Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

“Gah!” Tom awoke with a yelp, shooting up from the floor. He darted his head around in a panic, only to discover that he was still in Twilight’s room.

His heart was beating out of his chest, and the blanket draped over his lower half was damp with sweat.

Taking another slower look around the room, he discovered that it was early morning. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but the sky was tinted blue, and faint light streamed in through the windows, illuminating the room just enough to see.

Spike was fast asleep in his basket nearby, and Twilight was still snoring softly up in her bed. The pair apparently hadn’t been disturbed by the human’s outburst.

After a moment, Tom’s breathing started to calm down as he stared at the baby dragon and purple unicorn sleeping peacefully.

“A dream…” He muttered to himself, running a hand down his pale face, “It was just a nightmare?”

Faint memories of the horrific dream he had just escaped from flashed before his eyes, causing him to shudder in revulsion. Taking one last look at his friends to assure himself that everything was fine, he frowned softly and shifted his eyes down.

Tom rolled the sleeve of his shirt back and stared at the bandages underneath. Running his fingers over the site of the wound sent twinges of pain through him, reminding him that it was still there.

The human tensed his jaw as he thought about the wound. Concentrating for a moment, he focused on his powers and attempted once again to heal himself.

Faint burning arose from the corners of the gash, but he couldn’t tell whether the sensation was from his powers or the wound itself stinging.

Tom sighed and rolled his sleeve back up in a huff. He ruffled his fingers through his hair and blankly stared down at the floor. With a flood of troubling thoughts in his head, the boy contemplated to himself in silence as his two companions snored away.

Shifting his eyes to the door, he set his mouth into a somber line and finally got up from the floor. After glancing one last time to Twilight and Spike, he quietly slipped out of the room and into the castle halls.

Making his way out and through the dimly lit corridors, the human walked alone until he finally reached his destination.

A door stood before him, seemingly unremarkable from the others dotted around the hallway. Tom reached his hand up to the door, hesitating for a moment before knocking a few times. Soon after, some muffled noises came from inside the room.

“Who is it…?” A drowsy voice called, barely audible.

The door opened slowly, and the human stepped back. He was greeted with the sight of Glitterball looking back at him.

The white unicorn was merely clad with a soft-looking baby blue nightcap that dangled slightly off of her head. Her eyes were clouded with confusion and sleepiness as she blinked at her unexpected visitor.

“Tom…” Glitterball mumbled, “what are you doing here?”

Tom frowned slightly as he watched the pony rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Sorry to wake you… it’s just,” He paused, struggling to find a justifiable reason for the disturbance he was causing, “I could really use your help with something.”

Glitterball stood in the doorway, staring back at the human with unfocused eyes and absorbing roughly half of the conversation. “Tom, it’s like six in the morning.” She sighed before forcing a more compassionate expression to her face. “Can’t whatever this is wait until later?” She asked softly.

“Umm…” Tom’s expression fell as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “You’re right. I guess it’s nothing that important. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

Glitterball’s face softened as she watched the human starting to leave. Even despite how tired she was, it was obvious that something was troubling him.

“Wait…” She reached out to stop him.

Tom paused mid-step and turned around. Glitter looked down, perhaps contemplating whether or not to just get back into bed, before facing the human.

“You said you needed help with something. What is it?” She asked.

Tom trailed his eyes off to the side uncomfortably, seemingly thinking of something. Finally, he leveled with the white mare and gave her an earnest expression.

“That last mission we went on got me thinking. You guys are really underprepared to deal with a lot of this stuff. I’d be a lot more comfortable with you all going off on missions without me if you had some upgrades to your arsenal.” He explained.

“Well…” Glitterball paused, unsure of what to say. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some ideas,” Tom replied, “but I could use your help with experimenting on them. You’re more familiar with your gear than I am.”

Glitterball was a bit surprised that the human would come to her for help like this. Still, she was happy to offer her expertise.

“Alright, I’ll help. Just let me get freshened up a bit and grab my gear.” She said, starting to recede back into her room. Tom nodded with a grateful smile.

“Oh, and Tom?” Glitterball paused, opening her door up a bit so she could better look at the human.

“Hmm?” Tom tilted his head curiously.

“Try not to wake me up for any non-emergencies anymore… at least until the sun is up.” She pleaded.

Tom chuckled nervously and nodded. “R-right… sorry again.”

Glitterball smiled at the awkward human before disappearing again into her room. Tom waited patiently for her to finish waking up properly and getting ready, eager to get started on his plans.

