> Lost Reflections
>  by Purple Patch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thanks Derpy. At last, with these books my studies on the Concordian Mysteries can really pick up. This is hugely appreciated” Twilight Sparkle sighed with relief “And thanks for the candied daffodil muffin. And the rhinestone muffin, Spike loves those. We’ll be there tomorrow morning”
“Aha! My star-cut gems! Finally! My designs will shake the land itself! Thank you tremendously, dear Derpy! Please take a coupon” Rarity trilled with delight. “And thank you kindly for the black cherry muffin. I’ll be there tomorrow morning”
“Well thankee’ kindly, Derpy! We got this chicken-wire just in time, ah reckon! Timber-Wolves come out at this time of year. Have an apple for the road!” Applejack brayed “And thanks for the apple-crunch muffin. Ah’ll be there tomorrow morning”
“Oh...thank you, Derpy. Angel Bunny’s birthday’s coming up and these are his favourite cherries. Say thank you, Angel” Fluttershy cooed as the rabbit emerged. He was normally apprehensive of newcomers but, upon seeing the box of cherries, he hopped up and hugged the deliverer fondly on the hoof, rapidly tapping his paw in glee. “And thank you for the zucchini muffin. I’ll be there tomorrow morning”
“Oh my gosh, Derps! Signed Wonderbolt biographies with autographs! Awesome! Thanks so much!” Rainbow Dash cried excitedly, hugging her tight “And thanks for the lime zest muffin! I’ll be there tomorrow morning!”
“I’m very sorry, Miss Doo...” Mrs Cake said, bewildered as she stared at the receipt she’d been hoofed “But I don’t think either of us ordered a mini-trampoline, a tricycle, a roll of twinkling lights, three wheels of cheese, a box of rubber ducks of various colours and a clockwork monkey so unless...”
“Hi, Derpy! Thank you so much!” Pinkie Pie’s head appeared from above them as she dropped down, grinning as always, and took her delivery behind Sugarcube Corner “This little filly’s gonna’ get the Best Birthday Party Surprise EVER!  And thanks for the triple-chocolate, candy-frosty muffin! I’ll be there tomorrow!”
“Well...there’s the answer to that question. We’d better keep an eye on this one. Anyway, thanks for coming round and thanks for the candied carrot and fondant crème muffins. We’ll be there tomorrow” Mr Cake said, rolling his eyes as they went to check on their adopted daughter.
Thanks for the mail. Thanks for the muffins.
Two sentences that always made Derpy Doo feel so lucky to have the life she lived.
Ponyville’s best mail-pony and muffin-maker.
Along with the companion to the most fantastic stallion anypony could ever know and mother to the most precious foal in all the world.
Derpy Doo had a great deal to be thankful for and she did all she could to repay the town that had treated her so well.
The second to last delivery was a letter to Zecora, the mysterious zebra hermit living on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. The letter was stamped with a seal depicting a shield with black and white stripes all over manned by a zebra at the left of it and an alicorn at the right. It looked expensive, whatever it was, not at all like what most ponies would assume Zecora was used to.
But then Zecora wasn’t all she seemed. Ponyville had learnt that once she’d introduced herself but Derpy had always had a gut feeling.
After all, she of all ponies knew that appearances weren’t everything.
She had taken time during the week the zebra came to stay to memorise the way to and back from her hut. She’d been nervous the first time got a little lost on the way back but now, after all this time, she’d gotten used to it.
She found the kindly hermit hanging up a new wooden wind-chime, the chimes decorated with intricate paints and patterns. The zebra smiled upon seeing her.
“Letter for Miss Zecora!” Derpy piped up.
“Aha. Neither snow nor heat nor dew - Can stop the mail-mare, Derpy Doo” Zecora’s way of speech was, most agreed, a little bizarre but Derpy found it quite endearing. Upon taking the letter, there was a flicker of suspicion in Zecora’s teal eyes but she kept smiling as she accepted the muffin that came with the mail and took a bite, licking her lips.
“Mmm, passion-fruit cream, how delicious. Your skill in your craft is most ambitious”
It was a golden rule in the Doo family that with the mail came a muffin and she’d spent months learning the favourite muffin flavour of everypony she sent mail to on a regular basis. Zecora’s was tricky but, perhaps fortunately, she didn’t often get mail.
“Glad you like it. Everything okay in the letter?”
“Ah...matters from my far-off dwelling. There wouldn’t be much point in telling” Zecora shrugged, hiding her anxiety “Updates and figures most of the time. Now I must finish hanging my chime”
“Okie-dokie, Miss Zecora. Buh-bye!” Derpy took to her wings and flew off back to Ponyville.
The last delivery was meant for the Doo family household.
But not for Derpy herself.
This was one of the most important deliveries the muddle-headed mail-mare made every year and it couldn’t be messed up in any way.
Everything would need to be perfect.
She found him waiting outside. He appeared to be catching his breath.
“Hi, Doctor”
“Hey, love. Got what I needed. You wouldn’t believe where I got it from and who I cheesed off taking it...but its gonna’ be worth it”
“That’s my stallion” She kissed him multiple times on the lips before checking her watch.
“Just half an hour. Everypony ready?”
“All present and correct”
“Okay...” Derpy took a deep breath “I think we’re ready”


Dinky Doo, having just reached her seventh year of age, took a bow as the audience of mothers and fathers stomped their hooves in applause at the school’s Rejuvenation Theatre Play. The viewers seemed to agree she made an excellent Dandelion, none more so than her parents.
“Yay, Dinky! Whoo!” Derpy Doo cheered, standing on her hind legs briefly before falling over backwards, caught by Doctor Whooves in a, more or less, romantic embrace.
Dinky beamed as she noticed her parents, never too hard even in a crowd, as she held the frail hoof of her dear friend Pipsqueak, who blushed prominently in his role as Woodwork, his eyes never leaving her.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders, cast as Clover, Smart Cookie and Pansy, all performed one last encore before the curtains fell.
“Well done, foals! Very well done indeed!” Cheerilee said, proud beyond words “Now let’s just take five minutes for everypony to power-down a little and you can go out and meet your mums and dads!”
There was collective cheer from the foals before they conversed among themselves.
“That was great work, Dinky!” Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle piped up, crowding around the little unicorn “You’re bound to get your cutie mark in acting!”
Dinky gave a small sigh. Since acquiring their cutie marks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had devoted their time to helping others find theirs. It was truly noble of them and spoke volumes about what sort of ponies they were. But Dinky wasn’t so fussed about her cutie mark. She knew it would come out in time later in her life, quite possibly when she least expected it.
As it had done for her mother.
“Its okay, girls. Thanks for helping out”
“You were...you were really good out there, Dinky...just saying” Behind them, little Pipsqueak was managing to get his word out, twiddling his hooves on the floor “Thanks so much, Crusaders, for helping me learn the lines. I...I wouldn’t have gotten the part if it weren’t for you”
“You’re welcome, Pip. I can see why you wanted the part so badly” Scootaloo said, winking coyly, causing Pip to hush her frantically.
“I still think we should have got Flurry Heart to play baby Laurelore” Sweetie Belle whined.
“We only had a couple of weeks to prepare, Sweetie. Going to the Crystal Empire, taking their princess and coming back would be a bit difficult” Rumble pointed out, taking off Commander Hurricane’s helmet and shaking his mane.
“Thtill, Dinky did a really convinthing birthing thcene” Twist added, her curly scarlet mane partly hidden by Chancellor Puddinghead’s massive headdress.
“Yeah, me and her saw the video of the Rejuvenation Town Play seven years ago” Tootsie Flute explained, resplendent in Princess Platinum’s luxurious robe and shimmering crown “She just took lessons from how Derpy did it”
“But...Derpy was actually giving birth in that video” Ruby Pinch said with concern, dressed in the apron and hat of the innkeeper.
“Yup! Learn from the real thing! Tha’s proper actin’ prowess right there” Applebloom chuckled.
“I still think I should have provided the voice for Tirek” Snips pointed out, the back of Tirek.
“You did. We swapped over at the intermission. That was the deal. Besides, you don’t have the right pitch” Snails retorted, the front of Tirek, his scrawny head weighed down by the massive horns.
“You don’t have the right tone!”
“You were very good, both of you” Noi and Pina Colada helped the two out of their costume as the parents drew in.
“When I get my hooves on those two stupid foals who threw pies at me...” Diamond Tiara grumbled, her witch's hat and cloak as sodden with cream and pastry as her face had been on stage.
“It wasn’t so bad” Silver Spoon said gingerly “I mean, the Cakes make some really good stuff after all...” she turned to Featherweight, fitted with grey gargoyle wings and half-mask, who gave her the glasses he’d been keeping safe “Thanks...for holding onto these...With my stage-fright...it was better I didn’t see all too well. You were great learning that big speech”
“No problem...thanks” Featherweight said softly, biting his lip awkwardly.


“Okay everypony, they’re all in here. Don’t crowd now, but show them how proud you are”
At Cheerilee’s guidance, parents, siblings and guardians swarmed in and congratulated their offspring.
“Dinky! Oh my little muffin, you were so amazing out there!” Derpy picked up her previous filly and hugged her tightly. Dinky hugged her back.
“You were fantastic, Dinky, better than the real thing” the Doctor joined in the hug.
“As good as mama?”
The Doctor looked between his wife and daughter.
“I’d say on the same level, yeah. And Pip, you were splendid. Very convincing. I knew at once that your character wanted to protect Dandelion more than anything else in the world”
“Um...yes...that was...right” Pipsqueak mumbled uneasily.
Around her, Dinky heard the cooing compliments towards the cast and crew.
“Yer did good, lil’ Bloom, yer did real good. Come ‘ere, sis”
“My dear little Sweetie, your talents never cease to amaze”
“Way to go, Scoots, you rocked the crowds like I knew you would”
A crowd parted slightly as Filthy Rich found his daughter with a smile, followed by his wife, Spoiled, missing that same smile.
“Little Diamond Tiara, you were the best little witch the realm’s ever seen” He craned down and gave his daughter a fond nuzzle. Diamond Tiara’s anger from earlier melting in an instant as she enjoyed her father’s approval.
“Don’t be mendacious, Filthy” Spoiled sneered “I did not stand outside here for an hour to watch my daughter humiliate herself”
“I...its okay, mom...” the filly mumbled, shamefaced “I...we all had fun, really”
“That’s hardly important. A Diamond does not sully its surface...ever” she snapped, turning on her hooves “Now, I have to be on a train to Manehattan. While I’m out, Filthy, if you must go to this hardly-significant gathering, try not to make a fool of  yourself”
Filthy sighed.
“Yes, darling...Don’t worry”
“Good. That goes for you too, Diamond Tiara” And with that, she exited the way she had come, nose high in the air.
“Don’t worry, Diamond, I think you were really good out there” Silver Spoon said gingerly in the midst of a hug from her big sister, Octavia Melody, catching sight of her best friend’s bashful smile.
“Hey Pip! Really good acting out there!” one of Pipsqueak’s friends approached, a lively blue colt, older by about five years, who’d grown up in Trottingham “And...good luck tomorrow morning” he whispered.
“Thanks, Tungsten” Pipsqueak shuddered on his hooves “I think I’ll be alright” He gave one last smile to Dinky Doo, who was being picked up in her mother’s hooves and taken home, waving good-bye to all her friends.
“C’mon, Muffin. I’m sure you’re very tired after all that and it’s getting late. You have a big day tomorrow”


*


Dinky awoke to a mild Saturday morning in Ponyville It had been a busy day at school yesterday and she hadn’t really gotten time to properly enjoy it with that wonderful mare she called ‘Mama’. She promised she’d make it up to her. She’d help her make the muffins and check the stamps and make sure the house was all cleaned up and everything she needed.
Mama worked very hard to keep her happy.
And Dinky always made sure to pay her back with the most precious of currency.
The love of her child.
Something Mama always had and always treasured more than anything.
Perhaps closely tied with the love of her partner and dear friend.
Dinky still didn’t know his name, other than ‘Doctor Whooves’.
But whatever his name was, it wouldn’t make him any less than her favourite Daddy in all the world.
Yawning, she found herself a little puzzled. She was very used to waking up to the smell of breakfast muffins at this time of day. 	Intrigued and, perhaps, a little worried, Dinky tottered into the living room of the Doo family flat.
The lights were all off, which was odd. Mama and Daddy always waited for Dinky to get up except on very rare occasions when they left Sparkler, her guardian and unofficial big sister, to take care of her. And even if Sparkler wasn’t up, she knew her younger sister, Tootsie Flute, would be at this hour. She was often up early and sometimes greeted the sun with a tune on her treasured musical namesake.
“Hello?” she called out to the shadows and silence “Is...Is anypony here?”


“SURPRISE!!!”


The little unicorn jumped back in alarm as lights of many colours turned on all over the room revealing, in turn, ponies of many colours. 
Almost everypony she knew in Ponyville, in fact, and even a few she didn’t. All of them smiling and cheering as they revealed the room to be adorned with party decorations of all kinds. At a glance, Dinky could see it immediately as the work of-
“Pinkie Pie!” Up jumped the pony in question “Super-Duper Happy-Fun Birthday, Dinky! Were you excited?! Were you?! Were you?! Were you?! Were you?! I remember your birthday because I was there on your first birthday! Actually I was there your actual birth-day, like day of birth! Everypony was so happy that day and I wanted to make sure everypony was just as happy today, maybe even a little extra happy like your day of birth but now you can talk and you can say how happy you are and-”
“Yes, yes, thanks a bunch, Pinkie, remember to come up for air” The Doctor appeared behind his perplexed daughter and hoisted her up on his shoulder “You didn’t forget about your birthday, did you, Dinky?”
“I guess in all the excitement of the play for the last week...” Dinky said breathlessly “So...everypony’s here?”
“As many as we could fit in the flat, at least”
Dinky’s beloved Mama, Derpy Doo, appeared through the kitchen, looking tired and relieved but bright and merry as a set of Hearth’s Warming lights.
“Happy Birthday, my little muffin!” she cooed “Come right this way, come open your presents!”
“Uh...Derpy?” Rainbow Dash began as she and the Bearers of Harmony looked over a slight flaw in the décor “That is a Hearth’s Warming Tree”
Derpy blinked and stared at the great pine tree she’d placed in the corner of the living-room, decorated and lit up as best as she could manage and shielding the great collection of wrapped birthday gifts.
“I didn’t want to make a fuss but, now that you mention it...” the Doctor mumbled.
“Oh, I knew I did something wrong! I just didn’t know what!” she groaned, propping her back against the wall as she began to cry “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Muffin! I just wanted today to be just right but I always find a way to-”
She was cut off by a hug from her precious little filly, smiling brightly.
“It’s okay, Mama. I love it. It looks great. And it makes it extra special” she chimed “And Hearth’s Warming isn’t that far away”
Derpy sniffed and managed to smile as Dinky brushed away her tear.
“Thanks, little Muffin. If you like it, that’s okay. Now, whose present to want to open first?”
“Ours! Open ours first!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered, bouncing merrily.
“Sorry squirts, but she’s opening mine first” Rainbow Dash chuckled.
“Um...would it be alright if you opened mine just before?” Fluttershy piped up.
“I’m sorry everypony but...I’d quite like to open Mama and Daddy’s present first” Dinky said firmly.
“Well...they got everypony together. I guess it’s only fair” the Bearer of Loyalty admitted “Go ahead, Dinks. I bet it’s great!”
Dinky found her parent’s present, wrapped in shimmery blue paper. It was flat and hard. A book perhaps? Or art supplies? Dinky had shown great interest in both recently. With great curiosity, she carefully undid the red ribbons and unravelled the paper.
She’d never been able to damage anything her parents had made, even if it was made to be damaged.
Throwing off the paper, she took in the sight.


It was a small hoof-mirror. The frame was porcelain and encrusted with tiny jewels without colour.
Dinky blinked at her own reflection. She was a little confused. The present was clearly quite an expensive and delicate object but she’d expected this to be something a pony like Rarity would get for her.
This was quite unlike her parents.
“You feel a little muddled, my little Muffin?” Derpy asked knowingly “Let me show what it does. This is a very special mirror from very long ago. It’s meant to show you things. Things you need to know”
“No fair!” Scootaloo snapped “You can’t use that in the school tests! That’s cheating!”
“No, no, I mean really important things” Derpy added “Like...Where’s Daddy?”
At her words, the mirror’s glass and the gems around it flashed as gold as her eyes. Dinky stared with wonder as a completely different image appeared in the mirror.
It was her father, standing in the kitchen, with his back to them, waving.
“Hello Dinky” he called out.
There was a pause.
“Er...turn around, Doctor” Twilight advised. The Doctor turned to his right “No, 180 degrees...No, no, from where you were standing before...Okay, now you got it”
“Are we good now?” the Doctor asked, now facing the mirror. Twilight gave him a nod as he waved through the mirror.
“You see, Dinky. Take good care of this. I had to travel a long way to get it. If somepony passes their hooves across every gem around the mirror, you can ask where they are whenever you need to...But I don’t want to catch you spying on anypony in the bath, understand?”
Dinky gave a giggle.
“I won’t, Daddy. Thank you so much” She leapt up and gave her Mama a hug, a gift Derpy always treasured.
“You’re welcome, Muffin. Doc, come in and get a hug from Dinky”
As the Doctor received his own hug, the door flew open as Sparkler and Tootsie Flute practically fell upon each other getting inside.
“I’m so sorry we’re late, everypony” Sparkler puffed “We had to get the...er...the Super-Special-Stunt ready”
“Alright!” Pinkie Pie hopped up and down as was her habit “We’re ready to go. Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry! This is gonna’ be super-duper amazing!”
“Pinkie, I thought I told you it was dangerous” Twilight groaned.
“It’s only dangerous if you think about too much!” the pink pony retorted, standing on two legs and shaking her hoof in the air “Dinky deserves the best birthday Super-Special-Pinky-Stunt and by Celestia, she’s gonna’ get it!”
“Um...can she open my present first?” Little Tootsie Flute piped up, holding out a carefully-wrapped rod-shaped present before noticing the blue paper around the mirror “Oh...somepony got there before me...never mind...”
“No, Tootsie, its fine” Dinky gave her a hug “I always open Mama and Daddy’s presents first. You know that”
Sparkler and Tootsie Flute and came to Ponyville after falling on hard times. Derpy had met the elder unicorn taking home her little sister, who was Dinky’s first friend at school. When she’d invited them over, she’d been puzzled by Tootsie’s curiosity and wonder, as if their humble little flat was a palace. Sparkler hadn’t said anything and so Dinky had ended up following them back home in secret.
They’d been living alone, in a shack outside of Ponyville, in run-down, squalid conditions. Sparkler always made certain her little sister was provided for, given enough food and learning equipment, often economising on herself, but it was no fit conditions to live. Dinky had never worked out why they were living there but she didn’t feel she needed to, though Tootsie kept saying their parents had lived there.
Once.
The Doo family had put an end to that. With a little funding from her grandfather and some help from her friends, they’d completely renovated the house and made it more than liveable. They’d even secured Sparkler a job as a lantern-maker. Lights around the town at night, lights on the path in the Everfree, lights for festivals. It all had to be done and Sparkler had accomplished it well.
The two sisters had grown very close to the Doo family and, at this stage, they were practically cousins to little Dinky, perhaps even as close as sisters.
Smiling, Dinky unwrapped the present.
It was a flute, much like Tootsie’s own. But where Tootsie’s was amethyst-purple, Dinky’s was bright amber, much like their eye colour.
"N-now we can play together...I'll teach you if you like"
The little periwinkle unicorn’s face lit up as she hugged Tootsie Flute tightly.
“I love it, Tootsie! Thank you! Thank you Sparkler!”
“You’re very welcome, Dinky” Sparkler said smiling “Now I think we’d better let Pinkie do her stunt, the way she’s hopping around. That or she needs to visit the little filly’s room”
Pinkie pouted at Sparkler’s jest before looking at the parents with puppy-eyes.
“Oh alright, Pinkie, let’s see your stunt” Derpy sighed.
“WOO-HOO! Watch closely everypony!” A restless Pinkie zipped off to get ready.
“Erm, sir, ma’am, I really wouldn’t, please” Twilight pleaded “I really don’t think it’ll work”
The Doctor chuckled.
“Come on, Twiley. Whatever happens, it’s bound to be worth watching”


*


Almost surrounded by the darkness but for a few dull lanterns, a lone tactician sipped at a mug of tea and surveyed the notice-board in his workshop. The board was scattered with names, photos and profiles of notable ponies across Equestria along with information and deductions he’d written himself.
Information he had spent years gathering.
In the centre were six photos arranged in a circle which he was going over one more time.
The Elements of Harmony had found new bearers.
This new turn of events was distinctly inconvenient. Until as early as two years ago, Canterlot was the foremost priority to his plans. 
Ponyville would fall at the whim of his employer. Nothing too drastic.
Two crossed-wires, one wayward pinch of Diablite Powder, one errant twitch and it would be all taken care of.
Now, it seemed, a far greater threat loomed over him from that wholesome little town.
He massaged his temples with one hoof.
It wouldn’t be that difficult dealing with them.
It wouldn’t even be the first time.
Still, this lot were different. One had even ascended to alicornhood in recent months.
He gritted his teeth.
There was a sight too many alicorns cropping up over Equestria. Five at once would be more than he could have dreamed of.
If we was ever to pull this off...


“Sir?”
“Shadowplay” He'd said the newcomer’s name before he swivelled round in his chair “What news?”
“The Mistress has agreed to see you” The enigmatic batpony said, bowing “You really shouldn’t work in the dark, sir, it can’t be good for your eyes”
“I need to focus, Shadow. The success or failure of our operations depends on this” He got to his hooves “When can she meet me?”
“Now, sir. She is already here”
The batpony parted for a tall, lithe, sleek, pearl-white Changeling with golden serpentine eyes. A Glamourling from the Crystalline Raj. She was swathed in dark green, blue and purple silks but wore no jewellery. Her mane was crimson and hung freely across her scalp and neck rather than adorned by silks and bands as was the custom in the Raj. Her curved hooves made no sound upon the floor and her shimmering, transparent wings made no motion.
“Najiva, Antaheen-Guptata Sri” Shadowplay introduced her with proper titles, in perfect Kristali “Mentor of Unending Silence”
The stallion before her bowed low and smiled.
“Najiva, old friend” he said warmly “It’s been a very long time”
The Glamourling smiled, blue lips parting bare millimetres as something came out her mouth.
The clean, spiny skeleton of a Ghoran Cobra trailing limply out between her lips, one segment of spine at a time.
Her eyes flashed every shade of gold and, slowly, the cobra’s skull rose and its body started to dance in front of them. With a tiny crack, its jawbones moved like a ventriloquist’s puppet, fangs gleaming as two voices spoke out its mouth at once. One a deep, booming, grim baritone of an aged stallion, the other the sweet, melodious, sultry symphony of a young mare.
“Dear Cascadius” the two voices said at once “Time has few ways to separate us”
The two looked each other in the eyes and hugged. At her whim, the skeletal serpent left the mouth of his mistress and coiled around her shoulders, allowing her to kiss the old paymaster on the cheek.
“So, have your colleagues gathered?” he asked.
“The squad is assembled, the most talented hoof-picked and awaiting your instructions” the cobra answered, wrapping itself round Najiva’s forehead and acting as a makeshift coronet. Najiva said nothing. She could not. Though she was still possessed of a tongue, as Glamourlings could regrow them once severed, she could not use it to communicate. Like all Grand Masters of the Echo Squad, she had sworn an eternal vow of silence, using any means necessary to prevent herself from breaking it. So, like many Grand Masters, she relied on a mouthpiece, in this case a zombified cobra.
Najiva and Cascadius, both peerless mercenary leaders feared across the Known World by all who knew them, had met many times in the past, sometimes working with each other, sometimes working against each other.
Nonetheless, they’d come to see each other as equals and helped each other whenever it was convenient.
“Baby, you're the best. I knew I could count on you” Cascadius chuckled “How many have you brought over?”
“Twenty-Six Master Assassins. And many more trainees”
Cascadius grinned and bowed.
“My organisation is indebted. Your graduates will be useful in many ways”
“I hope this makes up for the poor performance of the pretender that shamed our order those seven years ago” Najiva scowled at the memory “Had we found him, a Coldwater Leech would have seemed like a precious gift”
“I do not doubt it. All forgiven and forgotten, dear” Cascadius nuzzled her slender neck, causing her to purr slightly “You know I can’t stay angry at you”
“Oy’ mates! We got a bit of a sitch!” Balisong appeared “Crystal Room. One of her lot says there’s something shonky”
Cascadius and Najiva followed the grim-faced mare to the crystal communications room.
Across the room, crystals were set up on clockwork magic-conducting platforms, tilted and angled in every direction so as to send and intercept transmissions and project images from across the Known World. Wherever they’d left their mark, they kept an eye open and an ear up.
A silver crystal stallion with bright red eyes and a light-blue ponytail was pointing to one of the platforms, detailing various goings-on in the metropolis of Boulette City. Balisong shook her head.
“There’s nothing wrong with the workings but he’s positive there’s something rotten going on”
Najiva approached her subordinate, who bowed low and closed his eyes. The cobra edged across and slowly and gently slid itself down his forehead, onto his nose, trailed the tip of its tail across the motionless stallion’s lips and turned to them.
“My lieutenant, Agravain, says you may want to closely check that area. He doesn’t refer to a breach in security, transmission-wise. Rather in security as a whole”
“What the scudding hay?!” Balisong snapped to the platforms, adjusting the dials to hone in on where and how this information was being transmitted. She blinked and edged back, speaking calmly.
“Our friend, Senator Royal Flush. It seems he’s been gathering information”
“On what?” Cascadius asked.
“Us”


Cascadius’s pupils shrunk in rage but his posture, expression and voice did not change in the slightest.
“I see...” he sighed “It seems I haven’t been clear with him. His election’s gone to his head a lot quicker than I expected”
“We’ve waited on him hoof and tail! It’s thanks to us he’s not in prison!” Shadowplay snarled “Does a mercenary get any respect nowadays?”
“It seems we’ll have to teach him a little” Cascadius turned his back to them, his voice showing slightly more anger “Find him. Find him now. Find out who he was going to send that information to and then bring him to me. Is that understood?”
“Who are you sending, sir?” Balisong asked.
“Tybalt for his speed, Miura for her strength, Gringore because I’m a heartless son of a nag and...Who would you recommend?” he turned to Najiva who pursed her lips.
“Lambasar” the cobra answered “You know him to be very capable” The cobra gave an echoing hiss and a tall, dark-green-coated, silver-maned and bearded unicorn marched in, smiled in a grandfatherly manner and bowed before his Mistress.
Cascadius smiled, heartened and awed by the familiar face.
“Lambasar the Veilmaker. Good to have you on the team. My friends will enjoy working with you” Cascadius said “You have your orders. Carry them out. Bring Royal Flush to me, kill or capture everypony you meet and...Have fun”


*


“See, I told you it wouldn’t work” Twilight tutted.
“Actually, ah’d say it turned out better than ah expected” Applejack pointed out.
“It’s only a flesh-wound...” the Bearer of Laughter mumbled groggily in a vague Trottingham accent “And now for something completely different...He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy...Right, stop this sketch, its silly!”
Nurse Redheart was on hoof to bandage a dazed Pinkie Pie’s head, the results of Dinky’s Birthday Super-Surprise-Stunt gone somewhat awry. Though it could have been completely intentional, knowing Pinky.
“Again! Again!” Several youngsters piped up, shushed by their worried parents.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home, Pinkie?” a worried Mrs Cake asked, placing a gentle hoof on her adopted daughter’s shoulder.
“Of course I’m fine, talking cotton-candy machine. Just give me a few minutes to gather up my Axolotls” Pinkie said with a dizzy grin before singing an odd jingle in monotone.
“Ice-Cream Bunny. That Ice-Cream Bunny. He’s made of Ice-Cream. And he’s a Wampa”
“That’s...rarely a good sign” Rarity muttered.
“She’ll be fine. She’s had a lot worse” Rainbow Dash chuckled “Though I gotta’ say, that stunt was awesome! It would be crazy for anyone to describe it!”
“Ooh, I don’t know, Rainbow Dash, it looks like a mild concussion. We don’t want Pinkie to get hurt, maybe she should-”
“Do I smell birthday cake?!” The pink pony’s face instantly became focussed again as she zoomed off to the dining table, the bandage from her head floating down over a perplexed Nurse Redheart’s nose.
The colts, fillies and Pinkie Pie fidgeted nervously in their seats as the birthday cake was brought in by Raindrops and Parasol to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday to Dinky’. Derpy had gotten help from the Cakes and the Apples for baking what was, essentially, a giant muffin-cake hybrid, a five-layered muffin with plenty of frosting and mixed with every one of Dinky’s favourite ingredients.
Dinky made a wish and blew out the seven candles in one before the cake was cut and everypony present was given a slice.
If there were two things everypony knew Derpy could do, it was deliver the mail and make muffins.
All around the tables were other dishes and treats. Cakes from Sugarcube Corner, fruit and pastries from Sweet Apple Acres, sweets from the House of Fudge, ice cream from the Crème de la Crème. The guests were in no shortage of food, that was for certain.


