Semper Pie

by deathtap

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 335035

Meet Pinkie's long lost (more like forgotten) brother: Semper Pie.

Semper Pie is one of Equestria's most honored and decorated soldiers. Protector of the innocent, hero of countless battles, champion of all ponykind. Even Shining Armor, ex-Captain of the Royal Guard, and Prince Consort to the Crystal Princess, looks up to this great stallion. Truly one of the best and greatest ponies to have ever served under the Royal Sister's banner.

Still, where did he come from? Where was he born? What has he done? Does he have any family? Why would he suddenly want to come to Ponyville?

And why, for the love of Celestia, does he specifically want to meet with the Element of Laughter herself?

Published 2013-03-12 20:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-07-25 13:23:40 UTC

Receiving Phase

By the time the train arrived in Canterlot, the carriage that was originally empty was now full of young recruits. Semper sat in the furthest corner and watched the individuals, eying each one carefully. Most were either unicorn or pegasi. There were very few earth ponies on board, and most of them looked like they were there for a ride towards Canterlot rather than actually going to the training facility located at the base of the mountain in the far side of the valley.

The train came to a halt and at once the sounds of shouted came from outside.

"Attention!" a Guard shouted, the red plume atop his head signifying his allegiance to the Border Guard. On his haunch was a scabbard; the hilt of a blade could clearly be seen.

The new recruits all stood up straight along the middle row of the carriage just as two more Guards boarded. Both had red plumes depicting their service to the Border Guard. On their peytral bore the famous shield shape that was granted to ponies of a certain rank or higher. One of the two ponies stopped at the entrance and the other continued on.

"Good afternoon, you sorry bunch of rejected pony manure! My name is Sorcery Sergent Major Pain. Welcome to Tartarus, kiddies. Hope that you've had a good life because now it's over! Your flanks belong to me and I'm going to turn you piles of garbage and sorry excuses for ponies into Guards that serve our beloved kingdom. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be 'sir'. Do you dirt-bags understand that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" everypony shouted in response.

"I can't hear you!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" everypony shouted even louder.

"If you insects leave this facility, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon, you will be a minister of death protecting our lands from war. But until that day you are pukes, you are the lowest form of life on Equestria. You are not even bucking Equestrians. You are nothing but unorganized pieces of dragon feces. Because I am hard you will not like me. But the more you hate me the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no bigotry here. I do not look down on grounders, flumpers, cretins, filly-foolers or colt-cuddlers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who cannot do what needs to be done to serve in my Border Guard. Do you scumbags understand that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now. Everypony out, out, out! Get you lazy keisters out of here pronto! Move it, move it, move it! You there!"

Semper instantly stopped what he was doing and stood at attention. He saluted the drill instructor flawlessly, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"What's an earth pony doing here? Shouldn't you be over in that compartment? Shouldn't you be looking to join the Royal Guard?"

"Sir, no, sir!" Semper shouted, "Sir, this stallion was asked to serve in the Border Guard, sir!"

At that every pony stopped and turned around to look at the stallion. Even the drill instructor was momentarily caught unawares, but he grinned at the blue earth pony maliciously, "Asked? Asked by who? You think you have what it takes to be in my Guard, huh? There are only two types of ponies who become Border Guards, and I don't see any wings or a horn on you. You don't qualify, Blue Boy."

"Sir, permission to submit a letter, sir!" Semper said without missing a beat.

"Permission granted!"

Semper quickly reached into his duffel bag and produced a letter with the Royal seal on it. The drill instructor took it, read it, and handed it back without a shift in his expression.

"Then you best better move it now, shouldn't you?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Semper shouted and picked up his bag and quickly headed towards the exit.

The drill instructor saw the other ponies just staring at him, "Well, what the buck are you ladies looking at! Get your behinds out there now!"

Outside the train Semper found that the ponies had began to stand on painted hoof prints on the ground. There were three colors. Blue, white and red, each representing the three types of guards. Blue for the day guards, white for the night guards and the red for the Border Guards. Looking around he could see the other recruits standing on their respective prints on the ground.

He quickly placed his duffel bag in the designated area and stood on the red prints. Those who noticed couldn't help but stare at him. Some even began to whisper to one another. What was an earth pony doing in the Border Guard line?

"Shut your mouths, you turds! This isn't daycare!" another drill instructor shouted instantly silencing all the voices. "You. You're in the wrong line!"

"Sir, no, sir. Sir, this pony is volunteering to serve in the Border Guard, sir!"

"You? An earth pony? You bucking with me-"

"Sergent Instructor Brilliant Diamond," a voice shouted from behind Semper. It was Pain. "That pony is exactly where he needs to be."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Don't make me repeat myself." The Sergent walked right up to the stallion putting his face inches away from Semper's. He stayed like that for a full minute without saying anything, but Semper did not budge, did not move, did not flinch. He remained still as a statue, eyes forward, body straight, feet on the marks perfectly spaced out. The Sergent leaned in closer and whispered harshly in his ears, "You may be chosen by Her Majesty herself, but I don't like you, Blue. I'm going to make your life miserable here. I'm going to make you go home to your momma, you understand that, Blue?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I'm going to buck you up, boy, and you're going to love me for it. Is that understood, private?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now take your sorry rear and grab your gear. The rest of you fall in. Move it, move it, move it!" Pain shouted and turned as Semper led the way.

"Size?" the mare behind the table asked.

"Ma'am, Large, ma'am," Semper replied.

"Pegasi or unicorn?"

"Ma'am, neither, ma'am."

"What was that?"

"Ma'am, I am neither unicorn or pegasi, ma'am."

"You're an earth pony?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"You're in the wrong line, private-"

"Miss Dewdrop, what in Celestia's name is taking so long?" a shout came from the rear of the line as another drill instructor walked forwards.

"Sir, this stallion is in the wrong line, sir!"

"Are you in the wrong line, boy?"

"Sir, no, sir!" Semper roared.

"He's not in the wrong line, Miss Dewdrop."

"But, sir..."

"He's not in the wrong line, Miss Dewdrop," the drill instructor said, his tone becoming harder.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

With that, a set of unicorn body armor with pegasi helm was handed over to the earth pony, who took it and trotted towards the medical tent checkup tent.

"Name?" the doctor asked.

"Sir, Semper Pie, sir."

"No need for 'sir', my good stallion. I'm not a ranked officer, just a doctor making sure you're fit to serve."

"Sir, yes, sir- I mean, yes, sir."

The doctor chuckled lightly to himself. "I think you've got the wrong helmet or the wrong body for you. Are you-" he cut himself off, "Are you an earth pony?"

"Sir- yes, sir."

"Fancy that. An earth pony serving in the Border Guard. Well, let's check you out. See if you are fit. Not sure how since we only really do two types of tests here." The doctor walked towards the back, "Can you kick this?"

Semper did as he was told. He carefully aimed his hind legs and kicked backwards as hard as he could. The sound of the impact echoed in the room and the machine vibrated from the impact.

"Sweet Celestia..." the doctor whispered.

"Sir?"

"Nothing, lad. Just... nothing. Can you blow into this for me so I can measure your lung capacity?"

Once again Semper did as he was told. The doctor's eyes grew wide. There was enough air in this pony's lungs fit for four ponies his size. He found it hard to keep his face passive.

"That's all. I can't measure your magic, so I won't bother. Here's your papers. You pass. Next!"

"Thank you, sir." Semper took it and walked out of the room.

"I call top bunk!" an eager pegasi shouted pushing past Semper and floating above the said bed and dropping his bag onto it. "You snooze you loose, grounder!"

Semper shrugged. He didn't want the top bunk. He didn't find being called a grounder insulting either, although he was well aware that it was a derogatory term used for earth ponies. Thing was, there were no unicorns or pegasi where he came from so he never really had to put up with this kind of thing. He knew what the word meant, but he felt nothing. It simply did not bother him.

Placing his bag on the lower bunk, the pegasi from above floated down landing just in front of him.

"Whoah! You can't bunk there, grounder! This here's for pegasi. Go sleep with that cretin over there!"

"Hey! Don't push a grounder onto me, flumper!" a green unicorn growled.

"Who you callin' a flumper, cretin?"

"Who you callin' a cretin, flumper?"

Semper eyed the two of them for a moment before taking his things and walking to an unclaimed bunk. He put his bag there and sat down. The unicorn and the pegasi looked at the blue stallion as he just sat there doing nothing. He barely blinked.

"Hey, grounder, are you sure you're in the right place? The Border Guard ain't a place for you. You don't have wings, you can't fly and patrol the borders. You don't have a horn, so you can't fight nothin'. What you goin' to do? Grow things out there?" the pegasi taunted, then burst out laughing at his own joke.

The unicorn joined him, "You're going to fail out of here, grounder."

"Can I ask you a question?"

The two of them stopped laughing and looked at each other before looking back at Semper, "Sure."

"Grounder I understand. I'm an earth pony, so I'm attached to the ground. But why is cretin slang for a unicorn and flumper for a pegasi?"

That made the two roar in laughter. Other recruits joined in. "Well, that's because... er..."

"Yeah... it's because..."

"Hey, does anypony know why we're known as cretins?" the unicorn asked the other unicorns in the barracks.

The pegasi hovered above the bunk bed, "Or why we're known as flumpers?"

There was only silence that met them. Semper stood up and walked towards the barrack's entrance, "It's because cretin is a corruption for the word keratin, which is what makes up the unicorn horn. And flump is the sound an object makes when it falls heavily onto the ground. If you don't know what these insults mean or where they came from, you should learn the history of our kind and why we have a united military force."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the unicorn asked.

Semper did not respond and simply walked out of the barracks. A few minutes later a bell went off letting them all know that it was time for dinner.

"So that's him, huh? The earth pony who thinks he has it in him to become a Border Guard?" a mare asked looking at the stallion sitting alone in the corner. "He's kinda cute, don't you think?"

"Easy there, Flower. You know what the Border Guard are like. They think that because they are the best of the best they get the run of things here. Remember what Sergent Escalade told us. Besides, he's a grounder. You don't want to be seen getting with him."

Private Bright Flower smiled, "I don't really care about those things. Besides, there's just something about him."

"Hey, ladies," a voice said as two stallions sat next to them. "My name's Sonic Cloud, this here's Static Shock. So yeah, we're Border Guard and-"

"Hold it right there, boys," a voice stated coldly, "why don't you get your flanks out of here before I get mad? This isn't some bar where you can pick up mares. This is a mess hall for the Guard and it will be treated with respect. Now, get."

"Yeah? And who's going to make us?" Sonic asked raising an eyebrow.

Static, joined in, "Yeah? Who?"

The two mares that were conversing before shook their heads vehemently as the third mare stood up, "What did you runts say to me?"

"You heard us!"

"I think you two need to be taught some manners," the mare said as she stood up and pushed back her stool. The entire mess hall suddenly became eerily quiet.

Sonic and Static looked at each other and began to laugh. That just annoyed the third mare who stood up and used her horn to flip the table in front of her over. That made the other two mares at the table scream out of reflex and back off. The other mare took the bench she was sitting on and swung it hard at the two stallions. Sonic easily floated over it, while Static caught the bench with his magic and ripped it from her grip. Just as Static pulled, he looked up to see the mare's hoof inches away from his snout.

Before he could react, the impact sent him spiraling backwards across the mess hall landing on the ground and coming to a halt next to Semper, who barely looked up from his food. Sonic saw this and charged the mare, who in turn took and threw the bench right at him. He tried to stop, but his speed and momentum were too fast and he flew right into it. As he slumped onto the ground, the mare kicked him in the face sending him across the hall too, so that he came to a sliding halt next to the unicorn. The two of them got up, anger in their eyes.

"You two are too fresh to take me on," the unicorn mare said glaring at them.

"You will regret-" Sonic was saying before he felt a hoof press his face to the ground. He looked up to see Semper pinning his head to the floor. He then pinned Static's head down as well, before lowering his own at the same time.

"Ma'am, sorry, ma'am. Ma'am, we're all knew recruits and we are unfamiliar with how things are run here, ma'am."

The unicorn looked at the three of them. "Fine. I'll let it go this once, but I want you three to report to me at oh four hundred tomorrow on the field, you got that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Semper said releasing the two stallions and standing at attention. He then saluted her.

The unicorn and pegasus both stood up confused but copied Semper. Two questions ran through their minds at the same time. Why was Semper bowing to this mare? Who was she?

"You two," she growled, "you best thank that stallion. He might have saved your flanks from receiving an entry level suspension for insubordination."

Fear gripped the two stallions at those words.

"Good. I see that you two finally know your place here." The mare glowered at the two before walking towards a coat rack where she removed a dark brown cloak under which was armor. She slipped it on expertly, as if she had done so all her life and that was when they noticed that on her peytral was a red shield with three stars in triangular formation. Two stars at the top and one near the bottom all in yellow with a faint pink stripe in a diagonal slash across the middle. She paused to glare at the stallions before placing a red plumed helm on her head and storming out of the mess hall.

"See you boys later," one of the other mares from the table whispered as she rushed past them.

Sonic's and Static's faced blanched. Their first day and they were on the bad side of a First Sergent. The two of them looked at Semper who had returned to his table to finish his food.

"Um... thanks for that," Static said still visibly shaken. "We... we weren't thinking and-"

"We're sorry for being such flank-heads to you earlier. You saved our haunches, and for that we owe you."

Semper looked up, his steel gray eyes void of any emotion. "Save it. That was First Sergent Ruby Flame. You can thank me if you survive tomorrow," Semper stated over the silence, picked up his tray and neatly placed it in the rightful allocated area.

At that the two stallions felt sick in their guts. Ruby Flame was famous for producing some of the greatest Guards in the history of Equestria. She was the unicorn to train under, assuming you could survive. Now she had her eye on them. And on their first day too. They had got themselves into a whole load of trouble, and Semper had willfully taken responsibility for their stupidity. He did not have to stick out for them, especially not after the way they had treated him back in the barracks. As Semper stepped out into the night, the other two stallions found a new respect for the gray eyed, dark blue earth pony from Celestia knows where.

"Something tells me that things are going to get interesting," Sonic muttered.

"Ya think?" Static replied.

Author's Note

peytral - Protective armor for a horse's chest area (usually decorated with an emblem of some sort). The Royal Guards had one that is a blue star, Shining Armor wears one in a shield shape with a symbol not unlike Twilight's Cutie Mark and Luna's bat-pony guards have one that looks like their eyes (or a moon, I'm not sure).

The Recipient

Spike and Twilight Sparkle stared at Shining Armor with their eyes wide open in shock, amazement and awe. They could not believe what they had just heard. For a long moment none of them spoke. Neither of them could not find the right words; their minds and imaginations completely overwhelmed by the tale. How a pony could achieve so much with no magic or the ability to fly humbled them.

Finally, it was Spike that broke the silence. "He really did that? Wow."

"Yeah. Wow. And that's not all he did. There are times when even I can't believe the stories I've heard. But you know, sometimes the stories- er, sorry, reports, are told in a way that is a very dulled down version of what really happened. If it were not for witnesses, and I'm not just talking about Guards neither, then we'd never know the real Semper. I think it adds to his legend."

"That's incredible! I just can't believe it. It doesn't seem possible that one pony could do something so great," Twilight said and shook her head with a dry laugh. "Are you sure that he's related to Pinkie? I mean, don't take me wrong, but it just sounds like they're so different."

Shining shrugged, "I know that it doesn't seem possible, and I'm still not convinced. But you have to ask, why else would he write a letter to her personally?"

"Uh... have you, y'know, read the contents?" Twilight looked at her brother, raising her eyebrow.

He looked at her with a shocked expression and held the letter aloft, "You're kidding, right? There's no way I'd do that. Look, the seal isn't broken. Please, Twily, don't tempt me. I know you're as curious as I am, but when we give it to Pinkie she can tell us what it says."

Twilight nodded, "You're right. Sorry, Shiny. It's just, after that story with the ursa, you've opened my eyes to a whole new part of our kingdom that I haven't really looked at. I had no idea our borders were so fraught with peril."

"'Fraught with peril?' Really?"

"Hey, I like how it sounds, okay? Anyway, let's go. I'm sure Pinkie'll be done with the breakfast rush by now." Twilight got up from the table, "And to be honest, I'm more than just curious about this. I know Pinkie has three sisters, but she never mentioned she had a big brother. I kinda find that strange. She's always so open about herself."

Shining stood up as well, "Well, then let's find out together. I'm sure she has a good reason for not mentioning him, although I don't know what that could be. I mean, you weren't very forthcoming about me to your friends either, right?"

"That's different. I never brought you up because I never thought I needed to."

"And there's your best explanation," Shining replied, giving his younger sister a knowing smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes at him. The three of them (Twilight, Shining and Spike), followed by Twilight's two personal guard, exited the library and the entourage headed towards Sugarcube Corner. Everypony along the way greeted Twilight with a slight respectful bow of their heads -- something that she had insisted on instead of a fully fledged one that was given to the Royal Sisters. Some of the mares had a friendly wave for her guards. In a town so full of mares, having a small group of handsome stallions brought a lot of single mares to the library, not the Twilight really minded. She only wished that her friends took as much interest in books as they did in boys.

Upon arrival at the bakery, the two guards jogged ahead and held the door open for their new royal princess. She thanked them with a smile, as did Shining with a stern nod. Spike ignored them completely, still a little annoyed that they were always around. After all, Twilight didn't need silly guards to protect her when she had her Number One assistant. Still, the guards did keep Spike company whenever Twilight was busy with royal work.

"Heya, Pinkie!" Twilight said.

"Hi, Twilight! Hi, Spike! Ooh! Hi, Twilight's Big-Brother-Best-Friend-Forever!" Pinkie bounced over to him, "How's Princess Cadence? Is she happy? Is she fine? Is she getting enough to eat? Is she blushing as always?"

"Whoa there, Pinkie! Yeah, she's fine. Thanks for asking," Shining laughed at Pinkie's energetic greeting. "By the way, I have a letter just for you."

"Just for me? Really? Who's it from? Who? Who? Is it an invitation to a party? Ooh! Is it a surprise party for somepony else? Is it a surprise party just for me? No, that'd be silly, to invite me like this to my own surprise party -- unless it was a surprise party to make me think it wasn't a surprise party so that if I go to the surprise party then I'll be surprised! Or maybe it's a surprise party-"

Twilight shushed her friend with a hoof in her mouth. "Just take the letter and see."

Shining revealed the envelope to her and she snatched it out of his hooves and looked at it. She tilted her head at an angle and shrugged, obviously not recognizing the importance of the red wax seal on it. She pulled out the letter from inside and looked at it. Then she turned it over and looked at the back, then flipped it over again.

"Um... Shining," Pinkie began.

"Yes?"

She turned around, the letter open in between her hooves, "Who's Semper? Why does he have the same last name as I do? And why does he want to see me?"

Twilight, Spike, Shining, and the two guards all fell over where they stood in shock. That was something they had not expected at all.

Phase One

The three stallions stood on the field at attention. One pegasus, one unicorn and an earth pony. All were there perfectly on time, none of them were a second late. There was no pony around. Not a soul. A cold wind blew in from the north, but apart from that, there was no sign of any movement.

"Where the buck is she?" Static whispered, shivering in his training armor. His breath quickly turned into water vapor as it escaped his lungs.

"How should I know?" Came Sonic's response. There was a steady sound of clicking from his teeth as he shuddered against the cold. "Why is it so cold?"

The two turned towards Semper, but he stood where he was as still as a statue. It was Semper who had woken them up and told them to hurry and where to be. If it had not been for the earth pony, both the stallions would have probably slept through the whole thing.

"Screw this. I'm going back to bed," Static muttered and turned to go.

"Don't."

The green unicorn froze in his tracks. He looked back and saw Semper standing as he had been.

"Did... did you say something?" Static asked, not really sure.

"Yes. Don't move. Stay at attention."

Sonic looked at Semper as if he were mad. "I'm freezing out here, okay? Besides, she's not gonna come. She would be here ahead of us if she was."

"Yeah! Besides, if you think that we'd-"

As Sonic took a step towards the barracks with Static, Semper moved to stop them. Almost instantly a projectile of magic shot towards Sonic sending him careening into a nearby wagon. Static spun around to see where the source of the show was, only to be met with a similar blast that sent him into a nearby stack of hay. The impact of which was so great that it snapped the ropes that held it together causing the entire stack to come tumbling on top of him. At that moment, Semper made to dive behind a rock, but he wasn't fast enough as the bolt of magic struck him square in the chest sending him flying in the air before landing with a heavy thud and sliding across the ground right up to the door of the nearest barracks.

Static watched as three more bolts hit the earth pony square on, each shot throwing him back into the building, but each time he was about the hit the ground the next one would strike him hard enough to make him stand back up. Three times this happened, and on his fourth the unicorn could not stand any more. Casting an shield around the earth pony, he rushed towards the source of the magical attacks in an attempt to but some time for the stallion to find some cover.

It would have worked, except Static had severely underestimated the power and precision of the shots. In two quick blasts, both Semper and Static found themselves groveling in pain near the barracks, while Sonic was nowhere to be seen. Time past slowly. Neither the earth pony nor the unicorn knew exactly for how long they were lying there for, only that they had been lying there for a long time. Each time either of them had tried to move, another blast would remind them that they were still being marked.

Finally, Semper and Static both noticed Sonic. He peaked his head out of his hiding place only to be met by a series of blasts that sent him into the building, boxing him around till he looked like nothing more than a dancing string puppet. As the last shot collided with his face, another unicorn stepped out from behind a small hedge from across where they were all lying down in agony.

"Not so tough now, are you?" a cold voice intoned.

"Ma'am, no, ma'am," Semper said trying to stand up.

"And you two maggots, what do the two of you have to say?"

"Ma'am, sorry, ma'am," the unicorn and pegasus moaned. The pegasus was in pretty bad shape, he was bleeding from his nose and his left eyes was swelling up pretty quickly.

"You," Ruby Flame growled, "get that pathetic excuse for a recruit to the infirmary now."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Static shouted pulling Sonic onto his back.

A sharp crack sounded as a bolt of magic hit the ground next to the green unicorn's hooves, "Move it, you insect!"

Static high-tailed it out of there as fast as he was able.

"Now, you."

Semper had somehow managed to stand up straight and tall at full attention. If his knees weren't shaking she would have been convinced that the stallion was perfectly normal. Granted, the shaking was barely noticeable and would easily be missed if you were not looking for it. The barrage that the earth pony had suffered through was and Ruby was expecting to have to carry the earth pony on her own back, or perhaps let him rest on the ground for a bit to recover. She had not expected him to be standing, not after the strength of the spell she cast against the stallion in order to get him to stay down.

"You could have saved your own flank if you had stayed where you were and let those two nincompoops go. Why did you move to stop them?" Ruby Flame asked getting right into Semper's face with an angry scowl.

"Ma'am, this stallion does not know what you mean, ma'am!"

Ruby hid her smile by swallowing it. Not only did Semper risk his flank to save his fellow Guards, he was still covering for them even after they had gone. That kind of loyalty was rare.

"Don't lie to me, private. I saw you clear as Celestia's day. Now, explain!"

Semper seemed conflicted, but he had to obey his superior. "Ma'am, permission to speak freely, ma'am!"

"Permission granted."

"Ma'am, it is this Guard's duty to protect all Equestria, ma'am. Ma'am, even other Guards like them, ma'am. Ma'am, if I fail to protect even one pony from harm then I would have failed in my duties, ma'am!" Semper shouted, eyes forward, chest out, tall and proud, but his breathing was a little labored.

Ruby Flame glared at Semper for a second longer before turning away, "Go to the infirmary and get your chest looked at. You may have broken a rib."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Take the rest of the day off, private. You've earned a day's reprieve," Ruby Flame stated, "but report to PT tomorrow morning at oh six hundred and mug it up, is that clear?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Ruby Flame walked on.

"Wake up, you bunch of yellow-bellied sissies! Get your flanks up! Move it, move it, move it!" a loud yell resounded in the barracks as every pony leaped off their bunks and started to grab their armor and make their beds. Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain walked slowly up the barracks, did an about face and by the time he reached the other side everypony was standing in full armor regalia and next to their bunks.

All, except two.

"Private!" Pain growled.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Semper shouted.

"Were you not asked to retire for the day in the infirmary by the First Sergeant?"

"Sir, no, sir!"

Pain stuck out his jaw, "Explain!"

"Sir, First Sergeant Ruby Flame has given us the rest of the day off, sir! Sir, it is this stallion's objective to train on his day off, sir! Sir, he wishes to take part in PT, sir!"

"Are you coming onto me, private?" Pain suddenly barked.

"Sir?" Semper didn't quite understand that.

"I said are you coming onto me?"

"Sir, no, sir!"

"Then why are you trying so hard to turn me on, private?" He stepped back and paced along the line of the new recruits, "Did you hear that, you hopeless excuse for ponies. This is what makes a Border Guard! You've got to be tough. You've got to be strong! You've got to be able to take your knocks and get back up and ask for some more! Do you powder-puffs understand that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now get out of here and report to the field! Move it, move it, move it!" Pain stopped Semper before he could go by barring his way with his forehoof, "No, not you. I've got something else in mind for you, Blue Boy. Sergeant Maypole!" he shouted over his shoulder.

A yellow and red mottled pony trotted up and stood behind the Sorcery Sergeant at full attention. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Take the lambs on a tour of the facility. Make sure that you teach them everything about this place. I want them warmed up for our first hoof to hoof training later on. Is that understood?"

An evil grin spread across Sergeant Maypole's face. "Sir, with pleasure, sir!"

"Good." Pain turned to look at Semper, "As for you, maggot, I'm going to do you a big favor. I'm going to make you suffer harder than the rest of these foals. You wanna be a Border Guard, earth boy? You think you got what it takes to wear the red? I don't know what talent our Princess saw in scum like you, but I swear on her sweet posterior that I'm going to find out! You got me, private?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"When I look around here, do you know what I see?"

"Sir, no, sir!"

"Filth. I see little turds who think they have what it takes. Do you know why it's so Celestia-banished tough in my Guard, private?"

"Sir, no, sir!"

"Well let me tell you then, Blue Boy. The borders around our beloved kingdom are like the backside of an angry hydra. No matter how safe you think you are, there's always going to be manure headed down your way whenever you think everything's hunky-dory. These whelps think that the Border Guard is all about getting popular with the fillies and colts. They're are sadly mistaken. I'm here to remind them all that this is the last place on Equestria they want to be and if you cannot make it here then you are in no way ready for what's out there, do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now, drop and give me five hundred!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Semper dropped to his face and started his pushups. He got up to fifty before Pain kicked him over onto his side, "Count out loud, scumbag! Now start over!"

"Sir, yes, sir..." Semper shouted at the ground. He lowered himself and up again, "One, two, three..."

"Let me get one thing straight right now. I am not your friend. I am not here to show you a good time. I'm not here to help you pick up somepony. I'm here to teach you how to fight to protect yourself and more importantly your kingdom. Don't let my name fool you, I am Lance Corporal Gold Glitter and I am your close quarters combat trainer, henceforth known as CQC. Do you manure-eating slimes understand that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"My aim is to teach you how to fight an enemy when you cannot fly away," she glared at a pegasus, "cannot cast your magic," she glared at a unicorn, "or you have face a creature that has anti-magical barriers and has all your escape routes blocked. What you learn here will save your life. From this moment on until I deem you worthy enough to earn the right, you will refer to me as ma'am, you will not refer to my rank unless in the presence of a superior officer, you will not talk out of turn, you will not speak unless given leave to, and by Celestia's mane you will not cry in my class. If you break any of these rules not only will I make your life here difficult, but I swear to you I will do whatever is in my power to have you sent back home where you can cry to them and explain why you were just not cut out of serve here! Do you scoundrels understand that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Louder!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

She paced back and forth for a moment studying the recruits. "Unicorns, take the anti-magical rings and place it at the base of your horn. Pegasi are to wear the torso belts. You will keep these items on you throughout your entire lives here until you are told otherwise. Those who break the rules will be punished. You will be given one warning and one warning alone. If you are caught twice taking off your ring or belt without authorization, you will be expelled immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

"If you cannot survive without them, if you cannot fight without them, then you are in the wrong Guard mares and colts! Now what in Celestia's name are you waiting for? Go, go, go!"

There was a scramble as the pegasi and unicorns broke the lines to get their respective restraints. The unicorns reluctantly slipped the rings over their horns with their hooves, at once the feeling of magic disappeared from their bodies and a couple of them had to rush over to the nearest sink to empty their stomachs. The shock of magic suddenly being forced out of their systems was too much to handle for some of them.

The pegasi slipped on their restraints without any problems, or so it seemed. When the pegasi moved to get back into formation they found that walking in a straight line was nearly impossible for them to do, and more than a few of them tripped over their own hooves landing heavily on the floor.

"Move your lazy rears!" the Lance Corporal shouted shoving a pegsus hard with her forehoof making him fall on his face.

Eventually the line was reformed. For an outsider it might have look pretty hilarious seeing these ponies weaving around, swaying on their hooves and trying to stand straight. It looked as if they had just gotten off a spinning ride of some sort, the twirling motions making them overly dizzy.

Except for one stallion that had not moved from his place in the line.

"A unicorn's magic is projected through your horns. The more powerful your magic, the longer your horn. Some of the Border Guard senior officers have horns nearly as long as the Princess herself, but no matter how strong your magic is it's useless if anything happens to your horn or if you get caught up in a place that dis-spells your powers." She walked down the line stopping in front of a violet unicorn, "Look at you. What's your name, private?"

"Vivid Swirl, ma'am!"

The Lance Corporal slugged him in the stomach making him fold in half on the ground. "What in Tartarus' name did you say to me, private?"

"Ma'am, Vivid Swirl, ma'am!" he choked.

At that, the Corporal stepped on his face, "You dare address me from the ground? You think you're better than me, private? You think I'm not worthy of your respect? Huh?"

The poor unicorn struggled to stand up, pulling his face out from under Lance Corporal Glitter's hoof. He got about halfway up before the mare kicked his leg out from under him sending him crashing onto the floor.

"Get up! Now!" she yelled into his ear.

The unicorn tried to stand, but he was shoved down again.

"You're useless! If I was a diamond dog, you'd be dead!" the Corporal yelled again, spittle showering Vivid's head. "I'd be feasting on your corpse right now! You don't have what it takes, little foal. Why don't you just buck up and leave. You don't want to be here. You can't take it. You're a sissy. You don't have what it takes to protect this kingdom-"

The unicorn reached up and pulled the ring off from his horn. He threw it to the ground and turned away from Glitter.

"I quit."

"Of course you do! That's because you're a foal! Get out of my Guard!"

The violet unicorn flashed an angry look at Glitter, but he was stared down. Skulking away, Vivid could not look at the rest of his squad members in the eye. He stopped just as he reached the edge of the field and looked back. Then he ran into the barracks and closed the door behind him.

"See him? He's a smart one. He knows that it's easier to just give up and go home rather than stay here. Only those who want to be here can stay. In there you get your bed, hot food, and a ride back to whatever hole you crawled out from. Back there is where you can return to your pathetic excuse you call a life. All you have to do is walk down this field and pack up your crap in the barracks. That's all. So, any other takers before I begin?"

Nopony shifted in the slightest.

At that Glitter grinned, "Good. Let's see what you've got then."

"Come at me!" Glitter shouted.

The pegasus lunged at the mare. She side stepped and smacked him in the face making him take a few clumsy steps backwards.

"Don't try to use your wings to stabilize yourself! You can't use them! They're broken!" she shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you! No wings. None! If you had fallen out of the sky and broken your wing, do you think that an enemy will let you get up and fight back? Do you think that an ursa or hydra won't take this oppurtinity to rip your pathetic little head off? Celestia confound it, private! I will motivate you! I will make it so that whenever you fold your wings in at night you'll remember my face for the rest of your miserable existence! Do I make myself clear?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the recruit shouted, his voice breaking.

"Are you going to cry now, foal? Are you going to call for your mommy and daddy?"

He flashed the Corporal a venomous look.

"Good. Now you're turning me on!" she shouted, and kicked his face. "Get the buck off the ground before I turn you into glue!"

With a roar, the pegasus pushed himself onto his hooves and charged the mare in a desperate leap. Glitter took the weight, rolled onto her back effortlessly and spun around in a somersault. Then she waited and kicked him upwards into the sky, the momentum sending him forwards over her. Before he could get any further, Glitter grabbed his tail and pulled forcing the stallion to land face-first on the ground with all his body weight. He curled up into a ball and tried to catch his breath, the air knocked out of him.

"Pathetic! Now, who's next?"

Semper took a step forwards.

"Ah. The freak. An earth pony? I know you. I'm supposed to make things special just for you," the Lance Corporal said walking in a circle around Semper. She paused when she stood in front of him, "Show us exactly what an earth pony can do."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Semper said and lowered himself so that his head was pointing at the ground. He kicked up some dirt with his hooves and flared his nostrils.

"Ready whenever you are, private. Don't you know, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting," Glitter said, a malicious grin spreading across her face.

Semper charged at her with everything he had. She leaped over the earth pony just as he twisted his body and kicked out trying to kick her legs. The mare barely dodged his two hooves and as he swung around narrowly avoided getting a kick to the face. She shifted her weight to her left side and pulled herself into his open spot and threw a vicious uppercut, but Semper had jumped to the left and all she managed to hit was air.

"Not bad... for a first time," Glitter said, smiling ever so slightly.

Semper moved in for another attack and threw a wild punch. Glitter caught it in her hooves and spun around and quickly dashed inside so that her back was against his chest before shifting her weight forwards. She pulled the stallion over her shoulder sending him straight into the ground where Semper landed with a heavy thud that shook the matted floor.

"Had enough, filly?"

With a quick twitch of his lower leg, Semper dashed backwards away from Glitter managing to free himself from her grasp. The Corporal was having none of that and moved in towards the earth pony. The sight of the mare charging at him made Semper try to step aside, but his hoof slipped tripping him up as he stumbled backwards. Desperate, the stallion threw a punch at her in an attempt to break her charge. Glitter leaped into the air doing a half-somersault over Semper's outstretched hoof, landing elegantly behind him. As the stallion spun around, she landed two solid kicks into the earth pony's chest sending him careening backwards headfirst into the dirt.

He gasped a breath, completely winded by the impact and made to stand up when he felt the mare's weight pinning him down by pressing her foreleg against his throat her body weight on his chest. Her other hoof was free and for good measure she landed two solid punches to his face.

"Had enough now? Are you gonna cry to your mother? Huh?" she taunted.

Semper laid back down, "Ma'am, no, ma'am!"

"What?"

"Ma'am, this stallion still has fight in him, ma'am."

The mare raised an eyebrow, "You do, do you?"

With a roar, Semper pushed himself up against the mare's foreleg, his face turning a deeper shade of blue as he choked himself as he pushed her off of him with brute force. Glitter had not expected that, and slipped as she tried to back off. Seizing the opportunity, Semper reached for the mare trying to gain the upper hoof.

Glitter spun around, twisted her body to one side and then brought her entire body weight down on Semper's neck.

"So, I heard that you had a little trouble over in CQC earlier today," Far Eye said grinning at Glitter.

Glitter scowled at the stallion, "I've never had to deal with earth ponies before. How was I supposed to know that they were such a headache to put down. I had him in a choke-hold on the ground with my entire body on his esophagus. You know what he did?"

Far shook his head trying to hide a smile forming on his maw, clearly amused by Glitter's rant.

"He broke it. Stood right up and started throwing punches at me. Nopony ever stands up from a hold like that, especially after you choke yourself trying to get out of the hold!" she picked up her glass of hard cider and took a deep sip from it. She placed the glass gently back on the coaster and heard the ice tinkle as it clinked against the sides, "He's dangerous."

"Dangerous? Please. Maybe you're rusty dealing with fresh recruits. Earth ponies are known for their strength. It's not like it's anything special."

"Not this strong. You don't understand how hard I hit him," Glitter replied, her voice level.

"And that's not all," a voice said from behind them.

Red Eye and Gold Glitter turned to the newcomer and both stood up at attention.

"Ma'am!" the two of the shouted standing up at full attention and saluting.

"At ease." Ruby Flame sat down at the nearest free bar stool. "You're lucky that he was already tired and hurt from my earlier training."

Glitter's eyes opened wide, "He was one of the three, ma'am?"

"You couldn't guess? When he didn't go down the first two times I shot him with my firebolt, I had to fire stronger spells at him." What Ruby did not tell them was that towards the end she had enough power in those bolts to knock out a small manticore. She had written it in a report including a special request that his training be placed directly under her care. She had submitted it just after the training in the morning and would have been reviewed by her superior by this time.

"What is the Princess thinking of letting an earth pony join the Border Guard?" Far Eye shook his head and downed the remnants of the bottle in front of him, "I mean, true that a lot of frontier towns are full of earth ponies, but without magic he can't fight, and without wings he can't go on patrol. So... what use is he?"

"It is not our place to question the wisdom of the Princess. She sees something and we must trust in her wisdom," Ruby stated. She narrowed her eyes, "Or are you implying that Her Highness-"

"No, no! Not implying. No, ma'am," Far Eye said blushing profusely.

Ruby turned away from the pegasus and took a sip from the drink before her, "That's what I thought."

Semper signed his name off on the letter and looked at it making sure that he had mentioned all that he was allowed to. He licked the flap and turned it over placing a two bit stamp with a picture of the Canterlot palace on the top-right corner. He held the enveloped in front of him for a moment. This was actually his first letter home.

It had been over a month now since he had started training. It had been getting progressively tougher, and the superior officers had given Semper a harder time, or so it seemed. Since he could not practice magic, nor attend the flight lessons, he been given the task of learning about everything else. His schedule was full all day every day, he had no time to himself.

His mornings started off with the rest of the Border Guard in his barracks. Morning physical training was tough, and they seemed to extend it to Semper with malicious glee. While the unicorns and pegasi would run twenty laps, Semper sometimes had to run fifty depending on the mood of the instructor.

Even with full armor on, and sometimes with a full pack.

After that, Semper could find himself training with the other Guard. Sometimes he would be training with other earth ponies from the Day or Night Guard with spears, swords and other hoof-held, mouth-held weapons, hoof to hoof combat training -- since the Border Guard unicorns had started training with the recruits in magic they had no time to teach him. Sometimes he would be training along with the medics, learning about medicine, how to patch ponies up, to help stop curses and other magically induced ailments, to make and use various potions. He was even made to learn with the mechanics that fixed up and maintained the large airships that were used as floating fortresses for the Border Guards, despite the fact that most of the mechanics and support staff in these ships were not officially Guards.

Still, the hardest part was the constant physical exercise. After the other ponies were granted leave to retire to the mess hall, Semper would be running the field, lifting in the weight room or performing more close-quarters-combat training, usually under Ruby Flame herself. She would watch Semper like a hawk, and fire a bolt of magic from her horn if she saw even a slightly inkling of slacking from the blue stallion.

By the time he would retire to the mess, most of the Border Guard were already done and had retired to the rec-room before having to return to the barracks for lights out.

Semper usually skipped these gatherings because of his exhaustion, and by the time the other Guards returned he would be fast asleep on his bunk. The only bunk in the barracks that did not have somepony taking the top.

Still, today was his first day off since he had arrived. That was because there was a general inspection of the facility by the Captains of the Guards. Armored Core, the present Captain of the Day Guard as well as Fire Fly of the Night Guard were going to be there. The current Captain of the Border Guard was still unconfirmed, as rumor had it that his airship from the Griffon Empire had been delayed due to technical difficulties.

Walking outside, he was instantly bonked on the head by a hoofball. He looked down at it, then over to Static who was grinning guiltily in his general direction.

"Sorry about that! Little help, please?"

Semper positioned himself and kicked the ball towards the green unicorn gently. Static caught it in his magic and watched as Semper started walking off.

Looking at the ball, then at Semper, he tossed it over his shoulder towards the other Border Guards he was playing with and ran after the stallion.

"Hey. Hey, Semper."

Semper stopped and turned towards Static.

"Why don't you... you know... hang out with us?" Static rubbed the back of his head, "I mean, we're all Border Guard, but we rarely see you after PT."

"I've been busy with other things."

"I know. The CO's have been working you hard. Don't think we haven't noticed." Static gestured with his head to the other Border Guard tossing the hoofball at one another. They all stopped when Semper looked over their way. "So... wanna hang out with us?"

"I need to send this very important letter first. After that maybe."

"Important, eh? Well, that's cool, I guess. Who's it for?"

Semper looked at it, then up at Static, "The most important ponies in Equestria."

With that, Semper walked off.

Sonic flew over to where Static stood looking at the receding figure of the earth pony.

"So, what'd he say?"

"He has to send a letter to the Princess," Static replied, misinterpreting Semper's words.

At that, the pegasus tilted his head to one side, "Princess Celestia?"

"Are there any other princesses?"

"Well... yes, as a matter of fact. There's Princess Cadence, Princess-"

"I meant Equestrian princesses, Sonic. Not princesses from other nations."

"Oh. Right."

The Mystery

"So you have no clue? At all?" Shining asked incredulously.

Pinkie sat down and placed her hoof against her chin as she closed her eyes and tried to recall all the ponies she knew. There was Search Light, Sea Saw, Sweetie Belle, Sparkler, Switch Blade the barber, Stand Up the comedian, and even Semi to who helps out with moving heavy things around, but no matter how hard she tried she just could not seem to remember meeting anypony by the name of Semper Pie. She stretched her mind as far down memory lane as she could, putting names to faces which she was exceptionally good at. Even ponies she did not remember the names to, none of them looked like a Semper Pie, as only the logic of Pinkie could understand.

Satisfied that she had gone through every single one of her friends, acquaintances and fleeting introductions, she stopped tapping her chin and looked at her two friends, "Nope. Never heard of him, and I know everypony in Ponyville, and everypony I've ever met! I write so many letters to all my friends all over Equestria! I love getting mail! Just the other day I got mail from my friend from..."

Shining could only shake his head as Pinkie rambled on, "I just don't get it. Why would the Semper Pie want to meet with her? Please don't take this the wrong way but, just from his personality, it's... strange! That he would request to specifically meet Pinkie Pie doesn't make an ounce of sense; unless they were related."

"Maybe he just wants to meet Pinkie because she's the Element of Laughter," Twilight suggested giving her brother a stern look. "Isn't that more likely?"

"But why the Element of Laughter? You don't know him, Twilight. He's not the kind of pony that enjoys parties and-"

"He doesn't enjoy parties?" Pinkie shouted, grabbing Shining by his face, pushing his lips together. "How can anypony not like parties?"

"That's just the way he is," Shining replied, trying to talk with his lips puffed up. "He's so... and going by your last names, I assume that-"

"Shining, I think Pinkie would know who her siblings are. Right, Pinkie?"

Pinkie's head was a blur as she nodded impossibly fast. "There's my bigger sister, Maud, my younger sisters Lime and Marble! They're super fun sisters and we always love getting together and having a party!"

"Where are your sisters now?" Twilight asked.

"Well, Lime and Marble are back home on the rock farm, and Maud's traveling around Equestria."

Twilight thought about it for a second. "You know, I've never really asked, but where is your rock farm, Pinkie?"

"Oh, near the Badlands."

Shining and Twilight's eyes practically burst out of their sockets.

"The-the-the-the-the Badlands!" they shouted in unison. Even Twilight's personal guards looked at Pinkie with new found respect.

"Uh, yeah. That's what I just said. The Badlands."

Twilight put her hooves on Pinkie's shoulders, "Pinkie. The Badlands is the roughest, toughest part of Equestria. It's on the Frontier!"

"Well... technically it's not on the frontier anymore, Twily. The Badlands are now well within our kingdom's borders and the Border Guard keep all the really dangerous things away. I heard it took years for them to clear that area out. There was a time where you couldn't even think about venturing out after dark because it was so dangerous."

Pinkie giggled, "Naw. That's hogwash. It's safe. I mean, yeah, there were plenty of bad things, but I remember Granny Pie teaching us... well, everything! We learned how to play hide and seek with the mean bears and wolves and, and... other meanies. Mom and dad really didn't like how Granny would take us with her all over the place, but we always had a lot of fun! Just us..."

At that, Twilight remembered how Pinkie laughed her way through the Everfree Forest during the Nightmare Moon incident and how she was able to face her fears head on with that addictive smile. There was a new found respect for the pink mare and where her courage came from. If you had to live in such a place, how would you cope? As a filly, how did she face her fears?

But Pinkie had other thoughts in her mind. When Granny Pie used to take her out to go look for things, Pinkie was real small and rode on her back. Granny moved on before Marble was born, but she always remembered that there were three of them that would go out into the Badlands. There was always somepony with them. Somepony else. She shook her head. Impossible. A pony she couldn't remember? Preposterous!

"You know, now that I think of it, Semper was in charge of clearing that frontier back in the day," Shining muttered, talking more to himself than to the others. "He helped make that area safe... er. Safer," Shining quickly added the last when he saw Pinkie about to correct him.

Twilight shuddered. When she was a little girl she would hear tales of creatures in the Badlands, and even read books about them. It made her practically wet the bed.

"So, what we know is that Pinkie and Semper share the same name, and that he wants to meet Pinkie personally, but they are not related. Right?" Twilight looked to Shining, then to Pinkie, then back to Shining again. "Am I missing anything?"

"No. Don't think so." Shining chuckled to himself, "We've come across quite the mystery, haven't we?"

"You could say it's a doozy of a mystery!" Pinkie chimed in flashing a wide smile.

"Yes, you could say that," Twilight agreed, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Phase Two

"Put away any notion you have about weapons being glamorous. I know that more than a few of you here are turned on by the mere fact that once you're in the Guard you will get to walk around with pointy, shiny objects. Let me tell you right now that carrying these items is a privilege and a curse. The weapons you will be taught to use will be used for one thing and one thing only," Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain growled as he paced in front of the recruits. A long table with a red cloth was positioned opposite them on which were sets of three weapons displayed in clear view for the recruits. Behind each table was a Guard who stood at attention similar to the recruits, but it was clear that these Guard were no longer training; these were real Border Guards. "Do you fillies know what in Tartarus' name I'm talking about?"

There was only silence. The Sergeant walked over to one of the tables and removed a sword. He marched down the line of the recruits standing at attention eying each one carefully. He stopped by the only earth pony in the line and used his magic to stick the sword in the ground in front of him.

"Private Blue Boy."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Semper shouted, long being accustomed to the name now.

"Do you know what a weapon is for, private?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Well? Tell me, you sorry excuse for a pony!"

"Sir, it's for killing, sir!"

"For killing," Major Pain nodded satisfied with the answer. He walked away from the earth pony, "Do any of you really know what that means? Do any of you understand the implications of these simple words? To. Kill. To take the life of another. It may seem simple, but the burden these two little words carry is anything but that. There is no two ways about it. You will be protecting our beloved kingdom with your life by taking the lives of our enemies, whoever they should be, and by Celestia you will be good at it. It doesn't matter if you like it or not. It doesn't matter if you agree with the politics or not. You are the fist line of defense against whatever is out there and you will destroy it. And you will be excellent at it. You will be so attuned to doing it that you're going to spend the rest of your miserable lives walking on the tips of your hooves because you will be so dangerous, that even your hoofsteps could kill. You are all already on your way to becoming living weapons, extensions of the strongest kingdom in this world. These weapons will hone everything you know and will learn and I promise that before any of you leave this facility, you will be eager to find something to kill. Do you wimps understand that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good. Now, fall in! Grab your gear and head onto the field for the next phase of your training. Move it, move it, move it!"

The privates trotted towards the table and took one of each weapon. A spear, a sword and a crossbow.

The ponies were sitting in a circle on the grass as Glitter talked to them standing in front of a large board with pictures of the weapons on it. "The spear is a Border Guard's first weapon. It is what you use to attack, it is what you use to defend."

A hoof was raised.

"Yes, private Twister."

The gray pegasus mare with a light blue mane streaked with dark blue stripes stood up. "Ma'am, isn't the crossbow the Border Guard's first weapon, ma'am?"

At that Glitter made a face, "The crossbow? The crossbow! Private, let me show you something about the crossbow." Glitter walked right up to one and hoofed it to the mare. "Fire it."

"Ma'am?"

"Fire it! Now!" Glitter shouted in Twister's ear.

Twister took it from the instructor, aimed and fired it at a target missing it completely. As soon as the arrow left the weapon, she stood at attention once again.

"Reload!" Glitter roared.

"M-m-ma'am?"

"Did I stutter? Reload it now! Get on with it!"

Twisted took another bolt from a quiver on the ground, but she fumbled and dropped it onto the grass. As she went to pick it up Glitter shoved her onto the ground with her hoof.

"You're going to die, private! You better hurry! Get your crossbow reloaded or I'm going to make you run fifty laps!"

Twister got up, pulled the crossbow back, but in her panicked state, she misplaced the notch making the crossbow misfire. Again she pulled the wire back only to have Glitter smack her across the face.

"You're seconds away from imminent death, private! What are you going to do?"

Finally locking the bowstring in place she took the bolt and placed it in the notch. With the weapon loaded and ready to go, Twister spared no time. The bolt was let loose and she again stood at attention.

"Congratulations, private. If you had been attacked by a deadly tortoise, or a rampaging snail, you might have survived by the skin of your teeth. If a timberwolf were attacking you, you'd be digested and deposited out of its system by now." Glitter walked away from Twister, who was still a little shaken. "The average crossbow user can fire three arrows in a minute. The fastest I've seen is five. The crossbow is only good for ambushes and surprise attacks, or if you're on an airship and have to resort to ranged tactics. Never rely on it alone. A sword is too short, it cannot protect you from bigger things, and you cannot throw it as well. This is why the spear is the Guard's first weapon. It doesn't mean it is used first, it only means that out of all the weapons you will use, this is the one that you will learn to love. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"You're going to give your spear a name. You're going to call your spear by that name. You're going to walk with your spear, talk with your spear, eat with your spear. You're going to shower with it, sharpen it, and even sleep with it." A few giggles came from some of the recruits. "Knock it off, or I'll make you wash your mouths out with soap until you've got foam coming out your ears, you filthy minded baboons." There was immediate silence. "That spear is the only thing that's going to love you from now on till you leave this place, do you maggots understand that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Then what are you all waiting for? Get your flanks over here and pick up your sharpeners and get to work!"

"So, whatcha name your spear?" Sonic asked Static.

"You tell me first."

"Hey, I asked first."

"So? I asked second. Your point?" Static continued to sharpen the edges of his spear annoyed at Sonic's constant banter.

Sensing Static's frustration on being unable to sharpen the spear properly, he floated over to the unused top bunk over the earth stallion. "What about you, grounder?" He looked down at the earth pony stallion, "What did you name your spear?"

Semper was polishing his sword, but stopped to look up at the pegasus for a moment before continuing what he was doing. "Cerise."

"Cerise? Who's that? Some sweetheart you left back home?" Sonic asked with a wide grin on his face.

"It's nopony. It's a name to remind me of what I'm protecting," Semper replied, taking his spear and gazing along it.

"Cerise is your name for Equestria?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"It's a name that stands for something."

"That is?"

"The most important thing to me."

Sonic frowned, "You're not going to tell me are you?"

"I just told you."

The pegasus grunted and shook his head, "I guess I can see what you mean. I'll let you get back to... what are you doing?"

"Polishing the blade. It's important to do so."

"Why?"

Semper stopped and looked up, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, okay. I'll just go." With that the pegasus hovered back to his own bunk.

"What'd he say?" Static asked.

"He said he named his spear 'Cerise'."

"Is she some special earth pony?" Static snickered thinking himself rather clever.

"I dunno. He said that it's a name the represents something very special to him, not just Equestria."

"What do you mean?"

Sonic shrugged, "I think he means that the name is secret for somepony else. Somepony... special?"

Static's eyes lit up, "I think I know!"

"Who?" Sonic leaned closer, his head halfway down the bunk.

"Remember last month when he sent that... special letter?"

"Yeah... you don't mean..."

Static nodded. "Yes. I mean her."

"Wow. He must really love our Princess. But... why Cerise? I don't see a connection."

At that, Static paused and tapped his chin. "Well... what does Cerise mean? I mean... isn't it a color?"

"Yeah! Is it white?"

"No, I don't think so," Static mumbled looking over at Semper who had finished polishing the sword and was sliding it back into its sheath. "I think it means pink, or something like that."

"The Princess isn't pink," Sonic pointed out.

Static just gave Sonic a look, "If he wanted to be obvious, he'd call the spear Celestia... wait! I got it! Celestia is code for Cerise, because both have C's in their names and... and... there's pink in Princess Celestia's mane, right?"

"Yeah! I think you've got it!"

The two looked over at Semper who was placing the sword at the foot of his bed and picked up the crossbow to oil the firing mechanism.

"He really loves our princess," Static stated after a moment of silence.

Sonic could only agree.

"Inspection!" Pain roared.

At once everypony jumped out of their bunks and started making their beds as quick as possible. Static stole a glance over to Semper's bed area and found the earth pony standing at perfect attention, his bed immaculate. He was ready, and his sword in its scabbard was on his hunch while the crossbow was shouldered on his side. His spear was firmly gripped in his left hoof.

"You!" Pain yelled at Semper, "You're a Celestia lovin' example to my core, private! I like you. You're now my favorite. Pig Sty!"

A white and gray mottled unicorn trotted over and saluted, his eyes forward, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Are you this group's leader?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"You're fired. Blue Boy, you're this group's new leader. You got that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good. I expect only excellence from you, and I'm going to be harder on you than pretty boy here, you got that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I like that!" Pain shouted, sounding like he didn't like it at all. It was hard to tell with the Sorcery Sergeant. "As you were."

"The most important part of using the crossbow is reloading. When you're bow is loaded, you're dangerous. You're a killer. You're the hunter. Once you let your bolt fly, that's it. You're not at the mercy of whatever long-ranged projectile based weaponry the enemy has, and believe me when I say that it's the last position you want to be in. So, in order to increase your lifespans, you're going to do reload drills until you can reload three arrows in a minute. Do you understand that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the troop roared.

Glitter nodded, "Good. Now to the field!"

The recruits began to load their crossbows. Semper finished and stood ready. Static, not to be outdone, finished second and stood at the ready. Not to be left behind, Sonic pulled down the crossbow with his wing and locked the mechanism in place, followed by the bolt and stood ready.

"Stop!" Glitter screamed.

Everypony did so.

"You!" the mare growled. "You stupid buffoon!" Everypony stole a glance as Glitter walked over to Sonic and smacked him across the back of the head. "Never, ever, ever, ever use your wing to load a weapon! Do you know why?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am!"

"Because the crossbow can easily snap your wing in half, making you useless to everypony! What is useful about a pegasi and his crossbow?" Glitter shouted walking away from the recruits.

A show of hooves.

"Yes, Dirty Rags."

The gray pegasus with a dark green mane stood at attention, "Ma'am, because pegasi have the advantage of being able to fire from a higher position, ma'am."

"That's correct, private. So, if a pegasi injures his wing, what use is he with a crossbow?"

"Ma'am, none, ma'am!"

"And what do unicorns have that pegasi don't?"

"Ma'am, magic, ma'am!"

"Magic. You unicorns will be learning the hard way what it means to use magic in combat situations, but I will make sure that you'll love it."

Everypony stood at attention, but all their eyes were trying to peer over to the only pony there that had neither wings nor a horn. What use was he since he had no magic or flight in his arsenal.

"Blue Boy!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"How are you going to make up for your... differences? What good is a Border Guard that can't fly of cast magic?" Glitter shouted walking towards him, "Are you going out there just to die and waste my time? What good are you?"

Semper didn't flinch at the tirade. "Ma'am, if I can't fly away or use magic, then I will have to go further, ma'am. Ma'am, it is this guard's objective to fire at least five bolts in a minute, ma'am."

"Five?" Even the Sergeant was surprised by this response. "You're going to fire five crossbow bolts under a minute?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Then you will remain here until you master three bolts a minute, is that understood?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Then get on with it! The rest of you as well!"

"Stress getting to you, hon?" the voice of the pegasus intoned as Glitter heard him take a seat next to her at the officer's mess.

Glitter raised her head slightly, and put it back down, "You have no idea. You don't have to deal with both unicorns and pegasi at the same time."

"Hey, I have it rough sometimes too," Far Eye replied. He looked at Glitter again, "Okay, so maybe not as rough as you, but what gives? Usually you burn the recruits down in the first month. Looks like they're the ones burning you out this time."

"It's that earth pony again," Glitter raised her head. "His stamina is ridiculous!"

"First time I've heard you moan about a stallion's stamina," Far Eye grinned.

Glitter shook her head, but laughed nonetheless. It was Far Eye's sense of humor after all. "Well, I think I'm going to go and lie down. Got a long day of drilling tomorrow, plus it's Mark's day, so I've got to get up extra early to brief him."

"You sure? I can't make you stay with the threat of another drink, can I?" Far Eye offered as the bartender placed his usual in front of him.

"Not today. Thanks anyway."

Glitter got up, swallowed the rest of her drink, placed the glass down and headed out the door. It was nippy outside, the cold bit into her coat as she walked outside. She felt a little tipsy, so she decided that it was in her best interest to go for a little walk before returning to her quarters. Trotting along a detoured path, she heard the sounds coming from the range. Curious, she walked over and noticed that the red flag was still up.

Anger boiled in her veins. Leaving the firing range's red flag up was covered in the first week. You just didn't do it. The red flag signified that the range was in use. There was no way it would still be in use at this hour...

The sound of a bow releasing a bolt echoed in the night. Glitter eyes widened. Who would be still here?

Peering around the corner she spotted a blue earth pony loading a second bolt into his crossbow. He aimed, fired, and then began loading the third before the second bolt reached its target. As the second bolt reached, he was ready with the third and release it, repeating the same process. Fire, reload. Fire, reload. Fire, reload. Like a machine, Semper continued to fire the bolts one at a time at the target.

Placing her beret on her head, Glitter came out from her hiding spot.

Semper noticed her instantly and stood at attention.

"What are you doing here, private?" Glitter asked, walking right up to him, but keeping her distance so that the recruit would not smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Ma'am, perfecting my shot as you ordered, ma'am."

Glitter eyebrow raised itself slightly, but inside she was shocked. That had been hours ago. Did this stallion really stay out here for this long practicing his reloading all this time? Why didn't the other instructors stop him?

"Were you asked to desist, private?" Glitter growled, trying to sound unimpressed.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Ma'am, this stallion had to run fifty laps to satisfy Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain and Flight Instructor Far Eye with five hundred push ups and collect all the bolts used for practice for Primary Marksmanship Instructor Check Mark, ma'am. Ma'am, this stallion has completed his objective, ma'am!"

"You can fire three arrows in under a minute, private?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am!"

Glitter furrowed her brow, "Explain."

"Ma'am, this stallion can fire five arrows, ma'am."

"Accuracy?"

Semper didn't move, but his eyes seemed to be concentrated on a target down the firing line.

"Distance?"

"Ma'am, one hundred yards, ma'am."

Squinting, Glitter could see the round shape of what looked to be a target. Even at this distance Glitter could see that there were plenty of bolts that didn't reach far enough down the field. There must have been hundreds of bolts all along the ground. Still, Glitter was not easily impressed and she turned to Semper unconvinced that he had mastered in one day what it took recruits an entire month to accomplish, and then he actually claim that he could fire five?

"Do it again."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am." Taking five bolts, he placed them in a quiver and rested it on the left flank. Then he took the bolt, and placed his hoof in it. asked, grinning. "Ma'am, ready when you are, ma'am."

Glitter walked over to the timer and pressed it so it stopped, then pressed it again so it reset.

"You do know that the timer starts from the first arrow being fire, right?" Glitter said.

"Ma'am, it is this stallion's understanding that crossbows are not to remain loaded while on patrol, ma'am. Ma'am, this stallion must be able to load an unloaded weapon and release it as quick as possible if he is to survive, ma'am."

Glitter didn't know what to say to that. "Very well then. Are you ready? Go!"

Semper put the crossbow's tip on the ground, keeping it balanced with his left hoof as he used his mouth pulled the bowstring upwards. At first Glitter was about to tell him that it was wrong, but he wasn't using his wing nor his horn, so she couldn't really say anything else. She bit her lip and watched as he notched the string in the latch. Then, with his right hoof, he quickly pulled a bolt and placed it into the loading groove and with the left hoof lifted the shaft of the bow and aimed down the iron sight. There was a two second pause and then she heard the familiar crack of the bowstring snapping back to the front, but as soon as the bolt was fired, he dropped the bow to the ground and repeated the loading process.

As the bolt hit the target, Semper was already notching the string once more. In less than eight seconds he was aiming the second bolt and fired it across the range. As it flew, again Semper dropped the crossbow, again he pulled the string back, again he loaded his weapon, and he fired it almost instantly as he raised it.

Three shots already, and it was barely half a minute.

She watched as the fourth bolt was loaded, and watched as he aimed and fired it. Then she watched as he loaded his fifth, and fired it. Then, unbelievably, she watched as he loaded the sixth bolt into his crossbow, raised it, and fired just as the sound of the timer rang. One minute was up and as the ringer died, the sixth bolt had found the target with a dull thud.

"Private!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Semper shouted, his voice cracking slightly.

Glitter looked at the stallion that had come from nowhere, and now had figured out a way to reload a crossbow twice as fast as anypony had ever done in the history of the Guard, and he did it on his first day. In the beginning she had thought that putting an earth pony in the Border Guard was a joke, something to satisfy perhaps some politician in Canterlot who didn't know a thing about service or fighting or to satisfy some ratio. That thought was now flushed right out of her system.

"Private, tomorrow you will demonstrate your technique to the Primary Marksmanship Instructor. You will then demonstrate this technique tomorrow for all the other companies to see. Do you understand, private?" Glitter said.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Semper tried to shout, but his voice ended up in a breathless squeak.

"Good. Now hit the showers. Go get some sleep. I will see to it that the bolts are collected," Glitter said.

"Ma'am, it is this stallion's orders to collect the bolts, ma'am," Semper protested, taking a step forward towards the target one hundred yards away hidden in the darkness.

"Private! You will hit the showers now, or you will do CQC drills with me till the sun comes up!" Glitter growled.

At that, Semper stopped, "Ma'am, yes, ma'am." He saluted, turned and trotted away into the darkness.

Glitter watched him go with mixed feelings inside her. She wasn't sure how to take what she had just witnessed. There was something simply incredible about that stallion. He was so determined and simple minded. As he disappeared around the corner of the entrance to the range Glitter looked up and saw the red flag still flying. Satisfied that it was safe out there, she ran towards the target in question. It was not that she felt bad for the recruit, although she did feel that the other instructors were singling him out a little too much, she wanted so see how many of the arrows actually hit their mark. It was impossible to see in the night that far down the field. She thought about telling the other instructors to tone down when it came to Semper, but telling the Sorcery Sergeant to do that was just asking for Semper to be singled out more often. Major Pain lived up to his name. She saw the target and walked up to it, and stopped dead in her tracks.

"You have to be kidding me!" Glitter shouted in the darkness.

Each bolt hit the target in the inner circle, and one of them hit it right smack in the middle.

"When things are hard, and everything seems to be going bad, what do you do? Do you sit down on your flanks and hope that Celestia herself will come and safe you from your imminent demise, or do you summon the power and versatility that make the Border Guard the force the rest of the world fears?" Primary Marksmanship Instructor Check Mark asked.

"Sir, we summon the airships, sir!" the chorus of Border Guards roared out.

"You better believe it. Fifteen fleets patrolling every inch of our beloved kingdom's borders, the Equestrian Border Guard is the toughest, strongest, baddest fighting force. Even dragons are careful when it comes to us. We don't play around, we don't mess around, and most of all, we don't lose. Ever." Check Mark walked over to a board and flipped over a white piece of paper to reveal a picture underneath it. He pulled out a small stick that stretched out to about twice his body length and tapped the picture with the rounded end, "Who can tell me what this is?"

There was a show of hooves.

"Yes, private?"

"A Wallarmbrust."

"That's right. Now I know that all of you have learned the new reloading technique as demonstrated by Private First Class Semper Pie, but this technique isn't going to help you with this baby." He walked over to a piece of cloth and pulled it to reveal a gigantic crossbow mounted on a circular platform bolted down at the edges. "This baby is what keeps dragons and wyverns at bay. Do you know why?"

There was a show of hooves.

"Yes, private?"

"Sir, because it can fire several bolts in a minute, sir."

"Several? Ha! Semper here can fire several bolts in a minute, private. This crossbow comes with three different loaders and a mechanical system that pulls the strings back quicker than you can blink. In one minute this baby can unload a whopping sixty bolts in a minute. That's one every second, for those mathematically challenged. Now, before you ask why we don't have these for you, it's because of the size of this machine. The mechanism would be too heavy to carry, and I don't know about all of you, but carrying several hundred bolts doesn't sound so appealing. No, these delicious weapons are mounted on six points on a destroyer, and twelve points on a battleship. Carriers only carry four, but they make up for it by carrying more pegasi Guards than the other two. You're all going to train on stationary targets with this baby for the first week, then you will be firing these from an airship at moving targets, but that's not all! There's still one more. Who can tell me the biggest thing we've got?"

At this there was a show of hooves from everypony sitting down.

"You there, tell me."

Sonic stood up. "Sir, is it a ballista, sir?"

"Ballista is right! This wonderful piece of machinery can send a three foot heavy bolt straight through a dragon's scale without the need for a diamond tip. Battleships carry the biggest of the lot, and it uses so much power that only magic from unicorns can pull the torque line back to its primary firing position with the help of the mechanics, which will be shown. Battleships have six of these, while destroyers have four. Depending on the model, you will either be firing these up and across, or downwards towards the ground. Now, who can tell me what these are?"

This time nopony raised their hooves.

"Nopony? Really? Sad. Semper Pie!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Fire this bolt at the two hundred yard target."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Smooth, and carefully rehearsed, the bolt was loaded, aimed, and fired. Everypony watched it go through the air, hit the target... and explode in a blast of fire. Everypony jumped not expecting that one bit.

"Oh yeah!" Check Mark yelled, laughing maniacally. "That is a fire tipped quarrel. Who can tell me what a quarrel is? And no, it is not an argument."

"Sir, is it a bolt that explodes, sir?"

"No. It's a bolt that can be used to encase spells for later use. It's a great way for platoons without any unicorns to have the ability to use spells in certain scenarios, or use them when a unicorn is too tired or injured to cast a spell. It can sometimes be used instead of a unicorns spell because it doesn't need to wait to have the unicorn charge their horns to cast it. In other words, it's instant magic. The downside is that it's as effective against you as it is against your enemy. If you drop one and it explodes, chances are, you're going to die and take a few of your friends with you, so be very careful when handling these things. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Unicorns will be learning how to create these, but don't worry, you pegasi have to contend with the javelin. Don't tell me that you don't want to learn how to use the javelin. It's a shorter spear designed for use in mid-flight for those of you who are about to ask. Oh, and before you think that the hard part's over, think again. The only reason why I seem nice to you all is because I know that by the end of this week, half of you will be gone. Only the best of the best get to be Border Guards, because you're either the best, or you're dead. There isn't room for anything else. So, go grab a bite of lunch. Think of it as your last meal."

"I can't hit him!" Sonic shouted through the pipe, his voice echoing down along it. He hated the turrets. They were cramped, reeked of sweat, hot and noisy. He hated being cooped up in these tiny cages. He hated these drills, but he knew that they were going to have plenty more of them. "Nine o'clock and crossing at one hundred yards going towards ten thirty mark. Do you copy?"

"Copy," Static's voice shouted back from the other end, the echo through the hollow pipes was clear despite the commotion from above deck.

Sonic gritted his teeth and turned the wheel on his left, quickly turning the wallarmbrust to the right as he found a new target. He aligned his sights, putting on a lead and fired. Four bolts sang out from his crossbow, each missing the target completely. He pulled on a lever to raise the turret and fired again. This time, closer, but still not close enough.

"One more, moving from nine to six. Semper, this one's yours," Sonic shouted in the second pipe.

"Affirmative," came a monotone response. "Target sighted."

Sonic watched as a six bolts fired towards the target. The first four missed, the fifth hitting the target square on, and the sixth moving right in front of it, so that if the fifth had missed, the sixth would have found its mark.

"How does he do that?" Sonic muttered shaking his head. Semper had not missed a single target in his firing radius. Sure, he didn't knock them all out of the sky, but he did hit them all in varying degrees.

The fake projectiles zipped and moved in completely random motions to give the recruits experience and training if it ever came down to actual aerial battles. They had not yet trained firing when the pegasi were out there at the same time. Not yet, at least, but they all knew that it was inevitable.

Sonic recalled his lessons with Far Eye, and how he was supposed to hunt down enemies that tried to get into the airships and shut down the batteries that kept them flying. Without those batteries operating fully, or if the magical reactor suffered significant damage, an airship would drop out of the sky like a rock. Sure, the sails could be shredded, the rudder destroyed, but the ship would remain afloat. Take out the battery or the reactor, and the ship was done for.

They were trained in repelling boarders through close combat situations. That was where the sword came in handy. In the small cramped spaces, the spear was too long, and even the javelin was too cumbersome to wield successfully in those tight spaces.

"Ship has been breached," a voice shouted through the pipe-intercom system. "Repel the boarders!"

Sonic knew the drill. He put his hooves up, got out of the seat and slid out from his post. Then he put his hooves on either side of the ladder and slid down to the deck reaching inside the locker right next to the ladder and pulling out his blade. In this case it was made of wood and covered with a red sponge. The object was to 'paint' your 'enemies' red, or blue, depending on whether you were defending or attacking.

"Go, go, go!" Sonic shouted as he ran into Ruby Rose and Sunlit Dawn. They were rushing with their swords drawn towards the reactor room. There was sounds coming from ahead of them and as the three entered the room, they were met by the opposing team attacking fiercely trying to get to the batteries.

"Let's get them!" Sonic roared, and flew straight at an unsuspecting unicorn. She didn't see him coming as he swiped at her head putting a long red stripe across her noggin.

She moaned, but since she was now 'dead', she lay down on the floor and pretended she was no longer alive. Several others did the same. Some of the bolder recruits even shouted a death knell for effect. After fierce resistance, Sonic and Static found themselves to be the last two standing and were severely outnumbered by ten to one.

"Um... yeah... we're totally screwed, aren't we?"

"Big time," Static nodded, still holding his blade in front of him, his wing was 'injured', so he tucked it in so that he couldn't use it.

"Where's Semper?" Sonic growled, "The one time you need him and he's nowhere to be seen!"

"Stop talking and pay attention-" Static parried the first sword and swiped back missing the pegasus who attacked him completely. Just as he turned around to see if there was anypony behind him he was 'cut in half' as his torso was painted blue from a well place slice by Nova Ray. She grinned and winked at Static before pushing past him and stabbing Sonic in the back.

"Ha, ha! Blue team wins. Suck it, reds." Nova walked over to the battery chamber and pulled the batteries out.

"Classy, Nova. Real classy." Sonic pouted; he hated losing.

"It's going to be classy when you wear that bunny suit tonight, Sonic. Can't wait."

Sonic growled as Static laughed lightheartedly. It was part of the punishment for the losing team. They would have to wear bunny suits and serve dinner to the winners in the canteen like waiters or waitresses.

A whistle blew and down hovered Far Eye and Check Mark, the two pegasi were holding clipboards in one hoof and a pen in the other.

"Come together, all of you," Far Eye shouted. "That was a good drill. First off, thirty targets were shot down in a span of five minutes, most of which were done by Blue Boy."

Semper entered the room at that moment followed by a significant number of other recruits. They all sat down near the entrance to hear the battle status.

"Semper," Far Eye shouted, "you shot down or hit sixteen targets. That's more than the others combined."

"Sir, the rear is the easiest place to be to take down targets, sir," Semper stood up as he shouted in response.

"Where were you when we needed you?" Sonic muttered as quietly as he could. Static nodded in agreement ever so slightly.

Far Eye didn't miss that. He walked over and stood in front of Static and Sonic. "While all of you here did the right thing and put up a valiant defense for the magical batteries, what you failed to realize is that you left the reactor wide open. Now I don't have to tell you who held them off, do I?"

Everypony turned to look at Semper and the large group of recruits with him. Most of them, in fact nearly all of them, were from the blue team.

"Sir, I wasn't alone, sir," Static replied standing up again.

"No, you weren't. You led your small group to victory with teamwork, patience, and discipline. A small and severely outnumbered fighting force mastered the full force of the assault with minor casualties, while the decoy team managed to overwhelm the primary defensive line and take the batteries. This wasn't the primary objective, yet it was this objective that succeeded. Whose plan was this?"

Nova raised her hoof. "Sir, we all know of Semper's reputation. So, we decided to gamble and split our forces in half. Whichever half faced Semper, their objective was to keep him entertained until the other team completed their objective, sir."

"Very well thought out, Nova. I'm actually impressed. Well, drills are over. You're all dismissed, except for red team, who will march to the kitchens and begin preparing for dinner. Your new... uniforms will be waiting for you there. Semper!"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"I was going to offer you the ability to not participate for your defense of the reactor, but I already know that you won't sit it out, will you?"

"Sir, no, sir."

Far Eye smiled and nodded, "Thought as much. Dismissed!"

"You look cute in a bunny suit," Nova said laughing as Sonic floated over with her drink. A plain apple cider, since recruits were not allowed to drink until after training was over.

"At least I managed to get a plain white one," the pegasus muttered. He looked around and spotted Static wearing a light blue one placing drinks in front of other recruits.

"Yeah, but that takes the cake," Nova whispered gesturing to a pony in bright, neon pink bringing drinks to another table at the other end of the mess hall. "Even though he's wearing that color, I can't bring myself to laugh. He takes out all the fun and funny in it."

"No. I don't think so. It just doesn't make him look funny. Ironically, it actually makes him look..."

"Normal?" Nova suggested, then looked at Sonic. "Nah."

The two of them laughed as Semper walked towards them.

"Hey, Semper, nice color. Pick it yourself?"

"Yes."

"What? Really?"

"Yes."

Sonic blinked unable to say anything after that.

Luckily for him, Nova stepped in, "Why?"

"Reminds me of somepony," Semper replied. He picked up two empty glasses, "Would you like anything else, miss."

"Um... yes, actually. You on a silver platter ready for me," Nova said and sultrily as possible, pulling him closer to her body.

"We do not have any silver platters in the mess hall, miss," Semper stated bluntly. "Anything else?"

At that, Nova's mood evaporated faster than a drop of water on a red hot pan. "No. Just the main course."

"Very good. I will be right back with your order."

As soon as Semper was out of ear shot, she grabbed Sonic by the neck and pulled her close to him, "Not one word about this to anypony, you hear?"

"About what?" Sonic replied grinning from ear to ear.

Nova narrowed he eyes at the pegasus, "Don't make me beat up a fellow flumper."

Sonic couldn't help but laugh.

Author's Note

I thought of replacing 'Marksmanship' with 'Marksponyship', but I thought that it sounded especially ridiculous so I left it alone.

Wallarmbrust, big ass crossbow.
Quarrel is a type of bolt used in crossbows. I have changed them to be enhanced versions of normal bolts.

The Spark

"So... nopony blue?" Shining asked before taking another sip of coffee. It was delicious, even better than what he got in the Canterlot Royal Palace. "Not even a distant relative?"

Pinkie shook her head, "Nope. None of them. Lime and Marble are a little bit blue, but nopony that's blue-blue. There's a really, really, really light yellow cousin named Sandy, but she's a she."

"Yeah, Semper's a deep blue. Like... well, Princess Luna, but a little bit brighter than her coat," Shining said and tapped his chin. "What about his mane? He has a dark greenish, brown mane."

Again Pinkie shook her head, "Sorry. Doesn't ring a bell. I only know two hundred and fifty two blue coated ponies with greenish manes, and out of those only forty have brown in them, out of them only five are stallions and none of them are part of the Guard."

"How can you know that many ponies with blue coats and call them your friends?"

Pinkie just shrugged. "I can tell you their names if you like and where they live."

"No. That's okay. Well, what about his Cutie Mark? Twilight, do you have a quill and some paper?"

"At home I do."

"I do too, you know. Just because you're in a bakery doesn't mean we don't write things," Pinkie deadpanned.

"Write things?" Twilight asked. Somehow Pinkie didn't seem to be the type that would spend time writing things. What things would Pinkie write?

"Sure! Writing shopping lists, or who ordered what when things get busy, or sometimes drawing funny faces, writing recipes down and sending letters to my friends all over Equestria and-"

"Can you please get them, Pinkie?" Shining asked cutting her off.

With a nod and a wide smile, Pinkie went off to get the needful. She came back moments later with a small stack of papers, a quill and an ink well. She plopped them on the table and stood on her chair, her attention fully on the stallion.

Shining took the quill in his magic and began to draw. When he was done he lifted it up and showed his masterpiece to Pinnkie and Twilight.

"Does this remind you of anything?"

Twilight looked at the hideous drawing and raised an eyebrow. Pinkie giggled. Even the two guards found it hard not to burst out laughing.

"What?"

"Shining, no offense, but nopony can make anything out. It kinda looks like a jellyfish in a cup with two sticks on the outside."

"Ooh! It looks like a mushroom in a jar and a stick in a party hat and a bird sitting on the bottom side of a tree branch!"

Twilight peered at the drawing, "I don't see the bird..."

"Look here, at the bottom. See the tail, and and the head with the wing... oh, it's facing away from us so that's why you can't see its beak."

Twilight peered harder at it and her eyes lit up, "I see it now!"

"Okay, so I'm bad at drawing! Look, it's a shield with a crossbow on top and a sword and spear are crossed over that, okay? It's the three things that a Border Guard carries along with them... well, only Semper carries a shield, and the sword is really, really long and the spear is... that's not the point. The point is-"

"Can I try?"

Shining looked at the Element of Laughter and sighed, "Fine. Here."

Pinkie took the quill and dipped it into the ink well. At first she just drew a line down the middle, something seemed to click. Something seemed to fit. She continued along the line and found that it was where it needed to be. Then she started to draw another shape that just seemed natural. Her body was doing one thing, but her mind was on another thought, mainly on how scary and fun this was. It might have freaked another pony out, but not Pinkie. She found it exhilarating. She drew and drew and drew, each line seemed to form itself faster and faster and faster. Such was her flurry that both Twilight and Shining had to take a step back away from the table as Pinkie started to really get into it. She swished the quill, jammed it into the ink well sending droplets of ink across the floor. Shining and Twilight used their magic to stop it from getting on top of them, but other spectators weren't so lucky. On and on and on the pink mare drew until at last she stopped. She stared down at her masterpiece and took a step back panting as if she had just run a hard race.

"Here. Done," she wheezed between breaths.

"T-that's it! It's practically perfect! But... but you said you don't remember him!"

"I don't! I just... I just... it just... it made me make it!" Pinkie pointed at the sheet of paper accusingly, "I don't remember this Cutie Mark. I don't remember anypony named Semper Pie..."

"Something inside you must recall. There is no way you can create this without knowing what the original looked like!" Shining said vehemently. "I think all you need is something to remind you! Like a..."

"Spark?" Twilight suggested.

"Yeah! Exactly! Come on, Pinkie. Let's go and find you a spark!"

"Um... okay," Pinkie replied, but inside her she had started feeling strange. It was like trying to climb up a smooth wall with no grips. You could see the obstacle, see the goal, but there was no way of getting there.

Phase Three

"Well, the scores are out," Sonic muttered walking towards the boards at the end of the mess hall. "Three guesses as to whose top of all five categories."

Static snorted and shook his head, "Semper Pie, of course."

Sure enough, across the board the earth pony's name reigned supreme. Every single category he had utterly dominated in such a way that the nopony was even close to him. The only category where anypony stood a chance at beating Semper was in the crossbow range and that was because despite Semper's immense stamina, physical strength, and intense CQC training, he was capable of missing a bolt or two.

"Of course."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Static nudged the pegasus.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You know, I want my name up there once. Just once!"

"Well, you were unlucky enough to get put into the same group as him. Oh wait, you suck at everything, that's why you're always at the bottom. Why can't you live up to your name, hm?"

True enough, the name Sonic Boom was the last name on every, except for one.

"Shaddap! At least I'm the fastest flyer... in our group."

"Well, you do have that. Too bad that you can't use a crossbow for the life of you, which is why 'top of the group' isn't something to brag about." Static smirked as Sonic growled at him.

"Least I'm not at the bottom of CQC drills," Sonic muttered quietly.

This time it was Static's turn to growl.

"How is it that we're still the booger group with Semper on top of every single group?" Misty Skies announced shaking her head. The pegasus turned around and faced the others in her group, "We're a disgrace! A disgrace I tell ya! Look! In every single category none of us have managed to come in the top ten except Semper! Marksmanship? CQC? Academics? I mean, look at that! None of us even made it in the top twenty positions! Don't lie, I have a rough idea what your ID numbers are. That means you too, Static."

"... but I am up there," the unicorn whispered, blushing a little.

"Not to mention PT! And Close-order drills? Forget about it! We're the clumsiest bunch of oafs out there." Misty sighed, "We're a bunch of miserable failures."

"But we're not that bad when it comes to magic and flying!" somepony from the back shouted.

"Yeah, the only two categories that Semper can't participate in."

Everypony looked at the columns in silence, especially the seventh and final column at the far end. That was the all important group rankings. Six groups this year and according to the older members this was the biggest group they have ever had, twice as many as usual. Traditionally they were named after colors. This time they were named after the so-called Elements of Harmony, the fabled elements that had protected Equestria from Nightmare Moon many eons ago.

Although the mares did not seem to mind, the stallions all hated their respective names, with the exception of two groups. Loyalty and Magic. Right now the leading group was still Generosity, followed by Laughter and Honesty. Magic was next and after that came Kindess. Loyalty stayed predominantly at the very bottom of the pile. Semper's group.

"Say, where is he anyway?" Sonic asked looking around.

"Who? Semper? Dunno."

Most of their group were there, but nowhere did they find the blue earth stallion in question.

"Hey, Muddy," Static shouted to the brown unicorn standing near the front of the board.

Muddy was his nickname because during the week on training her had tripped and slid across the grass, somehow making it all the way to the obstacle course and falling into a deep mud puddle. That wouldn't have been so bad -- if he had not been in formal attire on his way to a date with one of the civilians on his hall for some chow. His real name was Tourmaline, and he was exceptional at keeping tabs on the troop.

"Blue Boy's with the PCP," he shouted before Misty started going off on another tirade.

"PCP?" Sonic asked.

Static shrugged, "Not a clue."

"Move it, move it, move it!" Shouted the Sorcery Sergeant at the bunch of recruits in the pit below him. "What? You think you're at the spa, you fat slobs? Do you think that you're here on holiday? You disgust me more than a bunch of bog slugs! Move your flanks before I flood the trenches and wash out you sorry excuse for ponies!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" seven ponies shouted at once out of breath.

Semper was amongst them having been enlisted to help do drills with some of the lesser performing Border Guard recruits. The PCP, the Physical Conditioning Ponies group, eloquently nicknamed the Pretty Chunky Ponies group, were a bunch of equines that were unable to meet the minimum satisfactory level of the Border Guard's strict and gruesome fitness requirements.

After their third month in, it was time to weed out the ponies that could not commit. Right now it was down to three mares and four stallions, all of whom failed to complete the obstacle course within the acceptable time twice. The next time was their last chance. If they failed, they were out, whether they wanted to be or not.

Pain saw as a mare at the back started struggling. He watched with growing irritation as the rhythm of her hooves stomping on the ground started slowing and she was being overtaken by the rest of her group.

"Don't slow down there, Spittoon! Don't you dare slow down on me, private!" Pain shouted. "I see you slowing down, private! You better not be slowing down or help me Celestia I am going to come over there and give you a lesson in CQC you will never forget!"

"This... this is too much," the light purple mare panted as she kicked through a puddle of water in front of her. She was cold, shivering from both exhaustion and the near ice-like temperature of the water being rained on them from above.

It was painful. It was horrible. She was freezing, the area around her hooves felt numb, her ears and nose felt like they were going to break off of her body, and her eyes stung from the tears that formed in them. She galloped a few more steps, slipped and fell headfirst into the ground. She raised her head seeing the last of her group disappear around the corner and out of sight.

She looked down and closed her eyes tightly thinking about how she was going to explain to her mother that she had failed. How was she going to explain that she had to give up her dream of being a Border Guard? That was all she ever wanted in her entire life. She wanted her mother to be proud of her. Still, a part of her felt relief. Relief that it was almost all over. Soon she would get to sleep in, eat whenever she wanted, go out whenever she wanted, return to her old life...

And yet, why did it hurt so much? Why didn't that life appeal anymore?

"Get up."

The voice stopped her train of thought dead in its tracks. She raised her head and standing there in the rain was a dark blue pony. He reached out to her with his hoof.

"S-S-Semper, sir? I... I can't..."

Semper gripped the mare on her shoulder and knelt down in front of her, "What's your name?"

She gazed into those cold, steel-like eyes and couldn't help but shudder. "E-Emerald Sheen..."

"Do you love this kingdom?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes! Yes I do!"

"Then are you willing to do what it takes to make sure that its safe? Are you going to make sure that those who live within her borders are secure? Are you? Are you!" Semper shouted in her face.

"Yes! Yes I am!"

"Then why are you lying down here? Are you giving up?" Semper pulled the mare to her hooves.

"Never!"

"Then what were you doing?"

"Just slipped, sir!"

Semper nodded. "Good. Let's go."

Major watched the two ponies as they thundered down the trenches and beyond his sight. A small, barely noticeable smile appeared on his lips.

"I've never seen you looking so happy, Sergeant. Something good happen?"

At once he stood at attention, "Ma'am, no, ma'am."

"Really?" she stood next to him, her green poncho keeping her dry from the fake rain above them. "And how is our number one earth pony Guard doing?"

"Ma'am, he's doing better than most of the other recruits, ma'am," Pain relied. "Ma'am, he's already been promoted-"

"I know. Private First Class for his reloading technique."

The Sorcery Sergeant remained at attention as First Sergeant Ruby Flame looked on.

"He's got leadership material in him. I want him to join the others in our special group."

"But, Ma'am, his plate is already full as it is. Anymore and it could be-" Pain silenced himself as Ruby stopped and turned around on him. "I mean, ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Ruby lips formed a small smile of her own as she turned her back on the Sorcery Sergeant, "You're getting soft. For a moment there I thought I detected a hint of concern in your voice."

"Ma'am, permission to speak freely, ma'am."

"Granted."

"Ma'am, Private First Class Semper Pie is already taking on three regiments in CQC from the Day Guard, the Night Guard and the Border Guard. He is also leading four different PT routines, including the PCP and attends all classes pertaining to everything from ship maintenance and mechanics to medical-"

"I understand, Sergeant, but I have full confidence that Semper Pie is more than capable. From what I hear, he's been very exceptional on all counts, and if he has to drop several of the CQC courses then so be it."

"Ma'am, that will isolate him from the rest of his group, ma'am."

"We're not here to make friends, Sergeant."

"Yes, ma'am."

"He is a fine example of a Border Guard, and I intend to reap the crop we sow in this one." Ruby Flame turned and started to walk away. "Still, let's see how he does under more... realistic scenarios."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," Pain saluted knowing exactly what the First Sergeant meant.

"... the optimal position of firing your crossbow is in the prone position as we can see from Corporal Golden Glow. Corporal, if you please."

A large beige unicorn with yellow stripes on his legs and neck saluted. He turned around and lay on the ground, balanced the middle of an especially long crossbow over his left forehoof, took aim and fired. It sailed through the air and hit it near the center.

"Range?" Glitter asked.

"Ma'am, three hundred yards, ma'am."

"Think you can do better, Semper?"

Semper stood up at once when his name was called, "Ma'am, no, ma'am. Ma'am, this stallion does not know how to fire a crossbow in the prone position properly, ma'am!"

Glitter nodded, "Are you just saying that because you're tired of stealing the show?"

At that the blue stallion just blinked, "Ma'am?"

"Never mind. Sit. High Cloud, get your flank over here and try."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the dark red pegasus shouted and ran over to the crossbow and threw herself onto the ground. She took care to line up her shot and fired.

It missed completely.

"Did you compensate for the wind?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am!"

"Why? Isn't that one of the first things you learned when you picked up the crossbow?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Ma'am, this filly feels rather silly, ma'am!"

Glitter narrowed her eyes, "Are you trying to be funny, private?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am."

"You better not be. Sit. Semper. Think you got it?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Good. Now you try."

Semper trotted over to the crossbow and lay flat on the ground. He closed his left eye and peered down the sight, lined up the shot and fired. The bolt soared through the sky and hit the target. It was nowhere near the center, but the fact that he had hit it on his first try made Golden and Glitter both raise their respect eyebrows. As Golden took back the crossbow, he thought that this stallion was lucky to be able to pull a three hundred yard shot like that with no experience. He was about to blame it on beginner's luck when Semper finished reloading the bow and aimed.

"You may fire, Semper," Glitter stated after realizing he was waiting for her word.

He fired it. Every single pony's eyes were on the bolt as it soared through the air and once again hit the target, this time closer to the middle than his previous attempt, but not closer than Golden's first shot.

"How are you compensating for the wind, private?" Glitter asked still looking at the target in the distance.

"Ma'am, I am looking at the movement of the trees behind the target, ma'am!"

"The trees?" Golden asked incredulously. He was using his magic to help him. The wind's angle and speed were part of his specialty. His Cutie Mark was a gold coin in a cross-hair for Celestia's sake. How does a non-magical earth pony do what he spent two months learning and only after watching him fire the bow once?

"Explain," Glitter demanded.

At that, Semper just scratched his head. "Ma'am, it's a... um... feeling that I have, ma'am. Ma'am, this stallion is afraid that he cannot explain, ma'am."

"Cannot?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am!"

Glitter raised an eyebrow. "Alright, the rest of you file in. I want everypony hitting that target by the end of today! Anypony who fails is doing extra laps with Semper this evening!"

"Wow. I'm impressed. So this is the guy that's been in the papers lately. Has he been giving you Royal Guards a hard time?" Far Eye asked looking at the reports.

The white pegsus next to him shrugged, "Yep. That's him. He's been causing problems in the south for weeks now. The Day Guard have their hooves full dealing with this guy. Meanwhile the Night Guard have been dealing with foalnappings throughout that same area. We think that this guy's the leader of a bunch of cultists, and from what those reports it's got something to do with Nightmare Moon."

"That old pony's tale? Ponies still take that seriously?" Far Eye shook his head, "Aren't they a little old for that?"

"You say that, and yet we have an immortal princess living in our capitol that we would gladly lay down our lives for that commands us to defend her kingdom, right Jade?" Glitter shouted to the light green-blue unicorn at the far end of the bar.

Jade looked up from her drink and nodded with a friendly smile before her attention returned to her drink.

"What is she doing here?" Far Eye whispered to Glitter.

Glitter was not sure, and did not really want to know. The fact that both Jade and Whisper were there meant that something big was going down. They don't send a couple of elites like them to a training camp for no reason. They were legends within the Royal Guard.

"Were there any casualties from... this guy?" Glitter asked picking up a photo of the offending 'alicorn'.

"Thankfully, no, and his name's Porch Light, although he calls himself The Shadow. His attacks seem to be more like warnings, but our orders are clear. He needs to be put down."

"I somehow doubt that Princess Celestia would allow that kind of thing to happen, Whisper," Glitter pointed out.

"Hey, I just telling you what our orders are," Whisper replied defensively. "Plus we both know that the Day and Night Guard answer to Princess Celestia directly. The Border Guard aren't so lucky. They answer to the House of Lords, and we know how... 'gentle' they can be when it comes to matters like these."

Far Eye picked up a photo that Glitter had been going over and studied it. "Wait. He's a unicorn, right? So, what are his wings made of?"

"An unlucky pegasus."

That made the pegasus drop the picture out of reflex and disgust, "There's something wrong with some ponies aren't there? At least in the BG we don't have to deal with annoying separatist scum. I feel for you Royal Guards having to deal with these weirdos. Seems like the only action you see is when a pony's gone bad and you-"

"This guy's crossed over into Zebrica where rumor is that he's planning on raising some sort of army." Everypony looked over to the white mare with the gray, four pointed star-shape on her forehead. She sighed and took a long pull from her glass. "It became the Border Guard's problem yesterday."

"Oh, gee. Thanks." Far Eye turned away and angrily slammed his cider down on the bar. "Why is it that we get put in whenever you don't finish something?"

"Oh, you mean like when you fail to stop something get into Equestria and the Royal Guard has to go out there and find it?"

At that, Far Eye blushed and turned away, "Yeah..."

"Don't worry, we'll clean this one up for you. After all, we wouldn't want to get your mane dirty."

Far Eye glared at the Royal Guard, but all Whisper did was smile back.

"Whisper, we're not supposed to talk about our mission like this," Jade said walking over to the others and putting the contents back into the file.

"Now you tell me?"

Jade ignored Whisper and walked back to her seat.

"So... what are you doing later tonight, fly boy?" Whisper purred leaning against Far Eye, who just gulped.

"Nice bout, Semper," Glitter said as the rest of the group wrapped up their training.

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am," Semper shouted saluting. "Ma'am, this recruit wishes to express his thanks for your hard work and training, ma'am."

"You're welcome. I want you to stay behind. I have a couple of friends who wish to meet you."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Oh girls!" Glitter sounded once the last of the other recruits left the training hall.

Out walked the white pegasus and the greenish-blue unicorn. They walked towards Glitter and Semper.

Suddenly the pegasus spread her wings and with an impossible explosion of speed, the white mare surged towards Semper as fast as her wings could carry her. Her body motioned for a straight right into his face. Not expecting the sudden attack, Semper reacted as best her could by pushing himself backwards to reduce the impact of the blow, as he had been taught.

Move with the impact, Semper heard Glitter's voice say in the back of his mind. After hours and hours of CQC drilling it was almost second nature to him now. He made to block the incoming punch to his face by crossing his forehooves across his exposed maw.

The impact did come, but it wasn't where he expected. The blow was to his stomach as the white mare had switched direction in midair after Semper had protected his face and cut off eye contact. He felt her knee push into his gut. He could feel the air being forced out of him.

He let out a deafening roar, forcing his stomach muscles to constrict. The pain evaporated and the feeling of breathlessness ceased. Semper planted his rear hooves firmly into the ground forcing the two of them to come to a sliding halt, but before he could react the white pegasus delivered a resounding right hook across his face. The warm, iron taste of blood flooded his mouth.

He took a step back... and saluted.

"Ooh. I like him. He's strong," Whisper whispered as she grinned at him. She began to walk around the blue stallion sizing him up in a variety of ways.

"Enough," came a voice from behind Semper. "Why didn't you fight back, private?"

"Ma'am, this recruit knows when it is time to fight, ma'am. Ma'am, if we were to fight one of us would not be walking away from here, ma'am."

"You're confident you can beat her?" Ruby asked raising an eyebrow.

"Ma'am, no, ma'am."

At that, Whisper giggled. "Ooh. I like him even more now. Strong and fearless. You would fight me knowing fully that you wouldn't be the one walking away?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Ma'am, if this Guard was ordered to he would, ma'am!"

"Even though you know you'd most probably die in the process?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Whisper finished circling around the stallion and put her face inches from his, "Aw, he's such a cutie. Why don't you join the Royal Guard. There are a lot of other earth ponies there. You deserve a place with those that appreciate you."

"Whisper, I would appreciate it if you'd stop trying to recruit one of my Guards into yours," Ruby said.

The white mare backed off and saluted, "Was just testing his resolve, ma'am."

"I'm sure you were." Ruby looked at the earth pony who was bleeding a little from the corner of his mouth, "Semper, you are going to escort myself these ladies to the eastern border where you will watch and learn how they take down a wanted criminal. You are not a fully trained Guard... yet."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

Ruby nodded and turned around. "We will leave in a few hours. Meet us at dock seven at twenty hundred hours."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"There you are," Whisper muttered looking through her binoculars into the distance. They were sitting on an rocky outcrop that pierced the jungle foliage. From here they had a clear vantage over the valley where the suspect had last been seen. "Do we really have to kill him? He's so cute!"

"Cute, and extremely dangerous." Ruby picked up her own binoculars and looked in the general direction of a large copse that lay next to a rushing river.

The Shadow had several unicorns with him positioned in a wide circle around a few other ponies and zebras. It was clear that they were behind held there against their will. They also observed a small cage with a couple Border Guards to one sad. They looked in pretty bad shape. There had been reports of a couple Border Guards going MIA from a nearby checkpoint, and there was a high probability that these were what was left of them.

Next to that were a few other ponies chained up to each other while another creature, this one dressed in long robes inspected them. The way it was walking looked to be a bipedal beast, perhaps a diamond dog or a minotaur. It was impossible to tell from this distance.

"Semper, you know what they are?" Whisper asked, rubbing her body against his.

"Ma'am, slavers, ma'am."

The white mare pushed herself even closer to the stallion, "I always get real excited before action. Do you? Is that why you're such a good Border Guard?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am," Semper replied.

"Do you want me? I would let you do it right now if you like. Just beg," Whisper said licking Semper's face.

The stallion did not bat an eyelid.

"Whisper, I want you to find yourself a comfortable position above the target in the clouds. Jade, you will cause a distraction, that ought to divert their attention long enough while I free the prisoners. When they are free Whisper will take out the target. Understood?"

Jade nodded, Whisper smiled.

"Semper, you stay here and take notes. We don't know how an earth pony will perform under these kind of situations, so the more you can learn from this experience, the better off you will be. You will remain here, is that understood?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Under no circumstance must you leave this place, understood?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Do not step off of this rock."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

"Zaku, you're in charge here," Ruby said to their Zebrican guide.

"I will do as you say," the Zebra replied, "but only because you pay."

With that, all three mares vanished into the dense jungle.

It had taken two days to get to Zebrica on one of the Border Guards' fastest ships, and it had taken a little under a day to track down and find the target, thanks to some very skillful tracking by the Zebrican tracker. Semper had absorbed the knowledge hungrily, learning how to differentiate between various hoof prints, how to tell where something was going, or how long ago something had gone by.

"Will you really not follow, Tai Jicho?" the guide asked Semper. "After them you will not go?"

The stallion narrowed his eyes, "Orders are orders. I must obey."

"Will you really stay here and wait, while you leave your friends to their fate?"

At that Semper did not reply, he just stared at the cultists from where he stood and narrowed his eyes.

The zebra smirked knowingly. He was Tai Jicho. The Eagle Eye. He would stay and witness a miracle.

"How could you miss?" Ruby shouted at a badly wounded Whisper.

Three bolts were embedded deep in the pegasus' rear leg and one in her upper thigh rendering her incapable of walking. Coupled with the fact that she had landed badly after being tackled by three of the pegasus cultists that had broken her wing in two places, the bone sticking through her skin. A lesser pegasus would have been screaming in agony.

She was, however, a Border Guard. Things like this happened.

"He had pegasi followers, ma'am," Whisper said limping. "Took all four of them out, ma'am..."

"That doesn't help if you're going to bleed out on me."

Ruby heard no sarcastic nip from Whisper.

"Keep talking, confound you! You better not die on me, Corporal!" Ruby shouted.

Whisper's eyes opened wide. "I need a stallion..."

Despite their situation, Ruby flashed a smirk on the corner of her lips. She pulled the injured mare through the jungle, the chaos behind her from Jade's distraction was now calming down. The other cultists would be back soon and they needed to be gone before then. They needed to be well away before they returned. Sadly, the prisoners would have to wait, it would help nopony if they got captured.

On and on Ruby pulled Whisper through the thick jungle using her magic to move branches out of their way. She allowed herself a moment to relax, but in the silence that followed she heard a series of loud snaps of twigs breaking behind her followed quickly by the sound of galloping hooves.

"Whisper, we're going to have to move. Can you run?"

"I-I'll try..."

They began to trot slowly, Whisper grimacing every time she had to use her leg. It was slow going, not only because of the injured mare's condition, but the jungles was hampering their progress. They were smashing everything out of their way making it easier for their pursuers to follow.

Suddenly Ruby stopped while gritting her teeth in frustration.

"What? What?" Whisper bemoaned not knowing why they had come to a sudden stop.

"Marsh. We can't cross this by hoof. We'd be in a lot of trouble," Ruby replied searching for another solution. To her right was a very steep slope that had sparse foliage. It would be dangerous to try to go that way with Whisper in her condition. To her left was the river. She could probably swim across, but was not sure about Whisper who was starting to lose consciousness due to her current condition. Yet the worst way was straight ahead. Even though it looked like steady ground, Ruby knew very well that it was marsh. Experience had taught her that it was unwise to cross it on hoof and if they tried they would become crossbow fodder.

Where was Jade?

"There! I see them!" a voice shouted from behind.

"Don't let them escape! They will be sacrifices for the Eternal Night!" another shouted.

"L-leave me," Whisper said pushing Ruby away. "I'll hold them off for as long as I can..."

Ruby shook her head, "I'm not leaving a mare behind. We stay and fight."

At that the pegasus smiled, "Affirmative."

Ruby's horn glowed a bright red hue and the ground in front of her erupted into flames. Broken twigs and sticks turned into projectiles of fire that she flung at deadly speeds towards the cultists. Some of the unicorns with quicker reflexes formed barriers of magic that deflected the deadly attacks, others ducked behind trees, but a few were not fast enough to do either. They moved no more.

A barrage of magic fired at the two Guards.

Whisper spread her one good wing and pulled a powerful gust sending leaves and dirt up into the air providing them with a screen.

"To the river!" Ruby shouted. The two of them rushed towards it and dove in. Whisper groaned in pain as the water washed over her open wounds.

Unable to fight the current, the two ponies found themselves being carried downriver.

"Whisper!" Ruby struggled to keep her head up out of the water, and if she was struggling then it did not bode well for the injured pegasus. Ducking underneath the surface, Ruby spotted Whisper floating underwater with her eyes tightly shut, blood billowing from her wounds.

Swimming against the current, Ruby slowed down enough for Whisper to catch up with her. The sudden feeling of being touched snapped the pegasus awake and the two of them swam upwards towards the surface.

Air. Lovely air. The feeling of it rushing into their lungs seemed to renew life in them, even if for a brief moment.

"There!" somepony shouted from the shore of the river.

"How did they get there so fast?" Whisper asked as she coughed water from her mouth.

"Teleport."

"Then teleport us!" the pegasus screeched.

"Can't. Too... too tired," Ruby admitted. Teleporting took a lot of magic to perform.

Bolts of magic fired out of the jungle splashing the water around them. The cultists were intent on injuring the mares, to punish them for what they had tried to do. Ruby felt a few beams of their magic hit her as she tried to shield Whisper with her body. Just when things were starting to look bleak, an explosion erupted from ahead of them. A tree fell across the river and at its base was a green-blue unicorn. Jade had blown the trunk with her magic causing the tree to collapse. Ruby lunged for a long branch with her mouth, grabbing it tightly in between her teeth. Seeing this, Whisper struggled to help the First Sargeant by finding a branch of her own, but her body was not listening to her. She had lost too much blood and was starting to feel dizzy.

"Come on!" Jade shouted.

Across the river the cultists had caught up and were still attacking them. Jade formed a bubble of lime-green light around them and walked into the water. The shield was preventing the cultists from hitting them with their magic.

"The barrier won't last long," Jade admitted.

"It's better than nothing," Ruby replied and pulled herself out of the water.

Without wasting any more time, the three mares quickly made their way into the jungle once again getting away from the exposed area next to the river.

"How... how did you get ahead of us?" Ruby asked Jade who was bringing up the rear.

"Jumped into the water and swam across. Part of my diversion plan. Didn't expect Whisper getting caught," Jade muttered the last part.

"We didn't know they had pegasi watching them from above. They found Whisper..."

Jade nodded, "I know. I saw it. How's her wing, ma'am?"

"Not good. We need to get her some medical attention and quick." Ruby paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Let's head back towards camp. We can plan another rescue when-"

Ruby never got to finish her sentence as she suddenly found herself on the ground with a heavy weight on her back. Whisper was off to one side trying to fight against somepony, but instantly ceased when a crossbow was lifted up to her face. Jade raised her hooves up in surrender, her face expressionless.

The three mares were bound with rope, gagged and blindfolded, their captors being anything but gentle. Whisper kept making comments before she was gagged, to which she made a seductive moan. Ruby knew that the mare was just getting under their coats, messing with their heads. She was defying them in her own way, but it also led to them treating her a little harder than the others.

"Move!" a voice shouted followed by a sharp poke to her flank with a pointy object.

They did as they were told. Ruby could make out that they were traveling along the river for a bit but before long the sound of the running water faded into the distance. That was when she felt something smack her across the face followed by a chorus of laughter. Her lips stung and she pushed through what felt like a low branch. The sudden change in terrain suggested that they were heading back into the jungle. The unicorn took another step and found herself struggling to keep her balance as she fell to the jungle floor, which was promptly followed by more laughter. Considering how difficult it was to traverse the jungle, with their vision blocked it was nearly impossible.

Eventually they came to a stop and their blindfolds were taken off. Ruby stole a glance towards the sun and calculated the average time to try and pinpoint their position. It was impossible without a compass. All she knew was that wherever they were, it wasn't far because the prisoners they had tried to free were now corralled in a wooden cage off to one side of a clearing. Next to that was a large wooden house that was painted in various shades of green. Next to that was a small open shack where a fire was burning. Swords and spears were being tempered there by earth ponies in chains, while a unicorn was heating a branding iron inside the hot forge. That was when Ruby noticed that three ponies were standing with chains around their necks and had unusual scarring over their cutie marks.

"Praise is the Night, for she has brought us more followers." The voice stated as the door to the shack opened and out stepped The Shadow. He had a bandage over his chest where Whisper had missed his heart. He walked towards the pegasus and one of the cultists put the back of his spear against the closest puncture wound forcing the mare to the ground. The Shadow stood in front of her, his eyes glaring down at Whisper, "That bolt didn't miss me. Do you know why? It was because Nightmare Moon was protecting me. I am hers to command, and she will never let me die. She had stopped the bolt from piercing my heart because she watches over me. "

"I missed because your pegasi, who are dead now, tackled me," Whisper replied looking away from him. She sounded more like she was describing a bad dish at a restaurant, or a poorly crafted dress rather than informing him about an attempted assassination attempt.

The Shadow backhoofed her across the face. "You. You will become our plaything, to be used by any who want."

Whisper smiled shyly, "Oh, that does sound rather tempting, and I actually might enjoy it if you weren't foalnapping ponies and turning them into slaves."

"They are worthless! Weak! They don't deserve the freedom they have! They are scum! You, kill the yellow one!" The Shadow ordered one of the cultists near the prisoners.

He did not even show the slightest bit of hesitation.

Ruby could not take it anymore and quickly fired a spell from her horn sending the cultist guarding her flying through the air. In that instant, she fired another bolt towards the cultist making his way towards the yellow mare in the cage. She backed away instinctively as the spell hit the cultist sending him through the air as well. He landed heavily.

The cultist that was guarding Ruby got up and walked over to her and smacked her with the back of his crossbow.

"Hey, Dark Stride, get up. It wasn't that bad," the cultist guard shouted. When there was no sign of any movement he let out a nervous laugh, "Come on, get up. There's no way that should've hurt you."

Another cultist walked over to Dark Stride and jumped back. "H-h-he's dead!"

"What?"

"He's dead!"

"What have you done?" The Shadow roared and pointed his horn at Ruby. "For that I will-"

Another cultist dropped. Before anypony else could blink, another crumpled to the ground.

The Shadow turned around and watched his ponies drop one by one. "What the hay's going on?"

Even Ruby did not understand and from Jade's expression, neither did she and that was her specialty. There was utter confusion as some cultists ran for cover while others knelt down and began to pray. In the chaos, Ruby tried to free herself but the ropes were tied too well and she could not see anything to cut them with. She closed her eyes and tried to summon enough power to teleport, but she had used too much strength already and it wasn't enough. She even tried to undo the knots but she couldn't see them properly.

"You!" The Shadow stomped over to Ruby, "This is all your fault! I don't know what you did, but I will end this madness with your life!"

Ruby pushed herself back as a long blade hovered in front of the crazed stallion, his eyes staring her down as she kept trying to put a distance between herself and The Shadow. He kept on coming with slow deliberate steps, and Ruby kept backing off until she felt the back of her head press against something. A wall. The wooden house where The Shadow lived. She gulped and turned back towards the leader of the cultists.

"Now you will die," he said calmly. From the tone of his voice is sounded as if he were making an arbitrary statement about the weather. "Good bye."

He raised the blade high above his head and all she could do was stare up in fear. There was nothing she could do. Not magic, no power, consumed by fear in the middle of a Zebrican jungle in the middle of nowhere.

"Ruby!" Whisper shouted.

Jade fumbled around, trying to find something, anything to use her magic with, but there was nothing. Not even a sharp stick.

"Die!" The Shadow shouted.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Ruby's life flashed before her eyes. It had been a good one with lots of adventures, lots of fun, good friends and a family that loved her. They would miss her, she understood, and she would be waiting for them on the other side. In the back of her mind she hoped that it would be instant.

She heard a grunt and felt a weight on her.

The suddenness of it made her open her eyes. The Shadow was lying on top of her, but his head seemed like it was pinned to the wall. Ruby tried to push him off, but he wouldn't budge. Slipping herself out from underneath him, she backed away looked.

No not pinned to the wall by his horn. From the side she could see it clearly. A crossbow bolt.

"Are you okay?" Whisper asked.

Ruby looked around in confusion. The cultists were all lying down on the ground. Those that survived had fled into the jungle.

"Dead," Jade announced inspecting one of them. "All of them, it looks like. Clean kills."

"But... how?" Whisper asked.

Jade pulled out a bolt from the body she was looking over.

Who could have fired those bolts? Where did they come from? Ruby searched the jungle expecting to find somepony walking out of it and was not surprised when the Guards who were tied up from before marched through the jungle along with more of the prisoners.

"Good shooting," Ruby said as they plopped themselves down.

The stallions exchanged looks. "Um... we don't have any crossbows, ma'am."

"What?"

Indeed, they were completely unhoofed.

"Well, if you didn't take them down, then who did?"

"Don't know, ma'am. A zebra freed us, ma'am."

"Die!" a suddenly shout from above sounded and the ponies looked up and noticed a pegasus doing a suicidal nosedive towards Ruby, a spear pointing right at her.

She was a sitting duck and, for the second time that day, did the only thing she could. She braced herself for the inevitable.

The cultist's screams ended in a grunt, and he twisted his body around before dropping the spear and landing with a sickening thud on the ground in front of Ruby. It had happened so fast that it took another few seconds for the mare to compose herself. This time the bolt was clearly visible. Straight through the chest and into the heart. There was no way that a pony with a crossbow could have done that from the jungle nearby. There was no way anypony could have had the angle or vantage to see that shot with all the trees covering them. It had to have come from... further away.

She looked around and her heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat.

Standing on a rocky outcrop on a hill protruding from dense Zebrican jungle stood a solitary figure. Celestia's sun had enveloped him in its embrace and all they saw was his unmistakable silhouette. There was no doubt about it. Those bolts had come from there, the same place where they had left him behind.

"Ooh, I think I'm in love," Whisper purred as she saw where Ruby was looking.

"He's in big trouble! He was supposed to sit and observe! Not get involved!"

"As far as I know, your orders were for him not to move that that spot, ma'am. Not to not help us, ma'am," Jade pointed out.

"And big trouble? We'd be in a lot worse situation if it weren't for him, First Sergeant," Whisper said bluntly. "If anything, we owe him our lives, and I for one intend to reward him in a manner fitting that."

"Good, good. That's good," Glitter said walking down the line. It had been just over a week since Ruby, Whisper and Jade left dragging Semper along with them. Without their star, Loyalty Group had lost so many points that it seemed entirely impossible for the group to step out of the last place. Still, to their credit, they did try.

A few ponies were running past the firing range in a hurry. That made some of the trainees sit up in curiosity.

"You, what's going on?" Glitter demanded of a pony.

"Ma'am, it's First Sergeant Ruby Flame, ma'am. Ma'am, she's returned from Zebrica and... and... it's Semper, ma'am. I hear he's been promoted, ma'am!"

Glitter furrowed her brow, "What?"

But the recruit had already bolted off. Unable to believe what she had just heard, she walked out of the firing range and headed towards the source of the crowd. They were all standing outside the First Sergeant's office.

"Clear off!" Pain shouted. "Get back to your training you lazy bunch of-"

"Is it true? Is it true that Semper took down the entire cult on his own?" somepony shouted.

"Who told you that?" Pain demanded pushing his way through the ever increasing crowd. "I have your name and number, Clumsy Oaf! I'll beat the answer out of you if you don't tell me right now-"

"I overheard it from somepony in the mess," the voice shouted back.

"You get your flank over here right now you puny little-"

"Sergeant," a calm voice stated from behind him.

Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain stopped, turned around and saluted the First Sergeant, as did every recruit there.

"My, my. Do tell why the recruits are here and not training as they should be?"

"Ma'am, these bags of manure were just leaving, ma'am!" Pain responded.

Glitter stopped and watched from a distance as the commotion unfolded. Despite Pain's words, more and more recruits were rushing over, probably drawn by the ever increasing size of the crowd. From where she stood she watched as a white pegasus was helped by other Border Guards out from a plain looking carriage. Her face dropped in genuine surprise as she recognized Whisper with her wing and rear leg in a cast. Luckily nopony saw her, but for somepony like her to come back injured from a mission was unthinkable. She was one of the best Royal Guards. Behind her walked a green-blue unicorn and both entered the First Sergeant's office without even looking at the crowd.

Then out stepped an earth pony donned from head to hoof in proper Border Guard attire.

This time Glitter didn't hide her surprise as she watched Semper walk to where Ruby was standing, the long red plume of the Border Guard helm flowing over his muscular back from his shiny new helm. He walked at full attention and came to a halt next to the First Sergeant.

"Left, face!" Ruby shouted.

Semper did as he was told and faced the recruits. Not a sound came from them.

"It is abundantly clear from the size of this greeting that our mission to Zebrica has been leaked. It's a waste of time letting rumors escalate, so I will set the record straight right now. The mission was a success, those responsible have been dealt with in the appropriate manner." Ruby announced.

With that she turned to go.

"What happened out there? What went on? We've got a right to know!"

"Yeah!" some others voiced.

"The rumors are-"

"Who said that? Who the buck said that? Who's the slimy little piece of liquid manure down here who just signed their own death warrant? Nobody, huh? The fairy bucking godmother said it. Out-bucking-standing. I will PT you all till you die. I'll PT you till your flanks are sucking buttermilk." Pain shouted shoving a few recruits aside trying to get to the speaker.

"Sorcery Sergeant," Ruby stated quietly, "it would be prudent that rumors did not persist throughout my training facility. It would be detrimental to the recruits' training."

"Ma'am, sorry, ma'am. Won't happen again, ma'am."

The cold hard steel-like glare she gave the mob of recruits shut them up and not a peep was heard. Glitter smirked at that. The First Sergeant was not one to trifle with.

Ruby walked into her office and closed the door behind her. Only after that did the crowd disperse. The few troublemakers that had dared speak up were taken by Pain for some much needed discipline.

Hanging her cloak on a rack, Ruby looked out of her window to see Semper doing as he was ordered to. Stand at attention outside her office until he was relieved.

"So, why are you allowing the rumors to spread if you don't want them to in the first place?" Whisper asked sitting down and taking a glass from the small table, filling it with aged cider. "Isn't that going against what you just said?"

"I don't know what you're implying. The entire mission was supposed to be kept a secret. I didn't let the news spread," Ruby replied taking the glass from Whisper and slugging it down in one gulp. Whisper had expected that and had removed another glass for herself. She refilled Ruby's first, though.

"Well, if it wasn't you, and it wasn't me, then who was it?"

Both their eyes turned towards the green-blue unicorn also peering out the window at the stallion.

"Jade?"

"Yes?"

"Did you... did you leak the information?"

Jade smiled, "Yes. News of the mission was already known here thanks to Whisper. Over the past week I had let the rumors grow and get disproportionate. Then I... may have mentioned what had happened to a Border Guard at the checkpoint where Whisper was getting patched up. News travels fast in the Border Guard."

"You... but... I mean... why?" Ruby blinked at the mare.

"My intention was to create a legend. To build up an image of a stallion that could do something... amazing. How was I supposed to know that he already is a legend. The only thing I did was... release the news sooner," Jade replied, a knowing smile on her face. "Princess Celestia has a way of finding them, doesn't she? Try and keep this one safe, Ruby."

"If what you're saying is true, then you know that I can't do that."

"True, but I still like saying it. Well, I think it's time to go..."

At that the First Sergeant saluted the mare, "Yes, ma'am."

"Right, Whisper?"

"Yes, ma'am," the white pegasus saluted, winching a little from the pain.

"We will report this directly to the Princess herself," Jade informed.

Ruby nodded. She watched as the two headed for the door. "Oh, Whisper."

"Hm?"

"White really isn't your color."

At that the mare blinked before shaking her head and chuckling to herself. "I still don't get why you stay here, Ruby. Come back. Come back to Canterlot. Things have changed! There's so much-"

Whisper felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around to see Jade shaking her head at her.

"Oh. Well... then, until next time."

"Bye, Whisper. Keep safe, ma'am."

"Ruby, as far as I'm concerned, we're still the same rank, despite what others have done."

"Thank you, ma'am, that means a lot to me, but I have to honor my oath."

The mares smiled at their friend and exited the office.

Ruby stared out the window and her gaze went over to Semper, who was still standing at attention. He saluted the two as they walked by him, Whisper spanking his flank with her hoof, to which the blue earth pony did not even flinch. That made Ruby snort out a laugh.

He had saved her life, and for that she was grateful.

"How was I supposed to know he is a legend, eh?" Ruby said quietly thinking back in Jade's words. "What legend?"

"Sir!" Sonic and Static shouted saluted Semper as he walked outside the barracks.

"At ease, private," Semper replied.

"Sir, congratulations on your cutie mark, sir!" Static stated.

"Sir, it is a great cutie mark for a Border Guard, sir!" Sonic concurred.

Semper's expression didn't change. "What is the situation with our group, privates?"

"Sir, we regret to inform you that it is not good, sir! Sir, our statistics are poor in all categories across the board, sir!" Static shouted. "Sir, we suck, sir!"

"Then I think we should do something about that, don't you?" Semper replied quietly.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Hidden around the corner in the shadow of the barracks, Glitter couldn't help but smile.

"Come on!" Static shouted to the squad under his command. They were so slow. A part of him wished that Semper had given him all pegasi. Being a unicorn himself, he knew just how lazy they could be and only after assuming command did her understand how stubborn unicorns were, especially when it came to using their magic. It seemed that each one needed to show off their magic somehow.

The pegasi did the same thing with flying, but they were easier to control.

"Can't we rest?" Halo moaned. "We've been walking nonstop for eight hours!"

"You should be glad we're not running!" Static growled back.

"Aw, come on, Static! It's not like we have a chance of winning, so why bother?"

"Because I'm tired of being in the shadow of that pony!" Everypony looked up when he said that. "You know why he's so good? You know why?"

All that met him was silence.

"Think about it! You, a pegasus, can't compete against him. You have wings, he doesn't. You can fly, he can't! But he's still better than you! Isn't that unfair? And me? With all the magic I have, I can't do anything close to what Semper can do. Sorry, Lance Corporal Semper Pie! He's been here for as long as we have and he's already two ranks above any of us! Get your rears in gear. Maybe you've all decided that you don't want to be Guards but I'm not going to let him get any further away from me. I still want to serve my kingdom, and by Celestia that's what I'm gonna do."

"What did he do that was so... I mean, how did he get promoted?" Misty asked.

"I'm not sure. I think they were saying that he took out a whole lot of cultists alone."

That wasn't a lie. The mess hall was a buzz about how Semper had used his crossbow to take down the cultists one at a time. The First Sergeant and two mares from the Royal Guard had taken him with them for some reason. There was another rumor floating around that the two mares were apparently highly ranked officers and had come to see just how good Semper really was. That was the rumor. As to what the truth of the matter was, nopony knew. That was perhaps why the stories had become so inflated. How could one pony take down that many by themselves? And yet, because it was Semper, it seemed believable.

"Alone? How?" Tourmaline asked.

"He must've used that crossbow of his. How else would he get that as a cutie mark, right?" Misty pointed out. "The crossbow..."

"Look, all I want to do is be able to stand next to him and be proud that I'm a Border Guard that can stand shoulder to shoulder with him. What I don't want to be is forgotten. What about the rest of you?"

At that the ponies began murmuring amongst themselves.

Finally, it was Tourmaline who spoke first, "You know what, if we can't be the best group then let's at least make our group the stand out! We might be able to be the top of our group, but we can prove to everypony that Loyalty Group will fulfill its tasks, and we'll make the Lance Corporal proud! Who's with me?"

Misty nodded, "Why not."

"Sure. That sounds reasonable," somepony else agreed.

"Okay, might as well give it my hardest."

Static smacked his face with his hoof at the lack of enthusiasm.

"Ugh, I hate these things," Misty muttered as she threw her half-empty cup onto the ground. "Never thought I'd actually miss eating in the mess."

There were a few nods in agreement. Meals Ready to Eat, they were called. Mix it with hot water and drink it like hot porridge. It wasn't the taste that was unpleasant, it was what it never quite hit the spot. It couldn't take the place of a proper meal, but outright hunger was not an option, especially after a full day's march. It was now the fifth day of their training march, about ten days since Semper had returned from his mission.

There had been no sign of the 'enemy' and some ponies were starting to doubt Static's ability to lead. The had even started talking back to him, which was starting to get real frustrating.

"Where are we now?" Tourmaline asked Static.

Static looked down at the map, "Here. Our course says to head to this point," he pointed at a small red dot near the center of the map, "and make our way over to this ridge where we'll meet up with Hydra Squad. We'll get our new orders from them."

"Why do they have such a cool name?" Tourmaline pouted.

"What's wrong with Bunny Squad?" Misty asked peering over his shoulder at the map.

At that the two stallions just sighed.

"Ambush!" a sudden call sounded.

"Defensive positions now!" Static shouted.

Like clockwork the ponies hit the deck, pulling out their shields and placing them in front of their designated partners while they loaded their crossbows with the safe ammunition (bolts with very blunt, very dull tips) and began to shoot towards the general direction of the noise. After several rounds they stopped.

A bright light from a unicorn's horn broke through the darkness and illuminated the area.

"Nice reaction," Glitter said stepping out of the bushes. "If you were being attacked by foals from an elementary school! What do you think you were doing? Where was the watch? Where were the signal flares? They are supposed to be setup along with your camp. And camping out in the open like this? It's almost as if you're inviting the enemy to come on over and pay you a visit!"

Static's blood ran cold. He had completely forgotten about the watch, but it was not his fault that they camped there. The ponies under his command hadn't listened to him.

"As a result, half this squad is now dead. Who's in charge here?"

"Ma'ma, I am, ma'am!"

"No, you're dead. You, you're taking over, understood?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Tourmaline announced.

"All the 'deceased' follow me. We're going off for some more training. You know, if you listened to Stupid, you'd have all survived. He did everything right up until he set up camp here, and I've been watching you. I know which of you weren't helping, but as the leader it's your responsibility to see that those under you command obey your orders. If something like this happened out there, you'd all be dead. Get it into your empty skulls; this is not a game."

"So, who won?" Static asked.

"I don't even want to say it."

"Come on."

"Frog Squad."

"Frog?"

"Frog."

Static roared in laughter as Sonic threw a hooful of mashed potatoes at him. All the unicorn did was use his magic to collect it all and lobbed it back at the pegasus, who licked his lips and ate half of it.

Suddenly there was a commotion as recruits throughout the mess hall stood up. In walked in the First Sergeant along with two other ponies. They searched around for a moment before they spotted a blue pony sitting at the far end of the hall alone. He was also standing at attention in full Border Guard armor, save for his helm which was placed on the table he was sitting at next to his food.

"D-did you notice him there?"

Static shook his head at Sonic's question. How could they have missed that.

The three newcomers walked over to Semper and he saluted when they were close. There was something said, and Semper saluted again before being escorted out.

"Wow. What was that all about?" Static asked.

"Not a clue," Sonic replied.

Everypony looked at Tourmaline, the brainy one.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea what's going on!"

"Well, would you look at that!" Misty wiped a tear from her eye. "We did it!"

"Second-last place," Static stated excitedly with a huge smile across his face. "Not bad considering how low we were two weeks ago, right?"

"Not bad at all," Sonic concurred.

Tourmaline shook his head, "I never thought we'd do it without Semper."

"Hey, we're Guards too, y'know! Of course we can do it if we put out minds to it, right?" Static smacked the unicorn across his back.

Tourmaline pushed his glasses back up his snout, "True. Just... it doesn't seem real. We're not last!"

"Feel bad for Honesty Group," Misty smirked earning some hard glares from the ponies in question. She stuck her tongue out at them.

"It's not over yet," Dawn shouted at Misty. "Tomorrow the finals begin!"

"Yeah, but the finals are not done in the same groups, stupid," Misty retorted waggling her hoof in front of her.

"Oh yeah!" Dawn smacked herself on her head.

That made everypony laugh. In the end, despite the fierce competition, they were all still on the same side.

"Today is the beginning of your final test. Today you will be putting everything you've learned to use. Do not fail this. Do not make us hold you back. I don't want to see your ugly faces again, do you hear me?" Glitter shouted the last part extra fiercely.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"From now on you will be put into your new platoons. You will stay with your new groups from now on until you leave here. You will be all under my direct command. Every test, every tribulation you endure is to prepare you for what's out there. This is it. Don't screw up! Lance Corporal Semper Pie, is there anything you want to say to them?"

There was a near-silent buzz of anticipation as Semper walked up to the edge of the stage. They had not seen him out of his new Border Guard armor since his return from Zebrica, but now all her wore that denoted his rank was the sash and the helm oh his head.

"The Border Guard is expected to do things that normal ponies cannot. We are expected to perform miracles. We come through when everything seems impossible. That is who Border Guard are. That is what we do."

Everypony stole glances at each other. That did not clarify anything at all.

"Thank you, Lance Corporal," Glitter said quietly as Semper took a step back and saluted her again. "Even though you have been granted the uniform, you must still pass all the tests as a recruit. I, Lance Corporal Gold Glitter, under the authority of First Sergeant Ruby Flame, hereby strip you of your rank. You are now Private First Class Semper Pie. Upon completion of all your tasks and graduation from this facility, you will return to your rank as Lance Corporal. Is this understood?"

Semper saluted, "Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Taking off the sash, Semper folded it perfectly and placed it into a small wooden box being held by Glitter. He took two steps back and saluted again, standing at full attention.

"Get in line, recruit!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Semper trotted off the stage and took his place next to Static.

"Welcome back," the unicorn whispered barely audibly. For a brief moment he thought he saw the blue stallion smile.

"Ma'am, the recruits are about to begin their final PFT, ma'am," Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain stated to Ruby Flame who was reading something in her office.

"Excellent," Ruby replied and put the piece of paper down. She stood up and stretched her back. "Shall we see how they do?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am,"

"What's the order of the platoons? I hear that we've had to split the tests into two to accommodate them all. This is a good year for the Border Guard."

Pain lifted up a clipboard, "Yes, ma'a. Out of the three hundred recruits we started with, half have dropped out."

"Sometimes I think that our standards are too high..."

"Ma'am, permission to speak freely, ma'am."

"Granted."

"Ma'am, I don't think our standards are high enough, ma'am."

Ruby sighed and nodded. "Sometimes I think that if we had the numbers it would deter most."

"Ma'am, we both know that wouldn't happen, ma'am," Pain replied calmly.

Again, Ruby sighed. "I know. It was just wishful thinking. Anyway, what's the status?"

"Well, Semper's topped all the categories are predicted, ma'am. None of the other recruits have come even close, ma'am."

Nodding, Ruby walked on as Pain followed, "I have no doubt that today's Physical Fitness Test won't be a problem for him. What I worry about is the written portion."

"Ma'am, from what I hear he is very bright. I wouldn't doubt him, ma'am."

"Does that pony ever stop?" Ruby shook her head. She watched another set of recruits running down the trail for their ten mile run in full armor. They looked good. "Where is Semper now?"

"On the obstacle course, ma'am."

"When is the written?"

"Tomorrow morning at oh eight hundred, ma'am."

"And in your honest opinion, are they ready for what comes next?" Ruby asked now watching the recruits at the firing range. They seemed to be faring well.

"Ma'am, most are but plenty won't pass this time round. They've grown too reliant on Semper, ma'am. We should've separated them sooner, ma'am."

Ruby sighed. "I don't like isolating recruits from the rest of their company, Sorcery Sergeant. But after Zebrica, I understand what it's like. He's... different." She had wanted to say incredible, but that would have been inappropriate.

"Ma'am, the fact that Loyalty Group managed to beat out one of the other groups without Semper participating in any of the categories is evidence of that. I don't think that anypony in the group realized what we did, except for maybe recruit Tourmaline or Static, ma'am."

"The unicorn with the large glasses?"

"Yes, ma'am. And the one that gave you lip when he first got here."

"Oh him." Ruby smirked, thinking back on that day. That was the first time she took note of Semper. "Think they'll keep their mouths shut?"

"Don't know, ma'am. Both seem fairly clueless about things like this, but they do have a knack for strategy. Long as the don't get the idea planted in their heads the won't figure it out. That aside, there's a pegasus named Misty. She's real clever, just doesn't know it yet. She could... enlighten the other two."

"Well, it's all almost over for them anyway. Let me know how Semper does for the written. Also, I want him to do two runs."

"Ma'am?"

"You heard me. Two runs."

"But, ma'am-"

Ruby stopped and looked at the stallion.

"Two runs, ma'am."

Pain stared after the First Sergeant and scratched his head. How is anypony supposed to complete two runs through the hardest test of their lives. Still, the Sorcery Sergeant held his tongue. Who was he to judge? Was this something the earth pony deserved?

Yet, for some reason, he didn't doubt that the earth pony could actually do it.

"Get in formation!" Pain shouted.

Most of the recruits were already in formation, but a few stranglers were galloping towards their positions as quick as possible. Nopony wanted to do any extra drills with the Sorcery Sergeant after the grueling week they just had.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for. The trophies for the platoons with the highest points." Glitter walked towards a trophy table and picked up the first one, "The platoon that accomplished the firing range with the highest number of points is... platoon A."

There was some clopping as Blitz trotted up to the stage, saluted and accepted the cup from Glitter.

"The platoon that completed the ten mile trot the fastest is... platoon D."

Again, a chorus of hooves clopped on the ground.

"The platoon that received the highest scores for the written tests is... platoon F."

Semper Pie trotted to the stage and accepted the award on behalf of his platoon.

In the end, every platoon had one trophy.

"Now the fun's over. From now on, you will all be facing the hardest challenge yet. You are all expected to do your best and come out on top. You all know what to expect, that's what you've been training for. Every single one of you has come this far having something to prove to yourselves and to your kingdom. That you have what it takes to become a Guard. Not just any Guard, but the Border Guard. If you pass then you will have the privilege of reciting the Oath. From that moment on, till the day you die, you will be a part of this family. A family that expects nothing but the best, and in return will give you the best. Good luck, ponies," Glitter stood at attention and saluted them, "you're gonna need it. Dismissed!"

Everypony broke formation slowly.

Sonic trotted over to Static and threw a hoof over his shoulder, "Hey, Static."

"What?"

"What was she talking about?"

Static froze in mid-step and turned to the pegasus with a blank expression on his face. "You can't be serious."

"Huh?"

"You're serious, aren't you? I can't believe you!"

"Aw, come on. I just wanna know."

"It's the final test! The end! Starting from tomorrow we're going to run the Crucible."

"Oh."

"You have no idea what that is, do you?"

Sonic grinned sheepishly. "No..."

"Oh, you're going to just love it."

The Medal

Pinkie opened the door to her own room and jumped into the middle of it striking a pose. "Ta-da!"

"Wow. It's..." Shining didn't know what to say.

"It's what?" the pink mare pressed.

"Um... it's nice... colorful..."

Twilight shook her head at her brother reaction to Pinkie's room. It certainly was colorful, just like Pinkie herself.

"Where do you keep all your mementos, Pinkie?"

"All over the place, Twilight!" Pinkie replied giving her a level look.

"I meant the ones from back home."

"Oh. Over here." Pinkie bounced over to her bed and pulled out a small wooden chest from under it. She opened it gently being careful not to be too rough with it. Inside were neat stacks of various things. Books, clothing, some party memorabilia, and a medal.

Shining's eyes went wide as saw it. "W-w-w-w-w-w-where'd you get that?"

"This? It was given to me," Pinkie replied taking it and hoofing it over to him.

The way the stallion touched it was as if it were made of the most fragile crystal. He gently placed it on the bed and turned it around so that the back faced them.

"For outstanding bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, this symbol of our unyielding appreciation is hereby awarded to First Lieutenant Semper Pie for his acts of heroism and intrepidity during the absence of Harmony and in the face of extreme danger by Her Highness Princess Celestia and the House of Lords..."

"Oh! I... I actually can't remember where I got that." Pinkie smiled guiltily.

"You have the highest military award anypony can get hidden away in a chest in your room!" Shining shook his head. "I've never seen one of these, I mean, I've never touched one of these. I've seen them in the museum and stuff, but to actually be able to hold one..."

"Didn't you get one for the changeling invasion?" Twilight asked.

"Yes... no... not this. I got something like it, I suppose. This medal is only given when both Princess Celestia and the House of Lords agree, which they almost never do! My medal was from Princess Celestia, the Celestial Cross, the highest honor she can bestow. But the House of Lords said that it was my fault that the invasion happened and therefore they could not agree on granting me a medal, otherwise... who knows?"

"What is the highest honor for the House of Lords?" Twilight asked.

"The Order of Equestria, given usually to Border Guards who have done great feats of valor. Very few in the Royal Guard have them. Whisper Winds is one, and Jadeite Lavaliere..."

"Great feats of valor?" Twilight smirked at that.

"It's the definition I got from reading a book, Twily? I do know how to read, just not as into them as you."

"Okay, okay. No need to be so touchy. So what do you get when they, the Princess and the House, both come together and agree?"

"You get the Shield of Harmony. The highest honor our kingdom can grant. Oh, Pinkie, thank you so, so, so, so, so, so much for letting me see this!" Shining hugged her before ogling it some more.

"If you like it so much, you can keep it!"

At that, Shining's mouth dropped to the floor. He shook his head vigorously, unable to fully comprehend what he had just heard. "Y-y-you want me to keep it? You mean to keep safe for you, right?"

"No. Keep it, as in keep it, silly filly."

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bu-b-bu-b-buh-" Shining couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I don't think Pinkie understands its significance, but now we know that Pinkie should know Semper. Why else would she have such a valuable medal?"

"True. We did find evidence and I would definitely remember if somepony gave this to me. Are you sure that you can't recall, Pinkie?"

Pinkie thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Not a clue. Sorry."

"I give up." Shining sighed and sat on Pinkie's bed heavily. "I don't know what to think. If somepony like Semper can't be remembered by his own sister then what chance do I have? I'll probably be forgotten too..."

"Of course not, BBBFF! I'll make sure to always remember you."

"Thanks,Twily, you're the best sister a brother could hope for," Shining replied patting his sister on her head.

Twilight blushed and looked at Pinkie. "My brother doesn't mean you're a bad sister, Pinkie..."

Her words seemingly fell on deaf ears as Pink was now standing perfectly still, her eyes transfixed on the medal lying reversed on her bed. Her pupils were like tiny pin-pricks and her mouth slowly started to grow wider and wider, a strange expression forming across her lips.

"Pinkie?"

Pinkie backed away from the bed and the medal shaking her head, slowly at first but the speed started picking up quickly until she backed up into the wall. Then she stopped and let out a deafening scream that kept on going until she was out of breath. Then she sucked in more air and screamed again. And again. And again.

"Something is wrong!" Twilight shouted over her friend's screams to her brother. "I'm taking her to the hospital!"

"Twilight wait I-"

But she was already gone.

Putting the Shield of Harmony back into the chest, Shining saw a faded, crumpled piece of paper scrunched up in a ball on the far side near the hinges of the chest. Curious as to why somepony would keep trash in such a place, Shining picked it out and unfolded it. A small gasp escaped his lips as he saw what was on it.

Semper Pie was standing next to a very young, very straight-haired Pinkie, who was standing to his left with a bright smile on her face. She had her head turned slightly so that her focus was not on the camera, but on the stallion next to her, and next to him on the other side was a practically newborn foal sticking his or her head out of a basket, another filly stood next to the basket and next to her was an older mare and stallion. Shining could only assume those were the parents.

This was Semper's family.

He straightened out the picture and gently placed it on top of the medal before closing the lid and pushing it under the bed whence it came.

"What the hay is going on here?" he muttered as he walked out the door closing it behind him.

The Crucible

"This is wrong! We shouldn't be here!" Misty yelled over the sound of an explosion. She was cold, hungry, angry and severely stressed out. It had only been a little over twenty four hours since the start of the Crucible and she was beginning to regret signing onto the Border Guard. If this was the kind of stuff they had to live through...

"Head in the game, Misty," Sonic shouted shaking her.

She looked up at him. "This isn't a game."

"I know! I know that, but we've got to do the best we can. We've got to take this hill, and already the infantry on the south side is being hit hard in their trenches. The enemy's artillery are hitting them hard, and it's up to us to take them down! We stick to the plan and we will win this! I'm not going to go back to Static and have that flank-head have the last laugh! We're taking those catapults out!"

Misty looked at Sonic with new found respect.

"We'll split into two teams. Team one will fly over and drop quarrels with the smoke spell to cover the northern face. We'll take advantage of the commotion and take out their defensive positions. That's when we'll signal for the unicorns to advance along the hill and we can not only take the hill, but take the catapults as well!"

"Alright. Let's do this!"

"Misty, you're to lead Team one, I'll lead Team two. Don't mess up, okay?"

Misty looked at Sonic and nodded. He really had changed. "You too."

Silence.

That only meant one thing. Peering over the trench he looked up the hill where the catapults had been pounding their positions for the past five hours non-stop. He waited. Waited for the sign. The pegasi had dropped the smoke bombs, but apart from that there was no noise. Suddenly there was a loud bang followed by some shouts.

Where was that sign?

A whistle blew through the thick smoke on the hill.

That was exactly what Static was waiting for. He lowered himself and closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and jumped over the ledge. His entire platoon joined him.

"Form the line!" he ordered.

"Form the line!" his second in command repeated shoving the others into place.

Towards his left and right more platoons were getting into formation.

Too long, Static though. They're taking too long.

"Group one ready, sir!" his second shouted.

"Group two ready, sir!" another aide shouted.

Putting the whistle to his lips Static unsheathed his sword and faced it towards the hill.

"Charge!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

His call was taken up and soon the sounds of the entire regiment exploded into the darkened sky. The unicorns rushed the hill, some using their magic to hold their shields in front of them. The stronger ones formed their own magical barriers as bolts shot through the smoke downwards to them.

So many fell. So many.

It was too hard. The hill too steep, the rain had made the ground slippery. Even with the smoke covering them they were being cut to shreds. Static saw the banner carrier take three bolts and he fell down face first into the dirt. It was merciless. Confused, Static turned to see that most of the ponies were starting to slow down and some had even stopped unsure where to go or what to do.

"No, no, no! Keep going! Don't stop!" he roared, but the sound of his voice was drowned out by renewed sounds of explosions as the catapults started firing again.

He had failed. He was given the simple task of taking the hill from the enemy and he could not perform. Not even with the pegasi giving him support was he able to perform this task. It was over. He had failed.

"For Equestria!" a faint voice echoed in the chaos.

Static looked up and stared in shock and awe. Standing on the crest of the hill was a lone pony swinging a flag around his head. Somehow the smoke had cleared around him and the fires from the catapults illuminated him seemingly bathing the world in fire.

The banner of Equestria, the symbol of their kingdom, swayed over his head. Tall, proud, unyielding.

"Attack!" a voice yelled.

"For the princess!" another sounded behind him.

"To me, stallions! To me, mares!" the voice ahead shouted.

Hope. It surged through his body like a geyser. Every fiber in his being seemed to renew with life and Static pressed up the hill. He wanted to stand by the stallion in the smoke, the pony who seemed to defy every bolt that and artillery barrage coming from behind him. The stallion continued to wave the flag.

Bolts sang through the air, quarrels exploding all around them, and still the stallion swung the banner above his head.

Catapults devastated the ground, engulfing everything in an inferno as their projectiles met the ground. Still the stallion waved the flag.

The sight pulled the unicorn onwards. He was drawn to it. Looking around he saw that he wasn't the only one as the entire company seemed to be drawn to that flag. Like moths to a flame, a flame that inspired them, a fire that ignited the desire to press on. Nothing seemed to stop them. They wanted to press on.

This was what they needed to be reminded of. This was their country. Everything within it represented what was good in this world and it deserved protecting.

Static approached the banner and stopped when he saw the pony waving it.

"Semper? What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously.

"Go!" he shouted gesturing with his head towards the entrance to the defensive trenches for the catapults. Already there were ponies there advancing into it.

Static didn't question him and charged along side others that had successfully made the climb. Through the trenches they went, rounding each corner with lethal efficiency. They had trained long and hard for this and they were not going to lose. Not now, not ever.

Glitter watched the spectacle through her binoculars. This was her third time seeing the Crucible happen, and it still sent shivers down her spine. The final test for the Guard was a fully magical powered simulation of very, very realistic battle conditions. Everypony had to do it once. This time was the Border Guard's turn. It had already been a full day and a half since their briefing and the offensive team still had not captured their secondary objective.

Putting the Border Guard recruits against each other on two opposing teams was a fairly recent tradition. In the very beginning it was always the Royal Guard and Border Guard going head to head, but that started to create serious animosity between allies. So, they changed it. Royal Guard and Border Guard would never work together unless for very specific reasons. That was the way things were, and it worked.

Sadly, Border Guards rarely, if ever, got to go home until they finished their term of duty. Ten years was a long time. Glitter shook her head with a bitter-sweet laugh. It was her sixth year, only four more to go. As much as she wanted to go home, she also wanted to start her own family. She had joined the Guard when she was eighteen, and would be twenty-eight by the time she left. A perfect time to find a nice, handsome stallion to settle down with.

But could she live that life again? Could she really go back to being... normal?

She looked down at her clipboard in an attempt to take her mind off of these things. It was way too soon to even humor them. She had written down things that she had seen. Notes to report to the First Sergeant, who had taken a keen interest in this particular Crucible test. Not surprisingly since he was a part of it. Semper had finished all his objectives and was now helping take the hill putting himself in harms way to inspire the demoralized forces trying to accomplish their task.

Take the hill.

Three simple words that changed everything. If they took it, then the offense would have a better chance at completing the other objectives. Fail, and those objectives would be impossible. Apart from those three simple words, the units assigned their own missions based on the preset objectives. Semper had volunteered to lead half of them, and he had successfully accomplished them using what he had learned.

Now he stood on that hill, and without him the attack would have failed. The simple act of waving the Equestrian flag on the crest calling them to him had instilled the recruits with renewed vigor. They were close to taking control now.

Close, Glitter knew, was never good enough. A lesson that they needed to learn.

Ponies that were 'killed' during the test were teleported away from the fight, their performance graded. Those that did not do satisfactorily were given one more chance to prove themselves at the next Crucible. In the unlikely event that they did extremely poorly, they would have to repeat the last series of exercises performed prior to this simulation. Some of the Border Guard taking part in this Crucible were such ponies.

"What is your opinion of things, Glitter?"

"Ma'am, this test seems a lot harder than usual, ma'am."

"It is."

"Ma'am, some of the recruits have performed unsatisfactorily, ma'am."

Ruby leaned back in her lounge chair and took a sip from a glass of cold lemonade. She placed the glass down and licked her lips. "And yet the same batch of Border Guards have managed to destroy supply lines, take out the various communications depots, sabotaged field advantages, crippled air support and are now overwhelming the enemy's artillery lines. The offensive are outnumbered, outcrossbowed, and with no help from any of our battleships. Tell me, Sergeant Glitter, under what circumstances are our recruits performing poorly?"

"Ma'am, I only meant that they had lost too many taking the hill, ma'am. Ma'am, if I were then I would have concentrated on taking the hill with pegasi, ma'am."

"Do you know that I had actually planned the defenses of this Crucible? Yes. There are some veteran Guard working against the recruits."

"Ma'am?"

"Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain is heading the defense against the recruits. Far Eye is also there, and so's Check Mark. So, you see, it's actually quite amazing that despite the advantages the defense has the recruits have been steadily forcing them back."

"Ma'am, that's... that's impossible, ma'am. I know those ponies, ma'am. There's no way they'd get overwhelmed by a bunch of recruits! Er... ma'am..."

"You would've been right, if they didn't have a commander leading them that is incapable."

"You mean Semper, ma'am?"

"Semper? Oh my, no. Not at all. Semper isn't the kind of pony that can actually plan a successful mission. He's more of a hooves-on kinda fellow. He's the one others rely on to carry out the mission on the ground. No, not Semper. I'm talking about this recruit." Ruby threw a folder onto the side table.

Picking it up, Glitter took a look inside and saw the light violet unicorn with the thick glasses and greenish mane staring back at her. She knew this one. She knew him because he sucked at CQC and was constantly doing laps with Semper after each session.

"Well, at least now I know where all his muscle is," Glitter muttered to herself.

"You say something?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am."

Glitter looked down at the unicorn's picture and smirked slightly. Tourmaline. The nerdy one. His strategy was actually helping his own forces win. Everypony had their strengths.

"Move, move, move!" Static shouted pushing the ponies in front of him along. They had taken the catapults, but the enemy had booby-trapped them. This strategy was giving them time to regroup and Static recalled Tourmaline saying that under no circumstances were they allowed to do that. He needed to pursue them and end this conflict quickly.

Stepping out of the safety of the trenches he watched the defenders fleeing downwards.

"Form a line!" Static shouted walking back and forth in front of the overtaken trenches.

Bursting out of the trenches, the Border Guard recruits formed another line across the hill, above them were the pegasi using the clouds for cover.

"What do we do now?" somepony asked.

"Form a line! You, get in line!" Ametrine shouted shoving some unicorns into place.

Static blew on his whistle. This was it. This was the final push. If they could not cripple their numbers now, they'd stand no chance against them. He drew his sword and pointed it towards the fleeing ponies.

"Forward!"

The line moved down the hill, the unicorns once again forming a shield of magic, or hovering their shields in front. Above them the pegasi moved in closer, their quarrels ready to be dropped any minute. As the two lines stood over the edge of the field, the forest exploded into life. Crossbow bolts sang into the air shredding the night sky. The pegasi were being torn apart forcing them to rise up and out of range leaving the unicorns underneath them to the mercy of the defenders.

"Wallarmbrusts!" came the call.

Then from the trees the bolts came streaming out at them.

"Shields in the front!" Static roared diving down onto the ground and putting his shield in front of him.

Many did the same, but the damage was overwhelming. He watched as one by one his troops vanished in a puff of smoke as they were 'killed'.

"We need to flank them!" somepony shouted above the din.

The bolts were bouncing off their shields, but it would be only a matter of time before the power from the Wallarmbrusts shredded through their only means of protection. Indeed, they were fighting against experienced Guards. They had played them all along, letting them take the hill and then sabotaging them, leading them downhill where the large crossbows would have the advantage at a wider target. On the hill they were sitting ducks.

Suddenly a 'whump' echoed from behind them. Everypony turned to look as a large fireball arced over their heads and descended into the forest with a loud explosion. A few moments later another fireball streaked across the sky, followed by yet another.

"The catapults!"

"The catapults are fixed!"

Static looked back and soon two more fireballs were whizzing through the skies. Then three.

"What's going on?" Static muttered. The catapults were destroyed, how are they working again?

"Sir, the Wallarmbrusts have stopped!" Ametrine shouted over the noise.

Static stood up and blew his whistle, "Charge! To the trees! Move!"

They unicorns did not need to be told twice, and they down the hill their weapons at the ready. As the approached the trees, a lob of bolts sang through it. Their shields deflected most of them, but a few were not so lucky and they vanished.

Anger. Rage. Whatever he felt, it consumed his fear. He threw himself into a gallop, the sound of his hooves thundering across the ground. Using his magic he raised his sword above his head as he thundered into the treeline. One of the defenders brought her shield up to defend herself, but he hit down on it so hard that the blade shoved it away and before she could react he cut her clean. She vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Kill them all!" Static shouted, but his orders were moot because that was exactly what they were doing.

The fighting within the woods grew fierce, but their opponents had numbers on their side, and they were using it to their full advantage. Slowly, but steadily, they were being pushed back into the open. There was nothing they could do. They would be overrun soon.

"Hold the line! Push them back!" one of the defender's commanders shouted.

"Let's show these ponies who's boss!"

"Yeah! Let's... Hey! Wait-" a shout suddenly cut off from the far left.

"What's going on?"

"Don't let them break through!"

"Stop them!"

Static narrowed his eyes and saw a small group of unicorns cutting their way through the far flank of the enemy. At their head, unmistakable by the way he carried himself, was Semper Pie.

"Hold the line!" Static shouted to his forces. "Don't let them push you back! For Princess Celestia!"

The ponies all cheered in response and held their ground.

Semper and his group vanished into the woods, the enemy now having to split their forces to take out Semper's group. This was what they needed. A break in the lines.

"Move it!" came Static's orders. The ponies instantly formed a vanguard formation and with their swords they plowed into the weakest part of the line in a desperate attempt to break through their ranks. In the woods they stood a chance.

The gambit proved successful and Static pushed into the woods and rounded to the right trying to get behind the enemy.

The enemy on the other hoof had turned around and positioned their shield heralds at the back. This was definitely Border Guard troops, for they were ready and prepared to face them head on from the back.

If only they had more troops.

"Have at them!" a familiar voice yelled.

Major Pain grinned as Static whipped around to see that they were now caught in a pincer. A full line of heavy infantry at the front, and a full line of armed crossbows behind.

Static slowed his gallop down and stood between the two lines. He looked to the ponies with him and sighed. "Oh well. It's been fun, you guys. Let's take out as many as we can, shall we?"

"Aye aye, sir!" they shouted.

And they charged into the archers.

"Oh Celestia, this has got to be the worst two days of my life!" Misty moaned and collapsed onto her bunk. She had just stepped out of a much needed shower and was looking forward to catching up with her sleep.

"He still out there, you know," Static said sitting down on his own bunk and staring at the floor.

Everypony stopped what they were doing.

"Him, Tourmaline, Flash, Perl, Sonic... they're still out there. They haven't stopped. They're still fighting. They're still-"

"We know, Static. We know. But what can we do? We're dead. It's okay! We've past the Crucible!"

At that somepony let out a loud hoot while others gave each other hoof-bumps and half-hearted cheers.

"We even managed to actually kill Pain! How many groups get to say that?"

At that there was more cheering, but these weren't half-hearted, which made some of the recruits laugh.

Static looked up from where he sat. He had not gone for a shower. He had not eaten anything in the mess. He had done nothing by sit there. "It doesn't matter. In this test it might seem okay, but Semper and the others are out there alone, with no help. What if this were real? What if we really died? Don't... don't you feel bad about... leaving them like that?"

Misty hovered over and landed next to Static and draped a wing over him. Despite him being filthy, she felt that it was important that he feel the comfort of a friend's embrace. "Hey, hey. We all did our best."

"Our best isn't good enough. We have to be better. Stronger. We have to be... more."

Everypony stopped their cheering. The barracks became silent.

"Right now, I'm making a vow. I vow from this moment, till there is no life left in this body, that I will never, ever, ever stop trying to be better than Semper, and in that way I hope that I'll always be the pony he can come to when he needs somepony to rely on."

"Yeah... me too," Misty nodded.

"Sure, I'll go for that too," Cloud stated.

"Sounds fun. I think I'll make that promise too," Snow announced standing up on her bunk.

One by one the rest of the ponies there took up the promise, and Static couldn't help but smile.

"Fifty-four hours, ma'am. Shall we recall what's left of the recruits?" Glitter asked Ruby.

The First Sergeant stared out over the expanse of the battlefield. It was still chaos. Despite having overwhelming numbers, Semper and whatever was left of his forces were still harassing the defense enough that they could not mount a full scale search without fear of losing a vital asset. Each time one of the primary objectives was taken, they would reinforce it only to find that it was abandoned by the attackers, who would always manage to find the weakest defenses and wipe out the guards there.

"How many of Semper's team are still alive?"

"Nineteen, ma'am."

"Nineteen out of a hundred and fifty, with odds of two to one in the beginning. Not bad. How many defenders left?"

"Seventy-three, ma'am."

"Who is charge of defenses now?" Ruby asked.

"Ma'am, Far Eye is, ma'am."

"Tell him that he's to isolate Semper's team by drawing him to the hill by reinforcing all other points, then swing in a wide circle through the forest, avoiding the river, and surround him there. If Semper is clever he'll try to use the catapults to take out the necessary targets."

"Ma'am, how did he manage to repair them during the battle from before?"

"He has knowledge on how they work. He spent enough time with the Royal Guard to know that. It wouldn't be hard for somepony like him. Perhaps we Border Guard should take our mechanic classes a little more seriously," Ruby muttered stroking her chin.

"Ma'am, we do have those courses for us, ma'am. It's just... Semper knew how to fix them, ma'am?"

"He's strange that way. It's almost as if he possess some sort of insight that helps him along. The same way he's able to avoid getting caught out there. He's not the kind of pony that does the expected. Even this trap is not guaranteed to succeed, but it's the best I can come up with. With Tourmaline still giving orders, it's safe to bet that Semper will be able to continue to harass the defense."

"I'll relay your orders, ma'am."

"How long have we done this, Semper?" Tourmaline asked.

The earth pony was standing guard outside the small entrance to the cave. He had disguised it well with leaves and other foliage, and it had been their base of operations for the best seven hours.

"Fifty-seven hours," Semper replied.

"Shouldn't they be calling off the test now?"

"Don't know what they haven't," Semper admitted looking into the woods. The rain had stopped.

"What was our mission again?" Sonic asked looking at the map on the ground in front of them.

Tourmaline shook his head in annoyance. "To secure the five objectives and hold them until reinforcements arrive. Sonic, you can't keep forgetting these things, okay?"

The pegasus frowned. "It's not like I mean to..."

"So, what now? We don't have any objectives, we've got nopony else except us, and we're running low on ammunition. Our unicorns are tired and we're evaded capture mostly out of sheer luck the past few times they've sent patrols through this area." Tourmaline looked at the map again. "Our best hope is to take the hill and use the catapults to cause massive losses to the defensive team then clean them up while splitting into small groups and securing the objectives."

"That sounds like a good plan. Let's go with one! Right, Semper?"

The earth stallion tilted his head slightly towards Sonic. "No."

"No?"

"It's the most obvious tactic. Once we take the hill all our escape routes are effectively blocked. It will be near impossible to escape, and if the catapults are beyond repair..." He let the silence speak for him.

"They're not working?" Sonic asked.

"I think they are. They wouldn't make it their base of operations if it weren't," Tourmaline replied.

"Why not?" the pegasus asked.

"Because it's too far to one side. It'd take too long for reinforcements to get to these three points if it were."

"So, what do we do?"

Semper walked into the cave. "We take Wallarmbrusts and move them to the hill."

Sonic laughed sarcastically. "Y-you want to move those things up a hill? Don't you think that they'd have done so if they could already? Wallarmbrusts aren't light, y'know."

"I know."

"And how are you going to get them?"

Semper looked over to the map and studied it for a moment. "We'll find a way."

"I can't believe this," Ruby muttered as she stared at the Crucible with a mixture of admiration, confusion, and anger.

Admiration that nineteen ponies had seized the hill, taken the catapults and were now wrecking havoc on the defensive team. Round after round the catapults fired always seeming to find the right mark. Whoever was directing them must have been a genius. Ruby felt confused as well. How were there Wallarmbrusts on the top of the hill? How did they get up there? Somehow these ponies had managed to do it, and that made Ruby furious. Furious of the fact that her plan had been circumnavigated and she was losing.

"Focus all the forces on the hill from the north-west side, then attack. It's time to end this farce!" Ruby shouted smashing her hoof on the side table shattering it to pieces.

"Brilliant!" Far Eye shouted before placing his glass onto the bar. "Just brilliant. Bested by a recruit! How am I ever going to live that one down?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself. The Crucible is a test centered around teamwork in overcoming adversity," Glitter replied gently to the stallion. "You should be proud, you helped shape them."

"Glitter, we almost lost. If the First Sergeant hadn't intervened, we would have." Far Eye let out a sigh and shook his head before laughing dryly. "You weren't there when we took the hill. Semper and his last few ponies were hiding inside one of the barracks. When we broke through the door he took down almost twenty of us before we were able to get inside. Then the real party began."

"Semper is proficient at CQC."

"You don't say?" Far Eye threw his hoof around Glitter's neck. "Imagine us going into a room with a bunch of ponies huddling in the corner! We expected an easy kill! We thought that they were through! That they had used all their bolts, and had nothing left."

Glitter tried to imagine it. Wasn't difficult.

"Then out of the corner Semper and two other ponies jump us and pushed into our ranks. They displaced and confused the front and before we knew it we were trying to figure out who was on our side and who wasn't! They cut into us and before we had time to react the ponies that were huddling in the corner picked up the dropped the dropped weapons and let us have it from point blank before throwing themselves into the fray. It was utter chaos!"

Glitter took Far Eye's hoof off her neck and placed it on the bar. "Then what?"

"Well, after they tore through the them they went after any CO's nearby. Semper came straight for me."

"And?"

"I wouldn't be so upset if I had survived at least long enough to shout an order. I couldn't think! I was stunned. I froze. First time since... since... I can't remember that happened! I think that was what Semper was going for. Knocked me out of the Crucible even before I could scream. The way he used that sword, it was inequestrian! It was like the blade was a part of his body." Far Eye took a swig from his glass. "There's one thing that I'm very glad about, however."

"Oh?"

"That he's on our side. Blessed be Celestia, thank her Royal Highness that Semper's on our side." Far Eye leaned back and looked at the glass somberly. "And after all that he still survived."

"I know."

Far Eye shook his head and laughed to himself. "Thank Celestia he's on our side..." he mumbled before finishing his glass and demanding another.

"Sonic! Tourmaline! Congratulations!" Misty shouted waving her hoof to the two as they walked into the mess hall. The recruits were given some down town to do as they wished, and most of them had opted to catching up on some much needed rest.

"Hi, Misty. How's it going?" Sonic sat himself down and stretched his aching wings. He had given his all in the last skirmish, and was somewhat glad to find himself back inside the warm medical tent. That was where those that got 'killed' teleported to.

Misty laughed and sat opposite them. "So... how was it?"

"How was what?"

"Fighting along side Semper?"

The two of them exchanged looks.

"He... he tried to save us. We... we didn't listen to his orders and charged in after him. I think he was 'killed' when we charged through the doors. Told us to retreat and regroup during the confusion, but we wanted to be with him. He couldn't have survived if we left him there all alone. So... we attacked." Sonic rubbed the back of his head.

"Where is he, by the way? He should be here." Misty looked around

"He survived because of us."

"Come again?" Misty couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Sonic and Tourmaline exchanged knowing looks. "He's still out there. He's still taking part in the Crucible."

"But the Crucible is now in the hooves of the Royal Guard." Misty pointed out. "He shouldn't be there."

"I know, but that's where he is," Sonic replied and stood up. "I'm going to get something to eat. I'm starving."

"That sounds like a real good idea. I'll join you." Tourmaline stood up and threw his hoof around Sonic's shoulder. "You know, you're not so bad with the sword too..."

"You too. Shame we couldn't use our spears..."

Misty watched the two with wide open eyes. The news of Semper still in the Crucible stunned her to the core.

"Recruit, you're a difficult pony to kill."

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am!" Semper shouted standing at full attention in front of the First Sergeant.

"You know what I think? I think we've made it too easy on you, so I'm giving you a new trial, one where your objectives are difficult. This time you will have no allies or supplies, nopony to tell you what to do and nopony to turn to when you need help." Ruby smirked at that. "Sound fun?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Your mission is to find and kill the top leaders of both groups on the field today. After that, you are to rendezvous at this point here. Only when you have done these things will we mark your objectives completed. Failure is not an option."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"The Royal Guard taking part have been alerted to your presence. Many do not know what you look like, but their scenario is that here's an assassin and a traitor in their midst at any point. It's good training for them to weed out any potential spies or assassins while they are on duty for the Princess."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Once you have terminated the targets and returned to the rendezvous point here, then I will consider passing you."

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am!"

"You have the advantage of knowing the field better than the enemy. You will also be given more MRE's and some bolts as well as ten quarrels for each magical element. Fire, water, wind and earth. Forty quarrels in total. You will also be given one extra item to use, your choice. Aren't I generous?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Ruby studied the stallion and narrowed her eyes. "Anything except your spear. Now, what do you want?"

"Ma'am, this recruit requests for an additional crossbow, ma'am!"

"Granted."

Ruby gestured with her head and the nearest Border Guard hoofed a crossbow at Semper who took it and inspected it expertly before placing it over his back.

He was filthy, covered in mud, cut, bruised, with dark circles under his eyes that revealed just how tired he really was. Still the stallion carried himself without any sign of slowing down.

A cold shudder ran down Ruby's spine when she realized something.

This was Semper Pie.

Strong, fearless and terrible.

"So... y'hear about the Border Guard out there?" Rock asked.

The mare next to him snorted out a laugh. "You mean that earth pony? Yeah. Heard that whoever 'kills' him will get an extra five days of leave after this. That's one incentive that I can relate to. Five full days more with my family that I haven't seen in over four months?"

"I thought you hated your family, Opa."

The pegasus Royal Guard looked down at her hooves. "I thought so too, but you know something? I stopped hating them a while ago. I figured that there's no point. I'm a Royal Guard now... or will be, and I'm going to be protecting everypony from danger. Even them. The way I figured it, I can't afford to hate them because I have to protect them too. Does that make sense?" she asked looking up at the light gray earth pony. He really did resemble a rock. Somepony you could lean on. Somepony you could rely on.

She wanted him so bad.

Rock looked at Opacus and averted his gaze when her eyes looked up to his. "A-a-a-after this... why don't... I mean... if you don't mind... that is..."

"Yes?"

"I-I-I m-mean i-i-if i-it's okay with you..."

"Yes?" Opacus' eyes grew wide.

"W-w-w-will y-y-you-"

"You should be paying attention."

Rock stood up straight and turned around, saluting out of reflex. "Sorry, sir! Won't happen... again... sir?"

He looked down and saw a sword through his chest. It felt weird because, although he knew this was an exercise and part of training, it still hurt. A lot. Plus the fact that it was inside him didn't help either. He let out a gasp and dropped to the ground.

"Rock!" Opacus screamed as the colt she loved vanished in a puff of smoke.

Those cold steel eyes stared into her. "Don't worry. You'll be joining him in a moment."

"You-"

She vanished in a puff of smoke.

"How did he get all the way in here?" Moon asked. She was not impressed with finding out that the earth stallion Border Guard had so effectively gone deep into their primary base. Even with all the security checks and passwords he had managed to slay two of the target's personal guards.

The fact that he did not go after her was another mystery she needed to solve. Nopony had not heard of the Border Guard earth stallion, but most of it seemed like exaggerated stories. Seemed being the keyword. Whatever the case, this was unacceptable.

"So, what do we do now?" Mercury asked. The red unicorn looked at the plans of the rounds for the guards. He could now see where they had made a mistake. What was it they said about hindsight? "We know that there's been a security breach here. It would be wise to move the primary target to a safer location."

Moon shook her head. "No. That's the worst thing to do. I know she's not secure here but transporting her would make her vulnerable to other means of attack."

"Ma'am, no offense, but it's not safe here either."

Suffice to say, Moon was not happy about how right Mercury was. Indeed this Semper Pie had proven to be a slippery one. They would need to from another plan in case he struck again, she knew they wouldn't be so lucky the next time.

"Fine. Get a security detail ready. Only the most trusted ponies."

"As you say, ma'am. But, ma'am."

"Sir, our spies have reported that the enemy target was nearly compromised as well," Haze said saluting formally.

Liquid stopped reading over the field reports. Most of it was placing his units to prevent an offensive from the others. A lot of needless maneuvering, but it was essential to maintain their current positions for now. There had been a number of small skirmishes along the undefined border between the two teams. Unlike the Border Guard exercise, this one was more about displaying their forces strategically. The test was more on how to move effectively, efficiently and quickly rather than fighting and repelling attackers. It was the first time in his life that he wanted to be a Border Guard, but he was an earth pony and they did not qualify.

Until now.

"Then perhaps we should communicate with them. It would look bad for the both of us if our designated targets were taken out, correct?" Liquid asked standing up and walking to the edge of the tent. He poured himself a glass of water.

Haze still stood at attention. "What do you want me to do?"

Taking a quill, Liquid wrote down something on a piece of paper and sealed it with wax. "Take this to the enemy commander and hoof deliver it directly. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Haze backed out of the tent, spread his wings and soared into the sky.

"What's the password?" Haze asked the group of ponies coming from the other side of the bridge.

The leader, a red unicorn from the Day Guard walked in front of the group. "Two spheres in the sky. One in night, one in day."

"Okay. Come across slowly. Our archers are positioned in strategic locations along here, so don't try anything funny."

"The deal was to be visible-" Mercury was effectively cut off with a bolt landing inches from him.

"Hold your fire!" Haze shouted towards the trees.

Mercury narrowed his eyes at the pegasus. "This isn't like you, Haze. You're usually under control."

"Yeah, well when one stallion can make a mockery of your entire detail then we'll see who gets edgy."

"Touché."

Usually they were on the same side. They worked well together and in every test the unicorn and pegasus were top of the class every time. So, it was obvious that they'd be separated during the Crucible, and also put in non-leading roles. It would have been easy to override their superior's orders and carry out what they thought was right, but there was a chain of command to follow, and one thing the Royal Guard did not lack was a lot of overinflated egos.

After all, only the most elite of the Royal Guard got to guard the princess. Everypony else was made to do whatever other else was needed. Insubordination was not an option. At all.

Still, Mercury had been tempted to override orders. If this was not a test he most surely would have.

"Come across. I'll tell my guards to back off."

"No need. Just tell them to reveal themselves from the woods."

"You heard him!" Haze shouted.

Twelve ponies peaked out from behind the bushes and stood with their bows ready. They watched as the group made their way across the bridge to the little island in the middle. It was the perfect defensive place. The river flowing on both side created a moat, and the large clearing around the island made it easy for the archers to spot any intruder. The small tower in the middle was where the two primary targets were to be housed.

The plan was to use them to draw Semper out into the open. Everypony knew the gambit, but it was the only way. The pony was causing headaches for everypony else involved and he had to be dealt with. It was a wonder that one earth pony could alter everything so quickly.

"Okay. The deal is an archer for an archer on each floor and on the roof. Two armed guards inside the room and that the two primary targets are to be kept in the center with their decoys and the windows to remain shut at all times. Am I correct so far?" Haze asked.

"So far."

"Great. The door to the room is to be locked from within and bolted from the outside. Then one bridge to this island is to be guarded by your troops while the other will be guarded by ours. Then, when the... intruder... is dealt with, we, together, are to open the door and release the primary targets and proceed on our own paths. Agreed?"

Mercury nodded. "Agreed."

"Then come with me. We've prepared the area, so it's best if you inspect it."

Haze led the way inside followed by Mercury. Behind him came the targets, who all wore a veil that covered their faces. Their coats had been dyed similar, just in case.

Behind them came the four guards. Strong, powerful and fiercely loyal. These were the most trusted guards they had.

Up the stairs they all walked, the sound of their hooves echoed in the stone stairwell. Nopony spoke. There was no need to. They were not friends for this test, they would have to resolve this another way once the main problem was resolved. A certain Border Guard that was being a nuisance.

Putting the targets here served two purposes. One was that they were now out of the way. Semper would be drawn to the tower once he discovers that they'd been moved to the same location. The best archers and guards had been hoof selected to guard the tower. The second was that with Semper out of the way, the two sides could start maximizing their strategies and erode their opponents without having to worry about guard detail for the targets.

It was a win-win situation, so long as they survived.

"Okay. In you guys go. We'll get the outside ready, okay? Just sit tight and we'll make this sorry excuse of a pony disappear soon," Mercury said as he shut the door. He heard the lock on the inside turn before bolting it from the outside. He placed a padlock through the handle for good measure. It wasn't anything special, a good blast of magic would melt it right off the door, but if it bought a few seconds for the ponies on the inside then it was worth it.

"How long have we been standing here?" Mango asked.

Lapis checked her timepiece quickly. "Seven hours."

"Um... I can't hold it in anymore. You think you could... you know... cover for me while I do a little... you know..." Mango blushed and crossed her hind legs hoping that the blue-green earth pony mare would get the idea.

Lapis was not amused. "You just got back from taking a break! Why are you always running to the toilet?"

"I'm not always running to the toilet! You try carrying a foal through all this and see how many times you don't have to run to the little girls room!" Mango humphed and turned away.

"Okay, okay. Geez, get your hormones checked out. Be quick."

"I'm going to let that remark go," Mango said with an unamused frown on her face before speeding off.

She trudged through the woods looking for a quiet spot to relieve her bladder when she came across an open space. One of the archers had been here during the bridge incident earlier on. It was not as private as she would have liked, but she was too full to find another place. She squatted at the base of the tree she saw something flying in the air towards her. Her eyes went wide open as it landed right where she had stood a moment before. It was a bolt. Something was attached to it.

It was a piece of a decoy's veil.

"Oh no..."

"Open it!" Haze shouted as Mercury fumbled for the keys.

Fitting it inside he pulled the latch open and jumped it.

Nopony was there. The place was barely a mess. Whatever had happened in there happened quick and swift. None of them had a chance to raise the alarm.

"It is over. We have failed." Mercury tossed the padlock in his hoof to the ground angrily.

"No. Not yet. We still have one chance. Stop him before he reaches the rendezvous."

The red unicorn laughed. "We don't know how long ago he left this place! How are we going to find him now?"

"You don't need to. I'm right here," a voice whispered.

Everypony turned around. The rearmost guard drew a sword and plowed into the ponies in front of him. He cut through them with lethal efficiency, carving his way upwards. Two of the guards stood in the doorway barring the entrance to the room as Mercury and Haze waited for Semper inside.

"What are you doing, Haze?" Mercury put his shield up as the first of the last two guards fell.

Outside the shouts of alarm were taken up and the guards around the palace were now rushing towards the tower.

"Protect me!" Haze demanded. "I'm the primary target!"

"Y-you?"

"Yes! How did he find out? How did he..."

Haze's mind rewound. The revelation made clear in his mind as he went over Mango's rushed report when she had come to him after moving away from her post. The remains of the veil had tricked him. Semper wouldn't have let something as obvious as that be left behind unless he wanted it found. She had found it. Semper had used that to bring him up into this room when he had uncovered the primary targets. He had managed to weed them out. He had managed to find him.

"Don't tell you you're the other primary target!" Haze shouted.

Mercury glanced over his shoulder at the pegasus. "Yes."

As the second guard fell and vanished in a puff of smoke, Semper rushed into the room. His blade smashed against the shield as Mercury raised to block his attack only to have a knife jab into his gut. He looked down in shock to see it tied to his rear hoof pointing backwards.

How had they missed that?

Semper pulled the blade out and shoved the unicorn aside as he rushed the pegasus backing up towards the wall.

The last thing Mercury saw before appearing in the medical tent was Haze being pinned to the wall with Semper's sword.

Sitting on a gurney in disbelief, Mercury shook his head. How did Semper manage to slay the decoys in the room and draw them up there like that? How did he do it? Did he plan it all from the start? Those supposedly random attacks, the way he had 'almost' reached the decoy targets, how he had 'almost' found out their true identities.

A loud pop came from beside him as Haze appeared staring blankly straight ahead.

"Welcome back. How was it?"

Haze turned to the stallion and shook his head slowly at first before speeding up, the movement getting smaller and smaller until he stopped altogether and let out a loud: "How?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"First off, how did you find out who the targets were?" First Sergeant Ruby asked as the stallion in front of her saluted.

"Ma'am, this recruit intercepted several letters that allowed me to discover their true identities, ma'am. Ma'am, this recruit had purposely attacked the decoys to confuse them and bolster their confidence, ma'am!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You played them?"

"Ma'am?" Semper wasn't sure what she meant.

"Nothing. So then what did you do?"

"Ma'am, the two teams started to communicate between each other, ma'am. Ma'am, this recruit intercepted the letters and modified them, ma'am. Ma'am, this recruit fed them misinformation to make them to choose the tower on the river ma'am."

"The ponies with these letters were never killed, Semper."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Ma'am, this stallion caused border skirmishes to buy time when the letters were sent, ma'am."

"You started those fights just so you could get your hooves on these letters? How did you..."

Semper blushed and bowed his head. "Ma'am, this recruit stole them, ma'am."

"Stole?"

"Ma'am, this recruit pick-pocketed them, ma'am!"

Ruby laughed. She couldn't help it. Semper was actually blushing admitting he had to resort to stealing to complete his objectives. It was rare during the Crucible, but not unheard of. Still, for those ponies not to notice...

"Then?"

"Ma'am, after this recruit was convinced that the two teams were sure they were going to work together he came straight to the tower in the river, ma'am!"

Leaning back in her chair, Ruby furrowed her brow and craned her neck. "You're telling me that you were already inside that room when they locked the door? Didn't they check to see if it was clear first?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Ma'am, they checked the room three times, ma'am."

"But they never found you."

Semper shook his head. "Ma'am, no, ma'am."

"But you saw them looking for you, correct?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Ruby put on a knowing smile. "You hid in the rafters, didn't you?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

"They never looked up. If they did, would they have seen you?"

Semper shook his head. "Ma'am, they would've needed to fly up there, ma'am."

There was nothing Ruby could do but applaud the stallion. "Very well done, Semper. I'm very impressed. How did you get up to the rafters anyway?"

"Ma'am, the crossbow, ma'am." He turned and placed the crossbow on the table in front of her. The crossbows were on top of each other with two triggers, one in front of the other.

"Show me."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Taking two special bolts with a metal chain attached at the base between them, Semper took a piece of rope and folded it in half. He placed the special bolts between the half folded rope so that it was sitting on the chain. After that he loaded the bolts into the crossbow.

He looked at the First Sergeant.

"You may fire at will," Ruby stated.

Semper aimed and fired at the roof of her office. The bolts stuck fast and the rope was now near the ceiling. It was only a matter of using the chained bolts as a pulley to haul himself up. He demonstrated that quite easily before setting himself back down on the ground and standing at attention. Ruby used her magic to pull on the bolts, but they did not budge.

"Impressive display of ingenuity. How did you come up with it?"

"Ma'am, this recruit has used something like this since he was a foal, ma'am."

"How did you get the bolts chained together?"

"Ma'am, this stallion used his knowledge in metallurgy to create them, ma'am."

The First Sergeant walked to the window and watched the Crucible in the distance. Predictably the Royal Guard had started to maneuver now. Skirmishes across the various fields were intense, the whole episode with Semper and his targets now a distant memory.

"How did you escape?"

"Ma'am, after terminating the targets, this stallion climbed out the window while everypony made their way up the stairs, ma'am. Ma'am, they did not leave a single guard outside, ma'am."

She chuckled lightly. It was always the simplest plan that usually worked the best. "So you went out the window and jumped into the river."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

"Did they try and pursue you?" Ruby asked pulling her attention away from the test.

"Ma'am, this recruit does not know, ma'am."

"Semper, I'm going to level with you. You're the best recruit this academy has had in years. Maybe even decades. Who knows. You've been given the unique opportunity to serve within the Princess' personal guard right out of training. I already know what you're going to say to that, so I've written this letter on your behalf."

The stallion took it, read it and nodded. "Ma'am, thank you, ma'am."

"Are you sure that's what you want? You'd be at the top of your career. You'd never need to work hard again. You've done well and we'd understand if you want to take this post. Of course, you wouldn't be a Border Guard anymore, but..."

"Ma'am, I'm sure, ma'am -- er, I mean, ma'am, this recruit is sure, ma'am!"

Ruby shook her head. "Soon you won't have to refer to yourself as a recruit. Get out of here. Hit the showers and get some rest. You've been through a lot the past few days. You've exceeded our expectations."

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am. Ma'am, if you wish, this recruit can still take part in the test, ma'am."

Ruby did a double take. Was Semper seriously offering to go back out there? To continue participating in the mock battle that he had been doing for the past five days? The notion of it flabbergasted her. It was one thing enjoying what you do, but to actually enjoy battle? Were there really ponies like that?

"No."

"Ma'am?"

"No, Semper. You're done. Shower. Rest. You've earned it." Ruby walked towards the door that led from her office into her home. She pulled it open and paused just before entering it. "Oh, and Semper."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Congratulations on passing. See you in two days."

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am!" Semper saluted.

Ruby stepped into her home and shut the door behind her. She leaned against it and took a deep breath. Dealing with Semper was exhausting. She heard the door inside open and close but the hoofsteps stopped once Semper was outside the door. Curious, Ruby walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain ever so slightly. Semper was standing outside her office staring up at the sky. He stood there for a long moment gazing at the beautiful full moon before walking off towards his barracks.

For a moment she thought that those cold, hard, steel-like eyes softened ever so slightly.

It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky, primarily because all the clouds had been used up to simulate weather conditions during the Crucible, but also it gave the pegasi a reason to fly around and relax in the sky. Sleeping in the barracks was dreadful and clouds were not allowed inside.

But today there was to be no goofing around. Today was the last day of their time here. Tomorrow was the start of the next part of their lives. They had done it. They had completed their training.

As the last company of Guards stood at attention in front of the stage, a group of ponies zipped overhead a trail of black thunderous clouds flowing behind them. The Wonderbolts were doing a flyby, much to the joy of everypony there.

"Atten-hut!" Sorcery Sergeant Major Pain shouted at the top of his voice.

A single clop echoed as the ponies stood tall and proud. Pain took a step back, turned and stomped his hoof as the First Sergeant, now in full Border Guard uniform, stood up and walked to the podium. She tapped the mic with her hoof, a brief high pitched wail emanated from the speakers as the feedback didn't agree with her.

"At ease."

The ponies relaxed in one smooth, uniformed motion.

"It has been a long arduous four months. The time you have spent here has been good to you. You have worked hard, trained hard, fought hard and, in some cases, bled hard. You have all come a long way from where you started. You have made us all very proud. To be a Guard isn't something everypony can do, but you all know that already. You've seen recruits come and go, but those of you who stand here before me today have stayed the course. You finished what you sought to do." Ruby eyed the graduates. "From this moment on you are no longer recruits. You are Guardsponies. Some of you will be the Royal Guard, others will be the Border Guard, but no matter what, you are all Guards. Remember that. Every pony, from the ones standing next to you here to those that will stand by you wherever that may be, they are your brothers and sisters. You are now a part of this herd. We fight to protect that which is dear to us and I know that you will make us proud."

There came a light applause from the sizable audience sitting in the rafters off to one side. They were the families of the new Guards having come to see their relatives for the first time in four whole months.

"You've all had a taste of what it's like out there. What it can be like out there. You've seen what actual combat situations can be like and you've all faced the challenges in a manner in which we could all learn from. You've been trained to deal with strenuous hardships, sleep deprivation, starvation and dehydration. You've tasted this kind of life and you've come to accept it. You were born to protect Equestria and in return she will love you and all within her borders will share in that love. So, congratulations my fellow Guards. There is just one more thing we have to do. I will now call on Colonel Fire Storm to lead us in saying the oath. Sir?"

There was a excited murmur as the audience began whispering to one another. Fire Storm was a living legend. A survivor of terrible times now long forgotten by the younger generations. The old pegasus stood up slowly and took a step towards the podium. One of his legs was a wooden stump from the knee down. He carefully adjusted his helm and walked to the podium with slow, deliberate steps.

"Atten-hut!" Pain shouted again. "Right. Face!"

The graduates all turned at once towards the Equestrian flag that flapped in the light breeze. They all placed their hooves over their hearts as Fire Storm removed his helm from his head and placed it over his chest. As he said each sentence, the ponies repeated the words. The Oath of the Guard, as ancient and sacred as the Guard itself, it had been their creed since its inception.

"Hear me now, for my word is true.
This Oath, beloved Equestria, I swear to you.
My courage is the shield that defends this kingdom,
Guided by justice, enlightenment and wisdom,
My will is the weapon that repels her foes,
To stand fast against those we oppose,
My soul is the fire that burns keen and bright,
To lead by example and do what is right,
With kindness as my armor,
With tolerance as my shield,
With love as my spear,
From this moment forth I vow to be loyal,
Till my service ends, or I shed this mortal coil."

A sudden blast of wind erupted through them as the great flag of their homeland seemed to acknowledge their pledge. It rushed through the ranks of Guardsponies making their plumes billow in its caress. Fire Storm placed his helm back over his head, saluted the flag, then returned to his seat.

"Left. Face!" Pain shouted.

The ponies turned towards the stage as one unit. Their last order as recruits.

"Good luck out there, Guards. Dismissed!" Ruby Flame saluted them and walked off the stage.

And just like that, the newest batch of Royal and Border Guards was ready.

After they took their two weeks off for a much needed vacation, of course.

"Sempie! Sempie!" a voice screamed as a pink blur rushed through the crowd.

Everypony turned their heads to the source of the noise. Who in their right mind would call the toughest, strongest, best-at-everything-iest, baddest, highest ranked Border Guard Sempie?

The little filly dodged the legs of some of the Guards milling around the marching grounds and plowed right into Semper headfirst. Semper had turned his body in such a way that the little mare's impact hit him on his unarmored side. She wrapped her little hooves as far around him as she could and rubbed her nose into his coat.

He looked down at the filly and ruffled her mane. "It is good to see you too, Pinkie."

Pinkie immediately pushed his hoof away. "Stop! Mommy did my mane."

"Semper, is she your sister?" Sonic asked kneeling on the ground to get a good look at her. "Impossible. She's too cute!"

"She is."

"Can't be. She's adorable!" He held out a hoof to her.

"She is."

Semper watched as Pinkie touched Sonic's hoof.

"Then... all this time when you were referring to protecting somepony special... you meant her?" Sonic laughed as he smacked himself with his hoof. "Boy, do I feel dumb."

Semper slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Semper!" a voice called as a mare pushed past a bunch of Royal Guards chatting together.

"Mother," Semper replied. For a laypony it might have sounded cold, but those who served with Semper could see that he was genuinely happy to see her. He hugged his mother for a very brief moment and stood at attention. The embrace looked awkward and forced. It wasn't that Semper didn't like his mother, it was just that he had never really hugged her since he was around Pinkie's age. Not that he was angry or anything, it just wasn't something he did."My boy. Look at you! So big and strong. Like your father-"

"Dear, I think that would be either an insult to him, or an exaggeration of me. Son, you've made us so proud of you." The old stallion placed a hoof on Semper's shoulder. "That's my boy!"

Semper raised an eyebrow but shook his father's hoof. He had never heard his father call him 'his boy'.

"So, shall we go home?" the mother asked.

"Cloudy, we just arrived here. Don't you want to see the city?" Igneous replied.

"No, I want Semper to come home."

The blue stallion watched his family quietly while Pinkie was running in and out of his legs. She was having fun trying to hide herself from her reflection in her brother's mirror polished armor.

"He's not a foal anymore, Cloudy," Igneous stated.

"Boy or girl?" Semper cut in. "I have not got a letter from you in some time."

That made his parents stop and blush. "We've just been so busy, Semper. Lime took your words seriously and she's been running the farm. I left her home with naan and she's been real keen about it."

"A-a-and Maud's got that scholarship at that fancy Canterlot school. She's going to be leaving us soon too," Cloudy put in. Cloudy pushed her husband making him turn around and removed the basket resting on his flank. Semper recognized it immediately as the one he had seen Pinkie in the last time they had met. She had outgrown it while he was away.

"Semper, this is your new sister. Marble."

He leaned down and looked at his knew sister for the first time. He held touched her tiny hooves with his while she stared up at him with a slightly confused expression on her face.

"Marble."

Semper watched the little foal look at him. She gave a cute little gurgle that made all the mares around them coo, which made Pinkie sulk off to the side. Again she felt a hoof ruffle her mane.

"Sempie, stop!"

"Are you happy you have a new sister, Pinkie?"

"No!"

"No?"

Pinkie folded her hooves and pouted. "No."

"Pinkie, listen to me. Marble's a baby. She doesn't understand anything. It's up to you to help her along the way, ok? You're her big sister. You have to protect her like how I protected you, like how I will protect everypony. Do you understand?"

The pink filly just blinked up at her brother.

"Don't worry. Some day you will."

"Sir!" Semper his head to see a Border Guard saluting him. "Message for you, sir. Congratulations on your graduation, sir."

"Thank you, private."

A sealed envelope was hoofed over to him. Semper saluted the stallion and he did an about face. While he walked away, Semper undid the flap of the envelope, pulled out the contents and read the piece of paper. His mouth formed a tiny scowl, barely perceivable to any who didn't know. Mother's, on the other hoof, always knew.

"What's the matter, son?" Cloudy asked.

"Orders."

"O-orders? Already? But don't you have some time off?"

Semper looked at his mother and she shuddered despite herself. Those eyes. They were like stone. She had let her son leave home, but she would never forget the day those eyes became like that. Like the rocks they tended in the fields. She just couldn't get used to them.

"Not this time."

Cloudy made a face. "That's not fair, Semper. You can't just go off without prior notice. We need you at home as well. You're a part of this family and we-"

"Honey, he's a Guard now. He has to obey," Igneous whispered quietly into his wife's ear. "Stop it. You're embarrassing him in front of the others."

