Chapter 14
Official correspondence from Knight Captain Delver Deep, to Grand Master Fairy Light.
My Lady Fairy Light,
I am Sir Delver Deep of the Adamant. I am writing to you in regards to one of the newest Knights of your order, Knight Private Emberglow. I am deeply impressed with the young mare. She has shown courage in battle, a clear head, wisdom, empathy, and compassion. She is a credit to your order and to Lady Rarity.
I am sure you are aware of the nature of our assignment. Emberglow was a part of our combat unit as we hunted down the zebra pirate Zuberi, sometimes known locally as “Black-and-White Beard”. Emberglow performed all that was required of her with distinction and valor, with an exactness and eagerness that served as an inspiration to myself and the other Knights on our team.
Despite all of this, I would like to voice a concern. Please, keep this to yourself. Emberglow is a gentle soul, and though she has not said as much to me, I believe she entered the Knighthood with the sole purpose of helping and healing ponies. Combat is not her forte, and indeed, the blood and death she was forced to help inflict on others, even infidels, unbelievers, and heretics, takes a toll on her innocent soul. I do not believe she would refuse any assignment you give to her, but I believe she would thrive more in a situation where she is not forced to dispense violence herself.
I would never presume to advise one as honored as you. Please take my words for what they are worth, the idle concerns of a teammate, and perhaps even a friend, of your young Knight Emberglow.
Blessings of the Saints on you,
Knight Captain Delver Deep
1112 AF, Port Luminescence
“You’re wasting your time with these lowlifes, Lady Emberglow,” one of the mercenary ponies who guarded the Port Luminescence prison muttered as she breezed past him. “It’s not like they’re not gonna get stretched in a few days, anyways.” Emberglow had never bothered to learn his name; anypony who was willing to take Blingshine’s coin wasn’t a pony she wanted to get to know better.
“Perhaps you may not understand,” Emberglow said stiffly. “What I do is my duty. You know what duty means, right?” She winced. She shouldn’t have added that last bit, but she was getting tired of the snide remarks and sidelong looks from the guards Blingshine had hired to watch the eight pirate prisoners and the filthy, nasty pits they’d been tossed into. “Has the food been delivered?”
“Soup and bread’s inside, Lady Emberglow,” the guard said with obvious boredom. “Just like always. We didn’t touch it this time.” On her first day back, Emberglow had been horrified to discover that prisoners were sometimes not even fed. Even when they were, sometimes the food was spat on, or otherwise tainted. She’d set some specific rules about how food was to be prepared for them after that point. Just because they were slated for execution didn’t mean they should be mistreated.
“Thank you, guard,” she called back as she continued down the creaking wooden stairs into the mud-spattered pits below.
There were no cells in this prison; instead it held four large pits, covered with a grate of wooden poles. In the center of the room was a large stew pot, four buckets, and a basket with several pieces of stiff, stale bread. With a sigh, she steeled herself for the abuse she knew was coming.
“Hey, it’s the pegasus bitch! Why don’t you come down here with us, I’ve got a meal for you!” The first shout came from one of the pits. She ignored the pirate, sure he was making some sort of obscene gesture to accompany his invitation. “A nice, thick sausage.” Sometimes they could be incredibly predictable.
She filled the first bucket with thin broth from the stewpot, and attached it to a rope. She then lowered the bucket, along with two of the bread pieces, down into the pit, waiting until she felt slack on the rope to pull the rope back up. They might be heckling her, but they were smart enough to not mess with their dinner.
“Diarchy slut! Does it make you feel big, to torture us down here?” She’d learned on the first day there was no point responding to any of them, except maybe the captain. She lowered the second bucket to the prisoners in the next pit. Her thanks were more insults, blasphemy, and crude innuendos.
She moved on to the third pit, her mind drifting to her other tasks for the day. Being the most junior Knight in the squad meant paperwork: incident reports, casualty reports, resource expenditures, that sort of thing. Being the primary medical officer meant even more paperwork; namely, letters to next of kin. She’d been putting that bit off, though the guilt of it burned her. There was a letter on her desk back at the Turtle that she’d begun and paused at least a hundred times over the last few days; how was she supposed to tell Tangerine’s grandchildren that their dear grandmother would never be coming home again?
“Hey! You braindead up there, dummy?” a voice from below broke her out of her thoughts. the prisoners down below were jerking on the rope, wordlessly she pulled it up, moving on to the last pit, where the captain was kept.
Instead, she found only one prisoner, who glared up at her hatefully.
“Where is Captain Zuberi?” she asked, surprised out of her silence. She’d actually managed to learn his real name over the last few days. He was the one pirate who spoke to her, rather than cursing and insulting her. He had always been polite, acting as if they were anywhere other than a dirty prison in a muddy pirate port.
“Where do you think, slut?” the lone pirate in the pit shot up at her. “Or are you really stupid enough that you didn’t notice the whip marks and blade scars every time you came to force this slop on him? He deserves better.”
Emberglow flinched. She knew where he was. She just didn’t want to think about it.
“Very well,” she said, lowering the bucket to the lone prisoner. “I’ll wait until they return.”
“Sure, tell yourself it’s just a picnic, or a little vacation,” the pirate snorted with contempt. “Your kind are good at lying to themselves.”
Emberglow let the fury and the insults wash over her, ignored. Nothing they said to her really mattered, after all. They were all heretics, and none of them had shown any sort of interest in repentance or absolution. At least they knew she was there to listen if they changed their minds. So she stood, waiting patiently for her last charge to be returned.
Finally a group of ponies descended the stairs into the prison, dragging a slumped figure in their midst. There were three guards, earth ponies with bulging muscles and a latticework of scars on their bodies. Between them was Captain Zuberi, limp, bloody, and being dragged by his forelegs. His breath was raspy, and blood dripped from his lips. His face was a mess of bruises, and Emberglow could see teeth missing from his muzzle. He looked up at her, his expression a dazed, half-conscious mask of agony. Behind them strolled Blingshine, in all his ostentatious and dubious glory.
“Lady Emberglow! I am so glad you are here, I wished to speak with you,” Blingshine called out in a singsong voice. He turned his muzzle up at the foul smell of the prisoners, daintily picking his way through the prison as if he could somehow keep the filth and mud off his white hooves.
“What can I do for you, governor?” Emberglow said as politely as she could. Why did it have to be him, of all ponies?
Blingshine pointed with his hoof, and his guards dumped the captain on the mud floor, one of them stepping on his back, right on the withers, to keep him ground into the mud. Zuberi didn’t look like he had any chance of fighting back anyways; he was limp as a sack.
