Chapters Chapter 1: Hope in the Darkest Times
Chapter 1: Hope in the Darkest of Times
Abandoned by society, lost after running away from a home he can’t even remember, hungry from a meal lost in time, Silvershot wanders the Everfree Forest in search of a sign of life that he didn’t have to fight against. The dirt beneath him stabs him with pain as he hasn’t stopped walking for over a hundred days and nights. Every turn, a new danger comes. He can’t remember anything from his past. The beating sun of the day beats his skin with hot rays. His mind slowly becomes uncooperative with his body. Silvershot’s power to even stay awake crumbles with each passing second. His hoof slips under him and he falls face first into the mud of the Everfree forest.
His eyes slowly closed, and he feels the cold touch of death reaching him. His muscles no longer tensed up from aching so much, his stomach ceased to growl with hunger, and his mouth stopped aching with thirst. Silvershot had given up on living until a glimpse of hope saved him. His hope wasn't what he expected, but it was a sure sign.
A screaming filly, the sound of help, told Silvershot to stay alive just a little longer. Silvershot couldn’t die with the thought in his head that he couldn’t save a life. He mustered the last of his strength and used it to gallop towards the screaming filly.
Silvershot stopped himself when he found the filly in distress. An angry bear was confronting the innocent and scared filly, who had a vibrant red mane and tail and a pink bow. The filly’s body was frozen in fear of the bear. She was so scared, all she could do was scream into the empty sky. Silvershot stood in front of the scared filly and planted his hooves into the ground.
“Get out of here!” he said to the filly. “I’ll distract the bear so you can escape."
“How can you fight that bear, sir?” the filly asked Silvershot.
“It doesn’t matter how, as long as you are okay. Now run home!”
The filly took a step, but the frightening bear’s roar made her legs go stiff. The bear, now more furious than ever since Silvershot stepped in to protect the filly, used his deadly claws to attack. Silvershot used his own foreleg to defend himself and the filly. The claws made three even gashes across Silvershot’s leg. He kept his injured leg from touching the ground, trying to keep his balance.
“Go, now!” Silvershot commanded the filly.
The filly’s fear washed away as she witnessed his bravery, and she galloped away as fast as her little legs could. Silvershot kept his eyes on the filly to make sure she got away safely. He suddenly learned that it wasn’t the wisest choice to look away from a battle, as he turned back to the bear to find a very sharp claw coming at him. His hind leg was cut, and he fell to the ground from his inability to stand.
Silvershot saw the bear looming over him and he braces for the coup de grâce to happen. He opened his eyes to see that help had arrived. A pony with an orange coat and a beautiful blonde mane had come to his rescue. The savior bucked the bear in the stomach, and it only took one kick to convince the bear to leave. Silvershot could finally rest in peace; at least long enough to sleep.
His slumber was the most peaceful he had ever had in his whole pony life. His pain washed away, his earthly needs were filled, and his mind recovered to a stable mental state. As time passed, he found out that everypony has to wake up from a blissful sleep. He blinked his eyes open and woke up from a sleep well worth paying his weight back in bits. He pulled himself upright and looked around. The same pony that saved him and the filly he protected stood at the foot of the bed that he lay upon. Hoping he was not dead, they stayed at the food of the bed for hours to make sure he was okay. The ponies were happy that their hero would live another day.
“Hmmm…,” Silvershot moaned in pain. “Thanks for the help.”
“It was not a problem,” the pony said to Silvershot. She had one mighty accent. “I should be thanking you. You protected ma sister with your life. You could've died. This here is Applebloom.”
Silvershot looked at the filly and acknowledged her name. It was a cute name that he liked.
“It is a very nice name. My name is Silvershot,” he greeted Applebloom. He turned back to the older pony. “Don’t mind me asking, but, what is your name?”
“You may ask. Ma name is Applejack and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Silvershot.”
“Can I ask you something?” Applebloom asked Silvershot as she hopped onto his bed.
“What is it?”
“Where did you come from? Where do you live?”
Those questions Applebloom asked him had been the same questions that had eluded him for days. He couldn’t remember where he came from, who his family and friends were, and ultimately his own self. During his travels in the Everfree forest, the only thing he could clearly remember was his name. If he ever lost his name, it would be like dropping his soul. The grey maned Silvershot admitted to Applejack and Applebloom that he couldn’t remember anything about himself. He was just happy that some ponies came to his rescue before he almost died.
He discovered a tight sensation around his legs that had been annoying him the entire time he had been awake. When he looked down at his legs, he saw that they were wrapped in medical bandages in a professional fashion. The bandages had been stained with blood; his own blood. He hid his legs shyly under the covers of the bed.
“What's got you riled up?” Applejack asked
“You patched my legs up,” Silvershot muttered. “You didn't have to do that.”
“Of course I do. I owe you for saving ma sister. I want to help you remember your past, it's the least I can do. If you'd like, we can look at your cutie mark. Maybe that would help.”
Silvershot had forgotten what a cutie mark was. The sound of a “cutie mark” sounded ridiculous to him. Applebloom, being a Cutie Mark Crusader, explained to him what a cutie mark was. A cutie mark was a marking on a pony’s flank that told what his or her special talent was. This special talent set the pony apart from any other alive. Having the cutie mark as a possible identity card for him, he pulled the covers off. Silvershot got off the soft chicken feathered bed to look at his cutie mark. He thought that nothing would be there because he did not even know that a cutie mark exists. He didn’t even care what was on his flank until Applebloom explained the details to him. He turned his neck to see his flank and saw a silver star. His head hurt with a minor pain but it vanished just as fast as it appeared. He looked at his flank again to see the cutie mark. The silver star had four points in it and a hollowed out hole in its center.
“I wonder what a silver star means?” Silvershot said out loud.
“I don’t have the slightest idea, but I know a special pony who can help,” Applejack said, coming up with an idea. “Can you walk?”
He thought he couldn’t even walk since his legs were bandaged up so tightly. His knees soared with pain whenever he walked, but he said that he was going to be okay. Applejack told Applebloom to stay home, as she left with Silvershot. The two stepped down a flight of stairs and left Applejack's house. He saw the majestic and enormous Sweet Apple Acres as he stepped through the front door. The apple farm is huge for a farm and delectable apples hung from trees. Silvershot couldn’t help but stare at the scenery. Applejack told him that the Apple family had been selling apples all over Equestria. She, along with her brother Big Macintosh, had been picking apples for the majority of their lives.
Silvershot didn’t remember if he had ever worked as hard as she does. All he could do was stare in awe at the apple farm. The two walked down a dirt road to the Sweet Apple Acres sign and down another road into town.
“So, where are we again?” his curiosity speaking for him.
“We are in Ponyville, one of the nicest towns in all of Equestria. If you lived here, you would love it too,” she replied. She smiled at him when she complimented her hometown. “My friend, Twilight Sparkle, is a unicorn. She can help you.”
“A unicorn? Really?”
“Yes, sir! Don’t you know that there are three types of ponies? There are us Earth ponies, Pegasus, and unicorns.”
“I never knew that.”
“You amnesia is worse than I thought, sugar-cube. Let’s hurry to Twilight’s place.”
In the back of his mind, he believed it. He couldn’t understand basic terms that even fillies knew. If it were up to him, he would ask Princess Celestia to change him back into a filly to relive his life again. Silvershot knew he couldn’t turn back time, but his future was dependent on his past. They got into Ponyville a couple of minutes later and tried their best to get to Twilight Sparkle’s abode. Silvershot’s heavy and injured legs made it difficult to accelerate his pace any faster. Along with that, the town was experiencing heavy traffic with ponies returning to their homes from work.
Each time he looked at a store, it looked like he was going to do some window shopping. He admired the nicely crafted merchandise in the windows of shops he passed by. Applejack told him the story behind the shop and how she knew the story. Her grandmother, Granny Smith, founded Ponyville when she was a young filly with her family. The stories she told him raised his spirits high. He became more hopeful that he would regain his memories with each story he heard from her.
“There it is.”
She pointed a hoof at the Golden Oaks library where Twilight Sparkle lived. Twilight Sparkle was Ponyville’s librarian, probably Equestria's smartest pony ever, and one of Applejack's closest friends. Applejack walked over to the library and knocked on the door with her hoof. The door came to life before Silvershot and opened without a pony opening it from the other side.
Inside the library, Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn with a purple mane with pink highlights and an even lighter purple coat, was studying from her book. Owlowiscious, her pet owl, sat perched on a branch sticking out from a tree trunk. Much like her owl, Twilight looked like she could fall asleep at any time. Applejack shook her awake to make sure she didn't do so. Twilight’s eyes went all dizzy, but returned to normal when she shook her head vigorously.
“Thanks for that, Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What can I help you with?”
“My new friend here, Silvershot, lost his memory, and I was wondering if you could fix him,” Applejack requested.
“Aw, I feel awful. I think I know a spell that can help you, but let’s see his cutie mark first.”
Twilight’s unicorn horn glowed with a bright light that frightened Silvershot. He had never seen magic before; at least he did not remember any magic. Another light glowed on the bookshelf behind him. He turned to the bookshelf and saw a book coming off of the shelf. The book was titled, “How to Identify Cutie Marks for Ponies”. It floated over to Twilight and she opened the book. She began to recite the information that she discovered.
“An edged marking on a pony’s flank indicates that the pony is brave and courageous beyond his age. Four edges mean he has a prowess unmatched by any pony since an edge represents a skill. A star means he is a very handy-pony with tools,” Twilight Sparkle read out loud. “This is a breakthrough! I am glad I got this book in Canterlot when I did.”
“His bravery is sure true. He risked his own life to save my kin,” Applejack yelped.
“Could we try that memory spell?” Silvershot asked. “I think now that I know that much about my cutie mark, I could remember something better.”
“Okay, um, you are going to need this.” Twilight gives him a small rag. “Bite that. Applejack, please stand back.”
Applejack did as she was told and stood back a couple of hooves away. Twilight assumed a spell casting position across from Silvershot and prepared a spell. Her horn glowed with light and then another level of light appeared on top of that. A light glowed on Silvershot and the two mares in the room went into shock. A unicorn horn popped out of his head when Twilight starts the spell. Silvershot touched the horn with his unscathed hoof; it was real, and it was hard as bone. Applejack jumped when the horn just popped up. Could Silvershot be a unicorn, not an Earth pony? With his horn glowing a gray, translucent light and Twilight’s horn glowing a purple light, Silvershot’s head pinged with pain again as the spell made him remember his past.
Silvershot closed his eyes and watched his memories unfold. He was watching the memory from the sky but he could interact with it. He forced himself to a solid piece of ground. The first part of the memory was sound; the sound of screaming ponies creeped into his head like a thief in the night. The screaming was unbearable to hear. No sane pony could stand listening to it. It was almost like the memory intended to torture him that way. The next thing in the memory was the feeling of touch. Under his hooves, he could no longer feel the hard wooden floor of Twilight's library. He could feel dirt beneath him, and it felt loose.
“Ash?” Silvershot muttered as he felt the ground with his hooves.
Suddenly, his body was burning in the air around him. The feeling was worse than the time when he wandered into the desert on the west side of the Everfree forest. The feeling of sound and touch didn’t compare when sight and smell came next. When he could finally see, he saw cottages burning in blazing fires, smoke filling his lungs, and ash falling down to the ground like snow in winter. A ghost image of himself breaks off from his ‘body’ and ran away from the fire. Silvershot was slightly scared when he saw himself moving without him actually moving. He understood that he was in his memory. The ghost fell into a pile of ash when he could no longer see it.
A pony with a yellow golden mane, light red coat, an orange tail, and white eyes came galloping to the ghost image's aid. The pony held a hoof out to Silvershot for him to take. Silvershot coughed a cloud of ash from his mouth and took the pony’s hoof.
“Silvershot, my friend,” the pony yelled to Silvershot. “I can’t control the fires. We have to go!”
Silvershot remembered the pony’s name. “Ember Burst,” he said to the pony. “I can save my village. Just go on without me!”
She didn’t deny Silvershot’s command once she was given it. She galloped away toward the mountains and didn’t stop. Silvershot could see Ember Burst until a cottage fell in front of his sight. He lifted his hoof and his unicorn horn appeared. The unicorn magic within him created his tool of trade that Twilight tried to discover. A metal edged star appeared in Silvershot’s hoof.
His memory began to fade away from him before it could continue. His senses wore away in a certain order. First, he couldn’t hear what was going on in the memory. The screaming, at least, stopped; but he would never forget it again. Then, the smell of the burning wood of the cottages dissipated. His touch disappeared next. His sight didn’t disappear until the memory finished. Silvershot saw a silhouette of a Pegasus in the fire, and the ghost gets spooked.
“Why am I scared? Is this how I felt, whenever this happened?” he asked the mirror image of himself. The memory could not respond back, or it did not want to expose the secrets within.
The doppelganger ran away into the Everfree forest, and the memory ended.
Silvershot was out of breath when he opened his eyes to the real world. He looked down at his hooves and massaged his legs, since he could still remember the burns of the fires. Every sense was accurate and every emotion that he was immersed in felt real. Applejack walked up to him and raised his chin. She could see a frown growing ever so slowly on his face.
“My home…,” Silvershot said to her and Twilight Sparkle. “My home was destroyed and it was my fault.”
Chapter 2: When Hearts Connect
Chapter 2: When Hearts Connect
"Now hold it right there, sugar cube," Applejack stopped Silvershot from speaking another word of randomness. "What are you talking about?"
"My town, my home where I came from," Silvershot began. “It was burnt down to the ground and I couldn't stop it."
"You could have stopped that fire you were talking about."
"Wait, are you two talking about a burning village?" Twilight interrupted their conversation with her question. He nodded. Twilight took out a newspaper article from a folder in her study desk and read it out loud. "Venturia Reign, once a peaceful and wonderful town much like the beloved Ponyville, is now burnt to smithereens. This morning while I was making my runs across Equestria, the entire town was destroyed right before my eyes. Its people disappeared along with the mysterious flames that decimated the town. Detectives and forensic doctors confirmed that the royal prince of Venturia Reign has vanished and his body is nowhere to be seen. Everypony fears, even Princess Celestia, that the destruction of Venturia Reign was a terrorist attack against all of Equestria. I, as Chief Editor of the Equestrian Tribute, believe that we are in serious trouble. Signed, Chief Editor of the Equestrian Tribute."
"That article has to be wrong. There is no way that I would leave my town unprotected to a terrorist attack!" he exclaimed. "I would have put up a fight before I let that happen!" He suddenly felt a feeling of conviction within himself.
"You keep saying Venturia Reign is your town, repeatedly... I have a theory about your past, but I don't think you'll believe it."
Before Twilight could continue, the unpredictable happened. A pegasus unprofessionally flew through the window of the library and crashed into a bookshelf. The books fell off the shelves and she was covered in an avalanche of books. She dug herself out of the bookshelf and said hello to everypony in a cheerful manner. It was almost like she did not experience a flying crash.
The pegasus had a rainbow colored mane and tail with a blue coat and amethyst eyes. Anypony could tell from not only how fast she flew but from her eyes, that she was athlete. After brushing off some books off her body, she walked over to Twilight, Silvershot, and Applejack.
"I thought we told you not to crash into things, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said to the pegasus with a stern, accented voice.
"I couldn't help myself on that one," Rainbow Dash admitted to Applejack. "I was practicing this sick move for the Flyer's Competition next month and I really have to get this trick done."
"Maybe you should practice somewhere else so things don't break!"
"Why don't you move things out of the way so I won't crash into them? Come back to me when you've done it."
