Chapter 21 - Anticipation
Silence lingered in the wake of Merry Weather’s departure, all eyes fixed on the broken body of the serving mare and the slowly expanding pool of crimson. Glazed, empty eyes stared back at Swan Song as the mare’s mouth remained frozen in an eternally silent scream.
She could hear the voices of her fellow blackwings calling to her, but she could not find the will to speak to them. Five had chosen to stay behind—all from her aerie. She would have been proud of their gesture if not for the folly of it.
You brave, loyal fools, Swan thought sadly. You’ve chosen death.
Part of her wanted to deny it—to believe that with Merry gone, she could find a new life without him. Thoughts of Princess and Flint’s tactical squad reminded her of how much more there was to life than what she had known as a slave. Now, none of that mattered; her own fate lay bleeding out on the floor at her hooves.
Such was the outcome for many a blackwing. She had seen it several times growing up. Those who could not work, or who spoke out against their keepers, or simply said the wrong thing at the wrong time were all made an example of.
The sight of it no longer shocked Swan as it once had. It seemed, in many ways, a blessing. With death, one was finally free of this waking nightmare. A part of her envied the fallen mare for that.
She was so tired of it all. She just wanted it over with.
Swan lay down and rested her head against the cool floor. All of her strength seemed to have abandoned her. Tears stung wet on her cheeks, but she didn’t care. Her rage, her despair, both had faded away into nothing, leaving her an empty husk.
Time seemed to come to a stop. She wasn’t sure how long she had been lost in the sea of emotions before a flicker of movement caught her attention.
Still standing beside Merry’s table, the director was talking into her holo-brace. Swan wondered how anyone could appear so calm despite everything that had just happened. Twilight wore a slight frown as if this was all some minor inconvenience and not the disaster that it was.
“What do you mean you’ve lost them?” she suddenly whispered, probably louder than she intended. “Alright, I’ll handle it.”
She finished her call, pausing for a moment of thought.
“May I have your attention,” Twilight announced, all eyes turning to look at her. “I must ask you all remain here for your own safety until the situation is resolved.”
A murmur spread through the guests for a moment until louder voices rose up among them.
“This is preposterous!” one of the horn-heads sneered. “We will not be prisoners here!”
There was a chorus of supporting yells from both delegations.
The alicorn merely raised a hoof and the baying crowd fell silent.
“This is a Harmony Security matter,” Twilight replied curtly. “Captain Oakheart will answer any questions in my stead. Now, I must leave to tend to an important matter.” She then gestured to the stallion standing beside her.
“And where are you going?” one of the Alliance ponies asked in frustration.
Twilight looked in his direction but said nothing. She then whispered something to Oak, who nodded and replied quietly to her.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said.
With that, the alicorn vanished in a bright flash with an audible gust of displaced air.
Everyone fell quiet as they waited for Oakheart to make a move. The stoic stallion wore a mask of professional dispassion, his hard stare cowing even the more vocal delegates.
“It may be some time before the situation is resolved, so I suggest you all get comfortable,” Oakheart said finally, his head bowing slightly. “Rest assured, I will keep you updated as the situation develops.”
A torrent of questions rained down on him. Soon, the bickering devolved into an argument between the two parties as the horn-heads and dirt ponies turned on each other.
Oakheart watched the squabbling like a disappointed teacher looking over his unruly class. He then calmly walked away from Merry’s table towards the body of the fallen mare. A plethora of emotions fell over his face as he gazed at the body: anger, disgust, and even sadness?
With a heavy sigh, he glanced around until his eyes fell on an unoccupied table. In a swift move, he ripped the sheet off it. The clatter of smashing plates and wine glasses echoed through the hall like an avalanche.
Swan could only watch dumbfounded as he returned to the mare’s body and gently closed her eyes before covering her with the sheet.
The whole room watched him intently in utter silence.
“A mare has just died here. Show some respect,” Oakheart said finally.
It was surreal to watch this stern Alliance stallion act with such care towards a pegasus, never mind a blackwing.
Oakheart’s gaze then turned to Swan, the intensity of his eyes making her shrink. As he walked towards her, a myriad of questions began forming in her mind.
Her reflexive instincts took over for a moment as she considered his intent. Was he coming to gloat? To revel in a disgraced pillow-stuffer getting what she deserved?
The thoughts evaporated as suddenly as they had come. Yes, he was a dirt pony, the enemy, after all. And yet, she found her prejudice and fear swept away like leaves in a strong gale when he spoke.
“Are you hurt, lieutenant?” he asked, the gentle concern in his voice surprising her. “Can you stand?”
“Just leave me here,” she replied, looking away in shame. “The floor is where broken things belong.”
“I can’t do that,” he said. “You’re a part of my crew and that makes you my responsibility.”
Responsibility, Swan thought. Like her and her aerie… Still, she couldn’t bring herself to stand.
He turned to the other blackwings gathered around, each currently looking as bewildered as Swan felt.
“Help me carry her somewhere more comfortable,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle, bearing none of his usual stern authority.
The other blackwings looked to each other, but none chose to stop the stallion. Instead, they numbly helped him lift Swan onto his back.
Normally, she would have resisted with every fibre of her being. Carried around on a dirt pony’s back? A few days ago, she would have died of shame at the mere idea of it. But now? With her pride lying broken on the floor with her body, she had come to a point where she didn’t care anymore.
Oakheart carried her over to a pile of discarded floor cushions and gently laid her down before sitting beside her.
“I’ve sent for a nurse,” he assured. “Just in case.”
Swan looked away, her thoughts becoming a jumbled mess in her mind. Eventually, a simple question compelled her to speak.
“Why?” She asked. “Why are you helping us now? You never cared before.”
Oakheart let out a sigh. “Could I speak to you in private?”
She numbly nodded, gesturing for her aerie to give them some space. They shuffled off to sit at an empty table and talk amongst themselves while Oakheart remained quiet, his expression thoughtful. It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally spoke.
“You’ve been on Harmony for what, six months?”
