Synthesis of the Atheist

by BlackRoseRaven

The Eye Of The Storm

Chapter Forty One: The Eye Of The Storm
~BlackRoseRaven

Antares Mīrus stood on a balcony of Canterlot Castle, his wing in a cast, and a mug of coffee floating in front of him. He had a few bandages wrapped around his body, but for the most part he was more bruised than anything else, and that was a relief in its own way. He didn't like being covered in bandages... it always made him feel stupid and reminded him of all the ways he could have done things better.

But for once, he was trying not to think about any of that. Today, all of Canterlot was celebrating the fact the evil floating island had been defeated. The citizens of Equestria were holding up their Princesses as the heroes, but Antares thought that was right: Little Luna deserved a good share of the credit with all the help she had provided them, after all. They were just visitors here from another world, who had happened to get wrapped up in things for their own personal reasons. They didn't need or even really deserve the applause: sure, they had done a good thing, but they had done that good thing for their own reasons. It was silly to expect a reward for it, no matter how much it helped others.

Antares pushed the thoughts away: okay, so he was doing a bad job of convincing himself he was entirely content. It would admittedly be nice to hear a 'good job' from someone, but he knew that with all the running around he'd been doing in his own damn head it would just make him feel guilty, too. Besides, he had gotten a reward: it was well-past noon, and he had just woken up. He'd actually slept more than a few fitful hours.

The stallion smiled to himself and turned around, heading back to the little dining table set up out on the balcony with his mug floating beside him. He and Meadowlark had been given a nice little breakfast here, and then Meadow had gone to check up on Avalon and see if her bout of short-term amnesia had passed: Antares had wanted to go as well, but he'd been told that someone else really wanted to talk to him, so the stallion had decided to catch up later with his friends.

Aphrodisia was somewhere with Sleipnir and Pinkamena, Morning Glory he was sure was prowling around somewhere, Tender Trust was probably already with Avalon. Everyone was recovering well from what he knew... although of course, he only had word of mouth to go by, and he knew that some of his friends were a little prone to lying about whether they were hurt or not.

He smiled a little to himself as he glanced down at the table, then picked up one of the slices of fruit and tossed it into his mouth, chewing slowly. Breakfast had been wonderfully huge and filling, and eating breakfast in place of lunch had been kind of a nice experience for him. He glanced over the little table, then down at his mostly-empty mug of coffee before shrugging and refilling it. He knew he'd probably need the energy today, after all. Even with the fortress destroyed and only a few Clockwork creatures noticed fleeing the ruins, he had a bad feeling that Psukhikos was in all likelihood still alive somewhere.

That brought other questions to mind, but a few of them, at least, he thought he had the answers for... and tonight, when they went down to check on the ruins, he knew they'd get more. They might even be able to find out whatever it was that Psukhikos had been guarding, assuming the fortress hadn't completely collapsed in on itself and destroyed any useful clues.

The stallion sipped thoughtfully at his coffee, then glanced up as he heard hoofsteps before smiling a little when Twilight Sparkle strode out onto the balcony. He was admittedly a little surprised... but only because she wasn't accompanied by anypony else. “Uh, hi.”

“Hi.” Twilight replied softly, and then she smiled a little, adding quietly: “If this is a bad time or anything, or... you know, you're too busy...”

“No, not at all. It's nice to get to sit and talk to you, actually, you're... well, you're important to me back home.” Antares smiled a little, and Twilight nodded and looked at him softly, and the two ponies hesitated before almost in the same moment, they pulled back the chairs of the table and sat down across from each other. It made them both look at each other with surprise, then share an awkward laugh, but it broke the sense of tension in the air.

Twilight looked across at him, and Antares gazed back before the violet pony said softly: “It's funny. I know it's possible for a unicorn to become an alicorn... I kind of had an experience with that once before, but... I wasn't ready, the level of responsibility was too much, and... things didn't work out too well. I heard that on your layer, though, Twilight Sparkle handled that next stage of learning much better than I did. She became an alicorn a long time ago, right?”

“You turned into alicorn? Like, you were a magical statue?” Antares asked dumbly, and when Twilight looked at him blankly, he stared back for a moment before slapping his forehead and grinning embarrassedly as his acuity kicked in, and he understood what she meant. “Wait, wait, you mean winged unicorn, okay. Sorry, in my world, 'alicorn' refers to the material our horns are made of.”

“Oh, I see... I didn't know that.” Twilight leaned forwards, looking interested as she asked curiously: “Are there any other words that have different meanings that you know of? What about locations, places? There's so much I want to ask you...”

Antares only shrugged lamely, smiling awkwardly before he said slowly: “Well, the... the Equestria I come from, I think it's much smaller population-wise. And we have more wilds, and fewer cities and settlements... uh... well, it's really hard to put everything into words, you know?” He stopped, then hesitated for a moment and added softly: “And well... just because I have these wings, and I'm a unicorn... I don't think it makes me a winged unicorn. In the literal sense, sure, but... they're not really supposed to be there. My body reminds me of that every day. I'm just a unicorn.”

He rolled his shoulders slowly, and Twilight nodded a few times, hesitating for a few long moments. Antares gave her a reassuring look, and then Twilight asked carefully, looking a little embarrassed: “You're... Luna Brynhild's son, and Scrivener Blooms' son... and kind of... that Twilight's son, I heard. How... how does that work?”

“I know it's weird. But Twilight did... look after me, take care of me, for ten years without Mom and Dad around. And she was always... part of the family. She was always my Mom. It just... is.” Antares said finally, and when Twilight cocked her head curiously, the stallion laughed a little and shook his head slowly. “I know. I know, it's... it's funny. Or weird. Well, you know, I used to get bullied a lot about it. I think the fact that my parents were so important and so much has always been on me actually... made me a bigger target for bullies, to be honest. And I've always stuck... really tightly with the same group of friends.”

Twilight tilted her head curiously, and Antares smile a little as he shrugged a bit, finding himself beginning to talk about his early life without even meaning to: it was something he almost never even thought about these days, and yet... “Well, see... Mom and Dad... they were gone for almost ten years, and Twilight looked after me. She tutored me, and so did my Aunt Tia and a lot of other ponies helped out too.