Applejack and Rainbow Dash butted heads together out of rage. They pushed each other back and forth with all their might, trying to outdo each other. Silvershot did not like how the two were fighting and separated them.
"Chill out, you two. There is no need for arguments." Silvershot tried to nullify the tension between the two ponies.
"Who’s this wise guy?" Rainbow Dash asked rudely.
"I'm Silvershot, and I'm guessing from your bad attitude you're Rainbow Dash."
"Got a problem with that?"
Silvershot got very intimidated from Rainbow Dash's hot hotheadedness. "I’ve got a problem with your attitude, not your name."
Silvershot and Rainbow Dash butted heads, but this time Twilight separated them. Twilight kept them separated by keeping her hooves on each of them. Rainbow Dash tried flailing her legs to get to Silvershot and Silvershot just kept a steady, crimson colored eye on her.
"Look, if you two have something against each other, now is not the time." Twilight Sparkle said to both Silvershot and Rainbow Dash. "We have a potential problem here that could get Equestria destroyed!"
Rainbow Dash and Silvershot relaxed and stopped defying Twilight's request.
"What's the problem?" Rainbow Dash asked, this time with less of an attitude.
Silvershot properly introduced himself to her. He also tells her how he met Applejack and Twilight and about his amnesia. Twilight then showed an old newspaper article to her and said that it was his hometown. She took a minute to think about everything that just got transferred into her mind.
"What do you suggest we do? Go to Venturia Reign and see if anypony recognizes him?" Rainbow Dash offered.
"No, the picture in the article of Venturia Reign shows the town clearly burnt and no pony seen," Twilight responded.
"Hey wait; can I see that article?" Silvershot called out to Twilight.
She gave the newspaper article to him. He put the newspaper article on the floor and inspected the pictures in it. He saw many of the same cottages that he saw in his dream. They were dark black, like coal. There was a picture of a forensic doctor taking flesh samples from a darkened corpse. He turned the page and saw what he was searching for. He was looking for anything out of the ordinary in the newspaper.
In one picture of the newspaper, there was a golden necklace with a silver, quartz star jewel in its center. Silvershot looked at his cutie mark and the necklace in the picture. The two were exactly the same.
"Twilight, look at this necklace in the picture of the newspaper," he brought her attention. He flipped the picture for her to see.
"What about it?" she replied. She had no clue what Silvershot was getting at.
"If Venturia Reign was completely unrecognizable, how come this golden necklace wasn't smudged by the fire?"
"Maybe detectives cleaned the dirt off." Rainbow Dash suggests.
"Detectives don't rub off prints in a crime scene, it would ruin evidence," Twilight said to her.
"Exactly my point. That necklace has to be magical or something, and it could be mine. The jewel in the center of necklace looks like my cutie mark." Silvershot added with his conclusion of the matter.
"The necklace looks like your cutie mark? Now I even have more theories unanswered...," Twilight muttered as quietly as possible.
Twilight walked away from the group and began to purposely ignore them. She contemplated her thoughts by putting away the books Rainbow Dash crashed into. Everypony called out to her but she deliberately ignored them. Silvershot wondered what she could be hiding. He helped put the books away and trapped her against the wall.
"What are you thinking in that brain of yours?" Silvershot interrogated.
"Twilight, you know keeping secrets is bad," Applejack said from behind Silvershot's back.
"Twi, you’ve got to help Silvershot remember. If you know anything, now is the chance to talk," Rainbow Dash said.
"I think Silvershot is the missing royal from Venturia Reign and that the necklace in that newspaper is another Element of Harmony." Twilight blurted out.
Silvershot tried to accept her theories, but they were very farfetched. "You have a horn that just, appeared. I can't do that, only alicorns can do that. The only reason you don't remember it is because you have a much worse case of Retrograde Amnesia that made you forget everything up until you escaped into the forest."
He backed away from the wall he had trapped Twilight against. He was lost as mentally as he was physically in the Everfree forest. Twilight continued her long theory about his identity. He listened to every word carefully and tried to understand carefully.
"Let me further explain. His memory loss began three months ago, about the same time Venturia Reign was set ablaze. I was sure there was a connection there. Then, he has a horn that comes out at will. If he has a horn, then he has wings because like I said only alicorns can do that. The golden necklace could be an Element of Harmony because the quartz jewel looks like Silvershot's cutie mark. All the Elements of Harmony use their owner's cutie mark for a physical form. I even read about a myth where there was a mysterious seventh element."
She pulled books from every bookshelf around the library to prove her thesis to Silvershot. The first book, ‘Folklore and Spells’, mentioned the existence of a seventh element undiscovered by Princess Celestia. He saw Twilight's cutie mark and saw that it matched with the Element of Harmony that she owned. A second book, ‘Amnesiac's Guide to Remembering’, showed him that his traveling in the Everfree forest was chronologically linked with the Venturia Reign Fire. A third book, ‘A Royals Biography’, explained that ponies of royal blood have a unique unicorn horn and Pegasus wings that could disappear at the pony’s will. He looked at his horn and thought of its magical properties. Then he looked at his sides where his supposed Pegasus wings were supposed to be.
Silvershot became silent and still when he suddenly remembered something without the use of magic.
He could see himself as a small foal. His baby-self rolled around on an august carpet, enjoying the day with fun. He was in a home very similar to Applejack's home, but there was a lot of silverware to be seen. Another foal with a unicorn horn crawled into the picture, and the two played ball with each other.
Watching the memory like an old home video made him cry.
A hoof slammed down on the hard wood floor beside the carpet. Silvershot's little foal-self crawled to the pony who had made a noticeable entrance. The pony was a large Pegasus who was incredibly strong and young looking for his old age. He lifted Silvershot with his wing and put him on his back. A mother unicorn picked up the other and carried the foal in her mouth.
"I apologize for cutting their play date short," the Pegasus said to the mother. "I have matters to attend to and it is of utmost importance that you politely leave."
"Silver Lancet." The mother's words were a little muffled from carrying her filly. "Make sure your son, Silvershot, gets to go to school like a normal pony. He shouldn't be home schooled because he is a prince. We will see you around."
The mother raised a hoof in goodbye and left with her foal. Silver Lancet looked at his son and patted him on the back with his hoof. He burped, and then fell asleep comfortably on Silver Lancet's back.
The future Silvershot laughed and smiled.
A knock on the door grabbed Silver Lancet's attention. He opened the door, and on the front porch of his home was the Chief Editor of the Equestrian Tribute. He gave entry to the Chief Editor. The Chief Editor had a nice, black camera strapped around his neck and a pad and paper in his fedora hat.
"What can I do you for?" Silver Lancet asked the Editor.
"I just need your thoughts about top secret terrorist attacks on Equestria," the Chief Editor said to him as he walked in the house.
Silver Lancet's pupils shrank when the Chief Editor mentioned the terrorist attacks. He slammed the door as hard as he could and locked it tight. He closed all the blinds and lit a candle on the kitchen table. The Editor and Silver Lancet commenced their secret and unknown meeting in the dark.
Silvershot continued to watch the memory as if he was an audience to a play.
"How do you know about the attacks? The terrorist attacks were only seen by me, Celestia, and Luna." Silver Lancet smashed his hoof on the ground.
"I just know. Equestria demands to know of another threat!" Chief Editor replied back.
"There is nothing to say. This meeting is over and you never came here. Have a nice day Chief Editor."
Chief Editor stared at Silver Lancet and left the home without another word.
Silvershot came back to the real world when the door closed. He felt sleepy and tired as if he were a baby again. Word for word, motion by motion, action to action, he explained to everypony the memory he just experienced.
"We have to see the Chief Editor. He knows my father and I want to see if he knows where he is. My dad has to know something about the fire and me," he demands.
"The Chief lives in Manehattan," Applejack says. "I was interviewed by him when I went there as a filly. I know his address, but we have to go now. I can feel a storm a-brewin’, and I don't like it one bit."
Even though Silvershot had just met Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, he had to say his goodbyes already. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were not going to say goodbye quietly. Rainbow Dash says she was going to Cloudsdale, the home of the Pegasi, to find any more information about Silver Lancet. She flew out the same window she came in. Twilight began to write a letter to Princess Celestia about how Silvershot, the Prince of Venturia Reign, had returned. She got out her quill and ink and wrote on a piece of fine parchment.
Silvershot and Applejack galloped out of the library when she had said her goodbyes, too. Applejack led the way to the train station, but Silvershot wasn't behind her when she looked back.
She turned back to go look for him. He had gotten into an accident without her knowing or hearing of it. He had crashed into a mare; she was a green Pegasus. A very green pony. She had a short cut green mane and tail, with a brighter lime green coat.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to crash into you like that," the Pegasus apologized to Silvershot. He rubbed his head from a possible concussion. The two got back up from the ground. They looked each other in the eyes and the Pegasus' eyes widen. "Silvershot! It's you!"
The mare that he crashed into that he didn't know hugged him. She held him even tighter and cried a little. He didn't know anypony besides the ones he had seen that day, so who was the pony? He did not want to be rude to her, so he tried to let her down slowly.
"Um, do I know you?" Silvershot curiously asked.
The Pegasus dropped Silvershot faster than a rock falling in water. More crystal clear tears ran down her face. Suddenly, she bursts into tears. Silvershot got scared, but he tried to calm the pony down by wiping her tears. "How could you forget me!?" the pegasus squealed.
"Hold it there missy," Applejack intervened. "Silvershot here has amnesia, and he can't remember anything."
"It's true," Silvershot added. The pegasus sniffled her tears and snot away. "Let me ask again, um, but more nicely I guess. Who are you?"
"I'm Fortress, Fortress Evergreen. I am your girlfriend," the Pegasus replied.
Applejack and Silvershot's mouths dropped when she said ‘girlfriend’. He sputtered to say even a part of the word but he never imaged the possibility. He drew circles in the dirt and strained his mind to remember something. He came up with nothing.
"We met at a party two years ago, we started dating six months after that and we have been together since. I haven't seen you since the fire. I ran away to Ponyville, hoping to find you here," Fortress explained to Silvershot
"I can't remember you. I just need some time. Do you hate me for not remembering?" Silvershot asked Fortress.
"No, of course not, baby." Fortress puts her nose against his cheek and tried to be as close to him as possible. He was okay with it. If it helped him remember anything and make her happy, he was up for it. "I will wait, just for you."
Applejack tapped his shoulder to tell him that they were in a hurry. Fortress came with them to the train station but Applejack didn’t go onto the train with her and Silvershot. She gave Silvershot a couple of bits for food, and maybe another for the train ride somewhere else. Applejack also handed him the address to the Chief Editor's apartment on a slip of paper.
"I forgot I have to go back and buck some apples today or else my farm will be short on money for a whole month. I know you desperately want as much help as you can, but my kin and Ponyville are more important right now. Send a telegram to me when you meet the Chief Editor," she explained to Silvershot as he got on the train.
"Thanks for your help. I hope I get to see you in the future," he said.
The sun set on the horizon. The sun bounced off his eyes and they glimpsed a beautiful spectrum of light. Applejack smiled and hugged him, saying goodbye one last time in his ear. Applejack stepped away from the train and waved him goodbye. He yelled ‘bye’ as the train moved away from the station. The tug of the train made a tear jump from Silvershot's face.
Applejack was one of the only ponies he'd seen in a hundred days, and he was happy to have met her. She gave him a place to rest and eat, she introduced him to Twilight who helped him get a part of his memories back, and she finally gave him the guide to another step in his journey. He promised never to forget Applejack's help. She sacrificed so much for a stranger. The train left Applejack, his new friends, and Ponyville behind.
"I will return. Just you wait Ponyville,” Silvershot whispered silently as the train ran faster down the metal tracks.
He entered the passenger car and sat next to Fortress. Fortress yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder. He didn't push her away; he actually made his shoulder more comfortable by relaxing his muscles. He stared outside the train window and wiped one last tear from his face.
"Fortress," Silvershot said to the Pegasus on his shoulder. Fortress responded with a hum. "Am I really the Prince of Venturia Reign?"
"Yes, you are; but I don't love you because of that, if that's what you're thinking," Fortress answered. He had expected a different answer, but he took what he got. "I love you because you are kind, gentle, and no matter what happens to you, you always find a way to save a life."
"Have I saved your life before?"
"Yes, you did."
"How, and what happened?"
"A year ago, there was a carriage accident that we were in. The ponies pulling the carriages and the other carriage driver were fine, but we were caught in a destroyed carriage heap at the bottom of a bridge. A carriage piece cut your right eye and another piece of the carriage hit my side and caused massive bleeding. I almost died. Blinded in your best eye, you crawled to me and held my hoof until paramedics came. You used your magic to pull the carriage piece out of me and covered my wounds. As the paramedics came, they told you I was going to die for I lost a lot of blood. You knew a spell that could save me but it required a great sacrifice. The spell transferred the wound and all its pain to you. You nearly died in my place for me."
"What happened next?" Silvershot could see the train passing by Neighagra Falls. He touched his right eye and noticed a scar across it. He had never noticed that he couldn't see with it before.
"I prayed to Celestia for you to come back to me alive, and you did. The doctors told me you had only a one per cent chance of living since you lost so much blood. You stayed in the hospital for a week. Your body heals miraculously fast because you are an alicorn. You went to Tartarus and back for me." Her voice became fainter at the last sentence, and Silvershot's eyes became heavy.
Fortress and Silvershot fell asleep on the train. He dreamt of the story Fortress told him. The memory comes to him with the dream, and he remembered everything about that night. He remembered being unable to see through his right eye, but crawling with all his might to Fortress's side.
He remembered the pain of the spell he used to save her life.
He woke up when the train stopped at Manehattan. He touched his right eye with his hoof one more time. Throughout the entire time he was traveling in the Everfree forest, the entire time he was in Ponyville, he did not even notice he could not see through it.
He gently woke Fortress up when the Conductor said it was safe to get off the train. It was time to find the Chief Editor to find more information about Silvershot's father, the burning of Venturia Reign, and the alleged terrorist group of Equestria.
...At the doorstep of the Chief Editor's Apartment...
"Chief Editor! Are you there?" Silvershot yelled while knocking at the door. "I'm Silver Lancet's son. You saw me as a small foal years ago. Can you hear me?"
Fortress put her wing on the doorknob and twisted the handle. The door was open the entire time. He was hesitant to enter the apartment uninvited, but Fortress took a step inside. She looked into the apartment and told him that no pony was home. He got inside the apartment and closed the door behind him.
The apartment was a wreck. There was paper with random markings on the ground, the window was broken, and the lights would not even come on. Only two lamps illuminated the room during the night. Fortress went to one of the lamps and lit it with a match. She approached the study desk, and looked around for anything useful.
The desk had papers with multiple statements and reports about the terrorist groups that had been terrorizing Equestria. Some papers had dates dating before her or Silvershot were born. She moved papers aside on the desk in a neat order. She moved even more paper aside and found the Chief Editor’s journal. A red marker was placed on the page where the Chief Editor wrote his last entry. She read the entry out loud for Silvershot to hear. These were his words:
My latest entry I fear maybe my last. The information contained in this journal is vital for Celestia and Luna to learn about. Whoever reads this, I pray to you that you aren’t the terrorists, the same terrorists who have been torturing Equestria for over fifty long winters. For those of you who are not them, you should know their names. They are called the Vanguard Knights.
Silvershot saw where the second lamp in the apartment was. The light of the lamp lit the way to the Chief Editor’s bed, but there was something wrong with it. There was something under the covers and it wasn't moving.