Even while they enjoyed the cake, some of the guests were still insistent that Dinky open the presents they’d given her quickly.
Dinky’s great-grandfather, was next. Old Stained Glass was seventy-two this year and though he’d taken to walking with a stick, the aged noblestallion was still in good health. The climate in Ponyville had suited him greatly, he was making regular visits and so enjoyed seeing his granddaughter and great-granddaughter.
Unwrapping the present, Dinky gave a whoop of delight as she held up a pair of comically-sized glasses with a variety of kaleidoscopic effects, colour-changing, refraction, even googly eye effects.
“Do you know, these were one of the things I really loved to make back in the glass-making business” Stained Glass chuckled “In fact, these were how I got my wife. You enjoy them, little Dinky” He patted her head.
“I will, great-grandpa! I will!”
“Now us! Now our present! Pleeeaaase?!” The Cutie Mark Crusaders were practically begging on their knees as they offered up their gift.
Dinky unwrapped a burgundy felt cape with a blue shield and gold emblem of a joyous foal.
“Consider yourself an Honorary Cutie Mark Crusader!” Sweetie Belle chirruped.
“Ya’ll can help us out whenever and however you wish!” Applebloom said proudly.
“And Cutie Mark or not, you’ll always be one of us!” Scootaloo assured.
“Aw...thank all you so much, Crusaders! This means so much to me!” Dinky brought all three of them into a hug.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Gift Givers! Yay!”
“Just pipe down and hug her back” Twilight sighed, betraying a heartened smile.
“Excuse me...Dinky...w-w-would you like to open mine?” A nervous little Pipsqueak piped up, offering his box-shaped present “Tungsten gave me some help but...I thought very hard and...Well...just tell me what you think...”
Beside him, Tungsten gave him an encouraging wink as Dinky unwrapped it.
It was a small action figure still in its display box. A golden-furred doe with wide green eyes and a dress of bright amber. Also in the box were, Dinky supposed, the equivalent of accessories; a bronze chest-plate, shoulder pads, an intricate helmet and a long curved sabre with a hilt that could be fitted in her mouth.
Dinky gazed at it and looked up at Pip, who sat twiddling his hooves as he explained, stammering.
“I-I-It’s Lady Alwyn Gildensong of the Elkwood Realms. From...Ogres and Oubliettes. I just wondered...You were always saying how much you wanted to play with me and Tungsten and...Now you can...”
“Pip...” Dinky said.
“I...I’m sorry. I-I-I don’t know if you...like Ogres and Oubliettes but I think you’d like Lady Alwyn...she’s not weak because she’s a girl or anything, she...she’s very tough. She’s got a lot of magic. She’s very quick. She can call upon tree spirits and...She sort of reminds me of you. B-b-because she’s really brave...and kind...and she only fights when she needs to...a-and she’s always helping others...She gets the Elks to help the Ponies against the Armies of Gloom at the Battle of Highdale, e-even though her father tries to forbid it. B-but if you don’t like it, that’s okay...I mean, Ogres and Oubliettes isn’t for everypony and-”
He was cut off by a tender hug from Dinky Doo. Around him, the young ones that knew him stifled giggles.
“I love it, Pip. I can’t wait to play with it with you. Thank you so much, you’re a really nice colt” She gave him a tiny peck on the cheek which sent him falling back in his chair, pinker than the Bearer of Laughter herself.
“Ew! Gross” Scootaloo groaned, sticking out her tongue.
“Aw, how cute!” Sweetie Belle cooed.
“Dinky and Pipsqueak – Sitting in a...”
“Come on, you two. Not on her birthday” Noi said firmly to a mocking Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The rich fillies weighed her words and reluctantly conceded.
“Lady Alwyn secretly loves Dobbyn Dawnblade and Pip always plays as him” Tungsten pointed out “I think you might really like Ogres and Oubliettes, Dinky”
“I’m sure I will”
“Mine next!”
“Then mine!”
“Then can you open mine?!”
Derpy and the Doctor smiled, highly content and certain that, thanks to the combined efforts of all who loved her, Dinky was enjoying one of the best birthdays ever.


*


The butler knocked on the bedroom door.
“Milady” he asked in a quiet, undemanding tone. He knew no other tone to be safe.
“What is it?!” came the reply, harsh and aggressive.
“Are you coming to see your parole officers?”
“What do you think, you idiot?!”
“Are you ready, milady?”
“I’m ready when I say I am!”
There was another dull, drawn-out combination of a scratch and a squeak. A noise that was occurring often from the bedroom in recent years. The butler waited patiently, no stranger to this behaviour though by no means comfortable with it.
It took about four minutes before Countess Magnifying Glass of Invitro Hall emerged, clammy-skinned, wild-maned and sunken-eyed.
“The parole officers?” she asked, her speech impeded by her frantic breathing patterns “Where are they?”
“Downstairs in the lobby” the butler said “Milady...is something wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong” she said robotically.
“Of course, milady, forgive my-”
“THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” she suddenly bellowed, her eyes blazing.
Those eyes had once been an icy-blue. The centres of the irises were turning noticeably yellow.
“Replace my bedroom mirror” she ordered “Then get out of my sight”
“Yes, milady” he bowed and left his employer to make her way, quite precariously, down the stairs, taking each step slowly and cautiously as if it were booby-trapped.
Entering the bedroom he took note of the torn blankets, smashed liquor bottles and magic blast marks upon the walls and curtains.
Nothing new there then.
Removing the mirror from its stand, he would take it down into the storeroom.
The family had no shortage of mirrors.
He looked over the glass with unease.
There was one word scrawled with brutality into the surface, so crude and hard one could positively feel the hatred and hunger for vengeance that dripped from it like blood from a wound.
‘Irregular’
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How soon do you think it can be ready?”
“These workings are very complex, Mr Cascadius” Bovril said calmly, adjusting his lens as the silver crystal pony from the Echo Squad looked over the peculiar item in its case “With Agravain here, we will have a great deal more understanding of the crystals but it will not be ready for a good few weeks at the most”
“I understand the caution. Don’t rush things unless absolutely necessary” Cascadius said with an understanding smile “You’ve saved me considerable time already and I’m certain Agravain will pull his weight. His ancestors helped make most of the crystals we depend on and the art form has travelled from parent to foal over time”
He gave a nod to Agravain who smiled modestly as he continued.
“Crystalcraft is a very intricate and advanced art. I myself am far from an expert. I hope you can teach us much”
Agravain bowed.
“Bovril. Keep me updated. As long as things are running smoothly, I’d like you to keep yourself free for any potential tasks”
“Of course, sir. I have several projects recently-finished and I’ve been meaning to try them out at some point”
A clean, collected, beige-coated, black-maned earth pony from New Eweland, Bovril was the organisation’s technical expert. Weapon manufacture was his field of expertise and he was always ready to test them.
He enjoyed the latter part a little too much for some ponies liking, particularly the parts where he’d closely examine the effects with fascination in front of his dying or mutilated victim, congratulating them for surviving at all.
All in such a jovial fashion.
Still, Cascadius was used to working with ponies who were more than a mite damaged. Damaged things sometimes made the best damagers. Content, he left the laboratory and headed to his study, passing by at least a dozen firm friends and capable warriors.
Things, overall, were looking good.
Playing his cards right could allow them to take Equestria by storm.
Still, it never paid to grow overconfident.
He would need more time to plan and prepare, a single slip up could prove fatal.
He stopped outside the door to his study as the rank smell of lard and bile filled his nostrils. He sighed and gave a chant.
“Cut and cured and hacked and hung”
“The Mother Sow will eat her young” A pallid figure emerged beside him. He was a pony but certainly didn’t look like it.
He was bloated in his belly and neck and yet his legs and hooves were lanky and withered. His off-white coat looked drained, as if it had once been a different colour. His mane was gone and his tail had been shaved. Most noticeably he was wearing a ceramic half-mask shaped like a pig, bright pink with tiny colourless eyes.
A cultist of the Piggsicorn, a Squealer as they were known.
He was a fidgety fellow and shuffled about while making porcine noises, grunts, snuffles and snorts.
Even Cascadius considered the Cult a little too disturbed for his liking.
“Paymaster” the Squealer said “The Grand Gorging Council of the Trough assures you that the transgressions of our false and former Grand Hogfather are no actions of ours”
“I do not doubt that. No reprisal will be carried out upon them or any other of your...brethren” Cascadius assured him “Royal Flush will made to pay for his crimes against both our organisations”
“The Gorging Ones are concerned that you did not send one of our own to punish the apostate” the Squealer grunted “There are none who may snuffle and snap, none who may gnaw and gnash greater than our hunters”
“Our organisation depends on yours keeping a low profile. We won’t leave any trail. Your hunters, however, insist on wearing your masks”
The Squealer gave a drawn-out wheeze and pawed at his mask almost possessively.
“Tis not a mask, ignorant heathen, ‘tis a mark! A mark of the Piggsicorn’s blessing. When she comes and spreads her words, drowning the heretics in blood and dripping, only those who bear the mark will be spared”
“Quite understood” the paymaster said, meaning no word that came out his mouth “But that mark is hard to hide...for ones so clearly blessed by the one true goddess and saviour”
The Squealer gave a contemplative drone and nodded frantically.
“You speak truly...I shall carry your reasons to the Gorging Ones. But the transgressor is ours once he is brought here”
“Of course. Thank you for your time”
He gave a sigh of relief as the cultist left. He couldn’t stand the smell.
In the darkness of his study, Cascadius looked over the profiles he’d been building over the long and painstaking Intel-gathering exercises he’d been taking since the fall of Nightmare Moon.
He would need to memorise this and be ready for when the time came to strike.


‘Applejack
Bearer of the Element of Honesty
Female Earth Pony. Born and raised in Rural-Ponyville.
Runs Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville’s most prominent source of food and income.
Proud and hard-working farmer.
Physical Strength- Very High. Capable of dislodging every hanging fruit from a tree with a single kick.
Magical Capacity- N/A
Speed- High.
Stamina- Medium. Tends to overexert herself.
Strategy- Medium.
Fighting Experience- Medium. Can be called to defend threats to the farm when necessary.
Weapons- Lasso (High Efficiency)
Known Family Members- Parents Bright Mac and Pear Butter (Deceased), Granny Smith (Grandmother), Big Mackintosh (Elder Brother), Applebloom (Younger Sister), Winona (Pet Dog-Collie). For more information on Apple Family, consult folder,
Vulnerability- High. Close relationship with family.
Best Course of Action: Cruciamite will only disable affinity with the earth, likely to enrage. Not advised. Important-Watch The Hooves. Tire through defensive combat and wait for an opening’


*


Dinky Doo was enjoying the present from her parents.
And she was understanding why her mother enjoyed her job so much. Seeing those bright smiles, hearing those kind words, all day every day. It must have been so wonderful to Ponyville’s best mail-mare.
She’d need to try it when she got older.
Her father, on the other hoof, seemed to never live the same day twice, though as a time-traveller he could well do so if he tried but he mentioned something once about holes in the space-time continuum. Dinky wasn’t quite sure what that meant but the space-time continuum didn’t sound like something you wanted holes in.
She was sitting on her bed watching as he, a black-and-brown dappled griffon and a pretty young pegasus mare with a long crimson mane and what looked like faint russet-brown zebra stripes down her back raced down the corridors of an old Stirropean castle. Bolts thudded into the walls behind them as angered shouts filled the air.
Dinky’s heart was in her mouth.
She’d seen him get up to these sorts of things when she’d accidently wandered into the open Timey-Wimey Box when she was four in a game of hide and seek. Next thing she knew, the Doctor was worrying how he’d apologise to her mother while a monstrous tyrannosaur that, last time she checked, died out millennia ago, was nipping at their fetlocks.
And that was before those really bizarre-looking creatures with the toilet plungers and police lights showed up.
Still, this all seemed so real. And the pony and griffon beside him looked so frightened.


They neared the dead end of a castle, a small, narrow window staring out in front of them.
With pale, nervous faces, the three turned to see a squad of griffon troopers, armed with automatic crossbows pointed straight at them. At the odd sound of thumping brazen machinery, they parted as a thin, mean-looking grey griffin with the tips of his feathers dyed yellow and a strange contraption that was shaped like an eagle but huge, metallic, possessed of cold red eyes and components all across its body that breathed fire and spat missiles.
The griffon leader smiled and spoke.
“Well, Doctor. You seem to have, ironically, run out of places to run out. It appears at last I have the upper talon”
“I never run out of places to run out...if that was worded correctly” the Doctor proclaimed “And besides, you seem to forget, Colonel Lammergeyer, I’m quite safe where I stand”
“Are you blind or simply brain-dead? You are outnumbered and surrounded by our bows”
“Exactly. You have weapons, I don’t. You can kill me but the moral high-ground is mine”
The grey griffon hissed.
“I had almost forgotten how infuriating you can be. And you, Sergeant Alpenstock, you disappoint me” He shook his head at the brown griffon beside the Doctor “I had so hoped I could teach your simple kind loyalty and obedience but it seems a filthy Pullet like yourself is good for nothing but chains or flames”
“Hey, watch it! He’s a far better griffon than you ever could be!” the scruffy time-traveller barked, placing a hoof over his friend’s shoulder, causing Lammergeyer’s feathers to ruffle with fury.
“You understand nothing! His worthless kin have stolen from the true gilded griffon race for far too long. They and all those that fall short of the ideal image of bird shall be swept away like the insects they are. Pure-born Raptors rule the skies, all others peck the soil. I thought this was what I taught you, Alpenstock”
The brown griffin was quiet for a moment, looked to the Doctor and spoke.
“It is what I was taught, Colonel...but not what I learned. What I learned was that there truly is no greater evil than one who tries to separate good and evil based on the colour of your skin or feathers or blood! You disgust me! You and your Chancellor and his insane dreams of destruction! There isn’t a bird in Griffonia without Pullet blood or Strix blood or Psittaci blood or Passerine blood in them and you know it! You just choose not to see it, just so you get the privilege of turning your beak up at those who don’t look like you! Look at you! Preaching words of arrogance and hatred in front of young griffons with saffron and urine-salt in your feathers! And now...now I find out how we’ve been making those!” He pointed one disdainful talon at the mechanical beast as he bellowed with indignation “Taking eggs from their mother’s nest and locking them up in a suit of steel?! Machines powered by unborn hatchlings! What kind of sick, twisted insults to griffonkind are you?!”
“Weak-minded coward! Do you not see the glory in these super-avians?” Lammergeyer rasped “Eagletrons feel no pain, no fear, no weakness! Eagletrons are the griffin race perfected! Eagletrons are the future!”
“I’ve been to the future, Lammergeyer” the Doctor said sagely “They’re not in it...and neither are you”
‘You tell him, daddy!’ Dinky thought proudly at she drummed her back-hooves on her bedroom floor in tension.
“I don’t have time for this idiocy!” Lammergeyer squawked “You two will die for your insolence but should you give me back my war-prize, you will die quickly”
The mare edged back, trembling as her two friends shielded her.
“This is Princess Bonjela Eglantine of Trotterdam!” Alpenstock hissed “You’ll show her respect”
“She’s a half-breed mute! I’ll show her none!” Lammergeyer clacked his beak “Give her to me or prepare for a fate worse than death”
The Doctor had been staring at the Eagletron for some time and snapped back to the question in the manner of a pony who’d completely lost interest in the topic.
“Sorry, I’ve just been thinking about what you said. It’s interesting you should talk about the future. Machines really do become quite prominent in our daily lives...but they’re only as good as the folks who make them”
“Ha! Griffon technology is the greatest in the world!” Lammergeyer clucked “Nothing can stand against the Eagletrons!”
“Nothing you know of...” the Doctor said, reaching for his pocket “And you don’t know me”
The sonic screwdriver lit up and buzzed right before the Eagletron gave a deafening screech, firing bolts, missiles and flames in all directions. Lammergeyer was struck in the beak by its steel wing which was opening and closing frantically, hitting the walls of the narrow corridor as his troops fell about in chaos.
“Duck!” the Doctor yelled.
“That’s racist!” Alpenstock yelled back before Bonjela grabbed both of them as they hurled themselves to the floor. The wall behind them took a missile blast dead-on and gave way.
“Right then...” the Doctor said to his colleagues “I hope you two can carry me, ‘cause I left my flying licence at home” And he spun round and dashed through the open wall with his famous catch-phrase before his friends swooped down to grab him by his front-hooves.
“ALLONS-Y!”


Dinky giggled and cheered as she watched her father being carried through the air grinning like a colt with a cry of “I can see the Brandenbird Gate!”
“Dinky” She heard her mama calling from downstairs “Lunch is ready”
Excitedly, Dinky tottered downstairs and was greeted to a table of mushroom soup, hot peanut-butter bread-rolls, her favourite cheese with the red-wax cover and carrots straight from Carrot Top’s garden.
Reaching the table, she saw Tootsie Flute already sitting down. This was nothing new, Sparkler and Tootsie often paid a visit to help Derpy get lunch ready. What didn’t happen so often was Pipsqueak doing the same, staring at Dinky with those bright, shiny, nervous eyes of his.
“W-w-we waited till you came down...” he stammered.
“Thanks. You didn’t have to. You must be hungry” Dinky smiled, ruffling his scruffy mane before sitting down “There. Now let’s eat”
The three foals dug in as Dinky’s mama entered, baking gloves on her front-hooves and flour on her face.
“There you are, little Muffin” She craned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead, sprinkling her with the same flour. Many foals her age would’ve been embarrassed but Dinky simply giggled.
“The mirror’s great, mama! You wouldn’t believe the things Daddy does when he’s not at home”
“My mother said that about my father once” Pip mumbled off-hoofedly.
“I’d be careful, Dinky” Derpy advised “Some of what he does shouldn’t be seen by foals”
“She said that too” Pip’s face was grim.
“I don’t want you to get scared. All those monsters and villains and life or death. You might lose sleep”
“...she never said that”
“Oh, um...Pip’s train back to Trottingham’s delayed so he’s staying over here for a while” Derpy explained “Is that alright with you two?”
“Sure it is” Dinky piped up “Do you have your Ogres and Oubliettes figure?”
“Yep, right here. I also got a few others from my...er...” he blushed “...my collection”
“You have a collection of Ogres and Oubliettes action figures?” Tootsie Flute asked, raising her eyebrow.
Pip nodded nervously.
“That’s cool” Dinky said excitedly “Now Tootsie can play too”
“Oh um...I don’t know if I’ll like Ogres and Oubliettes” the little baby-blue unicorn twiddled her front hooves “Besides...I kinda’ wanted to practice the flute after lunch. Lyra’s been teaching me some really nice tunes and I wondered if Dinky and you would listen...”
“Oh that’s alright. I’ve a solution” Pip brought up his rucksack, rummaged through it and produced another action figure, a dark-grey doe with silver locks of hair behind her ears, sea-blue eyes and a burgundy robe “This is Beresymph the Whistler, Lady Alwyn’s handmaiden. She’s blind but she sees through the song of the sounds around her and casts magic through that song. So you can use your flute to cast her spells”
Tootsie Flute tilted her head in thought.
“Well...” she said at length “I guess I could try. It does sound kinda' fun. You mean you can just play the game how you want?”
“Well there are some rules but not many. It’s all your own story really. Me and Tungsten are trying to make a club for school”
“Well, I’ve got a story for these brave heroes” Derpy called out as she brought forth a basket of steaming goodies that made her so famous across Ponyville and announced in a deep, dramatic voice.
“The Journey To Muffin Mountain!”


*


‘Rarity
Bearer of the Element of Generosity
Female Unicorn. Born in Manehattan, Ponyville Upbringing.
Runs Carousel Boutique, Ponyville fashion emporium.
Talented seamstress.
Physical Strength- High. Though not often resorted to.
Magical Capacity- High.
Speed- Medium.
Stamina- Medium.
Strategy- High.
Fighting Experience- Low. Avoids combat whenever possible.
Weapons- Possible Affinity with Magic Gemstones and Fabric (Medium Efficiency)
Known Family Members- Hondo ‘Magnum’ Flanks (Father), Cookie Crumbles (Mother), Sweetie Belle (Younger Sister), Opalescence (Pet Cat-Angora), Spike (Possible Affections? Uncertain), 
Vulnerability- High. Close, if dysfunctional, relationship with family.
Best Course of Action: Cruciamite will disable magic. Should fall easily to swift follow-up but don’t let down guard'


*


The Crossfort was the most heavily defended place in Boulette City. The house of the ruling senator, a pony who had a great deal of power and influence over the outskirts of Equestria further away from Celestia’s eye.
Life here was hard. There was a definite rift between the few prosperous and the many destitute. Many of its rulers were involved with underhoof dealings with criminals or even outright enemies of Equestria. In practice, the city’s system was thoroughly corrupt but not outwardly destructive. Nonetheless, the city had only become an Equestrian state in recent centuries and many of the populace were possessed of an anti-royalist sentiment. There was a widely-held belief in Canterlot that in the worst pony in Boulette was more beloved and trusted by the citizens there than the best pony in Canterlot.
This was proven wrong when the worst pony in Boulette ended up its leader, leading to a mass emigration of Boulette’s protesting citizens. How Senator Royal Flush had won the election was beyond anyone but foul play was a given at this point. He and the city representative in Canterlot, Carcassonne, were not friends and often came to both verbal and physical blows when meeting in public.
Right now, Senator Royal Flush was a very powerful pony and aimed to become more powerful.
That must have been why he’d turned on the very individuals who helped him acquire that power.
Tybalt gave a sigh and Miura’s eyes narrowed as they gazed out at the Crossfort.
The wanton pursuit of power often led to its loss.


Tybalt and Miura often worked together on missions. The two were very compatible in battle.
Tybalt was a black-and-white-speckled Chineighse earth pony, possessed of a grey ponytail of a mane. He wore a tasselled red jerkin with bandoliers thrown across his chest and shoulders and toted a fedora with a trophy band of hair, feathers and teeth of those who crossed him.
Tybalt was a laid-back sort but he’d had a rough upbringing, like many in his organisation. Upon their arrival in the Equestrian outskirts, his parents, vagrants from Horn Kong, were press-ganged into slavery at a plantation in the badlands. Tybalt escaped and was taken in by a bandit group where he learnt his trade. Raiding the plantations, he added the rescued labourers to his gang and forcibly put the plantation owners to work on the fields they used to own. When the judiciary forces came after him, they’d find the plantation, and those left within, burnt to ash. A way of advising them against coming after him. Every time they tried, Tybalt and his gang would leave a mountain of their pursuers dead and burning by the crossroads. He was young, cocky and comparatively inexperienced, something Cascadius never let him forget. But if the greenest among their organisation could make such deadly performances, their enemies would soon be dreading meeting the older and wiser members.
Miura was very different, a dark grey pegasus from Trotterdam with long purple mane and a trailing tail. She wore a plain black cloak and carried her sword at her back, balanced between her wings. She wasn’t one for decoration but nonetheless wore pitch-black lipstick and had inscribed the oath of the warrior in navy-blue kanji onto her teeth.
Her missionary parents died of the plague in rural Neighpon around the same time the resurgence of the Iron Sun Shogunate took place. Indoctrinated and given little choice but to fight or die, she rose to command the Tonbokiri, the Shogunate Secret Police. Her name became synonymous with pain and death and on the battlefield she was unstoppable, taking the heads of over two hundred enemies and lining them across the conquered border. In the battle of Tanpopo, Miura set out to kill the Kirin leader, Lady Snow, in mid-air. They crossed blades and Miura was cut down, hurtling into the river. She was marked off as killed in action.
Clearly they’d been wrong.
Both of them were observing the Crossfort impatiently from atop a warehouse on the opposite street as they waited for their ‘transfer’ to get ready.
“How long is he going to take? Master Cascadius ordered swiftness” Miura growled, pacing across the rooftops.
“Chill out, doll. He should be nearly ready” Tybalt relaxed against the wall, twirling his flintlocks
A shadow swept over them. Looking up, they saw a grey cloth carried limply upon the breeze. As it slowly writhed and weaved in mid-air, it caught itself on an aerial on the warehouse they stood upon. Wrapping itself round and round, a stallion materialised from inside it, jumping down and bowing, smiling all the while.
“Very nice, old master, very nice indeed” Tybalt said, stamping one hoof in approval as Miura rolled her eyes “How did it go?”
Lambasar the Veilmaker pulled at his turban, unravelling it to produce an intricate map of the Crossfort.
“Excellent work. This job’s as good as done. See, Miura, patience is a virtue”
Lambasar smiled and looked around. Puzzled, he tapped his hoof three times.
“Oh yeah, she wandered off” the young stallion said, shrugging “She does that”
Lambasar nodded and rolled out the map on the ground.
“Right” Miura said “After we seal off the area, Tybalt can take the front. I will go round the back into the grounds. That leaves you, sir, with the roof”
Lambasar nodded.
“Our mutual friend will probably appear from somewhere or other. Look for a trail of carnage and go fast in the opposite direction. Remember, Cascadius ordered the Senator captured alive. Best bring any who back down too...The trainees will need a little target practice”


The guards at the front door of the Crossfort were thoroughly confused by the wind patterns. That grey rag had been circling in the sky for hours.
Further down the street came the sound of a crash followed by several more, an alarm and some screaming. Smoke appeared from above the buildings in the distance. The guards looked to each other and shrugged.
That wasn’t their problem.
There came a groan and a dirty-looking young stallion came stumbling towards them, muttering.
“You can’t fire me, I quit, un...grateful son of a...urgh, I’m so sick...”
“Hey, beat it! This is government property!” One of the guards approached him, getting out his baton.
“Dude, I just need a cab fare...maybe even a bar fare...” the stallion gagged.
“I said beat it you bucking lowlife, unless you want a fetlock broken!” The guard grabbed the vagrant by the collar.
“Hey, hooves away, ya crazy nag!” the young stallion flailed out. Something sharp pierced his shoulder causing him to jump and snarl at the stallion in front of him who appeared to be sobering up quickly.
“Aw curd...look, I’m so sorry, man. It was the drink talking...I...I’ll be going, don’t worry, you won’t see me-”
The baton was swung across his face, sending him careening against the wall. The guard bared his teeth and reached for his firearm.
“C’mon man, this is harassment!”
As quick as he’d drawn it, the guard jerked slightly and stood completely still as the stallion who’d incurred his wrath sped off into the alley. The remaining guard by the door called out.
“Hey, you’re letting him get away”
The guard’s pistol clattered to the ground.
“What are you doing? Go after him, he trespassed!”
The guard started to turn back to his partner at the door, his eyes blazing red and yellow, froth pouring from between his bared teeth.
“What...what’s wrong with you?”
And with the scream of a mad beast, he grabbed his baton and pounced.
By the time Tybalt had discarded the ragged coat, paid the beggar he’d borrowed it from and reappeared, donning his hat and straightening his belt, the demented guard who’d assaulted him was beating the face of his compatriot into an unsightly mass of crimson pulp and bone shards on the steps of the Crossfort. The young mercenary picked up the pistol that’d been dropped, eyed it and threw it away distastefully.
“Ugh, piece a’ curd” he sneered “State-of-the-art my flank. Now this...” He drew his revolver and spun it around his hoof “This is a real stallion’s gun” He took notice that the guard was paying no attention to him as he continued hitting the remains of his colleague. He slowly drew his revolver downwards towards the crazed stallion’s cranium.
“Yeah that Banshee Dragon tooth will do that to ya’. That’s why you gotta’ peg ‘em before they get close...” He replaced the tooth in his trophy band wrapped round his hat and clicked the revolver.
“...Like this”


The gate to the Crossfort grounds was guarded by six armed enforcers. Ten more patrolled within the grounds.
Miura knew they would be sixteen corpses once she was ready.
The shuriken had shredded the tire of a fuel truck in the city square two streets away. All attention would be focussed on that area until the smoke cleared. That would take an hour and a half at least.
‘Time enough to accomplish our objectives’ she thought as she paced toward the gate.
“Citizen, nopony is allowed to enter the Crossfort without permission” the gate commander barked “Leave immediately. We are authorised to use lethal force” As she drew nearer, the handle of the uchigatana showing, the guards drew rifles.
“By order of the Senator, all foreigners outside of the restricted zones are to be detained on sight! Identify yourself!”
Miura gave them all an unimpressed stare.
“If you do not comply, we will be forced to fire”
Miura opened her gleaming sea-green eyes wide and spoke, baring her tattooed teeth.
“Fire” she ordered them.
In the Crossfort grounds, the patrol snapped to attention as they heard the crackle of gunfire outside.
They turned to see a grey pegasus mare in a black cloak and a drawn sword standing before them, expressionless and rigid as a statue.
There was a gentle breeze.
With a metallic groan, the gates burst open, their locks cut clean in two.
Then six objects flew over the walls on either side of those gates each flying exactly the same height and distance and landing beside her in a flawless line.
The heads of the gate guard, staring at them with open mouths and wide eyes.
“Good afternoon. I just started working here” Miura said calmly “Would somepony mind showing me to the Senator?”
The guards raised their rifles, fear apparent in their eyes.
“No matter...I’ll find him myself”


*


‘Rainbow Dash
Bearer of the Element of Loyalty
Female Pegasus. Born in Cloudsdale.
Ponyville Weather-Pony.
Expert flyer.
Physical Strength- Medium. Power relies in force, determined by speed.
Magical Capacity- N/A.
Speed- Very High. Able to perform multiple Sonic Rainbooms at a whim.
Stamina- Very High.
Strategy- Low.
Fighting Experience- High. Regularly came to blows with bullies in her youth.
Weapons- N/A
Known Family Members- Parents (Missing, possibly deceased), Scootaloo (Foster Younger Sister), Tank (Pet Tortoise- Desert), 
Vulnerability- Medium. Unwilling to back down even when threatened.
Best Course of Action: Cruciamite will impede flight. Threat greatly lessened but will not fall easily. Under no circumstances allow her to perform a Sonic Rainboom’


*


Senator Royal Flush relaxed in his office.
He was triumphant. Every day he felt the need to remind himself.
Tomorrow his portrait would hang in his office. A week later, they’d hang it in every house in Boulette.
He had some big changes in mind for his city.
Even he was surprised he’d gotten this far. After that meddling Canterlot-loving hussy, Carcassonne, had implicated him and his family as heads of the Cult of Piggsicorn (Among other things), his polls took a turn for the worst. Pleading his case at Canterlot was not a pleasant business. The Princess had few kind words to say to him and Carcassonne had even fewer.
Yet who should he meet in Canterlot but the head of the Glass family, who he’d long been dealing with. She too, it seemed, had fallen on hard times. But she’d been useful. By Lucretia and Superbus, she’d been useful.
The ponies she’d recommend he have a ‘chat with’ had taken care of everything.
All information that may have led to his demise disappeared overnight as did most of the ponies supplying it. The witnesses either could not be found or treated the whole thing as news to them. He was acquitted in Canterlot which made him a hero in Boulette, maintaining dignity amidst suspicion and braving the imperialism of the idealistic and unchecked Princess who dared call herself the ruler of Boulette’s proud and prosperous citizens.
Oh, he had plans to change that.
He had so many plans.


