Fallout: Equestria, Darkness Falls

Fallout: Equestria, Darkness Falls

Chapter Three

“Morals are built on religious faith. Virtue is built on morality.”

Clover…

I sobbed on the couch, curled up and trying to will the world as I currently knew it away. I wasn’t injured, but every part of me ached. I shook, despite the sanctum not being chilly, and yet a cold sweat covered me from horn to tail as though the entire room were an oven.

Every memory I ever had of Clover dripped through me like acid.

Her cute-ceanera, where she got her four leaf clover cutie mark. I remember perfectly how she had gotten it, as it was a mere day before I got my own. Clover had been insistent on helping with the arboretum. Even when she was told ‘no, it’s too dangerous’ she would sneak out to maintain the grounds as best she could. One early morning, Dawn and I found her asleep and with her new cutie mark.

She blew out the candles on her cake, had a wonderfully happy smile on her face, the cheers of everypony as clear as day. All the fillies of my flock were there. Hugging, laughing and playing games while our guardians talked. That was one of the happiest cuteceaneras we had ever had.

Through blurry eyes I looked over at the half-oval, ornate desk. It was there that Clover came into my office and asked me to give her a different duty, other than maintaining the arboretum. She hadn’t been happy with the upkeep of the arboretum, it wasn’t her calling, despite her cutie mark. It wasn’t anything new, as sometimes ambitions changed when fillies became mares. I assigned her to security, because she wanted it.

My chest tightened and I had to look away.

I need a distraction, or I’ll snap.

I sniffled and wiped my wet nose, and turned my attention to the most foreign object I had ever seen.

The L shaped contraption that Whiskey had when Dawn subdued him.

I lit my horn and wrapped the strange thing in my horn’s glow as I brought it to rest on my forelegs.

It’s heavy. I gasped lightly, not expecting something so small to carry such weight. Most of it was a scratched and dinged dark metal, as though it had seen many ageless days and nights. The longer part was said metal, and it had a hole at one end. The shorter section was more intricate, with what looked like indentations for the curvature of a pony’s mouth. I ran a hoof along it, and noted it was made of a softer material.

Made sense, if this thing was meant to go in another’s mouth. I blinked, taking in the other details as I turned it this way and that. With that mouth piece was a long, slender button. On the end was a pointed device that almost looked like a tiny hammer. Inside the mouthpiece there was a seam, like something was supposed to come out. What it was, I had no idea.

“What is this thing…?” I quietly asked myself, head tilted in curiosity. Perhaps I should have asked him myself. Though I knew Whiskey would probably never divulge such information. Nor would I give in to ask. Every word he uttered was poison and lies as far as I was concerned.

That small button held my curiosity the most, and while the idea repulsed me, I levitated the object up to my muzzle. After a few seconds of reconsideration, I leaned forward and softly bit.

Immediately I wanted to gag. It tasted awful! Like vomit with the strongest lingering stench of yet something else I couldn’t pin. I wanted to get this over with, and tongued the small button.

It depressed, I was sure of it, as I could feel the indentation of the casing as the button gave to my tongue. Yet, nothing happened. Was it broken? I removed the device and stared at the mouthpiece, particularly where the teeth went. There seemed to be another button, worked into the jaw-line itself.

Huh.

I put the thing back in my muzzle, ignoring the putrid taste, and this time bit harder on the mouth-grip. I felt for the button with my tongue and --

BANG!

“Mmph-aaagh!”

I stared wide-eyed at the thing as it clattered to the floor, rubbing my open jaw as my very teeth ached. Small wisps of smoke danced out from the small hole I looked at before. Next to the thing was a small bronze cylinder, hollow and smoking as well. I sniffed, the faintest trace of a new smell wafting in the air, like the acrid scent of something that had been burned.

What is that thing!? Who is insane enough to put that in their mouth!? Of course, I ignored the irony that I did exactly that.

