A Mercenary's Ending

“As I understand the mercenary creed, it goes ‘High risk, high reward,’ is that correct?” Celestia said the next morning as she, Luna, the Williams siblings, and all of the members of Gregory’s group sat around a large breakfast table in town hall the next morning.

“Correct.” Gregory looked levelly at the ancient alicorn, “and if we do join in helping, Shadow Dawn will not be holding back when it comes to our fee.” He gestured to the ceiling. “Windigos were not on my bingo card this year,” he said, “and if what I know about them is true, then they are some of the deadliest monsters in the world. So if we do decide to help defeat them, wherever they are, the risk had better be damned well worth it for me and my team.”

“How much will you require in compensation?” Luna asked.

“One million,” he said, “each. So six million.”

Celestia didn't react, but inside she was stunned. The crown could definitely afford that much easily, but she had never heard of any mercenary charging such an amount for a job. She looked at the group before her. “Six million bits in total?” she asked to confirm.

“No,” he said, “six million Pantheran gold marks.”

Now Celestia’s control over herself slipped ever so slightly. Six million marks was worth more in Panthera than six million bits were, because as loathe as she was to admit it, the Pantheran economy was stronger than even Equestria’s. One mark equaled four to five bits depending. That made it seventy four to thirty million bits worth of money. Again, the treasury could definitely accomplish that with ease since there were plenty of actual marks in the Canterlot Vault buried deep in the side of the mountain. “I take it you would prefer the payment to be made in marks instead of bits?” Celestia asked.

“Correct,” Gregory said.

“We’re gonna be risking our lives for this,” Tobias added, putting a finger on the table to emphasize his point, “so the risk needs to be worth it.”

“A million marks will be more than enough to help build a place for me and my hive,” Chrysalis muttered in agreement.

Celestia still couldn’t believe that Chrysalis was actually working with Shadow Dawn. She wasn’t sure if the changeling queen had actually joined them or if it was some sort of temporary alliance. Not to mention that the changeling had acted a bit unusually around Gregory at times. “We can more than accommodate that request,” Celestia said, “but when would you like to be paid? Half now and half later? All upfront? After the job is considered done?”

“Half now and half upon confirmed completion,” Gregory said as he turned to Tobias. “You’re up.”

The abyssinian reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a scroll which he slid across the table. “A standard mercenary contract form,” he said. “Travel cost and food costs are to be compensated at the conclusion of the contract with proper documentation, access to half of the reward now, and promise on our part not to betray the contract even if we are offered more to betray it, all of the standard stuff our group promises. Feel free to look it over.”

Celestia and Luna opened the scroll and read over the contract. It looked simple enough, although it seemed as if the language was written so as not to hurt either side. Megan sat up straighter. “May I see that contract?” she asked.

As Celestia slid it over, Gregory raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you were a lawyer,” he said.

“I’m not,” she said as she looked over the paper, “it’s just for my peace of mind.”

Gregory shrugged. “Whatever works for you.”

After a few minutes of the Williams siblings reading it over, Megan returned it to Celestia. She and Luna re-read it once more, then nodded. “These terms are acceptable,” Celestia said. In fact, they were more than reasonable. Part of her had half expected Shadow Dawn to ask for more, but if their plans to live in Panthera were accurate, they would never have to work again with a million marks. “However, this part that you left unwritten states that we should both agree on an observer, one who is fair and unbiased. Did you have someone in mind?”

“Do you?” Gregory retorted. “We don’t normally use an observer because most of our jobs were in the lawless Badlands. It needs to be someone who isn’t touched by nonpony hatred.”

Celestia frowned. The contract stipulated that, as this was a job coming from the crown, the group wanted assurances that they would be paid, but that in return they would offer assurances that they were taking their job seriously and that they had earned the reward. So, they had added in a clause that insisted on an observer to make sure that both sides of the equation kept their end of the contract. She thought for a while, but only one option came to her mind. She tried to dismiss it, but it kept coming up. Finally, she looked up at the group. “Instead of one, why not more than one?” she asked.

Gregory’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you absolutely sure about them, Your Highness?” he asked.

“I can think of a few of that group who would be more than willing to take up the task,” Luna said, seeming to catch on to what her sister was implying. “One in particular is intelligent enough to know many of not just the kingdom wide laws but even local laws in major cities and some minor towns.”

Celestia saw Dengal put a hand on Gregory’s elbow and watched as Starfall walked up behind his chair, arms behind her back. Everyone else was on alert, as well, including Chrysalis. Inwardly, she was glad that Gregory had surrounded himself with people who would look after him, love him, and keep him safe. Gregory leaned forward, stroking the stubble of the beard he had clearly not yet shaved. He looked at his companions. “Your thoughts?”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Tobias replied. “I believe at least two of them would be more than willing to help, considering everything.”

