A Whisper on the Wind

Perspective: Aerial Ace

When I went to lie down next to Stuart on the bed, I felt awful, but not for me; I’d spent the last few hours watching him behave more and more erratically, and while I was deeply concerned, I kept those worries to myself rather than worry him that I was worried. He’d been continuously looking around him, at things that weren’t there, but he hadn’t done anything to harm us or himself, so I just continued walking with him, silently hoping that he was okay as I let my worries eat away at me.

Not that I had a choice to walk beside him… that thing he was wearing around his neck had somehow bound the two of us to it, meaning that neither of us could be far from that trinket before the distance made us weaker.

I found it difficult to drift off to sleep that night; I heard whispers of thoughts from him, saw fragments of memories, and felt shards of emotion as he seemed to wrestle with himself over and over again.

I witnessed bits and pieces of what looked like his old life. I saw him hurt people, and I felt the stinging guilt he felt every time he remembered something like it; all of a sudden, that first day of his in the settlement made sense to me.

~You don't know me. You don't know the life I’ve lived. I’ve hurt people, and I’ve done unspeakable things for selfish reasons.~

Until now, I thought he’d been exaggerating, but he hadn’t. Maybe he was tired, and what I saw was just a result of being unable to fend off those thoughts. Or… maybe he did this to himself every night; maybe he tortured himself for his past mistakes right before he drifted off to sleep every time he went to bed.

I felt him get angry after each pang of guilt before it was all followed by something much colder. It felt like fear, and it seemed to accompany images of us, his friends. Was he afraid of something happening to us… or of us saying or doing something?

I struggled to imagine what such an existence would be like, but then I realized that, maybe, we weren't so different; I often found my mind wandering at night. I remembered my home; my parents, all taken away from me on that darkest of nights.

I was dreaming of seeing my mother and father again when I was woken up by Stuart violently sitting up. I froze for a moment, trying to hear what was happening.

“Who are you?” he asked. I turned around to find him getting out of bed and about to open the door; I immediately scrambled to join him as he practically flung himself out of the room and toward the stairs.

“Stuart… What's happening?” I asked, but he didn't even acknowledge me. I continued to keep pace with him even as he struggled to walk; his gait was uneven, but still full of purpose as he made his way to the building's exit.

“What are you?” he said as he practically slammed the doors open, stumbling out into the twilight of morning. He immediately started heading for some grassland; his feet, with nothing more than socks on, picked up dirt and other debris as he walked. As I followed him, two more ponies joined me.

Stopper and Tricks practically bounded out of the doorway; both of them were missing their armor, probably just awoken from sleep themselves.

“What the buck is he up to?” Stopper asked me as she pointed to Stuart, followed by a yawn, to which I could only shrug my shoulders.

“He just woke up like this. I don’t think he can hear us,” I said to them as I kept close to my friend. Shambling about still, he led us to an open grassy field, whereupon he put his hands to his head and shouted.

“Get… out… of… my HEAD!”

Without warning, a violent storm cell arrived out of nowhere, the weather suddenly engulfing us as a swirling purple-tinted fog surrounded Stuart, my friend crying out in agony with his hands still clutching his head, writhing in visible agony. That same dark purple fog now thrashed the skies above us as streaks of lightning thundered across the underside of the strange cloud formation.

The wind viciously whipped around us as Stuart took his hands off his head, making fists with them as he lowered them to his sides.

His appearance had changed; his brown hair, once flat on his head, was now standing fully upright as arcs of powerful energy rippled and danced across the individual hairs. His exposed skin had fissures of bright purple, while his eyes swirled with a bright, menacing green aura. His expression, initially a visage of suffering, had reformed into a devilish grin as he looked all around the landscape.

“Now, isn't this interesting? I never thought that another human would grace these lands.”

The voice was Stuart’s, but yet it wasn't; it was underlined by artificial, metallic tones that spoke of a foreign invader occupying his body, which was now flexing and limbering as surges of magic pulsed from his hands.

“The arcane output of this one is strong; he doesn't even understand the greatness he's capable of! He will make a fine vessel for my power; the night shall last FOREVER!”

That last word of theirs whipped the storm around us into a raging tempest as it raised Stuart's arms above his head, arcs of energy flying out of his hands into the skies above. At the same time, I felt something on the periphery of my thoughts, like I was watching a hailstorm approach as a cold front washed over me.

I saw… darkness. Cold, empty, foreboding darkness that was coupled with an icy rage that transcended anything I thought I was capable of feeling. I was at a loss as to what to do, feeling a sense of hopelessness soaking my body. But, as I looked on in despair, Stopper stepped forward while Tricks hung back.

“I’ve heard stories about you!” she shouted as she moved in circles around her new quarry, “I know what you are, Nightmare! You might’ve succeeded in taking over his body,” she continued, her voice rising above the cacophony of the howling winds, “But I know that Stuart is still trapped in there, and I know that he will defeat you!”

The Nightmare…

I always thought that the Nightmare was just an old mare's tale, something invented to frighten colts and fillies over a campfire when telling spooky ghost stories. Now I'm learning that it's actually real?!

My surprise was cut short when that… thing extended a hand toward us and grabbed Stopper with black magical tendrils, pulling her toward it.

“Speak only when spoken to, peasant!”

It then flung her to my right with an almighty swing, causing her to crash and roll on the ground with an audible yelp. After a moment, she very slowly started getting back onto her hooves. Undeterred, she continued to defy it.

“I've suffered worse from better creatures! Stuart, you have to listen! It’s a parasite; it's feeding on your doubts and your fears! I don't know what it's been telling you, but it's not true!”

The expression on Stuart's face changed to one of annoyance.

“I've only told him the truth, my little ponies; I have seen the darkness within him, and I know the evil that he is capable of! He will never be accepted here for what he has done!”