Then something new caught my eye. On the couch was a hole ripped into the fabric. It was small -- smaller than a bit -- the torn threads minorly blackened and burned along the edges. I stared at it, then the L-shaped contraption again and again.

It damaged my couch. I gasped as it clicked, a familiar chill running down my spine.

That thing, whatever it was, killed Clover. The mark on the couch was roughly the same as Clover’s wound. The sound of the discharge, that was what I heard just moments before I found her, only it was muffled by walls and distance. I stood on the couch and stared at the hole, and saw… something.

Reaching out with my magic, I plucked out yet another object I could not name. It was small, toned copper and shaped like a kind of squashed cone. I touched it, then immediately backed away as heat singed my hoof.

Then everything fell into place. This device, Whiskey used it. The largest L-shaped piece he used in his mouth. He pressed the two buttons, aiming his head towards the intended target. The thing, I don’t know, explodes, and the copper cone shoots out at terrifying speed. Enough so that it can penetrate flesh and cause monstrous damage. Even to the point of death. In the process, the small cylinder gets ejected from somewhere, leftover from however this thing works. But regardless, its intention now became stark and clear.

This was a weapon.

I grimaced, staring at the thing. “Surely the work of the forges in Tartarus…” I growled out, angry that such a thing was allowed to exist.

Knock, knock.

I jumped, then cleared my throat and answered. “Come in.”

Dawn poked her head in, that smile ever present, if strained from recent events. “Hello, Silver. Are you doing well? You have been sequestered for hours” She entered and closed the door.

I glanced at the cursed weapon and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m okay.” Not without testing my limits this evening. “I needed to get away from… that stallion.” Truthfully I had to. Every word that dripped from his maw had me wanting to do unsavory things. Things I knew were wrong.

Dawn gave a small nod, then glanced at the device as well, then at me with a questioning eyebrow and a concerned frown.

I decided a change in subject was prudent. “Have you learned anything else from him?”

Dawn nodded again, then sighed. “Yes. Though none of it is good, Silver.”

Somehow I knew…

“He says he comes from some place called the ‘Stalliongrad Wasteland’. It does not sound like any place mentioned in the scriptures.” Dawn hummed, then continued, “More so, I asked where in Tartarus that might be, and he claimed it was not a part of Tartarus. For one, he described said wasteland as colder than any hell he has seen.”

I blinked, my skepticism clear. “And you honestly believe that?”

Dawn shrugged. “I feel he has no real reason to lie. He says we are delusional; keeps referring to us -- especially you -- as naive. Of course, his words were far less polite than that.

“Furthermore,” Dawn continued, “he knows about these.” She brought her foreleg up, showing her pipbuck. “Claims they are computers designed by mortals.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nonsense. These are given and passed down to us from the Goddesses themselves. Symbols of where we came from and our unity. Just like the Stable around us.”

Dawn nodded and hummed. “Yes, I know, Silvie.”

“Has he said anything further about why he’s here?”

Now Dawn shook her head. “He remains stubbornly unhelpful in that regard. Though, I found him at the Ancient Seal.”

The Ancient Seal. Now why would he go there? It has been inactive for so long that nopony even knows what it’s for. There’s been speculation that it’s the portal to the Everafter, and to the fabled Princesses. I remember my initiation as High Priestess; I was to sit in front of the odd metal seal and wait for a vision. It came after three days of prayer, and to this day my vision doesn’t make sense to me.

I was shown a sunrise, in a beautiful place I had never seen before. Wide, open and definitely not in the arboretum. Its beauty surpassed even that. Celestia’s sun rose over a faraway range of carved rock, and I sat there, praying. What was odd was that I couldn’t move. I tried to, but I simply couldn’t.

I sighed softly and pushed the thoughts away. “I see. I wonder what interest the Seal is to him.”

“You and I both, dear Silver.” Dawn joined my concern, the air felt heavy as we both contemplated what this all meant.

