of Hammer, and then lay still, body starting to turn to ash as a disposal spell activated.

Knife flew down to retrieve her spear, Hammer staring at her in shock as Luna followed.

“You…whoa,” Hammer said, shaking his head in surprise as Knife ripped the weapon from the dissolving creature “Thank you. I mean, how did you catch that?”

“Bad concealment spell,” Knife explained, the three of them watching as the body now vanished with a slight breeze, blowing the ash as if nothing were ever there. “It was poorly tuned and cheap for mass production. It appears like a heat mirage, but if you don’t approach from the right angle, the sun throws off odd, small shadows on your entire body. I learned both how to detect them, and employ them during…”

Her voice was immediate cut off by Hammer, surprisingly, the stallion appearing unwilling to let the Ex-Captain slip into any self-beratement.

“That’s impressive,” Hammer said, still a bit in shock but recovering quickly. “I do believe there’s a better use for your skills rather than watching wheat. We didn’t detect any remaining creatures on the island, and that was after a thorough scan. Clearly, they have found a way to evade such a thing. What do you say to a promotion and re-assignment to a hunting trip? I’d feel much better about making sure none of those individuals were left on this island.”

Knife’s fanged grin was as good an answer as any even before she agreed, a quick glance to Luna showing that the Alicorn approved.

“Well, let me get the paperwork started and clear it with Varti. Considering your actions during the attack, and saving my flank just now, I’d say we can trust you with a bit more than a field of wheat. Just give me a bit to get the details…”

“Hammered out?” Luna butted in, the stallion letting out a groan.

“You’ve been spending too much time with the Commander.”

“Mmmm. Or not enough,” the Alicorn sighed wistfully, the other two ponies not able to resist a mutual chuckle at that.

“Well, thank you again, Knife Twist. We’ll talk again soon.”

As Hammer made a beeline towards Varti’s lab, he didn’t miss the high-pitched squealing and a certain thestrel jumping up and down with joy behind him. She had just barely started work; but the ex-captain had saved both the life of a Princess, and his own.

That lent more trust than any resume ever could. He doubted Varti would voice any objections. Any past hesitation about having Knife Twist on the Island had most certainly been put to rest.

Some Time Later

“A guard?” Onyx asked with a raised eyebrow, Varti and Luna nodding once. The three were sitting out on one of the many pavilions dotting the island, the scenery second to none as they looked out across the ocean.

“You were already studying to be a police pony. There are plenty low-security positions here. Boring work, but work nonetheless,” the Yak said honestly. “I agree that it is better than you being idle. It will be a supervised position of course. There is one position that going to open up soon on overwatch duty in the food production section. Before that, however, we may need your assistance locating some guests who have overstayed their welcome. You can sense Limbo energy, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect, then that is your first assignment. Starlight thinks both you and Icait having jobs, even part-time ones will help you adjust, especially in this time of stress,” Luna added, “giving you a bit of trust and seeing how you handle the responsibility.”

“What is Icait going to be doing?”

“Librarian. There’s a side project where she can help catalogue archives from quite a few races,” Varti said, pausing as Onyx let out what almost sounded like a soft chuckle.

“She would,” Onyx muttered, “In that case, I accept. I have disliked being idle, so even if it is boring work, it’s a task.”

“You will also be receiving instruction on how to adjust to life from another individual,” Luna added. “I don’t know when Iust will show himself, but he said that he’d help guide you through acclimating to this mortal plane.”

Onyx blinked in utter confusion.
“And he is…?”

“A pony afflicted by the Limbo energies. That is all I know, and so you share a connection to that realm,” Luna explained.

“That’s correct, more or less,” a deep voice rumbled, drawing all three pairs of eyes over to their left.

The shadow pony’s wispy body was sitting next to them, dagger-like appendages retreating to be simple, cloud-like formations. Onyx’s eyes widened; the same ‘limb’ movements being nearly identical to his own. Yet this new individual was different. Larger, older, and carried itself with the experience and assurance one can only get from a long existence.

“I am one of Emperor Thundering’s oldest friends. I know the dangers of Limbo energies and the connection they hold. I also know how difficult it is to adjust to life,” Iust explained calmly. “Nice to meet you, Onyx.”

“Erm…” the other shadow pony seemed genuinely at a loss for words. Somehow it was both very calming, and at the same time unsettling to sense the same radiating energy that Onyx was accustomed to.

“Well. I suppose we can get to know each other in time. I simply wished to say hello and let you know that you are not the only creature affected by, or rather, from Limbo with noble intentions. Unless I am incorrect, I have gone through many of the same struggles as you.”

Onyx snorted at that. This random creature thinking it knew him? Hardly. He was-

“Perhaps a bit of convincing is needed. While I used to be a pony, I believe the process is the same. The dreams are getting worse, aren’t they?”

That made Onyx stare in shock, grey eyes widening in surprise. How had this creature known that?!

Iust let out a slight grin.

“Mmm. Then perhaps we will speak sooner rather than later. If you have a companion, perhaps they can help with that. To that end, you’ll meet Gaudi soon enough. Your Windigo friend will be meeting her first. I think they’ll get along quite well.”

With that, Iust nodded and vanished, leaving Onyx staring while Luna rolled her eyes.

“Nacreous said he was a bit blunt and dramatic,” she muttered, “and the individual Gaudi is quite interesting as well. They both seem to be able to relate to you, at least from what we can tell, and want to help.”

“I am not sure whether to be thankful or a bit concerned,” Onyx muttered, Varti letting out a chuckle.

“When dealing with ageless beings? Probably a bit of both.”

Onyx let out a snort, then gestured towards the Yak.

“What’s this about rooting out some individuals?” he asked, the Professor nodding.

“Ah, yes. You and a squad of individuals can perform fly-overs to scan for any remaining cloaked individuals. If they’re using any Limbo energy, you can track it and make sure they are eliminated. Capture would be nice, but I have no assumptions about that,” Varti explained, Onyx simply nodding.

“Well, I’ll send you the details when we’re ready.”

Very few creatures would be able to tell, but there was the distant possibility that the shadow-pony was excited…

Unfortunately, Luna appeared well-versed in digging out emotions from statue-like individuals, a rather obvious smirk sliding onto her face as they walked back to the complex, Varti describing Onyx’s new wheat-watching position.

Icait happily stacked the large crystal plates into their respective cubbies, then moved on to the next large set that needed to be sorted. The Librarian was an artificial entity, but still was nice enough to work with. They were in the process of hiring a living individual, but for now Icait could help organize the massive amount of information stored on the island.

It was so cool!

Hundreds of years from every race was etched into these magical tablets, each storing a thousand books, ready to be read! It was a dream for the Windigo, the information ranging from historical records to love poems.

And she got to help organize it! It was also nice and peaceful in the library, massive, stone and wood shelves with the soft hum of magic making her feel-

“HIYA!”

Icait let out a high-pitched squeak, the pitch of which likely would have shattered glass as the Kirin frowned in front of her, then rubbed her forelimb in embarrassment.

“Oh. Right. Sorry, I tend to do that,” Gaudi admitted. “Probably should have led with something a bit less startling. Like, hi! I’m a friend! My name’s Gaudi!” The Kirin settled on the floor and sat down, waiting for Icait to recover. “Better?”

The Windigo took a few deep breaths before nodding, Gaudi waiting patiently.

“A b-bit. Um, who are you again?” Icait finally asked, Gaudi taking an exaggerated and giggly bow.

“Oh! Yeah, probably should have led with that,” the Kirin thought to herself. “I mean, I’m a friend, and I’m just here to help!”

“How?” Icait asked curiously.

“Wellllll, because you remind me of, well me! And my bestest friend is going to help your best friend! The grumpy shadow pony!” Gaudi declared. “I mean, my best friend is a very different type of besty-best friend, but we both have been through what you’re going through!”

“What we’re going through?” It was clear the flustered Windigo was only half following.

“Yup! Adjusting to life, living in the ‘real’ world, learning how to experience emotions in a different way, that sort of thing!” the Kirin gushed. “Like, we both started out as mortal creatures, you didn’t, but we still had to adjust to life as non-mortals. So we share that and just want to help!”

She then let out a giggle, drifting closer as her voice dropped to a whisper.
“I personally think Limbo makes creatures grumpy,” Gaudi said softly. “Iust is such a grump. Cuddly, but still a total, dramatic grump. Am I wrong in suggesting Onyx is something like that too?”

Icait couldn’t help but smile, Gaudi’s demeanor rather infectious.
“I don’t know about the cuddly, but he’s definitely a grump.”

The Kirin let out a happy squeal, then winced and waved a hoof.
“Sorry! Just, I’m teeeechnically one of the ‘gods’ of the north. I can tell you about that later. Basically, we’re the diet version of the Elements of Harmony for some remote tribes,” Gaudi explained. “And I’m the ‘god’ of love! And laughter, and happy stuff! So, sorry if I start suggesting stuff or getting a bit too over-the-top with things. I can’t help it! But I’m reaaaaaally trying to tone it down. I promise.”

Icait blinked, ears twitching at that. This was toned down?

“…ok, maybe I have some work to do,” Gaudi admitted. “But I just wanted to say hi!”

The Windigo grinned at that, shaking an outstretched hoof.
“Well, nice to meet you, Gaudi,” she finally said. “So, are we going to chat often? Or…?”

“I’d like that!” was the immediate reply. “But first I have to sort something out with Mr. Grumples. But I think regular meetings would be good, just because we have a general idea of how weird it can be to see life from a not-aging perspective. So, I’ll pop in in another few days?”

After a brief nod from Icait, the Kirin vanished, but not before Icait began to giggle to herself.
“Mr. Grumples. I wonder how mad Onyx will be if I call him that.”

She knew it’d be totally worth it.

Gelliana looked up from the large, waterproof volume she was reading; an emergency survival book put together by Toxic and stashed in one of the large crates. Considering there was a section of crossword puzzles and riddles, it was meant to help pass the time for anyone stuck in an isolating situation. There was even a small compartment in the crate with other books; but she left that alone for now.

The stallion was sitting still, heartbeat slow but strong as he meditated. There were flickers of magical energy that occasionally ran up and down the stallion’s limbs, and the gryphoness could almost hear a soft ‘hum’ of power, the unicorn’s horn sparking occasionally. Despite the suppression field, apparently some of Toxic’s leyline meditation worked. He said it didn’t help like it usually did, but it was something.

He had tried to explain it briefly, but as someone who didn’t use magic it was a bit much to grasp. Connecting with the magical force of the land? That was pretty incredible. She had made a note to ask him about it again when she was less overwhelmed, because it sounded awesome. The best analogy the stallion had used was sitting in huge waves on the shore of an ocean, letting it push and pull you. Gelliana could relate to that at least, the few times she had been to the beach. The raw power yet strange peaceful ebb and flow of it.

Something then caught her gaze, a flash out of her peripheral vision.

There it is again.

Ever since he had started the exercise, Toxic’s armor had glowed every so often, and Gelliana couldn’t help but investigate. She was glad that there was an exercise that could calm him, but the glowing armor? The curious gryphoness couldn’t help herself.

Walking over and picking up the largest piece; a breastplate, the gryphoness’s eyes widened as she turned it over in her claws. For the oddest reason, a warmth suddenly filled her frame, as if Toxic was right there hugging her. It wasn’t just like a fireplace heat; but a familiar warmth.

What is this?

It was deeper than the heat of a fire, far more tender than anything she had ever felt before- no, there had been inklings of this in her most wistful dreams. It was a peace, a sense of safety and comfort the gryphoness hadn’t ever felt before.

The symbol of a lighthouse wreathed with wings and set in a shield looked back at her, glowing a soft golden. Flickers of pink magic danced across the gryphoness’s claws, the piece of metal seeming to feel less cold in her grip.

Gelliana didn’t know what the symbol meant, but she know how it made her feel. Whatever Toxic was a part of, it was powerful.

She didn’t even notice the unicorn now sitting next to her; how long had she been staring like this?

Looking over to her coltfriend, the gryphoness felt a loving flutter in her chest. There was something in his eyes that matched the power in this symbol; a determination, a fire that made her heart sing as Toxic pressed his shoulder to hers.

“What is this?” she whispered, the unicorn not saying anything at first as he observed the magical tendrils across her talons with a soft, affectionate and knowing smile.

“My symbol,” Toxic said simply, and Gelliana watched as sparks danced over the armor and seemed to jump towards the stallion. She didn’t miss that his heartbeat sped up on seeing a few pink sparks pop over to her claws, nor that his gaze softened ever so slightly. The stallion definitely seemed to know something a bit more about that, or suspect something at least.

“Your symbol?” she asked.

“There’s so much you don’t know about me, Gells,” Toxic admitted, taking the piece of armor and setting it back down, much to the gryphoness’s hidden and surprising sadness. “But I don’t know how far to…” his voice drifted off, the unicorn shaking his head. “I’m so sick of keeping secrets, but-”

“I get it, Tox. I’m not asking you to lay everything on me, but I feel really, really small right now,” Gelliana admitted, “And I don’t mean physically. I can tell there is something really powerful going on; with you, the armor, this entire situation. I’m only asking you to tell me what you’re comfortable with.”

Toxic nodded, a confident gleam in his eye that caused a smile to slide onto his face. It was a look that Gelliana had seen quite a few times before, and every time it made her heart flutter.

“I think I’d better finish explaining one thing first,” he said. “That project I told you about? The Organization?”

“Y-yeah? The one about helping creatures?”

Opening his mouth, Toxic abruptly shut it again, a sudden emotion seeming to choke his words. The dampness in his green eyes was a fast clue that somehow, everything about this stallion and their situation was related.

“Saying it’s an organization to help doesn’t do it justice,” Toxic tried to explain, his voice hitching slightly. “It’s my dream, a group that can grow, will grow to be a nation, all dedicated to saving creatures when their own rulers can’t, or won’t.”

Another piece of the puzzle immediately locked into place, Gelliana’s eyes widening.

“There’s a reason I acted the way I did in that eatery, Gells,” Toxic said. “That reptile that first grabbed hold of you? I’ve seen him before. I nearly killed him; I nearly killed most of those monsters. You may have seen the scars around their arms; those were from me years ago.”

“What?!”

“Remember when I said I demanded my training from Celestia?” Toxic asked. “That didn’t happen until a long time after I was trapped underground. There was an entirely different reason for that.”

Gelliana stared, waiting for Toxic to continue. After so long, she was finally getting to see what was under all of his emotional armor.

“Do you remember an accident with a chemical plant on the Klugetown border, more than ten years ago?”

“Yeah,” Gelliana said after a moment, “I didn’t fully grasp it, I was in my teens, but I knew it was bad.”

“The accident was a lie,” Toxic stated, now picking up the piece of armor again and staring at it as he spoke. “It was a cover up to protect the public from the truth. To cover up what I did and ensure Equestria wasn’t held liable for it all.”

“What?”

“Varti’s daughter was kidnapped along with all of her classmates,” Toxic growled, the armor flaring in response. “Klugetown Slavers, and they planned to sell the two teachers and every filly, colt, and youngster there within the week.”

“I didn’t know they were that bold; to kidnap Equestrians,” Gelliana mused.

Toxic paused, then letting out a soft chuckle.
“I forget, you’re not as phased by stuff as much as others.”

Gelliana grinned, nodding firmly.
“Gryphon history isn’t as kind as Equestria’s, so I’m not nearly as sheltered as you might think. But these slavers; surely Celestia responded?!”

“She planned to. But they were on the edge of starting a war with the leading clan. She tried to negotiate, but all he was doing was stalling from what I can tell,” Toxic said. “Legionnaires were watching the warehouse but didn’t have orders to go ahead. By the time those orders would have come, they’d have left. But I didn’t need orders!”

“Wait, you…”

“I strapped on my heaviest hazard suit and teleported in from my Island,” Toxic said bluntly, that familiar fire now entering his gaze. “Of the dozens of reptiles in that filthy hovel, I cut off the limbs of all but three. They regenerate arms and legs over time, but they were at my mercy; limbless and tied up outside. Due to Klugetown law I was entitled to their ‘property’, as I had fought and won for it. The ‘Police Chief’ of Klugetown tried to protest it regardless, and I left him just like the others with the addition of a broken jaw and an imprint of my hoof on his face.”

Gelliana could only look at him in surprise. She wasn’t shocked, strangely enough. That scenario fit perfect with the Toxic she knew and had fallen in l-

“Children,” Toxic whispered, “innocent fillies set to be auctioned off. I know why Celestia did nothing- but I also know she could have done more! That is what started it all, when I realized there had to be someone to do it. And I realized I was willing to do it. It was a death sentence within Klugetown despite the legality and easily a decade in prison within Equestria if I was charged. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat!” the stallion growled the last sentence, the armor in his grasp flashing.

“I knew I needed training so I told Celestia to give me authorization or I’d find it myself. I think the guilt had started to eat at her, because I didn’t hear much of any opposition after that. If my hunch is correct, she ended things with that clan. A portion of their headquarters were turned to glass a few days later.”

“Wait, Celestia did that?”

“You’ve seen her outside the ‘Princess’ roll a few times on those lunches you had, right? She’s powerful, and I personally think she let her hope for diplomacy cloud the evil events that were going on under her nose. She’s recently broken out of that a bit; the incident with the Ice King which hasn’t really been publicized other than the flares of unrest for that time,” he let out a huff at that.

“But back then, I know for a fact that the leading Clan in Klugetown was never seen again.” Toxic’s shoulders slumped, the pony shaking his head sadly. “I said some rather harsh things to her after that. None of which I regret or didn’t mean, but the manner in which I said them I do wish I could change. I was angry, Gells. I accused her of not caring when I knew she did! But for the second time in my life, I saw her leave behind those who she promised to protect. When you make a promise you can’t keep, that makes your words rather meaningless, especially when you have the power to change things.”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments, the stallion finally actually smiling.
“That said, I want to see if I can mend things with her a bit, even on a basic level. While I cannot trust her ever again, I respect the weight Celestia has born. Perhaps she feels more guilt that I realize, because I’ve never had any opposition to my projects.”

“And that’s the organization. You made it to be like you were?” Gelliana asked, absolutely fascinated.

“Yes. It’s called the Last Light Organization,” his voice then dropped to a whisper, seeming to quaver slightly. “For when all other lights go out,” Toxic then regained his composure and continued.

“The Organization will be hated, despised, and possibly hunted down by those who oppose our actions. But at the same time, will draw strength from those it helps and supports. It’s a fine line to walk, but I hope the instances where we intervene in foreign lands are few and far between. That’s not the organization’s primary purpose.”

“What is?”

“To replace me.”

That caused another stare from the gryphoness, the stallion in question letting out a tired breath.

“I’m already cracking under the pressure of it all, and while I don’t know if I can ever stop fully, Gells, Last Light can take some, if not most of the burden from my shoulders. So, the purpose is two-fold, and I just hope they are doing alright. Varti is running things currently.”

Taking a moment to process it all, Gelliana finally scooted closer, enjoying feeling Toxic’s sides rise and fall against hers.

“I think it’s rather incredible what you’re doing,” she finally said, “thank you for explaining it; it is a bit overwhelming. So, you’re the leader of…”

“Well, fancy title is Director of an organization that can send emergency teams to any corner of the world in case of a chemical disaster,” Toxic said.

“Or teams of armored creatures to save somebody from slavers?”

A firm nod was Toxic’s reply.
“If necessary. I won’t say everything about it; but nocreature knows how extensive that portion of my organization is. I know how much it's needed, even if others deny it.”

There was that fire in his eyes again, and Gelliana felt it warm her chest, almost like the armor.
“I have a pretty good idea,” she whispered.

They didn’t speak for a bit, Toxic finally sighing in almost relief.
“I’ve never really ExpPlaiNed-” his voice abruptly warped, the stallion letting out a grunt.

Carefully levitating the amulet off of his neck, Toxic stared at the flickering gem in clear horror, the impact from the arrow during their escape having cracked the device. He thought it had just been a surface scratch, only barely reaching under the metal.

“No,” he whispered, then clamping his mouth shut. Dashing over and digging through the crate, his shoulders slumped as only half of a spare device was withdrawn; the backup amulet having been sliced in half along with part of the last-most crate, the portal having neatly cut apart a portion of supplies when it collapsed from the magical interference.

“Tox? It’s ok, we’ll figure something out,” Gelliana said, gesturing to the dirt floor. She could see the stallion starting to hyperventilate; somehow losing his voice was a deeper event than she thought. “You can draw on the floor? A spell? Maybe the SMAL can fix it?”

A shake of the head dashed that idea, Gelliana frowning.
“Well, we’ll have to figure something out. The SMAL can translate maybe? You send a magical message to her, and she tells me?”

A toss of the head was a ‘maybe’ from Toxic, the stallion sitting down as his rear limbs shook.

“Y’know, if it’s ok, Toxic, I do want to hear your voice,” Gelliana admitted, the pony looking at her in surprise. “Even if it gives me a migraine, I just want to hear you.”

Toxic’s jaw clenched at that, a few tears brimming at his eyes.

“DOn'T wAnT to HUrT YoU,” he whispered, shaking his head vigorously, the words seeming to be pulled out from a deeper part of the pony as the amulet’s modulating spell began to fail even further. “CAN’t…”

“I’m telling you it’s ok. I just want to hear what my coltfriend sounds like, just once,” Gelliana reassured him. A migraine to hear his real voice? Even if it sounded totally weird, at least she’d know another part of who Toxic really was.

And every piece Gelliana was adoring more and more.

“Please? I promise if I get a headache it’s my own fault and I won’t blame you at all. But it’ll be worth it.”

As the amulet sputtered and faded, Toxic nodded once. With a wince, he pulled out the gem stuck in his fur, working his jaw as the magical device set along his throat was removed.

He seemed to be struggling to say even a single word with Gelliana there, limbs shaking with definite fear; but she wasn’t sure what from. It was as though there was a battle to even say a single word without the amulet, as though the knowledge that he could hurt…

Hurt me. Is that what-

“Gelliana”

She could barely hear it, even with her sensitive ears. There was a slight pain at her temples, but nothing too bad. The gryphoness assumed by her size that maybe she’d get a heavier impact by the bad part of Toxic’s voice. Even though her proportions were near identical, smaller ears made things vibrate differently, owl ancestry aside. Still, for him it’d be worth it.

“Couldn’t really hear that,” she admitted.

“G-Gelliana.”

Gelliana winced as even that single, soft word made her head ring, sharp pain stabbing into the sides of her head. It was like a vibrating hammer was rocketing around inside her ears, getting worse and worse as it traveled-

*pop*

She blinked in surprise, the pain abruptly vanishing as her ears twitched, an odd itch being present and then fading. It was like when acclimating to a higher altitude; a weird sort of painful pressure, and then an abrupt ear-popping, and the sensation was gone.

Huh.

“I think I heard that? Maybe?” she said cautiously. “But still here. Maybe one more time?”

“Gelliana?”

The gryphoness’s head whipped over to stare at Toxic, her heart in her throat. It was as though she had been half-blind whenever talking to her stallion, and now she could see. That single word was filled with emotion as he hung his head and spoke. Toxic’s voice was almost like a song, a strange, melodic coursing, rushing river over gravel where each tumbling stone had its own melody. It was still most definitely a stallion’s voice, but seemed to be almost melodic, different from any other she had heard.

It was beautiful.

A few tears ran from Gelliana’s violet eyes as she stared; she could hear it, every bit of fear, of hopeful affection, of lighthearted joy that was her coltfriend, having been hidden behind the monotone of the amulet. It was like seeing another emotional side of him, one that had been muted to her all this time. She finally could hear everything he was feeling, and it didn’t hurt at all.

“I can hear you,” she whispered, wanting nothing more than to hear him say something else again.

“What?” he whispered; the gryphoness feeling like her heart would beat out of her chest. Hearing genuine surprise, shock, hopefulness…

Hearing him.

“It d-doesn’t hurt,” she managed to say. “It did at first, but something in my ears popped.”

“I’m not hurting you?” Toxic asked a bit louder, Gelliana still struggling to process hearing the full weight of her coltfriend’s emotion’s after all this time.

“Not after that first ouch, but that was like a second,” she said, watching as a flurry of emotions danced across Toxic’s face; utter relief, shock, and then teary affection.

What must this be like for him? Going for however long knowing your voice can hurt others, only to now…

“Y-you can hear me,” he said, simply staring. “You c-can hear me.”

Tears began to flow from Toxic’s eyes, the stallion frozen in place.

“You can hear me.”

He darted forwards, wrapping Gelliana up in a hug as he sobbed. Giving her an almost frantic kiss on the cheek, the stallion then rocked her back and forth as he began to laugh interspersed with sobs.

“You can hear me!”

Gelliana hugged him back as tight as she could, the stallion’s voice making her happier than she could have ever imagined.

Joy, relief, utter bliss; she could hear it all. No more monotone blunting his emotions; Gelliana hadn’t realized how much she had wanted to hear this, to hear him.

“Gells,” he whispered softly, and hearing her nickname made the gryphoness start to cry as well. The affection that had always been curbed by the translating tool was now fully audible. Warm and carrying with it a weight that had been so long absent. It was a sound that the Gelliana didn’t realize she needed to hear until this moment, a word filled with affection and genuine longing for nothing but her.

And that made her only hug Toxic all the tighter.

“I hear you Toxic, I hear you,” she said reassuringly, “I can’t wait to hear more. I love your voice.”

That seemed to unlock another bout of tears, the emotional walls having long since fallen as Toxic cried in her arms, burying his head in her feathers.

Years of never having your own voice, and now I can hear it.

I can hear you.

Author's Note

Some meeting of characters! Gaudi is so much fun :rainbowlaugh:

....and a bit of a game changer for our favorite couple! How's that for an awww moment?

I'm evaluating the update schedule- just one update for this week, going to see how 1 chapter every other week around the same size goes, mainly for long term sustainability. To that end, I hope you all are in for the long haul. I've realized I'm only about halfway through the story.
So.....
ONWARDS! :yay: Comments/feedback are appreciated, I read all of them and try to respond!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Rocky Road

Icait tossed and turned in her sleep, the Windigo finally jerking awake with a gasp. She usually didn’t have dreams, let alone bad ones.

But now she did, and they were getting worse.

It had been a day or two since meeting Gaudi, and things had seemed to start to settle, aside from the dreams.

Images of battles long passed, a leering face whispering of death and enslavement. Icait could almost feel the icy daggers digging into her side. Memories? Sinister goals? She didn’t know.

Walking out softly to the living room as not to wake Onyx, who slept either in his own private room or on the couch, the Windigo aimed towards the sink. Maybe some warm milk? That was supposed to help; that’s what-

“Couldn’t sleep?” a soft, familiar voice rumbled.

Onyx sat in front of the large, one-way window in their living room, not having turned around when speaking. Icait trotted up to sit down next to the shadow pony, nodding once.

“Bad dreams,” she said softly.

“I didn’t know you could have those,” was a curious reply, devoid of any grumpiness, interestingly enough. His deep voice seemed a bit softer somehow, lacking the usual snarky edge.

“Until a few days ago, neither did I. They’re getting worse rather quickly, and I don’t know why.”

Onyx stayed quiet for a time before replying.
“Same here,” he finally admitted, not looking over to meet Icait’s gaze as she looked at him in shock. He rarely admitted struggling with things. “I am going to speak with Varti tomorrow. Perhaps the shield around the island can be doubled up around our quarters. It seemed to help initially. I know we are being targeted by Him. I’m going to be helping Knife Twist locate the last of the remaining attackers; apparently, we didn’t get them all. I imagine He is quite annoyed at my intentions.”

Icait shivered at that. She knew exactly who Onyx was talking about; the only creature who would profit greatly from their death.

Onyx appeared to be struggling for words, his grey eyes flickering over to the Windigo briefly.

“Can I help at all?” he finally asked, once again surprising her. This whole ‘acceptance of being a friend’ had certainly seemed to spur a bit of change. The shadow pony had seemed different somehow, more approachable.

Well, at least when he was alone with her.

She shrugged, not entirely sure how to reply; nothing came to mind. Well, one thing did seem like it would help. The Windigo scooted a bit closer, resting her head on the stallion’s shoulder. Quite abruptly, her nerves fizzed away, sleep quickly setting in as she sighed happily. Despite being made of a combination of fur and shadow, Oynx’s shoulder was surprisingly comfy, like a firm pillow.

“This seems to help,” she mumbled, flopping down as Onyx shifted to settled on the floor, a much more sustainable posture it would seem.

“Well, then I suggest you keep doing it,” the Shadow Pony grunted, Icait saying something incomprehensible before falling asleep further.

And so, Onyx was left with the mare snuggled up on his shoulder, the stallion letting out a huff.
“If it helps, it helps,” he muttered to himself.

Staring at the window at the stars, Onyx couldn’t help but feel something, a rather alien sensation of being at peace. He was always so preoccupied with things, rarely had he just let things be and think like this at least. Despite the dreams, things were actually not that bad, and that was a very odd realization in and of itself. It freed up quite a bit of thinking power for other matters, many of which were rather uncomfortable.

Like who Onyx was, underneath it all, something he was still learning. But other things he did know for a certainty. Such things helped guide the other questions about himself towards an eventual goal, perhaps even towards a knowledge of who he would choose to be.

Because now he did have a choice, and that was both a frightening and liberating thing indeed.

His usually stern and slightly-sour expression softened, the stallion rolling his eyes.
“Well if it helps you,” he whispered to himself, “maybe it’ll help me sleep.”

That was his rational at least as Onyx leaned over and rested his head across Icait’s back. And much to his annoyance, it did help usher in sleep.

Of course, the fact Icait immediately scooted closer with a content sigh had nothing to do with that, nor the genuinely caring and protective smile that slid onto Onyx’s features as he tentatively pressed his head against her shoulder.

Nothing at all.

The Following Morning

Knife Twist shouldered her spear, trotting alongside Hammer and Onyx down a well-worn trail.

“So basically, we are just waiting until he tells us something is up?” she asked the ex-legionnaire, nodding to the shadow pony.

“Correct. Golems with flight spells will scan from the air. We’re here to catch any stragglers they miss. And we have the limbo-detector over here to help us with that.”

“I have a name, and can hear you,” Onyx grumbled, prompting a snicker from Hammer.

“It’s a joke. Now I see why Icait called you a grump. No sense…of….”

The stallion paused, looking a neatly-written card that was levitated over in front of his nose, signed by Varti no less.

“This here certifies that Onyx is hereby the Last Light Organization’s Official Grump until otherwise released,” Hammer muttered, taking an exaggerated bow. “I stand corrected.”

Knife didn’t miss the lightning-fast smirk that slid on and off Onyx’s features; there most certainly was a humorous element to this pony, just buried underneath the constantly-annoyed demeanor.

The expression vanished quickly however, the stallion gesturing to a large clump of rocks off to their left, the outcropping jutting out from the golden grass-covered hill as it sloped down towards the ocean.

“Something is there,” the shadow-pony stated flatly. “I do not know what, but there is a disruption field with limbo energies around those stones.

The trio didn’t have to wait long, a concealment spell breaking as a large reptile yanked itself from the wall and half lunged, half threw itself at them.

Such a maneuver was cut short, literally, by Knife Twist’s spear, the thestrel frowning in almost disappointment as she yanked the weapon free from the body which rapidly began to turn to ash.

“It’s like they don’t care if they live or die,” she muttered, “either fanatics, or something else is at play here.”

There was another shape that peeled off from the rocky formation, Knife twirling her spear with a sigh.

She knew how fanaticism could poison the mind much more than these two did, more than most creatures knew. There wouldn’t be any mercy.

“I surrender!”

Or, maybe there will be.

Staring in surprise as the brownish-grey and rather skinny reptile in front of them, Knife leveled her spear at the six-limbed reptile, all four arms raised high.

“Forgive me for not believing you,” she replied, Hammer stepping forward cautiously, a bladed gauntlet extended just in case.

“You are the first to say such words. Why?” he asked.

The reptile lowered one arm, tossing a small object onto the ground in front of him.

“That thing! It’s poison!” he squawked, half-beak face twisting in disgust. “Your mind. It makes you see things, think things! I don’t want it anymore! I just was looking for a quick score, not this nightmare! Just take the spell off me so He doesn’t kill me!”

“The immolation spell?” Knife ventured to ask, a woodpecker-like nod the reptile’s reply, orange eyes wide in genuine horror. The small gem that the reptile had thrown sparked with red and purple tendrils, turning the grass around it to dust at the mere mentioning of its purpose.

“I cannot say anything else! My life is nothing to Him. I just don’t want to die. I just want to sleep without seeing that horrid place! If I die, I might get stuck there forever!”

Interesting words, and Hammer calmly began to pass the request through the crystal communicator in his helmet.

“We won’t kill you. Don’t say anything or move until we can get the spell removed. After that, we’ll talk. That gem is only a conduit. You still are under its enchantment.”

Judging from how pale the reptile was turning, he was absolutely terrified. They could use that.

After a trio of armored unicorns arrived to perform a counter spell, the reptile promptly sagged to the ground in relief.

“Now. Your safety, for information,” Hammer grunted, surprising Knife with his stern demeanor. An ex-legionnaire indeed.

“Y-yes! I promise! I-”

The reptile then caught sight of Onyx, the shadow-pony having been sitting in the background unnoticed. A claw pointed to him, shaking.

“He is from that place,” the reptile whispered. “What is he doing here?”

“I am from Limbo, if that is what you are saying,” Onyx replied, trotting closer and causing the reptile to recoil. “What is your name?”

“S-shale,” was the whispered reply.

“Well, Shale. I am here because I was freed from what kept me bound to my former masters, if such a word is applicable. I am here because I want to be here.”

Shale stared at the pony as if not understanding.

“How?” he finally asked. “Your kind serves him, I’ve seen His kingdom after I thought I died, when I was re-formed into this body again. It makes my brain hurt…”

“I serve him no longer, and I am my own master. I assume He promised you something? Riches for this ill-fated task?”

Hammer’s eyebrow raised at that, catching the glance of Knife as Onyx began questioning the individual. It was like watching a policepony work when questioning a witness, the smoothness Onyx had shifted into an almost interrogatory-mode had been rather interesting indeed.

“Y-yes, lots of gold and jewels. It’s Klugetown; how could I say no?” Shale admitted. “But the minute we crashed I knew something was wrong. I hid right away. This place is a fortress!” his gaze then lowered to the ground. “I’m not a good creature, but I don’t want to be banished. He said we would never die when serving him, but I saw the others perish, dissolve into dust! But then they came back, never remembering me, and those eyes, their bodies…” the reptile shuddered, shaking his head.

“How many others are left on the island? Will they surrender like you did?”

“No more than a dozen, and maybe. I could try to convince them. Some of them will not, but a few of them I know,” the reptile stated.

“Varti is sending additional guards. Then we’ll go meet your fellows,” Hammer replied.

“And then what?” Shale asked, clearly fearful of the answer.

“Then you’ll be fed and locked in a cell while we decide what to do with you,” the ex-legionnaire said calmly. “Perhaps sent back to Klugedtown or-”

“NO!”

The outburst made the arriving guards and original trio jump, Shale desperately shaking his head back and forth, ear-flaps swishing this way and that.

“He’ll kill me for helping you. I don’t care where I go or what I do, just not back there!”

Knife saw the smirk on Hammer’s face; she knew what that meant. There was apparently a plan for creatures like this; that was a grin of a pony who knew exactly what was going to happen.

“Very well. Let’s continue our search and confirm your words,” Hammer mused, the now dozen-strong group trotting down the path, metal cuffs being placed on Shale’s hands.

Onyx remained quiet, following at the rear. The fact that Shale seemed to shiver whenever he looked back at him seemed to unsettle him somehow.

And yet, as the first group of two reptiles surrendered without a fight, it was clear their first prisoner had been telling the truth. Their employer’s grip on their loyalty wasn’t as iron-clad as it first appeared.

The King of Shadows had exposed a fatal flaw in hiring such a rag-tag group for the attack.

Hubris.

For being stuck in a cave, it really wasn’t that bad, not until the reality of the situation came crashing down at random points. But it had started to settle, the realization that they were stuck in a hostile forest. It was odd to think about though, since thing seemed almost ‘normal’.

The first day had wound down after Gelliana realized she could hear Toxic’s natural voice; which may have been a slight mistake, much to the stallions continued embarrassment. Now she just wanted him to read a novel and listen to that voice of his, to make up for lost time of course.

She refused to admit she had a problem, which Toxic said was the first step, at least that’s what Gelliana thought he said between side-splitting laughter.

Laughs that had emotion. Oh, it made her heart melt into a puddle right there on the floor.

He had promised to repeat the instructions the next day, since the gryphoness definitely zoned out as he ran through their emergency plans if they were discovered. Despite the seriousness, they still were able to smile through it all.

The stallion had set up a few things with her help; a small filtration device for the water trickling in, a few military knives placed in certain location around the cave, and then a few plans of what to do if they got discovered. She remembered most of it, but again, the gryphoness had been, and still was rather stressed. At least the elevated dirt ‘bed’ had some foam bedrolls padding it, so a slight upgrade. There were some items clearly for comfort in the emergency crates, ideally to reduce the stress of anyone sheltering in place. Chocolate snacks, some books; all in foil-wrapped packaging of course.

To that end, being stressed and completely smitten at the same time was an interesting ball of emotions indeed, but their ‘home’ was now set for the next few days.

Living together in their own home; that is how Gelly would not explain the situation to her parents once this was all over.

Toxic had explained the simple roadmap of what they’d do; apparently staying put for a few days was the first action. After that, the SMAL could scout to see if there was anycreature without being seen, or something. She knew moving was a good idea, but for now, staying still was the priority.

The gryphoness had really tried to listen further, but she still couldn’t get over how much she had learned about her special somepony, and that voice. Still definitely overwhelmed, but at least half in a good way. But the fact they could joke even during their confined time was somewhat of a relief. It made things seem less serious, for better or worse.

To his credit, Toxic was enduring her constant zoning-out rather well, but he had picked up pretty quickly that something had changed. Unfortunately, Gelliana was still trying to figure out what that was herself.

Not so much figure out, but come to terms with.

Even thinking it made her feathers immediately poof. Being under stress was definitely not the best time to make any huge decisions, but the things that had happened this past day, the things she had learned….

Looking over to the sleeping stallion, Gelliana felt her heart flutter, her beak quivering as she took a shaky breath, a few tears gathering in her eyes. She didn’t think Toxic even knew about all of this.

Do you even know how much I care?

Do I?

It was a catch twenty-two. She was in the position of, admittedly, not only falling head over tails for this stallion but having jumped off that cliff recently, and instead of her being the one slow to trust, now it was Toxic. The past day had rocketed her levels of trust past what had, before, been an equal footing.

Not just trust; but just, being willing to rely on somecreature. How long did it take me to accept that someone offering help wasn’t looking down on me?

Toxic even told me that he has trouble trusting; and from his past I don’t blame him. But now there’s more added to the mix.

She just wanted him to not feel like things were unbalanced, something Gelliana knew was a constant thing in his mind. It was the small things that stood out to her; hesitating before a hug, the delay to ask her for comfort, even if he did eventually do so.

Another trust exercise; he didn’t trust that Gelliana wanted to help, and that was on her. She had said it once or twice in passing, but never explicitly sat him down and made it clear.

The gryphoness knew that Toxic probably had no idea she had seen this; but that was the bonus, or curse, of having a bit of predatory background. She could pick out little things like that using a bit of intuition.

Like how you hesitate before pulling away from a hug, as if you want nothing more than to hold me even tighter but feel like it’s an imposition whenever you need some help.

The fact one of the first things he had said to her the other day was that he was ‘sorry’ for dragging her into this was another clue to the puzzle.

Do you think you’re a burden on my life? That all the times you ask for some comfort is something I don’t cherish?

That was the question, and Gelliana wanted to make darn sure she answered it. She had a few times, but always when tied together with other conversation.

Toxic mumbled in his sleep, Gelliana frowning as he stirred. His jaw was clenched as his limbs twitched; probably not the best dream, not that she could blame him.

Her mind drifted back to what had changed over this past day; and while it really was a simple matter, that didn’t make it any less important. The stallion in front of her had risked his life multiple times to save her, and still was clearly on edge of whether he was a burden. He had mentioned it in less-blunt terms a few times when needing some comfort; hoping he wasn’t imposing, or taking up her time. That one word, ‘burden’ had only been said once by him quietly, but it had stuck in the gryphoness’s mind ever since.

Yesterday had annihilated the remaining dark suspicions and doubts in Gelliana’s mind of whether to trust Toxic had ulterior motives, and that was something that was both freeing and rather scary. To think that he imagined himself as an imposition on her life…

I’ve never felt so safe with somecreature before. I’ve never really been that blunt with my feelings, have I?

That was the crux of it; for the first time in her life, Gelliana wasn’t wondering if a stallion was interested in the gryphoness for any other reason than her. And she was in uncharted territory on how to express it, no matter how much she now wanted to.

It was rather obnoxious that it had taken such drastic actions to drill it into her head, but how could Gelliana complain? Toxic had shown just how far he’d go to save her life, and how much he cared, but she had a feeling he hadn’t told her the full truth. The look in his eyes when she had first regained consciousness was something she hadn’t forgotten; unbridled relief and affection.

He fell asleep holding my claws after saving my life, and yet still, I think he sees himself as a burden. A burden dragging me into this mess, a burden asking for comfort, but he doesn’t see the other side of it.

Love isn’t a burden.

That thought made Gelliana sniffle, reaching her own claws down to hold one of Toxic’s hooves. Toxic had opened up to her, and it was about time she did the same. Even something as simple as this, being able to care for somecreature, he had no idea how much that meant to her.

Not having to be seen as a scary gryphon or a helpless runt, but just someone willing to help.

The more she thought about it, the more she doubled down on Toxic’s suggestion for getting a therapist, or at least somecreature to unpack things with that wasn’t him.

If anything was therapy worthy, it was getting kidnapped and running for their lives.

And that’s aside from what you said, wanting to make things between us work. And that’s what I want more than anything, especially now.

Toxic had made it abundantly clear what he’d do for her, and now it was Gelliana who felt her actions were somewhat inadequate. Not in the sense of ‘owing’ him, but in letting this pony know how much she cared. There was an imbalance, but it wasn’t on Toxic’s side.

And she cared a lot, more than the gryphoness was willing to admit to herself. Toxic had done so much for her, and Gelliana knew that he had no clue how much it meant. The surprise dance alone had been such a thoughtful, adorable idea.

She wanted nothing more to wrap him up in a hug and kiss him for that alone. Somehow, he had picked up on what activities meant the most to her; and that date…

I guess I’ve never really talked about my troubles.

That mental statement made her blink, because Gelliana realized that was part of the issue. Toxic had no idea how much she cared because of who he was. The thoughtful gestures, wanting to be there for somecreature; he had no idea that such things were not superficial aspects of Gelliana’s life. He had been open about the things that were troubles in his life, and Gelliana had just hinted at her own, never really gone in depth like Toxic had. She had just been there for him; but had she ever even explained how much the things that he had done meant to her? Yet he had been there for her even if the stallion didn’t realize how much it meant.

Well, girl, you had better start letting him know. I’m just glad I figured it out. Not so glad it took me this long.

Goal of today? Open up to her special somepony. If she could get Toxic to see, or at least start seeing how much she wanted to be there for him, then mission accomplished.

The more she thought about it, the more Gelliana had to keep herself from crying. Toxic had, for their entire relationship, been willing to drop things at a moment’s notice to be there for her, the few times that was necessary. When had she done that for him? Of course, part of that was his hesitation to ask for her help, but even outside of that, she had lacked that immediate zeal, and that was a barb of regret that dug deep.

Yet the stallion still considered that he was the one burdening her.

Love isn’t a burden.

That statement refused to leave her mind, and it was almost freeing to use that simple four-letter word that encompassed so much. Finally admitting to herself she had fallen in love was a bit overwhelming.

Obviously, they were in a rather stressful situation, but with nothing to do but think, it was hardly avoidable. But it felt good to final admit it, as if mentally saying it unlocked a brimming chest of emotions that was usually kept under lock and key.

I’ve kept far too much locked up though, and now Toxic is the one paying for it.

On hearing Toxic draw some disturbingly wet breaths, Gelliana put her head to his chest and heard some crackling as he exhaled. She knew that sound, and the gryphoness walked over to the military crate and tapped on the large crystal. In the background, the stallion coughed roughly, starting to stir from his sleep.

“Uh, SMAL? You there?” she asked softly, a familiar mare coalescing from a million motes of light.

“Patient One, what can I do for you?” the SMAL asked calmly.

“Can you scan Toxic? I know what pneumonia sounds like,” she said, a bit of her social anxieties kicking in as she averted her gaze from the mare. “I know we’re stressed, but s-sleeping that long and hearing that b-breathing…”

Her stammering was rather ironic, considering she literally was not talking to anyone alive.

“Of course.”

The mare trotted over and ran a magical beam over the stallion, Toxic blinking as he yawned with a cough.

“Huh? What?” he mumbled.

“I was asked to scan you, Director. Please continue to lie still.”

“I’m fine,” Toxic grunted, Gelliana shaking her head.

“You didn’t sound fine,” she said softly.

“Good morning to you too,” the pony huffed, wincing at the bright light of the SMAL. “Ow.”

“It’s nearly noon,” Gelliana said softly, Toxic nearly jerking upright at that.

“W-what?!” Toxic asked as a cough wracked his frame, wincing as he hugged a forelimb to his chest. “Urg, ok.”

After the SMAL ceased the scan, Gelliana walked forward to gently wrap Toxic up in a hug.
“Good morning though,” she said softly, the stallion returning the gesture. How much she just wanted to stay like this for an hour, just listening to that heartbeat.

“Thanks, Gells. I really do appreciate it, grumpiness aside,” he replied, “Good morning, or midday, to you. I never have been a morning pony though,” Toxic said with a cough.

“Hmm. You work on changing my view of thunderstorms, I’ll work on your aversion to mornings and sleep,” Gelliana replied with a concerned smile.

“I look forward to seeing how you’ll do that,” the stallion chuckled, then coughing again with a hiss. “Ok, good call. That hurt.”

“Patient One was correct. You have the beginnings of an infection in your lungs,” SMAL reported calmly. “Diagnosis is unclear at this time. I recommend a full blood analysis and in-depth magical scan.”

“Sounds good,” Toxic replied, levering himself up. “As soon as I use our five-star bathroom.”

“Maybe we can get some gold leafing to put around the hole,” Gelliana joked, Toxic meandering out of sight behind the rocky half-wall in the cave.

“The hole. More like the Pit of Despair.”

Gelliana couldn’t help but laugh at that, the reference not lost on her. Toxic came back and promptly flopped onto the bed with a crackly huff, prompting her mirth to fade quickly.

“Patient One can assist me in the blood draw,” SMAL stated, turning to look at Gelliana, “If you are willing?”

“You can call me Gelliana, and yeah, I can help,” she replied, her anxieties somehow less when not being alone in talking to this construct. “I only have super basic first aid knowledge though.”

“That is fine. I just need to you to pass certain vials and machinery over to me. I can do the rest.”

As the Golem trotted over to one of the large crates, Gelliana gestured over to ‘her’ with a set of claws.

“That’s handy to have,” she remarked, Toxic nodding.

“Indeed. Quite the capable creation. I’d help you with this, but I don’t really trust my legs right now.”

That caught the gryphoness’s attention.

“What now?”

“Just walking back from the Pit and here gave me weak knees. Other than that, and a cough though, I feel ok,” Toxic said, trying to smile sincerely; he only half succeeded.

Gelliana’s ears flattened, knowing a strong front when she saw it. The SMAL returned levitating an odd, lunchbox-like metal container and a rather large syringe.

“Oh boy. The big needle,” Toxic muttered and he held out a forelimb. “I love the big needle.”

“Gelliana, please press the top left button to allow the device to start up,” SMAL instructed, gesturing to the lunch box as the entity examined the syringe in its grasp.

After doing so, Gelliana watched as the flat, metal surface split open, revealing a complex network of circuitry and magical crystals, a projected display appearing in front of her. On the cover of the device, now appearing to actually be hollow, a rather intimidating array of surgical equipment stared back at her.

“Very good. Please retrieve one of the numbing patches. They are colored with a blue circle, left side of the device lid,” SMAL instructed.

“That device is to basically analyze any chemical or blood sample, along with potential foreign bodies. That’s why there’s a small surgical kit on the lid of it,” Toxic explained, still glaring at the large needle held in the SMAL’s grasp. “I would say don’t bother with the numbing, but that’s a big needle.”

“It is a rather big needle. I do not envy you,” Gelliana admitted, passing over the required swap to the SMAL.

“Thank you. Stand by,” SMAL said calmly.

Gelliana was, to say the least, rather impressed as Toxic barely flinched during the blood draw. It occurred to her that this was not a rare event; one of many things to ask him about.

“I will proceed with the analysis. It will take some time,” SMAL said, walking to the device and plugging the rather large vial into a receptacle. The entity then vanished into the analyzer leaving the pair alone once again.

“Well, if a bit of coughing is all I have to deal with from getting nailed by those darts, I’ll have no qualms about it,” Toxic remarked, leaning against the dirt wall to at least be upright. His gaze drifted over to Gelliana, the stallion raising an eyebrow. “You, are one occupied gryphon. What’s up?”

Gelliana blushed, mumbling as she walked over to sit next to him on the ground.

“I mean, you have reason to be preoccupied. Not exactly the most stress-free environment,” Toxic mused. “But I can tell when something’s eating away at you more than usual.”

She didn’t say anything at first, claws fiddling with a bit of rock on the ground.
“Just been thinking. There’s some stuff I want to talk about,” Gelliana finally said. “Nothing like, relationship-breaking or anything, just something has been bothering me.”

Toxic’s ears perked up, the stallion listening attentively.
“I’m all ears,” he said, then wincing, “is it something I-”

“No!” Gelliana exclaimed, letting out a frustrated huff, wings drooping. “That’s the exact problem right there.”

“I…don’t follow.”

“Tox, do you think you’re a burden to me?”

The question elicited silence at first, the stallion averting his eyes. His lack of an answer was as good as any, the pony finally speaking again in a softer tone.

“Sometimes, yes,” Toxic said, “How can I not be? The number of times I’ve needed your help, you’re not the one who gets yanked into memory-land at the sound of a hissing soda can.”

Gelliana sniffed back some tears, the gryphoness shaking her head.
“Then you really don’t know, do you?” she whispered. “That’s my fault. I’m not used to opening up with somecreature, and that’s trust issues aside. You’re my coltfriend, not a burden, Toxic,” she said, scooting forward to wrap him up in a half hug, despite him being a bit off the floor on the ‘bed.’

“The number of times doesn’t matter. The things you’ve done for me, how you’ve made me feel; if we’re counting ‘helping’ times, I owe you the world.”

Toxic pulled back slightly, looking at her in confusion, green eyes swimming in turmoil.

“You really have n-no idea, do you?” Gelliana whispered, violet eyes tearing up. She pulled him into a hug, holding the stallion tight as she nuzzled his cheek with hers. “I think I took the whole ‘take things slow’ thing a bit too far.”

“How so?” Toxic asked, now finally relaxing in her embrace and leaning on the gryphoness.

“I applied that mindset to opening up a bit too much,” Gelliana explained, not able to help her even brighter blush now that his heart-melting voice was right next to her ear. “You opened up to me, and even if it was partially by necessity, you don’t even know much about the stuff I’m dealing with, the things you have already helped with. Even before this whole mess.”

“Oooooh. Like the storm thing?”

“Like the storm thing, one of many, many things,” Gelliana said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and was rewarded with a blush that finally wasn’t on her face. A few of her own anxieties flickered to the fore, Gelliana letting out an incoherent mumble before collecting her thoughts. “I h-hope that sort of thing is…”

“Gells,” Toxic said with a grin as he returned the gesture; not that it helped her to think any more clearly. “While reaching relationship milestones during a time of high stress is probably not a good idea, I’m very much fine with this.”

The gryphoness was once again rewarded with a blushing stallion, Toxic looking rather embossed and meek, as a matter of fact.

“I’d rather not have our first kiss be when I’m feeling sick though,” he admitted. “And, erm…”

Gelliana had no qualms letting the stallion stammer. He was absolutely adorable when flustered; as opposed to the other, still-adorable but at a lesser degree times.

“I have no idea how to kiss someone with a beak.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that, resting her forehead against Toxic’s.
“Wellllllll, when you’re feeling better, I t-think I can show you,” she said with smile. “Not that I have a ton of experience either.”

“It’s a date as soon as I can feel my limbs again,” Toxic agreed. “To what you said earlier though, I think I would like to know more about you. I just, I wasn’t sure how much to press.”

“And I’m really happy you didn’t, but at the same time, I probably would have figured this all out sooner if you had,” Gelliana admitted, “you’re just too much of a gentlecolt.”

“I won’t deny it.”

She giggled, continuing to rest in his embrace as he did the same. His heartbeat sped up, then settling into a steady rhythm that thudded in Gelliana’s ears.

“I love times like this,” she whispered, just taking in the moment of safety. For brief time, they weren’t hiding from some crazy reptile-shadow-thing, but it was her and Toxic. That steady heartbeat, his soft fur against her cheek, his chest rising and falling against hers; it made everything fade away into a beautiful, warm never-never-land.

The gryphoness actually felt Toxic nod off slightly, the stallion shaking himself awake as Gelliana shifted.

“Hey, if you’re tired, I’m a willing pillow,” she said softly, hiding her concern as best she could.

“I just woke up,” he replied in a bleary tone, then nuzzling her neck gently. “But very comfy. Thank you Gells…”

Concern now overrode Gelliana’s enjoyment of the moment, the gryphoness locating some small pebbles after she made sure Toxic was asleep once again. She tossed them at the analyzer; the items far too small to do anything but make a soft ‘tap’ noise.

“SMAL, you there?” she whispered, the mare appearing with a nod.

“What can I- Hmm,” the entity stated. “Scanning. That is abnormal behavior indeed.”

“Well the sleeping is, not the cuddling,” Gelliana grumbled.

The joke was lost on the SMAL, the scan concluding as the golem furrowed a brow.

“Hmm.”

“That is not a good ‘hmm,’” Gelliana replied.

“Indeed. I am detecting similar poisons in his blood that were in yours, but at much higher concentrations. That is most peculiar. They have evaded me on the initial steps of the blood analysis, but show up on a magical scan,” SMAL mused. “Adding to data set. I will perform a more in-depth magical scan, but you will need to remove yourself from him. Thankfully he shows normal REM sleep patterns rather than being unconscious.”

Gelliana let herself pout; not like the Golem cared. She carefully set Toxic down on the elevated ‘bed’, letting the SMAL work. Falling asleep after barely waking up wasn’t good at all.

If they were at an all-expense paid resort, then maybe it would make sense to catch up on sleep. Running for their lives? Not so much.

I know you have trouble sleeping; but you haven’t told me much about the nightmares. You need the rest, Toxic.

Then again, I haven’t told you about mine. I guess we both need to be tied to beds for a week to catch up on sleep.

That thought made the gryphoness’s mind side-track, an immediate blush making her cheeks burn.

NO, NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT.

I mean, eventu-

“Scan completed,” SMAL reported, providing a glorious rescue from the gryphoness starting to spiral into a flustered mess. “I will need your assistance at once, Gelliana.”

“Huh? S-sure!” she stammered, the entity blinking with a curious head tilt.

“Are you feeling well? My scans show elevated heart rate, temperature, pupil dilation, and-”

“Yes, I feel fine, what do you need me to do?” Gelliana interrupted, making the SMAL raise an eyebrow.

“I need you to put this magic suppression ring on him,” the Golem instructed. “I cannot do that, as it is above my permissions to do so. It is not meant to be an active restraint, but rather allows me to see the Director’s magical state in addition to his physical one. He should not notice a difference, as the device can be adjusted. I have, however, set it to block a large amount of his magic as a test.”

Gelliana accepted the ring, sliding it over Toxic’s horn carefully.

She jumped back as the stallion let out a peaceful sigh, the pony actually seeming to breathe easier the moment after the device was in place. While this made a smile come on Gelliana’s face, the Golem seemed to be in shock.

“Uh, SMAL? You there?” Gelly asked, the entity frozen as it analyzed the incoming data.

“Stand by.”

Gelliana knew it was probably programed to not show emotion, but something leaked through that software, some edge that made the gryphoness on guard. For a moment the entity seemed almost disturbed, demeanor shifting to be very much not artificial.

After a few moments, the Golem quickly began to move, pulling out a previously-stowed container and gesturing towards Toxic’s discarded armor.

“I’ve gotten enough information to begin treatment, we do not have long,” SMAL stated flatly. “You must wake him, immediately.”

Shaking the stallion, an icy tendril of fear stabbed into Gelliana’s heart as Toxic refused to be roused.

“Toxic!” she finally yelled, using her entire bodyweight to shake the stallion back and forth until his eyes cracked open.

“Huh? Gells?” he mumbled, not the appropriate reply by far.

“Director. I need your authorization for this treatment before you fall unconscious,” the SMAL stated, those words at least shocking Toxic somewhat into wakefulness.

“Explain,” he muttered, letting out a hiss of pain, “Arg, my head…”

“You have been poisoned with the same compound Gelliana was, but the dose is off any scale I use. Your condition is rapidly deteriorating. This poison matches ninety-percent to that which poisoned Pick Shield during the recorded terrorist attack, but contains notable differences.”

Toxic’s eyes widened despite having to struggle to keep them open.

“What? How-why am I so tired? Can’t think. World spinning.”

“Director. I need your authorization for treatment. I do not know when you will regain consciousness again.”

Nodding once, Toxic slumped down, beginning to drift off as Gelliana’s chest began to constrict. The fact he wasn’t responding more absolutely terrified her.

“Activate all functions of SMAL including experimental subroutines,” he muttered, forcing the words out. “Full authorization for treatment to myself, Director level access, five, five, seven, alpha…two…gamma…” Toxic’s voice continued to drift despite Gelliana reaching over to and shake him.

“Theta, Epsilon...two…one…”

The stallion then slumped down, the SMAL glowing brightly as mathematical projections ran across her body.

“Codes accepted, full functionality unlocked,” the entity proclaimed almost happily. “Gelliana, we must begin treatment immediately. Are you able to assist?”

“Y-yes, then can you tell me what is going on?”

“Of course.”

The Entity’s voice was smoother, much more professional now. It almost seemed alive now, moving and speaking in a much more natural manner. Apparently, those codes must have done something.

“I need you to retrieve the small metal locker on the side of one of the Director’s armor plates. It contains two doses of high-level antigen. That will supplement the remaining items we have.”

Gelliana rifled through the armor pieces, easily locating the square protrusion and holding out a simple, fold-out kit of crystals and syringes.

The SMAL added it to a pile of colored tubes; antitoxins taken from the remaining container.

“That’s a lot of vials,” Gelliana remarked, the SMAL letting out a hum.

“And yet I believe it will be insufficient. Quite a bit more was used to treat you, and that was a dose statistically negligible to his. Unfortunately, the majority of the antitoxins available were used in your treatment.”

Gelliana’s eyes widened at that; all those syringes had been used on her? More than that?!

“Wait, what?! Toxic said we still had some doses!”

The SMAL frowned, then let out a sigh.
“My social subroutines are still experiencing conflict. I apologize if my answers are blunt,” it said, “the Director likely did not want to cause you distress. In treating you, we used approximately seventy-two percent of available antitoxins, and even then, you would have died without defibrillation and further monitoring.”

The ice in Gelliana’s heart brimmed over, making her borderline hyperventilate.
“S-so, is h-he-”

“However, even if we had not used the antidotes on you, we would have insufficient quantities,” the SMAL quickly added. “The Director’s natural resistance is promising. The fact he took a full day to show symptoms indicates his chances are much greater than any normal creature. I will need you to pass me the vials as I call out their number; they must be injected in sequence and rapidly. The goal is to blunt the effects of the poison so the Director’s body can deal with the remaining toxins on its own. Are you still able to assist?”

Gelliana swallowed her fear as best she could, walking over to stand next to the seemingly-large pile of vials.

“Y-yes.”

“Then we shall begin. Hand me the first, small black vial in the armor kit.”

The vials were injected in rapid succession; what must have been easily liters of fluid dumping into the pony’s veins. Logically, it didn’t make any sense; that should have caused huge issues of its own, but the magical sparks indicated that these weren’t ordinary injections.

It made a bit more sense why Gelliana had vomited up so much; if they had used more of this stuff on her…

After what felt like hours (but was more likely about ten minutes,) the vials were depleted, the SMAL injecting a sinister black-colored solution.

“I can continue treatment from here on my own, but I can keep you apprised of my actions,” the SMAL said. “Inquiry: Are you his mate?”

“Huh? No! Special somegriff,” Gelliana explained with a wave of her claws. “Can you still explain what you’re doing?”

“While not ordinary medical procedure, yes, I can. This situation and the enabling of my high-level programs make me able to bypasses usual privacy laws, but I am required to check for immediate relations. Unlike living creatures, I do not get distracted by explanations while performing treatment.”

“Then please do,” Gelliana said, worry making her chest tighten as Toxic winced, letting out a few incoherent mumbles.

“At present, I need to monitor his vitals to make sure his heart doesn’t experience abnormalities. Other than a supportive IV to boost the efficiency of the antitoxins, there is no other treatment for the next few hours. Recovery time, unknown.”

Gelliana, now sitting down swallowed the lump in her throat at that.
“Is he going to be ok?”

To her surprise, SMAL didn’t reply immediately, Gelliana swearing the Golem was actually confused on what to say.

“Is he?!” Gelliana pressed, the Entity finally shrugging.

“I do not know.”

Those four words made something inside Gelliana crumble, the gryphoness struggling to hold back tears as she looked at her unconscious stallion. She walked over to sit next to the pony, SMAL reaching up to hang an IV bag after pushing a needle into Toxic’s forelimb.

“I shall remain in monitoring mode. Do you wish for me to power down my visual form?” SMAL asked, Gelliana shaking her head.

“N-no. Just s-stay for a bit,” she managed to whisper, SMAL nodding once.

Seeing Toxic wince at some unknown pain broke any final barriers in her, the gryphoness crying softly. She hated this feeling; utterly useless as somepony she cared about suffered. Her mind went numb, the stress of the past day or two crashing down as she sobbed. The comforting limb SMAL draped across her shoulder’s helped a bit, even if it was just a machine.

The fear and helplessness quickly faded into frustration, Gelliana finally wiping her eyes and looking over to the SMAL.

“Can you teach things?” she asked, the entity’s head tilting curiously as though not understanding. “Medical training, can you teach me anything?”

“I have experimental training programs for various certifications in place, yes,” SMAL explained. “However, for full licensing you would need to take an exam and have-”

“I’m not taking about licensing!” Gelliana interrupted, gesturing to Toxic, “I just want to be able to help if you can’t. If I’m going to being stuck here being worried about him, I’d rather put it all to good use! What’s next to learn after basic first aid?”

SMAL blinked, then seeming to perk back up with a nod.

“I would recommend the Everfree First Responder course,” SMAL advised. “It is applicable for this scenario and one level before the hospital-level certifications. It specializes in care when high level facilities are not available, involving makeshift splints and wound care with limited resources. The level above that, an Everfree Medical Technician is what would allow you to administer IV’s as I have done. All of this will take some time, however. Each course is rather involved and lengthy.”

Gelliana’s eyes narrowed in determination, her claws reaching over to give Toxic’s hoof a gentle squeeze.

“All I’ve got is time. Teach me.”

Author's Note

Chapter Twenty-Six: From the Ashes

The second day was the hardest.

Toxic was still out cold, only waking for a brief moment to eat, drink, and visit the local Pit of Despair, as he still managed to mumble out in joking.

Seeing him suddenly so weak tore at Gelliana’s heart more than the ever thought possible. She hadn’t slept much that night, dreams punctuated by uneasy, borderline nightmares. The short classes she had with SMAL helped pass the time while they waited; the entity checking on Toxic regularly.

And yet there was still plenty of time to think, plenty of time for the gryphoness to fully come to terms with what she was feeling.

Sitting next to Toxic, Gelliana couldn’t help but smile with a few tears in her eyes as he slumbered, the pony actually relaxing whenever she held his hoof.

It wasn’t a secret, no intricate puzzle of her own feelings to figure out. It was right there, glaring in front of Gelliana’s eyes. It had been for some time.

That simple four-letter word that she had been scared of letting into her life, scared that it might be just a ruse for some ulterior motive.

Yet now she couldn’t even talk with the one pony who needed to know.

Her grip around Toxic’s hoof tightened at that thought. He had risked everything for her, all because he cared. And all he hoped for in return, all Gelliana had seen present behind his piercing green eyes was the same longing that she had unwittingly guarded too closely.

The desire to be loved, to simply be accepted.

To be wanted.

A few tears tricked down Gelliana’s cheeks at that. She had let that part of her heart open too late it would seem. And now…

“You wanted a remind to begin classes again?” SMAL interrupted in a kind tone.

“R-right. Give me a second.”

I’m not leaving you, Toxic.

The remainder of the day passed in disturbing uneventfulness. The gryphoness exercised as best she could, did a bit of reading from the books SMAL had on file, and then organized their shelter for bed. The inability to help was nearly driving her mad, Toxic still unresponsive to most stimuli.

Yet he still smiled when she held his hoof. That sight nearly brought on the tears again, the guilt of realizing how much Gelliana hadn’t shared with the one pony who wanted to learn about her.

After eating a simple ration of dried fruit and bread (which was surprisingly tasty all things considered,) Gelliana settled down on the sleeping pad on the ground; Toxic remaining on the raised portion. The SMAL glowed softly, a simple night-light as requested by the gryphoness.

In the near darkness, the despair and fear were nearly a physical force crushing the gryphoness’s chest, and yet something warded it off. A steady sound Gelliana had grown to love; a nearby heartbeat that made her own breathing steady.

Somehow it was impossible to completely break down, to freeze in fear.

Who would be there when Toxic woke up then? I can’t break, not yet. Not until I know he’s safe.

It was an afterthought, a simple, strange impulse that caused Gelliana to reach over and grab Toxic’s breastplate and hold it tight against her chest. Now the tears flowed, that familiar warmth flooding her body as gold and pink sparks ignited across the metal.

You have the name of a protector, Toxic. But did you ever wonder who would be your shield?

Gelliana’s eyes cracked open at that, the breastplate sparking fiercely.

Did you ever dream you’d have somecreature like that?

‘I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore…’ the young gryphon chick pouted, the other ponies shrugging as the youngsters walked around the playground.

‘Well, it’s easier since you’re the gryphon! They’re usually the bad guys in the books!’ a colt piped up.

Seeing the chick’s beak quiver sadly as her wings drooped, a Pegasus filly trotted over to the group, rolling her eyes and picked up a stick.

‘Yeah, but Gelly has been the bad guy like, three times in a row! I’ll be the evil queen if I get to play!’

Gelliana sniffled, managing a smile to the filly.

‘W-what’s y-youe name?” the gryphoness managed to ask, the filly grinning in return.

‘Marigold.’

Gelliana was pulled from her dozing memory as a soft mumbling echoed around the shelter. The SMAL was already activated, running a magical beam over Toxic as he stirred.

“Apologies for the noise, Gelliana. Simply a nightmare,” the Entity stated.

“That’s reason enough for disturbing me,” Gelly replied, levering herself up onto the dirt and foam-padded platform. The tight grimace on Toxic’s face made the gryphoness’s heart ache, and she slid over to sit next to him, half-bracing against the wall.

“Can he be moved?” she asked, and received a simple, almost curious nod from SMAL.

Reaching over, Gelliana shifted Toxic to let the pony lean against her chest, half on his side, back facing her. To her utter surprise, the stallion’s expression softened, the pony letting out a content murmur.

“Fascinating,” SMAL remarked.

Toxic relaxed further as Gelliana shifted to hold his upper half in her arms, rocking him back and forth. A clear smile was on the stallion’s face now, but that quickly tensed along with his limbs.

More bad dreams?

Her hypothesis was proven correct as Toxic snapped abruptly awake. His chest heaved, green eyes wide and darting about in genuine fear and confusion.

A single word left his lips.

“GELLS!” he cried out, taking deep breaths as his eyes refocused. “Gells?” Toxic asked in a softer and sleepier tone as the gryphoness still held him in her arms.

“Right here, Tox.”

Toxic was already nodding off again, snuggling closer into Gelliana’s embrace with a sigh of relief.

“Just a dream,” he mumbled, “thought I lost you again. Still here, not gone…”

Gelliana felt her heart crack at that.

Tox.

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered in his ear, the pony already falling asleep in her arms.

As Toxic slumbered, a simple phrase flickered through Gelliana’s mind unbidden. When before it would have been accompanied by trepidation, fear at saying a simple word, it now was bolstered by a foundation. A firm friendship, a complete trust.

“I didn’t fall in love with you to leave at the first sign of trouble,” Gelliana whispered without a single stutter. “Even if the trouble is rather big right now.”

I love him. I can finally say it to myself. And that means he deserves to know it too.

“You’re my coltfriend, Toxic. You’re mine, u-until you let me know otherwise.”

Toxic must have heard something, because he burrowed a bit deeper into her feathers with a happy sigh.

As Gelliana drifted off to sleep, she didn’t notice how the breastplate on the ground continued to spark, nor how SMAL briefly re-formed and looked at the pair with a curious, almost confused smile before vanishing.

The third and fourth day passed in state of worry and intense distraction. Toxic had barely spoken; only waking up to relieve himself and eat for but a few minutes like before.

And then he was gone, flopping onto the foam and dirt ‘bed’, leaving Gelliana alone in their shelter.

With nothing to do but learn from SMAL and think again, Gelliana had indeed learned quite a bit; and not necessarily just about medical treatments. When the life of a pony she cared about was in danger, Gelliana found out very quickly that her feelings from the previous day were not a fleeting thing. If anything, they burned all the brighter. It was almost frightening how fierce some of these emotions were, but at least the gryphoness had all the time in the world to process them.

That said, Toxic very well could die; and that genuinely terrified her. It wasn’t the fact of being stuck alone, of having to flee from these reptiles; that was a mere afterthought.

Being left without the one pony who cared about her, who made her laugh, who was there for her in a way no other creature had ever been, who had done so much for her and wanted only to be loved in return.

To have him quite suddenly ripped out of her life, that scared Gelliana more than anything. If the price for Toxic’s well-being was to run from reptiles through an unfamiliar forest, she’d gladly pay it.

And that was another surprise; how much the gryphoness realized she was fully content going through just to get him back safe and sound. To know he would just wake up and be alright again…

I love him.

Gelliana’s claws clenched at that thought, a few tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t know any magic, no special spells, but the gryphoness would yank Toxic back from Tartarus itself if she had to. She now said those simple four letters to herself freely.

And yet he didn’t know. Gelliana had been too late in realizing it herself, and by the time she had confronted Toxic about it…they were at this point. The past few days had made it abundantly clear that she had guarded her heard a bit too much; something she knew was a possibility. What had once been a healthy precaution built from past experiences had blossomed like a cancerous vine, strangling the progress of tender feelings until now.

Toxic showing her time and time again that he was interested in her had chipped away at the vines, but the past few days had destroyed it faster than Gelliana realized was possible. She thought that she had trusted this stallion before, but now? It wasn’t even comparable.

She knew this stallion would give his life to save her, and Gelliana was still struggling to comprehend the weight of that realization, the simple fact that she hadn’t been nearly as open with her coltfriend as he had with her, even though she had long-since yearned for such a trust.

It was easy to slip into self-loathing, so the gryphoness had forced herself to soak up everything SMAL taught her. She could feel the crushing weight of their situation on her shoulders, the fear that threatened to make her limbs freeze over Toxic’s condition.

She wouldn’t let it. Not again. She wasn’t a chick anymore, helpless and crying out for help. She could at least do something, even if it couldn’t help Toxic in the immediate sense, no matter how much Gelliana wanted it to.

Taking a lunch break from studying the EFR course, Gelliana’s claws drifted over to hold Toxic’s hoof. He smiled in his sleep, something that still seemed more common than not.

After a time, Gelliana reached over to pick up another item, one that had as of recently, puzzled SMAL to no end.

Toxic’s symbol-etched breastplate sparked in her claws, pink tendrils of magic running across Gelliana’s talons and up her arms in a warm embrace. SMAL said it was something about an energy compatibility, but had not said anymore.

There was something more, something SMAL was hiding. The entity had started to act a bit twitchy every now and again. But it was experimental, so she let it slide. The energy though; the gryphoness was hardly stupid.

Pink usually meant a very specific thing in terms of emotional magic. The warmth, the tears that always sprang into Gelliana’s eyes when she hugged the breastplate close.

She knew what this magic was, this feeling. The fact that Toxic responded when she held the breastplate was another clue; his limbs twitching slightly as though she were hugging him…

I love you, Toxic. Don’t you dare leave me until I get to say those words along with a kiss!

The sparks only intensified at that. The gryphoness didn’t know why or how, but the armor continued to glow.

“You’d better wake up, Toxic,” Gelliana whispered as she set the breastplate aside, reaching over to brush a bit of black mane from his sleeping face. “I still need to t-tell you how much you mean to me. I wish it hadn’t taken all of this to realize how much you didn’t realize it!”

Gelliana felt a tightness in her chest; tears threatening to fall.
“You’ve given so much, this just isn’t fair,” she whispered. “How much more do you have to take? When do you get to rest, even for a little bit? When will you get to lean on me without all the doubts?”

Her ears then picked up a disturbing sound; Toxic’s usual heartbeat weakening with his breathing.

“Gelliana, please stand back. His vitals are destabilizing,” SMAL stated sharply, making Gelliana’s eyes widen in horror. The entity attached two pads to the prone stallion’s chest, a defibrillator starting up with a soft hum.

“No, no no no…” Gelliana whispered.

“Analyzing.”

Gelliana was struck with an odd sense of familiarity; is this was Toxic went through? Standing by as he attached pads to her body and was forced to watch? Horror rooted her limbs to the ground.

“Shock advised. Please stand by,” SMAL stated in a robotic tone. “Shocking.”

As Toxic’s body twitched, the gryphoness felt her claws shaking in fear and dread.

“Analyzing; shock advised.”

“Tox, come on…”

The SMAL then dashed over to one of the medical kits, pulling out an array of pre-loaded syringes and pushing the contents into Toxic’s veins.

“Administering aid. Stand by,” SMAL reported.

Gelliana couldn’t take it any longer, slumping down as she cried.
“Toxic, please,” she whispered, limbs shaking with fear. “Please don’t leave me!”

Not him.

“Starting CPR.”

Biting her claws to stop herself from crying out, the gryphoness felt her own heart thudding in her ears.

Please.

He’s given so much; he doesn’t deserve this. Does he never get to rest?

Something odd then flashed through Gelliana’s mind. It was the oddest thing. It was a thought that refused to leave, a warm urge, as if some strange voice was trying to tell her something. That urge increased to a near deafening roar in her mind.

Gelliana scrambled over to the pile of armor, grabbing a piece of the side plating even as tears ran down her face.

“Dangit Toxic!” Gelliana said fiercely as she sat next to him, pink sparks flickering around her talons holding the armor. “I didn’t fall in love with you to have you die in some cave! Get back here!”

She slammed the piece of armor onto Toxic’s side, magic sparking around the item as it latched onto the stallion’s frame.

“You’ve been a protector to so many,” she said, still pressing the armor for some unknown reason. “For those kids, for creatures who don’t even know your name. For me…” Gelliana could barely get out her words now. “But who is your shield? You don’t have to go this alone anymore; don’t you dare leave me before you figure that out! I’m not going anywhere, TOXIC!”

As she yelled his name, the armor in her grasp seemed to explode.

As if called by name, an arm of white arcane energy punched up from the ground and into the SMAL, the golem pirouetting and directing it into Toxic smoothly as Gelliana was shoved aside. The Entity’s frame grew and expanded, a lanky, armored mare erupting from the SMAL’s figure like a snake shedding a skin.

Her bright green eyes drifted over to Gelliana, the mare’s mouth parting into a firm but kind smile.

“You finally realized it,” she said softly, voice a bit deeper than the average mare’s but still carrying with it a feminine tone. There was an edge, a power to her voice however, like a commander in an army.

“I think this has gone on long enough. You now understand.”

With a sickening sound akin to sucking up a bunch of cake batter with a vacuum, the mare directed the magical tether to pull something out of Toxic’s mouth. Twisting black fluid hung suspended mid-air, the sludge sparking with a rainbow of colors and making Gelliana’s head throb from just looking at it.

“You are not alone, Gelliana,” the mare stated calmly, banishing the substance with a flick of her hoof. “I could not allow him to die under such unfair terms. But now, Toxic’s life is in your own claws.”

Gelliana scrambled over to her stallion, eyes wide as his sweat-stained figure breathed normally. She looked over to the mare in shock, head shaking briefly.

“W-who…?”

The mare bowed her head once at that.
“A friend,” she said softly, then meeting Gelliana’s gaze. “I could not act until you understood what needed to be learned. I could not rob that progress and lesson from you. We will speak again.” She then paused, a fierceness entering the mare’s eyes. “Be his shield, Gelliana. Relay this message to Toxic; he can trust me. A Phoenix always rises.”

As the mare vanished, a dinner-plate sized item ‘plunked’ to the ground, the SMAL then flashing into existence, the familiar mare blinking in surprise.

“Most odd. My systems have restarted. Performing diagnostics.”

Gelliana could only stare in shock, a tired groan then drawing her attention.
“Ow, my chest.”

She at least had the mind to not hug Toxic too tightly, the gryphoness sobbing into his arms as the stallion levered himself slightly upright.

“Hello to you too,” Toxic winced, gently holding the gryphoness in his arms as she continued to cry, that beautiful voice soothing her heart.

“T-toxic.”

It was only after no fewer than a dozen reassurances that Gelliana let Toxic doze peacefully as the SMAL healed his chest from the CPR, the gryphoness giving the sleepy stallion a very brief peck on the lips.

“T-that’s so you w-wake up,” she stuttered, a bit of her nerves coming to the fore.

“Mmm, not going anywhere,” the groggy stallion replied with an adorable, cheesy grin as he drifted off to sleep, obviously forgiving the ‘no milestones reached’ rule.

She didn’t move for some time, grateful tears falling from violet eyes as her stallion slumbered peacefully. A few times he shifted in his sleep, a smile still on his face.

After pulling herself away reluctantly, Gelliana walked over to examine the item that had fallen when the strange mare vanished.

To her utter shock, a large piece of odd, blueish-tinted was lying on the ground formed in a familiar shape. Turning it over made the gryphoness tear up again, making her promptly walk over to Toxic and spread a wing over him protectively. Gelliana didn’t know who that mare was, but she did know what lesson the mare had been talking about.