“As much as I hate to agree with the cat here, I do,” Sunset snarked with a small grin, “although I must say that if towns see us with them, they may treat us worse because of who they are. But that’s the only caveat.”

“If you wish, we could provide you with a small guard detachment to make sure things don’t get out of hoof,” Celestia offered.

Gregory shook his head. “You need all the manpower you have for more important things,” he said, “and besides, Shadow Dawn was a strong group even before Sunset, Starfall, and Dengal joined. And with them plus our temporary sexy member Chrysalis here, we’re a powerhouse.”

Chrysalis’s cheeks went darker at that, and the now reformed looking changeling glared at him. “Stop that,” she hissed, but the blush told Celestia a different story.

Gregory snorted and looked at her. “Make me,” he said before blowing a kiss her way. His expression turned serious again as he turned away from the ever increasingly flustered changeling queen. “You do realize, of course, that we can’t sign this contract until we discuss this with the ponies you have in mind, correct?”

“I figured as much,” Celestia agreed. “Is that an issue?”

“No,” Tobias was the one to reply instead, “but it will mean we have to go back to Maretime Bay.”

“I should have brought my swimsuit,” Celestia heard Molly muttering to herself.

“Then let us finish our meal posthaste,” Luna said. “We do not wish to hinder your independent investigation any further.”

“And if the ponies you have in mind refuse to sign?” Gregory asked.

“Then we can amend the contract and you can get rid of the observer clause.” Celestia said.

This caught all of Shadow Dawn off guard. Gregory, however, leaned forward. “Are you sure?” he asked. “That’s an awfully big risk.”

“From what I’ve seen of you so far, you are not like the nasty stereotypes that are associated with mercenaries,” Celestia said. “I see that you have a code of honor that I respect. I am willing to put my trust in you if the ponies I have in mind are not willing to be your observers.”

“You are taking a big risk,” Gregory repeated, “but if it so happens that none of those ponies will be our observers, we will not break our oath.” He took the scroll back and rolled it up, handing it over to Tobias who stuffed it back into his coat, “In that case, let’s leave after breakfast.”

Twilight took a sip of her drink as she looked across the table that she had extended for the first time since moving into her lighthouse home. Five other ponies sat at the table, awkwardly eating the meal that Twilight and Maple had cooked for the lunch that Twilight had invited them over for. In front of them were several dishes, such as a macaroni salad, a regular salad, sliced peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hay fries, rice, soup, a casserole, and more. To drink, she had brewed a large pot of tea, bought a large glass jar of Energyade, a sports drink brand that she’d grown quite fond of in the past year, and ice water. She had no idea why she’d made so much, but she suspected that it was another way to distract herself.

In the year since she’d been discharged from the Canterlot medical institution, she had attempted a few ways to expand her mind, one of which had been cooking. Maple Leaf, being an expert, was her instructor and helped her through the awkward stages she went through when almost everything Twilight made burned or was severely undercooked. After a while, however, she had grown confident in simpler dishes that she could eat regularly. Maple had made more complicated dishes with Twilight’s help, and the former encouraged it since it at least got Twilight moving when she wasn’t tending to the lighthouse.

She cleared her throat slightly, feeling the tense atmosphere around the room as she looked at her former friends. They weren’t complaining as they ate, and even Rainbow was chewing with what Twilight thought was an appreciative attitude, but she was never good at reading ponies so it could have been an act for all she knew. Her next words reflected her insecurity. “Sorry if the food isn’t up to anypony’s standards,” she said.

Rarity replied quickly, waving a hoof and giving Twilight a reassuring smile. “Nonsense, darling,” she said, “why, truth be told, I am pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the dishes are. No offense.”

Twilight snorted and whinneyed a bit. “None taken,” she replied. “I know I was a terrible cook before.”

“Not as terrible as Sweetie Belle’s cooking was,” Rarity shuddered.

“Did that young filly really burn juice?” Applejack asked.

Rarity shuddered. “That filly burned everything somehow,” she said.

“How they hay did she do that?” Rainbow asked.

“Elysium knows,” Rarity replied, “but she’s definitely been getting better. Much better, actually.”

“That’s good,” Fluttershy said. “I love cooking. It’s relaxing.”

“Eh, I normally either just eat at the restaurant where I work or eat what my parents make,” Rainbow said.

“And before that?” Twilight asked without thinking. When she saw Rainbow flinch, she realized she’d stepped into uncomfortable territory. “S-Sorry, forget I asked,” she amended quickly.