“Eight,” Swan corrected.
“Yes, eight. In all that time, I only saw you pegasi as trouble. You were everything my tribe saw you as: arrogant, aloof, pretentious…” He shook his head. “I was content to wait for the director to send you all back home. But I was wrong. I should have done more to help you. I’m sorry it had to come to this.”
He was… sorry? Swan looked at him dumbfounded.
As he sat there beside her, a slight smile played on his lips. “It’s funny. It took that bulldozer of a mare to make me see what was right there in front of me. You were all suffering, and I had chosen to ignore it.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Swan asked, the quietness in her voice surprising her. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to see that you and your aerie aren’t alone—that Harmony hasn’t abandoned you,” he said firmly. “And I want you to be respected as valued members of the Harmony defense force, not as disposable mercenaries.”
Swan’s gaze followed his, to the young fliers gathered around their table, occasionally glancing at her with concern. They looked to her with frightened eyes, desperate for something to cling to. For someone to tell them it was going to be okay.
“That’s going to depend on whether or not we live through this,” Swan pointed out quietly. “What’s happened with Merry? I heard the director saying…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, though Oak confirmed what she already knew to be true.
“We appear to have lost him for now,” he admitted with a sigh. “He has proven to be surprisingly capable.”
“Lost him?” she repeated in surprise. “Isn’t Flurry with him? She’s not hard to spot.”
“Flurry…” Oak suddenly appeared self-conscious, almost embarrassed. “We thought we knew where she was. It seems Merry has put out a decoy. Flint recovered her holo-brace.”
Swan’s ears flattened, and she looked away. “I guess we’ve all underestimated him.”
A gnawing indignation rose up within her. This was more than underestimating. He had used them. Thrown their lives away, not for honour, not for the Republic, but just to line his own pockets and satisfy his carnal desires. Her wings bristled at the thought of him.
“I must say, you showed some real courage standing up to him like you did,” Oak remarked. “I know that couldn’t have been easy for you.”
“I don’t know what happened. It felt like the floor was falling beneath my hooves,” she said, closing her eyes tightly. “The next thing I know, I’ve grabbed a knife and I’m lunging at him. If Flurry hadn’t stopped me…”
Her eyes opened wide as realization hit her like a sledgehammer. “Oh winds, what have I done?”
“Truthfully? I can’t say I blame you,” he said softly. “All that pain—all that rage had to come out at some point. Trust me, I know how that felt. I understand.”
“How can you understand? How can you when you’re just a…” Her words trailed off.
Oak regarded her thoughtfully. “May I tell you a war story?”
Swan flinched internally. Her father’s involvement in the great war had left her wary of hearing what any Alliance soldier had to say about it. At any rate, she gave a subtle nod, prompting him to begin.
Oak’s expression grew pained as if he was struggling to drag long-buried emotions to the surface.
“It was shortly after the war began. The Black Twelve left so few of us alive,” he said quietly, his jaw tightening. “After the dead were counted and our ranks replenished, I swore vengeance against the pegasi for what they had done.”
Swan winced inwardly. All she had ever seen of the war was from the vids. What the Alliance called the Black Twelve was a swift and glorious victory for her tribe. It never occurred to her how the other side felt about it. An unsettling pit formed in her stomach.
“I’m sorry,” she said without thinking.
“War is war,” he replied with a sad smile. “Anyway, trust me that I know what it is to hate. Back then, I only thought your tribe capable of treachery and brutality. Before long, I had fallen into a reckless obsession that only grew worse with each passing month.
Swan’s ears perked forward in surprise. She barely knew this stallion, but she had a hard time imagining him as anything but honourable.
“What happened?” she asked.
“A few years into the war, I was tasked with hunting a Republic carrier that had been hitting our convoys. It was bad. Dozens of shattered vessels, completely gutted. We never found any survivors, not even escape pods,” he began.
“But a pegasus would never stoop so low!” she exclaimed before catching herself. “Oh, sorry.”
“By the time we caught up with her, we were all hungry for blood. The carrier was using every trick and ploy to escape us,” he continued. “Consumed by my obsession, all I could think of was destroying that damnable ship. When we finally engaged them, the captain of the carrier hailed us before even a shot was fired. He wanted to surrender.”
“Surrender?” Swan asked. This story seemed familiar somehow, but the memory flitted about in the back of her mind, refusing to reveal itself.
“Indeed. He made all the proper overtures, but I wanted him dead. I ordered my crew to open fire with everything we had,” Oak said, lowering his head. “If my XO hadn’t stopped me right then…”
He let out a sigh and paused a moment to collect himself. “Turned out the captain of that ship had been rescuing survivors from the Alliance convoys he destroyed. When we finally caught up with him, his ship was badly damaged and he was afraid for their lives. Imagine that.”
Swan put a hoof to her lips. She was positive she had heard of this. But it wasn’t in any of the vids, she knew that much.
The bitterness in Oak’s voice struck a chord with her. Had he achieved his vengeance, many of his own would have died. The parallel to her own actions this day was not lost on her.
“Your rage then turned to shame,” Swan speculated aloud.
Oak nodded solemnly.
“How did you get over it?”
“One day at a time,” he replied. “All you can do is pick up the pieces and press on. Which is what you need to do right now.”
“What’s the point? We’re dead,” she lamented.
“Not yet, you aren’t. You are only ever truly lost if you believe you are,” he said. “A good friend taught me that.”
Swan looked to the earth pony and saw the sincerity in his eyes. A strange feeling rose in her; it reminded her of her father.
“Don’t focus on the future. Focus on the now,” he added.
“But if Merry escapes—”
“Rest assured, lieutenant, my crew are doing their damndest to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said as he stood up. “And I know Ms. Flurry won’t give up, so you can’t either.”
There was a faint challenge in his voice. It jabbed at the smouldering remains of her pride, breathing life into the embers. She let out a shaky breath as she dug into her last shreds of strength. If she was going to die, she would do it as a pegasus and not as a slave.
