Fallout Equestria: Desperados V3 (Bonds of Platinum)

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V3: Bonds of Platinum

Ch 31, Bonds of Platinum, Part 1.

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I expected to dream, maybe even have a nightmare, but it was so much worse. Nothingness. I floated there, unable to think, just existing. Who was I, why was I here?

It all didn't matter, yet I hated that the most.

“Harp!” A voice called out, and I felt something touching my hoof. “Come on, wake up!”

The voice… it was Star’s. “Wh… what happened? Where am I?”

She held onto me even tighter, though I was too numb to tell how tight it was. “You're at the Coven of Clovers, they're helping you recover after your surgery.”

“Recover?” Everything was still dark, but I was starting to regain my wits. “Star? Why can't I see?”

“It's going to be alright.” Was all Star said to me.

I felt my face, finding a bandage over it, and touching it felt both cold and hot at the same time.

I then remembered, seeing the glint from Victoria's cutlass, then everything went dark. “Tell me… how bad is it?”

Star said nothing, but I could hear her holding back a sob.

“You're blind!” Lair said to me. I could hear her trot in, one hoof sounding odd. Star shifted, likely glaring at Lair. “Hay now, the bitch kept my leg when she ran off, so don't go using your fucking eyes on me!”

I let out a sigh, and asked. “Is the damage permanent?”

“Victoria made sure of it.” Lair told me flatly. “She poured acid on your face after cutting open your eyes. A Buccaneer thing to do to make sure full recovery is impossible. No amount of hydra can fix fire or acid burns. Not to say the ponies here have any of that, but I'm sure the bitch wanted to send a message.”

I patted Stars hoof, and despite the dulled pain from my face, I managed to smile. “It's fine Star, I'll be fine.”

“How are you… fine?” Star meekly said. “She… it’s all my fault.”

Weirdly, that got a short chuckle out of me. “Your fault? Victoria was here, fucking around, long before we got here. If there is anypony to blame, it's her, not any of us.”

I then took a deep breath, focusing my magic, and though it hurt to do it, attempted to see without eyes. The darkness was banished, and a world made of magic took its place. Lair stood in front of a doorway, dressed in a simple dress, one of her forelegs replaced by a simple peg. Star was disheveled, her mane was a complete mess.

Reaching out and touching Star's face, I couldn't help but smile. “Seriously Star, you need to go wash yourself, you look terrible.”

She looked at me in confusion. “D… don't joke about that, Harp.”

“She's not.” Mag said as she was helped to the doorway by Willow. Lair clumsily trotted out of the way, letting the very frail mare through. “Still, it's a shame, you have such a beautiful face.”

“How bad is it, my face.” I asked.

“Your eyes are unrecoverable, and there will be scarring around the eye sockets.” Willow said, “But the rest of your face, fortunately, was recoverable, and any damage will be covered up by your fur.”

“And everypony else? What exactly happened while we were down in the tomb?” I finally asked.

Willow let out a huff. “The damn necromancer is what happened. And those anti-magic pulse grenades.”

“Don't forget about the Templars.” Star spoke up as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes. “There were only a few of them, but with the Platinum Guard knocked out by the grenades, we were sitting ducks.”

“Which reeks of the clergy's direct involvement.” Lair added.

Star again held onto my hoof as she let out a sigh. “Maybe we should do this another time. Harp only just woke up.”

There was a momentary silence before a russling came from outside, and Fizzy burst through. “Oh thank Celestia you're okay!” she blubbered out as she gave me a big hug.

“Hey! She's still recovering!” Star shouted.

Fizzy quickly let me go, leaving a bit of snot on me, which she cleaned up. “S… sorry.”

“It's fine.” I told her.

But Fizzy shook her head. “No it's not! What was done to you, it's unforgivable.”

“I know, but… there's nothing we can do about it right now.” I said with a sigh.

“How can you be so calm?” She asked me.

I didn't know how to answer that, I just was. “Maybe it just hasn't set in yet. I mean, I can sortove see through magic, so it's not that big of a deal.”