A few hours went by as the morning was ushered in by the sun rising.

Elsewhere in the castle, Rainbow Dash stretched and yawned loudly as she woke from her slumber.

Groggily making her way out of bed, she trudged around her room and somewhat readied herself for the day ahead before heading out the door.

Thinking ahead to where she would most likely find her friends, she decided to check the castle foyer first.

This wasn’t the pegasus’ first time in the royal castle. Although she didn’t know her way around quite as much as her friend Twilight, she could move around freely without much fear of getting lost along the way. A quick few corridors and turns, and the opening to the large expanse of a room came into view ahead of her.

Descending the steps, Rainbow could already spot some of her friends downstairs.

Fluttershy and Blue Bolt were sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, seemingly chatting with each other. Applejack and Rarity were back near the entrance having a conversation with Sunspot and Glimmer Shine.

Upon hearing hoofsteps behind them, the pair on the stairs turned their heads and noticed the cyan mare coming toward them.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy smiled cheerfully.

“Morning,” Blue Bolt greeted with a slight wave.

“Morning,” Rainbow Dash replied, giving the pair a passing glance before shifting her eyes up to the others near the door. “Where is everyone else? Did they sleep in or something?”

Fluttershy shook her head while looking up at the others. “No, they’re already up.” She explained.

“You’re up last, as per usual.” Blue Bolt added with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash gave the stallion an unimpressed stare. She started to speak until Fluttershy beat her to it.

“Actually, I think Sparkplug is still asleep,” Fluttershy commented.

“Ha,” Rainbow Dash huffed in Blue Bolt’s face, giving him a full blast of any morning breath she had left, “I’m not always up last.” She said, smirking to match the stallion’s previous jest. Turning her attention back to the group down by the entrance, Rainbow raised an eyebrow curiously. “So, why aren’t they out with the others?”

“Well,” Fluttershy started, “Pinkie took the crusaders into town to go costume shopping for tomorrow. I think Rarity and Applejack are going to join her soon. Sunspot and Glimmer Shine are probably waiting on Sparkplug and Glitterball. As for Twilight, I’m pretty sure she went to go spend some time with the princess.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, though she was sort of disappointed that her other friends hadn’t opted to spend the day doing something fun with each other. Then again, it was still early.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious why we stayed here?” Blue Bolt asked, surprised that the cyan pony was pretty much ignoring him.

“Nah,” Rainbow Dash replied flatly. “I pretty much figured you would wait up for me.” She stated.

While the stallion was lowering his ears and muttering something about being able to make his own plans, Rainbow was furrowing her expression pensively. “Say… where’s Tom?” She asked curiously.

Fluttershy looked like she was at a loss, staring for a moment and even looking to Blue Bolt to confer an answer to give her friend. “Actually, I don’t know where Tom is. I haven’t seen him at all.”

“Really?” Dash asked.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy trailed her eyes downward, further contemplating the boy’s whereabouts. “Although, he does usually get up before any of us. Maybe he’s off with Spike somewhere, or maybe he’s doing something for the princess?”

“Man, he needs to learn to chill out.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

Thinking further about the human and his obsession with the safety of everyone around him, her thoughts shifted to the blue stallion ahead of her and his newly restored wings.

“Well, it’s his loss. Come on… why don’t we go sightseeing?” Rainbow suggested, nodding to her wings eagerly.

Fluttershy got to her hooves, perking up excitedly as she looked to Blue Bolt. This would be the first time he would see Canterlot from the air. It was a special occasion for any pegasus, let alone one that only recently regained the ability to fly.

“Oh, I can’t wait. This is going to be so much fun!” The usually quiet mare said, practically vibrating with empathetic joy for her friend.

“Yeah… I’m sure it’ll be great.” Blue Bolt chuckled, hiding a bit of nervousness in his voice.

With their plan laid out before them, the three pegasi made their way down the stairs and over to the entrance. After greeting their friends and having a small chat, they waved goodbye and headed out onto the streets of Canterlot.

Once they made it to a less crowded street, Rainbow Dash paused and turned to her companions. “This looks as good a spot as any.” She reasoned. Turning to Blue Bolt, she gestured skyward and stepped back a bit to give him some room. “You go first, Blue.”

“Ok…” Blue Bolt exhaled before putting his full attention on the task ahead.