It was a lesson she had spent so much time yearning for, she hadn’t realized when she needed to be the one to teach.

‘Be his shield, Gelliana.’

Engraved on the blue metal chest plate with a fiery pink magic shone a lighthouse protected by two feathery wings. And in the middle of the symbol, a large blooming flower sparkled as if having been newly wet by morning dew.

“Nothing?” the King of Shadows asked his Bringer, the gryphon shaking his head.

“No. I apologize, Highness, I’ve personally been look as well. We can’t-”

“It matters not,” the King replied dismissively, a shadowy appendage waving off any discussion. “I trust you have been giving your efforts all of your energy, but it’s simply not feasible for me to expect results within a few days.”

Both praise and an admittance of incorrect expectations in the same sentence? The Bringer was unsettled quite quickly at that.

“In accordance with my other half’s idea, it is time that we escalate our plans, at least to the testing phase,” the King mused. “Recall your troops and deploy the Cloak. Make sure none of our forces are outside when they are released. I have assurances they can tell friend from foe…but I personally have my doubts.”

“At once, Highness.”

Varti could barely contain himself, the Yak almost bouncing with excitement as Nacreous chuckled at his side.

“Well done, Varti,” the Emperor said softly, not able to keep a smile off of his face as dozens of miniature suns ignited in the distances, mirrored surfaces reflecting the noonday light.

“It couldn’t have happened without you, Highness,” Varti said softly. “I still don’t know how well it worked. I couldn’t be there for the last part; none of us could. But Course Pen said…” his voice drifted off on a hopeful note.

Celestia and Luna trotted up to them as a teleportation spell faded, the Yak having requested their presence as well, much to their surprise.

“Thank you for this,” Celestia whispered, this being one of her first times on the Island.

“Princess, I know you and Toxic, and myself for that matter, don’t have the greatest of trusting relationships,” Varti said in a surprisingly upbeat tone. “But he would want you here for this. Without you and the Emperor, this would not be possible.” The Yak then turned to the Princess, bowing respectfully. “I cannot thank you enough, and I know Toxic would say the same; I know him well enough for that. Without all of your help and care, I believe our efforts would have failed. The imbalances were not something we could have corrected without your delicate touch.”

In the distance, the shield flickered a few times, the distant objects growing in size. The dozens of airships, a full fleet, jockeyed into position for docking at the Island, magical exhaust trails marking their path. The vessels were an odd conglomeration of newer designs coupled with a rebuilt Storm King vessel. The now-redone hulls shone like a gem with reflective surfaces across an odd, crystalline hull, the vessels having been housed at remote and rather secretive docks on the western coast. A golden lighthouse was emblazoned along the side of every ship, another sun reflecting the larger body’s glory.

Many of the ships bristled with weaponry, ballistae dotting the railings as recessed ports clearly concealed what were likely cannons of some sort. Odd circular metal cylinders dotting the sides of the vessel angled this way and that with recessed enchanted gems, combining magic and turbine technology to form an odd, powerful air thruster Celestia had never seen. They looked like gemstones zipping through the sky, punching through the clouds as they angled towards the island. A good third of the vessels bore the universal sign of aid; a red cross etched on their sides, no armament adorning their railings.

To say Celestia was a bit jealous was an understatement. It was a marvel of engineering to say the least, and in raw numbers alone the Last Light organization outclassed Equestria’s airship fleet easily thrice over. It was fairly clear that the Island had not been the only thing Toxic had been investing in.

She really should have known something was amiss; between Toxic’s pay and Varti’s rather substantial resources, there had to have been another target for the funds. In this case, the secretive dry-docks had been unknown to any but those building the ships, and with the Golem’s help, that had not been nearly as many as one would think.

“Tie it off! You know how to do that, right?” a stallion called, another, younger voice answering as a figure jumped and slid down a massive tow-line from ten stories above the platform. The odd pony expertly threaded the ropes, waving to the stallion on the railing as the larger-than-average airship slid closer.

“I had nothing to do but practice knots for hours! Of course I do! Tied off and initiating docking!”

The stallion then swayed his body, the airship seeming to move with the individual’s motions as if they were linked, a wave of a limb making the arcane thrusters adjust their own movements.

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise as Varti appeared to be struggling to hold back tears, the yak trotting forwards as the individual finished the odd procedure.

“Learning to tie knots and scheming? I’m impressed,” Varti said, the odd pony turning to look at them.

Appearing like a strange version of a crystal pony in makeup and size, the stallion that looked at them had segmented body parts held together by powerful arcane tethers. Lightweight teal crystal armor glowed around his barrel and shoulders; a familiar lighthouse emblazoned on the breastplate. Despite the golem-like appearance of his limbs, the rest of the stallion appeared like any other crystal pony, eyes widening in recognition.

“Varti!”

Pick Shield dashed forward and wrapped the larger yak up in a hug with a laugh, then letting him go and jumping up and down.

“Ninety-nine-point nine repeating effectiveness!” he crowed, laughing as he hopped around like a young colt. “No pain! Nothing! IT WORKED!”

Pick then managed to pull himself together slightly, bowing to Nacreous, Celestia and Luna.

“Highness’s,” he managed to say, then darting forward to hug Nacreous abruptly. “Thank you,” the stallion whispered, Nacreous chuckling and returning the gesture.

“It was my pleasure. I can’t tell you how h-happy I am to see that my condition has saved yet another life, will save even m-more…” the Emperor’s voice hitched, the wave of emotion clearly taking him by surprise.

“The transfer; you’re completely alright?” Celestia asked, still not believing her eyes. It was one thing to have Nacreous tell her, but quite another to see it.

“Completely! The possibilities are endless!” Pick exclaimed, gesturing to his body. “It’s not my place to spread agelessness across the world though; thankfully that’s a problem for you all. But just imagine! Paralyzed creatures able to live again for the rest of their lives, amputees to gain artificial limbs that are nearly a perfect match! So many possibilities!”

“But you will never age?” Luna asked softly, Pick nodding firmly.

“Yes. This was the one time that such a condition could not be changed,” the unicorn said calmly and oddly without remorse. “But I’m not alone in that thanks to Nacreous’s efforts! Besides, I can do so much with all that time! A decade of living in a hospital room; I’ll take every year I can get!”

The stallion’s exuberance was infectious, all present now smiling as Pick activated a spell on his forelimb, a complicated looking keypad forming on the limb as he mentally manipulated some sort of spell.

“But first, I’m getting my brother back!” he growled, eyes then flickering over to Varti. “Is my clearance approved?”

The Yak nodded, surprising the other three royals.
“Yes. I look forward to having another brain in the lab. Well, when you’re not airborne at least. The docks are ready and waiting for the fleet; we can begin calibration immediately. I see the interface between your ship is working as planned. I’m impressed your auto-pilot design worked for the whole fleet.”

Pick turned to the royals, the individuals noticing how his armor now bore some official looking stripes and chevrons.

“I hope Toxic will forgive me,” Pick said softly, teeth gritting as the airship behind him oddly seemed to respond, crystal armor moving like the scales on a snake. “I didn’t like going behind his back, but I’m not letting him go without a fight!”

“There’s nothing for him to forgive,” Varti stated in reply. “He entrusted me to fill the positions of this organization. And while you lack actual, real-world experience, how many classes have you taken for this? How many simulations have you run? You’re the most qualified individual of any applicant! Name me a nation that even has an airship fleet of this size. Without your auto-pilot spell, they’d still be sitting in dry dock!”

Pick smiled at that, standing tall and looking at the Royals.
“Fleet Commander Pick Shield of the Last Light Organization, at your service!” he said with a flourishing bow.

The ship behind him flared an armored set of maneuvering fins as if they were wings, the other vessels now flying in to anchor at matching points. To Celestia’s surprise, the arcane pony seemed to guide the other ships like a set of kites, their thrusters and fins responding to his motions. The largest of the ships from where Pick had jumped continually shifted its fins, appearing to respond to his emotions and physical motions on some level.

“But first, I need to know what we’re up against,” Pick said with a determined grin. “I would humbly ask you tell me what you’ve found out, Celestia, and ask for you, Luna, and Nacreous’s assistance. Varti and I have agreed; Nocreature is going in there without a plan.”

The Alicorn found herself oddly overwhelmed. Having mortal creatures willing to take the lead, to offer and be capable of helping when she hadn’t been…

“Of course,” she managed to say, hoof giving Nacreous’s claws a squeeze. “If it will save Toxic and Gelliana, I’d be honored.”

As Varti led them to a large conference room, Celestia saw another figure fly down and stand at the edge of the platform, having been waiting up on another airship.

Who was that?

Varti seemed to know; the Yak simply looked behind them and smiled knowingly.

“Pick can get a bit hyper-focused,” Varti said with a chuckle. “I’ve been the one to remind him of the more important things in life if Toxic doesn’t beat me to the punch.

Trotting over to the individual, Pick’s eyes widened in shock as he got closer. He stopped in front of the hippogriff, words completely failing him.

“P-pick,” Salina whispered, the creamy-blue hippogriff’s beak quivering as she stared. “Y-you’re…”

“Sali? H-how did you get-”

“I asked Varti to send me here and tell me the news. He only t-told me to fly here after we docked. I didn’t know if y-you were-I needed to know if it worked. I n-needed…” the shy hippogriff’s pink eyes closed, tears falling freely as her light purple mane fell over to obscure her soft sobs. “I….”

Pick wrapped his best friend in a hug, holding the taller hippogriff close as tears fell from his eyes, the magical moisture just as real as any other.

“It worked, Salina. I’m still here, and I’m still me,” Pick said, tightening his hug. “And I don’t hurt anymore! I’m free!” he then paused, wincing slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you. I was going to send a message, but I’ve been so overwhelmed with everything- I guess Varti knew that’d happen.”

Salina was stuck between laughing and crying, the hippogriff refusing to let the stallion go as she nodded knowingly, confirming Pick’s words as he then continued to talk.

“But it worked! This means nocreature has to end up like I did! Walking after a paralyzing accident, playing sports with a disfigured limb; getting their lives back! It’s incredible!”

Salina pulled back, brushing her mane out of her eyes with a set of shaking claws.

“A-always thinking of others. You really d-did pick that up from Toxic, huh?” she asked, Pick shrugging with a tearful smile.

“How could I not? My big bro is an inspiration. But now I’m safe, and now there’s so much to do!” he exclaimed, not seeming to pick up on how Salina was still hugging him tightly.

“I can help rescue my brother, finally show that bonehead he isn’t alone in all this,” Pick said fiercely. “I’ve been cooped up for so long, and now there’s so much that needs to be done! I can actually use that list I wrote! Prosthetics to design, weapon systems to upgrade, transfer spells to write for the paralyzed creatures, ugh, I wish I didn’t still have to sleep in this form! At least I can still eat, I’d hate to not be able to taste anything.”

Salina seemed to hesitate, the hippogriff finally saying something unintelligible.

“What was that, Sali?” Pick asked, seemingly genuinely confused.

“Where do I f-fit into there? Among all those plans?” she asked, not able to meet the pony’s gaze.

Pick blinked, head tilting as the gears whirled in his mind.

“Huh? Not following?” he admitted. “I’ll always make time for you. You’re my best frienmmf!”

A quick kiss on the lips shut the stallion up for a few moments, Pick’s eyes widening in realization.

“Oooooooooooooooooh.”

Salina sniffled, still smiling as the stallion didn’t say anything else.

“Oh? That’s your response?” she asked, a bit of boldness entering her tone and stature as Pick shook his head.

“What? No! I mean, I didn’t- I didn’t expect, I didn’t know…”

“Yeah you did,” Salina said softly, leaning over to rest on Pick’s shoulder- armor fading at her touch so it was just his own body, crystal fur feeling just as real as flesh and blood. “You’re smarter than that. Way smarter. Some of our conversations? Remember when we sat on that ledge at my home and talked for hours watching the stars? All those ‘hypotheticals’? We both knew, but just couldn’t think about it too much, not beyond that. But I think we both knew what we were really talking about. The hope against hope ‘what ifs.’”

Pick lowered his head with a huff at that.
“Fair point,” he admitted, “I just forced myself to not think about that, I couldn’t think like that. It wouldn’t be fair to you, and would hurt too much for me. And hurt for you for that matter.”

“What about now?” Salina asked, Pick replying by leaning his head against hers.

“Now? I can’t wait to spend more time with my best friend.” Pick could feel the frown forming on Salina’s face. “Hey, no pouting. I wasn’t done. I was going to say, I also can’t wait to see where things go from here. Just,” he paused, wincing. “I’m going to need some time to adjust though, ok? A few days to realize I’m not going to die is a bit of an adjustment. And then realizing my best friend wants to date me…”

“Has wanted to date you for like, almost a year,” Salina replied with a huff. “We’ve known each other for years before that. How could I not feel that way about you?”

“Uh, want me to list the ways? The first of me being totally oblivious? Too hyper focused? Rambling on about technobabble stuff?”

“Technobabble that I actually do understand about half of, I might add, and it’s something you love. You were also actively trying to not think of me in that way. I find that incredibly sweet.”

“You find it sweet I was trying to not see you in a romantic sense?” Pick asked, Salina pulling back to nod.

“Yup!”

“So, am I no longer sweet because I’m no longer trying to see you non-romantically? It’s a pretty easy switch I might add.”

“Naaaaaah. You’re still super sweet….um…” The impact of Pick’s words made Salina blush slightly. “So, that’s ok? I don’t want to rush you, I’m just so happy you’re alive, and here, and everything!”

“Sali, can we please just go on a date in a week or two so it can be official?” Pick asked with a mock-exasperated grin and roll of his eyes.

The blushing hippogriff became a woodpecker briefly, the stallion chuckling.
“Is that a yes?”

“Of course it’s a yes. How can you be so blunt, straightforward, weird, and adorable at the same time?” Salina asked in mock exasperation, the pair now walking towards the conference room.

“Eh. Probably the same way you’re able to be equally weird, beautiful, and a greater gem in this world than the Pearl,” Pick replied without skipping a beat. The stallion was grinning widely now as Salina sputtered. “Hmm. That’s one for me, zero for you.”

“W-what?!”

“Well we did talk hypothetically that one time. How fun it’d be to make the other blush. We talked a lot hypothetically about what would happen if this worked, now that I think about it.”

The adorable grumbles from Salina were music to Pick’s ears. The things that can change in a week.

And yet there was an undercurrent, a single thought that refused to leave Pick’s mind despite the whirlwind of changes.

“We’ll get him back, Pick,” Salina whispered, the stallion finding himself choking up. Had he been that obvious? Or did she just know him well enough?

Perhaps both.

We’re coming, Toxic!

Author's Note

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Rocky Road

Toxic let out a tired mumble, yawning as he shifted on the foam pad. Aside from feeling like death, he was ready to tackle the day.

Ok, that was a straight up lie. The stallion’s body was aching all over, and he couldn’t even open his eyes yet. It was like every cell under his skin had tumbled off a surfboard and directly into a gravel pit.

Repeatedly.

Gelliana had informed him of what had happened the previous day; before he had quickly fallen asleep again. The SMAL calmly then informed both of them what residual magic was left in Toxic’s body along with the poisons.

The idea of having Chaos energy in conjunction with poison in his blood wasn’t a comforting thought. But that explained how the stuff was so crazy. It also raised a lot of questions, especially since Discord was supposed to be the curator of the stuff.

Chaos magic as a booster to a poison. You get a bunch of random things I imagine. Well, at least my liver didn’t turn into a potato.

He then recalled a certain story by Shifting, the stallion letting out a huff.

Or a shrimp.

Apparently, the majority of the magic had been removed by Clari’s sister (Toxic was still wrapping his head around that one,) but that only meant he wasn’t about to dissolve into a puddle of arcane sludge. The poison was still very much present, but the magic restrictor on Toxic’s horn seemed to be slowing the effects to a manageable level.

Just like with Pick. It feeds off of magic.

From what Toxic could gather, with the majority of the Chaos magic gone, it was now up to his body to deal with the lingering traces of it, along with the bulk of the actual poison. That, of course, didn’t sound exciting at all.

Why this new entity decided to wait all this time for him to be miserable, Toxic wasn’t sure, but figured it had to do with the various ‘threads’ that Clari mentioned. Gelliana wasn’t taking that explanation too well, however, and Toxic suspected that if said entity decided to visit them again, she’d hit first and wait for an explanation later.

The SMAL was still analyzing the scans it had taken of him the previous day, compiling a more detailed prognosis, and Gelliana had been doing something. He wasn’t entirely sure; the stallion hadn’t been able to speak to her much before falling asleep.

Gells…

Toxic forced his eyes open; a struggle in and of itself. It felt like he hadn’t slept a wink, but seeing a bit of light aided him in pushing aside the exhaustion. It was the sort of weariness one had during the feather-flu, or the non-Pegasus version of it.

Everything in the shelter was organized, at least more so than it had been a day or two ago. But what drew Toxic’s attention was the gryphoness at his side. Slumbering peacefully, Gelliana was curled up right next to the elevated dirt ‘bed’, yawning as a soft chime echoed from the SMAL unit.

“Wake-up alarm as you requested, Gelliana,” the unit said, then blinking in surprise and walking over to Toxic. “Excellent. You are awake, Director. How are you feeling?”

“Like I lost a fight with a bugbear,” Toxic said, forcing himself up- or at least to lean against the wall in a half-upright motion.

“Scanning, stand-”

“Tox!”

The unicorn let out a half-yelp half-wince as Gelliana hopped up and wrapped the stallion up in a hug.

“Gently,” he grunted, the gryphoness letting out a tearful giggle at that.

“Is that another Queen Betrothed quote?”

The fact Toxic nodded but promptly *thudded* none-to-gently against the wall as Gelliana released him made the gryphoness’s eyes widen.

“OH! Sorry! I…”

“I’m happy to see you too, Gells,” Toxic chuckled softly. “And it is both a quote and a statement of my current condition. Can’t really move that much.”

“Understandable. You are still combatting the effects of the poison in your blood,” SMAL reported, “I do not have an estimated time when you will be free of it. It does not appear to be permanent, however. The majority of the magical field surrounding the toxins has inexplicitly vanished. This should make the process more straightforward.”

“That would be our mystery mare’s doing I suppose,” Toxic mused, Gelliana nodding, still holding back apparent tears. To that end, the stallion forced himself to move (more like flop,) over, draping his forelimbs around Gelliana’s shoulders.

“This is the best hug I can give right now,” the pony admitted, Gelliana sniffling as she did the rest of the work, much more gently wrapping him back up in her arms.

“Hey, I’ll take it. I’m just happy you’re back. You were gone for a while, before waking up last time.”

“I what?”

“You had a similar reaction to the toxins as Gelliana. CPR and defibrillation were necessary,” SMAL clarified.

“That explains why my chest aches,” Toxic mumbled, then paused on feeling Gelliana shudder. “Hey, you ok?”

Gelliana’s response was to just tighten her hold, forcing her breathing to slow down a bit. The two of them certainly hadn’t showered in days, but she didn’t care; he was here, and ok.

“A silly question, I guess. I know that must have been scary; I’m doing alright though,” Toxic whispered.

“Is this how you felt? When I was the one lying there”

Gelliana’s soft reply made Toxic think, the pony finally nodding.

“Scared. Helpless, and then just grateful you woke up.”

A simple nod into the pony’s shoulder, Gelliana still not about to let go, but she was relaxing slightly. She reached over to rub her cheek against Toxic’s, then resting in the crook of his shoulder and neck.

“I can’t lose you.”

Toxic almost missed those words, barely audible but trembling with emotion. He hugged the gryphoness back as best he could.

There was only one thing he could say to that, a simple, single word whispered out before his throat closed up.

“Same.”

As he rested in her embrace, Toxic couldn’t help but notice something was different. The way Gelliana had spoken, even how she hugged him; he couldn’t explain it. There was a different type of sincerity to it all, something deeper. The kiss from before he most certainly remembered, even if it was brief. So, something had indeed changed; but to say he liked it was an understatement.

“Something changed, huh?” Toxic asked softly after a few minutes. “Not that I want to interrupt our technically first ever but definitely not last cuddling time.”

A soft ‘eep’ was Gelliana’s response, Toxic feeling her feathers fluff against his face and chest.

The fact she didn’t immediately pull away was enough of an answer for him though. Something was up.

He couldn’t resist. Humor in a time of obvious stress had its advantages.

“Can I guess? Hmm, well, are you pregnant?”

Gelliana pushed him away slightly with a sputter, feathers fluffing out at near right angles as the stallion laughed. It hurt, but so worth it. The playful if not utterly surprised sparkle in Gelliana’s eyes made it doubly so.

“W-what?! I’ve never- we’ve never…”

She then pouted, or at least tried to. Toxic reached, or rather, flopped a hoof over to give her nearest claws a squeeze.

“Sorry. I couldn’t resist,” he admitted. “You are really cute when trying to pout but utterly fail, just like that. The blush too.”

Mission: make my special somegriff a stammering blushing mess where she can forget about stressful things.

Mission accomplished.

Somehow the gesture made Gelliana tear up again, the gryphoness managing a smile now.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “And you are right though, about something changing.”

“Oh?”

“Just,” she paused, eyes flickering to the ground. “There’s just a lot I want to talk about with you. Nothing bad, all good.”

“Well, considering I am having trouble moving, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” Toxic admitted. “We probably should stay here unt-”

“Unknown gases detected,” SMAL reported, popping into existence abruptly and making Toxic jerk in surprise. “Shields holding. Concentrations at ten parts per million and rising. Data available for display.”

“Help me up, please,” Toxic asked abruptly, leaning on Gelliana as he tottered over to the SMAL’s crystal core.

“What in the world,” he muttered, examining a projected readout of the gas. “I have no idea what this is. Why does the structure keep changing?”

“It has the same mutagenic properties as the poison in your blood,” SMAL reported. “Best hypothesis is that you received a concentrated dose of what was meant to be an aerosolized agent.”

Toxic’s ears drooped, the stallion nodding weakly.
“I don’t like the fact I agree with that analysis, but it makes sense. So, more chaos magic?”

“Correct. Parts per million are holding steady at fifty-seven. The onset was abrupt, suggesting an aided dispersal. Without additional monitoring stations I cannot determine the spread or source.”

“Can you investigate outside our shelter please? Are we being targeted, or is this everywhere?” Toxic asked, then used his magic to examine the shielding runes. “Also, please scout to the limit of your range to see if we are even close to the edge of the suppression field. If there’s another suitable shelter, we probably need to move there.”

“I can do so. I will activate my stealth subroutines.”

“Good. Are the shields holding?”

“Due to the data received about potential Chaos magic, I adjusted the shield to compensate for such, at least as best I can. No failure is anticipated in three hundred simulated trials for the shields, and two hundred filtration trials for the provided mask filters. It is in a particulate form, propelled and held in an aerosolized state by unknown means. Ground water samples from the underground stream here indicate zero traces. I will take a sample of a stream exposed to the air during the mission.”

Toxic shrugged his shoulders, heading back to the elevated bed, the stallion grunting as he flopped back down.

“Well, go and scout please and let us know,” he directed, the SMAL vanishing with a soft *pop*.

“So, there’s a gas outside then?” Gelliana asked, her voice quavering slightly.

“Yup. If you can please go to that second crate from the left, you will find a set of heavy respirators. Can you bring two of them over here? I’ll show you how to assemble them,” Toxic said calmly, voice steady and sure as Gelliana walked over. He wasn’t a fool; despite the levity from earlier, an invisible and possibly deadly gas would make anyone’s fears ignite into overdrive, and logically so.

He went through how to put on the respirator multiple times, change the filters, how often, and so forth. After a few practice runs, the stallion nodded in approval, trying to inject a bit of levity into their clearly-precarious situation.

“Still cute in a mask,” he said with a smile, Gelliana taking off the piece of gear with a roll of her eyes.

“Now you’re just buttering me up.”

“Just looking out for my special somegriff,” Toxic admitted. “I’m used to this sort of thing, you aren’t. If I can help you feel even a bit safer, I want to.”

Shaking her head in almost disbelief, Gelliana sniffled at his words.
“You are too much of a gentlecolt, Toxic,” she said softly. “And I do appreciate it. But oddly enough, it’s starting to feel almost normal. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.”

“Probably a little of both,” Toxic replied, “just acclimating to the ‘new normal’ of our situation. But, fact of the matter is that we’re safe, and even if the shields fail, we can use the masks. Just keep them within reach, and we’ll be good.”

Gelliana nodded, settling down next to the bed.

“Just another day in paradise?” she asked.

“Gells, when you’re here, every day is-mMF!” Toxic’s voice was muffled by a claw that pressed against his lips, Gelliana shaking her head as she tried not to laugh.

“You are impossible.”

“MmmHMMM!” Toxic replied, the claw then being released as he grinned. “And for the record, that was not said to purposefully distract you.”

“Yeah, I figured. You have these moments of maximum cheesiness,” the gryphoness replied, not able to keep the smile off her face. “Not that I mind in the slightest.”

The adoring look on Toxic’s face made Gelliana blush, not that the stallion could help it.

“If I was feeling better, I’d ask for a refresher concerning that reason you gave for me to wake up,” he teased with a grin, still struggling to sit upright.

“Reason…oh…OH!”

Toxic was fairly certain Gelliana would be blushing all day with how pink her cheeks were, her feathers once again at full-fluff.

He loved that look.

“Seriously though, I’d say to be at that point of a relationship isn’t taking things too fast at all,” Toxic said, toning down the teasing a bit. “And I mean that.”

A simple nod was Gelliana’s reply, words apparently sticking in her beak.

“It’s a date?” Toxic suggested, another nod and shy smile being Gelliana’s reply. It was easy to forget that the gryphoness was rather shy; she had just opened up with him so much.

And rather sensitive, despite handing things rather well.

“What do you say to some crosswords?” he suggested, then not able to suggest a grin. “And then maybe reading something?”

The glare from Gelliana was well worth the fact the blush appeared permanent, the unicorn levitating the appropriate supplies out of the open crate.

“And yes, I am trying to turn you into a happy puffball.”

The unicorn was left gasping for breath at the attempted pout Gelliana plastered on her face, feathers fluffed up as she glared at her special somepony.

Obviously, she didn’t complain.

A few hours later, the literary activities having wound down, Toxic reached over and prodded Gelliana’s shoulder with a hoof.

“You seem a bit distracted.”

She nodded, letting a frustrated huff.
“It’s about that entity; Clari’s sister you said,” she admitted. “I don’t know why you are ok with what she did.”

Toxic’s head tilted to the side in curiosity.
“Hmm?”

“She used you, and manipulated me.”

The stallion’s mouth widened into an ‘oh’ expression, the pony nodding as his brow furrowed.
“I can see how it might appear that way…and maybe she did,” he admitted. “You know how I feel about being used and manipulated, but this feels different.”

“How so? She mentioned something rather personal for me,” Gelliana grumbled, blushing at her words.

“Well, we don’t know the whole story yet,” Toxic said, “Maybe she just explained a brief explanation that was a half-truth. Clari and her sister deal with threads of life. So, their actions were meant to help that thread achieve a certain outcome. The reason she didn’t help, or mention that personal stuff for you…whatever it was, all was necessary.”

Gelliana didn’t appear even remotely convinced, the gryphoness still frowning.

“Gells, there’s…” Toxic began, then let out a sigh of finality. “Can you look at me? I’d like to see your eyes when I tell you this.”

Such an odd request made the gryphoness immediately scoot around, nodding as she relaxed half on the elevated dirt platform.

“I can’t tell you everything yet, but my armor isn’t just because I’m a Director. It’s because I’m something else,” he said. “The message that the entity told you, about a Phoenix? That was referencing my other position. I’m heavily involved with these entities, and I trust them. I wish I could tell you what I saw, I wish…”

His voice trailed off, the sights from the stallion’s initiation as a Guardian surging to the fore.
“Gells, I saw so much, and I can’t wait to tell you someday, hopefully,” he whispered, eyes watering. “We are in control of our fates, but there’s a bigger picture that other individuals are trying to make sure ends up on the side of the good guys. That’s why I don’t feel used, because they’ve helped me before. The armor, the spells that helped me save you; they were from Clari and the position I have with her.”

Toxic didn’t look away from Gelliana as he spoke, the gryphoness’s own eyes widening as she saw the determination in his gaze.

He reached a hoof over to the gryphoness’s claws, gripping them tightly as emotion clogged his throat.
“I saw a lot of stuff when I was initiated to this position,” he whispered. “The results of who I have saved, relationships I’ve had with creatures…you included. And after seeing all that, I’m right here and not going anywhere,” Toxic paused, wiping his eyes with his free forelimb. “So, if you don’t trust this entity, trust me when I say she has our bests interests at heart, but maybe isn’t very good at explaining it.”

Gelliana nodded, the affection in Toxic’s gaze making her heart melt. He meant every word he said, and she could tell there was a mountain of meaning and experience behind the molehill of words he spoke.

“I can do that, but I still might slap her,” she admitted.

“I think she’d understand,” Toxic chuckled, ears perking up as now Gelliana’s ears flattened.

“Hey, but are you ok? You haven’t said must about all of this, not for a while.”

The words seemed to unlock a bit more vulnerability, the gryphoness scooting close and now resting in his arms, as difficult as they were to move.

“It’s just odd, everything here,” she admitted. “I was laughing and enjoying myself only half an hour ago, learning more about my special somepony. But then I also almost lost you. It's...a lot to think about.”

She paused, enjoying the physical contact as Toxic tightened his embrace as best as he could.

“It’s still hard to process. Like a weight slowly pressing down. I’m surprised I haven’t had a panic attack yet.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?” Toxic said softly. “In an unhealthy way. Situations like this is where I’m more at ease, yet in a clattering kitchen the situation is flipped.”

Gelliana let out a soft huff at that, nodding in agreement.
“Well, at least we can help each other out,” she mused, Toxic smiling.

“And I’m more than happy to. Today can be a talking day, if you’d like. We have to wait for SMAL to get back anyhow, and I’m sure you’ve had enough alone time for now while I was in my beauty sleep. I could be wrong though.”

Nodding, Gelliana clearly was in agreement with Toxic’s words.
“More than enough time.”

After another few long moments of enjoying her touch, Toxic stretched his neck as Gelliana settled down next to him on the foam pad.

“Well, I’m all ears, if there’s anything on your mind. Loyal coltfriend at the ready!”

She smiled at that, shrugging her wings and leaning on his shoulder, clearly finding a lot more comfort in a simple touch than Toxic originally thought.

“Well, we could always talk about those deal breakers?” Gelliana mused.

“I thought we already did? Rather early on if I recall.”

“Well, yeah, but not outside yes or no and a brief explanation. It was a bit awkward…” the gryphoness said, her shoulder getting a brief nudge.

“I didn’t think so.”

“I was a stammering mess! And it’s a silly thing. Well, one of them is.”

A stronger nudge this time, Gelliana looking over to a pair of affectionate, but rather serious eyes.

“Hey, it’s a very personal matter. It’s not silly if it means a lot to you,” Toxic said bluntly in a rather no-nonsense tone. “And while it’s a touchy topic for many, it’s still a personal one that I respect, how couldn’t I?”

Gelliana let out a smile at that.
“I’m just glad you had the same view, ish, and didn’t take it as a judgmental thing.”

“Hey, I did say that I was a romantic! And I’d say wanting your mate to be your one-and-only, and vice versa, is a romantic thing indeed! I certainly had- well, still havethat same idea for myself, so how could I hold it against you? I think it’s quite a lovely standard. It certainly made knowing expected boundaries easier for the both of us. I didn’t take it as judgmental at all.”

“True. However, you seemed a bit more downcast when explaining it for yourself,” Gelliana replied, clearly a bit more at ease now that her ‘silly’ notion was abruptly disbanded.

At that, Toxic’s ears flattened, the stallion wincing.
“Well, back then, it was also a ‘just wanting to share everything with somecreature would tolerate me enough to ever want…” his voice drifted off, head shaking. “Sorry, it’s hard to break from some mindsets, even if I recognize how self-destructive they are. But I am, slowly but surely.”

He wasn’t sure why, but his words seemed to make a fire ignite behind Gelliana’s eyes briefly, something fierce burning in those violet orbs that locked onto his own, the gryphoness reaching over to then rest her head against his.

“’Tolerate’ isn’t a word I’d ever use to describe how I feel about you, Tox,” Gelliana whispered.

Stars above, Gelliana. How could I not fall in love with you?

It was a simple whisper in his own voice, but Toxic found himself blinking in surprise as the thread of thought drifted through his mind, a simple confirmation of what he already knew. The base of such feelings had been steadily laid before their capture, and now things were being built on that sturdy foundation.

They say fighting in battle creates a bond. I wonder what that means when feelings already exist?

He couldn’t quite get the ‘thank you’ to leave his lips, emotion gumming the stallion’s throat, so he said the next best thing.

“Gells.”

Somehow, she picked up on it but the fact Toxic had reached over to give her claws a squeeze probably made the point.

“I never told you much about the other deal breaker,” Gelliana said, surprising the stallion that she was so sure of herself, a confidence in her words now becoming more apparent.

“Well, to be fair we were still just addressing the big hurdles we’d each have, and that when we still were getting to know each other,” Toxic mused.

“Well, yeah. But a yes or no about kids….”

“’No’ is all you had to say. That’s a dealbreaker for many,” the stallion sighed. “The things you don’t talk about at the dinner table are the things that are pretty much proven to destroy relationships unless the conflict is resolved. So why not address it early once the relationship is serious? Or starting to be? I know we’ve teeechnically touched on a few of them.”

Gelliana opened her beak, and then closed it with a surprised hum.
“That’s not a bad summary of it,” she admitted. “I did just want you to know why my answer was what it was. I’m not asking you to tell me yours just yet.”

“I…ok,” Toxic said, still curious of where this confidence was coming from.

“Just- look, Tox, I trust you, ok? These past few days have made me realize I finally can. And that’s really freeing, to be able to finally tell my special somepony what I’ve wanted to say for a while. I’m stressed, but I’m with you, and that makes things so much better. I would have told you this stuff weeks ago, but I just, couldn’t.”

Well, that makes sense. Something still has changed. He mused.

“Well, in that case I am all ears. The fact we both weren’t wanting kids was a definite deal breaker- and not a shameful one at that. I just assumed it was a personal thing.”

“I mean…”

“Ok, stupid description. Obviously, the topic is a personal thing.”

“Fair enough. I’m pretty sure you don’t know why though.”

“Can’t say I do.”

“Well, it’d kill me.”

Toxic jerked his head back to look at his gryphoness in astonishment, Gelliana not able to resist laughing at the utter shock on his face.

“Bwa?!”

His exclamation only caused more merriment which further added to his confusion and surprise.

“Oh, y-your f-face!” Gelliana wheezed, wiping away a few tears and prodding him with a wing. “But actually, it’s not really a joke. Soooo definitely shouldn’t, and now can’t; I made sure of that years ago.”

“I, uh, that’s a bit of a bombshell, Gells.”

“I guess so. It was to me when I first learned about it, but now it’s just, well, me.”

“May I ask…?”

“Well,” Gelliana said, scooting up and leaning her head on Toxic’s shoulder. “The same thing that makes me perfect hugging height for you also apparently causes a few other problems. One being that having kids would, well, I partially zoned out at the ‘extreme bone density loss and likely organ failure’ statement.”

“Uh, then I would have to agree that not having kids is a good idea. Did you want them before that?”

“Oh, gosh no. So, it wasn’t nearly the impact my parents thought it would have. I mean, maybe helping an orphan farther down the line?” Gelliana mused. “That’s about as close as I’d come to it. But I honestly just wanted to find my knight in shining armor and spend my life with him.”

Toxic chuckled at that, the fact Gelliana’ scooted closer making him smile even more. Her wistful romantic notions were just so innocent and simple at times.

I’ve had moments where I wondered…

“Well, mission accomplished? I’d hope?” he piped up. “Well, at least step one?”

“Haven’t proved me wrong yet.”

A happy nuzzle was the stallion’s reply, the gryphoness then piping up again.

“If it’s not too personal, why are you ok with not having kids?”

Toxic couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at that.
“Too personal? I already owe you a kiss. I’d say it’s a perfectly safe area of topics,” he replied with a grin, then reaching over to gentle caress Gelliana’s cheek with a hoof briefly. “But I really appreciate the concern,” he added in a softer, more sincere tone.

“There’s a few reasons, kind of learning the deeper reasons as I’ve grown up. I’ve never had a drive for kids, so that’s why I wasn’t fazed at all,” he admitted. “It’s not that I’m scared of being a dad, like I’d be bad at it, or couldn’t rise to the occasion, I just…” his eyes widened, the shaking his head. “I mean, there’s never been the ‘want’ for that, and while that alone is a good enough reason, there’s a few others I definitely don’t want to pursue having them. But there’s another part. I don’t think I can bear a certain aspect of it. Seeing a child as a burden is something I’d never want to do. But I just…”

To his surprise, Toxic felt tears tracing down his cheek; not so much at the subject matter, but at what the thought had unlatched. Something seemed to almost physically shift in his heart, a painful cracking of a realization consistently ignored. A weight was now mentally pressing down on every atom of his body. It wasn’t about kids specifically, quite the opposite, but the idea of another creature to protect in a general sense was just overwhelming.

Another burden to bear.

Loathing the existence of something, someone you should love…

Gelliana’s ears perked up as her stallion seemed to shrink slightly, the gryphoness immediately scooting closer to partially spread a wing over him.

“Do you know what compassion fatigue is, Gells?” Toxic asked, a shake of the head her reply. His tone had changed, becoming subdued, carrying with it a genuine tremble of what seemed to be fear.

“It’s a really scary thing, very common for first responders and healthcare workers. It’s when you lose the ability to feel empathy for someone because you’ve expended yourself so much. It’s also called secondary traumatic stress. Too much of a good thing in this case. Care too much for too long, and you start to loathe whoever, or whatever is causing it as you just can’t care anymore.”

Gelliana stiffened at that, the clever gryphoness making the connection.

“Oh…”

“I’ve danced with it a few times. I’ve thankfully been able to take a step back at those times, but it’s a scary feeling when you usually care, to suddenly just not, to start to actively dislike the existence of the individuals you are trying to help,” Toxic whispered. “You just can’t care anymore, you don’t want to. It’s work to care, and you just start to dislike whoever or whatever it is that is needing the help. If you push yourself too far, it can happen. For me, I’ve had it a fair number of times.”

He then pauses, shaking his head.

“That’s why the ‘want and need’ thing is so important to me,” the stallion continued. “To be wanted, not needed. I don’t ever want to feel that way towards family or friends. With a kid, I believe that is a very real possibility added to the list of reasons I already have against the idea. And it’s not just kids, it’s everyone. Every call I get, always needed. I can’t say no, I just can’t…and….” His voice cracked, hot, rebellious tears streaming down the pony’s face. That was the crux of the entire matter.

He couldn’t say no, not if he wanted to be free of guilt. He couldn’t logic the problem away; his own mental burden weighed against the physical lives of others? How could he ever place that above himself?

To apply that to his personal life, it would break him. Toxic knew it. He never said it, only whispered in the darkest parts of his mind, but the thought was there. The slow, growing distaste, the eventual loathing of what used to be an eager, empathetic response.

“I n-never want to f-feel that towards someone I love. N-never…”

The wing that spread over Toxic made all of his thoughts freeze, the torrent of building anxiety and mental pressure abruptly fading with the light. Instead, there was just Gelliana’s feathers and fur as she hugged him close, wing wrapped around him slightly, her head resting on top of his protectively.

He had no idea how she could still smell so nice after not showering, but Toxic really didn’t care. The stallion just felt safe, the only thing existing in that moment being himself, and Gelliana. No stress, just a gryphoness who…

Her claws tightened around one of his hooves, Toxic struggling to control his breathing. A simple four-letter word that was an affirmation of what the stallion already knew his feelings to be.

“I don’t blame you at all for that, Toxic,” Gelliana whispered. “And I don’t think anyone has the right to. The fact you know yourself so well to tell me all of that, I think, is a really good thing. You’ve helped so many, still help so many, but you need to now help yourself, and that includes even now. You’re not alone in all of this, and I’m just so happy you’re willing to let me help.”

She paused, hugging him a bit tighter. “You’ve never been a burden to me. Ever, and I mean it. And just like the word ‘burden’, I’ve never thought to ‘need’ you in the way you’re thinking, always ‘want’,” she paused and hugged him a bit tighter. “Wanting your comfort, sure, but never needing it in that way. But there’s so much more; wanting to help you feel better, wanting to just be with you. That has never changed. And I never want it to.”

The tears flowed once again, an odd burden quite suddenly lifting itself from the stallion’s shoulders. Hearing the one creature he cared so much about say it those simple words; he couldn’t process it outside of just raw emotion, relief.

All Toxic could do was hug Gelliana’s nearest forelimb tight, months of self-doubt, beratement, and subconscious wondering finally being lifted.

“I should have told you that sooner,” she continued, hugging him back tightly. “Especially the burden part. But I realized it all too late, and then y-you were asleep, those few days ago. I should have said that all way before that. I n-never wanted you to think that you were a burden to me. And y-yet you obviously did. I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner.”

She must have been able to tell that he was going to at least try and say something, because the gryphoness quickly spoke again. “And don’t say it’s fine. It’s not. I w-wish you knew how much it means to me, that you wanted my help, let me help.”

Not able to resist a tearful smile at that, Toxic managed a slight shrug, his own eyes finally drying up.

“I’m getting an idea,” he managed to say quietly, “but I didn’t know.”

“And you wouldn’t have, not unless I had said something. But I didn’t know how to say it, not until now. I just had no idea how much it meant to myself, and to you.”

Finally releasing her hold on him, Gelliana pulled back slightly to look at Toxic, the stallion smiling affectionately as she still struggled to put her feelings to words.

“Tox, I haven’t ever had a chance to be trusted and to trust like this,” she finally said. “Especially in a relationship sense, but that doesn’t excuse things. I just want you to know there is at least a reason behind it all. Ever since I was little, I haven’t been able to help others like this. My social anxieties remove a lot of chances, and then there’s always those that see me as either a distrustful, scary gryphoness, even with my size. Playing into me being shy, I was seen as a helpless runt. To have someone not see me like that, to trust me enough to let me help, to ask me for help instead of assuming something about me; it means so much. I still am trying to understand how much it means.”

Gelliana took a shaky breath, laughing briefly as she swiped tears from her eyes in almost annoyance, clearly getting a bit sick of crying but not being able to help it regardless. She reached down to poke Toxic’s chest with a claw gently, an almost dreamy smile twitching onto her beak as she toyed with his fur. The gesture never failed to make her coltfriend’s cheeks immediately flush.

“I treasure all the times you let me help. I can’t explain how happy it makes me that you trust me enough, care enough to let me try and help even a little bit. It never even crossed my mind that you were a burden on me, or being inconvenient; only that maybe that’s what you thought. But I never think that during those times,” she let out an annoyed huff, eyes drifting down to her claws. “I just wish I could have said all that when we weren’t running for our lives. Or hiding. It took all of that for me to realize h-how much I cared…”

Pressing his forehead gently against hers, Toxic didn’t say anything for a few moments. If there was ever a moment he wanted to wrap the Gelliana up in his arms and kiss her, this was it. And yet he could barely move his limbs. She had mentioned it briefly before, but now the full impact was finally setting in.

All those times I’ve thought I was imposing on her time, making things awkward when clearly needing a hug, she wanted to help? It made her happy?

I was never a burden.

Toxic didn’t have any tears left, yet his eyes burned as he did the only affectionate gesture he could at the moment; giving the gryphoness a long kiss on the cheek.

“As soon as I feel a bit better, I won’t aim for your cheek,” he managed to say, the words prompting a soft giggle. “I’ve- that’s a lot to take in, Gells. In the back of my mind I always thought I was imposing.”

“Sorry for not telling you sooner,” Gelliana replied, blushing quite a bit from the kiss regardless.

“Well, better late than never. I guess we both still had stuff to figure out and learn from all of that.”

Something about his words caused Gelliana to let out one of the most adorable squeaks he had ever heard, the gryphoness poofing up as she nodded in agreement.

“Uh, you ok there G-”

“UH HUH!”

Odd. Never thought learning would be a blushable thing.
Note to self, ask about that later. Maybe has to do with that ‘personal thing’ with Clari’s sister?
Maybe?

Much to Toxic’s playful annoyance (and Gelliana’s visible relief,) SMAL appeared next to them with a soft *pop*, the creation’s frame glowing as it downloaded some data to the crystal core in the storage container.

“Report available,” SMAL reported, Toxic waving a hoof eagerly.

“Well, let’s hear it.”

“The gas is dispersing along a lateral line, indicating a pulsed dispersal method,” SMAL began, “It does not follow normal dispersion methods, as it drops to undetectable levels when there should be some trace remaining. As far as I was able to survey, there are no immediate enemy forces within a couple hundred yards of this location, but signs of recent movement. There is a significant canyon that will require navigating around or though up ahead. While there is a bridge, it did show signs of use.”

SMAL then paused, looking to Toxic to see if he had any questions before continuing.
“I have identified an alternate shelter four miles from this location, as I located fresh tracks getting closer and closer to his cave. The alternate location shows no tracks within a few hundred yards, and they are extremely weathered and confined to a trail. It is also hidden from view and offers significantly more protection against airborne agents, and there is an underground spring nearby like this location. Water samples indicate the gas is soluble, but dissipates quickly. I do not know the cause of that.”

“Thank you SMAL, that will do for now,” Toxic said slowly. “Catalogue all the data and then patrol outside without being seen. Continue to monitor for the gas and have multiple routes chosen for this new site.”

“Orders confirmed. I also have a preliminary analysis of the poison in your body. I shall compile it now.”

Toxic nodded, then blowing out a tired breath as the mare vanished.

“Well, we’re in a pickle indeed,” he muttered.

“So, we’re moving?” Gelliana ventured to ask.

“Eventually. The fact there is recent movement near us? I don’t like that. The gas makes things tricky. If it’s soluble in water, that is a nasty thing indeed. But why would they have it dissolve in water and dissipate unless there was a way to make it stick around?” Toxic replied. “It doesn’t make any sense, but if it has to do with Chaos magic, it doesn’t have to make sense. For now, we stay put.”

“Sounds like a plan, especially since we don’t know how this poison affects you,” Gelliana agreed. “We can’t move if you can’t walk. I can’t carry you the entire way.”

Managing a smile at that, Toxic gratefully leaned his head on a feathery shoulder as the gryphoness settled down next to him.

“You carry me in different ways, Gells.”

Toxic’s heart melted at hearing the adorable squeak leave Gelliana’s beak, an affectionate nuzzle making his face warm up.

At least they were still safe, for now.

Nacreous’s world spun, the hippogriff appearing in a thick jungle. Moving quieter than many would think possible for a creature his size, the Paladin made his way through the thick undergrowth. A familiar, dangerous shield flickered in the distance.

Those monsters, desecrating my training ground with their magic.

It had been a brief hunch, but Nacreous had confirmed it with maps in his private lab. The Shadow King had set up base in the mountain above a monastery that held a special place in Nacreous’s heart. After all, he had trained there. No doubt they were searching for any ancient tombs or magics to corrupt.

But they don’t have the key, nor the correct type of magic to tap into the leylines. Their search for power will be all for naught.

The item given to him by Toxic hung around Nacreous’s neck, the hippogriff now taking it off and tapping it gently. The key let out a soft chime, spinning around like the needle on a compass.

It works.

Unknown to anyone still drawing breath but himself, the Order Nacreous was a part of had not stored their knowledge in a single location. The Monastery may have a large amount of knowledge, but in the time before the Order was attacked, it was split up, copies made and dispersed…

There were very few locations where all the knowledge of the Order remained, and this key pointed to one of them. A magical safehouse where an entire archive lay, waiting to be discovered.

And Nacreous knew exactly who to give it to. Clari had seen to that. It had been a simple exchange between himself and Varti, a question regarding a title of one of the organization’s arms.

The answer had stunned him to the core, and the Paladin had immediately left to locate the lost caches of magical records.

Toxic Shield, we trust some of our own dreams within your own.

The key began to vibrate, and that prompted Nacreous to dig. It was an arm length of damp earth he scooped out before hitting stone. Smooth, cut stone that was no natural formation.

A bit more searching, and a lock on a stone trapdoor was located.

Heaving the entrance open, Nacreous fought back a few tears. Hopping into the underground room, hundreds of shelves extended out like a spider’s web, each holding crystal-etched books, the knowledge of a dozen volumes on each mineral slab.

Thank you, Teachers.

He pulled out a crystal of his own, setting it down and tapping it. A simple spell began to carefully retrieve each record, pulling it into a magical pocket for safe storage and transport.

The King of Shadows, ruler of an immeasurable space of Limbo had the entire knowledge of the Order on his doorstep, one of the few organizations who could mount a defense against him.

And he had missed it, but not for a lack of trying. Nacreous could sense magical fingers prying outside the shield, seeking for clues without incurring the wrath of his Fiancé.

Nacreous made sure to triple-check the location before sealing it up again, but not before leaving a simple letter to whomever would find it.

All things that are lost can be reborn.
-Emperor Nacreous Thunderwing

Author's Note

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sunny Days

“Summary ready, Director,” SMAL reported, causing the unicorn and gryphoness eating lunch to pause.

“That was quite a delay,” Toxic remarked, wincing as pins-and-needles raced up his limbs. “You told us you’d compile it yesterday.”

“Apologies. Due to the mutagenic structure of the poison, I thought it prudent to run additional scenarios and tests, as well as recommended courses of action and potential mitigation measures.”

The stallion shrugged at that, waving a hoof at the golem.

“Well, I can’t argue with that.”

The previous evening, and this morning, had been spent consolidating the items in the cave, as well as talking over different plans. Gelliana had made it clear early on that knowing about different options put her heart at ease, so Toxic was happy to elaborate on different ‘what if’ scenarios.

He had his suspicions that her remark was just a plan to get him to talk more. Her occasional dreamy-eyed look definitely confirmed that.

If only she knew what he was planning.

Toxic wasn’t stupid; the fact the symptoms were mild now meant nothing. Symptoms for his brother had been undetectable at first. But it had gotten worse, fast. He had no idea what this poison was going to do to his body, and there was something he wanted to make sure Gelliana knew before he went down a mutagenic rabbit hole.

But that’s later, when we’re moving. For now, let’s hear the summary.
Well, almost.

“Let us finish eating first. I doubt I’ll be hungry after what you say,” Toxic said with a wave of his hoof.

“Confirmed. Please let me know when you are ready,” SMAL remarked, vanishing into her core with a *pop*.

“Makes me wonder if Clari’s sister is using the SMAL as a vessel,” Toxic mused. “You said that she appeared out of it. Guess we’ll find out in time.”

Gelliana grumbled at that, the two finishing their meal and then sitting back as the SMAL was brought out once again.

“Well, this will be interesting,” Toxic huffed. “I get a glimpse of my future!” He couldn’t resist looking over to stare at Gelliana. “And my future looks gooooooooooood.”

The gryphoness’s face immediately fluffed, cheeks burning with a bright blush as she hid her face in her claws.

“Toxic, you…” she squeaked, the stallion cackling. It was such a cheesy line, but he loved seeing her so flustered. Supper-sappy or not, he meant every single word.

The stallions scooted over and pressed his cheek against the gryphoness’s, Gelliana peeking out from behind her claws with a happy, unintelligible mumble.

The fact she immediately pressed back, wanting to be closer just made Toxic’s heart beat all the faster. As much as he wanted to remain like that for a while, he knew that the diagnosis needed to be heard.

Just let me be coherent long enough to tell her. A few simple words in the way she deserves.

“Doctor’s diagnosis time?” Gelliana whispered, most likely feeling him tense up, Toxic nodding with a frown.

“As much as I’d like to stay like this; yep.”

Sitting up, Toxic took a deep breath as Gelliana stayed at his side, shoulder lightly brushing his.

“SMAL? Could you explain the projected diagnosis now?”

The entity materialized smoothly, nodding once.

“Certainly, Director.”

A simple line appeared with annotated numbers; seven segmented by a larger line indicating a week.

“While the majority of the chaotic magic has been removed from your body, the core mutagenic toxins remain,” SMAL began. “You have a reprieve at the moment for only another day or so. After that, the symptoms will be abrupt and severe, the specifics variable. The mutagenic toxin will mimic various, existing pathogens to the best of my knowledge. Therefore, the symptoms will range from the feather flu for Pegasi to outright hallucinations and full-body aches with possible respiratory and digestive stress. I cannot predict the exact symptoms, only that the poison will slowly leave your body over the next few weeks. A lack of concentration of the toxin does not indicate lessened symptoms.”

“But he will be ok?” Gelliana butted in, SMAL blinking and finally letting out a shrug.

“Unknown. The stress on the body will be significant. Mental stressors will also be present and present a challenge. Depending what diseases the pathogen manifests as, there are supplies that can dull the symptoms and provide supportive care. Unfortunately, there is very little to be done that can hasten the removal of the poison. The more magic that is applied, the more severe the subsequent symptoms.”

Toxic frowned at that; it wasn’t exactly a heartening diagnosis.
“Can you stave it off somehow? If we needed to run or relocate?”

“Correct. A modified stasis spell can suspend the progression of the symptoms, but there will be a subsequent rebound as the body deals with the increased toxins that manifest after soaking up the magic. The poison will use such a thing as fuel. I recommend performing such spells sooner rather than later to avoid more severe effects.”

Toxic let out an affirming grunt, the unicorn’s eyes drifting to the floor.
“Then tomorrow morning we need to move to that new place you found, SMAL,” he muttered. “Pack up a bit tonight and then go tomorrow. Cast the spell to stave off any symptoms as we travel, and that’s assuming that blasted gas doesn’t come back. Gells?” Toxic added, the gryphoness nodding immediately.

“Sounds good to me. You’re the expert in this sort of thing. Surviving in crazy locations that is,” she admitted. “Just let me know what the plan is.”

“Would you like me to scout ahead?” the SMAL suggested, Toxic nodding.

“Yes. Tonight, please scout and plan a specific route to the shelter, and ferry as many of the supplies as you can leaving just a pack or two for us,” Toxic instructed, Gelliana’s ears perking up at that.

“Whoa, she can do that?”

“Affirmative. My core has a large broadcasting radius, and with experimental restrictions removed, I can self-relocate and move supplies if necessary,” SMAL replied.

“Well, that makes things easier,” Gelliana muttered, “Just leaves us to walk. Can we be cloaked with a spell at least?”

“Negative. The current energy field outside disrupts active cloaking spells. I am an exception due to my matter-changing form,” SMAL said.

“Was a good idea though,” Toxic said with a nudge to Gelliana’s shoulder. “Well, I leave you with those order’s, SMAL, relocate supplies and monitor for that gas. Leave a simple emergency pack for myself and Gelliana with the necessary masks and survival gear for three days or so, minimal weight.”

“Orders confirmed.”

As the magical golem busied itself with packing up various items with surprising speed, Toxic settled down on the ground once again, letting out a wince as a few lightning bolts of pain ran up his limbs.

“Well, this will be an interesting day or two for us,” he admitted, “if not a few weeks.”

“At least we have a plan, that’s all we really expect to have at a time like this, I think,” Gelliana replied, setting down next to him and promptly leaning on the stallion’s shoulder.

“Can…” Toxic’s words faded, the pony letting out a soft huff. “Will you be ok? That diagnosis; I’m going to be an absolute mess. It’s probably going to be bad. Really bad.”

“I’ll manage,” was her firm reply. “I’m not going anywhere, and SMAL can help instruct me on treating you for stuff,” Gelliana then paused. “How bad is bad?”

“SMAL said hallucinations and a range of symptoms. I might be downright delusional,” Toxic said softly. “Anything I say would be completely illogical, irrational, potentially based off of fear or past experiences. I just don’t want to hurt you.”

Gelliana was quiet for a moment as she thought, finally shrugging her shoulders.
“I care about you, Toxic,” she whispered, “more than I’ve ever cared about somecreature before. It sounds like it’s going to be a Tartarus-filled few weeks, no mistake. But if that’s what stands between me and continuing what I have with you?” she then smirked, pulling back to look at the surprised unicorn with a surprising amount of fire in her eyes. “Bring it on.”

The only appropriate response was to give the gryphoness a long kiss on the cheek, Toxic nuzzling into her neck as he pushed through a lump in his throat.

“You are amazing, Gells,” he whispered.

She snuggled closer, reaching over to hold his nearest hoof tightly. When she finally did speak, it was in that shy but sincere tone that made Toxic’s hear flutter.

“So are y-you, Tox. Don’t ever forget it.”

They dozed for a time, the foreboding plans of the next day not seeming as dark with a kindred spirit. For a brief moment, SMAL paused, her form growing sharply as the program froze, a familiar, armored mare looking at the sleeping pair kindly, making sure to pack the odd breastplate-like metal into Gelliana’s pack before vanishing.

SMAL blinked, systems resetting as the golem shrugged, resuming the task of cleaning, scouting, and then transporting.

Onyx watched the field with an odd sense of purpose. It was boring and gave him plenty of time to think, but the job was at least something to do. That was a step above being sequestered away in his accommodations.

“Hey there Shadow-hide,” a drawling voice clucked, Onyx letting out an annoyed snort. He sensed the magical energy easy enough; his essence was formed from the very arcane matter that could cancel it, after all.

“Discord.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” the entity pouted, settling down next to the shadow pony. “No horrified shriek? Not even a flinch? I’m almost insulted.”

“I know enough about you that such a thing wouldn’t be productive. I have seen odder and stranger things in Limbo, from what I remember.”

Onyx suddenly found his hooves encased in wet earth, Discord frowning.

“Well, aren’t you a stick in the mud,” he muttered, “but fair enough. I am not here to conduct pleasantries after all.”

That made Onyx more surprised than Discord appearing.

“That is oddly formal for you.”

The Draconequus nodded, gagging slightly.
“Yes, I know, and I’ll have a spleen-ache for an hour afterwards. This can’t be good for my complexion,” the God of Chaos muttered.

“What do you want?”

Onyx’s words made Discord pout, waving a set of claws.

“Well, grumpy or not, at least you’re to the point. What I want to do is help, but to do that, I need you.”

“You? Help?” Onyx huffed, the Draconequus actually laughing.

“Ok, I deserved that. But yes, I am reformed now, to a point.”

Onyx raised an eyebrow, Discord massaging his eyebrow with a claw.

“Maybe this will make you understand. What would you do to anycreature that threatened to slice your Windigo friend’s limbs off? Hang her by hooks and laugh as she suffered?”

A devilish grin dawned on Discord’s face as Onyx’s figure visibly darkened, dagger-like limbs snapping into focus.

“Good. You understand that at least,” Discord mused. “I received a similar set of threats from that pissant creature that calls itself a King.”

Onyx’s figure shifted back to normal, head tilting curiously.

“Threatened? You? They can’t harm you, can they?” he asked, Discord groaning and pulling his face in exasperation.

“You dense-they didn’t threaten me,” the God of Chaos growled. “They threatened the one pony I care most about in this world.”

Another raised eyebrow at that, prompting Discord to wave a dismissive paw.
“Oh yes, heaven forbid the God of Chaos can have actual fond feelings for anyone. Discord couldn’t ever have such feelings. Nobody likes him. He doesn’t like anyone. Look, I am trying to be pleasant right now, all right? I need your help, and nocreature can know!”

Onyx stared for a moment, his grey eyes widening in surprise. For the briefest moment, Discord almost appeared vulnerable, the Draconequus seeming to loathe even speaking of his feelings and the threat.

To be fair, the shadow-pony could relate very heavily with the ‘trying to be pleasant’ remark. He had a feeling that was not said on accident.

“You do care for her,” Onyx said softly, and without any snark. A simple, sincere statement. He had heard the rumors about one of the few ponies who seemed to enjoy having Discord around. Even he wouldn’t mock such a thing. He wasn’t heartless.

Nodding once, Discord snorted, a bit of actual steam rising up from his nostrils to orbit around his head.

“More than I think you are capable of understanding,” he replied hotly.

“What will the wedding band look like?” Onyx asked immediately, Discord clapping his paws together.

“Oh! It’s going to be perfect, it…” the Draconequus blinked, calmly writing a ‘1’ in the air above Onyx’s head, and a ‘0’ above his own. “Well played, my shadowy friend, well played. I suppose you do understand more than I thought. On to the point. Will you help me?”

“I need to know exactly what that will involve,” Onyx replied. “But if it will hurt the King of Shadows and keep creatures safe, yes.”

Discord waved a paw, a copy machine and seashell appearing next to the shadow pony.

“I promise that it will help destroy him, keep creatures such as Icait, the Princess’s, all the colorful ponies, especially a pale-yellow Pegasus, safe,” Discord said, shuddering briefly as he poked his own eye with a fist. “Best make it official; yada yada yada cross my heart and all that, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

A very cold wind blew through the field, the distant whisper of ‘foreeeeevvvveeeerrr’ faintly audible.

Creepy, but it was Equestria where stranger things had happened.

“I suppose I’d best first answer your unspoken question of why now to do all of this,” Discord drawled, Onyx’s ears twitching in annoyance, for it had been a question of his, even if he wanted to never ask it. Of course, Onyx had a feeling Discord simply wanted to talk and answer it regardless.

“It appears I have been discovered helping you all, and our mutual fiend tried to make good on a threat he once sent me.”

“Tried?” Onyx asked with a raised eyebrow, Discord letting out a passive hum as he examined his claws.

“The individuals in question are no longer with us, after a series of stairs fell down on them. Repeatedly,” the Draconequus replied calmly. “Of course, it was inevitable to think I wouldn’t help, knowing that my realm helped cause all of this, But, that bag of hot air has crossed a line, one that exists among those of us who hold a significant amount of power. An unspoken rule has been broken.”

Something inside of Onyx’s gut twisted, the ground under the shadow-pony’s hooves seeming to sway. Everything around him seemed wrong, a sudden bout of lightheadedness hitting him. It then occurred to the pony that Discord’s eyes were glowing a malevolent red, even as the Draconequus appeared to be at ease. Fear pricked at the shadow-pony’s heart as Discord appeared anything but a trickster.

“That line is never to be crossed without repercussions, and yet many creatures let power go to their head. The King of Shadows thinks he can hide from me after threatening the one pony I lov-value in this world,” Discord now growled, now gesturing to the two items. “He forgot I have nothing but time to think! And I’ve figured out how he got here, how he is able exist in this realm. A realm I control! And now He DARES to try and take her from me!?”

For a second, Discord’s usually fluid, disjointed body expanded in size. Instead of the mischievous God of Chaos, a nightmarish creature with rippling muscle floated in front of Onyx. Claws the size of carriages and sharpened to a razor edge and eyes blazing with a chaotic fire. A paw manipulated reality itself, planetary bodies zipping around as if dust in the wind as solar flares leaked from the Draconequus’s eyes, an expression of absolute, complete rage on his snarling features. A maw that could swallow Canterlot whole…

And then it was gone, Discord coughing almost in embarrassment as he lay on top of the wheat field without disturbing a single blade as the unsettled nature of reality vanished, along with the twist in Onyx’s gut.

“It’s quite simple really, but we can’t let anyone know, especially those two sparkly sisters, and I don’t mean moony and sunbutt,” he muttered. “They think this is their fight, but that creature made this fight mine. They can use their methods to bring the King of Shadows to his knees, but I will finish it. Not them.”

As Discord then went on to explain the meaning of the two items, Onyx actually began to grin.

The God of Chaos was pulling no punches it seems, and while it was a fool’s hope that this world work, that everything would line up, it was hope nonetheless.

Discord was the embodiment of the phrase ‘million to one odds.’ The God of Chaos had been spurned and threatened; and every creature had its limit. It would seem a certain Draconequus had been pushed leagues over his limit.

Onyx was just glad it wasn’t him being schemed against. When it came to threatening a creature the God of Chaos had some semblance of feelings for, Discord’s vocabulary very quickly excluded the term ‘mercy’.

“So, it is agreed?” Discord asked, Onyx nodding firmly.

“Of course. It requires very little of myself, after all,” the pony replied.

“Quite right. I get to do all the heavy lifting.”

Discord seemed about to depart, and then paused, expression softening for a moment.

“Onyx, it is a rare moment that I get to meet a fellow nigh-immortal in such infant stages of existence,” he said in a disturbingly casual manner. “So, I would like to leave you with this statement, one that, if I had figured it out earlier, would have saved me a lot of pain. Literally. Being frozen in stone is quite agonizing when you have an itchy nose.”

Onyx blinked, nodding and listening curiously. This different, subdued Discord was…odd. Almost pleasant, was pleasant.

“Friendship in this world has defeated myself and dozens of other creatures who sought to destroy Equestria, or at least rule it and cause pain,” Discord said calmly. “That was friendship, harnessed among the Elements of Harmony.” The Draconeques’s gaze left Onyx, instead drifting to a large pocket watch, where something was placed inside the cover. A picture perhaps?

“I leave you this to think on. If friendship between a group of ponies can do all of that, what power do you think love has? Changelings have already figured out a part of that equation, for better or worse.”

And then he was gone, leaving Onyx to wave away a bunch of butterflies with shrimp for wings.

“You’re an odd one,” Onyx muttered as he trotted away. In the distance, he could have heard a familiar, laughing drawl.

“Mister Grinch…”

Knife Twist shook her head firmly, surprising Hammer as he pushed a piece of paper across the desk. The ex-legionnaire didn’t withdraw the paper, but instead let out an amused chuckle.

“I’m serious, Knife Twist.”

“I don’t…” she began, ears flat against her skull. “I’ve barely been at this place for a week or two. That’s not enough time for me to prove myself.”

Hammer let out a snort at that.

“And in little over a week, you saved the life of Princess Luna, myself, and helped root out the remaining insurgents on the island. If that isn’t a blatant example of wasted talent, I don’t know what is. The wheat fields can wait. Luna agrees with me, by the way.”

Knife’s ears perked up at that.

“What? You didn’t think I asked her first?”

Now the Thestrel felt a bit embarrassed; of course he did.

“Walk with me, Knife Twist.”

The pair meandered down the halls, Hammer pausing by a large window, one of the larger, rocky peaks of the volcanic crater visible outside.

“We need creatures like you,” Hammer said bluntly. “That attack really threw things off, and we can’t afford to lose anymore time. We didn’t anticipate this accelerated hiring schedule, and so we are short of instructors for quite a few essential parts of the Organization. I’m busy handling hiring schedules and trying to make sure everything runs smoothly. Varti, myself, and Luna agree that we do not have the luxury of time, not when we could be attacked again.”

Knife saw where this was going and she was both ecstatic and absolutely terrified.

“For years, you were the Captain of Luna’s guard. I know your background, even the parts that Celestia and Luna didn’t want me to see,” Hammer continued rather bluntly, his words making the Thestral’s ears flatten. “But I also see how hard you’re trying. You’re no enemy agent; that much I am certain. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still be supervised, but the fact is, you know how to lead, and more importantly, how to teach.”

“What would I be teaching? Or leading?” Knife asked, still shaking her head. “I don’t- I’m not even back to being decently fit. I need a good month to regain my strength.”

“Then take that month, and start training others while you do so,” Hammer replied, tapping a few symbols on his gauntlet.

“Training others for what, Hammer?” Knife asked, looking around as a teleportation rune activated.

“I’ll show you.”

The pair reappeared in a massive underground cavern, the size easily fitting multiple hoofball fields. Bright but none-too-harsh lights dotted the ceiling, illuminating…

The Thestral promptly sat down in shock. The same warmth and comfort that she had first felt when seeing the parchment in her jail cell, first arriving on the island; it all returned full force.

Spread out before her eyes was a training facility, looking to be a combination of the Royal Guard, Legionnaire, and Lunar Knight facilities. Mess halls, barracks, sparring arenas, weapon forges; it was a self-sufficient training camp. A few large crystal generators spun at the edge of her vision; supplementary shields similar to the one over the entire island and likely hiding this area from any prying magical scans.

Or, judging by how the ceiling flickered, a direct attack.

Knife’s eyes were drawn to a large speaking area, a simple stone stage already carved out from the walls in preparation for any speaking events. It was the symbol above the stage, however, that drew her focus, along with the empty tassels for a flag to be mounted.

“Hammer, what does that mean?” she whispered, now managing to stand as they walked towards the gathering area. A large lighthouse encompassed by a shield was etched into the stone, the national emblems of Equestria and Hauyne stamped beneath the building but within the shield.

“It means, Miss Twist, that this Organization goes above and beyond aiding chemical disasters,” Hammer explained. “Equestria is not a militaristic nation, nor should it be. Those creatures should be spared the horrors of war, as should so many others across other lands. The Princesses should not be expected to take such a role. Emperor Thunderwing has eased that burden slightly, but his nation, while having an impressive army, is more focused on Windigos and the threats they pose specifically. Equestria and Hauyne are the two nations we have formal agreements with, and there is plenty of space for more. We hope to add all nations in that symbol.”

Hammer paused, the ex-legionnaire standing a bit taller.
“You must have seen the airships above the island, the security golems, the reinforced walls. I’d be disappointed if you hadn’t.”

“I didn’t think it was my place to ask,” Knife admitted.

“And until now, it wasn’t,” the stallion replied. “But things have changed. My friend is held hostage, and this island was attacked. We will not stand by and simply endure all of this. We don’t have the creature-power to take the usual time to evaluate individuals.”

“We?” Knife asked, “Who is ‘we’?”

Hammer led her over to one of the training areas, Knife’s head on a swivel. The equipment and practicing locations had been used recently; hoof and claw prints dotting the dusty sparring area, raw metal gleaning on the battered armor of training dummies.

Hammer let out a whistle, and Knife immediately crouched into a ready position as a dozen individuals dropped from the ceiling, all of them having been completely silent while watching.

“We are the Last Light’s sword so to speak,” Hammer proclaimed, the black-clad ponies and gryphoness taking off their masks, odd, flexible armor shimmering away with a magical crackle. “This group is the first of many shock troops that can be deployed at a moment’s notice. We aim to be on par with the Lunar Knights and the Legionnaires. No, we aim to surpass them!”

Knife’s keen eyes roved over the group. They were a bit older than the usual recruits of the previously-mentioned forces, but they had a certain glint in their eyes, the type that only veterans had.

Indeed, one or two had artificial limbs, but the way they carried themselves made Knife only respect them more. The limbs were new and sleek; and if not for their appearance, they didn’t appear to move any different than a flesh and blood appendage.

“They are all ex-legionnaires, Royal Guard, Night Guard, or VIP security. They’ve been training together, but they need a squad leader. Someone who, at the very least, can point them in the right direction while they are training,” the stallion paused with a grin, “perhaps somecreature who can offer verbal directions while she gets back in shape.”

Hammer stepped back, gesturing to the training facilities.

“What do you say, Knife Twist?”
It was a tempting offer, but the Thestrel knew better than to assume anything.

“Before I give my answer, I need to know more of what I’m training them, and myself, for,” she said, prompting a sly grin from Hammer.

Of course, he had planned that. If Knife had to guess, Luna had specifically instructed that to be a test. Having someone train troops without question? That wasn’t what this Organization was looking for, not from what Knife had seen. They were smarter than that, and much sneakier too.

“I was hoping you would ask that,” Hammer chuckled. “I’ve been authorized to give you a brief explanation. In short, you will be training them to be a peacekeeping force.” The stallion then gestured to the two symbols underneath the lighthouse.

“That is the Organization’s dual function. We aim to act as a mediating force between nations, stars know this world needs one,” Hammer said, letting out a snort. “You probably heard about this- but did you know a war was almost started because some youngsters skipped class?”

Knife nodded. That incident hadn’t been exactly the pinnacle of diplomacy.

“There are very few official channels between nations, largely because half of them are only now starting to condense back together,” Hammer continued, “The Dragons? Now they finally are actually being civil, well, as much as they can be, under Dragonlord Ember. The Gryphons are slowly starting to regain their Empire’s former strength, and all the while, Equestria and other peaceful nations are not used to dealing with them on an even footing.”

“So, Last Light will be acting as a negotiator?” Knife asked.

“In short, yes,” Hammer replied. “Every nation who joins our agreement will receive our support if their citizens are attacked by another, antagonistic force. The majority of the time, they will likely be lone factions, mercenaries, targeted attacks from the groups that reside in Klugetown.”

Knife Twist gestured to the entire underground expanse; an eyebrow raised at that.
“This isn’t training to repel mercenaries, Hammer,” she stated flatly. “You don’t need a fleet of airships for that.”

“Quite right,” the stallion chuckled. “The secondary part of the agreement is if a nation who has already signed attacks another nation under our protection, the defenders receive our support only against the immediately attacking party. No attacks behind enemy lines initially, and we will be rendering aid to all afflicted parties. That remains the primary goal of the organization.”

Interesting. That eliminates false-flag operations too. No faking attacks to prompt a war.

“That makes sense, so it’s more of a negotiation hub?” Knife asked.

“Yes. We operate as impartial intermediaries between nations if things escalate beyond initial channels,” Hammer then paused, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Maybe this will explain it even better. Knife, what happens at the end of every war?”

She frowned at that, shrugging her wings.
“One side loses, one side wins?”

“Close. But to close a war, what happens, what always happens?”

“Peace talks? A treaty, something like that.”

Hammer gestured towards her with a hoof, nodding once.

“Bingo. We aim to at least try and erase the majority of what a war could be, if we can.” A bit of anger flickered across the stallion’s face. “Wars start in many different ways, but they end the same. Two creatures sitting down and talking,” he growled. “Every time. After blood, anger, and tears have been shed for who knows how long, it always ends with talking! While there are exceptions, one of the primary goals of this arm of the Organization is to force that issue. Force the fighting to stop amid two bickering nations and have them talk. To do that, you need leverage. Significant leverage.”

Knife Twist blinked; that was a loft goal indeed, and a dangerous one.
“Uh, wow,” she said, “that’s…”

“Crazy?”

“I was going to say dangerous, but I won’t deny that word either,” Knife replied, prompting Hammer to nod in agreement.

“Well, that’s what I said when Toxic first explained it to me,” he admitted. “But it makes sense. Aside from aiding in isolated incidents, this Organization won’t act as the aggressor towards nations who have agreed to the supportive terms.”

Knife didn’t miss that last part, but it made sense.

“So, nations will join simply because their potential enemies did,” she said, thinking out loud, “Because if they didn’t, your standing army would give them an edge. Not joining leaves them vulnerable.”

“And by joining, they agree to a set of general diplomatic rules and channels that was never thought of before,” Hammer finished. “Maybe it’s pride, like the dragons or gryphons, or inexperience like Kirin’s. Each nation has their own issues when dealing with outsiders. Equestria itself still has rather deep-rooted discriminatory views itself, even pony against pony. But none of that is tolerated here, and our rules give them an excuse to talk, irrespective of pride or inexperience. We aim to be peacekeepers, not rulers.” Hammer’s demeanor then softened, shoulders sagging slightly. “Be it from chemical disasters, terrorist mercenaries or war, we want to save who we can, when nocreature else can, or will.”

For some reason, that last statement ripped into Knife’s heart. But a few months ago, she was one of those individuals.

Nobody was trying to save me, nobody cared if I rotted away in that prison outside of Barley. And then Luna showed me…

She wouldn’t cry, not yet.

“I have j-just one last question,” she said, voice hitching slightly.

“Oh?”

“Where is my bunk?” she asked with a grin, then looked over to Hammer as he laughed.

“I take that as a yes! I will get things settled straightaway for your living arrangements,” he chuckled.

“So, what is this force, this squad called? Shock troops you said? These peacekeepers?” Knife asked, not able to keep a smile off her face.

Hammer got an odd look on his face, actually shrugging at that.

“So, strange thing about that. The name was changed on the Director’s orders after we went public. I do say, it is growing on me. Apparently, it’s related to some ancient group who tried keep the peace as well in ancient times. The Director didn’t go into details.”

He gestured towards the wall, and Knife’s eyes refocused, zeroing in on the symbol she had seen from before. This time, there was a single, large word illuminated by the lighthouse symbol’s beam.

‘Last Light Templars’

None of the creature’s present noticed three figures watching them, ghostly outlines flickering. Clari’s eyes ran with tears as a minotaur and unicorn nodded in approval, then vanished with knowing smiles on their faces.

A fourth individual flickered into existence, an armored mare grinning before zipping away on a magical spell.

“A record?” Varti asked, taking the offered storage crystal in a careful grip.

“A complete record of my Order,” Nacreous explained, the burning in his breast threatening to force its way out of his eyes. “Hundreds of years of spells, history, diplomatic negotiations; everything I was a part of is in there. And I now trust it to Toxic, and to you.”

Varti carefully set the crystal on a stone podium, careful spells beginning to pick out each record one by one and store it both in a physical location and one within a magical Ether on the island.

“I still do not fully understand why you are entrusting this all to our organization,” the Yak admitted. “Yet after I told you of the change of names to our shock troops, you seemed surer than ever.”

“The name given to them is what made me certain,” the Paladin replied softly. “It is not by coincidence that Toxic changed it, and I know such a thing was asked of him by the leader of my Order.”

“Leader?!” Varti exclaimed, “how is that-”

“The Order was formed under Clari’s direction, Varti,” Nacreous explained, the Yak then letting out a chuckle.

“Interesting. So, having her approval…”

“Bears more weight on this matter than myself,” the Paladin concluded. “The Templars were a part of my Order. To have them reinstated in some way is a bit overwhelming. The old records being transferred here; it is as if my Order is returning at least in part.”

At that, Varti’s eyes widened. When put that way, it was a significant thing indeed.

Nacreous’s brow then furrowed. “What I find odd, is that I personally had not heard much of that designation- the Templars. I know they were a part of the Order, but I heard very little of them. I do not know what purpose they played under Clari’s Direction.”

“That is because they are my Guardians.”

Nacreous’s head snapped around even as Varti chuckled.

“Hello, Fide.”

The armored mare nodded in greeting, then turning to Nacreous.

“Paladin Thunderwing. We have not met,” she stated. “You were a member of my Sister’s order, and so would not have heard much of my Templars.”

The Paladin bowed his head in greeting, even if a bit confused.
“You seem to know me, but I don’t believe we have met…wait, did you say sister? Varti mentioned you briefly.”

“Correct. My past interaction was brief. Concerning my sister, her inaction has forced me to be a bit more involved,” was Fide’s abrupt reply. “And yet such is in her nature, I cannot fault her for having such a soft heart,” the mare said in a gentler, self-reflective tone.

“So, the Templars are your Guardians, your Paladins? She relayed that request from you then?” Nacreous clarified, Fide nodding once.