“While this creature is quite resistant to our interrogation techniques, his body is far too weak to continue questioning. I would like to know more about his activities, which ships he took, where the cargo was taken, what foul allies he may have here and in the rest of the Diarchy. It’s important work, but he is proving too resilient. If you could heal him, fair Lady Knight, we could continue our questioning and obtain information valuable to all of us.”
Emberglow felt like she had been kicked. He wanted her to do what? It made her feel sick to even consider. She walked over to the prisoner, motioning with a hoof and a glare for the guard to step off of the former pirate captain. She leaned down, ignoring her white robe trailing in the filthy floor. With a skilled hoof she did a quick inspection of the zebra’s injuries. Broken jaw. At least one broken rib. Possible collapsed lung. One eye swollen shut, possibly damaged beyond repair. She wasn’t wearing her armor; her gauntlet was a part of her kit back at The Turtle.
“Send one of your ponies to find Sir Delver,” Emberglow said flatly. “Tell him I need my rune gauntlet. I don’t trust your ponies to go rifling through my things.” It was a blunt thing to say, and she saw Blingshine’s face darken slightly at the implied insult. Emberglow didn’t care. She suspected she would insult him a few more times throughout the rest of this conversation.
“Verde, go find the Knight and give him the message,” Blingshine ordered, and one of the stallions rushed off to follow his orders. Emberglow ignored the others, continuing her inspection of the zebra. He was just lucid enough to look her in the eye. Emberglow wished to say something, but there were no words to be said.
“When are they scheduled for execution?” Emberglow asked. Yet another grim duty she would have to participate in. The medical officer overseeing the execution of a prisoner would have to verify the death of the condemned.
“Three days, Lady Emberglow,” Blingshine replied. “They will be hung in the public square. You will be there?”
“I am required by my duty, yes,” Emberglow said neutrally, but Blingshine clearly found something in her tone to react to, for he was scrutinizing her closely. She blatantly ignored him, her growing distaste at the governor making it dangerous for her to say anything. Wordlessly she motioned at him to make room for her so she could continue her tasks.
Blingshine bowed graciously to her, and stepped out of her way as she lowered the rope into the pits so the prisoners could return the buckets. Emberglow did her best to pretend Blingshine wasn’t there, as the governor’s presence seemed to make the prison even slimier than the mud they were stepping on. They didn’t have to wait long; the guard was quick, and he returned with Delver following behind. Delver wore his armor, as usual, and took out Emberglow’s rune gauntlet from his saddlebags. She walked over to him and accepted it, before looking him in the eye with an apologetic grimace.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I think I’m going to cause trouble for you.” Sir Delver smiled and shrugged as he helped her put on her gauntlet.
“So? You’ll heal him?” Blingshine said, his voice slurred with bloodlust. Emberglow felt her skin crawling at his eager tone as she moved over to the zebra. She leaned down to him, her lips almost touching his ear, which twitched at her soft breath.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered gently. “We may be enemies, but even you deserve better than this.” She had no idea if he heard her.
“Governor Blingshine has asked me to use magic to heal the pirate,” Emberglow said, louder, to Delver. “Apparently, he needs to be healed so he can be tortured more.” She knew she had read Sir Delver correctly when she saw the anger in his eyes as well. Delver had honor, so much more than Blingshine. She turned to face the Governor, looking him straight in the eye. “No.”
“What?” Blingshine said, his face awash with shock as his ears shot up.
“I said, no. I will not contribute to the torture of this pony. My magic will not be used for this foul purpose,” she said. She hoped her voice sounded confident, despite the roiling, churning hurricane of anxiety in her stomach. Delver remained silent, letting his Knight fight her own battle. His silent support was just what she needed.
“I will heal him, and he will go back into his cell, where he will wait until his execution. You will not torture him any longer. We do not need any information he has to give; Knight Command and the Mystics have declined the need to interrogate him. What you are doing now is just sick. If you tell me he will have to be tortured longer, I will break his neck right here.” She stepped up to the prone prisoner, placing her hoof on his neck and leaning just slightly. Blingshine was close enough that she could smell his perfume over the stink of the prison; his eyes glowed with rage, and he was breathing heavily. He looked between the two Knights; it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. After a moment of silence, the slick grin of the slimy politician slid over his face like an ooze.
“But Lady Emberglow, what…”
“No!” she shouted again, lifting her hoof of Zuberi’s neck and stomping it on the ground. She shoved her muzzle right into Blingshine’s, staring down the stallion. She was just a little taller than he was, she realized, and it gave her a pulse of confidence. She could feel her legs shaking, but she didn’t let it show in her eyes, steady on the other pegasus’ face.
“Very well, Lady Emberglow,” he said finally, with a blank, slick smile. “No more interrogation, if you wish. On your head be the consequences.” He stepped back from her in a movement that felt more like a strategic retreat than a surrender. Emberglow looked at the two guards who had remained; they looked confused and uncomfortable.
“Hold him up. I will heal him, then you will put him back in his cell. Understand?” she ordered. The guards looked from her back to Blingshine, who shrugged as he flounced up the stairs and out of the room. He would leave it entirely in her hooves, then. Very well. She drew the runes for a healing spell, running it over the zebra’s barrel first, patching the broken ribs that were probably causing the most pain. It took three total spells to fully heal the condemned prisoner; one for his broken ribs, one for his shattered jaw, and a third for his destroyed eye. It wasn’t repairable, as it turned out; he would have no sight in the eye for the rest of his short life. But she could ease the pain and seal the wounds.
“You waste your work,” the zebra rasped out. Apparently he was awake enough to know what was going on. “They’re just going to hang this jerk.”
“I won’t have Lady Rarity’s holy gift used to torture ponies,” Emberglow whispered back, as the guards shoved aside the metal grate that made up Zuberi’s cell. He was pushed into the pit, though he didn’t bother to protest much.
“You give so much to honor a fabrication,” the zebra called out. “I wish you could see it is your own damnation.”
Emberglow had nothing to say to that. She looked up at Delver, his face concerned and thoughtful. With a nod to him, she trotted up the stairs and out of the prison. He followed behind silently.
“I really need to wash this robe,” she commented to Delver as soon as they were outside. Her breathing was heavy with tension, her mind whirring at what had just happened. Delver wasn’t helping; his silence, which before had been a quiet, comforting strength, was now a source of anxiety. Had she done the right thing? She kept talking, more to fill the now painful silence than anything else. “I guess it doesn’t matter much, I’ll be going back tomorrow, right? But still, appearances are…”
“Emberglow,” Delver said, cutting into her babbling speech.