“I went out or got delivery,” Rainbow explained after a few tense moments of silence. “Cooking just ain’t my thing, really. I can make really simple things like sandwiches, although nopony can make my favorite meal like Mom can.”

“Yah mean that potato salad abomination?” Applejack asked, but Twilight could hear the slight teasing behind the words.

“Just because your diet is apple everything doesn’t mean you can diss my favorite foods,” Rainbow shot back, but unlike before Twilight could tell that she was teasing right back.

“The food is very good, Twilight,” Pinkie said with a warm smile.

“Remind me tah come by sometime and teach yah some apple recipes,” Applejack chuckled.

“Well, since you’ll be growing apple trees soon, that sounds like a great idea,” Twilight said.

“And you’re sure there’s no cider you could have brought here?” Rainbow asked hopefully.

“We ran out of our cider and zap apple cider this past spring,” Applejack explained.

“Awww,” Rainbow said sadly.

“We’ll at least have zap apple cider this year,” Applejack replied.

“If you want, I can try and figure out if there’s a way to duplicate the effects of zap apple tree growth on other apple trees,” Twilight said in an attempt to be helpful.

“Ah think we can spare a few seeds fer ya,” Applejack said, “but ah’ll have tah ask Granny ‘bout it.”

“That’s fine,” Twilight said. She felt a bit of the old excitement she felt whenever she experimented with her magic and spells resurging inside her. Having something else to focus on when she wasn’t working or doing house chores sounded like it would be fun. Her mind hadn’t been really exercised in a while, and she wanted to change that.

“…You know,” Rainbow said after a few moments of silence, “I heard that the weather team here is hiring. Ocean weather teams are apparently different than other weather teams, and I do have weather experience.”

“That’s interesting,” Fluttershy said, “because I was thinking about moving here and starting a garden to help with food.”

That caught Applejack’s attention. “Yah wanna make another farm?” she asked. “Ah never thought ya tah be the type.”

“I’ve been growing my own vegetable garden for the past year,” Fluttershy said, “and it’s really a rewarding job. Angel’s helped me a lot.”

“That mean old rabbit’s still kicking?” Rainbow asked with a chuckle.

“He’s become a lot calmer,” Fluttershy said defensively.

“Maybe he and Tank will be buddies now,” Rainbow said.

Twilight noticed the sad smile on Applejack’s face, then remembered how her own dog Winona had passed away. She could relate, as Owlicious had vanished shortly after her institutionalization. “Applejack, if this conversation is making you uncomfortable-”

“Now don’t y’all be censorin’ yerselves on mah account,” Applejack interrupted her. “Winona lived a good and long life. Sure, ah’m sad about her bein’ gone, but h’m holdin onto the memories and rememberin’ the good times.”

Silence fell around the table, until Rainbow spoke up. “Are you…going to get another pet?”

Applejack shrugged. “Maybe,” she said. “Ah dunno much ‘bout that new forest near our new land, though. Twi? Is it dangerous?”

“From what little I know, it’s nowhere near as dangerous as the Everfree,” Twilight mused. “Only standard forest ones from all I’ve heard.”

“What’s it called?” Pinkie asked.

“They’re calling it Bridlewood for now,” Twilight said. “It’s full of magic and of large crystals.”

“It sounds like a fascinating place, from what the customers at my parents’ shop have said,” Rarity added. “I haven’t set hoof in it yet, though.”

Twilight was about to say something, but just then something washed over her. It was a familiar feeling, one she’d felt just recently, but one she couldn’t put her hoof on. Everypony else seemed to notice it as well and looked at each other in confusion. “What in tarnation-?” Applejack asked, but then a bright rainbow mist washed through the room, passing through them and filling them with a familiar sense of warmth and comfort.

“Rainbow of Light,” Pinkie muttered.

“But if that’s the case, then that means-” Twilight’s thoughts were cut off by the sounds of a distant Great Eagle shrieking. She got to her feet and galloped to the back door. Throwing it open, she rushed out and looked up. A large group of eagles were circling above the town, with a large wave of rainbow light emanating from one of the circling birds. Twilight inhaled deeply, enjoying the feeling while it lasted. It was almost like the Rainbow was a more concentrated version of the Elements of Harmony.

Soon, the light stopped, and the eagles turned and began making their way towards the large grassy plain near Twilight’s house. The six ponies watched as all of the eagles landed. She was a bit surprised to see that Princesses Celestia and Luna were riding together on one, but decided to ask later. The Williams siblings were also there, as was Gregory and his team plus a human like pony with a strange pair of butterfly-like wings who seemed to stick close to Gregory, who was removing his mask.