“I spent a lot of time with my friends, too. They helped me, a lot... Meadowlark, Avalon, especially Apps. Ponyville has always been a safe place, a good place, but there's always... you know. A few ponies who want to shove you around, or get on your case about things.” Antares continued, nodding and giving a small smile. “And when we had to stay at Canterlot, because Mom was helping out Aunt Tia with the barony problems, or doing work at the magic school, or working in Subterra... well, I didn't really have my friends around or anything, and I was told to sit in on magic academy classes. A lot of the unicorns were older than me and really didn't like that this... creepy little kid was just kind of allowed to sit in and learn about all this stuff. Especially because even now I still have trouble with stuff as simple as telekinetic control.”

Twilight blushed ever-so-slightly, and Antares smiled a little: yeah, she definitely understood. But he kind of did, too... “I tried to never hold it against them. I could see why they were so upset... I couldn't do any magic, and to even be considered by the school you had to show off... well, quite a bit of talent, right? And I think what made them even madder was that I could still learn the theory... it's not that I... that I don't understand magic, it's that I just can't call it up properly. It's like... dancing, or rodeo or something, I can't get the feel for it down.”

The stallion paused, then he shook his head slowly and said softly: “And well... ponies were scared in those days, too. Subterra, a place for the demons and stuff to stay... that was being built right beneath Canterlot. Rumors were going around about... what had happened to my Mom. Really cruel, really... just unfair stuff. She was... she was killed.”

Twilight Sparkle looked up in surprise, and Antares nodded slowly, playing silently with his mug of coffee before he asked softly: “Do you know what a Lich is?”

The violet mare hesitated, then said slowly: “An evil pony, kept alive by their own magic. It's a very dark form of magic... isn't it?”

She looked up uneasily, and Antares smiled a little before he answered quietly: “My family taught me that anything is only as good or evil as you make it. Good and evil aren't... they're just concepts we attach to things, because... that's what people do, I guess. Label things so we can love them or hate them, whichever we please.

“Mom became a Lich. Not for power, but to help Scrivener and Luna... to keep fighting beside them against this evil that had invaded our world.” Antares continued, shaking his head slowly before he laughed a bit. “And look, I just did it, didn't I? Said one thing was evil when I...”

He quieted and shook his head, then smiled awkwardly at Twilight Sparkle as she gazed at him with silent compassion. “I'm sorry. I just feel awkward telling you this, since... you know, you're Twilight Sparkle too. A different Twilight, and I don't want you to think that... you know. This stuff has to happen to you too. Our original layer was... well, we're not sure where it was. All we know is that our world is so radically different from the other layers because of what we went through.”

He quieted, and there was silence for a few moments before Twilight prompted gently: “So... I thought demons were accepted on your layer, though? When Luna Brynhild was here, she talked about them a lot, and... Pinkamena, Aphrodisia, Morning Glory and Tender Trust are all demons, and Sleipnir must be... well, he's definitely more than just a normal pony, right?”

Antares Mīrus smiled slightly at this, shaking his head. “Tender Trust is half-Phooka. Phooka are more like nature spirits in our world, they're not demons. And Sleipnir is... well, a lot of the demons call him 'Heaven Sent,' because he died a long time ago, but was allowed to return to Equestria under special circumstances. But that's a really, really long, complex story...”

“I have time.” Twilight said almost too eagerly, and Antares cocked his head curiously, studying her as she blushed a little and sat back, and there was silence for a few moments before the violet mare looked almost embarrassedly up at him and said softly: “It's just fascinating... and a little selfish. I... I don't know what I must be like in other layers of reality, but I'm a bit of a screwup here, Antares. I overreact. I question too much. I let my anxiety take over and it leads me to doing stupid things, and needing... a lot of help.

“I was thinking about something. Ponies here are older than you, but we age slower... we must mature a lot slower, too.” Twilight smiled a little, touching her own chest silently. “And honestly? I'm glad I'm not a Lich, or a winged unicorn, because... I couldn't handle that responsibility. I'm working hard as apprentice to Princess Celestia, and every day I learn something new. Whether I'm in Ponyville or anywhere else. And I crave to learn more about everything, but especially about... about what I might have done right in other layers.”

Twilight halted, looking down for a moment before she nodded once and gave a small smile, eyes flicking up to Antares. “Listen... this... this is going to sound a little funny, maybe, but I think if I was your Mom in another layer, and... you turned out like this... then I couldn't've been the same Twilight who, right after defeating Nightmare Moon, almost made Princess Luna cry with all the questions she asked. I couldn't have been the same Twilight who sent a letter to Princess Celestia about a silly showmare, saying she should be arrested for all sorts of criminal violations I dug up, almost out of... not spite maybe, but close.

“It... it gives me a lot of hope to think that... maybe I'm a little... weird... in other layers, but I'd rather be weird than...” Twilight Sparkle reached up and rubbed at her throat awkwardly, blushing a little. “You know.”

“Yeah, I do.” Antares said softly, and then he smiled a little before nodding once. For a few moments there was quiet, and then the stallion shook his head slowly before he said softly: “You seem a lot like my Mom, though. I think that's why I got rambling away so much, Twilight. I don't think there's anything wrong with you at all.”

Twilight laughed quietly at this, but she looked honestly touched as she gazed down and rubbed embarrassedly at her features for a moment. There was silence, and then the mare finally looked up and gave a single nod, and they simply looked at each other, studying one-another in the quiet that followed. Neither knew what to do or say, but both still felt like the conversation was continuing on in the gestures they made and the gazes they shared.

Just as they were settling in with each other, and Antares felt like he should try and figure out some question to ask, loud hoofsteps filled the air and they were joined by Morning Glory. Her massive, metallic body gleamed and her face was uncovered, golden-fire mane and tail twisting and brimming with vitality: it was like the injuries she had taken yesterday had made her stronger today.