“No, you're just on a chem cocktail right now.” Willow told me. “It's to dull the pain and calm the mind. It won't last forever, and too much can damage your mind. But it does help ease a pony with such injuries.”

I then laughed, catching everypony off guard. “So that's what it is. You know, I actually had a nightmare about having my eyes gouged out for a week after seeing it happen once. And no, my family didn't do it. A mercenary who came to rescue me sacrificed themselves to a family of Lurkers, who made her an example. Sweet Sax took it in strides to, even help me get back home even when she didn't have to. Maybe I can get the same operation for cyber eyes, though we still gotta deal with that damn war first.”

Everypony remained silent as I sat there, my mouth blabbering on. But as I talked, I realized something, “Oh, you want me to stay here don't you!”

“Harp, you're blind. Even with magic, it's too dangerous.” Star said softly.

I pushed her hoof off mine. “Then I'll get the operation here! We have three different experts on cybernetics, one got to know how to install new eyes!”

“It's not that simple.” Lair spoke up.

“Yes it fucking it! I'm a Mirage pony, if the arcano-tec doesn't work, I can make it work! Fuck, just jam talismans in my eye sockets and I'll enchant them into being my new eyes!” I shouted.

“That's enough, Harp.” Magnificence said sternly.

“No, I'm not done!” I growled.

“Yes you are!” Mag yelled, causing me to flinch. “Now I need to talk with you… alone.”

Slowly, everypony left, Willow needing to push Fizzy out. Mag and I then sat there in silence for a minute, maybe more.

“How long do you have?” I then asked.

Mag took a deep breath. “At best, three days. Willows has been keeping me… me. I just need to stay myself long enough to see the dead off, then I'll find the right place to take root.”

“It was that bad?” I further asked.

“Could have been worse if we weren't ready for an attack. Even then, without the Desperados on alert, we would have been crushed. I should have been there for them, but I was too self absorbed to think of them first. I wanted my answer, even though I already knew the truth.” Mag said regretfully.

“No way anypony could have predicted a necromancer. Didn't even think they were real before.” I told her, “but at least the coven can recover, right?”

Mag nodded. “The Coven and Guard only lost a hoof full of ponies, but it's a severe blow to our reputation. The Steel Rangers are already pushing in on the guard because some of the armor was taken, and Fullmetal doesn't have the energy to push back like she used to. And once I'm gone, most of the influence the Coven has will go with me.”

“That's not true, you have Willow, and-”

“Platinum Hill isn't going to care after what we did. Inviting Purity in, letting her run amuck unchallenged. You were right, it was a Faustian bargain indeed, and we're now paying the price.” Mag then shook her head, clearly disappointed with herself. “The Rangers would never have taken that deal, or let Purity Spiral go unchecked. The Desperados too.”

“The Coven and Guard still have time though. It's not like Platinum Hill will just throw you out over this.” I told her.

“True, but the ponies here have long memories.” Mag was clearly hurting, and could do nothing about it with the limited time she had. “But if you stay here, that would change things. A Royal to stand as our beacon, giving the Guard a reason to exist.”

I shook my head. “A royal I may be, but that's not a good idea. I'm already deeply tied to the Desperados, and clearly not a unicorn. It would only be a bandage over a deep wound. But if I were to recover one of my sisters, that would be different.”

“You sure?” She asked me.

“Positive.” I confirmed. “My sister, Rare Pearl, was to be the next queen. And she is safe with Orthrus, here in Equestria. If I can get in contact with her, then there is little doubt I can convince her to come help you. Rare has always been strict about her royal duties, and this would be no exception.”

Mag slowly trotted over to me, and held onto my hoof. “I'm… glad I at least met you. For the longest time I thought you were all gone, and now… there is hope. I won't stop you from leaving, I can't stop you from leaving even if I wanted to. But promise me you will return. Who knows, I might have even turned into a forest by the time you do”

I cocked an eyebrow at that, unsure if I even still had eyebrows. “A forest?”