Twilight and the others walked down the hill on which the lighthouse sat and headed towards the group. As they approached, Twilight heard Celestia talking to Luna. “Being flown is certainly a different experience than actually flying.”

“What are you talking about, sister?” Luna asked. “You have been flown in a flying chariot before.”

“Even that’s not the same,” Celestia replied before turning to the eagle they had flown on. “Thank you, Anairë.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” the eagle, clearly female, replied.

“I do wish we could be called that instead of ‘Your Highness’ again,” Luna said after she, too, thanked the eagle.

“Maybe after everything is taken care of, we can,” Celestia said before turning to see the former Elements approaching. “Hello, everypony,” she said. “Sorry to drop in unannounced, but there’s something urgent we need to discuss with you.”

Gregory watched the six ponies as they huddled around the paper that Tobias had provided for them. He was seated between Chrysalis and Dengal, the former being in her natural form instead of an anthro form. Celestia and Luna sat nearby and Tobias sat next to Dengal. Starfall stood behind Gregory like she was watching over him. Sunset sat next to Chrysalis and was watching the proceedings with a neutral expression. All that could be heard at the moment were the hushed whispers of the Mane Six. Judging from the smell and the fully set kitchen table he had seen earlier, Gregory guessed that they had arrived while they had been in the middle of a group lunch. He felt a bit bad about it and hadn’t objected when Celestia offered to postpone the conversation, but Twilight and the others had insisted.

He took a sip of the Energyade that Twilight had provided for him. It tasted a lot like Gatorade in his opinion, something that he hadn’t expected to find in this world, but now that he knew about it, he knew one thing he’d be buying en masse before he and Shadow Dawn left for Panthera.

His attention came back to the present as Twilight and the others broke apart and turned back to the group. “So, if I understand this right,” Twilight began, “you’re asking one or all of us to join in and observe how Shadow Dawn acts during their mission?”

“That is the basic idea, yes,” Celestia said. “This is their idea, not ours.”

“Think of it as an olive branch we’ve extended,” Gregory said before he realized that nobody there would get the reference. “Basically, quality control, a way for you to ensure that we are sticking to our end of the contract. It’s something that mercs do sometimes.”

“But…what if the other side doesn’t uphold their end?” Fluttershy asked.

“The contract is legally binding in every nation,” Tobias explained. “Mercenaries are exempt from some of the local and national laws due to their line of work.”

“Mercs have been around for millennia,” Dengal added.

“It’s one reason why they are hated in Equestria,” Sunset added. “Not the main reason, but one of the reasons.”

Twilight exchanged a look with the others, and they went right back to talking amongst themselves. He felt Dengal’s hand resting on his thigh, giving it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. Even Chrysalis seemed to move very slightly closer, although that could have been his imagination.

Eventually, the six came back, contract floating in Twilight’s purple magic. “Is time of the essence here?” she asked.

“We’d rather have an answer sooner rather than later,” Gregory said.

“Well, could we talk about it and give you an answer tomorrow?” Twilight asked.

Gregory exchanged glances with the others. It wasn’t exactly what he’d hoped for, but it was something he could live with. Everyone else nodded in approval, so Gregory turned back. “Tomorrow by noon,” he said.

Gregory lay in the bed next to Dengal, the white sheet the only thing covering his naked lower half as the curvaceous goblin woman traced her finger up his chest in a swirl. Unlike before, Gregory and the rest had to find rooms in the local inn and tavern. The first thing that everyone noticed was that there were no more humans, at least not that he had seen. Instead, he’d seen anthro and normal ponies walking around. He had received some looks of shock from some ponies, but for the most part they seemed to be involved in their own confusion at the apparent sudden change in their forms thanks to a certain ancient rainbow artifact.

The innkeeper had plenty of rooms for them and had promised a complimentary breakfast. The princesses had stayed behind in Twilight’s lighthouse.

Gregory snapped out of his post sex reverie when Dengal nibbled on his earlobe. He inhaled sharply, more in surprise than anything. Goblin teeth were a little bit sharper than human teeth, with more pronounced canines. “Denny….” he moaned softly, using the nickname that he only ever used for her in private conversations.

She smirked, her red eyes glowing in the dark. “My strong, handsome human lover, so sensitive to a little old goblin like me,” she purred as she slowly straddled him. The sheets fell off of her to reveal her bare and naked body.

Gregory couldn’t help but stare. Even in the dim candlelight, her body rivaled, nay, surpassed, many models on Earth. She may have been around his age, but she was still youthful. Slender, fit, an hourglass figure, no hair anywhere except her head (a rarity for goblins), and more. He watched as she brushed her long black hair behind her pointed ears. “You like what you see, baby?”