But she also looked far-less-than-thrilled, and Antares fought hard to repress a grin: Pinkie Pie was bouncing cheerfully beside the enormous demon, and seated on her metallic back was Rainbow Dash, the Pegasus grinning broadly from ear-to-ear and waved quickly down at Twilight. “Hey, hey, look at me!”

“She's on a horse!” Pinkie Pie said brightly, then paused and peered at the demon when Morning Glory gave her a flat look and Twilight dropped her face in a hoof. “And she is a horse. Wait, she's a horse on a horse!”

“You're all whores.” Morning Glory muttered moodily, and Pinkie Pie stared up at her as Rainbow Dash huffed and booted the demon's side lightly... then squeaked when a chain shot up from the back of Morning Glory's neck and wrapped tightly around her, as the demon said in a slow, patient voice: “Now, you and your friends weigh like flies to me. I do not mind your silly, foalish games because I recognize that you are all silly, foalish ponies who could not defend themselves against mosquitoes, far less any kind of real threat. But if you ever attempt to spur me like a steed again I will remove all the bones from your body, rip your intestines out, and make you into a pretty kite.”

“I like kites.” Pinkie Pie said positively, and when Morning Glory glared down at her, the bright pink mare only smiled up at her warmly in return. “It's okay to smile, you know. Like my inter-dimensional sister showed me, you might look real scary and do scary things but I know you're not really scary at all. Well, you are, but we don't have to be scared of you because you worked so hard to protect us. And you wouldn't really hurt us after doing so much for us, when you never had to do anything in the first place.”

“Maybe I just like the color of blood.” Morning Glory said moodily, her chain constricting Dash tightly, and the mare squeaked a breath out as her eyes bulged, flailing weakly at the air. “Don't judge me like you'd judge Pinkamena. She's only half-Wrath, and didn't spend all the time in Helheim that I did. With my kind, the people we hate, we hurt: the people we like, we hurt more.”

Pinkie Pie looked awkward at this, and Dash flailed weakly as Twilight winced and Antares sighed. He was about to step in, and then Pinkie Pie cleared her throat and rose a front hoof, lightly punching the demon in the knee as she said finally: “Well, I.. I like you, see? So can you please not strangle Dash? She was just trying to say she likes you too.”

For a moment, Morning Glory looked thoughtful... then she yanked Rainbow Dash into the air before slinging her down into Pinkie Pie, making her squeak as Rainbow gasped in and out for breath, before Morning Glory replied calmly as she strode out onto the balcony: “I like you too.”

Her chain twisted back and forth, then withdrew into her body as she stood over the table, looking meditatively back and forth before she lifted the carafe of coffee with telekinesis. She tilted it back as she opened her mouth wide, drinking down the steaming black liquid as Antares stared up at her with disbelief and Twilight gaped a little, and then the demon dropped the heated coffeepot back on the table before her eyes moodily looked over at Antares. “Finish up your tea party. You and I have training to attend to. Your showing yesterday was miserable, and the fact your body gave out at such a crucial moment is pathetic. So we're going to work on your endurance, and then we're going to get back to see if you can actually learn how to use magic properly, instead of just doing what my brother does and flinging unfocused magic in every direction.”

“I. Ouch. Ouch.” Antares made a face, and then he held up his cup of coffee, saying finally: “Look, Twilight and I are just about done, so uh... let me finish this and-”

Morning Glory's horn glowed brightly, and the cup in Antares' hands burst into white flames as he yelped and tossed it down. Both he and Twilight shoved away from the table as the coffee inside the mug turned to steam, while the mug itself all but dissolved, before Morning Glory's horn glowed brighter as she leaned menacingly down.

The table glowed with white light that turned into wreathing fire before it rapidly began to melt and simply dissolve, the ponies to either side floundering out of their chairs and scrambling away as the table, the food, and part of the floor was burnt to nothing but a splotch of ashes and glowing embers in a matter of seconds. Then Morning Glory looked moodily up and said sourly: “You're done. And next time, Antares, that will be you. I am not your mommy and I do not take backtalk from my apprentices.”

“I'm... what? When did I become your apprentice?” Antares asked with dumb surprise after a moment, and then he yelped when a chain lashed out from the enormous demon and seized him around one leg, hauling him into the air so she could glare into his eyes as he dangled helplessly by one limb. “Okay, okay! I... sorry, Twilight. I have to go get beaten up now.”

Morning Glory grunted as the other ponies only stared, and then the enormous mare turned and strode to the edge off the balcony before her chain twisted outwards, dangling the stallion over it. He stared stupidly down at the courtyard several levels below, and he looked creakily up as Morning Glory said contemptibly: “The first lesson of learning to stand on your own four hooves, Antares, instead of riding in someone else's shadow all the time, is to believe you can. If you believe you can survive the fall, Antares, you will. If you don't, I'm going to pick up the biggest piece of you left over and drop you again.”

Antares mouthed a slow denial... and then he felt the chain go loose and he fell, the ponies of this layer running to the edge of the balcony and staring down with shock as Morning Glory simply watched meditatively.

The stallion flipped through the air, unable to catch himself, not knowing any magic that could help before he clenched his eyes shut, flipped, and just tried to believe... and he slammed down to the grassy courtyard, legs buckling and trembling, his whole body giving a pulse of pain before he slowly opened one eye... then laughed stupidly, staring back and forth with amazement. He had survived. He was actually okay.

He opened his mouth, grinning widely and beginning to call out... and then Morning Glory slammed down in front of him, cutting him off as she leaned down to look into his eyes, and his excitement and joy curdled slowly into something like terror and misery as the Destroyer said in a less-than-enthused voice: “It's a start, but I could have made that jump as a mortal. As a mortal foal, as a matter of fact. So I am far from impressed and we are far from done.”

Antares looked up at the Destroyer lamely, and then he said finally: “You know what you just did to my confidence and my happiness and... pretty much everything else? Of course you do. You really like living up to your namesake, don't you?”