My attention came back to the weapon. “Has he talked about any of his odd possessions? Like that?” I pointed at it.

Dawn studied the thing and lifted it up. Like me, she studied the object in her own violet glow, humming as she took in the details.

“He did, actually,” Dawn said. My ears perked up. “He called this thing a… ‘nine millimeter pistol’. He also referred to it as his ‘honey’. The first two words sound like some form of measurement to me, but of what, I do not know.”

A pistol? “Well, nine millimeters is very sma--” I stopped mid sentence and looked around until I found the squashed copper cone. “Could this be it?”

Dawn stared at it. “I suppose. It seems to be nine millimeters. When I asked what a pistol was, he laughed and said it was a ‘gun’. He likewise did not elaborate on its use.”

I grimaced. “Dawn,” I said quietly. “This thing, this ‘pistol’, is what he used to kill Clover.”

Her eyes widened and she stared at me like I had spoken some kind of heresy, the cold truth setting in. That gaze soon went to the pistol -- levitated in her grip -- and she dropped it like it was something of utmost disgust. Like merely touching it was an act of defilement, even with magic.

“And how do you know this?” Dawn asked, the shock still in her quiet voice.

I pointed to the hole in the couch. “While I was examining the thing, it went off.”

“Silver,” Dawn said with a shake of her head. “You must be more careful! We know nothing of these witchcrafts! You could have been killed!”

I winced, lowering my head. “I know, I’m sorry… please forgive me.” I averted my eyes, no longer able to face her gaze in the wake of my mistake. I’m not made for this. Surely me being High Priestess was a mistake. I can’t do this…

She hugged me. “I forgive, but please, be more careful. I can’t fathom you… dying like Clover.”

I returned her hug and merely nodded, too struck by how my actions had distressed my guardian. I’m so sorry, Dawn.

Dawn sighed softly and gently parted from me. That ever-present smile waned, and she nodded. “Are you prepared to give the eulogy?” she asked.

I nodded. As ready as I’ll ever be.

I grabbed my robes and once more donned the mantle of High Priestess. As an after-thought I also took Whiskey’s weapon with me, my intention to cremate it with Clover. Somehow doing so felt right; to destroy the weapon that claimed her life at the same time as sending her body and spirit off to the Everafter.

Dawn and I walked in companionable silence to the cathedral, the entirety of the Stable gathered within to wish the dearly departed off. This was not just an ordinary sending, either; never before has somepony died before their time. Most of the time it was just those who were closest to the deceased; their guardian, charge, closest friends.

I took my place at the podium, under the benevolent shadows of the rearing Goddesses. Dead silence filled the air, every single pair of eyes glued to me and only me as they waited for the eulogy.

Pushing aside my anxiety, I took a deep breath. “Greetings, and hello everypony,” I began slow and smooth, keeping ever in mind the gravity of the situation. “We are gathered here today to bid farewell to somepony dear to us all.”

Soft and gentle music began to play, Harmonics’ horn lit, my friend off to the side with Golden Belle. The poor filly only vaguely understood what was going on, and kept looking to Harmonics for answers or words.

There were a few sniffles, one from Seal for sure. Clover and her were close friends. A glance behind me saw the cremation table; Clover rested peacefully atop the heavy stone, wreathed in flowers picked from the arboretum; a beautiful collage of white, red, blue and gold flowers framed by green leaves. The cleaned wound in her chest concealed by the ceremonial white robe.

Keep it together, Silver. Now is not the time. I blinked several times, fighting back the moistness as it attempted to gather. “Clover followed her duty and kept the faith. As all of us have done, as our ancestors have done for centuries.”

The barest of movement told me that many were wiping their eyes in an attempt to keep tears at bay. Farewell ceremonies were always hard, but to see a life taken before her time took its toll on everypony. The air heavy with the sorrow of hundreds.