“I always do,” he replied honestly.

She giggled, then leaned down and pressed her body against him, lying her head on his chest. More specifically, her ear was lying where his heart was. Reaching around, she grabbed one of his hands and intertwined it with her own. Goblins seemed to tend to run warmer than humans, and her warm hand intertwined with his cooler one. “How are you feeling about tomorrow?” she asked gently.

Gregory shrugged slightly. “Nervous,” he admitted. “How about you?”

She squeezed his hand tighter for a bit, then relaxed. “This is my first mission as a mercenary with you,” she said. “I know it’s a dangerous one, but as long as I’m by your side, I know we can do anything.”

Gregory smiled instinctively. She sounded so cliché, but at the moment he didn’t care. It warmed his heart to hear her saying those things. With that, he regained some of his strength. He reached down with his free hand and took a handful of her ass in it. “Good.”

He squeezed. She yelped and looked up at him, biting her lower lip. “You are going to pay for that,” she said dangerously as she sat up, quickly grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the bed. “My turn.” She reached down and yanked the sheet off…

The morning summer sun shone in through the window and hit Tobias’ eyes. He opened one of them, scanning the room as he quickly came to full alertness. He made a “Mrrrp!” sound as he got on all fours and arched his back in a feline stretch. He stretched out his arms as he arched his behind in the air, then stretched his legs out.

After he’d made his feline ancestors proud with his catlike wake up routine, he took a brief shower. Not every part of his routine would be catlike, of course. Abyssinians weren’t scared of water like the stereotypes for cats made them out to be, plus he didn’t lick himself clean. Not in public, at any rate. He’d done it a lot more while living in the Badlands, but it had made him appreciate water a whole lot more.

When he stepped out of the room after drying and getting dressed, he saw that Chrysalis was also leaving her private room. She was holding a glowing sphere in her magic which showed a three dimensional image of another changeling in it. “I’ll be returning to Canterlot very soon,” she was saying to the changeling, “so keep things in shape until I return.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the changeling on the other end replied. “Is there anything else you want us to do? Anything to prepare for your return?”

“Prepare tents for me and six others just in case,” Chrysalis said. “They might not be used, but it’s best to be sure.”

“At once, Your Majesty.” With that, the glowing sphere vanished with a pop and Chrysalis stood alone in the inn’s hallway.

Tobias chuckled. “Why not six?” he asked in a teasing tone.

She looked over her shoulder at him and frowned. “I did my math correctly,” she replied haughtily. “Me, Gregory and Dengal in one, you, Sunset Shimmer, Frostfall, and the Williams siblings.”

“Oh no, I know you did your math right,” he said, “but what if those two finall ask you to join in?”

She froze, considering, Then, her cheeks went bright red, which was much easier to see on her new transformed body. “You cad,” she said in embarrassment.

“Hey, I know Dengal, and she only teases people she really likes,” he said, remembering the times when she had teased not only Gregory but him, although whenever she teased him it was friendly banter. He liked Dengal. She was a strong woman with a deep sense of duty and empathy. The latter probably had to do with how she was kicked out of her goblin village for her…‘deformities.’

“He is already in a relationship, and I’m a queen,” she replied.

Tobias frowned. “If this is a difference in stations thing, do you think either of them care?”

Chrysalis glowered at him, her pale blue cheeks darkening once more. Tobias had to hide a smirk. Gregory was right. This one was a tsundere. “It’s not that,” she snapped. “From what little I learned about humans from the one named Megan, they are monogamous.”

“I’ve been around a human far longer than you have,” Tobias said, “and that’s not true. Humans can be polyamorous and polygamous. In fact, monogamy is a more recent development for humanity.”

That seemed to catch her attention, and she was about to reply when another door opened. Gregory and Dengal, both dressed, stepped out of the room. They looked freshly washed and their clothes did look much cleaner than before. The inn did have a laundry service which they had utilized the day before. Some of Gregory’s clothes couldn’t be washed normally, though, but he hadn’t seemed to mind. Tobias raised a claw. “Hey, you two sleep okay?”

The new couple exchanged a knowing look, grins forming on their lips before they turned back. “Like a pair of lovers on a warm summer’s night,” Gregory said.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, then turned to walk down the hall towards the stairs. “Sickeningly sweet love,” she muttered.

“What’s her deal?” Dengal asked as the three best friends followed a short distance behind.

“Jealous, I think,” Tobias said. “I think your teasing is getting to her.”

Gregory and Dengal exchanged looks. “Should we stop?” Dengal asked.

“If I didn’t know any better, I think she’s jealous,” Tobias said, “but I’m no love expert.”