“No backtalk.” Morning Glory said moodily, and then she emphasized this by flicking her horn, and Antares yelled and staggered backwards as he burst into white flames for a moment: it scalded his skin and hurt like hell, but left not a mark on his cast or singed his mane. The pain was from purification, not actual heat and fire, and it only lasted for a few moments before whiffing out as the mare added calmly: “Remember, Antares Mīrus. The fact you're so resistant to purification just gives me all the more reason to use it as a teaching method. I won't have to worry about hurting you beyond anything you can heal.”

Antares opened his mouth... then slowly closed it before slumping his shoulders, still steaming faintly as he nodded glumly and wondered moodily how many times his big mouth was going to get him in trouble over the next few hours.

Meadowlark awkwardly finished applying a soothing salve over the last of Antares' burns, and he wheezed in relief, closing his eyes. How heavenly the cold gel felt against his body almost made the pain worth it, as he twitched a little now and then from a muscle spasm. His body had been horribly overworked by Morning Glory, and she had bludgeoned, pummeled, and burned him until she'd gotten what she wanted out of him, but he had to admit that she knew what she was talking about.

No, they weren't precisely the learning techniques he would use or was exactly fond of himself. But Morning Glory did know what she was doing, and she had been pushing him more than physically. She had been pushing on him mentally and emotionally, and it was only afterwards that he really understood what she was doing, that she was more interested in making him toughen up in mind and spirit than in body.

Part of him felt morbidly that she just wanted to establish a pecking order and make him 'learn his place' in it. But another part of him felt that she was trying to help him in her weird, sadistic way. She just happened to be crueler than Pinkamena and didn't really have a hidden nice side to her under all the metal. There was just more metal. Possibly spikes, too. But that wasn't to say she didn't care about them in her own way and he didn't want to see everyone at their best. She just also wasn't going to go out of her way to be nice to them, either.

They had stopped after Shining Armor had shown up at the training grounds they had taken over and informed them as politely as possible that Little Luna wanted to join them on the expedition to the fortress. Scouts had apparently already gone ahead, and taken a look at both the surrounding area as well as the exterior of the collapsed fortress itself, and found no trace of any enemies lurking in wait.

Inside the fortress could be a different story: some of the structures were still intact, and there was no telling what was still working, and what wasn't. They would have to be careful, but there were a few areas that looked like they would be stable enough to explore... albeit difficult, thanks to the fact the way it had fallen left it tilted on an almost forty-five degree angle.

Morning Glory had calmly looked to Antares, and he'd realized after a few seconds that in spite of the fact she was all-but-torturing him, she was still looking for his opinion, treating him like he was the leader. So finally, Antares had stated nervously: “Is... I really appreciated Little Luna's help before, but... I don't know if she should come inside with us. It might be... bad.”

But Shining Armor had only smiled wryly in return, shaking his head slowly as he'd answered: “Princess Celestia already tried to tell her that, and no luck. As it is, I was barely able to convince my sister to stay behind. And to be honest... Princess Luna deserves this chance. I mean... Little Luna. I've never seen her so... strong... as she was yesterday.”

Thankfully, Morning Glory had halted training after that, saying calmly that she would deal with passing the message on while he healed. As if she expected him to recover fully by tonight somehow... that thought made Antares smile wryly. He thought that Morning Glory really had spent too much time by herself and with other demons, as he shifted in bed while Meadowlark massaged his back soothingly, the stallion closing his eyes as he mumbled: “So I guess I gotta plan and stuff, yeah? Figure out who's coming with us and what we're going to do.”

“Yeah. And Avalon says if you don't bring her, she's going to kick your flank.” Meadowlark said softly, and the stallion grumbled but nodded before the Pegasus hesitated, and then said finally: “And I think... we should all go. Just in case. Even T.”

“Even T?” Antares looked surprised as he echoed this, looking over his shoulder at her, and when the mare nodded down to him, he frowned a little before gazing ahead. He didn't need Meadowlark to explain her thoughts out with his own acuity, and the memories of what had happened before fresh in his mind... “Yeah, damn. You're right, but she was terrified yesterday, too. She didn't show it much, but it was her first time really being in a situation like that... and I don't want her getting hurt by the... I forget what she called it.”

“Maci-manitow?” Meadowlark half-stated, half-asked, and Antares smiled over his shoulder as the mare gazed down at him softly. “It's a name for an evil spirit. Sometimes the Phooka use it in general to refer to an evil spirit, sometimes it refers to the evil spirit, sometimes it's just... bad karma. A manitow is a spirit, or spiritual essence.”

“I think you must know everything sometimes. You're like a walking encyclopedia of weird stuff, kind of like my Dad is.” Antares said mildly, crossing his forelegs under his head, and Meadowlark smiled amusedly down at him as she pushed lightly at the base of his broken wing, making him wince. “Ow, hey! But it's true, you know.”

“So I'm your Dad?” Meadowlark asked amusedly, and Antares cleared his throat loudly as he looked away lamely, before the crimson Pegasus sat back and turned to dig through the satchel beside her. “Anyway, I think I have something here to help you...”

“I'm not drinking any magic potion just to feel less sore, Meadow, I'll be fine, honestly.” Antares said quickly, but Meadow only continued to root through her bag, smiling amusedly. “Seriously. It'd be a waste, and once my muscles loosen up I'll feel a lot better, I'm sure, and-”

Meadowlark only shook her head, poking him lightly in the back with her other hoof as she said mildly: “Now come on. That's not the only thing I do and you know it... and you really are all knotted up back here. I've got... here it is, this cream's a muscle relaxant. Even you can't complain about that, I know you use something like this often enough for your wings.”

Antares mumbled, but then he nodded a few times before adding: “You know, I could complain about it if I wanted to, though. I'm almost as good at that as Dad. And I have Mom's snarkiness and stuff, so... you know. There.”

“You're really lucky your special talent is for understanding other ponies and stuff, Antares. I'd hate to think of what you'd be like if you had to rely on your brain alone.” Meadowlark grasped the stallion's shoulders, leaning down and gently kissing the back of his head, and the glossy-black unicorn sighed but smiled wryly all the same, shaking his head slowly as she sat back up and grabbed a little jar out of her satchel. “Okay, now stay still. It'll be cold, then hot.”