I softly sighed. “For the longest time Clover was always kind and caring to those she touched in life. Her actions were a shining beacon to look up to, admire, and the high moral standard we all hold dear in the Goddesses and their benevolence.

“It is now, in the tragic sunset, that we send her off to where we all belong in the end.”

That was the cue, and in my peripheral Dawn gave the gentle nod to Petal and Flicker. I turned just as they moved up to the opposite ends, each clad in black robes from the neck down. Their head bowed, horns lit with magic, and from those two horns flowed a gentle stream of fire. Quickly the seeds of destruction enveloped the greenery, soon to ignite Clover’s body.

I levitated out the ‘pistol’.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The accursed thing hovered over the fire, and I paused.

I looked to my foreleg. Why is my pipbuck beeping…?

The corner of the screen lit in a warning. Dawn and I shared a glance, curious murmuring said that the pause had not gone without notice. Harmonics kept the music going, but I could see her looking over as well. Petal and Flicker fidgeted uneasily.

“Silver?” Dawn asked, at my side now.

“I don’t know,” I groaned lightly. “Today is just full of unpleasant surprises.”

It took nearly five minutes to find the menu for the alert, but eventually and with a few button presses, I found it. Stable status and important feed alert. An exclamation point, followed by three spine-chilling words:

!: STABLE DOOR ACTIVATED

*** *** ***

“How is this possible!?” I shouted again and again as Dawn, Key, Harmonics and I ran towards medical.

Dawn had informed me what the message meant; the ancient seal was broken, the massive gear in engineering had turned! It’s not possible! We left him strapped down in medical! How could he have gotten free!?

As soon as we crossed the threshold it became clear how. The demon had managed to get a scalpel off the nearby stand and cut his bonds. Everypony was in the cathedral for Clover’s eulogy, confidence falsely given to the restraints to do their job.

“We need to get to engineering!” Harmonics stated the obvious, and we made with all haste.

The screech of metal. The whine of machinery of the likes I had never heard before. A sudden stomach-churning lurch of a massive object.

We were close.

I turned the corner…

No!

The door was already closing! And there was Whiskey on the other side, the gap closing fast. The stallion heard us coming, and he smirked. He smirked and gave us a sly wink just as the metal seal slid back into place.

My pipbuck ceased its beeping.

*** *** ***

I grimaced as I stared at the oddly shaped stain, all that now marked Clover’s existence in the hallway.

The once gloriously pure floor marred forever by the blood of a dear friend. It had only happened yesterday, but it felt so distant, so far away that it could have happened a century ago

And regardless, my chest clenches in a vice because of my decisions.

Everything about the scene was wrong. Whiskey took Clover’s life. Left her to die in fear and agony while he did Celestia-knows-what. I doubted that he even cared that he ended an innocent and pure life.

I cannot let this go unpunished, I thought to myself, determination burned in my chest. No. I can’t. If I do, I fail everything I believe and stand for, everything that I was charged with. But what can I do?

I glanced off to the corner, where a memorial shrine had been made. A small table with Clover’s framed picture, the deceased mare smiling happily at the camera with a small blush on her face; she never did feel comfortable getting her picture taken. Truth be told, that picture was when she was barely an adolescent. It was our most current picture. Around the shrine, lit candles and a wreath of greenery stood out against the white table cloth.

“Bit for your thoughts, Silver?”

Elevated from my thoughts of Clover, I turned to see Harmonics smiling softly at me. Seeing my friend took the edge off of the rising anger, but not by much.

I nodded. “Just, thinking…”

“What about?”

Even though she asked, I felt it should have been obvious given where we were.

Harmonics glanced over at Clover’s tribute shrine and her smile faded, then she looked back to me. “Have you been here the entire time?”

“I have.” I had stormed off after cursing Whiskey’s name for the thousandth time when he escaped. After I had cooled off enough to not feel the blood pounding in my head, I went to visit the shrine to make sure everything was in order. It was.