Oakheart gave her an approving smile. He offered her one of the cloth serviettes from a nearby table. “Here… to help you clean up. I fear this commotion has made a mess of all that makeup.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said, giving him a weak smile. “Is there any way we can help?”
“For now, it’s best if you stay here and wait with your aerie,” he replied. “Merry can still kill any of you at will, so even if you managed to find him, you’d only give him more hostages.”
“But Flurry needs our help!” she exclaimed, surprising herself with the intensity in her voice.
The thought of Flurry out there at the mercy of that monster sent a shudder through her body. The alicorn was tough, but no mare should have to go through what Swan and the mares of her aerie had suffered.
“Actually, there is something you can do,” Oak mentioned, rubbing his chin.
“Sir?”
“Merry’s guest delegations…”
Swan followed Oak’s gaze as he took another glance at the tables of quietly bickering ponies across the hall. She wouldn’t be surprised if they started flinging food at each other.
“They grow restless,” he continued. “Security is all tied up looking for Merry, so I could really use some help making sure they stay put and behave themselves. It would allow me to help coordinate the search.”
Swan turned to face Oak again and straightened herself. To think… blackwings policing esteemed faction representatives? She didn’t have to ponder it long.
“It would be my pleasure, sir!”
“Very good,” he smiled, giving her a salute. “Carry on, lieutenant.”
“Thank you, sir. We’ll get on it right away,” she said, returning his salute as well as his smile. It surprised her how natural the action suddenly felt.
Oak looked again to the quarrel and let out a sigh. “Now, I’ve got to explain to our new friends here who will be in charge of them while they wait. Stay strong, lieutenant! I’ll have someone keep you informed if I hear anything about Merry.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said.
The earth pony gave her a smile before walking over towards the coven of unicorns.
Closing her eyes, Swan Song took a breath before returning to her aerie mates.
“Swan, are you okay?” Cinnamon asked, her voice laced with worry bordering on panic.
“What’s going on?” came another voice.
“Why is the dirt pony helping us?”
Swan gave them all a gentle smile to calm their nerves. “Okay okay, settle down,” she soothed. “I’m feeling much better now. Thank you, my friends.”
The blackwings were tentative but each put on a brave face. It was more than she could have asked for, given that they could all be dead by this time tomorrow.
She wished the rest of her aerie were here. They had probably all been recalled to the Glorium by now. Would Merry spin a tale for them that Swan had betrayed him? Who would guide them now, without her? Swan’s stomach tightened at the thought.
“Do they know where Merry is?” Poppy asked, her voice still carrying an edge of anxiety to it. “We need to find the branding staff!”
“He’s still on the loose, but Captain Oakheart has his best ponies on it. He will let us know as soon as they know more.”
“We should be out there looking then. If we don’t find that staff, we’re all—”
“No, Poppy,” Swan interrupted. “We have to stay out of the way and let security do their job. Listen, do you trust me?”
“Of course. We’re with you, Swan.”
“Then hear what I have to say. For right now, you are no longer blackwings.”
Quizzical glances shot back and forth between them, prompting a subtle smile to creep onto Swan’s muzzle.
“If we die today, we die as Pegasi of the Republic,” Swan continued. “Regardless of what happens, they’ll know we acted with honour. And by the winds, I swear it will not be in vain. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Swan was relieved to see her aerie mates nodding in agreement, their posture straightening.
“What happens now?” Cinnamon asked.
“We have a job to do,” Swan proclaimed with a smile, her head held high. It was obvious they were confused, but her budding optimism seemed to be rubbing off on them as she tried her best to keep them from sinking into despair as she had.
After explaining what Oak wanted them to do, Swan watched as her friends set upon the Federation and Alliance delegates. Over the next half hour, there were several times when someone attempted to get up and leave, only to be ushered back to their respective tables and told to sit quietly.
Swan had to admit, she took a certain perverse pleasure in watching those Alliance fools squirm. All their bluster did them little good now. It all helped distract her from what was going on beyond the hall. There had been no word from Oak or Flint regarding Merry or Flurry. What was going on out there?
“Hey, Swanny!” A familiar voice called out to her suddenly.
“Blitz?”
It was! Swan quickly turned to see the stallion flying towards her.
Her heart leapt as he set down beside her. A flood of emotions overcame her, and before she knew what she was doing, she had thrown her forelegs tightly around his neck, tears filling her eyes.
“Oh, thank the winds. I thought I’d never see you again,” Swan admitted, swept away in the moment.
“Whoa, easy there, Swanny,” Blitz gasped as she tightened her grip.
Swan felt his wing gently stroke her back, making her overly aware of the affection she was giving. She quickly released her friend, wiping her eyes with an awkward chuckle.
“Blitz, why aren’t you on the Glorium? We heard Merry giving the order to prep and depart,” she asked as a series of questions flooded her mind.
“We, uh, we almost did,” Blitz replied. “The entire aerie was scrambled code alpha—no time to even finish a sandwich. All the fighters and bombers were spooled up and ready to fly when I heard the radio chatter. The Glorium was undocked, awaiting the Icarus, and prepping to jump. That’s when I ordered the aerie to power down. Something big is going down.”
“I bet that went well,” Swan remarked.
“Glorium comms went ballistic. We were called traitors and told we would be left behind to die unless we docked with the carrier that instant. That’s when I asked where you were. They said you had already betrayed his lordship and were staying behind. No way we were going to abandon our mother hen, so we’re all still on station.”
Swan looked away, feeling fresh tears form in her eyes. “You idiots.”
“Learned from the best. So what’s happened here, Swan? Security is tearing the place apart looking for Merry.”
“No time for that, Blitz,” Swan stated, wiping her eyes again. “Do you know if the Icarus has departed? If Merry—”
“Easy, Swanny. I don’t have any info on that. I was on my way to CIC when Commander Snow Drift practically crashed into me. She said I needed to come here and escort you to Medical right away. Swan… Flurry’s been shot.”
Swan’s blood ran cold as her mind raced. What?