"I don't care! He's still my baby and I want him to come home! I never wanted him to join the Guard! I never wanted him to leave home-"

"Cloudy, stop. We're been over this. It wasn't our choice to make."

Pinkie ears flattened against her head. Her parents never talked like that at home. Sensing something was wrong she walked over and hugged her mother's leg. Cloudy immediately stopped and calmed herself when she saw her daughter's eyes.

"Mommy, are you sad?"

Cloudy quickly wiped away her tears and knelt down to Pinkie's height. "No, dear. Just a little frustrated."

"Where are you going, son?"

"I don't know, father. Even if I did I wouldn't be allowed to tell you, sir."

Igneous looked down at the ground. "How long will you be gone for?"

"Some time."

His parents just looked at him in silence.

"Father, mother, it has been wonderful seeing you, but I must attend to my duties. I am a Guard now, and I must put my service to the kingdom before my personal life." Semper hugged his mom stiffly again and shook his father's hoof. He placed a hoof on Pinkie's head and ruffled her mane, to which she batted it away.

"Semper, wait!" Sonic whizzed past him and landed in front of the stallion. "What about one quick photo for everypony, huh? Everypony together? I noticed that you parents don't have a camera and it's just..."

The family looked at Semper with a hopeful stare.

"Very well."

"Okay everypony, get together. Um... what's your name, little one? Pinkie? That's a wonderful name. Why don't you go there and stand next to your brother. Go on. Great! Okay, everypony smile. That's it." Sonic clicked the shutter and lowered the camera. "Great. Um... where can I send it?"

"Oh just hoof it to Semper. He'll bring it to us when he comes and visits next time," Cloudy said cheerfully.

Sonic looked to Semper through the corner of his eye but the stallion had already started walking away. He turned back to the couple and Igneous nodded at him. "I'll give you our address. Just send it there when you get the chance, okay?"

"Igneous, Semper will bring it when-"

"Cloudy. Stop. Just stop, okay? It's hard enough on him as it is." Igneous put his hooves on his wife's shoulders. "He's Equestria's son too."

She turned away from his face. "I don't care."

"I know, sweetheart. I know," Igneous replied.

Cloudy's ears drooped at those words and she felt tears forming in her eyes.

"There, there. He'll always be our son, but now he has a responsibility to everypony. I know that he'll keep us all safe."

"But... it's so dangerous..."

"We both know he can take care of himself. It's time to let him go, my love." Igneous hugged his wife tightly.

While the two were talking, Pinkie chased after Semper. Her little hooves carried her towards him as fast as she could. Then she jumped up and latched onto his rear leg. He stopped and looked down at her.

"Sempie! Don't go. Please don't go."

"I must, Pinkie. It's important that I go and see my new CO."

"I-don't-care-I-want-to-come-with-you!" Pinkie clung tighter.

Semper raised his hoof and Pinkie, out of reflex, closed her eyes expecting a smack. She sometimes earned one when she was especially naughty. Instead she felt his hoof on her head. She opened her eyes slowly and felt him ruffling her mane.

"Stop!" Pinkie moaned shoving his hoof off of her head. The process made her let go of his leg.

"If you come with me, who will protect mom and dad?"

Pinkie just glared up at her brother puffing her cheeks up for good measure. "You don't love me anymore."

"Of course I do. It's because I love you that I have to go. I'll come home."

"When?"

"In time."

"But when?" Pinkie whined.

"When you're older you'll understand," Semper said as he placed his hoof on his sister's again.

This time, however, she did not make him take it off. She left him ruffle her mane for a bit before he stopped and lifted her up.

"Sempie..."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Pinkie."

He stood up and was about to turn away when he felt the little filly latch onto his foreleg this time. He put a hoof around her and lifted her up. He plopped her on his back and walked back to their parents. Cloudy took Pinkie from him and looked at her son. She felt a mixture of admiration and apprehension. The armor and weapons suited him too well.

"Will you come for my birthday?" Pinkie asked suddenly.

Semper looked at his sister with a furrowed brow. "I don't have a say-"

"He will, darling," Cloudy interrupted. She knelt down and stroked her hair. "He will be there. Right, Semper?"

"Mother I-" Semper's voice caught in his throat as he saw her expression. He realized that he had hurt her already, but orders were orders and he had to fulfill them. He needed to honor the Oath. So he did what he had to do.

He lied.

"I'll be there, Pinkie."

"D-do you promise?"

"I do."

"D-do you swear?" she looked up at him with her wide blue eyes staring at him.

Semper placed a hoof on her head. "I swear. I swear to you, Pinkie, that I'll be there for your birthday."

Despite saying it, Pinkie remained unconvinced. She pushed his hoof away angrily. "I don't believe you."

"Very well. I promise you, Pinkie, that I'll be there for your special day. This is a promise. A special promise. A Pinkie Promise. And nopony, nopony can break a Pinkie Promise."

At that the filly looked at her brother. "Do something."

"Do... something?"

"Do something special, like you did with... you know... when you did your thing." She pointed to the Equestrian flag waving at the top of the pole.

At once her understood. She wanted a ritual. Standing up like how he had said the Oath. Semper took two steps back and placed his hoof over his chest. "I, Semper Pie, Pinkie Promise to be there for your birthday."

"Cross your heart!"

"Cross my heart," he crossed his heart with his hoof.

"Hope to fly!" Came a voice from behind him.

"Hope to fly?" Semper turned to see Sonic grinning from ear to ear. He gave Pinkie a wink to which she giggled and nodded.

"Hope to fly," she insisted.

Semper shrugged inwardly. "Hope to fly." He stood on his hind legs flapped his forehooves for good measure.

"Stick a muffin in your eye!" another filly shouted from next to them. The gray mare with the blond mane blushed slightly as they all looked at her.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that," a sky blue pony with golden eyes said. She picked up the filly and gave her a gentle bop on the noggin. "Derpy, what did I tell you about bothering other ponies?"

"Sorry, mommy."

"Apologize to the ponies, dear." The mother of the filly insisted. She set the little filly down on the ground and scooted her forward.

"I'm sowwy."

"That's okay, ma'am," Semper replied and bowed his head slightly out of respect. The gray filly giggled and blushed slightly.

Pinkie struggled in her mother's hooves and she set her down. She immediately walked over to Derpy. "Why would you put a muffin in your eye?"

"Because... muffin!"

"Cupcakes are better," Pinkie retorted.

"Muffins!"

"Cupcakes!"

"Muffins!"

The two continued their shouting match for a bit longer before Semper stood between them. "Since it's a Pinkie Promise, I'll have to listen to my sister, but that doesn't change the fact that you can have a Derpy promise."

"That's stupid. You're stupid!" Derpy shouted fighting the tears forming in her eyes. Soon she started bawling and the mother picked up her daughter. She gave them an apologetic look, but Cloudy and Igneous insisted that it was okay.

"Kids."

"I better go. My husband just graduated today and he's probably looking for me." The two of them walked away. Derpy stuck her tongue out at Pinkie, who replied likewise.

Sonic was struggling to contain himself. He found it all immensely amusing. "You made a little filly cry, you fiend!"

Semper didn't quite know what to say to that. "Can you tell her I'm sorry?"

"Me? Well... okay, but they're not my family, just so you know... yeah, why am I even going on about it?"

Those words fell on deaf ears as Semper walked away from them again. Pinkie struggled to get out of her mother's grasp, to run to her brother again, but Cloudy held her tightly. Held her fast.

They all watched him go.

Not once did he look back.

"Congratulations on your graduation."

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am!" Semper shouted.

"Take it easy, Semper," Glitter replied rubbing her ear with her hoof. "I'm sorry that you couldn't spend any more time with your family. And you can drop the first 'ma'am', that's only for recruits."

"Yes, ma'am. That's okay, ma'am."

"Yeah, well, it's not right and we feel terrible about it, but-"

"We need you again," the voice of the First Sergeant was heard as she walked through the open door into the briefing room.

The two Guards saluted the First Sergeant.

"Semper, I've got a hoof-delivered letter here addressed to us from the Zebrican tribe that helped us deal with the cultists. Remember?"

Semper nodded once.

"Are you familiar with our standing towards the Zebricans?" Ruby asked.

"No, ma'am."

She nodded. "Not many ponies are. Saying they were impressed with you is an understatement. They want you to go there. Apparently you've become the talk of the town... village... whatever, and they want you to go over there and learn things from them. It's no secret that the relationship between our kingdom and the majority of the Zebrican tribes are not on good terms. We don't quite see eye to eye on things."

Semper remained silent.

"I know that the history between us hasn't been the best, but we're looking to change that."

At that Semper raised an eyebrow.

"You are to go to Zebrica and learn whatever it is they want you to. Your primary objective is to improve diplomacy between our two nations by immersing yourself in their culture. Your secondary objective is to try and unite the tribes so that trade and commerce can function properly. This requires more brain than brawn. When you get back then you may go on your break. Don't disappoint me, Lance Corporal. I'm returning your rank, as promised."

Ruby took the wooden box from inside her armor and tossed it to Semper with her magic.

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Don't thank me. You earned it. I'm going to be honest with you, you're the only pony I know who can tolerate the Zebricans and their ways. I can't see any of your fellow Guard immersing themselves in that kind of life. Until we can find similar hoofing, this tension is going to remain. It's gotten worse the past couple of months because of those cultists."

Glitter was drinking everything in. She had never really stood along the border, despite her skills in CQC. This was the first time she was privy to an actual mission, and she was glad that she was not involved.

"Oh, and Glitter will be coming with you. She'll be your point of contact across the border."

That made the yellow mare do a double-take. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Semper will be spending his time in Zebrica and he will be sending reports when he can. You are to take them from him or his couriers and forward them to me. You'll be posted on our side of the border in the town of New Almaty. It's a small place with a population still in the double digits. A frontier town where the locals primarily grow apples."

Glitter's lip trembled. She hated traveling, and now she was off to some Celestia forgotten corner of the kingdom to play messenger for a stallion that equaled her rank in the short time he was there. She had not felt jealous before, but now she felt furious at the blue stallion standing in front of her.

"Is there a problem, Lance Corporal Glitter?" Ruby asked.

"No, ma'am."

"Dismissed." Ruby got up and left.

Semper was about to follow when Glitter stopped him. "I don't know why the First Sergeant asked me to go with you, but I'm not happy about it, understand?"

"You should've asked the First Sergeant to relieve you of this mission. I'm sure she would've taken your words into consideration."

Semper did not bat an eyelid when Glitter stuck out her bottom jaw in anger. She turned away and stomped out of the room in anger leaving the stallion behind alone.

"You've already packed? That was quick," Static said looking at Semper putting the last of his things into the duffel-bag he came with.

Sonic fluttered over to where the two of them were and landed on Semper's bunk. "What I don't understand is how we managed to get more stuff while you got nothing."

Semper looked at the two of them and shrugged.

"So... when's your train home?" Static asked. Then his eyes grew wide as he saw something he did not expect right at that moment. "Hey, hey, hey. You're supposed to return your weapons to the quartermaster before your train... leaves... you're not going home, are you?"

At those words everypony in the barracks stopped their packing. Semper picked up his shield and placed it on the ground. Then he placed his crossbow on the inside, then his sword through the foreleg loops to hold his crossbow in place. Then, through the middle so that the pointed end was safely inside the shield, he pushed his spear inside.

"No."

"You're off on another mission?" Static asked.

"Yeah, he got his orders earlier. His mom and dad weren't happy about it. Nor was his sister!" Sonic shouted the last word out and stood up on the bed with a wide smile on his face. "Oh, that's right! Remember how we thought that Semper's special somepony was Princess Celestia?"

Everypony blushed and exchanged looks with each other. The rumor had gotten out of hoof during their time there. They eventually woke up and smelt the coffee, but it was still a fun rumor while it lasted.

"Well, it isn't her. Semper joined the guard to protect his family, and his cute little sister!"

The whole room exhaled a collective 'oh' as they finally got it.

"You got a sister?" somepony asked.

"He's actually got a family?"

"Where do you think he came from?"

"I thought that Princess Celestia chiseled him out of stone and breathed life into him..." somepony else declared.

That brought some laughter. "I remember that rumor."

Static ignored the gossip. "I'm going to School of Magic after this. All the unicorns are, it's to hone our magic..."

"Well, he can't go there, he ain't got magic," Sonic said nudging the unicorn. "Me, I'll be going to Flight School in Cloudsdale. Two months."

Semper packed up his armor by putting it into his duffel bag. He placed the helm on top of the end so that it sat snugly over the edge, there were special loops around the end for the helm's straps to keep it there. He then slung the whole thing over his back and bent down to pick up his weapons.

"So... where are you going? Where's your post?"

"Can't say," the blue stallion stated at Static's question.

Static gave the stallion a look. "Come on, Semper. We've served together for the past four months. You can trust me!"

"Orders didn't specify that I can explicitly tell others of my mission. Friends or not, orders are orders."

He began to walk out of the barracks and stopped as he reached the door.

"Good luck out there," Sonic shouted. Semper stopped without looking back. "Next time I won't be around to pick up your slack."

The pony turned his head slightly to the side, and for the briefest moment it looked like he actually smiled. From the light outside it was hard to tell.

"And there he goes..." Static whispered as the door shut behind him. "Watch out world. Here comes Semper Pie."

Author's Note

Almaty is the Kazakh word for Apples. I learned that when I went there.

The Hospital

"How is she?" Twilight asked.

Nurse Red Heart placed a hoof on Pinkie's forehead. "She's fine. She had quite the panic attack. I've given her something to calm her, but what made her get this way? I've known Pinkie for years and she's never had anything like this happen to her before. It seems rather impossible for somepony like her."

"Well, my brother told me that her brother was coming to visit-"

"Wait. Pinkie has a brother?" Red Heart furrowed her brow. "Funny, she never mentioned that."

"She never mentioned it to me either. Not in all the time I've known her. I know all about her mother, father, and sisters, but never about her brother." Twilight looked at Pinkie, who was sleeping soundly and sucking on her hoof. "I'm going to go back to the library. There's something that I need to know-"

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. You know, now that you've mentioned it, there is something..." Red Heart stood up and walked out of the ward.

Twilight wasn't sure what to do, but something told her to wait. It wasn't long before the nurse returned with a really old, really dirty envelope in her hoof. She placed it on the table in front of Twilight carefully. It looked like it would fall apart if she breathed too hard onto it.

"What's this?"

"Many years ago, before I moved here, there was a... problem with a creature from the Everfree. Apparently an ursa major had managed to find its way outside and for some reason there's reports of a platoon of Border Guards that came here and killed it. Two ponies died that day. It has become somewhat forgotten over years, but this is the report by the Guards who were here."

"How long ago?"

"Look at the date."

Picking up the envelope, Twilight carefully removed the report. The first thing she noticed was the names of the deceased ponies. One was Misty Meadows, the other was Ruby Flame. The two mares stared back at her with neutral expressions. They seemed to want to tell her something. She felt sad for them. They had given their lives protecting others and they were unknown to the local populace. The entire event took place over six years before.

"What's this got to do with Pinkie?"

Red Heart pulled up a seat. "Well, let me tell you how I came across that report. It was late one night and we were moving some files from the old documentation room to the new one down the hall. So, we had to resort through all the files. When I was going through them, I had to redo some where the paper was almost gone. This hospital is almost as old as the town itself, so some of the records were almost destroyed, but then I got to a part where two years were completely missing. So I asked Dr. Stable what happened to them."

"And?"

"He said they were destroyed. Apparently that ursa I mentioned had destroyed the old portion of the hospital. That's why the entire eastern wing is a lot newer than the rest."

"I've never noticed."

"Well, that's earth pony ingenuity for you. Anyway I had to put the files in chronological order, so I had to look at the dates. After the missing two year gap, that was the first report. I've kept the original aside... I've been meaning to send it to Canterlot, but haven't gotten around to it."

Twilight looked at the reports again. She read the names and the ranks. Corporal Misty Meadows, and Warrant Officer Ruby Flame. Both had the letters KIA below their names.

"What's KIA mean?"

"Killed in Action."

Setting the reports down, Twilight looked into Red Heart's eyes. "What's this have to do with Pinkie?"

"Read the reporting officer's name."

At the bottom, written clear as day, was the name: Semper Pie.

"Wait. Semper's been to Ponyville?"

"Oh, so this is her brother."

"You've never brought this up with her before?"

"Of course I have, Twilight. But Pinkie denied having any brothers when I met her, so I never pressed it. After all, who would forget their own brother? Unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless something terrible had happened. Something so awful, that it traumatized her."

Twilight remembered reading something like that. "So... she made herself forget?"

"Yes. If something is so awful, the mind will purposely block it out. If something ever reminds that pony of that event, it could trigger negative emotions. Most common of which is-"

"A panic attack."

Red Heart nodded. "I think that if you want Pinkie to remember, you're going to have to confront whatever it was that made her forget it in the first place."

"Her brother is coming here-"

"He is? Oh. That's not good. That's not good at all. If whatever triggered her attack is associated with her brother, then her seeing him might be very bad."

"How bad?"

Red Heart's silence spoke volumes.

"Oh. I've got to tell Shining to convince Semper not to come!" Twilight stood up.

"Too late," a voice said from the door. Shining was standing there. "He's already on his way."

"Then we need to warn him!" Twilight insisted.

The two of them looked at each other. Then their eyes grew wide as they reached an epiphany. There was one way to get a letter to him quickly and reliably.

"Spike!" the both exclaimed together.

Mission 1: Almaty

As the airship landed, Glitter could not get over how alien the land below looked. She was not used to seeing so much wilderness. Once they had disembarked from the last port there were hardly any places of civilization. Sure she spotted a few hamlets here and there, usually next to a large body of water, but all in all it was pure, virgin land. She had never seen the jungles of Zebrica before, and even from her vantage it looked intimidating and uninviting. What creatures dwelt beneath the dense canopy, she could only imagine.

She was standing on the forecastle of the ship leaning against the ropes, her hair billowing in the cool morning air. It was said that on a clear day, from a good altitude, you could see the beginnings of the vast desert that stretched out after the jungles; an ocean of sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. Few Equestrians had ever ventured that far, and fewer still had actually ventured over it. As far as anypony knew, no pony had ever crossed it and tales of the far off lands beyond the dusty expanse were shrouded in mystery and myth.

Almaty was a strange little town. It was located in an extraordinary protrusion that seemed to push right into the heart of Zebrica. The border formed right up until it touched the great Nyoka Mto, otherwise known as Snake River for how it bent, swayed and doubled back on itself in several places in large u-turn, giving the end of the boundary and edge that looked like a hoof on a map.

On both sides were tall snow-capped mountain ranges, their peaks higher than the clouds themselves. They were so steep and sharp that they were practically cliff faces. The mountains halted suddenly and descended into the think jungles, but along its interior was a nearly flat, rocky desert. Nothing grew here. That was the way it remained until they reached the end of the mountains it was only after that the grass returned to the landscape. The mountain slopes were so steep that it almost looked as if it were split in two by a giant axe.

Explorers claimed this valley on behalf of the princess, pushing as far as they could go until it was clear that the land beyond the river belonged other creatures not willing to give up their homes for anypony. Celestia, on the other hoof, had ordered that any exploration into that area was to be done only as observation. The only reason why she knew that was because of a footnote in the mission brief.

Glitter had to admire that about the Zebricans. Despite most of the Equestrian population ignorant of them, they were numerous, having huge cities that rivaled the size and majesty of Canterlot. However, most of them seemed to prefer living the dangerous jungles convinced that they lived in harmony with nature. She wondered why that was. Still, it was what made them intimidating. Or perhaps it was because their lives were shrouded in mystery. Their culture was an enigma to outsiders. Maybe that was the reason why Semper was to go and learn from them? She remembered the mission and its objectives, but the Semper was a soldier, not a diplomat. Was he the right pony for the job?

There were no Border Guard airships stationed in this area. There were several reasons for this, the foremost being that because of the mountains it was impossible for airships to sneak through that way. The wind was too violent, making the valley the only corridor available. Even then only smaller vessels could navigate the treacherous airways as larger ones would find themselves being pushed into the sides of the mountains. Every once in a while a small patrol would venture out towards Almaty, but not regularly.

According to the reports, the townsfolk did not seem to mind very much. After all, without the Guard other ships could fill the void and run the shipping route. This allowed businesses to flourish. There was even an annual race where tiny airships, enough for two ponies, would race up and down the valley through the trickiest time of the year. The autumn fall. With the pegasi in Equestria pushing out the warm clouds for the coming winter, the winds that get funneled through the corridor create some amazing turbulence where ambitious ponies ply their skills for fame and wealth.

Glitter was looking forwards to seeing that. There were rumors of infamous pirates that usually hid beyond Equestria's borders making an appearance, allowing their crew to take part or gambling their loot away. Further to the west and east the Border Guards had their fleets to ensure that shipping lanes were kept pirate-free. Despite there being raids on occasion, few were ever successful and most pirates ended up in a Border Guard dungeon for a long time before they were send to the nearest royal court for sentencing, which usually found them guilty and sent them back into the dungeons.

The corridor to Almaty was really something to behold. Those that came from Zebrica had a special name for it. They called the Mwezi Bonde, or the Lunar Valley. Eventually the mountains and valley ended and lowered slightly before melting into a large open plain where the town sat.

"Ready to descend. Watch the crosswinds. It gets tricky here," shouted the captain as he stood on the main deck made the crew spring into action folding in the sails and slowly letting out the gas from the balloon slowing the momentum of the ship as it descended steadily.

As Glitter looked at the crew doing their jobs, her eyes found the blue stallion standing next to her staring off into the distance. When had he got there? Had he been there long? How had she not noticed him? She sighed inwardly and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Trying to explain how Semper did things was becoming increasingly difficult. The only explanation she could conjure up was that he was able to do these things because he was Semper Pie. Surprisingly, the explanation seemed to be enough.

"Easy as she goes," the captain called out again as the vessel neared the large grassy field.

A few sheep that were grazing scattered as they spotted the ship. Perhaps they were clearing the way, or perhaps they were scared that it was some large predator. Sheep, unlike some species of cows, were not sentient.

"Drop anchors!"

"Drop anchors!" another crewpony shouted.

Two dull thuds sounded as the objects in question hit the ground. Unlike in their aquatic counterparts, airships had their anchors along the midsection. The ship drifted a little more before the ropes grew taught, the prongs burrowing into the ground. Only then did it stop moving completely.

"Alright lads, and lass, tighten the winches and dock her. And be sure to let our guests know that we've arrived."

"Aye, sir!" the crew responded, the winches screaming into action as the hull was pulled the last few feet towards the ground.

Almost as soon as the hull touched the grass, the gangplank was lowered from deck. Several ponies, excluding Semper and herself, disembarked. Glitter noted that Semper had his gear with him. He always seemed to have everything he needed whenever he needed it. If there was one good thing she could say about the earth pony, it was that he was always ready. Ready for whatever came his way. It was also one of the things that annoyed her the most about him.

"I need to get my gear," Glitter informed.

Semper nodded and tightened his grip on his weapons and bag. "I will meet you on the field."

"Yeah. Sure."

As she walked away she took note that some of the crewponies were tying off some more ropes after hammering some pegs into the ground. After that they began to deflate what was left in the balloon.

"Not too much. Just enough so she doesn't float away should the line snap," the first mate shouted to a fellow crew.

"Aye, sir!"

The first mate turned and spotted her and saluted sloppily. She tried not to make a face, but must have failed.

The captain walked past and bowed. "Ah, Miss Glitter. Hope that your trip with us was comfortable. It is always an honor to travel with the Guard, not to mention the benefits we receive."

"Not really one to hold back your opinion, are you, captain?" Glitter smirked at the rogue.

He stroked his beard and laughed. "Aye. I've never been one to hide behind fancy words. I call 'em as I see 'em. By the by, your partner is an earth pony, is he not?"

"He is."

The captain nodded slowly. "Just... I've never seen an earth pony wear the red plume before. The Day and Night Guards usually have them, but never the Border-"

"I can understand your confusion, but I can assure you that he is the real deal. Don't let his quiet demeanor fool you. He's not the kind of pony you want to cross. Trust me."

"Miss, I work with earth ponies all the time. Two in my crew in fact. My navigator's an earth pony, and you know, I've got nothing but respect and admiration for 'em. Still, be warned, this sentiment does not extend to every pony, especially this far into the wild. You might find yourself a nice home, but as for your friend-"

"He is not my friend. He's just another Guard," Glitter corrected the captain.

The captain remained silent for a beat. "As you say. Just, there are those that are... ignorant of the company they keep. Well, I've got to unload some goods, so I guess this is where we part ways. Watch yourself out here. This isn't like what you're used to anymore. A lot of ponies that come out this far go home in a box." As he said this, a loud groan echoed through the ship. The left side of the hull opened itself up and the crew we lowering it to form a ramp. They then started pushing out the stored cargo.

She watched for a few minutes before she spotted a cart being pulled coming from the town. The passengers that had left all stopped and made way for it, bowed their heads, and waited for the cart to pass them by before continuing their walk. Curious, she followed the first mate and captain down into the hold. She now found herself looking down a ramp that was formed by the hull folding out, the cart being reversed closer.

Then the two Border Guard in full armor stood side by side and saluted. "Permission to come aboard!"

"Aye. Granted," the captain gestured with his hoof.

A red glow swirled around the back of the cart and the tailgate lowered gently. Then a mixture of red and blue appeared on two halves of the first box, on top of which was a severely damaged helm. They brought it right up to the end of the hold and gently placed it down. Afterwards they returned and did the same with the second box, similarly with an equally damaged helm on it. Then finally the third was placed next to the other two, this one the helm was relatively intact. They then took two steps back and saluted each coffin twice. This was tradition for all the Guard. The fallen were always saluted twice. Once to acknowledge them, then again to say goodbye.

She placed her helm on her head and also saluted. A Guard always saluted a fallen Guard with their helm on. To have a Guard salute you was a sign of deep respect, for as a Royal Guard it is as if the Princess herself were tipping her head towards you. The unicorns turned and saluted her, once, and marched out of the hold. Neither had said a word to her, nor her to them.

They all let the silence linger.

Eventually the captain placed a hoof on Glitter's shoulder. "Don't fret. For all we know, those coffins have been here for some time."

"Maybe. I know that it isn't a common route. But to see a Border Guard going home like that..." She had no more words.

The captain nodded sadly. "I can only guess what it feels like. I wouldn't want to be the family. These coffins are going straight back the way we came. I've got to help unload, so don't let me keep you."

"Thank you, captain."

Heading back the way she came, she made her way towards her quarters. They were located next to the captain's. She was the only pony, apart from the captain, that had her own room. It was nothing extravagant, basically a broom closet with a hammock, but she had loved even that tiny bit of privacy. Semper had almost forced her into it and granted that she did not try very hard to resist.

She had once she had gone to check on Semper just to find out where he was bunking. She spent over an hour looking and had not found any trace of him. Fearing the worst, she was about to raise the alarm when one of the crew informed her that he was helping the night watch in the crow's nest located on top of the balloon. His job was to spot potential lightning clouds and other floating hazardous objects. That was where he stayed during the majority of the voyage. How he had managed to get up there was a mystery to her. She somehow doubted that one of the pegasi had helped him up on their backs. Semper was not light, which she knew this because of their drills together. The earth pony was solid. Sure, she could lift him in a throw, but lately she found herself steering clear of any sort of contact with Semper. She hated to admit it, but he had become better than her at CQC.

A lot better.

Soon everything she had brought was neatly packed away, not that there very much in the first place. Glitter had made sure to only take things out of her bag that were not necessary if something were to happen to the ship she could just grab her gear and make for a life raft. Things that she felt she could spare were a bar of soap, a toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste just enough for the trip. However her manebrush, on the other hoof, was something she would never allow herself to lose. It was her grandmother's, and something of a family heirloom. It was silly, but she was very attached to it. Why she had left it on her hammock made her want to kick her own rear for breaking her own rule.

With everything ready, Glitter stepped out of the ship opting to go through the ramp in the cargo hull instead of the gangplank on deck, and set hoof on the grassy field.

The first thing that she noticed was how strange the grass felt under her hooves. Unlike the kind back home, which was soft and edible, this felt sharp and rough. The mere thought about taking even the smallest nibble made her sick to her stomach. Perhaps it was the rough, dark green pigmentation. No doubt that it looked beautiful, but it still felt unappetizing. Was it because they were so close to the jungle? According to the guide that she was given before embarking on this mission, and given to any Guards stationed along this border, the plants were highly toxic some to the point of it being fatal. So, as a cardinal rule, if it grows and is fresh, don't eat it.

Not that she would have. Eating grass from the ground seemed so backward, yet she knew of many ponies who did it anyway. Usually the older generations who did not feel funny when younger ponies stared at them when they did it. It was the thought of the fact that many ponies could have walked over it, creatures could have done their business on it, and all sorts of things. That's really what made it so unappealing.

She looked around and spotted the other passengers now approaching a wooden wall and gate. Obviously that was one of the entrances to the town of Almaty. According to the reports she had read, this did not sound like the main gate. It did fit the descriptions of the smaller side ones, but as to which one she could not say.

Memorizing as much of the area as she could, Glitter found herself taking in the beauty of where she was. Despite being able to see it throughout the entire duration of the flight, seeing everything ground the ground made it all seem so much grander. The mountains towered into the heavens, the valley stretched into the distance, the town of Almaty sat snugly on one of the mountain's laps, and the dense, impenetrable jungle stretched out before her as far as her eyes could see.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" a voice asked from next to her.

Glitter yelped in surprise as a stallion seemed to suddenly appear.

"Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya, just thought you were talking to me." The pony rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Cool it, hot shot. Remember she's a Guard, she knows a creepy pony when she sees one," another pony remarked.

She recognized the both of them as members of the crew from the ship. As to what they were doing, she had no idea.

"All right you all. Take a number." The captain shuffled some playing cards and then held them out.

One by one the ponies picked one card and raised it up into the air.

"You know the drill. Lowest numbers are first, aces highest, then followed by suit. Heart first, then club, then diamond, then spade." The captain looked as the ponies began sorting themselves out. He hoofed them each a small bag, and made them sign something. Soon the last of the ponies put down their signature and the captain shut his book. "Well, that's it. You're all off. This here's your pay, only half, mind you. I still need you back tomorrow," the captain said as he handed small bags to his crew. "So, enjoy yourselves and don't get locked up this time. I'm talking to you, Dusty."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"Don't you 'aye, aye' me. Just don't let me hear that you've been thrown into the slammer again. I won't wait for you and you can explain to your ma why you were left behind."

"Okay, pa-"

The captain put his hoof up. The universal sign for 'shut your gob'. "No. When we're out on a job I'm your captain first. I'm only your pa when jobs done. Got it?"

"Aye, sir," the young stallion groaned.

"Good. Now get going. Have fun, but not too much fun."

At that the crew broke up and went on their merry way.

Glitter had observed her surroundings and got a feel for the place. This was one of the lessons she had learned when she was a recruit and she remembered how the Sorcery Sergeant grilled it into her. She had no idea it was so incredibly important but she hoped that when the time came to learn it would be a lesson she could take home with her. Alive.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her that startled her.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," she mumbled refusing to turn around so that the blue stallion would see the flush in her cheeks.

"Sorry."

She calmed herself and looked over to him. His steel-like eyes were looking at the jungle. She was unable to really tell what emotion he was feeling, but if she had to guess it would have been excitement. There was just something about him. A slight twinkle in the very back of his pupils. The silence was beginning to get awkward, but what could she say? It was her fault for not noticing him despite telling herself just seconds ago how important was to remain observant and to take note of the surroundings. If anything, she had just taught herself a very harsh lesson.

Don't forget about Semper.

"Let's go." Glitter walked on ahead.

They walked side by side in silence. It was not that she didn't want to talk to the stallion, it was that they had nothing to talk about. Semper rarely talked, so conversation was a rare phenomenon. Rumor had it that he had scarcely talked to any of his squad-mates, and other Border Guard seemed to avoid talking to Semper altogether. She had doubted the authenticity of the rumors until she herself had been put into that very position.

"No harm in trying again," she muttered to herself. She paused and allowed Semper to catch up with her. "So... I heard that your family came for the graduation. Did they like it?"

"Yes."

"Oh? That's great. Um... you have any siblings?" she asked trying not to let the momentum die down.

"Four sisters. Younger. I'm the oldest."

"R-really? What are their names?" Glitter wanted to pat herself on the back. This was the most she had gotten out of him ever.

"Muad, Limestone, Pinkemina and Marble."

"Oh? How old, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Maud is seven years younger. Limestone is ten. Pinkie is thirteen. Marble is seventeen years younger than me; she will be one this year."

Glitter did the math in her head. "Your parents started early-" she cut herself off. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate."

Semper nodded. "It was."

And just like that the conversation disappeared. She wanted to know. She was dying to know. What had happened all those years ago. Did his father knock his mother up and forced them to marry? Where had they met? What is love or did they marry each other out of convenience? All this questions flitted through her mind.

If she wanted answers, Semper was the wrong pony to ask.

They eventually joined the large dirt road that came out of the valley and headed straight towards Almaty. From this vantage they could see the large wooden doors of the main gate. A number of Border Guards stood there, some along the bottom keeping an eye on ponies entering and exiting, others stood around the upper levels. It seemed normal enough.

Despite the number of ponies, Glitter was quite surprised at just how small Almaty was. A wave of nostalgia overcame her for a moment as she thought back to her hometown. Not exactly the same, but the small-town feel was unmistakable. It further added to the feeling that she did not want to be here at all. She had cursed Semper practically nonstop since their departure from the training facility despite knowing that it was not really his fault at all. She needed to blame somepony for her misery and he was the easiest target, and likeliest candidate.

As they stood at the entrance, Semper turned and faced the jungle.

"What?" Glitter asked, not seeing what he did.

Semper pointed towards a particularly large clump of bushes. "A friend."

A zebra suddenly stepped out from where Semper had been pointing. He placed his bow on the ground, then his large knife. She did not need to turn around to know that every crossbow had been trained on him.

Semper walked towards the zebra and placed a hoof on his shoulder. The zebra did the same. Glitter knew that this was the traditional greeting of various tribes in this area. She had read about it and also knew who the zebra in question was. He had helped Ruby track down the cultists a while back.

"Ah, welcome back to the edge of your kingdom, Semper Pie, you'll be pleased to know from here we walk, not fly."

"It is good to see you as well, Zaku. Let me introduce Lance Corporal Golden Glitter. She will be my point of contact while I am in Zebrica with you," Semper stated gesturing to Glitter with his hoof.

Zaku bowed his head politely. "It is good to meet you, Miss Glitter, although I wasn't aware that Semper needed a baby-sitter."

"He doesn't. Me being here is some sort of joke... not that I mean that it's a joke being here," Glitter quickly added, she did not want to seem as if she was insulting his country.

"Please take a breath, relax and be at ease, I do have a sense of humor if you please," Zaku replied with a friendly smile.

"Oh. Well, thank you. It's just that Semper isn't somepony who needs help, and I don't like acting as the messenger." Glitter glowered at Semper again.

Semper, on the other hoof, was just staring off into the jungle beyond.

The Zebrican laughed and nodded. "Do not worry about being bored out here, this town gets a lot of action, I fear."

"What do you mean?" Glitter asked.

"Almaty has had its share of troubles as of late, enough to warrant aid from mercenaries at any rate," Zaku replied. "Rumor has it that problems occur frequently, but as to what I do not know; it's swathed in secrecy."

"Secrecy, huh?" Glitter mumbled. She couldn't resist a good mystery.

A loud, fake cough came from behind Glitter.

She turned around and immediately saluted the pony once she recognized who it was. There was no question as to his identity; she had read about him in the set of files she was given. This was Master Sergeant Void Crest in charge of the entire sector. Almaty may officially be a small farming town, but it was also the center of Border Guard operations. The largest number of Guards for the entire vicinity was located in that town.

Unlike the Royal Guard where each uniform possessed a vanity spell that changed the hues of their coats and manes so they all looked almost identical, Border Guard uniforms did not. Void stepped towards the two of them, this thick black coat glistened as he stepped walked around them a few times. The long red plume lazily billowing in the wind.

"So, you're the newcomers, eh? And two Lance Corporals at that. A fine addition to our forces here."

Glitter looked at the stallion closer and noticed his hazel eyes.

As his eyes met hers she diverted her gaze. It was disrespectful to look a senior officer in the eye. Besides they seemed so cold. The look in Semper's eyes was one thing, but Void's were something else entirely. She could not describe the sensation.

Glitter stomped his hoof and saluted again. "Sir, I'm afraid there's been a mistake, sir. I am here as a point of contact for Lance Corporal Semper Pie, sir. His orders are to head to Zebrica and-"

The Master Sergeant narrowed his eyes. "I need all the hooves I can get in this Celestia-forsaken place."

"But sir-"

"I outrank you, Corporal. Do you need any more explanation than that?" Void said back calmly.

For the first time in a long time Glitter felt an overwhelming irritation against a superior officer. She was not stupid, she knew that at the base she was given a lot of freedom because of her position as a trainer. Although he was right about the fact that he did outrank her, the orders that she had received came from a pony that outranked him.

Problem was by the time she wrote a letter and let the First Sergeant know about this it would have been too late to actually do anything. It took several days to get all the way out here and that was with the airship scheduled purposely to take them all the way. Without that, who knew how long it would have taken to get a letter sent all the way back?

She did the smart thing. "No sir."

"Good. All you need to do is heed my orders, is that clear?"

"But sir..."

"Is that clear, Lance Corporal?"

Glitter opened her mouth to reply only to have Semper step forward in front of her.

"Sir, I am unable to comply due to my orders, sir. Sir, First Sergeant Ruby Flame has given explicit instructions to head immediately to Zebrica once I arrived in Almaty, sir."

Void sneered. "I don't care what your orders are! Do you know how rare it is to get recruits sent here? You are going to stay and do what I tell you, do you understand that?"

Semper remained silent.

"I said: do you understand?" the Sergeant screamed in the stallion's face.

Semper still remained silent.

Glitter gulped and stared at the two stallions. It was something to behold. It was as if an unstoppable force met an immovable object. Neither one seemed to relent, and both seemed fully capable of standing their ground.

Still, something had to give. It seemed that in this one case the immovable object did stop the unstoppable force.

"Are you deaf?" Void shouted before he threw his hoof up and struck Semper hard across the maw.

The blow made Glitter wince and look away.

Still Semper remained silent.

"Answer me!"

The only thing Semper did was blink.

Void's hazel eyes grew narrow and with a swiftness that Glitter could barely keep track of the stallion darted down and brought his hoof up as hard as possible against Semper's chin in a ferocious uppercut.

The impact snapped Semper's head straight up, his forehooves leaving the ground for a brief moment and he remained gazing into the Equestrian sky for a full two seconds. Then, slowly, he brought his head back down and faced Void without any expression whatsoever. Not his face, his voice or his body language. Semper did not talk, did not blink, did not react.

This did not amuse Void, whose horn began to glow a bright reddish glow.

Glitter made to do something but Semper moved his head ever so slightly to the side. The tiny movement was enough for her to stop and think about what she was about to do.

In that span of what had been no more than a few seconds, Void charged his magic and unleashed a bolt of light from his horn. It hit Semper full on sending him flying back a few feet; the explosion enough to push Glitter back a step. This caused Semper slide on his hooves until he came to a stop. Then the unthinkable happened. Semper wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his lips, stood up straight, eyes focusing forwards again and remained silent. It was as if the attack had done nothing.

That made Void do a double-take. There was a vicious glint in his eye as his sword began to glow.

"Sir, this is Semper Pie, sir. The first earth pony Border Guard, sir!" Glitter shouted, perhaps a little too quickly. She had unconsciously taken a step forward towards Void. Even if he was a superior officer, she was not about to let him draw a sword against Semper.

And it wasn't because she was afraid that Semper would get hurt.

"An earth pony? You're an earth pony? What are you doing in that uniform? What-" the stallion stopped himself and released his telekinectic grip from his blade. He spat on the ground and laughed mirthlessly. "I have no use for a pony that has no magic or cannot fly. So be it. Go on then. Head to Zebrica. I don't know why you're in the Border Guard, and I don't know how you've managed to earn that rank, but it matters little to me now. I don't have a used for you, and so you can go on your merry way. But as for you, Lance Corporal, you will remain here under my command. Understood?"

Glitter looked at Semper, who gave her a very slight, barely noticeable nod.

Why was she even looking for his approval? "Yes, sir!"

"And you. Get out of here, grounder. And take that zigger with you."

Glitter gasped. It was one thing to call an earth pony a grounder, but to call a Zebra a zigger? She turned her head slightly to look at the Zebrican with them. Zaku had narrowed his eyes at the black unicorn.

"What? You want to start something, zigger?" Void asked this time drawing his blade.

Zaku moved ever so slightly, but Semper put a hoof on his foreleg. They exchanged a look and with that, swinging his bag over his shoulder, Semper headed towards the dense jungle without further comment. Zaku waited for a few more seconds before following the blue pony.

Would he have actually used the sword on them? Glitter wondered to herself as she followed Void towards Almaty. A part of her somehow felt that it was the Sergeant who was in grave danger during that entire ordeal, not the Zebra and especially not Semper Pie.

How long had it been now? She peered at the sky and counted the days. A month. One entire month she had been living in this small town. She could scarcely believe it. An entire month doing the same daily routine day in and out. An entire month eating the same food in the mess. An entire month exposed to racist bigotry of the Guard, and especially from the commander. She could not help but feel especially disgusted at him. He was supposed to represent Equestria in these parts, but if he was showing Zebrica that attitude towards them then it was no wonder that the Zebricans despised them.

The local earth pony populace seemed to keep to themselves, and rarely interacted with the Guard. She was one of the few that managed to make some friends, but that was only because she had made the effort to. The rift between the two populations was as clear as if you put a red line between them. Again, this was probably thanks to the commander and those that shared his distorted ideals.

There was a decent cafe owned by a family of farm ponies with the most unusual accent. She had not been acquainted with it before, but the twang in their tongues made them very unique. They were well loved and a strong part of the community. In many ways they seemed to be the heart of Almaty, despite what the rest of the Guard liked to think. The cafe was attached to a farm which grew these plump light pink apples. Everything they made from it was wonderful. The owner of the farm was a pony by the name of Albermarle Pippin, a light green earth pony with a dark yellow mane. His wife was one of the few unicorns in the area who had a talent for doing numbers. She wore think blue glasses and had the cutie mark of an abacus. She had taken to wearing a large, brown wide-brimmed hat to hide her horn. Not that it mattered since everypony knew she was a unicorn. Still, you rarely saw Sharp Stencil without her hat.

The other place of note was the bar. Once again the local populace tended to avoid going there because that was where most of the Guard hung out when off duty. It was not a seedy place, but it certainly had a reputation for being rough around the edges. Although the Guard frequented it, there were others that spent their bits there as well. The most common were the mercenaries, who seemed to always be around. Then there were bounty hunters, but most kept to themselves and were off quite quickly, usually taking a sizable party with them into the jungles. The Border Guard sometimes employed these ponies to do what they did not have time for, which was something that Glitter hated. She understood the reasons and she knew that it was the most sense considering how dangerous some of the criminals are out there, but she felt that it was not something that Border Guards should do.

The owner of the establishment was a pony named Berry Punch, a very young mare perhaps only a few months older than Glitter herself. She had taken over the place after the old owners made a decision to live further inside Equestria. She did not seem to mind, considering that she was also inebriated most of the time. Berry had an assistant named Phosphorous, an off-yellow pony with a dark green mane. He was patient, and blind. Still he somehow managed to keep the place clean and tidy, entertain the customers, and keep a tight reign on the cash register. Glitter liked him. He was interesting to talk to, and always seemed to know exactly what was going on around town. This included any juicy gossip he might have overheard with his acute hearing.

All these places were located within the second wall that set the city boundary for Almaty. Anything built before that wall had to be approved by the local planning committee, whose job was to ensure the safety of their village from the dangers of the jungles that surrounded them. Still, with the rift between the locals and the Guard is sometimes felt that if either had a choice they would prefer trying their luck at living in the jungle instead. It was impossible, of course. The locals would probably end up with some gruesome fate caused by the unimaginable horrors of the jungle and the Guard would probably die out from either starvation or boredom.

Glitter had continued sending her weekly reports back to First Sergeant Ruby. Most of the time her reports went over her daily routine, which was droll at best. She had started to actually miss working with recruits, teaching them CQC and screaming at them when they didn't perform. That was how bored she was; she missed screaming at ponies. The thought made her shake her head in dry amusement. She looked down at her latest report and could not help but shake her head again. They were starting to look more like letters home rather than official reports.

Still, she had not yet received anything telling her otherwise. In fact she had rarely received anything from her command at all. Once in a while she would get a letter with a scribble on on it telling her to keep up the good work, but all in all it was beginning to get rather annoying getting little to nothing back from command. Not that she wanted more work, but being a Guard and standing around the gates was something she had not expected to do; that was what the Royal Guard did. She expected to be sent out on patrols, ensuring that the area was safe for travelers and to improve relations with the local populace. So far, apart from that zebra she met with Semper, she had not seen a single one. She expected to take on tough cases, such as searching for criminals trying to flee from justice, or scouting along the border and keeping a constant vigil on their neighbors making sure that nothing became a threat to their kingdom.

Sadly, the reality was different. There was nothing of the sort going on. All she did was sit or stand around and watch the grass grow from her wherever her post happened to be. The Sergeant rarely let any of them outside the walls, and they could only do so when they had leave. Most of the Guard were so desperate to stop working that they had taken to sneaking off and taking power naps wherever they could. Everypony knew that the real threats occurred at night, but still they were forced to stand guard during the day. It made absolutely no sense to her.

And there was still nothing from her contact.

That, and another thing really bothered her. Some of her letters were coming to her with the seal tampered with. At first she thought she was imagining it, but lately it had become increasingly obvious that somepony had opened her envelopes. It was not completely obvious, but very subtle. The wax seal would be slightly wonky, as if it were poked by a something to try and pry it open without damaging the paper underneath. She would not have noticed if they had been more careful. Chances are she would not have noticed if one of the wax seals had not fallen completely. Someone what either reading her reports or, even worse, stealing them and sending her fake ones. The thought was so preposterous at first that she just ignored it, but it had become endemic now. Almost every letter sent to her had been messed around with. Would that explain why her replies were so bland? Were her reports reaching where they were supposed to? Why would somepony within their own base do something like this?

No matter what she tried to come up with, the conclusion always pointed to the same answer. She was completely out of her depth. She was not stupid. She knew that there were always ponies willing to sell their integrity in order to amass wealth, but this town had really nothing of value to sell. At all. Not only that, there were no secrets going on in this town either. It was too close to the border for one thing, so any magical or scientific research was out of the question. They had no stockpile of weapons, in fact that had a disappointing amount of weapons in the armory, which she had visited twice.

She had thought about informing the Master Sergeant, but came to the conclusion that he was the last pony she could trust. There was just something about him that gave her the creeps. Maybe it was because of how her talked to the zebra when she had first arrived, and that whole tussle with Semper -- it still left a foul taste in her mouth.

There was also another thing. This one she found disgusting. The experienced Border Guards who had been living in Almaty for quite some time had become extremely adept at hunting and slaying manticores. The other day one Border Guard had taken down three manticores alone and showed off his gruesome victory by hanging the heads on spears along entrance to the gates. This forced every pony, from the locals and the rare visitor to take note.

Almaty was built into two sections. The first section was built at the base of the mountain, near the slope granting the down a natural, sheer cliff face as a backrest. At the top of the highest point was the Border Guard's base of operations. Around the immediate area were accommodation for the Guards as the building was not large enough to house them all. This area also had a number of shops, cafes, restaurants and most city-like forms of entertainment. Beyond them came the civilian houses. Most of them were either terraced homes, connected to one another and annoying identical. Only a very sad few were standalone. Then, at the very edge of this section was a nice large wall. This was where the majority of the Border Guards were forced to locate themselves. Well, all the unicorns at least. The pegasi were granted leave to stay above in the clouds, but most of them just drifted off to sleep once they got up there, or so the unicorns thought.

It was most likely true. There was little to no purpose for any of them to sit or stand around like statues.

Beyond the walls were the fruit trees, fields and apicultures. This continued until another, much smaller wall was hit. This was the official edge of the town of Almaty and also the furthest you could live away from the town and still be considered within the 'safe zone'. The walls was just big enough to keep some of the smaller dangers of the jungle outside, but not enough to completely prevent them. Usually harmless herbivores attracted by the crops would manage to somehow get inside, and most -- if not all -- rarely made it out alive. Several of the Border Guard seemed to relish it dispensing these creatures, and sadly were excellent at it. The wall had smaller gates that were kept open during the day and closed at night. Only the front gate was allowed to be open or shut after sun down.

Outside the main gate was the road that led to the large field. The road wound around the base of the hill, so a short cut to the side entrance was what most ponies did. The field was where the airships would land and unload more goods while they loaded up with goods from the farmers. It was efficient, fair and everypony was happy about it. These airships also brought along with them any letter or correspondence.

Today there had been an airship lying on the field. It was called the Flying Windego, and had beautiful white sails and the painting on the balloon was of a number of windegos running together, their manes forming a stream of sorts. It had actually stopped because of the clouds. Because of their out of control state, they can act as icebergs that float around in the sky and can cause severe damage to the ship. In this case, only the side had been damaged. A minor concern for a ship that flies. Still, if left broken, it could cause even more problems in the future.

This particular vessel had been there for a time. The crew kept mostly to themselves and did not really talk to anypony involved with the Guard, which seemed strange to Glitter at first, but them she remembered that if she couldn't trust her own peers, then it was no wonder that they avoided them in general. Not that any of the others minded. They welcomed the moment when their work was completed and they could go home and party.

"A savage land for savage equestrians." That was what the Sergeant had said to her when she asked about the clouds. The Border Guard pegsai refused to partake in any sort of weather management and there were numerous good reasons for them no to. She still felt that there could have been a little weather management to help grow crops more effectively instead of relying on nature's whims. Perhaps the most prominent reason of all was the fact that the Zebricans hated it when the ponies meddled, which was another sore point. It just did not seem possible, but the evidence was clear. Ponies from Almaty did not like the Zebricans. In fact most of the locals actually feared them for some strange reason.

"Ma'am, I'm here to relieve you, ma'am," a private stated as he saluted her.

Finally Glitter thought to herself. "Thanks. Be sure to keep an eye out to the east. Thought I saw something lurking in the bushes way over there."

"Will do, ma'am," the private said saluting Glitter again.

Deep down she knew he wouldn't.

Walking back to her room, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud commotion. Curious, she trotted down the street and spotted a sizable crowd mingling around the tavern. The noise coming from within grew louder and louder, and it was obvious that there was a fight of some sort going on. She pushed her way through the crowd but most made way for her when they spotted her.

She walked inside, past the swinging doors and immediately she felt her left eyebrow raise itself in surprise and curiosity. Two unicorn mares were holding a young pegasus stomach down on a table with rope fused with magic. She could see that whatever they were doing, the colt was not liking it.

"I don't know what's going on, but you better stop it," Glitter growled.

The two stopped what they were doing and looked up. Both were mares that she knew. Magenta Magma and Copper Tartarine. Both were strong users in fire magic, and both were known for being rough and tough mares. They both had tattoos along their forearms decorated with all the creatures they had slain in their careers. Copper still had the upper hoof though, she had slain a juvenile dragon alone and lived to tell the tale. She possessed some souvenirs of her encounter. Her left eye was scarred from the battle, three stripes that went from the top center of her head to her cheek where the dragon's claw tried to rip her face off, and she walked with a slight limp on her front left hoof. Despite these, she was still extremely dangerous.

What had she gotten herself into?

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the newbie. Hey, newbie. Where do you think you can get off bossing us around?" Magenta said walking towards her slowly.

Now Glitter knew she was no pushover when it came to CQC. She was one of the head instructors for Celestia's sake. She could take it and dish it, yet deep down she knew that just one of these mares could subdue her as easily as if she were a foal. She did the only thing she could do in that moment.

She gulped.

"Mag, don't let her get to you. She doesn't understand what we're doing," Copper said sitting up onto a table, the colt being pinned down. "Hey, rookie, come over here a sec."

Glitter hesitated only for a moment before doing as she was asked. She outranked the two of them, but she knew better. Ponies like these were ponies you wanted to listen to. Copper held a piece of paper in her hoof and she took it apprehensively. Paper was always her greatest foe. Glitter stared at the contents for a moment before her eyes drifted to the colt, then back again.

The picture matched perfectly.

Magenta smiled. "His name's Oil Slick, also known as Cobalt Slant. A notorious unicorn to be exact. He's actually fleeing from Zebrica because he got caught and the Zebricans are not as kind as we are when it comes to, what was it they accused you of? Oh yeah, partaking in the slave trade. Foalnapping young mares and colts and sending them off to distant lands. Not a very smart thing to do."

The colt seemed so young that it was hard for Glitter to believe he was capable of such a thing. That, and he was also really handsome. It seemed like such a waste.

"We're deciding whether we should keep him here in Almaty until the next airship comes, or let him lose. The Zebricans undoubtedly know that he's here and will either come ask for his head, or they're wait until he 'escapes' these walls. They may be a savage race, but so would I if my country were as lawless as theirs."

Glitter made a face at Magenta for that comment. It seemed uncalled for.

The colt looked over to her and shook his head vehemently. "They're lying. Please. I came here on my way from Zebrica because the Zebricans were trying to sell me off as slave."

"Oh, don't listen to him. They're always like that. Thinking that they can lie and get away for their crimes," Magenta growled. "The sad reality is that most of them do. Once they leave this town or this area, most of them get light sentences and are free within the next few years. That's what I like about frontier towns like these." Her sword whipped out and sliced the table end a fraction on an inch ahead of his nose. "Nopony comes looking for a body out here."

The colt blanched and fainted.

Glitter gasped at the speed and accuracy of the blade. The other two unicorns on the other hand seemed to completely take it in stride.

"What a wimp." Magenta shook her head sadly. "So, rookie. Your call. Shall we imprison him here until the next ship arrives to take his flank back to some court where they'll try him for a crime not related to his involvement in the slave trade because of lack of evidence so they will let him loose after a few years." Magenta grinned sadistically. "Or. We let him loose and see how long he takes to live."

"I... I don't know."

"Sure you do. Every Border Guard makes a choice like this some time. It's part of the deal. We're so far out of any law or control that we become the living embodiment of all semblance of it out here. Ponies come to us for help, they rely on us to keep them safe, even from each other. Not all ponies are good or kind-"

"I know." Glitter bowed her head, she had not meant to interrupt.

Copper stifled a giggle. "She's feisty. I like her."

"So, what made you come to this post? Did you annoy your drill instructor?"

"Well... not really. I am a drill instructor. I was sent here to be a point of contact for a fellow Guard."

"Wait. You're an instructor? Really? Well, let's see what you got." Magenta sheathed her blade and used her magic to move a table out of the way.

The crowd outside started talking excitedly.

"Shouldn't you take this outside?" Copper suggested using her own magic to hover a bottle of cider her way.

Magenta grinned. "You've got be kidding me. Since when as a rookie ever managed to-"

It was cheating, in a way, but Glitter knew that if she had to fight fair she would never be able to beat Magenta in a fight. She needed to end this quickly, hopefully within the first strike.

Her fist stopped dead in its tracks as she hit a wall of air.

"Please. My dead grandmother can punch faster than that." Magenta had pushed back with her hoof so that all Glitter managed to hit was air. "Are you done goofing around?"

Glitter twisted her body and aimed her hind legs at her opponent and kicked out, but nothing. She spun around trying to search for her target. Did she use teleportation? No, she didn't see any magic being used in that one moment, and it would take more than a few seconds for a teleportation spell to conjure itself. But if that was the case, then where did she go?

"Above you."

At Copper's words, Glitter looked up just as two rear hooves struck her right in the face. Hard.

Despite their original meeting, Glitter had become quite close to Copper and Magenta. They seemed to be the only two decent decent mares there. As she hung around the feeling of segregation became more pronounced. She actually could started feeling that the pegasi were ignoring her, and even the other unicorns avoided her as well. There were rumors, after all. Rumors that Copper and Magenta were filly-foolers and that seemed to isolated them within the unicorn community. Even Glitter could not deny that there may have been some truth to that, but she did not care. She was glad that they were who they were, and that they were her friends.

"Hey, Glits."

The voice caught her off guard as she was gazing out the window into the dense jungle. She turned around and smiled at the newcomer. "Oh, hi Maggy. What's up?"

Magenta held up a blue envelope. "You got a package. A big one. Saw it downstairs. Seemed to be delivered right to your door, didn't go to the Guard station."

"A package? I wonder who it's from." Glitter reached out and picked it from Magenta's hoof. She did not recognize the hoofwriting. She broke open the seal and turned the envelope over only to have a large leather-bound book drop out and onto the table.

Curious, she opened the cover. The first line shocked her.

Field Report - SP

"D-do you know what this is? This is a report! From..." she had almost forgotten all about Semper. Almost two months since he left and despite the act that they were not close, had not really talked or communicated, it was as if she was getting a letter from an old friend. She actually felt relieved. "Semper Pie."

"A report? How boring. Who's Semper? He that stallion who went into Zebrica?"

"Yes. That's him. At least I know he's still alive -- not that I doubted it for a second, but he's been gone for so long I was beginning to second guess."

"He your special-"

"No! Not at all. Don't you dare say it."

"Okay, okay. Calm down. So, what's it say?" Magenta stifled a laugh.

Glitter did her best to ignore the snickering. "It's long."

Magenta just shrugged. "I don't have anything else better to do until tonight. What d'ya say you just humor me for now?"

"Why not."

Day 1. The jungle is a magnificent place. Zaku has shown me a great deal already. Left Glitter behind to continue her mission. Water is low. Will have to find some. Made camp. We are sleeping on hammocks made by tying vines together. Dangerous to stay on the ground and dangerous to pitch tent. Daylight is fading quickly. No fire tonight. No need.

Day 2. Able to extract water from vines. Water tasted strange. Like iron or blood. Clean water very hard to find.

Glitter glanced at the drawings on the page. There were actually pretty decent and had vivid detail. Semper did not leave anything out. Everything from the shape of the leaves, to the best location, what to look for and how to find it were written in clear instructions. All that was missing was a little bit of color.

Day 4. Survival is difficult. Would be dead without Zaku. Shown safe leaves to forage. Many poisonous ones. Too many. Almost died today. Ventured near a large predatory plant. Very deadly. Aggressive. Poisonous. Zaku says close to his home. Should be there by tomorrow.

The next several pages were drawings of the plant. According to Semper's drawings it was around ten feet tall and had roots that extended out like nets. The mouth area had large thorns, or what looked like thorns, and apparently it was red with yellow spots. The leaves were a bright green, an obvious attempt to draw hungry prey towards it. Another sign of knowing you're near one of these plants are the large brown knobbly roots that appear above the ground in some places. She absorbed this information hungrily. This was priceless stuff.

Day 9. Lived in village for five days. Still have much to learn. Locals still slightly hostile. Reasons unknown. Currently learning how to make potions from a Zebra mare named Zenobia. Zaku says that its an essential skill to survive in the jungle and she is the best. I am learning beside her daughter, Zecora. She is exceedingly intelligent and I have the utmost respect for her. She does not return the sentiment. Apparently her father was imprisoned the Border Guard for a number of years for no reason. Will look into it when able. Father is fine now. Still holds a grudge but luckily seems indifferent to my presence.

Day 10. Drunk brawl resulted in information. One of the stallions confessed that Equestrians have been oppressing them for years. Many involved in slave trading. Must look into this. Was interesting to study tribe's form of fighting. The use of short knives especially.

Glitter furrowed her brow. The bit about the slave trading disturbed her. She knew that a ponies in the past had been convicted of partaking in the illegal trade, but there were plenty of ponies that lived outside the borders of Equestria, and there the laws differed. It was only within the last century that ponies involved directly or indirectly with the trade had been given lengthy sentences. Although it was illegal and the laws made it difficult for those involved to get away, many did. In fact, along the border of it was somewhat embarrassing for the Border Guard. Even the Royal Guard had their hooves full dealing with it almost as far in as Las Pegasus.

Day 13. I have a new name. Last night they performed a naming ceremony for me. Zaku was bitten by a vine snake which was disguised to look like one of the drinking vines. It is poisonous. He was showing me how to find wild bees and their hives. He had less than an hour to live. His only hope was a potion to slow the spread until help was available. It was possible because of the basics I was taught. I had not yet been taught to make an anti-venom. After finding the necessary herbs I brewed the potion and proceeded to carry Zaku back to his village. Stopped to force him to drink potion. Had to be careful not to allow him to drink too much or too little. Brought him back through the night. Very dangerous. Had no choice. His lessons in tracking paid off as I was able to retrace our steps. Without it I may have got lost in the jungle. Despite my best efforts I still fear for his life. It will be touch and go for a while now. I can only hope that I did enough. The others seem to think so. My new name is Tai Jicho. Zaku has been calling me that for a while now but it is official as far as Zebrica goes. It means Eagle Eye. He said that it means that I could see far but according to Zecora it means that I can see the unseen.

Day 16. Zaku came by my hut today. He still is a little out of it but the worst is over. He will recover. Zenobia had been by his bedside throughout the entire ordeal making sure he has taken the right potions and the right amount. As a result my lessons have been with Zecora instead. She has warmed up to me and has started asking questions about Equestria. I've told her that my experience in my own kingdom is highly limited and she was surprised to hear that I had traveled more through her country than my own. Learned how to make anti venom. Below is a list for each known species of snake.

Sure enough, through the next several pages were different recipes for snakebites and detail drawings for the snake that went with each remedy. This was valuable information. Scientists and doctors spent their entire lives trying to discover these things, and Semper managed to get a near complete guide detailing everything he had learned. It was simply amazing how much information he had managed to gain after such a short time.

Day 20. Finally arrived at the edge of the desert. Left the jungle half a day ago. Dry heat. Different from the jungle heat. Not 'sticky' heat. No more insects. Zaku had tried to bring me here last time before the snake incident. Have been a lot more careful. Hard to write as it is cold now and I am wrapped in a blanket. Strange how an hour ago all I wished was a swim in an ice cold river. Now we are warming ourselves over a fire. Zecora had followed us. We noticed but chose to ignore her hoping that she would turn back. Obviously that was the wrong choice. Zaku is especially angry. With slavery legal here it is dangerous for a pony or zebra.

Day 21. Met my fist camel today. His name was Panni. Met him on the way to the desert oasis town called Nadi, the capital of this small country called Zeboro. He is a representative of Camelot, a country with a name like that of our capital. He says it is far to the east. Our nations are not neighbors so they do not have an embassy in Canterlot. Zaku has revealed that the Zeboro is a country that does not respect the freedom of individuals. They are a large player in the slavery trade. Panni confessed that even his own nation partakes in it but that he personally does not agree. imprisonment of others (slavery). The slave markets are impressive. Please note that I am commenting on their size and not the fact that they exist at all. I abhor slavery, yet these are the common laws and customs of these lands. As a visitor, I must observe. Zaku has confined Zecora to the room we rented. Doubt it has anything to do with her being unable to protect herself. Most likely it is punishment for coming along without permission.

Day 22. Zecora was foalnapped last night. No sign of a struggle. After a thorough investigation we found small broken shards of glass near the door. Using what I had learned in with potions and applying that to what I know about certain reactions it was obvious it produced some vapor that induced sleep. Perhaps chloroform. We acted quickly, but not quick enough. By the time we found the foalnapper she had already been sold to a slave trader heading east through the desert. Zaku agreed to head back to get more zebras from his tribe and inform Zenobia. Despite his protests I have decided to head into the desert to pursue the trader. I am not a camel and cannot traverse the wasteland easily but I have to try. I may not return alive, but I cannot sit idle.

Glitter paused for a moment and thought about what Semper was about to do. He was about to go alone into one of the most hostile regions known without any help.

Day 27. Five days. Five days in this Celestia forsaken land without enough water or food is enough to test even the hardiest of stallions. This world that we live in is amazing... and dangerous. I have had to resort to carnivorous means to stay alive. At night sand snakes are active. The spear is especially useful at claiming them. Never before have I eaten meat and I find that my body is disagreeing with it. That is not the worst news though. My canteen is empty. Has been for two days now. I know that if I don't find water and soon...

Day 29. Can't write. Weak. Night cold. Hungry. If any should find please give to Border Guard.

Day 31. Panni saved my life. The camel had purposely come after me after Zaku had asked him to. I owe them both my life. I am recovering. Panni has agreed to take me to Dromedarius. The closest town. I explained my situation. Seems that Zaku had left out the part where I was trying to get Zecora back. Not sure why. Panni has informed me that Drmedarius is a famous sport for slave trading. I had no idea it was so prominent outside of Equestria. This really is disturbing. A shame that I am unable to do something and I have to abide by the laws of this nation.

Day 34. Arrived in Dromedarius. Panni had shown me how to keep myself cool in the desert by wearing long robes of white. They keep the heat away extremely effectively. Also advised me that I should not attempt the desert without a camel. Cannot make any promises. Seems that camels don't need to drink as much water. Something to do with the rather large humps on their backs. Will start asking around for any zebras on sale.

Day 36. Found her. Still has a strong will but the desert crossing has left her weak. Several other ponies and zebras with her. All slaves. Not yet revealed myself. Cannot be allowed to be discovered as a Border Guard here. Apparently there is a bounty on any Guard brought in. Luckily for me I've taken to wearing the long robes Panni had shown me so apart from a very select few my identity as a pony is unknown. Had to improvise for the hump on my back. Used a large sponge inside a plastic container filled with water. Nopony is the wiser. Saw the auctions. Sad. Many were bidding. Many ponies as well. Recognized a few from wanted posters. Zebras are not being sold until tomorrow. Objective is to buy her. Have to obey the laws here.

Day 39. Lost. Zecora was sold to another. The buyer did not wish to sell her to me after even after promising double what he bought her for. Perhaps not the wisest decision. Part of a huge convoy. Many different kinds of guards. Griffins too. Many slaves as well. Mostly ponies.

Day 41. In pursuit of Zecora and buyers. Headed westwards. Apparently they are going to the sea to take a ship to their home kingdom. If they reach the harbor it will be too late to stop them from leaving. Zecora will be forever lost.

Day 42. I see the sea. Tonight I will try to free Zecora. The harbor is at most two days from here. It's now or never.

Day 43. Failed to rescue Zecora. Under heavy guard now. Tried again. Failed. Wounded. Knife to the left. Not bad. Ponies. Many ponies. Did not expect. Thought they were slaves. Boarded sea ship.

Day 44. Not giving up. Promised passage on airship after paying a captain. Will catch up to the sea ship. Sea ship was massive. Easily fit five airships inside within the hold. Too heavy to take that kind of ship into the air without powerful magic. Hundreds of ponies, zebras, camels were loaded. Much like livestock. I am sending this report back to Almaty. It has only been a month and a half, but feels a lot longer. Don't know when return -- if possible. Until further contact, consider me MIA.

Signed, Semper Pie.

"Wow," Magenta whispered as she gazed out of the window. "Just... wow. That Semper's really something, huh?"

"And just like that... he's gone." Glitter couldn't believe it. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"He your coltfriend?"

Glitter snorted in surprise. "What? N-n-no! He's... he's just... um... he's a fellow Guard. I don't have any feelings towards him. At all. Please. No. Oh, sweet Celestia, no."

At that, Magenta stifled a giggle. "Okay. If you say so."

"Oh I do. He might sound and look good, but trust me, you'd get more in terms of affection from a rock than him."

"And... you want his affection?" Magenta pressed.

"I don't think he's capable of showing that kind of emotion. I've never once seem Semper smile."

"Not once?"

Glitter shook her head. "Anyway, if I calculate the days he's been gone, this letter was sent just over two weeks before." She neatly placed the report back in its envelope and sealed it with some tape. "I'm going to have to forward this to my CO so I'm going to the post office now."

"Mm." Magenta was turned away and staring out a window.

"What's up?"

"You know, I think I can trust you now. We've known each other long enough and I need help." Magenta pried her attention away from the windows and looked at Glitter. "Can I trust you?"

"Depends. Why? What is it?" Glitter asked.

Magenta studied Glitter for a moment. "I've been asked to investigate some disturbing occurrences around town. There's some... things are pointing to this town being a central location for the slave trade. Over the past few months a number of ponies have mysteriously vanished from this place. Ponies disappearing. At first we thought that they might have just up and left, ponies out here do that all the time. But we later found out that some of them were being taken from here against their will, and taken across the border."

"You mean to say that ponies here are being foalnapped?" Glitter asked incredulously. "How is that possible? There are Guards all over the place!"

"Well, that's what I've been asked to find out. How ponies are getting taken and being sold across the border. There is a lot of evidence suggesting that this case involves ponies on the inside. I've been doing what I can to piece together the entire operation, but I think I've gone as far as I can alone." Magenta looked into Glitter's eyes. "That's why I need you."

"You suspect that somepony in the Guard is involved?" Glitter asked.

"No. I suspect that it's ponies, not just one. It can't be. How can one pony conduct something on this scale?"

"It's mind boggling. To think that fellow Guard would stoop to such a level. It's just so wrong-"

Magenta held up her hoof. "I know. I didn't believe it either, but there is enough evidence to suggest that it's true. What I need to get to the bottom of it. I don't know who are involved, or where the exchanges are taking place. So we're going to find out where the ponies are being taken and sold."

"Why ask me now? Why not before?"

At that Magenta shrugged. "I couldn't trust you. For all I know the trade goes deep inside our kingdom. I had to be sure. The fact that this Semper seems to have somehow gotten stuck right in the middle of it and how you've been consistent in voicing your disapproval of it, I think it's safe to say that you can be trusted. What we need to do is find those responsible and bring them to justice."

"How do you suggest we go that?"

At that Magenta punched Glitter in the arm. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking for your help."

"Are you sure it can't be the Sergeant?" Glitter asked again. "He seems to have it in for zebras."

Magenta sighed and turned away from stocking the shelf with reports. "I told you already, Glits. He can't be because although he is a racist bigot and despises those that are not pony, he still loves Equestria and her inhabitants. He would never allow any pony to be sold. Can't promise about others though. The Sergeant'd rather die than see a pony sold off as a slave."

"There's just... nopony else I can think of."

At that Magenta returned to her stocking. "There is one more suspect."

"Who?"

"Copper."

"Your friend?"

"No. The only reason why I got close to her is because I have always suspected that she's one of the foalnappers. I don't know why she is involved in this mess, and I can't prove it, yet. So, here's what I want you to do. I want you to tail her, keep an eye on her. Tell me about her movements and everything. Don't let her know that you're onto her though," Magenta stated quietly. "It's important that she has no idea."

"And... what if she does?"

"Let's just say, even I can't beat Copper when it comes to CQC."

That made Glitter shudder. In all her time there, she had not once beaten the reddish-purple unicorn. And if Copper proved to be better than Magenta then Glitter was already nowhere near their league. She understood just how precious real field experience was. She'd have to just shadow her.

"Okay. I'll do it."

Author's Note

Mto - Swahili for river
Mwezi Bonde - Swahili for Lunar Valley
Tai Jicho - Swahili for Eagle Eye
Albermarle Pippin - http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/newtown-pippin

Some of the scenes I wrote was inspired by this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLeV5roLWd0

The Note

"So."

"So," Shining echoed Twilight.

"I've written the letter. Shall I read it out to you?" she held the piece of parchment aloft.

Shining just shrugged. He had dictated the letter to Twilight already, what was the point in having her read it back to him? Still, he knew better than to argue. She was somewhat of a perfectionist, and hated disappointing others. Annoyingly so. She had a tendency to overreact about certain things, and that includes an improperly written letter being sent on accident. And truth be told even he would not allow the letter to be sent if there was even the simplest of mistakes on it. It was to his hero and idol, after all.

"Okay. Here goes: Dear Mister Pie-"

"What? No! He's not mister! You need to use his rank!" Shining shouted.

There was a series of shushing noises from the nurses down the hall which made both siblings red faced. They were not very pleased with Shining and Twilight making so much noise. If it had not been for nurse Redheart, they would have been thrown out by now.

Twilight made a face. "Shiny, we went over this already. You said that you didn't remember his rank right now, so we agreed to call him mister-"

"No, I said to call him sir."

This time Twilight rolled her eyes and grunted in annoyance. "We can't!"

"Why not?"

"Do you even listen to me?" His sister pouted for effect.

At that Shining sighed. "Sorry, Twily. I must've missed it."

"I said: we can't call him 'sir' because that would mean that he's been knighted by Princess Celestia or Luna-"

"He has." Shining grinned stupidly. He thought he had said it, but apparently not. Either Twilight had not heard him, or he did not actually say it out loud. He had a lot of things going through his mind. "So 'sir' is right."

"Fine. One second." Twilight's horn began to glow and the ink that formed the word 'mister' lifted right off the page and the little bits of ink found its way to the nearest trashcan.

Shining nodded approvingly. "Wow. That's a neat one. When did you learn it?"

"That? Oh, a long time ago. I used to do it when I spilled things on my books. Didn't want them to get ruined so I learned how to get rid of the stains without ruining my books. It's pretty simple once you know how. When I first tried this trick, I took out all the words and illustrations in one of my books too."

"Illustrations?" Shining asked, raising and eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. It was one of my picture books... from when I was a filly."

That made the Royal Guard nod approvingly. "Wow. You invented this trick when you were little? I'm impressed, Your Highness."

Twilight gave her brother a friendly nudge. "I tried teaching it to several other unicorns, but they could never get it right. They always do it too hard and rip the pages from the books, or destroy the binders. Sometimes they even would really harm them -- the books I mean. Luckily I had them try it on old ones first, just to be absolutely sure that they'd not ruin the- what?"

"Twilight, as much as I want to hear how you taught the librarians of Canterlot how to use your spell, we still need to get the letter sent with Spike. So the sooner the better." Shining put a hoof on his sister's shoulder. "You can tell me after, okay?"

"Okay. Well, here's what I got: Dear Sir Pie."

"No. 'Sir Pie' sounds... stupid."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. It does. Shall we use his full name?"

"'Dear Sir Semper Pie'. Better. Let's do that."

With a quick glow of her horn, the name and title were quickly changed.

"Dear Sir Semper Pie, my name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Shouldn't we use your new honorific?" Shining asked.

Twilight blushed. "I-I don't like doing that."

"Come on, Twily. You can't use a title with him and not with yourself. It needs to be formal. Besides, I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear from you, Your Highness."

Nodding, she had to agree. Shining was right. You could not avoid using a title for yourself. It was not the proper way of writing to somepony who demands a lot of respect. She had gotten away with it with Celestia because she had treated her more than just a subject. She had always referred to the princess by her title to the point where it felt awkward when she did not. It just felt weird.

"Dear Sir Semper Pie, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. I am writing this quick note to let you know that your sister, Pinkamena Diane Pie, is in the Ponyville hospital after experiencing a serious panic attack, of which you are the cause-"

"Suspected. We don't know if he really is the cause for sure," Shining interjected. "Also, the way you make it sound makes it worse than it really is."

"It is pretty serious, Shining." Twilight deadpanned.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Shining put his hooves up.

"It is serious. Nurse Redheart and I think so. Pinkie never gets this kind of thing happen to her. It's practically unthinkable! And I don't want to risk her getting worse if she sees him and she isn't ready."

"Fine. You're right. Sorry, Twilight. I didn't mean to make light of your friend's condition. That's so not cool." Shining lowered his head to show that he meant it.

"I know, BBBFF. So, should we change it?"

"No."

"Okay. Now where were we? ... of which you are the cause. Please delay your arrival until we are able to think of something." Twilight frowned. It seemed so blasé. Was this something you write to one of the most decorated ponies in the kingdom? Surely she could do better?

"What's wrong? Don't like it?" Shining asked. He had seen the signs on his sister's face. Ever the perfectionist, but time is of the essence and they needed to send the letter soon.

"Not really. I'm going to say: until we find a solution. It's shorter, but it sounds better."

Just then they looked up to see a familiar, small shape walking down the hall.

"Spike!" Twilight called.

The little dragon waved and walked over. "Hey guys. You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, we need you to send this letter to Semper. Can you?"

Spike rubbed his chin and thought about it. "Well... yes and no. I can try, but he'll have to accept it. Not sure how he can if he's an earth pony. They don't have magic so it kinda... I'm not sure how he's gonna be able to. Never tried before."

"It's worth a shot. Go on." Twilight hoofed the rolled letter to Spike who instantly breathed his magical breath onto it.

They all waited for a moment.

"Well?" Shining and Twilight asked at the same time.

"Um..." Spike made a face. For a moment he looked really sick before letting out a gut wrenching, ground shaking, ear shattering burp. It actually managed to break a glass of water. On the ground, in front of them all, was the letter they had just written. "Whew. That's better."

"You okay?" Twilight asked placing a hoof on her assistant's back.

"Um... yeah. Just... ouch? I've never felt anything like that before. It was like trying to inflate a balloon only to have it deflate back into my mouth." He rubbed his chest revealing that it probably hurt his lungs instead.

Shining nodded and patted his adopted brother's back as well. "Need some water?"

The dragon nodded.

"Wait here, I'll go grab you a glass." He walked past the nurses who were giving him stern looks. It was not his fault that Spike let out that explosive belch. He returned with the water moments later and gave it to Spike who gulped it down in one mouthful.

"Well, there goes our chances of delaying Semper's arrival. Now our only hope is to tell him when he arrives. How did he say he was coming?" Twilight asked.

Shining shrugged. "I don't think he did. For all we know he could just walk in from the next town. But he's punctual. He won't show up before he's expected. At least that's what I know about him."

"So we're going to have to keep an eye out for him? Well, how are we going to do that?" Twilight asked.

Shining smirked. "Don't you have guards yourself? Have them patrol and report to you."

"You know, that's a great idea!" Twilight got up and walked towards the captain of her personal guard.

Mission 2, Part 2: The Lipizzan

Two days.

Two whole days had gone by since the ship had left. She felt all hope vanish as the reality of her present situation started to set it. Zecora found herself struggling to accept that she was a piece of property. She was nothing more than an item; a possession. She felt a stinging in her eyes and wiped the tears that were trying to form away.

How she missed her mother. It was not the fact that she was a clingy thing, but rather the knowledge that she might never, ever see her again.

"So, you got family?" the pegasus asked.

Zecora had been sitting on the ground staring at a spot just in front of her. She looked up to the pony and nodded her head. "I have a mother that I miss a great deal, being trapped like this seems so surreal."

"Tell me about it. I've got a daughter back home in Cloudsdale. It's the cloud city near Canterlot. I've really got to get out of here and get back to her. I hope she's okay."

Zecora nodded. "I know the city by its name; and my hope and yours are the same."

"You really do talk in rhyme, huh? I thought that was just a rumor. No idea that it was true. How do you do it?"

"Some of us talk this way out of habit, while others of our kind speak without it." Zecora smiled back. It was a weak smile, but it lifted the already somber mood.

"I think I know what you mean. I've met a few zebras that don't talk in rhyme. Could you... could you not talk like that?"

Zecora thought about it. "My mother taught me this to learn a complex recipe, for me it is quite a necessity. Although we have books and scrolls of different brews, sometimes time is critical; you snooze, you loose."

There was a long beat before Providence shook her shoulders. She was laughing. "Wow. I don't think I could do that on purpose, you know? It's amazing you're able to do it every time."

Zecora blushed a little at the compliment. "You seem to have no fear, how are you here? You act so bold and strong, this isn't a place where you belong."

"There's nopony... or zebra, giraffe and dog that belongs here. Slavery is wrong. Wrong in every way." Providence laughed humorlessly. "I guess it's because of what I do. You see, I'm an author. I write a series of adventure books about a pegasus mare that goes off into the world looking for treasures, magical trinkets, and powerful artifacts to keep them away from those that would use them for evil!"

Lucky looked up at them. "How did you end up here? An author can write in the safety of Equestria-"

"Sorry, but I can't write something that's half-baked. If I am going to write a story about adventure, I'm going to go find that adventure. It'll be like my life story... kinda."

They all looked at her as if she were mad. Except Zecora. She could sympathize with Providence. After all she had left with Zaku and Semper for adventure as well. They had told her not to come, but she was stubborn. She understood that she might not have been strong enough on her own, but with the finest warrior of her village and Semper, she felt confident for her safety. How were they supposed to know they would drug her in the room? How were they supposed to know that she was worth a lot of bits on the slave market?

Deep in her heart she knew that it was neither their fault that she was taken. She knew it, but she still harbored a lot of anger towards the two. Now she would be traded off to some griffon and probably never go home. The thought of that and the thought of her mother learning this news made her heart ache.

"So one day you decided to wake up, drop everything and travel the world?" Lucky shook his head. "You left Equestria for this?"

"I left Equestria in search of a better understanding of the world around us! Do you think that ponies know what really goes on? We've seen what it's like firsthoof, and if I had known I probably would never have left. Now I that I know, I need to get back home more than ever." Providence let out a long, tired sigh. "I know that I've been selfish. I know that I am a bad mother for running off the way I did, leaving my daughter with her father. She's still probably really, really angry at me, but my husband understood. It's been something that I've always wanted to do. It's on my flank for Celestia's sake!"

Her mark was a quill, the ink forming a multicolored arc with an inkwell the shape of a cloud just next to it.

"You understand, right? It's our calling. We have to do it because that's the way we are. I've got to write these books because... because..."

"You equines are a strange bunch," the rhino rumbled. "But I have more respect for your kind than I do with my own. You ponies have honor... at least most of you do."

His eyes turned to the front of the prison.

There was an unnecessary knock on the cage door and the diamond dogs had all started whining in fear and moved as far away from them as possible. Voltic stood there for a few seconds before moving aside revealing the pony standing behind him.

It was Blood.

No wonder the dogs were scared.

Blood stared hard into the cage studying each one of them intently. His eyes seemed to cut into them. Never before had Zecora felt so exposed.

"See? I told ya she was a pretty one. That pegasus is definitely a prize. She's gotta be the one," Voltic suggested with a unsure grin on his face. "I-I-I mean she's the most likely of the bunch."

Blood eyed them all one by one, but his gaze lingered on Zecora.

"All of them except the pegasus were in that group that was attacked."

Voltic grinned nervously. There was no way he could know that. "Oh. Okay... maybe he got the groups confused?"

"I want two guards here at all times."

"But that's a waste! There's no..." Voltic's voice drifted to silence as Blood looked at him through the corner of his eye.

There was a very real sense of danger now. Even from where she stood, Zecora felt that she wasn't far enough away.

"Two guards here. Always. Got it." Voltic squeaked.

Blood turned and walked off, the sound of his gauntlets diminishing with each step.

Voltic waited until the sound was completely gone before talking. "Look, I don't know what this is all about, but there's some rumor that a crazy... thing... is out to get one of you. Whoever it is, I will tell you now that nopony, not even an ursa, has ever managed to get off this ship and Blood and his Watu Wakali are going to keep it that way." The fox rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I know that... well... I know what it's bad, but to have two pretty mares in one cage with two of the Watu around isn't exactly a healthy choice. Some of them can be... pretty nasty. So, I'll make you a deal. I'll make sure that guards are posted aren't... you know, dangerous. B-b-but only if you make me one promise."

They all exchanged glances.

He leaned in closer. "The zebra makes me some... special potions. You're good with potions, right? At least that's what everyone says. Zebras are experts on potions."

"I know quite a bit about this subject, what kind of potion and what effect?"

The fox rubbed his paws together nervously. "Something to make me sleep."

"Why would you need help get some rest? Just relax your body, that is best."

"Really? Look around you! Look at where you are? Do you think I like doing this? Do you think that I want to be here? Do you think that-" Voltic let out a loud groan. "Just... if you can, then I'll do what I can to make your remaining days on 'freedom' as comfortable as I can."

The giraffe furrowed his brow. "If you don't like this, then why do you do it?"

"Because... because I was stupid, and young. I needed to pay off what I owed to that dragon after it caught me stealing from his hoard. Look, all I want to do is go home. I want to see my family again, and I'll do anything, anything to make that happen."

Iron looked at the fox and narrowed his eyes. "I find what you say difficult to believe. If you hate what you do so much, why don't you run and hide. Your kind is good at that."

"Hey! If you were in my shoes, you'd do the same thing," Voltic argued. "Run and hide from a dragon? Know anyone that's done that and lived?"

"No..."

"Exactly."

Iron looked away from Voltic. "It is a known fact that foxes are conniving, cheating, slimy creatures who prey on the weak. It's no wonder that you work these jobs. You excel at it. How can we trust you?"

Voltic stuck out his bottom jaw. "You rhinos are stubborn! Worse than mules. I'm trying to help you! Who cares if you believe me or not. Sometimes you got to put aside your honor and all that nonsense and do what's right. This is one of those cases."

"Wise words, especially coming from a fox." Iron shook his head in disgust.

Voltic growled. "If any of you have any shred of intelligence, then you'll know that I'm being honest here. I've got nothing to gain from lying to you. Look, zebra, think about it. If you're willing then I'll stick my neck out for you a little. Okay?"

There was a slight pause before the zebra nodded.

"Thank you. At least one of you has sense."

Both the giraffe and the rhino exchanged glances with one another, but neither said a word. This was not lost of Zecora, but she decided to keep silent about it.

"Let me get this straight. You want to chase the Eleonora? The Eleonora Nevus." The captain looked at the strange looking creature in front of him carefully. Why would he come to him with this? Or the better question would be: how? How did he know to come to him to ask for this?

Whoever he was, he looked and dressed like a camel. Something was not right. Something felt off, very off. Perhaps it was because that over the past few days the slavers and namely the Watu Wakali themselves had been going around searching for a someone. They never let on who or what he or she was, but it was clear that everyone was on edge. The rumor was that twenty dead Watu were found. Then again, he also heard that it was as high as fifty, so who really knew?

Certainly not a camel. They rarely involved themselves in these kinds of things.

And most were rich.

The only reason why this conversation had not yet ended was because of that. Camels usually had a lot of money and it was said that the sands of their homeland was actually gold powder. It certainly did look like gold powder when you saw it at a distance, especially from an airship.

"That is correct," The camel replied. He wore a veil that covered his face.

The accent did not sound like a camel's.

It sounded more like a pony from central Equestria.

At the thought of the kingdom, he recalled the story of how his grandparents had been exiled for some heinous crime. They never revealed what that crime was and even his own parents didn't seem to know. Of course it was always a taboo topic that they all avoided while he grew up, not that they were close as a family anyway. Life was hard for those who had to eke out a living outside Equestria, especially for Exilites, the common term given to those born to exiled parents.

Each generation of their family had done what they needed to do to survive. This led to many of his own family distancing themselves from one another. He hadn't seen his brother or sister in well over fifteen years. True, they had the chance of maybe going to Equestria and becoming subjects of that nation, but none of them really pursued it.

Especially not him.

Years after their death, the captain learned that his grandparents had stolen from a charity. The offense would not have been so bad, but later that same year a strange disease had infected many and funds were needed to purchase supplies and medication. The charity they had robbed did not have enough and due to this there were delays that cost lives. Many unicorns had died during this time as several ponies perished due to their greed. Banishment, therefore, seemed a fit sentence as although they were not directly involved in the deaths, they had inadvertently contributed to it.

Why was he thinking about this now?

Patting the table with his hoof, he contemplated quickly whether or not to accept the offer. He needed more information. He needed better insights. He needed to know who this was he was talking to.

"Well, that's a very strange request coming from a... camel?"

"Who I am is of no concern to you."

The bluntness of the statement caught him off guard. "W-well, I'm not in the habit of taking random strangers on my ship no matter who they are-"

"Will you take me for the sum of five hundred bits?"

Once again the bluntness of the offer had completely gone over him. Whoever this camel was, he was certainly really bad at negotiating prices. Or he did not care. The difference being that one was just an idiot, the other could be someone very dangerous.

Someone capable of killing fifty Watu. Or was it twenty?

"Five hundred Equestrian bits, eh?" the captain asked leaning forwards in his chair.

"Correct. Half now, the other when we catch the ship."

"I don't know..."

"The longer I sit here, the further away she gets. If you are not interested..."

"No, no!"

The captain wanted to smack his face. He had given away his desperation.

Leaning back in his chair and picked up the mug of wheat beer in front of him. It was awful, tasted like sin, and had no redeeming qualities about it. Still, it was all he and his crew could afford. He longed for the days when he could waltz into a tavern and buy good beer, or even imported cider from Equestria. Amazing stuff they had.

Suddenly this stranger comes in and produces an offer that he just cannot find any reason to refuse. The same amount it would take him to match this one job would take an entire month. All he had to do was chase down the Eleonora Nevus. The heaviest armed ship that wasn't a warship with an army of extremely dangerous creatures that guarded it with their lives almost as fanatically as a Griffon Kämpfer.

Or an Equestrian Guard.

He put the mug down on the table slowly, deliberately buying a few precious seconds of time to think things through. He paused for a moment and sucked air between his teeth. He stole a glance at where the camel's eyes would have been trying to read his face, but it was hidden behind the veil. The eyes behind thick, dark shades.

The captain thought about stealing from this camel, but something told him not to tempt fate by making any sudden movements, especially for his hoofheld crossbow. A quick mini-bolt through the heart at this distance was tempting. He kept the weapon in a holster around his waist near the right rear leg. It was loaded at all times and hidden under his long overcoat. The concealed weapon had saved his flank numerous times, but right now he felt that any gesture of violence would have been his last.

Placing his trust on instinct was something he had learned over the years, usually the hard way. Never doubt what your guts tells you, he had always tried to go by. Then something like this happens. Something that makes him go against what his gut was telling him. He wanted to say no. He wanted to walk away.

But the beer he was holding and the life he had been degraded to was not something he wanted to keep. He wanted the money -- no, he needed it. Things had gotten increasingly tough lately, especially now that the slave markets were doing so well. Laborers had been replaced by slaves with everything from inns to farms to even guards. As a result shipping had decreased drastically as most merchants preferred to use the slave ships instead. It was not that the merchants necessarily agreed or disagreed with slaves, but it was hard to beat the costs when it came to moving a large amounts of merchandise. That was what slaves were anyway and when there was extra space in the slaver's holds, the merchants would rush to grab it for their goods.

As a result, his services were only used by the wealthiest merchants who had no other choice, or were actively against slavery and sought out alternative means. Those, despite their noble intent, usually did not last for very long.

Worst of all, if things continued this way they would have to change their profession. Again.

The captain stole a glance over to the bar where some of his oldest crew sat laughing and joking with one another. They were a good lot and were trustworthy. To him, at least. They were scum and were part of the lowest part of society, but these reprobates were practically the closest real thing to a family he knew. Not even his parents cared for him the way that those thugs did. He sailed with them for years, forging a deep bonds with one another. They had done a great many things. Some good, mostly bad -- but with good intentions.

"I don't trust you," the captain began slowly, "but you know that already."

The camel remained silence.

"I know that I'll probably regret this, but all right. You have a deal. It's hard to ignore the amount you're offering."

The camel did not give away any emotion. "Trust is earned, not given."

"Aye. Good words."

"We leave as soon as you can, captain. I'll be in your chambers on your ship."

"Wait! Let me have one of my crew show you to the-"

"No need. I know which one. The fastest ship in town."

The captain raised an eyebrow. He had certainly used that as a selling point for many a negotiation. Was this how he had found him? "Not just this shipyard, sir, but most shipyards in the known world. I stake my life on it."

"As you say, captain. I hear that the Lipizzan is a beautiful ship."

He froze at those words. "W-what did you say?"

All he got in return was silence.

How did this camel know the original name of his ship? A name that was infamous. A name that he had painted over many years ago when he had 'retired' from his previous profession.

"H-how do you know that name?"

"I'll be seeing you. Oh, and captain."

"Aye?" the captain replied and licked his lips.

"Time is of the essence."

"Aye. We leave before dawn."

He had changed his name, changed his ship's name and left the past behind. Who was this camel? How had he found out? All he wanted was a new start at life. Not after that fateful day, but he didn't want to think about that. It had always been a dream of his to settle down one day, maybe have a couple foals of his own. Living a life of honesty, perhaps away from the skies and the seas.

The dream was slowly slipping away.

Perhaps he wasn't ready for that kind of life, or perhaps that kind of life wasn't really what he had wanted. Five hundred bits to chase the Eleonora. The Eleonora. Did this camel understand the risk involved? Five. Hundred. Bits. Equestrian bits.

The captain gulped. That was a lot of money.

"Oh, and captain?" the camel said.

"Yessir?"

"Take only your most trusted crew."

The captain narrowed his eyes. "You saying my crew's not to be trusted?"

"Think. You figure it out."

The captain narrowed his eyes. "I am pleased that we are able to do business, sir, but as to how I run my ship, only I get to decide what is or isn't needed."

"I do not take kindly to betrayal."

The silence that lingered spoke volumes.

What did the camel mean? Figure what out? How he had found him? That had to be it. A loyal crew would not have talked about the past. A loyal crew would not have given away their captain's location. Everything fell together. How he knew the ship, where to find them, what to ask, and the amount he had that they were unable to refuse. Someone had blabbed. Someone had talked a little too much.

"Aye. Neither do I."

With that the camel left the bar.

It was as if a great weight had been taken off his chest, and he found himself panting for breath. He quickly took a long sip from his mug and drank as much as he could without gagging.

He felt a presence approaching him from behind. Instinctively her put his hoof on his hoofheld crossbow.

"It's okay, cap'n. Just me."

The captain turned to look at the bright blue earth stallion. It was strange how he had come to join his crew.

It was many years ago that this blue stallion was part of a large exodus of ponies that had left Equestria. He was but a foal at the time and his parents were part of some crazy group tired of living under the princess' 'tyranny' and had tried to strike it out beyond the borders of their kingdom.

They were ill prepared for what was out there.

He was a young captain back then, just finished purchasing his vessel and hiring a small crew. He was doing a delivery when he had spotted a long plume of smoke in the distance. Sadly, smoke usually meant profit. Sad because it was mostly at the fatal expense of others.

Still, he could not allow an opportunity like this go by.

Two days later he came across the smouldering ruins of an Equestrian village beneath him. He wasn't the only one and he could already see several other airships weighing anchor, and salvage crews running about taking, breaking, stealing what they could. Out here it was every pony, griffon, dragon, camel, cow, whatever for themselves. Mercy was something you could not afford to have nor give.

Some survivors were trying to make the most of what was left. Some sought to buy passage onto the ships, others already were making for the Equestrian border. Anything of value was taken, be it food, water, jewels or gold. The town had most probably been attacked by bandits. Too many dead for it to have been slavers. That may have been a good thing.

It was on the third day when he had chanced upon the bright blue colt laughing out loud to himself. That captain was standing at the side of a road while some of his crew were inside a badly damaged home looking for valuables inside. The laughter grew louder as the pony in question came closer, behind him was a wagon. He laughed so hard that the captain half expected a cart full of precious gems, or maybe even gold. He peeked into the cart and jumped back in horror.

The colt was pulling a cartload of bodies.

And he laughed as if he had not a care in the world.

The captain followed. Through the town the colt marched, picking up bodies as if they were asleep and carefully placed them onto his blood-soaked cart. Strong didn't even begin to describe this colt.

Eventually he made his way out of the town and towards a large hill littered with little mounds. Graves. At least a hundred of them. Seeing this the captain and his crew made kept away from the strange blue pony. Days went by and they kept running into the colt. All he did was carry more bodies, dig more graves, bury the bodies, and go looking for some more.

A week had gone by since the captain had arrived. The town had been reduced to nothing. A few burnt out shells of homes, and some debris lay scattered around. Everything else was gone. Everything from the iron faucets, pipes and nails to the shingles and tiles on the roofs, which were useful to patching up scratches on the side of a ship. Even wooden beams were not spared and entire houses that were not burnt down were demolished, their lumber greedily taken.

It was that very evening that very day that the captain had given the order to his crew to wrap things up. They were done salvaging what they could. Strangely, the familiar sound of the colt's laughter echoed through the deathly silent remains and they spotted him carrying a huge heap of flowers on his cart. Again they all followed and watched as this lone colt painstakingly placed a flower on each mound.

Unable to stand it anymore, the crew put down what they were carrying and proceeded to help the boy. It was the dead of night that they finally stopped. All but three graves remained unmarked, and he took a large bouquet to the top of the hill where they rested.

The captain carefully walked to the colt and placed a bottle of water on the ground next to him. Nopony had said a word throughout the entire ordeal, neither did the young colt take his eyes off the graves. Eventually the colt took the bottle, lifted it to his lips, and took a long drink. Gently he placed it back down where he had picked it up and turned around to look at the captain, who only gave a single, barely perceptible nod.

Only after that did the colt stop his laughing.

Laughter turned to tears, and all the colt kept saying was: "I'm so silly! I'm so silly!" over and over again.

His cutie mark? A spade made of bones.

Since he had forgotten his name, or refused to reveal what it was, the crew took to calling him Silly. Silly Bones. It seemed appropriate. Friendly and kind -- until he got mad. Then he turned into a whole different pony. He still had that smiling, happy face, but behind those eyes was nothing but a savage ferocity that struck fear into those unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. No sane pony would possess eyes like that.

The captain trusted Bones with his life, but he didn't trust the lives of others from Bones. Perfect because he didn't trust the camel at all, and if anypony could deal with someone like him, it was Bones.

"Who was that?"

"A customer," the captain replied neutrally, this was not the place to talk about what had just transpired.

"Him? No idea. Best get the crew together. We're going on a chase."

"Chase? Ooh, that does sound like fun. Wait... what do you mean by chase? I thought we quit that line of work."

The captain smiled. Bones didn't sound upset from hearing this.

"One last time. Get the real crew. We're setting out on the Lipizzan," He whispered the last part quietly.

The smile slowly grew across his face. "The Lipizzan? So, she gets to fly under her real name again, eh?"

"One last time," the captain repeated.

"Aye, aye, sir," Bones replied, saluted badly, turned and walked out of the bar with an extra skip to his step.

Bone's laughter made his blood turn to ice, and that smile... he could never get used to that smile.

Author's Note

Kämpfer - Warrior in German

Lipizzan - A type of horse. They are famous for "airs above the ground", which are tricks they do in the air (like bunny-hopping and stuff). Because of this, I thought it an appropriate name for an airship.

Silly Bones - For those of you who recognize the name but can't quite place it, it's a play on the first mate of the Robert Stevenson's novel Treasure Island: Billy Bones.

Mission 2, Part 3: The Chase

"What is it?" Blood asked picking up an extra pair of binoculars and peering through them at the tiny dot in the sky.

The captain of the Eleonora shrugged. "A small airship heading along our bearing. It's fast. Considering its speed, I would say it started after us maybe three days ago. Four at the most. It looks like its empty. It's moving too fast to have a cargo."

Blood placed the binoculars down. "How long?"

"How long? I don't know what you're implying. Are you suggesting that tiny vessel actually wants to... what? Attack us?" The captain laughed. "This is one of the heaviest armed ships on the seas. Dragons wouldn't even humor the thought of coming after us. We have fourteen main cannons capable to punching through dragon armor. We have over twenty secondary cannons that could rip apart any fleet stupid enough to advance on us. Our anti-air cannons fire super-heated incendiary rounds that can melt the skin off of Celestia if need. Why would a puny vessel like that even think about venturing anywhere near... us..."

Blood just stood there looking at her with an expression that she could not place. It was not hostile, but it was not friendly either. If she had to guess, the Watu looked disgusted. As if she had said something that was supposed to be extremely embarrassing.

"If I were to guess, they're also headed to Port Griffith. After all this is the fastest shipping line that is not infested with pirates-"

"How. Long."

She gulped. The Watu actually was serious.

"At the rate they're flying? Two days. Maybe a little less."

"When will they be in range?"

"For our larger cannons?" She peered through her binoculars. Years of experience had taught her well. "A day. That is assuming we can actually hit something that small with our projectiles. They're not mean for airships that size."

"Prepare the rear cannons. When they get within range, destroy it."

Wish furrowed her brow. "Is that really necessary? These rounds cost-"

"Captain Wish Waltz, are you going to do it or should I get our liege to convey my words directly to you? I do not like taking unnecessary chances. Shall I wake up the dragon for this?"

"No. There's no need, Watu."

Blood looked at her, his eyes narrow. "I want to see that ship blown out of the sky. I don't care who is on it, I want it gone."

"It's just a-"

Blood stomped his hoof. Hard. Even as a unicorn, Wish could not help but take three steps backwards away from him. He was supremely dangerous, by far the most feared of all the Watu, and in her mind, perhaps even more dangerous than the dragon himself.

Wish bit her lip. She hated him with all her soul. "I will make sure that the proper actions are done."

"No. You will remove that vessel from the sky. Even I know that your only chance is your first shot." He leaned forwards and jabbed Wish sharply in the chest. "One. Chance."

Although Wish knew she was immune to Blood and his Watu in terms of punishment, she knew that they could give her Tartarus if she talked back to them. She may control the ship, but Blood dominated the ship. Only her will kept him from taking complete control of everything. So she would bend his words until she found a way to snake out of them. She had done it so often that Blood caught on immediately.

"You may save as many of these 'crew' as you can, but one day it will catch up to you, and I'll have the pleasure of relieving you of your post. Captain."

Everyone on that ship knew that Wish had granted freedom to a select few. They were usually given really mundane tasks, but they were also useful in other ways. Ways that she was proud to be a part of. Even through all this though, she had the hard task of maintaining her place at the helm.

"I'll make sure that she flies no more."

"See that you do. Captain." With that, Blood walked away.

Only when he was gone did Wish give the order. "Prepare to fire rear main cannons one through six."

Airships are an amazing creation.

Originally built by the earth ponies whose love and never ending curiosity took them to the very edge of land, whereby they had to create objects to venture beyond their limitations. First came small rafts to help cross dangerous, rough rivers. Then came the canoes and other small vessels. As time wore on, the size and form slowly changed and eventually the only place they could go was over the large expanses of water. The ships conquered the seas and oceans as far as they could go.

But what urged such a desire? Surely they would have been happy tilling the land they loved so much, growing the plants they needed to survive. What would make them go further and further away? What encouraged them to risk the salty waters? It was because of their cousins. The unicorns and the pegasi both fought over earth pony tribes trying to coerce them into growing food for them. So they had no choice. They ran away.

Alas, the pegasi could not live without the earth pony and their way with the land, nor could the unicorn. Out of necessity the two used force to prevent the earth pony populace from leaving. A fatal mistake.

Where once the ships of exploration were used to discover new lands on distant shores, they turned their attention back to the places they had once come from. Where once they were fitted out with instruments of adventure and exploration, they had now been fitted out for war.

The unicorns stood no chance, their mighty fortresses and bastions fell to the overwhelming might and ingenuity of the earth ponies. Even with their magical prowess, they were no match. The more powerful unicorns tried in vain to forge an alliance with the pegasi, but they would not associate themselves with the unicorns. As a result, their defeat was inevitable. The ships played a vital role in blockading trade routes, seizing vital harbors and, most importantly, maneuvering their forces along the coastal areas and rivers. The speed at which they could move a large number of troops was far more effective than the unicorns ability to teleport.

What was the use of teleporting when you were too tired to fight afterwards?

Within months the unicorns had surrendered. Unlike the pegasi, the unicorns and earth ponies created a new alliance. It was then they turned their attention to the one place where their mutual enemy was safe from them.

The skies.

The pegasi, still unwilling to admit defeat continued to try to assert their dominance by constantly harassing the forces below them. This included raiding parties and assassinations. They felt that they were safe so long as they retreated into their sky cities.

But when there's a will, there's a way.

Using magic, the unicorns inflated large balloons with special gasses that made them extremely effective and floated aggressively into the sky. At first they had sent small units up into the cities in an attempt to make a statement, but the pegasi did not heed their warnings. It was not long after that the first ships were converted and rigged to use the balloons to raise themselves up into the clouds.

They were ill prepared for what was to come. Even with their talent in weather manipulation, the skills the earth ponies learned sailing on the seas were more than enough for them to overcome whatever the pegasi could throw. Modifications were made, the airship's sails were now along the sides of a ship, or under it along the hull to avoid having to use extra long ropes to keep the balloon attached and to prevent the pegasi from cutting the lines so easily.

As the war continued, it was abundantly clear that airships were the new rulers of the skies. It was the end for the Pegasi Empire as the earth ponies and their ships decimated the floating cities, crippled their weather factories, and food stores. The pegasi surrendered to the alliance.

The name of the flag ship that had led the earth ponies to this overwhelming victory? The name of the vessel that had been the first ship to get converted from a seafarer to a behemoth in the skies? The one thing that struck fear and terror into the hearts of foes and allies alike?

The Windigo.

So effective was its design that for generations it was what most airships were modeled after. Even after centuries, the influence of that ship was still visible in the current age, its infamy still legendary.

The story of this unity would also still be told, though it has been modified to suit more peaceful times. Only those who really study Equestria's ancient history would know of the real tale behind the old Hearth's Warming Eve pageant and of the significance these events played in the unification of ponykind. The beginning of Equestria as a unified nation all was possible because of the role that ships and, more significantly, airships played.

There was a muffled shout from the front of the ship. That was where the equivalent of a crow's nest was. On sea ships it was usually located at the top of the mainmast. Airships did not have that. A mainmast would be dangerous.

Crow's nests on an airship usually were a glass bowl overlooking the sea at the very front of the vessel. Rarely was there a need to look up. There sometimes was one on top of the balloon for larger vessels, but it usually was more of a place where pegasi would hide and play cards or waste time when they had nothing else to do.

The captain didn't mind, so long as their duties were not being neglected. After all, they were the ones who cleaned the outside of his ship, fixed damages, and painted her. They deserved some perks.

The color of the ship was sky blue. So were the sails, and even the large balloon. It might have seen bland, but it served a purpose. From above the paint was a dull greenish gray. Like the ocean of land far below it.

The captain rubbed his hoof against the ship's helm, smiling to himself. Five hundred gold coins was in sight.

"Cap'n!" a shout came as Bones ran on the deck towards him. "Cap'n!"

"What is it?"

"Far Eye says that the Eleonora is... is... pointing its guns at us."

That snapped his head towards him. "What? Why?"

"No idea, cap'n. What do we do?"

"We alter course is what we do. If they're pointing their cannons our way, then we make sure we stay as far away from them as possible."

"Sure, cap'n."

With a quick jerk of his hoof, the captain changed the Lipizzan's bearing. The ship creaked to the side heading at an angle that would have put it nowhere near the Eleonora. At this distance, by the time they ran along side her they would be a day away.

There was frantic waving from the front.

"What is it now?"

"They're compensating, cap'n!" came the response.

"W-what?"

"They're compensating!" the shout came again.

"I heard you the first time! Battle stations!"

He ran over and rang the bell. At once every single member of his crew sprang into action.

"Smoke! Smoke!"

His heart skipped a beat at those words. It only meant one thing.

The crew members at the front ran towards the center of the ship almost out of instinct. They wrapped ropes around their torsos and the nearest anchor point in well rehearsed choreography. They had done this hundreds of times before, and were completely ready for what was coming.

Or were they?

"Evade!" the captain roared as he left the helm to his helmspony.

Sunny rushed forwards and gripped the wheel and turned as hard as she could towards the starboard trying to catch as much wind as possible to help pull the ship long. The sails at the sides groaned at the sudden shift as the sails underneath the main hull groan under the sudden strain.

Keeping calm during tense situations like this was something that all captains had to learn to do. He could not allow his crew to panic. He could not allow himself to panic.

A high pitched whistle drew in closer.

"Brace yourselves!"

A ball of light exploded where the ship had been moments ago. Red-hot molten bits of metal splintered across the sky. To someone far away it might have looked like a firework display, that was how pretty and beautiful it looked from a safe distance.

Up close was another story.

The Lipizzan shook violently as it desperately tried to avoid the inferno. It could not dodge the shrapnel as the balloon took a beating.

"Incoming!" another call was sounded.

The captain gritted his teeth. "Raise her up, Sunny."

"Aye, sir!"

The nose of the vessel pointed up towards the sky. Up and up she climbed. The seconds ticked away agonizingly slow as the crew waited for the inevitable blast of the next shell. The whistle got louder and louder as the projectile closed in on them.

"Boom," Bones whispered to one of the crew inches from him shivering in fear.

The pony looked up at Bones and snarled. The next instant a loud thunderous explosion erupted from underneath them.

The Lipizzan jumped upwards into the air from the pressure, the top bumping against the balloon above it before it fell back down. The sound of a few ropes snapping was heard after the ship dropped back against the lines.

It held.

"Get us above those clouds! Unicorns, use your magic!" the captain yelled.

They didn't need to be told twice. They rushed towards the sides where and used their magic to fill the sails with air. It was a last ditch attempt at getting away. You didn't want to exhaust your crew, especially if your opponent had not even begun to even hint at breaking a sweat.

"Nothing like toying with one's mortality to remind yourself that at any given moment you could die. Funny, isn't it?" Bones shouted, laughing his head off as the ship climbed into the air as quickly as it could.

The captain swallowed a mouthful of spit. "Shut your mouth, Bones!"

"Incoming!"

"Cap'n, we won't make it if we continue to climb!" Sunny shouted.

"Evade! Port side, down! Fold her sails in!" The order was obeyed as quickly as possible.

They only had less than twenty seconds to respond to this order.

The sails slipped through the lines as the entire left side of the ship became bare. Then the right side the sails were filled as the ship's nose faced downwards in a dive.

"Death Drop! Death Drop!" the captain yelled.

"Woohoo!" Bones yelled as the third high pitched squeal of the round closed in towards them.

The crew reacted immediately. This order they knew in their sleep. They had rehearsed it, used it, survived because of it. Would it save them this time?

A ball of fire erupted just above the Lipizzan and the ship started a downward plunge towards the ocean.

"Direct hit, sir!" came the shout from her ensign.

She watched with a mixture of pity and relief as the airship fell downwards towards the ocean, her balloon smoking in flames. A part of her wanted to feel good about what she did, but even as the captain of a slave ship she still had standards. There was a protocol involved and only pirates and scum broke those traditions.

Was she now no better than those she had sworn to hunt down, once upon a time? Did she become that which she sought to prevent?

"Good. Note the time, coordinates and note it down in the log. Report it to Blood. Have him verify my claims with his own if required. I will be in my quarters till this evening. Nautical, you have the con."

"Aye, sir," the red pegasus with the black mane replied.

The captain waited. He pressed a cloth hard against his mouth, his eyes aching.

"Clear!" came the call.

"Sunny, behind that cloud. Now!" the captain shouted.

With precision that could only be achieved by a well trained crew, the Lipizzan quickly moved from the smoke stack and disappeared behind the large cloud.

The Death Drop had been a tactic that he had used to get away from a more powerful enemy. Sometimes airship battles were about who had the better wind behind their sails. To avoid such conflicts, or to gain an edge, they would sometimes feign their death and then use the column of smoke to rise vertically upwards to get above the enemy ship.

After all, there was rarely a vessel that had a watch on top of their ship, especially during a battle.

The trick was simple. Destroy your own balloon, igniting the gas inside so that it produced an immense amount of smoke. Then, as the balloon plummets and the attention of those on the opposing vessel watch it fall, you use the column to rise upwards in a long balloon at the front of the boat that pulls it upwards in a vertical line as high as you can go, also producing smoke in an effect of escaping gas. You then level off and hide behind or in the nearest cloud until the enemy leaves.

"That was bad, wasn't it, cap'n?" Bones asked.

The captain looked at his crew. They were lying down panting heavily, clearly exhausted with their recent encounter.

"At least we know why everyone stays away from the Eleonora, sir," Sunny said leaning against the helm.

"What's the damage?"

"Well, the hull has taken the brunt of the damage, but no serious injuries. A couple of the ponies in the lower deck got hurt when the cannonballs jumped outside their holding pen, but nothing serious. Patches is setting them straight." Bones rubbed the back of his head. "Cap'n, we're not gonna let them go, are we?"

"Have to. We can't come all this way to return empty hoofed."

Bones smiled and pulled out his dagger. "I could, y'know, ask the camel to give us the gold politely. If you'd like."

The captain dusted his coat off. "Think you've got a chance?"

"Not in the slightest! He'd probably kill me before I could even step a foot inside the room!" the pony shouted, laughing hysterically at those words.

The captain just shook his head. At least he was being honest.

"What's the damage? And how long is it going to take?"

"There's not much damage to the hull, captain. Perhaps a few hours and we should have it repaired. Not so sure about the sails, though. It will take some time to check how much spare cloth we got," a white and black spotted pegasus replied. "We've got no spare balloon after this one though. We can't repeat this trick."

"I don't think we could repeat it even if we had a second balloon," The captain muttered back. He furrowed his brow and turned to look at his cabin door. The camel had not once stepped outside during the entire ordeal, but he heard heavy hoofsteps coming from within.

He wasn't dead. If he wanted his bits, he'd have to continue.

"Patch the hull and then rest up. We'll resume pursuit as soon as the sun sets."

"Aye, sir!" they all shouted in response.

Finishing dinner, Wish placed the tray outside her room. A timid feline bowed her head low and took it away. There were so many different types of creatures on this ship, almost all of them almost invisible to the Watu. That made them useful to her, as most of them gave her information vital in ensuring that she remained the captain of this vessel.

While Blood ruled with fear, she ruled with kindness and fairness. Values instilled in her by her parents, whome she had not seen for decades now. How she wished she could visit them in Equestria. See them one more time.

That would never be the case. They would have probably disowned her after the shame she had brought to her family and to her beloved country. She would repent her crime by ensuring that the slaves that crossed the waters lived. Without her, who knows how many may have died at the brutal hooves of the Watu.

"Captain on bridge!" Nautical shouted and saluted.

She looked at the pony who moved his eyes to the captain's chair where Blood sat down on it with a hard expression on his face. "That is not your seat."

"For now."

Wish wanted to grind her teeth, but she would not give him the pleasure. "What is it now, Blood? We shot down the airship and the skies have been clear all evening."

"Ah, but are you sure that they are really clear?"

"Come again?" Wish was in no mood to play games with this psychopath. He might have been cruel, heartless and bloodthirsty, but he was not stupid. It was dangerous to assume that he was.

"I said, are you sure that the skies are empty?"

"We saw the ship go down. I confirmed it with my own eyes-"

"Did you send pegasi to make sure?"

Wish furrowed her brow. "Of course not! Are you mad? That's over fifty miles! There's no pegasus that could make that distance and back fast enough to-"

Blood smirked coldly. "You cuddle them too much. Your crew, I mean. You should have sent out one of the Watu pegasi to confirm the ship actually went down, then signal to us that it had done so."

"A waste of time."

"Was it?" Blood turned the chair around. "This is Comet. Comet used to be in the Royal Guard. He killed thirteen fellow Guards in a drunken rage and fled Equestria. He likes to kill, don't you Comet?"

Comet grinned. "Killed a diamond dog yesterday."

"Why?"

The pegasus shrugged. "Felt like. Why not."

Wish had heard that one of the slaves in the lower levels had been killed slowly. This was the kind of thing she had tried to protect the slaves from. Even they had the right to live if they did not have the right for freedom. Perhaps death would have been better than the alternative.

Comet grinned and bowed out of mock respect. "My apologies. I meant to say that I flew to the wreck of the ship that followed us. There was no debris apart from the balloon."

"So? That could mean the ship sunk," Wish argued and walked over to her chair. "Or are you implying that I missed."

"I'm not implying anything," Blood replied cockily and looked up at Wish. "I'm telling you that you've been had by the oldest trick in the book."

Wish stuck her jaw out. "You're tell me that that ship performed a smoking balloon decoy maneuver?"

"So you have heard of it! Great. Then I don't have to explain it to you now, do I?"

Their eyes locked. Her knees felt weak. Matching will power against the Blood was exhausting. Could he be right? Could the ship she had hit with a round that large actually pull off that move? She could have sworn that it was a direct it. She had watched through the binoculars right up until the last moment.

"No, you don't need to explain it to me."

"Good. Now it's night. It will be harder for us to see the airship."

She hated him. She hated him so much, but if there was one thing Blood was good at it was making sure that everything in or on the ship was protected. That was his job. To protect the cargo from attackers. Slaves were big money, but the cargo was unpredictable, dangerous. It needed someone like Blood to maintain order.

"Then we should do something about that, shouldn't we?" Wish narrowed her eyes. "Since you are so worried about one small airship getting the best of my ability to command this ship, would you like to take over?"

Everyone on the bridge froze. Except Comet, who slowly unsheathed his weapon.

"Are you offering me the bridge so easily, captain? I may never give the post back to you." Blood smirked.

Wish smiled. "I'm sure that you won't."

Blood narrowed his eyes. He obviously suspected a trick of some sort.

"You are trying to see why I would give away my position so easily. Because I have been captain for a long time, I know. I know that a fellow captain would not take kindly getting attacked for no reason. I know for a fact that you've turned a potential nuisance into a deadly enemy. You don't deal with ships, Blood. I do. I know the seas better than the back of my hoof. You want to be in charge for what comes? So be it. It will be... amusing watching you handle this."

Blood hard eyes never changed, but at least his smirk disappeared. Of course, Wish was bluffing. She wanted to put the fear of Celestia into him. A long shot, but she was tired of matching wits with this pony. Obviously she was wrong. There was no one within a hundred miles of the Eleonora that would dare attack her. The ship was the safest place to be.

"Fine. When the time comes, let's see how you react to the situation."

The strange thing was that Wish felt relieved. It was like a great weight had been taken from her shoulders. All those years of loyal service to a dragon who was trading other sentient beings for his own personal gain would be gone, and she would probably have to find a new line of work.

"So you admit that you didn't do your job properly. Well then, I guess it's time for you to retire."

Blood turned around and ran his hands along the armrest of the captains chair. The rest of the crew watched in horror as their captain stood to one side without so much as a comment. Was she really going to stand aside and let him be in charge of her ship?

"Send out search parties of pegasi to patrol the skies one kilometer around the Eleonora. Any ships that are sighted within that radius are to be reported. Is that understood?" Blood asked his only fellow Watu.

"Absolutely, sir. Right away, sir." Comet got up and walked towards the exit.

All eyes were on him as he gave a cocky, arrogant look at each of the bridge crew. To an outsider it would have looked rather immature and silly, but this was neither. He was taunting them. It was no secret that Wish's crew and the Watu were on very bad terms. And she had just made things worse.

The second day after their close call, the Lipizzan limped across the skies. They had to rig the ship as best they could with the second balloon, but the rigging sat funny on top of it so the ship sat at a slightly raised angle at the front. The undersails and the headsail were full of holes hampering the most important thing. Speed.

"Will we catch them, cap'n?" Bones asked.

The captain looked up at the telltales on the sides to read the wind. "Not before they make it into Imperial waters. Once they cross, it'll make our job a lot harder."

"Without fixing the sails we won't catch them in time," Sunny shouted as she was hoisted onto the deck from below. Being an earth pony, she did not have the luxury of flight. Being an earth pony, she did not trust the pegasus ability to properly repair things. Well, she didn't trust anyone to actually be able to repair things because she was an earth pony, not that she had anything against pegasi. That's why she was such a great navigator. She really loved the ship. Sunny sighed and looked down at the deck as if it were a physically injured living creature. "If only we had extra cloth."

There was a sound coming from within the captain's private quarters, and the door opened. Every single one of them stopped and looked at the entrance expecting to see the camel step out. Instead all a large ball of cloth was unceremoniously dumped onto the deck before the door shut tight once again.

"Well, that was unexpected," Bones stated and picked up the pile. He pulled it apart and smiled.

Sunny snatched it from him. "We can use this to repair almost all the sails! Take down the undersails first. Repair them, then we'll concentrate on the mainsails along the sides after that. Move! Time is of the essence!"

They all looked at the captain.

"You heard her!" he shouted. "Get your flanks moving!"

Wish stood at the bridge and looked on. She watched as the sun set in the distance. How she loved the sea and the beauty therein. The world was so vast and huge, did it really care about a simple pony like her and her problems? Did the world really care about the plight of those on the ship?

Of course not. There was no one that could help them. There was no one that could save her.

"Sir, report from the first pegasi patrol. There is no sign of any ship within a kilometer radius. There was a ship south, south-west of our position at five kilometers heading parallel to us." The report was being made by a unicorn. His Watu uniform still did not have the shoulder plates making him a really low ranked warrior.

"And?" Blood asked.

"The sails were gray," the unicorn replied. "It was most probably a griffin airship, sir. We sent two scouts to take a closer look."

"Good, good. Nothing else of note?"

"No, sir. There were some that suspect that we were being followed. We've left Watu on strategic placements behind to keep an eye out just in case."

"Good work. See, Wish, that is how you conduct a search," Blood stated.

"It is a also a good way in wasting your energy and resources. If they have managed to slip through your watchful eye, then what?" she asked, more to keep herself distracted.

"We use the main cannons to take her down, of course."

Of course they would. That was simple.

"Let's turn on the lights, shall we?" Blood asked.

The crew looked at one another. "But, sir. If we do that, we'd be giving away our position! We're not within protected waters yet and-"

A dagger flew through the air and embedded itself inches away from the stallion's hoof. He stumbled backwards into another crew member, sending both tumbling to the ground. Wish made a face, furious at Blood for taking advantage of his position so quickly. One did not assert their dominance in such a fashion.

The Eleonora was too visible even without lights, which should only be used in a worst case scenario, especially at night.

"Yes, sir. Lights, sir." In seconds the flood lights were switched on and the skies were lit up by the powerful bulbs. The poor unicorns that were powering them confused.

"Find them! Now!" Blood yelled.

"Find who?" a crew member whispered.

Wish reacted just in time to catch Blood's hoof with a second dagger clutched within it. "He's new."

"You are too weak with them! They need to be disciplined!"

"Not like this. They are not warriors nor slaves. You cannot just kill them just because you think they won't do!"

"Watch me." He stood up and his magic picked surrounded his spear. Suddenly the base of it clocked Wish across the jaw sending her cartwheeling to the side. By the time she managed to focus her eyes on Blood, the dagger had hit its mark, the young ensign on the ground.

The knife pierced him straight through where his heart was. He would be dead in a few seconds.

"Now, I want the watch to be flogged if they fail to spot the ship."

"What if there isn't a ship after us?" Wish shouted, furious that he would kill one of her crew so casually. "What then?"

"Then... nothing. Better safe then sorry."

"You're a fool, Blood. The time will come when your cruelty will be put to an end. I just hope that when that time happens, that I'll be able to see your face as your life slips out of your hooves. You deserve to rot in Tartarus, you miserable excuse for a pony."

"I would watch your tongue, captain. After all, you resigned your post."

Wish sneered. "You've doomed this ship. If I don't remain here, there won't be a ship let alone a post. You're the reason why this ship will be in any sort of danger. You don't know what captains are like out here, Blood. They do not take kindly to being shot out of the sky without provocation. Trust me. I know."

"Cap'n, why are we going after that ship? Is it really just for the bits?" Bones asked as he watched the sails making sure that the stitching held.

"Yes."

"Are you sure? It doesn't have anything to do with a certain mare, right?"

The captain held his breath for a moment. "No."

"Are you sure? Because, you know, I know the real reason why you wanted to go straight, cap'n. Every single pony in this crew knows too, cap'n. Were the bits just the push you really needed to do what you really wanna do?" Bones smirked and leaned against the railing. "So, we go towards the Griffin Empire, where ponies like us are hunted down and sliced into tiny pieces, just so you can collect five hundred bits. Right?"

"Right."

"Of course that's the reason. Why else would we want to go near that vessel? I mean, it's strange, right? They don't sell slaves on the ship, so it's not because he's gonna buy any pony, dog or whatever else she's got in her holds." Bones gestured with his head towards the captain's quarters where the camel was. "It's silly to think that he's going there to actually save a slave, right? That's just ridiculous. Unless she's a princess or something."

Bones may have sounded like he was a complete idiot, but there was a method to his madness. He did have a point. Why were they taking the crazy camel to the ship? There was no need for them to sneak up on the ship. Of course, that all changed the moment they were fired upon without any warning. You had to at least give a courtesy 'move away or we'll kill you with our super-cannons now' type of warning.

Was being in charge of a slave ship so bad that normal decorum was thrown out the window? All's fair in love and war, but there was some etiquette to follow. A tradition that ponies have been obeying for centuries. Even the griffins had the courtesy to follow it as well.

"You best just keep that mouth shut, Bones. We're here to make money, nothing more."

"Oh, I know, cap'n. The question is: do you?"

With that Bones walked down the stairs towards the front of the boat to let him simmer in his thoughts. Again, he had hit the nail on the head. How could he read him so easily when so many others found it so difficult.

He turned his head slightly to look behind him at Sunny who was looking up at the balloon and the flapping telltails along the underside. They were waving strongly, of course, as he could feel the breeze in his mane.

"You can say it. I know you want to."

"Not my place, captain," Sunny replied. "You and I both know that Bones may be a floozy with his mind, but his reasoning is always on the mark. You can't run away from your past forever."

He turned away. "Just keep on our bearing. Fire on my ship without warning, eh? I'll show you how to dance the dance. Eleonora or no, none get the better of me."

At that, Sunny smirked. "Aye, aye, captain. Not even a ship with twelve large cannons that can fire at a range of twenty five miles can stop us. Not to mention the platoon of ex-military mercenaries that could take the lot of us out pretty quickly, and the dragon."

"Must you always ruin the moment, Sunny?"

"Keeping it real, captain. That's all."

"More like killing the buzz..." the captain muttered.

"Our best bet is to sneak up on her. Our ship's small so we can probably get pretty close before they spot us."

The captain thought about it, but before he spoke the door behind them opened. The camel did not step out, but they could see his silhouette hidden inside the darkness. "Head for the Eleonora's starboard side. The element of surprise is gone. They probably suspect that the one who killed the Watu in port is on this ship."

The captain shook his head. "Well, no one here has killed twenty Watu warriors..."

There was a long uncomfortable silence. A silence that did not leave much to be said.

"Y-you?"

"I had not taken into consideration that they would open fire based on assumptions. I had always thought that the ex-captain of the Border Guard would have more... restraint."

His blood boiled at those words. "She probably had no choice!" he snapped before he could stop himself.

Again there was a long period of silence, but this time the crew listened as well.

"I see there is history between the two of you. I will not comment apart from the fact that I will alter the deal. Get me close to the Eleonora, and I will make my own way."

"Yeah? What are you going to do? Jump? You can't fly. And there's no need. I'm going to teach them a lesson. You're welcome to jump or whatever yourself, but I am going to go to the captain of the Eleonora and I'm going to tell her exactly what I think of her!"

"About time!" Bones shouted from where he stood.

"Shut it, Bones!" he retorted.

That just brought laughter from the blue pony.

"Sir, we're here because of you. We'll follow you no matter where you go."

No matter how many times he had heard those words, he could not get used to it. He was so lucky. Each one of them a precious member of his crew. "Thank you, all of you, but this is not your problem anymore. When we get close, we'll launch a skiff and you guys can make your way to wherever you want to-"

"I'll stay, captain. To the end."

"Same here!"

"Ditto."

"I was getting tired of being honest, myself. If you know what I mean," another pony joked.

The door to the captain's chambers slowly closed. "A good crew you've got there."

With that, the door closed, the bolt inside sliding into place.

Wish washed her face in the sink.

The death of any creature always struck a nerve within her. She had seen it hundred of times before, but each time was like the first. She felt sick, disturbed, and angry. If she had not been so weak that pony would still be alive. The brutality of Blood was exaggerated. How did a pony like him get to be like that?

Flashes of her life as a Border Guard captain went through her mind. She remembered when she became captain, how excited she felt. She was young, but had a lot of experience in dealing with rogues along the borders under her captain, who had recently been promoted to admiral. The feeling of taking command of a patrol ship to ensure the safety of her kingdom's borders filled her with a sense of pride and dignity.

She washed her face again, rubbing her hooves into her eyes as she remembered ordering the guns to open fire on a ship she thought was a pirate vessel under the guise of a merchant ship. It was a tragic mistake and innocent beings of all races on that ship were killed. Banishment was a fair punishment for her crime.

After that she wondered the outer cities for a while looking for work. She had chanced upon a merchant ship and began working as an officer there. Over time she rose up to take control of the ship itself, but then the ship and her crew were bought out by the dragon. It was hard for any to find work, so she agreed to stay on. Over the years the business grew until they were the largest slaver group on the continent.

All run by a single dragon who had no respect for the concept of freedom.

Years had seen the small ship grow into the behemoth that existed right now. The Eleonora Nevus, the largest slaver ship ever to have been built, and perhaps the largest ship ever. Full stop.

Wish returned to the bridge. Blood was standing off to one side peering down at the deck. She had run off because of that. Two of the spotlights were trained on a poor crew member who had inadvertently insulted Blood for being unable to do his job, which was probably a correct assessment.

"There's no need to flog him, Blood," Wish has stated after he gave the order.

"An example needs to be made of him. I'd watch what you say too, or you could be next."

Wish turned away. "I doubt that very much. What have you got watching the skies if you're wasting two spots on the deck of the ship?"

"This won't take long. I've only asked for twenty lashes. I thought I'd go easy on them, because after all, not all of them know that I'm now in charge of this ship. Right?" Blood smirked at that. He raised his hoof and nodded.

The sound of the first lash as the whip sliced open the skin on the pony's back was strong enough to penetrate the glass. As the pony screamed in agony, Blood smiled.

It was all Wish could do to remain composed.

"So, what? We're just going to go there and drop this camel off?" Sunny asked.

"That's pretty much it," the captain replied.

"Captain, I think you forget exactly what she is capable of. The Eleonora's got anti-air cannons for medium range burst along her main deck, which most probably fire splayed shot and flak."

"I know, Sunny."

"Oh. Okay. I was just wondering considering for the amount of bits he's giving us, is it really worth our lives. After all, if we're dead, there's gonna be none of us to collect. Right?"

The captain sighed. "As long as I stand on this helm, this ship will never go down."

"I'm amazed you can always say that. I believe you. We all do. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't." Sunny looked up. "If we keep our current rate up, we ought to see the Eleonora in the distance by this evening. If we can see them, they can see us. We've got to plan something."

"Oh, don't worry, I've got a plan," the captain said with a smirk.

"That's why we trust you," Sunny replied. "So, what's the plan."

"Simple, actually. We overtake her and cut across. How long would it take to turn a ship that size?"

"About half an hour. Maybe longer."

The captain nodded. "Keep the Eleonora to our port side at all times. Once we get far enough in front, let me know."

"Sir, there's been reports of several ships within a three kilometer radius. Most of them are merchant ships and have redirected their course to move away from the range of our cannons." This was another Watu who was reporting to Blood. A young pegasi. She had no right to be there. She should have been in school learning. What unfortunate circumstances had made her be a part of the Watu. "There is also a ship on our port side that looks like the one that was shot down, but they're more than ten kilometers away on the port side."

"Wait. What did you say? It looks like?" Blood eyes lit up. "That's them. That has to be them. Can we hit those targets from where are our?"

Wish nodded. "Of course."

"Then prepare the cannons-"

"But a ship that size is a little small. At that distance, we're at a distinct disadvantage. Plus the wind is behind them. It'll be hard to compensate for the lead," Wish continued, giving him the reality of the situation. "And a ship that size at that distance has a distinct advantage. They can probably see us and have more than enough time to compensate. Airships are far more versatile in the air. We can't just lead them along a single axis. They could go up, down, left right, and any directions in between or in additional to. Not that I'm saying don't try, but don't be surprised if our gunners won't hit their mark."

Blood narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying that your gunners are not able to hit a ship like that from this far?"

"I'm saying that it's going to be extremely difficult. Even for me."

"Well, there's no use sitting here and doing nothing. Aim all six cannons to all potential escape paths. Synchronize the shots for the same time and fire. This time they will not escape me." Blood grinned and looked at Wish who stood by with an impassive expression. That annoyed Blood. It was clear by the way his eyes suddenly grew hard. "You think they can avoid us? Why are you hesitating? Are you afraid?"

"Afraid? No. I'm never afraid, not when I stand on the bridge. You've already committed us to battle, so because of you we have to play our part. They will be expecting us to fire on them."

"Sir, the cannons are ready." One of the crew was standing by the communication tubes. "On your word."

"Fire."

Wish barely stopped herself from smacking her own face with her hoof. Blood might have been good at offensive able to figure out how to best react to a situation, but he had not idea to properly synchronize shots. You can't just tell your ensign to shout fire through the tubes. It doesn't work that way.

"Splayed shots!" a voice shouted.

"Splayed?" the captain asked, but the ship had started to move automatically as Sunny took her up towards the clouds.

The fireballs of magic exploded all around them, but none were threatening at all. They decorated the sky in a massive show. Most exploded way too early or too late, the distance was hard to pinpoint for a ship their size. The Lipizzan continued to climb up into the sky.

"Why would they fire splayed shots?"

"Dunno, captain, but I ain't complaining."

"Second volley! Again, splayed!" the watch called.

This time Sunny pointed the bow downwards and away. The rounds exploded all around them, but again not were close enough to cause any real concern.

"It's not her."

"What?"

"It's not her," the captain repeated. "She would never allow us to get by untouched. That would explain the sudden attack from before! It isn't her."

"You almost sound relieved," Sunny said making it a point to keep a straight face.

The captain looked at her from over his shoulder. "O-of course I am. That means we don't have to work as hard to keep ourselves out of danger. Whoever is commanding the guns on the Eleonora doesn't know how to give orders properly. That means that either-"

He cut himself off.

"I'm sure she's fine, sir."

"W-why would I care whether she's fine or not?" The captain walked over to the middle of the ship and leaned his head out to look at the Eleonora in the distance. She had stopped firing at them now, perhaps realizing that they were only wasting their shells. Even a ship the size of the Eleonora could not take a large load of ammunition if they had to carry as many slaves as they did.

He narrowed his eyes in thought. If she wasn't in charge of the ship, then maybe he could try something different.

"Keep heading along this bearing. I want to put as much distance between the two of us as possible."

Sunny smiled. Whenever the captain made this face, she knew that things were going to get pretty interesting pretty quick.

"Look at them hightail is out of there!" one of the Watu shouted, hooting at the receding figure of the ship through his binoculars.

"Take a squad of pegasi, chase that ship down. I want the captain's head by tomorrow morning, you got that?" Blood ordered looking directly at Wish as he said those words. "I want to give it to the ex-captain as a present. A souvenir of her last trip."

Wish stared back impassively. "I think you underestimate how hard it is to maintain order out here. A small ship like that might be no match for the Eleonora, but there are others out there that can take her on head to head without trouble. I would suggest you learn how to command a ship this size and you do it quick if you are really going to take over my duties."

The red unicorn laughed. "How high and mighty of you. In all my years of service, and I have been doing this far longer than you, never once has any ship dared attack this vessel."

"There's always a first time for everything. I just hope for your sake that you're prepared to face the consequences of your actions." Wish turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to inform our lord of my... retirement. It seems that you have everything here under control. You better train your Watu to run a ship, because I know for a fact that most of the crew here will walk out with me."

That seemed to silence the Watu.

"Is there anything else?" Wish asked. She fought hard not to grin.

"No."

"Very well." With that, she turned and walked out of the bridge. As she did she heard shouting from behind her as the entire crew followed her. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Captain, I mean, miss... er..."

Wish just smiled. "You can call me Miss, if you like. I am no longer the captain."

"Miss, we don't want to serve on this ship without you, so we're going to resign after this trip as well. We'll follow you wherever you may go, miss."

She smiled. No matter how long you were out at sea, and no matter who it was that signed on, the ability to command so much respect from others still managed to surprise her. These were good ponies, most put into a situation where they had little to no choice of where to go. To them, the Eleonora was their home and she had become more than just their captain and leader.

"Are you sure? You all still have a job here. You don't have to come with me."

"A few might stay, miss, but I can't see myself serving in any crew but yours. You've spoiled us, miss."

That brought a few nods of agreements from the others. "Okay. Then I'll go talk to the dragon and let him know. It wouldn't be good if you all left your posts at the same time. The ship still needs a crew."

"Aye," the all replied, saluting.

She watched as they returned to the bridge walking past a very, very annoyed looking unicorn standing in the middle of the hall. He glared at Wish.

"You are doing this to maintain your position."

"If you are accusing me of that, then why would I willfully give it to you in the first place?"

Blood turned sideways. "Obviously to alleviate the blame of letting the ship go."

"You're saying that I gave up being the highest ranked officer on a ship because I missed? I had no idea that missing a small, unknown vessel in the middle of the open waters was such a crime!" Wish wanted to laugh, but she knew that even Blood's patience had a limit. She could live with him hating her. She couldn't if he went into his blind rage. She could not deny that he could kill her without breaking a sweat. Maybe without even having to blink. "There is etiquette on the water that all those who sail above or on her follow. You breached that. No captain would let such a crime against a long standing tradition to go unpunished, and even now as I stand here looking at you, I want to help them because of what you did."

"You willfully admit that?"

"Of course. That is why I haven't helped you at all since you took command. I felt that anything I would have said would have served to undermine your authority and render you unable to do your duties as the new captain. Word of advise?"

Blood narrowed his eyes but did not say anything to stop her.

"Get ready. I don't know who commands that ship, but a Death Drop cannot be performed but any regular crew. It may be a standard method of evasion on paper, but a crew that can pull it off as flawlessly as they did isn't one to trifle with. So you better be ready, because you've got no idea how merciless it can be out here."

And for once, Wish got what she wanted against the Watu leader.

The last word.

And it felt really good. It was all she could do to stop herself from skipping away.

"Are you sure about this, captain?" Sunny asked again.

"Stop asking me that."

"I've got to keep asking that. It's what I do." She looked at the deck as the crew had started painting the ship with black paint. "That and make sure that we don't get hit by cannon fire."

The captain watched as his pegasi team flew down to collect more paint. They had finished painting the outside of the ship when they had got out of sight of the Eleonora and once again took refuge behind another cloud. The captain was contemplating what he should do.

On the one hoof, he was being paid to catch the slaver ship.

On the other hoof, a small vessel like that stood no chance against the ship on a head on confrontation.

The thing was, the camel was paying him to get him to the Eleonora, nothing more. How he got there was never part of his negotiations.

"Clever camel," the captain muttered. He had been so ready to accept his offer that he did not realize the weight of the request. The fact that he had distracted him by knowing his previous profession did not help either. "When are we going to be ready?"

"We're ready now, sir," Bones shouted back. "The outside is painted. We'll finish the deck on the go."

He turned to Sunny. "The wind?"

"Always with us, captain. Are you sure this is what you want to do? There is no turning back once we get started. We go all the way, or we stop right now."

"Go. All the way." The captain turned towards the horizon. Over the lip of it was the Eleonora. "Nobody, pony or dragon fires on me without provocation and gets to boast about it."

"How'd I know you'd say that?" Sunny muttered, but across her face was a wide grin. How she missed this. How she missed the danger involved with what they did.

How she missed the hunt.

"All hooves on deck! Now I know you've all been with me these past few years putting up with my nonsense, but what I am going to do, I cannot ask you to do this for mere bits alone." The crew paused to look up at their captain. Some still had paint on their hooves and they picked up cloth to wipe it off as the listened. "I'm not going to lie. There is a very likely possibility that we're not going to survive through this. So why am I going, you ask?"

"Not really. We all know why," came a dry response from somewhere amongst the crew that made the others laugh.

"Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. I'm fed up. I'm fed up of what I've become. Because of that I am going to go right into that ship and do something that I should have done all those years ago!"

The crew looked at one another and smiled.

"It's about time, captain," one said and cricked his neck. "I've been waiting to hear those words. Took you long enough."

Others in the crew laughed along.

"Y-you do understand that I'm asking you to come with me to what could be the last trip you'll ever make."

"Every trip we go with you, you say the same thing! We can't always believe you if you keep telling us that it'll be our last if you keep bringing us back."

The crew laughed amongst each other. Bones walked up to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Face it, cap'n. You're stuck with us. No matter what happens, we're in this together. From now on till the moment we go to those greener pastures in the sky, we're with you all the way. Right you guys?"

"Aye!" came the shout.

"What did I do to deserve ponies like you?"

"You treated us like family is what. You're a good pony, captain. Just... you have to make do with what you were given, and believe me when I say you've been given rather little in the way of the world. The way I see it, I owe you this life because I know for a fact that if it weren't for you, I'd probably end up pretty badly. Maybe a Watu."

"You?" Bones joked and jabbed her in the rib. "Nah, you'd be more of a night pony."

"Then at least you'd be giving me a lot of business then, right Bones?"

The blue stallion laughed.

"Don't think so. He's got a thing for bovines!" came a shout.

The entire crew roared in laughter.

"Don't worry, Sunny. I'd be your customer."

"Me too!"

"I'd be your best customer!" came another shout.

"You do realize that your lives are in my hooves, right? Are you trying to made me mad?"

That shut them up real quick.

"Since there's no pony here willing to take me up on my offer to abandon ship, I guess this is it. From here on out, I'm going to be your captain through and through. From here on out, we're in it together."

"Aye, sir!"

"Full sails. Steady as she goes. Let's see what this new captain is really made of."

Hours had slipped by, and now the Lipizzan slowly made its way across the clouds. They were sailing right on the rim where the balloon skimmed the clouds above, but the main ship was below. Every so often a lump would stretch downwards enveloping the entire ship for a moment.

Every so often the moon herself would reflect across the freshly painted sails giving it a glossy, mirror-like finish; the Mare on the Moon clearly visible.

Not a soul had spoken since the last few orders. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but the tension on the deck was thick enough to cut with a knife. The unicorns were using the wind spells in short bursts to help the Lipizzan skip across to the next cloud. They wore hoods over their heads to hide the tell-tale glow of their horns.

The pegasi were flying a little bit away from the ship keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Some of the crew had claimed to have spotted clusters of Watu pegasi smoking and drinking on clouds in the distance. They might have been fierce fighters, but they lacked discipline. In the end, their loyalties were only as strong as the bits they pocketed after each job, and the further they got away from their bosses the less they felt the need to work.

Onwards they floated on, ever careful not to alert anything or anyone nearby. A few times they had spotted a ship off in the distance, a fellow airship usually going in a direction away from the Eleonora. Due to this, it was easy for the captain to direct his navigator towards where she would most like be.

Then a beacon of light pierced the clouds in the night sky. It sliced through the darkness pinpointing the source quite obviously. There she was, in all her immensity. The dreaded ship in question.

The captain waved a hoof signalling Sunny to start descending.

A beam of light streamed across where they were going over the boat. Every single one of them held their breath as the light hit them directly.

Then it moved on.

A collective sigh of relief came from them all.

Again the captain gestured for the ship to lower them closer to the water. What he did not want was for the airship to touch the surface, but stay just below the height of the upper railing. In the darkness of night and the sea he hoped that they would not be spotted by the lights as they concentrated on the skies above them instead.

It was a gamble, but it seemed to be paying off. They were drawing closer.

They had managed to get ahead of the Eleonora, so they were moving in a line that would intersect the ship right in the middle. Even Sunny could not help but feel amazed at the captain's foresight -- or dumb luck. Whatever the case, it put them in the most perfect position possible.

Again a hole in the clouds enveloped the sea in light. Every single member of the crew winced as the moon's glow washed over them. This time they felt naked, unlike before when they were above the clouds. They all held their breaths as the ship continued forwards without any heed. If they had moved their sails it might have sent unwanted attention towards them. If they had been spotted and fired upon, it would have been fatal. They did not have the advantage of fleeing downwards, which was vital to gain speed and slip away.

They kept on going. The waves of the ship a few meters below seemed to try and reach up towards the hull, threatening to wash the fresh coat of pain away. They did not have the luxury of sailing on the water, as the Lipizzan was not designed to traverse the water.

Bones' shoulder was shaking under his black cloak. Next to him several unicorns adjusted the speed of the ship by using decreasing or increasing the power of their magic. Only forward. They could only go forward. There was no turning back. They had crossed that point when they all decided not to take the captain's order to abandon him when he had offered.

The camel from inside the cabin had not been seen nor heard since they had started. Whatever he was doing was beyond his concern at this point. This time it was personal. The five hundred bits from him were now an added bonus. He would get the camel to the ship as promised, and then some.

A large cloud appeared overhead swallowing them all in a shadow.

Some of the crew closed their eyes in relief. Most ignored it. Those that had been with the captain before his 'retirement' were used to his ways. Cutting it close like this was what he always did. After all, that was the risk involved in what he did.

The captain pointed to starboard, signalling Sunny to move to starboard. The Eleonora drew ever closer. She was still quite a distance away, but their watch would be able to make them out at this range with their binoculars. If they turned, they would have been spotted without a doubt, even with the shadow hiding them. Their only hope was to keep at an angle to make themselves as small as possible.

"I don't like this," Sunny whispered. "I really don't like this. This is as close to that ship as I want to ever be."

The captain turned around to see a figure behind her.

"Get down!" he charged forwards his sword unsheathed and in one fluid motion it struck the pegasi in the heart. It fell down dead, the uniform unmistakable.

Suddenly there were more shouts and the bell started ringing.

"Watu!" came a shout that was cut short followed by the sound of arrows singing through the air.

"Repel boarders!" the captain roared. No longer concerned with being stealthy, the unicorns used their magic and fought back as hard as they could. He jumped down onto the main deck and barreled into two Watu that had managed to pin one of his crew down. The earth pony nodded in thanks and picked up a weapon in his mouth and charged.

More Watu appeared out of the darkness bedecked from head to hoof in full combat armor. They formed a line in midair and swept up onto the ship. Some were greeted by the Lipizzan's own pegasi who fought air to air as hard as they could.

A loud snap sounded from the front and the captain lobbed his blade at the Watu. He or she dodged it and glared at the captain, only to have Bones skewer him or her from behind and shove him off the deck. He started laughing instantly and charged another.

"They're cutting the lines! Don't let them free the balloon!" came the shout.

The captain turned to see the source of the voice, only to see the pony take several arrows. Far Eye looked at the captain and forced a smile on his face. He nodded once before attacking a Watu with a length of rope. He quickly slipped it around the enemy's neck before tightening it. He shouted as he pulled the Watu with him and pulled himself overboard.

The captain took a step forwards, but he knew it was futile. There was nothing he could do.

Arrows streamed across the deck as Watu on the outside were firing at them on the deck. Some of his own pegasi were trying to take them down, but they were outnumbered. He turned and looked at what was left of his crew and saw the bodies of those that did not make it lying still on deck.

"Get behind cover!"

He turned and watched in horror as another volley closed in towards him. He gritted his teeth and braced for the pain shutting his eyes tight, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see a flash of bright orange and yellow darted in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as the bright colors of the pony's coat appeared from behind the black cloak she was wearing.

"No." He whispered.

She spun around slowly and leaned against the captain as she slid down his front and to the floor.

"No." He whispered again.

She took one last breath. "Good bye, my captain, my best friend, my old flame."

She reached up and he dropped his weapon and gripped her hoof. "No."

She smiled, closed her eyes, then she moved no more.

"Sunny! No!"

Bones appeared from behind his captain and fired a crossbow while picking up a shield and rolled to a stop as the next volley was fired. The shield stopped a good chuck of the bolts, but a few pierced through and into his hoof. He grimaced in pain, but there was no laughter or humor in the his demeanor. His eyes watched as his captain picked up the mare's head and hugged it tightly.

Sunny had always been there for them. Through thick and thin, she was their anchor. The heart of the crew. They all loved her as a mother. At one point she had been their captain's lover and even after they had grown apart, she did not leave him. There was not a member of that crew that could control the rage they felt.

"Arm the cannons!" the captain shouted.

He knew it was stupid. He knew it was suicide. He knew that it would probably be the last thing he'd ever do, but he didn't care about any of that anymore. All he wanted was blood. Their blood.

The captain reached for a loaded crossbow when his eyes looked up to see the door to his cabin open, a pony he had never seen before standing on the deck behind the helm where Sunny had been just moments before. In his hoof he held a huge crossbow.

Before he could blink, the first bolt claimed its first victim. As he pointed his crossbow to the line of pegasi hovering just off the boat, two more crumpled and fell. Bones grabbed the nearest crossbow and followed suit. Soon several more of the Watu were sent crashing down into the cold embrace of the ocean below.

This made the Watu charge as they realized that in a firing match, the ponies on the ship had the advantage of stable footing; their hooves firmly placed on the ground granted them an edge when it came to accuracy. Now it was once again a hoof to hoof battle.

The captain made his way towards the deck. He was going to make the Watu regret sneaking up on him like they did. He was going to carve them up and make and example of them. He was going to kill them all for killing Sunny.

If the stallion standing there didn't do it first.

A blade was drawn in one hoof and in the other he held a spear. He moved with a fluid grace that seemed rehearsed as he tore through four Watu warriors in quick succession. The tip of the spear seemed to find the neck of three of the furthest ones as the fourth's head was cut almost clean through.

Then he reached for the helm and turned the ship to the right sharply as the Watu charging from that side miscalculated, the sudden change unexpected. They found themselves smacking against the railing, or tripping over the ledge giving the captain and his crew time to lay waste to their offensive. As the Watu regained their balance, the ship curved back towards the left almost tripping them up, the crew -- used to the sudden motion of the ship -- compensated without a thought.

The stallion moved to the main deck where the fighting was fiercest. The way he managed to move was almost impossible. If he had not been keeping his eyes on the pony, he could have sworn he was teleporting to each Watu in a straight line. He moved so easily and quickly. A blade across the throat of one made its way in a shallow arc to be met into the side of another, where the spear would 'appear' over his shoulder and through the chest of another Watu. Then, using his strength, he swung the body to stop a group of three warriors as he pulled his blade out from the second and cut into the seventh and eighth as they instinctively tried to attack his exposed side. They were caught completely unaware of the prowess of this newcomer.

The crew dispatched the three ponies whom were shoved aside with the spear as he progressed onwards to the front of the ship where a few Watu still remained. He pulled the spear back and caught it near the bladed tip before dropping it towards the deck. As a line of three Watu charged, the stallion pulled the spear forwards skewering one through the chest in a well aimed thrust. Then, he kicked the end with such force that it pushed through the corpse and into the Watu behind pinning both to an opened hatch door.

The sword sang as it cut through the air and blocked a downward swing of another Watu warrior's blade. A small dagger glittered in the light of the moon's glow as she peered through the clouds once more. The tiny blade spun in the air as it hit a Watu in his left eye causing her to scream in agony before a sword ended her misery in a clean curve across the back of her neck. The dagger was then removed before the pony fell to the deck and once more took flight embedding itself in another Watu's throat. The Watu pegasus behind him stopped in his tracks, but that proved to be his undoing as the sword was this time thrown hitting his forehead dead center, splitting his helm in half -- and his skull as well.

The other Watu stopped and turned their attention to the now unarmed stallion and made towards him. He just walked on as if he had not a care in the word as the remaining Watu charged.

They never saw Bones and the rest of the crew come at them from the side.

Then, at the very front of the airship, the last Watu turned and jumped off into the night heading straight towards the Eleonora.

"No! Don't let him get away! He'll raise the alarm!" the captain shouted picking up the nearest crossbow and firing it after the fleeing Watu.

The crew followed suit and did their best to bring the Watu down, but it was too difficult. The way he wove back and forth plus the sudden lack of lighting as the moon slipped once more behind the clouds made it a near impossible shot.

He was going to get away.

Or so they thought.

The Watu stopped in mid-flight, turned upwards for a moment, then plummeted backwards with his wings spread out into the sea.

The crew all turned to the pony who lowered a crossbow slowly. How had he hit the Watu from that distance?

"Who or what in Celestia's name are you?" the captain asked as they all stood dumbstruck by what they had witnessed.

The pony looked him dead in the eye. "A Border Guard."

In the background, only the sound of Bones' laughter could be heard over the stunned silence.

Author's Note

Apologies for the delay. I had to rewrite this twice to make it fit.

Mission 2, Part 4: All Aboard

"Anything new to report?" Blood asked as yet another Watu entered the bridge. More and more of them had started taking the places of the regular crew as most of them had been relieved of their posts mostly due to the fact that they abandoned them. Not that they could escape anywhere. He would deal with them when the time came.

"No, sir- captain. Nothing from the scouts. Three of our patrols have yet to return. Shall we send out search parties for them?"

Blood stood up and walked to the front of the bridge and stared at the deck far below through the window. The ponies below on the main deck going about their selected duties. The sails were fully unfurled, but there was a distinct lack of wind filling them all. Perhaps if he adjusted their course slightly, they would travel faster.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Blood was growing ever more annoyed of the fact that Wish had predicted this would happen. He had never had to think much about what Wish had to do in order to get the ship up and running the way it was, and he hated the prospect of having to order the crew around. They were not like his Watu. They obeyed insomuch as their limited abilities allowed them to. The Watu could do it all, but they were too bloodthirsty. They lacked the kind of discipline it would require to run a ship like this.

The spots were still scanning the skies but the unicorns that were powering them were exhausted, many of them passing out where they stood. As a result the lights were growing dimmer and dimmer. Soon he would have to commit teams of Watu unicorns to take over.

But why should something like that matter? After all, he was in charge of the greatest ship on the seas. So what if a few dozen unicorns would be too tired to be useful. Worrying about anything was pointless. All he needed to to was sit back and relax. Only a fool would try and attack this ship, but his instincts kept telling him not to let his guard down.

He heard some movement coming from behind him. Turning around he saw three crew members peering out towards the darkness in the same general direction. One of them seemed to have seen something and was trying to get the others to verify what he had spotted.

"What going on?"

"Sir, we think that there's something heading our way from port-bow, sir."

"Bow?"

"Y-yes, sir. From the front, sir."

Blood narrowed his eyes. "The front?"

He brought his binoculars to his eyes and searched as well. Was it a mere false alarm? Was there really something there?

"Port side towards the bow! Coming in fast! I repeat, coming in fast!" one of the crew shouted pointing in the direction he had seen whatever it was.

"I see it!" another replied and he put his binoculars down. "Black sails. Black hull. They must've painted her, sir!"

"How could you have missed that?" Blood growled.

"We were looking for a blue ship in the sky... sir," one of the crew cut back, the honorific hastily added at the end.

Blood looked at the stallion with cold, vindictive eyes. "I will deal with you later. Find that ship! Now! I want it lit up for the gunners to shoot down!"

The order was shouted down the comm-tubes and the spots converged in the same vicinity. Nothing.

"Tell those fools to search over the water! Not in the skies!" Blood could barely refrain from drawing his blade. Such incompetence was unforgivable.

The lights lowered themselves and scanned the area above the water. Like a shadow from the night, one of the lights grazed over the ship before going back and marking the ship. More lights focused on their targets, and the ponies looked in a mixture of shock and awe when they made out its name.

"It can't be. That ship was destroyed," a voice whispered as she stepped to the window and peered at it. None had noticed her come in during the commotion.

"What are you talking about?" Blood demanded, he never really asked a questions.

"Nothing. Just looks like a ship I've seen before."

"Don't waste my time! Rotate the cannons! Focus fire on that ship!" Blood shouted.

The airship seemed to be gaining speed. They were at a steady angle using both the wind and gravity to pull her forwards. They were closing in very quickly. Blood watched as the cannons on the foredeck and rear turned towards the designated sides slowly. Without the unicorns to power the machinery to move the heavy cannons, they had to resort to brute strength. It was not fast enough.

But he had exhausted the unicorns.

A squad of Watu pegasi headed out to greet the ship, confident in their ability to stop them. But unlike before when the ship was ambushed in the clouds, the crew of the black ship were ready. In an instant a stream of bolts sprang out as two wallarmbrusts craved into the pegasi when they drew near. Not a single one managed to get away.

"Tell those fools to pull back and let the upper cannons handle it!" Blood ordered.

At once he saw the secondary cannons appear on the main deck. Fifty trapdoors popped open as the anti-airship guns readied themselves to fire on the ship approaching them. But there were two things the engineers had not though of at the time of construction. One was the height. These cannons could not fire below a planar angle; they could not shoot down. They were designed to take out targets high above them. The second was that they were located substantially back from the edge of the deck, so they could not fire easily at a target over the side. How could any predict that there was a blind spot. How could they have known an airship would get that close to them from that angle?

Had the enemy known?

"Sir, our cannons cannot reach them! What do we do?"

Blood narrowed his eyes. "Get the wallarmbrusts to hammer that thing full of bolts!"

"Pointless. No amount of bolts or quarrels would put a dent in that vessel."

Closing his eyes to control his patience, Blood looked at Wish from the corner of his eye. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Load the deck cannons with flak shot. Have them detonate over the edge of the ship. Pull back the Watu so we don't lose them. It's the only option we have."

"Do it."

Wish looked at her crew one at a time. There weren't many left on the bridge, most had either abandoned their post or dead. "Are you giving me back control of my ship?"

"No. Just do as you're told, and I'll let you walk out of here alive."

Wish looked away. "You-"

"Don't even get started with me," the red unicorn snarled walking right up to her face.

She instinctively backed off.

"Do as you're told, or I'll mount you head on a pike as an example to what happens when I am disobeyed."

He said it so calmly, so quietly, that from a distance or to someone who didn't speak the language, they would have thought they were having a casual conversation. The problem was that when Blood used that voice, it meant that he was beyond serious. If she dared say anything, it wouldn't matter if she was more qualified to be captain of the ship.

"Sir, they're turning!" the ensign exclaimed.

The two of them turned to see the ship move so that she was turning sharply so that the bow of both ships faced the same direction. The smaller vessel then swung an extra few feet due to the momentum, the angle of her guns had shifted upwards until they were pointing directly towards where she stood. The entire side of the ship was facing her at an angle.

"Get down!" she screamed.

The concussive blast of seven cannons echoed in the night followed by a very brief moment of silence.

Everything seemed to stand still, just for a second, before the entire side of the bridge was engulfed in an inferno.

"Nobody messes with me and gets away with it!" the captain muttered as he watched the ship grow ever closer with each passing moment. It was like a small foal walking up to a fully grown ursa major. "Load port side cannons!"

"Got it, cap'n! Oh, and cap'n," Bones said as he stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"Welcome back. I think I can speak for us all when I say we missed this."

The captain smirked and shook his head dryly. "Only you, Bones. Only you."

Bones just shook his shoulders as he giggled, going below into to the gun deck to relay the orders. The captain couldn't shout them in case the enemy heard. Even the bell had been removed and kept hidden away in case it made a noise.

"Okay, Guard, this is what's going to happen. We're going to cut over the Eleonora's middle. We'll fire shots into the bridge and upper. She'll lose control and her eyes and with the wind blowing northeast the smoke will provide some cover for you."

"You are discounting the anti-air cannons on her deck."

"What?"

"He's right, captain. The Eleonora has fifty anti-air guns on her main deck. She uses it to keep fleets of airships away."

"F-fifty?"

"Yes, sir. I think that's right, sir." High Rise replied. She was a younger crew that got caught up with him and his bunch when she found herself unexpectedly freed during a particular raid many years ago. He had attacked the merchant vessel to steal their cargo, but they happened to have several slaves as well. It was one of his raids, but unlike the rest of the captives that he freed, she demanded to stay on. Rise has been a valuable member of the crew ever since.

"Thanks, Rise. You're always full of good news."

"Thank you, captain," Rise replied, whether or not she had heard the sarcasm in her captain's words was another question.

"What should we do then? If we can't cut across her, then maybe we should turn back and buy some more time."

That was Firefly. Another mare, a pegasus, that got caught up with him a very long time ago. She was one of those unfortunate enough to actually think that he would run away with her should she follow him, but he was married to the ship and the crew was his family. In the end, she chose to stay aboard because after the time she hung around it ended up being all that she knew. She was so stubborn. Then again, he had learned that most females were.

Why was that?

"If you get me on the ship, I'll free the slaves. They will create havoc internally. During that time, I'll take control of the ship," came the response in a cold voice.

"You will? Well, isn't that great!" the captain replied sardonically. "Listen, a few Watu pegasi exhausted from flying this far away from their ship may not have been a problem for a Guard like you, but don't think that they're all that weak. They are the most feared fighting force outside of Equestria for a reason. I don't want to burst your bubble, but don't think you can take on an entire army by yourself."

The Guard looked at the captain for a moment. "Get me to the ship. What you do after that is your decision."

"You really think that-" He stopped himself when the Guard's eyes narrowed themselves. "Slaves are useless at fighting. How do you think they got caught in the first place? It's because they couldn't fight! Most are in there because they are too weak to fight for their own freedom. How will they help you?"

"They don't need to fight."

The captain was confused. Why would they not need to fight? Wasn't that the purpose of freeing them?

"A-a-also, there's the dragon." The captain watched the expression of the Guard carefully. He did not give away any emotion whatsoever. "H-he's in charge of this whole operation. It's his ship, his gold, his merchandise and he is also the leader of the Watu Wakali. Not to mention the Watu's commander."

"I see."

"It would be best to avoid him at any cost. For us and yourself. He usually slumbers throughout the entire voyage, and it is said that nothing can wake him up until he reaches the other shore. If he does take part in this then we're going to need to somehow bring him up to the main deck and hit him with everything we've got."

"Even your cannons on this ship are insufficient. It would be better if I were to take him out myself."

The captain almost fell on his face when he heard those words. "T-take him out yourself? No one pony can take on a dragon. Even with my ship to help it will be a hard fight! With you it will be suicide!"

Those cold steel-like eyes remained fixed unafraid on the Eleonora. "Then fighting me would be better."

"Wait? What?" the captain asked, but the Guard was walking away and towards the bow of the ship. "What do you mean?"

"I think he thinks that should the dragon fight him, it would be suicide for the dragon. Not him." Firefly said quietly.

"Is he really that stupid?"

Firefly looked at the receding figure of the Guard. "I hope not. I really, really hope not."

"Keep it going!" the captain shouted as he kept the wheel steady.

The ship lurched forwards heading straight on, the sails full as the unicorns cast the last of their wind spells to push the airship along. It was standard practice on an airship where they main aspect was speed and maneuverability. They needed to gain as much momentum as possible for their next attack to work.

The gun crew was lethal. Years of aerial combat had taught them how to use their position in the air to their advantage, or how to navigate their ship to minimize damage. It was going to be close, the captain knew. They had not yet been spotted, but it wouldn't take them long. The lights would eventually find them. With the amount of eyes the Eleonora had, it would have been impossible for them not to. They needed as much time as they could get.

If only it were raining, but out here there was not controlled weather. Out here nature was ruthless. These clouds could never be tamed.

Not that the captain was worried. He had done this plenty of times before. Just not with a ship this big, and not one where an army of elite killers served on.

"Cannon one ready!" came the shout.

"Cannon four ready!"

The silence between the calls was deafening.

"Cannon seven ready!"

"Cannon six... ready!"

"Hurry your flanks up! This isn't a game."

He was cut off as the lights streamed over them. They had been spotted, but like with all things, they were still looking up. They had seconds to spare now.

"Come on, unicorns! Give us more wind! Get use closer!" the captain said quietly, encouraging them with his will. They were far beyond exhausted, he could see it in their faces, yet he knew they were giving it their all. But was it enough?

The lights fell on them. The captain held a hoof in front of his face to block of the blinding lights. He braced himself for impact, expecting a volley of heavy cannons to rip them apart. He held his breath thinking that it would be his last.

It never came.

"Someone get on the wallarmbrusts! Keep those Watu off this ship!" the captain ordered as soon as he realized that they had reached a blind spot. Now it was time to keep the warriors away.

At once some of the crew got behind the huge crossbows and prepared themselves.

"Cannons two and three! Are you ready?"

"R-ready, sir!" a voice shouted from below. "All cannons are armed."

"Aye, sir. Are we boarding?" Hickory asked looking at the Eleonora looming over them. She gulped and gritted her teeth.

The captain looked at the the crew. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?"

"Aye, sir!"

They were close. Really close. You could see the large planks now. You could see the unicorns and earth pony Watu on the edge of the railings with their crossbows. They were waiting for them, and there, above and behind the railing, was the bridge of the Eleonora. It was time.

"Heave it to starboard, you mangy curs!" he roared as he turned the wheel.

The ship swerved to the right, at their pace and momentum it swung upwards using the balloon as a fulcrum. As it did, the entire port side of the ship shifted its angle, pointing up at the bridge. He had done this a thousand times before in air combat when his canons needed to be aimed at an enemy above him. He may not have done this recently, but he could read his ship like a book. He felt the ship rise and waited for the appropriate moment.

"Fire!"

Seven cannons echoed in the night and the bridge of the Eleonora was shredded in seconds. The cannon balls tore through her bridge at an upward strike taking the entire port side including the roof clean off. The bridge beyond the angle remained intact, but they had managed to deliver a substantial blow to the ship's brain.

Captain Wish blinked open her eyes. Where was she? This place looked unfamiliar. Why was it so hot? When did someone light a fire? Why was everything so dark? Was that smoke? Outside the fireplace? She looked around trying to get her bearings when a familiar face ran up to her and started asking her some questions. She could not make out the words, her ears were still ringing.

Ringing from what?

"... they're moving away from us on the port-side, sir! We need orders!"

Wish turned her head to look through the gaping hole, every moment leading up to the second the bridge got hit replayed itself in her mind. She tried to stand, failed and hit the ground hard. She looked under her and noticed the large pool of blood. Her head felt wet.

No time to contemplate.

"All cannons get a bearing on target," she gasped between her teeth.

"Impossible, sir. The communication tubes have been destroyed. We need to head to the flag bridge, sir! There's nothing here."

The flag bridge was the bridge used for commanding a fleet. The Eleonora was once a ship of war, bought out by the dragon for the purpose of shipping slaves. It was a warship first. Always was, always would be. The ship would not go down from this. She could take a lot more punishment.

"Then what are we waiting for? All bridge crew report to the flag bridge! Now!"

"A-are you back in charge, c-captain?"

She looked up. Blood was nowhere to be seen. "As of now I am resuming command of the ship. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Captain Wish was helped up and was guided along towards the stairs. The crew around her loaded small hoof-held crossbows and flanked her on all sides. They would need to guard her not only against any potential threats from the attackers, but also from Watu that may or may not have orders to kill Wish on sight.

In the back of her mind, Wish wondered if reassuming command of the Eleonora was the smart thing to do. She could have left it alone, but Blood was too incompetent to take charge of a complex situation such as this. Blood was good at one thing, and one thing alone. Combat. He was not a leader; he was a killer pure and simple.

Downwards they went. Two ensigns taking point as she headed below the main deck. Deck one was the gun deck, the flag bridge two decks below that. The going was slow. Around each turn the officers paused to check to make sure that there were no threats.

She felt the ship shake and heard the blast of several cannons firing at the same time. Did they just end the conflict? Did they just stop whoever it was that attacked them?

Suddenly a loud slamming noise echoed across the ship followed by a very familiar and dangerous voice as it was projected across the entire vessel. "This is Captain Blood. Somewhere on this ship is a rat by the name of Wish. You should know her as the ex-captain of this vessel. Whosoever brings me her body, dead or alive, gets a bonus of fifty Equestrian bits. Those who are supporting her will want to rethink their life-changing option, because I can assure you that you won't live very long if you're caught with her."

"Don't worry, captain, we're with you all the way. That maniac will get us all killed."

"W-what was the name of that ship that attacked us?" Wish asked as they turned around yet another corner. She was trying to take her mind off the pain she was feeling across her brain.

"The Lipizzan, sir. That's the name," the officer replied.

That made Wish stop in her tracks. "Come again?"

"The Lipizzan, sir."

Years at sea had taught her one thing: never be surprised at what you might find out here. A long dead foe from her distant past coming to haunt her once again? How was it that he was still alive? Did she not hunt him down and kill him? Did she not leave him dying in a smouldering airship the last time they had met? Did she not finally have her revenge after years of hunting him?

So, how was it that he was still alive?

"No, it can't be," Wish whispered to herself.

"What, captain? I missed that."

"Nothing. Just... let's get to the flag bridge first."

Onwards they continued, Wish felt her consciousness slowly fading out. She hoped that she could hold out long enough to issue a coherent order to her crew, but she could not think straight with the constant pain numbing her mind.

"I need a doctor."

The entourage stopped.

"I need a doctor. Now."

"Sir, the infirmary is lower down. The Watu might be down there. We need to secure you first before we can-"

Wish looked up. She was in no mind to fight. "If I don't see a doctor, then it won't matter, ensign. Who is the next in command here?"

"I am, sir." The voice sounded familiar. What was his name again? She had forgotten.

"Then until I am capable of performing my duties, you're in charge of this ship. Don't let that psycho destroy this ship. There are too many aboard. Thousands will die if he gets his way. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause.

"Of course, sir. I won't let you down."

"Good. You head to the bridge. Take who you need. Two volunteers are needed to take me down to the lower deck, the rest of you are to assist the acting captain until I return."

"Sir, yes, sir."

None of them moved.

"This isn't a suggestion. Go. Now."

"I'll stay, sir."

"As will I, sir."

The two voices moved and she felt the weight under her arms shift as the two volunteers took over.

"We'll be waiting for you, captain."

She looked up and opened one eye and saw them saluting her. She couldn't help but smile as they turned and headed down the corridor and around the corner.

"Names. What are you names?" she asked as she felt the two ponies under her move.

"Amber, sir." She looked at the white earth pony on her left. She had deep golden eyes.

"Chase," the stallion on her right replied. He was a unicorn.

"Let's go."

On the walked. The sounds of the battle upstairs were loud, but with the distraction, they were making good time. Perhaps they could actually make it all the way to the infirmary without being spotted. She did not dare to hope, but the feeling kept creeping up on her.

"We're almost there, sir," Chase whispered.

"Stop!" a voice shouted from behind. "Stop right there!"

"Go. I'll hold them off," Chase whispered.

"No."

"Amber, please listen to me. You have to get the captain to the doctor. She has to live. There's nopony else on this ship that can save us."

"Nopony?" Wish thought. "It can't be. Y-you're both Equestrians?"

Neither responded.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked.

Amber pulled Wish along. "We're going to help you, sir."

"You shouldn't be here. This is no place for an Equestrian."

"I said stop!" the voice shouted from behind.

"Go!" Chase called and the sound of a pony in pain echoed through the corridor.

Wish wanted to turn and see what had happened, but she knew that she was in no condition to do so. She needed to move. The faster she moved, the greater the chance Chase had in surviving. He could meld into the crew and get away.

"Please stay alive," Amber said quietly.

Zecora jumped in her sleep. She looked around and noticed quite a lot of excitement from all the slaves. Deck five was alive with the sounds of howling, yelling, barking and hollering. A couple of other Watu Wakali were trying to silence the noise makers with force, but the two posted in front of their cell did not budge.

"W-w-w-what was that?" Lucky asked nervously.

A crackle echoed above them followed by a loud, repetitious squeal. That was an alarm.

"All Watu are to report to the upper decks. We are under attack. This is not a drill."

Just then the ship shook violently.

"All Watu are to report to the upper decks. This is not a drill."

The words made the two guards posted outside their cell look at each other.

"It said all of us. But Blood's orders are to stay here. What do?"

"We go. We must."

They checked their spears and weapons before galloping away. There was another excited murmur as all the Watu departed for the nearest exit.

Every single slave wondered what was going on above them.

Just seconds ago she had all started coming to terms with her predicament. She wondered if it was better to live as a slave or to take her own life. With hope renewed, she rushed to the gates and began to shake them as hard as she could. It was pointless, but it felt great. It felt good to do something. Anything.

The seconds ticked by. Moments dragged on. Nothing. Not a sound, apart from the diamond dogs and other slaves.

Then the entire vessel shook as cannons were fired. These ones from the Eleonora. Zecora instinctively let go of the bars thinking that somehow they were related. The thought only lasted for a moment, but the mere thought was addictive enough for her to try again.

"Someone is attacking this ship?" Iron asked. He stood up and looked around. "Someone is attacking the ship!"

"Wow, did you just wake up?" Providence asked, giggling slightly to herself.

"H-h-how can you laugh in this situation?"

"Relax, Lucky. Calm down. Nothing's gonna happen to us all the way down here. We're on deck five, right? Whatever is happening has got to be on the top levels. Maybe an ursa escaped or something. Just relax."

Lucky failed to do so.

"You're probably right, Providence. An escaped beast would probably be the correct assumption. After all, who would be foolish enough to try such a thing?" Lang asked standing up with his neck bent. "Who would be foolish enough to attack the Eleonora?"

Iron shook his head. "I don't know. They would have to be incredibly brave, or incredibly foolish. They would have to be strong fighters."

Somewhere in the back of her mind she did not want to believe it, but she knew deep down inside that there was only one answer. And for the first time since she arrived here, Zecora actually smiled.

"Here they come!" one of the crew shouted.

The captain saw more Watu pegasi jump over the side of the ship and dive towards them. The lights from the spots had revealed them clear as day. It was really helpful, he made a mental note to thank the moron who ordered that later.

"Keep those pegasi off!"

"How many of them are there?" a voice asked as he rushed to the side with his crossbow.

Bones grinned. "Not enough!" He burst out into fits of laughter once again as he took control of a wallarmbrust.

The captain raised the nose of his ship so that the Lipizzan was now rising upwards at a shallow angle. "Reload!"

"Reloaded, sir! Cannons one through seven are good to go!" Gravel Grove shouted from his gun deck. The dark grey earth pony with white spots along the underside of his body shouted.

"Ready to fire!" the captain shouted.

He looked behind him as Firefly and some of the other crew were taking down the Watu pegasi following them. A couple of his own were met with well aimed bolts as other Watu from the Eleonora's deck were firing at them as well. Without the canons to help them, they had to resort to bolts and quarrels. The balloon was taking a lot of punishment from the wallarmbrusts, but he hoped against all odds that it would hold. The unicorns stopped what they could with their magic, but it wasn't enough.

"Wait for it!" the captain demanded as the ship still climbed higher and higher. He gritted his teeth as he saw five more of his crew go down. "Wait for it!"

"They're ripping us apart!" a voice shouted.

"Wait for it..."

Then he leveled it out right alongside their main deck. Seventeen cannons were facing them.

"Fire!" the captain shouted.

Both sides fired at almost the same moment. The Lipizzan shot across the main deck, the cannonballs moving across the surface as it tore seven scars across hitting three of the cannons dead on causing a terrific explosion. The canons from the Eleonora were not aimed at the Lipizzan herself, but at the balloon that carried her. They shells tore through the balloon causing a bright flash of light that engulfed the black sky. The magical gas inside exploded once it was met with the fire from the shells.

The captain was counting on that. The blinding flash of light was what he needed to get the Watu to stop firing with their wallarmbrusts. He needed that break to spare what remained of his crew.

The Lipizzan started to fall. Without the balloon it could not sustain.

"Latch onto her! Latch onto her now! Shoot the spikes!" the captain roared.

From below the gun deck, long poles of solid steel were fired out, ripping into the Eleonora's side. The pointed spikes penetrated through the hull letting the Lipizzan hang there.

"Fold the port side sails! Pull use close! Now!"

The crew did as they were told. Those that still could not see made themselves as small as possible so that they didn't get in the way. As the crew folded the sails on the port back, the captain pulled a lever reeling the spikes back in. The movement shoved the Lipizzan right against the Eleonora's hull.

They had latched onto the ship.

"Ready the cannons!"

"No."

The captain turned around to look at the speaker. It was the Guard. Where had he been? He had not noticed that he was missing until that moment.

"What do you mean no? How are we going to board her if we can't cut through her hull?"

"You and your crew would not survive close quarters combat against the Watu. You're better off defending the ship from out here."

"They'll come down on us in droves!" the captain argued.

The Guard looked at the captain for a moment. "Do as you wish, but be warned, if you harm the one I am looking for, there will be no place you can go where I won't find you."

"How are you going to get into the ship then?"

The stallion looked up. "Climb."

"Climb? You'll be a sitting duck! You'll..."

The stallion shot a bolt into the air, with a rope tied to it. It traveled upwards and hit the railing's edge dead on.

How in Celestia's name could he shoot like that?

"I'm sorry for the crew you have lost." Despite his words, the pony's voice gave away no emotion.

"You should be!" the captain shouted at the stallion. "Because of you I lost many good crew! Because of you I-"

"It was because of you, captain. I never forced you to take on this job. As promised, the second half of your gold." The Guard placed it in his hoof. "If you listen to me and remain here, you might still live long enough to actually spend it."

The captain opened his mouth to say something, but the pony took out a dagger and cut a rope. As he did, he zipped straight up into the night sky, over the edge of the Eleonora's deck, and out of sight.

"Who in Equestria's name are you?" The captain whispered at where he had last seen the pony.

He never did get his name.

"Captain, we can't stay like this! We're too exposed!" Firefly shouted.

"Get below and batten down the cannons and get ready. We're going to flip her."

"What?" Firefly asked, but the captain had already moved.

As they made their way into the gun deck, the cannons had already been tied down and the cannon balls were safely stacked away in their storage areas.

"Release the aft and center spikes on my mark."

"Aye, sir!"

"Then get ready to fire them on my mark again!"

"Aye, sir!"

The order was given and the ship swung downwards along the front spike.

"Latch it! Now!"

The crew did as they were ordered and now the entire ship was upside down with the hull facing upwards.

"Now what?"

"Now we wait, and hope that the Guard keeps his word, otherwise we're going to be really rich corpses real soon."

Mission 2, Part 5: The Belly of the Beast

The ship was in utter chaos. The crew and the Watu were at odds with one another, some not sure whose orders to follow, others in full conflict against one another. The Eleonora had never been attacked before and despite the numerous drills and training exercises, there was no semblance of order. There were confusing orders going back and forth through the communication pipes. The Watu still had some semblance of control, but mostly because they were all lined up trying to get at the attackers, who had somehow flipped their airship upside down.

Blood stood on the bridge, or what was left of it with a dark expression on his face. How had Wish manage to slip away from him and his Watu? She was here just moments before, but they had gone. But where? He was the captain of the Eleonora, not her. He was in command of this ship. Not. Her.

He slammed his hoof down. The fate of thousands rested in his hooves, or did they rest in whoever instigated this? That was what was bothering him. He was not in control.

The sound of hoof steps sounded from behind him.

"What is it?"

"Sir, slaves are being freed below. We have not yet found the source."

Blood growled and turned around. "Find Wish. It could be her doing."

"Yes, sir!" the Watu saluted and darted off.

A flash of light appeared behind him and the being bowed. Striker, a pitch black unicorn had teleported to the deck. "Sir, reports are streaming in from all over that ship that the slaves are being set free one after the other. They are causing problems as we have to reassign our forces to prevent them from overrunning the ship."

"They have organized?"

"Small packs of diamond dogs have formed and are actually fighting back. We've managed to put down any pack large enough to be threatening, but as more are freed more are becoming braver. We will have to... use deadly force if this keeps up, otherwise we're going to lose control of the Eleonora."

"We have the bridge. What can they do?"

"Sir, orders are being given to other crew to help maintain the sails and cannons. We've been following those orders and have been able to keep the slaves away from any weapons caches."

"Wish?"

"No, sir. The voice is of her first mate, sir. I don't know his name, but he is... useful. For now."

"Where is he issuing the orders?"

"From the flag bridge, sir. It's seven levels below here, sir. Shall we intervene?"

It was a difficult decision. If they were helping regain control of the situation they were in, then it might have been better leaving them alone. But if he did, would it undermine his newly acquired authority towards the crew?

"Or shall we start... reducing the number of slaves."

Another difficult decision. Their lord and master would not be impressed if they lost too many of their shipment, but even a dragon could be killed if enough ants were thrown at it. It might have been better to make a slight loss.

"Do what you must to retain order and take back the ship. Keep casualties to a minimum. For the diamond dogs, slay any alpha that dares defy us. The rest, use whatever means. Find those that are freeing them and bring him to me. Dead or alive."

"Alive, sir?"

Blood smiled. It was a cruel smile, a smile that Striker knew all too well for he had seen it many times in the past. As far as he was concerned, Blood lived for killing. He loved it. He was a natural and relished taking another being's life. He had killed far too many slaves and many of his own Watu. Essentially those who dared defied him did not live for very long.

Striker was also one of the few ponies that knew his real name was not Blood. It was the name he gave himself because of his coat. Not many remembered his real name, but those that did never rarely lived for very long either. He had abandoned his past, and that name a long time ago.

"I will bring them to you alive if possible, sir." Striker was engulfed in a flash of light as he teleported away.

"Free! Free! I is free!" a diamond dog shouted as he flailed his arms through the air and rushed outside of Zecora's cell.

"Cease and desist, release us I insist!" Zecora shouted after the dog, but he was already gone. "Will one of you please, go and find the keys!"

She had shouted at several of them to let them out, but they did not have keys. Instead of freeing his comrades, the dogs usually just ran about in a mad frenzy. It was irritating. She understood that these particular breed of dogs probably would not have known how to open the locked cage, and by the looks of things it was doubtful that they could bite through them either. The locks on the doors were pretty thick.

Iron paced along the cage, a expression of deep concentration on his face.

"What's eating you?" Providence asked.

The rhino glanced at her. "I'm trying not to get excited. I don't want to think about-"

"Hey," a voice hissed interrupting him.

They all looked to see Voltic standing just beyond the cell doors.

"What is it, fox? Don't you have other places to be? Won't the slaves kill you if they see you?"

The fox made a face, but did not say anything. Something that looked like a long stick appeared from the shadows behind him and shoved his shoulder. It was too dark to see who or what it was.

Voltic clicked his tongue and shrugged the poke off. "Okay, okay. I'm opening it. Just so you know, the reason why the dogs aren't attacking me is because I'm helping free them, okay? I wasn't lying when I said I wanted out of this mess." He reached forward and unlatched the lock.

As soon as he did the rhino burst through the doors taking the fox in his giant hand and holding him in the air squeezing him with all his might. "Tell me why I should let you live?"

The fox croaked, unable to say anything.

"Because he willfully led me to you," a cold voice said from the shadows, "after freeing others along the way."

At those words Iron let go of Voltic sending him crashing onto the floor. He gulped in air as the rhino's grip was relinquished.

"I do not know who are you, but I am grateful," Iron said.

"Don't be. I didn't come here for you."

"Then me?" Lang asked standing next to the rhino.

"No."

"M-me?" a timid voice asked as Lucky cautiously stepped out from his cell.

"No."

"Then the pegasus?"

"No. I came for her." The stick appeared again from the shadow, gesturing at the space between them all. They all turned to look at the zebra behind them. Zecora walked by the others and stood in front of them all and held her breath. She still could not believe it and her eyes widened as the figure in the shadow moved slowly into the light.

The helm and plume appeared first, the red feathers rolling along the criniere seemed to spring to life like fire. The red streak ended at the base of his neck where it attached itself to the body armor. Little hoops held the feathers in place on each segmented plate. Then he raised his head, which covered with a champron his entire face, save for the eyes. Those cold, hard eyes did not need armor to protect them. Then he took another step forward, as cautious as the ones before. His forehoof was wrapped in an iron gauntlet from the joint down, leather bindings kept it in place and as he took the next stop so that his entire front half was now in the light, the peytral across his chest revealed the emblem none of them could miss.

"What's a Border Guard doing this far away from Equestria?" Iron asked staring in shock at the stallion.

"My mission."

"Your... mission?" Lang laughed quietly, amused by the answer. "You attacked the most heavily guarded slave ship known in our lands just to free one zebra? That was your mission?"

"No."

"Then what?" Lang asked. "What is your mission?"

The pony did not reply.

"Semper, why have you come? What is it that I have done?" Zecora asked. She could not meet his eyes. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest.

Providence looked at the stallion. "Semper..." she whispered, letting the name sink in. "Strange name."

"Because I insisted on finding you. Because of who you are. I'm here to take you back home."

Zecora's face flushed at those words. "If what you say is true, then I will go with you."

Semper held out a hoof. "Let us go."

The zebra reached out to him but was cut off by Lucky who dove at the Guard's other hoof. He pressed himself right up against his knees, tears flowing from his eyes. She understood why. This was a Guard of the very nation he was taken from and he was here for her, not him. The Guard was a symbol of hope and protection. Who else besides this single stallion could they turn to?

"Please! You have to help us! There's nobody else that can!" Lucky shouted. "I don't wanna be a slave!"

"That does not concern me."

Lucky raised himself to Semper's chest. "You cannot come in here and leave us! You must take us with you!"

"He's right, you know. You can't waltz in here and leave without helping." Providence hovered in the air flew forwards and jabbed Semper in the chest. "That's totally wrong." She then promptly folded her hooves in front of her.

Zecora walked up and put herself between Semper and her new friends. "Semper Pie, they are correct, leaving without them I must object. My time with them has been very, very short, but they are friends you must help escort."

There was a long moment of silence. The tension was building up, and the sounds of fighting came from everywhere. It might have only been for a few seconds, but it felt like hours before the stallion replied.

"No."

"N-no?" the all said at the same time.

"I cannot lead you all to safety. However, I can assist in your escape. The best way is for you all to make your way to the bridge of the Eleonora and wait there. I will cause enough... distractions for you to get there safely. On the bridge you must activate the order to abandon ship. Only then will you have a chance to get away from here. You must get to a lifeboat and head home."

Lang stroked his beard and nodded. "Your plan sounds feasible, but suicide for you. You forget that the master of this vessel isn't like us. He's a dragon, and dragons are a league unto their own. From what I hear he slumbers for the duration of this trip, but should he awaken..."

This failed to interest the Guard as he took a step back into the shadows.

"Get to the bridge and secure it. Do not worry about the dragon."

"Are you mad? We have to worry about him the most!" the giraffe exclaimed swinging his arm in a wide motion.

"Get to the bridge." With that the Guard stepped back into the darkness and the sounds of his hoof falls faded quickly in the distance.

"H-h-he's insane!" Lucky turned his head to look to the others standing behind him from the floor. "Right?"

They all nodded as one, except for a zebra who stared at the spot where she had last seen him.

"He is Semper Pie. He will do, or he will die."