Harmonics sighed. “You know that’s not healthy, right? Come on, let us go to the arboretum. Okay?” She put a hoof on my shoulder and clearly forced a smile.

I gave a soft nod. Some fresh air would probably do me good. We left Clover’s shrine behind and soon found ourselves in the greenery of the arboretum. Though, it wasn’t as bright as it used to be. Very few ponies were around, maybe a dozen in all. They mulled around with a weight on their shoulders that wasn’t there just two days ago, before all this happened. As crazy as it seemed, the bright lights and heartwarming colors seemed cold. The sound of the creeks were bland, lifeless even.

The spirit of my home is shaken. Whiskey did more than rob us of Clover, he took away our security and peace of mind. Damn him.

My shoulders sagged at the sight. How do I fix this? Can I fix this?

Harmonics sighed and whispered, “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea…”

I could not help but agree, but the last thing I wanted was to discourage my friend. “No, no. It’s okay, Harmonics.” I forced my own smile now. “Let’s find a seat or something.”

That seemed to lift her spirit a little bit. We made our way down to the edge of the lake and sat down just beyond the damp shoreline. The gentle lapping of the water did help by soothing the heaviness of the air.

“How have you been holding up?” I asked softly.

“Well,” Harmonics started, “Goldie is doing okay. I… tried to explain to her what happened to Clover. She didn’t understand, so, I’m going to wait until she’s a bit older to explain.”

I frowned softly. “That’s not something she should be learning…”

Harmonics nodded as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I-I know, but… with what happened, it’s the hydra in the room, you know?” She sighed. “You’re right, of course... “

I stared out at the once-lustrous water. Somehow it had lost its beauty without changing.

Harmonics poked my shoulder, again waking me from that downward spiral. “Hmm?”

“I introduced Goldie to ‘switching’,” she said with a coy smirk.

Oh great. I deadpanned at her. “You mean you’re teaching Goldie how to prank…?”

She grinned widely, the kind of grin that only a devious prankster like Harmonics could have, one that would rival that of the Goddesses’ enemy. Discord.

Harmonics nodded. “Yep! I showed her how to switch. I showed her with the cafeteria’s coffee bar.” She snickered.

My eye twitched. Oh, wonderful! ‘Switching’, as Harmonics put it, is when she takes the salt and sugar shakers and exchanges the contents. She pulled that contemptible prank on me some time ago, making me pour salt in my morning coffee rather than sugar. Goddesses that was the worst morning I’d ever had! I nearly lost my mind trying to figure out how in the Everafter sugar had gone so bad! Only, of course, to learn that she was behind it.

In hindsight I should have known from the start.

My deadpan stare only grew. “You’re corrupting that filly…” I exasperated, and this only made her laugh. In truth I didn’t mean it; in the end all of Harmonics’ jokes were harmless, if very annoying.

She laughed for a bit, even wiping away an errant tear of mirth. Despite the annoying pranks, Harmonics was always a good friend, and right now she was giving me what I needed to cheer up. I felt more refreshed with Harmonics and the change in subject, some life seemed to come back to the room. It was also good to hear that her and Golden Belle were bonding successfully. She would be a good guardian to the filly.

Still. I glanced around at the very few mares in the arboretum. “Harmonics?” I asked, my tone now halfway serious. I needed to know something.

“Hmm? What’s up, Silver? You gonna impose a routine spice check now?” She snickered again and gave me a wink.

I rolled my eyes. “No, I…” I paused, considering my question. “What would you do if Golden Belle was… suddenly gone?”

All at once her smile faded and she grimaced. “You mean, like…?”

She meant Clover, and so did I. I have a solitary nod.

Harmonics looked straight ahead, across the lake of water with her ears folded down. Eventually she whispered, “I’d want justice. I would want the pony responsible to pay for what they’d done.” She sighed, pausing to collect her thoughts. I waited in silence until Harmonics continued.