<=======ooO Ooo=======>
The faint crackling sound and occasional whiff of ozone coming off her wings were enough to remind Flurry that she best not do anything stupid. Up until this point, Merry Weather had been an annoyance. But she had just seen him kill a mare in cold blood without a care. It was the kind of psychosis normally reserved for pirate lords and megalomaniacs. What madness had brought this stallion to lead Harmony’s air group?
Shortly after leaving the Fairbright Hall, Merry and his officers had led the entourage of thirty or so blackwings down a staircase into the maintenance access tunnels beneath what passed for the ground level of the city. The bright and crisp facades of the upper buildings were now replaced by the hum of utility services, claustrophobic bundles of overhead pipes, and the echo of many hooves clattering through bare metal corridors.
“Who trusted you with the codes to the utility zones?” Flurry asked as she was prodded forward by Merry’s officers.
Merry stopped and regarded her for a moment. “My dear, do you honestly think I had not planned for such a contingency? I know I am not well-liked by those in power on this station. It was only a matter of time before we would need to make a swift and unceremonious exit.”
At that, he grabbed Flurry’s foreleg, examining her holo-brace. “This won’t do. You there…”
A softly dappled grey mare turned to face him in surprise. “My lord?” Flurry recognized her as one of the musicians from the party as well as in Merry’s lair, earlier when she and Oak had first confronted him.
Merry undid the buckle on Flurry’s holo-brace and then took the grey mare’s foreleg, fastening it to hers instead.
“Fly for me, my darling. Set the authorities on a wild chase throughout the station while we make our escape.”
“I- I can’t,” she stammered in fear. “Please do not ask me to leave your side.”
A stern anger briefly crossed over Merry’s face before he composed himself once more. “You will do as I say.”
The mare’s wings crackled slightly, causing her to flinch. “My lord, I will die without you! Please… I have shown my devotion. If only—”
Merry’s voice became soft, like a parent comforting a child. “Shh, there there, my loyal servant. Consider it a privilege to help ensure your master’s safety. You will not be forgotten. And if you are successful, I may even be able to have your family freed.”
Tears formed in her eyes as she silently pleaded for him to change his mind.
Merry’s eyes, however, grew impatient. “Now go!” he demanded.
The mare yelped as she stumbled nearly to her knees from a far more severe jolt before recovering and running back up the stairs to the surface.
“Do you always make a habit of killing your blackwings?” Flurry asked.
Merry got right in her face where she could smell his stinking breath. “Pray you do not find out the answer to that too soon, my pet.” And with that, they were again on their way into the depths of the station’s underbelly.
Before long, the corridors led to an underground service rail running alongside a silent and empty platform. To Flurry, it felt sterile and barren, much like everything else on this station. There were none of the usual scents of sick, sweat, and urine that clung to places like this. The walls were unsullied by graffiti or posters advertising the local brothel. There wasn’t even a hobo or drunk waiting to ask for credits or trying to mug them. She watched as Downdraft busily tapped commands into his holo-brace to summon the train.
“Your getaway vehicle?” she inquired.
Merry ignored her as a slight breeze picked up from out of the dark maw of the tunnel. Soon, she saw the lights of the subway, and then the train itself spilled out into the well-lit station.
After everyone was herded aboard, Downdraft commanded the train to dive into the blackened tunnel on the opposite side of the station.
Here in the utility district, the harsh and intermittent lighting bore no resemblance to the glorious artificial daylight visible to the city proper. The loud rhythmic clacking of the metal wheels on tracks reminded Flurry of a deep mining colony she had once worked for centuries ago. It lacked all the comforts of the Orion’s tram and especially Harmony’s aboveground monorail which ferried ponies back and forth in near-luxury.
A nagging feeling wormed its way into Flurry’s gut. Merry wasn’t merely an annoying idiot who lucked himself into a prominent position on Harmony Station. He was apparently quite well-connected—well enough to have acquired override codes for the maintenance subway. She wondered what else he was prepared for and what they’d have to do to keep him from boarding the Glorium before it was too late.
For now, Flurry’s only advantage was that Merry seemed to put great value on her. She was, simultaneously, both Merry’s greatest leverage and his greatest liability—not a chance he would follow through with his threat to kill her if they tried to stop him. But then, he talked almost as highly of Swan, and Flurry had just witnessed how that turned out. If pushed, would he just flip the kill switch on her as well?
Flurry’s mind drifted to Swan Song as the train moved through the blackness beneath the city. It had all happened so fast with Swan suddenly threatening Merry’s life, the look of anger and betrayal burned into her glistening eyes.
She had robbed Swan of her chance to strike out at the monster that had enslaved, humiliated, and violated her. It had to be done, of course. Had she succeeded, they would have all been killed. Aside from that, she couldn’t help but wonder how Swan was doing, left behind to die with no hope of righting all that was wrong in her life.
It was good to just sit. Flurry’s body still ached from her fight with the windigo, despite the expert medical attention she had received. It reminded her that whatever happened, she was in no condition for a fight.
Glancing down the aisle of the train, she got a better look at the ponies along for the ride. Many were Merry’s officers, keeping a close eye on the bewildered and terrified blackwings amongst them. Flurry felt nothing but pity for the poor wretches. Their world was collapsing before their eyes, and they were desperately clinging to what they knew as well as the will to live.
Notably, of all the blackwings here, none were from Swan’s aerie. It impressed on Flurry the level of loyalty that mare truly had inspired among the young pilots—even to the death.
Immediately to Flurry’s left sat Merry Weather, looking smug and confident. He casually draped a wing over Flurry’s shoulder, making her want to retch. She glared daggers at him but said nothing.
“There’s no need to be so petulant, my dear,” Merry offered. “You played your hoof and you lost. Honestly, what did you expect?”
“Oh, I don’t know… maybe someone getting a savage beating followed by cocktails,” Flurry replied with a flippant shrug.
A grimace took over Merry’s expression as he thrust a forehoof into her face, pulling her until their eyes met. “Once we’re away from here, I may just take you up on that offer. You’ve caused me no end of trouble.”