She shrugged. “We only have myths and legends about trees of life, but they all state that where one grows, life sprouts. New trees, and sometimes creatures. So long as I'm protected, there is little chance for monsters to appear. As for where, Fullmetal has already approved for me to set root on top of the hill.”

I wanted to cry, but didn't even know if I could anymore. There was so much more she could show me, to teach me. She could have met my sister and helped restore our family. But soon it was all going to be lost. “Say Mag. What was Canterlot like?”

Mag smiled. “Let me show you.”

__________________________________________________________________

Images flowed into my mind, and I found myself looking over a balcony and down at a grand city made of white marble. It was a mix of pre-war and wartime architecture, but still fantastically beautiful.

“I always love this spot.” Majesty said as she joined Mag. She looked a lot older than she had when I talked to her, with bags under her eyes, and her mane was not as well kept as I would expect. “It's far enough away that you can't hear the traffic, but not so far that you can't see the ponies below.”

“I… don't understand.” Mag said meekly.

Majesty just smiled and pointed to one building. “Look there, that's Celestia's school for gifted Unicorns. If I wasn't a princess, I'd have gone there as a foal. Maybe even met Twilight, possibly become friends with her. I know we would have been rivals at least.” She then pointed at another building, this one even more beautiful. “And that Celestia's Palace… well, was her palace, it's now the Palace of the sisters, though only Princess Luna currently sits on the throne. We don't know if Celestia will return, or if she even wants to.”

Mag nodded, but she didn't seem to catch all of that. “Luna… she's the ruler?”

Majesty nodded. “Yes, but you don't need to worry about learning everything just yet. Just let yourself relax and take it all in.”

A slight smile crept on Mag's face as she looked over at the skyline again, a cool breeze washing over her. “Yes… it is… lovely.”

__________________________________________________________________

The memory slowly faded, but the skyline stayed fresh in my mind. “Thanks Magnificence.”

Mag was a bit weaker, likely even that spell taking a lot out of her. “I wish I could show you more,”

“Just that is enough, I doubt I'll ever get to see such a sight again.”

We both sat there in silence for a moment, then both of us burst out in laughter.

“From one blind mare to the next, trust me when I say this, steps are going to be a real bitch.” Mag told me.

A knocking then came from the doorway, and I could sense the lively, yet stagnant magic of Arras. “I'm glad you're alright, Harp. All things considered.”

Mag let me go. “I should leave you both alone.” as she trotted by Arras, the two gave each other a nod.

Arras then sighed. “Here I thought she'd outlive us all.”

“Technically, she'll probably still outlive us.” I said.

“A tree isn't the same thing. But I guess it is true in its own way.” Arras then held onto my hoof. His was big and strong, yet rough and friale. “I can't help but feel responsible. We should have stopped them from reaching the tomb.”

“No, I'm not doing this again!” I said loudly. “The Corps Brigade just happened to be far more dangerous than we thought, and that's it. Anyway, we got something more important to talk about.”

“More important?” Arras seemed a bit confused at first, then got serious “I guess you're right. If ponies like that will be dogging us, then-”

“You fucked Majesty!” I blurted out.

“I… what!” Arras said in shocked surprise. “Never!”

I'd have rolled my eyes if I still had them. “Don't deny it, Arras, I know you and Majesty had a fling.”

The old ghoul took a moment to take a long and deep breath. “Fine, yes, we had a thing, but nothing came of it. I don't know why it's important to bring it up right now.”

“Arras… She left the public eye for a year afterwards.” I said, reminding that I couldn't just look right at him to convey the seriousness of this. “She was pregnant.”

He paused for a moment, likely looking at me skeptical. “Harp, enough of this. How would you even know, did she leave a diary in the tomb?”

I sighed. “No, nothing so simple. I talked with her directly. It was some ancient magical stuff made for the royal family, it let us meet with another royal that came before and then after. Like a long chain if that makes sense.”

Again there was a long period of silence, Arras's magic shifting a bit. “If… if that's true, why didn't she tell me?”