The group of Watu warriors were galloping down the hall. Their orders were simple: find and capture or kill the one causing all the ruckus in the decks below so that the Watu could concentrate on the crashed ship above. Leading this group was Striker who had more to prove than the others there.

He used to be famous back in Equestria. A famous hoofball player that had a magnificent career ahead of him, only he was too proud and stupid. When his team had lost the cup he took it out on his family. Not many unicorns can claim to have the power and stamina of an earth pony, but Striker had it. That also had ultimately been his undoing. In a fit of drunken rage, he had killed a fellow teammate by kicking him in the neck. The trial was swift and he soon found himself wandering through an unknown, hostile land. Eventually he ran into a group of ponies who were interested in selling him as a slave.

He had killed once before, how hard could it be to do so again?

With the ferocity of a dragon, Striker killed his would-be foalnappers with his bare hooves. He had incidentally made a name for himself and soon joined a mercenary group. Over time he had found a home on the Eleonora. A home for ponies and other kinds of creatures like him. Lost, with no other place to go, they all forged an uncomfortable living by obeying orders blindly. When one of them died, it might have been mentioned in passing but quickly forgotten. This was what it meant to be a Watu Wakali warrior. Life was a luxury they could no longer afford.

"Sir," a purple pegasus said, "there is rumor that a single pony is freeing the slaves as he or she made their way into the rear holds of the ship."

"Great. What does that idiot think he's doing? That's where the ursas and timberwolves are kept, right?" Striker asked. He already knew the answer, but he was optimistic.

"Yes, sir."

He sighed and put his sword into its scabbard across his flank. "What's the status of the ship on the hull?"

"Don't know, sir. The communication tubes have been damaged, so it's hard to find one that works. Orders from above are coming in via runners to areas that need it but the slaves are a nuisance. They keep ganging up and either killing or forcing the runners to turn back."

"Does anyone know how many of them are there causing all this ruckus?" Striker asked.

The purple pony rubbed the back of his head. "Rumor is... one, sir."

Striker refused to believe that nonsense. "Okay, let's all head for the stern. Round up any Watu on the way. We might have to kill a few ursas and timberwolves, but make sure that whoever is causing this does not get out of that hold alive or is wrapped in chains. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the Watu shouted.

"Let's move out!"

The ursas were tearing the hold apart. They might have been small cubs, but each one was big enough to take out every Watu there. One was a headache, two was an annoyance, but three was ridiculous. They had no reason to worry about the timberwolves, for they had long since fled from the ursas and their wrath as soon and as quickly as they could.

Striker dodged a paw as it swiped across the gangway he was on, slicing through the chains holding it up. It flipped over and fell, but his strong legs allowed him to make a quick getaway as he dove for the next gangway rolling head over tail until he came to a perfect stop. He turned around to see one of the other Watu get bitten in half.

Streams of arrows showered the entire room as the Watu tried to bring at least one of the ursas down. They had lost seven so far, an unacceptable number. The Watu that were killed were not fit enough to call themselves Watu; at least that was what he told himself to justify leading them to their deaths. How else could he cope with the loss? This was not the life he wanted. This was not the life he deserved.

A flash of red from his side made him stop. A moment later and he would have been skewered.

Raising his shield up, he blocked the spear point that aimed straight for his heart. Striker slid backwards and drew his blade with his magic as he took the shield in hoof and the spear in the other. Three weapons against one.

"So, you're the troublemaker, eh? Why don't you come into the light, so I can see your face."

The pony did as he was asked. The red plume flowing from his helm was unmistakable. Other Watu that had seen him froze for a second before continuing dodging the ursas.

"A Border Guard? Here?" Striker smirked and laughed quietly. "Really? You're the one causing all this? Impossible. Why have the Guard attacked this ship? Why is Equestria suddenly taking an interest of things outside her borders? How many of you are there?"

No response.

"I said how many of you are there?" Striker shouted.

"More than enough," came the reply.

Striker opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the pony's sudden lunge. The speed of the spear's strike threw him off guard as his shield blocked it in the nick of time. Two figures charged past him as he fell backwards on his rear. If it had not been for these two, Specter and Bell, he knew that it would have been over for him. The two Watu fought the Guard straight on, barely able to push him back. The way the Guard moved, it was unreal. He dodged the blades of Bell's dual scimitars while fending off Specter's great axe at the same time managing to block off stray shots by other Watu firing crossbow bolts in his general direction.

Who was this pony?

"Specter, get down!" The white and brow spotted pony did as he was ordered and ducked just as Striker aimed his crossbow.

The Guard moved to the side, parrying Bell's blades and slugging her face with his left hoof stunning her from the impact. The magical glow that enveloped the blades flickered out and clanged to the floor before being pulled to the side so that her body was now between the Guard and the two of them. This all took place just as Striker pulled the trigger sending the arrow flying right into Bell's back. She let out a squeal of anguish as the bolt pierced her through the back right where her hear was, but before she had time to react the Guard swung the dying pony to the left, who tumbled over the railing of the gangway towards the bottom of the hull far below. If the fall did not kill her, the ravaging wild creatures would.

"Specter, no!" Striker shouted, but his voice fell on deaf ears as the larger stallion charged the Guard roaring with rage. He swung his great axe in a wide circle cutting the chains of the gangway they were on. A suicide move, for sure, to take himself and the intruder out at the same time. Bell and Specter had always been very close. Too close, in Striker's professional opinion, but they each did their job and they did it well so nobody really complained about it.

The Guard was not one to fall so easily. Moving under one of the wide swings of the axe, he closed the distance quickly placing his hoof on Specter's outstretched forelegs. Then, with a small dagger, he stabbed Specter multiple times causing him to lean over him.

Striker had not been idle during this time, and had reloaded his crossbow. The only problem was now he had no shot. Not with Specter slumped over the Guard like that.

The Guard picked up the Watu, who had dropped his axe, and charged towards Striker who was trying to find a way to hit a mark. Something. Anything. He had a taste of what close combat was like with this stallion and he was not about to relive that experience again. He knew that he would not last half a minute.

The hoof. He aimed and fired. He saw the bolt enter, but the Guard did not so much as flinch as he literally threw Specter onto him. The sudden weight of the bigger pony with armor made Striker fall on his haunches as he had nowhere to dodge. He watched with dread as the Guard stood there standing over him under the dead pony.

Lowering himself till he was just inches from Striker's face, the Guard ripped the bolt out from his hoof.

"You dropped this."

Before Striker could react, the Guard took the bolt and shoved it into his exposed neck. He struggled as the bolt went deeper into his flesh. He tried to kick out to get away from the torturous agony he was experiencing, but it was pointless. He could not move because of Specter's corpse laying over him. Then he felt a jolt and a crack as the Guard snapped the bolt in half. The motion blacked Striker out for what must have been seconds because he looked up to the stallion running towards the nearest exit.

Strangely, a part of him actually wanted to wish that crazy Guard well. In retrospect, Striker understood that he was the bad guy. After all, he was the one that was guarding a ship full of slaves going to another kingdom. This was his time. He had a chance at life and blew it in a big way.

No. He was not going to die. Not here, not now. He gritted his teeth and tried to shove Specter off of him.

A bright yellow pegasus landed next to him. She tried to pull Specter off but failed. After that she leaned over and studied the wound on his neck. She took something out and put pressure on it.

"Sir, don't move." Jewel shouted above the din of the roaring ursas.

Striker looked into her big dark green eyes. She was new. One of those Exilees, ponies born from exiled parents of Equestria. How had she got involved with this? Perhaps a huge debt that needed to be settled, or maybe she was an orphan that had made a really bad career choice. Or maybe a good one. Life expectancy outside of the kingdom was very, very short. It was especially short if you were on your own.

"Go after that Guard!" he had wanted to shout, but his he found that he could not. It was hard enough to breathe, let alone whisper.

"I need a medic over here!"

It took a few moments, but one of the Watu medics did reach him. He looked at Striker, then at Jewel and shook his head. "His carotid artery has been punctured. He won't last much longer without a donor, and I don't have a list of compatible ponies, and even if we did, we're in the middle of a fight here! Leave him!"

"W-what? I can't do that! He needs our help!" Jewel retorted.

"Fine, you can stay here and die, but the ursas have overrun this hold and our forces are split. We can't hold out, so we're flooding this hold and drowning those damned beasts. You stay, you die."

"W-who ordered that?"

"Who else. Get with the program, missy. We're not Guards, we're Watu. What we do has no honor. We live to serve a slave trading dragon! Our lives are meaningless!"

Jewel narrowed her eyes. "Is it meaningless to care for others?"

"Out here? Yes! Your choice, but I'm not staying." The medic got up to leave.

"Then at least help me push the dead one off."

The medic thought about it, but nodded. He helped push the body of Specter off and fled. Jewel pulled Striker on top of her using her wings. She hoisted the weak unicorn onto her back and marched slowly towards the same exit the Guard had left minutes before.

By the time she went through they had already started flooding the hold as the loading doors were opened on the far side. The sudden rush of sea water swept away the ursas flushing them out into the darkness of the sea. Striker heard their voices fade as the warmth of darkness took him.

It was a terrible day.

"Run that by me again." Blood turned around slowly at the reporting officer. He made no sign that the action intimidated him.

"A Border Guard is causing all this, sir. He was cornered in the lower holds before we flooded it."

"A Border Guard? Are you tell me that just one Border Guard is causing all this trouble?" This time it was Blood's smile that made the reporting officer take a step back. "Tell the Watu to take their time in taking down that ship. Tell the unicorns to start casting fire spells at anything on that ship that can burn."

"Yes, sir!"

"I've got a Border Guard to find."

Blood marched through the corridors leading towards the lower decks. As he approached the entrance, he noted that the Watu here were having too much fun. He waited for a moment before he coughed, which made all of them spin around and salute.

"What's going on here?"

"Hunting, sir."

"Slaves, sir."

"Easy targets, sir."

"How many have you killed?" Blood asked as he peered inside the hall that led downwards.

Neither of them answered.

"No matter, I want you three to come with me. We're going Guard hunting."

The three looked to each other, and nodded. These three were notorious for their cruelty. They were banished not too long ago and were eager to join the Watu after some demonstrations of their skills. They were natural killers. Hardhearted and brutal. The only problem was that they were bullies. Blood understood that and he did not think much of them because of it. Any show of defiance or authority had these three cowering in the corner begging for their mother's teat. As far as he was concerned, they were expendable.

They were perfect for his use.

Mission 2, Part 6: Painful Memories

"How long has it been?" the captain asked.

Bones looked up at the floor of the Lipizzan. The ship was still upside down and the sounds of bolts pelting it and quarrels exploding on it echoed throughout the ship. Each time every crew member winced thinking that it would be their last moments.

"I guess around an hour maybe, cap'n," the crazy stallion replied. He started giggling. "Isn't this fun? We could die at any second!"

The captain sighed and shook his head while dryly laughing. "Dying is fun?"

"Oh no. Dying is anything but fun... I think. I don't know, haven't done it yet, but the closeness of death and that at any given second it could be over... that's fun. It's the ultimate kind of fun." The stallion began laughing again, a little bit more hysterically than before.

The captain shuddered inwardly. He hated it when Bones got like that. He decided to change the subject. "Think he's dead?"

Bones shook his head. "Not a chance, cap'n."

"What makes you so sure?"

"We're still here, cap'n." Bones waited for a beat before bursting out in laughter once more, wiping a tear from his eye.

Again the captain tried to laugh along with the stallion, but he couldn't. There was no humor to be found here. They were hiding inside an upside down ship with no way to defend themselves properly. The guns on the gun deck were upside down making them impossible to fire. He tried to look for a way out. Anything. The only option he had left was to blow a hole into the side of the Eleonora and have his crew take cover on the inside. Still, the Guard had advised against this saying that he was better off waiting rather than risking it in combat. On the Lipizzan they had the edge; it was their home turf, the knew the lay of the land. They knew where all the nooks and crannies were on the ship and could use blind spots to clear off the attackers.

"Captain! They're trying to smoke us out!" a shout sounded from further up in the ship, which would have been the lower deck.

"What do you mean?"

"They're dropping balls of fire on the hull captain. The hull can't take more!"

"Iris, see what you can do about that! Confound it, you unicorns do something! Cast some water spells!"

The unicorns tried their magic, but most of them fazed out. They were too tired, having used their magic to cast wind spells to help push the Lipizzan right into the Eleonora's face -- so to speak. The knowledge that they had nothing left to give affected the moral of the crew almost instantly. He could see it in their faces, the sheer hopelessness they felt.

"Always thought I'd die with you, cap'n."

"Nopony here's humoring death, Bones. Least of all me."

The blue pony nodded slowly. "Well, I don't mind. I've had a lot of fun with you all. What with all the pirating and pillaging. It was fun while it lasted. Going straight? Nah. That's not for me. I'm not the kinda pony who'd survive in that life. I belong here on a pirate ship, cap'n. My blood and sweat and tears have soaked this vessel to the very core. She's as much of me as I am a part of her now. If you live through this please remember me."

"You're not gonna die, Bones!" the captain shouted. "None of us here are going to die!"

Bones opened his mouth to say something only to be silenced by an ear-splitting roar. It echoed through both the ships that sent chills down every single one of their backs. Only Bones had the gall to laugh. After all, there were only two kinds of ponies that laughed at a dragon's roar. A broken one, or a crazy one.

"None of us are going to die," the captain repeated quietly, the words feeling weightless and empty.

Fog. Or was it smoke?

The room was so think that one could scarcely see more than a few feet ahead of them. Mountains of golden bits, silver and even brass lay scattered about the room. The single light at the top of the ceiling cast long shadows in all directions. There was nothing in that room that wasn't worth a small fortune. This was the private quarters of the master of the ship; the master of the Eleonora. This was where the dragon slumbered.

He opened one eye and scanned the room. Something had changed. He stretched his body. He wasn't large, not like his cousins to the north. No, he never had grown past the size he was. Not in over two hundred years did he grow past this particular length. No matter how much precious stones and metals he garnered, no matter how big his hoard grew, this was the biggest he would ever be.

And because of that, he had his hoards repeatedly stolen from him again and again. Stolen by his bigger, stronger, and far more dangerous cousins. How many battles had he lost? How many fights had he been mortally wounded only to come back hoardless, his pride shattered. Too many. He grew tired of it all, but a dragon's hoard was his life. Without it, there was no point to living. Who would mate a male with nothing to display his prowess? How would he feed his offspring if ever the time came? Who would mate with a dragon as small as he was?

Somewhere, something in the back of his head started to push through. It was as if a forgotten word was on the tip of the tongue. It was so close, but the more he tried to think about it, the further away the thought got until it was gone. The dragon felt annoyed and disgusted. He despised the world, despised himself for not being a normal dragon. Why was the urge to collect these immaterial things so strong that it overtook the senses? Why was his instincts so strong? He understood how pointless it was. Every waking day when he looked upon his treasure and sat atop it alone he wondered why he had to do it. The urge was too strong for him to let it go.

He did not appreciate being awoken. He was trying to calm himself, the ruckus going on outside his chambers was grating on his ears. Already he had the beginnings of a headache and his temper was fluctuating. This was the most powerful warship on the seas, and he had spent thousands upon thousands of bits to acquire it. It had been a painful expenditure when he bought it, but with all things in this part of the world getting what is yours was simple. After he had purchased the vessel, he had sent his Watu to reacquire the bits he had spent on it. Easiest money he ever made and he got the ship he wanted.

Of course, he had almost killed an entire family to do it. Only a few survived, fleeing back into Equestria. They were too trusting. Tough, and according to Blood, put up a good fight. Lasting a good hour before retreating, their lands burning, their orchards nothing more than lines of broken trees. One thing that he despised was their accent. A certain twang that just grated against his ears. Perhaps that was the reason why he decided it was okay for them to die. Was he that petty? Probably. One did not get to be successful in this part of the world with just hard work and honesty.

Still, they had managed to save their children. Two girls, one an infant just a few days old, and an older boy, if he remembered correctly. It had been years ago. They had been evacuated a few hours before Blood attacked the small town they had created. Most of those that remained behind were earth pony stallions. With the proper training, they might have stood a chance. Perhaps if they had left with their young ones they would all still be alive, but his orders were quite specific. He had told Blood to kill everyone; to leave no survivors.

But why did he suddenly remember that? He had done it so many times before. Used his Watu to get what he wanted. Used Blood as he emissary. It saved so much time. He would have done so himself, but he dared not leave his hoard. Even if he could not fight other dragons directly, there was more than enough firepower on the ship to slay even the greatest of dragons. Perhaps it was that overbearing stench that flooded into his room moments ago. It reminded him so much of that couple. It reminded him so much of those two trusting faces. Such a happy family. Did he really need to go that far? What was that smell? A fruit, he knew. A popular one. Being a dragon he never really acquired a taste for it, but he knew what it was. The scent was very distinct. She reeked of it always. That mare. The wife of that stallion. A farmer; that's right. How had they come into possession of the ship? Or was it that the family rebuilt it together to sell and use the money for their livelihood? Foolish, that. Very foolish indeed.

Apples.

The smell of apples permeated through his room reminding him of a past he did not like recalling. It made him feel weak. Again there was a flicker, somewhere in the back of his head. A green image, or was it purple? Then, like before and a million times before that, it was gone.

"I can smell you, pony." The dragon muttered his head raising itself from the huge mattress of gold he lay on. "You have some nerve to come here without permission. I will ensure that your death is slow and painful."

There was no response from the darkness. The dragon could certainly smell the intruder -- the scent of him or her was everywhere, but even with his keen eyesight failed to spot the creature. The noise of free slaves running amok could be heard and a large group were moving upwards to the main deck. The dragon narrowed his eyes and realized that the majority of this group were recently freed, moving away from his personal chambers. Therefore, he surmised, that this stallion was either a traitorous Watu guard, or a brainless slave trying to steal from his hoard. Either way, it was not going to end well for whoever it was.

"Do you like what you see? Come, step into the light. Take one or two hoofuls of coins. I will not miss that."

He waited. He knew better than to expect the fool to fall for it, but he still gave it a shot. It saved him the trouble of actually having to get up and search.

A sudden clink of coins sounded behind him. The dragon spun around and inhaled a deep breath before pouring out his green fire in a fury over the area. All it served to do was melt a good chunk of his beloved gold coins. The dragon growled at his carelessness and waited a few seconds. He wanted to make sure that the being was dead.

Nothing. No charred remains, no odor of burnt flesh, not even of singed hair.

"Your stench permeates through this hall. Who are you? Why do you smell like them? Why do you insist on bothering me so? I am but a humble dragon trying to eke a living out in this world. Would you deny me my right to possess the means to a rich and fulfilling life? How would you like it if I came to your home and messed up all your furniture? How do you live with yourself? How can you stand yourself? Your odor is even offensive to creatures that cannot think intelligently? Are you a bovine, perchance? Do you know why there are no cows as slaves?" The dragon spun around quick as a snake, his neck snapping backwards as he let out another blast of his volcanic-hot breath. He had heard another clink of coins behind him and instinctively attacked. Again, the coins melted, but the smell remained. That annoying odor. "It's because they're too stupid to follow even the simplest of orders. That is why many of them end up in brothels, or better yet..."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"On my dinner plate."

No reaction. Most ponies usually recoiled with the sound of that. It had to have been a Watu. There was not a pony that would not have reacted unless they were immune to the gruesome truth, or perhaps he was losing his touch. The younger generations did tend to have a lot more tolerance to threats than the older ones.

Another clink on the coins.

Again, without a pause he spun around and exhaled another blast of green fire across his hoard, the heat melting the gold until it was like a liquid bath of gold, silver and other precious metal ore, the hoard of stones and rubies sinking to the bottom. There he stood in a literal bath of liquid. He lifted his claw up and watched as his years of hard work was now nothing more than a watery blanket.

"Where are you?" he roared.

Another clink made the dragon blow another inferno in another direction, but in his frustration and anger he no longer cared about his hoard. He wanted to be rid of this nuisance. It was clear that he was being made a fool of. He blew his fire at every inch of space. He kept on going until every last bit of metal was part of the stew around him. It was like wallowing in a giant bathtub of golden syrup.

And, much to his chagrin, the scent lingered.

"Where are you?" the dragon demanded.

"Up here."

The voice was barely audible to a normal creature's ears, but to the dragon it sounded as if the pony was right next to him. He looked up towards the only light in the room. He narrowed his eyes and saw something above it. It looked like a stallion hanging on the chain. The dragon licked his lips.

"There you are."

"Here I am," he replied in that quiet whisper.

He understood why me had smelled the way he did. He must have waded through the vats of apples they had bought to feed the ursas for the journey. That was how he had managed to get around undetected. The vats were large in the holds there was no lighting over the barrels themselves making it impossible for any to find him. If there were any in the room all he would have needed to do was hold still or duck beneath the surface just as a crocodile would, the red plume would have camouflaged nicely.

"Enough of this! This ends now!" the dragon roared and aimed straight up and fired. The ceiling beams turned to liquid as the iron ore used to keep the large chamber intact melted into the mixture beneath him. The melted metal not fazing the dragon as his thick armor and scales protected him from the would-be scalding heat. He kept on breathing until the wood itself started to smoke and catch fire.

"You missed."

The voice sounded like it came from the far end of his chambers, the opposite area where the entrance was. How had the pony gone from above to there without him noticing? He looked and saw the pony place his shield on his back and in the same movement produced a crossbow. The dragon grinned. There was no way that a bolt would be able to penetrate his scales. He licked his lips and pointed his snout towards the pony.

The next thing he knew was his eye burning as something flew into it... and exploded.

Not many things could shake the Eleonora. Even a sloth of ursa minors fighting in the ship's hold could not make the great ship move, but a furious dragon was another thing, even one his size. There was not a creature on that ship that did not stop whatever it was they were doing. The master of the vessel to swung himself against the ship, but it still made no sense. His body and size were nowhere near that of his larger counterparts. That was the reason why he was stuck selling slaves with an army of Watu. He was unable to compete for ownership of a hoard against larger dragons and hid his riches on a mobile ship armed to the teeth.

That was the entire reason the whole slave trade started. That was the reason why they had to get a bigger boat. Of course Blood had only been serving for the past five years, but he loved his job. He loved being in charge and getting what he wanted. No senseless orders, no moronic rituals, no useless drills, no one to answer to -- for the most part. He was given free reign over all and he excelled at what he did.

The power he felt was addicting. He wondered if in some way the Princess herself felt like this. This intoxication of power. Was that why she was so powerful? Then again, if she was so powerful why does she need an army to protect her?

The ship lunged to one side again and the Eleonora groaned. It was not used to moving this way. He could hear the sounds of diamond dogs yelping coming from down one of the long corridors. They fled with their tails between their legs, yelping in fear. Probably a wise choice.

"Sir! Sir!" a panicked call came from behind him.

"What is it?"

"Sir, it's the lord, sir, he's making the ship shake like this, sir. The cannons are not designed for this kind of movement, sir. If he keeps it up it's going to flip over, sir..."

Blood backhoofed the Watu. "Calm yourself. You are Watu, not some scared Equestrian foal. Death is your calling. Whether you live or die now does not matter. You already died when you chose to become a Watu."

Those words seemed to wake the warrior and he picked himself up and saluted. "Sorry, sir. Just lost myself for a second, sir."

"You go topside and see to it that the cannons are lowered and batted down in case. I will go to the lord's chambers and calm him. He is probably very angry that all this noise is going on during his nap." Blood turned to look at the three behind him. They were skinny, but they would have to do. The master could eat them, which would calm him down enough for Blood to work out another plan. "I will converse with the dragon. You three, come with me."

The three saluted and followed. They exchanged glances behind Blood's back as he led the way.

"It is a great honor to meet our leader," Blood began. "After all, he is the first dragon to raise an army. You should be glad that I'm allowing you to meet him."

"Thank you, sir," they all muttered quietly.

Blood kept on walking, his magic ready to be used should one of them get wise. They were expendable, he wasn't.

Another roar made the ship heave to the opposite side. That is twice the dragon had roared like that and it did not take a genius to know that something was very, very wrong. More than just range or annoyance, the roar sounded like it was in pain. But how does a dragon get hurt? It would have needed to be quite the explosions, yet nothing had happened.

"Let's go! Move!" Blood shouted and led the way.

The four of them galloped as hard as they could and soon came up to the large doors that led into the dragon's personal chambers. The sound from inside was horrifying. Whatever was going on in there sounded especially gruesome. Blood smiled and opened the door expecting to see the dragon munching on a deceased corpse or two.

He stood there dumbfounded.

The dragon, embossed in liquid gold, writhing in agony as two scorched marks were located beneath his eyes like badly added mascara. It was clear that they were pierced by two explosive quarrels. He took a step inside and drew back again as the heat from the melted metals was too much for him.

The sound of sniffing echoed in the room, and the dragon turned to face his direction. "Blood? Blood! Find him! Find him now! He's in here!"

"Yes, my lord!" Blood shouted in response and drew his weapon. The three behind him followed extra cautiously.

The dragon tried to rub his eyes, but every time he brought the metal-liquid coated claws near his eyes he would roar in agony. There was no possible way he could relieve his blindness. Then the sound of a bolt singing through the air broke the silence and hit the dragon's already destroyed left eye. He roared and slipped coming crashing down in the melting pot of mixed precious ores. He tried to stand, slipped and fell once again as the metal began to cool. Layer upon layer stuck to him as he tried to get away from the pain in his eyes digging his claws deep into them. He was a dragon, and dragons rarely felt the pain inflicted upon them by others. He had not felt anything like it in so long that he had forgotten how absolutely awful it was. He had absolutely no tolerance.

"Kill him! Kill him now and feed me his corpse!"

"As you will, my lord!" Blood shouted before turning to the three ponies trembling by the door. "Follow me!"

He turned and flinched to one side as a bolt grazed by Blood's face slicing the skin on his cheek. He had dodged it out of reflex, years of experienced fighting had given him that ability. He watched as the bolt sailed through the air striking a port window dead center. He turned his head back towards where the bolt had come from and drew his blade -- his magic glowing along it looked like fire. As he took a cautious step forward, he removed the shield carefully from his back with his left hoof and held it in front of him. Then with his right hoof he pulled the spear from its sleeve over his shoulder.

"I know you're there. Come out!" Blood shouted.

Out of the shadow of one of the pillars a figure stepped into the light. He walked sideways so that they could not miss the long red plume and armor of the Border Guard. The very uniform and armor that he had so much disdain for. The humiliation he endured at the hands of those so-called superiors, and how he had shown them all just what it really meant to be a warrior. He hated that armor and what it represented. This was the first time in a long time he had seen a Border Guard, the last time was when he and his Watu attacked and killed a patrol years before in that village outside the Equestrian border. He had orders to wipe out the entire family, to which he complied gleefully.

After all, a town that was being protected by the Border Guard was reason enough for him to raze it to the ground. He killed every single one of them, but they had been tricked. Many of the townsfolk had already left by the time he and his Watu arrived. Still they did slay quite a number of them. With that in mind, Blood should have been excited to see a Border Guard so deep within his realm, but this one was different. Very different. The way he wore his armor and the way the Watu mask sat on his head made him actually hesitate.

It was those eyes. Those cold, hard eyes.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

The Guard did not respond, apart from reloading his crossbow.

"You come all this way on an airship, board one of the heaviest armed ships on the open seas, battle an elite force of warriors and even manage to wound a dragon. For what?"

Again, silence.

"Answer me!" Blood barked.

The guard merely aimed and fired another bolt. Blood flinched and moved the shield to defend himself but the bolt never came. He looked around and saw that it had struck another port window. He turned back towards the Guard, but he had vanished. Staring hard into the shadows, he watched carefully thinking that he was going to fire a bolt right at him.

"For what?" Blood shouted in frustration and anger.

"Equestria," a voice whispered.

Blood looked up to see the Guard climbing along a chain upwards towards the ceiling. He reached for his crossbow and was about to choose a bolt when he noticed the colored notches of the quarrels in his quiver. He snapped his head towards the bolts in the windows, then back at the quiver. It took a second to understand.

"Get out of my way!" he shouted shoving one of the three Watus aside and bolted for the door.

The three ponies with him did not hesitate and followed suit and dove through the entrance. Blood turned and pushed the large doors shut. As he did the two bolts exploded. The explosive quarrels that the Guard had fired and embedded into the windows ripped the side of the hull open as the pressure of the ocean caused the structure to implode. The sea water forced its way into the dragon's personal chambers.

Blood rushed to the window and looked through it to see the dragon fighting for his life as the sea water cooled the metal around his body encasing him. He had tried to melt the gold as it hardened, but he had stuck his neck straight up into the air to avoid drowning and with his snout pointed towards the sky there was no way for him to melt his self-made tomb.

Then the dragon grew still. He did not fight his encasement and seemed to be speaking. For what seemed like an eternity he talked before he whipped his tale to the side causing the ship the sway sharply. The last thing Blood saw of the dragon was the golden statue slide towards the edge of the gaping hole at the side of the ship. It stayed there for a few seconds before tipping over and disappeared out of sight and into the dark depths far below.

The pain.

It hurt so much. He had never felt anything like this before. Never in his entire... life...

That was not true. He had felt this way before. A long time ago. How had he forgotten the past? How had he forgotten her. She was his life, the soul purpose of why he kept on living. He kept on living because of her. Something about the past, a promise he had to keep. A forbidden love that ended tragically by his own claws. The memory so painful that it was far worse than the wounds inflicted by the Guard.

He did not want to remember.

Thrashing about, he tried to get the thoughts out of his head. He felt the metal around him cease being malleable as the water from the sea outside rapidly cooled it. He struggled to break free, but could not. It was no longer just gold, silver, or brass mixed together, but steel as well. Steel used to support the ship herself and now it had infused with the precious ore making the mixture impossible to escape its clutches.

"You have killed me, Guard," the dragon spoke but his voice was different. He could not see the Guard, but he could still smell him. "I've done a great many terrible things in my life and had lost my way. You've reminded me the real reason why I continue to live this... infernal dream. Why I took this ship. Why I had done the things I had done. It was all for her."

The dragon felt something in his heart that made his nose itch. Was he crying? He might have if his tear ducts were not fused shut from the explosive quarrels.

"I once loved someone very much. A forbidden love that seemed to go against the very fabric of nature, but we could not help ourselves. I was her pillar and she made up my whole world... until that fateful day. The day where I killed her. It was my lust for more that ended her life. My instincts to keep acquiring was too strong that it surpassed my sense of what was right or wrong. By the time I realized what I had done, I..." The dragon's voice wavered. "She wrote me a letter. She knew. She knew. I will never forget her lovely lavender fur, like an amethyst, nor her emerald green mane. She was so perfect. The most precious gem in my life. But... I couldn't help myself. I just wanted more! I just wanted... things! Anything..."

"You killed her when she tried to stop you." It wasn't a question.

The dragon was silent for a time. "Yes. I did. I never forgave myself for that and I shut myself away my heart. It took a Guard like you to remind me of the pain I felt so long ago. Thank you. I will but ask you for one favor. Of course you don't need to even humor me, but would you allow an innocent to suffer the crimes of my past? The love of my life gave me something that I have kept a secret for years locked away in this very room. Please take it with you, take it away from this nightmare so that it may have a something I could not give. A life."

"So be it."

The dragon knew where. Even blind he could point to the spot in question. With his tail he whipped at the wall and like a spear pierced the hard layer tearing off the thick solid door of a hidden safe. He tossed it across the room sending it splashing on the far end. The entire ship shifted as the massive weight tilted the boat to the side and the dragon felt himself slide towards the edge. He could not see the abyss, but he felt the emptiness looming beneath him.

"I'm coming, my darling. I'm so sorry I forgot you. Please forgive me."

He felt something soft touch his cheek and for a moment the raw stench of apples faded away and he thought he could smell a sweet familiar scent waft through his nostrils before he fell into the dark embrace of the ocean.

"Head for the lifeboats! Get out of here while you can!" Galdar shouted. The griffin looked over his shoulder at his fellow slaves and understood that there wasn't enough boats for all of them. Not unless the pirates allowed them onto their vessel, but the Watu were still focused on overrunning them. Griffins, pegasi and other winged creatures like him had it easy, all they needed to do was fly away.

The diamond dogs were out of control. They refused to obey anyone except for the strongest, but these same creatures had enough sense to find themselves space on a lifeboat and were soon floating away to relative safety, which made the diamond dogs go out of control again. The ones that did manage to get away were safe, so long as the crew on the Eleonora did not decide to take potshots at them with the still-working cannons.

He hovered in the air and spotted a rare sight. A group of ponies, rhino, giraffe and a zebra all trotting together towards what looked to be the bridge. Galdar followed them out of curiosity wondering why they were not using the lifeboats to safe their behinds.

"Shouldn't we be heading for a lifeboat?" He heard the giraffe ask.

"You go ahead. It is impossible for me," Iron stated as he thundered along. He had a point, he was too big and would take an entire vessel for himself.

"Then I will beg off here," Lang replied. "It has been an honor, friends. Farewell. Perhaps we shall meet each other again soon, be it in this life or the next."

Providence nodded and shook the giraffe's hoof. Lucky did the same, a nervous bag of bones. Iron gave a half-hug, but zecora had no qualms. If anything, this would be the last they would see of him. No matter what the past was, they had lived through this ordeal together. She hugged him like an old friend, which he gladly returned.

"Be safe." And with that he galloped off.

They all turned to go only to see that Galdar had landed in front of them.

Providence walked up. "Who are you?" She demanded.

He shrugged. "Who I am is of no importance. I was just curious. It's rare to see a rhino, a zebra and a giraffe together."

"Stay away from us, griffin," the pegasus growled. "I've had enough of your kind to last me a lifetime."

"Now that's just unfair! We're not all bad. Why do you think I'm on this ship? I wanted to get away from my kingdom's archaic ways. Me and my friends aren't like the others. We despise slavery or anything to do with that. We're all cool when it comes to freedom and we respect the right of individuals to be declared free."

"Yeah, well... I still don't trust you."

"Fair enough. I didn't expect you to. Why are you running? You're a pegasus. You can float on the clouds and fly back whenever you like. Why stay here with them?"

The pegasus looked back at the group behind her, then back at him. "Because friends stick together. I won't leave them. That's not the kind of pony I am."

"Friends? On this ship?" Galdar laughed out loud and nodded slowly. "That's why I like you Equestrians. You care about others even if you have no reason to. It must be simply painful that most of the Watu Wakali are ponies, right? I was also surprised when I first got captured. Of course, for me I can regain my freedom because I'm a griffin after all. But ponies are prized assets in the Griffin Empire, and they would never let a single one of you go if they had a choice. If they could they'd enslave your entire kingdom."

"Not gonna happen!" Providence growled. "Not while we have the Guard..."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I support Equestria and her ideals and I if need be, I'd actually help prevent anything like that. Why do you think our kingdom and yours are on such bad terms? I mean, how many wars have been fought between us? Even when the princess wanted peace. She is a magnificent being who deserves to be praised, not insulted and spat on." Galdar shrugged. "That's what our kind does to your pony princess. I hate to admit it, but in the beginning I bought into their rhetoric. I came to this land with the intention of causing trouble. Didn't quite work that way. I was treated with more respect and decency than I got from my own kind from back home! So I told others about it, and soon a large group of us came over wanting to seek asylum."

The others exchanged glances. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I don't want to go back to my country. I want to return and try to get into Equestria. Outside of Equestria's borders things are hard. All I want is a little piece of paradise." Galdar scratched the back of his head. "I guess you could say that I want to use you as a ticket into Equestria."

The ponies looked at each other. "Um... but can't you make it on your own?"

"I could, but I have a family living in a border town. A wife and daughter. I haven't seen them for a month, and I'm sure that they'll think I've gone on to brighter skies... or greener pastures, I think is how you ponies say it. When I go back and meet them I'd like to be able to say that we have a chance of living in Equestria, even if it's a long shot. I take it that with you lot that chance might increase just a little."

Providence nodded. She could relate a little to what the griffin wanted. "I know how you feel. I have a young daughter too, so I know where you're coming from. Okay. If you tag along then you'll have to promise to do whatever it takes to help us all get back safely."

Galdar held out his claw. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Providence shook with her hoof.

"So... now what?"

"The bridge is where we go, for now that is all we know." Zecora said as she walked past them and took the lead.

Mission 2, Part 7: The Alpha and the Omega

"He's not coming! He's not gonna come! He's left us here alone! He's gone!" Lucky whimpered trying to hide himself behind a destroyed portion of the bridge's deck. "Why would he do that? Why would he c-come here and leave us!"

"He wouldn't do something like that, and that is an indisputable fact," Zecora replied angrily.

The stallion didn't know when to stop. There had to be a limit to the level of whining one does. Even foals from her village would not whine in such a way. Perhaps there were too many young foals in Equestria that never grew up. Perhaps their society was so ill prepared for what was outside their borders. Was this why the Equestrian Guard was feared in the way they are? Zecora pushed the thought out from her head. This was no time to contemplate that. In order for her to learn she would have to go there and see for herself. Right now she needed to get out of here. Needed to get off this ship and go home.

"Providence, you should go." Iron walked over to her. "It is time you went on your way. There is a very good chance for you to get away if you leave now. I fear that the worst has yet to come."

The pegasus shook her head. "Then I can't go. You think I'm the kinda pony that leaves others behind because you'd be dead wrong. I'm going stay and see this through."

"Don't be selfish. Think of your little one. How could we forgive ourselves if we were the ones responsible for her mother not coming home? Think of her first. She is your family. I may never see mine again."

"You don't know her, Iron. My daughter would never forgive me if I ditched you guys. That's not the kind of thing I taught her to do. We stick by-"

"I truly appreciate your allegiance, and as far as friends go it is commendable. Providence, too much loyalty can be adverse as well. Why else would any one wish to be a Watu? What makes them stay? It is their loyalty to the almighty bit, or whatever form of currency those scoundrels choose. It is that and only that which forces them to remain slaves to an evil cause. There are times when one must choose whether being loyal is the right thing to do in relation to who. Perhaps you feel loyal to us, but then what about her? What about your little one? Should she not be the first to claim your loyalty?" The rhino looked at them all one by one. "Shouldn't she leave us here and go? If she has a chance, then it would be a crime to make her stay."

A mixture of hope, kindness and jealousy fluctuated through the small group as a very silent pegasus looked down at the floor.

"He's right, you know. It is time for you to go," Zecora said placing a hoof on the Providence's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be protected. Go on now and don't feel dejected."

"But... but I can't. It just doesn't feel right," Providence replied looking at the zebra.

"That's quite alright. None of you are going anywhere anyway," a voice stated from behind them.

They all spun around to see a red unicorn standing in front of the damaged door of the bridge. He was armed to the teeth and behind him were three equally armed Watu warriors. Blood studied each of the group one by one as if he were looking for something. Then he gestured with his head and the three Watus behind him rushed forward and pinned the rhino down without much effort, their weapons making him quite compliant.

Providence made a move to help, but stopped when she heard a voice and looked up towards the night sky. A group of pegasi and a griffin female were all staring down at her. She took another step and the next thing she knew was her body being pinned down to the ground.

"Make sure she can't fly."

The winged Watus looked at Blood for a moment, a sadistic grin forming on more than a few. The female griffin, on the other hand just let out a tired sigh and put aside her giant axe and picked up a metal pipe that had once been the mouthpiece for the communication tubes. She looked at one of the pegasi and gestured with her head and he took her wing and pulled it out. Providence proved stronger than he thought and flapped her wing as hard as he could throwing him off balance. He tripped on his hooves and landed heavily on his face, to which his peers laughed. A dark expression formed on the pegasus and he walked right up to providence and slugged her in the side of her body. She let out a groan and this time she could not fight as her wing was extended to its full length.

"You're going to be sorry you did that," he stated.

The griffin lifted the metal pipe above her head and looked into Providence's eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about this. Orders are order," she sang in that sweet sing-song voice. She heaves the pipe over her head and brought it right down on the wing.

Providence screamed. They all watched in horror as the pegasus that held her wing out started to move it around.

"You like that? That's what you get!" he shouted and pulled her wing again.

"Y-you monsters!" Iron roared fighting to stand up. "Leave her alone!"

The three on his back easily overpowered him and one hit him on the back of his head with the hilt of his weapon. He dropped to the deck with a grunt and looked up. Providence was lying on her side tears streaming from her face, her teeth clenched tightly together as she fought the urge to scream again. She would not give them that pleasure. The other pegasi around her were laughing, and one took the metal pipe form the griffin and waved it in front of her laughing cruelly.

Some of the others were giving her disturbing, lustful looks as she lay on the bridge's floor.

"Get away from her!" Iron shouted, but he was once again shoved down to the ground.

"She's a cute one, she is," one started.

"Would love a round with her," another continued.

"I bet she has a long tongue," a mare stated, grabbing Providence's face in her hooves. "Am I right?"

Providence tried to break free from the grip and failed. "T-that all you got?" she whispered, her voice betraying her resolve.

"Feisty. Maybe we should break her legs instead. See how much fight you got after that," the mare stated.

"Nah, then she can't walk and we'd have to carry her," another stated.

"We could always just ride her. She won't fight back... or we could just kill her and then bring her down in pieces."

Providence shuddered.

"Please stop and we will obey! Name it and we will do as you say." Zecora pushed through the bodies of the Watu and threw herself across Providence.

There was a moment of silence as the group stood around now really knowing how to react to this. Kindness, it seemed, was foreign here. This was something they were not used to seeing. How had this young zebra manage to get past them all and fling herself onto the injured pegasus?

"I will obey you. I promise, I do!" Zecora intoned, tears flowing from her eyes. She knew they were meaningless to this lot, but she could not help how she felt. "I will carry her down below, I promise I won't be slow!"

"Fine. Carry her. The rest of you watch them," Blood turned around.

The rest were slapped into chains without any sign of resistance. Not after what had happened to poor Providence. None of them dared to show any signs of resistance. They were quickly bound in chains once again, their necks locked together similar to when they were boarding the Eleonora. Lucky and whimpered as he was put in the front of the line leading the way, Iron right behind him. The Watu, especially the pegasi, were all around Providence and Zecora. Some were poking her and making lewd threats, while others were teasing Zecora as she walked on. Providence tried to act strong, but every time she made any sign of defiance they would gesture towards the pipe and wave it in her face reminding her that she had another wing.

"See what I meant about getting out while you still could?" Iron muttered to Providence as Zecora followed him.

The pegasus just turned away. What could she say to that?

"Semper, where is it that you are now? You promised you'd save us, you made a vow," Zecora whispered as they were marched back down the stairs, down to the main deck and towards the cannons at the far end of the ship.

"Pony say we fight for him until ship is taken," the snivelling diamond dog explained as best he could. "Hund loves his alpha. Hund wishes to free alpha, but Hund does not have key. Pony has hidden it. Only pony knows. Yes, pony here. Smell like round red fruit. Smell like apples. Only him. Only he knows. Only he has key."

There were certainly a number of alphas sitting in separate cages. Strong, powerful, intelligent and lethal, these were the prized items of this particular voyage even more than the mighty ursas that had now been flushed into the sea. They were all captured in an ambush on their way to a Pit Fight, a diamond dog ritual of dominance where the various alphas from around the lands took on each other in single combat to ascertain who was the strongest. The contest takes place once every ten years on the anniversary of the banishment of Nightmare Moon when the moon's glow was particularly strong, when the magic of the moon was at its peak.

The fights were a site to behold, and those that were lucky enough to witness the battle prowess of the diamond dogs and their capacity to fight. Especially the alphas who remained a class unto themselves. Some were strong in terms of might, but others were also cunning and clever. Then there were those that possessed both brains and brawn. A very kind of breed indeed and here was one such dog.

"A pony cannot challenge alpha!" came a bark from one of the other, lesser alphas.

"We only obey the strongest," came a grumbling voice. "As it was since the First Dawn, it will be. Only the strongest have the right to lead the pack."

The dog's spoke the same language as the ponies, but they had their own words for certain things. Certain things that they had kept to themselves as dogs.

A large bulldog nodded in agreement with the voice. "If the pony is stronger then he is the alpha. We will obey, but only if he is stronger. There has been others before. Others that have been alpha."

The ship shook again. Something above them exploded. The single exposed light bulb hanging from the ceiling rocked backwards, then forth casting a cascading shadows across the hold. At the far end, locked behind a reinforced cage, surrounded by sharp spikes pointing inwards, was the most dangerous alpha there. A bane of many, there was none there that did not know of him. Thick chains were clamped on each arm and leg pinning him to his seat, and over his face was a muzzle of iron and steel clamped shut to hide those powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth. This was chained to the floor so the dog could do nothing more than raise his head slightly to look ahead of him. To look at whoever was in front of him. It was those cold, deep brown eyes that were the most intimidating part of him. After all, this was no ordinary diamond dog. No, he was not the same as the others.

"If you wish to lead the alphas and expect them to listen, then you must beat the alpha of alphas," the bulldog repeated then he pointed to the end of the corridor. "Him."

There ship swayed again, the lights shifting to the side.

"I will fight," the response came. A single pony stepped into the light and cast aside his armor and weapons save for his helm, which he wore proudly on his head. "I will fight for the right to lead this pack."

All the dogs laughed. They had never heard of something so ridiculous before.

"You? Fight a dog?" A screeching voice came from one of the hyenas. She charged the cage and gnashed her teeth, a maniacal expression on her face and a lust for blood evident in those bloodshot eyes. It was clear that she thought nothing of slaying this pony. All she wanted was to sink her teeth into fresh pony flesh. "It will be a blood bath! And I will bath in yours, pony!"

The rest of the dogs barked and banged against their cages trying to get at the pony in front of them.

"And yet I smell no fear from him," came a deep rumbling voice from within the furthest cage, from behind the muffled maw of the most dangerous dog of them all. "Are you a fool?"

Silence.

"Very well then. Release me, pony. Let us see if you have what it takes to rule the strongest pack, to see whether or not you truly have no fear, or if you're just unaware of your impending demise."

A key was thrown to the beta sniveling to the side of the cage who beta opened the cage door, then undid the shackles that bound him. As the chains that dropped to the ground the diamond dog reached to his face and with a single flick on his paw, sliced through the muzzle with his claws. It was not that they were sharp, years of digging had seen to that, but they were strong. The only thing that prevented him from breaking through was his inability to open his jaws. He stood up and dropped to all fours and stretched his body out by bending his back down, his bones cricking from spending days, or was it weeks, in the same position.

"Hund is happy. Happy that alpha is free. Hund is good. Follows alpha. Loves his alpha."

"Are you ready to die, pony?" the alpha asked, his eyes glowing a fierce red as the light swung over him.

"Not today."

The alpha grinned and let out a deep, low laugh. "We shall see who will be be victorious."

As the light swung over the pony once again, the diamond dog gave pause. Indeed, he smelt no fear from him. He could smell all sorts of things, but fear was not one of them. Not from him, at least. Beyond this place, far above them the place was rampant with the scent of fear. But not this pony. No, he stood there like a statue, unafraid. If it were not for the the smell that wafted through the air the diamond dog would have been convinced that he was merely seeing things. Not even the strongest and bravest of dragons did not swallow a mouthful of saliva when they stood against a diamond dog.

Yet this pony, a mere quarter his size, stood his ground. That was not the worst of it though. Every creature had a smell. Each was unique, identifiable to only one being. Even twins differed once they had left the womb, and each being gave off emotions that he could use to his advantage. Anger, hate, fear, love, he knew them all and knew what to expect. But what he never expected to smell coming from a pony, especially one about to engage him, was excitement.

And for some reason this pony smelled so... dangerous.

The clan Silver Moon had always been the strongest one in the Blue Valley. They guarded the grounds near the Snake Rivers that twisted their ways through their lands, their sacred grounds. They had patrolled, lived and guarded it for generations honoring an ancient oath forged on the First Dawn. That was their life. A paradise. A dream.

But like all dreams, it had to end.

It had been many moons since the Grand Betrayal, the moment they abandoned the Ever Night Queen and helped the Day Bringer bring an end to her terrible reign. It was not that they had a choice; the Ever Night Queen did not have a place for the Silver Moon pack, nor any pack for that matter. They would have lived and died by her whim of her words, but they had their oath. The ancient oath to protect the lands which she had inadvertently sought to destroy. The land they called home. They broke their word to her to honor that ancient pact. A most horrific thing for any canine to do. They betrayed their alpha.

So Silver Moon pack and its members faded. Even the fiercest and most loyal followers of the clans could not abide by the treachery they had done. It had shattered them to the core. Many disappeared into the woods to live alone in repentance of their terrible crime. Some died by their own paws, choosing to end their suffering rather than live with themselves.

Betraying an alpha. It was unheard of. It was heresy. It was a disgrace against Those That Came Before, Those That Hunted, Those That Were. The Silver Moon pack was no more. From then on only shallow, insipid creatures were born to the females of what was their clan. Broken, lost, ashamed; where once canines of great pride and pedigree walked, now only slaves of the lowest order remained. There were clans beyond the Great Sandy Sea, far beyond their ancestral borders, where they were allowed to exist as betas, but still unworthy of cleaning the grime from the floors of their Kennels with their tongues.

Still, how does one remember things of a distant past?

In the Dream World, of course. Where past, future and present appear before those with eyes that choose to see and mind that chooses to understand. It is a place where many can visit, few can roam, and only a very small number could master. The Moon Mother had given the gift of traversing the Dream World to the Silver Moon. She had chosen to befriend them and the gift gave them the ability to see where they had come from. To learn what needed to be learned.

Since then those of the Silver Moon clan always had the Talent. It was a shame that other dogs did not understand nor comprehend it. Perhaps it was because their ancestors were never there. Perhaps it was because they never truly were real in the first place. When one passed from the Waking World, they could still run with the others in the Dream World and hunt as they had always done. The Talent was forgotten long after the Moon Mother became the Ever Night Queen and only a few could cross over. The practice of walking in that world had been forgotten.

Still, the Talent persisted. It usually came and went with various dogs, but this time, this one time, it had persisted. This time there was one diamond dog that could run with the pack, could hunt and learn from his ancestors. He could be with those who came before and say that he had been there during the Great Hunt. He had been there during the great Hunts of old. He had lived it, lived through the turmoil, through the agony and the pain. He had understood why his ancestors abandoned the Moon Mother. He understood that their ancient vow was more precious than their fealty to her. He struggled with himself to accept it when they had given up and fled the front lines to the Day Bringer allowing her armies to enter the Blue Valley and lay siege to the castle.

The Moon Mother -- now the Ever Night Queen, concentrated all her forces against the armies of her sister, but she could not beat the Day Bringer down. Not by herself. In exchange, she was sent away, far, far away. Though his clan had saved the Blue Valley, they had betrayed the Moon Mother to do so. The one that had taught them the Talent.

A dog does not betray its master. Ever.

His ancestors were guilty of the Grand Betrayal and he would always carry that shame. Still, he was the uncontested alpha of alphas. The leader of many clans within the Snake Rivers and within the Blue Valley. He would always be called a Silver and with it the burden of challenge. Many other alphas would always come to claim his title, but being part of the Silver Moon pack did not mean he was weak. He understood that.

And so would this foolish equine.

He picked himself up from off the ground and growled. He was strongest. He had fought timberwolf alphas and had bested even the strongest of grizzly bears in single combat. Here was nothing more than a pony. And one without wings or magic neither. Nor had he any weapons, choosing to face him with just his body.

So why was he hesitating? This should have been easy? He had teeth, claws, and muscles. He was fast, experienced in fighting all sorts of alphas and a proficient hunter.

How had he found himself on the ground before a pony?

"You fight hard," he muttered and stood tall.

"As do you."

Respect. It did not feel fake. It felt genuine. There was no fear coming from him. He could smell it off of those above him and from the betas that stood around with their tails between their legs as they watched the fight. It wafted towards him in waves making him feel sick.

"What is your name, pony?" he asked, wiping a bit of dribble from his maw.

"Semper. Yours?"

"Lupus."

The pony merely nodded. If he had recognized the name, he made no sign of it.

"Fight!" came a call. "Kill that pony!"

Lupus charged again, his huge paw swiping at the pony.

The pony moved with quick, precise steps, using his hind legs to dash forwards to his inside. The momentum made Lupus slip when he had tried to turn around. He could see the exposed back and had wanted to sink his teeth into his neck, but the deck of the ship was not the soil of the outside, and his body continued to move forwards but not before he felt a searing pain through his left knee. Despite his larger size and apparent weight advantage, the force was enough to send the leg wide, causing him to fall on his face.

As he tried to compensate for the fall he lost his ability to attack, using his paws to stop himself from falling on the ground again. He turned around only to have two hind legs deliver a jaw-shattering blow.

How had it come to this? Defeated by ponies? Not once, but twice he had been bested by them. This time by one. Not like before, when they set traps and refused to fight him fairly. Not like before when those strange equines in armor ganged up on him and the betas, outnumbering them ten to one. No, this equine was different. He did not have sharp teeth, nor jaws that could crush iron, or claws that could shred steel, or paws that could crush gems, but he had honor.

Lupus was stronger. He knew this. His had quicker reflexes and speed. But it did not matter. He was still losing.

Was this what he was reduced to now? Was this the fate of those who were from the once great Silver Moon clan? Was it his fate to be bested by a pony in Glorious Combat?

It could not be. He was, is and forever will be until the day his last breath flows from his lungs, the greatest of the alphas. He would return his clans name to its former place as the greatest and strongest of packs. He would regain what the past had lost and nothing, not even this pony, would be able to stop him.

Lupus' eyes spotted the pony galloping towards. He waited until the right moment before snapping his tail up and smashing the equine hard to the side. The power stunned the equine for a moment, giving the dog time to turn and strike. The impact would have killed any pony -- if it had hit him. Instead the claws were blocked when the pony used his forelegs push against the swinging arm sending him flying into the darkness beyond the lights and crashing into the darkness.

The pack approved of this. He could hear the betas all howling in appreciation that he had finally managed to hit the pony, but he knew that he could not let his guard down. There were other pack leaders there, other alphas. He may have been the strongest, but this wasn't a Pit Fight. There would be no Glorious Combat here if he should show any sign of weakness. The other alphas would waste no time in attacking him if he should win only with luck. They needed to see him beat the pony. That was why he did not chase him into the darkness.

And then there was the worst of it all. One that had no respect for traditions or appreciation for Glorious Combat. One that only treasured power and acquiring more of it. The worst breed of canines on any continent. The most depraved of all, but perhaps the most proficient hunters of all. The hyenas. And right here, locked away in one of the cages staring at him and his fight with the pony, was a nasty renowned for her cruelty against her foes as well as her own pack. Lupus would not mind any of the others usurping him as long as it was not her; Tarasa, the hyena queen.

His ears perked up, the sounds of hooves echoing down the hall made him growl viciously. This one was indeed strong. Why? Why did he not fear him? Why did he not turn tail and flee?

His eyes spotted the a figure standing at the exit as if he was blocking the way for him to escape. The light from the hall behind him casting a long shadow towards him. As the wolf gazed to the silhouette he actually took a step back.

"Coward! Little puppy can't kill a pony! He is no alpha!" Tarasa shouted, then let out a howl before chuckling in that annoying laugh her kind did. The noise grated Lupus to the core. "You deserve nothing Silver. You do not deserve to be alpha."

In the Dream World he saw himself standing shoulder to shoulder with the legions that served the Ever Night Queen. He saw that her cruelty was unparalleled. Even those that served her loyally were not spared from her brutality. She killed without any remorse. She was their absolute ruler and she could exercise that right with force. Still, despite it all, she had once been the Moon Mother. The gentle, kind, benevolent mother of the night. She had taken them in when others did not. She gave the Silver Moons a purpose. A reason to live.

Why had she tried to make her nights last forever? Surely she must have known that would have destroyed the world.

"You are weak!" Another alpha barked slamming himself against the door to his cage. "You are no alpha! Your pack is weak! Weaklings like you deserve to be broken!"

The laughter was overbearing. He had heard it so many times before, but it never stopped. No matter how many of them he beat, no matter how many of them he dominated, they would not stop. He was from the Silver Moon clan and one of the only ones that would openly admit it. He had fought his way to the top and had rightfully become the alpha of all the clans in the Blue Valley. He would remain that way until a stronger foe defeated him in Glorious Combat.

Yet, there he was.

But if he lost, would this equine be able to accept the burden of being alpha? Impossible. No pony has ever led a pack in the history of- no, that was not true. There was a time when they did follow the Moon Mother. He had seen it in the Dream World. She was their first Den Mother. She had taught them the hunt, and to protect each other. She had installed those values in them. It was peaceful at that time, long ago. In the Dream World it always seemed that time stood still. Each evening she would raise the moon and they would bay to it to show her how much they truly loved her nights before they would go on the hunt. They would chase after the wild animals, the ones she said that could be hunted. They would feast on their flesh, but also give respect for it was with their lives that they would have strength for the next hunt. That was how it was.

This was not how these alphas saw it. Time had clouded the real meaning of the hunt. It was not for fun, but for necessity. It was to feed your family because that was how nature willed it. They were all part of the Flowing Circle and it always turned. Always. Changes would come too all things because the circle turned.

Was this single equine prepared for a life of hunting? Could he lead a pack?

Could he actually defeat him in Glorious Combat?

"Are you ready to die, pony?" Lupus growled.

"No."

The pony did not move from where he stood.

Was this the chance he had been waiting for? Could he entrust his life and his clan's to this single equine? Could he risk allowing himself to lose? Would this pony be able to keep order in the packs?

The answer was obvious. Of course not. He was a pony, and ponies like the Moon Mother have long since gone. Only the Sun Bringer remained, and the dogs rightfully feared her. Lupus knew that he would have to tear this pony's throat out and feed on his carcass. Only after that could he turn his attention to the other alphas and get them to submit to him. Only after that could he then contemplate on getting them all back home.

But where was home?

No. No time to think. Just time to act. Lupus charged the stallion with his teeth bared. He watched as he leaped in the air and brought his massive jaws down towards the pony beneath him.

Even as his teeth closed, he could not smell even a hint of fear. And for him, the world when black.

"Not possible!" Tarasa howled.

"Not possible!" the other alphas joined in.

"Pony is alpha?" a beta asked looking at the other betas there.

None of them knew how to respond to that. Ancient law dictated that one that beat an alpha would always be an alpha if the fight was in single combat. But how does a pony beat a diamond dog? It was not possible.

The hyena burst out laughing. "Fake! Fake! Lupus is faking!"

"No, Lupus is dream-dead. He has no wake," a beta replied.

"Only a weak diamond dog would faint at the slightest touch of an equine! It took ten of you to slap me in chains! What makes you think that I'd believe a single pony could beat a dog, even one as weak as him."

The sounds of keys landing on the deck jingled as it slid always all the way to the hyena's cage.

"I'm waiting," the voice said as he slowly stepped backwards into the darkness.

"I will kill you, pony! I will tear your face off and eat your rear so you can see yourself get eaten alive as I consume your entire being!" Tarasa shouted. "Bring me the key, you stupid beta!"

One of the betas did as they were told, and unlocked the cage that held the Tarasa, the Hyena Queen.

"Now you die, pony!" she yelled.

The pony grinned. "You may be an alpha, but I'm not. I'm... different."

"You're no alpha, all right!" Tarasa lowered herself the floor and clawed the deck.

This time Semper drew a blade. "I'm the omega. I'm the last thing you will ever see."

For a moment Tarasa paused before licking her lips and charging towards the Equestrian Guard.

Author's Note

Tarasa - Hyena in Marathi (Indian language)

Mission 2, Part 8: Baying for Blood

"Well, well, well. So, here we have three equines, a rhino and a griffon." Blood paced the room looked at his prisoners, a cruel smirk on his lips. "Who among you is the one that he wants? Not you, obviously." He pointed at the Griffon. "Get rid of him."

No sooner had those words left Blood's lips when a spear stabbed the Griffon's back. He gave a squeak, blinked twice and collapsed in a heap. It took a moment for the others to register what had just happened. The act had been too sudden.

"You monster!" Providence screamed and took a step towards the pegasus Watu who had stabbed him. The spear pointed right at her making her stop mid-step. "How could you do that?"

The Watu's spear did not falter. Instead Providence found the tip pressed against her throat.

Providence tried to look into those eyes. Whoever these Watu were, they were not like the others they had encountered. There was something wrong with these, something terribly, dreadfully wrong. They were crazy. Then she caught a glimpse of the eyes and what she saw made her take a step back. Those eyes looked dead. They looked as if they lacked any sort of empathy.

"Do you like them?" Blood asked taking one of the Watu Wakali and lifting the helm off.

Lucky gasped, Zecora turned her head away in horror and even Providence, brave as she was, couldn't help but shudder as she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Iron bit turned his face away in disgust at the sight. This Watu looked as if the skin over her head had been torn off. The skull seemed to be exposed and a broken bulge on the forehead signified that once upon a time that pony was a unicorn. However, that was nothing compared to what they saw in those eyes. Those hollow, broken eyes. There was nothing there anymore. It looked as if all the life had been sucked out of them and all that was left was a shell. An obedient, merciless shell.

"Horrifying, isn't it?" Blood said looking at the unmasked Watu. "Doesn't it just make you sad? Think of what this pony must have gone through to get this far? Think of all the pain it endured. Yes, amazing, is it not? Pain, agony, abuse, death. Nothing like that could ever do what was done to this... thing. No. You need to break more than a pony's will to live to get this far. You need to break their will to die. How, you ask?"

The others looked to each other. There was something seriously wrong with this whole thing.

"The zebrica would know. Ever hear tale of how ponies are skinned alive, slowly? How their hides are peeled using a hot blade to cauterize the wounds to prevent them from bleeding to death?" Blood grinned. "But that's not all. There are places to the far west where the wings and the horns of the creatures are removed, their bodies soaked in salts so they don't get infected."

"H-how could..."

The unicorn laughed. "Because of jealousy. You see, Equestria is a perfect little utopia. It doesn't have the kind of problems that other nations and kingdoms face. Why do you think that so many other creatures try to take ponies as slaves? Because they are inherently kind, good and gentle. For the most part. They are nothing. Without their princess the ponies would have fallen to the griffons and other creatures eons ago."

Lucky looked up at Blood who was standing near a bench.

"But I banter. Where were we? Ah, yes. Warriors such as these need to be given something to live for. So, we give them something that no pony can." Blood grinned and his magic wrapped around a syringe. "The only thing that these creatures need is release. Death? No, they've seen death. They've lived through it. They've come right to the border and peered into the abyss. Death isn't enough. They need release."

"You've hooked them on... whatever that is!" Providence shouted. "They don't want to die because they're hunting for their next fix!"

Blood narrowed his eyes at the pegasus. "Perhaps you would like to... experience this release?"

"G-get away from me!" Providence backed off, but they were in an enclosed room. There was nowhere to go.

"Seize her," Blood ordered calmly as he pressed the syringe into a vial of glowing green liquid.

Iron rushed in front of the pegasus and braced himself. Two of the Watu charged straight on at the rhino, one ducking down and, using a blade, cut around the back of his knee. He yelped in agony and dropped to the ground, using his forelimbs to stop himself from hitting the ground. He turned to the side as a third Watu tried to move past, but Iron caught that one by the leg and swung it up and then towards the floor with all his might. There was a dull thud as the Watu crashed into the floor, but the other two had managed to capture their target.

"Let. Me. Go!" Providence shouted, struggling against the two.

Iron tried to help, but his leg wouldn't work.

"Release her!" Iron roared and pulled himself towards the pegasus.

He felt a sharp pain as the back of a spear pressed into his fresh wound. He tried to push it off only to see Blood rotate the spear with his magic and press it against this chest. He took a step forwards forcing the large rhino to lay down on the ground. "I am impressed you managed to kill one of the Elite. That is impressive indeed..."

He looked at the Watu who was convulsing on the ground, blood oozing from an open mouth.

"But you weren't able to finish the job." Blood stepped away from Iron and gestured with his hoof. "By all means, you must finish what you started."

Iron looked at the red unicorn. "You can't be serious! That creature is in no condition to fight-"

"Get up, Watu!" Blood shouted. "Get up and kill the rhino!"

The pony stopped convulsing. Impossibly, it began to push itself from the floor. Turning towards Iron, the others saw a set of ribs protruding from the left side, its blood pouring from the wounds. It staggered and picked up a sword and held it firmly in his hoof.

"Make it fair," Blood said coldly. "The rhino is unhoofed. That isn't fair."

One of the other Watu pulled out a dagger and threw it in front of Iron, the curved blade glinting in the low light glow. Iron looked up at the severely wounded Watu and furrowed his brow. "We don't have to fight! You don't have to obey him!"

The Watu stumbled, wavered, but steadied him or herself by placing the sword on the floor. "Kill... rhino..." came a hissing voice. It didn't sound Equestrian. It didn't sound like anything of this world. It sounded like a snake that was out of breath. It sounded evil, a being of pure hatred. "Kill!"

"S-stop! You're going to kill yourself if you attack me in that state!" Iron said, struggling to stand, hoping to push some reason into the creature.

"Kill... you..."

And with that, the crippled Watu charged.

"So, why are you here?" Wish asked looking at the pony with her. The Equestrian pony. Amber was her name and she had managed to save her life, using her partner as a decoy for the Watu that were hunting for them, to get the infirmary and patch her up. "Why is a pony from Equestria here?"

There was something about her. Something eerily familiar, but also different. It had been decades since she had seen her homeland, and she had been a slaver for so long that she couldn't really remember anything else. All she knew was that the stallion that ruined her old life was still alive, that he had somehow managed to cause havoc on the Eleonora, and that the Lipizzan was still flying. The past few days were just full of surprises.

"Our mission was to monitor the slave trade and report any ponies that have been captured," Amber said quietly. She wasn't supposed to reveal her mission, but right now there were other things to worry about. "We were ordered to ensure that ponies brought to the Griffin Empire were reported back to Equestria and a new anti-pony slave treaty is to be signed. Any pony held against their will is to be freed..."

Wish laughed humorlessly. "You really think that the Griffins would allow that?"

The silence was enough of an answer.

"I don't think that the Court would've agreed to something like that," Wish continued. "You have to be with the Royal Guard."

"Yes, sir," Amber stated gently. "We -- me and Chase -- are both part of the Day Guard, sir."

Wish turned to look at the young mare and sighed. She didn't belong here. None of them did. It was just bad luck that she was chosen for such a cruel mission. Equestrians shouldn't have to be exposed to the horrors that go on outside their borders. That was what the Border Guard was for, to keep things like this outside their kingdom. It wasn't as if they could really do anything.

"Sir, that ship that attacked us earlier... you... you said something-"

"Stop right there, missy," Wish said holding her hoof up. "I don't want to talk about that ship. It's not something that I am interested in going over."

"But-"

"No buts! I have a ship to take back, and I'd very much like to do it before she sinks." Wish stood up and tested her leg. It was moving, but there was some discomfort. The Guard did a good job in fixing her up. "You're hiding something else from me, aren't you?"

"Sir?"

"About your mission. Something other than accounting for ponies being sold into slavery. What is it?"

Amber looked away. "We're here to... arrest... you. You and members of your crew... for taking part in all this. At least, that's what it was originally. Our mission changed after we saw what you were doing for the creatures, not just the ponies. We understood that without you a lot more of them would never had made it across the sea."

That made Wish smile. "Sadly, that is true. It rather unfortunate that you were exposed to this world. It's not as if many of us had much of a choice. For ponies, work outside of Equestria is difficult, and life is hard. It brings out the absolute worst in us, as you can plainly see from the Watu. What choice do we have? Either live life as a criminal or end up serving criminals for a decent living."

"I know. I understand, but..." Amber let herself trail off.

Wish shook her head, she knew that look very well. "I know. Orders. Well, I can't say that being locked up in Equestria is better than shuffling slaves across the sea. If I wasn't exiled, I would have tried to make an honest living back home."

Home. Wish found herself laughing inwardly at that. Even after all these years, she still thought of Equestria as her home. She actually wanted to return, even if she had to spend the rest of her days as a prisoner in some forgotten cell.

"Ensign Amber here," the earth pony said into a communication tube. "I have the cargo with me..."

"Affirmative. Good job, Amber. This is Acting Captain Nautical. How soon can you deliver the package? We have major problems in the lower decks. I'm afraid that the Eleonora has sustained severe damage to the lower hulls. As of now the... slaves are escaping. We have yet to get the ship back under control, but at this point it doesn't seem like we need to. Crew members have been asked to report to the rear deck until further orders."

Wish nodded. That was smart. Get her crew to the reserve lifeboats in the rear half of the ship. Some of the slaves may have been innocents taken from the lives, snatched out of their homes or whatever it was they were stolen from, but a good number of them were criminals that were sold and some of them were very, very bad. In the chaos there would be no doubt that some of them would have escaped. They would have no qualms with killing others to get their way, and in this mess that was most likely what has already happened.

"And the attacking ship, sir?"

Wish flashed a look at the speaker. Amber turned away. Wish knew that she could not speak up. Her voice could be heard over the tubes and who knew who was listening? If it were an enemy, then it would be disastrous.

"We don't know. There have been little to no news from the front of the ship. Most of the slaves have already escaped from there and... the Watu had taken over that section of the ship."

That confused Wish. Surely Blood would not allow his non-pegasi to remain there. He would have made for the rear with the other members of the crew.

"They seem to be... waiting for something. Or perhaps someone. We are unsure," Nautical stated to the unasked question.

"Sir? A-and Ensign Chase? Have you seen or heard from him?"

There was a long pause. "Sorry, Ensign. None of us here have heard or seen him."

"Oh." The entire demeanor of the mare sagged. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll be bringing the cargo to the rear of the ship, sir."

"Report once you are there," Nautical ordered and the tube clicked, signifying that he had stepped away from the mouthpiece.

Amber let go of the latch where she stood, the same click echoing in the silence between them.

"I'm sure he's alive, Amber," Wish lied. But right now she needed the ensign to be in top form. Not that she doubted her abilities, she was a Day Guard after all. Incredible as it was. A Guard so far outside of Equestria, and with an active mission as well. Things were certainly different from when she was a mere recruit. "Let's go."

"Pony is alpha," the beta stated disbelievingly. If he had not seen what had happened with his own eyes, he would have refused to accept the possibility, but there he was, standing tall and proud. His weapon dripping with the blood of the Hyena queen as she lay still at his hooves.

"Pony is alpha," another beta whispered, afraid that if he spoke any louder it would have attracted his attention.

"Pony is alpha..."

"Pony is alpha..."

The voices echoed the news throughout the hold. Eyes all focused on the pony.

"No." Every dog flinched at the soft spoken words from the pony's lips. "I am the omega."

"Omega?"

"He is last. He is last?"

To the dogs that made no sense. Why would he be the last? No dog had ever heard about being the omega. It made no sense. Did he mean the alpha of alphas?

"What is omega?" a smaller dog asked, cowering as he did so.

"I am the last. There are none before nor after. I am the one that can unite the alphas of alphas. I am the omega. You will all follow me."

There was no dog who did disagree with that. They would follow him. They would run with him. They would hunt with him. They would kill with him. And, by the Moon Mother's name, they would die for him. For he was omega, the first and the last.

Iron felt sick to his gut. He did not know what to think. He had just killed a Watu. That was not what disturbed him. What disturbed him was how he was practically forced to kill the pony because of an unrelenting desire to kill. Not him, of course, but from the Watu. All that it wanted to do was take his life, and he had come close several times. Even with his advantage of size, strength and the fact that he was not bleeding to death, the Watu put up a vicious fight. Even after Iron had dishoofed the pony's weapon, the creature just kept on coming.

"Very well done," Blood said and nodded. "Crushing his head beneath your leg was a nice touch."

"You're a sick fiend," the rhino panted in response. "Letting him die like that."

"You could tell it was a stallion? I can never tell, you know. After they become like this, I can't even really see them as equestrians. No, they're nothing more than ghosts." Blood turned to see Providence looking at the dead Watu. "Oh, that's right. I was going to make you experience what it's like taking this. Hold her."

"Stop!" Iron roared and tried to move, but it was hopeless.

"Please stop and let her go! She is just didn't know!" Zecora pleaded. "Do not make her take those ooze! She has too much to loose!"

Blood stopped and looked at the zebra. "You actually think that I'd stop because of you?"

He walked over and the needle easily broke Providence's skin. He looked into her eyes, hers filled with horror as she realized what was about to happen...

"What was that?"

"Sounded like one of the diamond dogs baying to the moon, sir," came the response.

Blood made a face. "I know that! But why does it sound like... a..."

He walked over to the edge of the railing that separated the foredeck from the rest of the ship and peered across the huge expanse of wood before him. His armies of Watu stood guard there, for he knew that whatever or whoever was coming would have to come across that open plain. There would be no place for whoever it was to hide.

He never expected him to show up quite the way he did.

"Orders, sir?"

Blood snarled. Invading, looting, ambushing and assassinations were the forte of the Watu. They could attack a ship in the air or on the sea, overpower the crew and take its cargo. They could loot a merchant vessel in seconds, even scuttle it and empty the contents before it crashed into the ground below. They were masters of ambushing, able to strike hard and true into the best guarded caravans and convoys ever mustered. When it came to assassinations, they were a league unto their own.

But if there was one thing that the Watu lacked, it was open discipline. In a proper battle, they were no more than a rabble of freshly trained militia. Few, if any, had the hard training of a soldier; the discipline instilled to maintain the calm and effectiveness in a battle. To be a single part of a greater whole. Blood understood these things, for he had trained and abandoned that calling many years ago.

What he never expected was to be standing on the decks of the Eleonora staring down an army, but not just any army. An army of some of the most feared creatures of the Equestrian continent. Not merely the diamond dogs and their kennels. No, they were pushovers -- desperate mongrels ready to serve any master so long as they were strong and showed no fear. What Blood never expected was to be staring down an army of diamond dogs and the packs of canines from the other breeds that they had captured, the wolf clans the worst of all. Blood was so sure that they would have torn one another apart in the lower holds vying for control of the alphas, but as she stood where he was he could see the unmistakable sign of the alphas standing their ground in front of their packs at the bast of the smoking ruin of the ship's bridge.

A lone, unmistakable figure stood in the center of them, the fires silhouetting him, but the long plume and the shape of his body was unmistakable.

"Stand your ground!" Blood roared to his Watu. "We outnumber them ten to one! A golden bit for every heart of a dog you bring to me! And a thousand for the heart of that pony!"

The Watu roared.

And the lightning streaked the skies. The clouds were overhead now which brought new hope to the Watu. Rain and unpredictable weather meant that they had reached safety.

They were in griffon waters now.

Mission 2, Part 9: Every Dog Has His Day... Or Night

Rain pelted down from above as lightning licked the skies in a flurry of strobe-like flashes. The last vestiges of the controlled weather from the Equestrian kingdom ended here hitting the Griffin kingdom's natural weather line with a blind fury as if the heavens themselves were locked in a never ending struggle of dominance. This has led many of the griffin species to believe that the Equestrians were always trying to use their weather to conquer their kingdom and that only through the sheer will of the royal family was that evil magic held back at this point. Which is why the royal family did not have the magical proficiency of the Equestrian Princess. As ignorant as it may seem to those who knew better, the griffins feared and hated this cursed boundary. Not many airships, nor their sea-faring cousins, dared venture through this part of the world. This tempestuous border between the two kingdoms had claimed more lives than could ever be accounted, and would claim plenty more. Even those that flew could not fully escape this unique weather's fury, sending many spiraling down into the ocean's embrace or sending them far away on an uncontrolled flight to the far reaches of the world.

But the Eleonora was no mere ship. She was a moving island. Her body could withstand the temperamental weather with the calmness of a mother's love. Her movements were strong and steady, they broke through the winds, rain and lightning with barely a flinch. She was unstoppable. Yet she had been stopped. Unbelievable, but that fact remained true. She remained stuck beneath the violent display of the heavens above them. The Eleonora had been attacked, not by some army, but by a small group that had now turned its own cargo against her masters.

And as the ranks of Watu lined up along the foredeck of the great ship, those who witnessed it could scarcely believe their eyes. Instead of fleeing to the see on whatever vessel they could muster, a group of diamond dogs led by the most unlikeliest of beings, were facing them down.

Unlikely yes, but expected.

The Watu were using the raised portion of the bow as a makeshift fortress. It normally would have been a hard area to defend as there were plenty of stairs, walkways and ramps going to various doors and balconies on each of the floors. There were more than enough Watu Warriors to guard each opening and a dozen Wallarmbrusts lining the makeshift ramparts formed along the foredeck. A charge would have spelt disaster. If any survived the Wallarmbrust barrage, managed to get past the lines of Watu waiting for them, they would still need to contend with pegasi that were hovering safely off the ship. With each lash of lightning, their spears and weapons seemed to sparkle in the fading light. They could not rest on the clouds above them, but they could wait for the right opportunity to strike. If the lightning did not kill them first.

Whatever the case, one thing was clear. The Watu had chosen their stronghold well.

About a quarter of the way across the deck from the ship's bow was a large, half-circular bulge which spanned the entire width of the deck. This raised anomaly was actually a gigantic hinge. It was a clever design, perhaps. Supposedly is could be used to transport massive objects, but nothing was ever that big. Even fully grown dragons did not need to enter through the front. What the original architects intended use was, none will ever know. That knowledge was lost when they all fled back into Equestria herself. Perhaps it was to transport entire buildings for towns, to be brought and literally dropped into place along the shores of distant lands. At least that was one of the reasons that Voltic was told. It was hard to imagine the entire front portion of the ship opening itself like the mouth of a gigantic beast. Truth be told, he had never really noticed it but now that his attention had been drawn to it he could clearly make out the strange circular hump-like obstacle across the deck. It was the only thing that would be able to provide some semblance of cover should they attempt a charge against those crossbows. He originally thought that this was where the gigantic chains for the anchors were stored, but then again the Eleonora had dozens of giant anchors that were never really used.

That was until this strange pony had ordered them all to be dropped, slowing the ship's momentum almost to a standstill, but the Eleonora still pushed on, or perhaps it was just the clouds and waves playing tricks on the eyes. It was impossible to know.

But even then they were too late. They were within the Griffin Empire now, the clouds and the weather signaled that much. It was this strange, rough weather that designated the edge of the last vestiges of the Equestrian influence. After this point, other races ruled. After this point, only the strong could survive. Those that were strong were subjected to cruel and unmerciful fates. It seemed that most creatures wanted to enslave the ponies.

Was it strange then that the Watu, the most feared fighting force known, and the omega leading the canines were both ponies? Perhaps that was what the others hated, wanted or feared. That singular ability for them to do the impossible, to achieve the incredible, and to do it for the right reasons.

Voltic still felt unsure. Even as he stood alongside some of the so-called 'legends' of the canine-kind, the fact remained that all of them were captured by the warriors that they were now waiting for them across the deck. Every single canine there, with the exception of him and his ilk, were imprisoned in cages in the lower decks. He had seen the vast majority of the betas whimpering in the corners of their cages crying out for food, mercy or whatever it was that they needed at the time. That memory did little to inspire confidence. He had hated being associated with these creatures as they had looked and acted so pathetic and pitiful. However, now he found himself standing next to the same, but vastly different creatures. Now they looked fearsome, determined, purposeful and strong. The looked almost as dangerous as the Watu themselves. With direction and a leader to inspire them, they had changed. Now they were warriors.

No. They were hunters. Hunters who were ready to run straight into a Wallarmbrust barrage without any hint of hesitation. They were ready to kill and die for their new omega.

"I'm so not going to live through this," Voltic muttered to himself wiping the rainwater from his face.

He peered to his left towards the center of the line of fellow canines. There, standing around a destroyed anti-air cannon, were the alphas and on top of the highest point stood their leader. The one and only omega.

A part of the fox could not help but feel obligated to follow him. He was strong, and exuded a strength that made him want to follow. But the fox blinked and shook away that natural instinct aggressively, smacking his head for good measure. He was not going to allow himself to follow anyone -- pony or dog. Foxes like him were not like other canines. They did not possess that undying love and infatuation that their brethren had. That obsessive honor and loyalty system that was born out of raw instinct. No, a fox watches out for his own skin. It bothered the fox that the rhino had rightfully called it. But even so, Voltic was only half fox because his mother fell in love with a wolf. A forbidden love that resulted in a freak being born. Him. Foxes and wolves just don't mix. His birth? A freak accident. His mother was forced to leave her home. Although he never knew his father, he cursed him for destroying his mother's life. It was one of the reasons he ended up on this ship. To help her buy her medication. He hoped that his family would take care of his mother. After all, it was not very likely he would be going home after this. His inability to overcome his raw instinct was what kept him there now. Right now, his soul was telling him that this was the right place to be, but the back of his mind kept urging him to turn and flee. Flee to the back of the ship where the smart ones were taking all the lifeboats and getting away from there as fast as they could. But his heart yearned to follow that pony onwards. Onwards into the line of Watu. Onwards with this... omega.

The pony made a slight movement with his head, and the alpha of alphas, the one known as Lupus, nodded. He took a step forward and inhaled deeply.

The howl sent chills down Voltic's spine. That was no normal call. There was something deep, something very ancient in that call. At once he felt the sudden beat of a thousand hearts coursing through his veins. All beating in rhythm as one. It was as if the very fabric of his being was being unleashed, an inner strength building that he never knew he had.

A fresh scent of dew from a new dawn came through the air. No. It was not new. It was The New Dawn. The very first dawn. He could smell it, and knew what it was. The memory of that scent was almost forgotten, but it was strangely familiar. A strange sensation and a feeling that he knew. Though the clouds were broken and spilling their contents upon them, he could taste this scent as fresh as hot brew. He could not help it. When the others took a step forward and inhaled, he too was compelled to follow. And when they raised their lips to the moon, his voice joined his canine brothers and sisters in one long, constant call.

Then the air was full of a new scent, the wind pushing it over them like a wave. They all knew what it was and they loved it.

Fear.

The Watu standing in front of them in their hundreds actually feared them, and as the pony that led them drew his blade, he felt an overwhelming calm. They were going on the hunt. This time Voltic understood why they were all so calm. It was because it was the Watu that were outnumbered, not them. Outnumbered by a thousand to one as they stood side by side with the ancients as well as those present. Together they would all hunt as one, as they always had.

And always will.

It was night, as the oldest memories from the Ancient Ones could remember, when the Creator made all that is. It was not that it was actually night, for night did not exist in that moment, but it was in the darkness before the light when creation began. The Creator enjoyed the ability to make things, but the greatest creation of all was Will. Upon many things this gift was bestowed, and in varying degrees. Some were gifted with a little, while others were gifted with plenty -- of these, the Creator called Children and called their Will Free Will.

But the Creator could not see what was made in the darkness that was not night, so something was needed to break through it. Something else had to be made.

Light.

It was the light of the First Dawn that all that was created could be seen. The Creator marveled at the beauty of all that was seen and especially towards the Children. The Creator cherished them all and gave them all a little bit of the power used to create. Some of the Children used the power to create new things that even the Creator did not imagine and a strange feeling welled up from within. The feeling was powerful and the Creator did like it and exhaled it out. The Creator's power was no longer absolute, and this new entity took form and with it the gift of Free Will. The Creator did not understand what was happening and tried to stop this new being from forming, but it would not be denied. The Creator tried to feel for the being similar to what was felt for the Children, but found it impossible. This thing was not meant to exist and the entity understood that.

With no choice, the Creator understood that there was no place for this being and banished it away into the void sealing it outside, but not before it called out to the Creator warning that it would return. It gave itself a name. The Destroyer, and it waited. That was when She was born. Unlike the other creatures that were made from the Creator's vision, made from sheer will, She just came to be. How? That answer will always remain lost in the darkness whence it came.

What is known is that She was not one of the Children created by the Creator. There are many stories and legends handed down through the ages, but none could ever know for sure. Perhaps She was born out of necessity. Perhaps she was always there, but because of the darkness the Creator could not be seen. Whatever the case, it was known that She was an unequal equal to the Creator. Granted, She could not create life nor even begin to contemplate the complexities taken to make each and every leaf, insect, plant, flower, cloud or even the skies. Still, there was something She had that the Creator did not make nor even comprehend. She possessed a kind of power that was unfamiliar, but welcome. New. A power that forged an unbreakable bond. A bond called Harmony, and with it came something else. Something more. Something that could only be described as magic.

Harmony eventually came to lay the foundations of all that was, is and will be. Where once things merely existed, now they fit together in an extremely complex system that followed a set of unwritten rules guided by Harmony, but never because of it. The Children watched and thanked She, for they saw that the creatures they had created could now live with their own Free Will and they could oversee them.

But as the light grew, so did its shadows. Not night, for night's darkness was different. While the night was gentle, soothing and beautiful, the darkness was unpredictable, hateful and ugly. The Destroyer watched and gave a name to the feelings it had inherited from the Creator. Jealousy, it would be known, and if the Destroyer could not have whatever it was the Creator had, it would ruin it so neither could possess it. Out of that malevolence, new creatures emerged that had no name, for none had ever existed before.

At first the Creator and She thought nothing of it, for they did not understand. They did not understand pain, for they had never felt it. The did not understand loss, for nothing was ever lost. The Destroyer believed that the reason for its existence was to somehow harm the Creator and She, just that did not know how because it had never done anything like that before. It wanted to break the Harmony, and convinced itself that this was its reason for existing; that was its entire purpose. So, since it couldn't enter the area where the Creator, She or the Children were, it could send its minions. For the first time pain and suffering was introduced to them all, but no matter what happened, and no matter what was done, the bond between the Creator and She would not shatter.

But the Destroyer was clever. If it could not break the bond between them, then it would break the pillars that held it instead. Still, how does one 'break' something? The concept was too new. Again, no matter what it tried, the foundations of this bond held and therefore the bond itself remained steadfast. So it sat and contemplated. It waited, thinking. As it watched the Creator, he noticed a new change. Some of the creatures that used to live in Harmony were now feeding off each other. Had his minions, those small and weak, remained in the world? He noticed that certain kinds fed on others. They had been there for so long that they were part of Harmony now. It had changed them. But what induced this change?

In what might have been epochs, or the blink of an eye, this thing discovered what it could do to finally break the bond. To break the Harmony. If the bond between the two could endure, then something else had to be created that could wear it down. Like the creatures that were changed, something had to erode the balance of Harmony so that it would become a part of Harmony. Still, the Creator was the Creator. There was nothing the Destoyer could do that would that particular foundation, by doing so everything would cease to be, including the Destoyer itself. That left only She. That foundation would need to be broken.

Tricking the Creator with false promises and lies, the Destroyer managed to have the Creator alter the very fabric of the universe. By doing so it had isolated the Creator in a different form of reality away from the Children and She. But, before the Creator could change it back, the Destroyer sacrificed its own life-force to prevent it from ever being able to change back. It did this by binding itself with the new element the Creator had designed into the very fabric of the universe itself and would eventually come to be known as Time, and Time would endure.

The Creator could only watch in sadness as She started to age. As Time wore on, change happened. Since the Children were made from the same fabric as the Creator, most merely grew tired and slept. She, however, had started to grow frail and forgetful until she could barely move or even stay awake. The Creator could not bear to see She suffer anymore and tried to figure out a way to reverse Time. But it could not be slowed, much less stopped or reversed. So complete was Time intertwined with Harmony that the Creator understood that the two could never be separated ever again. Even with her power, unless it broke the very fragment of existence which would undo everything and the Creator could not bare the mere thought of erasing the existence of everything, especially the Children. Therefore the Creator granted release and it would eventually come to be known as Death. The Creator made a place that was neither here nor there, that could never be touched by the Destroyer's influence, where Time had no meaning. A place hidden where it could not be found, where night was always beautiful and pristine and the day was always bright and pure. Where nothing could enter that wished ill on others. A haven that would be a fortress, a castle of paradise. Here the Creator would wait, wait until Time finished its cruel, unmerciful torture and finally be reunited once again.

The Creator grew sad and realized that the gift would never touch the Children. They would never be free. They would endure.

"We go into battle?" the captain asked looking at the dog in front of him with a single raised brow.

The mutt nodded. "Yes, yes. Omega says ponies on small ship come. You come. You come with other alpha. He big bulldog alpha. Strong. Small. Quiet."

The captain turned to Bones. "What do you think?"

"Me? I say he's tellin' the truth, cap'n. You know that they would've tried to kill us unless they got orders not to. These dogs aren't the brightest, if you know what I mean. Plus they stink." Bones put his hoof over his nose. "Really, really stink."

The dog either did not notice, or just ignored the two of them conversing.

The captain sighed. "Fine, we'll follow you. Maybe your alpha is a bit more... intelligent. But we need to know a bit more about this... omega."

"Yes, yes. Come, come. Alpha is waiting not far," the dog replied excitedly and led the way.

The crew followed the beta through a series of corridors that led from where the Lipizzan was still stuck to the side of the Eleonra like some drunk parasite, to a large double-door that opened onto a small stairwell that descended into pitch black darkness. Here they all paused as the dog that led them disappeared into the void, the light behind them from the ship vanishing into the emptiness in front of them. It was as if the mutt had been consumed by the darkness before them.

"So, you have come," a deep voice growled.

The captain tried his best not to show any fear. He head learned a long time ago that when a dog talks to you in a proper and coherent fashion, then it was time swallow your fear as best you can. Only the an alpha had the ability to think in a coherent fashion. Only a smart alpha could speak Equestrian or any other language in much the same way they could speak their own native tongue. Only a very smart alpha could speak with eloquence and articulation and usually those were the most dangerous of all, and this dog was very, very articulate.

"We have," the captain replied into the darkness. "We have come because of your omega."

"Yes. Omega did ask for you," the voice replied. "It is strange that he would claim to be that, considering that the canine kind respect the alpha above all else, and the alpha of alphas as the top most. Still, the pony was clever because he claimed that he was not the alpha of alphas leaving the current alpha of alphas in his place. The life of an alpha is not an easy one and I'm sure the equine knew what he was doing when he declared himself as the omega."

"Equine?" the captain asked quietly to himself. He had suspected, and this was all but a confirmation. He couldn't help but smirk a little at that.

"Whatever the case, we cannot challenge the omega without first besting the alpha of alphas. A title which that Silver will die before he relinquishes."

The captain furrowed his brow. He did not really understand much of the canine's native language because these creatures used scent as well as vocals to speak. But he did understand the word 'silver', no one in his 'profession' would not, just he had never heard it used to describe another canine before. Not that it was anything of note, except that the way this particular dog said the word made it sound conflicted. There was a hint of begrudged respect, but also of deep disgust. Then again, he never really understood dogs. They were crazy, but their loyalty was unquestionable. A dog that swore to follow you to the end, even in the face of death, would stand by you. As a friend, a dog was always welcome -- if you could stand the smell.

"So, this omega is a pony?" The captain shook his head and laughed dryly to himself. "I bet you I know who exactly you mean."

"I'm sure you do. It is of no consequence that you are here. Betas are none too bright, but the scent that you exude reveals that you were in contact with the omega. He said to give you a duty... a job."

"Duty. I can understand a little bit of your language, dog."

The large flat-nosed bulldog nodded. "Then that will make this easier. You are to use your pegasi to fly up and tie off some ropes so that my canines can climb up and onto the walkways. They cannot see us down here; pony eyes are weak in the dark. That's all you have to do. We'll do the rest."

"We'll do it, but if you think we're going to sit this one out, then you'd sadly mistaken. They killed somepony very dear to me and my crew and they're gonna pay dearly for that. So count us in in whatever it is you're gonna do," the captain replied and grinned. "Besides, it will give me a chance to see just how useful you mutts are in a scrap."

The bulldog bared his fangs. The captain forced back the feeling of panic that welled up just in time for he realized that the dog was actually smiling. He wanted to sigh in relief, but the captain was well aware of the dog's keen sense of smell and how the scent of fear seemed to make them dangerous.

"So be it," the bulldog growled. "You can come hunt with us, but we will not protect you."

"Does it look like we need protection?" the captain replied in a low tone touching his sheath. "You're the ones begging us to help you, remember?"

The bulldog looked at him for a moment before bursting out laughter. "True! You are not like the others. The soft ones from your home. You are strong. Strong like us, but unlike the omega. No, none are like him."

"I wholly agree with you." The captain turned to his crew. "You heard the mutt. You with wings fly on up there and drop the ladders. The rest of us will join the party as quickly as we can."

The pegasi nodded and took off upwards into the darkness.

She was alone. The feeling was empty. It was suffocating, but She had no choice. She had to endure.

But the Creator had given something special to all that was. Whether it was intentional or not, none could ever know, but something began to change. Harmony demanded it to.

It was strange at first. She, who was already so ancient, saw that others with thought came to life. These creatures were so diverse coming in many forms, but one especially caught her eye. He was strong, powerful and seemed unafraid of the darkness and indifferent of Time that was slowly claiming her. Something inside her stirred. She wanted to be with He, and He wanted to be with She. Born out of this desire, a new form of Harmony -- different from the one that the Creator had made came into existence. Unlike the Harmony of all, this was formed from within them. This new Harmony soon become known as Heart, or love. And from the Heart, a union that was never before seen was consummated, from which came a new embodiment of Harmony.

She named her 'Daughter' and taught her what was known. How from the kind and gentle darkness she had come, and how She had made Harmony with the Creator. How she fell in love with He, who came from Harmony, through which the Daughter was a product of.

But Time would not be denied.

Not wanting He or Daughter to feel that Harmony had betrayed them, She made them a promise. That when the time came, they would join her and the Creator once again in another place where the Destroyer could not reach. How She knew that this can perhaps be attributed to how close the Creator and She were; that they could think so alike. The Daughter agreed, but He could not bear to be without She. When Death finally came to She, He asked to come as well and left the Daughter alone.

But the Daughter was strong, like her mother and searched for the Creator hoping to convince her to bring She and He back. Instead, the Daughter found two of the Children that had been lost who were sleeping deep within the forests of the old world, awoke when the Daughter shook them. They had been asleep for so long that they had forgotten much of who they were.

The three of them learned from one another, but as Time drew on they began to realize just how different they were. The Daughter had teeth that were sharp and when the hunger came she could not eat what the Children did, for her appetite was born over Time, and the Destroyer's influence had affected her body's needs. Where others could feed off the ether and energies of the environment around them, the Daughter required flesh. The Daughter then agreed to never harm those that looked and talked like the Children and the Children agreed never to get in the way of the Daughter while she Hunted, so long as those that were Hunted were not sentient.

And so it was that the Daughter and the two Children became friends.

The captain waited patiently. He hated not knowing what was going on. He hated being left in the dark, literally in this case. He did not like that he could not see how things were going, but he trusted his crew and trusted that they could get the job done. Just how, he couldn't know, but he needed to wait.

Suddenly a loud, gross 'crunch' sounded not far from where he stood. This was followed by another, and another, and another. The captain took a step back, and heard another splotch behind him and turned to see the body of a Watu lying in the dim light from the hall. His pegasi were doing it.

Then he heard something rumble.

"Come, pony. The ladders have been lowered. We go to hunt!" the bulldog grinned. "We go to eat the flesh of our enemies!"

The dogs could navigate in the darkness, thanks to their keen sense of smell. The captain and his crew did not have that luxury. The bulldog understood this and a couple grunts and a growl later, every member of the crew were being led by the dogs through the darkness to the ladders. Once there, the ponies were allowed to feel their own way up to the top. For the captain, it was slow going for he was unsure how high he had to climb.

"Faster, pony!" the beta under him said in a harsh whisper. "The hunt will be over before we can join..."

"I'm going as fast as I can, okay?" the captain muttered back.

Then he heard something above and felt something whiz by his face.

"What was that?" the captain asked.

"Dead pony. Masked. Not yours. Hurry."

The captain continued upwards, feeling his way until he could see a light above him. It was a small light that lit up the boundary of a door. The faint tell-tale signs of a steel walk-way could be seen as the light was behind the mesh-like grating of the platform. He understood that this was his target and the fact that there were no guards around meant one of two things. They were hiding in the darkness, or they were dead. He hoped it was the latter.

On he climbed, putting one hoof in front of the other, pulling himself upwards with grim determination. He realized only then, three-quarters of the way up that ladder what he had just done. He had committed his crew to a battle. Not the familiar battle on the deck of a ship where he stood upon the helm of his vessel. No, this was a battle of great numbers of forces vying for dominance of a crippled ship. And for what? All he knew was that he needed to do this for himself because of Sunny. Was it right to order his crew into it?

"Hurry, the smell of blood grows stronger," the beta whispered. "Fighting above is. Dogs are dying. The glory of the hunt is upon us! I must..."

The captain barely stifled his yelp as the dog climbed over him and above. He watched as the animal almost hopped upwards towards the light source. Then he felt the dog under him do the same, trying to get past. The would knock him off the ladder if he wasn't careful. As the next dog pushed his way up, the captain slipped and fell catching another dog by the tail. It yelped as the captain swung around to the back of the ladder and held the railing fast.

"There!" a voice shouted. "They're coming from below!"

"Where? I can't see them!" another yelled.

"Turn on the light-" the third voice was abruptly cut off followed by a loud roar as the sound of a dog echoed through the darkness.

The captain gritted his teeth and pulled himself upwards towards the light once again, trying hard to ignore the chaos breaking all around him. He was alone, and he actually found himself missing Bones. Ten rungs left before the top of the ladder, he could see it clearly. A diamond dog rushed up the ladder and yelped as a long spear took him in the back. The canine twisted around and swiped at the Watu pegasus hovering just out of reach.

"Filthy flea-bag!" the stallion shouted.

Taking a dagger from the sheath in his belt, the captain aimed and threw it in the general direction of the voice. There was no sound, but somewhere far below he heard a splatter followed by a second one moments later. He hoped that his dagger had flown true and headed up the next few rungs holding his breath.

"What's going on here?" a voice shouted opening the door. "Report!"

"Sir, it's terrible, sir!" the captain replied, putting on his best act. He continued up the ladder.

"What? What's terrible? Where are you? Front and center!" the Watu commander demanded.

"Yes, sir! Coming, sir!" The captain climbed to the top, keeping his head down low and approached the Watu as calmly and as quickly as possible. He had done this plenty of times before. Too many times, in fact.

"Well, what is it? What's going on?"

The captain looked up and before the Watu could think, he grabbed the unicorn by his horn and gave it a violent twist. The effect was nearly instant. The sudden surge of pain and dizziness made the Watu loose control of his body and the captain pulled the commander towards him, twisting his body around and over the railing sending the warrior over the edge into the darkness below. The captain stared after him and shrugged. "No idea, sir." With that, he turned towards the opened door and took a step into the light.

As his hoof hit the ground, he heard something that sent chills down his spine. At first he thought it was the sound of the wind rushing through some small gap nearby, but he quickly realized that wasn't it. No, the sound was too consistent to be the wind, and much more 'alive'. He gulped and wiped the sweat from his brow. He knew that sound and hoped that it was a good thing. It was clear that it was coming from an army of canines baying to the moon.

"Here we go again," the captain whispered as he trotted into the hall. Unhoofed and alone with no idea as to what he was doing, not that such a thing ever stopped him before, he rushed towards the sounds of the howling. After all, that was where the omega was.

The Daughter had spent many suns and moons playing with the Children and hunting without them. But she was getting old and her years were drawing to a close. The Children had one another, yet she was alone. They would not hunt with her, yet the hunt was what she wanted them to partake in the most. Then one of the Children agreed to come for the hunt, but to not witness the blood or the taking of life. The Daughter understood and promised the Child that they would hunt together without the need for Death.

It was at this time the the Creator and She decided to try and see their scions. Since they could not enter the realm they were in the Creator made a half-real one, where half was from the universe that was created before and the other half was from the one created after. In this realm everything was nothing and nothing was permanent where no rules applies, save one. Here, none could feel the cold embrace of Death. Here nothing could pass from either realm except for the memories shared within. This power was too much for the Creator to sustain and bound this gift with the moon. Now, they only had to wait and hope.

The Daughter felt the change immediately. Closing her eyes, the Daughter waited until sleep befell her and awoke in the Dream World to see She, her mother. They embraced, they talked, they laughed and they played. It was as if they were together once more, which they were but were not. As the dawn of the new day broke, the spell too was broken, but the Daughter understood. The Creator's power allowed them to come to this strange and beautiful place, this Dream World, but only when the moon was at its fullest, for it was from this source that the doorway between the Waking World and the Dream World was open.

The Daughter then taught this new trick to the younger Child who seemed to love the night and its beauty more than her older sister, but the power was too different and the Child had her life-force nearly ripped away. The Daughter realized that this was her fault and vowed to set things right by taking her own life-force and binding it with the Child and the moon itself, and thus the Child came to be known as the Dream Walker, the Midnight Lady, the Moon Mother and eventually, after a tumultuous time, the Evernight Queen.

The baying of the canines shook the Watu to the very core. They were hardy warriors, many had trained through the uncountable conflicts they had to endure, but even they were unprepared for something like this. They outnumbered the dogs with their numbers, but the dogs seemed to think otherwise. Commonsense would be right in saying that the dogs had the edge this time. Their teeth could bite through steel, their claws could tear through rock and they were strong. Far stronger than a normal pony for sure, but perhaps not stronger than a trained Watu. Still, there was the comforting knowledge that the Wallarmbrusts at the top of the foredeck were ready to tear into the canine lines should they dare come within range. It was suicide to charge head on.

"Are you ready!" came the sudden bark of one of the larger dogs. There was a rancorous response. Some were barking, others gnashed their teeth and some merely paced around in their places eager waiting for the command. It was clear that they many were salivating as their eyes focused on the Watu without an inkling of fear. They were ready to die, while it was clear that the vast majority of the Watu were not. A couple even took a step back, breaking formation.

"Hold the line!" a commander shouted shoving one of the other Watu that had tried to back-out of the line. "Aren't you going to fight and kill and make money?"

"B-but, sir! T-those dogs are mad! T-they ain't right! I mean, look at 'em!" the Watu replied pointing towards the line of canines. "Something's off. They're not... usual. I guarded 'em in the hold below! I know what I'm talking about! They don't usually make those eyes..."

The commander felt a cold shudder run down his spine as he saw what the Watu meant. These dog's were not their usual selves. But he still had to maintain control. If a fight was coming, then it would be prudent to have all the warriors able to fight back. "You stay in line or I'll take your head right here myself!"

Before the warrior could respond another call went out.

"They're coming! Ready the 'Brusts! Let's take 'em out!" Another commander shouted.

Sure enough the dogs were starting to march across the deck slowly picking up speed. Many looked up at the Wallarmbrusts to make sure that they were really there, and to help pacify themselves that such powerful weaponry was on their side. Some even started to laugh, others even taunted the charging beasts shouting out to them. Some of the others even taught the others the most insulting word the dogs had in their native tongue.

Disloyal.

The effect was almost instantaneous as the dogs surged forwards making a line towards those that dared to utter that word to them. They, after all, had very sharp hearing capable for pinpointing which of the Watu was guilty of uttering the most taboo word of their kind. A word that usually ended with bloodshed.

Just as the dogs reached the curved barrier, the Wallarmbrusts screamed into action. Their rapid reloading springs making that high-pitched shriek as each bolt was launched towards their intended victim. Bolts flew in their dozens towards the dog's line. Some of the more careless jumped over the obstacle only to be met with a shower of death as the bolts pinned them hard to the deck or to the barrier itself. Still the lines kept coming and the Watu watched and mocked them as the dogs slowly began to pile up behind their protective blockade. Some even tried to brave the storm of bolts in a suicide attempt at trying to avenge their fallen pack-mates and to rip the tongues out of those who dared to call them Disloyal.

But it was Lupus of the Silver Moon clan that felt the words cutting into him the worst, for in his case the label rung tragically true. He was, indeed, Disloyal. His clan did betray the Moon Mother. True, it was his father's father's father and his mother's mother's mother that committed this unspeakable atrocity, but their blood flowed through his veins and the sting of the words seemed to echo through the bloodline right into the blood pumping into his veins. It didn't matter that the Silver Moon did what they did to help save the world. It would have ended if the Evernight Queen had won, even if they loved the moon, they knew that life could not survive in perpetual darkness. They were willing to be called Disloyal to save all, cursing the Silver Moon clan for eternity. The only reason why he was the alpha of alphas was because some part of him resisted. Lupus was too proud to put his tail-between-his-legs, which was unexpected of him and his ilk. But he was a Hunter, not a mere Scrounger like so many of his kind had become, digging in the deep recesses of the world like moles. An obsession with shiny stones that he just could not comprehend.

Looking up, he saw the pony -- no, the omega -- standing and watching with some of the other alphas from a safe distance away. He looked at the line of canines hiding behind the obstacle, pinned down. The omega gave Lupus the honor of leading this hunt, an honor that the others were both relieved and jealous not to have. Leading a hunt was the most prestigious position a dog could have, even as the alpha of alphas Lupus was not allowed to. The leader of the pack is always chosen by his peers, as has been the way. But not today. Today the omega chose, and he chose a Silver. Who would dare talk back to the omega? Who would dare question an order from the champion of their kind? He had won the title of omega in Glorious Combat fairly, and even put down another alpha that dared question it. Ruthlessly.

The Silver grinned and closed his eyes. Even if he died this day, this act and the honor that he had been granted would lessen the prejudice and hatred towards the Silver Moon clan. Even if it was a little, he was glad that he could give back an inkling of the honor his once proud line possessed. Glad to be given this chance, he opened his mouth and bayed towards the moon once more.

Then, as if the power of that baying was heard by the Creator herself, the clouds parted and the moon's ethereal glow bore down on the ship's deck right around the Silver, the fur on his back seemed to turn silver as the moon soaked him with its light and his eyes began to glow a bright blue. The canines saw this and a mixture of fear and awe rushed through their veins, for they saw the that their beloved moon had blessed the Silver Moon. The Moon Mother had heard his call and responded.

And as the Watu managed to come to terms with the clouds above them being broken, a feat that was nigh impossible in those chaotic skies by even the strongest of magical creatures, they watched in horror as the canines jumped over the barrier and rushed towards them at full tilt with a silver-colored wolf leading the charge. They felt dread as the realized one thing as the line closed in towards them.

Not a single Wallarmbrust opened fire.

"Cap'n!" a harsh whisper came from underneath the stairwell upwards.

The captain looked around and saw Bones and with Iris. She had a deep cut along her cheek and her horn looked worse for wear. She had been in a magical bout with some other unicorn and probably only won by the skin of her teeth.

"Captain, each of this stairwells leads to the upper-level. There are Wallarmbrusts pointing towards the main deck of the ship. The Watus don't have anybody else around here. Guards are minimal. I think they think that we couldn't go up the hold for some reason."

"Why?" the captain replied, ducking next to them. He needed a clearer picture of what was going on.

"From what I can make out, there was a big battle down here. There are huge scratches along the walls. From the looks of things it must've been something real big. Like... big-big. You know. Like... ursa big."

"Ursa? Then what?"

"It was flooded. The entire chamber. Whatever was in here was... I think they must've opened the loading doors and somehow sealed them shut once whatever was in here was thrown out." Iris winced a little and rubbed her head. "My brain's not working right. Took a psychic hit to the face. The unicorn nearly killed me. Got my barrier up in the nick of time to take the lethalness off. But wow, what a wallop."

"Relax. We'll take it from here. Right, Bones?" The captain looked at the pony next to him.

"You betcha! Can't wait to cut some more Watu guts open!" Bones grinned and his eyes seemed to open wide at the prospect.

The captain would never get used to this. "Iris. Spread word. Tell the others not to attack until they get my signal? Understand?"

"Yes, captain!"

With that the unicorn was off.

"Cap'n?" Bones asked.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to put a damper on your... plan, but what signal are you going to give to the others?" Bones asked. "We aren't on the Lipizzan. It's not like you just jump out of this hiding spot and shout 'now', right?"

The captain felt his bowels suddenly get a lot tighter.

"Aim! Aim for the lines! Wait for it. We want them to a little closer... that's right... ready... ready..." The Watu raised his hoof up and waited, the other firmly attached to a one-eyed telescope as he followed the line. It was pointless, really, to have that telescope. It was impossible to miss the large number of dogs rushing closer, but this Watu wanted to see their faces when the Wallarmbrusts started pouring their bolts into them. He wanted to see them convulse in death throes, watch their agony, watch their hope fade into oblivion. He lowered his hoof quickly. "Now! Fire now!"

The dogs managed to get to the barrier. A few dared venture further, only to be met by the bolts. The Watu commander actually licked his lips. He was enjoying this.

Then a loud noise seemed to emanate from the dogs. The same noise they had all made moments before the charge. That high pitched howl they did towards the moon.

"Yes, yes. Cry!" The Watu giggled. "There's nothing going to save your flanks now."

Then the masses of dogs poured over their last and only means of defense and charged the last few meters towards the enemy's lines.

"Quick! Kill them! Kill them all!"

Nothing.

"I said fire now!" the Watu shouted lowering his telescope and turning towards the Wallarmbrust.

The last thing he saw was Bones standing in front of him, a large sword in his hoof covered in blood. His blood.

Lupus felt a shift. Something had changed in his body. Something felt right. He looked towards the Watu line and saw something there. Another one of his kind, perhaps, but far older. More ancient. He did not know how or why that was, but he knew that whoever it was was calling to him to come. Now was the time.

He leaped over the barrier, the wooden deck below him felt like the soft grasses of his homeland. The air smelled of fresh morning dew. The clouds had indeed broken, and he led his kind into the lines ahead of him. Led them on the hunt. He was leading his kind towards Glorious Combat.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He was ready to go and greet his ancestors. It was okay now.

"Something's wrong!" the commander shouted when the Wallarmbrusts did not open fire on the charging dogs. He turned and looked at the line. The Watu were shifting unsteadily in this places. Some held the line, confident in their ability. Others faltered; they were not ready for this. Truth be told, apart from the very few that were exiled Guards from Equestria, none of them were ready. They were not trained for this. Most were glorified prison guards, able to bully those into submission. But an actual battle?

Still, there was no choice. It was clear that something had gone very wrong, and they would have to commit themselves into battle. He drew his blade and gritted his teeth and gave an order he had not since the time he was banished from the Border Guard along with most of his own Guards. "Ready weapons!"

There was a medley of mixed responses. Some roared with gusto, drawing their blades and baring their teeth like the canines careening towards them. Others whimpered in fear, holding their weapons limply in front of them hoping that it was all just a bad dream. Some made a silent grunt knowing that breaking rank and fleeing would only lead to their defeat but fighting against these rabid dogs looked bleak.

Then when things couldn't get any worse, it did. The Wallarmbrusts did indeed open fire, only not where the Watu expected it to be. A rain of bolts pierced through the rear and side flanks slaughtering those unlucky enough to hold those positions. It was clear that these weapons had been taken over by the enemy and it didn't take a genius to understand that the howling and the frontal charge had all played a hoof in distracting them. They did not check their rear, nor did they foresee any way that the enemy could get there in the first place. They had been had. It was also clear that the big dog's howl had informed them to take over the Wallarmbrusts at the same time. A perfect example of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, or in this case between a devastating barrage of bolts and a pack of dogs ready to rend them limb from limb.

Little did they realize that almost all these things can be attributed to dumb luck. Or was it luck? Did the pony commanding this group of canines actually plan the whole thing? How did he know?

Their choices were limited to two options: stick together or die. The commander knew they were dead if they remained where they were, and almost immediately sounded the attack. He had been in battles before and knew when to take charge. This was one of those times. It had earned him his banishment, but he had won the day all those years ago. An ex-Border Guard, now a slave-driving Watu. Out here, he had learned, the only allegiance was to gold. Everything else came in second to that. A lesson he had learned the hard way.

"Charge! Forward! Into the fray! Attack!"

The call was taken up by others realizing that they had to obey and the Watu surged forward as one with their weapons bared to meet the wave of dogs for it was strategically the right thing to do. They would not survive under the constant barrage of the Wallarmbrusts exposed as they were. They couldn't get away. The only option they had was to mix their numbers with the dogs and hope that the Wallarmbrusts did not open fire on all of them.

The commander thought about fleeing to the safety of the ship's interior, storming the doors that led into them with the most trusted of his kind. They may change their luck by this strategy provided that they were quick enough to get inside before the Wallarmbrusts carved them down. Standing on the stairwell in that close proximity would have been suicide. Plus they did not know what lay behind those doors. Perhaps there was a large number of dogs awaiting them inside. They had no choice but to attack. That was the only way they could survive at this point.

How had the tide suddenly shift? They were practically unbeatable mere moments before.

And as the commander slew two dogs with his blade, he dared raise his head above the fray and glanced in the direction of where the pony and the rest of the alphas had stood. They were nowhere to be seen.

High above in the sky, past the world's furthest reaches, far beyond the places where the pegasi could soar, she slept. In the comforting embrace of darkness, she was at peace. For such a long time she had slept. Not the normal sleep of mere mortals, but the dead dreamless sleep of those that had been cursed. Cursed by an overwhelming power. She slept not because of wanting to, but because she had been sealed away inside an inescapable prison. Or was it? She did not know, she never tried because she was sleeping. Had been sleeping, actually.

She opened her eyes. Glancing around the world. The haziness of her surroundings unfamiliar and familiar. The unfamiliarity of a new place she had never seen before, but this was in the world of dreams. She had awoken here and instantly knew. But how? How had she been awakened? Was the curse broken? She looked at her legs and found thick shackles and chains holding her there. One orange, one blue, one yellow and one pink. Around her tail she saw one made of purple and around her neck, thicker than the others and chained to the ground, was white.

She knew that what she saw was not real. Nothing in this world was, for it was the world of dreams. Everything was always an illusion, allusion or an imitation. The chains that held her down represented the only power strong enough to best her. A power that her sister had used to best her. The power that she had once shared with her sister.

The sudden memory made her blood boil. Of course. She remembered. The sun. The night. The love. The hate. The peace. The war. Everything. How could she forget? How did she forget? How dare she forget? The feelings of hate welled up within her and she spread her wings and pulled against her restraints. Again and again and again.

Nothing.

How could she have fallen asleep? How could she have lost? Her strategy was flawless. There was no way they could have overwhelmed her flanks. But that was what had happened. Her flanks were broken, her forces split. It was a simple, almost basic, strategy. Cutting her main forces off from her own guard allowed her sister and her elites to use Elements. That was what had happened, she recalled.

Then she heard it again. The same voice that woke her up. A long cry that she had used to love. How had she forgotten it? Turning, she pierced the ether with her raw power to see the source of the sound. To see her old friend. Friend? No. That was not right. Her follower. Yes. That's it. Her loyal servant. Her vassal. After all, she was their only link to their goddess. She looked again and saw the face of the one that called to her. He was different. In fact, everything she saw was different, completely alien from what she remembered. How long? How long had she been asleep?

Years, a voice whispered from within her. Decades, the voice whispered again this time a little clearer. Millennia.

"Impossible," she shouted back. "It.. can't be."

The dream warped and morphed from her power. The very fabric of that reality shuddered against the sudden outburst.

It is, the voice said again, this time stronger than before. You have been forgotten.

"Then I shall make them remember! I shall make them all remember! I will return! I will... I will..." she stared at the wolf far away down on the world below, his fur glistening under the light of... her. The moon. She was... that moon? No. She was trapped within it. She understood now. Of course. Sealed away within the confines of a ethereal prison, locked away in her own dream. Well, she was the master of the world of dreams, and she would break this curse. She would shatter that which held her back, and she would be free. It might take time, but it was inevitable. She would return, and she would have her revenge. Revenge on the wolves that abandoned her, revenge on those that shunned her night and revenge on the one that sent her away. She would have words with her sister.

And deep inside, the voice giggled in cruel laughter.

"Sir, it's not good, sir," the Elite stated to Blood.

"What do you mean 'not good'?" Blood asked, his voice low which made it sound extremely dangerous.

"The line has been broken, sir. They sent an infiltration unit beneath us. The dogs cut through our defenses and the ponies took the Wallarmbrusts and turned them against our own forces, sir. Our commanders have committed to battle to spare them from being cut apart. Apart from us, there is no one standing between the dogs and you, sir. What are your orders?"

Blood paced the room. He was furious. He was livid. How did one pony manage to do all this? To unite the divided breeds and fight together, to predict their defensive weakness and exploit it, to force the Watu regulars to fight so as to disband their posts and to force him to move from what he thought was a secure location on the ship. Not only that, how had he managed to get the timing down so accurately?

"What about our pegasi?" Blood demanded, looking at a map of the ship on the table in front of him.

"They are in the clouds..." the Elite trailed off.

"What's wrong? Why are you silent?" Blood asked looking at the Elite's masked face.

"The clouds... are broken, sir."

"Broken? What do you mean by 'broken'?"

"The were suddenly blown apart. The force has caused confusion and many were crushed by the sudden movement, but most of of the pegasi are keeping away because of the Wallarmbrusts. There is no rain over the Eleonora, so the bolts and the shooter's line of sight is clear." The Elite pointed towards a window where the water glistened with the silver reflection of the moon's glow. Indeed, the sky was clear, but Blood could also see the darkness and rain not far away.

"The pegasi will commit! What do they think this is? A game?" Blood roared, slamming his hoof onto the floor. Even the Elite could not help but flinch at the raw display of rage from the highly unpredictable unicorn.

"Sir, the regulars will not win this battle. It is lost." The Elite stood stoically to one side staring into the distance.

Blood paced around it. "Very well. Order the remainder of our forces to escape through the hold and head to the rear of the ship. We are leaving the Eleonora. Understand?

"Yes, sir. Sir, should we inform the others in the battle?"

"What for? That rabble have outlived their usefulness. It is their incompetence that has led them to this inevitability. Let them die, or whatever it is weaklings do," Blood replied and walked over to his prisoners. He stared at them all. "Well, seems like the rhino is useless with that broken knee. Shall we kill him now?"

"No!" Providence yelled. She then stumbled and emptied her guts onto the floor. "S-s-stop..."

"Oh. I forgot about you. How does it feel? Would you like more?" Blood took a syringe and showed it to the pegasus. "Unlike you, my Elites have had years of training to resist assaulting me if they see me hold onto a vial like this. You, on the other hand, will not. I see that your body is automatically demanding that I give you another dose."

"N-n-no!" Providence grunted, but there was no use denying it. Her body yearned for that vial. It needed to feel that sensation. She needed to injected that poison into her body. She knew it was bad but she just could not resist. "I... I need..."

"Kill the rhino. Bring the rest," Blood stated and turned away.

Providence followed automatically. Her body did not listen to her mind. As much as she wanted not to follow the unicorn, the need of that narcotic was too great. She could not fight it.

At the order, Iron held onto the dagger that was given to him tightly. He would not go down without a fight. The determination gave way to fear as he saw the Elites pulling out their crossbows and loading their bolts. Knowing fully that staying where he was meant death, the rhino turned towards the nearest window and with all his might, pushed through the glass and down towards the deck far below. The Elites ran to the edge and peered over to see the rhino lying motionless below them. They exchanged glances with another before aiming their crossbows down at him.

Zecora yelled and tried to push past the Watu to see if Iron had survived, but the two closest Elites were having none of that and easily subdued the zebra. "Leave him alone! Are your hearts made of stone? He has fallen to his death. Why waste your breath?"

The Elites again looked at one another before shrugging, taking aim and emptying a salvo straight down. If the fall hadn't killed him, then those bolts certainly would.

Hope had finally evaporated from Zecora. How could these Watu and Elites be so cruel? She could not understand how they could go so far. She had heard tales of the ponies and their kindness, how they always seemed to welcome those with open hooves, yet she could not see anything but senseless murderers here. How could any pony, zebra or thing be able to be so ruthless to another living creature? Sure, her kind were not unfamiliar to suffering and could inflict as much pain as these Watu, but her kind did not enjoy it. These ponies; these Watu, did.

"You. Come." The Elite shoved Lucky with the butt of his spear.

The stallion yelped and did as he was asked. "Y-yes, s-s-s-sir. P-please don't h-hurt me..."

"Move!" The Elite yelled again.

Lucky yelped again and slunk down, practically crawling on the floor in a feeble attempt at putting as much distance between himself and the Elite. He led the way through the door that Blood and Providence had left through. He could see the mare ahead still trying to resist the urge to follow, but it was as if she was constantly entranced. She fought it as best she could, but it no matter how hard she tried to turn around her body would remain fixated on the red unicorn.

Down they went, back into the bowels of the ship. The familiar sight of the dim lights made Zecora feel knotted on the inside. She had put up with that for what seemed like ages, and returning to it dampened her already hopeless mood. The dimly lit corridor seemed to go on endlessly until they spotted a familiar shape at the other end. It was a door and when they entered, they were plunged into a wide area, also barely lit, but with empty cages all around.

A loud howl echoed from somewhere and a pack of dogs spotted them. They quickly charged at them, but the Elites moved with practiced precision and aimed their crossbows at them. For a brief moment hope had returned to Zecora. The dogs seemed to be fighting back against the Watu. If they managed to somehow kill the ones around her then maybe she could get away to safety.

Alas, that was not meant to be.

As the dogs charged, the front few crashed into the bars of the cage, their excitement getting the better of them. The others managed to weave around, supposedly avoiding the bars in their way. The Elites were having none of it and fired their crossbows into them. Each yelped as the bolts found their mark, making some of the canines collapse mid-step. The few that managed to survive instantly turned away, fleeing with the tail between their legs and crying at the top of their lungs back into the darkness. It was clear that they were no match for the Elites.

"Stop standing there gawking." Blood growled shoving the zebra with his hoof. "Go."

Zecora walked forwards and carefully stepped around the newly deceased dogs, careful as to not step in their blood. The Watu, on the other hoof, were not bothered at all and walked through the crimson puddles without a care.

"Oh Celestia, oh Celestia, oh Celestia..." Lucky whimpered as he stepped by the bodies.

On they went, straight between the cages. Sometimes another small pack of dogs would spot them, but they would disappear into the darkness before the Elites could even raise their crossbows. Perhaps the dogs realized that they were not to be trifled with, much to Zecora's increasing dismay. Through the cargo decks they walked, each time keeping a sharp lookout for any potential surprises.

Suddenly a loud bark echoed from behind, a deeper and more powerful burst that felt closer than it really was. Zecora spun around out of instinct and spotted the outline of a large dog standing where they had come. Two eyes glowed menacingly in the low-lit corridor and but it wasn't hard to tell that this dog was different from the ones they had been meeting all along.

"Alpha!" An Elite shouted and pointed a crossbow towards the beast.

The creature took a step back and seemed to meld into the shadows. The bolt fired from the crossbow sang towards its intended target, but all they heard was the sound of something clattering across the floor. The Elite had missed.

"Go out there and kill that thing!" Blood ordered, kicking an Elite with his forehoof towards where the creature had been.

Without question, one of the Elites charged forwards with his sword drawn. He was swallowed by the darkness and was lost to sight. They all waited looking at one another, then back towards the hall.

A sickening shriek erupted that was cut unceremoniously short.

Blood growled. He looked around and spotted the outline of another door not far from them. In the darkness, they were at an disadvantage. They needed to go somewhere where there was light. Then they could fight them. "Stick together. Tight formation. Eyes open. Towards the door. Go!"

Onwards they continued, a dangerous look on Blood's face. A howl came from behind them followed by several more.

"Move!"

Eyes all around them. They were surrounded now. Only that door was free. Only that door led to their salvation and they needed to get to it quickly. The sounds of the canines around them slowly drew closer and the Elites started to falter. They were unsure as to turning around to fight, or still continue their desperate pace towards the door.

"Ignore them! Go!"

With those words, the Elites turned and charged towards the door. So far, so good. Nothing seemed to be getting in their way.

A few feet from the door, Blood suddenly came to a halt. Lucky, unable to stop in time, slammed into the unicorn. He might as well have slammed into a pillar, the unicorn did not even bunch from the impact. The others came to a stop next to their leader, confused and wondering what was going on.

"Sir?"

"It's a trap. They set us up. They forced us to come here. Why else would they keep their distance behind us? They could have placed an ambush all along How were we supposed to see in this light!" Blood stomped his hoof and glowered at the door. "I should have realized when they were not catching up. Stay here. If anything should happen to me, kill them. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Blood took a step forwards and pushed the door open.

Lupus bit down on the neck of a Watu warrior unlucky enough to face him. He felt the iron taste of blood drip on his tongue, the warmth practically intoxicating. There was a sharp pain on his left side where a stray bolt had hit him and passed through, but he felt unstoppable. He felt alive. In all his years as the alpha of alphas, this was the only time where he felt that he had a purpose. The purpose was simple; he was a simple decoy. He was there to ensure that the Watu were distracted long enough for his omega. That was what he was told to do. He had been given an order and he would fulfill it. His omega deserved that much at least. If it cost him his life, then so be it. He had regained honor and pride for his pack. The Silver Moon would have a reason to walk with their tails tall.

"Regroup! Shields up!" came a call from the left flank as a group of Watu banded together. The laid their shields out in front of them and got their spears ready.

"Don't let them form a line!" Lupus barked. "Slaughter them!"

There was not even a pause as the words left his mouth. Two dozen dogs rushed the line from all sides. The Watu tried to compensate by forming a circle, but they had no cover for the one place they least expected. Above. The dogs, using their comrades backs, launched themselves over the shield wall and into the middle. There the commander put up a good fight, but he was no match for the canines that ripped him apart with their claws.

The other Watu broke in a charge to get away from being closed in from both sides, a tactic that spared them a horrific fate. They were not broken. Even with one of their commanders dead, the Watu still fought hard. At least some did. Others broke off and tried to flee, only to be met by a pack of betas eager to make a kill and claim it their own. They learned quickly that they had no choice.

"Why am I even here!" a small fox screamed as he dodged the heavy blade of a halberd as it swung wide. A dog to his right yipped as the blade cut into him. He flailed a moment before lying still. "I'm too delicate to be here!"

A knife whizzed by his face and a Watu crumbled in front of him as a dog on his back bit through his neck.

It was chaos. Everything was a confusing mess of bodies. Ponies and dogs alike, back to back, magic bursting here and there, weapons swinging around. Was the fox going to live through this?

"Back!" another commander yelled to a group. "Back! Slowly! Watch the flanks!"

Again the dogs launched themselves into the air in an attempt to get behind to Watu line, but this line was different. This line was not like the other they had overrun. As the dogs leaped into the air, they were cut down by bolts as a line behind them fired into the air. Bolts that missed flew into the chaotic battle. Those that did get behind were cut down by lighter armed Watu that did not allow them to regain their balance.

"Heave!" the commander yelled, and the line pushed forwards a step, their spears emerging from behind the shield wall. Plenty of betas that were too close did not know what hit them. After the strike, the line began to retreat once more. The dogs moved along with them. Before they could think, the order was shouted again and another step was pushed, spears again slaying those that were too eager. This time, as the line retreated, the dogs kept their distance.

"No! Don't let them gain too much distance!" Lupus commanded, but his voice fell on deaf ears as the betas were too scared to obey.

Too late.

A wave of bolts sung from behind the line as they were fired straight into the dog's semi-formed line. The Watu backing off had forced them to make a line, something that dogs were not trained nor meant to do. They were hunters. They worked together while chasing their prey down. They were not meant to stand and face a standing army like this. They did not know about tactics and strategy. They were not trained to follow orders like the Watu, they were trained to obey direction.

Lupus understood that if the Watu were allowed to set the pace, then they would shift the tide of this battle to their favor. For him, as an alpha, he understood because to him it made sense. A beta did not have the luxury of that type of thinking. They only lived to serve, to fulfill a designated roll in a pack, a roll that they put themselves in based on their strength. Intelligence counted as strength as well, and he was the only alpha here. He would have to lead this pack properly. He would have to lead them as the omega would.

"Betas! Charge to the sides. Hit them where their shields are shortest!" Lupus commanded, his voice deep and loud.

There was only the most briefest of pauses as the canines looked at the alpha. They understood. If they were going to make it out of this, they would have to obey him completely. They would have to concede to his authority, as he had done to the omega. They had no choice. They had to obey.

"For alpha-Lupus!" a call was heard. "We obey!"

"We obey!" came from the others, and obey they did.

As the dogs rushed into the Watu flanks, Lupus stood atop a pile of dead and looked at the chaos around him and howled again to the moon.

He wanted to let his omega know that they were no longer decoys anymore. They were hunters in every sense of the word, and many knew that they would leave this plane and join their pack-mates in the dream world. There they would continue to hunt forever more.

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter took so long. I have split it into two parts and will endeavor to finis the next part sooner rather than late.

Mission 2, Part 10: Blood for Blood

The door was left open as Blood walked into the massive room. He looked around and took note of where he was. It was clear, due to the lighting and space, this was no longer the cargo area. This had to be a regular area but he did not recognize it. Granted, he rarely ventured down into the cargo holds because there was never a need to, and when he did he usually had an escort so he did not need to pay attention. After all, only a fool would toy with him.

"Where are we?" Blood asked his Watu Elite.

"This is one of the upper-handling rooms, sir."

Blood paused. "The what?"

"Um... it's a room where they load the anti-air cannons with cannons, sir. I think. I... I'm unsure, sir. I've never come here before, sir."

"Is this area underneath the battle?"

"Not directly, sir."

There was a slight pause as Blood took this new information aboard. He seemed to come to a conclusion and began to nod slowly. "How many Elites are here?"

"Twenty of us, sir."

"The others?"

"Some will be in the battle, sir. Others may have gone missing and all our pegasi are unaccounted for since the clouds broke, sir."

"Then we we will continue on..." Blood let his voice trail off as his eyes caught sight of something across the deck on the other side of the massive room. There was no mistaking it. "So. That's what he was planning for." Blood smirked. "Leave us."

The Elite looked at their leader in confusion before looking in the direction of his eyes. Standing at the opposite end of the deck was a lone figure in full Watu armor, but there was something no right. His helm had a long plume that flowed along the neck and the shape and color were unmistakable.

"Guard..." one of the Elites whispered. She slowly removed her mask and looked harder, as if her eyes behind the metallic covering were playing tricks on her.

Despite Blood's orders for the Elites to leave, none of them budged. They stood were they were as if cemented in place unable to take their eyes of the figure standing there. Something in them had stirred. Something that they had not felt in so long. They all removed their masks and watched as their leader walked towards the figure standing along. A symbol of their home, a testament to their morals; a ghostly reminder of their past.

Providence made to follow, but one of the Elites stopped her. Something about that grip felt different for the pegasus and she took one look at the face of the Watu and froze. It was those eyes, the eyes that used to instill so much fear in here before. They were no longer those dead eyes. These were not the eyes of a Watu. They were alive.

These were the eyes of an Equestrian.

"So." Blood stopped in front of the Guard.

Silence was all that returned.

"You know, I like you. You're nothing like the others. Think of it. You managed to board the Eleonora in the middle of the sea despite the amount of firepower this she had, created havoc by freeing the slaves, especially those filthy mutts, and managed to rally them. Clever. Very clever. And, what's more, you did it alone!" Blood laughed a sickening laugh. "See why I like you? I could pay you all the credits in the world if you stop right now and serve me. With you, I could go far. Really far. But I know better. I know your type better than you think, and I already know what you will say to my offer. So..."

Blood reared up on his hind legs expertly. Then, with his magic, he drew two long scimitars from either side of his haunches and placed his hooves in them carefully, like a surgeon preparing his tools.

"A Guard like you is stubborn to the bitter end. You're not the first who's attempted something like this, although you have been the most annoying. Thanks to you, I can stop being a security guard for some heartbroken dragon and can concentrate on other things. Thanks to you I can actually do something incredible! You know, I've always wanted my own kingdom. Like my ancestor. Did you know? He was incredible. Defied the princess so that she banished him. He went north towards a neighboring kingdom, slaughtered most of the royal family along with his most trusted soldiers and took over the kingdom! He then enslaved the population and, just when things couldn't get any better, he actually tried to fight the princess again! That was probably his undoing. What am I saying! It took two alicorns to defeat him. Oh wait! You don't know, do you? You've not been given the privileged of knowing the sick truth about your beloved princess have you?"

The Guard did not move, the mask hid his eyes so Blood found that he could not read him. That bothered him a little.

"There were two princesses. That's right. Your Celestia and her sister. I forget her name, not that it matters. She banished her, or perhaps she killed her. Who knows. Do you know why? Because she did not want to share her throne. This nonsense about eternal nights and darkness is blatant propaganda. I'm sure you've heard about the ones the Court calls cultists. Individuals who think that old tale is true. Nightmare Moon? What nonsense. A convenient lie. There's nothing there! Mare on the moon! Celestia had her murdered! If there's an annoyance in her life, she throws it away. Look around you! Here you are, alone, on a suicide mission. And for what? Do you really think that those pompous fools in Canterlot and your princess love you-"

Blood was cut off by a dagger whizzing by his face. He dodged it out of instinct, but he knew that he did not have to move. The Guard wasn't aiming to kill him, but the effect was the same. The red unicorn was at a loss for words. He expected the Guard to say no to him, but her never actually expected him to throw the first strike. There was something very different about this pony.

"I'm going to hate killing you. That's unusual. I enjoy killing Equestrian Guards. I hate them. Guarding a nation of cowards who have no inkling of the harsh reality that exists beyond their borders. It's a sad shame that a warrior of your caliber will have to die now."

The magic glow vanished from the two blades and reappeared along his shoulders along the armor. Slowly three long spikes were unsheathed. The magical aura that surrounded them did not cease as Blood raised himself onto his hind legs. Then Blood got into a stance; his right foreleg faced upwards at a sharp angle while his other foreleg faced straight at the Guard at a weak angle. He looked like a fencer about to strike, the three spikes hovering just behind him.

"Did you know that I'm one of the few good enough to hold the highest title your kingdom can give? I'm a master of the use of swords and blades, and I'll see Tartarus burn before an earth pony bests me. I have remained undefeated. Do you know why I am in charge of the Watu? Do you know why a bunch of deadly assassins and warriors obey me without question?" Blood smirked at the Guard. "Because I am the best of all. They have no choice but to follow me and obey, for if they don't... they die. They are even patient when I allow them to take their dose of this poison. They know that I could slay them before they could even go for their hilt to draw their blade!"

The Guard drew his blade slowly holding it in his mouth, then he lowered his himself slightly and looked up at the Watu.

"That old style? You'll never beat me using that. Aren't they teaching you Guards anything these days? Hasn't Ruby taught you how to use a blade properly?" Blood laughed maniacally. "Oh, and how is my dear older sister? Still in charge of training the recruits after her mistake? Did you know she was one of the highest ranking officers but because of one little oversight, she was demoted almost to the bottom of the pile. Her mistake? She let me live! Think of the lives she could have saved if only she didn't obey her orders. Of course she doesn't actually know. The name 'Blood' wouldn't register with her. After all, how could her baby brother do these things. Perhaps I ought to go visit. Teach her a lesson. Cut her-"

Again a dagger was flung towards the unicorn, but this time he did not bother dodging. The blade whistled past Blood's face striking the wall at the far end of the hall.

"Guess you're bored of my life's story. I don't blame you, but I feel like I can open up to you and it has been a while since I've talked to anyone... let alone a pony. I recognize you, Guard. You're strong. But you're out of your league here when you decided to face me alone. With an army of dogs under your command, you stood a chance. Alone..." Blood let the silence linger. "You're already dead."

The Guard scuffed the floor with his hoof in response.

"Come then! Come and meet your destiny!" Blood shouted raising his blades slightly higher.

Without the slightest hint of hesitation, the Guard complied.

Zecora watched Blood talking to Semper. From where she stood, she could not make out what they were saying. None of them good. A tense, claustrophobic sensation seemed to dominate the area, as if taking one breath would bring unwanted attention towards them. She could feel it from them all, especially from the stallion. He watched without snivelling, squirming or panicking. He just watched in stunned silence, as did Providence, who stood shaking where she was in the hooves of a Watu. It almost looked as though the warrior was pacifying the mare, but Zecora knew better. These ponies had long since lost their ability to feel kindness or compassion.

Or did they?

Suddenly Blood stood up on his hind legs and shouted more things. Still Semper did not move. The conversation dragged, the tension in the air grew tighter and tighter. They all knew it would snap any moment, the only question was who would make the first strike. Or was the first strike already made? She did see something fly through the air, but from her vantage and the lighting, it was difficult to tell.

Suddenly Semper exploded forward. His movements were fast, even with his entire body covered in the Watu armor, he moved with surprising ease; the mask he wore blurring as the distance between the two closed. Then, at the last second, Semper, with his blade between his teeth, jumped up into the air at a nearly impossible height. Blood, with one sword in each hoof and a few more hovering around him, for a second seemed awed by the aerial display, but he was prepared and crossed his blades across his just as Semper came down from his flight. As the two collided, the impact between their swords sent sparks flying.

"You missed..." Blood taunted, but his voice was cut short when Semper twisted his body around in a somersault releasing his blade from his mouth and using his momentum to drive him around in a half somersault. He swung his rear leg over his body and brought it down on like a sledge hammer right onto where his blade was, the armor on his leg preventing Blood's blades from cutting through. The impact sent a shock-wave through the room causing Zecora to take a step back and she watched as the floor beneath the unicorn cracked and broke sending shudders across the floorboards leaving behind a crater with the two of them at the epicenter.

Blood's smile faltered for a moment before he regained his composure and shifted his body so that his left hoof pulled back like his was about to throw a punch. Semper pushed off the blade with his leg and twisted his body around just as Blood's lunge pushed forwards in a blur. Out of the tip of the blade a bolt of thin bright red light shot forwards piercing a pillar on the far end causing it to burst in an inferno. He had focused his magic into a tiny point in his hoof and pushed it through his blade with a devastating outcome. Nothing would survive if that actually hit.

There was a moment where both ponies seemed to stand still. Semper bounded backwards and came to a sliding halt almost back to where he had started. Something from the air flipped around and landed just in front of Semper with a sound similar to an axe chopping through wood. Semper tilted his head to the side and removed the blade from the floor. His blade. How it had ended up in the air, Zecora did not know. She did not see, it had all happened too fast.

Blood narrowed his eyes and darted to the left on his hind legs while Semper rushed forwards at an angle to cut him off. As the Guard approached, Blood spun around and sliced through the air. A faint orange glow emanated from the cut, and Semper narrowly ducked beneath it and used his mouth to swipe at the red unicorn.

But the sword strike was blocked by one of the hovering blades, and Semper dodged, ducked and rolled out of the way as the other two hovering blades tried to take his life, missing him by mere inches as one hit the floor next to him and the other caught only air.

"Impressive," Blood said taking a step back. "It's been a long time since I've actually had to use one of these for defense. I'm liking you more and more each minute that passes by. I'm going to enjoy gutting you."

There was a loud groan from behind as a partitioned wall was cut clean through by that strange orange magical attack.

"Do you like it? I compressed fire magic, which super-heats the air. It's like throwing lava. That will cut through you like a hot knife through butter. I hope it does. I can feed your corpse to your alphas before I slice them to pieces!"

Semper slowly picked himself up from where he was and got back into his stance.

"Like I said, with an army of dogs by your side, you stood a chance. Alone?" Blood pointed his blade at Semper. "You're going to die. Painfully."

This time it was the unicorn who dashed forwards.

Sparks flew when the blades collided, but Blood had the advantage. Semper seemed to handle his own when it came to the main blades, but the three hovering spikes were too difficult for him to counter or parry. Every time it seemed that Semper could have dealt a final blow to the unicorn, one of the spikes would either attempt to cut at him or stop or deflect his attack. Each time an attack failed on Blood, the unicorn managed to get closer and closer to taking Semper's head. It was as if Blood was learning Semper's moves along the way.

Pushed towards a wall, the Guard turned to the side and drew a short spear from over his shoulder. He pushed the point towards Blood. The unicorn spun around and parried it easily, knocking it upwards. Just as the momentum of the spear's journey seemed to slow from the impact, Semper charged in once again with his sword tightly. Blood swung his other hoof laterally in an attempt to take Semper's head off, but he ducked in time so that Blood's blade only the tip of his plume. With his body exposed, Semper took a step in with his sword held tightly between his teeth. All this took no more than a few seconds to happen, and Blood reacted quickly. A blast of air and a dash backwards were enough for Semper's sword to barely miss the unicorn. Not wanting to lose this opportunity, Semper moved forwards but Blood stood his ground. He growled as his horn glowed a furious crimson before it exploded in a burst of smoke engulfing the area in a similar colored smog.

"What makes you think I wouldn't see that coming?" Blood asked as the smog cleared. "You are way out of your league-"

The speed of the strike cleared the remaining smoke as Semper somehow appeared inside the thick of it. It almost looked as if he had jumped up and struck on his descent from midair. Sparks again flew through the air as two blades met with a deafening ring. This was almost a replay of what happened before when Semper had attacked Blood, but this time Zecora spotted something in Semper's hoof. With a power that he mustered from who know where, he pulled the spear towards Blood with a speed that rivaled the peed of the red spike of magic which unicorn had cast moments before. The red smoke was pushed apart from the spear's jab clearing a view of the two ponies.

But the unicorn shifted his head enough to avoid the blow and in return jabbed with his other hoof again towards Semper who was still in mid-air. A beam of red light shot forth from the tip of the blade again, but it had missed the earth pony and a ball of fire exploded from the roof showering the two of them with glowing cinders. Semper, by this time, had retracted his sword strike and swung with his jaw and neck at Blood. Somehow Blood blocked the impact, but the force pushed the unicorn backwards, his rear hooves scraping against the wooden deck. He crashed into a large wooden cabinet that broken open from the impact and a series of dull sounds thuds could be heard as a number of cannonballs spilled out from the broken furniture. They began to roll around the deck.

"Impressive. You're strong, I'll give you that. But without magic, what are you going to-"

Again Blood was cut off as Semper went for him. The blade was a blur as it repeatedly swung by his neck and mouth. Again and again the strikes kept coming with Blood barely able to keep up. Zecora leaned forward and gulped. Was this it? Would Semper actually beat the infamous unicorn once and for all?

"Enough!" Blood spun around on his left leg and stopped Semper's blade mid swing, the impact seemed to bend the air around the source as the two blades sparked from the impact.

The Guard barely avoided getting cut by Blood's other hoof as the second blade swung at the earth pony's neck. That wasn't all. A split second later an orange aura appeared and Semper cartwheeled to the side so that when he was horizontal the orange aura passed harmlessly over him and into the floor just behind him leaving a deep scar across the deck.

A sudden silence loomed from the two ponies. The Elite that was holding her had loosened. Zecora was about to run, but she saw something in the Elite's eyes that was different from even before. A tear. She saw it. It was small, but it had formed. Then the Elite said something that sent shivers through her spine.

"Please... win..." a nearly inaudible whisper came.

She was not cheering for Blood, Zecora knew. Semper had awoken some deep seated feelings, and this Elite wasn't the only one. They all were staring at the battle. A battle they knew that would change everything. They had finally been reminded of an emotion that they had thought they'd lost. Hope. They had begun to hope again.

The fighting had been fierce, but the dogs had overrun them completely. With their backs to the wall and every Wallarmbrust turned towards them, they had no other option.

"Drop your weapons!" the commander shouted. The Watu looked at their leader not sure they heard right. "Didn't you hear my order! Drop your Celestia-forsaken weapons, now!"

The remaining Watu warriors did as they were told and threw their swords, shields and crossbows on the deck of the ship. They had been thoroughly defeated by the canines. Their defeat was so sound that they had not lost that many ponies in the process. Quite a few dogs had died, but the Watu knew they had been decimated. Those that had dared to call the dogs Disloyal were not spared, even when they surrendered.

"Sir, what will happen to us?" A young Watu asked staring at the dogs taking the weapons from the ponies' reach.

The commander stuck out his lower jaw. "Whatever happens, know that out here there are no laws for them to abide by. Our lives are at the whim of their alpha."

"No," a deep rumbling response came. A large silver wolf stepped right up to the commander. "I sense honor with you. You've served with the queen of your lands."

"She's a princess, but yes, I did. A long time ago," the commander replied standing tall.

"Then you will tell your kind that they have no choice. They will enter the very bars where they had placed me and my kind, and there they will wait until the omega judges them. You," the wolf pointed with his snout at another Watu, "will get the others to drop their weapons, or I will tell the large arrow-makers to pierce them."

The commander understood. "Drop your weapons! All of you! We've lost! Blood isn't here and most of you have no idea what to do in a battle. You will surrender, or you will die! They will order the Wallarmbrusts to open on you if you refuse!"

For effect, the ponies at the captured Wallarmbrusts pointed them in the intended directions. The Watu did as they were told.

"Your name?" Lupis growled.

"Flint. I am in charge. All I ask is that you spare some of them. Most have followed orders and did not have a say in the matter-"

Lupis walked past the pony. "I do not care about your lies, pony. All I care is doing as my omega wants. You will all go into the prisons and lock yourselves inside. That is what you will tell your others and that is what they will do. Understood?"

"So be it," was all the commander could say before he relayed the orders to his troops.

They were all escorted down into the lower decks of the ship, the dogs keeping a careful watch on them. Some of the foolish ones tried to flee when they thought they were out of harm's way, but the dogs had expected that and some were waiting further down the halls to end the chase.

It took a couple more kills before the others got it into their heads that fleeing was perhaps the least intelligent thing they could do at this point. They needed to obey and, when the time come, act accordingly. If they kept ignoring his and the other superior officers' orders, there wouldn't be a need for them to fight back because they wouldn't have the numbers capable of doing it anyway.

"What now, sir?" one of the other commanders asked.

"Now we wait. There is nothing we can do but wait and hope."

"Hope for what, sir?"

The commander couldn't respond.

Blood was keeping his distance from the earth pony. It was clear that he was trying to avoid direct combat and with magic on his side, Blood certainly had an advantage. Whenever Semper tried to close the gap, the unicorn would deploy that red smoke-screen and push away from the contact zone. There he would shoot a series of those orange slices and red bolts forcing Semper back in order to avoid them.

The fight had degraded into a stalemate.

Then, Semper dashed into the newest created smoke screen, the red fog obscuring his view. Blood shot his orange beams at where the fog was and waited for it the clear. When it did, Semper was not there. In fact, he was on the other side of the room standing with his blade still in his mouth.

"So, you've given up? Are you ready to-" Blood's voice was silences when something whizzed by his face and exploded behind him causing him to take a step forwards. The distraction was almost enough for Semper who found a gaping hole in his defenses. The blade almost taking his head off, but the unicorn was experienced in battle, and used a quick teleportation spell to duck away at the last second.

"I'm getting sick and tired of-"

Another object charged towards him, and Blood took note of this projectile as it zoomed back him. It was a cannonball. One of those that had rolled out when Blood crashed into the cabinet.

"Two can play at that game." Blood summoned his magic gathering up the nearest cannonball and lobbed it with all his might towards Semper.

In retaliation, the Guard quickly got behind another ball and kicked it with his hind-leg. The power sent the explosive round charging towards Blood. The cannonball was too accurate and too fast. Blood had to break his magical hold in order to avoid getting hit by the ball making both explode behind one another.

The blast gave Semper momentum and as he closed the distance. Blood did not expect that and moved to the side. The blade passed and there was an eery silence.

Blood touched his face. Nothing. He had thought that the blade had cut him there. But there was nothing, not even a nick along his cheek. There was a moment where everything seemed to stand still. What had just happened?

A loud snap was heard followed by a dull thud as the entire rear half of Blood's armor fell to the ground. For the first time ever, they all got a look at the mark on his flank. A sword of a similar shape as the ones he held in his hooves. .

"I don't know how long it has been since the public has seen this." Blood grinned sadistically. "Yes. My talent is with the sword. Couldn't you tell? There is one thing that I have to thank you for. That armor was getting heavy. Not that it's off... well, I'll just show you. Don't blink."

Zecora screamed as she saw Blood charge towards Semper. Using an air spell to propel himself forward, the unicorn was practically on top of him before the stallion could duck away. The blade was too close. But it did not end just there. Blood went after Semper leading with his right hoof in a downward strike. Semper blocked it by holding his sword perpendicularly to the strike and spun to the left quickly to counter Blood's second blade as it came in a swipe via the right hoof. Then, Semper moved backwards and away as the three spikes charged towards him, each missing him by mere inches.

As Semper tried to get some distance, the red unicorn charged in again. Each time the blades were getting closer and closer.

But Semper wasn't to go now so easily. Before Blood could deliver the final blow, Semper reached behind him and pulled out a bolt from a quiver. He threw it upwards just as Blood collided with him, their swords pushing against each other.

"What now, Guard?" Blood hissed.

Semper kicked his hind legs out and struck the ground with enough force that it pushed the unicorn up and away just as the three spikes surged forwards, each one aiming for a vital organ. Semper bounded away and flipped backwards over his head landing some distance back.

Blood, not wanting to allow the earth stallion any time to recover, charged forwards.

Semper did not move.

"What's he doing? Why is he not putting up a guard? Is he really already that tired? Is he mocking me?" Blood thought to himself. The thoughts flitted by within a second or two, but that is how one must think when engaged in combat. Something told him to stop. His instinct. A gut feeling. He turned his body at once when he realized that something was amiss and came to a sliding halt two sword swings away from the Guard.

Semper lowered his shoulders and turned his head slightly to the side, as if were about to strike, but the distance was too far and there was no possible way that the earth pony had the kind of magical power a unicorn had. Their magic was differed and much inferior to his own, or so he thought. The Guard looked up at Blood and the Watu noticed something fall not far from the Guard. He hit it square on with the side of his blade sending the object careening towards him. He could scarcely see it coming, but it looked very familiar. Again, out of instinct, Blood dove to the side, using the momentum to roll forwards and away, then he stood up as his hooves carried him backwards in a long slide. It was that moment that the object exploded in a ball of ice, the spikes growing at an impossibly fast rate. Blood bounded three times backwards to avoid getting impaled by the spikes.

Sliding to another halt in order to maintain his balance, Blood looked at the Guard dumbfounded.

The object was a bolt. No, not a bolt. A quarrel. An ice-imbued quarrel. If he had charged in, the quarrel would've hit him from above which most certainly have killed him in the worst case, or freeze him to the floor where he stood making him an easy target. But the stallion in front of him improvised again by actually hitting the missile in the air activating the tip's contents. Those icicles would have skewered him as the momentum of the quarrel's travel had forced the ice magic to solidify in its aerial motion creating long spikes. Something at the back of his mind brought up an uneasy question. Did the Guard actually improvise, or did he expect Blood to stop? He shoved the question out of his mind.

"No more games," Blood stated and reached into his peytral and pushed a buckle on the rear center of it.

The rest of his armor peeled off, landing on the ground with a dull thud. He heard a quiet gasp and glanced over in the direction of the door. The Elites and prisoners were still there. He wanted to reprimand them, but he could not waste an ounce of concentration on those fools. He would pay them back for disobeying him after he finished with the Guard.

"Do you like my scars? Do you what to know how I got them?" Blood taunted as he walked sideways. Big scars crisscrossed his entire body, some of them worse than what the Elites had. Deep, long scars where his coat could no longer grow. The only thing that seemed pristine was his face. "This is what happens to weaklings. This is what happens when you fight for what you think is right. You are banished from the kingdom. Harmony? Ha! What harmony? I was right! I was always right. They had no right to banish me. I never did anything wrong! I was correct! I was cheated! They had no right! No right!"

He glared at the Guard.

"I'll kill you and the rest of them!" he shouted pointing at the Elites behind. "Then I'll torture the two prisoners slowly to the point where they'll beg for me to kill them! But you know what I'll do? I'll give them hope, let them taste that sense of relief before I tear it away from them again as I will slowly extinguish their lives!"

The Elites shifted uncomfortably where they stood, but none of them left.

"I'm ending this farce right now!" The unicorn yelled. His horn lit up and the armor now on the floor began to glow. Soon four more spikes joined the other three in the air around Blood's body. "You're going to die, Guard."

Semper stood up on his hind legs and let go of the sword from his mouth dropping it into his hoof. He held the blade to his side, the light seemed to be drawn into those eyes. Like all the light going inside disappeared into oblivion. There was something there that Blood understood for his own eyes saw the same thing every time he look into a mirror. Eyes that had seen too much. Even the Elites with what they had been through did not have those kind of eyes. Their had eyes that had no life, their spirit within killed. They were puppets that did as he ordered. The Guard had held back, as had he.

"Very good. Then I suppose warm ups are over." Blood cricked his neck, and dashed forwards.

The Guard moved towards the unicorn and spun around on his left rear hoof and swung the blade with all his might. Blood put his left scimitar forward and stopped the blade before it could cut him, but he did not expect the strength to be that powerful and he found himself flying in the air from the impact. His hooves were actually above the ground. His horn began to glow and and aura of light red surrounded his body making him stop in midair and drop to the ground.

Blood looked up to see three bolts whizzing towards him. He dodged the first one, the blade passing by his left check so close, he felt the wind push his fur. The second bolt passed by his left leg, he felt it cut his flesh slightly. The third one came straight for his face, and out of reflex Blood used a wall of air to stop it from colliding with him. As he did, he noticed the red tipped color of the bolt and opened his mouth.

The explosion knocked his head back so he was gazing up at the ceiling and as he moved his head down to see the Guard, he noted that his blade was descending rapidly towards the center of his head.

Training with the Guard, you are taught to use your horn under highly stressful conditions. One thing they do is force you to have an escape move, a move that your horn will automatically do whenever it is in extreme danger. The most common one is a short teleportation spell that would send the pop the unicorn a short distance away. Others formed a shield. But Blood's was unique. Instead of defending himself, he would attack. A strong offense usually was a good defense. In the moment of desperation, Blood did the only thing that came naturally to him. He attacked.

Seven spikes shot forwards, two of them hitting the Guard in the left foreleg and the other stuck into his side. Still he came forwards and down came the blade. Five spikes crisscrossed over Blood's head as the blade's sharp edge was blocked by the large weave of metal. It did not stop the impact and Blood felt his body slam into the deck beneath him.

Zecora watched as Semper limped back a few steps. It looked like an easy kill, but the Guard backed off. He had hit Blood so hard that the ground where he was now lying was broken. She could see the large cracks along the floorboards from where she stood. The fight had been going on for no more than a few minutes, but each moment Semper delayed seemed to give Blood an edge over him. She did not want to accept it and, from the facial expressions of the Elites next to her, they didn't either.

The room started to darken and the area around Blood grew brighter and brighter as a wall of light seemed to erupt from around his body. A terrible feeling of heat seemed to push her back and out the door. There was a bright flash or white light and the next moment all that was left of the area around Blood was charred wood. It had formed a perfectly round ring around him, the outer-most portions still were glowing as the magic receded.

There was a long moment where Zecora could not think. Did Semper just die? Was that sudden burst of fire and magic the cause of the Guard's disappearance? She wanted to shout, to scream, to say something, but she could not find the words.

"Guard! I will find you! And I will kill you!" Blood roared and stomped his hoof. His horn again glowed, this time a bright orange as he cast it around himself and the floor groaned and creeked as the wood separated itself from the others and the Watu descended below the floor and into the darkness of the lower floor.

The Elites looked at one another before turning around and rushing to the stairwell.

In that moment Zecora could not decide what to do. If she turned and fled now, she might have been able to get away. If she stayed where she was, she might get captured again. But she wanted to know. She wanted to see Semper fight. After all he had come all this way to save her. Right? Why else would he come? Then he admitted it also.

She decided to take the gamble and chased the other Elites down into the lower deck.

Saying that it was hard to see in the darkened deck below was an understatement. The Guard had come here, that was for sure. He had somehow blown a hole beneath him and disappeared into this very space. Ponies did not have good sight in the dark. They did not have the advantage of the felines with their adaptable eyes, or the canines with their keen sense of smell. If he could not see him, then there was a high possibility that he could not see him either.

Or could he? The past few minutes to an hour had taught him otherwise. He felt tired, his horn ached and he felt soar along his hind legs. They weren't designed to remain in that standing position that long. Now in the darkness he could wait and rest a little before hunting down the Guard.

He took a step towards a light.

A dull thud echoed next to him. He reached over delicately and felt it. A blade. A short knife used for throwing.

Taking one of the spikes in his hoof, he lobbed it a few feet away. As soon as it hit the deck, another thud echoed. Blood did not have to go closer to know that it was another knife. Perhaps not as good as a canine, but he was pretty accurate with his knives.

Slowly, Blood took a step. The sound of the wooden deck under him groaned but it was impossible to pin-point that source, so nothing happened. Blood understood what there was no way either of them could find each other unless there was light. But he also knew that he would get his chance if the Guard made one false step. He could cast magic, but he would give away his position. There was nothing to do but play along. The patient one would triumph.

The sounds of the battle had long since receded. He had not heard anything in quite a while. Did the Watu already die out? Was there some that managed to surrender? He would have to teach those a less. They were there to fight, not to lay surrender to a bunch of backward mutts. It was an insult to all those that called themselves Watu.

A creek echoed to his left and Blood reacted immediately. He took the knife from the ground in front of him and threw it into the direction of the sound.

Nothing. Not even the sound of the blade hitting the wood or floor.

A moment later, Blood had his sword in front of his face as the blade of the Guard's was one again aiming straight for him. How had the seen? What trickery did he use to find him in the dark. Surely he could not smell him like the dogs.

Without taking a chance, Blood rushed in and collided with something. He felt a blow to his face that could have come from only an earth pony. The unicorn retaliated in much the same way, but Blood was not having it. The next moment the entire area lit up again as Blood got ready to decimate the area with his Shockwave spell. The same spell that surrounded him with a super-heated ball of fire that he pushed out in an explosive burst incinerating anything within its vicinity.

He felt a tight grip on his horn followed by a savage twist. Blood yelped out of reflex, the pain nearly blacking him out as he stumbled to stay on his hooves. He looked up to see a hoof right next to his face moments before impact. It felt as if it had shattered his jaw. The power rocking his head and insides. Blood felt his mind slowly slipping, but he wasn't going to go down that easily. With his horn firmly in the Guard's grip, he used his sword in his hoof to swipe at him. It had the desired effect, the horn was let loose and Blood felt the magic from his surroundings build up almost instantly; like a high-pressured hose bursting forth.

The two spikes that were inside the Guard were gone now, perhaps he had hid them in the darkness of the room, but Blood was not going to let up now. He had the advantage. He was a unicorn after all. What would a simple earth pony be able to do against the magical might of the unicorn? This was his fight. He understood that the power of an earth pony was always greater, but he had pushed his own limits far beyond that of a normal unicorn. He was one of the best Guards to have ever lived, before his banishment anyway. How had it all come to this?

"This ends now!" Blood roared and stomped the ground as hard as he could with his hooves. As the magic started to build, silence came to his ears as the air around him grew still.

And his life flashed before his eyes.

(Mood Music - Optional)

"Hey, B."

The voice made him perk up and look that way. The sight of her always brought a smile to his face.

"Hi," the unicorn replied. He looked down at his notebook and started to write something in it again.

She leaned over his back and placed her head on his shoulder and looked down. "Still using your hoof to write? Why don't you use magic? It's easier."

The first thing that he noticed was her scent. He loved it and drank it all in. He loved her more than anything. He so badly wanted her to be his special partner. But he knew deep down that could never happen. How could it? She was one of the smartest and most powerful unicorns in the Guard. She had been their leader throughout the entire training, and her performance during the Crucible was nothing short of amazing. She was the best of the best, and every single stallion and mare from the Day, Night and Border Guards wanted to court her. What chance did a slow, untalented cowardly like him have?

"B-b-because I can't," He admitted. "I'm not good with magic."

She smirked and leaned back on her hooves away from him. "But you're good with the sword."

He felt his body screaming for her to come back, to lean against him once again. Still, he kept himself together and even blushed a little at the praise. "Even so, what good is a unicorn if he can't use his magic?"

"What good? Every single pony has a purpose. Every one of them! Why do you think we have the Guard in the first place? It's because if the princess needs our help, we'll be there. If she could do everything on her own, then why would she need us? Like you and your sword. If I was in trouble and couldn't use my magic, then I'd expect you to come and save me, okay?"

He smirked. "Okay."

"Okay!" She stood up and stretched her back. "Well, I've got to get to the next class. We're being taught how to use our magic to create an emergency escape. It's all very interesting." She looked at him. "Why don't you come and try it? You might like it."

He thought about it. Did he really have a chance? With her? He smiled and nodded. He had nothing to lose. "Okay. Let's go."

"No! No, no, no!"

"Sh. It's okay." Her words sounded so weak, like a whisper's whisper.

The wounds inflicted by the Guards were fatal. The Guards that were his friends. He had killed them, of course. Killed his friends like a coward, stabbing them from behind. He didn't care. He only knew that she was dying there in his hooves; her life slowly being sapped from her body. He had gotten to the cave too late, others had long reached it long before he did. There was a battle within, the many long scars and singe marks along the floor and ceiling were evidence of that. The dead lay strewn about, ponies that had died protecting her. Ponies that had loved her. Her final line of defense. Her most faithful followers.

"Why? Why did you do this?" He just couldn't understand. "Why!"

"Because," she coughed and took a deep breath trying to shove the pain from her body, "b-because... isn't the night beautiful? D-don't you love the stars?"

He couldn't hold back his tears. "Y-yes..."

"Yet, I know that they're not her stars, B. I can't love her, B. Not like this. D-did you know? She killed her own sister. Her own sister, B. How can somepony like that love? I-I can't... and when she sent us on that mission to kill all those ponies... how could I respect her? I don't love her, B. I can't love her. She betrayed us, B. She betrayed us all..."

The unicorn didn't understand what she was saying. She? Sister? What was she talking about?

"Stop talking. I'll get you help. Then you can explain and this whole misunderstanding will go away, okay?" He stroked her mane pushing a lock of her mane from her face. Blood slipped from the corner of her mouth.

Blood.

Blood.

"Get away from her!" A voice shouted from behind. "I said get away from that traitor!"

Blood.

Blood.

"I said get away from her!" The voice came closer and a rough hoof tried to pull him away.

"No!" he screamed and hugged her tighter.

The voice growled dangerously. "What did you say to me, pony?"

He turned around and saw his sister, his superior officer, looming over him. "Ruby... please... I can't..."

Ruby walked up to her younger brother and smacked him. "I said get away from her! She's a traitor! She doesn't deserve to live! Do you know how many foals that monster has murdered! She doesn't deserve any pity!"

"Please, Ruby! She didn't do anything wrong! It's not in her nature! I know it!"

Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I gave you an order, private. Get. A. Way. From. Her!"

Blood. So much blood. Her blood. He looked down at her eyes and saw her smile at him one last time and then the light that burned so bright for his vanished into the ether. She was gone now.

Something inside him snapped. He refused to believe it. How could it be true? There was no way she could be dead. That was not possible. Not her. She was good. Kind. She just didn't know any better. She just...

"No."

"What? What did you-"

"I said no."

Ruby furrowed her brow. "What are you talking... what are you doing?"

He drew his blade and stood his ground.

"Y-you're drawing a weapon against me? Your superior officer?" Ruby asked incredulously. "Against your sister? For her? A traitor? For that murderer? She attacked peaceful villages! She killed those who didn't want to listen to her lies! She ordered entire towns to be destroyed! She's evil!"

Nothing. Her brother remained.

"Death is too good for a pony like her."

Inside feelings of anger and hatred welled up. What Ruby was saying was true. These things were done in order to protest against the princess. He didn't understand it. Why would she, who had given him purpose, have no respect for life? Was life worthless? He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"No! She didn't mean to do those things. They misunderstood. I know. I know..." Of course he didn't know. He wasn't there, and all witnesses had been killed. There was no way of knowing.

"Out of the way or I'll take you down as well."

He did not listen. He did not want to listen. Why should he listen? She was dead now and brother or not, he wasn't about to allow any pony defile the corpse of the one he loved. He would fight to protect her honor even from his own sister. He wiped the blood from her lips and pressed it against his. She was now with him. Inside him. He then gently closed her eyes. He looked at her adoringly, everything seemed perfect, like she was sleeping. The quarrel through her heart had fused her wound close. There was no blood there.

Blood.

Ruby did not expect her brother to actually choose the traitor over her and when he charged, she reacted normally. Thorns of red fire-based magic erupted from the ground and over his body pinning him to the ground. The reaction was totally involuntary, it was her escape measure. The thorns pierced through the stallion's skin and held him down.

He screamed in agony and anger. He felt nothing but hatred. Hatred at everything, but especially towards his own sister. He wanted to kill something. Anything, and she would have to do. He shouted and pulled himself towards Ruby, the thorns in his flesh slowly tore through his skin with every step he took.

"Stop! You'll only make it worse!" He heard her cry out, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get to her. To reach her. To slip his blade into her body. To take her life. To see her bleed.

As the last thorn released him from its grip, the young stallion charged at his sister. Ruby held her blade in her hoof and raised it above her head. She saw him coming at him, but froze. This was her little brother. He baby brother. How could she raise her blade against him? She never actually meant the words she said, she only wanted her brother to get away from that mare. She found she could not bring herself to kill her own brother.

"Ruby!" A shout came and a bolt of green rushed in front of her followed by a shower of red.

Blood.

"Mint!" Ruby screamed as she saw her brother's blade stuck in the ground.

The green stallion in front of her turned his head slightly to the side and Ruby could see the horror of what he knew was an inevitability. As the life escaped him, Ruby caught him before he hit the ground. She looked up at her brother who stared down at the two of them with eyes that looked broken. The blade had cut across the pegasus' peytral, the armor wasn't thick enough, Pegasus armor never was. Didn't need to be. Had to be light. Had to be light to let them fly. Fly through the skies. Fly free.

"H-how could you?" Ruby cried out in anguish as she held the body of the stallion in her hooves.

He grinned. He actually grinned down at her. "A life for a life." He stated dropping his weapon. He walked over to where the traitor lay, sat down next to her and gently stroked her mane.

When the others came for them after the others had been dealt with, they found only two Guards left alive in the whole place each one holding the corpse of their special ones. Neither one was willing to let go.

He knew the sentence even before he was asked to stand in front of the just. The verdict was obvious from the beginning, and there was only one sentence he could be given. Such was the way of the Equestrian Military Courts. His charge? The murder of Mint Breeze was one, but his banishment was going to be for helping the rebels in their coup attempt. Of course the last part was just made up to justify the banishment they were going to give to him. He had learned the hard way that the ponies of Equestria were delusional. He did not belong here. He did not belong anywhere like this.

"Red Blaze, you have been accused of helping the rebels in their attempts at taking the princesses' life. You are also accused for allowing your brother-in-law to be die by your own blade as he protected his betrothed from your blade. You are hereby sentenced to banishment from Equestria. You will never be able to set hoof in our beloved nation. You have tarnished the prestigious title of the Guard. Get out of my courtroom."

As he was escorted towards the airship that was going towards the furthest border, he wondered what he should do. Should he just end his own life? There were plenty of ways to do so.

He spotted Ruby watching him. He stopped and looked at her to the side. "You should have killed me when you had the chance, dear sister. If you had, you would've had your lover here with you."

Ruby glanced up at him, but could not bare to look at his face. The little brother she loved so much had been broken. There was nothing she could do. She had wanted to tell him the truth. The mare he adored had betrayed the kingdom. The Day and Night Guards had managed to isolate her and her followers to the far north, but not before she had claimed the lives of countless innocents along the way. She had abused her powers completely. The beliefs that she had were not illegal nor treasonous to the kingdom, but her actions were pure evil.

And yet Ruby couldn't bear the thought of her own little brother knowing the sickening truth. Indeed, he had been brainwashed, her charms had infatuated him. It wasn't love that he felt, but obsession. The fact that he was willing to go that far in following her revealed that. As much as she wanted to forgive him, the deaths of too many were on his head.

Still, Ruby's weakness was the worst of all. Her inability to kill her own brother despite having had so many chances led to the deaths of so many. Especially Mint's. No matter what, she had inadvertently orchestrated it all. She had lost her Guards and her best friend and lover to him. Yet she still could not bring herself to blame her own brother. She understood and knew deep in her heart that the true culprit would always be that monster. The one that had broken her brother's mind and used his skill as a blade master. But she was going to get what she deserved. She would be demoted to the lowest rank allowable. Already her papers were in the process of getting approved. Whatever came, she would honor it without question.

She watched as her brother was led away in chains. That would be the last time they would ever see one another.

The magic emanating from Blood seemed to envelop him in a glow that looked as though the unicorn was on fire. It was, however, because his power was forcing its way out of the unicorn despite his attempts to hold it in. He had not used this much power in a long time. While some unicorns had trained to use massive amounts of magic, it took special expertise to control it. Some unicorns used their magic in large burst, exploding them outwards in a display of raw overwhelming power. Others kept it inside, like holding their breath, and slowly let it out over a period of time. Few unicorns, if any, could do both. Blood was one of those, and his glowing red aura was a sign of this. It was enough to illuminate the area around him. He looked up and spotted the Guard. He leaned on his hind legs and gave an almighty thrust. The speed that Blood surged forwards was practically impossible to follow. Within moments he was on top of the Guard before he could even turn his head to the side. He slammed his hoof downwards the floor imploding from the pressure of the blow. But he wasn't done. A second strike put a large gaping hole where Semper and Blood had been.

But the earth pony was not done either. He swung himself around and slammed a kick right into Blood's face.

Blood's face was pushed aside but the sword foreleg was too slow and even as Semper brought it down for a strike, Blood had kicked the Guard upwards towards the ceiling. As the Guard reached the crest of his fall, he spotted Blood rushing towards the space underneath him. With a roar of magic, he pushed his way upwards to meet the Guard. With a swipe of his sword, he struck at the earth pony when they were level with one another, but Blood was shocked. He had been blocked. His blade had classed against Semper's own and the power sent him flying over the hole, landing him safely distance away.

"Good! Now try to avoid this one!" Blood roared and a series of red balls popped up around his shoulders. Each one launched themselves at the Guard with deadly precision. Each time the balls collided with the ground, it would explode in an inferno similar to those long pin-point strikes that emanated from the tip of his blade. But Semper dodged them each time, despite the orbs of fire coming uncomfortably close a few times. Each and every time he attacked, the Guard would get out of the way. Then, when Blood thought that he had this entire fight under his control a bolt sung towards him. He moved his face out of the way in the nick of time as it grazed his cheek. Blood only dodged out of instinct, his mind half focused on the magic power he had summoned from the ether. He was not used to it, not used to holding so much power in one go. He never needed to. Blood failed to use his magic to provide himself with a shield and as a result a second bolt hit his leg. The pain was enough to get him to lose control of his magic.

A unicorn must never lose control of their magic. Ever. One of the hardest and most painful lessons a unicorn can learn. The greater the power, the grater the disaster could be. A unicorn must never, ever, ever lose control. Ever. Yet that is exactly what had happened.

The first thing was the sudden feedback from the horn. The sudden surge of powers hit the top of his skull like a hammer. An overwhelming feeling of dizziness overtook him and he felt that he would collapse from the force of it. The instant the magic hit the base of his skull, it surged upwards again like a volcano, and erupted as thus; the power could not be held nor controlled by the user. But Blood, like so many others of his kind, had trained for this, and forced his body to reject and to push the magic out. Like how the syringe forces its contents out, the same way Blood pushed his magic through his horn. Upwards, outwards, towards something, anything, except him, for a unicorn can still die by their own magic if one were to be careless enough.

The red lightning licked the insides of the hallway bathing the area in quick succession as Blood's power went out of control. The light blinked through the corridors as it spread cascading long shadows and blinding lights in alternative succession as the two ponies fought. Sparks flew as the two pieces of metal collided, and Blood held his own. Even with his magic spiraling out of control, even as the lights played tricks on his eyes, his blind rage led his sword towards his target. A blast of lightning struck forth and one of the many pillars that held the upper deck aloft exploded in a flurry of wood splinters that shot into the darkness.

Still the two fought. The long tongues of the lightning shattered windows, destroyed columns, decimated the floors. As the two thundered through the decks far below the surface of the ship, the tremors were felt from aft to bow. The Eleonora seemed to be in agony as she shook and swayed slightly at the chaos that rumbled deep within her recesses. A battle that none could see, but all could feel continued. But the decks could only take so much and the floor beneath the two warriors was destroyed sending the two plunging deeper into the darkness beneath.

Here the light illuminated the remnants of the Dragon's room, the gold sparkling on the walls where the gold had clung to for dear life, lest it befall into the dark abyss as did its master.

It was Blood who broke the silence, his horn tired, his eyes heavy, and the pain in his body throbbed like never before. The last time he felt anything close to this was when he was a mere recruit. An age that was long lost to the likes of him.

"You have fought well, Guard. Very well indeed, but without any magic you cannot-"

Semper stepped right up to blood and the three swords clashed together echoing within the room with their clamor and once again the two engaged one another. Their blades were coming within mere inches of their necks and throats. Semper swung upwards, Blood parried and swung to the side. Blood's blade would never reached its mark as he could barely prevent Semper's counter strike with the first blade. It was just enough to protect his vitals. The way the Guard moved was like a snake striking its prey. It was quick, ferocious, accurate and deadly.

"Why won't you die?" Blood vociferated to the Guard.

In response, the earth pony struck back with all his might sending the unicorn through the air and almost to the opposite end of the room. Here the Guard shook his head and removed the mask that hid his face. For the first time Blood clearly saw the pony that had caused him so much grief and annoyance. He memorized it. He took in his cheekbones, his jawline, his neck. He traced his eyes, nose and mouth with his memory.

He did all this and vowed, "I will kill your family, Guard. Your wife! Your children! Your mother, father, brother. And your sister."

Time seemed to stop as he uttered the last word. A great shadow passed over him and when he looked again he saw the Guard standing practically on his hooves. He glanced up at the Guard's face and felt his stature shrink in the presence of such a stallion. He swallowed hard. He felt humbled. Stepping back, Blood struck forwards with his blade which was slapped aside as if he were a mere recruit. Again, with his other blade, he struck. Again it was blocked, parried and pushed away without any trouble. Again and again he attacked, each time was met by a perfect parry until he felt something against his back and stole a glance at it.

The wall. He was pinned to the opposite wall of where the salty water had poured into the massive ship. To his left he saw the deep blackness of the water. The ship was truly a testament to its builders for it remained afloat despite the great hole that had now marred its deep interior. He marveled at it. Truly marveled. He turned back towards the Guard.

"S-stop. I-I surrender..." He whispered.

But Semper had not come to force the unicorn to plead for mercy, nor did he come to capture the notorious stallion. Why would he?

"No."

"What?" Blood couldn't believe what he had heard.

"No. You don't."

Blood smirked. "True."

With all his strength, Blood lunched forwards and attacked Semper. Standing on his rear hooves, he balanced perfectly as he struck the Guard again and again trying to break past his iron-like defense, but the Guard did not falter. Even as they fought and stepped into the ice cold waters, the light from his horn illuminating so that the red light cast along its surface so that it resembled blood, neither could better the other. Desperate to end it, Blood kicked the salt water into the Guard's eyes and charged. He was surprised that the attack was blocked, but he could scarcely believe how. With his eyes tightly shut, Semper had parried the two blades and twisted his body in a round arc bringing his blade into him at full strength. The blade hit his two as he crossed them in front of his chest and felt himself pushed out of the water, through the air, landing further back coming to a sliding halt.

"This is it! I've had enough of this." Blood lowered his stance, crossed his blades in front of him and brought it to his side.

Like a dance, Blood twisted his body around and with all the strength he could muster, summoned the power from inside himself. lt streaked across the surface of the water towards Semper, who dodged it by stepping to the side. Again Blood swiped his blade, this time in an upward motion that send another sent another orange curve careening towards him. The tail end hit the water with a loud hissing noise, like some sort of snake that could hold its breath indefinitely. Again, Semper moved to the side, the orange aura missing him by mere inches. Next, Blood cut with his blade across his chest again sending another arc of power towards the Guard. Semper ducked beneath it, just as Blood sent another arc from a downward swing of his hoof. Each attack barely missed.

"Let's see you dodge this!"

Blood repeated the steps in a fluid fashion moving from left to right, from down to up, from right to left, and from up to down. The moves were strung together in an elegant but deadly ballet, each other cut causing the water it touched to instantly superheat bathing the entire area in a fog. Still Blood refused to relent his barrage. Again and again he sent his power through the fog. Then, after what seemed like ages, he stabbed through the area in a series of straight shots that rumbled as the explosions echoed through the empty room.

Panting, dripping with sweat, Blood waited. He waited and watched.

And there he was, still standing before him, but he saw the many cuts, burns and grazed along the Guards body. Smoke emanated from some parts of him where his magic had actually hit. But he still stood up.

Blood laughed. He threw his head back and laughed. Laughed towards the skies.

As he looked forwards he cricked his neck. "This is it, isn't it. The moment where we both decide who is better with the sword."

At this, Semper lowered his body to the ground, slid one hoof forwards and placed the blade in a slight downward angel from the left side of his waist. Blood took one blade and sheathed it, but did not remove his hoof. The other he kept on the opposite shoulder and waited.

Time seemed to stand still again. Somewhere a drop of water was heard. Somewhere a voice screaming was cut short. Somewhere something was happening.

The two ponies charged. They moved with the deadly grace they had been taught. They moved with a surgeon's precision. They moved with all their might. In the blink of an eye they had passed one another with a deafening clash which sent sparks high into the air before hissing into the black water.

There was a period of time when neither pony moved. It was doubtful that they could.

It was Semper who fell first. His knee touching the floor. Blood smirked and turned slowly. He looked at the pony in front of him and nodded once before his chest burst open from a single cut that extended from his chest to his thigh. His blood spilled from the open wound and across the golden gilded floor collecting in the many tiny undulations where the precious metal had dried unevenly in the chaos of the dragon's battle. Blood at once accepted his impending demise. He had truly met his match, for this stallion was far stronger than he had hoped to believe. He had bested him with all his tricks, magic and power. He had lost with the sword for the first time and last time.

"You have... done well, Guard. Before I die, at least tell me your name."

The Guard pushed himself up from the floor with his blade, turned and walked towards Blood. He raised the sword above his head. "The dead need not know my name."

He nodded and laughed. This was a perfect death for one such as him. He would go now to the place where he was destined to and hoped that he might glimpse the mare he once loved once more before descending beyond the gates of Tartarus and into the oblivion awaiting him. He found himself capable of a tiny smile despite the pain crushing the life from him. He just felt so, so tired. He would sleep now.

Sleep for a while.

He never felt Semper's sword come down.

"B!"

He awoke with a start and quickly turned around to look into the face of the most wonderful mare in the whole wide world. His eyes stung.

"You crying?"

Instantly he wiped them away. "N-n-no. I-I'm just... yeah. I'm crying."

She looked at him curiously, but a smile formed on her perfect face. "What for?"

He dabbed his cheeks with his hoof, wiping them dry. "I... don't know. I can't remember. It's like I've been dreaming for so long..."

"Well, wake up, sleepy head. The others are waiting for us. Let's go!" With that she jumped up and started walking towards the others in the distance. He could not make them out, but he felt as if he knew them. He stopped for a moment and looked back the way he came. He saw fields of green as far the eye could see. He felt light, as if a huge weight had been shed from his shoulders. "Blaze!"

For the time in what seemed like an eternity, he smiled from within his heart. He turned back towards her this time not hiding the tears streaming down his face, for he had never before felt this happy. "Coming!"

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long.

Mission 2, Part 11: All Aboard

"What do you mean, 'The ship is yours.'?" Wish asked.

The Watu commander stood there proud and tall, something she had not seen in a Watu for a long time. He seemed different, more like a Guard than a cold blooded murderer. Then again, most of these ex-Guards still had a semblance of it, but this particular pony had been at it for decades, even before Blood had arrived. Most Watu were always bent down and showing difference to one pony or another, but the commander always seemed to stand his ground. He never infringed or implied at any time that he was in charge, and followed orders without question, but there was more to him than met the eye and Wish wondered if that was the reason as to why the other Watu showed him an inkling of respect. Perhaps it was because he had a bit of backbone. That little bit gave him a certain aura or allure. A bit of that honor usually reserved for those who could stand .

"The ship is yours again, Captain. That is what I have been told to inform you."

"And Blood?"

The commander eyes seemed to lighten up despite the unchanging expression on his face. It was clear that there was some deep, deep, deep feeling of mirth that had bubbled up to the surface unexpectedly. Still, the next words she heard stunned her to the core.

"Dead."

She almost rubbed her ear, she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "W-what did you say?"

"He's dead. Killed."

Wish refused to believe such a feat were possible. Poisoned, maybe. Killed, impossible. She needed to see for herself. "His body?"

The commander took a step back and gestured as if it were his home and he was welcoming her into it. She saw a group of Watu standing around a raised dais, one of the anti-air cannons that had been destroyed. This was the highest point on the deck that wasn't part of the main bridge building. She looked back and saw canines in their hundreds up there peering down over the deck. The bodies of many were being moved to the far into the decks below. For what reason, she did not want to know. Dogs feasted on canines, that was known. Perhaps they deserved it, those Watu that had died. She just wished that she could spare her crew members from the ghastly fate. Still, she was a prisoner and she had been caught.

"Come." The commander led the way. To her sides she was escorted by her own crew members, both of whom were armed she noted. Were the Watu getting careless without their leader? Or were they leaderless now? No. Not possible. If they were, she knew that more than half of them would have deserted right away, or perhaps started trying to take control of the remnants by slaughtering those they thought were competitors, yet they remained as orderly as they had done with Blood.

As she approached the dais, the crowd parted for her. As she stepped up to the top the first thing she noticed were the alphas sitting on one side. Most of them were stained in blood making her sick to her stomach, yet one in particular caught her eye. The grey, silvery wolf-like creature seemed to sit taller than the others and had this air of command around him. But her eyes quickly spotted the body of the infamous Watu leader as he lay perfectly still with a small maroon cloth over his face so that it covered all his features. She knew it was him the moment she saw the forelegs placed at his side; the red hue of the stallion's fur was unmistakable. That was she he eyes drifted onto another pony in full armor, but not the armor she had expected to see. The red plume and the peytral were unmistakable. It was a Border Guard.

Or rather, it was the Border Guard.

"W-what are you doing here, Guard?" Wish asked astonished, unable to regain her composure. She knew the rumors, she had heard them during the chaos but she never actually through they were real. How does a Guard come this far away from Equestria and cause so much havoc? "And... is that really Blood?"

The Watu commander stepped up. "It is, sir. Do you wish to see?"

Wish did not respond and walked straight up to body and lifted the cloth. She looked at the face and placed it back down again. "Better than he deserves."

The Watu standing nearby started whispering to each other. Whatever they were saying, Wish could tell that they were scared. Their fate rested in the hooves of the pony now laying dead in front of them. What were they to do now? The question seemed to silently drift through everyone's mind as each and every single creature slowly turned and stared at the stallion overlooking the bow of the ship silently. He turned around and removed the mask he wore and placed it gently on the banister before turning. Wish wasn't sure which frightened her more, the Guard with the mask on, or off. Those eyes chilled her down to her core.

"I must know. Did you really kill him?" Wish asked looking at the pony.

The Guard did not make a sound nor did he move save for the slightest nod of his head.

"I... I want to thank you," she started. When it was clear that he wasn't going to say anything, she continued, "And for giving the ship back to me. The... your... commander informed me-"

"Can she move?"

"B-beg your pardon?"

"Can she move?" The Guard pointed at the destroyed burning remains of the ship's bridge. "Can the Eleonora Nevus still sail?"

Wish's heart sank. The cold tone of the stallion made her heart sink. Was Blood to be replaced by yet another monster? Was this Guard a banished warrior like the others? Was he going to continue the trade? The thoughts went through her mind, but she remained composed and decided that answering truthfully was the only way to spare her life and the lives of those aboard. "Yes. She can."

"Then you will head back to Lost Hope."

Again Wish was shocked. Her eyes opened wide. "You want us to go back to that place? The place where... where..."

The Guard turned and headed down the dais steps, the alphas following behind him. "You have your orders."

Strange, but it felt good to actually be given some from a Guard. She did not get his rank, not that she cared. He had defeated Blood in her eyes and could be an admiral.

"Well, that was entertaining," a voice stated.

Wish again felt her body freeze, and she turned around to see him. The captain that had led to her banishment all those years ago. The captain that she had sworn to find and... and... what? She never actually thought about it. Of course she didn't want to kill him, that was just not in her. She had wanted to safeguard the innocents of Equestria, not harm others.

"You." Wish took a step forward.

Instantly half of the captain's crew dove in front of him and bared their weapons.

At almost the same instant, Wish's crew did the same.

The two parties stood in cluster opposite one another. The pirate's crew were vastly outnumbered by Wish's, but they were all surrounded by a sea of Watu warriors and dogs, none of whom seemed very interested in interrupting them and excited about what could happen next.

It was Wish who spoke next. "You... why are you alive?"

"Good to see you too!" the captain muttered sarcastically. "Look, I know that you blame me for your banishment and I'm willing to accept that. Not a day goes by where I don't feel terrible about it, but the fact remains that you ordered your ship to fire on that vessel. You didn't look before you leaped. You can't keep holding a grudge. We were both doing our jobs."

"Piracy is not a job." Wish glowered at the stallion.

"Out here it is. Out here it's eat or be eaten and I for one intend to stay at the top of the food-chain."

"Enough!" the Watu commander shouted. "We have our orders. The Guard wants this ship moving, and we don't have the luxury of time. As of now, we have spotted several griffin airships in the area. We believe that the only reason they haven't attacked us is because they are wary of this... phenomenon."

Wish looked up into the clear sky. It was literally like the eye of the storm. She could see right up to the moon, but the gap seemed to be decreasing quite quickly. "Nautical!"

"Sir!" The stallion holstered his personal crossbow.

"Status."

"We've taken considerable amounts of water, sir. The entire lower decks are filled, which will drastically reduce our speed down to a crawl. Most of the lifeboats have been commandeered by the liberated slaves and there isn't enough for the rest of us here. Those boats were meant for the Watu and... I'm not going to lie, there wouldn't have been enough for less than half of the crew and that's if we crammed tight. Slaves weren't considered valuable enough to warrant boats for each." Nautical looked at the Watu commander who was standing silently to the side. "The main bridge is damaged beyond repair, but we still have the flag bridge intact. We will have to steer the ship blindly, sir, but only after the steering column is repaired. It was destroyed for both bridges when we barricaded ourselves into the flag bridge."

