//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Lawmare // by Jade Ring //------------------------------// The word paradise gets bandied around quite a bit by those who have no specific meaning for it. It seems everypony has their own definition of just what paradise is. Is it a state of mind? A location? Was it just a word that could be used to apply to any number of things? Twilight Sparkle certainly didn't know. But sitting on a blanket spread on the soft grass of Canterlot's grand park, laying back comfortably on a beautiful mare, a treatise on Equestrian history in her hooves and a glass of lemonade held aloft in her magic? That, to her, certainly seemed like paradise. She could hear Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo playing on the nearby playground, and she gave the two fillies a cursory glance without moving her head. "They seem to be getting along famously." "Indeed." Rarity yawned lightly, enjoying an afternoon doze in the sun, the comfortable weight of her lover practically dragging her into a state of deep relaxation. "How are you feeling?" "Honestly? Light." She grimaced as she looked down at her unclothed form. At Rarity's urging, she'd left her hat, coat, and leathers back at the manor. The high class unicorn had told her she'd attract less attention from the populace this way. "I should've at least brought my badge..." "Need I remind you that you are off duty today." "A Lawmare is always on duty..." "You. Are. Off. Duty. Today." Rarity punctuated each word with a gentle jab of her elbow. The two mares giggled, then sighed in contentment. "This is nice." "Say true." Twilight was feeling more than a little drowsy herself. She never slept so well as when she was home in the great walled city. She supposed it was her body playing catch-up from all the sleep she tended to miss while on the roads. It seemed like she'd spent most of the last few days in Rarity's bed either sleeping or... otherwise engaged. Part of her felt guilty, like she was abandoning her duties. The rest of her, though? The rest of her was loving every minute of it. She forced herself to sit up and looked back at her pillow. "Let's go out tonight. Just me and you." "What?" Rarity stretched her back like a cat, and Twilight was suddenly struck with a wave of wanting so strong she was tempted to have her way with the mare right there in front of Celestia and everypony. "You mean you haven't enjoyed two precocious fillies dancing at our hooves at every waking moment?" "We'll go out to a fancy dinner. You can get all dressed up." "Oh, you sweet talker. You know all my buttons." Rarity giggled as she stood. "And what about you? Will the Lawmare take the lady-fair out bedecked in her leathers?" She leaned over and kissed Twilight's cheek. "Let me dress you up as well, darling." Twilight stiffened. "Um... I'm not so sure about that." "Don't tell me the greatest spellslinger in a generation is afraid of a little satin and lace?" Rarity pouted. "And I've so longed to see you in one of my gowns." Twilight smiled and kissed her. "Bird and bear, hare and fish..." She whispered. "Give my love her fondest wish." "Is that a yes?" Twilight opened her mouth to tell her that the answer was very much yes when the earth beneath their hooves shook. A resounding BOOM crashed overhead, and the two mares turned to see a rising plume of smoke with a few dancing embers of orange still floating on the breeze. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo screamed and raced to the safety of the older mares. Twilight's eyes locked onto the direction of the blast. "That's the palace." She whispered, her horn already lighting. "Twilight, go..." But the Lawmare was gone before Rarity finished the sentence. Scootaloo looked around wildly for the mare who had rescued her. "Where'd Twilight go?!" "To do her job." Rarity swallowed hard, her eyes watching the rising smoke and her mind going a million miles a minute. "She's going to do her job." Sweetie Belle put a comforting foreleg around her new friend's shivering wings. "It's okay, Scoots. She's the best. She'll be fine." She's right. Rarity thought. She's the best. Then why was she so worried? /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// At Rarity's manor house, a maid screamed as her vision was swallowed by a brief flash of light. She blinked rapidly to clear her eyes and looked around to find the source of the flash. Had lightning somehow struck inside the house? If so, why was she not dead? But, no; everything looked fine. Everything except... Except the coat, leathers, and hat that had just been cleaned and had been left out to dry were gone. