Thoughts raced around in Baroque’s head as he lay back in his reclining chair. None of his thoughts were very meaningful. Random ideas for dye mixing and locations to paint mostly. Along with a nagging pain in his bad right leg. Any thought that would’ve stuck was pushed aside by the pulsating cramp in his knee and lower thigh. He thought about getting up to take some pain relievers, but the pain was not severe. It was more or less just annoying. He knew as long as he didn’t stand or walk on it for an hour or two that it would subside, just as it always did. So long as nothing interrupted him, he would be fine as he simply relaxed and let his thoughts continue on as they were.
Suddenly Baroque heard a heavy, rapid, pounding at his door. The sound shook him from his daydreaming. At first he felt annoyed that someone had disturbed him, but when the pounding continued, he realized that this was not a salesman, but someone in dire need of his attention. He sat up and closed down the legs of his chair. He braced himself before he stood up. As expected, his leg wasn’t happy with cooperating with him. He took no time to get his cane, he fought through the pain and made his way to the door as fast as he could. Another barrage of frantic knocking sent him almost running, but he nearly tripped. He eventually made it to the door, but before he could unlock it, a flash of pain in his leg stunned him. He clenched his teeth in agony and couldn’t bring himself to move in the slightest. But then he heard someone on the other side of the door.
“Dad! Are you there!? Please! Open the door!”
Baroque immediately forced his way through the pain and unlocked the door as fast as possible, before he could pull the door open, Gabby slammed it open herself, knocking over Baroque.
“Dad! I’m so sorry! Are you okay!?” Gabby shouted.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. I’m fine.” Baroque struggled to stand up. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?” Gabby slid her head under Baroques arm and helped him get back up. Then she hugged him as tight as a python. Surprised by Gabby’s vehement constriction, he asked again even more worriedly. “Gabby! What happened!?”
“Gryphonstone’s been attacked.” said a voice Baroque didn’t recognize. In the doorway stood a light grey pegasus wearing a cloak and a hood that concealed his eyes.
“Who are you? And what do you mean attacked?”
“The whole city was bombarded. We were lucky to survive.” said the pegasus.
“The house collapsed! The whole city was on fire! He saved me!” added Gabby.
“I- I don’t understand. The city was… and the house…” That’s when Baroque realized. “Grelka.” he murmured. “Gabby! What happened to your mother! Is she okay!?” Upon hearing that question, Gabby began to weep. “No. No no no no. That’s not right. Who in Tartarus is even attacking!? The royals can’t be anywhere near Gryphonstone! They’ve been pushed back!”
“A few companies of royalist mercenaries somehow built siege equipment and artillery without the national guard or Equestrian military noticing. As to how, I don’t know. And I think that in the confusion, the Equestrian military barraged the town as well.” said the pegasus.
“W-w-why!? What the hell for!?” demanded Baroque.
“I don’t know. My guess would be communications were sent through the wringer. The Equestrian military presence around the city were all half garrisoning and half on leave. It’s possible the officers in charge were in the city. The troops outside then had no idea what was going on and somehow thought they were meant to level the city.”
Baroque went silent for a long moment before bursting out into tears. “Bastards! Bastards, all of them! She’s dead! Sweet Celestia she’s dead! They murdered her!” Baroque screamed in both physical and emotional pain and fell to his knees. Unable to bear the pain in his leg, but unable to stand from the sheer mental shock that befell him.
“Please. Come inside and close the door before the whole neighborhood crowds around.” Gabby spoke softly. The pegasus did so. “Help me get him off his knee. He’s probably in a lot of pain.” Gabby said. The two lifted Baroque up and sat him down on a shoe shelf by the door.
“Gabby! Baby! I’m so sorry!” Baroque sobbed as he took her in his arms. “This is wrong! I’m so sorry you had to go through this! I love you so much! I- I’m so glad you’re safe! If I had lost you too, I… I don’t think I could take it!”
“I’m sorry too. I was so scared. If it weren’t for Thunderous, I would’ve died.” explained Gabby, still in tears.
“Thank you! Thank you for saving her! Thank you!”
“Gabby told me all about you. How important you are to her. Even though Gabby isn’t my daughter, I still felt like I had an obligation to get her back to you. I know what it’s like to lose family. My brother died a year ago. His wife was inconsolable for weeks. She gave birth to my nephew last year. And I have a child of my own. Almost a year old. I would do anything to protect both of them.”
“I understand. I know that feeling. A father worries. Even a step-father.”
“Dad. I’m sorry, but I need to get something from my room really quick.” Interjected Gabby.