Wish cursed Blood for his foresight. "Anything else?"

"We've lost almost all the canons of the foredeck, few are functional and a few more may work if we repair them. The primary guns are functional, but we currently do not have the magic power needed to move them. Most of the unicorns are exhausted."

The Watu commander stepped forward. "The Guard has commandeered this vessel and appointed me to be in charge of what remains of the Watu, save the Elites."

"What do you mean? Where are they?"

"Scouting." The commander looked up into the sky. "They have been given orders to secure the lower decks and the pegasi to search out others and rally them here. Most of the Watu pegasi are missing, and the Guard wants as many as can be found to be accounted for."

"What's he proposing?" Wish didn't like it. Why was the Guard garnering all this military might? Blood was a crazed lunatic with ambitions that were unrealistic. But the Guard was different. She had a suspicion that if the Guard had wanted to, he could do far more damage.

"He wishes to use the Eleonora to storm Lost Hope. I believe he wants to end this slave nonsense. About time too. I may be banished from the kingdom I love, but I will stand with him."

"You would. I didn't see you put up much of a fight when he was in charge," Wish stated gesturing to Blood's corpse.

"Neither did you," The commander replied flatly.

Wish did not know how to respond to that.

"Commander," a Watu stated landing behind him on the dais.

"Yes?"

"Report, sir. Three ships spotted due north, and two more to the northwest."

"That makes fifteen in all," the commander muttered. "Something needs to be done."

"What for? They won't come." Wish looked away.

"You've been out of the loop for too long. We're in griffin waters now, and the Eleonora is badly damaged. Two parts of the hull have breaches and half the cannons are destroyed on her deck. They will come for us. The griffins will not allow such an opportunity to pass."

"You're crazy. They wouldn't come for the Eleonora. They have no reason to." Wish looked at Nautical expecting him to agree with her, but she could tell by his eyes that he did not. "Opinions?"

"I'm afraid the commander's right, sir. From the chaos of the deck and the ensuing battles... they will know something isn't right. They will come."

"And if the griffins get this ship..." the pirate captain interrupted, "they'll be able to hit Equestria's cities from far off. Even the Border Guard would be hard pressed to take her down. We got lucky, we would have never got this close if it hadn't been for... your lapse-"

Wish took an aggressive step. "If you're suggesting that I allowed you to come close to my ship, then you're highly mistaken. I had been relieved of my position when you-"

The commander stepped between them, his presence seemed overwhelming. "We aren't here for debate. The Guard has given his orders and it is up to us to see it through. We belong to him now."

Wish could only glare at the stallion opposite her. "I belong to no pony."

"You belong to this ship, and this ship is under that Guard's command," the commander stated. "Don't make the same mistake Blood did. It was his arrogance and folly that cost him his life and this ship."

Wish bit her tongue. The commander stared at her intensely. "Fine. Nautical."

"Sir?"

"Where' my bosun?"

"Dead, sir. Killed."

Wish closed her eyes and remembered the mare. She would find time to mourn later. "Fine. Get me someone capable as a replacement."

"Sir, I recommend Flaring Dawn. She is capable and knows most of the crew."

Wish nodded. "Fine. She'll do."

"Flaring! Upfront!" Nautical roared. A dark orange unicorn trotted up and stood at attention.

"You are to take anyone you need and you will patch the holes in the lower decks. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"And for Celestia's sake, steer clear of the Guard and his posse, you understand me?" Wish stated bluntly. She still did not trust him. Someone with that much power, coupled with her recent experience with Blood, could not be trusted.

The unicorn saluted. "Yes, sir."

The pirate captain looked at Wish then the commander. "She'll get the hull repaired. That'll take some time. But now that that's out of the way, we have to contemplate on moving this thing. I don't suppose either of you have any good ideas."

The commander shook his head. "I'm no sailor. I'm here to make sure that the Watu don't do something stupid. Many of them are fearful of staying, but most of them don't have anywhere else to go. Even if they won't leave, I can't let them become a roving band of marauders. Equestria is always hated outside her borders, so better not add to it."

Wish nodded solemnly. "True. We cannot afford to have the Border Guard come after us. If one of them can do all this," she gestured to the Eleonora in general, "then who knows what an entire battalion of them is capable of."

Silence was all that returned. She did not need to elaborate. A dragon dead, and one of the most proficient blade masters known also lay still in front of them. How had he done it? It was a miracle that the dragon was killed by a lone pony, but those who knew understood the significance of Blood's demise and the effect it had. The dragon seemed to be more of a figurehead; it was Blood who maintained order on the ship through his merciless means.

"Since when did the Guard start taking earth ponies?" the commander began.

"W-what?" Wish stammered in surprise. "An earth pony?"

"I've got it!" the pirate captain exclaimed suddenly ignoring the sudden outburst. "Listen, I have an idea. It's a crazy one, but it will work."

Wish and the commander shared a look.

"Oh?" Wish said sarcastically. "I'd love to hear this, pirate."

"Hey, I survived you, I boarded the Eleonora, and I will survive this nonsense. Listen to a guy who can think out of the box instead of just coming to the conclusion that I've already made up my mind that I'm better than you. I haven't. You're pretty clever yourself, but my idea is going to work."

Wish felt her cheeks glow a little at the compliment and also the cleverly disguised scolding. "Which is?"

"We use my ship, the Lipizzan to tow the Eleonora," the pirate captain stated.

"That little balloon powered boat? You've got to be joking. That thing won't be able to lift one of her anti-air cannons, let alone two the ship. Besides what guarantee do we have that once you get your ship fixed you won't cut loose and flee? If worse comes to worse, we can flee in your ship," Wish demanded.

The captain smirked. "I can't guarantee anything, but I swear I won't flee. I owe that Guard and I've never been a situation like this before. How is it that we were all trying to kill each other and now we're all working together? Do you know? You?" He pointed at a few of the Watu and the canines in turn. "I know that as of right now if we don't work, none of us are going to any of our homes ever again. We're all in this together whether we like it or not, so we're going to have to work together. We're all we've got. I understand that."

The Watu commander looked into his eyes. "Very eloquent, but what Captain Wish speaks is true. Your ship won't be able to pull this vessel. What we need is a proper airship."

"My airship is a proper airship," the captain retorted.

"We need one powered by a manna reactor. Still, something is better than nothing. Even if we move an inch, it's still better than not moving at all. What do you need?"

"Sails. Lots and lots of sails. And if we don't have sails, cloth. Lots and lots of cloth."

"What for?" Wish asked, her curiosity perked. This was a notoriously clever pirate captain.

He grinned at her, "Why, we're going to build a huge sail, then connect it to the remains of the bridge. A sail that big will pull the ship, and because the Lipizzan is an agile girl, we can move her to catch the best wind. What about that?"

There was a moment of silence before Wish actually smiled. "You know what, that's crazy enough to work. Very good, captain."

"Thank you, ma'am," the pirate bowed low in a flourish, "I aim to please."

Every single member of Wish's crew winced; she hated being called ma'am. But, for some reason, she either didn't mind or didn't notice because she said nothing.

The Watu commander shook his head. "This plan will be good enough for now, but we still need something... bigger. Something... proper."

Wish stared at the Lipizzan slowly making her way into the sky. It had taken a few hours to get her ready and it had been a monumental struggle. Thick ropes were tied to the edge railings of the Eleonora, the other ends to the insides of the Lipizzan via the cargo hatch doors on the deck. They were then pushed out of the gun-holes and down to the bottom of the hull and tied together with two interlocking bowline knots. Nothing, unless purposefully untied or cut, could break those knots. Between the hull of the Lipizzan and the Eleonora was to go the massive sail. Every single piece of scrap cloth that could be used was taken and stitched together by any spare creature dextrous enough to sew. Watu and crew sat side by side, along with any slaves that had the skill, and the sail started to take form, or were they ex-slaves? She could only dream. They started with the top, taking the smallest and lightest cloth and slowly made their way down. Each section completed, the ship would rise up a little more.

But even before that getting the airship that was upside down on the side of the Eleonora was a headache. The captain and his crew had blow a large hole with cannon fire into the hull to get inside. From a distance, it might have looked like the Lipizzan latching on the side of the Eleonora was a remora attaching itself to a whale. Still, without the use of magic, for the unicorns, even all of them combined, could not lift the airship themselves. So, more ropes were latched around the airship and the entire mass of Watu and any other pony and canine incapable of using magic heaved the ship upwards. A couple of times the Lipizzan slipped, but steadily and surely, they had done it. They had managed to secure the vessel on the Eleonora's deck.

From here the pirate captain, who had helped pull the ship up, wiped his brow. Wish noted that he was a handsome fellow in a roguish sort of way. He had a gentlemanly charm hidden behind what she could only venture to guess was an unwillingness to give up. That had to be appreciated. He took his hat off and dusted it against his foreleg. She noted his horn, but somehow it didn't feel right. The captain noticed her looking followed her eyes to the top of his head and back again. Then he smiled.

"Can't use it."

"B-beg your pardon?" Wish asked, looking away instantly.

"My horn. Can't use it. Long ago I was fighting a pretty powerful unicorn. Nearly killed me, and ever since my horn has been utterly and completely useless." He touched it and wiggled his hoof about as if it were a loose tooth. Again a small smile appeared on his face. "Lucky to be alive."

"Do you miss it?" Wish asked stealing another glance at the defunct horn.

He shrugged. "No, can't say that I do. I mean, I never was really strong with magic in the first place, so I never really used it. Besides, I was, am, more of a hooves-on kinda fellow. Sometimes I forget that I'm a unicorn."

Wish nodded. "I can respect that. Relying too much on magic can be a downfall."

"Well, I don't agree. I suppose that if you can use it and use it well... then why not? I mean, that's what earth ponies in the Day Guard do, right? They protect the unicorns while they attack."

Wish nodded. "That is how they usually work. Pegasi protect the air, unicorns usually are the heavy hitters. The earth ponies and pegasi protect the unicorns while they channel their magic. Usually. There are always exceptions, and the Border Guard, who have no earth ponies-" She blinked.

"Yeah, can't say that anymore, can you?"

"Well, the BG's unicorns have to be a lot more skilled as their magic has to be used in direct combat. I'm not saying the other Guards don't do that, just not..."

He touched her shoulder. The sensation sent electricity down her spine and she fought hard to stop herself from shuddering.

Down below them they saw a few of the less tired unicorns slowly inflating the balloon that had somehow been managed to be salvage. It had got caught up in the rigging when the airship was flipped and remained on deck. A sheer stroke of luck that had proven to be the greatest boon of all. The balloon had survived the bombardment of bolts, magical projectiles and quarrels and held to the last, where it was destroyed by the volley of cannon fire. Even then the balloon survived the ruptured explosion. After all of this, the Lipizzan was floating towards the sky, streaming behind it a massive sail that was perhaps the biggest ever made and it was a sight to behind as it ascended towards the sky in the moon's glow.

"Are you sure you don't want to be on her?" Wish asked looking up at the Lipizzan.

He shook his head. "No. I'm fine right where I am."

"A-and where's that?" she asked, her face feeling a little bit flush.

"Right here," he said still looking up at his ship. "Right where I want to be."

Wish turned away and smiled. "Why?"

"I don't really know, actually. Ever since I heard of your banishment, I've been... looking for you. When I heard that you became the captain of the Eleonora, I gave up all hope of making contact with you."

She turned to him shocked. "Why?"

"Well, it's difficult to approach this ship, as you already plainly-"

"No. I mean, yes, I know that... about the Eleonora, I mean. What I mean is, why were you looking for me."

He scratched the tip of his nose with his hoof. "You know... I don't rightly know."

They turned to one another and their eyes met. Her heart beat in her chest harder than she had ever felt before. She turned away. "This... this is ridiculous! I'm not some silly filly who's just stepped onto her first ship! I'm a captain! I was a captain of a warship! I am not-"

"Oh, to Tartarus with that!" the captain yelled. She spun around in stunned silence as he seized her in his hooves and in front of a very, very astonished crew, both his and hers, and every Watu around, he kissed her with a passionate ferocity.

As their lips parted, she blinked twice, thought about what had just happened, took a step back and brushed her uniform. Then she raised her hoof and brought it across the captain's maw. "Don't you ever do that again!" And this time she seized his face in her hooves and returned the favor just as vigorously.

Behind them the Watu commander stared with an expression of confused amusement. "Tell me, is this a common thing in Equestria?"

Bones looked at the Watu commander and nodded. "Oh yes. This is a typical ritual for courting captains. It's part of their whole... sharing a ship thing. They smack each other around as a sign of deep affection."

The commander furrowed his brow and nodded slowly. "I see." He stroked his chin slowly. "Interesting. Captains are a strange lot."

Bones nodded sagely. "That is true. That is true..."

Wish stood on the flag bridge going over the reports slowly, but all that she could think of was the pirate's lips on hers. No, the rogue's lips. After talking and hearing him, he was no pirate. He had too much honor to be one, but not enough to be not one. It was hard to describe, but she had never felt so jubilant. She sighed to herself. What was it with dangerous stallions that drew her? Not overly dangerous ones, not like Blood.

"Sir?"

The voice made Wish jerk and she looked up to see Nautical staring down at her. She sighed and wiped her face with her hoof. "Yes?"

"The hull's been repaired, sir. Most of it, and the water is being pulled away. The unicorns are trying to get the mechanical pumps recharged with magic, but for now the canines are taking turns on the manna cycles to generate enough power. It's slow going, but steady."

"Have we made any headway?" Wish asked standing up and walking to the desk where a carafe of water stood and a few glasses behind a small depression to prevent them from falling off the side and onto the floor. Not that could ever happen. It would take a lot to shake the Eleonora enough. Yet, today, it had happened. Several times.

"Yes, captain... sorry. Sir." Nautical mentally berated himself. Wish didn't like to be called captain.

The slip-up wasn't missed. Wish sat back down on her seat. "You think I am foolish?"

"Sir?"

"You think I am foolish. I mean, the Guard, can we really trust him?"

"My opinion? No," Nautical replied. "But we don't have to. He only wants us to return to Lost Hope. Once we are within range, we can take change course and have him travel the rest of the way with his canines."

Wish looked at him. "That will be suicide, Nautical. As long as we keep to what the Guard says, we'll get out of this alive. If we cross him..."

"We can always... recruit help from-"

"I hope you're not suggesting that I ask that pirate for help. That... scene from before was a momentary lapse. It was enjoyable, I'll admit, but it meant nothing."

Nautical looked at his captain resolutely.

She sighed. "Perhaps you're right. I will think on it."

"Thank you, sir."

"Ship closing in!" a voice called out.

The communication tubes were still half working. Flaring had assigned some ponies to help restore communications, and had completed some of them, especially the ones towards the surface and watch points.

"Where?" Wish demanded staring at the tubes and cursing her lack of visibility.

"Coming down straight above us!" the voice shouted. "Above the Lipizzan!"

"What are the anti-air cannons doing?" Wish practically screamed standing up.

"Incoming!" the voice through the tube called out.

The sound of an explosion erupted and the ship vibrated. She had barely felt it in the safety of the flag bridge, but Wish knew that it had been a direct hit. She sat back down and coughed. "Return fire!"

"Belay that order!" the voice of the Watu commander came suddenly through the second tube.

Wish looked confused and angry at where the voice had come. "Are you mad? They're firing at us!"

"Orders. We must obey. Do not return fire," came the response. There was some background noise before the commander spoke again. "Assemble all remaining pegasi to the upper decks."

Another explosion made the ship shudder a little. Wish slammed her hooves against her chair's forearm rests. She felt a mixture of anger and confusion as she stared at the tube dumbfounded. Was the Guard really going to allow the ship to be further damaged? They had just got around to repairing parts of it. Of course she did not know the full extent of the damage below the decks, but still, how could they sit there and do nothing? "Why?" Wish screamed out loud making the bridge shake just as bad as the

There was a moment of silence before the voice of the commander replied. "We're going to board that vessel."

Again Wish sat there dumbfounded at what she had just heard. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"Orders. We are to take that ship."

"Flank it!" Cinder cried, moving to the left to avoid the stream of bolts careening his way.

The griffin's Wallarmbrusts were just as potent as the pony's own version. The amount of bolts crisscrossing the night sky made it impossible to see coupled with the darkness. Luckily a few bolts were glowing as they sung past. Tracers, no doubt, or perhaps a stray quarrel. Cinder wisely did not wait to see. All the pegasi moved quickly cutting through each others' flight to confuse the gunners. All this to avoid getting slaughtered by the rain of bolts constantly firing their way. Cinder's orders were simple. Distract the griffin's until their boarding party had taken her. But they had severely underestimated this ship's firepower. The Heldenhaft, that was the ship's name, wasn't built for ship to ship combat.

Cutting up, over and down the other side of the ship, weaving through the array of top sails, he rushed by counting the number of guns he spotted. Under the ship's belly he turned on his back to and counted. Instead of three guns facing down, he saw twelve Wallarmbrusts prepped and ready. They were all firing and he could see the griffins concentrating hard to try and put snuff the pegasi swarming around them. Coming up from below was going to be easier said than done. The Heldenhaft was an airship built to attack the ground; to decimate targets under it with lethal ferocity. It was built to kill, not protect.

On the underside were two large batteries for laying siege to whatever was below it. Two very well placed shots from the anti-air cannons had taken out the downward facing cannons, the holes still smoking from the explosion. A few pegasi had tried to break into the hull from there, but the griffins had sealed any passage through. That was another thing. Ballistas were one thing, but how did they manage to use cannons without having innate magical powers? Perhaps it was not as surprising as he thought, they did have slaves after all. To create the reaction required to propel the cannonballs towards their targets, magic was a necessary requirement. Perhaps, if not a pony slave, a defector -- there were a few of those, Cinder knew.

It all seemed hopeless, yet he knew that giving up wasn't an option. Things had changed dramatically, anyone can see. For the first time in his life he actually stood next to an Equestrian Guard. For years he had admired these stalwart protectors of the nation he had wished to see. But he was a Watu. Killing had been all he had ever known. Still, this Guard had given him something that he was not going to take for granted: a chance to redeem himself. A chance do something right in some small way. For the first time in his life he felt he was doing something right. Working as a Watu had its perks and disadvantages. You could do what you wanted, so long as you did not cross anyone stronger or steal. You always slept with one eye open, unless you were unafraid. A Watu being murdered by a so-called friend was so common, that almost every other day a body was tossed overboard into the sea, like garbage. Cinder had heard the banished ponies talk, how they missed the life they were torn from. Was it through those stories then, that he felt that he finally belonged to something. If he died here, died during this mission, then he could at least believe that he had contributed something to help allay his sins.

He twisted his body again and saw the Lipizzan being hit hard from all sides. The small airship was somehow still keeping the griffin advance at bay. It was strange because before this conflict there seemed to be fewer pegasi, but as the battle wore on, there seemed to be a sudden increase in their numbers. Not that he was complaining. With the way things were, any help they could get was better than nothing.

A quarrel burst in a blinding flash to his left and he felt himself rocked by the sudden blast. With a skill that only one who has experienced combat, he quickly recovered himself and spun to a halt to glace at the source of the projectile. A griffin was reloading a crossbow as two others moved towards him. One carrying a long halberd, the other carried two sword daggers that had barbs extending from the hilt. Close combat specialists. It was clear that these two had no idea why a Watu was feared in combat. It would be a mistake they will not live to regret.

The pegasi drew his sword sword and pulled a short spear from over his left shoulder.

Just as they were about to make contact, the two screeched suddenly and plummeted towards the sea, in their necks were two bolt. Cinder looked down and spotted the source of the attack. The unicorns and other non-flying creatures were starting their ascent towards the Heldenhaft. He looked around, half the Wallarmbrusts were still functional. He turned to try and signal for them to stop, but a bolt passing his face distracted him.

What could he do?

A feeling welled up through his body. A strange desire to do something for others. He embraced this desire and headed towards the nearest Wallarmbrust. He charged towards the nearest one as fast as he could. Every single one taken disabled increased the chance of survival for the others and they could not fly as freely as they carried either a canine, unicorn or earth pony to help assault the ship. He charged into the glass dome, skewing it with his spear. The griffin on the inside laughed at the failed attempt on his life, and aimed his sight towards the pegasi below him.

A feeling welled up within Cinder, one that he had not felt in a long time that he had almost forgotten it. That fear over the lives of others, a fear that he would be unable to protect them. The sense of urgency was too great for him to ignore. This was not like before when he fought as a Watu. There he only had to care for himself, and ignore the others. He back up a bit and buzzed his wings like a bee for a moment before charging at the exposed end of his spear. Then, using his body and velocity, he did a half somersault and kicked the spear's end with near perfect precision. The force of the blow was enough to push the point through the already cracked glass and the spear pinned the confused griffin against the far side of the bulb. Cinder watched as the griffin tried to reach for the spear with his remaining good claw but it was hopeless. The gruesome struggle continued as the bubble slowly began to fill up with the griffin's blood and within seconds of that the struggled flailing grew still.

One more Wallarmbrust was down.

Flaring took what her captain had done to heart. The appointment as the new bosun of the Eleonora had given her more freedom and responsibilities and and it was her duty to lead the boarding party. It might not have been what Wish intended, Flaring would do what a good bosun was supposed to do. Her predecessor did not have that luxury as any and all attacks against other ships was in the hooves of the Watu. With no clear chain of command, it was up to her to do the needful. When she had asked for volunteers from the crew to help take the Heldenhaft she was surprised with the overwhelming response. Enemy was now ally, and the Watu joined hooves with the crew and even the canines and together they had managed to board a griffin airship. She may not have fully trusted the Watu, but she learned that she did not have to. They blindly followed orders as they were given leave to ensure that their primary objective remained intact. To protect the Eleonora through any means necessary. The obeyed the Guard in much the same way they obeyed their previous leader. They would fight and she would lead them. How could she let this opportunity pass. Deep in her soul she felt that she owed the griffins something for the slaves that they had bought. Not only ponies like her, but other creatures as well. Creatures that deserved a fate For years her inability to do anything grated on her conscience.

"Down!" a voice called and she felt herself being shoved aside.

A volley of bolts whistled over her head. Two ponies behind her ponies were too slow. They died instantly. She closed her eyes and looked away. She knew them both, served with them for all these years, and in a blink of the eye they were gone. Life was too fragile.

"We need to take out the other 'Brusts and fast!" one of the Watu group leaders shouted and pointed towards an open hatch leading downwards at the bow of the airship. Then he looked at her. "First mate?"

"Bosun," Flaring corrected. "Alright. That's a good plan. Let's go."

At once the four of them charged just as the four other Watus behind them fired a small barrage over towards the griffins that had just shot at them covering their advance. The gap between them and the hatch was in chaos as dog, pony and other creatures fought side by side against the griffins who were viciously trying to repel them. The griffins put up a good fight, but the Watu were a league unto their own and coupled with the canines' strength and ferocity, the began to be pushed back. The Watu were vicious warriors that had lived as long as they had because it was kill or be killed. They had no honor nor any desire to acquire it. Theirs was a miserable life where the bits they earned was spent just as quickly. They found no reason to save. A large purse made you a likely target and murder was common as a Watu Wakali. Immediate pleasures, not future outlook, was the Watu's unwritten creed.

The four Watu charged in low, keep their masked heads near the deck as they seemed to crawl at an impossible pace. Any griffin close to them had their ankles or legs sliced open as they pushed on. One griffin barred their path and fired a crossbow. The fourth Watu yelped and rolled to a stop and Flaring saw that the bolt had pierced through the neck. The second Watu rose up from the low crouching run and leaped into the air bringing brought down her spear at the griffin's throat. The griffin instinctively blocked the attack placing his shield in the way, but this was a mere distraction. It was the third Watu that took the kill as he drew his blade across the griffin's exposed torso spilling its contents onto the deck.

Flaring shuddered at the brutal efficiency of the kill, but didn't stop. In battle, stopping meant death. Down into the passage she ran after the three surviving Watu who were ahead of her in a tight formation. She glanced over her shoulder as she galloped down a flight of stairs and spotted fumbled to stay on her hooves. The Watu following her stopped and turned around in from of the hatch. She glanced down the hall and decided to follow the three that had now disappeared from sight.

She understood ships. She had practically grown up on the Eleonora proving herself to the captain and the others her ability to memorize a ship's schematics quickly. That and her skills at rebuilding damaged things had made her an invaluable member of the crew. She had always thought of herself as useless.

And then he came. Not only did he manage to board the Eleonora, free the slaves and cripple the ship, but he actually beat Blood in single combat. Arguably the greatest most dangerous unicorn in all the lands within and without Equestria. Flaring could not help but admire the Border Guard. She was inspired by him.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when a halberd cut across in front of her, missing her head by the breadth of a hair. The sudden attack made her stumble backwards and she crashed in a heap on the floor. She looked up at a griffin who fought with the large blade to get it released from where the weapon had gotten stuck and pointed it towards her. She blinked, recognized her situation, and resigned herself to the inevitable.

A dagger flew and the griffin let out a squawk of agony and turned to see two of the Watu that had stopped at the entrance to the hold. The griffin attacked out of reflex, but the halberd got itself caught in the corner of the far wall and there was a struggle before giving he gave it up and unbuckled the axe from his belt. The Watu stopped where they were and the griffin grinned. For a moment Flaring thought that the Watu were too afraid to face the griffin, that he was too much for these warriors to handle, why else would they stop? But she saw that they had all drawn their crossbows, much to the griffin's horror, and aimed. The tight slap of the two strings tightening were instantly followed by the sickening sound of the bolts hitting their mark. The griffin fell to his knees, then to the ground, the body convulsing slightly before laying still with those wide eyes open and staring into hers. She shuddered and looked away.

One of the Watu paused and lent her a hoof.

"T-thank you," Flaring stated.

The Watu nodded, and then continued on after his or her companions. Perhaps they weren't so bad after all.

The line of pegasi tried to split apart, but their burden severely restricted their ability to fly. Some of the clever ones flew in long corkscrews to avoid the brunt of the remaining Wallarmbrusts, but there were still active. Apart from the one he managed to disable, thanks to the blood of the griffin he had killed, the others were still very much active. But it wasn't as if he stood aside and watched this all happen. All through this he was weaving in and out of other Wallarmbrust fire, dodging the griffins as they traversed in small teams of three to take the pegasi out. Definitely they were organized, trained and vicious. Any pony they caught wasn't merely killed, but usually done so brutally. He noticed that one of the griffins carried around what looked like huge gardening sheers and sliced off the wings of pegasi, sending them in an agonizing spiral to their deaths far below.

Throughout all this, the first attack team did manage to board the ship from above. They had taken off from the Lipizzan, swung up and above the clouds and dropped in on the deck of the ship. It was a clever ploy and it worked, as most of the griffins were off the airship hunting for pegasi under them, not above.

He felt a stinging sensation across his cheek as a large bolt whizzed past his face. He twisted his body around out of instinct and saw a long, black snake pass over, then under, him. A Wallarmbrust had him in his sights and he had lucked out in avoiding getting impaled. Flattening his body as much as he could he did a slight dive and banked out of range, the Wallarmbrust kept right on him. Thunderbolt changed his direction and moved up, but still the Wallarmbrust kept on him preventing him from going behind the gunner's line of sight. He was forced back down, where another stream of bolts joined the chase. He concentrated on nothing but moving. Every time he told himself to move, he would switch direction, sometimes to pick up speed, sometimes to try and escape, but something inside him told him to stay beneath the ship's hull. Perhaps a misguided sense of duty.

Then he zipped past one of the glass bubbles to see a unicorn stab the griffin through the back with a sword. In that brief moment, their eyes met and he zoomed by thanking Celestia about his good fortune, but the other Wallarmbrust still was hot on his tail. He pushed himself now, trying to get out of range, he could see the stream of bolts to his left closing in on him and he closed his eyes. He was too tired. Too, too tired. He couldn't go on. Then the bolts ceased. He stopped and turned to see that this was true for them all. He narrowed his eyes and saw that in the closest one, the griffins were desperately trying to stop themselves from being killed.

The sudden stopping of the Wallarmbrusts led to two things. The first was the sudden high pitched whistle going off and the entire griffin crew headed straight back for their ship. The second was the pegasi from below sprinting as hard as they could towards the Heldenhaft, which wasn't all that fast with some of them carrying a large canine in tandem. Despite his orders being fulfilled, Thunderbolt decided to help the boarding party and proceeded upwards into the sky. He spotted a griffin flying at an angle who didn't see Thunderbolt coming up from below. In seconds the griffin's head was separated from his body as the blade struck true in an upwards attack. With that, Thunderbolt leaned backwards and dropped straight towards the deck where he spotted a griffin shouting orders.

The griffin saw Thunderbolt charging and in an impossible motion parried the blade, but his velocity was too quick and before he could react, the pegasus collided with him. Hard.

Rolling to a stop, he groaned and rubbed his head. The fight was vicious. The griffin stood up groggily and Thunderbolt wasted no time. Taking the dagger in his left foreleg, he quickly leaped onto the griffin's back and stabbed him twice in the back and sliced through his wing. Even after this, the griffin tossed him aside and stood tall, ready for more. Thunderbolt stood up and growled, admiration and respect flooded his body. Still, this was a fight to the death, and the pegasus spread his wings open to look as intimidating as possible. A tactic he had learned as a Watu. Fear was their greatest ally.

The griffin, obviously, felt no fear for the pegasus in front of him and drew up a short axe.

Thunderbolt felt something sting his flank. He knew it was a bolt, maybe a quarrel, but he didn't care. Right now the most dangerous griffin on that airship for him was standing right there. Guess it was time to show the griffins just how dangerous a Watu can really be.

"Come on! Come on!" Bones shouted. "We're missing all the fun and explosions!"

"Shut up, Bones!" Fire Fly retorted.

"Go, go, go! Let's go! Stabby, stabby!" Bones said cackling in that sadistic way.

"I'm going as fast as I can! I'm not ready to die, okay? We can't just fly in a straight line!" Fire shouted back, annoyed at Bones' lack of common sense.

"Then hurry up!" Bones whined, as if he were a colt.

"Shut up, Bones!"

Suddenly the blue pony lunged forwards making the pegasus stop as a natural reaction. Fire was about to say something when a shield was brandished in front of him. A series of impossibly fast knocks was heard as a Wallarmbrust barrage brushed across them in pursuit of another pegasi. A Watu. Unable to see, Fire kept on going straight.

Bones peered over the shield and saw that the bottom of the Heldenhaft was coming up on them pretty quickly. "You're headed right for the hull!"

"Get that thing out of my face!" Fire retorted.

Bones obliged and at once the pegasus came to a sudden halt nearly sending the pony on his back over him.

Just then she felt a crushing blow shove him downwards a few feet and Fire look up to see Bones holding the same shield above his head as if protecting himself from the rain. Fire caught a glimpse of where the blow had come from and saw that a griffin held an axe and was pursuing them. Bones raised his shield again and the clash of the weapon and shield met with a near deafening crash.

The griffin was barely pushed back. He came on them once again, pulling the weapon to his side as the pegasi backed off to get some space between the two. Bones swung the shield again in front of his face and another loud clang echoed as the two ponies were pushed back from the impact. The griffin had both strength and momentum on his side and was using it to his full advantage.

"Get out of here!" Bones urged.

"With pleasure!" Fire replied, and turned over and flew away in an attempt to put some distance between them and the griffin.

"Move! Move, move, move!" Bones shouted excitedly. "He's gaining!"

"Shut up, Bones! I can't fly that fast with you on my back!"

"Are you telling me to jump off?" Bones asked.

Thinking it was sarcasm, Fire shouted, "Yes!"

His heart stopped beating when he felt his back suddenly get a whole lot lighter. Stopping, he turned around to see Bones slam into the griffin that was keeping up with them. It was strange to see Bones fighting him the way he did. A flightless creature like him was literally clinging onto the beast like a newborn infant. In any other situation, it would have been hilarious to see, but if Bones slipped the outcome would have been dire. Not that the blue pony would have cared. That morbid optimism creeped him out, but then again who wouldn't be put off? Still, Bones was one of them, and he wasn't about to let him die. But then again Bones dying seemed like an impossibility.

Bones had somehow managed to get on the griffin's back. He said something to the creature that made it freeze in mid-flight. Whatever Bones said, it was clear that the griffin was unable to believe what he had heard. It only took a second before Bones pushed his sword through the back of the griffin and leaped into the air.

Fire rushed forwards and gently caught Bones on her back as she descended gradually to reduce the impact.

"Thanks!" Bones shouted over the wind.

"Anytime!" She replied. "Hey, Bones, what'd you say to him?"

"Her!" he shouted back. "It was a she-griffin. I told her that I was about to penetrate her."

Fire's face felt like it was on fire. "You did what?"

"I told her-"

"I know what you said-" Fire stopped herself. Penetrate. Of course. Bones isn't the kind to think of that kind of thing. Not with his well-known fetish with bovines. Fire wanted to groan, but this was way too morbid for a joke. Bones to a tee. "You're crazy, Bones."

"So I've been told."

Before either could speak, yet another griffin came at them. This one spun in a corkscrew as Bones fumbled with his crossbow and fired, missing the agile creature. This griffin had a crossbow of his own and fired a bolt towards them. Fire dove and swerved to the side and down in an effort to avoid the bolt as it whizzed by her face. She turned back to see over her shoulder. Again, like before, the griffin was gaining on them.

"Get to the airship!" Bones shouted and fired a bolt.

The griffin easily moved to the side and the stray projectile quickly vanished into the chaos behind them. Just then Fire screamed and Bones looked up to see the blade of an axe bearing down on them. Bones just got his shield up in time as the axe struck, the force sending them downwards. The griffin was incredible. In each limb it held a weapon. A great short-handled axe in his left rear talon, a spear in his left forearm, a shield on the right, and a strange wavy dagger in the right rear talon. On his back was shoulder armor with long gray stripes through it and a skullcap on his head had a symbol that any creature would know. Even more famous than the fabled Watu, this was the most dreaded of all elite fighting forces. This was a Zerstörer. Born for the sole purpose of slaying any that threatened their Empire, especially the Equestrian Guards. It was said that one of these was equal to an Equestrian Combat Group. Perhaps a misconception as a Combat Group usually consisted of eight Guards working together. That was with the exception of the Border Guard, where eight of them together was sometimes a very rare sight. Most who wore the red plume went around alone and in pairs on rare occasions. That was, of course, excluding those who remained aboard the airships, who patrolled the borders with unabating vigil.

"Look out!" Bones shouted as he stood up and raised the shield just in time as the axe struck down.

Fire felt Bones push on her wing and she saw from the corner of her eye the strange dagger stab through the air. She twisted around and Bones leaped off of her and in a dive. The pegasus did not think and dropped along with him, flying along side him as she felt him grab her mane and pull himself back onto her while she let out a muffled cry in pain.

"Sorry!" Bones shouted and turned back to see the griffin give up him pursuit of them. "He's slowing down! Let's get back on that ship before something else surprises us!"

"Good idea!"

They once again sent the two of them fluttering carelessly for a bit before Fire caught herself and steadied her fall. She opened her wings and pushed trying to gain some breathing space, but again the Zerstörer was almost on top of them. How in Celestia's name did he move so fast?

"Bones! Do something!"

Without thinking, Bones turned and fired a quarrel. The griffin blocked it with his shield and used his spear to knock it off before the spell could ignite. The tip exploded below them in a burst of fire. Bones automatically reloaded and fired again.

"You missed!" Fire screamed.

"Did I?" Bones said grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes! You did! Completely! The thing has gone behind-"

Before she could finished her statement, the quarrel behind the griffin exploded. A surge of wind pushed out violently and the Zerstörer turned around to meet with the sudden wall of air. He expertly recovered from the wind imbued magic quarrel and turned to face the two ponies again, but they had gone. He let out a squawk of anger and frustration as the two closed the remaining distance towards the airship.

The two made towards the airship, keeping at the height of the banister. As they drew closed they could already see spells exploding and bolts being fired in random directions as griffin fought against pony and canine. The battle on the deck was chaotic, the griffins kept trying to land, but those that did were met with the aggressive ferocity of the canines, and those that did not were being fired upon by the ponies. It was a strange mix of defenders attacking and attackers defending. Bones shuddered with excitement.

"Ready to die?" he shouted to no one in particular. "Because it's a great day to do so! I mean night. Great night."

"Go get 'em, Bonesy," Fire shouted.

"Aye, aye!" the pony shouted, leaped off his friend over the rail, some of the combatants in a mortal struggle and came to a rolling stop just in front of a griffin. The griffin looked down, a mixture of hatred and disgust in his eyes at being touched by him. Bones' eyes lit up and a sadistic smile spread across face. "Hi, I'm Bones! And I'm here to kill you!"

Fire fell away, she was exhausted, and headed towards the Lipizzan, her job done, she needed some time to recuperate.

Author's Note

Heldenhaft - Valiant.

Mission 2, Part 12: The Taking of the Heldenhaft

The captain of the Heldenhaft watched as the ponies boarded his ship. He watched as his beloved crew fell to their pathetic weapons and their blasphemous magic. Only the holiest can cast such power, and his King and Emperor was the only living being allowed to do such things. Sadly, his power was busy holding the pony evil at bay with their demon-witch they call Celestia ever trying to use her malignant influence to pollute the Gryphon Empire. No! He would not allow it. The pony slaves were free and he meant to sink them and their ship to the bottom of the ocean. Death was what they deserved.

Then again, how had it come to this. The ponies were swarming them like bees from a kicked hive. The Eleonora was crippled, they had seen it happen from a distance. Who could miss such a show? Explosions, lights, even a battle, yet here they were. They had expected to come up on a defenseless ship, to take it without any issue. Yet here they were. United. Perhaps they had seen a common enemy and took to allying themselves before getting back to senselessly butchering each other. The captain remembered his childhood days and the tales he had heard. Ponies eating their young, killing their old, enslaving others before them. Barbaric race. They had no to rule over a nation, let alone worship their witch. They were unclean, impure, and evil. Only the Gryphon had the right to command the life of those inferior to himself. Only the Gryphon was superior to others.

"Captain, many of the crowbait are headed towards the reactor," one of the crew stated.

"Make sure that they do not succeed in freeing the assets."

"Yes, captain. What about the main deck, sir? We are losing control of it."

"Leave it. Reinforce the hold. It is clear that these fools think that they stand a chance of capturing this vessel." The captain laughed and shook his head. "Their magic benefits them in open combat. We draw them into the narrow passages beneath where our bolts have a better chance at claiming them. If they get past our defenses... we have other measures."

The captain eyed a large red leaver behind the First Mate's post. On it were the letters REE. Reactor Emergency Ejector. If they should be able to get past all the Kämpfers, then abandoning the ship was the last resort option. Pulling that leaver would eject the main reactor core sending it straight down towards the ocean. Or in this case, into the Eleonora. It was doubtful that it would actually harm the large ship, but the gryphons were blessed with the ability to stand on the clouds, a gift to their race by their benevolent King, who had given this magic to his children even as his powers were being fully utilized in pushing the Equestrian threat at bay. The skies here were proof of that. The pony's queen witch whom they worshiped by sacrificing the young of other races, especially Gryphons, deserved a long and painful end for the suffering. The crowbait witch had caused the Gryphon King and his ancestors nothing but heartache for all these long centuries.

"Where is the Zerstörer?" the captain asked.

"He is butchering them under the ship, sir, as I wish I were."

"Then ask him to come back. They are not after sinking the ship. They wish to take it for their own. Perhaps he should take a contingent of ours down there and take the ship below. Then we can blow this one from the skies." One did not order a Zerstörer. Only those of the Royal line or the senior most of the admiralty could issue orders to these chosen ones.

"Captain, your words are both wise and true. You must have the Royal blood in your veins," the crew member stated bowing low.

"The words you speak are insincere, but I shall not hold it against you. You are ignorant of my birth and being associated with our Royal line is almost blasphemy for one such as myself," the captain replied. "Go. Give my orders."

This, of course, was the custom. It was not the appropriate place to exercise it, but the respect of the Royal blood came even at the price of one's soul. None could stand idly by and allow custom not to follow. Without custom they would be nothing more than barbarians, like these crowbait. Without custom they didn't deserve to have a king as wonderful and as kind natured as their divine King. They were nothing like these crowbait, these inferior creations. These blasphemous monstrosities whose very existence was the bane of all who lived.

"Move, move, move!" Cinder yelled as he led the way towards the lower decks. He hated this. The griffins seemed to know every time they were about to turn the corner. They had lost several of them to the bolts, but it was the canines that seemed to be taking the brunt of the losses. Their over-eagerness had let to plenty of them running straight into a wall of griffin crossbows. He couldn't help but feel a little pity for them, but he could not dwell on it too much. In battle, the slightest hesitation or hint of pity were enough to get you killed.

"Bolts!" a yelled came just as a unicorn and a dog dove back for the corner.

On the opposite wall a series of dull thumbs echoed as the barrage missed the two and embedded themselves on the far wall.

"Quick! Fire back!" Cinder shouted.

The unicorn nodded, peered around the corner and fired a shot. He leaned back and started to reload just as Cinder reached him.

"How many are there?" Cinder asked.

"Three, but there were at least six when me and the mutt peered around the corner."

"Mutt name is Rocko. Rocko good dog."

"Yes, yes. You're a good boy. Saved my flank, you did." The unicorn reached over and patted the creature. He wagged his tail and looked so disappointed when he stopped. "The others could have taken cover and are reloading."

"How far till we reach the reactor room?" Cinder asked.

He was unfamiliar with capturing a vessel like this. Sure, he knew the theory. Take the reactor, you take the ship. Without the reactor, a ship like this could not fly. Not like the pirate's balloon ship, which this unicorn was a part of. This airship ran on magic and could pull weights many times heavier than the old fashioned balloon method. There were disadvantages and advantages to each, which was why both were still very much employed in service. Most long voyage ships used balloons, but most of the heavy ones, like this one, carried a reactor. The main problem was that a team of unicorns had to use their magic to charge their reactor at regular intervals, and the fact of the matter was the griffins had no unicorns so how could they get a behemoth like this to float?

"So, Watu. What do we do?" the unicorn asked Cinder as he looked back to see that they were very much alone.

Cinder cursed himself. The others must have gotten lost, or was it they who got lost? He looked at the unicorn. "Call me Cinder. That is my real name."

"Real name? Why? They give you a nickname in the Watu?"

"Yes. We're all given... 'dark' names in the Watu to instill fear. Mine is Soulless."

"Soulless?" The unicorn actually laughed. "That is pretty cool, you know. Name's Gray."

"It is?"

"Well then, Gray, Rocko, we're alone out here, and we may be the only ponies -- and dog," Cinder added before the dog could open his mouth, "capable of securing that reactor room. So, we're going to charge out there and take it by force!"

"There's one small hitch to your plan, Cinder."

"Oh? That is?"

The unicorn sighed. "The drop system. The griffins have it in case the unicorns inside don't listen and cause trouble. They drop the core and the ship crashes down right on top of them. It's happened before."

"How do you know that? You've taken a griffin ship before?" Cinder asked, his eyes wide open.

Gray smiled. "Something like that. Look, if you want to survive this, we've got to disable that mechanism first. To do that, we need to go where the lever connects with system."

"The lever? You mean the source of the switch? Let's take it down! Disable it!"

Gray shook his head, "Not unless you want to fight the captain and the rest of his personal bodyguard. If only Bones were here. No, we go below the bridge and find the wires or whatever and short them out or cut them. Sound good?"

"Sounds great! You lead." Cinder gestured with his hoof back the way they came.

Gray blinked. "Uh..."

"Go on... wait. Wait! You don't know where to go?" Cinder all but screamed.

"Nope," the unicorn replied quietly.

"But I thought you said..." Cinder chose to ignore it. His brain had to concentrate on other things. "Fine. I guess we'll just have to search every nook and cranny. Follow me!"

Rocko looked at two of them. "Nose knows. I smell. Will help. Need..." he made a growling sound and gestured with his paws.

"A," Cinder imitated the canine right down to his paw gestures with an upturned sound at the end denoting a question.

The dog nodded quickly. "Yes, yes!"

"You understand what he's trying to say?" Gray asked looking at the Watu with renewed respect in his eyes.

"Not at all."

Gray slammed his hoof against his face.

Bones was having such a wonderful time. He grinned as he attacked the enemy, laughed as he pierced them with his javelin, chuckled as he lobbed his daggers and giggled as they lay gurgling on the deck floor. In fact, a lot of griffins became acutely aware of the blue pony and many of them began to back away from him. His skill was unmatched by those there and it seemed no matter what they threw at him, he would come back for more. The Watu, familiar with the ethics of battle, rallied to him and with their masks side by side seemed like an endless tide of death. They used fear to push into the newly forming griffin line and started to push them back towards the bridge.

Just when things were going right, the entire line stopped in their tracks and two Watu placed their hooves on Bones' shoulders.

Bones stopped and looked. The griffins had backed up right up to the bridge and above them standing in a row were a line of crossbows pointed straight at them. This was not something that the pirate was used to and he laughed as he raised his shield in front of his body. The other Watu followed suit and waited.

"Behind!" A call yelled, and the rear Watu responded as another line of griffins came in from behind them.

"Incoming!" another yell was heard followed the the dull sounds of wood and metal being struck as a volley of bolts hit the shields.

"We're caught!" A Watu noted. "We're caught from both sides!"

"Watch the flanks!" Another stated.

"Above!"

Shields went up in the nick of time as a group of griffins fired a salvo at the line below them. The Watu, crew and the others were not used to fighting like this. This was not longer a brawl. It had evolved into an organized battle, and the griffins were showing that they had the know-how to carry off the appropriate maneuvers at the right time.

"What do we do?" a voice called out.

"They're cutting us down!"

"We're done for!"

Bones gripped despite their situation. "Well, when in doubt, kill!"

And he charged into the griffin lines ahead of him. The griffins above the bridge fired a second volley towards the single pony rushing towards them and one bolt seemed to pierce his side, but on he came straight into their lines. As soon as the griffin and pony touched shields, the ship lunged to one side in a steep bank.

The Watu, canines and some of the griffins fell and some even went over the edge of the airship, but the pony crews compensated naturally and attack violently trying to get to that crazy pony alone ahead of them. They needed to break the lines, break the organized method of the griffins.

"That wasn't it!" Gray shouted at Cinder as he replaced the lever.

At once the ship lunged back to its level position the three of them standing back on the flooring.

"This one?" Rocko asked and grabbed one of the secondary levers and pulled.

The ship tilted forwards and they soon felt the airship descending quite rapidly towards what they assumed was the ocean. Hoping it was the ocean.

"Put it back! Put it back!" Gray and Cinder yelled in unison.

The dog obliged seconds later, the sudden shift making the entire airship shudder as it leveled out in slowly.

While Gray was shouting at the canine, who was lowering his head and putting his tail between his legs, Cinder noticed something strange about the way one of the joins was shaking. He narrowed his eyes and approached the object in question. A red colored pipe when straight up, and from here went along the corridor and took a sharp left at the end of the hallway. He turned towards Gray who had stopped shouting at Rocko and pointed.

Gray nodded. "That's got to be it. We need to cut it."

"How?"

"I don't know!" Gray retorted, still angry that the dog had nearly killed them all.

"Rocko smash!" the dog stated. Before Gray could stop him, the dog extended his paw and with long, diamond-hard claws, sliced through the mechanism in a series of powerful blows. After that, the dog inspected his work, then his claw. "Rocko paw is broke."

It most certainly was. The dog whimpered a little bit and Gray felt terrible and he took a piece of cloth from his satchel and tied it expertly around the wound. "Keep this on and stay close to us. When we get back to the Eleonora, I'll get one of the docs to look at it, okay?"

"Yes... alpha."

"A-a-a-a-alpha? m-m-me?" Gray thought about it. "You know what? Why not? I've always wanted a pet."

Cinder smirked. "A diamond dog? You've always wanted a pet diamond dog?"

"Well... no, but I'm not complaining. There, there. I'm going to take good care of you," Gray said petting the humungous brute. "But until then, you've got to keep up and make no sound, okay?"

"Yes, alpha."

"So, now what?" Cinder asked looking from Gray to Rocko. "If the mechanism is really cut, then we're done, right? We can sit back and wait until the rest of the Watu take the ship."

"Wrong." Gray turned to look down the hall. "There's one more thing we've got to do, and we've got to do it now."

"What's that?" Cinder asked following Gray as he started walking.

"We've got to save some ponies."

Cinder did not know what he meant, but judging from the way Gray was acting, he decided not to question it. Right now the best thing he could do was stick with them. Together they would be a lot safer than if they split up. Not only that, Rocko had proved to be invaluable, and despite one of his paws out of action, he still had his other foreleg and that extremely powerful jaw.

On they ran, down one corridor, then another, all the while keeping the red piping in sight. Suddenly they came around the corner, only to have Rocko scoop the both of them up, one in each foreleg and dove back down the ally with a yelp. Gray immediately pulled Rocko behind the alley's corner and checked. About four bolts were deep in his flank.

"You alright, Rocko?" Gray asked quietly.

The dog just whimpered.

"I-is it serious?"

Cinder checked. "It's deep. I think it'll be bad if we tried to pull them out here. It'd cause too much blood loss. We'll need to get him back to the infirmary or something."

"Hear that, boy? You'll be as good as knew!"

"I didn't-"

Gray gave a look to Cinder that would have frozen stone. He almost stumbled back, and making a Watu stumble was a rare talent.

"You'll be just fine," Gray intoned. "Stay here."

Rocko looked at Gray then lay his head down with a resigned whimper. "If alpha says."

"What now?" Cinder asked still a little annoyed at being silenced the way he was.

"We're in the reactor room. They've fortified their positions, which means that the bridge is likely under attack. Just because we cut the lines from the primary core to the bottom doesn't mean they can't release the reactor."

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but... why?" Cinder asked. "It makes no sense! Why would you release the only thing that keeps the ship afloat?"

"You have no idea how much the griffins hate our kind. They believe we eat our young and that we are creatures that know nothing except how to kill, murder, maim. All that good stuff." Gray laughed humorlessly.

"What?" Cinder asked. He had fought with griffins before, but he never gave it any thought. They were the enemy and it was his job to kill them no matter what. To actually think about what went on inside their heads did not even cross the young stallion's mind. "That's... ignorant!"

"You have no right to speak, Watu."

Cinder bit his tongue. That was the second time this stallion had shut him up. He would have killed him for less if he were a fellow Watu, but something stayed his blade. He wondered why that was, but he also knew that some part of him he had respected the older pony. If a diamond dog called him an alpha then he couldn't be that bad.

"Well, we're stuck here until we can find someway to slip past them," Cinder pointed out.

"I know! I'm trying to think of something. Anything..."

Suddenly there was a shout, followed by the sounds of bows being fired and a huge clash. Gray and Cinder took a peek to see what the commotion was and found that from the other side a group of Watu had managed to press right up and against the griffin line protecting the reactor. They rushed in quickly, the volley from the griffins ricocheting off of the shields brandished in front of them.

"Come on!" Gray whispered and quickly trotted towards the nearest griffin who was looking at the attacking Watu with keen interest.

Cinder followed Gray and sneaked up on the unsuspecting griffin and a quick twist of his blade he fell in a heap at his hooves. Gray in the meantime had made his way over to one of the hatch doors and looked around. He frowned and crouched low trotting towards Cinder.

"What's wrong now?" Cinder whispered harshly to be heard over the commotion taking place a few dozen paves away from them on all sides. "Just open that door and let's get out of here!"

"That's not our mission. We're here to capture this ship and we can't do that if the drop system is still active and not secure."

"Didn't we break it?"

"We broke the one connected to the bridge, not the one that's here for the last line of defense to use in case things head south."

"Fine. Where is it?" Cinder asked looking around hoping to spot something.

"I don't know. It's been a while since I've been on one of these," Gray muttered the last part to himself.

They search until Gray yelled, "There! That's it!"

Cinder eyes narrowed themselves and he placed a hoof on Gray's shoulder. "There? How are we supposed to get all the way up there? There's not a pegasi here!"

Gray shook his head. "That's the trouble with you Watu. You always give up too quickly."

As he spoke those words, Gray undid the hook where the dead griffin had latched his crossbow and searched through the deceased's quiver until her found a light blue tipped quarrel with the emblem and symbol of the Griffin Empire on it. A dark looked flashed across the eyes of the older unicorn that Cinder could not miss even if he had wanted to. There was a lot of anger in those eyes.

Gray aimed the crossbow up at the button and fired. The bolt struck the underside of the platform and exploded in a ball of ice that enveloped the surroundings of the button. He loaded a second round but a bolt whizzed by his head as he dodged to the right in the nick of time.

"Hold them off," Gray ordered.

"You have got to be kidding!" Cinder replied and looked at the cautiously advancing griffins. "We're outnumbered and I don't have a weapon."

"Improvise!" Gray muttered as he loaded another ice quarrel.

Looking around, Cinder looked for something that he could use against the advancing griffins. There was nothing of obvious usability in his general vicinity. There was nothing he could do except pretend. He stuck his head out of the hiding place and pointed the hilt of his sword at them and which got them all to dive behind some nearby alcoves in an attempt to avoid getting shot.

When nothing happened, a couple griffins poked their head out of hiding and looked. Cinder made a quick jerk with his hoof and the griffins all dove behind their respect hiding places again. Thinking during a battle was sometimes detrimental to the overall potential success of a mission. Manipulating your opponents was a skill that few could do, and when it does happen it usually was because of dumb luck and Cinder was counting his lucky stars.

The second quarrel exploded on impact and a thinker sheet of ice formed over the button.

"Stop them! They're sabotaging the Drop Unit!" The commander shouted trying to maintain control of the line of the masked murderers charging their lines from the aft. Unlike most of his fellow Gryphons, he did not buy into ponies being the ruthless savages that they make them out to be. No, he had lived through too much and seen more than his share of what went on beyond the storm barrier that was the boundary of the kingdoms. "Go on!"

"He's got a crossbow!"

The commander growled. "There's a dozen of you cowards here! If one of you dies, who cares? Would you rather live and forever be remembered as the Gryphon who hid from a single crowbait because they held a crossbow?"

The young zealots stood up at once and charged without a second thought. Easy to manipulate brainless, unthinking creatures such as them. It was a shame that they were so blind to the reality around them. Even after all this time, their delusional captain had made zero attempts at securing the reactor room. The ponies had even disabled the last resort mechanism from the bridge and the only one left was the lever being shot at with ice quarrels by two stray ponies who had somehow appeared from the starboard hall.

The commander expected that the pony would kill one or two of the charging Gryphons who didn't even have the common sense to hold their shields out in front of them. That was why he hated rookies. What took him by surprise was what came out of the same hallway the ponies had come from moments later.

Dogs. No, that's not right. Just one dog. A big one.

It took the three Gryphons by surprise and it tore through them with its massive paws and bone crushing teeth. It reached out and caught one of the Gryphons by the leg and swung him around like a club smashing others with brutal ferocity.

"Form a line!" The commander shouted.

Ten Gryphons at once formed the line, knelt and aimed at their quarry.

"Fire," The commander said in a tone that seemed to border on boredom.

The pony, the one with the crossbow and quarrels, let out a cry of anguish and the other one flew over to the dog and pulled him behind a high barrier just in time before his line of crossbows were ready. The commander gave the sign for some of the other Gryphons to come and flank them but it was too little too late.

Moments later the ship lunged to one side sending everybody sprawling to the deck floor. Moments later is leveled off and a loud grinding sound echoed through the reactor room. At once the commander knew what it was and stood atop the highest point nearest to him. With a loud voice he yelled: "Don't let them take this ship! Pull that lever!"

"Oh come on!" Gray shouted as his quarrel didn't do anything. He heard a noise and turned to see ten griffins aiming towards him. He let out a cry of horror before he felt his legs give way and he fell to the floor in a heap as the bolts whizzed on overhead. Cinder had kicked his legs out from under him, saving his life.

"T-thanks."

"Don't thank me just yet! We aren't out of this!"

They saw a number of the young griffins running towards them at breakneck speeds. Cinder reached for the crossbow, but Gray was already aiming it towards the lever above them once again. A feeling to dread filled Cinder's bowels. Was he really going to sacrifice his life? For what? The mission? No. Cinder understood. Unlike with the Watu who watched out for their own skins, this was about the bigger picture. They could not afford to let the airship crash. It wasn't about the mission; it was about survival.

Gray fired. The quarrel exploded, and the griffins were nearly on top of them.

Cinder stood up and drew his blade and placed the mask over his face. If he was going to die, then he was going to make them remember him.

Just then a loud growl followed by the heavy sounds of footsteps erupted to their left. Even Cinder flinched and prepared to face the incoming threat when he let out a cry. Out of the dark hall came Rocko, his fangs bared and his claws stretched out and open. He seemed to ignore the pain in his the broken paw and he rushed into the line of ill-fated griffins. The group he crashed into stood no chance. With the element of surprise, he had carved his way through the line by crushing, biting, tearing and slashing the line that had formed when the griffins advanced. It was a perfect flanking maneuver.

Cinder stood up and gave an approving roar.

"Get down!" Gray called out as the griffin commander shouted something.

A volley of bolts hit the canine square on the side, but that was not all. Seconds later two of them erupted in a ball of hot fire as the quarrels ignited. A sickening stench of burnt flesh wafted into the air, and the canine whimpered as he stumbled and collapsed where he stood in agony.

"Rocko!" Gray screamed and made to go for the dog, but he was over taken by Cinder who used his speed to fly to the canine.

Cinder spat in both his hooves and pulled Rocko by his good paw, his wings beating like those of a hummingbird's, and he pulled the dog until he was safely protected behind a solid, paneled railing. Just in time too, it seemed as the griffins were starting to advance again. Things were looking bleak as the line advanced slowly and cautiously. The griffins kept watching the hallway, looking out for any potential ambushers.

Suddenly the ship shifted violently to the side, tilting at an unusual angle causing everyone to stumble or fall. Gray had managed to load his crossbow and took the opportunity to stand, since he was used to these violent movements aboard the Lipizzan who did not have the luxury of resisting extreme angles like a normal manna powered airship. He knew what had happened, experience had told him as much. The bridge must have been taken. The griffins had lost control of the airship and, in normal circumstances, the battle would have been over now. However, this was no pony ship and the griffins held pride much higher than life when it came to priorities.

Gray turned and saw the commander staring up at the ceiling. It was as if he were waiting for something. But what?

A loud bang echoed in the silence and everyone turned to see where the noise had come from. Somewhere down the hall the sound of metal slamming against metal echoed almost deafeningly. Nothing.

Now the griffin commander turned his head to look at Gray and both understood the circumstances of their situation immediately. The griffins would try to release the reactor core from the manual lever, something that the griffin commander had deliberately ignored as a threat. Now he understood why Gray was so intent on sabotaging it and the look on his face told as much. The only way to save the ship from the ponies was to sink her.

If there were only pegasi, it wouldn't have mattered. But there were unicorns, earth ponies, and all manner of sentient beings aboard. Slaves off all races were there, as were the canines.

"Protect that lever!" Gray roared and fired another ice bolt at the intended target in an attempt to let his allies know what he was referring to.

Never have pony, dog or griffin fought so hard for something so bland. The canines clawed for it, without the ability to fly they scaled the tall pole on top of which held a platform painted in red and yellow diagonal stripes. With their long arms wrapped around the pole as if it were a tree, the dogs made for the platform but were stopped as they came to it over their heads creating a practically impenetrable barrier as it was never intended to be used by non-flyers. Gray shouted at them to get down as they had made themselves easy targets for any griffin with a crossbow. But the griffins were uninterested in the canines, their focus was fully on throwing the lever on that platform.

Every available pegasi in that room and every unicorn defended pushed any griffin advance back as they swarmed the platform that held the lever. Unicorns, with their magic, teleported right on top of it and made their stand with shield and crossbow. As more ponies made their down into the lower decks, their ranks swelled and soon it was evident that the griffins stood no chance. Resigned to their to their fate, each threw down their weapon and lay down.

Gray rushed over to Rocko who whimpered as he raised his head to greet him. "Rocko tired. Sleep now?"

Swallowing hard, Gray looked forwards at a Watu who looked over the canine. He looked at the wound, the mask giving away no emotion whatsoever. Then the Watu's eyes looked forward and Gray saw a near imperceptible shake of the head and the Watu got up and walked towards the next of the wounded.

Funny how such a small movement could have so much weight behind it.

Despite their extremely brief encounter, the Gray couldn't fight the tears that formed in his eyes. This dog had risked his life for him. This dog had saved him. He had heard that a dog's loyalty and love were unparalleled, that no creature on land, sea or air could match that unquestioning faith and loyalty. That immeasurable love. Once a dog looked to you as their alpha, until they were released from their charge, they would follow them wherever they may go, even into a manticore's den.

"Yes, Rocko. You can sleep now. I'll join you later."

"We hunt, alpha?" Rocko asked.

"Yes. We'll hunt. Together. Promise," Gray whispered and stroked the massive head as he felt its weight rest on his hind legs. "We'll hunt together soon."

The dog's whimpering stopped as the breathing slowed down. The pain seemed to evaporate with each passing breath and, after a few more, it stopped altogether. One of the griffins in custody looked at this and said something in their native tongue. As to what it was, Gray didn't know nor care. All he wanted to do was continue to stroke his faithful dog's head in appreciation for his ultimate sacrifice. It seemed rather silly, actually, but he could not help it.

While Gray sat where he was, Cinder watched from where he stood. He and the others got ready for the next phase of the operation -- seizing the reactor core. The last and final part of taking the ship for their own.

Everything was a lie.

That was what it seemed to the young Gryphons who watched the gray pony stroking the large canine's head. It was clear that the dog had died from his wounds, but it wasn't the fact that the dog was dead that irked them. It was the kindness they saw. They were told that ponies were cruel, that they had no love for anything, not even each other. That they were barbaric and showed no mercy. That they ate their young and killed others without remorse. Yet here they were, sitting in a group while being watched by several other ponies, alive and unharmed. Prisoners. How were they prisoners to a race of brutal, bloodthirsty killers? They had surrendered and they were treated with dignity and respect. Although their crossbows were loaded and ready to be used at any time, they did not randomly attack them.

But it was the simple act of unquestionable love and kindness between the pony and dog that bothered them the most. It seemed too... contradictory to what they've been taught.

"He's... he's showing it kindness!" Auric blurted. "Am I seeing things? That crowbait showing kindness to the fleabag!"

"No. I can't believe it. They are merciless, ruthless monsters! They're keeping us here until we are cooked and eaten!" Hansh replied throwing himself to the ground in anguish. "We're doomed! Our dishonor will see to our deaths! We deserve to die for failing to protect this airship."

The commander smirked at the ignorance of the lower castes. They were so easily manipulated through their blind faith in their king. That worship that so easily commanded the masses. It was always a joke with the higher castes, that the lower ones would believe anything if the king or those of royal lineage told them something, and if they didn't believe it then they'd only have to raise them up a single caste rank and they'd sing a different tune. For the Gryphon, it wasn't money that they wanted, but to be as close to the royal family as possible. For those in the royal family was blessed with immortality -- so long as the princess died and their cursed influence no longer stole the Gryphon King's holy powers. The unholy witch siphoned the kings powers until the royal magic could no longer sustain him as he would rather his magic protect the children of his kingdom then preserve his life. He would pass on his duty to the next in line while he 'slept' to regenerate a new body, then he would come back again in a new vessel. In this way, the son and father would always rule over the Gryphon Empire.

It was incredibly ridiculous to think that so many believed in that story.

The commander watched as the ponies were staring at the reinforced hatch with mixed expressions. Most were clearly utterly clueless as to how to open it, while others stayed away. It was strange that something so common caused such fear bu, unlike the lower castes' fear of the ponies, their fear of this iron door was rational. They had no idea what lay them, nor did they wish to risk life and limb to open it.

Except for that gray stallion. The commander watched as he stopped stroking the dead fleabag, saying something in the pony tongue that made the others obey. It was clear that this pony was in charge, or did he take over from those who were in charge due to the sheer force of his presence. It seemed to be the latter as the other commanders, clearly denoted by the uniforms they wore, moved out of his way.

"They will open the reactor!" one of the other lower castes shouted.

"Keep calm," the commander stated. "No griffin will die if they open that hatch."

His words seemed to calm them as they waited and watched to see what was going to happen.

Gray felt the strange panel and pressed a few buttons. Of course the combination would be different, the mechanical locks were unique to each airship. The strange symbols seemed to mock him, to taunt him, to let him know that no matter what, no amount of guessing was going to open it. He turned to the griffin commander, the one that had ordered the others to fire upon Rocko, who lay peacefully on the floor.

"Open it."

The griffin replied something in his tongue, one that he did not understand.

"Open. It." Gray stated dangerously, putting his blade against the griffin's throat. "I know you can understand me. You're not like th others, you're not some mere underling. Open the door!"

The shout echoed in the reactor room.

"You didn't zay ze magic vord," the commander replied, his accent thick with the griffin tongue.

Gray stuck out his lower jaw, but complied. "Please. Please open the reactor door."

"Vhy? So you can kill all of us? I zink not."

"If we open it, we will let you and the rest of your kind go," Gray announced.

No one said anything to contradict him.

"Are you really auzorized to make zuch a promise?" the griffin asked skeptically. "You are not wearing za... how do you say, coztume?"

"Uniform."

Cinder appeared beside Gray. "Give us the code, griffin! Or you'll wish that-"

"Easy," Gray warned. "The others here won't know the code. Only he does."

"Let me have ten minutes with him. We in the Watu know how to break the his spirit. After all, aren't we the kind that eat our young and slaughter the weak?" Cinder shouted the last few words and placed the edge of his blade close to the griffin's throat.

The griffin pushed it aside casually. "Don't compare me to zees... lower class. I am not like zem. I know you need me. Zo, I vill help you if you spare my troops."

"Your troops?" Gray and Cinder asked.

"Zees, ones. Promise zis, and I vill give you ze code." The commander smiled politely. "Zhey are... innocent."

"Innocent?" Gray shouted slamming the griffin against the wall. "You killed my friend!"

The commander's eyes drifted to the dead dog lying on his side. "True, but zhen, you also killed much of mine, ja?"

"You don't consider them as friends! You griffins don't consider anything beneath your so-called birthright anything more than tools!" Gray shouted. "I know your mentality and how it works."

"Zhis is not up for negotiation. Accept, or spend the next month finding code yourself."

"I've already agreed and the others will honor it. What's the code?"

There was some confusion as to how to type the code into the system. It was strange, the mechanical lock snapped back into place whenever the wrong button was pressed, but each time it was right a distinct noise would echo inside from the room. Eventually the griffin himself typed it in and the door gave a dull thud as it lifted itself up a few inches to the floor level. Immediately there was a loud, hissing noise and steam or some form of vapor engulfed the area.

"Unicorns! On me!" Gray shouted. "You won't need your weapons."

At once the door swung inwards and nobody said a thing. A few dogs were whimpering quietly from their wounds, but apart from that, there was no sound. After a moment, Gray trotted into the door closely followed by Cinder. Several others followed after, curious as to see what was inside.

Bones ran his blade across the griffin captain's face. He was dead, of course. Bones had carved his way to him as soon as he spotted the uniform. A zealous mania seemed to have taken him when he saw the uniform and he utterly ruined the captain ruthlessly. The other Watu were right with him as the stormed the bridge, the battle was extremely heated. The extremely cramped space gave the griffins an advantage, but the boarding party had overwhelmed them.

The griffin captain had gone for the level that was supposed to drop the reactor, which Bones had completely forgotten about in his mindless frenzy, and threw it. Only after that did Bones seem to remember what he was supposed to do, and he executed the captain with savage glee.

Now all that they needed to do was secure the reactor core, and the fact that they were still airborne meant that they still had a chance. More and more Watu-led groups had headed into the interior and griffins were throwing their weapons down left, right and center. They had given up.

All save one.

It flew a few hundred feet to the starboard-aft level with the airships altitude. Untouched, unharmed, and still fighting the pegasi that swarmed around it, but none had the nerve to venture close to the Zerstörer, as the griffins had called it. It, because whatever it was did not seem to be a living, breathing being. It was a flying death trap.

"Why don't we just shoot that thing out of the skies?" One of the Watu asked, pointing towards the Zerstörer.

"Don't be silly!" Bones exclaimed, shaking his head and placing a hoof on the speaker's shoulder. "What fun would that be?"

"F-fun, sir?" The Watu gulped.

"Let's get his attention!" Bones stated excitedly. "Burn the griffin flag!"

No one moved. Did they really want to attract that being's attention to them?

"Bones. No. We don't want to attract his attention here, okay?"

"Aw! Why not?" the crazy pirate asked.

"Because we're trying to take this ship, and a fight between us and him wouldn't help. We need to find a way to get him to surrender somehow."

"But how?" Bones whined. "Can't we just kill him? Let's just use the cannons instead. It might be boring, but it'll also be kinda cool, wouldn't it? Pow! Boom! Bam! Bloody rain... ah, that would be something."

Everyone stared at the blue stallion with mixed expressions on their faces. Even the Watu with their masks froze where they stood.

"What? You know you want to see that!"

"No, Bones, no. We certainly do not want to see that! What in Celestia's name is wrong with you?"

"There's something wrong with me?" Bones asked, his head tilted slightly to one side.

Cinder froze in his tracks. He couldn't believe his own eyes and took off his mask to get a clearer look at the room he now stood in. It was a nursery. Shelves of dolls lined every cabinet, pink walls brightened the room and in the center was the manna reactor used to power the airship. The magical properties that it absorbed were send through to the engines via large pipes that let downwards in to the floor.

"W-what's going on here?" Cinder shouted in surprise.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like this before," Gray replied calmly. "Tell your Watu to stand guard here. Don't touch anything, understand?"

All Cinder could do was nod. This was like nothing he had ever faced before in his entire life. He barely even knew what he was looking at, the concept of a child's playroom was a completely foreign concept to him, although he understood that was what this was for. Perhaps that was why it was in the most vital and protected part of the airship. But it created more questions than it answered. What was it doing here? What was it for? He just couldn't even begin to guess. Truth be told, a part of him was actually excited about what he saw. He could barely remember his life before his parents were captured and sold, having sold themselves to buy Cinder's freedom. He saw toys that represented a part of his life he never had and up until this moment he never understood how cheated he actually was.

Ignorance is bliss, was the saying. How true in its most foulest of forms.

Gray said something and Cinder noticed two figures at the other end of the room. They seemed excessive fearful when they saw Gray, and seemed to be trying to get as far away from him as they could. They even trotted towards himself, but when they saw him with his mask on, they whimpered and turned and fled the opposite way.

"It's okay," Gray said gently holding his hoof out as if he were trying to call some nervous woodland creature. "We're not going to hurt you. You're safe now."

Neither of the unicorns looked very convinced despite his words and remained as far away as possible. He would have approached closer, but both of them seemed to get hostile whenever he did so. There was something not quite right about the unicorns, and Cinder could not help but take note of how they seemed both mystified and terrified at their presence.

"Why are they like that?" Cinder asked.

"That's a long story," Gray replied. "They're not used to seeing other ponies, let alone unicorns."

Cinder tilted his head slightly, confused by that statement. "Not used to it? But they are ponies. How can they be no used to it?"

"No all ponies are born on our continent, and not all ponies are born free," Gray shot back annoyed at the questioning.

That seemed to satisfy Cinder's curiosity. It explained everything, from the way they stole glances at them all, the way they seemed to fear them blindly, and the way they could barely speak their language. What life must they've had all this time? Cinder could not even begin to imagine.

They were whispering to each other standing in front of something and made sure that whatever it was remained safely behind them. Then, whatever it was seemed to peer between the legs of one of them and looked curiously at the growing audience forming around the entrance to the reactor.

It was a little griffin, a child, no more than a few years old. It looked at them with eyes full of curiosity and wonder. Obviously it had no fear of the large gathering forming and seemed intent on greeting the strangers in her room. That explained the toys. Why there were toys in a reactor room bothered Cinder to no end but now that the child was revealed, a new question formed in his mind. Why was there a kid in the reactor room? It was well known that manna reactors were harmless, the ambient magical energies did not have any adverse effects on a living creature's disposition, but why would they be locked inside one? What was this room?

It looks like a fortified prison of some sort.

Just then one of the unicorns said something, but Cinder nor Gray could understand what was said. They spoke in the griffin's local language.

"Bring the griffin commander here!" Gray shouted and knelt down in front of the mares.

His orders were obeyed and within the span of a minute the commander in question stomped into the room and it was clear he was very uncomfortable being there. He shifted nervously on his talons, rubbing his forearm, and licking his lips and kept looking back the way he came, gulping every few moments as he took a few more steps inside.

"What is this place? The unicorns being here I understand, but why this... daycare center?"

The commander looked at Gray. "To maintain absolute obedience from ze Zerstörer, absolute control is required. Ze best way to is making sure that ze Zerstörer has to stay protective of airship. Is vital."

"I... don't understand what he's getting at," Cinder confessed.

"Hostage. The little griffin is a hostage."

"Yez! Hostage." The commander gulped. "We must go. Ze Zerstörer will come and she vill not be very happy zeeing ze door open..."

No sooner had those words left his mouth when a tumultuous cry erupted from outside the door.

"Stand down!" Gray shouted. "Stand down! Fighting's over!"

There was a series of shouts, but it seemed to calm down and before long a griffin bedecked in full armor stepped inside the reactor room. Instantly the unicorns bowed and threw themselves upon the floor as the Zerstörer stood before them all. It was strange seeing this armored powerhouse standing there unarmed.

Weapons at the ready, none made a movement.

Save the little child. The little griffin ran past the ponies and straight into the Zerstörer's embrace. The two unicorns inside the reactor gasped in horror at this and said something in the griffin's tongue, but neither tried to stop nor do anything to prevent the two from embracing. In fact, the Zerstörer seemed to take a step back away from the child. When the young griffin's forearms wrapped themselves around the gauntleted foreleg, the image of a stalwart killer evaporated and, as the helm was removed, an image of a happy mother took its place. The transformation was so sudden and completely different that Cinder wondered if the two were suddenly switched. Still, the metal plate separated the child's touch from its mother.

"Explain!" Gray demanded.

The commander rubbed the back of his head. "The Zerstörer is... not considered... like us. They are... how do you zay? Purposeless? Zhere only function is protecting ze ship from-"

"From us. They used her child as a hostage to make sure that she would never stop protecting the ship. Ever. She'd also stay within an acceptable proximity to the ship," Cinder stated.

"Well... in part, yes. Zhe lies told. Zhe daughter has... disease, yes? Deadly. Only magic can protect. Save. Excuse to put her inside reactor. Unicorns bring up child, child is safe. Slaves born through lies. Told zat zhe ponies all died out, that zhe air outside reactor is... deadly. All ponies dead, that zhey are last."

"Protect the ship and in exchange, 'protecting' her child with magic from the reactor? It is genius. A perfect form of control," Cinder stated. It was brilliant. He, of course, did not understand the cruelty behind the method. What was family to a Watu? The concept was an idea that was too foreign to have any impact, but every Watu knew how important it was to Equestrians. Seemed it was equally important to the griffins.

The Zerstörer said something angrily, but the commander ignored her.

"Told zat ze child, if the mother touches, will die. Lies. All lies." The commander turned to the Zerstörer and said something. At once the griffin threw off her armor armor and hugged the child viciously, caressing it and smothering it with the kind of love only a parent could give. Only a mother could give. The unicorns, seeing this, burst into tears of joy and ran up to the Zerstörer and all three of them shared in their tears of joy.

Family. They were a family.

The commander turned his head away. "First time since hatchling was laid that mother touch."

Cinder growled. "That's barbaric!"

"Fresh coming from a Watu like you," Gray replied. "I didn't know you knew what the word barbaric meant."

Cinder opened his mouth to retort, but the pirate had a point. He thought about making a new argument when he was distracted by a soft and gently touch on his flank. "It seems barbaric."

"Tell the... Zerstörer that she is free to go wherever she wants, that we will give her safe passage to where she needs to go. All we ask is that she frees these ponies and let us take the ship." Gray looked at the two mares. They had allowed their curiosity to get the better of them and one was touching Cinder on the head while the other looked on in great interest. "They cannot return to the griffin empire, that I will forbid. They might not remain with us on our respective vessels, but they are free ponies from now on. They are no longer your slaves."

There was a moment when the commander and the Zerstörer talked. Suffice to say, the Zerstörer was unimpressed by what she had learned. It was clear that these tactics were kept a secret from her and that she had been used all this time to protect a ship with her body never once contemplating about escape because of fear of her daughter's life. That explained everything that they had seen in this bizarre room.

Eventually, the reactor room was emptied. The toys and whatever could be moved out was taken by Watu who found the little toys incredibly entertaining. The little griffin was so happy to be able to hug its mother than it didn't care nor make a fuss when the toys were being moved. The unicorns found it hard to convince themselves it was safe, and even when the door was wide open and the rest of the Watu were moving in and out, it took a long moment before either one would venture beyond the threshold of the doors. It actually took the Zerstörer to actually get them to leave the reactor room. They stayed close together, all four of them as they were escorted down the hall towards the stairs that led upwards to the deck.

"Why two mares?" Cinder asked as he watched them go.

"I don't think it was done intentionally. I think that they made a mistake. I think it was supposed to be a mare and a stallion, only that they couldn't tell them apart. I think that we've just discovered the fate of unicorns that are born into the griffin's empire from enslaved parents. Perhaps telling them it was their duty to reproduce to help preserve the species."

Cinder stopped. "They... brainwashed them into thinking they're the last? And kept them prisoner here?"

"I believe so. But let's not dwell too much on this. That's not our concern. We've got the ship, now we've got to find out what we're supposed to do with the prisoners."

"What happens if the newborn isn't a unicorn?" Cinder asked.

"Dunno," Gray replied and walked off.

Author's Note

crowbait - Horse derogatory word.
Zerstörer - Destroyer

The Search

Twilight walked across the stage and stood in front of an Equestrian flag fluttering in an artificial wind generated by her best friends Fluttershy and Rainbow, who were both using their wings just out of sight of the audience. Rainbow kept peering around the corner, she just couldn't grasp what she was seeing. Twilight had never, ever, ever summoned all her guards in one place before, and Rainbow doubted she would do so ever again, but now she just saw how many were under her direct command and she would have scarcely believed her eyes, that was if Twilight hadn't been wearing what she was.

Now, Rainbow was no stranger to eccentric dressing. Her taste and fashion sense was not the best and Rainbow realized that she relied quite heavily on Rarity to choose the most appropriate costume for the occasion. But Twilight in full Guard armor? Not only that, but traditional princess armor. Armor that was more flare than function. Not even Princess Celestia on the most formal military occasions wore armor like that. Still, as far as she was told, since Twilight liked to explain everything, this particular uniform was a unique style, designed to represent her namesake. That border between the sun and night. Deep purples and violets seemed to shimmer in a glossy cape which lay elegantly across her back. Along her hooves were white gold shoes that covered her up to her knees and a small symbol, an exact copy of her cutie mark were visible, was fixed on both sides of each ankle. Over her head she wore a helm with a huge plume that extended all the way till it nearly touched the floor. A bright silver hued metal stood out against the lavender plates, and covering the topside of her horn was a ornamental blade that seemed to glisten in the soft light. Perhaps the only thing that was really cool about the whole getup.

But what took the cake were the huge sunglasses that she, for some reason, decided to put on at the last minute. That and, instead of a traditional blade or some sort of weapon, she carried a crop instead. It just clashed so drastically with the armor that Rainbow found it hard to stifle a giggle and she let out a quiet snort and grunt as she tried to keep her voice a silent as possible.

Twilight ignored her friend and turned towards the guards. Her guards. All of them.

"Be seated."

There was a stomp of hooves and in a second every posterior was sitting down where they had stood mere moments before.

"Ponies, all this stuff you hear about Semper Pie coming to Ponyville, wanting to stay here for a few days, is true. We've all got a job to do. I know that you're all excited to meet this legend, but I ask you do listen. When you were kids, you all admired this champion of ponykind, his numerous feats, his acts of valor and the medals he's been awarded. The pony that has done so much for Equestria, a pony you all look up to, a pony that has spent most of his life in the Border Guard."

No a word or movement was made. Some of Twilight's guards had only heard that Semper was coming. Others had whispered the rumor of it. Now that it was made true, every single one of them could barely contain themselves. Not like fans for some famous musical idol, but because they were going to see and perhaps even meet a, as Twilight stated, legend. None of the Guard could refrain from turning their heads and looking at one another to reinforce that what they were hearing was true. Semper Pie was coming. Here. To Ponyville.

"You are not all going meet him. Maybe only two percent of you right here today would be lucky enough to shake his hoof. Every pony is scared when meeting a pony they respect so much. If he says he's not, he's a liar. But what we need are heroes, heroes to forsake their idolization. Some ponies will get over their fanboyism in a minute, some take an hour, and for some it takes days. But a Guard never lets his love of something overpower his honor, his sense of duty to their princess."

There were a series of nods. They knew what their princess was saying and they wholeheartedly agreed.

"All through your career you, my Guards, have whined about 'not being used properly', and 'we weren't trained for guarding a library'."

There were more than a few uncomfortable faces in the crowd.

"But that is all unimportant right now. To ensure that we find Semper before he arrives, we have to fan out and search every village, town, tree, rock and valley for ten miles 'round. This must be done with every Guard here. You are a team. You've lived, eaten, slept, and even trained as a team. I know you're all excited about meeting this hero, but please understand that every single one of you plays a vital role in helping me protect my friend. So don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Each one of you must think not only of themselves, but think of Pinkie laying in her hospital bed. We don't want Semper to come and hurt the sister he cares so much about any more than he already has. Please help me."

The Guards all nodded. This was what they were for. They were there to help their princess, to do the things she couldn't alone. This was a job they would see through.

Twilight then turned to the flag behind her and, using her magic, levitated a huge map across it. She explained where her Guards needed to be, where to set up checkpoints, where her pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies had to go. Everything was done with the precision and skill of a true military leader. It was amazing that Twilight had that kind of skill but, then again, her friend's well-being was on the line and she had always had a knack for organizing things.

"All right, everypony. You know what to do. Please find him, and if you think he could be elsewhere, please go. I grant you leave to do what you think is best, just let him know about Pinkie and tell him to come see me first. That's all. Dismissed."

At once the auditorium was alive with movement. Groups were formed with higher ranked Guards at their heads. Pegasi formations were already being formed outside the building with the intention of long range scans throughout the Equestrian countryside. They were going to spread out far to find Semper in time to inform him what their princess had declared.

"You think this will work, Twily?" Shining asked as he stood on the stage next to his sister.

Twilight let out a soft sigh. "It has to, BBBFF. It has to."

Author's Note

Crop - Riding crop (horse whip)

My apologies to Patton.

Mission 2, Part 13: The Desperate Escape

Wish glared at the maps in front of her. She could make out the red dots that marked other griffin airships in the distance. While the battle for the Heldenhaft was drawing to a close, her captain had enough sense to forsake his griffin pride and managed to send fire out the distress beacon in the final moments of the conflict before the bridge was taken. The ball of condensed magic seared into the night sky and a exploded in a bright red light over the airship. It might have been ignored if it weren't for two things: the anomaly in the chaotic clouds, which made it very, very visible, and the fact that the numerous conflicts that had already taken place on the Eleonora's deck had most probably attracted the attention of every living being that could see her. She had Blood to thank for that. His orders of turning on the massive searchlights would have given away their position.

But she had the Guard to thank for when it came to the overall damage done to the ship. The Eleonora could take a lot of punishment, even a gaping hole in the lowest decks. A testament to the builders who created such a sturdy vessel and its wondrous design.

As soon as the distress signal's light faded, every griffin airship maneuvered towards their bearing. They knew that they stood a chance against the hurt Eleonora. The damage on the deck could be seen for miles away and if they could get to her before she slipped into the chaos then the ship would get away. No sane airship captain would willfully navigate through those clouds. Flying over it was an option, but the winds made that a dangerous venture as well. There were sporadic patrols on both the equestrian and griffin sides of the border, but both sides knew that should an attack come, it would never be through here. History had told of an attempt many centuries before, only a few ships made it through. Not enough to cause a threat and the entire event became a footnote in Equestrian history. However, griffin propaganda told a different tale of how an Equestrian witch had wiped out the entire force, or some such nonsense, with her evil pony army.

"What's the status of that airship!" Wish shouted again making the pirate captain flinch.

"Almost ready, sir. The reactor is ours and the prisoners are being transferred there as we speak," came the response along the custom made communication tube from the newly captured Heldenhaft. It was laid along one of the ropes that now fastened the Heldenhaft to the front of the Eleonora, the airship hovering at a slightly higher altitude than the Lipizzan, who was now floating downwards with its cargo of capture prisoners.

Wish did not recognized the voice, but the deep threatening manner of his discourse betrayed the fact that this particular pony was a Watu. The Watu were masters of taking prisoner and before they were told to, they had organized and made a place in one of the cells to accommodate the newcomers. The Eleonora had never been attacked before, but that was of no concern to her. They had more than enough space and the Eleonora could probably accommodate every single being of the entire griffin fleet that was now most probably heading towards them at full speed.

"What's the status of the lower hull?" Wish asked.

This time the voice that replied came from one of the tubes against the wall.

"Damages are closed for the most part. The dogs are helping us with the bilge pumps to get the water out, and the rest we've formed a bucket-line to the nearest port window. It's going to take time! We need more hooves!" The lack of decorum and the words used made it evident that the voice was from a pony that was part of the pirate captain's crew. "Or we need more time!"

"Well, you've got a few hours at the most before they start firing at us. Any pony, wolf or other creature that is able is to head down to the lower decks and assist in this endeavor. If they want to get out of this alive, they're going to have to pull their own weight!" Wish exclaimed. She then muttered to herself. Where was her bosun, and why wasn't she down in the lower holds overseeing this? She made a mental note to confront Nautical about this later. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"There is," came a voice from behind.

At once everything stopped. All commotion froze and turned to the speaker of the voice.

It was the Guard and he stood there in his full armor with the Watu commander to his left and the Alpha of Alphas on the his right. How could enemies like that stand so close to each other so soon without threatening to rip one another apart? Mere hours before they were tearing one another apart, how had they put that behind them? Sure the excuse that the Watu were following orders was valid, but a lot of dogs died at their hooves. Could the dogs really forgive and forget so quickly? She glanced at a dog who was bent in half licking himself without shame. It looked up, seemed to remember where he was, and stood at attention as if nothing happened. That seemed to satisfy her question quite nicely.

"And that is?" Wish prompted when the silence was not broken.

The Guard walked towards the front of the flag bridge where several maps had been hung pinpointing the Eleonora's position on the seas and other things of note. A crude drawing of the anomaly that surrounded them was on one of the maps while others showed air currents and positions of various pegasi hidden in the calmer areas of the clouds. He then walked over to the main Command Table where three unicorns were using their magic to power the manna generator that created a three-dimensional map of the area. It used a combination of light and mirrors that reflected, refracted around the table giving a pretty detailed picture of the situation around them. Of course, all the inputs were given by word of mouth and the positions were mere approximations of their actual location, but it was the closest thing they had to a visual representation of what was outside.

"Do the main cannons work?"

"Y-yes, they are," Wish replied, the sudden question catching her off guard. "The rear cannons are working. The ones at the front have damages to the turning mechanism from..." Wish trailed off. It was from his fight with Blood when they had apparently hurled cannonballs against one another. How had two ponies caused so much damage was beyond her? The fact that this stallion also was rumored have single-hoovedly killed a dragon was also screaming at her from the back of her mind. Was it true?

"Can we repair the front guns?"

"No. We need to replace some of the machine parts. It would take too long to fabricate them on the ship. That is if we get enough iron or metal to do so... and then there's the mold. We don't have one."

The guard kept looking at the Command Table and seemed to gaze hard at the griffin ships closing in on them.

"They'll be within range of our cannons in less than an hour. With their elevation, they'll be within range at the same time about. They are forming a firing line. With that many ships... I don't know if the Eleonora can sustain more than a couple salvos. They've already calculated the most optimal height to cause significant damage without destroying the lower hulls. They mean to take the ship. They're going to try and cripple her before boarding."

"That will not happen," the Guard stated. "They know they cannot take this ship. They will sink her."

Wish narrowed her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"That's what I would do."

"Just because you would do it doesn't mean that they will." Wish's reply was through gritted teeth. "How can you be so sure? You could be right, but what stops them from crippling us for my reasoning? This ship is worth its weight in gold. Was taking the Heldenhaft worthless too? Were those lives wasted? We could've used every single one of those Watu sent up there to repel these boarders! They have the ships and crew to do so."

Deep inside, Wish regretted speaking out like that. She also knew that she wasn't making sense. There were too many holes in her logic. The Heldenhaft had to be taken. It was firing on the Eleonora and would have continued its relentless bombardment if they hadn't taken her. The extra damage to the Eleonora might have been much worse, not to mention the potential loss of more lives in the process. That would have only prolonged an inevitable defeat as they would eventually have been overwhelmed. In retrospect, the griffin airship attacking them was a blessing in disguise. She looked at the Guard and wondered if she had spoken out of place. He was the leader, captain, general of the Eleonora now. Not a single being on that ship would argue against a pony that killed Blood, let alone a dragon. He managed to cause enough chaos and confusion to take out the owner and the strongest Watu on the ship within a span of a few hours. Perhaps what he said was true. Would the griffins really be able to take this ship from him?

Of course they could. What was she thinking? There was no way the Guard could have fought against numerous waves on his own. Could he?

Again she looked at the figure and felt a cold shudder run down her spine. Deep inside her heart she knew that, despite common sense, despite all that was logical, despite all that she knew, something told her quite earnestly that it would take a lot more than a few waves of griffins to take on the Guard with a strong contingent of blind, unquestioning Watu and vicious canines at his complete disposal. She felt safe and in constant danger around him.

"They will sink her."

And with that the matter was closed. The Eleonora was now in danger of being sunk by the griffins.

"Then what will we do? We fire at them?" Wish asked.

"If you do that, you'll be killing innocent unicorns!" a voice shouted through the communication tube from the Heldenhaft. "They are using them like batteries, ma'am-" there was a minor commotion and some whispering before the speaker's voice returned. "Sorry, sir."

Wish felt her lips twitch into a small smile, but the mention of unicorns bothered her. "Explain."

After a few minutes, Wish felt something in her gut grow tight. She had fired on griffin ships before. She had never known.

"Well," a voice suddenly stated in the silence. All eyes fell upon the pirate captain. "Looks like we're in a bit of a bind. Looks like I've got to go do what I've got to go do."

Wish looked at him. "What do you have to go do?"

The pirate captain grinned. "Until the ship is ready to move, the griffins need somebody to play with. Right, Guard?"

"Correct."

"And I'm the best and only captain capable of pulling off such a stunt, right? Especially now that the Heldenhaft is kinda busy doing other things, right?"

"Correct."

The pirate captain laughed. "Well, look at me! Here I've found the mare of my dreams, and I have to leave her so soon to do a favor for a Guard whom, for some reason, I feel I owe everything to! Well, I can't let those griffins sink the Eleonora. I can't risk losing you."

His eyes fastened themselves on Wish and the mare felt her heart jump. A medley of feelings coursed through her veins, but for the first time in ages she felt selfish and took a step forward and said, "I don't want you to go."

That stunned herself as much as it did the crew and the Watu. Only the pirate captain and those of his crew who happened to be there seemed unfazed by her outburst. The captain walked over to her and touched her cheek gently with his hoof. "You worried about lil' ol' me?"

She couldn't respond and felt her cheeks burn, but she didn't want to push his hoof away. She didn't want him to go. She looked back at him only to find his lips on hers. She didn't push back, she let it happen. She didn't care, because deep down she understood. Understood the sad, sick truth.

A balloon airship going out there to fight manna airships, which were at least twice the Lipizzan's size and had three times the firepower or more meant only one thing. Suicide. And Wish knew that no matter what she said, this rogue would go. He would go, not because of his own personal gain, nor his allegiance to the Guard, he would go because of her. He was going for her, and she felt a mixture of pride and nausea because of it.

"Do... do you really have to go?"

He smiled. "Yes. I lost you once, I won't do it again."

Her heart sank. She knew that as soon as he left the flag bridge, as soon as he boarded that airship, he would be gone. Forever. She did not know why she felt the way she did. She couldn't make any sense of it, but all she could think of was how she could not let him go. It was as if in all of Equestria, in all the world, he was made to be her perfect match. She couldn't explain it and it hurt her heart and brain trying to puzzle it out.

"Captain," The Guard stated still gazing at the Command Table.

"Y-yes?" Wish replied forcing her body to look away from the stallion who was walking out the door.

"You're to get the ship moving towards the nearest part of the anomaly. The wind and rains will provide us with cover and give us a chance to hide. You will use the Heldenhaft to tow her. That will buy us some time for repairs." The Guard walked past her. "When the ship is ready, you will make for our destination. Understood?"

Wish saluted, mostly out of reflex. Such was the overwhelming authority of the Guard, she didn't notice until he had left the bridge with the pirate captain. It was after that when she felt an overwhelming sense of loss, the empty feeling gnawing at her insides. She closed her eyes and swallowed the feeling down. She had a mission to do, and orders to follow. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and when she opened them again she, her eyes were fixed on the charts in front of her.

She wasn't going to let her captain's death be in vain.

Funnily enough, she never got his name. She knew it at one point, cursed it, loathed it, hated it, but now that she had forgotten, she wished that it would come back to her. In a way, she was glad. Glad she didn't remember.

The Lipizzan had been resting on the Eleonora's deck and was now floating upwards. The large custom sail that had once held the airship was now securely fastened to the Heldenhaft. The manna airship had moved to the south and tilted itself to face a east by southeasterly direction, catching a good gust that helped pull the massive ship along. Despite all the sheets of cloth filling with air, the monolithic vessel moved with an excruciatingly slow speed. That was to be expected. Even at maximum speed, the large vessel would never be able to outrun the airships.

The pirate captain paced the the upper deck and watched those who had joined his crew. He was surprised by the number that volunteered. True, some of his own crew did not make it to the initial attack, nor the subsequent conflicts in between, but many of the same ponies and other creatures that had fought viciously against him were now eagerly aboard his ship ready to serve as if they were going on some recreational voyage around a cape. He had already told what was left of his normal crew that happened to join him to teach the others the ropes as best they could, but he had his orders.

Orders. The word made him shake his head. Since when had he ever taken orders?

It was strange, the way that the Guard spoke to him was almost as if he knew him. The Guard understood that he loathed seeing ponies kill one another for any reason, only taking life when he had to. But the prisoners on the griffin airships, the unicorns trapped inside those reactor rooms, bothered him. He knew what was expected of him, for the Guard had assigned all the pegasi that were still able to fly to him. So many of them, perhaps the entire remainder of their forces, hidden in the gun deck.

A smiled spread across his lips.

"What's so funny, cap'n?" asked Bones.

"Nothing. Just get ready. This is going to be tricky."

"Aye, aye, sir!" the pony grinned. "Turns out that a lot of them Watu really look up to me."

"What's that gotta do with anything, Bones?" The captain replied distractedly as he peered at the closest griffin airship with his spyglass.

"Well, I dunno. Feels real good to be appreciated, y'know sir."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, see, these boys here, well, they're not afraid to die. So, I kinda... relate to them and..."

"No Bones, you can't take part in the boarding party."

"But sir!" Bones whined. "They need me."

"I need you too, Bones. Right here, on this ship."

The captain stopped what he was doing and turned to see Bones looking at him with an expression he never knew he had. In all the years that they've been together, this was the first time he saw the psychotic pony so... normal.

"Nah, cap'n. You don't need me. You've got her now. The Lipizzan, she doesn't need you anymore. Let us take control of the her. We're pirates, sir. We live on the open seas. We're not here because of gold, or whatever. We're here because of you. We're all here because of you. And now that you've finally found whatever it was you're lookin' for... well, I feel just bad dragging you away from it."

"There's to be no more of that nonsense talk, Bones." The captain turned and looked at the Eleonora. "Besides, if we do this right, we're all going to be coming back."

"You mean... this isn't a one-way mission?"

The captain grinned a wide malicious grin. "No. Not at all."

Before Bones could say anything, a pony stepped out and stood next to him, his large plume waving in the breeze.

"Oh. Wow."

Zecora looked at Providence with tears in her eyes. Ever since she had been transferred into the infirmary, she had been screaming and flailing around, so much so that she was had to be strapped down. Two of the Elites had stayed overlooking her progress in silence. Every once in a while Providence would scream and struggle against her bonds before relaxing in what looked like to be a troubled sleep.

"It's starting," one of the Elites said at last. "We best make her comfortable."

"What is happening to her now? How can you sit there and do nothing! How?" Zecora shrieked.

The nearest Elite placed a hoof on the young zebra's shoulder. "The drug is lethal. In small doses we can survive it, but the hallucinations are... extreme."

"Realistic. Like a nightmare," the other Elite pointed out.

"No matter how strong her will is, the narcotic will break her mind and, with it, her sanity."

"B-but you two have faced this pain and have survived. You both are here now, you both lived and thrived."

The Elites looked at one another. "Our minds were exposed to the drug in small doses over months or years. Even then if we don't get our fix... we don't know what will happen to us. Right now most of us are surviving on our last dose, but soon it will go from our systems. I am unsure what will happen to us then. Most of my Elite brethren have gone with the Lipizzan for one last mission. We know that most won't be coming back. That's okay. We've lived outlived our purpose. Ponies like us should not exist."

"Why must you say that? You're living creatures, not a door mat!" Zecora all but shouted.

"We are killers. Our purpose was to make sure that those in charge stayed in charge, but now that they have gone and our connection to the narcotic is also gone, our bodies will be unable to cope with the withdrawal. We've been taking this substance for so long that it's actually come as a relief. We have come to accept our fate. It will kill us, of that we are very sure."

Zecora looked up at Providence and wiped away the sweat forming under her mane. "Then I will do all I can to support my friend. I will toil away and her mind I will mend."

"You better hurry. The drug is starting to do its work," The Elite stated pointing to Providence's Cutie Mark. "See, her mane is starting to fade."

Sure enough, her bright multi-toned mane was starting to fade away, the color slowly being sucked from it as the light faded from the tip down to the root. It was agonizingly slow, but noticeable.

"Her body will not survive the next part of the drug's side-effect."

"What will happen next? Tell me, even if it will leave me vexed."

The first Elite looked at the other and both nodded. "Her body will regress. This phase involves her body's muscles to rapidly regenerate. It is extremely painful. Most ponies die of a heart attack. My brother did. Or at least I think he was my brother, I can't remember anymore. I put him out of his misery as a favor. Best thing I've ever done for anyone."

"I cannot allow my friend to die. Will you help me save her, or at least try?"

There was a long silence. "Very well. Then you have to slow her metabolism. Slow her body's reaction to the drug until it works its way through her system. It could take months of even years, but that's the only way to save her. I know of concoctions that have been given before to those who wished to wean themselves off the narcotic, but that recipe was lost with Blood. None know of it. Or none that we know."

"If I find the formula to make this brew, will you drink of it too?" Zecora asked.

The Elites both smiled and nodded. "Of course. We will do anything to help you save us and your friend."

"Then during this impending doom, you must take me to Blood's room." Zecora stood up and put on a small satchel.

"Come with me. Omen will stay with your friend," one of the Elites stated. Then smiled when she saw Zecora's face. "Sorry, I don't know her real name, and neither does she. She can't speak either. But come, let's not delay!"

Mission 2, Part 14: Broken

The captain spun the Lipizzan's wheel around as hard as he could bringing the ship into a sharp turn trying to get the ship to squeeze through a gap in the clouds. He knew his ship; knew just how to turn her to fit even in the tightest places, knew just how much clearing he had below her and above the balloon. Years of experience had taught him and the lives of every pony aboard were under his care. Granted, he wasn't the best. No, that title was Sunny's and Sunny's alone. She could move the Lipizzan as if the ship were a part of her.

A flash of yellow streaked across the sky and he saw Sunny lying lifeless in his arms, her body kept falling in front of him as he closed his eyes, the bolts ending her life as they embedded themselves deep into her. He watched and remembered the life ebbing from her eyes realizing that although he did not love her the way he used, he still loved her dearly. Where once they had been lovers, he looked to her more like a sister towards the end. And, considering their age, she was the mother of the crew. Her loss was much too heavy.

As the light from the lightning faded, he clenched his lower jaw and wheeled the Lipizzan in the opposite direction. The gap was too narrow there. The shadows were being deceptive, but he knew he shouldn't complain. This was not the time to reminisce; he was right in the middle of perhaps the worst situation possible. They were in a pocket of space in a prison of those violent clouds.

Another strike of lightning licked across the underside of the clouds that had formed a ceiling above him bathing the entire night sky in a white-yellow ghostly ambiance. He noticed something stretching out in front of the ship, a part of the muddled sky that was not gleaming with the flash of light and narrowed his eyes against the practically unseen obstacle. Like a tendril of death, it seemed to be reaching out towards the ship.

Without any pause, he released the wheel and snapped towards the ropes nearest to him and pulled with all his might. Whatever was left of the sails unfurled themselves and filled with the wind causing the Lipizzan to suddenly lurch upwards as the ship suddenly accelerated faster than the balloon above. The ship ‘hopped’ over the cloud, like a hurdler over its obstacle, the very base of the ship grinding against the cloud like it would against a reef. The ropes holding the balloon creaked and groaned in protest as the ship leveled out as it fell back to its original position as it took mere moments for the ship to catch up with the balloon to catch up with the sudden slack, but the gamble had paid off. The Lipizzan managed to lift herself over the tentacle of doom, but the bit of the hull that scraped against the cloud had torn a hole in the ship’s side. The captain could feel it pulling against the rudder. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, so the captain naturally compensated for the sudden increase of drag on the port side.

As if feeling his ship's pain, the captain pushed the wheel forward making her descend sharply. Again, the momentum helped lift the ship a precious few feet and the hull cleared what remained of the cloud, but one of the ropes snapped bringing his attention to the bow of the ship, the balloon turning upwards slightly in that spot. The captain leaned himself back onto his hind legs. into the upturning portion of the ship to avoid falling forwards. His expression was a mixture of determination and acceptance. Fear was there, but he had no time to be scared. One wrong move and it would all be over.

Another flash and another tree of lightning stretched across the heavens and the captain spotted another gap between two large clouds. He knew that above him had formed an impenetrable ceiling. None could pass through that, not even the manna airships of the griffins. He had seen three griffin airships enter the clouds around him, each one exiting the cloud in ruins. In the brief moment before the ships descended below the clouds below him, he could make out the significant damages they had taken. One barely was recognizable as a ship, such was the destruction wrought upon it.

A loud thud hit something near him and he peered briefly to see a stray bolt had hit not far from where he stood. Seconds later a griffin and a Watu fell hard onto the Lipizzan’s deck. The griffin struggled to stand, but seemed to give up and lay back down. The Watu stood up, spread its wings and tried to fly, but he only managed to flap his wings once before the pegasus slumped down and moved no more. Whether dead or not, the captain could not tell.

Suddenly he felt himself leave the deck and snap to the far left. He moaned in pain as the rope that attached him to the wheel snapped taught. The ship was in a hard turn. He barely had time to pull the ropes to close the sails and get the ship back under his control before he blacked out from the sudden increase of speed and gravity. Still, the ship was descending and he knew that he had no time to waste to get it back under control. With an effort he thought he no longer had, he pulled himself with one hoof towards the deck and with the other pulled the wheel towards the stern. The ship leveled out and the captain turned it as hard as he could to the right sending the ship port-side.

He was blind and couldn't see. He felt something graze his face and at once knew that he had miscalculated and turned the ship again. The Lipizzan burst out of the cloud, freeing itself from what could have been certain death. He had been lucky. Too lucky. The double-bowline knot that bound him to the wheel had held, the cloud that he had entered was thin and did not have enough magical power to crush him nor the ship.

A snap echoed through the darkness and the captain bit his lip. Another one of the ropes that held the balloon had been severed due to the strain. Granted, he had paid for and inspected every inch of rope that he had aboard the Lipizzan, but no rope, no matter how strong or well-made, was created to withstand this type of weather. The winds seemed to have a life of their own and despised all those that dared traverse through it.

"Bones!" the captain shouted as loud as he could.

"On it!" came the voice from somewhere in front.

Another flash of lightning spread across the sky and a ball of fire burst through the darkness. A griffin airship had taken a direct hit from one of those lightning bolts casting a seemingly blinding light across the looming darkness. Its decks were on fire, and in the flickering illumination of the raging fires, the captain could make out shadows in the empty skies near it. Pegasi and griffins were clashing against one another in deadly aerial combat. It seemed like such a waste from where he stood.

Two flashes from the lower decks made the captain's blood run cold. "l don't believe it," he whispered. "Incoming!"

It was pointless to shout, but he couldn't shake the habit. Nobody was on that ship, they had all got out to attack the griffin manna-powered airships as per their orders. All, save for him, Bones and the Guard.

The Guard. What was he doing? Had he fallen off? Had he been killed?

His thoughts were cut short when one shell exploded not far from the ship making her lurch to the side while the other exploded behind them sending the ship forward making the Lipizzan twist so that the hull was perpendicular to the balloon. That was a bad sign. If the ship could do that, then there were only a few ropes holding the balloon and the vessel together. In any other circumstance, this would have been a reason to abandon ship. Right now, this was the least of their concerns. That was how dire a position they were in. The captain turned the wheel to match the balloon and lessen the burden on the ropes when he saw two more pops of light.

"Incoming!" The captain yelled as a cold shudder traveled up his spine. Something in his gut felt heavy. Final.

Then he heard an explosion from below. That did not seem right. Even with the wind, that was way too fast. The projectile could not have hit them so quickly.

A moment after that thought has past a blinding flash exploded igniting the night sky dangerously close to the balloon. The captain's eyes widened in surprise then even more as he quickly realized what had happened. Someone had fired a cannon from below. Someone had purposely done that and had actually hit the incoming shell in mid-air. It was impossible. The chances of that happening were... astronomical. The other shot had missed, exploding somewhere behind them.

"Unfurl the sails!" came a shout in a voice that cut through the wind like a hot knife through butter.

The captain did not need to be told twice. "Aye, aye!"

Grabbing the mainsheet, the captain uncleated the ropes allowing the ropes to extend to their fullest as what was left of them were filled up with the violent winds almost instantaneously. The Lipizzan was pushed along, the wind’s ferocity seemingly redoubled it was pushed towards the griffin ship. The captain did all he could to maintain control in the wind's influence, but the sails had been shredded too badly. The best he could do was guide the ship roughly. As they drew closer to the griffin ship it seemed that they were on their own. They had lost contact with all the pegasi, save the one that had crashed on the deck.

They were alone.

And it had all started so smoothly too. After leaving the Eleonora, they floated straight up into the night’s clear sky, high above the griffin ships through the anomaly in the chaotic clouds. From what they had learnt, that was where the griffin’s guns and Wallarmbrusts were weakest: above. They approached quickly, and the pegasi all attacked at once, raining down on two griffin airships in two large teams. One had been boarded successfully, the pegasi fighting for the reactor, saving the unicorns inside. All this before an accident had allowed the griffins to retake the bridge and they released the reactor making the ship fall from the sky. The second airsip, seeing that the first had been caught by surprise, tried in vain to fight off the pegasi rush. Although the ship was sunk, the boarding party was unable to save the unicorns within the reactor core and they had watched as the airship plunged into the water exploding into pieces from the impact. If any had survived the impact, the waters would have claimed them.

It was when their forces rallied for an attack against the next griffin ship that everything changed. The anomaly that they had taken for granted suddenly closed, the sudden shift in temperature and winds created a huge void that pulled the Lipizzan down below the cloud line. Perhaps if the captain had his crew aboard, they could have escaped. Alas, the Lipizzan was sucked down and the clouds reformed that impenetrable ceiling above them.

Then, as if to make up for the time it had lost, the clouds began to strike out with vicious bolts of lightning that seemed alive, aiming for the ships it could. This was followed by a curtain of heavy rain that made it practically impossible to see. Yet the clouds did not flood the area where they were in just yet. That allowed them to get away, but the area below was dangerous because of the lightning strikes. They needed to remain in that pocket of air, but it was quite clear this somewhat safety bubble was shrinking.

In the minutes that came after, two more airships had dropped, but as to whether they were from the pegasi boarding parties or from the lightning, it was impossible to tell. All he knew was that he had to keep his ship from being decimated.

And what of the pegasi? Did they retreat to the Eleonora? Did the elements claim their lives? He could not even begin to guess. He did not even know where the Eleonora was. All their plans had been confounded.

Suddenly, as if snapping him out of his reverie, the wind shifted and the ship pulled to starboard. They would come too close, much too close, to the griffin airship. They would be easy picking for the cannons. There was nothing he could do.

Suddenly the guard was on deck and he rushed towards the deck cannon and slipped something inside the muzzle. Then he rushed towards bow and seemed to be doing something to the anchor. He could not tell. Then he rushed back towards the cannon, seemed to pause -- perhaps taking aim, and fired. Something whizzed in the air and the captain instantly understood. It was the grappling hook. He had fired it towards the griffin ship.

"Fool! You'll kill us all!" the captain shouted, but it was too late.

Then the sounds of a chain being thrown overboard cut through the dark. It took a moment, but the captain realized that the anchor and the grappling hook had been sent overboard. What was the guard thinking?

Wish gritted her teeth as the Eleonora shuddered once again from another strike. None could have foreseen it, but they should have expected it. The anomaly that had cleared the sky over them had closed almost as suddenly as it had appeared, and with renewed fury. This endless storm, it seemed, did not take kindly to being altered.

"We're fine, sir," Nautical stated seeing Wish shudder again. “The Eleonora was built to withstand-”

“I am fully aware of this ship’s abilities and how much she can take,” Wish cut in. “But she has suffered a lot from the past several hours and we’re still taking on a lot of water. What of the Lipizzan?”

Nautical had to compose himself for a moment. He had not expected her to switch topics so rapidly, but he understood that as the captain she had a lot of things going on in her mind.

“There is no word from the Lipizzan even though most of our pegasi have returned. We also have four new unicorns that they had rescued from the griffin airships. One ship had gone down with all aboard.”

Wish stood up and stared at the maps in front of her. A part of her was unsure of what to do next. She had given herself entirely to the Eleonora, but she was merely a captain of a ship. She had orders by which she had to obey, mostly from the greedy dragon. What was she supposed to do now?

Should she obey the orders of a Guard she had no idea was still alive? Should she entrust her entire crew and those aboard with returning to the slave capital on the continent?

Deep down she had already known her answer, but she did not understand why she was so intent on following it. Following through that Guard’s order. What was it about him that drove others to follow. Like a beacon, he drew others to him. And like a rock, he was the foundation they all broke against.

“We have our orders. We make for our homeport.” Wish looked at Nautical.

“Captain, the ship… she is yours. You don’t have to obey that Guard-”

Wish looked at Nautical through the corner of her eye. There was a long, uncomfortable silence in the Flag Bridge before Wish spoke. “I am not a pirate. I follow orders. That is the only way I can function. If you don’t like it, you can take the helm. Over my dead body.”

Nautical took a step back and did not hide his surprise and disapproval. Even after all this time her honor and nobility remained unhinged. He smiled inwardly and scolded himself. This was why he chose to follow her. This was why he would follow her to the bitter end.

“I meant no disrespect, sir. Helm, set course for homeport.”

“Aye, sir!” came the response, and the Eleonora slowly creaked and groaned as the rudder moved slowly, but surely, in the intended direction.

(Mood Music - Optional)

The Lipizzan was beyond saving. There was nothing they could do about that. She had done the best she could, but she was going down. The Guard had saved them. The grappling hook and the anchor he had fired at the griffin vessel secured the airship to the griffin’s ship. The Lipizzan was barely hanging on by a couple of ropes that kept her barely afloat. The balloon was leaking quickly and sagged lower and lower towards the water far beneath them.

“Get your flank out here!” The captain yelled.

Only a single soul stirred.

“Cap’n!” Bones ran up. “Cap’n, she’s not going to hold. I’ve done all I’ve could, but she’s gonna drop. We gotta get out of here now!”

“Go.”

“Cap’n… you’re coming too, right?” Bones asked once, looking at him in the eye.

The captain turned and looked at his ship. The ship that had been his home for years. The ship where he had learnt the hardships of life and managed to make the most of what he had. This was a floating bundle of memories, and he had to let it go.

It was the hardest thing he had ever done.

“Yeah, Bones. I’m coming,” the captain said quietly. “There’s nothing left for me here. Not anymore.”

But his words fell on deaf ears. Bones was already scrambling up the ropes.

The captain looked up in confusion. Bones never let up an opportunity to put in a snide remark whenever he could. Not unless…

A bolt sung past him. No. Not a bolt. A quarrel. It exploded sending the captain towards the far end of the deck.

Dazed, he heard a loud ‘whoosh’ and glanced upwards. The balloon exploded in a furious light and fire rained down towards him. Without a second thought, he grabbed a rope and sliced below his hoof and ran alongside the now tilting ship trying to get away from the fireball. The ropes on the port side all snapped, or were burnt away. He had to get out of there.

Gripping the end of the rope tightly, he sprinted to the bow of the ship and leapt forwards. He felt the rope get taught and he looked up to see if he had inadvertently grabbed the wrong rope. A sinking feeling worked its way through his gut as he realized that the rope he held on was attached to one of the side sail lines.

He was going to die. He was going to fall.

In panic, the captain looked around and released the rope in his hoof out of reflex.

Then something burned in his right hoof as a bolt pierced it. He yelped in pain and felt it yank himself upwards slightly and he instinctively held on. He felt his blood dribble along his hoof and down his foreleg and he squinted up into the darkness. High above him he could see the griffin ship, but there was something in between.

Lightning lit up the clouds, and the object dangling in the ether.

It was the Guard. He was holding a rope that dangled down towards him from a crossbow.

“Climb!”

The captain did not need to be told twice and he tried with all his might.

“Faster!” The Guard demanded.

He tried. He really did. But the blood was making it difficult and he kept feeling himself slip. A few moments later he felt himself being pulled upwards. The Guard was climbing up on his own despite himself. He was carrying the both of them upwards.

But where was Bones? Where was he? Shouldn’t he be with the Guard on that rope? Shouldn’t he be helping lift him up?

Something in his gut felt off. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

And he had learnt a long time ago to always go with your gut. He hoped that this once he was wrong.

(Mood Music - Optional)

“Bones!” The captain rushed over to his crewman’s side and gripped his hoof in his. “Bones... “

The stallion slowly opened his eyes. Rain hissed around him as thick curtains washed over the deck. Somewhere he heard the sounds of steel clashing against steel, cried of fighting and pain, but none of that mattered. Nothing but the stallion in front of him mattered.

“H-hey, cap’n. You’re okay.”

“I’m fine, Bones. I’m always fine.”

Bones laughed weakly. “What’d you do with ol’ Bones to cover your flank, cap’n? What’d you do?”

“I don’t know, Bones. I… I don’t know.”

Bones smiled gently. “You’ll be fine without me, cap’n. You got her now. ‘Sides, you never really needed us. In the end, it was us who needed you. You were… always there for us no matter what. You took us in when nobody else would. You gave us a home.”

“Shut up, Bones. Just wait.” The captain looked up. “Medic!”

“Ain’t gonna be a medic that can fix me up, cap’n,” Bones replied. “Better call Wood Work to patch me up. Got more holes than the Lipizzan herself.”

Wood Work. The ship’s carpenter. Used to patch holes in the hull. At least she was save back on the Eleonora.

The captain looked around. “M-medic!” he shouted weakly. They were alone. Just them.

Bones put his hoof on the captain’s foreleg. “I’m okay, cap’n. I knew I’d end up like this one way or another. Better here and now than later. You’re not going to continue this anyway. You think that a pirate like me got a life outside the ship?”

“Shut up, Bones.”

“No, cap’n. I died a long, long time ago. Before I even boarded. But you let me live on. You. I needed you, cap’n. I needed you because…” Bones coughed and wiped the bit of blood that oozed from the corner of his lips, “because you gave me something to do. It might seem petty to you, but it meant the world to me.”

The fighting had ceased. Silence reigned as he heard hooffalls come closer.

“Get away from me, Guard. Just get away from me. You’ve cost me everything! You-”

He turned around and looked in the Guard’s eyes. Instinctively he jerked his head back. The eyes pierced through him, staring deep into his soul.

“He asked me to save you. He sacrificed his life to save yours. Do not waste your breath on me. Fulfill your obligation as captain and bid farewell. We are still in mortal danger. I will heard what you have to say after.” With that, the Guard turned and walked away. He swung his sword once as hard as he could and sheathed it, a quick way to remove any excess blood from the blade.

“He’s right, cap’n. You were never the best at climbin’ ropes, y’know.” Bones laughed and coughed again. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the side of the ship where he was pinned with bolts.

The captain sat next to him and stared out across the deck. Another flash of lightning licked the skies showing the carnage left behind by the two ponies. “Bones, before you go, I need to know something.”

“Hm?”

“What’s your name?”

The stallion smiled, but his eyes were still closed. The captain waited.

“I always hated my name. Didn’t suit me.” Bones leaned back and his eyes stared upwards towards the skies. “I’ve always been Silly Bones the day you found me. If I could have an epitaph, that’s what I’d like it to say.”

The captain looked down at the deck in front of him.

“That hill where you saw me and asked me to join… it had one empty grave. One grave for me. One grave where I was going to rest. You remember the name on it?”

The captain smiled and wiped his eyes. “Yeah. I remember. I remember those names. All four of them. Your family.”

“My dad. My mom. My sister. And me.”

“Thank you, Bones. I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”

The blue stallion smiled up at the sky. “Just when you do, don’t tell my folks. Don’t think they’d like it too much if they knew I became a pirate.”

They both shared a quiet chuckle before nothing but the sound of rain could be heard.

After what seemed like an eternity, the captain turned his head to look his companion. Bones’ head was now facing down at the deck, his body perfectly still. He looked so… peaceful despite the wounds he sustained. That craziness that he was so used to seeing on that face, especially in the eyes, had all faded away and instead he saw another stallion. One that he wouldn’t have recognized. No. He knew remembered this stallion from years ago. A stallion from a village that had burned to the ground, before his mind broke.

The captain stood up and walked away. “I’ll see you later... Pip.”

He almost heard a voice shout behind him. He imagined it saying, “Don’t call me that.”

That made his lips form a small smile.

Mission 1, Part 2: Case Closed

Glitter hated this. How long had she been tailing Copper? She didn’t know. How long had she been spying on her friend? She didn’t know. Playing the fun, happy-go-lucky new gal was painful, but it helped Magenta and her continue their investigation. How did things turn out like this? She was supposed to be a point of contact for Semper, but he had gone off and there was nothing but silence in return. She did forward the report on and half expected orders to ship back to the training camp, but so far no word from home.

At least she had something to amuse herself in the meantime.

Magenta had warned Glitter not to get into a scuffle with Copper. The beating she received when she first arrived was nothing compared to what she saw a couple days after when she single hoofedly took down three stallions on her own without breaking a sweat. Not just three stallions, but three Guards. Granted, they were a little intoxicated, but that was irrelevant. She put them down faster than she could’ve put one of them down. And all this without magic.

Sneaking along the path that Copper has just traversed, she watched as the unicorn entered a small stone building. It was hard to see in the dark, but she could see the faint glow through the cracks in the doorframe. The door wasn’t closed. Gently, she pushed the door open before closing it behind her and followed the source of the light up to the second floor. Inside she saw Copper looking over something.

“What are you doing here, Glits?”

Glitter sighed and appeared in the doorframe, her light from her own horn amplifying the ambience. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Well, I can’t tell you that,” Copper replied and folded the book she was reading and eyed Glitter intently for a second. “Shouldn’t you been in bed? You have first watch in the morning.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t need sleep. Besides, I’ve finally got you where I want you.” Glitter knew that a fight against Copper wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but she was fed up with running around. She was tired of chasing empty leads. “I know what you’ve been doing?”

“You do?” Copper asked genuinely surprised. “How?”

“Magenta told me. She told me everything.”

“Magenta told you… everything? Wait? What?”

Before Copper could say anything else, Glitter used her magic and threw the table at Copper. The contact was successful and the unicorn lay unconscious on the ground. Glitter trotted over and quickly put a dampening ring over the horn and put her hooves in iron shackles to prevent her from being able to take it off.

With her quarry secure, she began looking at whatever it was she was looking at. Reports, guard changes, new recruits scheduled to arrive and replacements. There was also a book in her saddlebag that she had not noticed before. Taking it out, she looked at it. A lot of notes were written down, mostly finding out flaws and loose ends in the reports she had found.

Something wasn’t right.

As she looked, she noticed that all the ponies gone missing were always missing for several days. Only when an enquiry was initiated at the port of destination did things get noticed. That means somepony was fudging the reports when these Guards were boarding the airships home. Some of them never reached their destination and were not reported until much later.

She also noticed that the Guard changes were fixed up so that certain ponies were always grouped together and that a series of them would be working portions of the wall that would help get ponies inside, outside.

What was Copper doing here? This had to be a room where all the old records were kept. It should have been under lock and key. How had she come by it?

A series of loud hoofs echoed from downstairs.

“Glits? You in here?”

It was Magenta. “Up here, Mag. Got Coop sleeping like a foal.”

Magenta came into the small room followed by several Guards in full armor.

“Wow! You did that?” Magenta asked walking over to Copper and picking up her unconcious head from the floor. “Not bad.”

“Thanks.”

“Thing is, I… might have been leading you on.”

“Hm?” Glitter wasn’t really listening. She was still flipping through Copper’s notebook. Perhaps there were others involved. Maybe she could find them and bring an end to this, whatever it was. It was then that she noticed that the Guards and Magenta were all staring intently at her. “What did you say?”

“You know, this is what I like about new recruits like you. You come here, not knowing anything and after a few days hanging out together you suddenly trust me enough to convince you that I’m doing an highly secret investigation. Didn’t you stop to think why?”

Glitter felt something inside her knot.

“Oh. That’s it. Now you’re getting it. I have to thank you, though. It’s not every day that a pony can best Copper. She’s been a thorn in my side for far too long, but she’s proven to be more than proficient at defending herself. Lost so many of my ponies because of her. Now, not only have we got her, but we’ve also got her alive. Do you know how valuable that is?”

The knot inside her started to spread out to every pore on her body. Her skin felt tight and her stomach wanted to collapse in on itself.

“That look! Oh, how I love that look. When they realize. So many before you have fallen for this and so many of you will!” Magenta giggled sadistically.

“H-how could you do this? You’re supposed to protect Equestria-”

“Protect? Protect what? Greedy politicians? A princess who doesn’t care about her own Guards? Protect what?” Magenta screamed as she pronounced the last two words. “Don’t you dare tell me what I’m doing is wrong. Do you have any idea how long I’ve spent on this Celestia forsaken town? Well, when I get back I want to live the high life and make up for all the time I wasted babysitting a bunch of foals!”

Glitter looked down at the last page to reveal one name at the top-left corner. Magenta. Next to it, the words ‘ring-leader’.

“Oh, don’t worry. Mares are highly sought after. You’ll fetch a hefty price. But not you, Coop. I’ve got a special ship waiting for you. Where you’re going, nopony is going to see you ever again.”

Copper’s eyes opened slowly. She tried to move, found that she couldn’t then tried to use magic. Nothing. She looked around and saw Glitter and her eyes moved over to Magenta before realization dawned on her. Anger filled her eyes as she eyed her primary suspect with pure malice.

“You won’t get away with this.”

“Please, I’ve been getting away with it for years!” Magenta drew her sword and pressed it against Copper’s neck. Glitter made to stop it, but two spears were at her before she could take a third step. “And now I get to send you where the very concept of freedom is a luxury only for those of the royal family. They pay quite well for unicorns.”

Copper growled. “Others will come.”

“Then I’ll do the same thing I did to them that I did to the ones before you. A lot of ponies die out here in the wilderness. And sometimes bodies never get to go home.” Magenta made a signal with her head and Copper was dragged out by the underlings after being gagged. Magenta turned towards Glitter and smirked. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Glitter wanted to make a snappy comeback. Perhaps even fight. But the moment the last word came out, a dull thud echoed through her skull and all went black.

Glitter awoke with a headache that was quite unlike anything she had ever felt before. She rubbed the sore spot and wondered if all that had happened was a bad dream. She looked up to see Copper rocking back and forth, her hooves chained above her head and her legs to an iron bar along the floor. The familiar creaking and groaning of wood sounded through the silence and Glitter tried to move but found that quite impossible.

“Nice to see you’re up,” Copper stated. Her face was a deep scowl. “How could you fall for her lies? You’re supposed to be smart!”

It took a moment for Glitter to catch on. The blow to the head was a little harder than it needed to be.

“I didn’t know, okay?”

“No. Not okay. Now because of you we’re on our way to Lost Hope and will probably be sold to the Griffin Empire and whisked away across the sea. Do you know how many ponies have been disappearing from Almaty? I was so close! All I needed to do was get evidence and I would’ve ended this!”

“How was I supposed to know?” Glitter muttered.

“By minding your own business!” Copper shot back. “It’s too late anyway. We crossed the border hours ago. Out here… the laws of Equestria don’t apply.”

The rode on in silence for hours. Glitter tried to come into grips about what was happening, but couldn’t really wrap her head around the situation. She would get free. Somehow, she would get free and make her way back to Almaty and stick a spear through Magenta’s head. Somehow. She swore on it.

Then the cart came to a stop. The back swung open and Magenta looked at the two in front of her with a wide grin. “We’re here!” she sung out.

She made a sign with her head and Magenta’s goons unbuckled the bar on the floor and slid the chains out and pulled them out to the road shoving them down on the ground. Glitter blinked at the bright sun trying to get used to its light. They must have been hours away from Equestria by now.

She was led onto a small hill overlooking the road. There were quite a lot of ponies here. Some were prisoners shackled in chains. Others were just watching the entire commotion with a mix of facial expressions from the road. Despite the situation, those particular ponies did not seem very worried.

“Keep an eye on them,” Magenta ordered and walked towards a cluster of heavily armed ponies standing on the road at the entrance to a densely wooded area.

It was really hard to see in there from where she was. Glitter noted that they although the armed group were most definitely ponies, they were different than anything she had ever seen before. Those masks that they wore were especially grotesque.

There was some talking before something was obviously wrong. Magenta started shouting, then pointing to her prisoners, before shouting again. She unsheathed her blade, but none of the strange masked ponies even flinched at this.

That was until the one at the front took a step forward slowly and unsheathed a sword.

“No.” Glitter felt her heart pump hard. She recognized that stance. Any Guard would.

Including Magenta. There was some more shouting and Magenta screamed about how this wasn’t Equestria and that he had no right being there. All she got in response was the sword moving firmly into a combat stance. Magenta screamed and threw herself forward.

Before Glitter could blink, the fight was over. The masked pony sheathed his blade, casually walking past Magenta as if nothing had happened and towards where Glitter sat. Magenta stumbled a few steps and fell to the ground. Glitter could hear some shouting around her and she noticed that the ponies guarding her and the others on the hill all yelped as bolts flew from the trees and clouds above them piercing their bodies.

The few that tried to run did not make it very far before they were engulfed in raw magic. Fire, ice, earth, whatever.

Although she heard all this, Glitter never stopped looking at the figure walking towards her. Then it stood over her, and the pony removed the mask.

“Slavery no longer exists in these lands,” was the first thing he said. Then he smashed Glitter’s chains with his sword shattering it to pieces. The gesture was more than just words, it was symbolic.

Just what had happened?

“I’m sorry,” Copper stated sarcastically, “but these lands don’t abide by the rules or laws set forth by one pony.” Copper’s mouth froze when she saw the expression on this pony’s face.

“The law of Equestria applies here now. Every creature here is now free.”

Copper gulped. “Impossible. Do you know how long we’ve tried to bring Equestrian law here?”

Glitter put a hoof on Copper’s shoulder and shook her head. “If he says it is, then it is.”

“But… how can you be so sure?”

At those words Glitter looked at the stallion and the red plume that dangled from his helm. “Because he’s Semper Pie.”

A red plume soaked and stained with blood.

Zecora rushed into her mother’s arms and received her million and one kisses with happiness and joy. She knew that the kisses and loving words would turn into scolding and punishment later, but right now she was so happy that she was home that she didn't care. She had survived an ordeal no nobody her age or race or whatever should have to suffer.

“Momma,” she said in her native tongue, “I am so happy to be home.”

“As am I, my little one. You do know that it will take me a long time to put aside my fears of letting you venture off on your own now.”

“Oh, momma, that stallion saved my life. He came for me, momma. Me. He risked his life and saved so many others to save me.” Zecora couldn’t help herself. She felt her face heat up. “I… I wish to be his bethrothed.”

“Can it be so?” Zecora’s mother took her daughter in a tight embrace. “But he is a pony. Surely he will not wish to remain here.”

“I will go to Equestria.”

“But-”

At that moment Zaku came in. There were happy exchanges of words and hugs. Zaku had spent his days being by her mother’s side, making sure that there was always somezebra with her to help her whenever she needed it the most. Zecora could almost see why her mother was not so insistent in making her stay in her home now. The thought made her give her mother a look that spoke volumes, to which her mother just blushed.

But all mirth evaporated when Zecora spoke about leaving with Semper.

“No. You cannot go,” Zaku stated bluntly, shaking his head firmly. “I know I am not your father nor your mother, but I will forbid it.”

“You cannot forbid it! I am almost a fully grown mare! I have my right to choose my husband-”

“No!” Zaku all but shouted. “You do not understand. He is Tai Jaicho! You cannot be his wife because he isn’t capable of thinking of anything except what is good for all.”

“W-what do you mean?” Zecora asked, not sure what he was getting at.

At those words, Zaku placed Zecora down on a stool and knelt looking at her in the eyes. “He did not go after you to save you. Don’t be fooled by that. He did go after you to save you, but not because he had feelings for you. You know this. Think.”

Zecora paused and thought.

That coldness. That iron-like resolve. How he ensured that she was kept safe from harm, how he had moved everything to get her home. If he did not love her, then why did he do all of it? What was Zaku saying? She didn’t understand.

“Did he tell you he loves you? Did he kiss you when he found you? Did he even hug you in private?” Zaku asked. “And you believe that he loves you?”

There was a long period of silence at Zaku waited for his words to sink in. Then he spoke calmly and gently. “Do not feel bad, it is what he is. Not who, for the who in his case is only a small piece of what makes him so. He is Tai Jaicho. He sees that which we cannot see, far, far, far away. His reasons are beyond our understanding. Go to Equestria if you must, but not because of him. Do it because of you.”

The truth hurt, but Zecora finally understood. It wasn’t love that brought Semper out to her. As much as she wanted that to be true, she also felt so much relief that it wasn’t. How could she love a stallion like that? She wasn’t sure if her tears were of sadness or relief, but she shed them anyway.

Missions 1 & 2: Closure

Red Ruby looked at the stallion standing in front of her desk before looking over to Golden Glitter standing next to him, both at full attention.

“You may go.”

Glitter gave the slightest, almost imperceptible move of hesitation. She looked as if she had wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. She understood right now that there was nothing she could say to change the inevitable and that she was no longer required there. She stood at attention, saluted, turned and exited the office after a half-hearted ‘Yes, ma’am’. Ruby waited until the gentle sound of the door closing sounded through her office before getting up and using her magic to pour herself a cup of some strong cider. She thought about offering it to Semper, but knew better. Slowly she took a sip and hovered two ice cubes from the ice bucket and dropped them into her glass, making sure to swirl it around a few times to aerate the delectable flavors before making her way back to her desk. She was keeping an eye on the stallion as she did so. He did not move whatsoever, remaining as still as a statue, and as resolute and unbreakable. The sound of the old clock ticking in the background was all that could be heard until Ruby leaned back in her seat, making the leather creak under the shift of weight, and sighed.

She placed her drink delicately on the left side of the desk and hovered a large stack of papers from her right, plopping them in the center closest to the stallion. “Where do I begin? I’ve obviously read the report, and… well, it’s simply incredible. Even for me, and I read quite a lot of reports. I had sent you out with the mission to improve our relations with Zebrica, and I get this.” She patted the stack of papers with her right hoof.

“Ma’am, my primary objective was accomplished, ma’am.”

“Yes, yes. I know it was, but you don’t seem to understand the significance of what you did. It’s still very hard for me to believe, even at this point and with evidence to the fact. So we’re going to go over it again.”

“As you wish, ma’am.”

“I do wish. We’ll start from when you returned to this city,” Ruby lifted up a notepad where she had compiled some questions, and adjusted her glasses. She read the name, “Lost Hope.”

“Ma’am, you mean Freeport, ma’am.”

Ruby suppressed a smile. “Fine. Freeport. Tell me everything. Don’t leave out any details.”

The captain fumbled around in the dark. He would have used his horn, but he already knew the futility of it. Still, some light was better than none. He took off his hat, pushed his mane to the side and held his breath. The faint glow from his horn reacted, slowly glowing brighter and brighter. He wished that he had other unicorns with him at that moment. The ones from the manna reactor were alive, but one of those huge bolts of lightning had struck the ship boring through the hull. The manna reactor must have been damaged -- the manna batteries were dying at an extremely rapid rate. The hum of the engines was starting to change pitch, getting lower and lower, and signifying a decrease in speed and power. If the engines pushing the ship failed, then everything would’ve been for nothing.

The Guard had gone off somewhere, but not before telling him to bring the griffin airship down, essentially landing it on the water below. An airship is not designed for water, but it was perhaps their best bet. Better be in the water than slamming into it from on high.

His hoof felt something in a drawer and he gasped in reaction. Instantly his horn’s light went out. He cursed quietly and once again took a deep breath, trying to push magic through his horn. It was a lot harder for him this time, it always was. He looked inside again and took the object out, and smiled. In another second he had refocused his magic to a tiny dot of fire just an inch from his face and placed the end of the object into it. The fire took after a second and the captain pulled the candle away letting the light bathe the room in its soft glow. He gasped once it was far enough away from his face, experience with lighting candles with his horn had taught him. The lit candle seemed like a sun in the overwhelming darkness of the outside.

It was hard to move around when the ship kept heaving from side to side. It was a miracle that they hadn’t smashed into one of those deadly clouds yet, or another tongue of lightning hadn’t ripped them apart.

Finally, he found it. Well, found one piece of the puzzle. Unlike his airship, which could be sailed by a single equine, these larger manna ships were designed for a crew working together almost as effectively as the machinery itself. Most larger ships were. The wheel was useless for now -- no matter which way he went the engulfing darkness made him practically blind. All he knew was that he needed to force this vessel to descend at a steady pace, then to guess where the Eleonora was and hopefully crash near enough to it to be rescued. Now all he needed to do was head in the Eleonora’s general direction.

He walked towards the rear of the bridge and felt around. His hoof touched something he thought was familiar and lowered his candle to see. He was greeted by the remains of a very dead griffin, his hoof touching a sword that had pinned the corpse to the wall. Blood oozed from a gaping wound and had dried along the beak, a faraway look in those eyes. There had been too many deaths today. He glanced around and finally found what he was looking for. He pushed the lever forwards and as the engines below groaned and creaked, he heard something to his left and right moan. The flaps were moving, and judging from the sound the lines, ropes or metallic wires that controlled them were strained beyond their means. But there was no time to worry about that for now. After a few moments the airship started tilting forwards slowly and gradually, but the winds themselves seemed to have other intentions for the airship. The sheer force was somehow pushing the airship upwards.

“Always something!” the captain groaned. If only Bones were here. He half expected him to appear, but he knew better. He was in a better place now.

A crackle echoed through one of the pipes.

“We are descending,” came the voice. Again, it wasn’t a question.

The captain made a face. Did that Guard have any emotion? “Yeah, but not fast enough. We’re gonna get ripped apart unless we do something! We need more power to the engines and force this thing down. The winds are keeping us aloft. I don’t know where the unicorn went.”

“The unicorn is with me. Get this ship down.”

“I can’t!” The captain yelled back.

“You will.”

The captain wanted to shout something back, but could not think of anything appropriate to say. Again, he found himself wishing Bones was still alive. What annoyed him the most was that the Guard was right. He could bring the ship down. He just didn’t want to be told.

He muttered under his breath and prepared himself. He swung the wheel to the left and felt the ship lurch to starboard, sending him slamming into the wall. He cursed under his breath again and pushed himself up, making his way towards the wheel at the sharp angle he had overcompensated for. It was like walking up a steep incline. His footing slipped, and he realised that the airship was leaning too far. If he didn’t do something it would flip over, or slam sideways into the waters below.

He had lost his ship, he had lost many comrades and friends. He wasn’t going to lose his life. Not now. Not when he finally had the one he loved waiting for him.

With all the effort he could muster, he reached over to an axe that was within reach and slammed it into the floor. Its sharp blade stuck itself easily into the metal flooring, and the captain pulled himself up and pushed the wheel as hard as he could. The ship responded almost immediately, sending him sailing through the air and landing hard against the floor.

Rushing to the lever once more, he pushed it all the way and felt the griffin airship tilt dangerously forwards. He had no idea how far down they were or how close they were to the water. All he knew was that the clouds seemed to be no longer a threat, as he could see somewhat in the gloomy darkness. The rain, somehow, was making things lighter. Perhaps it was the stark contrast between the two versions of darkness, but he could make out the clouds above the airship and the flicker of lightning above them was not as vivid, bright or dangerous as it was moments before.

Had they escaped?

He reset the lever and counted the seconds as the airship pulled out of the sharp dive. He half expected the ship to suddenly stop after smashing into the water, sending him flying through the bridge window. He waited for a few seconds more before daring to breathe a sigh of relief.

Just then, a light blazed through the darkness bathing everything in an eerie white glow. What was the Guard doing? He would give away their position. Perhaps there were other griffin airships around that would use the light to pinpoint them and blow them out of the sky.

As if on cue, a griffin landed on deck followed by a pegasi, then another and another. They all stood staring at each other, some tried to raise their weapons, but most were content in just accepting their fate, whatever it may be.

If only there were unicorns. Right now a good dose of magic was what they needed.

The light swiveled around to the Guard standing atop a bunch of boxes. He shouted something to the gathering of pegasi and griffins and they all sheathed and put away their various weapons. All of them. As if he were their commander. What kind of being did it take to make words alone enough to stop the fighting? Perhaps he revealed the desperate situation they were in. Perhaps he made them succumb to their empathy. Or he just told them to do it and they obeyed. That was most likely what he did. The captain could almost see the authority emanating from him, like fire.

The captain found himself revitalized by what he saw, and he had to admit that in this situation, any morale boost was a welcomed accolade. The Guard began saying something and, as if by natural instinct, the griffins and Watu began to group themselves and began to do whatever it was they were ordered to. That was when the captain noted a small group of griffins and pegasi headed towards the bridge.

A group piled in.

“Captain!” a pegasi shouted almost as soon as he was in view of the open door.

“Rapid?” The captain almost danced in glee when he saw him. “You’re alive!”

“Aye. Where’s Bones?”

The captain did not respond.

“I see.” Rapid sat down where he stood, his eyes wide with shock. “Wow. Bones? That’s… wow.”

“He’s better off now,” the captain growled not really wanting to be reminded any more of the stallion.

“The Guard said that we are yours to command. What are your orders?” a voice asked. It was a Watu and he stood beside two griffins.

“They know this ship?” the captain asked.

“They admitted they were on the bridge of the other airships. The ones that went down.” The Watu replied. “The ships should be similar enough.”

“Fine. I need one of them to be at the elevation controls. The other needs to be at the drop mechanism thingy. We’re going to have to drop ourselves in front of the Eleonora. Our primary objective is to find it. Everyone here is to keep watch on all sides for any sign of that ship.”

The Watu turned and spoke to the griffins in their native tongue. They both nodded and after a few seconds, were at the stations they were required. The Watu walked and stood next to the captain. “The Guard has stated that since I can speak their tongue, I am to be your voice. I will convey your orders.”

“My voice, eh?” the captain replied. “But if I sing, you’ve got to sing too, got it?”

The Watu did not bat an eyelid. “I will attempt to do so.”

“Good enough! Now, get that light shining down to the bottom. I need some distance! How far are we from the water?” If he was going to die, at least he had one of his crew with him. “Ready to sing a little ditty with me, Watu?”

“Sir! A light has been spotted bearing on our twelve o’clock,” Nautical stated. “It’s dead ahead.”

Wish looked up and furrowed her brow. “Ahead? Any idea who it could be?”

“It’s bigger than the Lipizzan, so it must be a griffin ship. Shall we prepare for combat?”

Wish nodded. “Get the lights changed and light her up. Part of the mission was to attempt to capture the griffin ships. We don’t know if it’s still under griffin control, or if it’s under ours! Signal for her to surrender and that they must permit our boarding party to board their vessel.”

“Aye-aye, sir!” Nautical turned to the pipes and echoed the orders.

Deep in her gut, Wish tried to suppress the urgent need to run up to the deck and see the response herself. She wanted to see it respond, that it was indeed captured, and that her dear captain was safe and sound. But she could not. She had to remain here and maintain order. And she hated that fact.

“You better be alive up there,” Wish whispered to the ether.

Broad beams of light pierced the sky and focused on the airship they were on. All who saw it had to shield their eyes due to its intense brightness.

“I think we found it,” Rapid stated stupidly. “The Eleonora’s right over there, cap’n.”

“Impossible,” a voice stated.

It wasn’t the captain’s.

“It can’t be…” another whispered.

It wasn’t the captain’s.

“How in Tartarus-?”

That was the captain’s voice.

“They’re signaling us,” Rapid put in when nobody said anything further.

The captain shoved Rapid aside and rushed towards the door out of the bridge, but stopped and poked his head back through the half-open door. “Keep at this altitude and do not turn her!”

“I am guessing that our song is over then?” the Watu asked.

The captain smirked. “For now. We’ve got to respond! Someone get that unicorn to shine that light and signal! Remember, not to turn this ship. The last thing we need is for them to think we’re attempting a broadside and getting our plots knocked out of the sky. Let’s tell ‘em that we have the ship and that the griffins have surrendered her. Also, we’re out of power! We need unicorns!”

The captain shouted the last part and rushed outside into the rain and onto the deck. He wanted to see if he could see Wish, but he knew deep down that she would not leave the safety of the Flag Bridge deep within her decks. Still, the closer he could get to her the better. There was no harm in that.

He stopped and looked around.

“Hey… where’s Bones?” the captain asked looking at where he had last seen the stallion.

Of course, he was given no response. He understood. When he had turned the ship to the side to drop her down below the cloud line, the body must have fallen off. He smirked at the thought. Perhaps it was meant to be that way. Bones did say that the grave on the hill was his, but for the older version of him. Pip. Perhaps Bones belonged to the sky and ocean where his home had been for so long, and now lay deep in the cold abyss.

Shrugging off the thought, the captain saw the unicorn -- a very young, skinny mare -- walked over to her and smiled. “Signal to her before she blows us out of the sky! We’re saved! If we can get this ship down without crashing, that is.”

The unicorn looked at the captain blankly.

The captain was about to repeat what he said, but the Watu from the bridge had followed him outside to the deck and placed a hoof on his shoulder. The captain looked at the Watu for moment before the warrior spoke in pure Griffon. At once the unicorn, who grew up with the griffins and did not speak a word of Equestrian, replied excitedly. Despite not knowing how to reply, she would do her very best. At this, the captain stated that all she needed to do was keep the light active and he’d do the signals himself. Once that was explained by the Watu, the unicorn happily obliged.

As the captain finished signalling and was extremely satisfied with the response, he turned to the unicorn and smiled. “What’s it feel like to be free?”

She smiled. “Frei. Yes!” and she clopped her hooves excitedly as she stared at the group of pegasi carrying unicorns towards the airship. “Is good!”

Wish raised her head off the captain’s shoulder and pushed a stray hair of his reddish-brown mane from his deep, dark-blue eyes, staring into them. The captain, in turn, gave her a peck on the lips. They lay in each other’s embrace for a moment longer before the captain broke the silence.

“What were the odds?”

“Beg your pardon?” Wish asked, slipping out of the bed and making her way to the toilet.

The captain watched her go. “I mean, how we found you. The Eleonora. We were lost in those clouds, fighting for so long. Just never realized how far we drifted off course in that chaos.”

The sound of water running silenced any conversation for a moment. Wish returned and dried her face with a towel, neatly hanging it on the back of a very simple looking chair.

“I didn’t realize how far we traveled,” the captain added, and watched as Wish began to put on her uniform.

Wish looked at the stallion. “You were following the winds against your will. It isn’t surprising in the least.”

“For the most part, yes, I would agree with you. The winds were too strong. Imagine manna ships being shoved off course, being at the utter mercy of the winds.” The captain sighed and leaned deeper into the pillows. “Yeah, we kinda just went with the flow, but that’s not the part I’m still unable to get over.”

“Both our ships travelled the path of least resistance. For you, you traveled where the wind was strongest, and the clouds were thinnest. We did the same thing. We followed the strongest air currents. The Eleonora moves much slower than an airship, and slower still considering the amount of damage to the hull. It was only natural that we’d end up in the same area eventually.”

“Again, not my point.”

“The Guard?” Wish asked.

“The Guard.” The captain sighed and sat up in the bed and leaned against the post putting his hooves behind his head. “The. Guard.”

“I’m still unable to properly process everything. The ship. Blood. The dragon. You. All of it. It… it’s all too perfect,” Wish replied, her cheeks glowing slightly.

The captain smiled and leaned on his hoof. “Why don’t you come back to bed for a bit longer? All this talk about winds has—”

“Stop right there,” Wish stated. “Just so that we’re clear, I am still the captain of this ship and I have duties that I must do. Despite what I feel for you my duty is to the ship. I must make sure that everything is going according to plan. Our lives count on it.”

The captain made a face, but he didn’t press the matter. “I’ll meet you in a bit. Still feeling a little groggy.”

“Take your time.” Wish started to walk out, but she stopped before she opened the door. “I am glad you came back to me alive. I owe the Guard. And for that, I will obey him.”

The captain looked away. “Oh stop. You’ll make me jealous.”

Wish rolled her eyes, but she had a small smile on her lips. “Just don’t go picking a fight with him.”

“I’m not suicidal,” The captain shot back.

Wish blinked at that, not expecting such an answer. She smiled and stepped out, closing the door to her personal chambers behind her.

In the hallway she saw two stallions standing at the end of the hall that led to the officer’s quarters. When they spotted her, they instantly began walking towards her. Each were Watu and both had a stack of papers for her. She had told them to come at the appointed time and was impressed with their punctuality. In fact, there were a lot of things about the Watu she had taken for granted. Unlike her crew, who were capable of mistakes, the Watu were not given that luxury. A mistake led to death, even from each other. She wondered what would happen to them once this was all over.

“What is the prognosis on the repairs on the hulls?”

“Sir, the lower decks are still flooded, but the teams have been working non-stop to empty them. The pumps are being repaired and the unicorns are saving their magical power to power them once they are completed. The dogs have been extremely helpful in this matter. The other freed slaves are being trained by other Watu.”

“Trained?” Wish asked.

“Yes, sir. As per the Omega’s orders.”

“I see. The Omega, is it? Very well. And the airships?”

The other Watu spoke up. “The Heldenhaft is fully operational. The other ship, the Abenteurer, is in very bad shape. Apart from major engine trouble due to lightning strikes, some of the primary cannons are working and most of the Wallarmbrusts are beyond salvaging. There isn’t enough ammunition and the griffins use a different projectile shape and design from what we do. There is a limited number of shells.”

“Can we offload what is on the Heldenhaft and transfer it to the Abenteurer?”

The two Watu looked at one another. “The Omega has already given that order and it has been done.”

“I see.” Wish didn’t like that. Something like that should always go through her, not via the Guard. “What about the main cannons?”

“All in working condition, but we lost half the shells when the front deck was flooded to flush out the ursas. We are having teams move some of the rear projectiles forward, but the Guard says that there is no need.”

“No need? We’re sailing right into the salve capital of our side of the world! We’re bringing back freed slaves! He doesn’t think it is necessary to be fully armed and ready?” Wish stopped and turned on the two Watu. “Where is the Guard now?”

The two exchanged looks again. “We don’t know, sir. I can check and see, sir.”

“Never mind. Just inform him that I would like to see him when he is free. I will be in the Flag Bridge.” Wish stomped away, leaving the two Watu to go about their orders.

It had been three days since the captain and the others were found on that crippled airship. It took another day for them to get out of the chaotic border-winds that split the two kingdoms apart. The anomaly had settled down by then, as ‘settled down’ as it could be. But they were not out of the fire just yet. The Guard had ordered that they make their way back to Lost Hope, and that was the end of it. She would obey. As far as she was concerned, this was the Guard’s ship now. Still, she didn’t like it one bit. She had no idea what this Guard was thinking.

There were mix feelings aboard the Eleonora. The freed slaves, especially the dogs, were extremely excited, but most of the slaves that had escaped via the lifeboats had vanished. Perhaps the waves had claimed them, or they had managed to find their own way out of the chaotic storm. Many were picked up, but what was a sizeable force was now a considerable army. With the knowledge that they were free, they were easily rallied and apparently being trained in basic combat maneuvers in one of the lower decks by one of the Watu commanders.

Most of the pegasi were fed up. They had gone through the most harrowing ordeal they would ever face and it was quite clear that nothing could convince them to pick up their armor and face another battle. There wouldn’t be a mutiny about it, that was for sure, but there were going to be a lot of disobeying from the pegasi.

She entered the bridge and froze. Nautical was looking over maps with a dark blue stallion next to him. She recognized the uniform right away, but there was something different about it as well. Something she couldn’t tell just yet.

“Sir, I wish to talk with you.” Wish walked over and placed herself next to the stallion.

The stallion turned to face her, two eyes as hard as stone stared deep into her soul.

Despite her best efforts, the captain of the Eleonora still took a step back away from him. Those eyes burned into her very soul, they seemed to see her for what she was. Still she suppressed the urge to gulp and waited patiently for permission to speak.

“I am listening.”

“I have been informed that you feel it is not required to transfer the shells and redistribute our firepower effectively? Might I remind you that the ship is crippled and that assaulting Lost Hope would be–”

“Sir, we are not attacking Lost Hope,” Nautical cut in before she could finish her thought.

There was a lingering silence before the obvious question. “Why?”

“There is no need,” the Guard simply stated.

“No need?”

“None. They will surrender. By the time the Eleonora reaches Lost Hope, everything will be over.”

“Then why train the slaves? Why make them learn to fight?” Wish asked, completely ignoring protocol.

The Guard looked at her for a moment, as if gauging to see if he had heard the question right. “In order to maintain order. And to teach them something new. Even if they are not going into combat, the discipline they will learn will assist them in their future endeavors.”

“You’re… rehabilitating them?” Wish asked completely astonished.

“No. I’m maintaining order,” The Guard stated simply, then turned his attention back on the maps.

Garim sighed as she gazed out the window. It was boring when the ship wasn’t in. Nothing to do, nothing to see, nobody to bug, and too much free time. She looked at the large gathering of slaves in the enclosure below and tried to ignore it. At one point many years ago, this was supposed to be a port to establish a trade route between Equestria and the Griffin Empire. Too bad it didn’t work out quite that way. Over time, with Equestria and her own internal problems, several parts that used to be part of her borders slowly became their own unique autonomous bodies.

Now she was stuck here, after buying passage on the Eleonora to head towards a society that promised way too much and gave too little. Griffins being granted passage into Equestria were rare indeed, and even if she did manage to smuggle her way into the pony kingdom, there was a standing treaty between the two entities. Any griffin not authorized to be there had to be sent back.

A part of her shuddered. She had been sent back, went through the ‘re-education’ process and somehow managed to escape aboard the Eleonora once more. It had cost her everything, but it was worth it to get away from there. She saw what was wrong and hated it, but what could a single griffin do against the entire might of the Griffin Empire? Her father, a noble within one of the households, was assassinated when she was a mere hatchling. His mother was taken as merchandise when her family went bankrupt and sold to another noble as a concubine. She managed to be spared that fate by being ‘adopted’ by her mother’s maidservant, who summarily sold her on to another family. Luckily for her, this family were decent folk.

Still, being trapped by circumstances near Equestria was better than being free in the Griffin Empire.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a heavy knocking on her door.

“Enter.”

“Ma’am, we have a problem,” a Watu stated and stood aside as another Watu walked in. A pegasus. “He’s from the Eleonora.”

This newcomer did not salute her. Garim cocked her head to one side. That was curious. “What can I do for you?”

“Blood’s dead,” he stated bluntly.

If Garim had not been sitting, she doubted her legs would have held her up. “W-what did you just say?”

“Blood is dead. Killed. I am here on orders to inform all leaders of Lost Hope that both Blood and the dragon were killed during the crossing towards the Griffin Empire. The ship and the freed slaves are returning here with the Eleonora, and two captured griffin airships. I am also here to convey a standing order that when the Eleonora arrives, that all slaves are to be freed and the remaining Watu are to turn in their weapons and await further orders.”

Then suddenly a violent burst of a high-pitched, half-crazed laugh sounded from the griffin. “Blood dead? Eleonora captured? Dragon killed? Do you really expect me to believe such nonsense–”

The Watu shook his head. “No. I have orders to hand this over to you should you doubt the authenticity of my account.” He placed a basket on the table. “I believe this will absolve any questions.”

The griffin looked at the basket and knew what it was. No slaver wouldn’t have. She stuck out her lower beak and inhaled a sigh. “How will I know that this is Blood?”

“You will know.”

The griffin reached over and flipped over the lid, looked, and replaced the lid without comment. She stood up and walked back over to the window, staring out across the sea. There she stood in silence, contemplating what she had just seen. “You do realize that this means war.”

The pegasi did not say anything. “I have come to deliver this message. That is my duty done. The Eleonora is seven days out. You have until then to decide.”

“Tell your new master that Lost Hope will fight back,” Garim growled still looking out the window.

The Eleonora pegasi turned and left without any further comment. The other Watu paused and waited for Garim, who nodded slightly. The Watu then followed the pegasi out to ensure that the trip to the Eleonora wouldn’t take place. There would be no warning. They would come expecting a surrendered port only to stumble into an ambush. She would have the head of the one who killed Blood. Then she would be the one in charge. After she made a few ‘accidental’ kills with the city council. Maybe, just maybe, she could finally achieve her dream.

Maybe, just maybe, she could finally be truly free.

The pegasi landed on the deck, a large gash along his left torso. He had already been treated on his flight back by other pegasi trained in medicine, but that was an earth pony specialty. As he landed, two ponies immediately went to work on him stitching up his wounds. The Watu, despite his serious condition, stood up and saluted the Guard in the Watu fashion and lowered his head in respect.

“I have delivered your message, sir.” The Watu said. “It was as you had said. It was the female griffin, Garim, who was left in charge of the city.”

“Then everything is according to plan,” the Guard replied. “We will be met with little to no resistance.”

The Guard turned towards the Watu commander and nodded. The commander in turn blew on a whistle and instantly there was a commotion all around them. In a few moments two griffin airships began to soar into the sky and the Eleonora trained her cannons towards the horizon. The magic-powered motors made the entire ship shake as the carefully calculated trajectories were being committed by the newly created gun-crews, courtesy of the unicorns from the Griffin Empire.

Wish looked to the captain as the Guard walked off, the wolf that was the Alpha of Alphas following close behind him. The captain just shrugged at Wish. “I don’t know what goes through his mind.”

“Neither do I. And that’s what is scary,” Wish stated matter-of-factly.

“What is?”

“That confidence. I know deep down it shouldn’t make sense. I mean, how could it? Yet, I just can’t help myself. I know that it’s beyond all expectations, but I can accept it only because it’s him who says it.” Wish shook her head. “Am I a fool?”

“He convinced me to come after you, didn’t he?”

“But… did he know? I mean, I didn’t know. You didn’t know. How could you? How could I? How was I supposed to know that living day to day in a job that was against everything I believed in would finally bring me together with you?” Wish shuddered. “I know he isn’t able to know things, but when he does something and I take a moment to stand back and see it for what it is, I just can’t accept it.”

“You mean you can’t explain what he does?”

“And that I can’t explain how he always ends up almost right all the time. From what you’ve told me and what I’ve witnessed, right down to fighting the two strongest beings on this ship, he has been a step ahead of everyone.”

The captain shrugged. “Well, then do what I did.”

“And what is that?”

“Move on. It’s just who he is. Sometimes you just can’t explain certain things.”

“But… that just confuses me more! I’ve thought of it as well. How can you just accept it without questioning it?”

Again the captain shrugged. “It is what it is. He does things that are beyond our understanding. He’s just proven time and again that he’s not a pony you can stop.”

The mare turned and frowned. The answer did not answer anything, but it did at the same time. She had made a vow and was not about to abandon her ship, her word, nor her crew. She would see this through even if it meant storming the borders of Equestria herself. She would follow this stallion to the bitter end. The only question left was: where was he going to take her?

Garim narrowed her eyes at the so-called ‘City Council’. They were shouting at each other trying to get the majority of the Watu to protect their own slave cages and prisons. Deep down Garim felt nothing but the disgust for them. Made rich from the injustice and suffering of others, most lived as ‘respectable’ folk in Equestria. Years of cleverly disguising their trade had made those within the kingdom’s boundaries unaware of the lurking evil that hid there. The Royal Guard was hard pressed to find these culprits, and how does one find justice when they themselves are either protected or are in charge, sitting in the most powerful and influential positions? It’s not like every inch of the border can be watched by the Border Guard.

Then there were those Border Guards involved with the trade itself. Something that she couldn’t understand. Even griffins wouldn’t sell one another. They wouldn’t mind slaughtering them and their entire family, but never sell them as slaves.

Not unless they were really, really bad. After all, to griffins, slavery is far worse than death. Death at least left your dignity intact. Slavery stole everything, including your freedom and dignity. Perhaps that was why she felt the way she did towards the group of ponies, camels and other creatures around the large oval table. Even a dog was there.

Probably why she ended up as one. Twice!

She ground her beak at that. How she would’ve loved to take revenge back home and slaughter those that sold her off. No, not home. This was her home now, as much as it disgusted her. Still, she had landed a pretty cushy job, and despite not getting paid, she pretty much had the run of things. For the most part. It was still extremely dangerous, and she could not let her guard down for even a second. She hated having to take a weapon with her everywhere she went. Even when she needed to go to the toilet, she found that it was too dangerous to not have something on her.

She envied the unicorns for that. They had their magic. Even if they couldn’t or didn’t have weapons around, they could still create havoc with their horns. At least she could fly. There was that. And she was a great flier. Untold Watu pegasi were a testament to that. After all, you don’t get promoted in the Watu. You get placed in a position that needs filling, usually due to a sudden vacancy.

And Garim’s position was a highly sought after prize.

Still, like with most things, there was the downside. She had to oversee the slave trade in its entirety, ignore the random killings and other crimes that no sane being should commit. She had to put aside what it actually was and treat the whole salve thing like a typical business. Merchandise, that’s what they were called. Nothing more than items to be inventoried, analysed and sold. Except, in this business, she wasn’t allowed to keep a single bit from the profits. None of them could. Those were exclusively for the dragon, and the dragon alone.

But the dragon was dead. If the Watu was telling the truth.

But it was Blood’s head. She had seen it. The face looked strange, though. Despite only glancing at it for a moment, she wondered why the face looked so placid. So calm. So… peaceful. Shouldn’t the rage-filled, fire-obsessed, hate-exuding unicorn that was the primary commander of all the Watu die a horribly painful death. The amount of beings that he killed were astounding.

And yet there was another who was capable of defeating him. Another who could best the supreme Watu leader in combat. A part of Garim wanted to believe that Blood had lost to a number of astounding odds, but that impression wasn’t there when she talked to the Watu pegasi that delivered the message. He was full of confidence and pride. That was something unexpected. Most Watu were beaten down into submission and forced to obey through fear of death; that a wrong move would make the higher-ups order his demise. Not the case for this pegasi. In fact he seemed… disciplined. The warrior edge was still there, she felt it, but it was also controlled.

Like a Guard.

“No! My stocks are far more valuable than yours,” the gray stallion shouted as he slammed his hooves on the metal table. “I’ve got twenty alphas ready to roll out as of now! I need my pens guarded!”

A bored looking camel picked up some first-grade Equestrian oats that had been ‘imported’ by way of a raid on a convoy a few months earlier. He ate a couple and held the rest in between his toes. “I disagree. My stock is far more valuable, but I don’t need any special attention. After all, I do have my own personal guards, unlike you.”

The gray stallion growled. “Watch your mouth, camel.”

“Oh? What are you going to do? Magic it shut? I’d like to see you try.”

The gray stallion stuck out his lower jaw. “Don’t make me kill you.”

At that, the camel merely laughed. “You and what army? You touch a hair on my hump and my kind will run you and your partners into the ground, whatever respect you and your family enjoy over in your beloved kingdom will be ruined. Your kind does not take kindly to slavery, nor to those involved with it. Or do you not care about your position in, what is the name of the city again?”

The camel armed to the teeth, whose face was covered in a thick cloth, whispered something into the speaker’s ear.

“Ah, yes. Canterlot. Isn’t that your capital? Perhaps your princess would like to have the names involved from your House, would she not?”

The gray stallion sat back down and said nothing., but those eyes spoke of their intense hatred.

“It’s the Watu’s job to ensure that the city is adequately protected,” a well dressed pony in white stated. She wore a thin veil across her face and was smoking from a long pipe that ran into a large golden bowl. She puffed a few delicate rings into the air before replacing the device to her lips. “Right, Garim?”

The griffin turned her attention towards the mare. “Correct. Protecting this city and its assets is indeed my primary function.”

“If that’s your job, then do it! Send a squadron of pegasi and take that ship back!” the gray stallion shouted angrily, obviously taking out his frustration on her instead of the camel.

Garim reached over to a glass of wine and sipped on it. She didn’t like wine as much as a nice strong cider, but that was hard to come by. She slowly and deliberately placed the glass down on the table in front of her, then twisted around and slammed her axe straight down on it, splitting the glass in two and leaving the blade embedded deep within the table’s edge.

Every pony, camel, giraffe, and creature jumped in their seats, and more than one weapon was drawn by the time Garim had turned her back to the table and stood gazing out the window. “He’s dead.”

It took a moment for someone to recover. The mare, Garim noted.

“Who’s dead?”

“The dragon. The ship is out of our control.” Garim stated nonchalantly and paused waiting for this bit of information to really sink in. She had stated it before, but with more gravity and it was clear that they didn’t listen to her the first time. With their eyes increasing in size, it was clear that this time the effect of the message hit home. “Even if I sent every pegasi here, none would come back.”

“Wait. Did you say the dragon is dead?” the camel asked through the overbearing silence that persisted.

Garim sighed exasperatedly. She had already given them the status of things, but as per usual they were too busy with their own little problems. So she had stopped and told them about how the Watu were busy learning how to do a musical number with the slaves. Of course it was total nonsense, but she didn’t want to have to repeat herself. She figured that the only ones that would have listened was the mare. If only she wasn’t addicted to that terrible substance.

That narcotic.

It was actually a genius move on behalf of Blood and the dragon, to create such a powerful narcotic and then monopolized the substance’s secret and distribution. It affected almost every creature, no matter what their resistance, but the side effect was terrible. Or was it? Memory loss. Was that such a terrible thing for a creature who had been tricked into becoming addicted to this horrid substance?

Be that as it may, this mare managed to make a cheaper imitation of said narcotic and used it for herself. But it was expensive to make and to maintain her habit she needed the bits. No honest form of living in Equestria could afford such an addiction, and thus this white mare was forced into a trade she wanted nothing to do with. Another victim of the dragon’s clutches.

Still, she was smart. Incredibly so. She would have to be to figure out how to mimic the drug. She took tiny bits, but the side effect still lingered and the white mare found herself becoming more and more absent minded. She even had to resort to using notes and pads to keep track of her daily routine. She wrote it in code, of course, so that others who found it back in Equestria could not implicate her on her involvement with the slave trade.

“What should we do?” the mare asked keeping composed.

Garim smirked and sat back down in her seat. “Surrender.”

That brought a sudden outburst of angry remarks, retorts, arguments and threats. Garim remained silent and calm throughout it all as the medley of rich, greedy, selfish, slave-trading scum spouted their diatribe at each other and at her. She did not interfere. No use getting involved with a pointless argument, but deep down she felt a slight smugness at it all. She was witnessing the worst-case scenario for them, and the best-case for her. Even if whatever the pegasus told her was false, she was still in a position of feigning ignorance.

“You must be mad!” the gray stallion spoke up. “Surrender? Whatever for? Don’t our bits pay for your protection against outsiders and ensuring our ‘cargoes’ get to their intended destinations?”

“But the dragon is dead,” Garim replied calmly. “I doubt his protection is valid any longer.”

“W-what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that we’re no longer obligated in protecting your ‘cargo’. Your personal guards are going to have to do that. Without the dragon to purchase your cargo to ship them, what use are they to us?”

And like that, the full realization of the impact hit home.

“You can’t do that to me!” the gray stallion shouted, sitting up on his chair. “I’ve spent good amount of bits in getting prime merchandise out of Canterlot! Do you know what would happen to me and my reputation if I were to be found out?”

“Quite frankly, I don’t care. We all know that without the protection of the Watu overseeing the city that you all would start your own little wars fighting over who owns what. Since we have no leaders, nor does the Watu want any, you could say that protection fees have been initiated. At around one thousand bits.”

The camel laughed. “You think you can threaten us?”

“I’m not threatening you. I am just not going to protect you or yours if you don’t pay up.”

There was some more discussion before there was an unspoken agreement. That would mean that these creatures would try to recruit Watu to their personal armies. Problem was, and this was something that none of them had realized yet, the number of forces aboard the Eleonora was three times than what was left behind. It didn’t matter anyway.

Lost Hope was doomed.

“That was really quite something, Garim,” The white unicorn said as she took another puff from her contraption and took a piece of scented paper and gave it a delicate whiff before giving it to one of her stallions. He was gorgeous, perhaps from a far eastern province or further to the north. Garim told herself she would most certainly would not mind taking him for a tour of her room in the keep.

“Thanks,” the griffin replied.

“I will, of course, not be coming back. I have a feeling that my habit will kill me anyway. Might as well try and survive the withdrawals. I would like to forget all this -- if I survive.”

“You think you’ll forget?” Garim asked pouring herself a glass and offering another to the mare, who refused with a raised hoof.

Garim smiled inwardly. Still didn’t trust her. Never drink a glass poured by someone you didn’t trust. That was the easiest way to get poisoned, or worse -- drugged and find yourself locked into a cell ready for the next shipment.

“I don’t know, but if what you said is true, then it’s undoubtedly time to put aside old habits. I’m old, my body cannot take much more of this abuse,” the white mare lifted up her chin and pulled back the veil that covered her face.

There was bile crawling up the back of Garim’s throat as she saw what lay behind that mask. The veil did a wonderful job at covering everything despite being quite sheer. Perhaps it was the delicate embroidery, or the expensive looking cloth, or perhaps there was a charm cast upon it. Whatever the case, it hid missing teeth, bleeding gums, swollen lips, scabby corners of her lips, a slightly yellowish pallor to her skin around the mouth that made her look ill or plastic. Garim took a sip of the drink and swallowed back her bile. Years of experience kept her face passive and calm.

The mare smiled. “You are not disgusted by what you see?”

“Seen worse,” Garim stated with a slight shrug. “In my line of work, you see things that make your face a delight.”

The mare laughed at that. “You do know how to flatter, but even you cannot hide your disgust from me.” She sighed and replaced her veil. “I rue the day Blood tricked me into taking his ‘medicine’. I will curse it till the day I die.”

“You were tricked by him?” Garim asked casually.

The mare smiled. “When you’re lonely, you sometimes forget what is important. I was rich, my father had left me with a sizeable fortune. I was, therefore, looking to start my own path in a world that was hidden from those I saw as ignorant from the closed societies of Canterlot. Of course, I had no idea just how… problematic my hobby had become to Blood and the Watu.”

“What did you do?”

This time the mare’s smile vanished. “I wanted to spread peace, songs, tried to mix in with different cultures and different kinds of intelligent beings. I made many, many friends, went far and wide. When I heard what was happening here, I thought I could reason with them.”

“I take it that that didn’t get very far.”

“The dragon wanted to end my life, but Blood… he was smarter. He knew that a mare like me would’ve been more problematic dead than alive. Afterall, I had made so many friends. One day he just… injected me his poison, and here I am.” The mare giggled. It sounded musical. Divine. Almost like princess Celestia herself, or at least how Garim imagined her to sound like when she laughed. Did she laugh? Could she laugh? She had heard so much about her, but it was hard to separate the myth from the truth, especially out here. “Over time my addiction pushed away all those I loved. Everypony I cared for. Gone. My fortune. Gone. Everything. Gone. Soon, it’ll be my time. I will die alone and poor, forgotten from the world. Like I deserve.”

Garim could not respond to that. The mare was one of the richest and most successful slavers there. She had kidnapped hundreds of ponies from her homeland and brought them here to be sold on. So, Garim could not pity her despite knowing the truth about her past, but she understood as well. That narcotic made the Watu what they were.

It was a good thing that Garim never was injected with that stuff. She had been tempted many times, but thankfully never committed. But all that did was make her more obedient and subservient to Blood by choice. So, was she really that different from the mare across from her? Did she really have the right to hold a higher moral ground after all those that died by her axe?

The explosion ripped through the night like a clap of thunder. Garim was up, armed, and outside in the sky before the second volley hit. She rested atop a cloud with some of the other pegasi Watu and looked below.

“What’s going on?”

“They are shelling us,” the pegasi stated. “Can’t even see over the horizon. Must be the Eleonora.”

“What’s that light over there?” Garim asked, pointing to a large object in the sky.

“A manna airship.”

“What are they shelling?”

“The harbor mostly. Most of the slavers are leaving, their personal guards escorting them back to wherever it is they came from.”

“They are just leaving the slaves behind?” Garim asked incredulously.

The pegasi looked at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

Of course they would. For so long she had thought that the slaves were the most important things there that she forgot the most important thing of all to these creatures. Their lives. No matter what, that always came first.

“What are your orders?” the Watu asked.

Garim shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Then we flee?”

“If you want. If whomever or whatever is in that ship beat both the dragon and Blood and managed to tame the Watu to follow, then we’ve already lost. And, from the looks of it, the griffins are helping out. I think… I think it’s over.”

And, as if on cue, on the horizon the Eleonora finally appeared.

As the ship pulled into the dock, the commotion from the slaves ranged from horror to excitement. Some believed that they were going to be killed, others believed that they had somehow been saved, but others were barely accepting of either, still shocked that they were what they were in the first place. The return of the Eleonora just nailed that concept deeper into the brains.

The Watu from the Eleonora had poured out in full force, in ranks, ordered, armed and were for all purposes no longer mere Watu. They were different. They were not like the Watu that had remained behind. These had become something else. They were strong in resolve, not just greed. They had been trained, and in such a short time as well. Whomever they obeyed, they did so out of their own will. Blood and the Dragon ruled through fear and for those that did not fear them, through narcotics or gold, but now they seemed content with what they were.

They were more dangerous now than before. And most of them them wore a red sash around their necks, the knot tucked neatly behind the peytral.

Garim stood where she was at the other end of the large slave pen. The slaves were still confused and panic seemed to emanate in small pockets everywhere. She noted that the main bridge of the ship was gone. Nothing but a smouldering ruin still smoking remained. From her vantage she could also see that parts of the massive decks were heavily destroyed, and a sizeable gash could be seen roughly patched up along one side of the ship.

What had gone on on that ship?

Just then, a lone figure stood up and walked forward.

It was a dog. Not just any dog, but a wolf. It walked forwards proudly with his head held high, and he walked into the slave-yard parting its denizens before him. All feared him, for he was the alpha of alphas. Following him were rows and rows of other dogs spreading out from behind, like a fan. Each step forwards they took pushed the slaves back like a body of water being buried by sand.

The Watu had already taken key points on and along the city, guarding all the main streets and armories. The two airships were located at the north and southern ends of the city, restricting ground force attempts to the heavily guarded forests to the west.

It was perfectly planned, but unnecessary. All resistance fled the moment they started bombarding the harbor, two days ago. The city was theirs.

And whatever was in it.

“Open the main doors!” a shout bellowed from the deck and Garim spotted Wish with the regular crew standing at the ready along the top of the ship, overlooking the slaves. They were all dressed in their formal gear, but again there was a red sash across their bodies. Like the Watu.

The loud groaning and creaking of the wooden doors as they pushed outwards was the only sound that could be heard as they swung slowly open, forming the huge ramps into the darkness of the ship’s interior. As the crash of the wood on the ground faded, silence once more loomed.

Not a soul moved.

(Mood Music - Optional)

“Mom?” a voice called out through one of the massive doors.

A little filly appeared at the threshold of the ship’s exit and stood there gazing at the crowd before her. Confusion was rife in the thousands that saw her, but she didn’t care about that. All she cared about was one thing at that moment. She searched high and low, looking as hard as she could over the masses that stood transfixed and bewildered by what they were seeing. A thousand eyes were pinned upon her, but she looked for the only ones that mattered to her at that moment.

“Mom?”

The little filly at the entrance to the most hated ship they all knew took a deep breath and, with all the might her little lungs could muster, called out once more.

“Mom!” she screamed, holding that word for as long as her voice could.

Silence.

As if waking from a trance, a voice did return that call. “P-Petal?”

“Mom?”

A cry of utter disbelief. “Petal!”

“Mom!”

Not a soul dared breathe as the little filly rushed over the lowered gangplank and headed straight towards the source of those warm words. But there were too many in the way. Too many to move.

The rhino closest to her laughed, tears in his eyes, for hope and happiness were so alien to him here, and this was a welcome sight to behold. He picked her up and passed her to a unicorn behind him, who kissed her forehead and embraced her before passing her on to another, and another, and another, and another, until, at last, she was placed into the warmest embrace she could ever hope for.

“Mom!” she choked and rubbed her face into her. “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy…”

“Oh, Petal. I thought I’d never see you again!”

All that was heard was the sound of the filly crying with the joy and relief she felt and the applause of thousands as they shared in their happiness. Shared in their moment.

Wish smirked and blinked away the tears that were forming. “Alright.” She stomped a hoof on the deck. “The rest of you, get off my ship!”

And the crowd that hid in the shadows of the ship did as they were told. A tidal wave of creatures of all sorts walked, ran, danced, marched, stomped, crawled into the light to be greeted with smiles and cheers. Families were rejoined, lovers found one another, friends embracing one another, and for those that did not find any, for many had perished in the voyage across the sea, still had something. They took comfort in knowing that their loved ones died on their own terms. That they had died free.

“Now I understand,” the captain muttered rubbing his hoof against his eye, “why the Guard did all that he did. It wasn’t about force. It wasn’t about attacking or conquering this place. It was about change. It was about bringing back something we were all missing.”

“What’s that?”

“Hope.”

“Hope?” Wish repeated quietly. “Yes. Hope. He brought back hope.”

There was not a sad face in the sea of beings, and some refused to believe what was happening was real. Like a dream, they were still asleep or, better yet, dead. Still, it was real. It was happening.

And standing at the bow of the ship, overlooking it all, was a lone figure, whose plume flowed with the winds as he watched with unreadable eyes. The colors of the setting sun hiding him in the shadows of his armor. Like a statue, he watched silently. Finally, he made a sign and the dogs charged forwards and bit through the chains and shackles that bound the slaves. At once they understood.

They were free.

“You want us to what?” Garim asked.

“Want? No. You will do. Declare this area from here to the Equestrian border now a protectorate of the Kingdom of Equestria. You will send messengers to your borders and you will have the Watu guarding those gates return here under orders. The Eleonora will be kept under the care of the Watu until the Guard comes to relieve them of it.”

Garim looked at the Guard. “You actually think that Equestria will accept this-”

“They will. The Watu will remain a military force here under the command of Commander Bow. He served with the Royal Guard before being banished. The Silver Moon pack will also remain here as my eyes and ears in case the Watu decide to rebel. The Alpha of Alphas and any dog in his pack will have free roam of this area. Understood?”

“Y-yes.”

“Captain Wish will be relieved of her duties as the captain of the Eleonora and be officially instated as the ambassador to Equestria.”

“W-what?” Wished asked, completely shocked. “I can’t! I’ve been banished from-”

“You will have diplomatic immunity to the banishment that was given. Your new official title gives you the right of passage.”

Every single being there looked at Wish.

“If that is your command.”

“It is. You will leave with me in one week’s time.”

Wish nodded. “I will make the most of the time I have then.”

“Your spouse will have your immunity,” the Guard stated.

“I’m not married-” Wish blushed. “Thank you. I will keep that in mind, sir.”

“You may go.”

Wish got up and left, her steps getting quicker as she reached the door and she quickly closed it behind her.

“Excitable little thing, since she found that stallion of hers,” Garim muttered a little jealously. Not of the stallion. Just the fact she had one.

The Guard turned to Garim. “I have asked and have heard that you know this area very well, that you have managed the city’s going-ons quite successfully in the absence of the dragon. You will be this city’s mayor and governor.”

“Me?” Garim asked astounded. “But… I’m griffin!”

“Does that hamper your ability to govern?”

“Well… no, but-”

“Then I see no issue. Does anyone else?” There was not a soul at the meeting that did so. “Then am I within my power to grant Garim this post?”

There were nods all around. As far as they were concerned, if he had ordered them to suit up and march on Equestria at that moment for war, they would have.

The Guard looked at Garim. “Mayor. I take it you’ll have a busy day. We have some griffins that need to be introduced into this society.”

Garim took the hint. “Uh… thank you, sir. I will not let you down.”

When the door closed behind Garim, she sighed and walked down the hall to where the griffins were waiting. They were all tremendously shocked at their situation, and it was understandable. They were being treated nothing like the propaganda back at the Empire portrayed the ponies would. They were not looking to eat them or hurt them, for the most part, although a large number of slaves did mutter something about it. Still, that was to be expected.

Did the Guard’s earlier actions take this into account? Did he actually try to sooth these wounds by showing the slaves that the griffins had helped?

Perhaps. She wouldn’t have put it past him.

And she had got her chance. Lost Hope was hers now. A griffin chosen as the mayor of an unofficial protectorate -- for now -- of the pony kingdom. A part of her wished she could be back home and see the faces of the nobles when they get wind of this. Especially to a certain few.

Wish was bored. Real bored. Of course she would be after spending a week in Lost Hope. No. The had changed its name. Freeport.

That party was one to remember. She had not let her mane down (figuratively speaking) in a long time, and it showed. She blushed as she remembered half of what the captain had told to her, whispering all those things into her ear while the streets were full of smiles and joy. She noted to herself that seven strong ciders were her limit. The Watu, for the most part, were well behaved during this time. They revelled, but they understood that this celebration was for the newly freed individuals, not them. And they accepted it.

And she was also a little angry because her captain refused to come with her back to Equestria despite being offered to do so. But she understood. He had spent so long running from there that going back felt weird. The only reason she agreed to it was because she had vowed to follow the Guard’s orders no matter what.

And so here she was, travelling in a unofficial official carriage to the border of Equestria with the Guard at the front and a contingent of Watu in their new getup. She didn’t like those masks, but the Guard insisted that they be worn.

They were to intercept one of the illegal trades that Garim had pinpointed. News of Lost Hope’s fall had not spread too far as of yet. Word like that took time. So, there were still slave trades and routes happening and Garim was bent on capturing all those involved with the trade. Wish had not thought that about the griffin. She was always on Blood’s side, but now that she reflected a little on it, it made sense.

But what was that Guard bringing along that needed all this protection? Perhaps it was a show and pomp. A part of Wish didn’t really buy that though. The chest that was brought was locked with some serious spells. Whatever was in there was something that he did not want taken.

As she was thinking about that, she felt the carriage stop. She peeked out of the window. “What’s going on?”

“Guard says to wait here for the trade,” the Watu replied.

It took three more days before the convoy arrived. By that time, news of Freeport had traveled across the lawless lands. That was evident as more and more ponies were moving towards the city along the same road they had taken. They were travelling in their dozens in fully loaded carts making towards what was now the only safe city outside of Equestria. Guess they didn’t realize that the very ground they were walking on was also protected.

Thanks to the Guard.

Of course, the sight of the Watu made plenty of these curious ponies stop and mill about, wondering why such an entourage was hanging about in an uneventful place.

On the third day a group of slavers had come trailing a series of wagons and carts behind them. The first few were emptied, the prisoners placed on a hill next to the road to be easily observed (and shot if they tried to run for it). Wish watched as the Equestrian Guards, the same breed as the Guard that had beat the most dangerous beings on her ship, began to taunt the ponies bringing them to tears. And if that didn’t seem to affect them, they just beat a few for fun. Wish wanted to throw up in her mouth. How did she put up with this for so long? Was she really that blind to it?

The Guard waited patiently as the group of the corrupt Equestrian Guards walked over to him. He did not say anything while they explained that they had a certain number of unicorns, earth ponies and a few pegasi. They also went on to demand that they be paid extra for capturing two very prominent Guards.

Wish felt sick at that. What had Equestria come to now that her own Guards were trading their own over the border?

“No.”

“W-what do you mean ‘no’? Do you understand, Watu? I have two highly skilled Guards here. You know, the same Guards who best your crummy lot every time you try to infringe on our turf. Don’t think we haven’t noticed that!” The mare shouted.

“No. You misunderstand. We don’t want any slaves.”

The mare blinked. “You’re joking, right?” She laughed, but it diminished just as quickly as it was abundantly clear that the faces of the Watu hidden behind these masks were impossible to tell anything. She peered at the pony in front of her hard. “You’re not joking? What? Somepony brought in a large shipment of griffins?”

“Something like that. But more. Slavery has not been abolished here. We are here to arrest you. Do not resist.”

The mare shouted some profanity that would have made the hardest sailor blush. Then she drew the blade and Wish gulped. After all their time together, this would be the first time she would see him fight. This would be the first time she would see this stallion in combat.

The Guard drew.

“What? What, what, what? You? You’re a Guard? No. Impossible! What are you doing over here? Wait. You were banished, weren’t you? You can’t just-”

“Equestrian law applies here now. Drop your weapon.”

“This isn’t Equestria!” the mare screamed. “This. Isn’t. Equestria!”

The fight lasted barely longer than she could blink.

In fact, Wish did not even realize it was over until the Watu around her started casting spells at the other Guards trying to flee or resist. In five minutes everything was over. Not a single one of the Equestrians that came across the border survived.

It strangely felt very anticlimactic after everything, but she was so glad that it was over. No. That wasn’t right. She was glad that the last chapter of her life has closed. Now it was time for a new one. And the first thing she would do when she got into Equestria was to see her family. She hadn’t seen them in so, so long.

Too long.

Much too long.

Ruby stared at Semper for a long while still not knowing what to say. Indeed, his regaling of the past events were uneventful to say the least. Short, brief, to the point, exact. No elaboration, no embellishments. Cold hard facts. If anypony else heard it, it would have been the most boring story ever told, but it wasn’t a story, and its impact was sending ripples in the highest echelons of Canterlot’s governing bodies.

“Do you understand what you have done, Lance Corporal?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Let me spell it out for you. Your primary objective was to establish better relations with Zebrica. You’ve not only done that, but you’ve also opened up new trade routes. The tribes have agreed to set up an embassy of sorts in Canterlot, and you’ve allowed free passage into most of Zebrica. It is… amazing.”

The stallion stood at attention.

“All because you decided to chase after a Zebra filly across into Griffin waters, where you not only returned her to her mother, but also managed to convert an entire section of hostile territory, territory that we have tried three times to take by force in the past, practically on your own.” Ruby shook her head. “And you managed to find help in the face of overwhelming odds and do things that are impossible. Do you understand? You’re practically the king of your own nation, yet you willfully granted power to the Equestrian Royalty, giving the Royal Guards, not the Border Guard, permission to enter these lands under the pretext of handing over the most powerful naval ship known, which was one of the many reasons why we never took that area by force in recent years. Then you freed all the slaves and renamed the city, found and destroyed pockets of foalnappers that have been taking ponies around Equestria, and even came back with that gift for Her Highness.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Semper, I know you’re not stupid. Do you understand the impact of what you have done?”

The stallion remained silent.

“You have made every pony in Canterlot terrified of you. I can’t stress this enough. You’ve done things that are impossible. Impossible! Even as I sit here and tell you this, there are those in Canterlot that are going to make your life miserable. You did your job above and beyond the call of duty, and that is putting it mildly. You’re too dangerous, Semper. Much too dangerous.” Ruby stood up. “You changed too much too quickly.”

The stallion remained silent, those eyes unreadable.

“You’re being promoted. Master Sergeant, Semper Pie. This will put your rank over mine. This is usually done with all the pomp and ritual befitting someone of your… uniqueness, but there are too many who still don’t understand you and fear you. Your promotion will take place now. After I pin this on your armor, you’re out of my mane.” Ruby opened a small box with the emblem on it. She walked over and was about to pin it on the stallion when she stopped. “Before… before I pin this on you, tell me, that Zebra mare. Do you love her?”

Semper looked at Ruby dead in the eyes.

“I see. Then why did you go after her when she was foalnapped?”

The stallion did not respond.

“Don’t tell me that you… you knew the impact of saving her-” she cut herself off. “No. I don’t want to know.”

She leaned in but stopped.

“One more thing. Blood…”

This time Semper’s eyes shifted slightly to look at her.

“Blood… do… did you know his real name?”

“No, ma’am.”

She looked down, took a deep breath, and quickly pinned the rank on Semper, stepped back and saluted. Just like that, he was her superior now.

Just like that.

She then took an envelope out from the other side of her desk and hoofed it over to him. “Your orders. Sir.”

Semper took them, saluted, turned and headed for the door without another word.