“I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t be satisfied with Golden Belle being in a better place, not while the pony responsible still roamed free to do as they pleased.” She turned and looked straight at me. Behind those brown eyes was a fierce protective glint, one that said volumes of how serious she was being right now. A marvel of affection that she had developed such a strong protective bond of Golden Belle.

That tells me all I need to know. I gave a firm nod and stood up. “Then I must be going now, Harmonics. Thanks for talking with me.” I smiled softly at her and turned to leave.

“Any time, Silver. Any time.” She waved at me as I departed.

That must be why everypony is so down. Clover’s death and the shattering of our security has them anxious. They need closure, they need peace of mind, and they need justice to be carried out. A deed so grossly cruel and cold cannot, should not, be left without retribution.

I know what I must do.

*** *** ***

How does one prepare for a journey?

How does someone prepare for a descent into the bowels of hell? How does one prepare for a holy mission to bring back a guilty demon? There are so many unknowns; I am certain that what lies beyond the ancient seal is nothing short of tartarus itself, so I can expect to find demons, damned souls being tortured, brimstone and fire. Nothing short of a nightmare the likes of which I have never known in my entire life.

Will I find Cerberus? I thought as I tried to decide what was necessary to bring. Perhaps I will need to find a way to bring the beastial guard back to his fold.

It was the only thing that made sense. How could a demon like Whiskey make it into our world? Somehow he subdued the great guard dog and escaped. I will need to resuscitate him… somehow.

I checked my saddle-bags over once more…

Knock, knock.

“Come in,” I said while keeping to my task.

The door hissed open and closed shut, but whoever came in did not speak until they were at my side. I didn’t turn to look. Then the pure white barrel that entered my peripheral vision told me that it was Eternal Dawn.

“Silver,” Dawn said, her voice quiet and sad, “surely you are not considering this course of action?” Traces of hope leaked in, she didn’t want me to go.

I suppressed my urge to sigh. I knew this was coming. “Yes, Dawn, I am sure of my decision.”

“But, Silver…” She put a hoof on my shoulder.

“No, Dawn,” I replied with a shake of my head. “This has to be done.”

Now my mentor did sigh.

I looked to her, the crestfallen expression very nearly made me reconsider. “I am sorry, Dawn, but look at the state of the Stable. Everypony is walking around like… like…” I tried to come up with some word to describe what I had witnessed in the arboretum. “Like zombies.”

Dawn hesitated, but gave a nod. “I know… I see it in their faces; the despair, the sense of loss and uncertainty. But Silvie, leaving is not the answer to this dilemma. It’s my belief that your duty to them as High Priestess must come first; you have to comfort them in their time of need,” she emphasized with a small, pleading smile.

Maybe she’s right, maybe… maybe I’m not… no. They need justice, retribution, to know that such crimes will not go unpunished. My resolve steeled and I gently shook my head. “I cannot do that, Dawn.”

My voice ever so subtly wavered as I told my mentor no, something I had never done before. “Everypony needs to know that demons like that stallion cannot simply go free after murdering one of the Princesses’ chosen. Their sense of security has been shattered, Dawn.

“And I have to make sure that it is mended. How can I preach about protecting them when they know Whiskey hasn’t met justice for his crime?” I couldn’t help my voice rising as the blasphemous deed entered the forefront of my thoughts. Though my indignity shown brightly, I could never bring myself to yell at the pony before me.

Dawn stared at me, her expression a mix of surprise and a grim finality. She knew I wouldn’t let this go, that I would pursue what I believed was right. Still Dawn persisted with a squeeze on my shoulder, a silent plea for me to stay. I must have been blind before, as only now did I see that Dawn was scared too. This has shaken my mentor, not an easy task.

I sighed now, putting my pipbuck foreleg on her shoulder. “Dawn, I’m so terribly sorry… truly I am, but this must be done. There’s no way that things will return to normal regardless of whether I stay or go, but if I bring in the demon responsible for Clover’s death, then at least they can have closure.”

