Author's Note

Been reflecting a bit, and...yea, future Harpy here. You liked this chapter last year?
Heh...hahaha heh...I MADE IT LONGER!!

This chapter got a huge upgrade, giving some good contextual events and building some of the other main characters up to help establish their proper place in this story. Other than that...oh yeah! One more chapter to go, and then we'll be back to the present.

For now, we got some reminiscing to do with two familiar faces. Spoiler alert: I mentioned their names in the final scene with Nacreous.

-Harpy

Edit: I revised this chapter on July 8th, 2023. To me, the story feels much better. Last year, my writing style hadn't been as developed. I was still new to this. Now, with a lot of time on my hands, I've gotten more practice and can safely say we are doing great. These revisions help with contextual clarifications and fixing the tone it gave off. Hope you all can understand and will like the changes.

The Game Plays With Fire {revised}

Chapter 13: The Game Plays With Fire

[...]

“...and that’s why we are absolutely not doing that, Lulu.”

“Sister, I am merely giving us a baseline to work off from. An optio-”

smack! “This isn’t the time for us to mull over our options, everycreature!” The Legionnaire’s hoof crashed down onto the war room table. The entire map of Equestria had remained unmoved, as did ‘The Crown,’ but the other creatures surrounding it had shifted in place uncomfortably.

“Now then,” Tempered Steel addressed after adjusting his collar. “As you may not know, we have a severely limited number of Canterlot Royal Guard personnel at our disposal that can join the ranks of the Canterlot Royal Army. Our recruiting has been doing its best since the beginning of the new year, doubling, even tripling, our numbers. And, I don’t know if you knew this, but bringing in a flood of ponies and creatures to defend the heart of Equestria takes time to train!”

The room fell silent as Tempered Steel huffed, removing his hoof from atop the table. Commander Shifting stood still beside me as Emperor Nacreous prodded his chin in thought.

“Legionnaire Steel…we do understand this,” Emperor Nacreous broke the silence. “We have the staff and personnel readily available to train the newest recruits quickly and efficiently. Getting our troops to go through the necessary training? Yes, that will take time. I believe that, if the Commander is willing to share, the Lunar Knights can also help out on th-”

“To be completely transparent with you, Emperor, I will not be asking for the assistance of the Lunar Knights,” Legionnaire Steel interrupted. Nacreous’s eyes widened in surprise as I glared at the stallion with a seething distaste for his current presence.

“And WHY, praytell, will you not be asking for the assistance of MY guard?” I agitatedly pressed on. “They do their jobs in protecting Canterlot and its castle, go beyond the expectations that anycreature has for them, and use insurmountable force when absolutely necessary!”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, that’s why,” Legionnaire Steel replied calmly. “They are needed to protect Canterlot at night when it is at its most vulnerable point in the day. Not to be scouring the world of Equestria for a creature you all couldn’t keep track of!”

“Hold on just a moment,” Commander Shifting chimed in. “WE did not lose track o-”

“Yes, you did, Commander!” Legionnaire Steel bit back harshly. “Might I remind you of how ‘he’ escaped in the first place? I have the report on my desk, nailed into it with a burn mark, for how botched and unorganized this situation has been!”

“And with all due respect, Legionnaire Steel,” Nacreous responded in defense. “Alex has a name and an identification for his species. I suggest you use either of them and not refer to the human fugitive by ‘he,’ ‘him,’ or ‘it,’ out of respect….”

“Why does that matter to us right now, Emperor?” Legionnaire Steel asked bitterly. “For all we know, HE could be hiding in plain sight or even creating a hostage situation. What good is it to refer to that creature by tha-”

“Legionnaire Tempered Steel.” Everycreature in the room immediately froze as my sister spoke up. The use of a full name meant somepony was about to incur the full wrath of Celestia, and I said nothing as I looked at the worried expression panning the Legionnaire’s face.

“Do not ever…EVER!!” Celestia shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice. The word rang out as my sister tried to compose herself, but even I knew that was impossible. “Do not pin the blame on a creature that had no part in retrieving Alexander Walkerson. Nacreous has no part in losing sight of the human. I DID!!”

My heart sank as the pained expression donning Celestia’s face dug in like a rusty knife. “It was me, and me alone…that failed to relocate and recapture Alex. I didn’t…keep my focus on the priority at hoof, and supposedly, Alex is out there in the world of Equestria because of ‘me.’”

ahem! “S-So then,” Legionnaire Steel stammered while trying to keep his demeanor rigidly solid. “Wh-Where was, dare I say, every one of you four during this whol-”

FWOOM!!

========================================<>========================================

Everycreature in the room, including myself, jumped in fright as Celestia summoned a massive pillar of fire with her magic. The eastern portion of Equestria was burned off the face of the table, the table cracking at the force. After that display of power from my sister, she pressed her hoof down on that side of the table and...

crash! The table broke away and crashed to the floor. The pieces smashed against the war room floor, smoke billowing from the charred bits. Everycreature was sweating as they moved away, allowing Celestia to clear her throat and recompose herself.

ahem! “So, where were we?” Celestia asked before turning to her special hippogriff. “Oh, yes! I remember…Nacreous. Please inform Legionnaire Tempered Steel of your dutiful work in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory.” Nacreous cocked his eyebrow as he looked back at his special somepony, wiping his brow before turning to look at the Legionnaire.

