Of Blood And Aces

It had only been a day since the Princess and I visited the worm in his new home, and I decided to stay to oversee the newest set of recruits. The day started like any other during my time in the country's capital city. I woke up early, had breakfast, headed to the training grounds, and began the day's training. This time, I and the other Guards were training the recruits who had applied months ago. After reviewing their latest performances with the other Officers, I found them ready to pass on their knowledge to future Guards. They were in the best physical shape they had ever been, and their tactics, teamwork, and techniques were almost perfect. It was a huge improvement from when I first picked them up.

So after acquainting myself with the few dozen or so rookies, we got to work. Besides the fact they were rookies, they were clearly new to the idea of combat. They were fairly wet behind the ears, their techniques were messy and sloppy and they were overall not much to look at. But they were all eager to learn and far more eager to please, especially me as they took my orders as though their lives depended on it. The Drill Sergeants among the Guards I personally trained are gonna have a field day with them.

Nearing the end of the day, most of the recruits were wiped out but two seemed to still have some energy about them, so I decided to see how well my Guards had trained the new subordinates.

They're both clearly nervous, sweating bullets under their helmets as they tentatively circle each other, fists up and eyes locked in determination. The air was thick with anticipation as they exchanged a few cautious jabs, testing each other out. But the nerves fade away soon enough and they start to get into the rhythm of things, one trying to outsmart the other. One lands a solid punch to the other's gut, causing him to grunt in pain but then quickly retaliate with a swift uppercut. One jabs while the other dodges, before countering with a swift kick to his ribs. They go back and forth like this, trading blows and dodging strikes until finally, one's standing over the other at the centre of the ring, both panting and sweating after their sparring session. There was some potential behind them, but it would take some work to be able to get it out of them.

Declaring the newest rookie the winner of the bout, the Guards began filing out while carrying said winner's sparring partner out to the sidelines to catch his breath and be checked up on. Making sure that the boy was alright, Ghost and I began moving to the back of the training ground towards the common area where the Guards rested or prepared for various workouts, talking as we usually did about the remarkable progress the Guard had been making since the start of their training. Before I could get too close, a voice called out behind me.

"Sir!"

Turning on my heel, I see three Guards coming to a stop close behind me, standing a few feet from each other as they looked at me with expectant expressions.

"I heard you took in Blueblood personally," The Guard closest to me asked. "Is that true?"

Raising my eyebrow a bit, I turned to face the small group and crossed my arms. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

There was a subtle movement of the front Guard's eyes, his gaze shifting from me to behind me for a split second. All at once my senses went to work, picking up a presence at my back as my ears heard the faint shuffle of clothes and a small crank and trigger pull followed by the release of various mechanisms. I shifted my head to the side while I raised my arm, my hand closing down on a foreign object as it passed my head. Glancing at it, I saw it was a bolt.

Just as the bolt was in my hand, the sound of scuffling and an object falling to the ground sounded behind me. In a matter of seconds, the one behind me was swiftly tackled to the ground, Ghost having immediately turned on the spot as his eyes wide with anger while his brow and the bridge of his nose creased slightly. The men in front of me all flinched and backed up, worried and almost fearful expressions spreading among them.

Turning on my heel, the other Guards around the small resting area stepped towards the group while drawing their swords, pointing them at them. I crouched down the man who had taken the shot while he struggled under the weight of the much larger man on top of him.

"You better give me a good reason not to snap your neck!" Ghost snarled.

"It's alright Ghost, I've got this," His struggling didn't wane at all while I placed my hands on my knees. "Care to explain yourself?"

"It's your fault Blueblood was caught!" He shouted, shaking his shoulder, trying to dislodge Ghost's firm grip on him.

My brow furrowed for a moment before a smile spread across my face as ideas began swirling around in my head.

"Is that right?" I ask gently, standing up from my crouched position. "Let him go."

"Are you sure that's wise Sir?" Ghost asked, not daring to take his eyes off of the man below him.

"That's an order."

Glancing at me, he slowly removed himself from the top of the man beneath him. Before he got a chance to move properly, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, flinging him towards the group the Guards kept a vigilant eye on. Tapping a few of them on the shoulder as I moved past them, they stepped back, sheathing their swords and gave me some room while I addressed the men in front of me.

"Did you all work for Blueblood?" I ask.

They glance around uncertainly between me and the other Guards around them who all watched them like hungry vultures.

"We did," One replied.

"Glorious!" I clap my hands together, the sudden and rather loud sound causing them to flinch. My wide grin quickly drops. "To the ring. All of you."