“Come now, Merry… causing trouble is my specialty. I thought you knew this,” Flurry replied, giving him a smile. “I suppose I can’t blame you. One look at my fine ass would make just about anyone lose himself.”
“And what a prize you are,” Merry chuckled. “After I’ve had my fun breaking you for a few years, your bounty alone will set me up for life.”
“Assuming you make it off the station. And you’re a fool if you think the emperor will just welcome you back to the Republic.”
“Such little faith in your master,” Merry mocked. “Everything is already in motion, my dear. Soon, we will be safely whisked away and your new life will begin. And don’t worry your pretty head about His Majesty… He won’t be around forever. Change is coming.”
Flurry pondered that for a moment. Stratos was old but not that old. How deep did Merry’s treachery run? After a pause, she thought she better change the subject.
“I have to admit, it takes some real guts to deal with the Windigo,” Flurry remarked. “And even more to double-cross them. Or maybe that’s just stupidity.”
Flurry chuckled as she clenched her teeth to endure the expected price for that comment. Her muscles ached after the painful jolt subsided. Worth it.
“My lord,” Downdraft spoke. “The Glorium reports she is prepped and underway. Umbilicals cleared and awaiting our arrival. She is ready to jump on your command.”
“You wouldn’t,” Flurry murmured, knowing if the carrier jumped this close to the station, the jump vortex would rip the guts out of Harmony’s underside.
“Oh, my dear, do not worry. I have no intention of starting an interstellar incident. Though you have to admit, it would provide an adequate distraction for our escape. The captain is merely putting some distance from the station to ensure a prompt departure once we dock.”
Flurry’s mind spun around looking for any way she might throw a spanner in the works, but the blackwing enchantment gave her nothing to work with. She could still feel the wretched spell using her own natural strength to keep her as weak as a mortal.
“Now arriving at: Harmony Space Terminal,” an automated feminine voice announced. “Please make sure to take all of your belongings with you as you exit the train.”
“Come along, your chariot awaits,” Merry invited, his haughty voice making her want to throttle him as they all stood to disembark.
As Merry and Downdraft led the way, a pair of officers behind Flurry prodded at her, trying to herd her along. Of course, she wasn’t making it easy for them with her snarling and threatening glares. Despite being in no condition to resist, she found it satisfying to see them flinch.
The blackwings were led into a corridor, leaving the station behind as Downdraft worked out the route and led everyone toward the docks. Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a locked door, a puzzled look on his face. “This hatchway leads to the docking bay housing the Icarus. I’m not able to override it for some reason.”
The flustered shipmaster tapped at his holo-brace as Flurry watched Merry’s confidence begin to slip.
“Problem?” she asked. “Too bad I don’t have my comms. I could probably even get an escort for you.” Her innocent expression only served to irritate him further.
“We can carry you back unconscious to the ship if you’d like,” Merry offered. “I advise you not to convince me that you are more trouble than you’re worth.”
“That’s everyone’s view of me anyway. This is news to you?”
Merry did his best to ignore her though she could see with some satisfaction that she was getting to him.
“I have an alternate,” Downdraft reported, leading them further down the corridor.
Eventually, they all stood before a large double door marked ‘Docking Bay 45’. Before the stallion even issued the command to open it, the hair along Flurry’s withers began to stand on end. A feeling of dread crept into her gut for just a moment until she recognized what was causing it. Glancing briefly over her shoulder, she could see that quite a few of their entourage were also becoming jittery.
The doors parted, revealing the brightly lit shuttle hangar and an old industrial tug docked on the opposite end with the name Icarus marked on its side. It must have been over a century old and in quite a state of disrepair. Flurry shook her head in disbelief. How long had this been parked here with no one suspecting its real purpose?
Merry strode forward with confidence towards the wreck of a ship. “Hurry along, we have no time to waste!”
Once everyone had stepped into the hangar bay, the doorway closed and a dark greenish fog formed all around them, blotting out the bay. It quickly grew so thick as to make it impossible to see more than a few canters. What was more, all the normal background noises of the hangar had faded away, replaced with an eerie silence punctuated with the sounds of feral creatures off in the distance. Flurry could make out the musky smell of rotting wood and moss. Somewhere, a coyote howled, adding to the creepy ambiance.
Flurry was loving it. She hadn’t seen theatrics this convincing since her childhood when Nyx was in charge of the haunted house attraction. The only thing missing was…
The eyes. Flurry caught sight of a pair of gleaming eyes piercing the fog. Then they were gone. She looked around, trying to see what was happening, only to hear the thump of a pony being kicked to the ground and dragged off.
“My lord, where are you?” came Downdraft’s voice. Flurry moved in that direction.
Blackwings froze in fear, clustered together while the officers in charge of them were thinned out one by one. Occasionally, Flurry saw a dark shape snatch them away with a yelp or a scream. One stood his ground in defiance, only to fall with the crack of broken limbs and a muffled cry before vanishing into the swirling darkness.
“Show yourself!” Merry demanded. “Or half this group dies right now.”
Everyone glanced back and forth until the fog peeled back just enough to reveal what appeared like the spectre of death directly in front of Merry Weather. The tall, utterly black alicorn stood before them, cat-like eyes gleaming and nostrils flaring in anger. Her lips were snarled back, exposing sharp fangs while her horn crackled with energy, ready to strike down her next victim.
“I suspected you might be the compassionate type,” Merry mused. “Seems I was right. You share your cousin’s weakness in valuing the lives of these blackwings. Now back away, slowly, unless you wish for one of these to bleed out before you.”
Nyx said nothing, merely locking eyes with him while holding her posture and taking two steps back.
“Oh ho ho! Will you have a look at that. Even the wrath of the mighty Nightmare can be tamed”, Merry gloated with a cocky, overconfident lilt in his voice. “Yes, I’ve heard of you, though most of it I suspect is fanciful legend.”
It wasn’t, of course. But Nyx held her tongue, waiting for Merry to make the next move. Meanwhile, Downdraft crept off to the side while Flurry trailed behind him, not wanting to lose him in the fog.