The stallion adjusted his stance and looked up, putting more focus on the simple act of flying than any pegasus his age should have. With little trouble, he unfolded his wings and flapped them, slowly picking up speed.

Fluttershy watched the stallion hovering into the air with a pleased expression. Considering one of his wings was paralyzed a mere few months ago, he was making incredible progress in improving his form. “You’re doing great, Blue.” She assured, smiling at him encouragingly as he lifted up.

Blue Bolt half smiled and forced a chuckle, but on the inside, he was still not comfortable with being airborne. Still, even he was amazed by how well he was doing.

Once the stallion made it a fair distance above street level, the two mares effortlessly rose up to join him. Rainbow Dash flew past the stallion, already trying to find the best place to go. Fluttershy flew past as well, but she stayed closer to the stallion so she could keep an eye on him.

With her two companions in tow, Rainbow Dash flew well above the highest point in the city. Spotting some clouds higher up that looked like a good vantage point, she gestured for the others to follow as she zipped up to them.

The cyan pony glided up and plopped down on the edge of the cloud, dangling her hind legs off the edge. She watched as her friends came up to meet her.

“What do you think?” Rainbow asked, patting a spot on the cloud beside her. “Not a bad view, huh?”

Fluttershy and Blue Bolt landed, taking a moment to look around.

“Wow…” Blue Bolt’s jaw dropped as he took in the sights around him.

Nearly all of the city was visible beneath them, from the tallest tower to the lowest street. The sun cast an aura of warmth and vibrance across the royal palace, making its many colors and unique architecture pop.

Behind the three pegasi, the horizon of peaceful landscape that made up the vast kingdom of Equestria seemed so small that they could cross it in a leisurely stroll. Blue Bolt could even make out the faint outline of Ponyville in the distance.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were more casually admiring the view, while Blue Bolt was looking around with his eyes aglint with wonder and awe.

“I… haven’t seen anything like this since school.” Blue Bolt said, surprised at the revelation himself as he stared out at the city below.

“Well, if you think it looks good now, you should see it tomorrow night,” Rainbow said. “With all the lights and decorations everywhere, it’s going to be awesome.”

“I’ll bet,” Blue nodded.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash scooted closer to the edge and kicked her legs in the air idly while staring down at the sights below. While the simple act didn’t seem like it would be very noteworthy, it made Blue Bolt instinctively back closer to the center of the cloud.

Turning and spotting her friend staring ahead nervously, Fluttershy frowned. “What’s wrong, Blue?” She asked, causing Rainbow Dash to turn as well.

Blue Bolt’s face reddened slightly as the two mares looked to him curiously. “Uh… it’s nothing. I just…” He sighed before trailing his eyes down. “After my wing got paralyzed and I moved out of Cloudsdale, I sort of… developed a fear of heights.”

The concept of a pegasus being afraid of heights was silly, laughable even. However, the two mares weren’t laughing. They were sympathetic.

“Wow…” Rainbow Dash said, staring at the stallion with a stunned look on her face. “I had no idea.” She frowned slightly as she thought back to all of the times when she had seen him acting nervous around heights. So much made sense now, and she felt terrible for not having noticed before.

“It’s fine,” Blue Bolt said, “I know my wings are perfectly healthy now, but…” He swallowed uncomfortably while eyeing over the edge of the cloud. “Every time I get this high up, I just keep worrying that my bad wing is going to lock up on me like it did back in school.”

Rainbow Dash looked to her own wings, cringing slightly as she pictured having such a crippling injury like her friend did. “Well… don’t feel bad, Blue. I’m sure if I had my wing give out on me, I would be a little nervous about flying again too.” She stated reassuringly, offering the stallion a soft pat on the back. “You’ll get over your fear soon enough.”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “If you want, we could do some more flying exercises today. We could even do some tomorrow before we meet up with everyone for the festival.” She suggested.

“The festival?” Blue Bolt furrowed his expression curiously.

Rainbow Dash seemed a bit surprised at the stallion’s confusion. “The Nightmare Night festival.” She said flatly, expecting him to instantly get it.

“I thought people just dressed up in costumes and went around asking for candy on Nightmare Night?” Blue asked cluelessly.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stared at the stallion, unsure of whether or not he was being serious. Their confusion quickly shifted to sympathy as they realized he wasn’t joking around.

“Man… What is it like in Fillydelphia?” Rainbow shook her head sadly. “No, Blue, that isn’t all there is to Nightmare Night. I mean sure… people do dress up and get tons of candy and stuff, but there’s way more fun stuff too! Ponies in Ponyville throw parties and set up games and other stuff, and it’s even better in Canterlot!”