These power hungry soldiers were once a mercenary group that could be paid to fight any fight. Even Celestia hired the Vanguard Knights once to fight the Griffin Army one time in history. Their ruthlessness over the centuries turned into pure anger against the world. They never wanted to be led by rulers, they wanted to lead themselves.
Silvershot got closer and saw blood stains on the edge of the bed. He lifted a part of the sheet and saw a pool of blood.
Their latest attack on Equestria involved the burning of Venturia Reign. I had to start my own investigations on the burning. I found many places where a flammable liquid called gasoline was being pumped out of the ground and was used to light the fires. I even found the ponies that lit the fires as well. They were all affiliated with the Vanguard Knights but my investigation wasn’t finished. I had to find the pony who orchestrated these attacks. I am afraid that the leader of the Vanguard Knights was closer to me than I thought.
My discovery of the leader may have marked my grave.
Silvershot took the covers off and nearly wet himself. He covered his mouth when he saw what lay beneath the covers of the bed.
The leader of the Vanguard Knights is…
“Fortress, you need to see this,” Silvershot interrupted her. “The Chief Editor is dead.”
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Chapter 4: Guns, Sulfur Explosions, and A Pony that can Light Fires
Chapter 4: Guns, Sulfur Explosions, and A Pony that can Light Fires
Silvershot was leading his band of heroes on a challenge that may lead to their death. If it meant saving their homes, or what was left of it for others, it was worth dying for. Taking careful looks at the Vanguard Knights that were clad in metal armor and a helmet of solitude, the team slipped past their security and to the jail cell.
The captive ponies were asleep behind the bars. The sulfur mine was freezing cold and Silvershot could see the ponies huddling up closer to each other for warmth, their bodies shivering in the sheer coldness of the underground mine. He wanted to wake up his fellow neighbors and friends; he even put his hoof through the bars in an attempt to wake them up. But he stopped himself from touching one. He had to free them first before alerting the guards.
Silvershot used his magic to take the jail keys from the sleeping Vanguard in the chair and opened the lock. He slid the door open and silently woke everypony up.
"Everypony, wake up. This here is a rescue mission," Applejack whispered in the ears of everypony.
Silvershot found Ember Burst huddled close to her brother and mother. He politely shook Ember Burst awake with the tips of his hooves. She woke up to see his face next to hers. Her eyes changed colors like a birthday candle; they changed from red to blue. Even though they change periodically, everypony that laid eye on her thought it was pretty. Ember Burst got up from the ground with her forelegs, but she didn’t have much strength left in her.
"Silvershot? Is that you?" Ember Burst muttered. "Did they capture you too?"
"They didn't capture me, I am here to rescue everypony here," Silvershot replied quietly. "You need to wake your mom and your brother now!"
Ember Burst woke her family up without a second to spare. While she accomplished her task, Silvershot woke up everypony else with the help of Applejack. Once all the ponies were awake, each of them, led by Fortress, were guided to the ventilation shaft. Digger helped direct ponies to the shaft too. When he took a hoofstep back to make some room for some ponies, he accidentally kicked over a small pipe. It started rolling toward the end of the catwalk; Digger tries catching it, but the pipe slipped from his hooves, and it fell twenty hooves down, before making a loud crash. Silvershot scowled at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. Digger mouthed “oops” to him.
"Sound the alarm! The prisoners are escaping!" a Vanguard Knight screamed into the air when he saw the group of escaping ponies.
Red lights blurred all over the mine. The purifier unicorns fled the production line and miners skedaddled away. Silvershot quickly hastened everypony's pace when he saw more Vanguard Knights crashing through several entrance doors. Everypony got into the shaft safely before the Vanguard Knights could round them up. Every Vanguard Knight was carrying a gun and headed to the ceiling catwalk.
"Ember Burst!" Silvershot stopped her from entering the shaft. He pointed to the sulfur pile with his hoof on the other side of the catwalk. "Can you light that entire sulfur pile up?"
"I am as sure as I can light this fire in my hoof," Ember Burst said with confidence. Ember Burst held her hoof up and created a flame on top of it.
He nodded at her and headed in the direction of the sulfur pile. Before he could take a second step to his destination, a hoof was placed on his shoulder. Fortress, Digger, and Applejack were still behind Silvershot and Ember Burst and not in the shaft.
"You are not going at this alone. We can help you," Fortress encouraged.
"The Venturians are my people. They need your help to get out!" Silvershot denied.
"They can find their own way out," Digger said with a smile. "I gave them directions to the hole anyways."
"We have to stick together on this partner," Applejack winked.
"Okay, fine, follow me then. And don't get shot by those guns." Silvershot waved to the sulfur pile.
The five galloped to the sulfur pile room on the other side of the catwalk. Parallel to the catwalk was another one, with Vanguard Knights lining up to shoot their enemies. Each one of them loaded their golden bullets into their gun chambers and fired. Silvershot and his friends were lucky and dodged nearly every one of them. One bullet singed Digger's tail. He was happy his whole tail didn't get shot off.
The group reached the sulfur room and closed the door behind them. The sulfur room had two doors and one window facing the parallel catwalk. The other door that the friends didn't enter through was being barged in. Applejack got to the door and held it with all her might. She was a strong pony and she could hold off over twenty strong stallions behind a door.
Silvershot knew that he and his friends were in a tight spot; he needed some time to develop a plan. Silvershot clicked his hooves together when the thought came to him. With the highest of hopes, he told everypony about it.
"Applejack, hold that door," Silvershot commanded.
"You got it, boss," Applejack grunted while holding back the door. The Vanguard Knights almost came through that time.
"Ember Burst, get started on that sulfur pile. We need that pile on fire in the next minute!"
"No problem," Ember Burst put her pre-lit fire hoof on the pile of sulfur. "I think I need two minutes."
"Got anything for me, Silvershot?" Fortress asked.
"Help Ember Burst, please," Silvershot said a little shyly, trying to be nice and not sound demanding. "The mine is cold and the fire could fizzle out."
Fortress kissed Silvershot. "Don't worry, I won't let that fire burn out."
Fortress got next to Ember Burst and laid near the fire to give it more heat.
"Digger, you have good hearing. I need you to spot for me which shooter is going to shoot."
"For what? What are you going to do?" Digger requested.
"I am going to block every gold bullet from reaching this room."
Silvershot went outside and stood in the open. Digger smashed the window of the sulfur room and looked at the catwalks. More Vanguard Knights had assembled there, and more guns were pointed at Silvershot. Silvershot took a deep breath and looked deep in his memories on how to fight.
Silvershot was only six months younger than the present day. Silver Lancet was also in the memory with him, except this time he looked older than old. Like, really old. In front of Silvershot was a straw dummy of a pony, made out of dry hay. Next to Silvershot was a whole table of weapons of different sizes, shapes, lethality and mobility.
"It has been traditional, Silvershot," Silver Lancet said to him, "that every male of the family be an expert at using a unique weapon. My great-grandfather was great at using a sword, my grandfather in the use of claws for hooves, and my father was skilled in using the bow. I am an expert of using lancets."
Silver Lancet used his magic to lift seven lancets off the table. The lancets each weighed something over twenty pounds, but magic made it look effortless. Silvershot was in awe as he was shown some fighting styles involving using seven lancets. Silver Lancet put the lancets down, took a deep breath, and put out his hooves to Silvershot.
"Now it is your turn to choose a weapon for our family's honor."
Silvershot put his hoof to his chin and looks at every single one of them. There were many weapons, like the ball and chain, and the metal hooves, but one weapon in particular catches his eye. Under the pile of metal weapons was a four edged star. He pushed the other weapons away and picked out the star. He lifted the star with his hooves and he could feel the heavy weight. Silvershot used his magic to magnetize the star to the bottom of his hoof.
He looked at the straw pony dummy and threw the throwing star at it. The throwing star would demagnetize when the star was thrown hard enough by Silvershot. The star soared through the air and hit the pony dummy in the chest.
"Very good, I see you chose your weapon wisely. Now, fight me, and see if you can get your cutie mark."
Silver Lancet picked up his seven lancets and pointed them all at Silvershot. Silvershot took back his massive throwing star and growled at his father. Silver Lancet applauded his courage and struck at him. Silvershot dodged the first two lancets Silver Lancet sent at him, but two more came. He blocked the two other lancets, but even more came from behind. He used the soles of his hooves to block them. That was six lancets, but where was the seventh? The sun's rays blocked his eyes when he looked up. Silver Lancet was falling from the sky and holding a lancet in his mouth.
Silvershot curled his body to dodge it when he saw his father above him. The lancets were sent in different directions across the yard. Silver Lancet was impressed, but his mood quickly changed when the lancets returned to him. Silvershot galloped to the trees and climbed them to the best of his abilities. The lancets followed behind him. He had no choice but to fight off the lancets in the trees. Silvershot jumped from branch to branch in the forest while still holding on to the magnetized throwing star in his hoof and avoiding strikes from the flying lancets.
He jumped in the air and took a chance at hitting the lancets. He threw the star at the lancets and each one of them were bounced away. The silver throwing star bounced off a tree and came back to Silvershot.
He jumped into the air and catches the throwing star. He did a front flip and landed with a perfect touchdown. The next second, he was holding the star to Silver Lancet's neck.
"I know what my special talent is," Silvershot huffed out at Silver Lancet. A light glowed on Silvershot's flank as he explained. "My special talent is being a ninja, and my tool of trade is this throwing star. Ninja, coming from the dragon origin of having quick reflexes and using throwing stars in their claws."
"Can your quick reflexes handle this?" Silver Lancet asked while looking off to the side.
The seven lancets from before that Silvershot had knocked away were pointed at Silvershot. The lancets surrounded him in every direction, and it felt impossible to dodge them all. Silvershot's eyes widened when he slipped out from the surprise attack. He turned his body and went for the final strike.
Silvershot's eyes shot open when the memory finished. He held his hoof out, and his throwing star appeared in it. It was by magic that his tool was summoned on its own. Silvershot threw the throwing star, and it hit a Vanguard Knight in the head. The star struck the helmet of the Vanguard Knight so hard, it makes an impression. The Knight was knocked out and fell off the catwalk. The throwing star came back to him after it bounced a couple of times around the mine.
"How much time do we have?" Silvershot asked.
He could hear the voices of his friends on the other side of the sulfur room wall. "Another minute and thirty seconds," Digger told Silvershot.
"This could take a while."
The Vanguard Knight ponies fired their guns at him. He blocked the bullets with his throwing star. Whenever Silvershot could, he would throw the throwing star. His timing was so perfect, it could not be beat. He would hit at least three ponies in the head and knock them out cold. Whenever he waited for his throwing star to come back, he would use his gold boots to block the bullets. Goldhoof was right, he did need the boots. The boots did not break from the bullets.
Within the next minute, all the Vanguard Knights were knocked unconscious. Silvershot caught his throwing star one last time before opening the door to the sulfur room pile. His ear flinched when he heard the echo of familiar footsteps. He did not want to look at what was behind him. He could have chosen to ignore the pony behind him, but his instincts commanded him to look. Silvershot turned around and was struck with fear.
Behind him was the worst enemy he had ever faced. He faced the enemy of death, witnessed death, and even faced the enemy of time whenever he would remember his memories, but nothing could compare. The pony standing only several hooves away was Silvershot's father, Silver Lancet.
"Why do you do this son? Why do you defy me?" Silver Lancet asked Silvershot. His tone of voice was eerie and mysterious.
"You have no right to take Equestria into your hooves!" Silvershot yelled at Silver Lancet. He growled at him.
"I have every right to do so! Celestia and Luna do nothing but screw around like kids and take Equestria into conflicts with other races like griffons and dragons. If I ruled Equestria, I wouldn't be pushed around by royals higher than me. I would be the one in charge."
"No, you are wrong!"
Silvershot screamed and charged at Silver Lancet. The seven lancets Silver Lancet owned floated around him in a rhythmic style. He launched one of the lancets at Silvershot, but he sidestepped away. More lancets were thrown at him, as it was Silver Lancet's defense against an attack. Silvershot either jumped out of the way, kicked the lancet away, or knocked it away with his throwing star. When Silvershot got close enough, he jumped into the air and threw his star.
The lancets came back to Silver Lancet immediately; they crossed each other, and it formed an impenetrable wall of steel that the throwing star could not get pass. The star grinded against the lancets and then bounced away. The throwing star did not bounce straight back to Silvershot, so he had to wait four seconds until it bounced back to him. Four seconds too long. He still had to fight off his father for another fifty-five seconds so the sulfur could catch on fire.
Four lancets come toward Silvershot while he waited for his star to return. Silvershot used Goldhoof's gold boots and grabbed every single one. Silver Lancet used his magic to command his lancets back, but Silvershot wouldn’t let go. His throwing star came back, after a couple more seconds of waiting. He threw it again, but it was blocked once more. When the lancet wall broke formation, he went in for a bucking kick. Silver Lancet used one of the other lancets as his blocking weapon.
"Do you think that destroying this sulfur mine is going to do any good?" Silver Lancet smiled at Silvershot evilly. His grey old eyes showed the reflection of the red alarm lights. "I made enough sulfur and black powder to fill Equestria with it!"
"No. At least it’s a start," Silvershot grunted while pushing against the lancet. "I just need about twenty more seconds anyways."
Silver Lancet looked at the sulfur room behind Silvershot. He saw Digger looking out the window, and then hiding when he saw Silver Lancet look at him. Silver Lancet tried to break Silvershot's kick, but Silvershot fought back. Silver Lancet used his other lancets and cut Silvershot's sides so he would drop the kick. Silvershot held his ground until he saw his throwing star heading back. He dropped the kick and went for another one before jumping away from him. He grabbed his throwing star and threw it away. Silver Lancet got hit in the face, and he fell to the ground.
Silvershot was huffing out tons of air from fighting nonstop for two minutes. Silvershot caught his throwing star, made it disappear and opened the door to the sulfur room. Digger congratulated Silvershot on defeating Silver Lancet.
Silvershot said, "It ain't over yet; both of us are just resting."
Ember Burst was successful lit the sulfur pile on fire. Applejack ran away from the other door and every other pony ran from the room. The five got to the catwalk and all of them ran for the shaft, except for Silvershot.
The mine began to crumble with the sulfur mine blowing up. Even with rubble getting in his way of vision, he looked for his father to see if he had been trapped. The red alert lights weren't helping Silvershot at all look for his father.
"It's not over my son," Silvershot's father echoed over the sound of the alarms. "You may have won the battle, but the war has just begun. See you in Canterlot."
The sulfur pile was engulfed in flames, and Silvershot took it as the time to gallop for his life. The sulfur exploded with the entire mine, and he galloped at his fastest speed. His wings lifted him off the ground, and he began to fly. Behind him, he could see a wave of fire going down the shaft. Silvershot flapped faster and faster until he saw the shaft opening Digger had made. Silvershot took a sharp turn up and ended up in the barn. A pillar of fire shot up from the shaft hole and burned his side. He landed on his unhurt side in the barn.
Digger Stonefinder, Fortress Evergreen, Applejack, and Ember Burst all waited for him at the shaft entrance with all the other Venturian ponies.
"See, I told you I would come out of there..." Silvershot said in a daze.
Fortress hugged Silvershot. "I knew you could do it."
Silvershot shook his head vigorously. "Wait, it ain't over yet."
"What do you mean?"
"My father, Silver Lancet, still has enough sulfur to attack Canterlot with his guns."
Silvershot got up from the ground, but his cut up and burnt side pained him. Silvershot was thrown down by his own weakened body. Fortress caught Silvershot as he fell back to the ground.