"We don't have to take orders from you," One of them said, standing forward. "We answer to Blueblood!"

"Well, you won't be getting orders from him any time soon. Not where he is," I said in a low tone, stepping forward. "So as your General and commanding Officer, I will repeat myself only once more. TO THE RING!"

"No," The same one replies.

Pursing my lips and inhaling sharply, I swept aside my jacket and reached for Ace. Before any of them could react, I pulled the trigger, and the bullet swiftly found its mark in the man's knee, which promptly exploded slightly, sending small chunks of bone and meat into the air as fresh blood coats the ground. Falling to the ground and screaming, I holster Ace and spread my arms.

"ANYONE ELSE!?"

They all flinched and scrambled to the centre of the main sparring arena, all standing at one end as the man behind me was checked by the one-sight medical staff. I remove my jacket and other weapons, chucking them to Ghost who places them on a nearby bench while I tighten my gauntlets.

"Let it be known that I DO NOT tolerate men who support such putrid acts within my military!" I shout, staring down the now nervous three remaining Guards. "Watch and learn rookies! Today's going be a different kind of lesson."

As I stepped closer to the group, the one who was seemingly the head honcho of them immediately pulled out his sword and tentatively moved as well, his comrades moving to the side, giving him words of encouragement to stick me through, most of them not believing I was "as strong as the stories make me out to be". We met in the middle and the man, a Pegasis, was flinch-checking me, snarling and waving his sword in a display in hopes of intimidating me. Just as he moved to swing, my palm solidly met his wrist, the suddenness of my strike and the placement of it causing the blade to fly out of his hand, much to the shock of his comrades who shouted out various expletives.

"Have I taught you nothing? Now, if you're gonna stab, stab. Don't pussy foot around, don't-," I roll my shoulders and swing my arms a little. "-dance with it."

With that display, the four are now not so keen to grapple as they glance around each other. I let out a hefty sigh and I let my head lull back.

"What, are you looking for a Topps tribute act or something?" They looked clueless. "The 4-skins! The Redskins! Whoa Whoa Whoa Here Comes The Indians! A little bit of the Northern soul is it boys? Putting the Gaye back in Marvin Gaye," I started clicking my a few times. "Come on, I'm on fire over here boys, I need a little bit of back and forth! The least you could do is make this entertaining for me!"

One off to my right pulls out his sword and points it at me, his face scrunched up a little bit, clearly annoyed at my nonchalantness in dealing with the situation. "Fuck! You!"

I let out a disappointed sigh while my palm swiftly met my forehead. "Jesus Christ, you're disappointing. No, no. Not that. Go again. Make it sharp. Cut me with it. Make it sting," I tell them.

Approaching me, he was met with the same results as the last, his sword clangs loudly against the wall far behind him as he falls to the ground with a bright red hand mark on the side of his face.

"Come on, you're embarrassing, not only yourselves but everyone here!" I said loudly, motioning to the Guards gathering around the ring, all watching intensively. "Kids stab, girls shoot, boys punch, real men and women fight with their heads. That's where the real battle is. Up here!" I tap my temple. "Now you were out for blood! SO TAKE IT!"

Faces red and voices loud, the Unicorn's horn flashes and the three are armed again, their bodies and weapons glowing a faint blue while they rush me from all sides as my wide grin drops, my senses sharpening. The Earth-pony holds an axe while the Unicorn and Pegasis hold a sword each. This is gonna be easy.

Slapping down the Pegasis' swing, I redirect the Earth-pony's downward strike then slapping aside the Unicorn's stab with my off hand. The Earth-pony whirls around, using the momentum of my deflect to swing for my head. I move under it, side-stepping the Pegasis' quick overhead swing, resulting in him overshooting and stumbling, allowing me to shoulder check the Unicorn before they could react, sending them to the ground.

Grabbing the Earth-pony's axe, I drive the head into the ground and plough my elbow into his exposed face. As he stumbles back, I bring my arm up as I turn, a loud clang filling the air as the Pegasis' sword collides with my gauntlet. The blade scrapes against the metal brace, sending sparks to the ground as I twist my arm to bring it into the nook of my armpit. Grabbing his wrist with my free arm, I whirl around and chuck him into the still-recovering Unicorn, sending them sprawling.