“I’m sorry,” she said, the tension suddenly breaking with a rush of fear and shame. “I’m so sorry. I just made things really difficult for you, didn’t I? I’m worthless in a situation like that.” She brushed at her eyes, wet with moisture.
“Emberglow. Calm down,” Delver said gently. “You did nothing wrong. Yes, things might be strained with Blingshine for a few weeks. Even months.” He put his hoof on her shoulder, stopping her in the middle of the street. “Did you handle that the way I might have? Or Turquoise? Probably not. But he needs to be reminded, every so often, that he rules at the Diarchy’s sufferance. Yes, he is useful to us, but not so useful that he can defy a Knight.” He slipped his hoof more firmly around the young Knight, gripping her in a hug. Emberglow was a little surprised; she hadn’t expected physical affection from Delver. “Don’t judge yourself, Knight. You did the right thing.”
She smiled slightly, feeling her spirits lifted, at least a little. “So… what now?” she asked. “Right thing or not, I’ve created a problem for us, haven’t I?”
“Well, yes,” Delver admitted with a laugh, releasing the hug. “We might have to step gently around Blingshine for a while, until he cools off. We’ll have to meet and discuss the implications of this, and I’d rather do it sooner than later.” He sighed. “I’ll need you to go… erm… extract Bubblegum.”
“Right,” Emberglow said with a resigned sigh.
“She’s at home, but she may be…” he gave an annoyed grunt, rolling his eyes. “…too occupied to answer her door. Go inside and interrupt if you have to. Tell her we need to speak as soon as possible, but try to be discrete.”
“Of course,” Emberglow said with a nod.
“Meet us back at my office,” he said as she took to the air, spreading her wings and lifting herself off the mud street.
Emberglow had visited Bubblegum’s house precisely once, before leaving onboard Lady Elegant. It was a humble home, only a single story, and unexpectedly well-kept given what Emberglow knew about Bubblegum’s flightiness. Bubblegum had built a solid stone retaining wall around her yard to keep her front flower garden free from the excessive mud and moisture that frequently invaded Port Luminescence’s streets. A cloyingly domestic white painted fence surrounded the small property, more decorative than practical. A stone path surrounded by grazing flowers led to the front door.
Emberglow landed just beyond the gate, near the front door. She tried not to think about what might be going on inside as she raised her hoof to knock on the door. Her hoof rapped on the pastel green painted wood three times, then she sat back to wait.
Nothing.
Emberglow tried again; knock three times, wait.
Still nothing. With a sigh that was both nervous and exhausted, she reached out to turn the doorknob and swing the door open. It was unlocked. She stepped nervously into Bubblegum’s front room, which was both an entryway and a kitchen.
Bubblegum’s kitchen was as quaint and domestic as her front yard. There were floral pattern curtains on the window, and a collection of pots and pans hanging from hooks over a central island workspace. A potted plant on a wooden kitchen table rested on a doily.
A doily. Emberglow had a hard time conceiving of a world that contained both Bubblegum the earth pony and doilies.
There was nopony in the kitchen, but from the suspiciously wet noises and lusty moans coming from the cracked door that led to the small bedroom, Emberglow could guess where Bubblegum was.
Emberglow didn’t have much experience with sex, obviously. She had spent the entirety of her life since puberty, since before puberty, dedicating a great deal of time and energy into repressing any sexual thought or desire she had ever had. Her interactions with Gadget had shown her that perhaps her defenses were not as well-built as she thought, but the carnal sounds coming from the next room did not awaken any sort of feeling in her whatsoever, except perhaps a mild distaste. It had been three days, and they were still going at it like bunnies? She knocked on the door, waiting a few seconds while trying to ignore the moans of passion on the other side. She was so annoyed she didn’t even bother to knock again before pushing the door open with one hoof.
“Bubblegum, I’m sorry, but…” the rest of her apology died in her throat as her mouth gaped open. The Knight Adamant was, indeed, carnally ‘involved’ on her bed, the sheets in disarray and the entire room stinking of body odor and the sexual fluids of the nude couple writhing in passion before her. But it wasn’t Bubblegum’s husband that was mounting her.
It was a griffon.
Emberglow felt the bile rise in her throat. Both the beaked face and the surprised muzzle of the earth pony froze mid-thrust, gaping at her in shock. The griffon suddenly leapt off his lover, and off the bed entirely, spinning to face Emberglow as Bubblegum stumbled off the bed. Emberglow had to fight an internal war; the situation was suddenly dangerous, and her instincts and training demanded that she not take her eyes off of the beast before her. Her sense of revulsion and horror, however, demanded that she turn and run, screaming.
“Emberglow, um, it’s not what it looks like…” Bubblegum stuttered, not taking her eyes off the Knight. The griffon looked panicked, his eyes darting between the two mares. Emberglow idly noted Bubblegum’s cutie mark, starkly obvious on her naked flank. It was, appropriately, a pair of pink bubbles.
“So he was raping you?” Emberglow spat out, her horror at what she was seeing evident in her voice.
“No!” Bubblegum protested loudly, anger mixing with the panic in her voice.
“So you let him… do that to you!?” Emberglow yelled, and Bubblegum flinched. “Bubblegum, this is bestiality! A capital offence! They’ll execute you!”
“Only if you tell them,” Bubblegum growled, a dangerous note in her voice that Emberglow couldn’t fail to pick up on. She stepped so that she was closer to Emberglow, moving so that she was between the Radiant and the griffon.
“You know I have to,” Emberglow said shakily, taking a step back. “I have to report this, Bubblegum. Why? Why would you betray us like this? Betray your husband, betray Lady Rainbow? Why?”
Bubblegum shared a quick glance with the griffon, and a moment of understanding seemed to pass between them.
“Go,” Bubblegum said. “Keep him safe.” The griffon nodded, dashing over to the window and sliding it open.
“But…” he hesitated, looking over at Emberglow.
“I can take her,” Bubblegum said, glaring dangerously at Emberglow. “Go. Get Windy out.”
“Your husband is in on… whatever this is?” Emberglow shouted as the griffon slipped out the window and winged off. Emberglow itched to chase him, but she knew the second she turned her back she would be attacked. That was a horrifying thought; fighting another Knight was the last thing she’d ever expected to do.
“Emberglow, I don’t wanna hurt you,” Bubblegum said, taking another step towards her. “But I don’t wanna die. I’m not gonna let them execute me, or Windy.”