“Now stand aside and we’ll be on our way,” Merry demanded.
Flurry watched from behind Downdraft as Merry groped around half-blind, trying to regain his sense of direction. It was then, while Nyx’s attention was fully on Merry, that Downdraft placed his right foreleg into a satchel. There was a click as a mechanism grasped his leg.
Oh no you don’t… Flurry thought as her heart quickened.
It was the brace of an assassin’s rifle. She knew that sound anywhere.
Downdraft carefully withdrew his foreleg from the satchel, sporting the slender muzzle that extended out from the weapon. The trigger plate rested alongside his fetlock within easy reach of his left hoof. He reared onto his hind legs and took aim at the back of Nyx’s head.
Flurry lunged, wrapping her forelegs around Downdraft’s neck and tackling him to the ground.
“My lord!” Downdraft yelled, gasping as he fought against the increasing pressure.
His stinking breath washed against Flurry’s face as she held her grip firm. He was quite strong—at least that was her impression before remembering why blackwings were sapped of their strength while not on a mission. Leveraging her weight against him, she tried her best to wrestle his aim away from Nyx while he writhed against her, twisting to get out of the chokehold.
His cries seemed to shake Merry’s focus away from taunting Nyx, causing his anger to flare. The stallion flexed a wing, his expression furious.
“Fool!” he yelled, but it seemed muffled and distant.
“No! Wait, she’s too close!” Downdraft cried, his voice straining against her grip.
Flurry tried to prepare herself, but there was little she could do. Pain blossomed throughout her body as a powerful surge of electricity coiled around her, sending her muscles into a spasm. Her grip on Downdraft tightened as he screamed in agony alongside her. Merry was not holding back this time as flashes of lightning arcing over both their bodies lit up the fog surrounding them.
Flurry could feel the muscles and sinews of Downdraft’s neck being compressed. He reached up, desperately trying to break her grip, but she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to.
Downdraft writhed in her grip that was now growing ever-tighter on its own accord. Suddenly, there was a wet snap, followed by the single report of his weapon firing. His cries were cut off, his body growing limp.
Whoops.
Merry’s onslaught ended, and Flurry slumped to the ground, the stench of singed fur wafting into her nostrils. Her muscles burned, but now a new pain erupted as blood flowed out of a hole in her chest.
“Flurry!” Nyx cried.
“No, you idiot!” Merry yelled at the now-dead stallion.
Blackness played at the edges of Flurry’s vision, but she struggled to fight it off.
“Enough!” Merry yelled at Nyx. “One more step and I kill every blackwing!”
Nyx ignored him and rushed to her side.
“Flurry, hold still—you’re hurt,” she gently instructed.
Flurry wheezed, each breath a struggle, her lungs burning.
“My dress is ruined,” she croaked.
Nyx smiled despite herself, but it was short-lived. She looked sternly upon their assailant.
“It’s over, Merry. Surrender now and I might overlook what you just did to my cousin.”
“Oh thanks,” Flurry muttered.
“Well, you did just break his lackey’s neck.”
“It was an accident!” Flurry protested. “The dumbass electrocuted me!”
“Didn’t you hear me?! I’ll kill every blackwing!” Merry yelled, clearly tired of being ignored. “Perhaps you need another reminder of my power!”
He opened his wings, his eyes filled with the expectation of watching more innocents die before his eyes. Only this time, nothing happened.
“What?!” Merry gasped.
It was then that Twilight emerged from the fog, stepping in front of Merry, her horn aglow in a soft light.
“Oh, you won’t be harming ponies anymore,” she stated.
“Mom, Flurry’s hurt. We need to get her out of here,” Nyx urged.
Twilight gasped and rushed over to the wounded alicorn.
“Hold on, Flurry. I’ll teleport us to the hospital.”
“No way,” Flurry snorted, shrugging off her aunt’s attempts to help. “I’m not missing out on this!”
“Now’s not the time to play tough. Nyx has this,” Twilight insisted.
Flurry met her eyes. How could she explain what she was feeling? Was Twilight even capable of understanding? If only for once she just…
It was then that Twilight let out a sigh, her eyes becoming soft as she looked upon the battered mare.
“You’re sure?” she asked.
Flurry winced and nodded.
“Alright then. Girls, do as you wish—but remember you don’t have much time.”
“You- you can’t do this! I have my rights!” Merry stammered. He then shut his mouth, swallowing as he looked back towards a looming Nyx approaching him with rage in her eyes.
Nyx’s kick was so fast he didn’t even have time to flinch. He was sent sprawling backwards, blood erupting from a now thoroughly broken nose.
Flurry struggled to her hooves, the action taking all of her strength. Every breath was agony, her chest feeling like she was driving a spear into it. By all accounts, she probably should just lay down, but she wasn’t about to miss this ass-kicking.
“Surely, we can come to an agreeable—” Merry whimpered before he was cut off.
Another kick sent him onto his back, ribs audibly cracking as he hit the floor, a massive hoof-shaped welt forming on his cheek.
“Hey fatso, if you do me a favour, I’ll call her off,” Flurry offered.
“Anything!” Merry cried, falling to the floor.
“You see, some asshole put this enchantment on me, and it’s been a mite inconvenient,” she stated. “You wouldn’t be a pal and remove it, would you?”
“Noooo, anything but that…” Merry whined before his body was tossed in an arc like a ragdoll and smashed against the floor. He cried out sharply as several more of his ribs shattered.
“I- I…” Merry stuttered, reluctance in his voice.
They all watched as Merry’s sense of self-preservation battled with the desire to hold onto his trump card, his face anguished with the decision.
They didn’t have time for this.
“Nyx,” Flurry said coldly.
Her cousin nodded, grabbing Merry’s foreleg and snapping it like it was a twig. Merry screamed in agony, making Twilight grimace beside them.
“Is this really necessary?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yes,” Flurry and Nyx said in unison.
Merry clutched onto his shattered foreleg, looking up at them with tear-streaked eyes.