The Earth-pony swung while I was distracted, hooking the blade under my leg and pulling it towards him, sending me to my knee before he slammed his fist into the side of my face. Thinking I was stunned, he reals his axe back and brings it high above his head, sending it down at my head. Grinning slightly, I push against the ground, giving us just enough space for the axe to miss by a few inches. Ensuring it missed, I push against the haft before the axe collides with the ground before I deliver an uppercut to his chin, once again sending him stumbling back.

"Time to have a little fun with it."

Rolling my shoulders, I flex my hand and my sword appears within my grasp, much to the shock of those around me as the Unicorn wraps his magic around the ready Pegasis, hurling him through the air towards me. Easily bringing my sword up, his scrapes against it and hits the ground as he passes me, I then use the tip of mine to redirect the Unicorn's as he attempts to take a pathetically telegraphed swing at me.

Glancing to my right, I easily duck the Earth-pony's overzealous swing, bringing my blade behind my back to block another one of the Unicorn's swings then bringing it over my head and redirecting the Pegasis' swipe. Leaning back to avoid the Earth-pony's slash, I swing my sword and barely miss him by inches, quickly bringing it back before he had time to block properly, sending him flying back several metres.

I place my sword in my off-hand and catch the Pegasis' wrist as he brings his back to slash at my neck, bringing his arms down and locking them by his waist, allowing me to ram the pommel of my blade into his hip and hit the bone. He grunts for a split second before I plant my fist firmly into his cheek, sending him to the ground in a rolling heap.

The Unicorn rushes forward, slashing and swiping at me several times as I simply hold my sword in place. He then brings his blade back, slamming it down onto mine, the two scraping against each other for a second before he pushes away, his horn lighting up with a blue aura that surrounds his hand. He plunges his hand forward towards my face until I spin my sword in my hand, hooking his wrist with the handguard while bringing my hand up, clasping the pommel and pushing it into him as the spell he had prepared exploded in his face, sending him flying back into the wall far behind him. He crashes into it with a loud thud, creating a deep creator in the stonework as it crumbles around his motionless body.

The Unicorn swiftly loses consciousness, whatever magic he had cast around his comrades and their weapons cracks and shatters from their bodies. The remaining Earth-pony glances at the bodies of his comrades, seemingly judging his situation.

Ultimately, he rushes in, bringing his axe back and swings down as I bring my sword up but he over-extends and hooks my sword in the head of the axe. Just as he was about to pull it from my grip, I flex my hands and it disappears in a puff of embers, causing him to jerk back. He recovers quickly, readjusting his grip on his axe and goes to push the axehead into my chest. Easily catching it, I bring my fist down through the middle of the haft, sending splinters flying and splitting the weapon in half.

The man gains a panicked expression but brings his fists up nonetheless. Throwing his fist out, I slap it out of the way, using the back of my hand to disorientate him before ramming my fist into his chest. Stumbling back, he lunges forward, only to have it pushed to the side as I slam my fist into his back. He throws a wild haymaker that I block before planting my fist on the side of his face, swiftly following up with a punch to the gut. He tries to throw another punch, but it's slow and lazy. Catching his arm, I pull it away slightly, lightly striking the nook of the joint before slapping him again, punching the same cheek and striking the same spot on his stomach. I grabbed his throat and punched his other cheek. I then grabbed the back of his head, taking a fist full of his hair and brought it down while swiftly bringing my knee up to his face. As he stumbles back, I grab his wrist, pulling him towards me, effortlessly lifting him up before throwing him onto the ground, the impact throwing up dust and gravel around him motionless, but still breathing body.

I turned to address the crowd, I felt a sudden pressure in my back that followed through to my stomach. Peering down, I spot a blade protruding from my abdomen, dripping with fresh blood. Looking over my shoulder, the Pegasis held the sword as he drove it further into me, the hilt quickly touching my back. Ghost immediately jumped to his feet as the Guards all followed suit, even the rookies looked ready for blood, but I quickly stopped them.

"None of you will interfere!" I barked. They all looked apprehensive.

"Sir?" One of the Guards spoke up before Ghost put a hand on his shoulder, lightly shaking his head.

Jerking forward, the blade slid from my back as I turned on my heel, grabbing the handle of the blade, ramming my shoulder into the man's chest resulting in him easily losing grip. Chucking it to the side, I grabbed his shoulder, turned him around and grabbed his wrists while placing my knee between his wings and shoulder blades and began pulling slowly. The man's struggles soon became yells of pain as two loud pops filled the air, his arms falling limp as I let them go. Sweat poured from his forehead as he let out laboured breaths. I snarled at the man below me as I then took his wings, ruffling the feathers as I locked them under my arms.