“She was going to, once the war was over. But… the LittleHorn massacre happened.” I told him. “You can't have a scandal during a war… and I'm sure from what you've told me about the Desperados from back then-”

“There's no way the royal family would ever admit one of their own was related to a biker gang leader.” Though Arras's raspy voice, I could hear a realization forming. “She'd ask me several times to take a desk job, or return to tailoring… but stopped after I met my wife… I'm an idiot.” He then looked up at me, or I was sure he was, ghouls were hard to read on magic alone. “So, she and I had.”

I nodded. “I'm sure It's Platinum Silk, her eldest daughter… and also my direct ancestor.”

“Your… ancestor?” He asked, and I again nodded. “But… that would make you…”

I smiled. “Yes, that would make me you're great, great… great granddaughter. Give or take a few more generations.”

Arras nearly collapsed right there, but quickly picked himself back up. “Then that means… that's why she gave me the harp, because she knew that you and I would meet.” He then laughed. “Majesty, you were always several steps ahead of everypony.”

I let out a chuckle as well. “So, does that mean I can call your grandfather?”

“That would make me feel a hundred years younger.” he humorously said, but his hold on my hoof weakend. “But I guess you're going to want to keep this a secret.”

Holding onto his hoof myself. I shook my head. “Never. Not only am I glad to know you're my ancestor, but I'd like for everypony to know. It makes me feel like… I am truly with my family, even if they're a bit dysfunctional.”

I then winced in pain, the use of magic sight starting to take its toll on me.

“Harp, you alright?” Arras asked worriedly.

Letting go of the magic, the darkness returned… no, not darkness, but a deep nothingness. “I'm fine, it just hurts after a while if I keep using magic sight.” The feeling of nothing crept up on me, only now becoming all so real. “This will take time getting used to.”

“I can get somepony for you.” He offered.

But I shook my head. “No… I just need some time… and maybe a bit more rest. Though some med-x does sound good right about now.”

Arras then gave me a hug, holding me for a long moment before letting me go. “Rest up Harp, because there is still so much you need to do, and this world won't care that you're blind.”

“That's why I plan on getting new eyes. That is, if you're alright with the Steel Rangers seeing me?” I asked him.

“Between the tin cans and the cybernetic nut job you brought over, I don't trust either. But I guess the worst the Rangers would do at this point is say no… and steal your pipbuck.” Arras considered “The nut job, I can see her replacing your entire face just because she can.”

“Well, we have time, so maybe I should recover first.” I suggested.

“Please do.” Arras told me as he backed away. “But I'll offer the Rangers an olive branch if that means they can help you.”

His hooves slowly, and softly left.

After a long moment, I then let out a sigh, and spoke up. “I know you're here Azure.”

“You're as sharp as Magnificence.” He said, the lurker's elusive magic had appeared more like an empty spot, which clued me in. “I have good news, to help balance the bad.”

“How good?” I asked.

He trotted over and placed two heavy objects on my bed. Picking one up, it was of cold metal, and bone like material.

“Are these… Alginate's Pistols?” I asked in shock. “When?”

“Switched them during the chaos.” The Lurker told me. “Turns out when ponies start shooting, they don’t have the time to look out for creatures like me. And when the Bishop and her son started fighting you, I made my move.”

Holding the pistol, I could feel the old magic from it. It was familiar, having a similar quality to the magic Cold Iron had. “Thanks for the help Azure, without you waiting for us, Lair and I would be… not in a good place right now.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” Azure said as he patted me on the shoulder. “Anyways, we'll need all the advantages we can get as we go west. And that means we can't risk losing you.”

“That I can agree.” I told him.

Azure then left, and I was by myself. Unable to see, I started to feel lonely. More lonely than I had for a long time. But, I knew I wasn't, and if I called out, somepony would come for me. The thought alone confronted me, and kept that small flame of hope inside me alive. What Victoria did was horrible, but I'd be damned if I let it keep me down.

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After a day's rest, I was finally allowed to return to the Desperados camp. Both Star and Fizzy joined me, with Lair having gone on ahead. Supposedly she sent her Uncle a letter, and he really wanted to talk with me.