"Silvershot, you need a little R and R," Applejack said to him.
"I cannot stop fighting. I cannot stop as long as my father is still breathing. My father's want to rule Equestria has been growing since I was born. Even if my father became limbless, wingless, and hornless, he would still want to rule for Equestria with an iron hoof. I cannot stop until he does first!"
Silvershot mustered enough strength and determination to stand back up on his hooves.
"I love you, no matter what happens to me," Silvershot stared at Fortress intently. He got out of the barn, and everypony followed him. "Applejack, Ember Burst, I am trusting you to protect Fortress, Digger, and the other ponies while I am gone. We may never know if Vanguard Knights will attack us."
"Silvershot, take my goggles." Digger took off his goggles and gave them to him. Silvershot could see Digger's yellow eyes now. He'd never seen his eyes before.
"Thanks."
He took a galloping start and flew to Canterlot. Silvershot looked back at his friends and waved goodbye. He saw his friends as well, waving him farewell. He put on the goggles and continued to fly. A fiery hope in his heart gave Silvershot courage. The final battle had arrived.
Chapter 5: Canterlot Under Siege
Chapter 5: Canterlot Under Siege
Silvershot jetted to Canterlot at his fastest flying speed. The faster he flew, the closer he could see Canterlot. He slowed himself down to see how Canterlot was doing, but he was too late to help. Vanguard Knights ran through the streets of Canterlot, wielding their guns with their mouths or wings. They captured stallions, mares, colts, and fillies, and brought them all to Canterlot Castle. Anypony that tried to resist was killed. Silvershot hovered over the city in shock. Bodies of loved fathers and brothers scattered the streets as they tried to fight back for their families. He felt rage grow within him; rage toward the Vanguard Knights, and his father.
He dropped down from the sky when he spotted five Vanguard Knights holding guns to a group of colts and mares. The Vanguard Knights clicked the firing pins of their guns. The mares and the colts huddled together and held each other’s hooves before bidding each other farewell. The Vanguard Knights were just about to pull the trigger, until Silvershot came to the rescue.
He gave a couple of kicks to the Vanguard Knights and disarmed them all. In nearly a flash, the Vangurd Knights were knocked unconcious. He huffed a breath of air and checked up on the ponies he just saved.
“Is anypony hurt?” Silvershot asked the seven ponies.
“No, everypony is fine.” The oldest colt spoke for the group. “Thanks.”
“It’s not a problem. Go through the city and try to help as many ponies as you can.”
“I will. Dairy, Skywing, come with me. Cantle, go bring your brother and sister out to the gates.”
The pony and his friends went with him to a street where a couple of other ponies were being chased by Vanguard Knights. The others followed his orders and headed south toward the city gates.
Having the comforting thought that he had at least saved some ponies from a near certain death, he flew to the Canterlot Castle and landed in the garden. The garden was peaceful, probably the only peaceful part of Canterlot during its siege. The animals were nowhere to be found, and no ponies could be found, either. Silvershot walked around the castle, trying his best to avoid Vanguard Knights.
With a little bit of Fortress’ luck, and his keen ninja skills, he managed to get inside the castle by climbing through a window and dodging a few close encounters with Vanguard Knights. Silvershot got to the main hall, where the Canterlot ponies were being brought together for a big announcement. Silvershot blended in with the crowd in a sneaky manner. At the top of the main staircase were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who were tied up in ropes and knots. Silvershot moved through the crowd silently as Silver Lancet held two guns to the princess' heads. One false move could alert Silver Lancet to shoot.
"Today is a glorious day!" Silver Lancet announced to the entire population of Canterlot. The ponies muttered and whispered to each other in fear. "The day we stop being led by a monarchy is the day we are liberated of childlike rule. I have taken up my duty as King of Venturia Reign for this position. With my leadership, we can lead Equestria to a new age. And my reign of freedom begins with the death of our princesses."
Silvershot couldn’t allow Silver Lancet to kill the princesses. If he did not do anything, the princesses would die. He breathed in a deep breath and bellowed out, “No!”
The crowd of ponies separated into a rift, exposing him to Silver Lancet. In an instant, Silvershot maked his throwing star appear and threw it at Silver Lancet's guns. The throwing star broke the guns in two and came back to Silvershot. Silver Lancet dropped the handles of his guns to the floor and turned to Silvershot.
"Silvershot, what a surprise. Actually, no, not really," Silver Lancet joked.
"This time I will end you. Even if it’s the last thing I do!" Silvershot glared at his father.
"The tables have turned this time, my son."
Silver Lancet bit his lip and whistles. A group of Vanguard Knights came to him, carrying a small wooden jewellery box. They stopped in front of Silver Lancet and placed the box on the floor next to his hoof. Silver Lancet opened the box and took out a necklace with his wing. It was golden, like Silvershot’s boot and Fredrick Goldhoof’s decorations. The necklace was the element of guardianship.
Murmurs from the crowd stirred and Celestia and Luna were more silent than the Everfree Forest at night. The fabled missing element of harmony Celestia and Luna were told about as fillies was real. Silver Lancet put the necklace on and activated its awesome power. There was nothing happy about the element of guardianship.
The necklace’s star shaped jewel glowed with a magical white light and shot a beam at some Vanguard Knights. The light from their bodies was absorbed by the necklace and it charged the necklace with more power. Screams from the crowd of ponies could be heard as the Vanguard Knights dropped dead. Silver Lancet's eyes glowed with the same color as the element’s magic, and the orb fired off several more beams.
The beams of light scared the Canterlot ponies, but the pony that was the most scared was Silvershot. The ray of light from the element of guardianship sped through the air and struck Silvershot's head. The beam hit Silvershot's goggles and knocked them off his head. He was lucky to have survived the attack, but he was thrown to the ground.
Silvershot looked back at Digger's goggles that were sent flying through the air. They were broken on the stone floor beyond repair. Silvershot felt his right eye; it was burned from Silver Lancet’s attack. The scar from the carriage accident still remained, unscathed.
Silver Lancet called for more Vanguard Knights to come, but each of them were scared of the Element of Harmony he possessed. All the ponies, even those loyal to Silver Lancet were scared of him. He became furious, and expelled the magic of the necklace at his own knights again.
Silvershot was then shot with another beam of light, and his boots were ripped off of him as the laser shot his legs. One more hit and he could punch his own ticket out. He had to think about the facts of the element of guardianship. Maybe a split second of thinking might help him. He looked at the facts; the name certainly didn’t match how raw the power was, it was certainly not guardian-like if the necklace killed for strength, and how come the name did not sound right?
Silvershot realized what the element’s true name was.
He stood up from taking the second hit from the Element of Harmony. His hooves were burnt this time and every step was painful to him. Only his will kept him standing up. Silvershot's eyes had a blank and tired look in them. It was very melancholic.
"It doesn't have to end like this," Silvershot muttered. He took a step forward and groaned a bit from the pain. He had not rested in hours, and he had done more fighting for his life than ever before.
"What are you saying? Killing the princesses is the only way to end it!" Silver Lancet yelled, slightly crazy.
Silver Lancet shot another beam at Silvershot, but it missed him by a couple of inches. He was slowly slipping into insanity, and Silvershot could see it. He was weakening mentally, and Silvershot knew he could easily overcome his father now.
"That element of harmony has taken too many lives, and you are not its rightful owner." Silvershot took another step which caused him to ache with pain again.
"Stay back! Just because you are my son, it doesn't mean I can't kill you!" Silver Lancet launched yet another beam, but it hit the far wall more than one hundred hooves away.
"I know that, but I want to save you," Silvershot's horn glowed with a grey light. The element of guardianship glowed with the same color.
Silvershot ripped the necklace off of Silver Lancet’s neck with his unicorn powers and wrapped it around his own neck. The necklace's magic energy didn't want to steal anypony's life energy anymore. Silvershot allowed the necklace to sap his own energy dry as a sacrifice for its strength. Silver Lancet took a hoofstep back every time Silvershot got closer. He was getting stronger, stronger than Silver Lancet ever was.
"You know, the name 'guardianship' didn't really match the whole ‘friendship’ concept." Silvershot's said out loud. "The power wouldn't match. I know its true name. No friendship is possible without sacrifice . I should know; I lost my eye for my girlfriend."
Silver Lancet fell on his flank as he was tripped by Luna. Luna chuckled, but Celestia bumped into her to settle her down. Even in the face of danger, Luna still found a way to laugh.
Silvershot stood in front of his father, with the element of sacrifice around his neck. Everypony below Silvershot gazed in awe at the gallant pony.
"If it weren’t for my amnesia, I probably wouldn’t know about all of this. But there are some things I still want to know," Silvershot said to his father. "Why did you burn Venturia Reign? It was our hometown that you ruled already."
"I had to start my conquest somewhere. Equestria was a bigger fish to catch, and I almost got away with my revenge."
"For what? What could you have possibly lost when you already have everything?"
"I lost my wife! Your mother. Princess Celestia knows about it."
Silvershot froze for a moment. The princesses knew something about his mother's death? Slvershot delved deep into his memories to find out anything, but he couldn't remember. He turned to princesses and freed them using the power of the element of sacrifice. Silvershot asked them what happened.
"This is all started on the day of your birth," Celestia retold the story. Even though Silvershot was paying attention to Princess Celestia's story, he kept an extremely close eye on Silver Lancet. "Your mother had a serious problem with internal bleeding in the abdomen after many hours of labor. Your mother just gave birth, and we didn't have any surgical doctors to help. Your father came to me, asking for any healing magic I knew. I had more pressing matters to attend and I had to hold him off for an hour. By the time Silver Lancet and I came with a medical spell book, the doctors pronounced your mother dead. Silver Lancet ran away from the hospital and he isolated himself in Venturia Reign."
"You could have saved my wife! If you dropped what you were doing all those years ago, my wife would be safe!" Silver Lancet hollered at her.
"It was either Equestria having to declare war against the griffins, or your wife living. I hate to say this to an old friend of mine, but your wife's death saved Equestria."
"You let her die! That is why I would be a better ruler of Equestria! I wouldn't stop at taking control of Equestria, I would have had a conquest war against the entire world! Then there wouldn't be any wars to worry about. No more conflicts to stir up."
Silvershot could not bear to listen to his father's idiotic rant any longer. Even though there was no way to save his mother, there could have been something Silver Lancet had done. He could have stayed with her until her dying breath. He could have tried healing her like Silvershot did to heal Fortres. Silvershot charged the element of sacrifice one last time, the very last time. He sacrifices almost all of his energy into the very last shot to end it all.
Silver Lancet's eyes kept staring at the element of sacrifice and at Silvershot. He was against the wall with his son wearing the most powerful weapon in the known pony history. He wanted the element of sacrifice back to finish what he started. The reflection of the element of sacrifice's magic shines in his eyes. He accepted defeat with no other option, and closed his eyes for the end.
Extra 1: How Silvershot and Fortress Met
Extra 1: How Silvershot and Fortress meet
The question is not “How did Silvershot and Fortress mmet?” but “how did Silvershot and Fortress first meeting go?”
I am Digger Stonefinder, and this is Silvershot’s epic story on how he nabbed the fairest mare in the land. This all started two years ago, when Silvershot and I turned about colt age. Silvershot’s father, Silver Lancet, thought it was a great idea to host Venturia Reign’s biggest birthday party for him. Everypony was invited to the party, which was kind of outrageous! When we heard the news of Silver Lancet’s big party for Silvershot, Silvershot and I smashed our hooves into our foreheads because we did not like the idea. We agreed with it, though, since Silvershot had no choice. He had wanted a normal birthday, with just me as the only attendee.
The two of us walked down Venturia Reign’s streets and were overwhelmed with happy birthday comments from everypony we passed by. Some ponies gave Silvershot’s gifts, while others gave him bit-filled sacks. Silvershot often got embarrassed by all the birthday wishes and gifts he received.
I, as his best friend, put my hoof around his neck and gave him some encouragement.
“Don’t be shy about the birthday party.” I said proudly to him, to raise his confidence. “It’s just another birthday. Maybe there are over a hundred ponies at the party, but so what? It means nothing.”
“I never had this much popularity before.” Silvershot muttered to me. He kept staring at the ground because of his extreme shyness. “You still remember how I was always left alone whenever I played outside?”
“That doesn’t mean anything now! Everypony loves you because you are the Prince of Venturia Reign! You saved almost everypony’s life.”
I frequently presented my lively energy to Silvershot to cheer him up as we went about our day. His low self-esteem was going to put a downer on the birthday. He had finally turned a colt age, but of course I was still older than him by a day. He needed to have fun while he was still young. Silver Lancet, still being the king of the small town of Venturia Reign, could not find time to even set up the party. How weird and wacked out is that? Silvershot and I bought all the drinks and the decorations for the party. Ponies could see us as we strolled through the town, pulling wagon after wagon of stuff for the party.
Silver Lancet handed us a list of ponies to invite to the party when we returned home for a break. I drew the invites and gave them to Silvershot. Silvershot volunteered to do the invites alone, but I intervened and went along with him. Some of the invites went to Silver Lancet’s old friends whom Silvershot did not even know. I thought they were old geezers since all of them were so wrinkly.
Other invites that I made myself went to some ponies I knew personally. Some were celebrities like Showcase Spotlight who was Equestria’s ‘Fashion Model of the Year’, and Jony Arch the archeology professional. Jony Arch, he is my hero!
There was one last pony to invite that day. The sun began to set, and Silvershot and I grew weary. I checked the list, and saw that it was the Evergreens that were last. From what I knew of the Evergreens back then, the Evergreens were a wealthy family in Venturia Reign, and they sold candle scents of Evergreen trees. They sold candles for generations, and they even gave me a discount on candles since I spent most of my time underground with no light.
Silvershot knocked on the door of the Evergreen’s house, and it swung open. I saw a gentle eye looking through the crack of the door. I waved my hoof to the mare, since I could see that she was as shy as Silvershot. I tried being friendlier with her since I did not know her yet.
Fortress opened the door for Silvershot and me. Her green coat glistened in the sunlight of the orange setting sun and her yellow eyes were warm like the candles her family sold. Her mane reminded me of green emeralds in the rocks that I would mine underground. She could have been the perfect mare for me, but it was never meant to be.
She let us inside to talk to her father and mother about the party. She, much like Silvershot, was timid in front of strangers and she secluded herself in the kitchen. Silvershot thought she was adorable. That was one of the first signs I noticed that he liked her.
At the request of Fortress’ father, she made tea for Silvershot and me. The four of us sat at the living room table and waited for her tea. She placed a cup of tea in front of me with the most gentle of care. Not a single drop was spilled.
I sipped the cup of tea and almost choked. Even though the tea looked delicious at first, I almost gagged because it tasted like dirt. I know that is how tea is supposed to taste, but this was ridiculous. I kept a nice and good poker face and left my cup of tea on the table.
“I hope you can come to my birthday,” Silvershot asked of Fortress’ father. He slipped an invitation to him across the table. “It’s going to be a great time.”
Fortress’ father smiled at him. “Of course it will be. My wife and daughter will be there. See you tonight.”
Silvershot and I got up from the kitchen table and made our way to the door. Fortress stepped out of the kitchen and opened the door for the two of us. I stepped outside first before Silvershot and thanked her for the tea. Even though I did not like the tea, I appreciated the kindness and hospitality of Fortress Evergreen.