"What-what are you doing?!" He exclaimed, limply attempting to throw me off of him. Pathetic.

Leaning down, I gave him a low tone. "Making you an example," Peering over my shoulder, I addressed the soldiers behind me. "Look long and hard! This is what happens to scum like this!"

Gripping tighter, I began pulling slowly, the man's yells turning to blood-curdling screams as I began to tear his wings from his back. Wet sounds filled the otherwise silent air, the sounds of ripping flesh accompanying his tearing muscles and tendons. The skin splits and blood spurts across his back as with one final tug, his wings pop and squelch from the ball sockets in his shoulder blades. Discarding the limp appendages, I reached down, heat filling my palms as light sizzling sounded for a moment before everything fell silent, the man falling unconscious halfway through.

"Men like them and their disgusting acts of depravity will not be tolerated!" I yelled, making sure my voice was heard as my nose wrinkled. "Those who find anyone who willingly worked under Blueblood will bring them before me or the Princesses! And anyone who is found harbouring these lowlifes will be severely punished! Or turn yourself in and avoid the same fate as these traitorous scumbags! Am I clear?!"

Looking over at the various bodies of the men I had fought, I let out a small sigh. "And get these men to medical. You're all dismissed."

All present went about their usual routine, the recruits sticking with the more senior members as a few went about gathering the motionless but still living bodies of the men who worked for Blueblood. Ghost collected my effects, following me as I made my way out of the training grounds, looking for something to distract me. I looked down at my watch and saw it was close to time for dinner to be served and decided that would work.

Reattaching my equipment, we approached the large double doors of the dining room and entered. Inside, all of the Mane six bar one were present along with both Princesses already in the middle of their meals, who upon seeing the state I was in, gained concerned looks and moved to stand before I stopped them.

"I'm okay," I said, sitting at the table with Ghost sitting beside me as always. "Just had an incident down in the training ground."

"What kind of incident?" Celestia asked, raising her eyebrow as concern etched her voice.

"A few men under Blueblood's pay had some words to share," I replied, rolling my neck slightly. "And they were pretty vitriolic about it too."

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"He was attacked by Guards that worked for Blueblood," Ghost replied.

"You were attacked!?" The group of friends exclaimed, all quickly standing. Even Fluttershy raised her voice some.

"Guys, I'm fine," I said, lifting my shirt to reveal the drying blood over my abdomen, but other than that, the wound had already healed in seconds.

"Still man, that's not good," Rainbow Dash said.

"Exactly," Rarity added. "To be assaulted by those under your charge."

"Could have been worse," I shrugged as a server approached me and Ghost.

"Could have been worse?" Celestia repeated. "You could have been killed."

"Chief, you and I both know it'll take a lot more than Guards I personally trained to put me down."

"Be that as it may, it doesn't bode well if our Guards attacked you," Luna said.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," I said, showing the server what I wanted from the menu before he moved on to my bodyguard. "The other looked ready and happy to jump in and join. I don't think we'll have to worry about anyone who didn't answer directly to Prince himself."

"Besides, what kind of idiot attacks someone in the middle of a crowded room full of other trained guards?" Ghost asked rhetorically."My guess is he wasn't planning on getting out of here alive."

"What do you plan to do with them?" Celestia asked.

"I'll leave their punishment up to you," I shrugged.

"You...forfeit giving them punishment despite the fact they attacked you?" Luna asked.

"They worked for Blueblood and seemed proud enough to confront me in broad daylight in front of dozens of other Guards, including my own bodyguard, despite knowing the stories of me," I said. "What better way to punish them than by leaving them alive, knowing they failed? Besides, I think I gave them enough of a punishment."

"What exactly did you do to them?" Celestia asked.

Glancing around the table, I noted the half-eaten dishes of food. "Best not say while everyone is still in the middle of their meals."

"You are a cruel man, Percival," Luna commented.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her, seeing that she was giving me an almost sad look. "I'm what the world made," I shrugged. "I treat others how they treat me and those around them. If people, like those Guards or your nephew, treat others with contempt, then I shall treat them the same. And If they attack others because they think they're better or above them, then I will defend them, myself and my beliefs."

"...and if someone were to love you?" Luna asked, causing my eyes to widen and my brow to twitch slightly. The princesses seemed to notice this, making the faintest expression I couldn't quite make out but I quickly recovered.

"My my, Princess Luna, is that a confession?" I asked teasingly, intertwining my fingers and laying my chin on them as the others giggled.