“I was tending to nearly 40 pegasi, including the Wonderbolts, inside the Cloudsdale Weather Factory on the first floor’s main factory room,” Nacreous detailed. “The human fugitive did deal varying degrees of damages to those workers and…and even Captain Spitfire was no match for Alexander Walkerson’s power.”

“For your information,” I interjected. “I was there and helped Nacreous when it came to moving her safely. The Wonderbolt captain had suffered a brutal injury, specifically a broken wing bone. But…it didn’t appear to be that bad of an injury. In fact, Spitfire said Alex had ‘helped’ her.”

“Really?!” The ‘High Command’ exclaimed before returning to attention. I rolled my eyes as nocreature, not even the Legionnaire, could dare to explain that outburst from them.

“Apparently, Captain Spitfire’s injury was meant to put her out of action for nearly 4-6 months,” Nacreous said. “But…somehow, that timeframe shrunk to just under 2 weeks. I believe I know why, and it does have to do with Alex, but I will not elaborate on that point….”

“The point is, the pegasi workers involved in the brawl against the human are now in medical bays at the Canterlot hospital,” Commander Shifting announced. “They are receiving the best medical attention in the world, and it is for a good reason why we need them to return as soon as possible.”

“Wh-”

“Because, Legionnaire,” Nacreous interrupted so fast that he didn’t even allow the stallion to get his question out. “Cloudsdale’s operation has been temporarily shut down due to these events, which means the weather conditions across Equestria will drastically alter. Therefore, we will be giving those ponies our top medical care, seeing that they return to work safely.”

“...”

There was a long silence as nocreature dared to move. Out of fear of the solar alicorn standing to my right or the assurance of Nacreous’s word, nopony on the opposite side of the table said anything. Finally, Legionnaire Tempered Steel was the first to move, readjusting his outfit before looking at Princess Celestia and gulping.

sigh “I’ll be expecting a new table soon for this room, Your Highness.” The Legionnaire’s snarky comment caused nearly everycreature to roll their eyes as we returned to the situation at hoof.

“That’s not our current priority, Legionnaire Steel,” I retorted. “Our priority is to track Alex, the human, down…and ensure this matter is handled with extreme precision and swift care.”

“But, so far, the best idea we have brainstormed is to deploy the majority of the Canterlot Royal Army to all cities in Equestria,” Celestia claimed, referring back to our first option. “That way, we make sure Alex can’t seek refuge safely and keep him on his toes….”

“Yes…and, simultaneously, we will scare innocent bystanders AND our allies,” Nacreous said in defeat. “I’m telling you, Sunspots, that this is not a good idea to go with….”

“And why not?” my sister countered, causing me to exhale loudly.

“Because if our allies saw us deploying Equestria’s armed forces to their regions,” I replied, “they may feel unsettled by our presence there. Not only that, but our enemies will certainly not be too happy with us sending divisions of troops into their lands.” Celestia stared at me, and I noticed her fiery gaze locked behind her deep violet eyes.

“A great point, Princess Luna,” Legionnaire Steel acknowledged. “With our small numbers, even deploying one battalion of troops can create civil unrest where it isn’t warranted….”

groan! “Then we are back at square one again!” Celestia shouted in annoyance.

“I have a good idea that could work, in theory….” All eyes in the room shifted to look at the Commander as he scratched his head. “It’s plausible, but it would help us a lot in keeping Equestria’s interests intact if it worked.”

I looked at my fiance with a puzzled look, unaware of the idea Shifting had come up with. Fortunately, the Legionnaire made sure he got his bits’ worth for today’s meeting.

“Very well then, Commander,” the Legionnaire sighed. “What’s this ‘brilliant’ idea of yours?”

========================================<>========================================

“Take care, the both of you!”

“Likewise, Commander Shifting Sands! And don’t you worry, we’ll be on it right away!”

ring-ring!

Pneum Matick, the chief editor of the Canterlot Printing Press Shop, appeared from behind the curtain with a smile across his face. I looked back at the unicorn stallion, wondering what was new now.

“What’s new, Pneum?” I asked out of curiosity. The editor-in-chief grinned as he levitated the parchment over to me. I stopped what I was working on and looked at the paper, my eyebrows rising as the word ‘Wanted’ popped off the page.

“This job’s from ‘The Crown of Canterlot,’ Silky Screen,” Pneum said excitedly. “They need these done by sunset.” I looked at the poster more clearly, taking in all the details.

The heading above the picture said ‘Alexander Walkerson,’ with the creature’s face front and center. The human’s description was on the right of the image, while the crimes committed sat on the left. However, my eyes widened in shock at the words ‘Dead or Alive’ written in a fancy font underneath the image. The bounty was set at 10,000 bits for the capture of the escaped convict.

whistle! “Seems like they are awfully desperate to end this quickly, don’t you think?” I asked out of concern. “I mean, come on, 10,000 bits? That’s a lot of bits for the capture of one creature!”

“Sure does,” Pneum sighed, approaching my right side and looking at it. “That’s life-changing bits. It would be nice to find him ourselves…but alas, we’re stuck here with the responsibility of creating these to their liking.”

scoff! “Yeah. This is the job we have to do, sir,” I replied with a smirk. “If there was more of an incentive to leave and go out into the world of Equestria to search for him myself, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But…I gotta stay here and make this living of mine.”