Silvershot then left soon after. Silvershot looked at Fortress in the eye for a few seconds before she closed the door on him. Silvershot sighed, and then continued his way home. I thought in my mind, at the time, that Silvershot liked that mare. I rekindled my lively energy to work my romantic magic. I may be no unicorn, but I do have magic when it came to romance.
“So, what did you think of that mare?” I grinned at him.
“I thought she was nice,” Silvershot replied back to me. “She made really good tea.”
“I totally agree.” No, I did not. “I know what I can do for you. At the party tonight, I will help you get to know her.”
“I don’t know about this. Will she really like me?”
“Of course dude! You just need a little Stonefinder magic.”
I followed Silvershot to his home where I worked my other special talent. I do not really have another special talent; I just have a knack for making Silvershot look cool. At his house, I took out his fanciest clothing for the party. A good fluffy collar with his most feathered hat seemed like a good fit for Silvershot.
He did not like the collar I got for him and ripped it off immediately.
“I’ll just stick to my overcoat, if you don’t kindly mind.” Silvershot bit on his overcoat in his closet and wrapped it around his shoulders.
“Fine, whatever,” I agreed. What was I thinking, anyway? A big collar? Really?
Silvershot and I got to work on the party for that night. Since Silvershot was an alicorn, part unicorn and part Pegasus, he put the streamers on the walls and ceilings. I did the heavy lifting and carried furniture outside for guests to see the moonlight. I carefully crafted the soft drinks for the evening and obtained the baked goods from the bakery next door.
As I carried the last batch of muffins from the bakery to the concession table, everything was set for Silvershot’s birthday party. Silvershot and I stood side by side and admired our work of art. Streamers gave Silvershot’s house a party look to it and the food and drinks I made were fantastic. I made alcoholic drinks for the adults and I trusted that none of the kids that were coming would drink it.
“It seems like everything is set.” Silvershot smiled.
“Not everything,” I countered. “There is one thing we are missing.”
I left Silvershot alone to allow the guests to enter. I went to Silvershot’s bedroom and devised a plan to get Fortress and Silvershot to have a decent conversation with each other. I had to get them to know each other, and that is what I planned to do. I nearly dozed off because my brain overworked itself. When I nearly crashed onto the floor, not even having experienced any of the party, was when I heard a crash downstairs.
I was shocked wide awake and galloped down the staircase to the party room. I looked around to see if anypony had been hurt or if something got broken. In the center of the room was Silvershot’s chandelier on the floor, broken. Fortress and Silvershot were on the floor next to it.
What I found out later on that night was that the chandelier had a little too much confetti held up there. The confetti was supposed to shower everypony in it after we all sang “Happy birthday” to Silvershot. I guessed the weight was too much and it snapped the delicate string.
Silvershot, with his fast ninja reflexes, pushed Fortress out of the way and saved her from a possible concussion.
“Are you okay?” Silvershot asked. His overcoat was torn to pieces because of the broken glass.
Silvershot helped Fortress off the ground and wiped any glass shards off of her with his wings. “I am fine. Thanks for that, Silvershot.” Fortress thanked him.
“Can I check on you outside?”
Silvershot and Fortress both went outside to talk and the party progressed as if nothing had happened. I wanted to follow them outside, but they closed the front door behind them. I stamped my hoof on the ground and galloped back upstairs. I slowly opened Silvershot’s window which showed a perfect view of the street below and spied on Silvershot and Fortress.
“You don’t seem to have any cuts or bruises. Why is that?” Fortress curiously asked Silvershot.
“I am an alicorn, we have special healing properties,” Silvershot answered. “I am really concerned about you. I shouldn’t have put so much confetti up there.”
“I am fine, I just got a little bruise from you.” Fortress showed her wing which had a big red mark on it. Silvershot inspected the wing and I could imagine where it went from there.
“Oh my Celestia, I am so sorry. Can I make it up to you over dinner?”
“Sure, I can come to dinner. When do you want it?”
“How about Friday?”
“Sounds good.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything went okay for Silvershot from there. He went on dates with her, got to be more affiliated with Fortress’ family, and I got credit for giving Silvershot confidence. I should say for myself, that without my help, Silvershot would not have met Fortress and they would not be boyfriend and girlfriend.
So remember that reader, dreams do come true if you believe in it!
“Digger! What are you doing over there?” Silvershot asked me. Silvershot went over to me and you. “Who are they?”
“These is just your fans! Say ‘hi’ to them.” I told him the truth.
Silvershot does not know you, and he does not understand how there could be humans, but he awkwardly says ‘hi’ to you. You say ‘hi’ back, and he trots away. He rejoins Fortress and you can no longer see them.
“Oh well. I guess until next time. Bye!”
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Chapter 6: When One Adventure Ends, Another Begins
Chapter 6: When One Adventure Ends, Another Begins
The element of sacrifice shot one last beam, before creating a cloud of evaporation. The necklace rusted as if time had accelerated on it. The necklace fell off Silvershot's neck and crumbled into dust. The dust piled up in front of him and disappeared as a breeze went over it. The element of sacrifice was no more. The element of sacrifice should never be made again.
Silvershot was happy that the element of sacrifice didn't kill him or any other pony in the room. He was out of breath, and breathing heavily. As he took a deep breath, he remembered his past completely: He remembered going to school, exploring the Everfree Forest and the Badlands with Digger and Ember Burst, his first kiss with Fortress behind the movie theater, and finding the first picture of his mother. He was a small colt when he asked Silver Lancet about his mother. He gave him the weakest answer anypony could give.
"Your mother went on a trip. She'll come back." That was what Silver Lancet told him, years ago.
Silvershot stared at his triumphant victory over Silver Lancet. The old Silver Lancet was destroyed, and then the new one, Silvershot hoped, would thrive in a new world.
Silver Lancet was alive. He opened his eyes and to see himself still alive. His unicorn horn and his pegasus wings were gone, and he realized that he was an earth pony now.
"I took away your unicorn and pegasus status away from you. Now you are an ordinary earth pony, with nothing special to your name. Enjoy rotting in jail," Silvershot said to Silver Lancet.
He turned and walked away from him. He could hear Silver Lancet ranting behind him as the Canterlot Guard took him away. He screamed at his son for not killing him. Silvershot knew that enough ponies had died. Even when he was a young colt, the battle for control over Equestria has already begun. Silvershot was now a fully grown stallion, metaphorically at least. Silver Lancet's reign over the Vanguard Knights was no more, and the Vanguard Knights were disbanded. Silvershot still had one last thing to do.
Before Silvershot could leave Canterlot, Princess Luna stopped him from taking off the ground.
"Silvershot, wait," Luna called out to him. Silvershot came back. "Equestria thanks you for your help. My sister is dealing with your father and the Vanguard Knights."
"It was no problem," Silvershot smiled. He was lying, there were a lot of problems, and a lot of trouble. "Um, listen, I’ve got somewhere to be so, bye."
Silvershot flew away as he waved goodbye. Luna went back to the castle to make sure that Silver Lancet was dealt with severely. She and Celestia would never forget Silvershot's sacrifice throughout the whole ordeal. His story was going to be told all over Equestria.
Silvershot remembered where Venturia Reign was and flew in that direction. The town was in the center of the deepest and darkest part of the Everfree forest. It was the main reason why he got lost in in the first place. He landed in Venturia Reign only minutes after leaving Canterlot. He walked through Venturia Reign, and tried to look for the one thing he came back for.
Silvershot walked through the skeletal remains of his town; houses were nothing but ashes, frozen in time, stores were empty and out of business, and the city hall was utterly demolished. Silvershot wished he hadn't left Venturia Reign like a coward. When he was in that burning town, the silhouette he saw in the fires was his father's. That was why he ran away.
All the houses looked the same to Silvershot. How was he supposed to find his? Silvershot checked every door of the houses. Each house had a name of whoever had lived in it. Venturia Reign was a small town like Ponyville, so everypony knew each other. Each of the names he found on each door wasn't with him when he went to the mine. He wasn't sure if the missing ponies were alive and lost, or dead.
Silvershot found his house. "Better late than never," Silvershot always said. The house was not burnt down, probably because it was not close to any of the other houses. He remembered his parents building the house when he wasr young. His mom looked beautiful; her mane was silver, like Silvershot, she was very slender for a mare, and her eyes were red like rubies.
Silvershot opened the door and closed it behind him. The house hadn't been touched in over three months. Dust covered the table and chairs, the food in the pantry has gotten mouldy, and the bedrooms had been left unlocked. Silvershot went to his unlocked room and walked over to his wooden night stand.
Silvershot remembered one more lost memory. He remembered something on the day of the fire.
Silvershot fixed his hair over his right eye and cleaned his coat. He looked at his teeth on the mirror to make sure he didn't have any food stuck in them. He’d been waiting weeks to ask Fortress the question. He'd gotten the invites ready, the place all set, and he even had consent from her parents already. The only thing he needs to do is ask Fortress the question.
Silvershot went to the night stand and got the thing he was going to give Fortress. Before he could, though, he saw the fires outside his window, and was forced to abandon the question.
Silvershot could finally ask the question, and nothing could stop him. Silvershot grabbed the package and quickly ran away to Ponyville. He didn't have time to waste, he had a mare to see. He raced through the Everfree Forest, dodging trees at lightning speeds. His wings retracted into his body to make him go faster. He wanted to make sure his entrance was surprising. Anypony would be able to hear Silvershot's inexperienced and loud flying. Silvershot jumped off trees and branches, hoping to get faster. He slightly did, but it made no difference. Silvershot jumped off the tree and continued to gallop to Ponyville.
He saw the forest clearing in the distance and booked it. He still held the package in his mouth for his dear life. He got out of the Everfree Forest and saw Fortress Evergreen waiting for him at the farm. Silvershot galloped to the last of his strength.
Everypony in Ponyville was waiting for Silvershot to come back from Canterlot so they could give him a celebration party. The entire party was Fortress and an Earth pony called Pinkie Pie’s idea. Fortress was happy to see her boyfriend alive and in one piece.
"Fortress!" Silvershot screamed. "Fortress!"
Fortress left the celebration to go meet Silvershot. She trotted at first, but then she galloped to him. The two got closer, with time passing them. The two met and jumped at each other. They hugged just as the sun started to set.
Everypony went over to Silvershot and Fortress, but they stayed behind them at a considerable distance. Fortress looked at them, and then looked at Silvershot again. Silvershot dropped the package on the ground to speak clearly. He didn't have much time to rehearse what he was going to say, so he kind of winged it.
"Fortress," Silvershot said to her. The sunset light glistened in their eyes. "I have known you for a really long time, and
All the mares in the celebration group yelped in glee. Pinkie Pie got her famous party cannon out of nowhere and fired it. Confetti rained down from the air.
The celebration wasn't over yet, though. Fortress hadn't said anything yet. Everypony crowded around her and waited for her reply to Silvershot's proposal. Silvershot anxiously waited for her answer. The question had lain dormant in his memories for so long, he had nearly forgotten it. He had to thank the friends he had met along the way, for if he didn't meet any of them, he wouldn't have been reunited with her.
The sun inched closer to the horizon.
Fortress opened her mouth, and literally everypony gasped. Fortress closed it again and thought about her decision. Silvershot looked up at her and saw an evil smile on her face. She opened her mouth again to see everypony's reaction.
"Yes! A million times yes!" Fortress said in glee.
Silvershot got himself off the ground and kissed Fortress. The love birds kissed for several seconds while everypony else celebrated the new union. Fortress and Silvershot were happier than they had ever been in their whole lives.
________________________________________
…One Week Later…
________________________________________
The wedding party was in full swing by the time the moon had been raised into the sky by Princess Luna. Princess Celestia oversaw the wedding. Silvershot and Fortress critiqued the food catered by Applejack's family, and the party was assembled by Pinkie Pie which Digger helped set up. He seemed to have a penchant for her because he always wanted to be near her.
In Venturia Reign, it was traditional for the groom and bride to wear their parents’ garments of their wedding. Fortress wore her mother's wedding dress and Silvershot wore his father's cloak. Digger was Silvershot's best stallion and Ember Burst was Fortress' best mare. EVERYTHING was organized by Twilight Sparkle.
Digger was partying with Pinkie Pie on the dance floor, Ember Burst was entertaining wedding guests with her fire tricks, and Applejack served food and drinks.
Fortress and Silvershot were alone on the castle's balcony. Fortress cuddled close to Silvershot, and he brushed his hoof through her hair.
"Silvershot," a pony called out behind them.
Silvershot turned around to see Twilight. Fortress was too tired to look. Twilight walked next to Silvershot and sat next to them. "Well first, congratulations you two. What names are you two going to be called by now? Not Mr. and Mrs. Lancet are you?"
"No, no," Fortress denied. She had her eyes closed and her head rested on Silvershot's shoulder. "We decided to go by Silvershot's mother’s maiden name."
"My mother's name was Enda Crimson," Silvershot added. By Fortress and Silvershot's decision, they would be called Silvershot Crimson and Fortress Crimson.
"Wait, the Enda Crimson?" Twilight added emphasis into her question. Silvershot hummed in a positive response. "The same Enda Crimson that developed the spell to help agriculture grow even faster?"
Silvershot nodded. "So I have been told."
"She saved Equestria. You are now as famous as her."
"I wish I could tell her I saved Equestria, but she died when I was born."
The party behind Silvershot, Fortress, and Twilight went quiet. Silvershot knew that someone had gotten in trouble, and politely put down Fortress to look. He could hear a pony screaming his name; the voice was so loud it sounded very close.
Digger galloped to Silvershot frantically. Digger nearly crashed into the punch bar and into some ponies on the way. He came to a halting stop in front of Silvershot. He gasped for air for several reasons. One, he had partied a little too hard. Two, he was galloping while intoxicated. That was strange... it was unlike him to gallop. Thirdly, he nearly forgot the message he wanted to tell Silvershot and he spent a lot of energy in remembering.
"Silvershot!…" Digger gasped. Silvershot gave him a minute. "There's something important I need to tell you."
"What could it possibly be? Besides telling me the fact that you nearly crashed this party while intoxicated." Silvershot said in a sarcastic tone.
"Your mom…"
"I know. Even though my mom is dead, she would have been so proud of me."
"No, that's not it. She's alive."
Digger took a rolled up letter from his hair and gave it to Silvershot. Silvershot swiped the scroll and opened it. His unicorn magic kept it afloat in the air, and he read it out loud for everypony to hear.
Hi son, it’s your loving mother. I am so proud of you, and you know it. I am sorry I didn't tell you about my existence until this letter came to you. Unlike you, who forgot his memories unintentionally, I forgot on purpose. When I learned about your father being the head of the Vanguard Knights, I nearly went insane. I was pregnant with you ten months when I discovered I was married to a murderer. I couldn't be around him when you were born. I faked my death, thinking that at least you would not see your father kill me. I now learned my mistake when I read your news in the newspaper. You grew up to be a strong stallion, and you might have turned out different if I stayed. You saved Equestria from a crazy monarch. Our fame is about the same, you and me. But of course, mother is always better.
Silvershot looked at the back of the letter. There was nothing else written. No ending remarks, no signature, no date it was written. Silvershot shed a small tear, but quickly wiped it off. Nopony saw it; nopony, except Fortress.
"Where did the letter come from? Who told you the news?" Silvershot interrogated Digger. He made his throwing star come out and held it to his throat. "This is no laughing matter on my wedding day!"
"Your mom, she's right over there," Digger said while pointing to the door.
He pointed at the doorway leading to the outside of the castle. Under the door arch stood a mare, maybe no older than Silvershot. She had dark silver hair like him, and eyes with the same tenacity. Her cutie mark even resembled his, but hers was a white star.