Stopper shook her head as the wind continued to howl around us. “And yet, he’s done more for us in a month than you ever have!”

“She's right!” Chimed in Tricks as he stepped forward. “I've heard stories of you, too, Nightmare! You're like a plague of locusts that swarms when it senses a meal! You bring nothing but disaster and despair wherever you go!”

Whatever was controlling his body started becoming more agitated, the swirling violet storm above us becoming erratic as bolts of lightning struck the ground around us, leaving craters and burned vegetation across the field.

Don't hold us back, my little human! You can feel my power coursing through you, can’t you? You know that you can use it to accomplish your mission! Total protection against the dangers of this world! All you have to do is join with me, as we were meant to be!”

Stopper wasn’t finished yet. “Stuart, if you accept that offer, you won't be you anymore! That’s what the Nightmare does; it bides its time, just waiting for the right moment to strike, and when it does, it consumes the mind, body, and soul of its victim in a never-ending thirst for power!”

Looking at and walking over to me, Stopper put a hoof around my back, leaning in to whisper something into my ear.

“Tell him.”

I looked into her eyes, her expression telling me all that I needed to say. I took a gulp and stepped forward, the wind whipping my face as I looked up, staring down the Nightmare that had possessed his body.

“I know you can hear me, Stuart!” I shouted, the apparition turning its head to look at me an expression akin to confusion. “You are accepted here, by all of us! You've shown us how to be better ponies, and that's more than anypony else has done for us in a long time! Don't give in to what that thing wants, you're better than that!”

The wind suddenly died down and the green aura in its eyes flickered; something was happening, and I sensed that it was no coincidence.

“I've seen what you've done, Stuart,” I began, no longer needing to raise my voice. “I felt it all last night; the horror, the guilt, and the anger you felt at yourself when you relived those memories.”

The storm above us started to dissipate, giving way to a dark, overcast sky behind as the vortex started to diminish, although it still continued to swirl menacingly.

“And then, I felt something else; you thought of us, and you became afraid. I didn't know what it meant then, but I know now what it means; you fear losing us. Well, you've had our backs, and now, we've got yours! We’ll follow you into Tartarus itself if that's what it takes to help you!”

The apparition sank to its knees, its expression changing to one of profound discomfort as it raised its hands to its head, almost like a battle was being waged inside. I approached it, feeling Stopper's watchful gaze upon me.

“I know we had that talk last night, but I want you to hear me say it… I've just been too scared to do it. So… here goes…” I said, closing my eyes briefly and taking a deep breath.

Come on, Ace! You can do this!

“... I love you,” I said as the entity seemed to be struggling to maintain control, Stuart's body now violently writhing against an unseen force as a primordial scream ripped its way out, his head now facing the sky. Tendrils of inky black now regurgitated out of him, taking with it a hulking mass of darkness from his body, the entire thing seeming to escape into the vortex above us, the magical portal closing as the last of the darkness slipped beyond its horizon.

Stuart's body crumpled forward, and we all darted over to him, my hooves immediately rolling him onto his back as I desperately searched for signs of life.

To my relief, he suffered a coughing fit, his body rolling itself onto its side as control of his limbs seemed to return to him. As he began to sit up, his coughing fit subsided, and that trinket once more came into view, the socketed gemstone continuing to rhythmically pulse with magical energy as all three of us stood in front of him.

Before any of us could react, he lunged forward and grabbed us all, holding our bodies against his in a powerful, suffocating hug. A muffled “Thank you.” left his mouth as he relaxed his grip upon us, all of us taking a moment to stay and ensure that he was okay.

“You beat it.” Said Stopper, her face lit up with what, for her, was an uncharacteristically happy expression.

“Beat it?” He fired back. “No… You don't defeat something as powerful as the Nightmare just like that…”

—

Perspective: Stuart Robinson

I thought that sleep was all that I needed. I put my problems down to fatigue and exhaustion and willed myself to be rid of them when my head hit the pillow.

Sleep, however, was difficult; my mind became filled with unfamiliar images like I was watching an out-of-sequence stop-motion film. A burning village came into view, punctuated by flashes of grim atrocities.

Sleep eventually called out to me, but soon I found myself in a similar mental position to when I'd examined the first Mnemosyne Crystal… only this time, darkness extended all around me. I then felt a cold and furious presence invade my personal space, and a chill began to creep over me.

I then suddenly found myself back in the room, having been dumped unceremoniously back into reality. Still, the presence swirled in my mind, while my base instincts took over as my body got out of bed.

“Who are you?” I asked it as I stumbled out of the room and down the stairs.

“I am the beginning, the end, the one who is legion.”

The only thing I knew now was that whatever this thing was, it was immensely powerful, for I could feel the hum of magical power throb within me.

“What are you?” I demanded as I forced the lower doors open, my body now striding towards an open field, for I was determined to lead whatever this thing was away from what was left of the town… and my friends.

“I have been many things, little human, but I will always be The Nightmare. I have come to you with an offer: accept my power, and I will aid you in your mission.”

I was struggling harder and harder against its influence, and I felt my vision grow darker as I dragged my body across the wet, muddy grassland. I didn’t have shoes on, and my socks were by now thoroughly soaked by the damp grass and mud.

“You know that these little ponies will never accept you for what you’ve done, manling! I have seen the things that you’ve done, things that you had to do. We are destined to join together!”

The voice was booming inside my mind, to the point where I felt like my head might burst as I stumbled further into the empty field. All I could think about was how good it felt to be praised, even as the pressure building up inside me became overwhelming.

“Get… out… of… my HEAD!”

“Then accept my offer, manling!”