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Shining Armor cursed as another bolt of magic shot past, this one close enough that he could feel its deadly heat. "I need a count, Sentry!" "Right away, sir!" The pegasus guard shot into the sky, then doubled back just as quick. Two spell shots zipped by in the air where he'd just been. "I count six, sir. But there might be more hiding in the wreckage." He glanced at his commanding officer's glowing horn. "Is the shield holding up?" "About as well as I can hold it while I'm getting shot at." Shining Armor growled, peering around the piece of marble pillar that had become an improvised barricade. "Did you see any more of ours?" "Flail's down. Looks like a clean shot through the head. I can't tell from this distance, but I think Joust is still breathing." Flash Sentry looked back at the palace entrance, currently blocked off by a glimmering shell of magic the same color as his commander's. "The others?" "Still guarding her Majesty. It's her recuperation day, remember?" He spared another look. "She could probably still waste these guys in a second, even in her current state, but we can't take that risk." "Do you..." Flash dodged a piece of shrapnel. "Shit! Do you think they knew it was her recuperation day?" Shining Armor didn't want to think about that question right now. The idea that not only were agents of the Good Mare in Canterlot, but they were privy to knowledge only guards and castle staff were supposed to know? It was too horrible to imagine. And to think the day had been going so well, too. One minute he was finishing up morning patrol, and the next a bunch of crazed spellslingers had blown up the grand fountain that been a gift from the Abyssinians. That structure had been there since before he was born, and now it was rubble and chunks of polished marble. And the cherry on this manure sundae? Said 'slingers were now hell-bent on getting into the palace. "FOR THE GOOD MARE!" A stallion cried as another bolt singed over head. "I HAD YOUR PRECIOUS GOOD MARE IN BED THE OTHER NIGHT!" Flash called back, reaching for a nearby lance. "SHE WAS RUBBISH!" "YOU MOTHER-!" Quick as lightning, the pegasus was airborne. He hurled his lance, then dove back to cover. He grinned savagely as the insult became a death rattle. "That'll be five left." The shots came faster now. "I think you made them angry." Shining Armor muttered dryly. "And me all out of spears." Flash laughed. A flash of light filled their vision for a moment, and both blinked rapidly as they'd been trained to do. "Easy, boys. We'll take it from here." The newly arrived mare was fiery orange, her two toned mane tied into a long braid that trailed down her swan-like neck. A badge glinted from her leather vest. "Took ya long enough to show up." Flash muttered, still smiling. "Welcome to the party, Sunset." "Well met, Flash." Sunset Shimmer winked before drawing a deep breath. "FOLLOWERS OF THE GOOD MARE!" She cried, her powerful voice actually seeming to stop the frenzy of magic blasts all on its own. "YOUR ACTIONS ARE THOSE OF TRAITORS! SURRENDER, OR YOU WILL DIE!" "BUGGER YOUR SURRENDER!" An older mare shouted. "ONLY ONES DYIN' TODAY ARE THOSE WHO WORSHIP AT THE ALTAR OF A FALSE GOD!" Flash was looking around. "Sunset, I know you're good, but shouldn't you have some back-up or something?" Sunset didn't answer. She just smiled. "LAWMARES!" Her voice was a trumpet, foretelling doom for those meant to hear it. "FOR CANTERLOT! FOR CELESTIA! KILL! KILL! SPARE NO QUARTER!" The air was suddenly filled by a frenzy of magic blasts, screams of pain, and cries of rage. In moments, silence reigned over the courtyard. "Just had to give them time to get in position." Sunset held out a hoof. Flash grinned as he took it, letting the Lawmare help him up. Shining Armor picked himself up and looked back towards the fountain's wreckage. The smoke was clearing, and what it revealed struck him dumb with awe. The Lawmares had come. There were eighteen gathered, each wrapped in leather vests and coats, each with a shining badge on their chest. Some wore hats, a few had decorative strips of leather and beads around the horns that were their greatest weapon. They were moving among the fallen followers of the Good Mare, checking to see if any still drew breath. A lime green mare stopped at one body that seemed to have sprouted a new limb and whistled. "Whose lance is this?" "Mine." Flash raised a hoof. Lyra tapped the length of metal