Silvershot and Fortress walked to the pony under the door. Ponies separated from each other to let them through. He couldn't believe that his mother was alive as much as the next pony, but he wanted to confirm it for himself. The newlyweds met the pony under the door. The entire time, he never broke eye contact with her.
"Are you Enda Crimson?" Silvershot asked. "My mother?"
"Yes, Silvershot, I am," the pony responded. Her eyes looked back at Silvershot with tears. "Every night, I prayed to Celestia that you were safe."
"I am just glad you are alive," Silvershot went to Enda and gives her a hug. "Did you hear? I got married."
"I got the news."
THE END! FOR NOW!
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPIC TALE OF SILVERSHOT! TO SAVE EQUESTRIA: THE MYSTERIOUS VIRUS
Extra 2, Part 1: The Labyrinth of Norr
"Why in the name of Celestia did you get me into this mess?!" Silvershot yelled at Digger as he ran from the collapsing walls.
"I don't remember!" Digger cried out to Silvershot as he ran behind him.
"Let me refresh your memory on how we got into this labyrinth to begin with!"
...Two Hours Earlier...
Silvershot carried his table utensils and plates off of the kitchen table and put them in the sink. He was enjoying his new home in Ponyville with his wife Fortress. As Silvershot washed the dishes, Fortress sat uncomfortably on the couch, listening to classical music. No matter how much she insisted, he did all the chores of the house for a special reason. He added the dishes into the sink and washed them by hoof.
He only wanted the best for Fortress, and he promised to do everything for her. He did not know that everything would be so hard. He took the washing cloth from a hook on the cabinet and soaped it up. He rinsed the plates with a circular movement while staring out the window. Birds flew elegantly past the window, with sunshine warming the skin.
Silvershot loved the peacefulness, until it got interrupted. The front door of his house slammed open, making Fortress and him jump. In the doorway of his house was Pinkie Pie, who was a friend of theirs, and she was furious about something. The pink pony galloped through Silvershot's house and stopped right in front of him.
"What have you done?" Pinkie Pie asked Silvershot with a beady blue eye.
"I didn't do it," Silvershot joked around since Pinkie Pie has always been the jokester type. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"The party you're hosting tonight! You didn't invite me!"
Pinkie Pie smothered him in the face with a flyer which couldn’t be seen that close. He ripped the paper off his face and read the flyer. He recognized it clearly and smacked his forehead with his hoof. He rubbed his eyes to give himself a second of thought.
"Pinkie," Silvershot began, "this is not a party. This is a baby shower flyer for Fortress."
"She is pregnant!" Pinkie Pie gasped.
"Yeah, has been for about two months."
"Oh! Am I invited? I can totally get her a cool gift for the baby!"
"Yeah, all the mares in Ponyville are invited."
"Yes! Then I am invited, and so are Twilight and Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Rarity, to come to the shower then! I think I will go look for some soap!"
Pinkie Pie disappeared in a cloud of dirt, and she was nowhere to be seen. She had mistaken the baby shower as an actually shower. Besides that, Fortress was pregnant and Silvershot had been taking care of her and the incoming baby very carefully. He fed her with nutritional and vitamin rich meals every day, and she took yoga classes so she could stay fit.
Silvershot put away the plates and tended to Fortress. He knelt down to her level and rubbed his hoof on her shoulder to make her feel comfortable on Equestria's lumpiest couch.
"You okay, sweetie?" Silvershot politely asked.
"Yeah, I am fine," Fortress replied. With her feathered wing, she turned down the volume of the radio. "You don't have to check up on me once every five minutes. You need to find yourself some time alone. Maybe you need to find another adventure."
"I don't need another adventure. I am done with that. The only thing I need to do is take care of you."
Silvershot rubbed his cheek against hers and gave her a quick kiss before turning the radio back up so Fortress could fall asleep. He could hear the soothing sounds of Octavia's cello playing with the beautiful harp playing by Lyra Heartstrings. The two were amazing musicians, and it made Silvershot jealous. Silvershot never found the time to learn an instrument, but all of his other friends had. Digger knew how to play the drums, Fortress knew how to play the flute, and Pinkie Pie knew those two and twenty other instruments.
Maybe while he had some free time, he could learn to play the violin or the saxophone. Silvershot thought about buying an instrument until he forgot to close the front door. Digger Stonefinder, this time, barged into his house. He was completely covered in dust and dirt, and it looked like he had never seen the light of day since he was so pale.
"Silvershot! You have to see this!" Digger huffed. "As best friends to each other, you have to believe me when I say it this time."
"Alright, I didn't say no-"
"Good. Let's go!"
Digger bit his tail and dragged him out of his house. As Silvershot was forced out of the house, he reached out to Fortress with a hoof. Fortress laughed and waved goodbye.
"Go have fun, Silvershot!" Fortress screamed in joy to him.
Silvershot planted his hooves into the dirt beneath him, but Digger’s sheer strength stopped him from stopping. He ate dirt, and eventually watched Ponyville disappear in the distance. Wherever Digger was taking him, it was far and remote. Trees of the Everfree Forest moved past him and the smell of clean air followed it. The old forest haunted him with the terrible memories of fighting off forty hoof long snakes and heat waves that dry you out like paper. He did not like traveling to the Everfree Forest unless it was to visit Zecora for medicine.
Digger stopped dragging him after about five minutes, stopping at a hole in the ground. Silvershot got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and started nagging to Digger about how much his stomach had suffered from dirt burn.
"Look, I am sorry for that," Digger apologized. "Remember when I was digging in Venturia Reign last year?"
"Yeah, I remember," Silvershot said. "I had to fill that hole after you were done! That took me a week to do."
"This time, my digging wasn't wasted. Follow me down the hole."
Without another second to spare, Digger jumped into the hole and vanished from Silvershot's view. Silvershot looked down the hole, but saw nothing but darkness. He looked deeper into the hole and already had thoughts of regret in the back in his mind. As he got closer to the hole, the mud of the swamps of the Everfree Forest made him slip inside. With a thud, he landed on top of Digger who had waited patiently for him to come.
He got off of Digger and looked around at where he is. He was in an underground room, created with four smooth walls that had been delicately engineered to withstand any possible earthquake. Along with the four walls, four tunnels on each wall led to different paths deeper underground.
Silvershot looked back up from where he fell from and saw the hole in the ceiling close up. The room went pitch black until the torches on the walls lit up the underground room.
"Digger, where are we?" Silvershot questioned Digger, who was behind him.
"I don't know its name, but I know it is a maze of some sort," Digger replied. "I never found my way out. I always got trapped in circles."
"How did you get out today?"
"I waited one night underground until the hole above me opened up."
"I don't have one night! In a couple hours, I have to host Fortress's baby shower."
"That did not sound like a stallion talking," Digger snickered.
"Shut up."
...Back in the Present...
"Oh, so that's what happened." Digger blushed as he continued to run away from the collapsing wall with Silvershot.
"No, that is how we got here!" Silvershot screamed at him. "This is how we got into the falling labyrinth!
...One Hour and Fifty Minutes Earlier...
"We have to get out of here," Silvershot sounded anxious. "I cannot stand small spaces..."
For the gallant Silvershot, who was able to travel through the Everfree Forest alone, who saved Equestria from the biggest terrorist attack in history, and who also stole the heart of the girl he loved in marriage, tight spaces were his weakness.
In his state of fear, he knelt down to the ground and curled up into a ball in fright.
"This is what I wanted you to see," Digger walked over to a wall and pointed to something on it. He completely ignored Silvershot's protests to get out.
Silvershot got back up with shaky legs, got closer to the wall, and had a closer look at what Digger was pointing at. None of the words would make sense to a normal pony. Silvershot, though, knew what the words meant. The words were written in the ancient language of the Venturian people. The natives of Equestria had their own unique language to them and called it the Venturian Code.
He read the words out loud, but Digger had no idea what the translation was. Silvershot forced his unicorn horn to appear on his forehead, and wrote down the translation next to the inscription with magic.
"Il Norr Labirinto, più grande labirinto di Venturia mai progettato. Solo i puri di cuore può passare attraverso il labirinto. Per coloro che non possono, che tu possa riposare in pace nel Tartaro," Silvershot repeated the words on the wall and followed it with its translation. "The Labyrinth of Norr, the largest labyrinth ever designed. Only the purest of hearts can go through the maze. For those who cannot, may you rest in peace in Tartarus."
"How do you know the translation?" Digger asked.
"I studied the Venturian ancient language at home. Our archives were written in it," Silvershot answered. "The archives mentioned something about a rare jewel hidden in a place far away from the world."
"Dude! Let's go find that jewel. We could become rich!" Before Digger could run into the maze, Silvershot blocked his path by making a wall of throwing stars. "What?"
"We can't go in. In the archives, the jewel's hiding place was filled with traps. We could get injured or killed with a false move, and I don't want to risk it."
"With your fast ninja reflexes and my keen hearing for vibrations in rocks, we can overcome any obstacles in our way..."
...Back in the Present Again...
"I can't believe you still tricked me into doing this!" Silvershot kept screaming at Digger.
"Come on, you know you still love me," Digger admitted Silvershot’s friendly love. Even though he was right, Silvershot still hated him for getting him away from Fortress. "Let's take a right here."
The End of Part 1
A/N: For anypony interested, the Venturian ancient language is actually Italian. I used Google translate and I am not a 100% sure if it is accurate or not. If you speak Italian, it would be great if you could leave a more accurate translation down below
Extra 2, Part 2: The Labyrinth of Norr
Extra 2, Part 2: The Labyrinth of Norr
After accidentally activating the trap, the Labyrinth of Norr collapsed behind Silvershot and Digger. The death sentence started when Silvershot stepped on a pressure plate in one of the hallways. The ceiling crumbled after the fatal move, and the two friends ran for the hills.
Silvershot and Digger took a right turn and came up to labyrinth hallway that was not collapsing. Silvershot looked back and saw the rest of the labyrinth close off in a pile of rubble. He sighed and punched his friend in the shoulder.
"I still hate you for getting me into this mess," Silvershot said angrily to Digger.
"We are almost there," Digger reassured him. "I’ve got the map memorized in my head."
He was right. Digger's amazing hearing allowed him to mentally map the labyrinth in his head. The vibrations of the collapsing section of the maze bounced off the walls, and he could imagine the layout of the entire winding jungle of stone. He took a couple of seconds to run the labyrinth through his head and directed Silvershot to the center of it. Silvershot hoped that he was not leading him into a dead end. They had reached too many dead ends before to get lost any further.
Silvershot used the blade of his throwing star and marked turns with arrows. The reminder helped him have some ease in his mind. If his guide was wrong and was leading him in circles, Silvershot could prove they were lost with the arrows. Almost like a bad omen, the two reached one of the arrows marking the path. Digger glanced at the arrow and turned in the opposite direction. Silvershot crossed out the arrow and pointed another one in the other direction. He joined him and thought quietly of what he was going to do when he got out. He could not be late for the party he was hosting for Fortress, especially since Pinkie Pie knew about it. After another few short turns, Digger lead himself and Silvershot to the same two arrows.
"This doesn't make sense!" Digger screamed. "I made sure that we did not go in any circles!"
"Maybe there's a reason behind us going into circles," Silvershot muttered as if he was leading on something. He was getting the gist of an idea. "What if the labyrinth was moving?"
"Excuse me? Moving? Rocks do not move on their own."
"That is true; but what if the labyrinth was working on gears, like a train. Maybe if we sit still, the walls will move us towards an exit."
He sat his rump on the ground, and Digger had no choice but to join him. Silvershot spun his throwing star on his hoof with its tip and watched it reflect the light of the torches. The torches reminded him of the campfires where he would spend time with his father, Silver Lancet. They would go camping all the time in Venturia Reign. Those were peaceful times for Silvershot, but now they were long gone. He would never get to have that experience again, since Silver Lancet was in jail.
As the throwing star moved on his hoof, something stirred and made a noise behind his back. He dropped his throwing star and looked behind him; everything was still and quiet. He picked up his throwing star again and spun it. Once again, the same thing happened, but he saw nothing.
"Digger, did you hear that?" Silvershot whispered to Digger.
"Yeah, I've noticed sounds," Digger responded, but not in a secretive tone. "It happens whenever you pick up your throwing star."
"What could it mean?"
"Well, try spinning your throwing star again and I'll try to see where the noise is coming from."
Silvershot did as he was told, and he spun the throwing star in his hoof. The sound happened again and Digger looked behind Silvershot's back. The wall at a dead end had moved and exposed an opening. He told Silvershot not to move and went to the opening. At the opening, Digger found a wooden lever to a mechanism and pushed on it. He heard a clanking noise and deduced that the wooden lever was a locking mechanism to keep the opening open. Silvershot stopped what he was doing and went to his friend. Digger inspected the torches and found something fishy about them.
"The torches contain iron," he said to Silvershot. He opened one of the torches and tasted its powdery contents. "Yuck! Yup, iron. Pure iron has a strong magnetic pull so I guess it was attracted to your throwing star and it pulled this here chain to open the door."
A chain ran from the torch and Silvershot accepted Digger's observation. To avoid any magnetic trouble for future traps, he made his throwing star zip out of existence and entered the new labyrinth opening.
The new path Digger discovered was not lit with light, so Silvershot used his unicorn powers to light the way. He was glad he is an alicorn.
As he and Digger walked down the new pathway, it ended in a big room. The room had a tiled floor with an enormous and glimmering blue diamond sitting on top of an untilled area. Digger was hypnotized by the sheer size of the diamond and got closer to it. The diamond was bigger than him! Silvershot could feel that something was wrong, and he extended his hoof in front of Digger.
He knelt down and touched one of the tiles on the ground. The tiles fell into a dark black abyss as it slid through the floor.
"Well, can't you use your unicorn powers to lift that diamond over there?" Digger asked him.
"Do you realize what we are standing on?"
Digger glanced at his hooves. Underneath them were some tiles. He stiffened up in order to not make the tiles beneath them fall. Silvershot was not afraid because he had figured out why he and Digger had not fallen into the hole below.
"The diamond is off-setting our weight. We can move freely on some areas but if we move the diamond suddenly, we would fall in. If we move fast, we would fall in. If I tried to fly, you would fall in"
"How do we know which areas we can step on?"
Silvershot was still trying to figure that part out when he asked it. He retraced his steps and realized the tiles had letters; they were letters of the Venturian language. The areas that a pony can step on had to be a certain sequence of tiles.
With a quick and hesitant step, Silvershot stepped on the tile with a V. The tile fell and the floor shook soon after. He freaked out because he might have sentenced Digger to an early grave, but the floor stopped shaking after a few seconds.
"Well, that didn't work," Digger badgered. "What now, genius?"
"Calm down, you didn't fall in," Silvershot badgered back. "Maybe it's Celestia's name. She did used to live in Venturia Reign nearly two thousand years ago."
Silvershot stepped on the tile with S , since Celestia's name starts with an S in Venturian. The tile did not fall, and he sighed in relief. He stepped on the next tile O , then L , and then E . Silvershot looked at the diamond, and he could finally touch it.
There was a problem that he came upon. The diamond was bigger than him, and he would have to carry it on his back. Not only that but he would have to step on tiles slowly so that floor was not destroyed. Digger was more than twenty hooves away. He thought about a plan, and came up with one. He took out his throwing star and struck the diamond with it. A chunk the size of a baseball came off with one blow. He bit onto the chunk, and threw it to Digger. He received the diamond chunk from Silvershot and put it in his saddle.