The throbbing in my head intensified, and all I could think of was a way to end my torment, to end the unrelenting assault upon my senses. The presence responded as if it were reading my thoughts.

“Accept… and be free of your pain!”

I whispered something that I never thought I would ever say to anyone… and yet, I saw no alternative, no way to escape the spirit that was subjecting me to such a brutal onslaught.

“I surrender.”

In an instant, a cold embrace wrapped around me, my mind giving in to the temptation it was being offered if only to stave off the unrelenting torture. I felt my body surrender control to the apparition, its muscles and ligaments moving under a will not of my own. I could now see out of my eyes again, my vision once more unencumbered, but I was now no longer in control of where they looked, my soul reduced to being a passenger in its own body as mental barriers squeezed my inner voice every time I tried to speak or move.

“Now, isn't this interesting? I never thought that another human would grace these lands.”

I heard my voice, but it wasn’t me in control of it; a most distressing feeling indeed. The entity was obviously aware of Alex, but precisely to what degree remained a mystery to me, although flashes of its dealings with him ran through my mind; it would seem that our thoughts were intertwined.

“The arcane output of this one is strong; he doesn't even understand the greatness he's capable of! He will make a fine vessel for my power; the night shall last FOREVER!”

It was an incredibly weird feeling hearing somebody else praise me like that. As the voice crowed, images of the past raced before me. I saw what looked like memories of the entity taking over the body of Princess Luna, becoming Nightmare Moon. I watched as that same Nightmare Moon wreaked havoc upon the land, and I witnessed Princess Celestia using the Elements of Harmony to banish the Nightmare to the Moon. I saw it grapple with Alex, and inflict much the same suffering as it had upon me, and a thought occurred to me: did it specifically target me because I’m human?

Those memories made me realize that I was dealing with something that was both incredibly ancient and incredibly powerful and, in a moment of weakness, I’d allowed it to take over my body and stifle my mind. The squeezing upon my very being got worse, as if my increasing despair weighed me down more and more against the ruthless efficiency of this eldritch horror. It was then that I heard a voice calling out.

“I’ve heard stories about you! I know what you are, Nightmare! You might’ve succeeded in taking over his body, but I know that Stuart is still trapped in there, and I know that he will defeat you!”

The voice was unmistakably that of Stopper; she was brimming with confidence that I was going to defeat this creature. While I didn't share her enthusiasm, it warmed my heart to see the faith she had in me, especially considering our past… history together.

I was caught by surprise when the entity used my body as a conduit for its dark magic, grabbing Stopper and pulling her toward me in a violent chokehold as inky black tendrils of force shot forth from my hand.

“Speak only when spoken to, peasant!”

Without warning, the creature controlling my body flung her to the ground with its magic, a pained yelp sharply penetrating the air as I desperately, and impotently, tried to fight against the invisible chains holding me in bondage.

I was getting angry, a desire to rip this thing limb from limb building inside me even as the creature contained my rage in its invisible prison. And yet, Stopper got up and continued her defiance of this evil being.

“I've suffered worse from better creatures! Stuart, you have to listen! It’s a parasite; it's feeding on your doubts and your fears! I don't know what it's been telling you, but it's not true!”

Well, that explained why I felt myself get weaker earlier; could positive thinking really defeat an abomination like this? Was it really that simple?

“I've only told him the truth, my little ponies; I have seen the darkness within him, and I know the evil that he is capable of! He will never be accepted here for what he has done!”

In my heart, I knew that it was right. I deserved neither love nor happiness for the suffering I'd inflicted. I felt more of that icy darkness enveloping me, and I made peace with the knowledge that this prison was to be my punishment, my torment, and my just desserts for my past crimes.

“And yet, he’s done more for us in a month than you ever have!”

As Stopper continued her impassioned defense of me, I conceded to myself that I might've been a help to them now, but could I trust myself to continue doing it? I had difficulty believing that I could.

“She's right! I've heard stories of you, too, Nightmare! You're like a plague of locusts that swarms when it senses a meal! You bring nothing but disaster and despair wherever you go!”

Tricks’ words rang true, but it only added to my sense of hopelessness; how could I hope to defeat something that insidious, that relentless in its pursuit of power?

I felt a surge of power building up, and I could feel the magical energy about to target Ace as he cowered in front of the invader occupying my body. With an almighty mental heave backed by furious anger, I temporarily interfered with its control, diverting my hand to cause the magic to harmlessly target the ground as bolts of lightning struck the grassy field around us, leaving holes and charred vegetation as a reminder of the sheer power that this thing was capable of.

It was a small victory, but an important one, for I now knew that this being was not invincible, despite every fiber of my soul screaming that struggling against it was futile.

Don't hold us back, my little human! You can feel my power coursing through you, can’t you? You know that you can use it to accomplish your mission! Total protection against the dangers of this world! All you have to do is join with me, as we were meant to be!”

It was right; I could feel the raw power surging through my body. I may only have been a passenger, but I could still feel everything… and it felt great. Being surrounded by that kind of power was beyond intoxicating.

“Stuart, if you accept that offer, you won't be you anymore! That’s what the Nightmare does; it bides its time, just waiting for the right moment to strike, and when it does, it consumes the mind, body, and soul of its victim in a never-ending thirst for power!”

Stopper's words flowed into me, but the arcane energy cascading through me was at that point impossible to resist.

“I know you can hear me, Stuart! You are accepted here, by all of us! You've shown us how to be better ponies, and that's more than anypony else has done for us in a long time! Don't give in to what that thing wants, you're better than that!”

My vision had now squarely focused on Ace, his positive reinforcement brushing up against me like the warmth from his body I'd previously enjoyed. My thoughts now turned to what would happen to him, and the others, if I allowed myself to succumb to the Nightmare's Siren call.

