The silence of the foals

Luster, after walking for ten minutes, got out from the dungeons through the hole on the street. She was on the back street of the hospital. She turned around and saw what remained. Rubble, lots of rubble. She and the other alicorns had cleared the area around the collapsed buildings, opening the streets blocked by debris.

Luster took flight. She was flying over one of the main streets of Canterlot. She was heading west; to the castle. On the paved roads she could see dozens of white tents. Those were medical tents. She passed over the town center. There, a crowd of hundreds of ponies was gathered. Basically, they were the majority of the ponizens of Canterlot. They were the lucky ponies who came unhurt out of the dungeons. Within them, there were stablo agents, wearing anti-riot equipment; helmets and visors.

Luster, after flying for five minutes, reached the castle plaza. She could see dozens of soldiers of the Weapon there; most of them were pegasi. They were cleaning the mess left by the Night of the Hundred. They were taking the changeling bodies away. They were taking the bodies south of the plaza. The smell of death and burnt, combined with Luster’s sewer stench, made her gag. Luster looked south and saw the burned remains of the Farmer’s Market. She looked north and saw the Stablo barracks. On the roof of purple tiles, there were dead changelings too. Then, still in mid-air, Luster looked down forward.

On the center of the plaza, was the massive body of the purple dragon, lying face down. It was Spike. The blood around him had coagulated and formed a dark red thick layer on the floor. Twilight, Flurry and a middle-age pegasus were close to his body. Both Flurry and the pegasus wore black shirts. Twilight was closer to Spike’s face, while Flurry and the other pony, who were talking, waited behind. Luster landed close to them.

Luster approached the group. On her way walking, she dodged a few changeling corpses. For a second she looked up and saw a couple of pegasus flying over them, taking a changeling body away. Luster was about to reach Flurry Heart and the pegasus. “Blech! The smell is suddenly worse than before!” Flurry expressed. She turned her head to the right towards the pegasus, but her eyes fell on Luster, who was behind them. She opened her eyes wide. Luster cleared her throat. The pegasus next to Flurry looked behind at Luster too. They both turned their bodies around, facing Luster. They exchanged glances for a few seconds. Luster stepped forward. “Twilight!” She called.

Twilight, who was before Spike’s head, turned around. Luster looked beyond Flurry and the pegasus, at Twilight’s eyes. They looked dry and red. Twilight was looking at Luster, scanning her from head to hoof. Her eyes stopped on her legs. She opened her eyes wide and rushed closer to Luster, standing between Flurry and the pegasus. She looked Luster in the eyes. Then her eyes fell on Luster’s lower legs. They were stained black. “Luster, what happened to you? Did the dungeons or the caves flood with sewer water?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, tell us. You stink worse than all of these bugs together”, Flurry commented, sweeping the area in front of her with her eyes. Despite the Weapon soldiers’ effort, the area of the plaza was still full of changeling corpses.

Luster sighed, looking down. “Not quite, Twilight”. She looked up at her. “Uhm, may I help you with anything?” she asked. Twilight, closing her eyes, nodded. “Actually, yes. We’ve got to take Spike out of here”. She opened her eyes and looked to the right at Flurry. She smiled at her. The pegasus, on Twilight’s left, remained silent, looking at her. Then, Twilight looked back at Luster. “It’s a three alicorns' job”. Luster nodded energetically; her glasses sliding up and down a bit on her muzzle. “Of course, Twilight”, she answered.

Flurry turned her head towards Twilight. She tapped her shoulder once. “Hey aunt, don’t forget about the stablo agent”, she said. Luster looked at Flurry with her eyes narrowed. Then, she looked back at Twilight. “What stablo agent?” she asked. Twilight, who was looking at Flurry, looked Luster in the eyes. She softly pawed the floor with a forehoof. “Luster, follow me”. Twilight raised a hoof and shook it back and forth. Then she turned around. She turned her head left towards Flurry, who was looking at her. “Flurry, oversee the clearing of the plaza, please. Oh, but come back here in a few minutes”, she asked her. Flurry nodded energetically and turned her body towards the pegasus next to Twilight. “Let’s go, Pommel”, she ordered. The middle-age pegasus nodded and also turned his body towards her. She and the pegasus took flight, getting away from Twilight and Luster. They headed south.