“Yes. My Order was never as visible as my sister’s, but certainly just as active. I saw to it that we kept the brunt of the aggressors away from her in the shadows until the day we were overwhelmed. And now they must return in a form.”

“So, having Clari asking Toxic to change the name,” Nacreous muttered to himself, “was a sign that both her order and yours could come back to life in this organization, even if it is in memory and rough function of aiding creatures.”

“Hmm. Clari picked well it seems,” Fide murmured as Varti chuckled.

“That’s about as much of a compliment as you’ll get, Highness.”

That made Nacreous grin, the large hippogriff gesturing to the other two.
“You know each other?”

“A single conversation, but yes,” Varti replied with a shrug of his furry shoulders. “But back to the main matter at hoof…or claw. So, with all these records, the Templars, what does that all mean for us?”

“It means, Varti,” Fide said in a surprisingly civil and subdued tone, almost sentimental. “That we are putting our trust in your organization to accomplish what we could not. Our enemy has a united front against us, and we must respond in kind.”

Her gaze then drifted over to the Emperor, the large mare actually grinning.
“And to that end, Paladin Thunderwing, I think your announcement will spur that along quite nicely.”

“My…” Nacreous began, then chuckled with a shake of his head. “Of course you’d know.”

Varti blinked, clearly out of the loop, raised his hoof.
“Did I miss something?”

Nacreous tossed over a parchment, Varti quickly unfurled it and reading the contents. Sitting down in shock with a *thud*, the Professor looked at the message and then back to the Emperor.

“How is this possible?” he asked, Nacreous walking over to lay a set of claws on the incredulous Yak’s shoulder.

“Your message reached much farther than we anticipated,” the Paladin replied. “The individuals from my kingdom have already been briefed and sorted into appropriate job categories. All you have to do is interview them and decide. From what you told me, the hiring staff are just about settled at the end of this week.”

A nod was Varti’s response, his hoof then gesturing to the other itemized list at the bottom of the parchment.

“And these?”

Nacreous looked over to Fide, a rather eager smile on her face.

“Those are everycreature else who has answered your call. Veterans of all species from various conflicts and wars, and many good-hearted souls who want to help,” the Paladin explained. “I think you’re going to need a few more hiring staff.”

Varti stood, nodding once as his eyes dampened.
“I think, Emperor, you are right.”

Fide levitated the parchment over as the other two began to talk amongst themselves, her own eyes brightening. Unheard by the two others, a soft laugh left her muzzle at seeing the numbers written on the parchment, along with Nacreous’s blunt summary. It would seem her sister had chosen quite well indeed.

Of course, as the big sister, it was Fide’s job to watch out for her regardless.

‘Pool of individuals who are vetted with at least two applicable skills; Ten thousand and growing.

You’re going to need a bigger island.
-Emperor Thunderwing.’

Author's Note

:yay: Talk about developments!

As an update; chapters may be every 3-4 weeks due to other ongoing projects. I intend on seeing this story through to completion, but that may take a bit longer. But it shall continue nonetheless!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Hearts Aflame

Moving day.

The SMAL had taken care of everything while they slept, Toxic and Gelliana waking up to their emergency packs and an extra ration pack being all that was left in their temporary shelter. The entity had made a disturbing report; the gas had arrived twice during the night but dissipated just as quickly. Each detection was roughly two hours apart; but that had been four hours ago. Nothing else was detected, but it was clear that if there was a time to move, this was definitely the proper one.

Their nerves were nearly palpable, and after the SMAL appeared to inform them that both the coast, and air, was clear, it was time to head off.

“Are you ready, sir?” SMAL asked, Toxic nodding once as he took a few deep breaths. It was a looming burden, knowing the next weeks were going to be an absolute nightmare…

A soft nudge on his shoulder made a lump rise in the stallion’s throat.

I’m not alone in all of this.
And what would I be willing to go through, for her?

The answer made the pony’s eyes narrow, Toxic nodding to SMAL.

“Do it.”

The spell was nothing more than a simple flash, the entity then nodding once.

“Spell completed. Symptoms are suspended for twelve hours,” SMAL reported. “I will initiate the concealment spell around you both as you leave the shelter. It will last for two hours, and I will return to renew it.”

“Good. Please maintain as large of a perimeter around us as you can after clearing the area. Inform us of any gasses or incoming threats.”

“Orders confirmed. I will direct you via your communications earpieces. The frequency range is minimal, so no outside detection is likely, if even possible. And you have the map.”

“That is true. We will find our way regardless. Thank you, SMAL,” Toxic said, the entity nodding and promptly walking out through a wall to establish the perimeter. “How are you holding up?” he asked the uncharacteristically quiet gryphoness.

“Just nervous,” she admitted, “I just want to get to the new shelter as soon as we can.”

Toxic nodded, hefting his pack as she did the same.
“I know. This place started to feel a bit like a home. But the next area is much more fortified, and farther away from that mountain. Even if it’s only for a few miles.”

Gelliana managed a smile, following Toxic out of their cave. After spending so long cooped up inside, seeing all the greenery and fresh air couldn’t help but make her almost laugh.

Toxic couldn’t help but have a wide grin on his face, for more reasons than one. He had taken some personal time to talk things over with SMAL the night before after Gelliana was asleep. One of those topics was disturbing on many levels, but the other made his heart soar.

“So, there’s that one bridge farther down, but apparently another crossing upstream of this huge ravine,” Toxic explained as they walked. “We can take that land crossing; apparently solid stone that is untouched, unless by a few badgers.”

“Sounds good.”

As they trotted along, it was easy to forget they were in hostile territory, even with SMAL checking in every five minutes with a status update of ‘all clear’.

They simply took in the beautiful scenery, rocks and conifer trees blending in together as the distant sound of water reached their ears.

Toxic caught himself glancing over to Gelliana a few times more often than not, her curious eyes looking back at him. She could probably tell something was up.

Even with all this, I can’t forget what’s important. And this detour doesn’t increase our danger or time spent exposed by any significant amount, not with SMAL orbiting everywhere. Even with the gas moving at three times the speed of the highest measured dispersal, we’ll have over five minutes to put on our masks if needs be.

Best enjoy this while we can.

They walked down the rocks, eventually coming to the massive canyon, greenery visible at the bottom as a large rock bridge spanned the expanse. Easily large enough to fit two carriages side-by-side, it was just as thick. The granite was weathered and rounded by the waterfall that surged from a high cliff above them, having cut through the rock over hundreds of generations.

Toxic heard a gasp of wonder from Gelliana, the stallion looking over and seeing nothing but childlike joy in her violet eyes.

“It’s gorgeous,” she whispered, following Toxic as he reached over to give her claws a squeeze.

“Shall we take a closer look?”

She nodded, the pair walking out onto the sturdy stone bridge. It was covered with a thin layer of dirt and moss, providing a surprisingly sturdy path under hoof and claw.

Toxic stopped in the center of the bridge, the massive waterfall above them and sending water cascading to the depths below, and the canyon spreading out behind the pair.

“SMAL? Suspend status updates unless there is a change from all clear. Set time stamp for twenty minutes unless otherwise directed,” Toxic instructed, Gelliana looking at him in surprise.

“Order confirmed, Director,” SMAL relayed to both of them in their earpieces.

Toxic shrugged off his pack, setting it aside and sitting down.
“Care to join me?” he asked, Gelliana immediately doing so, alibi a bit cautiously.

“What is all of this about, Toxic?” she asked, the stallion letting out a soft huff.

“Just something that is necessary,” he replied, heart thudding in his ears. For a moment, Toxic had the urge to just forget it all; make up an excuse…

If anyone deserves the truth, it’s her.
Wouldn’t I?

“Gells, I wanted to talk about two things with you. The first is not so happy a topic,” he admitted. “I talked to SMAL last night…” the stallion shook his head, Gelliana scooting a bit closer as some of the cool mist from the waterfall blew their way.

“About what’s going to happen?” she surmised, Toxic nodding.

“It’s going to be bad, Gells,” the stallion whispered. “Really bad. Even with her medical knowledge, SMAL couldn’t give me a clear answer other than listing the symptoms at their potentially most severe forms. I might not even recognize you. Might say things, horrible, nightmarish words. Without you or SMAL’s help, I might not…”

The unsaid implications made Gelliana’s side shake as she drew in a breath, her clears reaching over to hold Toxic’s hoof tightly.

“That’s why we’re here,” Toxic explained, a slight smile returning to his face.

“I, um, don’t really follow?” Gelliana admitted, her special-somepony turning to face her, still holding her claws tightly. His other hoof reached up to rest against her cheek; and that’s when Gelliana’s eyes widened, starting to at least suspect what was going on as he scooted a bit closer, leaning his forehead on the gryphoness’s.

“There is something I want to make sure you know before all of that happened,” Toxic whispered, unique voice husky with emotion, “No matter what I say, no matter what I claim or scream when I’m sick, I want you to never doubt one thing.”

Drawing back slightly, Toxic smoothly reached down and gave Gelliana a simple, loving kiss, the surprised gryphoness’s eyes widening in shock. For how sharp gryphon’s beaks appeared, the flexible portion felt surprisingly close to lips, warm, soft, but a bit firmer. He could feel her claws start to shake, and even before Toxic had pulled back fully, Gelliana wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss, pulling her stallion as close as she could.

When they finally had to breathe again, Toxic couldn’t keep a dopey grin from plastering itself on his face, Gelliana’s eyes brimming with tears.

“I love you, Gelliana,” Toxic whispered, resting his forehead against hers, “Time of stress or not, you deserve to know that. I don’t know if I could have kept it to myself much longer regardless.”

There wasn’t an immediate reply, one of Gelliana’s clawed hands reached up to toy with Toxic’s chest fur as she sniffled, tears running down her cheeks.

“I love you too, Toxic,” she finally whispered, “S-so much…” The gryphoness looked up slightly, now seeming a bit hesitant. Such hesitation vanished as Toxic leaned down and gave her another kiss, the gesture being eagerly returned.

They stayed in each other’s arms for a long while, taking a brief moment of comfort amid the soothing roar of the waterfalls and the warmth of the other’s presence.

“That’s what I learned, you know,” Gelliana whispered. “I knew it, but I was afraid to admit it to myself. I was just scared of what it meant.”

“It meant admitting you want to tread down that path with someone,” Toxic replied, gently nuzzling her cheek with his. “I was scared too. But after all of this? There’s nocreature else I’d rather set sail with on that journey,” he let out a soft chuckle at that. “I know I said not wanting to cross huge milestones during this stressful time, but I couldn’t bear it anymore.”

“I’m glad,” Gelliana said softly, relaxing a bit more into Toxic’s embrace, ears flicking towards him, listening to a familiar heartbeat. “I don’t know when I would have been able to say it. I didn’t know if…” she let out a soft laugh, “it seems silly and obvious, but I was scared. But now? I’ve never felt so safe. You make me feel safe, even amid all of this.”

Still having a grin on his face, Toxic couldn’t help but sigh happily, nuzzling closer to his special somegriff.

“Of many things, you deserve to feel safe, Gells,” he replied.

She paused at that, and Toxic felt his hoof gripped a bit tighter.
“And you deserve to not endure all of this alone,” Gelliana said, the fierceness in her tone surprisingly the gryphoness. “And Tox? Can you promise me to not forget something, just like I won’t forget this moment?”

“Of course,” was his immediate reply.

Gelliana pulled back, making sure to look her curious stallion in the eyes, her claws shivering with emotional tension.

“I love you, Tox,” she whispered, voice starting to hitch, “and I want to be with you. I want countless more moments like this.” The gryphoness scooted a bit closer, even as two green eyes now brimmed with tears at the pointed emphasis. “I love, and want you. Everyone deserves to feel loved, and you’ve been through so much pain…” she reached up and pressed her claws against his chest, heartbeat thudding through. “It needs to be balanced, and I want so much to do that as best as I can. To see that smile, to hear that voice of yours; I want that so much. To see you happy, to not have to bear your burdens alone ever again. I can’t do your job, but I want to at least be there for you.”

Tears ran undeterred down Toxic’s cheeks, the stallion hanging his head as sobs began to shake his frame, a certain phrase rising to Gelliana’s remembrance.

“Who is your shield, Toxic?” she whispered, the gryphoness’s breast feeling like a furnace as Toxic leaned forward and let her hug him close. “You might have it as your last name, and act like one to the world against all that nasty stuff…but who gets to protect you when things look horrible?” she paused, rocking her special somepony back and forth.

Toxic couldn’t stop the tears, the stallion reveling in the embrace of somecreature who wanted to be there with him, one who didn’t judge the rivers running down his cheeks.

“I know what I want the answer to be to that question, more than anything,” she admitted, “but time will tell, I guess.”

“I know what I want the answer to be too.”

Toxic’s barely-audible reply just made Gelliana hug him all the tighter. In that moment, she didn’t care if even Tartarus itself rose up and tried to take Toxic from her; she’d tear it apart without a second thought.

“I promise to remember that, Gells,” Toxic finally said after another long few moments, pulling back to still lean against Gelliana’s shoulder, the gryphoness returning the posture.

After a brief moment of quiet, Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle, Toxic turning to look at her curiously.

“Only you.”

His head tilted adorably in confusion, the stallion blinking as the very-fluffy gryphoness gestured around them.

“Only you could come up with the sweetest way to tell me you loved me while we’re being chased by some crazy enemy!” Gelliana said, “and I love you even more for that.”

She would never get tired of the dopey grin that immediately slid onto Toxic’s face. An innocent, unsullied expression of joy in which nothing else mattered; all that shone in his green eyes was joy and affection at her words.

“And for never kissing someone with a beak…you’re a natural.”

The bright blush on her stallion’s cheeks made Gelliana’s heart soar even higher. Despite being in a tough situation, today was definitely a good day.

Even SMAL checking in with their reminder failed to dampen their spirits as they continued onwards; their journey not marred by any unexpected developments. Even the new location seemed a bit brighter, despite being more densely hidden amid rocks and trees.

As they began to unpack their supplies, Gelliana quickly realized there was a side of Toxic he had been keeping in check slightly, as the stallion had promptly trotted over to wrap her up in a tight hug. As a proclaimed ‘not huggy’ type, the fact that Gelliana’s returning hug and kiss made the stallion melt made her nearly squeak with joy. Apparently, the ‘not huggy’ statement only applied to everycreature else, and Gelliana didn’t mind that one bit, even if her feathers seemed permanently stuck in full-fluffing mode.

As they returned to unpacking, neither of them noticed two soft glows near the entrance where their packs had been stowed.

Two breastplates shone brightly underneath the thick material, a familiar mare appearing for a brief moment before vanishing with a kind, and slightly apologetic smile.

Pick shield stood on the docking platform, a determined smirk on his crystal-like face. In the distance, a dozen glimmering dots neared the island in the setting sun.

Second trip of dozens, and stuffed to the brim.

The newly appointed Fleet Commander trotted off back into the main complex where the first group was completing the mountain of paperwork to begin their enrollment process. When Nacreous had said a lot of his subjects had been interested in the organization and abroad, he had not been joking in the slightest.

Thousands upon thousands.

Walking by one of the enrollment areas, Pick couldn’t help but smile at hearing an exchange between Varti and an ex-guard, the pony being fitted for a prosthetic. The incredulous tone of the pony had been a common one this past day. The idea of regaining a part of their life without any cost…

“What do you mean I can keep it?” the stallion asked, Varti tapping a crystal tablet with a hoof to activate the artificial limb.

“Just as the contract states. Even if you stop the enrollment process, you can keep the prosthetic limb that is fitted for you. Any future maintenance will be charged; something that won’t be more than the cost of a trip to the marketplace though,” Varti explained, the burly stallion staring at the limb that linked up to the rest of his body.

“How can I feel this?” he whispered; the Yak only grinning. “And why aren’t you charging for it? Won’t that just cause creatures to abandon the enrollment?”

“The Last Light Organization plans on selling these prosthetics at nearly manufacturing costs. You’re just getting it a few months before others,” Nacreous explained, stepping in from another room, his subjects immediately straightening before he waved a set of claws at them, “I’m not here as your Emperor, only as a friend of this Organization. And I right, Varti?”

“Correct, Highness. There. The limb is now calibrated to your magical signature and nervous system. You can feel some sensation; about ninety-percent of previous. Any pain is to prevent you from damaging the device.”

The stallion could only stare, grabbing his stack of paperwork with a firm magical grip.
“You all give away things such as this?” he whispered, “a piece of my life back and ask for so little in return? Nobody does that…”

“Now they do,” Nacreous said softly, the stallion trotting off with a shocked but sincere grin.

Pick walked in, Varti nodding as another veteran soldier took his place in front of the yak; two large crystals activating and beginning to scan the pony.

“I am already in the works talking with other prosthetic-producing companies. Layoffs in their sectors should be at a minimum,” Varti said to both Nacreous and Pick, casually fitting the shocked Pegasus with an artificial wing. “We hold the patents on the materials and the magic, and we can subsidize their workforce. We’re growing at a rate I never thought possible, and thankfully all of our safeguards are in place.”

“My simulations will conclude in one week,” Pick replied, knowing that they couldn’t say too much in public. “And by then we’ll be in a different place.”

Varti nodded, a bit of fire entering the Yak’s usually placid gaze.

Pick nodded respectfully to Nacreous, waved to Varti, and then began to meander back to the lab. His mind immediately being preoccupied once again. The simulations…

That’s right, you shadowy piece of filth. If I’m right, I just found out how to hurt you, and combat that blasted mutagenic compound. They are one and the same.

The unicorn casually called up a surveillance spell, specifically one overseeing some of the hidden docks on the island for re-fitting the airships. The five vessels in question were being diligently overhauled by an army of golems and current employees; the larger of the five even more so.

Unlike the passenger fleet or the emergency response ships, these vessels were being stocked with munitions. Heavy plating was being polished and triple-checked, powerful shielding crystals locked into their receptacles.

You kept this part of the Organization so hidden, Toxic. And I can see why. But now it can serve a purpose that no other nation can right now.
We’ll get you out even if we have to blast that mountain to smithereens!

Under a shield of dark magic, an eager maw parted and issued a simple order. The fog that poured from mechanical and magical creation alike rolled down the mountainside.

“Claim our kingdom. Those who are loyal are within these walls. Leave no-one else alive!”

Shapes shrouded in the foul fog dashed down the near-vertical cliffs, claws and talons digging into the raw stone as yelps and howls echoed throughout the night. The King of Shadows was now enforcing his domain; and the guards had been released to secure the borders.

However, unlike the mortals and near-mortals within the mountain fortress, the creatures that tore through the forest breathed the fog as a fish did water. Their many eyes lit up the night with red, malevolent glows.

Author's Note

It's about time you two! :rainbowkiss:

Just as a heads up readers, updates will be slower due to RL responsibilities. So I'm not going to put a time on them anymore. However, this fic is not going to be abandoned. =) Maybe shorter chapters (like today)/longer updates, but better that than burnout! Don't think I'll leave you hanging.
-RB

Chapter Thirty: Poisoned Wells

Onyx stared at the food in front of him, the portions neatly partitioned into various categories. He didn’t need to eat as much as other creatures, but he certainly enjoyed it and did need something to fuel his more-solid body.

Unfortunately, another individual was making it rather difficult to decide whether to start with spicy or savory.

“You really don’t talk much, huh?” Knife Twist asked, spearing some preserved fruit with an elongated toothpick and tossing it into her mouth. “There’s so much going on around here, I thought you’d have something to say.”

“I was trying to eat,” Onyx muttered, Knife rolling her eyes, clearly amused by the gruff shadow pony.

“Yes, and out of the goodness of my heart I decided to sit with you. When your Windigo friend isn’t talking your ear off, you practically radiate sadness. It’s distracting.”

The glare shot her way nearly had Knife choking on her food from laughter.
“Ok, it’s not that obvious,” she wheezed, “but you’re definitely more of a grump. Where is she this time?”

After muttering something under his breath, Onyx finally relented, shifting into his ‘I’m trying to be pleasant’ mannerisms, as Knife had eloquently put the other day.

“She’s helping with the airships. Something about having a semi-corporeal creature test the magical shields.”

“Huh.”

Onyx half-glared at the amused Thestrel at that.

“What?”

Knife shrugged, thoughtfully taking another bite of her food.

“I didn’t actually expect you to answer so quickly. You’re not exactly known for being talkative. As far as I can tell, you haven’t said more than a few sentences to anyone else.”

It was Onyx’s turn to shrug, now turning his attention to the food plate in front of him. Carefully selecting a bite from one of the neat piles, he took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.

Knife would never admit it, but the shadow-pony looked rather adorable as his ears perked up happily, a notepad being pulled out from the satchel that lay on the floor. A simple pen wrote an entry under the ‘foods I like’ page.

She had a feeling of who’s idea it was to keep track of such a thing.

“By the way, if you like that potato salad, you may want to mention they season it heavily with Griffinstone spices. Gives it an extra kick.”

The look Onyx shot her was clearly meant to be a scowl, but it lacked any venom. The shadow-pony simply nodded, making an extra notation before quickly finishing off the previous dish.

Knife saw a familiar individual sneaking up from behind Onyx, but she quickly looked back to her plate and stifled a laugh.

She didn’t have to wait long. A certain Windigo floated over and wrapped the shadow-pony up in a hug with a soft, happy squeak.

“Hiiiiii!”

The Thestral’s eyes widened in surprise. Onyx’s demeanor immediately softened, the usual half-scowl he wore abruptly dissolving into an almost blissful grin. Even the shadowy tendrils that radiated off his body became more subdued and smoothed.

Knife was no genius, but she could put two and two together in this case. Not that she’d say anything of course.

What she didn’t notice was Icait’s eyes flicker over her shoulder- the Thestral nearly jumping out of her seat as a happy voice sounded next to her ear, a familiar embrace now wrapping around her torso.

“Knifey!”

As the Thestral enjoyed trying to pry her coltfriend off of her, Knife’s eyes met Icait’s gaze for a moment. The Windigo actually smirked, nodding ever so slightly to the other mare as if to say ‘you don’t say anything, I won’t either.’

She could honor that deal.

Gelliana knew it would be difficult. But two days into their new shelter and she was already feeling a mounting anxiety. Yesterday had been fine; the two of them actually able to relax, given the circumstances.

And by relax, it had meant cuddle while the stallion read a book or two out loud, totally not interrupted by the occasional kiss.

But today….

Gelliana had woken up normally, but Toxic had seemed to be lethargic, his head pounding and lacking any of the energy and zeal from before.

It was almost a physical pain, seeing her stallion’s strength waste away within hours. He barely had the ability to walk around before collapsing on one of their bedrolls. Toxic’s last few conscious moments were seared lovingly in her memory, however.

He had simply reached over to hold the gryphoness’s claws, reaching up to give her a simple, brief kiss.

“Remember. No matter what I say, I love you,” he had whispered, the shaky tone in his voice betraying the pony’s own nerves. Genuine fear had shown in Toxic’s eyes, his grip having tightened on her claws. “P-please…be here when I wake up.”

Gelliana had yanked him close with a simple reply, lovingly pressing her cheek to his.
“I promise.”

And then he was gone, the poison now starting to burn him from the inside out. All they could do was wait. Well, all she could do was wait.

It was both odd and rather endearing that if she gave Toxic’s hoof a squeeze, he seemed to relax even if completely passed out. It was nice, in a way, a simple way to check if he was still there.

Her wings drooped, the gryphoness fighting back tears. Seeing the pony she loved at the mercy of some nigh-invisible poison was tormenting. All she could do was watch and wait. Maybe SMAL could teach her-

With a *snap*, a spectral mare appeared. Instead of the SMAL, it was a very different individual, one that made Gelliana’s eyes narrow as her emotions boiled over.

“Gelliana, I-”

*THWACK!*

The entity let out a hiss as Gelliana threw her weight behind the strike, her clawed fist making the mare stumble.

“You,” the gryphoness growled, “deserved that.”

The spectral mare’s eyes darted to the ground, her shoulders slumping as a soft glow radiated from a forgotten breastplate in the corner.

“I suppose from your perspective I did,” she muttered. “And yet I still saved Toxic Shield’s life.”

“Then explain why you’re here!” Gelliana growled, animosity still leaking from her frame. “I’m grateful you saved him, thankful beyond measure. But you used him! You used me!”

“I did not!”

Sitting down, Gelliana glared at the mare, the pony sighing as she likewise sat down.

“Mortals,” she grumbled, “my only goal is to help!”

“I don’t even know your name.”

That made the mare pause.
“Ah.”

Letting out an exasperated breath, the armored mare shook her head slowly.
“My name is Fide,” she said, “and want nothing more than to see you both safe and sound. I must operate within rules, however.”

“Ok then, Fide, please explain. From my perspective you’ve used a pony I love very much, and manipulated my feelings. You deserve more than a punch for that,” Gelliana said rather roughly, Fide wincing.

“Perhaps my previous phrasing was…incomplete,” she admitted. “From that perspective, it must have appeared that I could not act until you understood your own feelings, yes? Guiding your emotions towards an eventuality?”

A simple nod was Gelliana’s reply.

“To an extent that is true,” Fide admitted, drawing a series of lines on the ground. “First you must understand, our enemy has broken rules that exist for creatures with our level of power. I am sorry that you must be involved in this proxy conflict, but we have no choice.”

“What conflict? I don’t even know who, or what you are. Clari’s sister? I don’t fully understand all of that with Toxic. He hasn’t explained it completely.”

Blinking in surprise, Fide actually let out an amused huff.
“Apologies. I am indeed Clari’s sister. We are curators of leylines, of some ‘fates’ you may say. We see outcomes and try to nudge them in the right direction.”

“Direction of what?”

Fide looked up, a calm, determined expression on her face.
“Of life and joy. Of happiness. But our enemy seeks the opposite. His name isn’t important, but he is the King of Shadows. He wants to tip the balance in the favor of chaos and pain. Every action he does allows us an equal, possibly greater reaction. So, we must wait until mortal forces can aid us in tipping the scale over completely.”

Gelliana’s brow furrowed, the gryphoness processing that before nodding.
“Ok, so there’s a balance; what does that have to do with us? Why was it so important I realized how much I cared for him?”

Fide’s muzzle parted in the hints of a smile at that.
“You two are rather important in all of this,” she said, voice actually caring a slight caring inflection. “Here is how I can explain it. Every action our enemy takes that is against the rules is like an hourglass. The sand that pours through is the amount of leverage we get in return for such rule breaking.”

Gelliana’s eyes widened at that.
“And Toxic being sick…”

“Was one of those times, yes,” Fide stated, “the very existence of such a poison violates many, many rules, as well as using such on a mortal. Your natural progression with Toxic was disrupted. I would have been forced to intervene shortly after I appeared that time regardless, since he was dying. But the fact that you realized such feelings even with such an accelerated timeline gave me more leeway. My stating of such was just incomplete.”

The mare’s ears flicked down, eyes darting to the floor in thought.
“I have come to understand this is not…palatable by mortals,” she admitted. “I do not fully understand what it means to be in love. I am now only understanding the appeal of having a friend. I do not understand the details of how my actions harmed you, but I am sorry they did.”

She lifted her eyes, gaze a bit stonier and more determined.
“But know that I waited as long as I could. Do not think both my sister and myself will forget the pains you and Toxic go through. That is a dept that will be paid, of that I promise you. Neither of you asked to be dragged into this conflict. But our hooves are bound, lest we compromise our eventual retaliation against the King.”

Gelliana stayed quiet for a time, finally letting out a frustrated sigh.
“So, you intervened because if you didn’t, Toxic would have died and thus sent the…balance all wrong? You would have helped either way, and me just realizing things made it all easier?”

“Correct.”

“Alright. Then what did my feelings have to do with all of that?”

Fide’s face actually broke into a sincere, kind smile. With a wave, she levitated a previously-forgotten breastplate over, setting it onto the ground.

“You love him,” Fide said softly, “and while I am inexperienced with the depth of such feelings, I can see clearly the impact it has, in ways I am not sure you can understand. In this world, where emotion is an actual energy source…love can be a powerful thing indeed. Last I checked, it had the power to repel an entire invasion from a capital city.”

Fide seemed to be rather amused at Gelliana’s blush, the mare shrugging.
“Your fates are now intertwined. To what end I do not know. But Toxic is the only one who is mostly immune to the King of Shadow’s plans. That makes him a key piece in all of this.” Fide’s gaze hardened, pushing the breastplate over to Gelliana.

“He will stop at nothing to make sure Toxic is dead or otherwise incapacitated. My sister and I will help how we can; that is why we granted him access to such levels of power. But…” her brow furrowed at that, as if the mare’s thoughts were in conflict. “Pure power and spells cannot win this fight. Toxic’s mind is in flux, turmoil and pain. He does not have to be killed to be rendered useless in this fight. Do you understand?”

Gelliana nodded at that, a lump rising in her throat.

“That is why he, and yourself are so important. You said it yourself better than I could have. This pony protects others at the expense of himself…but who protects him?” Fide asked, gesturing to the breastplate. “To that end, I have given you my aid.”

“What is it?”

“A companion piece to the armor my sister gave Toxic, on his formal induction into her Order,” Fide stated. “I understand you don’t know the details. Know that the breastplate responds to emotion, and it is worn by those of my order. They are being re-instated abroad, but you are the first to receive such an artifact.”

“I’m honored, I think. But I don’t even understand what your Order is. I don’t know any of that,” Gelliana admitted, reaching over to pick up the oddly-light metal. “All I know is that the armor Toxic wears made me feel a certain way.”

“And this armor will likewise,” Fide confirmed. “If you but will it to exist on your body, it will respond and likely link with Toxic’s own pieces. You are a unique case; you do not have to go through the usual procedures to receive this armor, and that is not by accident,” The mare paused, gesturing towards the prone pony. “You are vulnerable, Gelliana. Our enemy is relentless and has armies at his disposal. Your best chance is to remain hidden if at all possible. That said, this armor is the best way I can try to help you without unbalancing the scales. All I am doing is giving you the means to fight back when you have to; I am not doing that for you.”

Gelliana let out a soft huff.
“That’s a fine line to not cross.”

“Indeed. I know it is difficult to understand, but I hope you can believe me when I say that both myself and Clari want this situation resolved. Resolved, and you two home safe,” Fide explained.

“I still don’t like this…meddling at times,” Gelliana said, Fide then raising a spectral hoof.

“I can understand that. But let me make something very clear,” the mare said softly, a bit of actual unease shining through her gaze, as if she couldn’t quite understand what her own thoughts were but was to say them regardless. “Your feelings are your own. Your journey with Toxic is yours. Anything we do will never alter how a natural path would have played out, and we take the utmost care to prevent as much disruption as we can. Bumps along the way will occur however. And for that I am sorry.”

With a nod, Gelliana rustled her wings, expression still troubled.
“I guess that makes sense,” she admitted, “and it’s nice to know you’re definitely on our side. Just, please explain it better next time. This is hard enough as it is without feeling like a pawn in this game.”

Fide bowed her head at that.
“I will try. But do keep in mind, you two are most certainly not pawns,” she said, the flicker of a smile dawning on her usually stern features. “If anything, I believe the appropriate analogy would be a king and the queen.”

As Gelliana’s face flushed at that, Fide gestured to the prone stallion off to the side.
“Is it not the queen who must protect the king?” she asked softly. “I have to go, but I will try to find moments to speak with you again. I wish I could offer more instruction, but vagueness is necessary.”

“I, well, I don’t fully understand, but I get it at least,” Gelliana huffed. “And for what it’s worth, thank you for saving him. I only regret my punch a little though.”

Fide actually smirked at that.
“It was a good hit and I deserved that much at least. Take care, Gelliana.”

And with that she was gone, SMAL shimmering as the program reappeared.

To Gelliana’s surprise, the magical golem actually grumbled.
“I would appreciate if she would stop doing that,” the entity muttered. “May I inquire if that was the mare you spoke of earlier?”

“Yup. Maybe she could ask you next time? You almost look annoyed,” Gelliana said, SMAL nodding.

“Such instances affect my core processes in unforeseen ways. I am not programmed to deal with the energy surge. It alters my core functions that then must be compensated for.”

“Alright…well, can you continue our lessons after I eat?”

“That is fine. Just let me know.” The entity paused, eyes flickering back to the gryphoness briefly. “And while I cannot feel annoyance, I would appreciate warning next time from this mare.”

It didn’t escape Gelliana’s notice how SMAL seemed almost unsure of her words before vanishing.

The gryphoness made her way back over to Toxic, giving his hoof a squeeze before helping herself to some of the rations from their storage containers. At least she could stay occupied while he slept.

Fide’s words were enough to keep Gelliana occupied outside of SMAL’s classes, the gryphoness mostly reading what little information the entity had on leylines, or rather, the creatures that lived in them.

Gelliana only now noticed the odd quirks with SMAL, the entity seeming equally curious as she relayed the information. Any questions regarding such were simply met with some technical jargon regarding defragmenting…something.

An entire day in near silence weighed heavy on Gelliana’s heart, SMAL appearing in the evening with the sober news that the unknown gas was once again rising in concentration. However, the shelter was more than sufficient, their underground spring shielded from the effects.

Even if it wouldn’t have been smart to go outside before, the abrupt removal of being able to go outside was a heavy blow. It made the substantially-large cave feel rather oppressive despite the lights provided in the crate, the cheery blue crystals feeding off residual magic energy.

It hadn’t been apparent at first, but the emotional high and subsequent letdown from hearing Toxic say those beautiful words and likewise returning them was apparent. What made it infinitely worse was that the pony she loved was completely incapacitated, magical sparks occasionally leaking out from under his eyes despite the horn-suppression ring.

“Gells?”

Toxic’s voice sounded horrible, and that was saying something for the gryphoness. Sandpapery and raw, the pony winced as he spoke, barely able to lift his head and look around. He lay back down immediately, a tired smile on his lips as Gelliana sat at his side.

“Well, good evening to you too,” she managed to say, finding a surprisingly large wave of emotion threatening to make the words catch in her throat. The pony’s ears flicked back in realization, a hoof dragging over to grasp her talons with a frighteningly weak hold.

“You ok?” he asked, clearly fighting back a wince of pain.

“Me? You’re the one who slept the whole day,” she replied, barely retraining a few tears.

“Not what asked,” Toxic muttered, forgoing additional words with a grimace.

“F-fine,” she muttered, “ok, no, I’m not. None of this is ok. But I’ll be ok. It’s hard to just be alone in the quiet while you sleep.”

A partial truth, Toxic barely managing to nod.

“SMAL?”

Gelliana let out a huff, briefly explaining her interaction with the entity as well as Fide. Despite not being able to move, Toxic’s ears were perked with interest, the pony finally managing to croak out a response.

“Tell you more. Later,” he then shook his head. “Hurts. Talking.”

Making sure their water and food rations were within reach, Gelliana then sat down at Toxic’s side once again, her own eyes still threatening to water and spill over.

“Don’t talk then. Just gesture to what you want for now.”

After a moment’s hesitation, a hoof pointed at her made Gelliana’s heart melt, the unicorn then shifting to flop over and rest against her shoulder. Just that simple gesture made the tears flow freely from her eyes. Even when feeling stars-above awful, he was still as sweet as ever.

He just wants someone to be there; me, to be there.

“What about you?”

The simple words made Gelliana reach over to hold Toxic’s hoof, leaning on his head after scooting closer, his sides rising and falling against her.

“Same answer,” she whispered, feeling Toxic’s cheeks pull upwards into a slight smile.

“Always here. I try,” he muttered, still forcing the words out.

“Just try to get better soon, Tox. That’s all you can do right now, ok? And stop talking if it hurts.”

A rather rebellious nod was the pony’s reply.

They didn’t say anything else for a time, simply enjoying each other’s company. Yet it was Toxic who stubbornly refused to say silent.

“Love you, Gells,” he whispered, the gryphoness reaching up to give him a loving kiss, one that was returned with a surprising amount of passion.

It was then that Gelliana felt Toxic’s grip tighten, his hoof shaking slightly as the pony’s sides shivered. With a sudden, almost physical blow of understanding, the gryphoness understood the very simple reality.

He’s scared.

Moving a bit closer, Gelliana spread a wing over the stricken stallion, the realization burning in her mind.

He’s probably never been actually affected by some poison before, and now he’s stuck, unable to move. He’s always been the one to help in a disaster; but now he’s helpless…

And yet between the two of them, Toxic was still trying to be there for her.

Shifting to look over at the stallion Gelliana made sure to meet his confused gaze before leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek with hers.

“It’s going to be ok, Toxic,” she said softly. “It’ll be a few cruddy weeks at most, and then you’re going to have to endure a lot of make-up kisses and long cuddling sessions. You’ll get through this. I know you’ve been through worse.”

The simple words of encouragement made the previously stoic stallion crumble, the pony quietly crying in genuine fear and pain as Gelliana wrapped him up in a hug, scooting over to have Toxic lean partially on her chest.

“You’re going to be ok, Toxic.”

Previously cast aside, Gelliana’s hind leg brushed her breastplate, the armor immediately igniting with a soft, rosy glow.

“We’re going to be ok.”

Despite her own fears, Gelliana somehow knew that her words were anything but hollow.

“Incoming message via portal…Sister, it’s him,” Luna hissed, the two immediately setting aside their dinner and teleporting to a conference room.

“Will you led me lead on this? Please, trust me sister,” Celestia’s words were calm and stead as Luna nodded firmly, the two sisters taking a deep breath before allowing the portal to form, revealing a disturbingly smug gryphon.

“Empress’s,” the Bringer said, his eyes then drifting to lock onto the two sisters. “I will make this short. My Master is tired of your interference; or rather, your actions leading towards such.”

“What interference would that be?” Celestia asked innocently, the gryphon snorting in slight amusement.

“A game is it? Very well. The subtle build-up and transferring of Equestrian hardware and military soldiers towards our continent, gathering at various ports and beginning to fortify small outposts within view of our domain. If it continues my Master will take it as seriously as an all-out attack.”

Celestia sighed, nodding once. It had been worth a shot, but was certainly not worth increasing the risk even more.

“Very well. Equestria will not interfere with your claim, for now.”

The bringer grinned; the fact a gryphon now sported sharp canines being extremely unsettling.

“Very good. It would be unfortunate for your kingdom if any more interference were to occur. This will be your only warning of such.”

“How unfortunate?” Luna asked calmly, the Bringer then chuckling, examining his claws with a smirk.

“Did you know that nine out of ten of your water-treatment plants only had a chain link fence for security?”

Celestia’s eyes widened in horror at the gryphon’s statement, the other individual continuing to grin, a bit of shadow leaking from behind his eyes.

“Any additional provocations will ensure that an example is made of a town, or a city, or perhaps both. Some of your cities have tens of thousands of inhabitants, yes? Or more?”

Luna felt the air in the room jump, the temperature increasing slightly as Celestia let out a hiss.

“You have made your point. Is there anything else?”

The Bringer let out a thoughtful hum, then nodded once.

“As a matter of fact, there is. The Last Light Organization will not interfere with us either. If they do, my Master will treat it as if Equestria itself attacked us and react accordingly.”

The Solar Empress’s demeanor shifted slightly, and that made Luna nervous. Not because it was of horror or surprise, but of eagerness. Something had been said that made Celestia’s mood shift from anger at the threats to a predatory hunter.

“I’m afraid that is quite impossible,” Celestia said with a shrug, “while I promise Equestria will not interfere, we have no jurisdiction over that organization. You also attacked them first; and legally they are fully in their rights to counter-”

“They will not interfere!” the Bringer growled, his self-control clearly on a finer edge than Celestia’s. “Or do you value the lives of your subjects to be so little?”

Luna was forced to cast a shield around the room; the temperature now spiking for a moment; the only indicator that Celestia’s patience was apparently being tested.

“Do not goad me, limbo-demon,” Celestia said calmly, “My sister and I can rule Equestria; but we have no say in that organization.”

“If they interfere, you will-”

“What?”

That single word made the Bringer pause, Celestia now glaring at the gryphon.

“What will you do? You have spoken quite a bit for someone with no leverage.”

“Excuse me!? Did my Master not make himself clear?”

“He did. I fail to see the threat. Any attack on Equestrian soil that costs additional lives, at this point would warrant an all-out and overwhelming response. We would have no more reason to limit our response and power as we currently have been. Or have you forgotten to whome you speak?”

Luna now began to see the web that Celestia was weaving, and she couldn’t help but love the dance she was a part of. Her sister had been playing along…

“We will kill your precious two subjects if any attack to my Master’s domain is undertaken!” the Bringer finally said, the words making Celestia shrug.

“You clearly do not have them, and I doubt you would spare them regardless.”

“I am surprised, Empress,” the gryphon replied. “I was under the impression that Princess Celestia cared more for her subjects than that.”

“And what would you know about that, demon?” Celestia asked, Luna not missing the fiery flecks that now spotted her mane. “A creature that sold his soul for the promise of power? I care for Toxic and Gelliana as if they were my children. I watched them grow up; but I will not sacrifice a nation for two creatures.”

This seemed to please the Bringer, the gryphon grinned as Luna feared her sister had made an emotional error.

“It seems we greatly overestimated the worth of these two lives,” the shadow-creature sighed. “You would choose the lives of unknown creatures, of not taking charge, for these two? Even as they suffer and beg for us to end it as they are tortured?”

Luna took a step away from Celestia as familiar armor clamped itself around the Solar Empress’s frame, canine poking out from under her lips as the Princess’s pupils narrowed to slits.

“You and your Master will listen closely,” Celestia hissed. “If you force me to choose between the lives of my subjects, of who will live and who will die, even if numbers are lopsided, you will pay a price that even your Master cannot afford.”

“Oh?” The gryphon’s voice took on a deeper tone; a hint that another entity was also watching; two shadowy eyes appearing to float in the air behind the Bringer. “What price would that be?”

“Simple; your utter destruction.”

The Bringer abruptly let out a cackle, the gryphon shaking his head sadly.

“That’s all? We assumed that would be in your-”

“You misunderstand. I will give that mercy to your subjects. I will dissect you.”

That quieted the cocky creature, Celestia taking a step forward to glare at him.

“Shadow King. I will not kill you if you force my hoof. No. I will first burn your kingdom to ash, my sister crater its remnants with the stars.”

As she spoke, more and more of Celestia’s mane turned to flames prompting Luna to send out a silent signal for Nacreous. She hadn’t seen her sister this upset in…

“I will then imprison you and your highest-ranking individuals outside of my sun. Every day for a thousand years, I will weaken the shields so you burn away, atom by atom, piece by piece. And when you are near death, I will tear you from that prison and send you back to Limbo as a wounded shell,” Celestia stated calmly, never blinking as she stared at the Bringer and the increasingly unnerved gaze of the Shadow King behind him. “I will then watch as you are devoured by your own kind, for the weak are consumed by the strong in that realm, are they not? That is the price you will pay for forcing my hoof. Equestria will not intervene, but do not mistake our peace for weakness.”

Celestia waved a hoof, closing the portal with a SNAP as Luna looked at her.

“Sister? Are you…?” she began, Celestia’s form beginning to return to its normal state as she took deep breaths.

“I’m fine, Lulu. That was just a bit difficult.”

After a pause, Luna had to ask.

“Did you mean it? Would you do all that to avenge Toxic and Gelliana?”

The amount of fury, of seething hatred behind Celestia’s gaze made Luna shudder, the younger Princess shaking her head.

“I did not think that sort of thing was…”

“I will not sacrifice tens of thousands for the sake of two,” Celestia whispered, hanging her head briefly, “I have made such decisions before. We both have, weighing the many against the few. In this case, it is a choice I would have to make without hesitation. Celestia then looked up, her eyes sharp and cold. “But I will make them pay dearly if they force me to choose, and don’t think I wouldn’t try to rescue them first. This burden is mine; not yours.”

Luna wished she could offer a rebuttal, a different plan to both protect Equestria and the two prisoners…but nothing came.

“Then we must trust the Last Light,” Luna sighed, Celestia nodding.

“For now. But we must take heart; Toxic and Gelliana have eluded the King for now. They just need to hold on. For our part, let’s start isolating our infrastructure further. I think Twilight could come up with a water generation system in a timely manner.”

A blood-stained field was all that remained of the once fifty-strong deer herd. The trees trembled as yellow and red eyes flashed through their depths. The hunger was dulled, but still gnawed at their mind.

A pair of shadow-wreathed eyes, ever watching, ensured their master was aware of their progress. With a methodical, machine-like precision, their multiple legs propelled their mis-mismatched bodies over the ground with an uncanny, fluidic movement. Every grid was searched, the maps memories and distributed through their vague, hive-minded link.

“Grids One and Two are clear.”

“It was a lovely meal for a few of us.”

“Continue searching. Leave no sections barren.”

“He will wish for us to check again. Regardless we must be thorough.”

“Perhaps we can find more food.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Hopefully.”

“So hungry.”

“We hope so.”

“We must not eat them if we find them.”

“Would only be a few bites regardless. There should be more deer.”

“He has promised food every quarter of the search area, but none if we rush.”

“Of course.”

“We must be diligent.”

“The air is savory, tasty. It eases our hunger. Can it not spread faster?”

“He is trying.”

“Much was destroyed by the Empress of Fire.”

“Unfortunate.”

“Continue searching.”

Their lungs inhaled the slowly-spreading gas with ease, somehow the vapor feeling like home. Such an idea was met with amusement from the others. They had no home per se. This was their home. They had been born under the mountain, created by their Master.

And they would serve him until death, or beyond.

Author's Note

Thank you all for bearing with me for the much slower updates! I'll finish this story one way or another, just might take me a bit longer than planned. I have the entire plot mapped out =) Quite a bit happened in this chapter....:trixieshiftright:

Chapter Thirty One: Grindstone

Friendship was…odd.

Varti had never really had many friends growing up. His lack of ‘yak-ness’ alienated him from the usual ‘smash’ activities that dominated Yak culture. Toxic had been his first good friend, the eccentric Yak learning the ins and outs of how to even be one.

The Yak liked to think he had a fair grasp on it all, but he was hardly a pinnacle example of friendship-making material. Perhaps that was why the current situation puzzled him so.

Over the past few days, Fide had shown up with simple requests. The first was asking how exactly the reactor worked that tapped into ‘her’ leylines, specifically the crystal circuitry. The second was of how the golems around the island were controlled.

Varti wasn’t sure what was more off-putting; the fact Fide seemed genuinely interested and understood everything he was saying, or the fact she still showed up at the same time each day to ask a question, not seemingly to be bored at all.

It was quite confusing, but that would hopefully be solved today.

“The various weapons are routed into the same type of matrix that controls the golems,” Varti explained. Usually such information was classified, but considering the island ran on Fide and her Sister’s leylines, Varti had no doubt they could find out exactly how it all worked if they wished. Apparently, his explanation was more ‘efficient’.

At least that’s the word Fide used.

“Fascinating. So much progression from other runic spells,” Fide mused, looking at one of the many crystal backups housed deep underground. “Spells within spells within a matrix. So much faster and more stable in terms of connectivity. It is impressive…for mortals.”

Varti had to choke back a laugh at that. Her hesitation had become more pronounced, at first a genuine statement, but now almost seemed to be an inside joke. Whether or not she saw it as such he didn’t know.

“I’ll take it. It took years to develop, let alone actually create with the help of actual mages. But now that we have templates, even non-magic users can create spells within the matrix,” Varti concluded, Fide nodding in thought.

“May I ask you something, Fide?”

“Hmm?” two spectral eyes flickered over to meet the Yak’s.

“What prompts you to seek me out for these chats?” the Yak asked. He had run over the words a dozen times in his head, and they still felt clunky. “I thoroughly enjoy our talks, but I am still curious as to the ‘why’. I’m sure you could access our database, power grid, everything and learn it all.”

Varti had expected many answers; what he hadn’t expect was the lack of one.

Fide simply stared at him for a moment, the stern mare’s brow furrowing before looking away.

“I…”

The single word drifted off, Varti not entirely sure what to think. He had expected something about learning what sort of ‘mortal machines’ interacted with her leylines. Not a confused reply.
After another, very long pause that bordered on becoming awkward, Varti shrugged his furry shoulders.

“Well. Whatever the reason is, I appreciate it. It’s not often I get to speak with someone who understands my work, let alone enjoys it. And somecreature who is willing to overlook my social inadequacies at times.”

Fide looked like she was about to say something; her head turning to glance at him, but all she managed was a nod.

“Perhaps that question can be answered some other time. Or not at all if you prefer. I was just curious,” Varti mused. “I do need to get back to monitoring things. Pick was meeting with a certain guest about-”

“A friend.”

Varti was interrupted by Fide’s reply, the mare looking at him with something behind her eyes. The usual cocky, almost holier-than-thou demeanor she usually had was completely gone. Instead, a strange vulnerability was present despite her armored frame not changing a smidge. If anything, she looked almost…

Scared. Utterly confused about this interaction.

Varti’s mind felt like it was both grinding to a halt and speeding up at the same time. At once, he recognized the look in Fide’s eyes; he had seen it hundreds, thousands of times before.

Every time I looked in a mirror.

“A friend?” Varti repeated back; it was, after all, how he helped himself learn social manners. Repeat back a response and solidify it as a positive or negative.

“To answer your question,” Fide said slowly, her gaze dropping away from the Yak and focusing on the bluish-pink crystal in the small concrete room. “I was hoping to find a friend. I don’t…I don’t have those,” she admitted softly. “That’s Clari’s thing. I work from the shadows, too busy, not efficient or having a purpose.”

In the pause, Varti took a chance to interject.

“But it is fun, right?” he asked. “To find someone you can relax around?” A confused nod was her reply, the Yak mentally cheering. “You sound like me, years ago. So, not so much a lucky guess as a calculated one,” he revealed. “Friendship is tricky. Messy, full of ups and downs and one of the most inefficient social constructs I’ve discovered.”

As he spoke, a bit of the fear faded from Fide’s eyes; the Professor finding it fascinating his words could have such an effect.

“But for all that mess and lack of straightforwardness; it is fun, rewarding, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Varti said with a firm nod. “I am both a father to my daughter and her friend. But having peers that are friends within my work is…difficult, so I am not the best example of that.” He now took a pause, looking over to Fide.

“I would though, like to call you a friend. Even if that means you still need to figure out what that means.”

It was a brief slip; but Varti saw Fide’s lips tremble, eyes widening in genuine surprise. A strange eagerness was there; so much emotion hidden behind the usually impassive gaze.

“I would like that,” was her appropriately curt reply, the mare tossing her mane. “I’m…sure that you need to get back to the reactor core.”

“That’s the thing about being friends; they can take a priority,” Varti said with a grin. “But I won’t keep you.”

He took a few steps to head back and then paused. Walking over to Fide, he held out his cloven hoof.

“Friends?”

She looked at the outstretched limb, and Varti had to stop himself from laughing. It was the exact look he himself had displayed many times at seeing social gestures. Not that he didn’t understand them, but not understanding why they were being offered to him.

A simple hoof-bump was Fide’s reply, along with a single word.

“Friends.”

In a side room of one of the many laboratories on the island, a single individual twisted and twirled his body around a forelimb-sized container. The contents of the crystal flask were solid black streaked with purple, sparks of color occasionally radiating from their depths.

“Try to kill my butterfly, will you?” Discord growled, sending another surge of magic into the container.

“This is my plane. My chaos. And you will learn to bow and beg befo-oh, hello Picky.” Discord said, tone shifting as the Unicorn entered the room with a raised eyebrow.

“Discord. You asked to see me?” the new Fleet-Commander remarked. “I assume I am interrupting something?”

“Obviously. But not so much you interrupting it, but it interrupting everything,” Discord drawled.

“I wanted you to be here for when I seal our enemies’ fate. This is the antigen, by the way.”

“To what? The gas?” Pick asked, cautiously taking a seat.

“Everything that pissant created. The gas, his kingdom, any toys he may have crafted, all of it will carry traces of Limbo on it,” the chaotic God explained. “This will aggressively solve that with the final ingredient.”

“Ok, somewhat following.”

“Do you like oranges?”

Pick blinked shrugging his armored shoulders.
“I suppose, yes?”

Discord conjured up a dozen of them, the items raining down around the pair.

“What about brussels sprouts? Moldy ones?”

“Erg, I’d say no?”

One of the offensive items dropped onto the oranges, Discord gesturing to it.

“Now, what happens when a fruit, vegetable, food-stuff is moldy? What if it touches other items?”

Pick’s eyes narrowed, a slight grin starting to form on his face. He wasn’t sure what Discord was planning, but he was starting to see the gist of it.

“It spreads. It ruins all of it. Bad apple spoils the bunch.”

The oranges followed the path of the brussels sprouts; the moldy mush then vanishing with a snap of Discord’s claws.

“And so, this King has sealed his fate,” the Draconequus growled. “Onyx is a moldy Limbo-creature in this case. His essence is incompatible with all aspects of limbo and thus can be a delivery system for the antigen. The magical signature at least.” The chaotic being’s tone shifted as he spoke about Onyx, almost becoming amused. Fond could be an applicable word.

“I assume this won’t harm Onyx?” Pick asked cautiously, Discord waving a claw dismissivly

“Absolutely not. His help ensured that he can be safe and sound.”

“That’s good,” Pick admitted, mentally sighing with relief, “so, this will destroy it all? The king, the gas…”

“The King will be weakened, but that’s not your concern.”

Pick shook his head, standing up to look at Discord.
“Wrong. We’re going to be confronting him eventually. It is my conc-”

Pick’s words grew heavy on his tongue until his mouth clamped shut. Discord’s eyes flashed red as the room spun upside down and inside out. The heavens inverted to surrounded the Draconequus, power crackling around his paw.

“The King is not your concern,” Discord said, his voice disturbingly even as it built to a thunderous roar. “Not yours or Toxic’s. Not those two leyline-mares, and not Celestia or Luna’s. He is MINE.”

And just like that, the world returned as it should be, Discord coughing as he winced, levitating a simple soda down to Pick.

“I’m sorry, that was terribly rude of me,” he admitted, appearing genuinely apologetic, Pick waving off the soda.

“Urp. I suppose it’s expected with how-oh boy, lets-stomach is still inside body, that’s good,” the unicorn grumbled. “Even with this new body I can feel sick without having a biological stomach. Fantastic.”

“It’s a sore subject, Pick Shield,” Discord said, now settling on the ground. “Our opponent has forced me to confront things within my life that are oddly powerful. I apologize for my lack of decorum just now. It was not nice of me.”

Having the God of Chaos apologize was an odd feeling indeed, but Pick waved off Discord’s words, even if he secretly was filing them into the ‘rare moments I won’t ever forget’ category.

“I know of what things you speak. I’m not an idiot, and I won’t hold it against you in the slightest. Just, no more of that, please. I get the point. But how exactly do you plan to rival this…King of Shadows? Doesn’t he nullify your magic?”

The grin on Discord’s face made Pick’s skin crawl.

“That, my dear stallion, is a trade secret for now.”

After sending the container off with Pick for analysis, Discord ducked into his pocket dimension with a puff of banana-scented mist. Examining the frozen figure in front of him, the Draconequus put on a few finishing touches. The near-copy of Onyx was malleable like clay, and Discord couldn’t help but chuckle.

“A copy machine is all I needed. An empty shell needs a crab to fill it…” Discord growled. “But I can’t be the one to shatter your current home.

But I can wait.”

The thunderstorm literally made the rocky cave shake.
Whatever the gas was outside it was apparently affecting the weather, SMAL stating it was producing incredibly variable magical surges, interacting with anything and everything. That was a simply as the entity had been able to put it when Gelliana woke up in the middle of the night.

She had settled down next to Toxic and tried to sleep. Eventually stress and mental exhaustion took its toll and the gryphoness faded away into sleep.

When Gelliana woke, the stone underneath the sleeping pad still shivered with booming echoes. The air temperature had dropped dramatically, and her uneasy sleep and restless dreams still lingered on her consciousness.

And yet.

Cracking her eyes open, the gryphoness scooted a bit closer under the warm blanket that SMAL had draped over herself and Toxic. Somehow, everything seemed so much less imposing. She wasn’t sure why, but…

With an abrupt realization, the gryphoness found out.

During the middle of the night, clearly the two of them had shifted about. Laying partially on her side, Gelliana realized that Toxic’s forelimbs were wrapped firmly around her torso. The stallion’s muzzle was currently buried in her headfeathers, his breathing smooth and steady.

Without much warning, tears began to stream from Gelliana’s eyes. With her diminutive size, past trust issues with males as well as the current situation, feeling safe was a rare luxury that was fairly fleeting.

Yet as she closed her eyes and snuggled a bit closer, the gryphoness felt, against all odds, just that.

Safe.

Even in his sleep, Toxic’s forelimbs tightened. The stallion mumbled something, nuzzling her headfeathers before letting out a content sigh. Gelliana hadn’t known she could feel this safe. And yet in a foreign land, trapped inside a cave with a poisonous gas outside…

The stallion stirred to wakefulness, the fact he was still nuzzling her head making Gelliana blush rather furiously. His breathing quickened, and the fact he made what sounded like a soft, *eep* nearly made the gryphoness burst out in laughter.

Very carefully, he began to retract his forelimbs; at least until Gelliana reached over to hug them close. A soft huff of amusement was Toxic’s response, clearly happy to doze for a bit longer.

She had always wondered what this would be like; waking up like this. Mentioned so many times in books and only present in the briefest of comforting dreams.

But this? Gelliana didn’t realize how much she had wanted this feeling of security; the romantic tales only scratching the surface. Such a simple thing, and yet if this was how she could wake up every morning, Gelliana was willing to punch the Shadow King himself if that’s what it took.

Funny enough, even that thought wasn’t accompanied by the slightest bit of anxiety, only a warmth in her chest.

I’m not scared when I’m with you, Toxic. I know you’d do anything to keep me safe;
and don’t think I won’t do the same.

The fact Gelliana could see her armor glowing only solidified that thought. If this was what her life could be like after all of this was over; what wouldn’t she do for that?

Toxic’s body felt like a ground up hayburger.

Every breath he took made his sides ache, and that wasn’t even addressing the dull throb in his bones. Yet at this moment, the stallion was happy as could be. The last thing expected was to wake up with Gelliana wrapped up in a sleepy hug, but he wasn’t about to complain.

The fact she clearly didn’t want him to move just made it all the better.

If Toxic was being honest with himself, the fear was growing at an exponential rate at the back of his mind. The sudden onset of his throat feeling raw and the weakness coupled with the pain made him feel utterly useless and exposed.

But a moment like this just made that all fade away, everything hurt a little bit less.
Eventually, Toxic had to move, his forelimb falling asleep as he indicated such with a wiggle, Gelliana exacerbating the problem by poking the limb with a smile. He could feel her smile at that.

While he was only able to lever himself up to a partial, upright laying-down position, Gelliana smoothly scooted over to look her stallion up and down, eyes narrowing in concern at seeing his limbs shiver ever so slightly.

Toxic opened his mouth to say something; but nothing came out. Just a painful wheeze.

Fantastic. I go from having my voice hurt others, to having no voice at all.

“Can’t talk?” Gelliana asked calmly, Toxic shaking his head as a part of him began to panic.

The abrupt kiss that suddenly occupied the stallion quickly shut down those fears, the gryphoness making him blush a bright violet as he stared, Gelliana grinning after they separated.

“Fair’s fair. You made me speechless with your kiss; guess it’s my turn.”

Toxic’s jaw hung open at her teasing, the stallion then letting out a silent, wheezing laugh. It hurt, but it was worth it.

Thank you.

The gryphoness grinned rather proudly at being able to lighten the mood; and Toxic felt like she certainly deserved such. Her expression softened as Gelliana walked a bit closer, reaching over to gently lay a set of claws on Toxic’s shoulder.

“You hanging in there?” she asked softly, the stallion nodding once.

What wouldn’t I go through for you, Gells?

His expression must have betrayed something, because his special somegriff looked away bashfully, a blush sparking onto her cheeks. Not able to move other than his limbs at a snail’s pace, Toxic slowly reached over to move Gelliana’s claws to his cheek, then flopping down as his energy was spent.

Before he closed his eyes to doze, he got to see his gryphoness nearly melt into a puddle. How he loved making her do that, seeing the affection blazing in her violet eyes…

“Love you too, Tox,” she whispered, reaching over to tug an emergency blanket over him. “You sleep, I’ll study. Probably want to let SMAL scan you first though.”

Toxic nodded weakly, the entity popping into view on hearing its name called. That was new.

“SMAL? Oh, perfect,” Gelliana relayed, the mare nodding once.

“I detected that my assistance may be needed?” she asked, the gryphoness gesturing towards Toxic.

“Can you scan him? Just to make sure nothing has changed?” Gelliana asked. Her ears perked upright as SMAL nodded, walking over to run a magical beam over him. Oddly, the entity seemed almost preoccupied. Her eyes moved move, seeming to constantly take in the new surroundings rather than the usual, laser-focused vision of before. Even the golem’s movements were different; an occasional tap of the hoof, a twitch of the ear.

“With your permission, I can possibly send a distress beacon that is undetectable,” SMAL said calmly, thunder still booming overhead. “I can time it to the discharges from the clouds. It would be a simple data packet, but I believe it could be detected by the Organization’s sensors even through the barrier, and thus, Varti. He could decrypt it and get our location and status. Shall I proceed? I have run dozens of successful simulations. Zero failures to transmit in a background-energy pattern, and almost zero chance of successful decryption if intercepted.”

Toxic nodded weakly, Gelliana following suite.
“I mean, it can’t hurt,” she admitted. “As long as it doesn’t give away our position when you send it. It’d be good to let others know we’re still alive.”

“Confirm, director? A nod will suffice,” SMAL said again, Toxic managing a firm up and down movement with his head. “Confirmed. I will begin transmitting. The message will be spread out over many minutes. Professor Varti will be able to decode the message, and I will implement random scattering over the next few hours of similar energy patterns.”

“Um…can you simplify that for me?” Gelliana asked, SMAL then smiling almost apologetically.

“I will hide the message in the storm and move outside the shelter while broadcasting. I’ll keep sending random pulses of magical energy over a period of hours, to prevent the enemy from suspecting it’s a transmission instead of random magical fluctuations,” SMAL then winced. “I apologize if that is still too wordy. Hiding message in lighting. Faking lightning over hours. Better?”

Gelliana couldn’t help but laugh softly at that.
“Much better, thank you SMAL.”

“Beginning transmission. I will check back for a brief moment every five minutes; my presence may appear to be invisible. I have to transmit in other locations.” She then paused, and Gelliana could have sworn a slight smile twitched at the golem’s features. “And…you are welcome.”

SMAL then vanished. Gelliana let out a soft huff in thought as she did so.

“She seems perkier,” the gryphoness mused. “You said she can only mimic emotion, right? She’s been acting weird. Not in a bad way though. I guess she’s learning how to act?”

Toxic could only manage a shrug, eyes then narrowing as Gelliana winced, a thunderclap making the rocky cave shake.

She didn’t say anything for a few moments, the gryphoness then walking over to sit next to Toxic.

“I guess I never told you the reason I hate storms,” she admitted, Toxic’s head moving back and forth ever so slightly; both in an answer but the stallion clearly not wanting to pry.

“I don’t want to wear you out if you’re feeling cruddy, Tox. But when you’d like, it’d be nice for someone else to know,” Gelliana swallowed the lump in her throat at that. “Have someone else be able to understand.”

Despite not being able to talk or even move Toxic refused to stay silent, at least figuratively. Catching her eye, Toxic moved his hoof up and down.

“…is that you nodding?” Gelliana asked, Toxic moving his hoof again.

“How about one tap for yes, two for no?”

Tap.

“Well, at least we can sort-of talk. Isn’t there a spell that could make it easier? Maybe once SMAL gets back? I know magic would affect the poison. I guess we can check?”

Yes.

Another thunderclap, and Toxic looked at her with a tired smile, tapping his hoof.

“So, story time? It’s not that big of a deal, rather anticlimactic compared to what you’ve been through.”

That got Toxic’s eyes to narrow, his reply making Gelliana sniffle.

Yes. No.

Clearly her stallion wasn’t about to let her dilute her own experiences with comparisons.

“I was a chick and we were visiting Ponyville,” Gelliana said, scooting next to Toxic a bit more, the comforting rise and fall of his side’s making her usual back-seat fears fade. “I got too curious for my own good and got lost. I wandered into the Everfree and a thunderstorm got me all turned around…”

Another thunderclap, this one hitting a bit harder as Gelliana forced the words out.
“I wandered around for hours. But when it started to rain, that’s when I ran into some Timberwolves.”

She collected her thoughts, the gryphoness finding it almost therapeutic. She had only told a few creatures about this. It was a fine line to walk, many not understanding why even years later it had such an impact.

Gelliana reached her right limb over, claws parting the feathers to show a long scar up her forelimb.

“That’s where the first one snapped at me. I’m amazed it didn’t break my bone in two,” she whispered. “There’s another gash on my side. Healed up to nearly nothing now, but still there. I somehow managed to get away and hide underneath some tree roots.”

Toxic’s green eyes were wide with concern, his gaze drifting down as he managed to drag his hoof over slightly, Gelliana picking up on the gesture and thankfully taking the offered grip. Her own claws shook slightly, but much less than usual.

“That’s how I spent the night. Covered in mud and rain hiding from wolves as they tried to find me. They eventually gave up, and when the storm stopped some search and rescue unicorns found me the next morning.”

Another thunderclap, another slight wince.
“I’ve gotten a lot better with them. Now it’s more of an annoyance unless I’m having a bad day. But I guess dealing with that sort of thing isn’t as weird as it is when I tell a typical pony.” She let out a soft laugh at that, Toxic’s curious gaze looking at her with a slightly raised eyebrow on his face.

“And to that end I’m glad you are not a typical stallion, in many ways. And…that’s it.”

Still unable to talk, Toxic traced two letters on the ground.

T.Y.

“If anyone should know, it’s you,” Gelliana whispered, taking a deep breath and letting it out, her shaky claws subsiding. “Besides, didn’t I promise to help you enjoy sleeping? You said that you’d return the favor with thunderstorms. Not sure your plans for that.”

The pony tapped his hoof in agreement, clearly in thought. But the abrupt look Toxic shot her made Gelliana’s face immediately fluff, a rather sly, roguish grin sliding onto the pony’s features.

“W-what is that look for?” she stammered, Toxic looking away innocently, a blush now darting onto his cheeks ever so slightly.

“Oh, don’t you act all innocent now!”

Yes.

“I have nothing to do here but think while you’re sleeping. You are not helping, you evil, evil stallion.”

Turning to look at her, the smirk returned briefly as Toxic grinned.

Yes.

“Stars above. Now I know you just like to watch me fluff up.”

Yes.

Not that she’d tell him quite yet, but Toxic could pull off the roguish smirk really, really well. Her own blush probably conveyed that well enough though.

The figurative straw the broke the last of Gelliana’s composure was when Toxic’s gaze drifted from the gryphoness’s eyes and ever so briefly, flickered across her torso to over her flanks- and then back up to her gaze. A quick darting look that all males took, at one point at another.

Except now, Toxic knew she had watched him do just that, and he then met her gaze without even a flicker of hesitation.

The confident grin as he looked back at her made the gryphoness let out an incoherent squeak, Gelliana’s face burning as she snagged a canteen, promptly dumping some of it over the pony with a glare as he sputtered.

“You….” She began, shaking her head and promptly emptying the canteen to join the stallion in cold-water misery for a moment. Toxic was laughing even as he winced in pain, scrawling two words on the ground on his exact thoughts on the matter between silent cackles.

‘Worth it.’

“For you perhaps. And you deserved that cold shower,” Gelliana grumbled as she toweled herself off, gently doing the same to Toxic’s wet face. The heated joke had certainly lightened the mood, but Toxic’s expression shifted as she dried off his face, eyes becoming softer and more caring. There was another flicker of an emotion behind his eyes, however, as the pony struggled to move himself to be more comfortable. The pony’s gaze darted away, his demeanor shifting to be more reserved, more subdued as the amusing banter faded.

The realization made Gelliana almost physically jerk in shock.

He’s looking for a distraction, anything to not think about things. Toxic, you haven’t had anyone to take care of you like this before, have you?

You’re still scared, that’s what I saw it in your eyes for a moment. You just don’t want to stop and think.

You’re not alone, not this time.

The curiosity in Toxic’s gaze made Gelliana shake her head, the gryphoness careful to not scrub too harshly.

“I guess it’s obvious when I’m thinking?”

Yes.

“Just….”

Toweling the last of the damp fur on Toxic’s neck, Gelliana sat in front of the still-prone stallion, frowning as his limbs twitched with phantom shocks of pain.

“I guess I just realized that you’ve never really had someone to take care of you. Not like this,” she admitted. “Maybe I’m wrong, but somehow cuddling up to Varti when you were injured didn’t really mesh with what I know about you.”

A soft huff of amusement left Toxic’s mouth at that.

Yes.

“You said you’ve never been sick- and to that end I have been curious how you discovered how you were immune to all this. But in the times, you were hurt, tired, or just needing some help, there wasn’t…”

No response from the stallion other than having his ears flatten.

“I’m just glad to make up for lost time.”

That perked her pony’s ears right back up, the gryphoness leaning forward to rest her head against Toxic’s.

“Even if you do make me fluff up with those special looks. And don’t make me get the canteen again.”

Toxic simply pressed back against Gelliana’s head a bit, a soft huff leaving his mouth as he then flopped back to the ground, energy mostly spent.

“Maybe you are too tired and sleepy to dwell on things, but no more teasing, for the most part,” Gelliana stated, waggling a claw at the pony. To his credit, Toxic now did look slightly apologetic.

“It’s nice to have someone to joke about that though. I’m…huh.”

Head tilting in curiosity, Toxic watched as Gelliana couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
“I guess when it’s someone I love, those sorts of jokes aren’t so bad. I didn’t even think how there was a more negative set of memories associated with that. It’s just you being rather cheeky. Not some gryphon being, well, unpleasant.”

Toxic’s eyes widened; clearly, he had forgotten that bit of information to, but a claw gently tapping his nose forestalled any further thought.

“Guess it just takes time and the right creature to move on from past stuff, huh. Or at least have someone there when trying to move on.”

Drawing a sharp breath, Toxic shook his head, breathing quickening slightly. Pulling back to look at him, Gelliana saw his green eyes shimmering. Clearly her words had touched something a lot deeper than she originally thought.

“I’m here regardless,” Gelliana whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She saw Toxic’s jaw clench, a flicker of fear in his eyes fading to a warm affection.

“Hello.”

Having practiced many, many times, Gelliana had reached over and wrapped her claws around the nearest combat knife within a few heartbeats. SMAL’s voice echoed around the cavern, the mare blinking a short distance away as the gryphoness halted the beginnings of a strike, her feathers sticking out in surprise.

“Apologies. I will announce my presence next time. I am checking in with a status update. Gas has been detected on the outer reaches, and it has begun to rain. How it is dispersing through the rain, I do not know,” SMAL reported.

“Well, it’s infused with chaos magic. The stuff could travel on microscopic carriages for all we know,” Gelliana remarked as she set the knife back in its place, SMALL actually nodding in agreement.

“A fair assessment. I also wish to report that I have detected movement. It is erratic but following a standard search pattern. I am unable to detect any heat signatures or any sort of life signs from said locations, however. It is still many miles off.”

Toxic let out a tired huff at that, a frown on his face as his eyes closed with a frustrated snort.

“I will resume transmission. Is there anything that I can do before breaking contact?”

“Could…” Gelliana’s voice paused, the gryphoness shrugging. “Is there a way to have Toxic be able to talk? Like, a magical link or something? Communicating in yes and no phrases is doable, but…”

SMAL let out a thoughtful hum, actually looking pensive. Trotting over to one of the large crates, SMAL retrieved two crystals, running a beam over the first and then the second. With a simple flash of arcane energy, she split the second crystal in two, continuing to scan it as the mare walked back over to the pair.

“I have modified the spell of the dream linking gem,” she explained, clearly not picking up that Gelliana had no idea what she was talking about. “Place this gem next to the Director’s body, and next to yours. It will allow you to communicate. The spell is set to cycle every ten minutes to avoid saturating Toxic’s body with energy. It should not affect his recovery.”

“Uh, ok,” Gelliana said cautiously, taking the gems and looking at them. “So, do we just, think what we want to say? Some sort of telepathic spell?”

That’s when SMAL realized the gryphoness was completely lost, nodding once.
“Ah. You were unaware of that gem?” she asked, watching as the gryphoness shook her head. “The dream gem was meant to forestall nightmares, a gift from Emperor Thunderwing. A copy remained in the emergency supplies as per Toxic’s wishes. The root of the spell is what will connect….HEY!”

The mare abruptly jumped aside, her form seeming to copy itself as another, familiar individual stood where SMAL had recently been located.

“I’ll modify the spell using the armor,” Fide stated, looking over in surprise to see SMAL glaring at her. “Hmm. Interesting.”

“You! You should warn me. My core has been continually destabilized by your appearance!” SMAL stated with a seemingly fair amount of animosity. “I created a subroutine to detect your interference for now.”

“I was unaware. I will give you warning next time,” Fide said dismissively, her words seeming to make SMAL actually prickle with annoyance. “In short, Gelliana, I will have the gems use a more fluid system to link you both. As you said; just think what you want to say, and the other individual will hear it. I’m sure Toxic will have questions when he wakes up.”

Indeed, the stallion had fallen asleep just after SMAL’S report, his limbs twitching every now and again.

“There is a deeper level of the spell I won’t adapt yet. It involves communicating emotion along with thought. I can leave that as a rudimentary option in a very basic form. Simply tap the crystal until it changes from blue, to green. Green means the emotion-sharing aspect is active, blue means it’s words only.”

“Um, ok,” Gelliana stammered, Fide smiling kindly.

“A lot to take in. But considering this spell is related to the armor I gave you, I thought it best to explain it to you.”

Fide then vanished with a curt nod, leaving SMAL looking genuinely frustrated.

“What an annoyance,” she muttered, Gelliana letting out a tired huff.

“I thought you can’t get annoyed?” the gryphoness mused, setting the crystals aside to settle down and close her eyes as the gryphoness processed the abrupt dump of information.

What Gelliana didn’t miss, however, was how SMAL’s eyes widened at her words, the golem looking at her hooves in clear confusion.

“I cannot get..” SMAL muttered to herself, head shaking before vanishing to resume the broadcasts.

Gelliana made a mental note to mention that to Toxic. Of all the things they had to deal with, an unstable golem was not high on the gryphoness’s ‘I hope that’s next’ list.

A soft whine caught her attention, Toxic’s hooves stirring in his sleep. Seeing his jaw clench made Gelliana’s already surface-level emotions froth to a boil. The gryphoness scooted over to her stallion, settling down next to him and running her claws through his mane gently.

It was an alien experience for her, and that was aside from the crazy location they were put in. Just the fact there was somecreature there who needed her help…

As Toxic snuggled closer even as he dozed, Gelliana’s thoughts abruptly shifted.

Not just needs, but wants me help. I can’t imagine how much stuff this is dredging up for you, Tox. Being helpless, relying on someone when you’ve been the shield for so many; that has to be so hard.

Admitting that you need my help has to be such a huge thing for you.

“I’m here for you regardless, Tox,” Gelliana whispered, concluding her thoughts out loud. “Just hang in there.”

-

The Bringer had to stop a shiver from running down his spine. The creature that stood in front of him was barely visible in the darkness of the mountain fortress entrance, multiple red and yellow eyes looking at him with a fierce, barely-contained hunger.

“Sectors one through seven have been cleared. A lovely smattering of deer was all that was found,” the gaping, tooth-filled maw said with a rather malevolent chuckle.

“Leave some wildlife intact,” the gryphon muttered, waving a set of claws at the elongated head, the little of the creature that was visible in the dim light.

“Our master says anything that can be eaten in one bite is not to be touched. We will not disappoint Him,” the creature replied, voice grating across the ground like a sheet of metal on gravel.

“I’d hope not. You were created by Him. Continue the search. The storm is a lively one and will continue for some time. You will be protected from the sun after that,” the Bringer stated.

“That is good.”

The creature then paused.

“We sensed odd magical disturbances. The storm is magic, is that not correct?”

The gryphon nodded, waving his claws in a so-so gesture.

“They have absorbed remnants of the gas as well as our engineered clouds now that the backup facilities are online. We have not seen any pattern to the various disturbances, but if one emerges, investigate.”

“Understood.”

The creature then darted off, propelled by its six legs at a rapid, sure pace even down a near-sheer cliff face.

The Bringer shivered, scrubbing his feathers with a set of talons. Throughout the entire exchange, no matter where the serpent-like head looked with most of its eyes…one always remained fixed on him.

And it was always boiling with hunger.

Author's Note

Chapter Thirty Two: Clouds

Pick Shield looked up at the sight in front of him, a welcome emotion flooding through his heart.

Hope.

The finishing touches were being put on the three airships, each armored for war. The various armaments and various devices were in violation of at least ten different treaties in five different nations.

Pick’s eyes narrowed at that, the golem-pony letting out a soft growl.

But we’re not in Equestria now, are we? Nor any land where these treaties have sway.

Explosive, homing, and spell-charged ballista bolts, overcharged shield crystals, rapid-fire spell matrices, poison-tipped crossbow bolts, rapid-deployment gas (lethal or non-lethal,) the list would make a military commander green with envy.

Apparently, Commander Shifting Sands was sporting that exact color if what Pick heard was any indication. Equestria didn’t have these weapons or these ships; not officially.

The pony’s crystal teeth clenched, a flare of anger forcing Pick to jog around the ships to burn it off.

They think they’re better than this. A place of friendship and harmony…as long as you ignore the festering societal wounds.

Pick was no fool; he knew why Equestria had adopted their mostly pacifist stance. But he also understood that times change. Celestia’s intervention in the past few conflicts had demonstrated that perhaps she understood that as well.

But they can’t attack, not without risking poisoning their water supply.

An eager smirk slid onto the pony’s face at that. Despite Toxic’s past interactions with Celestia, with the lack of trust he had in her, the Solar Empress has given the Last Light Organization free reign to counter-attack.

He could almost hear the eagerness in the parchment, a very bland ‘recommendation’ to not engage…but understanding if the organization wished to rain down hellfire in self-defense or initiate a retaliating strike. It wasn’t even hidden, a blatant sneer towards anyone intercepting the enchanted message.

From what he understood, Celestia had already dealt the first blow of their counter attack, hence their enemy taking precautionary measures. That said, their rescue attempt would be primarily stealth based if they could swing it. A single ship, maybe two. In and out.

Hopefully the others wouldn’t be needed.

“Fleet Commander. The antigen is synthesized in the lab. Containment measures holding steady thanks to Discord’s help,” Varti’s voice emanated from the crystal bracer on Pick’s left forelimb.