I made a decision, right there, that I wasn’t going to allow anyone to harm my friends, least of all this foul abomination. I fought back against the force trying to contain me, applying every ounce of mental fortitude I could muster. I knew it was working, at least partially, for I felt the howling winds die, the cacophony replaced by the general sounds of nature.

“I've seen what you've done, Stuart, I felt it all last night; the horror, the guilt, and the anger you felt at yourself when you relived those memories. And then, I felt something else; you thought of us, and you became afraid. I didn't know what it meant then, but I know now what it means; you fear losing us. Well, you've had our backs, and now, we've got yours! We’ll follow you into Tartarus itself if that's what it takes to help you!”

Apart from my family, only one other person has openly accepted me for who I am, knowing what I’ve done. I thought back to the week that Alex and I met, to the only time that I'd ever felt like that.

—

My university had a foreign exchange program, and I was paired up with Alex. They liked to pair up students from different disciplines; they clearly felt that technology and biology were an interesting and mentally stimulating matchup.

For the first week after we got paired together, I kept my distance from Alex. My mind was still haunted back then by my experience of being arrested, my journey to the police station, and being questioned in an interview room with only the duty solicitor as counsel.

I remember vividly the police coming to my house at six in the morning, rounding me and my roommates up in the living room, and above all, I remembered the thumping beating of my heart as my world threatened to crumble around me.

It was surreal. I didn't think that it would happen to me, that only other people got arrested. It was like having an out-of-body experience; I was just watching as events unfolded. Several of my roommates were in tears, demanding to know what was going on, and I remained utterly silent like the coward I was. They escorted us all to our respective rooms, and in a state of near-panic, I did something incredibly fucking stupid.

I admitted that I knew why they were there; I didn't tell them everything, giving them just enough general information to know they had their suspect. Then, they formally arrested me and read me my rights, and while I wasn’t handcuffed, I was led outside in disgrace and bundled into the back of an unmarked police van. At the station, I then had one of the most profoundly uncomfortable conversations of my life, my mind plunging to new depths of shame that I didn’t think were possible.

And I only had myself to blame for it.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, all of my computer equipment had been confiscated, and I was bailed pending investigation. They didn't find much, but I was offered a deal to accept a formal caution, which I took on advice from my solicitor. I was only eighteen, and I now had a criminal record. Granted, my life wasn't over, but it was now going to be vastly more complicated.

The new term started, and already my reputation was ruined; my peers wanted nothing to do with me, so I did as they wanted, and I isolated myself as much as possible. My experience at the university soon parallelled that of the one I had at school; snide comments, dirty looks, and occasional physical contact that was just begging for me to retaliate.

Only this time, I'd earned all of it.

A month after the new term started, the exchange program kicked off. By then, I was so used to cutting myself off from others that I no longer thought about it, I just did it. When Alex and I were paired up, I just assumed that he would hear about me from everyone else and that he'd do the sensible thing and stay away from someone who would do him absolutely no good.

Only… he didn't stay away. Quite the opposite, in fact; he outright did his best to spend as much time as possible with me, someone who was probably very lousy company. I knew he'd been talking to others; after all, it wasn't hard to miss him in the students’ canteen as he socialized with the rest of our peers. On the Monday of the following week, he was waiting for me not far from the campus to invite me for a morning coffee, since we both had a free half-day; I tried to dissuade him, but the stubborn bastard wouldn't take ‘No’ for an answer… which I was going to learn was very typical of him.

I thought that if I put it all on the table, he'd see sense, and stop this foolish pursuit of trying to befriend someone who didn’t deserve it.

So, I laid out my shame in precise detail. I explained that I was tired of being the butt of a joke whenever I walked into a classroom, of being assaulted without consequences, and of being the general punching bag of the class. I told him that I swore to myself that I would have my revenge.

I stated, from the outset, that I knew what I did was wrong, but I insisted on laying out the scope of my crimes. I explained my rationale; I didn't believe that my tormentors were capable of shame, so I resolved to target members of their families instead to make my problem their problem.

I told him that I used all my knowledge and skills to make life hell for those around the ones who'd made my life a living hell for nearly five years.

Bitchy emails, unflattering voicemails, compromising photographs, and what should have been secure financial information all made their way into the hands of people who shouldn't have had them. I was arrested because I got careless; I didn't obscure myself properly with one particular indiscretion. That, I explained to Alex, was all they could pin on me, hence why I was offered the deal for a formal caution in lieu of it going to court.

I remembered his expression; completely stone-faced, looking at me with a piercing set of eyes that felt like they were trying to burrow into my skull, before he asked me a question.

“Are you sorry for what you did, or are you sorry that you were caught?”

I told him that both were true; I was genuinely sorry for the distress I'd caused, but I was still feeling sorry for myself at being caught, on top of dealing with the shame of others knowing of what I'd done. I told him that I regretted my actions and that I felt remorse that I had dragged my family into my mess. I explained further that my mother and father stood by me and supported me in the aftermath, but my sister wanted nothing more to do with me; I said that I would do anything to repair the damage that I'd caused and that I regretted and lamented the fact that some relationships might not be repairable… and that I had to live with the consequences of that.

He looked at me and leaned forward, my body doing the same.

“You are going to swear something to me, and I will swear it with you. We are going to swear it on the blood of our families. No matter what we do in life, who we meet, or who we fuck, this is going to bind us together until the day we die. Do you understand?”

I honestly wasn't sure what to make of that, but I was too intrigued to say no, so I nodded in acceptance, prompting him to recline back.

“Repeat after me. ‘I solemnly swear…’.”

Nodding once more, I went along with it.

“I solemnly swear…”

“That from this day forward…”

“That from this day forward…”

“I will not tolerate injustice…”

“I will not tolerate injustice…”

His eyes remained focused on me as we each spoke our parts.