Dawn nodded, her ears folded back. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her words simply did not come. Though, her expression said it all.

She’s afraid I won’t come back.

I did the only thing I really could; I gave Dawn a hug and reassurances. “I will return. I will come back. And I will right the wrongs done.” I smiled at my guardian as I held her at legs’ length. “Watch over them while I’m gone. They…” It pained me to say it, “... look up to you more than they look up to me. In their eyes, like it or not, you’re still High Priestess.”

Dawn sighed heavily once more, returning my hug in a half-hearted effort. It stung. The crushing thought of knowing that I am disappointing the mortal pony I looked up to the most. It made me want to cry. My ears folded and I struggled to keep from cracking right then and there, barely able to hold back the tremendous urge to beg forgiveness and never speak of such things again.

“Then go,” Dawn whispered, once more holding that warm smile on her face. It was a ghost of what it used to be. “Bring back their hope, their light, their security. But please…” That fragile smile melted away. “You come back too, okay…?”

Goddesses, I’ve never seen Dawn so… worried. It seemed impossible, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have said that I did not recognize the unicorn that raised me and once commanded the faith of hundreds.

I couldn’t help it. My heart swelled and my eyes misted over, blurring the image of Dawn and the sanctum around us. “I-I will. I promise you, in the name of the G-Goddesses. I will.”

We embraced again, our hugs tight against each other. In the pit of my stomach, a knot formed that foreshadowed that this might be the last time I did so.

Knock, knock.

“Hello? I hope I am not interrupting,” came Harmonics’ voice from the door.

I looked up and saw her. The door was already open and there she stood with Golden Belle at her side. Dawn and I parted, then she backed away a few steps to let Harmonics speak with me, especially since my mentor knew what I prepared to do.

Harmonics should know, too. She deserves it.

“Harmonics?”

She blinked, the smile fading at the quiet seriousness of my tone. Immediately she knew I wasn’t joking around as she came in. “Yes, Silver?”

“I need you to do something for me while I’m gone.”

She blinked twice more, her head tilted. “Huh? ‘While you’re gone’?”

I nodded slowly. “I must go after Whiskey and bring him back.”

Her eyebrows jumped in alarm. “What!?”

Golden Belle looked back and forth between us from Harmonics’ side, trying to figure out what was going on. Even if she couldn’t quite understand, she did read the emotions and tones fairly well. The filly frowned and her ears pasted back. In the corner of my eye, I saw Dawn smile sadly at the filly and guessed that she was reminiscing about when I was that small.

“What do you mean leaving, Silver?” Harmonics asked with a growing tremor.

“Exactly what I said,” I replied calmly, though the irritation in her voice was unmistakable. “I have to bring him back.”

My friend shook her head. “No, you don’t! Everypony needs you here!” She emphasized with a stomp of her foreleg, making Golden jump, though her brown eyes fixed me with a fierce stare.

I sighed softly. “You said it yourself, Harmonics. Would you not want justice to be carried out if it was Golden Belle instead of Clover?” I asked simply, though my own agitation began to rise.

Harmonics gaped at me. “Y-You…” She shook her head, aghast. “That is not what I meant! I m-mean, yes, I would want justice… but I wouldn’t abandon my home to do so! Don’t you care about what ponies will think if you just up and leave!?”

I bristled. “I do care! And if I have to see their decrepit, despaired looks every single day, knowing that it cannot be fixed by just words, then how can anything be normal again!” I huffed, the heat coming back to my face as I stared back at Harmonics. I mentally counted to five, trying to curve that steep decline. “I don’t want everypony to suffer until they pass on,” I whispered.

Harmonics stared at me long and hard, not uttering a single word. Her gaze bore into mine, neither of us backing down. Next to her, Golden Belle anxiously watched after having backed up a few feet from the two shouting mares.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Harmonics asked, her eye never leaving me.