“I can’t let you go,” Emberglow whispered. “Knight Bubblegum, you are under arre…”
She wasn’t even able to finish the sentence before Bubblegum was upon her in a flurry of hooves and biting teeth. As with the battle with the pirates, Bubblegum’s charge was completely and eerily silent. Emberglow tried to fend her off with flailing hooves, but for every strike she dodged or blocked, two more struck her about the face. Pain blossomed in her head as each pounding strike, backed by the full strength of a magically enhanced earth pony, crashed into her.
Emberglow knew that combat was not her forte, but she had severely underestimated the difference in skill between them. She was slowly forced back by Bubblegum’s assault, until she suddenly found herself pinned with her back against the wall. With a snarl, Bubblegum pounced onto her, and the weight of the vicious fighter on top of her bore her to the wooden floor.
Emberglow’s head struck the floor, and as she tried to raise it again, Bubblegum’s hoof shoved against her forehead, slamming her into the floor again, and a third time. There was a loud crunch and crack as Emberglow’s head struck hard enough to break the wooden floor. Her vision spun with stars, but Emberglow somehow managed to squeeze her rear hooves underneath Bubblegum’s barrel. Bracing against the floor, she bucked hard with her rear legs, sending Bubblegum somersaulting over her head and into the kitchen. Bubblegum crashed into the kitchen table, wood shattering at the heavy impact.
Emberglow had just enough time to roll onto her hooves and stand up. Bubblegum was quicker on her hooves, and had retrieved one of the jagged broken table legs as a makeshift club. Emberglow wished for her spear as the earth pony charged her, improvised weapon raised high. Emberglow raised her hooves to block the strike, seizing hold of the end of the club.
It had been a feint. Her hooves otherwise occupied, she had no response ready when Bubblegum let go of the club and struck, hard, right at Emberglow’s jaw. There was a sharp stab of intense pain and a crunch of bone. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
Emberglow dropped the end of the club she was holding, stunned by the sudden pain of the strike. Her distraction lasted long enough for Bubblegum to spin around, bracing her front hooves against the floor and lashing out with a full, double-barreled buck right to Emberglow’s chest. She spun in the air as she went flying, landing heavily on the rumpled bed with an ‘oof’ of expelled air.
Her chest and face hurt, and her muscles burned from exertion. She couldn’t move; the powerful two legged kick had knocked the air out of her entirely. She spread her wings, trying to rise up to do… something, anything, when there was suddenly a weight on her back. She screamed in pain as her spread wings were twisted and flattened against the bed, pinned in awkward angles. A hoof wrapped around her neck, and she desperately tried to shove off the strong foreleg that squeezed against her throat, cutting off her air.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she heard Bubblegum sob above her. “I don’t wanna hurt you, I never wanted this.” Emberglow bucked against the bed, trying to get her hooves under her, trying to get them under Bubblegum, trying anything to break the earth pony’s deadly grip. “I’m so sorry, Emberglow.” She gnashed her teeth and slammed her head backwards, trying to dislodge the other Knight, but she couldn’t get the leverage she needed to break Bubblegum’s chokehold. Her vision began to swirl, brown and black dancing at the edges as her oxygen starved lungs burned with need.
“I won’t kill you,” somepony said. Somepony above her. She couldn’t quite make out who. “I can’t. I won’t go that far. I’m so sorry.” Then the blackness collapsed in on her, and she slumped into nothingness.
* * * * *
Minutes or months or decades later, Emberglow suddenly felt the acid burn of healing buzzing through her neck and muzzle. She was somewhere. Where was she? It was all dark.
“Emberglow! Emberglow, wake up!”
Turquoise. That was Lady Turquoise calling to her. No, wait, not Lady anymore, Emberglow was a Knight now, too. Her thoughts swam, incoherent. She opened her eyes. Delver and Turquoise were standing next to a bed. Her bed? No. Somepony else’s bed. Eww. Somepony’s bed smelled like sex.
With a jolt, Emberglow suddenly remembered everything that had happened. She tried to stand, but her legs were too weak, crumpling underneath her and dumping her back into the soft and comfy but somewhat fragrant bed.
“Ow,” she rasped, her throat scratchy and pained. Turquoise laid a hoof on her back.
“Don’t get up, you’re injured,” she said softly, her voice full of concern.
“Can you tell us what happened? Who attacked you? Where are Bubblegum and Wind Storm?” Delver asked.
“Bubblegum…” Emberglow began. She didn’t know what to say. She had no idea how to begin.
“Focus, please, Emberglow. We need to know where she is in case whoever attacked you goes after her as well,” Delver said. Turquoise shot him a look.
“Bubblegum… did this,” Emberglow managed through her damaged throat. The healing spell Turquoise had cast had healed the worst of the damage in her jaw and wings, but all of her was still sore and battered from the fight.
“What?” Turquoise said with shock. “Emberglow, you’re delirious.”
“I walked in on her… with a griffon. Sex. They were…” it was coming out all wrong, the words out of order, tumbling over each other. But she could tell from the horror in the eyes of her fellow Knights that they understood what she was saying. She choked out more. “She begged me not to say anything. I said… I said I had to. She tried to kill me while the griffon escaped. I think… I think Wind Storm knew about it.”
“Why do you say that?” Delver asked.
“Something she said, before she attacked me. She told the griffon to ‘go get Windy’.”
The other two exchanged a glance that was both devastated and determined.
“We have to come up with a plan for this,” Turquoise said. Delver nodded.
“Emberglow, I need to know if you’re okay right now. Medical opinion, no false bravado,” Delver said. Emberglow nearly nodded automatically, but she did as he asked and made a quick assessment of herself. She massaged her throat with a sore foreleg, and worked her jaw slowly. One after another, she stretched each wing. Again, the limbs were sore, but not broken. Her jaw was intact; the healing spell had repaired that broken bone.
“I’ll be fine with some rest,” she said, knowing full well the folly of being her own doctor. She wanted to keep her assessment conservative, at least. “I can move around slowly for now, but no action for a few days, if possible.”
“Thank you, Emberglow. I want you to head, slowly, back to the marines’ barracks and find Sergeant Arrow. The two of you will wait in my office. You may tell her what happened if you wish, but none of the others, please. I will see if I can find Bubblegum. Turquoise, you head to the weather office, see if anypony there knows where Wind Storm is. We’ll meet in my office in one hour.”