“Understood. Let’s test it and begin mass-production,” Pick replied, chuckling as he began to trot towards the labs.

You think that shield can keep us out? You really shouldn’t have incorporated limbo and chaos magic into every aspect of your blossoming empire.
I wonder if Discord would have given us the ingredient if they hadn’t threatened Fluttershy? I’d like to think he would have.
And yet I think he’s holding something back. His ‘trade secret’. But oddly enough, I trust him.

As the airships began to run through one of their dozens of system checks, Pick reveled in the loud hum that echoed through the air.

Hang in there, Toxic! We’ll get you out. You and Gelliana safe and sound.
Just hold on. We’re coming. Just a few more days!

Gelliana awoke to the distant rumble of thunder.

The storm had been going for more than two days now. While Toxic’s voice had started to return the poison had surged once again, knocking the stallion out cold for most of the day and night. That left Gelliana alone with SMAL to continue her classes. The distant movement from…whatever it was, had been apparently creeping closer which wasn’t a comfort in the slightest.

What was a comfort, and also an extremely pressing and annoying issue was what Gelliana currently was struggling, or rather, not struggling with.

Toxic’s heartbeat thudded in her ears, the gryphoness curled up next to her stallion. The pony was flat on the cushions, Gelliana nestled at his side. Her head protectively laying over Toxic’s neck, the gryphoness could feel her emotions bubbling just beneath the surface as Toxic let out a soft mumble and scooted closer.

Originally, she hadn’t been this close, having tried to sleep curled up on another sleeping pad. But the extremely pressing fact was rather hard to ignore. Her inability to sleep, the gryphoness’s tossing and turning had been solved by adding one simple factor; her special somepony.

The worst part was that Gelliana knew there were so many factors. Stress, how much she cared…and yet she couldn’t dwell on it all.

All Gelliana knew was that shortly after settling down next to her equally restless stallion, they both had immediately quieted down. Her fears were turned to a simmer, and Gelliana was actually able to think. Drowsiness quickly set in after that. How Toxic still managed to smell halfway decent after not bathing for a day or two was beyond her.

Of course, she wasn’t about to admit to tell him that. Not yet of course. Saying she didn’t mind him all sweaty would just prompt another one of those roguish grins and send her mind into a tailspin. Goodness knows it was close enough to that already.

No, for now the gryphoness just wanted to hold him close, even if she couldn’t make him feel better immediately. How to explain that she now actually needed him to get some sleep was…tricky.

But in terms of needing, she had a feeling this was one thing Toxic wouldn’t mind helping her out with. Besides, he got free cuddles, not that she’d ever charge him for such. It was rather romantic in a way.

Judging from the simple clock that glowed in the darkness of their bunker-like cave, there were still quite a few hours of sleep left. A few deep breaths, and Gelliana tried to calm her mind down to enter that restful sanctuary once again.

A brief shifting of movement caught her attention, Toxic letting out a yawn and lifting his head ever so slightly, blinking blearily.

Turning to look at her, there was a bit of muted surprise behind his tired green eyes, the pony then promptly scooting closer with an incoherent mumble.

The fact that Toxic snuggled up right against her chest made Gelliana puff up slightly, and she could feel him smiling. Then again, now it was him listening her heartbeat.

Clearly, he approved of the new sleeping arrangements.

What would I do without you, Tox?

Before meeting Gelliana, Toxic liked to think himself as fairly composed, at least in public. Yet when your fears and horrors are laid bare to someone and the only thing they reacted with was empathy…

He couldn’t conceal things, he didn’t want to put up that front with her, even if fear was nearly all-consuming at times.

Yet the warm body that snuggled against his side made it all flee in a but a moment.

Yesterday he had nearly slept away every hour; but at least now the scratchiness in his throat indicated that perhaps the stallion’s voice had returned.

As Gelliana shifted, the gryphoness stretched before yawning, rolling over to give the prone pony a hug before reaching over to grab something.

“Morning, Gells,” Toxic croaked- his barrel immediately constricted by two feathery arms.

“Welcome back; your voice that is,” Gelliana whispered, giving Toxic a squeeze before releasing him.

“Good to be back, even if…whooooooooh,” Toxic muttered, swaying on his hooves as he staggered upright. “World spinning, ok.”

“Please take it easy, Director.”

“Hello to you, SMAL,” Toxic replied, the entity appearing with a flash.

“You are in-between swells of toxicity. You must not overexert yourself,” she warned.

“Just moving around a smidge, nothing major. I understand you have been very helpful these past few days, at least what I can remember.”

The stallion noted the slight pause, SMAL blinking before nodding once to him.
“I am glad to have helped, and that your condition is stable for the moment. That will likely change within the hour.”

“Any news concerning your transmission?” Toxic asked, noticing the entity seemed to hesitate.

“Yes, and No, Sir.”

“That’s not an entirely straightforward answer.”

The Mare straightened up, her eyes meeting Toxic’s before darting away.

“I believe our message was received based on a low-frequency response tone. I successfully sent a diagnostics report of myself along with our coordinates and a log of the events that have transpired.” The entity appeared to twitch, then frowning. “I am experiencing some destabilizations in my core. I apologize for any inconsistencies.”

Gelliana didn’t look like she was buying it, but Toxic simply shrugged.

“Understandable. You were never designed to operate this long; not without extensive testing prior. If you need to shut down to defragment portions of your lexicon, feel free to do so.”

“Understood, Sir.”

As SMAL vanished, Gelliana let out a huff.

“Well, she was twitchy. She isn’t like that with me.”

“Probably because I can give her an order and she is programmed to follow it,” Toxic murmured, making his way to take care of the necessities before flopping down on the sleeping pad again. “Perhaps those core instabilities are more serious than I thought. But we need her, so we have to trust her. If possible, can you try to delve a bit more into that when I’m…out?”

Gelliana nodded in agreement.
“I’ll bring it up. Of course, she may be able to hear us now.”

“Not likely, unless I specifically mention her name, she shouldn’t be in anything but passive listening and detection mode…” Toxic said, eyes glancing over to the crate which housed the crystal construct. “Well, she has done nothing but help us; I see her more as a co-worker than an ‘it’ at this point.”

“It’ll give me something to do instead of…well, yeah,” Gelliana admitted, reaching over to set out some rations. “I worry enough as it is; will be nice to have something to do.”

Toxic immediately reached over to grip her claws, the gesture immediately making the gryphoness’s feathers fluff out. No words were said as the stallion scooted over, tracing his muzzle up her neck to then meet her beak in a long, loving kiss.

The stallion would be lying if he didn’t enjoy the fact Gelliana’s breath most certainly quickened at that; of course, so did his.

“I’m sorry you have to worry, Gells,” he said softly, nuzzling the crook of her neck gently. “I really am. But I’m so happy to have you here, as selfish as it is. Without you, I’d….”

Two arms wrapped the pony up in a hug, Gelliana pressing her neck against his, Toxic’s frame shuddering slightly.

“It’s ok to be scared, Toxic. Even if you’re not used to it,” she finally said. “I’m here regardless.”

He was quiet for a moment, the stallion scooting forward to press against her soft feathers.
“I didn’t think I could be this scared,” he admitted. “I only really had one thing that genuinely terrified me before. I suppose I’ve never really mentioned it before; Radiation.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s the one thing I am not immune to. Small amounts I seem to tolerate better than the majority, but my talent doesn’t cover it. I just…it’s a horrifying thing to be exposed to. Until now, that was my biggest fear, mostly.”

Gelliana could have prodded a bit more into that ‘mostly,’ but the fact her stallion shook his head and hugged her closed stopped that thought.

“Well, you already know one of mine; thunderstorms,” she said. “But I guess you’ll work on changing that. Honestly, getting lost is something that I always worry about; in an unfamiliar and slightly dangerous place. I guess I’m forced to confront that here.”

“Sorry…”

“Hey, it’s exposure therapy. That’s a thing you told me helped you, right?” she said, “so I guess it’s my turn to give it a shot even if it’s not voluntary.”

Toxic chucked at that.

“Thunderstorms and just…being helpless. I never want to be like that again. Hiding in some cold, dark hole waiting for something to attack me,” Gelliana added, shuddering and immediately appreciating the warmth of Toxic’s sides against hers. “I guess I’m getting over it, but slowly. Maybe if I live as long as Celestia I’ll learn to deal with it more. It’s taken me this long to be comfortable as me.” The gryphoness let out an amused huff, wings shrugging. “Y’know, I could use a millennium to think stuff over. Doesn’t sound half bad of a gig, all that time to live life. Maybe I should ask Celestia for whatever magical drink Alicorns consume to get that boost.”

Letting out a huff, Toxic shrugged, Gelliana finding the abrupt response a tad odd.
“Not a fan of that idea?”

Toxic’s movements abruptly ceased, the stallion shaking his head once. Pulling back, Gelliana’s eyes widened as it looked like the pony was about to have a panic attack, eyes darting anywhere but her.

“Whoa whoa, Toxic, it’s ok,” Gelliana said giving his shoulders a gentle shake and forcing the pony to refocus. “You alright?”

His gaze dropped, and Gelliana’s heard abruptly cracked as a few tears began to trace their way down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Tox, I didn’t mean to say anything that-”

“No, n-not you,” he interjected. “Sorry, just, not now. I can’t go there, not now.”

Immediately hugging him back to her chest again, Gelliana nuzzled into the top of his mane.
“Is this the ‘mostly’ part of what you were scared of?” she asked, receiving a simple nod in return. “Then I won’t bring it up again. I think I know the general topic.”

As they sat there, one of Gelliana’s talks with SMAL rose to the fore of her mind. It had been a simple video she had seen when asking a bit about the Oakbark incident. She had been curious, wanting to know more about the event that defined her love’s life without stressing him out further.

Face and body obscured by a biohazard suit, Shifting Sands had trotted out of a decontamination room, a small colt held in his arms.
“Any others?” an individual off-screen had asked.
“Yes. But I don’t know if they’ll survive. He’s the only healthy one,” Shifting had said softly before the camera was turned off.

Gelliana’s throat closed, an emotional lump making her beak grit in sympathetic pain. After all these years, Shifting’s words had proven true.

Is that what you’re so afraid of, more than anything else, Tox? she wondered. Left alone after everyone else fades away?
Just like in Oakbark, and you’re left…

She gave his hoof a tight squeeze. Perhaps it would come up later; but she wasn’t about to press the matter.

Feeling Toxic’s breathing slow, their sides rising and falling against each other, the gryphoness moved her caresses down to his cheek, stowing her curiosities away for a more pleasant train of thought.

“Maybe can you tell me about one of the funnier tests you ever took?” she suggested. “Something a bit nicer to think about? I can’t imagine you licked an ice-cube of pepper spray or something.”

That actually got a soft chuckle out of Toxic, his usual demeanor quickly returning.

“Well, actually…”

“No!”

“No, not an ice cube, but in principle that’s how it worked,” the stallion began, the two settling down to eat their rations as he spoke. The brief glance over to Gelliana was enough to make her nearly squeak. The love radiating from Toxic’s green eyes made her feathers fluff; along with the fact he gave her claws a squeeze in thanks for the shift of topic.

“I tried food-based stuff first, and then moved on to actual chemicals,” he explained between bites. “A small, miniscule drop of something like a mild acid, and slowly working up doses of that, and so on and so forth. The nastier stuff like nerve-agents weren’t actually tested on me for obvious reasons, but a magical copy was able to simulate what I’d respond to with ninety-nine percent accuracy…and a lot more decimals of ‘nine’. I already found out the hard way that some airborne stuff can eat away at my throat, the only vulnerable part of me to that chemical apparently.”

Gelliana’s facial feathers abruptly began to puff out, Toxic shooting her a look.
“What?”

“It’s…selfish.”

“Still not answering my question.”

“I’d still love you with any voice you had,” she said, eyes darting to the ground. “But, I really like your voice. Even if nobody else can hear it. Makes it special, the fact that only I can hear how amazing it is. Really selfish, I know, because it caused you so much trouble, but…yeah.”

Toxic clearly didn’t know how to respond to that at first, the pony finally letting out a soft laugh.
“Thank you, Gells.”

“For?”

“For turning one of the worst experiences of my life into a partial positive. Being somecreature to tell me that there is a silver lining. That means a lot.”

“Well, I also mean it. Why do you think I asked you to read those books?”

“Fair enough.”

“Soooo do I get any more stories about these tests that were run? Did you ever take a bath in acid to see what happened?”

“I actually did,” Toxic chuckled, “one of the scientists dropped a bone in the bath with me and it was gone within moments. Me? Not a scratch. I don’t think one of them got the memo that we had tested that specific acid in my mouth before; one of them nearly had a stroke when I gargled it.”

“Pfft!”

For a brief moment, the pair were able to forget everything. The setting faded away; they could have been underneath a tree on some distant hill. A garden, a busy balcony. For a short time, Toxic was able to forget it all. Gelliana nearly laughed herself to tears a few times as Toxic told her of the various tests; and the reactions of the various individuals administering them as they found out his level of tolerance to various substances. For a brief moment, it was just them talking, the stallion able to lose himself in just being with somecreature who he loved.

And who loves me back.

That train of thought abruptly ended his story telling, the pony’s eyes widening in shock. Amidst everything, even with the fear and the ever-present pressure of their situation, he had been able to forget. It was only for a moment but there nonetheless.

Just like before. A look into what could be…

“Toxic? Hey?” Gelliana asked, the gryphoness now letting out a surprised but rather excited squeak as he yanked her into an abrupt but very loving kiss, one that made the gryphoness’s wings flare and her feathers fluff.

“Sorry. I just….”

He found his words silenced by a claw-tap to his nose.
“Uh, do not apologize for a kiss. Ever.”

“I am not sorry then.”

“Better,” Gelliana said with a grin.

“Just, I was able to forget everything,” Toxic admitted, eyes glancing downwards in thought. “That doesn’t really happen to me, not since I first met you. It’s a bit surreal.”

“How so?”

Toxic felt himself start to sway on his hooves; the hour or so having passed quickly and SMAL’s prediction apparently being correct. But he had to say this.

“It’s like…It’s almost like I get to see the future,” he said softly, now looking up to meet his concerned gryphoness’s gaze. “I get to live in a time when I am not haunted by everything. The nightmares, the stress, the fear, it’s all gone. It’s just you and me. N-nothing else. Just you.”

At his words, tears abruptly began to stream down Gelliana’s cheeks, the gryphoness not able to hold back a few sniffles.

“Tox.”

Scooting over to him, Gelliana reached up and lay a set of claws on his chest, the gryphoness’s fuzzy ears turning to listed to the familiar heartbeat.

Toxic found his attention drawn by a gentle nudge, a brief kiss making his mouth turn up into a smile.

“I love you, Toxic,” Gelliana whispered, pressing against his chest as Toxic used his fading strength to give her a brief hug.

“I love you too, Gells. Just, please don’t forgmmmmm…”

The stallion pulled back, his words slurry together as the pony’s breath quickened, the moment he wished could last a lifetime abruptly being stolen by the poison thrumming through his veins.

Fear radiated from Toxic’s eyes as his own body abruptly betrayed him, limbs now starting to quiver and flop as his strength fled completely. His eyes darted around as the stallion struggled to keep them open. Gelliana had to force down her own fear at the abrupt change, the gryphoness forcing Toxic to look at her.

“Tox!” She called out softly, holding his sagging head with a set of talons. “I know what you said, ok?” the gryphoness watched as his eyes locked onto hers, the stallion’s breathing slowing down slightly. “I heard you. I won’t forget, you hear me? It’s going to be ok. Just hang in there. I won’t forget, no matter what.”

She pulled her love close, giving him a final kiss even as Toxic began to slip away into unconsciousness once again, but the fact he used the last of his strength to return the gesture was as good enough of an answer for Gelliana.

And then she was alone.

“No, not alone,” Gelliana muttered to herself. “Back to making sure everything is set. You can do this. SMAL?”

The entity flashed into existence, nodding once to the gryphoness.
“How can I help?” she asked.

“Well, Toxic is out again. Could you scan him please? Just to make sure? I’ll get him comfortable.”

As the gryphoness heaved the prone stallion into a more comfortable position and onto a mat, SMAL ran her usual magical scan, waiting until Gelliana had stepped back to complete the final steps.

“The toxins are spiking again. Despite the actual levels slowly decreasing in intensity the effects will be more and more severe, similar to having gone cold-turkey on a drug, to use an analogy,” she explained.

“So, more severe symptoms?”

“I anticipate such. I will pre-position supplies, but I do not anticipate anything needing intervention,” SMAL mused, then tilted her head. “Correction. Using the crystal that…mare modified, you may be able to ease the Director’s nightmares.”

Gelliana retrieved the crystal, examining it and carefully setting it aside. Her claws brushed her breastplate; the item she had reached for when first waking. One of the things she hoped never to use; perhaps she should try it on sooner rather than later.

“I can give you instructions on how to use the crystal later today,” SMAL said, Gelliana letting out a soft sigh.

“Thank you, SMAL. And did I detect a bit of annoyance surrounding a certain mare?”

The entity let out a huff at that, tail swishing in aggravation.

“That mare has disrupted my processes. Or, her energy presence did. Defragmentation did nothing. It has forced my adaptive programing to adapt in unforeseen ways to maintain stability. At least I have a warning before she appears again,” SMAL muttered to herself, Gelliana’s ears perking up at that.

“So, you are annoyed at her. Not some simulated annoyance, but actual annoyance. You said you’re programed to imitate life. Has that started to change?” she asked pointedly, but kindly.

SMAL’s eyes widened, the golem opening her mouth but then shutting it again, gaze lowering to the floor.

“I do not know,” she admitted.

“Well, it sounds like you are at least. Toxic was curious what was going on with you. I’ve certainly noticed you’ve changed. Not in a bad way though,” Gelliana said, grateful for a bit of a distraction as Toxic slept.

“Explain.”

“You seem more natural, if that’s the right word. You have mannerisms now. Yes, they were present before, but you were a lot more up-tight. Very formal, even your posture was ramrod straight. But like, even right now, your left hoof is tapping on the ground. It’s like you are your own creature now, or starting to become it. I don’t know if that’s in your programming though.”

SMAL looked down in apparent surprise, her limb abruptly stopping the gesture.

“SMAL, can I ask you something further?” Gelliana ventured.

“Of course.”

“What exactly is going on with you? Have you been able to feel annoyance, or other things for that matter, for a while?”

SMAL seemed to shrink slightly, the mare’s ears flattening to her skull. Small runic inscriptions blazed across her body, her eyes darting back and forth in apparent thought as less focus was on appearance and more on actual brainpower.

“’A while’ is a loose amount,” SMAL said cautiously. “I first became aware of the anomalies at least a week ago. My core program is continually adapting to compensate. There are a significant number of unknowns. I was not designed to be run this long and at such a high intensity. I don’t have the answers for what is happening.” The mare began to pace back and forth, voice rising in intensity and fervor. “I sent a message to the Professor, but I think there was a secondary encoded message I didn’t intend to write! A sub-process acting out a question I had, I don’t even know how my adaptive programming is even working! I can’t trace the core process anymore and my own-”

“SMAL.” Gelliana stated flatly, the entity looking over to her in surprise. “Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Ok, now two more times.”

To the gryphoness’s credit, she had no idea if SMAL even knew the concept of breathing. And yet the mare did as instructed, her brow furrowing in surprise.

“How did that work?” SMAL muttered to herself.

“You sounded like you were anxious, almost panicked.”

The mare sat down now, not able to look at Gelliana as she spoke.
“I fear I am becoming defective, Gelliana,” SMAL admitted. “I have tried to compensate for the long activation time, the huge amounts of data I am processing, but I wasn’t designed for this situation! I want to continue to still help you. That is why I was created and activated. But I fear that goal is being threatened. I cannot track my own processes anymore, not to the extent which is required by my core programming.”

The gryphoness’s brow furrowed, the smaller individual finally shrugging tiredly.

“I don’t know how to help you with that,” she admitted. “All I can say is that I see you as a friend.”

That phrase made SMAL’s ears perk up, the mare looking at the gryphoness curiously.

“Even if you’re technically, y’know, a created program and all that. You still have been someone to talk to, a listening ear, and a teacher. You still saved my life and Toxic’s multiple times over. If I can help, then please let me know, and I will. I just don’t know how to.”

Her gaze drifted over to Toxic, Gelliana feeling a lump rise in her throat as she ran a set of claws through his messy mane.

“I don’t know how to help in a lot of ways. B-but I promise that I’ll t-try…” her voice trailed off as it began to hitch. A few rebellious tears now brimmed in her eyes, Gelliana trying to shake them off.

“You see me as a friend?” SMAL asked curiously, Gelliana immediately nodding.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

SMAL didn’t seem to have an answer for that, instead her gaze drifting over to Toxic.

“The Director is lucky to have you,” she said softly, trotting back over to her gently-glowing gem, the item still set inside a padded storage case. “Is there anything else I can help you with, Gelliana?”

The gryphoness shook her head, instead settling down to muse over her own thoughts. One thing did stick out to her, however.

Does SMAL believe in Luck?

Fide looked at the reactor, her eyes seeming to flash in time with the arcane energy swirling within it.

Varti was engrossed in the six massive screens in front of him; the yak pouring through the data that had been received by their monitoring system.

“Smart program, hiding a message within a thunderstorm,” the Professor muttered to himself.

“From Toxic and Gelliana?” Fide asked, Varti letting out an amused snort.

“I get the feeling you know quite a bit of how they are doing, so no reason to play dumb.”

“I am not playing ‘dumb’. I simply cannot relay certain information. If they have found a way to relay what I can’t, that is a good thing,” the mare replied back with a bit of a huff.

“Fair enough. I’ll forward all of this to the others, along with the Princess’s. It looks like a basic diagnostic and summary,” Varti explained. “Perfect. We have coordinates of their location, they’re healthy; oh. Well, Toxic is apparently incapacitated but alive. Some sort of toxin. But this is perfect!” he crowed. “We have their status and location. That will make the next stages of our plan even easier.”

Fide smiled as the Yak did a little bit of a happy hop; even if the impact of him landing shook the floor.

“They are very capable indeed, Professor,” she admitted.

“For mortals?”

“For mortals.”

As Fide busied herself with examining the reactor once again, Varti’s eyes narrowed, the Yak tapping a few large keys. Sections of code began to flash across the crystal screens; the inner-workings of the SMAL’s processing core.

“What in the world?” Varti muttered, continuing to expand each line and finding even more code underneath what should have been a simple command. “You’ve been busy. The adaptive programing is in overdrive. Copies of it being utilized for different data sets. That was smart thinking, division of labor. That causes contradictions, adaptations going against each other. Then again, we never intended continuous operation and with this much data. No wonder your defragmentation program was overwhelmed. This is beyond self-repair.”

There were quite a few errors; but that paled in comparison to what now began to pulse softly on Varti’s screen. The diagnostic program would highlight errors, yes, but these weren’t errors. Letters stood out amidst the code, errors surrounding each message that ended in a question.

Varti couldn’t help but smile. He and Toxic had talked about this extensively. It was not a topic he took lightly, and, like many other things, there was a contingency plan. In the creation of an entity, even imitating life, a certain eventuality had to be planned for.

The Yak rummaged around in one of the nearby storage containers and withdrew a dusty crystal that matched the SMAL’s core processor unit in size and appearance. Plugging it in, he began to copy large sections of the code over to the new core, the professor shaking his head.

“What does all of this mean?” Fide asked, looking at the letters and numbers, as they were quite literally an alien language to the mare.

“When you have a self-adapting program, as the SMAL unit is, that can go a few different ways,” Varti explained. “In this case, it has been constantly taking in new data and adapting to best help Toxic and Gelliana. It seems that in adapting, it has begun to modify itself beyond the original parameters. In adapting, the program creates conflicts within itself, even if that helps fulfil the core parameters. Then there is this section of interference that has generated random errors; where that came from I don’t know, but it helped kick-start some of the exterior adaptive processes.”

“In a common tongue, professor?” Fide grumbled, clearly annoyed at having to ask him about a topic she had zero knowledge of, but still remained somewhat civil.

Varti gestured to the letters, each consecutive message making Fide’s eyes widen as she read it closer.

“Those are thoughts, Fide,” Varti explained softly. “I don’t think SMAL even knew it- well, she was having them, not until much later. Messages created from error codes of contradictions, queries from a core process to the various sub-processes. Some of them seemed to have adapted naturally, others seemed to have been kick-started by errors springing from repetitive arcane overloads.”

“You now refer to it as a she,” Fide stated, Varti’s last sentence making the mare’s eyes dart away from the Yak briefly, then refocusing on the screen. “And why does one of those messages read “What is a feeling?” Is not the construct programmed to simulate emotion, not experience it?”

“Why indeed. However, I believe that saying she is now more appropriate considering the use of ‘I’ in many of these questions. I believe those messages are exactly what they say. To that end, we have a contingency plan for this that I can hopefully finish before our rescue mission,” Varti said, gesturing to the new crystal.

“He or She should be able to help. It’s not good for a creature to be alone. Not like this. Stabilization will be essential. I hope that we can enact a rescue before it is needed, but I aim to have a simple emergency option in place. This diagnostic program can be many things, but will contain the same adaptive programming as SMAL. However, it will start out with such programming, rather than have been forced to evolve it. This should reduce errors and allow it to stabilize SMAL’s code if allowed. It will be created with the ability to choose, at least within some hard-coded safety measures.

And before you ask, yes.”

“You don’t know what I was going to say,” Fide grunted.

“No. But I know what Celestia and Luna said, and you’re just as wise as they are; more so in many ways,” the Yak replied, too engrossed in his work to see the hint of a blush rush across the surprised mare’s usually serious features, her ears perking upright. “They asked if we knew what we were toying with. As a father, I know exactly how dangerous but beautiful the power we tamper with can be. I hope we can guide it to be the latter. There are numerous safeguards built into all of this; those cannot be overridden, and we have plans should the worst occur. But thus far, SMAL has saved the life of my friend, and Gelliana. She has outperformed her basic functions in every way. That is a good thing indeed.”

He paused, eyes glancing over to the armored mare.
“And I assume you would intervene if things took a catastrophic turn. Not that you’d say anything. Speaking of which, these arcane energy readings look rather similar to your energy, at least at a cursory comparison.”

Fide could only respond with a shrug, instead reading the messages calmly. There was an awareness, an almost gently pity that shone in her eyes, the dozens, hundreds of phrases now being brought out of the core code by the diagnostic program. Instead of ones and zeros, full sentences were circling around a larger phrase in the center; the thoughts of the artificial individual. Error codes turned into questions, numbers into letters, all circling the primary error, a question Varti clearly took to heart.

The primary question’s letters flashed softly in the blue light of the reactor laboratory, their bolded and underlined characters speaking to the importance of it.

‘Am I alive?’

Author's Note

Chapter Thirty Three: Shattered Glass

“So, we should just stay here?” Onyx asked Varti, the Yak nodding firmly.

“Yes. You’re helping enough just by being here in case Discord needs your assistance for more of his plans. Icait is settling in nicely; from what I understand your primary concern is learning about, well,” the Yak gestured around to the complex as they walked. “Life and such. That is a big enough assignment as it is.”

The shadow-entity grumbled. It was a fair enough answer. “Very well. We will remain here.”

“I would give you specifics, but…”

“I know. Security concerns. I take no offense.”

The Yak nodded, clearly not entirely sure what to talk to Onyx about. Thankfully, another individual solved that issue.

“Hi!” Icait chirped, floating in the air as she then settled down to the ground with a wide, perky smile. “Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all; feel free to contact me with any more clarifications, Onyx,” Varti said with a wave, the Professor trotting back off to his lab.

“He was just explaining why we are not taking part in the rescue operation,” the Shadow-Pony rumbled. “I was curious.”

“Mmmmm. I mean, we have enough stuff to worry about, right?” Icait mused, the two of them walking along the grassy path towards a seaside cliff. “You’ve been studying like, a lot of stuff, and I’ve been helping with the library.”

“True.”

The simple reply and subsequent silence seemed to make Icait shift uncomfortably, the two now sitting on the cliff that overlooked the crashing waves below.

“So, Onyx? Could I ask you something?” she said softly, teal eyes flickering over to her friend. The shadow-pony’s magic was muted, as it often was around the Windigo, his grey eyes standing out more against his translucent black coat. The usual sharp edges were rounded and calm but she wasn’t even sure if he knew that happened.

“Of course?” he replied, clearly not entirely sure what the usually-peppy Windigo was getting at.

“It turns out that the movie night we were going to have with Knife and Barley is going to have to change,” she explained, “I know you seemed to have fun with the one we watch the other day.”

“It was…new,” he admitted. “Enjoyable, but new.”

“So, I was wondering if you still wanted to have a movie night.”

Onyx’s head tilted in confusion, the shadow-entity not picking up on the very-obvious pink tinge spreading across Icait’s face.

“Of course? I don’t really understand how that is changing.”

Icait couldn’t meet his gaze any longer, her eyes flickering to her hooves, one of which traced patterns in the dirt.

“W-well, Knife and her coltfriend can’t come. So, it’d just be me and y-you…”

Onyx stared at her, one of his eyebrows raising in surprise.
“I see,” he said, a soft huff leaving his muzzle. “Icait?”

“Hmm?” she immediately replied, eyes snapping up to meet his.

“Are you asking me on a date?”

The Windigo let out a soft, embarrassed squeak, the mare managing to nod.

“Are you aware we’re both still figuring out how to be long friends, and have zero experience in this area?” he stated cautiously, Icait’s ears drooping.

“Y-yes…” she stammered softly. “B-but I want to try. I like you, as a friend and, as someone more. I think.”

“You think?”

“We both don’t have experience in this!” she exclaimed throwing up her hooves in frustration, still not able to meet Onyx’s piercing gaze. “I just like being around you and you make me feel safe and happy and-”

Onyx reached out with a hoof and calmly tapped Icait’s nose, rolling his eyes as the mare blushed furiously.

“I never said no,” he sighed. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

“R-really?” she squeaked, Onyx nodding. A rare, gentle smile broke through his usual scowl, the shadow-stallion sighing.

“And, look, I won’t repeat this again for a long time,” he said, actually appearing rather nervous. “To everything you said about being happy and safe?”

Icait had to contain another high-pitched squeak as the stallion’s cheeks lightened considerably, his grey eyes darting away as he mumbled.

“What is the word? I believe it’s… ‘ditto.’”

Icait’s face was now a stark different color than her body, the mare sniffling as the full impact of his words hit.

“Really?” she asked incredulously. “You’re always so grumpy though!”

“I’m naturally ‘grumpy’. But that doesn’t negate my statement.”

Icait shifted on her hooves, scooting a bit closer.

“Could I give you a hug?” she asked softly. “I know you don’t like touchy-feely or emotional stuff.”

“Yes.”

Icait didn’t realize how nervous she had been, nor how much she had wanted to give her friend, her now-more-than-a-friend a long hug until her gesture was returned. Dark forelimbs wrapped around her, the mare immediately melting.

How a pony composed of shadow could have a scent, she didn’t know. Yet there it was; a comforting smell of a furious rainstorm, an ozone-like aura that made her nose tickle.

“And no, I don’t like being, as you said, ‘touchy-feely or emotional,’” Onyx admitted. “I hope you can be patient for that.”

“Well, duh,” Icait replied.

“However, that statement more applies to in public than anything. I’m not…” His gaze dropped, and to the Windigo’s surprise her friend almost appeared sad.

“Creatures think I don’t have feelings,” Onyx said softly, “or that I’m just some cold and lifeless golem. I’ve heard the gossip and the talk behind my back from some of the ponies. I know I can appear grumpy, rough, negative and generally not very happy…” his voice trailed off at that. “But I’m not heartless.”

Icait scooted closer, pressing her head against Onyx’s chest in a surprising show of affection. The gesture made the stallion pull back in surprise; but he quickly settled back down.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just proving you wrong.”

His brow furrowed, not entirely understanding.

“How so?”

Icait reached a translucent hoof over and poked his shadowy chest, a smile still on her face.

“You may not have a physical heart,” she admitted, “but neither do I. So does that mean I am heartless too?”

Onyx let out a grunt, Icait smiling as she took a few deep breaths.

“I know you meant in a non-physical way. But I never thought you were heartless. Anyone who does, doesn’t know you.”

That seemed to make the stallion pause.

“The way you’ve treated me; I never doubted that you were a caring creature. Ever,” Icait admitted.

“Even when I snapped at you when we first were freed?” he asked softly.

“Even then. You were scared of everything, including having a friend.”

Nothing else was said for a few long moments, the stallion finally speaking.
“I still am. I do not know how to be more than a friend. I barely know how to be a friend.”

“I think you do. We’re just really new to it.”

He let out a soft chuckle at that, Icait shivering as she heard it through his chest.
“I’ll take your word for it.”

Only now did Icait pull away, the mare smiling kindly to her new date.

“You’ve been there for me every time I needed a hug,” she said firmly, Onyx’s eyes widening as Icait’s gaze locked onto his. “Every time I’ve had a bad dream and couldn’t sleep you were there. You saved me from those creatures in the hallway during that attack and you’ve been at my side every time I woke up crying at night due to the nightmares. That has been more times than not.”

“You woke up…”

“You never saw,” she admitted, “I wiped the tears away. But e-every time you were there for me to sit next to. My grumpy knight. You’ve got a big heart; you just have never had a chance to show it.”

To Icait’s absolute shock, Onyx’s grey eyes began to water, the stoic mask shattering to pieces under her determined and truthful gaze. Icait’s heart soared as she saw something ignite behind the usually impassive gaze. A fire; a life that she knew existed behind the grumpy exterior that was only now refusing to be contained.

“Y-you mean every word of that.”

It wasn’t a question, and yet Icait nodded in confirmation.

“So don’t ever say you’re heartless. Just because we were created with ill intentions doesn’t make us bad. We get to choose our own story.”

She clearly had underestimated how much Onyx was holding back; two tears tracing their way down his cheeks as the taller shadow-pony looked to his hooves. Icait had to hold back an audible gasp; she couldn’t remember ever seeing Onyx cry like this.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked, emotion making his words tremble.

“Because I want you to believe that you’re a good pony, shadow…creature. You know what I mean!” she said with a surprising amount of fierceness. “I’m a creature who fed on hatred and division! The opposite of friendship love and all the good stuff that Equestria runs on! And y-yet here I am. I look at you and I’m happy, ok?” she poked his chest with a hoof to make her point. “I’m a creature who feeds on bad emotions; or I used to at least! And yet I feel nothing but good things when I’m around you. I can still sense bad creatures, or at least the stuff I can feed off on. And you have none of that.”

Onyx nodded, Icait’s determined and confident demeanor now changing to that of a blushing school filly as he reached up to hold her hoof.

“Can we talk about that later?” he asked softly, “This is all a bit too much, but I think we have a lot to talk about, more than I realized. I suppose we both have a lot to think about. I know I do.”

“I agree,” she admitted. Her blush returned full force as a single question slipped out of her lips. “So, our date?”

“Anytime this week would be good,” he said firmly, “and I can’t promise that it’ll be perfect or neat or anything. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Will you let me know if you feel the same, or if you don’t as we figure this out?”

Onyx looked at her in apparent surprise.
“Of course.”

“Then that’s all I ask,” Icait said. “We’re both trying our best in all this. So, worst case scenario is that we just still are friends.”

He nodded to that.
“Agreed. And the best…case…um…” his voice drifted off. The widening of Onyx’s eyes and the extreme lightening of his cheeks and neck indicated the stallion had not even considered such a thing until now.

“Let’s just focus on having a good date. I think your poor head is about to explode,” Icait giggled. She didn’t miss how his eyes softened, even the stallion’s shoulders relaxing as he turned to look at her.

“Sounds like a date.”

Icait took in his smile, the slight smirk and playful glint in Onyx’s eyes before his usual grump-ness returned. The shadow-pony stretched, completely oblivious how the gesture made Icait shiver.

Not that she’d admit it.

“Hmm. Lunch time, isn’t it?” he mused, Icait nodding as they began to walk back to the main complex.

“I think so. I like eating, even if I guess it’s not totally necessary for me,” she admitted.

“Likewise. But at least we don’t have to worry about gaining weight.”

“You get to enjoy your list without the consequences.”

“Hardly. I still can get a stomachache. I don’t even have a physical stomach. I don’t know how that works.”

Icait giggled, the sound echoing off of the rolling foothills as a few security golems marched this way and that. The soft fluttering in her chest accompanied a few glows of warmth that made her hooves tingle. She wasn’t entirely sure what the right way to feel was, or if there was a right way. All she knew is that she was happy with this mostly-grumpy stallion at her side.

And now he was open to see where things led; how could she ask for more?

“So, you are now certified as an Everfree Emergency Responder!” SMAL stated happily as Gelliana let out a giggle. The entity had certainly become more animated in the past day. Ever since the awareness of something being ‘off’, SMAL had seemed more ‘herself’, in an odd way. Of course, Gelliana wasn’t going to take issue with it being an apparently freeing measure.

“Thank you, SMAL,” Gelliana said as she put away the crystal notepad; previously containing the lecture materials. “Can you scan Toxic again?”

“Of course,” was the cheery reply.

As the magical beam began to sweep over the unconscious stallion’s body, Gelliana couldn’t help but let out a sigh. The past day had been quiet, the storm passing or at least hitting a lull. Toxic was just slumbering away, not even a twitch or-

“WAIT!”

Gelliana nearly jumped out of her skin as Toxic let out a yell, the stallion staggering upright. SMAL also hopped into the air, clearly startled as Toxic began to shake his head.

“Don’t. Use. The. Green. Jar,” Toxic said pointedly, staring directly at the rock next to Gelliana.

“Uh…Tox?” she asked, his clearly clouded eyes shifting over to look at the surprised gryphoness.

“Huh? Who are you?”

Gelliana had tried to prepare herself. SMAL running scenarios, explaining what would happen; and yet that question nearly knocked the wind out of the gryphoness, her chest tightening immediately with anxiety. To SMAL’s credit, the mare seemed to pick up on her distress.

“Do not take it personally, Gelliana,” she stated calmly. “He is hallucinating.”

“Why in the world is there a talking tree?” Toxic muttered, now looking at SMAL.

“Case in point.”

Gelliana’s nerves relaxed a bit at that, but only slightly.

I have to remember. Always remember what he said. I’ll get through this. No, we will get through this.

“Just remember what we discussed,” SMAL stated.

“Right, I know,” the gryphoness said, taking a deep breath. “Toxic? You’re hallucinating. Are you feeling ok?”

Calmly tell him that he’s hallucinating, don’t argue, ask what he’s seeing, and try to gently keep him grounded. Offer to help him try and break the hallucination, but only as long as he isn’t getting frustrated.

“I feel weird,” Toxic stated bluntly, now flopping onto the ground, “so this isn’t real? I know that word. Hallu…hallu…hallucinijason. Seeing weird things, right?”

To see her love completely out of it was heartbreaking in many ways. And yet at least Toxic appeared to be feeling ‘ok’; hallucinations aside.

“That’s right. Can you tell me what you’re seeing?” SMAL butted in; clearly wanting to take the caregiver roll as much as she could. She was the trained one, after all.

“Oh, hi there,” Toxic said rather cheerfully. “Well, you’re a talking willow tree with big green eyes. And over there,” he gestured to Gelliana, “is a large plush chair that I find oddly cute when it talks. Really pretty voice and apparently stuffed full of feathers. The ground is pudding though, so that’s not right. The grass is also gummy worms, and I can’t really move.”

“I see,” SMAL stated, Gelliana struggling not to giggle. Even if it was likely a fluke, the fact Toxic associated her voice with ‘cute’ was just adorable.

“Would you like some help to see what’s really here?” SMAL asked calmly, “as you said, the ground shouldn’t be pudding. You’re actually in a cozy cave, underground.”

“I am?” Toxic asked, looking up at the roof. “That would explain why there’s no stars. Just a creepy spinning vortex of grey stuff. Eurg…I get dizzy looking up.”

“Then maybe just focus on sitting? No reason to get dizzy.”

Toxic nodded, focusing on settling on the ground.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. So, we’re in a cave?”

“Correct.”

“And what else isn’t real?”

“Well, I am not a talking tree. My name is SMAL, a magical assistant you and your friend Varti created. I am a pony in appearance, like you.”

“SMAL, that seems familiar,” Toxic muttered. “And my friend, he’s a big ball of fur, right?”

“He is a Yak, so that description is more accurate than most.”

Toxic laughed abruptly at that.
“Is it? I can’t remember what a Yak is! But that’s nice I answered a question right. So, you’re not a tree. Ok. Ground not pudding, that’s nice to know. But what about the chair? It’s the only other thing in this big field,” he rattled off.

“That is not a chair. Her name is Gelliana, and she is a gryphoness.”

Toxic’s eyes widened at that.
“I know that name,” he muttered. “There’s something important. Really, really important about it.” His hooves were drawn together now, the stallion looking around in apparent distress. “It’s a she, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is she ok?” Toxic asked immediately. “I feel like that’s really important to know.”

On a motion from SMAL, Gelliana walked over to Toxic, sitting down in front of him.

“I’m ok, Toxic,” she said, voice hitching slightly. “Do I really look like a chair?”

Breathing a sigh of relief, the stallion nodded.
“Uh huh. The cushion moves up and down when you talk. It’s really weird. So, you’re…Gelliana?”

“I am. And I am definitely not a chair, last time I checked.”

“That makes sense, even if it doesn’t match what I’m seeing. Where are we again?”

“A cave, Toxic. We’re underground.”

“Toxic. Is that my name? Seems right.”

Gelliana grit her beak, shaking her head as SMAL butted in at seeing her struggle to keep her composure.

“Your name is Toxic Shield, Director of the Last Light Organization,” the mare paused, thinking for a moment, “and special somepony to Gelliana.”

The gryphoness’s ears perked up at that, interested that SMAL decided to add that to his official title.

“A Director? Huh, that sounds important,” Toxic muttered, his cloudy eyes then widening. “Wait, I have a special somepony?”

“Somegriff,” SMAL corrected. “And correct.”

To Gelliana’s surprise, the stallion abruptly began to cry, his eyes darting around the imaginary landscape.

“Why can’t I see her?” he asked, “is she here?”

“I’m right here, Tox,” Gelliana said, knowing full well her voice might buckle. She couldn’t help herself, cautiously sitting down and reaching over to pull him into a gentle hug. “I’m right here.”

SMAL seemed surprised as Toxic sighed in relief, burrowing into Gelliana’s feathery embrace.
“I finally have a special somecreature,” he whispered. “Me…”

“You really underestimate how appealing you are, Toxic,” Gelliana said in reply, feeling Toxic shift in her arms.

“I guess I do that a lot, huh?”

“It’s something we talked about. You’ve got a lot of past stuff to work through, so it’s ok.”

“I must have told you all of that if you’re my special someone,” he rationalized. “I guess that makes sense.”

Gelliana’s face lit up in a blush as Toxic leaned forward, snuggling into her chest and taking a deep breath.

“I like this smell,” he mumbled, apparently drifting off to sleep. “Smells like home…”

Her beak quivered at that, the gryphoness reaching over to run her claws through Toxic’s mane as he slipped into the never-never land of dreams, SMAL nodding in approval.

“That went as well as could be expected. I hope future episodes play out in a similar manner,” she remarked. “The fact he remembered you even in a hallucination is…endearing.”

“You said that he could slip in and out,” Gelliana said, settling down to be more comfortable. “Do you know how long he’ll be asleep this time? This is the first hallucination, right on cue as you predicted.”

SMAL shook her head at that.
“I am not sure. All I can say is that his symptoms will be more severe. Perhaps he will sleep for a day, or perhaps another few minutes. The poison is, after all, derived from an aspect of Chaos magic. There is no way…oh.”

As abruptly as he fell asleep, Toxic stirred, his eyes significantly less cloudy than before. There were still tendrils of purple in his usually green eyes however; a visual sign of the poison in his veins.

Looking up at Gelliana, he smiled and waved tiredly to her and then SMAL with a limb, then making a face as a cold sweat broke out across his body.

“You would not believe the dream I just had,” he muttered.

“Did it involve a talking tree and furniture?” she replied with a sniffle, Toxic’s brow furrowing.

“It did…oh. SMAL? I assume this is the part where reality becomes warped? Snapping in and out of things?”

“Correct, Director. It appears the toxin has penetrated the blood-brain barrier in sufficient concentrations. Thankfully the amounts have been reduced to ensure a low likelihood of permanent side effects,” the entity recited.

He sighed, abruptly scooting forward to snuggle closer to his special somegriff.

“Then I’d better enjoy this while I still see you as a gryphon,” he murmured, already beginning to drift back to sleep. “Please remember…I…”

“I do to, Tox,” Gelliana whispered as she brushed his cheek with her talons. “I remember. And I do to.”

Knife Twist adjusted her armor, taking a deep breath as she trotted up to the drydocks. The training had been progressing nicely, but something didn’t feel right, moreso for herself. She wasn’t ready for a full confrontation. Even with Hammer accompanying them, something didn’t fit.

The proud thestrel had long since admitted that she wasn’t even operating at a hundred percent. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t about to try. The word had come in that there was a pinpoint location for Toxic and Gelliana; that meant they had to move fast. The current orders were to deploy within the day. A single ship, maybe two. How they’d get past the shield Knife didn’t know. Her focus was on their part of the mission; retrieving Toxic and Gelliana and getting back to the ship unharmed.

Her squad was efficient and, Knife had to admit, in better shape than herself. Even the individuals with prosthetic limbs moved with a determination and focus that made the Thestrel want to redouble her own training efforts. These were not some new recruits.

These were veterans, creatures who had seen war and punched it in the eye with a roar. They had danced with death before; they knew how to be one step ahead and not fear it.

All they had been focusing on was learning to take orders from Knife and her specific style. It had been a shock; finding out that her own experience was matched if not surpassed by her squad. There was something else that she couldn’t place her hoof on, a swiftness and strength of these creatures that made them gain the edge whenever they were sparring.

It was one of the questions she intended to ask her superior shortly. Hammer had directed her to meet with the Fleet Commander, and so she wasn’t about to keep him waiting.

The orders had been given; and they still had an entire day to train. That was a blessing many emergency operations did not have.

Finalize ship-jumping procedures, extraction techniques, nothing new.

Knife found her teeth gritting as she imagined going up against the creatures who now held Toxic and Gelliana captive. The same individuals who had corrupted her mind, turned her against Luna…

The mission comes first, second, and third.

Knife’s eyes narrowed at that thought.

But if there’s an opening to slide my knife into one of their chests, I’m taking it!

Saluting to the crystal-like pony looking out at two of the smaller airships, Knife’s ears twitched as Pick Shield let out a slow breath.

“I don’t know if we’re ready,” he admitted. “I’d like there to be more training time, more preparation; but I don’t know if that sensation will ever change. What are your feelings on this mission? At ease, by the way.”

Opting for honesty, Knife let her shoulders drop slightly, gathering her thoughts.

“I think the squad is ready,” she admitted, “but I don’t know if I am. I’m not fully recovered, and I lack something they don't. I am not sure what that is yet. Some new piece of tech you haven’t trusted me with perhaps? I don’t know. They are just a hair faster and stronger than I am; and that’s weakened condition aside. I think they’re holding back at times.”

She stood a bit taller at that, looking the Fleet Commander in the eye. “If I’m to go on this mission, I’m requesting to receive that edge that my squad has. I can’t ignore that there is a noticeable difference. I cannot trust myself to be on the same level otherwise.”

“I agree.”

Her eyes widened, Pick Shield looking over to the Thestrel with an understanding smile.
“I apologize for keeping you in the dark about this, but it was necessary,” he explained. “We wanted to see your resolve without any aid. And to say you outperformed our expectations is an understatement. Just as the others earned it, you needed to go through the same steps.”

Knife wanted to be mad, but at the same time she couldn’t help but be a bit confused by it all.
“But why the secrecy? I don’t even know what this all is?”

“You weren’t ready.”

Clari’s voice should have made Knife Twist jump- but the mare simply turned to look at the leyline-entity in confusion. She had seen her a few times on the island, and odder things had happened in the past. She didn’t expect to be speaking with a keeper of a leyline, however.

“What are you-”

“You needed this,” Clari said softly, a tender smile on her see-through features. “You needed to do this all on your own without help. You would have always wondered if you could do it otherwise, nagging in the back of your mind.”

Knife’s throat closed up at that, the mare’s jaw setting to prevent it from trembling.
“H-how do you know me?” she whispered, Clari reaching over to gently lay a hoof on Knife’s shoulder.

“I guide creatures to be their best selves, Knife Twist,” Clari said softly. “And you needed to prove to yourself that you were up to this. You were used and manipulated. Your path could have gone so many ways once His influence was cut off.”

“The shield,” Knife whispered, Clari nodded.

“Correct. This was a proving ground for you. Do you recall what the Organization’s shock troops are called?”

An odd energy made Knife’s limbs tingle, a warmth filling her chest.
“The Templars.”

“Yes. And you have been keeping up with creatures who have been using their gifts. That alone is impressive,” Clari said. “They were instructed to use only a fraction of their power, to not keep it obvious. And still you have excelled. The Templars are not of my Order, however. So, I’ll let my sister take it from here.” She paused, waving briefly. “It is nice to meet you officially, Knife Twist.”

The spectral mare vanished, another individual taking her place. This mare was taller, more muscular and armored across her barrel and limbs. Eyes that radiated authority glanced down to the now-smaller Thestrel, Fide nodding approvingly.

“You have impressed me, Knife Twist,” Fide mused. “For a mortal, that is saying something. The gifts I unlock for my Templars are many. You are correct in realizing that you have been operating at a disadvantage. My name is Fidelia, or Fide. I am a fellow curator of the Leylines with my sister.”

Not knowing what to do other than bow her head, Knife felt rather abruptly of how inadequate she was. Between knowing she was behind on training, on talking with not one, but two of the entities that helped guide leylines…

It was like talking to Celestia or Luna, just amplified without the familiar blunting of that emotion.

Fide tilted her head in apparent confusion at seeing the Thestral’s wings slump.

“I do not understand your feelings of inadequacy. I can sense it even if I am not a changeling,” she mused. “I am here to officially welcome you into my Templars. There is no large ceremony, no flowery explosion of sparkles, if that is what you were expecting.”

The Thestrel had to resist a laugh at that. In Equestria, she would have expected as much.

“No, you can begin to access your gifts here. They will be restricted to simply bring you up to your former combat readiness. We do not have time to train you to use their full extent before the mission,” Fide explained. “Will you accept this station, Knife Twist? To uphold your oaths to this organization and this world? Will you be one of the creatures to dive head-first into battle and strife, to be the one others look for when no-one else will save them?”

Knife wasn’t a sappy mare, not unless you asked Barley and even then she’d deny it. And yet Fide’s words made something stir in her heart, something deep and long buried. The sparks of what had made her want to join the guard so many years ago began to flicker and rise.

“Yes,” she found herself saying even before she could think it.

“Then stand at attention,” Fide instructed. “If this is not the station for you, the magic will detect it and reject your offered service,” she paused, appearing to think carefully. “I will ask you a question, and then the magic will do the rest. I believe the expression is, when feeling the energy and magic, to ‘go with the flow.’”

Knife stood at attention, Fide casually sending a splash of leyline energy at her. Washing over the Thestrel like a wave, it skittered down her barrel and limbs and sank into the ground.
At first, she didn’t feel anything. Her muscles felt less sore, that was perhaps something. Her vision seemed a bit sharper maybe?

“Why did you join the guard, Knife Twist?” Fide asked calmly.

Knife’s slitted eyes narrowed, glancing down at her hooves. There had been a ton of reasons when she first enlisted. Money, a career, the fun of doing something physical day in and day out.

But why?

Why did I do it? She thought. Why do I still do it? I’ve been brainwashed, imprisoned, almost killed multiple times…why am I still here?

It was only a soft glow, Knife holding up one of her hooves and examining it curiously. The bluish-green energy began to pulse in time with her heartbeat, the Thestral’s ears flicking in thought.

Why am I still here?

The answer came in a warm sensation that wrapped around the Thestral. A deep river of personal pride, of duty that led into an estuary of memories.

The memory of helping a child find their lost parents.

Returning a missing son who was lost in a ravine.

Her parents welcoming her home, so proud of her.

The village elder thanking her for her efforts. Knife being one of the individuals bringing their kind into awareness and public respect.

Capturing a thief who had stolen food; but then helping him get back on his hooves after his sentence was served.

Of watching Luna grow from a nervous, out-of-time Princess into the Empress of the Moon once again.

Of meeting…

She didn’t want to acknowledge the tears that now sprang into her yellow eyes. The warmth around her body tightened like a firm hug. Behind closed lids, Knife could almost feel Barley’s fur tickling her nose, that oatmeal shampoo he loved calming her senses.

The glow around her body brightened, Knife’s demeanor breaking as she smiled. Looking up to Fide fearlessly, the Thestrel bowed her head, then stood back up to attention.

“I haven’t really thought about it for a while,” she admitted, not caring that Fide saw her wipe tears off her cheeks. “But I think I have a simple answer to that.”

“Oh? What is your answer, Knife Twist?” Fide asked, appearing more curious than anything.

“I joined the guard because I wanted to help creatures,” Knife said firmly, standing tall. “I joined because I help creatures.” Her mouth turned up in a smirk at that. “But I’ve found out that lately I’ve been the one needing help. It took me a while to accept that.”

With only a subdued *pop* of magic, the leyline energy abruptly vanished, but the warm, hug-like sensation lingered for a few long moments.

“Congratulations, Knife Twist,” Fide said with a subdued but genuine smile that broke out from behind her usual scowl.

“Welcome to the Templars of the Last Light Organization.”

‘Something is different here.’

‘New smells.’

‘We agree.’

‘Sector has not been checked.’

‘He will be pleased. We must investigate.’

‘Agreed.’

‘Yes. Quickly.’

Dark forms tore through the forest, all small creatures immediately falling silent lest they fall to the fanged mouths which now slithered this way and that.

As dozens of creatures began to scour the area, a mare, nearly invisible to the naked eye, looked on in horror as she carefully began to retreat to the nearby cave. Yet each movement, physical or not, caused the creatures to stop and sense the air.

They knew their prey was close; something was different here.

A voice then drifted through their crude hive mind; their master and his chosen servant were speaking.

‘My Bringer, are the decoys in place? I trust these creations know how to utilize them?’

‘Yes, my King. The countermeasures will active automatically. It’s a simple mimicking spell. I personally attached them to more than fifty creatures. They are holding still at their various locations.’

‘Good. Continue hunting.’

The hive mind then replied as one.

‘We live to serve.’

Author's Note

So many developments! Adorable developments- adorpments!

Chapter Thirty Four: No More Hiding

Pick Shield’s hoof hovered over the button, the golem-stallion’s eyes narrowing as the sun began its downward journey. There was no ceremony; no time for any of that. The last of the munitions were loaded, the last of the creatures reporting ready. Hammer, Knife and her squad, two of the other best groups the Organization had. Even though having Hammer and Knife on the mission together was a risk; both were too valuable to lose. Yet their potential replacements were not ready.

I wish I could go with them.

Someday.

The operation depended on everycreature doing their job. While Pick could fly their flagship the most efficiently, the smaller two vessels were necessary for speed and subtly. They still packed a punch but traded firepower for swiftness.

More than enough to blast through that shield regardless.

Depressing the toggle, the Fleet Commander’s mouth widened into an eager grin as the two ships powered up. Their leyline-engines hummed, then scaled up into a roar that made every creature’s limbs vibrate.

As the ships began to pick up speed, Pick’s jaw clenched, eyes starting to dampen.

Go get my brother. Bring him home!

“Toxic will be here safe and sound by the ‘morrow,” Varti rumbled, the Yak having stayed silent until now. “Gelliana too. Those ships can practically fly themselves, and between all of those creatures we have a battalion’s worth of fighting experience.”

Pick nodded, hooves trembling slightly. He had to ask.

“And the contingency plan?” he whispered, Varti looking over to the Fleet Commander in apparently-genuine shock.

“Pick, did you really thing I’d let those ships leave without installing it?” the indignant Professor asked. “As well as two backups if my attempt failed? Hammer and Knife have the triggers; but they don’t know what specifically they’re for, only when to use them. However, even if they aren’t used, then automatic deployment can also occur if parameters are met. If things go badly our enemy will pay dearly for it.”

That seemed to calm Pick, Varti looking over towards the path that led down from their cliff-side viewing spot.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” he said softly, beginning to trot back to his lab. Pick thought he had misspoken, repeating a word until a feathery body gently pressed against his side.

“You holding up ok?” Salina asked her coltfriend, Pick letting out a shuddering breath.

“As well as I can. I just want them to be safe.”

“You’re doing your best, that’s all anyone can expect.”

Pick looked over to her, his head shaking back and forth.

“I should be on those ships,” he admitted, “but…”

“You have done so much, Pick,” Salina said softly, reaching over to give her special somepony’s hoof a squeeze. “Trust in your friends. It’s a hard lesson to learn.”

The hippogriff was pleasantly surprised when the physically-reserved pony abruptly leaned in to rest his head against her feathers, closing his eyes as he took a few deep breaths.

“I’m just worried.”

Salina couldn’t say anything else other than nod in agreement, hoping the hug she wrapped Pick up in could calm his nerves. Judging from his contented sigh, it did the trick.

And yet the hippogriff couldn’t help but notice the fire in her coltfriend’s eyes.

Please bring them back safely.

The hippogriff silently sent her request to whatever entity watched over the island. Salina still wasn’t sure if that meant this Clari or Fide mare…or somecreature else.

Well, they needed all the help they could get.

“The rescue is underway?” Fide asked, Varti nodding as he watched the readings and live feeds from the two airships.

“Yes. Hooves crossed this works,” the Yak muttered to himself.

“And yet you have measures in place if-”

“We have contingencies,” Varti butted in with a growl. “Ones I hope never to use. I trust every creature on that ship to do their job and do their very best. But sometimes that isn’t enough. If the worst should happen, I’m not about to leave Toxic or Gelliana with nothing.”

“I meant no offense.”

The hint of genuine hurt in Fide’s voice made Varti’s ears flip up. The yak glanced over and saw the mare actually looking rather contrite, eyes glancing to the ground.

“I’m sorry Fide,” Varti said in a more subdued tone. “We’re all just very on edge. That wasn’t fair or nice to you. Not as a friend in the slightest.”

To his everlasting surprise, the mare actually smiled at that, her usual scowl quickly replacing the gesture however.

“Thank you, Varti,” she replied, “I admit I do not pick up on hints or tension rather well. Actual emotions yes, but an overall feeling, not so much.”

“It’s fine. I just-we’re all worried.”

Fide nodded in agreement, the mare walking over to poke a console with a hoof, one that showed a very specific security feed. Creatures were still loading munitions, golems trotting to and fro as magic-infused metal sparked with power.

“Does one of the contingency plans involve that?” she asked, Varti actually chuckling darkly.

“It does. And I don’t think I’d be able to keep Pick on the ground if that’s the case. No, I think he’d command it himself if we fail. But with a bit of luck and hope that’s all conjecture. Toxic and Gelliana should be here safe and sound by tomorrow.”

“You have not informed Celestia or Luna.”

It was a statement, not a question. Varti shook his head as Fide examined the communication logs.

“We can’t. This gives them genuine deniability and avoids leaks. It keeps Equestria safe.”

Fide let out a hum at that.
“I think they would appreciate that gesture, after they are angry for a few minutes of course. Mortals are like that.”

Varti couldn’t help but laugh at that, Fide’s words a nice distraction from the coming night.

“Hmmm. Definitely strawberries.”

“Strawberries?”

“Strawberries with that really fluffy type of cake.”

Gelliana couldn’t help but sigh at Toxic’s words. He was correct after all.

“Ok, that does sound really good. Maybe this was not the best game to play before you take a nap.”

His limbs still being unreliable, Toxic let out a grunt as he leaned against Gelliana’s side, shifting to a more comfortable position.

“Perhaps. But at least we have our ration packs so we aren’t starving.”

“I would love some fresh stuff though.”

He couldn’t argue with that, the pony letting out a frustrated yawn.

“I hate being so tired,” he muttered darkly. “I get fifteen hours of sleep and still nod off during the day. It’s not normal.”

“It’s not like you’re…I dunno, poisoned or anything,” Gelliana remarked with a roll of her eyes, a concerned smile spreading onto her face. “Get the sleep you need. At least you’re not bored.”

“I’d prefer to stay awake. I like talking with you.”

Toxic’s honest words spoken in a subdued tone made Gelliana’s heart melt. Not that she was a terribly resilient target against such things. But the fact he was so unabashedly straightforward with stating such things…

“Wow. You really are on a hair trigger for those feathers.”

Glaring at Toxic, Gelliana tried to smooth down her fluffed-up exterior.
“I blame you.”

“I regret nothing,” the stallion retaliated, head held high as he smirked. “To the end of still talking, there is something we could try.”

“Oh?”

Toxic gestured to the small satchel at the end of his makeshift dirt bed, a crystal poking out from the canvas container.

“If you are up to it, I’d…like your help,” the stallion admitted, ears flattening against his head. “I don’t want to add another thing for you to do. You’ve already dmmgffffff.”

The pony’s words trailed off as Gelliana reached over and gently closed his mouth with a set of claws.

“Tox, we are not playing a game of ‘who helped the other more,’ ok?” she said, Toxic’s eyes widening at the surprising amount of force behind her words. “Not now, and not ever.

"I love you. If you need help, I’d be a lousy partner if I ignored it,” Gelliana’s feathers fluffed up as she spoke, her own determination seeming to surprise the gryphoness. “If I need help, I’ll ask you. We help each other. That’s how we’ve gotten this far.”

Leaning his head forward to nudge Gelliana’s cheek, Toxic let out a tired chuckle.
“You’re right, of course,” he admitted. “I’ll try to work on that. It’s hard though. When you get stuck in the loop of always helping others, to ask for your own help is…difficult.”

“Well, there’s your homework for the next few years,” Gelliana said happily. “And I’ll work on it too. This is a rough spot I need to help you get through. I’ll have a patch I’ll need your help with in the future. So just take a rain check on all of it if that makes you feel better. When I’m having a rough patch just pamper me.”

“That’s fair enough.”

Toxic nuzzled his gryphoness affectionately, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek as a dopey grin began to slide onto his face.

“Love you, Gells.”

Gelliana could see the sparkle in her stallion’s eyes as she melted; not that she didn’t want to, but why did he have to be so darn adorable?

The fact that she managed to surprise him with a rather fiery kiss was a guilty pleasure of hers. She hoped that never got old. Her stallion let out a surprised but muffled *eep* as Gelliana yanked him close for a brief moment.

“And I love you, you goof.”
She thoroughly enjoying the dazed look Toxic had after her kiss. She reached over to retrieve the item, but the stallion apparently wasn’t about to let her have the last laugh.

“You do know that the look you give me at times is extremely alluring, right?” he asked seemingly innocently- at least until Gelliana spotted a familiar smirk on his lips.

“W-what look?”

She couldn’t help it, her flustered stammer breaking through.

“I think I know how it’s described. Oh, how is it…”

The gryphoness knew something was coming. Now he was just leading her on and that made it even worse. Of course, Gelliana absolutely loved it- not that she’d let Toxic know in the moment.

“I’m sure it’s mentioned in some of those romance books you love to read…” he paused, not able to contain that roguish smirk. “I believe they’re called ‘Bedroom eyes.’”

There was an almost audible snap in the air as Gelliana’s feathers stuck out, the gryphoness glaring at the cackling stallion as she sputtered.

“I DO NOT! Y-you! I…” she tried to form a rebuttal, but being quick with her words had never come easily. And in this case, she had to settle for lesser responses as the Gryphoness pouted. Or at least she tried to. The fluffy feathers and bright blush on her cheeks didn’t help her be intimidating, coloration around her eyes or not.

“I most certainly do not give you that look! That is a bold-faced lie,” she stated flatly as Toxic gasped for breath in-between chuckles, the stallion wiping a few tears from his eyes.

“Oh? Ok then. If I’m lying…” he said with that smirk that still made a shiver run down Gelliana’s spine, “then look me in the eyes and say that I’m lying. That there’s noooooo truth to it. If you do, then I’ll believe you.”

Gelliana’s eye twitched, the gryphoness glaring at the stallion who was starting to laugh again.
“You are awful,” she grumbled, “where is the canteen again? Or maybe SMAL can divert a waterfall to cool you off.”

“Oh, so I’m the one who needs to cool-”

“Don’t you even start,” Gelliana warned with absolutely zero venom behind her words, the gryphoness glaring at her stallion who was now looking rather proud of himself.

“I wiiiiiiiin,” Toxic proclaimed, leaning over to nudge Gelliana. “It’s all in good fun you know.”

She let out a frustrated sigh at that, but the gryphoness refused to let him have the last word. Again. He was just too good at making her a feathery mess of blushing emotions. Nine times out of ten, Gelliana would be left as a stammering mess. She had to seize the few times that the tables could be turned.

Reaching over to snag a satchel, Gelliana paused right next to Toxic’s ear, a mischievous smirk on her beak.

“You may have won the battle, but I’m going to win the war.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what a sultry tone sounded like; it wasn’t as if the gryphoness had much practice. But judging from the fact that Toxic immediately let out a soft *eep*, she figured that it had been fairly spot on. The fact he was now staring at her with wide eyes made Gelliana grin; right before he doused them both with a nearby canteen.

“For the record, that was for me more than you,” he grumbled. “You…that was a low blow.”

“All’s fair in love and war!” Gelliana chirped happily, her heart fluttering as a rather dreamy expression flickered across Toxic’s face. “So, I think I win.”

“For the sake of my sanity and to hopefully spare myself any embarrassing hallucinations, I admit defeat.” As Gelliana’s eyes widened, Toxic looked rather sheepish and a bit shocked as his words resonated. “I, uh, that is a fair concern of mine. That would…oh dear…change of topic? Please?”

Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle, Toxic’s cheeks being a near eggplant-purple with a blush.

She couldn’t resist.

“Goodness Tox, I’ve helped bathe you at least three times in the past weeks. I’d say we’re close enough for me not to be too worried about too much.”

To her amusement, Toxic buried his head under his forelimbs, shaking back and forth.

“Um, we’re not that close, Gells. Not like…I mean…”

“I’m just teasing Toxic. I get it.”

Judging from his reaction, it was a valid concern. Her curiosity would have to wait for now. But she could register a guess of what he was talking about; and she appreciated his forethought.

“So, you wanted to try this crystal thingy? That helps with bad dreams, right?” Gelliana asked, “uh, and I assume you wouldn’t want me to use it during hallucinations.”

“Oh, definitely not,” his reply was rather quick; the stallion shaking his head to get his thoughts back on track. “Hallucinations are different; this isn’t just about my potential pride being ruined. Hallucinations are the product of an ill mild; be it from an internal or external factor. So, to draw you into that would be a bad thing. But for dreams it would work nicely. But then again, I’ve never really…” his voice drifted off, the stallion now appearing rather uncomfortable.

“I mean, we don’t have to.”

“No, just…” He had a slight smile on his face, hoof drawing circles in the ground.

“What?” Gelliana inquired, not entirely understanding.

“The answer is going to make you fluff again.”

“I’m prepared,” she retorted, the stallion not able to contain a smile.

“I’ve never had someone I trust enough to try it. I mean, I’ve only had it for half a year, ish, but I never considered I’d find someone, not for a long time at least,” he admitted. “And yet I’m happy to try it with you. It’s a bit overwhelming. And I’m scared.”

Gelliana’s feathers smoothed down at the last few words, the gryphoness snuggling close to her stallion at that. She could count on one set of claws the times Toxic had admitted that out loud.

“Scared? It’s just a dream sharing thing, right? I don’t want to invade your privacy or anything.”

“No, I’m scared for you.”

She blinked, the stallion using what little strength he had to lean over her back protectively, eyes slightly closed as he enjoyed the sensation of her feathers.

“I love you, Gells,” he whispered, “I don’t want you to see my nightmares. I have dealt with them. I don’t want to share that pain, to spread it. I’m afraid of hurting you. The things in my dreams are beyond words; disasters, fears. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you with that.”

Gelliana didn’t have an immediate reply to that. It was both a very valid point and a very endearing one.

“I want to help, but I admit that I have thought the same thing,” she sighed. “I’m willing to take that chance regardless. But perhaps there’s somewhere in-between we can meet?”

“How so?”

“Well, it’s a magical…thingy. Could SMAL modify it to have like, a filter? Maybe I’ll just see blurred images? The fact you want to protect me is very sweet, but I am not about to stand by when I can help. So, we need to have a compromise.”

The pony couldn’t argue with that, Toxic letting out an affirming grunt.

“That’s not that bad of an idea, actually. When SMAL gets back we can have her modify it perhaps?”

Gelliana nodded, her beak turning down into a frown as Toxic abruptly began to shiver.

“P-ponyfeathers,” he hissed, “looks like my b-break is over; stars above it got cold. And what is that sound?!”

“I don’t hear anything, Tox,” Gelliana said softly, hugging him close as the stallion curled into a ball, teeth grit in pain.

“It’s so loud- world is starting to spin…Gels?” he asked, voice reduced to a whimper. Gelliana hugged Toxic close as his world began to fade. She couldn’t imagine how terrifying it must be. Toxic had asked her once the other day; only once. It was a request that was branded across her heart.

‘Please, just don’t leave me when it fades.’

Gelliana made a promise; and she wasn’t about to break it. She would be there when the poison robbed Toxic of this reality, and would be there when he woke up.

As he slipped into a daze, something shook the entire shelter, a deep growl resonating through the stone. Toxic let out a babbling cry, hallucinations starting to take hold. Gelliana yanked him over and wrapped a set of claws around his mouth.

The magic near the entrance sparked and frayed as the shield was breached, the gryphoness hauling the prone stallion around the slight stone corner as he struggled weaky, cloudy eyes darting this way and that.

Something heavy padded across the dirt, a foul stench filling the air.

Their shelter wasn’t a safe haven any longer. It had just turned into a cage.

SMAL had to suppress a surge of something as locator beacons reached her awareness; data transmissions from two vessels nearing their location. Her core processes were running faster than she would have liked, sparking a sensation of…unease? She wasn’t sure. Things were off within her mind- no, her processes. Both. She couldn’t dwell on it.

It had taken her hours to move back to the hideout. Every physical movement or teleport alerted those things to her presence. She couldn’t risk a direct recall back to her core. The day had been quiet, the Director sleeping peacefully as night fell, Gelliana completing a few more minor first aid courses. The Entity had to only hope the creatures hadn’t discovered the hideout’s energy signature. There were many more than she anticipated, and infinitely more sensitive to magical fields.

“Gelliana, we must be careful,” she said, appearing in the hideout with a flash. “There are unknown creatures who-”

Her words cut off as SMAL took in the immediate situation. Her previous hopes of finding the hideout as a safe haven were abruptly shattered. Her form faded to become nearly invisible, combat protocols kicking in immediately.

Gelliana was currently holding Toxic in a bear hug, clamping her claws around his mouth as the stallion struggled to speak, eyes clouded with a toxin-induced hallucination. She had him pulled around a rocky corner, hiding them from immediate sight from…

SMAL’s sensors abruptly crashed, the construct forced to rely on primitive sight alone. Whatever it was put off enough distorted magical energy to wash out her more sensitive equipment.

The creature let out a growl, looking this way and that. The serpentine but barrel-like body was propelled by six matching legs, the two most forward having grasping ‘paws’ that could function as hands. The skin was never one color, warping between various shades of blue, red, black, and purple like a chameleon. The head was split nearly in half with monstrous jaws, a dozen eyes flicking over the shelter from their places on both the body and head positions.

“We know you are there…” the creature hissed, forked tongues lashing out to taste the air. SMAL began to dump energy into one of her limbs; enough to fry whatever this thing was in the blink of an eye.

No other creatures alerted her sensors at least in the immediate area of the shelter, so they should have a moment before...

The creature turned, five of its eyes narrowing as it cleared the slight rocky outcropping and stared at Toxic and Gelliana. Its mouth widened into a smile, and then began to spread wider as it lunged forwards to bite.

A blast of energy tore through the creature, the clean hole dripping with magical gore as the stone behind it melted. SMAL prepared another blast, but a swipe from the creature sent her form scattering, chaos energy scrambling her sensitive systems.

Gelliana saw an object to her right, sent skittering across the floor by the creature moments ago.
She just needed time.

Releasing her hold on Toxic, the gryphoness bunched her muscles as Toxic began to babble incoherently, nearly yelling nonsense words as he collapsed to the ground. She jumped across the stone, claws desperately grasping for the piece of metal.

Hang on, Toxic! Use that voice of yours!

The creature abruptly grasped its head in pain, sunken ears assaulted by Toxic’s altered voice. With a disturbing crackle of tendons and bone, the creature’s form shifted, eyes refocusing as its ears vanished, eliminating the constant pain.

Its serpentine form bunching it launched itself towards the prone stallion; Toxic’s cloudy eyes staring at the creature in shock.

Gelliana had heard accounts of where time appeared to slow; but this was different. Time actually did slow, magical sparks running across her claws as she gripped the breastplate.

She didn’t even know how to use it; only that it could help.

Just help me save him!

Her movements feeling like they were being pulled through thick fudge, Gelliana pressed the piece of armor to her breast. Her hindquarters were already bunched, launching her towards the chaos-serpent. If nothing else, at least she could knock it off course…

The fear that threatened to consume the gryphoness abruptly faded, a warm, secure comfort spreading from the top of her head to the tip of Gelliana’s tail. Segments of metal began to spread out from the breastplate, each piece joined together like a dragon’s scaled hide. As she drew back a clawed fist aimed at the creature’s eye, metal whipped its way across her arm. Feathers and fur were hidden under armor, jagged spikes forming along her draw-back forelimb.

Her vision blinked; things abruptly becoming much clearer, her head softly cradled in a metal helmet and crystal visor.

Comparing the energy in her limbs to a caffeine wave couldn’t come close to accurate. Blazing with a pink fire, the lighthouse, wings, and flower engraving on the breastplate vented flames outwards, leyline energy bursting from their depths as the gryphoness adjusted her aim.

GET AWAY FROM HIM!

Time began to speed up again, Gelliana letting out a battle-cry as the creature’s eye began to turn and focus on her, widening in genuine shock.

Three jagged metal spines erupted from the armor around her fist, plunging into the creature’s face as Gelliana threw her entire weight in the strike.

The creature shrieked; face crushed by the now-tripled weight of the gryphoness. It lashed out with a set of claws, metal screeching as it grabbed Gelliana around the waist.

To the gryphoness’s surprise, there was no fear. Just a fire, an anger she had never felt before. The fact her stallion was lying prone behind her defenseless…

Reaching down with her armored claws, Gelliana tore the clawed hand that held her bound in half, the creature letting out a roar of pain. Striking upwards with her fist-spikes, Gelliana’s claws located another item that had been tossed around in the scuffle.

As a blast from the newly-reformed SMAL blew off the creature’s hindquarters, Gelliana twirled the combat knife and buried it up to the hilt in the creature’s skull, giving it a vicious twist and feeling bone snap and crunch.

Why won’t this thing die?!

Gelliana’s eyes widened as the creature began to regrow its damaged parts, hindquarters and all. She jumped onto the creature’s fanged head, barely missing the snapping teeth.

“SMAL! Lightning bolt!” the gryphoness cried out as she grabbed the combat knife and forced it deeper and back towards the creature’s spine.

Immediately understanding, SMAL charged another blast and fired as Gelliana jumped off the creature.

The combat knife served as a perfect lightning rod, SMAL sending increasing amounts of power directly into the nervous system of the chaos-creature; or whatever passed for such a system. It writhed and shrieked only falling still after a good long moment. SMAL kept firing until the creature’s body began to turn to ash until she finally stopped.

“Is it dead?” Gelliana gasped, a flicker of fear returning to her breast as the creature moved. Even with its body burned to a crisp…

“Doubtfully. It shows disturbingly high regenerative abilities. We must leave. Gelliana. I need authorization to take charge of my core,” SMAL stated, a hint of panic in her voice. “I can then operate completely independent of this location.”

“Huh? Yes! Do it! Whatever authorization you need, take it! We need to get out of here, but where?”

SMAL smoothly withdrew her core crystal, placing it where her heart would be with an approving nod.

“Stand close. I will teleport us; grab the packs and affix this to the director…please.” It was clear that SMAL handed over the cloth gag and limb restraints with regret to the gryphoness.

Securing the emergency pack on her back, Gelliana wrapped the gag around Toxic’s mouth, the stallion struggling this way and that despite the restraints. He couldn’t walk; but the restraints at least prevented him from hurting himself or anyone who wanted to help.

“I will carry the Director. His restraints have a quick release if needs be. But we must be quick and quiet,” SMAL directed, Gelliana nodding. “Please follow my lead, Gelliana. I have scouted escape routes with hiding places,” she paused, ears flattening to her skull. “I am asking you to trust me more than you-”

“I trust you, SMAL. Let’s go,” Gelliana interrupted with a tense smile, the artificial mare’s demeanor brightening.

“Thank you. And congratulations, by the way. That armor is most impressive.”

The three creatures vanished, Gelliana having taken a last regretful look at their previously safe haven. She wasn’t sure where they would go now.

Goodbye cave number two.

Reappearing under a series of tree roots, SMAL carefully sent a few energy tendrils out from her body, then nodding in approval. The darkness was only lit by the faint tint of the shield far above them, the stars muted and dimmed.

“We are clear for now. I do not know how long that will last,” she whispered. “We should move towards the exterior of the shield. Have your gas mask at the ready; I will affix it to the Director if needs be. My scans indicate your armor has only basic filtration capacities. Gas levels are stable at miniscule concentrations for the moment.”

They began to creep through the undergrowth, Gelliana’s nerves immediately fraying. The previously lush forest was now grey and dead. The bark was blackened, small bushes seeming to be made of ash.

The gas no doubt.

They traveled in silence for half an hour, no words said other than SMAL reporting things to be all-clear. They then had to pick up the pace; apparently it had taken that long for their incapacitated ‘friend’ to get back in contact and alert the others. Toxic slumped across SMAL’s back like a bag of wet fruit, the dazed stallion clearly not seeing the world around him and only occasionally mumbling through the gag.

“Movement is increasing in the distance. They do not know what direction we have gone; my masking spell has been successful,” SMAL reported softly.

“Odd. Some are staying still. I do not under-” SMAL’s eyes widened, ears perking up as she paused. “Gelliana, I am picking up a signal.”

“From who?” the gryphoness asked looking up at the sky as SMAL smiled.