“Mister Senator, sir?! Come in! Urgent!”
The transceiver crackled with noise and Royal Flush answered.
“What, what is it? Front desk?”
“No sir, communications! We have a situation...Well...two...no, wait...oh Lucretia...Three situations, sir! Three huge situations!”
“What are you talking about?! Get me a reading for Superbus’ sake!”
At his desk, a monitor screen flashed into life and produced three images.
One of a rangy, dappled earth pony in a jerkin leaning against the front door, two guards sprawled out beside him with very little left of their heads.
One of a dour grey pegasus in a black cloak kneeling in the grounds, cleaning her sword as sixteen heads surrounded her in a circle.
And one of a gentle-looking, bearded, green unicorn in grey robes on the roof, playing from a wooden flute. As the camera switched to an aerial view of a police airship, he saw the twelve rooftop snipers suspended from the roof, hanging by their necks from lengths of cloth.
All three of the strange killers turned their gaze, at once, towards the camera and waved.
The Senator felt sweat pouring from every pore in his body.
He brushed his mane out of his brow and felt the toupee come loose.
They were here.
They’d found him.
“Comms! Repel the intruders!” he shouted down the transceiver “Shoot on sight! I want every available unit down here immediately! Do you understand?! Inform the city defences! The Crossfort is under attack!”
“Yes, sir. All available units proceeding to these coordinates"
Tybalt heard raised voices from behind the front door.
Miura watched several more patrols making their way down into the grounds.
Lambasar noticed the airships and helicopters changing direction towards the Crossfort.
In the darkness and silence of the air ducts...somepony giggled.
Each one thought alike.
‘And now the fun begins’


Tybalt rushed into the street behind him, turned and adopted a runner’s position.
The front door burst open as Boulette City Defence Agents poured out, bolt rifles at the ready.
The mercenary leapt forward, revolvers firing, and propelled himself forward like a quarrel from a crossbow. One of his key trademark fighting styles, Tybalt wore spur-like skates strapped around his hooves which kept him moving on the ground while firing and, at the same time, avoiding being fired upon, making him a proverbial whirlwind of leaden death as he zoomed through the corridors of the Crossfort, a storm of bullets and fallen foes in his wake.
Miura’s skill with the sword was matched by few and in the air she was as final and fatal as a crippling curse upon the soul, snuffing out any life that presented itself, more heads for her demonstration.
Lambasar, meanwhile, had vanished as the grey cloth from earlier tripled and tripled again in length and size, hurtling towards the air support like a swarm or a smog, sending them lurching out of control, blown far from the Crossfort, and plummeting to earth in mighty explosions.
At the Communications desk, a bright yellow unicorn stallion with a white mane was tapping away frantically at the main Intel monitors.
“Subjects are en route to the lobby, repeat, they are heading to the lobby. Cut them off! 6th Platoon, do you copy? Damnit, is anypony left out there? Barricade the main door, I want nopony getting in! Find out where that Haissanic went!”
It was clear the wooden doors wouldn’t hold these ferocious killers. As the desk officer patted in coordinates, great metal barricades drew together with a rumble of cog-work. It was thirty inches of compound Boulette steel, hardest available metal anywhere in the region. 	Nothing would get through the door anytime soon.
Provided it was allowed to close.
With a crash, the wooden doors splintered and the steel doors jammed as a metal desk-chair was hurled forward and landed squarely between the metal barricades. The chair bent and squeezed but wasn’t to break as, through the splintered openings, a revolver poked its head out and fired. It hit the door-controls, sending sparks flying and circuits fizzing. All doors to Communications Room shot open as, from either side of each other, Tybalt and Miura strode in.
“I’d leave that alone, Mister” the earth pony’s revolver shot forward before the desk officer could reach a firearm “Now if you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to ask a few questions”
“Your senator has been spying on us. It was foolish of him to believe we wouldn’t take exception to that” Miura growled “Log into his data banks and tell us exactly who he was sending the information to”
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with!” the officer managed to say to the derision of his assailants. He was betraying his horror quite prominently “We have a SWAT team coming in from the emergency hanger. They will not stop firing until you're piles of mulch!”
Tybalt gave a coy smile.
“I wouldn’t bet on that”


The SWAT team faced the elevator doors with grim faces.
Each of the twenty-four stallions was armed with state-of-the-art weapons and guard, bulletproof shields and armour, automatic rifles, flash-bang explosives, infra-red, the works.
Any amount of hostile forces in the area would die in a hail of bolts.
There were none who could match Boulette Special Forces in open combat.
“Okay, you know the drill” the commander barked “These are armed assassins, targeting the Senator. We’ve already sustained heavy casualties. If it doesn’t look like a Boulette citizen, do not let it leave the city alive. Lethal force is fully authorised”
“Just how I like it”
The voice had come from above and did not sound safe in the slightest.
The SWAT team looked up as, with a hellish growl, a chainsaw burst through the metalwork of the elevator ceiling and ripped it open.
They fell backwards, stunned as a gaunt, chalk-white earth pony with a wild green mane and the most hideous, blood-red smile anypony had ever seen, greeted them with a nightmarish grin as she revved up the chainsaw and spoke in a terribly unhinged manner.
“First Floor! Slaughterhouse! Ding!”


*


‘Fluttershy
Bearer of the Element of Kindness
Female Pegasus. Born in Cloudsdale, raised in Ponyville.
Ponyville Animal Expert, Vet and Carer.
Meek individual at home with nature.
Physical Strength- Low.
Magical Capacity- N/A.
Speed- Medium. Doesn’t normally fly.
Stamina- Medium.
Strategy- Medium.
Fighting Experience- Very Low. Abhors violence of any kind.
Weapons- The Stare (Important-Very High Efficiency-See Folder), Various animal control tools and appliances (High Efficiency)
Known Family Members- Parents and Younger Brother, Zephyr Breeze (Cloudsdale), Angel Bunny (Pet Rabbit- Pygmy White), Various pets and animals (See Folder), 
Vulnerability- High. Is unwilling to see a single living thing harmed before her.
Best Course of Action: Important-Do Not Allow Her To Stare! Blind, permanently or temporarily. Don’t waste Cruciamite when anything will do. Otherwise, a docile enemy but not to be underestimated. Neutralize as quickly and efficiently as possible’


*


“So you admit to the charges that were set on you that placed you under house arrest?”
Raven Inkwell took in the sight of Countess Magnifying Glass.
The seven years of residential incarceration had not been kind to her.
She looked appalling. In fact, she sounded and smelled appalling to boot. Seven years ago, she’d already been painfully thin. Now she wasn’t so much a pony as much a rather stunted giraffe. She didn’t want to think about how long it had been since she’d washed. The skin around her hooves was dry and worn, cracking at the edges. Those same hooves shuddered incessantly and their owner gave no sign of noticing. There was alcohol on her breath and, indeed, most of the house. Her eyes twitched and glazed over in inconsistent patterns.
She was barely capable of speaking without breaking down.
“Yes...I’ve admitted to what I was charged with...And I have...completed my sentence” she grinded her teeth, turning grey with rot.
“Not completely” Beside Raven Inkwell, Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers looked over her spectacles at the Countess with untold disdain.
“According to the log and dates of the aforementioned punishment, you have precisely two months and six days more before your debt to society is paid in full”
The corners of the Countess’s lips twitched.
“Aren’t I eligible for good conduct time?” she asked.
“Not if the rumours are to be believed. Rumours concerning your late husband first and foremost”
“I assure you, I had nothing to do with his alleged treason”
Bustle Bloomers cleared her throat loudly.
“Confirmed treason” They could hear the Countess grinding her teeth “I was not involved. He acted completely without my knowledge. I was under house arrest, I couldn’t have gone with him”
“Where did he go?”
“Is this is an interrogation now?” the Countess snapped.
“If you like” Bustle Bloomers said flatly as she petted Horatio who was startled by the raised voices and had poked his head out her hoof-bag “Where did your husband go to make his plans and gather his resources”
The Countess was quite a moment.
“The Hanoverian” she answered, blinking several times in quick succession before rubbing her eyes “The club he frequented with Sir Cumbersome Clout. The two of them were close allies”
“Is there anypony who could confirm this?”
“I...I don’t know. I never went there. I told you I was here the whole time, I-I...I...”
“Yes, thank you Mrs Glass”


Mrs Glass. They’d called her Mrs Glass. Not Countess, not lady, nothing.
‘Just you wait, you sour old sack of pus!’ she screamed in her head ‘I’ll teach you respect when I have your precious nephew torn apart before you! Him and his freakish little pay-ride, Flower Lily or whatever her name is! I’ll have some very special stallions get to work on her! See what’s left of your family and its fine reputation then!’
“I promise you...I just want the chance to make things right. With my niece, with her friends, the Chairstallion”
“First Lord Minister now, Mrs Glass. Try not to forget, you sound so terribly old-fashioned when you do” Bustle Bloomers gave a smirk.
‘I’ll slice your limbs to pieces and use them to choke that mutt of yours!’
“Of course” she said humbly “Please...I am asking you, begging you to take my case to Celestia. At least a month, at least! I could not handle anymore. I need to be free again, to breathe in the air of Canterlot, to hear the voices and laughter of its ponies”
‘One more time, before they’re burned to ash’
Raven Inkwell was quiet.
The sight of the Countess made her feel ill in more than one way.
Yet there was no mistaking her. It was like all she had seen from Countess Magnifying Glass seven years ago left in some dark, damn, decrepit corner of the earth and made to whither and degrade.
She almost felt sorry for her.
Yet nothing could make up for what she had done. What she could have done.
“We will see how things stand” the secretary got to her hooves, glad to leave the stench of drunkenness and degradation that had gripped Invitro Hall.
“Good day, Mrs Glass”


*


‘Pinkie Pie
Bearer of the Element of Laughter
Female Earth Pony? Born and raised on a rock farm somewhere on Ponyville outskirts.
Ponyville Party Planner, Comedian, Musician, House-Warmer, Babysitter, Paraspite Deterrent, Etr, Etr.
Physical Strength- Unknown. Definitely high due to upbringing.
Magical Capacity- Unknown. Possible Affinity with Teleportation and Void-Space.
Speed- Very High.
Stamina- Extremely High.
Strategy- Unknown. Rapidly switches between randomness and calculation.
Fighting Experience- Unknown.
Weapons- Party Cannon (High Efficiency-See Folder), unknown limit or variety of ‘Emergency Equipment’ (Medium Efficiency),
Known Family Members- Igneous Rock (Father), Cloudy Quartz (Mother), Limestone, Marble and Maud (Important-Do Not Pursue) (Sisters), Gummy (Pet Alligator- Common Swamp), 
Vulnerability- Unknown.
Best Course of Action: Undetermined’


*


The rumble of the elevators heralded the arrival of the SWAT team.
The desk officer gave the two mercenaries a determined look. None of them seemed the least bit unnerved.
He prepared to duck and cover for when the hail-fire started.
Ding.
It was unlike anything that could be safely put to word. The moment the lift doors opened, the room was suddenly awash with blood.
The grinning, chainsaw-wielding maniac stood surrounded by the butchered remains of the SWAT team, barely resembling even partially formed equines.
She gave a giggle and spoke in an unhinged, echoing tone.
“Come and play with us. Forever and ever and...”
“That’s enough of that, Gringore” Miura snapped.
“What? Haven’t any of you ever seen that film?” Gringore gave them a befuddled look and waved merrily to the desk officer.
“Hi there. You come here often?”
“Oh Lucretia...Oh Lucretia...Oh Lucretia” The desk officer was now, thoroughly, terrified “Wha...wha...what have you done?!”
“I think that’s fairly self-explanatory. Now would you please tell us what we need to know?” Miura said flatly.
“Okay...okay...just d-d-don’t hurt me” His courage was worn out entirely as, with shaking hooves, he set the monitor to work.
Out of the air ducts, a trail of grey cloth blew in and danced in circles around the room before settling upon a chair in a large bundle.
Hooves and a head appeared from the bundle as Lambasar produced detailed notes of where the Senator was and how many he had defending him, all written onto cloth.
“Sweet. I’m glad you’re on our side” Tybalt chuckled “Wait around...Oh, and watch where you step”
Lambasar’s casual smile turned into a look of mild concern and distaste as he saw the blood pooling around the room and the remains of the swat team in the open elevator
“Yeah...Whoo, somepony really ripped one in there! You know what I mean?” Gringore chortled, a crazed, yet somewhat expectant, look on her face as if waiting for applause.
“Shut up” Miura snapped “Let’s see that map”
Pouting, Gringore ambled over to the horrified desk officer.
“Okay, geez. Sorry for thinking farts are funny. So...how ya’ doin’?” she asked cheerfully “Never seen you before. Wow, you’re quick with your hooves. What’s your name?”
“I’d answer her if I were you” Tybalt whispered.
“Er...B-B-Banana Republic” he whimpered. Gringore blinked, took a step back and screwed her face up in awkwardness.
“Oh...I really wish you hadn’t said that” she mumbled.
“What...why?”
“Oh geez, turn your backs everypony” Tybalt groaned.
“Gringore, for the love of-” Miura snapped.
“What? Why? What’s going on? What’s happe...” Banana Republic’s frantic questions stopped abruptly as he took notice of the activated chainsaw descending upon his forehead.


As the cacophony of bloodcurdling screams, maniacal laughter and thunderous buzzing filled the room, Tybalt, Miura and Lambasar turned their backs to the atrocity and stood about for a good minute, their faces tired and unimpressed.
Lambasar gave Tybalt a look that he didn’t need a tongue to say ‘Does this happen a lot?’
Tybalt nodded.
All three of the ungodly noises subsided at once as the three turned round to gaze upon Gringore’s antics, the chainsaw-wielder standing with a cheeky smile.
“Looks like Banana Republic had to SPLIT!...Geddit?!”
Miura facehoofed.
“We - needed - him - alive - you - dolt” she said in monotone.
“S’okay toots, we can just ask the big pony himself. It’s what we’re here for” Gringore gestured to the ceiling “I got plenty of card jokes! I wonder if I can find a poker somewhere”
“I think Lambasar’s got that covered” Tybalt nodded to the mysterious Haissanic who rolled down his sleeves and spun in a circle, his grey cloth unravelling and covering him in a billowing curtain. Before long, the unicorn was gone and the cloth had disappeared back up the air duct”
“Aeromancy” Miura said “A celebrated art in Haissan and places like it. Flying carpets and such”
“Squadilah!” Gringore cried in a bizarre impression “We are off!”
“Shut! Up!”
Miura would definitely be asking Cascadius never to pair her with Gringore after this.


*


‘Twilight Sparkle
Bearer of the Element of Magic (Friendship)
Female Alicorn. Born and raised in Canterlot. Ascended after successful reversal of an Elemental Reshuffle (See Folder).
Unofficial Princess of Ponyville and Magical Mentor.
Physical Strength- Low
Magical Capacity- Very High.
Speed- High.
Stamina- High.
Strategy- Extremely High.
Fighting Experience- Extremely High.
Weapons- Alicorn Power harnessing control and command of magic itself (Very High Efficiency).
Known Family Members- Night Light (Father), Velvet (Mother), Shining Armour (Elder Brother), Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Sister-In-Law), Princess Flurry Heart (Niece), Spike (Adopted Son and Assistant), Owloysius (Pet Owl- Great Horned), 
Vulnerability- Very High. Loved ones mean everything to her.
Best Course of Action: Cruciamite will not be effective enough. Secret Weapon (See Folder) may prove very useful when ready’


Cascadius leaned back in his chair.
There wasn’t a single one of the Elements who he could know entirely. None of them were entirely predictable. When pushed, they would adapt and learn. It was how they had overcome every challenge they’d ever faced.
In truth, he wasn’t certain if any of the information he’d gathered would suffice or if it would even be useful.
Of all his battles, this was the one that would really push his limits.
He closed his eyes, the memories of long past and longer still visiting his mind over and over as he tried to focus.
One way or another, this would be the battle that made his name a legend.
The legend he had waited for all his life.
He had come too far for anything else.
Victory was the only acceptable outcome.
He gave the Bearers of the Elements one last look. None of them were warriors or even close descendents of warriors.
Yet they could prove more dangerous than any foe before them.
Perhaps even more dangerous than him.
‘No...’ he thought ‘Mustn’t forget about him’
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tybalt, Miura and an impatient Gringore waited outside the Senator’s office.
Senator Royal Flush crouched in the middle of thirty of his personal bodyguards.
The doors were bolted and barred. No other entrance was available.
He was safe.
He knew it.
He was safe.
These mercenaries could not harm him.
They would not obstruct his plans at any point for any reason.
Only death could retire Royal Flush.
And saying those words out loud made him feel considerably less safe.
He waited with baited breath as there came the sound of something in the ducts. A cross between a rumble and a whistle.
It was hard to put one’s hoof on but it was getting louder.
No, not louder...closer.
“Senator! Get down!” one of his guard yelled as a swirling grey mass erupted out of the air ducts and flooded the room in a colourless tornado. The guards emptied their firearms at the storm around them before being swept up, disappearing into the churning shroud.
Senator Royal Flush fell on the ground and lay there, unmoving, eyes shut tight until the noise subsided.
As he raised his head, he swiftly became aware that he was the only pony left in the room.
For a moment there was quiet then the fax machine gave a beep.
He tore it off and read it.
Look Out The Window
Baffled, he did so.
He stared at the Crossfort grounds with confusion.
Then something fell to earth from a great height, crumpling on the ground and lying still.
Senator Royal Flush jumped backwards in fright.
It was one of his bodyguards.
Then another and another and another until the grounds were filled with the broken bodies of his staff, falling from the sky.
The fax machine gave another beep.
With shaking hooves, he took the fax and read it.
Knock-Knock


With a sharp crash and hellish buzz, a chainsaw burst its way through the barred and bolted door which swiftly gave way to the maniacal, pale pony wielding such an instrument, who yelled out in a gravelly tone.
“Hay, Hay, Hay! Stay Outta My Sh...”
“Just shut up” Miura groaned.
“Aw, come on! How have you not seen that video?!” She looked up at the Senator who was edging back behind his desk “This crowd’s more dead that Banana Republic. Whoops! Spoiler Alert! He Dead!”
Tybalt, Miura, Lambasar and Gringore took in the sight of Boulette’s Senator, a pinkish-orange-coated earth pony with an unconvincing platinum blonde toupee and a pasty, pudding-like face contorted with abject terror.
“Wh-wh-who are you ponies?!” he squealed “What do you want from me?!”
“That doesn’t even deserve an answer. But heck, I’m feeling generous” Tybalt chuckled “Cascadius sent us...He’d like a word with you...Didn’t you get his fax?”
“You...you...you can’t do this to me!” Royal Flush bellowed “I...I am Senator of Boulette Royal Flush! I’m the most powerful pony in the outskirts! The most powerful pony in Equestria!”
“Not while we’re around” Miura said flatly “You’ve been very foolish. Selling out those you hire to kill is never a good idea”
“I have the entirety of the Boulette Defence Corps heading to the Crossfort! You can’t kill them all! Our military tech is unparalleled”
“I know. We’re about to have a lot of fun with it” Tybalt said smiling as he reached for a crystal-marked transceiver.
“Wait, what?”
“Shh, I’m making a call” Tybalt said and put the transceiver to his ear “Prince of Cats to Stable Boys. Come in Stable Boys. Confirmed, am currently with Anime Reject, Dishcloth and Buzzkill at House of Cards. Have located Jack-Curd. About to have company. Proceed with Stage 3 of Operation Bank Breaker”
Tybalt caught sight of Miura’s unimpressed scowl.
“You want to make the nicknames, you make the calls”
“Ooh, ooh, dibs!” Gringore waved one hoof in the air “Do you like the name Diekatana?”
“What are you doing?” Royal Flush whimpered “You...you can’t hold out against the entire Boulette Guard”
“We don’t have to” Miura gave a smirk as the city was subject to a warning horn and at various points in the city towers rose out between the buildings and gigantic turrets opened up, ready to fire. From out the window, armoured battalions were making their way to the Crossfort.
“Wha...I didn’t authorise those!” Royal Flush exclaimed.
“We did” Miura said as the turrets steadily turned and pointed towards the gathering battalions lining up outside.
Royal Flush’s dull yellow eyes widened to alarming sizes
“Oh Superbus...No...”


With a noise not unlike heavy percussion, the turrets laid waste to the Boulette Guard Battalions, scattering them in massive explosions as platoons and artillery went up in flames. The city was in chaos, citizens and non-military forces fled from the site in confusion.
Royal Flush stared at the carnage.
“You...you...” he gasped “You’re insane!”
“You know it!” Gringore giggled.
“We’re clear. Send in the pickup” Tybalt spoke into the transceiver before turning to Lambasar “You better search around and bring up anypony still breathing. The airship’s just coming”
Lambasar nodded, his horn flashed a bright amethyst purple and the grey cloth enveloped them.
When it subsided, Tybalt, Miura and Gringore were sitting in passenger seats of a well-equipped airship. Balisong and Bovril leaned over and gave them merry smiles from the cockpit.
“Whee! That was fun! Let’s do it again!” Gringore giggled like a schoolfilly.
“G’day, mates! Sitting comfortably?” Balisong cheered. Behind them Lambasar entered the built-in prison and, rolling out his sleeves nearly a foot wide, deposited a pile of just over two dozen unconscious ponies and a terrified Senator Royal Flush.
“Wha...what the hay are you?!” he stammered.
“Welcome aboard, Senator” Bovril chuckled “Mr Cascadius is dying to meet you. Lovely city you have, I’ve particularly enjoyed testing out your defence turrets. I can safely say they work splendidly. However, I think they’ve rather worn out their entertainment value”
He pressed a button on a remote in his hooves as the turrets shot off a mountain of sparks and exploded in various parts of their structure, causing them to topple into the city with colossal groans and bury buildings and ponies abundant underneath.
“Everypony strapped in?” Balisong pulled at a lever that gave a honk “Beautiful! We’re outta’ here! Home for tea and target practice” She gave the prisoners a murderous grin as the airship powered up its boosters and took off across the skies, leaving the square outside the Crossfort smouldering, the pillar of smoke rising from Boulette City a testament to their competence, guile and total lack of mercy.


*


Celestia and Luna entered Carcassonne’s office to find the scarlet unicorn barking into a transceiver.
“You are kidding me?! How many?! Okay, so who’s left? Okay, now you are curding me! How can that be...Ugh, fine! No, they’re no good. For all we know they could have been involved. Right, listen, until this can be sorted out, Rochelle, Belfort and Lyon are appointed acting-Senator, Civil Administrator and Commissioner respectively. I don’t care if they lost the election, everypony who won is either dead or missing! This is serious! No, of course, I don’t want to send Equestrian overseers!”
She looked up from the transceiver and spoke to the two alicorns.
“No offence”
And went back to it.
“But right now, we can consider the city to be in a state of emergency...Oh for the love of...No we don’t deport anyone...Or imprison anyone. The ones who did this are gone, victimising non-Boulettians isn’t going to bring them back! Now you listen to me, the second I hear of any discriminatory actions being carried out is the second I tell the Princess that you haven’t been taking things seriously! Do you understand that? Good. Yes I’m being unreasonable, deal with it. Goodbye”
She slammed down the receiver, left her desk, approached the two princesses and bowed.
“I’m very sorry about that, your highnesses”
“It is quite alright. We got here as soon as we could when we heard of your troubles” Luna said “Pray tell us, what has transpired in Boulette that justifies such pandemonium?”
“Would the abduction of the Senator and the near total wipe-out of the Defence Force do it?”
The Princesses were quiet for a moment.
“Tell us everything” Celestia ordered.
Carcassonne summed up events as best she could relating the capture of Senator Royal Flush, the deaths or disappearances of most of his staff, the sabotage of their city defence turrets and their turning on their own troops.
“Unbelievable” Celestia murmured “Quite unbelievable...How does the city stand?”
“Unstably, to put it lightly. Your highnesses, I’d just like to start by saying I had nothing to do with this”
“Who would ever believe you did?” Celestia asked sincerely but caught notice of Carcassonne’s humourless expression.
“My supervisors for one. I’m not gonna’ lie, it looks bad. We barely have any military left and our police force is as lawless as our citizens. If something isn’t done, anarchy will rule in Boulette before nightfall”
“Sister, in the lack of any peaceful options, I would recommend sending our own troops” Luna suggested.
“I don’t approve of armed enforcement on our own cities, you know that” Celestia said gravely “I realise Boulette is uncompromising but I would never authorise oppression as a response”
“I understand, sister, but if we don’t act quickly there’s no telling what might happen. While one should not beat foals in the midst of tantrums, sometimes it is necessary to shout a bit”
Celestia gave a sigh and nodded “Take three battalions and put them to work rebuilding the city and protecting its citizens. Their officers will be armed with conventional weapons but the soldiers will bear shields and staves. No blades. Then return at once”
“Of course, sister” Luna said before leaving the room.


Celestia exhaled heavily and lowered her head, not looking at the unicorn she was speaking to.
“How many casualties?”
“This is where it crosses the line between unfortunate and just plain frightening” Carcassonne went over the report “We found on the cameras that no more than four intruders entered the Crossfort at once. And the only ponies confirmed to be in the pick-up airship they used were the pilot and the co-pilot who was playing around with the turrets. We believe a major traffic collision on the nearby street was accomplished by one or more of the four involved. No more than six terrorists entered Boulette city...and yet in the span of an hour and a half, between the traffic accident, the storming of the Crossfort and the sabotage and collapse of the turrets...three thousand four hundred and seventy-two soldiers and citizens were killed, making this the single most destructive act of terror ever accomplished in Boulette and most of Equestria”
Celestia shook her head in an uncomfortable manner, her shoulders twitching, before she stamped a gilded hoof hard upon the floor, cracking a tile and making Carcassonne jump backwards in shock.
“Show me their faces!” the alicorn roared “Show me their names! This atrocity will not go unpunished! We will find those responsible and bring them to justice no matter the cost!”
The scarlet unicorn brought forth four photos caught on camera.
“Rogues Gallery, your highness. All four of them are hardened war criminals facing life sentences, or death as the case may be, in damn near every known region at peace. In war, however, they thrive as some of the most feared and sought-after mercenaries in the world. Tybalt, a crack-shot bandit-leader from the badlands who once laid siege to Sugarcandy City and hung a foal of every landowner upon his leave. Miura, an Iron Sun insurgent with a penchant for taking the heads of her enemies, crossed blades with Lady Snow and several others of note who weren’t nearly so lucky. Lambasar, known as the Veilmaker, a rogue Master Aeromancer from Haissan who may or may not be a member of the formidable Echo Squad. And, real treasure this one, Gringore, homicidal, chainsaw-happy maniac who pops up all over Equestria whenever there’s a particularly gruesome scene occurring. We haven’t been able to identify the airship pilots but we can imagine they’re of a similar disposition”
“What would bring four of these butchers to the same place at the same time?”
“A common enemy. They captured Senator Royal Flush alive. I doubt they’re making their introductions pleasant for him”
“Why would Royal Flush be a target?”
Carcassonne gave the Princess an examined look.
“Alright, why would he be a target to ponies he hadn’t met?” Celestia reworded her sentence “Did they meet him?”
“It’s possible. Throughout the elections, you remember, I was bringing to light various misdemeanours of his. One of them was hiring hitponies to target members of the opposition and victimise foreigners. And...I don’t like to point hooves but he did meet Countess Magnifying Glass at Invitro Hall on several occasions”
‘Damn that demented mare! If it weren’t for the money she owes those monsters, I’d make her pay for this!’
Celestia adopted a serious tone and a weighty but determined posture that came to her in threatening times.
“Representative Carcassonne, I am entrusting you with finding out where and how these mercenaries operated from and how the Senator is linked to them. You have full authorisation to go through his and his staff’s accounts”
“Sweet! I mean...As you wish, your highness” Carcassonne bowed “Also, I’ve had the Boulette City Bureau appoint Rochelle, Belfort and Lyon of the Forbearer Party to fill the gap...until the Senator can be found of course...provided he wasn’t involved with these mercenaries”
“I trust in your judgement, Carcassonne. Take good care of your city”
“I’ll take of this, I promise. Whatever I think about the Senator, nopony kills that many innocent ponies and gets away with it!”