“Nor will I use people for selfish ends…”

“Nor will I use people for selfish ends…”

“And neither will I inflict pain or suffering upon someone…”

“And neither will I inflict pain or suffering upon someone…”

“For any reason…”

I hesitated for a moment, but I continued.

“For any reason…” I said, matching his vocal inflections.

“Until the day I die.”

I swallowed hard.

“Until the day I die.”

—

I used that memory to help me further in shattering those supernatural bonds. I sensed I was getting closer, and I could feel my body sink to the ground as the Nightmare's control over it seemed to be weakening.

“I know we had that talk last night, but I want you to hear me say it… I've just been too scared to do it. So… Here goes... I love you.”

That verbal demonstration of affection was just the pick-me-up I needed; I'd had it spelled out to me that I mattered, that I was desired, and honestly, I hadn't heard enough of that in my life. But, to the entity still clinging on to control of my body, those words were like poison to it. With a final mental heave, I at last managed to cast off the dark tendrils that had ensnared and squeezed my spirit like a boa constrictor, the Nightmare presumably retreating back to its domain as it released its grip on me.

The world went black, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back, the dampness of the grass soaking through my hoodie and into my shirt. I was so surprised that I mistakenly swallowed some saliva down the wrong way, and I started furiously coughing, rolling onto my side out of habit.

As normal service resumed, I sat up, the three of them all sitting in front of me, each pony wearing an expression of intense joy.

I was so overwhelmed that I immediately pulled all three of them into a hug, being so, so grateful for what all of them had just done for me. I could barely speak, but I uttered at least one “Thank you” as tears threatened to burst forth from my eyes.

“You beat it,” said Stopper, who looked noticeably more chipper than I'd known from her recently.

I just shook my head and looked down at the ground briefly.

“Beat it? No… You don't defeat something as powerful as the Nightmare just like that.” I mused as I looked back up at the group. “Even now, I can still hear it, still feel it, like white noise in the background. As you said, Stopper; it bides its time. I sensed supreme patience when we shared a consciousness together. I saw, firsthand, that it can wait centuries for the right time to strike… just like it did with me.”

I chose to not get up to my feet for now, instead consolidating my seated position by crossing my legs and patting my lap while looking at Ace, my eyebrows raised in an open invitation to sit in it.

It was an invitation he accepted gladly, the pegasus practically bounding into my lap as I wrapped him up in a warm hug, applying a smooch to his forehead as I resumed looking up at the others.

“I saw memories of when it possessed Princess Luna. I felt how it seduced her, what it did to her… but I only saw that after I'd surrendered control to it. I… never want to feel that way again. So… It looks like I’m going to need to be vigilant to keep that… thing at bay, and I’m going to need the help of all of you to do that. But, after that little display earlier, I know that I don't even need to ask for that help from you all.”

The two unicorns just saluted, which made my smile wider; as they lowered their hooves back down, they both turned their heads to see behind them as the sound of hoofsteps became noticeable. Eventually, all of the other ponies came out to join us, led by Ice Wisp. I raised a hand to them as they approached, the kirin trotting ahead of the group to join the three of us still sitting on the ground.

“What in Tartarus was that?” Ice asked as the other ponies sat on the ground some distance behind him.

Lowering my hand, I sighed. “Hopefully something that won't be coming back. Sorry if it gave you folks a scare back there.”

Ice just stood there. “That… was the Nightmare, wasn't it?”

“The what, hon?” Said Kiwi from the back row. I just looked at Ice.

“I suppose I can't be surprised that you know about the Nightmare.” I conceded. The kirin did attend the School of Friendship; after all, he'd probably heard stories about it firsthand. But, others here? Probably not.

“You should come back to Las Pegasus with. I know a couple of ponies who arrived there about a year ago; they said that they were scholars from a far-away settlement, and the Nightmare came up a few times in conversation with them.”

I was intrigued. “Who are these ponies?”

The kirin put a hoof to his chin for a moment. “Uhh… I don’t remember their names but I know that one's a pegasus, and I think the other’s a unicorn. They claimed to be sisters.”

I put Ace back onto the ground and I got up, still looking at Ice. “Sounds like two ponies that I'd like to meet. Right, everypony, gather ‘round and listen up!” I shouted as I beckoned everypony to come closer, all of them following my cue to sit around me as I prepared myself.

“So, as you all know, there have been some changes…” I began as I momentarily looked at Ace before returning my gaze to the rest of the group. “Those changes mean that I need to make adjustments to the structure of the squad to maintain efficiency. So, first up…”

I looked around the group, looking as serious as possible. “Since Ace is pretty much anchored to me by this damn gemstone around my neck, he cannot effectively serve as the squad's scout. So…” I trailed off as my gaze fell onto Tricks. “That duty now falls to you, Tricks; and, along with that I am hereby promoting you to the rank of Private First Class for your distinguished service to date.”

To say that the unicorn looked happy was an understatement, a wide grin covering his face before he remembered where he was. “Thank you, sir. I won't let you down,” he said with a salute.

Nodding, I once more turned my gaze to the squad. “I also need a more mobile Executive Officer. So, Stopper…” I said, now looking at her. “You are being promoted to the rank of Specialist, for your exemplary conduct thus far. You are now also my Executive Officer. I'll talk more about that with you later.”

No such emotional contribution came from her, the unicorn neatly saluting and nodding.

“And one more. Ice Wisp; for your help, I am authorizing a promotion for you also to the rank of Private First Class. I’m also making you the squad's Second Officer; in the absence of myself and Stopper, you are in command, and again, I'll go through things with you later as well.”

I could tell that the kirin didn't know what to make of it, merely nodding amidst his visible nervousness, and nearly fumbling a salute… but, I let that one slide, under the circumstances.