“Yeah, there’s a whole city-wide festival where ponies get together and do all kinds of things,” Fluttershy added. “There’s a contest to see who has the best costume at the palace, there’s going to be a concert with a famous band playing, and there’s going to be a scavenger hunt!” She smiled eagerly as she thought ahead to all of the events that would be going on tomorrow. She was hard-pressed to see which ones she wanted to make time to go to.

“And, there’s going to be a haunted house.” Rainbow Dash smirked.

Blue Bolt raised a surprised eyebrow. “I didn’t think you were into kids’ attractions.”

“Oh no,” Rainbow shook her head. “This one’s not going to be for kids. It’s being run by some of the best ponies in the business of scaring your fur off.”

Fluttershy tensed up as the cyan mare explained the terrifying event. “Umm… if you two don’t mind, I think I’d like to skip that one when we go.” She said, offering a pleading expression to her friends.

“Huh? You guys want to go to the festival with me?” Blue Bolt asked with a surprised look.

“Of course we do, Blue.” Rainbow Dash said, a bit surprised at the stallion’s assumption. “What? Did you think we brought you all the way to Canterlot just to leave you by yourself?”

Blue Bolt looked down sheepishly and half chuckled. “Well, I guess not. I mean… I just kinda thought that you would want to go with your best friends.” He admitted.

The two mares seemed surprised by the stallion’s response. Fluttershy frowned slightly as she realized that he must have thought that he was simply an outsider in their group of friends.

“Blue, what are you talking about?” Fluttershy asked softly. “You are one of our best friends.” She said, to which Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

“Yeah… I mean, we met you before anyone else! Well, except for each other.” Rainbow gestured to her yellow companion.

Hearing this, Blue Bolt felt a tug at his heart and a warm feeling washing over him. “Wow… Thanks, guys, I uh…” He smiled and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Alright, don’t get all mushy on us.” Rainbow jested, patting the stallion on the back heartily. “At this rate, you’ll end up more awkward than Fluttershy.”

While Blue Bolt merely blinked curiously at the cyan mare’s comparison, Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Wait… you think I’m awkward?” She asked defensively.

After a moment of hesitation, both Blue Bolt and Rainbow Dash failed to contain their laughter.

Meanwhile, back in the castle, Glimmer Shine and Sunspot were still waiting around near the entrance.

Applejack and Rarity had since left for town, and aside from a passing meeting with Twilight and the two princesses, the pair had been left to their own devices for most of their morning.

Sunspot shifted her weight between her legs impatiently. She tried her hardest to occupy herself silently, but she wasn’t faring nearly as well as her stallion companion. “Ugh… what did Glitter want us to wait around for?” She asked, turning to Glimmer Shine with a strained expression.

Glimmer merely shrugged his shoulders. “You heard everything I did. Apparently, she’s working on something with Tom.” He said, recalling the sparse information the unicorn had given them when they got up.

“Well, can’t we just go get breakfast or something while we wait?” Sunspot grumbled before sighing. “I wish I had taken Sparkplug up on that offer to go to the library.”

“I didn’t take her for the type to be big on reading.” Glimmer noted curiously.

Sunspot would have agreed with the stallion’s reasoning, but she knew better. “I’m pretty sure she went to check out the castle’s catalog of the latest technological advancements.”

Glimmer Shine nodded in revelation. “Oh.”

A few more minutes passed by, with Sunspot’s patience wearing thinner the longer they stood around. After a certain point, even Glimmer Shine was starting to feel a little dull.

Just when the pegasus was starting to voice her impatience once more, the pair heard a familiar voice speaking in their heads.

“Guys, could you come to the training room? We’re ready for you now.” Glitterball spoke, her voice hiding a bit of drowsiness in it.

“Ugh,” Sunspot rolled her eyes. “It’s about time.” She turned to the stallion and gestured a hoof at him. “Come on, let’s go. I want to get whatever this is over with so we can get something to eat.” She suggested, barely waiting for her companion as she walked off.

Glimmer Shine shrugged and followed the pegasus. At any rate, he doubted that she would wait around any longer than she already had, not that he could blame her.

The pair walked through the corridors of the castle, barely even taking in the sights around them. The castle was their second home by now, and they probably knew their way around it better than most.

As they were walking, the pair looked behind them as they heard hoofsteps hurriedly approaching, only to see Sparkplug trotting alongside them.