*


“Your magic has failed you, cervine scum!” the armour-plated tyrant bellowed as he paced towards his quarry, spiked mace in his claws “You cannot stand against the unending darkness”
“Yet here we stand. Together!” Princess Alwyn retorted as the gathering of deer, ponies, griffins, zebra, minotaurs and Gud the Friendly Ogre stood firm against the hordes of shrieking Gloombeasts before them.
“You may destroy us, foul tyrant, but you’ll never have victory over the good creatures of the world” Beresymph promised “Your reign will end in ruin”
“We stand as one, against you, Gloomking! And we will die standing if we must!” Dobbyn Dawnblade roared, his sword raised high.
“I give you one last chance, pathetic mortals. Kneel before me. Kneel before Morkhar and I will let you live as slaves in my new woughcoughcoughcough!” he doubled up coughing as the colt providing his voice failed at the impression.
“You okay, Pip? Here” Dinky passed the pinto her glass of milk.
“Maybe someone else should take the part of Morkhar the Malevolent” Tootsie Flute suggested.
Pipsqueak took several sips of milk, shook his head and gasped, his face pink.
“Thank you...ugh, Tungsten always gets the voice right. It’s just like the films”
“What, that really cheesy film that Sparkler got for us with the big posh minotaur with the blue lipstick?” Dinky asked.
“Hehe...I remember that” Tootsie Flute giggled and gave an impression, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes, craning her head around bizarrely “If you’ll givv meee the drrregon’s eyeeeee...I might deciiiide...to let you die quickleeee...” She and Dinky fell about laughing.
Pip, who hadn’t seen that particular film, looked puzzled.
“No, no, not that one, the Lord of the Horseshoes Trilogy. Best-selling book series, joined up with the franchise. Morkhor’s the main villain” he explained “He only talked in The Hoofling Trilogy though but Cucumber Patch was excellent! He was great as Smogg the Dragon too” He gave a frustrated grunt “If Tungsten were here, he’d do great impressions”
“It’s okay, Pip. I like your own voice” Dinky ruffled his mane.
“R-really?”
“Yeah. You sound so cute when you’re trying to be the bad guy”


At the sound of giggling and bantering upstairs, Derpy Doo smiled and rested in the living room.
They really did grow up so fast.
Seven years taking care of a strange stallion and a young filly should have been a trial for any pony. Instead, they had been the most treasured years of her life. All the little mishaps and ordeals that came with it meant nothing to her. If she could cope with her early life, she could cope with her life now.
She wasn’t old yet.
“Honey, I’m home!”
Gasping with joy, Derpy rushed to where the ‘Timey-Wimey Box’ was materialising and embraced her time-travelling husband with an almighty hug and a passionate kiss.
“Muffins are still warm for you”
“That can be taken wildly out of context” the Doctor said off-hoof “But hay, I’ll take it how it is” He opened his mouth as his most treasured partner placed a muffin inside it.
“Daddy!” Dinky stampeded down the stairs and flew into her parents forelegs.
“There’s my little tea cake” Doctor hugged her warmly as Pip and Tootsie Flute appeared “Hey Tootsie. Hello Pip”
“Mister Doctor! Mister Doctor!” the two youngsters jumped up “Where did you go this time?”
“Griffonia, during the Raptor War. Met the leader of the resistance, saved the Princess of Trotterdam, prevented a genocide, shut down an army of robotic giant eagles and got slapped by Princess Platinum...again”
Derpy and Dinky giggled.
“I’ve missed you so much, my silly little genius” the muddle-headed grey pegasus said as she nuzzled him affectionately.
“Pip, Tootsie and I have been playing Ogres and Oubliettes and we’re gonna’ get Tungsten from Trottingham to do the impressions from the films he’s seen.
“What...the Lord of the Horseshoe films?” Derpy asked with concern “They’re way too scary for a colt like Tungsten to watch!”
“They’re not that scary” Pipsqueak piped up, some few years younger than Tungsten “Though the bit with Lurkh the Spider Queen always has me shivering”
“Um...okay...” Derpy sighed. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Dinky would want to watch those films.
‘Might not be so bad with everypony around...with muffins and popcorn and soda...and Sparkler would point out everything that looks fake...and me and the Doctor would be falling asleep on the couch in others forelegs’


There was a knock on the door. Doctor Whooves disentangled himself from his family’s hug and went to answer it.
As a long-lived pony with a very eventful life, he was never too surprised to see Princess Celestia. But seeing her in his doorway, having to crane her neck downwards to face him, still rather startled him.
“Hey-up, lass” he said breathlessly “Something the matter” He caught sight of her grave expression “...Tia?”
“Greetings Doctor...We must talk”
“Has something gone wrong?”
“I fear so”
“Alright, one sec” the Doctor called back “I won’t be a few minutes love. Just need to sort something out, saving-the-world-wise”
“Okay, Doc. I’ll watch the foals” she answered from the living room.
Derpy never wanted for anything around the Doctor. He never found a good way to repay her for being the wife and lover he’d never imagined. It left a nagging sensation in between his two hearts.
He and the Princess made their way to the crossroads before Everfree Forest before turning to face one another, two millennia-old friends who braved the horrors of the unknown on a daily basis.
“Doctor” she began “You have heard of the incident at Boulette?”
“Yeah” she sighed grimly “I’d say that was one way to solve the problem of its new Senator but...I can’t ignore the ponies who died”
“Indeed not. But I fear even that may not be the worst news. Luna and I have been investigating the perpetrators, mercenaries of unparalleled ruthlessness and lack of regard for life...we believe...”
“Don’t say it” the Doctor groaned “How many years has it been since I heard his name?”
“Not long enough” Celestia grinded her teeth “He has returned, Doctor. That Echo Squad member seven years ago was telling the truth”
“Do you know what he’s planning”
“If Boulette is anything to go by, nothing good. Luna believes he intends to finish what he started and wreak vengeance upon those who stopped him the first time”
“I suppose my name’s top of the list then...and those I love”
“Doctor” Celestia rose her head “I am placing you in charge of Intel. The Elements must know of him and be ready for whatever he can throw at us”
“Nopony’s ever ready for him”
“We’ll be the first. We must be” The Princess stamped her hoof “I cannot allow him to have his way with my kingdom the way he did last time! We had his name removed from history for his crimes but you know, first-hoof, of what he has done and will do to others”
“Are you sure you want the Elements to go after him” the Doctor gave her an earnest stare.
“They have never failed before”
“Neither did the last lot...before they met Cascadius”
There was a pause. Both Celestia and the Doctor swallowed bitter memories.
“We won’t let that happen again” Celestia said at last “I have every bit of faith in them. Their unique skills will be invaluable. Not even Cascadius will be able to hold against their combined strength. Their friendship is unwavering. They just need to know what they’re up against. I admit, this foe will be very different to the one’s they’ve crossed thus far but Cascadius imagines that makes him invincible. We will show him otherwise...and then send him back to where he escaped from and keep him there”
“Okay, Tia...” he placed a hoof on his dear friend’s shoulder “I promise...I’ll make sure we’re ready


*


Senator Royal Flush awoke in a dark room, tied to a chair by his hooves.
Then he realised they weren’t tied at all, they were just cramp-ridden from the flight.
Right before he made to rise, a light flashed in front of his face, disorientating him.
Then hoof-steps. Slow, heavy hoof-steps.
And when he opened his eyes, he found himself looking into the face of death itself.
“Hello, Senator” Cascadius said “How was your flight?”
All thoughts of leaving his seat exited Royal Flush’s head the moment he saw Cascadius’s face.
He wasn’t smiling. That was something he’d never stopped doing when last he met him at Invitro Hall.
That was always something Royal Flush had always found so infuriating. So calm, so in control. As if Royal Flush was the one who needed Cascadius. Cascadius was a mercenary. He needed money. His kind always did. It was Cascadius who needed Royal Flush.
Royal Flush was the most powerful pony in Equestria while Cascadius was nothing more than a job agent for hired thugs. He needed to learn that. Royal Flush had been looking forward to seeing Cascadius’s face when he realised he’d been played.
Looking at it now was not so enjoyable.
He spoke at last, calmly and controlled as always.
"You've been spying on me, Royal Flush. Did you think I would take that well?"
"I..."
"Shh..." Cascadius placed a hoof to his lips and continued "Who were you sending the information to?"
The Senator gulped, hoping his answer would satisfy.
"C-C-Canterlot"
Cascadius took a breath through his nostrils in a manner that suggested either relief or fury, perhaps both.
“You should know that you have made me very angry...I hope you realise what position that puts you in...How serious the situation is”
“Cascadius...” Royal Flush’s hoof rose in front of his face. The sight of Cascadius’s anger was many times worse than his smile “Please...we can work this out”
“Of course we can”
Royal Flush blinked.
“What?”
Cascadius sat down on his own chair opposite.
“You were right, Flush. I need your money. I need your influence. I need your contacts...However...I do not need your survival”
Royal Flush gave a nervous whimper.
“With that in mind, I suggest you work very hard at dissuading me from killing you. Do you understand”
“O-o-of course...of course...thank you. You’re...you’re a very reasonable pony. Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you, I own Boulette, it’s my city, I’ll have you made-” He made to stand but felt Cascadius’s heavy hoof placing him firmly back in the chair.
“No, you won’t” Cascadius was still unsmiling “Let’s be clear. You are working for me now. Before you had the privilege of being my equal in this partnership. However, now that you took advantage of that, I’m electing to keep you where I can see you. You will have as little say in what goes on in my organisation as possible and when I tell you to do something, you do it, without delay. I’ve already had this conversation with our mutual benefactor, Countess Magnifying Glass. I have plans for her as well. But for now, know that I am no friend of yours. I despise you, you make me feel physically ill, you’re the worst pony I’ve ever met”
“Wha...But you kill ponies!” Royal Flush exclaimed.
“You hired me to kill ponies. That makes both of us murderers but you the only coward. You’re an inept, spoon-fed, pampered fool with a completely misplaced opinion of himself that makes you judge ponies based on how much they resemble you. You are a relic of a dark age that was as stupid then as it is now and twice as unwelcome...You are, however, very useful to me. Rather in the same way as a toilet. I don’t talk about it, I don’t like it, I don’t say I’ve been using it but I need it nonetheless and if it stops working, I send somepony who knows how to make it. That’s you. You are toilet. Understand?”
Royal Flush felt thoroughly uncomfortable.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes...yes...” He broke down, covering his face with his front-hooves “Wha...what are you going to do to me? What do you want?”
“A number of things” Cascadius’s level tone did not change “First and foremost, I want you to come with me”


Royal Flush was led outside. The ground was grey asphalt, like a basketball park or a skating track. Mercenaries of all kinds were coming to and fro, some in groups, some solitary. Many who saw Cascadius nodded politely and some saluted.
Cascadius’s smile was back.
“How...how many mercenaries do you have here?” the Senator stammered, noticing the looks the mercenaries gave him. Unfriendly at their best and murderous at their worst.
Cascadius was quiet as he weighed the question in his mind.
“More every day. I don’t normally hire groups at a time but it’ll help should open combat take place. Before I had a large gang, then the Elements showed up and I had to do a little ‘speed-recruiting’. Only the best here, nonetheless. Each fighting creature you see here is a master at their craft and ready to fight on my instructions”
Royal Flush gave a scoff at the notion.
“You need an army of trained killers to bring down six of those hysteric little mares?”
The shot Cascadius gave him withered his spine and shook his hooves.
The paymaster spoke, growing gradually louder and more infuriated.
“I need an army of trained killers to bring down one of those ‘hysteric little mares’! To underestimate your enemy when you don’t know what they’re capable of, Royal Flush, is unwise. To underestimate your enemy when you do know them to be capable of successfully bringing down the Mad Goddess of the Moon, the Reality-Warping Bringer of Disharmony, the Mesmerising Queen of the Changeling Swarm, The Conqueror of Old Equestria, The Black-Hearted King Of The Crystal Empire, The Cutie Mark-Stealing Time Traveller and countless other horrors on a daily basis all in the span of less than two years is STUPIDITY OF SUCH HIGH MAGNITUDE AS TO NO LONGER BE DESERVING OF LIFE!!”
“...I see...” Royal Flush squeaked.
They passed a firing range. Royal Flush’s brow grew clammy as he saw what they were using as practice.
Survivors from the Crossfort knelt in front of the mercenaries, wearing yokes on which were placed targets no bigger than a hoofprint. They stared, goggle-eyed and helpless as members of Cascadius’s cadre took aim.
The dreadlocked mare from the airship threw a boomerang-like glaive that spun to hit the left target coming round and the right coming back before landing back in her hoof, a ripple-coated batpony threw knives with expert precision and a lithe corvine pegasus took to the skies and took long-shots with a longbow.
A stout blue unicorn mare approached the two.
“Afternoon, Cass”
Cascadius gave her a pat on the shoulder.
“Good to see you, Blue Murder. The information you’ve been sending us is quite invaluable”
“Thank you” Her voice was measured but showed signs of bitterness “How soon can I send Tungsten to safety”
“He’s quite safe where he is. We’ve had this conversation before. Trottingham is not in our path. Would you send him back to North Onageria again?”
“No...” Blue Murder looked away “There’s not much of a North Onageria left anymore”
“I gave you my word, Blue. Tungsten will not be harmed. Not by us. Not by our enemies...Now, is your aim as good as it was?”
Blue Murder did not respond. She simply kept her head turned and one hoof nursing the side of her foreleg.
Then, quick as a bolt of lightning, she drew a gun and fired four times, without turning her head.
The first two shots took the targets off the ‘stand’. The second pair caught both targets in mid-air.
Raising her head, smirking proudly, Blue Murder chuckled.
“Better”
“That’s my mare!” Cascadius hugged her with one foreleg “Good to have you back”
“Whoop, don’t look know but I think Tibs might be taking things a bit too far”
Cascadius rolled his eyes as he watched Tybalt strap a rifle over his shoulder, his back to his target.
“Okay, let ‘em go!”
An improvised greyhound track was set up before him. Only instead of greyhounds, a slim mare that had once been a secretary at the Crossfort ran, terrified and wearing a saddle with a rotating target atop it. Fast as her hooves could carry her, she ran.
“Watch and learn, fellas!” Tybalt yelled as he fired.
“Oooooh...That’s nasty!” Balisong sniggered.
The mercenaries cringed or laughed as Tybalt’s shot fell a little too far off.
“A shame, Tibs” Cascadius said, sauntering towards him “Another second and you would have hit the target. Aiming for where your enemy will soon be is wise but attacking before they arrive is, as you see, quite useless”
“Yeah, yeah” Tybalt sulked “I’m better with my revolvers anyway”
“Not yet, you’re not. You know the rules” the paymaster gave him a firm glance “You fail at the living targets, you’re back with the remote ones. Practice every day for a week without missing and you can come back”
“Ugh, fine!” Tybalt groaned before noticing the Royal Flush staring aghast. He gave him a murderous smirk “Did you see that? I hope you did cause that might be you in a minute”
Royal Flush’s fetlocks gave way and he knelt on the ground, whimpering.
“You ponies are monsters! You’re bucking monsters!”
“Yeah, we get that a lot” Cascadius said shrugging, getting the senator to his hooves “And what does that make you who relies on such monsters? Hay, you practically give us monsters a reason to exist”
“C’mon, Cass, can’t I just wing him? You know how I feel about rich ponies” Tybalt gave his revolver a shake in his hoof.
“We’re paid by rich ponies”
“Doesn’t mean we like 'em”
“It does not. But while he’s rich, I’d rather he remain alive and put his wealth to good use. Good for us, at least, not so sure about him. Come Senator” Cascadius marched on, Royal Flush following on weak hooves.
Tybalt gave them a look of uncertainty before turning to one of the prisoners.
“Clean that up”


Leaving the training area, Royal Flush clutched at his jacket.
“Where even are we?” he asked, more towards himself than his paymaster.
“I’m not sure that’s something that concerns you” Cascadius said flatly “But know that we are quite safe from any known threat and that which is not known is being actively sought out”
They reached what appeared to be a shrine, carved out of stone, about as tall as a dog kennel.
Both Cascadius and Royal Flush noticed the smell before they got close enough to see its source.
A pile of entrails lay rotting in a wooden bowl, stuck with incense sticks that gave off a horrific stench.
Strangely, there were no flies.
A stone boar’s head loomed over the bowl with an open mouth. Tensing, Cascadius placed both forehooves upon the jutting tusks in its lower jaw and pressed inwards.
With a deep, rumbling noise not unlike the grunts and groans of boars, a trickle of oil poured into the bowl and caught fire on contact with the incense.
Royal Flush stumbled back, clutching his muzzle as the foul smoke travelled up into the boar’s nostrils.
There was a click and a grumble of stone as the shrine lowered, spiralling as a staircase lowered out for them, leading to an open door with bizarre runes and inscriptions carved into its frame.
“Come Senator”
Royal Flush knew better than to refuse but this unnerved him more than anything.
These runes and effigies seemed familiar. Back in his more dubious years. But he’d only seen things like these in scribbles and carvings. Never had the group he used to belong to portrayed their beliefs on such scale.
Entering a dark tunnel system with walls carved out of rock, Cascadius grabbed a torch to ward away the pitch-blackness.
Royal Flush stayed close, no friend of the darkness around him.
“Listen” the paymaster said quietly.
There was the faint sound of drums and chanting of sorts, echoing through the tunnels.
“Sound familiar?” Cascadius said with a smirk.
“Please...” Royal Flush quivered as the paymaster’s hoof landed firmly on his shoulder.
“No running. We are quite safe, don’t fret. But there is something you must see”
Light at the end of the tunnel brought no sense of hope or relief to the Senator as they beheld its source.
The tunnel had led to a great cave turned into an immense rotunda where a horde of ponies had gathered, some bearing torches, beating drums or blowing horns but most were collecting in the centre of the cavern dancing and chanting in unison with each other, stomping their hooves on the ground, illuminated by the torches.
The light brought out their most prominent feature. Each pony’s face was hidden by a pig mask. The bodies of the ponies became clear. 	They were maneless, stripped of hair, paled, pot-bellied and bandy-legged. They were, in every sense, freakish creatures. And were so of their own design.
Royal Flush knew the spectacle well.
“Th-th-the Cult!” he stammered “The Cult of Piggsicorn!”


“I owe them a favour” Cascadius said, intrigued by the sight “Since you leaked their various misdemeanours to the press to save your own skin, their hideout in Slovenly was compromised and they found themselves in need of places to stay. I depend on them largely for information in the Equestrian outskirts. Losing them would mean losing that information and I couldn’t have that. I let them carry out their rituals in the cave systems. Out of sight, out of mind. I find them distasteful, I’m afraid to say, as you did, apparently” He turned to face him and smirked “Don’t look so disgusted. You and your wife, Mink Coat is it, took part in no less than seventeen of these rituals back in Boulette and participated in multiple activities. Separately, of course. You two were never very close, were you?”
“I...I was never a devout member...”
“You were Grand Hogfather. If you weren’t devout, that makes a pretty terrible title-holder. Your family’s betrayal did not sit well with them. They see you as an apostate, a transgressor, you and all your kin”
“Please, they’ll kill me!” Royal Flush clutched Cascadius’s hoof. The paymaster gave a sigh.
“No, Senator, they won’t. As I said, I arranged to keep you alive. I managed to convince the Gorging Ones that your life was worth sparing and to make do with a different offering”
“Oh thank you...thank you” Royal Flush doubled up catching his breath.
“Don’t” Cascadius said flatly “You won’t like what they settled for”
“Wh-what do you-”
“Get your hooves off me! I mean it! Let me go!” a young amber-coated mare with a perfect-through-plastic face and bottle-blonde mane was dragged forward by two huge cultists with tusks on their masks. She was shrieking at the top of her voice as she struggled in vain.
“This is harassment! You can’t do this! Do you know who my daddy is?!"
Royal Flush’s eyes boggled.
“That’s...that’s...that’s Trilby!” He turned to Cascadius who stood watching the spectacle with some amount of curiosity “What have you done to my daughter?!”
“A deal was made. A member of your kin to pay for your treachery, something you seemed all too willing to do judging by how you left them in Slovenly, completely at their mercy, when you went to the press in Boulette. Don’t worry, they’re not going to kill her. She’s been chosen to be their new oracle, the Voice of the Great Sow. This is her initiation ritual. I regret to say it only gets worse from here”
“But...my wife...she was always...very fervent but...she couldn’t have allowed this!”
“Ah...” the paymaster gave a mocking cringe “Yes, about that. I’m afraid she rather fell out of favour thanks to your heresy. But not to worry, she’s still watching over us” He pointed one hoof at an area of the cavern wall where a cadaverous mare hung upside down from her hooves in chains. At this distance, it was impossible to tell whether she was dead or simply close to death but she was a shadow of the high-powered industrial heiress Royal Flush had spent a stormy and largely empty marriage with.
Regardless, she wasn’t objecting to her daughter’s induction.
As Trilby was brought to the centre of the cavern, three obscenely corpulent ponies were brought forth on enormous palanquins. Their bodies were ridden with ulcers and open sores, leaking pus in all directions as stunted cultists no bigger than foals literally shovelled trough-fulls of fermenting fruits into their mouths.
The Gorging Ones.
One them raised a swollen fore-hoof to subside the shovelling and pointed one hoof at the struggling mare.
“LET HER BE MARKED!” he bellowed.
Two cultists brought forth the mark on a wooden platter. Unlike theirs, this mask was not ceramic.
This mask was a skinned pig’s face. The inside of it was dripping with fluids and pouring with fumes as it was brought forth.
Trilby shrieked at the sight as she was brought to her knees and tugged by the mane and held still.
“Please...” Royal Flush babbled “This...this is...undignified!”
“No, Royal Flush, it is nightmarish...for her. It’s undignified for you. Think of others now and again, why don't you. Your reputation will hardly suffer as much as your daughter. To explain, if we win, your family will be completely above the law. Young Trilby’s activities won’t matter. Until then, you’re never going back into politics so what happens here will never reach the press. We see no point in harming your image, it would be like urinating on a rotting carcass. I simply want to prove a point” He paced around him as the Senator stared “This is what happens when you betray me. Even if I can’t kill you, I'll do my very best to make you regret that fact. And I think it’s safe to say, I’ve done just that. So from now on, you do as I say. Your money is mine. Your influence is mine. Your contacts are mine...in short...”
He placed a cold, hard hoof on the quivering stallion’s shoulder and spoke in his affable tone that always seemed so convincing as the screams of Trilby filled the cavern.
“Welcome to the team”


*


“I’ll get it”
The door to Twilight Sparkle’s castle was opened by its resident dragon.
“Hi Doc!” he smiled at the newcomer. The time-travelling stallion had been a source of wonder to him when he could sufficiently prove to his sceptic adopted-mother that time-travel was indeed possible.
“Hello Spike” the Doctor’s tone was serious but he managed to smile “Listen, I need you to get the girls round, I have something I need to tell them”
“Sure thing” he gave a little hopeful gasp “Are we gonna’ be travelling back in history?!”
“I’m afraid not. In this case, history is travelling forward to us”
There was a pause.
“Huh?”
“Look, I’ll explain later”
“Doctor Whooves” Twilight Sparkle appeared. She wasn’t dressed in her princess robes but this was nothing new. Twilight Sparkle was a humble mare and that was one of the many things the Doctor admired her for.
“This is a surprise. How’s life with Derpy and Dinky?”
She didn’t like to admit it but she’d expected him to talk about how stressful it was. Instead he simply gave a heart-warmed smile.
“It’s perfect, Twilight. It’s absolutely perfect”
“Really? Er, I mean...great!”
“S’alright. Listen, I can’t talk about that now, much as I’d like to” He sat down on a nearby chair “I need you to gather the Bearers and listen. The Princess sent me. There is a threat to Equestria resurfacing at this very moment”
“Oh my gosh, which one?!” Twilight Sparkle zipped toward him and stared him in the face “Chrysalis? Sombra? Tirek? The Parasprites? Please tell me it’s not the Parasprites, I still have nightmares of how badly I messed up last time!”
“No, no, it’s nopony you’ve ever heard of...hopefully. That was why the Princess sent me” The Doctor took a deep breath as he recalled the horrors he’d experienced at the hooves of Equestria’s new sworn enemy.
“His name is Cascadius”
Twilight Sparkle was quiet a moment. She wracked her head for any mention of that name in any book she’d read.
Nothing came of it.
“Who is he?” 
“The most dangerous pony you could ever meet”
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derpy remembered once back at the Grand Galloping Gala, Octavia Melody herself played for the guests as she and the Doctor danced together through the night.
But not even that could compare to listening to Dinky and Tootsie perform a flute duet.
Pipsqueak seemed to share the opinion as he sat down with eyes full of wonder as the two fillies played away.
Once they were finished, it was as if there was no sound in the world until Derpy and Pipsqueak applauded like mad upon the carpet.
“Bravo! Bravo!” the little pinto colt cried “Encore! Encore, I say! Encore!”
“What does encore mean?” Dinky asked.
“I don’t know but ponies say it when they like music!”
The two flutists giggled as their mother, beaming with pride, produced a fresh batch of muffins.
“Freshly baked for both performers and audience”
The three foals tucked in as the door unlocked.
Half-expecting to see the Doctor returned, Derpy was pleasantly surprised when Sparkler appeared.
“Hey, Toots!” she said merrily “I heard the tune through the window! You sounded great, little sis!”
Tootsie Flute finished her muffin and ran into her elder sister’s fore-hooves.
“Sparky!” she cried “I missed you”
“I know, Toots, I’m sorry. Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you” She turned to Derpy “Thanks for taking care of her. You’re a life-saver, Derpy”
The grey mailmare smiled. Sparkler had been away for a few days after the contractors for the house demanded her attention in person to sort out financial details. Heading all the way to San Palomino just to show them a hoof-full of receipts was inconvenient to say the least but Sparkler assured her little sister that it had to be done and the little pale-blue filly had been happy to stay at the Doo family homestead for the last couple of days.
“It’s great to see you, Sparkler” Derpy said, patting the young unicorn’s head “How was San Palomino?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, don’t worry, everything’s sorted out”
“Great. You can stay over if you like”
Sparkler looked at Tootsie’s pleading eyes and shrugged.
“Why not?! I’ve been hankering for some of those muffins for two days now”
Obligingly, the filly gave her elder sister a muffin.
Taking a grateful chomp, Sparkler noticed Pipsqueak peering out the living room.
“Hey Pip” she called “How’s it going?”
“Oh, hello Sparkler. It’s wonderful to see you. Things are fine”
“No, no, I mean...” she gave him a coy look, grinning as Pipsqueak frantically made a ‘shushing’ gesture as he twigged “With you and...”


There was a brusque knock on the door.
Sparkler, closest to it, opened and addressed the newcomer.
A thin, tired-eyed pale-brown mare with an frizzy blonde mane, dressed in a headscarf and a shawl, stood in the doorway, her face grim.
“Hi, Miss Nancy” Derpy called to her with a smile.
The mare swallowed noticeably, as if the sight of Derpy was distressing her.
“Hello ma’am” Her gritty Trottingham accent was prominent in her voice “Is Pipsqueak here?”
The tiny pinto approached and gave Nancy a smile.
“Hello mummy” he said in a small ‘indoor’ voice.
“There you are” she sighed with relief and gave him a frustrated look “I’ve been looking all over for you. Where on Equestria have you been?”
“Sorry mummy” he twiddled his hooves “The train was delayed and Mrs Doo said I could stay round until I could get back to Trottingham”
Nancy gave the smiling Derpy a look that Sparkler didn’t like. It was not friendly in the slightest and almost suspicious.
Closing her eyes, Nancy nodded.
“Thank you, ma’am, but there was no need. Young Pipsqueak should have told me. Isn’t that right, now?” She gave her son a glance.
“Well...I didn’t want to take you away from work”
The thin mare rolled her eyes and gave a weighty exhale.
“Pipsqueak, you had me worried sick. You’d have done better to contact me. I was waiting for hours at the station for you to arrive. Now, come on”
The little pinto gave an apologetic look to her mother before raising one hoof.
“Just one minute” He quickly turned round to Derpy, Sparkler, Tootsie and Dinky “Thank you having me, Mrs Doo. Thank you Miss Sparkler, Tootsie and Dinky. I really enjoyed my stay”
Sparkler noticed that made Nancy smile a bit more.
“Very nice, Pipsqueak”
“That’s alright, Pip” Derpy gave the colt a pat on the head which made Nancy give her that look again but not nearly as much as when 	Dinky leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Pipsqueak!” she squawked.
“It’s alright, Miss Nancy” Derpy gave a giggle “It’s just puppy love”
“I don’t care what it is! He’s too young for it” she snapped, stamping her hoof “Pipsqueak. We’re going home. Now”
“Yes, mummy” The ‘indoor’ voice was back, Sparkler noticed, as he tottered away with his mother who positively marched him to the train station. She gave the two a concerned look out the window and thought.
‘She doesn’t seem all to happy with her son’s company’


*


In the Observatory Chambers of Princess Luna, Octavia Melody, requested by the Princess herself, played a slow dirge upon her cello.
The princess of the night had heard about the approaching threat.
So many dead. So many yet in danger.
It stank of an odour she was familiar with.
The Warmonger.
Princess Luna did not often revisit the memories of Nightmare Moon. It took her to a place she did not find comfortable.
A place not normally touched upon by the populace.
Nonetheless, at such a time, this was essential.
Letting the cello sooth her, she cleared her mind and knelt in meditation.


The banishment of Nightmare Moon was only the start of Equestria’s problems.
What happened to the two Princesses happened to the realm.
Civil War.
Those who favoured Luna saw her banishment as the true betrayal that night.
As ashamed of their ignorance of Luna's plight as they were with her sister’s, half the kingdom took up arms and began a crusade against Celestia, founding the Lunar Republic, comprised of countless soldiers and commanders across the world, good and evil. They were led to believe that the Eternal Night would unite the world. That the sun and moon would become one and carry out the purposes of both. 	One Princess with all the power in the world would mean Equestria was safe from all threats.
To this day, Luna had no idea if that would work or not.
It shamed both her and Celestia that ponies had killed each other in their name.
Between them and their enemies, Royal Equestria, countess feats of honour and dishonour were committed in the name of the sister princesses of the realm.
And, trapped on the moon, trapped in her Nightmare, Princess Luna witnessed every moment.


The town of Olwen had stood since the foundations of the Alicorn monarchy.
The Lunar Legions had sought out to change that once the city made clear they were sheltering Celestia, her magic still weak from the fight with her sister.
Midnight Blade’s spies were never wrong. She was residing at the Sacred Monastery of Corthine, famed for its calligraphic arts, with a strange brown stallion possessed of an hourglass cutie mark.
The monastery lay outside the city, rising high above the town of Olwen.
The legion commanders had been trained since their initiation on how to face an alicorn.
They were relishing the glory of facing her in person.
All but one. A quiet, collected mercenary who did not fancy facing a sun deity in open combat.
He called himself Downriver but that likely wasn’t his real name. For his duplicity and lack of honour, very few of the legion’s generals liked him.
That was why he had brought his own army.
And had arrived early.
It was an hour before noon when his force arrived, comprised almost entirely of archers.
Whole swathes of crossbows, carrying ramps to keep themselves steady as both front hooves worked on firing and reloading without pause.
Smaller formations consisted of specialists. Yew-wood longbows unleashing far-reaching volleys every moment. Feather-wood sentinels from Zebrica to pick off messengers or defenders. Haissanic outriders, adept in aiming and firing on the move, encircling the monastery. And a cadre of Yabusame Warriors from Neighpon, wielding gigantic bamboo bows and crane-feathered quarrels that, once loosed, could pierce and pass through pony flesh like it were wind.
Each soldier was sharp-eyed, seasoned and utterly ruthless. Downriver made sure of that.
Hundreds of arrow-feathered corpses littered Olwen in moments as the survivors flocked, screaming, toward the monastery.
The monks and scholars suffered in similar ways. Many took arrows for the flocking civilians.
“Everypony listen!”
The scruffy brown stallion stood in the doorway of the monastery, Celestia behind him, casting a small shield around the survivors as the arrows punched through the windows.
“Thanks...now then...” Doctor Whooves had the crowd “I know this looks bad but you can’t give in to despair. That’s exactly what they want. Now those arrows pack quite a punch but they aren’t nearly as strong as a pony trying to protect the things they love! Family” He hovered his hoof over a mother with three foals “Friends” A soldier shouldering a wounded colleague “Knowledge” The mural above him depicting Celestia raising the sun “They’re trying to tell us those things are meaningless...Are they?!”
The ponies around him shook their heads and clutched tightly to the things they held dear.
“Are you going to throw it all away thanks to their pathetic little arrows?!”
The crowd were in unison.
“No! Not us! Not today!”
“That’s very good to hear” the Doctor chuckled “Now...her magic won’t last us long. This shield will fail us soon...but yours won’t”
“D-Do we pray for the Princess?” a monk asked.
“No” It was Celestia who spoke, her voice wavering as her magic grew weaker “Your Princess is here and she commands you to help those trapped within the town. Build shields and barricades. Take apart anything and protect the monastery, protect the town! Ensure as many ponies make it inside! Nothing is more important!”
Once those around her had found suitable means of cover, Princess Celestia shot out the monastery gates, soared atop the roof of the monastery where the stained glass windows were placed and drew her sword. The Dextrous Blade, cast from the right-half of Laurelore’s Equis Blade. Spinning and twirling it in all directions, with equal grace and ferocity, the Princess scattered the storm of arrows in mid-air with a look of feral determination etched upon her regal features.
She had enough magic for this, she hoped.
No more innocents would die today, she swore it.
She had failed her sister.
She wouldn’t fail her kingdom.