“Oh, she’s jealous, all right,” a fourth voice said from behind them. Turning, the bipedals all saw Sunset Shimmer walking down the hall, brushing her mane gently. Tobias noted that she looked more like her My Little Pony counterpart here than she had before. A shower always seemed to do wonders. “I’m an empath, remember?” she added. “I might not be able to feel emotions like a changeling, but I’m good at reading them.”

The couple looked at each other, then nodded. “Excuse us for a moment,” Gregory said as she and Dengal rushed after the changeling queen.

“Having you on our team will be just as useful as the U.S.S. Enterprise having Deanna Troi on it as a counselor,” Tobias mused as he and Sunset followed after the two at a leisurely pace.

“Who and where?” Sunset asked.

“Never mind, it’s a reference to another Earth fictional show,” Tobias replied.

When the two got down to the main floor, they saw that not only were Chrysalis, Gregory, and Dengal downstairs, but the Williams siblings were there along with the royal sisters and the Mane Six. Tobias saw a few other ponies there, but for the most part their group was the vast majority. There were a few pony waitresses walking back and forth, taking orders or delivering food. Tobias and Sunset sat down and were instantly given a menu and complimentary morning coffee. The delicious bitter smell was enough to rouse even the sleepiest of customers, but Tobias drank anyway.

After a while, and after the two had ordered and received their food, they were eating in silence when Gregory waved at them to join. Starfall had since come down, apologizing profusely for being the last one awake and had joined Tobias and Sunset after the latter explained that Gregory, Dengal, and Chrysalis were having a private discussion. One which ended after Gregory waved the other three over. “You done with your discussion?” Tobias asked, holding back any teasing until he got the emotional lay of the land.

“We’ve reached an understanding,” Gregory agreed, “and we’ll talk about it later, when Chrysalis feels comfortable with it.”

Tobias turned and saw that the changeling queen’s face was flushed, now. He bit back his teasing again even harder and simply nodded. “Of course.”

As they were eating, one of the remaining normal ponies, a pegasus, came walking in from the outside, shivering. Tobias recognized her as Derpy Hooves, or whatever her real name was. She walked up and asked for some hot coffee and muffins. That confirmed it for Tobias. “It’s cold up in the sky today,” she announced, presumably a bit louder than she’d meant to.

This caught the attention of the princesses and the other pegasi in the room. Curiously, it also caught Chrysalis’ attention and that caught Dengal’s and Gregory’s attention, which in turn caught Tobias’ attention. He decided to listen in. The innkeeper, an earth pony named Golden Sheaf, looked at Derpy. “Isn’t it always colder in the sky?”

“No, not like this,” Derpy said in the voice that Tobias recognized from the donkey wedding episode.

“In what way do you mean, young one?” Luna spoke up from her seat.

Derpy turned and her lopsided eyes went wide when she saw who was speaking to her. “Oh, hi Princess!” she said with a welcoming smile and a wave of her hoof.

“Greetings, young mare,” Luna said, seemingly nonplussed by Derpy’s lack of royal acknowledgment. “Pray tell, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”

“Huh? Oh!” Derpy took the mug of coffee and drank it before exhaling. “It’s cold in the sky. Not summer cold, either. Autumn cold, I think.”

“Perhaps because you’re near the coast instead of in Ponyville?” Gregory spoke up.

Derpy’s eyes landed on him and her eyes went wider. She put the mug down, got off of her stool, and hesitantly approached Gregory. It wasn’t hesitation out of fear, Tobias realized, but one which meant she was unsure of how he might react to her. “Are you…a real human, like Mr. Jason was?” she asked hesitantly.

“I am,” Gregory acknowledged.

“Are you the masked creature who stopped other ponies from hurting Twilight?” she asked.

“Tobias helped, too,” Gregory said, gesturing to the abyssinian.

Derpy made her way to his booth, put her hooves up on his lap, and focused on him. Tobias was in view so he could see how her wall eyes began focusing on him. She was clearly making an effort, and eventually she finished. “I’m sorry…” she muttered.

The dining hall was silent as this encounter continued. Dengal looked like she was on the defensive, but Tobias wasn’t too worried. Clearly, Majesty thought that Derpy, or whatever her name was, hadn’t done anything to deserve becoming a human shaped pony. Gregory reached out, then put a hand on Derpy’s blonde mane. “Why? It’s not your fault.”

She seemed surprised by his words, but as he scratched behind her ear, her eyes closed and her tail began swishing. She seemed to move into the scratching. Nobody moved or spoke for a while, and then Gregory released her. She stood back down on her hooves, whispered, “Thank you,” and made her way back to her stool.