“Hey, guys.” The gray mare greeted with a friendly wave.

“Hey, Sparkplug.” Sunspot and Glimmer Shine returned her greeting in kind.

“I take it you heard Glitter too?” Sparkplug asked curiously.

Glimmer nodded. “Yep… Part of the perks of the communication spell.”

“Ah.” Sparkplug nodded. “There isn’t really a way to tell who is hearing what when you’re just the listener, is there?”

“I guess not.” Sunspot shrugged. Finding her gaze shifting along the gray mare, she paused as she noticed something, or rather, the lack of something. “Hey, did you forget your strobe?” She asked, pointing to Sparkplug’s leg.

Sparkplug looked down to her hind leg, her eyes widening slightly as she saw nothing but gray fur and her cutie mark. The others had a strap around one of their back legs, with a single vial from their gear attached to it. “Oh… sorry. I’m still getting used to being a monster hunter.”

Glimmer Shine softened his expression a bit as he saw how worked up she was getting. “Don’t worry, it’s not that big of a deal. Just make sure you start putting it on in the future. If we’re off duty, and we run into something, you’re going to want your strobe within reach.” He explained, tapping his own strobe for assurance.

“R-right…” Sparkplug trailed her eyes down, rubbing her neck uncomfortably as they kept walking. Clearing her throat, she shifted her attention away from her own forgetfulness for a moment. “Speaking of equipment, what do you think Glitter has been working on?” She asked, returning a more intrigued expression to her face.

“Beats me.” Sunspot replied flatly. “I’m sure whatever it is, it’s going to be worth it.”

Glimmer Shine half chuckled at the thought. “Yeah, she buries herself into fiddling with new charms and stuff almost as much as you do with electronics, Sparkplug.”

“Is that a good thing?” Sparkplug tilted her head. “I’ve been told I have a problem…”

Glimmer Shine and Sunspot shared a silent look with each other for a moment before the stallion answered. “I guess we’ll find out.”

A few more corridors and turns later, the trio arrived at the training room.

Opening up the door, Glimmer Shine led his companions into a medium-sized room with a high ceiling. The floor was wooden, though certain sections of it were padded for sparring matches between guards. Training dummies were stored along one of the walls, next to a rack full of wooden swords and safety gear.

Toward the middle of the room, Tom and Glitterball were stood in front of a table they had set up. Across the rectangular table, many vials from their gear, either empty or full of varied substances, sat alongside other pieces of equipment. Some of the items the pair seemed to have been working on were completely foreign-looking to the three entering the room.

Glitterball looked away from her human companion as she heard the door opening and closing. She smiled as she saw her friends and teammates. “Morning, guys.” She greeted before stifling a yawn. Although she was somewhat chipper, her appearance mirrored the drowsiness the others had detected from her earlier.

“Hey… Glitter.” Sunspot smiled hesitantly, noting the dreary look in the unicorn’s eyes. “Did you have trouble sleeping or something?” She asked with a bit of concern.

Glitterball seemed surprised to hear that she looked as tired as she felt. “Oh… no, I slept well. I just got up a bit earlier than I’m used to.” She admitted with a slight chuckle, eliciting a sad cringe from the human behind her.

“Well,” Glimmer Shine started, gesturing toward the table full of equipment. “What have you got for us?”

Glitterball stepped aside, letting the human take the front. “Actually, I just helped. Tom’s the one that did the legwork on pretty much everything here.” She explained.

Sunspot looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. “Wow… Why the sudden interest in tinkering?”

Tom adopted a more serious expression as he looked at the pegasus, causing her expression to lower. “That mission we did back in Ponyville made me realize that your gear isn’t nearly up to snuff for what you’re dealing with.” The human explained.

“Really?” Sparkplug spoke up in surprise. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of options to use already. We’ve got the strobes, a few knives, a taser… and half a dozen other things I can barely remember.”

“Yeah,” Sunspot nodded. “I mean, we’ve been doing pretty good for ourselves all things considered.”

Tom’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he sighed quietly and picked up a familiar vial off of the table. He was holding a strobe. “Yes, you’ve all been doing spectacular, and I’m not being sarcastic. But… I think you’re putting a little too much faith in what you’re using as your primary weapon.” He said, pointing the vial at Sunspot.

Before the pegasus could even react, the human pressed the button on the strobe, firing out a single burst of colored light that shot into the orange mare’s face and exploded harmlessly into sparks, causing her to recoil and flinch.