They weren’t fighting back. They had no means to do so.
But they didn’t seem to be giving up.
Downriver surveyed the map with concern. His soldiers were expertly trained in sword-work but planning an effective route to storm the city would require precision. It was no use simply swarming the town, no telling what would happen.
Something wasn’t right. Even with Celestia, the town wouldn’t have found the courage to fight back. In her state, it was doubtful Celestia could as well. Her powers hadn’t returned yet and wouldn’t for a great deal of time.
This wasn’t how it was meant to go. The town would be ruined under a hail of arrows, its citizens would be massacred, their last moments would be spent gasping for air as Celestia did what little she could to ease their pain.
What had happened?
Who was responsible?
“Enough of this!”
With a thud, a rustic but expertly-crafted throwing dagger embedded itself in the map, landing squarely on the plateau the tactician currently sat.
Narrowing his eyes, Downriver rose slowly and turned to see a trio of ponies glaring at him, dressed in ornate obsidian armour with cloaks of ebony and ivory ribbons fastened by crescent-shaped mithril pendants.
Three of the Eternal Knights, sworn swords to the exiled Princess Luna and the House of the Rising Moon.
He’d chosen to examine them thoroughly since his assignment.
The first one, who’d thrown the knife, was White Wolf the Storm-Runner, a fiery navy-blue pegasus with a flowing silver mane adorned with a twisting braid in the style of the deer that raised her. The ardent mare armed herself with a pair of curved blades and focussed on swift and ferocious attacks from the air. Taught to hunt harpies and duel griffins at an early age, White Wolf was a ferocious force in battle, calling down thunder and lightning upon any foe she crossed, hence her title.
The second was Fletcher Fray the Battle-Brother, an elegant but grim unicorn with long sandy-blonde mane and a leaf-green coat. Descended from a proud family of accomplished war leaders, Fletcher Fray was an expert with the bow, fashioned from whisperwood and enchanted by elk magic. His hazel eyes saw every potential target but his strong sense of principles separated a worthy foe from a needless kill. He’d earned his rank defending his troops and family in the struggles of war.
And the third was Midnight Blade the Record-Keeper, the eldest and most experienced of the two. A dour, grey batpony with colourless eyes, he played his stereotype well, largely for his own amusement. Dark and mysterious were a byword to his namesake as was his blade, a two-handed falchion he wielded with expert precision. As Record-Keeper, it fell to him to infiltrate the enemy and pin-point weakness. In practice, he wasn’t the best spy but he was certainly a capable planner and manipulator, resorting to every trick in the book to prevail.
Yet not even he addressed Downriver with much admiration.
“Can I help you?” Downriver asked mirthlessly.
Midnight Blade scowled.
“No. Help from you, Downriver, has been our greatest dishonour” He held his sword out in front of him “You will call off your archers and cease this brutality immediately. If not, the House of the Rising Moon will put you to death as a war criminal”
Downriver raised one eyebrow.
“The House of the Rising Moon hired me to take this town. I’m taking it. I’d expect more gratitude towards the ponies fighting your battles”
“This is no battle, sell-sword!” White Wolf bellowed “This is cowardice of the lowliest calibre! Sitting on the outskirts, slinging arrows a mile into the fighting! Even the Tyrant-Traitor, Celestia, is fighting bravely to protect her servants yet you do not do the same! You treat your soldiers like school-foals and your enemies like vermin! The Eternal Knights will not suffer such tarnish to their name!”
“Then the Eternal Knights should have been here earlier. Perhaps then you could decide how we fought” Downriver said sardonically, glancing at the earth pony “Battle-Brother Fray, I don’t see you with the archers”
Fletcher gave the mercenary leader a dark look and paced over to the table. Drawing his fabled bow, he slammed it down upon the map in front of them.
“You see this?” he asked, indignation rife in his tone “This was carved a millennium ago from a sacred whisperwood tree in the Black Forests of Farmany and enchanted by Elkenking Garivh-Hal. Archduke Ballistix, the founder of my noble House of Armbrust, used it to slay a great troll king with a single shot. Many centuries after, my grandfather slew eight-hundred Boarzerkers at Broken Tusk Pass with this bow. After him came my father who, with this bow, saved the mare who would become my mother from her demented uncle in an archery tournament against Prince Al’Balut. Now, at last, it is passed down to me”
There was a pause.
“How fascinating” There was something sincere in Downriver’s voice but he showed no sign of being impressed “And?”
“And...” Fletcher Fray growled “I will not sully this noble weapon by taking shots at unarmed ponies from afar”
“You’re prepared to throw away victory for the sake of vanity?” Downriver asked, tilting his head in disdain.
White Wolf gave a hiss and made to move on him before Midnight placed a hoof on her shoulder. Calmed slightly, the pegasus took a deep breath and retrieved her knife. Spinning it on her hoof, she placed it inches from the mercenary’s face.
“Not vanity” she snarled “Honour”
“Pointless” Downriver said flatly.
“Pointless explaining to you? I agree” Midnight Blade said with an icy glare as White Wolf deposited her blade in the belt strapped across her front leg “Eternal Knights. We take to the field!”


Olwen had been fortified. The town walls, little more than a wooden bailey, had been propped up with whatever materials could be found and manned by skeleton crews of archers prepared to send back the arrows scattered across the city.
They kept their bows trained on the three armoured foes bearing the Lunar flag as they marched toward the city.
White Wolf stepped forward and bellowed.
“Princess Celestia! You have fought gallantly to protect those who still support you! That is worthy of recognition in the eyes of the Eternal Knights! We offer an incentive! We will call off this butchery and punish those responsible! In return, you will face us, outside Olwen’s walls, in a duel to submission! Each of us has vowed to face you bravely in battle! Let us honour that vow and Olwen will be spared! The Eternal Knights swear it by their swords!” The three placed one of their front hooves across their chest “We will give you until your sun sets! Pray the night of the sister you wronged does not grant us the strength to ruin you in her name!”
“How tiresome” Downriver sighed before turning to a nearby lieutenant “Make ready to fire”
There was a pause.
Then, as a light seemed to shoot up from the monastery, the mighty figure of Princess Celestia slammed into the ground before them, blade held firmly in her magical grasp.
“You have your answer” she said with vigour “Prepare to honour your vow”
The Eternal Knights were all too eager. Drawing their weapons and surrounding the Princess, Wild Wolf struck first, taking to the wing, drawing both blades with her free-hooves and swooping down with a fearsome battle-cry. The Dextrous blade blocked the attack but left the Princess open for a glowing, white-hot arrow from Fletcher Fray’s bow. Celestia narrowly caught it with a blast of magic and dropped to her knees to avoid White Wolf’s slashes. Midnight Blade saw his chance and brought his namesake down upon the Princess. Rolling along the ground, she was kicked in the face as she rose and just managed to bring her blade up to block the down-strike. As White Wolf brought her own blades down upon hers, Celestia resorted to holding the blade in place with her hooves.
Fletcher Fray saw his chance and aimed a magic-charged arrow at Celestia’s head. With seconds to spare, the alicorn blasted the arrow in mid-air, causing a small but powerful explosion that sent the three knights falling backwards.
They swiftly found their hooves and readied themselves, Fletcher’s horn glowing a vibrant shade of lime as the bow morphed into a double-headed spear.
Celestia gave a grunt of strain as she rose to her hooves, holding the Dextrous Blade out in front of her, before speaking to her opponents.
“You do my sister proud...”
Down in the plateau, Downriver’s lieutenants watched, their troops ready to fire.
“Now, sir?”
Downriver, meanwhile, had his eyes fixed on the town. As the lieutenants followed his gaze, they saw the scruffy brown stallion standing outside the gate, staring defiantly at them.
Before they could ask, the general responded.
“Pull back”
The lieutenants glanced at each other in confusion but knew better than to question his orders.
As quickly as they had marched to Olwen, the army turned on their fetlocks and departed.
The last shot fired at that battle was Downriver’s look of unbridled loathing at the Stallion That Stops The Monsters.


Luna’s eyes snapped open as Octavia Melody finished her piece.
“Thank you, my good mare” she said solemnly “You have eased my tensions tremendously. If you would perhaps indulge me with one more short symphony”
“Of course, your highness”
As the cello music played, the Princess’s thoughts collected.
After that battle, the Eternal Knights had returned to the House of the Rising Moon on Sunless Isle as heroes. Celestia lived that day, the duel had ended in a stalemate, but they’d crossed blades with their worst enemy and lived to tell the tale which was worth many honours. The Herald of Luna, the young and ailing Prince Artemisias Dryft had listened to their accounts and sentenced Downriver to death for his war crimes but the ponies sent after him either never found him or were, themselves, never found again. Downriver simply disappeared.
Luna’s brow furrowed as she pieced together the knowledge granted only to herself and her sister.
Swiftness, efficiency, zealous training, faultless military tactics and formations...and total disregard for life.
The moon would turn blue as the sea if Downriver and these black-hearted mercenaries weren’t connected somehow.


*


Twilight Sparkle sat the dining table with Spike beside her in her small but hospitable Ponyville castle, facing the Doctor as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie sat on opposite ends of each other, their faces heavy with concern and curiosity.
“Okay...” the Doctor began “Let me tell you how things stand. Boulette City, on the outskirts of Equestria, has been subjected to a massive terror attack. Over three thousand casualties”
“I know. I saw it in the news” Rarity shook her head “So many poor ponies killed. Things like this have never happened before”
“Well, I’m afraid things might this might be happening a lot more often if we don’t do something”
“Doc, ya sound like ya know more ‘bout these calamities than yer lettin’ on” Applejack said “We wanna’ help in any way we can”
“I realise that but I’m warning you, this won’t be easy” He took a sip of tea before continuing “I’m not going to say we face our greatest threat...but this is definitely a threat you’re not used to”
“Aw, c’mon! We took down six of Equestria’s worst enemies in our spare time! These guys are gonna’ be a cakewalk” Rainbow Dash scoffed.
“Dash, let’s not forget, they killed over three thousand ponies in an hour and a half” Twilight pointed out “I think I understand what the Doctor means. This is putting us against some very unpleasant individuals”
“Exactly” the Doctor explained “This organisation of theirs. I don’t know what they’re calling themselves right now but they comprise of some of the world’s most deadly killers-for-hire”
“Wh-what?” Fluttershy paled “Y-you mean...ponies hire other ponies to kill other ponies?!”
“I’m afraid so. This is what I mean. Very different. Forget Discord. Forget Chrysalis. Maybe even forget Tirek. These guys are serious. These guys give the word ‘monster’ a bad name. Between them, they are guilty of every war crime imaginable and have absolutely no regard for the lives of innocent ponies. And the worst of them all is their leader. A pony I crossed paths with myself and lived to tell the tale...Cascadius”
“Is that spelt with an ‘a’ or an ‘ai’?” Pinkie was writing a letter on brightly coloured paper with rainbow-coloured crayon.
“Pinkie, what are you-” Twilight was interrupted by Pinkie reading her letter aloud.
“Dear Mr Cascadius.
I think you are a giant meanie-boo-beanie-pants and you can’t come to any of my Pinkie Pie Parties...unless you say you’re very sorry and bring something nice, maybe a chocolate fountain. I love chocolate fountains so much.
If you don’t like chocolate fountains, you can’t come to my chocolate fountain party.
And also we’re coming to kick your flanks for what you did in Boulette. I personally will ensure literal flank-kicking.
You’d better hope I don’t borrow my Big Sister Maud’s horseshoes.
They hurt.
A lot.
Also, not kidding about the chocolate fountain
Love from Pinkie Pie”
“Pinkie...not helping”
The bubbly pink mare looked up and caught sight of the Doctor’s serious expression.
She didn’t have a huge capacity when it came to paying attention to serious conversation but she knew an unhappy pony when she saw one.
“Sorry” She quietly put the paper and crayon back in her mane.
“So who the hay even is this Cascadius?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently “I never heard of him before and that cheeses me off! If this guy does this evil stuff for laughs all the time, how come we haven’t gone after him yet?”
“A variety of reasons” the Doctor sighed “Listen, to tell you what he’s fully capable of, I need to give you a bit of a history lesson”
There were mixed reactions from the group. Twilight Sparkle and Spike both sat bolt upright with anticipation, Rarity and Fluttershy leaned forward with mild curiosity, Rainbow Dash groaned and leaned back in her chair, Applejack rolled her eyes in frustration and Pinkie Pie appeared to be trying to see if her tongue could reach the chocolate she’d somehow gotten on her nose.
“I know Cascadius from...very long ago...and I mean long ago”


“Doctor” A frightening thought entered Spike’s head “Is he...a time traveller? Like you?”
“No, least I hope not. He can’t travel in time...but he’s damn good at living through it. He’s lived a long time and fought in Equestria’s most bloody conflicts. I’m not sure how but I intend to find out. Regardless, he’s a master of disguise. Nopony can manage it quite like him”
“Not a Changeling?”
“No, no. It’s not his natural ability but he’s still damn good. The thing about him is that he is driven by an obsession to be good at nearly every life skill, at least in terms of skills that might help him”
“Sounds like mah sister and the CMC” Applejack said off-hoofedly.
“Nothing so innocent, I can tell you. He has lived for a long time and he uses this to his advantage. Literal centuries of experience spent training and skill-building have made him the perfect killer. You will not know him until he is ready to strike. He could be anypony. A grocer selling you goods. A police pony asking if everything’s alright. The pony you fall in love with. He could be all of these and more if he wished. All in order to get close to you, find out all there was to know about you...and then kill you”
“Well thank you kindly for the bout of paranoia, Doctor Dearest!” Rarity snapped sarcastically.
“I’m just trying to prepare you. Don’t let down your guard because that’s one of the things he’ll be waiting for”
“Would we have heard of him at all?” Twilight asked “He doesn’t sound like the sort of pony who goes around unnoticed”
“There are only two kinds of ponies in the world” The Doctor sighed “Ponies who don’t know Cascadius and ponies who hope Cascadius doesn't know them. The citizens of Ponyville don’t involve themselves with military matters all too often, hence why he hasn’t had much interest here but he has been here before. He must have been. I know for a fact that Cascadius hired the thug that tortured Carrot Top and nearly killed Lady Justice”
“So he was the one behind it, that damn low-life!” Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof on the table “I’m gonna’ make him pay for that!”
“I remember that...so well...” Fluttershy shuddered “Poor Carrot Top...her injuries looked awful...”
The Doctor nodded and continued.
“And later, Derpy admitted to me, in strict confidence you understand, that Countess Magnifying Glass had ordered him to do so. If those two are still working together, Celestia help us all”
“Why?” Applejack asked “Greedy, plague-ridden rats always work in packs. What difference does that make?”
“Because the only thing that keeps Cascadius in check is the wish of his employer, who, right now, happens to be a deranged noblemare with little if any sanity and even less moral decency. Their sole wish and purpose is to hurt me, Derpy and Dinky and they won’t care at all who suffers in the process...which means they’ll be pulling out all the stops, so to speak”
Twilight paused, glanced around and asked something pressing on her mind.
“If he’d been in all the worst wars and massacres in Equestrian history, wouldn’t we know about it?”
The Doctor sighed.
“Therein lies one of me and Celestia’s greatest mistakes. Cascadius committed an unspeakable crime when we first crossed paths. So Celestia and I had all mention of his name removed from every page or inscription in the known world. A very powerful spell, rarely ever used. Rarely ever a reason. It was as if he’d never even existed. And upon his return, he used this to his advantage. Nopony would be looking for him because nopony would know who he was. He goes by many names every time he resurfaces but if there’s a real pain in the flanks gaining power somewhere in the world, Cascadius is involved. He’s always involved”
“What did he do that got his name removed from history?” Twilight asked, flabbergasted.
The Doctor was quiet for a moment, sipped his tea, cleared his throat and answered.
“Something nopony ever thought possible..." He took a deep breath.
"He tried to kill an alicorn”
There was a moment of silence. The Bearers of Harmony paled, perplexed.
“Uh...is that even possible?” Rainbow Dash asked at last.
“It must be...because he almost succeeded”
“What?!” The cyan pegasus nearly fell back in her chair.
Twilight Sparkle stared at the Doctor with wide, horrified eyes.
“Wh...What stopped him?”
The Doctor placed his teacup down on the table and looked up at them with a determined but world-weary look in his eyes.
“Me”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very Long Ago


The Rejuvenation Festival.
One of Canterlot’s busiest of days. Ponies from far and wide came to the capital to pay their respects to the Great Rejuvenator of Ponykind, she who had rescued the ponies from slavery and hardship and united the three tribes as one, the founder of the Alicorn Monarchy and first crowned Princess of Equestria.
Laurelore the Firsticorn.
The Doctor was among those ponies. In fact, he was a pony on a mission. A mission to acquire forgiveness.
He had hurt Laurelore before she left him.
Back when she was young and hungry for adventure.
He wasn’t afraid to deny it, he’d been clinging to her. Giving her responsibilities that were his while ignoring her own. Caught up in his little world without limits, he disregarded her world.
She wasn’t an ‘assistant’ or ‘companion’ anymore. She was the Princess of a kingdom.
He’d tried his very hardest to make her forget that.
He’d hurt her because of it.
And he was sorry.
He honestly didn’t know how she’d react to his return. It had certainly been a long time. Years, not centuries, but those years had been so very lonely for him.
He still had the gift she’d left him the last time they spoke. An amulet crafted from the magic of the Elements, fitted on a necklace he’d worn for this occasion. A piece of her heart to keep with him always. To remind him that, once...long ago...he had a friend.
Laurelore was never without friends. Those she knew, those she met, those who simply heard of her, she had always been a charming mare through the compassion and resolution that had founded a kingdom devoted to the ideals of Harmony.
The Elements would be beside her. He knew them well.
Aurora, Bearer of Magic; Iris, Bearer of Loyalty; Nuzzle, Bearer of Kindness; Cornflower, Bearer of Honesty; Adamanta, Bearer of Generosity and Zipadee, Bearer of Laughter, the only stallion among them.
They’d taken to finding the Doctor slightly suspicious. But in their daily lives that was expected. The Doctor had been a prominent player in the Badlands War against Marephistallion and had popped up whenever something untoward happened.
In any case, how they’d react to him appearing on this very special day would, for better or worse, be quite something.


Elsewhere, however, another pony had plans to pay the Princess a visit. One who hadn’t yet had the chance to meet her.
And was anticipating doing so with much enthusiasm.
The Wonderbolt hadn’t put up much of a fight.
Then again, nopony ever did when caught by surprise.
Her mistake for coming across the zip-line.
If the knife to the throat hadn’t done it for her, the force of his landing had probably finished her off.
The guard had been even easier. But then he’d been so easily lured into the darkness.
What sort of guard left his post at the cry of a vagrant in jeopardy?
Then again, the High Hooves, or at least the pitiful remnants of kinsponies who clung to their ways, had never been warriors or commanders of any meaningful competency.
Tirek hadn’t paid a visit to Equestria for centuries and Marephistallion had just been destroyed.
The depletion of their enemies had made them slack.
How long that would last, however, was not to be disregarded.
With Star-Swirl missing, there was no longer an all-seeing eye in Canterlot.
And many of Equestria’s strongest warriors and wisest scholars had set out to explore the Known World and spread the teachings of harmony and the magic of friendship among every race and region.
This was a golden opportunity...not to be lost.
The Elements would be here soon.
Time was of the essence.
Finding the patrol, the newcomer, dressed in the helmet, armour and cloak of the Royal Guard headed to the Arch of Unity. Built soon after Canterlot was made the capital of Equestria, the Arch of Unity lay on the road to the palace and served as the entrance to the Royal District. It depicted the names and portraits of many of the kingdom’s greatest heroes in solid marble and, at the arch itself, showed alicorns of all colours and shapes holding hooves around the Elements of Harmony.
The arch towered high above any pony, near as tall as the spires of the palace. Visitors from far and wide, coming to the Rejuvenation Festival, passed under the arch dozens at a time.
The guards were to march to and fro, from the palace entrance to the arch.
They were halfway between them.
Just coming up to where he’d placed the detonator, its lead hidden in the ridges of the stonework.
‘Perfect’ the newcomer thought, the butt of his spear raised above the button hidden in a flowerbed.
‘Time to make history’


“Forsooth, O Traveller. Whosoever woudst boldly crosseth the Bridge of Death must verily answer me these questions three, ‘ere t’other side they see!”
“Do so asketh thine three questions, O Bridgekeeper, I...thy...ugh...Luna, how do you talk this way? This is maddening!”
“Pleeeeaaaase, Tia?” the little navy alicorn filly gave her elder sister a pleading look “You sound so funny”
“I’m bored with this game anyway” the elder sister, pearl-white of coat and primrose-pink of mane, sulked.
“Oh, but one day I’m going to make it famous! Everypony will play it! It’ll be so much fun!”
“Luna, I know you came up with it and you’re very proud of it but Ogres and Oubliettes stops being fun really quickly if you can just make anything up”
“Nonsense! Just the opposite” Luna snapped, folding her little hooves “Now you can either carry on playing or I won’t be your night-light tonight”
Young Lady Celestia sighed and continued, waving around her figurine.
“Do so asketh thine three questions, O Bridgekeeper, I be’est not afraid”
“What be’est thine name?” Luna said, grinning as she, in turn, waved a goat figurine atop the arm of a chair, representing a bridge.
“I be’est Lady Knight Sereneph of Canterlot”
“What be’est thine quest?”
“To seek the-”
‘BRAKA-DOOOOOOM!!!’
The two fillies gave a shriek and dived under the covers of their bed as the sound and feel of a massive explosion shook their bedroom.
Several moments later, they poked their heads out of the blanket.
“Wh-wh-what was that?” Luna asked, stammering with fear.
“I...I don’t know Luna?” Celestia answered, hugging her little sister instinctively.
“Tia? Do you...do you think everypony’s okay?”
Celestia gulped and chose to be honest.
“No Luna...I don’t...”
“Tia...” She felt her little sister bury herself in her forelegs, trembling “I’m scared”


The Doctor collapsed in a heap as the tremor rocked the city. The Arch of Unity was coming down, its pillars crumbling as smoke and flame rose from the cracks. After the explosion came the screams as hundreds were crushed beneath the falling debris.
The time-traveller watched in horror as the carnage unfolded before him before rushing as fast as his shaking hooves could carry him. The heavy marble fragments lay sprawled across the entrance to the royal district, chunks of stone as big as houses littering the area. All around were bodies of the dead or injured.
Instinctively, he set about doing all he could.
Beside him, Captain Bold of the Royal Guard gaped, paralysed at the sight.
“Sweet Rememberly!” he gasped “Sweet Sacred Rememberly, what the hay happened here?!”
“Captain!” a nameless guard exclaimed “The Princess must be informed!”
“Yes...yes...” Bold slowly found his senses “Quickly! Head to the palace!”
“Yes, sir”
‘Perfect’ he thought ‘Equestria wasn’t built in a day...but it might fall in one’


The court had been quiet for the few moments since the explosion. Too shocked and worried to think properly.
Then, slowly, the Princess turned to look out the mighty glass wall behind her throne.
The Arch was burning.
The city was burning.
“Burning!” a terrified, breathless guard burst through the doors and practically skidding on his knees as he bowed before the Princess.
“The arch has collapsed! The city’s in chaos! You...you have to help them!”
“I will. Of course, I will” Princess Laurelore turned back to the court, her bright eyes full of fear for the lives she cared for “My faithful friends, you will go out into the city and do all you can to help those in danger! Quickly!”
The court was cleared as the commanders, ministers, lords and ladies rushed into the city to do their part.
“Majesty, let me show you where the city is most in need of your magic” the guard panted.
“No need. Come with me”
Taking the guard’s hoof, she pulled him gently onto the podium of her throne.
Her horn glowed bronze and the decorative glass layer of the podium rose high in mid-air above the marble beneath it as the ceiling opened up before them.
“The light of the sun and moon and stars and all the colours of the earth, wind and life itself” Laurelore prayed “Here I shall be at my most powerful. Here I shall be able to do my very best”
The podium came to a stop as they stood upon the roof on the palace, the spires towering over them as they surveyed the city.
“Tell me quickly...” Laurelore’s voice was heavy with equal amounts of anxiety and determination “Where is the city most in danger?”
Her ears piqued at the sound of two object sliding across each other.
Then her eyes snapped open and her mouth gaped in silent screams as she felt a blade bury itself between her wings.
“Right here”
The guard’s voice had changed and, as she managed to turn her head, her entire body jolting with spasms of agony, she saw the guard had discarded his armour, cloak and helmet and looked so very different.
He was smiling. And strangely, the smile showed no malice or sadism as she had expected.
It looked ever so...calm.


The Doctor was halfway through helping a filly to her hooves again when he fell to the ground, clutching at his neck.
Agony shot through his body like lightning.
“Sir?” a unicorn healer placed a hoof on his shoulder “Are you injured? Can you show me?”
“No...No...I...” the Doctor pulled the amulet from out his coat and gave it a glance.
It was burning in his hoof and steadily losing colour.
He paled at the sight, knowing what that meant all too well but never imagining it would actually happen in his lifetime.
‘Oh no...Not now!’ he whispered before looking up at the nurse with a desperate expression.
“Please, I need to go. Can you look after the others?”
“Of course. Good luck, sir”
“Right! Bold!” He pointed to the Captain “Take your best soldiers and guard the sister’s chamber. At all costs!”
“What?” Bold looked perplexed.
“This was not an accident! The one who did this is after the Princess and her family! Go, quickly!”
As Bold gathered his troops, the Doctor was on his hooves and racing toward the palace in a heartbeat, a look of pain, fear, despair and regret engraved into his features. He had come too far to see his best friend leave the world she chose to save.
He had to help her.
That’s why he’d come back in the first place.
As long as he lived, he wouldn’t give up on her.


Laurelore fell to her knees as she felt her horn sizzle and spit as if fried by acid. It blacked and started to crack down the middle.
She felt no magic.
Only pain.
“Wh...Wh...Why?” she gasped, staring in shock at the stallion before her “Why have you done this?!”
The stallion’s smile widened slightly at the edges and he leaned toward her.
Nothing about him looked evil.
But what he’d done today...this was beyond anything she’d ever seen.
He had destroyed a monument of peace and killed countless ponies in its wake...
Just as a distraction.
He spoke, his voice as calm as the rest of him.
“That...Princess Laurelore...is something you don’t need to know”
The pain searing through her veins was becoming too much to bear. Her vision was blurring. Her legs felt so heavy. She could taste copper.
‘No’ she thought, gritting her teeth ‘I refuse...I refuse to leave Equestria at his mercy...I refuse to let him win!’
A heavy hoof came down upon the podium, causing a crack that swiftly began splintering like a spider’s web.
The sight of genuine dismay, genuine fear on his face, however brief, however slight, was very satisfying.
Princess and assassin tumbled into the throne room with a crash.
‘My precious ponies...forgive me...’
Laurelore’s body did not move. Her enormous wing covered her side like a blanket as she lay still.
The assassin, meanwhile, gave a groan as he found his hooves, pulling a shard of glass out of his foreleg with a pained snarl.
“Damnit!” he growled “This was not how it was supposed to go!”
“YOU!”
He looked up to see a steadily approaching cadre of guards, staring at the scene with horror and fury.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
They drew blades.
The assassin rolled his eyes and gave the shard of glass in his hoof a glance.
‘Oh well. In for a copper, in for a gem’
He spun the shard to face them and gave them a smile.
‘Alright then, but I’d better get paid overtime for this’


“H-hello?” Lady Celestia poked her head an inch out the door “Mother Laurelore? Is...Is everything okay? What’s happened?”
There was the sound of heavy hoofsteps as the grey dappled, purple-maned unicorn Captain of the Royal Guard appeared alongside Jumbo Jet, the hulking yellow Wonderbolt Lieutenant, and twenty-three hoof-picked warrior elite around Canterlot.
“Lady Celestia, Lady Luna” he said approaching with a look of concern “You are advised to stay in your chambers until the threat to the city is over”
“Captain Bold, what’s happened?” Luna piped up.
“I promise you, you will be informed once the Princess is certain you are safe”
Bold closed the door and locked it on the outside and then, with his magic, on the inside.
Then, with a deep breath, he turned to his cadre.
“Nopony enters the chambers. Understood? Nopony. Until the Princess arrives and we are certain the city is no longer under threat, we hold this door and defend her highness’s children. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir!” Every armed stallion and mare cried in unison.
“Captain” the soft-spoken Jumbo murmured “I have to find my sister, she was patrolling the city. She must have seen something!”
Bold thought a moment.
“Alright. Find Jaguar and then get the Wonderbolts together. We need all the help we can get right now”
The Wonderbolt took off on mighty wings as the guard formed a semi-circle around the chamber, Bold at its head, and adopted a shield-and-spear stance.
Near impregnable.
“C-c-captain...”
Bold raised a hoof to his unit as a guard approached from the throne-room, bleeding and staggering.
“Soldier! What happened?”
The wounded stallion fell into the Captain’s forelegs as Bold laid him down behind the circle.
“What happened out there?”
“A-a-assassin...” the guard gasped “Cutting through...everypony...nothing can stop him...he-argh!”
“Don’t move. I’ll tend to you, here” The Captain took off the chest-plate of the guard and checked before looking up with an expression of mild perplexity “How did you get these wounds when your chest-plate’s still completely intact?”
He had just enough time to look more closely at the stallion, noticing the distinct lack of his previous pain and despair on his face.
Now he looked calm. So very calm.
As Captain Bold became aware of the chill from the glass shard piercing his neck, the guard he’d been tending to whispered in a voice without pity.
“Because I go for the throat”


Celestia and Luna clutched each other tightly as the sounds of clashing metal, cutting flesh and cries of pain and dismay sounded from outside their chambers.
“Tia! Bold’s out there!” Luna whimpered “Our friends are out there! What’s happening to them?”
“Shh...it’s gonna’ be okay, Luna...it’s gonna’ be okay” Celestia held her tight and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.
There was a flash between the door and the wall as the lock was broken.
With a small gasp, Celestia stood in front of her sister as she lit up her horn, ready to defend the two of them against whatever form of pony or beast came through that door.
But it was no beast that entered.
It was chains.
Heavy, hissing chains that flew forward like serpents and, with great glowing manacles, snapped round the filly’s necks.
Celestia gave a scream as her magic was suddenly cut off from her mind, filling her head with a ringing tremor and bringing her to her knees, Luna beside her experiencing much the same.
As Celestia fought to stand again, she heard a voice and heavy hoof-steps enter the room.
“Sorry about that. Have to make sure you won’t run off. The powers of a deity in the hooves of a couple of fillies...what is your society doing with itself?”
“Who...who are you? Wh-what have you done to us?!” Celestia cried, looking up at the stallion before her, who towered over her in a plain beige and brown dappled cloak.
“I’m here on what you might call a diplomatic mission to Equestria. Unfortunately that mission went a little sour. The chains are a centaur creation. A gift from their king. They prevent the magic from the horn and the strength from the heart from meeting, rendering your powers useless. It also impairs many of your muscular functions, such as your wings. Your limbs however will work alright for now. You can’t run or strike me but we can keep up with each other” He raised his hoof to show the ends of the chains clutched in one hoof.
Celestia had never seen ponies holding things in their hooves. She knew it was possible, mainly among those who did great amounts of manual labour, but this was the first time she had actually witnessed it.
It rather unnerved her.
“Now come on, children...” The captor said, smiling “Come and kiss your mother goodnight”
He gave the chains a tug and the two fillies were dragged forward out of their chamber. Luna tugged on her manacle frantically, beating it with tiny hooves while Celestia placed one weak, stiff wing across her little sister for comfort.
A horrifying sight met their eyes as they left their chamber that had Luna falling into her elder sister’s forelegs, weeping, and Celestia struggling not to cry.
Captain Bold lay dead, his neck slashed open, sprawled out in a pooling puddle of blood. Every guard around him had suffered similar fatal wounds, deep gashes across the neck, belly, eyes, temples, three were decapitated, their heads a distance from their bodies as the corridor outside the sister’s bedroom was awash with blood and corpses.
“You...you killed them” Celestia whimpered.
“Very astute” There was no hint of guilt in the assassin’s voice.
“Wh-wh-why?” She made sure to cover her little sister’s eyes as they walked on.
“They were in my way. Now they’re not. Practicality” He held up a bloodied dagger he’d tucked in a sheath under his foreleg “In a tight spear and shield formation, an army would have had trouble getting in. But in close-quarters, from behind, they weren’t so impregnable”
“You...you’re pure evil!” Celestia wailed, stamping one fore-hoof and glaring at him as hatefully as she could manage.
“I just live a different life to yours. Don’t judge me for it” He gave her a withering glance, his eyes as cold and piercing as daggers of ice. There was loathing in his voice “Not all of us are as lucky as Equestria to have a wise and loving demi-goddess as a ruler. Some of us...have to do things we’d rather not do to get ahead”
On they walked, corpses by the dozen littering their path. Some not yet dead but many bore the faces of ponies they knew, twisted by agony and despair. Just outside the throne room, Jumbo Jet had fallen, the massive pegasus impaled through the spine, the body of his sister, Jaguar, still cradled in his hooves while the Steward, Knickerbocker, lay slumped against the wall, missing a back-leg, as he clutched the still form of his wife, Farthingale, in a grief-ridden trance, begging her to wake up.
Not once did the assassin register any form of acknowledgement to the suffering he’d caused.
They approached the throne room as the assassin coolly opened the door.
“Now don’t worry about your mother...she’s not going anywhere without you...I’ll make sure of...” He stopped, staring blankly at the scruffy-looking brown stallion in a woollen coat and stripy scarf tending to Laurelore who was just managing to move herself.
The Doctor looked up and stared at the assassin defiantly.
“You’ve got some explaining to do, young stallion” he said flatly.
“Wh...WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!” In the time it took to blink, the assassin’s composure was gone completely as he threw away the chain on the two fillies and drew his blade “YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!”
The two stallions flew at each other. The Doctor landed several punches upon his opponent’s face with one fore-hoof while the other struggled with the blade.
“You better not have killed her!” he growled before the assassin’s free hoof grabbed him by the throat. The time-traveller was hoisted high in the air before the assassin slammed him into the ground with a roar, his blade an inch from the Doctor’s eye.
“You better not have saved her!” the assassin snarled “Who are you?! Why are you here?! Tell me or I’m going to make what’s left of your life very painful!”
“Mate...you have no idea what’s left of my life. Also, you might want to watch your hoof”
The assassin had enough time to blink before a blast of bronze-coloured magic burnt the blade to cinders in his hoof.
“Let him go” Laurelore had gotten to her hooves and was seething at the stallion who’d failed to kill her “And get away from my daughters, you murdering bastard!” Her eyes blazed with flames of every colour as reinforcements of the Royal Guard flooded into the throne room.
The assassin was surrounded. He held the Doctor by the scruff of his coat but the scruffy stallion gave no sign of fear.
“Give it up!” he barked “You’ve nowhere to run!”
“You think I’m running?” In the assassin eyes was a spark of madness mixed with no small amount of malicious confidence “Clearly you don’t know me well”
He raised his head and turned to the ponies surrounding him, his expression and tone dripping with loathing and contempt.
“I am Cascadius...Remember my name...You'll will be screaming it in your last moments very soon”
And with that, he removed a small, light grey stone with an odd rune inscribed on it from out his cloak and slammed upon the floor.
Instantly, it shone a pale yellow and let loose a burst of sepia mist, enveloping Cascadius and the Doctor and blotting them from view.
A heathstone, a form of non-magical teleportation, the art of using one abandoned for centuries.
The guards readied bows and magic but a hoof raised from their princess prevented them from firing. The assassin would not be beneath using the time-traveller as an equine-shield.
And to their horror, once the mist had cleared, the assassin and the doctor were gone.