“Fair enough. I mean, I got a family to think about,” Pneum sighed. “And I don’t think it’s worth it either. Especially considering he’s armed and ‘dangerous?’ I’m not going to risk my life trying to capture a creature with a weapon loadout like his….”

gasp! “He’s got a weapon loadout?” I asked in shock. Pneum nodded as I whistled loudly.

“You’d have to be crazy to cross paths with that creature,” Pneum admitted. “He’d do anything to defend those near and dear to him. I mean, come on…you’ve heard the rumors being true.”

“It’s still unbelievable that ‘that event’ happened,” I replied with a shake of my head. “That guy nearly died protecting the hippogriff princess from losing her life in the scuffle. Mind you, Pneum, it was a complete misunderstanding and almost resulted in an accidental death!”

Pneum nodded his head as he turned his attention back to the poster. “Okay, let me transfer the likeness of the poster to the stone tablet, aaand….” poof! “Alright! I’m going to start the process soon, Silky,” the unicorn editor cheerfully said. “Get ready!”

I nodded as Pneum used his magic to replace the existing tablet inside the machine with the new imprint. After securing it within the slots, he nodded, and I flipped the switch to start the process. The gears churned and rotated, speeding up as it began to print them out.

Thousands of them were set to produce, the piles upon piles of them being neatly stacked upon the backstock tables over the next couple of hours. I wiped my brow as the last ones printed out, turning my attention to the cardboard shipping boxes nearby. A frown slowly spread across my face as I called out to my editor-in-chief.

“Wait. Did the Commander say that WE have to have them shipped to all corners of Equestria?” I asked in confusion. “The notes you have here say they asked us to do it.”

“I know, but it’s not going to be through us,” Pneum replied. The unicorn grabbed his coat and hat within his magical grip, immediately dressing himself. “It’s going to be through the postal service, which is why I will be heading out for a moment…don’t let the shop burn down, colt.”

I shrugged with a smile and nodded to the chief editor. Pneum disappeared behind the curtain and into the storefront of the printing press shop, his hooves clacking loudly against the floor. I hummed and whistled a tune as I began to prepare the shipping containers for the transfer.

ring-ring!

========================================<>========================================

“Tia, I assure you. I am fine….” yawn!

“Hmmm. Doesn’t sound like it to me, Lulu,” I sincerely replied with a smile, waving my hoof toward Luna. “You seem to be a bit….”

sigh “Exhausted?” Luna tiredly sighed, her head slumping forward in defeat.

“I was going to use the bland term ‘tired,’ but maybe the word ‘spent’ applies to your case, hee hee,” I giggled while Luna pouted. “I’ll send a message over to Nacreous. Maybe he will have something to aid you in getting some rest.”

scoff! “Of course, Nacreous would have the answer,” Luna scoffed, turning her head to the right.

“Hmmm. Orrr…maybe your Commander has ‘something’ waiting for yo-”

“TIA!!” Luna shouted while halting in the hallway. I looked back at her, noticing she was staring wide-eyed at me, her cheeks flushed bright red. All I could do was giggle, sticking my tongue out as I trotted down the hallway toward Luna’s room.

“Lighten up, dear sister. I only tease,” I said, laughing the smarmy thought away. “By the way, you two should sit in for Day Court once with Nacreous and me. You’d laugh your flanks off at some of the things we come up with to pass the time.”

Luna’s face calmed as she slowly trotted to my right side. “You mean your ‘special’ hippogriff?” Luna said slyly. This time, the blush crept to my face as my sister chuckled. “Tia, you know that I am NOT a day pony like you two are…and today has been draining for me.”

groan! “Well, Lulu, consider that today’s events weren’t in our foresight,” I grumbled. “And the circumstances that led to it are really unfortunate, but I believe we have done all we could for today. We’ll just have to wait for that opportunity to strike back…with impunity.”

“But, with Alex out there in the vast world of Equestria, where should we try first?” Luna asked without hesitation. I stopped in the middle of the corridor, mulling over the thought. Then, I quickly noticed Luna’s door was in sight, signaling me to put the idea on the back burner.

“That’s not my main concern, Lulu,” I hurriedly answered, pushing my sister towards her bedroom door. “You need to rest yourself tonight, Lulu.”

“Whuh? H-Hey!” Luna immediately exclaimed. “T-Tia, what are you doi-”

“Why don’t you take the night off and enjoy a full day’s worth of sleep tomorrow?” I asked.

“WHAT?!” Luna turned her head around to look at me in shock. My younger sister jammed her hooves into the ground and prevented me from pushing her further, flaring her wings and spinning away immediately. “Absolutely not, Tia!”

sigh “Lulu, look at yourself,” I sighed exhaustingly, waving my hoof at her. “Your mane is completely disheveled and has lost its starry appearance, you have bags on top of your bags under your eyes, and you’re barely standing upright right now.”

“Tia, I assure you…I can perfectly stand on my own four hooves,” Luna replied lazily before her hind legs gave out. She plopped down onto the floor, her head drooping in embarrassment.

“Really?” I inquired, raising an eyebrow. Luna said nothing as I exhaled, bringing a hoof to my face. “Not the first time I’m right….”

“Okaayy, maybe I DO need some sleep,” Luna protested, tiredly raising her hoof and pointing it at me. yawn! “But that is not an excuse for me to cancel Night Court. Tis my responsibility, as is Commander Shifting’s job, to work through the night…not yours.”