Crossing my arms, I turned my attention to the group as a whole. “Now that that's over with, pack up the supplies and prepare to move out. We head back in one hour.”

—

We began our journey back to the city now knowing the lay of the land. Tricks took to his new role with enthusiasm, and as we set off, I explained my intentions for Stopper and Ice in their new roles. All the while, I could feel that Ace was feeling let down by what had just happened, the shards of guilt from him being quite unmistakable, and I knew that I needed to put his mind at ease.

“Right, you three,” I began as the wider group fanned out from us, leaving me to walk with Stopper and Ice, and of course, Ace, the four of us, for now, walking together in tight formation. “Let's run down what I expect after that little reshuffle earlier.”

All eyes were now upon me as we walked together across the grassland between Stratusburg and Vanhoover.

“Stopper, you have several responsibilities. First and foremost, you're to support me in the orders that I give. I welcome alternatives, of course, but once I've made a decision, it is your responsibility to carry it out, regardless of how you may personally feel about it. Any further objections should be given to me in private, not in front of the squad.”

The unicorn nodded, and I turned my attention toward Ice Wisp. “Ice, you as Second Officer are the contact point for the rest of the squad for any issues or problems. If there's a major problem, you raise it with Stopper. Additionally, if both myself and Stopper are either incapacitated or separated and thus unable to command, that puts you in charge.”

Ice nodded. “What are your orders for when, or if, something like that happens?” He asked.

“Fall back to the settlement; one of my guys can show you the way back. You are then to report to Commander Battle Scarred, and provide a report to her on the situation to date and then follow her orders.”

I harbored few illusions that things would be that easy if the worst happened, but I heard no complaints for now, the two nodding and fanning out ahead of Ace and I; while the two of us were verbally silent, however, the mental chatter between us was anything but.

“You know that I had no choice, Ace,” I spoke with my mind's eye, to which I was surprised to hear a direct response.

“I know. It still hurts, though.”

The rest of the journey back was spent in silence, save for the occasional stray thought between us. Hours passed, but eventually, we returned to the city… and just in time to watch a situation developing.

As we began our final approach back to the town hall, we could all see three ponies in the square just before it. As we came in closer, I could eventually make out that two of them were Crush and Flame, with an unidentified third pony standing opposed to them on the other side.

As I tried to remember where I'd seen the other pony before, I got a nudge from somepony else.

“Just letting you know, that's my mom up ahead,” Apogee said, her gaze fixing on the mare in the distance, their gray fur and white vest now coming into view.

“What should we do?” I asked, keen for suggestions as I remembered that her mum was probably the one that Stopper had punted away from our cart shortly before we arrived here.

“Um… just let me go on ahead and I'll see just what the fuck she wants,” she asked, my head still not used to hearing a pony properly swearing.

Nodding down to her, the freckled yellow pegasus took off as snippets of the argument could now be heard coherently.

“... so, where is he?!”

“... um, p-please calm down, h-he's not here right now, b-but he should be back soon…”

Apogee immediately went across to the gray-furred pegasus while Ace and I looked at each other before darting straight for Flame, her face lighting up like the Blackpool illuminations as we approached her, Crush merely nodding at us as we took up a position in front of them, casting our sights all around at the confrontation.

“Can somepony please fill me in on what the fuck is going on here?” I demanded with a modicum of courtesy.

“You!” replied the gray pony, the mare holding up a hoof to point at me.

“Yeah, I remember you, too. I hope you didn't hit the ground too hard after my associate gave you a right good kick,” I fired back, remembering when Stopper made her leave our acquired vehicle by force.

“You stole my cart! That was my junkyard you plundered!” She replied, smashing her hooves onto the stony ground in anger.

I shrugged. “I saw no signs of declared ownership. You really should do a better job at protecting your valuables in the future,” I retorted as the mare was reigned in by her daughter.

“Mom, I told you to put signs up and keep the gates closed! If this human didn't didn't steal that cart, somepony else would've eventually!” The young mare fired back at her mother, causing the elder pegasus to storm off in a strop.

As Apogee turned to me, I put my hands in my hoodie's pockets and exhaled. “Look, I'm sorry I took it, but this world isn't exactly a forgiving place. As much as I loathe it, I’m learning that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission around these parts.”

The young mare sighed. “I know, it's just… she's my mom, y'know? It's her own fault ‘n all, but I still don't like seeing her angry. Meh, maybe Dad can build her a new one…”

I tilted my head. “Where's your dad?”

“He’s in Las Pegasus, probably tinkering with his inventions again… Honestly, you’d probably like him, he’d be excited beyond words if he knew he was about to meet a human for the first time.”

I chuckled. “Well, you guys didn’t really seem that fazed when I showed up.”

The pegasus shrugged. “Long hours on patrol will do that. It’s just… kinda hard to see something wondrous for what it is when all you’ve seen so far is conflict and strife.”

That got my attention.

“Wondrous, huh? I assure you, I am undeserving of that compliment.”

“Now you’re just being modest. Maybe when you first showed up, you were undeserving of it… but if what Ice said on the way over, that you beat the Nightmare of all fucking things, then you are something special.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You know about the Nightmare?”

“Only because of my dad. He’s brilliant… from what he’s told me, Alex lectured his father personally at the old School of Friendship in Ponyville, and he passed down all that knowledge to my father. Then, my father did the same with me.”

I sighed, looking at her in a slightly different light now. “You’ve had to grow up far sooner than you should have had to.”

“Welcome to my world,” she said, walking off to go chase down her mother who'd wandered off into the distance during my conversation with Apogee. Her presence was replaced by Flame's, the earth pony sauntering up to give us a look over.

