Twilight and her friends looked at him in shock. Their mouths gapping open as they remembered the rumor Flash had told them. That Weaponry could have possible gone mad and killed all the guards he took with him, but would he really go so far as to kill?
Weaponry just stood there, his head low to the ground as the sounds of that fateful day rang in his head. The sounds of weapons clashing, hooves stopping to the ground, the roars of ponies screaming as they ran towards the enemy, and the buzzing of the changeling’s wings. However, the one thing that drowned out all the commotion was its roar: the sound of a leather object being drug down a stringed instrument echoed in his mind.
“Are you alright dear,” Rarity spoke up, seeing him deep in thought and the pain running through his eyes.
“I’m sorry, I-I just want to be alone for a while,” Weaponry said before he walked out of the library. None of them said a word to stop him; in retrospect none of them knew what to say to stop him from leaving.
“He always does this,” Flash sighed.
“Does what?” Pinkie asked.
“Avoid any questions about my sister or the incident in the San Palomino Desert,” Flash said before he picked up the picture staring at the image of his sister.
“Why in Equestria would you allow her to go knowing how dangerous it was,” Applejack asked.
“She was with Weaponry, I didn’t see a need to worry.” Flash said as he put the picture down. They all looked at him in confusion.
“When we were in hoof camp, I learned a lot about Weaponry and how dedicated he was, not only to the princess and the kingdom, but to his fellow pony fighting next to him. My sister saw how he used his magic to create weapons and was enthralled with it and wanted to learn it,” Flash said.
“After witnessing how he did such magical feats I got in contact with my brother to see if he could find or remember anything about magic being shaped as weapons. I even went so far as to ask the princess. So far neither one could find any book about it,” Twilight said.
“That’s because there is none, Weaponry’s magic is unique, something no other pony could do, but,” Flash said before he chuckled at the thought that entered his mind before he added, “He somehow was able to teach her how to do it, be that she could only make a bow and arrow.”
“She was able to create weapons?” Twilight said in shock before she quickly levitated a parchment and quill while asking,” Do you remember what he told her, did you see the training she went through to do it, did he tell her any.” Twilight was cut off by Applejack who placed a hoof on the parchment and placed it on the floor.
“Whoa there partner, I don’t think Flash wants to be interrogated right now,” Applejack said. Twilight blushed before apologizing.
“No worries. To be honest, I remember Weaponry telling her to visuals a weapon, any weapon. When she did, nothing happened. This went on for weeks until Weaponry told her think of a weapon that would keep her far away from the enemy. When she did, her horn light up as it did, Weaponry’s horn glowed as well and his aura seemed to mix with hers and a golden bow appeared above her. After that she was able to create a bow and what seemed like an infinite supply of arrows. Even Weaponry was shocked at the amount of arrows she could produce,” Flash Explained.
“Could Weaponry, mixing his magic with hers cause her to create it,” Rarity asked Twilight.
“I’m not sure, there’s nothing in any of the history books depicting an incident like that,” Twilight said.
“You still haven’t answered my question: why did you allow her to go?” Applejack asked again.
“Because after Hoof Camp, Weaponry rose up the ranks to become a commander and my sister was always his second in command. I was a commander of my own group when I heard Weaponry requested to take a group to the desert. Some of the guards in my group requested they go with him and since he had a reputation for returning with all his guards unscathed. I let them go and when I heard my sister would be going with him. I didn’t worry because I knew how much he cared for her. I knew he’d keep her safe and vice versa,” Flash said
“So you knew he would keep her safe and she would keep him from nearly killing himself to keep all of them safe,” Fluttershy said. Flash nodded before he sighed again.
“It didn’t go that way,” Flash said.
“You must have felt guilty when you found out you let your sister go on such a dangerous mission,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yeah, like super guilty, like eating someone’s birthday cake before they get the time to blow out the candles,” Pinkie said.
“Truth be told: I didn’t feel guilty, I felt anger and rage towards Weaponry. When he was released from the hospital I confronted him. I yelled, I screamed, I even hit him. He did nothing to stop me. He didn’t plead with me to forgive him, he didn’t cry for me to stop. He took it all and when I got done. He just stood there with his head low and that emotionless expression on his face. It made me so angry that I would have killed him if it wasn’t for the nurses holding me back after I hit him. The next day he resigned as a commander and that only caused my anger to increase. I wanted him punished, executed and I wanted to be there and watch as it happened. I wanted him to suffer,” Flash said. He stopped when he noticed the six staring at him in shock.
“Wow, seems like you were dealing with a lot of demons,” Rainbow Dash said.
“How can you too be so buddy, buddy now?” Pinkie asked a little confused.
---
Weaponry was walking through Ponyville. His thoughts on what had happened and the memories of the past still lingered in his mind.