“Semper- sir… off the record, did… did he… did he suffer? Did Blood...”

Semper did not turn around. “He suffers no more, ma’am.”

With that, he stepped beyond the threshold and marched off, the door clicking shut behind him.

Ruby saluted the figure from behind the door, eyes wet with fresh tears. “Thank you, Semper Pie. Thank you.”

Author's Note

Thanks to Wintermist and God Of Physics for going over this chapter.

The Recovery

Twilight burst into the ward and rushed to Pinkie's bedside. There she was greeted by a bright smile, although it looked a little forced. Not because Pinkie was unhappy to see her friend, but because she looked so tired. Pinkie tried to speak, but her voice came out all croaky and broken. She coughed and swallowed, clearing her voice. Perhaps because her throat was still a little sore from all that screaming.

“H-hi Twilight. What happened?”

“You had a panic attack, Pinkie,” Twilight replied, clutching her friend's hoof tightly.

“A panic attack?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight turned to Redheart. “Why is her voice slurring like that?”

“It happens sometimes after a panic attack. It's normal. It should go away soon. A couple of hours to a couple of days. Depends on her,” the nurse replied, shining a light into Pinkie's eyes one at a time. When she was satisfied, she smiled and put her flashlight back into her coat pocket. “Also, avoid certain things. We don't want to have another... ‘episode’, do we?”

“Oh. Right.” Twilight looked at her friend. “How are you feeling?”

Pinkie nodded. “O-okay.”

Just then Applejack and Fluttershy entered the ward. Their smiles helped Pinkie recover a little more.

“Thank goodness she's okay,” Applejack said, placing a hoof gently on Pinkie's pink poofy mane. “Gave us quite the scare there, missy.”

“S-sorry,” Pinkie replied sighing and giggling a little. “I-I don't know what happened. Everything's just a blank.”

“Don't fret none,” Applejack said when Twilight made a sign with her face. “Don't worry 'bout that right now. Just concentrate on feelin' better.”

“Are you feeling better already?” Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie nodded. “Uh-huh. Still a little loopy.”

“Why's she talkin' like that?” Applejack asked.

“Redheart says it's normal,” Twilight replied. “It'll go away soon-ish.”

A knock on the window interrupted their conversion and Fluttershy opened it for Rainbow Dash. She dashed inside with a blue blur and hovered over the bed. “Pinkie-you're-awake-thank-Celestia-we-were-all-so-worried!”

Fluttershy floated over and stood next to Twilight. “How are you feeling?”

“My throat hurts. I don't know why.”

The girls all exchanged uncomfortable looks. They knew why, but was it okay to tell her?

Rarity walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers and placed them in a vase that she had brought with her. As she placed them on the table beside her friend, she gave Pinkie the warmest look she could muster and stroked her shoulder and foreleg. “Why, you look absolutely fabulous, Pinkie.”

“Yeah?”

Rarity looked over to the rest of her friends. “Have you told her?”

“That she had a panic attack? Yes.”

“I see. Well, are you going to tell her why?”

“I don't think that's such a good idea,” Twilight began. “Redheart says it might set off another attack.”

“Then what do you suggest we do? Keep it from her?” Rarity asked, stroking Pinkie's slightly deflated mane with a motherly touch.

Pinkie made a face. “You know that I'm right here, right?”

Rainbow booped Pinkie on the nose. “Don't worry about them. They're talking about boring stuff. Listen to me. I’m allergic to boring stuff. You know, I missed my favorite pranking buddy yesterday. Wait till I tell you about the greatest prank ever! I got Big Mac good.”

That instantly brought Pinkie's attention away. “Oh yeah? What'd you do?”

“My brother’s still sore at you for that, Rainbow. I’d lie low for a few weeks if I were you,” Applejack warned, a wide grin spreading across her face.

“Ooh, ooh! Tell me!” Pinkie pleaded.

Twilight and the four girls thanked Rainbow in their minds for her tact. Now they could talk in peace while Pinkie was distracted. They discreetly moved away from the bed while Rainbow's boasts filled the room.

“Poor thing, she doesn't remember any of it,” Rarity stated quietly.

“I am relieved, actually. You didn't know what it was like when she was having that attack. I've never seen Pinkie act that way before, and I don't want to ever again.” Twilight shuddered despite herself.

“Well, what do you suggest we do?”

Twilight thought about it for a moment. “I think we should avoid talking to her about Semper. My guards are all still trying to locate him, but in the meantime I think we have to find out about her past and try and figure out the source of that attack.”

“Sounds easy. How do we go on about doin' that?” Applejack asked.

“By asking the other members of her family. Just because Pinkie doesn't remember doesn't mean her siblings or parents won’t. They might help us find out what the problem is. We need to split up and go to each family member and ask about her brother.”

“That's a great idea, but how do we find 'em?” the farm pony asked.

Twilight smiled. “I've already asked for the necessary information. The perks of being a princess, I guess. Spike should be getting their addresses any moment now. We’ll split up and head out and find anything and everything that’ll help us. I've got to stay here with Pinkie just in case Semper does show up.”

“Right. I guess I can go and talk to her ma and pa,” Applejack replied.

“Thanks, AJ, but I don't think that's going to help. No offense, but if they live near the Badlands, then it's going to take you too long to get there and back. I'd rather have Rainbow or Fluttershy fly out, if that's okay.”

“Aw, shucks. I didn't think o' that. Yeah, no problem.”

“I don't mind,” Fluttershy said. “Rainbow can come too.”

Twilight smiled. “Let’s see where the other members of her family live first. After that, we’ll decide who should go where.”

All the girls nodded in agreement. Except Rainbow, who was still bragging to Pinkie. When the conversation finished, she hovered on over.

“Hey guys, what’d I miss?”

“Nothing much. I’ll fill you in on the way,” Rarity offered. “It was mighty noble of you to distract Pinkie for us.”

“Huh? Noble? What’re you talkin’ about Rare?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity sighed. Of course that wasn’t her intention. Still, it was a noble act. “Never mind, dear.”

Twilight smiled at Rarity knowingly as they exited the ward along with the others, leaving her with Pinkie.

Author's Note

Thanks to Void Chicken, InfantHorizon and God Of Physicsfor going over this chapter.

Mission 4, Part 1: Overwatch

Tourmaline put his binoculars down and stretched his back. How long had it been since he’d seen any movement in the mansion? Two, no, three days. How had he ended up here? While his peers had moved on to actually guarding the border, he had been temporarily transferred from the Border Guard. He was now working with the Night Guard, but even then his mission was kept secret for the most part.

All he knew was that it had something to do with getting to the bottom of the foalnappings. He had read about them and wondered why it never seemed to get any better. Then something happened and it really did stop. There was a conspiracy theory that the House of Lords did not want the blame pinned on them and had put one of their best on the case with any and all resources at his or her disposal.

So, Tourmaline was somehow selected because of that.

After months of investigations, going over evidence, interviews with witnesses and victims, all his conclusions boiled down to one locality. Problem was, nopony had seen or heard anything from the owner of the mansion in years; an outspoken mare by the name of Fleur de Blanc, a Baronet that had vanished over a decade ago to explore the lands beyond Equestria’s borders. He read about her lavish farewell party with Centerlot’s elite that even Her Highness graced, making an appearance. According to the paper, it was a terribly exciting time.

There was always something about her in the papers after that. She even had a small column that published her small blurbs. Then, about two years after that, everything stopped. There was one small article on a fourth page corner where an editor added a footnote asking the public about what had happened to the Baronet. That was it. After that, there was nothing at all in the papers. Interviews with her peers, friends and family didn’t really lead to much. The Baronet faded away into obscurity, during that time she had married a wealthy stallion who wanted a title to his name. He had died shortly afterwards from a tragic accident wherein the stallion’s entire fortune was passed on. She was tried, for the circumstances were slightly too convenient with high debts gnawing at her. She had whittled away much of her personal fortune through unknown means. After her marriage, she was not only wealthy, but increased her worth by unknown amounts.

That was what made her suspicious. Where was she making all these bits? She also did not declare it, so the banks could not tax it and when asked to provide evidence of her wealth, she would only state what was already known. Her husband’s fortune, give or take a few thousand bits. Ever since then, there had always been an eye kept on the Baronet and her estate, but she spent so much time away that the government tended to forget about her.

Until recently. It had all changed when news of the foalnappings made its rounds in the papers and the stories of the freed slaves and their harrowing experiences at the hooves of their captors. Despite the overwhelming number of victims from outside of Equestria’s borders, the courts only declared actual Equestrian subjects to have their cases explored. Banished and exiled ponies lost that right and were not considered subjects of Her Highness’ kingdom. And even Princess Celestia had to obey the law.

Tourmaline had been given this case by the Night Guard. He had spent a long time, reading over documents and records regarding the Baronet’s account in the Royal Bank of Equestria, specifically the Canterlot branch. A lot of deposits were made of huge sums of money from all over the southern parts of the kingdom, a little too close to the newly annexed area. It fit too perfectly considering the circumstances. But how had she pulled it off for so long without any witnesses? She had to have created a system within the capitol itself.

And the amounts? Large sums. Some of them would put her earlier fortune to shame. Then again, her withdrawals were just as embellished. So, she never really gained much and she constantly seemed to be on the verge of bankruptcy. How could anypony live this way?

He checked his watch and sighed. Watch Tower would be along soon to take over for him. The earth pony Night Guard kept to himself mostly, but he was quite talkative once you got him to open up a little. Problem was that, during this mission, he refused to say a single word for the entire duration of his shift. This made it impossible to be with him for the whole duration of the watch. Unlike the Royal Guard, Border Guards aren’t taught to stand for hours on end like a living statue. There was never a need to. So, Tourmaline had decided that it would be better if they split the watch into two halves. That way they’d be more refreshed when the other took over, instead of both of them staying up for the whole thing. It was a blatant lie, of course. Tourmaline just couldn’t stand the prolonged silence. If the stallion was aware, he made no sign of it.

Something caught Tourmaline’s eye and he picked up his binoculars and focused around the front gate. Something was happening, but the clouds had descended from the sky along the mountain and through the forest, bathing the entire area in a translucent fog. It wasn’t thick, the thick fog would not settle in until just before dawn, but it was enough to obscure things at the distance they were at. The edge of the treeline of the large estate was the safest place for them to sit and observe.

Ever since the foundation of Freeport strange things had been happening all over the southern parts of the kingdom. What was especially disturbing was the involvement of so many Border Guards in the slave trade. There were also disturbing rumors that ponies within both the Day and Night Guards also had their hooves in it. That was why Tourmaline was chosen to help. He was too new to be involved, and was trusted with a specific branch of the Night Guard that worked directly under the Princess herself.

The Royal Guard had it tough. Both the Day and Night Guards were put on high alert to watch out for anything suspicious, which made former friends start suspecting each other. That wasn’t helpful. So, to prevent further false accusations, a special taskforce was formed between the House of Lords and the High Council. They would each pick ponies that they thought were trusted and thrust them together in hopes of rectifying this blemish on ponykind. Over the last few months, plenty of Guards and even some prominent members of society were caught and brought to justice. However, the founders were still at large and according to a very secret report from Freeport, several prominent members of Canterlot’s extreme elite were involved. This meant that even members of the House and Council were still under investigation.

Tourmaline shuddered at that thought. He could not imagine an investigation of the kingdom’s most trusted aides and advisors and political leaders. What would that say about the kingdom as a whole? As abhorrent as they were, Griffons accepted slaves as part of their lives and had strict rules governing the ownership of individuals as property. In Equestria, there was no such thing. Slavery had all but been banned in Equestria since before the rule of Discord.

Still, knowledge of this report had been leaked and it had a mixed effect on the High Council and House of Lords. Some Lords began suspecting others and trying to find evidence, while others had decided to keep away until the matter had been solved bringing the external governance of Equestria to a near standstill. The closest to the House of Lords came as a close friend of one of the Lords was indeed involved, but had committed suicide before the Guard could get to him. As for the High Council, their advice was met with heavy criticism and most members did not even show up unless specifically summoned by Her Highness herself to the Solar Court.

And then there was this mansion sitting at the base of the mountain, towards the northern part. It was near a dense wood and had access to a small river. It was suspected that foalnapped ponies were brought to this mansion, loaded into barrels and then set adrift down the river where a barge would collect them and sail around Equestrian waters to what was Lost Hope.

That was mere speculation, but a barge would have been more likely than any other type of ship to avoid garnering attention and to be able to float down a river that could get fairly shallow should the pegasi neglect their duties and allow the river to run dry, which tended to happen on this side of Canterlot’s mountain.

“What’s going on?”

Tourmaline made a face as he turned his head to see the Night Guard silently walking, coming to a stand next to him. He reached into his saddlebag and removed his own binoculars and placed them over his eyes and looked towards the main gate.

“Not sure. A chariot’s just arrived. Dunno who’s in it, but from the looks of things the escort doesn’t look happy that the gates aren’t being opened.”

Tower narrowed his eyes. “I can’t make out from up here. Can’t you use your magic?”

“Even if they don’t see the glow from my horn, some unicorns can tell when another is casting magic close by. Worth the risk?”

There was a moment where Tower contemplated the question. “Do you think it’s worth the risk?”

“Personally? No. For all we know it could be an angry neighbour with his friends complaining about something or rather. Or it could be a delivery of something expensive and heavy. We can’t blow our cover for something mundane.”

Tower pondered for a moment. “I agree.”

“Shall we wait or head on inside?”

“Our orders are to observe and report. Once we’ve performed those duties we’ll have our orders,” Tower replied. “Although…”

“Although?” Tourmaline prompted after Tower did not elaborate.

“Although it’s strange that this is the only movement we’ve seen all this time.”

They continued to observe as the group at the gate were getting increasingly boisterous from getting attention from the mansion. After a while, the front lawn illuminated briefly as somepony opened the main door and headed towards the gate. There was some commotion, a showing of weapons, then some more shouting before the stallion behind the gate unlocked it and swung it open. As the chariot continued onwards, Tower kept his eye on the stallion locking the gate back up while Tourmaline focused on trying to see what would need such a heavy escort. He kept on watching until the chariot came to a stop in front of the main door.

Again, a bright streak of light lit up the area in front of the mansion and Tourmaline gasped by what he saw being carried by two of the escorts into the building.

“See something?”

“There’s a filly there!” Tourmaline growled standing up. “There was a filly on that cart! We have to do something!”

“You’re right,” Tower nodded. “We won’t have time to send word back to barracks. If there’s a child involved, we can’t wait for further orders. We must act on our own. You understand the implication?”

At first Tourmaline couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A Royal Guard ready to leap into action without any sanction from his superiors? The Border Guard operated with some independence, which was required when working along the long, expansive border. They even had a mission ranking system for Border Guards to select missions they could do. In this case, Tourmaline half expected to be met with ‘can’t, no orders’ type of response. He cracked a smile, happy that he was completely wrong. “Let’s go! Y-you lead!”

Tower nodded and quickly rushed to where they had kept sheaves of paper and quickly scribbled something down. Tourmaline saw that the note stated that the two of them were on their way to the mansion right away and that they would need backup as soon as possible, that because of extenuating circumstances they were unable to report to barracks.

That meant that it would be another four hours before the next shift arrived to take over the watch. Coupled with Tourmaline already fatigued for watching for the past four hours already, could they pull this off? Could they rescue the filly that Tourmaline saw? Did she need rescuing?

The two of them quickly made it towards the gate making sure to keep to the shadows and trees. It was especially hard to keep quiet because the forest was littered with leaves and twigs. Even with the fog, the sound of their ‘silent’ advance probably would have altered anypony who stopped to register what was going on.

Tower unsheathed his sword. “I’ll take point.”

“Fine.” Tourmaline took his shield out and placed it in front of him. “Ready when you are.”

They reached the front gate and started down the main pathway that led to the front. Not a soul stirred. Carefully, Tourmaline climbed up and over the fence making sure to be as silent as possible. Tower climbed the gatepost and jumped onto the no-longer manicured lawn, the long grass remaining untouched for so long.

Together they took point on both sides of the driveway towards the mansion using the fog to cover their approach. Soon they spotted the chariot left unattended near the entrance. Tower suddenly stopped, did something with his hoof and dove to the right. Out of reflex, Tourmaline bounded to the left. A split second later, two crossbow bolts hit where his body was mere seconds ago.

It was hard to see, but Tourmaline thought that Tower pulled something out from his chest. Definitely a bolt. They were both lucky that quarrels had not been used, but perhaps that would have brought unwanted attention.

There were other estates and mansions around, some with a complete view of this one. Perhaps the occupants did not want to risk bringing any notice to themselves. Still, to be able to hit a target like that in this fog must have taken someone quite skilled.

A thought passed through Tourmaline’s mind. A certain stallion who earned his Cutie Mark with the crossbow.

Tourmaline could not tell how bad Tower’s wound was, but considering the angle and how they were running, he surmised it was pretty bad. The best thing to do would be to get Tower to safety and pursue the filly by himself. Letting him stay there would certainly mean death, or worse if he happened to be captured.

Still, he had some basic training in the Border Guard to patch up wounds. Most unicorns had to learn some form of aid. First thing would be to get over to Tower and fix up his wounds and bring him to safety, after that head over to the mansion and rescue the filly. That seemed like a reasonable plan, although it put the filly at risk. Should he go on instead and risk Tower bleeding out? As a Guard, he should have known the risks. But if he did, would his body get discovered and ruin his rescue attempt?

He heard some hoof-steps getting closer.

“You sure?” a voice asked in the dark.

“Yep. Saw two ponies galloping down the way. Thought I shot one right here,” another voice replied. “Though it’s hard to see in this fog.”

“You said it. Hard to keep an eye out when we can’t see a thing. Didn’t see where they went?” the former asked again.

“Nah. Didn’t seem to be unicorns, though. No glowing. Don’t know what or who they could be, but definitely equine. No doubt about that.”

Tourmaline gritted his teeth. They’ll be looking for them now. So much for the element of surprise. A part of him realized how foolish it was to go off on their own like that, but a kid’s life could be on the line here. They had to do something. Anything.

“Think they were Guards?”

“Hope not. Just what we need, a Guard coming here and snooping. The Madam is already going stir crazy. Can’t believe she did that to that filly, especially since it’s her.”

“Yeah. Sickens me, this. Won’t stick around after this. Jobs may be hard to come by, but even I have standards.”

“Yeah. Sickens me too. And that takes a lot.”

“I know.”

There was a long moment of silence before a faint ringing was heard. It sounded like a small bell.

“Oh, seems like they’re ready.”

“So quick?” The second one took a step and stopped. “Nah. Don’t like it. Too quick. Too fast. Something’s wrong.”

“Y’think?”

“Feel it in my bones, I do. Don’t like it one bit. Not one bit. Nope.”

Tourmaline felt his skin crawl. What did they mean ‘too fast’? What were they talking about? Were they seriously going to harm that filly? He did not have time to waste, not even to help out Tower. He grimaced in the direction he had last seen the stallion, and as quietly as he could made his way to the mansion with his body as close to the ground as possible. Tower would understand. After hearing that conversation, how could he not. They needed to get in and find that filly and get it out.

As Tourmaline reached the side of the building, he pressed himself against it and listened for any noise. Nothing. Rounding the corner, he headed towards the nearest window and took a quick peek inside. Nothing but darkness. Hesitating for a moment, he quickly smashed the window as quietly as he could and reached through the broken pane to find the latch. The lever let out a high pitched squeak that seemed to scream into the night as a deafening thud signalled the metal sliding open. The noise made Tourmaline freeze.

“Over there! Intruder!” One of the voices from before shouted.

Without thinking, Tourmaline whipped around and raised his crossbow. A sound of air rushed by his face as a bolt has barely missed his eye and hit the window shattering another pane of glass in bits.

It was now or never. Taking a quarrel, he pointed it up into the night sky and fired. He watched the emptiness above with tense anticipation and drew a faint breath of relief when the a ball of green light bathed the clouds in its viridescent hue. To be used only in the most dire of situations, they decided to use a firework as a signal to warn those in the know that were part of the mission. But that was stressed. Only in the most dire situations. Right now, Tourmaline felt that this had turned into a mission of life and death and he was going to do everything in his power to save the filly in question.

He saw the two ponies galloping towards him, and using the loading technique he learned, loaded another quarrel and fired. The two ponies saw the bright glowing electrical quarrel surging towards them, which was intentional. He needed to buy time, and at the rate they were running one would have been killed and the other would have made him commit to a hoof-to-hoof fight. Knowing that he wasn’t the strongest of fighters, he used the quarrel to distract the attackers, which made them duck away to the side out of reflex. It worked, and it wanting to lose this opportunity, Tourmaline bounded through the window smashing the remaining glass panes as he landed inside with a heavy thud. A large cloud of dust billowed up from underneath him and he noticed the entire room was covered in dust-blankets, plastic sheets and other coverings for the expensive furniture. This room had not been used in a very long time, and by the looks of the contents inside, it was perhaps an old study of some sort. The books on the shelves having long been packed away, the empty space being occupied by rolls of carpets wrapped in transparent plastic sheets.

But there was no time to take in his surroundings. He quickly trotted towards the large doors at the end of the room and pushed the latch down. It wasn’t locked, and Tourmaline pulled it open and stepped into a dimly lit hall. Candles had been placed strategically to give the barest amount of light, but the carpet here was clean, unlike the room he had exited from. He would have hid in that room, but the dust would give his position away in a second.

But where to go? Right or left? There was a fifty-fifty chance that he would be right, but that was assuming he knew what to look for. He had no clue apart from the fact that he was searching for a filly. He needed to think quickly, he did not have the luxury of time with the two right behind him. He could not afford to get caught in a fight at the moment. He cursed himself for his lack of combat proficiency, but he had long since accepted that flaw in himself. He passed the Guard because of his brain, and he needed to use it right now.

Observing the hallway once more, he noticed that the candles were located on small tables at uneven intervals along the wall. Each straight edge was met with a small, narrow, semicircular dome, which then dipped into a shallow alcove. There were plenty of these ‘dips’ along the hallway wall opposite the door, each had some sort of paraphernalia within it; a table with a vase, a fancy bust, or something of the sort. Old vases, tables with busts, a standing replica of a Buffalo totem, a string bass. To a layman, each one of them must have seemed to be worth a fortune, but in actual fact they were worthless. Cheap replicas that the sharp eye of Tourmaline’s identified right away. But why? Why the lie? From the room he had just exited, it was clear that this place had rarely been used for quite some time. Something just did not fit.

He dove towards one of the recesses, one that had a table, and ducked underneath it ensuring that his flank and haunch were covered and that his head was barely visible. It was a gamble, but he had no choice. He wasn’t going to risk running in the wrong direction and running into another patrol. A two on one fight he could probably manage. More than that and he’d really be pushing his luck.

Moments later the two ponies from outside pulled the open and burst into the hallway where Tourmaline hid. He watched them both, keeping silent and still. In the dim light he noticed that both were unicorns, but there was something odd about them. They were certainly ponies but not Equestrian. Perhaps from other pony nations. He tried to pinpoint where they could be from, but he just could not place them based on their appearance.

“Which way he went?”

“To the cellar?” They both looked down the corridor in the same direction. “How we know he didn’t go the other way?”

“That would be better. Leads away. No, he must’ve gone down to the cellar. We gotta go chase! Better safe than sorry.”

“Right. Let’s go!”

The two ponies galloped away as fast as they could, and with all the ruckus they were making, Tourmaline easily followed from the shadows. He kept an eye out for other unwanted guests, not wanting to raise any more alarm, but it was eerily empty for a mansion this size. He followed them quietly into a dining hall, a table could have easily sat thirty or more was tucked away under huge white blankets.
Tourmaline knew that the vast emptiness would have given his hoof-falls away, so he cautiously peeked out and spotted the two ponies disappearing into a hidden door at the far corner of the room. It was the server’s door, and he knew where it would go. Ensuring that there was no ambush awaiting him, he continued down the large corridor until he finally reached a large double-door. He had arrived at the kitchens. Creeping as stealthily as he was able, he knelt by the entrance and listened. He heard voices from inside, but couldn’t make out what was being said, so he pushed the nearest door open gently.

“... so you’re saying that you don’t know what that light in the sky was, eh?”

“No, sir. We just know that somepony jumped the gate, shot a firework into the sky and then smashed a window to get inside. Thieves maybe?”

“Thieves?” the former voice laughed mirthlessly. “Look, you numbskulls, did you check to see if you were followed at least?”

“Sir?”

There was a loud groan. “Never mind. You two, head down to the cellar. The Lady’s making us pack-up. We’re high-tailing it out of here. That little firework display you saw was the Guard signal. If you morons actually listened to orders and headed here, maybe it’d give us time. For all we know you were followed and there are Guards right outside that door!”

Tourmaline’s blood froze and he readied himself. Nothing happened.

“Anyway, it’ll take the rest of the posse half an hour to get here. We need be teleported by then.”

“The Lady’s going to activate it? But… the shipment…”

“You think we have a choice? If the Guard catch us, we won’t just get banished. You understand what we did. What we did is worse than murder.”

Tourmaline’s blood ran cold. What did he mean by that? And why did they know what the green signal meant. It could only have meant one thing. A traitor. Within the taskforce. Even with all the precautions, they were exposed. Nopony was supposed to have known the significance of the green firework, which was specifically chosen to look like something the rich would do for fun. The ones who lived in these lavish mansions were renowned for attempting to one-up their neighbours and show off their wealth. Perhaps it would was strange to see on a foggy night, but it would have aroused zero suspicion.

Thinking over the time he had spent with this taskforce, Tourmaline racked his brain trying to puzzle out who could have given them away. Was it Tower? Couldn’t be. Could it? There was nopony that stood out. Perhaps it was a pony that they were reporting to. Someone higher up the chain of command?

Shaking his head, Tourmaline pushed that thought away. If he started suspecting everypony, he’d be isolating himself. He had to trust those he could and, if he was wrong, hoped that others would find the truth for him. Right now, he had one mission.

The mention of teleporting out of this place was a problem. Even if he traced the magical residue, him teleporting after them was extremely risky. What if they were waiting for him and others at the other end? What if the trace was a decoy, as some experts could do, and teleported them into a trap, or over an empty space? No, that was the problem now. Tourmaline would need to stop them from being able to escape via teleportation. From the sounds of it, they were trying to use a strong spell. Either for teleporting far away, teleporting a great deal of things, or both. In each case, a normal teleportation spell was out of the question. They would need a caster and a runemaster.

If he was going to save that filly, he would need to stop either the caster or runemaster or kill one or the other of them. That was assuming that the runemaster had not yet finished setting up the runes. Perhaps that was what the others meant by ‘finishing fast’. Did he overreact? No, not if the life of a filly rested in his hooves. Then it wasn’t worth the risk.

Why was he so convinced that the filly was in the basement anyway? Perhaps that was the safest guess. After all, these old mansions usually had a lot of underground passages that could be accessed by secret doors that usually led into the cellar. It made sense, if those who lived in the mansion knew, to use these secret passages and rooms to hide themselves from outside eyes. Was that perhaps why they saw nothing suspicious for so long? Then, if that were the case, why did that chariot suddenly show up at the front gate?

Too many questions needed answers, and Tourmaline was kicking himself mentally for not concentrating on where he was. Exposed outside of a kitchen’s double-door waiting. Wait for what? Clues? As if they’d just drop on his lap. He needed to find the filly. But he had no idea where to go. If only he had a clue, a hint. As of that moment, he had no choice but to take a gamble and head down into that cellar.

Mission 4, Part 2: Found

Tourmaline paused and waited, but after hearing nothing for a while, he peaked around the corner and spotted a unicorn with glasses reading a book. He was so into it, that for a moment Tourmaline believed he could’ve slipped by without getting caught. But he knew better. He was way too relaxed to be a watch, so there had to be something amiss.

Taking out one of his quarrels, Tourmaline carefully unscrewed the magically charged tip and replaced the bolt into his quiver. The magical elements stored were slowly and carefully emptied onto the floor. Several small blackish sphere-like marbles rolled out, each one no bigger than a grain of rice. He took one of these balls and crushed it in his hoof before tossing it into the kitchen. The tiny piece faded out of a solid state before it hit the ground, a trail of smoke producing a contrail of its short-lived trip.

Lines of light appeared where the smoke appeared and vanished as the smoke drifted off into the ether. Tourmaline noted that there were several crisscrossing patterns unevenly arranged across the room, much like spiderwebs. Despite the impressive display, it was evident that it was a simple detection spell, and judging from the way the unicorn was reading, he was doing it absentmindedly. If Tourmaline stepped on the line, he would be breaking the spell, which would alert the unicorn. If he avoided them, he could pass. If he could avoid them.

The another thought came to Tourmaline. How was the unicorn using this spell if his mind was on the book? He recalled his lessons at the unicorn specialist training and remembered how each of them had to go through a series of rigorous tests to find their elemental affinity. His was earth, to be able to control aspects of the ground, and the perfect element for him. Perhaps that was why his offensive combat ability was so weak, it was because his defense coupled with his brain combined were strong. He proved that in the Crucible, he had led a team to near victory against overwhelming odds. Of course, it helped that he had a reliable team something that he currently lacked. He needed to put his brain to use and figure out a way through.

Thinking back to the mountains of books he read, the grueling drills and theory lessons he had to take, the various manipulative spells he had to memorise, and the demonstrations of other unicorns, he just could not puzzle this one out. He thought hard about how these web-like threads were created, what could be their elemental makeup. All he knew was that, because they were invisible, Fire was out of the question, which didn’t help very much. Dismissing one element solved practically nothing.

The lights along the floor faded as the smoke vanished. He needed to know more before continuing. One slip could spell disaster for him and the filly. He watched the unicorn reading the book intently, looking for any hints or clues, but when it was apparent that the unicorn was too engrossed in what he was reading, Tourmaline thought about throwing more pieces of smoke around the floor. He could carefully step over them and get to the other side.

He was about to do so when the unicorn turned the page.

Taking out another piece of the smoke-quarrel, Tourmaline crushed the magically imbued portion of it before gently lobbing it into the kitchen. It made a long arc through the air, trailing a faint powdery substance behind it. He took note of crisscrossing lines everywhere in the smoke’s wake. He would have been detected immediately if he had walked through that.

Tourmaline waited and memorised as many of the random lines as he could before they faded out of sight. Once the unicorn turned the page Tourmaline promptly tossed another piece of the smoke-quarrel into the room. As predicted, the lines had indeed changed. That made sense.

Most Guards were taught to use unconscious spells as a last-ditch, failsafe counter in case they were driven into a corner and needed a way to get out, or if they were surprised and needed to react instantly. Every unicorn found their own special spell and practiced it again and again and again. Beyond exhaustion, beyond all sense, to the point where it became ingrained into each one of them as second nature. However, there were those who, no matter how hard they trained, could not learn to cast spells like that. Instead, they were trained to cast spells continuously. This was not preferred as continuous spells tended to be weaker and more draining on the caster, but just because a spell was weaker in terms of raw power, didn’t mean it was weaker in use.

A well thought out spell will always trump an overpowered one.

One of the first and very painful lesson a unicorn learns, and one of the main reasons why Tourmaline was here and not behind some desk pushing quills.

Again the page was turned and again Tourmaline tossed another smoke piece making the lines visible again. As each new page of the book was introduced, the patterns of the floor changed. Unconscious spells still needed a trigger of some sort. Most were something mundane. Listening to music, drawing, playing a game -- like solitaire, or reading. As long as these activities were done with an activation sequence that is unique to every unicorn, a spell can be cast and sustained as long as the one casting it doesn’t grow weak or tired.

Tourmaline narrowed his eyes and sat back down. These were no ordinary unicorns. To be able to control a spell that complex took years of training, and he hadn’t even puzzled out what the elemental source was. Perhaps more clues were required before making any headway, but he didn’t have the luxury of time. Already puzzling it out this far took too long; almost five whole minutes had gone by.

Taking his binoculars, Tourmaline zoomed into the book’s title. At once he recognised it. He had indeed read the Celestia-awful drivel and, judging from the size of the pages, the unicorn reading it was considerably into the contents. Supposing he starting the spell at the beginning of the book, and at the rate he had completed the last couple pages, he was reading at around two and a half hours. Normal.

Perhaps he was over thinking things. Perhaps all he needed to do was fire a projectile, a quarrel, or a regular bolt at the unicorn. He wouldn’t be able to react in time to stop or dodge it. But was it right? Could he justify shooting the unicorn down like that?

No. A filly’s life was on the line. He had to act quickly.

Lowering the crossbow from his shoulder, he was about to take a bolt out when he saw something glistening in the reflection of one of the kitchen’s stoves. Seeing it glisten, he instantly knew what the primary element was. Water. Of course, it made sense. Water that had been cooled to a solid using Air that helped made the ‘threads’ incredibly thin. The reason why he could see them with the smoke was because the Air cooled the water enough to change the composition of the smoke, which made it thicker and therefore visible.

But how long did it take for the unicorn to cool these ‘threads’? Did he have time to actually dwell on it? No. He had no time. He needed to do something and quick. But then again, with such a gigantic room, was it possible to remember or memorize every nook and cranny?

Tourmaline decided to take a chance. He waited and just as the unicorn was about to turn the page, he silently slipped into the room and moved towards the door that led into the cellar. He moved as quickly as he could, keeping out of sight as the unicorn turned the page with his hoof. As he set it straight in front of him, Tourmaline froze.

He felt the cold ends of the threads against his body as they rapidly cooled to form those tendrils and he dared not breathe. Without blinking or moving, Tourmaline waited.

Nothing.

His guess had been right. The unicorn could not memorize his entire surroundings and had allowed Tourmaline to be part of the ‘furniture’, so to speak. He was part of the kitchen, so long as he did not move or breathe too deeply.

Again the book turned to close, and Tourmaline waited for the feeling to dissipate, which it did. He rushed forwards trying to get to his destination as quick as he could before the next spell was cast. It was a bad place to get caught. Not here. He could easily be spotted. He took too large steps before the book returned to its position and Tourmaline felt the cold tips press against his body again.

“No, no, no!” Tourmaline shouted in his mind. “Not now!”

He was stranded in a bad place and in a bad position. In his rush, Tourmaline miscalculated and was not only stuck in the middle of a wide open area, but with both his right-rear and left-front hooves in mid-air. If the unicorn turned slightly to his left, Tourmaline would have been spotted. If he moved a single one of his limbs, he would be spotted. Sweat began forming around his brow as the unicorn returned to his reading.

Tourmaline held his breath. He couldn’t allow himself to breathe and already his body was shaking from his balancing act. He just had to wait for the unicorn to turn the page. Just wait. Just… wait… a little… longer…

A feeling of ice ran down his space as Tourmaline saw the unicorn turn towards him, a large sadistic grin on his face. A loaded crossbow was aimed right at him. “Nice try. But my ice-webs are very sensitive. I must admit that I didn’t feel you until you were inside the room, but your nostrils and heartbeat gave you away. Did you actually think that I’d let you get past me? The only pony that can get past me is a dead one!”

A knot formed in his gut. Was this it? Was this the end?

“Good-bye, Guard.”

The unicorn lifted his hoof and a loud snap was heard, followed by… nothing.

Opening his eyes, Tourmaline saw the unicorn fall backwards over the counter, his body crashing to the ground followed by a loud bell-like ringing echoed from downstairs. All that sneaking, all that contemplation, all that awareness and problem solving was for nothing -- the unicorn already had a backup plan. All that wariness about the magic in the kitchen made him forget to take into consideration what he was casting outside it. One of those ice web tendrils must have been holding a dead-colt switch.

Tourmaline whipped his head around to catch a indigo armored stallion, his silver plume streaking behind him.

“Come on!” Tower shouted as he rushed past limping on three legs, an empty crossbow on his back. “We don’t have time! The others are on their way. We have a filly to save!”

As stunned as he was, Tourmaline didn’t argue. This stallion just saved his life, and for that he’d be forever grateful to the Night Guard.

Together, they charged down the stairs towards the cellar at the other end of the kitchen. The large entrance was filthy, as if they were excavating down there. Tourmaline ignited his horn bathing the cramped corridor in a brownish hue. In front of them they were met with a large steel door.

Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Tower rushed forward and placed three quarrels on the door’s hinges while Tourmaline automatically cast wind spells around each magical bolt to force the explosion in one direction. Three ‘pops’ echoed dully blowing the hinges out sending shrapnel all over the place. Without the wind spells cast by Tourmaline, things might have gone sour. The large door dropped down on itself with a loud clang before tipping over and slamming into the floor with a clamour that would have woken the dead and crushing the remaining steps under its colossal weight.

Tower pulled the shield from his side and held it in front of him. He was inside the room first disappearing into a pit of deep blackness. Not even Tourmaline’s magic could put a dent in it.

There were a series of shouts followed by loud explosions and flashes. Tourmaline picked up a large stone that was lying nearby from the floor and hurtled it into the room. An exploding quarrel whizzed over his head in response exploding behind him. The sudden fighting inside the room blinked into life and Tourmaline could make out Tower to the left of what appeared to be a small table in the middle of the room. Using that as a gauge, he picked up some more stones and pelted them with all his might towards where Tower wasn’t.

Fighting in the dark was a skill especially developed for the Night Guard. Some called them the toughest of the Royal Guard, taking on the denizens of the night when the most dangerous creatures were awake and while their princess slept. Due to this, the Night Guard had a lot of autonomy, which led to some questionable decisions in the long scheme of things. Sometimes their methods seemed unethical to the rest of the Royal Guard. Indeed, the Night Guard were the protectors of Equestria while she slept, guarding her from the darkness she feared. But in the darkness, sometimes it was hard to tell who really stood in the light. Still, they accepted the dark as part of their arsenal. It was an extension of them.

It also led them to be the most feared of the Royal Guard.

But the Border Guard fought in the dark as well. It was not as if they had a choice in the matter. If you drew night guarding duty along the border, you better be sure that you can fight in the dark because it gets pretty dark in the dense jungles of Zebrica, the frozen wastelands of the distant north, or the endless expanses of water. Perhaps ‘they’ had labeled the Night Guard incorrectly. After all, the red plume was what really made enemies turn and flee, not the silver.

Tourmaline charged into the room, rolled to a stop and let out a powerful blast of light that blinked in an instant. The flash stunned the ponies, some of whom shouted in pain. He wished he could have warned Tower, but he needed to establish himself in the room and he had surmised this was the best way to do it.

As the light vanished, Tourmaline could hear the wails of the injured and the death knells of those that were unlucky not to have the light merely blind them. They sounded as if there were at least six of them.

Something flew past his ear, and Tourmaline ducked and placed his shield over his head. Perhaps jumping into the middle of the room wasn’t the most intelligent of things to do. But what was done was done. There was a shout, then a bright light from behind him as a blast from an explosive quarrel lit up the room. With the light behind him, Tourmaline quickly lifted his shield and spotted about three ponies, several of whom were running away from them.

Listening carefully, Tourmaline heard the hoof falls grow dimmer and he was about to charge after them when he felt a hoof press against his shoulder from behind. Out of reflex, he gave a little yelp..

“Don’t do that!” Tourmaline admonished.

“Apologies. It looks they’ve fled deeper into the cellar. That area isn’t in any of the maps. Judging from the entrance and the debris in here, I’d venture to guess it was recently dug out.”

Tourmaline looked around. “The filly?”

“Over here,” Tower replied pointing to a small alcove where the shape of a bed could be made out from the darkness. “You’re lucky she’s on that side of the room. If she had been over there, then your rocks would have… harmed her.”

Tourmaline gulped. He hadn’t thought of that. He hadn’t expected her to be so… easy to reach. Still, there was something amiss.

“Can I light up the room?” Tourmaline asked.

“Yes. You’ll have the guard the room for a moment while my eyes adjust to the light.”

Tourmaline let his horn glow before finding a lamp on the table. He lit it with a little fire spell and turned the nozzle to let it flare up. At once the room was bathed in a warm yellow light. He was not skilled with fire, but he had trained himself to do at least this much.

Rushing over to the alcove, Tourmaline pulled back a filthy curtain and took a step back at what he saw. A little bit of bile rose up in the back of his mouth, but he forced it down. What he saw in from of him made made him sick to the core. Still, he put aside his feelings and reached for the filly’s neck and checked for a pulse.

“Is she alive?” Tower asked.

Tourmaline struggled to find a pulse. It was strange. It beat, then stopped, then started. Perhaps he had not placed his hoof right? Was he shaking? Was he losing his place on the vein? No, not possible. He bent down and placed his head on her chest. “Yes. Alive, but... very weak. I am not sure what’s going on. Her heart keeps… pausing.” He looked up at the medical equipment on a carved out shelf on the other side of the filly.

“Is there anything there we can use?” Tower asked.

Searching, Tourmaline wracked his brain trying to remember the limited medical training he had. He was not a medic, but he had some first aid and some other knowledge he picked up. The books in the libraries at the camp were amazing, plus he had access to the Palace’s endless reference materials -- save for the forbidden and closed off sections. He knew with his skillset his primary position would always be at the rear.

And yet here he was at the front of it all. It was strange where life would take you.

“Yes. A few here can help,” Tourmaline replied and checked them. Amazingly, they were all powered on. A precariously balanced power strip connected to a manna generator at the other end of the kitchen with its exhaust up the extractor fan of the stove. He plugged them in. “Why is her heart beating like that? That isn’t normal.”

“Maybe a genetic disease?” Tower asked. “I’ve heard that this family has had its share of family issues in that department.”

“Could be. I don’t know. It’s not as if there is a medical file on her-”

As if on cue, lights suddenly came alive from the direction of the kitchen. Both Tower and Tourmaline threw themselves into defensive positions behind their shields with one pointing his crossbow up past the collapsed iron door and the other further down the cellar to where the others had fled.

“Surrender yourselves!” A voice demanded from above them. “We have this place surrounded.”

“Who goes there?” Tourmaline shouted.

“Guard.”

Tower and Tourmaline shared a look before Tourmaline stated, “Prompt them for the password.”

“What climbs the plains of our fears?”

“The tears of our young,” came a reply.

That voice sounded familiar to Tourmaline. “Okay. Lower your crossbows.”

“We’re coming down,” a voice said with no hint of hesitation. Another voice from the previous who had spoken.

“Slowly!” Tourmaline replied after a second. “And keep your hooves where I can see them!”

Sure enough, a group of about a dozen Guards entered. They did not have any weapons raised and went straight to the freshly dug entrance to assess the situation. What surprised Tourmaline was the medley of armor they all wore. Some Border, some Day and Night, and even a couple Solar Guards entered, their armor far more ornate than the others.

Solar Guards? Here? Celestia’s special hoof-picked elite Royal Guards. None of them had a rank lower than lieutenant.

Tourmaline walked over to one of the Solar Guards and lowered into a bow and saluted formally. “Reporting, sir.”

The Solar Guard looked at Tourmaline and smiled, “Not in charge here. He is,” the stallion said pointing to another group of Guards coming down the stairs.

Tourmaline walked over and saluted one of them. A pony that wasn’t in any uniform whatsoever. Still, judging from his scars and demeanor, this was a pony used to combat. “Reporting, sir.”

“What?” the pony replied in a strange accent. “‘Oo, me?” He laughed good naturedly. “Nah, not me, mate. I’m not in ‘er majesty’s service, oh, ‘eaven’s no. Lack dis’pline. I’m not in charge ‘ere. ‘E is.”

Tourmaline followed the pony’s head gesture and saw another stallion descending the steps. Perhaps the last stallion he had expected to see.

“S-S-Semper…?”

“You found the girl?” came the cold, monotone voice.

Tourmaline shook off his shock. This was no time for that. “Yes! She’s over there. I can’t treat her because I don’t have her records.”

“There is no need,” came the cold, monotone response once again.

“No need?” Tourmaline immediately pushed away his first shock for this new one. “What do you mean ‘no need’?”

“There is no need,” Semper repeated simply.

“Wait. You… you knew there was going to be a filly here?”

“Yes.”

“Why, in Celestia’s name, did you not inform us?”

“Because,” came the hard voice that seemed get even heavier, if that was possible. His voice had an edge to it that made Tourmaline instinctively take a step back making him bump into the makeshift cot the filly was lying on. “There was a leak in the palace. If it was known what we were looking for, then it was probably unlikely we would ever find her.”

“What do you mean? What are you saying?”

“She is beyond our help. Even before she came here.”

That was when Tourmaline noticed the entourage that had come with Semper. A group of ponies in uniforms he had never seen before were already making their way around the room towards the cellar entrance. Every single one of them wore those strange masks. He knew who they were right away, not because he had seen them, but because he had heard about them.

“You made us watch over this mansion because you were waiting for her?” Tourmaline stated, now it was his blood that began to boil.

“This was one of many hideouts watched,” Semper replied while bending low and looking for something in the medley of medical equipment. He seemed to see something in particular and reached for it and pulled it out.

Even a very non-medically trained Guard like himself knew what it was. Tourmaline reached for it and pulled it out of Semper’s hooves and looked at it, his eyes narrowing in contemplation. He looked at the filly, saw that her side closest to the wall was riddled with tubes that reached over to a what looked to be a holder. He walked over to the end of the bed and saw the bag half-full dangling carelessly over the edge.

“They were extracting her blood.” Tourmaline looked to Semper for confirmation. It was not a question, he was stating fact.

The blue stallion nodded anyway.

“Why?” Even as Tourmaline asked that question, he could feel the room suddenly grow silent. Only Tower remained as confused as he was. The rest of them knew, and that annoyed Tourmaline more than anything else right at that moment. “Tell me! I can still help her! I can still-”

“I wish, from my heart, that you could. I wish so, so hard. But… you can’t. No pony can help her now,” a very gentle voice whispered from the shadows of the entrance as yet another group entered. Two Day Guards flanked a third in long green robes with a hood covering her head.

She walked over to where Tourmaline and Semper stood and removed the covering from her head and stared pitifully into the filly’s sleeping face. Tourmaline looked at her. The mane looked faded, as if it were going grey from age, yet the pony’s body and build betrayed that. She wasn’t that much older than most of them there in that room. She looked so tired. And hungry. Not the hungry for food, but for something… more.

“What do you mean she is beyond our help?” Demanded Tower.

“She’s… she was…”

Semper placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You have done enough. You and the Elites have gotten us this far. She is the last. After her, there is no more. This place will be the end of it. Let me handle it from here.”

The mare nodded. Large tears began to fall from her face. “You’ll make it quick?”

There was a short pause before Semper answered. “I will.”

The mare rushed and wrapped her hooves around Semper’s neck. “I’m… I’m so sorry… that you have to take this burden. It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault…”

“No. It is not.” Semper made a motion to another pony. A Day Guard who quietly whispered something into the mare’s ears, and both wandered back up the stairs towards the kitchen.

Semper waited until the mare was out of sight before he spoke again. “Status?”

Tourmaline turned around to see another Night Guard bending over the bed. Tower was standing next to her as she inserted a syringe into the closest arm and extracted a tiny amount of blood. She then took out a piece of paper and dropped on solitary drop onto it. The paper turned from a deep red to a bright orange, then green, then faded away to a dull gray.

The mare looked at Semper. “It is her. Without a doubt.”

“And the extraction?” Semper asked.

“Judging by the concentration in the blood? They took too much. Probably why she’s here. They were keeping her alive here through these devices,” she gestured to the medical equipment on the shelf. “I think they were about to restart their extraction before they arrived,” the mare said pointing at Tourmaline and Tower, “because all of the devices have been disconnected.”

“What is going on?” Tourmaline demanded, this time towards the entire group.

“I’d like to know as well,” Tower stated. “I have no idea what is going.”

In fact, most of the other Guards were also demanding some answers. Only the strange masked ponies did not. Were they even Guards?

The Night Guard sitting by the filly looked at Tourmaline and Tower. “Is it okay, sir?”

“It is. The rest of you are with me. We end this tonight.” Semper withdrew his shield and headed towards the passageway entrance. He stopped and unclamped his spear. “This is personal. I will understand if the Guard does not wish to follow myself and the Watu.”

The Solar Guards both walked forwards. “The Solar Guard does not turn tail on an enemy. You best remember that, Border Guard. Ever.”

Semper made a gesture with his head to the Watu, who fired a salvo of bolts into the entrance. A series of explosions ignited the corridor and the stream of Guards and Watus surged into the gap. Semper at their head, flanked by two of Celestia’s personally chosen.

Tourmaline shuddered. A part of him wanted to charge with Semper into the fray, just like before when he fought at his side during the Crucible. That zealous desire to follow him into, but right now he needed answers. He needed a reason to fight these so-called ‘enemies’. There were too many unanswered questions, and he didn’t like being left in the dark.

Mission 4, Part 3: Discovery

Tourmaline sat with an expression of horror on his face as the Night Guard ended her story. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

First off was what Semper had done. It was unbelievable. Even the Night Guard had a hard time believing the words coming from her mouth, but she had actually read the reports which were no longer a secret and were publically available. In fact, Tourmaline had read about it in Equestria Daily, the most renowned newspaper of the Kingdom, but despite what seemed to be honest reporting, many who read it claimed it was a shameless attempt at propaganda and trying to get more ponies into the Guard. The fact was the claims were too fantastic to be believed. Some even took it as a work of fiction. This was compounded with the lack of other sources and no corroboration from others within Equestria. The simple fact that a lone Guard had beaten a dragon was too much for most.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for the Guard. There was speculation that the Border Guard brass were afraid of Semper and had promoted him for the sole purpose of giving him assignments that kept him away from Equestria. That explained the sudden spike in Semper’s rank, which was also downplayed so much that Tourmaline had only heard of the promotion when he was recruited for this investigation. Even then, Semper’s involvement was somewhat of a shock considering.

Still, even if the stories behind Semper were disbelieved, the tale of the ‘Watu’ was not. For years the horror stories of slavers and their masked bodyguards terrified Equestria, especially those that lived near the border. Over the years it had caused many to flee, only to be replaced by the reckless and curious. It had always been the struggle, but the Border Guard kept their vigil as best they could. Suddenly, almost overnight, the fear of the slavers was gone. Perhaps the skeptical nature of the populace was a good thing. It helped slow large migrations to the borders that were still undergoing treaties and trade agreements between Equestria and the newly created centralized government for the Zebrican tribes. Despite previous shaky relations, Zebrica was surprisingly open and a lot of misunderstandings had been cleared. Old prejudices, however, die hard and both races seemed to be content with the speed in which the nations were developing.

The ex-annexed regions that were controlled by the evil slavers and their ilk was now a new protectorate whose authority obeyed only the Princess despite a Border Guard having been the one freeing that area. That had been something that the new ambassador of the region had not only wanted, but demanded, which had irked some powerful figures in the Council. The entire political demographic and physical maps had changed.

But despite all the news, believable or not, the Guard and the higher-ups made absolutely sure one thing did not reach the papers. The Elites. While it was impossible to keep the entire group a secret, intense pressure made sure that this information was kept quiet, hidden, and as invisible as possible. There were the witnesses, indeed, but even among them the existence of the Elites was somewhat of a fable. Those that had met an Elite rarely lived to talk about it. Others that had managed to return to Equestria had their stories altered to preclude the Elites and count them as part of the regular Watu. Countless reports had been confiscated, altered, or destroyed to circumvent this from becoming common knowledge.

All to hide any trace of knowledge of the deadly poison that flowed through their veins.

Internally, there were strictly confidential reports kept by the Guard that painstakingly tried to puzzle out every nuance of this substance. What were once normal ponies had been turned into prolific killers and assassins because of their addiction. The narcotic was used to positively inforce murder; a narcotic that did not even have a name. The Elites simply had many names for it, but due to its deep red hue, what it did, and its inherent nature, the codename given was Blood’s Bane.

“Then,” Tourmaline began in the silence that persisted, “they purposely injected her with a sample of the original version of the narcotic and let her slip into a coma so they could harvest her blood?”

“Not ‘they’. You mean ‘her’.”

“Her? Wait. You mean… her mother?”

Again, silence was enough of an answer.

“Where are you going?” Tower asked as Tourmaline pushed past him and started to walk away.

“I don’t know! To get some answers,” Tourmaline growled as he lifted up his shield and placed it on his back. “I need answers. Why couldn’t they use these so-called Elites for their poison? Wouldn’t they be willing?”

“Too saturated. If they harvested the blood of addicts for the narcotic it would either be too poisonous or not potent enough to treat their own symptoms. We’ve tried. It’s lethal to others unless they have the near exact same level of the narcotic in their blood. The chances of that are… remote. A medical team at Canterlot Hospital had used dying Elites as test subjects, but none lived for more than a few days after. A couple had to be... put out of their misery.” The Night Guard mare looked down at the filly. “So, so, so many have died because of this stuff. How could we allow it to happen, and for so long?”

“But this filly... can her blood really save them?”

“For now. If she survives then over time her body will change and so will the drug. It alters everything inside them. Their bodies, their minds. It won’t be long until the narcotic inside her will become like poison to others. That is why they are extracting her blood so aggressively. That is why the Solar, Night, Border and Day Guards are all working together. To end this once and for all.”

Tourmaline stuck out his jaw. The entire Royal Guard along with the Border Guard had joined together, yet he had never felt more powerless. He had to do something. Anything. What was the point of becoming a Guard when you couldn’t protect one so young? What was his training for if he couldn’t save those most vulnerable?

“End this?” Tower asked. “How?”

“If we don’t help the Elites, they’ll each go berserk. The narcotic will kill them, but slowly and painfully. That usually drives them insane. Remember I mentioned those experiments where a couple Elites had to be… put down? They weren’t killed because of mercy. They went insane and nearly killed other Guards in the process. One Guard was so badly hurt that she will probably never be able to walk again. And we’re talking about ponies that have been stripped of all weapons. This was hoof to hoof fighting. Just imagine if one of them actually got their hooves on a weapon? Granted, we were trying to ‘help’ by calming and sedating them, but still, to overpower a Guard like that? The adrenaline in their blood gives them unbelievable strength.”

“Sweet Celestia,” Tower muttered under his breath. “It’s hard to imagine them as… us. They seem more like monsters.”

The mare shrugged. “So a simple plan was made. Give the remnants of the narcotic to the Elites. They would be the best ones to guard it from anypony else. It is the best way to avoid any more addicts. That is why not a single drop can leave here. Not a single vial. Nothing. The Elites won’t allow that. They need every drop for their addiction. It’s temporary measure that we’re using to our advantage.”

With a grunt of frustration, Tourmaline stomped the floor. “So we’re just using them?”

“They aren’t ponies anymore,” the mare stressed. “Don’t think of them like that. If you do, they’ll tear you apart.”

Tourmaline stuck out his lower jaw. “In the end, the Elites are our problem and our fault. We left them out there with nopony to protect them.”

Tower and the Night Guard mare looked at each other. What Tourmaline said was true, and it was something that none of them wanted to contemplate.

Tourmaline charged into the tunnel that Semper and the others had disappeared down. He needed to think about something else and come back to this riddle with a fresh angle. He couldn’t understand it. The filly was barely alive, keeping on through some untold inner strength and sheer will. The medical devices that had been removed from her body had signified that they had given up on her, but the filly still clung to life.

Still, Tourmaline did not know how her own mother allowed. Her own flesh and blood. It struck a chord deep within him.

Diamond Dogs. That was the first thought in Tourmaline’s head when he saw the depth of and size of the cavern in front of him. He noticed that the area beneath the mansion had been dug out and the cavernous expanse could have only been achieved with the ‘expertise’ of the canines. Whether they actually dug it afresh, or if these were old caves recent discovered, Tourmaline did not care.

The dogs had tunneled deep. The first corridor had been blocked off by another large iron door, which now lay on the ground pounded into the dirt by the heavily armored ponies that had marched over it. Beyond was something akin to a mine. His gut told him that the area was under the front yard with multiple passages leading off in almost every direction. Where had they taken the dirt? Was there already a cave beneath the mansion and they were taking advantage of it? Or maybe they just shoved it into the various rooms of the mansion itself, filling it up from the inside to hide what was going on beneath.

But that would mean they had planned it. That would mean they were intentionally going to inject that substance into someone. That would mean it was all premeditated.

Guards were moving in pairs down each corridor. He looked and spotted the Watu. They were attacking the middle chamber as one unit, well organised, and trained. There was another large group trying their hardest to defend it, but were cornered and made for easy crossbow prey as ponies located along the edge and pegasi hovering above rained death on them.

Tourmaline looked and noted that they seemed to be fighting over what looked to be a bottling plant. Off to one side, two masked Elites were holding a destroyed manna generator towards the far side of the closed-off area from where he watched.

Then the line opposing them broke and fled towards the perimeter. Hired mercenaries, perhaps. They stood no chance against the well-honed skills of the Guard and, so it seemed, the Watu as well. After a few moments, Tourmaline noticed that the masked ponies began to stack the crates onto carts and started wheeling them off down one of the many tunnels.

It was only then that Tourmaline felt the presence of the two Solar Guards next to him and gazing towards the Watu with a look of disgust. Tourmaline made to go towards the crates to sate his curiosity, but a voice halted him right in his tracks.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” the first Solar Guard stated when Tourmaline took a step towards the fray. “They’ll kill you without a second thought.”

“Aren’t you going to stop them?” Tourmaline asked. “That narcotic can still be used as a weapon.”

“You’re assuming that they’d share. The Elites here would rather die. You see how well they’re working together? Well, what happens when all the enemy is defeated? Then what?”

Tourmaline didn’t know.

“They’ll rip each other apart. Only the strong will remain. This exercise is to clear out all of our past mistakes in one fell swoop. Dealing with that many Elites is a problem. Dealing with a few is not.”

“You’re going to let them kill each other?” Tourmaline asked, astonished by the stone cold nature of Celestia’s chosen.

“Yes.”

The second Solar Guard smiled a gentle smile that was completely contradictory to the hard nature of the first’s. “Think not ill of us. The rest of the Watu are being indoctrinated into the Royal Guard and Rangers, they will serve Her Highness in the only way they know how, but even you have to admit that these Elites are already dead. It is a shame, and you do not approve of this plan as I can see in your face, but there is no other option. It is for the best.”

“Let them have it all. Let them cull their own,” the first muttered.

The silence lingered before the Solar Guards turned towards a particular tunnel and charged down it. Tourmaline followed out of instinct. With nothing to do but watch as the mercenaries get torn apart by the Elites, the sudden departure of the Solar Guards drew him along. He had already seen what the Elites were capable of and he did not relish in the thought of watching any more bloodshed.

Even at his fastest, Tourmaline found he could barely keep up with the speed of the Solar Guards. Using their horn-lights, they guided themselves with seeming ease as the sped down towards the lower levels at a furious pace. The sounds of the battle in the large chamber started to grow distant and faint despite the emptiness of the tunnels. They galloped further and further down, and Tourmaline started to notice he was being left behind. How they knew where they going, or why they were going that way, Tourmaline didn’t know. However, judging by their speed and purpose, they were definitely not scouting. They were going somewhere and they meant business.

Then, just as suddenly as they took off, they came to a sudden halt.

The Solar Guards instantly extinguished their glowing lights and signed for Tourmaline to do the same when he eventually caught up. They seemed to be annoyed that he had not turned off his magic sooner, but how else was he supposed to see? The instant he cut out his spell, he found himself swallowed in a deep darkness that seemed to consume everything. Slowly, bit by bit as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, a dim glow emerged from ahead. Tourmaline recognized the faint outline of a sharp right bend in the tunnel ahead of them, the light slowly fading away. Squinting, he realized that it was a T-junction, the tunnel they were in ended perpendicular to a narrower one. The light source was coming from the tunnel off to the right, and whomever was walking with the light was walking away.

The two Solars kept themselves quiet and crept slowly to the edge of the hall and each stole a quick peek and a silent nod passed between the two of them. Tourmaline couldn’t resist, and he too poked his head out, but the shock made him freeze. In the dim light of a solitary torch stood Semper, who stared right at Tourmaline. But that wasn’t what shocked him. What was shoking was Semper’s poise, as his spear was drawn and his shield up and ready.

Tourmaline was about to say something when the two Solars pushed past him and stood abreast covering as much ground between the two and blocking the way they came.

“So, you were expecting us. You’re not as naive as I thought.” The Solar Guard who spoke drew his sword and readied himself.

“I am loyal to Her Highness and Equestria,” Semper stated bluntly.

“So you say. How do we know that? How do we know that you aren’t trying to arrange a coup d’etat? You bring your minions over the border, attempting to assimilate them into our ranks. A bunch of murderers and killers? Perhaps the Border Guard allows filth like that, but not the Royal Guard. Her Highness’ judgement and kind-heartedness for filth like that is misguided.”

“Their loyalty is unshakable,” Semper replied. “They will serve Equestria well.”

“And you expect us to trust your opinion? Certainly you’re not implying that the Watu are loyal to the Princess. They are loyal to you and you alone. If you were to command them, they would fight. They would turn on us at your whim. We’ve been keeping an eye on you and even the Captains have said that you’re a danger and a liability.”

“So you came for my head.”

It wasn’t a question.

Tourmaline gulped. What had he walked into? What was going on? Were they seriously going to fight? As if the tension were a wall pushing him back, Tourmaline took a single step away from the Guards standing in front of him. He kept himself silent and as invisible as possible.

“Do you blame us?”

“Until this mission is over, you are under my command and you will follow orders. Doing otherwise is an act of insubordination. I will act accordingly.” Semper’s eyes seemed to harden, impossible as it may seem. “Even if you are part of the Solar Guard.”

“Oh? And what can one Border Guard do against two of Her Highness’ chosen?”

Semper said nothing in response.

“You can’t expect us to believe that rot in the report. You? Beat a dragon? On your own?” The Solar Guard laughed dryly. “It takes a full squad of Solar Guards to bring down a dragon with a proper plan. And you have the audacity to claim you did it alone on a ship, outnumbered, spontaneously?”

Again, there was silence. The air suddenly grew heavier and Tourmaline felt the unmistakable feeling of magic growing around him. The two unicorns were charging their horns without allowing them to glow, a talent that takes time to master, and these guys were doing it to an extent he knew he could never hope to achieve. He was acutely aware that he was in imminent danger by being there.

An explosion of bright light blinded Tourmaline making him duck backwards. He heard the two Solar Guards roar as they charged forwards with their shields and swords at the ready. It was no wonder that they were Solar Guards. Their power was on a completely different level from his own. He felt like he was drowning, and every cell in his body screamed for him to get out of there. Quick.

Turning, he ran back up the passage and ducked into the corridor they had come. Struggling to see, he had to feel for the empty space for the hallway he had come from. He fell into the gap and rolled expertly before turning and standing up in one fluid motion. Just as his sight began to normalize, he noticed that the shadows around him were growing shorter and shorter. Tourmaline eyes widened as a wall of fire roar past tapering into the ether mere seconds afterwards. The heat made him take a step back.

Then silence and the deep blackness.

He stayed where he was, straining to hear in the enveloping darkness around him. Nothing. Not a sound, save for a distant groaning that seemed new and out of place. Daring it, Tourmaline let his horn glow gently and promptly let out a scream that sounded it should have come from a filly. In front of him were two piercing eyes as hard as the stone walls around them, and those eyes stared directly into his.

“S-S-S-S-Semper, sir?” Tourmaline asked once he managed to find his voice.

The blue stallion narrowed his eyes slightly, but said nothing.

“Do you think you can get away with this?” Came a sudden shout from the darkness beyond. “Do you think you can just walk away from me?”

Semper’s body seemed to melt out of the darkness as Tourmaline’s eyes adjusted. A faint beam of light encroached from the hall behind them where the Solars had gone. Tourmaline studied Semper, but he could not make any specifics. He was without his shield and parts of his armor look strange. He seemed to have no weapons, save for the spear, the razor sharp tip still gleamed with a savage promise.

“Come back here!” Came the shout again.

Tourmaline stepped away as Semper walked towards him. Out of reflex, Tourmaline saluted him.

“Ten minutes.”

“Sir?”

“Ten minutes. Then untie them.”

“Untie… untie them? But… what? How did…?”

But Semper had already started moving away, his body close to the ground. Tourmaline stared at his quickly receding form and noted something. His hooves made no sound whatsoever. None. How had he done that?

Ten minutes later, and not a second sooner, Tourmaline’s horn-glow bathed the passage in a soft but bright light. The dim light from before was overpowered by his, but he still couldn’t see. Just how long was this tunnel? And where were the Solar Guards? He gritted his teeth and summoned more power to his horn allowing the light to increase a little more. He looked around confused for a moment. There was nothing there.

“Up here.”

Again, Tourmaline let out a high-pitched scream. It was a short burst, not like the longer one he had delivered into Semper’s face ten minutes before, but equally as humiliating.

“Well, at least we know that there isn’t a ‘filly’ trapped down here,” another voice stated in the darkness.

Tourmaline tried hard to fight the warmth growing through his cheeks and he used his horn to light the ceiling. At once he spotted a hole that rose upwards, perhaps to a higher passage. In that narrow opening hung a large bulb-like thing that slowly swayed from side to side. His horn illuminated the object and another gasp escaped his lips. The two Solar Guards were hanging upside-down within a rope-net commonly used to lift heavy cargo. It was apparent that they were in some sort of vertical shaft leading upwards.

Not-so clearly visible, but certainly noticeable to those who knew what to look for, were the Dampener rings placed tightly at the base of their horns. One of the Solar Guards was glaring at Tourmaline, his face a blanket of rage, anger, and frustration rolled up into one. The other had more of an expression of bemusement and seemed quite calm.

“A trap?” Tourmaline asked.

“A trap?” Came a mocking response. “Of course it was a trap, you nitwit! Get me down from here.”

The first Solar Guard struggled little to emphasize his intense desire to be free of the netting that held him.

“He was waiting for us. He knew we were coming for him. I don’t know why, but I am grateful that we did not come to blows,” the second, nicer, Solar replied.

The first stuck out his lower jaw. “Grateful? Grateful! We were careless. It won’t happen again.”

“He could have slit our throats instead of putting these dampener rings on our horns, Valor.”

“I... realize that.” Valor stopped struggling, obviously not realizing it.

“Good. Now, have you cooled off?” the former asked.

A long, resigned sigh escaped Valor’s lips. “Yes.”

“I think he clearly demonstrated that he should actually be granted the benefit of the doubt, wouldn’t you agree?” The second asked.

There was a pregnant pause before Valor replied. “Yes.”

“I don’t think he’d have spared us if he were a traitor. That was the perfect and only moment he could do that. He must know that. He had us right where he wanted, and didn’t do anything but shove these on our horns and trap us.”

“Yes. I know.”

“He could have blamed the mercenaries, or Watu for killing us and none would be the wiser.”

“Yes. I know. But... I still can’t be completely sure! Are you willing to take that risk?” Valor asked.

“Yes.” Tourmaline put his hoof to his mouth. He had not meant to say that out loud.

The two Solar Guards looked at him.

“So, you would vouch for this Semper?” The calm one asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve read your file. Tourmaline, right? You were with Semper at the Circus.”

“Circus?” Tourmaline tilted his head slightly. Then he understood. “Oh! Yes, sir. I trained with Semper. Didn’t know what you were asking, sir.”

“Before we continue any more talking, cut me down. I’m getting dizzy,” the second Solar Guard stated.

Tourmaline looked around and saw where the rope was tied off and rushed towards it. He quickly cut it and the two ponies slammed into the soft ground with a heavy thud.

Valor shot a filthy look at him. “Thank you, private.”

“Sorry, sir?” Tourmaline replied, saluting and bowing his head a little at the same time in reverence to the Solar Guard and in shame for dropping them the way he did.

“As I was saying, do you trust Semper, Tourmaline?” The second Solar Guard asked as he dusted off his armor and removed the Dampener ring from his horn. He took it, looked at it, then pocketed it behind his armor. The way he removed the ring and placed it away might have seemed a simple gesture to a laypony, but what concentration and willpower he must have possessed to have taken it off so casually impressed Tourmaline. He knew that if the situation were reversed, he would never have been able to remove the ring at all and never as nonchalantly as that. “So, do you?”

Tourmaline snapped out of his reverie. “Sir, yes, sir.”

The second Solar Guard smiled and replied with a nod. “It takes a lot for a Border Guard to trust another as readily as that.”

“Sir?” Tourmaline asked.

“He’s too fresh to know what you’re talking about,” Valor put in.

“Sir, if I may,” Tourmaline began.

The Solars looked at one another, then back at the unicorn before Valor nodded for him to continue.

“According to the reports, the majority of the Watu are under the command of the Royal Guard now. Only a few were integrated into the Border Guard and mostly within larger garrisons. The Watu that happened to be banished Guards are being integrated into the Rangers. As far as I know, that’s what he suggested. The Elites were the only exception.”

“That’s the problem,” Valor replied. “Why the Royal Guard? I know that the branches of the Guard are supposed to work in unison, but that rarely happens. Our duties, even within our respective branches, are so different that working together as a single unit is nearly impossible.”

“But… we’re working fine… I mean, sorry, sir.”

Again, the second Solar Guard smiled. Valor, on the other hoof, seemed to have his mood darken.

“But, sir, if I may, what do you mean by ‘he’s too fresh to know what—”

“You don’t know?” The second Solar Guard asked. “I thought you read the report.”

“Some of it was omitted.” Valor looked at his fellow Guard. “We’re not supposed to talk about this with them.”

“A secret? But…” The second Solar Guard shook his head at the stern look he received from Valor. “Valor, you sometimes you have to trust other pony’s instincts. He must know.”

“He has no reason to know.”

“No reason? He has every reason. Perhaps more than we do.”

Tourmaline frowned. He had no idea what they were talking about.

“No,” Valor stated stomping his hoof to emphasize the finality of it.

“Very well then,” the second Solar Guard sighed. “Come. Let’s go.”

All three turned and headed back the way they came, towards the cellar where the filly was being held. The sounds of battle had long since receded into silence. Every so often they’d hear a shout followed by silence, but mostly it was eerily quiet. In the main hall not a single Elite could be seen. Tourmaline paused and looked around, but saw nothing that hinted as to where they had all gone. The Solar Guards both seemed to oblivious to this fact, or simply did not care, and strode on.

Upon arriving in the cellar, all three noted that Semper was standing in the corner in silence. The two Night Guards, a Day Guard, Tower, and the mare medic, were still tending to the filly and showed no concern towards the newcomers. At least at first. With Valor still fuming over what had happened, he brought attention to himself, and by the way he glared at Semper brought a new tense feeling in the room.

The second Solar Guard calmly placed his hoof on Valor’s shoulder, and gave him a look. This managed to calm Valor down slightly and he made a noise and plopped himself on a small stone and looked away from Semper’s direction. He looked calm, but a trained eye could tell that his body was still a tense spring ready to be released at any moment.

The mare coughed. “Sirs, I was just filling the others in. I’m sorry I started without you.”

“That’s fine,” the second Solar Guard replied. “We were… a little tied up.”

A ghost of a smile fluttered across Tourmaline’s face, which was extinguished by the fire he felt from Valor’s eyes boring into the back of his skull. He gulped and wisely kept his eyes forward.

Misty looked a little confused, but continued. “As I was saying, this version of the narcotic won’t replicate like the original we’ve extracted from the blood samples of the Elite. The sample from the filly is different.”

Valor narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“As you know, this narcotic has a strange effect of actually getting stronger the longer it is left in the body. By taking a new dose, the previous version of the ingested narcotic is, for lack of a better term, ‘killed’. The new narcotic content then replaces it in the bloodstream, thus ‘resetting’ the poison back to trace amounts. That is why the Elites die from what we have mistakenly thought were withdrawals. It isn’t. Well, it is, but it isn’t. The narcotic inside them just keeps on increasing until their bodies can no longer sustain due to the massive strain on their bodies. Most cases they die from cardiac arrest, some their brain functions cease, and use of suicide as a means of relief is a common occurrence. But if they take a new dose, it starts again. They are able to prolong their lives, but each time the narcotic in their blood gets lethal faster until they have to take a dose every hour or so, or so we believe. There are no surviving Elites with that level of dependency alive.”

“How is that different from what we already know?” The Day Guard asked removing a pair of gloves and throwing them on the floor.

Tourmaline noted that both were medically trained as evidenced by the small medical symbol on the corners of their peytrals.

Misty shrugged. “I’ve been involved with this for some time now but this is… nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“Well? What is it?” Valor asked.

“This version isn’t only blood. It’s… brewed. There’s something else inside it.”

The Solar Guard leaned back and shook his head. “You’re telling me that they can make this now? That another pony has learned to manufacturing the original version?”

“Maybe. We don’t know for sure. The other option is that they’ve managed to distill it so that the blood they require would be minimal to get the same length of time. Pure blood will not only diminish quickly; it would kill those with incompatible blood types.”

All eyes fell on Semper in the corner of the room. He was looking down at a mare trussed up in what looked to be a duffel bag, her head poking out the top with a dark maroon veil covering her lower part of her face to her neck. It took a moment for Tourmaline to realize that it was actually white lace that had been soaking in blood that had dried up. She was making a face glaring up at Semper with eyes seething with unparalleled hatred.

“You think your friends in the annexed region could make this?” Valor asked Semper.

Semper met Valor’s gaze, but his body and poise remained turned towards the mare. “No.”

“And why is that?”

“That’s classified.”

“Well, I’m ordering you to tell me.”

Semper waited a moment, then seemed to resign himself. He placed a hoof on the mare’s neck and turned his body so that he now faced the Solar Guard. It took Tourmaline and the others a moment to realize that he was standing at attention. Perhaps, for now, Semper had forgone his mission ‘rank’ and acknowledged the Solar as his superior officer – which he was. This visibly alleviated some of the anger that Valor had held moments before.

“Night Guard Floral Mist, Medical Officer, First Class,” Semper shouted.

Misty, a little stunned, stood up at once and saluted. “Yes, sir!”

“Be brief.”

There was a pregnant pause, but she nodded and saluted again. “Yes, sir. It’s because a key ingredient that we know of cannot be found anywhere else, at least nowhere else we are aware of, except in Equestria.”

The second, nicer, Solar Guard put a hoof on Valor’s shoulder making him step back. “This is the first I’ve heard of this.”

“That is because a special taskforce was assigned to deconstruct the ingredients.”

The nice Solar Guard nodded. “I know of that. That a taskforce was created, and that the narcotic was deconstructed to make a remedy for the Elites. I wasn’t aware that the Border Guard were involved so intimately in the research, let alone the Night Guard. I hear that it failed.”

Misty masked her feelings well. What did the Solar mean by ‘let alone the Night Guard’? She made a mental note of it. “Well… yes and no.”

The two Solars exchanged a look. “What do you mean?”

“A key component wasn’t identified because we kept searching for something magical in its construction. A fresh recruit unicorn from the Royal Guard successfully identified it as a plant extract from a very specific plant found only in one place.”

“And why wasn’t this included in the report?” another Day Guard asked. Tourmaline knew this Royal Guard. They were from the same unicorn class in Canterlot. His name was Viscous, and he had a strong affinity to water.

“You’re assuming that a fresh recruit knows more than our core mages. In the magic field, like in the science field, ego and seniority matter.”

“So, she was ignored?” Tourmaline asked incredulously.

“Pretty much.”

Tourmaline made a face. “Then… what’s stopping this from–”

“Despite the symptoms persisting, and stories collaborating, the likelihood of finding the exact mixture to reproduce what’s in this narcotic is slim. That aside, although we know of the plant, we don’t know more than that.”

“Then how was it made in the first place?”

“Zebricans.”

Everyone turned to Semper.

“Well, yes. That’s actually where the story leads to. That there is a Zebrican potion that was used on a certain unicorn that had contracted a specific illness. The combination of these things culminated into the first instance of the narcotic. After that, we believe that the narcotic was actually distilled from this single pony’s blood. We’ll never know,” Misty stated.

“Are we talking about the original source?” The second Solar Guard asked.

“It would’ve also ensured that a specific pony would be immune to any death threats from his beloved Elites, wouldn’t it?” Valor said, more to himself than to the others. He looked to both Semper and his fellow Guard. “A convenient reason, I think. But speculation without evidence is nothing more than grabbing at straws in a hayfield. Pointless and uneventful. We have no evidence, nor does he. Even if you did know how to make that stuff, you wouldn’t tell us. Would you?”

“No,” Semper replied.

“You’re not instilling very much confidence in your loyalty to this kingdom, Border Guard,” Valor stated staring right back at Semper.

Again, that suffocating feeling washed over Tourmaline and he felt his life in grave danger as the two stallions seemed to be sizing one another up once again. Were they actually going to fight again? If they were, what would he do? These were Solar Guards, not just regular Day Guards. They were officers in Her Highness’ most elite corp. They basically represented her. Did Tourmaline have to obey them? But, according to his current orders, he was under Semper’s command, and so were these guys. Wouldn’t That mean he’d have to back Semper?

“Okay, that’s enough, Valor,” the second Solar Guard stated, again placing a hoof on his comrade’s shoulder. “We’re here to observe, remember? Observe and assist, not interfere.”

Tourmaline felt a sigh of relief in his mouth. Since one of the Solar Guards stated it, that meant that at least he could relax a bit.

Valor growled a little, then turned his head away with a snort.

“It is because of my loyalty to Equestria that it would remain a secret,” Semper countered. “Letting others know would be too dangerous. Even if it is the Solar Guard.”

Valor’s eyes widened at those words and he turned on Semper, a glow growing throughout his body. “Watch your mouth, Border Guard, or are you actually insinuating that the Solar Guard has a shred of disloyalty to Her Highness?” Valor asked, his eyes burning with renewed fury. “Because if you are, then I cannot let that–”

“Enough!” ‘Nice Guy’ barked and slammed his hoof on the ground, cracks pushing out from the impact’s center, a bright blue-white light briefly flashing out before fading away.

Valor clenched his jaw and was quiet. In that moment it was clear who was really in charge between the two of them. They might have been of the same rank, but in this case it was evident who was the superior.

Semper continued without flinching. “I do not know the recipe. Neither does anypony else.”

That seemed to slightly placate Valor, who still made a face, but said nothing. “I don’t believe you.”

“But why her?” Tourmaline interrupted in an attempt to divert some of the uncomfortable tension between Valor and Semper. “I mean, why the daughter? It doesn’t make any sense.”

The question suddenly changed Valor. He looked down and, although his anger did not dissipate, it wasn’t directed at Semper any longer. Instead it was focused on the mare on the floor with the blood-stained veil. “We didn’t know she would choose her own daughter. And that’s the reason why.”

“What? What do you mean?” Tourmaline asked.

Valor looked at him, this time it was pain in those eyes. “Isn’t that obvious? To throw us off her trail. And it worked.”

“Rosey!” A voice called from the hallway.

“Iris. What are you doing all the way here?” Rose looked at her friend and waited for her to catch her breath. She looked like she had run clear across the palace grounds.

“Sorry… just… had… to congrat… tulate you… for… getting into Princess Celestia’s… special… class.” The young mare took a deep breath and calmed herself. “Sorry. I ran all the way here to just tell you that.”

Rose blushed slightly at the praise. “Thank you, Iris. That is very kind.”

It was Iris’ turn to flush. “I wanted to! You’re my best friend, right? Anyway, have you thought of what you want to do? What are you going to specialize in?”

“I think that I would like to teach magic to young children. What do you think?”

Iris smiled and nodded. “Oh, I think you’d make a wonderful teacher, Rosey. I’d love to be one of your students, if I could.”

The two laughed.

“You’re very kind, Iris.”

“I… thanks, Rosey.”

“Speaking of teaching, did you know that the students from the Royal Elementary School of Canterlot are coming today to see the palace?”

“Oh? It’s already that time of year?”

Rose nodded. “I remembered my first time visiting the palace, I was so excited. I am eager to meet with them and see my little sister, whom I haven’t talked to in quite some time. What about you?”

Iris shook her head. “Me? My elementary schooling was done back home. Never got to see the palace until I came here for my higher-ed.”

“I know that, Iris. I meant about the new students coming to visit. Are you excited about meeting them?”

That made Iris smack her forehead. Of course that was what Rose meant. “Sorry,” she giggled. “Thought you were talking about something else. Well, I guess I’m a little excited. Actually, I’m more interested in seeing that new student from Celestia’s special group. Apparently she’s quite powerful, and the things she can do at such a young age. She’s a prodigy.”

“Ah yes. I have heard some making comments about her. I forget her name. Twilight?”

“I don’t know. I think that’s right. Makes me sometimes wish that I was a pure unicorn. I’m half earth pony—”

“I know, Iris. I know it very well.”

“Yeah,” Iris looked down. She was the victim of some strange form of bullying. They weren’t necessarily rough with her, but rather they chose to avoid her. As a result, Iris had a hard time making new friends. And all to do with the fact that she wasn’t a pure unicorn. But Iris didn’t care because she had Rose, her best friend. The main reason was that both her parents were earth ponies, which made for some slanderous and hurtful rumors about her mother and her loyalty to her father. It hurt, but she learned to move on from such immaturity.

Rose saw her friend’s expression and lifted her chin up so that she looked into Iris’ eyes. “Remember, it’s very rare for two earth ponies to have a unicorn. You must be really special.”

Once again, Iris felt her cheeks grow hot. “You’re just saying that. I don’t have the strength in magic like other unicorns.”

“Everyone has their own strengths, Iris. You just haven’t yet found yours.”

That brought a mirthless laugh to Iris’ lips. “I wish more of our classmates thought a little like that. They’re not rude to me to my face, but I know what they say behind my back. I can put up with the name-calling because I know I am special. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

Deep in her heart, Rose knew who those particular pupils were. “Never mind them. They are just jealous because they had to come here at somepony else’s merit, not their own, like you. Even I had to come to this school on my family’s name. I would have never met the standards otherwise. All relatives of Her Highness, no matter how distant, have the luxury of coming here to study. You don’t and you made it here yourself. Saying you’re special is an understatement. We’re all very proud of you. Including the Princess.”

Again Iris blushed. “I have to catch my next class. Will I see you later? I hear the choir is having a recital on the Pavilion.”

“Maybe. I don’t know my schedule. I may have an appointment with my mother this evening,” Rosie replied with a long sigh. She stared off into the distance for a long moment before speaking. “Iris, tell me, is it natural to fear your mother?”

“N-n-no,” Iris replied a little taken aback. “Why? You scared of your mother?”

Rose looked a little uncomfortable when asked that. “S-sometimes.”

Iris, terrified at the notion of spoiling her relationship with Rosey who also happened to be one of the most popular ponies in school, immediately regretted asking that. “N-n-not unless you’ve done something bad, like stealing, or not cleaning your room for two weeks, or… you know… something like that! A-apart from that, no, not really.”

“Yes. I thought as much,” Rosie replied absently.

“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

“No, no. Thank you. I sometimes feel like you’re the only one who actually listens to me. You’re a good friend. But,” Rosie sighed, “I have social obligations to my social rank and class. It is such a bore, and I wish that I did not have any. I can’t concentrate on my studies because of this burden. My mother leaves everything to me.”

“Burden? You’re practically a princess!”

“Burden of duty and society is tremendous. Look what it has done to my mother. Before father passed on, she was so kindhearted and gentle. Then, one day, she decided to go off and see the world. I do not know what she encountered there, but she was never the same. It was not long before father passed. Under… strange circumstances.” Rose looked at Iris, but the country unicorn missed the implication and Rose let it drop. There was no need to bring her into her family’s dirty laundry. “More than that, I fear that my sister may get drawn into my mother’s drama. Whatever it is my mother is involved in, I want to keep Lisi as far away from it as possible.”

“Wow. You make it seem like your mother’s evil… no offense, I mean. Just from the way you describe her. She’s like one of those secretive villain-types in those books. You know, the ones that work in the shadows and stuff.”

Rose did not really know what Iris was talking about. All her reading revolved around educational material, but this sparked her curiosity for it fit somewhat with how she felt. “No, I don’t know. Sounds… interesting. Can you… can you help me find these books? They do sound so intriguing.”

“Sure! When do you want to go to the library?”

“Now.”

“Now? Weren’t you going to see your sister and her class?”

“I will. This won’t take long, will it?”

“Um… no, I guess not. I just so happen to like books like that, so I can show you a few you can read.”

“Then let us not waste any time. Come along.”

“But… class—”

“This is important. Please.”

Iris sighed and nodded. “Okay, Rosey. Anything for you.”

Despite the strangeness of it, Iris did not push any further. She was just happy to be able to hang out with her role-model for just a little while longer. Iris really looked up to Rose and her elegant ways and demeanor. Rose never insisted like this, the fact that she was meant it was really important to her. Besides, Iris also would love to rub in the fact that Rose decided to hang out with her and not those snobbish wannabes and for that, Iris loved Rose as much as any friend could.

Mission 4, Part 4: Betrayal

“You can cut the tension here with a sword,” Tourmaline stated quietly to the Night Guard mare who was monitoring the filly. “Sorry, my name is Tourmaline. Anything I can do to help?”

“Floral Mist,” the mare replied offering a hoof. “Call me Misty. No, there’s nothing any of us can do. To put it bluntly, I don’t see how she still is alive.” She stole a glance towards Valor and 'Nice Guy' before turning her head and whispering quietly to Tourmaline, “Do you know why the Solar Guards are here? I understand the Day Guards, but Solar? Don’t officers have better things to do than grunt work like this?”

Tourmaline glanced towards the two stallions in question. They were whispering to themselves and keeping tabs on Semper, who was still just standing over the mare. The mare, perhaps understanding the position she was in, was now shivering and trying her very best to avoid Semper’s gaze.

“No idea. Everything about this is messed up,” Tourmaline muttered.

“Tell me about it,” Misty replied shaking her head.

“Is there any way we can bring her out of her coma?”

“Doubtful. It’s evident that her higher brain functions have ceased.”

“How can you know that?”

“With the help of all this,” Misty gestured to the medical equipment littered around the room. “She’s not responding at all.”

“Really expensive stuff. If they were going to kill her, why get all this?”

“I thought that was obvious. To keep her alive for as long as possible to extract as much out of her body,” Tower replied from where he sat. “It isn’t that surprising given the circumstance.”

“It’s too cruel,” Misty whimpered and wiped her eyes. “She’s just a filly.”

“But… when I saw the filly being brought. Tower and I went after her almost immediately. How could they… drain so much out of her so fast?” Tourmaline asked.

Misty looked at Tourmaline before gazing back at the filly. “They must have started the extraction while enroute. The thing is that I don’t think her body is what’s keeping her alive, at least not on its own. I think she is keeping herself alive through sheer willpower. I think that when they brought her here to extract her blood, they did not expect her to survive. That is probably why she wasn’t very heavily guarded. They thought she was going to be a corpse and left her here to die. When they saw she wasn’t dead, they tried to plug her back up with all these devices. That’s when you guys came. The timing couldn’t have been better. You were lucky; if you had come in here when they thought she was alive...”

Tourmaline understood. If it hadn’t been for Tower, he’d be dead. The Night Guard had taken out the mercenary in the kitchen. But that would have been pointless because if the filly were known to be alive, there would have been more of the sell-swords and they would probably not have survived for very long. He would have walked into a room full of hostiles and would have most probably been ripped to shreds.

“How’d they catch the mother?” Tourmaline asked.

“She was caught by the Ranger trying to slip away through the mansion.” Misty looked at the scruffy looking pony drinking from a mug in the corner looking as calm and bored as could be. How could he be so calm in this situation? He seemed to be enjoying the suffocating tension between the Solar Guards and Semper.

The ranger looked at Tourmaline staring at him and raised his mug. “Wanna cup, mate?”

“Uh… no thanks…”

“Really? This ‘ere’s some good coffee. In our line of bis’ness, you gotta take the pleasure when ya can, mate.”

Tourmaline raised an eyebrow. “Line of business?”

“Yeah, mate. Trackers gotta take what they can. I tracked ‘er, y’know. Found ‘er somewheres in the annexed lands. Saw ‘er do it too. Saw ‘er stick that stuff in’er daughter’s leg I did. Couldn’t stop it, I’m afraid. Filly came to meet ‘er own mum, and how she repay ‘er? By murdurin’ ‘er own daughter. ‘Er own daughter! Can you believe it. Couldn’t believe me eyes.”

“Wait, you were there when it happened?”

“Yes. So was ‘e,” the Ranger pointed to Semper, then over to Valor, “An’ ‘im too.”

“Shut it, Iron,” Valor growled quietly.

“Yeah, but you were there for somethin’ else, right, mate?” The ranger raised his coffee mug and made a toasting gesture. “Well, aren’t ya just a peach. Too bad your tantrum didn’t help.”

All eyes were upon the Solar Guard.

“I said shut it.”

“Right. Will do. Not my business anyway. Did my duty. Tracked ‘em for you. Led you right to them. Not my fault you couldn’t control yourself.”

Valor pushed his jaw out. “I said—”

“If it weren’t for you, maybe that filly would still be alive—”

“Enough.” The voice of the second Solar Guard cut everyone off. He did not shout, but he held an authority that none could mistake. “Mistakes were made. Let’s leave it at that. Valor did what he thought was right at the time, he wasn’t involved in this investigation during that particular moment. I would have done the same if I were in his shoes. Any one of us would have. You think that this suddenly medley of Guards involved here is a coincidence?”

Tourmaline gulped. What had exactly happened?

Desperate to change the already tense situation, Misty turned to the strange speaking pony. “Sorry, but who are you? I’ve never heard that accent in Equestria.”

“Nah, nor would ya, mate. I’m from quite a way aways. Not likely you’ll hear of my accent anywhere near here. I’m from across the pond.”

“What? Towards the Griffin Kingdom?”

“Don’t be daft, mate. The other way. Past Prance and all that. Was in the neighborhood. Talk about bein’ in ta right place at the right time. Or wrong, if you want. Needed a tracker and, by Celestia’s teats, I am the best there is. Friend of mine pulled a favor, said something about needing the best tracker, so ‘ere I am. Even made me an honorary Ranger. Real honor, that is. Still, not gonna stick ‘round much after this. Gotta explore, y’know. But said I’d ‘elp, so I’m ‘elpin’.”

“A tracker?”

“Yeah. Now I know that some of you Guards are pretty good, but I’m the best. Bar none. Maybe ‘e’s the only one that’d gimme a run for me bits,” he said as he pointed to Semper. “Still, ‘e trained with them Zebras, so ‘e was mighty useful trackin’ ‘em through jungles, but I was trained by the Roos, and trackin’ things ‘cross deserts are me specialty. Jungles are too easy. I tracked them through things you wouldn’t believe before they gave us the slip. We don’t ‘ave any Guards where I’m from. No need. Ponies are pretty rare back ‘ome.”

“Rare?”

“Yeah. I mean, before I left, our little town had three. My ma, pa and me. Others were the Roos.” The pony set down his mug and wiped his hoof on the front of his chest. “Name’s Iron Boulder. Yours?”

“Uh… Misty.”

“Pleasure. You?”

“Tourmaline.”

Iron nodded. “Well, workin’ with you guys’ real fun. I kinda missed me own kind. Ponies, I mean. I kinda love where I’m from; never seen Equestria till I joined this party. Ma and pa were always tellin’ me just how clean and—”

“Hey, Iron, did anypony tell you that you talk too much?” A Day Guard asked sarcastically as he stood next to the foreigner.

“Nah, mate. Just happy to be involved is all.”

“Oh? All those long explorations in the desert, not being able to… chat with anypony else. None to… share affection with.”

Iron’s face lit up.

“He’s basically looking for a... ‘date’,” the Day Guard said to Misty, who was missing the point.

“Now why’d you got to go and say that, mate?” Boulder muttered. He quickly pulled down his wide-brimmed hat, and took a generous sip from his mug as he walked back to the corner of the room and kept silent.

The Day Guard laughed silently at this, and turn to joke with a few other Day Guards. It helped to break the tension in the room. Or at least it helped dampen it. Things were looking up, and Tourmaline felt his body relax, until one of the Solar Guards moved towards Semper.

The nice Solar Guard made his way towards Semper and stopped just out of range of the broken spear he held. “Are you sure that’s her?”

“Sure? Yes, sir,” Tower replied before Semper could open his mouth. “Without a doubt, sir.”

The Solar Guard looked at Tower, then down at the mare and, for a fleeting moment, Tourmaline saw rage and a murderous intent so strong that he sat down from the sheer force of it. Valor was strong too, no doubt about it, but compared to ‘Nice Guy’, Valor was nothing. Whoever this stallion was, he was not the one to trifle with.

In an instant, the feeling vanished and the composure returned to the Solar Guard’s demeanor. Using his magic, he pulled a scroll wrapped with a gold ribbon with an unmistakable wax seal. Every pony in that room dropped to their knees. It was a decree from Her Highness herself. Her words spoken through her chosen. The Guard held the hovering parchment in his hooves and pulled it apart, ripping the was seal in half letting it fall to the ground. As he unrolled it, light beamed from scroll, bathing the room in the warm, sun-like glow. The emblem on the Solar Guard’s peytral seemed to glow even brighter as the light touched it.

“Baronet Fleur de Blanch of the House of Fleur, second wife to his Lordship Fleur de Bleuet, formerly the long-standing regent for Her Highness, Princess Celestia, for the southern area of the kingdom, and respected member of the House of Lords and of the Royal Household. Baronet Fleur de Blanch, you are hereby accused of the following heinous crimes: foalnapping, extortion, possession of illegal substances, manufacturing of illegal substances, shipping of illegal substances, selling of illegal substances, slave-trading, conspiracy to commit bribery of Guards, and murder of genocidal proportions. How do you plead?”

“I’m innocent!” The mare exclaimed in a scratchy voice. “Innocent!”

“Innocent? You are a liar and you deserve to rot in a dungeon for the rest of your pathetic life,” Valor replied coldly. “We’ve got enough witness testimonies and evidence against you. You were diluting your daughter’s blood for selling, for Celestia’s sake!”

“No!” the mare screamed. “Never! I’ll never share it! It’s all mine!”

That took the Solar Guard aback.

“That is how tragic it is,” Semper stated in the silence. “She may have sold plenty of ponies into the hands of the dragon as slaves. Those were lucky.”

Iron dropped his mug spilling its contents on the ground. “You’re implyin’ that she’s been makin’ other ponies dis’pear over the years for makin’ this… gunk? By Celestia’s mane, she doesn’t deserve a trial. Back where I’m from we’d bury her in the sand and let the sun cook ‘er flesh before the Diamond Dingoes chew on her carcass.”

“That’s barbaric.” Misty covered her mouth with a hoof and shook her head slightly nauseated by the thought. “That’s no better than what she did.”

“You really believe that?” Iron laughed in response. “You got family? Imagine ‘em here instead of the filly. Imagine your mother, sister, or even daughter lying here on a table having the blood sucked out of you. Don’t sit there and tell me that what I think is barbaric. It isn’t anything on what she’s done.”

“Just because she did it doesn’t mean we should-”

“Silence! All of you! Are you really going to go into a debate over this? Do you realize what has happened? Ponies everywhere, especially along the border, fear us. Ever since the news about the Guards being involved in this trade have come to light, we’ve been hard-pressed to win back their trust. This goes deeper than what you idiots think,” Valor shouted. “Plus every witness has already claimed that she is their leader.”

“Lies! Everything!” Fleur de Blanch screamed in obvious mockery of the situation. She was not the least bit remorseful. “I wouldn’t dare hurt her! She’s my daughter!”

Semper held up something in his hooves. At once Fleur de Blanch’s screams ceased and her eyes were focused on the vial held aloft. Suddenly she lunged for it, like a viper trying to strike its prey, but Semper side-stepped and threw out his leg. The mare tumbled forward and belly-flopped hard on the floor. As she tried to stand, Semper pressed his hoof against the back of her head pinning the unicorn mare against the floor, the hoof firmly planted at the base of her horn. He then placed the spear tip firmly on her throat.

“Give it to me!” She ordered and tried in vain to stand.

He smashed the top of the glass vial on the wall so that the neck was open and tipped over just enough for a few drops to spill onto the ground. “Confess.”

There was not even a hint of hesitation. “Yes! I did it! I injected that delicious nectar into that little wench! I’m her mother, I took care of that ungrateful whelp! I own her, but she disobeyed me. Me! Her mother! I mean, how dare she? If it wasn’t for me, she’d be nothing!”

Nobody said a word. What could they say? How low had Fleur de Blanche sunk? Her eyes darted from Semper to the vial then back again, her lips licking out of her mouth as if savoring the air from its contents.

Every Guard there had read about this mare’s adventures through the world. They knew everything the public did about her life, her sudden disappearance from the public limelight, the mysterious death of her husband – which was always a sour point on her otherwise impeccable image, and the rumors circulating around that she had something to do with the vanishing ponies over the years.

Periodically the Day Guard investigated Fleur de Blanche, but never to the extent the Border Guard conducted theirs. Why would they? The House of Fleur was one of the oldest and noblest houses in Canterlot, their line going back even before Princess Celestia’s reign. The Day Guard were naturally very protective of the Royal line, no matter how distantly related they were. It was what they were taught to protect, and they were good at their job.

But it didn’t make any sense. Why had she chosen her daughter? She could have picked any other. Surely a pony of such high stature and renown would be noticed. This young mare was the top of her class, head of her School House, an apprentice to one of Princess Celestia’s most prominent advisors and more. If she really did not care for her daughter, then why pick such highly visible victim.

Semper let the vial drop and the mare screamed in anguish. As it smashed on the floor, she began to lick the filthy substance from off the ground. Dirt, narcotic, pieces of glass, and everything else.

Rosie was a fast reader. She prided herself in her ability to speed read books and course material, but right now she was more interested in these so-called villains. They were dark, yes, but they seemed to have a motive behind their actions. That was a common theme. Did her mother have a deep, dark secret that she kept hidden away?

As she read, the nagging feeling that her mother did something to her father grew to a certainty. Of course, it was all about perspective. She, before, never thought that her mother was capable of such things but after reading some of the books, she wondered if she was being naïve. There was always something was off about her mother after she returned from her trip. No. Not her mother. Her stepmother. She never knew her biological mother, who had died at childbirth. Father never blamed Rose for that, and seemed overly protective of Rose. Rose knew that her father did love both daughters, he had a just little bit more affection for her. At least it felt that way even if Rosie did her level best to not make Lisi feel that way. It could also be because Lisi was almost ten years younger, and perhaps it wasn’t a big surprise that father spent more time with her.

Rose loved Lisi. Loved her so much. At first there was always that initial jealous feeling, but Rose was old enough to understand that the little foal adored her as a bigger sister. They then spent almost every moment together, taking tea parties in their respective rooms, playing and sharing their dolls, even Rose teaching little Lisi how to swim in their pool. But it was especially after father died that Lisi and her would develop a deeper bond.

About a month after father’s death, their mother decided to remodel their family mansion. Rose and Lisi eventually moved themselves away from the main house to the west wing with the excuse of sleeping further away from the renovation work going on. In some strange way, Rose found herself becoming more like an aunt than sister to Lisi due to their age difference. The little filly would constantly come to her room for comfort and, after a while, Rose moved all their stuff into another lager room and they stayed together.

But their mother started acting stranger. Dangerously so. Once they had come in late for dinner from playing and their mother was furious. Even after apologizing, their mother demanded they be punished. Rose took it unto herself to receive the full brunt of the punishment, which included being whipped with a cane across her back and standing outside in the cold with a bucket of water between her teeth as a measure for discipline. After a while one of the maids came out to inform Rose that their mother had gone to bed and had completely forgotten about her. As furious as she was, she was glad to spare Lisi that abuse.

Then strange visitors started to come and go from their house as if they owned it. She avoided them as much as possible. They all gave her looks that made her feel… exposed and violated. And some of them shared that look towards her little sister. As a result, Rose spent the vast majority of her time keeping Lisi away from their mother’s side of the mansion.

One good by-product of her mother’s strange new behavior was the fact that she did not seem to notice when her daughters were not around. As a result, Rose and Lisi started to come to the main house less and less. They came and went through the servant’s entrance instead. Eventually they stopped going to the main house at all, even for dinner. If their mother noticed, she made no sign of it.

Lisi, at first, didn’t understand and kept asking for her mother. Rose, not wanting to spoil the little filly’s interpretation of the mother she once had, kept a positive nature about it and, when there were no strangers visiting, took Lisi to see her mother. At first it seemed quite normal, but as time wore on their mother’s patience started to wane. Lisi would sometimes find herself being smacked for reasons that she did not understand. Don’t slouch, sit straight, walk quietly, and more. Rose tried to stop the beatings, putting herself in the way ‘by accident’ and taking the brunt of their mother’s anger. Lisi quickly learnt to fear her mother, retreating into a shell of herself whenever the mare was about, but a child’s love is boundless. Even after all that, she still asked about her mother and wanted to be with the mare.

“Rosie, I’m bored. Let’s go,” Iris whined.

Rose snapped out of her reminiscing and looked at her friend. Her head was splayed on the table with her fore-hooves spread out in front of her. Iris was indeed the very picture of boredom.

Rose sighed at her friend and nodded. “Very well. Shall we go find my sister?”

“Okay,” Iris muttered, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She hopped up onto her feet and quietly slid the chair back in place at the desk she sat at. “So, did you learn anything?”

“I’ve learnt plenty,” Rose replied with a forced smile on her face. “Thank you, Iris. You’ve been very helpful.”

“I don’t know how helpful I was recommending these cheesy novels to you, but I’ll take that compliment,” Iris replied and pretended to snatch it out of the air and slipped it into her saddlebag. “So, where to now?”

“I suppose the kitchen,” Rose replied. “They always go to the kitchen at around this time for snacks and hot cocoa before touring the palace gardens.”

“Li-si…” came a weak croak.

Misty jerked her head back and reflexively pushed away from the filly’s body. She moved closer and looked at the young girl in astonishment. “That’s impossible.”

Again Misty did her series of tests, fumbling with the equipment, before coming to the same conclusion as before. Fleur de Rose was nothing more than a breathing shell. There was no comprehensive response from her. “I’m not going mad, am I? You heard her say something, right?”

Tourmaline nodded. “Yes, I heard it. What did she say? Will she be alright?”

“It must be that narcotic,” Misty muttered. “I don’t know.”

“Will,” Valor replied walking to the filly and peering at her. “It’s her will that’s keeping her here. Something deeper than anything else is keeping her together.”

“That’s not medically possible,” Misty replied before remembering to whom she was talking. “Sir.”

But Valor’s eyes had moved over to Semper. “What are you doing, Border Guard?”

“The punishment for murder in Equestria is banishment,” Semper stated matter-of-factly. “Banishment is too forgiving.”

“What are you doing, Border Guard?” Valor asked again, his voice tight as he saw Semper press his spear’s blade more into Fleur de Blanche’s throat.

“What must be done.”

“She needs to stand trial!” Valor shouted, moving to stop Semper.

Semper eyes narrowed. “She must pay.”

“We do not do that,” Valor replied coldly.

A long beat of silence was the only response.

“Letting others deal with our… garbage is the same as us doing nothing. Banishment is only useful if the ones that are sent feel remorse,” Tower stated suddenly looking at Valor. “Sir.”

“He’s right, you know. The entire existence of the annexed regions is entirely our fault. If we jailed those ponies instead of banishing them, then such a huge threat next to our own borders would’ve never existed. We brought this on ourselves,” The second Solar Guard stated.

“It is not something we do. We do not execute our kind,” Valor replied, shocked to hear the words spoken by his compatriot. “Especially here and especially now.”

Again, another long period of silence persisted.

“Wait. Do you hear that?” Misty said.

“What? I hear nothing,” one of the Day Guards replied.

“Wait. Wait.”

A scraping noise echoed from the tunnel.

“There it is again!”

It sounded like something was being dragged. It was so out of place, every Guard reached for their weapon and waited. The sound slowly coming closer and closer. Then, a Watu peered around the bend, his head lolling to one side. He turned himself slowly and started to walk towards the room where they were in. He was limping slowly, a strange gait that seemed quite out of place.

The Day Guard furrowed his brow and gestured to his comrades with his head, indicating to them to observe this lone Watu.

“What’s it doing there?”

Tourmaline narrowed his eyes.

Semper also watched, his attention no longer fully on the mare.

The Watu stopped at the entrance of the room. Its lips moved, but Tourmaline couldn’t quite catch what was said.

The Day Guard walked over and leaned his head closer to the Watu. “What did you say?”

“R… u… n…”

“What?” The Day Guard asked leaning in.

It was Semper who moved first. He bolted towards the Watu, shield in front of him.

Valor eyes opened wide. “Get away from–”

The next moment a bright flash engulfed the room and all went black.

“Rosey!” The little filly squealed when she saw her sister.

“Lisi! How is my favorite little sister?”

The little filly giggled and hugged her big sister. “Fine.”

“What are you doing now?”

“We are going to see the garden.”

“You are? Wow! Are you excited?”

The little filly smiled bashfully. “Yeah. I wanna see the pretty flowers. And the statues!”

The two sisters chatted together while the chefs and maids made them delicious treats and fed the hungry little mouths. They were fascinated with the kitchen, but they were carefully kept only to one side so they wouldn’t get in the way. It was always a strange tradition, taking the children through there, but traditions in Canterlot were always followed with strict observance. The rumor was that once upon a time a famous chef had come through there as a filly and earned her cutie mark by being inspired by what she saw.

Iris had followed along, but she excused herself after a while because she had to get to her next class. She waited for a moment to see if Rose would follow, but when it was clear she had no intention of leaving her sister behind, Iris went on ahead. At the top of the stairwell, she turned and looked back at her friend. A strange apprehensive feeling spread across her chest that she just could not place. Shrugging it off, she turned once more and headed towards her intended destination.

It was the last time Iris would see her friend alive.

Tourmaline head was in agony. Another flash blinded him once again as the ringing in his ears started to fade away. He shut his eyes instinctively and used his magic to form a shield in front of him out of reflex, like he was taught again and again. He knew this feeling. He had felt it before on a certain hill during the final days as a recruit. During the Crucible. Somewhere, somehow, an explosive quarrel had gone off. No. Judging from the power, it was more than one.

“…we need to go!”

The voice was followed by an urgent nudge and Tourmaline turned to see a blurry image of a mare pushing him along. It took him a moment to realize it was Misty and the look of desperation on her face snapped his attention back to the present. She was bleeding from a large gash above her eye, the blood flow forcing it shut.

“Go on!”

Tourmaline pulled himself onto his hooves and stumbled slightly as he placed his physical shield in front of him and placed himself strategically with his back towards the wall and the shield towards the gaping hole that led towards the tunnels. “W-what’s going on?”

“The Watu have just attacked! We need to get out of here!” She shouted back. Tourmaline let Misty lead him.

What had happened? One moment they were all discussing how to proceed with the arrest of the Baronet, even contemplating an execution, when that Watu came in and all Tartarus broke loose. He needed to concentrate, let his brain analyze the situation and find the best way to proceed. He knew that he was not as combat savvy as the other Guards, but that wasn’t his strength. His strength came from strategical planning, that’s what all his instructors at the academy said. While others were spending countless hours training their magic, he spent his time learning strategy and planning. How to conduct operations. Right now he was at a disadvantage. He didn’t know what had provoked this attack. Why had the Elites, loyal to Semper, just do what they did?

His hoof slipped on something moist and he fell to the ground. He reached out for Misty, but touched the hoof of someone else. His eyes slowly looked up to see Semper towering over him, but his eyes were look towards his left. Tourmaline glanced at the hoof he was holding and jerked his own back out of reflex. The Baronet’s corpse lay there, blood still oozing from a fresh wound in her chest from a blade. A curved, unmistakably Watu-like blade. Tourmaline pulled himself up and looked at the body.

“Clean kill. Quick.”

“Yes,” Semper responded.

“What happened?”

“The Elites came for the filly.”

Tourmaline spun around and spotted the empty bed, three Guards lay dead near and around it. Two lay with broken hafts protruding from their bodies, both clean kills. The third Guard looked straight ahead, his eyes frozen open in shock. The skull was lolling to the side and barely hanging on by remnants of the spine. His head had almost been taken completely off.

“Oh no,” Tourmaline whispered unwilling to fully admit whom it was he was seeing. “Tower.”

Despite understanding that there was no way a pony could survive a wound like that, Tourmaline rushed to the Night Guard’s side and pressed a hoof to his neck. No pulse. He tried to do something, anything, but he understood in was in vain. But he felt compelled. He wanted to help, just make this sudden nightmare end. Still, he wished for the impossible.

“He’s gone,” Misty said gently from behind him.

“l know. I just… he was… I barely knew him, but…”

Misty placed a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s never easy. I know. I’ve lost friends and acquaintances of my own. I don’t know what to say to comfort you, because it never helps. All I can say is that you need to honor his memory in your own way. It’s all we can do.”

Valor suddenly appeared from the tunnel entrance, his armor drenched in blood. “They’ve gone deeper into the tunnels. We need to seal the exits! Get those ponies on the surface to make sure that nothing leaves here alive! I will make them pay!”

Tourmaline made to go, but three other Day Guards had already charged back up towards the mansion to relay those commands.

“Iron!”

The foreigner appeared from behind Valor. He had a blood soaked cloth wrapped around his right eye. “Yessir?”

“Find. Them.”

“With pleasure. They’re gonna pay for me eye,” Iron stated. “Ya ready?”

Semper walked to Valor and saluted. “Orders, sir?”

“Oh? Now I’m in charge?”

“I was in charge of the investigation, sir. The investigation is over, sir.”

Valor looked at Semper and nodded. “Find the filly. Kill the Watu. You think you can kill your own?”

“Yes, sir,” Semper replied without any emotion in his voice, but they all felt it. They all felt an intense murderous aura coming from the stallion. Unlike from the Solar Guards, this wasn’t from magic or power. It was just a certain feeling. A feeling that made them all swallow hard or take a step back. “I will find the filly.”

Valor nodded. “Then let’s go. They outnumber us and from what I’ve just experienced, they are no pushovers. We stick together and move as a unit until advised otherwise. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” They all shouted.

Except Tourmaline. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t like that order. He didn’t want to obey that order, but obey he had to. So, he stood up and picked up a Day Guard’s shield and prepared himself. But that nagging feeling simply would not go away.

Valor turned to go and stopped a moment to look at his fellow Solar Guard. A spear was in his chest. He looked up at Valor and nodded. “Good bye, son. May Celestia’s light guide you. I know you’ll make me and your mother proud.”

“Yes, father,” Valor replied and saluted. He knelt down and gently removed the helm from his head and kissed his brow. “You rest now. I’ll take it from here.”

The father nodded and watched as his son stood up and walked away. As he entered the corridor, Tourmaline following close behind, he stopped in his tracks when he heard the older stallion shout.

“The light of the sun guides us,
For we are those that shine brightest,
In the darkness, our light breaks through,
Cutting our foes with our righteous cause,
Our souls entwined by our faith,
Whence our souls leave our brothers shall carry our name,
And protect the lives of those who shall never know our sacrifice,
But that is what we are, oh guardian of our kingdom,
So carry on, bear the burden, my fellow Guard,
And know that I am with you,
Know that your brothers and sisters await you,
And until the we meet again,
Farewell.”

“Till we meet again. Farewell,” Valor whispered back, choking back his emotions, and marched on.

“What?” Rose asked as her sister ended the sentence and had taken a substantial bite from her pie. “What was that?”

“I said mommy wants me to come home this weekend,” the filly replied with her mouth full.

Rose felt the blood drain from her face. “D-did she say why?”

“No.” Another large bite from the delicious baked desert.

Rose furrowed her brow. “Lisi, I want you to listen to me. I want you to stay at the school this weekend, okay? Don’t go home.”

“But… mommy said—”

“I know what your mother said,” Rose replied, a little more harshly than she would have liked, “But I’m asking you, as your sister, to stay at the school. Don’t go home. Don’t leave the school. Please.”

The filly looked up at her sister. “Okay…” She said, unsure about disobeying her mother.

Rose knew deep down that nopony at the academy would listen to her or her sister. She was just a filly after all, and her mother’s authority took precedence. She didn’t know what to do. She looked up to the sky and tried to think of something. Something that would appease her mother, something that would ensure that Lisi wouldn’t have to go to that awful, awful place alone. It was no longer a home. It was a tomb, and lately her mother’s state had been getting worse. The last time she was at the house she heard her screaming from across the mansion. She didn’t bother greeting her, instead keeping herself to the secluded wing of her home and eager to return to her dorm at the institute. She doubted that her mother even realized she had come to spend part of her summer there. Perhaps some small part of her hoped that her stepmother had changed her ways only to be rudely awakened.

That was when the last of the staff, the ones that were only there for Lisi, had quit since she had also moved to boarding school. That Rosey had done. The fact that their mother only found out about it three months later was a testament to her inability to focus on her children. She only mentioned it once, out of passing, to Rose and then promptly forgot about it.

And the new friends that her mother had lately started to hang around were completely different from before. The others were indeed unsavory, but still had some semblance of ‘class’. The new ponies were the complete opposite. They were far worse than the previous bunch, and far more dangerous. Or at least she felt they were.

And to allow Lisi to go into that kind of environment? Never. She couldn’t allow it. Her mother might not be thinking straight, but somepony had to.

“I’m going to go and speak to mother tonight.”

The little filly looked up, worry in her eyes. It was typical of the little filly to be more worried about her than herself. “Rosey?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” Rose replied giving her sister a reassuring smile.

The little filly looked down at her hooves. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! Just stay at school and have fun this weekend, okay? I’ll tell the principal that mother made a mistake. That she needed to see me and not you.”

“Well, we are supposed to go to the zoo…”

“Then go! And make sure to have lots and lots of fun, okay?”

At that, the filly nodded. She was so looking forward to it and her friends were all so sad when they found out that she wasn’t going to go. She couldn’t wait to tell them that they’d be going together and seeing all the strange and wonderful animals. She looked up at Rosey and held up a fork with the delicious pie.

Rosie gratefully accepted with a wide smile.

Misty watched the others walk in front of her. They moved slowly as a unit, Semper and Valor taking point, the other Guards following them, while she brought up the rear with Tourmaline. She had offered to stay with Valor’s father, but he knew that the wound was fatal. There was nothing anypony could do.

Fifty Guards had come with Semper and the others after Tourmaline had given the signal. Four had been killed in the fighting with the mercenaries that the Baronet had hired, another four were critically injured and had been evacuated. That left forty-two Guards fit for duty.

The Watu ambush and suicide attack had claimed the lives of twelve more Guards, most of which were cut down moments after the explosion took place. The explosion was followed by a full frontal assault timed to near perfection. So intense was the fighting that nopony realized what the Elites were up to until it was too late. Tower and the others had tried to stop the filly from being taken, and paid with their lives. Their bodies and wounds were a testament to the skill and training of the Guard. Despite being caught off-guard by such a cowardly attack, the Guard fought and had taken down twenty Watu in those few moments. That was the reason why Valor and the others were coming back up the tunnel after they had managed to win the ground, that and they had tried to take back the filly.

But whether that was because they were pushing back successfully or if they had claimed their prize and retreated, nopony could be sure.

When the blast took place, Tourmaline had shielded her from the brunt of the explosion, his body acting as a barrier from the force of the impact. He had landed on top of her, unconscious, and the light from the explosive light had not hit her eyes. She saw as the Watu stormed through the door and watched as the Solar Guards and Semper met them with their weapons. She watched the three strike fast and hard, trying to repel the attackers, but while they concentrated on those in front of them, a small contigent moved around the attackers and had charged straight towards the filly.

Tower and the others acted instantly, putting their bodies in the way. The fight was fierce and fast, but for the three Guards that lost their lives, they took twelve Elites as compensation. That action had perhaps saved her. If Tower and the others had not fought as hard as they did and succumbed, then who knows what the Elites would have done to the rest of the Guards that were still too stunned to even stand.

The Elites did not use their crossbows, which made it abundantly clear they were there to take the filly alive. They did not risk injuring her. That was a good sign. It meant they were going to keep her alive. The Watu that was sacrificed was perhaps one of the few that had stayed true to the Guard.

As they travelled deeper down the tunnels, they started seeing dead all over the place. These were some of the Watu that had come up the tunnel behind the suicide bomber and had helped assault the room to take the filly. When they tried to cover the retreat of their peers with their prize, the Guard gave chase and pushed through their defenses. It was clear that, despite their numerical advantage, the Guard’s training as a unit helped decimate any resistance. The only thing they succeeded in doing was slowing them down.

Misty watched Valor’s face for any sign or emotion for the Watu that were killed, but it was clear that he neither cared nor paid any attention to the deceased. She wondered if one day she would too be like that. To be able to gaze upon the faces of the dead and just not care. She hoped that she would never get used to the sight.

“Over here!” Iron’s voice called out in a harsh whisper.

It was a useless gesture. The tromping of the Day and Night Guards were much louder than any noises around.

Misty followed the group and looked at Iron who was standing next to three other Guards, one of whom was Semper. They were gazing into the large cavern again, the lights of the bottling plant were flickering on and off slowly.

“What’s the deal?” Valor asked when they caught up.

“Nothing, mate. They’re all gone. The crates they be stackin’ have dis’peared as well. You can make out the sled trails goin’ thataway,” Irons replied pointing to two parallel trenches that headed towards a larger tunnel entrance. “They must’ve brought in the parts to this thing through there.”

“Get word to the surface. There’s a large exit somewhere close by. Get Guards on it immediately,” Valor said to a Day Guard who bowed his head and headed off. “Then what?”

“Well, here’s the interestin’ part. See here. They split into two parties here and again further down. They ain’t tryin’ to hide where they went with the filly, you can see the majority here are heading down this tunnel. They know we’d pursue, so they’re gonna try and thin our forces out. Perhaps pick us off one by one. Good strategy.” Iron’s stroked his chin for a moment in thought. “They know they outnumber us, so they’re gonna try and split us up. Makes sense. Or they’re just tryin’ to slow us down.”

“We can just give chase. We know where the filly went!” A Day Guard shouted.

“Not that simple, mate,” Irons replied.

“What do you mean?”

“We can’t keep runnin’ ahead, mate. They’ll double back and follow. We’ll be caught up in between a strong defensive position on both ends and they’ll wait us out. Least that’s what I’d do if I was facin’ you lot. It’d be easier to take you out with crossbows than hoof to hoof.”

“What do you suggest?” Misty asked suddenly making the entire group turn to look at her.

“Me? Well, I’d hunt down the smaller parties and prevent our rear from being blocked in case we run into fortified positions. But that’ll take too long. They’ll know we’ll find the main exit to that tunnel there, so they’ll avoid it.”

“True. The Elites know that outside these tunnels is a much larger force of Guards. They won’t charge willingly into a suicide attack,” Valor stated.

“Elites are not like regular Watu, sir,” Semper stated. “They have no qualms of killing their own to get them to comply with their wishes.”

“That makes no sense!”

“They will mortally wound a fellow Elite to get them to complete a suicide mission, sir.”

Valor did a double-take at the stallion. “That ruthless?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s beside the point. I was wandering a bit further and you notice that there is mud in the lower end of the cavern. That means there’s water comin’ in ‘ere,” Irons pointed out. “There’s no water in the large tunnel way. That means that either they hit an underwater river, or…”

“They found another way out.”

“Right. Likely near water, but I can’t be sure. There here might just be seepage from the rains.”

“There are too many rivers in this area,” Valor growled, “we cannot check them all. Even if this is just seepage from above, we cannot risk them getting out of this place.”

“We gotta think of somethin’, mate. Once they get out, we lose.” Iron touched his eye. “Blasted thing. Why me eye! It hurts worse than a manticore sting.”

“Are you sure your eye is… gone?” Misty asked, concerned rife in her voice.

“No idea, but we don’t have time to waste on that. We need to decide what to do. A filly’s gonna dis’pear and if she leaves here, we ain’t never gonna find her.”

“Semper.”

“Sir?” Semper said, stepping forward towards Valor, who called him.

“We’ll pursue the filly. You keep those Watu off our backs. Take as many of the Guard as you need.”

Semper looked at the Solar Guard for a long moment in silence before responding. “Yes, sir. I’ll need two.”

“Volunteers?” Valor barked.

Before Tourmaline could step forward, two other Guards offered themselves.

“Solid Mortar, sir,” the unicorn Day Guard intoned in a deep voice that seemed to shake the ground.

“Rain Maker, sir,” another pegasus mare from the Night Guard stated after the Day Guard. “I would like to volunteer.”

“Good. Then you two are now under his command. Semper, I don’t like you, but I do trust your abilities. You fought by my side with my father against this scum and even tried to save the life of that… of the Baronet. I now understand that your intentions towards the kingdom are true, but I still don’t like you. I am going to put our lives in your hooves. If half the stories about you are true, then you’re the best chance we have. We’ll go ahead and rescue the filly but keep those Elites off our backs.”

Semper said nothing at first, but eventually nodded once. “Yes, sir. Permission to make a request.”

“Granted.”

“Should we identify that the threat to our retreat has been clear, permission to proceed and attempt the secure the filly, sir?”

Valor thought about it for a long moment. “As long as you’re utterly sure, then yes.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Alright. The rest of you are with me.”

“Yes, sir,” the rest shouted and saluted.

“You have your orders. Let’s move. I’ll take point!” Valor shouted. “Irons, you’re with me.”

“Sure, mate. Just so y’know, they’ll likely be setting up traps and ambushes.”

“Then we’ll need your skills with us,” Valor replied nonchalantly.

“Sure thing, mate,” Iron replied, doing a pathetic salute and smiling weakly. “Will do me very best.”

Valor nodded. “I know. Let’s move!”

The Solar Guard took one more look at Semper before charging off into the right tunnel, his horn lighting the way with Iron right on his heels. Tourmaline trotted past Semper, and paused to look at the stallion as he gazed down the left tunnel. Again, Tourmaline felt something was off. Something that he was missing.

If only the ringing in his brain would stop.

Mission 4, Part 5: Justice

Rose watched the rain outside her taxi window unconsciously trying to peer through the curtain of water into the distance. She had not gone home in such a long time, and not in such a fashion. If she were in any other state of mind, degrading her personal stature by taking a taxi would have brought shame to the family. Yet she needed to be seen; to let others know that she had headed home. At least the taxi driver would be able to tell somepony where she had gone.

That was if something was amiss. Why would she go this far? Why would she do something like this? Surely nothing would happen to her. Yet she couldn’t help but worry. And would they would come for her – wouldn’t they? They had to. Her friends from the academy. Iris would miss her. Rose knew that she would. Iris was, after all, her best friend.

As the taxi slowed to a stop near the large marble steps leading up to the main doors of the mansion, the driver poked his head through the small narrow slot-window and looked at his young passenger. “Nopony looks like they’re home. You sure someone’s here? I wouldn’t feel right dropping you off at this place all alone.”

In the bottom of her heart, Rose wanted to tell the driver to take her back to the academy right that very instant, but the thought of Lisi coming here sent chills down her spine. No, whatever her mother, or stepmother, had wanted from Lisi then the mare would have to put up with Rose instead. She would not allow anything to happen to Lisi. Nothing.

“Thank you for your concern, but this is my home. The servants have all gone on vacation, and we are renovating parts of the manor, so the lights are out.”

“Suit yourself, missy. This your home? No offence, but this place gives me the willies. Good luck to you then.” The Taxi driver nodded as Rose dumped the correct amount of bits into his hoof and watched as he trotted down the driveway and out the gates. She followed him for a while as he rode along the outside of the perimeter fence along the rim of the property, the rain soaking through her clothes and into her fur. Only when he was out of sight, the red taillights of his cart fading off into the distance, did she turn around and pull on the lever for the doorbell.

A tinkle that was much too loud echoed inside the mansion. She remembered the jingle so well and how excited she used to get when she heard it as a little girl. While she grew up, it meant only one thing: Daddy’s home. She could recall charging down the long corridors, dodging the help and galloping right to the door. There she would wait at the bottom of the stairs quickly catching her breath as dear old Vector opened the door. Then she would run straight into her father’s warm embrace. But here she stood, outside her old home with apprehension and fear. There was no warmth here anymore. There hadn’t been for a long time.

“Miss Rose?” A voice asked in pure astonishment as the door opened and a head appeared in the gap.

Rose looked up to see who had spoken and her eyes bulged in their sockets. There, standing in the doorway, was an old and very familiar face. Her father’s old butler. “Vector! What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Miss, you shouldn’t be here. It’s…”

Rose nodded. “I know. But mother asked for Lisi.”

That silenced the old pegasus for a moment and he immediately understood why Rose stood at the bottom of those steps. He reached towards the side before rushing out to her and putting an umbrella over her head. “Miss, I am so sorry. I came to close accounts and see to it that the new staff understood their duties, but these are not help staff. They are something else entirely.”

“What do you mean?”

“They are… forgive me for saying this, but they are thugs and ruffians. Mercenaries. Hired muscle. I don’t know what your mother is doing, but right now this is the most dangerous place for you. She isn’t herself… moreso than usual.”

“She is my mother, Vector. I am sure that she has some mundane task for me to see to,” Rose said, but she knew that this was only something to pacify her rising fear. “She probably mistook Lisi for me because she forgot which daughter was who.”

That usually was met with a slightly sarcastic remark from the aging pegasus, but not this time.

“I can only hope you’re right, miss. Come. Let us get you out of the rain.”

Vector led the way back towards the doors of the mansion, holding it open for his charge to walk through. As he closed the door behind them, a part of Rose felt that it was as if he were sealing a tomb. The entire forecourt, once so full of life and color, was now dark, bleak, the furniture covered with cloth, and the rug beneath them was filthy beyond comprehension. It was as if someone had rubbed thick wads of wet mud into it.

Rose lifted her hoof delicately and inspected the floor closer.

“It was like this when I arrived the other day. Apparently they are renovating the kitchen, but this is far more than a renovation. It is as if she is digging the entire property up. I have no idea where she is placing the dirt. I have not seen any carts leaving the property despite the amount of work going on. I am forbidden from going into the kitchen or to your father’s study, and have to complete the accounts in the western wing. I’ve made a space for myself in the old library.”

Rose looked at Vector. “And father’s old office?”

“You would be wise to stay away from there, miss. It will only break your heart. Everything is… destroyed. It’s as if your mother no longer wants this mansion and…” Vector sighed and shook his head. “I apologize. It is not my place to gossip on the going-ons of your mother.”

“I don’t mind. Please do go on.”

“Well, things here have recently changed in ways I cannot even begin to give voice to. You shouldn’t have come here, miss. It’s very dangerous.”

“But I have to protect my sister.”

The old pegasus stopped and nodded at the young filly. “Your father would be very proud of you,” Vector said, smiling behind his old grey beard. “It has been such a delight watching you grow up into such a lovely young lady. I know that if I ever had a family, I would love for her to be half the mare you are.”

At that, Rose blushed slightly. “Thank you, Vector. Will you be staying for long?”

“No, miss. I am here for another two days at the most. I have already found a new post as the butler for a pegasi noble family living in Cloudsdale. I am to start this week, but I would like to say farewell to some of the ponies I have had the pleasure of working with all these long, long years. We are having a get-together. Would you like to come? I’m sure they would love to see you.”

“You’re having a reunion?” Rose asked.

Vector nodded. “I suppose you could call it that, miss.”

“Well, I hope that it is memorable,” Rose replied. “I don’t think it appropriate for me to attend.”

“The offer stands. I know we shall all be very glad to see you. I know I was when I saw you at the bottom of those stairs.”

Again, Rose blushed. “You’re too kind, Vector. I will miss you.”

“As shall I, miss. Shall I announce your presence?” Vector asked as he stood on the threshold of the antechamber that led into the great library and common room. At least here the room remained untouched. From where she stood, she could see her mother sitting next to the large bay windows gazing into oblivion, her mouth attached to the end of one of those pipes that led to a smoking urn. It was a gift given to her by some far away noble, and was beautiful. But whatever her mother smoked in that device always made Rose feel nauseated and she tended to avoid going in when the greenish smoke arose from it. It always seemed to stagnate near the ceiling.

“Yes, please.”

Vector walked in silently and stood next to the Baronet for a long moment before she eventually caught on that he was standing there. She slowly turned to him and he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. She looked at the butler for a second then pushed him aside with a long golden stick to see for herself.

“Darling,” came the melodious sing-song voice. “What are you doing here, Rosie? I didn’t ask for you to come and visit. What a pleasant surprise.”

“I am here on behalf of my sister,” Rose replied bluntly and without emotion. “She has a school event she must attend to and I have come in her place.”

“Oh? I see. I do recall something to that effect. Wasn’t it something droll? A trip to someplace?”

“You mean that zoo trip.”

“Yes, yes. Oh how boorish. If she wishes to go, then I guess she may. But you… you are here on her behalf, so you say?”

“Yes. I am.”

“And… how long have you decided to stay for?”

Rose bit her lip. “As long as need be, mother.”

A smile the likes of which Rose had never seen before crossed the face of the Baronet. “Is that a fact. Well, isn’t that just convenient. You may go. I take it that you’ll find yourself something to eat. If not, just have Vector make something for you. Off you go.”

And just like that, Rose was dismissed without another word. Not that she didn’t mind. She walked out of the study and exhaled. The stench of the smog permeated from every pour of her body. How could that mare just sit there like that? In that filth.

“Miss, this isn’t for me to say, but you have to get out of here. I fear for you. The way she looked at you…”

Rose turned to Vector. “Fear for me? Whatever do you mean?”

“I just don’t feel safe, miss.”

“I must stay. If I don’t, Lisi might get in trouble.”

“There are other more productive ways to protect her, miss. Right now this house isn’t a place for you. You cannot stay here and–”

“Hey you! You old goat!” a gruff voice shouted and two young stallions and a mare slipped into the corridor. “Where have you been, and who is this lovely creature? Is this your sweetheart? You have a thing for young’uns?”

The others laughed crudely.

“This is the daughter of the Baronet. You will show her the respect she is due,” Vector replied dryly.

That immediately made them pause.

“Sorry, miss. We didn’t know,” one colt said suddenly and smacked the others upside the head. “On your faces! Show her some respect!”

They all immediately threw themselves onto the ground in reverence. It was clear they were completely mocking her.

“You’re a… little older than expected.”

“And I’m the eldest of two daughters.” Rose stated, her eyes narrowing at the expression of ridicule they had. “And whether or not you didn’t know, that is no way to talk to a mare.”

“Speak for yourself,” the mare muttered under her breath.

Rose chose to ignore that comment. “Let me pass. I would like to get to my room now.”

“Sure, princess,” one of the colts replied and again bowed. She quickly realized that the gesture was meant to mock her and she felt his eyes focused on her, which made her feel suddenly very exposed and vulnerable. He moved aside with an over-polite gesture for her to proceed.

As Rose walked past them, she stole a glance at the mare who stared right into her eyes. The expression there chilled her to the bone. It wasn’t hatred or anger that she saw, but pure cruel elation. A sadistic glee that could only come about from something terrible.

“Vector. Will you stay in my room tonight?” Rose whispered as she started up the stairs towards the second floor.

“Of course, miss. I was just about to ask if that is what you wanted.”

Tourmaline kept behind Misty as they marched deeper into the tunnels. This time the going was slower. Although there were no sudden ambushes yet, Irons did find a few traps that would have proven fatal if they had been triggered. There were ingenious ways in which the traps were manipulated, and the way they had used the bodies of fallen Guards as bait was incredibly clever. Deplorable, but clever.

They came to a halt at another fork.

“I can’t see which way they went,” Irons muttered looking at the trail in front of him. “I say they went thataway, but the hoof-prints are difficult to read, yeah? It’s likely they knew, right? And maybe they decided to trick us. There are two sets going in these directions, but we can’t waste time and follow both. So either we split up, or we take a guess.”

“What’s your take?” Valor asked the tracker.

“Well, mate. I says they went that way. Cause it’s goin’ up, see? Why would they take ‘er deeper down? Not unless they got their own dogs to dig ‘em out the other side.”

“What did you say?” Valor asked, suddenly taken aback.

“About them dogs, sir? If they’ve managed to get ‘em to work on the ground below, they’ll be able to go clear through the mountain if they’re inclined to,” Irons replied. “But a dog working for a pony?”

“It’s not that rare, actually. There are many breeds that we use to help us dig, and some Canterlot dogs are actually quite wealthy digging foundations for homes and…” The Day Guard stopped when he realized what he was saying. “Oh no.”

“They took her down,” Valor spat out anger raking his voice. “And I hope to Celestia that it isn’t a Silver that we find at the end.”

Tourmaline did not miss that. “If you’re implying that Semper is part of–”

“I’d watch your mouth if I were you,” the Day Guard who spoke moments before muttered and nudged Tourmaline. “Not here, not now.”

Tourmaline looked at the Day Guard before looking back towards the Solar, who was now standing inches from his face. Surprised, Tourmaline took a step back and gulped.

“You say something?”

“N-n-n-n-n-n-no, s-s-s-s-s-sir.”

Valor narrowed his eyes. “Watch yourself.”

A scream suddenly brought their attention to their immediate surroundings. Misty was frozen in place next to Irons. Both of them had gone on ahead and both of them just stood where they were.

“What’s going on…” Valor stopped and stared at what he saw. His face was a mixture of shock and disgust.

Ponies, or pieces of them, hanging from the ceiling, their mouths ajar in silent agony, the look of pain and torment frozen on their corpses. Some of the ponies were tied to the ceiling with chains, heavy bolts holding them in place. Others found bodies hanging via nooses over the high wooden beams that helped support the tunnel’s structure.

“What is this?” Misty asked, wanting to look away but knowing she couldn’t let her guard down.

“This is beyond barbaric. This is sick.” A Day Guard walked over to a corpse and prodded it with the tip of his spear. It slowly turned around to reveal a face, half of it torn off. Perhaps from a quarrel, the blood that pooled into its skull dripped over the rim and onto the ground. The Guard hopped back out of reflex.

In silence, they proceeded, the mud beneath their hooves making the ground slick and slippery. Tourmaline raised his hooves and could barely hold back his stomach. The metallic, sickening stench of blood was overwhelming. The ground was soaked in it.

“What happened?” Another Guard asked.

“Fear. The Elites are trying to make us fear them,” Valor said quietly. “But it’s not working, is it, Guard?”

The speaker gulped. “No, sir.”

“That’s what I thought.” Valor pushed past the rest and got to Irons. “I told you this is the right way, didn’t I?”

“Don’t know, sir. Most of this… display looks hurried. Not to downplay their handiwork, but it’s clear that this was thrown together as an afterthought.”

“Why would they waste their time doing this if not to get us to turn back around?” Valor retorted. “I thought you were the best tracker!”

“I am! This isn’t the way’d I’d do things!” Irons shouted back, not having any of the nonsense from the Solar Guard.

“I don’t think they’d carve up ponies like this for fun!” Valor narrowed his eyes.

“These ponies were dead before they were carved up! They weren’t alive when this was done to ‘em!” Irons countered.

“And how do you know that?”

“Because I know dead when I see ‘em, right? You think you can survive in the deserts of…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Tourmaline saw one of the dead swinging. The chain around the neck slowly making the body turn around. A crossbow was in its hooves. Then, just as suddenly and as fluidly as possible, the ‘dead’ pony pointed the bow straight at Irons and Valor. In that moment, Misty threw her magic barrier with all her might and the quarrel made a dull sound as it collided. In the moment it took for the others to react, a blinding explosion, similar to before, erupted in a fury of fire.

“Incoming!” a Day Guard shouted. “They’re everywhere!”

A shout grabbed Tourmaline’s attention as he slipped and fell hard. Something fell on top of him, but he couldn’t see, and he found that the more he struggled, the more he was getting stuck in the sickening slop beneath him. He felt the bloody mud around his mane and ears and gritted his teeth and bore the feeling. The blood wasn’t liquid, but a sludge that seemed to seep into every orifice he had.

The ringing in his ears was just getting better, and now this?

The Watu were indeed excellent ambush warriors. That was the second time they had successfully caught them unawares, and with such an obvious trap too. Now that Tourmaline thought about it, the ‘rushed’ job at carving up the bodies, as Irons pointed out, didn’t make sense. Not unless they were hiding with the bodies. It was probably a method to use badly wounded Elites to slow them down. It would have been an easy exchange. A few drops of the narcotic in their mouths as a send-off, and the ability to inflict heavy damage against their foe with a swift and relatively painless death in return. That, or die painfully and slowly from the narcotic and their fatal wounds.

Not a very hard choice.

Just as quickly as it started, the fighting came to a quick and precise conclusion. Four more Guards had been killed in the fray, their deaths came within the first few quarrels that were fired from nearly point blank range as other Elites fired, stabbed, or threw them at their closest targets. Three more Guards were severely injured, which meant that six others would be needed to move the injured back to the surface.

“They’re cullin’ us is what they’re doin’,” Irons pointed out in the silence as Valor used his hoof to close the eyes of a deceased Day Guard. “They know they cannot fight you head-on, so they’re just delayin’ and tryin’ to keep us from catchin’ up.”

“We’ve already lost too many Guards. We proceed with caution and hope that the Guard on the surface seal off any exits before they can escape with the filly.”

“They’ll tunnel deeper and deeper! They’ll stay down here until she dies!” Irons barked.

“What do you suggest we do?” Valor shouted back, his horn suddenly flaring up like Celestia’s sun. “I just lost my father!”

Irons stopped and bowed his head. “I’m sorry ‘bout that. I really am, but your pa asked us to save ‘er, and I intend to.”

“As I. But we cannot sacrifice ourselves for no good reason. We need to come up with a better plan,” Valor stated, his horn’s light slowly fading.

“Sir, if… if I might make a suggestion,” Tourmaline said.

All eyes were focused on him now.

“The Elites are interested in keeping the filly alive. I highly doubt they’ll stay down here. There’s no supplies, and I don’t know about clean water. Despite everything, the Elites are still ponies, and will need nourishment. They will have to get to the surface for that. And let’s not forget that the filly still needs to be kept alive and they’ll do whatever they can. And considering the state she’s in, I don’t think they’ll risk waiting us out.”

“That is quite an observation,” Valor said after a moment.

“There’s also one other thing,” Tourmaline quickly added.

“Yes?”

“It’s just that… they didn’t take any of the medical equipment with them.”

“By Celestia’s sun!” Valor quickly pushed past Tourmaline and headed back the way they came. “Everypony, to the kitchen!”

At once, the entire group chased him. They charged as fast as they could, soon catching up to the six ponies carrying their wounded comrades. Upon seeing Valor and the rest rushing by them, they gently placed the bodies to the side and took up their weapons and followed.

It was Valor who reached the room first. Using his horn, he lit up the small room and cursed. Most of the equipment was gone.

The others soon caught up.

“We’re too late,” Valor whispered in frustration, slamming his hoof against the wall placing a sizeable dent in it.

“Over here, sir!” a Day Guard shouted from near the entrance.

Valor headed towards the sound of the voice.

“What is it?”

“They’re bolts, sir.”

“You called me here to look at bolts?”

“B-but, sir! Look!”

Valor took a moment then saw it. These bolts were laid down to create a large arrow pointing down a specific tunnel. It was unmistakable.

“What now, sir?” Misty asked, examining the bolts carefully. “They’ve been laid like this on purpose.”

“What do you think?”

It took a moment for Tourmaline to realize that the Solar Guard was referring to him. “I don’t think the Watu would’ve laid a trail for us to follow, sir. I think they expect us to continue our chase through the tunnels we were in. This must’ve been set by one of our own.”

“How can you be sure?”

“These are typical Guard markings, sir,” Tourmaline began, “we were trained in recognizing these type of markings for our patrols along the border. If a Guard had to wander around, he would set up a trail for backup to follow if required.”

“They teach you quite useful things in the Border Guard don’t they,” Valor replied dryly. “And who do you think set them?”

“I don’t know, sir. Maybe Semper since he’s the only other Board Guard here,” Tourmaline replied.

“Then what are we waiting for! Let’s move!” Valor shouted and, with Irons by his side, they headed down the designated trail.

“Waky, waky,” a voice purred as she felt something on her face.

Rose opened her eyes and immediately backed up into the headboard as the three ponies from earlier were sitting on all sides of the bed staring at her.

“What are you doing in my room?” Rose shouted, trying to make herself look as intimidating as possible. “Where is Vector?”

“You mean the old fart?” The colt of the left asked. “He’s over there, sitting in his chair.”

Indeed he was. The cut across his throat still oozing with blood. Rose covered her mouth as the realization of what she saw hit her. It was all she could do not to scream. Not to scream in horror and anger at the stallion sitting there. She would not give these ponies the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Finally, she managed to find her voice. “W-why?”

“No idea. We only follow orders. Seems like your ma didn’t take too kindly of his… inputs. Too bad. I kinda liked him, but what can you do? Orders are orders after all. She told us to off him, so we did.”

“My… my mother ordered you to…”

“Yes. And, well, since she’s the one paying us, she gets to tell us what to do. And since we don’t like not getting paid, we oblige. That’s just the way things are. Don’t like it? Talk to your mother. Oh wait! You can’t! She doesn’t want to see you.” The colt pulled out a knife and held it in his hoof. “We are going to take a little trip, and you’re coming with us.”

Rose looked at the knife. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry your pretty head about that,” the colt replied. “Let’s get going.”

Slowly, Rose got out of bed. She was aware of the three ponies watching her every move. She watched them move around her, one staying in front and two following her from behind as she approached the door to the room. Before she exited, she turned around and looked at the back of Vector’s head with tears in her eyes. The reality of her situation hit her hard, but what could she do? She was helpless.

“Don’t get any funny ideas. We can’t kill you, but you can be sure as Tartarus that we’ll break every bone in your body to get you to listen.”

Her eyes shifted to the speaker. “You’re going to regret this.”

“Probably, but likely not. In our line of business, you take what you can get.”

“Ponies do not do this!” Rose shouted, taking a step towards the speaker. “And you’re not taking me anywhere!”

“No. We’re taking you. You see. If you don’t follow, and you do something stupid, like kill yourself, then we’ll just have to find your sister and bring her with us instead. In fact, as far as I know, she was the one that was supposed to come.”

Rose’s blood turned to ice in her veins at those words. “Mother would never hurt…” She didn’t finish the sentence.

“Good. You’re now thinking. In some ways I’m glad you came. It would be a real shame to have to drag your little sister into this instead of you. The pony you thought was your mother ain’t the same mare she once was. I mean, considering how long Vector had been involved in your family, and telling us to off him… you get the idea.”

“You’re all monsters,” Rose whispered and took a step back. “You would harm a filly barely old enough to spell her name?”

“Bits talk, honey.”

“I can pay you. More than what she is offering. I will give you all the bits I have to let me go.” Rose looked at the mare with a steady expression. Her eyes seemed to soften slightly.

The colt smirked. “Really? I somehow doubt you can afford our services.”

“I am the daughter. You don’t think that my father would have thought of safeguarding my wellbeing? I am also related to royalty. I have a stipend that would—”

“Not happening. You may have the bits, but I have seen first hoof what your mother is capable of and there is no way in Celestia’s name that I’ll be on her bad side. Sorry, girl, but you’re coming with us whether you like it or not.” The mare who spoke pushed her hard. “Get going.”

“I’ll… I’ll… I’ll let you have me,” she said looking at the stallion in front of her. “Just let me go.”

“If I wanted to, I could have you. Sadly, you’re not my type. Too… feminine. Right, Arty?”

The other colt smiled lewdly. “I know. And nothing you will say can make us change our minds, right, Brick?” Arty continued.

Brick held up a hoof. “Now, hang on guys. Give the gal a chance. She says she’ll pay us; I want to hear what she has to offer. Purple?”

The purple mare in question slammed Rose against the doorframe. “Alright. So, what’ll it be?”

“I have a vault full of bits. I’ll give it to you if you let me go and let me turn my mother in. Once I inform the Guard, I’ll withdraw it all and you can do whatever it is you want.”

“And… how many bits are we talking about here?”

“Thousands. No. Tens of thousands. The rest of my father’s estate is in non-equity assets, but I can sell those too if you want. Just… let me go. I beg of you.”

“Oh? Scared, are we?”

“Yes. Terrified. I have to be there for my sister, and for that I’ll do anything.”

The mare loosened her grip on Rose. “You… you… that’s quite admirable.”

“Then come with us. Quietly. If you do, I guarantee your sister will be safe.” Arty smiled. “Believe it or not, I too am a father. Wife left me when I got in trouble with the law, but I still love my little boy and I’ll do anything to protect him. Even this.” He gestured with his head towards Vector. “So I can relate.”

Rose refused to glance in the direction of the deceased and focused on Arty’s eyes. “Please. Let me go.”

“Sorry,” Dizzy placed a firm hoof on her shoulder. “But we can't do that. You don’t know your mother or what she’s capable of. Even if Arty here would like to let you go, you think he’ll live much longer? Unlikely. Your mother is sadistic. Evil. Perhaps worse than us, but I kinda like Arty and his… assets, so I’m going to tell you no on his behalf.”

“Like the guy says,” Arty sighed and shrugged, “we just can’t disobey her.”

The mare shrugged as well. “Guess that failed. So, let’s go.”

As Rose exited the room, she stole one more glance at the back of Vector’s head and tears formed in her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was crying out of sadness for the loyal butler, or if the raw fear that weighed down in her gut was overcoming her. She felt like she was going to suffocate. All she could do now was follow the pony in front as he led her towards her destiny.

“At least take comfort in one thing,” Dizzy said when they reached the end of the hall. “You’re keeping your sister safe. Keep that thought in your head and you might not be so scared.”

“W-what are you going to do to me?”

“Me? Hopefully nothing. You got spirit, gal. I like that. I kinda hope I don’t have to put a knife in you.”

At the mention of the word ‘knife’, the image of Vector’s open throat flicked across Rose’s mind. She tried to close it out, tried to shut off her mind, tried to lie to herself convincing herself that he was alright. That he was alive, somehow, living in the room next door. She wanted to believe in it so much, but knew it was impossible. Vector had died trying to do something so simple, yet it made all the difference in the world to her. He just wanted to make her feel safe, and he had been murdered.

It was all she could do not to collapse from the emotional strain. Yesterday she was a filly oblivious to the cruel nature of her mother, and now she was a witness to a murder, being transported to Celestia-knows-where, and being forced to go somewhere? And why was her mother intent on making her go? No, that wasn’t right. Making Lisi go. And what did the colt mean by ‘keeping her safe’?

She listened to his advice and clung to that thought. Clung to the knowledge that what she was about to do was to protect Lisi. Rose would never let anything happen to her. No matter what.

As soon as the Elites saw the Guards in the corridor, they broke off into two detachments. The first took as much of the equipment on their backs as they could, and the rest formed a crude line and raised their shields.

Tourmaline stood at the rear with the other support unicorns. His focus in the Unicorn Academy at Canterlot had been on using his magic to enhance and improve the assault teams’ effectiveness. And now it was time to put his training and practice to work. IT was time to do his job. He knew that his magic was not as strong as his peers, but it took all sorts to be in the Guard and it meant working as a team. They had taught him the basics and left it up to him to come up with other uses for his powers. With an analytical eye, he quickly looked over his surroundings, and understood what he needed doing. He readied himself and prepared a spell.

Two Night Guards charged hard towards the Elites who raised their crossbows and fired. The Night Guards shields were already up, but Tourmaline used his magic to create a convex effect on them, as part of standard procedure. As the quarrels hit the shields, the convex magic barrier helped push away a substantial brunt of the destructive force, dulling the blow almost completely. It was automatic, something that they did out of habit now. This allowed the unicorns advancing to use their magic in other ways. Like controlling a sword like a whip.

It was risky spell and used a lot of power, but in short bursts and with the element of surprise is was incredibly effective. This attack had its advantages. The two Night Guards swung their blades down trying to get them over the Elite’s shields. To most laypony, this would have been an effective and fatal blow. Too bad for them, the Elites were anything but that.

The two blades were blocked easily by two well positioned shields that used their hooves instead of magic to hold up their defense. Immediately they stood up on their hind legs and used another spell to sever the link the Night Guard used to hold the swords. At once they fell uselessly onto the ground. Seconds later, three Elites leapt onto the raised shields, using it as a platform and launching themselves into the air. Their higher vantage gave them clear line of sight on the two Night Guards at the front, and the defensive line just behind them.

The Night Guards, still rushing forwards, slid on their haunches angling their shields to block the inevitable new salvo. In that moment, three Elites stabbed forwards towards the ponies on the ground with their spears.

Using his magic, Tourmaline cast a spell along the ground and instantly a two-foot stone wall pushed up from the ground. The spell exhausted him almost instantly, but it served its purpose. The spear tips slammed into the wall and the Night Guard were able to stop themselves as soon as their hind legs touched.

But the Night Guard were in deep trouble. Already, utilizing the wall’s advantage, two more Elites bounded over the newly created obstacle, one holding an axe and the other a scimitar, and came down on the shields raised just moments after the bolts collided their defenses.

But Misty and a Day Guard used their magic to summon a bolt of raw magic power that pushed the two Elites backwards over the wall and giving the Night Guards a moment to take a breath and back step before readying themselves for another attack.

It was Valor that really changed the stalemate. The Solar Guard’s powers were in a completely different league than the others. His horn exploded in a bright yellow, nearly white, light and he focused it on the Elite line. The beam sawed through the two Elites that had just made to attack the Night Guards before they had a chance to duck behind the shields. They were dead before the hit the ground.

The Elites knew that in a magical bout, they stood no chance against the Solar Guard. Their magic was else entirely. When Valor charged for a second blast, the Elites instantly backed away and, as the line of Guards moved forward to meet the Elites, they fired a volley of quarrels at the top of the tunnel causing a mini cave-in in front of them. The had to escape.

Tourmaline tried to stop the inevitable, but there was just too many stones and too heavy. Only a few small holes were visible when the dust settles down and the Guards could do little more than watch in frustration as the Elites retreated down the corridor and out of sight.

“How long will it take to clear this?” Valor shouted, pacing against the wall like a caged manticore.

“About ten minutes with magic, sir. Half a day with our hooves,” a Day Guard automatically replied.

“Too long! You,” Valor pointed at Tourmaline. “You use earth-based magic. Get this thing out of the way.”

“On it, sir!” Tourmaline gritted his teeth and focused his magic, aligning the right elements to perform the desired spell. It was no good. He didn’t have enough energy in him. “Sorry, sir. I’ll need a few hours to recharge my spell.”

“Unacceptable! Teach it to somepony else!”

Tourmaline looked around, but none of the Guards there had enough experience in earth magic to help out, and it would have taken longer to teach.

“Fine! Alright, you three, focus your energy and melt those stones,” Valor shouted at three Day Guards who were strong with magic, but lacked any specialist abilities. They could only use magic to generate heat, the most common side effect of magic, similar to what the Solar had done.

“Sir, can’t you help?”

“No. Those Elites are unpredictable. I can’t waste my reserves on this. It was lucky that we survived that without a single casualty on our side.”

While Valor was talking and giving orders, the two Night Guards walked over to Tourmaline and nodded.

“Thanks for that. You saved us.”

“We appreciate it,” the other commented.

“You’re welcome,” Tourmaline replied and smiled.

Rose stared out over the landscape beneath her. So many ponies going about their lives without a care. How she wished she could be one of them. Free of the horror she was living. She had not slept in the past four days since they left her mansion home, leaving in secret, getting loaded into a cart and taken aboard this airship. Now they were heading south.

Her room had very basic comforts, but what she despised most of all was that there was always somepony in the room with her. Even if she had wanted to take her own life, she could not risk endangering Lisi through her selfishness. Her three escorts made that abundantly clear. That should anything, anything, happen to her, Lisi would be the one sitting there. The thought of her little sister alone and frightened kept her fear in check.

But every time she closed her eyes, she would see Vector sitting in that chair, blood flowing from his open neck, down the front of his shirt and pooling on his lap before dripping onto the floor. She could always see that when she closed her eyes.

Again she glanced over and saw a few pegasi flying lazily in the distance. They paused and waved at the airship oblivious to her suffering. She wondered if they could see her through the small port window, see that she was suffering. If she opened and shouted for help, would they come? No. She wasn’t stupid. She knew if she called for them, the ponies aboard would probably hurt them. Or kill them. She couldn’t let that happen. Right now, the only thing that she could do was wait. But wait for what?

As if on cue, the door opened and another stallion walked in. He was dressed like a doctor, but the glint in his eyes and the lack of emotion begat the warmth she normally felt from someone serving in the medical profession. He looked at her and nodded.

“So, you must be her. I must admit I was shocked when they said that you were chosen.” He placed a small black bag on a low table and opened it.

“Chosen for what?”

“To be the carrier,” the doctor looking pony replied.

“Carrier for what?” Rose asked.

The pony adjusted the spectacles on his snout and smiled. It was a smile not unlike those she saw her escorts make when she first met them. A cruel, vindictive, evil smile. “A new, remade, very addictive, and actually quite lethal if you don’t take it regularly.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Rose asked, a chill running down her spine.

The doctor’s smiled widened even more. The expression made him look monstrous. She took a step back and swallowed. She knew. She understood. In that moment it all made sense. Was this why they wanted her sister? Because she was easier to control?

“I won’t get into it, but I have already perfected this version. It’s not like my previous samples, like the ones I used to make for the dragon. Oh, don’t worry, I know you don’t know what I’m talking about. No, those were far easier to make but that knowledge vanished along with the pony who gave me the core ingredient before I could completely my work. Luckily, I am a genius. This formula is even better! You know why? Because instead of creating it in a lab, you just inject it into a pony and let their bodies reproduce it for you. But it doesn’t quite work like that either!” The doctor-like pony shouted, his mouth spewing saliva as he started talking in a frenzy the excitement of his malpractice seemed to transform him. “If the blood can be used like this, then why can’t you just use another pony to make the stuff? No, no, no! That’s not good. What guarantee would we have that a pony wouldn’t just inject another pony and another and another and start their own farm? No, that won’t do at all. Not at all. Can’t do that. No, no, no. Need to retain control, that’s what we need. Make sure that we’re the only ones that can make the stuff. I need to keep it controlled! Me! Let’s see those Canterlot fools try to cure this! Call my work an embarrassment to society? Call my work evil? I’ll show them. I’ll show them all! Exile me because of my genius? Well, we’ll see who has the last laugh!”

All the while the stallion talked, Rose backed away until she was pressed firmly up against the wall. She was terrified.

The stallion saw her and immediately calmed down. He removed his glasses and ran a hoof through his hair and took a deep breath. “Well, there are worse things that could happen. Your body will become the factory. Only you. You’ll be the most important pony henceforth. But I need to give you a series of shots for that to happen.”

“Don’t touch me!”

“Oh? Would you rather we take your sister instead? The sister you love so much? You see, we can do this in two ways. One, cooperate fully and don’t argue fight or fuss, and your sister will be fine and dandy. Safe. Two, we force you to take it and then give it to your sister as well. Your choice, really. Be a good girl and obey, or we force you and your sister. Remember, your mother picked her first. Not you.”

“If I cooperate, you will not touch Lisi.”

The stallion grinned. “Oh, you have my word on that. I don’t like wasting ponies lives. That serves no purpose. No, their deaths have to have meaning, otherwise it’s pointless. I’m not a murderer, I’m… just a humble pony searching for answers. That’s why you’ll cooperate. You’ll do as you’re told without making a fuss. That’s why you’ll survive, because you have every incentive to. The last patient hung herself. Can’t have that now, can we? So this this our insurance you won’t do something that stupid. Understand?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good. I had asked your mother to provide me a foal. Foals would be easier to… adapt to the physical and emotional changes that your body will go through, but you’re still quite young so it should work. It better. For your sake and your sister’s. Now sit down on that chair. We’re going to start right,” he opened the bag and took out a long syringe with a bright glowing liquid, “now.”

The stones had melted away, but they were not going through just yet. Tourmaline and the others Guards had their crossbows ready in case there was an ambush set up, but as the group slowly secured themselves on the other side, it was abundantly clear that the Elites had not only beat a very hasty retreat, but they were not as careful at masking which way they went.

“Great. Now we’re back to square one,” a Day Guard muttered. “Who knows how many traps they’ve set up?”

“We still go,” Valor stated. “We still go and we keep that filly safe. That’s what we do.”

“Yes, sir,” the Guard answered, but his voice didn’t sound very convinced.

“It’s not about securing just the filly,” Tourmaline added, “it’s about preventing the Elites from spreading the drug.”

“But I thought you said they’d keep it to themselves,” the Day Guard responded. “Why would they share it outside of their community?”

“Power.”

“Power?”

“Power. They’d want more recruits, more ponies to be drawn into their fold. They’d do anything, anything to secure their dominance. A few dozen Elites against the Guard are nothing. But if they were to grow, if they were to spread, then what? They’d be unstoppable.” Tourmaline looked at each one of them. “They need to be stopped. Right here. Right now. Sir Valor is right. We cannot let them get away.”

“Also, whatever this substance is, it’s changing their bodies rapidly,” Misty said staring at one of the dead Elites. “It’s like… it’s like they’re turning into plants.”

“Plants?” Valor asked. He walked over to see the deceased body and looked closer. Misty pulled at the skin, which came off like the bark on a tree, the flesh beneath it still moist but nowhere near as wet and bloody as it should be.

“The skin is turning into something like a husk, sir,” Misty replied. “I’ve always been interested in plants, and this looks almost exactly like the inside of a tree.”

“The narcotic is doing this?”

“I think so, sir,” Misty took her knife and cut at the flesh, slipping a sizeable chuck of it into a plastic bag and placing it in her saddlebag. “I’m going to take this back and run some more studies on it, sir.”

“Keep me informed as to what you find, but for now we proceed. You,” Valor pointed at Tourmaline, “take point.”

“Yes, sir,” Tourmaline said, and led with his shield in front of him.

Soon they came to a fork, much like the one when they had traversed the opposite way. This time there was little doubt as to the direction the Elites went, but it was strange. One thing Tourmaline always prided himself on was his sense of direction. They were going in the complete opposite way from where they were taking the filly. Or did the tunnels literally swing around in large arc.

“… like a circle…”

“You say something, Tourmaline?” Misty asked. She had taken a position behind him.

“That’s it!”

“What’s going on?” Valor asked. “Why are you stopping?”

“It’s a ring, sir!” Tourmaline shouted, running back towards him. “A large ring.”

“What’s a ring?”

“The tunnels. They are going round,” Tourmaline said drawing in the ground with his hoof. “We’re somewhere along this side, and they took the filly this way. That means that, if I’m right, if we cut through the middle…”

“We head them off. We can rescue the filly before she finds a way out, or at least we can catch up to the Elites. But… how do you know this is right?”

“It makes sense. The Elites must have known and were using this to their advantage. That’s why they were able to set those traps so quickly. They are using our ignorance of the tunnels systems. It’s all to do with the nexus, sir. Those tunnels leading away from the nexus must have some special significance.”

“That would explain the cargo net fiasco,” Valor muttered to himself. “That Celestia-banned stallion knew. He was exploring. He knew exactly what he was doing.”

Tourmaline knew exactly what he was referring to. “Sir, what now?”

“We go back and find a corridor that leads into the nexus. Then we enter the tunnels leading away from the opposite end. Even if we’ve missed the filly, we’ll at least narrow down their exits. Two teams here. Team one will continue this pursuit. Team two will follow me.”

“Yes, sir!” The all shouted.

“Good thinking, Tourmaline,” Valor said, nodding. “You’re proven yourself quite an asset to this mission. When I make my report, I will mention you specifically.”

“T-thank you, sir.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, let’s go save that filly!”

“And how are you today?”

Rose looked up. Her body felt so strange, like it was getting heavier and heavier despite her obvious weight decreasing. She looked at the bag hanging from a metal stand next to her bed. It was halfway empty meaning she’d been asleep for around eight hours this time. She was starting to sleep longer and longer, her body had to be on a drip now. She looked at the doctor and closed her eyes and sighed.

“Already?” She asked.

“Already?” The stallion laughed incredulously. “It’s been about two days now, darling.”

“H-how much more?”

“Not much. Your body has adapted adequately. I see that.” He leaned in and shined a light in her eyes. “But it could be better. It’s not that I’m impressed with your body’s ability to change, but it is as I have feared.”

“Feared?” Rose asked, her eyes focusing hard on the stallion.

“Yes. Feared. You’re much too old, your body already set. You do not have the necessary growth potential to adapt to this. Which is, sadly, where we have to bring this to a close. I’m afraid that you are just not… cooperating.”

“I am!” Rose said weakly, tears forming in her eyes. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt her…”

“Yes. Yes, I did. Oh well. That doesn’t matter. We’ll find another filly. I’m sure your mother’s resources are vast enough to accommodate this little change. I guess she selected you, or rather your sister, so you wouldn’t be missed… after all, who questions the intentions of a good parent, right?” The stallion chuckled slightly. “Well, I don’t think you’ll survive after this. If you do, then I can finally say that this is all over. Then I can get my grant and go back to my real research. I’m stepping up the dose.”

He took out the syringe, the bright green goo glowing in the body of the instrument.

“This won’t hurt. Oh wait! It will. Sorry, I sometimes get ahead of myself. Well, if you’re still alive tomorrow, then it’ll be all done.” He pushed the plunger down and watched as the goop entered Rose’s body.

She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream. She kept her mouth closed and her eyes shut as tight as she could and bore the agony. Luckily, it passed quickly.

The stallion looked at her with those cold eyes. “I’ll be seeing you later.”

And with that, he got and, packed his bag, and left.

Despite the pain quickly receding, she felt so stiff and soon she felt numb. Like her body refused to move, and even blinking became a struggle. It was like she were being frozen from the inside, but it wasn’t a cold feeling. It just felt stiff. Like wood. Like a tree. No, something more lifeless.

Like stone.

“What is all this?” Valor asked as he picked up the body of an Elite with his magic and dropped it. “This is no mercenary kill. This is clean.”

“A Guard did this. Look at the strike point,” Misty said pointing to the entry wound directly into the heart. “These Elites died before they hit the ground.”

“Semper,” Tourmaline whispered as he stared at the bodies all around. “Sir, I think Semper must have passed through here.”

“I think you’re right. But what was he doing all the way over here?”

“Sir, I think we must hurry. Something feels… off. I don’t know what it is, just that I’ve been having this really big urge to… do something. It’s hard to explain. I am unsure how to describe it.”

“What are you talking about?” Valor asked slightly annoyed at how vague Tourmaline was being.

“It’s just, ever since we were attacked something has been off. I feel it. At first I thought it was the explosion that messed up my head, that’s what made me feel that something was off. But I think I am missing a crucial detail. Something obvious. When I first realized something was wrong, I thought about going back to the room thing. That’s when we found the Elites taking the equipment. Now this.” Tourmaline sat down on a small rock. “We Guard pride ourselves in our ability to outsmart our enemies by attacking or countering our enemy with proper responses. But Semper and the Elites are not like that. They don’t plan ahead. They’re creatures of reaction.”

“I don’t get you.”

“What I mean is that: this mission was about preventing the spread of this narcotic. That’s the bottom line. Even if the Elites wanted to spread the narcotic themselves, they first need to establish a base of operations. So, in their mind they did the same thing we’re trying to do now.”

They all stood in silence.

“Rescue the filly?” Misty asked.

“Exactly!” Tourmaline stated. “And if you were to rescue the filly, what would you do?”

“Take her safe place.”

“And somewhere close by until the coast was clear,” Tourmaline answered trying to think out what the Elites would do. “That means… they would never go down the first or second tunnels. The Elites were just watching us, from the center, watching our every move. That would explain these dead.”

“What are you getting at?” Valor grabbed Tourmaline by his peytral. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that we’ve been overthinking it. The Elites didn’t know this place was round. They didn’t care about the equipment. All they wanted was to draw us away from the filly for as long as possible. That means that…”

“They would’ve gone up into the mansion!” Misty shouted.

“There are Guards out there. They’d never make it past the front door.”

“They wouldn’t need to. They could just go to the other end of this property by going through the mansion. It’s big enough to move a substantial amount of ponies without ever having to leave. I’ve been watching this place for days and I’ve always seen ponies coming in, never going out. Plus, they wouldn’t wait. They’d make for the woods in the back, break through the gates and make a getaway. No, no. They’d go towards the docks!” Tourmaline’s eyes widened. “They’re going to the docks! They’re going to put her on an airship!”

“That’s a little farfetched. How can you be sure?” Valor asked.

“I’m positive. And I know for a fact that Semper would’ve done the same thing, sir. I would have come to that thought, I think.”

At the mention of Semper’s name, the Solar’s eyes darkened. “I see…”

“What should we do, sir?”

“If what you say is true, then we have to make a tough decision. We’ve already split our forces three times, minus our casualties. We either go for the others who are making their way around the tunnels, or we wait and try to roundup everypony before returning to the surface. If we send a messenger party, we don’t know how many Elites are left around. If they could get caught they could get torn to pieces.”

“It’s your call, sir,” a Day Guard said. “I’ll go alone if you order me too.”

“No. I think we head outside ourselves. Some of the Elites were ex-Guards, they’d know how to use patterns to trick us. From now on, we trust only our own instincts. Once it’s all over we can come back for the others,” Valor looked up and sighed. “We can’t do anything for them now. Let’s move!”

“Yes, sir!” They all shouted and charged towards the room where the filly had been once again.

Rose opened her eyes slowly. She felt strange. That her entire being was slowly being taken away and something else was slowly seeping in. It was slow, like a tap barely opened, yet the steady stream was enough to feel. It scared her and didn’t. It was a strange sensation. She did not want this thing to happen, but she also felt comforted by it.

“How is my favorite subject?” The stallion asked.

When had he got there? She didn’t remember. She found it hard to concentrate on anything lately. Whatever he injected had made her head spin so vividly that she felt she would fly off the world and get flung away deep into the night sky. Could she fly then? Go far away from here. No. No matter what, she had to stay. She had to keep going. For Lisi. It wasn’t time for her to go just yet.

“Fine,” she croaked.

“Amazing. You survived. I was worried about you for a moment,” the stallion took her pulse and smiled. “Perfect. Shame about your body. It just proves that a younger subject is all we need.”

Rose’s eyes widened. “You said you wouldn’t.”

“Did I? Well, I lied. What can you do? It’s in the name of progress. Don’t worry. My research would save thousands of lives, make the pony world a better place. You’ll be a part of that. So what if I have to sacrifice a few foals along the way. All essential sacrifices for my success.” He looked at her. “It’s a shame too. You’re just over the threshold. I’ve told your mother and she has agreed.”

Again, fear welled up in her gut. “Mother has agreed to what?”

“For me to start on your little sis—”

From somewhere deep inside her, she felt her anger surpass her fear. She looked at the stallion and lunged at him, a move nearly impossible from her lying down position, but she had pushed herself with her magic. Desperation, anger, fear, and raw primal instinct made her move. Made her to what she had to do. She did not think twice about her safety, only that she had to stop this colt from getting anywhere near Lisi.

“Get your filthy hooves off of—”

Rose slumped down to the ground, the energy she had a moment ago vanishing in an instant. She felt her entire being slump downwards towards the floor. But she had to do something. Anything.

A vision of a pony’s throat sliced open flittered through her mind.

Rose felt her body as it smashed into a glass table, the shards splaying all over the place. Everything seemed to be slowed down. She saw the glass flying over her, watched it piece spin chaotically in the air. Then she felt something pierce her chest and looked down to see the end of a large transparent triangle in her chest. No. She can’t die. She must not die. She had to live.

“You clumsy oaf! What are you trying to do? Kill yourself? I warned you about what would happen if… oh yeah, guess that threat won’t work on you anymore. Well, I still need you to live so you’re not going to die on me.”

The stallion quickly grabbed his bag and knelt next to Rose on the floor. She felt him doing something to her chest, but all she could do was whimper and stare at the ceiling. The image of the throat sliced open. The blood slowly flowing from the slit. Those lifeless eyes staring up. Her friend dead right in front of her.

“Vector…” she whispered, “give me strength.”

Her body gave a fairly unnoticeable shake and Rose realized that the stallion had removed the shard and placed it next to him. She unconsciously touched it with her hoof. It felt good there. Secure. She felt safe. She looked up and saw the stallion place something on her wound, then mutter something under his breath. He looked at the filly and leaned in closer.

“I should let you die. You got my suit dirty with your filthy blood.” He grimaced as he placed more pressure on her. “You know what else I asked your mother for?”

Rose felt his hot sick breath on her muzzle.

“You. Your body, actually. I don’t really need your mind. It’s quite simple, actually. You’ll be my living, breathing doll, and I’ll get to do whatever I want with—”

Before she fully realized it, she turned her head and looked at the shard of glass in her hoof. Blood dripped from the tip. Fresh blood. Not her blood. It was too fresh. She looked at it again, then felt something drip onto her. Something red streaming out of the doctor as his eyes opened wide in shock.

In her mind she tried to understand what had happened, but she couldn’t piece together everything. All she knew was she wanted to push the stallion away, to get his disgusting face out of hers. That’s right. She wanted to push him away. She did not expect to drag the glass shard across his throat.

He gurgled, grabbed something out of his bag, and started to put pressure on his neck. He tried to shout, stumbling around, his eyes wide with fear and panic. Rose watched from her place on the ground. She looked at his eyes as they floundered for understanding, to get an answer. Deep in her mind, Rose knew that this must have been her expression. This must have been the visible abject terror she felt when she was first brought to the airship.

The stallion reached for Rose. “Help. Help,” came his gasping cries.

This time it was her who smiled. And, by the look on the stallion’s face, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of poetic justice as he slumped down to the floor.

Mission 4, Part 6: Choices

The kitchen was a mess. There were items all over the place. But it was clear that whatever troop moved through there, they did it fast. Tourmaline bend down and picked up a white cloth that had a red stain on it. Blood.

“This is a bandage,” Tourmaline said, showing it to Misty.

“You were right,” she said and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m impressed.” She turned to the Solar Guard. “Your orders, sir?”

“We continue. Once we reach the surface, two of you head to the M-Com station and report what you’ve seen here. They’ll know what to do,” Valor ordered.

“We’ll go, sir,” a Day Guard replied, saluting. The other, another Day Guard, saluted as well.

Irons was chewing his lip. “Clever rascals, aren’t they? Getting the better of us like this. Tricking us in the tunnels to get the filly out of there. But why? Why risk getting caught up here? It’s going to be harder escaping out from the surface than below.”

“You’re overthinking it. There might not be another exit below that we aren’t watching,” Valor stated. “We’re relying on you to find them, Irons.”

“Will do, mate.”

As they moved towards the entrance to the mansion, they noticed that nothing seemed to be displaced. Everything was normal, but Irons could see the markings on the rug as clear as if they had dragged their hooves through glow-in-the-dark paint and ran across the threshold. He pointed up the massive staircase that led to the second floor.

“They went that way!”

“Okay, let’s move!”

They rushed the stairs, being careful to make sure that there were no traps. This time, however, the Elites seemed to forget or were too preoccupied with trying to escape and the Guards found no obstacles in their way. Galloping carefully, they reached the second floor and Irons pointed down the western corridor.

This time they moved, quickly and as quietly as possible. The pony in the lead had his shield up with his hoof setting the pace for the others. Right next to him, Irons trotted quietly with him.

“This is too easy,” Valor muttered. “I hope you’re right about them taking the filly this way.”

“Me too, sir,” Tourmaline replied quietly.

Irons, who was a good ten strides ahead of them, suddenly roared and drew his weapon. The pony right behind him followed suit. This was it. She was right there. Right around the corner. They were going to save her. His deductive skills had paid off. He was going to save a life.

As Tourmaline turned the corner, he found himself in a room full of books. A study? No, this wasn’t the study. This was the library, and by the state of things, it had been abandoned a long time ago. He took it all in at a moment’s glance before his eyes found his target. At the far end of the room against the wall that led to the far rear of the building were about ten Elites with their shields ready, but Irons was already on top of them. They were fighting hard, the Ranger and the Guard with him were already too close for crossbow fire and the escaping Elites had to commit to hoof to hoof combat.

“Get the filly! You make sure she’s safe!” Valor ordered and drew his sword and headed towards the main body of the fighting.

Misty and Tourmaline headed towards the far end where one of the large bay windows was wide open. In his haste, Tourmaline did not spot the two Elite pegasi aiming their crossbows at the window. He inhaled sharply and was about to pull his shield up, something that he knew would be too late, when two bolts sang in the darkness and struck one of the pegasi in the throat. The other dodged downwards buying enough time for Tourmaline to get his shield ready.

The pegasi with the bolt in the neck swayed for a moment before crashing down to the ground on the outside of the window, the second charged forwards but was met with another crossbow bolt, which forced the Elite to twist upwards awkwardly, perhaps from the sudden pain, and slammed its head against the windowsill for good measure breaking a huge chunk of the sill with him or her.

“Those bolts came from outside!” Misty shouted.

They quickly looked outside and saw a line of Guards heading straight towards a sizeable group of Elites. Tourmaline stared at them with pride. They were the Guards from before. They had organized and were now committing the Elites to battle, which the Watu stood no chance in winning. But they refused to stand down.

“Watch out!” Misty shouted, pulling Tourmaline back and away from the edge. Three bolts sang past and embedded themselves into the ceiling with a dull thud.

“He’s leading them,” Tourmaline shouted over the rising din outside.

“Who is?”

“Semper. I saw him.”

“Impossible. He’s inside!”

“I think I did. I didn’t get a very good look because you pulled me in. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Misty replied. “Now what?”

“We help! How many bolts you got?”

Misty looked at her quiver. “Ten regular, three explosive, two ice, one air.”

“Okay. We’ll provide them with support from up here.”

“Did you see the filly?” Misty asked.

“No. Cover me. I’ll take a look—”

She stopped him. “Don’t. Here.” She took a small mirror that had decorated one of the reading tables and offered it to him. “Use this.”

“Thanks.”

Laying with his back towards the base of the sill, he lifted the mirror over the edge and looked at the reflection and searched. The battle below was in full swing, but two Elites were keeping their eyes on the open window and the other windows of the mansion, their bolts at the ready. If he had peaked over, chances are he’d have gotten a crossbow bolt through the eye that time.

“See her?”

“No!”

“Keep looking!”

“I am!”

Then he saw her. She was being carried on a stretcher and was outside the fence near the woods. The pegasi were all committed to fighting the Guard in the air, and the other Elites were struggling with making a gap in the fence to bring the filly out. The Elites were forced to work together to buy time to get out. They were between a rock and a hard place.

But Tourmaline was wrong. Semper wasn’t there. The pony that was fighting certainly resembled Semper, but he wore the Night Guard uniform and was a unicorn.

Where was he? And why did he care so much? It wasn’t relief he was feeling, it was strange. A feeling he did not quite identify.

“Stand back,” a cold voice intoned.

Tourmaline lowered the mirror and saw Semper standing at the entrance to the library in front of him, his eyes staring through the open window. Again, a strong feeling of something off hit him harder than before. Something was off. Those eyes were harder, so it seemed, than usual. As if he had come to some sort of resolution.

With some apprehension, which surprised him, Tourmaline moved out of the way.

“And?”

“He’s dead,” the stallion said plainly.

“And?”

“And what? He’s dead!”

Fleur de Blanc looked down at her daughter. “So, she slit his throat.”

“Seems to be the way of it, yes.”

“And where were his escorts?”

“Outside the room, like he asked, ma’am.”

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “And how close was he?”

“Close, ma’am. But he never wrote or saved anything. We don’t know half of the formulae. She’s the only one with the serum inside her. Without her, this whole operation is over.” The stallion shrugged. “Dr. Ivory was clever, but his pride clouded his judgement. Not to mention his… growing appetite for torturing her.”

Blanc looked at Rose. Her eyes were staring off into space, but somewhere behind those dead looking eyes, Blanc saw defiance and a smile of victory. A part of her felt proud. Proud that, even now, she was living up to her name and being a thorn in her side.

“Is she stable?”

“No. We need to find a hospital.”

Blanc snorted a laugh. “And where is one that we can go?”

“Nowhere here in Equestria. They’ll take the blood sample and all sorts of unnecessary questions will be asked.”

“Boron. I asked where can we go. Not if we take her to one here.” The Baronet walked over to the window and stared out of it.

“The closest is probably in the annexed region, ma’am.”

The baronet inhaled sharply. “Is there no other place? It is still very dangerous for me there.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, if we don’t go to a hospital soon, your daughter will die. With her, our entire investment. So, I can assure you that it is absolutely necessary we take her to a hospital.” Boron shook his head. “I can’t believe just how cold you are. This is your daughter here, and not only have you made her become a test subject, but now you’re even contemplating on letting her die.”

“She’s not my daughter. She’s the offspring of my ex-husband’s first wife. She gave birth to her. I have nothing to do with this one.”

Boron looked at the mare. “And yet you were willing to let us use your real daughter.”

Blanc shrugged. “My real daughter would’ve gone through the process just fine. She’s my daughter after all.”

“Actually, we don’t know that for sure, ma’am. And even if you were sure that she’d survive the transformation process, there’s no guarantee she’d be normal enough to return to her regular life.”

“I have no doubt in the slightest.”

“Then why didn’t you insist?”

Blanc looked at the stallion. “Are you doubting my word or my judgement, Boron?”

The unicorn gulped. “No, ma’am.”

The mare turned around and looked out across the clouds, her expression unreadable. “We head towards the annexed region.”

“I know of another place,” another stallion whispered from the corner of the room. “It’s just over the border in Zebrica. The Border Guard there are quite lenient regarding what goes over the border considering that the trade agreement between Zebrica and the annexed region is a little more liberal than with Equestria proper. There’s a small clinic helping displaced ponies and other creatures that were freed.”

“Don’t remind me, Vision. Those were difficult times for us all. Especially us who happened to be hooked on this.” The Baronet raised the vial and shook it. “Every day I curse that unicorn for making me inject it. Every day.”

“I know, ma’am. Same here.”

“Am I… am I a terrible mother, Vision?”

“No, ma’am. You’re just trying to do what you think is best,” Vision lied.

“I am? I guess I am. I just. Sometimes I just…” The mare closed her eyes and shook her head. “Very good, Vision. Let’s go to this hospital.”

“I will make the arrangements, ma’am. What do we go with the body?” Boron asked, gesturing with his head towards the deceased form of Dr. Ivory on the floor.

“Get rid of it,” the Baronet replied, and sniffed. “What a ridiculous question. Dump him overboard.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Herald stared at the body with mixed emotions. It wasn’t the sight of the body that made him feel sick, but rather the horrid smell. He would have never been able to inspect the body if he had not been a pegasi, and only then he could only inspect what was left of him. The fall from the airship, for it must have been an airship, ripped his body in half when he hit a tree protruding from the side of a cliff. The bottom part of his body was long gone, perhaps making a very happy meal for a manticore or another flesh-eating creature.

“So, what killed him? The fall?” Question asked.

“No. He died much before he hit the ground. It’s hard to tell, but his throats been cut open and that wound is older than the rest of him.”

“Do we know who he is?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. That was quick. Who is he?” Question used his magic to lower himself to the ground.

Herald took out his notebook. “Ivory Scope. He’s a scientist with the Canterlot Biology Department. Or rather, he used to be until he lost funding after he tried pony experiments. He lost everything, including his reputation, and vanished. He’s not been seen for the past two or three years.”

“Until now.”

“Well, not entirely true. There were rumors that he was in the annexed region doing some work for the ponies there.” Herald took out a quill and quickly noted something down.

“Nopony thought to check in on him?” Question asked.

“Nobody.”

“Nobody? You’ve been out here too long, Herald.”

“Part of what I do, Question. Part of what I do,” the Border Guard replied. “It’s interesting that Canterlot would send somepony from the Night Guard all the way out here for something like this though.”

“There is always a reason,” Question replied nonchalantly. “Any leads on the airship?”

“No. We don’t monitor airships that head away from the border. We don’t need to. Especially if they’re heading towards the ex-annexed areas. Borders are not closed anymore. And the Zebricans are much more open too. Things are really changing for the better.”

“Uh-huh,” Question tilted his head to the side and looked at the wound on the throat. “This made from a knife?”

“Not sure. Could be. It is a clean cut.”

“Are bodies like this common around this area?” Question walked around and peered at the other side of the wound.

That brought a smile to Herald’s lips. “Not anymore! It’s why it was such a big deal. We don’t get any bodies around anyplace. It’s just amazing. Not like before.”

Question backed off and wiped his hooves with a cloth, tossing it on a trash pile. Other Border Guards were collecting evidence while the morgue ponies waited patiently to collect whatever else needed to be gathered. He wondered how anypony could do that job. It made him sick just being this close to a body. The Border Guard were a completely different type altogether. They just didn’t seem affected at all. What had these ponies seen?

“But there might be one place they’re heading. Most airships would make for the coast and head along the shoreline. Lots of cities and ports along the coast. Nopony would ever venture directly south. Goes straight into the desert. There’s nothing there, except if you’re heading into Zebrica. But!”

“But?” Questions prompted when the stallion didn’t continue.

“But why go that way? If you’re going across Zebrica, just head that way! The way this body hit the cliff means that its momentum was going in that general direction.”

“South?”

“Yep. South.”

“What’s there?”

“Desert. And the border into Zebrica. The newly opened, no need for permission, completely allowed border between our two great nations. So, there’s no reason to head there in an airship unless you’re going to that particular hospital.”

“And why would somepony head to that particular hospital?”

“Why it’s famous! For its ‘miracle’ cures.”

“Miracle cures?”

“Yeah. The main focus of the hospital is herbal potions, I think. Bunch of hogwash if you ask me, but there are plenty who say it’s really real.” Herald shrugged. “I guess it’s possible if so many are swearing by it. I personally wouldn’t trust something that hasn’t had a good once-over by the Magi of Medicine, but whatever. If it works, it works.”

“Magic can only cure so much, Herald. After a point something else needs to be involved,” Question replied taking out a small plastic bag and picking up something and placing it inside.

“What you got there?”

“Some green ooze from his clothing. I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t look natural.”

“Lemme see.” Herald glided down and walked over to the plastic bag and inspected it from the outside. “Looks like blood.”

“Yes, but green blood? What animal has green blood?”

“Out here? Take your pick. We got all sorts,” Herald replied barking a laugh at the end. “Guess you’re just the paranoid type, eh? We completely overlooked it. Must’ve been from a real hungry predator or something.”

Question pocketed the piece of cloth. “Still, better safe than sorry. I’ll keep it for now. How long till I can get an airship heading south towards that hospital you were talking about?”

Herald rubbed his chin. “Dunno. By this evening, I s’pose. There aren’t many airships heading that way, so we’d either have to commission one or you hop aboard a supply ship.”

“Let me know. I would like to leave as soon as possible.” Question turned and walked a little away before vanishing in a puff of color as he teleported back towards the basecamp.

“You heard the colt, get him aboard an airship,” Herald shouted as he turned towards two subordinates who were helping the morgue ponies.

“Sir, there’s a new airship in the nearby town, sir!”

“Get him aboard it!” Herald yelled back.

“Yes, sir!” The first shouted, then turned to his comrade. “What was that ship’s name again?”

“Um… I think it was the Lipizan II,” the pegasus mare responded after a moment. “Yeah. Definitely that’s the name.”

“For all my long life I have never seen, a pony whose blood is the color green. It is something beyond all I know, but we shall try to cure her body though.”

Fleur de Blanc narrowed her eyes at the zebra mare in front of her. “I am aware.”

“We are ill supplied to provide a solution, bringing her here was a desperate resolution. Her body is responding fine, but her mind is on limited time. Soon her mind will cease to be, unless she gets proper help quickly. To Equestria you must soon go, for better care they will show.”

“Will she be able to make it?” Blanc asked.

The zebra leaned back in her chair and thought quietly. “That is something I cannot say; it is still early in the day. We will see what potions we can make, for her life is certainly at stake. If she starts to show improvement, we will begin to organize her movement.”

“That will not be necessary. I have my own airship on standby. There’s no ship quicker than her.”

The zebra raised an eyebrow, a gesture that Blanc did not miss, but both mares chose to pretend to have not noticed each other in that sense.

“What is your name? I’ve told you mine.”

“Zecora is the name given at my birth, and potions are what gives me my worth.”

Blanc nearly fell off her chair when she heard that name. There was no one outside of Lost Hope, no, Freeport, that did not. The mare that was now a minor legend. The mare that was the catalyst to what had happened. The mare that brought him. But Blanc was not new to the game of deception and trickery. She knew how to play her cards and when to fold. Freeport was so suddenly founded that plenty of slave traders had managed to slip away, herself included. But Blanc knew it was only a matter of time before her name and identity were discovered. It wouldn’t take long before the Guards would come for her and her group. She needed to get out of Equestria before then, but all her resources were there. Everything. She had started consolidating her mammoth fortune and finding places to flee to, but she had to be careful not to arouse suspicion.

And here she was, sitting across from the very filly who had inadvertently been the centerpiece to everything that was done. A single question past through Blanc’s head as she shifted her veil unconsciously. Was he here? Was that monster close by? Would he come for her now? No, she had to play it cool. Only a very small number of ponies knew of her true identity and she had dealt with those appropriately. Except for that griffin, the new mayor of the annexed region. But she was untouchable and, in all hopes, had forgotten about Blanc completely. She had to play it cool and remain calm and reserved.

“Zecora? That is a beautiful name. I’m sure that my daugh—” Blanc cut herself off with a cough. “My… er… director is in good hooves with you here.”

The zebra raised her eyebrow again. “Such a young filly holding such a prestige title, her survival to you must be quite vital.”

“Yes, of course,” Blanc said and stood up. “Quite. I have other matters to attend to. Farewell for now.”

Blanc saw the zebra nod and could feel her eyes on the back of her head as she exited the room. Once outside, the mare let out a long sigh. As soon as Rose was stable, she would get her out of here. Leaving her mansion was a stupid plan. She shouldn’t have listened to that idiot doctor.

Question stood next to the captain as he stood and looked at the bedsheet with the zebra next to him. The captain narrowed his eyes at the zebra and smiled whenever she glanced his way.

“And how long has it been since they’ve gone?” Question asked after cutting off some of the green stained sheets and putting them in different bags.

“It’s been about three days since they have gone, I am deeply regretful of what I have done. The filly was improving before she left, her state had kept me so bereft. She kept saying one thing over and over again, a name of Lisi she uttered as if she were in pain. I do not know what is happening, but her emotional state was very saddening.”