"The weight won't get off balanced if we transfer a little at a time," Silvershot said to Digger.
Little by little and piece by piece, the duo found a way to move a diamond bigger than themselves. Digger's saddle was full with roughly about twenty diamond chunks. Silvershot had to take the remaining with him. He levitated forty diamond chunks into the air using magic and made his way to Digger.
As the two laughed and gave each other hoof bumps when they united, the floor began to shake and tiles from a far distance fell into the never ending hole below.
"I'm not over there to upset the balance. Run, Digger!"
The two galloped as fast as they could. The extra weight weighed them down, but they managed. The falling floor followed behind them and inches closer to them. Without a choice, Silvershot used his magic to carry Digger and thrust him forward. He landed on solid ground and spilled some diamonds onto the floor. Silvershot met up with him just in time before he fell into the abyss. He was on the tips of his hooves when he barely made it.
Digger looked at the diamonds they had managed to snag from the death trap of a treasure room. The smoothness of the diamonds and the crystal blue clearness made him grin. He bit onto the diamond and licked its surface.
"You like to lick things, don't you?" Silvershot grinned.
"Yeah I do- hey wait!" Digger replied, but then raises his voice. "Don't say it!"
"That's what she said!"
Digger punched Silvershot in the leg. "These diamonds are pure chromium azul diamonds. They are worth a million bits a chunk, regardless of size!"
"We can't bring all of it to the outside world."
"Why not?"
"Money leads to greed. We are bringing billions of bits outside which could cause mass chaos to the world."
"Couldn't we bring one?"
"I am hiding these diamonds after we get out. For now, I'll carry all of them."
Silvershot swiped the diamonds from Digger and carried the diamonds for the rest of the duration of the stay in the labyrinth. Digger was disappointed at him because of his selfish decision. All he did was smack his own hoof into his face. Silvershot laughed a little at his ridiculousness and walked down a corridor in the labyrinth.
They experienced more traps on the way that ranged from walls exposing blades of death, to death falls into pools of acid. The Venturian ancients made sure that thieves did not leave the labyrinth so easily. Silvershot and Digger dodged every possible obstacle until they come upon the worst obstacle yet. They had finally found the exit to the labyrinth, but they soon discovered another problem. In between them and the exit was a small basilisk dragon. The basilisk dragon is a dangerous reptile; one look at you and it would turn you to stone. The dragon slept comfortably on the ground as it was chained to a peg. Digger pulled Silvershot away from the dragon and into a safe place to talk.
"Are you kidding me?" Digger exaggerated to Silvershot. "We have to go up against a basilisk dragon!"
"What is so bad about it?" Silvershot asked. "It's so small."
"It has more sensitive ears than me, it can turn you to stone, and it does not like to be awoken from its hundred year sleep."
"Digger, try sneaking around the dragon and get to the exit. While you are over there, I will buck you each diamond individually. After that's done, I'll get to you and we can go home," Silvershot explained.
"I got it. Try not to mess up," Digger said to him.
Digger snuck around the dragon as quickly and silently as he could. Several times during his stealthy maneuver, his hoof would clatter onto the ground, and the basilisk would snort in his sleep. He was extra careful to make the journey of a hundred hooves to the exit. Eventually, he got to it and waved to Silvershot on the other side of the room. Silvershot waved back and threw a diamond chunk into the air. He remembered working at Sweet Apple Acres for Applejack and bucking apples that would fly over fifty hooves.
With perfect timing, he bucked the diamond chunks into the air and to Digger at the exit. The diamond soared through the air and did not make a noise. Digger caught it with his mouth, and the two continued to make the diamond move over the basilisk dragon. After bucking about sixty diamonds to him, Silvershot carried one last diamond in his mouth. He moved into the room and avoided the basilisk dragon at all costs. One false move could get him frozen in stone. He was almost at the exit, almost confident that nothing could go wrong.
Something did go wrong, when he least expected. A sweat drop from kicking so many diamonds formed on the side of his temple and ran down his head. He tried to stop sweating, but he was warm from the kicking. A sweat drop fell from his head and it touched the floor. Its sound echoed through the room, and Silvershot took in a cliché gulp.
The basilisk dragon's ears twitched as the sound dissipated. Silvershot galloped for his dear life out of the labyrinth. The basilisk dragon roared an adorable scream, and it casts its spell at Silvershot. The ceilings, walls, and floors changed into a shade of grey; it was almost as if somepony was painting everything.
Silvershot jumped for the exit as the petrification spell got within a hair of touching him. He landed face first into the dirt of the outside world, and Digger shut the exit door behind him.
"One day, Digger," Silvershot said exhaustedly. "I am going to kill you for nearly getting me killed."
"At least you did not die," Digger said in a cheery mood. "And we got the chromium azul diamonds!"
"No, I have them," Silvershot used his magic to take all the diamonds to his side. "Go home, Digger."
Digger, with a pouting face, drooped his head down and headed to Ponyville. Silvershot felt sort of bad that he did not get anything from the adventure. He whistled to him and tossed him a chunk of the chromium azul diamonds.
"Don't spend it all at once, you hear me?" Silvershot winked.
"Not a problem, King Silvershot!"
King Silvershot? That sounded like a cool title to him. Digger vanished into the bushes and away from Silvershot. There was only one place that he could hide the diamonds. He teleported the diamonds to a secret spot where no pony could find it.
It was night time outside in Ponyville. With the moon hovering over the town and stars lighting up the sky like miniature candles, he headed back home. Twilight Sparkle's house, which was next door to his, had all of its lights off.
"I guess Twilight already went to the party," Silvershot said in his mind.
Silvershot could see his house after looking around Ponyville one more time. The lights in his house were on, and he could hear the conversations of squealing mares inside. He looked through the window and saw Fortress inside, having fun with all her friends. She was showered in gifts from ponies all over Ponyville.
Silvershot opened the door slowly and tried to go upstairs to rest. Before he could take a step, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, grabbed onto his tail.
"Where have ya'll been?" Applejack questioned Silvershot. "Fortress and everypony else has been worries about you."
"I had to run a few errands," Silvershot lied to the most honest pony in Equestria. Truthfully, he went on a treasure hunt with Digger that almost got them killed.
"At least you are here now! Yay!" Pinkie Pie yelped. "I brought cupcakes, soda, juice, candy, a cake, chocolate, music, decorations, and more candy for the party!"
"That is a lot. Fortress does not need that much stuff." Silvershot raised an eyebrow.
"That stuff is for everypony else, silly. Now go get cleaned up! You are filthy!"
Pinkie Pie was right. Silvershot's hair was scuffled, he had dirt all over his coat, and he had scratches on his shins. He went upstairs and drowned himself in water. He scrubbed his mane and coat clean and covered up the scratches on his body with Band-Aids. He went back downstairs and said ‘hi’ to everypony. Lyra Heartstrings gave Fortress a lyre and promised to teach her how to play a stringed instrument, Roseluck gave a bouquet of roses to Fortress, and Twilight gave Silvershot a book called ‘A Stallion's Guide to Parenting.’
"Thanks for the book," Silvershot embarrassingly said with a smile.
"You'll need it," Twilight winked at him.
Silvershot put the book in his room and he went to Fortress. She enjoyed the baby shower with all her mare friends there. He asked her how the get together was, and she went into full detail of what happened the past few hours; she played games with Pinkie Pie, she and her unborn were blessed by Princess Celestia with good fortune, and every mare in Ponyville gave her gifts like baby carriages and food formulas.
"I am happy you had a great time tonight," Silvershot said to Fortress.
"I should be happy you went on an adventure today and left all the mares here alone," Fortress said back. "What did you do while you were gone?"
"I brought back a little gift." Silvershot showed her a chunk of the chromium azul diamond he found in the Labyrinth of Norr.
"Are you okay?" Silvershot lay a hoof on her back and rubbed it.
"I am fine; it's just a little cough."
THE END OF TO SAVE EQUESTRIA!
A/N: Thanks for all my loyal readers out there. I really appreciate all your time in reading all these chapters. Don't forget to favorite this story if you can and favorite its sequel, To Save Equestria! Thank you again!
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Chapter 3: Realizations and Troubling Thoughts
Chapter 3: Realizations and Troubling Thoughts
"What do you mean, dead?" Fortress ripped the page out of the journal, wrinkling it up in a quick haste, and hid it behind her ear. It was very important that Silvershot didn't learn who the leader of the Vanguard was. It would shatter what was left of his amnesiac self.
She stood next to him and nearly screamed when she saw what he had found. The body of the deceased Chief Editor was lying under the blood stained sheets. Silvershot prayed to Celestia for forgiveness for examining the body without any prior medical experience. He took the sheets off of the bed and carefully looked at the Chief Editor’s body.
The Chief Editor was tortured to death. There were bruise marks everywhere and the swishing of water in his stomach when Silvershot turned him over, showing that he was drowned. Those methods of torture did not compare to the very last gruesome one. The Chief Editor's cutie mark had been branded with a circle and a capital ‘V’. The brand nearly covered his entire cutie mark.
Fortress teared up as Silvershot closed the Chief Editor's eyes. He had died with his eyes open, a horrible way to leave a body. He recovered the body, along with the blood stained sheets. He stomped his hoof on the floor, grunting in anger.
"It was those damn Vanguard Knights!" Silvershot cursed. "That 'V' means Vanguard!"
"Silvershot, you don't have to be angry. There's nothing you could have done," Fortress said, trying lighten Silvershot's anger.
"This was a brutal murder. It looks like he hasn't been dead for more than a couple of hours. We could have brought him to a hospital if I didn't get lost. I wish I could have..."
Fortress stopped his tirade from continuing any further. She put her hoof over his mouth and gave him a hug. His anger went away as he felt Fortress' slow heart beat against his own. His anger was ultimately overwhelmed by kindness.
"All we can do so that the Chief Editor's death isn't in vain is to follow his hoof steps." Fortress opened the Chief Editor's journal and flipped through the pages until she found something. She read the contents of the page out loud. "One of the subordinates of the Vanguard Knights lives in Canterlot. He is in charge of controlling the economy of not only the organization, but the entirety of Equestria as a whole. I cannot talk to him any further as I nearly lost a hoof trying to get this much information on him. His name is..."
...After taking another train ride to Canterlot...
"Fredrick Goldhoof, the richest pony in all of Equestria."
Silvershot's mind pinged with pain again as he remembered another memory.
It was a starry night in Canterlot. Silvershot was older than the last memory, at least by another year. Silver Lancet didn't look any older. It didn't even look like he had aged at all. Both of them were wearing a ragged, brown cloak to cover their faces and cutie marks. A single lantern lit Fredrick Goldhoof's door.
Silver Lancet knocked on the door, and Goldhoof answered the call. Much like his name, he was a golden unicorn. Fredrick Goldhoof had everything golden: his yellow long mane and tail were tied in golden bands, his neck was decorated in a golden bejewelled necklace, and he had golden boots on his hooves. Even his coat was white and his yellow mane and tail matched his decor.
"Did you make my necklace?" Silver Lancet asked Goldhoof.
"I sure did." Goldhoof replied. "I lost a couple of ponies finding the fragments for the necklace, but the final project is here. The Missing Element of Harmony, guardianship."
Fredrick Goldhoof floated a golden necklace into the air and put it in a leather bag. He tied the bag up and gave it to Silver Lancet. Silver Lancet put the leather bag holding the element of guardianship into his saddle. Silver Lancet and Silvershot left, and the memory ended.
Silvershot's eyes saw the real world again.
"Why am I only seeing memories of my dad? Can't I remember anything else?" Silvershot asked himself.
Silvershot led Fortress to the house of Fredrick Goldhoof. The lantern from the memory had been left untouched for all those years. Cobwebs entangled the lantern and the front door. Silvershot took a step onto the doorstep of the mansion and a cloud of dust blew up in his face. Dust had piled up on the doormat. Silvershot coughed the dust out of his lungs and knocked on the door.
"Fredrick Goldhoof? It's Silvershot." Silvershot knocked again.
He put his ear to the door and listened carefully. He paid attention to any echoes or sounds behind the door. He could hear breathing; it was Goldhoof's.
"Come in. I have been waiting for you," Goldhoof said.
"You don't have to call out from behind a door you know," Fortress said to Silvershot.
"It's just gentlecolt-like," Silvershot rebutted.
"Did you say you were waiting for us?" Silvershot asked.
"Yes. I kind of read your news report in the paper," he answered. He took out a newspaper from his side with his magic and gave it to Silvershot. "Sit, sit. We have so much to talk about."
Silvershot and Fortress did as Goldhoof requested and sat on the floor. Silvershot opened the newspaper and read it. The newspaper talked about a mysterious pony entering Ponyville with no name, and the Chief Editor dead in his apartment with no known murderer or suspect. Silvershot put the newspaper down, and was handed a cup of tea. Goldhoof had brewed it himself.
"What did you come here for, now? I thought I already paid your father my debt," Goldhoof asked when he finished taking a sip from his cup.
"You owe my father a debt?" Silvershot volleyed the question back at Goldhoof.
"Of course. You and your father came here five months ago. Don't you remember?"
He shook his head no. He retold his whole endeavour, starting with his memory loss in the Everfree Forest to him finding the Chief Editor's body and telling the authorities about the murder.
"That is why I am here; I am looking for my father. I don't remember anything else besides the partial memories I just told you about."
Goldhoof laughed hysterically. "You don't know the half of it, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your father isn't involved with the Vanguard Knights…," Silvershot sighed with relief, but it was quickly cut short when he found out that Goldhoof was only finishing his breath. "He is the Vanguard Knights! He is their leader!"
Silvershot gasped, but Fortress doesn't. She already knew the truth when she read the Chief Editor's journal back in Manehattan. In her mind, she didn't want to tell Silvershot because he would go berserk. In her heart though, she knew she should have told him right when she saw the name. Fortress touched her mane behind her ear to see if the journal entry was still there. It was.
"Why in the name of Celestia would you give my father the missing element?" Silvershot yelled at Goldhoof.
"He would have killed me if I didn't," Goldhoof yelled back at him. His old age caught up to him and he began coughing some saliva from his throat. "My special talent isn't controlling the economy of Equestria. My special talent is making gold. Gold is a precious metal. It can repel magic, be stronger than steel, and it can be molded to anything you wanted. That is why he needed me. He needed me to craft the missing Element of Harmony called guardianship."
"What does the Element of guardianship do?" Fortress asks.
"Unlike the other Elements of Harmony, which all have to be used at the same time, guardianship can act on its own. The magic is too raw to control though. If you recall from your memory, I lost a couple of ponies? It wasn't from finding the gold material I needed to make it; it was its magic that killed my family."
A tear ran down Goldhoof's face.
Silvershot was flooded with memories, but they weren't his own. They were Fredrick Goldhoof's memories. He was transmitting them with magic.
Silvershot watched the memories play for him. He saw Goldhoof and his wife having fun with their first son, the son graduating from magic college, and even the son having a unicorn filly. The memories were all happy ones until the unspeakable happened. The entire Goldhoof family were assembled in one place around seven gold fragments of the Element of Harmony. Goldhoof, his wife, his son and his grandson, used their power over gold to control the element pieces. The pieces floated into the air and combined into one gold piece, but the magic went haywire soon after. Streams of magic shot out of the gold and struck everypony in the heart.
"I should have died with my family. I should have, but I didn't. Silver Lancet saved me because he still wanted that damn element!" Goldhoof wailed, outrageously loud.