“And that’s pretty much part one of ‘Why you don’t want to let Cascadius run around free’, to sum up” the Doctor said grimly, finishing his tea.
The Elements looked utterly stunned. Twilight Sparkle and Spike stared blankly at their narrator. Rarity had a delicate hoof to her mouth in shock. Fluttershy shut her eyes tight, quietly crying. Rainbow Dash eyed her shaking hoof as she grinded her teeth. Applejack shook her head, removing her hat in gloom. Even Pinkie Pie looked downcast, her expression seemingly uncertain of just how to cope with what she’d just heard.
“That...that’s horrible!” Spike managed to say at last “I mean...why did he want to kill Princess Laurelore? And why did he kill so many ponies to get to her? How can a pony just...kill...so easily?”
“Don’t try to understand, Spike. There’s never a good enough answer” the Doctor said mirthlessly.
“But Doctor,” Twilight asked with concern “Where did he take you?”
The Doctor gave a glance at his right fore-hoof, as if checking to see if it was there. Looking back up at the Elements, he answered.
“Acheron”
“Where?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“A hidden pass into Tartarus” Twilight answered “On the far outskirts of Equestria. A labyrinthine cave system. The unicorns called it Grym d’Arc and claimed that one could enter Tartarus by following the right passage. The right way used to be identifiable through a river running through it but it dried up when Lavan began his invasion. There’s an ancient legend that claims that Apollonia Heartstrings could find a way through the magic of an enchanted harp. But it hasn’t been seen since Celestia and Luna came to the throne...” She pieced her words together “Did you...have anything to do with that?”
“Me? No. An ancient home of nightmares that suddenly turns to rubble? What makes you think I’m involved?” he said sarcastically. Any other day it would sound humorous “The heathstone sent us there. It was stupid of him, really. The mist the heathstone gives off can easily be used to track where it’s taken somepony and he must have known that the Bearers would be sent after him. I didn’t understand why and Cascadius wasn’t telling me. The way he saw it, he was the one who was asking questions. And Cascadius is a pony who makes it hurt when he asks questions. He wanted to know exactly who I was and why and how I’d stopped him. So, once he had me chained up in one of the caves...manacles fastened to my hoof by a heavy iron nail...through my hoof” His right-hoof gave another shudder, along with Fluttershy, as his voice grew quieter and more cracked, as if every word was sapping his strength “He set about asking me his questions...I didn’t want to tell him...so he asked me again...and again...and again...”
He stopped as he was forcibly hugged by Pinkie Pie who had started sniffling and whimpering at his story.
“It’s okay, Doctor, it’s okay!” she assured him like a guardian “We’re not gonna’ let him get you...or Derpy or Dinky...We won’t let him hurt you. We promise”
“Yeah! We’ll kick his flank and make him eat dirt like the old Bearers did!” Rainbow Dash cried with confidence. Her friends were ready to agree when they caught sight of the Doctor swallow hard and wince.
“Sorry, was I hugging too tight?” Pinkie asked as she sat back down.
“That...that was...what happened right?” Rainbow suggested, showing unnerve “I mean...he didn't...he couldn’t have...could he?”
“Let me ask you this” the time-travelling stallion said in a dismal tone “When you were after Nightmare Moon or Discord or Chrysalis or any other big-name baddie out to make a name for themselves, did they ever appear before you in all their glory and give you the whole ‘Your efforts are worthless, Equestria will be mine, your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elder-berries’ gig?”
“Oh yeah, quite a few. Not always but when they get the chance, it usually happens” Spike answered.
“It must be a trend of theirs” Rarity added “It got rather tedious after the first couple, I must confess”
“Right...well...imagine if they didn’t follow the trend, imagine if they didn’t want to waste time mocking you or taunting you or delaying you. What would have happened, hypothetically, if they just waited till you’d dropped your guard, reached out...and killed you?”
There was silence.
“Oh dear...” Fluttershy squeaked.
“But...it couldn’t have been that easy, could it?” Twilight exclaimed.
“Of course it wasn’t” He leaned forward “Cascadius lives by a very strict rule of war- Never underestimate your enemy. He knew the Bearers had banded together and brought down countless enemies of Equestria with their powers long before he showed up. So he made use of every advantage. When he wasn’t around me, he was navigating the cave system, familiarising himself with every entrance, exit, hole and tunnel. Whenever you face one of these major threats, you all make mistakes on your first try. That’s fine. That’s normal. But the thing about Cascadius is he doesn’t give you a second try. The two of us were there for several days before the Elements found me. He’d left the hearthstone with me and hidden in the caves. And when they arrived, they set about looking for me...and walked right into his trap”


The prisoner gave another drawn-out cry of pain as he tried, once again, to pull the nail from the manacle.
He was no stranger to pain but now, of all times.
All he wanted was to see Laurie again.
All he wanted was to save her.
And now this was how fate saw fit to reward him.
Just as well he’d never believed in fate.
History, on the other hoof, was another matter.
Who was Cascadius?
Why had he tried to kill the Princess?
Would any of these questions be answered at any point in his life, he wondered? Would he even like the answer?
All he knew was that the nail through his hoof bloody hurt!
If he could get it out somehow, he might be able to remove the chain.
What he’d do afterwards was up for question as Cascadius had broken his back-legs several days ago.
Right now though, his goal was simple.
Remove giant, horrible, rusty nail from hoof first, plan escape later.
He gave another scream as he, once more, tried to force the nail off his hoof.
“Doctor!”
It was a mare’s voice. Not Laurelore’s to be certain but a familiar voice nonetheless.
“Doctor, we’re coming! Hold on!”
The Doctor slumped back upon the walls of the cave and covered his face in his blood-soaked hooves.
The Elements had arrived.
...He was too late.


The Elements had split into groups of two as the cave had divided into several tunnels and passageways.
Iris and Nuzzle took the central path.
Aurora and Cornflower took the left.
And Adamanta and Zipadee the right.
Hidden in the darkness, Cascadius watched and waited.
On the left path, the Bearers of Magic and Honesty paused as they approached a light.
A figure, hidden by a beige and brown dappled cloak, was crouching over a fire.
Instinctively, the two mares threw themselves up against the walls of the tunnels, facing each other on either side as they checked round.
The figure hadn’t moved.
“Okay...” Cornflower whispered “On three...One...Two...Th-hurk!”
The Bearer of Honesty was interrupted by a single-edged sword jutting out her throat from behind the cave wall.
“Three” a voice said behind her “And you’re out”
“Cornflower!” Aurora screamed as the body of her friend slumped forward into her hooves, choking and gasping for air, clutching at her open throat, spluttering incomprehensible words as one hoof clutched at the Bearer of Magic’s shoulder.
“Aura...hurk...Augh...Ara...”
“Shh...It’s okay...It’s okay, Cornflower, I’m here” Tears streamed down Aurora’s face as she watched helplessly while her best friend died before her eyes. Cornflower’s quivering hoof slowly reached out to the tunnel end while her other hoof removed her friend’s forelegs from her, letting her fall flat upon the ground.
“Gl...g...Go...”
As her head lolled back, blood pouring out her neck and mouth, there came a rumbling from behind her.
Aurora’s ears piqued as she realised what Cornflower had meant.
The tunnel was caving in.
Cornflower hadn’t wanted to be carried. It stung Aurora to leave her, more than anything.
Throwing herself forward, she escaped the cave-in and landed before the fire.
Dust and gravel swept into the room in a great cloud, causing her to cough violently and shield her eyes.
The figure still hadn’t moved.
She tentatively reached out and pulled the cloak off.
To her dismay, it was simply a bunch of rocks and sacks piled on top of each other.
Cornflower was dead, buried under the rock, because of a dummy.
With a hiss that became an enraged howl, Aurora ripped the cloak to shreds with both her magic and her hooves, hot tears burning her cheeks, before turning with a demented expression toward the continuing tunnel, the signal from the hearthstone getting clearer.
That monster was going to die for this!


Iris and Nuzzle found the central tunnel getting darker and darker.
So much so that the two pegasi were forced to keep one fore-hoof upon the wall to make sure they kept in a straight line.
“Well...this isn’t creepy in the slightest” Iris muttered.
“This is a dark place in more ways than one” Nuzzle murmured solemnly “I sense nothing. Nothing lives here. Nothing has lived here for ages...at least, nothing good”
“Well, hopefully, the Doctor will be living here” the Bearer of Loyalty said with determination “I mean, he’s kind of annoying with how full of himself he is but he did save Equestria and the Princess-”
She was cut off as her nose bumped against the wall of the cave.
“Argh...darn it...Nuzzle, are you still here?”
“Course I am, Iris. Why?”
Iris pawed in front of her, finding nothing but solid rock.
“Shoot...this can’t be a dead end, there has to be a-”
Something clicked under her hoof.
The two mares froze as there came a gusty sound behind them.
“Hey...I see light!” Nuzzle said brightly, looking down the way they came. A moment later, her face fell as she weighed those words in her head.
The tunnel started to feel very hot.
“Oh no...oh no...” Iris’s normally steadfast temperament began crumbling as she frantically tried to find any means through the wall of stone around them before falling to her knees as she saw an almighty mass of flame racing toward them.
“Nuzzle...” she was starting to cry “I’m so sorry...”
Nuzzle said nothing. She simply knelt down beside her friend and held onto her, her hug always somehow making all things feel right with the world.
Returning the hug, Iris shut her eyes tight as the oncoming inferno closed in.


Zipadee took every step down the path slowly and carefully, aided by light from Adamanta’s horn. His instincts were never wrong. This passage was booby-trapped, likely in more places than one.
They’d need to go about this with expert precision.
“Can you see alright?” Adamanta asked.
“We’re okay so far” Zipadee answered “Watch that rock there...and big step here...you good?”
“I’m fine” the Bearer of Generosity followed the Bearer of Laughter’s every move “You’re incredible”
“It’s easy when you know how”
‘Well that’s hardly fair’ an unseen observer thought, drawing a knife ‘I put days into those traps...can’t let it go to waste’
There was a gust of wind from the side. Adamanta spun round, the light dissipating as she lost control.
In the middle of a careful step over a trip-wire, Zipadee just managed to get one fore-hoof out and hold the young unicorn by the shoulder.
There was light enough to make out her features but her head was bowed.
“Addie! Are you alright?”
“I...I can’t see...” Adamanta mumbled in the darkness.
“Light up your horn”
“I...I can’t focus...where are you?”
“I’m right here, silly”
“...closer...”
“Addie! I’m right in front of you!” Zipadee said, exasperation growing in his voice as Adamanta tried to light up her horn.
Her once-perfect face was marred by a horrific scar across both eyes.
Adamanta’s mouth quivered as she wondered why she couldn’t see her own light.
“I...I...I can’t see! I CAN’T SEE! I CAN’T SEE!”
She flailed around, panicking, as both of them lost each other’s grip.
One of their hooves hit a rock.
It gave a click.
A moment later, the ceiling of the tunnel came down, burying the two under a torrent of stalactites.
Gasping for air as three heavy stone spikes through her chest pinned her to the ground, Adamanta’s hoof pawed across the floor, trying desperately to find Zipadee.
She found a hoof.
It had no pulse.
“Zip...” she whimpered, her breath wearing thin “I’m...sorry”


Aurora found him.
At last she found him.
The scruffy brown stallion was slumped against the cave wall, his body bruised and bloodied from countless wounds.
She took note of the chain and the means it was fastened.
Shaking her head at the cruelty, she checked his pulse.
He was barely conscious, struggling to move his head.
With great effort, the Doctor managed to open his mouth and speak.
“Run...” he mumbled “Run...away...”
“No, Doctor” Aurora said defiantly, taking hold of his shoulder “We’re gonna get you out of here. We’re gonna get you-ARGH!”
She gave a scream as a tiny shard of crystal embedded itself in her back-leg. Jolting, she fell to her knees, trying desperately to remove the shard from her leg. Her horn began to dry up, blackening, and cracked down the middle.
“Ah...It works”
Depositing a blowpipe back inside his cloak, Cascadius emerged from the right tunnel as Aurora managed to pull the shard out of her leg. Shaking her head and gasping for air, she managed to regain her senses.
“S-s-stay back...and surrender!” she managed to yell “Or we’re gonna take you down!”
Cascadius paused and tilted his head sideways, his hoof reaching inside his cloak.
“There is no ‘we’”
Five necklaces, each with a unique gem in the centre, clattered to the ground in front of them.
Aurora stared, wide-eyed, her mouth agape as she struggled to comprehend the realisation that her five best friends were dead by this stallion’s hoof.
“If it makes you feel any better...” he said flatly “...this was my plan. Not originally, of course, your Doctor put a stop to that...so I settled for the next best thing”
“You...” Aurora’s body shook as her breath came in out small gasps “You...You...YOU MONSTER!!!”
As lost in rage as she was in despair, Aurora leapt forward.
Nonchalantly and with the grace of a cat, Cascadius sidestepped, drew a sword and brought in down upon Aurora’s outstretched neck.
The Doctor watched, helpless, as the Bearer of Magic’s head was severed from her shoulders, the two parts falling to the ground, unmoving.
Cascadius gave the sword a flick and sheathed it, giving the corpse of Aurora a small bow and turning to his prisoner.
“Did you see that?” he said it that horribly nonchalant tone “I hope so. They died because of you. And just think. I could have stopped at Laurelore. If everything had simply gone as planned...this wouldn’t have happened...I would’ve stopped”
“No...” the prisoner murmured, his face twisting into a scowl of disdain “You’ll...never...stop. Creatures like you...they never stop...”
Cascadius frowned and gave a sigh through his nostrils.
“Fine. It seems that, try as I might, I can’t get you to co-operate. You refuse to share your secrets with me...and I’ve no need for a bird that doesn’t sing”
He gave the chain a tug and, with little effort, pulled it loose from the rocks he’d fastened the ends to.
Dragging the limp body of the Doctor along the ground, deep into the caves.
He’d been staring, blurry-eyed, at the stone walls gliding past him for what felt like days when they finally stopped.
Cascadius had paused in front of an impasse. With the chain wrapped around one fore-hoof, he reached out with the other and found a semi-circular hole.
Waving the hoof slowly across it, there came the faint sound of harp-strings being plucked.
Then, with a rumble and a great sensation of a great chill and metallic stench, the Gates of Tartarus opened up.


Cascadius grabbed the Doctor by the shoulder and brought him to the edge, craning his neck down to see a staggering drop of countless miles straight down, the great abyss into the realm of unending torment.
“You see when they tell you there’s an entrance into Tartarus...they don’t say anything about an exit” he chuckled, turning the Doctor’s head to face him “Not even I know how deep that goes and I’m not sure you want to know. But you’re going down there. You have proven yourself a danger to my work and that is something I cannot allow to remain in this world. That’s the rule. Nopony stops me from doing my job. The thing is Tartarus is a school of hard knocks. The fall won’t kill you, however much it’ll try. Things don’t die in Tartarus. But if you’re already dead before you land, they won’t keep you. You saved the Princess of Equestria. That’ll get you sent straight to Paradise by my reckoning...Give the Elements my regards when you get there and tell them that their Princess will be joining them shortly” he gave him a smile “On the other hoof, if you’re alive when you take the plunge...that’s trespassing...an eternal sentence”
He gave the his prisoner another look at the drop before continuing.
“I can give you mercy if you give me knowledge...I’ll ask one more time then I’ll push you off the edge”
He leaned forward, his cold, pitiless eyes staring into that of the Doctor’s.
“What are you?”


The Doctor looked deep into those eyes of his.
He stared into the abyss...and the abyss stared back into him.
He knew nopony was safe while Cascadius lived.
Checking his chains one last time, he answered.
“I’m the Doctor...” he said, his voice suave and confident as it had long been in his adventures across space and time “I’m a Time Turner...I’m from the Planet Emelpi in the constellation of Zacherlasbros...I’m nine hundred and three years old...And I’m the pony who’s going to save the Princess’s life and all fifteen million ponies in the world outside”
Cascadius blinked, his expression one between the three circles of curiosity, scepticism and utter bewilderment.
“You got a problem with that?” The Doctor asked, content the chain would hold.
“Yes” Cascadius answered, matter-of-factly.
“In that case...” the Doctor gasped, his breath short, his teeth wavering, his two hearts beating frantically as he grabbed Cascadius’s shoulders.
The assassin’s expression stayed the same until the last instant where he promptly gave him a look that just screamed the words ‘Oh Buck!’
So very satisfying for the Doctor as he put all his weight into the side facing the edge, spouting out one last quote for the day.
“ALLONS-Y!”


Off the edge they went.
Their descent was sounded by a blood-curdling scream as Cascadius lost all composure and confidence, flailing and shrieking like a mad beast in the Doctor’s grip. He struck him, again and again and again, hard in the face, his hooves like iron hammers. His grip broken, the Doctor fell in limbo as Cascadius hammered him with fury and hatred beyond words.
The assassin’s face had changed entirely, twisted and contorted beyond measure, gripped in a mask of untainted rage and indignation.
The true face of Cascadius when pushed over the edge.
The mastermind was gone.
The monster was in charge now.
That’s what he was. That was all he could ever be rightfully called.
A monster.
That was the role he seemed determined to play.
So it seemed that the Doctor must play his.
The Stallion That Stops The Monsters.
The Doctor struck back just as Cascadius was bringing the knife out. It missed his face and embedded itself in his shoulder. With a cry, the time-traveller shoved the assassin back with his barely functional hind-legs and, without thinking, made a grab for the wall.
There was the sound of several cracks as his foreleg dislocated from the force, the hoof stuck in a fissure upon the rock.
How it hadn’t taken off half his chest, he’d never know but, seeing as how painful it was, the Doctor elected to scream.
And followed up by another scream as the chain on his other foreleg went taut, the nail through his hoof pulling the wound wide open as he hung in mid-air, both forelegs locked in agony between the weight of two worlds.
“HRRAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!”
The scream was not the Doctor’s. Glancing down, hoping he wouldn’t pass out from vertigo, he saw Cascadius hanging by the chain, still just as angry as he yelled out at the top of his voice to the stallion who had stopped him.
“THAT’S!!! CHEATING!!!”
The Doctor gasped for air between his reply.
“Oh...grow up...” He gave another tortured wail as Cascadius grabbed onto the chain with his other hoof, forcing himself upwards.
He was relentless, he could see that. Faced with a fate worse than death, Cascadius would try anything.
But faced with letting Equestria fall into the hooves of a monster, the Doctor would try much the same.
Craning his neck to the side as far as he could, ignoring the horrendous cramps and the pain between his forelegs, the Doctor untidily got his jaw around the knife in his shoulder and wrenched it out with a groan. With the remaining strength he could muster, he pulled his foreleg upwards and raised his hoof before his face.
Cascadius stared, perplexed as the Doctor glared at him furiously from above.
“I won’t let you hurt another living soul!” he growled between clenched teeth and pressed the knife into the fetlock.
“Doctor?” Cascadius’s face went from furious to confused and finally, to terror.
“DOCTOR! NO!!!”
There was fear in him.
Good.
He had earned that fear.
He deserved fear.
This was what he deserved.
“Go to hell!” The Doctor screamed as he cut deep.
With a final tug, the hoof was wrenched off his foreleg, taking the nail, the manacle, the chain and the assassin down with it, screaming all the way into the abyss.
Within a matter of moments they had vanished from view.
Another matter of moments and the screaming subsided.
He’d done it.
He’d won.
He’d saved Equestria.


The Doctor hung there, every bone in both forelegs forcibly dislodged, bleeding copiously from his amputated hoof and his perforated shoulder, swaying like a broken doll on a string.
The pain was too much.
The loss was too much.
Aurora, Cornflower, Iris, Adamanta, Nuzzle, Zipadee, Bold, Jumbo Jet, Jaguar Jet, Farthingale...so many friends...
So many lives.
He cried. That was all he could now, separated from the world he’d only barely managed to save. Lost in pain and grief, he pressed his face against the walls and wept.
Then there was a light.
Warmth balanced with a cool breeze.
With near enough effort to leave him unconscious, the Doctor looked up.
Two alicorn fillies, one pearl-white, one navy-blue, were diving toward him, their faces fixed in determined expressions.
Spreading their wings, the two alicorns took hold of him and removed him from his prison in the rock, carrying his torpid form between them as they flew up back toward the cave entrance.
The Doctor could barely think, let alone acknowledge what was happening.
Was this Paradise?
Or another chance to run?
The fillies’ hooves found solid ground at last as they made their way out of the abyss and back into the cave.
Laurelore was waiting, her eyes red with tears as she enveloped the Doctor in bronze magic, staunching his bleeding and carefully mending and relocating his bones.
Guards around her solemnly covered six bodies in heavy grey blankets, marked by a symbol of the Elements.
The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into those of Laurelore.
“Laurie...” he murmured, breaking down at last as his frail body wracked with sobs “I...I’m so sorry”
“Doctor...” she murmured back as she held him close “Please...Take care of the girls”


There was another silence over Twilight Sparkle’s castle as the Bearers of the Elements tried their very hardest to hold back tears.
“Doctor...” Twilight gasped “It must have been...I mean how...I can’t believe...I’m so sorry”
“Don’t be” the solemn-faced time-turner said “Cascadius was my greatest failure...and now he’s back to remind me of that...He’ll take his war with me to the rest of Equestria...So you need to be ready”
“We’ll stop him, Doc, ya have our word” Applejack said stoically, putting her hat back on “We’ll bring him down and send him back where he belongs...and we’ll make sure he stays there”
“When do we set out?” Rainbow Dash asked, grinding her teeth “The sooner I can put all four hooves in his smug face, the better”
“The Princesses will be arriving shortly. They’ll give you the rest of the debriefing” He got to his hooves and nodded.
“I’d like to thank you for...giving me this opportunity to correct my mistakes...and thank you for wanting to protect me...and my family”
“Doctor”
Twilight Sparkle stopped him as he made for the door, staring at him with her violet eyes full of sympathy and understanding.
“We’ll look out for you, Doctor. We promise...That’s what we do”
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pipsqueak wasn’t happy.
His mother had reprimanded him sharply on the way home yesterday for staying with Dinky.
He didn’t understand why.
What was so bad about spending time with a filly?
What was so bad about Dinky?
Nothing. Nothing at all. She had few if any negative qualities he could think of. Derpy had raised her just right. She was as kind, hard-working and cute as her mother and as smart, funny and determined as her father. He couldn’t remember how many times the little filly had gotten him out of a scrape at school or on the way home.
Dinky had always been there for him.
Why didn’t mother appreciate that?
He knew he’d have to ask soon. He felt like he’d been sitting in his room, rearranging his O&O figures forever.
Braving himself, he made his way downstairs.
He only realised how different his mother’s house was to Derpy’s flat.
Where the Doo family household’s floor was covered entirely by fluffy carpet you could go to sleep on and hard but smooth walls that Derpy had once said she didn’t mind being drawn-on, the house he lived in was based on hard, black wooden floorboards and chalk-white walls with open beams that he suddenly felt looked rather unwelcoming. As the house wasn’t so much old as...sick.
Many houses in the working districts of Trottingham looked this way. Though the city was so close to Canterlot, there was still a great difference between the living conditions of the rich and of the poor. Celestia, Fancy Pants and various other philanthropic figures were doing all they could to change that but it was a daunting task and not one Pip expected to see completed for many years.
He found his mother washing clothes in a wooden tub.
So she hadn’t finished work when she’d picked him up.
Pip had so hated Proud of Parents Day at school. After hearing Diamond Tiara gushing over her father’s business and Apple Bloom giving the full history of Granny Smith’s exploits and Sweetie Belle bringing in her father’s own hoof-ball, how insignificant he felt telling the class ‘My mother washes clothes’.
It had everypony laughing.
Until Miss Cheerilee had stepped up and pointed out how much ponies need clothes washed every day.
Then when Dinky pointed out it was just as important for ponies to have their mail delivered.
It felt like that was the time they really saw how much in common they had with each other.
His mother had to see that somehow.


“Mother?” he asked tentatively.
Nancy looked up, her eyes tired and stinging from the steam but she smiled.
“Hello my lovely” she cooed “Everything alright?”
“Um...sort of...” he mumbled, tottering down to meet her “I...I need to ask you something”
“Of course”
“Well...you didn’t want to talk about it yesterday”
Upon realising what her son meant, Nancy rolled her eyes and sighed, frustrated.
“Pipsqueak, I told you. You’re too young to be hanging around with fillies. What have I told you all these years?”
“It’s not just that, is it!” the little colt blurted out, tears appearing in his eyes “You’ve never had a problem before. I go to school with loads of fillies. Why Dinky? Why do you hate her?!” His voiced cracked on the last few words.
“Oh sweetheart” Nancy drew her fore-hooves out of the tub and wrapped them around her son’s little shoulders “Look, this is important. I don’t hate her, Pipsqueak. You know that don’t you” She sighed “I don’t hate her...but I don’t think she’s a good influence on you...”
“But why not? She always helps me with my homework and lines for plays and everything”
“Pipsqueak, listen to me. That filly has not been brought up right” His mother’s tone had grown grim “If her parents are anything to go by...”
“Wh...What’s wrong with her parents?”
She gave him a look.
“Pipsqueak. They’re nice enough, I know that as much as you, but I hear very worrying things about them. Things nopony should ever hear about. Her father didn’t know he even was the father till she came out! And as for the mother! She wrecked the town hall, Pipsqueak. 	You don’t leave your children with her!”
“But mother, there was a reason for that...”
“Pipsqueak” Her voice grew outright stern “She’s not a responsible pony and neither is her daughter. She’s nice, that much is true, and you might think that makes her safe but we grown-ups know better. If I left her in your care, who knows what could happen?”
“But mother...”
“Pipsqueak” She clutched his shoulders and looked him in the eyes “You don’t want to make me worried now, do you”
The little pinto looked down at his hooves.
“Okay mother...” he mumbled “Can I still see her at school?”
“Yes, yes, Pipsqueak, you can” she smiled and gave him a pat on the back “Now...Blue’s coming over with Tungsten later today. You want your room tidy so you can play with your models, don’t you”
“Okay” He tottered back upstairs.
As she watched him go, Nancy gave a sniff and went back to the tub.
She hated doing this to his son but she knew she’d hate it even more if he came to any harm thanks to her.
This Dinky seemed like a safe enough pony but, Nancy remembered grimly, she'd once thought the same about her husband.
He'd had hurt Pipsqueak enough already.
She wasn’t about to do the same.