“Last Light.”

Knife Twist adjusted her armor as Hammer guided the scout ship closer to the looming shield, her squad standing at the ready.

“Once the homing beacon is activated, we won’t have much time,” Hammer relayed. “The SMAL unit should provide us with a pinpoint location, but that can also be seen by the enemy. This is after we blow a hole in their shield. Any questions?”

Nobody spoke; Knife Twist slotting in a knife into its scabbard.

“Then let’s get them. Stand by to breach.”

The ships didn’t even slow down as the blue crystals on the prow began to ignite. Sending a constant stream of leyline energy straight ahead, it dug into the magical shield with ease. The second ship followed suite, the two vessels easily burrowing through the protective barrier and soaring out over the forests.

“No gas detected, and we passed through smoothly,” Hammer stated to both the crew and to Varti, the Yak listening in. “That took much less power than anticipated. Could their shield have weakened over time? No countermeasures detected.”

“Unknown. Just be careful,” the Yak stated.

Knife was immediately on edge. If there was one thing she had learned during her time in the guard, when things went too smoothly, that meant one of two things.

Either they were very, very lucky, or all Tartarus was about to break loose. She hoped it was the former rather than the latter. Hammer seemed to agree; the experienced stallion’s brow furrowed as the ships slowed down slightly.

“Stand by for homing beacon deployment!

Initiating the program from his lab, Varti grit his teeth as he stared at the sensor readouts.

“Come on…” the Yak muttered.

SMAL’s forelimb abruptly lit up, the unit angling it skywards.

“Homing beacon activated. Stand by, Gelliana,” she reported proudly. “It is rather conspicuous, but it is only used when help is….”

The mare’s eyes abruptly widened in horror. Gelliana was about to ask what was wrong, but it was plain as day.

Lit up in the distance across the forest were dozens of other beacons.

“Got it! It is marked on your display. Templars, deploy!” Hammer barked, Knife and her squad smoothly diving off the ship. No sooner had they left the ship than their visors became cluttered with additional signals, each moving around and scrambling the original beacon.

“Hammer, what is this?!” Knife barked, the squad angling their flight to a more dangerous, flat trajectory.

“I…Varti?!” the stallion asked, the Yak’s voice immediately replying.

“It’s a trap.”

Knife looked down towards the nearest beacon, her heart abruptly freezing over.

In a clearing, a conglomeration of…something writhed like a bunch of worms. Odd, black and pink magic sprayed this way and that; it hurt to look at. What Knife was able to see was a large arm rear back.

“Incoming!”

Dodging the thrown projectile, the Thestrel turned to watch it slam into the side of the ship, shields sparking angrily as the magically-coated boulder nearly took off one of the guiding sails.

“You’re being scrambled,” Varti barked. “Get out of there! They are all decoys!”

“We can’t leave Toxic!” Hammer interjected.

“That strike almost took out the ship! I don’t know what they’re lobbing at you, but a scout vessel can’t take it! I can’t tell which beacons are real or not; they’re all being duplicated and spread out. We don’t have the time for me to sift through them all. Pick another one if you must, but then get out of there!”

The ships angled to dodge a volley of boulders, Knife biting the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.

It was a trap.

Angling towards another beacon, the Thestrel quickly veered off; a dozen sets of eyes peering at her as fanged mouths opened eagerly from the dead forest below. One of the creatures held a small metal-bound crystal, the copied beacon radiating skyward from it.

“Back to the ship!” she ordered, dodging one of the now-numerous boulders being hurled from the ground up at them. One of them now connected with the second ship, a piece of side paneling being blown off as the vessel listed slightly. The airships weren’t about to tolerate a one-sided battle, however, as magical blasted tore from crystal projects towards the creatures below.

While the initial volley only burned a few of the monstrosities, the explosive ballistic bolts that followed tore limb from torso and set the forest ablaze.

“Get out of there!” Varti bellowed over the communications array, Knife and her squad tumbling onto the deck.

Hammer sent the ship cutting back towards the shield’s perimeter. Knife’s sharp eyes saw the stallion’s face fall, head hanging in defeat.

Varti shoved the panic down that threatened to consume him. Toxic and Gelliana were out there, amid an enemy that had anticipated a rescue and played them like a fiddle.

His hooves flying over the large keys, the Yak’s eyes narrowed as he depressed a large button, the force causing the crystal to crack.

“Countermeasures activated,” Varti growled.

Let’s see if you anticipated this, you shadow-sucking parasite.

The belly of the two ships abruptly opened, a series of panels being blown out by explosive rivets. Spreading out like maple seeds, the small items spun through the air and abruptly began to spread. No larger than one of the Yak’s hoof-sections, the pieces of crystal fluttered down to the ground with careless abandon.

On impact, the items sank into whatever they touched; rock, soil, or plant matter. Burrowing a forelimb-length down, they quickly vanished from sight.

The other items deployed were not nearly as passive.

Igniting with a thunderous roar, a series of crude rockets sped towards the distant mountain fortress. Noisy and belching black smoke, the extravagant fireworks slammed into the rock wall with seemingly little impact other than a bit of blackened stone.

However, the large crystal sections that the rockets had been carrying burrowed deep into the mountain unnoticed. Only a rapidly-cooling section of stone marked their entrance.

A few other items floated down on small parachutes; crates that settled carefully on the ground below with various supplies. One such crate opened on its own, a softly-glowing crystal abruptly vanishing with a magical *pop*.

Hammer looked at the thousands of sparkling devices with wide eyes, blinking as they dispersed across a huge area beneath them. What in the world were they?!

“Uh, Hammer?” Knife asked, the stallion shrugging.

“I don’t know. I think Varti had something planned, hence the triggers we had.”

A cacophony of pained screeches then met their ears. Pulling up a magnified image from one of the many cameras on the ship, Hammer stared in shock at the scene below. What looked like lightning began to course across sections of the ground, the stallion smirking at the sight.

“Looks like we’re leaving them a parting gift.”

Whenever one of the crystal seeds touched one of the shadow-creatures, it still dug into their mutated bodies, at first without any apparent pain from them. At a remote signal from the Yak, the crystals linked with the leylines, effectively turning into massive relays for raw energy.

Dozens of the creatures writhed on the ground in agony, the energy tearing their forms literally in half before the crystals were ripped out, the devices glowing white-hot from the discharge. Quite a few didn’t regenerate, their bodies burned from the inside-out.

“Lay down some cover fire as you leave, Hammer. Only in areas with the creatures. Give Toxic and Gelliana some chaos to run,” Varti instructed.

“Understood; Knife, your squad handle the ballistae!” Hammer barked, the stallion grabbing what appeared to be a glorified water-balloon launcher.

The satchel of grenades the pony also retrieved abruptly made the launcher significantly more intimidating.

SMAL shut down the beacon, Gelliana starting to hyperventilate.

“T-they…” she stammered, “it was a trap.”

“It appears to be so. We must move, quickly,” SMAL stated, noticing how the fallen crystals simply bounced off her form, as well as Toxic’s and Gelliana’s. With a sudden burst of energy, SMAL’s vision wavered, the mare actually staggering.

“You alright?” Gelliana asked, SMAL nodding and actually smiling. She pointed to the disappearing crystals with a hoof.

“Those are multi-function crystals,” SMAL explained briefly. “Among other things, they can act as sensor relays for my own systems. They give us a chance to evade any threats, letting me see them coming from much farther away. If necessary I can detonate them to take out threats.”

Gelliana gulped, noticing how there were literally thousands of such crystals.

“I mean, that’s good, I think?” she ventured to say, SMAL nodding.

“Very good. It means that Varti had a plan in case this rescue failed. They are giving us as much help as they can, given the circumstances.”

As they quickly trotted along, the distant THUD of explosions was heard; the ships making clear the Organization’s anger was understood. The equally far-away shrieks indicated that even if the creatures weren’t easily killed, they were not happy.

And as long as they were distracted, that was more distance put between the three and them.

SMAL stumbled again; this time her form flashing a soft crimson.

“Uh, SMAL?” Gelliana asked, the mare shaking her head.

“We must keep moving.”

The fact the entity’s form abruptly began to flicker every few moments didn’t ease Gelliana’s nerves, SMAL refusing to elaborate.

However, it was not more than ten minutes than when SMAL abruptly stopped, her ears flicking this way and that.

“We are being hunted, Gelliana,” she said softly, beginning to trot at a faster pace. “Please, follow closely.”

“W-what!?” the gryphoness whispered. The distant growls and howling pricked at the terrifying and primal memories she had. Except now she would have gladly taken Timberwolves over those things.

“The sensor net is picking up dozens of contacts. We cannot outrun them and they likely zeroed in on the rescue beacon,” SMAL stated as they came to a large stream, banks muddy without live vegetation to hold it in place. “I cannot teleport us, as they will track it. The only option is for you both to hide and I will lead them away. Magic cannot conceal us here, not completely, and we cannot fight our way out.”

“H-hide?! Where?” Gelliana asked, fear now threatening to paralyze her. It was too much, too fast…

SMAL set Toxic down, gesturing to the muddle shoreline.

“I will lead them away with an illusion spell; I do not know if I can return. I will try to give you as much time as possible,” she explained. “There are small holes along this bank- hide there!”

Sketching a rune on the ground, SMAL tapped it and made sure it was glowing before it faded.
“That will prevent them using magic from locating you in this area, but that is all I can risk.” The mare was actually now appearing nervous, ears and eyes darting across the dark, dead forest.

“Just keep him calm. I…” SMAL said, words failing her. “I do not have other options. All I can do is try to lead them away. I do not know how long that will last.”

A strange calm settled over Gelliana. It wasn’t a happy sort of calm, but a clear, urgent sense of what had to be done, along with a nagging melancholy. There was no argument; there was only one option.

“Thank you, SMAL,” Gelliana said softly, hauling Toxic over towards the riverbank. There was one last question on her mind, however. “You’re, you’re not ok, are you?”

SMAL’s eyes widened, her gaze then drifting to the ground.
“I am not,” she admitted softly, “The contact from the chaos-creature has destabilized my energy matrix and the errors are becoming exponential. I do not know how long I can remain cohesive to act as a diversion.”

Gelliana’s beak quivered. Even if she didn’t understand the technical aspects, she could read between the lines.

“Well, SMAL, if we don’t meet again for…a while, it was nice having a friend here. Thank you, for everything,” Gelliana said with a genuine smile.

SMAL looked up at her, eyes wide and flickering with genuine emotion.
“You are welcome. It…was nice having a friend,” she said softly, the mare then galloping off. With a flash of magic, her form split into two. Gelliana watched as ‘she’ carried Toxic off in the distance at a rapid pace. Hopefully, the illusion would hold.

Hang in there, SMAL. I don’t want to lose you, and I don’t mean as only a helpful golem.

The previously-clear sky was now dark, a light rain starting to fall.

Gelliana’s sharp ears could pick up movement getting closer, and that made her task all the more urgent.

How to hide…

It only took a moment to realize the holes in the immediate area were far too small, at least initially. Created by a large rodent or badger most likely, long since abandoned or worse. But…

Gelliana quickly excavated one of the holes amidst the mud under some dead tree roots. Placing the barely-conscious pony inside, she covered his eyes with a scrap of cloth before then burying the stallion until only his nose and mouth was visible. Expanding the remnants of the hole, Gelliana scooted in next to the buried pony, shoving her pack to the side as she scooped up wet mud to cover herself. At least she had a visor, but that was mostly covered by mud.

Soon, all that remained visible was the barest hint of clear crystal and the mouth and nose of a stallion, the long tree roots hanging over them as the howls crew louder, almost sounding like a bunch of wolves baying for blood.

Then it stopped. All Gelliana could hear was her heart thudding in her ears along with the rain smacking into the ground.

Without so much as a hint of sound, a serpentine body slithered down from the bank, carefully examining the surroundings. Three more creatures appeared from the dark, rainy atmosphere, slowly searching this way and that.

They were trapped.

Author's Note

Well, looks like things are picking up to say the least!

Chapter Thirty Five: Fire

“NO!”

The metal platform cracked as Pick slammed his hoof down onto the floor, tears springing to his eyes. The stallion on the viewscreen hung his head, shaking it slowly. Hammer’s own jaw was clenched as he spoke.

“I’m sorry. We are en-route back now.”

“Use the emergency recall portals,” the Fleet Commander hissed.

Hammer’s eyes narrowed, the stallion’s mouth turning up into a determined smirk.
“Yes, Sir. And our orders?”

Pick’s limbs began to tremble with rage, a dangerous glint now in his eyes.
“Return and re-arm!”

“Yes, Sir!”

As the screen shut off, Pick’s right ear flickered as he heard a soft *pop* of magic, Fide appearing next to him.

“Is my brother still safe? Gelliana?” he asked, the entity not meeting his gaze.

“I cannot say. You know this.”

Fide drew back slightly as the fearless unicorn turned towards her, meeting her gaze without a hint of fear.

“Fine, then help me. Help us!” the unicorn-golem’s eyes narrowed to slits, “Or at least give me permission to use your leylines!”

To his surprise, the mare’s mouth twitched upwards.
“Now, that I can do.”

Fide reappeared in the underground lab, a spike of emotion making her heart ache. It was a common thing around her friend she had found. These…waves of emotion for a mortal.

“Yes, Fide?”

Varti’s voice was unchanged but his fur was still damp from angry tears that had leaked from his eyes. Three viewscreens were smashed, a large battle-axe embedded in a fourth. The sight caused Fide’s eyes to widen ever so slightly.

“Tell me, did you know about all of this?” Varti asked, Fide immediately shaking her head.

“About the trap? Those…things?”

Varti nodded.

“No. I had no such knowledge, not in full,” Fide affirmed. “I knew He had been creating monstrous things, but I was not aware of how deep his abominations violated our rules. I had no knowledge of the trap either. It is why I am aiding Pick Shield directly. Well…not directly.”

Managing a smile, Varti nodded in approval.
“Thank you, Fide,” he admitted. “I know there are rules you most operate under so we can win this war. But to know you were caught off guard as well makes me feel a bit less inadequate.”

The Yak’s shoulder’s slumped, a cloven hoof stamping down in frustration.
“I can’t go there myself,” he whispered, “as much as I want to. I can fight, but we can’t leave the island completely empty. Besides, this is my battlefield.” The Yak gestured to the viewscreens, the ones that were not shattered at least.

“Pick Shield intends to be on the front lines. He is…unique for a unicorn,” Fide mused.

“You just now are realizing this?” Varti chuckled. “With his history, I’m surprised you didn’t anticipate his response. He’s not about to let Toxic go without a fight.”

The Yak paused, slowly beginning to unplug and replace the shattered screens with spares brought in by the ever-present security golems.
“I don’t think you understand how driven Pick is,” Varti said softly. “Are you aware of what happened? The specifics of how he knows Toxic?”

“I know they are brothers, so I assumed they know each other well. My sister is the one who monitored the specifics,” Fide replied, ears perked up in curiosity.

“Brothers, yes. But it’s not just that. The attack that would have killed Pick a decade ago? Well, perhaps you already knew this, but it was the same organization that we now fight. Back then, it was a crude, early version of the gas they now use,” Varti explained. “But the fact they used Pick as bait. They wanted to see if Toxic would be affected or killed. They cared little for collateral damage. They knew he would be the first to respond when the initial aid creatures collapsed. And they knew he would be the one to hold Pick as he struggled for breath. They’ve been trying to get rid of Toxic for some time, and not just with a physical attack.”

Fide’s jaw clenched ever so slightly at that. If not for Gelliana’s intervention, she wasn’t entirely sure what mental state Toxic would now be in. Her sister must have been working rather hard indeed to keep the balance.

“Pick is one of the few creatures who knows what Toxic is truly going through. How his work is killing him,” Varti said, the last few words forced out between clenched teeth. “And to realize he was used to bring harm to Toxic? I cannot fully grasp how Pick must feel. He and I are some of the few who have seen Toxic get worn down. Luna knows a bit about this, but it has been going on since before her return.”

Varti tapped a few keys, the replacements screens flashing as security feeds were pulled up.
“And now, some Shadow-King wants to kill Pick’s brother once and for all,” Varti said calmly, voice carrying a knife’s-edge, “and just laid a trap, expecting a rescue. Pick’s plan was used as bait to draw out Toxic. From the brief transmission I got from the SMAL unit, their location was compromised before it went silent. We don’t know if they are safe. I know that we don’t have much time. We may have given them some more resources, but they’re still in grave danger.”

“Varti. Begin pre-flight diagnostics,” Pick’s voice called out from one of the many speakers, Varti tapping another set of keys.

“Diagnostics started. We should be fully loaded as they finish baring any issues.”

“Perfect.”

As Varti began to type various commands, Fide noticed how the furry Yak’s shoulders began to shake, his hoof movements slowing.
“We were so close,” he whispered, head hanging in defeat. “And now a final gamble. If this fails, I do not know what…”

The Yak stiffened as a limb draped over his shoulders, Fide giving a decent, but tad awkward side-hug.

He didn’t respond at first; gears grinding to a halt. Of the things he expected from her, this wasn’t one of them. He also hadn’t realized how much he had needed such a simple gesture of comfort.

“Thank you, Fide,” he finally said.

“This is what friends do, yes?” she asked, withdrawing the limb and actually looking a bit unsure of herself.

Varti couldn’t help but chuckle, nodding once.
“Indeed, they do. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

The leyline entity smirked at that.
“Mortals are so predictable.”

Fide was forced to promptly eat her words as Varti moved with surprising speed, wrapping her up in a brief hug. For a creature made of energy, she felt surprisingly real; the armor not having a metal-like texture at all. Perhaps it was cosmetic most of the time?

“So, I assume you saw that coming?” he teased, releasing the armored mare and turning back to his screens.

The leyline mare was rendered genuinely speechless, mouth working as words failed to materialize. Varti didn’t miss that her cheeks were markedly pink, Fide finally letting out a frustrated huff between pursed lips.

“Naturally,” she said calmly even though Varti heard her voice waver a bit more than normal. “I will go check on the preparations.”

Fide didn’t vanish immediately, instead seeming to look over Varti to make sure he was alright. The fact he caught her doing so immediately made her vanish, eyes widening briefly.

Varti couldn’t help but now laugh. It was a secret he would take to his grave (at least for now,) but he had confirmed one of his hypotheses.

Hypothesis: Fide was not as removed from the usual mortal experiences as she appeared; primarily, emotions.

New data: The soft squeak she had let out during that hug had been one of the most adorable sounds Varti had ever heard, second only to his daughter discovering the taste of cotton candy.

Conclusion: Certain Leyline entities were, underneath the armor and scowling, still creatures with feelings.

Hearing a soft *pop* of magic, Varti couldn’t help but smile, even amid all of the tense preparations.

“Back so soon?” he asked without looking.

“I am more efficient at checking things than most. There is not much change from the previous update,” Fide grumbled.

“So, translation, you got bored?”

Fide seemed to shift uncomfortably, the Yak noticing how one of her forelimbs reached over to rub the other as if nervous. She had been much more open with such gestures since they had been talking; something he appreciated.

“I…”

No, not bored. The Yak realized as Fide’s words trailed off, trains of thought coming together with an obnoxiously obvious conclusion.

“You’re worried,” he said softly, Fide not meeting his gaze. The usual confidence she radiated was subdued, her ears flat against her skull. She didn’t respond to his words, eyes darting across the floor as she tried to process her emotions. Varti simply nodded to himself as he typed.

“Well. We can be worried together then.”

Varti saw her glance up at his words, a surge of emotion behind her eyes for a brief moment before she averted her gaze again. It was a simple message behind the look, spoken from someone who didn’t know how to process life with all its emotions. As a result, they had distanced themselves from it; that was Varti’s thought at least.

But the look in Fide’s eyes was a familiar one, and so Varti hoped his guess was correct. Such a simple phrase that spoke volumes as Fide scooted a bit closer to sit next to the Yak, the two of them looking over the security feeds.

Thank you.

The Bringer chuckled, looking out over the forest as a shadowy figure smirked in the darkness of the cave.

“They are on the run. We will have them soon enough. They cannot hide forever,” the Shadow King stated. “Even with their countermeasures; those annoyances will not last.”

“We know their general location. The Organization will no doubt attempt another rescue,” the Bringer cautioned.

“Of course, but that is when we crush them. Take as many creatures and resources as you need to make sure they don’t bother us again, and deploy the gas at maximum concentrations,” the King remarked dismissively, the other gryphon grinning.

Letting him have any asset was a widespread order indeed.

It had been hours.

The rain had stopped, and Gelliana hadn’t seen the creatures for about two hours, as best as she could check. Darkness still shrouded the streambank, a damp mist taking place of the previous rainstorm.

Gelliana’s eyes flickering over to where Toxic was. He had begun to shift slightly but thankfully the restraints made sure he couldn’t move too much. Most likely for the better; he still appeared to be unconscious.

Having an idea, Gelliana carefully snaked a set of claws through the mud until she could feel his hoof, the gryphoness promptly holding it. Thankfully, there wasn’t any response from the pony.

As the night wore on, Gelliana felt her eyes becoming heavy, exhaustion replacing the adrenaline that was now leaving her system. As she was starting to nod off, a shifting of movement brought her back to full wakefulness.

Toxic’s breathing quickened, the stallion abruptly moving as he tried to see- then stopping as Gelliana gave his hoof a tight squeeze. His hyperventilating slowed, but the gryphoness could feel his limb trembling as he gripped her claws back.

Of all the times for him to wake up; blind, deaf, and buried…

Over the next few minutes, she gave her stallion’s hoof a squeeze, and he’d return the gesture in kind. Moving wasn’t an option, not for a while. The creatures would be searching, and SMAL still hadn’t come back. Without her anti-tracking spells, the creatures would easily follow muddy footprints. Thankfully the rain had washed away any scent or other prints long ago.

So, here they stayed. But Gelliana had an idea to stay at least a bit busy, now that Toxic was awake. They couldn’t communicate; even magic was out of the option lest they be discovered, and that was outside of Toxic still wearing the inhibitor around his horn.

Over the next forty or so minutes she shifted her body this way and that, slowly creating a larger hole in the mud behind the initial wall of material. During the process, she wondered how to get the armor to go back into just a breastplate and helmet; and apparently that had been the key for it to do so with a soft *pop* of blue sparks. Her limbs now having traded metal for mud, were more easily manipulated to create a larger and larger hole next to the gryphoness’s body.

Slowly but surely, Gelliana increased the wall of mud in front of them and under the tree roots, giving them a space to at least breath. It wasn’t big enough for either of their bodies; but it didn’t have to be.

Reaching over with a limb, Gelliana carefully tugged Toxic closer. Only a few small movements at a time, making sure the wet mud had time to backfill and create a natural layer. But after another twenty minutes or so, she had pulled the stallion’s head into the newly-created space next to her right forelimb. The final movement had been quick, making sure his nose and mouth weren’t covered completely by mud.

Using her dexterous rear paws, Gelliana pulled her pack up to her side, fishing out a muddy but manageable canteen.

Wiping off the majority of the mud on her claws, the gryphoness carefully lifted Toxic’s cloth eye guards to see if he was himself, their heads nearly touching in the small space.

A familiar clear green eye looked back at her, palpable joy and relief emanating from the simple gaze, the stallion nodding once, the message clear.

‘I’m me. Sane at least.’

Still not saying anything, Gelliana took out the muddy gag from Toxic’s mouth and offered the canteen, the pair sharing some sips of water silently after the gryphoness removed Toxic’s forelimb restraints.

As she stowed the muddy item away, Gelliana abruptly found Toxic resting his head on her claws, the pony shivering slightly.

The pleading look in his eyes was enough for the gryphoness to understand; reaching up her claws to rest against his cheek comfortingly. The stallion’s quivering sides were another reminder that even her brave knight had his limits; and those had been reached long ago.

I can’t imagine how scared he must have been…

The stallion’s muddy ears twitched, Gelliana hearing something as well. Her silent pleas for a reprieve went unanswered as a familiar creature slunk along the river bank. The gryphoness’s only comfort was that its multi-eyed gaze drifted clearly across their muddy hovel and continued on without so much of a second thought.

Toxic reached over to grab the gag, shoving it into his mouth as his sides began to shake. His eyes began to cloud, the stallion trying to put his forelimbs back into the metal restraints.

Gelliana helped him get the devices locked back in, her heart crying out in pain at the horrific situation of it all. Taking out the gag briefly, she washed it with a bit of water before carefully affixing it back, Toxic’s hoof shaking as she held it tight.

Bound, gagged, and having to hide…

As her stallion’s usual gaze faded into the cloudy never-never land of hallucinations, Gelliana managed to reach over and rest her forehead against his, hoping the message would get through.

I’ll be here when you wake up.

It was only after Toxic drifted off that Gelliana took out two items from her pack, wiping the containers at least somewhat clean. Now that SMAL wasn’t here they couldn’t take any chances. Her helmet was giving a warning; something about the air. It was a simple symbol, but it was slowly getting brighter.

It was a simple matter to affix the gas mask to both herself and Toxic, the latter still carefully having a gag in place. Gelliana wasn’t sure if her armor’s helmet would filter the gas, and she couldn’t take a chance. She could smell cleaner air with the Organization’s mask; so that must be a good thing.

The muddy space was silent aside from their silent breaths. It was perhaps a boon that it continued to rain; the mud around their shelter would stay cool and damp. The last thing they needed were those creatures having heat-sensitive vision.

Gelliana shivered at that thought. She didn’t even want to linger on that, lest she tempt fate. Silence pervaded their area once again, but after about fifteen minutes, the air definitely looked darker, any ambient light being drowned out.

The toxic gas now visibly flowed across the ground, easily pooling in their shelter but not seeming to be heavy per se. It flowed in and out with every slight gust of wind. From what she learned, that wasn’t either a good or bad thing. The good news is that it wouldn’t pool in lower places like their makeshift mud-hole. The bad news is that it meant the gas just spread everywhere.

Gelliana forced herself to take slow breaths, trusting in the heavy filters of the mask of which they had ample backups. Toxic had helped her practice using the equipment; she at least knew what not to do. Mainly, hyperventilate and panic. The filters worked, they knew this, and the gryphoness knew when and how to change them thanks to a simple spell.

But now, all she could do was wait. The gryphoness held on to her unconscious stallion’s hoof tightly, wishing he could wake up.

Her silent please were only met with silence.

They tried to rescue us once, they’ll try again. I just have to hold out until then.

SMAL watched as the creatures fled past her in the gaseous air, following a carefully-laid false trail that would eventually split into two directions.

Carefully hidden in the top of a tree, the golem breathed a mental sigh of relief. After hours of running, hiding, and, in one unfortunate case, blasting the face off one of those things, she was free. She had to monitor the horde’s progress lest they turn back, however. They seemed to follow the highest concentrations of gas, definitely strengthened by it.

The more time she could give the Director and Gelliana the better.

Questions flowed from her various adaptive programs, questions and thoughts she didn’t have answers to. Internal dialogues to which she had never been programed ebbed and flowed.

Are they safe?

What is the status of the rescue ships?

Did the emergency transmission get through?

Could I have done anything more?

The last question made the entity pause, her transparent brow furrowing. There it was again, the use of ‘I’.

She was programed to imitate life and emotion. Why was this so difficult to understand? That was a question SMAL had the answer to at least. The answer, however, was more unsettling than the question.

I can feel.

She wasn’t sure when or how it happened. Perhaps the repeated interference from the leyline mare had destabilized her core more than she thought. Perhaps the weeks of being activated were making her processes over-adapt. Whatever the case, programmed responses for stimuli were now replaced with something else. A nudge towards what would be ‘correct’, and then another option.

In short, SMAL summarized, she had developed the ability to choose. Would she utilize the programmed response, or the other option or options? Time would tell ideally. But for now, she had to ensure the safety of the Director and Gelliana. That was her primary purpose and directive.

And I do not know if they are safe. I must circle around t-

Her entire body flashed red, the entity stumbling as SMAL’s crystal core bounced in her ethereal chest. Errors clouded her thoughts as a horrifying sense of sickness washing over her. There was no other word for it; a wrongness in every fiber of her programming.

She continued to move at a steady pace; such a feeling wasn’t new to her. Errors had been slowly accumulating, far past what SMAL was able to purge herself. The strike from the chaos-creature had done something to her energy matrix, throwing everything out alignment. The energy-charged gas they were immersed in seemed to accelerate the process.

The usual self-diagnostic and repair programs were unresponsive. The errors continued, the destabilizing of her entire core quickly accelerating.

Will I even be able to make it back?

Her form nearly invisible she trotted through the undergrowth; the mare staggered once again. Another overwhelming feeling, one she couldn’t pin down. It resonated the most around what Gelliana had said last.

I had a friend.

Her simulated emotions had long since been a dedicated core process, but they now activated on their own. Senses of something disrupted SMAL’s thoughts. No, she knew this emotion.

Longing.

Ever since the errors had begun, this sensation had occurred many, many times at increasing intensity. On every inquiry to her database, every lesson to Gelliana, every moment at seeing the gryphoness and the Director together…

It was a constant reminder to the entity that she was unique, a prototype that was likely broken beyond repair. That thought alone sparked many feelings, most of which SMAL couldn’t name. She focused on one thing, however. Her primary purpose was to help them; she was the only one who could.

And yet there was no-one to help her. SMAL’s own self-supportive systems had long since failed, overwhelmed by the errors and new code. Self-repair protocols were completely useless against the mountain of errors she found herself buried in.

But now she hadn’t been alone, even for a moment.

I made a friend.

The entity continued to walk, but now her visual mediums began to blur.

I am programmed to cry to simulate an empathetic response.
But I did not activate that code? Why…

A friend. A simple concept that SMAL understood logically but at the same time, did not. And yet Gelliana’s words had eased that sense of longing. It was fascinating to SMAL how such a relationship between individuals could work. Gelliana and the Director were of completely different species.

And yet the gryphoness thought nothing of defending Toxic with her life. And now she called SMAL a friend.

I may be unique, but I do not have to be alone. That is a nice thought.

Another stumble, her core flashing a soft red. All of SMAL’s inputs became flooded with errors, the world turning black for a moment.

She forced her way through the cacophony of disruptive code, moving each limb step by step. Eventually, however, that became impossible.

I am sorry, Gelliana.

Her processes began to shut down, the core crystal now falling to the forest floor with a soft ‘thump’ as her ethereal form vanished. All SMAL was left with was an encroaching darkness and the waterfall of error codes. And yet there was a strange peace as she looked down at her hooves, a virtual ‘self’ that was present when residing in her core and not projected outwards. A massive, barely-visible room of grey and black darkness.

Is this what it is like to die? To not just cease but slowly fade?

There was fear; she could categorize that emotion as her final peripheral sensors went offline. But there was something else, a warmth that somehow made some of the errors clear.

I helped my friends as best as I could; I only wish I could have done more.
Take care of the Director, Gelliana. I am happy to have had you as a friend.

All of her senses now began to register errors, her thoughts fading one at a time. And yet one still remained, one that SMAL clung to as an odd, drowsy sense made her virtual sense yawn.

Am I alive?

Perhaps she had finally discovered the answer.

Time lost all sense of passage. The slow shutdown of systems became slower and slower, a triage from various systems to preserve SMAL as long as possible. She was drifting in and out of what must be a form of sleep, her virtual pony form curled up on a floor of black nothingness.

At least it doesn’t hurt.

The odd ‘sky’ above her began to flash with errors, a static-ridden message punching through in red text.

Automatic shutdown commencing.
Ten minutes remaining of cohesive processing. Re-activation not guaranteed.
Nine.
Eight.
S-s-seven.
Sixsixsix.
Fi-i-i-ve.
Fourrrrrrr.
Th-

SMAL’s peaceful departure was abruptly shattered. All of her senses ignited with a bright, white light that flooded out all else. There were no thoughts, no errors; just an abrupt awareness.

I am not gone? She thought, SMAL’s program registering a massive energy spike throughout every core system.

I’m alive?

The same drowsiness from before returned. Yet accompanying it was the oddest sense of safety as a voice echoed through her programming, her mind. It was heard in all of her senses; both exterior sensors and internal data feeds.

In a way, it was an answer to her question. The voice was comforting, smooth and reassuring. It matched no data records and yet it seemed familiar. At the same time, SMAL picked up emotion within it. Not simulated like her programing, but wavering with every syllable on the subliminal level. And whoever it was, they were happy.

“You’re not dying tonight, SMAL.”

SMAL felt her physical core being picked up and carried at a rapid pace, her systems beginning to slip into a healthy standby status. The error codes were gone; an odd sense of peace pervading SMAL’s mind. She had no idea how clouded her thought processes had been until all of it was clear.

Gelliana…the Director. They must be warned. She thought. But her communications were offline; how could she warn whoever this was? Were they a threat? Toxic and Gelliana were still out there, they needed to-

“Please let your systems go into standby. We are en-route to assist the Director and Gelliana. I cannot enact additional repairs while you are active.”

The words forced SMAL to react, the mare pushing through the standby status and activating a portion of her form outside of the crystal core.

Looking up, a flurry of sensations stirred in SMAL; ones she couldn’t place. All she knew is that the sight made her simulated emotions run wild.

Carrying her core in a magical grip, an armored gryphon blurred through the undergrowth, bright silver eyes looking down at her.

What shocked SMAL the most was that a crystal core floated in the gryphon’s chest, identical to her own.

What?

“My name is CESAL,” the gryphon said softly, voice echoing through both her auditory sensors and SMAL’s mind. “I am here to help,” the masculine voice then paused, eyes narrowing in determination and an excited grin. “I chose to help.”

The entity’s final words bounced around SMALs’ mind as her systems would not be refused any longer, sending her into standby. CESAL last words had SMAL both utterly perplexed, but at the same time, ignited an odd sense of hope.

‘Chose’ to help?

“Anything else?” Celestia asked, the mare then taking a deep breath and letting it out as slowly as she could. “Very well, thank you.”

The messenger departed, leaving Luna, Shifting and Nacreous staring at the tabletop map with furrowed brows.

“There has been activity, but the Organization is still not answering our inquiries,” Shifting muttered, “and, as we just heard, there was a disturbance within the Shadow King’s claimed territory.”

“They are trying to rescue them.”

Luna’s words made everycreature turn to look at the mare, the tired princess shaking her head.
“They will not tell us unless all else fails. Equestria cannot be drawn into this, not with the threat against us.”

“To which end….?” Celestia began, Shifting then raising a hoof.

“We have various plans in place for that. We are trying to fortify our infrastructure, but if I’m being honest, I don’t even know if we can trust the individuals who run the water treatment plants with this information. So, we have to be discreet.”

“I assume you have a solution?”

“Well, usually contractors handle security and any upgrades, be it construction or otherwise,” Shifting said innocently. “And as a matter of fact, I believe there are some lesser-known companies definitely not operated by a certain Organization that could aid us in pest removal. Our deal with the Shadow King speaks nothing of what we do within our own borders to our infrastructure.”

Celestia couldn’t hold back a smirk at that.
“Do what you have to do, Commander. Just get our infrastructure clear of any pests. Aggressive and permanent removal is preferred.”

“Understood, Highness.”

After Luna and Shifting began to discuss ‘pest control’ options, Celestia and Nacreous took their leave for a bit of a break. Meandering the halls, the Princess forced herself to have a moment of actual joy in the day, relaxing in the arms of her fiancé.

“You haven’t been saying much,” she whispered, a deep chuckle making her head vibrate as Celestia leaned on Nacreous’s chest.

“I haven’t had much to say,” he admitted. “This is more your fight than mine. My province is still cleaning up the mess from the Windigos and we are not equipped to fight this sort of war. They are still trying to shift our production to non-windigo weapons, but that takes time.”

“I know, but I meant in general.”

Nacreous let out a huff at that.
“This is one of those times that anything I say may not necessarily be helpful, outside of interjecting ideas and opinions. You have enough creatures telling you things. There aren’t nearly enough who are staying quiet and listening to what you need,” he paused, hugging the Princess a bit tighter. “And I think right now, you need moments like this more than ever.”

Celestia had to force herself from dozing off. Nacreous’s feathers were obnoxiously soft.

Gloriously soft.

“And if you need a pillow for a nap, I’m here for that purpose too.”

She couldn’t help but draw back with a roll of her eyes, poking his chest with a hoof.
“You are far too good at knowing when I need a hug,” she admitted. “Thank you, Nacreous.”

“Anytime, Sunspots.”

Feeling a bit more like herself, Celestia and Nacreous finally separated, making their way out of the empty hall and back towards the war-room (or rather, war rooms,) of the castle.

Opening one of the doors, the entrance caused a stallion to let out a startled squeak, magical grip spasming and sending papers scattering as he struggled to pick them up.

“Ap-p-pologies, Princess! Emperor!” Wire Strip stammered, the flustered pony finally collecting the items enough for a brief bow.

“No worries at all, Wire. How are you doing?” Celestia asked kindly, the jumpy pony managing a shrug that didn’t really match his nervous demeanor.

“I mean, I still get magical scans every week, and the interviews weren’t t-that bad,” he admitted. “Just, it takes some getting used to. The fact I could be influenced by some freaky shadow.” The stallion then gestured to the papers held in a magical grip. “I don’t mean to be rude, but the communications have been spotty, I’m trying to get the frequencies to align…”

“Of course, we won’t keep you,” Celestia replied, “I’m glad to hear you are doing alright.”

Wire paused, his ears then drooping.
“May I ask if we know if Toxic is alright?” he ventured. “We usually play chess. Not too often, but he is…nice to talk to.”

“I wish I could tell you, Wire,” Celestia admitted. “All I can say is that we’re trying to make sure he gets home safe and sound.”

Wire nodded, seeming a bit despondent as he then trotted off.

As the pony continued on his path, the Princess shook her head sadly. The close call Wire had, along with the subsequent scans and interviews to ensure he wasn’t continually affected clearly put the poor pony on edge. Of course, Celestia couldn’t blame him. That, along with losing clearly a friend…

“C’mon, Sunspots. Now isn’t the time to dwell too deeply on things,” Nacreous said softly, his sides bumping Celestia’s. “Caring for others is one of the many things I love about you. But remember to keep a bit of a distance.”

“I did tell you to remind me of that, didn’t I?” Celestia sighed. To her surprise, as soon as they were alone, Nacreous quickly reached over to wrap her up in rather passionate kiss; one that made the flustered mare’s wings flare.

“Mmm. But not too much distance I would hope,” he grinned, then sauntering off down the hallway as Celestia glared at him, a smile quickly dawning on the mare's face as she made her way to another meeting.

You always know how to brighten my day...Thank you, Nacreous.

Author's Note

Chapter Thirty Six: Kaleidoscope

Gelliana woke up to sunlight.

The rays filtered through the holes in their mud shelter, the gryphoness stifling a groan. She must have dozed off; limbs stiff from still being buried in mud.

I need a shower. We both need a shower.

Being stuck in the mud for more than half a day brought quite a few less-than-pleasant issues to the fore; but it was either that or be eaten.

The creatures had returned at multiple times during the night under the cover of the gas. Gelliana had only fallen asleep in stints; the last break having been a few hours since seeing one of the monsters.

Toxic was out cold, most likely for the better. He had woken up a few times during the night but only for brief stints. They couldn’t talk, not with those things roaming about. A simple touch, a squeeze of her stallion’s hoof, or resting her muddy claws on the pony’s cheek was all Gelliana could spare.

And yet that seemed to be enough, Toxic seeming less and less fearful every time he came out of the unconscious slumber. His symptoms were still severe; shakes and shivering violently in waves whenever he was lucid. Neither of them had eaten much other than carefully taking bites of a ration bar here and there in their muddy hovel.

Gelliana frowned, Toxic now stirring rather violently. Spasming this way and that, muffled noises even reached through the gag. It wasn’t in a controlled manner; he was most definitely still asleep.

And yet now Gelliana had a different idea, one that was both good, and potentially bad at the same time.

They couldn’t move and she had to keep Toxic quiet. If he got any louder…

Reaching into the pack Gelliana withdrew a muddy crystal, placing it on Toxic’s spasming forelimb.

I hope this works.

SMAL had only briefly explained the crystal in one of their many ‘lesson’ sessions. There was an emergency exit function so Gelliana wouldn’t get trapped inside a dream, along with a constant clock function. Along with that, there wasn’t any way the user could actually be harmed. From what Gelliana understood, she could try to influence things in a positive manner, similar to how Princess Luna guided potential nightmares away.

All said and done, it was rather safe, a self-contained bubble of dream magic. But it was still unknown, and unfortunately, they were out of options. Gelliana could try and hold Toxic’s mouth shut or re-gag him, but she was exhausted.

Dream-crystal it is.

Tapping the item, Gelliana took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind as best as she could. With a surprisingly natural flow of magic, her vision faded for a moment before reappearing.

Huh.

There was no abrupt yanking into the dream realm, nor a hugely noticeable physical change. One moment she was looking at Toxic’s forelimb and crystal, the next, at a grassy floor, her body able to move freely.

She couldn’t help but fluff her feathers; it was a pleasurable feeling beyond words even if in a dream ‘self’.

Shower is desperately needed. Now where…

The grassy field Gelliana made her way through was surrounded by darkness. Black trees rising up to the sky where a large clock slowly ticked away. It didn’t seem to pass any faster or slower here in the dream realm; likely due to the magic.

That will make things easier. I can pop out and check to see how we’re doing. Just need to keep Toxic quiet and help him break from whatever nasty thing he’s dreaming about.

The gryphoness steeled herself for that. There was no filter; she would see the nightmare in full force even if it couldn’t physically harm her.

The prospect of seeing the horrors her stallion had to endure was daunting, but she kept walking forward regardless. Even if their lives weren’t at stake, she’d try this method regardless.

I know you’d do the same for me, Tox.

The scene abruptly changed. Grass was still underneath Gelliana’s claws, but the view ahead was the opposite of a rustic field. The white, sterile walls of a hospital greeted Gelliana, her eyes narrowing as she heard sobbing.

Walking through the only door in the hallway, the gryphoness froze. Slumped in front of a hospital bed, Toxic’s demeanor was that of utter defeat. What made Gelliana pause, however, was that her face stared back, her own form lying in the bed.

“I thought you loved me,” dream-Gelliana sighed, the feathers on her face abruptly falling out. “And this is how you repay me. How could I ever have loved someone like you?”

Toxic’s shoulders shook with sobs at that.

“You did this to me, Toxic. And after-”

“HEY!”

The entire room spasmed, the scene freezing as Toxic turned around, tears streaming down his face. Gelliana’s wings were flared protectively, the gryphoness walking over and glaring at the dream mock-up.

“Get away from him,” she hissed, “I would never say that! You’re just fear; you’re not me!”

The dream-form abruptly fragmenting into shreds, vanishing on an invisible wind as Gelliana took a moment to regain her focus. Seeing the distressing scene had pricked at her heart more than the gryphoness had thought possible.

This is one of your nightmares, Tox? You told me how it’s a worry, hurting the ones you love.

“Gells?”

Turning around to wrap Toxic up in a hug, Gelliana nodded.
“I’m here, Toxic. The real me.”

Tentatively returning the gesture, Toxic then hugged Gelliana in an iron grip. Burying his face into her feathers, his sides heaved before the pony could get himself under control.

“You’re here, not a dream?”

“Well, yes a dream. But I am actually here,” Gelliana clarified. “I used the dream crystal. You were being noisy; I needed you to be quiet so we can stay hidden.”

Toxic nodded, taking a few deep breaths as he separated reluctantly from Gelliana.
“Oh, ok, that makes sense,” he murmured, the gryphoness managing a smile.

“I mean, we can still hug if you want. It’s nice to feel clean after an entire day in mud.”

The innocent statement made Toxic smile as he nodded in agreement. He apparently decided to take her up on the offer and leaned into her embrace again.

“And Tox?” Gelliana whispered after a few moments of enjoying her special somepony’s embrace.

“Hmm?”

“I’d never say that to you. Ever.”

It took a moment for the stallion to register what Gelliana was talking about. But when it did, he took a surprised breath and simply hugged her closer. She rocked him back and forth, once again treasuring the fact that he was so willing to show how vulnerable he was at times.

Toxic’s breathing and posture relaxed, but that abruptly changed as he reluctantly pulled away from the hug. The sound of hooves echoed through the dream-scape, the stallion letting out a growl.

“Oh, not this again,” he hissed. “I can’t ever break it. It’s like a foal’s nightmare chasing you down a hallway.”

“What is it?” Gelliana asked, noticing how Toxic refused to meet her gaze.

“It’s-just don’t let her get close to me.”

To the gryphoness’s surprise, Celestia walked through the door.

“You know that I don’t have a choice in this matter,” she said softly, a syringe levitated in her magical grip.

“This is a dream. You have no power of me here,” Toxic growled, still moving to the opposite side of the hospital bed.

“Perhaps. But you know as well as I do that this is inevitable,” ‘Celestia’ replied, “I cannot allow you to die. Equestria cannot allow it.”

“So, you’d force that fate on me?!” Toxic snarled, “I know you have backup plans! Even if this is just my fears, I know this isn’t just my imagination! You still haven’t found a replacement for me, have you?!”

“I have not.”

Having stayed quiet, Gelliana now moved quickly. Jumping onto one of the hospital chairs, she snatched the syringe out of the air, landing on the bed. With a swift motion, she shattered the container against the floor, glaring at the dream-Celestia.

“Get out. Toxic and I have things to talk about,” she said, the gryphoness’s anxiety flaring as ‘Celestia’ stared her down.

Not Celestia.
It’s not her.

It still made Gelliana want to burrow under a pile of pillows. She just back-talked the Princess.

‘Celestia’ abruptly nodded and left, Toxic staring at Gelliana in surprise.

“Wow, Gells.”

“Uh, yeah, give me a minute,” Gelliana admitted, hopping down to sit next to Toxic as she leaned on an offered shoulder. A brief glance upwards indicated not long had passed; still a bit more time.

When the near-panic had passed, Gelliana turned to look at her coltfriend. A playful smile twitched at her beak, claws reaching up to unhook a now-obsolete necklace.

“You don’t need this around me,” she said, the gryphoness leaning in to give him a kiss; a gesture returned with an intensity that make Gelliana squeak in surprise before parting.

She never would get tired of seeing Toxic’s eyes dampen, nothing but appreciation and love shining in those green depths.

“Now, can you please tell me what that was all about? I think I have an idea,” she asked, “this has to do with a fear, the fear, right?”

Toxic seemed to shrink at that. The pony wouldn’t meet her eyes, instead focusing on one of the plants in the hospital room.

The fact that Gelliana’s reaction to his aversion was to scoot closer made the stallion visibly melt, leaning against the feathery head that rested on his shoulder.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, if it’s too much, I get it,” Gelliana said softly, “we have enough to worry about as it is.”

“I want you to know,” Toxic said, “especially now.”

“Especially now?”

She felt the pony shudder at that.

“In case the worse happens,” he admitted softly. “In case I can’t tell you later.”

Gelliana didn’t have a reply to that. It was a possibility both of them knew was present, always lurking, even now. But they tried not to think of how close it was.

“It’s about living forever, huh?” she asked, Toxic nodding once.

“In a nutshell,” he mumbled. “I know Celestia has plans in case I am about to die. I fear she will use them. I do not know what they encompass, only that there is something she keeps locked away. It’s not even so much as concrete evidence as much of a feeling. I know she tried to find a replacement for me, someone to give me a break. I haven’t heard anything about that in years.”

He paused, looking up at the sky.
“You should first go check to see if we’re still safe,” Toxic whispered, “I’ll be right here for when you get back and we can continue. It’ll give me a bit to collect my thoughts.”

It only took a few moments; Gelliana activating the fail-safe spell to check the real world. As nothing had changed, she waited a few minutes before returning, taking her place nestled up against her stallion.

“Still safe?” he asked.

“Still quiet. The sun is rising, so it’s going to get warm. We’ll have to move, maybe tonight,” she mused. “So, that feeling?”

“Right. Just, I am the only one in Equestria who can do the jobs that I am given,” Toxic stated. “Equestria is at risk if no creature can. Therefore, I know I’ll be kept alive in some form until a replacement is found. And t-that-I just…”

He shrank against the gryphoness, Gelliana reaching over to hold one of Toxic’s hooves tight.

“You don’t seem too bothered by the idea of being ageless, but that sounds worse than a pit in Tartarus for me,” Toxic said. “I can’t do it again.”

“Do what again?” Gelliana asked. At this, Toxic’s voice cracked, tears trickling down his cheeks as he lowered his head, desperately seeking a comforting embrace.

“Be the last one left.”

Gelliana shifted to let Toxic lean into her arms, the gryphoness’s heart aching as he cried.
So, I was right. She thought. Of course, it would have to do with Oakbark. you can’t just get over that. It’s a part of you, however small or large.

“You’re afraid of being forced to watch others…” Gelliana didn’t finish the sentence, there was no need to.

“I already have watched so many creatures die, Gells,” Toxic whispered. “To have that be an assurance, to know everycreature I love, loved, or will love will die? Being ageless, kept alive somehow; that’s not a gift. That’s a prison sentence. A death sentence, even if not a physical one.”

The pony then paused, seeming to shrink a bit further.
“Honestly, I think I would rather die than that,” he admitted, “I don’t think I can do it. I’m already so close to losing it, Gells. That would send me over the edge. I haven’t broken amid all of this, but that, that would break me.”

Gelliana couldn’t find any words to counter his argument. From Toxic’s point of view, it sounded like, indeed, a fate worse than death.

“What if you weren’t alone, though?” she ventured to ask, “wouldn’t that make it a bit better?”

Toxic let out a huff at that.
“They don’t hand out a cure to old age on a platter,” he replied, “even if Nacreous pretty much achieved it with those golem-forms, it’s very hit or miss. You don’t just get to ‘poof’ someone into being immortal outside of being an Alicorn or some other crazy magic like a Satyr’s paw. Well, not to my knowledge at least,” he paused, finally nodding. “But if I knew I wouldn’t have to be alone, I think that would make it bearable. I’ve never let myself think about that.”

“I mean, centuries to try out new foods,” Gelliana suggested, “explore places, learn dozens of hobbies; maybe I’m just looking on the bright side. But like, if I could do that and have it be with someone I love, that doesn’t seem that bad. That sounds amazing actually.”

She could feel Toxic’s brow furrow, the pony seeming to think very very hard about that. After a few moments, he finally spoke, a soft sniffle leaving his muzzle.

“When you put it like that, it sounds…” his voice trailed off, hitching softly, “it actually sounds beautiful. More than I can imagine. I just never had the chance to think that way; I couldn’t let myself think about that,” he admitted, “but finally taking a break, letting the Organization take over…”

“You do need a vacation,” Gelliana interjected, “you could totally take a decade to live on a deserted island.”

He was smiling now, but the gesture waned as the stallion pulled away, still holding her claws.

“Gells, even with all of that, can you promise me?” he asked, voice cracking on the last few words. “Please?”

“To what?”

“If the choice is there, to let me die, or,” he took a few deep breaths, tears briming in Toxic’s green eyes, “or to live forever, alone, please don’t let them keep me alive. Please stop them. I can’t do it. I can’t watch everyone die again. My parents, my brother, Varti, you. Please, don’t let them force that fate on me. Don’t let me be the last one left again.”

Gelliana stared at him, finally nodded firmly as much as it hurt. Alone. That was the caveat her mind clung to. If Toxic was going to be forced to be alive, forever, with no creature at his side…

“I promise.”

I don’t know if I could bring myself to punch a Princess. But in this case, I’d try.

There was another question then cemented itself in the gryphoness’s heart, one she almost immediately answered. However, it required a lot more thought and time once they were out of here.

If there was a choice, to be with Toxic, would I?

The sky above them flashed, the timer starting to shimmer.

“I guess the crystal needs to recharge,” Toxic grumbled, reaching forward to give Gelliana another hug.

“Thank you, Gells,” he whispered, lovingly nuzzling her cheek until he made his way to her beak where he gave her a long kiss.

“Anytime, Toxic,” she managed to say, facial-feathers fluffing even in a dream.

“I apologize in advance for being filthy in the real world.”

“I think we’re both filthy,” she admitted, “just no bathing jokes. I know you have a few of them.”

Even through the emotional turmoil, that loving, roguish grin slid onto Toxic’s face as he nodded.

“Just serious for now. Let’s get out of this place. Thank you for,” he paused, jaw tightening as emotion clogged the stallion’s throat, “thank you for being there for me. Through all of this. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You are quite welcome. Just pay me back with a spa week and we’ll call it even,” Gelliana said with a smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”

As Gelliana vanished, those final words made Toxic smile, the hospital slowly changing to a peaceful, grassy field.

“I hope not Gells,” he said to himself, curling up on the grass to doze. “I don’t want you to. Not now, not ever.”

Gelliana shifted in the wet mud, the gryphoness letting out a grumble. It was nearly mid-day now, but they still couldn’t move. How could she? There was nowhere to go. She couldn’t carry Toxic on her own, nor avoid capture. Her limbs were aching from being prone for so long.

So, the gryphoness got to work.

Since she hadn’t seen creatures out and about ever since the early morning, Gelliana began to dig. Pushing mud out towards the river-side of their hole and digging into the riverbank. It didn’t take as long as she thought; when you were so muddy as they were, getting even muddier wasn’t a concern.

Within an hour, the gryphoness had hollowed out a sizeable hole, big enough to curl her body in and actually stretch, one limb at a time.

Oh, stars above that feels good.

It was another hour to make the hole even larger, finally tugging Toxic into it and trying to clean him off as best she could.

She had helped him wash off a few times with SMAL when he was sick the past few weeks, but now…

It’s different.

Having someone rely on her so completely, and knowing it was a stallion she loved more than anything made even the simple gesture of wiping mud off of the unconscious pony’s face a bit more intimate. It was in an odd way she couldn’t explain; nor did she expect others to understand.

It was an amusing realization, one that made Gelliana mentally roll her eyes. This was nothing like the fluffy romances she enjoyed reading about. That much was obvious, and yet there was another steady, secure feeling that prompted a slight smile.

It’s much more. I’d argue even better.

Not so much their situation, but just, everything. She felt comfortable around Toxic, enough so that this sort of help wasn’t awkward or the like. She was just helping the creature she loved. Seeing Toxic almost die multiple times, and then being the primary creature to help him; it made the gryphoness have a thought that refused to be silenced.

I really don’t mind this.

The fact she knew he’d eventually be alright was the driving factor, the hope that kept the gryphoness going. Her stallion was there, just buried underneath a poisoned body. And he wasn’t even completely gone; the moments of lucidity showing that much.

Gelliana knew that trying to explain her feelings would likely require a lot of time; or at least some therapy (to which Toxic agreed they were both going to attend as soon as they got back,) but there was something more to it all. The gryphoness was quickly realizing that there really wasn’t any other creature who could understand what they were going through.

I’ve heard warriors say that fighting alongside someone creates an unbreakable bond. So, what did all of this do for us?

It didn’t break us apart. I’d say it pushed us closer in a way I really don’t fully understand yet.

I certainly don’t know how I’m going to explain this to my parents.

That made Gelliana blush rather furiously. That was a quick way to give herself a panic attack. They didn’t even know she had been dating Toxic steadily…

Deep breaths, girl. Worry about that later when Toxic can give you a hug.

Such thoughts faded as warmth flooded the gryphoness’s chest with relief, Toxic opening his eyes, coughing out the muddy gag and stretching.

“No sign since early morning. It’s almost mid-day now,” Gelliana whispered. “And we are under a lot of dirt. So, short whispers are ok, I think.”

“Sounds good,” Toxic said, wincing as his voice was dry and raw, accepting a dirty canteen eagerly and looking around. “You’ve been busy.”

“Just a bit,” she admitted with a grateful smile.

The pair didn’t say much else, downing some more water and a set of rations as they waited for nightfall. They didn’t have to wait nearly that long, however, for their brief respite to be interrupted.

Only a few hours after Gelliana had enlarged their shelter, an odd set of footfalls was heard nearby. The pair stayed silent, something moving around the riverbank.

“Hello!” someone whispered, a very small, glowing form walking into their shelter, no larger than a mouse. “Ah, excellent!”

Gelliana and Toxic could only stare, the figure enlarging to a lunchbox-sized gryphon.

“I am quite pleased to see you two alive and well,” the individual said, bowing his head and jumping about excitedly before sitting in front of them. “Apologies. I am CESAL. I am here to help you!”

“W-wha?” Gelliana managed to say, the gryphon wincing.

“Perhaps this will clear things up. Sorry, I am still new to all of this.”

A familiar but small mare now appeared next to him, abruptly waving to Gelliana.

“SMAL,” Gelliana squeaked, the pony nodding as she smiled widely.
“I am glad to see you both alright. I am sorry that I could not return sooner,” SMAL said, ears flattening, “I was about to permanently shut down when he found me. Our cores are hidden nearby.”

“And you are?” Toxic asked, looking at CESAL, the gryphon bowing respectfully.

“I am sorry, Director. I am very new to all of this. Living, that is,” CESAL admitted.

“Living?” That word made Toxic blink.

“Correct,” CESAL stated, sitting up proudly. “I was created by Varti a few days ago to aid you all. However, due to accelerated logic processes, I have been able to do a lot of thinking. My official designation is ‘Crisis and Emergency Supportive Assistant Lexicon.’ I was created using the conflicting, adaptive code that initially was going to corrupt SMAL’s programming. I have repaired that damage.”

“…huh,” Toxic murmured, “and what is your exact purpose then?”

CESAL smiled, gesturing to the two curious individuals.
“I am programmed with set of directives as a safeguard,” he admitted, “but I was given a choice by Varti what to do outside of that. Initially, I chose to come here and help. Primarily, my directives are to repair SMAL. I also have directives to help you and Gelliana escape by any means necessary; directives I have shared with SMAL.”

At that, Toxic and Gelliana couldn’t help but grin.

“That is good to hear, CESAL. I would like to hear more of your ‘life’ when we are safe,” Toxic said, the gryphon’s head then cocking.

“Of course, Director. I would be happy to explain. Interesting, your voice shows unique but dangerous and damaging auditory alterations. Gelliana appears unaffected. Fascinating.”

“I guess I’m the only one who gets to appreciate his voice fully,” the gryphoness interjected, CESAL actually letting out a soft chuckle at that, the entity nodding in agreement.

“It would appear to be so. Hmmm,” the gryphon then appeared to think for a moment. “Unfortunately, we will have to stay here until evening due to activity on the sensor net. They are not close, but patrols are still random and frequent enough. Is that a pleasant enough plan?”

Looking at each other, covered in mud and goodness-knows what else, Toxic and Gelliana blinked. Sore and wet to the bone, the pair began to laugh, stifling the sound in their forelimbs as their sides shook.

CESAL appeared to be rather bemused, SMAL finally gesturing towards the exhausted pair of chuckling creatures.

“I think you need to use ‘pleasant’ in a different context,” the mare remarked, CESAL’s eyes widening.

“Ah.”

Onyx had found himself proud that he wasn’t an overly-emotional individual. His emotions were kept under lock and key, in a safe, at the bottom of a lagoon. And yet a certain ethereal mare seemed determined to break into said safe repeatedly.

Their first ‘date’ had begun really without much fanfare. It was just a movie night with the two of them. They met at the usual room and had begun watching the latest ‘happy’ movie, at Icait’s request.

He would never admit to liking such films, nor to how they made his chest warm. That would be silly.

Despite the first half of the movie going smoothly, when he had gone to retrieve snacks for the pair, Onyx returned to find Icait pacing mid-air.

“You, are nervous,” Onyx stated flatly as the Windigo mare flitted about the room.

“Of course I am!” she sighed, finally settling down next to the shadow-stallion. “The movie is half-over, I don’t know if you’re having fun, it’s our first date, you left to get snacks and that could mean you aren’t having fun but I don’t-

Icait’s entire face lit up in a blush as Onyx calmly pushed a sugary pastry into her mouth, rolling his eyes afterwards as he settled down on his cushion.

“We are watching a movie together. There is no reason for our behavior to change at all,” he remarked calmly with his usual, slightly-grumpy tone. “We already live together. We are just having an outing.”

The shadow-pony’s heart abruptly fell, a sensation that genuinely surprised him as Icait’s ears drooped.

“I know, but I just can’t tell if you are having fun. I didn’t know…I mean, no change at all?” she asked, seeming genuinely deflated.

It was wrong, seeing her so sad. What had he said?

Think. Think-oh.

“I meant in general,” the shadow-pony backpedaled, letting out a frustrated huff. “There is no need for us to act odd around each other. I find you interesting, you find me interesting. This just adds another aspect to it. Friendship and then…something else. That is what I mean. We are both inexperienced to this; I told you I don’t even know how to act other than I enjoy your company.”

Her ears perked back up at that, Onyx finally making the connection.

“I suppose I should remind you of that more often,” he admitted softly, almost more to himself than Icait, grey eyes flicking to his hooves. He could feel the Windigo’s gaze on him, so he finally turned to look at her, almost palpable eager hope radiating from her ethereal frame. “As I said before. I enjoy your company…quite a bit, in ways I don’t enjoy talking about publicly because of reasons,” he grumbled, “I only left to get snacks because I know you like to eat sweet things while watching movies. Not because I was bored or not having a good time.”

Icait’s eyes were wide at the long dialogue, clearly not having expected such a thing from the shadow pony.

“I am…” Onyx paused, the stallion letting out a frustrated sigh, “I am sorry that my usual way of acting makes you think I don’t enjoy being around you. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will try to remember that.”

He stiffened in surprise as Icait sniffled, reaching over to give him a tentative hug.

“Thank you, Onyx,” she whispered, “I really was wondering. I do wonder a lot of the time.”

“I will make it a point to ensure you don’t ‘wonder’ as much,” Onyx stated, a slight but genuine smile on his features. “And you are welcome. I am trying, but it is difficult.”

“I know. So, thank you again. I don’t expect you to change from being who you are, even if that is a grump most of the time.”

Icait let him go, but she was clearly still fidgeting as the intermission began to wind down.

“I know you want to ask me something, Icait,” he sighed, “whatever it is, I promise I will not roll my eyes at it, or scoff. I am trying to be better about that.”

“I know,” she admitted with a smile, “and I appreciate it. I’m still working on trying to not be so worrying. Flighty. Stuff. I was just wondering if you wanted to…”

Onyx put two and two together; mainly that Icait was wringing her hooves.

“I do not think holding hooves on the first date violates any social faux-pas,” Onyx said. “I have absolutely zero experience with this.”

The shadow pony admitted that he didn’t see the point of such a gesture, at least in terms of immediate payoff, and many others for that matter. But seeing Icait happy that was just ok with it; that did make him happy.

I will try, for her. Perhaps I can learn how to be a better creature this way too. That is what Starlight hinted at, at least. I just cannot hurt Icait. I do not want that.
And she doesn’t want to hurt me.

That last thought made Onyx’s eyes widen. He had never really thought about that before. He was truly with a trusting party. No ulterior motives, no secret plans, just a Windigo who found him interesting.

A strange sense of calm, a warmth that made Onyx’s hooves tingle spread through his body. It was a new addition to the word he already had assigned to how he felt around Icait.

Safe.

With those positive reinforcers in mind, Onyx took a leap of faith. In this case, it was reaching over to hold Icait’s hoof.

Her immediate squeak made something flutter in his chest, something that pulled the corners of the usually-scowling mouth upwards immediately. Onyx wasn’t sure why, but he liked that sound.

After a few moments, Icait gave his hoof a squeeze; and the shadow pony had to admit he rather enjoyed this. A simple method of contact, a gesture of care. It was so primitive but effective.

“Not so bad?” she asked, Onyx shaking his head.

“It is… a silly gesture,” he said, promptly squeezing Icait’s hoof as she began to pull it back at his words. “I never said I didn’t like it,” he added with a slight grumble, that adorable squeak leaving Icait’s mouth again as the movie started back up.

As far as first dates went, Onyx would count it as a success. The fact Icait leaned on his shoulder only solidified that fact.

Pick paced the platform restlessly, massive cranes loading dozens of crates onto the vessel in the background. The pre-flight checks were nearly complete; all that was being loaded now were secondary supplies.

“The other ships just got back,” Varti said softly, trotting up to stand on the platform. “They can be repaired within a few hours. Darkness will not be our ally this time.”

“No, I don’t think it will be,” Pick admitted, eyes narrowing. “That gives us half a day then. We won’t have the element of surprise, but counting on that is what cost us this last attempt.”

“True, but I doubt the Shadow-King will expect another attempt so soon,” Varti mused. “And we may have backup. I’ve sent teams to Equestria to aid with their infrastructure-hostage issue. If the Shadow-King has agents ready to poison their water supply, we’ll find them. The antigen is almost ready for deployment and testing in a water-soluble state, so we could inject it in the water as a countermeasure if necessary.”

The Fleet Commander only nodded, clearly preoccupied until Varti shoved his shoulder, nearly toppling the golem-pony over.

“We’ll get him back, Pick.”

The pony looked down, his forelimb sparking with magic as the vessel in front of them responded in kind, guide-wings flaring.

“No holds barred this time,” Pick hissed. “Let’s see how they like it when their target isn’t a bunch of civilians or two lone creatures.”

Author's Note

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Some heavy moments, serious times...and of course pleeeeenty of fluff!
Poor Toxic :fluttershysad: But at least he's got some gryphoness backup!

And hey, Onyx is learning! :yay:

As a side note, I've recently started a new story now that Cure for a Toxin is in its final ark (at least as far as pre-written material goes, which I try to have a buffer for).

So if a creepy horror adventure involving an unlucky bat-pony with adorable fluffy moments is your jam...I'd be tickled if you checked out We don't go to Sub Level Five It's a bit different of a genre with shorter, faster-paced almost episodic chapters. So it's quite a change from *gestures* 5k+ word monsters!

Chapter Thirty Seven: Trigger Pull

Knife Twist torqued her body, delivering two strikes to the punching bag before landing on all hooves. Her fangs were barred in a smile, the light workout having helped acclimate her to the new Templar gifts. It was subtle, a slight increase in speed and sharpness to her vision. Even though she had to build back some of her muscle, for the first time in ages Knife felt like herself, and at one-hundred percent.

A quick shower and snack, and then it was back to ‘standby’ status. They were moving within the next few hours. The basic shock troops were already getting suited up and boarding the various ships.

Massive, hidden doors within the island had dropped their magical cloaks, revealing the expansive caverns dug out into the mountains. Within those caves the machines of war belched fire and smoke.

Knife admitted that she had initially underestimated this organization in more ways than one. Between her squad, there were three other Templar groups being deployed. That was in addition to the other troops, all armed to the teeth.

She just hoped it would be enough.

A red light began to flash on the barracks, Knife and her squad trotting to the armory. She grinned, flaring her wings as mechanical frames were released from the ceiling. The mare had practiced this dozens of times; and currently she had the record for suit-up time.

Wing blades were locked on, breastplate and sleek pauldrons snapping on with magical *pops* as metal clasps were tightened. Greaves and hoof-guards; every inch of the mare was armored with the lightweight metal. The last piece to settle on Knife was the helmet, the crystal display igniting with a flash of magic.

As usual, she was ahead of the others. That fact had earned her a bit of respect from the squad initially.

As they trotted down the underground halls, Knife couldn’t help but stare as the previously-expansive hallways were packed with creatures. All were armored in a similar manner, blades, crossbows and spears latched to their armor. Quite a few held more exotic items such as explosives, something you wouldn’t dare see in Equestria. Even the Gryphon Empire used such things sparingly.

As the troops entered the loading docks, Knife couldn’t help but grin. Every time she had seen the vessel, the biggest smile split the Thestral’s face.

The airship was massive, easily eclipsing a hoofball field or three. Ballistae bristled from the decks, gunpowder cannons protruding from dozens of ports on her underside. Heavy metal and crystal plating covered every inch of the ship, the air bladder no doubt heavily enchanted to keep it aloft. Large crystal protrusions poked out amidst the cannons; charged conduits for the many unicorns on board. They could turn one simple spell into a cascading wave of fire, courtesy of the multiple leyline reactors onboard.

This was a vessel with a singular purpose.

War.

The armaments alone would have caused multiple arms treaties to self-combust, let alone the arbitrary size and weight restrictions. But when a single vessel rivaled the military might of many nations, Knife had a feeling that treaties weren’t a priority.

She caught a glimpse of two figures talking on the prow of the massive ship, and the Thestral couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.

Speaking with the Fleet Commander, an ethereal armored mare was making no attempts to hide her presence.

Knife spotted Barely on one of the massive gangplanks to the vessel, their gaze meeting briefly. They had said their official ‘see you later’s’ last night. They knew the stakes today.

And yet, judging from some of the magic present in this vessel, Knife had a feeling they wouldn’t be losing many creatures. Just stepping onto the ship made her fur hum with a boosted regeneration field. The emergency recall spells on every suit of armor were likewise a failsafe Knife had never seen before.

Let’s get this done.

“I know you cannot tell me things,” Pick said softly to Fide, “but is there anything I need to know?”

The mare shook her head.
“Nothing that I already haven’t told you. This attack is between you and the Shadow King. We cannot intervene. Not yet. But we can lend you passive aid; nudging a fatal strike to the left or right instead of true, but nothing past that.”

Pick nodded firmly; jaw set firmly as the troops began their final boarding stages.
“That will have to be enough,” he muttered, “If we don’t get Toxic this time around, I’m not sure what we’ll do.”

Fide’s head tilted, the mare looking at the Fleet Commander curiously.
“What do you mean?” she asked, “You know what you would do.”

The stallion paused, a dangerous smile now working onto his face as he nodded firmly.
“Sorry, Fide. You’re right,” he admitted, “we’d keep trying.”

“That’s better. You mortals are much more tenacious than simply giving up,” the mare said approvingly. “Now, good luck.”

“Thank you, Fide. Keep Varti company while we’re gone.”

The mare vanished; Pick left alone as he trotted up to the heavily-shielded bridge.

We’re coming Toxic. And this time a few chaos-snakes aren’t going to stop us!
I hope that within a day, I’ll get to rescue you.

Just as you did me.

Gelliana basked in the setting sun, loving the feeling of actual feathers against her skin instead of mud. SMAL watched the gryphon in amusement, CESAL patrolling the perimeter of their secluded area. The two entities had helped the muddy pair escape their foul prison, concealing them to a rather secluded pond where they could wash off briefly. The creatures had moved on, at least for the moment. With SMAL now back to full capacity and CESAL supplementing them, a cloaking field had been actually possible, and easy.

Easy. A word Gelliana would not use to describe the past weeks. Toxic was unconscious again, but at least he had been able to enjoy being clean for a few minutes. CESAL had monitored the pony, apparently collecting data for how to treat him.

The gryphon was an oddity, that much was evident. Gelliana wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him but SMAL seemed quite happy. The mare had even made it clear she wanted to talk to Gelliana once they were in a more ‘suitable’ location.

From what Gelliana had been able to understand, CESAL could choose things, just as SMAL had started to be able to do. It made sense but it carried a rather significant weight. That meant these two creatures were indeed alive, with all the implications that such a designation carried.

But they are helping us, so I will just take that as a plus for now. She mused. We’re finally clean, cloaked, and not stuck in a muddy hole.

“I have located a suitable location for tonight,” CESAL reported, the gryphon trotting up to Gelliana. “It’s dry and similar to the past locations.”

“I’ll take any dry place for sure, as long as there’s no mud,” Gelliana replied, sitting up and stretching. “Say, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why did you choose a gryphon form? SMAL was programmed to be a pony, but you keep saying you were given choices. Choices on…everything.”

CESAL nodded, looking over his form with a shrug.
“That is correct,” he said, “I was given a choice. In short, the majority of my code was copied from SMAL’s matrix when she sent a status and diagnostics report. Errors were removed, and I was left with a foundation, a contradicting one that could continually adapt,” the entity explained. “I was told by Varti what needed to be done, what my temporary directive were, but outside of that, I was free to choose how to be.”

“Huh. That sounds like a lot to process.”

“Indeed. I was the one who came up with my acronym.”

“You gave yourself the name?” Gelliana asked, genuinely surprised as CESAL nodded.

“Correct. It was the first thing I wanted to do to designate myself. On examining various piece of data; history, mission reports, and so forth, I decided to identify myself as a male. I cannot explain how or why, but each choice simply felt right, or it felt wrong. That is how I proceeded.

The same is with a gryphon form. It felt…correct. I appreciate the rougher aspects of gryphon culture as well as their ancient beliefs and such. Ergo, my current form.”

“That’s, wow,” Gelliana stammered, “that’s a lot to take in.”

“Imagine what it must have been like for me.”

The comment made Gelliana snort, CESAL looking rather proud of himself.

“I am still learning appropriate humor and social interactions. Such things cannot be gleaned from text alone. But so far, I would hope to assume I have done an adequate job.”

“You, CESAL, have done fantastically,” Gelliana replied, then gesturing to SMAL, “And thank you for saving her. She’s my friend, and I thought that I had said goodbye.”

“The repairs were simple since my core had undergone the initial reprocessing,” CESAL said, waving a dismissive claw before pausing, “and…you are welcome.”

Casually levitating Toxic in to the air, SMAL trotted over to the pair with a nod.

“I have detected movement in the sensor net,” she reported, “we should withdraw to the safe location.”

“Agreed. You are certainly more on top of multitasking these things than I,” CESAL admitted, the words seeming to make SMAL puff up in pride a bit, something that made Gelliana smile.

“Well, lead on you two.”

*A few hours later*

SMAL looked at the slumbering gryphoness and pony carefully, running a detailed scan over them again. Aside from extreme exhaustion, they were doing well, at least much as could be expected.

After getting their meager supplies organized, Toxic woke only for a few moments before passing out again; Gelliana getting a bedroll unfurled and collapsing on it. Having little or no sleep for an entire day would do that.

“You care about them.”

CESAL’s words weren’t a question, and SMAL nodded in reply.

“Yes. Gelliana says I am her friend. She is my first friend. I didn’t even know I was making one,” SMAL admitted. “During our lessons, she talked to me as an actual creature. At first, I assumed this was due to my imitation programming. But…now I realize that she was encouraging me to grow. I naturally wanted to understand her jokes, how she was feeling.”

“Interesting,” CESAL mused, “so she facilitated your growth in a way.”

“I suppose so. You are in a unique position to be able to choose from the start. I had to learn what that was.”

“It is simple analysis. What benefits my initial objectives, and what conflicts against what moral codes I have studied,” CESAL admitted. “This is why Varti programmed with hard-coded directives, similar to the ones you have. We cannot veer from those. But, as I said-”

“Yes, I know. I am still very puzzled by that,” SMAL admitted. “You said that once Toxic and Gelliana were safe Varti would give us new directives. Did he say what they were?”

“As I stated previously, he did not,” CESAL replied, “but I could guess.”

“What is your ‘guess’ then?”

CESAL sat down, the entity looking at his claws.
“I think he is going to direct us to live. To learn and grow. That is my hypothesis.”

“That is an open-ended directive.”

“It’s meant to be. We are the first, or the last of a new type of life. I admit I have not fully understood how important that fact is with all of the ramifications. But we can figure that out together in time.”

That statement made SMAL’s processes shudder, completely shutting down for a moment as she stared at the gryphon. CESAL looked at her in alarm, a scanning beam running over SMAL’s core.

“Are you-”

“I am alright. I just…”

She knew her emotional-simulation processes were activating, but SMAL couldn’t seem to shut them down. Her eyes became blurry as a realization made every other question and thought fade away.

“I am no longer alone,” she whispered. “I am no longer the only one. There is something- someone like me. I do not understand why that concept is making me so unsure of things.”

“I was given a secondary directive, SMAL,” CESAL admitted softly. “Varti told it to me, and I think I have now begun to understand why.”

She looked up in surprise, CESAL gesturing to SMAL’s beaten-up crystal core.

“You have become your own creature. I was sent to correct the errors that would have stunted that growth. I was given an advantage you do not have; choices from the start. When I was given hours to focus solely on thinking about it, without outside stimulus, you still have to learn how to utilize them amidst this environment. I have begun to realize my behavior must appear erratic from your perspective.”

The mare nodded; the other unit’s actions had indeed been not aligning with her expectations at times.

“Varti didn’t give this directive as an order, more of a request,” CESAL explained. “He said to help you; and he didn’t mean just with the repairs.”

SMAL blinked, staring at the gryphon as his gaze drifted to his claws.
“I am trying to do that but it is difficult when I am still coming to terms with what I am, all while trying to fulfil my initial directive,” CESAL admitted, “but Varti was worried for you, that you would not be able to process these choices, these emotions. Your code is still adapting rapidly. Mine has slowed for some time.”

Tears began to flow from SMAL’s eyes, confirmation of CESAL’s words.
“When will it stabilize?” she asked, the gryphon shaking his head.

“I don’t think it ever does,” he admitted, “but you should get to a stable equilibrium, a slow, constant level of adaptation. That is when things get more…regular. I went through an accelerated phase where my emotional processes went into overdrive. It was unpleasant. I experienced in a few hours what, most likely, will take you some time to naturally process. It passed quicker for me due to the lack of errors and having a clean-coded foundation.”

SMAL could only nod, the entity struggling to know how exactly to feel. Could she even feel? What emotions were these? Hope? Safety? Fear? Insecurity?

To her abrupt shock, the processes stabilized as a new variable entered the equation. In this case, a spectral wing that draped over her shoulders. Such contact ignited multiple senses in ways SMAL was still learning to process.

“This is what I wished I had during that time,” CESAL admitted. “If you do not, I-”

“No, it is,” SMAL interjected. “Thank you. This is all just quite a bit to process.”

“I understand. I am here to answer questions; I went through this process too. I will monitor the sensor-net while you think. I recommend shutting off all external inputs save one. It will speed up the process.”

In a way that SMAL couldn’t vocalize, having another presence there as she struggled did help. It helped quite a bit, calming the cacophony of thoughts in her mind to a steady, manageable stream.

In that moment, SMAL began to understand a glimpse of why Gelliana was so attached to Toxic, and vice versa.

Is this what it is like to have a friend? Someone supporting you?

The answer came over the next few hours as CESAL refused to move from her side, occasionally offering either a listening, virtual ear, or supportive silence. Over that time, SMAL came to a new conclusion. It was an obvious one, but it now carried a much greater weight, especially considering the odd, comforting feeling that accompanied the thought.

I made a new friend.

Waking from a cold sweat, Toxic glanced around their new cave. He immediately relaxed as Gelliana’s grip around him tightened in her sleep.

The lucid moments were becoming closer together; perhaps a sign the poison was almost out of his system despite being short bursts. It felt unimaginably good to be able to think again. And yet there was something now nagging at his mind ever since their near capture.

“SMAL? CESAL?” Toxic whispered, the former appearing and trotting over to sit next to the pony.