The silence was a bit more pronounced now, until Celestia broke it. She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, you’re an expert on weather,” she said, “could you go up and see what the temperature is?”

“Of course,” Rainbow said as she got up and dashed out of the room.

With that, the conversations from before resumed, albeit a bit more quietly. A few of the bipedal ponies even approached Gregory and gave their own apologies, but he just shrugged since what they had done to Jason was between them and their conscience, not him. He said it a bit less callously than that, of course.

Rainbow came back in several minutes later, shivering. “I-It is cold up there,” she reported. “Colder than-”

The windows all exploded inward at that moment, and the door was thrown off of its hinges, blasting into the room and knocking over a table. The air that shot in was bitingly cold. Reacting fast, Tobias rushed out of the inn, following behind some of the others who were closer to the door.

The air was even colder outside, and the sky, despite it being sunny, seemed to have a wintery gray tint to it. Ponies, bipedal or otherwise, were looking around in fear and confusion. “What the tartarus is going on??” Dengal shouted over the sound of the increasing wind.

Nobody answered, because at that moment, a small cloud began to form right in front of the sun. Mist rose from the ocean to feed the cloud, and soon it had become large enough to block out sunlight for the entire town, and it was still growing.

Then, they heard the screech.

It penetrated the clouds with an ear piercing sound. Everyone covered their ears except Gregory who put his strangely futuristic mask on. The blue eyes glowed to life and he scanned the sky.

The screech ended, and something with a ghostly white hue pierced through the center of the swirling cloud. Something with a horse shape.

“WINDIGO!” Gregory shouted, but it was too late. A blast of icy blue lightning shot out of the windigo’s mouth, striking buildings, the ground…and Dengal.

The goblin didn’t scream, didn’t move, didn’t even react. Tobias thought that the lightning had missed her, but when she fell, he knew something was wrong. She wasn’t going limp. In fact, she was as stiff as a board. He lunged for her, catching her before she hit the ground, but nearly dropped her when he felt how cold her body was.

No, he realized, it wasn’t her body. It was the thin layer of nearly invisible ice that had formed around her. He gently laid her down, then looked over at Gregory. He couldn’t see the expression on the human’s face due to the mask, but he could tell just from the body language that he was pissed. Gregory then turned to Sunset. “Can you shoot that fucking monster out of the sky??”

Sunset looked up at the windigo and narrowed her eyes. “Maybe! It’s a bit far!”

“Do it!” he shouted, grabbing the lightsabers on his belt and ignited them both. “You’ll pay for that, you fucking bastard,” he snarled before he turned to Sunset, who seemed to be charging her horn. “What are you waiting for? Do-!”

Sunset shot out a beam of white hot plasma that struck the windigo square in the face. It reeled from the attack and looked around, then spotted them. It screeched again, louder this time, and began descending. Gregory held up both blades, their hum barely audible in the wind and the snow which had begun to fall. “Come and get some, you gelding bastard,” he snarled.

The windigo screeched again, and this time Tobias feared that his eardrum might burst, but Gregory stood firm. The massive creature landed in front of Gregory, towering over him and everyone else there. In fact, the creature looked like it was two to three stories high. It looked down at the masked human with an emotionless look.

Then it screeched again as Gregory swung the two blades directly through its front legs. Only this screech sounded more like that of surprise and pain than anything. It reared up, its ethereal hooves having vanished, then it fell onto its back, flailing about. Gregory wasted no time. He jumped up, slashing at the creature with speed and aggression, screaming his rage and fury but, just as Tobias had taught him, channeling that anger into his strikes. The creature flailed even more, but despite being thrown to the ground a few times, Gregory didn’t let up. He got back to his feet and would continue cutting at the creature, slashing it and making it ‘bleed’, which seemed to be some sort of cold mist. Despite that, however, it seemed to quickly regenerate.

Suddenly, the creature stopped moving entirely, its eyes wide. Tobias saw that Gregory had stabbed into its chest, piercing a large glowing spherical piece of ice. The wind ceased immediately, the clouds stopped moving, and the snow began to stop. The sphere cracked once, twice, three times, and then with a light more brilliant than the sun, it exploded, sending pieces of ice scattering across the road. Everyone, including Gregory, was blown back. The massive creature vanished in an explosion of cold mist.

Gregory stood back up and watched, holding his still ignited lightsabers as the windigo’s body slowly disintegrated, leaving nothing but a small glowing orb, which was slowly beginning to dim. The lightsabers deignited and he rushed over to where Dengal was. He removed his helmet and set them down next to his hastily discarded lightsabers and looked at her, his face sweaty but full of worry. “Dengal? Dengal!?”