“I know, I know.” Antares huffed a bit, nodding quickly: of course, even prepared as he was, he still shuddered when she began to rub the chilly jelly along his back, before wincing as the sensation became almost painful pricks of heat. “Hey, that stings!”

Meadowlark only smiled amusedly as she rubbed her hooves a little more vigorously along his back, making him huff a bit. But they both settled comfortably together, and the stallion gazed thoughtfully forwards before he finally asked quietly: “So what else do you have in that bag?”

“You mean, do I have any magic recipe to stop us from getting brainwashed?” Meadowlark asked softly, and when she caught the smile on Antares' face past his mane, she shook her head, continuing to work her hooves a little more gently along his back as she finished rubbing in the muscle relaxant. “Zecora actually taught me a few techniques to help resist possession and mind control, though... she says the key is to know yourself, and remember yourself. She says I'm picking it up pretty fast but every time we practice with Please Powder, I end up standing on my head on the table.”

Antares laughed despite himself, shaking his head and looking amusedly across the room. “You should try and get some of that stuff then. It'd be really nice to be able to slip a little in Avalon's drink whenever she starts going crazy and make her calm right down.”

“Well, it only works for a little while. That, and I really wouldn't want to use it around Apps.” Meadowlark smiled slightly, and Antares grunted after a moment in agreement before the mare asked softly: “Did... was she really doing okay the last time you saw her?”

“That was last night, Meadow, before we all went to bed, but... I... I think she's gonna be fine. It helps a lot that Pinkamena and Sleipnir are here.” Antares nodded a bit before he added softly: “And she's a lot smarter and stronger than she seems. She puts on the silly little filly act a lot, I know, but that's really what it is... just a mask, to protect herself. And to try and keep ponies away because... she's scared of what she can do to people, even by accident. But she's strong, Meadow. She's my best friend, and I trust her.”

Meadowlark's hooves hesitated against his back, and the stallion looked curiously over his shoulder at her, but she only smiled a little before sliding her hooves up to his shoulder and saying softly: “Sorry. Just thinking selfish thoughts and stuff... I know that I'm your marefriend and all, and you and I can and do talk about anything and everything, we trust each other... but it's just funny to think sometimes how she's still your best friend and all.”

Antares smiled a little despite himself at this, glancing over his shoulder at her, but as they met each other's eyes, the stallion saw her silent apology and the mare saw his affection, his trust, how he wasn't judging her even now... all things she valued more than any treasure. “Yeah, but... you are my marefriend. And I... I really... you mean a world to me.”

“Yeah. You too.” Meadowlark replied softly, gazing down at him with a small smile before she shook her head and laughed quietly, gently pressing her hooves against his back. “Thanks for always being so understanding, Mir. Even when I know that...”

“The past is past, Meadow, and it's... well, yeah, maybe Ava will never really let it go but I have. Besides, with me it was... it was sort of true.” Antares shook his head slowly, and Meadowlark blushed deeply as she bowed her head forward and looked awkwardly away, before the glossy-black stallion murmured: “But you know what I don't get? How Dad actually is so honest about how he's not really angry with Ersatz Major, in spite of everything. How he could forgive her for everything, even though the smallest things can make him grumpy for hours sometimes, too.”

“I think your Dad like to make a big deal out of little things, that's all. I think he... he does the same thing that all the demons you're friends with do.” Meadowlark said softly, and Antares cocked his head curiously as he looked over his shoulder at her. “He kind of uses it to hide behind, like he's... like he's afraid of letting people in or anything.”

Antares nodded thoughtfully after a moment, and then he smiled a little, murmuring: “That's funny, you know? All that time I spend with my parents and I guess I never realized that.”

The stallion laughed quietly, and Meadowlark's smile toned down a little as she settled herself carefully down over the glossy-black unicorn's back, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and hugging him tightly, burying her face against his shoulder as she murmured softly: “No. I understand that, all too well.”

They were quiet for a little while, Antares reaching up to gently hold her front hoof in one of his own. Eventually, their bodies shifted together so they could curl up, her back against his chest, the stallion nuzzling slowly through her mane as he kept her close. She felt safe and protected and good in his embrace, like everything was going to work out okay; like the past could be forgiven and the future held the promise of happiness.

But finally, the time came for them to get up and get ready to leave: Antares was surprised by how much better he felt, though, and Meadowlark smiled at him softly as she picked herself up. They both climbed into their armor, checked over their equipment, and shared one last kiss before the stallion turned towards the door and smiled slightly. “Well, let's get going, okay? I gotta act like a leader and... I'm gonna need you backing me up and probably saving my flank again.”

Meadowlark only smiled warmly, and the two traded nods before heading out into the corridor side-by-side. They made their way to the same place they had met yesterday before heading into Canterlot, and Antares smiled despite himself at what he found waiting for them.

Avalon was wearing a pair of Wonderbolts goggles and a cowboy hat that was tied tightly under her chin so it wouldn't come off her head as she flew around. The rest of her armor was repaired and polished, and Rainbow Dash was in Wonderbolts uniform beside her, but with a thick, plated vest marked with team's insignia protecting her body. Antares had seen Soarin' in his home layer wearing that once: it was padded concussive armor, if he remembered right, to help protect someone's insides from turning to jelly in case of high-speed impact.

Twilight Sparkle was also standing nearby with Shining Armor: the latter was smiling lamely in his purple plate mail, while the former was wearing much lighter armor, little more than a chainmail vest. Tender Trust was standing next to them, looking curiously at the two before Antares remarked mildly: “I thought you said you convinced her not to come.”

“And I convinced her that it was a much better idea for her to come after all.” Little Luna said clearly from where she was standing beside her sister, and the stallion was somehow unsurprised when he looked over at her and saw the cheery grin on her face. It was just like his mother's, even had the right mix of confidence and mischief... but then it toned down slightly, and her gaze became more open and honest as she said softly: “And thank you, my friend, for... not forcing me to stay behind.”