However, the thoughts where interrupted by a voice echoing in his mind, “The past is in the past, the future it what you should be worrying about.” Weaponry looked around franticly. Everypony around him was busy doing their daily routines.
“You won’t find me in the physical plain,” the voice echoed again.
“Where are you,” Weaponry whispered, he remembered the voice but couldn’t put a face to it.
“Really now, you don’t remember our little conversation when you tried to kill me?” the voice questioned. Weaponry’s eye widened when he realized that the voice belonged to the figure he’s seen in his nightmares. How can it? Weaponry thought when he was interrupted by the voice saying, “I told you: your sorrow, your sadness, your pain feeds me. However, what I failed to mention: your hatred, your anger, your blood lust strengthens me. This is how I’m able to speak with you, be it for a short period of time.”
“What do you want?” Weaponry growled. The voice chuckled before a cold chill went down Weaponry’s spine. A chill he got whenever he saw that sadistic crooked smile of the figure.
“Have you already forgotten about our little chat?” the figure asked.
“You mean about the changelings?” Weaponry questioned. He kept his voice to a whisper so nopony would question why he would be talking to himself. He looked around for a spot to talk to the figure in privet before he added, “What about it?”
“Have you still not seen what I’ve been trying to tell you,” the voice asked. Weaponry shot to a small ally in-between two cottages.
“No, but what does this have to do with that. You barley told me anything?” Weaponry said
“A damn filly could have decoded my message. Do I need to spell it out for you?” the voice yelled causing Weaponry to wince in pain at the ringing in his head.
“All you told me was: She’s doing the same thing I would do with all those pawns at her disposal. An illusion of one strategy while using another,” Weaponry said. The voice just sighed.
“Why are you here? Why are you in this town?” the voice asked
“I’m here like the rest of the guards, to stop an all-out attack on,” Weaponry said before he stopped and added, “We have guards all across Equestria to stop an attack on all of the kingdom, but what if we’re wrong? What if they’re true target is?” Weaponry ran out of the ally and looked up at Canterlot.
“Bingo,” the voice chuckled. Weaponry suddenly ran towards the library. I have to tell Flash, we need to get every guard back to Canterlot. Weaponry thought.
Weaponry slammed through the door, interrupting Flash’s story. The sudden burst made Fluttershy jump and nearly fly into a wall if it wasn’t for Rainbow Dash catching her.
“We need to send a letter to the other guards across Equestria,” he said between each breath.
“Clam down Weaponry, catch your breath. What’s got you so worked up?” Flash said. Weaponry took long deep breaths.
“The changelings aren’t attacking all of Equestria. They attacked the cities, towns, and villages to make us believe that. What they’ve done is weaken our defenses in Canterlot. They’re going to attack Canterlot and take the kingdom by taking down the castle,” Weaponry explained.
“What makes you think that,” Rainbow Dash asked after she calmed down Fluttershy.
“No group has reported a changeling attack for days and we’ve only seen that one changeling in Ponyville. We all know that there aren’t that many guards at the castle and if they were to attack now, we’d lose the castle and the kingdom,” Weaponry said.
A guard rushed into the library yelling, “Commander Flash, we have a situation!” the guard led them all outside and pointed to a large black cloud heading towards them.
“Twilight, do you have a telescope?” Flash asked. Twilight nodded and ran into her home before she ran back out levitating the telescope. Flash looked through it and quickly looked back at the guard and said, “Inform the others and have a letter ready for the princess. Tell her a massive swarm of changelings are heading for the castle.” The guard nodded and galloped away.
“We should evaluate Ponyville to the castle,” Weaponry said. They all looked at him in shock.
“There are nearly two thousand ponies in Ponyville and the train can only take a hundred ponies at best,” Pinkie explained.
“Yeah, and the train takes at least half an hour to get to Canterlot and back, we wouldn’t have time to get everypony there before they reach the town,” Applejack said.
“Then we give them the time,” Weaponry said before he looked at Flash and added, “Get half the guards to help ponies on the train and defended them at the train station. Get the rest over here and have them stall the changelings. If we can get everypony to Canterlot, then we can get the protection spell up and keep the ponies and the princesses safe until the reinforcements arrive.” Flash nodded and quickly flew towards the Inn.
“What should we do,” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Start getting Ponies to the train station, prep the train for the transportation and whatever you do: don’t engage the changelings,” Weaponry said. The six quickly ran in opposite directions to gather all the ponies in town. Weaponry turned towards the large swarm of changelings, their buzzing wings echoing in the distance.
“Alright you pests,” Weaponry said. Six black orbs flew out of his horn. Each taking the shape of a weapon before he added, “bring it on.”
---
The figure stood in the middle of the desert with a sadistic crooked smile on its face.
“Soon I’ll be able to take back what was rightfully mine,” the figure chuckled as it turned and walked towards an open door in the middle of the desert. He walked through the door and as it started to close he added, “I’ve been away from my kingdom, for far too long.”