It was very awkward to trot down the street blind, my magic sense and sight did help, but it also made me a bit dizzy. Without being able to see anything to anchor myself, the sifting magic around me made it hard to maintain balance as I moved. I didn't know how Mag did it, but I'd guess it involved years of practice, which she had hundreds of years to train.

I was going to need help.

“Careful!” Star almost yelled in my ear. “Sorry, just that there's a step here.”

Fizzy lightly pushed herself up next to me. “You can't just say that, you need to slow down and prepare Harp for it.”

Both were pampering me, which was annoying, but understandable. I had already tripped over five times and trotted into two walls. “Just, don't suddenly yell. And Fizzy, you don't have to be touching me all the time. I'm already stuck between you two… and why are you both so damn tall?”

I could feel Fizzy shrug. “Don't know.”

We chuckled a bit, which helped me feel less uneasy. My blindness was making me feel quite vulnerable, and having these two joke around with me was nice.

It wasn't hard to tell that we had returned to camp, as the foul smell of the outer-city faded, and the smell of motor oil and cooked food took over.

“Hay Harp!” Live called out to me as she trotted over. “Good to see that losing your eyes isn't keeping you down. Still, you think it's a bit too soon, you only woke up today.”

“I think it's best if I'm around friends and family. Makes me feel less… alone.” I told her. “So is Pewter here?”

“The weird priest, ya, he’s talking with Big Papa right now.” She told me before taking my hoof. “Oh, before you go see them, you should stop by your tent, Henbane and Slowtrot got something for you.”

“Is it a cane? Because I think I need a cane.” I said half jokingly.

“No, but something similar, in a way.” Live told me.

“You didn't tie a rope to her drone did you?” Star asked.

“Oh, is it a bumper bar harness? I've seen a few blind ponies use those to stop them from bumping into walls.” Fizzy also asked.

“What! No, nothing like that. Just come, and you will see.” She told us and led the way.

Entering our tent, the smell of cheap perfume was a comforting smell. The mare whispered amongst themselves, likely trying not to say anything to offend me, which just caused me to sigh. “If you got something to say, say it.” I told them.

“Suggar, Honey dear, we just thought it was a lie… but you… you actually lost your eyes. I'm so… we're so sorry.” Cherry Knot said to me.

“I'm not out of the fight, so I don't need your pity.” I told her and the other mares here. “Anyways, I don't plan on staying blind, so you all better not start messing around just because I can't see you right now.”

“I don't think there's a cure for having your eyes melted.” Cherry said back to me.

I so wanted to roll my nonexistent eyes. “Of course not, but that's why I plan on getting new eyes. The sooner the better. And we happen to have three cyberdocs here in the city. Now, where's Henbane and Slowtrot, I was told they have something for me?”

“That we do.” Henbane spoke up as she came over. “And before you tell me, I heard what happened to Alpha. She was a good bitch, and real smart for being faral and all.”

I then felt something rub up on my lage, the familiar rattle was all I needed to know that it was a Nightstalker. “Hey there.” I said, petting the snake dog. “Which one are you?”

“It's Fiel, one of Alpha's pups.” Henbane told me as another Nightstalker rubbed up on me. “And that's Reina, they're going to act as your eyes until you get better, then act as your guard dogs. It was Slowtrots idea.”

“It was a common practice even before the war, to use seeing eye dogs for the blind.” Slowtrot said as he joined us. “So I asked Henbane if any of the Ghosts would make good service dogs.”

“They're all good, but Fiel and Reina are probably the smartest and most focused of all the Ghosts. And I've already trained them a lot, so it isn't a big deal to get them to help you around.” Henbane informed me as she tapped her hooves, getting the two Ghost’s attention. “They have the mentality of shepherd hounds, so once they get used to their job, you'll find no dog more reliable.”

Kneeling down, both Ghost Nightstalkers gave me a lick on the cheek. “Fiel and Reina, right. It will be good to be working with you.” Petting them, both had a thick spiked collar and a thick vest. “Is this… armor?”