“We’ll call it a ‘temporary absence from action,’ Lulu,” I reassuringly said, catching my sister’s attention. “Nacreous will let Shifting Sands know, once they’re done, to join you and have the night off as well. In your place, I’ll briefly notify the Lunar Knights and Night Guard before heading to bed. That way, they’ll understand that this situation is a one-time thing, okay?”

“Y-You will?” Luna asked tearfully, her eyes slowly watering. “Tia, d-don’t do this. I n-need t-”

“Ssh…Lulu,” I sincerely shushed, wrapping my wings around her in the hallway. “It’s okay. The castle isn’t going anywhere, and neither will Canterlot fall during the night. Nocreature is dumb enough to attack, especially with an Equestria-wide crisis involving a dangerous fugitive going on. So…we can at least afford one night off to rest.”

sniffle

========================================<>========================================

Luna embraced my frame, tears flowing from her eyes. She was taken aback by the sudden care I had shown for her, but I felt as though there was something else I was forgetting about. Luna promptly parted from me, wiping her eyes before exhaling calmly.

“Tia, I really do appreciate your understanding and care for me and Shifting,” Luna told me. “Truly, I do. However, I have one task that ‘must’ be completed tonight…and it is something neither of you can handle or do.”

“Lulu, both Nacreous and I can cover whatever it may be,” I said, getting up and proceeding to her doorway. Luna shook her head in dismay, dismissing my advice to take the ‘entire’ night off.

“I am afraid thou will not be able to,” Luna responded truthfully. “It involves something in my dream realm. And, although Nacreous can walk between dream bubbles in my dreamscape, I have ensured he will only visit yours when you need him to….”

“Luna, don’t,” I retorted bitterly, stopping in the middle of the corridor. “Don’t even thin-”

“I’m sorry, Tia,” Luna apologized, trotting over to me. “I must find Princess Skystar’s dream bubble and…and his. Skystar may be worried about this situation, while Alex needs ‘guidance.’ I must gain his trust again so we can make this end better than it is projecte-”

“Princess Skystar…I can understand, Lulu,” I responded adamantly. “But do NOT visit Alex tonight. Is that understood?” Luna reached her bedroom door and turned her head to look at me. My sister’s blue teal eyes met mine, which only infuriated me that she was being serious.

“I’m not taking anypony’s considerations tonight,” Luna softly admitted. “Tis my decision and mine alone. I will deal with the consequences when they present themselves, and nocreature will know but me.” I sighed in resignation, bringing a hoof to my face.

“And, Tia?” I looked up and gazed at Luna as she smiled warmly. “Who knows…maybe they’ll understand and take the information lightly. Skystar cares for him just as much as he does for her. Th-They…need each other right now….” Luna cleared her throat before saying one more thing to me.

“And with the future, and that prophecy, at stake?...I believe we are all running out of time.” Princess Luna admitted before nodding her head in thanks. “Thank you, Tia. I bid thee and Nacreous a good night’s rest and a wonderful day tomorrow.”

click!

“...”

The castle halls were empty, the silence enveloping everything within its grasp. I stood before my sister’s doorway for what felt like minutes, unable to fully comprehend her choice.

sigh “You’re kidding me right now, Lulu….” I frustratingly sighed and departed down the long corridor, away from my sister’s bedroom door. The corridor’s high ceilings loomed above me as I made my way over to the dining room for a traditional evening meal.

I shook my head in anguish, contemplating the options we had. One thing is clear, my mind thought firmly. I will need to address this whole debacle tomorrow to the nobility and citizens of…Equestria? I shook my head and exhaled. No, maybe just Canterlot for now. This surely doesn’t look like it will end well….

The guards ahead saluted as I realized I had made it to the dining hall faster than usual. I slightly coughed and stood up straighter, reassuring myself that everything would be alright. After passing by the two Royal Guards, acknowledging them with a smile and a nod, I opened the banquet hall’s doors with my magic and passed through.

Slam!

========================================<>========================================

`“Luna! Keep your guard up-oof!”

“Sister!” I cried out. My sister had been struck by an oncoming object, knocking her off her hooves and onto the sandy terrain. I looked up and shielded the second attack, the boulder disintegrating as soon as it made contact with my magic.

After dropping the shield, I immediately galloped over to Celestia and created another protective shield. My sister shook her frame as she wobbled to her hooves, dazed from the attack against her. Finally, I rested my wing on her back, causing Celestia to look at me while wincing in pain.

hiss! “Oww. Got me…r-right side,” Celestia heaved. I looked over and saw the impact spot of the thrown blunt object, which had left a nasty bruise across her wither and blood to trail from the area. I growled as my attention focused back on the group of mercenaries before us.

Snarl!“You’ll pay for that!” I proclaimed, using my Royal Canterlot Voice. I dropped the shield as I yelled, the fragments of the protective bubble flying outward. In response, the group held their shields up, allowing me to fire powerful spells at their legs.

pow! ba-bam!The magic beams connected against two of the creatures in the group, blood splattering as they crumpled. Their cries of anguish didn’t matter as I levied my sword at another. The mercenary’s hooves shot up as he begged for mercy, his worried expression angering me even further.

I pivoted to the left, lashing out violently while ripping the sword right through the pony’s skin.

slice!

Boom!