The walk to the barracks was mud and misery. Emberglow wanted to fly her way there, but she could hardly flap her wings in the state they were in. When Bubblegum had launched herself on top of Emberglow, she’d mashed the pegasus’ wings down into an unnatural angle, straining the muscles and bones. So instead, she trudged through streets that were filling up with mud.
She remembered, weeks ago on the airship Lost Lamb, Gearsmith talking about how the delta Port Luminescence was built on sometimes flooding and spilling excess water into the muddy streets of the city. It was as if the Diarchs themselves wanted to torture her. Her hooves sunk past the fetlock in the soft earth, going in easy, but releasing with great effort, the suction dragging her down. Her robes got filthy and sodden, dragging her down with water weight. Her rune gauntlet quickly became caked with mud.
The guards at the military base looked as if they were about to say something to Emberglow as she approached; she looked like Tartarus, after all. She hadn’t looked in a mirror, but she was sure she still had bruises on her face and neck, and she was covered in mud on top of everything else. They said nothing, however, and she walked right into the barracks.
There were no soldiers in sight; they had all been given leave just like the Knights had. Sergeant Arrow wasn’t in her office either, and Emberglow had no idea where she could be. As a last resort, she went to the basement, where she knew Gadget had her workshop. This time, both father and daughter were there. One of Gearsmith’s cannons was disassembled on the highly organized workshop table.
“Lady Emberglow, what…” Gadget began, trailing off as she took in the full shock of Emberglow’s disastrous appearance.
“Sorry, no time. Do either of you know where I can find Sergeant Arrow?” she asked. Gadget opened her mouth with a concerned expression, but her father interrupted before she could ask further.
“She has a home off base. If she’s not there, we have no idea where to find her,” Gearsmith replied. “Is there something we can do to help?”
“Can you take a message to her, please?” Emberglow asked. Gearsmith nodded. “I need her to meet me in Sir Delver’s office within an hour. And no, I can’t tell you what this is all about. Not yet.” Emberglow said.
“Are… are you okay?” Gadget asked, concern evident in her voice. The light blue earth pony reached out to gently touch at one of the sore spots on Emberglow’s face, and she flinched in pain.
“No, I’m not, not really,” Emberglow said honestly. “But I will be. Now, please,”
“Of course, my lady,” Gearsmith said. He was already standing. Gadget nodded.
“Thank you both,” she replied. She stepped away from the door to make room for the two earth ponies to pass. “I’ll be in Delver’s office if something else comes up.” As the two passed her, Gadget shot her a look that was both inquisitive and compassionately concerned. It was gratifying, even with the distance Emberglow had been forced to cultivate between herself and her new earth pony friend.
Once inside Delver’s office, however, Emberglow felt the sudden onset of anxiety. Having a goal, something to do, had managed to distract her for a few minutes, but alone in the empty room it all came closing in. She positioned herself in the corner to wait, staring at the door while she sat and tapped her hooves together nervously. There was nothing in Sir Delver’s spartan office to take her mind off of what had just happened.
Bubblegum and a griffon? It was unthinkable. But she had seen it with her own eyes. What had been going through Bubblegum’s head? She knew the law, she knew the consequences, and yet still she’d done the forbidden. Surely, even a pony with no thoughts for the consequences of her actions wouldn’t go that far. But Bubblegum had.
Emberglow’s thoughts went in circles. Did Bubblegum simply lack faith? Or maybe she’d never believed at all. Maybe… was she a heretic?
The idea was horrifying, turning Emberglow’s already churning stomach and sending a shiver of disgust down her fur. Knights were supposed to be the best of the best. The wisest, the most noble, the most righteous. Were there others like Bubblegum, hiding their sins, hiding their corruption, even within the holy Knighthood?
This was one of the ways heretics worked, from what Emberglow remembered from her lessons in the Ivy Seminary. Division, strife, infighting, paranoia; these were all tools of the traitors. Her breathing quickened as she thought about the implications. Had she just been victim to some sort of heretic plot, to drive a wedge into their team?
She shivered again, and wished that Delver had something in his office to take her mind off her own thoughts. A book, a painting, even something more interesting than a pair of polished rocks as paperweights. The chandelier that lit the room was off at the moment, the only light coming from the narrow window. She sat in the dark, her back in the corner, stewing in her turbulent thoughts, when the door opened.
“Sir Delver? You wanted to see me?” Sergeant Arrow said, then looked around the room.
“He’s not back yet,” Emberglow said.
“Lady Emberglow! You… uh…” the sergeant trailed off awkwardly.
“You can say it, sergeant.”
“You look worse than when the pirate captain blew you up,” the sergeant said frankly. Emberglow laughed hollowly.
“Yeah, I get that. I had my jaw broken and was strangled a bit.”
“What happened? Gearsmith and Gadget didn’t say much about what was going on, only that you told them to come find me.” Sergeant Arrow said.
“I’ve only told the short version to the other Knights, and I’m sure Sir Delver will have more questions when he gets here. I’d rather tell the whole thing only once,” she said.
“That bad?” Sergeant Arrow asked, and Emberglow winced and nodded. “Okay then, ma’am. Anything I can do in the meantime? I could get you something for your pain. Or something to drink.” Alcohol did sound appealing, but there were important conversations coming up, and Emberglow wanted to be fully aware and rational. Then inspiration struck, and she remembered another dark day and how she coped with it.
“I don’t suppose you could locate some hot chocolate?” she asked with a slight smile. Sergeant Arrow looked at her funny. “Sir Delver probably won’t be back for at least ten minutes.”
“I can check out the mess, see if they have anything,” Sergeant Arrow said. Emberglow nodded.
“Coffee too, for anypony that doesn’t appreciate hot chocolate,” Emberglow said. The sergeant nodded, and Emberglow realized she’d just sent a marine sergeant off like a common servant. She was about to say something when the sergeant slipped out of the room with a smile. Shrugging, she went back to her waiting.
The first one back was Turquoise. “You okay?” she asked as she came into the room, seeing the look on Emberglow’s face.
“No,” Emberglow said simply, and Turquoise nodded.
“Pain?” Turquoise asked, and Emberglow shook her head.
“Not too bad,” she replied. "I’m sore all over, but I’ve had worse. Sergeant Arrow is on her way with coffee and hot chocolate.”
“Hot chocolate?” Turquoise sounded puzzled. Emberglow grinned sheepishly.
“Yeah… back in Ivy Seminary, I had a bit of a meltdown once after a pair of bullies vandalized my room. Hot chocolate was what the school nurse prescribed. It’s kind of my personal ritual when things get dark.”