Luster and Twilight were left alone near Spike. They were alone if one didn’t count the dozens of corpses on the ground, and the weapon soldiers flying over them. Twilight started to walk and Luster followed her. They were going around the massive dragon’s body. They got to the other side; first Twilight, and then Luster behind her. They were close to the neck of Spike. From that side they couldn’t see Spike’s face. Twilight raised a hoof and pointed forward. Luster looked at the body a few legs away from them. It wasn’t the body of a changeling. It was a pony pegasus with a mustard coat. He was lying face up on the floor of the plaza. Some of his broken ribs were visible. He had two holes the size of a hoof on his chest. He was stained with blood. Luster sighed, lowering her head and closing her eyes. “Do you recognize him?” Twilight asked. She was next to Luster and was looking at her.

“It’s the director of the Canterlot Royal Newspaper. His name is Kalby”. Luster opened her eyes and raised her head forward. She turned her head to the right and looked at Twilight. “Did the changelings kill him?” she asked. Twilight, looking at her, shook her head. “Well no, but actually yes”, she said. Luster turned her head forward and narrowed her eyes. Twilight also turned her head forward and cleared her throat. “Let me make things clear” She looked at Luster. “Chrysalis imponyated you. While she still was doing it, she killed him”. She raised a forehoof and pointed at Kalby’s body. Then, she lowered her hoof back on the floor.

Luster looked at her. “Well, now I understand why Flurry asked me if I was the real Luster”, she explained. Twilight nodded once. She looked up to the sky. Luster imitated her. Since it was around six in the morning and they were near the end of spring, the sky was still a bit dark. Slowly, the dawn was coming. Luster and Twilight could see atleast a dozen of soldiers of the Weapon, wearing black shirts and helmets, flying over them. By two, some of them dragged changeling bodies away. Twilight sniffled. She looked forward, and then at Luster, who also looked at her. “I think it’s time we see what we’ll do with Spike”, Twilight smiled at Luster. She raised her right forehoof and put it on Luster’s shoulder.

Five minutes later, the castle plaza was much cleaner than before. The changeling bodies were taken to a mass grave south of the castle. On the plaza, there were only left the bodies of Spike and a dozen of changelings. Luster, Flurry and Twilight were around Spike’s body. Twilight was near his head; Flurry near the dock of his tail; and Luster near the middle of his torso. “Now!” Twilight shouted. Their horns started to illuminate. White, purple and yellow auras surrounded the body of the great dragon. With their telekinesis, they were slowly starting to lift Spike. As the massive body floated up, the three alicorns took flight, staying close to the body. The weapon soldiers, that were on the ground in formation, looked up at the alicorns taking the dragon away.

“Let’s rotate him!” Twilight commanded. “Until his tail points south!” She added. The three alicorns flew clockwise; Spike being the axis; until the tail with scales pointed south. “Alright, stop right there!” Twilight indicated. “Now, forward!” With her telekinesis, she pushed forward. Flurry did the opposite effort. She was flying backwards, pulling Spike towards her. On the other side, Luster held his belly with magic. The veins of their necks and forehead were swelled; their cheeks were red. With the body of Spike in the air, they were heading south.

After slowly flying for forty minutes, Luster and the other alicorns reached the center of the Everfree Forest. They had flown over Ponyville, but at a really high altitude. “Okay, stop!” Twilight exclaimed. “Now, we’ll land, understood?!” she asked. From the angle they were, Flurry and Twilight couldn’t see each other. Nevertheless, Luster could see both alicorns. She turned her head at Flurry and saw her nod. Then she turned her head at Twilight. “Understood, Twilight!” The three alicorns started to fly down; the dragon’s body doing per se.