stretching from the carcass' neck and gave an impressed nod. "Good throw." "Thankee-sai." "Flash, tend to Joust." Shining Armor had spied his sister and was already crossing the field toward her. "Twily." She gave a half-hearted wave as she shifted another corpse, looking for anything of interest. "Did they say anything before the fountain blew up?" He shook his head. He glanced over at another Lawmare using her magic to scan the wreckage that only minutes before had been such a beautiful work of art. "Anything interesting, sai Starlight?" "They definitely used some kind of magic to blow it up, but it's not like any magic I've ever seen." Starlight Glimmer chewed her lip as she thought. "If it came from the Good Mare, then how did they get it into the city...?" "We've got a live one!" Moon Dancer called, her hoof pressing down on a slowly squirming and moaning body. Shining Armor and the Lawmares raced over to examine their new captive. From the sound of her voice, it seemed she was the older mare who'd exchanged words with Sunset. She glared at them, the wound in her side clearly painful but likely not life-threatening. Moon Dancer had already slipped a magic nullifying band of silver around her horn. "I did tell you to surrender, my cully." Sunset Shimmer smirked. The survivor growled deep in her throat. "The Good Mare will..." "Oh, we're gonna talk about the Good Mare in good time." Shining Armor cut her off. "But right now I want to know what it was you and your pathetic excuse for a posse used to blow up that fountain." Before the mare could respond, Flash Sentry called out. "Captain Armor!" "What?" "It... it's Joust, sir." He made his way over to the group, his head hanging low. "She didn't make it." New rage filled Shining Armor's heart as he looked down on the mare who had just ended the life of one of his best guards. "Sai Shimmer?" "Yes?" "Would you let me conduct the interrogation, I beg?" Sunset's smile was cold. "Yar." To the mare on the ground, those three letters combined with the look of hate in Shining Armor's eyes seemed to her like nothing less than a death sentence. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "It's war, then." Minuette told them all gravely. The nineteen Lawmares had all gathered in the barrack's common area. The barracks had been built nearly a millennium ago when the Lawmares were first founded, but special spells and constant upkeep by young spellslingers going through their training made it seem as thought it had been built yesterday. The stone walls were decorated with maps and portraits of some of the greatest to ever wear the badge, and light came from ornate sconces hanging from the ceiling. A fire was kept burning in the grand fireplace, a symbolic torch meant to guide lost Lawmares back home. Starlight Glimmer looked away from the window she'd been gazing out of and shook her head. "We can't jump to conclusions..." "Conclusions?!" Minuette stamped her hoof on the great circular table at the room's center. "They've invaded our home, Starlight. Came within a hair of the palace itself. Now, if that's not a declaration of war, then I don't know what is." The other Lawmares at the table pounded their hooves rhythmically in agreement. "We're all angry, Minuette." Lyra was sitting on one of the sofas in that favorite way of hers, the one that everypony else said looked so damned uncomfortable. "I'm right there with you. The idea that these savages are in the same city as my wife makes me sick. But..." She looked over at Twilight Sparkle. The defacto leader of her tet was sitting on her haunches, staring intently at the room's sole door. "But we can't allow them to make us fly off the handle. It's what they want." "Say true." Moon Dancer adjusted her glasses. "Such an open attack? It was meant to draw our attention. Throw us off our guard." She looked to Sunset Shimmer. "They want us angry." "And we are." Sunset sat at the table and sighed. "But we cannot let our anger get the best of us. We're better than that." She looked hard at her own tet partner. "Do ya ken, Minuette?" "...Yar." Minuette finally spat as she slumped into her seat. "You all say true." "Shining Armor knows what he's doing." Twilight assured the assembled Lawmares without taking her eyes off the door. "He'll get the mare to talk." A minute pop of air and tiny flash of light announced the arrival of young Dinky Hooves. The filly had only barely begun her training, and the winking spell left her momentarily swaying with dizziness. She recovered quickly and bowed respectfully to her assembled