“We will do everything we can to find her,” Question replied. “We are pretty sure who she is, and we have created a taskforce dedicate to getting to the bottom of this. I’m here to gather any leads to help us find those responsible.”

“If you find that filly, you’ll find those guilty.” Zecora narrowed her eyes. “The potion I gave will heal her body for sure, but her mind will not be able to endure.”

“How long?”

“It may already be too late as they took her before last potion dose. They took her away when I was so close. I pleaded with them to keep her here, but they all threatened me with a spear.”

“That’s fine. You did what you could. All I know is that this Fleur de Blanc is a sick filly and I’m going to find her and soon. I appreciate all your help in getting us this information.”

“If there is nothing else I can do, then I must bid you both adieu.”

“Hang on a moment,” Question said. The unicorn looked at the captain.

In response, the captain removed his hat and scratched the back of his head. “So… what now?”

“Well, I will interview a few more ponies here then we’ll head straight for Canterlot.”

At that, the captain shook his head. “Sorry, no-can-do. I’m a banished pony, you see. I can’t cross Her Highness’ border because—”

“Don’t worry about that. Leave that to me. Just get me there as fast as you can. And I’ll need to send this via your fastest pegasi to the nearest Border Guard station. This note needs to get back to HQ as soon as possible. What can you do?”

The captain took the roll in his hoof and scratched his head. “Okay. I think I can help you, but you’re gonna have to be really real about me getting into Equestria. As much as I’d like to go, I’m not really welcome there. But my, uh, filly-friend lives in Canterlot and—”

“Yes, yes. I know. You mentioned this quite a few times already. I am sure I can work something out. In this case we’re on a very tight deadline and time is of the essence. Straight to Canterlot. I will handle any questions along the way.”

“Right! If you say so.”

The captain trotted away leaving Question with the zebra.

Questions turned back to look at the bed, placing his hoof on his chin in deep thought.

Zecora shifted slightly in the silence. “If you don’t mind me asking, you mentioned that you’re forming a taskforce. There would be a pony named Semper involved of course.”

At that, the Night Guard seemed to snap out of his reverie. “Oh? You know Semper? Yes, yes. He’s involved. In fact, I think he’s in charge. I don’t know. It’s all very complicated. But yes, Semper is definitely involved. I’m just an external investigator gathering evidence.”

Zecora smiled to herself and nodded. “That is good; he will do what needs to be done. I just hope that he isn’t the one.”

Question furrowed his head. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“Nothing, no need for any concern, it isn’t something for you to discern,” Zecora replied with a weak smile.

With a slight nod of his head, Question seemed to get the answer he wanted. “I’m sure you and your guest have a few things to catch up on already. Please let her know that we’ll leave as soon as possible, so it would be good for you to say goodbye.”

Zecora gazed out of the window and saw the mare in question hovering gently over a small pond, her once bright hue dulled utterly. “Providence Dasher has been here for so long, but the potions she takes are getting too strong. There has to be another way to save her, something more powerful than potions as it were.”

“Right now there’s nothing but the potions you’ve managed to make. And the rest of the Watu Elites?”

“Most of them have come to a ghastly and grisly end, none have been cured nor are on the mend. The reports that we’ve sent, you must have read; this whole business has me filled with dread. There is something that mixed in that I’ve missed, something obvious yet have dismissed.”

“It’s impossible for you to know. There are too many plants on your side of the border. There are also a lot of animals with green blood too. Too many places where the green substance could have originated. But I’ve sent it in for analysis, so it will only be a matter of time before we get some form of a result.” Question turned and opened the door. “Thank you for your time, doctor.”

“Please do not call me that for it isn’t true, helping others is just what I like to do.”

“Sounds like a doctor to me,” Question quipped. He smiled and placed his hat on his head. “Should I take a message to Semper for you?”

At that, Zecora fought the fire rising to her cheeks. “No, that is very much alright, please do not worry and have a good flight.”

“Okay. If you change your mind, just hoof it over to Providence.”

Zecora nodded and waited as Question closed the door behind him. She turned to the window and opened it and, seeing the window now open, prompted Providence to fly over and into the now empty ward.

Providence looked at the bed for a long moment, remembering the filly that lay there. “Are you sure you don’t mind me going?” she asked without moving her eyes.

The zebra shook her head. “There is nothing more for us to say, I think now it is time for you to be on your way.”

“I’m going to go see him you know. Are you really, really sure you don’t want to come with me?”

Zecora sighed. “I will always keep a special place in me for him, but chances the feeling’s mutual are are slim. He came for me not because of his heart, he came for me because our nations were apart.”

“You know, that doesn’t make sense. Even if he didn’t love-love you, he still wouldn’t have gone that far just for anypony. Anyway, you won’t know unless you ask him.”

“I already know what he will answer me, it pains me to think on it – please leave it be.”

Providence smiled gently. “Alright. I’ll miss you, Zecora. And thank you, really, for everything you’ve tried to do. It was fun while it lasted, but lately… lately I’ve been forgetting things that I shouldn’t. Yesterday I nearly forgot my daughter’s name. I remembered that I had a daughter, but… I don’t even remember her face or where our house is. It’s getting real bad.”

“Shouldn’t you at least go say goodbye? Shouldn’t you at least go and try?”

“I… want to, but she won’t recognize me. I hardly remember myself! And I don’t want to destroy the last memories of what I was. No. I know it’s cowardly,” Providence choked back a sob, “but I don’t want her to remember this.”

“She’ll love you no matter who you are, you are her one and only shining star.”

“I know! Trust me, I know. But, and I understand it’s selfish, it’s me that isn’t ready. Plus… plus there might be a way. One last chance that I have and I’m going to take it. We all are. Us.” She looked out the window and saw a bunch of Elites trying their best to play volleyball. They certainly could play it quite well, but each time the ball was life they were playing as if their lives were depending on it. They were always playing for keeps and never relented. “Life to most of them lost meaning and everyone needs to find their own purpose to live. Mine is my daughter and for many of them now, the thought of getting me back together with her is their purpose too. I can’t just abandon them. Too many have died waiting for me.”

“Once again your loyalty is too strong, I hope that it doesn’t do further wrong,” Zecora replied. She walked over to Providence and gave her a hug. “The doors here are always open to you, if you wish to drop by then please do.”

“Thanks. Now, what d’ya say we out this sad nonsense behind us and you read a chapter from my book?”

Zecora giggled slightly and took the pages from her friend’s hoof. “I would like that very much; your stories have such an eloquent touch.”

“They do, huh?” Providence poured herself a glass of water. “At least I haven’t lost my ability to write. At least there is that…” The pegasus stared off into the distance as if she had seen something there. A smile formed along her lips and she nodded to herself. “That’s it! I’ll write! My writing will connect with her. I just know it will. I just know it. It has to. As long as I write I won’t ever be truly gone. Some piece of me will always stay behind.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKRUPYrAQoE (Mood Music – Optional)

Tourmaline narrowed his eyes.

The stallion in front of him was alone. Semper. His eyes glinted with unrelenting purpose. Harder than stone. How could one forget? These were the eyes of a pony who was willing to go far beyond what it took. To do the things that needed to be done, whether they were the right thing or not. To let nothing stand in the way of his purpose: to protect the Kingdom, even from itself. He was the perfect Guard.

And that made him the most dangerous pony there. Right now, all that stood between Semper and the filly wasn’t the army of Elites or platoons of Guards fighting to recover her. It was him. At that moment Tourmaline understood one thing, the one thing that had been nagging him ever since he saw Semper in the lower regions of the tunnels. What was he doing down there? If he was in charge of this operation, he should have been up top supervising and giving orders. Not on the front lines down below. The answer was so obvious. The answer was so clear. Why hadn’t he realized until then?

“You’re not getting past me!” Tourmaline shouted and placed his shield before him. “Stop him!”

Misty looked at Tourmaline surprised and clearly confused. She had not understood what the unicorn was doing nor saying.

Semper did not hesitate and charged straight at him. Each step seemed to give rise to sparks as the distance closed between the two. Tourmaline shuddered, but he firmly stood his ground. He charged his horn and fired his magic, the ground dropping beneath Semper’s left-front hoof. The earth pony stumbled slightly, but recovered quickly and closed the distance even faster.

Tourmaline braced for impact, but instead was met with a loud clang as Misty rushed forwards with her sword drawn. Semper had countered, a sword in his teeth as he pushed against the mare’s blade.

“What’s going on?” Misty shouted in confusion trying her best to hold him off.

“Stop him! He’s going to—”

Before he could finish, Semper pushed in with his hoof and swung his body as hard as he could. Misty was swept aside with a violent shove that sent her flying across the room. She tried to recover in mid-air, but she smashed into two Elites who were as surprised as she was. They took up their weapons to finish her off then froze when they saw who stood in front of Tourmaline. Their newly drawn blades were dropped at once and two crossbows were up. A salvo was fired towards Semper.

Semper ducked the first bolt as it whizzed over his head, while in the same movement he grabbed Tourmaline’s shield and held it up against the incoming barrage. Two solid bolts stuck hard against the shield. Tourmaline backed off, slipping down on his back as he stared upwards with eyes opened wide in fear and awe.

“They knew.” Tourmaline grabbed his knife. “They knew! They weren’t trying to stop us! They were trying to stop you!”

Semper slammed his gauntlet into Tourmaline’s throat, the unicorn gasped and floundered as he tried to make some distance between himself and Semper. Semper leaned forward and removed two quarrels from the quiver that Misty had left for Tourmaline and moved past.

In desperation, Tourmaline reached out and grabbed the stallion by his hoof, still clutching his throat with his other hoof and gasping for air. Semper stopped when he felt Tourmaline’s hold on.

“S-stop. P-please. Do not do this,” Tourmaline whispered as he tried to breathe through the pain, straining to get his voice heard with all his might.

Semper turned his head ever so slightly. He did not look at Tourmaline, but the bolts, explosions, fighting, shouting, screaming, every noise that could be heard seemed to mute as he spoke.

Tourmaline’s eyes widened and those words were carved into his soul as he heard them. Semper was right, and there was none that could do what needed to be done. Tourmaline had no choice but to let go and he fought the tears forming in his eyes as he released Semper and watched him go.

“… and that’s everything I know! I swear!” Iris shouted looking at the Guard in front of her.

Question took a sip from a milkshake he ordered and nodded. “I believe you. Really, I do, but I just need to know everything so that I can make a good and comprehensive report. Look at me, speaking out of turn!”

At those words, Question waved a hoof and one of the other Guards trotted on over.

“Would you like anything else?” Question asked. “There’s no better place in Canterlot than here for milkshakes.”

“Is Rose alright?” the filly asked quietly.

Those words wiped the smile from Question’s lips. He turned to the Guard next to him. “One more chocolate banana mix, Tornado. Oh, and no cherries this time around, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

For a long moment, Question looked at the unicorn in front of him. So young, and smart. Really smart. He was happy that he had met this particular filly and, on a normal day, he would have tried his very best to woo her away from the stuffy, stuck-up, stupid, stubborn academy and make her join the Guard. Why waste her skills in a society climb for no other reason than to make a name for yourself in a circle that would as soon tarnish and destroy it as they would worship and bless it. He hated Canterlot’s near-incestuous microcosm they had the audacity to call a society. No, he despised it.

But this filly was clever. Almost perfect. She would make a good Guard, especially one that sought out traitors. The other Guards called them Investigators, or Internal Review, but behind their backs they had another name for them. Inquisitors. Once upon a time that was what they were. A time now long since gone by. In those days they were called upon by Celestia to seek out cultists that were trying to free the near forgotten sister of the princess. They had come close a couple of times, but the Inquisitors had played their role well.

In hindsight, is also turned those who merely were fascinated with the night into die-hard cultists that still plagued the echelons of pony life, hibernating in sleeper cells waiting for the right moment to strike out and bring back their god-queen and spread everlasting night.

But the Inquisitors deserved their reputation. They were, in the end, nothing more than torture experts and well versed in deception and trickery. In the end, even the Princess of the Sun could not bear the stories and reports from her own and disbanded the Inquisitors placing them instead into a much less dark path. Besides, Investigator sounded so much better than Inquisitor. And using subtlety to get the answers you seek was a lot more fun, or sounded a lot more fun, than breaking a pony’s hooves to get them to talk.

“How old are you?”

“How is that important?” Iris narrowed her eyes. “Tell me what is going on.”

“Your friend has been missing for several weeks now. The only one that has reported her as ‘missing’ was you.”

“And I told you why! It’s because she didn’t want to go home but had to because of—”

“Because of her sister, I know. Thank you so much for that, we’ve put her into protective custody.” Question studied Iris’ face and watched as a flurry of thoughts raced through her head. He knew that she had come to the only conclusion that made sense already, but her young mind would refuse to accept it. She will ask the obvious anyway.

“Is she alright?” she asked again.

“You already know the answer to that, my dear. Would you like me to say it out loud?” Question watched as the milkshake was loaded onto a tray, two paper tissues removed from its dispenser, and placed on the side. A red straw with white stripes was inserted at the top as the server was about to put a cherry in. The Guard waved his hoof, to which the server replaced the cherry back somewhere behind the counter.

“No,” Iris managed to say before succumbing to her emotions.

The Guard placed the drink in front of Question, who used his magic to hover the tissue over to the filly. She took them in her own magic and dabbed at her eyes.

“I know that this is hard for you, but is there anything else, anything at all, that would help us at least find her mother?” Question asked. “Anything.”

A sudden changed appeared on Iris’ face as she stared hard at Question. He fought hard the urge to smile. It was pure, raw, unadulterated anger. An anger that would make her do almost anything to sate. This filly was in the wrong place. She needed to be in the Guard. She needed to be an Investigator like him.

“She has her own private airship,” Iris said suddenly. “I remember Rose used to mention it sometimes. She would come into port and Rose would head over to the docks with Lisi to say hello, but their mother never used to stay for long and would head straight for her mansion.”

“The Fleurs own many mansions. Did rose happen to mention which one she was going to?”

“Most likely the main one. Up near the woods on the far side of Canterlot, just inside the city limits where all the other huge mansions are.”

“Imperium Causeway?” Question asked noting it down.

Iris nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I’m not from around here, so I don’t know all the name of all the roads anyway.”

“It’s not that hard to learn them. Simple enough for a girl with your mind,” Question added before he could cut himself off. This wasn’t lost on the filly who blushed at his compliment despite the large drops of tears flowing from her eyes.

She sniffled and wiped her nose. “Thanks.”

“We’ve been looking for your friend’s body for some time now,” Question stated. She had accepted it, and had moved on, turning her grief into anger. A good emotion, if directed properly. Establishing that the friend was gone was something that was the most likeliest of outcomes. If he was wrong, so what? At least he had prepared her for it. And think of the joy she would feel if it were otherwise, unlikely as it seemed.

“I want to see the body,” Iris stated. “I don’t care what condition it’s in, or whatever. I need to see the body. I need to see her one last time. To tell her that I feel awful for not understanding her pain. And to say goodbye. It’s important. You’ll do that for me, right?”

“Of course. You have my word. But what if we cannot find her body?”

“I… I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

“Can you call somepony to take care of you?” Question asked as he placed the straw in his mouth.

“No. I don’t have family here.”

Question looked up at the filly. “I know it hurts. But you’ve been so brave for coming here and helping us.” He removed the straw from his mouth and placed the half empty glass on the table. “Have you… have you ever considered on joining the Royal Guard?”

Iris looked up. “I… I haven’t.”

“Think about it. I think you’d be very good addition to our forces.” He picked up the glass again and drained the rest of the contents. “For the time being, I would like a Guard posted with you. As a precaution. Do you mind?”

“No,” Iris replied. “I guess that’s okay.”

“Thanks for helping. If you should think of anything, just let the Guard with you know. He’ll send the information to me directly.”

“She had a lot of servants,” Iris suddenly stated. “Maybe they can help?”

“We’ve already asked. Most of them have lost their jobs at the various mansions. Two of them have been completely abandoned. The summer residence was destroyed. I think that they did it to lose the Guards that were on their trail. It worked.”

“Why… why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I need you to trust me,” Question replied. “I need to know that you can trust me completely. And because I want to help you. You don’t deserve to have this happen to you. Nopony does.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGy70BxOQwY – Mood Music (Optional)

Tourmaline trembled. Despite his pain, he could not resist the undeniable presence of the stallion standing before him. Semper Pie. He had not seen Semper in actual combat, but already chills ran up and down his spine as he lay there. How far had he come since their time apart?

Semper stood at the window’s ledge and gazed across the ensuing chaos below him. He held the quarrels firmly in his right hoof, the shield in his left was lowered and he used the based of his sword to swipe the bolts that lay embedded in it.

Tourmaline had to see it. He had to see him fight. He had to see this through to the bitter end.

The Elites from across the hall whom Misty had slammed into had immediately dropped their crossbows once they had fired knowing full well that they had no time to reload, and charged at Semper with their spears ready, their eyes wide open in a mixture of horror and desperation visible through their masks. They barely got four steps before the Guards behind them, along with Valor, cut them down effortlessly.

But those Elites were trying to save her. It wasn’t the Elites that he had to fear, it was the stallion in front of him. The stallion now standing on the window’s edge.

Then he jumped. From outside of the second story of the building.

Struggling to his hooves, Tourmaline reached the window and pulled himself up and peered over just as he saw a burst of wind erupt from underneath the shield. Semper had inverted it, standing on the outside as if it were a sled, the air spell in the quarrel that he had activated slowing his downward momentum while providing a burst that propelled him forward, away from the mansion window.

Despite his entrance into the fray, most of the Elites were preoccupied in containing and keeping the other Guards away from the filly that didn’t notice Semper as he flanked them from behind. But Semper did not attack them in weak point and instead he allowed the Elites to maintain the wall as the two forces locked head to head committing to battle.

There was no mistaking it now. His purpose was absolutely clear. With the Guards, they would get in his way. He needed them distracted, and the Elites were going to do help him.

Two Elites, acting as support and standing behind the line, turned with their spears to intercept. When they saw who it was, they shouted something. At this, three more Elites joined in forming a miniature line against Semper. They did not charge, but instead stood in formation. Three in the front, two behind.

Tourmaline watched as Semper clipped two ice quarrels against the underside of the shield and spun his hoof in an upward arc as the spell ignited sending ice in an upward arc with spikes stretching forward as the angle slanted upwards. The three Elites in the front raised their shields as the spikes that collided with their defenses pushing them back. Perhaps they did not see what Tourmaline saw, but as the five Elites reformed themselves, Semper had already clipped yet another quarrel.

The ice had formed a ramp.

The Border Guard’s spear was out before the ice stopped growing, and Semper slammed his rear hoof into the ice and kicked back with all his force, pushing him forwards along the newly formed incline.

Tourmaline watched as Semper used his powerful body to propel himself along the ice using his shield like a sled yet again. As the shield left the ramp, he leapt with all his might and dropped the quarrel onto the five Elites. In seconds a ball of fire and heat erupted between them as the quarrel exploded tearing them apart.

In midair, three pegasi Elites detached and charged at Semper desperate to stop this pony’s onslaught. They knew him far better than any of the Guards and knew exactly why he was to be feared.

But Semper was not to be denied. He sliced through one with his sword, half the body and wing separating from the torso. The pegasus gripped the blade and fell away with it disarming Semper of his blade.

The second turned at a sharp angle and came down upon Semper’s back, but the Semper used his spear and threw it backwards to the ground with the tip pointing up towards them. The pegasi was no match for an earth pony’s power as Semper grabbed the wing and, using his earth pony strength, threw the pegasi down towards the spear before it had time to waver. The speed at which the pony hit the ground with the tip of the spear going straight through the center of torso made Tourmaline cringe. He felt that on the floor where he knelt.

Semper landed next to the dead pegasi and rolled to a stop as the spear fell across his shoulders.

The third pegasi was on top of Semper before he could stand. They grappled briefly as the pegasi tried to stick his sword into Semper, but a clean head-butted with the mask against the Elite’s open skull stunned him long enough for Semper to grab him and pull him to the side. Then Semper pushed the Elite towards fence. The helm and head passed through the gap between the bars, but when the Elite tried to pull back, the helm’s design got caught. The Elite was stuck.

Instead of killing the trapped Elite, Semper took a slight running start and stepped onto its back like a springboard and launched himself over, clearing both the fence and the spikes above it. Semper landed in front of the stuck pegasus on the other side who screamed and flailed around trying to break free, but found the only thing possible was watch.

With no shield, no sword, no crossbow, the only thing that stood between Semper were four heavily armed Elites, but it was clear that each had ran out of bolts. What could one Border Guard with a spear do against that?

The first charged straight at Semper and, to Tourmaline’s astonishment, took the spear to the chest. He growled and held it there with his body. The second Elite leapt over the first’s pierced body using the back like a springboard, much like what Semper had done moments before, and came down with a scimitar.

Semper kicked the base of his spear, sending it deeper into the first’s chest, but the Elite held it firmly and only the tip managed to break through the solid armor. At the same moment, Semper dodged to the side, angling his body so the blade whizzed by inches from his face. The scimitar hit the ground, and Semper slammed his hoof on the blade shoving it deep into the dirt. He took a step in and struck upwards with his gauntlet aiming right for the Elite’s neck. The Elite ducked and leaned back allowing the blow to hit the mask letting go of the scimitar in the same moment.

As the second Elite stumbled backwards, the third came from the right side of the first’s skewered body. It was the perfect blind spot for Semper. A textbook move, and would have killed a normal pony. But Semper was no normal pony.

Semper spun outward, the stabbing thrust of the third Elite’s blade sliding along the back of Semper’s armor. In his momentum, Semper grabbed the back of the Elite’s neck and shoved him towards the fence where he collided with the still flailing pegasus. The Elite moved to the side and was about to charge when he the second’s blade sailed through the air and hit him in the chest. Semper had picked and thrown it in one smooth motion. The Elite slumped down where he had stood as Semper turned around.

The fourth and final Elite stood firm by the filly’s side and drew two blades.

Semper grabbed the tip of his spear, which was protruding through the first Elite’s body, and applied his force on a single point along the shaft. This force caused the wooden haft to burst apart in a spray of splinters. He held the tip of his spear and calmly walked towards the last Elite, and the filly.

Tourmaline watched as the Elite shouted something, but Semper shook his head slowly and gestured for the Elite to get out of his way. Predictably, the Elite refused and charged. Semper ducked the first scimitar blow, stepped to the side and used his gauntlet to stop the second blade before the Elite had a chance to use it. Before the Elite could recover from both parries, Semper slammed the spear tip into the side of the skull. The Elite, still conscious, tried to swing this blade at Semper’s stomach, but the earth pony turned and kicked out with his hind legs. The Elite literally flew in the air before slamming into a tree breaking it apart from the point of impact.

And there he stood, alone. There was nothing in his way. He wiped the spear’s blade against his cape and walked towards the filly.

“What are you doing?” Valor all but screamed as he realized what was happening. Tourmaline felt him trying to summon a teleportation spell, but he did not have enough power.

It was too late.

All eyes were on Semper as he raised the spear above the filly’s form. Tourmaline had seen enough and turned around and slumped down where he was. He felt tears flowing from his eyes.

The entire battle was silenced by one simple downward motion.

“Is it done?” Providence asked as Semper was escorted by a large number of Guards towards the holding cart. Chains were fastened around his hooves and his neck. Over his mouth he wore a muzzle of steel.

He looked at the pegasus and nodded. “Yes. It is done.”

“Did she… go peacefully?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” Providence smiled sadly at the stallion. “And I’m sorry.”

“Wait. You knew that this monster was going to kill her?” Valor asked standing in front of the mare. “Why in Celestia’s name didn’t you say anything? We could’ve saved her!”

“Yes. You could have. Yes, you could have kept her safe. Place Guards around her as she slumbered. But then what? Is that something she deserved? To be locked away in her mind forcing herself to live every day because she would always believe that she had to? What kind of life is that?”

Valor relaxed his shoulders. “We are not executioners.”

“It wasn’t an execution. It was release. There was nothing you or anypony could do for her. The only right thing to do was end her misery,” Providence said quietly averting her eyes from the Solar Guard’s hard gaze.

“Then why didn’t he do it when he saw her the first time?” Valor shouted pointing at Semper. “If he did, my father might still be alive!”

“Sir, would you have believed me? Would you have let me?” Semper asked.

Valor looked down at the ground. “I knew there was a reason why you let us follow you into those tunnels. You could have hidden your tracks, lost us easily if you had wanted to. You knew that we’d chase you into those tunnels. You were trying to get me and my father away from the filly. Well, you succeeded! What stopped you?”

“Myself.”

Stunned, Valor furrowed his brow. He had not expected that response. The Solar Guard knew if the roles were reversed he would have never been able to do what Semper had done. He just couldn’t do it, especially not to a filly. A mare maybe, but not a child.

“She spoke to you,” Valor said quietly. “I saw it. Her lips were moving after you… after you murdered her. She was telling you something. What was it?”

“She made me promise.”

“Promise what?”

“To protect her sister.”

“Are you saying that to make me feel better?” Valor asked grabbing Semper’s face in his hoof. “Because if you’re lying to me I’ll gut you right here.”

“I have no reason to lie about this, sir.”

The stallion had a point, but that only infuriated Valor even more. The Solar Guard narrowed his eyes. “We will protect her sister. You’ve already done enough.”

“She doesn’t need protecting anymore, sir. She is free.”

At that, Valor shook his head. “You’re lucky that I’m not going to end you like you ended her. You’re going to pay for this, Semper Pie. I don’t care why you thought that she had to die, especially since we have the best doctors and medication in Equestria. We could have found something to stop the… whatever it was! It wasn’t your decision to make.”

“Her blood is green, sir,” Tourmaline interjected, “her entire biology is changed. Apart from looking like one, for all intents and purposes, she wasn’t a pony anymore, sir!”

Valor turned on him. “All we needed was time. We would have found a way. We protect our kind! That is what we do. Or had you forgotten.”

“And let her suffer? For how long? Weeks? Months? Years? You’re too selfish!” Providence shouted and began to cry. “You think he wanted to do this? You think he liked searching for her across Equestria knowing what he had to do? Knowing that when he finally found her that he’d have to...”

“That’s what you were doing with the mother,” Valor said nodding slowly. “You were testing me. Testing us. To see if we’d be open to the idea of an impromptu execution. You were never really going to kill the mother, were you? It was always about the filly. Did we pass your test then?”

“Yes, sir. I didn’t expect anything less from Celestia’s Chosen,” Semper replied.

“Doesn’t matter anyway,” the Solar Guard growled and looked at the earth pony. “Doesn’t matter anymore. Even if we did find out a way to save her, or at least find out anything, she’s gone and there’s nothing anypony can do about that. You’ll live with this, and for the rest of your life you’ll always remember it. The weight of what you have done is branded across your very soul.”

Semper stole a glance at his flank. A spear now lay across the crossbow and blade. “I did what I had to.”

“And you will pay for it dearly. Take him away. Lock him up until the High Council decides what to do with him. This is why the Border Guard should remain on the fringes of our beloved kingdom. You and your kind belong far away from civilized society. Get him out of my sight. I don’t ever want to see him again.” Valor turned away from Semper in disgust.

Two Day Guards approached either side of Semper and placed their hooves on him. He jerked his shoulder hard making both Guards back off and stood aside as Semper himself climbed the steps into the jail cart. Providence watched as the door slammed shut and didn’t stop staring until the vehicle rounded the edge of the property and headed towards the gates at the far end.

Mission 4, Part 7: Revelation

“There you are!” Tourmaline said aloud as he walked over to the pegasus. The slow music coming from the small live band in the corner really set a calming ambience to the restaurant. Not as impressive nor as famous as some of the other better known names in the city, Tourmaline and his friends had frequented this establishment along with a large number of Guards for years. It is somewhat of a tradition for ex-Guards to meet with current Guards and catch up in an informal place.

Plus, the drink is cheap.

Misty smiled her beautiful smile. “Heya. So, how was work?”

“Oh, you know us,” Tourmaline replied, a smirk appearing on the corner of his lips, “always looking for that next good mystery. Apparently there’s been an increase of vandalism around Canterlot and the Princess wants us to find the source.”

“Which one?” Misty asked as she kissed his cheek as he leaned close to her.

“Why, Princess Luna of course.” Tourmaline threw his coat over the back of the empty seat and sat down heavily next to Misty and she nuzzled his chin. He put his hoof around her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her on the forehead. “Princess Celestia calls it ‘expression through art’, but without a proper permit it’s not allowed. I think Her Highness Luna will forgive them after making them do some form of community service, but honestly the vandals are really great artists! You know the mural of the clouds under Musical Chords boulevard bridge was done by them. I thought it was a commissioned job and suddenly a dragon ate me up and chewed my bones before spitting me out onto the street.”

“Oh? That’s good.”

“You’re not listening to me!” Tourmaline frowned. “What were you thinking about?”

“Hm? Sorry, I was letting my mind wander,” Misty replied and lifted up her wine glass, taking a nice long sip.

“Of course you were. That was abundantly clear when you completely ignored me. So, what’s on your mind?”

“Her.”

“What? Princess Luna?”

“No, you ninny. Her.”

Tourmaline looked at Misty for a long moment before sighing and pouring himself a glass of wine from the bottle using his magic. “Ah, yes. Of course. I know, I was trying to lighten the mood a little. It is her day after all. Her anniversary.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it that, but yes, today was the day she died.”

Tourmaline sighed and leaned back onto his seat. Reluctantly, Misty released him from her embrace. “You know, I was just talking to Solid at the station – you remember him right? Solid Mortar? He was the one that went down into the lower tunnels with Semper…”

“Yeah, I know,” Misty replied, “and?”

“He was just explaining to me how Semper had trapped him and Rain Maker by knocking them out and locking them inside a toolshed. They claimed that they knew something was wrong, so they tried to talk Semper out of it. Then he said that he fought Semper, to which I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. He, of course, didn’t like that, but I explained that not many ponies could go head-to-head against Semper.”

Misty nodded letting Tourmaline know she was listening this time.

“Anyway, he brought up the green blood thing, and it got me thinking. Where did that stuff come from that could change a pony’s blood from red to green, right? I mean, there’s no place we’ve seen that before, right?”

“Right.”

“Wrong!” Tourmaline shouted, slamming his hoof on the table making Misty’s wine tip over and spread itself across the cloth. grabbing his glass and downing the contents in one gulp. “We have seen it before, but we just never connected the dots because, a, it was too long between the events to see any relationship, and b, because we never knew they existed except in legends until they came to Canterlot.”

“What are you talking about?” Misty asked, clearly annoyed. She wiped the wine on the table with some paper napkins pushing them all towards the center as the one of the waiters went to get a proper cleaning cloth.

“Changelings.”

Misty froze. “What?”

“Changelings. It has to be the changelings. Think about, we never could identify the source of that horrible narcotic despite understanding that it was some sort of blood. Well, what color is changeling blood?”

Misty lowered the napkin in her hoof. “Green…”

“Exactly,” Tourmaline chuckled mirthlessly. “And what is the majority makeup of a changeling?”

“Dear Celestia,” Misty gasped and put her hoof to her lips.

“See? That was why we couldn’t help. That was why we couldn’t save the Elites. Because changelings had moved out of common knowledge at the time and were relatively unknown until the invasion. And even after that, nopony could put two and two together because the events of those horrible days because the reports were marked as confidential and locked away. I mean the Zebricans knew of them, but how would they connect the two? I don’t think they would’ve thought of changelings at all. Despite their noblest efforts, I actually don’t think they even considered that changelings were capable of thinking for themselves, but were just hybrid mutant ponies that lived in their deep jungles..”

“But what about a source?” Misty asked. “If they were mass producing it then—”

“That even makes more sense. Those guys, those slavers, who were running Freeport must have had access to a hive hidden deep in the Zebrican jungles. Only a select few would have knowledge and in exchange for a couple changeling bodies the slavers would have traded slaves. This arrangement must have strengthened them enough over the years to actually have enough power to invade Canterlot! It all fits!”

“You… you know, I think you’re right,” Misty whispered.

“Of course I’m right,” Tourmaline muttered and took another long sip from his glass, “but hindsight is twenty-twenty.”

“That’s… wow.”

“Besides, I don’t think it’d make much of a difference for Rose anyway. Her higher brain functions had stopped. I don’t think she would’ve survived long enough to find a cure, or at least I tell myself that. Ever since I thought of this, I hear Valor’s words in my ears.

“It’s incredible she managed to stay alive for as long as she had,” Misty replied.

“But she spoke to Semper,” Tourmaline replied. “Misty. She actually said something to him before he… ended it. Some higher brain functions must’ve remained.”

To that, Misty couldn’t respond.

Tourmaline shifted in his seat and looked up. “Oh, there they are.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” Question said as he sat down opposite from Misty. To his left sat a much younger pony.

“Hello, Iris, how are you?” Misty asked.

The young unicorn shrugged. “Could be better I guess. Did you hear about the vandals?”

“Sort of,” Tourmaline replied for Misty.

“Okay,” Iris said slowly, not getting the joke. “Anyway, Tourmaline’s vandal case has brought Her Highness’ attention. Princess Luna, as much as I love her, keeps clinging into these things like they’re her fault! Just because it happens at night.”

“Well, I think she’s trying to make up for lost time, don’t you?” Misty replied.

“Really! Her Highness should just relax and let us do our job!” Tourmaline intoned.

“I don’t think that’s it at all,” Question interrupted gently, his eyes scanning the menu in front of him held up by magic as he used his hooves to pour himself a glass of wine. “She has a very mischievous streak and I think that she’s getting herself involved because she wants to avoid going to the Night Court.”

At that everyone at the table nodded in understanding. They were quite aware of their Night Princess and her ways of finding ‘fun’.

“I would have to agree with her on that. I’d rather chase down vandals than sit and listen to old crones talk about subjects they know little about,” Iris said after a moment.

“Another thing. Why is the table soaking in wine?” Question asked despite not looking at the large debris pile in the middle of the table.

“Nothing,” Misty cut in before Tourmaline could open his mouth. “I hit my glass by accident.”

“I see,” Question intoned, and lowered his menu to peer at the mare. “Despite seeing your boyfriend smash the table with his hoof from across the restaurant, I guess I would have bought your outright lie. But you must have your reasons, so I won’t press it.”

“Thank you,” Misty replied feeling the color rise in her cheeks. Question was much sharper than she realized. “I think we ought to leave that topic well alone.”

“If you say so.”

Tourmaline gave her a warm smile and placed a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “He’s always like that, don’t worry about it.” He turned towards Iris and poured her a glass of wine. “Your friend was an amazing mare. What she endured for her sister, I don’t think anypony can compare. She lives in our hearts and inspires us to do better.”

Iris smiled weakly. “I know. I miss her. I’m just glad that she didn’t have to suffer any more than she had.”

“To Rose!” Tourmaline offered raising his glass in the air with his hoof.

“To Rose!” the others reciprocated and all lowered their glasses to their lips.

“So, is Semper coming?” Question asked.

The bluntness made Tourmaline and the others nearly gag on their glasses of wine.

“What? No. Of course not.”

“Oh? I thought he’d come this time,” Question replied.

“What are you talking about? When has Semper ever come for one of these things?” Misty asked. “In fact, when is Semper even in Equestria not to mention Canterlot to be able to come to these things. Those three are always away on some mission. Last I heard they went out west.”

Question nodded and looked up at the ceiling as if lost in thought. “Yes. I’ve heard something along those lines too. Shame that he has to stay away from the kingdom for so long.”

“I don’t think he has a choice,” Misty interrupted. “Those three don’t have very many friends here in Canterlot, and I’m not talking about actual friends.”

“I loved my time in the Guard,” Tourmaline said in the silence. “I mean, I really loved making a difference despite all that had happened, but I’m so happy that I’m not a Border Guard anymore. I think that I was never really suited for the job. I think I like sitting at a desk and coming home to a beautiful mare.”

“You were a wonderful Border Guard, dear,” Misty said and gave Tourmaline a peck on his cheek. “I am so proud of you. Not to mention that you stood up to Semper. There aren’t many ponies alive who can say that.”

That brought a dry laugh from the others around the table.

“Terrible reputation he’s got, hasn’t he?” Tourmaline sighed and took another sip from his wine. “It doesn’t really help that nopony outside the Guard really knows who he is.”

Iris nodded. “Yeah. I know, right? I mean he deserves a little more recognition for what he’s done for Equestria. I mean, I never heard of him until I signed up for the Guard, and even then only because his name was still on top of most of the records held there. I don’t know why we don’t welcome him home as a hero”

Question shrugged. “The Council. Even after all he’s done they still fear him. I think it’s ridiculous myself, but there is little I can do about it. I do know that if Semper was in the Royal Guard, then he’d be a glorified hero. But he chose the Border Guard, and he’s where he is because of that. But you know something else, I don’t think there’s any other place for him.”

“If you must know, it’s because they’re jealous,” a voice stated, “after all, he’s been doing things that make some of the other Guard divisions look… lacking. No offense to present company, but that’s pretty much the bottom of it. Nopony doubts Semper’s loyalty anymore, but they still don’t know what to do with him. You can’t keep a wolf locked up with sheep. I don’t think he’d function within Equestria, to be honest.”

At once everyone stood up and welcomed the two newcomers with hugs and genuine affection. Except Question, who remained sitting and gave a nod and a smile when the newcomers made eye contact with him. Each had exchanged the usual snippets of pleasantries, asking how each were and how their day was. But Iris spent a little longer with the young mare who came with the Lord.

“How are you today, Lisi?” Iris asked and offered the seat next to her.

“Fine. School has been rather difficult as of late, but His Lordship has helped me by hiring some tutors that have helped me grasp some of the trickier concepts in magic.”

“Please don’t call me that,” the unicorn replied, “the title serves no other purpose that to annoy me. I am not like the other Lords of the High Council, and wish very much that I didn’t have to participate. But somepony has to keep track of them.”

“Yes, yes, we all know your difficult job of making sure that those dubious other Lords don’t waste Equestria’s bits,” Tourmaline interrupted. “That, and your love for touring Equestria’s high society circles.”

Fancy Pants smiled a knowing smile. “Don’t forget that I am the most important pony in Canterlot. Despite what you might think, I do hold significant sway over my peers in the Chamber.”

Desperate to avoid another pointless argument, Lisi bulldozed her way into the conversation. “Did you know that he actually asked Princess Celestia to recommend Princess Twilight to tutor me in magic?” She rolled her eyes. “I mean I would have loved for that but I couldn’t impose. Plus the commute would’ve been quite… tedious? What about you, Iris? You never come visit me anymore.”

“Well, things have been busy lately and just don’t have the time. Once this new vandal case is solved, I’ll come to the mansion. And what do you mean ‘anymore’? We saw each other just the other week.”

“That’s too long,” Lisi bemoaned and the girls giggled with one another.

“Well, since all members have come, I have some… ‘news’ that might intrigue you all,” Question said as everyone at the table got comfortable. “I would daresay shocking even.”

“Something that shocks you?” Fancy Pants asked raising an eyebrow. “Must be quite substantial.”

“Well, rumor has it that the three are coming back to Equestria.”

“Wait. What?” Tourmaline leaned closer to Question. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“I don’t ‘kid’.”

“But… weren’t they banished?” Iris asked, confused.

“No,” all the others at the table stated.

“They were given an impossible to complete mission,” Tourmaline pointed out.

“Exactly,” Fancy Pants agreed.

“Did the High Council rescind their order then?” Tourmaline looked to the Lord for confirmation.

“Of course not,” Lord Fancy Pants stated, “and even if they had they would never actually say it with those words.”

“His Lordship is right,” Question said getting a dark look from Fancy. “They simply completed it.”

Question looked up from the menu when he heard nothing. All he saw were half-open mouths and stunned stares. Except for Fancy Pants, who was swirling wine in his glass and inhaling the vapor.

“You’re joking,” Tourmaline managed to say, “I mean, I don’t know what the mission was specifically, but they said it was impossible to complete.”

“It was.”

“And… what was it?”

At that question, Question only smiled. “Wouldn’t that be something, to actually know what the mission was, right? You should ask His Lordship.”

“Can’t say. Confidential,” Fancy Pants replied without missing a beat. “But I will say that it was indeed an impossible mission which I had hoped would be rescinded. It wasn’t. Now, once again, the High Council has to face the consequences of its inaction. I know you know the rumors, but I’m forbidden to speak about Chamber matters outside of the Council, so you’ll have to excuse my inability to acknowledge nor deny anything.”

Lisi sighed. “He’s always like that. For everything.”

“A good politician through and through!” Tourmaline announced, raising his glass in air. “To politics!”

None of them reciprocated that.

“Fine then,” Tourmaline grumbled good-naturedly and pretended to sulk, which ground a light chorus of laughter.

“Well, we all know the rumors that have been making their circuits around the Guard since their exile, they are now coming back. And, as usual, they are coming back without any bells or whistles. I don’t think anypony actually knows they are coming back.”

“I don’t think anypony knows if they are all alive,” Fancy Pants muttered, “except for Semper. They’ve been gone for so long that we were shocked to actually get news of their return. But if there’s anypony within the Council genuinely glad to see them return, it is I. I immediately signed the petition to allow them to return legally, and I made sure that the others did the same. But I’m curious, outside of a few select ponies, how had you come by this bit of information. I had known that this was inevitably going to leak out, but nowhere nearly as fast as this. It’s literally been several hours since I had signed that document.”

“I heard about this because a certain ex-Captain of the Royal Guard had requested a specific courier to expedite a train from the Crystal Empire straight to Ponyvill, non-stop. In that he was saying that it was a matter of extreme urgency.”

All exchanged glances.

“Ponyville? Why?” Iris asked.

“Isn’t that where his sister lives?” Tourmaline looked at Question.

“Indeed.”

“Wait. Semper has a family?” Misty asked. “I… I never knew…”

“What? You think Celestia chiselled him out of the mountain?” Tourmaline asked, remembering the rumor from his days at the Circus.

“Well, no, but again, yes… maybe…”

“Seriously? But that means news came from the north? I thought he went far west?” Tourmaline said scratching his chin. “That makes no sense.”

Question shrugged. “If I were to list all the rumors I’ve heard about where those three went, we’d be sitting here until Celestia raises the sun.” Question poured himself some more wine. “Well, the rumor that I am partial to is that he went north, past the northern mountains and beyond our maps, straight over to the other side.”

“Other side?” Iris looked at her mentor and superior officer. “What’s on the other side?”

Question shrugged again. “No clue. I have some idea, but I don’t like spreading outlandish tales. At least, not without a purpose.”

“Honestly, I don’t think that anypony really knows for certain if Semper will really return to Equestria,” Misty declared in the silence that followed. “He might just be sending the letter to Ponyville for that reason. To apologize. There’s no guarantee he’s actually physically going to come back.”

“I wouldn’t,” Tourmaline stated, “if it were me.”

“Neither would I,” Fancy Pants shared.

“Why?” Lisi asked.

“You know, but we don’t actually know the real reason for Semper’s exile,” Iris said. “I’ve looked everywhere for some reasoning behind it, but I can’t find anything solid. I mean, there he is listed under an active mission card but the purpose of it seems rather… vague. It’s like somepony threw it together at the last minute.”

A sad smile appeared on Question’s face. “That’s probably because it was, but you shouldn’t believe everything you read or hear. Semper’s exile was on a condition that could never be met. Or so it was thought.”

“That is?” Iris prompted when Question did not continue.

“And somehow we’ve come full circle.” The older unicorn shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know, but I do have my suspicions, which I will keep to myself. Anyway, we’re not here to discuss rumors or of Semper’s return. We’re here to offer a toast to Fleur de Rose and to celebrate her life and bravery. To Rose!”

“To Rose!” the others echoed as they raised their respective glasses.

“And to the House of Fleur. May it live long, as it has, and honor her memory,” Lord Fancy Pants said, nodding towards the youngest of the group.

Fleur de Lis blushed. “Thank you. I am sure that, no matter what, I’ll make my sister proud of me.”

They all raised the glasses one more time and downed them. Hours had gone by and the group of friends talked and reminisced, listening to the tales that Iris and Lisi told about Rose. Some were repeats of the last time, but it didn’t matter.

By closing time, only Question and Fancy Pants remained. The others had gone home together, Fleur de Lis heading to Iris’ to spend some time catching up and to reminisce some more. Later they would head over to the mansion and to the memorial out back to tend to the roses that grew under her statue. Iris would be late for work, but Question already knew that and would cover for her. He always did.

Question made to reach for his wallet, but Fancy placed a hoof in front of him. “Let me get it this time, dear friend. You got it last year.”

The sound of chairs being mounted on tables could be heard as the waiter started to clear things away.

“Thank you,” the black unicorn replied, his sharp green eyes gazing at the moon outside the window. “She really does wonders with the night sky.”

“That she does,” Fancy replied counting the bits onto the little silver plate. He left a sizeable tip for the waiter, as per usual, and he started to wrap things up, putting his coat on his back. It was not too cold this time of year, but there were still scheduled showers and it was hard to keep track sometimes.

“Honestly, Fancy, I know that you’re not allowed to say anything, but we both know that Semper’s mission north wasn’t merely an exploratory one. The fact that he’s succeeded is another sign of huge changes to come.”

Fancy nodded. “I know. He really is rather bothersome. I, for one, shudder to think of it.”

“As am I.” Question got up and placed his coat over his shoulders. “As am I.”

As they exited, they both nodded farewell outside the restaurant. Question paused for a moment, hesitating, but then turned and headed his own way. Fancy watched the Inspector. He always admired that colt for his intuitiveness and skills. He tipped his hat to the back of the unicorn and got into his private cart.

“Where to sir?”

“Home please, Jams. And take the scenic route. I need to think.”

“Very good, sir.”

The Plan

Twilight stood at the table, her hooves planted firmly on a sheet of paper that contained the latest updates of the search for Semper Pie. He had not been seen anywhere within half a day’s journey out of Ponyville. Guards were now posted at all major townships and, if he had come through the normal areas, surely somepony as popular as him within the Guard would have recognized him. According to Shining, Semper always preferred avoiding crowded areas. This wasn't due to his fame, as Twilight had discovered that despite his fame Semper was relatively unknown outside of the Guard. So, there were some lesser traveled roads being looked over by members of the weather team that Rainbow had somehow managed to rope them into.

“So, whatcha plannin' on doin'? Applejack asked during a lull in the conversation.

The picture Twilight painted of Pinkie's panic attack affected them all deeply. They had never heard of Pinkie freaking out the way Twilight had described. That coupled with the fact she was in the hospital made them all want to do something for their dear friend.

“I think we need to go to Pinkie's house.”

The girls all exchanged glances.

“So I was thinking that we split up. I'll stay here and coordinate the search with my Guards. Two of you will go to Pinkie's family's house. I’m going to stay here and make sure that he doesn’t approach Pinkie directly. I would also like some volunteers to collect all reports about Semper and bring them here from Canterlot’s archives.”

“Dearie, why? Not only is that so far away, but how could that possibly help Pinkie?” Rarity asked.

“Twilight, I’d like to go to Pinkie’s and Semper’s rock farm too, if you don’t mind.”

“Okay, that’s fine with me.”

“Twilight, why all this work? Surely this isn't necessary for finding him,” Rarity pointed out.

At that Twilight sighed. “It's just not about finding him; it's figuring out what triggered Pinkie's panic attack. We now know that Semper is her brother and that she has forgotten him. But when we tried to make her remember, she screamed and… there’s more to this and we need to find out what. I think that we should look for the cause, like the doctor suggested. Identify the reason of her attack before we actually find him. There’s no point if she’s going to get another attack.”

“So you want us to go to her home? To see what we can find out for ourselves?” Applejack nodded. “That’s actually a swell idea, Twilight. I’m all for it.”

“Yeah! That is a great idea,” Rainbow echoed. “I’ll go with you.”

“And I shall head over to Canterlot post-haste and get those reports you wanted. Might I ask that Spike accompany me?” Rarity looked at the dragon who smiled and blushed lightly.

“Of course. Fluttershy, if you don’t mind, can you stay with me? I might need some help with Pinkie and other last minute things.”

“O-okay, Twilight.”

Shining looked at the map. “How are we supposed to get there? Teleport?” He looked at the map and whistled. “Twily, that’s a little too far.”

“I know. That’s why I’m organizing an airship.”

At that, Shining visibly relaxed. “You found an airship at short notice?”

“Yeah! I asked around and you’ll never guess,” Twilight said walking towards the far side of her castle and pulled back the curtains. “There you go!”

Shining looked out the large window and nodded appreciatively. “Wow, that’s a beautiful airship.”

“Well, I asked around and the Applejack said that Apple Bloom has a friend in her class whose father just so happens to be an airship captain. When I explained to the captain what we needed to do, he dropped everything and told me that I could use his ship as much as I like.” Twilight walked back towards the table.

“Perks of being a princess?” Shining grinned.

“I don’t know about that,” Twilight replied. “He seemed indifferent and reluctant about going until I told him who we were looking for. When I mentioned Semper’s name, he offered to leave immediately. I’ve never seen a pony change their minds so quickly. It surprised me.”

Shining made a face. “Weird. I’m actually surprised that somepony outside the Guard would do something like that.”

“Fresh, coming from the stallion who was surprised when I told him that I’ve never heard of Semper.”

“I know, but I was just too excited. So, when do we go?”

“The sooner the better. I’ve asked the captain to have everything ready, so he’s just waiting for you guys to board.”

Shining nodded. “Well, then let’s get moving.”

Twilight hugged her brother and friends as they left. She watched them go from the table and, once they were out of sight, returned to looking at the map in front of her. She studied that map, peering at it with all her might. Where could he be?

“Welcome aboard. It is an honor, Prince. We’re ready to go as soon as you give the word.” The captain smiled at the mares. “It is an honor meeting the two of you. What you’ve done for Equestria, no words can express how sincerely grateful I am.”

“Yeah, I know. We’re that awesome. This ship looks cool,” Rainbow said, “just how fast can you get us to where we need to go?”

“This here’s the fastest ship in Equestria, guaranteed. I’ll get you there in no time, on my honor.” The captain turned around and patted a colt on the head. “You stay here and be a good boy, right?”

“Yes, cap’n.” The colt said as he stood aside and let Shining go towards the ramp, but stopped and stared at the ship.

A unicorn mare stood behind the colt. “Be safe. I’ll see you soon.”

“I’m only going to Badlands, dear.”

“So? Can’t I tell you to be safe?”

“Yes, dear,” the captain muttered and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back.” He turned to the colt. “See ya later, Pip. I’ll buy you that ice cream when I get back.”

“Okay, cap’n.”

“Can’t you call me ‘dad’ or ‘pa’ instead?” the captain muttered. “It’s embarrassing!”

“Sure, pa,” Pip grinned.

“’Atta boy.”

““Can’t I go with you?”

“No. You’ve got school tomorrow. You need to learn things!”

“But I want to be a pirate cap’n, like you.”

The captain roared in laughter before silencing himself at the look on the face of the mare. “He’s only joking, love. Right, Pip?”

Pip looked at his mother and gulped. “Y-yes. I was only jokin’.”

“You better be. This is why I keep telling you not to tell him those stories,” the mare stated angrily, poking the captain in the chest with her hoof to emphasize her point.

The captain laughed nervously. “They’re only stories…”

“They better be. Dear.”

The captain gulped. “Right, well, look at the time! And the weather! Better get a move on and all, you know, before the weather team decides to cloud-up the sky.”

The mare narrowed her eyes.

“Let’s go. All aboard.” He leaned over and kissed the mare on the forehead. “Take care, love.”

“We’ll be here,” the mare whispered and touched the captain’s face. “Come back to me soon. We have much to discuss about these pirate stories.”

The captain laughed nervously and started sweating bullets as he backed away and beat a hasty retreat almost running over Shining who was still standing outside the ship.

“Anything wrong, sir?”

“No. Just admiring her,” Shining said, but his eyes were transfixed towards the ship’s bow where, written in bright white letters, the name was emblazed. Shining furrowed his brow. He knew he had heard that name before, but where?

“She is a beauty. Almost like the original, but well, you can’t have your cake and eat it.”

Shining shrugged and boarded the ramp. The captain walked close behind and shut the sliding door after kicking the ramp free. Within minutes the airship rose slowly up into the air quickly picking up speed as they turned south letting the windows carry them.

“How long will it take?” Shining asked as he walked to the bridge and looked out at the expansive deck before him.

“No time at all, sir! No time at all! Unfold them sails! Come on, I don’t pay you to dawdle! We have a tight schedule.”

Mission 7, Part 2: Mission Is Go

“I don’t like it,” Sonic said pacing around their assigned room. They were offered two separate ones but, considering their company, the Guards decided it would be wiser and safer to room together. “I don’t like it at all. I didn’t come all this way to trek across the desert. It was bad enough coming this far, now they want us to go out there?”

“We don’t have a choice. We have our orders, and they are to stay until Semper says otherwise.” Static flipped a card over and cursed silently. It wasn’t the one he was looking for. He placed it into the graveyard pile and drew another, this one a bit better than the last. He placed it under the four of diamonds. “Besides, we’re not trekking anywhere. At least, that’s what my impressed was.”

“But those are Elites, Static. I know you’ve read the reports about them.”

“And you actually read a report?” Static countered without looking up.

“Well, a little. Maybe. Okay, fine, I didn’t, but I heard things, okay? Besides, I thought they had all died out. It’s been months since the Canterlot incident. Weren’t they on a time limit or something?”

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear or read. A lot of information and dates are changed. Besides, all that is irrelevant. We’re here because we have to be,” Static said as he placed a card on a pile, then, using his magic, shifted the pile to another and he nodded in appreciation and flipped over the uncovered card. Again, he cursed under his breath. It wasn’t the one he needed. He picked up the graveyard pile and flipped it over. “Did you know that Tourmaline was involved in that Canterlot mission?”

“Really?” Sonic sat down on a sofa heavily, the old wooden legs groaned under his weight. “Doesn’t surprise me. He’s always been the brains in our outfit. Last I heard he was asking for a transfer out of the BG. Rumor has it that the Inquisition wants him.”

“Investigators, Sonic. No need to compound that particular memory,” Static replied.

“Well, whatever. Brains stick with brains, and the brainiest bunch of brains is them.”

Static couldn’t deny that.

A knock on the door made them both shift their gaze. Static reached for his dagger and casually slipped it under his playing cards, which he pushed over to hide it. Then he placed his mini-crossbow between his legs where he sat and held it loosely in his left hoof, turning so that he would get a clear shot at the door. As a precaution.

Sonic flew towards the door, but as he reached the corridor that led past the bathroom, he walked, placing him carefully along the wall far wall as low as comfortably possible. He looked at Static who gave him a nod.

“Who is it?” Sonic asked keeping his voice friendly.

“It’s Providence. I want to talk to you two.”

“Just a second,” Sonic opened the closet door, where their larger weapons were kept, and placed his sword behind where the door would swing, pulling it out a couple inches from the sheath so that it wasn’t locked into the scabbard. He then pulled the door open slightly and peered through the crack.

The pegasus looked at him and smiled weakly. “Hi.”

Sonic pulled the door open the entire way and gestured for her to come in. He closed the door behind her and deftly replaced his weapon back into the sheath and then back into the closet, closing the sliding door gently. He did it so smoothly that Providence never once turned around.

Static looked at the mare and picked up his crossbow and removed the loaded bolt and placed the weapon on the table in front of him. This wasn’t lost on Providence.

“Have I come at a bad time?”

“No, just being careful. I’m familiar with the Elites and their abilities, so just being careful. What can we do for you, miss?”

“It’s about this mission,” Providence began, but it was clear she didn’t know where to start. She started looking around the room nervously.

“Please, seat yourself down,” Static replied and pointed to the seat next to him. “You have some concerns?”

“Yes. It’s about where we’re going. I’ve asked Semper if I could come and tell you myself what’s at stake here. I don’t want you going on a mission that you don’t know anything about or the purpose. He’s agreed that it might be better for you to hear it from me instead of him. You see, I’m a writer, but I like to write about myself and what I’ve done using my experience as a form of biography. I felt that it would draw in my readers better. Then, one day, I was injected with that poison the Elites have.”

“Yes, I remember reading about that,” Static said leaning back. “The narcotic.”

“After what has happened, I’ve been researching ways of curing this… problem. First we tried curing it using medicines, then the Zebricans used their potions, which helped to slow down the inevitable. We were finally able to get an ample supply of a close replica, which is what the report was about.”

“That’s the filly in question.”

“Her name is Rose,” Providence said coldly. “Don’t ever forget it.”

“Of course. Rose. I apologize.”

“It helped. We searched for clues as to how to cure our ailment, all the while remaining hidden from Equestrian notice. In the end the only clue we found was from the Canterlot library describing a condition where the Cutie Marks could change,” Providence placed a beat-up book on the table. From the cover it was clear that it was a book on botany, and very dated. Not an old artifact book, but nothing new either. She flipped the pages open until she got the page she wanted and turned it around for Static to read.

“Heart’s Desire?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never heard of it.” Static read on. “Interesting. It has a relatively high chance of causing Cutie Pox.”

“What’s Cutie Pox?” Sonic asked look over Static’s shoulder at the book.

“It’s this condition where you get Cutie Marks appearing that sort of mimics your true talent,” Static replied. “Like Chicken Pox, you can only get it once and when you get your actual Cutie Mark you are automatically immune to it.”

“Wow, you certainly know your flower.”

A dry look passed over Static’s face. “It’s written right here, you nincompoop. I was abbreviating it for you.”

“Oh. You do know that I can read.”

“We don’t have time for you to learn the words, Sonic.”

The pagasus made a face. “Fine, I’ll just sit over there then.”

“So,” Static said looking at Providence, “you looked for something that would change your Cutie Mark. Why?”

“Look at mine,” Providence said turning so they could take a good look at it. “It’s almost gone. It won’t be long till it completely disappears. As it goes, my memories and everything I’ve ever known is slipping away. Maybe, just maybe, if we find a magic that can change our marks we can change it back too!”

“And that was what made you come across the Stone of the Fates. But it sounds like a very, very, very long shot. How do you know if this legend even is true?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Semper has no choice, he’s been assigned this mission by the Council.”

“Wait. A direct mission by the Council? For this? Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious. To get him out of their mane.”

Static raised a single eyebrow. “Really? The last time they let him do his own thing, didn’t he bring you lot back?”

“We had… help. A few of the Council members have histories with certain groups in Freeport. I think somepony must have leveraged that knowledge to get Semper to become part of this mission. But the two of you… you’re only here based on a mission card. I asked him and he’s agreed. If you don’t want to come with us, then you can head back to Equestria. I am not going to be responsible for any more ponies dying to try and save me.”

“Save you?” Sonic furrowed his brow. “I thought that the Elites are in it for themselves.”

“Somewhat. Most of them are coming with me because they want to help. Most of them have completely lost memories of their past selves. A lot of them are actually Blank Flanks.”

“I see. That makes finding a Cutie Mark altering substances a prominent aspect of this mission.”

“No. That was what we tried to do. That was what led to the narcotic in the first place. Without knowing the primary ingredient, there’s no reason to try. I don’t think we’ll ever find it. We have to resort to other means.”

“Magic,” Static said looking at the mare’s face.

“Magic,” she replied, nodding once to affirm his deduction. “That’s why I wanted to ask you if you really do want to come with us. Or head home. I can do this with the Elites.”

“And Semper?”

“He refuses to leave.”

“Well, all you’ve done is cement our resolve to stay too,” Sonic said with a wide grin.

“The idiot has a point,” Static concurred.

“Hey!” Sonic replied with a frown on his face.

“First off, we’re Guards, and whether we like it or not, we have a mission to do. It’s our job to protect Her Highness’ subjects, even the Elites deserve our protection since they are now technically subjects too. We’re not going to abandon you or the Elites. That would be an insult to the Guard as a whole.”

“Not to mention giving the Royal Guards something to harp on about,” Sonic stated bluntly.

“But it’s going to be very dangerous.”

“So?” both Border Guards replied.

“You know, Semper said the same thing.”

“In not so many words, I think,” Static said with a good humored wink.

Providence couldn’t help but smile at that. “Thank you. Um… in that case we should probably get to work. Could you help Pani and me solve the riddle of the Stone of Fates?”

“With pleasure.”

“What about me? Can’t I help?” Sonic asked.

“Actually, Semper wanted to see you. He’s outside with Raze.”

Sonic made a face. “Aw, come on! I just got in from that furnace!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll survive,” Static said as he led Providence towards the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Whatever.”

Static shook his head and closed the door behind him.

Sonic stood just inside the door and looked outside into the desert. He could feel the air bleeding in from the outside. If it weren’t for the slow moving fans high above, he doubted he’d be able to tell the difference from where he stood and the heat from the outside. Sighing, he stepped through the swinging doors and outside.

The first thing he did was turn his head to the side at the thing in front of him. It looked like a ship. No, a boat. A small boat. He noticed two ponies talking to a camel and floated on over.

“Semper, sir,” Sonic muttered lazily. “Reporting for duty.”

“About time,” Raze said and looked at the stallion, her deep green eyes seemed to peer into his very soul. “We started without you.”

“As I was saying,” the camel said in heavily accented Equestrian, “this is a sand skimmer. Travelling in the deep desert is too dangerous by any other means, so you’ll be sailing these from here on out. Plus it will be easier to carry your supplies.”

“Sand skimmer?” Sonic asked and landed next to the boat. He looked at the device with renewed interest. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s it do?”

“Well, it lets you skim over the sand at fast speeds for extended periods of time. The deep interior of the desert is like an ocean, and what better way to cross an ocean than on a boat! So, that’s what I’m here to do. Teach you how to sail a skimmer.”

The skimmer was not too dissimilar to a tri-hull boat that Sonic had seen for recreational use back home on lakes and even along the coast. The main hull was where you’d sit, and it was long, with a lot of emphasis placed on the middle where the mast rose up quite considerably. Two sails, both of which were now folded, went from the top of the mast to the rear and bow of the boat.

“Two sails?” Sonic asked.

“Mainsail,” Semper said pointing to the one that lay across the front towards the back. He then pointed to the front sail, “jib.”

“Yeah, okay. How do you steer?”

“Here,” Raze said pointing to a lever raising out of the main middle hull about a quarter of the way from the rear. “This steers it. Unlike on a sailing ship, you don’t have a rudder to create friction. These control those skis, which angle themselves and pulls the skimmer in that direction.”

To illustrate that point, Raze pulled the lever to the left. Sonic noticed a rope that ran along the edge of the inside of the boat near the center of the hull towards the front then it went underneath a strategic cross beam that looked like it acted as a support. From there it reached the two long arms that connected the other two hulls to the middle one. When she pulled it, the ski tilted slightly inwards and turned. The more she pulled, the steeper the angle. As she let go, the ski withdrew a little becoming flatter as it did so.

“Looks tough,” Sonic said.

“Only because it’s not moving. It will be easy when we actually move,” Raze said.

“I see. How come we don’t take an airship instead?” Sonic asked.

“I’ve asked that very same question, actually,” Raze replied. “According to the camels, pointless. They’d be targets for the wyrms.”

“Worms? What?”

At that, Raze giggled. “Now I see why Static keeps hitting you. It is rather tempting.”

“Hey! I don’t see why worms would be a concern? How do those slimy, slithering things be of any danger to an airship.”

“Not those kind of worms, silly.” Raze tiled her head. “You don’t know much of what goes on outside of the Known Lands do you?”

“Should I?”

“As a Border Guard? Yes. I think you should,” the mare replied.

“But worms?”

“Think of a snake and a dumb dragon had a baby together. That’s a wyrm. They are huge slithering creatures that lives deep under the sands of the central desert areas,” Raze tilted her head to the side. “They even eat dragons that fly over the desert. Sometimes big ones too. They only attack things in the air, so if you get any bright ideas, fly boy, about gliding along in the sky… well, let’s just say that you won’t be going home in one piece.”

“What? How’s that even possible?”

“Wyrms lie with one eye looking up, so when we traverse the surface of the sand it will look like stones we would avoid. They won’t notice us unless we sail over one of them, and even then they might not notice us.” The camel patted the bow of the skimmer. “Stay low and move fast.”

“He’s right. We might have problems with smaller wyrms, but the skimmers are much faster then them. If you happen to accidentally go over the eyes of a smaller wyrm then just keep sailing. They don’t chase for very long. The camels use this mode of transport all the time. Although, there are other dangers out there in the deep desert hidden behind those dunes.”

“Oh? Like?”

“You name it,” Raze said. “Scorpions, snakes. Even out here you’ll find a few nomadic camel tribes that attack towns and villages along the desert’s edges.”

“Bandits? Really?” Sonic sighed. “And just who is nuts enough to live this far away from anything?”

“Didn’t I just tell you that?” Raze walked over and poked Sonic on his chest. “Nomadic. Camel. Tribes.”

“Okay, okay. So, I gotta learn how to sail one of these doohickeys, eh? Okay. It doesn’t look too hard. What do I do?”

“First, we learn one another’s names. You are Sonic. Hello Sonic. I am Samidra.” The camel walked to the rear of the skimmer. “Sit. We will start now.”

“These maps aren’t very accurate. It’ll be very difficult for us to pinpoint any place,” Static said as he looked up at Pani. “Don’t we have any other maps?”

“No.”

Static walked over to the window and stared outside it. He could see Sonic and the Elite known as Raze sitting in one of those strange sand boats they had planned to use to travel with. It looked easy enough, but they were not going anywhere until they found out where they had to go, and judging from his resources that was going to be a long time.

Static sighed and turned back to the table and sat down. It had been four days since their arrival, and all they’ve managed to do was isolate the area into a ten-mile square plot of land. They might as well be looking for a needle in a haystack. It was too far for Sonic to fly and scout, and even if he had suggested it, the others would have forbidden it. Apparently these wyrms were that dangerous. Static doubted that at his highest altitudes Sonic would be in any danger, but the camels were very insistent. Even at night they were quite sure it would be equivalent to suicide.

There was a commotion outside.

“What’s going on?” Pani asked as a Silver was running out the door.

“Airship.”

“What? Why of all foolish things!” Pani got up and he too made for the outside.

Static galloped afterwards followed by Providence who was hovering just off the ground. Once they were outside they all looked up and there was no mistaking it. It was an airship. It was very high up in the sky, far higher than a pegasus could fly. Only a balloon airship was capable of achieving those altitudes. What was it doing all the way up there? And why was it heading south? There was nothing out there except sand for thousands of miles.

“You’re going to see something amazing!” Samidra shouted. “Watch!”

They all did. All of them.

It was the wolves that reacted first. Their heightened hunting senses must have picked up something because they started whimpering and slowly skulking towards the entrance of the inn, but refusing to go in. Curiosity killed the wolf? Then Static felt it. It was subtle at first, but there was some sort of electrical energy in the air that progressively grew stronger and stronger. And it felt like it had absolutely no limit.

“Why is she doing?” Pani asked again to no one in particular. “That is suicide.”

Static shook his head. “She’s way too far for anything to happen to–”

Suddenly there was a tremendous roar as something exploded sending a pillar of sand straight into the air, like some sort of volcano. The ground over a mile away from where they all stood, or perhaps further rose out of the ground. It was hard to tell because of its sheer size. It shot straight up right towards the airship, and it didn’t stop. As it rose, the sand peeled off causing the sky to become blanketed with sand.

Then its upward moment ceased just as suddenly as it began. The creature, now visible, wavered in the air for a moment and looked like it was going to crash down. A creature that size smashing into the ground would have caused some substantial impact, but before it tipped too far it shot a long red object exploded its head that hit the airship. Like a chameleon catching its prey, the tongue hit the airship.

“They are firing,” Sonic said.

Sure enough, from where they stood they saw balls of fire and spoke explode in a furious cannonade as flashes could be seen pelting the creature. If any damage was had, it was impossible to see from where they were. Suddenly the wyrm let out a bellowing groan that sounded like a large steel door being shut slowly. It slumped over a little and collapsed down on itself, like a strange accordion. It got to a point where it could go no further down and swayed sideways before slamming into desert with a resounding crash kicking up another gigantic wall of dust seemed to create a tsunami.

Then two more pillars of sand exploded from the ground and reached towards the airship in unison. There was a futile attempt from the ship to fight them off, but in the end it was inevitable. There was nothing anyone could do but watch as the airship was dragged down towards the desert floor. As they brought it lower, smaller wyrms reached for it in an attempt to steal the prey.

Eventually the balloon itself must have exploded as it touched the ground, the area enveloping in blue smog as the magical gasses burned away from what must have been fire somewhere on the ship.

“What were those idiots thinking?” Samidra stated when the airship disappeared over the horizon, the blue smoke still billowing.

“That’s a good question. Why come all the way out here. I mean, they had to have known about the dangers. They were armed well enough for an attack of that caliber.” Static shrugged. He was about to return to the study when he stopped and spun around. “Wait a minute!”

“What?” Providence asked.

“Did you or anypony here talk about this mission?” Static asked.

Not a single one step forward.

“Come on, don’t be scared. I really need to know. It’s important!”

Still, nobody stepped forward.

But there was nopony there that would. In fact, as far as Static knew, most of these ponies had been here for the past month. At least, that was the impression he got from the way things panned out. So, by powers of deduction, that meant only one thing.

“Sonic!”

“What?”

“Who in Celestia’s mane did you talk to about this?”

“Nopony! I swear. Except me mother, but she wouldn’t… oh no.”

“’Oh no’ is right, but I think you just saved us,” Static muttered the last part to himself still glaring at the pegasus, who shrugged in return. “Don’t talk about our missions! You know this!”

“Yeah, but she was pestering me and I was angry. I forgot, okay? I just wanted her to stop nagging me!”

Raze giggled at that. “I always admire a stallion who isn’t afraid of speaking their mind, despite the fact that most of the times this would make things worse.”

At those words, Sonic could only growl.

“As punishment, you’re going to take a skimmer and find the wreckage. If there’s anything left, we might be able to find some clue as to why they were out here.” He turned to Pani. “Is there anything out there that we can use as a landmark to meet up?”

“Yes. There’s the Caldera. It’s not far, about a three day’s trip on the skimmers from here,” Pani said pointing across the dunes. “Four if you’re going to the wreckage. But it’s not safe to move for now. The dead wyrm will attract many undesirables from miles and miles around. Wyrms aren’t the only abominations living on the sands, or under it. They are just the most common.”

“Oh great!” Sonic muttered.

“That’s fine. I’ll need two teams to head towards the airship. The rest of you head to this Caldera. I’ll also need two ponies or camels who know what or where this caldera is to come with the airship team, in case something should happen to one of them.”

Raze stepped forward. “I’ll go. I know where this Caldera is, and it will be nice to see what you Guards can do.”

“Haven’t you already seen Semper?”

“He doesn’t count. He’s… different from us,” Raze said looking at Semper still staring at the wyrms in the distance with an unreadable expression. “He looks like us, talks like us, but I’m still not convinced he is one of us.”

Static smirked. “Oh? You mean like how you think he might’ve been carved out of stone by Her Highness herself?”

“I am more inclined to believe that then anything else, actually.”

“Save the idle chit-chat for later. We need to move. The longer we wait, the less likely that ship will still be in any use to us.”

“Why the hurry?” Pani asked. “Don’t worry about it, things will calm down and it will be safer for us to go after that.”

“You don’t understand,” the white unicorn answered. “Somepony knows what we’re here for. They knew about the wyrms, but probably not how many they were. They’ll learn and they’ll come back. Somepony wants to get to this… Rock of Destiny—”

“Stone of Fate,” Pani corrected.

“Whatever. Somepony knows and wants it for themselves. We have to go and we have to go now. We can puzzle things out on the way, but we need to start moving.”

“I’m sorry,” Sonic muttered.

“Don’t be. We weren’t getting anywhere with the information we had. Your mouth might have saved this mission, but nothing will happen if we don’t act.”

“What do you mean?” Providence asked.

“That airship was set on a course. They knew where to go, and were heading there. That was apparent. Therefore, they must have known something about the dangers since the ship was heavily armed enough to take out a wyrm. That means that something on that ship might help us along. They were heading south by southwest, that puts the Caldera in a relatively good position. What is it, by the way?”

“Well, it’s basically what we say it is. It’s an ancient volcano that has been extinct for a long, long time. It’s riddles with caves and is home to plenty of creatures, none of which are necessarily dangerous to us directly, but there are scorpions that live there that are as small as your hoof, but have enough venom to knock you flat on your flank.” Pani drew a circle around in the dirt. “Nocamel has ever been over the ridge because the cliffs are too steep to climb. An airship would be ideal to get over it, but you know how tricky that is.”

“So, nopony knows what’s on the other side?” Static asked.

“No.”

Sonic laughed and slapped his forehead. “Well, would you look at that, guess we don’t need to go to that airship after all. Isn’t it painfully obvious it’s inside whatever that Caldera is? We go there, use myself and the other pegasi Elites to fly up the sides, and boom! Mission done.”

The camel smirked. “Very good! Only, there’s just one more thing.”

“What?”

“Oh, just that it also happens to be a wyrm breeding ground. And the little ones litter the base of the Caldera. Since they’re not as big as their parents, they won’t jump as high, but they will jump high enough to get anything they see trying to scale the side of the cliffs.”

“Oh. So… no flying?”

“I’m not saying ‘no’, just letting you understand the danger.” Pani laughed lightly. “Well, worry not, I’m sure that whatever we’re looking for is outside said Caldera.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I somehow doubt anycamel would be able to put something inside there,” Pani said. “Although, if I were wanting to hide something, that’s the perfect place for it.”

Static nodded. “Sonic might be onto something. Just in case, we’ll proceed with the current plan. Two teams are to come with me. That’s six ponies. The rest will head directly to the Caldera. My team will leave now; the others will leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn. I’d rather risk being sure than sending everypony to this Caldera for no reason.”

“… and who died and made you in charge?” Asked another Elite. His dark eyes focusing on the unicorn with pure malice, or it seemed like he was. It was hard to tell. “Last I checked we were following The Guard’s orders.”

At that, Static’s eyes floated over to the pony in question. ‘The Guard’. Indeed. As if he were the only one there. And yet, Static could not imagine a more descriptive moniker for him. Semper stood where he had remained still looking at the wyrms dancing in the distance. They swayed angrily, a few plunging downwards and raising themselves up again with their mouths clamped tightly around something. They were feasting on the freshly dead one.

“The plan is sound. Do it.”

At once every Elite saluted in a poor imitation of the Guard salute, and immediately set about different tasks. As they went about their work, Static wondered what Semper had done to achieve such blind loyalty from these killers. What had they gone through together? Some part of him strangely felt jealous, that these barbaric warriors had the pleasure of serving for so long under this stallion. There was something about him that drew Static.

Mission 7, Part 3: Dangerous Sands

The skimmer raced over the sands. It really did live up to its name, the way it glided across the desert like a boat on water. Static knew that they had to make good time before the sun set, already the smoke from the downed airship was slowing. He hoped that they weren’t already too late. He tried not to think about the airship burning itself to an unsalvageable husk, but he knew that even if the chance was slim, they needed to search through the debris and find something.

“Look! They are feeding!” Samidra shouted, pointing at another wyrm taking bites out of the closer end of the dead one’s carcass. It was at least a mile or more away, but the size of it made Static shudder. Every bite seemed to slice the dead one in half. “The blue smoke comes from there!”

“We can’t go ‘round! It’ll take too long!” Static shouted over the rushing wind. “We head straight!”

The young female camel said nothing in response.

The Elite that was riding with them, the silent one named Torment, sat at the front and stared at Static unblinkingly. Providence said that he couldn’t talk, but Static wasn’t sure if that was true. Perhaps he wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t. The way he just sat there and stared was unnerving. Static and Samidra sat at the rear of the skimmer to help balance the weight of the cargo they brought with them. The most precious of which were three large barrels of water, more precious than their weight in Equestrian bits this far in the desert.

Not far ahead was Sonic steering the other skimmer with Raze sitting near him at the back. They were talking with one another, but it was clear that Sonic was getting annoyed at the mare. At the front was another Elite named Onslaught. He was a huge pegasus stallion, but his wings were too tiny to be of any use. He seemed quite content to be sitting away from the other two and was staring off into the distance.

Both Static and Sonic had thought that Semper would come with them, but he didn’t. He opted to instead accompany Providence to the Caldera with the others along with Pani leading the way. To Static, it was strange. All these hardened killers were flocking towards Providence as if she were the only thing left for them. She was their mother, daughter, sister, aunt, or whatever else to the rest of the Elites. The obeyed Semper, but they did it because he was there trying to help her. If it weren’t for that fact, would they still obey him? Maybe.

The plan was simple. Static and his group would take the skimmers around the near side of the dead wyrm and head for the downed airship and salvage whatever they could. The others would traverse on the far side of the desert avoiding coming close to the wyrm’s corpse and secure a campsite along the western tip that had a slightly elevated rocky outcrop. Pani did not know what to call it but Providence, who spoke a little of the camel language had translated it to something akin to ‘peninsula’, but elevated from the sand.

According to Pani, the wyrms could not hide on the rocky terrain but it was home to other deadly creatures and something else that the camels could not translate into Equestrian. Providence translated the word to the only closest thing she could: ghosts.

Semper not coming with them was something Static had not expected, but it wasn’t the only surprise he had to deal with. Static wanted to travel with Sonic and Samidra as they were the logical choice. But Raze had insisted so strongly on going with Sonic that there were moments were Static expected her to throw herself onto the ground in a tantrum. So Torment switched places. A part of him actually liked the silence that the Elite offered instead of the constant wisecracking barrage that Sonic couldn’t seem to switch off. It was a nice change of pace if only Torment would stop glancing over towards him.

“What about continuing on through the night?” Static shouted.

Samidra shook her head and laughed as if she had heard the silliest thing in the world. “No, no. Impossible. The night is not a time for us. We will camp, light our skimmers with the halos and sleep.”

At those words, Static looked at the strange ring of crystals that hung from the top of the mast. He had seen it before, but because he had spent most of his time trying to help Providence and Pani solve the riddle of the Stone of Fates, he didn’t actually get to see what it did.

“Why? Can’t we continue under the light of the halo?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’ve never done it before. But the night brings out different and stranger creatures,” Samidra shouted back. “They sleep in the day. The don’t like the light.”

“Like what? What sort of creatures?”

Samidra shrugged. “I don’t know.”

An annoyed look flashed across Static’s face. There was one thing he began noticing about these camels and it was starting to annoy him. They lived here, these were their massive lands. Granted, the camels, much like their Zebrican neighbors, did not have a central ruling system, but were a race that banded together out of mutual necessity. However, unlike the Zebricans, the camels seemed to know next to nothing about their own homeland. They seemed to be content on living as things come.

Onwards they travelled without anything eventful taking place. At sunset, Static slowed the skimmer by loosening the mainsail and telling Torment to do the same with the jib. The two sails flapped around sporadically in the wind.

“Lower the sails,” Static shouted and turned his attention to Sonic and his skimmer coming to a halt nearby. When Static looked back at the sail he noted both the jib and mainsail were already being clamped down. Torment had done it so deftly that Static contemplated if the Elite had experience with ships before.

Samidra, seeing that the sales were lowered, jumped up and over the edge of the skimmer.

“Wait!” Static yelled before he could stop himself.

The camel landed on the sand and immediately jumped back onto the boat. “What? Did you see one? Did you notice something?”

“No, no. I forgot that we were on land,” Static replied exasperatedly and rubbed his hoof against his face. “I can’t believe it. I actually thought you were jumping into water.”

Samidra giggled. “You Equestrians are strange. There’s no water here.”

Static wanted to make a sarcastic response to the obviousness of the statement, but decided against it. He didn’t know if Samidra understood sarcasm, or whether she was being sarcastic.

“Wow. Look at him go,” Sonic said pointing up at Static’s mast.

At the top, Torment was aligning the crystals making them start their eerie white glow. It illuminated the sand around them making it look like they were on top of a pile of sugar.

Sonic spread his wings, then looked at Samidra.

“It should be okay if it’s the height of the mast,” the camel acknowledged.

Sonic smiled and pushed his wings to reach the halo and align the crystals. He reluctantly allowed himself to float down to the ground. When he touched the ground he looked up at the big expansive sky and sighed.

“Hate that I can’t fly.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Razed replied nonchalantly. “I miss flying, but you’ll get used to it.”

“Wait. You could fly? But you’re an earth pony!”

“Yes, I could fly. Until my wings were ripped off.”

“Y-your wings were ripped off? Didn’t that hurt?”

Raze nodded with a vacant expression on her face. “Oh yes. It hurt quite a lot. Almost died too.”

“Who did that to you?”

Raze pointed at Onslaught. “He did.”

“Under orders,” Onslaught replied without missing a beat. “But she got me good. She cut me across the throat. You can’t see it, but if I shave my fur under my neck you will. Doc saved my life then. But she would’ve killed me if I hadn’t pass out from blood loss.”

Raze laughed at that. “Yeah, but if I did kill you then you wouldn’t be here now!”

The huge pagsus nodded. “True.”

“Wow!” Sonic said looking at the two of them. “How in hay are you two still friends?”

“Friends? Oh no, don’t confuse us as friends. We are using one another to advance our own personal agendas. Nothing more. If he gets in my way, I will finish the job,” Raze said indifferently.

“Same here. There is nothing wrong with her way of thinking,” Onslaught agreed.

At that, Sonic slammed his hoof down on the side of his skimmer’s hull. “Nothing wrong? Nothing wrong! There’s everything wrong! Y-you guys aren’t just some… whatever! You guys are ponies and killing each other is wrong.”

Raze suddenly lunged and placed his dagger against Sonic’s throat. He had leaned back out of reflex sending both himself and the mare off the skimmer and landing on the sand. It was so sudden that Static had barely enough time to react.

Sonic had crossed his forehoof in front of his neck so that the blade didn’t go straight for his neck. There was a bit of a barrier between the himself and the blade, but it seemed that Raze was in full control over her weapon. Summoning a quick charge, Static made to intervene, but stopped himself when Torment held his forearm across Static’s path. Torment shook his head slowly. In a way, the Elite was right. It was way too dangerous. Still, Static charged his magic. He had learnt to do it without his horn glowing, a skill that was supposed to take a long time to master, but he had done it. And it had proven to be a very useful skill.

“How dare you?” Raze screamed, spittle flying down onto Sonic’s face as he tried to turn away. “How dare you? Don’t you think for once that we don’t think it’s wrong? But who are you to judge us? Don’t you dare judge me, Guard! Don’t you ever judge me! You have no right! No right at all!”

“We,” Sonic grunted and he tried to push the mare off of him, “just want to protect everypony!”

“Protect? Protect! Where were you when I was taken from my home? Where were you when I was taken away from my family? Where were you when I was cold, shivering in a cell? Where were you when I was forced to do things I didn’t want to? Where were you when I had my wings ripped off my body? Where were you when I needed you? Where? Where! Answer me! The Guard is supposed to protect me? Where were you when I needed you the most? Where?”

There was nothing anyone could say that. Her final scream seemed to reverberate through their souls as her voice died out amongst the sands. In its place was a deep silence that seemed to perpetuate the very ether.

And she was right.

Sonic’s eyes widened as he felt something drip onto his cheek. Tears. Genuine, angry, justified tears. The stallion turned his face towards the mare and he saw her, really saw her, for the first time. Not the killer, not the Elite, but her.

“I’m sorry.”

Those words made Raze blink in bewilderment. She had expected excuses, expected him to tell her that it wasn’t his fault, that he wasn’t a Guard and that there was nothing he could’ve done for her even if he had wanted to. She had heard many Guards say that to her before, usually moments before she sliced them open, but never in her entire life, at least as far as she could remember, did one actually have the nerve to apologize.

“No.” Raze pushed Sonic’s head down harder into the sand, twisted his head sadistically so he would eat the granules. “No. You don’t get to apologize! None of you do! You think it’s that simple? You think that after years of torment and pain you just get to say sorry and it’s all better?”

Raze drew her sword. Sonic looked at the mare and did nothing.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your useless sorrys! I want an answer!” Raze screamed.

“What do you want me to say? That there was nothing I could do? Not my fault? I can’t even say that. I might not be the brightest tool in the shed, but I know things! I know I wasn’t there, and I know that I can’t say anything to change that. I made a vow to protect you, we all did. We failed. Nothing I can say will ever excuse us. We weren’t there. But if you let me, I can make sure that it won’t happen ever again to anypony else.”

Those words hit Static hard in the gut. He wasn’t saying sorry for himself, Sonic was apologizing on behalf of the entire Guard. How many ponies like Raze and the other Elites had to suffer unknown horrors because the Guard wasn’t there for them? It was impossible to know. And the seeds of that anger and hate were sewn deep.

Raze dropped her blade and dropped down to the ground, and rolled herself off of Sonic and into a fetal position. Her body shook with silent sobs.

“But if it means anything,” Sonic said gently as he leaned up and looked over the mare, “for as long as I live, I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.”

“Liar!”

He knelt next to Raze. “I have no reason to lie to you. I’ll never know what happened, but I will make sure that you never, ever, ever have to relive it. Ever.”

The mare did not respond for a long time. Then, almost inaudibly, she spoke. “Promise?”

“Yes. I do.”

Raze looked at Sonic, her light green eyes peering deep into his. She wiped her nose with the back of her foreleg and nodded. “Okay. But if you break your promise, I’ll cut you in half.”

“If I break that promise, I’ll do the honor myself.”

Strangely, that made the mare giggle.

Torment nodded and lowered his hoof. As he did, Static released the magic he had stored. Onslaught, whom Static did not notice until that moment, lowered his crossbow and removed the bolt loaded onto it. Was he pointing it at him, Raze, or Sonic? He had not noticed. How could such a huge pony go undetected by him?

The only one that seemed unaffected by everything was the camel, who was now placing a small magic-powered cooker on the ground between two skimmers where the lights from where the two halo lamps merged. The heated magic almost took hold at once and in a few seconds the red-hot crystal had a bowl of water placed over it. Samidra cut a few vegetables into it and then poured a mix into the pot before beginning to stir.

“You ponies have strange customs,” Samidra said nonchalantly.

“Um… what are you making?” Static asked, trying his best to lighten an already tense mood.

“Kichdi. Lentil and rice mix,” Samidra grinned. “It’s easy to make, so that’s what we’ll eat.”

“Sounds boring,” Sonic muttered as Raze sat up and again wiped her leaking nose.

The camel laughed lightheartedly. “Sometimes it’s the simplest of foods that taste the best!”

And, true to her word, it certainly was delicious. They all ate heartily, especially Onslaught, who had the wherewithal to wait until the others had a significant helping before he took the entire pot and seemed to suck in the concoction.

“Where do you put it all?” Static asked, not realizing he had said it out loud.

The stallion looked up and flexed his forelegs. “Right here!” He kissed his biceps for emphasis.

They all laughed at the large stallion’s expense. Except for Torment, who sat alone on the skimmer looking towards the distance. He seemed lost in thought.

“What’s his story?” Static asked.

“His? No clue. He was already an Elite before I… before they injected that poison into me. He’s one of the oldest, I think. The others like him are all gone. All the older ones. Elites, I mean.” Onslaught gulped down another mouthful. “He’s one of the most dangerous. I wouldn’t turn your back on him.”

Static looked at the stallion quietly sitting alone. “Anything else?”

“Never even heard him speak before. Thing is, when he was aboard the Eleonora, he kept out of the way for the most part. Spent most of his time in the lower levels in the dark with the feeding tanks for the wild animals. We used to transport huge vats of apples and he’d just stay in there. You see, most of the Watu are scum. Funny coming from me, but it’s true. Elites usually were the difficult ones. The problem children. We refused to obey, refused to kill, refused to do things. Part of the reason why they injected that gunk into us. As for my past life from before? Can’t remember anything. I think I was exiled, but then again I just can’t remember.”

“Didn’t you look it up? Most banishments are recorded,” Static replied.

The large pegasus chuckled. “Would you? Even if I did discover who I was, doesn’t mean I’m that pony anymore. My friends and family must have moved on. Even if they did remember me, I don’t remember them. Plus, I’m a killer. Pure and simple. I can’t go back to that life. Right now I’m just tagging along on this adventure. When my time comes, I hope I can go out doing something good and redeem a little of myself. Thing is, I remember the things I don’t wanna. The ponies I’ve killed. The slave escorts I’ve done. All of it.”

“But what about this whole thing about changing your Cutie Mark?”

Onslaught let out a large hearty laugh. “Really? You believe that? Whole lot of phooey if you ask me. Complete nonsense. Change my fate? Right. Sure. Why not. I’m only here because there’s no other place for me to go.”

“Not all share that sentiment,” Raze muttered. “Even if there’s only a slim chance, I’d take it.”

“Like I said, sure. Why not. Having something to believe in is fine, but I am not here for hope. I’m here for Providence. She’s got a family. A daughter. And she remembers. That’s something worth respecting. And, even if it seems small, I’d like to help her go home. That’s my only reason for being here and being bossed about. That and they have they have the last drops of the narcotic, so I have to be close by anyway.”

“Last drops?”

“Yeah. It’s almost all gone now. If we don’t find a way to end it soon, we’ll all go berserk. If that happens,” Onslaught threw his crossbow next to the cooking stove, “put a bolt between my eyes. Otherwise I’ll shove this blade up yours.”

Every one of them looked at the weapon.

“This is our reality,” Raze said in the silence and looked at Sonic. “Will you do the same for me?”

“It won’t come to that,” Sonic replied without missing a beat. “It can’t.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Onslaught replied. “Especially to us. We’ve all had our hopes crushed. Don’t make it worse.”

“You know, that’s what I thought before,” Sonic began, “when I saw all of you at the inn. I didn’t understand. I don’t. But he wouldn’t be here if there’s nothing. I know Semper. Maybe not as good as you guys, but I do know him. He’ll pull through. And we’ll be there with him.”

The Elites all looked at Sonic in silence for a long moment. Even Torment was now staring at the Guard. They all wore unreadable expressions, but they all felt what Static felt. A fleeting glimpse at something impossible. Could Semper really bring salvation to these ponies?

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Static put in. “We have no idea what’s out here. Let’s find this thing first before we decide what’s possible or not.”

“Good and sound advice,” Onslaught replied, nodding in agreement.

Raze looked at Sonic. “I prefer the dreamer.”

The rest of the conversation was muted. None had anything to say and most were lost in their own thoughts. Soon dinner was finished, Samidra washing the dishes with a little of the water they had brought with them.

The order of the watch was decided. Sonic volunteered to go first, Raze next, then Onslaught, Static, and finally Torment. Samidra was spared of the responsibility because she had cooked.

Sonic hugged the blanket. He had listened to Static when he explained the reason why it was so ridiculously hot in the day and nearly freezing cold at night, but he still could not accept such a huge shift in temperature. Hours ago he would have given anything to throw off his armor, but now he was huddling up to his blanket as tightly as he could. He wanted to use the stove to keep warm, but Samidra had insisted they all sleep on the skimmers and wood and hot stoves don’t mix. He then wanted to sleep on the sand, but again Samidra advised against. As if the flimsy wooden skimmers were any protection whatsoever. The camel kept saying they could not in case they got swallowed up in the sand at night. As to why that could be, she couldn’t answer, which visibly irked Static.

That brought a smile to Sonic’s face. A part of him always liked seeing Static annoyed for some reason.

His eyes wandered around the desert near him, but he saw nothing. It wasn’t even pitch black and he had a good area of visibility. The halos, however, didn’t help. They limited his vision and, being a pegasus, that was quite irritating. He could probably see a lot further if they switched them off. Maybe be even quieter too. The persistent humming when they were turned on really infuriated him.

Try as he might, Sonic kept defaulting back to the sleeping form of Raze. From where he sat on the skimmer, she was right in front of him sleeping under the mast with her blanket covering everything except the very top of her head. What she said to him really disturbed his inner peace. Of course he understood it wasn’t his fault, how could it be? But something about her plight just ate away at Sonic. It was the mare herself that made him feel strange.

“Why’re you staring at me?” Raze asked from behind her sheet.

“Wha- what? I wasn’t staring at—”

She sat up and blinked her eyes at the lights from above her. She leaned in with a raised eyebrow. “I could feel your eyes boring into my skull.”

“Okay. I might’ve been looking, but I wasn’t staring. Just my angle,” he shifted in his seat for emphasis, “and you’re right there in front of me.”

“We Elites don’t really sleep,” Raze said quietly. “Yes, we rest our body and minds, but we don’t really sleep. Can’t. I don’t know when the last time I had a good sleep was.”

“Oh?”

“Need some company?” She asked.

He shook his head. “Nah. I’m good.”

She stood up and walked over to him and plonked herself next to the Guard. “Y’know, I’ve killed Guards before. Border and Royal both. I’m a good judge of skills and fighting. Wouldn’t be alive if I weren’t.” She guffawed quietly at her own ‘joke’. “But I can tell something. Right now, if you and I were to really fight, I’m not certain I would be walking away from that. You’re different from the rest of the Guards, like… like him.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“To us? Yes. Maybe. It means you’re no push-over. Most of us wouldn’t mind exterminating Guards for the reasons you’ve been enlightened to.”

“Yeah. I guess I can understand,” Sonic lied.

“Sure you can,” Raze replied, catching him red-hoofed. “But there is something about you and your friend there,” she said pointing at Static snoozing away on his skimmer. “You’re both different, and that interests me. I knew it the moment I saw you standing back at the inn.”

Onslaught grumbled and shifted, the skimmer swaying slightly due to his massive weight. He muttered something and then was silent.

“I think we should keep it quiet.” Sonic gestured with his head towards the sleeping giant.

“Strange,” Raze said, tilting her head to one side. “Is he really sleeping?”

“Looks like,” Sonic muttered.

Raze looked at Onslaught with a bewildered expression on her face. “Amazing.”

“Yeah, you were saying that you can’t really sleep. Why?”

“Because you don’t know who would come around and place a knife into your body,” Raze replied still staring at the large pegasus. A look of envy seemed to cross her face followed by a look of pure evil. No, not evil. Mischievousness. A ‘good’ kind of evil. “He must feel really comfortable with the two of you around. He would never let himself black out like that unless he knew nothing could touch him.”

“Whatever you’re thinking on doing, stop. I don’t think Onslaught can take practical jokes.”

“What? I wasn’t going to do anything?”

“Sure you weren’t,” Sonic replied with a wry look on his face.

Raze just grinned. “Okay… I guess you’re right.”

The two continued to chat, their voices quiet at times and picking up slightly when they got excited. They chatted about so many things, Sonic telling her about his time at the academy, about Semper, Static, and the others. All sorts of things. But what really drew Raze in was when he talked about Equestria itself. She opened her eyes in wonder as he described Canterlot. She gasped in genuine surprise at the beauty of Cloudsdale. And when he talked about the Wonderbolts, her eyes sparkled with life.

None of the Elites were allowed to enter the cities, they were expressly forbidden to do so, for good reason. But as Sonic talked, and as she listened, it was abundantly clear that, somewhere deep inside the mare, she regretted not seeing more of her homeland.

And Sonic started to discover something about her that seemed to speak to his soul. She was funny, a little naughty, clever, witty, charming, and, dare the think it, beautiful. Not just on her outside, but her personality, apart from the prolific killer instinct that she possessed, he saw the inner-pony. Under that cold, hard exterior was a genuinely wonderful mare.

And, it shocked him to discover, he was actually falling for her.

As Raze’s supposed watch ended, because the two of them had stayed up all the time talking to each other, Sonic took Onslaught’s place at the front of the skimmer. The giant had hopped out of the craft with the blanket tied around his neck as he walked to the rear of the vessel, yawning and wiping the sleep from his eyes. He seemed genuinely shocked by this.

Sonic lay down with his head near the mast. Raze lowered her head so that they were looking into one another’s eyes upside down.

“Will… will you still be here in the morning?” Raze asked.

“Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”

She looked down and seemed to be contemplating something.

“What’s wrong?” Sonic asked noticing her uncomfortable expression.

“Can… can I hold your hoof?”

Sonic offered it without hesitation. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

She held onto it with a grip that stunned Sonic and, shockingly, Sonic watched her as she closed her eyes and her breathing slowed down. He felt her breath come in a slow steady rhythm. It took him a moment to realize that she was sleeping. Sonic could not resist as he leaned in slightly and gave her a gentle kiss on her nose, which brought a small smile to Raze’s lips.

“Sleep. I’ll be right here.”

Samidra pointed to the body of the wyrm, the greenish-blue blood spreading from its corpse. “Don’t go over the blood. It is like glue.”

“Okay!” Static shouted back, and shifted the skimmer’s direction slightly. He glanced over to Sonic and saw him and Raze sitting close together at the rear, with Onslaught at the front trying his best not to look out of place.

“Amazing!” Samidra shouted loudly into Static’s ear.

“What is?”

“Your pony courtship. First you act like you’re going to kill each other, then you are inseperable.” Samidra pointed to Torment. “Are you going to try and do the same with him?”

“W-what?”

Torment had overheard and had the same expression on his face.

“No!”

“Oh. I thought that was what you were planning on doing because he always looks like he wants to kill you.”

“What plan?” Static asked.

“To make the Elites like you so they won’t kill you,” Samidra replied. “Was that not your plan?”

“What? That ridiculous,” Static replied coldly. “How old are you anyway? That’s just a juvenile train of thought. Only a filly would—”

“Sixteen!”

“W-what?”

“I’m sixteen!”

“You’re sixteen?” Static shouted incredulously.

“Yes! Why?”

“You’re just a filly!”

Samidra shrugged. “When you have to grow up, you grow up.”

There was nothing Static could say to that.

Suddenly Torment stood up.

“What’s going on?” Static asked looking in the general direction the stallion was pointing, but the angle had unfortunately placed the morning sun was right in his face.

Torment turned around and waved his hoof frantically. Upon seeing this, Samidra jumped at Static slamming against the lever making the skimmer jerk violently to one side. The momentum made Samidra smash her head against the side of the boat, a small gash sending blood down her face from where she had hit.

A split second later an explosion of sand erupted right behind them. If they had been going in the same direction, whatever that was would have hit them square on.

Whatever it was that had just hit the ground flopped about for a moment before it started to rise into the air. It started out slowly, but it seemed to grow larger and gain altitude at the same time. It looked like a large flat fish, the bottom of which was bright blue and the top the same brownish red hue as the sand. It was no wonder that he didn’t spot whatever it was; the creature merged completely with the sky, and coupled with the sun behind it, was practically invisible. Luckily Torment had spotted it.

“Sand ray!” Samidra shouted, wiping the blood from her eyes. “Very rare! We’re lucky!”

“Lucky? That thing nearly killed us!”

“They’re very rare! They don’t usually fly in the sky unless they are getting away from something, but the wyrm must be bringing them here. We need to be very careful. There might be more in the sky!”

“Torment, watch out for them!” Static ordered and turned to Sonic. He gestured with his hoof, communicating with the Guard sign language they had learnt. Sonic replied that he understood and began to instruct Raze and Onslaught to keep their eyes on the sky.

It wasn’t long before the Elites spotted another. Static swerved out of instinct at the indication of Torment unsure if the new animal was heading for their skimmer or not. The second impact hit the right next to Sonic’s skimmer, the sand exploding high into the air. As they moved, Static saw Sonic shaking his head trying to get the sand out of his mane.

But it didn’t end there. Another, then another, then another. Each one smashing themselves onto the sand.

“This is bad!” Static yelled. “We need to get out of here! Samidra, where can we go?” He looked down at Samidra, but she had her head down with her legs over her head. “Samidra!”

She did not look up. She did nothing. All she did was crouch where she was and mumbling to herself. Static reached on over and placed a hoof on her shoulder. She flinched noticeably, which wasn’t lost on Torment who made a face of disgust before turning his eyes skywards.

The filly was shaking quite badly and Static felt angry at himself for allowing her to come along. This was too much for her. Had he known just how young she was, he would have spoken against it. But the filly was far more mature than she let on, and why had the other camels let her come along if she was not ready? Did they just listen to him without any input? Did they think he gave an order? Static shrugged off the nagging questions and pulled Samidra’s shoulders so that she had no choice but to turn and face him.

“Listen! Don’t worry! We’ll get through this, okay? But I need you to help me, okay? You need to help Torment spot any more of those things coming down, okay? And you need to answer my questions.”

Samidra shook her head and leaned away. “This is different! I’ve never seen so many at once.”

“Samidra, look at me. Look at me.” Static watched as the filly moved her eyes up to meet his. “We’ll do everything in our power to make sure nothing happens to you, okay? But we can’t help you if you don’t help us too. We need to get through this together and I’ll need your knowledge and your eyes. Understand?”

Samidra nodded.

“Tell me anything and everything you know about these things.”

Torment made a sign with his hooves and Static swerved again, pulling the mainsheet to ensure that the sail kept full and didn’t sacrifice their movement. Right now, speed was the only thing keeping them alive.

“They are rare. They inflate themselves with gas, like your balloons. They merge with the sky. From above, they merge with the sand.”

“Anything else?”

“They don’t fly unless the sun is up, but not too hot!”

“Okay, that’s good. That gives us a time limit.” Static signed to Sonic.

Then, before either could do anything, a pillar of sand exploded into the air and a wyrm, a teeny imitation to the goliath from the day before, erupted not far from their skimmer. Static moved his skimmer to the side out of reflex just as a torrent of sand rained down onto them. The sudden load slowed down their boat to almost a crawl.

A sand ray smashed itself in front of their skimmer, it had tried to compensate for their speed but missed them completely. It flopped around for a bit, its tiny eyes focusing on the skimmer.

Torment reacted first. He fired a bolt right at the sand ray, the magic quarrel igniting upon impact. The next moment an orange-blue fire engulfed the creature followed by a smaller, more powerful blast that made the skimmer shift slightly pushing Static back and nearly out of the vessel. Torment also compensated gracefully, using the jib-line to hold his place.

As the bright light faded, there was nothing left of the sand ray except for a bluish smear across the sand. Moments later, the wyrm crashed downwards into itself. Static noticed that it looked like it was retreating into a hardened exoskeleton that peeked just above the sand. From their perspective, these rises looked like a shallow dais that rose just above the surface. There were a few of these that they had traveled around, avoiding it only as common sense dictated them to be rocky obstacles. It was only now that Static realized what they were actually were. Wrym pits, or whatever else they were called. Burrows where these ambush predators would wait until they spotted their prey. Who knew what contraption these creatures used to propel themselves, but he remembered reading about similar creatures in the Everfree Forest back in Equestria. Quarray eels. That was what they were called. And both these creatures had similar hunting tactics.

As the wyrm returned into the hole where it came out, it seemed to be struggling to keep ahold of something. As it sunk below the sand, they spotted a large sand ray clamped tightly in its jaws. It floundered, a hissing noise coming from it as it was forced beneath the surface into the sand below.

Static and the others watched as the wyrm held on while the ray fought for its life. It was a futile attempt, but the sheer size and force of the creatures made them acutely aware just how vulnerable they were between the two dangerous animals. They were two different types of predator looking for opportunities in a very hostile land, but what confused Static was the rays attacking them despite the massive dead wyrm.

The camouflage of the rays was almost flawless. Their natural protection had spared them from being a tasty meal to the hungry wyrms, but even with that protection there was an element of risk. There were times when the prey would get careless, and the apex predator had revealed itself inadvertently saving the adventurers.

“Well, I guess we ought to bail the sand out,” Static uttered when the sounds of the wrym and its prey died away into silence. He peered up at the sky, but there was nothing up there at all. Not even the sharp eyes of the Elites could make out any rays nearby.

“They are leaving,” Samidra whispered and pointed vaguely towards the west.

Static used his horn, picked up as much sand as he dared while maintaining some reserve just in case something else heppened, and dumped it overboard. Torment picked up the pot they had used the night before to cook the meal and helped, followed by Samidra, who scooped them all using Static’s overturned shield.

The second skimmer came to a slow halt and Sonic looked over to Static and shook his head in a sigh of relief. “That could’ve ended badly.”

“This isn’t common. Rays don’t flock like this,” Samidra said. “I have never seen so many before.”

“Could it be because of the wyrm?”

“Could be. I’m not sure.” Samidra threw out another helping of sand.

“Not sure?”

“Well, nocamel lives so far away from the Zebrican boundry.”

“What about these sand nomads you were talking about?”

Samidra shrugged. “Meeting them peacefully is quite rare as well. They also don’t really speak of their home. They only come and go when opportunity strikes, and most of the time they are harbingers. We’ve had to defend ourselves multiple times from various tribes, but they usually live near an oasis.”

“Is there an oasis near here?”

“Yes, but they are not welcoming to outsiders. That oasis is hidden quite well and they do not welcome outsiders. If they feel threatened, they will attack without question.”

“Threatened? Who would want their sandpit?” Sonic asked incredulously. “Ain’t nopony wants to live out here.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Samidra said calmly. “There is also magnificent beauty here.”

“Still not buying it,” Sonic replied and looked at Static. “Nothing lives out here unless they’ve got no choice. Now what do we do?”

Static looked into the distance. “We continue. The blue smoke isn’t coming from the airship anymore, so we have to step it up.”

“Step it up? What are you going to do? Blow on the sails?”

Static paused and stared at the pegasus then at the sails. “Actually… yes, I think I will.”

“Um, what?”

Author's Note

Quarry Eels (courtesy of John Joseco)

Mission 7, Part 4: Airshipwreck Explorers

They made good time. Of course, Static had thought of a way to make them travel much faster. Using the pegasi ability to control the wind, both Sonic and Onslaught exchanged places in fanning the sail from the skimmer, standing upright and using their wings to propel them forward. They were making good time, but Static seemed to blow them all away with his ability to control the explosive powers of the quarrels he utilized. Then Samidra, being a camel, used her knowledge of magic to manipulate the wind.

Why had they not thought of it before was something that Static could not believe. He never knew how easy it was to manipulate the sails and was actually easier than adhering to the regular wind.

They had made excellent time and were approaching the downed airship by the fifth day in. But this time, the smell from the wyrm’s corpse was horrendous. The sun’s powerful rays had accelerated the decomposition process, which seemed to attract more and more creatures. There were even a number that remained partially buried in the sand, bits of their bodies briefly being exposed to the elements, all looking to feast on the massive cadaver.

The crash of the airship had forced the vessel to slide to a halt. For the damage inflicted on it, the vessel was mostly whole. A large puncture on the lower left part of the hull seemed out of place and it took a moment for Static to understand what he was looking at.

“That a tooth hole?” Sonic asked incredulously.

“Looks like it went clean through.”

“But… that’s reinforced metal! That thing’s supposed to stop dragon fire and stuff.”

Static looked at Sonic. “Do you not see how massive that thing is?” He pointed to the wyrm’s body behind him. “A thing that size will pack a bite.”

“Okay, okay. Fine. So, what now?”

“We board her. Samidra, you stay out here with Onslaught and Sonic. Torment, Raze, you’re with me.”

The camel put her hoof on Static’s shoulder. “I can manage the skimmers myself. You might need their help. I’ll go there,” she pointed to a dune in the distance, “and when you need me, I’ll come back.”

The unicorn was about to tell her no, but Raze intervened. “She’s a big girl. Shut up and let her protect the skims. For all we know she’s safer out here than in there. That thing looks like it went down well protected. Might have had survivors.”

“If the mana engine got punctured, then that would explain the blue smoke,” Onslaught muttered. “But, as you said, the ship looks intact.”

“If the generator was punctured,” Static replied, correcting Onslaught, “then we’re going to have to take extra precautions. Prolonged exposure to the type of magic the generator converts will kill us.”

“How?” Sonic asked.

“Well, the main power unit of a manna airship is the unicorn. Our magic fuels the generator. The generator, in turn, converts the magical energy into a rawer form by stripping away… do you really want to know the technical aspects?” Static asked.

The others shook their heads almost at the same time.

“Fine. Condensed version it is. Magic goes in, comes out differently. This different magic needs to be contained before it is dispelled through the usage of the machinery. Whatever the case, piercing the generator would have instantly killed anypony near it, which is probably what killed the wyrm. The raw energy would have been enough to poison it.”

“Will it kill us?”

“No, not likely. Depends on the seal of the containment unit. I think the magic has been dispelled enough now, but let’s not take any chances. Also, there could be some survivors inside, and we won’t know if they’re good or not. So be alert. Try not to kill, but if you have to…”

The Elites seemed to all get excited about that. Perhaps excite wasn’t the right word. They were relieved at being assigned a task they could do.

The ponies got their gear together, placing the rest of their equipment on the skimmers while Samidra deftly and expertly moved them a good distance away. She then folded a sail over, making a temporary roof, and sat in the shade looking their way. It was amazing how quickly she had done it, but now Static had to get his head into the task at hoof.

“Torment, you take point,” Static said, “Onslaught, you’re first line with me. Sonic, Raze, you cover the rear. We’ll need your crossbows in case things get tight. Since I’m the only magic user here,” he looked at Torment, who nodded in affirmation once. He was indeed the only unicorn there, “I’ll be the heavy hitter.”

“Can you hit heavily?” Raze asked as she looked at Static.

“I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t.” Static turned towards the ship. “Let’s circle around it and see if there’s a way in without having to climb up the side.”

They took a quick circuit around the ship, making sure to stay close, but keeping an eye on the portholes. The reason why they hadn’t used the skimmers was due to the fact that they could not get close enough to actually see anything on the airship without opening themselves up to a potential ambush. Just because the airship was downed didn’t mean the wallarmbrusts or cannons were inactive.

The ship was leaning on the nearside, so the angle was slightly lower towards where the skims had parked. This was intentionally done to prevent unexpected surprises from the airship’s deck in case anything were hiding. The absence of cover and the ability to spot anomalies were advantageous. Anything on the deck would be noticeable. By pure coincidence, the cannons were designed to shoot downwards or straight across, like most manna airship designs. Most airships of this design only needed downward-facing weapons. Not many things could get above them, perhaps a balloon airship or a stray pegasi.

Strategically, the skimmers were placed perfectly, but it was a little too far for Static’s liking. If anything were to happen to Samidra, none of them would be able to get to her in time, even with teleportation.

“Sir, over here,” Onslaught muttered pointing to a gaping hole near the front of the airship on the upturned side so it faced towards the sun. The large pegasus was touching the edges of the hole with his hoof. He picked up something and flicked it away.

“What is it?”

“Claw marks, and perhaps some bits of meat. From the look of the damage done it has to be from Diamond Dogs and they were in a real hurry to get out. The dog must’ve shredded his paws trying to get out of this. Not sure from which pack, but they aren’t the common ones you find. These guys are like the Silvers. Wolves, or a similar breed.”

“Okay, take note of this. We’ll report it to Semper Sir when we see him next,” Static muttered and looked at the damage inflicted. There were splotches of dried red blood. Whomever had slashed at this from the inside must have seriously wounded themselves in the process. The edges of the hull were razor sharp after the damage done to it. “Anything else?”

“Clear on my side,” Sonic stated.

“Clear over here,” Raze said.

Torment poked his head out of the hole, which really angered Static. The Elite had entered the airship without orders to do so, but was giving them the universal symbol for ‘come on’, and the others made their way inside. Static stopped for a moment, looked around to get a feel for everything. He noted that there were no hoofprints from the ship leading away. Did they already get covered by the sands?

They made their way carefully through the airship. The slant made it difficult to check certain rooms properly, but all in all it seemed abandoned. A few times they had to stop and turn around, the damage done to the interior blocked hallways and specific corridors. There was also a distinct lack of light, which Static compensated with his horn.

Onslaught made a sign and pointed to something. The others crept close to him and peered at what he was pointing at. A strange creature that none of them had come across before was eating the remains of a pony in what looked to be the mess hall. Tables and chairs were strewn about the place, but nothing apart from the creature moved.

“Orders?” Onslaught asked in a very quiet voice.

At once the creature looked up and peered right at the group. Static summoned a spell and waited. The created merely blinked, turned its head sideways and in one direction, then another, then resumed its meal. Torment clicked his tongue and entered the mess without prompting and headed straight for the creature.

“Wait!” Static whispered loudly, but Torment did not obey.

The creature stopped eating, turned to Torment and threw open its mouth and spread some folds behind its head. It hissed threateningly, but once Torment got too close, the creature jumped off and fled towards the far end of the room where it was lowest. It ducked down underneath the debris that had piled there, its body seemingly to deflate as it disappeared into the pile of overturned tables and chairs.

“Scavenger,” Onslaught intoned and lowered his crossbow.

When had he even pulled it out? Static did not notice at all.

“Regardless, that was an unnecessary risk!” Static almost shouted. He marched over to Torment with the intent of giving him a stern talking to, but it faltered when he saw the body of the pony laying there. “Oh no.”

“What is it?” Raze asked.

The markings on the dark armor were unmistakable. The crescent shape that every Guard in Equestria had come to know and fear.

“Cultists,” Static muttered. “This is very bad.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re the single most dangerous group of ponies now,” Static said and looked over to Sonic. “If Cultists are involved here then this is very, very serious.

“What would Cultists being doing all the way out here? How does this place factor into their plans of ‘Eternal Night’?”

“I don’t know, but whatever they want can’t be good for us.” Almost as the words escaped his lips, Static understood. “That means they’re after the Stone of Fates. That has to be the reason why they’re out here. They want to change fate! That’s has got to be it.”

“Really?” Static asked, his voice giving evidence to the fact that he did not buy that reasoning for one moment. “They actually believe this hooey about a fate-changing rock?”

“I don’t know, but whatever they want can’t be good. We’re completely out of our depth here. Cultist matters are a Royal Guard problem. Specifically the Night Guard.”

“Well, we’re fresh out of Rugs out here,” Sonic muttered, using the slang term that the Border Guards used for their Royal Guard counterparts.

Static looked around. “Right now we’re we’ve got to head back to the others and warn them. Even if you don’t believe and even if this is all just a wild goose chase, Cultists aren’t they’ll kill anypony that gets in their way. That’s what makes them extremely dangerous.”

“What do we do?” Raze asked.

“We find the bridge, then the comms room. After that, we’ll head down into the cargo and see if they’ve abandoned something we can use. Maybe some quarrels.”

“Maybe we can mount a wallarmbrust to the skimmers,” Sonic said. “I saw a few on the deck that looked to be in good condition.”

“Okay, that’s a decent idea, but first we need to find ammo. Once we’ve ensured we have the resources to do so, we’ll custom fit it. Might be useful.”

“Are these Cultists really that dangerous?” Onslaught asked. “We’re dealt with them in the past, but never really crossed swords.”

“Very. They’re fanatical. They’ve been trying to bring about some nonsense about ‘Eternal Night’, which usually involves trying to assassinate the Princess while she’s sleeping,” Static muttered. “That’s why the Night Guard has full autonomy to operate pretty much as they want. The other problem is a few Night Guards also end up becoming Cultists. The worst ones are the Solars that get converted.”

“Solars? You mean the personal guard of the Princess?” Raze whistled. “No idea they were so tempting to follow to sway one of those. No wonder they’re so dangerous.”

“Yeah, but luckily no Solar Guards have switched side in the past several decades,” Static replied quickly.

They proceeded deeper into the ship, now being extra careful not to rouse anything. The information that Static shared with the Elites about the Cultists made them extra wary. Even Torment was now exercising a higher degree of care, but one thing that Static noticed was just how nimble and comfortable the Elite was on the ship. Despite the strange angle, he moved without any loss of grace coupled with the fact that his hooves practically were silent on the metallic floor. In comparison, the rest of the group sounded like that were purposefully stomping around like a bunch of tap dancers.

As they approached the bridge, the group heard a strange noise. Like a creature trying with great difficulty to breathe. Carefully, they peered around their crossbows ready. Here all the windows had been shattered and a very dim sunset-like light managed to penetrate the interior despite the powerful sun outside.

Torment led the way and quickly cleared one side of the room before making his way towards the source of the noise. He raised his crossbow and pointed it at the captain’s chair.

“So. You’ve come,” a voice intoned, the heavy wheezing emanating from the chair.

Static moved carefully around and saw the pony sitting there. An elderly mare with a broken horn, a deep cut in her side that was still bleeding. He looked and spotted the culprit. A stray piece of metal, perhaps from when the ship had crashed, had pierced her side. Ironically, it was also probably keeping her alive.

Static walked over and touched her head. The high fever and weak disposition did not bode well for the unicorn.

“Do not touch me, filth,” the mare growled.

“Well aren’t you just a peach,” Sonic said and hovered over the chair and took up a post with his crossbow pointed at the unicorn.

“What are you doing out here?” Sonic growled. “You Cultist banishing your own vermin?”

“We are Children of the Night,” the mare growled. “Do not assume to know of us, Guard. You know nothing of the truth.”

“Truth? What truth? That all this nonsense about Nightmare Moon and some gibberish about everlasting night? Do you understand what would happen to the lands if that were to happen?” Static shook his head. “We’d all die. Simple as that.”

“Your ignorance suits you well, Guard. Your obliviousness blinds you to the truth.”

“The truth? What truth? There isn’t any truth. I like the night just as much as anypony else, but that doesn’t make night a permanent fixture appealing?”

“The truth that your Princess is a liar and a murderer,” the mare spat back and groaned in agony as, in her anger, she jerked herself forward. “You follow a ruthless tyrant.”

“And Nightmare Moon is the benevolent ruler? For one, we all know that’s not true. For another, it’s just a story. It’s nothing more than a filly’s tale,” Static replied, tired of going through the same rhetoric.

“You know nothing about the truth that formed this kingdom, nor do you know the significance of that Stone,” the mare gurgled. “You cannot touch it. None of us can. It’s too dangerous.”

“Wait. What?” Static had not expected that. “What do you mean?”

That made the mare laugh sardonically. “How do the Border Guard protect Equestria so well when it doesn’t understand the first thing about real power? This conversation is useless anyway. It doesn’t matter. My brothers and sisters have gone to stop your party from taking the stone and we’ll keep it safe. Not that it will concern you anyway. You’ll all die here with me!”

She raised something up. Static reached for his magic power and felt it flood his horn and body, but it wasn’t fast enough. He knew a detonator when he saw one. The switch must be rigged to the core. He closed his eyes and flinched, but all he heard was a scream followed by a dull thud.

Torment was at the mare’s side, his blade out and blood dripping from the edge. On the arm rest was the switch, and a blood stub over that. The Elite moved the trigger quickly away from the mare before she could reach over with her other hoof. He had sliced off the entire forearm before she had time to press the trigger.

“You’ll never stop us!” the mare screamed. “Eternal Night will come to Equstria! She will return and you’ll all pay for this!”

“Save it, Cultist,” Static muttered eyeing the limb in a mixture of disgust, horror, and admiration. Ruthless necessity and skill, it was no wonder they were so feared.

“What do we do with her?” Sonic asked.

Before Static could answer, Onslaught fired his bolt straight into the mare’s head right through her eye. She made one jerking motion before ceasing to move.

“What did you do?” Static shouted, turning on Onslaught with his sword out.

“Sorry, but I know you’d want to take her with us,” the pegasus shrugged. “Can’t have that. We can’t spare the extra water or the extra set of eyes. Not only that, she would have bled out long before we could’ve helped her. If what you’re saying about them is true, even our medical supplies are important right now.”

“You had no right—”

“Before you start that, I know. But neither do you have the right to risk our lives, right? We’re out here because we want to be and we’re more than we’re willing to obey your orders, but we’re not under your command,” Onslaught interrupted. “We aren’t here because of our allegiance to you or Equestria. We’re here to help Providence, and that’s it. I don’t have to listen to your self-righteous garbage. You say these Cultists are dangerous, then we can’t take that risk on our skimmers. This had to happen. Sorry.”

Static saw sense in those words, but he could not bring himself to accept them. The Elites was right, he knew. That there was no flaw in Onslaught’s logic. Static turned to Sonic, who also seemed distracted until he felt Static’s eyes on him. When Sonic looked up, the pegasus barely shook his head. It was clear, he didn’t accept the Elite’s explanation or justification either. That was comforting.

“Hey, where’re you going?” Raze asked.

They all turned to see Torment walking towards the starboard-side bridge door and push it open. Due to the elevated angle, he struggled a little bit, but it eventually gave with a loud groan. He stepped out, followed by Raze and Sonic. Static paused and looked at the now-dead mare in the chair and narrowed his eyes. Something about the mare seemed familiar. The elder mare just seemed like a pony he knew, but from where? He memorized that face.

“You know her?” Onslaught asked.

“I think so, but I can’t place it,” Static said. He looked at Onslaught. “Listen, I understand where you’re coming from, I really do, but we don’t kill for no reason.”

“No reason?” Onslaught barked a laugh. “I love how you see the world. Did you just forget that she nearly killed us all?”

“But—”

Onslaught held a hoof up. “We can chat about it later. We have a job to do.”

Static sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I guess, compared to you, my view of the world is naïve, but I prefer mine than yours.”

“You know something? I do too. But it’s going to get you killed one day.”

There was nothing Static could say to that.

Torment followed the wiring of the device that the mare held with Sonic and Raze close behind. They had not cut the wire fearing it might have been setup to detonate should that ever happen. By the time the three of them had reached the end of the side deck past the bridge, Onslaught and Static were just coming out of the door. The three soon fought themselves walking across the main deck and relaxing their watch for a moment. From where they were, they could see Samidra near the skimmers. She seemed to be looking at something in the sand nearby. When she looked back at the ship, she spotted the group and waved.

Sonic waved back.

She waved more frantically.

“I think she wants to tell me something,” Sonic muttered.

“Go on then. Fly on over.”

“You think so? I don’t want to get bit in half by those wormy things.”

“Just stay low to the ground and you should be fine,” Raze replied. “Go, before grumpy-pants gets here and stops you from doing the sensible thing.”

“Grumpy-pants?” Sonic chuckled to himself. “Alright.”

Sonic spread his wings and leapt off the side of the airship and hugged close to the hull as he used the momentum to carry over the sands towards Samidra. When he reached, her, she was beside herself with excitement. And not the good kind.

“What’s up?”

“These are skimmer marks! I missed them before because I wasn’t looking, but now that I’ve seen I know. See, that’s a skimmer mark, and there, and there,” she said pointing to lines in the sand. “Many of them. A fleet!” She looked up at Sonic. “They are heading for the Caldera from here! We have to go! We have to go now!”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because,” she pointed behind her, “the tracks are going that way, and that way is where the Caldera is!”

“Okay, okay. Let me get the others, you wait here.”

Sonic turned and flew, as low as he could, back towards the airship. When he reached, he rose quickly along the side and onto the deck. Static was there, an annoyed expression on his face, but it was clear that it wasn’t directed towards him. Rather, the source of his ire seemed to be from the giant, which made Sonic feel a little better.

“So?” Static prompted.

“Skimmers. The Cultists apparently had a fleet of their own. They’re heading for the Caldera.”

“That seems consistent from what we learnt from the mare,” Static replied and stroked his chin in thought. “We stick to the original plan. Search the comms, crew, and captain’s rooms and any other part you think that will help us with this mission. I think it’s best that the two of you explore the lower decks and find out what you can. Torment, you…” Static watched the stallion walk off, “… do your own thing, I guess. Make sure you get back here in a couple of hours. I want to leave before sundown.”

“What? Wait! Are you suggesting we travel on the skims at night?”

“Yes.”

“But… can we?”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. And we don’t have a choice. If the Cultists are going to the Caldera, then they’ll need all the help they can get, but we can’t waste our time here either. We need to find out what they knew. The way the mare spoke made it seem like they’ve known about this stone for a long time.”

“Is that possible?” Onslaught asked. “Something like this would seem to be in the know of your senior officials. Is it possible they missed something?”

Static shrugged. “I don’t see how. But probably. Like I said, there are many Cultists who were Guards, so it’s possible that knowledge of this thing was discovered and kept to themselves to prevent it from spreading. Doesn’t matter. If they want it, we can’t let them have it. If they’re willing to send an airship to get this thing, then they want it bad. We need to know what we’re up against, and either grab the Stone ourselves, or stop them.”

“If stopping them is so important, why don’t we go now?” Raze asked.

“Because we don’t know anything. They have an edge over us. They know what it is, and most likely where it is. It is quite obvious that the Caldera is the most likely of places, but maybe they have more information that will help them.”

“Like what?” Onslaught looked at Static.

“Like a map. You remember what Pani said about there being ways through the sides of the rocks? Maybe, just maybe, there’s a map that will lead us straight through the sides. If the Cultists have that map, they’ll have a very big advantage over us.”

“But if we take too long, they might be able to secure the entrance,” Raze countered.

Static shook his head. “Then they’d be back at square one. They might be strong fighters, but there’s a reason why Cultists usually avoid direct engagement with the Guard. Most Cultists are normal ponies who become enamored by other Cultists and most are not combat savvy. That’s why that narcotic of yours was probably such a hot topic. Imagine if the Cultists got their hooves on that?”

The two Elites exchanged glances.

“We need to find out what they know, and maybe get some more info about their operations,” Static looked at Sonic. “Don’t worry. Whatever the case, there are Elites with Pani and providence. And him. The Cultists will be sailing into a storm they aren’t prepared for. They might know about the Elites, but I’ve seen these guys in action.”

“I hope you’re right, Static,” Sonic intoned.

“He is. If Semper is with Providence, then I can rest assured that no harm will befall her,” Onslaught remarked. “A fight’s coming and we’re going to get in on that. I’m getting exciting! I get to fight some strong ponies! I get to use my body! Oh yeah!”

“Relax,” Raze interrupted, rolling her eyes. “The Caldera is still a few days out.”

“I still say we should go. Now.” Sonic looked at the worried figure of Samidra. She was nervously biting the tips of her hooves.

“Don’t worry, I’m not wrong. Did you not see the Elites deal with that mare? I’ve been struggling with it, but that ruthless efficiency is not something that we can totally discount. It’s kept them alive for this long.” Static shrugged.

“What? Are you agreeing with them?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Sonic. I don’t endorse it, no. But I also see their logic. Their need to keep themselves alive isn’t wrong. It’s difficult and goes against everything I believe in, but sometimes… sometimes you have to.”

“Isn’t that the same thing as saying it’s okay?” Sonic asked.

“I suppose,” Static replied and looked at the Elites staring at them.

“What was your childhood like?” Raze asked. “Do you have family?”

“Yeah. Got a mom, pop, brother. Brother is still a colt… parents started early, finished late.” Sonic laughed at his own crude joke. “He’s in flight school right now.”

“His name?”

“Sorry, Raze, but… I’d like to not talk about my family with you for now. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t… I can’t risk them. I know you won’t really do anything, but you understand? Right?”

The ex-pegasus smiled. “It’s good that you have enough sense to protect your family.”

“I’m not protecting them like that. It’s just—”

“Don’t make up excuses for doing the right thing, Sonic. I’m completely onboard with you. I think it’s really great that you’ve got a family and thank you for sharing that little bit of information with me. You don’t need to apologize for looking out for them.”

Despite her words, Sonic felt bad, but he kept that to himself. He really wanted to tell her about his family, and especially about his little brother. It was hard to imagine that he was already in flight school. “Tell you what. Depending on things go, after we’re done here, I’ll bring you back to Equestria with me. I-i-if you don’t mind, that is.”

That made Raze stop what she was doing. “What?”

Sonic turned around and looked at the mare. “I said—”

“I know what you said, Sonic,” Raze interrupted. “How can you make an offer like that? You don’t know me. You don’t know what my intentions are. You can’t do that right after saying you shouldn’t risk your family and—”

“I believe in you, Raze.”

“W-what?”

“I’m not the smartest tool in the shed, but I know what you are. I don’t think even you know who you are. You’re wearing a mask.”

Raze touched the Watu Wakali mask on her head.

“No, not that one.” Sonic touched her cheek. “This one. You’re an Elite on the outside. But you’re more than that on the inside. I know it.”

“You know nothing.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But can tell,” Sonic replied unperturbed. “There’s a kind mare in there somewhere. And I’ll help her out, no matter what. I promised. Remember?”

At those words the mare paused and stared at Sonic. “Be careful, Guard. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I don’t intend to,” Sonic replied. “I’m going to keep this one, no matter what.”

“S-stop,” Raze whispered and pushed gently away from Sonic. “Stop. Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t make me fall for you,” Raze whispered.

“What? I didn’t catch that?” Sonic leaned in closer.

“Nothing. I’m… I’m going to look over there,” Raze said and walked towards the other end of the room. “We should probably hurry. The others might wonder what’s taking so long.”

Sonic watched her go for a moment before turning and inspecting the desk in front of him.

“Hey, check this out.”

“Do you think that it is strange that you trust us so implicitly now?” Onslaught asked as he threw aside a broken desk. It smashed open when it shattered against the wall. The magic in this room had long since sublimated into the ether, but the damage done was as clear as crystal. The structural makeup of the room was barely holding together. Brittle walls, the peeling paint, the breakable furniture, all signs to severe overexposure to the raw magical energies from the pierced generator. That, and the nearly straight tunnel from the outside of the airship right into the generator was a sign that, alive or not, anything within their vicinity was long gone now.

As predicted, the captain’s quarters had been ransacked, the safe door was wide open and a few dead ponies littered the room. A scuffle must have broken out, perhaps arguing as to who should be the new leader, or something as mundane. They would never know.

“Not really. I don’t completely trust you, but you could have killed me umpteen times by now, so I have just let it go. If you wanted to kill me, then you would have done it by now.”

“I could be waiting for the right opportunity.”

“What? Wait for how long? Until after we get back to Semper and the others? Somehow I don’t think you’d get away with that kind of thing with him there.”

“Is he always so… alert?”

“Him? Probably. I don’t even know if he sleeps.” Static pushed aside a loose floorboard that nearly turned into powder in his hooves. He coughed a little as he breathed in some of the particles. “We used to believe that Her Highness chiseled him out of the mountain or some nonsense like that. I think Sonic started that story.”

“But is it a story,” Onslaught replied nonchalantly. “I have been trying to find an opening against him for ages, but it’s almost as if he knows. Every time I think I have him, I see him glaring at me. I don’t get intimidated often, but his eyes scare me. They are not the eyes of a pony. They are not the eyes of a Guard.”

Static stopped and turned towards the pegasus. “What do you mean?”

“I have seen much in my short time as a Watu. I don’t remember what my past before that was, nor do I care to. Whatever happened happened.” Onslaught shifted his gaze up towards the ceiling where Static’s horn-light reflected from a shiny metallic plate. “I’ve fought many creatures. Sentient, and non. Fierce, and non. I’ve slaughtered innocents, and have done jobs that would make even the hardest of our kind cry like newborns, but I’ve blocked it out. In all that time, I have only seen the eyes that stallion has once, and never again.”

“Where?”

“On the dragon.”

“What?”

“No, I don’t mean his eyes looked like a dragon’s, but that intensity. That window into a force deep inside. A storm. A tempest. A force of nature that can scarcely be contained!” Onslaught slammed his hoof into the floor. “A storm in a container that will explode at any moment! Oh yeah!”

“Whoah, relax,” Static said and placed a hoof on the Elite’s shoulder. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

“Apologies, I get that way when I get too excited.”

“Well, you must be a rage at all the parties,” Static replied, laughing gently. “But if you don’t tone it down you’ll break… the… room… apart…”

“What? What is it?”

“There, that panel on the ceiling,” Static gestured to the mirror-like reflection. “I didn’t notice it, but it is made of a different material from the rest of the room.”

Onslaught spread his tiny wings and fluttered to the top. Once there, he seized the object and heaved. The thing didn’t even budge. The pegasus spat in each forehoof and placed them astride the panel, firmly cementing his rear hooves on either side of the panel and heaved. It looked futile until it gave a loud groan as it started to give. Static helped with his own power, but without the Elite’s brute force he would not have been able to do it alone. The piece detached itself and dropped heavily to the floor with a loud clang. The magically damaged flooring caved in like wet tissue before the unaffected layer underneath stopped it.

As Onslaught stared at the piece, he did not notice the object sliding out from above until it had fallen on top of him. It was a body.

The two of them stared at the creature for a long time.

“Thestral,” Static whispered. “Out here?”

Onslaught let out a long quiet whistle. “Those guys are really rare outside of their own little kingdom. Back in the day, they used to bring in quite a lot of bits in the slave trade. What is she doing here?”

“Thestrals have a bad rep back in Equestria. A lot of ponies chalk them up as Cultist sympathizers. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because the general populace of Questria associate them with Cultist, more and more of them are becoming Cultists.”

The Elite let out a dry chuckle. “So much for acceptance of all kinds. What is the general terminology of it?”

“Love and tolerance? Sure. Right. If only. Then there wouldn’t be a need for the Guard.” Static looked around the room. “I think we’re in the morgue. The magic must have changed the properties of freezer, which is how it ended up part of the ceiling. That, and the crash as well.”

“I see.”

“Part of the problem is that Cultists in general are obsessed with them,” Static went on. “They think that thestrals are original nocturnal ponies.” Static looked around. “They are, but they are no less nor more pony-like than us.”

The large pegasus gave the unicorn a dry look.

“You know what I mean. Physically, we are very similar apart from a few minor differences.”

“Like their eyes, wings, and general darker complexion?”

“Exactly.”

“I was being sarcastic,” Onslaught replied and leaned down and pulled the Thestral to her side. “By Celestia’s beard! She’s alive!”

Static didn’t know what to react to first. The fact that the pegasus insulted the Princess by saying she had beard, or the fact that he claimed the Thestral was still alive.

“Look!”

He saw the faint signs of breathing. “Come on, let’s get her out of here.”

Mission 7, Part 5: Incoming Storm

On the main deck, Sonic was spreading the map out on the floor getting a little annoyed that the wind wasn’t helping him. He picked up some debris and placed them along the corners to hold the map down, but the wind was strong enough to lift the middle up and actually start tearing itself. As Sonic tried to get more debris, Raze threw her dagger into the middle with a loud thunk. The newly created hole coupled with the weights were enough to keep it flat.

“Uh… thanks?”

“No problem!” Raze turned away and gazed off towards Samidra who was still fretting on her own near the skimmers. She kept glancing back at the airship and then towards the direction of the Caldera.

“Maybe you should go calm her.” Raze turned to look at Sonic. “She looks like she’s ready to commandeer one of the skims and go off ahead of us.”

“Y’think?” Sonic walked over and stood next to Raze, who turned away from the pegasus and started muttering something to herself. “I guess if I were in her shoes, I’d do the same.”

“Do camels wear shoes?” Raze asked.

That made Sonic chuckle. “Don’t know, but you know what I mean.”

Raze was about to tell him that she was asking out of curiosity, that she really wanted to know if they really did wear shoes.

“You found a map!” a voice sounded perishing any further thought.

They both turned around to see Static and Onslaught, and another pony draped over the pegasus’ back.

“A thestral? Where in Tartarus did you find her?”

“In the morgue,” Onslaught said and carefully placed the mare’s body on the deck. “She’s alive.”

“Well, that would be the last place I’d expect to find a living pony. So, what was she doing in the morgue? Is she a morgue-worker?”

“A ‘morgue-worker’?” Raze chastised. “Really?”

“Well, whatever they’re called…”

“As far as I can tell, maybe. I don’t know. But I have a theory. When the wrym bit into the airship and punctured the generator, she must have been in or near the morgue. After understanding the situation, she must have done the first thing that came to mind: hop into a freezer to protect herself from the magic’s radiation. Then it crashed and everypony got out of there as fast as they could. She was trapped inside one and couldn’t get out nor signal any pony else to help. It took me and Onslaught all our strength to break the door open.”

“So you saved her,” Sonic simplified. “Great! We saved a Cultist. Try not to shoot an arrow through her this time, Onslaught.”

“I will endeavor to fulfill that obligation,” the large pegasus replied blandly, “but only if we break her legs.”

“Give her some water and food,” Static ordered ignoring Onslaught, “she’s been stuck in there all this time. It’s a miracle she didn’t die from dehydration. We need to see if she can tell us something that we can use. Then we can let her go.”

“Let her go? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?” Sonic looked at the mare on the ground.

“Probably, but we don’t have a choice, and I don’t want to murder another pony,” Static said looking right at Onslaught.

“I get it,” the pegsus muttered, “but it was the right thing to do.”

“Debatable,” Static replied without pause.

“I differ in that opinion,” Onslaught’s responded without emotion.

Raze lowered herself and placed a bottle near the thestral’s lips. The mare opened her mouth slowly and Raze poured a little in. As soon as she tasted the water, her eyes shot opened and she sucked in the water like much needed air. She sat up and coughed a little, then fell back down and placed her forearm over her eyes letting out a moan of pain.

“You okay?” Sonic asked.

“Y-yes. Thanks. I thought I was going to die in there,” the thestral replied and lowered her hoof.

Her eyes floated to Raze, then to Onslaught, then to Static. She never made it to Sonic because when she saw Static she screamed and tried to back away from him.

“Relax,” Static muttered. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Y-y-y-y-y-y-you’re Guards!”

“And we’re Elites,” Raze enunciated clearly and drew a knife. “They aren’t the ones you should be scared of.”

“E-E-E-E-E-Elites?” The thestral looked at them and then at the masks raised above their faces. He dark blue hue actually blanched as she understood what they really were. “B-but why? This isn’t the coast! Please don’t sell me!”

“Have you been sleeping under a rock? That whole story is over. No more slave trade. No more foalnapping. No more fun stuff,” Raze said and removed her sword and placed it strategically in front of the mare. “But if you want, I can bring the fun here.”

The mare pushed herself back from Raze and into the hooves of Sonic who was standing behind her. She looked up and her eyes met Sonic’s before starting to water.

“Aw, come on!” Sonic shouted suddenly. “I am not that ugly!”

That made the thestral blink. “W-what?”

“I said: I’m not that ugly! Am I?”

“N-n-n-n-n-no?” the mare asked nervously, unsure whether or not he would take offence.

“Then why, oh why, did you cry when you looked at my face?”

There was a slight moment of silence before Raze let out a giggle. Onslaught roared with laughter. Static couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. That was Sonic’s charm. He could disarm a pony without weapons. Static thought to himself that if Sonic wasn’t so thick he’d actually make a good ambassador. The tension that had been steadily rising had completely diffused itself through Sonic’s words.

Of course, the direct threatening nature of the Elites did not help matters very much.

“I… because… the…” The thestral couldn’t process what just happened.

Sonic shrugged. “You mean to say: ‘I’m only joking’, right?”

“Yes. He really is that ugly,” Raze replied on behalf of the thestral.

“Oh, very funny, Raze.” Sonic clapped his hooves together in sarcasm. “Ha, ha.”

“S-so, y-you’re not going to sell me?”

“No,” Static stated taking charge of the situation.

“And you’re not going to kill me?”

“No.”

“You’re not going to… eat me?”

“Say what? Eat you? Why would I want to eat you?” Sonic questioned. “Are you made of candy or something?”

“N-no?” The thestral gulped.

“Well then you’re safe from me,” Sonic muttered and shrugged. “And here I was beginning to think that all thestrals were made of candy.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Almost as ridiculous as fearing the ponies who just saved your life? Almost as ridiculous as asking if I’d eat you?” Sonic replied. “Eat you? What is wrong with you?”

“Um… it’s a long story. And the others? What’s left of my crewmates?”

“You’re the only one left alive that we found,” Static replied. “And what do you mean ‘crewmates’?

Before Sonic could open his mouth, Raze threw her gauntlet at him. He dodged it and turned around to voice his ire when Raze grabbed the back of his head and pulled the stallion so their foreheads collided.

“Shut. Up,” Raze whispered very quietly, very viciously. “Don’t. Say. Anything.”

Static made a note to thank the mare later. There was no need to tell the mare that they had found another pony, which they had summarily killed.

The thestral glanced around. “But then how? How did you save me? How did you know where I was hiding?”

“Chance. Fluke. The freezer you hid in looked out of place. You chose a good spot to hide yourself. If it weren’t for that, you’d be dead.”

The thestral looked at Static understanding that he was in charge here. “But where are the others?”

“Leave that aside for now. We’ll let you go. All you have to do is tell us why you’re out here.”

“I don’t know. I work on this ship. I was doing some late night… accounting, checking on the various units. We were sailing out of Hoofville near Almaty.”

“I know of it,” Static nodded. “A small frontier mining town near the base of the mountain range there. They transport precious metals.”

“Well, yes. I suppose. Our intended destination was towards the far tribes of West Zebrica. I work down here as a junior medical officer. My job was to check on the morgue, make sure the freezers were working and… stuff. Then, about two days out of Hoofville our ship was attacked by another much larger airship.”

“So you aren’t with the Cultists?”

“What? Cultists? Wait, they weren’t Guards?”

“No. They weren’t.”

“But they wore Guard armor and were on a battleship. I thought…”

“So you aren’t with the Cultists?” Sonic reaffirmed.

“No! They killed most of the senior staff, but kept some of us alive to help run the airship. They told me that they’d kill me if I resisted and didn’t listen to them! They killed my friend. Broke his wings and threw him overboard. They said they only needed one medical pony.”

“That’s horrible,” Sonic replied. “What’s wrong with those ponies?”

“That’s actually a common practice out here,” Raze intoned. “Well, it was until recently.”

“So, you were scared because you thought we were part of the attackers?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Anything else? I just find is strange that you were leaving Hoofville towards West Zebrica. Since when do the Zebricans need precious metals when they have a proficiency of finding their own. That doesn’t fit.” Static narrowed his eyes. “What else?”

“I’m not… my crew isn’t…”

“They’re smugglers,” Raze said calmly.

“And just how do you know that?” Static asked, curious.

Raze gestured with her head towards Torment who had just arrived and was carrying something like a large egg towards them. When he reached the others, he placed the egg down onto the deck, which revealed the fact that the bottom part was indeed flat. Then he removed the cloth covering it. It was a large birdcage, and in it were a sizeable batch of Breezies. They all looked at the ponies in fear, confusion, anger, and pure hatred.

“Experience,” Raze replied and touched the cage, the breezies backing away from the hoof in abject terror. “These are worth quite a lot. Outside of Equestria, and within. Exotic pets, I believe.”

“So, we’re all just victims to happenstance,” Static muttered and sighed. “Three Elites, two Border Guards, one camel, and now a thestral smuggler and a cage of breezies. Great! That’s all I need.”

“L-look. I know that selling breezies is wrong, but I need to support my family! Besides, I didn’t know what they were smuggling. I mean, I knew, but I didn’t–”

Torment shook his head and pointed at the dead breezies at the bottom of the cage. Then he pointed up at the ones trembling and shook his head.

“What’s he saying?” Asked Static.

“These are the only ones left alive. Right, Tor?”

The stallion nodded.

“If this were any other situation, I’d happily turn you over to the Royal Guard, threstral. but right now we have much, much bigger concerns and I just don’t have the mental space to deal with this. Do you know anything else?”

Sonic wandered over the cage and started to fiddle with something. The latch snapped back and he pulled the cage doors open. The breezies were on the opposite side, so Sonic backed away and smiled.

“Y-yes! They were all talking about something. A-about a rock. A super rock able to change everything. They said that they had to get their hooves on it before anypony else. I heard them talking to themselves while I was working in the clinic.”

“And your captain?” Static asked.

“They hung him in front of the bridge. As an example to what would happen if we disobeyed.” She turned to look at the bridge in question. “His body is gone?”

“Out here, anything dead is taken by the desert.”

“Back to this rock. Did they say anything else?”

The thestral thought for a moment. “T-they mentioned a tunnel that led straight to the temple! I overheard them in the captain’s room the other night. They were shouting at each other before they started fighting.”

“Fighting?”

“Yes. I think that they were arguing what they should do with the stone when they got their hooves on it, but I don’t know what it meant. I just keep the morgue clean!”

“Why would an airship like this have a morgue?” Sonic asked.

“Common practice for smugglers,” Raze explained. “They hide their sensitive stock in the lockers next to the bodies of deceased ponies. They use the paperwork to bypass inspections by the Guard. After all, not many ponies would willfully open the lockers of the deceased. These breezies must have been prepped for selling in the air. Airship to airship, which is why they’re out of the morgue. I guarantee if you open the other lockers… well, it wouldn’t smell very nice.”

“That’s horrible!” Sonic said aghast by what he just heard.

“Welcome to the world outside your kingdom.” Raze smiled sadly. “This is the reality outside your borders.”

“Well, it needs to change.”

“And you will change it?”

“If I have to. Yes.” Sonic looked at the breezies, who were still terrified and huddling near the other side of the cage. “You’re free now. Come on out.”

There were many dead ones on the bottom, perhaps the crash killed them, or the days in the cage had taken its toll. There was a small food supply and water jar that must have helped, but the majority of the delicate creatures must have died from the shock of the crash.

Sonic took out his water bottle poured a little into the cup.

Necessity begot fear, and one of the breezies, despite protests from her peers, flew forward and drank from the cap. She looked up at Sonic, who just smiled brighter and poured some more. Again, the breezie took another huge sip for her size before contentedly sitting down on the deck, her hooves covering her eyes as her shoulders started to shake.

“Poor thing,” Sonic muttered. “She’s terrified!”

The others, seeing that Sonic did not mean them harm, took turns drinking from the water.

“What they eat?” Sonic asked.

“Honey,” the thestral replied. “Or anything sweet. You have sugar?”

“No.”

“There should be some in the mess.”

“Torment,” Static ordered.

The Elite gave a mock salute and trotted off not even making the slightest of sounds.

“How’s he doing that?” Sonic asked. “I can’t ever hear him coming.”

“If there is an Elite that could go head to head with Semper, it’d be him. I’ve seen both stallions fight – not each other, but I can tell you that all of us here would be hard pressed to stop him if he wanted to kill us. Torment’s… different. Dangerous, yes, but he’s different.”

“Then it’s good thing he’s on our side,” Static said not wanting to feed into that train of thought.

“There is one other thing,” the thestral began. “Night Terror is here.”

“Oh great!” Static shouted and shook his head. “Of course he’d be.”

“Another pony you know?” Sonic asked.

“Yes, and you should too. He’s one of the many leaders of the Cultists. A very strong unicorn. Specializes in earth magic, a little like our friend Tourmaline. Specifically, sand.”

“And we just happen to be in a place where he can manipulate the entire area around us!” Sonic sighed as looked down at the breezies who were staring up at him. “Don’t worry, little guys! We’re going to get you home.”

The creatures all turned to one another and, for the first time, they all smiled.

“No!” Rarity said, throwing her latest design aside. “No! No, no, no! None of these will do! Oh, I need to make my new designs amazing or… or perhaps I’m not destined to become a fashionista after all!”

Another ribbon of cloth, another seam stitched. Another design. If it wasn’t something that the Princess herself wouldn’t take notice, then it wasn’t good enough for her. But she lacked inspiration. Something was missing from her life. Something just wasn’t all there.

“Hey!” she shouted as her magic suddenly seemed to flicker. It had been doing that non-stop since the night before when she had started working. She was used to pulling all-nighters and this one wasn’t an exception – except it was. Every so often she would feel something in her horn give a slight pull, as if it were trying to take her someplace.

She ignored it. She had other things to worry about right at that moment, and one of them was getting her latest costumes ready for the school play. All her friends and classmates were counting on her. And she vowed to deliver.

“It’s late! We cannot wait!” Samidra said as the group reached them. When she saw the thestral she stopped and backed off.

“Don’t worry. The sharp teeth are for breaking into nuts native to her area. They are dominantly nocturnal, which is why their eyes are like that. She’s not going to bite you,” Static said when he saw Samidra’s expression. “But that’s not what you should be concerned about. We are going to travel through the night. We have to risk it.”

“But…”

“No buts. We’re going. No halos. The light would blind us. We’re going via the light of the moon and stars. We have to.”

“But…”

“Look, this isn’t up for discussion. You can’t even tell me why you don’t travel at night. You want to help? This is how. We don’t have time. We’ve got the information we need and we’re going right now.”

The force of Static’s order made the camel take a step back.

“We’ll die.”

“We won’t.” He turned to Sonic. “Explain to the breezies that we’re going to go very fast and they’ll need to hang on. I’m not going to suggest how, but if they get left behind we’re not stopping. There’s too much at stake. I suggest they stay inside your saddlebags, but I don’t know if they’ll trust us.”

“How am I supposed to explain that to them?”

“Figure it out,” Static replied and walked over to the thestral. “I didn’t get your name.”

“Tessa,” the thestral replied. “If I were to translate my name into Equestrian proper, it would be Midnight Gatherer. I don’t like it, so just call me Tessa.”

“Noted,” Static replied. “Tessa, you ride with me Samidra and Torment on this skim. I’m keeping you away from the breezies.”

They had tried to find a working skimmer in the hold, but the others had been too badly damaged. If they had the time, they could have salvaged enough parts to rebuild one, but time was not on their side and it was agreed that Tessa would accompany them whether she liked it or not. That, or she could stay behind and rebuild the skimmer herself. With no knowledge on how to do so, however, she sprang on the offer to travel with the others. They made her understand that they would probably be sailing into a fight, but she then made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. She was a medically trained pony, and they needed her skills as much as she needed theirs.

Preparing the skims did not take long and soon they were all charging towards the decaying remains of the wyrm once again. The body was between themselves and the Caldera, so they would have to travel along the length before they could get to the other side. They had to take a gamble between going back the way they came for three days, or chancing it in the opposite direction and hoping that the body was not too long.

They took a vote and it was decided to go the opposite way they came. They did not want to follow the skim trail of the Cultists as they headed straight for the wyrm, perhaps not realizing it was blocking the way.

Static concentrated on trying to see the wyrm’s body and planned to cut just in front of the head and take a massive about-turn. He hoped that it would come into view before the sun dipped over the horizon. It was clear that Samidra was terrified over the prospect of skimming at night, but he’d have to chance it. The lack of information as to why the camels did not travel in the night bothered him. Was it as simple as behind unable to see where they were going, or were there really creatures of the night that would hunt them down.

He hoped that he was making the right choice.

“Samidra, do the wyrms see at night?” Static asked trying to make conversation.

“Yes. The desert is impassible from the sky in night or day,” the camel shouted back. “Nothing can venture over this place.”

The rest of the conversation was muted. The tension grew steadily as the sun started to make its decent, the Princess lowering it as she did so every single day. A part of him wished he could ask her to stop the sun from setting so that they would have extra light, but there was no way to communicate with her from where he was.

“Please, Your Highness, just let the sun be above us a little longer…”

But, as expected, the sun began to lower itself in the distance bathing the desert in the cool light of the moon’s glow. What amazed them all was how clear it was. It was nowhere near as dark as they had expected it to be, but none of them were more surprised than Samidra herself. For years she had been told about the halos, which had blinded them to the beauty that stretched out before them across the sky. They saw the stars, the utter untouched beauty of it all. There was so much light in Equestria. Or there were clouds placed all over the place that blocked the beauty they saw. Out here, in the middle of the desert where not a single cloud could be seen for miles around, the sky was perfectly clear and they could see the heavens.

It was not as clear as day time, but they could still see quite a long way, but it was the cold that hit them hard.

Samidra wrapped herself in her blanket and offered one to Torment. He took it and wrapped it around his neck like a scarf and pulled a fold over his head covering his helm. Then he lowered his mask. The extra covering must have kept his face warm, but in the night with the cowl and shroud the Elite looked absolutely terrifying.

Static offered his blanket to Tessa who sat next to him. She edged closer to the stallion and put half over the Guard’s shoulders. “If you freeze to death, we’ll all be in danger!”

“Thanks,” the stallion intoned and concentrated on where he was going.

A flash to their right in the far distance brought their attention and Static watched. Several more flashes brightened up the sky. It did not take them long to realize what they were seeing. They knew and understood what was happening.

Explosions. It was a battle.

“Looks like we made the right choice,” Static muttered. “If they went the other way there’s no chance that they would have reached the Caldera by now, not to mention we would have seen them coming. This is the right direction. The body of the wrym must end soon. Let’s hope that we arrive in time.”

“The body of the what?” Tessa asked.

Static looked at her. “You’ll see.”

Mission 7, Part 7: You Bring The Lightning

“Hold the line!” A shout echoed through the night as another flash brightened above them.

Providence placed her hoof on the table tightly and clenched her teeth as the light drew closer. In another moment, she felt the ground shake followed by a terrific clap and the tumble of thunder. Another massive lightning spell had hit within the camp. She closed her eyes out of relief when it was clear that she had survived yet another strike.

“Put that fire out!” came the same voice from outside her tent.

Seconds later a head poked inside and looked at Providence. “Ma’am, it isn’t safe here. Please follow me. We’ll take you to the tunnels.”

“And the others?”

“We need to maintain the wall. Most have gone into the main tunnel entrance as well, so they’re safe from the attacks, but a few have to remain to maintain our defenses. We are working on limiting losses but they have the advantage at the moment, ma’am.”

“How many?”

“Ma’am…” came a hesitant response.

“How. Many.”

The Elite sighed. He did not want to be the one to tell her. “Ten so far, ma’am.”

Providence nodded slowly. They would be mourned later. But right now, she needed to concentrate on the task at hoof. “Their names?” she asked as she stood up to go.

“We have them for your books, ma’am,” the Elite replied quietly, “as per usual. But we must go. It’s not safe for you here.”

“Thank you, Harbinger.”

“You do me honor by remembering my name, ma’am.”

“I remember as many of your names as I can. It’s just…”

Harbinger looked down and Sandy’s head poked through the tent flap. The strange pegasus saw Providence’s face and looked at her with a mixed expression of pity and resignation. He walked to her side and bowed low, his wings beating quickly to compensate. “They died well.”

“I know.” Providence closed her eyes for a moment, then looked from Sandy to Harbinger with determination in her eyes. “Let’s go.”

As they exited the tent, another bolt of lightning hit the far side of the peninsula. It was lucky how such a powerful weapon seemed to constantly miss and hit random points, mostly around the camp. In fact, several unicorns had found that if they used their spears in strategic locations they could sway the power of the strike slightly.

“They cannot aim it properly,” Sandy said with a nod of his head, “they would have made short work of us ages ago.”

“All we can do is hope that they get frustrated with their long-range siege weapon and come for us. We aren’t prepared for this type of battle. But they get closer, and we’ll show them why we are called the Elites.”

They galloped towards the walls of the Caldera and spotted the larger part of their group, including the majority of the camels that accompanied Pani, safely tucked away within the larger cave entrance. Only a small number had willingly stayed behind at the wall to ensure that their enemies didn’t overrun their defenses. These Elites, on the brink of madness from the toxin in their blood, would be their rear guard.

Providence turned around and watched them in utter awe. The way they held their ground, their masks lowered across their faces as they stood on the wall, their very presence an open defiance to their attackers. Each time the lightning whitened up the skies from a potential strike, Providence could not help but wince yet those Elites stood there without flinching. Providence wrote that image in her mind. She hoped that she would remember this and write about it in her books. She had to. Each strike seemed like a photograph; a flash from their weapon, imprinting the image deep into her mind. She saw the rawest form of bravery. To stand tall in the face of deadly odds unafraid and unyielding.

These were the Elites. Her Elites.

It was them that had struck first. Their cowardly attack, unprovoked, had cost the lives of many Elites. Perhaps if she had thought about it more, perhaps if she had contemplated things a bit deeper, then perhaps they would have lived. But hindsight was always twenty-twenty.

The only entryway onto the peninsula was now buried under rubble blocking any safe way up. Providence knew, deep down, that if the group were made up of normal Guards than a lot more might have been killed. The overly suspicious nature of the Elites coupled with their attuned battle-instinct to safe themselves made them react almost instantly to the threat. The Guards were good, there was no denying that. As a fighting force, the Guard were feared, but they were soldiers in their core. They were not used to the dirty tactics used by others, something that the Elites specialized in.

In had all started hours ago. The skimmers from the enemy had all stopped a very good distance away. Cleverly out of range of any siege weapons, if they had any siege weapons. But their caution would prove to be their undoing. If they had struck with their full force on the entrance and forced their way inside, things might have been very different. But, thankfully, that was not the case.

After parking their vessels, and starting their own preparations by assembling the tower, they sent what could only be called an envoy out to meet them. A solitary skimmer drew near the entrance to the peninsula. Semper and a small group went down to meet them, with Providence safely protected at the top of the ‘Gate’, as it had been nicknamed. She could see down to the sands below and watched as a group in Night Guard armor jumped out.

The natural wind and breeze carried their voices up the natural slope to her and she could hear them speaking quite clearly. They stood a bit away and shouted a greeting, then claimed that they were there under orders. The even had the audacity to claim to have been sent from Canterlot. The Elites, suspicious to their core, did not lower their stance nor their weapons.

And neither did Semper.

Thinking back, there were definitely two things had not added up. First off, the armor of the Guard would have been obvious to any used to seeing them, but none of the Elites wore Guard armor. The Watu had little in similarity with one another, let alone Guard armor. These Night Guard either chose to ignore this, or did not know. And how could a member of the Royal Guard not recognize that? The sleek in design of the Guard contrasted heavily of the sharper angular edged design the Elites wore.

The second were the masks every Elite wore. Guards did not wear them.

But the third was how they knew about the stone. Even the Elites did not know about it until they had reached the Caldera and there wasn’t any outside their group that were informed of what their intentions were. Not unless there was a leak, but that was impossible. The only reasoning they could know about it was because of the tome, and then again it was transported in secrecy in the hooves of two Border Guards. Not the Royal Guard.

And finally, the fact that Royal Guards were sent instead of their Border counterparts.

Of course, the Elites did not deduct this, perhaps save for a very special few. They were suspicious as always and were ready to strike. They were always ready to strike. Like a snake wound up in the corner, they were waiting for the right moment.

Still, it was Semper that allowed for the charade to continue and pretended to be welcoming, cordially inviting them closer so that the Elites had a better shot at them.

Between him and the Gate stood a few Elites, the rest inside, their crossbows facing out and ready. Not a single one of them lowered their bolts or relaxed their stance. This would prove to be a fatal mistake for some, and a significant problem for the others.

It was Semper who finally asked them one simple question: under whose orders were they sent. The Night Guard impersonators did not expect that question and could not give an answer.

But they came prepared.

Two rushed Semper in an attack. A bubble of magic formed around him and closed in tight, trying to constrict him to death. None of the Elites waited and fired a salvo at the Night Guard that were standing outside. They made a futile attempt at fighting back, but were cut apart from the bolts in a matter of seconds.

But Semper was still stuck.

An Elite unicorn formed a barrier around Semper instantly breaking the bubble around him and he landed on his hooves and coughed twice. He pointed at the skimmer.

At once the quarrels hit the vessel, but it had already started to move towards the Gate.

“Get out!” an Elite shouted and exited the entryway followed by a dozen or so Elites. Others turned and fled up the tunnel towards the top.

But there were many still inside.

The skimmer flew across the sand, much faster than their wind could carry. It was obviously propelled by something else. An engine, perhaps. She would never know. All she knew was that a row of shield formed in front of her as strong hooves pulled her back away from the entrance.

What their plan was, Providence would never know. Was it to bring the explosions up under a guise of peace? Perhaps as food supplies or water. Probably. But Providence highly doubted that they would willingly destroy their only way up towards the peninsula.

And destroy it they did.

The explosion propelled her in the air, such was its power. The narrow corridor that led up acting like a cannon, in a way. She tried to regain her posture on the air, but instead landed with a heavy grunt as she turned to see dust, smoke, and dirt rise from the collapsed entryway.

It had all happened so fast.

In one moment, there were greetings and a general aura of tension, followed by the shouting and that fighting. In a span of a short few seconds it was supposed to be over, but they had overlooked the one thing. A unicorn, it had to have been a unicorn, hidden in the skimmer, out of sight. There were so many questions. Perhaps the unicorn thought it was heading away from the danger and did not realize, until it was too late, that he or she was actually going in the opposite direction. A miscalculation to the highest extent. Or perhaps revenge for a fallen comrade, cut down in front of their own eyes as the Elites made short work of the others.

Again, none could or would ever know.

But one thing was perfectly clear. The way up was now blocked and the groups were isolated from each other. There was no way up the sides. The natural defenses and the wildlife surrounding them made sure of that.

Going up the sides of the plateau was futile. The attackers had learnt that the hard way when a small group of pegasi charged towards the Caldera. They were decimated by smaller wyrms that picked them out of the air, and the few that made it to the side were cut apart from something that hid in holes along the sides. Just as Pani had forewarned. These new creatures sprang out, biting the pegasi with their beak-like mouths and pulled them into their burrows. She could hear some of their screams echoing beneath her hooves in the ground below before a sudden, final hush.

No pony had seen Semper or the other Elites that exited out his way. Although many survived the explosion through the alert nature, plenty did not. The bodies of several that had managed to make it out were broken from the power of the explosion. There would be no time to bury them. A few more were too badly injured and, despite Providence’s protests, were given the mercy of a painless death.

That image, to her, would haunt her for the rest of her life. Their smiling faces as their life ebbed away. It was the smile that got to her. How horrible their lives must have been to be able to smile so gently at the prospect of death.

Their names, as before, were listed. She would put them in her book.

Without Semper, it was now Providence who had to take charge of leading her rabble. At least that was what the Elites were waiting for. Her ordered them about. She asked them to do things, which they took as orders, but they always happily did whatever asked.

“Basher?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Gather the others. I’ve decided. We will focus our efforts into finding a way into the Caldera. If there’s a way through, we might be able to get out the other side or something. I don’t know, but staying here is pointless. I want all the Elites to work together to help. There’s no point in keep watch. They can’t come here. We’ll back away and hide inside this tunnel. Hopefully that will buy us time as they try and search out the others.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll sent up some false trails to the other tunnels in case they do many it up.” He turned to go.

“Good. Oh, and Basher?” The Elite in question stopped and looked at Providence. “All of us are going inside. Nopony stays out there.”

“But…”

One look silenced him. “All. Like I said. No point in being out here.”

“As you wish, ma’am.”

“Also, take all the supplies we can. We don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck inside these tunnels. And take any you need to help you. Let’s get out of here.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

It was early. Without proper time-keeping equipment, the exact time was impossible to state, but dawn was close. The Princess would be raising the sun above the horizon soon enough.

“There!” Samidra exclaimed, pointing towards the bright Cultist camp without much trouble. She did not need to point it out. The lights were streaming all over the place, so strong was the denizens of the desert had not approached.

The night had been nothing short of terrifying for them all. However, the ensuing battle had helped them considerably. Their approach, for the most part was undetected. But they had also been very lucky.

The desert and its ever-changing temperament had changed so much so quickly, trying to swallow everything back into itself. The sea of sand had shifted so much over the days that the blood of the wyrm that had oozed from the gigantic corpse was now buried deep below. Other creatures, large and ferocious, had made quick work on huge parts of the body that not even the skeleton, or carapace or whatever wyrms had, was not spared. Nothing but sand remained.

After the skirmish with the scarab, they had made straight for the lights, the wind at their backs propelling them quickly with much requirement from their own spells or wings. They had made short time and reached a particularly large dune. Or so they thought. It was actually the half-buried body of the wyrm itself.

Using caution and a good amount of skill, the two skimmers found a gap in the carcass big enough for them to slip through with enough room on both sides to keep the desert’s beasts far enough away. They had cut a significant amount of distance from themselves and the Caldera, and perhaps that was what the Cultists themselves were vying for. The body of the wyrm a major problem that they did not foresee.

Once past the body, they made their way towards the lights. Soon, on the way, they saw what the scarab’s abilities first-hoof were. Many skimmers had been decimated, crushed, cut apart, smashed to bits, with the broken and half-eaten remains of a number of ponies lay strewn about around each vessel. Some large octopus-like creature was flinging around several bodies, slamming them against the sand, as if playing with them. It paused briefly to observe the skimmers floating by, then resumed its play.

But that wasn’t all. Several scarabs had met their ends as well; their bodies being torn apart by other creatures in the darkness. The Cultists had fought hard, perhaps not knowing about the halos or the lights, or learning quickly to adapt.

Static noted that the creatures of the desert were observing them from afar and prostrating themselves, similar to other predators in front of prey, or warn off any potential scavengers. None could not afford to waste a single moment of nourishment in such an inhospitable place. Due to this, apart from the threatening gestures, almost all of the creatures ignored the two skimmers once they had passed on by. Still, they took great care in creating a wide berth around any macabre feasting.

Static wondered how the young Samidra had taken to the sight of so much death and gore, but if she was phased by it she hid her emotions well. Not that was saying much. Her previous freak out at the scarab’s presence had taken a toll on her and she remained quite numb until they grew closer to the light of the Cultists encampment.

The thestral, used to being with the dead, sat silently for the most part. She hid her eyes when something especially gruesome, either for the dead or for a creature’s appearance, and Static noted that her lips moved in silent prayer, perhaps asking her version of the Lunar Goddess to grant them some semblance of peace for their journey onwards.

And thus, the rest of the night passed without much note.

So, here they were now looking at the large base. And large was an understatement. There were far more skimmers than they had expected, even with the tracks they had come across on their journey. This was a force that outnumbered their entire fighting capability at least ten to one, and that was from what they could see. Perhaps there were more.

Despite not being seen, Static did not want to chance attracting unwarranted attention and approached the lightshow as slow as he felt was safe in wide patterns that utilized the dunes to hide any line of sight.

According to Samidra, there was only one place where they could go up the Caldera and the path to that entrance was now blocked by the army of Cultists who were laying siege on the peninsula. There was no way up the sides. Static offered to teleport, but Samidra shook her head at that.

“It won’t work. If that were the case, we would have done so ourselves. The place rejects magic. As if a shield were surrounding it. Teleporting into that, even if you could make a connection, would most likely kill you. There’s no way in.”

But something was off. If the Cultists were not going for this single entry point with such a large force, then something was wrong. They had enough ponies to mount a sizeable assault, yet they were lay siege to the peninsula from a safe distance away. Had the Elites managed to create a significant enough blockade? Could a band of marauders like them fight as a single contained unit? Somehow Static doubted that. The Elites were ambush killers, not an organized military force. That took years of training and discipline, and Static doubted that even the efforts of Semper would be able to ingrain months of training into already habitual warriors when there was no need to.

“What now?” Sonic asked as the skimmers slowed to a crawl.

“I don’t know. Let me think,” Static responded. He slumped where he sat and closed his eyes and wiped his brow. He was exhausted from the overuse of his magic.

“What is that thing?” Sonic asked pointing to a tall metallic pole.

“An attenuation tower, I think. Judging from the way it’s put together; they must have brought it here in pieces then fixed it together.”

“Explains the deeper skimmer trails we saw,” Onslaught muttered and nodded in understanding.

“Those towers are used to amplify electric-based magic. They are incredibly dangerous because there’s no way to control your spells using that thing. You can sort of aim it, but it’s actually quite useless apart from increasing the power output of the magic. They were used quite often before the Unification. They’ve been banned for eons because of how dangerous they are.” Static opened his eyes and looked up at the stars high above him. “The concept is simple, but amplification takes more than just powering a manna battery and then unleashing it. They are also very hard to control.”

“They don’t seem to have any problems,” Raze whispered and watched as the tip of the tower began to glow with a brilliant blue hue before a bright lance of electricity arced its way across the sky. It touched the clouds, it seemed, before it came back down and slammed into the peninsula with a blinding flash followed by an ear-shattering clash.

“Just because things are banned doesn’t mean they’re not used. But I’ve never seen one that big before. It is strong, but all the shots I’ve seen and end up hitting the same place. Something over there is attracting the lightning.” Static sat up and narrowed his eyes. “Look, we need to get passed the Cultists and deliver this map.”

“How we going to do that?” Onslaught asked. “They’ve blocked our path, both from getting to the entrance and the entrance itself, if logic stands to reason.”

“I know, but this is our only objective right now. It looks like we’re going to have to split up into two teams. One creates a diversion, the other to head over to the entrance to the ramp.”

“Then what?”

“Hope that we’re wrong and that the Elites are waiting for us,” Static said limply. “Look, it’s that or we just wait out here and do nothing. And that is going to get us discovered.”

“How do we split?”

At this Static stared at his group. Three trained killers, two Guards, a displaced thestral who happened to be a medic of sorts, and a camel filly who was way too young to be a situation like this in the first place, and a small batch of breezies completely out of their element. Not exactly a very diverse choice. Common sense told him that he needed to have at least one Guard with whomever goes to deliver the map to ensure it gets properly hoofed over, but instinct was shouting at him to stay with Sonic. For them to both stay outside.

“I’ll make is easy on you, Static,” Raze said when she could not bear the silence any longer. “We will deliver your map. We are good at sneaking around. You guys might be strong, but you’re not really that… discrete? No offense, but we can almost smell your self-righteousness from here.”

Sonic opened his mouth, but Raze smiled and raised her hoof.

“You Guards are just like that. It’s easy to tell your kind because of how you carry yourselves. It’s a Guard thing, I suppose. We can see, hear and smell you coming from a mile away.”

Static smiled as he saw Sonic smell his forehoof-pits.

“I am going as well,” Samidra stated glaring at them. “I want to know if my father is safe.”

“Are you sure? We are essentially going into what could be a trap,” Onslaught muttered, “you’re much safer out here instead.”

“For now,” Static replied. “You really don’t know the history between them and us. If things go bad, they will ignore everything else and go straight for the Guard. Usually.”

“Yeah. They kinda hate everything from our mane to our guts and anything else that represents Celestia. They’re nuts.”

“Sonic has a point. They’ve got a serious grudge against those that represent Her Highness, so they’ll go out of their way to make sure to get us,” Static replied. “In that case she would be safer with you as oppose to us. We’d make ideal decoys because they will come after us.”

“The Guards have a point then,” Onslaught replied. “It might be better to take the camel with us. We can always say that we’re her escorts and she’s our charge. They might buy that from us as Elites.”

“Assuming they don’t know we’re helping the Guards,” Raze countered. “Even if they were to buy such a lie, why are we here? What is our purpose? No. That would only lead to more questions that would inevitably lead to our execution.”

“We can say she’s a slave maybe?” Onslaught suggested.

“Again, won’t work,” Raze replied. “I don’t think they would not know about Freeport. Cultists are usually hiding in plain sight within Equestria.”

“Bodyguards? That we are returning to our group there?”

“That they are trying to destroy with their tower of lightning?” Raze shook her head. “No.”

“Point taken.” Onslaught shook his head and laughed quietly. “They’ll just skin us alive.”

“We might be able to convince them to give us safe passing in exchange for something,” Raze replied.

“What?”

She shifted her tail suggestively. “There’s always a ‘something’ if you’re desperate enough.”

“No,” Sonic said stepping in front of Raze. “I… I don’t… I mean, that is to say… that I… well…”

Raze gently put her hoof on Sonic’s face. “You’re kind, Guard. Very kind, but our mission must come first. And if these cultists are as dangerous as you say they are, then we must play our parts. Even I must. I’m flattered that you think so highly of me despite this face.”

“I don’t care about what you look like outside!” Sonic all but shouted. When he realized what he said, he blushed furiously. “Sorry…” he mumbled something, “b-b-b-but… I don’t want that.”

That made Raze smile. “Thank you, Sonic. That’s very sweet of you, but rest assured that nothing is going to happen if we’re careful. Besides, I don’t think many would be as friendly as you are when it comes to my looks.”

“I… it’s just…”

“I promise that I won’t do anything unless I have to,” Raze replied.

Sonic did not like that way that was worded, but he also so the stubbornness in Raze to know that she was not going to budge on her stance either. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Raze said and walked over and placed a hoof on Sonic’s cheek. “Now focus on what we must do, not what we want.”

“Then it will be myself and Sonic out here,” Static interrupted. “And don’t worry, Sonic. If we do our job properly, then the chances of the others making it are higher.”

“Then a you will create that distraction,” Onslaught intoned. “It will take around two hours before we reach the entrance, if we are not hampered. With their skimmers, I doubt we’d stand a chance. Our best bet is to hug the cliff and try to use it as cover. We will need to get closer first, but there is only wide open space between the dunes, and going further up would only cause delays. We won’t make it before dawn, and they will spot us from miles away.”

“Use the skimmer?” Sonic asked.

“No, that would make our position even more obvious.”

“So, you’d need to get as close to the cliff as possible, eh?” Static muttered to himself and closed his eyes for a second. He looked back at the camp and a small smile appeared on his lips. “Wait. Sonic, can you see what’s holding that tower up?”

“Um,” Sonic narrowed his eyes. Raze nudged a pair of binoculars against his haunch and he grinned sheepishly and took them with a mumbled ‘thanks’. His sharp pegasi eyes were far sharper than those of the unicorn, but binoculars were always a good addition. “I see cables running about halfway up the tower and seem to be tied down into the desert somehow.”

Raze took the binoculars and nodded. “Yes. Four to be exact.”

“In what direction?” Static asked, remembering that Raze was also a pegasi.

“North by northeast and in four equal parts from there,” Raze replied. “Why?”

“I think I have a plan. It’s crazy, but it’s something.”

“What plan?” Sonic asked.

“A plan to cause enough of a distraction that it might be enough to help the others get through with getting seen. Maybe.”

“Yeah?” Sonic looked at Static. “Well, we’re all ears.”

Mission 7, Part 8: They'll Sound The Thunder

To Providence, everything about this just felt natural. To puzzle out the situation she was in and to comprehend the next best step to solve the hidden riddle of what to do was something she found herself actually enjoying. Before, all she would do was write about all this. She would picture the problem and understand how the protagonist, a daring adventurer, would study the environment and formulate a plan. She was finding that her abilities as a writer were actually helping her in real life. Through this power of deductive reasoning, she realized as she studied the walls of the tunnels with the help of a nearby unicorn’s horn-glow, that the ground and walls were speaking to her. Even the rocks that were telling her something plainer the more she focused in on it.

“These tunnels are frequently used, Pani. It’s not obvious, but there is definitely quite a bit of hoof traffic through here. Sorry, toe traffic.”

The old camel nodded slowly. “I suspected as much. Remember those nomads I spoke of? After we started coming here, I started asking questions in my mind. From where do they come from? From whence do their attacks originate? For years, as far back as one can go, other tribes have attempted to find their home, but none could ever locate it. It was always said that it was because of their nomadic ways. Their constant moving through the expansive deserts had given them secret knowledge of different oasis deep in the heart of the sands was the reason they could never be caught. They just knew where to go. The sands here are much like the tides of the oceans, moving and shifting, ever changing. That, despite it defying logic, these secret watering holes would appear and disappear with the temperament of the winds and sands. An oasis here today was gone tomorrow, and that these nomads would just know.” He sighed and shifted his weight and sat heavily on a smooth boulder. “That gave rise to tales of immense wealth, such as cities of untold wealth. Cities hidden deep in the deserts that are lit by crystals so pure, their own essence was enough to shine throughout the nights.”

“I have heard of stories like that before.”

“Not surprising. But, even after all this time, with so many eyes on every oasis and many venturing out far into the sands, as far as our forefather’s memories could recall, none have ever seen these nomads apart from their raiding war parties. Indeed, if they are from here, from the Caldera itself, then we have found their home and at least we can begin to understand more about them. And knowing about your foe is a valuable thing.”

“Foe?”

“Oh yes. Many of my brethren, and myself included, have some cause for revenge against these of our kind. My great grandfather was slain by a raiding party. While it is possible it wasn’t from these camels themselves, there are many here who have lost loved ones in more recent years. So yes, foe is correct.”

“Knowledge is power?”

Pani nodded again. “That is why your kingdom is as strong as it is. It is your reigning monarch’s longevity has helped deliver your kingdom into the paradise it is. Before her, your kind was in many respects akin to ours. Without her as a guide, it would have taken much longer to achieve your united strength of power – if at all. Of course, not many appreciate that kind of help, and some believe that such power comes at a terrible cost and that your Princess is nothing more than a blight on this world.”

At this, Providence furrowed her brow and turned her attention away from the wall of the tunnel and looked at the seated camel. “You’re referring to the Griffons? You think that they’re the ones out there using that lightning thingy? Griffons?”

“It would seem reasonable to assume that, yes.”

Providence stroked her chin. “But there were ponies that came up the ramp.”

“Mercenaries comes in many shapes and sizes. In a foreign land, with a simple mission as this, a mercenary army, cheap to hire after the fall of a certain annexed area, would not be that difficult to find.”

“I guess…” Providence shrugged. “But why?”

“The Stone. If it does have the kind of power you say it has, it is something many would desperately try to seek, particularly those with much to gain. Regardless, whoever they are will keep assaulting the camp as long as they believe that we have defenses stationed there. So, we left them a souvenir.”

“You mean the doppelgangers?”

“Yes. It will last till morning. But I must question the thought behind taking all the Elites with us. Was it wise?” Pani asked.

“Yes. We’re going through this… labyrinth of tunnels faster than before. Sending small teams in was a mistake. We’ve even found the other party of Elites that had managed to get themselves lost in here. I can understand, being underground can be disorienting if you’re not used to it.”

Pani nodded. “True, but I have observed the earth ponies seem to have it a lot better than the others.”

“I guess,” Providence said half paying attention to the camel and staring back at the wall. “That would make sense…”

She found herself surrounded by Elites, three of whom had planted themselves to her left that faced further down the tunnels. The others were at her side with their shields up and their spears ready seconds later. Behind them all came the sound of crossbows being locked into place, the pull-strings drawn over their latches. Rows of crossbows glinted to life as quarrels of various magical properties slowly glowed in the deep dark of the tunnels, their power screaming to be unleashed.

All this had happened so fast that it took a moment for Providence’s mouth to catch up with her brain. “W-what’s going on?”

“Camels. Lots of them,” one of the unicorn Elites, named Defiler, stated and signed for Providence to lower herself behind a row of raised shields.

But Pani walked around to the front of the line of shields and stood there a moment peering into the dark. He then said something in his native tongue, which Providence could only catch snippets of. To her, it was as if he were speaking into the darkness. He talked on, mentioned the Stone, about how they were here under the guidance of their own beliefs, and that they were here with no intention to harm them.

A camel, dressed from head to hoof – or toe – in black appeared from the shadows. A long piece of cloth was wrapped around his face and head. He pulled down his mask to reveal a long deep scar in a downward slash across his left eye that was glassy white. Around his eyes, he wore dark eyeliner, or something akin to it. Everything that he wore seemed to help him melt into the shadows around them.

The newcomer walked right up Pani and began to speak very heatedly. Again, Providence could only follow along in some parts, but she caught some. Something about how the Stone must remain hidden and kept aside for the good of all, that if it were to be disturbed then it would endanger the world. And that Pani and his group, along with the ponies, should not be there for it endangered everything and everyone. Perhaps, in his anger, the camel did not realize what he was saying because he had essentially confessed that they were close to the Stone. Or perhaps he genuinely did not consider them a threat to be worried about giving that secret away.

Pani began to respond but was cut off when the newcomer struck him across the face with the end of his long staff. All that did was make the situation worse. Pani was a leader. A very respected and admired one.

Even before she or Pani could say anything, all of their camels began to charge their spells, their wands glowing as magic pulsated through them. This was quickly followed by the camels that were hidden in the shadows, the ones that had come with the antagonist, responded in kind. And these camels outnumbered Providence’s magic casters by a large margin, and that were the ones she could see. In response, the Elite unicorns began to charge their own spells as the tunnels became illuminated in an odious glow.

No. She could not allow any more of the Elites to die. She had enough.

“You don’t understand!” Providence shouted in half-camel, half-Equestrian speech. “I have to get to the Stone!”

The camel peered around Pani to stare at the mare who just spoke. Providence trotted past Defiler, who did not stop her but stayed close with the shield at the ready. The sounds of more and more crossbows latched into place and the lights of magic powering up began to glow stronger and stronger as additional Elites and camels prepared for what could potentially become a bloodbath.

The camel walked right up to Providence and pushed the shield away to get a good look at her. Only Pani stood between the two using his body as a barrier.

“Why?” The camel asked in heavily accented Equestrian. “You do not understand what the Stone is. If it is touched, you would risk everything. Are lives of all in your entire kingdom a price you are looking to pay?”

“Yes.”

The camel laughed. “You would sacrifice the entire kingdom for your own ends?”

“Yes,” Providence said again without any hesitation. “But not for me. For us. For all of us.”

“Even if it will end with the destruction of everything?” The camel asked with his eyebrow raised. “You understand what I am telling you? Everything. Nothing will remain.”

At that, Providence hesitated. “I don’t believe that is what the Stone is for.”

“Then you know nothing of it.” The camel turned away. “Go. Leave. This is not the place for you. Find something else or you will all die here.”

“Wait! Please! Wouldn’t you do anything in your power for your children?”

The camel stopped and turned.

“I know it’s selfish, but I don’t know where else to turn. I’ve tried everything. Everything! Do you think I’d come to the middle of the desert for no reason to find something that is nothing more than ancient story that I don’t even know is true if I didn’t have a choice?” Providence took a step towards the camel in question, but Pani blocked her path with a hoof. “I’ve tried everything! I’ve gone everywhere! I don’t know what else to do! I need to get back to her!”

The camel narrowed his eyes, not understanding about whom she was talking about. “The Stone will demand sacrifices. And it will have it. A sacrifice of great import. Of great significance. You will abide by this law of absolutes? It might even ask for the lives of all your race. Then what of this loved one?”

“It won’t.”

“And you know this how?”

“Because I have to believe it won’t. I have to believe that if it wants something, it has to take something I can give. I cannot give it the lives of any because I don’t have that power. None have that power, and the Princess will protect our kind. She will.”

“But it will ask for something. Will you abide by this?”

“If I have to, yes.”

“And why would you risk everything? Wealth? Fame? Love?”

“Because I’m a mother.”

There was a sudden and subtle change in the expression of the camel. He seemed to actually smile, but not with his lips, but there was indeed a glimmer of one in the eyes. “That is not a satisfactory reason. We have, for centuries and perhaps longer, even before your queen ruled, watched over the Stone. We are not about to allow some foolish notion of selfish greed undo the work that had cost the lives of so, so, so many. And for such an insignificant reason. You will die here, along with us if need be, to ensure that the temple remains untouched. Understand this.”

Suddenly Defiler growled and stepped right up to the camel. “Know this. We are not Guards. If you hurt so much as one hair on her mane, we will find your homes and we will slaughter every last living being there. Every. Single. One. We have no qualms in purging your entire bloodline to the last. You touch her and we will do this, I swear it. We will dig through the mountain with our teeth, we will bring it down stone by stone, but we will find your homes and your families, and we will bathe in their blood. Do you understand this!”

Providence looked at the unicorn who spoke. “Y-you can’t–”

“Excuse me, ma’am, but if they kill you, nobody, camel, pony, dragon or deity will be able to stop us. Not even Semper Sir. You are the only thing holding us back.” He impossibly narrowed the already narrow gap between himself at the camel. “So you use that ancient camel wisdom of yours and you think about what will happen to your precious reasons when there will be none left to remember what it was in the first place!” Despair growled and shoved the camel back with his shield.

There was a moment where every single crossbow and spell felt like it would fly.

Then the camel spoke. “You’re willing to go that far for her own reason? You do not wish for conquest.”

“No.”

“Revenge?”

“Against who? You? We are our own worst enemy, not you.”

“Then what? Her only desire is to return to her child. Surely you can just go there now.”

“Why would we bother coming here if it were that simple?” Defiler growled. “We are cursed. Poisoned. Robbed of everything except our ability to kill. She is the only key in saving us all for our sins. Take her life, and there is nothing that will stop us from burning this world to ash. And I guarantee that however powerful your stupid Stone is, it’s got nothing on an army of Elites.”

“Why?” the camel asked, bewildered to hear such a statement. “Who are you?”

“You’ve heard of us. They call us the Watu Wakali. But we are the best of them. We are the ones that have no faces. The ones that are walking death. We are here of our own will to followed her and see her through all this. She is our whole world. Everything we do is for her. So, if you touch her then we will kill you all!” He pulled down his mask and lowered his body and raised his shield as he shoved the camel back a dozen steps with a mighty push.

“To bend the will of faceless demons…” the camel whispered in his native tongue and took another step back realizing what he had just said. He backed away and stared at Providence in shock, as if the words themselves had cast a spell on him.

But Pani stared at the camel who just spoke with his eyes wide open as well, shock and a mixture of adoration, pity, and fear flittered across his face. Every camel seemed to do the same and a few even took a physical step back away from the mare.

“Perhaps… perhaps there is more to you. I must consult with our magi. We will return to you once we’ve… talked,” the stranger said slowly. With that, he replaced his black hood, his face disappearing into the blackness as he slipped into the shadows and was gone.

“We won’t stop looking for a way!” Providence shouted into the darkness.

“As you please,” the voice replied from far away, yet it also sounded quite close. Then there was silence.

Providence peered hard at where she had last seen the camel, but she didn’t see anything after he took a few steps back. She noticed that many of the Elites relaxed their vigil and some replaced their crossbows on their backs.

“How can you see them?” Providence asked, desperate to diffuse the tense situation.

An earth pony that had been one that had formed the front shield wall around her looked around. “Um… are you talking to me, ma’am?”

“Hm? No. I just was asking out loud.”

“Oh.” The pony seemed sad, but it was impossible to see her because of the mask.

“But since we are talking, what is your name?” Providence winced. She knew better than to ask that.

The mare lifted up her mask and smiled. Her face looked wrong, the skin seemed to be falling off making her lower jaw look like it was hanging. “I can’t remember, but I know you know that. I am known as Breaker.”

“Is this the first time we’ve spoke?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The dark purple pony smiled, half the teeth in her mouth were missing.

“Hello, Breaker. So, how can you see them? The ones in the shadows, I mean. Even with the magic glow, I can’t see very far into the tunnels.”

“Some of the unicorns use magic. A nocturnal vision spell, I suppose.”

“But you’re not a unicorn.”

“Yes. Well, I can feel them touching the ground. I don’t know how else to describe it. But only the ones on the ground. I can sense them.”

“And this nocturnal vision, how does it work?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it narrows the eye part where you see, makes it like a slit. Like a dragon’s or a thestral’s. You should ask a unicorn. I think it’s easy to do if you know how. If you want, I can ask a unicorn to cast it on you. You can ask Defiler; he’s using it right now.”