“Gah!!” I was hit by an explosive, hurtling me backward onto the dirt. My body rolled over as the ground slowed my speed, points of impact increasing the pain across my body. I came to an awkward and sudden stop, my wings opening too late to slow my momentum. My back slammed into the side of a boulder, causing me to fall forward.

gasp! “Oww….” I breathed out a pained sigh. My eyes tightly shut as my teeth clamped down, the pain traveling across my entire frame. My hooves gave out from underneath me as my head dropped to the ground, my eyes looking up at the five mercenary creatures left.

cackle!“This is all you have for us?!” their group’s leader cackled. I coughed and spat blood on the sand beneath me, watching the slender salamander leader move for my older sister. “The two alicorn rulers of Equestria can’t even handle a collective of mercenaries? Hah! PATHETIC!!”

I fired off a warning shot, nearly hitting the feet of the maniacal creature. “G-Get away from my sister, yo-uaah!” I immediately seized up as one of the remaining dragons landed atop my back. My wings spazzed in shock as the dragon grabbed the core bone of my wingspan. A painful cry escaped my mouth, the sudden action making my neck crane up to try and stop it….

“L-Lu…Luna,” I heard Celestia groan. My sister tried to get back on her hooves as I looked on in horror, the salamander approaching and kicking its foot into her bad side. Celestia cried out as she rolled over onto her other side, the twisted leader of the group cackling as it held up its claw.

“S-Stand back!” the cruel creature playfully warned. “The alicorn is going to actually try for once! Pfha!” The salamander waited nearby as Celestia began charging her horn, suddenly lunging for my sister and grabbing it. Celestia immediately screamed as the mercenary leader slid a mana-nullification ring onto it, the shockwave from the attempted casted spell bouncing back to hit my sister.

I watched in fright as my sister held her good hoof up to her head, trying to get the ring off as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the group leader decided against that, slamming a long knife through that foreleg. Celestia’s cry rang out into the evening sky, the birds in nearby trees rattling and flying away.

My head dropped onto the sand of the village of Somnambula in defeat, while my conscious state slowly began to disappear from my eyes. The hilltop spire nearby…i-it slowly…faded….

The last thing I saw was the dragon on top of me, bent down to look at my face. His toothy grin only angered me more as he laughed, delivering a powerful kick to my back again. I yelped in tearful agony, my eyes closing as the pain continued to radiate inside my vei-

SLASH!!

shriek! The dragon atop me slowly fell off me, the weight of his legs disappearing from my back. I heard something roll over and slide across the sandy texture of the surrounding area, my head peering up to see a silhouette slowly stand….

“...” The creature turned his head to look at me, my eyes widening in complete shock at the mere sight of him. My mind ran rampant with unnerving thoughts as the human turned back around to stare down the salamander holding down my sister. The only thing was, something about him felt…off to me.

Alexander Walkerson, a displaced human brought here for one reason or another, was gripping onto…some primordial weapon.

A vaguely ‘familiar’ weapon….`

========================================<>========================================

`“What the…o-oh. D-Dear Faust,” the salamander creature above me muttered. I looked up in confusion as the leader of the group we were trying to take down suddenly kicked me in my side again, forcing me to hold it in agony. I rolled over and opened my eyes in pain, peering at the fresh new disturba-

gasp! “H-Haah…no!” I yelled out with all my might. My wings flared as I tried to motion for the human to run. “A-Alex…run away!” My vision returned quickly to see the human creature disobeying my orders, instead beginning to sprint for me.

I stared in awe before realizing he was grasping the handle of some kind of weapon. It looked oddly…‘familiar’ to me. The human creature looked up before sliding across the sand, the salamander creature flying through the air and over his head.

“Celestia! For fuck’s sake, get up!” Alex’s voice loudly growled. groan! “Come oonn!” The human grabbed my hoof and pulled mightily while my other hoof did everything it could to lift me up. I looked at Alex before feeling something wasn’t right, my head swiveling to notice two of the remaining mercenaries rapidly approaching us.

My hooves nearly gave out right before Alex decided to step in front of me, staring both of the approaching creatures down. I looked on in shock and frightful terror as they darted for him, leaping high into the air and drawing their weapons.

“A-Alex! What are you doi-”

Slice!

Slash!!

“Ackh!!” The two attackers promptly fell to the ground in a bloody heap, their upper bodies separating from their torsos. Alex stopped spinning and planted his foot thoroughly into the ground, causing the area to shake from his action. My eyes widened as Alex held his weapon up into the sky, and then…I saw the middle of it beginning to burn.

It slowly sizzled, steam rising from the blades that surrounded it. The faint image of the sun increasingly got hotter, the color of it changing from a dull yellow to a discolored orange-red hue. That’s when my jaw dropped in surprise as a raging blaze took hold of the weapon’s iron blades, the fire coating the ax…n-no. It wasn’t just any ax, because….

This ax had two blades….

H-How in all of Equestria-what is that?! I fell onto my haunches as Alex dropped the weapon onto the ground. The dual-bladed weapon caused the sand from underneath it to give, and the immediate sizzle! that escaped it echoed through the air. That’s when I felt a presence, and the salamander leader brought my frame up violently. It pointed a knife past my eyes toward the human, his breath shuddering as he tried to remain calm.