*


Even the carriage ride up to Invitro Hall seemed unfriendly.
The house’s grandness added to the injustice concerning those who lived there.
Raven Inkwell couldn’t help but scowl as they neared it.
‘How dare she continue to live so richly after what she’s done’
Beside her, Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers gently petted her dog.
“Horatio does so hate coming here” she muttered “It is a shame...old Fancy has fond memories of this place. Of course that was with its old owners Count Stained and Countess Cylindrica...whom their daughter never fails to dishonour”
When they began working, Raven Inkwell and Bustle Bloomers hadn’t had much of a partnership. The old matriarch had intimidated the bright young secretary and the two hadn’t much to talk about other than how Fancy Pants had been getting on.
But slowly they’d grown on each other, each one determined to make Countess Magnifying Glass pay for the crimes they knew she’d committed.
Today was a disappointment.
Nonetheless, they tried their best to be upbeat.
“I see you’re wearing those new glasses my nephew got for you” the Grand Duchess pointed out.
“Oh yes...” the prim little secretary gave them a light adjustment “Do you like them?”
“They suit you very well, dear. Do you know, with that neckerchief, you’re the spitting image of my cousin, Crinoline”
“Um...thank you” Raven gave a polite smile as the Grand Duchess pondered a moment.
“Or was it Pannier? Was she the one who tried to seduce my husband...or the one who pinched our silver? Now I know it wasn’t Incontinentia Buttocks, she was the one who ran off with that bearded fellow with the lisp”
“Ahem, Grand Duchess?” Raven Inkwell asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Miss Inkwell?”
“You’ve always seemed very close to your nephew...if you don’t mind me asking...”
“Spit it out, dear” Her manner was curt but not unpleasant.
“Well...do you have family of your own?”
Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers gave a chuckle.
“Of course, Miss Inkwell. Perhaps you’ve heard my husband mentioned in passing somewhere? Windcheater. A retired Wonderbolt”
“Really?” Raven Inkwell’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look too impressed, he wasn’t that good. Well, he can still do a decent loop-de-loop now and again but he’s better at his treatises and puts lot more work into them, hard luck for the rest of us. Don’t mistake me, I love him dearly but, goodness, the stallion could bore for Equestria! I tell you, dear, sex for Windcheater is having someone listen as he reads aloud his theories on the emergence of liberal feminism in Southern Zebrica”
She ignored Raven’s sudden blush as she muttered aside.
“If someone invented a complete work on philosophy that said ‘Oh you magnificent stud! Nopony can do it like you can!’ after closing, he’d probably take it for his mistress”
“...I’m...sorry to hear that”
“Whatever for? He’s not unpleasant in the slightest and I was no stranger to bores even before I married him. He was kind, handsome, sociable and of a healthy background and our marriage would bring our families great mutual benefit. I wasn’t leaving him alone for any of my awful cousins to snatch up!” She chuckled.
“And...did you have any children?”
“Oh yes. One son, Leotard. He’s just turning twenty-eight. Though let’s just say I haven’t as high hopes for him as I have for Fancy”
“Ah...is he...” Raven searched for the right word “...irresponsible?”
The Duchess measured the question.
“Irresponsible, no. Thick as two hefty slabs of peat, most certainly. I don’t hold it against him though, we’ve raised him right. He treats mares extremely well, useful for securing marriage ties, and I dare say his ballet-dancing is some of the best in the city” She sighed “But Fancy’s always been the go-getter. A great deal of our family’s hopes and ambitions rest with him. Has he met all of them? Perhaps not. But let me assure you, Miss Inkwell. While I can’t say I have never been disappointed in him...I can say, without a shred of doubt, I have never been ashamed of him”
“If it helps, Grand Duchess...We think he’s done a good job”
The Grand Duchess chortled.
“Let me tell you something dear. The beauty of our system is that everypony smart enough to run for government knows better than to want to. That’s why they hang around on the sidelines, out of sight of both the hopeful smiles and the miserable scowls, seeing while unseen, knowing but unknown, reminding those in the centre who really makes the changes. With all these Alicorns and Bearers and Princesses all higgledy-piggeldy near and far, one does lose track so easily, but it’s ponies like us, Miss Inkwell, that keep it all on track”
Raven Inkwell found herself marvelling at the Grand Duchess, filled with curiosity at what was either immense cynicism or buoyancy.
Their cheer diminished somewhat as the carriage stopped outside Invitro Hall.
The two mares braced themselves, as if braving a griffon tavern brawl, and strode in.


Countess Magnifying Glass was not looking any better than she had been last time they’d checked on her.
She was hunched over the fireplace, staring intently at the smouldering logs, her hooves shaking on the arms of her chair.
Were they bleeding?
Raven and Bustle gave each other an uneasy look.
This was a mistake, they knew it. She wasn’t safe, to herself or to anypony else.
But the Princess’s word was clear.
“Mrs Glass”
The elderly mare’s head snapped round like a wolf with the scent of blood. A scowl of indignation was etched upon her features.
“What?” she growled.
Raven Inkwell took a step back and cleared her throat.
“Mrs, Glass...The Princess...had heard your plea”
The Countess’s yellowing eyes widened.
“And?”
The secretary fought the urge to grind her teeth.
“She agrees...Your house arrest will end by the end of the week”
There was a pause.
Then the Countess slowly got to her hooves and smiled which, from a mare like her, looked out-of-place at best.
“Ms Inkwell, Grand Duchess, I and all of Invitro Hall thanks you with every inch of our being”
‘You feeble-minded little nags! You’ve just signed your death warrants! You’re first! For what you dared to put me through, once I’m done with the main threat, I’m coming after you first!’
“The Princess believes your house arrest has proven its point” Raven Inkwell continued “In the wake of your charges of treason being dropped, no further reprimand needs to be taken”
“Please, tell the Princess, on my behalf, that she is a kind and forgiving monarch without equal”
‘And a pathetic little fool...but I’ll be telling her that myself when I have her at my mercy!’
“Right...well...” Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers made no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction “If that will be all, Miss Inkwell, would you mind waiting in the carriage a moment? I must have a private word with Mrs Glass”
‘Countess Glass you miserable old harpy! I’ll carve it into your flesh one of these days!’
Raven Inkwell left, ignoring the sneers and jibes coming from the onlooking Monocular and Binocular from the stairway.
In the smoking room, Bustle Bloomers and Magnifying Glass faced each other, their jovial faces betrayed by abject hatred for each other in their eyes.
The Countess saw fit to prod.
“Grand Duche-”
“Now my good mare,” Bustle Bloomers cut her off “Let’s not lie to each other, it’s so unbecoming. If you believe the Princess is unaware of what you’ve done, you are mistaken. More importantly, if you believe I am unaware of what you’ve done, you are gravely mistaken”
The Countess gave an attempt to chuckle incredulously but it came out like a cough of sorts.
“Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers, I cannot imagine...”
“Well I would start quickly if I were you, Mrs Glass”
“Is this necessary?” the Countess’s voice was joined by the sound of her subtly grinding her teeth “I have only disdain for the mare I once was, I want nothing more than to mend ties with my niece and any other I...”
“Oh do shut up” Bustle Bloomers snapped, causing the Countess to step back in alarm “Honestly, you wouldn’t fool my son with this false penitence of yours, let alone my nephew. You have nothing in your mind but schemes and dreams of vengeance for the injuries you alone have brought upon yourself”
The Countess’s smile was growing more and more forced.
“I assure you-”
“I assure you, Mrs Glass, that while it is true I cannot make you pay the crimes you’ve committed in the past, I can most certainly  make you pay for the crimes you will commit in the future. I know what you did to my nephew and I know what you did to my brother and his wife...and I can only imagine in some dark, sick pit of my mind...what you intend to do to my new niece-in-law...” she paced towards Countess Magnifying Glass, her calm, collected smile still reigning her features “As I said...I cannot prove anything...and I must learn to accept that...” She stared the speechless Glass matriarch dead in the eye “But know that I am waiting, interminably waiting, for any opportunity to take action...So should I discover you have some sordid scheme hatched with whatever morally-bankrupt band of cutthroats you’ve been cavorting with...and this scheme involves my family, in any way...” she smirked “Then you and I are going to have a falling-out...in a manner that will ruin what little is left of your body, mind and soul”
The Countess’s smile curdled on her lips as she found hind-legs meet the wall behind her as the Grand Duchess finished her piece.
“You are not the only one with friends...friends who don’t mind a little blood and tears”
A deep growl came from Horatio, canine teeth bared at the Countess, as Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers left Invitro Hall without another word, leaving the Countess seething by the fire, her head filling with ideas on how she would get even with this new enemy of hers.


*


The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony bowed at the hooves of Princess Celestia who bid them rise and spoke.
“I trust the Doctor had given you some amount of insight on where we stand with this unseen foe”
“We’ll be bringin’ him to justice, yer highness! Doncha’ worry none!” Applejack stamped a hoof over her chest.
“I am glad to hear it but be aware that it will take a great deal of time to draw him out...and perhaps even more time to bring him down for good” Celestia gave a sigh “In the wake of the attack on Boulette City, our battalions we sent there have confirmed sightings of several known international criminals that we believe are working for Cascadius’s Mercenary Army...we are not certain if these criminals are unaware they are being watched...or that they have no intention of causing further havoc. I fear for our soldier’s lives and for those of Boulette’s citizens”
“Do we go to Boulette City to face them?” Rainbow Dash asked eagerly.
“I believe it would be in our best interest. These mercenaries focus on fighting large groups of enemies in highly destructive ambushes. Duelling solo with ponies who have faced down the greatest threats to Canterlot and Ponyville may end differently for them. I am entrusting you with preventing these criminals from causing any more destruction. However...if you find out Cascadius walks among them, do not approach him. Contact me or my sister immediately. Is that understood?”
Twilight saw worry in the Princess’s eyes.
Of course, she was there when Cascadius slew those who bore the Elements before them.
“We understand, Princess” she said, bowing “We’ll head to Boulette as soon as possible”
“Thank you, my most courageous ponies. Gather any belongings and meet with Representative Carcassonne at the train station. She will get you on the fastest route to the outskirts. Good luck to all of you”
Celestia bowed her head in gratitude, placing the necklaces of the Elements around the Bearers before they headed out.
The Princess watched them leave, hoping to Laurelore that they were prepared for whatever would to take place in Boulette.


They met Carcassonne, a scarlet-coated unicorn mare with a blue and yellow streaked mane, at the station.
She gave them a coy smile and noticed the young dragon carrying the luggage without much strain.
“So you’re the baby dragon I’ve heard about!” she said with awe “Delighted to meet your acquaintances. I don’t have to take a second glance to know which one of you is Rainbow Dash” she chuckled.
“That’s me!” the cyan pegasus shook her hoof “When do we get to kick flank?!”
“Not till we reach Boulette” she said “Apologies everypony, I don’t normally get involved in Element matters. This’ll all be pretty new to all of us” She opened the doors to the train “After you”
The train was expansive and fairly frugal, devoid of much decoration and glamour, but Carcassone showed them their cabin in the VIP section, a comfortable quarter for a day and a night’s ride.
Each of them sat down and deposited their luggage in the overhanging compartments. Rarity noticed Fluttershy seemed to fussing terribly over hers, which was curious. That was her job.
“Fluttershy, dear?” she said, causing the yellow pegasus to squeak in alarm “Is everything alright?”
“Um...ooh-er...of course...” Her tail seemed to be tweaking and turning of its own accord “Nothing’s...nothing’s the matter”
“Darling, something seems to be terribly wrong with your tail” Rarity said.
“Oh no! No! Nothing wrong at all, I simply have um...um...that illness where your tail starts to um...”
Fluttershy’s trailing pink tail had begun bouncing wildly on the end of her flank and tickled the inquisitive Pinkie Pie’s nose.
“...ah-Ah-AH-TCHOO!”
The force of her sneeze blew back Fluttershy’s mane and sent a small white ball flying out of her tail and hitting the door of their cabin, sliding down with a whine, collapsing on the floor, slowly getting up and shaking its head.
As the seven mares and Spike stared at the sight, Pinkie Pie gave a mighty gasp.
“It’s happening!” she bellowed “ I knew this day would come! I knew it all along! Fluttershy! Poops! Rabbits! You all thought I was crazy but I knew!”
“Ah shoot, not him!” Spike groaned out of hearing as the Bearer of Kindness frantically picked up and nursed the pet she’d failed to hide.
“Oh Angel! I’m so sorry! You’re not hurt are you?! Oh come here, little bunny” She cradled him in her hooves and gave him a kiss on the forehead which seemed to cheer him up, though he scowled noticeably at the pink mare who’d thrown him across the cabin.
“Shy...you brought Angel with you?” Rainbow Dash asked with concern.
“Well...his birthday’s coming up...and I hope we’re back in Ponyville when it happens but...I just want to be around, just in case...anything happens” Her voice descended to a worried squeak as she hid her face behind her mane.
Angel drew himself up and patted her on the head. Applejack craned over and did the same.
“Doncha’ worry none ‘bout it, Flutters. Ah ain’t gonna’ let nothin’ happen to you or yer little critter”
“Are pets allowed in the train?” Twilight asked Carcassonne, who shrugged.
“I’d say they’re allowed if the Princess says they are”
“Um...I don’t think the Princess did say they are”
“No...But she didn’t say they aren’t”
“Just keep him away from me” Spike grumbled, remembering his ill-fated pet-sitting a while back as he eyed the bunny with a vengeful glare.


*


“Right, now I’m going to turn up the frequency a little more while keeping the funnel widened and the grid down. If we’re lucky, the surge will pass through you, bounce back off the walls, expanding as it does so, and encompass the room. It should work very quickly and...your consciousness throughout shall be fairly brief. Are you comfortable in there?”
The voice of Bovril, Cascadius’s weapons expert, entered the testing room through a speaker as the tinker adjusted his pulse cannon.
Behind the tektite compound reinforced glass, an unwilling test subject brought over from the Crossfort writhed in the manacles on his hooves, his mouth open wide in a scream unheard from outside the room.
Bovril only paid it mild attention.
“Just relax, this will all be over very quickly. Now then...” His hooves carefully tuned a dial on one of the handles of the cannon, fitted through a vacuum pipe in the walls to keep the pulse safely inside the testing room, as his other hoof gripped the trigger.
Like most ponies used to manual labour, Bovril was able to stand on two back hooves for a short amount of time, twenty seconds at the most by his last count.
In the case of prolonged usage the cannon was equipped to be held over the shoulder but he held it in both fore-hooves for precision.
The weapon-smith fastened his goggles and clutched the handles tight as the cannon whirred into life.
“And...Fire!”
With a feral electric growl, a pulse surge erupted out of the cannon’s mouth like a flurry of lightning, veering wildly off from side to side and ended up tearing the right half of the test subject’s face and body wide open in a series of massive charred patches across his body as he flailed around, his mouth open and closing frantically as his split-in-twain face contorted with agony.
Bovril raised his goggles and inspected his cannon.
“Now how in Equestria did that happen? Good grief, it shot completely off course” He looked up at his tester and spoke sincerely.
“I am terribly sorry, that wasn’t meant to happen at all. Please don’t panic. If you’ll just bear with me a moment, I’ll sort this whole thing out at once”
He closely inspected the various nodes on the cannon and slapped his forehead in revelation.
“Oh, bother! I forgot to turn off the cooling cells! There we are” He retook his position “Now it should work fine. Hold still a moment and...Fire!”
This time the pulse exited the cannon in a great thundering bubble of pressure, passing through the test subject who seemed to flatten significantly, the front of his body compressing into the back of him. As the bubble hit the wall behind him, it bounced back as Bovril predicted, in a mighty wave that slammed back the way it came, ripping the subject out of the manacles and sending him toward the glass. 	The unfortunate pony’s body was spread a great distance across the wall before Bovril in a manner best left undetailed.
“Ah, there we go! Much more like it” Bovril said brightly, evaluating the cannon’s effect “Sufficient backfire off surface but stops when coming into contact with the cannon’s stream. Perfect! Now I must find a way to turn off the cooling cells on priming. We don’t want such sub-par results in the field...although...” he gave an enlightened smile “If I narrowed the funnel to improve focus and fitted an electromagnetic charge...a tracking bolt of flesh-rending energy could prove very effective...and I could probably fit it on a smaller cannon too...Ah yes, progress indeed...” He jotted down notes and figures on a clipboard as the intercom buzzed above him.
He switched it on and held the microphone in front of his mouth.
“Hey, Boff mate!” Balisong’s voice called “Boss Cass wants you up in the lobby. We’re getting some wet-work scheduled”
“Very good, Miss Balisong. I’ll be over shortly. While you’re there, would you please send down another test subject? I’ve rather worn out this one”
“Will do, guv’. Love to see your toys in action. Sound like right beauties if you’re getting through this many testers!”
“Oh indeed!” he chuckled “Also, tell Corax I’ve made him some pasta sauce”
“Eurgh! Really?!”
“That was a bit low-brow wasn’t it. Sorry. I’ll talk to you later”
Bovril switched off his equipment and locked up the laboratory tight before he made his way to the lobby.


Cascadius was at the head of a table that maps, profiles and notes lay upon in abundance. Bloodhound, Miura and Agravain sat at the sides while Royal Flush was standing in the corner looking terrified as he often did since his arrival.
“Bovril. Good to see you” the paymaster greeted him jovially “Agravain tells me your work on the project runs smoothly”
“Yes indeed, Mr Cascadius. We are, at present, incubating it in crystal shards of Imperial jade and amber. It will allow it to conduct the contrasting forms of magic contained within and make it impervious to most forms of conventional magic at any level”
“Good stallion. You two have done well. So I’m giving you a treat” Cascadius pushed forward a map, glancing at Royal Flush.
“Flush. Pour Bovril a drink, would you?”
Grimacing, the former Senator poured a glass of fine white wine for the weaponsmith.
“Not to worry, Boff. If he was trying to poison you, I’d know...Isn’t that right, Flush”
“Yes...of course” he mumbled.
“I don’t want to take you down to the cult again” Cascadius threatened, smiling calmly as he always did “You really don’t want to see what they’re doing to their new Oracle”
Bloodhound gave a dry chuckle as Royal Flush swallowed hard, remembering what he’s seen done to his daughter last time he was down in that cavern.
“Please...” he murmured “I’ve done as you asked...I won’t...I won’t try anything, just please let us go...”
“As ever, Senator, you fail to understand the situation” the paymaster shook his head “What the Cult of Piggsicorn do to your wife and daughter is beyond my control. All I get to do is decide whether or not you have to watch”
There was a pause as Royal Flush stared at Cascadius with a face ridden with horror.
“That’ll be all, Mr Flush” The paymaster gestured to the corner of the room where the former Senator meekly retook his position.
The four mercenaries surveyed the map.
“Lambasar proved very capable. The government square is fully detailed” Miura explained “However, it’s likely that’ll be the place most well-guarded. We don’t want to cause a scene until the Elements show up”
“You’re quite certain they’re going to appear in Boulette?” Cascadius asked.
“Positive” Bovril answered “Balisong and Agravain have surveyed the communications around the city from the interception platforms. The Elements are due to appear in the city in a day’s time, accompanied by Representative Carcassonne”
“Ah that nag” Bloodhound growled. Aside, Royal Flush gave a sickly expression at the mention of his political nemesis.
“From what we can tell, not many of the remaining higher-ups are best pleased about it” Bovril continued as Agravain produced several profiles of Boulette’s officials with the messages they sent to one another.
“Advantageous in theory” Cascadius mused “But in practice will take time we don’t currently have...”
He looked up and addressed his four subordinates
“Once Blue Murder is finished with her son in Trottingham, inform her of the details and take her with you. Make your presence known in one way or another. Miura, your place will have to be filled by Corax. You can’t reappear while they’re on the alert”
“Understood, sir”
“Right. Now this is important” Cascadius rose to his hooves and put both forelegs on the table “When you see the Elements, split them up and make sure they can’t communicate. Agravain will take care of that”
The silver crystal pony nodded.
“I don’t expect you to win, not easily. In fact, I’d be ready to come home with plenty of cuts and bruises if I were you. But remember this. Knowing your enemy is essential to destroying them. Fight them their way and then fight them your way. I expect you to take notes. And above all...have fun”


*


Luna’s Observatory was a place few were privy to enter.
The doors were guarded by powerful illusion magic. One of Luna’s most powerful spells, any who came across the room uninvited would walk away, believing what they’d seen to be a mere dream.
Luna had gathered the lord minister, the Mayor of Ponyville, Princess Celestia’s former student and the zebra hermit together.
“Thank you all for appearing on such short notice” She began “I bring you here to inform you all of a growing threat to our land and ponies. A threat that, we are told, none of us are prepared for. A threat that goes beyond black magic or devilry or foreign invasion”
She glanced at the reaction. They seemed concerned but not frightened.
Good.
“Some of you already know them. Only I and Mister Fancy Pants know of their leader...”
“Only marginally, your highness” Fancy Pants admitted “The entirety of our relationship involves him torturing me in various degrees...” His tone darkened “And murdering my parents”
The Mayor gulped noticeably.
Luna sighed.
It had many centuries since there had been war in Equestria and the crime rate was so low nowadays, one found it alarming to suffer a theft let alone a murder.
The ponies she and her sister treasured were facing something unreal to them. More unreal, ironically, than demons, ghosts or undead leprechauns.
“On that day, fearsome henchponies of unknown allegiance attacked Canterlot Council Hall and attempted to assassinate leading political figures. They numbered three dozen strong at our last count...But it has been seven years since...Miss Zecora, if you would...”
The zebra bowed and stepped forward, bearing several letters.
“This foe grows stronger than we assumed. Left unchecked and our kingdom is doomed”
She produced a hoof-full of letters, signed with the seal of the United Zebrican Conclaves.
“These letters here I hold in hoof - do carry unreserved proof - of mercenaries far and near - flocking to the same frontier. The fractured Ivorium Empire - keep order with a force for hire. Warlords rich in gold and slaves – sworn enemies of our Conclaves. Here I must confess in truth - I used to fight them in my youth”
Fancy Pants took a look at one of the letters, causing his face to brighten.
“Kintampo! Why, Miss Zecora, you’ve been working with a dear friend of mine”
“Indeed, the king of the western coast – defeated Schnortel and his host - You aided his royal majesty - in matters of our strategy. Whilst I, a humble shaman mare - cast tricks that caught them unaware” She smiled.
“But back to matters of importance - Among these treaties and concordants - Tell of their army's mass defection...all fled, and all in one direction”
She showed Luna a collection of maps and reports. The Princess of the Night grimaced.
“It is as I feared. The ceasefires between the Ivorium States Warlords and the United Zebrica Conclaves has caused by a mass defection of the mercenary armies the Ivorium States depend on. And those armies are heading North...towards Equestria...”
“Dear Alicorns, they...” Mayor Mare murmured “They’re not building a gang...they’re building an army!”
“Exactly. An army comprised of the most efficient and the most cold-hearted killers known to living things. The worst ponies currently living in this world are marshalling outside of our gaze in numbers and weapons we cannot contemplate”
Sunset Shimmer stepped forward.
"The Elements won't be enough. Facing down this horde of experienced killers alone will be impossible, even for them" she said "And our conventional forces aren't used to this sort of threat. They might be able to stop them but not without casualties beyond the weight we can bear"
"Indeed, Sunset Shimmer" Princess Luna said grimly "To combat this force will be an arduous ordeal. One with a cost we can scarcely contemplate"
She paced across the room
“Now...in order to face this enemy, strength alone will not be sufficient. We must fight them with their own weapons. By that I, of course, do not refer to their wanton destruction and callousness...but to their secrecy. Behind their backs, I and a hoof-full of individuals I trust with my life have been preparing for the return of this nefarious force of warmongers” She gave them a determined glance.
“They expect us to be weak. They expect us to be scared and stupid. They expect us to fail...They...Are...Wrong”
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So this...plan of yours...you sure they’re ready for this?”
Sunset Shimmer sat at a table facing Princess Luna, looking over the grand plan the Princess of the Night had been concocting.
“Our salvation lies in a strategy not even Cascadius will see coming” Princess Luna answered “I trust the agents with my life and throne. They are prepared and they are eager. Often that’s all one needs”
“Well, most of these look pretty up-for-it” Sunset admitted “All of these names...double-lives?”
“It was necessary. One way or another, I am not letting this warmonger play my sister for a fool. I have seen your old teacher day after day. Ever since the attack on Boulette, she has had nightmares. Nightmares I must constantly interrupt for her sake...Nightmares of the day we met that monster”
“Yeah...Princess Celestia told me about that once...back when I was learning under her” The amber unicorn admitted “I can’t imagine how horrible it was for the two of you...makes me kinda’ glad I gave up on this whole ‘Princess’ gig”
Princess Luna nodded slowly and looked away.
“Above all else,” she said grimly, her lips pursing with resentment “I want to look that murdering psychopath in the eyes and show him I am no longer the scared little filly he had at his mercy those many millennia ago”
“What puzzles me is...How the hay did he get out of Tartarus”
“Oh forgive me, Princess, for I have sinned”
Both mare’s heads jerked toward the ceiling as a slithering serpentine mass coiled around the pillars on the wall of the observatory. 	Revealing two dissimilar forelegs and a bizarre grinning visage between an equine and a dragon, it spoke.
“Princess Luna. Miss Sunset Shimmer. I couldn’t help overhearing your predicament and wondered how a humble master of chaos can be of service”
Luna groaned.
“Discord...” she said without a hint of joy “Dare I ask how you found your way inside my observatory”
“Oh puh-lease!” Discord waved the more avian of his hands, talons clacking upon each other “It’s really not that hard to get in once you know the right dimension to bypass. But enough about intrusions on this and that, I believe I can answer your question, Miss Shimmer”
“Really?” the mare was sceptical.
“Oh yes. I mean I could save it all for a big reveal at the end but there’s always the huge risk of totally shoehorning it in at the last few moments of the story, am I right? We got enough of that as it is!”
“Sorry, wha-”
“Twas many millennia ago when I chanced upon the foe you seek” Discord interrupted, suddenly dressing as a weathered, bespectacled author in a dressing gown and an armchair that seemed to have materialised under him “Back in those blue-remembered days, I was a slip of a sly devil, the sly devil in question being my father and the slip being me” He chuckled “A young but ambitious junior villain, trying to move up in the world”
“Discord...” Luna said, concern growing in her voice “Was he working for you?”
“Me?! Oh goodness, no! Not for me...With me” He leaned forward with a smile “Times were hard in those days. A draconequus would do anything to climb the greasy pole. Perhaps you were familiar with an old acquaintance of mine, one whom Cascadius owed his freedom to...the one they called the Deceiver”
“Marephistallion...” the Princess of the Night whispered “By Laurelore’s mane...the Storming of Tartarus!”
“You’re a winner!” Discord cried, a giant, flashing, beeping arrow in his hand pointing to Luna “Since the old demon took a little bit of ‘Fry and Laurie’ {You see what I did there?!} at Faceless Rock, he was stewing in his cell getting madder and madder, waiting for the chance to break free” He shrugged “It seemed like a good idea at the time. I admit I had a few too many that day and when one of the bigger draconequui dared me, giving me the old ‘What are ya? Hippalectryon? Bwawk-bwawk-bwawk-bwawk-Bwark!’ Of course by the time, I realised who this maniac actually was, I was already in his palm. Rather be there than in his way though. I was still fairly new to the game and without much influence. Marephistallion was loose and sought about building an army there and then, breaking into nearly every cell in Tartarus and recruiting its prisoners. I imagine Cascadius was somewhere among them. I didn’t actually see him until much later...when he turned New Flutterby into a blasted ruin and brought forth the captured Lady Serendipity, the Very Lucky Pony they called her ironically, to be Marephistallion’s mate...from whence his son was born...poor mare”
“Geez” Sunset Shimmer winced “What did Cascadius look like?”
“Different to how he did last time anypony saw him at any rate. Like me, he had to claw his way to the top because, according to Equestrian history, he didn’t exist. I imagine he wasn’t best pleased about that” He pursed his lips in thought “I supposed he wanted to try a new look. He hardly looked evil. In fact, at first glance, I expected him to be on the opposite side. Of course that was what made him so effective. Poor naive ponies would take him in, wait on his wise words and never suspect he was plotting to do them all in. Trojan, he called himself, Bringer of Gifts. Marephistallion owed many of his victories to him...the rest he owed to yours truly, of course. Times were I saw myself as the wickedest, wiliest, wascal in their little gang but this stallion...this ordinary stallion...He surprised me” He sat down in mid-air, his chin resting on his leonine paw “By his hoof, we raised the army of Ungul that formed the bulk of Marephistallion’s armies, saved the life of Tirek from his ill-fated nephew, beat Mimic half-to-death and used her to blackmail Star-Swirl...and those crystals he relied on seven years ago? Guess where he got them!”
“Sombra?” Luna’s eyes widened “But he was an enemy of Marephistallion! All factions of the Crystal Empire worked against him, good and bad!”
“I know...that wasn’t a problem for him” Discord said, shaking his head “Trojan captured him at the Fall of the Ebony Spire, the single enemy he’d kept alive that day, and tortured him for information on how his crystals worked”
“He tortured Sombra?!” Sunset Shimmer cried incredulously “We are talking about the same stallion, right?!”
“Well, to be fair, the young prince was sixteen at the time. Still had plenty of growing up to do” Discord admitted, shrugging “In the end, Trojan became the key strategist and frontier general of Marephistallion’s armies...which meant I needed to one-up him a little. And then I thought ‘Why not one-up Marephistallion too? Hay, I’m feeling generous! One-ups for everyone!’”
“I remember” Luna said, eying the draconequus with equal disdain and amusement “You claimed you’d given him the power of the Monstrositor, the ability to turn Equestria into a blasted wasteland. He waited on your every word...and you sent him in completely the wrong direction”