Luna blushed and Celestia laughed at her sister's reaction. She quickly recovered, but the blush remained along her cheeks and the bridge of her nose "I'm not talking about me!" Luna stated firmly, her face and pointed ears still bright red. "We were merely being hypothetical!"

Ghost and I chuckled at her reaction. "I went through that whole rigamarole years ago. From start to finish. Don't think I'll be doing it again. Not for a long time anyway."

The others around the table glanced at each other, unsure how to respond. But before any of them could reply, a deep shock shook through the room, shaking the wall's many paintings and knocking the decorative armour to the floor as all present latched onto the nearest object for balance. All of a sudden, the room's windows came caving in, sending shards of decorative glass flying all around the room as a deep thunderous boom shook the room further, causing all to cover their ears in hopes of mitigating the noise.

As the ringing subsided moments later, a blaring alarm sounded throughout the room, echoing down the hall where the alarm continued to blast. The Princess's expression suddenly went from worried to terrified as they locked eyes.

"That's the SML alarm!" Luna exclaimed.

"Twi's still there!" Applejack yelled.

Without hesitation, every person in the room bolted out of the dining room doors and sprinted towards the Secure Magics Lab. Those who were unfamiliar with its location quickly followed suit. Confusion and fear filled the halls, with some individuals appearing to have sustained injuries. The sound of shattering glass echoed as everyone raced as fast as they could. Within minutes, we reached the heavy metal doors of the lab. Ignoring the pressure of the wards and spells, we threw them open and rushed down the lengthy corridor. Limp bodies of Mages and Scientists littered the floor, leaning against the walls leading up to the main lab.

As I kicked the door down, a powerful gust of wind nearly knocked us off our feet. Peering into the room, I immediately spotted Twilight unharmed, clinging to a table. My gaze then fell upon the figure at the centre of the room.

Blueblood stood amidst swirling waves of energy, his hands outstretched around the deep purple stone. His back was turned to us, his clothes in disarray from the chaotic energy. When he turned to face us, his eyes were a deep black with glowing red irises, and blackened veins creeping up his neck. A wide grin revealed his sharpened teeth.

"YOU'RE TOO LATE, PALADIN!" He yelled over the howling winds. "IT HAD ALREADY BEGUN! NOT EVEN YOU CAN STOP WHAT'S TO COME!"

"BLUEBLOOD!" Celestia yelled, trying her best not to be blown back. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

"DO NOT WORRY AUNTY! ALL WILL BE ANSWERED SOON!" As the words left his mouth, the whirling energies intensified, spinning faster and faster, whipping the room into a frenzied rage. "ALL WILL BOW TO THEIR UNYEILDING POWER!"

Glancing at Celestia, I reached for Ace, keeping a tight grip as she gained a pained expression. Tears began to roll down her face as she nodded, struggling to keep herself upright. Taking aim as best I could, I pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing through the powerful winds, finding its mark in the back of the Ex-Princes skull. His head jerked and in a second, his body was encompassed in a consuming fire that expanded out in an instant, the ensuing explosion leaving nothing behind but embers. However, the bullet continued, slamming against the stone and ricocheting off and back into my hand, the sudden impact causing me to lose grip on my firearm as it flew behind me and down the hall.

"SHIT!"

Looking back at the stone, I saw the energies that swirled around it now seemed more powerful, spinning faster and faster as I looked over at Twilight who looked scared shitless.

"TWILIGHT!" I yelled. "HOW DO WE STOP IT!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" She yelled back, barely being heard over the herculean winds. "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS!"

As I gazed back at the stone, I decided to take a risk. Moving forward, the people behind me started shouting, begging me not to approach as I slowly made my way towards the menacing stone. Despite their warnings, I continued inching closer, the cries blending together into a chaotic chorus. When I finally reached the stone, the howling winds seemed to have little effect on me, only causing my coat to flutter wildly. With determination, I reached for my sword, raising it high above my head before bringing it down with all my might. The sword bounced off, slipping from my grip and embedding itself deep into the stonework above the door behind me.

As I gazed at the ominous stone, my mind raced with thoughts of how to disable or at least minimize the damage it could potentially cause. Despite my efforts, no solution seemed to present itself. Looking at my hands, a surge of inspiration struck me as a foreboding feeling filled my chest.

"You know what you need to do."