“But we are.” Morning Glory said quietly, and Antares looked with surprise towards the Destroyer, seeing both her and Aphrodisia standing a little apart from the group. He shook his head a bit, opening his mouth, but Morning Glory grimaced and held a hoof up, interrupting: “Don't say anything. Do not invite us along. This is hard enough for me and the little filly as it is, but... we are both vulnerable to the filthy worm's powers. We might plow a path straight to her, but what use is that if we then turn on you and crush you weak little mortals beneath our hooves?”

Antares looked at her sourly, feeling both touched and insulted all at once before he finally gave a sigh and a slow nod. Whatever irritation he felt at her, be it from her words now and how she had treated him over the course of training, it was all fading as he looked at her and saw how hard it was for her to tell them to go on without them. And he saw how the Destroyer was willing to give up the very thing she thrived in, everything she had been looking forwards to, if it meant keeping the rest of the team safe.

Aphrodisia was only smiling faintly herself, standing quietly beside Morning Glory before she looked up as Pinkamena strode up beside her daughter, then leaned over and hugged her with one foreleg as she kissed the younger demon's forehead. Pinkamena murmured something gently to Aphrodisia, and Apps nodded quietly before the Devourer turned her eyes forwards, saying mildly: “Don't worry, you two aren't gonna miss much. Bet the bitch is long gone... and either way, we're gonna be wasting our time foalsitting. Thank Hel at least Pinkie II doesn't want to come along.”

Shining Armor looked almost as if he wanted to respond, but only winced when Pinkamena shot a sour look at him, reaching up and awkwardly rubbing at his foreleg: he likely remembered all too clearly what had happened when Pinkamena had decided to 'help out' with a platoon of soldiers during a sparring drill. The demon grinned after a moment at the fact he decided to remain quiet, grunting in approval as she loitered her way over to stand intimidatingly beside the ivory unicorn stallion.

Then Sleipnir approached, stopping to ruffle his daughter's mane and smile down at her, and he returned the fierce hug she gave him before he looked up at Morning Glory. She gazed back silently, then rolled her eyes when he waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned brightly, the enormous, metallic demon reaching up to shove him firmly away by the forehead. “Go away, oversized slave hoof. Enjoy the quarrel, and this time try and put on a decent showing.”

“Says the mare who won by but a hair's length in our contest of mind and mayhem.” Sleipnir replied easily, winking over at her before he turned and strode towards Antares with a warm smile. “But, young nephew, fear not. My good friend and beloved daughter may not be able to participate in the battle directly, but most certainly will their spirits and strength be there to support us all the same, shall they not?”

“Oh shut up, Sleipnir. Stop hitting on the goddamn Destroyer right in front of me, idiot.” Pinkamena said crankily, and Sleipnir turned his benevolent smile to her as the demon grumbled and reached up to adjust her axe. Her ribbed scale mail flexed as her body shifted against it, but even as the others shifted uneasily, Antares only softened: Pinkamena wasn't mad at Sleipnir. She was upset that Aphrodisia had to stay behind.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment as Sleipnir only gazed kindly, compassionately down at his wife, while Pinkamena glared up at him with frustration, before Antares quickly cleared his throat and looked over at Princess Celestia, who was looking over the gathered ponies and people with softness in her eyes... but most of her worry and compassion was clearly reserved for both Luna and Twilight Sparkle. She glanced up when Antares turned his eyes to her, though, and the stallion asked quietly: “Is there anything else we should know before we leave?”

“Yes, one thing.” Princess Celestia smiled after a moment, nodding before she said softly: “We're going to be holding a celebration in your honor in a few days, so please make sure you all come back alive.”

Antares laughed quietly at this, smiling despite himself before he nodded once. He didn't say anything though, neither positive nor negative... he felt like that would just be daring something to happen, when already there was a strange sensation buzzing in his mind. And it wasn't even the idea that they were going in with ponies who weren't warriors, or weren't used to war, and maybe didn't understand the risks of what they were getting into.

It was something else: it was something just beneath the surface, picking at him, that he felt like they had missed in the furor and hubbub, the victory and the near-defeat. There was some detail he had missed that was twisting just beneath the surface of his mind like a worm, and Antares bit his lip, feeling like he should be able to seize on what was bothering him before Little Luna interrupted his train of thought as she asked, perhaps a little too eagerly: “So are we ready to go, my friends? And of course, we all will listen to you, Antares Mīrus. We shall treat you as leader, correct, Shining Armor?”

Shining opened his mouth... then simply nodded hurriedly when Pinkamena grinned over at him, the mare nodding mockingly back a few times before she said icily: “Good, because that little colt up there is my nephew, and he's ten times the brain and brawn you'll ever be, you got that? You just stay in line and we'll get along fine, and you get to keep all your limbs. Good deal?”

Shining Armor stared at her, and Antares sighed and shook his head slowly before cutting in: “Look, I see myself less as your boss and more as the pony responsible for making the plans to keep you all alive. Most of you have superior experience to me one way or the other, so I'm going to need your help in planning things out, okay? Give me your input and ideas, and I'll do my best to make sure we all get through this in one piece.

“But if everypony's ready, let's get ready to move out, then. Just remember what we're all getting into here. We need to be careful and take things one step at a time.” Antares continued quietly, looking around at the group, and all ponies nodded to him, turned their eyes to him. None of them could be sure of what they were getting into maybe, but at least they were all paying attention to him and seemed ready to listen and learn.

After giving them a moment to let things sink in, the stallion nodded again and smiled a little, gesturing for them to follow as he turned around and said calmly: “We'll discuss things on the way. Let's keep things loose and casual until we reach the floating island, alright? Princess Celestia, Morning Glory, Aphrodisia... we'll be back soon, don't worry.”

Princess Celestia smiled as Morning Glory only grunted moodily and Apps waved almost shyly, and Antares began to lead the group away. Meadowlark walked to one side of him, and Tender Trust came up to his other... and without needing to glance back, the stallion could begin to place where everyone else was falling naturally in.