“I think I’ll join you with that,” Turquoise said fervently, slumping onto one of the cushions on the floor. “I feel like having a bit of a meltdown myself.”
Sergeant Arrow came in next, carrying a tray with a half dozen cups. She sat them down on the table. Smells of both coffee and hot chocolate wafted from the steaming ceramic cups.
“Did she order you about like a butler?” Turquoise asked with a raised eyebrow. Sergeant Arrow smiled shamelessly.
“Yes she did, Lady Turquoise. And no shame to her for doing so. I live to serve the Saints and their representatives.” There was a twist of humor in the declaration, for all its sincerity. “Besides, it looked like she needed it.” The sergeant picked up one of the cups of coffee and began to sip, patiently waiting for Sir Delver with a serenity that Emberglow bitterly envied.
When he finally arrived, he looked exhausted. His shoulders were slumped, and he immediately seized a cup of coffee with a grateful sort of sigh.
“Are we just waiting on Lady Bubblegum now, sir?” Sergeant Arrow asked, and all three Knights cringed at once, with Delver choking on his coffee. “Sir?” the sergeant wasn’t one to miss a reaction like that, especially shared by three ponies.
“Bubblegum won’t be joining us,” Delver said tiredly. “Sergeant, this information doesn’t leave this room until I say so. Understand?”
“Yes sir,” Sergeant Arrow replied, her posture stiffening as her voice became more formal, her face a mask of professionalism.
“As of this moment, I declare Knight Bubblegum stripped of rank and attainted, accused by credible witness of both bestiality and unprovoked assault and attempted murder of a fellow Knight.”
“Witnessed,” Turquoise replied sadly.
“W-witnessed,” Emberglow stammered. Sergeant Arrow stared at the nightmare she was hearing, her professional mask broken.
“We’ll have to fill out the paperwork, but from now on, we are to consider Bubblegum a dangerous enemy.” Delver looked at Sergeant Arrow sympathetically. “I’m sorry to throw you into the deep end on this one, Sergeant. Emberglow here accidentally observed Bubblegum in sexual congress with a griffon. When Emberglow confronted Bubblegum, she was attacked, wounded, and nearly killed.” He slumped down at his desk, propping up his head with his forehooves wearily. “You’re here so we can coordinate our response.”
“Y-yes, sir,” Sergeant Arrow said, clearly disturbed. She fumbled at her coffee, spilling a bit down her chin as she took a large gulp. “Where is Bubblegum?”
“Nopony knows,” Delver said. “I went to all the places she tends to visit when she has free time. Xander, the owner of the gambling hall she hangs out at hasn’t seen her all day, nor did she show up at either of the cafés she likes. I even galloped through the public gardens where Wind Storm sometimes takes her on dates. No sign of her. Turquoise?”
“I went to the weather office. Nearly an hour ago, a griffon who works there, named Galileo, rushed into Wind Storm’s office. The door was closed for the entire conversation, which lasted less than a minute. Nopony overheard. A few seconds later, the two of them rushed out together without saying anything to any of Wind Storm’s employees. They were both wearing heavy saddlebags. None of the other weather workers remembered either of them coming to work wearing the saddlebags.” Turquoise gave her report with a detached sort of sadness.
“Some kind of bugout bags?” Delver mused. “It means they knew getting caught was a possibility. Damn. She’s been sleeping with the griffon for a long time, then. And Wind Storm knew about it.”
“So do we need to investigate more?” Turquoise asked. “Is that even our job? Once you send in the report, Knight Command will want to send a Mystic.” Nopony missed the shiver of fear that Sergeant Arrow gave.
“We will most likely be recalled and debriefed back in the capital. I’d like to go back with as much information as possible, so until we’re ordered to do otherwise, we’re going to find out as much as we can about this affair, this ‘Galileo’ griffon, and whatever relationship he had with Bubblegum and Wind Storm.” He lifted his muzzle from where it had been resting on his hooves. “You don’t need to fear, Sergeant Arrow. An investigation will be grueling and frustrating, but you’ve done nothing wrong.” Sergeant Arrow blinked, and Emberglow saw there were tears in her eyes.
“You don’t know that, sir. Sometimes, when the Mystics decide you’re guilty of something, they find something for you to be guilty of. Maybe you don’t remember what it’s like being a normal pony.” Delver’s look was stern, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Sergeant Arrow kept going. “I know. I know. I’m sorry to talk bad about other Knights, sir, but you know this only ends badly for me and my marines.” There was a fierceness to her tone. “Damn her. Damn her for doing this to us. To me.” The sergeant clenched her eyes shut and sniffed once. “I’m sorry. She was your friend, right?”
“Yes, she was,” Delver said, and the sadness was pronounced in his tone. “Arrow, I don’t know how much I can promise. But you and your marines took care of me and mine, and I’ll do my best to take care of you. When they do come to investigate, the Mystics will know just how loyal and faithful you have all been. I’ll do everything I can to make sure none of this falls on any of my ponies, besides the traitor who turned her back on us all. I swear on Saint Rainbow the Faithful.”
“Thank you, sir,” Sergeant Arrow said. “I know you mean it.” She didn’t sound incredibly hopeful.
“We’ll need to tell the rest of the marines, at least,” Turquoise said. “They’ll need to keep an eye out for Bubblegum, and know what to do if she shows her face again. Windy and the griffon, too.”
“We don’t need to tell them everything, do we?” Emberglow asked. “If Sergeant Arrow is worried about her marines being caught up in the fallout, maybe we keep them out of this as much as possible.” Sergeant Arrow was already shaking her head.
“I’d rather not keep them in the dark, if it’s possible. If they’re about to be investigated by inquisitors because of what Bubblegum did, I’d like them to be forewarned.”
“I’ll leave it up to your discretion how much you tell your ponies, Sergeant,” Delver said. Sergeant Arrow nodded. “As for us…” Delver let out a loud sigh. “I’m going to send the report via enchanted dragonfire scroll. If they decide to reply the same way, we’ll have a response by tomorrow evening.” He opened one of his desk drawers, pulling out a sheet of the expensive, rare magical communication. “Tomorrow, Emberglow will assist Turquoise in gathering information on the griffon, and anything we can sort out about Bubblegum. That is, when she’s not doing her duties at the prison. We’ll lock down Bubblegum’s house and Wind Storm’s office."
“Blingshine might take issue with us locking out an official government building without any explanation,” Turquoise said. Delver sighed again.