I glanced behind me, to those I had grown to call friends, and silently prayed that my plan would succeed. Closing my eyes, I summoned the memory of my intense battle with Damien, recalling the sensation of fiery energy enveloping my body and the exhilarating rush of power that accompanied it. When I opened my eyes, I saw my hands ablaze with flames that extended up to my elbows. With determination, I thrust my hands towards the stone, striving to grasp it tightly and harness the potent energy it emitted. Upping the heat as much as I could, the flames surrounding my arms grew larger and more intense, eventually engulfing my entire arms.

A sudden pain ripped through my body as a cough racked my chest. Looking down, I saw a translucent hand piercing through my chest. Looking up, the arm formed from a swirling vortex, white dots dancing bobbing and weaving to miss one another. I yell out in defiance as I bring the stone low, leveraging my left arm against my hip, hoping to use that to bring my hands closer to the stone, hoping to overpower the almost opposite magnetism that prevented me from touching the stone directly. Blood poured from my mouth as a deep cough rippled through my body, another arm forming from the vortex, piercing a different part of my chest before another formed, piercing my stomach as another formed.

"PERCIVAL!" I could barely hear Celestia shout over the whirling winds. "PERCIVAL, LET GO!"

"NO!" I yell over my shoulder. "YOU GAVE ME A JOB! AND I'M GOING TO FUCKING DO IT!"

"THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY!"

"AAAAHHHHH-"

Yelling for the man before us to stop, we watched nearly helplessly as he slowly advanced on the stone. I tried casting magic to either shield us from the torrent of winds or send the artefact to some far-off land where it could do no harm, but something was blocking me from doing so and looking at my sister confirmed she was having the same issues. Looking back up at Percival, I see him reach for his sword, swinging it down on the stone only to have it launched from his hands and into the wall above us. He looked at it for a few painful moments, seemingly stuck as to what to do, eventually peering down at his hands, staring at us with an almost apologetic expression before closing his eyes, bright orange fire similar to what we saw when he apprehended Blueblood subsequently engulfing his forearms. He whipped around, slamming his hands against an unseen force, preventing him from touching the wretched rock.

Our cries and pleas went unheard before they intensified, a translucent white hand punched through his chest as his shoulders rocked with deep, terrible coughs racking his body before he eventually dropped to his knees. His yelling grew louder as he drew the stone closer to himself, causing the flames to burst out along his back just like before as more and more hands punctured through him.

"PERCIVAL!" I shouted, hoping my Canterlot voice would pierce through the wind. "PERCIVAL LET GO!"

"NO!" We could just barely hear him. "YOU GAVE ME A JOB! AND I'M GOING TO FUCKING DO IT!"

"THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY!"

"AAAAHHHHH-"

A bright white light suddenly took over our vision, the sounds of the torrential winds falling deathly silent, We were all thrown back as a powerful shockwave moved over us, sending us tumbling and rolling down the hall. The lifeless bodies of the Mages and Scientists offered no resistance as they crashed against the wall and door at the end.

It took a while for the glare and ringing to fade as we gradually regained our senses.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"Could be worse," Applejack replied.

"Positively smashing, your Highness," Rarity responded.

"Don't wanna do that again," Rainbow Dash groaned as Fluttershy simply nodded.

"Think I landed on my keys," Pinkie Pie replied, quickly grimacing as she moved. "Yup, definitely my keys."

"Princess," Twilight asked, slowly standing. "What was that?"

"I don't know my student," I answered honestly. "Sister, are you ok?"

"I have faired better but I shall live."

"Wait," Applejack chimed in. "Where's Percival?"

As we looked around, we quickly got up and hurried back to the main lab. We realized that the strong winds had disappeared, replaced by a bright light shining through the broken doors. As we crossed the threshold, we all paled at what we saw.

Half of the lab was gone, replaced by a gaping hole with embers still smoking and small fires dying out. Alarms were blaring throughout the castle, and the once proud lab was now a mess of exposed stone, bent metal rebar, and smouldering wooden structures. I stood in front of the devastated lab, just staring out at the massive hole.

"Gods above," Luna whispered beside me.

"Umm....is...is that his jacket?" A small voice came from behind us.

Looking over at the timid woman, I saw she was pointing at something not too far from us and following her line of sight, I spotted Percival's jacket lying on the floor, a puddle of deep crimson pooled below it. A wave of unease washed over me as a twisted knot overtook my stomach and a sense of dread filled the room. Tentatively reaching down, I lightly grabbed it and pulled, instantly recoiling at what I saw underneath the fabric and leather trench coat.

The severed right arm and leg of our Paladin.