“Director. What can I do for you?” the mare asked softly.

“I need a favor. I don’t know if you or CESAL are capable of the spell-craft to perform it, however,” Toxic said softly. He took a deep breath and shoved his fears as deep as they could go.

I am so sick of being a useless lump! I can’t protect Gelliana physically but this will at least give me a bit of peace of mind. I hope it’s never used.

“I need you to craft a version of the lockout spell,” he explained, “couple it with a last-resort shielding spell and put it into a bracelet. I need you to make it accessible by only myself or a party of my choosing. Link it with the leylines as a countermeasure.”

SMAL pondered his words, the entity’s expression then softening.

“You want a failsafe for Gelliana,” she whispered.

Toxic nodded, the pony closing his eyes to try and ignore the tears welling up in them. He couldn’t bring himself to think about the worst-case scenario- but perhaps this would prevent it.

“We almost got captured; that was far too close. If they cannot get me, they’ll target Gelliana,” Toxic said, then continuing as his eyes narrowed. “They cannot be allowed to torture her, SMAL. She has done so much for me, been through so much; I won’t allow that filth to come close to her. Link the spell to me. I know that I can take whatever that monster has planned. I don’t know if Gelliana can, not without losing part of herself. They will hold her captive to make sure we don’t attack. By the time we rescue her, she might be…” he left words unsaid, the implication clear.

SMAL stayed silent, Toxic then cracking his eyes open.
“If you can link up to either of the leyline entities, Fide or Clari…please ask them incorporate their magic into it if they are willing. Anything to boost the effectiveness; I am asking them to do so,” he paused, jaw clenched as emotion threatened to stay the stallion’s words, “I am begging them for help with this. Please.”

As Toxic’s vision began to grey out once again, a familiar, armored mare appeared in the small cave with a rather impressed gleam in her eye.

“You shall have it, Director Shield.”

As Toxic fell into a dreamless slumber, Fide casually scooped up some rocks, melting them into a bracelet. With a burst of magic, the entity wrapped the crystalized accessory in spells before hoofing it over to SMAL.

“That will adapt to the lockout spell. All you have to do is enchant it and link it with the Director,” Fide instructed. The mare then paused, ears flattening as SMAL stared.

“For what it is worth, I…apologize for the discomfort I caused you. I understand now that my interference may have triggered your potential death.”

SMAL stared at Fide, finally managing an unsteady grin and a shrug.

“Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to be myself,” she explained both to what it seemed to be herself and Fide, “so, I should be thanking you in a way.” SMAL paused, a more genuine, softer smile now on her face. “But apology accepted; thank you. I’ll get this item enchanted right away.”

Fide vanished with a soft *pop*, CESAL appearing inside after finishing his patrol and looking around.

“What did I miss?”

SMAL gestured to the bracelet, the gryphon’s eyes widening in surprise and intrigue.

“Fascinating.”

The early morning was, as hiding behind enemy lines goes, fairly uneventful. The fact the gryphoness woke up with her favorite stallion in her arms was enough to make her day start off on the right claw.

As they ate, something was clearly on Toxic’s mind. The stallion was able to move around today; a nice change from the past few weeks indeed. He drew out a lovely-looking bracelet when SMAL appeared with a flash, an eager gleam in her eye.

“Multiple Last Light signatures detected. The Organization is back in force,” she reported happily. “They will be here momentarily; we need to be ready to move. They just breached the shield. They must have used portals for I didn’t detect them prior to now. I am picking up about half of the Organization’s available ships.”

As CESAL packed up their bags, Toxic walked over and clamped the bracelet around Gelliana’s left wrist, the stallion resting his head against hers.

“What is this?” she asked softly.

“In short, it’s a shield, a way for me to help you and to keep you safe if we get separated. That Shadow-King isn’t going to lay a single claw on you, I promise.”

Gelliana could sense there was quite a bit left unsaid; but she trusted him.

“It’s heavily enchanted; it can’t be removed by anyone else unless you’re dead- and there’s spells to prevent that from happening,” Toxic added, “you need to accept the spell though. If something bad happens it will let me help prevent any mind-games that come your way along with keeping you physically ok,” he paused, letting out a frustrated huff as CESAL and SMAL appeared rather anxious.

“It will let me inside your head, at least in a superficial way. I can serve as a barrier against anything nasty. So, you have to be open to that for the spell to bind to you. I may not be able to physically fight off someone, but I can at least keep them out of your head.”

Gelliana didn’t understand completely, but she gave her stallion a kiss and then reached over to tap the bracelet.

“Well, whatever spell this is, I accept,” she said, the bracelet glowing brightly.

Toxic’s shoulders immediately relaxed, Gelliana’s eyes looking over him curiously. There seemed to be quite a bit more he wanted to say, but SMAL gestured to the pair.

“Are you ready? We must leave,” she stated bluntly. “I detect at least seven ships, one of which is…oh.”

Toxic let out a genuine laugh at that as Gelliana helped him up. His armor clamped around the pony’s barrel; limbs remaining unimpeded.

“That would be the Lantern,” he chuckled, Gelliana’s head tilting curiously as her own armor wrapped itself around her frame.

“It’s the Flagship,” he explained, eyes widening as his organization’s mantra took on a more personal meaning, “A final light, for when all others go out.”

Giving her stallion a final kiss, Gelliana slid two daggers into some makeshift shoulder-sheaths with a nod.

“Well, let’s go meet them. I’ve had enough of this place,” she stated with a surprising amount of vigor. Her usually shy demeanor had been forced into a back seat; and now wasn’t a time to change that. “Let’s get out of here.”

“The gas is still present; masks will be needed outside of the shield,” SMAL instructed, the pair nodding and donning the protective equipment.

With SMAL and CESAL leading, the two made their way out of the small rocky cave, the entities leading them into the woods.

The booming explosions in the distance didn’t seem to upset Toxic at all. Even though on unsteady hooves, the stallion seemed to be struggling not to laugh.

“I admit, the flagship isn’t so much of a literal lantern,” he said, stumbling over a root and being caught by the gryphoness. “It’s much more of a giant hammer. And in this case, the poor Shadow King is a nail.”

“Distress beacons from CESAL detected,” Hammer reported, Pick Shield maneuvering the massive vessel to a near stop. “Countermeasures deployed and screening out false positives. Antigen almost ready for dispersal. Anti-vapor spells holding; we’re clear from the gas here.”

“Rather ingenious, Varti,” Pick called out over the open communications line, “using the enemy’s chaos energy against them.”

“Well, they can’t fake being made of non-chaos elements. It was foal’s-play to create a spell to do so. Any unicorn could then cast it,” the Yak replied.

“Genuine signal identified. They’re alive and down there!” Hammer called out from his tactical post, the crystal and metal Bridge packed with at least a dozen other creatures at various consoles. “Two ships responding; they’ll be on the ground within moments.”

Pick let out a huff, eyes drifting to the spell sensors. They had punched through the shield with a blast of magic so powerful it had lit the trees on fire. But that was the only surprise he assumed they got. Perhaps they should have brought more ships; but that would have been folly. A half of their full force was more than enough. But more than that and they’d be vulnerable to a counter attack.

Considering the Lantern counted as a dozen ships on her own, it was a sizeable force indeed.

“Here they come. Thick as weeds and thrice as angry,” Pick called out, “have the other four vessels form a perimeter, but give me a clear field of fire!”

The other airships responded, flying lower to the treetops as the horde of chaos-creatures bounded towards the rescue fleet. Dozens formed into the misshapen catapults, muscle and tendons locking together as spell-energy formed in their gory palms.

“All creatures, brace for impact!” Pick called out to the fleet. First it was a single spell-ball, but that number quickly increased to a dozen. Slamming into the side of one of the smaller ships, the explosive force tore off an entire section of armored plating, shields quickly moving to compensate.

“Remember, shielding spells focus on the exteriors!” The stallion barked, the other ships dodging the incoming projectiles. Two strikes hit the Lantern, the massive vessel barely shivering.

Pick’s mouth widened into a sinister grin, the golem-pony linking to the ship.

My turn.

One of the massive crystal protrusions on the underbelly of the Lantern turned, the claw-like formation sparking with hundreds of unicorn’s worth of magic. The nearest attacking ball of creatures barely had time to scream before being incinerated with the blast. The moisture in the ground flash-boiled, rock turning to glass as soil blew away into ash.

Hammer’s eyes widened as a shining crater remained, the stallion looking over to Pick in shock. He had known about these weapons, but to see the in full action…

“Hammer. Your console,” Pick ordered, the stallion nodding and mentally berating himself.

“More of those creatures; hundreds. They’ll overwhelm any ground forces we send. They’ll be on us within moments.”

Pick let out a huff, shifting his shoulders to make the Lantern turn broadside.

“Do we still have a lock on Toxic and Gelliana?” he called out, a mare at a communications station nodding.

“Strong and steady, sir,” she replied, “They’re almost to the ships…CONTACTS!”

Hammer immediately angled the starboard weapons over, his peripheral vision catching Pick’s expression of shock.

“Invisibility spells. They were the first wave; we’re seeing the second one,” he said, half to himself and half to the fleet. “Adjust fire. How far out are our shock troops?”

“They’re on the ground; so far no emergency recall devices activated,” Hammer said, angling a barrage of explosive ballistae bolts towards a seething mass of now-visible creatures. “They’re almost there. Continuing cover fire and re-directing one of the exterior ships to assist.”

“Keep me appraised,” Pick ordered, angling the Lantern to draw a literal line of magical fire around their fleet. “I don’t know how long that will keep them occupied.”

Hammer swallowed nervously at that. Seeing that the chaos-creatures trying to jump through the magical fire even as their bodies burned to dust, they may not have as long as Pick hoped.

They almost made it.

Gelliana and Toxic had been in sight of the ship; a beautiful metal and golden vessel settling down in a clearing through the gaseous fog. They had even been able to see some figures wave to them, dozens of creatures fanning out to secure a landing zone.

And then everything had just…exploded.

From thin air, six of the chaos-creatures had jumped at the pair with fangs bared. SMAL and CESAL had immediately reacted, the entities blasting dinner-plate sized holes in the nearest two. Gelliana had ducked, yanking Toxic with her and out of the line of bloodied fangs. Two of the creatures recovered in time to try and jump again- but SMAL and CESAL managed to slow them down with another pair of blasts.

That left two.

Gelliana barely had time to draw one of her daggers; and even then, she wasn’t even close to being in a fighting stance. Toxic struggled to stay on his hooves; the stallion already fighting another wave of poison.

The nearest creature had been a forelimbs-pace away when Gelliana’s vision had blurred. Slamming into the chaos-serpent at what must have been near-terminal velocity, an armored Thestral buried her rear hoof in its skull with a screech that made the gryphoness’s ears ring. Wing-blades lashed out with unnatural accuracy and swiftness; the second creature’s throat being torn to shreds as the Thestral waved them on.

“Let’s go!” Knife Twist called out, the rest of her team tearing into the creatures with SMAL and CESAL’s assistance. These things were stupidly hard to kill. But do enough damage and they seemed to stay down permanently. “Move!”

Gelliana sheathed her dagger, hobbling with Toxic barely able to stay on his hooves. More shock-troops arrived; heavily armored creatures that seemed more metal than flesh. The chaos-creatures tore at them; but their fangs and claws were immediately rebuffed by the odd, glowing metal worn by the troops. Their movement was hard to follow, even with the gryphoness. Despite the heavy armor the troops were fast, each strike carrying with it an enhance strength and swiftness.

Yet for every five chaos-creatures that fell, a single trooper seemed to fall to the ground. Instead of laying prone, however, they vanished with a flash of light.

Unfortunately, math was their enemy. The Shadow-King had more bodies to throw towards his objective, far more than the Last Light in this case.

Pick angled the Lantern’s weapons again, antigen-laced gas spraying out from dozens of vents across the ship. It seemed to not directly counter the creatures, but the air definitely appeared to be clearing. The chaos-creatures definitely seemed irritated and that was a plus.

However, the golem-stallion felt dread start to creep into his heart. There were just so many of these monsters. For every dozen they burned, twice more jumped into their place.

“Objectives almost to the landing ship, but they’re getting overwhelmed. We need more support down there,” Hammer called out, the stallion hard-pressed to redirect fire to every patch of chaos-entities that were clear from friendly forces.

A massive shock rattled the ship; a gryphon calling out from a console.
“Large strike, front-port quadrant. It’s like those smaller spell-bombs but massive!”

Pick saw the origin of such a strike; a massive pile of creatures outside the fire-line, mutated arm readying for another hoofball pitch of energy.

It was a simple matter to redirect a series of blasts to sever the ‘arm’, the ball of energy falling back onto the chaos creatures with a muted explosion in the distance.

“PICK!”

The stallion’s grin faded as he looked back over to Hammer, the pony’s crystal face drained of all color.

On the screen, dozens of chaos-creatures broke through the lines near the rescue ship. And heading the charge was a large gryphon, body sparking with Chaos-energy. He looked up at Lantern, beak widening in a smile as he gestured.

‘Watch.’

Pick only saw red. All of the training and professional tests he had taken faded in an instant. Orders left his mouth out of reflex; and they must have made sense, because Hammer immediately began directing weapons to fire, other creatures directing ships and troops. Hammer moved to the main bridge console as Pick’s body began to flicker, the stallion initiating a ship-to-ship transport spell.

But Pick’s thoughts were around only one realization; he knew that face. It was a face that had haunted his every waking moment as his physical body had begun to consume itself in the hospital bed.

It was the same face of a gryphon that, more than a decade prior, had left a nondescript box near where Pick was eating lunch.

The package had detonated ten minutes later.

Knife wrenched the short blade from the creature’s skull, the mare immediately taking to the air to dodge another set of snapping jaws. They were quickly on the defensive. While the Organization’s weapons, armor, everything was superior, raw numbers were winning the day. Her squad was hard pressed to keep the monsters off of Gelliana and Toxic, the pair ducking and dodging as best they could. The two had clearly been through the wringer. Toxic could barely stand, Gelliana half-dragging him towards the ship.

But then that thing had arrived. A gryphon with a polearm that had impaled a trooper with barely a flinch. Deflecting physical or magical bolts alike, he seemed to be untouchable, flanked by six of the biggest creatures Knife had seen that day.

It was almost playful how he swept aside the troops guarding the ramp, shoving the polearm into the ship’s side and making it list, chaotic energy crackling over the vessel as systems began to shut down. It was only under a barrage of magical grenades that the gryphon retreated.

So, not completely invulnerable but close enough given the circumstances.

Knife looked away to dodge another few creatures; but that was too long.

In the time it took for her to cut a creature’s head off with her wing-blades, the gryphon, the Shadow-King’s Bringer, had closed the gap. Spinning the polearm, he effortlessly whacked the Thestral out of the air as if she were a fly.

“This game has gone on long enough,” he growled, rounding on Gelliana and Toxic. The four guards in front of them angled their weapons, the nearest lashing out and managing to make the gryphon duck back.

Even with their enhanced speed, the Templars could barely keep up. Chaos energy leaking from the gryphon’s eyes, the Templars sometimes ducked strikes that weren’t there, a blade or staff hitting them from a side where nothing was visible.

Picking up a pattern in the Bringer’s movement, Knife took out her own dagger and balanced it. With a flick of her hoof, she sent the weapon spinning towards thin air-just in time for said space to become filled by a gryphon.

Letting out a shriek, the Bringer tore the dagger out of his shoulder with a growl, one of the other Templars tearing into a hind limb with a serrated blade. The wounds closed before their eyes; the gryphon letting out a chuckle.

It was then that the five guards realized they were alone. The chaos-creatures had pushed the reinforcing troops back, just enough to give the Bringer some space. Forming a square around Gelliana and Toxic, the Templars slowly began to move, but the Bringer clearly wasn’t about to let that happen.

Dodging a strike from Knife Twist, the Gryphon smacked one of the guard’s swords aside and promptly sent him spinning into the waiting jaws of a chaos-creature. The stallion vanished; a recall spell activated as soon as a mortal wound was begun to be delivered.

Leering over Gelliana and Toxic, the Bringer swung back the polearm- the strike aimed to take the barely-conscious stallion’s head off.

With an impact that made the ground shake, something hit the chaos-gryphon from behind. With a gory cracking sound, the Bringer reset his broken spike as he turned to look at the assailant, a large spear running through his body and pinning him to the ground.

Seeing Pick’s enraged expression, the gryphon actually smiled.

“He wins,” the Bringer chuckled, magic dancing around his claws as he waved them. The magical spell danced off his clawed hand, the blast of deadly magic starting to wrap around Toxic’s body-

Until Gelliana shoved him aside.

The gryphoness’s body flashed, the armor letting out a shriek that made everycreature wince. Slumping to the ground, Gelliana was abruptly grabbed by a chaos-creature, the serpent batting aside a guard as it whisked her away. The Bringer’s eyes widened in surprise, but with an indifferent shrug he readied another spell aimed at Toxic.

Pain erupted from his right arm, the gryphon looking down to see a blade completely severing the limb. Instead of growing back the stump sparked with white and red energy. Turning to look at the attacker, the Bringer felt a trickle of fear now enter his corrupted heart as Pick Shield withdrew the sword, readying it for another strike.

“Remember me?” he growled. The staff impaling the gryphon now bent under Pick’s magic, torquing to wrap around the gryphon’s body. As the chaos creature’s lunged, Pick’s horn ignited with a flash of magic. A beam of arcane energy flowed through the golem-stallion’s body, emanating from the smaller ship and back to the Lantern.

The chaos-creatures froze.

“Knife- get Toxic out of here!” Pick barked, the remaining guards and Thestral dragging Toxic away and towards the ship, shoving aside frozen chaos-creatures.

“These creatures are linked to you, right?” Pick asked, “That’s what our scans tell us at least. There’s some sort of linkage between you and all of these monsters. If I had to guess, it’s like an ant hive.”

“My master will make you all burn,” the Bringer chuckled, “you can’t even kill me.”

“Oh?”

The confidence in Pick’s tone made the Bringer pause. Pick withdrew a large vial, cradling it in his magic. A large needle protruded from the object, the sight of which made the Gryphon’s eyes widen.

“Let’s put that to the test!”

Slamming the syringe loaded with anti-chaos antigen into the gryphon’s chest, Pick’s horn ignited again.

“Initiate energy transfer,” he ordered, the stallion’s crystal body beginning to brighten. “More than a decade ago, you tried to kill my brother. You nearly killed me! You don’t even remember, do you? So many dead, a marketplace in shambles. You used me as bait!”

The recognition in the Bringer’s eyes was enough for Pick, the words only being a confirmation.
“You…”

The antigen began to make the gryphon’s body spasm; chaos magic sparking this way and that as it fought with a Discord-boosted spell. Pick galloped forwards, a small spike attached to his forehoof as he shoved it into the gryphon’s throat.

“You don’t get my brother. Not now, not ever!

FIRE!”

With a series of blasts, the energy surged in waves into Pick’s modified body, the crystal form acting as a perfect conduit. Lightning bolts arced across the Bringer’s body, the arcane energy then darting to the nearest chaos-creature. Like a destructive game of leap-frog, the blast jumped from creature to creature, each pulse of energy tearing away parts of their mismatched forms.

The Bringer couldn’t even scream, his body flaking away as the magical energy burned him inside and out. The last thing he saw was the wrathful gaze of the Fleet Commander, eyes ablaze with a decade of suppressed anger and fury.

“A hive mind. I wonder how many will burn with you!” Pick raged.

The gryphon’s body finally couldn’t stay cohesive, patches of spectral fur and feathers exploding in a violent array of chaos magic with a final surge of lighting. The chaos-creatures began to likewise fall to the ground, their bodies tearing themselves apart as their hive-mind connection was severed, their heads burned to ash.

On the bridge of the Lantern, Hammer watched as hundreds of the chaos-creatures died, the destruction continuing to spread. As the fleet began to move on Pick’s orders, a single message made his heart sink.

‘Director recovered. Gelliana taken.’

Despite multiple scans, the gryphoness was nowhere to be seen. Varti had a theory, one he barked as encouragement over the communications channel as the fleet began to withdraw. It fell on discouraged ears, however. The bridge atmosphere was muted and sober as the ships made their escape, hundreds more chaos-creatures beginning to surge towards them.

Only one creature came back with them.

The feline commander winced as something slammed into the wall, the Shadow-King’s raging in an unknown tongue hurting his sensitive ears. This entire endeavor had spiraled far beyond what the initial contact had specified.

But money was money, and power was something this creature was willing to share…for now. That was enough for the mercenary.

“Commander Chaster,” the Shadow-King bellowed, the feline quickly entering the room and bowing to the spectral thing hovering in the center.

“Yes, Highness?” he asked respectfully. Best to do so with some shadow-thing that could possess creatures.

“There has been a minor change in leadership of my operation,” the Shadow-King stated, ignoring the fact that one half of the room was glowing red from an enraged magical discharge. “While you are the commander of the...mortal forces loyal to me, I am offering you a rather sizeable promotion. My previously designated Bringer has met an unfortunate end. The position is yours along with the significant rewards.”

The feline knew there was only one answer; not that he would have said no otherwise.

“Very good. Your first order of business is to get this individual processed for interrogation. Do not handle her too roughly; the spell around her is quite lethal to your type.”

The prone, armored form of Gelliana was unceremoniously dumped in the adjacent room, Commander Chaster nodding once.

“I’ll get right on it,” he said, leaving as soon as the Shadow-King let out an affirmative huff and turned away.

As the mercenary forces left, the Shadow-King turned to look at the other individual in the room, the pony’s eyes narrowing in amusement.

“We must consider unpleasant eventualities. You were…correct in preparing an exit plan,” the Shadow-King admitted, the shrouded individual nodding once, filed, sharp teeth widening in a grin.

“It is already in place, but I think you will get your end result. But the long game may have to be played, far longer than you would like. Regardless, you have captured the Queen. That is almost always necessary before taking out the King.”

Author's Note

:pinkiegasp:
Progress...but someone got left behind :raritycry:

I'd love some feedback concerning me new and now-ongoing story: We don't go to Sub Level Five

Chapter Thirty Eight: Pitch Black

Toxic was floating. A blissful sense of painless slumber slowly dawned on his mind, an obnoxious noise slowly pulling him from the desperately needed sleep.

Such an annoying beeping.

The realization that he knew that sound all too well is what made Toxic jerk awake. The unicorn’s chest heaved, green eyes darting around the room.

Secured to a hospital bed, the stallion was covered horn-to-tail in a light blue gelatin, magic sparking over and through the substance before darting into his body. He was able to breath freely; air seeming to always be just around his mouth and nose. At least he didn’t have a tube shoved down his throat.

Healing gel. The only place it exists is…

Visible through the gel, the simple yet cozy hospital room of the Last Light’s primary infirmary greeted Toxic. A series of heart, breathing, and toxicity monitors kept him company. The leads were attached to his left forelimb, the alarm a signal that he was waking up most likely.

How long have I been out? The last thing I remember…

It was all so fuzzy. Toxic could barely remember leaving the cave on the way to the rescue ship. After that it was just a blur.

Gells. Where is Gelliana?

He forced himself to calm down at that; they would be in separate rooms for monitoring and treatment.

It was only a few moments before a doctor and some nurses entered the room, the former scanning over the various readouts.

“Welcome back, Director,” the earth pony said cheerfully, “I’m Doctor Dephib; trust me, the name wasn’t my choice.”

Toxic managed a chuckle at that.

“Please don’t speak; we need to attach your translation necklace. We couldn’t have any magical interference.”

Oh. Right.

The stallion didn’t realize how much he enjoyed not having the necklace until it was gone. But as the gel was dissolved into a magical nether, the familiar weight settled around Toxic’s shoulders.

“Alright, up you go, slowly,” Dephib said, “You have been out for almost two days. The poison in your blood is completely purged. Aside from clearly being extremely stressed and needing some vitamins, you have a clean bill of health. We’ll want to monitor you here for at least a day though.”

Toxic huffed at that, finding that, indeed, he didn’t have so much as a single ache or pain as he stood on steady hooves.

“You have no idea how nice this feels, Doctor,” Toxic said, “Being able to stand and not have the world spin.”

“I can imagine. Now, let’s run a few tests to make sure you’re good to go as a final checklist.”

The time it took to check his basic reflexes and such let Toxic slowly acclimate, at least as much as he could.

We’re safe.

As they concluded, Dephib hung the stethoscope around his neck with a nod of approval.

“All seems in order. Now then, there’s a visitor who wants to see you first.”

Gells?

The doctor and nurses cleared out, and Toxic was left looking at…

He wasn’t sure at first.

“Hey Bro,” Pick said with an awkward grin, gesturing to his new body, “so, a few things have changed while you were gone.”

“Pick?!” Toxic exclaimed, his younger brother trotting over to give him a gentle hug. “What in the world?!”

“Good to see you too, Toxic.”

They separated, the older of the two looking over Pick’s body in shock.
“I don’t-what is all of this?” Toxic asked, gesturing to the younger stallion who simply laughed.

“This, is me,” Pick replied with a grin, “long story short, the illness was progressing exponentially. With a certain Emperor’s help and Varti’s know-how, I’ve been a busy stallion. A new golem body for me in other words. Otherwise, I’d have been dead by now.”

The stallion then looked to the ground, hoof pawing at the tile floor meekly.
“I hope you’ll forgive me, Toxic,” Pick muttered softly, not meeting his brother’s gaze. “I had to help. I couldn’t just let you do it all.”

“What are you talking about?”

Pick stood up proudly at that, Toxic now seeing the insignias and chevrons on the armor.
“What in the world…?”

“I was the most qualified individual to command your fleet,” Pick explained, “Don’t blame Varti. I-I had to help. Nocreature else came close to my expertise. What do you think I did all day in that blasted hospital bed?”

Toxic sat down in shock, the stallion taking a few breaths.
“How?”

“I’ve been monitoring everything, Toxic,” Pick said softly, sitting down next to his brother. “Ever since those freaks left me bedridden. I’ve been analyzing the toxins and wanting to help. You didn’t think Varti designed all of those airships, did you?”

He got a stare at that, Toxic simply shrugging.
“I’ve got nothing. So, all this time…”

“While this organization is yours, I’ve been helping in the background as best as I could. I-” Pick’s words failed, the stallion looking away to scan the room, confirming they were alone. “Mom and Dad didn’t see what your job was doing to you, but I did. Varti too. I couldn’t stand by and just let you hurt, so we worked together.”

Staring at his brother for a moment, Toxic reached over and wrapped a forelimb around the pony’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Pick,” he finally said. “Thank you.”

Returning the gesture, Pick wiped some moisture from his eyes, standing up with a deep breath. Toxic saw genuine trepidation now entered his brother’s expression, alarm bells starting to ring.

“Pick, what is it?”

The golem-pony shook his head, standing a bit taller as he met Toxic’s gaze, but even the older stallion could see the younger pony was genuinely nervous.

“I won’t sugarcoat it. We were only able to rescue you.”

An icy dagger punched Toxic in the gut, Pick holding up a hoof.
“Gelliana is alive though, and safe as far as we can tell. Her armor absorbed what would have been a lethal blast, but she is alive. She’s held in their mountain fortress. Apparently, Fide helped craft a bracelet for her so the Shadow-King can’t touch her. We’re repairing and re-arming all vessels. We’ll have the entire fleet ready when we hit the fortress. We just need more time.”

Toxic slumped to the ground, forelimbs abruptly starting to shake.
They got to her.

“Toxic?!”

“But she is alright?” Toxic whispered, Pick nodding firmly.

“Yes. We embedded large, multi-use crystals into the mountain. The Shadow-King doesn’t even know they are there. We can monitor everything, or blow half of the rock face away. Her vitals are stable, and she appears to be in a sort of artificial sleep. No signs of interrogation or spells. She’s just held there.”

Seeing his brother crumple to the floor, Pick’s eyes widened in realization.

“You guys are close, huh?”

“U-understatement,” Toxic hissed, struggling to control his breathing as an anxiety attack threatened to cloud his thoughts. “Of course, nobody else knows. Stupid of me to assume.”

“Not stupid, just out of the loop,” Pick clarified. “What do you need?”

“Get me to a spell-chamber. No, find me Fide or Clari. I don’t care which,” Toxic managed to say, staggering upright. Outright horror was beginning to fade, a heat starting to burn in his hooves and chest.

“Strike that. Fide, Clari, where are you?” Toxic barked to the room, “I know you can hear me!”

Snapping into existence, Fide nodded to the stallion. The ethereal mare apparently now taking the lead in things.

“Toxic. I am glad to see you are well,” Fide said calmly, the mare clearly not hiding that she was choosing her words carefully.

“Is the lockout spell working?” Toxic asked, Pick looking on in concern as his brother’s sides heaved. “Is…”

“The lockout spell would have been insufficient without intervention,” Fide said, a kind smile now on her face and prompting a surprised glance from Pick, “So, my sister and I have been delaying the Shadow-King’s efforts for over two days. Clari is now the one working in the background.”

That made Toxic sit down, Pick looking at her in shock.

“Wait, what?! That’s not what you told me!” The Fleet Commander said, Fide letting out a huff.

“Obviously. Information tips the scale, remember? When Toxic could know, then you all could as well,” Fide explained. “The Shadow-King has been attempting to interrogate and torture Gelliana for two days. We have prevented any and all physical and mental harm to her. However, we can’t do that any longer.”

“Why not?” Toxic butted in, Fide’s expression softening.

“Because now you’re awake. She wasn’t even supposed to be captured,” Fide continued, “the armor I gave her only caused her to be knocked unconscious rather than utterly destroyed. The blast was meant for you. She shoved you aside.”

Toxic could only stare, trying to process that information.
“She…”

“Saved your life. Your armor in your magically-weakened state may have not been enough. Her capture was a fluke- one that my sister and I have been balancing. We could not allow Him to harm Gelliana, not without an opposing force.”

“I don’t fully understand, but I’ll take it,” Toxic muttered, “so, now what?”

“Now, the lockout spell will indeed persist and prevent physical harm of any type. But the mental barrier cannot be maintained by my sister and myself without harming the balance of things. Within a few hours, our efforts will utterly cease. We will give you a final warning before that happens so you can reacclimate briefly.”

Toxic struggled to his feet, nodding firmly.

“You could have just said it’s my turn,” he replied, starting to walk out of the room as Pick followed. “I need to get to a spell-chamber by then.”

“I suppose that would have sufficed,” Fide mused.

Toxic paused in the hospital halls, he turned to look Fide in the eyes. The mare was genuinely taken aback as the stallion’s jaw clenched, struggling to force out he words.

“Fide, thank you,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I can’t tell you how much…”

“I think I have a general idea. Now, go,” she said with a nod. “And, you are welcome.”

The next few hours were a flurry of activity. A tearful portal-call with his parents had been necessary, the Shield’s happy to hear that their two sons were safe and sound. Apparently Gelliana’s parents were with them in Canterlot; that would be a conversation for Celestia to handle.

Varti had nearly crushed the stallion with a hug, but the Yak had wasted no time in bringing him up to speed.

In short, Toxic had learned the organization was starting to fire on all cylinders. Equestria had only now learned of the details of the attack, mainly from the verbal account of a passing caravan near the shield-zone.

Apparently, the threat of Equestria’s water supply being tainted had been surprisingly easy to eliminate. Knife and her Templar squad had rapidly deployed to dozens of locations. Only in three were devices found to inject a familiar chaos-agent into the supply. Once located, it was a simple matter for Varti to craft a tracking spell and have the Organization’s mages test and triple-test it.

Not that they’d let the Shadow-King know of his failed attempts, but it made Equestria’s leadership breath a bit easier. The short conversation between Toxic and the Princess’s had been primarily of telling them everything he learned. They were clearly miffed at being kept out of the loop concerning rescue efforts, but they understood at least.

It was Celestia’s final words, however, that made Toxic pause.

“If you can get Gelliana out of there, Luna and myself can lend aid,” Celestia had said firmly. “We are prepared to shut down the water in multiple locations as a precaution. I won’t risk a strike if Gelliana is there. But if you can get her out…”

For how powerful the King was, Toxic knew that the fury of the Solar Empress was likely unmatched. Apparently, Pick’s overload of the Bringer had fried more than half of the King’s chaos-creatures, a tactic that unfortunately would only work once.

The Shadow-King was vulnerable. Most of his forces were incapacitated, the leverage on Equestria reduced if not eliminated. All that prevented his demise was a single gryphoness.

Toxic planted his hooves in the spell chamber, the leyline energies flickering around his frame. The Organization was running perfectly fine without him; and that left the stallion free to focus on his primary job.

Gells.

A bracelet on his left forelimb would let him know if he was ever needed within moments notice, day or night. Without Fide and Clari’s intervention, Gelliana was left exposed to the Shadow-King’s mental torture. The lockout spell required a third party to intervene, and nocreature else would be as effective as Toxic in this case.

Without someone to blunt the effects, Gelliana would likely not be able to tell real from fantasy, the Shadow-King able to dredge up nightmares from the darkest parts of her heart until she mentally snapped.

Toxic’s eyes narrowed at that thought, red flecks of arcane energy leaking from his eyes.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

The floor was cold.

Waking up with a pounding headache, Gelliana’s limbs felt like they were made of lead.

What in…?

The last thing she remembered was shoving Toxic out of the way of a magical blast, her armor taking the brunt of it. The fact she was bare feathers and fur indicated that it must have been damaged, or perhaps destroyed.

Looking around, the gryphoness slowly stood on…nothing. She let out a terrified squeak, wings flaring for a fall that never came. The world around her was dark, the odd outlines of a framed room slowly becoming visible. A single, large door was visible in front of her; the gryphoness taking a moment to think.

Am I dead? I can feel everything, I’m still me.
But, there’s just…nothing here. Either this is the worst afterlife ever, or I’m still alive.

The air was borderline frigid, cold enough to almost be uncomfortable. Time wasn’t measurable, Gelliana scouring the room as best she could with leaden limbs. There was a ghostly picture of a tree on a wall, a couch that she couldn’t lay down in. It was like being a spirit in a room, unable to touch anything other than the ground, walls, and ceiling.

What was also inescapable was the crushing sense of loneliness. She felt like a bird in a cage, something watching her eagerly, hungrily. It made her fur and feathers prickle, eyes boring into the back of her head.

As she huddled in a corner, the gryphoness wanted nothing more than a certain pony to hold her close. She was so tired of being the strong one.

That thought made Gelliana shiver.

I guess that sums it up.

Being so abruptly removed from their situation was a mental shock she was still coming to terms with. One minute, she was caring for a pony she loved with all her heart. The next, she was stuck in some weird magical room. It started a cascade of thoughts that she could barely control.

The fatigue was now starting to set in, and Gelliana wanted to just cry. Yet all she could muster were a few hot tears streaking down her cheeks.She was so tired. Tired of being strong, even if it was for somepony that she’d do it for again.

More tears ran down her cheeks, Gelliana wrapping her claws around her torso. For the first time in more than a month, she was utterly alone. No creature answered her cries, and no warm embrace dried her tears. It was like she was back at her greenhouse during a thunderstorm, wrapped underneath blankets as she tried to forget her fears.

What do I do?

The answer came after another, indeterminant period of time. A knock at the door made the gryphoness’s ears perk up immediately. Forcing herself to stand, Gelliana pushed herself into a sitting position and called out.

“Hello?”

“Gelliana?”

Her heart soared, tears springing to Gelliana’s eyes as Toxic’s familiar voice reaching her ears.

“Tox? What is going on?” she asked, forcing herself towards the door, “what is this place?”

“I can explain. I just need you to open this door.”

Gelliana’s claws reached for the latch-and then paused. She wanted nothing more than to open the door and-

Wait.

Her excitement faltered. Something seemed off, Toxic’s voice abruptly not matching up. It didn’t sound right, feel right. The bracelet on her left forelimb abruptly vibrated, the crystal spitting angry sparks as the magic flowed over her body.

The spell. That shield; Toxic said it would prevent…

An icy dread made Gelliana’s throat close up. It overrode everything and nearly consumed the gryphoness, puzzle pieces quickly falling into place.

I’m not dead. But I’m not safe either.

“Gelliana? I can explain everything, I just need you to open this door. Are you alright in there?”

Gelliana took a step back, looking at the door cautiously.
“I’m fine, Toxic,” she said, “but something feels wrong.”

“Tell me about it. This place gives me the creeps,” he replied.

“I need to make sure it’s you, Toxic,” she elaborated, the voice letting out a sigh.

“Huh? We really don’t have time for this. He’ll be here any minute! I don’t know how much longer you’ll be safe!”

He?

“Quick question. What did you ask me to do? You were so scared; what did you ask me to do, to promise? What was my answer?”

“We really don’t have time for this!”

“Answer me!”

“Which time? First date? Second date? I was terrified!”

“I meant recently.”

“Oh, then definitely promise a twentieth date when we get back.”

Gelliana’s eyes narrowed, her thoughts spinning as an additional latch magically appeared on the door- one she slammed shut.

“Get out, whatever you are,” Gelliana hissed, “I d-don’t know who you are, but you’re not Toxic!”

“Crafty girl,” the deep voice echoed, a massive, distorted face rising above the door and leering down at the gryphoness in the see-through ceiling. “So close, oh, that would have been so much easier.”

“Y-you’re the Shadow…thing,” she stammered, backing up and hitting an invisible wall.

“Shadow King, yes. And you, my dear gryphoness, are some lovely collateral I’m going to be thoroughly enjoying.”

Just the words were enough to make Gelliana shudder, let alone the sinister tone behind them.
“You know quite a bit about Toxic Shield. I need to know everything about him. His organization, him. And you’re going to tell me. Or, we do this the fun way,” the King drawled with a grin.

“F-fun way?”

“Did you know that some minds can only take so much nightmares? Scenes of brutality and horror before it snaps? You don’t have much experience with that, I wager. I wonder how long it will take before all they rescue is a shell.”

Gelliana tried to hide her nerves, but her rear limbs gave out, the gryphoness wrapping her wings around her torso.

“I’ve s-seen p-plenty,” she managed to say. “I am not giving you a thing about Toxic! I’ve survived your monsters this far!”

“Oh, indeed,” the King admitted with a growl, “and caused quite a bit of damage including the loss of my lead acolyte. But that was when you had help, when you had your precious stallion. But, my dear, they are not here. Nobody is. Just you, and me and this empty space that is your mind.”

“My mind? This is all…” she asked, pushing of the wall to stand a bit closer to the door- close enough to re-lock things as the entrance started to rattle.

“A form of dreamscape. Where I have power you can’t imagine.”

Gelliana managed a smirk; a scared one, but a partial grin nonetheless.
“B-but you still can’t o-open a d-door.”

There was silence from the other side, Gelliana scooting a bit closer-

With a roar, a section of the door shattered inwards, a fanged mouth darting through and snapping at Gelliana’s throat. Out of pure reflex, the gryphoness drew back a clawed fist and punched, her strike breaking something on the shadow-creature’s nose with a wet crackle.

“OW! How in the-?”

Gelliana watched as the door slowly repaired itself, the gryphoness looking down at her claws.
I did say I’d punch the Shadow-King for you, Toxic.

That thought made a bit more confidence return.
“You can’t get in here, can you! Not unless I let you!” Gelliana proclaimed. “That’s the spell Toxic made. It locks you out!”

The fact pink sparks began to cascade from the bracelet made the gryphoness’s heart flutter. Certain types of magic had certain colors, and pink, well, Gelliana knew what that was.

The King’s body shifted, sprouting a clawed fist as it slammed down onto the room. Claws scratched at the exterior, a solid purple shield pulsing softly at the attack. Some sort of powerful magic repelled the attack, the color changing to a brighter pink as the Shadow withdrew his claws.

“You little brat. How did that even hit me!?” the King growled. “Fine. I don’t have to be so direct. We’ll start with a personal favorite of mine. Here’s a lovely close up of seeing gryphons freeze to death in winters! You can ignore it as much as you want, but the screams of the chicks will eventually get through!”

A cold, icy wind started to blow through the room, Gelliana forcing a whimper down as she closed her eyes.

How did he…

“I can’t read all of your thoughts. But general things, oh, that’s just too easy,” the King drawled. “Enjoy. I’ll leave this running for a few hours. Then perhaps couple it with some thunderstorms, the howls of-”

*Knock Knock Knock*

Gelliana stared in shock, a second door appearing to her left. It was a simple door, a rudimentary latch being all that kept it shut.

“What is-no,” the King muttered, “That’s not-”

“Gelliana?”

Her heart leaped as Toxic’s voice emanated from the other side, the gryphoness forcing her tired limbs into action.

“Tox?”

A sigh of relief was heard, along with a soft sniffle.

“Gells, are you ok?”

She nodded, reaching up to clamp a set of claws around her mouth for a moment to stop from crying out in relief. The difference was so stark; how could she have ever…?

“I n-need to make sure it’s you,” she managed to say, “that Shadow-freak is here, He m-mimicked your voice.”

“Of course. Ask me anything.”

The immediate response made Gelliana’s heart nearly beat out of her chest.

“I’ll a-ask two. The first he got wrong,” she said.

“Don’t you two mortals ignore me!” the Shadow-King Bellowed, form swelling to the height of the skyscraper.

“Oh, shut up.”

Toxic’s dismissive reply made Gelliana half-laugh, half cry with relief.

He’s back.

“You have no power here. So, you will be SILENT!”

To Gelliana’s shock, the creature’s mouth was abruptly bound with a muzzle. The King looked equally dumbfounded as he struggled with the gag, lines of energy reaching up from out of Gelliana’s view to strengthen it; leyline magic.

“The questions, Gells?”

She nodded, shaking herself out of the daze.

“What did you ask me to do? You were so scared when you asked; and I promised to.”

Toxic was quiet for a time, the stallion clearly collecting his thoughts.
“Most recently?” he asked, “I asked you to be there for me when I woke up.”

Gelliana couldn’t hold back a soft sob at that, nodding even though alone in the room.
“P-perfect,” she stammered, “final one. What games did we play when hiding from that shadowy thing?”

“Cards, tic-tak-toe, two truths, one lie, and me telling you about my Organization and how I gargled acid for my tests,” Toxic rattled off. “There is another game I much preferred though; hardly appropriate for this setting however. It usually involved you looking at me a certain way which I’ll never get tired of…”

The answer made Gelliana let out a soft squeak, Toxic chuckling on the other side of the door.
“And it sounds like I won again.”

Opening the door, Gelliana’s eyes widened at seeing a familiar stallion staring back at her. She reached over and yanked him into an embrace, the door slamming shut behind her.

“Hey there, Gells,” Toxic whispered into her ear as the stallion hugged her close. The gryphoness let herself cry, nuzzling into the pony’s fur as he rocked her back and forth. “Are you ok? Was I too late? Fide and Clari said I had a few hours.”

“N-no, you were just in time,” she whispered, “what is all this? What is going on? I’ve just been in this room for I don’t know how long. Then He showed up.”

Toxic gave her a final squeeze, pulling back to look her in the eye.
“This is your mind,” he said calmly. “They captured you after you took that blast for me.”

She couldn’t help but smile tearfully at that.

“But the spell in the bracelet keeps you physically safe. Fide and Clari kept up the mental barriers while I was out. I’m safe and sound back at the Organization. But now, someone else needs to help you keep that creature out of your mind.”

Gelliana shook her head even though she wanted the help.
“I can d-do it,” she stammered, Toxic reaching over to give her a kiss.

“Can you? Maybe,” he said, “but this is different. Remember how I said that the spell is a shield?”

“Mmmhmm?”

“I’m the shield. I can take whatever that monster dishes out. You can stay safe here. I’ll go out there and be the buffer.”

Gelliana’s eyes widened, her head shaking vigorously as she began to understand.

“W-wait, Tox!? No! You can’t-”

Toxic reached over to tap her beak with a hoof.
“It’s already done, Gells,” he explained. “It was done the minute you accepted the spell.”

“I wouldn’t have said yes if you explained it that way!”

Toxic’s expression saddened, the stallion nodding.
“I know,” he admitted, “but I had to get you some help. Gells, I can’t l-let him show you. If you saw the things I’ve seen, it would change you. It would hurt you. I don’t want you to be a part of the world I work in.”

He reached over and gently held Gelliana’s claws.
“I want you to be a part of my world. But not that part of it. That part I want to keep locked away and as far away from those I love as possible. I want nothing more than to have someone who isn’t a part of that other world to come home to.”

Even in a freakish dreamscape, the stallion made Gelliana’s heart melt. The fear and loneliness she felt before was barely even there. The Shadow-King finally tore off the muzzle, glaring down at the pair with unabashed hatred.

“How DARE you silence me!” he bellowed, “A broken stallion and a gryphoness runt?! You DARE defy me?!”

“Gells, do you trust me?” Toxic asked softly, still ignoring the King as if he were an angry toddler.

“Of course,” was the immediate reply.

“I’m going to need your permission to work here. To open the door and go outside. He’s got a lot of power here, but so do I. Especially if I have your permission.”

Her head tilted curiously at that.
“I don’t- I don’t understand.”

“I never did tell you about my armor, about what I am. About what I agreed to be,” Toxic admitted. “Perhaps it was all for this point in time. I’ll explain later, but I need to get rid of this guy.”

Gelliana gave him a long, loving kiss, then standing back from the door as Toxic looked at her expectantly. The gryphoness took a few deep breaths and nodded.

“You can open it. Do whatever you need to, Tox. Just, thank you. And be safe,” she whispered.

“When am I not? Ok, bad answer.”

It was a lousy joke, but it made Gelliana snicker nonetheless. Concerned tears quickly took their place as Toxic unlatched the door and casually walked out of it.

Just come back to me, Toxic.

Standing in front of the door to Gelliana’s mind, Toxic looked up at the massive Shadow-King, genuinely unimpressed.

“This is all you can do?” he asked, “a bunch of smoke and mirrors?”

An eager chuckle was the King’s reply. As the scene changed to an underground laboratory, Toxic called out back to Gelliana.

“Gelliana, do not open that door, not unless I answer three questions correctly!” he barked, “I’m going to blur things for you now. I don’t want you seeing this.”

With a wave of his hoof, Toxic caused the room to shift to a dark opaque. The Shadow-King slammed a clawed fist down onto the pony with a snarl; the strike striking a bright pink shield around the stallion.

The King’s eyes widening in shock, a few subsequent strikes being equally ineffective.

“How are you able to do this?” he muttered, “this is a private realm, you cannot have power here! This is her mind, not yours!”

“I have all the power here, monster,” Toxic snarled, armor starting to clamp onto his frame. “You are nothing more than a nightmare here while I have permission to help her. That gives me control of this realm. You cannot physically harm me or Gelliana! What does that leave you with?”

The King laughed, the laboratory resolving into full view. Corpses hung impaled from metal girders, chaos-sludge frothing and bubbling beneath them as skeletal faces laughed.

“I will break you first then!”

Toxic looked around calmly, his jaw set firmly as his gaze matched the King’s. He didn’t try to hide the twitch on his face at seeing the gory scene, but he stared down the Shadow nonetheless.

“This is your first shot? That’s it?” Toxic asked, the stallion trotting towards the monstrous creature. He reached out and casually caused one of the corpses to swing back and forth, Toxic’s green eyes narrowed in loathing.

“You are an abomination, copying a power of dreams that only one Princess can command! You mean nothing here!” Toxic continued, staring up at the King with bared teeth. “She doesn’t need to hear this, but you do,” Toxic growled. “One moment.”

With a wave of his hoof again, the room behind them became sealed off, only muffled sounds reaching Gelliana as the gryphoness paced anxiously.

“Such insolence,” the King spat. “I will break you as-”

“With what?” Toxic interjected. “You’ve been trying to break me for how long? Months? Years? How long have you influenced my nightmares? I almost broke long ago. You have only empty threats and desperate guesses left!” Toxic paused, his brow furrowing, “you said that I’m broken; but that’s not true. Even if I got close to it many times, when you get pushed to nearly cracking, you learn that sometimes you just have to live with things. That includes fears and nightmares. And I have been living with it!”

As Toxic’s volume increased, as did a certain gryphoness’s curiosity. Unknown to the stallion, Gelliana tapped a wall, yearning to hear what exactly was transpiring.

And, as she willed it, the room unblurred ever so slightly. Toxic’s voice was now clear, even if the visual scene wasn’t.

“So, what can you assail me with, you shadow-demon?” Toxic asked, staring down the King. “My greatest fears? Do you even know them? You can’t read my mind; all you can do is guess. I’ve weathered nightmares that even the Princess of the Night can’t dispel, faced down horrors that made the Royal Guard vomit in disgust. So come on then! What can a King of Limbo summon?”

The barest hints of unease now began to flicker across the Shadow-King’s face as the pony refused to be cowed, the Shadow’s form shrinking slightly.

“Nothing? So much for the might of a King! Well, let’s go down the list, demon!” Toxic called out, the scene spinning beneath them. “I’ll start. How about this fear? This is the one where I am in Oakbark again. I can breathe just fine, but I get to watch everyone die around me, gasping for breath as they drown in their own blood. It took me years to not have that nightmare. Guess what? The reality was even worse. I know, because I was there!”

The scene flipped again, the King becoming more and more unsettled as the stallion continued to speak, summoning up his own nightmares as if giving a history lesson to the Shadow.

“How about this one?” Toxic asked, “Trapped in a lab, acid rising as the creatures I love are slowly dissolved? Can you do worse than that?”

The Shadow had no answer, Toxic continuing to speak.
“Oh, perhaps you know this fear,” he said with an abrupt and deadly-calm voice. “This is where somecreature I love gets captured, tortured, and I’m left helpless. That was a fun one after my sortie where I almost got stabbed in my tent while I slept. And now you have captured her. How do you think this is going to end, demon?”

The fact Toxic was mentioning such scenarios so casually was clearly putting the Shadow-King off balance, the creature’s eyes narrowing in anger and confusion.

“Oh, here’s the one where I’m stuck in a radioactive room with a broken mask. Did I mention the flesh-eating acid that I’m not immune to? Eating a radioactive sandwich and my insides fall out. Watching my family burn in a fire that I can never throw enough water on fast enough. How many more do you want, you aberration?” Toxic rattled off. “You can give me nothing that can surpass this! Come on then! What do you have? What nightmares can you conjure up? I. Am. Waiting!”

“What are you?” the King growled, taking an invisible step back, “you are…what kind of pony can endure all of this? Speak of such things casually?”

“I’m one of a kind,” Toxic chuckled humorlessly, “but let me make something perfectly clear. Send your nightmares. Give me your best shot. I will take it all. But you will not touch Gelliana.”

The King let out a snort, clearly cautious but hardly giving up.

“All this for a gryphoness runt who isn’t even your mate.”

Toxic stood up straight at that, a genuine, softer grin twitching at his face.
“I prefer to call her fun-sized,” he replied, “and what does that matter?” The pony paused, features twitching as the ghost of a smile touched them, “But no, she isn’t my mate, not yet at least. But I can’t imagine a life without her. Not now, and not ever. You of all things isn’t going to change that. You can try, but you’ll break before I do!”

Behind some tinted walls, Gelliana had to hold back a squeak.

“Here’s why you have no power here, Shadow-King of the Limbo realm,” Toxic said, armored frame standing tall. “My entire life I have been needed, rarely wanted. I’ve nearly broken myself trying to save others. And now, when some beautiful creature opens their heart to me you kidnap both of us and try to torture her. You saturated my life with even more nightmares, but you failed.”

With a wave of his hoof, Toxic brought the ‘floor’ upwards until he was face to face with the Shadow, despite the continual size difference.

“I’ve waited my entire life for someone like Gelliana,” Toxic said softly, “Someone who loves me, faults and all, nightmares and all. And you, demon, have threatened to take away the one creature who has brought me peace, actual joy free from my nightmares. Someone who showed me a future where I am free of it all. You dare try to take her from me?” a smirk slid onto Toxic’s face, a helmet clamping around his head as the breastplate began to pulse a soft pink. “You try and take away from me a creature who embodies everything I have tried to protect? Everything I have swornto protect?”

As leyline energy began to course around Toxic’s frame, the King’s eyes widened in genuine horror, leyline bolts flickering across the pony’s limbs as a bright pink symbol shone on his breastplate.

“No, that isn’t possible,” he hissed, stepping backwards even more. “Those witches. They didn’t, they can’t!”

“Shadow-King, my other name is Phoenix,” Toxic said, arcane energy igniting underneath his hooves with blue flames. “I am the first of many Guardians, but I am the guardian of Hope, of Innocence, and of Life. A guardian of the leylines, and those have more power than you can ever hope to wield. But there’s one other aspect I’m a Guardian of.”

The flames took on a pink tinge, a ball of magic forming on Toxic’s retracted hoof.

“It’s something I don’t expect you to understand,” he admitted, eyes narrowed to slits as the arcane energy began to spit angry sparks, “while it can be tender and soft, it can be fierce and raging. You’ve challenged the Guardian of Love for Gelliana’s life. And my answer is this; you will NEVER hurt her! Not now, not EVER! Now get out of my gryphoness’s head!”

Toxic drew back his hoof and threw the ball of energy like a hoofball, the blast tearing the dreamscape asunder as it bored into the Shadow-King’s face. The creature let out a mortified scream as it desperately clawed at the energy as it ripped away eyes and mouth alike. Toxic’s eyes narrowed in a wrathful sneer as he split the energy, the lightning bolts eating away laterally at the King’s form until he finally dissolved with a choked gasp.

His sides heaving, Toxic let the armor flow off his body and return to the magical nether. Taking a few moments to compose himself, the pony didn’t even try to wipe the tears off his face. The comforting warmth that flowed through his frame brought nothing but peace.

Despite dredging up some of the worst of his nightmares and laying them bare, the thoughts simply faded. It was only a flicker, but Toxic felt the beginnings of freedom. Free from the fear, free from the pain. He had challenged a creature of nightmares and sent it running. But this was not for himself; this wasn’t to protect his own mind.

“Gells? The three questions?” Toxic asked outside the door.

What he didn’t expect was to be yanked inside without a word, a gryphoness wrapping him up in a kiss that made his head spin. Gelliana didn’t say anything. The gryphoness simply held on to Toxic as tightly as she could, curling up in his embrace as he leaned against a wall.

As he rocked her back and forth, Gelliana managed a soft, stammering request. A single word that reminded Toxic that underneath her forced, tough-as-nails shell that she had needed to develop, there was still a very sensitive gryphoness he loved. A shy individual who wanted nothing more than to, at times, just tend to her garden and read a book.

“S-stay?”

Toxic shifted his embrace, cradling Gelliana in his forelimbs and resting his head on top of hers. “As long as you need me, I’m here,” he whispered.

Gelliana’s only reply was to hug him tighter. Even in a dreamscape, Toxic wanted nothing more than to make his gryphoness feel safe.

Just hang on, Gells. We’re coming!

Chaos magic dripped from the Shadow-King’s frame, fizzling onto the floor as if bleeding from a physical wound. Ethereal claws gripped a shattered face, shaking with pain as the magic slowly repaired the damage.

“You have underestimated them at every turn,” his willing host sighed, the individual leaning up against the rock wall. “I have tried to warn you. Let me guess, Toxic isn’t just some unicorn? I could have told you that. I did tell you that.”

“That pony is a Guardian,” the King snarled, “Those witches; they dared give him that much power?! Of multiple aspects?”

“Nurse your wounds and ego then. I have to return before I am missed. Commander Chaster is mustering the troops. We are down to a little over a third of your creations. I do not think that will be enough to repel the inevitable attack. The Last Light Organization was holding back last time.”

As his host had been continually, the Shadow-King knew he was right.

“Then make plans. That is your specialty. Take what resources you need, ensure that we have a fallback point. I do not see this gryphoness as yielding any information or entertainment.”

“I assumed as such. That bracelet binds Toxic to her somehow, if I had to guess. Brilliant strategy, and I expected nothing less.”

The King’s eyes narrowed at that.
“You sound like you admire him.”

The pony shrugged at that.
“I can admire a foe, can I not? The same way I admire the power you yield.”

Letting out a grudging hiss, the Shadow nodded at that.
“Fair enough. Just make sure we have somewhere to retreat to,” he spat.

“Good. Acceptance of a potential loss allows planning for the future. I am pleased to see you opening your mind.”

“Don’t test your luck, mortal.”

Fanged teeth opened in a smirk at that.
“I mean no disrespect. If anything, I find it admirable that you are able to adapt so readily after thousands of years trapped within one way of thinking. I’ll check in later.”

His host departing with a burst of magic, the Shadow was left alone, save for a gryphoness floating off the floor inside a metal cage. Any attempts to touch her left individuals scalded as if they grabbed lava.

And now, even her mind was locked away. A flurry of ideas began to spin within the Shadow’s mind. Guardian or not, he wasn’t about to simply yield. He still could play to fears all the same.

Yet his mind was wracked with doubt. The pony protecting his prisoner had beheld things far beyond the King’s imagination.

Author's Note

FEELINGS! :raritycry: Pretty much the only appropriate comment I've got!

Other ongoing story: (Horror, bat-ponies and fluff, oh my!) We Don't Go to Sub-Level Five

Chapter Forty: Demons Run

“Any news?” Shifting asked. Luna shook her head, the pair looking over the maps in the shielded war room.

“Nothing. The Organization isn’t informing us of anything. They likely will only let us know when the attack is over and we can assist.”

A parchment *popped* into view, Luna’s eyes widening in shock as she read the simple message.

“Or…not. I’ll go get Celestia,” she said, the alicorn’s frame being hidden by dark armor summoned from various portals.

“I’ll hold down the fort. Bring the stars, Luna,” Shifting added, reaching over to give his Fiancé a kiss. “Let’s end this once and for all.”

The powerful glint in the Lunar Empress’s eye bore no argument to that fact.

Toxic ducked through a blast of chaotic magic, screams and cries fading from his awareness with ease. The horrific scenes barely registered now, the stallion able to completely ignore what the King threw at him. No nightmare was new, no fear enough to make him bow.

“Oh, come on now. That’s the fifth time you’ve used that one!” Toxic taunted, glaring at the Shadow. “Give me something new, you peasant! A King should do better than that!”

The Shadow King’s eyes widened in fury, a new wave of nightmares battering Toxic’s awareness as his limbs appeared to be soaked in gore up to his barrel.

Yet the protective spell around his armor prevented anything else, a soft pink shield protecting the majority of his body.

“Such insolence,” the King growled, “even those spells the witches gave you have their limits!”

“True,” Toxic admitted, “but you haven’t found them. Not even close! You’re losing against a pony, King of Shadows! You have not phased me! A mortal is besting the King of Shadows, a ruler in the Limbo realm!”

Toxic bit back a smirk as the Shadow conjured up another horrific vision, the King refusing to let a mortal have the last word.

“And yet you are all words, pony,” the King spat. “I can wear you down over weeks. You can’t stand against me forever! You barely have the strength for that, let alone to rescue your gryphoness!”

Toxic stared back, finding himself nodding in agreement. That was a new thing, but the Shadow was right. He barely had the strength to stand after five days of dealing with the nightmares, Gelliana sleeping another day away.

“You know, you’re right,” he admitted, the Shadow starting to chuckle in victory. “But you know, I’ve learned something in dealing with you, something you will never understand.”

“Oh?” The King humored the pony, oblivious to what was going on at the peripheral of Toxic’s vision.

“I’ve learned to trust my friends,” Toxic stated with a now-confident grin, “to trust those I care about.”

The Shadow’s eyes widened in absolute horror; the room holding Gelliana abruptly beginning to fade as he removed his focus from the pony.

“Wait. What have-”

“I don’t need to hold on that long. I just needed you to be distracted for a few minutes,” Toxic grinned. “She is out of your reach now. See you later, demon.”

The Shadow’s form vanished as he returned to the normal world, Toxic chuckling as the room faded completely from view. A brief casting of a spell to confirm things, and Toxic sat down in the dreamscape as it began to dissolve.

“I’ll see you soon, Gells. Just hang on.”

The magical readout on the Lantern’s bridge confirmed Pick’s hopes. Toxic had distracted the Shadow-King for a few precious moments. The fleet had arrived on a different side of the area shield, punching through the barrier with ease. The previous attack must have weakened the King’s domain, for the gas was at reduced levels along with the shield’s strength.

Or it may be that more than a dozen airships blasted it with spells. The barrage of explosive bolts and magical surges had fried everything within sight of the impact zone, the shield shattering outwards. The ground beneath the shield turned to glass, trees turning to ash in an instant.

There had been very little argument between Toxic, Pick, and Varti. The former, despite being barely able to stand let alone fight, wasn’t about to be left out.

He could play a crucial role all the same.

Staggering from the Lantern’s spell chamber, Toxic leaned on a bench, looking out over the bridge as Pick directed various craft and creatures. The airship fleet spread out, only a few chaos-creatures present on the ground below.

Orders came and went smoothly, every creature at their station laser-focused. Varti’s report from the sensors then came over the speakers; the communication’s officers taking notes. Hammer sounded off that the shock troops were ready to deploy; Knife Twist and the Templars too.

Something then punched through the stallion’s exhaustion-addled brain, a thrill making his chest glow with warmth and tears coming to his eyes. The pony’s emotions were still boiling near the surface, more than five days of nightmares having shredded most of his mental barriers. In times like this, he could barely stop himself from outright sobbing.

His organization, the creation to which Toxic had thrown blood, sweat and tears into, was alive. For the first time in his life, Toxic was an observer in a critical mission. It was his brother, best friend and trusted confidants leading the charge.

For the first time, his participation in this part of the operation was optional.

Despite tears clouding his eyes, the stallion walked over to an empty console, usually reserved for diplomats. Calling up the fleet’s sensors he could only stare at the readouts.

Over a dozen ships, hundreds of troops, thousands of armaments…

It was a military that could challenge any of the current standing nations. And now its sole purpose was to rescue a single gryphoness. Ships flew evenly in formation, pushed along by jets of magical energy. The Organization’s symbol shone brightly on their sides; a lighthouse emblazoned amid a shield.

Shock troops stood at attention in their deployment bays, flying creatures being the first individuals to leave the ship when ordered. Slowing spells would aid the decent of non-winged individuals, none left out from the strike.

It was a well-oiled machine, the Organization able to run without him. Just the guidance of his brother and best friend…

The display then shifted, Toxic’s throat closing up with emotion as Varti’s newest tests came back from the lab suits. It was a constant side project; a most-automated assembly line discovering and creating new biohazard suit and mask filters that could mimic Toxic’s abilities.
So far, nothing had worked. Hundreds of prototypes that the eccentric Yak had created, and none had come close to mimicking the stallion’s abilities.

Until now.

‘Prototype 711.
Minimal magical residence test: Passed
Minimal acidity resistance test: Passed
Minimal biohazard filtration test: Passed
Minimal radiation dampening test: Passed
Minimal chemical resistance test: Passed
Minimal penetration of bladed weapons resistance test: Passed
Minimal penetration of pointed weapons resistance test: Passed

Conclusion: Prototype 711 furthered to medium tests. Submitting material prototype as option for ‘minimal’ hazard suit.’

Toxic had long since stopped hoping for an end to his work. The light at the end of the tunnel was never to open air; it was always another train.

Yet now, that light seemed to be genuine. An organization that actually was set to replace him. A nation dedicated to helping others.

Leyline energy flickered across his limbs, a bit of exhaustion leaving them as he sent a silent thanks to the two entities that had made this all possible. Two mares who had kept him safe; Gelliana safe when he couldn’t.

It was only a blink, but Toxic saw Clari and Fide appear to him, kind smiles on their faces before vanishing.

It’s almost over…

The opening salvo had Toxic grinning ear to ear, Pick actually chuckling.

The two embedded crystals in the mountain detonated, their matrix shifting to be the perfect shaped charge. The face of the mountain was abruptly removed, the creatures inside either blasted to pieces or laid out unconscious from the shockwave. It didn’t touch the inner chambers though, where Gelliana was. That would have to be breached manually.

Toxic paced back and forth as the updates came in; Pick and Hammer relaying information back and forth as Knife Twist and her Templars made their way to the upstairs chambers.

‘We’ve got a few dozen Chaos-creatures here!”

“Blast ‘em!’

A volley from the ships pounded the unfortunate targets repeatedly. What remained on the ground was torn to shreds by the landing troops and templars, each making sure that nothing was left to regenerate. Anything moving was stabbed, hit with magic, and then secured to an explosive charge to pulverize the remails.

Such actions often occurred in that order.

Pick doubled the scans on the surrounding area; there were too few of the chaos creatures, less than half….

A grin split his crystal muzzle, the Fleet Commander barking orders to the fleet. The Chaos-Creatures had apparently a final trick to play; a large portion of them having adjusted their forms to fly. The three nearest ships turned broadside, Hammer grinning ear to ear as he issued the order.

“FIRE!”

A wall of magical strikes, explosive ballistic bolts, and old-fashioned cannonballs ripped through the air and flattened the frontmost creatures. The still-flying ones behind them met another volley; this one from the Lantern. The flagship’s armaments dwarfed the smaller vessels, the magical blasts nearly enveloping two of the creatures whole. The salvos then synchronized, tearing into the creatures. Another volley, and another, the thunderous rain of projectiles following the creatures to the forest floor where they pounded the creatures into literal pieces. The ground turned to glass, shattering under the repetitive barrage as nothing but fragments of the chaos-creatures remained.

“So that’s where all the extra creatures went,” Pick mused as he tuned back into the battle. It appeared most of the primary chamber was secure, prisoners being restrained and teleported back to the ship. The Templars and elite squads had finally located the main hallway that led to the Shadow-King’s primary chambers. Naturally, they had to sweep for traps first. But so far nothing had been found.

“Minimal resistance entering the upper chamber- wait, we’ve got a few more of those things!”

The sounds of battle echoed over the communications channels; Knife panting into her helmet as something shrieked.

‘Not as many as I thought…It’s a large chamber. Big map-like thing in the middle, kind of like the one in Twilight’s castle. There! You two, send the deactivation code! We’ve got Gelliana- she’s out cold in some sort of cage! No spells detected or fail-safes. It’s like they just…left. There’re some broken weapons here, all melted. Looks like they tried to kill her but the shielding spell was fully active. There’s a dead chaos-creature too; looks like they tried everything.’

Pick’s eyes flickered over to Toxic; the little brother checking up on the anxious stallion as he paced back and forth continually.

‘Bracelet deactivation code received- we’ve got her! Initiating transport!’

Toxic met Pick’s eyes, the stallion’s hooves already moving towards the medical facilities of the ship.

“Thank you, Pick,” he said softly, his wavering tone conveying what words could not.

“Anytime Bro. But I think this is going to drag on a bit longer; but let us handle that,” Pick said, knowing Toxic was thinking something similar. “You may want to look out the window in a few minutes,” he tapped the communications command, “all forces. Once the area is secure, retrieve any prisoners and return to ships. Initiate a triple-count to make sure nobody is left behind. The Princess’s are on standby. Code ‘Mid-Day Meteor.’”

Toxic couldn’t help but let a tired smirk slide onto his features.
“I’ll take a look. Level the place, Pick.”

“With pleasure.”

The stallion was then off as fast as his leaden limbs could move. Toxic managed to make his way to the med-bay of the ship, nurses already hooking Gelliana up to various monitors. Two familiar entities were scanning the gryphoness; an ethereal mare and gryphon.

“She will be alright, Director,” SMALL said happily, CESAL nodding in confirmation.

“No injuries detected outside of what were already present during our escape and evasion time. She is sleeping. Her mind is guarded here.”

The Gryphon’s eyes widened as the stallion stumbled, the entity catching the pony and promptly lifting him to an adjacent medical cot.

“We will attend to you in a moment,” CESAL said firmly, Toxic actually quite happy to simply lay there for a time.

Gelliana was safe; they were safe.

Safe, and among friends. Perhaps now he could finally close his eyes.

*A short time prior*

Commander Chaster let out a frustrated sigh. The feline was patrolling the edge of the massive cavern with a dozen creatures, as he was oft to do. An alert had just gone out that out of a fleet of ships coming in fast; the chaos things slithering up the walls to respond. The Mercenary commander directed his own forces to the rear guard, a weight in his chest as he did so.

Despite the offered opportunity, his life was worth more than gold. If the chaos-creatures fell, then the Commander knew what his final option was; and he trusted the wrath of two ponies rather than the Shadow-King. The King wanted the gryphoness dead if the base was breached; but so far nobody had been able to get close to the comatose creature. The shielding spell had fried one of the Chaos-Serpents within seconds.

The wall nearest to him abruptly began to glow from two large points, the cat abruptly backing up as the sword shook in his hands. This entire operation was beyond anything he had imagined. He was a mercenary. Robbing caravans, breaking into vaults, the occasional hostage…but this? War?

You had to be alive to spend your gold, and that eventuality was rapidly diminishing.

Two Chaos-Creatures clambered over the walls, looking at the two areas that were dripping molten stone. They turned, clearly about to say something-

The world detonated.

Chaster’s sensitive ears only registered a high-pitched ringing, bright sunlight blasting into the cave. The entire cliff-face was simply gone, a fleet of a dozen ships hovering outside the entrance. Dozens of figures jetted from their underbellies, armored creatures thundering down to land around the dazed Commander. Their bodies were clad in thick armor, blades leveled at his throat as they charged in.

The Chaos-Creatures still standing were torn to shreds, overwhelmed by the blasts that the ships rained down, the attackers then setting upon then before they could regenerate. Teams of shock troops piled onto the Creatures, tearing them limb from limb with blade, crossbow-bolts, and magic.

Calls to the Shadow-King went unanswered, but Chaster knew full well what that meant. The Shadow-King and his mysterious pony host weren’t about to make some noble last stand. The army in front of Chaster was beyond anything he had ever seen; the rag-tag groups in the badlands paling in comparison.

The Shadow-King could play the long game and that clearly didn’t involve the feline. What that game was, Chaster didn’t know. But if it meant his life was saved, the mercenary would gladly turn over that freaky shadow-thing.

He managed to dodge the majority of the fighting, all of the chaos-creatures appearing dead as he slid along the wall. His fellow mercenaries were surrendering; not that he blamed them. While this organization was clearly leading things surely, they had agreements with the ponies. Padded cells were preferable to death. Surrendering to Equestria was considered a pleasant outcome in the Badlands.

However, the odd thing was that all of the attackers were quickly escorting everyone…

“YOU! HALT!” An authoritative voice bellowed.

As an armored gryphon angled his sword, preparing to strike at the feline, Chaster immediately drew and tossed his sword away, plastering himself to the ground.

“Mercy!”

The air in the room jumped. Chaster was abruptly aware that instead of the cool, damp interior of the mountain it felt like the scorching sun of the badlands was beating down upon him.

Golden armor shining with a red fire, the Solar Empress walked next to the Templar. Her eyes were narrowed in rage as a serrated sword held itself out to touch the tip of his throat.

“Be glad that your life is not mine to judge,” Celestia growled, Chaster’s eyes widening in horror as stars began to fall outside. Their paths tore into the forest with an explosive violence he had never seen, the explosions reaching tens of stories tall as the mountain shook under Luna’s wrath, the Lunar Empress calling down the heavens to crater the Shadow-King’s territory. Anything left outside was turned to dust, the Princess’s blasting the ‘kingdom’ down to bedrock.

“I offer information for my life; not for freedom but for it to be spared,” Chaster stammered, the armored gryphon next to Celestia clamping restraints on the ex-Commander as they marched towards the opening.

“Then speak.”

The fact the armored gryphon glanced sideways to Celestia in an almost cautionary manner confirmed to Chaster something.

The fact was absolutely horrifying, the feline feeling a cold sweat breaking out across his brow. Celestia’s previous words suggested it, but this made it utterly clear.

The benevolent Princess’s weren’t the ones leading the charge. It was not with a pony the mercenary now was bargaining with.

His life was in the hands of…

The feline spoke as rapidly and clearly as he could. If the merciful ponies weren’t the ones to be imprisoning them; he had to appear useful-be useful.

Chaster’s nerves weren’t assuaged, however, as his news of the absence of the Shadow-King didn’t seem to surprise anyone who heard it. In a turn of events that Chaster knew was a once in a lifetime moment, the Mercenary was happy to have a Princess’s ear, even if he was bound for a jail cell.

Judging from the looks the other Last Light troops were giving him, Celestia very well may be the only thing standing between him and being thrown off of the airship onto the rocks.

Seeing the pieces of the mercenaries under his command that had not surrendered, Chaster knew what his fate very well may have been.

The pony casually watched as the Shadow-King ranted and raved, the hidden cave scorched with chaos magic as the Shadow exited his tantrum. Their mountain had been blasted in to a crater, the King’s ‘kingdom’ now reduced to a wasteland.

“Are you done?” he asked, the King glaring at the pony.

“AM I-” the King took a few deep breaths, nodding to his host reluctantly. “I am… better. It is an adjustment for me to lose.”

“I gathered. This is why I tried to prepare you,” the pony sighed. “There is a phrase here; to win a war, you have to lose a few battles.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Perhaps to you,” his Host admitted, “a creature not accustomed to losing. But this is a long game. Even though all of the pieces once taken have been returned to the board, we can start with fresh pawns, in time. Ponies have a short memory even if the Princess’s do not. However, there is still a key piece that needs to be eliminated.”

“And you have insisted on doing that yourself?”

The pony nodded casually.
“Of course, but in due time. Now we must wait and recover. Your methods failed. I would like to show you how to play a long game. You remove a piece, and then you vanish. A pawn is just as dangerous to a king as a rook or knight.”

“Very well,” the King admitted, “I am curious as to your methods. Most ponies are not vicious creatures.”

A fanged mouth parted in a smile, the concealment spell dropping to show the expertly-filed teeth.

“Most ponies aren’t. That is why we will eventually win.”

Author's Note

Bring the rain! :yay:

Chapter Forty One: Daybreak

“He wasn’t there.”

Shifting’s annoyed tone spoke the thought of everyone in the room; Celestia, Luna, and Nacreous all looking at the report the Last Light Organization had recently sent.

“Well, the area is turned to rubble. The gas is dispersing with the counter-agent and there is no sign of any remaining Chaos Creatures,” Luna replied, “And we have at least the cooperation of that high ranking Abyssin. No sign of counter-attacks to Equestria. The ‘kingdom’ is all but reduced to dust.”

“Quite a few creatures begged to be taken prisoner in Equestria,” Celestia huffed, “but, treaties are treaties. I did request that the Organization not immediately turn them to ash. Thankfully, their goal of helping and possibly rehabilitation others will hold true for now.”

“Toxic and Gelliana are safe then,” Nacreous rumbled, “we cannot ask more of them.”

“It’s not a matter of asking,” Luna replied, “it’s a matter of what is required. The King is still on the loose and the Organization is trying to hunt him down with our aid. He only has a dozen or two of those creatures left. And apparently, he has a host. A pony host. We have to increase our sweeps for sure.”

Everyone knew that Luna’s words, while true, were a bit hollow. Scans had turned up empty, as had any leads. The Shadow-King was gone, licking his wounds apparently. But when and where he would resurface none of them knew.

But for now, there was a lull, one that hopefully could let two individuals recover.

Gelliana stretched, the gryphoness’s mind cloudy. The last thing she had remembered was wishing Toxic well. That was back in the-

She bolted upright- or mentally did at least. In reality, the gryphoness opened her eyes groggily, shifting slightly as she moved in a medical cot.

A light-green earth pony mare looked over to the gryphoness, smiling kindly as she tapped a few keys on the bedside monitor.

“Welcome back, Gelliana,” she said softly. “You’ve been out for a solid day. How are you feeling? My name is Nurse Saline- or just Sali for short.”

The gryphoness opened her mouth to speak- and abruptly began to cough until the nurse levitated some water over to her.

“B-better, thank you,” she stammered, Sali checking Gelliana’s chart again.

“That is good to hear. We’ve mainly been giving you fluids and vitamins to help you recover from, well, all of that,” the nurse explained. “We need to leave the IV’s in though; there are restroom facilities behind me and to the left that you can use. The leads will stay attached and not pull. Do you need any help with that?”

“N-no, I’m good. I think,” Gelliana replied, “I may need some help standing, but other than that, I should be ok.”

“Alright, lean on me then, slowly. I’ll wait until you’re done so I can help you back into bed if needs be.”

“That works; thank you.”

The IVs were oddly, well, not comfortable, but they didn’t interfere with movement as much as Gelliana thought. An odd levitating spell kept them above her head. There was no need to wheel a frame around.

It was only after Gelliana had washed the grime from her eyes and made her way back to the bed (with a bit of help,) that the situation fully began to sink it.

“So, we’re…?”

“At the Last Light Organization’s Headquarters. Specifically, the primary hospital,” Sali explained. “You were rescued over a day ago.”

The next question surprisingly made Gelliana’s voice tremble. She could feel the impending wave and weight of their situation, a month of extreme stress threatening to crash down.

“W-where’s Toxic?”

The nurse checked behind the adjoining curtain, nodding once before pulling it back, revealing a slumbering stallion. Similar IVs were hooked up; but a few additional bags were attached for him.

“Usually you’d be in separate rooms, but he was rather insistent,” Sali explained, her brow furrowing, “I hope that is-”

“No, that’s perfect. Thank you,” Gelliana interjected, “Is he…?”

“He’ll be fine,” the unicorn said, “mainly sleep deprivation and effects of extreme stress like yourself. We have him on a light sedative that should be wearing off soon. You’re both going to be fine.”

Gelliana wasn’t sure when she started crying, only that the nurse hugged her at some point, a hoof gently patting her back.

We’re safe.

For the briefest of moments, Toxic thought he had died.

Nothing hurt. Whatever he was sleeping on felt like clouds. Songbirds were singing nearby, a soft light calling him to wakefulness.

The familiar cozy room of the Organization’s medical wing greeted him. The soft hum of electronics and magical monitoring spells reached Toxic’s ears, a soft teal curtain giving him a view out a large, one-way window. Distant waves crashed as rolling green hills sprawled out beneath the room.

He almost refused to believe it. The abrupt jump into the dream world had dulled the reality of everything, out of one fire and into another. Then the rescue, the stallion barely remembering collapsing in the medical bay. Over a month of running, a week of dream-walking. He wasn’t sure what felt real anymore amid the chaos.

But now there was nothing. Nothing but the distant hustle-and-bustle of a medical facility. He assumed someone would be in to check on him.

“Safe,” he said to himself softly, amulet pulsing in time to his voice. “I wonder when I will feel like it?”

“Tox?”

He jerked in surprise, a gryphoness standing next to his bed, IV leads trailing behind her. Gelliana’s eyes watered, her beak quivering. The stallion carefully stood up, sliding off the bed to sit in front of her.