“Ack!” Sunspot yelped in surprise. After she opened her eyes again, she scowled quietly at the human.

“That didn’t hurt at all, did it?” Tom asked, accentuating the obvious.

“No, it didn’t, but-” Sunspot started.

“But nothing.” Tom interrupted. “A monster isn’t going to flinch and get scared of something that doesn’t hurt it, or at least you can’t rely on that outcome. The strobes are a good tool, and they work on a decent number of monsters… but if you fight something with no weakness to them or anything else you’ve got, you guys are nothing more to it than a corpse waiting to be made.” He stated bluntly.

The human’s words made an uneasy silence fall over the group.

Glitterball was waiting behind the boy, looking ahead somberly and letting him explain to her team what he had already explained to her.

Sparkplug had a slightly fearful look in her eyes as she thought about the very real scenario that the human was proposing. At least the others had royal guard or Wonderbolt training to fall back on, but she had nothing.

Glimmer Shine glanced to the side to see his teammates reflecting quietly. Even Sunspot was wearing an uneasy expression, and he understood perfectly. After losing his brother and two other friends, the yellow stallion never wanted to let anyone down again.

“Ok, I see your point.” Glimmer said. “So, you’re saying we need more weapons that don’t rely on specific monster weaknesses.” He looked to the human, curious and willing to see what the boy had to show.

Tom nodded with a slight smile. “Exactly, which is why me and Glitter have been working on some weapons like that.” He briefly gestured to the items on the table before walking up to one. “You ever shoot a crossbow, Glimmer?” He asked, picking up what looked to be a crossbow small enough to be held in one hand, or hoof.

Glimmer Shine examined the small weapon and raised an eyebrow. “I have, but I’ve never seen one that small.”

Tom smirked a bit before looking ahead. “That’s because it’s custom made.” He explained while taking a bolt off of the table and loading it into the bow. He brought the bow up with one arm and pointed it ahead at a group of targets set up against the far wall.

Lining up the shot for a moment with one eye closed, the human pressed the trigger on the bottom of the bow, sending a bolt into the target near the edge of the center.

“Nice shot.” Glimmer nodded appreciatively.

Smiling slightly at the compliment, the human reached up to the bow and flipped a lever on the side of it. Much to the observing group’s amazement, the already small bow retracted its limbs, allowing Tom to flick it up, whereupon it folded and clicked into place.

“It folds in half, and we made a holster for it so you can put it right on your vests.” He said, pointing out the holster on the table, which was on a strap. “Just take it out, unfold it...” He paused, taking the bow by the handle and flicking it. The upper part of the bow flipped down, locking into place and extending the limbs.

“Wow…” Sparkplug eyed up the mechanical parts of the weapon from afar, a bit of giddy excitement welling up inside her.

“If it isn’t already cocked, just pull back this bit here,” Tom explained, demonstrating how to reload to everyone. “It takes standard-sized bolts. You can load in iron, silver, steel. Whatever gives your target a bad time, it will fire it out.” He finished his demonstration by aiming downrange and pulling the trigger again, letting the empty bow trigger and get back to a neutral state. “Anyone want to give it a try?” He asked, turning to the group and smirking.

Although everyone was somewhat eager to try out the bow, Sunspot and Sparkplug looked to Glimmer Shine and decided to let him go first.

The stallion stepped forward and took the bow from the human. He briefly examined it as he held it in one hoof. It was far lighter than the bows he was used to, and it felt good to hold.

“How good is your aim, Glimmer?” Glitterball asked with a jesting expression.

“Ugh…” Glimmer Shine put a hoof to his forehead and sighed. “Close your eyes, Glitter. I don’t want a fellow guard to see this.” He chuckled hesitantly before cocking the bow and loading in a bolt.

Everyone watched in silent anticipation as the stallion aimed at the targets. After a few moments of getting his aim adjusted to his liking, Glimmer pulled the trigger and fired a round off.

The bolt zipped through the air, landing in the same target Tom had shot. The spot he hit was just outside the center, not far off from where the human hit.

Glitterball and the others clopped their hooves against the floor, and Tom clapped his hands, celebrating the stallion’s victory over the inanimate target.

“Good one, Glimmer!” Sunspot cheered.

“Not bad, considering how long it’s been.” Glimmer Shine grinned briefly before folding the crossbow and setting it down on the table. “That’s pretty good, guys. Good work.” He said, looking to the human and the unicorn and nodding appreciatively. “I wish we had some of these back in training. The bows we use now weigh about as much as a colt.”