“Oh my, you two look exhausted! Was your trip… a success?” She asked, completely oblivious to what had transpired between Ace and I. Crush moved closer, and both Stopper and Tricks had by now joined us, too. Perfect time for a confab now that my inner squad was all together… but there was one issue still lingering in my mind.

“Yeah, it was; we rescued the two ponies trapped in that tomb back there. How’s our prisoner been during our excursion?” I asked.

Crush sighed. “Restless. What should we do with him?”

I sighed. “The others seemed completely done with him, and I sure as shit don't want him tagging along with us. But, we'll deal with him in a moment; for now, I need to make you aware of something else that happened to us.”

I made motions to Flame and Crush, and soon, they and Ace too were sitting in front of me.

“We found this in the tomb,” I remarked, holding the trinket around my neck briefly with a hand. “Ace and I both went for it and something… explosive happened. Now, we seem to both be tied to it.”

Flame tilted her head. “Um… t-tied to it?”

I nodded. “Yeah. If either of us stray too far from it, we get weaker… like an inverse kryptonite.”

Now it was Crush's turn to tilt his head. “Crypt-o-nite?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “Doesn't matter. The point is… this means that Ace and I have to stay together, at all times. So, that means I've had no choice but to change the squad formation…”

I shuffled forward a bit with Ace in tow. “I know that you guys aren't really part of the command structure, but you still need to know about this change. Ace here… is no longer my Executive Officer; Stopper has now been given that role. Additionally, Ice Wisp is now the squad's Second Officer.”

Looks were exchanged between the two before they looked back at me. They didn't even have to speak for me to know their concerns.

I held my hands up briefly. “I know what you're both thinking. But, he's quite knowledgeable, and I think he understands the bigger picture; those message fragments could yield valuable information about the past… and, maybe some clues for what we should do next.”

Crush spoke up. “If you think it's a good idea, we've got your back. How do you want to handle… him in the basement?”

“Assemble everypony and have them all meet me in the square. Only fair that all concerned get a say in what happens to him.”

Crush saluted as he departed, leaving me with the others as the earth pony went off to gather up everypony else. Just as he did, a pang of discomfort shot through me, and I didn’t even need to look down to know who it was from. I hunched down and gave the pegasus a one-armed cuddle as I looked up at the others. “Can you guys, um… give us a few minutes?” I asked, getting nods of understanding in reply as they vacated our personal space.

As the two of us were left alone for the moment, I lowered my voice and spoke to him. “I know that this hasn't been easy for you… least of all because of what happened earlier. But, I need you to know that this is something that needs to be done. Scar would make the same call if we were back at the settlement with her.”

Ace was clearly taking a longer pause than usual to collect himself before he responded. “... I know. I just… want to be useful... to you, and to the squad. I know that I'm being sidelined for a good reason but… it still hurts.”

I put an arm around the pegasus and pulled him tighter to me, a gesture he leaned into as we both sharply exhaled. “I know… I know. Maybe we can find somepony who can help us with it?”

The pegasus just weakly nodded his head, and I figured that now was the right time to discuss what happened earlier.

“I know you might be feeling a little embarrassed after what you said,” I said, giving the stallion’s ears a few scritches. “But, I need you to hear this next bit from me: words are not enough for me to thank you for what you did for me… for what all of you did for me. I am… beyond grateful that you helped me cast off the shackles of that… thing.”

Ace just looked up at me. “Is it… gone?” He asked, hesitantly.

“I can’t hear it anymore, but… I can’t shake off the feeling that something feels different, somehow.”

It was such an alien feeling that I couldn’t put it into words. Maybe I’d be able to express it later…

Meanwhile, the pegasus rubbed his head up against me. “I’m just glad you’re back with us…”

“So…” I began, pausing briefly to sharply exhale, “... where do we go from here? Should we… see where a relationship leads? Is that even the right thing to do here?”

That caused Ace to get up to look at me directly. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well… this world is very dangerous. Something might happen to one of us… and what then? One of us would leave behind someone… I don’t know if I could handle that. I don’t know if you could handle that…” I said, trailing off as the thought of losing any of my friends crossed my mind. A deeply unpleasant and gut-wrenching thought.

Ace was now almost muzzle-to-face with me. “... that’s what love is. Or, so ponies keep telling me…” he said, lying down on the ground and looking up at me. “From the day you showed up here, you accepted me for who I am. You showed me affection like nopony else has, and you held me when I needed it most.”

I nodded while looking down at him while occasionally glancing off to the sides. “From the day I arrived, you’ve been beside me. At my lowest, you were there to comfort me. You allowed me to share your personal space… and some deeply intimate moments. And, it was your words that granted me the last bit of mental strength I needed to throw the Nightmare off my back. That’s a debt that I don’t think I can ever pay back…”

Ace scooted up closer to me, holding out a hoof. “Let me be yours, and I’ll consider that debt paid in full.”

I took the hoof in my hand and squeezed it, suddenly aware that I was practically grinning like an idiot at the pegasus propositioning me… but, I didn’t care. This one act alone made everything so far worthwhile.

I pulled Ace toward me and gave him what I’m sure felt to him like a suffocating hug before I pushed him back a little to plant a soft kiss on his lips, one that was eagerly reciprocated by the stallion, and before I knew it, we were swapping saliva and smacking our tongues against each other’s… that is until we were rudely interrupted by a green-furred earth pony approaching us.

“I've, uh, grabbed everypony I can. Whatever you're about to do, you'd best do it now.”

Disengaging from the pegasus, I nodded and got up as Ace followed me dutifully if a little woozily, all eyes turning to me as I approached what had probably been the center of the town square, the large water fountain in the middle decayed and very likely hadn't been used in decades.

“Everypony, listen up!” I shouted, enough to get every eyeball fixed on me. “We have a bit of a situation that we need to resolve before we move on… and it's sitting in that basement.”