“No… well a bit.” Slowtrot said. “We broke down two of the spar pipbuck 2000s, and made them into collars. This should let you track and communicate through them.mThe Wrench Mares were major help with that, so were mostly sure they work properly.

I felt the collar and the tech on it. “Order, how far away can you use this?”

“several miles my lady, depending on the weather and terrain. I can even get a sense of the surrounding from it and track it, but It's not as good as later pipbucks” Order reported.

I also sent them with my magic, the pipbucks giving off a distinctive magic that was easy to focus on. “Yes, this will do nicely.” Then Fiel ran off happily, but Reina stuck next to me. The moving pipbuck signal was a bit harder to follow, but not too difficult. “Does she need more training?”

“They are still pups after all.” Henbane replied.

__________________________________________________________________

With my two new helpers, they guided me with some trouble to Arras's tent, were I smelled something quite nice. “What's roasting?” I asked to pony in front of the fire. It wasn't Arras, his magic wasn't stagnant like ghouls, but it was strong.

“Brahman skewers.” Swift said as he passed me one. “The old man said I should be cooking this time.”

Taking it and biting into the meat, it was a bit burnt, and the sauce covering it wasn't as flavorful. But it was still good, and I gladly chewed and swallowed. “Needs improvement, but not bad.”

“Thanks, oh and I heard from him, that you’re… ya know.” He said with a nervousness in his voice.

“Family, if quite a bit distantly related. Ya, it was a shock to me too.” I told him.

“Tell me about it, the old man and a princess, I'd say it was a tall tail if not from you. But that also means that this Victoria fucked with family, and nopony fucks with family.” Swift said bitterly.

I finished the skewer, finally feeling comrodray with the big stallion. “I know that feeling all too well. Unfortunately, Victoria is just one pony of many I need to deal with, but I plan on getting to her eventually.”

Swift let out a deep laugh. “Ahh, that's it, that's how Desperados should talk. As long as you breathe, never let anything keep you down, or keep you from vengeance.”

Taking another skewer, I trotted into the Elders tent.

There I could feel Arras, along with two others, one feeling older, the other younger. “Arras, Pewter, Lair.” I said as I was guided to an open seat.

“Okay, how did you do that?” Lair asked.

“Arras has the distinct magic of a ghoul, and I already knew Pewter was here. So I just guessed it was you, since who else would it be.” I told her.

Arras let out a chuckle. “Smart as always. And I see you got two helpers.”

I petted both Fiel and Reina, the two Ghost Nightstalkers sitting down calmly on eatg3r side of me. “They will be with me until I get new eyes, and maybe stick with me afterwards.”

“Cybernetics I guess. You know that's a dangerous route if you're not careful. The Wrench Mares are a living example of the madness that placing tech in your body can bring.” Pewter said to me.

“I know about cyber psychosis, it's a problem back home as well. But I'll risk it, if it means I'll get back into the fight faster.” I told him.

Arras let out a sigh. “You know you don't have to, you can just have a peaceful life here, nopony would blame you.”

“I'd blame myself, anyways, I still need to find my sisters and bring them back here. Also… I need to tell my father that I'm fine, among other things.” I said with all Sincerity.

“See, ya can't keep the princess down, or stop her.” Lair said with a laugh. “That's probably why the Dread King showed himself to her.”

“Speaking of which, can you explain to me what happened? It's a rare thing for gods to appear, even rarer for them to interfere with mortals.” Pewter asked me.

“Right, I suspected that's why you're here.” I said, then took a deep breath before explaining what had happened in the tomb.

All three listened to me patiently as I recounted what I had seen, having Zagreus and Dionysus help me take out La Fay, and Hades offering me a gift as an apology. I even explained the story on the door and my meeting with Majesty and then my own granddaughter, all while Pewter studied Hade's gift.

His hooves gently ran across the blackened metal plate looking at it from all angles possible before giving it back to me. “No doubt about it, that is made from cold forged starmetal, not something anypony can just get or make. And stranger is how calm the metal is.”