“Yeah, well, the princess can mass produce these and hand them out to guards across Equestria if she wants,” Glitterball noted. “I watched Tom make them, and they seem pretty simple.”

Meanwhile, Sunspot stole another glance at the items on the table. The only other one that looked new was a vial next to the crossbow. “Hey, what’s that?” She asked, eyeing the vial with a bit of confusion.

The vial looked almost nothing like any of the ones in their arsenal. It was slightly longer than a strobe, tapering midway up to a similar conical tip. It had a thick casing that covered almost the entirety of its surface, with only a few slits of glass allowing a view of green-tinted liquid inside.

Seeing everyone shifting their attention to the strange vial on the table, Tom picked it up and turned to them. “This… is your new all-purpose monster deterrent.” He explained cryptically before gesturing away from the table. “Everyone step back. Glitter, if you would be so kind.” He said, nodding to the side.

While everyone shared a confused glance with each other, Glitterball nodded and lit up her horn. She picked up a small stand with what appeared to be a watermelon nestled inside a piece of guard armor on top of it, moving it all the way over to where the targets were.

Glimmer Shine and the two mares were at a loss for what was going on, but they did as instructed and stepped away from the human so they could observe from a safe distance.

Once the fruity target was in place, and Glitterball had retreated to safety, Tom looked ahead and held the strange vial in front of him.

The human twisted the bottom cap of the vial, resulting in a loud click. He steadied his stance before looking over his shoulder to the observing group of ponies. “Glimmer, what would you say is the most powerful weapon in Equestria, aside from unicorn magic?” He asked curiously.

The stallion thought for a moment before coming up with an answer. “Uh… I guess cannons would probably be the best non-magical weapon. We rarely use them as weapons, though.”

“Well, back in the human world… we had these things called guns,” Tom explained. “Imagine taking a cannon, shrinking it down, making the projectile smaller and giving it more speed and penetration power, and you can fire it multiple times in rapid succession.”

“Woah…” Sunspot blinked, stunned at the mere thought of such a thing. “That sounds… dangerous.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, we had a bad habit of making dangerous things to use on each other.” He explained before returning his attention forward, resting his thumb on the vial’s button like he was holding a pen. “I thought about making a gun for you guys, but I couldn’t find a way to make one easy enough for a pony to use safely. Luckily for us, there’s almost always a magical equivalent to anything that can be made with science.”

Before anyone could say anything further, Tom pressed the button on the bottom cap of the vial. A startling sound like a firecracker going off filled the air, causing more than one of the ponies to jump. In an instant, the tip of the vial flashed with green light and smoke as it leaped slightly in the human’s grasp.

Much to the onlooking group’s surprise, the watermelon across the room exploded into a shower of red pulp and bits of green rind. The remains of the fruit and the armor it sat in jolted off of the stool, landing on the floor. A hole had been punched clean through the armor, with a sizable scorch mark ringing it; and as Glitterball picked up the hefty chest piece with her magic and rotated it, the group could see that an indent had been made on the other side.

As the soft hiss of boiling liquid faded into the air along with the smoke at the tip of the vial, Tom twisted the cap again and turned around. He was met with the sight of three ponies with their eyes wide and mouths agape in shock.

“W-what was that?” Sunspot muttered, still dumbfounded at the sight before her and the jarring sound of the vial discharging.

Tom smirked as he looked down to the vial and turned it over in his hand. “I call it a popper, but as Glitter pointed out, I might not be the best at naming things…” He said, casting a sidelong glance to the unicorn.

“I didn’t say it like that.” Glitterball frowned sympathetically.

“I’d say that’s a fitting name.” Sparkplug said. “It definitely pops.” She took a moment to calm her nerves after the unexpected jolt to her system.

“Believe it or not, it’s a lot quieter than a gun,” Tom stated before gesturing for everyone to get closer so he could teach them how to use the dangerous new tool at their disposal. “Now… I want to make this clear. I don’t mean to sound patronizing, but this is important. This thing is not a strobe, and it is definitely not a toy. You wouldn’t point a crossbow around all willy-nilly, so don’t go pointing these around at anything you’re not willing to shoot.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Glimmer nodded while carefully taking the vial from the human and examining it.