“Sure, sweetheart. Go ahead.” said Baroque. Baroque was hyper vigilant of every step Gabby took towards the stair and up them. Tense, as if ready to sprint to her aid if she so much as cracked a claw. “I don’t know how to thank you. Thunderous, was it?”
“Yes.”
“Funny. That name sounds familiar.”
“As does yours.”
“Strange, how the mind works when-” a chill ran down his spine. In his emotional state he somehow hadn’t noticed. The pegasus had a sword sheathed on his hip. A sword Baroque knew well. It was a unique design, only used by a special group that trained in its use. The hood. The hood made him certain.
“I think we both know why our names sound familiar. Brother.”
“Brother? No. No no no no no. Don’t call me that. I know how this works. You returned my daughter to my grateful arms, but now you have to then rip me away. You may call me a deserter. No. You have it backwards. I didn’t abandon the Brotherhood. If anything, the Brotherhood abandoned me. Left me for dead. The mission went awry. I was stuck under a carriage. My partners said they’d be back for me. They never came back.”
“What exactly happened? Why did you never come back?” questioned Thunderous.
“I managed to free myself. I was completely uninjured, but I didn’t make my way back. I laid low. I expected the Brotherhood to send a team to find me. Months went by and no one showed up. I eventually learned about the killings and the bureau attacks. The Gold Talon Assassin hunters had been killing our most skilled members. I had already made a cover story for myself and settled down in Gryphonstone. So I stayed. I got a little too comfortable, because I met the most beautiful, kind, and gentle soul I’d ever seen. And I fell in love. I married her.”
“You mean Grelka?”
“Yes. And little Gabby too. Only a few months old. It didn’t matter that I looked nothing like her and her mother. I loved her like she was my own and so did she. She still does. I still do. I would’ve stayed in Gryphonstone with them for the rest of my life, but then, one day, I made a terrible mistake. I saw a group of young thugs attacking a girl. They were going to kill her, so I killed them first. All of them. The girl… I didn’t make it in time. Some time later, guards came to our home and arrested me for murder. They made it clear to me that they weren’t actually guards. The thugs I killed were friends of theirs. Part of the same gang. And they wanted my head for what I did. I had one last goodbye to Grelka and Gabby before they threw me in a carriage and rode off. They didn’t bother taking me to jail. They stopped by an alleyway, dragged me out of the carriage, and began beating me. But they forgot to take my hidden blade. I killed one, but his friend broke my knee and femur. I stabbed him so many times, blinded by pain and adrenaline fueled rage. I took their carriage and rode off. I knew if I went back, I’d put Grelka and Gabby at risk. The last thing I did in Gryphonstone was go to the hospital for my injuries. After that I bought a ticket for a ship back to Equestria and then for a train back to Ponyville. My leg never fully recovered. What good was I to the Assassins at that point. I haven’t heard anything from them until today. So there’s my story. The last one I’ll ever tell, I guess. I beg you, leave Gabby out of this. She doesn’t know anything about this. So go ahead. Leave her with no one. I can’t even stand and fight, so just get it over with.”
“You mistake your actions for treason. Baroque, you’re not a deserter. You’re a casualty. If you had switched your loyalties to Gold Talon or used your skills for personal benefit, that’d be reason to kill you. But you did nothing of the sort. You have had the right to leave the Brotherhood at any time so long as you kept to the tenets and spoke not a word of the Brotherhood.”
“So… that’s it? You’re just letting me go?”
“It’s not my place to force you to do something you don’t want to do. If you don’t want to return to the Brotherhood, then I respect that decision.”
“I don’t know what to say. Everything is… this has all been too much for me.” Before either could say anything more, Gabby came back down the stairs holding an old ragdoll in her talons. “Gabby? What’s this?” Baroque asked.
“Do you remember when Mom first sent me over to see you? She gave me a package that she said was for you and told me not to open it. When I got here, you opened the package. There was a letter in it from Mom and this doll. Mom said this doll was special. The letter said it was the first gift I would ever get from you.”
“Gabby.” Baroque tried to get up, but his leg was still acting up. Thunderous helped him up. Baroque put one arm around Gabby and looked down at the doll. “You’ll always be in my heart, love.” he whispered. “Thank you again, Thunderous, for saving Gabby. I can never fully repay you for this. Here.” he kissed Gabby on the head and then walked carefully over to Thunderous and the door. “I’ll see you out.”
Baroque walked out onto the front porch with Thunderous and then closed the door behind him. “No offense, but I hope this is the last time we meet. My time with the Assassins is over. I might not kill to protect the innocent of the world anymore, but…” he gestured back to the door. “I will still do anything to make sure she’s safe. She’s my creed now.”
“I would have it no other way. Farewell, Adept Baroque Brush.”