“Tick tock,” Flurry continued. “Nyx is running out of patience and you’re running out of bones.”
When Nyx moved to grab his other foreleg, Merry relented.
“Fine, fine!” He yelled. “Just keep her away from me!”
Just then, Flurry felt something uncoil deep within her body, her senses and strength suddenly sharpening. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as the blackness on her wings bled away, returning them to her natural colours. She felt invigorated, despite her many injuries, as her thaumatic energy was freed. Still, her lungs burned as she was still painfully aware of the gunshot wound to her chest.
“How much time do we have?” Flurry wheezed.
“Another minute maybe,” Twilight replied, looking at her worriedly as the glow in her horn began to fade.
“I imagine a motivated person could cause a lot of damage in that time,” Nyx said.
“Yeah, it’ll do,” Flurry said, giving Merry an ominous grin.
They all watched as Merry desperately tried to drag himself away.
With a flick of her newly returned telekinetic prowess, she pulled him whimpering back to her.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do since we first met,” Flurry purred.
She then reached out with her telekinesis, gently moving down the whimpering stallion’s belly until she finally found what she was looking for.
Stats
Page generated in 0.06 seconds
Total duration
1,041 users online
105,967 hits today, 2,818,023 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
About time. (For Merry Weather not the chapter).
Having access to the override command had me thinking. Did he have connections? Undoubtably. But how much else was done through old-fashioned bribes, blackmail, bullying and thievery. Merry seemed the type to be pompous but not a careful planner, which is obvious given his plan with the Windigo.
It seem’s he thought he could have his cake and keep eating with nothing coming back to him.
Serves him right.
New chapter! Love this fic, its quite interesting
Man what a chapter, as always worth the wait.
BEHOLD, MERRY WEATHER! THE COCK-AND-BALL-TORTURE-INATOR!
At long last, the ass-kicking has commenced. And it couldn’t be happening to a more deserving character. Merry Weather is a crafty and dangerous villain, almost always scheming or getting one step ahead of the cast. His beatdown came at a perfect time, right as he seemed poised to escape consequence-free.
Of course, the rest of the chapter was great as well. Swan and Blitz’s reunion was heartwarming. I loved Oakheart’s war story and how it showed a different perspective of the Alliance’s conflict. The world building here always makes for an intriguing read.
Looking back, it’s funny how this story predicted aspects of G5. Ponies divided by Earth/Pegasus/Unicorn heritage, a setting far into the future, and lingering impacts left by G4’s heroes. I find it neat how these ideas work both in a darker scifi setting and in a lighter fantasy setting.
Oh Merry, haven't you heard?
Karma always strikes when you least expect it.
Now then.... I believe there's a certain Interregator-Chaplain that might enjoy wringing every single little secret out of you, and believe me, by the time he's done, you're gonna wish Nyx broke every single bone in your pathetic body...
10765103
Coming dialogue in the next chapter:
“You know, they say if you crush organic matter hard enough, you’ll get a diamond. They lied. You can get a gelding, though.”
10765629
i.ytimg.com/vi/oQXgB9mQEJY/hqdefault.jpg
Never before has an ass kicking been so well deserved. Now the only thing left to do is acquire a trophy of some sort as a reminder of such an occasion
PLEASE tell me she pops his cherries one at a time, slowly.
10767056
What do you think happens to “cherries” when they’re suddenly encapsulated in the heat of the WR 102 Star.
10766305
Then put it in a pickle jar, pickle them as is appropriate and then forget what they are after a couple centuries and sell them to a Galactic Curio Exhibition in a Hangar Sale.
10767104
🎵Mer-ry
He doesn't have his _ _ _ _
Flur-ry
Really made him squawk🎵
Cant help but love Nyx's hyper dramatic entrances. Little filly nightmare moon grew up to be a large ham. Suitable that her first tactic is psychological warfare. This is after all the mare that at the age of ten ( or like three months depending how you count it) headfaked the entire royal guard to take over Canterlot Castle without spilling a drop of blood. There isa trope called " Establishing character moment" and for me the way HOW Nyx takes over the throne in Past Sins is Nyx's establishing character moment, so Im happy to see her keep on that road if you will.
On the other hand, I was on a first read kind of surprised at how quickly Merry Weather gives in . The way I figure it , they seem to have capital punishment in his world, or at the very least Merry is an environment where violence can happen easily. " accidents" can be " arranged" is what I am saying here.
Merry is a dead stallion? He Has to know that? How many enemies has this guy made? At this point in time the leadership of this space station is turned against him, and the thing that keeps him alive is this spell he has on the blackwings and Flurry. He gives that away... he gives away his bargaining chip. I mean yes he was being tortured.. but still.
Then again, as I realized on a second read-through, people like Merry are ALWAYS cowards. They are the opposite of a hero. The opposite of a hero is not a villain, nor is it for that matter a coward. But Heroism is about self-sacrifice, A person like Merry never self-sacrifices. ever.
People like Merry also tend to have incredibly high levels of self-confidence. On the one hand this convinces others to put them into positions of power... but on the other hand it can become hubris and delusion. If Merry has always talked and manipulated his way out of anything..,. as long as he is alive he figures he can still talk his way out of this. Sure He is facing down three enraged alicorns, at least two of whom would feature in any list of the five most dangerous ponies alive... but he will figure out a way out, he always has right?
On yet another hand i had commented previously that Merry seemed to lack much knowledge about Nyx. Good to see that paid off and came back to bite him, though alas, not as literally as I might have liked lol.
10767429
Quickly?? She broke quite a lot of bones and Flurry was commenting on how he's going to be running out of them soon. Nyx did probably everything non-lethal she could do to him ( apart from what Flurry did
) before he gave in.
Well, having a lot of enemies is balanced by having a lot of connections. Merry even hinted that he might be involved in an upcoming Emperor assassination coup. How many times have you seen the Joker or Lex Luthor get away once they are caught? Despite being arch villains and all that. Story's not over yet.