Dawn, who had been standing idly up until this point, sighed softly and studied the two of us. “I have said all I can…” she said slowly with an air of reluctance. “High Priestess Silver is determined to right this wrong, and there is little I can do now to dissuade her.” She gave that weak smile again.

Harmonics snorted, then winced like she regretted her reaction to the esteemed Dawn’s words. She muttered something that sounded like an apology to Dawn, then stared at me again. “Fine, Silver. Go get him. But know this; I think you’re making a huge mistake.” Tears welled in her eyes. Not angry or sad, but tears of hurt, I slowly realized. “G-Go ahead and leave us.”

I blinked, jaw half open and watched as Harmonics left, calling back softly for Golden Belle to follow. The filly gazed back and forth between Harmonics and I with her large violet eyes that matched my own. Her look reflected that of Harmonics, but absent the anger and hurt that her guardian wielded.

As Golden Belle turned down the hall, Harmonics paused. Her back to me and without looking, she spoke, “What’s the favor you wanted?” she asked tersely.

I sighed and felt like I had no right to ask this of her now, not after the fight we just had. “Well…”

Even though I paused, Harmonics stayed to hear me out despite how upset she was. On the floor beneath her, a single pair of tear drops stained the polished metal floor.

I gave myself just a couple more seconds, then asked, “Can you work with Dawn and keep everypony together, please? I know I have no right to ask this, but I promise I will come back. I humbly ask you to have faith in me, as you have faith in the Goddesses.” My ears perked for her answer, anxiety welled in my chest. “Please…”

Please don’t be too mad at me, Harmonics. I’m just trying to do what’s right, but I can’t bear to lose you as my friend. “Please wait for me?” I whispered timidly, trying my hardest to keep myself in check as a vice threatened to crush my heart.

Long, eternally long, silent seconds passed. That vice tightened, the thought that I had just ruined the friendship I had with Harmonics dug in, becoming dreadful reality instead of feared possibility.

After what felt like forever, “Okay.” I strained to hear her whisper.

My eyes closed as relief washed over me.

“Just,” Harmonics continued in the same whisper. Though this time she glanced back at me sadly, with a very wan smile. “Come back, okay? I won’t have anypony near as fun to prank if you don’t.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Of course. What ever would I do without somepony to switch my sugar and salt?” I feigned sarcastic agitation, trying to lighten the mood just a tad. Things should end on a good note until I could return.

Harmonics chuckled softly and gave me a nod, then departed down the hall, leaving Dawn and I to our own devices. I continued my preparations while Dawn sat down.

After a short while Dawn spoke up. “Please be careful out there, Silver. I have not the slightest idea of what lies beyond the seal, and I hesitate to put stock in Whiskey’s words.”

I nodded, zipping up my saddle bags. “I don’t either. I would wager much that his words were all seditious lies to throw us off.” I frowned at my bags. Uncertainty washed over me once again as I began to question my preparations… and then my eyes were drawn to the L shaped weapon -- the ‘gun’ -- and I wondered if I should take it with me.

Dawn seemed to read my mind. “The light of the Princesses will guide and protect you. There won’t be any need for the demons’ arts of destruction and death.”

I smiled. That settles it, then. “Thank you, Dawn.” I pushed the thing away and donned my bags, laden with supplies that I believed I would need. I gently brushed the pendant around my neck, a golden symbol of the Princesses circling a half-sun half-moon, the holiest symbol we possessed. They would keep me safe. I know it.

“Are you ready?” Dawn asked, smiling at me warmly despite this goodbye.

I don’t know what I’ll encounter. What I will witness and hear. What lay beyond had to be nothing short of tartarus and a burning hell. But all of that in mind, I knew in my heart that I would be fine. The princesses would be with me, Dawn and everypony else would be praying for me. I even felt that Clover would be watching over me. Every High Priestess before Dawn and I would be watching me.

I could only hope so. “I am ready.”