Sleipnir and Pinkamena, of course, were beside each other, arguing loudly – well, Pinkamena was arguing, Sleipnir was just agreeing with her or teasing her – and almost hiding the sound of Little Luna as she hurried up to follow in Antares' wake. But the Princess of the Night didn't say anything, seemed almost shy all of a sudden, and Antares got the feeling that she wanted badly to impress him. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

Avalon and Rainbow Dash were flying near the center of the group, and Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle were bringing up the rear. Antares wasn't surprised at all by the way they'd formed up together, but it still helped him get a better idea of how they were all going to interact with each other and where they would naturally place themselves in the unit.

Antares looked thoughtful as they walked onwards, assessing them all in his mind, knowing already there were probably going to be issues, and now starting to feel more than a little discomfort. After all, two of their heaviest hitters were missing from the group, he and his friends were all injured and tired, and about half the unit the had formed was composed of ponies from this layer who had seen little in the way of combat.

If they did run into Psukhikos... he didn't want to think about what was going to happen. On the one hoof, they might possibly have an advantage against her: he wasn't sure about Shining Armor, but he knew that Little Luna and Twilight Sparkle were both adept at magic. But on the other hoof, they weren't warriors, hard as it looked like they both wanted to try, as much as he trusted in them to do their best. And he knew that no one here, apart from Sleipnir, could compare to the combat experience that Morning Glory held.

Then the stallion glanced up as Little Luna finally cleared her throat, and asked almost hesitantly: “Antares Mīrus... what would you have me do? I honestly... am glad to defer to you as a leader. And I want to promise now that I will listen to your orders: I've been speaking with both General Silvergrim and Shining Armor, and I know that... listening, and doing as I am told, these are both very important things to remember, yes?”

“Well... yeah, but I need you to speak freely to me, too. I need your input and Shining Armor's because I don't know everything about this world, your capabilities, all that.” Antares responded softly, smiling a little over his shoulder at her. “Anyway, with... with luck, we won't run into any enemies. If we're really lucky, we might even finds clues. And to be entirely honest, if we come across a Clockwork Pony, I'm probably going to order a retreat.”

Little Luna frowned and shifted a little, and Antares said quietly: “I know. I know what you're going to say and what you believe, and I'm not saying that any of you are weak or anything, I'm really not, I want to be clear about that. But at the same time, I can't overestimate your strength, or ours, and put us all at risk. I would be calling a retreat for all our sakes, because... well...”

Antares awkwardly gestured over his shoulder at his cast-covered wing, and Little Luna nodded hesitantly after a moment before the stallion shook his head and continued softly: “But don't worry. You've done a world to help us as it is, and I do honestly appreciate the backup. You seem a lot more-versed in magic than my Mom is back home, too... so I'm hoping that you and Twilight will be able to help us move safely through the wreckage of the fortress, assuming we can even find a way inside and that it even looks like it's worth checking out.”

Little Luna smiled after a moment at this, and then Rainbow Dash zipped ahead to say firmly: “Hey, kid, don't you worry about a thing, okay? I'll be more than happy to fly ahead and scout things out, you're not gonna find a better-”

“You better not end that sentence, old mare, or I'm gonna punch your lights out.” Avalon threatened, shooting up beside Rainbow Dash, and Antares sighed as the two Pegasi glared at each other. “Besides, you're clumsy as hell. Me, I'm small and sleek and better in the air than you'll ever be.”

“You are seriously asking for it, kid.” Rainbow threatened, and the two glared at each other before Avalon blew a loud raspberry at the blue Pegasus, who narrowed her eyes and hammered a hoof firmly against her own breast. “Look, you see this? I'm a Wonderbolt! The Wonderbolts are the absolute best fliers in-”

Avalon groaned and rolled her eyes, reaching up her hooves and making talking motions with them both. “Oh please, I was outflying Soarin' when I was just a filly! And what do the Wonderbolts do, fly around, pull off stunts? I fight frigging dragons in the air. Yeah, that's right. Dragons. You ever taught how to fight a dragon with your Wonderbolts?”

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash said defensively, raising a hoof... and when all eyes looked up at her, she cleared her throat and added lamely: “Well, sort of. We were taught what to do if... well... you know what, you just run into things! There's a lot more to flying than going really fast and running into things, were you ever taught about that?”

“You wanna see my version of the Pegasus Suplex?” Avalon asked threateningly, and Rainbow glared back, opening her mouth. But Little Luna loudly cleared her throat, and both ponies relented after a moment with mumbles when the Princess of the Night looked pointedly over her shoulder at them. Antares was only glad that at least Avalon's respect for his mother apparently carried over to the Luna in this layer, too.

Then the stallion frowned thoughtfully, looking over his shoulder and asking curiously: “How fast do you two think you could sweep an area safely? And Ava, how's your memory?”

“Faster than fast!” Avalon grinned widely, and Rainbow Dash grunted in agreement before the tiny mare hesitated and reached up to lightly tap the side of her head a few times. “And it's... it's kind of blurry there over a few hours, but I think it's starting to fill in. I get the feeling I should be real mad at you but not at the same time, why am I getting that feeling?”

“I had to provoke you into attacking me while you were... out of it.” Antares said carefully, and Avalon nodded after a moment, scowling at him moodily. “Hey, I didn't mean what I said, I just said what I had to say because otherwise... you know, we would have really hurt each other.”

“So this way only I got hurt.” Avalon said dryly, and Antares gave her an awkward look before the tiny mare shook her head and surprisingly gave a smile. “No, you know what? Good. I'm glad that weird as hell talent of yours finally came in useful for once. I mean, seriously, you use words and understand ponies, how the hell did that get to be your special talent instead of all your... dancing and fighting and stuff?”

“Because I'm not the best horn foiler out there and I can't dance at all, I'm just... light on my hooves.” Antares answered flatly, but he was smiling a little despite himself all the same before he shook his head and looked forwards. “Okay. Maybe we'll send you two to scout ahead of us, then. Only short distances, though, enough to make sure the way's clear ahead but not enough to let Psukhikos get her mental claws into you. And I want you two to move in a pair, as partners.”