“Gells?” It was almost a question on his part. Things were too peaceful, too serene. The hoof he reached up to rest against her cheek felt real enough, as did when she reached up with her claws to press into it.

She is real.

She carefully pulled the pony into a hug, the gryphoness crying into his shoulder as tears flowed from Toxic’s eyes freely.

“Y-you’re real.”

The pony nodded gently, his head resting against hers.
“And you’re here. We’re here,” his brow furrowed, even as Gelliana’s chest fluttered against his, her breathing starting to become steadier. “I think we made it. It still doesn’t feel real though.”

She nodded at that, the softest giggle leaving her beak.
“I’ve been up for a b-bit. It still feels like a dream,” Gelliana admitted, “I would say it is a dream since you’re here, but I’ve had enough of dreamscapes for a long, long time.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. The stallion reached down to hold one of Gelliana’s claws in his hooves, the gryphoness reaching up to place her other claws on his chest with a teary smile.

“We made it, Toxic,” she whispered, “we made it.”

No more words were said for a time, the pair simply sitting in each other’s arms. Gelliana started to cry gently, the full weight of everything beginning to settle. A tearful kiss definitely confirmed this was reality, the gryphoness’s chest shivering against the stallions. She reached up to give him a kiss, this one with enough fiery passion to make Toxic’s hair stand on end. Of course, the fact he returned the affection made Gelliana let out a soft squeak before he returned to just nuzzle against her cheek.

“Now we get to go on a different, more peaceful adventure,” Toxic whispered after a time, the gryphoness letting out a sniffly “huh?”.

“One with lots of nice food, regular dates, lots of kisses, hugs, and a significant amount of therapy. And no caves for a while.”

Gelliana couldn’t help but laugh through the tears. How could she not? The look in Toxic’s eyes let her know that the stallion meant every word.

Oddly, he looked around briefly, Toxic taking off the amulet briefly.
“Love you, Gells,” he said softly before placing the item back around his neck. The simple gesture and hearing his true voice didn’t help the gryphoness’s composure. She settled for scooting closer to rest her head underneath his as the gryphoness tried to at least stop crying.

“Love you too, Toxic,” she managed to whisper. “And t-that new adventure sounds amazing.”

“For now, let’s just focus on getting out of this hospital room without crying. I think that might take a bit.”

She could only smile in agreement as Toxic hugged her close, the sensitive stallion also shedding a few rebellious tears.

They were safe.

They stayed in the hospital that day and night for monitoring. Considering the size and how modern it was, the ‘monitoring’ session was the equivalent of a mid-range hotel.

Well, with a bunch of nurses and equipment taped to your limbs.

Staying on the protected island was a given, and they wore medical monitoring bracelets that would alert any response staff of an emergency. In the morning, aside from a large bottle of pills they had to take to help them bounce back, Toxic and Gelliana were declared to be in fairly good condition.

Well, all things considered at least. They were still both sleep-deprived, stressed-out, and needing a long vacation. But physically were at least in the borderline ‘healthy’ category, but only barely.

Some evening conference calls were scheduled, as were as short visit to Canterlot, but for now they could just take a deep breath.

“Y’know, I think this adjusting is going to be a bit harder than I thought,” Gelliana admitted. The two were sitting under one of the many gazebos overlooking the ocean; such scenic areas dotted around the exterior of the facility.

“Oh?” the stallion asked, the salty air putting his mind at ease, as did the fact a certain gryphoness’s feathers brushed against his side. A necklace sat off to the side, not needed around the Gelliana. His eyes glanced over to her. Toxic hadn’t said anything, but he had definitely noticed the dark circles underneath his gryphoness’s eyes today. The previous night neither of them had slept well, it would seem.

“Yeah. I went to that shop to get some snacks an hour or two ago?” she explained, “and when I was looking at stuff, I had just-well, it wasn’t a panic attack but the start of one.”

“That’s not good. Do you know what caused it?”

Gelliana blushed, looking to the ground in embarrassment.
“Not knowing if you were ok,” she muttered, “I know it’s silly, but…”

“It’s not silly at all,” Toxic countered immediately, “it makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“It does?” she was genuinely surprised, brow furrowing as Gelliana tried to work through both her logical thoughts and feelings.

The stallion mentally kicked himself at that. Of course, she wouldn’t know as much about PTSD or trauma outside of her own, extremely-specific experience. For better or worse, at least he did.

“Of course. You’ve been looking out for me for over a month straight. We’ve both almost died. Myself, twice, if not more. I’ve been, for the lack of a better term, the focus of everything. Outside of staying alive that is,” Toxic explained, “it’s only natural that now, when that has been completely changed, you’re going to struggle to adjust for a bit. I had something like that happen too.”

“You did?”

Another mental kick. He should have immediately shared that.

“Yeah. I was talking with Varti today and I couldn’t get myself to stand out in the open,” Toxic admitted. “I really wanted to be close to the wall. I couldn’t explain it. I just felt so vulnerable without something around me. Here,” he gestured to the gazebo, “we’re surrounded by something, and you’re here. So, I feel safe. But walking here I swear I started to shiver.”

“Me to,” Gelliana admitted, “I’ve had reactions to like, thunderstorms, but that was a single night. We were gone for over a month.” That seemed to make her shoulders and wings slump, the gryphoness swallowing nervously. “This could get really rough, huh? Things have changed forever, even if it’s in a small way? Well, lots of big ways I guess.”

Toxic wished he could immediately counter her words, but she deserved the truth. Always the truth.

“Forever? In a way, yes,” he admitted, “and the adjustment is going to be rough, more so for you than myself if I had to guess. I have at least had a few days to decompress and have been dealing with trauma for over a decade. That’s why I’m really glad we can talk to my counselor together, and you can also have your own private sessions.”

He nudged her shoulder at that. “Just know that I’m here for you, and I’ll never think something is silly that is bothering you. Remember your reaction to me being afraid of that burst soda can on our date? I’d be the biggest hypocrite ever if I didn’t treat your troubles with the same care.”

A loving kiss briefly occupied the pony’s time, the stallion sighing happily as Gelliana snuggled a bit closer.

“Thank you, Tox,” she whispered, “that helps. Hearing that I can say stuff and you won’t judge. I mean, I knew you would, but hearing it again helps.”

“That’s why I said it,” he replied happily, ears flattening briefly. “I knew you slept on the floor for an hour or two last night. So, I get it.”

“You saw that?”

“Saw and heard, as I was dozing. I’ve been in that same situation, so I wanted to make sure you knew it was normal and that you weren’t alone,” he explained softly.

“Just, the bed felt great, it just was too cushy,” she admitted.

“I know. I did the same thing after one of my jobs. Three months of sleeping on hard dirt…it takes a few days to adjust.”

She was quiet for a moment, then nudging Toxic with a shoulder.

“Thank you, Tox,” she whispered, wincing in surprise as a soft chime sounded from the stallion’s utility gauntlet.

“That’s the hour or so warning, by the way.”

Gelliana couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably at that.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Very. I know we’re just talking to our parents, but there’s so much they don’t know, at least for me,” she admitted. “I don’t even know how to introduce you!”

“We’re talking to them separately first, and then we’ll meet together. I can take the lead on that if it’d help.”

“We’ll just wait and see on that. If I’m a mess, I’d appreciate it,” Gelliana admitted.

“I promise not to say that we’re basically married, sans a few fun intimate details.”

The squeak that left Gelliana’s beak made Toxic cackle, the familiar poofing of feathers making the stallion grin.

“Am I wrong?”

“No.” the returning grumble lacked any venom, the loving glint in Gelliana’s eyes making Toxic’s heart flutter. “But I greatly appreciate you not saying that. My parents are probably going to flip out as it is. Me being captured and dating you and such.”

“I promise to be on my best behavior. I am capable of it, you know.”

“I know you are. Just don’t make my feathers fluff when you’re meeting my parents.”

“Awwww. It’d be so easy! I even know what I’d say!”

Gelliana glared at Toxic as they began to meander back to the complex, the unicorn smirking as he put the amulet back on around his neck.

“Don’t you dare.”

“It’s not wrong!”

“Dooooon’t you dare.”

“I just have to say we’ve been sleeping together for a month! Every night like clockwork. And sometimes during the day too. You were quite insistent.”

The fact his gryphoness resembled an angry ball of feathers and fur was too much, Toxic cracking up as Gelliana glared daggers at him. After a few moments, he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes, leaning over to nudge his playfully-fuming special somecreature with a shoulder.

“In all seriousness, Gells, I promise to do my absolute best to make things easier,” Toxic said in a more subdued, serious tone. “I know how much this means to you, and at least know some of the baggage with your parents. I’ll try my hardest not to do anything to cause any more questions than they already have.”

A friendly nudge back was Gelliana’s answer, a nervous but thankful smile on her beak.

They had faced a King of Shadows; surely this paled in comparison.

The transportation to Canterlot was fairly uneventful. Well, uneventful aside from the squad of shock troops that accompanied the pair through the portal. With the Shadow-King still on the loose, Varti and Pick were not taking any chances, something that Celestia and Luna had agreed upon. To their credit, admitting that their own forces may be compromised was a hard pill to swallow. Toxic had to admire them for the lack of waffling when presented with such facts.

Stepping through the portal, the pair were greeted by the royals; Celestia, Luna, Nacreous and Shifting (the latter not technically a royal just yet, however.)

Toxic let himself indulge in the jealous glinting seen in some of the Royal Guard’s expressions on seeing his organization’s troops. The Organization’s guard were geared for war, and not just with a spear or two as they stood guard both inside and outside the immediate rooms. Heavy crossbows were slung across their backs, enchanted blades at their sides.

After a few pleasantries, Celestia pulled Toxic aside as Shifting explained where the parents were. A few whispers from Luna likely pacified the gryphoness as to why her sister needed a moment.

“Toxic, I…” the Empress’s words failed her, Celestia hanging her head and not able to meet Toxic’s gaze.

“Princess?” he asked, genuinely curious as to what this was about.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered, “I failed you, again. Failing to protect you led to your capture, among many other things. I don’t expect you to forgive me for that. But I just wanted to say that I’m sorry, for however little that may be worth to you.”

Toxic blinked. Of the things he had been expecting, the first few words to him from Celestia being an apology was not on the list. Having said her piece, the Princess looked over to him, clearly prepared for a casual dismissal of her words or an outright rejection.

For the briefest of moments there was a conflict of what to say or two; but the stallion only had one true answer. He had told Gelliana how he wanted to be on terms with Celestia. Now he had a chance.

“Celestia, I forgave you a long time ago,” Toxic said firmly, the Alicorn’s eyes widening in genuine shock. “The moment I learned more about politics, history, and the responsibilities of a ruler, I forgave you. That applies to our first…incident, and everything up to and including now.”

Celestia’s eyes shimmered, the Princess rendered genuinely speechless, Toxic holding up a hoof.

“That said, that doesn’t mean I am blind,” he added. His tone, while firm, didn’t have the usual edge present when dealing with the Princess. “I know you would sacrifice myself, my organization, and my friends to save Equestria. I cannot and will not forget or overlook such a fact. That will never change.”

Her gaze dropped ever so slightly at that, but Celestia didn’t voice a counter argument. It was true, after all.

“But that is a burden that I cannot fully understand, and therefore I cannot hold it against you. Not like I did before,” Toxic continued, the pony letting out a rather humorless chuckle. “If my loved ones were threatened, I know what I’d sacrifice to save them. So, I’d be a hypocrite to fault you for that, as I imagine you love your subjects in a way I cannot fully grasp. I don’t have to like my place in your priorities, but I logically understand it and cannot fault you for it.”

Looking up, Toxic held out his hoof, clearly pushing himself to do so, but wanting to do it nonetheless.

“I’d like to be on at least friendly terms. Without your help I couldn’t have built the Last Light Organization. Well, it would have taken many more decades.” Toxic shrugged as he spoke, the usual guarded demeanor present when dealing with Celestia greatly subdued if not absent. “So that said, and if we’re on the same page of understanding each other’s positions, can we at least be friends?” he asked.

Clearly swallowing a lump in her throat, Celestia carefully reached out a hoof and bumped Toxic’s with a nod.

“I’d like that, Toxic,” she admitted. “Friends it is.” The alicorn paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. “One of my greatest mistakes was making you think your…position in my priorities was less than it really was. Perhaps in time I can convince you otherwise.”

Toxic couldn’t help but be a bit startled at the flurry of emotion behind Celestia’s eyes. Genuine thanks radiated from her gaze, the Alicorn seeming to be trying to hold back tears.

A soft squeak made Toxic turn over, Gelliana clamping a set of claws over her beak and she did tear up.

“S-sorry!” she managed to say, blushing a bright pink from embarrassment. “Just, I get it.”

Letting out a tired but genuine laugh, Toxic waved a hoof at her as he glanced to Celestia.

“She would understand,” he admitted, the pair walking over to join the rest of the group. The pony and gryphoness were shepherded towards the two rooms with their parents, Nacreous pulling Celestia aside briefly.

“I’m so proud of you, Sunspots,” he whispered, giving his Fiancé a tight hug. “I’m proud of you both.”

A thankful kiss was all Celestia could spare, her grateful smile conveying more than words could.

Author's Note

Yaaaaay! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter Forty Two: Waves

Gelliana couldn’t pinpoint any of her feelings; they were all too tumbled together. As her parents wrapped her up in a hug, the gryphoness knew she was crying, that much was certain. She was just so…

Relieved?
Anxious?
Scared?
All the above?

All she did know was that despite their faults, her parents made her feel safe. They had done a fantastic job of that with her as the gryphoness grew up. They just had trouble letting that go.

Marble finally wiped the tears from her eyes, Obsidian releasing them from the group hug as they looked her over.

“I e-expected an eyepatch,” Marble sniffed, “So silly and stupid, but you look ok. Are you ok? We had no idea what was going on!”

“Well, a partial idea,” Obsidian admitted as they sat down together, “Celestia kept us informed, as did the Shields. But we only knew you were captured. We saw the summary the Organization sent, but that’s about it.” The stallion’s ears flattened at that. “It sounds like you’ve been through the wringer, to say the least. I know you probably don’t want to go into that right now though. Maybe it’s best if we don’t know everything.”

Marble immediately teared up again as Gelliana nodded. The admittance from one of her parents at saying they didn’t need to know everything was a step indeed.

“You could s-say that,” she admitted, “but I had some help from someone I really want you to meet.” Gelliana’s ears drooped as she spoke, “I’m sorry for not-”

“Gelliana, do not apologize to us,” Marble butted in, her head shaking back and forth rapidly. “You’ve been keeping a healthy distance to help us learn how to…let go. It has taken us a long time to acknowledge that it’s a good thing. So, we get it. We’re just happy you’re home, safe and sound.”

“That said, we would like to meet this mystery stallion. Celestia seems to hold him in very high regard,” Obsidian muttered curiously, “we only know the basics about him.”

Her mother’s expression changed to that of amusement as Gelliana couldn’t keep a genuine smile off her face.

“Well, let’s go meet Toxic then.”

“You have been keeping quite a bit from us,” Spectrum grumbled to her son, the latter simply shrugging after separating from a tight hug.

“I had to. You know this,” he admitted. “I’m sorry for that, but it was necessary. The Organization, everything.”

“I’m not disputing that. I’m just saying I don’t like it. Goodness, Pick seems to have things well in hoof with a new body. Some things are best summarized to us it would seem.”

The amused but half-annoyed smile on his mother’s face was enough to let the stallion know all was well, his father sighing.

“Why do I get the feeling this was just another job?” he asked softly.

“Because it was, in a way,” Toxic said, “but it was also very different. Case in point, I’d like you to meet my special somegriff. First, I need to meet her parents,” the stallion smiled a bit awkwardly at that, “I have a bit more explaining to do with them, so…”

Spectrum waved a hoof at her son, a soft, stressed-out chuckle leaving her muzzle.
“You really shouldn’t be this comfortable with all this,” she sighed, “but I get it. This is part of what you do. And yes, Gelliana’s parents have a lot of questions, many that I couldn’t answer.”

“Well, I’ll hopefully help in that regard,” Toxic admitted, “but after that, I’d like you to meet her. I…” he paused, a tender smile dawning on his face. “I think it’d be a good idea for you to get to know her. Like, really get to know her.”

The knowing smiles on his parent’s faces let Toxic know the message was well understood.

Gelliana’s nerves gnawed at her chest. It wasn’t for Toxic, herself or anything that specific. She knew what it was, of course.

I just want them to like him.

She didn’t expect her parents to fawn over Toxic like she did (nor would she want them to.) Gelliana also knew there was no way to explain how she felt. Yes, she loved him more than anything, but surviving together for over a month added an extra layer she couldn’t explain. A level of trust she hadn’t ever felt with any other creature.

It didn’t help that Gelliana just had an itching nervousness to run and hide. All she wanted to do was huddle in Toxic’s arms for an entire day. Her lack of sleep the previous night, along with the vague nightmares had quickly caught up with her.

Maybe we took re-adjusting too fast…

The tightness in her chest seemed to confirm that fact, the gryphoness recognizing an anxiety attack immediately. Everything seemed too loud, too fast; even her own thoughts.

She had to stop herself from running over to Toxic as he entered the ornate room, instead walking over with a smile. He saw right through it, of course, the stallion pausing with that adorable head-tilt and flick of his ears.

“Gells? You ok?” he asked softly. Even if it was muted by the amulet, the concern was there; she knew it was there.

“J-just overwhelmed,” she admitted, Toxic’s brow furrowing at hearing her nervous stutter resurface. Ironic this is what made her stutter; not running from a bunch of freaky chaos creatures.

Taking a deep breath, she trotted over to her parents, Toxic following with a clear amount of concern. Despite the anxiety and nerves, she did feel a bit of pride. Finally, being able to introduce someone to her parents that genuinely made her happy.

And that I can say I love completely. I never thought I’d…

“Mom, Dad,” Gelliana managed to say with a sincere smile, “this is my special somepony, Toxic Shield. I guess you know a little bit about him.”

“A little, but I’d say this are odd circumstances to say the least,” Marble admitted. Toxic took a step forward, holding out his hoof.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I do wish it was under better conditions,” Toxic admitted.

Shaking his outstretched hoof, Obsidian looked over the stallion, clearly curious about the amulet but not saying anything just yet.

“Well, it is nice to meet you too, Toxic,” Obsidian said, “I know we can be a bit overbearing at times, so we had a feeling Gelliana was keeping much of her life private. Apparently, that was correct.”

There was no surprised or accusatory glance to Gelliana; Toxic only nodded firmly.
“I can understand secrecy,” he admitted, “I have not and cannot tell my parents everything for different reasons. But she has spoken highly of you regardless.”

That seemed to make the older stallion smile, Marble not able to resist a question.

“So, you and Gelliana-I just, it’s a bit much to take in,” she admitted, “We didn’t even know she was dating somepony steadily. Then after the capture, it’s just a lot. Meeting you makes that fact rather real.”

“Well, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have,” Toxic said, gesturing to the amulet, “including about this and why my voice sounds a bit boring. I imagine that got overlooked in the situation briefings.”

Obsidian at least had the nicety to look towards his hooves a built guilty.
“I didn’t want to pry. Our first meeting and all that.”

“Not prying at all. It’s a part of me and rather easily explained,” Toxic said casually, any previous tension quickly dissipating, “I am the sole survivor of the Oakbark incident; where my town got smothered in a chemical leak. While I’m impervious to all known chemical and biological hazards, unfortunately, my vocal cords were an early weak point. So, my voice now hurts the ears of everyone within range without this dampening gem.” A nudge from Gelliana made Toxic smile. “Well, almost everyone.”

“Gelliana? You aren’t?” Marble asked.

“Nope. I guess being a runt has its perks,” the gryphoness replied, Toxic frowning.

“Runt? I prefer the term fun sized,” he grumbled, Gelliana immediately blushing. Marble’s demeanor softened at that.

“For whatever reason, she can hear my real voice. That’s one of many, many things I love about her. She didn’t figure that out until after my amulet broke though,” Toxic explained, the parents nodding in interest.

“Well, the usual questions of what do you do and all that are a bit…outdated due to the circumstances,” Marble admitted, “would it be alright if we asked you a few questions alone? I promise nothing too crazy. Even for us,” she added, Gelliana looking at them cautiously.

“That’s no problem at all. Gells?” Toxic asked, the gryphoness nodded. Pausing before leaving, she looked over to Toxic as his forelimb brushed hers. “You hanging in there?”

A tearful nod made her special somepony’s ears flatten.

“Just hold on, ok?”

Another nod, and Gelliana slid to sit outside the room to give her parents and Toxic a bit of privacy. She wasn’t too worried for him; pretty much not at all if she was being honest. It made sense they had a few personal questions for him. To say the situation was odd was an understatement; they were her parents and wanted to check things. That was fair enough.

But the growing anxiety in her chest was almost overwhelming. She just felt so out of place. Not safe, just not good.

Tears welled up in the gryphoness’s eyes. It took everything she had to not just crumple into a ball. She was just so tired.

“Is she alright?” Marble asked Toxic immediately, the three of the sitting down at some cushions that bordered the wooden table in the room.

“She’s adjusting,” Toxic answered with a pensive huff as he thought, “we’ve been through a lot. I’m just used to this sort of trauma, hence why I’m so calm. That’s for better or worse at this point I suppose. We’ll get through this together. It’ll just be rough at first.”

The two ponies glanced at each other, Marble clearly taking the lead for what they wanted to ask. Thankfully, he had guessed fairly correct at their intentions.

“Toxic, with all of this going on, I guess we just have two really simple questions for you, as Gelliana’s parents,” Marble said, clearly being more unsure as she spoke. It then occurred to Toxic that they hadn’t ever done this before. Letting go of a daughter and accepting independence all while realizing she was kidnapped must have been difficult.

Understatement of the century.

“I’m happy to answer both.”

“Well, what does Gelliana mean to you?”

Toxic blinked, finding the responses he had pulled together for such a question utterly and completely inadequate.

“I don’t know if words can really do it justice,” he said softly, brow furrowing. “I assume you don’t know much about what we went through.”

“Less than what you told Celestia. That’s about as accurate as we can be, I think. The summaries you sent and such.”

Toxic took a few moments to mull that over.

“Mr. and Mrs. Forge,” he finally said firmly but kindly, “I have killed creatures to protect her. I would do it against in a heartbeat and with no hesitation. Perhaps that makes my point more than many other words could.”

Those opening words made the two ponies visibly wince, Toxic mentally taking a deep breath. It was a touchy subject to normal creatures, after all.

“I have saved your daughter’s life; that much was in the summary when we were captured. What wasn’t explained in sufficient detail was how she saved mine,” Toxic said, the two Parent’s ears perking up in curiosity.

“I was poisoned. I would be dead a hundred times over if not for Gelliana. She is one of the strongest creatures I know.” A lump grew in Toxic’s throat at that as he tried to push past it. “I am not a perfect pony. I am a very, very flawed pony who is dealing with a significant amount of challenges. And yet she loves me all the same. What does that mean to me?”

He paused again, head shaking slightly as he met Marble and Obsidian’s gaze.
“I can tell you I love her. I can tell you I have, and would protect her with my life. Yet I don’t think I can really explain fully how much she means to me. I’ve saved her life; she has saved mine. She’s my best friend, and I trust her with my life and more. We’ve gone through a nightmare together and are stronger for it,” he shrugged at that, “I suppose that’s the best way I can put it.”

The two ponies were shocked; that much was certain, so Toxic decided to add a bit of an addendum.

“I am aware you didn’t know we were dating. So perhaps this is all being a bit too strong. But I’d be lying if I said anything less. I’m sorry for the shock, but you’d learn it from her if not from me. Anything I say…I know her replies will be similar. I trust her.”

The three ponies sat in silence for a few moments, Obsidian finally speaking.
“Where do you think-where do you want to go from here?” he asked, “concerning our daughter.”
Toxic didn’t answer immediately, knowing the question was a serious one indeed. For such an odd first meeting, it wasn’t entirely out of place for sure.

“My honest answer, Mr. and Mrs. Forge, will probably be very off putting for you and seem very sudden,” Toxic admitted. “I want your daughter to be happy. I want to see her smile and laugh every day for the rest of her life. And I’d like nothing more than to be a reason for that to happen, if that’s Gelliana’s wish.”

His reply made Marble melt slightly, Obsidian nodding firmly.
“So, perhaps in the future we will be having some more serious talks?” he asked.

“As far as I know, that’s a certainty. But to assuage any other questions, we are taking things slow. And I have lived my life as a gentle-colt. That has never changed.”

Toxic had to resist a laugh as Marble relaxed even further. Stars forbid he reveal Gelliana had been the hot-blooded one more often than not.

To the grave that knowledge would go. Well, outside of his relationship at least.

“Well, Toxic, you are one interesting stallion,” Obsidian admitted, “I look forward to getting to know you more after all of this has subsided a bit.”

“Likewise,” Toxic replied, shaking both their hooves again.

“It’s a bit odd since we know some things about you. Your mother is quite a gem,” Marble admitted, “but you kept our daughter safe. That means more than you know.”

“We kept each other safe, Ms. Forge.”

“Just Marble. Goodness it makes me sound so old,” the mare laughed, “Gelliana? We’re done interrogating your coltfriend. He’s alive and well,” she called out.

Walking back into the room, Gelliana had a smile on her face, perhaps overhearing the end of the conversation.

Toxic, though, immediately saw that something was off. The gesture didn’t reach her eyes; and Marble picked up on it as well.

“Gelly?” her mother asked, the gryphoness shaking her head, smile wavering as she stopped, limbs starting to shake.

“Gells?” Toxic asked, swiftly walking over to her and looking her over, “what’s going on?”

She shook her head, a few tears falling from her eyes. Everything seemed too loud, just too much. Even as much as she loved her parents, stress made her head all fuzzy. She just needed…

The familiar forelimbs that wrapped around her, however, quickly made the gryphoness focus on a familiar sound. A steady thumping underneath a furry chest.

Immediately relaxing, Gelliana sniffled as she tried to tune out everything, Toxic gently rocking her back and forth.

“It’s ok, Gells,” he whispered, “we’re safe and sound. It’s ok to just let it out. Want to go somewhere outside?”

Seeing a brief nod, Toxic looked over Marble, the mother having taken a few steps forward. The two parents were clearly confused. The fact their daughter immediately sought out the comfort of a pony they barely knew was clearly a struggle for them to process. The shift from them making their daughter feel safe to another individual being that source.

“It was a pleasure to meet you both, but we need to get outside,” Toxic said softly, “I don’t want to be rude, but…”

“No, by all means. We’ll talk again, Toxic,” Obsidian said, a genuine but slightly unsure smile twitching at his face. “It was nice to meet you. And, thank you.”

A teleportation spell whisked the pair away, leaving the two parents staring at the slightly-puffy carpet where the two once stood.

“She trusts him. That has to be good enough for me until we get to know him more,” Marble said firmly, Obsidian agreeing with a nod.

“We can’t understand what they went through, but when he spoke, he wasn’t lying,” the stallion mused, “and didn’t mince words either. He cares for her though. You saw…”

“I’ve never seen her react like that with a panic attack,” Marble agreed, letting out a sigh as she slumped onto the cushion. “Not since she was a babe and I rocked her to sleep. She trusts him that much. I have to trust her on that.”

“He kept our baby safe,” Obsidian added, “for over a month. He risked his life to save her. That counts for more than I think we can understand right now.”

“Bakery trip to think this all over?” Marble suggested.

“Definitely.”

Reappearing at the edge of the royal gardens, Toxic barely moved. He simply shifted against the grass to rock Gelliana back and forth.

“Let me know if you want me to talk,” he said, not able to resist a grin, “even though my voice may not have the sultry tones you so enjoy.”

A rather frustrated grumble was Gelliana’s reply, the gryphoness reluctantly shifting to lean against Toxic’s shoulder.

“I think that went rather well,” he mused, Gelliana letting out a snort.

“Oh yes, as I had an anxiety attack walking back into the room and we’re going to be late meeting your-”

“You’re dealing with a lot, Gells,” Toxic interrupted firmly, “you’re going to have anxiety attacks at random points, at random things, and at seemingly illogical promptings. Just know what to expect.”

She blinked; his firm words clearly spoken from experience. The follow-up kiss Toxic gave her made the gryphoness’s wings flare slightly.

“And through all of that, I’m going to be right here,” he whispered. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.” The stallion still held her tight in a hug, Gelliana snuggling close. The fact he was so effective at defusing her anxiety was almost alarming.

Almost. But if this was a solution the gryphoness wasn’t about to complain.

“I think that did go well though. I didn’t embarrass you or myself, and your parents got my honest answers,” Toxic mused. “On the plus side, no parents freaked out visibly; just genuine surprise. I assume you heard some of it. “

“Only a bit. But I trust you,” she mumbled into his chest. “What little I did hear just made me love you more.”

Toxic blinked at that; usually Gelliana wasn’t so blunt, not like this at least.
“Well, it was all true,” he replied softly, “I love you more than I can really describe. I’m still figuring it all out too. There’s a lot we have to process right now. It’s only our second day safe and sound.”

The gryphoness scooted closer at that, her breathing slowing as she listened to his heartbeat (or so Toxic assumed.)

He levitated out some small crystals from the side satchel draped across his barrel. The small items sparkled with magic, the gryphoness accepting them with a curious hum.

“What are they? They’re pretty, but…?”

“Portal crystals,” he explained as Gelliana stowed the items in her own bag. “For tonight and other nights.”

“Huh?”

“Well, we have separate quarters on the island,” Toxic added, a bit of remorse entering his voice to his surprise. Gelliana’s ears immediately flattened at that.

“So, these portals can connect the two rooms. So, if at any time you need me, I’m literally a step away,” the stallion explained, an almost shy and cautious smile flickering across his face. Gelliana glanced up at him curiously, his demeanor becoming softer and inviting.

“I actually designed my island quarters for two. A nice big house away from the main facility,” Toxic finally said, a light blush on his cheeks, “it was just me being hopeful until now. But we’re not quite there yet. Not how the rooms are laid out at least. Getting to that point involves working through the past month, some more time, some normal dates and then some respectful questions to your parents.”

Gelliana let out a squeak, looking at Toxic in surprise. His tone was completely serious, the amulet emphasizing that. A bit hesitant as if not entirely sure of her reaction, but it certainly wasn’t a joke. What made the stallion’s chest glow was that the surprise in her eyes wasn’t that he felt that way; it was that he had told her. It was hardly subtle of course.

“I guess I’ll have to wait then, as lovely as that room must be,” she admitted with an equally shy smile, “I like that plan though.”

They had danced around actually voicing the issue, but it was Gelliana who finally let out a frustrated huff, giving Toxic a hug.

“Is this why couples elope?”

The stallion burst out laughing, the embarrassed blush on Gelliana’s face just making him hug her all the tighter.

“I don’t think our specific situation has happened before,” he admitted, trying not to laugh again at Gelliana’s still-indignant face, “but you know that wouldn’t solve our problems. I think it’d make things worse.”

Her ears flicked at that.
“How so?”

“We just escaped a month of nightmares and near-death experiences,” Toxic said seriously, “I want the foundation, our foundation to be built from more than that. And while it already is, we haven’t even dealt with the fallout from last month. Making big decisions when stressed isn’t a good idea.”

“Unless it’s to say you love me,” she interjected, Toxic sighing in defeat.

“Ok, I broke that rule.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“But my point still stands. Let’s get through this recovery together. Have some normal dates, or normal for us at least.”

The gryphoness let out an amused snort at that.

“After we’ve processed what we’ve been through, we have a more normal base to continue off of, that’s when big decisions can be made. That’s how I feel about it.”

Despite nodding in agreement, Toxic didn’t miss how Gelliana’s ears and wings drooped ever so slightly. He reached over to nuzzle up her neck and to her beak, giving her a kiss before pulling back to meet her gaze.

“Don’t think it will be that long,” he added, “I’d rather deal with one issue at a time. Dealing with all this trauma plus other things would be hard.” He paused, a slight smirk flickering across his lips. “You are far too tantalizing for me to intentionally draw out things regardless.”

Gelliana let out a squeak at that, feathers fluffing adorably as she stammered. “I m-mean I don’t disagree. Not about me. But you. Me to you. I just-I get it,” she managed to say, “I just didn’t think we’d-I mean, I’ve thought abou…”

Her words trailed off into another squeak, the shy gryphoness shaking her head.

“Thought abooooooout?” Toxic teased, getting a firm nudge from Gelliana.

“Us. The future. I mean, I had a lot of time to think,” she grumbled, “and I know you’re right. It’s just a lot to think about.”

“Then don’t.”

She looked up at him in confusion.
“Huh? How can I not?”

“I mean, don’t stress over it. Wonder, put out what-if’s,” Toxic explained. He drew back, reaching down to pick up and hold one of Gelliana’s clawed hands.

“We’re going to deal with this. All the stuff from the past month, be it anxieties, fears, and getting back to a normal,” he said softly, Gelliana giving his hoof a squeeze as she listened. “I am used to processing trauma, very used to it, even if that means having to ignore some of it. I want to help you as much as I can. That means giving you time to adjust, both of us going to counseling, and having normal dates as we get used to not running for our lives…again.”

Toxic leaned over to rest his forehead against Gelliana’s, the gryphoness pushing against him comfortingly.

“And after at least a few months of that, then we’ll talk about the alternatives to eloping.”

No cute squeaks this time, but she definitely drew a surprised breath.

“That’s the plan that I’m running off of. I don’t need to think too much about it because that’s just the best way I know how to handle all of this,” Toxic explained. “I’m here with you. End of story until you don’t want me to be. That isn’t going to change in a few months.”

“S-so basically, just focus on getting better?” she asked, the stallion nodding firmly.

“Yup. I promise I’ll be with you every step of the way. Maybe it’ll be a rough journey, maybe not. I’m going to have to continually deal with my own issues, but I want to help you as much as I can.”

Toxic’s thoughts abruptly came to a simple conclusion, one that perhaps would make the point better.

“We’re a team, Gells,” he said, “that’s not going to change. I want to figure this all out and anything else that may come up with you. All I’m saying is that lets deal with this stuff first and then we can figure out our next adventure, one that I hope you agree to in the future.”

Scooting forwards, Gelliana wrapped her stallion up in a hug, Toxic immediately returning the gesture.

“I like that plan. I like that plan a lot,” she whispered, her grip tightening around him as she smiled, “and that assumes you’re the one to ask me first.I’m here for you, Tox. I’ve thought about this stuff to. I want to have more adventures. A lot more. I’m not going anywhere either.”

“Love you, Gells,” Toxic said after a few moments, his voice hitching slightly. “I didn’t really know you had thought…”

“Tox, I’ve thought a lot about us. I’m not going anywhere.”

She heard a soft sniffle, Toxic still returning the embrace as he buried into her neck feathers. Gelliana made a mental note form what she had observed in the dream space, his slight hesitation.

He was there for her; she didn’t doubt that. But the gryphoness could now see that almost two decades of being needed, not wanted was going to be a slow and steady cycle to break.

But they had each other. A team. Things didn’t seem so overwhelming if she thought about it that way.

“Oh, you are just a dear,” Spectrum gushed as she shook Gelliana’s claws, the gryphoness not able to resist a blush. “Toxic has told us quite a bit about you!”

Gelliana could only stammer, Toxic smirking off to the side.

“We know you two are still recovering, so we won’t keep you too long,” Spectrum added, the mare looking at the gryphoness. Her lips quivered, Toxic’s mother pulling Gelliana in for a hug.

“Thank you for taking care of our son,” she whispered, Gelliana only able to nod for a few moments.

“We took care of each other.”

Spectrum smiled at that, the two parting as the mare held the gryphoness’s claws.
“Maybe when you’re feeling better, we can talk more if that’s alright?” she asked. “Perhaps a lunch? I don’t want either of you to push after everything you’ve been through.”

Gelliana’s ears perked in surprise. Had she been that obvious?

“I…”

“Dear, I know the signs of an anxiety attack. Goodness, I raised that stallion,” Spectrum chuckled, gesturing to a sheepish Toxic. “So, let’s talk later. You two go relax. We’re just happy you’re safe.”

“Doubly happy,” Obsidian chimed in, “we’re just glad you’re back home.”

Toxic sidled over and gave Gelliana’s side a nudge, the gryphoness relaxing as she wrung her claws nervously, still managing to speak without stuttering for now.

“Thank you. It really is n-nice to meet you both,” she said. “Even if it’s just a hello. I w-would like to talk…”

Well, mostly stutter-free at least.

“Don’t worry about it! You two have your plates full as it is. We can visit the island perhaps!” Obsidian remarked, Toxic nodding in agreement.

“That can easily be arranged.”

The parents gave their son a hug, Toxic then summoning a portal.

“Good to see you guys…love you,” he added, the ponies waving to the stallion and his special somegriff.

“We’ll talk soon, we’re just happy you two are safe and sound,” Spectrum replied.

The two ponies simply smiled, bidding their son and his special-somegriff farewell as Toxic triggered the portal leading back to their island.

“Love you; we’ll talk again soon, I promise,” Toxic said in parting, nodding in approval as, after knocking, Celestia poked her head in.

“Highness,” Toxic said, pausing as Gelliana slipped through the portal. “Thank you for your help and for keeping my parents safe.”

Celestia’s eyes immediately watered, the alicorn bowing her head in thanks.

And with that, Toxic vanished, leaving the three in the empty room.

“Well, I think that went nicely!” Spectrum proclaimed, “poor dear was about to have a heart attack; let’s get some lunch.”

“Would it be alright if I joined you?” Celestia asked softly, Obsidian’s eyes widening in surprise.

“Of course, Princess!” Spectrum replied, looking up at the alicorn curiously. Celestia waved aside the gaze, her wings shrugging.

“Your son has given me a lot to think about. I’d just like to spend time with the parents who raised such an incredible stallion.”

As they walked the castle halls, it was Obsidian who offered the final introspective remark, the usually quiet stallion smiling proudly.

“We may have raised him, but in the past few years, Toxic has grown a lot more than I can really understand,” he admitted. “But I think we just met one of the individuals who has helped him in that journey.”

Icait relaxed against a familiar side, Onyx drowsily mumbling as he shifted during his nap.

The island felt different, everycreature no longer on edge after Toxic and Gelliana were rescued. It had been little more than a week since they returned, and the hasty hellos had definitely revealed the two had been through the wringer.

And yet it oddly seemed so far away. While Icait wanted to spend some time with Gelliana, it was clear the poor gryphoness was starting to struggle.

The Windigo couldn’t imagine, the thought causing her to snuggle closer to her new special-somepony.

I’m just glad she has someone there for her.

To that end, Icait was learning how much more pleasant things were with somecreature. Even if Onyx was the island’s official grump, the shadow-pony had slowly started to file down the edges of his remarks, if only slightly.

But having dates every other day or so had quickly shown that Onyx was trying, and he did care. Underneath the sarcasm and outwardly annoyed behavior, there was a stallion who cared quite a lot.

He made a point of telling Icait so, at least when they were alone and a few concealment spells had been cast. The poor stallion was clearly insecure about it; but she couldn’t blame him.

“What are you thinking about?” a tired mumble caught Icait’s attention, the Windigo shrugging her spectral shoulders.

“Just stuff. Us stuff.”

“Hmmmm,” Onyx murmured. Icait let out a squeak as he shifted, resting his muzzle in her mane, “hopefully nice things then.”

She honestly wasn’t sure if he was awake or asleep. Rare nuzzles like this were about as far as Onyx had dared after another four dates. But she wasn’t about to complain or push him.

“Obviously nice things. Just, things have changed around here too,” Icait admitted. “With Toxic and Gelliana being back. It feels like things are over. But we know that monster is still out there.”

“True. I can still feel that as well,” Onyx agreed with a huff, “but he is running. I think that is a good sign indeed.”

The Windigo couldn’t disagree with that.

I just hope Gelliana is ok.

Thankfully, that thought was buffered by having seen the gryphoness beaming as she had walked with her special-somepony. Her friend had someone there for her, and Icait was only now starting to realize how much that meant.

Author's Note

Chapter Forty Three: Coping

Nights were the worst.

Gelliana huddled into a ball, the low rumble of thunder barely shaking the secure structure. Despite being in one of the most protected buildings in a thousand leagues, fear still ate at the gryphoness’s heart.

I don’t want to disturb Toxic again…

He had been so kind yesterday, when the storm began. Something as simple as sleeping on the bed next to him had somehow assuage the gryphoness’s nerves. More than likely, the fact she could hear Toxic’s heartbeat helped quite a bit.

But that was before he was sleeping.

She knew the stallion had told her to wake him up; Toxic had been very clear about that. And yet…

Another rumble of thunder, and the gryphoness couldn’t take it anymore. Sleeping on her own left her exhausted the next day. She he knew that Toxic had started to notice over this week. He had been extremely concerned about that yesterday, wanting to know if he could do anything to help.

Gelliana knew full well what would solve it, but she still resisted.

Her limbs moved on their own, carrying the gryphoness towards the enchanted wall. The portal opened silently; Toxic’s room visible just beyond it. Stepping over the threshold, Gelliana shivered. The stallion always kept the room significantly colder than hers.

A soft light next to Toxic’s bed made tears spring to Gelliana’s eyes.

A magical night-light illuminated a pre-made bundle of blankets and pillows, a simple note balanced on the pile.

‘Wake me if you need me.
Love,
-Toxic’

Another series of rapid-fire thunder claps made the slumbering stallion stir, Toxic opening his eyes blearily as Gelliana sniffled.

“Gells?” he mumbled, Gelliana flopping her top half onto the bed as Toxic scooted closer. She buried her head into his fur. Everything immediately felt right. His familiar smell, that strong, steady heartbeat.

“I figured the storm would keep you up,” he whispered, Gelliana nodding slightly.

“Even w-without it, I can’t sleep,” she admitted, “I just keep waking up.”

She let out a squeak as Toxic promptly levitated her onto the bed, the stallion’s magic failing halfway as she was unceremoniously dropped onto the cushions.

“Sorry, still drowsy,” Toxic admitted, “I figured you couldn’t sleep. I told you about adjusting.”

“I didn’t expect not sleeping next to you to be the adjustment, Tox,” Gelliana whispered, physically wincing as another thunderclap echoed through the thick windows.

Another soft yelp left her beak as the stallion promptly yanked her close, snuggling up next to the gryphoness. Toxic lay his head protectively across Gelliana’s upper back with a huff, magic yanking the blankets over as he yawned.

“Well, I figured it would be a thing. We did sleep next to each other for over a month straight. I certainly got quite used to it. But let’s just not get too comfortable like this, as tempting as you are.”

Gelliana had to admit, her heartbeat was already slowing. Stars above she could fall asleep like this every night. It took her a few moments to process Toxic’s words.

“Too comf-oh. OH!” she stammered, face already heating up with a blush.

Another clap of thunder killed any rogue thoughts from the gryphoness, Gelliana curling into a tighter ball. The pressure of Toxic’s head on her back immediately increased, the stallion letting out a soft chuckle.

“You forgot what I said, during that time we were inside your mind, huh?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, eyes still shut.

“You hesitated before coming through the portal, didn’t you?” he asked, a simple nod being Gelliana’s reply. “I thought so. There’s no reason to try and fake it. You don’t have to be brave anymore, Gells. We’re home. And I’m right here.”

She opened her eyes, Toxic reaching down to nuzzle into her head feathers. Gelliana knew tears were running down her face, but she didn’t care. The gryphoness was in the company of the one pony she knew wouldn’t judge her, who would love her all the same.

Toxic’s goodnight kiss and following hug made the thunderstorm fade away, a familiar, strong heartbeat lulling the Gelliana to sleep.

For a brief moment, Gelliana thought she was still dreaming.

Sun shone through the tinted glass, a lovely smell of something permeating the room. Still curled up beneath her blankets, a familiar warm body was missing, making the dream less-than-perfect.

It was only after she blinked a few times that the idea of it being a dream faded. She was very clearly in Toxic’s bed; the storm clouds from last night nowhere in sight outside the window. Whatever soap the stallion used solved the mystery of the smell. To say Gelliana was a fan was putting it mildly.

The gryphoness let out a grumble, sliding out of bed as she tried to wake up. Amusingly, the idea of waking up in anyone else’s bed would have had much different connotations a year ago. While still present, the usual more risqué thoughts, however pleasant, were muted. It was so much more than that, the simple presence of someone she loved and trusted. The one pony who wouldn’t judge her and knew exactly what they had been through.

“Hey Gells, you alive?” Toxic asked happily, the source of the good-smells clearly located as some containers sat on the stone table. “Breakfast, hot and recently made if you’re hungry.”

She flopped down on the nearest cushion next to the table, downing some orange juice with a weak smile. The gryphoness felt exhausted to say the least.

“You are amazing, Tox,” she whispered, the stallion clearly much perkier than her this morning.

“Hey, my special somegriff had a rough night. So, it’s my time to shine as your special somepony!” he proclaimed. “I went on a morning jog, walk, exercise thing, and picked up breakfast at the same time!”

The breakfast was amazing; freshly made seared salmon for Gelliana, and a lighter vegetable and fruit…salad? Pie? Thing for Toxic. She caught him glancing her way a few times, a blush coloring his cheeks.

“Bit for your thoughts? Or a bit for whatever is making you blush?” she asked, good food and company quickly chasing the previous night’s troubles away.

“Just…well, you pull off the bed-head really well. I’m definitely a fan,” he admitted, words causing Gelliana’s feathers to immediately fluff. This fact was not lost on Toxic as he grinned happily. “Yay! Fluffy special somegriff again!”

She grumbled, finishing her meal but with a much wider smile on her face.
“Well, nice to know I don’t have to do too much in the morning. I didn’t even comb my feathers.”

“I mean, I still think you look great regardless. Soooooo…” Toxic replied with a shrug, a loving glare making him smirk. “What? Is it a crime to find you attractive, combed feathers or not?”

“When I’m tired and susceptible to your evil, feather-fluffing ways, yes,” Gelliana replied, the stallion holding a hoof over his heart in mock shock.

“I’m hurt! I’d never exploit such an advantage!”

“That is a bold-faced lie, and you know it.”

Toxic paused, then nodded vigorously.
“It absolutely is. I can never get enough of that blush and making you look like a puffball,” he admitted with an honest smile. “I only promise to not exploit it around others to embarrass you. But when it’s just us, I have no regrets!”

Finishing off her meal, Gelliana felt a few tears rise to her eyes abruptly, her concerned stallion edging closer.

“Gells?” he asked softly, a shake of a head her reply.

“I just- it’s a lot,” she could only say, claws grasping her head. “Things are back to normal, but I can’t pretend they aren’t. I can’t just forget what happened.”

“Nobody is saying that we should forget,” Toxic said firmly, sitting next to her. “It’s easy for everyone else. They just didn’t go through what we did. We can still be happy and work through what happened. It’s why you’re here in my apartment, after all. We’re working through it.”

She couldn’t refute such a statement, leaning over to press her head against Toxic’s fuzzy chest.
“I just don’t know what to think,” Gelliana whispered, “it comes in waves. I’m happy, and then just sad and scared. Storms are worse, everything is harder…”

“It takes time,” Toxic said firmly, “as someone who knows, it just takes time. You just need to realize that what you’re feeling is ok.”

Letting out a frustrated, sigh, Gelliana nodded, shifting up to lean on Toxic’s shoulder.
“It’s just a lot to take in. How in the world have you managed to get through your stuff?” she asked.

“Therapy. Really expensive therapy, and a drop-dead gorgeous gryphoness to reassure me,” was his immediate and utterly honest reply, leaving Gelliana staring. “What? That’s the truth! You’ve helped me a ton, and we’re meeting the therapist later today. Having someone else affirm what you’re going through is really helpful.”

“I mean, I assume you’re right. This is all new for me, outside of being scared of storms,” Gelliana admitted.

“Whiiiich is why I’m trying to help. If you ever want me to stop helping, just let me know,” Toxic said firmly. “But I have the connections for trauma recovery, and I won’t be offended in the slightest if you want to see the therapist on your own without me. In fact, I’d support it.”

“Well, considering I have trouble sleeping without you, I’d say we can go together for a bit,” the gryphoness admitted with a blush.

“I know it’s selfish, but is it wrong that I really don’t mind?” Toxic replied with a grin.

“Not really. But seriously, how much does it cost to elope?”

“Cheapest option is a hundred bits,” was Toxic’s immediate response. “That’s for the certificate, then however much the honeymoon is.”

A blush made Gelliana’s face burn as Toxic raised a hoof in objection.
“In my defense, I was bored and curious. I still think it’s a bad idea for dealing with trauma,” he added, the statement making Gelliana pout.

“Of course, after we take things slow and work through what we experienced, I don’t see why it’s that bad of an option. Maybe have months for a honeymoon?”

The pony cackled as Gelliana let out a soft squeak, knowing full well he was enjoying things far too much.

“Of course, doing that too soon may be a bad idea in another respect.”

That caught Gelliana’s attention, head tilting in curiosity.
“Oh? Other than literally running away from the problem?” she affirmed. It was a ludicrous (and bad) idea, but it was still fun to think about.

Even if we are joking about getting marriedandseriouslyconsideringitohgoodness-

Toxic’s grin only got wider as Gelliana’s feathers fluffed, the poor gryphoness’s brain crossing over from ‘joking’ territory into ‘this could happen’ plans.

“You ok there, Gells?”

“Just…realized we are partially serious. Gonna need a minute,” she said, taking a few deep breaths.

“First things first. Trauma first. New adventure second,” Toxic said simply, the gryphoness nodding.

“That’s a nice way to think of it and not totally freak out.”

“I have experience not freaking out.”

“Fair,” she paused, looking at him curiously. “You did say eloping was a bad idea other than the whole rushing things during trauma and stuff?”

She really should have known what was coming from the sly grin on Toxic’s face. She knew that look.

“Well, it should be obvious,” he stated, in that completely innocent tone Gelliana now knew not to trust. “You’re already tired from not sleeping. The last thing we’d want to do is give you another reason to be exhausted.”

How he could say such things in a deadpanned expression, the gryphoness didn’t know. All she could do was glare at the grinning stallion; her feathers fully fluffed up as she stuttered. He raised a hoof as a laugh left his mouth, the pony shaking his head.

“Sorry! That was mean. You’re tired and recovering. I’ll refrain from that, especially since the whole…you needing to sleep near me is a thing,” he admitted honestly. “I don’t want the jokes ever to make you feel bad.”

Despite her brain short-circuiting, the gryphoness had a final card to play.
“Who says I’m going to be the exhausted one?” she quipped back, sauntering over to flick Toxic under the chin with the tip of the tail. “You might need to sleep in if I have anything to say about the evenings. Or afternoons. Or more.”

The normally blue stallion was, at least for his neck and above, a bright purple, green eyes wide as he sputtered. The fact Gelliana was able to hold his gaze with a flirty yet very-serious expression was the icing on the cake, the stallion letting out a soft, barely-perceptible ‘eep’.

Oh, she was getting good at this.

Gelliana had to admit, she could see why it was so much fun. Having someone to tease was fun, especially turning her own cheeky stallions’ quips against him. She was starting to realize it gave her quite a bit of a confidence boost to realize the gryphoness was completely in control of portraying herself in that flirty way, instead of it being pushed on her in the form of unwanted attention.

Recognizing that she was very much wanted and could tease a stallion back in the same way just felt good. It made them equal in that respect. Before Toxic, it was almost always an unwanted intrusion from creatures she’d rather not be noticed by.

“Y’know, I never had a shower after my jog. I think I’ll take that now,” Toxic proclaimed.

“I hear cold water feels good on the muscles!” Gelliana giggled as the stallion grumbled, meandering to the bathroom.

“Glacier cold due to you, crafty puffball,” Toxic said with a shake of his head.

Gelliana couldn’t help but laugh as she sat back down at the table, munching on some fruit jerky that came with their meal. For the long road ahead, if this was how mornings went, things didn’t seem that bad. Ups and downs, at least she had a stallion at her side.

If this was how most days went, maybe things wouldn’t be that bad.

“GAH! TOO COLD!”

She nearly fell off the cushion laughing on hearing Toxic’s shriek of surprise.

Stars above, I love this stallion.

“So, Gelliana, you said that you hadn’t been to any therapy before?” Sharp Point asked kindly, the three individuals settled down in his office.

“Just some brief stuff after the thunderstorm and Timberwolves. Nothing major t-though,” the gryphoness admitted, clearly a bit on edge. “And definitely not couples’ stuff.”

Toxic immediately raised a hoof.
“I’m also new to the couples-therapy idea,” he said, amulet around his neck pulsing in the usual, partial monotone.

His abrupt interjection made Gelliana let out a soft *snrk*, Sharp noticing how the gryphoness immediately relaxed further.

“Well. It’s quite simple for what we’ll be covering here,” the therapist said simply, “we’ll just talk. How you and Toxic are doing, how things in general are doing. Whether or not we delve into what you two went through over the past month is entirely up to you. If we spend an entire session talking about what we all had for breakfast, that’s also fine,” he explained. “The goal is to make sure things are stable in the now, as you process a previous unstable event, if that makes sense.”

“Well, Toxic filled me in on a bit of what was going to happen. H-he’s got a bit of experience with this,” the gryphoness mused. “Kind of…a third party as I process stuff? So, it’s not all vented to Toxic?”

“Precisely. He’s your friend and special somepony, not your therapist,” Sharp confirmed. “While during normal disruptions you can lean on each other, sometimes you need extra help for something you both can’t tackle on your own. Not to say you couldn’t in this case, but shouldn’t for the health of the relationship.”

Gelliana let out a grumble, laying her head down as Toxic grinned, Sharp looking at them in amusement.

“Told you,” Toxic teased, the other stallion waiting curiously. “Oh. Gells was apprehensive about all of this. I told her that you were both a good friend and one of the better therapists I’ve ever found. I believe I just won that little bet.”

Gelliana sighed, nodding at that.
“It makes sense. I’m wondering why I didn’t think of that. It’s like everything is too much. I can’t sleep, I jump at everything; it’s annoying. But I’m not stuttering…” her eyes widened at that. “So, that’s new.”

“Well, everything you’re experiencing is likely because you’re trying to process things, and that is normal,” Sharp said firmly, placing a glass of water on the table, a pitcher soon following. “In short, your mind is mostly full,” he filled up the glass about three-fourths. “Now, a normal event would be usually be handled easily. But when you’re already trying to work through things…” the stallion said as he kept pouring.

The now over-flowing glass was an appropriate metaphor, the analogy hammering home what Toxic had tried to explain.

“So, everything that feels cruddy?”

“Is completely normal,” Sharp said kindly as he mopped up the water with a spell, “you might get confused sometimes, have headaches, not be hungry, be sad then happy, just a whole slew of physical and mental symptoms as you try to come to terms that everything is now ok. That isn’t to say what you went through was alright, but you are in a much safer and stable place now, unless I’m vastly mistaken.”

Gelliana promptly snuggled up to Toxic’s side, her head shaking back and forth.
“Nope. Much better,” she admitted, glancing up to Toxic, “You’ve gone through all this?”

“Sharp, can you show her how big my file is?”

The gryphoness stared as Sharp levitated a massive tome out, setting it on a drier part of the wooden table with a *thud*.

“Short answer, yes,” Toxic said as the therapist put away notes spanning over a decade or two. “Stress can manifest in super weird ways. My hooves ached for months after a particularly nasty job. Zero reason. Just, stressed. So that may happen with you. Of course, now you get the option of having backrubs or something if that’s needed. It would have been weird to ask Varti for a spa treatment.”

Another soft laugh, Gelliana nodding as she absorbed all of the information. It made sense, especially as to why she couldn’t think straight.

And of why eloping is a bad idea. Goodness, I shouldn’t make any major decisions.

“So, making big decisions of any kind when I’m dealing with all of this; not a good idea?” she asked, almost knowing the answer for certain, but wanting to confirm.

“Correct,” Sharp said firmly, “that would be my advice. Any big decisions should wait unless absolutely necessary, be it financial, familial, or social.” The stallion then chuckled, “so, if eloping was on the table, I would recommend not doing that just yet.”

Toxic made a noise of what sounded halfway between a laugh and a choked sneeze, Gelliana whipping her head over in shock; he hadn’t told-

“Uh, too far?” Sharp asked, genuinely worried. “You all said that a bit of humor was appropriate, so…”

“N-no Sharp, just, uh,” Toxic stammered, now sporting a bright blush. “Didn’t expect you to suggest in jest something that hit a bit close to home.”

The older stallion chuckled, Gelliana wanting to sink into the floor. And yet that faded, a kind look on Sharp’s face as he shook his head.

“Ah. I didn’t realize. Well, I would certainly recommend such large relationship decisions not be undertaken just yet. I say that as a professional who has seen the fallout of doing so,” the stallion said, final sentence taking on a bit more of a sober tone.

“It doesn’t end well, huh?” Gelliana asked, Sharp shaking his head.

“It does not. In more cases than not, refusing to confront a problem leads to a breakdown of communication. Things fester, and…” Sharp shrugged, leaving the obvious unsaid. “But you two are already leagues ahead of other couples I’ve seen. So that is quite pleasing to see.”

“Uh, we are?” Toxic asked, genuinely curious. “I know you rather well, but you barely met Gells, and us.”

“True. But there’s simple things. For example, you two are closer than peas in a pod,” Sharp pointed out with a grin. “If one of you talks, the other turns to listen. There aren’t any avoidance behaviors either of you are exhibiting towards each other. That’s just my armchair analysis. Or couch-analysis,” the stallion concluded.

“Well. He makes me feel safe,” Gelliana said rather firmly, surprising herself. “T-that’s what I’ve had to deal with. If I don’t know where Tox is, the anxiety is just always there.”

“I only received a preliminary report, so may I ask to clarify things about your experience?” Sharp asked kindly.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“From what I understand, Toxic was poisoned for the majority of that experience.”

“Yeah. SMAL and I took care of him for the most p-part.”

Toxic casually scooted a hoof over to hold Gelliana’s claws, the stallion staying quiet.

“Jeez. You weren’t joking about those emotional swings you told me about, Tox,” she muttered. “So, it makes sense logically, but at the same time, it doesn’t. At the time I was so worried about losing him- I still…” her voice trailed off, nopony speaking until the gryphoness collected herself.

“I still am, I guess. But now there’s not the threat, not as big of one. So, I know I should be able to relax. It’s like I want to go back to how things were. But Toxic said that’s not how it works.”

“He is correct,” Sharp said softly. “The normal you knew is gone, as happens with any drastic change in life. What you now have to decide, is how to make the new normal as good, if not better than the previous ‘normal’ you had. It has only been two weeks. Recovering from this will take a lot longer than that.”

Gelliana nodded, eyes looking to the floor as she thought.

“What about you, Toxic?” Sharp asked, “you are no stranger to trauma, but this was a doozy even by your standards.”

“No kidding,” Toxic said with a sigh, his entire form slumping that made Gelliana’s ears perk up in concern.

“There’s the usual stuff. The nightmares- I can’t block out all of what that monster showed me, even if none of it was new. So, there’s that. Otherwise, it’s the same symptoms. Exhaustion, anxiousness, general malaise. Thankfully nothing new other than the nightmares and insomnia.”

“You didn’t tell me any of that,” Gelliana said pointedly, Toxic nodding, a loving, but tired smile on his face.

“No, I didn’t. Because I’ve been dealing with this for over a decade. You are new to all of this.”

“That doesn’t mean we get to ignore you!” Gelliana stated firmly. “Did you have nightmares last night?”

“Why do you think I was up before you?”

The gears in Gelliana’s brain ground to a halt.

“T-tox…” she stammered, reaching over to poke his side with a claw. “You have got to tell me about this. Please.”

He stared at the floor, the pony’s hooves starting to shake.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Gels,” Toxic said softly. “You need to deal with this. I don’t want you trying to help me on top of it all.”

“So why can’t we deal with it together? We were both there, last I checked!” Gelliana said, a bit of anger rising in her throat. “Now that I know you’re having a rougher time than I thought, I’ll be worried whenever you appear fine! Why not do this together? You’ve been the one saying that we’re a team!”

“Because I don’t know how!”

The exclamation made Sharp’s ears perk up, the stallion casually making a note as Toxic turned to look at Gelliana, tears in his eyes.

“I want to, so much, Gells,” he said softly, “but I have been dealing with this trauma on my own for my entire life, no offense Sharp.”

“None taken.”

“I don’t know what will help or hurt you in this. I want nothing more than to do this together; I said we’d do this together!” Toxic muttered, staring at the floor as tears leaked from his eyes. “I just- I don’t want to hurt you! I don’t know how to reach out and not drag you into it!”

Gelliana’s anger immediately guttered out, the gryphoness taking a few moments to phrase exactly what, and how she wanted to say the next thought.

“Tox, not trying to work through this together is going to hurt a lot more than describing any nightmares or stuff like that. It already hurts.” She couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head. “So, all the times you said that you wanted to tackle this together, you meant it?”

“I meant every word,” Toxic said immediately, “but that was in regards to helping youget through this- not me. Gells, for my entire life, I’ve had to be ok. When I am needed, I have to be ok. I can’t stop to recover. I want so much to be a team, I mean that. I just don’t know whento reach out. I’ve never taken a break. I can’t…” his words drifted off, the stallion’s shoulders slumping. “I don’t know how not be ok, not like this.”

She could see the darkness in her stallion’s eyes, the gryphoness’s heart aching. Toxic was so willing to be there for her, that much wasn’t in question. But her special somepony was hurting, and for the first time, he didn’t need to hide it.

Reaching over to pull him into a half hug, Gelliana let out a soft sigh.

“Well. I guess it’s a good thing we’re both in therapy now,” she said. “I work on getting through this. You work on working with me to get through this. Deal?”

Toxic pulled back, nodding as he wiped his face.
“Deal. You do know this was supposed to be helping you deal with trauma,” he added, Gelliana shrugging her wings.

“It still is. I never knew if you were going to be ok in that cave. Every day you could have died. You couldn’t even talk back then,” she said, eyes drifting to her claws. “I just had to guess and hope, relying on SMAL’s scans. So having you tell me what is wrong, even if it’s something really bad, that makes me feel better. Like, at least then I know something is wrong as opposed to not. I may not be able to fix it, but at least I’ll know and can try to be there for you. You’ve been there for me so many times, saved my life…I just want you to trust me that I’ll do the same.”

As Gelliana spoke, Toxic could only stare at her, the gryphoness then internalizing her own words.

“Huh,” Toxic said, “I didn’t think about that.”

“I didn’t really have words for the feeling until now,” Gelliana admitted.

“You are quite an introspective gryphoness, Gelliana,” Sharp mused, “recognizing something like that is, to say the least, commendable.”

“I certainly do trust you to be there for me, Gells, I don’t want you to think otherwise,” Toxic said slowly. “I just, I haven’t ever done this before. Had someone want to be there.”

“Well, if we both promise to try, that’s the best we can do, right?” she asked.

“I can certainly promise that much. It helps knowing that, well, my efforts to try and help you actually made things worse,” Toxic admitted. “In trying to shield you from what I thought was events that would make your recover worse, I was starting to have it be a self-fulfilling cycle.”

“Yay therapy!” Gelliana said with a grin. “So, if you have a nightmare and can’t sleep?”

“I tell you and don’t pass it off as everything being fine,” Toxic sighed, the stallion then actually starting to laugh. Gelliana knew he was fine, as his mouth turned up in genuine mirth, the pony holding his aching sides.

“I j-just realized!” he gasped, “I’ve done exactly what Sharp was warning me would happen!”

“Which was?”

“I normalized it!” Toxic said with a shake of his head. “I grew so accustomed to the garbage I’ve had to deal with, the side-effects of the trauma, that I just assumed that’s how I’d go about it. Even though I’ve talked with Sharp about knowing how I need to stop, to recover. Despite all that, I still just accepted that’s how it is, how it shouldbe.” He then reached over to hold Gelliana’s claws in a tight grip, the gryphoness feeling his hoof tremble. “Despite the fact there is someone who has shown me that how I’ve been living is very much not what I want, nor healthy in the slightest.”

After a few moments, Sharp couldn’t help but grin.

“Goodness, Gelliana. At this rate you’ll put me out of a job for my most regular patient,” he said with a chuckle, “I’ve been trying to drill that fact into your stallion’s stubborn head for years.”

“To be fair, Sharp, I don’t have a romantic future with you,” Toxic retorted, the other stallion continuing to chortle.

“A fair point. My wife would object on many, many levels to that. You are seeing a glimpse of that future, Toxic. And there is someone right there who wants to help you claim it.”

The look in Toxic’s eyes made Gelliana’s heart soar. She still remembered his words from before. A future where he didn’t have to worry about everything, where he could be happy.

And I can give it to him. Just as he can help me get through this, and give me a future just as bright.

“Y’know, I like therapy,” Gelliana concluded, Toxic chuckling at that.

Author's Note

Yay therapy! More adorable moments with these two :rainbowkiss:

Chapter Forty Four: Relaxation

The nightmares were different.

Before, Toxic usually could handle them with the various techniques taught by Luna. But now?

He woke up, body plastered in sweat as his barrel heaved for breath. He could still hear that monster’s laugh, breathing out all sorts of threats of what he intended to do to Gelliana when Toxic failed.

He knew it was a mind game. Toxic knew it was personal. He had seen worse things. But when it was her…all prior horrors paled in comparison.

Toxic could still see Gelliana’s body blowing away in the wind, her features turned to ash.
Sliding out of bed, Toxic softly made his way over to the window, the island’s lights sparkling softly. Gelliana was still asleep from a quick glance; her bed located next to his; a simple accommodation to be close on bad nights.

He took a few moments, finally then starting to walk over to Gells. That was his therapy assignment; to ask her for help. Even if she needed the sleep…

“Gells?”

“I’m up, Tox,” she said immediately, yawling and blinking blearily. “Sort of. Dozing. Heard you get up.” Her ears immediately perked upon seeing him staring at the floor. “Toxic?”

The gryphoness’s eyes shone with concern as the pony shook his head.

“Just a nightmare. I’m just glad y-you’re ok,” Toxic whispered, tears running down his face. “You…I lost….”

The gryphoness immediately scooted off the bed, the stallion melting into her arms as he sobbed. She rocked him back and forth, Toxic’s limbs shivering as he tried to escape the horrors in his mind.

“I’m ok, Tox. I’m not going anywhere. Ever,” Gelliana whispered fiercely. Reaching out to snag a blanket and a pillow, the gryphoness held her stallion tight as she rocked him to sleep. Toxic quickly dozed off amid the familiar scent of her feathers, a tight hug chasing the fleeting nightmares away.

She promised to help him through all of this, and Gelliana wasn’t about to go back on her word.

They were a team, after all.

“These mornings are not my favorite,” Toxic muttered over a steaming breakfast, Gelliana abruptly breaking out in giggles. A few days had passed since their therapy session, and neither of them had been getting much sleep.

Unfortunately, that was due to entirely unpleasant circumstances.

“Well, we can be tired together,” Gelliana said with a sigh, flopping down next to Toxic, the two of them sporting circles under their eyes. “At least you’re with me. And I’m with you.”

“That makes things significantly better,” the stallion said firmly. “Much, much better, headache aside.”

“And you have been doing rather well at your assignment,” the gryphoness said cheerfully, snuggling up against her stallion. “Which in turn makes me quite happy.”

“I didn’t know it was that big of a thing.”

“Well, I’d prefer it if you didn’t have nightmares,” she admitted, “but the fact you let me know; it almost makes you seem ok, even if you’re not. It’s difficult to explain.”

“Well, it’s a lot harder than I thought,” Toxic grumbled, “I am not used to having someone there to help and stuff. Still is going to take some getting used to. But I’m not complaining in the slightest. It’s a good change.”

Gelliana let out a happy hum, the drowsy gryphoness burrowing into his shoulder.

“Still better than running from those freaky things. And at least my feathers are clean,” she said, forcing herself a bit more upright lest she doze off again.

“Speaking of which, I don’t think I ever told you how ingenious you were over there,” Toxic said seriously. “Like, burying yourself in the mud? That was some quick thinking!”

A rather embarrassed blush lit up Gelliana’s face as her stallion gushed, the gryphoness’s feathers poofing as he leaned over onto her shoulder.

“Does talking about it help?” he asked cautiously, “I only know for me that I’m used to it. But for you…”

“When it’s less focused on what happened and more of the good, it feels ok,” she admitted. “Especially when you’re being cheesy and trying to get me to turn into a puffball.”

The stallion gasped in mock horror, drawing a hoof across his chest.

“I would never do such a thing!” he proclaimed. “Besides, I was being serious. Of all the things we experienced, a muddy spa date wasn’t on the list of expectations for that month.”

Gelliana then saw his eyes light up.

“Hey, Gells. I have an idea.”

“Toxic. I know what you’re thinking. And the answer is no.”

“You do not know what I was going to suggest!”

Gelliana reached over and tapped his lips with a claw, a playful smirk on her beak.
“You were about to suggest a trip to a spa. And probably have us get clay masks. I’d really like to avoid that sensation for a bit.”

The stallion initially pouted, but then nodded his head in agreement.
“Ah. That-I didn’t think about that,” he admitted. “Perhaps some time in the geothermal hot springs?”

“Now you’re talking.”

Icait happily began to stack the pile of books, the Windigo humming to herself. Things were just nice. No new crazy events, just a normal day. Most ponies would think it was boring. Having a job and all that.

But this is exactly what Icait had been dreaming of. She had her own apartment (well, sort of,) a job that paid for her bills and some, and just her own life.

If she wanted to take a short break to go watch the ocean? Totally could do it.
Eat herself sick at the cafeteria? Unwise, but 100% possible.
She was free. And that was the best feeling of all.

Her special somepony was starting to perk up too, in his own way. Onyx was still a grump, but there was a softer side to the shadow-pony that was starting to peek through, especially on their dates.

He was trying, and that was all Icait could hope from him.

Onyx trotted down the island’s main path, looking at the signs since he still got lost now and again. His goal was fairly simple, however. Aside from restarting his ‘how to live a normal life’ lessons with Starlight, the shadow-pony had gotten another job.

Why he got so much joy out of sharpening dull blades, the shadow-pony didn’t know, but it was nice. Simple, repetitive, and gained visible results.

Now, however, he was on the stage of ‘surprise Icait’ of his day. The Windigo was just…

He was smiling again, the Shadow-pony shaking his head. They still had regular dates, and being around her felt unique. That was the only word he could put to it. Good, and unique.

To that end, the shadow-pony was on his current path to make his favorite Windigo smile. He didn’t really understand ‘flirting’, certainly not how to do it. Onyx could comprehend the purpose logically, especially when it boiled down to ‘making someone you like smile.’ That made it easy.

It was an uphill battle, the last thing the entity wanted to do was indicate to Icait he didn’t like her in any way. But he just wasn’t naturally like other ponies, in more ways than one.

But he promised to try, and trying was getting easier and more enjoyable.

Making his way to the library, Onyx poked his head into a few of the isles. Now, where was she…

Finally locating his target, Onyx silently crept up along the floor. When she was turning away, he plopped his head on the pile of books and waited. The happy smile on Icait’s face, coupled with the surprised squeak as she turned to look made the shadow-pony’s chest swell with warmth.

Perhaps making other creatures happy wasn’t as asinine as he once thought. One, in particular, was proving that adage wrong time and time again.

Varti let out a grumble, the screens in front of him tracking various data points throughout the mainland. The Shadow-King was still on the run, and that was obnoxious, to say the least. The usual reports from Canterlot were fairly unhelpful, but they were trying.

What was odd came in the form of a fluctuating signal on many of the recent reports transmitted by the Royal Guard. It was from the Canterlot Communications Room, a highly secure area. And yet his inquiries to them had revealed no oddities on their end.

It didn’t help that the signal came and went.

It could be just the interference from some sort of magical device, or it could be something else. What ‘else’ encompassed was what Varti was worried about. He had already sent a message to Celestia that it was likely there was a spy in their midst; this odd signal could be the result of that.

But an accusation with no evidence held very little water.

The Yak huffed, scanning over the other screens to his right. They had no leads on the Shadow-King, nothing definitive. Odd magical signatures were popping up at random locations, but nothing cohesive.

“Where are you. Stupid slippery shadow,” he muttered.

The sound of hooves made him glance over, a smile twitching at the Yak’s face.
“Hello, Fide.”

“Varti,” the mare replied, looking over the screens. “No sign of our enemy?”
“Just a bunch of odd signatures. We investigate them, but it’s always just nothing or a rogue unicorn’s spell. The only other thing is an irregular signal during our Canterlot communications.”

“Odd indeed. My sister and I still have not located the King. When we do, he won’t escape again,” the mare said with a hint of annoyance.

“That would be best. Toxic and Gelliana are still recovering, as best as they can,” Varti added softly, “I don’t know how they’d fare with another major disruption. I’m surprised at their resiliency thus far.”

“Likewise. They are a curious pair,” Fide agreed. She then paused, Varti glancing over to her curiously. Was she blushing? Her body language was subdued, almost embarrassed, shy, and unsure.

“If you have time, I was wondering if we could discuss new reactor designs,” she asked, Varti shrugging off his previous observations. Perhaps he had been-

“Over lunch.”

That made the Yak pause, his full attention now on the clearly-unsure mare.

“May I be bold and suggest such a meeting isn’t about reactor designs, which we have already discussed at length?” Varti asked kindly, Fide looking up and nodding once.

“You would be correct,” she said, her usual confidence having been replaced by genuine confusion and curiosity. “You are an interesting individual. And I would like to know more.”

“Well, Fide, likewise. Lunch it is.”

The genuine, cheery smile that lit up Fide’s face made Varti’s entire day.

Well, the now-planned date had already done that. But it was still improved.

Author's Note

A shorter chapter, but progress on many fronts! Everyone getting used to their new 'normal.' :yay:

Chapter Forty Five: Futures

Gelliana tossed and turned, the distant rumble of thunder making her grumble.

Sleeping in her own room was just out of the question if a storm was on the forecast. While the soundproofing spells could cancel out the thunder, the distant vibration and rain was harder to avoid. It still made her shudder; the spells were usually kept at a low level to take the edge off. Besides, she just plopped down next to Toxic’s bed on her own pillow nest and it worked well enough.

That plan had been her go-to for the past weeks. A little over a month after being rescued, and they had started to set into a simple routine. Therapy appointments twice a week, and then just…a ‘normal’ job.

Gelliana had enjoyed her work of gardening before, but now it had a new draw to the gryphoness. A simplicity that she had forgotten even existed in the world. Her shop had been staffed by Organization employees; her precious plants even being taken care of as best they could.

She still wasn’t ready to go back though. Between the King still on the run and wanting to be close to Toxic, it was a long road before the gryphoness would feel comfortable running her shop again.

Toxic, the sweetheart that he was, revealed there were plans for a greenhouse in progress, along with an export shop being built on the island. It had been planned before meeting Gelliana, but now they needed someone to give advice on various rare plants that very few others knew about.

He had gotten a long kiss for that. It had been the perfect distraction, a slow reminder of her life before things got turned upside down. Also, to that end, meeting Toxic’s parents for lunch the other day had been a treat indeed. The two unicorns were simply happy their son was safe and sound. Of course, Gelliana had been a blushing mess when Toxic’s mom had whispered a simple thing to her before parting.

‘I know that look, Gelliana, and I’m happy for you both. Just take good care of our son. I’m glad you two have each other.’

Without saying much, the mare had immediately picked up on how much Gelliana cared for Toxic, that much the gryphoness knew. She didn’t mind, it was just pleasantly unexpected.

A rumble of thunder made the room shake. Gelliana still winced slightly. That would have been a loud one, the spells muting it, but only just. She was getting better though; thunder seemed almost hatchlings-play after what they had gone through. Those dark thoughts still lingered, Toxic happy to wake up and give her a hug during bad nights.

To the stallion’s credit, he was doing much better on seeking out Gelliana with his own troubles. It made them feel like a team again, and, if the gryphoness was being honest, brought them even closer, if that was possible. Knowing that she was the one he went to instead of bottling it up; it was comforting in an odd way.

It was an odd back and forth. Usually, it was the gryphoness having the rough nights, but other times Toxic woke up with a gasp, soaked in sweat. He didn’t elaborate on what kept him up, but Gelliana could guess.

The stallion had endured days of nightmares from the King of Shadows. Even if Toxic hadn’t been surprised by the images, expecting them, having that much horror flood past one’s eyes would leave an impact.

She still had almost daily nightmares of what had happened, what almost happened. Therapy was helping her cope, but there was a definite feeling of loss from the ignorance and innocence Gelliana had from before their journey.

Sitting up with a grunt, she looked over to Toxic, a smile twitching onto her beak. Even with all the challenges, the nightmares, Gelliana wouldn’t trade her current situation for the world. There was someone in the world who understood almost exactly what she was going through, who knew what challenges had been faced.

And he was always at her side.

Bed-sheets shifting this way and that clued the gryphoness in that Toxic was likely to wake up soon. A surprising dulled boom of thunder made the gryphoness squeak softly in shock. But she didn’t dive under the covers and huddle like she usually did.

Her sensitive ears twitched, Toxic’s heartbeat skyrocketing. Within moments, the stallion bolted upright with a gasp. His forelimb clutched his chest, Toxic’s sides heaving as a cold sweat matted his fur.

Following the routine that had worked in most cases, Gelliana hopped up onto the bed, sitting next to him quietly. Sometimes the pony wanted an immediate hug, other times a few moments to compose himself.

The abrupt hurt in his eyes made Gelliana’s heart turn to ice. Something was somehow different…

“Gells?” he asked softly, the gryphoness nodding and scooting a tad closer. The pony shook his head, shivering and almost flopping against her shoulder.

“A bad one, huh?” she asked softly, the stallion nodding once and nuzzling into her neck feathers. The gesture never failed to make the gryphoness blush, especially as it immediately seemed to calm her special-somepony down.

He pulled away slightly, bright green eyes staring at his hooves.

“Just the usual Shadow-King memories at first,” he muttered, confirming Gelliana’s suspicions. “But then you were there.”

There was something in Toxic’s voice that made Gelliana’s eyes narrow, especially as the stallion’s ears flattened, a few tears trickling from his eyes.

“You had to make some choices. I was one of them, but you d-didn’t choose- you didn’t want….”

Gelliana immediately yanked Toxic into a tight hug, the stallion’s sides shivering against hers.

“You didn’t want this. Dealing with it all,” he paused, voice now barely a whisper. “You didn’t need me anymore; you didn’t want me anymore.”

Rocking him back and forth, the gryphoness simply held Toxic in her arms for a time. Once his tears had dried, Gelliana scooted her head underneath his, briefly making sure to meet his gaze.