Merry's greatest asset is his charisma combined with his noble family line. He was able to use this to put a buffer of connections and protection around himself while he built his little slave mercenary group. Also, 10271041 if you are still reading, this is how he managed to get his position at Harmony. Connections and lies. Twilight was told she'd be getting one thing but got another, and Merry has powerful connections that go almost all the way to the top in the Pegasus Republic.
Yeah I wasn't sure if he should but I figure he's well-connected enough to at least be familiar with what people say about Nyx. He calls her the Nightmare, rightly, but he incorrectly attributes her reputation to fanciful myth.
She’s going to geld him isn’t she.
10767100
See, I'm shooting for something that will take some time and he will live long enough to feel the entire process.
10768169
Thing is, doing what you suggest will cause him to pass out from shock after the first one goes. Good reason why geldings typically use rubberbands to cut off bloodflow before getting the scalpel. Honestly, a better use for him would be giving him the Servitor treatment from 40k.
TL;DR cyborg lobotomites tasked with specific jobs. He'll be somewhat aware of what he's become but unable to do anything about it.
10768243
well, the Syndicate are pretty annoyed with him atm....
10768285
And Flurry does need some extra cash to pay for all the bullshit he put her through...
Attagirl! You give those stuffed shirts what-for!
Liar, liar, pants on fire...I'd bet good money he probably doesn't even know this poor mare's name.
For you to loose. Because the universe demands it, Merry. You can run from it all you want, but justice will catch up with you, sooner rather than later. And it's unlikely to show mercy when it does.
Sounds to me like he's putting a lot of his faith in escaping on "certain allies" of his to come and pull through for him at his time of need, so of course, that's how they'll get Merry--somebody somewhere isn't going to pull through for him at the last moment, and it'll leave him high and dry.
Besides...there's definitely a much bigger conspiracy at play here that Merry's playing a key role in than originally thought (helped by the fact that Merry's not exactly being subtle about it anymore...not that subtlety was ever his strong suit). But only a fool like Merry can't see the fact that he's clearly the pawn in that conspiracy...and no doubt an expendable one at that. After all, the first key rule of any good conspiracy is to silence your coconspirators.
Speaking of said conspiracy...sounds like this one goes worryingly high on up the chain of power...really, Flurry probably ought to worry a bit more about that in the long run.
But it also makes me all the more confident that, whatever Merry's role in that conspiracy is, it was never so important that he needed to come out of it on the other side still alive. Honestly, if Flurry and company don't get to him first, I highly expect a double-cross to come Merry's way. Then we'll see who's really laughing last.
Hah, you assume Merry was the one who was doing the actual double-crossing. Merry's definitely too much of a pawn in all of this to be allowed that.
No, what's truly scary...is the nagging thought that the Windigo was likely a pawn too.
Yeah, that'd be unimaginably stupid, even for him. He still needs to get out of this with an ally somewhere after all, so doing that would only guarantee that he had none.
Heck, yeah! Totally with Flurry on this! The flippin' hospital can wait. I've been waiting, like, twenty chapters to see Merry finally get his comeuppance, and I'm sure as heck not going to miss it just because of something as minor as Flurry Heart potentially bleeding out. She's been through way worse than this in just the past five or so chapters alone--'tis but a flesh wound for her! She can hold on here for just a couple minutes longer, long enough to see this play out.
And the universe rejoiced!
Time infinity, Twilight.
i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag40/Shanenator777/ExcellentBetter.jpg
10768430
Flurry was referring to how even though Merry was willing to sell out the Orion in the conspiracy with the Windigo, he still did agree to send in a rescue team which foiled said conspiracy... in exchange for some hot alicorn booty.
Though to be fair, Merry did instruct Downdraft to ensure Oakheart did not take the carrier all the way in. Without the carrier, the mission would have failed. And also by all accounts the Windigo should have succeeded in blowing up the Orion. Was a pretty tight victory that Nyx and Flurry were able to defeat it.
Ow, that ending...but very much deserved
As the story is drawing near its conclusion, it's probably a good idea for us to promote our fimfiction liaison group for the Equinox saga, which Flurry in Time is a part.
Click here and join up if you want to participate in the ongoing discussion of this series Duvet and I are writing, or to simply stay in the loop with it. We'll be posting a ton of info there around the time FiT is completed. Any and all questions are welcome.
So everyone, what’s the verdict on old merry weather. Think they should go easy on him
media.tenor.com/images/1c88e45b0755daa070df2742cab0b3d9/tenor.gif
As satisfying as this was, the bit I really like in this capture was swan’s interaction with Oakheart. We can start to see the seeds of a great union between the three tribes aboard harmony. His story is a great reflection on how emotionally distraught war can make its soldiers.
YEAH!!!!!!!!
10812622
Thanks glad you're enjoying it! Any questions, don't hesitate to ask
Aaaand here's my comment, slightly later than normal
I suppose that's one advantage to Merry's behavior. Gives you a bit of a head start on people who associate decadence/excess with a mind solely focused on such.
I suppose this would imply that he had chosen to come here with some kind of nefarious plan or another. IIRC earlier he had said that he was quite careful to remain within the letter of the law; if he had merely planned on doing precisely that, that'd hardly warrant an escape plan.
I think Stratos might be quite interested in this bit of information.
Very nearly perfect timing.
Catharsis/comeuppance, or avoiding a legal disaster?
Oh, who am I kidding, legal issues are for Future Flurry/Nyx to deal with. Or even better, leave Twilight with the paperwork. What could possibly go wrong?
Okay, whew, I'm glad this part had been published by the time I started reading. I think I was enjoying that part almost as much as Flurry was.
And Merry Weather gets put in his place in more ways than one. It's been a long build up, making this a character that's someone you like to hate, but someone who's also making his own smart moves. One more plan or move, and he might have gotten away, but very satisfying for him to get his comeuppance. Though ow... that last bit was injury/insult on top of injury.
11098615
Yeah, as a guy myself, as much as I absolutely dispised him that's gotta hurt. Not saying he didn't deserve it and more but still eesh.