peers. "Hile, Lawmares." "Stand easy, spellslinger." Sunset crossed the room to her apprentice and mussed her mane affectionately. "Is everything alright?" "Aye." The little lilac unicorn smiled. "Dinner will be up soon." "Testers..." Starlight muttered. "If you've something to say in the presence of your fellow Lawmares, say it loud enough for us all to hear it." Sunset barked. "I said that we should have food testers." Starlight eyed her fellow senior Lawmare evenly. "Just in case." The implication struck all assembled cold. The Good Mare's forces were in Canterlot. They could be any-pony. No one could be trusted now. The moment was broken by the door swinging wide. The assembled Lawmares turned as one to see a pair of white stallions enter the room. One was expected. One was not. "Prince Blueblood." Sunset Shimmer gave the slightest of nods. "And to what do we owe this distinct pleasure?" The princess' adopted nephew sniffed and looked around the room. "As this matter involves the royal palace, her Majesty thought it wise that I be involved in the proceedings." The upper crust stallion seemed either blissfully unaware or simply didn't care about the glares and looks of derision he was receiving from the assembled spellslingers. Blueblood was nothing to them, somepony who had gotten a lucky break and believed that made him better than everypony else. Princess Celestia had taken him in as a foal as an act of charity and in the hopes that having a potential successor to the throne might assuage those already whispering of sedition even then. As he'd grown, Blueblood had shown not even the basest skills of a spellslinger, nor the political acumen to hold his own in Celestia's court. He was simply there, an emergency option for a time that in all likelihood would never come. The Lawmares and Royal Guard agreed; he was nothing more than a parasite. "What did you find out?" Twilight asked her brother, pointedly ignoring his fellow stallion. "Did she know where the Good Mare is?" Moon Dancer chimed in. Shining Armor sat and shook his head. "I used every mind-read spell I know. She genuinely doesn't know where the Good Mare is." "What about the weapon?" Starlight asked. "What did she know about that?" Again, Shining Armor shook his head. "Nothing. It was delivered to one of their safe houses in the dead of night. It had instructions on where to place it and how to activate it. That's all." Minuette's momentary look of disappointment changed into one of hope. "Did you at least find out about the other traitors? Where they're hiding?" When Shining Armor again shook his head, the blue unicorn grabbed her hat and threw it across the room in frustration. "Did you find out anything useful?" "Peace, Minuette." Sunset Shimmer gently chided her. Shining Armor ignored Minuette's outburst and spoke to Sunset. "The posse weren't from Canterlot." Nineteen pairs of ears perked up. "So... then it's possible the Good Mare's followers haven't infested the city as much as we feared?" Lyra asked hopefully. "No, she seemed pretty sure they were here." Shining Armor crossed the room towards a great map of Equestria mounted on the wall. "She and the others were instructed to come here and wait until the weapon was delivered. It, and the pony or ponies who carried it, must have been here already." Twilight joined her brother at the map. "Where did they come from, then?" "Here." Shining Armor touched a small town on the map. "Ponyville." "Ponyville?" Dinky Hooves asked, peering through the legs of the older ponies. "It's a small village on the edge of the Everfree Forest." Starlight approached the map and examined the area around the indicated settlement. "They're one of our main exporters of apples." "So they're moving on our supply lines." Moon Dancer whispered. "It's not just that." Starlight pointed at the great green mass beside Ponyville. "The Everfree Forest is huge and mostly uncharted." She looked sideways at Sunset. "It's the perfect place to hide an army." Twilight looked to her brother. "Did she say anything else?" "No." He smiled without humor. "Just screamed a lot. She's below in the dungeons." "And she'll stay there." Blueblood spoke up, reminding everypony that he was still, unfortunately, there. "I forbid any Lawmare from approaching the prisoner until..." "Who in the name of Tartarus and Nar do you think you are?" Lyra was on her hooves, her body tense. "Nopony commands the Lawmares save Celestia herself." He put on a brave face, but the subtle change in his posture belied his intimidation. "Well... as... As the heir to