Providence turned to Defiler. “Can you cast it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And how long will it last?”

“Depends on how strong. A few hours at the most. But I can just recast it, so it should be okay. But it does take a lot out of me, so I can’t do it often.”

“Can you cast it on me now?”

The unicorn nodded. “Of course, ma’am,” and his horn glowed orange for a moment before Providence found herself looking inside the darkness with much better clarity than before. It was like a darker form of the twilight light. It was not perfectly clear, but it was much clearer than before. It was useful, but there still needed to be a light source. At least, for her she needed one.

“Do you all use this?”

“No. Some of us have… experience with dealing with the darkness and night and can fight well without this spell. There are things far worse than camels out there. Plus, I think a few of us were Night Guards at one point. I think.”

Providence understood and did not press it. “Well, this is too useful not to share. Make sure everypony gets this spell so they can be better off, particularly ones that are doing the exploring. Don’t want anypony to fall into holes or something. We gotta take care of each other.”

“As you wish, ma’am,” both Breaker and Defiler replied, a small smile on their lips.

Don’t think, just follow.

That was what the voice inside my head was telling me as I galloped onward.

Don’t pause, just move.

I kept going, but The Guard moved like the wind. Like water through a ravine. Like a ghost. Like me.

Don’t lose sight, just open your eyes.

He moved between two rocks that looked impossible until I approached and spotted the gap. With a slight pause, I threw myself into small opening and came out the other side into a small alcove hidden behind a large flat boulder that formed a natural wall. It stuck up like a tower from the ground and kept us hidden. We had stopped. I was thankful. We had galloped far from the desert. We had to keep moving. This was the first time we stopped, and my body hurt all over.

Don’t think, just remain numb.

I saw The Guard walk towards the rock and peered around it. He paused for a moment and then raised his binoculars and peered across the sands towards the tower in the distance. We had just run for so long, dodging through the rocks and keeping out of sight for so long. We had not stopped moving, and I was tired, beyond exhausted, yet The Guard seemed as if he had been waiting there for hours. He did not look tired at all, despite the sweat soaking his mane. He turned towards us and remained silent in thought.

I knew what he was thinking. That we needed to find a way back up to the peninsula, to get back to her. She needed us. All of us. But most of all, she needed him. I’d make sure that he’d get to her. Make sure that he’d be by her side. Next to my mother-not-mother. She needed us, but she needed him most.

But we could not climb up. As soon as we exposed ourselves the wyrms had struck. Twice there had been near misses as smaller wyrms leapt towards myself when I had slipped trying to keep up with the others. The Guard had pushed me to safety. The other time a pegasus slipped and fell, the wyrm attacked, but the winged-one managed to recover and dodge in time. It was a miracle that all of us made it.

The Guard raised his hoof and we all sat down to catch our breaths. But not him. No. Not him. He stood there and watched the ones in the sand with their lightning tower and waited.

Don’t speak, just listen.

The Guard made a gesture with his hoof and I approached without hesitation excited that he would call on me. I was wrong. He hadn’t called for me. He had summoned another. I backed away and sat down. My eagerness is a nuisance. I had to remember my place. I always forget my place. I should listen. Should only listen. Listen, and obey.

“Status?”

“All accounted for, sir,” He replied. He. The one that was always around me. I looked at him, and He looked at me and nodded. Why was He always around me? I hated him for that, yet I also did not like him not being around me. It was always so confusing. I must clear my thoughts. I must not think about that. I must only think on the mission. I must listen. Always listen. And obey.

“Any hurt?”

“Nothing much, sir, just a few scrapes and bruises.”

The words as sounded so familiar. Distant. Normal. Perhaps I used to say these types of things before. Or maybe I used to hear them. Scrapes and bruises, He had said. Yes. That was familiar. Strange, but familiar. Did he always say it? I think so. But no, I mustn’t think. I must listen. I must keep silent and listen. Always listen. And obey.

“There were two others severely wounded. Wouldn’t have made it,” He said.

The Guard looked at He and nodded. “We have to return to the peninsula.”

“Yes, Semper Sir, but there is no way up,” I said aloud.

I wanted to kick myself. I wanted to smack myself in the head, but wanted so much to speak. Now I would be punished. I knew he knew. I knew they all knew, but I wanted to speak. I wanted to talk. To tell him everything. I wanted him to speak to me. It felt strangely good to be there next to him.

But then again, did I want to talk to The Guard, or to He?

I felt the others staring at me. I looked down and tried to hide. I hadn’t listened. I spoke out. I hadn’t obeyed. I was going to be punished. Punished for speaking out of turn.

Why should they listen to me? I was a weak Watu. The weakest of all. My place was at the back, the bottom, the frontline, but not near The Guard, and especially not near Providence. No, my place was last for I am the weakest Watu. The lack of scars I wore across my face symbolized my weakness. I am lucky to be here. On so many missions, I relied too much on the others. Especially He. He, who was there. I looked at him, his eyes staring at me.

“I know,” The Guard replied.

My eyes opened in shock and I looked up at him, but he had turned away. He looked at me and, was that a smile? It was. Why was He smiling? Perhaps it’s because of how lucky I am. To be talked to by The Guard. I am so lucky to be alive for this moment. Perhaps one day I could talk to Providence too.

He, not the Guard, but He walked over to me and patted my head, then turned away. It felt good. I wanted him to do that again. To pet me. To make me feel wanted. I smiled and felt a strange feeling, but knew that I could not press my luck. I would remain silent and listen. Listen. And obey.

“Who are they?” He asked staring at the large group of ponies and the other creatures with them. I wanted to look too, but I couldn’t. I wanted to see, but I remained where I was. He placed his binoculars in my hooves. “Take a look.”

I nodded. I looked.

“What do you see?” He asked.

“M-minotaurs, wolves, and griffons too, I think.”

“I see.” He took back his binoculars and looked. He had spoken to me. He. He was strong, a leader. A powerful Watu. He could talk to The Guard without permission. He had earned that. Not like me. I was weak. I am weak. I had to only listen. Listen, and obey.

“Cultists.” The Guard said without emotion and turned to He.

“Cultists have that strong of a force? No wonder Guards never interfered with us during Lost Hope.”

“Freeport,” I muttered.

“Apologies. Freeport.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. I looked up at He, but his attention was on The Guard, and I could not help but smile.

“How could they bother with us when they have to contend with that?” He licked his lips with his forked tongue tracing his thin lips.

I remembered how he had got that. Remembered how he had been punished for talking back. It had been Blood. I remembered. He was so angry at Blood. I have never seen since, apart from The Guard, stand up to Blood. But He did. And that was a big mistake. For his defiance, He needed to be punished. I remember the way the others held him down. How they pulled his tongue from his mouth with plyers. I remembered him shouting, cursing, struggling. Why was he struggling? He had orders. He had to obey, but He did not.

Why hadn’t he just obeyed? He shouted some more, but they pulled out his tongue more instead. That was when they gave me the hammer. Then another Watu held a nail over the extended tongue.

Blood had ordered me to. Hit the nail. Hit it hard. I had to obey. I had to listen. I had to obey. I had to listen. I struck. It down. I struck again. It went through. I remembered his eyes, full of tears as he watched me. But those tears, they did not seem from the pain. I remembered He looked at me with those eyes. I remembered that. Tears not for him, but for me.

Then Blood ordered me to strike him in the face. I refused. I think. But Blood shouted in my face. I had to obey. To listen. If I didn’t I wouldn’t get more. The nectar, he said. I had to obey. I had to listen. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t get more. I had to get more. I had to. I had to.

I remember the feeling of his muzzle breaking as I struck him. Repeatedly. I felt his tongue give way as I smashed his face in. I saw his tongue stretch out until it started to cut through the muscle. I saw it pull. Each time. Each strike. The cut grew. It grew and grew and grew. Because I had to listen. I had to obey.

But He did not shout at me in anger. I always admired He for that. He is a strong Watu. He understood that what He did was wrong. He hadn’t listened to Blood. He had to be punished. He did not resist. I kept going until the nail got free as the tip of his tongue parted.

I remembered it all. And it always brought tears to my eyes.

And when He was strong again, after being repaired, I thought he would come after me. To kill me for what I did. But He did not. That’s how I knew that He understood his punishment, as I did mine. How I would listen, and obey. No matter what. Even when Blood wanted me at night in his room, I had to obey. Listen, and obey. Obey. Obey. Obey.

He is a strong Watu. Not like me.

He placed a hoof on my head. “Wipe your tears.”

I did. I listened, and I obeyed.

“Cultists are experts at hiding. And they have strong sympathizers within Equestria’s borders. There are some groups who have similar beliefs to the Cultists’ cause, but while some are more docile, others are not.”

“You are referring to The Night Brigade, and other similar groups?”

“Correct. But most almost always get assimilated into Cultists ranks and status.”

He nodded. “I understand. They pretend to ally themselves with the peaceful cause and corrupt it from within.”

The Guard nodded.

He laughed silently. “Like us, I suppose. The poison in our blood changes us into something else. Something terrible.” He shrugged. “You should just kill them all.”

The Guard said nothing. There was nothing to be said. Guards like him did not operate like the Watu. Not like us. They didn’t go house to house and killing their inhabitants until one eventually made a confession out of fear. Equestria had rules. Laws. Laws that The Guard and the others followed.

But I how I knew this, I did not know. The others speak of forgotten memories. Lost to the poison inside us. Perhaps I had many forgotten memories too. Perhaps. Maybe. But I sometimes awake with tears. The others did not like me. They said I cried in my sleep. They did not like it because it did not let them sleep. Or was it because I could sleep and they could or would not. I don’t understand it.

“Sir,” one of the other Elites spoke, the one we called Gnasher, “wouldn’t it be better if we just waited? Eventually the Cultists will try to destroy the blockage themselves. I mean, after they’ve killed enough of us.”

“Providence cares for all of you. She will not allow you to die if she can help it. She would have ordered a complete retreat into the tunnels to get away from the lightning.”

At those words, I felt a strange sense of pride towards her. She became our leader by our own choice, and none of us regretted that. Unlike with Blood, we wanted to follow Providence and we wanted to serve her. Like how the Guards served their Princess. Every single one of us wanted to please her, to show her that we meant only the best. She was our whole world.

I would not be alone in saying that it is love. Perhaps a love out of desperation, but love it is. After a void of being unloved, it felt good to love some another even if it was not returned. I loved her because she was one of us, yet she was more. She remembered her life and she shared it with us in her stories. And we were there with her in hers too. Her stories. The fallen were remembered in her books. Characters in her wonderful world. She is a beautiful, unique flower and had to be protected. As long as Semper Sir did that, I would follow him to the bitter end, no matter what may come. But for her. Only for her.

He smiled and shook his head. I looked at He and felt his hoof ruffle my mane again. “Providence is rather foolish in that regard. If she tells all of us to retreat into the tunnels, then these Cultsist will grow bolder and will press their way through one way or another. Waiting is our best option.” He’s smile diminished and was replaced by a look of concern. He licked his lips again. “We’ve just become the frontline, haven’t we?”

“Indeed.” They all waited quietly as the Guard kept his vigil for a long moment. Then he nodded and sat down placing his binoculars into his saddlebag. “We wait.”

Raze led the way. Close behind her, keeping up quite nicely, was Samidra. The camel’s wide feet giving her a distinct advantage over the sandy terrain. Following behind her was Onslaught with the breezies in his large saddlebags, then Tessa and Torment bringing up the rear.

Sonic and Static had gone off. The Guards were adamant that the two of them were all that they needed to distract the Cultists citing their animosity towards anything that represented the Princess was enough of an incentive to keep them busy. Everything seemed to be agreed, with the exception of Tessa and the breezies. This was an unexpected anomaly and that none knew what to really do with. As a result, Tessa ended up with the group heading for the Caldera with the map for Providence, despite her apparent skills as a medic.

Tessa had argued for staying with the Guards due to her medical abilities, but despite their time together, Static still didn’t trust the Elites to protect Samidra. They were certain to accomplish their duties, of that the Guard was certain, but should they get caught up in something he did not doubt they would leave Samidra to her fate in order to complete the mission. Something that was perhaps the right thing to do despite it being the wrong thing. That meant Samidra was in danger of not having sufficient protection, yet accompanying the Guard was worse. Between a rock and a hard place.

Raze gestured for them to lower themselves. They crawled forwards a bit until they were at the top of a fairly large dune peering over the top at the Cultists. They were close enough now for them to differentiate individuals. Their numbers were a lot larger than they thought with more than a few other creatures in their ranks.

“Fog?” Raze asked.

“This close to the Caldera it is commonplace,” Samidra replied quietly.

“Strange. You usually need water for there to be fog,” Raze pointed out. “What now?”

“The Guards will do what they need to.” Onslaught looked harder at the camp. “We’re just going to have to wait.”

“I hate waiting,” Raze muttered.

“Do you see him?” Onslaught asked.

“Who?”

“The Cultist leader that the Guards were so upset about,” the large stallion replied.

“You mean that Night Terror? I don’t know what he looks like,” Raze peered hard into the night and looked for signs of a large group of well-armored bodyguards surrounding an ornately dressed pony, but there was nothing like that.

“He’ll look like a mare,” Tessa said quietly. “If they’re talking about the leader. When they had attacked, he was one of the first onto the ship.”

“A stallion that looks like a mare.” Raze glanced around. “Anything else?”

“He’s a large unicorn. Really big.”

“Bigger than me?” Onslaught asked.

“Yes. And he wore simple dark armor.”

Raze peered at the camp again, but saw no trace of this so-called pony. But from their perspective, they could only see a limited part of the entire group.

They waited on in silence, but they did not have to wait for very long. Dawn was breaking.

“Those fools!” Raze intoned as she saw something that made her stomach tight.

Through foggy mist they came, cutting through the rear of the Cultists’ defenses as the rising sun seemed to pave a road of light in their path. The light shone behind them, as if guided by Celestia herself. The two Guards charged through the camp, one in each of the two skimmers. Static at the rear, Sonic leading the charge.

The Cultists were caught completely by surprise and chaos ensued as they two plunged towards the heart of the camp. All the heavy weapons were facing towards the peninsula with no thought about a surprise attack from their rear. Sonic, using his shield, protected his body while, in the next moment, Static shot a beam of light at a large number of boxes.

Raze felt the ground shake from where she lay from the resulting explosion. It had the desired effect. Immediately after the explosion, there was complete disarray as the fog and sand mixed together. Some had thought that an army of Guards had swarmed over them and a few started fighting with fellow Cultists in the ensuing chaos, confused, afraid, and lacking of discipline. They lashed out in their panic and anger, especially towards those that seemed to wear Guard armor.

But it was what happened next that changed everything. Raze could scarcely believe her eyes when the front skimmer launched itself into the air as Sonic used his wing power to blow a strong squall into the sail sending the craft right into one of the cables they had seen holding the massive tower. The way the small vessel crumpled at the initial impact made it clear that those lines were made of some strong material. Steel, most likely.

The vessel, made out of wood, did not have enough resistance or an edge sharp enough to cut through the steel cable, but it had enough momentum to uproot the shoddy anchor-like foundation the Cultists had attempted to established in the weak sand. They hadn’t dug deep enough.

The grappling hook shaped anchor erupted from below from the sudden addition of a new weight and pulled it out enough to start the chain-reaction. It shifted slightly to the side, crushing the remains of the skimmer into the ground and turning over once before come to a halt.

The sudden halt of the toppling tower’s momentum twisted it with a loud groan that could be heard for miles around. From where Raze and the other lay, they could see the twisting momentum pull and shift all the other anchors that had tried with great futility to straighten out the collapsing tower.

Sonic burst through the sands, as if pushing through a waterfall, and immediately engaged one of the Cultists that had been standing nearby. Raze saw him come and go from view as the scattered sand billowed around him as he threw himself into battle near the base of the tower.

Then she spotted as Static expertly maneuvered around the uprooted anchor in his skimmer, heading straight at the second anchor and fired an explosive quarrel towards where the beginning of the metallic cable. Ice burst and surrounded the chain, but almost within seconds a second quarrel of fire cut through the ice smothering the area in steam. The rapid change from cold to hot, coupled with the shift of weight must have caused too much strain. A sudden crack echoed in the dawn as the cable snapped, the cable lashing out like whip slamming into the sand, stirring it up once again as it cut around the tower. Even from where they were, they could hear it swish across the ground. Those that could dove out of the way. An unlucky pegasi did not move quick enough as it past right through its torso, the two halves of its body disappearing in the explosion of disturbed sand.

Then a terrific groan echoed into the sky. All of them thing froze to turn towards the source of the noise. All, save for Sonic who, using the sand as cover, flew as low and as fast as he could towards Static avoiding the cable still swinging around in a chaotic ballet.

Raze watched as the Cultists, suddenly realizing what was happening, tried their very best to scramble out of the way as the large attenuation tower started to bend where the two remaining cables held. If shifted, warbled slightly as the joints groaned from the strain, then the top half twisted around pulling the other two anchors up out of the sand. A loud bang echoed throughout the skies as two large chunks of metal catapulted themselves, one straight down into the ground, and the other way up into the sky.

“Timber!” Raze whispered with malicious delight as the crudely held device swayed dangerously across the encampment, sweeping over it as the last of the anchors held before the entire swung around slamming into the ground like a large, long stick, sweeping the sand along with it as it ground to a halt.

A tidal wave of sand erupted from the downed tower which pushed towards the peninsula and crashed into it like the waves of the ocean. The tower now lay along, almost parallel to the peninsula, the newly kicked up granules of sand soaring high into the sky and bathing the area in a sudden sandstorm.

But Raze’s eyes were on the other end of the camp and she had to hold her excitement down when she spotted a solitary skimmer and two distinct ponies aboard. It was their armor, and the way they carried themselves, as if they were glistening in the morning light. Raze felt her heart pound in her chest as she saw Sonic standing on the bow, his wings spread out and a crossbow in his forehooves.

He looked majestic. It was all for show, she knew, but she could not help her cheeks as she felt her face grow hotter as she watched him racing away.

“Come on, Raze, snap out of it. It’s game-time,” She muttered to herself and gently slapped her cheeks. She looked at Onslaught who was staring at her with a look of concern. “Shall we go?”

“No, not yet,” Onslaught replied, putting a hoof on her shoulder and looking out across the sands. “Wait for it.”

And then they saw it. Like bees from a disturbed hive, the Cultists swarmed out on their own skimmers, bursting through the sandy maelstrom in pursuit of the Guards. Most were firing with futile purpose into the distance hoping to hit the guards, but they were giving chase. In a way, it seemed quite comical.

“Now?” Raze asked.

“Now. Stay low, and stay close. We’ll use the sand as cover. Head for the base of the tower and follow it as close as you can,” Onslaught instructed the others. “Where’s Torment?”

The all quickly looked around, but the earth pony in question had disappeared.

Mission 7, Part 9: We'll Reap The Whirlwind

“Sir! You have to take a look at this!” I shouted when I saw what I saw. I had to make sure that I wasn’t seeing things, but the attack on the tower was not an illusion. Actually shouting and telling The Guard and the others to look was redundant, but I was too excited; I had to speak.

All of us had already seen what had happened, the noises of the tower’s collapse were hard to ignore. The Guard was gazing towards the encampment through his binoculars. He slowly lowered them and narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

“Sir, look there!” The one known as Cascade stated. She was pointing to a small group galloping along the now collapsed tower. We could see them when the dust swell calmed a bit before being kicked up again from an unfamiliar strong breeze. They were obviously making towards the remains of the entrance at the tip of the peninsula.

“They must be heading for the entrance,” He stated slowly.

“They won’t know it’s blocked, sir,” Cascade intoned looking at The Guard and at He.

Then we saw the chase. From our vantage, we could see the lone skimmer leading a sizeable number of other skimmers after them.

“I can make out two Guards on the leading skimmer, sir,” Cascade informed looking through her binoculars.

“And if they’ve split up, they must have something important enough to entrust us Watu with to use themselves as decoys,” He muttered.

“Themselves?” Cascade asked. “The Guards? Are you sure they aren’t just running away? It would be the smart thing to do.”

“The Guard? Run? Do you not see whom is in our presence?” He asked incredulously. “You best watched your tongue, or it might end up like mine.”

“Somehow, I doubt that would happen,” Cascade replied. She pointed towards the horizon. “They are being pursued by at least ten skimmers. Maybe more, but it’s hard to tell with all this sand. Looking at their formation, they are disorganized.”

I looked at He puzzled.

He saw me and half-smiled. “Meaning there will be holes in their security. They also have too many ponies on each skimmer, so that extra weight should slow them down.”

Cascade shrugged. “They are remaining within sight and just out of range of their magic and bolts. If what you’re saying is right, then they are doing it on purpose.”

Gnashed furrowed his brow. “To anger them further and frustrate their chase?”

“Must be. The longer they pursue, the weaker their main force will be. That’s a good number of skimmers and Cultists that have given chase. A good distraction. I would have fallen for it,” Cascade admitted.

We all nodded as one, agreeing with that sentiment. Except for He.

“We will assist this attempt,” Semper stated, his voice making them all turn to him.

“What then? We use their own trick. Find a bunch of quarrels, bundle them up and keep throwing them at the entrance until it opens up,” He said and shook his head. “There is nothing that will move those boulders.”

“Why not? Explosions will work. We just have to buy time,” Gnasher countered.

I had to speak out. I had to tell them. It was my duty to Providence to speak and say something about the plan. It was beyond flawed. It would not work and would endanger all of us. I had to open my mouth and say something.

The argument grew heated, as was the case with us Watu. A few felt the pommels of their blades and the staves of their spears. Some pulled daggers from their pouches and waited. I gulped. I had to put a stop to it. I had to. I just had to.

“It won’t work…” My voice was too quiet. None heard it.

Save The Guard.

“Why?”

The others turned to look at The Guard first, then followed his gaze to me. They all looked at me with expressions I could never read. I clutched my mask tightly on my head and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and spoke.

“The blast would not help. The debris would be stacked on top of each other from the ceiling down. Unless we worked the explosion from within, and assuming the stability of the plateau is sound enough, we could try and blast our way through, but it would take a long time and a lot of resources to finish that and a hundred baskets of explosive quarrels are not going to be enough. Sir.” I choked by my fear and waited for the blade to slit my throat. I did not call him sir. How could I have forgotten the honorific? I deserved to die.

“What is your name?”

“I… I don’t have one. I’m not worthy of a designation.”

“A few have called her Ghost, but she rarely speaks. She is also the youngest of us. Too young to be an Elite. Then again, perhaps we all are. The only one quieter than her is Torment, but I don’t think he’s capable of speech. Just another dead pony too stubborn to stay in a grave.” He looked at me. “I thought that Providence already told us all. The same laws that governed our rank and position do not apply anymore. We are free from that system. You can speak your mind, little one.”

My heart skipped a beat. It always felt so warm when He called me that. “I don’t know what she meant, sir.”

He licked his lips again. “I know. Few of us do, but I think she means we can speak out of turn. In this case, you’re right. What then do you suggest then?”

The question was directed at The Guard.

“Let her speak.”

All eyes were suddenly on me. I gulped. But I was given permission. I had to speak. I was given the honor of making my voice heard for The Guard. Perhaps one day I would be able to talk to Providence. I wondered if she would let me call her something else. Something other than ma’am. I wondered if she would let me call her mother.

“Sir, I suggest that we first rendezvous with them by heading them off before they reach the entrance. Then we bring them here. Without the tower, the Cultists will have no choice but to dig out the entrance. We don’t have the kind of equipment or physical labor to do that. If we get safely away, let the enemy dig out the entrance, then, when they’re done, sneak through and join mommy— ma’am and the rest.”

He’s head whipped around when I made my mistake. A small smiled crawled across his lips. “Mommy?”

I felt small. I lay down on the ground, submitting to him like I always do. If he wanted to take me, I would close my eyes and bear it. As I had to. I had to obey. I was weak. I was nothing. My life was in their hooves. No pony would help me. No pony had to. No pony should. I am nothing but a ghost. That is what they called me. I was nothing more than a figment of their imagination. I am not even worthy of a name.

“I find that… quaint. I am sure she would too,” He said and actually chuckled.

I couldn’t understand. Was He being nice?

“Her idea is sound.”

I looked up from the ground to The Guard, my heart pounding hard in my chest. He was looking away, but I had heard him correct. He complimented me. Nopony in command had ever done that before. Did it mean that I was worth something? My heart felt like it would jump right out of my chest. I didn’t understand what was happening to me until He walked over and patted my head again.

“It’s alright, little one. You don’t need to be scared of me or any other here. You did good. The Guard likes your plan, and so do I. And, I’m sure mommy would approve too,” He added with a wink.

I looked around slowly, not sure if it was a trick, but He himself turned his back on me. I could feel his defenses down. I could feel him shifting his attention from me and away. I wasn’t in any danger. But was I really as safe? Perhaps it was a trick. To lure me into a false sense of security before they all ganged up on me and killed me. Could I take the chance? Was this the right moment to take He out? Would I gain the respect I deserved?

That was how it used to be. But now, like always, it felt wrong. Especially because it was He.

My eyes focused on He’s back, then to his left where The Guard stood. I stared at him for a long moment, and when I shifted my gaze back to Slasher, he had walked further away. There was no way he could attack me from there without me noticing.

Perhaps it wasn’t a trick. Perhaps they really did respect my opinion. Maybe they really did want to listen to me.

And maybe, just maybe, I could and would call Providence ‘mother’. And maybe, being Ghost wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Rarity frowned.

“Oh bother. Where are you taking me, you silly horn!” she muttered to herself as the magic continued to pull her along. She had been awake all night long as it pulled her without any sign of slowing down. Her eyes were wide open, she obviously could not sleep a wink with what was happening, yet she felt not a single ounce of exhaustion.

She did not know how far she had travelled, but it was certainly far away. It would take ages for her to get back home, but she just couldn’t stop whatever was happening to her.

So, without any other choice, she let the horn continue to pull her along. She turned her head slightly, as much as she could, and she saw morning about to break over the horizon.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo,” Applejack sighed sadly as she saw the sun peeking over the horizon before Celestia would raise it to the top and into the sky. She just felt so out of place and out of sorts where she was. And she came all the way to Manehatten. A knock on her door snapped her out of her reverie. “C-come in.”

“Good morning, Applejack. How are you feeling today?”

“Fine, I s’pose,” Applejack replied turning away from the window. “Just feelin’ a lil’ homesick is all.”

“Still? Even after last night’s fabulous dinner?” Aunt Orange sighed. “Well, don’t worry, darling, it’ll pass as time goes on. It will only stop when you start to feel that this is your home. As much as I would love to stay and chat, I have to go out for a luncheon. I’ll be back later. Tomorrow we’ll go look at schools for you to attend. You know, I think that once you make some friends here you’ll feel more at home.”

“Yes, auntie,” Applejack replied and turned back towards the window. Somehow, she just felt that it wouldn’t.

Something was off. Very off. Not a mere illusion, but something tangible and real. Something was indeed out of place and out of sorts. But what could it be? It was as if there was a tension in the air.

“Your Highness? Is something the matter?” Honey Dew leaned forward, her blond curls inches away from the Princesses’ tea. “You look out of sorts.”

Princess Celestia looked at the mare in question and pulled her tea away from the table with her magic discreetly moving it away from her mane. In those few seconds, she struggled to come up with a way to express what was troubling her but failed. For all Celestia knew, Honey would think it to be an ailment of sorts and would be calling for the Royal Doctor and making an unnecessary raucous over something that could be nothing. All she knew was that whatever she was feeling, it was getting stronger by each passing moment. Slightly, ever so slightly, but she felt it. It had begun a few days prior, but was so subtle that she ignored it. It wasn’t until she had raised the sun that morning that the feeling had been growing at a steadily and seemingly accelerated pace.

She decided to buy some time for herself while she shuffled her thoughts around by changing the subject. A technique she grew quite adept at over the years dealing with the courts and those that held power in the High Council.

“Honey, can you please clarify what is on my agenda for today?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” the unicorn replied after making a small face. The princess had decided not to tell her, and Honey had to respect that. The unicorn levitated a scroll to her face and slipped on a pair of half-moon reading glasses on her nose and began. “This morning you have your regular morning exercises, then you have a meeting with the Weather Team on improvements to the RCMS.”

“And that is?”

“Rain Cloud Manufacturing System, Your Highness. Apparently they need your approval in increasing the budget to allow for a faster system in getting water from the ground. A new technique involving pegasi flying around in circles coupled with their affinity at controlling the wind.”

“Flying around in circles?” Celestia asked, a little amused by the prospect.

Honey shrugged.

“I see. Anything else?” Celestia listened, getting slightly bored as the Honey went on with the day’s agenda. Then Celestia caught something different. “What was that?”

“Your Highness?”

“You said something about an inspection. Inspecting whom?”

At that, Honey smiled. “I thought that it would be nice for you to take a stroll through the classrooms while the entrance exams are going on to see the new batch of potential students.”

Celestia picked up her tea and took a sip. “That is very thoughtful of you, Honey. Yes, I would like that very much, but isn’t ‘inspection’ not entirely accurate. I am not part of any selection committee at the school.”

“I was having trouble justifying your ‘attendance’ to your Royal Duties Committee.”

At that, Celestia let out a slight pained sigh. The Royal Duties Committee was formed as a way for Celestia to keep her time vested in the goings-on of the kingdom. Essentially, she formed it as a way to not waste her time and to keep her duties relevant to the changing of times. All this at her own behest many, many years ago, even before… difficult times. When one lives for so long, duty and repetition tend to become slightly more than tedious, so she formed the committee to help keep her sane over the years and relieve her of boredom. Of course, she could override whatever the RDC decided to do, but she had convinced herself at some level that the ponies who managed her affairs knew what was best for the kingdom. It worked well, but as things went on and repetition started to set in, she found the tasks that RDC decided for her were growing more and more irksome. It wasn’t that she had started having to do more things she did not want, but she found that sometimes her Royal Duties got in the way of what really mattered. She found herself having to spend less and less time with things that she felt were important. Still, she adhered to her duties and deferred to the RDC as she had promised herself she would. But in the end, if she really wanted to disobey her committee, she could. She had done so in the past, and if it came to it she would do so in the future.

The only thing she could not interfere with was the High Council, and she despised and hated that fact. Hated it more than anything else in her kingdom. Throughout her life, the High Council had always been a very painful thorn in her side. But it was, as Startswirl had once told her many eons ago, a necessity.

“They can be quite a bother sometimes,” Celestia confessed talking about the RDC.

Honey chuckled. “Well, this was actually Professor Inkwell’s idea that I call it an inspection.”

“Oh?” Celestia perked up at the mention of the name. “Did she now?”

“Yeah. She said it’d slip under the noses of the snooty ponies.”

Despite herself, Celestia couldn’t help but giggle. “Honey! Please.”

“Well, it worked. Basically, you’ll have a couple hours of free time to take a stroll around the garden and, if you really want, the school too.”

“Please send a thank you for me.”

“Already did. I sent her some of your private tea stock. Anyway, the committee signed-off on everything almost as soon as I submitted your schedule. They were all nodding their heads and saying that you ought to have a more proactive approach to the selection of the students to maintain the highest of standards.” Honey smiled. “I think it was after the success of being a mentor that got them to open up to this. The whole ‘personal student mentorship’ idea has given us more flexibility in making your schedule a bit more,” Honey leaned in and looked around suspiciously as if making sure nopony was listening in, “fun?”

Celestia smiled and placed a hoof on her lips to hide her smile. “Thank you, Honey. I think I need this.” She glanced over to her desk where a large picture of a smiling filly beamed over the scrolls that lay strewn about. “And I am grateful about Sunset Shimmer. She has shown such strong promise. And she is very talented.”

“Right?” Honey removed the empty tea cup from the table. “She’s been an absolute angel, and very, very ambitious. She’ll grow up to do many great things.”

“I’m sure,” Celestia replied and stared out of her large bay windows across the garden where Discord’s statue lay in the shade of a tree. She had managed to shuffle her thoughts and it was time to approach her original concern. “Honey, something feels a little… different.”

“Different? What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Just that something feels out of sorts. I cannot describe the feeling.” No, that wasn’t quite true. She had felt it before, but she just couldn’t remember from where.

Honey nodded in understanding. “We all get those once in awhile, Your Highness. Nothing any pony can do about it. It’s just one of those days.”

“Is it? I suppose,” Celestia replied doubtfully.

Honey got up, walked over to a stack of papers on a side table and started sifting through them, thinking that the matter had been closed. In the silence that lingered, the princess lifted up the folder newspaper and spread it open with her magic to see what has been going on. She was always keen in understanding the events of the day, especially in the newly annexed region to the southeast, and particularly in the newly acquired capital of said area now dubbed Freetown. When she had heard that the area had been taken, mixed feelings of anger and relief washed over her. But this was quickly followed by shock. Even after all this time, she could not get over the suddenness of what had happened. All previous attempts at taking the area had been met with staunch resistance, but most of that came from internal sources. In truth, short of marching on the area with her Royal Guard, she was at a loss of what to do.

In all her wisdom, and from all her spies and resources, she had never expected the Border Guard to accomplish it. There were rumors that a solitary Guard had managed to do it, but she had refused to believe it. She had to. Any pony who could perform such a monumental task on their own would not have avoided her personal oversight. When she had first heard of what had happened, she had thought that the High Council would have immediately started undermining her power there and try to annex the area from her own control.

But then it was the Royal Guard that secured the area. That really put her entire opinion of the High Council awry. She had allies within the Council, that was for sure, but if they had wanted to secure that area for themselves, much as they had secured areas to the west that were technically beyond her rule, they would not have sent in her branch of the Guard. Of course, the Border Guard filtered throughout the new borders, securing them as they usually did, but that left all internal matters directly under her rule. Something that she could scarcely believe, no matter how many times she tried to see an ulterior motive. An outright declaration from within the Council suggesting that the princess take control would have outed that pony as one of her own and ostracized said pony, which would have eventually led to them being cast out of the Council itself. It had happened so many times in the past.

But that did not happen. In fact, her own spies were as astonished as she was and, in the consequent meetings between her Royal Court and the High Council, it was them that were trying to get information out of her. Or so it seemed. Perhaps it was another ploy, to distract her from finding out the true reason.

There was too much to gain from giving that area away. Its proximity to the southern trade routes, long plagued with bandits and slavers, was now seeing an overabundance of trade that had strengthened the royal coffers and supplied the rest of Equestria with new and wonderful things. The open border policy with the Zebrican tribes was also a huge benefit, and the Zebricans were now a common sight to behold within the annexed area. But perhaps the most priceless commodity gained was the Eleonora Nevus and its safe return to the hooves of those that had built her. It was still a warship, but with a stronger emphasis on protecting the waters from pirates and defending the seas against their neighbors, who had thankfully been silent for the past several months. Several Griffin envoys had demanded answers from her and the kingdom, but for once she could actually and truthfully state that she had nothing to do with it, and nor did the High Council.

Truth, as it were, won that argument.

Still, it annoyed her that such an operation in the area had happened without her knowledge. Even with the Royal Guard policing the interior, along with the Silver Clan, it was just too good to be true and she half expected to read about open rebellion or something similar. But, if politics were put aside, it was the right choice. The Border Guard were not trained to do what the Royal Guard divisions were specialized in. Specifically, the City Guards whose role was purely to ensure that the laws were adhered to.

She placed the paper down and folded it neatly aside and used her magic to pick up her cup of tea and take another sip just as Honey returned to her place opposite her on the table. “Anything else of note?”

Honey removed her glasses and placed them into her glasses container and shut it with a loud click before slipping it expertly into her saddlebag. “Nothing. Please take your time and enjoy the ‘inspection’ of the new students. Towards the evening, you’ll be having tea with Miss Shimmer in the garden. She apparently has some questions for you that she wants to ask you directly and had petitioned for your time with the RDC.”

“Strange. Very well. Thank you, Honey. You make my duties seem that much more bearable.”

“I aim to please, Princess.”

Butterflies didn’t describe it good enough. It felt like a million little birds thrashing around in her gut. At first, she thought she was ready; she had studied hard, practiced harder, tried to memorize everything, and then practiced even more. But whenever she stopped to try and relax, she would think up another potential issue to another potential problem and she would spend hours trying to think of an answer. The stress and worry were starting to affect her performance and she knew it, but was futile in stopping it.

“Twilight, relax!” Shining exclaimed, poking his sister on the nose. “You’re wound up like a top. Just relax, okay? Take a deep breath, and enjoy yourself.”

“Enjoy myself? Easy for you to say,” Twilight muttered. “You’re practically a Guard!”

“Practically? I’ve got a long way to go, lil’ sis. Soon, though. Soon. I’m not quite there. Officers courses are a lot different. More classroom work than anything else.” Her brother sighed when he saw the dejected expression on his sister’s face. He stole a look at his parents who both gave him a nod. “Look, I’ve got to return to class. I’ll see you later at the palace, okay? Really, just relax and you’ll do just fine. I promise.”

Twilight looked at her brother and felt proud. He was part of the Junior Officers Training School, or something like that. Shining always referred to it as ‘JOTS’, and he himself had wanted to sign up for it. His parents were a little apprehensive at first, their family did not have a very happy history when associated with the Guard, but they eventually agreed considering that was what he had wanted to do ever since he could walk. He would be joining other young colts and fillies and trained with specific skills to fill officer roles within the Royal Guard.

Twilight remembered the day when he came home and proclaimed to his parents that he had signed up for JOTS. How proud and scared she felt at the same time. Proud because it was an honor, scared because he’d be putting himself in danger’s way. But then again, she couldn’t think of any other stallion worthier of becoming a Royal Guard.

“Okay,” Twilight replied weakly. “See you later… after I get thrown out of the palace.”

“They aren’t going to throw you out, Twilight. They’re good ponies. They just want you to do your best. I’m sure that’s all you’ll need to do to prove to everypony just how talented you are.” Shining patted his sister on the head and turned and walked away. “See ya later!”

“Let’s go, sweetie,” Twilight’s mother whispered into her ear as she gently, but firmly, pulled her along. “We’ll be late.”

And being late was not an option.

Where was he?

Where was he?

Where was he?

He was supposed to be there. He promised. He Pinkie Promised. He made that promise. He made that promise! Didn’t he? So, where was he?

No, he said he’d be here. He promised he’d be here. He promised.

Promised.

He. Promised.

He! Promised!

“Where are you, Sempie?” the little pink filly asked looking up towards the skies.

“The egg.”

“The egg?” Arpeggio looked at the mare and raised his eyebrow. “What about it?”

“Tell ‘em to open it.”

“Wait. You want us to give a test to foals that has baffled even our greatest unicorns? You want us to use this as a test of their skills?” He asked, staring at the egg at the center of the vault.

“Why not? Even if they cannot unlock it, this egg inhibits magic. Whatever is inside is worth trying new tricks. If they can merely coat it with their magic, they’re already far more gifted than most other unicorns here. It will be good to use that as the base to assess their abilities.”

Arpeggio looked at the speaker doubtfully. He looked over the egg then shifted his gaze over to Crystal Clear who was standing next to him. “What do you think?”

“I think it is interesting. Why not. We’re always trying to come with new and inventive ways to test our students. This is just another and it's perfectly gift-wrapped for us. Do we have permission to remove it from the vault?”

“Who do you think I am?” The mare’s eyes glinted with a knowing twinkle.

Arpeggio chuckled lightly. “Very well. In that case, thank you, Professor. We will use this to test prospective students right away. I hope that you’ll attend as well.”

Professor Inkwell snorted a laugh. “Me? On top of my other duties? Doubtful. I’m still annoyed that neither myself nor Her Highness could even make a dent in that shell.” The old mare poked the egg. “What secrets are you hiding from us within those walls! Tell me!”

“Is she talking to an egg?” Crystal asked in a hoarse whisper at Arpeggio.

“Be careful, Crystal. She may be old, but she’s still a lot stronger in magic than you and me combined,” Arpeggio whispered back, knowing fully that the Professor could hear them.

“How many times do I have to tell you foals,” Inkwell spun around suddenly making both the unicorns jump, “the real power of magic comes from understanding yourself and the role you play, not how much energy you can cram into your horn!”

At that, Arpeggio smiled. He was once her student a long time ago, and he never forgot that one lesson. “We remember, Professor.”

“Oh? Well. Good. See you two later.” And with that, the mare turned and headed out of the vault. She gave a nod to the Guards outside and they came in and gently lifted the egg and placed it on a trolley before wheeling it out.

Crystal couldn’t help herself, she reached over with her magic and surrounded it with her aura. She held it for a moment then released. “That… wow. It’s outright rejecting my magic. It’s not even pushing it away! It’s actually trying to stop me from casting it from my own horn!”

“I know. I’ve tried my magic on it too,” Arpeggio surrounded it with his own magic and it formed a bubble only to burst open a few seconds later leaving the stallion slightly out of breath. “It’s like it’s trying to understand my purpose.”

“Careful, those sounded an awful lot like the Professor’s words coming from your mouth.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You would.”

Arpeggio could only smile at that.

“Okay, dad! See you later!” Rainbow called out as she opened the door and rushed out through the open space.

“Waitaminute!” Came a shout from the kitchen before the door could close.

Rainbow reversed-flew and landed on the doorstep. “C’mon, dad! I’m gonna be late!”

“Right. You? Late? The fastest filly in Cloudsdale?” her father chuckled and hugged his daughter. “Not on your life.”

Rainbow blushed. “True. So, what d’ya want, dad?”

“You forgot to say bye.”

“Um… didn’t I say ‘See you later’?”

“Not to me. To mom.”

Rainbow’s face soured at that. “She isn’t here, dad…”

“Wrong you are! She’s always here, okay? Just because she’s not physically with us anymore doesn’t mean she’s not looking out for you. Right?”

The filly grumbled. “She left us, dad. She ran away. She abandoned us.”

At those words, Blaze lowered himself to Rainbow’s eye level. “She never abandoned us, squirt. You know that feeling you sometimes get when you gotta do something you gotta do?”

“Yeah…” Rainbow said slowly.

“Well, your mom had one of those. And it was strong. I know because nothing, not even Princess Celestia, could make your mom leave us, especially you, if she didn’t wanna, right?”

Rainbow giggled at that. “Yeah.”

“So, she didn’t abandon us. She just had to go and do whatever it was she had to. Be proud of your mom for that.”

“I guess.”

“Look, just humor me, okay? Go ahead and say bye to her. If nothing else, it’ll make me feel better.”

The filly gave an overly exaggerated sigh. “Fine.” Rainbow turned to the picture next to the door of the smiling mare grinning at the camera. It had been the last picture taken before she had left. “Bye, mom.”

Blaze smirked as he saw his daughter’s eyes brighten just a little bit more. Like mother, like daughter. So strong-willed. So stubborn. Always using excuses to cover their true feelings. Always trying to act the opposite of what they feel to hide what they thought was a sign of weakness.

“Oh, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for Fluttershy, okay?”

“Aw, dad!”

“No ‘aws’ from you, young lady. She’s practically your little sister!”

“But she’s older than me…” Rainbow grumbled.

“I know, darling. But you know how she is; she needs you to look out for her. Isn’t she your best friend?”

“Yes, dad,” Rainbow bemoaned and floated out of the door.

“Look, I’ll see you after school,” Blaze replied.

“Okay. See ya!”

He watched his daughter go with a heavy heart. He knew that Providence had gotten herself mixed up with something really serious. Her last letter made little sense to him, which was rare for her. He knew it was written in a hurry, a lot of it seemed to be broken, as if she were forgetting things.

But could that mare write. Every single day he expected another letter. This one with what he thought was inevitable. A letter that he dreaded, but he started expecting. That made him feel super guilty, but he knew he needed closure. A letter informing him that Providence had, somewhere faraway, came up against something she could not surmount. That she had passed away doing something spectacular.

When she had told him she would be leaving, he had been furious. At first he refused to accept it, but Providence had a way of convincing him and she had worked her magic. In the end he was happy for her. She had always been far more than what he expected, a trait that drew him to her. He loved that about her. There was something more to that mare.

But now it had been so long since she had left, it was time to close that chapter in his heart and move on. He had to. For himself and for Rainbow. He knew that was what Providence would have wanted. He knew that she would never abandon him if it were within her power to do so, and he understood that she was going to places where dangers lurked behind every corner. And he knew that she would never, ever abandon their daughter and would do anything to get back to her.

Something serious happened. That was the only answer.

Blaze did not say it outright, but he implied as strongly as possible that the worst of the worst had happened. That Providence had died out there. But Rainbow, true to her nature, didn’t believe it for a second. And neither did he.

“She’s got too much of you in her, Providence,” Blaze whispered and closed the door and set about his chores before heading for work.

(Mood Music – Optional)

Samidra ran on. What had she and her father gotten themselves into. Granted, she wasn’t fresh to combat, she had been taught by her father and the best of her father’s warrior magi due to her father’s name. There were times when she was forced to defend herself, to kill her attackers. That was the way on the desert, and none were spared its cruelty.

But had never, ever, ever been in a situation as she was in now. Hiding under the very snout of their enemy, running through the desert using the strange combination of wind and sand as cover, relying of the very whim of nature, to accomplish a near impossible task. She was stuck between an all-out battle. The Guards and their untrustable allies – even her kind were hard to trust – against the Cultists, who outnumbered them by an uncountable number.

She kept her head down and ran along as quietly and as quickly as her toes could carry her. Despite having the advantage of biology and her wide feed helping prevent her from sinking into the sand at every step, she found it difficult keeping up with the Elites who ran on ahead of her without any difficulty. They stopped every so often to let her catch up and to ensure their rear was clear, but the Elites were keeping an especially sharp eye along the top of the downed tower, ever-watchful of any unwanted company.

They had moved on for some time, the sun now up in the sky when Raze made a sign for everyone to get down. It took Samidra a moment to find the Cultists overlooking the damage tower, standing on top of it and muttering to one another.

Not all the Cultists could have chased after that Guards. Right now, these particular ponies were unintentionally blocking the team from proceeding towards their intended destination. Despite the sandstorm, they would be hard pressed to sneak by without being seen.

“Stay here,” Raze whispered and started forward.

Onslaught waited next to Tessa, the breezies, now in his saddlebag, were shaking in terror. They understood something was going on. Samidra wished that she too could be safely placed in the large pony’s bag, safely tucked away near his armor.

Raze crept along the tower as closely as possible. When she got a good distance ahead, Onslaught gently pushed Samidra. “Follow. Slowly. Quietly. No talking. They’re downwind.”

They progressed quickly, and soon Samidra’s ears could hear them speaking in natural Equestrian.

“… this thing is useless!” the voice said, stomping on the body of the large downed tower for good measure. “We would’ve been better off just attacking as one unit from the start. We’ve wasted an entire night! I bet there’s nopony on that ridge! They’ve all gone! What if they find the Stone first? It’ll be all over!”

“You haven’t fought against the Watu Wakali, so your opinion isn’t worth a cow’s dung-pile. You want to go up there and say hello to them, then that’s fine by me. I have seen them and I know what they’re capable of. So, no. What we did was the right thing. The only thing worse for us is the Guard themselves. That and the fact that the Watu and Guard are working together is… well, it’s something that we cannot face up against with you lot. So. Shut. Up.”

“Cowards like you are the reason why there isn’t an Eternal Night!” the first retorted.

“And idiots like you who think actions are all that matter are the reason why we’re hiding and being hunted by the Guard.”

“So, you admit you’re a coward!”

“You want to try and say that to me again, Pebble?”

“Don’t call me that!” the first retorted.

“Silence! Both of you!” another voice roared over the others. “Yes, we have to get to that Stone before they do. We’ve spent far too long looking for it and now that we have some idea of where it is we cannot bicker amongst ourselves. When we find the Stone, you two can gut each other for all I care, but for now you will both be quiet and you will both obey orders. Got that?”

“We’re not soldiers, Velvet. We don’t have to listen to you. So take your Guard baloney and stick it where the night don’t glow!”

There was a long moment of silence, then a gurgling noise, followed by a dull thud.

“And anypony else have something they wanna say to me?” The voice asked.

Again, there was another long moment of silence.

“Good. Now let’s head back to camp and get ready. We got an attack to plan.”

There was a chorus of cheers, then the sound of hooves scrambling and receding.

“Let’s proceed,” Onslaught whispered and jogged on ahead trying to use as much of the curved body of the tower as cover. He was careful to keep within the shadows of the tower’s downed status, but hugged as close to the object as possible.

“This wind… we’re lucky that it’s not settled yet,” Tessa whispered to Samidra who was walking slowly and keeping a safe distance behind Onslaught.

“Yes,” Samidra concurred. “Why is it doing that?”

“The wind is being trapped between the tower and the cliffs. That, and the chaos caused by the Guards helped stir up the sand. It won’t last too much longer, so we have to hurry. We have to get to the entrance by then or it’ll be very bad. If they spot us, we’ll be killed. Or worse,” Raze whispered as she trotted along with the others.

“Worse?” Tessa asked stopping mid-step.

“Oh yes. There are much things much worse than death. Didn’t you know?” Raze asked with all seriousness.

“I-I-I’ll take your word for it.”

“Yes. I think that’d be best,” Raze calmly agreed and gave the mare a firm shove. “Let’s go.”

They came up to Onslaught who was standing near a badly bent portion of the tower. He made a sign for them to get down and hide. He quickly vanished around said corner and was gone for no more than a few minutes, but it felt like ages to Tessa and to Samidra.

“Alright,” Onslaught pointed out, the two non-Elites gulped seeing the expression on his face, “we have to move fast. They’re loading skimmers and getting ready for a fight. I think. So, we have to race them to the entrance. Keep close, okay? No slowing down.”

They all nodded and trotted together once more. Only once did they make noise. It was when Samidra happened to come across the body. She made a half-scream when it suddenly moved. The Cultist was still twitching, a broken spear visible through his armor with the haft directed towards the heart.

Onslaught casually walked over and angled the spear’s direction slightly and plunged it deeper into the pony. A hoof made to reach up once, then dropped onto the sand. It was a mercy kill. But Tessa had never seen something like that before, and she moved to throw up onto the sand.

“Don’t,” Onslaught said shutting her mouth and stopping Tessa’s contents from spilling out. “We have limited water and we don’t know how long it will be till we get more. You best conserve every drop and morsel of food.”

Tessa’s eyes widened as she realized what Onslaught was asking her to do. She looked down at her puffed out cheeks and struggled to hold the rest of the contents in her stomach.

“Swallow.”

She tried to shake her head, but the powerful grip forbade it. Onslaught pulled out his dagger and licked the blade with utter malice in his eyes. Tessa gulped out of fear, realized what she had done, started to tear up, but Onslaught held on for a few more seconds before he released her and patted her gently on her head.

“Good.”

All she could do was glare at him.

“It is better than starving or dying of thirst. Trust me. I’ve almost died from both. And dying of thirst is far, far worse.”

(Mood Music – Optional)

Onwards they rushed, further and further, the wind behind them blowing steadily. But it was apparent that the wind was pushing the sand down and away from them. Like a river, the wind and sand had started to flow down the easiest path and it was steadily becoming thinner as their ability to see farther increased.

That was not a good sign.

“I don’t think we’ll make it,” Tessa informed the group with a high-pitched squeal in her voice still trying to keep her stomach steady.

“Relax. We move. Chances are they are too busy to have a watch set up,” Raze whispered loudly.

Onslaught looked at her. “That’s a very big risk.”

“We have no choice. Either we keep moving and take that chance, or we wait here until we have no cover and then get spotted and most likely killed. That we cannot allow. We have the map. It needs to be put into Providence’s hooves. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

The two non-Elites exchanged glances. They were there because being with the Guards was far more dangerous, but now they felt that perhaps that was the incorrect choice. What could they do against the Cultists?

On they ran in silence, Samidra following closely behind Raze as she led them along. Onslaught running steadily at the back, looking to ensure that they weren’t flanked from behind. The Breezies, sensing the tense situation, remained silent and watched with apprehension as the group continued its sprint across the sands.

It was Raze who made the sign, and Tessa and Samidra slid to a halt as she continued forwards with Onslaught in tow.

Two Cultists were talking to one another and seemed to be more interested in the conversation than anything else. They were standing in an alcove formed by a large dent where the tower must have buckled and twisted from the pressure of the impact as it crashed down.

Without missing a beat, Raze picked up the pace as did Onslaught.

They moved forwards with the immaculate grace and deadly purpose, but the sand that they used as cover had diminished too much. One of the Cultists suddenly spotted them coming and shouted something making the other turn around. The second one’s eyes opened wide when he saw what was coming in. He knew the masks. He knew what they were.

“Watu!” he called and reached for his crossbow.

But the Watu had broken into a sprint over the sand now and were moving too fast. These Cultists were too panicked and not trained to load their crossbows properly.

A mistake that cost them their lives.

The first one managed to snap a bolt in place and was about to raise it when Raze threw a dagger at his throat with deadly accuracy. The pony winced and tried to put pressure on the wound out of reflex, letting go of the crossbow in the process. If he had fired it, perhaps he would have survived, but that reflex allowed Raze to close the distance and dispatch him with a quick blade across the rest of his throat to prevent him from making further sounds. She carved through it with her scimitar followed by a smooth upward strike with another dagger in her opposite hoof that found the heart.

The Cultist dropped without making another sound.

The second Cultist was shaking with fear and screaming in terror, but her eyes were on the crossbow in front of her hooves and she did not realize just how fast Onslaught had managed to come. When she looked up, the gigantic sledgehammer that he wore across his back slammed into the side of the Cultist’s face. Even from where they stood, Tessa and Samidra saw the neck break in an impossible angle. But she was not dead. She struggled and flailed her legs about trying to stand, to get away, to flee.

Raze gestured for the two of them to follow. They galloped hard moving past Onslaught just as he raised his hammer over his shoulder.

Tessa tried to tune out the muffled scream just as the sickening sound of bones being crushed could be heard as they galloped towards Raze, tears streaming down her eyes. She stole a quick look back to see the Cultist’s head buried beneath the surface of the desert; Onslaught’s hammer dripping with blood as he it hefted up.

“Quickly,” Onslaught said as he caught up giving Tessa a firm shove.

She had not realized she stopped.

“Go.”

“...uh-huh.”

Author's Note

Thanks to Explosive News for going through this.

The Guard

The ship rocked lazily in the breeze. Shining was leaning on the railing of the forecastle gazing at the expanse of clouds below him. He closed his eyes and felt the cool wind flow through his mane. The sun had long set below the horizon, and now Luna’s stars were shimmering in the heavens above him. They were indeed beautiful.

“Yes, Applejack?”

“How in tarnation?”

He turned his head to look at her. She wore an amused smirk on her face as she pulled her hat down on her head to prevent it from flying off. It was a little chilly, so she was wearing a scarf that billowed in the wind.

“A feeling. When you stand guard for the Princess for a long time, you tend to get an intuitive sense of who’s coming.”

The orange mare chuckled. “You mean like a Pinkie Sense?”

“Like a what now?”

“Oh nothin’, jus’ thinkin’ out loud.”

“I’d like to think it’s because I am an alert and attentive guard, but I think it’s because I didn’t want to get caught napping standing up.”

“Sounds… strange.”

“It gets tedious, you know. Standing up straight and staying stoic for hours on end. There used to be a rumor that some Guards had mastered the ability to sleep with their eyes open.”

Again, the orange mare chuckled. “The more I learn about the Guard, the more I want to join.”

This time it was Shining who chuckled. “I’m sure you’d make a brilliant Guard, but I somehow don’t see you taking orders from another pony very well.”

“What? Why d’ya think so?”

“A gut feeling. The hardest part about being a Guard isn’t about protecting something, or standing at attention, or whatever. It’s doing what you’re told, even if you really, really don’t want to.”

At that, a lull in their conversation lingered. It seemed that Applejack had inadvertently come across a very touchy subject -- or what seemed to be one.

“Anyways, I didn’t wanna disturb you considerin’ you’ve been here on-deck all this time. You kinda looked like you were thinkin’ of somethin’ important.”

“Not particularly.” Truth was, Shining was missing his family, but he did not really want to talk about it. The other thing was Pinkie’s reaction back in her home. The way she lost all sense and started screaming like that. Now that he thought about it, the whole thing made him feel really uneasy. “Just watching the clouds, stars, and everything. That, and I’ll never get used to seeing the dawn break on one of these things. Have you ever seen it?”

“Yep! Can’t say that I disagree with you there,” Applejack replied and walked next to Shining, draping her hooves over the railings and peered downwards over the edge at the clouds below. “Whoee. We’re a lot higher than I thought!”

Shining nodded, then paused. “Hey, where’s Rainbow?”

“Sleepin’,” Applejack replied almost instantly. “Say, Shining?”

“Yes?”

“You know, I don’t really know much ‘bout the Guard and all. Do you mind much if I asked you some questions?”

“No, of course not.” Shining draped his hooves over the railing and looked down.

“What’s the difference between the Border and Royal Guards?”

“That’s… that’s a very hard question to answer,” Shining replied after a long pause and a lighthearted laugh.

“How so?”

“Differences between the two are difficult to describe without understanding everything about that the Guard is and why they exist. But I guess the main difference is what their purpose is. The Border Guard’s job is to secure our borders from outsiders and the Royal Guard is to protect the subjects from within.”

“Okay. I get that. Anythin’ else?”

“Well, the Royal Guard reports to the Princess, like I did when I was still a Captain. Well, not exactly to Her Highness; not herself per sae, but within the same chain of command. When she was ruling alone, it was a little less confusing, but ever since she shared her throne with Luna, it’s gotten a lot more complicated.”

“Why?”

“Because the Royal Guard is quite large. More ponies, more variations, and more politics. Sadly.”

“And the Border Guard?”

“Although not as big, their chain of command is complicated. Basically their orders come from the High Council, but never directly.”

“High Council?” Applejack asked.

“You… haven’t heard of them?” Shining asked, a little puzzled.

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Strange. Well, they are the counterpart to the diarchy. And a constant pain in the rear, if you ask me. While I was Captain I had to deal with them on and off again. I don’t think I can think of one good thing to say. A few Council Members are reasonable, but the place is built on lies and deceit and… well I don’t know what else, but nothing good.”

Applejack furrowed her brow. “Then why do they exist at all?”

“Law. A law that came from a time when the need to share power was more important than anything else. Twilight could probably tell you a lot more about it. Most ponies in the Council are unicorns. Very powerful unicorns. And I’m not talking about magically. I’m talking about influence and prestige. You know, old families that had been given fancy titles for their family lines. Like the old Royalty that existed before the Princesses took power.” Shining narrowed his eyes in anger as he continued. “Even now the High Council tries to take back more power from the Princess.”

“Take back?”

“Well, yeah. Our history hasn’t always been the most peaceful. We may have learnt from our mistakes, but remember that Princess Celestia has been ruling for a long, long time. She’s led us to peace and prosperity, and nothing comes even close to the amount of wealth, knowledge and love we have in our kingdom.”

Applejack nodded, a deep sense of Equestrian pride swelling in her gut. “Like with the Crystal Empire and them smaller kingdoms out west?”

“Smaller kingdoms?”

“Y’know. Prance and all them.”

“Well, technically those are republics. And I’m sad to tell you that, no, the Princess doesn’t really have a right to rule those countries. The High Council runs them, and that’s probably why they’re republics.”

“They’re not part of Equestria?” Applejack asked genuinely surprised.

“Yes and no. They’re our protectorates. Our Guards will defend them if they’re attacked, but technically the Royal Guard has no jurisdiction there. Those areas are policed and protected by their own versions of the Guard. That’s why their armor or uniform will be different, because they all fall under the authority of their own local leaders. Even though ultimately the Border Guard, and therefore the High Council, govern those areas. A Guard from a republic is not officially recognized an Equestrian Guard. Sometimes ponies get that confused and try to request a transfer only to be shocked when they’re told that they would have to re-enlist, or rather enlist, into the Royal Guard.”

“I… I never knew that, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. No wonder we didn’t see Guards on our trips.”

“I know. You wanna know something funny? If we go in there as the Royal Guard, that could technically be seen as an invasion.” He saw Applejack’s face and smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. No pony over there is going to really take special offense if a hundred of us suddenly start marching down the main street, but it would still technically be an invasion. The Border Guard, on the other hoof, would be fully allowed to do that, though they’d still get the usual complaints.”

“Strange.”

“I guess so. Honestly, Border Guards are not really meant for running daily affairs, they aren’t trained for that, so usually they just stick to the outer borders and patrol them. No point in them monitoring the inner ones, not when they can just leave that to the locals.”

“I… I never knew that,” Applejack replied, shocked to hear it. “Why’s it like that?”

“Long story short, the ponies in charge took exception to Celestia and Luna coming to power. The Hearth's Warming Eve story is very different from what actually took place. It was Earth Ponies, like yourself, that helped put Celestia and Luna on the throne and topple the old regime.”

“Yeah, I remember learnin’ a bit ‘bout that in school, but not much,” Applejack recalled. “What’s the story there?”

“You’re better off asking Twilight, honestly.”

“Alright, I’ll be sure to.”

Shining was relieved he didn’t have to go over the history. “But even after that, we came close to all-out civil war. Really close. The unicorns back then didn’t really think very kindly as to the princesses seizing power, especially not as they did,” Shining held up his hoof as Applejack opened her mouth, “and yes, that’s what happened. Peace only found a way because Celestia and Luna agreed to sign a treaty that would allow power-sharing with the ‘Supreme Council of Heavenly Bodies and Royal Advisory Committee of Equestria’, which was eventually reduced to just the High Council. It’s what led to the complete division of our military and the birth of the Royal and Border Guards, though in those days they were called something else entirely. Celestia and Luna forced all this to happen when they seized control of the sun and moon.”

“Took control of?” Applejack asked.

“Well, yeah. Before them it was the unicorns, specifically the old royal line, that controlled our sun and moon. Can you imagine how different the world would be if they still did that?”

Applejack tried to wrap her head around what she heard. “That doesn’t sound like somethin’ the princess would do. Sounds kinda… mean?”

“I think the right word is ruthless. Control the celestial bodies, you control everything.” Shining sighed and chuckled dryly. “I don’t know much about that time... and the princesses aren’t exactly forthcoming about that moment in our history.”

“So, this power-sharin’ thingy. Why did they agree to it? They coulda just continued forcin’ the unicorns to submit to ‘em, right?”

Shining shrugged. “I can guess. Probably, the princesses were tired of the fighting and they just wanted it to end. The threat of a civil war for such a young and weak kingdom was likely, too much for them. Leaders shoulder terrible burdens and this was something that they must’ve felt they needed to do. Under the ruse of preventing the Princesses from ever abusing their newfound authority and power, the High Council was given a lot of their own, obstinately to keep the princesses in check.”

“By golly, sounds like your replacement’s got their work cut out for ‘em.” Applejack peered upwards and let the wind blow across her face. “So, what’s the High Council supposed to do?”

“Officially, they deal with external matters; international trade, border disputes, the like, and, if it really comes down to it, war and eventually the invasion and annexation of lands from our enemies.”

“We ain’t been in war for centuries!”

“Open war, no. But we’ve never stopped fighting against a few other kingdoms and empires. Ever hear of something called a ‘clandestine operation’ or ‘covert operation’?”

“No.”

“A clandestine operation is when a mission is done so that no one ever finds out about it; it leaves no noticeable mark, so ideally no one knows that it happened, let alone who ordered or carried it out. Covert operations are a little less sticky, it’s when a mission is officially done, unofficially. It’s been ordered, but the ponies that give the order, deny that it was them. Sometimes they’re never asked, other times they just barely maintain plausible deniability.”

“Then who’s responsible for the order?”

“In both cases, if they’re caught, the ponies carrying out the mission are.”

“If they’re caught? Land sakes! That makes the ponies who follow them orders take the blame and the ones who need to take responsibility get away with it?”

“Pretty much. Yeah.”

That made Applejack pause. “That’s just awful. It’s wrong!”

“I agree.”

“Have you ever done somethin’ like that?”

“Me? No. And even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to talk about it. Besides, I was never in a position that would require me to do that. First, I’ve always been too public of a figure. Everypony knows my face and my name.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “How come I never heard of ya ‘till Twilight’s weddin’?”

“I guess the same reason why you never heard of many other Guards, including Semper. You just didn’t notice. With all that goes on in our kingdom, it happens. Many ponies are so focused on their own lives that they tend to ignore everything else. I mean, think about how many times you’ve had to introduce yourself. You’re the Element of Honesty. You’ve been in papers and there’s picture of you standing next to the Princesses of this kingdom and of the Crystal Empire. Don’t some ponies still ask who you are?”

“Well… yeah, I guess they do.”

“Exactly. Within the Guard and some parts of Canterlot society, I am very well-known. Outside, not so much.”

“Still, I think that makin’ other ponies do things and not takin’ responsibility’s all wrong.”

“Well, in their defense, the princesses don’t take kindly to this type of thing either. If they find out about it ahead of time, they usually demand it be stopped. There’s so much more to this and it’s the reason why I never really wanted to become more than just a Captain.”

“‘till you became a prince?”

Shining smiled. “Prince Consort. Not a prince.”

“Prince what-now?”

“Never mind.”

Applejack pondered over what Shining had sense for a moment. “What d’ya mean by ‘more to it’?”

“Celestia and Luna have to always put up a front of unity within her courts, including with the High Council. The High Council also knows this. Division within our senior-most powers would be seen as a weakness to exploit. At least that’s what a senior officer told me once; we cannot let others know of our internal politics.”

“So news about stuff like this doesn’t come out?”

“Oh it does, more frequently than either the Princesses or the High Council would like; you can’t stop the free press, but the princesses will back the High Council and visa versa. A lot of the Cultists who fought against the Guard used this as an excuse to do unspeakable things.”

“Well, I remember them Cultists. Thank Luna they got their numbers cut as they did.” Applejack shuddered and looked away.

Shining noticed the sudden change in her mood, but chose not to mention it. “Thank goodness that Luna returned when she did. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise.”

“I know,” Applejack said and looked out beyond the horizon. “Trust me, I know.”

Sensing that the mare didn’t want to talk anymore about that, Shining clicked his tongue and reverted back to the original topic. “So, about the Guard.”

Grateful for the blunt change in subject matter, Applejack smiled. “Oh right, that’s what we were talkin’ about.”

“Again, the Royal Guard’s top-most authorities are the Princesses. Each of them they have their own divisions. Internally, we call them Chapters’.”

“What? Like a book?”

“Yeah. Princess Celestia used to be in charge of the entire Royal Guard, but Luna took over her own Chapter, the Night Guard.”

Applejack just nodded. Princess of the Night, Night Guard. Made sense.

“Under the princesses, they have their Chiefs of Staff. The ranking system here can be complicated, as the different Chapters and divisions have their own versions. The Chiefs meet with the princesses and get their objectives and then make up plans that they present to the princesses. If agreed, these orders are passed down the chain of command within the respective Chapters with the alignment of the allocated diarch taking precedence over the other depending on the Chapter.”

“I think you lost me there,” Applejack admitted trying to keep up.

“Um… okay, the Princesses are in charge, but Celestia’s orders are obeyed over Luna’s if the order is directed towards the Day Guard and Luna’s orders over Celestia’s if the order is directed towards the Night Guard.”

“Now why didn’t you say so?”

Shining laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “Good point. Anyway, I was in charge of the Palace Guards, which is a subdivision of the Royal Guard. The largest, actually. My job was to make sure the palace was safe from invaders, saboteurs, spies, assassins, thieves and the like. I got my rank because of my primary skill.”

“Primary skill?”

“Yes. Um, each unicorn in the Guard has a primary skill. It’s bound to our aligned element…” he looked at Applejack and smiled. “It’s a unicorn thing.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” She chuckled in response.

“Yes. The Palace Guards have a Blue Star on their peytrals.”

“Pay-what-now?”

“Peytrals. P-E-Y-T-R-A-L. Chestplates.”

At that, Applejack nodded. “I get ya’. You had Twilight’s symbol on yours though.”

“That’s a common misnomer. My Cutie Mark and Twilight’s are similar.” To prove the point, Shining turned slightly. “See? We have the same star. It’s my star that’s on my Peytral. Higher ranked officers have their Cutie Marks on theirs to show seniority and rank.”

“I see. So your job was to protect the princess.”

“Yes and no. Our job was to defend the palace. The princesses have their own personal guards. The palace is more than home for Celestia and Luna. We have libraries with a lot of powerful spells and vaults full of artifacts collected over the centuries... it could be bad if they got into the wrong hooves… or claws. Our job is to protect those and help protect the princesses.”

“So, whose job is it to protect them? Or don’t they need ‘em?”

“After my wedding fiasco, you should know the answer to that one,” Shining grumbled. “The Solar and Lunar Guards. Solar Guards have Celestia’s sun on their peytrals. Luna’s have a silver moon. They are very autonomous and you don’t really see them around. They don’t stay in the palace all that often, because they’re always doing something on behalf of the princesses. They do highly personal things for them.”

“Like what?”

“The funny ones or the serious ones?” Shining asked.

“Start with the funny ones.”

“Well, they might go and bake a cake for Princess Celestia in secret -- if she’s supposed to still be on a diet, or they’ll… take it from the Royal Pantry. The funny part is how seriously they’ll do it. They’ll plan the operation out like a battle, causing a distraction, then just make the cake vanish. Of course, I think they do it out of jest and to annoy the kitchen staff. Luna uses hers for more... nefarious means.”

“Nefarious?” Applejack asked, worry in her voice.

“Pranks.”

The worry evaporated instantly.

Shining smiled at the relief on Applejack’s face. “It’s a good thing that we live in such peaceful times that they can afford such… uh… relaxed orders. But they are also tasked with very... specific missions, and some of them are not always…”

“Always what?”

“It’s hard to talk about the grey areas in what we do as Guards, especially the Solar and Lunar Guards. They do things. Mostly good, but some are bad… very bad, almost... evil. If a princess orders her Guards to do something, and doesn’t think the order through, they would ensure that it gets done by any means necessary. That autonomous nature of the Solar and Lunar Guard has them do things that have angered Celestia and Luna. And sometimes they will carry out orders in a manner that the princesses won’t find out until after it’s done, sometimes not even then. Remember what I said about covert operations earlier? They do those professionally; not just once in awhile, they train for them every day.”

“Sounds like these Personal Guard have a little too much power and not enough accountability, at least for ponies like ‘em.”

“That is why there are only a very small number of Solar and Lunar Guards.”

“How many?”

“As per the law and agreement with the High Council? Seven for each princess,” Shining looked up at the sky. “Luna has room for four more. She’s got three now... I think, I haven’t talked to her about it for a while.”

“Where’d they come from?”

“The new three were recruited a few days after she came back. Volunteers from the Night Guard.”

“What happened to the original seven.”

“They died,” Shining replied.

“I see.” At that, Applejack remained silent. “How’d she take it? Y’know…”

“She knew. Almost the instant you broke the Nightmare Moon curse. It took a while for her to come to terms with that particular part of her life because they had betrayed her as Nightmare Moon. I guess they wouldn’t obey her as she was, but didn’t fight her because she was still their beloved princess.”

“What’re you sayin’?”

“She killed them. Apparently they never fought back, they just stood there. She never forgave herself for that, despite the fact she wasn’t herself. That’s why it’s been difficult for her to find new Lunar Guards. The thought of replacing her old Guards after what she did was impossible. It’s like telling Twilight to replace you, after she killed you by accident.”

Applejack blinked at that and felt her heart break for her friend. “Poor Luna.”

“She will eventually find the other four, but it could take awhile. Plus, I don’t think anypony is in any rush. You have to admire that about our princesses. Their ability to endure. And also about these Guards and how far they would go for their princess.”

“Okay, the more we talk about the Guard, the more depressed I’m gettin’,” Applejack said bluntly. “And you’ve only talked about two Chapters of theRoyal Guard. The Palace and the Princesses’ Personal Guards.”

“Right. Then there’s the City Guards, they’re generally called the police, even in cities like Manehattan, where there is actually a police department, their job is to maintain order in the cities. Each city will have their own version of their armor, but almost always they follow the Chapter’s.”

“Y’lost me again there, Shiny.”

“Sorry. I mean, that the police that patrol the daytime are usually also Day Guards, as well as City Guards. They also might not wear the traditional armor, but they’ll wear their chapter’s insignia somewhere on their uniform. A popular place is the badge on the hat, so they’re difficult to tell apart from the actual police”

“Why’s it gotta be so complicated?”

“Well, we have been around for a while, so each Chapter has its own traditions. Like the pegasi Guard’s chapter, the Storm Guard that protect Cloudsdale and other cloud cities. Their own peytrals have a golden lightning bolt. They are like the Pegasi city version of the Palace Guards and they actively help guard the cloud cities.”

“Why?”

“Because if an enemy should get control of the weather… let’s just say it’d be pretty bad. And I’m not just talking about external enemies.”

“Okay, and what about the Border Guard?”

“They call their Chapters, ‘Sections’, they’re pretty similar... and they have a number of Sections that are part of the Border Guard, but don’t guard the borders. Instead they do a variety of tasks for the High Council in a number of different places and for different purposes.”

Applejack tilted her head and her eyes opened wide. “I think you just broke my brain. What was that you said again?”

“There are a lot of ponies on the High Council. They debate and deliberate, but there are essentially thirteen members of the Council that make the real decisions. These guys are called the Inner Circle, at least in polite conversation.”

That made Applejack chuckle a little.

“Each member of the Inner Circle has the option to… enlist Border Guards for their particular Sections and assign them special missions at any point with the approval of the majority of the Inner Circle members. These are frequently done under an emergency decree that can be made without Princesses Celestia or Luna ever being told about it.”

“Meaning they can choose Guards to go off and do things whether the princesses want it to happen or not?”

“Exactly.”

“That sounds like askin’ for trouble! Who made such a ridiculous rule?”

“We talked about that. Power-sharing and all, remember?”

“And allowin’ the Inner Circle this much freedom was part of that.”

“Yes.”

Applejack stuck out her jaw. “And do they use this power?”

“Almost constantly.”

“Is there anythin’ the High Council are good for?”

Shining shrugged. “Despite their difficult stance, they have saved Equestria many times. And no matter how far apart you think they are, they always have Equestria’s survival at heart. The only problem is that they are always looking to gain from it, which leads to a lot of selfish decisions being made. But you can’t be rich and powerful if you don’t have a nation to be rich and powerful in.”

“I s’pose.”

“There is just one thing though,” Shining said and looked at Applejack. “Your hat. Who gave it to you?”

“My ma.”

“I see. And she’s?”

“She’s mozied along,” Applejack sighed.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Shining replied. “It’s just that hat, it’s typical of one of the Border Guard’s Section’s uniforms.”

“I know.”

“I see,” Shining said and looked at the mare for a moment before nodding to himself in understanding. He had brought up something that was clearly quite painful for her. “Sorry to bring it up. Let’s call it a night, shall we?”

“Yeah. Just… sorry. I should’a known that you’d bring that up eventually. And thanks for understandin’. It’s just hard talkin’ ‘bout my folks is all.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He stared at the moon for a moment before bowing his head. “Good night, Applejack. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Huh? Yeah. Night, Shining,” Applejack said distractedly.

As the stallion walked away, he turned back to see Applejack. She stood there at the bow hugging her hat tightly against her chest. He must have invoked feelings of terrible sadness and painful memories. He felt terrible for that. He’d have to make it up to her. Somehow.

Mission 7, Part 10: Prophecy Shmophecy

“H-hello,” Twilight said in her squeaky voice as she stood in front of the mare’s desk.

“Why, hello there. What’s your name?”

“T-Twilight S-Sparkle. Ma’am.”

The mare hovered a clipboard in front of her face while using some power to hover a pair of half-moon rimmed glasses delicately in front of her eyes. Not that delicacy was required. Judging from the thickness of the lens; if those hit the floor, it wouldn’t be the spectacles that would break. She was looking for the filly’s name in the list when, at the edge of her vision, she noticed the filly’s severely intent stare. She shifted her focus away from the clipboard and onto the young filly sitting on the chair in front of her. “Is something the matter, sweetie?”

“N-n-n-n-no. J-just, you’re doing that so… easily.”

That made the mare stop as a small, nearly imperceptible smile encroached on her face. While it wasn’t exactly a rare skill for anypony with training in magic, it was another thing altogether for a filly of her age to even notice, much less comprehend. To actively be aware of magic being used in a specific way showed curiosity and knowledge beyond her age. To the old mare behind the desk, that was a good thing, but she wanted to play along a little.

“Doing what, dearie?”

“That!”

“You mean this?” she gestured with her hoof to the two objects in her power’s glow. “Using the same thread to hold both the clipboard and the glasses?”

“Y-yes. I was just wondering why not use another… thread?” Twilight looked at the mare behind the desk for confirmation, who nodded. That was the correct term. “Thread… to hold the glasses instead of sharing the same one with the clipboard.”

She forgot she was supposed to be shy, the mare thought to herself swallowing the grin that was trying to take over her lips yet again.

“Well, if I did that, it would take too much power to use more threads when I needed to. As you may know, threads are what we unicorns use to weave our magic, so, if I used too many threads to do simple tasks, well... then I wouldn’t be able to do this,” the mare replied to the filly. As the words left her mouth, tendrils of magic – like the arms of an octopus – reached out from her horn and vanished behind her, though any unicorn would still be able to feel it. Suddenly, the filing cabinets behind glowed with power. Each one was strategically placed and memorized to near perfection for demonstrations like this, and simultaneously each threw itself open.

Twilight was engrossed at what she was seeing. Her eyes studied every fluctuation and movement. She was watching a maestro at work.

Papers were removed from folders and hovered back towards the desk. In the air, a satisfying shuffling sound was all the ponies could hear as each page was sorted expertly and placed in a specific order. Then, the newly created file containing all the relevant paperwork landed on the desk in between the two. The entire affair took place with a cool efficiency and precision. The lack of hard concentration or effort that the mare behind the desk exhibited made Twilight’s eyes somehow open wider.

A fact that wasn’t lost on the mare.

“Twilight Sparkle,” the mare smiled, “my name is Professor Inkwell. Do you like magic?”

“Do I?” The filly practically shouted. She blushed and lowered her head. “I mean, yes, ma’am, I do.”

The elderly mare chuckled lightly despite herself, but quickly returned to her cool demeanor. Even so, those who knew Inkwell and her ways would be able to see the telltale twinkle in her wise old eyes. Despite herself, she leaned closer to the filly and whispered, “So do I.”

Twilight eyes brightened even more at those words.

Inkwell leaned back and looked up at the parents. This particular filly interested her immensely. For one so young to notice her usage of a single thread, or even to understand what threads were, was simply astounding for her age.

The professor narrowed her eyes slightly in thought.

“Please take her to room A113. You’ll need to give the examiners these papers,” she said and hovered the file over to the mother who took it with her magic. Inkwell felt the power overlap hers and noted how normal it was. She knew very well that skill with magic was not hereditary, nor did it hinge on natural talent alone. Like physical muscles, repetition and regular use could turn even an average magic user into a powerful mage.

Like her own magic; Inkwell’s magic was below normal, but she studied hard and understood magic. Now she was Princess Celestia’s own Distinguished Professor of Magic.

Inkwell looked down at Twilight and was surprised to see what she was doing. The filly was already trying to thread her magic through two small items on the desk in front of her at the same time. She was doing it with some difficulty, but she was doing it. Again, Inkwell had to suppress the sheer excitement welling up within her body.

“Come on, Twilight,” the mother said gently, coaxing the filly from her seat and towards the hallway.

Twilight gently lowered the two items and looked up. “Thank you, um…”

“Professor.”

“Thank you, professor.”

Inkwell watched as the family went outside her door and closed it with a gentle click. She nodded to herself and almost clapped her hooves in jubilation. There was something about that filly. “That one will go far. Very far indeed.”

“Are you kidding me?” Sonic shouted as a bolt whizzed past his ear hitting the hull of his skimmer with a dull ‘thunk’. “You have to be kidding me!”

“No. I’m not. We have to pretend that they are closing in on us or this plan won’t work!” Static shouted and raised his barrier to deflect another lucky bolt. It weaved around his shield and hit the sand next to one of the skimmer’s wings.

“But they’re using earth-based bolts now!” Sonic shouted in response. “Your electric shield isn’t going to help anymore!”

“It isn’t helping any less either. Calm down. Keep the speed normal and we’ll be fine.”

Sonic grumbled. “And how long do we have to do this?”

“For as long as we have to.”

At that, Sonic stared at the unicorn. “You better keep those bolts off my back! We’re going to die if that’s your plan!”

“We won’t, and it isn’t just my plan. But as of right now, we have to buy them time. If we don’t they are going to die.”

They continued on in silence. The whistle of another bolt was heard as it moved along the edge of Static’s barrier before being flung in a spiraling arc and hitting the sand behind them. A second later, a large spike of ice erupted out of the sand.

“Static, will this stone really save them?”

“I don’t know, Sonic. But if the Cultists want it this badly… then maybe there’s more to it than we thought. But if they’re going this far to get their hooves on it, we can’t let them take it. I don’t care about anything else right now, but we need keep that stone as far away from these psychopaths as possible. We need to do everything we can to keep them away. If that means letting the Watu, or Providence have it, then... we’ll have to play along.”

“What’s wrong with the Watu getting it?”

“Don’t be an idiot. We don’t know their intentions,” Static replied and flinched as an explosive arrow hit his shield in a near perfect angle. It struggled on the barrier before exploding, the wind giving them an unnecessary and unwanted boost. “Providence as well. Who knows what they really want with it? And I would prefer it if it was us keeping the Stone.”

“Semper is there,” Sonic pointed out.

“With a company’s worth of Watu. He’s good, but if the Watu decide to turn on him, they’ll cut him down. But, and I do meant but, if their intentions are honest, then this is the right thing to do. It would be better with them than with the Cultists, I believe... I have to believe.”

Sonic spread his wings out. “There’s a chance we can save her—I mean them?”

The unicorn couldn’t help but smile knowing exactly to whom he was referring to. “Yes, I suppose there is a chance of that.”

“Then we lead them away!” Sonic replied, all uncertainty and hesitation from before vanishing into the ether as he forced his wings to flap, pulling the skimmer ahead.

“Anything?” Providence asked as she heard the footsteps draw closer to her.

Pani shook his head out of reflex even though the mare wasn’t looking at him and had her eyes down at a very crude attempt at a map. “I’m afraid not. Each and every tunnel we explored has proven to be fruitless. It is as if the camels vanished into the very rocks they appeared from. Even your best trackers could not follow them beyond a certain point. Honestly, I am not surprised. My brethren would not have survived for this long if their homes were so easily found.”

He looked at the scribbles on the paper on the table, which they had brought with them from the encampment. A part of Pani wondered if Providence knew what she was doing. It was hard to go by word of mouth, yet she had managed to draw up something quite elaborate, even if he didn’t understand it.

“I must admit I do not understand that map.”

“This?” Providence chuckled lightly. “It makes sense to me. These lines tell me if the tunnels lead away or closer to me as I’m looking at the map. These lines tell me the angle or slope and in which direction, and these… I lost you, didn’t I?”

“Quite.” The camel sat down and wiped his forehead with his toe and took a tiny sip from a flask.

Providence watched as her two ‘bodyguards’ discretely placed their knives away. It was simply amazing how alert and deadly they were. If Pani noticed, he ignored them.

“Pani, that camel that came to see us before, do you know who he is?”

“No. But I think he’s their leader, or at least senior member of their clan.”

“What he said, can you tell me what it was about?”

He looked at her and furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“What he said. That sentence. When he mentioned it, I noticed your eyes, they gave away a look of surprise. The other camels made it obvious. You all know what he said and it is important to your kind. It affected all of you.”

The old camel wiped his mouth again and heaved a huge sigh. He let go of his wand, the crystal embedded in it dimming slightly and slowly fading out as he rubbed his eyes. “How much do you know about our history?”

“Not very much, I’m afraid. I mean, I never really thought I’d ever go this far south.”

Pani nodded slowly. “Well, I suppose one cannot be expected to know of groups they have no expectation of meeting. Very well, I will start at the beginning.”

At that, Providence moved herself to face the camel as he closed his eyes and started to sway backwards and forwards slowly. Providence knew that was a way to help remember. A common trait to those who recited their histories by word of mouth rather than by written works. She knew that the Zebricans did it as well, and considering their proximity to one another, perhaps there was a deep-rooted connection between the two cultures. Perhaps, one day, when it was all over, maybe, she would explore that.

“We camels have many different versions of our history as we recite our history through words. To us, it is not taboo to write it down, but here in the desert, paper is a luxury we can seldom utilize or afford. However, no matter what form our history takes, there is, one thing is always kept common and unchanged. Knowing that will, perhaps, let you understand why his words shook us all.”

Providence waited patiently as Pani picked up his wand again, the crystal’s lighting growing back to its original luminescence.

“It will take me time to translate the words into your tongue. Please bear with me.”

Providence nodded, not wanting to interrupt.

“I will tell you the story, my story, our story, as was told to me when I was a calf from my father, and him from his father, and from his father before him, as is our way. The Great Ones -- as I can only translate the essence of the name, not the literal form -- sculpted us from the sands of the Eternal Oasis, the waters are said to have soaked through to become our blood. The vines, our veins, the wood, more precious than anything, our bones. The wood we use are but extensions of our soul; the magic inside us helped form our bond with the natural elements and thus we were gifted with the power of magic. But the magic inside only sustains us and therefore our only recourse is to use our wands, passed down much like our history, from old to young.” He looked at the stave held between his front feet fondly. “The crystal is the reflection of our spirit, it is bound to each and every camel and when we return to the sands that gave us life, our crystals go with us, to help guide us and protect us on our journey.”

“The halos,” Providence whispered, now starting to understand the significance of the light the camels had emitted on the skimmers.

“Correct.”

“These Great Ones…?” Providence began, but wasn’t sure how to proceed.

“Who they were? That is a great and massive question in of itself. I suppose The Great Ones to us are akin to those that birthed your princess.”

Providence nodded. This was a touchy subject to many ponies, who believed that their princess had always been around. She, of course, couldn’t comment on that; for it was far beyond her knowledge. “I understand then, it comes from prehistory, before the princess.”

“Yes. To us, they were camels whose humps were as tall as mountains. To the wolves, a great den-mother who lived on the moon and used the light to come to our world to foster her children and to hunt with them when the moon was full. To ponies, the Lead Mare of the Eternal Herd who foaled the Alicorn Celestia. Many cultures have stories of a similar nature. Whatever the story, one thing is consistent: they were powerful and they helped shape the world as it is today.”

“Creation stories from many mythologies talk about the duality of light and dark. How one cannot exist without the other.”

“Correct. Life and death. Peace and war. Order and disarray. Harmony and chaos. The Great Ones shaped our world with their powerful magic using massive, ancient trees as wands – trees taller than our highest mountains.” He looked at Providence and smiled. “Our mountains are not as impressive as yours.”

At that, the mare chuckled.

“I guess in your stories, your horns would be of similar proportions or examples of power.”

Providence smiled and nodded good naturedly. “Something like that”

“Basically, that is the start of that story, and it is common across almost all of our kind. It differs, sometimes quite elaborately, but there is a prophecy that, by our laws, cannot be changed. A law so old that, to us, breaking that oath would mean death to our clans or even our entire kind. Perhaps a little harsh, perhaps a lie to keep us from changing it, but whatever the case, these words have been the same since the beginning of before our memory.”

“And through word of mouth?”

“Correct. It is forbidden for us to write down these words, be it on walls, carved in stone, papyrus or paper. No matter where you go, if it is camel in origin, the words will always remain the same.” The wise camel smiled. “That rule, however, does not apply to those that are not molded of the sands.”

Taking the hint, Providence picked up a quill with her mouth and spread a few sheets paper in front of her. “Yes?”

“It is a poem, one we are all taught and forced to memorize verbatim. The stories about The Great Ones can differ in many respects, which has sadly led to many of us spilling unnecessary blood over the centuries for pointless reasons – but this one thing must never be changed.”

“Many cultures have that too,” Providence replied starting to get a little annoyed at his going around in circles.

“Ah, but there is one thing that will differ, never change.”

“And that is?”

“Aspecific individual will cause a change in the very fabric of the world. Change the way our world will continue. One whom will meet the specific… requirements, given by the poem in question.”

“An individual?” Providence asked, starting to feel quite uncomfortable.

“Correct. The camel who was here had whispered a verse from that very poem. That is why we all reacted the way we did. The more that I think about it, the more that I am convinced that you are the one the legends speak of.”

“I’m sorry, but what‽” Providence asked incredulously.

“Yes, even I cannot actually fathom my own words, but as I think about it, I start seeing parallels. I am starting to believe it is true. You must understand that I have lived a very long life and have seen many things come and go. Great things and terrible things. We’re inherently… what is it you ponies say? Superstitious? We are inclined to believe things that, to your kind, would seem ridiculous. But this… this goes beyond coincidence.” Pani sighed. “If you are indeed the one in the stories, then your presence here comes on the eve of everything changing; a truly great and powerful presence. Terrible too, perhaps even moreso than any other in the history of this land. Perhaps, you are even more important than your Princess.”

Providence snorted a laugh. “Right, me more important than the one pony who raises and lowers the sun and moon. Sure.”

There was a pause while Pani stared at Providence. “I understand. As I said, I am struggling to come to terms with it. Still, just because you fill a few main points doesn’t mean that you will fulfill all of them. At least, I hope that you won’t.”

Providence stretched. “Well, let’s hear this poem. It might actually help us find a way out of this maze.”

At that, Pani nodded and cleared his throat and stood up and started pacing in front of Providence. “You understand that my poem is going to be translated from my mother tongue, so it might sound a little strange to you. I hope you will not mind if it doesn’t rhyme?”

“I won’t.”

“Then, if it pleases you, I shall proceed?”

Providence nodded.

“One will come when time is… ripe,
With confusion in the minds of those that follow,
Justifying actions against all that seems right or… logical,
Will those nearby take them as truth or lies?
A test of tenacity shall… happen,
And bring about a cause beyond our understanding,
To declare with all their being, they are here to save themselves,
But will come with a higher standard,
To bend the will of demons,
Lost without guidance in seas of, um... fog?
One will come with an army of necessity,
And with them, Death shall follow with malicious delight,
But one must pass and give up their soul of their own volition,
Else evil and darkness beyond dark shall evermore befall.”

“To bend the will of demons,” Providence said in the camel’s native tongue. “The demons he was referencing... he meant the Elites, didn’t he?”

“I believe that is correct. And, in many senses, he is right. You do not understand how dangerous they are.”

“Really? You’re saying that to me?” Providence asked, she didn’t mean to be rude, but she had been face to face with the worst of them. Granted, the red unicorn wasn’t an Elite per se, but he was close enough.

“Forgive my bluntness, dear, but you really don’t. You don’t. You were only there at the very end. Each and every single one of those ponies is a mass murderer. Every single one of them has done unspeakable things. Within my own kind, we have stories of them that will be fuel for night terrors for many generations to come. They are truly demons... and to have them follow you of their own will… and without question is… well, it’s nothing short of incredible.”

Providence looked down. “That’s all very fascinating, but to compare them with demons, creatures that come from below Tartarus? No. I don’t think so. So, no, I don’t think your poem applies to me.”

“I didn’t at first, but there are many parts of it that fit.”

“Such as?”

“‘Lost without guidance in seas of fog’? Fog isn’t the right word either. Clouded, perhaps? Misted? Shadowed? It can mean many things, but I think it applies to the mind being dulled. Something inside that corrupts. That is what our native word means. Does that not match?”

“I guess it does,” Providence replied uncomfortably.

“Quite apt then. Are they not carrying something inside, as are you?” Pani asked as he pointed to the nearest Elites, who all looked up at the two, before he turned his head up to the dark roof. “Their minds are clouded. They do not know who they are, nor from whence they came..”

“M-maybe…” Providence stared at them. Each in turn nodded their heads towards the mare. They were there for her, indeed. “An army of necessity…”

“And to compound it even more, we have Cult-followers.”

“Else evil and darkness beyond dark shall evermore befall…” The pegasus shook her head. “What is darkness beyond dark supposed to mean?”

“Are you afraid of the night?” Pani asked simply.

“No.”

“Darkness is neither good, nor evil; but there are things that hide in it, where we cannot see them, that are evil. Evil can be just as present and prominent in the light of day as it is in the night, but it likes the darkness for a reason.”

“This is all… well, I don’t know. It can’t be me. I am not here for anything great! I’m just here to get my life back, I just want my life back!”

“Many a great villain has said similar words. The ends do not always justify the means. Whether you want to admit it or not, your actions might change everything we’ve ever known. I took liberties with the word ‘logical’. The word in my language means: to do something you know is right, but none else do.”

“That isn’t what logical means,” Providence muttered. “I don’t even know if there is a word in proper Equestrian for that. Obsession? Oh? No!”

Pani nodded. “You do know what that means, I take it. Now you see how this applies to you? The way you are heading, you will make these words come true.”

The mare shuddered.

“Every verse fits you, more or less. And, with war blooming, Death is certain to follow. Many more will die before this day is out, and yet more before the next.”

Providence placed a hoof over her eyes. “I’m just… I just wanna go home…”

“I know. But you won’t stop.”

“I can’t,” Providence whispered. “I can’t do that. Not after coming this far. I have to finish this.”

“One way or another?”

“One way or another.”

“Obsession?”

“Yes,” Providence replied, barely above a whisper.

“Then you are either going to doom us all, or save us all. Either way, I am with you ‘till the end. It would be a stretch to say that I believe in what you’re doing, but I have always been curious and... open to change. Something that most of my kind are averse to. Although, I think it would be fair to say is common among all races; zebras, giraffes, diamond dogs… and ponies. Despite our short time together, I consider you a very fine friend indeed and if we must die together, then so be it.”

“I don’t want anypony else to die…”

“Everyone dies. Everything passes.” Pani took a sip of water and nodded to himself. He leaned back and closed his eyes. “But that isn’t doesn’t mean it’s the end. I believe that it is just another step to another journey.”

“More?” Providence shook her head and chuckled dryly. “Great.”

“The burden of leadership can be quite the weight to bear,” Pani said with a tone of a sage, “but good company can lighten it to that of a feather.”

“A camel saying?”

“Zebrican, actually.”

“Ah.” Providence nodded and thought about Zecora. She wondered how she was and hoped that she was fine. She had forgotten her, really forgotten her, until that moment. A fond friend she would never remember if she didn’t fix what was happening. “Okay. Let’s hear the rest.”

Pani opened his mouth, but it wasn’t him speaking.

“At the gates of The Temple the door of stone will crumble,
Magic as ancient as ancient is known will awaken from its slumber.
Guardians of old shall speak through voiceless echoes,
They will be heard in the hearts of the unkind and broken,
A test shall commence over the resolve and measure of all,
One shall be committed to eternal rest by their own volition,
A choice born of burden and of guilt, pain, and death,
Others shall shed their shells and, with the blood of the one, will be reborn again,
And after all is quiet and done, the fragments will awaken,
And the world will be rebirthed in an era of peace or an epoch of eternal war.”

Pani turned to the speaker. It was a she-camel who was staring at Providence with a look of wonderment, devotion, and terror.

“Thank you, Mayani. That was… helpful.”

She looked at the elder. “Pani, we cannot be bound to this mare anymore. We are forbidden to interfere with the magics of old. We will pay the ultimate price! Think of your daughter!”

“It is far too late to back away now. If you leave and try to go back home, the ones outside will slaughter you. If we do nothing, we will die. Our only choice is to follow through with our promises. We are all now bound to this thread of fate, and we will play our parts regardless of whether we want to or not. And I, for one, would rather be nowhere else. If we are about to see the world change, I would like to be there to witness it.”

Mayani could only swallow in response.

“Leave her alone!” Rainbow shouted as she stood atop the cloud.

The colt grinned. “Ooh, what ya’ gonna do, Rainbow Crash?”

“Keep making fun of her and find out!”

“You think you’re such a big shot? Why don’t you prove it?”

Rainbow grinned her trademarked smile. She knew that these jokers didn’t stand a sliver of a chance against her. Not her. Not the Rainbow Dash. “Whaddya have in mind?”

“A race! Lunchtime! On the expert track. First one to finish is the best. Loser has to do whatever the winner says.”

“That it?”

The colt blinked. He didn’t expect that. “F-for a month!”

“Oh? You really wanna be my slave for a month?” Rainbow grinned. “Are you sure about that?”

“Who says I’m going to lose, Crash!” The colt walked up the mare and stood in front of her face. “My brother is a Border Guard, you know. And he’s the best!”

Rainbow shrugged and waved a hoof in front of her face. “That so? Then why’s he not a Wonderbolt?”

The colt blinked again, but the expression now changed to anger.

Rainbow grinned. She knew just what to say to get under his skin. “Besides, your brother ain’t gonna race me. You are. And even if he did, I’d still win.”

Hoops growled at that. “I’ll see you at the starting line, Crash!”

“Can’t wait!”

As Hoops and his friend casually flew away, Rainbow looked at Fluttershy. “You okay, Shy-shy?”

“Y-yes. Thank you, Rainbow.”

“Come on, Shy. You can’t let those losers bully you like that!” Rainbow said bluntly, looking down at her friend still lying on the cloud. “They won’t stop until you make them stop. You didn’t even ask them to stop!”

Fluttershy didn’t know what to say to that. “Y-you don’t have to race for me.”

“No, but I want to. Besides, I challenged them. I’m not going to give them the pleasure of calling me a coward because I didn’t show up to beat them.” Rainbow floated upwards in the same direction as the two colts. “Anyway, we gotta go, or we’re gonna be late for class.”

Fluttershy nodded and slowly floated up to Rainbow’s height before falling down half the distance. She beat her wings faster until she was back to Rainbow’s side.

“You gotta work on that,” Rainbow informed in a flat tone. “What are you gonna do if you can’t fly properly?”

Fluttershy frowned. “I’ll try harder.”

At that, Rainbow could only smile and patted her best friend on her head. “You’ll get there, Shy.”

“Excuse me, but do you know the way to room A113?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Are you a prospective student?”

“Y-yes… sir.”

“Let me see your pass please,” the teacher reached with his magic and lifted the small slip to his face and nodded. “This way, Miss... Sparkle. Just follow me.”

Following the unicorn through the school halls made Twilight more and more apprehensive. Everything seemed so intimidating, especially for a filly her stature; it did not help to assuage her fears.

This was it, soon she would be performing her abilities in front of some of the most powerful and gifted unicorns in all of Equestria. There was just so much to consider, too many factors, and it didn’t help that she had to do it alone.

And Shining wasn’t there. She loved her parents very much, but she had inherited their worry-streak, and they were just as excitable as she was when it came to these kinds of situations. Shining always had that calming effect on her and her family. They always felt like they could do anything if he was around. Without her brother by her side, she began to doubt herself more and more.

After all, he was her big brother and best friend. Her Big-Brother-Best-Friend-Forever.

She walked behind the teacher while her parents followed behind her. The tension was palpable from them and she almost wanted to calm them down and let them know that all would be okay, but she couldn’t worry about them. It was her time to shine, and she had prepared so long and so hard for this.

But what if she couldn’t perform?

Again, she wished Shining were there to clear her mind.

Arpeggio stole a glance at the filly. She looked as if she would freak out at any moment. He very much wanted to comfort the young filly, but he had to maintain the professional demeanor. It was something that he had to do. There were too many students there and almost all of them were very competitive… and very powerful. He could not coddle her, that would lead to favoritism and even worse, a feeling of reliance that could not be present, not when the school demanded -- and prided itself on ensuring -- that its students took the initiative and became confident in their magic. Coddling was something which was very much frowned upon.

Not to mention that part of using magic came from the confidence you had to build within yourself, and if he started being kind he might ruin the filly’s chances. Tough love, Professor Inkwell had called it. There was some truth there. It was something that all the faculty had to respect. Those that didn’t found students dropping out, or worse. Magic had its safety mechanisms, but students who pushed themselves sometimes went beyond the safety limits naturally set to them. A painful lesson that all too often had tragic consequences.

But what he read on the paper nearly made him balk in amazement. To have such a young filly go through the egg test was something he could scarcely believe. Inkwell was an excellent judge of character, but a filly that age could scarcely hope to hold a proper bubble around simple objects or turn pages of a book. How was she supposed to surround the egg with her power? It would be impossible.

Wouldn’t it?

Mission 7, Part 11: New Roads

“They’re turning back, Static!” Sonic shouted. “Static! They’re turning back!”

A feeling of annoyance welled up in his gut. “Okay! They must know we’re trying to get them away from the Caldera.”

“Shouldn’t we head back?”

“Yes,” Static replied and looked behind them. The skimmers had taken a U-turn and were heading back the way they had come.

Once he felt that they were far enough away, Static released his force-field, feeling the light-yellow ball pop as he let go. Instantly he felt relief from the strain.

Sonic also relaxed lowering his wings and folding them across his back. “That was worse than PT with Glitter!”

Static couldn’t help but chuckle briefly at that. “Indeed.”

To say that they were grateful to Glitter would be a massive understatement; without her aggressive and tenacious training, they would not have had the stamina to do what they had just done. She had trained them to be warriors and she had trained them to survive.

Static started sailing in a diagonal direction back towards the downed tower, making to keep his distance from the last of the Cultists’ skimmers. He was trying to get them to vanish over the horizon, as he did he took note of how far they had come in such a short span of time. It was further proof that these skimmers could definitely move when required.

Static had purposely looped them around a wide circle keeping the sun behind them as much as possible. He had hopefully bought them some time by getting a few of the skimmers lost in the process of heading back. It was a long shot, but it was worth the risk. He hoped that the sand from the storm might contribute to disguising the path they had taken and allow them more time before their pursuers could regroup. A plan that he had relayed to Sonic.

“How long do you think we bought them?”

“Not long enough. Maybe half an hour.”

“We need to head back there!”

“Yeah, I know. But we need a plan.”

“To Tartarus with plans! We don’t have time to think of one. We need to act! If we don’t, Raze and the others are gonna get hurt!” Sonic looked in the distance. “We go, and we go now!”

“Relax, Sonic. I’ll think of something along the way. I’m not going to let your new fillyfriend get killed out here, not if it’s within my power.”

“F-fillyfriend?” Sonic thought about it and a faint color rose in his cheeks. “Well, I… we…”

“I am proud of you, Sonic. Even with her… condition, you still manage to see her for something more. That’s amazing. And I really, really respect you for that. I can’t. No offense, but I can’t not see those scars nor past the fact she looks more like a living corpse than a pony. The fact that I can see pieces of her skull really disturbs me. Yet you can see beyond that.”

Sonic stuck out his lower jaw. “I don’t care about how she looks. I just… care about her.”

“And, like I said, I admire you for that. Really. I do. I wish I could, but I can’t. You’ve got a gift, Sonic. A real gift. You’re really a good pony. You have a real pure heart.” Static turned the skimmer again. “Maybe to compensate for that empty head.”

“Whatta-what-now?”

“Never mind. We head straight to the tip of the peninsula. Nonstop. Come what may, we’re in this together.”

“Together,” Sonic echoed.

Static looked out at the sand, his expression fearless and resolute. “For Equestria.”

They bumped hooves.

The pegasus nodded, his face the same. “For Equestria.”

A sensation.

That was the only way to describe it.

It grew out of the space within and without her. It steadily increased and, in any normal circumstance, it might have been subtle. But when one has not had the chance to feel anything, any changes are welcome. Any at all. Slowly, steadily, it grew stronger and stronger. Not much, but it was indeed growing.

And it felt magnificent.

Not like before. Not like that night. This was different. Before she could see and understand. This time it was tangible. She felt it. Felt the movement and the ripples bend and warp around her; felt reality itself bend and warp around her. It was being pushed and pulled in ways that could not be described. Like being caught in a tide moving in all directions at once and in varying power, then suddenly changing directions and pushing back towards her.

But the ‘image’ she saw remained steady. Like the physical world, the representation of her situation was more for her own mind’s comprehension of things rather than what actually was. And it showed her that the chains still held fast, and try as she might, they still would not give, though the ripples and vibrations were changing that.

Imperceptible to most, tiny fissures formed in those very chains, but when one was staring at the same thing for months every detail was etched deep into the mind; a tiny fracture was a monumental change.

She stopped.

It didn’t matter what she did, the inevitable would come soon. She could feel it within her soul. Soon she would finally break away from this infernal prison. Soon she would return and all the world would feel her wrath. She would pay visit to her ‘beloved sister’ and make the punishment slow so the pain and humiliation felt would be tenfold. Soon it would be time to go back home.

“Keep going!” Raze shouted as she fired her loaded crossbow backwards at their pursuers.

Bolts sang as they flew past and littered the way forwards.

They had been spotted by a patrol and the word had gone out. They had severely underestimated their numbers. It wasn’t a ‘small force’ at all. It was a full-blown, all-out army out there. It was stupid of them not to consider it. Their numbers were enough to let them hijack a manna airship.

Realistically, none of them could have predicted their true strength. Static and Sonic couldn’t have known they were transporting this many. It wasn’t impossible, she supposed that they could have this many; manna airships were used for heavy transport after all. If you let go of all the cargo, then you could bring an entire battalion with you.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Raze wondered how many more would there be if the wyrm hadn’t brought down the vessel from the sky. Perhaps they owed the huge creature a small bit of thanks.

“Onslaught!”

The giant stopped, turned and heaved his great hammer from his back and slammed it into the sand. It kicked up a significant wave that helped provide cover. The Cultist fired their bolts blindly into the makeshift sand wall and waited. A moment later, as the sand cleared a little, two bolts from both Elites sang out and claimed their victims.

Experience and practice go a long way.

“Go!” Raze ordered again, pushing Samidra with her head. “You have to keep running!”

“But…” Samidra began.

“Go, or die!” Raze yelled as a group of Cultists behind those killed lowered themselves into shooting position.

Onslaught hovered over the ground, it would’ve been a comical sight if the situation wasn’t so dire.

Samidra wheeled around and slammed her staff into the ground as the volley was released. She grunted and a large white, transparent bubble formed around her as the others rushed past. The bolts hit the shield and bounced off wildly, a few exploding in an array of strange explosions as the imbued spells ignited.

“Air magic?” Onslaught asked as he loaded a crossbow. “Can you cast anything else?”

“Not really!” Samidra said gasping for air. “I’ve had practice with this…”

“On the skimmer?” Onslaught asked, pausing for a moment to stare at the filly. “You can cast an air shield that large with just that much practice?”

“Y-yes? Is that good?” Samidra asked, still panting.

“Very. Now go.”

The giant pegasus fired an explosive quarrel into the downed tower’s side, the smoke from the explosion creating a wall in front of the pursuing Cultists. Raze then fired another quarrel into the smoke blindly, before turning and running close behind the retreating camel. They all ran as hard as they could towards the end of the peninsula.

“Go! Go! Go!” Raze shouted.

She then let out a strangled gasp, stopped and turned around against her will as fire roared through her shoulder. A bolt punched through the muscle there. She grunted in agony and took a step back. She raised a crossbow but remembered it wasn’t loaded. Another bolt sang through the air and a sharp pain in her lower leg made her fall to her side in agony.

She looked up and saw a group of armored ponies joining in the chase. These were not like the others from before. These newcomers knew how to use their weapons and use them well.

Onslaught was next to her in seconds. He lifted her onto his back and charged on. Despite his large bulk and his overwhelming strength, she was slowing him down. She looked at him through the corner of her eye.

“W-what are you doing?” Raze asked.

“Saving you.”

“But… why?”

“Because it is the right thing to do.”

“Ugh, don’t tell me those two are getting to you,” Raze replied and loaded another bolt in pain. She aimed and fired, the quarrel exploding against the side of the tower again providing them with more cover. She started to reload, but the pain was too much for her to bear with just her forehooves alone.

The pegasus said nothing for a moment. “Every bit of me is screaming to drop you and run, but another part of me wants to do this. It says you must not be left behind.”

Raze smiled. “Onslaught. Listen to me. I’m going to be a very, very bad burden on you and the others. You have to leave me behind.”

There was nothing said as he ran onwards.

A bolt whizzed over their heads and hit the sand in front of them. It exploded into a red ball of fire as Onslaight rushed straight into it.

“Tell Sonic that… it was fun while it lasted…” Raze whispered as they pushed into the ball of flames.

Then he felt her grip let go. He was running too fast to stop and came out in front of the smoke, he paused for a brief moment, turned his head to look back. He growled inwardly and ran on all the while wondering why he had tried to save her in the first place if she was just going to commit suicide. It was strange, but he did it against his own instinct. Perhaps it was indeed the Guard’s influence over him, or maybe it was Providence’s. Whatever the case, she was gone now and he had to get that map to its destination – no matter what the cost.

The Cultists approached her slowly. Cautiously. Every one of them aimed a loaded crossbow at her with their shields covering them. They were right to be scared. This one had claimed the lives of several of their own. One walked over and pushed her with the back of his spear to turn the body over, his shield out in front of him.

“She’s alive,” he said and turned the spear around with the point facing her chest. “Shall I do the honors?”

“And give her a quick and easy death after all she’s done?” another asked. “Not likely. Give me your crossbow.”

The first complied without hesitation.

“This is for our brothers and sisters whom you so viciously murdered,” he said with pure venom. He aimed at her rear leg nearest to him and fired.

Raze bit back the scream, but groaned out loud in pure agony.

“Another bolt, if you please,” the leader asked.

The other Cultists were laughing at this point.

Raze watched with hatred, agony, and, much to her regret, fear, as the second bolt was loaded. She watched as he aimed it for her other hind leg. She willed herself to block out the incoming agony she knew was coming. She willed herself to prepare for the inevitable. She willed herself not to give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream. She willed herself to close out the pain. She willed herself with everything she had.

She disappointed herself as the bolt nailed her leg into the sand.

The scream made Onslaught stop for a brief moment along with the others. He cursed under his breath and ran up to the others shoving them.

“Don’t stop! Go! Don’t let her sacrifice be in vain!” he muttered and willed himself not to turn around to see what was happening. Even if she bought them a few seconds, it would be worth it to get to the peninsula. They had to get there. They had to deliver the map. Nothing else mattered.

Nothing.

“Static!” Sonic shouted.

“I see them!” Static replied and moved the skimmer slightly.

The Cultists had known they would double-back and had positioned themselves on an intercept course. It was now inevitable. They would cross paths. They both knew when they turned around that there was no possibility of avoiding it, but Static had wanted a little more time to recover his magic. He felt his internal reserves and they were dangerously low, but in battle you rarely had a chance to let things play out the way you wanted or intended. He needed to focus on recovering.

“Sonic, we’re going to have to get as close as we can.”

“I know.”

“You understand that that puts us in a very bad place, right?”

“I know.”

“You know that we could die.”

“I know.”

“You don’t seem phased by that.”

“I know.”

Static looked at the stallion. He knew deep inside what was bothering him, but he didn’t have the heart to bring it up. He was worried about Raze, and with good reason. It was clear that their distraction attempt had only attracted a small part of a much, much larger whole. This was going to get really messy really quickly, and an all-out battle between the Watu and Cultists was imminent. They were alone. Even if the Elites technically were on their side, how far can one trust a band of murderers? Even if they did, they were too far away.

“Sonic, I’m sorry, but I need you here and now. Stop thinking about things you can’t help. We need to focus on what’s in front of us before we can go and help them. You understand?”

“I know.” Sonic turned his head slightly so that their eyes met. “I know! I know that duty comes first. Don’t worry. I’ll do what I have to.”

The unicorn truly felt sorry for his friend. “Okay. Here they come!”

The first salvo littered the sand in front of them. Static turned and almost tipped the skimmer over with the sudden jerk. He swerved directly towards the Cultists as Sonic pumped his wings hard thrusting the vessel forwards even faster. The gap narrowed considerably.

Letting go of the tiller, Static pulled out his crossbow loaded with an explosive quarrel and fired it into the air over the enemy skimmers were. It was a good thing that the Cultists were not properly trained on how to keep formation. They were like a pack of wild, untamed wolves, all moving in for the kill at the same time. And that would prove to be their undoing.

The explosive quarrel detonated over the skimmers, the sudden burst disturbing the air in their sails for a only moment. But a moment was all the Guards needed.

Sonic had launched himself seconds after releasing the bolt and was upon the first skimmer in seconds. He had stayed as close to the sand as possible, the explosion serving as a distraction. He twisted himself around, narrowly missing the sail of the first and fired a quarrel of ice into the side of the leading skimmer. He had purposefully aimed for the far side of the craft, the ice exploding into spikes which shifted the weight suddenly causing it to flip over. It broke apart, the extended arms of the craft unable to compensate for the sudden shift in weight as the vessel twisted around.

The ponies aboard were flung off. At those speeds, it was unlikely that they would survive. A pegasus tried to recover, but did not see the rear of the skimmer rising up to meet him. The dull thud was fatal. The body smashing through the hull. If that didn’t kill him, then the velocity with which he hit the sand did.

Another skimmer traveling alongside to the attacked craft had several prongs of the icicles penetrate through the sails and hull. Then, as the first skimmer twisted, the icicles pierced through the heart of the pony piloting the second. The body slumped over the tiller and the craft turned sharply to the right, twisting around sideways and capsizing.

The skimmer behind that -- the pilot unable to compensate at those speeds -- swerved hard and it flipped over as well. Because it had no ice to slow it down it was caught up quickly and crashed hard into the two in front of it. The craft behind that one swerved in the opposite direction, but the debris from the crash caught one of the wings and the craft dipped at a strange angle that turned it edge on edge, making is cartwheel along before slamming downwards, the sail rapidly sinking into the sand. Both skimmers had pegasi that abandoned their non-winged compatriots to their fate and had managed to catch themselves in the air.

But Static was not idle during this moment, and using the chaos, had positioned himself inside the crashing debris pile. He fired an electric quarrel over the tangled mess and at the nearest confused floating pegasi before escaping sideways as fast and as low as he dared.

One can never be idle in a combat situation.

The electrical spell exploded in a ball of energy that found the nearest pegasi and arced over to the next and the next in a chain. The chain got weaker as it continued to bounce off of them in sequence and only the first three went down in a smoldering heap of seared flesh, but the others were stunned to varying degrees. It was close. Too close, Sonic knew. Had he been any slower the bolt of magic would have caught him too.

Landing next to the upturned skimmer, he used it as cover and positioned himself with his crossbow just another skimmer approached. He waited for a moment before firing a bolt at the pilot as it tried to race past. The shot was clean and punctured the neck of the Cultist. He or she twisted around and landed hard on the tiller forcing the skimmer to turn away. That, in turn, forced other skimmers trying to avoid the crash to swing further away and out of range.

Sonic nodded to himself. As he thought might happen, the Cultists had focused too much on their own maneuvers and did not take note of what Static was doing. He quickly hovered over the debris and headed the opposite direction the Skimmers were going.

The Cultists turned to see the Guards’ skimmer was now cutting behind them all. The had used the crash as a distraction and the dust and sand to hide their intention. Sonic had destroyed four vessels, managed to avoid the rest, and allowed Static to get behind the advance and now they were heading, unobstructed, straight for the peninsula.

As Sonic landed on the deck and rested his aching wings, he took note on how the Cultists tried to turn around to continue their pursuit. They were far too disorganized to give proper chase, a few of them having near-misses. Their antics allowed the Guards some much needed respite as the Cultists were quickly getting too far behind to cause any concern.

A sadistic smiled crept on Sonic’s lips as landed in front of the sail and spread open his wings and pushed with all his effort.

The Cultists watched in raw hatred as the Guards quickly receded into the distance. They had been utterly and completely outmaneuvered.

“No.”

Onslaught sighed with his eyes closed as the words from the camel came out in a small whimper.

“No!” Samidra screamed and slammed her forelegs into the sand.

“W-w-w-w-what are we gonnna do?” Tessa asked staring at the rubble. The entrance, or what had at some point been the entrance, loomed in front of them.

“No. No, no, no!” Samidra started to breathe harder.

Onslaught slammed his hammer down and felt weak in his knees, but he didn’t want to show that to the girls. They were not used to this and he needed to be the one to stand firm despite the very harsh reality that their time was almost up. Using his hammer, he held himself upright.

Tessa was shaking as she looked at the entrance that was supposed to be their salvation. It was blocked. Completely and utterly blocked. There was nothing they could do. With the Cultists hot on their tail, they were trapped. They could run into the desert, but then what? To be picked off by skimmers? To die of thirst or starvation? They had no choice now. It was to be a fight to the death. She knew it. She knew it the moment Samidra dropped onto the sand and started screaming.

“What do we do? What do we do?” Tessa looked over at the large Elite.

“We fight. We die.”

“Y-you’re giving up!” Tessa retorted. “There’s something we can do! There has to be something! Anything!”

“If you fight hard and well, it will be quick,” Onslaught replied reassuringly.

The mare blinked. “You can’t be serious. We are not like you! I want to live!”

“Sometimes you have to do what you have to. If we die, we die. But if we fight hard and survive a little longer, something might happen. But doing nothing is not going to help us. We either fight and hope, or we standby and commit to our fate. Running isn’t an option.”

“I… I don’t have a weapon,” the mare replied staring at the incoming line of Cultists. With her eyes, similar to those of a pegasus, Tessa could see some of them smiling maliciously, others were even laughing. It was blatantly clear that the Cultists had started to realize that their group was making for the entrance of the peninsula and had waited for them to trap themselves. They had been baited right into a trap of their own choosing.

“Take this,” Onslaught took out a dagger and threw it into the sand in front of her. “We don’t have a shield. They’ll keep their distance and use their crossbows.”

It was then that Samidra walked past the giant and placed herself in front of him. “I will be our shield.”

Onslaught suddenly felt proud of the camel in front of him. “Very well. I don’t know much about magic, but I can advise you. Keep the shield as close and small as possible. It might help us maintain our defenses for a time. The moment the bolts hit the shield, if they have not fired another salvo, let it down and rest your body for those few short seconds. It might buy us time.”

“Time for what?” Tessa asked picking up the dagger and staring at it as if it were the last thing she would ever see.

“Hope,” Onslaught replied, “that is something you ponies do in situations like this, right?”

There wasn’t anything Tessa could say to that.

“Maybe the others will see us and come to our aid. Maybe the Guards will come back and help. But, right now, this is our only option is to fight and hold out.”

“I need something to help me help you,” Tessa placed the dagger in her saddlebag. “I need to be able to shoot something!”

“I have only one crossbow. Raze had the other. Since you cannot fight, then perhaps you can find a way through the debris?” Onslaught suggested. “Maybe there is a passage through.”

Tessa was off before his words were finished.

In the distance, the Cultists watched her go. Some were curious and pointing, others were laughing harder and a few took aim and fired. The bolts hit the sand, but none came close to the mare.

“Experience does indeed go a long way. They have given away their range. We have at least another thirty steps before we are in danger of their main firing body. We are going to move towards the peninsula slowly and hope that we can buy time as we retreat. Being this close to the tower might help them hit us with quarrels from our flank. We will move away from the tower and towards the peninsula as slowly and steadily as possible.”

“You don’t want to use the tower for cover?”

“No. It would go against us. We don’t know what’s on the other side. In the open we’ll be harder targets to hit and the sand will help diffuse some of the power of the spells.” Onslaught looked at the camel. “How quickly can you form a barrier?”

“I don’t know.”

“The only thing we can do now is to play the waiting game. Our advantage is that they have already decided that we are doomed and are going to try and keep us at a distance. I am not the best with the crossbow, but I don’t have to be. With our reputation, they will be overly cautious. That will work to our advantage. We need to prolong that sentiment for as long as possible.”

“How?”

“By being careful. And by killing them one by one so they know if they come closer, they will die.”

Samidra gulped, swallowed her fear, and held her staff in front of her. Thirty paces were now down to twenty, and as they stepped forward, Onslaught and her took a step back. They would keep as safe a distance away for as long as possible.

“What is that? ...Is that a thestral?”

“Looks like.” Slasher peered harder at the figure darting across the sand. The sandstorm had managed to calm itself considerably, but it was still hard to make out details. The tower was only a looming, dark, shadowed shape in the distance, but they could see the line of Cultists marching slowly behind the pursued group taking their time, keeping their distance.

“Those Cultist crazies are really after them,” Crusher responded laughing slightly. “I think that’s Onslaught. Shame. I liked him. His hammer was useful in field combat. Either he is refusing to believe that the entrance is blocked, they’ve found another way inside, or…”

“Orders, sir?” Slasher asked the Guard.

“Take positions.” Semper stared at the distance and seemed to contemplate something before turning back to us. “Prepare for battle.”

“Yes, sir!” we all replied as one.

I looked down at my hooves and then back up at Semper, but he had already turned away from me and was gazing far into the distance once again. I wished that I could see what he saw. As I drew closer to him, I stood basking in his presence. A part of me wished that he looked at me. That he would know that I was there. But I am a Ghost. I am only here to serve Providence before it is my time. Silent, I will wait for the final fight. But if I do go, if I have to leave this life, will He at least remember me?

Probably not. Because I am a ghost. No. I am Ghost.

Rarity felt the magic suddenly slow down. She tried to undo it, to turn it off, but it just was not listening to her. She clucked her tongue in annoyance. There had to be something she could do. She had ventured quite far from her home, and a part of her grew more than a little annoyed at her mother’s somewhat callous farewell as she was yanked out the door of her home.

Then again, her mother was someone who, for the life of her, seemed to never be fully there. She was always distracted, and despite their father loving her to bits, there was always just a hint of something. Something that she did not miss. It was something along the lines of pity, if Rarity were to put words to it. Her father pitied her mother.

“Goodness,” Rarity muttered to herself, “what has come over me? Why am I thinking of such depressing things when my dresses are still half done back at home!”

Again, she tried to cut the power flowing through her horn by concentrating at the base where she could feel the power welling up from within her being. She willed what could be compared to a tap, or faucet, and started to turn it off. She needed to get back to work. She needed to finish her designs. Ponies were depending on her.

Then she felt something like a metaphorical smack on her fetlock as her will was brushed aside and the ambient magic from within her surged through her horn with renewed vigor. It was as if she awoke whatever was pulling her along.

“Oh bother.”

Tessa stared. It was blocked. She saw a small opening and threw herself into it. She pushed herself through, her fear slowly giving way to panic. Then she felt something wet, and warm. Her nocturnal eyes adjusted to see the remains of masked pony staring in her direction.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream before regaining her composure.

A dead Elite.

She stared and stared at the body, and closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“No need to panic, Tessy. If you do, you’re going to die. Relax. Think.”

She pulled herself out of the hole, turned and saw the line of Cultists closer than she expected and once again her panic spread through every inch of her being. Unconsciously, she spread her wings and knelt down to launch herself into the sky. To try and scale up the side of the side of the mountain. Right now, that was the only thing she could do. At least she might survive. Better than letting herself be slaughtered by the Cultists.

She did a small hop getting some altitude, but in her confused state, she miscalculated and the timing of her wings in her state did not catch the wind in the right way. She ‘slipped’ and slammed headfirst into the sand. At that instant, something threw itself out of a small hole and slid to a halt not far from where she was a moment ago, a loud snap from its mandibles made her spin around on the ground and watch in horror at what nearly killed her.

The creature’s head was held up by a powerful body as it reached straight out of the side of the peninsula’s walls. The creature turned its head downward, but it was clear that the angle was not biologically possible for the creature and it slowly started to retract itself.

In that instant, from somewhere to her left, a larger creature aimed and bit the head of the smaller animal. The larger wyrm receded quickly, pulling on the body of the smaller one, but stopped when the body grew taught.

Tessa noted the smallish looking hole in the said where a large stone boulder had been moments before. The dead creature still held fast. Moments later, another creature burst out of the ground and attached itself to the dead. And another. And another. Soon, nearly five creatures were tugging on the dead creature’s body trying to pull it down into their hole.

With this display of brutality occurring over her head, she watched as the Cultists had backed away. Onslaught and Samidra were slowly backing their way towards her, but had stopped with the Cultists, the Elite’s eyes trying to monitor both threats.

Finally, unable to resist the power of the downward plunge of the larger predators any longer, body was pulled from the rock it was hiding in and the body torn into pieces with a surprising lack of blood as each creature took their piece and slipped into the ground with barely a whisper, with the exception of the last one that pulled the bottom-most and largest part of the dead animal. A pithy knock was all that could be heard as the end of the dead’s tail, a ball-shaped object covered in hooked spikes, plopped into the ground. The anchor that these creatures used to remain in their burrows.

“W-well, maybe flying isn’t such a good idea,” Tessa told herself. She turned her head to look at the group of Cultists. They had resumed their forward march, and Onslaught and the camel were keeping pace ahead of them.

She turned and looked at the expanse of sand behind her. She could make a run for it. Try to get away from the conflict, but she knew that it would only delay the inevitable. Either the heat and thirst would claim her, or the Cultists on skimmers would hunt her down. She would not survive out there. In fact, in some strange way, she was safer where she was. The area was littered with boulders and stones which she recognized to be the eyes of the wyrms.

She turned back to look at the Cultists again and forced herself to relax. To think things through. To analyze the situation. To understand.

It was then she noticed it. Noticed what the others seemingly hadn’t yet.

A small smiled formed on her lips, and she jogged to Onslaught and Samidra.

“And?” The Elite asked when she was close.

“No way in. Entrance is really blocked. There’s no way we use it. I thought about flying, but you saw what happened. The place is surrounded by those thingys.”

“This is their breeding ground,” Samidra spoke serenely, “there are a lot more, and larger ones, hidden under the rocks.”

Tessa leaned in closer, as if she was afraid the Cultists would hear her next words. “What rocks?”

Samidra looked around with her eyes as did Onslaught. On this side, within the fading sandstorm, there were no boulders or rocks. There were no eyes watching the skies. Nothing jutting from the sands around them at all. The attack had come from the other side of the peninsula. The side where the sandstorm wasn’t.

“Maybe… maybe they’re hiding?”

A flitter of hope shuddered through their bodies.

“Okay. We get closer to the cliff, then we make a break for it. If it’s true, then we can fly up and out of here. It’s a chance we have to take before they get any closer.”

“But they’ll follow,” Samidra whispered harshly.

“It’s a chance we have to take. We Watu are not soldiers. If we fight in the open like this, it is they who will have the advantage,” Onslaught whispered back. “If they follow, they will know why we are thusly feared.”

Tessa stepped away from the Elite when he said those words.

The three moved quickly, but steadily, back towards the cliff’s side. Tessa, with Onslaught, kept an eye out for the tell-tale sign of the wyrms. Nothing. Not a single boulder or rock poked out from the sands. Why had they not noticed this before?

“We can’t get too close. The wyrms in the rocks will attack too,” Tessa murmured.

“I know. I think we’re close enough. Get ready, once we fly they will give chase. We don’t know how long they will wait before they will chase. I’ll carry Samidra-”

“No. I will. We’ll need you to fight them off. I can’t do that.” Tessa looked at the camel. “Hop on. Let’s get out of here.”

The camel hesitated for a moment but did as she was asked. Tessa waited until she was comfortably sitting on her back before suddenly pushed up and into the air, hurrying upwards as close to the cliff as she dared.

Samidra was heavy, and Tessa struggled with her weight. The thestral hadn’t realized just how tired she was from all that running. But she couldn’t give up. She had to push on. Their very lives depended on it. It was only a short way up, she told herself. She could do it, she just needed to put her mind to it.

The Cultists immediately saw them, but were stunned. After their initial attack when the wyrms had picked off so many of their own, their hesitation was understandable. A great many had been slaughtered and yet this small group was taking to the air. Many just waited, wondering when the inevitable was going to happen, but after a while it was clear that something wasn’t right. A few took to the skies, tentatively, looking around in fear.

Nothing.

More and more soon followed, until, when about six of them were airborne, the others that could took-off as well.

But the delay worked and by the time they gave chase, it was a little too late. Tessa and Onslaught made it over the lip and on the plateau.

Instantly, Samidra launched herself off of the thestral’s back and was galloping at full tilt towards the encampment together.

There was no one there. The camp was abandoned.

They would be cut to ribbons with just the three of them there.

Just as panic was about to set it, Tessa heard a noise.

“Over here!” a shout echoed from the Caldera’s base. They turned to see a large cave and a not insubstantial number of Elites inside. “Run!”

They bolted as quickly as they could for the entrance. The familiar sound of a bolt hitting the ground echoed and Tessa turned to look into the sky to see that the Cultists were high in the air and using that to their advantage to give them extra range.

So close. So, so close.

Then something was off. The Elites came out of the cave and stared. Some were laughing, others were slapping each other on the back.

“What’s going on?” Tessa asked.

Onslaught grinned. “We’re safe for now. Move. We need to get inside.”

“W-what? How can you tell we’re safe?”

“Experience,” Onslaught slowed to a jog and trotted. Samidra, not taking any chances, was still sprinting towards the entrance.

When Tessa arrived at the entrance, she turned around to see the Cultists hanging back. They were definitely flying high, but they had not moved in closer. Just then she spotted a group of pegasi trotting towards her. Another batch of Elites. Where had they comes from?

“The others?” Onslaught asked as the first of the group reached them.

“They are staying behind to delay them. We’re here to lend whatever help we can, but a small number of us will return to Semper Sir with fresh bolts.”

Onslaught nodded. He moved out of the way as the pegasus he talked to rushed inside. On his way out, he stopped and looked at Onslaught. “You wish to come?”

“No. I have to ensure that a map gets to Providence as quickly as possible.”

“A map? So, he was right after all. He said that you might have something important to give to her,” the Elite laughed and slid his mask over his head. “If you see her, tell her thank you from me. I’ll probably die in this skirmish.”

“I shall.”

Tessa watched in amazement as half the pegasi that had come were galloping back towards the edge of the peninsula. She was shocked. While Raze’s and Onslaught’s faces were frightening, the pony she saw was beyond terrifying. There was more missing them just skin on his head, and she wondered how a pony could live with what she saw.

She felt eyes on her and turned to see Onslaught staring.

“Grotesque, wasn’t he?”

“Y-yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

“He used to be quite handsome, I’m told,” Onslaught began and gestured for her to enter the cave before him, “but a jealous mare who had been vying for the affections of another did not take kindly to that and poured acid over him.”

“That’s horrible,” Tessa replied, stunned and gratefully took a cup of water and inhaled its contents. She thanked the Elite who served it and asked for more. They were all staring at her, some with curiosity, others with suspicion, and a few with something between hate and anger. “Why are they looking at me?”

“Remember what we are. Some want to kill you, others to use your body, and others are honestly just curious.”

“I… see…”

“Do not worry. Nothing will happen. You’re here for Providence, after all,” Onslaught said loudly so that all could hear. It was a lie. She didn’t know who this Providence was, just that she was very important, but the effect was instant. Almost every Elite turned away and resumed their business.

“What do we do now?”

“Get the map into Providence’s hooves. After that, we’ll see.”

“And the others? Outside?”

“Not our business. We have what we have to do; they will do what they need to.”

“But… they could die.”

Onslaught nodded. “Yes. They most likely will, but they’re ready to accept their fate. It is our way. We’re already dead.”

At that, Tessa could only nod. She was grateful that she was given this chance, she should be grateful that they let her come along. Now it was time to meet the mare in charge. Now it was time to meet this Providence. What terrifying mare must she be to control all these warriors with such obedience, she didn’t know. She gulped and followed Onslaught as he followed another deeper into the cave.

Mission 7, Part 12: Recollection

Rainbow yawned. She hated ‘Flight Theory’, the class was such a snooze-fest. She stared out of the window and saw a bunch of pegasi gliding about. She was looking forward to the race at lunchtime. She would show them. Show them all. She had what it took to be the best. She had to because she was going to be a Wonderbolt. She told herself, in her mind, that if she lost that she would never again talk about joining them.

“Rainbow!”

She snapped out of reverie and stood up. “Yessir!”

“What’s the answers to my question?” the stallion asked, his face a picture of annoyance.

“Um…” she looked at the board, “that updrafts are hot air that push up and… um… you can use it to glide if you’re tired… and um… that it’s used for long flights because… er… it lets you go on for longer?”

The stallion’s eyebrow raised itself. “Not bad. I thought you were spacing off again.”

Rainbow blushed. “What? I got it right?” she blurted.

“No. Not even close,” the teacher laughed and shook his head. “Detention. After school. Again.”

Rainbow moaned, and the rest of the class laughed.

“Knock it off. Rainbow, while your answer was correct, I was asking about acceleration. Now, please try again and tell me about acceleration.”

Rainbow blinked. “You mean about going faster?”

“Yes, that is what acceleration means.” There was twinkle in his eyes as the mare began to talk.

As she talked, her words started to go faster and faster. Without a doubt, this was Rainbow’s passion. Flying. Speed. And he did enjoy listening to just how amazingly intuitive she was. There were some who just got it. She was ready for the next step. He knew that the others would not get it, but Rainbow was smart when it came to flying. She would get it. She would understand and he knew, along with most of the other instructors, that she was racing against a couple older colts today. While the age gap might seem small, that difference in wing power and muscular development was massive for kids their age. So, he would give her a little edge. No, he would give her a huge edge. He would have cackled, but he thought that may be overdoing it.

“But there’s one other thing,” the teacher said and wiped the board of contents in the middle. He wrote in big bold letters. He smacked the board for effect and slammed the chalk down on his desk. “Gravity!”

At once Rainbow’s eyes grew wide. As obvious as it was, anything to help her go faster instantly grabbed her attention. He couldn’t help but smile at that. It was always refreshing to teach a young one who was genuinely interested, and Rainbow wanted to be the best of them all. He had wondered what drove her on; what made her try to always grow and better herself.

“Now, gravity can be a powerful ally to going fast, but just as powerful an enemy if you don’t understand it. While we pegasi have our wings, every time any of us want to go faster, we use our good friend, gravity. However, just diving straight down, while gives us immense speed, also is difficult to control. Many pegasi have met their unfortunate end trying to nosedive in excessive speeds. Strong wings, quick eyes, and understanding the winds will help you, but thrusting yourself into something that risky is both incredibly dangerous and completely unnecessary. Not to mention that it’s not even very effective.”

As predicted, that brought some confused sounds and looks from the class. They all knew falling down made them go fast, but here was their teacher saying that it wasn’t the best way to go faster. He turned to the board and drew a downward slope across the board that went down sharply then he angled it upwards so that it slowly met the same level as the original height, then drew a gradual line until the end of the board. “Tell me what this is?”

“A line?” a brave soul guessed.

“Thank you for that obvious observation, but I’m asking what kind of line.”

Silence.

“Any more guesses?”

More silence.

“This is what we call the Comet Trajectory, created by Comet Tail, one of the oldest and most famous fliers. I’m sure you don’t need to know who I am referring to,” he chuckled when the cadets all suddenly started whispering to each other. “Yes, yes. It’s none other than Commander Comet, the Wonderbolt.”

He had them. Every time he talked about a Wonderbolt, the cadets could not get enough. After all, many of these tots would one day try their hooves at becoming part of said elite team, but unbeknownst to them all, he was almost a Wonderbolt himself. He didn’t qualify in the end, but that was primarily due to a serious injury he had sustained. While it was sad, he got over it and now he was helping shape the next generation of the elite team.

“Now, what makes this trail so famous, and the next time you go to a Wonderbolt show, keep an eye out for this maneuver, is that it helps the flyer gain a huge amount of speed by utilizing his wing power and gravity while maintaining complete control of their flight.”

A number of hooves shot up.

He answered the questions, mostly ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when most of them asked about Commander Comet rather than the move itself. But he kept an eye on the filly sitting in the back of the class. She was rubbing her chin, her brow furrowed in deep thought. He waited for it. Waited for what he knew would come.

Rainbow raised her hoof.

“Yes, Rainbow?”

“So, this comet thingy—”

“Trajectory.”

“Yeah, that. Um… like, how do you know what angle is best?”

The teacher rolled his eyes just enough to not be overly dramatic about it, he needed to look serious for this, but deep down he was screaming with delight. He wanted her to ask that question, but he also knew how dangerous this move could be and did not want to look excited about it. He knew that the other cadets would try it as well, but he had to explain the dangerous nature of this and therefore he needed to hide his huge grin.

Rainbow would try it, no matter what. He would be hanging near the racetrack, perhaps along with the majority of other instructors, to observe the young filly. She was by far the most talented flyer there. Everything she did was always something worth discussing, but they had all agreed to give her space considering her ego had already started growing as quickly as her amazing skills. It was double-edged sword. She needed that ego to get better, but having too much would lead her to being overconfident and do rash and stupid things.

“The angle that the Wonderbolts use is around forty degrees downwards with a decreasing slope of around two degrees for every ten feet, depending on height, of course. At that rate, you can expect gravity to give you the boost you need with enough leeway to recover and control the flight afterwards. If a pony were to travel in a relative straight line, to maintain their incredible speed, they would repeat this move multiple times allowing them to continuously move at their incredible pace. There have even been occurrences, as have happened in the past, of pegasi exceeding the Wave Barrier.”

At once the class burst into excited conversation with each other.

He wanted to kick himself. He wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. Now all the cadets were going to try their hoof at this move, which could be dangerous if not done properly. It was something that much older classes were given to attempt, but this group was far too young, but he knew that if any of them could do it, the rainbow-maned filly at the back was perhaps the best chance of them all.

“Now, now, settle down. While this move does enable the flyer to sustain rapid flight movements, it is essentially a much longer version of the Swallow Hop that you’re all learning at your physical training class.” He drew a wavy line similar to the Comet Trajectory on the board and smacked it for emphasis. “Getting to the point, if you can’t master this little move, you’re not ready for the Comet.”

The Swallow Hop was one of the most tiring training drills in their lesson plan. By imitating the birds, the flyers were expected to push their wings once hard to propel themselves upwards. As soon as that was done, to hold the wings tightly by the sides as you ‘hopped’ and headed downwards for a moment before meeting the perfect height. At that point, another huge push was expected to restart the process. Too soon or too late, you lose momentum. While not as quick as an all-out sprint, this form of flying taught how to use gravity to help increase speed and control. Classes at the moment used hurdles tied across clouds for the cadets to fly over and under to get a better idea of their optimal height for the push upwards.

And so far, only one filly in this class had actually managed to master the Swallow Hop. Not that it took much time. Rainbow had already mastered it even before she started flying lessons, much to the surprise of the other instructors. It was then that they had let slip just how impressive she was and that she was a skilled flyer. Their praise instantly went straight to her head.

Again, he had to remind himself that there was nothing wrong with that, but perhaps a little humility would have gone a long way in making friends with ponies her age. Rainbow’s one-track mind had always been both her strongest and her weakest trait.

“What’s a Wave Barrier?” A question was asked.

The small yellow pegasi sitting next to Rainbow could barely be heard over the din.

“What was that, Fluttershy?”

She ‘eeped’ and hid behind her desk.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “What’s a Wave Barrier?”

The class all turned to the instructor.

“Really? You… you don’t know?” The instructor blinked and shook his head. Teaching the younger classes sometimes was harder because they didn’t always have all the information. “It’s a… wall, if you want to call it that, that stops ponies from going too fast.”

“A wall of what?” Rainbow asked.

“What’s the matter, afraid of hitting another wall, Rainbow Crash!” a voice said followed by much of the class laughing at the poor attempt of a joke.

The instructor wanted to throw the desk at the offender. However, he knew he couldn’t molly-coddle Rainbow. That would just make things harder for her.

“Knock it off.” He looked at Rainbow. “The wall is a combination of magic and air.”

“But why is it there?” Rainbow asked.

“That’s a complicated answer. You have to understand leylines, the magical constructs, pegasi inherent powers and a number of other factors and details you will learn later on.”

“But why? Why does it exist?”

“Again, that’s a complicated answer. Okay, let me put it this way. When you move around, think of everything as a curtain. When you move through a curtain, it’s easy. That faster you go, more curtains get in the way. If you go very fast, even more curtains get in the way. These curtains are a combination of things, primarily magic and air.”

That only confused the students.

“Look, the magic around lets us be here, on this cloud, with you sitting there. Without it, you’d fall through it like the other ponies. If affects each of us differently, and it exists because that’s how our world works. You’ll get it when you’re older.”

“Sounds like a nuisance,” Another student muttered.

“Well, if it were easy to go fast, then anypony could do it and we wouldn’t have the Wonderbolts. Only the fastest and strongest of fliers can push through the Wave Barrier.”

“But you said gravity could help?” another voice asked.

“Now before you go and try to tackle the Wave Barrier, think about this. Have you ever pushed yourself up against a wall?” A few nodded. “Well, this is like that. You’re going so fast that when you push against the wall, the wall and your speed push back against you. If you’re not ready, it could be very, very dangerous. You could hit it in a way that would hurt you. Your momentum from your flight would be going one way, the Wave Barrier will push back against you. The combination of the two could squeeze you, and if you’re not ready, could knock you out.”

“How dangerous?” a colt with large braces asked.

He leaned across his desk and looked him dead in the eyes. “Very. Many pegasi have been badly hurt trying this without proper preparation. A few have gotten injuries that prevented them from flying ever again. And, in a very small number of cases, the ponies did not survive.”

That brought gasps from many of the cadets.

“Without proper control, you might as well dive straight off of this cloud and into the ground below us. And even then, even with that speed, you probably wouldn’t be able to break the barrier.”

All the cadets were looking at each other or down at their hooves. Except one. She sat there, her eyes practically begging to be let out at that minute so she could try her own attempt at besting this barrier. And she would do it. One day. When her wings were strong enough to help produce the speeds she needed.

“Control is the most important aspect about any move you do. Mastery of movement will let you do amazing things,” his voice continued, but he smiled as he watched Rainbow sitting there stock-still. Her eyes narrowed with pure determination.

She might not be able to breach the Wave Barrier yet, but, if he was right, she would be pressing right up against it in the race today. She would feel it. She would get to know it. She would see it as another challenge, and one day she would break through it. And he would be there to witness it. He would help her grow and train her mind for it. He was shaping perhaps the next Commander Comet in his very own classroom.

Even from their distance, they could see the battle. The Cultists were being pushed away from the peninsula as a group of Elites were hidden in the cliff-face using their bolts to keep the invaders at bay. It was pointless. The Cultists far outnumbered the Elites, that was for sure, and already the ballistas and wallarmbrusts were being moved closer and in range.

“I thought we couldn’t fly!” Sonic shouted in anger as he watched the ensuing chaos. “Why are they not becoming wyrm food?”

“It could be from the tower’s collapse. Maybe it scared the wyrms,” Static replied and jumped out of the skimmer and patted the downed tower. “Pani did say only the younger ones were found here. Maybe they think that a bigger one of them is nearby and they are hiding? Or they just don’t like the dust storm.”

After ditching their pursuers, they had managed to get reach the end of the downed tower and had pushed their skimmer into the opening at the hollow base. Sonic was keeping an eye over the horizon in case the pursuers had spotted them, but not a single one was visible on the horizon. Logically, there wasn’t anywhere they could really hide. Any pony with half a brain would be able to puzzle out where they were, but this was the best place to conceal themselves and, more importantly, their skimmer.

Maybe they would believe they had escaped away into the deep desert. That would throw them off.

“What now?”

“I think we have to try and delay them for as long as possible from overcoming the defenders on that peninsula.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Sonic asked.

“I’ll head back towards their main camp,” Static replied as he started to take off his armor. “Most of the Cultists aren’t wearing any armor, so I think I might be able to pass myself off as one of them. I just need to get closer and try to sabotage them from within.”

“Okay, then what do we do?”

“No. Two of us would look too suspicious. I’ll go alone.”

“Are you crazy?”

“You want to give away any chance we have? Besides, don’t you have something else you want to do?”

Sonic didn’t know what to say to that. “But then what if you get in trouble?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage. You go and help them. You’re good at being annoying. Go and annoy the Cultists attacking the peninsula. We’ll meet back here in two hours, about noon. If you’re not able to reach, you go ahead and try to meet with the others inside the Caldera.”

Sonic looked at Static. “Okay. You sure…?”

“I’ll be fine.” The unicorn looked at the expression on Sonic’s face. He was happy not to go along with Static, but apprehensive, and the unicorn knew precisely why. “Look, I’m sure she’s okay. She’s a tough girl.”

“Yeah. I… I know.”

At the sound of the pegasus’ voice, Static shrugged. “Go. Find her. I think she could use your help. You’ve been distracted this entire time and this part requires a lot of subtlety. Go to her.”

“Okay,” Sonic replied but it was clear he hadn’t heard Static. He stuck out his lower jaw. “If I don’t make it home, please tell my folks that I died the same way I lived.”

The unicorn looked up at him expectantly. “And how’s that?”

“I don’t know. Make something up. It’d probably sound better your way.”

That made the unicorn chuckle dryly. “Don’t put me on the spot like that. You better get back here so I don’t have to. Alright? And take care of yourself out there. Watch the skies.”

“Same to you.” He held out his hoof. “For Equestria.”

“For Equestria,” Static replied and bumped the extended limb. “Be safe.”

And, with that, Static teleported towards the encampment with a small ‘pop’. Sonic turned and looked at the fighting and removed his helm and placed it into the skimmer. He then trotted down the underside of the tower and, keeping as close to it as possible to stay out of sight.

Where was he?

He promised.

He promised.

He promised.

He wouldn’t, couldn’t break the special promise.

He promised.

He promised.

He promised. I… I… I… I hate—

No. He said he was coming. Birthday still isn’t over. He promised. He said. He promised. He just wants to surprise me. He is going to surprise me. I just know it.

Right?

Sonic stood looking at her. Torment was pulling a sorry excuse for a bandage on the hoof.

The earth pony had noticed Sonic trotting from a long way off. He had seen everything from his hiding spot within the tower. He had investigated and discovered the hollow nature of the downed tower and was going to tell the others, but they had already left without him. He gave chase keeping hidden and ended up at the far end, near the tip, which was beyond the end of the peninsula. He had gone too far.

On the way back came across a crack in the side and poked his head out. He saw the Cultists. He saw Raze. He heard her screams. He watched and waited as the minutes went by, each previous agonizing wound inflicted made the mare scream again and again, but she refused to beg for mercy. At least she didn’t give them that satisfaction.

He saw them leave, pursuing the others and waited until they were well enough away before coming out of his hiding place. He was stunned to see that she had actually survived and paused only for a moment before deciding that, instead of leaving her, as would be the most sensible thing to do, he was going to help her.

Putting pressure on the wound, Raze looked up in agony and habitually reached for a weapon that wasn’t there. When she saw who it was, she relaxed slightly and nodded in thanks.

That was when Sonic came into view. The pegasus saw the two of them and grew careless and flew as fast as his wings could carry him, along the shade of the tower.

The horror and despair on Sonic’s face took Torment aback. It would take a blind pony not to see the chemistry the two had, but to form such feelings so quickly and with such circumstance was beyond him. Or was it? He heard a scream and turned his head. Nothing. A ghost from his past, most likely. Torment turned back to the task at hoof and tied another cloth strip across her forehoof, the blood had already coagulated, but the damage done was significant. She would be lucky to walk on that leg ever again.

The earth pony turned towards Sonic and gestured with his head. Come.

The Guard approached and knelt next to her.

“H-hey there,” he whispered.

She opened her left eye slightly and a smile cracked on her lips. She was too weak to talk.

Questions flittered across the face of the Guard. Torment could almost hear them through the expressions he wore on his face. Where were the others? Did they just leave her out there to die? How could they do that? She was not dead. Not yet.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Sonic said, fighting the tears in his eyes. “Everything will be alright. You just… you just need to rest. I’ll go get help. I’ll go and find a doctor… or Tessa and she’ll help!”

Raze closed her eyes and, almost imperceptibly, she shook her head, no.

She reached for his face and stroked it once before pushing him. The gesture meant only one thing. Go. Leave her.

Sonic shook his head. “Don’t be silly! You’re fine. It’s just a little wound. You’ll get over it. I know you will. You’ve had worse, right?”

That made the mare smile again. She coughed slightly. “Thank… you…” she whispered. “Leave… me…”

“To Tartarus with that!” Sonic growled. “I’m not leaving you here to die. That’s not what I do. I don’t care if everypony thinks that you’re not going to make it. I know better. I know better!”

A look of pity found its way onto Raze’s face.

“I’m not leaving you!” He looked at Torment. “If I get you to the peninsula, will you get her help.”

The silent Elite stared at the pegasus for a long moment. Then the Elite did something that surprised both himself and Raze. Torment nodded.

Torment was stunned by the way Sonic was refusing to accept the inevitable. But, in the same strange way, wasn’t that what he was doing as well? Why else would he tie bandages on her?

“I’ll get you and her up there. You promise me, promise me that you’ll get her help if I do,” Sonic pressed on, gripping the stallion by his shoulder. “Promise.”

Again, Torment nodded.

Sonic didn’t trust the Elite any further than he could throw him, but he had no choice. If they got closer to the fighting, then he had to protect them for as long as possible. He was counting on the confusion of the battle to distract the Cultists from himself. He had never lost a friend on a mission, and he wasn’t about to start with this one.

“Fine. Then let’s get closer. When we get near enough, I’ll fly her up first and leave her in a safe place, then come back for you. After that, you’ll get her to Tessa or whoever can help. You promise me this!” He harshly whispered the last part, seizing Torment by his shoulder in a vice grip.

Torment again nodded.

“If you don’t, so help me Celestia, I’ll find you, no matter where you go, and I will kill you,” Sonic whispered. The threat was not empty. He would do it. He would keep his word. Or at least die trying.

The Elite nodded again.

“Good, let’s go.”

Sonic lowered himself to the ground as Torment placed the wounded mare onto his back. Raze tried to protest, but she was too weak to give any more than her vocal concern for the pegasus and what she believed was a death sentence. The Cultists would see them coming. They would cut them all down.

But Sonic, in his stubbornness refused to listen and trotted after Torment who headed straight towards the battle in the distance.

Ghost ducked down and screamed both in fear and in anger, he instincts kicking in. Slasher was already on top of the two pegasi who had landed on the small path in an attempt to break the defensive line that the Elites had formed. He slit the throat of one before stabbing another with the broken point of a spear that he had pulled out of a fallen corpse of a fellow Elite.

To her right, Semper and three other Elites were firing bolts upwards at the Cultists who were raining down quarrels and bolts onto them. They were fighting a losing battle, and it was clear that they would be pushed further away from where they were. That would give the Cultists access to the top of the peninsula.

As Ghost stood up, the explosive shockwave from a quarrel knocked her forwards and she found herself landing face first in the bloodied corpse of Crusher whose eyes were wide open staring emptily into a void. The look was something that Ghost could never get used to. No matter how many times she saw it. The stare of a dead pony always shook her to the core.

“Behind you!” Slasher roared.

Ghost turned and saw the trident aimed for her neck. She held up her sword and caught it between the two left prongs, but her small size was no match in raw strength and the Cultist lifted her up and slammed her into a rock next to her knocking the wind from her lungs.

Her body reacted automatically and she threw a dagger out of reflex only to see the Cultist nonchalantly move his head out of the way, the dagger harmlessly bouncing off the rock behind him and landing blade-first into sandy mound at the base of another larger boulder.

Then Cultist twisted the trident and swung Ghost downwards. She let out a grunt as she was pushed against the ground. Her neck was nicked, the sharp spade-like points were sharp and the edges had cut her badly. The base of the trident was also filed as a blade. That would sever her throat, and she tried to keep it from reaching her neck. Her light body perhaps saved her life as there was little to no resistance in her being swung around like a ragdoll. The sword she used helping keep the danger away.

As the Cultists tried to push the trident downwards, Ghost angled her sword and kicked up. At once her head slipped out of the prongs and, using the Cultist’s momentum and weight, pushed the trident into the sandy ground behind her. She barely managed to hold it down with her hoof. The Cultist gave one jerk back and found it stuck, she instantly abandoned the long weapon and drew a large sword almost as tall as her.

This was an experienced warrior.

“Kid! Get away!” she heard Slasher shout.

Her left hoof felt numb. It was probably broken, but she knew she could not stop and check. If she took her eyes off the Cultist, she would be as good as dead.

The Cultist swung. Ghost, in desperation, put her sword in the way to block the blow. The power behind that stroke sent her airborne, slamming her yet into another boulder. She was already winded from the previous attack, now she felt as if her lungs had stopped working and gasped for breath, blackness forming in the peripheries of her vision.

Her mind going black, she watched as the Cultist took two steps towards her and she tried in vain to stand.

“Kid! Get out of there!”

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry for help. Panic set it. She was going to die.

She opened her mouth, fear engulfing every fiber in her body, a raw emotion that awoke something deep within her. Something primal. Something familiar.

“Porridge? Again?” the filly bemoaned.

“Eat your dinner, darling,” the mare said from the kitchen counter, the sounds of the dishes tinkling as they were washed.

“But it’s cold!”

“If you’d come when I called half an hour ago then it wouldn’t be,” the mare said without missing a beat.

“But mom,” the filly whined.

“No buts. Finish your dinner.”

The filly grumbled and put the spoon into her meal and took a bite. Despite its cold temperature, and despite its bland appearance, the sweetness always made her smile. Her mother always made it just the way she liked it. Sweetened perfectly with just the right amount of honey. She savored the bites secretly, making sure that her mother wouldn’t see just how much she was enjoying it.

The door flung open at that moment and in rushed a stallion, sweat beading off his forehead. “We have to leave. Now.”

Her mother turned. “Why? What happened?”

“Traitors. Somepony blabbed, we’re not safe here anymore. We have to leave. Now. They’re coming,” the stallion turned and paused. “No, no, no.”

The mother rushed over to the filly, “Darling, listen to mama. You have to come with me, okay?”

“Okay. What’s going on?” she asked, innocently enough.

“Nothing. Just come with me. We’re going on a little trip.”

It was not to be.

The door burst open in a flurry of sparks and fire as ten ponies in full armor pushed through. The stallion reached and grabbed a sword. The mother turned and pulled the daughter away, but as she headed for the rear she gasped as a unicorn walked in. Alone, spikes hovering around his body.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

Despite being alone, the unicorn felt far more threatening than the group that barged through the front. The filly turned to see her father pinned down on the floor, a sword inches from his neck. She wanted to scream, but could not find her voice.

“Keep quiet, dear,” her mother whispered.

“I must say, the Guard are certainly growing bolder. What with the Cults and all distracting you, I didn’t think that our little… enterprise was going to bring in ponies from the Royal Guard. I actually find it fascinating. Strange as well. And to have the audacity to bring a filly? You must have quite the confidence in your skills, do you not?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about? We’re just merchants! We’re here to…”

“Don’t give me that. I know what you are and I know what you’re here for. The Guard is full of holes and secrets leak out. Truth be told, we’ve known for some time but you were keeping out of our way, so we ignored you. That was until yesterday when you actually tried to interfere in our boss’ business. And for that, you have to be punished.”

The mare gulped.

“Again, are you confident in your skills? Because if you are, I’ll give you a chance. Fight me. Kill me. And you can go. That’s your only option. If you don’t, I’ll kill you and your family. If you lose, I’ll kill just you.”

The stallion was about to say something to protest, but the back of a spear slammed into his face knocking out a few teeth.

“Fine.”

“Mommy?”

“Just wait here, darling, mommy will be right back.” The mare used her magic, and out of a hidden alcove on the far corner of the kitchen, two blades zipped out of their hiding place and into her hooves. Not waiting an instant, she charged forwards, the first blade swinging wildly at the throat of the pony in front of her. The stallion blocked it with one of his spikes, but had to side-step the second swipe as the mare brought it down in a vertical slash. He slapped her hard in the snout causing her to step back.

“That it?”

Again, she threw herself at the stallion. Each attack was parried easily, but she was pushing him back. She was forcing the stallion to take one step back until he was against the far wall of the small kitchen.

Then he attacked.

She parried the first strike, but she barely saw and dodged the second attack. She never saw the third one as the spike pierced through her entire body and slammed into the fridge at the far end with a dull thud. It took a moment for her to process the sudden flare of pain that engulfed her torso.

The mare slumped down to the floor, propping herself up with her sword. The filly rushed over to her mother’s side.

“Mommy?” she asked.

The mare looked at her and pushed her aside and hoisted herself up. She stood on rocky hooves as the stallion closed the distance between them.

“I’m quite saddened. I had expected more. Still, a promise is a promise. I won’t kill your family.” He took out a syringe and grinned maliciously. “Although, there are things certainly worse than death.”

The filly watched in silence as her mother’s blood splattered across her face. She watched in horror as the stallion in front of her sliced her mother open and, using the other two spikes, impaled her with such brutality that her body stuck itself onto the wall. Next to the pictures. The pictures of her family smiling together.

The filly didn’t know what to do, but she had to do something. In desperation, she grabbed her spoon and charged the stallion. The stallion that had just killed her mother.

He slammed her head down into the floor, breaking it and her jaw in the process.

“Now, now. None of that. The fun’s just getting started. Bring him. Sit him on the table.”

The Watu did as they were told. He had tried to fight, to struggle, but he was still unsteady from the blow to his head and the shock at seeing his wife slain.

“Considering you know of this,” he said waving the syringe with the red liquid inside, “we can’t let you go. If it were something else, maybe. Perhaps. Likely not, but the fact that you know about this little concoction is troubling. You see, it’s a trade secret. A very big trade secret. But I am fair, am I not? I gave your family a chance.”

“She was pregnant!”

“Again? My, my, weren’t you just the busy one. Siring offspring with such a dangerous profession? Shame. You should’ve known better. You should’ve looked the other way. You should’ve ignored us. But you didn’t, and look where it’s gotten you. You’ve got none to blame but yourself.”

“You’re foalnapping ponies! You’re going to–”

“What? Pay? I don’t think so. See, I’ve been doing this for a long time and there’s a reason why no one knows what this is… What, you think you’re the first? You are certainly the one that has gotten the furthest, that’s for sure. To think that you could have gotten away with it too!” he laughed and made a gesture to one of the Watu. The Watu placed the forehoof on the table. A red hue formed along the shoulder of the armor and a spike floated out from a scabbard. “It really is quite amazing. You have gained my respect.”

The spike slammed through the hoof and into the table pinning it there.

A gasp and a muffled groan was all that was heard from the stallion, but the fire and hate in those eyes did not falter.

His other hoof was stretched across the table.

“I mean, if you had just managed to escape this little hovel, you could have gotten away. Not very likely, but it would have been interesting to say the least. A race to the border! Perhaps the Guards there would have come to you. Perhaps. Not likely though. They don’t protect anyone or anything. They just don’t care.”

The second spike slammed home. Another muffled grunt.

“But I grow bored of this,” the unicorn stated and hefted the filly by the mane.

“Please… she’s just a child…”

“True. But that doesn’t change anything,” the unicorn stated and inspected the syringe. “Witness for yourself exactly what this is capable of.”

The syringe plunged into the filly’s neck and in a moment, it was empty. The unicorn expertly slipped it back into his saddlebag and let her go.

“You. Stand up.”

The filly struggled at first, but in a few, she did as she was told.

“You. Take this nail.”

The filly, tears falling from her eyes, did as she was told.

“You. Take this hammer.”

Without a pause, she did as she was ordered.

“Stick out your tongue,” the unicorn ordered looking at the stallion at the table.

The stallion refused.

“You. Push that nail into your eye.”

The filly took the nail, turned it and started to place it in front of her eye. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear. She resisted, but she could not stop herself. She just couldn’t. She had to obey. She had to.

“Stop! Stop. Okay. Just stop,” the stallion said, whispering the last part to the filly.

“You. Stop.”

The filly stopped and stared at her father.

“Now, stick out your tongue. I’m not going to ask again.”

This time the stallion complied.

“You. Nail his tongue to the table.”

The filly walked over and looked into her father’s eyes. He nodded silently. “It’s okay, honey. Just do as he says.”

And she did.

The stallion made no noise, but shut his eyes from the pain.

“Now, you are going to use that hammer and you are going to slam it into his face. Each time you do, you’re going to call to him. Understand?”

“Y-yes,” she whimpered through the pain of her broken jaw. And she raised the hammer and swung it as weakly as she dared into his snout. “Papa.”

“You think he learnt his lesson from that? Again! Harder!”

She complied, swinging the hammer higher and faster. “Papa!”

“Harder!”

“Papa!”

“I said, HARDER!”

“PAPA!”

It was her voice. Her voice. She knew the words she understood, but the feeling behind them awoke something. A memory. Something she had once lost. A fragment of her past.

Slasher roared, and shoved the pegasi that was on him aside. He threw himself at the Cultist almost on top of Ghost and slammed himself into the body, a dagger flashing out of his hoof and repeatedly stabbing the pegasus in the chest and throat as they both went down in a medley of limbs and blood.

“Stay away from my daughter, you filthy Cultist scum!”

At once her entire world froze.

“W-what?”

Slasher kept stabbing the already dead pegasus over and over again.

“W-what did you say?”

Slasher did not stop.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Semper with a loaded crossbow. He aimed it at Slasher, and before she could do anything, a bolt sang out. It flew straight at the unicorn, but it missed him by inches as the bolt struck a Cultist in the eye. He spun halfway around and fell facing back the way he came. She turned to look at the Guard, but he was hoofing the unloaded crossbow to somepony behind him and took a loaded on in its place and aimed, fired.

It had all happened so fast, but another Cultist jerked back, her scream ceasing in a choking gulp as a bolt struck her in the throat.

“Ice!” Semper shouted.

At once a loaded bolt smoking with the hint of severe cold was given to him and he fired it at the cliff’s side. The spikes erupted automatically and pierced two more Cultists rushing up the path to meet them. A bolt sang over her head and exploded somewhere in the sky.

But Ghost’s focus was now on the stallion in front of her. She gulped and opened her mouth. “Papa.”

The tone of her voice made Slasher freeze in his rampage and turn towards her. She had removed her mask and was looking straight at him. When he looked into the filly’s eyes, something in him seemed to change. Those cold hard eyes softened and, as he removed his mask, despite the disfiguration and missing parts of his face, there was something familiar about him that warmed her heart.

He abandoned his weapon and rushed straight at the filly and knelt in front of her checking every inch of her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His voice broke as he touched her face. “Do you remember me?”

“I… a little…” she replied truthfully.

“I… I remembered… I don’t know how, but I remember,” Slasher said, his eyes wet with tears. “I remember it all. You were so young… that day. They made youdo it. To punish me. I remember it. You… you were a surprise. A happy mistake. We had a filly. An act. To pretend to be married. Fell in love. She got pregnant. You arrived. She… she died trying to save us.” The stallion looked away in shock as he heard the words from his own mouth. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry we were so weak.”

“Papa,” Ghost reached and hugged the stallion where he knelt. “You’re not weak. Please, let me just hold and remember you as my father while I still can.”

Slasher sobbed into the filly’s mane. “I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t protect your mother. I let this happen to you. I let all this happen to you. I’m so sorry… I’m sorry I was a useless father. I’m sorry I was a useless Guard. I’m sorry.”

Ghost couldn’t remember, but the feeling inside her she could not deny. All she wanted was this stallion to say it one more time. “Who… who am I?”

“You’re my daughter. You’re my little girl!”

She smiled at that, because of the way he said it. She knew it was true. “And my name? My real name?”

“I…” he looked down, then in almost a dazed whisper spoke, “I don’t know… I’m sorry, I just don’t know…”

Silence.

“Get her out of here,” Semper said in the lull. “This is not the place for those who aren’t ready to die.”

“But how is it that I remember?” Slasher asked. “I can’t remember anything else, just that night—”

“Impossible,” another Elite intoned. “You can remember?”

Another began to express doubt and disbelief.

“Slasher!” a unicorn mare by the name of Poison screamed in a high-pitched voice. “This isn’t the time! You’re compromising our positions. Get over yourself, or get out of here.”

“Right!” Slasher placed the filly in front of him and pushed away her mane from her eyes. “We’re getting you out of here. Right now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Mayhem, Malice,” Semper shouted. Two almost identical looking ponies stepped out and hooved their loaded crossbows to others. They both spread their navy-blue wings. “Fly them to the others.”

“Yes, sir!”

Slasher put Ghost on the back of Mayhem. “I’ll be right behind.”

Ghost watched and turned her head back to see Slasher waving to her with tears in his eyes. “W-wait! Papa! Papa! Wait! Papa!”

But Mayhem wasn’t listening and they flew over the edge and towards the safety of the caverns ahead.

“Why didn’t you go?” Poison asked when the filly had vanished from view.

“You’ll need all the hooves you can get,” Slasher said then turned to Semper. “If they break through here, then they’ll be fighting in those caves. I’m staying behind. She’ll be fine without me. She’ll forget again. Already that memory is starting to fade. It is better she forgets. Much better… what happened to her, it’s better.”

“And you?”

“It will fade,” Slasher replied. He left no room for argument.

Semper nodded, and grabbed another crossbow and walked away and peered over the edge into the desert’s expanse and the group of Cultists gathering in the middle.

“Was it a lie?” Poison asked. “Did you really remember her?”

The stallion looked at her and smiled. “Yes. I did. When I saw her in danger, my body reacted on its own.”

“Instinct,” Mayhem muttered. “A memory more than just recollection.”

“But you said you remembered the torture,” Poison said, pointing at his maw. “That is more than an emotional memory.”

“I… I don’t know…” Slasher gripped his forehead. “Perhaps severe trauma remains with us. Perhaps our origins. At some level, we must retain some memories, otherwise how would we speak or use weapons? Maybe it’s expressed through near-death experiences?”

Poison nodded slowly as she understood those implications. Then she shrugged and walked away to gather reusable bolts. “Wouldn’t that be nice. Our origins revealed to us at death’s door. One last moment to remember ourselves before we die.” She laughed mirthlessly.

“We need to regroup. The Cultists have backed off for now, but they are bringing some heavier weapons. I think their obsession with the night has warped their waking hours. They were sluggish in this skirmish. Maybe they’re sleepy and tired because they stay up all night,” Malice replied, his voice monotone and emotionless, but it was clear it was an attempt at humor.

“They will not wait. They know now that time isn’t on their side. Some of the pegasi have flown high enough to see over the wall. They’ll know that the camp has been abandoned. The next attack they will throw everything they’ve got.” Semper looked at them all. “The next battle will break our line. We have to delay for as long as possible. Many of us will die.”

They all understood, and not one of them flinched or cowed with the knowledge.

Semper then turned and lead the way, away from the bodies of Cultists and Elites, and further up the side of the cliff. They would prepare for their last stand.

Mission 7, Part 13: Into The Fray

“Here we are,” Arpeggio stated and pointed towards the room in question. “Lecture hall A113.”

He was still acting cold and aloof, but he just wanted to reach over and hug the bundle of nerves that was almost visibly shaking. She was overreacting and all Arpeggio wanted was for the little filly to relax; her state of mind would hamper her ability to perform her magic properly.

“I think you’re the first filly to attempt this test today,” Arpeggio stated, “that would mean I am one of your judges.”

The filly eyes opened to impossible sizes. “I-I’m so sorry! I should have memorized the floorplans of the palace! I should have taken the time to study the layout and made my way here myself! I’m sorry I didn’t think of it!”

“Memorize the floorplans?” Arpeggio asked nearly breaking character. He would have burst out in laughter if it were appropriate, “Miss Sparkle, you couldn’t have known which room you were going to be taking the exam in, this isn’t something that will count against you. Plus, as I stated, I am one of your judges and it’s important to be on time. You’re very early, so this counts in your favor. And anyway, this room was on my way. I would suggest that you focus on your own abilities first, before you ascribe to fantastic expectations. We are not here to measure your ability to memorize spells. That comes after you become a student. We only want to assess the strength of your inherent magical prowess, and that is not something one can study for.”

“W-what?” the little filly peeped.

“How do you expect to memorize for an exam you don’t know, nor can study for?” Arpeggio asked and sighed. “Focus on yourself and try to harness your power, that is all you can do at this point.”

He might as well have told the filly that he was going to send her off to be executed; the expression on her face signified as much. He rolled his eyes and looked over at the parents, who were equally as wide-eyed as their daughter. He raised an eyebrow at that and turned around and started to walk towards the teacher’s lounge.

“My advice to you is to relax, Miss Sparkle. I will see you shortly.”

As he left, he stole a glance at the apprehensive filly. Her parents did their best to help her, but it was clear they were just as worried as she was. He could not help but roll his eyes again as he walked out.

Tessa followed Onslaught and Samidra as close as she could. The eyes of the camels and other Elites were on her in particular, but she didn’t dare look away. It was like entering a hive of angry wasps, and that the slightest transgression towards their queen would be grounds for immediate death. She felt bolts trained on her, but she continued on regardless. She didn’t have a choice.

“Father!” Samidra called and flung herself into his embrace.

The old camel smiled and hugged her tightly as he stroked her mane, “It is good to see you, but it is also terrible, for now you are trapped here with us.”

Onslaught knelt before Providence. When she tried to tell him not to do that, he stood up and took a few deep breaths, “Map… here…”

At that, the mare took it and placed it down on the rock in front of her. She took the scribbled mess she had been using and compared the two. In minutes she had puzzled it out.

“There’s a gap here,” she pointed to a section of the cavern. “It’s very small, but it leads down.”

“And so, the prophecy has come to pass,” Pani said quietly, but loud enough for Providence to hear, “come, take us with you. Let us see what it is that has been hidden in the deep desert that was never meant to be seen. Let us see what it is that will change all. Let us see it with our own eyes.”

Providence looked at the camel. “You’re wrong.”

“You don’t sound convinced, and neither should you be. This is the way things were meant to be. Your death, or the change of the world. In any other situation, I would have gladly done the world the favor, but you’re here for a reason, of that I am convinced. You have our loyalty, Providence, my dear, show us a miracle.”

Sandy rushed over. “Ma’am, we’ve excavated a small passage. It opens to a stairwell that leads down. I’ve sent ahead some Elites to ensure it is safe for your passage, but it is likely the way. We missed it because it was very cleverly hidden by some stones, the other camels must have put them there while their leader spoke to you.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Pani said, almost giddy with excitement.

“Father, what is going on?” Samidra asked, not sure what all her kind were so nervous about. It was clear that they were not liking how things were panning out.

“I will explain on the way, but for now we must put as much distance between us at the entrance as possible. My camels will follow your leading Elites. Have your rear guard remain to protect the entrance to the stairwell. It will pointless to hide it, they will have another map,” Pani said and stretched. He looked around the cavern for the last time and resigned himself, once again, to fate, “Let us go.”

Static watched as the Cultists were loading ballistas and wallarbrusts onto skimmers and moving them out. He noted that they were pointing towards the top of the downed tower that lay just beyond the peninsula’s tip with the probable intent of circling around it and doubling back. It didn’t matter which way they went as the distance and time were about equal.

The Guard noted how ineffective and slow the Cultists were, but what astounded him was the number of them that there were there. And, in disgust, he also noticed a lot of Guards, particularly Night Guards who seemed to still be actual actively serving, in their ranks. Their armor was unmistakable. There were a few Royal Guards as well, but nowhere near the number of the others. It seemed that the Guards were set up to stay close to the weapons caches and depots. A part of him wished he could name them all, to bring them to justice once all this was over. He would probably not remember a single one, and that was a good thing for him in that moment.

He calmed himself and trotted towards the nearest skimmer.

“Oi, where’ve you been?”

“I needed to…” he slightly squatted.

The speaker made a face, but bought it, “Grab a crate of quarrels. Put them on this. Move!”

Static didn’t hesitate and rushed to the nearest depot. The Night Guard watched him keenly, but did not stop him. Static placed the crate on his back and, using his magic, levitated a second one, strategically noting the contents, and walked towards the skimmer.

“How are our forces on the other side of the tower?” the Night Guard asked.

“Not a clue,” Static replied truthfully.

The Night Guard looked over the tower, at where the battle had been, “the sand is dying down. We will lose our window.”

Instant warnings bells sounded in Static’s head. He at once understood. He knew that this Guard was trying to discern through hints as to who he really was. He almost respected that level of suspicion. Almost. He probably noticed a pony suddenly coming the direction of the tower and didn’t know quite how he got there. Static could have teleported into their camp, but he doubted that they wouldn’t have secured some protection for that. Wards and other magical traps to catch out teleportation spells.

Going by instinct, he did what felt was right and now was engaged in a battle of wits with a Night Guard traitor. The others around him might not have thought anything by this line of questioning, but a good Guard always followed their intuition.

“You think so?” Static asked trying to avoid any leads. Confirming that the sand was indeed diminishing would have put him on the other side of the tower, which would probably lead to more questions.

The Guard did not react. “You think the sandstorm has anything to do with the animals?”

“You mean the wyrms?” Static asked innocently.

“Yes. The wyrms.”

“No clue,” Static replied, being extra careful of what to say and how to say it, “I…should probably get back to—”

“The thing is… I don’t know you. I’ve not seen you before and I am very good with faces. Where were you on the ship?”

“In the food room,” Static said, feigning ignorance. How many Cultists would know it was called a mess hall?

“Oh?”

“Yeah.”

“And what did you have?”

Static felt his bowels stir and was about to reply when he was thankfully cut off.

“Hey!” a voice shouted from behind Static, “Get your flank over here! You, Guard, you want to lug around crates with the rest of them?”

The Guard narrowed his eyes at the speaker and in a slow, cold voice spoke, “You would be wise to watch your tongue.”

“Or what? You’ll kill me? Me? I’d like to see you try,” The speaker, a bright green earth pony spoke and walked right up to the Night Guard, who towered half a head taller than him. He pushed his snout against the Guards, who did not give back a single inch, “You may think you’re in the good with Her Majesty, but when she returns it’ll be me and my followers that will hold prestige in her new and everlasting empire. You understand? Not you and not your bunch of traitorous compatriots. Me. I’ve been fighting Guards like you since before you were suckling on your mother’s teats!”

The Guard narrowed his eyes. “You wish to put that your skills to the test?”

The earth pony growled and drew his weapon. A long, circled weapon that Static had never seen before. He slipped it over his hoof like a glove. “I’ve gutted many Guards in my time. You want to know how many?”

He turned to show his rump where his Cutie Mark showed. An emerald. Around it, in thin narrow lines giving the impression of a green sun, were scars.

“Each line represents a dead Guard. It’s a little uneven on one side. One more would balance it out nicely,” the earth pony taunted, “You feel like volunteering?”

“Evergreen,” a deep rumbling voice interrupted making Static and the Night Guard turn in surprise. A large stallion with overtly effeminate features loomed over them. “What, may I ask, is taking so long? Are we on schedule?”

Static felt the blood drain from his face. Standing in front of him, almost as tall as the Princess herself, was the most wanted and notorious general of all the Cults. Most groups were put under the generic banner of Cultist, but not those who served this stallion. His Children of the Night. Out of all the groups, small and large, the most feared was this one. Ruthless and cruel, their leader gave the fable of the fallen princess and her cruelty a truth. This was the single pony that he had wanted to avoid crossing at all costs, yet there he stood. This was Night Terror, and Static felt his bowels tighten at the sight of him.

“My Lord!” Evergreen threw himself to the ground, as did the Guard and, after a moment’s delay, so did Static. This was not lost on the Cultist leader. “We are almost ready for the assault. I was just thinking of educating this Guard-” the pony pointed at the Night Guard in question with his snout in a malicious sneer, “-as to his place in your glorious army!”

“My army? It is not my army, Evergreen. It is our Queen’s. I am merely her most humble and generous servant.” Night Terror turned and looked at Static. “That said, I am not familiar with you. Are you one of the… volunteers?”

A lesser pony would have jumped at that. Jumped at the straw. A pony like Sonic might have fallen for that trick, but Static knew and understood the subtleties.

“Volunteers, sir?” he asked, truthful in the knowledge that he did not know what the General was referring to.

The General did not give away any sign of surprise or astonishment. He merely looked at Static as if he had said nothing wrong at all. “Very good. I think I might have fallen for it if not for my cautious nature. Unfortunately for you, I am not where I am because I take chances. Seize him.”

At once the Night Guards moved and grabbed Static. Static didn’t react in the way a Guard would. He knew that if his ruse fell through, he’d be dead before could think. Teleporting was out of the question. He allowed himself to be pushed to the ground easily, letting himself be overpowered by the two traitorous Royal Guards.

“Take him away. I will deal with him later.” Night Terror turned and, using his magic, took all the crates and loaded them up almost perfectly on the skimmer without even looking. Static balked at that. Such skill, finesse and power. The length of the horn was not merely for show.

As Static was dragged away, he watched as the Cultists moved in one huge line towards the peninsula, and gulped. If that line made it towards past the tower, there wouldn’t be a Caldera left, much less a peninsula. He needed to stop them.

But how?

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, sir,” Argon replied staring at the ripple on the horizon. “Confound this sand. It’s bad enough that I can’t see where those blasted Elites are hiding up in them cliffs.”

“Send Vigil to check it out,” Spruce replied.

“Vigil!”

A young mare peeked out of the ballista’s aiming seat. “Yeah?”

“Go and check that out!” Argon pointed towards the distant shape.

“What? Why me?”

“Because I said so, twerp! Snap to it!”

The mare grumbled and hefted herself out of the seat, grabbed the nearest spear, took out her scarf and wrapped it around her head several times before she jumped down with a crunch into the sand. She walked hard and quickly into the distance. She paused at the edge of where the ballista was still relatively visible. She noted that the wheels on the left side were already half-buried. She grumbled, as she knew that she would be the one to dig them out when it came time to move. She turned and walked out into the storm.

Her shape was quickly blurred by the sands and even if any of the others had been paying attention they would have had a difficult time making out her silhouette through the chaos.. Unable to see her, the others quickly resumed what they were doing, going about their tasks.

“He—”

“You heard that?” Argon asked as he stopped clearing the sand from the firing pin hole.

Spruce shook his head and stared. “Nah, I didn’t hear anything.”

The two peered harder and noted a shape coming out of the storm before looking at each other. With unsaid words, they both lifted their crossbows and loaded them, just in case. Then she was there, her shape coming closer. Both relaxed and shook their heads.

“What was it?” Spruce asked when the mare was close enough to hear without him having to shout too hard.

No response.

“Aw, come on, Vig,” Argon said trying to pacify the mare, “I’ll make it up to you tonight. Promise.”

At those words, the mare looked up at him.

Only, it wasn’t a mare. And it wasn’t Vigil. In fact, Argon didn’t know what it was, if it was even a pony. A simple movement found his body moving impossibly. He looked around, but the rest of him did not seem to respond. His neck seemed stiff and unresponsive. He looked up and noted a handsome stallion standing over him. He wondered who that was. Until he looked at the neck, without a head.

He would have screamed if he had lungs to push air through his vocal chords.

As the sides of his vision faded to darkness, he could see Spruce jerking around in a strange dance with a spear, Vigil’s spear, pinned through his neck.

Argon found it amusing, and he felt relieved and at peace. The last thought that flittered through his brain was why there was a handsome body collapsing next to him on the ground without a head. It really was a nice body.

“Open fire!” the order came as a commander shouted the order with his voice amplified with magic somewhere down the line.

The ballistas launched their projectiles. With the storm and winds as fierce as they were, most of the bolts hit areas that were nowhere near where he had suspected the Elites to be hiding. He growled in frustration. He needed to get his pegasi up there and quickly. It didn’t help that most of the original attack team were now dead and in the digestive juices of the monstrous wyrms.

At the far end of the line Cordon called out with a bored tone, “Reload.”

He hated the Cultists. He hated them almost as much as he hated the Princess and her self-righteous band of blithering murderers she had the audacity to call The Guard. All of them were murderers. Equestria did not need dishonest and deceptive leaders like them on either side. She needed to be ruled by others, like the other pony nations of the west.

But the Cultists paid very well. Very well, and he had to make a living somehow. If these foals decided to believe in an ancient myth used to scare foals into being good, and were willing to pay good bits to help achieve their fanciful and immature dream, then who was he to tell them any better? He had half expected a number of these numbskulls to pack up and run home to their mothers when the fighting got fierce. He wasn’t a pegasi, but he was astounded with the brutality of their opponents. A few did flee into the desert, perhaps understanding that they were out of their league, but many of them were more dedicated and stuck.

It could have made a believer out of him, if only he cared for such things.

The vast majority of their group that joined their primary military might were nowhere near ready to take on the defenders. He had heard of the Watu, even fought one or two when he had a numerical advantage. But these ‘Elites’, they were something new to him. And he had heard through both scuttlebut and official reporting that the Watu Wakali had been disbanded, their ranks either disarmed and disbanded, integrated into the Guard, or in the case of the most sinister of the bunch, tried and put into dungeons. Still, how had these Elites end up all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? And for what?

Again, Cordon watched as the rabble he was overseeing tried to load the ballista. They had no order, even when he had tried to teach them. No discipline. Too much to expect from these idiots. He noticed the magic of the front-most unicorn blinking and he winced as the projectile slammed into the dust.

“What in the Maker’s name are you doing?” he shouted. “You’re lucky that the sand is soft or we’d all be dead!”

“You like giving orders!” the frustrated mare shouted back. “You come here and do it! Oh wait! You can’t! So sit there and shut up!”

A small smiled formed on his lips. “You’re right. I can’t. That’s the problem. If I could, I wouldn’t have a need for a bunch of blithering idiots like you under my command. Let’s try again. This time work together. The concept shouldn’t be foreign to you. One unicorn lifts the rear, the other the front. Keep it vertical. Load it from the base. That way the rest of us can do our jobs without worrying about getting blown up or having to wait for two idiots to do their very simple jobs.”

The mare grunted in annoyance, but she turned and focused her magic on the front as her male counterpart focused on the rear.

“Look, why don’t you two switch?” Cordon suggested. “Let Farty take the front.”

“That’s not my name!” the unicorn shouted in annoyance as he hefted the rear onto the rack and released his magic.

“I know. But Fortuitous is quite irritating to say, so Farty you are.”

“Yeah, Farty!” a dumb pegasus stallion repeated and coughed out something that sounded like a laugh.

With the projectile loaded, Cordon lowered himself to the aiming device and started to pull the lever to aim it slightly higher than they had previously fired. Already the other ballistas had shot their second projectiles and were busy loading their third. He aimed through the looking glass and put the crosshairs on a teetering boulder. A smile cracked on his lips. Firing blind was pointless, he might as well make it fun.

“Ready!” he called.

The dumb pegasus and an earth pony called Briar, began to rotate the cycle-like pedals that pulled the string back. It was slow tedious work, more expensive versions of the ballista had a magical generator to do it, but they were few and far between; magical equipment was expensive, logistically difficult and exhausted the unicorns even before the battle began..

“Aiming!” Cordon shouted when he heard the base slide into the lock and released the catch. The ballista’s strings groaned in anticipated as the hook was released. The only thing that stopped it from flying into the distance was the small red lever his hoof held.

“You know, firing today would be useful,” the mare intoned.

“Hold your stockings, sweetheart,” Cordon grumbled as he leaned back and placed a stronger lens into the aiming array. “One good shot is better than ten useless ones.”

“And what are you aiming for?”

“See that boulder that looks like one big shove will topple it over?”

All of them turned to see.

“That one.”

“Twenty bits says you’ll miss,” the big dumb pegasus offered.

“Double or nothing,” Cordon said automatically.

“Alright.”

“Easy money.” Cordon leaned back and pulled the lever.

The ballista jerked back as the projectile launched itself through the air, rotating and with deadly purpose. It flew high, then arced and just hit the boulder’s base. He heard the pegasus curse, but in the seconds that followed, the boulder shifted downwards, then flipped over itself, the base slamming into a hidden flat area which caused it to tumble forwards and flip over again and again before hidding a slightly lighter slope gradient before sliding the rest of the way down to the sand below billowing up a large wall of sand once again.

“Oh yeah!” Cordon shouted and offered his hoof up.

None of them reciprocated the high-hoof.

“Not bad,” Farty said and nodded. “Looks like you made a pathway up the side.”

“Yeah. I know, right? We could just walk…”

He cut himself off as he heard a shout. He turned and looked through the storm behind him. “You hear that?”

The others looked at him. “Hear what?”

Cordon leaped down and drew his blade. “Flank! Watch our flank! You two, crossbows. Now!”

Farty rushed and pulled a crossbow out and, just before he could load it, a stallion threw himself towards the dumb pegasus. He shouted something, but it was cut off with a clean stab through the eye with a long dagger. Cordon backed off and put the ballista between himself and the attacker. He reached for his own sword, but didn’t find it. He looked down, drew it, then looked back at the enemy.

Gone.

“Circle up! Circle up, now!” Cordon shouted.

Instantly his team stood flank to flank and stared outward using the ballista to protect the one side.

“See anything?” the mare screamed in pure fear.

“No. Stay alert. Don’t–” The words died in his throat as a bolt sang out and hit the ballista behind him. It stuck in and began to glow. “Get away–”

His shout was a split second too late as the quarrel ignited with a dull boom on the nearside causing it to topple forwards and sideways. Seconds later another figure rushed by, slower than the first, but it too disappeared into the sand. It looked like it was carrying something heavy.

“What the hay was that?” Farty asked as he stood next to Cordon visibly shaken.

“Pack up.” Cordon said without any emotion. He looked at the group. “Look, if we’re fighting against ponies like that, count me out. I’m too handsome to die out here.”

“For once I agree,” the mare muttered, “... so what do we do?”

“Let’s head back to camp, steal a skimmer, and high-tail it out of here. Live to fight another day, I say.”

“Are you crazy?” Farty replied. “Night Terror’s back there. He’ll kill us the instant he sees us.”

“I know, but that’s our only option. You wanna stay here and try your luck in getting that ballista operational without any clear line of vision at the ground level, then be my guest.”

The others shifted nervously.

“Then let’s get going. Our ballista is destroyed. There’s nothing we can do. We can say we came back because we had nowhere else to go. If anything, we’ll be sent back to the front where we can… disappear.”

“I like that plan,” the mare replied. “I like it a lot. Let’s do that.”

The others agreed.

Cordon looked at the dead pegasus and felt sorry for him, but such is the way of life. One moment you’re gambling with bits, the next your life. Whether or not you win, that was something up to chance. The only way to ensure you won was to change the odds.

He still took the bag of bits though, it wasn't as if the pegasus would be needing them.