Fortress reached out to quiet him down, but Silvershot stopped her. While Goldhoof thrashed around in his wheelchair, ranting that it was his fault for his family's death, Silvershot retold Goldhoof's memories to Fortress. Anypony should know that you can lose your sanity if you don't take your anger out on something.
"It's going to be okay. Everything will be fine, at least you didn't die," Fortress said, forgetting Silvershot's will.
"No, it’s not." He turns to Silvershot. "Look, Silvershot, you got to listen to me. You have to save Princess Celestia and Luna or else we will all be in grave danger. I was also forced to not only make the element of guardianship, but I had to create an even more dangerous weapon. It is a weapon that can even kill alicorns."
"What weapon?" Silvershot was intrigued, but scared of the term ‘weapon’.
"I call it a ‘gun’. These guns shoot round, golden balls at high velocities using an explosive compound called ‘black powder’. The balls can penetrate armor far better than an arrow could. You need to destroy the gun factory, and then you have to fight Silver Lancet before it is too late."
"How can I…?" Silvershot muttered until a crack in a nearby window appeared.
A bouncing sound shot around the room, scaring the three ponies. The nearby window shattered after another noise. Goldhoof was thrown out of his chair and onto the floor. Silvershot and Fortress dropped to the floor soon after. He checked on Goldhoof and saw a hole in his side. He used his magic to dig into the hole and took out whatever hurt him; it was a round, gold ball.
He looked out the window to see four ponies on the roof of the house next door, using Goldhoof's invention of warfare. The ponies fired their gold bullets at the Goldhoof house. Silvershot nearly got hit with one of the balls. He dragged Goldhoof out of the sight of the gunponies and into the safety of a wall. Fortress hid next to him.
Goldhoof's side was bleeding, and Silvershot could not stop it. He gently put Goldhoof on the ground and tried to stop the pain. Goldhoof grunted, which meant he was alive for now. He reaches to his hind legs and clicked a button on each side of his boots. The boots came off automatically. Goldhoof did the same with his front legs as well. He gave the boots to Silvershot after grouping them together. Silvershot took the boots from him and held his hoof.
"You are going to need these. I wish you good luck," Goldhoof moaned over the sound of flying gold balls.
"Sorry we got you into this mess," Silvershot said back to him.
"It’s okay. I can finally rejoin my fam...ily..."
Silvershot no longer felt the tension in Goldhoof's hoof. He put the unicorn's legs crossed on his chest and pulled a window curtain over the body. He then puts on the gold boots that Goldhoof had given him. The boots were as light as a feather. He could barely even notice he had them on.
He and Fortress faced a new problem now: escaping Goldhoof's house without getting shot at. Fortress spread her wings to get them stretched. She had a plan: to escape, by flying. Noticing how long it took for each of the gunponies to reload their guns, she estimated when it was an appropriate time to jump out the window.
"Are you ready to fly?" Fortress questioned Silvershot.
"I don't know how! I don't even have wings!" Silvershot argued.
"Yes, you do, you are an alicorn for a reason. Just imagine your wings, and they should come."
Silvershot did as Fortress said. He closed his eyes behind the shelter of the house walls and tried to imagine Pegasus wings. He imagined being weightless, and soaring through the air like a bird. Silvershot could feel his body changing. He opened his eyes and saw Pegasus wings tucked in on his sides. He spread them out; they were angelic.
The feathers were white, which didn't match Silvershot's grey mane but the wing did.
Fortress waited for the right moment when the guns had to be reloaded outside. It was only for a split second, but she could see the gunponies stopping momentarily. Silvershot and Fortress took the chance to escape. The two got a galloping start out the window and into the air. The gunponies were too occupied to fire at the flying Pegasi because their guns had jammed. It was a good thing the gunponies were only Earth ponies.
"Where do we go?"
"Check the journal for answers, maybe the Chief Editor found the gun factory."
Silvershot used his unicorn magic to get the journal from Fortress' bag without stopping flying. He flipped through the pages until he found a page with information about black powder.
Black powder is a mixture of certain chemicals that form a compound big enough to cause an explosion. It was discovered by the dragons who used black powder to make brilliant light shows at night called fireworks. The Vanguard found that they could use black powder as a weapon, and had their own factory making the explosives. One of the key ingredients to make black powder is sulfur, which can only be made underground.
Unlike all the mines in the Badlands, which contain minerals such as copper, iron, and cobalt, sulfur can only be mined under the purest of conditions. I tested all kinds of conditions; desert, mountain, and raining conditions. None of them succeeded in making a pure mineral. Only under a fruit tree where rain can filter to the ground and evaporation would leave the pure heavy elements behind. Sulfur created life and it keeps it going.
Silvershot pulled the brakes on his wings. Fortress stopped her flying when she could no longer see him. She flew to Silvershot, and stopped to read the journal. Silvershot tried to compile the facts in his head.
The Vanguard Knights need sulfur to create the black powder to use it in Goldhoof's guns. According to the journal, sulfur can only be made underground, so in reality the entire factory has to be underground. Sulfur can be made under trees since the whole filtration process purifies it. Sulfur created life and it keeps it going. Food keeps life going and ponies mainly eat fruit. The most common fruit ponies eat are apples.
"Sweet Apple Acres! That is where the most apples are grown next to Canterlot. Applejack said she had to pick apples up for the season! If she picks those apples, she could be in trouble when the Vanguard Knights notice their sulfur is low and it is because of her," Silvershot exclaims. "We have to go warn her!"
Silvershot began to fly toward Ponyville suddenly, without telling Fortress. She bit his tail and Silvershot whiplashed back to her.
"We don't even know how to get inside the factory. There could be a door entrance one kilohoof away with a labyrinth tunnel system that could go on for days. We need to find somepony that knows underground facilities," she explained to him.
Silvershot landed on the ground to think it over. He tried to remember somepony, anypony that would help.
Silvershot was a young colt, playing outside with a ball. Other fillies and colts played outside, too, but they leave Silvershot alone. They knew that Silvershot was the son of the fearless leader Silver Lancet. He liked playing in the mud, but the other kids didn't see eye to eye. When Silvershot splashed in the mud really hard, all the other children left, thinking the prince was weird; he was alone with his ball. In a fit of rage, he kicked the ball away from him. The ball stopped under the hoof of the colt Digger Stonefinder. Digger Stonefinder was an Earth pony with a white mane and tail, and a brown coat like dirt. Digger jumped into the mud with Silvershot and both of them laughed.
The memory fast forwarded to a year later when Digger and Silvershot were older. Silvershot, wearing a fancy feathered hat, walked down the street of the perfectly fine Venturia Reign. He continued to walk until a crevice the length and depth of five houses blocked his path. Silvershot looked down at the crevice and found his old friend Digger.
"Do I have to arrest you for making a large hole in my town?" Silvershot asked Digger.
"This is all in digging science. I'm trying to find old prehistoric life!" Digger yelled from the bottom of the hole.
""It's called palaeontology."
"No, I beg to differ. Palaeontology involves fossils. One day, there could be a whole civilization underground, and I could be the one to do it."
Silvershot told Fortress of Digger, and she remembered Digger in Venturia Reign. He ran to Ponyville after the fire with her. The two flew to Ponyville in search of their old friend.
The two fliers stopped in Ponyville and tried to find Digger. Fortress took Silvershot to the home Digger had stayed at for the last three months. As the two walked through Ponyville, Fortress took the opportunity to tell Silvershot more about their past together.
He remembered more and more about Fortress the more time he spent with her. He remembered all the plays he took her to, the moonlit dinners they ate, the parties they went to together. He felt like his heart had begun to rekindle their past love. Silvershot walked closer to Fortress and put his wing around her. Fortress rested her head on him and weighed herself on him.
"I am getting tired of this," Fortress complained to Silvershot as they walked.
"Getting tired of what?" Silvershot wondered.
"Of waiting for that question you wanted to ask me before Venturia Reign was destroyed."
"I wanted to tell you something? I can't remember."
Silvershot attempted to remember the question, but his memory came up blank. Silvershot apologised to his girlfriend for not remembering anything. Fortress said she would wait a little longer, just for him. She kissed his cheek and they moved on. The duo found Digger's home, and Silvershot opened the door. He didn't feel like knocking first; he was running out of time to save Equestria.
"Hey! Haven't you heard of… Silvershot!" Digger bellowed in his own home. Digger put down some mineral samples and galloped to Silvershot. He gave him a hug, and looked at his face. Digger noticed Silvershot's hair over his eye and his golden boots.
Silvershot also looked at Digger's face. Digger was wearing goggles over his eyes, and there was a magnifying glass on his side. They asked questions about each other, but they kept talking at the same time, so nopony understood them. Silvershot took a quick minute to tell Digger about his amnesia and his story, up to their meeting.
"We have to find that underground factory, or else Celestia and Luna could die. Is it possible for there to be a sulfur factory under Sweet Apple Acres?" Fortress asked Digger.
"There could be a high possibility," Digger walked over to his bedroom and took out a large sheet of paper to show Silvershot and Fortress. "The last couple of days, I have been tracking seismic activity under Ponyville. Shockwaves move in waves like the sea, so I found where the waves came from: under Sweet Apple Acres."
"This is amazing. How did you find out?" Silvershot asked, puzzled.
"Hello! My special talent involves rocks. Anything to know about rocks, I already know."
Digger showed his flank to his friends. Digger's cutie mark was a shovel digging a hole. Silvershot remembered when Digger discovered his cutie mark; it was a glorious day where he had had to save a life by trying to tell the difference between two types of minerals to use as medicine. The minerals looked exactly the same, except one of them would kill the patient. The correct mineral was used in the medicine, and he got his cutie mark for rocks and minerals.
Silvershot looks at Fortress' cutie mark. Hers was a little creepy to be a cutie mark. On her flank, there was a heart, but unlike any others he knows. Half of the heart was pink and lovely, but the other half was black and covered in thorns. He thought he might ask her later what her special talent was.
He looked at his own flank though; his cutie mark was a mystery, still. A silver four edged star with a hollowed out center didn't mean much. Twilight Sparkle's explanation of his cutie mark gave small hints, but even those hints didn't unlock Silvershot's talent.
Holy crap! Silvershot forgot to tell Applejack of the gun and sulfur factory. Fortress and Digger were chatting up a conversation when Silvershot remembered. He waved his hoof in front of the two and reminded them of the task at hoof. Digger grabbed his chart of seismic activity and ran with Fortress and Silvershot to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Fortress, what is your special talent?" Silvershot inquired about Fortress' cutie mark.
"My talent is called Mare Luck. I can choose whether to give or take good luck," Fortress replied.
"So when I almost died in the carriage accident-"
"I gave you the most luck I could give you. I changed your luck from one per cent to fifty. Even with my power, I still prayed for your safety."
Silvershot kissed Fortress on the cheek, and they continued to gallop to Applejack's farm. The three arrived at the farm minutes later, but Applejack was nowhere to be seen on the farm. Silvershot lead his friends to Applejack's house in the middle of the farm and looked through the window.
Applejack was inside the house washing dishes. Silvershot barged in and nearly scared her to pieces. Fortress and Digger followed him. He told her about his father's plan to attack Princess Celestia and Luna to take over Equestria.
"His plan is to mass produce weapons so he can attack Canterlot. With Canterlot overrun with Vanguard Knights, Silver Lancet could overthrow Celestia and Luna," Silvershot said, with undeniable truth.
"What can we do?" Applejack asked, putting away her apron.
"We have to find the underground factory, and my friend Digger knows where it is."
"Where is it?"
Silvershot turned to Digger, who had already begun to look for the factory. He stepped outside and tapped his hoof on the ground. Digger snuffed a puff of air from his nostrils and moved around along the ground. He tapped his hoof to the ground every time he stopped moving, and he would continue if he didn’t find anything. Everypony trailed behind Digger as he made a path to the barn.
The smoke cleared, and a huge hole had been made in the middle of Applejack's barn. Digger was nowhere to be seen. The three looked inside the hole and saw Digger at the bottom of it. Digger had a light on his head that shone into the dark hole. Everypony's eyes hurt when the light was shined in their faces.
"Thank goodness I have this invention called the flashlight. I found the shaft that leads to the factory," Digger called out from the hole.
Everypony laughed as they climbed down the hole. Silvershot was the first to get off the climbing wall. He met up with Digger and brushed the dirt off his head. Applejack and Fortress then joined Digger and Silvershot. The shaft was enormous, at least the height of fifty hooves. There were two ways to go down the shaft: left or right.
Fortress took a bit out from her bag and flips it. Fortress said head for left, and tails for right. The bit lands on right. Fortress picked up her bit from the ground and headed in the direction the coin landed on.
"How did ya'll find this shaft without doing any digging before?" Applejack asked Digger.
"Vibrations in the rock bounce off the ground in the shaft, creating this good sound indicating there is an opening underground," Digger explained.
"Pardon?"
"I used sound. I have good hearing."
Applejack got it, and she laughed with Digger. He put a hoof around her neck and continued to laugh with her. Even though he knew she did not know the real science, it was still okay because she had learned something new. Silvershot put a wing on Fortress and sighed. Fortress could feel Silvershot's weariness. Not physically from the way his wing is, but a symbolic connection between each of their hearts.
The group continued to walk until everypony saw a glimmer of light at the end of the shaft. They passed through the opening without thinking. Silvershot saw a Vanguard Knight doing a patrol run and he quickly reacted. He pulled his friends away from the opening before the Vanguard Knight saw them.
The Vanguard Knight was dressed in a full metal suit, with his face covered in a helmet. He patrolled the catwalk, and then stepped down some stairs. Silvershot took a sneak peek out the shaft, and then told everypony to get out.
He could see the whole factory from the ceiling catwalk at the opening of the shaft. Sulfur was being mined from the ceiling above, and it fell to the ground where unicorns would purify it using their magic. A large, yellow pile of sulfur could be seen at the end of the production line in a room enclosed by a door. The piles of sulfur were then taken to make the black powder for guns.
"That is a lot of sulfur. That is highly flammable," Digger muttered silently.
"What did you say?" Silvershot asked Digger to repeat himself.
"That is a lot of sulfur."
"No, no after that."
"That is highly flammable."
"That is how we get rid of all of this sulfur. We light it up and it will destroy the whole factory."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Applejack interjected. "We can't just simultaneously light that pile of sulfur and get out before it explodes."
"I know a certain pony that can," Fortress pointed out for everypony.
Following where her hoof pointed at, Silvershot saw a jail cell holding at least twenty ponies. Those ponies were Venturian residents; he remembered each one of them. He remembered everypony there and their past connections with him. One of those ponies was Ember Burst, his friend back in Venturia Reign. She was the last pony to leave Venturia Reign, and he remembered her special talent: she had a knack for creating fires using her unicorn magic.
"Down there in that jail cell is my friend Ember Burst. She can make the fire for us," Silvershot told everypony. "Here's the plan. We go down there while avoiding the Vanguard Knight Patrol guards, free the captives in the cell, and then we set the Venturian people free through the shaft hole we made. Ember Burst and I will cause a distraction by lighting up the sulfur and fighting a couple of Vanguard Knights while everypony else runs.”
"What if you die, or the plan fails?" Fortress pleaded. "I don't want to wait for you at the shaft opening."
Silvershot quietened Fortress with a kiss, this time on her lips. Her worriedness died as happiness took over her. Fortress stepped back and held her hoof in his.
"I am not going to lose you. I will see you at the opening," Silvershot said while looking into Fortress' beautiful eyes. "I also remember that question I almost died to ask you."
Silvershot took Fortress' hoof, held it to his cheek, and gently placed it down. "Now, let's go stall my father's plan. It's time to save Equestria."