Luster and the other alicorns landed on the Everfree Forest. The body of Spike had no option to crush down the trees below him. The noise of wood breaking resonated in the forest. The dragon finally was on the grass. Twilight and Flurry approached Luster. They were in front of Spike’s body and surrounded by trees and a few rocks. Twilight, turning her head and body around, scanned the forest. “I remember this section of the forest. It was close to Zecora’s hut”. She exchanged glances with Luster and Flurry, who also exchanged them with each other. Flurry raised a hoof and rubbed her muzzle. “I think I remember her. She was a zebra, right?” Flurry said. She was looking at Twilight who nodded. Luster turned her head to the right and looked at Flurry. “I saw her once, when I was around ten years old. At home I think. In the Crystal Empire”, Flurry said.

The three alicorns stood in silence for a few seconds. They could hear nature surrounding them. There cricket sounds and birds singing. Twilight cleared her throat. Luster turned her head to the left and looked at her. For a couple of seconds, Twilight looked up at the sky. It was a bright blue one already. Then, she looked forward, exchanging glances with Luster and Flurry. “Let’s go back to Canterlot, shall we?” she said. Luster and Flurry nodded. “I really need a shower”. Luster chuckled, shrugging. Her nostrils flared for a second.

Twilight and Flurry, looking at Luster, laughed briefly. “You need that and I need to go back to the Crystal Empire”, Flurry said. Twilight looked at her with narrowed eyes. “For the Crystal Faire, I suppose”, she said. Flurry nodded. “Exactly, it would be an offense to the crystal ponies; and, by extension; to the crystal heart, if I don’t show up”. Flurry inhaled. “I have to get there before noon. Of course that first I must dismiss centaurion Pommel and the backup from Fillydelphia”, she explained.

Twilight nodded. She exchanged glances with Luster and Flurry. “Alright, let’s go”, Twilight said. She turned around and unfolded her wings but felt somepony put a hoof on her shoulder. She folded her wings and turned her head to the left, looking behind her. It was Luster. “Twilight, may I ask what happened to Chrysalis’s body?

Twilight turned her body around and exchanged glances with Flurry. Then, she looked Luster in the eyes. “She has been buried” she answered. “Oh, is she with the other changelings?” Luster asked. Twilight shook her head. She softly pawed the forest’s grass with a forehoof. She closed her eyes and sighed. Then, she opened them again, looking at Luster. “I’ve decided to bury her in the Royal Garden”.

Luster eyes opened wide. She dropped her jaw. She exchanged glances with Flurry. She looked down and then forward back at Twilight. She raised a forehoof. “Are you sure about that?” She gestured with her raised hoof. “Don’t you believe her spirit could haunt the castle? Or atleast that garden?” she asked and lowered her hoof. Twilight smiled at her. She raised her right foreleg and put her hoof on Luster left shoulder. She looked Luster in the eyes. “You know I don’t believe in the afterlife, Luster”. Twilight looked up at the sky and sighed. She put her hoof away from Luster. Then, she looked forward back at Luster. “I don’t think there’s a special place for ponies after they die”.

After a few seconds in silence, surrounded by the forest noise, Twilight cleared her throat. “I’ve got some research to do; some books to read and…” Twilight eyes fell on Luster, who was yawning. She paid attention to her face. It had dark circles around her eyes and bags under them. For a second, Twilight looked at Flurry’s face. She didn’t look half as sleep-deprived as Luster. Then, Twilight looked back at Luster. “Luster, when we get back to Canterlot, I think you should have a warm bath and then go to sleep”.

“Yeah, you look like one of those cookie-eating zombies from the movie Twenty-eight Pranks Later!” Flurry said. She was pointing at Luster with a forehoof. Luster briefly looked at her and then back at Twilight.

Luster smiled at Twilight. She chuckled. Her nostrils flared. “I admit I’m pretty filthy right now”. She looked to the side at the background of trees. “On the other hand, I’m not used to sleep in the late morning”.

For a few seconds, they stood in silence. “Okay, let’s go!” Twilight indicated. Twilight took flight and the other two alicorns followed her. They were heading north. They had left Spike’s body in the Everfree forest.