Providence stood and looked at where she was. She was astounded. The corridor was perfectly straight, and lit with a light that wasn’t there. It was as if the rocks themselves were giving off some strange glow. She inspected the walls and tiled her head.

“Can you read these inscriptions?” she asked.

“No,” Pani replied and looked again. “I don’t think they are meant to be read. They look like spell cast lines.”

“And I wish I knew more about magic. Ask the Elites. Maybe one of them can enlighten us?” Providence asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Pani nodded, and informed Sandy, who then rushed off to do as he was asked.

The hallway was wide enough for twenty ponies to walk abreast of each other, and high enough that the pegasi could hover comfortably in the air. But the strangest thing was just how straight it was. If it were not for the darkness, you could probably see right to the end, if there was one.

“What is this?” Providence asked as she walked to the middle and tapped the strange stone. “It looks like crystal.”

“I think it is crystal,” Pani said and took his staff and placed it on top of the anomaly. At once the crystal embedded in his staff exploded into little pieces with a loud bang that made all of them jump in surprise. The Elites were already at the ready, drawing the crossbows and shields, the unicorns charging their magic. “By the Fathers. That is powerful magic.”

Providence had thrown herself to the ground out of reflex and stood up, rubbing her eyes to get her eyes to adjust to the sudden light-blindness. “What now?”

“I think that is evident; we continue down the hall.” Pani pointed towards the darkness. “On and on we go, deeper into the desert and further from our wells. Fighting thirst and darkness and the terror they bring. On and on we go.”

“What?” one of the Elites asked.

“An old story of my tribe that was told to me by my father’s father when I was but a calf,” Pani shrugged, “I am not sure why I thought of it just now.”

The Elite simply nodded.

Pani glanced to the ground quickly, “Providence, we must move on and quickly. If none of your Elites recognize the symbols we shall have to proceed.”

“Okay.”

“Ma’am,” Sandy spoke up as a unicorn tailed him. “This is Breaker. He has some familiarity with these symbols.”

Breaker bowed awkwardly. “Thank you for speaking with me. It is an honor.”

Providence smiled and nodded. That was something they all did when they spoke to her for the first time… or first few times.

“My memory is… fuzzy, but I do know what these are. They are leylines, or symbols, used for spellcasting particularly stronger spells. They help manipulate the various elemental magics.”

“Leylines?”

“Yes, ma’am. I cannot describe it, but I will attempt to do so. Magic is like a series of strings or patterns. To manipulate it, you need to understand how to use the patterns to form spells. Depending on your strength, the pattern used, its manipulation, and other things, you can cast a certain type of spell. These are part of a very complex spell. There is no way of knowing what it does unless you analyze the entire pattern, and seeing its size just for this portion alone,” he gestured at a wall, “it would take decades, maybe even a century, just for this part. The pattern goes all around us, including the ceiling and floor. I have confirmed it. I do know one thing, however.”

“And that is?”

“This spell has all the various elements of magic combined together.”

“What did you say?” Providence asked, turning on Beaker.

“The spell has all the various elements of magic combined together,” the Elite repeated.

Taking out the tome, she flipped the pages and turned to see the Elements of Harmony. As she did she muttered excitedly under her breath, “A powerful spell. Elements of magic. Could it really be the Elements of Harmony?”

Pani tilted his head. “You discovered something?”

Providence sighed and shook her head, “No. Only more questions.”

“Ma’am, there is one other thing.”

“Yes, Sandy?”

“Permission to set up a defensive point here. The bottleneck at the entrance is a very strong defensive position. I would like to put a number of Elites here to stop the Cultists from entering. It will buy us some time at least.”

“I don’t think that’s–”

“Forgive me, ma’am, but I don’t think you have an option. Even if we delay them for a few minutes, it will be useful to you. There are seven Elites who are on the brink. Their presence would be a hazard for you and the others.”

At those words, Providence remembered the past Elites that had lost their minds. How they struggled with the pain and the madness slowly descending on them. They had to be put down by others, and each time she had witnessed it, a number of other Elites would get hurt in the process. She had resigned herself to letting them do what they thought was best, especially when they knew it was their time.

“Okay. Let me talk to them. I want to thank them…”

“Of course, ma’am. Here they are.”

Providence choked by her emotion and watched as seven Elites approached and bowed. “No, no. Please, don’t bow to me.”

The seven looked at one another and stood up.

“Thank you for doing this.”

“Our names are in your book, miss,” the voice of a young mare replied through her mask. “It has been a pleasure fighting alongside you. Thank you for leading us. Thank you for showing us that we are worth something. I only hope that you finally find what it is you’re looking for.”

The others nodded in agreement. Providence couldn’t help herself and she rushed and hugged them as a group. The seven were shocked, but awkwardly returned the gesture.

“F-farewell,” Providence gulped, trying not to cry.

The mare patted her back. “We’ve come to terms with the inevitable. Thank you for letting us come with you. Perhaps if you meet your daughter one day, you will tell her of us?”

“I will,” Providence nodded and closed her eyes. She steeled herself. More of them were going to die, but that didn’t make the prospect of it all any easier.

“We must go, ma’am,” Sandy said and pulled her along. “The Cultists might be coming for us any moment. We haven’t time to waste.”

She allowed herself to be led away and, as the group trotted forwards, carefully avoiding stepping on the strange middle line of crystal. She stole a glance back at the seven that remained behind and tried to etch them into her mind. She knew it was futile, but she tried anyway.

They soon melted back into the blackness of the abyss.

Mission 7, Part 14: Battle of Good Wind Sands

The Night Guards roughly shackled Static to the middle of three stakes being used to hold up one of the larger tents, albeit one with more holes than in the canopy than fabric, before they placed an almost too familiar ring at the end of his horn. At once he felt the magic in him slip away, and he felt forward. It was an act; he had been trained to cope when magic was cut off, but he had to keep up even the slightest details of his deception. He moaned and clumsily reached up to his horn, but the chains were too short.

“We will come back for you later,” The Night Guard stated.

“What did I do wrong?” Static asked, making his voice seem strained and pained, “I didn’t do anything!”

“That’s not for us to decide. His Eminence has commanded for you to be clasped in chains and be held here, so you shall be clasped in chains and you shall remain here,” with that they turned toward the tent’s entrance, they stopped just before it. Laying on the ground there was a sleeping mare who was in a similar fashion to Static, chained to the stake holding one of the ends of the tent up. The Guard who had spoken to Static kicked her in the face, while the other slowly circled around her.

She grunted and looked up, recognition flashing in her eyes.

“You have company, traitor.”

“You’re the traitor here,” the mare growled. “Stargazer,” she spat out, “the Princess will have your head for this.”

“The False Princess will follow shortly. And in her place the true Queen shall rise and bring about a new golden age of glory for ponykind.”

“Please don’t do this,” the mare pleaded. “You’re my friend!”

“You should have stayed back home like we told you to, Sonata,” the other Guard replied from behind her, “it is only yourself that you have to blame.”

She whirled around, the chains rattling, and made eye contact with him. “Comet,” a tear fell from her eye as she muttered out, in a cracking voice, perhaps louder than she meant to, as Static could hear her, “I loved you.”

“And you chose wrong,” came the baritone response, “for that, you will die. I feel no sympathy for you, foolish mare. Farewell.”

The two Guards left the tent, leaving the mare and Static to themselves.

She noticed Static staring at her and she looked away in defeat. “What, you slack off and they chained you here?”

“Something like that,” Static replied, still keeping a modicum of suspicion towards the mare. “You?”

“Me?” she asked as if the question was stupidest one she had ever heard. “What were you doing on the ship?”

“I was in the kitchen most of the time,” Static replied trying not to gain suspicion.

The mare sighed. “So then why are you asking me that? You should know since you were there.”

“I might have been busy,” Static replied cryptically. “Humor me.”

The mare laughed coldly. “Name’s Sonata Song, and I’m an ex-Night Guard and traitor to Celestia.”

“You should be executed for supporting that… that… monster!” Static said automatically, still keeping in character. He felt awful calling the Princess a monster, but he knew that she’d forgive him – if she found out about it… and if he got out alive. Always good to keep that in mind too.

“You really think that? After what was done to me? Or do you really not know?” Sonata stared at Static with shock. She sighed and rolled her eyes, “I thought they were going after the Cultists to take down Night Terror and bring him in. I thought they were going to do the right thing. I thought they were good and loyal Guards that served Her Highness. I thought they were ponies I could trust. I wanted to be by their side in case they needed my help. I thought… I thought they were my friends.”

“You thought wrong,” Static replied.

“Y’think?” she coughed out a sarcastic laugh and leaned back against the post she was chained to and sighed. She winced and turned her body to get comfortable, revealing badly damaged wings. All doubt escaped Static the instant he saw them. In a few places the bones were poking out, and the feathers had been ripped off. He could not imagine the agony she would have to be in, even if they did it while she was anaesthetised, which he highly doubted she was. No, this was something that they would do by holding her down and ripping them off as a public show to those who had even the slightest thought about betraying the Children of the Night.

“Did you learn your lesson?” Static asked as he looked at the mare.

“Get these chains off me and I’ll show you how much,” she said and walked towards him straining against her chains. “If I get free, I’m going to find those two, and I’m going to slice off the things that make them stallions and feed it to the nearest wyrm!”

Static smirked at that, “I see. Can I hold you to that?”

The mare turned away and walked back to her space in the shade, “Sure. Why not?” She paused, “Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Just wondering.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, but shrugged and went back to rest on the sand near the shadiest part of the ground she could reach.

“Incoming!”

The bolts from the cultist’s dozens of ballista struck the peninsula with tremendous roars, but the Elites had hidden themselves well. Even so, every one of the Watu knew that the next volley would be fired soon enough, and with it another chance of losing valuable warriors and even worse; their position being compromised.

Still, the odds of that happening were miniscule.

At least that was what they thought until the boulder behind and above them was hit.

“Move!” came a shout and the others scrambled out of the way.

The boulder tumbled down and smashed into the leveled area where they had just been, decimating their hiding area and taking half their bolts and quarrels with it. Without that cover, they were now split into tiny teams that were isolated from each other. There was no way for them to remain where they were and be effective. They would succumb to the large bolts for certain.

At once, without word, the entire Elite line moved forwards, down into the sandstorm.

If it was to be a fight, then it would be a fight where they had the advantage. Up close and personal.

Twenty-seven Elites against an unknown number of Cultists.

Slasher followed closely behind the Guard. “We go to our deaths.”

“Stay low, keep your shield up, and you might not,” Semper grunted through his canter.

“Aye-aye, sir.”

But none of them really believed it.

“They’re coming!” Lapel screamed. “I saw them! Thousands of them! They! Are! Coming!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! When that boulder fell, I saw them! They’re coming!”

“You will remain in-line!” a voice commanded. “Do not break!”

“No, no, no, no, no!” Lapel screamed. “They’ll kill us all! They’re coming! Oh, my Night Queen, they’re coming!”

“Get that lunatic under control,” one of the Night Guards ordered.

Lapel turned, but was met with two other ponies. They saw the terror in her eyes and shifted in their places. They were not soldiers. This wasn’t supposed to be a battle. None of the others had said anything about having to fight like this. They said that they were on their way to welcome the Queen, it was to be a joyous occasion. How had they been caught up in this?

“Get out of my way!” Lapel screamed and shoved, trying to break through the second line.

“Stand your ground!” an order went out and a mare trotted towards the panicked pony. “Stand your ground and await further orders!”

Lapel was beyond listening to orders or reason. She again tried to push out, tried to get back to safety. Safety, by getting back to Night Terror, he would protect her. She knew he would. He had to. She was one of his favorites. She had given her body to him many times. He would not let one of his favorites die. She knew that. She knew. And these idiots were blocking her. She had only gone to the lines to help out, not to fight. She didn’t know how to fight. She never wanted to die. Just wanted to help. Not to die. Just to help. Not to die.

She pushed again, and this time she got through. She fell to her face, when she finally got her face out of the sand she looked up. She was lying next to the second line, who had sidestepped to give her room. She looked at the ponies who stood over her and tried to stand, but she tripped on her hooves and went down again. She wasn’t used to wearing armor. It was getting in her way. She wanted to throw it off, but she needed to get out of there first. She needed to get to safety. She needed to-

The stallion next to her pinned her to the ground, keeping her from getting back to safety. They wanted her to die with them. They wanted her to die.

“No! Let me go! Let me go!” she wailed, and tried to shove the stallion on her off. He didn’t budge. “Please! I don’t want to die! Please I don’t… want… to…”

She led out an ear-piercing scream as the blood flowed out of the stallion’s mouth and onto her. She tried to push again, harder, but couldn’t.

“From behind!” a voice shouted.

“Where?”

“Our flank!”

“Watch out!”

Another scream. Another shout. A death knell from the far end of the line. Orders were given, each one contradicting the other. Somewhere the order to charge was given. Elsewhere, to reform the line to enforce the flank. But there was no discipline. Ponies began breaking off and following others, while some just dropped their weapons and fled into the sands.

Chaos. Absolute chaos.

Lapel lay there, in her panic the only reasonable thought that flittered through her mind was to lay still and pretend she too had been killed. At least then she might be missed. She turned her head to one side and watched as shadows in the sands began to descend on the confused Children. She watched as her so-called friends were hacked apart by those shapes that seemed to melt out of the storm around them.

“Please, dear Mother, don’t let them find me,” she whimpered and lay down as still as she could.

A hoof landed next to her, and she looked up to see the masked visage of a stallion. He could not see his eyes, but she could feel them piercing her body. She could feel those eyes penetrate into her very soul. She wanted to scream, but fear muted her.

The stallion gestured with his head, and a large group whisked by without a sound. They were like specters. If it weren’t for the hoofprints they left behind she would have doubted they were there at all. They moved with lethal purpose and deadly grace, and she knew them. She knew them because they were the enemy that she was supposed to face. Supposed to fight.

“What do we do with her?” a voice asked. A stallion’s voice, muffled slightly by the mask he wore.

“Leave her,” a mare stated. “Her reward.”

“The desert will claim her.”

“A fitting punishment.”

“So be it.”

She lay down, as still as she could. She knew it was pointless because they knew she was still alive, but when she heard nothing she dared a quick glance around. Nothing. Nothing but the sands and the dead. At once she felt relief. She wiggled and cursed as she fought her way out from under the stallion’s body. She stood up, stumbling only once.

Then she looked around.

Only to find a cold knot forming in her gut replacing both the relief she felt and her panic. She was alone. Completely, utterly, hopelessly alone.

“Sit down. Shut up. Listen closely. I am not going to repeat myself!” Far Eye shouted. He paced in front of the sorry excuses of recruits. “A line is only as strong as its weakest point. A weak line is useless. You’re better off digging your own grave because that’s what you’ll be in when you’re in a weak line. Now, which of you maggots can tell me what is the worst thing that can happen in a line?”

“The line will break from enemy attack?” a voice asked from the back.

“No! And speak out of turn again, private, and you’ll be running laps with Semper ‘till your hooves are nothing more than bone stubs, you got me?” Far Eye replied without missing a beat. “Anypony else who is not a complete idiot?”

This time there was a show of hooves.

“Yes, private?” Far Eye pointed at a mare who had raised her hoof near the front.

“Panic, sir?”

“Panic. I see somepony actually read the material. That’s right. All of you, give it up for the mare.” There was a light applause. “Knock it off. As pointed out, panic in a line is by far the most dangerous thing. Do any of you sorry excuses for ponies know why?”

This time silence was all that greeted him.

“Anypony at all?”

There was absolute silence.

“Because panic is contagious. When one pony has it, others are likely to follow suit. Even if the ponies stand firm in the line, the panicked pony is a liability. The best thing to do when you have a pony in the line panicking is to let them go and move in to fill the gap. And if you’re the ones lucky enough to see a panicked pony in the enemy’s line, don’t attack the panicker. Get the ones around them. That is far more effective. Let the pony in question continue to disrupt the line for as long as you can. Then, when your forces have gained some sound hoofing, hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em fast. Remember, the strongest line is one that works together. If you can’t do that, you’re better off not forming a line at all and just charging straight into the enemy. Your chances of survival will be low, I’ll admit it here; charging a line without forming a proper one of your own is like throwing yourselves into a spiked wall. But! Your chances of survival will be a lot higher doing that then charging as a single line with a panicked foal in your ranks. Don’t let it come to that! If there’s a panicked pony in your line, let them go. If that’s not possible… better one than the whole line.” For emphasis, Far Eye threw down his dagger into the ground next to his hoof. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” the recruits said uncomfortably.

“I can’t hear you!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

“Don’t get me wrong. Killing one of our own is never a good thing. But remember this, and remember it well until the day you die. Better one than all. Got that?”

There was a muffled response.

“I can’t hear you!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

“Very good.”

The first lines in the frontal assault found themselves at the base of the Caldera’s peninsula without having hit the enemy. There was an overwhelming sense of relief and joy from the majority, but the more experienced fighters instantly turned around and put the shields up along their rear. They had bypassed the attackers. That meant one of two things; they had pushed through a section of the line and it had reformed ignoring the enemy and their presence, which meant that they had their rear flank to protect, or the enemy had killed them all, which also meant that they needed to protect their rear flank.

“What do we do?” Allegro asked. The earth pony was holding his shield close to his chest and peeking over the top at the rear. The sand was clearing, but they still couldn’t see very far.

“We form a line here, and the others press onwards and upwards. We need to get in before they find the Stone!” Enamel shouted back. “I am responsible for this line’s advance and if they’re giving us this position, I’m not going to waste it. Form up!”

“Form up!” a voice shouted in response.

“Form up!” another echoed from down the line.

“But, sir! They’re behind us.”

“I know that. But that’s why our line here will protect us, right?”

“But we’ll be fighting on two fronts, sir,” Allegro pointed out.

“Unavoidable. Protect our rear and protect it well. We’ll be counting on you.” He turned and looked across the advancing force. “As a line! Forward, march!”

“Forward!”

“Forward!”

Only two shouts as opposed to four. Half of their forces were missing, staying behind to protect their rear from whatever was out there.

“Allegro, you will hold here, understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

With that, Enamel and more than half of their force started to climb, trying to keep as straight a line as they could.

Allegro watched as the the advance moved up. He could not help but watch. He turned to the storm with trepidation. They could hardly see anything beyond a hundred or so yards, well within striking range of crossbows.

“Crossbows, load!” Allegro shouted. “And keep those shields ready!”

At once there was a string of noises as the line began to obey the order. He waited. Allegro wasn’t a battle-hardened veteran, but he knew that the loading was taking achingly slow. It was allowing their enemy time to ready themselves. Half of him wanted to order his line to charge into the storm, but he had been ordered to stay.

“Noise discipline!” he called.

“Shut up!” another commander vociferated.

“Quiet!”

An eerie quiet, save for the sound of the wind, formed around them.

“Did you hear that?” a voice asked.

“Yeah…” came a fearful response.

“Shut. Up!” Allegro bit back through gritted teeth. “Stay yourselves!”

This time they all heard it. A loud roar. A roar of many ponies. A vocal challenge.

“Get ready!” Allegro demanded.

A sound came from somewhere in front of them. Then the dull noise of something hitting the sands in front of the line. It took all but a moment for Allegro to see. He raised his shields up and braced himself and hoped that the others had the sense to do the same.

A line of explosive quarrels detonated along the line. A few screams echoed, only to be lost in the storm. Allegro looked to his right, about ten ponies down the line one of the recent recruits was moaning as he held his leg. He looked away and swallowed his urge to hurl, the lower half of the pony’s leg was missing, bits of it were strewn around. Worse, was that lying on the ground next to the wounded pony, eyes still and lifeless was one of the Guards. Allegro didn’t recognize the pegasus, but the painted armor spoke his former loyalties, now it, and the Guard’s chest, were torn asunder.

“Fire! Let them have it!” came a shout.

“Wait!” Allegro retorted and turned to look to his line, but it was too late. They fired blindly into the storm, and automatically began to reload. Those few that were quick had already started to fire a second shot through the air. “Stop!”

At once the storm seemed to darken behind him. A cold shudder ran up his spine.

“Shields up!” he screamed.

The barrage hit the line hard. Really hard. Quarrels and bolts sang through the air in a wave of death. Allegro held his shield over his head for as long as he dared.

“Return fire!” a shout called.

“Belay that order!” Allegro coughed, but his voice was muted by the sounds of a bolt landing just in front of him. He raised shield again just as the bolt detonated in a powerful blast of ice that spread out like some crystalline flower.

A roar, a much more savage one, sounded.

They were charging.

“Charge! Attack!”

“No! Hold the line!” came another shout.

“Hold!” echoed another.

“Attack!” another insisted.

“Charge!”

The line was in chaos. Half the ponies had already begun to push into the storm, others milled around in confusion, but the attackers seemed to pull those nearest to them along.

“Stop!” Allegro ordered, but his words died in his throat. He had no choice. They were committed. If the line split, they would stand no chance. No chance at all. He gritted his teeth and followed the rest of his line into the storm.

His vision was blurred. The quarrels had kicked up the sand again giving it renewed life, but he kept his eye on the pony in front of him. He held his shield in front and narrowed his eyes. Something rushed by his face. The bolt had missed him by inches and, hearing the grunt and heavy thud behind him, he knew it must have claimed another. He continued on and then saw it. A line. A perfect and almost unbroken line.

Something moved past him, but he did not pay it any attention. A pony, perhaps from his line, seeing the enemy, turned and fled at the sight. He closed his eyes and said a prayer to his Queen. He would undoubtedly praise her for the rest of his life if he lived through this. He really would.

He braced himself for impact.

As he slammed into the pony in front with his shield, he drew back his spear and plunged forwards, pushing hard. He was not fully committed to battle, but now he had to be. His line. His command. Everything he had strived for and believed in were now put to the ultimate test. And he fought hard and true, pushing hard and trying to break through into the enemy as best he could. He saw a defender to his left raise a shield and push a spear forward. He could not stop it.

Then a pony behind him, covering his rear, blocked the spear and cut his way into the line. The sand danced around them making it impossible to see, but he tried to memorize something about the pony to thank him or her later. Then he felt something to his right and saw another pony push hard and his instinct kicked in. Both pushed and turned, prying the defensive barrier apart and allowing the others that followed through the hole to flank them.

They had done it. They had broken through.

He turned aside through the barely open line and pushed hard to split it to allow more of his forces through. As he stood behind the line, he was about to start culling the defenders from behind when he spotted a pony drawing a crossbow and aiming at him. Allegro threw a dagger blindly making the defender flinch, but they fired nonetheless. He raised his shield in defiance, it deflected the bolt to the side.

He was grateful it wasn’t a quarrel.

Just then a bolt sang over his shoulder hitting the pony, making them drop almost instantly. He turned to thank the pony and his whole world froze.

In the time it took for him to process what he saw, he finally understood it all. Understood what had happened and, as the blade extracted itself from his chest, knew that they had been had.

The Guard stood over him for the briefest of moments, gazing down as his life ebbed away through his wound. And, as the pony charged into the chaos and into the storm, he just wanted to laugh at the futility of it all.

They were played. Utterly and completely.

Enamel heard the roar and the commotion and turned. From his vantage, he could see his line under the command of a new, but competent pony. Allegro was cautious, too cautious for his liking, but he understood how to fight. He had survived a few skirmishes with Guards in the past, though never in an outright battle like this one. Still, Enamel had to hurry and take advantage of the mistake the Watu made, putting a huge gap between himself and the line of their rearguard.

When he saw what he did, he immediately regretted it.

His voice was too weak to be heard over the wind and it was fruitless to risk a runner to return down the slope. It would already be far too late.

From where he stood he saw the whole thing unfold with a textbook execution.

Their lines were split. There was nothing they could do about that with such low visibility, but what they had not factored in was that had been intentional. The enemy had forced the line to break by attacking and corralling the heavier side somehow. With the numbers he saw, it was most likely through using hit-and-fade tactics by manipulating quarrels and bolts to help keep the lines apart. The enemy had essentially slowed the vast majority of their forces down to a near crawl and, if it was him giving the orders, slew any of the commanders or officers that stood between the now split lines until there was no clear, complete or at all competent chain of command. Orders could never reach from their main command to the units further down the line.

That was where everything started.

He led his line, his drive and want leading his group right to the base of the peninsula left them almost completely alone. That was when he should have sensed that something was wrong. Should have, but did not. He should have listened to Allegro when he pointed out that fact alone. Should have, but did not. He should have ordered the lines to reform, but the danger of an attack from the top of the peninsula was too great to ignore. He should have known better, but did not.

As he stood there, he watched as a small band, for that was all that it was, fire a salvo of bolts in front of the line had had left to protect his rear. The quarrels exploded, causing panic and confusion in the ranks. That was when the band turned and fired a salvo of the same into the larger main line slowly, and cautiously, marching through the sand storm towards the base of the Caldera. The rest of their forces. A far larger and more organized force with a lot more veterans.

Towards Allegro, they had meant to confuse and harass, but they had fired into the main line without remorse. Through the break in the winds, he saw many fall victim to the attack. Cowardly, but effective. In retaliation, the main line formed up and fired back, but not at the line of rabble in the middle, but over them and into their allies. They had guessed that the Watu had formed a defensive line there. After all, who in their right minds would suspect a small band to hide in the middle of two lines?

But they guessed wrong, and his own forces paid the ultimate price for it. The wave of bolts were like a blanket of death as they hit Allegro’s forces.

The group in the middle then kept firing towards both sides remorselessly, each explosive quarrel kicking up sand and helping keep visibility low.

Then the order to attack was heard.

They had not seen him.

It wasn’t that they didn’t notice him slipping into the line, it was because he had been hiding behind them the entire time. Instead of attacking the ponies around him, he began to assert himself into their ranks as a commander.

That was fatal flaw with working with a mixed force like they did. They had no idea who he was or where he came from. But he carried such an aura of authority and expectation that it was clear this was a pony they could rely on. A pony who deserved to be in charge. A pony to be obeyed. And if this pony charged the enemy, then the others were obligated to follow.

And that was what had happened.

He could have hidden in plain sight, none of them would have recognized him. Enamel vowed to remember this and take that lesson to heart. If he survived.

Enamel had fell to his knees as Allegro committed himself and attacked. He understood there had been no choice. It was the right thing to do. Splitting the small and broken line any further was far more dangerous and fatal. And using that, utilizing that confusion and chaos, the Elites charged with the rest of Allegro’s forces. They even had to the audacity to cover the commanders so that their orders could still be heard and obeyed as they charged forth.

Once they had broken through, the Elites continued on past the now fractured line. Then they left the two lines to continue battling it out. And battle it out they did; each line thought that the other was the enemy, they did not realize they were slaying their own. Each line thought that they had inadvertently found themselves facing against a sizeable main force. Once the battle was underway, the Elites no longer needed to remain and so they slipped away to let the Children fight among each other.

He watched as the Watu disappeared further into the storm and out of sight as they made their way onwards bypassing the line.

Towards the ballistas.

The ballistas that were facing where he stood.

“By the Queen’s word,” Enamel whispered. “Get going! Up!”

“But what about them?” his vice-commander asked.

“Too late. They’re all dead. Our primary line will cut them apart. They’re done for. We need to get off this cliff-side and we need to do it now! Don’t stand there gawking. Move! Go! Get going! Now! Go, go, go!”

Author's Note

Those who are historically in the know, yes the title of this chapter is named after the Battle of Dover or Battle of Goodwin Sands that took place in the year 1652. It wasn't an especially pivotal battle, but it did lead to the First Anglo-Dutch War.

The Pies

“Sleep well?”

“Hm? Yeah, I suppose. Hey, you know why AJ seems so upset?” Rainbow asked as she pulled out the chair and sat on it heavily, struggling to keep her eyes open. “Woke up and saw he just… lying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. She looked upset.”

Shining was looking out the large, ornate windows located at the very rear of the Captain’s cabin, a staple of ships for the air and sea. He looked across the harsh barren desolation of the Badlands and to the small farm beyond that where Pinkie’s family were still, presumably, asleep. Though, Shining doubted that; farmers did tend to wake early, but then again ‘rock farming’ was not exactly his area of expertise.

The Badlands. No name was more apt and despite being labeled as a ‘safe area’ now, Shining could not help but wonder why the Pies had decided to move to such a Celestia-forbidden place to start a family. If the reports were true, this place was beyond inhospitable. Even moreso than the Everfree.

The ship had arrived just before the crack of dawn, the Captain gently landing the airship just inches off the ground before his pegasi crew anchored it and tied it down to some nearby boulders. A true expert, his delicate handling of the ship was in stark contrast to the ad hoc way he did everything else. Moments after their arrival, the Captain and few chosen of his crew decided to ‘take a look around’ and disappeared in the direction of the nearby town he had seen in the air.

Due to their early time of arrival, it was agreed that waiting until a more decent hour was the polite thing before heading on over to the farm. Inside, Shining could barely wait. This was the home of one of the greatest heroes of Equestria, and a stallion that he admired so much. This was where Semper grew up, and Shining could not help but wondered what kind of parents the Pies were who brought up, not one but two, amazing children that were so completely opposite of one another

“Did she?” Shining asked. There was no use delving into private matters. If Applejack wanted to bring it up with her friend, she would, and Shining was experienced enough in the ways of the court to know better than to just talk about the problems of such a personal kind. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please!” Rainbow moaned and flopped down onto the seat. “Why is it so hot?”

Shining glanced down at the coffee in front of him watching the steam wafting off it before looking at the mare. She was leaning back and shaking her head, but her attention was not on the beverage in front of him.

“Oh! You mean outside? The rocks, most probably,” Shining said gesturing the a stack of boulders not far from where they were moored. It had looked as if somepony had purposely stacked those rocks on top of one another. “It’s already hot out here, the rocks just turn it into a large oven.”

“How can you stand it?”

Shining pointed to his horn. “I use magic to cool the air around me.”

Rainbow blinked. “You serious?”

“No.”

Rainbow laughed lightly. “How can you sit there so… relaxed?”

“Used to it, I guess. I mean, I’m used to putting up with situations where you can’t complain. So, yeah, there’s that.” Shining used his magic to lift the cup to his lips and took a long sip before placing it back down. “Surprisingly decent, considering…”

“Considering what?”

Shining looked at Rainbow and then at the pantry near the rear corner of the ship. He could see flies buzzing around the garbage can, and he had decided to take his coffee black because he dared not look inside the sorry excuse for a fridge for milk. Whether the Captain knew it was broken or not remained a mystery. A part of Shining wondered if the Captain even knew he had a fridge in his private quarters.

“Nothing,” he said neutrally. If Rainbow didn’t notice, there was no need to point it out. “Have you met Pinkie’s parents?”

Rainbow shook her head. “No. This will be my first time, but AJ has met them before. Something about finding out that they are really far distant cousins, I think. I dunno.”

“Cousins? That is interesting,” Shining replied. “That would make the Pies related to one of the largest families in Equestria.”

“What?”

“You know. The Apples. They’re huge and are important to Equestria’s growth as a Kingdom. You do know that Ponyville was founded by them, right? They are one of the most influential families in Equestria for expanding and turning inhospitable areas into livable spaces… and I’ve lost you, haven’t I?”

Rainbow nodded, but the glazed look in her eyes made it clear to Shining that he had indeed lost her.

The silence between them was becoming awkward when they heard the door behind them open and the Captain walked in with one of his crewmembers in tow. They were talking to each other heatedly.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a small town on the edge of the woods, and we got this morning’s paper.” The Captain threw it in front of Shining.

Shining glanced over to it, then turned his body to focus on the words he saw in huge letters on the front page. He seized the spread in his hooves and leaned into the paper as if trying to tell if the print on it could speak to him. He looked up at the Captain.

“Is this true?”

“I hope not! But this is big. Real big. Huge. I don’t know what’s going on, but if what is on that paper is true, then there’s going to be trouble,” the Captain said as he returned from the cabinet with a mug and plonked himself next to Rainbow on the small table sitting almost opposite to Shining. He grabbed the decanter and poured himself a mug of coffee. “Real trouble.”

“What’s going on?” Rainbow asked.

Turning the paper around, Rainbow read the large bold headline in the center of the page.

“‘Griffin King Assassinated’?” she read aloud.

“Who’s been whatnow?” a voice asked.

“Mornin’ AJ, apparently the Griffin’s king was assassinated,” Rainbow replied, nonplussed.

“Oh?” Applejack walked close to the table took the paper from Shining. She read for a moment then nodded. “Says here that he was assassinated a couple of days ago, but that news about it only came out now. They’re saying that this is bad, that it can lead to war with the nation responsible.”

“Indeed,” Shining said and furrowed his brow. The timing of it all was not lost on him. He got up and walked over to the window and looked at the farm.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I agree,” the Captain said. “It’s too coincidental and the timing too convenient, wouldn’t you say?”

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating,” Shining said not bothering to turn around. The pieces fit too snugly to ignore.

The Captain laughed mirthlessly and shook his head. “Good riddance, I say. That entire Kingdom needs to be wiped off the face of the planet. I’ve seen first hoof what those crazies in the Griffin kingdom are capable of and I think this is a step in the right direction.”

“This could mean war.”

“Yeah, if it connects back to us. And I don’t think that’ll happen,” the Captain replied and laughed silently.

“How can you be so sure?” Rainbow asked interrupting the two.

“Experience,” the Captain replied bluntly.

Applejack looked up from the paper. “You think that Pinkie’s brother has somethin’ to do with this?”

“Completely. In fact, I think he is the reason.”

“What? He just took off, killed their king, then hopped back?” Rainbow asked. “Even I know that it’s not possible. Not with the border and stuff.”

Shining looked down. “Even if it is true, we can’t let on. If this leads to war with the Griffin’s, it’ll be bad. Real bad. Their kingdom is built for war and they have been at odds with their neighbors for centuries. We’re lucky we’re out of their reach, but they’ll come over that so-called border en masse if they decide that we’re responsible, and nothing would be able to stop them from getting to us.”

At that the Captain leaned back and nodded. “Open war with the Griffin’s would be worse than that. But you know that both our kingdoms would do their best to diffuse the situation.”

“If they assassinated Princess Celestia, do you think we’d back down?”

“Point taken. I’m just surprised that they’d let the image of their immortal king be tarnished like this. You’d think that they’d come up with some stupid excuse of their king ascending, or whatever nonsense they believe in, and that he had taken on the body of a newborn to continue his struggle with the Princess.”

“What?” Rainbow looked at the Captain. “What do you mean?”

“Rainbow, the Griffins believe that the king is the same Griffin who has ruled for the past several thousand years. I think to put their leader at odds with our Princess. They do this by brainwashing their subjects into believing that the king doesn’t die, but rather puts his mind and body into a new ‘vessel’ each time the old one dies. Each vessel is born in their holiest, most hallowed grounds through fire. Like a phoenix, I guess.”

“That’s silly.”

“Silly, but effective; the Griffins are nothing like us, so it’s hard to explain it without understanding the history.”

“Okay, forget it then,” Rainbow replied and laughed at her own joke. It faded away when she realized that none of them were following her lead. “Yeesh. Tough crowd.”

“Was there a joke in there?” the Captain asked Applejack quietly, who just shrugged.

“With this news, I’ll need to head back to Canterlot and to the Crystal Empire as soon as possible. Let’s go and see if the Pies are awake,” Shining said and got up. “Let’s get this meeting over with.”

They all descended towards the bottom of the ship and to the lowest cargo hold, where the place was surprisingly brightly colored and painted. Shining turned to look at the Captain, who shrugged.

“I got a kid. This is where he wanted to build his ‘pirate hideout’, so I let him,” the Captain said and they mozied on towards the bow of the ship where the gangway to the ground awaited them.

They walked towards the house, Rainbow floating close behind Applejack who led the way.

She knocked on the door.

“Yes?” came a voice just before the door opened. Limestone’s eyes grew wide and she pushed the door open and flung her hooves around Applejack. “Hey! Long time! Come on in! Ma! Pa! Guess who’s here!”

They entered the home and were shown into the living room, Shining removing his helm and holding it to his chest. The parents came in through another entrance and, upon seeing Shining, the mother instantly dropped to the ground. Her eyes locked onto the Guard with a mix of horror and fear.

It took a second for him to realize what she was thinking.

“Oh no! No, no, no, ma’am. Please. I’m not here for… there’s nothing… I…”

“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked, sensing instantly that something was amiss.

“We’re here to talk about Semper,” Rainbow blurted, totally not reading the situation properly.

Shining smacked his hoof across his face. “Not helpful, Rainbow.”

“What? We are!”

“It’s not that! What do you think they think about seeing me here!”

Rainbow just stared blankly.

Shining rolled his eyes. “Nevermind. Ma’am, I’m part of the Crystal Kingdom’s Guard, and I have no affiliation whatsoever with the Equestrian Border Guard apart from fulfilling a… favor for a fellow Guard I respected while I was Captain at the Palace for the Royal Guard. I’m here under the capacity of helping Princess Twilight Sparkle understand more about the relationship between your son, Semper Pie, and your daughter, Pinkie, and not because of… other things. I am so, very sorry to have startled you.”

“You mean,” the mother began, “that my son is… my son is alright? He’s still alive?”

Shining cursed Rainbow for putting him on the spot like that. In a way he had walked right into this. It would have helped just to be without his uniform, but he had not thought it through and he was now in the unfortunate position of looking like the messenger every parent of a Guard dreads.

“Yes, ma’am. I personally delivered a letter on his behalf to your daughter,” Shining said, confident in the assumption that Semper was, in fact, very much alive, “but when we showed it to her…”

“We know,” the father stated and helped his wife up off the floor. “Pinkie had another panic attack?”

“Yes. How did…?”

“She’s had a few in the past when it came to talking about her brother. Come in, sit. Do you want something?”

“Coffee for me, please,” the Captain said, pushing past Shining and walking towards the stallion in question. “I’m an associate of your son’s. He’s an amazing stallion and it would give me great pleasure and honor to shake your hoof.”

The father offered it with trepidation and the Captain shook with guile.

He turned to the mother, saw her face, and decided not to press his luck and remained standing along the sidelines while they all found places to sit. There was a tenseness in the air that was palpable. Shining could not help but kick himself. He was not thinking things through again.

“You said he sent a letter?” the mother asked quietly, still sitting and shaking a little.

“Yes, ma’am,” Shining replied. “I was asked to hoof-deliver it.”

“Then you’ve met him?”

“Well, no. The letter was sent to the palace in the Crystal Empire with a forward,” Shining stated, “but it came via the advance Border Guard that helps secure the northern areas and is affiliated with the Crystal Empire’s Guard. It had an official seal on it. There were other letters, but I chose to go to Ponyville myself.”

“I see. So, he didn’t ask you.”

"No, ma'am. I'm afraid not."

"I see."

“Is Semper coming home?” Limestone asked.

The mother turned to Shining.

“I assume so, but I don’t know if he’s coming here directly. According to the letter, he is heading to meet Pinkie first. It was the letter that eventually triggered the attack when we were in her room in Ponyville. I feel that, because of the geography, he will stop at Ponyville on his way here. It's on the way... relatively speaking.”

"I see."

The father nodded slowly as if understanding. “Amazing. Even after all this time…”

The mother wiped tears from her eyes. Another daughter appeared, her presence unknown to Shining until she offered her mother a tissue to dab at the remaining droplets from her eyes.

“What d’ya mean?” Applejack asked.

“A long, long time ago, Semper promised Pinkie that he’d be back for her birthday. Over the years, he’s not been able to honor that promise due to… what he does.” The mother stood up, her husband lending her a hoof. “He still intends to keep that promise, which is not that long now.”

“A week,” the shy daughter whispered just loud enough for Shining to hear.

“Seven days from now.”

“That makes sense then as to why he’d head to Ponyville first,” the father continued. "He wouldn't want to miss yet another one."

“Yeah, but why’d Pinkie freak out like that?” Rainbow asked, not pussyfooting around.

“Rainbow, right?” Marble asked. “Not one to mince words, are ya’?”

“Nope.”

“I can respect that,” the blue-gray mare replied with a nod. Limestone offered her a hoofbump, which Rainbow returned happily.

The mother seemed to collect herself. “You have come a long way, and I know that you’re trying to help Pinkie. I think it’ll be best if we show you something. Please, come with me.”

They all got up and followed the mother down a hall before stopping next to a large bookshelf. The father came over and placed a hoof against the side and pushed it gently. A small panel folded in and he pulled down a rope lever. A sound like a bolt being pulled back echoed behind the piece of furniture and the father pushed the side of it. The whole unit slid to one side on carefully fabricated wheels hidden beneath the unit to reveal a regular looking brown door.

“For some time now, we have had to… hide Semper from Pinkie. Although we’re not sure why, we had to keep Pinkie and Semper apart for Pinki's sake. It’s as if, whenever she remembers, there’s a switch in her brain that rejects him. Something just happens.”

“I know. She had an episode yesterday.”

“I see. Was it bad?”

“It was for me. I’ve never seen anythin' like it, but our friends are there and are takin' great care of her. She was already back to usual self when we left,” Applejack reassured.

“I’m relieved to hear that,” the father said and pulled out a book from the top-most corner. He opened it to the center where a key had been used as a bookmark. “For a while these attacks became so bad that at one point that we had no choice but to let Pinkie leave home. I traveled with her for some time, but the further from home we got, the more distant and vague she appeared to be. Before long, I had lost Pinkie and was traveling with some stranger that looked and sounded like my daughter. I didn’t know what to do. Then, one day, she was gone. I looked everywhere for weeks with futility. That was until… until...”

The wife nuzzled her husband as he inserted the key into the lock.

“Until what?”

“I think it best if I show you instead. But this all started one day. A specific day. When we all saw something happen in the sky. It was… an explosion of rainbows. From that moment on, something changed within Pinkie and… well, it took a long time before she came back to us. Pinkie was always different, but something special happened that day that changed her. She just seemed to know things. The Pies have always had this sense, but it is stronger with some of us than others. One day she said that she had to go. For a filly so young, of course we were apprehensive. We tried to sequester her away, trying to pin her down by family obligation and chores, but I saw what it was doing to her. We all did. And what made it worse was whenever she happened to focus on a picture of her brother, she would have these episodes. We were lost as to what to do. Keep her here, sad and stranded? Even when we hid Semper away, she still found things that reminded her of him. Although his presence here was short, this home could not forget our son. Nor could we.”

The family all nodded solemnly.

“So, we had no choice by to let her go. She insisted, saying that she had to. The farm could handle itself without me for a time, what with Maud back from studies to help around. When Pinkie was free, she was so happy. And what more could a father want? But she was very different and it scared me. She seemed to be so full of life and needed to continue one. One day, I awoke to find that she had gone. I searched, but did not find her.”

“It was a terrible time for us,” the mother said and patted her husband on the shoulder. “We thought we lost Pinkie for good.”

“Luckily, she wrote to us, telling us of her new home. She told us that she made a home for herself in Ponyville. Had I know whom the citizens were at the time, I would have perhaps resisted. Still, I accepted and acquiesced her care to her own fate. If she had survived and excelled for that long without us, then she would be fine. If it were not for the Cakes, I doubt I would have agreed to allow her to continue living there.”

“But the attacks still happened. So we hid Semper away. Before her first visit home, we took down all the pictures of her brother and removed anything that she could relate to him. We even went so far as to disguise his room and change the house itself. It worked.” The mother smiled sadly. “Our son was dead to her. So, we also decided to forget him too. Or at least try to.”

“You mentioned an explosion of rainbows? This happened when Pinkie was a filly?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, yes it did. Do you know what it was?”

“My Sonic Rainboom!” Rainbow blurted.

“You did it?” the mother asked, looking at Rainbow.

“Um… yes, ma’am,” Rainbow said and rubbed the back of her head. “I mean, not on purpose, but I did do it.”

“It’s what brought us all together. The Elements of Harmony. Because of Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom, I decided to head back to my farm. If it weren’t for that, I’d have never met Pinkie in Ponyville. I would have never become friends with Fluttershy or Rarity or Rainbow. And we would have never met Twilight.”

Igneous nodded and turned the lock in the door. “I see.”

“Please pardon the mess,” Cloudy said and pushed the door open and stepped inside before the others could.

They all piled in after. The room wasn’t small, but it was not that large either. It was, for the most part, immaculate. There was only a very faint layer of dust, but it was clear that this room was cleaned regularly. The ‘mess’ Cloudy was referring to was the small pile of papers that were not aligned perfectly next to the bed.

“I never knew you had a room here,” Applejack said as she looked around. The wall was covered with images from the ceiling right down to where the bedside table was. There were framed newspaper clippings, gazettes, specials, but very few pictures.

Shining walked over to a picture on the desk and picked it up. It was a copy of the one he saw in Pinkie’s room. “I know this photo. It was in Pinkie’s trunk. It was the thing, I think, that triggered her last episode.”

“Oh, so that’s where it went,” the mother said nodding sadly. “I was wondering where my copy disappeared off to. I used to have it as a bookmark for the books I read. It’s one of the only photos we have of our whole family together. Pinkie must have taken it with her by accident when she took the last book I was reading.”

Shining replaced the picture carefully.

“Wow,” Applejack whispered as she looked at the space above the headboard of the bed. “That’s a lot of medals.”

“Semper always sent them to us. He said to keep them for him,” the mother said, her face beaming with pride.

“I had no idea!” Shining whispered. “I had no idea he got a commendation from Luna!”

“Yes. This was when she had just come back from… being Nightmare Moon. There was a… skirmish.”

“I read about that,” Shining stated in a whisper. “But it was hushed up because she changed back into the Princess we know and love.”

“Why was it hushed up?” Applejack asked as she walked over to the small window and peered out.

“That’s a long story. Perhaps another time,” Shining stated, not wanting to distract from the current objectives.

“Everything in here is Semper,” the mother stated. “Everything you need to know is within these four walls.”

“Is it okay for us to look around?”

“If it helps to get my son and his sister to be able to see each other again, then I have no qualms about it. Please help them.”

“Y-yeah!” Limestone exclaimed. “I’m tired of pretending I don’t have a brother!”

“M-me too,” Marble whispered and her eyes grew determined. “It… it’s for family, then I want to help too!”

“Okay,” Shining said looking around. “Then let’s start from the beginning.”

“Then you’ll want to read these,” the father said, opening a closet and reaching inside, pulled out a large metal chest. He carried it over and set it down gently on the desk. He then walked back to the closet and pulled out an old Border Guard uniform. The style had since been changed. Reaching inside the jacket, the father pulled out another key. He walked back over to the chest and opened it.

Everyone peered into the chest and noted its contents. Stacked, almost to the top, were a series of really old looking books.

Shining picked one up and opened it to the first page.

“The journal of Dierdre Pecancia Pie,” Shining said aloud to himself. “Who is she?”

“Granny Pie,” Marble mumbled. “Those are our granny’s journals.”

“Giggle at the ghosties…” Applejack said in a whisper.

Shining did not know what Applejack had meant, but did not pause as he hefted most of the books out of the chest. They were all bound in leather, most likely from a native Badlands creature. One, in particular, caught his eye.

“Have you read these?” Shining asked the father.

“My mother and I never quite saw eye to eye. I loved her, but she was very different from the rest of us. A very strong-willed mare with a heart of gold. In the years I grew up here, this was a harsh place where losing friends and family was not a rare occurrence. Daresay, it was common. Tragedy was part of everyday life and we moved on. I never met my father. He met his end at the hooves of some creature on a sojourn outside the safety of the village. My mother was heartbroken, but she had her sons, her four boys. Then, over the years, I lost two of my brothers to these lands. Now it is just myself and the youngest, who lives near Manehattan. His lifestyle was rejected by many here who called him unnatural. In my ignorance, I too felt shame over him.”

“What do you mean?” Applejack asked.

“I shall put this, how do you say, delicately. I am the only son of my mother that has children. And, unless my brother decides to adopt, will likely remain such.”

“Oh,” Applejack nodded in understanding.

“Yes. I feel nothing but shame for how we as a community treated him, but he is much happier where he is. My mother, bless her soul, loved him no matter what the others thought. She was always more enlightened than the rest of us.”

“Have you seen your brother since?”

“Of course, but we have grown apart over the years. Our lives are very different. Still, he does come back when he can, particularly on mother’s birthday to lay flowers upon her grave.”

“Would he be somepony we could talk to? In regards to Semper?”

Igneous shook his head. “Afraid not. My brother has never met Semper.”

“I see,” Shining looked at the journal and opened it.

“Your mother certainly sounds like a swell lady,” Applejack stated. “Do you mind if I go and pay my respects?”

Igneous turned towards Applejack and nodded. “Not at all. Lime and Marble will take you to the chapel.”

“I’ll come along,” Rainbow said. “This book-stuff is… well, boring.”

“Okay. I’ll find out what I can,” Shining said and furrowed his brow. “This might take some time.”

The Captain shrugged, “I guess I could tag along to the chapel.”

Cloudy smiled. “Thank you all so much for being such good friends to my Pinkie. I’ll get breakfast ready.”

With that, everypony left the room leaving Shining alone with the journals. When they were gone, Shining pulled out the one journal that he had purposely not removed from the chest and studied it. There was no way that Igneous could have missed him not pulling it out, but he had played along with his charade. Or perhaps it was just coincidence. Had he managed to elegantly get everyone out of the room so he could study it alone?

The journal simply had the initials ‘S.P’ carved into it. And, despite whomever’s efforts, the red tint of blood was still visible along the edges of the cover. Shining opened it to the first page, it was stiff, but the pages were not stuck together. He read the first sentence it to himself and closed the journal and heaved a sigh.

“I’m gonna need a drink.”

Mission 7, Part 15: Caldera Taken!

The battle for the Caldera and the subsequent peninsula was a bitter and tedious one. Despite being vastly outnumbered by the Children, the Watu fought hard with a near suicidal thirst for blood. Every inch of ground the Children of the Night won was coated with the blood of their fallen comrades, the Watu resisting every step with fierce determination. But despite their ferocity, they were being forced back—the Watu were losing.

Finally, after hours, the Children’s victory became evident as they closed on the cave itself. The Watu put up a last stand to defend the entrance but the Children had numbers on their side. The last Watu bundled up as many explosive quarrels as he could and charged at the Children’s lines, weaving through the barrage of arrows, quarrels, and magic as if he were a ghost pushing through the ether. The Children knew what was coming and in their desperation, their aim seemed to get worse the closer the Watu came. It only took a few seconds, but the warrior closed in on a clump of unicorns and drove the quarrels into the ground near them. In a blinding flash and a deafening explosion, the unicorn formation was decimated. Still, with half of his body destroyed, the Watu still wasn’t dead, and with blood spilling from his mouth and what was left of his torso, he drew a knife and charged into two disoriented unicorns that had managed to get a magic barrier up in time. He slit the closest one’s throat before stabbing the next in the neck before finally being taken down by a volley of bolts by several others who had recovered from the initial shock.

It was here that Enamel found himself gazing deep into the dark, murky depths of the cavern with a mixture of disgust and annoyance. Too many of his forces had died trying to take over top of the caldera and he willed himself to not look back towards the plateau and dead or dying that covered it. They had no medics that had survived—the Watu had hunted them specifically and quickly—and there was no help. At least, not for the foreseeable future. He had no idea what was going on further out beyond the walls of the caldera, or what was going on in the stretch of desert between where they were and that large collapsed cylinder that Night Terror had insisted they drag with them. Whatever it was, he had his orders and he would do his best to make sure they were fulfilled.

He lamented that because of the nature of their mission and its glory he was unable to raise a proper army with proper Guards in his ranks. Enamel was experienced—he had fought long for his Queen—he knew that it was always a risky endeavour to convert Celestia’s chosen to their cause, but once they did they made the most valuable forces they had. He had purposefully left most of the ex-Guards out of any advances to bait the Watu out of hiding, and it had worked to some extent. Though the mere fact that he had to resort to his own type of trickery irked him as well. Were they not just in their mission? Did not the Night Mother care for her own? Perhaps it was a test. A trial to see whether or not he was worthy of his position and prestige.

He knew that it was impossible for the Mother to be able to protect all the Children from her imprisonment on the moon and it was up to the Children to free her, bring her glory to the land, and remove the fake princess from the throne. Still, this was a useful experience. The tactics employed by the Watu were too unconventional and it made it hard for him to predict their movements. What made it harder and worse was their utter lack of self preservation at their ends. The Watu threw themselves into combat with the knowledge that they would not be surviving the bout, making them a far more fearsome foe. But ferocity and viciousness was ultimately their undoing as the Children grew more cautious and wary as they advanced onwards. Traps and ambushes grew harder for the Watu to pull off and, as more Watu fell, the strength of their forces exponentially diminished until they had no choice but to make their last stand at the entrance to the cavern.

The Watu were indeed warriors of renown—fierce and terrible in their ways—but in the end they were not soldiers. A select group of Guards working together could take down several Watu without too much effort, but most of the Children did not possess the skills or mentality for that. Many joined the cause from colonies outside the kingdom, most disillusioned by the false princess and her corrupt Guard with a plethora of stories on Guards slaughtering entire townships to make an example of traitors in her vain attempt to hold onto the throne. The many subjects that fled beyond the kingdom’s borders needed to get away from unfair taxes, corrupted officials, inadequate laws, and cruel Guards who used their power to extort those weaker than them.

But to Enamel it was those close to the throne that enjoyed sheer impunity—he grit his teeth at the mere thought of it. Even his own family, living in the heart of Canterlot, actually believed the traitorous wench that sat on the throne was the true ruler. They had the audacity to try and have him committed to some asylum. Said that he was the crazy one! He smirked at the audacity of it as he recalled his past. He sighed seeing a mare barking orders and thought of his sister who had helped him escape—a family that he had once loved and left behind. He knew that he would return to them triumphant, riding beside the Night Mother, and in her glory he would bring a new and true golden age for his kind with his family in positions of prestige and power. But for now he would have to put up with these ponies and what made up his little force.

“What’s the status?” Enamel spoke in his monotone voice as he stared at a group of younger ponies collecting bolts that were usable and piling them together.

The mare knelt on the ground keeping her eyes down. This was a pony who had trained with the Guard. They knew how to show deference and Enamel liked that. “We’ve sent a number of scouting parties inside, sir. They are looking for any leads into the caverns, but have found nothing. According to our sources and maps, the entrance isn’t where it is supposed to be.”

He looked around and saw that most of the sloppy and less trained Children had perished. He found himself nodding at the realisation that most of the units he commanded now were either battle-hardened veterans, or Guards that had defected from the false princess. This was now the bulk of the primary attacking force. He knew that losing so many Children was painful to the cause. Mother-knows where or when someone would finally accept the truth and join their cause and do what was necessary for the glory of the Night Mother, of course.

Enamel stuck out his jaw, “Are you saying that they haven’t found anything and that the maps aren’t helping?”

In a way, the Watu resolve was to be admired. If only the Children had half as much determination and drive. Then again, there is only so much an untrained civilian was capable of doing. It was hard enough to get them to fight and kill other ponies. That was, in and of itself, impressive enough.

“No, sir,” the mare responded, her eyes still downcast.

“There may be a secret alcove, or something like that. Get more Children inside and find it. Try to use lanterns or light from the unicorns.”

“A secret alcove, sir?”

“Yes. That’s what Night Terror said. Find it. Now.”

“Yes, sir.” The mare bowed her head and turned away. She whistled hard and a group followed after her into the tunnel system.

Enamel watched them go for a moment before focusing back at the peninsula. His mind wandered a bit, and as his thoughts wandered he spotted a runner running towards him.

“Sir, permission to speak!”

“Proceed.”

The young colt, a boy that should have been starting at some university instead of being here, bowed and saluted at the same time, unsure what he was supposed to do. Enamel made a mental note of teaching the youngling not to use the Guard’s salute while in the Children. That was an insult to the Night Queen. He would teach him proper etiquette later.

“The survivor isn’t talking, sir.”

Enamel furrowed his brow. A surviving Watu? Still, he could not let his ignorance be known. He was a commander after all, and he needed to be in command at all times.

“Sergeant Basket Case says that she’s having a really hard time making him spill his guts. Says she’s already helped two along with that already.”

At this, Enamel frowned. Three survivors? How had that slipped through his reports? Still, if there was any pony that lived up to his name, it was Basket Case. “Tell Basket to not kill him. We may still need information.”

“Yessir!”the colt bowed and saluted again in that awkward gesture and galloped off grateful at being let off without any repercussions.

Enamel sighed, bored with hearing that the aptly named Basket Case was still up to her brutal antics. Why did the Children attract those kinds of ponies? Still, Basket did indeed have her uses and she was certainly an expert at ‘extracting’ information from others. One of the oldest members of the Children, she had chanced upon the group years ago when she was accidentally freed on her way to some desolate Border Guard prison for multiple homicides. Apparently she had been doing that since she was abandoned as a filly in some forgotten hellhole in the middle of who knows where. After witnessing the fight and lack of empathy the Children had for dispatching her captors, Basket had demanded that she be allowed to kill one Guard in particular. And she did so in the most agonising way possible. Ever since, she had a particular hatred for Border Guards to the point where she would have to be put on missions as far away from them as possible, as the red plume seemed to trigger her and she would disobey any order to ensure that no Border Guards survived.

And most did not escape her.

“Fodder,” a voice said from behind him.

“Indeed,” Enamel agreed, not bothering to turn around. “I will never understand the appeal of that kind to our cause.”

“The new, younger ones call themselves Night Bringers. It seems to be some new fad in Canterlot. Young unicorns running from home to the Children’s secret gatherings. The thrill of being a Child without actually knowing about what that entails. Not until it’s too late, at least. Still, because of that we have a lot more of them.”

“I feel that because of that we have a lot more spies in our midst.”

“True, but with the stars aligning as prophesied it is only a matter of time now. And with all the troubles the False Princess has with politics, we are able to go on relatively unfettered.”

“So you say. But I agree with you in that we have a lot more fodder for the cause. Our recruiters lure them deep with promises of wealth, fame, pleasure, and fortune. They flock to our cause. And when they get in too deep… some relish the thought of being one with the Children, others need a little more convincing. Their kind do have their uses. Very brave, brash, young… and stupid. Blindly walking into the fray. They do not fully comprehend the glory of what we do nor of what’s to come.”

“Yes. As you said, ‘fodder’ for the Guard to keep them off the backs of the true believers. I also find the makeup somewhat distracting. Why do these Night Bringers insist on wearing that much mascara?” Enamel intoned. “Perhaps copying the Watu’s mask? Is it supposed to promote fear in the enemy?”

“Suppose so. As I said, a fad.”

Enamel turned to face the newcomer. “Well? Still nothing?”

“No, and we’ve searched everything within the tunnels, but whatever or wherever this entrance is, we haven’t seen hide nor tail of it. If only…”

“Yes, yes. But no use crying over spilt milk. Which idiot left the last of these camels with Basket in the same room deserves to have their stomach grouted, but what is done is done. We are on our own.”

“Indeed. I suppose so. A good thing we managed to secure our position here. The fighting has been… tedious. Too many losses for my taste.”

“For you, Attune? I am surprised. A mare of your calibre rarely is shaken by this much blood.”

“I’ve been fighting against the Guard and the False Princess all my life. Sometimes… sometimes it does weigh on me. But this… this is excessive. The Watu are truly terrible. But then I remember the Night Mother waiting for us to free her from her imprisonment and I remember my vow to see to it that she is finally freed. With that renewed vigour, I remember my place and I do what needs to be done.”

Enamel half-listened to Attune, not really paying attention to her words. Despite her personality, Attune was just as sadistic as Basket Case, but Attune had the audacity to claim that she did not enjoy what she did. But Enamel saw through the charade, even if Attune herself couldn’t.

“We will need to reconnect with our main forces outside the peninsula. Now that the surface of this plateau has been secured it should be no trouble to do so. The sooner we can get more of our forces up here, the better.”

Attune smiled knowingly. “You are sending me away? I suppose that you believe that it should be you who will find the Stone first then?”

With that, Enamel glowered at Attune. “I allow you to speak to me as such only because you have been a Child longer than I have. But remember, I am still your Commander and you will do as you are told.”

Attune bowed formally, but there was little respect in her eyes. “As you command.”

A sudden loud explosion shook them all and Enamel instinctively took a step forward to see where it had come from. It was not from within the caves, but from outside.

A plume of sand had shot straight up into the air.

Quickly, one of the Children ran around a large boulder and threw himself down in front of Enamel.

“What was that?” the unicorn demanded.

“The ballistae, sir,” the young stallion said between breaths, “they are firing at the Caldera’s side.”

“Our forces?”

“They were about to start marching on the hill, but they had to fall back! There’s nothing we can do to stop the bombardment! The main force will have no choice but to turn around and try to stop the ballistae before coming here.”

At this, Enamel stuck out his jaw and growled in response. “As you say, Attune, the Watu certainly live up to their reputation of being a deadly nuisance. If nothing else, they are like annoying flies.”

“More like hornets, sir.”

Enamel glared at the stallion prostrated before him. “Leave the main force there to deal with the remaining Watu beyond our reach on their own. There is nothing we can do. Gather all our remaining forces here and put every single one here into finding that entrance. We will finish this, then we will return and put an end to the Watu once and for all.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Just how long is this hall?” Providence asked, more to herself than to the company at present. They had been running for what seemed like ages with no end in sight. The dim glow emanating from those strange grooves along the floor and wall seemed to have gradually gotten brighter the further they went. The slow steady throbbing light bathed the hall in an eerie glory that faded before the next pulse. As each one passed, a low, barely audible hum that seemed to fluctuate with the light itself.

Providence hissed as she stepped in the groove and a spark of magical energy hit her hoof. The jolt of magic, while not fatal, still hurt a lot.

“Indeed,” Pani replied, panting hard. “I am not as young as I used to be. Shall we walk?”

Being used to long journeys, Providence did not feel tired, but she saw how Pani was struggling so she slowed to a walk. As she did, the Watu seemed to fan out and keep their distance in a strange formation. They proceeded in silence for a while, the sounds of the hooves and camel’s feet along with the occasional clinking of armour and weapons were the only things that could be heard.

Hoofsteps sounded from the opposite direction and made them slow to a stop. They were deceptively quiet, but distinct, as is usual with the Watu. After a moment, Providence realised that whoever was making those noises was doing so deliberately. That was not surprising considering the company she was with. The Watu would have struck first then asked questions.

Two figures seemed to melt out of the shadows and approached in a relatively calm way. Still, the Watu with Providence put themselves between her and the newcomers.

Annoyed, Providence waved them off. “Relax guys!”

The Watu shifted their weapons slightly, but the tension in their bodies never relaxed.

The first figure bowed before speaking. “Ma’am, we’ve reached the end of the passageway. There seems to be a door-like structure there, but we could not see any way to open it. There is a small alcove that is inconspicuous nearby that we only found because it is similar to the entryway we came through getting in here.”

“How far is the end?”

“Another ten minutes if you keep at the pace you were at,” the Watu stated.

Eager to get moving away from the Children behind them, she started running again to Pani’s chagrin.

“This door,” Providence began, “does it have any markings or anything on it?”

The Watu thought for a moment. “No. But perhaps there is more to it. We shall be there soon.”

“Anything else?”

The Watu trotted easily next to Providence, easily keeping pace with her despite all her weapons and armour. “The doorway itself is very smooth and devoid of anything obvious, but there are distinct markings along the side. From our observation, we don’t know how to even begin to open it.”

“And the others? The other camels?”

“We don’t know. They were not there, so one can assume the entryway alcove goes further inwards.”

“Is someone checking it?”

“Yes. There are several others searching there. They should have the area ahead secure and a report as to the progress of the other Camels.”

Providence remained silent as she continued to trot towards the so-called doorway. As she looked around she started to notice something odd. Most of the Watu that were with her now were mares. Had all the stallions and colts perished? Were they up ahead? She did not know, but it was clear that the group that was with her now were mostly female.

Before she could form a question in her head, she spotted a Watu standing and waiting and he joined along, and then another. Soon she spotted two standing beside the smooth surface of what looked like a wall at the end of the long corridor. Providence instantly knew that this was the doorway as described.

Indeed, it was smooth with little to no markings on it, and as Providence reached out to touch the door, a deafening explosion erupted from behind them, echoing in the emptiness that they had come from.

The Children had found the entrance.

“Ma’am, we better hurry,” the Watu next to her said, pulling her mask down, “things are going to get very messy very quickly.”

“There! Over there!”

Just as the shout came, an arrow hit the ground next to the Child who had given the alert. There was a moment where he stared at it in horror,realisation dawning on him as the familiar markings of the quarrel registered. The bolt exploded in a wall of ice, spikes shooting outwards, spearing the Child through the peytral and face—he never stood a chance.

Suddenly, the small slim hidden entrance was blocked off by a solidified wall of ice. Through the transparent window-like ice, slightly tainted with red blood, the Children saw a dozen or so Watu standing patiently with loaded bolts.

The leader of the small unit growled. “Get more unicorns. You two, start your fire spells. We are going to melt this wall and go in after them! Let the Commander Enamel know we have found the entrance.”

Two young earth ponies disappeared to do as the leader had asked.

The Watu stared back, their masks hiding their faces, but the glint of their eyes were clear. They would hold the entrance for as long as they could. And while the Watu had effectively sealed off the entrance for now, it was clear that they were just buying time against the Children from going through this time. The alcove entrance was a great chokehold, but despite that advantage it was still nigh impossible to defend.

More unicorns arrived and started to cast their fire spells on the ice wall. It had already started to diminish quicker and quicker, making it clear that the Watu had found something worth delaying the Children for. And if it was important enough for them to sacrifice themselves in this way, then it was clearly important enough that the Children break through as quickly as possible.

Orders were shouted, and the column of children were making their way towards the entrance. The entire unit was now focused on the wall of ice that separated the two forces.

Throughout all this, the units under Enamel’s command wondered what exactly would happen if they managed to breach this obstacle. How close would they be to their goal? How many of them died getting this far? But at the same time, part of them understood that the glory of the Night Mother would go to them, and that there would be no need to share Her love and glory.

“Form up!”

“Ma’am, there is only a max line of two or three here! That entrance is way too small for a full frontal assault!”

“It will have to do! Prepare fire spells. Melt that ice faster!” The commander licked her lips and grinned maliciously. “Don’t worry, we’re going to kill all of you quite soon. Just be a little patient.”

Behind her the unicorns began to cast their magic towards the ice wall.

And the few Watu that remained readied themselves for what they knew would be their last and final stand. Their lives were already ebbing away, the madness consuming them from within. If they did not give their lives to Providence and her mission now, then they would die a meaningless death. Through this, at least their lives were given some meaning. And that, to them, was worth it.

“What is this weird feeling?”

“Magic.” The response was as cold as it had always been. Emotionless. Succinct. Brief. The Guard was gazing upwards at the sky. The others were looking at him and following his gaze upwards. The sand storm was getting worse, as if the area were reacting to something and the skies beyond that were bleak and grey. If they had not been in the desert, they might have thought it would rain.

“Are the unicorns still feeling strange?”

“Yes. I don’t know how to describe it. I feel so… cold.”

“How can you feel cold in this heat?” a pegasus asked. One with deep scars laced across his body, as if someone had tried to cut him apart with metal wires.

The unicorn shook his head. “It’s like… a feeling that something big is going to happen and the very air itself is like drowning in mana, but it’s not like our mana. It’s very different. I have never felt it before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It’s… it’s just… old. Very old. I guess you can compare it to a book. Old books have that smell. This mana has that same kind of ‘smell’, but it’s not a smell. More like a feeling.”

“Like an old cave?”

“Exactly.”

“Guys. We need to do something about that, otherwise we’re all going to die anyway,” Sonic said as he cricked his neck and stared at the strange hollow cylinder.

Another pegasus walked up next to Sonic and stared at the cylinder that towered over them. “What is this thing anyway?”

“An amplifier,” The Guard replied.

Sonic looked at him and tilted his head. “An amplifier? This thing?”

“Yes.”

“You mean, like a speaker?” another pegasus asked.

The Guard turned his head slightly towards Sonic and the other two Watu pegasi. “Yes. But for magic.”

“Ah. Well. That sucks. Any unicorns left?” Sonic asked, staring at the group of Watu with him.

“One, sir.”

“Who?”

“Me, sir,” a very young stallion replied and bowed. “But my magic is weak. Best is simple levitation spells.”

Sonic made a face, “Ah. Too bad. We could’ve used this to hurt the enemy. But what use is a simple levita—”

The colt quickly cast a spell and three daggers landed inches from Sonic’s hoof. “Short. Quick. Precise.”

“Hey!” Sonic jerked his hoof back out of reflex, but nodded in approval. “Okay, I see. I getcha. But for this thing, it ain’t gonna help.”

“Sir, the enemy line has moved over the ballistae. I think they are going to try and climb the Caldera again. Without the ballistae there will be no way to stop them,” the heavy voice of a large stallion stated. Crusher was his name, and he was severely wounded, but somehow he seemed unphased. Two long spears had pierced through his body, and he was bleeding onto the sand. “We cannot hold this position for much longer. What shall we do?”

The Guard looked up at the Caldera through the storm. The top barely visible through the sands being kicked up by the storm. They were too far away for him to reach, and the vast majority of the mares were with Providence now. They could not reach them in time, and it would be pointless since they did not have the numbers to make an assault on the entrance to the cave. All they could do was delay the main force from reaching the top of the Caldera for as long as possible.

“We continue to hold the main line back.”

“Until when?” Sonic asked.

“Until the end.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

“You have an obligation.”

“No! Providence–”

“Not to her.”

Sonic bit back his retort. He understood what The Guard was implying. There was no going back. If they did not keep the main force busy, every single one of those inside the Caldera were as good as dead.

Where was he? Today was the day!

He wouldn’t forget, right? He promised!

He won’t not come, right? After all, why would he say one thing and do another?

He wouldn’t allow mom to have such a sad face, right? He wouldn’t be that big of a meanie? Right?

I mean, what would it be like?

No. I need to be patient. I just need to be a little more patient. I’ll finish decorating, then when it is all done, I will go outside and I will see him and we will have the most magical time and then he will tell me how good I am and how much I’ve grown and I will tell him that I missed him and that I love him very, very, very much. Yes. For now, I just need to finish the decorations. Then. After that…

Everything will be good.

Right?

“Nervous, darling?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. A little. No. A lot! Oh, dad! What if I’m not good enough? What if they banish me? What if they send me to the moon!”

“They’re not going to send you to the moon, darling,” Night Light replied, ruffling his daughter's mane. “Right?”

“I’m pretty sure they won’t,” Twilight Velvet responded good naturedly, which was lost on the nervous wreck of a daughter, “they just want to make sure that you’re ready to be a student here. That’s why.”

“But I am ready, mom! I’ve never been more ready for anything in my whole life!” Twilight slumped down to the floor. “But I’m just so nervous!”

“Remember what Shining told you,” Twilight’s mother replied, touching her daughter’s cheek and nuzzling her gently. “No matter what happens, I am so proud of you. Just be yourself, and you’ll do great!”

“No, mom! I can’t! I need to pass the test! I really, really want to go here.”

At that, Night Light chuckled. “Okay, I said listen to your brother, but you don’t have to copy everything he does. He has his own ways and does things differently. You just have to make sure that whatever you do is what you do best and the rest will work itself out.”

Just then the door to the classroom opened and two professors walked in.

“Miss Sparkle?”

“Yes?”

“We will start soon. If you haven’t done so, you can have some water or use the toilet.”

With that, the two professors closed the door and walked off down the hall.

“I think I’ll wash my face,” Twilight said and trotted out of the classroom.

Twilight Velvet sighed and looked at her husband. “She gets this from your side of the family, you know?”

Night Light grunted a laugh. “Yeesh. She’s so nervous she’s making me nervous! I know she’ll do great.”

“Don’t tell Twilight, but I overheard the professors saying that she’s already accepted based on her written exam, but she needs to pull off something here to boost her confidence.”

“That’s a relief! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you’re terrible at keeping secrets, dear.”

“No I’m not!”

Velvet looked at her husband with a dry expression on her face.

“Okay. Fine. But it’s not like I mean to blurt it out!”

She sighed. “I know, darling, but you better not blurt it out now and make her feel like she doesn’t need to try. I wish it wouldn’t take so long. I still need to prepare lunch.”

“Do you know what I detest more than being lied to?” Night Terror asked as he stood in the sand storm. “It's a failure. This whole campaign has been nothing but failure after failure after failure. Our mana-ship was supposed to have enough firepower to go head to head with the Flagship of the Royal Guard, yet it was pulled out of the air as if it were a fly! We have lost half our forces to these… nuisances,” he kicked the body of the dead Watu, “and now we are stuck down here because my commanders cannot decide whether or not it is safe for us to climb to the top of the Caldera!”

“My lord, the Watu have always been–”

Night Terror raised an eyebrow and the speaker fell to the ground on his face, “I am sorry, my lord. I spoke out of turn.”

“Do we have anybody on the Caldera?”

“Yes, sir. Enamel and the younglings have reached the tip,” Aurora Shimmer replied.

“And how did he make it up there so easily?”

“It was not easy, my lord. The Watu fought for every inch of the Caldera and plateau as hard as they could. Two survivors have reported that more than half of them are lost, but they were still pushing towards the tunnel entrance.”

“The tunnel entrance?” Night Terror asked. “That is impressive. Remind me to give Enamel a promotion when he returns. Since I believe the mission is at hand, secure the tower. We will need it now. Get the remaining unicorns and pegasi to start reassembling it. Even half the amplifier will be enough.”

“For what, my lord?”

“Well, we have to destroy the Caldera in order to prevent others from learning what we will learn! After Enamel returns, we are to wipe this rock and erase its existence from history. Only then can the true princess be unstoppable in her return.”

“Oh bother! Why won’t this blasted thing stop!” Rarity squeaked in frustration as she thought about her commitments being ignored. Her horn ignored her own will and she was still being dragged along by that uncanny power. How long had it been? It had felt like days now, but she felt it getting stronger and stronger, and there seemed some purpose to it. The funny thing was, deep down she felt perfectly normal and safe. She did not feel threatened nor fear. Despite the rather strange and uncanny circumstance she found herself in, she felt—no, she understood—that she was in no danger whatsoever.

She sighed despite herself. “Look, I don’t mind doing this right now, but I have to finish those costumes for the school play! If I don’t, everypony will think that I’m not pulling my weight and that will just ruin everypony’s day!”

There was a slight, very brief hesitation, before the tugging sensation returned. A feeling of ‘don’t worry, all will be okay’ flooded her, and she resigned herself to her fate.

It still ruffled her feathers though. All this time could have been done in making those costumes gorgeous, but instead here she was being dragged out in Celestia-knows-where for Celestia-knows-what.

Author's Note

Apologies for taking so long! Life got in the way!

Mission 7, Part 16: Tipping Point

The lunch bell rang, jerking Rainbow awake. She had, predictably, fallen asleep in class after the flight theory lesson was over. Mathematics was not exactly Rainbow’s forte. Probably if she happened to apply herself, she could have been good, but straight-forward academics were not her interest—she had a clear and constant dream. That was, to be the best flyer in Equestria and to earn her right to fly with the best of the best. The Wonderbolts. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and stretched, twisting her head around till she spotted Fluttershy sitting at her desk looking at her with concern in her eyes.

“What’s up, Shyshy?”

“Oh nothing. It’s just… you don’t have to, you know, do that.”

“That? Oh, you mean race?” Rainbow chuckled to herself. “Of course I do, Shy. I can’t back down now! If I do, they won’t stop. This is why they constantly pick on you. You need to buck up! Stand your ground!”

“But… it could be dangerous!”

“Dangerous? What? Standing up to them?”

Fluttershy shook her head.

“Flying?” Rainbow tilted her head at an angle. “How can flying be dangerous, Shy?”

“You might get hurt.”

Rainbow placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, I am going to be racing up here in the sky. As long as I don’t do anything stupid, there’s no danger to me, kay? Even if I go too fast, the worst that can happen is I spin outta control. There’s nothing to be scared about. Clouds are soft!”

“O-o-okay,” Fluttershy lowered her eyes and sighed. “If you say so.”

“I do! Now, c’mon! Let’s get going and show those punks a thing or two.”

Providence reached the end of the hall. The ‘doorway’ that she saw indeed looked like an entrance to something, but it was smooth to the touch, made of some stone-like material, or perhaps metal. It was hard to tell in the darkness. The lightning thrumming seemed to pulse through the door and beyond. Whatever magic powered this, it was strong and ancient.

Taking out the map, she looked at it. The newcomers that had come had brought it to her before they had entered too deeply into the hallway. Tessa, the Thestral, was hanging back with Pani's daughter, Samidra. The two camels were talking quietly—it was clear that the poor girl had gone through some trauma with the Watu and the struggles outside. She shouldn't be here. She should’ve been home, worrying about what to wear to school, or perhaps how to impress her friends, or even shyly accepting a date from a boy. Not here, hugging her father, weeping, trying to block the horrors she had witnessed the past few days from her mind.

At least she still had that ability—to cry and weep for the dead. Providence stared down at her hooves and wondered how long it had been since she had wept like that. It had felt like a lifetime now, and she wondered deep inside over how long she had been wandering with the Watu. It had gotten to the point where she kept seeing death, and now she felt nothing.

Taking a breath, she spoke aloud to clear her head. “Why would they make a map with a single hallway? The passage, I understand…”

“Ma’am, perhaps the passage entrance wasn’t where we entered, but instead was made afterwards? Perhaps the entrance was further away but lost to time?” The Watu to her left said, and traced her hoof down until it reached the end of the page. “Maybe we were supposed to enter somewhere far from here and walk this way?”

At that, Providence nodded. She did recall seeing the hallway going both ways when she entered. Instinctively, they had all followed the magic flow and innately knew that it was the right way to go because it headed towards the centre of the Caldera.

Still, was it really a map? Or perhaps something more. She looked back at the entrance and narrowed her eyes. She looked left and right. The hallway to the left stopped at a wall where the strange throbbing light of the magical energy made different shapes. To the right, the hallway seemed to extend back into oblivion. She knew that a few of the Watu had already headed that way as well. Perhaps the other camels that were on the Caldera had headed that way but she doubted it. The flow of the magical energy was coming from the hallway towards where she was, and both halls stopped at the doorway she stood in front of.

“What do I need to do now?” Providence asked herself and sighed. She needed to figure this out, and time was not on their side.

The pain was unbearable and she jolted awake. Again, she reached for a weapon that wasn’t there and only paused when she saw Torment looking down on her, a near-empty vial of what was some light-blue liquid in his hoof. She relaxed and sighed. She threw caution to the wind. The relief from the pain of the wounds had dulled her response and if Torment had any intention to harm her, she wouldn’t be capable of stopping him anyway.

“How bad?”

The silent Watu nodded and shrugged. Raze understood. He thought she was fine, but he was not completely sure.

“You saved me?”

Torment nodded.

“Then thank you. Where is… where’s Sonic?”

At that, the Watu shrugged and vaguely gestured to the horizon beyond to where she saw a group of Children milling around. She tried to sit up, but Torment stopped her with a firm hoof and pushed her back down. He shook his head, and put his hoof to his lips. It was clear that he wanted her to remain quiet, and she nodded in understanding. She looked around and noted that they were not very well hidden, but well enough as to not be spotted at a glance. Still, one careless movement and the Children would definitely find them. Torment must have carried her as close to the camp as possible before hiding her and finding some healing salve. The magic-imbued water helped to heal the wounds that she had but she would still need to rest — a luxury that they couldn’t afford.

She noted the way he looked at the enemy. “Are you going to leave me here?”

Torment turned his head slightly towards her. She could see his eyes through the mask peering at her and his steely gaze ebbed just a tiny bit to show a little sadness before it vanished, once again returning to the familiar look all the Watu carried—that cold determination to do what needed to be done.

Torment gave one firm nod.

“You’re going to head into the Children and try to take out as many as you can, right?”

Again, Torment nodded.

“Why? You could just wait here and we could find a way to get better,” Raze stated. “We could find a way to get better and survive this!”

He shook his head. He pointed to his chest, then to his head. She understood what he meant. He was losing his sanity and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would go on a berserker rampage. His heart was starting to flutter, a feeling that all Watu who had withdrawals felt and understood. The agonising feeling of the heart beating faster and faster until it could no longer be bearable driving one beyond sanity. Better to do that in the midst of those they were fighting against than with someone that had been saved.

“When?”

He looked down and shook his head. It was time. He then took one step towards the edge of the copse of stones and stopped. He looked at Raze.

“You… must… live…”

The sound did not come from his mouth, but from something deep inside his throat, like the rasping noise of a metallic brush grinding on the inside of a rusty bucket in a deep well. It was faint, but despite the terrifying sound Raze felt strangely comforted. How long had it been since he had last spoken out loud? Despite everything, Torment had given everything to help her survive.

“Die well, friend.” And with that, she watched as he surged forwards. She crept slowly and peered over the small boulder that had hid them from sight. She watched as Torment melted into the shadows of the boulders. “Good bye.”

“Hold here.”

Ghost looked and gritted her teeth. “They are breaking through!”

The pegasus turned to Ghost, “You must stay here under cover. We cannot run through them and inside. We would be cut down immediately. We have vowed to your father to ensure your safe arrival to Providence.”

“We cannot progress any further,” Malice stated. “The way is blocked and it looks like our peers inside are hard pressed to keep this force at bay. It is only a matter of time before they breach their positions inside as well.”

“Then what do we do?” Ghost asked.

The two pegasi looked at each other. “We will create a decoy, delay them as long as possible, then you must go in and bypass their frontline and slip inside to meet with the others.”

“That is suicide.”

“That is required to satisfy our orders, and death is not a concern for us. At least for me. I am fading. My mind will break soon.”

“Mayhem?”

“Yes?”

“Do you agree with this?”

“Agree? Is that relevant? There is little choice. You must get to Providence, otherwise we will be unable to face your father or The Guard. Or Providence herself. We must fulfil our oath and obligation.”

Ghost looked down at her hooves. “Will my father be alright?”

The navy blue pegasus looked at her then he did something he found strange, even to himself. He lied.

“Of course. Your father is a battle-hardened Elite. There is nothing that these cultists can throw at him that will kill him. I doubt anything would stop him from coming back to you.”

Ghost nodded and forced a smile. She knew he was lying, but it felt nice.

“I will die here,” Malice intoned. “And that will be a worthy death. At least it would have meaning to die here for something good. Even if it is just a little. The poison is corrupting me. It won’t be much longer now for me anyway. Might as well use that to my advantage.”

She looked up at Malice, then at Mayhem. With the amount of blood pooling beneath him, it was amazing that the Watu still stood.

“How do we get you into the tunnels, past the forces and inside without the Children noticing you?”

Ghost smiled. “I will do it with ease… if you provide a satisfactory distraction.”

The two pegasi stared at each other, then smiled. “She is Ghost after all.”

“Indeed. Very well, little one. We will do what is needed. And I have just the perfect distraction that will work without question.”

She nodded to the pegasi, and watched them as they began to move away. They moved quickly and efficiently as they closed the gap between themselves and what looked to be a clump of Children surrounding someone barking orders.

In one moment Malice suddenly dashed forward, firing a single bolt towards the white unicorn. The unicorn, surprised with the sudden attack, still managed to summon a protective shield just in time, but he didn’t notice that Mayhem had swung around from behind, a short broadaxe aimed for his body. A unicorn traitor-Guard lept in front of the swing, taking the brunt of the axe’s blade, stopping a lethal blow on the commander. The momentum shoved the dead unicorn aside, making him crash into a group of other ponies trying to form a defensive perimeter around the commander.

Without missing a beat, Mayhem grabbed a polearm and swung around just as three bolts narrowly missed him as he deftly skimmed away, hovering dangerously around the large boulders, zipping between the small gaps with blinding speed before stopping and galloping away as quickly as he could.

Malice fired another bolt at the commander’s back, but was stopped by a stolid earth pony with a large shield. She easily blocked the shot with a loud ‘thunk’ as it struck the wood. The Watu narrowed his eyes as the earth pony slammed the shield into the ground, before the heavily armoured pony taunted the pegasus with a large hammer. Knowing fully that it was a trap, the Watu slunk away.

But all that had been done according to their intention. The Children had not noticed, and it was clear to the Watu as to why they had called her Ghost.

“...Strange that they would try to kill me like that.” The white unicorn muttered and looked as the two groups started to converge together as the pegasi met and began to fire bolts into the newly formed line, backing away slowly. It was close. If he hadn’t activated his sensing shield, a shield that he used to detect changes in the wind, a useful trick he learned when he was much younger, then they would have succeeded in assassinating him. He had just barely enough time to realise what it was and form a barrier strong enough to stop the bolt from hitting him.

Then he looked at his bodyguards, the two haughty ponies, a couple that had tagged along with him when they too saw the truth about the False Princess and abandoned their village to serve the Night Queen. This was not the first time that they saved his life and he watched them in amusement as they put their bodies and shields between himself and the Watu now retreating from the line that had successfully formed.

“Thank you, Rook and Castle. You were magnificent. That axe nearly had my name on it.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Despite Rook’s huge size, her voice was soft and quite sweet. “You ought to cast another one of those detection spell circles just in case another spy is nearby.”

At that, Enamel could only nod. He focused for a moment and started to push the light-blue circle, stretching it as far as he could until it was thinner than a hair’s width, making it nearly invisible and undetectable. It didn’t reach as far as it did before but he didn’t need to try as hard. The threat was moving away and he had enough troops around him to prevent another surprise.

“Castle, tell the others to stand still.”

Castle nodded, then bellowed: “Oi! You gits better stand still before I smash your heads in with me hooves!”

The ponies near the entrance turned and stood stock-still.

Except one.

“There’s a pony that isn’t listening, Castle. I can’t cast this if that pony is moving whichever way they want.”

Castled shouted again and took some threatening strides towards the entrance of the cave system. He got a few more steps before he stopped and looked at Enamel, the unasked question being that if the movement was still happening. At this, Enamel shook his head. Whomever it was wasn’t holding still.

“Right! I’m gonna pound yer heads in!”

He got two steps before he stopped and tilted his head to one side. Then he tilted his head to the other side. He made a couple more steps forward before galloping to the source. He pushed past two mares that were standing at attention and walked over to a pony that was standing strangely. Castle shouted at the pony’s face before reaching out, then suddenly stopping and shoving said pony with the back of his maul. He then walked around the pony until he was standing behind her and stopped.

He then gently pushed the pony, who fell over like a statue.

“He’s dead!” Castle shouted then spun around and looked. “Where is he? Who did this?”

“Hold still,” Enamel called out.

Every pony did the same and waited.

Enamel cast the spell again and this time he stretched it towards the cave. There he felt it. It was slight, very light, like the kiss of a butterfly’s leg on a flower’s petal, but it was there and it was undeniable. And it went straight through the Watu’s guarding the cave and inside where he lost whomever it was due to how weak the spell had become.

“No! One of them slipped by us and went in!” Enamel roared. It was so obvious. The two pegasi were just decoys. They pulled his attention from the front by attacking him so deliberately and unrelentingly that he had forgotten to cast another detection spell. In that chaos, with everyone being distracted, someone was able to slip past him, his guards, and his forces. But why would they risk something like that unless that person was of value to the Watu inside the cave.

But before he could react, Rook yelled in pain. Enamel turned around to see a Watu removing his sword from the earth pony’s chest, the shield dropping with a thunderous thump as it hit the ground in front of him. The Watu had no mask, he didn’t need one. All Enamel saw was a skull with barely any skin on it. As Enamel stared, the Watu growled at him, the sound deep and primal like a dragon or a wolf, not a pony.

Before he could scream, a blade sliced through his throat. He stumbled back as a fountain of blood sprayed forwards, covering the Watu’s face. Their eyes never wavered as he stepped forward for another strike. Just as the tip of his blade was about to cut again, a large shield soared over his head and the Watu moved aside, easily avoiding it.

He tried to shout an order but all that he could do was blurt out a gurgling sound, his lungs filling with his blood and saliva. He stumbled before being caught by somepony. He heard the shouting, but he could not focus. The pain was unbearable. He wanted to scream for a healer, but he knew that one was already too far away.

The Watu was just a few dozen feet away, his sword flashing brilliantly in the high desert sun. But no matter how skilled one was, it was inevitable. Three bolts struck the Watu in the chest but still the warrior refused to go down and lurched forward again, Castle moving past Enamel and putting herself in front of the charging Watu. She braced for impact, but the Watu slid down between Castle’s legs. The moment the warrior skidded past the mare’s hindlegs, he leapt up and propelled himself at Enamel one more time.

A unicorn sealed the Watu in ice in mid-air, the spike of ice piercing through his chest bathing the spikes in blood. The Watu gasped and seemed to reach out to something in the sky far above him. Was it… smiling? But it was over. Enamel would have sighed in relief if he wasn’t in so much pain. But just before he could fully relax, the Watu threw something at him. Out of reflex, Enamel flinched and looked down – only to see that it was three magically-infused bolt tips. He wanted to laugh. Wanted to shout, or even cry. But all that happened was a blinding light followed by the sweet release of nothingness.

Ghost stopped and turned back the way she came—the explosion was close that time. She wondered if the two pegasi had escaped, or if perhaps they had died trying to get her past the Children that guarded the entryway. She didn’t know, but now wasn’t the time.

She had to get to Providence, fast.

The other Watu had very nearly cut her head off when she entered their view, but she quickly managed to convince them of who she was. They let her pass once she pressed that she needed to deliver a message to Providence, which was partially true. She had to obey what the Guard had told her to do, so in a way it was as per orders. Who was she to defy The Guard and embarrass herself, but most of all, to bring shame to her father?

Without any care she sprinted as quickly as she could towards where the other Watu had told her to go, but her body was exhausted and the pain of remembering what happened to her was still fresh in her mind. She replayed the painful scenes in her head over and over again as she ran, making sure she could remember them.

“Halt!” A Watu shouted when she reached the end of the hallway

“Please! I need to see Providence! I have to tell her something important!” Ghost replied in a single breath, then tried to stifle her heaving panting while waiting for a response.

“You are too late. She has gone inside that door. We cannot enter even if you wanted to.”

“B-b-but I must!” Ghost replied. “I can remember…”

“What do you mean you remember?” The Watu mare asked, narrowing her eyes.

Ghost fell to the ground and covered her eyes with her hooves. “I remember what happened to me. My father saved me and tried to save my mother, but we were no match… why did this happen to us? Thistle? Why were we born if we had to live this kind of life? For what reason? I don’t understand.”

The mare looked at Ghost, and something stirred in her. Thistle gently put her hooves under Ghost’s chin and lifted her up gently. “You poor child. To have gone through something so terrible, I wish that you did not have to recall such painful memories, but that is beyond our control. The fact that you can remember means that you still haven’t given up on the one thing most of us have.”

Ghost looked up, confused.

“You still want to live. You still believe, somewhere, deep inside you that things can go back to the way they were. You and I know that it’s impossible. Not for us. But, maybe we can help Providence. And with that, perhaps we can redeem ourselves a little for what we have done. We are monsters. We need to go. This is the only thing that matters.”

“No!” Ghost screamed and pulled her head away. “That’s not fair! I want my dad! I want to live and have breakfast with him! I want to come home from school! I want to hug my family! I want to live! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to–”

Just then the door faded and inside Thistle and Ghost looked in.

“What?”

“I think it’s calling you,” Thistle said gently. “Go. Tell Providence what you’ve told me.”

“Come with me!”

“No. I must stay here and make sure that nothing happens. Don’t worry, I’ll hold them off for as long as I can. You just tell her what you told me. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Ghost walked forwards, then stopped. “I can’t remember my dad’s face anymore. But I know that I love him. And I know that he loves me. He saved me and chose to stay back so I could give this message to Providence. But if you see him, and I don’t, please tell him. That I love him. And that I wish that we could have stayed together more.”

Thistle smiled behind her mask, and nodded. “I’ll be sure to.”

Ghost nodded, and walked into the room. The doors slamming shut behind as soon as the mare crossed the threshold. No. Not a mare. A young foal. Barely older than a filly. What a tragic life that little girl had lived before this.

“Tell her everything you want, little one. We will be here behind you.”

“They’re coming!” a call came from down the hallway. “Defensive positions! Don’t let them through here!”

“Make sure that the way up to the room above is heavily defended so they cannot pursue us,” Thistle ordered, heading towards the sounds of the melee down the hall. “My time is coming to its end. I will use what’s left to delay them for as long as possible.”

With that, the mare charged forwards knowing full well she could never fulfil the promise to the young mare she was leaving behind. But that did not matter because she remembered, and if she could remember perhaps she could remember her daughter, who lived somewhere far away. Wait. Was she alive? Did she recall? And her name? Yes. A little pretty thing, with pink wings that sparkled in the morning sun. That she had helped escape with her father when she distracted them when they came for her.

She charged forward and smiled. She understood. Just before the drug would crush their minds into that unbearable madness of pain and agony, they would remember. And, as the spears from the Children found their marks, Thistle had one clear and final thought in her mind. Her daughter’s name. And she whispered it on her lips, and how lovely and pure that sound was. She wanted to say it again, but no air formed. And as she lay on the ground, surrounded by the dead, she could not help but shed a tear.

How right that little filly was. Why was this life so unfair? What did she do to deserve such a cruel hand? But not anymore. She only regretted that she would never be able to whisper that precious name from her lips again. Why had she forgotten it? It now seemed so obvious. How could she forget such a precious thing?

How long had it been since they were left alone? Hours? They had been given life-water, but it wasn’t good enough. They needed to get out of the sun’s direct light. Their wings were not made for the harsh desert environment. The winged pony had shown them kindness, but they all had left them behind. Headed into the middle of the storm. Headed to a place where they smelled the clear scent of blood.

“What are we to do, Sunbreeze?” Wellwind asked. “We are the last of our brood. If we do not find a portal home soon, or go to a place where we can recover our magic, we will die.”

“The one who saved us said we need to wait here. Even if we try to cross this wasteland on our own, we would not get far. We are to stay with this ship until they return to us. I trust in his words.”

“But how can we trust him?”

“Because he brought us with him without pause. And he also offered us drink and sugar-water for our sustenance. He had no need for that. The others would have left us to fend for ourselves, and we are not the type that can survive this realm without assistance of the ponies. This is why our pact with the pony-kind is strong.”

“You forget that it was also the ones of the pony-kind that took us from our route and imprisoned us. To be kept as pets! Not all of them have won my trust, Sunbreeze. If needed, we must strike out on our own.”

“With the resources here, we can survive for an ample amount of time without others interference. To them, this is but a small amount of supplies, but for us it will last many generations to come,” Sunbreeze stated. “If we venture from here, we will not find our way home. We will die under the sun, or to the predators and prowl. You saw those creatures. This is not Equestria.”

“I hope that ‘generations’ is not going to be how long we wait for your friends, Sunbreeze. Lest we become forgotten by the ponies and by our own kind alike.”

Sunbreeze did not say anything in response, but watched the winds and hoped. Hoped that it would end soon. Hoped that they could go home.

Twilight returned from the bathroom and returned to her place at the front of the classroom.

“It’s almost time, dear,” her father stated and laughed nervously. “L-l-let’s all be calm now. Can’t let the stress get to you!”

“That’s right! And remember, Twilight, to smile. No matter what, smile at the professors when they are doing the test, no matter what!”

Twilight nodded, but she wasn’t super confident that was appropriate. Still, it was something she could cling onto. Something she hoped that she could use to calm herself with. But what if they didn’t like her smile? Did she brush her teeth? Was if there was something in her teeth from breakfast! What if her breath smelled bad? What if–

She cut herself off when she heard the door open.

Four unicorns walked in and sat at the back of the small classroom she was in. She watched them as they made themselves comfortable. Nervously, she stole a glance at her mother and father, who were looking at one another unsure what to do. Should they leave? Stay? She wanted to tell them that they could stay, but who was she to say that to them? They would think her rude, and maybe expel her from the school! Or worse! Banish her forever!

“Twilight Sparkle?” one of the professors suddenly spoke.

Twilight meeped, her throat catching for a moment and making her cough. “Y-yes!”

The professors were writing on their sheets of paper, and Twilight looked at her parents again. This time they were looking at her, and they made the ‘smile for them’ sign, running the tips of their hooves across their lips and flashing their best grins. For some reason her father was zipping his mouth shut as well.

Still, Twilight complied. Right now she couldn’t even begin to think straight. Everything was falling apart even before it started and she was feeling very conscious of that fact.

“Bring the item inside,” one of the professors stated.

Suddenly the door slammed open and in walked an orange stallion pushing something on an oddly shaped cart into the room. It was an egg. Not just any ordinary egg, but a huge one at that. She stared at it as the newcomer rolled it into the room and stopped near Twilight, then he bowed and walked backwards out the door, closing it gently as he did so.

“Well, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight laughed nervously. She had spent hours studying everything she could. From cascading formulae, to multiple threaded casting, to even more and radical concepts that she had garnered from the libraries of books she read. Despite all that, she had no idea what to do with this egg. What even was it?

On the side she saw a drawing of the egg splitting into two with a dragon inside. Was this a dragon egg? If so, what was she supposed to do with it? She knew nothing about dragons or dragon eggs. She didn’t even know anything about normal eggs either! What was this test about? What was she to do?

She let out a feeble, panicked sigh.

The next thing she knew was that the professors were all scribbling on their notepads and staring at her.

The pressure felt unbearable and she was at a loss. The only thing she felt that she could do was turn and hide or run away from here.

Gritting her teeth, she looked at the egg and decided that the most she could do was perhaps lift the egg from the nest. Perhaps. Maybe. It was worth a shot. How much would an egg that size weigh, anyway?

Staring out her window seemed like the only thing she wanted to do. She watched the sun rise over the horizon once again muttered a “cock-a-doodle-doo” under her breath as she was reminded that she was in the big city and not back home on her family’s farm.

“I wonder what Granny Smith and Big Macintosh are up to. I bet they’re apple-buckin’ their way through the Red Delicious.” She sighed and crossed her little hooves. “What I wouldn’t give for just one bite.”

She felt her eyes water as she peered up at the cloudless sky and waited. Waited for something, anything to happen.

Providence looked at the door, then back at the map.

“No! It’s not a map!” She placed the ‘map’ against the door and put the hallway in the middle. It was a perfect fit. She then slid it down until she noticed that the patterns aligned perfectly. When she did, she noticed that there was one stray, thin, sliver of magic that the creator of the paper had highlighted slightly in a red hue. She followed it and then realised that it went up the corridor one of the Watu ventured.

Instinctively, she traced it up and up, being very careful not to lose it, lest she would have to start again. She followed it diligently up the stairwell, as it spiralled along the outside, then across one of the steps, then up the middle. She continued to follow it until, at last, it stopped at a small smooth wall. She stared at it, and marked it with a piece of a sticky leaf that she habitually carried with her on her expeditions.

“What is it?”

She turned to see Pani looking over her shoulder. The moment she took her eye off the rock, she knew that if she hadn’t marked it, she would have lost it. The entire room was made up of the same shape, colour, with small threads leading to each one. It was a maze of little threads of magic, little wires of power, that ended at what could only be a button.

“The way in. I don’t know what will happen if I push this, but if my hunch is right, it will open the doorway downstairs.”

Pani nodded. “Then we must first get you there.”

“What if we pressed the wrong one?”

A Watu grabbed Pani’s arm and shook her head. “You’ll die. We assume that is how that camel passed.”

Everyone turned to see the Watu who spoke, who then gestured to the far corner. A body was there, burned beyond recognition and charred to coal.

“There is a passageway through there, and two of ours have already headed inside, but I think that this and that are two different things now. The camels that were here are trying to escape from the battle and flee the Caldera, so we can assume that at the end of that tunnel you will come out somewhere behind the cliffs on the far side.”

“We could have just come in from there,” Providence said angrily.

“Maybe you can only get in from inside. Like a one-way door,” Pani pointed out. “I’ve seen those built into mirrors.”

“I will stay with the button, and will press it when told,” the Watu replied in the silence that followed. “If I pass, then it was a pleasure serving you. I hope that you find your way back home to your child.”

Providence had heard that so many times in the past, but it still hit her hard each time. Just how many of these Watu were willing to die for her for the mere fact that she could still remember her child? How had her hope been cemented as their own?

“Come, Providence. We must hurry. We might not have that much time,” Pani stated, grabbing her front leg to emphasise the urgency of the situation.

“Thank you,” Providence said, and took out her notebook. “What is it they call you?”

“They call me Bandit,” the Watu said with a smile, her voice soft and clear. Like the way a mother’s voice should be when talking to their child. Perhaps she had been a mother, once, a long time ago. “Thank you for allowing my name be in your book.”

Providence nodded, put the notebook away, then disappeared down the stairwell.

Once she arrived at the door, she took a deep breath.

“Okay, go–”

The explosion shook the hall.

“They’ve breached the wall cavern. We don’t have time. We need to go now!”

Providence nodded and Pani’s words and nodded. The order was relayed up the stairwell and a thin line of gold shot towards the door along the vine she had meticulously followed minutes before. It hit the door exactly where it had to and a spiderweb of light exploded around the door. The mysterious metallic substance suddenly vanished and in its place was a gaping maw of darkness.

“What now?”

“We go in!” and Providence stepped inside.

And as soon as she did, the door reformed behind her bathing her in darkness.

The Watu that had tried to follow Providence were blown back a good dozen or so feet, sliding across the ground to a halt. Although they had been fast, something definitely did not allow anybody, pony or not, inside with Providence.

The sounds of armoured ponies piling inside echoed throughout the hallway, and it was all Samidra could do to stop herself from screaming in fear. Her father held her close.

Bandit came down. “The door button isn’t working anymore.”

The Watu looked at each other. Before there was a clear line of command, but without Providence, they had to decide for themselves what to do.

Pani spoke. “We can escape behind the other camels, follow them through the gap you saw.”

“You would have us abandon Providence?”

“No, but I think she’s safe where she is. We haven’t tried to break that door open, so our best bet is to trick them into following us and leading them away from the door. The only way to do that is to lure them and ensure that they follow us. We have that key, as long as we have it, they won’t be able to unlock this door.”

At that, Bandit took the key itself and shoved it into her mouth and chewed it a couple times before swallowing. Pani nodded in approval.

“I was going to say burn it, but okay.”

“No, that will give them a clue as to us destroying some evidence,” another Watu pointed out.

“We will hit them hard and fade away. The others can go ahead.” Bandit looked at the camels, and at Tessa. “They are not like us.”

“Her idea is sound. We will delay them and protect the doorway for as long as possible, but you should flee while you still can. We cannot hold them off for very long in a place like this with no cover,” another Watu stated.

“Go!” Pani shoved his daughter ahead of him. “Go, now!”

“I’m surprised that you’d show yourself here, Rainbow Crash!”

“Don’t be! You know I’d never back down!” Rainbow retorted and started to do small hops to warm up. “You’re going down!”

A fairly sizable number of pegasi had come to watch the race, even going as far as to fill the stands near the starting cloud. Fluttershy stood nearby and awkwardly looked over at the two colts. A part of her wanted to tell them that this was going too far but she also knew that they were just as stubborn as Rainbow when it came to these things.

“You’re cramping my style, Shy!” Rainbow said. “Why don’t you grab the starting flag and go ahead and stand over there.”

Rainbow gestured to the cloud near the starting line.

“Alright,” Fluttershy said nervously.

She fluttered over to the PE equipment shed and spotted the barrel with the flags and grabbed the chequered one from it. When she came out, the two colts sniggered at her and shook their heads.

“Wrong flag, Kultzershy,” Dumb-Bell stated. “You need the starting flag!”

“Why does it matter?” Rainbow replied. “It’s not like you’re going to be the first one to cross the line anyway.”

“Oh yeah! Just for that, I’m racing too!”

“Go ahead! The more, the merrier. Beating two of you goofs will give me twice the amount of winning!” Rainbow stretched her wings and grinned. “So, bring. It. On.”

“Oh yeah!” a big colt roared from the stands.

Using her strength, she started to cast the spell. But as she did it felt like the magic was being pulled away from her, slipping away into the direction of the egg. It was actively fighting her and she knew it. Twilight felt the gazes of the teachers on her and she knew deep down that she could not fail this test. She refused to do so. Taking a different approach, the young unicorn focused on holding the spell in her horn for as long as possible and to keep it away from the egg until it was the most opportune time to release her magic.

But now that she had done that, the spell in her horn refused to come out. She could feel it inside, but try as she could, the spell simply refused to manifest itself near the egg. It was as if there was something protecting the egg from her magic.

She heard a yawn coming from the teachers.

“We don’t have all day,” the strict mare stated.

The others held stoic expressions on their faces, but it was clear that Twilight could not summon her powers in the traditional sense. She tried everything she could think of to try to make her magic come up from the murky depths of the ether, but she just couldn’t pull it out with her will.

Then she managed to find a way. Two threads that she wove in a axial pattern around a central thread to make it come out of her horn. She adjusted the leylines to accommodate for the fluctuating resistance that the egg seemed to naturally produce and for all that effort, she was rewarded with a few sparks and nothing more.

“I’m sorry I wasted your time,” Twilight sighed, and looked down in defeat.

The professors all raised their clipboards at the same time and began to rapidly scribble notes.

Arpeggio was ecstatic. A pony of this pure talent was extremely rare and he was honoured to witness such a feat. Not only did the filly use her own internal power to almost override the magical defences of the dragon’s shell but she actually managed to weave two threads and create a form of solving the puzzle that would take more advanced students weeks to conure themselves.

“This filly is incredible!” The blue unicorn noted to himself. A part of him wanted to explore the spell that was just cast in deeper detail, but that would have to wait until the formal test was over. But to create a levitation spell with the first thread, then surround it with a defensive spell to pull the magic along a specific line so that the young mare could utilise it to cast a binding spell to grab the egg was beyond something she should have been able to do on her own at that age.

Yet she had done it.

Just as he was about to say something, to congratulate the filly on a job well done, something in the air began to change. He felt it. Like the air suddenly became a whole lot cooler. And something drew his attention to the window behind the filly and beyond the palace in the distance. Something was happening. Something huge.

It looked like… a rainbow?

Prologue

The early dawn's mist had begun to slowly abate as the family stepped up onto the empty platform. Despite the cool, nipping chill in the air, this particular family were hardy and used to it. After all, they were tough and strong family of earth ponies. Getting up at the crack of dawn to face the morning cold was as familiar as eating breakfast, for this was the time they would start tending their 'fields'.

This was the last station on the line, beyond this there was nothing but unexplored wilderness and a rail yard that also acted as the loading bay for this town's sole source of income: rocks. This town 'produced' the finest rocks in all of Equestria; special rocks that are farmed, harvested and shipped to all corners of the kingdom, most of which found their way to the Royal capitol of Canterlot. This was a hard and savage land where only the strong could eke out a living.

But not today. Today this family stood on the platform waiting for the train to depart. Today was not a day of work nor joy, but of bitter-sweet farewells.

"I'm so proud of you, boy," the somber looking stallion stated. Igneous Rock Pie put a hoof on the younger stallion's shoulder and nodded, "I know you will make us very proud."

"Thank you, father. I will not let you down. I vow that I will make all of Equestria proud," the dark blue earth pony replied.

"You best take care of yourself, my son," the mare to his side said as she reached forward and hugged Semper. "Make sure to dress warm when it gets cold, don't talk to strangers and eat healthy, okay?"

The earth pony nodded, his hard eyes unreadable. "I shall, mother."

"You take care of yourself," Limestone said looking off to one side. "Don't do anything... stupid."

"Young lady, you will mind your tongue," Igneous said with a hint of hardness in his words. "You are talking to Her Highness' Guard. You will show him the decorum and respect worthy of that title."

"Yes, father," Limestone muttered and looked up at Semper.

"I will take care, Lime," Semper stated. "I'll leave the farm to you."

Limestone's eyes opened wide, and she nodded. "I'll do my best."

"As shall I."

"Oh dear, where is that Maud? She should be here."

Semper looked around the station which was quite busy for a last-station town.

"Late again," Limestone muttered. "Sometimes I think she loves the rocks more than her own family."

"Sempie! Sempie!" A cute little voice cooed.

"Oh, she's awake," the mother said and turned her back to reveal a small rattan basket. She used her teeth to gently place it on the station floor and a tired little filly yawned and sat up. She blinked a few more times before a bright smiled spread its way across her face. Carefully, the filly climbed out and looked at each one of her family members before shyly hiding behind her mother's leg.

The dark blue pony knelt down ruffled the filly's mane, to which she giggled and pushed his hoof away. She disappeared behind their mother trying to get him to play her favorite game: 'peek-a-boo'.

"I'm going to be gone for a while, Pinkemena. I won't be able to see you for a very long time. Be a good girl and help mother, father and your sisters, okay?"

The filly nodded slowly, not understanding the weight of his words nor of the situation. She had found the train far more fascinating and ogled at it with wide eyes. Semper reached forward to ruffle her mane again, to which she just moaned and disappeared behind her mother's leg.

"Pinkie! Say bye to Semper!" Limestone demanded.

Semper put a hoof out assuring his sister that it was fine. Limestone was always like that.

"Son, don't worry about us. We'll be just fine." His father removed his hat, "Just... be careful out there, okay?"

"Final call!" the station master shouted.

"I better... I should go, sir." Semper said to his father. The two stallions shook hooves formally.

"Yes. You should..." the father turned his head away from his eldest as he walked over to his mother and embraced her.

"Shame Pinkemena won't remember me," Semper said as he released her.

"Aw, she'll remember you, Semper," the mother replied gently. "She's old enough now."

"Mother, I know little about fillies and foals, but I know for a fact that she is still too young to remember me. Still, I hope you are right. It will be nice to come home one day and have a sister that recalls my name... perhaps two, if the next one is also a daughter."

The mother blushed and nodded, "We will tell them about you, Semper."

At that, Semper just nodded.

"Semper Pie, you will what you must. It's a very rare opportunity to be selected to be a part of the Royal Guard. We'll always be here to welcome you home when you're done." Igneous did his best to salute his son, out of respect and admiration. He never served, but he was so proud of his boy.

Semper returned the gesture flawlessly. "Thank you, sir."

"Just be sure to write when you can," the mother added.

"I shall."

"All aboard!" the station master shouted as the train blew its whistle.

Semper picked up his rucksack and made his way to the entrance of the last carriage and threw it inside. There was nopony else on the train, just him and the conductor who decided to sit with the engineer instead.

"Oh, son. I shall miss you so," his mother shouted tearfully looking up at him. Cloudy Quartz dabbed at her eye and held Pinkie close.

"Goodbye all. Take care." Semper turned and put his front-right hoof into the train.

"Take care, son!" Igneous replied as he ran up to the carriage door and put a hoof on Semper's shoulder.

The colt paused for the briefest of moments without looking back. That was the first time Igneous had ever called him 'son'. It felt strangely good.

Igneous fought the feeling of tears down with a hard frown and pulled the rest of his body aboard. Tears were a sign of weakness, and should not look weak in front of his son, and a strong son needed a strong father. Semper Pie was chosen by Princess Celestia herself. Herself. That meant something.

The train started to move just as he found his way to his seat. The five watched as the train started to move away slowly.

Pinkie waved to her older brother excitedly and Semper could only wave back to them sadly. Slowly, the train steamed out of the station and towards the distant horizon, towards his new life.

Through it all, not once did Semper Pie smile.

The Letter

"Twilight!" a voice shouted, followed by a series of aggressive knocking. "Twilight! Open up!"

Twilight shifted in her bed and groaned. She looked outside her window and found that it was still dark. She yawned and stretched her body out, taking extra care that her wings did not hit the table-side lamp this time. It had taken a few days to get used to the new appendages and she still could not believe it.

She was a Princess.

A Princess that lived in a small town and in a library for that matter. Apart from her new guards, of which two were now stationed outside her front door, things were pretty normal. Twilight's guards were a lot less rigid than the ones at the Royal Palace that protected the Princesses Celestia and Luna because she had insisted that they be more... pony. She did not want to seem impersonal or unapproachable because it felt awkward having these 'living-statues' follow her around. If she was going to have guards follow her around, at least they could be slightly normal.

"Wait a minute," Twilight muttered to herself. She had guards outside her door. Surely they wouldn't allow somepony to wake her up this early unless it was an emergency.

"Twilight! Spike! Open the door!" the voice from outside shouted again.

"Coming..." Came a tired groan from the baby dragon.

By the time Twilight reached the center of the library (with her teleportation spell), the door was open and in walked in a clearly flustered Shining Armor. He spotted Twilight and flashed her a smile.

"BBBFF!" Twilight exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too, sis." Shining had visibly relaxed when he entered.

Twilight blushed and mentally smacked herself, "You know what I mean. How's Cadence? How's the Crystal Empire? How are you?"

"I'm fine. Cadence is fine. Everything's fine..."

"But...?" Twilight prompted.

Shining shook his head, "Twilight. There's a very, very, very, very important pony coming to Ponyville in two days. It is very, very, very, very important that you present this town in as professional a manner as possible. Even more so than what you did for Princess Celestia."

"More important than the Princess?" Twilight asked raising an eyebrow in doubt. How could anypony be more important than the Celestia?

"I never said that. I just said that this particular pony is... particular."

"Who is this super-special pony?"

"Semper Pie."

"Who?"

"Semper Pie!" Shining shouted, a mix of admiration, awe, fear and a little fan-boyism was evident in his voice.

The two guards outside Twilight's door suddenly began to whisper excitedly to each other.

"Sorry, I don't know who that is, Shining."

At that the guards' mouths literally dropped to the floor. "How can you not know Semper Pie! The most amazing soldier to have ever served with Her Majesty's Corps? He's the best of the best of the best! Every soldier, guard, sailor and airpony from here to Canterlot to Saddle Arabia and back knows him! The most decorated soldier in the history of... ever!"

Twilight blinked blankly at her brother.

"What is Princess Celestia teaching you?"

"I'm learning about the magic of friendship, thank you very much," Twilight replied stiffly.

"Sorry, Twilight. I meant no disrespect, but Semper is returning from a tour of duty. He was out west ensuring that the dragons didn't encroach into Equestria."

"Oh? He was fighting the dragons? How many ponies were with him?"

"None. He's alone. Always alone." Shining sighed, "Look, everypony knows that Semper is a legend. And what's more he has asked me to deliver this letter to somepony here in Ponyville."

"And you are hoof-delivering it? You? The Captain of the Royal Guard?" Twilight tilted her head to one side a mischievous smirk on her lips, "One that is now under the command of his wife?"

Shining blushed a little at that. While he knew his sister meant it more in jest, it still felt strange that it was pointed out. Not that Cadence would ever deliberately order him about, but in truth he would have to obey if she ever did give him a direct order. Luckily they were birds of a feather, and they completely trusted one another.

"Even if I wasn't, I would still do this for him." Shining smiled at Twilight, "Also, it's good excuse to see my sister."

Twilight didn't buy it. "So, this Semper wants to see me?"

Shining shook his head, "No. That's the thing. When I was told that this letter needed to be delivered here, I thought it was for you, but..." He took out the letter and placed it into Twilight's hoof.

"To Pinkie Pie?" Twilight was instantly confused. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Pie? Semper Pie? It can't be..."

"That's what I thought. I know Semper and his exploits. I know what he's done where he's been. But he never, ever talks about his family. I didn't even know he had a family... until I got this from him..."

"Sometimes the last names of ponies are the same, Shining. Let's not jump to conclusions now..."

"Easier said than done," Shining muttered just as Fluttershy's rooster crowed as Celestia's sun began to rise. "But you explain why this living legend of a stallion wants to see the Element of Laughter? I've met Semper, and he's... well... he's..."

"He's what?"

"Let me put it this way. Remember once I was stationed near Hoofington? Well, that's where I first met Semper, and it was just after a mission. I mean, he took down an Ursa Major on his own. Nopony helped!"

"Wow. He must be a strong unicorn..." Twilight said, amazed by this claim.

Shining shook his head.

"A strong pegasus?"

Again, shining shook his head.

"A strong... earth pony? Wait. How did he beat an Ursa Major without any magic or wings?"

"Now that's a story. Do we have time?"

Twilight nodded, "Pinkie will be busy baking at the moment so she won't listen to us. That's just the kind of pony she is."

Shining was about to say something, but Twilight's answer cut him off.

"After the breakfast rush we'll go see her. Spike! Can we get some breakfast?"

The dragon nodded, "Sure thing, Twilight. What would you like, Shining?"

"A cup of coffee, if you don't mind, Spike." The dragon walked off. Shining looked at his sister, "Now... about Semper Pie..."

Mission 2, Part 1: The Eleonora Nevus

"Move!" The unicorn shouted. A whip glowing with his magic cracked in the night sky. Somezebra - no, someone screamed.

There were so many other types of creatures here, not just pony or zebra, that it was difficult to fathom. All through her young life she had been warned about the world outside her country's borders, but she had yearned to see. Curiosity had got the best of her, and now she was starting to understand why there was so many stories of sadness of those that ventured forth. She had wanted to go and had run off, unbeknownst to those back home. Of course, hindsight was always twenty-twenty and she was paying for her arrogance now.

"I said move!" the unicorn shouted again.

They trudged on, the sound of their chains clanked in a steady, laborious, mournful rhythm. Each ankle clamp was attached to the pony in front, with the front-most baring a heavy weight. A second clamp was wrapped around their necks where another chain ran through to large hoops on each side. Making a run for it was impossible. Even without the neck bracers it would have been impossible. This entire situation was impossible.

Another whip struck somewhere off to her side followed by another scream of agony.

Suddenly her line stopped. She bumped into the pony in front of her and felt him shaking so much that he did not even realize that she had run into him. His fear was intoxicating and she felt her own slowly welling up within her. Inhaling a deep breath, she calmed herself and slowly counted to ten, trick she had learned dealing with the 'terrors' of the wilderness that surrounded her home. Now nothing in there was nearly as frightening as to what she was witnessing at this very moment.

Leaning to the side, she dared peek ahead to see what had made them stop. Up in front she could make out some pony with an iron eye-patch walking slowly along side her group. He had a sword on his side, a javelin or short spear in a holster over his shoulder, thick bracers along his forehooves, and horseshoes with spikes protruding from the rear. Even from where she stood she could make them out. If anyone was unlucky enough to get a kick from those it would be the end for them.

Behind him she saw another being. The beak and feathered form made it obvious that is was a griffin, and under the low light from the overhead lamps revealed her brown hue and a bright orange break. The griffin was female, and looked out of place here. She had a kind demeanor and compared to the others around her. Also it was the way she moved. Her body language made her seem a little shy and quiet, so much so that the weapon on her back looked completely out of place. It was as if a school teacher carried around a weapon, and hers was no joke. A short, wide war-axe that looked like it belonged to someone three times her size.

"Name!" The high-pitched voice came from another creature, this one a lot smaller. She had not noticed him because he was behind the pony. "Are you deaf? I said gimme your name!"

Silence.

"Hi, can you please give your name?" The griffin asked gently. Her voice was so beautiful and nice.

"Iron Horn," a deep, rumbling voice replied. "Of the Diceros Clan."

"Thank you," the griffin replied. "See, boss? All you need to do is be kind and they'll reply."

He merely grunted in response and shook his head. "Rhinos. Think they're better than everyone else. Typical. You. Name?" he barked at the next one.

"L-L-Lang Nek..."

The 'boss' lowered his clipboard to reveal a pair of pointy ears, a long snout, brownish fur and in a suit of chain-mail armor. It was obviously a fox. Zecora had never seen one before this moment and could not help but stare. "Interesting. A giraffe. Haven't had one of you come through here in a couple weeks. You'll fetch a nice price. Come on, show us how tall you really are?"

The giraffe pulled back his hood and stretched his neck out. They all looked up to him as he towered above them all.

"Your kind never cease to amaze me." The fox began to scribble something on a clipboard.

"How can you do this? It is evil," the giraffe stated in a heavy accent.

The fox sighed. "Evil? This is just the way things are. There are those better than you, like me for instance, and there are those better than me. Right now, everyone outside these walls," he gestured with his paws around them, "are better than you. You've lost everything. You're nothing more than property and property doesn't have an opinion."

"Is that a threat?" the giraffe asked narrowing his eyes.

"Think of it as healthy advice."

The giraffe stood up taller somehow. "It is wrong! We are not brainless sheep or cattle! We can think for ourselves! We are-"

"Shut you hole! You think you have a choice in this? You are only here because of your own fault!" the fox replied angrily.

The giraffe stuck out his lower lip stubbornly. "I am here because I was calfnapped by one of your 'suppliers'. I have a home, a family, and I demand that you release myself and the rest of us here!"

At those words everyone within earshot stopped in their tracks.

The fox looked around and gritted his teeth. "I said shut up! Do it, or you'll loose that tongue of yours."

"I refuse. I am free to-"

"Blood! No!" the fox shouted, but it happened all too fast.

In the span it took for the fox to say those two words, the pony in the heavy armor stopped in his tracks, turned around and tackled the giraffe knocking him to the ground with his weight. The sudden addition of weight was enough to make the large rhino fall backwards as the chain grew taught.

She felt herself pull forward towards the stallion who was screaming as his neck was pulled to the ground. Somehow she retained her balance and managed to stay standing up. Her eyes peered up and over the weeping stallion on the ground in front of her. The giraffe's head was now on top of another group of slaves, who all look worriedly at the pony on top of his torso. Her eyes darted back to the pony, then to the rhino who looked like he was about to do something.

The griffin instantly placed her rear leg on his neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said in a sing-song voice as she placed a hand on the handle of her huge axe.

Iron saw this and relaxed before closing his eyes in defeat. There was nothing he could do.

"Blood. Stop. Stop this right now!" the fox shouted in the pony's ear.

The pony in question did not.

"I'm going to make an example of this... piece of merchandise. Remind him what exactly he is."

The fox yipped. "Not in my line! You're not harming another!"

"Please! I did not mean anything by it!" the giraffe pleaded as the pony drew a knife from from his left forehoof.

Calmly, the fox behind him laughed. "Fine. Blood, this is on your head, not mine. Not mine, you hear?"

At that the pony stopped. He turned around and looked at the fox. "You're too soft on them."

"At least with me they live long enough to get on the ship. At least with me they actually leave this dockyard alive. Look, he's learned his lesson! He'll be worthless if you maim him and somebody with his height can fetch a hefty price, especially on a farm."

Blood got off the giraffe and pushed the dagger back with into his scabbard with a clink. "Fine. You live. For now. Do something like this again and you won't, understand?"

The giraffe nodded slowly as he raised himself up and brought his head down as far as he could bring it before slipping the hood over it.

"Why is it I always get the defiant ones?" the fox muttered quietly to himself and picked up the clipboard from the ground. "Next. You. Name?"

The pony in front of her was shaking so badly that it seemed impossible for him to reply.

"He asked you a question. Answer him!" Blood roared.

"P-p-p-p-p-p-please d-d-d-don't h-h-hurt m-me."

Blood gritted his teeth. "Name! Now!"

"L-L-L-Lucky..."

"Lucky? Lucky what?" the fox insisted.

"C-C-Clover! Lucky Clover!" he shouted, still shaking.

At that the fox began to laugh dryly. "Kind of sad that you won't be living up to your name, right?"

The pony just broke down.

"Word of advice? Don't cry. You'll be eaten alive out there." The fox then walked past the weeping stallion, who either did not hear him or was beyond caring.

The fox looked at her and made a surprised face.

"Fancy that. A zebra. Another rarity. Name?" he suddenly said looking at her.

"Z-Zecora..."

"What? No clever rhyme? A Zebra that doesn't rhyme? Now that is a very rare item indeed."

Zecora bit her lip. She did not want to say anything else.

"Well, no matter. You're all going to the same place anyway. And do you know where that is? A place so far away that you'll never see your home ever again. None of you will. From now on, your lives are over."

Blood sneered. "That's what you get for being weak! You see, the strong rule the weak, and you're all weak!"

"Then we would be worthless as slaves, would we not?" Iron stated in a low rumble from ahead of them.

That made the fox squeak.

"What did you just say?" Blood asked turning around slowly.

"Nothing! He said nothing!"

Zecora's blood froze in her veins when she saw the look on Blood's face. She gulped in fear.

The fox stood on front of the pony facing the rhino. "Y-y-you think you're funny, don't you? Well, you're not! You're not funny at all! You-" He was shoved aside.

"You're funny. Real funny. Let's see how funny you are with a spear skewered through your gut!"

Blood drew his spear in a glow of green magic.

The rhino turned to face the pony, pulling the entire line forwards as he did so. Blood pulled his spear back and-

"What is going on here?" a voice boomed.

That silenced everyone. More than when the giraffe spoke up. Heavy footsteps echoed on the pier's wooden boards as a large creature walked along an elevated portion. The first thing she noted was the eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen a dragon. They usually lived to the far north, beyond the kingdom of Equestria and were rarely seen south of her borders. Not many would dare cross the desert, not even one of the most feared beings in existence.

"My lord! N-nothing is going on. W-w-w-we were just-" Voltic was literally grovelling on the ground.

The dragon looked over to Blood.

He had his head bowed, but seemed to know that the dragon was looking directly at him.

"The rhino was making a comment. He had insulted His Eminence and I was about to make an example of him."

"Is this true?" the dragon asked looking at the fox.

"Y-yes," the fox squeaked. "I-I-I m-mean I-"

The dragon sighed. "We are on a tight schedule here. Time is money, and I am running a business. If you harm the merchandise then I must deduct that amount from your salary, must I not? And you've already run a pretty deep debt towards me, Voltic, and Blood is working under you, right?"

The fox mumbled something.

"I would suggest that instead of wasting time and accruing more debt to your current account that you get with the program and fulfill your obligation, lest it will be you chained up and being shipped across the sea."

The fox was visibly shaking now. "Y-y-yes, my lord. I will hurry, my lord."

"See that you do. I'm not in the business of waiting, and my hoard isn't getting any bigger by itself." The dragon turned and walked off followed by several other beings, most of which were ponies in similar kind of armor as Blood, and all equally as intimidating.

Zecora noted that this dragon was not huge. As tall as the giraffe when he stood at his full height, but much bulkier than the rhino. The dragon wore a black tuxedo with long two long tails hanging over his thighs at the back, his own tail protruding between the two. His wings were neatly folded at an angle along his back on the outside of the jacket so that they somehow looked immaculate with what he wore.

He seemed like a true gentledragon. Looks, however, were very deceiving.

"Don't always eat a beautiful flower, for its juices may be more than just sour," Zecora heard her mother's voice say in her head. How she missed her already. How she missed her home.

The fox was visibly shaken. He took out a handkerchief from beneath his armor and wiped his brow. "Okay. Last. Your name?"

"Providence Dasher."

"Interesting name," the fox replied. "Okay, move along."

Onwards they drudged towards a ramp that lead towards a set of gaping doors. Walls of wood and steel that rose out of the water and into the night sky. These were the doors that led deep into a ship's hold. A massive ship; a floating city on the water. Thousands upon thousands of all kinds of creatures were being forced inside, armed guards posted everywhere.

"Well, hello there Voltic. So the boss give you another earful?" The voice came from an even smaller canine, this one had huge ears that were almost as big as his head.

"Shut it," Voltic muttered in response. "Line of five. Rhino, giraffe, earth pony, zebra and a pegasus pony. The front three are males, the last two are female."

"Noted. They are to be kept on deck five, bay nineteen, cage three."

"Deck five?" Voltic asked. "Why? They're not that dangerous, are they? Is it the rhino? Bet it is."

At that the big-eared canine leaned in. "You didn't hear this from me, but last night eight guards were killed defending one of the caravans. Seems like someone was after one of yours and means business."

"Caravan guards aren't the best. They're not-"

"No. These were ours. Why do you think Blood was assigned to you?"

"Wait. You're telling me that someone took down eight Watu Wakalis?" Voltic asked. "You don't mean a group, right?"

"According to the reports, it was done by a lone... stranger."

Voltic scratched his chin. "Was it a dragon?"

"No idea."

Zecora furrowed her brow. She had never heard of the term Watu Wakali, but seeing as they were referring to the rough stallion from moments before, she understood that these were probably elite guards dedicated to protecting the ship and its cargo.

"Whatever the case, one of those five is precious enough for someone to attempt a rescue this deep into the shipyard. I think it's the rhino too. Apparently he's some big deal back from where he's from, but no one really knows for sure. That giraffe is also a pretty big deal where he comes from."

"Wow. I had no idea. Okay. I'll take them to their deck." Voltic looked at Blood. "Are you coming?"

"No."

"Okay... well, thanks for the escort."

The unicorn just growled in response and turned away. The griffin moved aside for him, then followed after waving bye to Voltic.

"That guy gives me the creeps. Wasn't he a Border Guard?"

"Yeah. Was. Apparently he was banished after doing some really dastardly things. Lotta ponies like him out here. Ex-guards that were exiled. Either that, or they were born outside Equestria's borders. Wait, why am I telling you this? You already know it! That's what the Watu Wakali are. Exiles from their kingdoms."

Voltic blushed. He truthfully forgot. "I know, I just like hearing your voice."

The big-eared canine laughed out loud. "Go. You better get out of here before you get into more trouble."

"Poker later?" Voltic asked as he headed towards one of the numerous ramps that lead into the giant ship.

"Of course! Deck two, far end, near the anchor. Some of the others will be there. Don't be late."

"Okay. I know where. See you, Fennec." Voltic led the way. A large signpost painted with a poorly drawn 'S', which Zecora assumed was supposed to be a five in Common, the written and spoken language for most of the known world. Most of the ponies called it Equestrian, but it was the same tongue.

As they walked towards the hull a deafening roared bellowed from the left. She turned her head and spotted a young ursa minor being pulled in a cage into the rear of the ship. Pulling its enormous cage was a legion of slaves of all kinds chained together with leather and metallic harnesses pulling to the beat of heavy drums played by a minotaur with a large chain attached to a ring on his nose. She could hear them chanting as they pulled as one. In between the lines they saw ponies with whips cracking in the air, shouts demanding that they pull harder echoed bellowed from their lungs.

They all continued to stare until they were well inside the ship itself.

"This way," Voltic muttered leading them down the hall.

As they walked they looked to see that the majority of creatures being held on this level were diamond dogs. Zecora could barely keep her face straight as the overwhelming pungent odor overwhelmed her. They turned to look at them but most ignored their presence. They looked gaunt, defeated, their tails stuck between their legs. She had never really met with these creatures, and she heard dreadful stories about them.

"Isn't there something you can do about this smell?" a voice asked from behind.

Zecora turned to see the cerise eyes of the pegasus behind her. She glimpsed at Zecora, then back at Voltic.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. In you go. All of you," the fox replied, took a whiff and practically coughed out a lung. "Okay, probably not. I'll see if I can get you moved to a cell with a port window once we're underway."

One they were all in, Voltic locked and bars and unlocked their chains letting them fall to the ground in a heap. He pulled them out between the bars and Zecora stretched her neck savoring the lack of weight on them. She had forgotten how long it had been since they slapped those on her.

"This is your pen. If you need anything... tough! This isn't a cruise. Sorry." With that the fox skipped away.

"Pleasant fellow, isn't he?" the giraffe pointed out.

"Now what?" the pegasus asked looking up. They were in a cage, for the most part. Above them was a ceiling high enough for the giraffe to stand up almost to his full length. They could hear groaning and creaking of the wood as whatever was above them moved about. More slaves, no doubt.

Iron walked to one side of the cage and sat down in a heap. "We come to terms with the inevitable."

"How can you say that? We don't have a choice! I'd rather die than live as a slave! I have a daughter back home and I have to get to her!" the pegasus shouted.

Some of the diamond dogs looked over their way, but returned to whatever it was they were doing. Most just stood stupidly gazing at each other.

Iron looked up from where he sat. "I too have children. Three young ones that I would very much like to see again. But I know that is a dream. I sacrificed my freedom so that they could escape to safety."

"What about you?" the giraffe asked.

The stallion next to where Zecora sat shrugged. "I just trying to deliver a package when I was just... foalnapped. I don't know what happened, but I found myself being locked away in a box and when it was opened, I was on my way here."

"Ah. You were taken. Most ponies are. Which town?" the pegasus asked.

"Almaty."

At that, Zecora perked her ears up. "That town I know very well, for near it is where I dwell."

"You mean 'was'. The chances of any of us getting out of this place is nothing more than a fantastical dream. Once this ship leaves that dock, it's the end for us all."

"W-where are they taking us?" Lucky asked.

"To the other side of the ocean."

"A-and w-what's on the other side?" Lucky asked.

The rhino looked up. "A land much like Equestria in many ways, but ruled by an old bigoted empire. The griffins have always used strength to claim they have the right to rule over others. They have a misguided notion that they are our betters. After several very brutal wars against the Royal Princess they have wisely come to conclusion of avoiding any direct assault against the equestrian nation."

"The Guard are the princess' shield. They defend their beloved kingdom jealously. At least most do. There is always a few rotten eggs in the bunch," Lang said just as two Watu warriors marched by.

The pegasus walked over to the edge of their prison and peered through the bars trying to see where the two Watu warriors were going. "Look, I need to get back to my daughter! She doesn't have anypony else to look after her and-"

"Didn't you hear what we just said? There's nothing we can do!" Iron turned his head away from Providence unable to meet her gaze. "Just hope your daughter is safe and sound wherever she is."

"S-she's in Cloudsdale..."

"Then at least she's protected. She will be safe in the cloud city," Lang replied, trying to comfort her with his words.

"You don't understand! I'm the only family she has now. There's nopony else-"

Iron looked at the mare. "If she has half the spirit you possess, then she will be fine. At least she will live a full and happy life. At least she will remain free."

"I will never stop being free," Providence replied.

"You say that now, but they haven't started yet."

"Started what?" she asked slowly.

"Breaking your spirit." The way those words were uttered sounded like the final nail in a coffin.

And at those words, Lucky put his head between his hooves and began to weep again.

Author's Note

The ship's name came from a combination of four things. The first being the largest ship known to man, the Knock Nevis. Nevis is pronounced the same as nevus, which means a birthmark (usually in a reddish tint). Cutie marks, in my opinion, are sort of like birthmarks, thus it stuck. Eleonora is also named after another very large ship (the Eleonora) and I liked the sound of it, and I also like Poe. So, the four things are 2 big ships, birthmarks and Poe. Eleonora also means 'light' in some convoluted way (was curious as to what the name meant).

Watu Wakali means 'the violent' in Swahili, which I believe is the same thing as 'hoodlum' or 'thug'. Sounded cool.

Lucky Clover

Common - I have decided to call this the primary language of this universe. It can be Equestrian, or even English, but I figured that in a big world there's going to be more than just one language

Mission 7, Part 1: A Sand Party

The two ponies entered the building and found a place in the furthest corner and dropped their equipment with a sigh of relief. Lugging those huge saddlebags across the desert was hard and the sweat-soaked clothing on their bodies was evident of this fact.

The first one removed his wide-brimmed hat before wiping sweat from his brow with a long, drawn-out groan of disgust. He flicked his hoof letting the wetness fly towards the floor with a vicious snap.

“Can the sun get any brighter?” the pegasus complained. He reached into his saddlebag and drew out a cloth before wiping his face and neck with it. He then threw the wet rag onto the table with a splat. Turning his head, he watched as his compatriot removed his hat in turn by undoing a strap under his chin. This stallion was a lot more composed, and had nowhere near as much sweat. That was expected of a unicorn, who could cast cooling charms and spells to beat the heat.

Both sat in silence for a moment letting the heat that seemed to invade their core dissipate in the cooling shade of the room. They fancied they could almost hear the sun’s fury bouncing off the desert sands outside the run-down saloon. Or was it an inn? Neither could care less at that moment. The only thing that preoccupied their minds was getting cool and staying away from that natural furnace outside.

The unicorn turned to the camel behind the bar. “Two glasses of water, please.”

The camel nodded his head and proceeded to get some glasses from the cupboard behind him before opening a faucet with an ear-grinding squeak. The water dribbled out slowly as he placed the cups underneath.

“Well, we’re ahead of time,” the pegasus intoned looking at the windup clock on the far wall.

“Sonic, that clock’s probably not been wound in years. Even I can tell that from here.”

“Well, at least we’re here before-”

“Your guests have already arrived. They are waiting for you upstairs,” the camel interjected before Sonic could finish his statement and placed the two drinks on the table. The water was a brownish color, and warm. Really warm.

“And pop goes my ego,” the pegasus sang out sarcastically before grabbing his glass and downing the contents in one gulp. “Yech. This water tastes like…”

“You shouldn’t complain. This is the only water for miles ‘round,” the camel stated before Sonic could continue. “We salvaged this drying oasis for this reason.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” Sonic muttered and grabbed his gear before heading towards the staircase.

“It is interesting. I have never seen ponies myself, but today there is a whole bunch of you,” the camel stated. “But your kind rarely venture this far away from your borders. You have come to the very edge of the Known Lands. Even our kind does not know what lies beyond those dunes. You’re going to places where very few, if any, of our kind have returned from.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the pegasus insisted and continued on his way.

The camel smirked. “Oh, I’m not worried. Just… amused.”

The wooden steps creaked and groaned as the two made their way up.

“Hurry up, Static!” Sonic moaned. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we can head home!”

The unicorn, however, was staring at the stairs in deep interest. He seemed to be examining it quite thoroughly. He took out a notepad and scribbled something on it before pocketing it and continuing after Sonic.

Upon reaching the first floor landing, they spotted several ponies in full armor with their hooves on their blades. Sonic didn’t even flinch as he walked into their midst. The unicorn lagged behind for a second before following with a slight frown on his lips.

“What’s wrong?” Sonic asked.

“Wood.”

“Yeah? So?” The pegasus stomped the floor. “It’s wood. So what?”

Static sighed. “Do you not use your head, or do you just have nothing in there?”

“Hey, thinking is your job, not mine.”

“Wood, Sonic. There’s wood here. Look around you. Do you see any trees? Have we seen any trees since we left Zebrica?” Static shook his head. He looked at Sonic who looked a the wood with a bemused expression. The unicorn sighed and shook his head. “Nevermind.”

As the two reached the upper landing, they rounded the corner and saw two dogs lying in front of a door. No, not dogs. Wolves. Silvers. Over the recent months, these guys had helped maintain order in the newly annexed protectorate. Both Sonic and Static had served several missions in that area, usually hunting down deserters from the border town of Almaty where a large number of Border Guards were found to have been involved with the slave trade; no trial, or courts - they had a list, and the ponies on it were to… quietly disappear. Apparently it was better off having these ponies declared as KIA rather than expose the truth of their involvement in the slave trade.

Surprisingly, there were also a number of Watu standing concealed in the shadows of the doorways towards the end of the hall. Their masks unmistakable as they eyed the two Guards making their way along the corridor. These guys were different from the ones they worked with in the still unnamed annexed area. They seemed tougher.

The higher-ups had been very quiet about that part to the public. On top of that, there were rumors of a small army that had helped clear out the slavers and their thugs from within. The Watu, as they were known. Still, there was an even crazier rumor about a single Border Guard causing the annexation. Static and Sonic would have known better than to believe such an outrageous claim, but they also knew that if something like that should ever happen, if something so incredible were to occur, if an impossibility like that were to take place, then he would have to be involved somehow.

Few ponies from his class had seen Semper since the graduation ceremony. Static could still remember the moment he let the door shut behind him at the barracks. It was common knowledge that he had gone somewhere far away, and apparently a drunken Glitter had spilled a little too much information one night. After that, Glitter had been called into Ruby’s office and there was a lot of shouting going on, from what the rumors were saying. Those who overheard bits of the conversation commented on how ruthless Ruby was. Ever since, anypony who asked Glitter to elaborate on her drunken speech had been met with a stonewall.

It was a surprise when this particular mission was posted asking for volunteers. Static jumped at the opportunity to take part in this mission, he had always wanted to get away from superiors he just could not stand, and Sonic got himself volunteered for failing his last mission, which he kept saying wasn’t his fault. The description was so ridiculous and obscure, and also had the highest rating of danger. Four black circles meant that it was excessively dangerous, a marking system that had been used since the formation of the Guard when reading and writing were only kept with the privileged. Still, that was one less from the most dangerous mission that a small group could take. Any higher would be asking for entire squads volunteering, a rarity in this day and age. What really made Static interested was the fact that it only asked for two volunteers, instead of the usual five.

So what did that mean? As for the mission itself, it was to drop off a certain old tome at a location, that will be disclosed to the volunteers, and await further orders. There were a few others who wanted to go on this mission, but backed out when they found out where they had to go. It wasn’t that startling. Getting this far alive would have been a feat unattainable by anyone less than the hardiest of Guards. Static wanted to test himself, wanted to see if he had what it took to venture this far. Despite the annexation, there were still slavers and bandits waiting behind the dunes.

After volunteering and accepting the mission, Static decided to stop by Baltimare to spend some time with his family. Two days just to catch up on everything. After that, he took the ferry across Horseshoe Bay. Leaving late at night, he reached the other shore by early morning and headed towards the first rendezvous point. He was surprised to see Sonic already there, and they spent the day catching up on things and talking about their missions. Sonic kept going on about how he had followed a superior’s order, which led to an accident. A very expensive one at that. Instead of owning up to his mistake, Sonic was blamed and ordered to keep his mouth shut. Which he did, following orders. It was only much later that he was given the all-clear, and his superior was suspended for falsifying a report. Still, he had been volunteered, and after understanding the amount of freedom this mission involved, decided to stay with it.

That was Sonic. He never thought about the consequences. He did not understand just how dangerous this mission was. Still, it was good to see him.

The next day, a group of Royal Guards escorting a rather sizeable carriage, brought the tome. The tome, was not what the escort was for. They were protecting what was inside the carriage, a special gift that had been taken all across Equestria. Unicorns were putting their magic into it in hopes of breaking a powerful sealing spell. It looked like an egg. Static knew this because he had tried opening it a few times. The origins of the egg were kept classified, but it’s timing, so close to the annexation, pretty much removed any doubt. Of course Canterlot’s Magic Council were very fearful and excited about what it was. This led to quite the commotion in Canterlot. Whatever the case, it was in the care of the Royal Guard now, much to the dismay and annoyance of the High Council, who believed it was a weapon that could be used.

The Royal Guards that had come with the egg-shaped artifact handed over the tome in a leather saddlebag. Static had signed the few notes confirming the exchange before Sonic and himself boarded a Border Guard airship heading south. They were going to fly over the Badlands (they weren’t so bad anymore), and towards the southern border of Equestria. They avoided heading towards Almaty, as the Zebricans and the Border Guards over there were still hunting pockets of malcontents and slave traders who were still at large.

Getting into Zebrica itself wasn’t that much of a problem, but getting through it provided to be a pain. The airship captains refused to venture further into Zebrican airspace for fear that the newly created treaty might get affected. The Zebrican culture did not readily accept most ‘conveniences’ that Equestrians were used to. This included airships. Still, it was interesting and the group of young males who led them were kind and curious. After a week of walking through the dense forests they came to the border of the green lush vegetation of the Zebrican area and the vast expanse of sand that marked the Camel’s territory. Even then, only the parts nearest to Zebrica were in fact populated. Few dared visit areas beyond a day or two out, and none lived out there.

Well, not none. But a number hardly worth thinking about.

“You are Border Guards?” a voice asked quietly as one of the Watu stepped out of the shadows.

“We’re here to deliver something,” Sonic blurted.

Static wanted to smash the pegasus’ skull into the ground.

The Watu giggled. “It seems that you’re either very foolish, or very confident in yourself.”

“I’ve been told I’m both!” Sonic boasted, missing the insult -- or ignoring it.

That seemed to amuse the Watu even more. “Fear not. We’ve been expecting you.”

She made a sign to the wolves and they nodded. Standing on their hind legs, they push two large heavy wooden doors open and stood aside as the three ponies entered a large antechamber.

“Wait here for a moment,” the Watu stated before going towards a large door at the opposite end of the room.

“I’m surprised. Didn’t expect such a large room. From outside, it looks like this place was nothing more than a shack,” Static said gazing upwards. It wasn’t fancy, but it was far more than what was expected. There was faded red paint along the ceiling, and the golden hue that outlined the edges of the woodwork had vanished. “And all this wood. I don’t get it.”

“Maybe an airship crashed here? Kinda looks like an airship, don’t it? One of them big ones,” Sonic suggested pointing to a circular window on one side.

“Could be. There’s also a strong presence of magic here. Illusion magic, but very strong,” Static answered. “It’s all over the building. I think that’s why the place looked so pathetic from the outside and half buried by a dune. The dune must be fake. We’re inside it.”

Sonic nodded. “Sure, I can buy that. But can camels produce that much magic?”

“There are many powerful magic users. Camel Magi aren’t to be ignored.”

“You mean those guys that use sticks?”

“Wands. Not sticks.” Static turned to Sonic. “You better stop this arrogant attitude. It’ll get you killed out here.”

“Arrogant attitude? Me? Hey! It’s not my fault that we’re better than them! Why can’t I say it how it is? I’m not being arrogant just for stating the truth.”

“First of all, we’re not better than anypony- anyone outside or inside our borders. Understand? Secondly, there have been Magi that have defeated some of our strongest Guards, so keep that in mind and start using your head.”

Sonic made a face. “Really? They’re that strong?”

“Yes.”

“Then why the sticks?”

“Wands!” Static shook his head. “It’s because they don’t have a natural way of casting magic like we do. We have our horns.”

“I like calling them sticks,” Sonic muttered quietly.

Static felt the blood in his veins boiling up. He was about to say something when they both heard the door open up.

“Come,” the Watu called and stood aside.

The two entered the room. It was a lot smaller than the room they came in from, but here there were five other creatures already waiting. One was a camel, who was smoking a large water-pipe next to a half-open window. The pipe was on a table, and at the other end was a mare who looked tired and worn out. The third being was a pony and he stood over near the piano overlooking a sandy wasteland to the south. Next to him or her, on a severely out of tune piano was a Watu with a mask on. Finally, next to the mare sitting down was a rhino, whose horn looked as if it had been broken off.

“Please hand the tome over to the camel,” the Watu nearest to them said, gesturing with her hoof towards the pipe-smoking individual.

Sonic offered his hoof to Static, who placed the ancient book into it. Static watched as the pegasus made his way to the camel where he gently placed it on the table next to the pipe and flew back to Static’s side. The camel immediately opened the first page and began to read.

“Well, that was interesting, so long!” Sonic announced and turned to go.

“And where do you think you’re going?” the camel asked.

“Us? Well, back to Equestria. Where else would we go? Our mission is done.”

That camel laughed. “Come, come. Don’t be foolish. You really think that this mission would have been rated Four Black if you simply had to drop this off here? We wouldn’t have even bothered asking for Guards in that case.”

Static’s brow raised itself. How did a camel know the mission rating system of the Border Guard? It wasn’t the most secret of things, but still. He looked around. Perhaps one of the other ponies informed him.

“So, the part of ‘await further orders means that we under your command now?” Sonic asked, his eyebrow raising a little.

“Actually, no. You’re under his command,” the camel said pointing to the stallion gazing out the window.

At once the two Guards turned to face the unknown pony. Slowly, the stallion turned revealing a very different mask as he walked over towards them. None made a sound as he stood next to the mare opposite the camel and removed the mask, placing it gently on the table with the water pipe.

There was a long moment of stunned silence before Sonic broke it. “Well, today’s just full of surprises!”

“S-Semper?” Static whispered, as if speaking his name would make his disappear.

“He’s here at my request,” the mare spoke. “My name is Providence. Several months ago, Semper here saved me from being a slave and, despite all that I owe him, he has agreed to come with me on my little… excursion. He said he would do it, but because of what happened in Freeport, he needed full autonomy. The only way we could do that was by making this an official mission. That is what you’ve actually volunteered for. In order to get that permission-”

A look from Semper made her stop.

“You know that newly annexed area?” Providence began.

“Yeah,” Sonic replied when Static did not. “What about it?”

“He did it. He did the whole thing. The reason why it’s now part of Equestria is because of him. The fact that you don’t know that means the High Council still doesn’t want ponies to know about Semper or what actually went on there. Do you know why?”

“You’re not loyal to Equestria proper. You’re loyal to… him,” Static looked at Semper.

The camel nodded. “The unicorn is intelligent. I could tell the moment he walked in. The pegasi… perhaps isn’t the sharpest, but he does have heart. And bravery. Yes, the Watu are fiercely loyal to Semper, as is the Silver Moon.”

“Wait!” Sonic shouted interrupting any further conversation. “What do you mean ‘isn’t the sharpest’?”

“Still harping on that point? You’ve given truth to my statement quite excellently,” the camel said as he smiled.

“What? Hey, isn’t strength important? I’m the fastest flier in all Equestria, you can even ask them Wonderbolts! Ran circles around them the last time I was in Cloudsdale. They even asked if I wanted to join, but it isn’t for me. I belong out here.”

“They asked you to join as their clown and mascot,” Static muttered. “It was all over the bulletin back at barracks.”

“Shaddap!” Sonic made a face. “There’s no way I was goin’ to be the clown of some show.”

“You might change your mind when you realize where we’re going,” the camel warned.

Providence waved her hoof. “Never mind that for now. First, let’s all just introduce us. As you know, I’m Providence. I’m the one who brainstormed this little expedition. Over there, the mare who led you inside, her name is Raze. She doesn’t remember her real name. Over by the piano is Torment, he can’t speak -- apparently he had his tongue cut out for talking too much.”

“Sounds like a remedy for you, Sonic,” Static said quietly.

The pegasus grunted a laugh, but turned to look at the masked equine. He was staring at him from behind the mask. Sonic could feel his eyes boring into his skull.

“This camel’s name is Pani, he has… been involved with Semper before. Then there’s Semper, whom I take it you already know.”

“Indeed. Sir.”

The stallion nodded once in greetings.

“It has been quite a while.”

Again the affirming nod.

“Remember me?” Sonic asked, literally shoving his face in front of Static’s.

Semper nodded a third time.

“It’s good to see you too!” Sonic rolled his eyes. “What about the other Watu? And the dogs?”

“Not all of them are coming with us. The Silvers will be heading back along with the regular Watu. All the Watu that are coming with us are Elites.”

“Elites?” Static shook his head. “You certainly attract them,” the unicorn said to Semper. “Like moths to a flame. You drew us to you, now you draw others. So, you are making the Elites come with us? Guess the camel was right. They’re loyal to you and not Equestria. No wonder the High Council made you disappear.”

“Made him disappear?” Sonic asked.

“Why else would we hear nothing of the one stallion that topped our class?” Static countered. “They sent him on who-knows what missions.”

“Okay, okay. Enough of that. Let’s get back to the task at hoof. We’re all here for the same thing. We’re all here to change our fate,” Providence stated. “I don’t know if you’re familiar with the infamous narcotic that was supposed to be in the brief for this mission, but we have no choice. If we don’t find a substitute, the narcotic will cause severe withdrawals and we’ll die. We’ve already lost almost all the Elites because of this.”

“Almost all?”

“The few here are all that remain. If there’s a chance we can free ourselves of this addiction, then we can go back to living normal lives!” Providence yelled, slamming her hoof on the table. “I have to get back home! I have to go to my daughter!”

“Why don’t you just go now?” Sonic asked.

The mare glared at the pegasus, but her expression calmed when she took a moment to take a breath. “She won’t recognize me. I’ve changed since I was injected with… that poison.”

“Changed?”

The mare sighed sadly. “Yes. Changed.”

“The narcotic is based on a Zebrican potion used to ease pain for individuals who have met with an irrecoverable tragedy,” Pani answered, sparing Providence the need to answer. “It’s originally meant to put a creature to sleep and over a short period of time, shut down a body’s basic functions. Essentially peacefully allowing them to slip away. However, from what I understand, and from what we learnt from the Zebrican tribe that Semper had helped, they managed to mix the substance with another potion, which reversed the effect.”

“What do you mean?”

“Instead of a slow, peaceful death, they would have a… ‘fast’, painful life. The strain the narcotic takes on the body is intense. If the Elites don’t get their dose of the narcotic, their bodies start to go into… a frenzy. They die from exhaustion at best, exploding organs at worst. Depends on how much of the narcotic is left within the system at the time. The more of the drug, the less likely they are to have exploding hearts. Essentially, it forces those who have tasted the narcotic to continue to do so in order to stay alive.”

“And by controlling its manufacture and recipe, you can control an army,” Static mumbled.

Providence looked down. “It also has a number of side-effects.”

“There is a drastic shift in how the brain functions. Memory loss is a known side-effect, but unlike various types of memory loss, this somehow changes… everything. The very being of a pony.”

“What do you mean?” Static asked, not sure what Pani was alluding to.

“It changes who you are at the very core, right down to your symbols.”

“It changes Cutie Marks?” Sonic asked. “Is that even possible?”

“There are a lot of things we don’t understand,” Static stated looking at Providence. “This is terrible. A change in the Cutie Mark signifies a change in a pony’s being. I mean… I got mine and knew that I wanted to be a Guard. It essentially defines our fate, signifying what we excel at. The very thought of it is… ridiculous! Where’s the evidence?”

Providence stood up and turned to the side to reveal her Cutie Mark. It had faded quite considerably. Static walked over and inspected it closer. When satisfied he shook his head and gave a weak laugh.

“Changes your fate, huh? What have I got myself into?”

“If we can’t flush this narcotic out of our system, then perhaps changing our own fates might help purge it instead.”

They all turned to Raze.

“We have tried everything, but the only thing that helps is that potion Zecora helped create.”

“Zecora?” Static asked.

“Long story. She’s essentially the catalyst that cause Semper to board the Eleonora.”

Even Sonic knew what the Eleonora was.

“Anyway, with this potion we are able to slow down the effects of the narcotic, but… it doesn’t stop nor prevent the inevitable.” Raze looked at her hooves. “It’s only a matter of time before our own bodies will just shut down.”

“So… you’re on a time limit, then?” Sonic asked. Although it sounded callous, Static knew that he was being meaningful.

Raze nodded. “You could say that.”

“And that is why we’ve asked for this tome,” Pani interjected. “If we can puzzle out where this thing is, we can help these poor, unfortunate souls!”

“This ‘thing’?” Static asked.

“Poor unfortunate souls?” Raze asked.

“Puzzles?” Sonic asked.

That made Static groan and smack the pegasus upside the head.

“What is this ‘thing’? And where do we go about finding it?” Static asked.

“It’s called, in my native tongue, Bhāgya kē Pat'thara. In your tongue, it roughly translates to the Stone of the Fates.”

“Stone?” Static asked.

“Yes. It is a stone that supposedly can change the fate of those who,” Pani picked up another tome and turned to a certain page, “I am translating here so it might be off slightly, ‘change the fabric of those who are exposed to it and, insomuch as to those that they deeply adore, change the fates of those loved as well’.”

“What does that mean?” Sonic turned to the camel. “I don’t get it.”

“It means it also changes the lives of those closest to you,” Static replied.

“Correct! Very good. Now, the problem is that this stone is hidden beyond the Known Lands for both our kingdoms, and little information was available from our Magi library in Camelot.” Pani smiled at Static’s face. “Think of it! A stone that can change the fate of those that look upon it. For better or worse.”

“Isn’t that irresponsible? What gives somepony the right to alter another pony’s fate?” Sonic met Static’s eyes. “That’s wrong.”

The unicorn nodded. “He does have a point.”

“And that’s because you don’t know how bad this narcotic is,” Providence shouted, slamming her hoof on the table and standing up. Pani had just enough time to make sure his water pipe did not tip over by placing his toe on the top, but the coal burnt him and he yelped before placing it in his mouth.

“How bad is it? That part out of the brief was left out. This is the first time I’ve heard of a narcotic like that. You?”

Sonic shook his head. “I’ve been dealing with cultists in the north. This is the first time I’ve ventured south. I don’t know anything about all this. The Watu were talked about a lot, mostly with what to do with them, but that’s about all I know. First time in the desert too.”

“I can see that,” Pani replied. “Your dress is testament to it. You should wear white flowing robes to ward off the heat.”

“You mean like what you camels wear? You want me to wear a dress?”

“Don’t mind him, he’s an idiot,” Static cut in giving Sonic a warning with his eyes.

Pani laughed. “Oh, I don’t mind. That is actually quite common for ponies to say. Seeing is believing, or in this case feeling. You’ll see.”

“Doubt it,” Sonic muttered and took a seat on a nearby chair. “So, now what?”

“Well, I was hoping that you’d help me solve this riddle.”

Sonic snorted. “Me? Well, you’ve asked the right-”

“He means me,” Static again cut in. “You can barely take off your Peytral without any help. So we’re going treasure hunting?”

“You could say that. Yes,” the camel replied.

Sonic laughed out loud at that. “Whoah, whoah, whoah. Static, no offense and all, but we’re just supposed to go along with this? These are Watu, Static! Watu! They’ve killed many of our kind! We can’t just go about trusting them. Also, well, we’re Guards! We have to take orders from a Guard, not camels or… dogs! And they’re the only ones that I can see around here. So, unless you can make a superior magically appear, then I suggest you keep your nonsense to yourselves and get out of our way. Static might be willing to help you, but I’m not, and I’m not about to just leave him here. Who knows what you’d all do?”

Static looked at Sonic, “What are you talking about? Semper’s here.”

The pegasus looked at the stallion in question. “So what? What gives him the right to tell us what to do?”

The stallion removed the cloak and let it drop to the floor. At once, both stallions stood at attention. Even Sonic could not miss the stripes on the peytral.

“First Sergeant? H-how?” Sonic whimpered, unable to believe what he saw.

Providence smiled. “I don’t know much about ranks in the Guard, but apparently that’s quite a leap.”

“Quite a leap? That’s an understatement. It must be the Council. They don’t want Equestria to know that Semper did this on his own. And they must also be afraid of the Watu’s and Silver’s loyalties to Semper.”

“That’s not all that’s changed.” Static looked at Semper, his eyes narrowing. “Didn’t you have a crossbow for a Mark?”

“Yes,” Semper replied, his voice deep and strong.

“I see it’s still there. When’d you get the others?” Sonic asked moving closer to the stallion to get a better look. Nifty sword you got there.”

“The sword, I earned on a ship. The other, outside of Canterlot.”

“Canterlot?” Static asked. “How does your Cutie Mark change? Is that even possible? Were you exposed to this stone? I’m so confused! What did you do to get a spear in Canterlot?”

Semper turned his head away, but did not respond. Providence looked down at the floor. It was not her place to tell.

Mission 7, Part 6: Night Ride

Again she felt it pull.

It pulled.

And pulled.

And pulled.

Rarity stopped and looked up at her horn as best she could. “What is going on?” she whispered to herself and touched it. She shrugged when it didn’t react and started on her next concept. The frills were elegantly laid out, but was missing something along the edges. Something that, despite her experience and taste, she could not resolve. Something was missing. But then again, she didn’t have much time to relax and let her mind explore the possibilities. The school play was just around the corner and she needed to get everything ready before then.

She placed the cloth in her sewing machine, placed the needle over the part she needed to, and pressed her hoof down. Again the sensation pulled, but this time it was much stronger than before. It actually jerked her head to the side.

She blinked in shock.

“Okay?” she asked herself slowly, a little freaked out. Slowly, she turned her head back and faced her sewing machine. Perhaps it was a reaction to the cloth she was using. She touched it, apprehensively at first, but she had handled this type many times before with nothing. After a few more moments, she shrugged and resumed her work.

Then it pulled her hard enough to move her entire body. It was as if someone were pulling her towards something. But it didn’t hurt. It was annoying, but it didn’t cause any pain. She had been pulled on the horn before, the feeling more unpleasant than being pulled by the mane. In fact, she couldn’t explain it, but it felt ‘right’, and that she shouldn’t be scared or worried. That was why she didn’t call out for her parents. That why she didn’t shout out when it pulled her again. The only feeling she felt was annoyance. Annoyance over the fact that she could not concentrate on her work.

Then it pulled her and did not stop. It pulled her right towards her bedroom door. She tried to resist, but it was adamant. She hesitantly reached for the door handle and opened it. The feeling flooded through her and she found herself making her way to the kitchen backdoor. Once there, it waited.

“Well,” Rarity sighed, “I suppose that, if you’re so insistent, then I will humor you.”

When she opened, she almost flew outside and towards the distance.

“Be safe, deary!” she heard her mother call in a sing-song voice from the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Rarity growled under her breath as she felt herself being pulled away from her work and her costumes.

The funny thing was that she wasn’t scared about what was happening. The only thing that bothered her was how in Equestria was she supposed to finish her work now?

Providence sat on the edge of the peninsula with a glass of water in her hooves. The Silvers, camels, and Elites had built a small fort using loose rocks to raise the edges of their base enough to protect it from dangers all around them. Over the past few days they had built up their make-shift fortress to keep out the denizens of the Caldera’s inhabitants. Already three Elites had been killed. Two from large scorpions, and one from an oversized serpent that they had originally confused for a wyrm.

In the days since Static’s group had split up, Pani and her had been mulling over everything and anything they could trying to understand the puzzle of the tome. They had assigned a few groups of Elites to start exploring a few nearby caves and tunnel systems, but most of them were impassible after a small distance inside. One small group had gone in and had yet to return, and they had to assume they were lost inside a labyrinth of darkness. She hated sending the Elites in like that, but they did not care about themselves. All they wanted was to be of some used to her before their time was up.

How had she done it? It seemed unreal. They certainly followed Semper, but they didn’t stay because of him. They stayed because of her. Something about her unique ordeal with the narcotic made her their sister, aunt, or even mother figure in some cases. They followed her through a mix of loyalty, belief that she could cure them, or just because they had nowhere else to go. They knew that as long as she kept searching, they would have something to do. If it weren’t for that, the alternative was to wait and die in agony.

“Providence,” Pani said and pointed to the tome that Static and Sonic had brought, “what is this image?”

She was genuinely surprised to see that image in there. They had not gotten that far into the ancient book, insisting on understanding and transcribing it page for page in case as opposed to jumping around lest they get unfocused and confused. That, or they might have missed an important clue.

“That’s Nightmare Moon. She’s from an old story we tell our foals to scare them.”

“Ah, yes. A monster that takes them away should they refused to eat their healthy vegetables?” Pani chuckled lightheartedly. “I guess all of us have similar stories like that. Ours is a sand-beast that takes the naughty ones into the desert forever.”

“This one is a little different,” Providence said and looked at the figured. “It’s actually based on fact.”

“It is?”

“According to the story, Nightmare Moon was banished by Princess Celestia a thousand years ago, or something like that. I don’t know how true that part of the story is, seeing that it says that she trapped the mare ‘within the moon’, but it is known that once upon a time this mare existed, lived here on Equestria and that she was Celestia’s sister.”

Pani nodded slowly. “Ah, yes. The Sisters. Our own lore has mention of them as well.”

“Well, there was some trouble, I think to do with jealousy or power, and something happened. History is vague about the specifics, probably because the Princess doesn’t really talk about it. Then, after a point, she was banished. The legend of Nightmare Moon grew to what it has become today.”

“Well, all stories and myths have their origins in truth. Stories tend to get warped or changed over the years.”

“But our Princess is ancient. Most of it is as true as it can be, I suppose. I can’t imagine living for thousands of years.”

“And these symbols here?”

Providence touched the small drawings that bordered the central image of Nightmare Moon. “I suspect that these are supposed to be the Elements of Harmony.”

“The what?”

“The Elements or Harmony. They are something that we have recurring in our ancient history, perhaps even as far back as Equestria’s prehistory. Magical elements of a very strong, very old magic. But after a point they just disappeared from all mention. Also, nopony knows for sure what they are, except perhaps the Princess. The story is that the Princess used these Elements to do the banishing.”

“Interesting. Are these Elements… stone?”

“Dunno. I don’t think any of us do. I’ve never really heard anything more except for the stories I learnt when I was a filly. But what I do know is that they are real. Or were. Powerful magic.”

“If such a powerful tool exists, why would she hide them so far away from her protection?” Pani asked. “That doesn’t fit the hypothesis.”

“Maybe that’s why. To keep them away from her.”

“Why don’t you just ask your princess then?” Pani asked looking down at the tome.

“Oh sure. I could just pop on into the palace and have tea with her while I was at it.”

“You cannot?”

“Um… no. First off, she runs the kingdom and probably doesn’t have time to rehash events that took place so long ago she can barely remember them. Then, even if she did, would she like to think about the period of time that cost her the only family she had. I mean, if her scribes or those closest to her haven’t written public material about it, what chance would she talk to me about them? And that’s all pointless anyway. It would take years for me to get an audience with her, and time isn’t exactly on our side.” She looked at the Elites around her in a sweeping glance to emphasize that point.

“I suppose.”

Providence sighed and looked out the tent flap as it waved lazily in the wind. “We’re out here alone and we have to make do with what we’ve got.”

The old camel nodded slowly. “So, do you believe in these Harmony Elements?”

“If I said yes, would think me crazy?” Providence asked shaking her head and chuckling lightly.

Again, the camel thought about it. “I don’t know. There are many strange things in this world. Would be it stranger to say that I thought you crazy to not believe?”

“Yes, actually.”

The two shared a laugh.

“And you believe that these Harmony Elements are within the Caldera?”

“It stands to logic, yes. I think that’s what’s there. They are ancient and powerful. The Caldera is too convenient of a hiding place to not house them.” Providence looked at the border again. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but it fit. At least to her it fit. “Plus this tome alludes to something about them. I mean, I don’t specifically, just that… it makes sense.”

“But why would they be so far away from your homeland?” Pani asked suddenly. “And how did they end up all the way out here?”

A noise from the front of the tent turned their attention away from their conversation. They saw a small Elite hovering with his wings near the entrance, his body strangely close to the ground, the legs folded in tightly close to his body. The others called him Pointer, but Providence didn’t like the name and had called him ‘Grounder’ only to find out that it was a rather derogatory word for pegasi. She actually had forgotten that and once she was reminded, she immediately changed it to Sandy, since it was a good fit with his light tan fur.

“Enter.”

“’Scuse me, ma’am, but Semper Sir has asked me to bring you out to the wall. He says it’s important.”

“I’ll be right there.” Providence looked at the elderly camel. “I wonder what depressing news he’s got for me this time.”

Pani chuckled lightly. “These lands only bring out the worst in us. But do not be too hard on him, he is here for you after all.”

“And that’s the problem!” Providence shouted and slammed the tome shut. “I just don’t know what to think or do or say or… anything! I… I respect him almost as much as I fear him. And I love him almost as much as I hate him.”

“You love him?”

“No, no. Not like that. No. Just no. I don’t love him in that way. No way. Nuh-uh.” She coughed in her hoof. “I love him because of what he’s done for me. I mean, he didn’t need to help me after he freed me on the…” Providence shuddered as she recalled their fateful meeting, “on that ship. But death follows him wherever he goes. I hate him because of that. He’s the single most dangerous pony here, but I don’t think I’d be comfortable even with the Elites if his presence wasn’t nearby. But at the same time I am really, really afraid of being alone with him too.”

“I can understand.”

“And I mean, I’ve warmed up to some of them, the Elites I mean. But, apart from a few, they mean nothing to me. When they die, I feel nothing. A little sad, but a little sad isn’t what I should feel. I’m getting used to death, and that’s from him! I’ve gotten so used to it that I feel like I’m just not caring anymore.”

“That is a good reason to hate him.”

“But it isn’t fair. I know it isn’t his fault, but I don’t know who else to blame. But if it isn’t his fault, then why should I blame him! Is that fair?”

“You don’t have to be fair. You’ve been through a lot, and I think Semper understands that.”

“But I don’t want to hate him.”

“You cannot help how you feel. I think that, once we have discovered what we need to, it will be best to put this behind you and move on. To forget him.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. But you’re right. When this is over, I’ll move on. I have to,” Providence replied and placed the tome back into her satchel. “Try to put this all behind me and try to forget everything and everypony.”

Both of them walked outside the tent and Sandy bowed awkwardly, his low posture not making the task very easy for him as his legs seemed to try and find the ground. They followed Sandy close behind and it occurred to Providence that something was amiss with the Elite. She looked and noticed that the legs were all wrong. It was then obvious to her and she cursed herself for never noticing.

Once they reached the Wall, a crudely constructed barrier overlooking the edge of the peninsula’s drop-off made in a rush as a precaution against the smaller wyrms, Semper walked over to greet them.

“What is it now?” Providence asked, annoyance evident in her voice. She didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but such was her ire towards the Guard at that moment.

“Skimmers.”

“Are the others on their way back already?” Pani asked surprised.

Semper shook his head. “No. There are too many.”

“Let me see,” Providence demanded and held out her hoof. Semper gave his binoculars and waited silently by her side.

She did not need to be told where the skimmers were. The dust they were kicking up made it very clear. What surprised her were the sheer number of them. Several dozen skimmers, perhaps, and that was what she could make out from her vantage. There were probably more following those.

“Whoah. That’s quite a lot of them. Who are they?”

“Don’t know,” Semper responded in his regular monotone.

“What do they want?”

“Don’t know.”

“Well, what do you know?” Providence asked, the annoyance gaining volume in her voice.

“The formation suggests hostile intent. They are travelling in vanguard formation and–”

“Suggests hostile intent? What do you plan on doing?”

“We will defend this peninsula until the others arrive, or until we find a way through the tunnels.”

“And have we found a way in?”

“No, ma’am,” Semper replied. “The group we sent in to investigate has not returned.”

Providence lowered the binoculars and gave them back to the Guard. “Then why are we having this discussion? For all we know those are fellow explorers looking for the same thing we are. And until we find a way inside, nopony’s going anywhere.” The mare thought for a moment. “Who do you think they are?”

“Don’t know.”

The pegasus closed her eyes fighting her anger. She knew it was unreasonable to be angry at Semper, but she couldn’t help it. Over time she had come to rely on the blue stallion so much that she had caught herself making increasingly difficult demands. It also didn’t help that he always managed to fulfill them. It was like having her own personal one-pony-army, and she was trying her best not to abuse the power. It was literally going to her head. All of it. The Elites, Semper, total compliance from the camels. And they all obeyed her without question – save for Pani, but he was a scholar. She had unwittingly become a leader the old camel was considered her equal. It was strange that. Pani was to his kind as Celestia was to hers: a beloved leader, well respected and loved. And she had his personal conference for herself.

Deep down she abhorred herself for allowing the power to get to her. What made it worse was she knew she was doing it, and that at times she found that she didn’t care. All she wanted was to find the Stone and get her life back. To go home to her daughter. She wanted to believe that was all that it would take. She knew that after this, if she failed, she would have no memories left of her previous life and the Eiltes would be doomed to their fate.

A pang of guilt washed over her when she thought those things. She had a home to go back to, but the Elites did not. They were doing everything in their power for her. She understood it was just an excuse for them to at least do one final act of good because most of them were on a severe time limit. She had already seen many die from going berserk from lack of a powerful enough narcotic to subdue the effects. She had insisted she watch every Elite that had to be put out of their misery to remind her that she was not alone. She remembered all their names. Every single one. She would remember them. Write about them in her stories. Make them remembered. She knew that she would forget, so she wrote them down in her journal. Everything. The date they died, their names, where. All of it.

But it was their screams of anger, pain, and hatred echoed through her brain every time she had a quiet moment to herself. In a way, those prompt executions were a mercy, or at least she told herself that.

But the one thing that she kept seeing were the red eyes of a pony as he held a syringe in front of her face. She relived that moment again and again. She could feel the poison flood her body as the needle sunk in and each time she would awake in cold sweat. She could never fight her tears. On that ship, miles away from Equestria, was where her life truly ended.

“No excuses. Find that cave. Find that passage. Or find me another way inside!” Providence shouted and slammed her hoof down for emphasis. “We don’t have time!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Semper bowed and saluted before turning and trotting away.

“You make for a competent commander,” Pani pointed out watching the Border Guard go. “They all obey you so easily.”

“Please, Pani,” Providence growled refusing to look after the receding figure of the Guard, “I’m finding it hard to deal with myself and my memories slipping away. You don’t know what it’s like slowly losing your life and knowing it’s happening but that there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I have heard snippets. The poison is a terrible thing. I’m old, not deaf, and I cannot relate. But I can see that you have been through a lot with them. And through a lot with him.”

There was truth in those words.

“So, what about our new friends?” Pani asked staring off at the large plumes of sand rising high into the sky. A few skimmers would never raise that much, but this was more than a few. “I am not sure they are here to help us.”

“But why are they here at all?”

“Perhaps they too are after the Stone? After all, if what we’ve discovered is actually true and not mere legend, then their value is worth spilling blood over for some.”

“That goes without saying. The timing of all this points to nothing else. I guess in a way it’s also good for us.”

“Why?”

“It means that we’re in the right place. I think the other Guard hit the nail on the head.”

“The pegasus? Yes. I think you are right. Then I am inclined to agree with Semper. These newcomers are definitely not here on friendly terms.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because I know war, dear. I have fought and seen many die on these sands. The dunes are soaked in the blood of untold scores. They are not here to help you. I know nothing of the tactics of war that you ponies use, but Semper is correct. They are here to fight.”

Providence narrowed her eyes looking at the sheer size of group before her. “And if we’re fighting against that then we’ll need to step up our searches and find a way through the Caldera. And what is that thing?” She asked pointing at a large series of skimmers carrying what looked to be large pipes cut in half on the rear-most series of skimmers. “Something tells me things are going to get really bad really fast.”

“Not a clue. But if their formation signifies their utmost importance. See how they are surrounding it? Perhaps a weapon.”

“I think you’re right. Do you see how many there are?”

“I think it’s time. You must give the order,” Pani said sadly. “You must once more shoulder the burden of leadership. That is now your duty.”

Providence ground her jaw. Pani was, again, correct. She nodded sadly and turned to Sandy. She looked at the Elite in his deep brown eyes. She looked at the setting sun dipping over the horizon. Night was coming. She turned around and looked back at the camp and the Elites that had gathered around her.

“Prepare for battle.”

Sonic was right about the center of the Caldera holding the Stone. He wasn’t smart, but with the skimmer marks on the ground now obvious and gaining more and more note as they travelled, he knew that the others would realize it too. They had missed it because of the sands constant shifting, but as they gained on what was obviously the group, there were a series of tracks that were disturbing, at least to Static.

But his mind was on the map. It showed something very interesting. The reason why they would never find a way through the tunnel was because you had to go down deep down below rim of the Caldera. Common sense would dictate going in as straight a path as they could, but the map the Cultists had was very detailed. There was a series of markings along some of the ways that he didn’t understand, but at one point, deep below the surface, there was a straight path that led right into the center. How had the Cultists got their hooves on something like this? Another questions that Static was trying to puzzle over, but Sonic didn’t care.

But the strange thing was what was in the middle of The Caldera. They didn’t know if it was accurate or just a vague representation, but they would need to get there to see of themselves. It looked like a square, or at least that’s what it looked like from above. The path leading into it was the only markings on the map, the square itself was devoid of any details at all.

Another interesting were the characters written along the sides. Static said that it was something he had never seen before. And neither had Sonic – not that was saying much, he was not a scholar nor part of the Anthropological Exploratory Corps of the Border Guard. That was a group that should have been here. They, who usually spent months away on building friendly ties with other nearby races. They would be the ones better to explore this, not the Border Guard proper. They were different from the Rangers, who took on missions that usually had an end-goal. And this was essentially a Ranger mission.

But then again, Providence would know. Even in their short time together, Static had acknowledged the mare’s insights in Equestrian history. It was as if she herself were more than a mere writer, but an actual member of the Exploratory Corps. The things she knew were far beyond what a mere writer could produce.

Celestia’s sun had long since dipped over the horizon, and they were travelling through the dark. He turned around and looked back to see the others on their vessel. Static talking to Samidra who was hugging the mast and nervously looking in every direction she could, but it was clear she wasn’t really looking. Her fear was bordering on hysteria, and Sonic was glad she was on the other skimmer and not on his.

He smirked and wondered how the unicorn could have so much patient when his eyes spotted something strange. He turned and focused on the area where he had seen it. He rubbed his eyes with his hooves. It looked like a plate rolling across the sand. “What in Tartarus is that thing?”

His skimmer was ahead of Static’s, and he saw the unicorn now standing leaning over the edge and squinting his eyes in the darkness. He spotted what the pegasi was talking about and turned to Samidra and said something to her.

When the camel did see it, the way she wailed sent a cold shiver down his spine. “A scarab!” she screamed. “The lights! Quickly!”

The pegasus’ ability with the wind far exceeded his own unicorn magic and they were pulling further and further away. But the thing that was following them was catching up quickly. As the thing drew closer, Sonic noted that it looked more like a large solid wheel rather than a thin plate. A creature from the desert. A scarab, she had called it.

The creature then seemed to impossibly spin faster and it accelerated towards them in a sudden burst of speed. Sonic, out of reflex, pulled the tiller and swerved away just as the beast was about to reach one of the skimmer’s fragile balancing wings that held the steering sleds.

The scarab made a high-pitched squeal that made them all shudder. The creature wasn’t one to turn sharply, and it took a large curve before angling itself straight towards his skimmer once again.

He looked at Static and saw his horn glowing. It was holding Samidra in a bubble.

“The halo!” she was screaming.

Sonic pried his attention away from the chaos on the other skimmer and pulled on the tiller again, this time forcing the vessel to go almost back the way they came. He pushed with his wings and thrusted them forwards giving a much-needed boost.

The scarab missed them by a wider margin that time, but it only slightly altered its trajectory to head for Static. The unicorn blinked off his spell and spotted swerved in time. His magic was so strong with the wind spell he cast that the skimmer almost tipped too far to one side. Any further, and the wings that held the steering sleds would have broken.

But now they were side by side and Sonic looked over to Static who was staring at Samidra. “You try for that halo and you’ll block the sails! Or you’ll get blown off! Stay down!”

The scarab, now behind them, was spinning in a mad rush to catch up once again. A bolt sang out and it hit the creature in a ball of light. Onslaught made a face.

Static made a sign, something that they had learnt back in training camp. It was the pegasi hoof signs for squadron formations. ‘Split up’, he had signed. Sonic nodded and raised his hoof to acknowledge he understood.

The two skimmers moved apart, the scarab still pursuing them in the middle. Then, it decided that it was easier to go after Sonic’s, and started to close the gap between the two. Perhaps the quarrel from Onslaught’s crossbow had given the scarab a little bit more to think about.

“Load an ice quarrel,” Sonic ordered. When there was no response, he looked at Raze.

“We have a better chance at outrunning that thing then they do with Samidra acting up like that,” she replied.

That was true. They did. He moved further away, then saw that Samidra had calmed down enough for Static to turn his attention towards what was happening. The unicorn noticed Sonic looking right at him. Then his eyes moved to the scarab, then back to his face again. The hoof sign was quick.

Sonic raised his hoof, not bothering to nod. At this distance, the unicorn wouldn’t have been able to see it in the dark.

“What’d he say?” Raze asked.

“Hang on,” Sonic replied, “it would take too long to explain.”

The scarab closed in. Sonic waited. The scarab drew in closer. Sonic waited. The scarab was right behind them. Sonic waited. He waited because he knew it would happen. This creature was smart, but it was still a creature of instinct, or at least he hoped it was. He waited.

Then it surged forwards. Sonic turned and flapped his wings pushing the little boat forwards along the turn at the same time. The creature was so close, that it almost clipped the rear-most part of the sail’s boom. Too close.

A high-pitched squeal again echoed in the night that sounded like a metallic rod being grounded sang out in the night sky as the scarab screamed in anger or frustration as it had once again missed its prey. The sound wasn’t alone this time, and almost all around them the sounds of scarabs echoed in the night.

This time, due to the proximity of their encounter, the momentum of the scarab had carried the creature further off giving Sonic time to put the plan into action. He angled his skimmer towards Static’s with a little propulsion from his natural pegasi ability. He needed to reserve his abilities for now.

Static slowed his skimmer and set his course diagonally estimating the more relevant path as Sonic’s skimmer drew closer and closer.

“Sonic!” Static called, barely able to contain his breath. The hoof sign went up. ‘Ready?’, it asked.

The pegasus nodded. He raised his hoof, again affirming that indeed he was ready.

Using his wings, he forced the wind to fill the sails giving it the momentum he needed to. Each time the surge put his passengers off balance as the skimmer lurched forwards.

“You’re going to crash,” Raze remarked from next to him. It was almost as if she were merely commenting on the weather.

“You’re awfully calm about this,” Sonic replied concentrating on the sail.

“Why wouldn’t I be? If we die, we die. So be it.”

The stallion made a face. In the next few moments they could smash or get crushed, and yet here she was as calm as could be.

“We won’t,” Sonic replied as calm as he could, but the strain on his wings was beginning to show on his face. Then, when he was satisfied at their momentum, he spread his wings as wide as he could and waited. His eyes never left Static’s skimmer, nor the unicorn himself as he had turned over control of his vessel to Tessa who kept on a straight path. Sonic watched as Static moved to the front of the vessel, pushing past Samidra.

It was going to be close.

All this time, the creature behind them was catching up quickly. The speed of its spinning throwing up the sand behind it as it inched closer and closer towards them. Like a living buzz-saw. It was clear that it was not pleased with having missed its potential prey so many times.

In seconds they would cross each other’s’ path. It was very close. Much too close, but Sonic and Static knew it. They felt it. Their training together had given them an innate understanding of their own limitations and how to compensate for their lacking. It went deeper than mere friendship, it was a level of unsaid understanding that neither could explain. It was as if they could feel one another’s presence. As if something were guiding them.

The scarab closed in. Again, it was almost right behind them.

“Raze. Keep her straight!” Sonic said, then inhaled deeply and held his breath as soon as he said the words.

The Elite did as she was asked.

The two skimmers were coming in closer. Sonic glanced over to Tessa who held the rudder straight and closed her eyes. Samidra had slouched into the inner area of the vessel. The scarab was so close, but the momentum was fast enough that, even at its fastest speed, they were able to keep just head of it, but were steadily slowing down.

Then sonic knelt and pushed as hard as he could. The upward blast of air pulled the skimmer not only forwards, but upwards as well, sending the vessel momentarily into the sky. There was no chance that the scarab could close the distance with that much wind power and frictionless movement through the way. But it wasn’t so that they could get away from it.

Sonic did it to get away from him. To get away from the unicorn glowing at the end of the other skimmer.

The scarab did not notice as Static’s skimmer was almost by its side. That was how close he needed to be. Static’s horn flared to life, the magic he had stored had steadily grown in his horn and body.

That was something that the unicorn learned to do at the Magic Academy where unicorn Guards went to learn how to hone their powers. Water, earth, and other magical-based attacks and defenses were explored and the most optimal training regime for each was selected. After that, each unicorn was expected to improve their own personal abilities alone. This was where Static learned he had a unique power. A power that, for reasons he did not quite understand himself, he kept a hidden from his superiors at his own volition. Maybe Static wanted to keep it a secret because he wasn’t sure what his superiors would say if they found out what he could do. One thing he did not want was to suddenly be reassigned to the Royal Guard, which he had seen being done to others that showed extreme promise. But not just any Guard, but the crème-de-le-crème of Guards. The Solar Guard. The Border Guard, it seemed, did not need unicorns that were capable of excessive strength and power.

At the time Static thought himself crazy. Why would he turn down such a prestigious title? To earn a rank within the Solar Guard was every Guard’s dream, whether in the Royal or Border Guard. To get the peytral emblazoned with Princess Celestia’s very own Mark in the center symbolizing herself and her graceful majesty.

Plus, the pay was not something one could overlook, and many families of the Solar Guard have propelled themselves into the upper echelons of society. No pony in their right mind would refuse that. Yet Static did not care for bits. He did not care for fame. He never liked the attention. He did not want to join the Royal Guard. He was a Border Guard through and through. He owed them. It was the Border Guard that had fought and died for his life when he was a young colt living on the frontier. He had always wanted to be in the Border Guard. It was where he belonged.

It was where he could truly be free. His family, more than well off, never appreciated him. He absolutely despised the way they abused their power and prestige in Canterlot. When he had announced that he was to join the Border, not they Royal, Guard, his father threatened to disown him. A promise that he had fulfilled. Strange that it actually made Static happy to know that.

But the magic in his body, the way he had the ability to internally grow the potential might of his internal spell, was his ultimate skill. Yes, it took time to generate the strength, and the longer he concentrated, the stronger the spell got. One spell, but that was all that he needed. Too long, and he was pass out, the magic dissipating instantly. But he had practiced it. A little. But never this much power, and he could already see his vision wavering. It was now. Right now.

Sonic’s vessel had whizzed by. Static pointed his horn straight ahead and closed his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he released his power.

There was flash followed by a deafening crack as a bolt of yellow-red lightning surged through Static’s horn engulfing it in a bright flame-like light. In the next instant, there was a resounding crash as a bolt of lightning smashed into the scarab’s side – and out the other.

The skimmer jolted backwards and turned around, spinning half a circuit before come to a dead stop almost capsizing as it hit the scarab’s deep tracks in the sand behind it.

The scarab moaned a sound that sounded like a rusted cage being opened. It continued for a bit before falling to its side and spreading it body out revealing its interiors, huge mandibles, numerous legs with large talon-like spikes at the end, and two huge pincers that it had used to cover the sides while it was spinning. But what drew Static’s focus were the large blue eyes that stared lifelessly into nothing. Those huge things were strategically fit in a circular mold in the scarab’s claw. It had collapsed in a heap, smoke emanating from the corpse followed by the rancid smell of cooked flesh filling the air. It didn’t even shudder. It was completely, utterly dead.

“Wha-what was that?” Tessa asked staring at Static with her eyes wide open.

“Heavy hitter,” Static replied without looking at her inhaling copious amounts of air.

She didn’t know quite what he meant by that, but she didn’t press the matter. She was just glad that the danger had passed for now. Very glad indeed.

“Can you do it again?” Onslaught asked, the sounds of the other scarabs closing in.

Static shook his head. “’Fraid not. Too much… too much power. Besides,” he looked at her and caught his breath, “if the body of the wyrm is anything to go by, I think we’ll be safe for a while. Let’s move before the other creatures get here and the feeding frenzy begins.”