“It works like a strobe for the most part, but it has a safety on it so you can’t just mistake it for something else and fire it off.” Tom pointed to the twistable cap, which had a red notch on it that was revealed when the safety was off. “The liquid inside will turn red the more you fire it in a short amount of time. After it overheats, it will stop you from being able to use it until you give it a few seconds to cool back down.”

“So, it’s not just going to explode on us or anything?” Sunspot asked to clarify.

“Nope. I wanted to make it as safe as possible.” Tom noted. “I’ve made enough for all four of you and a few spares, and Glitter knows the whole process on how to make it. But, I wouldn’t recommend tweaking with the liquid inside… it’s a bit unstable without the vial to contain it.” He explained, gesturing to three other vials on the table similar to the one Glimmer was holding.

Sunspot and Sparkplug approached the table and eyed the miniature cannons uneasily. They both picked one up, with the gray mare practically trembling a bit, convinced that it was going to blow her hoof off.

Sunspot examined the vial, using a surprising amount of diligence and respect for the weapon despite not having held anything like it before. She carefully pointed it downrange and turned the safety on and off a few times, noting how it worked.

“Oof… I almost feel bad for the next monster we come across.” She looked over to the splattered remains of Sgt. Watermelon, cringing as she imagined what would happen if a living thing was shot with the vials.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug seemed afraid to even touch her vial. “Umm… I’m not sure if I should be qualified to use this.”

“Well, technically none of us are.” Glimmer Shine chimed in.

Chuckling nervously, Sparkplug turned the vial over in her hoof a few times while staring at it. “Yeah… that’s comforting.”

“You’ll be fine,” Tom assured. “You’re a lot safer with that vial in your ha..ooves than you ever were before.”

After a few moments of getting acquainted with their new gear, the three ponies set their dangerous new toys down and gradually shifted their attention to how hungry they all were.

Sunspot looked down pitifully as her stomach growled. “Ugh… can we please go get something to eat now?”

“Yeah, I could use a bite of that sweet… succulent chef salad that they make.” Sparkplug chimed in, practically drooling from the mere thought. One of the perks of being a part of the princess’s own personal team of monster hunters was having access to the royal kitchen. “Mmm… I love working here.”

Glimmer Shine smiled a bit as he looked to the two mares, his own stomach requesting sustenance a bit more gracefully. “Alright, alright… let’s go grab some breakfast.”

Tom nodded at the group before turning to the clutter around him. “You guys go on ahead, I’m going to clean up this mess and then go find Twilight. I’m sure she would love to hear about the inner workings of your new toys.”

While the human started picking up the remnants of his experiments and tidying up, Glimmer Shine and the others turned to their unicorn friend.

“You coming, Glitter?” Sparkplug asked curiously.

Glitterball looked at her teammates for a moment before looking over to the human and softening her expression. “No thanks… I’m going to stick around for a while and help Tom. I’ll catch up later.”

Sparkplug shrugged at the unicorn before turning to join her companions as they walked out of the room. “Alright… more salad for me.” She said, suppressing the giddy laughter building inside of her as she thought ahead to her meal.

As they watched their friends leaving the room, the pair got to work restoring the training room to how it was before they started their tinkering. Tables had to be moved, gear had to be collected, and watermelon pieces had to be swept up.

Tom looked over his shoulder at the white mare as she held a broom in her magical aura and hummed to herself while sweeping. “You sure you don’t want to join them? I can handle this mess by myself.”

Glitter paused briefly, looking up at the human before returning to her work with a slight smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I just left you with the cleanup after you worked so hard to help us?”

Hearing this, the boy was a bit surprised. The sight of the unicorn smiling warmly and her willingness to repay his kindness was admittedly adorable. He tittered awkwardly as a goofy smile crossed his face. “I don’t know if I helped you that much. I just made a couple of weapons for you.”

Glitterball chuckled slightly at the dorky human turning into putty in her hooves. Her cheery expression suddenly shifted to a more somber one as she thought back to how he had shown up at her door, waking her up just to get her help with something he found so important.

“Of course you helped… You helped a lot.” She said sincerely. “You took a lot of weight off of our shoulders. Now, every time we go up against a monster, we don’t have to sit and pray that we come up with something that works against it. It’ll be a lot easier for us to work when you’re not with us. Thank you.”

Tom paused and looked over, only to see the unicorn still absorbed in her work. He set his mouth in a line as he glanced down to his arm and the bandage concealed underneath his shirt, only to look back up at the innocently sweet mare.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it. It was… my pleasure.”