“Calm, how can metal be… calm?” Arras asked in mild confusion.

“Star metal is touched by cosmic entities, many of which do not like being in this world. Who tend to bring destruction in their rage as they attempt to return to the sky. It's why the Zebras fear the stars, for they have felt such wrath many times because of star metal.” Pewter explained. “But your gift, it is not just calm, but protective. A feat only gods and heroes can achieve, and even then it is rare. From what I can tell, aside from letting you enter Tartarus, that plate should protect you from all mind bending magic. Something kings and queens would go to war to have.”

“I can see why. It doesn't happen often, but now and then some pony or other creature comes rampaging through with some mind control or other mind altering magic. Always leaves a huge mess when it happens.” Arras said bitterly. “Now about these so-called gods.”

“Careful ghoul.” Lair said to him coldly.

“Now, now, don't be that way.” Pewter said to his niece dismissively, “It's fine. Not like the gods care if we worship them or not, only that we show them some respect and not trespass onto their domane. As for who you met, Zagreus is the god of rebirth, hunting and wine. His brother, Dionysus is the god of theatrics, madness and also wine.”

“Wait, both are gods of wine?” I asked.

“Yes, though for different purposes. Zagreus oversees the honoring of the dead, funeral rights and the sort. One both drinks to mourn, and offers wine to the dead so they may mourn with you. Dionysus oversees the living, allowing them to free themselves in grand parties, and possibly talk to the dead while taken in by the madness. They are twins, and benevolent gods, who help us mortals move on from the past, and embrace the inevitable.” Pewter explained.

“Then the last one, this Dred King. Doesn't sound benevolent to me.” Arras pointed out.

Pewter let out a short laugh. “Yes, he doesn't, and if you cross him, a worse fate than death awaits you. But the name relates to him being the god of all things in the end, where he invokes the inevitable fait we all share, and though we are not governed by him now, we all will be in due time. But other than that, Hades is a fair god, and one that has never wronged the mortal world, unlike his brothers and sisters. But it is best we no longer talk of them, or risk their attention. The interface of gods is never good, even if they mean well by it. As what occurred with Miss Harp and her eyes.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that? It was Victoria who cut them out.” I told him.

“That is true, but meeting gods comes at a cost, and it is why Hades gave you a gift, as he knew you would soon suffer. Or so I assume, " Pewter said with certainty. “You saw them as clear as day, where the others saw only vague shadows. It may be because of your royal blood that granted you such a sight, but that does not exempt you from a price to pay for seeing a truth of the world. That or by twisting your fate in your fight with La Fay, he knew what was then going to happen. Yes you stopped the witch, but you also returned to the surface before Victoria was driven off.”

“Resulting in my eyes being lost.” I muttered to myself.

“All actions have a cost, that is something even Gods cannot escape from.” Pewter said softly, the older stallion sounding quite tired. “But then it begs the question, who is doing what to cause the old gods to stir? The necromancer maybe, but I don't think it's that.”

“If I had to guess, it must have something to do with Thorn Redrum, and the city of Despoinia. Too many things are leading back to her.” I said, though not fully certain.

Pewter let out a sigh. “To think that monster is still alive, and Victoria is a clone of her. I still find it hard to believe the story Slowtrot explained to me, but if anypony would try such a thing, it would be Thorn. I dread to imagine what taboos she has committed over the last two hundred years, or what she plans to do still. But we have other worries to contend with as of now, and you miss Harp should get some more rest.”

I couldn't argue with Pewter on that. There was so much going on, and even now were to start. I doubted the Quicktrot was dead, and Victoria would return without a doubt. Then there was the Equalists to the west, and whatever was going on in Whinneapolis. I also had to find and rescue my family, which through the archives, I have learned that it will be no simple task. And before all that I needed new eyes so that I don't become a burden.

Thinking about it was starting to hurt my head, despite the med-x.

“Yes, I think rest will be a good idea. Tomorrow will be a busy day afterall.” I told them before yawning.

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