“That’s right. He’s already going to be upset with us,” Delver groaned. “He and Emberglow had a bit of an altercation this afternoon. It might cause us issues. At least we won’t have to deal with him for long. Odds are good we’re gonna be pulled out and reassigned after all this.”
“What kind of altercation?” Turquoise asked curiously.
“Blingshine wanted Emberglow to heal the pirate captain so he could keep torturing him beyond what he normally could have taken. She put her hoof down. It was pretty impressive,” Delver said. His smile was small, but there was some real pride there. It wasn’t much, but she needed a ray of sunshine in this nightmare of a day. “He’s probably trying to come up with some petty way to torment us. Unfortunately for him, we’ll probably all be gone by the middle of next week.”
“You said that before. What do you mean?” Emberglow asked.
“If a Knight is accused or convicted of a crime, they usually move the unit he or she was a part of, whether or not they had anything to do with it. You can expect to say goodbye to Port Luminescence, Emberglow.”
“I’ll manage to contain my sorrow,” Emberglow said, and Turquoise snorted, nearly spewing out the mouthful of hot chocolate she’d just taken.
“What?” Turquoise said when everypony stared at her. “Emberglow isn’t usually sarcastic. It took me by surprise, is all.”
The four ponies took a somber moment, silently drinking their hot chocolate and coffee, waiting for somepony else to say something first. Nopony felt comfortable talking.
“I… just want to go home and go to bed,” Emberglow finally said out loud, her ears slumping. “Is that lazy?”
“No. Not tonight,” Delver said. “You’re recovering. Get some sleep, you can meet up with Turquoise after you feed the prisoners.”
Unsurprisingly, despite how tired she was, Emberglow didn’t sleep much that night.
* * * * *
The orders had, as Delver had predicted, come via enchanted dragon scroll the next evening. They were to stay in Port Luminescence until after the execution of the zebra pirates, then take an overnight airship back to New Canterlot City. A Knight Vigilant and a Knight Mystic were on route to investigate things in the port, while the Knights and marines would be debriefed in the capital.
Blingshine didn’t even kick up a fuss when Delver showed up at his manor and ordered the weather office closed as a crime scene. The governor was surely burning with questions, but Delver had simply informed him that they were soon to be replaced by a Knight Detective and a Knight Inquisitor. It had been enough to nearly give the slimy politician a stroke on the spot, and none of the Knights saw him again until Zuberi’s last day alive. Emberglow felt a grim sort of satisfaction imagining the governor in a panic at the thought that these new Knights might be coming to investigate him.
Unlike in the capital, executions in Port Luminescence were a public affair. There was a large plaza, lined with temporary wooden bleachers, situated just outside the jail. The gibbet was a permanent structure, though it hadn't seen much use in Emberglow's time here. She had imagined it was more a threat of the governor’s authority than a practical execution tool.
Today, however, the suspended platform was decorated by eight oiled nooses hanging from the crossbar. Thirteen steps led up to the platform, a simple structure containing two hinged trapdoors held up by a pair of loose posts in the middle. Once the condemned were arranged and noosed on the trapdoor, the executioner would knock away one of the posts with a large sledge, leaving the prisoners to drop to their doom.
It also had the advantage of putting on quite the show for the bloodthirsty audience coming to watch. It made Emberglow sick to think of the ponies coming to be entertained by the executions, but there had always been those lowlifes who’d gotten a thrill out of mocking the poor souls trapped in the pillories. She supposed no matter where she was, there were always ponies motivated by their baser instincts. She just wanted it all to be over.
At least for the last two days the pirates hadn’t heckled her when she had gone to feed them. There had even been a few reluctant words of gratitude as she had passed them down their daily soup and bread.
Zuberi hadn’t said much more to her besides a single request to speak with Sir Delver. She’d acquiesced and requested his presence. Zuberi’s request had been simple. Could he write a letter and have it sent to New Canterlot City as his last words?
“You know it won’t pass the censors. Whatever you write will be opened and read, most likely by inquisitors of the Knights Mystic,” Delver had explained. The zebra pirate captain had simply shrugged and written his letter anyways. It was currently in an unsealed envelope, sitting on Delver’s desk. Nopony had wanted to read it just yet.
Emberglow arrived at the execution grounds long before most other ponies had started to gather; she hadn’t wanted to deal with any crowds. She needn’t have worried; there was a VIP section of bleachers set aside for the Knights, the governor, and other important ponies who merited a front row seat at the death of a group of condemned criminals.
She pretended not to hear the crowds filtering in behind her, the vendors hawking carnival foods, the gawkers and rubberneckers gossiping and chattering about the zebras and ponies who would die today. The VIP section was sectioned off with a decorative velvet rope. It made Emberglow irrationally angry; she wanted to rip it out of the ground and throw it into the ocean.
“Hard to feel good about an execution, isn’t it?” came a voice from beside her. Turquoise had stepped up and sat down on the bench next to Emberglow while she was lost in thought.
“Justice has to be done,” Emberglow said, ashamed at just how uncertain she sounded.
“There’s justice, then there’s barbarism,” Turquoise noted, waving a hoof to the crowd behind her. “Yeah, these pirates deserve to die. But I don’t think it’s sinful to feel upset at the necessity of it all.”
“I think… I think it’s just been a really rough week,” Emberglow said softly, and Turquoise looked at her. They shared a spontaneous laugh at the obvious understatement, a moment of desperate humor tinged with the release of the tension Emberglow had been feeling.
“No kidding,” Turquoise said. She sighed. “Despite the circumstances, I think I’m going to be glad to be home after all this. No more mud, no more sailors, no more sea air. I’ve had enough sea air for a while.”
“You get to spend more time on your pet project, at least,” Emberglow said, and Turquoise smiled faintly.
“Yes, it’ll be good to see what progress has been made in my absence. I… hang on,” Turquoise cut off as the door to the prison opened dramatically. Several guards emerged, dragging behind them a row of ponies and zebras chained together by a long metal chain threaded through the sets of shackles that bound their legs. The guards were using long staves to clear a path through the crowd, none too gently, towards the gallows. “Duty calls.”
“Doesn’t Port Luminescence have its own Confessors?” Emberglow asked.
“Nopony wanted this task,” Turquoise said with a shrug. “I volunteered. Somepony needs to at least offer them absolution and repentance before they die. Besides, they were our prisoners.” She suddenly nuzzled Emberglow’s cheek. “Maybe your kindness inspired me.” She trotted off towards the guards, who recognized her by her pink robes and allowed her in the front of the grim procession.