“S-S-Stand back, y-you…creature!” the trained salamander mercenary shouted to the human. Alex turned his head around quickly, his mean glare leering through my eyes and into the creature’s gaze behind me. I struggled to escape my captor’s grip, shaking every which way I could before he brought the knife up to my neck.

growl! “Let! Her! Go!” Alex yelled in increment timing. The human then broke into an all-out sprint, making the creature behind me attempt to press the knife into my neck. A slow fizz! sounded out from my left, my eyes darting over to see Luna casting a spell with her horn.

groan! “Grrr!...ffaah!” The salamander behind me continued to struggle as I watched Alex near me. Then, he jumped over me, his entire body clearing my line and sight, save for the ax. It was pulled up at the last moment, sending an unnerving chill up my spine as the human whipped it down toward the mercenary leader behind me.

Slash!

shriek!The creature’s weight across my back finally disappeared, his shrieks ringing into the silent air. The knife dropped from in front of my neck, allowing me to fall to my good side in a heap, the burn from my injuries restarting and attacking me hard.

hiss! “Agh….” I hissed in excruciating pain as I flipped over onto my back. Luna instinctually slid over to me, activating a large shield bubble over the both of us with her magic.

“Tia! A-Are thou alright, sister?!” Luna yelled into my ear with fright. I winced at the sound, nodding in confirmation as my breathing relaxed. The both of us lay there in the san-

CRACK!!`

========================================<>========================================

`Our ears flicked in horror as the sounds of bones breaking and limbs being torn apart sounded behind us. We turned around and gawked as Alex had planted himself on the ground, with the remnants of the salamander mercenary leader flopping to his sides. Blood splashed out across the human’s back and surrounded him. All the while, Alex’s head bowed and stared at the ground.

Luna dropped the spell immediately and stood up slowly, her hoof extending to help me. I gripped it tightly and stood, my legs shaking to stabilize my frame’s weight. I winced in pain, struggling to approach the human while he held the battle ax tightly in his right hand.

My gaze returned to look into Alex’s eyes. There was a fierce fight left in them, lashing out at me to not get closer. I ignored the warning signs and neared the human, my mouth closing in reflective thought. Finally, I nodded as he glared at me, his fingers twitching in anger as I attempted to calm him down.

“A-Alex…?” I stuttered, keeping my eyes locked on the weapon across from me. “Dr-Drop the ax. Please….” The human looked at me out of spite, his body resisting to move. I realized Alex had gripped the ax tighter, his arm shaking as blood continued to trace his muscles.

I brought a reassuring hoof up to his shoulder, resting it gently upon it. Alex did not capitulate as my mind tried to come up with the right words to say. I patted his shoulder lightly, nodding once to him with a small smile. “O-Okay, Alex,” I exhaled quietly. “Luna and I are safe. There’s no more for you to do. Y-You can drop…drop the ax no-”

Alex’s weight suddenly shifted, my hoof gripping his left shoulder as he slung it toward the ground. The shift in weight nearly threw me off him, his left foot planting into the sand as he almost fell down with me. My body could’ve slammed Alex to the ground, but it was too late. The ax had left his right hand, gliding through the air to an unsuspectin-

fwoosh!!

SLASH!!

The ax passed Luna’s right ear, slicing into the final mercenary, who was trying to attack my younger sister. The ax slashed through his body cleanly, splitting him into two strands. The dead creature’s body flopped to both sides, blood splattering and pooling near Luna’s tail.

Initially, Luna was too terrified to move, having sensed a two-sided battle ax whisk past her head at lightning speed. It was only until the sensation of blood on her flank caught her attention. She immediately got up in terror, screaming for a second before realizing why Alex had done that.

Both Luna and I gazed across the sandy battlefield, the mercenaries having been dealt with completely. The village of Somnambula was safe again, and the evening sky dimly lit the ground beneath us. Luna backed away from her spot toward us as the human and I remained motionless.

Speaking of, the human beside me held onto me, his right hand wrapping around and clutching my left shoulder. Alex’s legs finally gave out as he fell to his knees, and I felt his body shaking all over. I reciprocated the action, dropping my frame to give Alex more comfortability, but the human was already too far gone into his emotions….

Alex began to cry into my fur, his spasming movements making me pat his back in reassurance. The human’s arms tried desperately to keep himself upright, but they shakily gave way as I caught him. I reinforced myself on the ground, the human leaning heavily against my chest fluff and shoulder area. Alex’s head lay against my neck, his soft yet large hands gripping it tightly.

I continued sitting with the human creature, hushing him quietly and telling Alex, “It’s okay. We’re safe now.” My eyes blinked as I listened to his muffled cries…constantly shuddering as there was no hope to bring him out of this state any sooner. I shook my head in disappointment, not at Alex’s actions…but at my own.

Then, Luna worriedly looked at me, to which I just nodded once with a warm smile. As I had forgotten, Luna removed the mana-nullification ring from my horn, to which I nodded affectionately to her. I mouthed the words, “Thank you,” to which she smiled and nodded. But that sisterly smile washed away as her gaze returned to the human I was cradling.

My attention once again returned to Alex as his tear-stained cheeks appeared before me. His once beautiful, turquoise-colored eyes...were bloodshot, with tears streaming down and off his neck. I pulled the human in for a tight hug, resting my chin above his head and on his hair.

From there, I rocked with him back and forth, shushing and comforting his tattered emotional state. Luna neared me as I charged my horn.

“Let’s get ourselves home….”`

========================================<>========================================

`“...”

“...”