Thankfully, after her magical blast, Sunset had not been idle. She had been working to melt the ice around Dengal’s mouth, and had managed to open a small portion. Tobias came rushing up after he recovered. He knelt next to Dengal and took off his black coat, wrapping it around the frozen goblin. He turned to the innkeeper. “We need a hot bath! Now!”

Golden Sheaf nodded and rushed back inside to do just that. Sunset was sitting nearby, breathing heavily. “That ice…was too hard to be normal ice,” she panted.

“You did well, Sunset,” Celestia said as she stepped forward.

Just then, the clouds above began to break, revealing the sun once more. Tobias looked up and saw that a rainbow streak was breaking them apart at breakneck speeds. He looked down at Gregory. “Is she breathing?” he asked.

Gregory nodded. “Barely, but she’s breathing,” he said.

Tobias looked at Dengal’s eyes. They were closed, thankfully. Sunset got back up and began casting another spell, this one surrounding the goblin. “The ice isn’t as hard anymore,” she said before the ice began to crack.

After a tense minute, the ice around her head shattered, and the goblin gasped, eyes flying open. “Gah!” she exclaimed, looking around wildly, “what happened?!”

“A windigo’s lightning struck you,” Gregory explained soothingly. “You were frozen.”

“I-I s-s-see,” she replied, her teeth starting to chatter. She looked around once more, then reached her hand out. “Gregory…where is everybody?”

Tobias felt, rather than saw, Gregory’s expression fall. “I’m right in front of you,” he replied.

She reached out and touched Gregory’s face. “Gregory…?”

“What is it?” he asked tenderly as he cradled her in his arms.

Her next words sent a shiver of fear through Tobias’ heart. “Why c-can’t I s-see anyth-thing?”

“Cold flash blindness is usually only temporary,” Celestia explained several hours later after Dengal had been warmed up and been sent to bed after the local doctor had come to examine her. Other than her blindness, which she figured would be healed in a day or two with time and rest, she seemed okay. Goblins were a resilient species. “She’ll be alright, I promise.”

Gregory was sitting in a chair in Twilight’s living room, looking down at the floor, fists clenched and teeth gritted. Everyone else was sitting as well, faces grim. The reports they had gotten showed that, while nopony in town had died, a few had gotten pretty close after having been struck by that same lightning. Property had also been damaged, water pipes had burst which had caused water damage to several buildings, and there’d even been a small fire, caused when an electric plug had been splashed by some of that water. All in all, things could have been worse.

The human took in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Tobias, who was seated next to him, put an arm around him, and the human seemed to welcome it. He looked up then, glancing at Twilight. “Have you made a decision regarding the contract yet?” he asked, his voice hard as stone.

Twilight, who looked exhausted just like her friends, straightened up. Everyone, except Dengal and Gregory, had gone through the town helping where they could. Gregory was too shaken by everything to leave Dengal’s side and had been tending to her until she had fallen asleep. She exchanged a look with the others. One of the properties which had been struck, unfortunately, was Rarity’s parents own shop. Rarity was furious about it. “Darling,” she began with a deeper voice full of rage, “forgive my language, but let’s go and kill those damned monsters!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow at the vulgar language, but seeing as her family’s business had been half destroyed and her parents nearly killed, she couldn’t blame Rarity for feeling this way. Twilight didn’t even seem to register the use of foul language as she spoke. “We’ll come with you,” she said.

Several minutes later, Celestia was picking up a quill pen with her magic, dipped it in an inkwell, and signing the mercenary document. Luna did the same, then the six ponies who were to be observers signed it. Then the paper was slid back over to the members of Shadow Dawn. Gregory pulled out a strange looking device which Celestia realized was a pen of some sort, signed it hastily, then handed the pen to Tobias. He signed, then Sunset, then Starfall, and finally Chrysalis. When the changeling gave the pen back to Gregory, the human looked back at Celestia. “Now then,” he said, “since this is now official, I would like to ask where you intend to start.”

“That is a question I had as well,” Luna agreed. One of the caveats stipulated in the contract was that the mercenary group worked independently and under no orders but their own. The contract did give leeway when it came to figuring out details from their clients, and there were promises in there which ensured that they would follow Equestrian federal laws to a point.

Celestia could see the rage boiling up inside Gregory, and it took all of her inner strength not to walk over and hug him tightly. The windigos had attacked and hurt his girlfriend, and she knew that he wanted them to pay. Megan, who was sitting next to him, put a hand on his shoulder. Gregory looked over, and his face relaxed with a seeming great deal of effort. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. “We need information on the windigos,” he said, “and what better place to start researching than in a library?” He turned to Twilight and grinned, although there was no humor in that look. “We’re going to Canterlot.”