A surge of noise came from the crowd; boos and jeers as the assembled common ponies heckled the condemned. Their hatred was obvious, but it made Emberglow wonder. Were they just booing because they had really been harmed by the pirates, or was it just the impassioned surging of a mob?
Bringing up the rear of the procession was Blingshine himself, dressed up in tight black pants and an overly ruffled white shirt, complete with a blue overcoat that was far too ostentatious to be tactful. He didn’t walk, but rather hovered, about two feet off the muddy path, gliding along with gentle flaps of his wings. His face was pleased and haughty; casual arrogance was plastered all over his muzzle.
Emberglow just wanted to hit him in his smug mouth.
The pegasus governor left the procession as they passed the VIP bleachers, floating up so that he hovered in sight of the entire crowd. With a wave, he greeted all of the assembled ponies, receiving a wave of cheering in return. After he was done bathing in their adulation, he came to a gentle landing right next to Emberglow. He smelled of body odor and perfume.
She very deliberately stood up and moved two pony-lengths away from the governor, who smirked. Emberglow didn’t care if she offended the pompous pony; she’d be on an airship out of the Port before the day was done.
The chained pirates approached the long staircase up to the gallows platform. The first pirate, a zebra, managed to give the structure a contemptuous look before the guards began to drag him up the stairs. Every pony chained in the line followed, with Zuberi at the rear. Turquoise was already standing at the top of the platform, her own face a mask of calm serenity. Each of the pirates reacted differently to the gallows, some with contempt, some with the laughter of gallows humor, some with rage and rebellion. Not a single one showed any fear. Captain Zuberi ignored the gallows as if they weren’t even there, stepping up the steps as if they were an obstacle beneath his notice.
Soon, the eight pirates were positioned beneath the dangling nooses that would take their lives. Two executioners, a griffon and a pony both wearing dark hoods to conceal their identities, moved among the prisoners, detaching the chain that held them all in a line together and reattaching a short chain to the shackles that held their four hooves. It would bind their hooves so they would be unable to interfere with the nooses. Then, one by one, each of the condemned had the knotted loop slipped over their heads and tightened around their necks. The prisoners stared forward, some blankly, most defiantly, as the executioners did their work.
Finally it was Turquoise’s turn to do her duty. Emberglow was too far away to hear what the older mare was saying, but the Knight Jubilant approached each of the prisoners in turn, asking if they had any final statements or confessions to make. The zebras just snorted contemptuously at the Knight, which wasn’t too surprising; after all, they were infidels. The ponies among them had an even angrier reaction. A few yelled at her, one spat at her hooves. Turquoise didn’t react, but just went down the line until she reached Zuberi. At the end of the line, he was the closest to Emberglow and the VIP stands. She perked her ears towards the pirate, hoping to catch what was said.
“Do you have any confession you wish to make, prisoner?” Turquoise asked.
“Not to you, you brainwashed shrew,” the pirate said, his eyes slipping over Turquoise as they sought out Emberglow in the stands below him.
As his eyes met hers, she saw no fear, only an odd sort of pity. She shivered slightly, but couldn’t look away as he spoke loud and clear. “For your kindness I’ll tell you this, the path you’ve chosen in life is a miss. Finding out the truth will make you mourn, for the burden is hard to be borne.” With that, he nodded serenely to Turquoise. The guards slipped a black cloth sack over Zuberi’s head, blocking him off from the world. Every one of the prisoners was similarly hooded. A guard stepped to the front of the gallows, holding a scroll.
The official order of execution was long, legal sounding, and Emberglow didn’t hear a word of it. Her gaze was locked on Zuberi, standing shackled, hooded, and noosed, and yet somehow still proud. His last words hadn’t been too shocking. Of course one of the unbelievers like the zebra would think her life choices were mistakes. At the same time, though, he had been surprisingly sure of himself, even in the face of death.
She shook herself out of the thoughts, drawing her attention back to the present. The executioners had finished preparing their victims and had moved below the platforms, to where the long wooden pillars stuck in the ground held up the trap doors. The guard reading the death warrant, and put the scroll away in his saddlebags. Once he was safely off the trapdoor, he respectfully motioned for Turquoise.
“May you make better choices in your next life. Saints have mercy on you,” Turquoise said. “Executioners, do your duty.”
Underneath the trapdoor, both executioners had picked up their heavy metal sledges. The griffon swung first, his sledge connecting with the post with a hard thud. The post jerked, sliding just an inch as the platform above jerked.
The four pirates standing on this platform flinched, and Emberglow could hear one of them cry out in terror. Finally, the crowd had gotten a reaction they were hoping for; they jeered and laughed. The earth pony went next, his sledge striking the post with a thump strong enough to send up slivers of wood. This strike managed to knock the post loose, and it clattered to the ground.
The hinged platform suddenly dropped out from under four of the pirates. More than one of them gave cries of fear, before a sudden and very dramatic crack echoed over the clattering of wood. Emberglow flinched, her eyes clenching shut. She didn’t want to watch this. Her ears pinned back, but she couldn’t stifle the sounds. She was sure she could hear the creaking of the stretched nooses over the jeers of the crowd. Then she heard the sound of metal on wood. The executioners were knocking at the other pillar.
She opened her eyes to look in time to see the second wooden post clatter to the ground, releasing the trap door. This time she couldn’t flinch away quickly enough.
Four pirates dropped, their chained hooves dangling below them, only to come to a stop as the ropes ended their momentum. There was a crack, and four pony necks twisted unnaturally. Each of the pirates dangled in midair, hooves twitching, bodies twisting gently from the drop.
It was too much. She felt the bile rise in her throat. The mental image of the bodies twisting and jerking in the wind burned behind her suddenly clenched eyelids. They all wore the black hoods of the condemned, but in her imagination she could see their faces, eyes open, frozen in eternal horror and pain.
It was all such a wretched waste, and Emberglow had been utterly powerless to change any of it. She wanted to mourn, but didn’t even know who or what she’d be mourning for. Who would mourn a heretic’s death? She was a Knight — shouldn’t this have been her moment of grand victory?
Suddenly it all became too much. The grisly images floating in her mind’s eye; the rowdy mob, cheering at death; her own feelings of inadequacy and wrongness. It was all just too much. With a confused whimper of disgust and shame, she ran behind the bleachers, where less ponies would see her empty her stomach. Some small, cowardly part of herself desperately wished she could stay there forever, away from the crowd, away from the heretics, away from this cruel, destructive world.
But when she closed her eyes, all she saw was eight bodies, hanging limply, twitching and swaying in the wind.