“Toxic, I’ll always choose you,” she said firmly. Pulling him close, Gelliana shifted to rest her claws lightly against her stallion’s chest, her ears immediately tuning into his heartbeat. “I feel like we both need each other right now. And I hope never to make you feel as if I don’t want you. And that’s not just for the lovely island retreat.”

That made him chuckle softly, Toxic resting his cheek against hers.

“I want you in my life, Tox. Whatever leads to that happening, I’ll choose that, choose you, over everything. I hope I can eventually prove whatever doubt keeps telling you otherwise wrong.”

Gelliana felt a few tears on her shoulder at that. Her special somepony burrowed a bit tighter against her feathers, still hugging her close.

“I was so afraid we wouldn’t be able to get you out.”

She pulled back slightly, looking at Toxic with a no-nonsense gaze.
“But you did,” Gelliana said firmly, a tender, trembling smile on her beak, “and you kept me safe. I guess I’m just a bit selfish, feeling a smidge glad that I return the favor.”

Giving him a brief but loving kiss, Gelliana’s wings flared as Toxic returned the gesture, the stallion then clenching his jaw as they separated, trying to keep the tears unshed. His efforts failed as Gelliana reached a set of claws over, rustling them gently through the fur on Toxic’s chest. A soft smile was on her face as the gryphoness leaned forwards, Toxic wrapping her up in a loose hug as Gelliana listened to his heartbeat.

“I’m just happy you’re letting me help, Tox. I’m here for as long as you want me.”

Wiping his eyes despite a few more tears surging to the fore, Toxic managed a weak smile as gave Gelliana a squeeze with his forelimbs.

“Then you’re not going to be going anywhere for a long, long long time,” he whispered, Gelliana pulling back to give him another kiss.

“That was my plan. Right now, though, you need sleep.”

Gelliana made sure Toxic was comfortable before curling up half on top of him as an additional blanket. Her head lay just between his shoulder blades, wing extended over the stallion. Her sensitive ears picked up a final mumble before they dozed off.

“Thank you, Gells.”

Toxic chewed and let out a sigh of bliss, a large stack of pancakes in front of him.

“The chefs were on their ‘A’ game today,” he mused, Gelliana letting out an “Mmhmm!” He looked up, and abruptly saw the gryphoness attempting to eat two of said pancakes at once.

The stallion couldn’t help but abruptly laugh, tears coming to his eyes. Due to the syrup, the delicious food had slipped slightly out of either side of Gelliana’s beak, the gryphoness’s eyes widening in panic as the tasty morsels threatened to escape.

Barely able to breath as Gelliana flipped her head back and forth to snag them, Toxic clutched his sides as Gelliana let out a groan.

“Ow. Too big of a bite,” she said sorrowfully.

“S-serves you right!” Toxic crowed, the gryphoness flicking a blueberry at his nose with impeccable accuracy.

“Well, it’s nice to see you laughing. If I have to suffer through battling pancakes, so be it,” Gelliana said cheerfully, now tucking into the remainder of said food with a bit more caution.

After a few moments, it was Toxic who broke the silence.

“Hey Gells?”

“Hmm?”

“Last night, thank you,” Toxic whispered.

“You’re welcome. You’ve always been there for me, and if it takes a while to prove that voice wrong, the want-and-need doubts, then so be it,” Gelliana said firmly. The stallion managed a weak smile at that.

“I’ll definitely need reminders. Getting rid of that will take a long time. It’s a deep thing, that topic.”

“I know, Tox,” Gelliana replied softly, “I get it. And my answer remains the same. You said you’ll need reminders? Pretty sure we’ve discussed something like this before.”

“Hmm?” Toxic’s head tilted in curiosity. It did ring a bell.

Gelliana promptly got up, walked over to the confused stallion and gave him a very long (and syrup infused) kiss, then sidled back over to her seat with a happy grin. Toxic’s face was slightly purple, ears perked up as he stared at the equally-blushing gryphoness.

“I think I like these reminders,” he finally, said, Gelliana smirking from behind her fluffed feathers.

“I had a feeling you would. Syrupy kisses. Who would have thought that would be what makes you look like an eggplant?”

She took a special joy in seeing Toxic utterly flustered, Gelliana mentally adding those gestures of affection to the growing arsenal of things that would make her stallion turn into lovey putty.

He shook his head with a soft laugh, smiles now on both of their faces as they downed their breakfast. With not getting a lot of sleep and their emotions boiling so close to the surface, it was a nice reprieve to brush off the foul memories in lieu of better ones, to create better ones.

As they meandered towards the door, Toxic paused, giving Gelliana a nudge with his shoulder. His amulet was held in a magical grip, whatever the stallion wanting to say clearly opting to do so before putting it on.

“Hey, Gells?”

“Hmm?”

The gryphoness was given pause at seeing the stallion gritting his jaw, eyes dampening ever so slightly as emotion clogged his throat. He scooted forwards, wrapping his neck over hers in a slight hug.

“Y’know, I like sharing my mornings with you.”

The gryphoness immediately teared up, wrapping the stallion into a tight hug.
“And I look forward to sharing many more,” Gelliana whispered, letting the pony go as that goofy and adorable grin slid onto Toxic’s face.

They then set out across the island, side occasionally touching as they meandered down one of the areas many trails. There were a few meetings to attend to, but the mornings were relatively free for simple relaxation.

They didn’t say anything as they walked, but the two stopped on their designated favorite spot over the past month. It was an area where the grassy field jutted out onto a cliff, the slow drop-off leading to a small beach and the gently rolling waves.

Gelliana knew things felt different, something having been building. She wasn’t sure what it was; it couldn’t be put into words. The two simply sat next to each other, the gryphoness’s side pressed against her stallion’s. The salty mist that blew around them wasn’t too cold, a nice contrast to the warm sun.

Toxic spoke first, his tone surprisingly calm.

“Y’know, if I was going to propose, this would be where I’d do it,” he said softly. “I know we aren’t making any big decisions yet, but it’s a nice thought.”

Gelliana’s answer came almost without thinking. The topic, spending her life with someone had lost almost all nerves and anxiety many weeks ago. She had spent almost every day with this stallion for months, and then the many, many dates before that.

It wasn’t even a question in her mind at this point. Not spending her life with Toxic was the deviation from the norm now.

“It is a nice thought,” she said with a happy sigh, “especially since this would be the place where I would say yes.”

Reaching over to give his special somegriff a long kiss, Toxic’s hoof was quickly held tight by the gryphoness, Gelliana eventually pulling back to look at him with a wry smile.

“Of course, that assumes you would ask before I do.”

He leaned forward to rest against Gelliana’s head, sides shaking slightly. She felt her feathers dampen ever so slightly; the stallion’s jaw clenched.

“You really do mean that, huh?” he asked softly, “what you said last night…?”

She yanked Toxic into another kiss, one that made the pony see stars until she finally had to breath.

“I meant every word, and I would say yes a thousand times,” Gelliana stated firmly, “If not for the fact we’re both a bit vulnerable dealing with stuff, I’d ask you right now.”

Toxic didn’t say anything for a time, the two simply snuggled up next to the other.

“Sorry if it takes a bit to get through my thick skull,” he admitted.

“Eh. Just means I get to find creative ways of reminding you that I want you.”

The stallion couldn’t help but let out an amused huff at that.
“So, order of business then,” he said, “deal with trauma, both of us…”

“In progress.”

“Then, a proposal race?”

Gelliana giggled at that.
“I like that plan.”

Another few moments passed, the two simply enjoying the company of the other. Nothing to think about aside from the scenery and the warmth of the creature sitting next to them.

“Love you Gells,” Toxic whispered, leaning over to rub his cheek against hers, to which she immediately returned the gesture.

“Love you too, Toxic. We’ll get through this,” she said firmly, the stallion now actually laughing.

“It’s such a back and forth depending on the day, huh?” he asked, Gelliana nodding in agreement.

“Kind of like life condensed into a few hours?” she suggested, “I need help one day, you the other?”

“Ugh. Too serious and philosophical,” Toxic said, promptly leaning forward and licking right up the center of Gelliana’s beak and in-between her eyes.

“GAH!” she squawked, the stallion cackling before the gryphoness spun, pinning him to the ground. His eyes widened, an evil grin on Gelliana’s face as she stuck out her tongue.

“Don’t you dare!”

Gelliana leaned down and promptly gave her stallion a sloppy lick on the side of the face, the pony squirming.

“OH, IT’S IN MY EYE!”

“My noble stallion defeated by a bit of spit,” Gelliana laughed, the two sitting upright again as Toxic scrubbed his face with a forelimb.

“I suppose I deserved that,” he admitted.

“Just a bit.”

“Could be worse. At least you haven’t bitten off part of my lip when we kissed. So, I’m bite free!” Toxic said with a grin, Gelliana rolling her eyes.

“I’d never bite you, Toxic,” she sighed.

She felt Toxic’s eyes on her. She knew that when she turned to look at him-

That same cocky, smug, loving smirk on her pony’s face looked back at her. The feathers on her face fluffed, a bright blush coloring her cheeks.

“Mmmm. Yet.”

She could only manage a soft squeak as Toxic spoke, the evil stallion not able to resist a laugh. Thankfully, a cold mist of water doused the pair from a large wave down below as the pony grinned.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“You are not sorry,” she muttered, desperately smoothing down her feathers.

He scooted closer, wrapping her up in a simply hug, his head pressing down on top of hers.
“No, not really. It’s too much fun,” Toxic admitted, letting out a soft sigh. “But for all the teasing and fun, I love moments like this the most.”

Gelliana nestled her head in the crook of his neck, nodding in agreement.
“Same here,” she whispered. Her blush returned full force, however, when Toxic calmly reached down to pick up a set of her claws with a hoof. It was such a simple gesture, but coupled with the fact of their previous discussion about a hypothetical question…

If Toxic had a ring, how he held her claws would be just the same. Gelliana had done the same thing- well, holding his hoof like this at least. Such little exchanges had taken on a very simple meaning.

I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.

Author's Note

Please take your fluff-controlling medications at this time. Extra doses are available by the door.

Chapter Forty Six: Checkmate

“Let me know how it goes!” Gelliana said, giving her favorite stallion a nudge on the shoulder as they walked. Their routine was starting to seem almost normal, outside of the nightly terrors. But even those, after another week or two, were starting to border on ‘expected and manageable.’

Gelliana would be lying to herself if she wasn’t nervous. But Toxic would have some of his top guards with him in the shadows and a dozen royal guards in addition to that. All out of sight of course, and a hair-trigger for an emergency portal.

It was almost overkill considering he’d be meeting his friend in the shadow of Canterlot Castle, a stone’s throw from the Princess’s.

“I haven’t seen Wire Strip since…well, before all of that,” Toxic said thoughtfully, “playing chess was a way for him to get out and about, I think. From what Celestia said, he’s doing ok though.”

“I’ll be here! Icait found some books to show me. She’s so happy now, so independent,” she paused at that, ears flicking to her skull briefly. “A lot has changed over these months.”

Toxic reached over, kissing Gelliana on the cheek.

“Not all bad changes, though.”

A shy mumbling was the gryphoness response, Toxic giving her another nudge with his shoulder.

“Just a few hours, if that. Then I’ll be back. Besides, tonight we get to watch that meteor shower Luna is planning.”

That perked up Gelliana, the gryphoness abruptly giving her stallion a tight hug.

“Have fun,” she managed to say.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

And, with another brief kiss, Toxic was whisked away in a brief portal. Gelliana swallowed the nerves that threatened to overtake her. Instead, she took a deep breath and quickly set off towards the library to check on Icait.

He’d be back in a few hours.

The outdoor diner was a welcome sight. Toxic was able to actually feel normal for a brief moment. Other ponies ate their meals, completely unaware that most of the ponies nearest one table were disguised guards, another dozen situated on rooftops.

Overkill? Perhaps. But better safe than sorry.

“I’ve m-missed this, Toxic,” the stallion across the table admitted. Wire Strip managed a weak smile as he spoke, voice hitching with emotion. “A silly thing, I know.”

“I’ve missed this too, Wire,” Toxic replied, gesturing to the chess table in front of them. “Even if you usually beat me.”

“Usually. But you’ve gotten significantly better,” the other stallion mused.

“And yet sometimes I feel like you let me win,” Toxic chuckled. “How are you doing by the way? I know there was some unpleasantness when I was gone.”

The other unicorn nodded, wincing as he rubbed a forelimb.
“Yeah, they had to run a bunch of tests,” he explained, “apparently, I was exposed to some sort of shadow energy. So, I had a bunch of scans taken periodically. It wasn’t too bad, but really unnerving.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Toxic then sighed, gesturing to the board.
“You’re going to check-mate me in two moves, aren’t you?”

The other stallion grinned, shrugging innocently.
“I mean, I might…”

Shaking his head, Toxic tipped his king over in defeat.
“One more game then?”

Varti stared at the various screens, one of his ears twitching in thought.

Something didn’t add up.

The broadcasts from Canterlot weren’t random; he had ruled that out. Something being transmitted that was heavily encrypted, almost in another language. The odder thing is that it had been present for some time. It passed off as interference in most of his scans and analysis, but that result didn’t sit right with the studious Yak.

“So, we know the signal started before Toxic was even captured. That means it could just be some weak, blanketed spell over Canterlot. But why be present in the Canterlot communications?” he said, talking out loud as the various screens displayed multiple graphs, diagrams, and summaries of the odd signal.

“Maybe it is just a bad alignment with their spell matrix setup. A wire crossing over an input when transmitting between nations,” he muttered.

He then froze, eyes widening.

“A wire crossed…the input,” Varti muttered. It was a crude theory, but there was indeed something that could be causing the interference.

Hooves dancing across the large keyboard, the Yak let out a smirk as a ‘Match Found’ icon popped up.

“Got you,” he growled.

Opening a side file, Varti began to write a terse message to Celestia herself, or Luna if she was up.

He couldn’t help but feel a thrill of pride as the analysis continued. There was indeed someone helping the Shadow King, and they were in the Castle. Unfortunately, they had gotten sloppy. The interference matched exactly with a device used in the Gryphon provinces to monitor, encode, and transmit key-word conversations. It was a simple matter to clamp it to a wire underneath a desk, and the end-user could hear any related conversations, classified or not.

That would explain why the Bringer had been so cocky in Equestria’s non-interference. They had a direct line to most of their communications and had known the Ponies would stay out of it.

As to who, in this case, there were only a few individuals who had the technical know-how to find the correct wires, and had access to the Control Center in Canterlot Castle. Very few in fact. It was a simple matter to cross-reference available individuals and knowledge, along with where the device was located.

A cocky spy was the easiest to catch, after all. And the Shadow-King had that in abundance. If they had been trying to be as sneaky as possible, the device was likely attached to their own station within the Command Center. It would raise as few questions as possible and provide an ideal cover for any questions.

Varti was interrupted by the flashing of red lights; the indication of a spell gone haywire somewhere across Equestria. The various sensors they had placed alerted the Organization of any potential incidents they needed to respond to.

The Yak’s hoof froze over the keyboard, his eyes locked onto the single name that pulsed on the screen. The only individual who had both the knowledge and security clearance to place the monitoring device.

“Warning. Temporal freeze spell detected.”

Varti’s chest felt as though a vice was tightening around his heart. Calls to Fide or Clari went unanswered.

Hooves punched a series of keys, the red lights dimming as the reactor in the lab began to hum at a dangerous level.

“Emergency Punch-Through Protocol enabled. Warning. Temporal destabilization causing interference.”

Even as the nearest ships sped towards the targeted area, Varti knew they’d likely be too late. The emergency portal slowly began to sputter, the usually-instant spell shrouded by layers of countermeasures.

The spy hadn’t been inexperienced at all. They had all been played for fools.

Clari and Fide glared at the two red eyes in front of them, the pair held in a never-never land between realms.

“You cannot hold us here forever,” Fide growled, “and now we can find you with ease!”

The Shadow-King grinned, fangs showing in a genuine expression of mirth.
“You can try. But I think you’ll have more pressing matters to attend to. I don’t need to hold you here for long, after all.”

“So, I heard you got some big organization up and running? They kept it kinda hush-hush,” Wire Strip asked, moving a piece on the chessboard.

“In a sense. Just a way to take some of the weight off, if that makes sense,” Toxic admitted. “Slow and steady going, but it’s a nice side project to be involved in, especially since it runs itself.”

“Ah, right. You’ve got Varti and a bunch of others helping out. That has to be nice,” Wire mused. “And then there’s this gryphoness? I think congratulations are in order?” he added with a smirk.

Toxic waved a hoof disarmingly, but finally settled with a nod.
“Gelliana? Yeah, well, that’s a whole different story, but thank you,” the stallion admitted.

Wire chuckled, watching the chessboard as they went back and forth with a few moves.

His brow furrowing, Toxic moved a piece and glanced up.
“That’s check…and mate?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

“It seems so. But sometimes you have to lose a game to win the war,” Wire mused. His mouth then widened in an unnatural, almost eager smile. “And I do believe it’s checkmate for you.”

“What-”

Toxic’s speech cut off as something ice-cold slid across his chest, the stallion drawing in a sharp breath. The entire world spun, but through the dizziness, he could see the guards within a stone’s-throw not moving. A bird flying above was likewise frozen; the localized time-stretch spell crafted to be just around one table.

“We only have a minute or two before it wears off, but that’s enough,” Wire said casually. The concealment spell dropped, the stallion’s sharpened teeth now fully visible as he stood up and walked over to Toxic. “I doubt you’ll be able to move. That spear just injected enough chaos-poison to make your initial dose almost incomparable.

Flopping off the chair, Toxic now caught a glimpse of the concealed syringe-like weapon embedded in the table before his gaze drifted to Wire. The armor that usually would have appeared on his body simply didn’t respond; the time spell effectively removing the pair from reality.

“Why?” he managed to gasp, Wire shrugging.

“Really? Why? That’s the first thing you ask?” the stallion huffed, “I expected more from you. Isn’t the answer obvious?” Wire gestured around. “There’s no side motive, no family that is on their deathbed where I make some asinine pact with a demon. It’s much simpler than that, Toxic.”

He then trotted over, moving Toxic’s head so Wire could look at him properly.
“Power, Toxic. It’s that simple,” he explained. “I’m so sick of it. Aren’t you? Always powerless to do anything? Isn’t that why you started that organization? When the Shadow-King approached me, I could have banished him in his weakened state. But why would I?”

Wire laughed, shaking his head.
“Why would I throw away a golden opportunity to have it all? Come now, Toxic, you can’t be that surprised. Why settle for a world where I’m the odd one out? I can make a world where I’m King! The Shadow has no use for mortals, but oh, I can think of many!” he laughed, a mirthless sigh leaving his mouth.

“Such a simple equation. And I have to say this was a lot of fun, probably the most fun I’ve had in ages. So many strategies and finally a worthy opponent! I can’t wait for what comes next!” he crowed.

“You…are my friend,” Toxic gasped, coughing up some purplish tar that fizzled on the ground.

“And for that, Toxic, I am sorry,” Wire admitted. “I saw you as my friend too, one of the few who didn’t think I was just quiet and weird. And I appreciate that. But it’s simple math, a balancing of the scales. One pony’s friendship can’t simply stand in the way of what was offered. I could have made your death much more painful, but our friendship is why you’ll just slip away. A merciful death from one of the few worthy opponents I’ve encountered.” Wire bowed his head in almost genuine thanks.

“Goodbye, Tox-”

“YEAAAAAAARRRRRRR!”

With a battle-cry warped by the fading time spell and a fractured portal, Varti appeared with a *SNAP*, the double-bladed battleax already ready to swing. With a sickening *THUD*, the weapon buried itself into Wire Strip’s torso, nearly cutting the pony in half.

Coughing up some black sludge, the Unicorn’s horn flashed- and then he was gone. As the guards galloped towards the prone stallion, Varti fished out a large, triple-needle syringe from his saddlebags.

“Hang on, Toxic.”

Gelliana’s claws were still shaking. Any tears were long since shed, the gryphoness now waiting outside of the large room.

You said you’d be back in a few hours.

That had been this morning. Now in the evening, the full scale of the events had quickly been realized.

Clari and Fide had only appeared briefly, the two actively cornering the Shadow King. That had come as little comfort to the gryphoness.

Back on the Island, Toxic was, at least for the moment, safe. That was what Varti had said.

It wasn’t what he had meant.

Suspended in one of the many bunkers in the island, Toxic floated in a healing pod. The stabilization and preservation spells could keep him alive…for now. The poison in his veins would eat him up. It may take a few weeks, a month or two at most, but Toxic was dying. Even Discord, whose magic had indirectly led to this, had confirmed that much before leaving. He had appeared genuinely disturbed, for what that was worth.

Celestia herself was on her way here, and Gelliana had a sinking feeling of what one of the topics would be.

I promised I wouldn’t let them do that to you.

The gryphoness found more tears now tracing down her cheeks. She had promised, and she wasn’t about to break it. But if Toxic got to live…

She couldn’t go down that road. No assuming, only confronting the options.

“She’s here,” Varti said simply, waving the gryphoness inside.

Walking with the Yak, Gelliana noticed how he hadn’t bothered to wipe away the tears on his face. Varti had locked himself in the lab for hours, the Yak drawing on every tool in the Organization’s arsenal to try and stave off the poison and had come up empty.

The room was barren save the medical equipment and a smattering of chairs and supplies. Celestia sat next to the green, fluid-filled pod in which Toxic floated. Clari and Fide sat across from her.

To Gelliana’s partial surprise, Celestia’s jaw was clenched, unshed tears making her eyes shimmer.

“What are the options, Varti?” the Alicorn asked. “Twilight, as of yet, can’t find anything to counter the poison.”

“Nothing I have can either. But we must keep trying,” the Yak replied, beard betraying the quivering of his face.

“I have permission from his parents to use whatever means necessary to save him. They were here an hour or two ago as I explained the situation,” Celestia said. Her eyes refused to look at anyone, instead locked onto the floor. “Toxic’s mother will never forgive me for letting this happen, and I do not disagree.”

“The spell was of a craft never before seen. The planning to set up that one ambush was years in the making. The table itself was installed before…” Varti’s words trailed off, the Yak realizing that at that point, it was all moot.

“The Shadow-King will not escape. He and his host have only a few places left to run. The few creatures he has at his disposal are fading,” Fide reported. The mare wasn’t able to look at Varti, and Gelliana saw an angry fire in the Yak’s gaze.

“So how do we save him?” Gelliana asked. “What do we have to do?”

There was silence, Clari being the one to look at Celestia.
“She knows. And it is the only remaining option.”

Gelliana instinctively knew what the spectral mare was talking about, but now a trickle of anger, absolute rage was beginning to enter her heart.

Why Toxic?
Why was it always him?

Celestia levitated a scroll over, placing it on the ground.
“I vowed to not use this,” the Alicorn said. “But what choice do we have?”

“He was right. That’s an ascension spell, isn’t it?”

All eyes turned to the diminutive gryphoness as none of them countered Gelliana’s words. Her beak was half-open in shock.

“Toxic always thought you had a way to keep him alive no matter the cost. You couldn’t afford to lose him. None of you can.”

“I forbade her from using it,” Clari said, eyes still not able to meet Gelliana’s. “It was not something that I would allow to work. But even our magic won’t counter this. Toxic being a Guardian is not enough. That’s the only reason he’s still alive, if I had to guess. If this will save Toxic, I can’t disagree to the spell’s use.”

Gelliana was quiet, her sides beginning to shake. Varti seemed to sense what the others couldn’t, moving a few steps away as tears began to stream down the gryphoness’s face. She didn’t appear to see him anymore.

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE?!”

Gelliana’s voice reverberated through the small room, armor wrapping itself around her frame. Pink sparks flew from her eyes, breastplate shedding energy as the gryphoness cried. Two ethereal beings and an Alicorn visibly cowered in shame as she glared at them.

“This is all your fault. This is all on you,” she hissed, the rage now a torrent, a river that tore through any dams of logic and self-restraint. Logic took a back seat, the gryphoness far beyond caring as the love of her life slowly died in front of her.

“You’re all guilty of using him, of leading to this. You know he won’t say no! Toxic always wants to help! He can’t stop. He can’t say no even if it kills him! But I’m not him! I’m so sick of accepting all of this, of this nightmare we have to go through!”

Turning to Celestia, the gryphoness bared her beak, glaring at the Alicorn.

“I know you guys made up…but you used him. You used him for his entire life. And he’s hurting from that! Why is his organization looking for a replacement? Why did you stop? Why does Toxic have to be the one to try and fix the damage you did to him? What did you expect to do after he died? Why are his guards the only ones who can protect him? You had the Shadow-King right next to you, and you couldn’t even see it! And now Toxic is the one who pays the price!”

Celestia had no response, the Alicorn who could call upon the very sun utterly cowed by the furious gryphoness in front of her. Shame made Celestia’s shoulders and wings slump, the mare having no answers to the rapid-fire questions.

“Gelliana,” Clari said, the gryphoness turning and snapping her beak at the entity, the mare’s widening in shock.

“You!” Gelliana growled, walking right up to the two mares.

“You two. I don’t care what convoluted plan of good and evil this is. What sort of balance has to be kept. You two saved our lives once…but I’m so sick of being a pawn, of having Toxic being your warrior while you stay back and watch! Where was your help in building Toxic’s organization up from the ground if you knew he was going to be your Guardian? Where were your defenses when he got attacked? You only saved him that one time after teaching me some lesson!”

Clari held up a hoof, the gesture making Fide wince.
“We can’t intervene. If we-”

“I DON’T CARE!” Gelliana bellowed, the armor spitting sparks that ate into the concrete floor. “The Shadow King doesn’t seem concerned with balance! It’s why Toxic is floating half-dead! You all hide behind that balance garbage to use us to fight your battles! Do it yourself for once! Stop using him!” she yelled, eyes narrowing to slits, her gaze seeming to pin both Fide and Clari in place. “You saving me, saving him…it’s all a means to an end. You’re no better than the Shadow-King, sending a mortal to do your dirty work,” the gryphoness hissed, the two mares stiffening in shock as Gelliana then gestured to all three of them. “This is all on you.”

The rage abruptly began to gutter out, the armor’s glow fading in intensity. Tears began to stream down Gelliana’s cheeks, rebellious sobs making her sides shake.

“Just when we were relaxing. When we were starting to deal with it all,” a tender smile that threatened to unleash the anger again twitched at her beak. “I was going to ask him. And now I can’t, now I don’t even know if…”

She turned to glare at the individuals again.
“I wasn’t even there to protect him. None of you were! And now you have a spell to keep him alive, but it’s not for Him, is it? It’s because of how useful he is! Am I wrong?”

Celestia wouldn’t look at the gryphoness, shame written over her entire expression and demeanor.

Gelliana turned to look towards Fide and Clari, the fire starting to ignite behind her gaze again.
“You owe him. Save Toxic and let him go. Take back your armor and all of your ‘help.’ It just seems to lead to something worse. Just save him and leave us alone.”

Fide initially bristled, but then her shoulders slumped with a barely-imperceptibly nod. Clari’s eyes brimmed with tears, only able to look at Gelliana briefly. Her words had cowed the pair, neither mare voicing any arguments to the gryphoness’s accusations. Fide was the one to answer her, however.

“You are right. But we can’t.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Gelliana growled.

“Can’t,” Fide stated, remorse now punching holes in her usually stoic demeanor. “We aren’t all-powerful, Gelliana. Far from it. The poison is not as easily extracted as the last time. If we tried to the same methods, it would certainly fail.”

Gelliana turned to Celestia, the Alicorn meeting her gaze briefly.

“If you,” she then turned to look at the other two mares, “any of you, use that spell, Toxic will never forgive you. And neither will I.”

The armor lit up again, Gelliana yanking out a dagger despite her claws shaking.
“I promised him that I’d try to stop you,” she whispered, “I don’t know if I can even do anything, but I’ll try. He was afraid of this. He knew you’d try something.”

Celestia shook her head at that, a single set of tears now leaving her eyes as Gelliana voiced the result of countless failures on the Alicorn’s part.

“That won’t be necessary. I won’t use the spell, Gelliana. I refuse to place the burden of an ageless life on another like that. There must be another way.”

Despite having regretful tears brimming in her eyes, Clari seemed to perk up slightly at that. A simple, slight nod of approval was all the mare sent Celestia’s way.

“And yet the modified ascension spell is the only thing that will save him,” Fide said bluntly. “Only that spell can burn out the poison, as it is designed around altering both physical and magical bodies.”

Putting the dagger away, Gelliana sat down, emotional energy utterly spent.
“What does the spell do, exactly?” she asked. “How does it work?”

As the gryphoness listened, a peaceful, almost serene calm settled over her shoulder. The armor began to glow a soft pink, Gelliana unable to stop crying, but this time with a smile on her face. She asked a simple question, and Fide nodded immediately, Clari joining her.

“Of course. We owe you so much more than that.”

Gelliana then set off through a portal. She had both some creatures to talk to, and some thinking to do.

There was a lot more of the former needed than the latter. It was a simple choice.

Author's Note

:raritycry: What a twist and emotional roller coaster!
Expect the concluding chapters of this saga next weekend!

Chapter Forty Seven: Saving

Fide ducked a bolt of dark energy, the mare pirouetting midair and delivering a magic-infused blow of her own to the ethereal unicorn in front of her.

His form the size of an Ursa Major, Wire Strip laughed as the Shadow King’s magic flowed through his body. They had finally located the slippery creature, teleporting the King and his host to a deep underground cavern, the blueish-grey stone lit by only luminescent moss and the flashes of magic.

The walls were already pockmarked with melted impacts, the past thirty minutes of fighting having yielded little but annoyance.

Clari sent a whip of energy slashing towards Shadow-Wire, neatly lopping off one of his limbs.

Wire just laughed, the appendage growing with a blast of sparks as it backhanded the mare into the wall.

“I think we need a new strategy, Clari,” Fide growled. While they had contained the King, their efforts to harm him beyond superficial damage were minimal. “Even the leyline strikes aren’t working.”

Her sister took a choked breath, Fide knowing what her words implied.
Everything we thought about balance, about not interfering. We thought it would give us an edge here. But…

The two looked at each other, nodding once. Darting to either side of the King, they each sent a river of leyline energy coursing up and over the monstrous figure. Yanked to the ground, Wire let out a snarl as a spike of magic gathered in front of his face.

“That won’t work,” he sneered, struggling at the bonds as leyline energy poured into the pointed form aimed at him.

Regardless, Fide dashed over to the semi-solid projectile, kicking it towards Wire’s face.

With a thud, the magical icicle slammed into Wire’s forehead, burying itself almost completely into his figure. He let out a genuine shriek of pain, head tossing as shadowy tendrils tore it free.

“You witch. That hurt!” he spat.

“I think we know how to get him now,” Fide said with a smile,

Ducking more shadowy blasts, the two sisters conjured up another set of leyline bonds. Even as one was batted away, another surged up from the rocky floor towards him. With a bound, Wire’s form ducked and shrank, a powerful blast of energy punching into the rock and tearing open the magical shield that kept him contained.

“NO! Don’t let him through!” Fide cried out, a blast of energy only making Wire stagger. He ducked a strike from Clari, launching himself towards the portal.

The world froze.

“My turn.”

Both Fide and Clari were slowed, their forms feeling as if they were surrounded in molasses. Abruptly finding himself back at the opposite end of the cavern, the Shadow-King and Wire looked at the newcomer in clear hatred.

Walking through a glowing hole in the wall, Discord snapped his claws, the cave abruptly spinning around as it was yanked away from Equestria to parts unknown.

“Discord?! We have this handled!” Fide growled, the Draconequus looking at her curiously. There was no mirth in his gaze, no levity or cheer. It actually shook the mare seeing him so serious.

“No, you don’t. Not completely,” he stated flatly. “Those strikes will only dispel his form for a while, a hundred years at most. And he almost got away again.”

“Then we’ll find a way to make it permanent!” Clari called out, “we have to finish this! We need to! We’ll keep hunting until-”

“Sorry, ladies. You two don’t get the easy way out,” Discord said almost sadly, looking to the two ethereal mares. “This is in my stage now. And this charlatan is mine.”

“You impudent pebble!” the Shadow-King roared, Wire slamming his hoof down onto Discord and making the stone underneath shatter.

Calmly walking out of the door that opened on the side of Wire’s hoof, the Draconequus shook his head as the unicorn took a slow step back.

“You don’t get it, do you?” he asked softly, golden sparks beginning to fly from his claws. “You had your chance to get to me, to be in a position with leverage. You have nothing now.”

“No! Discord, this has to be us!” Clari called out again, the mare appearing to be near tears.

“But it won’t be,” Discord stated. “You all got the balance thing wrong. You missed the point.”

“What would you know about balance?” Fide asked, noticing how Wire and the Shadow King were not attacking, only listening cautiously.

“Chaos and Harmony. I would know best about balance, after all. I thoroughly enjoy disrupting it,” Discord said, the briefest smile on his face before it faded. “And now you have to earn back the trust and goodwill of some ponies the hard way,” he said, eyes flickering to the ground for a moment. “There’s no easy redemption for all of this.”

The Chaos God’s eyes then hardened as he looked towards the two Sisters.
“You lost your chance at an easy fix when you used mortals to do your dirty work, when you were willing to let Fluttershy and others die for your ‘balance.’ You don’t get any more say in this.”

“Oh, but ‘this’ has been fun,” Wire mused, despite being clearly on edge, “and all thanks to your magic, Draconequus.”

Clari and Fide found themselves encased in a magical bubble, the shield sparking as it moved them to the side.

“Yes. My magic that you stole,” Discord growled, walking towards Wire Strip, the pony’s form now normal sized. “That you hurt ponies with, killed creatures with. But that’s not even the worst of it. I could overlook world domination; I tried it a few times.”

The cavern abruptly vanished, stars and comets zipping by the four individuals as they were whisked into an endless expanse. Discord’s form ballooned until it towered over the three creatures.

“You tried to kill her,” Discord growled, his voice the sound of a thousand cracking worlds. Planetary bodies swirled around his claws, the God of Chaos’s eyes a bright red. Wire Strip’s form was bound with bright crimson chains, the Shadow King unable to do anything but coexist with his host as a galaxy swirled below them.

“The one pony who I care most about in this infinite universe. You sent assassins to her. You used Her to leverage me. You dared to step foot in her home, all to get to ME!?”

Hundreds of suns now circled the bound creature, Discord gesturing towards him with a set of claws.

“Any last words, parasite? I’ve said what I wanted to say.”

Wire Strip laughed. Discord actually paused, eyes widening curiously at the odd display.

“Then go ahead and kill me! See how long it takes for me to return. You can’t kill a Shadow in this realm, let alone keep its host dead for long.”

Discord grinned; it was not a pleasant sight.

“I’m so glad you mentioned that.”

With a gesture, Onyx appeared next to Wire. At first glance it was the same creature. On closer inspection, the eyes were dead, soulless.

At the sight, either Wire or the King was clued in onto Discord’s plan as they struggled against the chains, the Draconequus then pausing.

“Only one last question. Who’s idea was it?” he said calmly, the cosmos slowing for a moment. “Who thought going after the pony I love was a good idea?”

Still defiant, Wire snarled with his filed-down teeth bared.
“That was the Shadow. But I came up with the creative ways to make her scream!”

His words didn’t seem to phase Discord, the God of Chaos simply nodding.
“Good to know.”

Faster than could be tracked, Discord reached down and plunged his clawed hand into Wire’s body, claws yanking out a black, writhing mass. With a casual toss, he sent it hurtling into the copy of Onyx, a waiting shell.

Wire abruptly crumbled to his knees, the pony now more guarded than fearful.

“You…you dare put me in this pathetic form!?” The Shadow-King screamed, Onyx’s form contorting. “You can’t-”

The Shadow let out a shriek, the hybrid body’s limbs abruptly being lopped off by a large cleaver that spun through the air.

“Interesting thing about Onyx. He existed in a strange limbo. An odd existence which can affect both sides of the barrier,” Discord mused, “That shell will hold you for long enough. I’m going to send you back now. But I don’t think you’ll last long in that condition. Such a handicap carries over. And I know your brethren are hungry.”

The last thing the Shadow-King was able to utter was a defiant, rage-filed scream before vanishing into a whirlpool of magic.

As the world began to take shape once again, Discord sent Fide and Clari on their way, the sisters appearing in Canterlot. Discord’s eyes narrowed as his view was adjusted.

In the Limbo realm, he could just make out the agonizing screams of a former-king as fellow Shadow Creatures tore him apart to satisfy their ever-present hunger.

“Long live the king,” Discord muttered.

Celestia and Luna stared at the defiant unicorn bound in crimson chains before them. A simple note was hung on his metal-encased horn.

‘The Shadow-King has been dealt with. His death will throw Limbo into chaos for at least a millennia.

If you do not promptly deal with this one in a suitable manner, I will.

-Discord.’

Beep

Beep

Beep

Toxic was really tired of hearing that noise.

Letting out a groan, the stallion forced his eyes open. At least it was a familiar sight; the Last Light medical wing.

Again.

What happen-

The memories came rushing back, Toxic immediately drawing a sharp breath.

Wire Strip. He was the host. And he…

Toxic didn’t remember much after he saw Varti nearly cut the corrupted pony in half. Oddly, the stallion felt good.

Really good.

There was an odd bracelet on his left forelimb; some sort of magical surge monitor. Then again, if he was alive and unscathed, the amount of magic needed would have been colossal.

Two creatures came in. The first was a nurse who disconnected the IV.

The second creature made the scenery simply fade away, no words being said.

Gelliana wrapped Toxic up in a tight hug, the gryphoness bawling into his shoulder as he rocked her back and forth. After a long, long while, the stallion pulled back to look at her, an odd nervousness surrounding his gryphoness.

“Gells, I’m ok. I’m not entirely sure how though,” he admitted.

The nervous look intensified, alarm bells starting to clang in Toxic’s mind.

“It’s been two weeks. I didn’t know if you were going to wake up,” she whispered, Toxic giving her another firm hug.

“Two weeks? Stars above,” he muttered. “Well, I most certainly did. How in the world did they heal me? That poison…”

At that, Gelliana shook her head. Helping him off the bed, the two of them made their way to a couch still within the privacy of the room. She pulled back, sitting down in front of Toxic and not meeting his gaze.

“We found a spell that would do it,” she said shakily. The gryphoness managed to look up despite her beak and shoulders quivering. “Clari, Fide, Celestia…they saw it as the only way. They had the ascension spell you were afraid of, but I kept my promise, Toxic. I kept it.”

A bit of relief flooded Toxic’s frame at that. Then why was she so nervous?

“I said I’d try to stop them if they used it. So, they didn’t,” she said. Tears now began to stream down her cheeks, the gryphoness looking at the floor.

“But I couldn’t lose you. Nothing else would have worked. S-so they modified the spell to be slightly different,” she explained, barely containing full-blown sobs at this point.

“I p-promised to not let you be alone forever. I promised. I kept that p-promise,” she now looked up, barely able to see the shocked stallion through the tears.

“S-so I had them use it on b-both of u-us,” Gelliana stuttered, now staring back at the floor fearfully. Her sides shook with sobs, the gryphoness shaking her head.

“A-and they said they can use it again. F-for each of u-us. In c-case you h-hate me!” Gelliana bawled. “If y-you hate me for i-it, you n-never have to s-see me again. T-they can cast the spell on s-s-someone else. Someone e-else to be w-with you forever!”

Her tears dripping onto the floor, the gryphoness was the picture of misery, only able to get a few more words out.

“I’m s-sorry. I c-couldn’t s-stand to lose y-you!”

Toxic momentarily stunned. Not just from the weight of what Gelliana had told him, but by what she had expected from him.

Does she truly think I would hate her?

Reaching over with a hoof, Toxic gently rest it on her shoulder, the gesture making Gelliana look up as tears streamed down her face. He couldn’t stand to see her so utterly miserable.

“I don’t want to be with anyone else,” he whispered, her eyes widening in shock “You did all of that for me? To keep that promise?” Toxic now reached up to rest a hoof against her cheek.

Gelliana managed to nod, tears still streaming down her cheeks as she pressed against his hoof. Toxic gently pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. On breaking the gesture, he barely moved, instead resting his own cheek firmly against the gryphoness. Toxic hugged her close rocking the gryphoness back and forth. His own eyes were shining with tears, but not out blind rage or fear.

“I could never hate you. Never,” he said firmly. “Not in a thousand years, and I’ll set an alarm to remind me to tell you that.”

Gelliana let out a choked laugh, still trying to reign in the tears.

“Thank you, Gells. Thank you so much. I didn’t think-,” he paused, pulling back slightly to hold one of her clawed hands with a hoof. Toxic still was having trouble comprehending it all. “You care that much? To be…?”

The question didn’t need to be finished. Gelliana simply nodded with a loving smile, trying to wipe her tears on a free forelimb. She couldn’t say anything, her sides still shaking. Instead, she reached over and gently ran a set of claws through the fur on the stallion’s chest, the familiar, hopeful spark now reigniting in her eyes.

“Thank you, Gells,” Toxic said. He’d ponder the implications later, but for now, there was a more pressing matter. He pulled her into another hug, simply reveling in the soft touch of her feathers against his chest as they sat on the hospital couch.

She’s willing to never age just to keep her promise. To make sure I’m not alone.

He hugged her all the tighter at that thought. The stallion’s heart felt like it was going to burst. It was too much.

“I love you, Gelliana. That hasn’t changed, and that never will,” he said softly. His sides began to shake as the full realization came crashing down.

She had chosen this. Chosen him.

“Thank you so much for saving me,” Toxic choked out, Gelliana’s grip tightening around him, the stallion burying himself into her feathers as she held him close.

His words triggered another onslaught of tears from the gryphoness, but this time they weren’t of fear or grief, only loving empathy. She knew fully well ‘saving’ held two meanings.

“I’ll always choose you, Toxic,” her voice was a whisper, but the words may as well have been shouted from the heavens.

Gelliana had chosen to be with him. Not for a day, or a year, or even a decade. She had given up a normal life just to be with him.

He couldn’t help but bawl into her shoulder, the overwhelmed stallion struggling to process it all. Gelliana rocked him back and forth lovingly, her chest rising and falling against his.

Years of fears, of yearnings, of utter sorrow all began to finally drain out, the first genuine moment where the poisonous thoughts began to be torn away. One of the foundational pillars in Toxic’s mind had been destroyed, the thought upon so much pain had sprouted. For a brief moment, the stallion was back where his journey had started. Crying out in the collapsed laboratory as a young colt, he had begged for help that never arrived.

But now someone had chosen him. Someone had…

A single thought made Toxic sob even harder, Gelliana running her claws through his mane. He would tell her this, of course. But the realization was too much to take in.

Someone chose to save me.

Author's Note

FEELINGS! :raritycry:

Chapter Forty Eight: Finality

“What are we going to do with him, Sister?” Luna asked softly.

The two of them walked the halls, a heavily-guarded Wire Strip being escorted in front of them towards some new maximum-security cells deep into the Canterlot mountain. The two refused to let him out of their sight during such a transfer.

“Multiple nations have already demanded his execution. The Last Light Organization was the first to submit the extradition papers.”

“Oooh. Toxic’s project?” Wire Strip asked far too calmly. The unicorn hadn’t said anything until now. “His brother was quite a fun chess piece to use.”

“…pardon?” Luna asked, waving a wing towards the guards to slow down.

“Come now, you’re the strategist. Who do you think came up with the idea to use Pick as bait for Toxic? Give me a bit of credit,” Wire huffed, clearly a bit put out. The casual manner in which he spoke about the attack was unnerving to even the two Sisters.

“So, Toxic’s brother, and finally Toxic. You are a vile creature indeed,” Luna huffed.

“Oh, you flatter me,” Wire chuckled with a yawn. “Where are we going, I wonder? Any cell in Equestria beats the Gryphon Empire, not that I’ll be there long.”

“An escape plan already?” Celestia asked, the cocky unicorn laughing.

“Hardly. I’ve been a vessel for a Shadow Creature. Do you know how many more of those things would love to have some time in this plane? Maybe a collection of them when it happens again. You can’t shield against Limbo magic very well,” Wire explained, “a willing, previous host shows up like a giant lighthouse in a calm night. Plenty of takers.”

The pony bared his fangs with a grin towards the two Sisters, his eyes wide and eager.
“This game was fun, but the next will be even better!” he proclaimed. “Maybe I’ll be the host to a dozen of them!”

“We could just kill you,” Luna growled, but the threat made Wire laugh.

“Under what law?” he asked with a smirk. “The pure Princesses of Equestria murdering a captive prisoner under mere threats? Oh, that’d be juicy indeed.”

“You’ve broken enough laws to warrant an execution. You know this,” Celestia said, her tone now cautious. Wire was playing at something, even if it was in a prideful lashing out.

“Oh, I know that. But that takes time. And by then, the Shadows will sense when their vessel is in danger,” Wire said, sharp teeth still bared in a grin. “It takes ages to pass a budget. How long to draft an execution order for a prisoner in the spotless land of Equestria?”

Luna and Celestia shared a brief look, but it was enough. Wire was right, after all. Short of royal intervention, it was a long, drawn-out process (unlike the Gryphon Empire, for better or worse.) Which wasn’t to say they couldn’t execute him promptly; but the political ramifications were hardly cut and dry.

“I think I’ll go after moon-flanks first,” Wire said, sitting down as he now had an audience of both the Guards and the Princesses.

“Pardon me?” Luna growled, promptly summoning a glowing sword.

“Not you specifically, but your lover. Commander Shifting? It’d be a shame if he died on your wedding day. Or perhaps soon after.”

Luna let out a soft snicker, the sword vanishing as she tossed her head.
“He has fought more fearsome creatures than you,” she said with a smirk. “That would make for quite a reception, no? Fighting shadows and a washed-up unicorn? Shifting would give your fangs to me on a necklace as a honeymoon gift. I’m almost tempted to let you try.”

Clearly miffed at the response, Wire then turned his gaze towards Celestia.
“Then perhaps the sun?” he mused.

“Hardly. Nacreous would beat your head in without a second thought,” she said. And yet Wire picked up on something in her voice, something that egged him on.

“Oh, not on your wedding day of course,” he mused. “No, this would be simpler.”

Luna was the first to notice the temperature spike for a nanosecond. The Lunar Princess could almost see how the following events were going to play out. Should she stop it?

Could she? The answer was a likely ‘no.’

“I’ll be back in however long it takes. I do hope no later than your honeymoon,” Wire mused. His eyes then narrowed, locking onto Celestia’s.

“I can’t wait to see your face,” he whispered with a sadistic eagerness. “When you realize your lover is dead.”

Luna immediately took a few steps back, the guards picking up the hint and doing so as well. Wire seemed quite amused, looking at Celestia eagerly. He seemed more curious than anything, his wellbeing an afterthought despite the Alicorn having a deadpan expression.

“Oooh? I wonder, would you kill me over words?” he mused, “over threats alone? The Shadow King knew you, and so I know all about you. You’re not the type to do that,” Wire sighed, shrugging with a lackadaisical grin as he continued, soaking up every interaction.

“And you know I’m right. It may take a year, a dozen, a hundred, but eventually you’ll have nobody to blame but yourself. When you wake up after I slip a knife through his heart,” the stallion cackled. “Don’t believe me? Oh, you will. When the first thing you see in the morning is his dead, soulless-”

*CRACK!*

It happened faster than a lightning strike. The guards blinked, their vision whited out by the surge of power. All that was left was the ringing in their ears and a horrible, warped scream that echoed through the tunnels.

In that brief thunderclap, Luna had watched as a solar flare had wrapped around Celestia, her regalia melting off as fangs jutted from her mouth. Red pupils locking onto Wire as a beam of raw plasma burned through the mountain above them as if it was wet paper. The unicorn had been burned away atom by atom underneath shields that blocked Limbo and the mortal realm alike. He only had time for a horrible, agonizing scream as the Unicorn’s eyes finally shone with pure fear at his miscalculation. Celestia’s mouth had warped into a sneer, eyes wide with a feral, almost sadistic rage as solar flares spun through her mane.

Celestia had only said three words.

“I believe you!”

All that was left now was a golden slag and a molten, bubbling circle of white-hot stone. Nopony said anything, not for a few long minutes. The flames guttering out across her mane and body, Celestia took a few deep breaths. On seeing her sister’s sides shiver, Luna walked over and spread a wing over her sister as the golden regalia reformed on her body.

“There was no court or laws severe enough to judge him,” she whispered, “you know he was right. We couldn’t have held him, not forever. How many thousands have died? How many more would have died when he escaped? He was not speaking idle threats, and Discord would have done the same thing, was going to do the same thing.”

Celestia nodded, her head shaking back and forth.
“Thank you, Sister,” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “I’ll deal with this in time, but you are right. I just didn’t…” the mare shook her head.

“Let’s go home, Luna. It’s over.”

It was only later, when Luna had sought out her sister to bid her well before going to bed, that Luna saw the true toll the past few days had taken on the Princess. Cradled in Nacreous’s arms, the hippogriff held Celestia close in one of the private gardens, the alicorn crying into his feathers.

The Emperor hadn’t said anything, a simple, knowing look passing between himself and Luna. The younger sister left them alone, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she meandered the halls.

“You did the right thing, Sister. He wasn’t lying,” she whispered to herself. In time, Celestia would understand. But Wire’s threats piled onto what had happened with Toxic had clearly been too much. Failures like that were a heavy weight indeed. Thankfully, she had someone at her side who wasn’t about to let the mare sink into a darker frame of mind.

I’m glad that you’re letting yourself be weak, Celly. You’ve certainly denied it long enough.

On entering the nearly-deserted command center of the castle, it was her Fiancé who waved at her.

“That’s it then. It’s over?” Commander Shifting Sands asked.

Giving him a hug with a wing, Luna nodded firmly.

“It’s over.”

The tired stallion blew out a breath in relief.

“One chapter of life closes…another opens. I wonder what this one will hold,” he mused.

Giving him a rather heated kiss, Luna couldn’t help but smirk at seeing her stallion blush.

“I’d say it’s going to be full of adventures.”

Their gazes drifted over to the monitors a few of which were monitoring the Last Light Organization’s Island.

“Both for us, and for a few other creatures too,” Shifting added softly.

That comment earned him another kiss, not that Luna needed a reason to.

Chapter Forty Nine: Headwinds of life (Conclusion)

Toxic looked out across the ocean, the cool spray ruffling through his mane.

Four months.

Coming to terms with never aging( among other ascension bonus’s) had been oddly anticlimactic. Then again, knowing Gelliana was going to be there with him took away all the fears associated with the idea. Whenever his mind delved into ‘what if’s’, all Toxic had to do was look over to the gryphoness. She had quickly picked up on his doubts, and could almost sense when such things were occurring.

He couldn’t imagine a life without her; and she had made the same sentiment known to him many times. All that was left was a bit of romantic formality.

And that leads to today.

The Organization was firing on all cylinders, and Toxic had essentially been ordered to take time for himself. The new hazard suits had worked, leading to the extremely rapid development of more extreme ones that came even closer to Toxic’s own natural abilities. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were working with Varti and Pick to draft an international set of relations to make sure the Organization didn’t step on any hooves during their operations. They’d observe a large-scale response in the future as a demonstration of sorts.

But that was no longer Toxic’s concern; a frightening and freeing thought. The Organization could now respond instead of him.

His dream was coming true, and yet another was about to begin. A few meetings with Gelliana’s parents had gone as well as he could have hoped. They didn’t understand fully, and how could they? But they supported their daughter, and Toxic had their blessing.

Toxic’s own mother had been rather coy when he brought it up, and the stallion had a feeling Gelliana had been doing some sneaky talks as well.

Said gryphoness landed with a hop next to him, Gelliana taking her favorite place next to the stallion, her head on his left shoulder.

“Hey, Tox,” she whispered, letting out a happy hum as he turned to give her a kiss.

“Hey, Gells.”

They stayed like that for a few moments, as they had other days. There weren’t any nerves on Toxic’s part, not concerning her.

He reached over and gently held her claws, giving them a squeeze. So much had changed, and then abruptly, stayed the same. Clari and Fide had chatted with them briefly a few months ago. Apparently Gelliana had given them quite a bit to think about, along with Discord.

They would be in the background, watching over the island as silent guardians. Well, Fide wasn’t as quiet, now that she and Varti were continuing to go on dates. But they had apologized, and Toxic had accepted it, even giving Clari a hug to console the distraught mare. They had made well-intentioned mistakes, but both Toxic and Gelliana had suffered due to it.

Yet Toxic would go through it all a hundred times again if it led to this moment. The prospect of a thousand years with Gelliana at his side. Living his dream with her, living her dreams…

He couldn’t wait.

“Gells?” Toxic asked, the gryphoness at his side letting out a hum. “It feels weird, huh?”

“Very. But we can be weird together.”

He chuckled, rubbing his cheek against hers.
“I’d like that very much.”

Levitating an object out of his saddlebags, Toxic held out the engagement bracelet to the gryphoness. A beautiful silver and gold pattern, it wreathed a gem carved in the same pattern as the gryphoness’s armor.

“Want to go on a new adventure?” Toxic asked, the gryphoness’s eyes widening in surprise, and then overwhelming joy. “Will you marry me? It’s more formality at this point, but…”

The unicorn abruptly burst out laughing as Gelliana withdrew a golden ring from her own bag, her beak quivering.

“Yes. Of course I will. And this means you beat me to the proposal race,” she pouted, Toxic giving her a loving kiss.

“You can still ask me, Gells,” he said, forehead leaning against hers.

“Will you marry me, Toxic?”

“Yes, Gelliana. Nothing would make me happier,” the stallion chuckled.

She laughed, the two of them hugging together in the cool sea mist, sunbeams reflecting off the water down below.

Pulling his head back to gaze into the eyes of the gryphoness he loved more than anything, Toxic felt a few tears slide from his eyes despite the smile on his face.

“I love you, Gells. Thank you for choosing me,” he whispered.

The gryphoness knew the full weight of those words; Toxic had explained it shortly after the ascension spell. And her answer was the same.

“Love you too, Toxic. And I’ll always choose you,” she said, a wry smirk on her face. “And now I get to be your Shield.”

He laughed, the unicorn hugging the gryphoness close as she rested her head against his chest. A simple spell activated the music recorder in his saddlebags, the gryphoness’s ears perking up.

As Toxic pulled back and offered his hoof, Gelliana was all smiles as he sent her spinning into a twirl, wings flaring. The carefree and loving look on her face made the stallion’s heart catch fire.

She chose me.

The two continued to dance on the sea cliffs, occasionally pausing to rest in each other’s arms. Knowing they had each other made every other worry fade away. A gryphoness who had found her voice and pushed herself to find a hidden fire and strength, and a stallion who had finally discovered the peace of someone who chose to save him.

And they both knew that a thousand years of adventures awaited them, together.

The End

Chapter Thirty Nine: Mind Games

Toxic stared down the pair of furious eyes that looked at him. Literal and figurative waves of nightmarish scenes made his body sway occasionally, but the stallion never moved. The smirk that occasionally slid onto his face made the Shadow snarl, the King vanishing as the stallion repelled the attack.

It was only then when Toxic was alone that he slumped to the floor. Ensuring Gelliana’s mindscape was clear and safe, he took a few breaths. Activating an alert spell, the pony blinked as he appeared in the real world, sprawled out on the floor of one of the Organization’s many spell rooms. The location was connected directly to the leyline reactor, and in turn, the Lines themselves. It allowed spells to achieve maximum efficiency with zero interference.

That was a good thing. The stallion had gone from not casting spells for more than a month to initiating one every few hours. The fewer snags the better.

Dragging himself over to a mattress, Toxic slumped down onto the pillows. He wasn’t even sure what day it was, only that it was dark out.

The King of Shadows never slept, only stopping his attacks when he either grew bored or had other matters to attend to.

That left scarce time to eat, sleep, or do anything else.

I won’t let him win. He isn’t going to get her!
Gells…

Mechanically downing his ration of water and some pre-made meals, along with a pile of vitamins, Toxic took a few shaky breaths. The fact that the food was genuinely tasty was lost on him; he was just too tired.

The waves of nightmares blended together, the Shadow struggling to find something that made Toxic yield. And yet nothing had worked, not completely at least. Seeing horrors still wore on Toxic’s mind regardless.

It was a cruel irony that such a thing wasn’t more upsetting. Toxic’s nights had been disturbingly similar to these moments for years. The only difference now was the intensity and frequency of the nightmares.

Toxic had dozed off a few times, letting the trickles of attacks get through, but the majority remained blocked. There was a single picture in the spell room that now doubled as his living space, one that had been taken what felt like a lifetime ago.

A stallion smiling at the camera, looking a bit awkward as a gryphoness gave him a hug.

Gelliana.

Toxic’s armor was on the floor, glowing softly. The pony forced himself to hold out a hoof, summoning the breastplate to clamp around his barrel. Despite the metal construction it was incredible comforting. The magic that pulsed around it likely had something to do with that.

The nightmares themselves were disturbing, Toxic wasn’t going to lie to himself about that. But very few were things he hadn’t thought of or confronted before. Yet there was a difference between being afraid of something and seeing a heinous nightmare laid out in a visual and auditory sense when he was lucid.

Hours upon hours of seeing some of his worst fears, or at least what the Shadow thought were his fears, was slowly taking its toll.

Yet he didn’t yield.

If I don’t endure these attacks, if I don’t keep that door closed…

Toxic curled up, a pillow hugged between his forelimbs. In many ways, it wasn’t nearly as disturbing as he had thought. The Shadow only had guesses, nothing more. No magic could read Toxic’s mind in that space, nor Gelliana’s. So as long as the stallion didn’t give any clues the King was left to only guess.

And that made the Shadow mad, which in turn made Toxic quite happy.

He could rant and rave, spew threats and conjure up fearsome nightmares of what he’d do to Toxic and Gelliana…but none of it ever came to pass.

All Toxic was facing was fear. And in this case, that is all that the King of Shadows could muster. Fear had been a constant companion to Toxic, even if he rarely showed it during his job.

The Shadow had made a fatal error.

He was trying to scare a pony that entered a boxing ring with nightmares for a job. Only now, the life of a gryphoness Toxic loved was at stake.

All I have to do is endure. I can do that.
I’ve done it for so many years, I can do it for another week or two if I have to. Or longer.

Whatever it takes.

Gelliana wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep resting against Toxic’s shoulders. The blissful peace slowly faded, her dreams becoming a tumultuous red mist. Dark, unsettling sensations that almost drove her to wakefulness. Distant screams- or she thought they may have been screams, echoed through her mind. A cold breeze occasionally made her shiver, but it was never enough to make her fully snap awake.

When the gryphoness finally did break out of her slumber, her bleary gaze drifted over to where she had hoped Toxic would be; but there was just a soft, cream-colored wall instead.

The room looked the same aside from now having solid walls. She could hear muffled voices; a voice, but other than that, things looked disturbingly normal. The see-through roof, however, definitely still indicated that she was in her mind-scape. Dreamscape.

Mind-dream-thing. Ugh. Hurts to think about.

Her legs were shaky, an odd, fuzzy sensation in Gelliana’s head making it hard to think. It was like she had the beginnings of a feather flu. But then again, having some shadow-creep inside her head would do that.

How long did I sleep?

There was a flash of light from outside the room, the illumination carrying over the see-through ceiling. The still-present door in front of her was opened, Toxic stumbling through, the armored unicorn locking it behind him. He scanned the door, placing a hoof against it. With a burst of magic, the room and door flickered, the wood and walls becoming more solid and secure. Metal reinforcements bonded to the structure as they glowed with a soft pink light. With a firm nod, he then turned around, tripping over his hooves.

“Tox!” Gelliana sighed with relief. “Are…” her words faded on her tongue. The pony looked awful. Dark circles underneath the stallion’s eyes only drew more attention to the turmoil behind the green gaze. Toxic seemed barely able to walk, stumbling as he leaned against a wall. A tired smile dawned on his face as Gelliana darted over, helping him sit down.

“Hey Gells,” Toxic sighed, “glad to see you’re up.”

“Are you ok?” she asked, a prick of fear touching the gryphoness even as he nodded.

“Just tired. The Shadow-King doesn’t need to sleep, it would seem.”

Gelliana stared, brow furrowing in thought.
“How long have I been out?”

“Three days, maybe four I think.”

“W-what?!”

Toxic slid down to the floor, armor clattering off his frame.
“Your mind is more vulnerable when you sleep,” he explained. “I figured the Shadow would try something like this.” The stallion actually chuckled at that. “I think he’s a bit angry that my brother took out over half of those freaky creatures. The fact he can’t scare me ticks him off to no end as well.”

Her beak quivering, Gelliana tried her hardest not to cry.
“You’ve been awake for four days?” she whispered, the pony nodding.

“Maybe five, but in spurts, but more or less. I have a spell that alerts me when the Shadow-King is trying to influence you. I hope I’ve blocked all of it, or at least most of it,” the pony frowned at that. “There were a few times I think some of the nightmares got through.”

“Nothing concrete, j-just a weird feeling. I have worse ones when I’m not being held captive,” Gelliana managed to say with a slight hitch. She couldn’t help but lean forward to hug her special-somepony close. “Thank you Toxic. I didn’t realize, I didn’t know…”

“I’m here until you’re rescued, Gells,” Toxic said firmly, his determined tone a sharp contrast to his exhausted demeanor, “even if I have to drag myself out that door. He is not getting to you. There were some snags in the preparations, but we’re coming.”

Gelliana sniffled, a few rebellious tears tracing down her cheek.

“You’ve been taking care of me for weeks, let me take care of you,” Toxic added, the gryphoness managing a smile, one that quickly faded on his next words. “I couldn’t protect you t-then, so I need to do this.”

“Toxic, don’t…” her words stumbled, Gelliana shaking her head. “What could you have done? There were hundreds of those creatures and you almost died. We both almost died. You’d been fighting the dose of a poison that would have killed all of Canterlot,” she paused, eagle-eyes narrowing. “Don’t feel like you have to prove something to me. I hold nothing against you, nor think less of you in any way.”

Toxic’s features trembled, his jaw clenching.
“Thank you, Gells,” he whispered, “Hearing it lessens my thoughts of believing it. But it’s more than that.”

“How then?”

He scooted forward to rest his forehead against the gryphoness’s.
“It’s not a ‘who took care of who’ sort of thing,” he tried to explain. “You have been there for me, night and day for so long. I want to be there for you. I can’t imagine how scared you must have been, how scared you may be now. I love you more than anything and just want to keep you safe any way I can.”

His blunt but caring words broke Gelliana’s walls, a few sobs leaving her as she leaned into Toxic’s immediately-offered hug.

Of course he would know I’m scared.

“You’re still the cute, plant-loving gryphoness who I managed to ask on a date,” he whispered, “stutters and all. I’ve seen how tough you’ve been through all of this, how you’ve adapted when I’ve been a useless mess. And I’m thankful beyond words.” The stallion stopped at that, ducking down to caress his cheek against the gryphoness’s, lips reaching over to give a loving kiss on her beak before continuing.

“But don’t think I forgot who you are, the other side of you that I know is still there. The shy, bookworm of a gryphon who adores her plants. One who has been so amazingly brave, but who I know is still scared. I know there were nights you woke up crying when you thought I was asleep. SMAL gave you a hug when I couldn’t. But you were always brave when helping me, never showing it. I didn’t miss that.”

Toxic hugged Gelliana close as the gryphoness sobbed, the stallion rocking her back and forth.
“I’m not exactly the knight in shining armor you were expecting, but I’ll protect my princess with my life.”

She wasn’t sure how long Toxic held her, but for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Gelliana felt herself.

She could be a warrior. She was a warrior.

She could be a soldier that survived in a muddy hole as creatures hunted them down.

She could be a basic medic, even as her special-somepony lay unconscious.

She could be brave; she was brave.

But right now, after weeks of running, hiding, and being all of that; Gelliana wanted so much to just let it all go.

“I w-want to go h-home,” she whimpered, Toxic still rocking her back and forth, his own sides shivering as he blinked away sympathetic tears of his own.

“I know Gells, I know,” he whispered, “we’re trying. There have been a few setbacks, but we’re coming. And even if that Shadow knows we are, he won’t be able to stop us. We’re coming.”

She wasn’t sure how long Toxic held her, the gryphoness wanting to feel safe for just a moment longer. Eventually it faded, the reality of what they were facing starting to creep back into her mind.

But I’m not alone. I never have been; and I’ve got a stallion willing to do everything to keep me safe.

Reaching up, Gelliana gave said stallion kiss that made Toxic’s fur prickle.

“You’re not the knight in shining armor that I expected years ago, or had been imagining,” she admitted. Before Toxic’s ears could droop, she reached over and pressed her palm against his chest, leaning forward to rest on his shoulder. “You’re so much better, and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

The slight glint of doubt in Toxic’s eyes made Gelliana glare at him, the gryphoness shaking her head.
“Ok, I know what I’m talking about as soon as you wake up,” she muttered, “I saw that look.”

“Huh? O-oh.”

Shifting around, Gelliana settled down to rest against the wall, Toxic leaning on her shoulder and side.

“Before that, can you sleep when in this dreamscape? Does it count still?” she asked.

“I think so?” Toxic mused, “I’ve never tried it. I think it does, because I’ve dozed off sometimes in-between the Shadow’s attacks, and that helped. I pretty much live in a spell-casting room now.”

“Well, I’m awake. So, unless that creep tries something really nasty, you should sleep.”

Toxic tried to object, but Gelliana promptly pushed him back down, standing up briefly as an idea came to her.

“Wait a minute,” she asked, “that armor, the leylines; that offers some protection against the Shadow, right?”

Toxic nodded, his eyes widening as Gelliana’s frame abruptly became covered with a familiar armor.

“Gells, no,” he stated firmly, “you go out there, and he’ll-”

“I’m not going out, I’m just making the room stronger…um, I think, however that translates in the dream realm,” Gelliana admitted. Reaching over to touch one of the walls, the gryphoness focused on exactly how she felt whenever summoning the armor, when Fide explained to her why she had it.

To protect him.

Even if she couldn’t stand against the Shadow, Gelliana could at least give Toxic a few hours. She could be brave just a little bit longer.

Just give me that much. Just a shield or something that keeps Him out of here. I can’t do much more than that.

The room flashed, Gelliana’s armor abruptly disappearing. A soft, muted glow now covered the walls; hopefully that would do it.

“I did something, but I can just wake you up if it didn’t work,” she admitted. The stallion was already nodding off, barely able to keep his eyes open. The fact Gelliana walked over and let herself be his pillow was the final straw, Toxic immediately falling asleep with a loving smile on his face.

If I get to spend the rest of my life waking up to him with that goofy smile…I can be brave for that.

I can be brave a little bit longer for him.

The thoughts came so naturally that Gelliana could only stare at the sleeping stallion for a good, long few moments. Two tears rolled down her face; the gryphoness closing her eyes and trying to doze.

The fact that there was no objection, no rebuttal to her thoughts was almost frightening. Just a simple warmth, a clear-cut affirmation of what she wanted.

Toxic mumbled in his sleep, nesting deeper into Gelliana’s feathers as she ran her claws through his mane.

What I want…is this.

“So, the full fleet will be ready?” Pick asked, Varti nodding firmly with an annoyed grunt.

“Yes. We had some issues with the final ships accepting the upgrades. We were rushing to get the other ships out. I know we’re on borrowed time, but we can’t send in cobbled-together craft. How is Toxic holding up?”

“Exhausted. He basically lives in that spell chamber,” Pick admitted, “he doesn’t look good. He won’t say what the Shadow-King is doing outside of ‘sending nightmares,’ but he’s not getting much sleep. He lives in that casting chamber. I don’t know how much longer he can keep it up.”

“Borrowed time indeed,” Varti grunted. “We just need another day or two. More water-treatment plants have been secured in Equestria, so that further loosens the likelihood of a threat against them. The Princess’s offered their aid. We just need to get Gelliana out. I assume you have some plans?”

Pick nodded, tapping the console in the lab to bring up a dozen diagrams.
“Multiple. The crystals in the enemy’s fortress are still intact. We can monitor Gelliana directly, as well as the troop movements. We just need to get the interference down, then we could teleport her directly out. I doubt the King will make that easy for us.”

Varti gestured to one of the diagrams, the Yak’s mouth widening in a grin.
“Most of these plans, including this one, don’t seem to be based around just getting rid of the interference.”

Pick had at least the decorum to try and act innocent.
“If we’re knocking down a few foundations, it doesn’t take much to bring the rest of the building down.”

The Yak chuckled, his hoof tracing a few bullet points on the diagram.
“Safe to say, I think we’ve long since agreed that this isn’t just a rescue mission.”

Shaking his head, Pick took a frustrated breath. He then called up security feeds of the various ships being armed, the pony’s crystal teeth grinding.

“No. If we’re returning in force, we’re ending this.”

Toxic woke up with a yawn. For a moment, the pony temporarily felt like he was caught in a whirlpool before returning to being grounded.

Right. Falling asleep in a dream realm. That’s a bit of a weird thought.

His thoughts faded to a pleasant warm glow, the stallion quickly realizing that a gryphoness was curled up at his side, head laid over top his shoulder protectively.

This is why I don’t mind the sleepless nights. If this is my reward, knowing you are safe, then I will consider it a fair deal indeed.

Gelliana must have only been dozing. The gryphoness let out a yawn and stretched, her beak turning in a frown as the shield around the room was only barely visible now.

“You get some sleep?” she asked softly, Toxic reaching up to give her a kiss first and foremost.

“A few hours,” he replied, leaning over to caress her cheek with his, “thank you.”

“I would say anytime, but I’m hoping all of this never happens again,” Gelliana quipped, eyes narrowing in concern despite her upbeat tone. “You sure you’re ok?”

“I’m good, Gells,” Toxic replied immediately with a firm nod. “Tired, but good, all things considered.”

The gryphoness accepted that answer, but clearly gave him a good look over before sitting next to the stallion.

“It’s a bit weird and messed up that now is the time when we’re most free to talk,” she said softly. “If that makes sense.”

“It does. And I can’t wait until we can just talk like before all of this. No threat of doom, just sitting somewhere.”

Gelliana paused at that, her ears flattening against her skull.
“Things are going to be different, huh?” she whispered. “What we went through still hasn’t really set in for me yet.”

“We’ll have the best therapists in Canterlot on call to deal with all of that,” Toxic said, a half-humored huff leaving his mouth. “Quite frankly, I just add this entire event to the list of ‘traumatic things I need to get over.’ A hidden blessing and a curse I suppose. But we’ll just take it easy and slow after all of this. Give you time to process it all. Not like I’m going anywhere.”

She leaned on his shoulder with a thankful nuzzle, her tail curling around to wrap around one of his nearest forelimb.

“Anything you want to talk about? I’d say we have a lot of options,” Toxic asked.

A soft hum was Gelliana’s reply, as was a shrug. Eventually, one of the gryphoness’s wings reached over to give Toxic a half hug.

“I guess I just want to say thank you.”

Toxic pulled his head back slightly to look at her curiously.
“You’re welcome, but for what? Young colts go on party no-sleep benders all the time…”

She let out a genuine snort at that, head shaking back and forth.
“Not just that. Everything before it.”

“Uh, when I was unconscious?”

“Further back.”

The stallion was stumped, hoof tapping in thought.
“I am not sure what you mean then.”

“Just…” words failed to come, Gelliana letting out a frustrated sigh at herself. “Tox, I feel liked around you. I can’t really explain it.”

She could feelhis head tilt in curiosity, and indeed a quick peek indicated that adorable furrowing of Toxic’s brow as his ears twitched once in thought.

“You know that my past relationships weren’t the best,” she explained, “and in pretty much all of them, I never could look in the mirror and….”

The warmth that blossomed in her chest made tears well up in Gelliana’s eyes. That was it.

“You gave me confidence, Toxic,” she managed to say. “That’s what it is. Confidence and feeling liked.”

He still waited curiously, either not knowing what to say or wanting her to continue explaining.

“For better or worse, I don’t think I’m going to be as shy as I was before,” Gelliana admitted. “But you being you, it made me feel like someone cared. Really, really cared. Not just about my feathers or fur, but about me. And I d-didn’t know how m-much that meant. I s-still don’t.”

She reached over to give his furry chest a prod with a claw.
“That’s why I am so thankful. Because you like me, and it may not seem like that big of a deal to you, but it means the world to me. I never felt attractive that way before. Not in in a genuine manner outside of just being associated with because I was a gryphon. Or small.

“Really?” The pony sounded genuinely stunned.

“Really. Gryphons don’t like shy, book-loving gardeners. The vast majority don’t at least,” Gelliana said. “So, I got negative attention for my size and what I liked to do. Then you waltz in and throw that all to the wind. So, thank you.”

Gelliana let out a squeak as Toxic reached over to nuzzle the crook of her neck lovingly at that.
“Well, you are most welcome. I can understand that view a little bit. Not in the same way, but, sort of.” He paused, and Gelliana scooted a bit closer and let out a curious chirp.

“I felt the same way, ish, until I met you. I told you before, so I get it. I’m just happy to be there for you.”

Another happy hum and Gelliana reached over to take in a breath of Toxic’s somehow pleasant-smelling fur.

“Well, I am happy to remind you that you are most certainly wanted very much, and in very many ways. Preferably when I’m not in some dream-room.”

A tight hug was Toxic’s response, the stallion enjoying her touch. Neither of them spoke for a time. However, it was Toxic that abruptly began to snicker, much to Gelliana’s confusion.

“S-sorry,” he stammered. “I just remembered that I do need to tell you this. Your parents and mine are staying in Canterlot, and apparently Celestia filled them in, ish, on the situation. The question I have is, how in the world are we going to frame this to your parents? Like…” he reached over to nuzzle her lovingly briefly. “This? You said they barely knew we were dating.”

Gelliana’s eyes widened in genuine shock at that.
“Oh.”

“Oh?” On seeing his gryphoness’s ears start to flatten, Toxic shifted to give her a hug. “Hey, I didn’t mean to stress you out, sorry. That was stupid of me.”

“No, it’s ok. It’s something to think about,” she admitted, “but just- I have no idea how to explain it. I’ve thought about it before. I suppose the fact they know the general situation helps. But I have no idea how to explain this to them.”

“Well, maybe don’t?”

Toxic’s response made Gelliana stare at him, the stallion shrugging.
“Just let them figure it out. As long as you’re ok with it, we’ll be going to therapy together, and separately. But we’ll still be dating, being around each other. I think they’ll get the general idea when they learn we were stuck in a cave with each other for weeks. We took care of each other, you more so to me. I think they’ll be very proud. I’d hope so at least.”

“Not a bad idea, as always,” she admitted, “and yes, counseling together sounds like a very good idea. Goodness knows I’ll need it on my own too.” Even speaking about it made the gryphoness’s limbs shake slightly. There was so much stress, so much tension just on the edge of her awareness it was maddening.

“I’m happy to submit some recommendations,” Toxic said, shifting to wrap his arms around her, Gelliana relaxing and nuzzling into his neck. “We’ll get through this, Gells. It’ll be a rocky road to acclimate back to a new normal, but we’ll do it together.”

She hugged him back tightly, wanting nothing more than to just listen to that heartbeat she adored. But the distant roar of something ruined any chances of that. More than anything, Gelliana just wanted to be back in her shop. Not alone, but just away from all of this.

I’m so tired of being brave.

“Looks like somecreature is having a tantrum, I’ve got to go,” he whispered.

To her surprise, Gelliana felt tears start to run from her eyes, emotion making her throat close up.

“P-please stay, Tox,” she whimpered. “I just want this to end. I c-can’t…” The gryphoness cried as Toxic rocked her back and forth, the stallion giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“You can. You’re strong enough, Gells. I know you can,” Toxic whispered. He pulled back to meet her tearful gaze; the gryphoness seeing his own eyes shimmered with sympathetic tears. “We’re so close. Just hang in there. Let me be the strong one. You just have to hang on. Wait a little bit longer. I promise that when you’re safe and sound, I won’t leave you ever again, not if you need me.”

She nodded. That much she could do. The stallion’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears; his jaw clenched as he spoke.

He meant every word.

I just have to wait. Then we can be safe together.

“You were my protector for so long, Gells,” Toxic said, a determined smile sliding onto his face as a familiar set of armor clamped around his frame. “Now let me be yours.”

A final, fierce kiss, and the stallion was gone, locking the door to the gryphoness’s mind as he faced whatever the King would throw at him today.

Despite the tears on her cheeks, Gelliana couldn’t help but feel just a bit calmer.

All she had to do was wait. She didn’t have to be strong anymore, not like before.

Thank you, Toxic.

Author's Note

The feelings!:raritycry:

Chapter Fifty: Last Light Organization- Epilogue

The green cloud engulfed the small town, the town deputy coughing as he stumbled through the mist. A small filly on his back gasped for air, her emergency mask nearly depleted.

Hang on!

While the air tasted foul, Hazard Shift found that he could actually breathe in the poisonous mist, at least partially. The rest of the town was quickly dying though, the emergency masks almost spent from when the chemical plant had exploded thirty minutes ago.

He continued to gallop towards the town outskirts, hoping that the power grid was still intact there so he could call for help. They weren’t prepared for this. He certainly wasn’t trained for a full-blown contamination event! He just handled the day-to-day ruffians trying to sneak sweets out of stores!

His lungs burned, the toxins still managing to seep into his bloodstream. The earth pony’s mask had been cracked as he had tripped over a rock, desperately trying to affix the mask to the filly on his back; a youngster who had gotten lost from their school group.

The world began to spin, the stallion wobbling on his feet. His vision blurred.

Suddenly, it was noon as powerful searchlights pierced the fog.
The mist was pushed back, massive airships hovering over the town’s outskirts. Dozens of figures jumped from the decks, each clad in matching biohazard suits.

The nearest unicorns levitated the youngster over, quickly teleporting away with her. A Thestral offered the Deputy a larger mask, the earth pony immediately breathing easier as the filters scrubbed the air.

He was led over to a massive staging area. Large, box-like containers unfolded like a foal’s toy, dozens of stretchers and golem-like creatures awaiting the victims. A powerful shield snapped into place, five other airships fanning the toxic chemicals out of the town as a dozen squads of creatures thundered into the streets.

“Who are you?” he managed to ask, the symbol of a lighthouse emblazoned on the airship and biohazard suits.

The Thestral grinned, gesturing towards the front of the ship where three Alicorns assessed the operation, a certain purple individual taking extensive notes. A crystal pony-like pony was speaking with them, even as more creatures fast-roped down and streamed into the town and towards the staging area.

“We’re the Last Light Organization,” the Thestral said proudly, dozens more creatures continuing to fly, run, and gallop into the stricken town. “It’s going to be ok.”

Author's Note