With all their attention focused on me, I continued. “I don't have the right to decide what happens to him. The right belongs to a court of his peers… which is all of you. Tell me; if you find out that a member of your community had been hiding things from you, hiding quite valuable things, in fact… how are crimes like that treated on this planet?”

Genesis took a step forward. “At the very least, they get exiled. But, the worst offenders? They get executed.”

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised; practically all post-apocalyptic fiction from Earth depicted a breakdown of civil liberties, often to the point of a brutal, authoritarian regime taking control. Someone allowed to remain is someone taking up valuable resources.

“I'd prefer to not execute somepony if it can be avoided,” I stated, “Does his crime fall within the remit of exile?”

Nods abounded from the group as Genesis continued. “Yeah. He'd be banished and forbidden to return, either to us, Las Pegasus, or any outposts of ours. And, well… you know how hostile the world is out there; now, imagine how much more hostile it would be for a clanless pony.”

Stopper spoke up next. “I'd execute him. If we let him go, he could become a problem for us in the future. If I was back in my old clan, we'd kill him and bury him in an unmarked grave.”

I turned to look at the unicorn. “That's a bit cold, isn't it?”

She just shook her head. “We would inflict the greatest insult of all to ponies like him: to be forgotten.”

“Hmm. I'd never actually thought of it like that; horrifying, brutal, and just a little bit callous. I think we’ll stick with exile if that has a consensus with the rest of you?”

Nods echoed throughout the group, except for the ticked-off unicorn.

“Very well. Crush and Ice? Could you please escort our guest from the basement and bring him here?”

Ice nodded while Crush saluted, and as they both went off, Stopper approached me. “Can I speak with you in private?”

I instantly knew what this was going to be about, and I ushered her off to a little alleyway between two crumbling buildings, Ace following as usual.

“Sir… I think this is a mistake.”

I knew she'd have to really be concerned to speak up like that. “Very well. Make your case, Specialist.”

“By imprisoning him, we've made an enemy. Do you know how powerful spite is as a motivator?”

“What are you saying, Specialist?”

“I'm saying that, if we let him go, he could seek us out later for revenge; either us specifically or his former comrades.”

I had trouble believing that. “He's just one pony.”

“The right pony in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. Tell me, is this about doing what's right, or is it about avoiding killing somepony?”

“I…”

My words died in my mouth. I knew, deep down, that she was right. I didn't want to kill anyone; the death of that manticore earlier still weighed heavily on my mind, never mind the thought of adding to that total. Was it even possible to turn back from crossing the Rubicon despite being waist-deep in its waters?

“You're right, Specialist. I don't want to kill. On my world, I like to think that such a mindset is one of the hallmarks of being an enlightened individual. Maybe that'll rub off on your world if I try hard enough.”

She sighed, and I could tell that she was bitterly disappointed in her words not being heeded.

“Look, Specialist… I know that you might be right… but I'm fighting a cause for all of the lost tenants of society that this world needs to remember. This is all in pursuit of higher ideals; revenge, spite, and mistrust have no place in a right and just world, in the world that, by all accounts, used to occupy this very land. I need you to trust me that fighting for those ideals is a battle worth fighting.”

She nodded and looked up at me. “Alright, then. Looks like he's being led out into the square; we should head back.”

I nodded and with the other two following I strode back out onto the cobblestone paving, the rest of the ponies fanning out into a circle around the fountain as Crush and Ice accompanied Golden Sunshine. He’d been freed of restraints and entered the circle with no small amount of apprehension.

I stepped forward, for it now fell to me to enforce the collective will of the group.

“Golden Sunshine. Your peers earlier formed a quorum to discuss your fate, and they have now come to a decision.”

A pause followed, the stallion sitting down and frowning at me. “Just get on with it!” he shouted, the earth pony firing a taunt at me like a last, desperate arrow from the bow of a wounded archer.

“Very well, then. Golden Sunshine… by the power vested in me by Commander Battle Scarred, and by the authority of those assembled here today, I must sentence you to exile. You are banished from this place and are forbidden to return to Las Pegasus. Additionally, you are to be treated as an enemy combatant; if any one of us sees you again, you will be shot on sight. Now, I suggest that you get moving before the group enforces its judgment; if you get moving now, you might even find shelter by nightfall.”

A small gap opened up to the road that I assumed would lead out of the city, the stallion slowly undertaking a walk of shame. A few meters up the road, he turned to address us all, but me in particular. “Remember this day, human! For one day I shall see you again, and your ambitions will turn to ashes in your mouth.”

Stopper looked at me with that oh-so-obvious ‘I told you so’ look as the rest continued to watch him walking out of the city, all of us keeping our collective gaze upon him until his body became naught but a pinprick in the distance. One by one, the ponies started to look back at me until someone broke the silence.

“What’s our next move?” asked Moon Shield, with murmurs of concurrence from the others.

“I think we should head for Las Pegasus… or, what remains of it, anyway. Those of you who have just joined us can rejoin your home settlement, and we can all take stock of our next steps from there. Does that sound good to everypony?”

Nods and whispers of approval swept through the group, with very obvious and direct nods of approval from both Stopper and Ice.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll take a couple of hours to wrap things up here and pack up all of our equipment, and then we’ll move out. Now, get to it; Dismissed!”

Everypony scattered, save for Stopper and of course Ace by my side. The unicorn merely nodded to me in a silent ‘I hope you know what you’re doing’ look before walking off. As I turned heel to join her, my thoughts returned to the earth pony’s warning.

A pit formed in my stomach that, for all my good intentions, I might have just unleashed a problem that would now be waiting in the winds. I hoped to whatever forces were listening that such a thing would not come to pass.