It had taken nearly half an hour for Alex to finally calm down, but afterward, the human’s head hung in guilt and shame from what had transpired. Luna and I looked at him as he sat and shook his head, his fingers twiddling and twitching ever so slightly.

I set the cup of tea down and cleared my throat. Alex’s body didn’t move as I looked at him.

“Alex?” I asked softly. The human didn’t budge, his ears slightly twitching from the sound. His hands continued to shake, most likely because his mind had been lost during those events.

“Alex? Would thou please look at us?” Luna sincerely asked. I looked at her as her gaze met mine, an awkward smile draping her face as I playfully shrugged. That’s when we noticed movement coming from the human. Our vision shifted back to him as Alex’s chest and shoulders raised. The back of the reclining chair he was sitting in took the weight, a small creeak! coming from it. The only thing left was for Alex to lift his head and look at the both of us.

Luna didn’t say anything else as I waited for the human…his lips chewing on themselves. The stalemate between us was stressfully growing, running my patience into the ground. I looked over at the massive weapon nearby, still in awe at the mere sight of it in the roo-

chuckle “I guess I should address ‘that.’” Alex’s tired words caught Luna and me entirely off guard. Alex raised his head, looking off to the left and at the ax while prodding his chin with his free hand. The human’s mouth hung open as he clicked his tongue, sharply inhaling in thought. I kept my eyes on his still-bloodshot eyes as Alex shook his head solemnly, shifting in his chair to get comfortable.

To me, this was the right time to try again. “Alex?” I asked insistently. “C-Can you tell me how you en…ended up finding this…‘artifact?’” Luna looked over at me as I dismissed the thought she may have had, finally noticing some life in the human’s dulled eyes.

Alex’s eyebrows fell as his turquoise eyes looked up at me. A smirk quickly dawned on his face, the human looking back at the ax. Finally, Alex stood up and tried to balance himself, my mind churning out a possible course of action to take if Alex-

fwoom!

fting! The ax, near the right side of my desk and far from him, magically shot itself out toward Alex. His hand gripped the weapon’s handle tightly as he stood there…unmoving. It was as if…he already knew about this ax and its true power.

Alex then turned to face us and lifted the weapon in his hand above his head. The ax swung over and onto his back, latching softly to a custom scabbard Alex had presumably made. A soft grunt! came from Alex as he nearly fell over, centering his gravity and standing upright again.

My mind still couldn’t believe what was going on. There was no way any of this was happening right now. No way that Alex…Alex, of all creatures, was wielding the…th-the….

“I know what the ‘Ax of Orichalcum’ is, Your Highnesses,” Alex softly spoke. “And…I know of the legend placed upon this ax’s weight.” Alex looked down at the ground as he bit his lip, shaking his head dismissively. Luna pensively thought to herself before deciding to get up from her chair, taking a cautious step toward Alex.

“Alex,” Luna sai-

“I’m not!…Not gonna hurt anypony, here,” Alex stammered, his breathing growing heavier with every second that passed. “I…I don’t want to…I-I just want to help…that’s all.” I looked on in worry and sadness as Alex turned to look at me. The human took a few steps forward, my body standing up to get a better look at his facial features and eyes. Those same eyes the human had looked at me before displayed guilt and worry for what lay ahead for his future in Equestria.

Alex stopped in front of me and exhaled silently. “I-I’m sorry,” the human solemnly replied. “I p-picked it up effortlessly, and…d-didn’t realize what I had done until you two were safely secured from harm’s w-way. Only afterward did I realize wh-what I had done….”

“...”

Luna and I stood there in silence, the fireplace nearby being the only thing crackling with life in the room. Philomena nearby squawked from her perch, gliding through the air and landing on the tip of the ax’s sharp blade, chirping happily. I returned my focus back to the situation at hoof.

gulp! “Alex…y-you….” I stopped as the words suddenly escaped my mind. I stood there and wondered where I would need to take this conversation, sighing in concession before looking at the human again. “Alex…this isn’t a game anymore. Th-That ax has-”

“Celestia, I know-”

“Alex, you don’t,” I told him with more emphasis than I should have. “The ‘Ax of Orichalcum’ carries a heavy burden and price to pay upon its dual-sided blades. There’s a prophecy that states, ‘Whoever shall wield this ax is meant to become Equestria’s next protector. In its time of need, a hero will rise up and lift the ax, marking the dawn of a new era.’ And, mind you, this was the era after Grogar’s defeat….”

I took a deep breath before continuing. “A-And…it hasn’t moved since,” I stammered as Luna nodded in agreement. “Since both Luna and I were born, nocreature has been able to pick it up…until now.”

I looked at Luna, who peered back with a worried look. Alex shifted uncomfortably before us, to which I lifted my hoof and placed it on his shoulder. I commanded his attention once more, a warm smile coming to my face.

“A-Alexander Walkerson,” I reassuringly stated. ahem! “The ‘Ax of Orichalcum’ has chosen you. And now…y-you must bear this burden for your lifetime.” Alex lifted his head and nodded solemnly, his eyes closing before I placed my hoof underneath his chin. As I lifted the human’s hung head effortlessly, I looked into his eyes as they opened, the sincere emotion exiting them with a lone tear trickling downward.

“Luna and I will do our best to ensure nopony knows about this,” I promised. “I promise you that, Alex. And, for Equestria’s sake? This information will stay hidden for as long as it can. Y-You can trust me when I say…‘you will be okay.’”`

========================================<>========================================

grumble! “What am I gonna do now?”