throne, I am entitled to..." "You're entitled to my hoof in your ass, maggot." Lyra growled. "And mine." Moon Dancer pushed away from the table. "And mine." Another pair of Lawmares stood. "Peace!" Sunset barked, trying to defuse the situation. "Our enemy is within the walls already. Should we help them by rending each other's throats before we even see their faces?" She looked to Blueblood. "Aye, we'll stay away from the prisoner. But not on your leave. On our own. Do ya ken?" Blueblood started to reply, but chose instead to snort angrily and leave the room, swinging the door behind him shut so hard that it swung back open. "Mangy cur." Minuette muttered. "Wouldn't surprise me in the least if he was one of the Good Mare's." Starlight Glimmer looked away from the map and stood at attention. "Sai Sunset; my tet and I stand ready. We'll go to Ponyville at once at see how deep these rotten roots go." "Mine as well." Twilight stood beside her fellow Lawmare. "I believe that together we can..." "Hile, Lawmares. Captain Armor." All eyes turned to see a pair of pegasi standing in the door frame. One was Flash Sentry, the small wounds he'd incurred in the battle already bandaged. The other was new; her coat a lightning blue and her close cropped mane cast in a variety of colors. She stood at attention, eyes looking around nervously. "Hile, Flash." Sunset smiled broadly at her oldest friend. "What brings you to the barracks?" "Her Majesty would see you, Sai Sunset." He looked at the other Lawmares almost apologetically. "Only you." With a respectful nod to Shining Armor and her fellow Lawmares, Sunset hurried out. Shining Armor made his way to the pair and appraised the new arrival. "And whose this?" The mare snapped to a salute. "Corporal Rainbow Dash, Sixth Airborne Division." "She's been reassigned to... replace... Flail and Joust." Shining Armor nodded solemnly. "You're taking the place of two of my best soldiers, Corporal. Think you can handle it?" "Sir!" Rainbow Dash lowered the salute but didn't relax otherwise. "I will do honor in their names." "You'd better." The Captain turned to his sister... but her attention was elsewhere. She was still staring hard at the spot on the map where their enemy was apparently waiting. A place barely two day's train ride away. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// An hour passed. Shining Armor and his guards departed to check on how the clean-up was going in the courtyard. Several Lawmares had paired off and were at the smaller tables playing cards. Dinky Hooves and the other apprentice Lawmares had brought up the food and they'd eaten heartily. Even Starlight had partaken despite her reservations. Lyra and Moon Dancer were giving the apprentices an impromptu lesson in stunning spells. Twilight Sparkle was still sitting and staring at the map. The door swung open, and all eyes turned to see the return of Sunset Shimmer. She spoke not a word, but closed the door behind her and made her way to the food on the table. The Lawmares waited patiently while she made herself a plate and ate her fill. Once she was done, she patted her cheeks clean with a napkin and turned to them. "The Princess has made her decision." Equestria's finest waited for her next words on the edge of a knife. "By the command of Princess Celestia, we are to travel at sunrise to Ponyville. Once there, we are to root out the followers of the Good Mare and determine what, if any, forces they've amassed in the area. If said forces are manageable..." She filled a cup of wine and drank down every drop. "We are to do what must be done." The Lawmares let out sounds of grim pleasure at this news. Starlight abandoned her game of Watch Me and approached. "And who has the honor of carrying this out?" Sunset had refilled her glass, and she quickly chugged it down. "All of us." She gasped. The murmuring ceased at once. The eighteen mares stared in open mouthed shock. "But... Sunset..." Starlight reached for the wine bottle even as Sunset made to refill her glass. "She can't mean..." "We do as the Princess commands!" Sunset snapped, her magic slamming the wine bottle into the table. "And if the Princess commands the city to be emptied of Lawmares, then that's what will be done." "But our families..." Moon Dancer started, but a warning look from Twilight silenced her. Sunset drained her third cup of wine, then stared into the depths of the empty chalice. "All of you will assist the apprentices in cleaning the kitchens. Return here in two hours' time for the specifics of her majesty's plan." The Lawmare's