“You really remind me of a pony I ended up partnered with at the Wonderbolt Academy.” Rainbow said moodily, grimacing over at Ava, who huffed in return. “I'm not gonna end up having to kick your flank for putting all of us at risk, right?”

Avalon only glared at this, retorting: “For one thing, you couldn't put a hoof on me unless I let you, and I'd only let you so I could rip your leg off. For another, this ain't a game, where it's fine to run the show no matter how mad it makes other ponies. Here, Mir runs the show, and you guys don't get how lucky you are to have him as a leader. He's the youngest ever to serve as a lieutenant in the Starlit Knights, and he's the guy who led us slobs to victory against a destruction entity.”

“Well la-di-da, doesn't he just sound like the greatest thing since candy corn.” remarked another voice, and Antares looked up in surprise to see Discord floating calmly along above their heads on a cloud of cotton candy, his head twisted down on his long neck to peer at them upside-down. “I felt bad for not helping out, so I think I'll come along for the ride today, spy on you interesting other-layer ponies for a little while. Oh, sure, I could hang out with Ironsides and the cutie-patootie demon, but that just seems like begging for trouble to me, all things considered. Besides, you might need my help, and clearly I'm the most helpful Draconequus you'll ever find anywhere.”

Little Luna scowled a bit, but Antares only looked up with a smile and said quietly: “We'd be happy to have you on board, Discord. I'm sure that your talents will come in quite useful.”

“What a polite little pony. Unlike some.” Discord rolled over on his cloud, absently swirling one finger through the pink fluff before adding pleasantly: “Of course, don't think that just being nice to me is about to win me over, little pony. The only one of your adventuring party I actually like so far is the giant barbarian back there. Or giant clown. Or well, I'm not really sure what he is.”

Discord paused, then he vanished from sight to reappear standing on top of Sleipnir, heels pressed together and hands tightly locked behind his back as he leaned over him curiously, but the only sign the earth pony gave that he noticed the Draconequus was a smile and a tip of his head in the chimerical creature's direction, even as he said easily to Pinkamena: “-so thus thou can rest assured, phoenix, 'tis nothing at all to worry about.”

“With you there's always something to worry about.” Pinkamena said moodily, and then she shot a nasty look up at Discord, adding flatly: “And you, get the hell off my husband. We demons are a little bit protective of our possessions.”

“Gosh, how rude of me. And here I thought usually it was the husbands who ask other people to get off their wives.” Discord replied easily, and when Pinkamena growled at him, he hopped off Sleipnir and onto her back, one of the demon's eyes twitching slightly. “I have to say though, you are rather cute... for a demon, I mean. Usually you buggers are all gnashing your teeth and eating people and victimizing innocents. Now how am I supposed to have lighthearted good times pulling playful pranks if you demons are out there scaring the poop out of everyone, y'know?”

Discord looked down at her seriously, and then he yelped when Pinkamena bucked him off before kicking him savagely with both rear hooves: but instead of hitting Discord, her rear hooves slammed only into a large bull's eye target with a loud clang, and a cannon that had appeared alongside the target board fired a blast of confetti and into the air.

“We have a winner!” Discord said cheerfully as he bounced up beside the demon in a pinstriped suit, winking down at her as he reached out to ruffle her mane firmly, and Pinkamena glared up at him furiously as he said amiably: “Of course, I'm not sure what you win precisely, but I can fix you up a sash. And we can get a nice little matching one for your pretty friend on your back, how about that?”

Pinkamena only growled, before Sleipnir said tactfully: “Perhaps, dear friend Discord, 'twould be wise not to frustrate my wife at the moment. And look, we are not even yet at the gates of Canterlot, and already we are delaying time... oh, by all means, do tarry with us, for thy help is most exceptional, but I believe we should banter on the path.”

“Oh, fine, but only for you, precious.” Discord said mildly, reaching over Pinkamena to pinch Sleipnir's cheek lightly, and even as Twilight and Shining Armor both looked uncertain, at the front of the pack Antares smiled and nodded once before turning his eyes back ahead. He felt a little better with a Draconequus alongside them: having someone like Discord offering his assistance was a welcome bit of luck, even if he knew that chaos entities and their powers could be a little unpredictable.

But maybe that was part of what would give them even more of an edge, as he thought of Psukhikos and her powers of control. The stallion nodded a little to himself, then glanced curiously over his shoulder as Little Luna grumbled: “Now Discord is just trying to impress my big sister, that's all. And it is not that I don't trust him, Antares, but... he has never been very receptive to orders.”

“You know, I have ears. They're pretty big ones, at that.” Discord said mildly, and Luna winced over her shoulder to see the Draconequus was now sauntering along just behind her, looking down at her as he pointed at his head. “Besides, out of all the ponies in Equestria, you should have a little sympathy for me. You know what it's like to be locked up and eyed all day by your creepy sister.”

“You only wish my creepy sister eyed you all day. I regret to inform you of this, Discord, but the only reason we don't ask for your help more often is because you're... messy.” Little Luna replied after a moment, and Discord feigned a gasp and a horrified look, slapping his hands against either side of his face as Antares sighed and dropped his head forwards.

“Messy! How dare you! Why, when's the last time you even cleaned your room, little miss cheeseball?” Discord retorted, and Luna gave him a grouchy look before he reached up and brushed back his mane, flicking his wrists as his entire body sparkled. “See that? See how clean and neat I am? You still smell like you've been rolling around on your back in moon dirt. By which I mean sh-”

“Okay, let's get organized properly now.” Antares said loudly over his shoulder, glaring pointedly at the Draconequus, and Discord huffed as Little Luna nodded and shifted moodily, and the stallion felt both relief and a growing apprehension. Not just for the mission, but that he would only be able to keep everyone in line for so long before everything inevitably went to hell.

Comments

[Koekelbag]

Let's keep things loose and casual until we reach the floating island, alright?

Didn't the floating island kind of crash down last chapter, instead of still floating around? Or is it just it's name now, not mattering if it's still flying or not? With the way Antaras said it, it seems like it's still floating around... which is kinda confusing.

I'll probably find out next chapter, but I just wanted to mention it now.