“Don’t worry about it, Nacreous,” the feline cat beside me answered. “You don’t have to worry about somethin-er, ‘somecreature’ you cannot contain….”

“And that’s just the problem, Fori,” I huffed. “We are giving Alex too much room to breathe, and he keeps evading us like fish in a river! It’s an unfair battle!”

“That’s not tru-”

“Settle down, Fori. We don’t want Iust to get involved, do we?” Gaudi looked over with a curious look. The feline vision of Fori pouted, stretching itself onto its back and rolling over before walking to the windowsill. The kirin turned to look at me as a pensive expression came to my beak. “And you, Emperor Nacreous, must stop worrying about Alexander so much.”

sigh “W-Why, Gaudi?” I asked out of curiosity. “Why should we not worry about the human and his actions? For all we know, Alex could be plotting out his strategy against us right now.”

“And that’s what he wants, Nacreous,” Gaudi elaborated. “Alex wants you ALL to play into his little game. Think about it. Because of this whole ordeal, Alex has near control over what you will do next…” sigh “Do you remember the various nicknames Alex was called back in his ‘high school’ days?”

“Yes,” I replied, prodding my chin with a talon. “Let’s see…there’s the obvious, ‘King Alex.’ Then, he said he was called ‘Mr. Electric,’ ‘Godzilla,’ ‘Alex the Great,’ ‘The Game,’ and-”

“There! You just said it, Emperor Nacreous,” Gaudi pointed out with a hoof. “‘The Game!’”

I looked at Gaudi with a puzzled look as she went into further detail. “Alex told you about this, remember? It has some kind of relationship with a…a ‘wrestler,’ I believe is what he called it?”

“Yes, Gaudi! A wrestler!” Fori replied from her side of the room. “And it’s that exact reason why you don’t wanna play with ‘The Game.’” I facepalmed from the bad wordplay as Gaudi commanded my attention again.

“Don’t add fuel to the fire, Nacreous,” Gaudi warned ominously. My ears perked as I stared at the kirin. “You don’t want to do that, especially with a creature like Alexander Walkerson. He doesn’t play games with anycreature here in Equestria. Quite frankly, because nocreature fully know him yet!”

“B-But, we mostly do!” I argued in confusion. “Alex has opened up about some of the most heartbreaking things he’s gone through. ‘The injury’ was the most significant, and then, he went on to explain how doubters and numerous bullies nearly made him commit suicide…on THREE separate occasions!” My wings flared as I scolded the Wayward God before me.

huff! “I have gotten to know Alexander Walkerson more than anycreature here, besides his marefriend, Princess Skystar, and his personal guardpony, Swift Wildshadow,” I challenged. “Alex has been an open book to me, and he doesn’t have that many secrets left to hiiide….”

Gaudi raised her eyebrow to me as my mouth slightly opened, a soft exhale escaping my lungs. I sat back in my chair and placed my claws on the table. “Oh….”

“Exactly, Nacreous,” Gaudi reluctantly answered. “Alex has been an open book to you. But that doesn’t mean he still has some secrets left. Remember how it was when you first arrived here and how cautious Alex and everypony were with accepting you? That’s most likely how Alex initially felt when he first arrived in Equestria…and he still doesn’t trust any of you yet.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” I countered in confusion. “Nearly everycreature knows of me now because I’ve opened myself up and professed who I truly am! Gaudi, are you insinuating that Alex, the only human of his kind left here, isn’t being genuine about who he truly is?!”

“...”

Gaudi sat there silently and nodded, her frame slowly disappearing into the light. “Yes,” the kirin replied softly. “Nacreous…don’t fight fire with fire. Because you won’t like the reaction you’ll get from it when it hits back. Give Alexander time to digest what he has done and how this will pan out. Then, and only then, once he weakens himself and becomes vulnerable, confront him and ‘make’ him open up to you. It’s the only way you’ll get Alex to be genuine about who he is…trust me.”

“Ask Alex about his past relationships and how they ended up,” Fori slyly said. “That way, you may figure out whether or not he’s trying to get to Skystar before it’s too late for him….”

Gaudi escaped my sight as Fori nodded, she too disappearing into the air of the medical wing of my lab. I looked at the walls and sighed heavily, realizing what must be done. I quickly fished out a piece of parchment, scribbling a message for the Commander to read as soon as possible.

`“Shifting, When you can, ask Specialist Swift Wildshadow to meet with us briefly. We need to discuss a matter immediately with him…and it will involve Alex. Thank you. -Nacreous”`

I hit the button and watched as the parchment disappeared from the table. Then, I activated a rune, materializing a magic portal before me. As the idea of easing ourselves into entirely going after Alex entrenched itself into my mind, I leaped through the portal, landing softly on the floor of Celestia’s private bedroom.

I looked around and exhaled deeply. After shrugging the coat off my back, I began preparing myself for our ‘talk’ with the one pony close to Alexander Walkerson. More specifically, the ‘one’ creature closest to the human that ‘knew’ of what Alex was planning to do….

But, the thought Fori offered up continued to eat away at the back of my mind. Something about his relationships? I inquired my inner mind. Why would that matter? What do Alex’s previous relationships back on Earth have to do with communicating to us about how he feels….

And then…it hit me.

Wait…how long has it been since Alex and Skystar saw each other, let alone…‘talked?’