moved to obey. Even Starlight, who had earned her badge the same day as Sunset, headed out the door. The fiery orange mare looked back. "Not you, Twilight. You stay." The purple unicorn stopped in her tracks. She waited there until the last Lawmare had left the room, then shut the door and faced the mare who had been her teacher. "Are we well met, Sunset?" Sunset Shimmer laughed as her magic grabbed another glass. She filled both, then floated one over to the younger Lawmare. "Twilight, if we were any more well met, we'd be married." Twilight smiled and sipped her wine, suddenly very uneasy. "Twilight..." Sunset's smile cracked, and tears appeared in the corner of her eyes. "We've been betrayed." Twilight choked on her wine. She coughed and stared at the older mare like she'd lost her mind. "What...?" "That's why Celestia is sending everypony and not just a tet or two. She told me that a Lawmare has sworn herself to the Good Mare." "But... but how would she...?" "She just knows things, Twilight. You know that. That's how she is. That's how she's always been. She knows things." Sunset gave a humorless laugh as she drank down her wine. "But she doesn't know everything. She knows a Lawmare has switched sides, but she doesn't know who." Twilight stared into the depths of her wine, suddenly feeling physically sick. "So she's sending us all to Ponyville just in case." "No." Sunset looked at the bottle of wine, considered, and finally pushed it away. "She's not sending everypony away. Just most of us." "But you said..." "Hear me, Twilight Sparkle." Sunset held up a hoof, and Twilight's mouth snapped shut. "Hear me very well." She took a deep breath and sat heavily. "Princess Celestia told me that she wants one tet to remain behind in Canterlot while the rest of us investigate Ponyville. As I'm the most senior, she left the decision to me." Sunset tipped her empty glass in Twilight's direction. "And so I have chosen you. You and your tet will remain here when the rest of us depart tomorrow." "But... but why me? Why us? Surely you or Starlight would..." "I asked you to hear me, maggot!" Sunset barked at her as she had when Twilight had been but an apprentice, and again Twilight silenced herself. "I trust you, Twilight Sparkle. More than anypony else in this old city, I trust you. Do you trust your tet?" ("I would face the roads with you anytime... my dinh.") "With my life." "Then the three of you will stay. Your brother and the guard already maintain the peace in the city limits, so you and your tet won't be bothered with that while you attend to your mission." She gestured for Twilight to join her by the table. Her horn flashed and a map of the city appeared. "While myself and the others tend to Ponyville, the three of you will seek out the conspirators at home. By day, you three are to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Leave your leathers and badges at home. But at night..." She stamped her hoof, and the map vanished. "You hunt." "Find the traitors." Twilight repeated. She looked up and nodded. "Find them, and we'll find their weapons." "Say true." Sunset pulled her old apprentice close and touched her horn to the other mare's. It was an astonishingly intimate gesture between unicorns, allowing each to feel the love, trust, and respect each felt for the other through their magical connection. "Celestia willing, we can end this war before it begins." She sighed. "Watch over the apprentices. Especially Dinky. That filly's head is always in the clouds." "Of course it is." Twilight smiled. "Her teacher is the biggest hardass in the history of the Lawmares." "I say thank-ya." Sunset laughed and playfully punched her old student's shoulder. They pulled apart, looked at one another for a moment, then as one raised their forelegs and tapped the hollows of their throats. "Long days and pleasant nights, sai Sparkle." "Happy hunting, sai Shimmer." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The sun was setting when Twilight sat down her tet and laid out the plan. "I can't believe one of us would do something like this." Lyra growled. Moon Dancer looked apprehensive. "Is Celestia certain?" "Has she ever been wrong before?" Twilight asked wryly. "Point taken." The three of them were alone in the barracks' common room. Their fellow Lawmares were out and about, spending a final night in Canterlot before they took to the roads. They were drinking, dallying, and partying... but most importantly they were loudly telling anypony in earshot that the city would be without Lawmares by sunrise. Twilight looked to her bespectacled friend. "Moon Dancer... I'm sorry. I don't mean to speak harsh to you." Moon Dancer waved her off. The purple unicorn turned to Lyra. "I have to ask you something, and I need you to say true. Do ya kennit?" "Aye, I kennit." Lyra leaned over the table. "When we returned from the roads, Moon Dancer called me dinh." She glanced over for Moon Dancer's reaction, but there was none. "I would know if you feel the same way." Lyra's eyes widened at the sudden question. "I mean... yes?" She considered, then nodded. "Definitely yes." She added resolutely. "It's been an honor to walk the roads with you... my dinh." She found the last word tasted strange on her tongue. Strange... but somehow right as well. "And also with you." Twilight eyed them both evenly. "We find ourselves united towards a common goal; the defense of our home from a force that seeks to destroy everything we hold dear. If you would have it so, I would accept placement as your dinh and name us ka-tet." "One from many." Lyra and Moon Dancer intoned solemnly, then bowed their heads in acquiescence. "Then let it be done." Twilight's horn lit, and a small beam of magic extended from the tip. "Lyra Heartstrings; I would name you bondsmare. As your dinh, I will love you, protect you, and fight beside you always. Your family is my family. You are my daughter. You are my sister. In return, you will obey my orders without question. Should I demand you fight, you shall be tenacious. Should I command you to kill, you shall have no mercy. Shall it be so?" "Aye." Lyra's own horn emitted a beam of similar consistency. It stretched out and touched Twilight's in mid-air. "Moon Dancer; I would name you bondsmare. As your dinh, I will love you, protect you, and fight beside you always. Your family is my family. You are my daughter. You are my sister. In return, you will obey my orders without question. Should I demand you fight, you shall be tenacious. Should I command you to kill, you shall have no mercy. Shall it be so?" Moved to the point of tears, Moon Dancer nodded eagerly. "Aye." Her magic joined the others. The three Lawmares were now connected by magic; one from many. "Seal this ka-tet with our sacred creed." Twilight ordered. In one voice, the mares recited the creed taught to all apprentices on the day of their ascension. The creed known only to those who were worthy of wearing the badge of a Lawmare; "I do not aim with my hoof. She who aims with her hoof has forgotten the face of her mother. I aim with my eye. I do not cast with my horn. She who casts with her horn has forgotten the face of her mother. I cast with my mind. I do not kill with my magic. She who kills with her magic has forgotten the face of her mother. I kill with my heart." Their united magics pulsed once together, as though marking the moment. The beams returned to their point of origin, and the three mares smiled at each other. It was done. They were ka-tet now. One from many. And Celestia help any who stood in their way. ////////////////////////////////////////////// The older mare had just started dozing off when she heard the door to her cell swing open. Memories of her interrogation returned and she leapt to her hooves, ready to resist the intruder, whoever they might be. Her visitor wore a dark hooded robe, the pony's identity completely lost in the black folds. The mare cocked her head in confusion. "Are… you aren’t with the guard, are you?” The stranger shook their head. There was a spark of hope in the mare. “Are you with the Good Mare?" The stranger nodded. The older mare broke into a wide grin. "I knew she would send somepony for me. We must make haste. We have to warn Ponyville before..." The stranger moved so quickly, it might have been magic. The older mare found that the words refused to come. And something seemed to be blocking her breath. She reached for her throat, and her eyes widened at the feel of the throwing knife's hilt. She looked to the stranger in confusion, then found that she no longer had the stength to remain standing. She hit the hard stone floor, driving the blade of the knife even deeper. "You have served your purpose." The stranger's voice was distorted in her ears. She couldn't make out if it was a stallion or mare who had murdered her. "The Good Mare thanks you. May it be the clearing that awaits you at the end of your path and not the flaming pits of Nar.” This said, the stranger leaned foward and yanked the knife out. The last sight the older mare's eyes saw was her life’s blood pouring out onto the dusty floor of her prison cell.