The God of Chaos doubled up laughing.
“Oh you should have seen his face! I mean, honestly, I didn’t think he’d be that dumb! Wrong planet I can understand but wrong dimension?! And he didn’t even notice until he’d cleared a dead planet of the life that was never there to begin with! And, dear Rememberly, when he started screaming!”
He pulled an exaggerated rage face and stomped around robotically.
“Aberration! Pretender! You dare to disobey me?! You truly believe you can deceive the Deceiver?! You take me for a fool?! You will suffer for your insolence! You and all those you’ve ever opened your frail little heart unto shall plead with me for their deaths! Unending torment shall be yours at my hand! Ar-rargh-rargh-rargh!”
“Why?” Sunset asked, most of the information on the War of the Princess’s Pact a mystery to non-alicorns like herself.
“Oh I see!” Discord sneered “The wicked old god of chaos can’t simply do a good deed now and again, there must be some sinister, self-seeking motive to any action of his that helps others in any meaningful way!”
“Well, was there?”
“Obviously!” he sighed “Marephistallion wasn’t the boss of me. I didn’t vote for him. I wasn’t in it for his dream of destruction! I mean, why? Why did he want to destroy everything! That would leave behind nothing...nothing to play around with, nothing to trick and warp and manipulate!” He waved his arms around in frustration “Destruction shouldn’t be accomplished for its own sake! Didn’t they teach him anything in villain camp?! And didn’t he just yammer on?! ‘Destruction’ this, ‘Eternal Agony’ that, ‘Fill your throat with hellhound faeces till the end of time’ and so on! I went to all this trouble for him and he hadn’t made me laugh once! He wasn’t a supervillain! He was a dreary, inconsiderate, doomsday-spouting, nihilistic mass of walking tentacle porn! And Cascadius is no better!”
He slumped down in the armchair again.
“All this ‘practicality’ nonsense and his ridiculous head-count! Doesn’t he realise letting them live with the fear of you is so much more fun?! Gods, what is it with kids today? I remember the days when villains were all about panache and audacity and finding out how many terrible puns you could make about the elaborate trap the heroes were in and, let us not forget, the refined art of the diabolical cackle...” He sighed, almost fondly “Yes, we lost most of the time but we did it with style and dignity, damn it! And when we cheated, which we often did, we weren’t afraid to admit it! We were the bad guys! It was what we did! We didn’t choose the role! The role chose us! Do you not understand the majesty of it?!” He looked close to weeping.
“Discord. Snap out of it” Luna barked, slightly worried.
The Draconequus paused, straightened up and gave his head a shake, quite literally, pulling it off his neck and rattling it in one hand before placing it back and waiting till his eyes stopped rolling.
“Sorry about that. Nostalgia trip. Where was I?”
“What happened to Cascadius or Trojan or whatever he was calling himself?”
“Well...it happened so long ago” Discord tapped his chin with one claw “As Marephistallion slowly lost his grip and his armies were driven back by Star-Swirl and Scorpan, I had a little wander and, wouldn’t you know it, ran right into him. I have to say...he didn’t seem all too afraid. Maybe he thought he could beat me...Maybe he could, wouldn't that be something! But right before I could find out, ‘zip’, he took off. Not because of me, you understand, but because of a certain scruffy-looking time traveller who’d wandered onto the scene to finish the job. A stallion I’d worked with, uneasily in truth, in order to send Marephistallion on the wrong course”
“The Doctor...he was there” Luna whispered.
“Indeed he was! And the second he saw him, Trojan, the stallion who’d faced down master wizards, slain dragons, captured kings and tortured puppies, ran like hay with his tail between his legs as if Tartarus itself was after him...”
“It practically was” The Princess of the Night said grimly “So you believe Cascadius owed his release to Marephistallion?”
“Most likely”
“And...Would that mean that he and the demon would be working together, had they the chance?”
Discord chuckled.
“I wouldn’t think so. Marephistallion is not one to forgive desertion, whoever commits it. And last time I checked, the Doctor dealt with him and his son last time he showed up, while everypony was away at the wedding...The things they get up to when nopony's around”
Luna nodded.
She still hadn’t gotten around to telling her sister what she and the Doctor had been doing that made them so late for the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armour.
It would make quite the impression, she was certain.
“So Marephistallion is not involved?”
“Well...I hope not” Discord gave a grimace “One can never be certain. What we, in our naivety, are still trying to figure out...” He paced over to Luna “Is how to deal with your current threat. The army of warmongers, commanded by a stallion so dangerous that Tartarus itself could not contain him. What will you do, Princess Luna...What will any of us do?”
“I know what I’ll do” The grim-faced Princess of the Night said, determination burning in her heart.
“I’m going to sit down and write some letters”


*


The train journey had been long but not unpleasant. Sleeping on a train wasn’t impossible and the girls were used to it.
Staying in a VIP room also helped.
The breakfast was fairly simple, toast and condiments mostly. But Twilight Sparkle couldn’t help but notice none of the staff or even passengers seemed all that friendly towards them. She’d catch them walking by slinging a dirty look towards whichever bearer caught their eye.
From the looks of things, several of the others had seen it too.
“Well...” Applejack began uneasily “Hospitality here’s quite something”
“Yes...I’ve been noticing that too, ever since we boarded the train...” Rarity murmured “It’s as if they feel some sort of antagonism towards us”
“Why would anypony think that?” Rainbow Dash snapped “Don’t they know who we are? Don’t they know we’re here to help them?”
“What do you know about Boulette, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked as she gave Angel a drink from a small water bottle.
“Well...it’s a city on what is known as the Outskirts, Equestrian settlements furthest away from Canterlot. Now, the Outskirts are somewhat notorious in that some of them make their resentment towards the Princess’s rule quite obvious. Boulette especially”
“Why don’t they like the Princess?” Pinkie Pie asked “She’s nice to everypony and she loves having fun and making a good prank like the rest of us!”
Twilight shrugged.
“Apparently that’s just not the way they like things. My knowledge on the Outskirt territories isn’t fantastic. You can’t find all that much of it in Canterlot’s Archives. I’ll ask Carcassonne when she comes in”
Sure enough, the Boulettian Representative appeared after a minute or so.
“How we all doing?” she asked “Sleep okay?”
“Well, I’ve had better nights but, then again, I’ve also had worse” Rarity said sleepily, giving her neck a little rub.
“Well, don’t worry. We’ll be at Boulette in another hour or so”
“Miss Carcassonne” Twilight asked “We were just saying...This is our first time in Boulette and none of us really knows all that much about it. We thought you could give us a little insight”
“Sure thing. Not that many ponies want to talk about it” Carcassonne explained, sitting down.
“Why not?” Applejack asked, puzzled.
“Well...It’s a bit of a shaky subject” the scarlet unicorn said at length “Boulette isn’t like anywhere you’ve ever been, at least in general atmosphere. The city was never part of the first kingdom of Equestria under Laurelore, nor did it want anything to do with the Flutter Valley under Rememberly. In fact, it only became part of Equestria in the middle of Celestia and Luna’s reign and vied for independence whenever it got the chance, such as during the Civil War”
Rainbow Dash groaned.
“Ugh, why are you telling us so much boring Twilighty-stuff! When are we gonna’ get to the flank-kicking! I was promised flank-kicking!” She folded her forelegs and sulked like a filly.
“Aw, c’mon Dashie” Pinkie gave her multi-coloured mane a ruffle “Haven’t you ever seen an Exposition Chapter before?”
Her friends gave her a clueless stare.
“A wha....never mind”
“Why don’t ya’ pipe down and let Carcassonne talk, Rainbow” Applejack said sternly “We can’t just saunter into the city without knowin’ nothin’ about it. Remember the mercenaries have been hiding around here. Any information’s useful”
“Exactly” Twilight said “Carry on, Miss Carcassonne”
Carcassonne nodded and did so.
“Now, Boulette was founded by two very powerful ponies called Superbus and Lucretia”
“I didn’t know buses were around in those days! With a name like that, it would be ‘super’ to ride in!”
“Not Super-Bus, Pinkie, Superb-us” Twilight sighed “Sorry, Carcassonne”
“Nah, don’t worry. That joke’s a classic. Anyway, they were husband and wife...and brother and sister”
“Eurgh!” Rarity stuck out her tongue “That is repulsive!”
“Rarity!” Twilight hissed.
“No, no, she’s right, it is repulsive” Carcassonne pointed out “Superbus and Lucretia weren’t normal ponies. Nopony quite remembers what they were. They could have been alicorn, bicorn, tricorn, one-winged angel, anything really but they had powerful magic and very long life-spans...and they ruled the Kingdom of Boulea with an iron hoof and an all-seeing eye”


“Boulea?” Spike piped up “There was something in the old histories about that, wasn’t there, Twilight?”
“That’s right. It just a few notes though...” Twilight said, thinking back “Boulea...Boulea was one of the feudal kingdoms during the Age of Migration when the Flutter Valley was destroyed. One of the most powerful, they specialised in...Metalwork, wasn’t it?”
“They specialised in war” Carcassonne answered grimly “Before the Second Age, various nobles founded petty kingdoms all over the land. It’s believed they were once part of the High Hooves that exiled Rememberly and fled the ruins of Hycarion. Superbus and Lucretia certainly possessed the same arrogance and narrow-mindedness. Boulea had vast deposits of iron in their lands. They had weapons, armour and a large workforce. So they began expanding, very much getting into the whole feudal spirit at the time. Then Equestria was born. The three tribes had united and were presenting a threat, at least in Superbus and Lucretia’s eyes. They mounted numerous invasions, some of which cost Equestria greatly, until Laurelore arrived. Laurelore never invaded Boulea but she certainly put an end to their invasions. Boulea may have had the most well-equipped armies but they were commanded by absolute idiots who’d gained rank through lineage or wealth. Equestria focussed on strategy and a meritocratic rank and honours system. They were clever, clever enough to make fools out of their enemies. With the power of their armies challenged and their omnipotence proven false, Superbus and Lucretia sought out an ally...in Tirek!”
“That wasn’t very clever” Rainbow Dash sniggered.
“Rainbow!” Twilight hissed in the same way she’d done with Rarity.
“No, she’s right. It wasn’t very clever” Carcassonne piped up “Though they despised all non-Boulettans zealously, times were desperate and Tirek was one of the only forces on the earth that could challenge Equestria. Superbus and Lucretia offered Tirek the position of Auxiliary General if he led them to victory. Tirek...” she sucked her teeth “...didn’t think much of that plan. He gave them both a fate nopony would envy and laid waste to most of the city...and then headed on to Equestria and you know how that ended”
“Oh...I’m sorry to hear that” Fluttershy said.
“Why? It was long ago. We got over it” Carcassonne said nonchalantly “Tirek was sloppy. He wanted to pay Superbus and Lucretia for the insult, then move on to the real enemy. Those he left alive set to rebuilding the city and naming themselves rulers...usually after killing the previous one. Throughout that time we made ourselves busy trying to become the power we once were, building armies and walls that would encompass the land...then the iron ran out”
There was a pause as the weight of the notion sank in.
“We had no metal to carry on building our walls and weapons which meant no more conquests. No more conquests, no more money. No more money, no more Boulea” She shook her head “With no other options, Boulea surrendered to Equestria as a vassal in exchange for supplies. Equestria accepted with open forelegs. Yet we were always resentful. We’d done the unthinkable, we’d sold out”
“To protect those in need. To feed and clothe your families” Applejack pointed out “Ain’t no shame in that”
“There is in Boulette” Carcassonne retorted grimly “For us, pride is everything. That was the lesson Superbus and Lucretia taught their subjects, a lesson they’ve clung onto for millennia. For most older-generation Boulettans, it doesn’t matter if there are families cold and hungry, as long as they're still your families and nopony else’s. As a vassal state, the glory days of the Kingdom of Boulea were at an end. And that’s something they’ve never forgiven Equestria for. When Celestia and Luna fell out, Boulette and several other territories on the outskirts fought for independence. Didn’t get very far”
“I dunno’. It sounds like you were fighting to rule your own place the way you like” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“Ideally but you need to actually be able to support yourself if and when you’re independent...which is what cost Boulette its independence in the first place” Carcassonne explained “What’s more, old Boulea’s practices were questionable at best. Workers were basically slaves, foreigners were killed on sight, mares were practically owned by their fathers or husbands, foals were hauled into military service before their Cuteciñeras, it was a dark and delusional way of life” She scowled in distaste “Stupid, selfish...and violent”
“Oh my dear, I’m sure that’s not true” Rarity cooed “You’ve never struck us that way”
“I’m not” the scarlet unicorn said “I don’t think the way they do. I never did to be honest but living in Equestria opened my mind somewhat”
“So that was why you were so...um...” Twilight found herself backtracking her own sentence.
“A jerk?” Carcassonne suggested.
“No, no, no, I-I mean...” The Bearer of Magic stammered nervously “C-Cadence always told me...but if you grew up with that sort of...of...er...exposure”
Carcassonne chuckled.
“Nah, I was just a jerk. But I’m better now. And so’s Boulette. Not everypony thinks that way. This isn’t like Griffonstone where they work to escape the place. We’re working on improving things, slowly but surely” She looked out the window “Sometimes...all you need is a voice that says ‘No. No more. This is wrong. This needs to change’ and it can. It really can” She turned to them.
“I’m glad you’re coming here. This city seems a lot more friendly with you around”
The train’s pace grew slow as massive walls loomed over the hillside in their direction.
“Here we are”


*


“LADIES AND GENTLEBEASTS! WELCOME ALL TO THE HOTTEST SHOW TONIGHT!” A finely-dressed white goat with bushy-eyebrows and several golden teeth smiled as the cameras came to life, flood lights lit up the ring and microphones gave a small hum on activation “ON BEHALF OF THE KNOWN WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION, LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE BATTLE OF THE GODS, THE CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE ULTIMATE DUEL BETWEEN THE TWIN POWERHOUSES OF M.W.E MASTER LEAGUE RAGING BULL SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS!”
The crowd erupted into applause as the lights flashed every colour of the rainbow in swift succession and the commentators spoke.
“And with that word from our CEO, Mr Piefinger, the stage is set to prepare for the biggest bout this year. This is Grover McGotham here at the ring with legendary wrestler, Caius Cape, come out of retirement to watch these giants vie for glory. Caius, a word in edgewise?”
A Zebrican/Equestrian accented minotaur spoke in a gravelly but merry tone.
“Well Grover, I haven’t been wrestling for thirty years now but seeing the excitement down there makes me want to jump down and teach the kids how it done in my day! But that would invalidate my contract so let’s just get this party started. The crowd look more nuts than my third-wife after that incident on the yacht in Fillydelphia!” he chuckled “Good times”
“Heh-heh...whatever you say, Caius. IN THE RED CORNER! HAILING FROM THE MAJESTIC CITY OF ACABULCO IN MEXICOLT! WEIGHING SIX-HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN POUNDS! A WRESTLING CHAMP WHO HAS DEFEATED EVERY CHALLENGER THAT OPPOSES HIM! THE WALKING CABALLERAN ARMADA- EL TORO MASCARADO!”
Music pounded through the speakers as a towering, jet-black minotaur in a gleaming, red and silver half-mask strode into the ring, greeted by cheers and boos in equal quantity as he raised his fists high in the air and gave a mighty moo of confidence, shaking his massive head from side to side, his forward-pointing horns shining with varnish. Grover McGotham spoke again.
“AND IN THE BLUE CORNER, BORN AND RAISED IN CAPRAMENTO, COLTIFORNIA! WEIGHING FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY EIGHT POUNDS! RETURNING, LONG-AWAITED, FROM A YEAR OF TRAVELLING CENTRAL EQUESTRIA ON A QUEST TO HELP THOSE IN NEED OF HIS STRENGTH AND WISDOM! AN ALL-TIME CROWD FAVOURITE, FIFTEEN YEARS RUNNING! GIVE IT UP FOR...IRON WILL!”
The crowd went wilder than ever as the gigantic, blue-grey powerhouse of MWE stood atop the gigantic flashing icon above the arena and roared before leaping down, burying a fist in the walkway and sauntering into the ring, accompanied by his trademark theme.
“Ooh, you're gonna’ need to replace that tile” Caius chuckled “Well, I been hearing some fine things ‘bout Iron Will, though I haven’t seen much of him since the Tramplemania Tournament three years ago”
“None of us have, Caius. Iron Will has not been seen around these parts for quite some time and it’s already clear that we’re glad he’s back! But will he return to put the challenger in his place for good and claim the title that has always been his or will he find he’s not the bull he once was and fall like all others who opposed El Toro Mascarado?! The crowd cannot wait to find out! One thing’s for sure, ladies and gentlebeasts, you will not forget this day! And now...LLLLLLLLLET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!”


After fifteen minutes of fast-paced, high-powered action, an intermission was called.
Iron Will and El Toro Mascarado exited the ring, both patted on the shoulder by a most satisfied Mr Piefinger, and headed for the changing rooms, both of them glaring at each other, bruises dotted across their faces.
As they slammed the doors shut behind them, the two turned to each other, smiled and broke the facade.
“Nice work, there, Paulo” Iron Will gave his opponent a fist-pump “Gotta’ say, you play the crowd well”
“Thanks, big guy” El Toro Mascarado, real name Paulo Guisando, said breathlessly “Still got a long way to go before I’m on your level”
“Don’t sweat it, brother. It took Iron Will years to get the crowds as worked up over him as they are now. Back when young Will was training under Aldebaran ‘Breaker’ Aurox. Now there was a real legend...Minos and Celestia rest his soul”
“Ah, Breaker Aurox. I remember watching him fight on that little TV in the bar down our street when I was a calf” Paulo said fondly “When he pulled that Double Hornswoggle on Mad Marathon Farlow, the whole place was cheering!” He sighed “I never got a legend to train me but I did get Durando Furioso”
“The Underground Superstar?”
“Oh you heard of him?” Paulo gave a heartened smile “Yeah, underground pit fighting was big in Acabulco. And Durando Furioso was the biggest bull around. He grew up on my street as well. He wore this mask before me. He was like a pa to me, certainly treated me better than my real one did...Till he made an enemy of ‘Piggy’ Pecarrino and the mob took him out. Couldn’t take it...Found Piggy one day and me and a few bulls from the neighbourhood paid him back...went too far...that was what landed me in prison”
“Sorry, dude” Iron Will patted his shoulder “But don’t sweat it. You’ve come far, brother. Keep going the way you’re going and you’ll get there one day, sooner rather than later if you fight as well you did back there”
“Thanks hermano, means a lot” Paulo sat down on the bench and stretched his fetlocks “So, I’m curious, what have you been doing in Equestria all these years?”
Iron Will raised his head, thinking back.
“Long story. Let’s just say...Iron Will learned a lot of things...Returned home a sadder but wiser Minotaur”
“That’s cool...” Paulo said nonchalantly “So in the next fight do I pull a Hornswoggle or is that you?”
“Ah...Iron Will thinks that’s your bit. Iron Will’s wrist’s kinda’ sore from the body-slam. Though Iron Will thinks...”
There was a knock on the door.
“Curd! Get into character!” Iron Will whispered as the two minotaurs leapt to her hooves and stood growling at each other.
“When I’m done with you, you’ll wish you’d never gone back to wrestling!” El Toro Mascarado snarled.
“When Iron Will’s done with you, you’ll wish you’d never started wrestling!” Iron Will snarled back.
Another knock.
“What is it?!” They both snapped as a goat in a baseball cap entered.
“Uh...hey guys, heh-heh” he quaked under the steely glare of the two giants “Two letters for Iron Will...Good luck in the ring, fellas”
Iron Will snatched the mail from the goat’s fore-hoof and billowed steam out his nostrils.
The newcomer exited as quickly as he’d arrived.
After a moment, the two wrestlers broke down laughing.
“That never gets old” Iron Will chuckled as he checked the letters.
The first was from Ponyville.
He opened it and read.
‘Dear Mr Iron Will.
I heard you were going back to wrestling.
It sounds quite scary but you told me it’s helping.
I’m glad you’re back on your hooves.
I was so happy to help you when you weren’t feeling yourself and that I was able to convince my friends you weren’t a monster or a bully like they used to think.
Feel free to stay again if ever you’re around.
Me, Angel and all the critters are wishing you the best of luck.
Sincerely.
Fluttershy’
The words of that shy little pegasus who’d changed his life brought a heartened smile to the great minotaur’s face.
The other was smaller with a typed address. It could have passed for a note.
Now he was curious.
He opened it and read as his eyes widened and he steeled himself for hard days ahead.
‘Iron Will.
It is time’


*


“Alright so who do you think would win? An elk wizard or a troll king?”
Tungsten pondered the question hard as he and Pipsqueak surveyed the playing board.
“Well...the troll king’s got the advantage of brute strength obviously but elk magic is incredibly powerful. Shields, teleportation, invisibility, cloning, anything the troll king could throw at it the wizard could probably block”
“As long as he didn’t run out of mana” Pipsqueak pointed out.
“Ah, true. And troll kings are incredibly tenacious so the elk might run out of energy long before the troll did”
“Right...and what if the elk wizard had a battle familiar?”
“What level? Which powers?”
“Fourth tier. Flight, swiftness, clairvoyance and bloodlust”
“Hmm...Then probably the elk wizard would have the better of it”
The little pinto smiled.
“In that case,” Pipsqueak said, bringing out his figurine and adopting a reedy, eloquent tone “Troll King Zagg-Nuragg! I, Wandilo the Wise, and my trusty glade-hawk, Nerlim, are here to vanquish thee! Your slavery of the mountain goats ends today, foul beast of greed!”
Tungsten chuckled and brought his own figurine to the board, talking in a slow, snarly, gravelly voice more than several octaves lower than his real one.
“Fool Elk! Puny Four-Hoof!” His lips rolled around his teeth in his act “I, King Zagg-Nuragg! My mountain! My gold! My slaves! You no take them! I, Master! You, Slave! I, Warrior! You, Dead!”
Pipsqueak stared in awe.
“Someday, I will learn how to do that” he grumbled.
At the sound of their son’s playing upstairs, Blue Murder gave a chuckle as she helped Nancy with the drying.
“Your Tungsten should probably go into acting one of these days” the frizzy-maned washer-mare said, impressed.
“Yeah, that’s what he seems to be going in for. Though it looks like creative writing’s his passion...and illustrating” Blue Murder said, smiling “I don’t think I’ll be seeing him anywhere except an Ogres and Oubliettes Workshop”
“Oh well, it’s nice to enjoy your job and they do say Luna herself came up with it as a filly”
The clock above the oven gave a ring as they left the drying momentarily and brought out grilled cheese sandwiches.
“Boys! Lunch is ready!” Blue Murder called up the stairs.
“Coming”
The two colts made their way downstairs and sat down.
“You two been enjoying yourselves?” Nancy asked as she set down glasses of water and a few cucumber and tomato slices around their plates as they dug into their sandwiches.
“Yes, mother! We were playing Masterclass Dungeon Duels of Doom!” Pip said excitedly “Tungsten beat my Mouflon Chieftain with his Blood-Moon Batpony and my Demon Hound with his Royal Genie”
Nancy and Blue Murder glanced at each other cluelessly.
“That’s...unfortunate” Nancy managed to summarise.
“Yeah, but Pipsqueak won with his Dryad Queen against my Necromancer, his Ice Dragon against my Spitting Spider and his Thogolgothoth the Mindbreaker against my Blood Knight Commander Thryce and Ardulea Redstream”
They were greeted by more blank looks.
“Well...who’d have thought it” Nancy croaked as Blue Murder shook her head, laughing.
“It’s alright, Nancy. It never means anything to me either”


“If I still had Ulach the Brazen Guardian, I could’ve won that last duel but that was in my old set”
“What happened to your old set?” Pipsqueak asked. Tungsten grimaced at the memory as his mother answered for him.
“Happened three years ago, back in Trottingham Primary. Nasty old boil of a colt named Kirby broke them. Thought it was funny, the little toe-rag”
“Kirby was always picking on me” the blue colt murmured sullenly “I think they expelled him after that. I didn’t see him the next day and by the end of the month, mum had sent me to Cheerilee’s”
“Sorry, Tungsten” Pipsqueak patted his friend on the shoulder “Have Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon ever bullied you?”
“Not really. They’re stuck-up and make fun of everypony but they’re nowhere near Kirby’s level”
“Well, whatever happens, you tell me and Cheerilee, understand?” Blue Murder put a hoof on that of her son’s.
“It’s okay, mum” Tungsten said, managing a smile “I’m really enjoying it at Cheerilee’s. Nopony makes fun of me and the lessons are pretty fun. And starting next week, Miss Cheerilee’s letting me run an O&O club”
“I know the CMC will want to join. They always throw themselves into things”
“Including septic tanks” Nancy muttered.
“It was only once!” Pipsqueak explained “They needed to get that piglet back to the palace before all hay broke loose!”
“Well, if I was their mother I’d have quite a few things to say about that kind of thing” his mother tutted “No sense of responsibility some parents. It’s a wonder they don’t just bring the house down”
“Uh...on that note,” Blue Murder butted in “Tungsten, me and your Aunt Nancy were talking earlier. I’ve got to spend a few days away again and Nancy’s running behind on her work. Would you two be alright staying at Sparkler’s for a few days?”
“Sure mum” Tungsten said without much trouble. Pipsqueak looked a little puzzled, remembering how worried her mother had been of Dinky and Derpy.
“Sparkler’s responsible isn’t she?” Nancy asked Blue Murder and Tungsten “She...keeps an eye out”
“Of course, Nancy. No need to worry. Me and her are working on something at the moment so we keep in touch”
Blue Murder placed a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder.
“I’ve just got to go out for a few minutes. Be good for your godmother, Tungsten”
“I’m not six years old, mum” The colt couldn’t help but smile as his mother kissed him on the forehead and left for home.


Blue Murder kept the study in her bedroom hidden away. A wardrobe with the back cut out hid the door.
Entering, the feared assassin checked the contact and profiles folders, the weapons drawer and the transceiver in succession.
There was one message.
“Blue. This is Shadowplay. Just got the heads-up from the paymaster. We’re going to have guests later and they want to be impressed. You, Bloodhound, Corax and Agravain are being sent into Boulette. Find the Elements and put the fear of Cascadius in them by whatever means necessary. One rule, don’t let them see your face. Good luck and...Happy hunting”
Blue Murder took a deep inhale through her nostrils.
This was the life she chose.
There was no running or hiding from it.
Whenever she needed proof, she would glance to the right above her desk at a newspaper headline hung up on the wall.
Body of Thirteen Year-Old Colt Found In Woods. Tortured To Death By Mystery Predator. Full Story on Page 5.
She couldn’t help but smile with grim satisfaction.
‘Didn’t find that very funny did you...Kirby’
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One Week Ago...


The pink-coated, purple-maned unicorn mare known as Tyria gave a groan as she made her way up the stairs dug into the rock, and approached the large, storm-weathered sign, the letters bold and extravagant, sided by two great gargoyles looming out of the ground, just as corroded.
Glanders Gate Asylum...
She hated it here. She hated it so much.
She felt sick to her stomach with every step closer to the hellish institute, the eerie winds blowing through her mane and tail.
The asylum was built upon a great rock many miles from San Palomino, shrouded by the sea-mist and protected from discovery by the raging surrounding currents that were almost constant throughout the year.
Nopony had ever found Glanders Gate in the entire history of Equestria.
And nopony ever would.
The existence of Glanders Gate wasn’t a secret by any means. Certain ponies knew the Asylum staff and could call upon them whenever necessary. These same contacts could be counted on to supply funding and legal defence whenever the need arose.
But the exact location of Glanders Gate had been a secret to all but its staff and supporters since its foundation.
She hated calling herself a supporter. But what other word was there? Her actions had supported the asylum for years. Ever since she was a filly. Ever since she asked them to get rid of her parents and protect her newborn sister.
And still the dept was not yet paid.
The guards, silent gas-mask-wearing thugs, let her pass without a word.
Opening the doors was like stepping through the gates of hell. One was greeted to a hideous sight capped with a vile stench and the never-ending echo of the screams of the asylum’s ‘patients’ receiving their ‘care’.
The walls were hard bricks, painted a thick off-white and viciously sprayed with cleaner and sanitizer almost hourly, the odour adding to the mixture of noxious smells that came from agony and terror.
Glanders Gate was such a filthy place. At least it always felt like it.
The cell doors were solid metal, the sort one would find in a bank vault and roughly just as difficult breaking into.
‘Behind one of these doors is the filly I betrayed’ she thought grimly. Times were, she would cry upon remembering her. Now, after so many years, it just made her feel numb to the world.
‘She’d be...fourteen this year?’
Time and time again, she’d remind herself that she had a little sister she needed to protect, a little sister who the asylum had hurt on more than several occasions just to prove a point.
A little sister who was just as old as she’d been when she...
Tyria shut her eyes tight as she fought back the memory.
‘Foxglove...I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...please get out of my head’
Finding her way to the waiting room to the Doctor’s office, she opened the door, the only wooden one in the entire complex and stepped inside. Upon doing so, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she caught sight of the other pony waiting there.
A very familiar pony.
A cyan pegasus mare with a spiky mane of yellow hues.
She looked up and gave her a curt raised eyebrow.
"Hi" Lightning Dust said "You come here often?"


“What the hay are you doing here?!” Tyria exclaimed.
“Nice to see you too” Lightning Dust chuckled, rising to her hooves leisurely “Were you in that tornado then? Or were you just watching?”
“I asked you a question!” The unicorn gave the pegasus a glare, remembering the scene she’d caused a year ago at the Wonderbolts Academy and the lives she’d threatened as a result.
Lightning Dust showed no hint of guilt.
“I’m here to see the Doctor for my orders” she answered nonchalantly “The Paymaster’s given me a job. Offered a pretty bit for my services”
“You’re...betraying Equestria?!” Tyria’s voice was dripping with loathing.
Lightning Dust snorted with sardonic laughter.
“And what are you doing here?”
“They’re threatening my little sister” the unicorn snarled “Don’t you dare compare me to you”
“Oh, I’d never do that” Lightning Dust sneered “If somepony threatened my sister, I’d break their legs and throw them off a cliff to see where they landed”
Tyria was disgusted.
“Well I’m not you”
“Clearly” Lightning Dust sat back down, propping her back hooves on a table “Where do they keep the magazines?”


Doctor Bittersweet fiddled with a dial on the transceiver as it whirred to life.
“Is the Doctor in?”
Cascadius’s voice came through.
“Hello, Mister Cascadius” Bittersweet said calmly “I have arranged to commute your orders to our contacts in Ponyville and Cloudsdale. I have them waiting outside my office as we speak. Is there anything else I need to be informed of?”
There was a pause.
“Nope, I’d say you’re ready”
“One more thing, Mister Cascadius, if you don’t mind”
“Yes?”
“I understand you have a certain mare in your company with a staggering propensity towards violently insane behaviour...regularly favouring a...chainsaw, is it?”
“That would be Gringore” Cascadius’s tone suggested suspicion “What about her?”
“Well, as a stallion of medicine and mental treatment, this concerns me” He cleared his throat “It would not be difficult for me to arrange suitable treatment for her, if you so desired”
There was a pause. Doctor Bittersweet was about to check the transceiver’s signal when the mercenary leader spoke again, his voice calm but so terribly cold.
“Doctor Bittersweet...I will say this once...Gringore means a lot to me...She is one of us...I wouldn’t have her any other way than how she is...My tolerance for your methods notwithstanding, touch a hair on Gringore’s coat and you shall be spending the rest of your life in limbless agony...Do I make myself clear?”
Doctor Bittersweet’s brow furrowed, but his manner remained composed.
“Very well, Mister Cascadius. I shall not ask again. Good day”
He put the transceiver in his drawer and pressed a button.
“Matron Hellebore, please send in both mares in the waiting-room”
“At once Doctor”
In the waiting-room, the door opened for a mare.
Quite a lot of mare.
Lightning Dust wasn’t sure if she’s ever seen a bigger and uglier mare in her life. Honestly, Bulk Biceps looked more feminine than her.
She more closely resembled a dull-pink rhino than anything else, with an enormous double-chin, a rippling pair of jowls and a collection of warts and boils across her face, topped off by a pair of beady, sunken eyes that glared menacingly at anything that met them.
Her nurse’s shawl did nothing to make her seem any friendlier, particularly when contrasted with the apron she wore. An apron filthy with stains of all sorts, mostly varying shades of red and yellow, with a large pocket filled with a selection of metal apparatus one would normally find in a rather unkempt toolbox.
She shrunk back in her seat, catching sight of Tyria’s bowed head and shaking hooves.
“Er...” she mumbled “...hello...nurse...”
She ambled towards the two, her hooves heavy on the ground and spoke in a low, growly North Trottingham drawl.
“The Doctor will see you now”


*


As the train came to a stop, the Bearers of Harmony watched as Royal Canterlot Guard lined up in two parallel rows of single file outside their carriage. They soon noticed that between every two Royal Canterlot Guard was a Boulettan Trooper, dressed in red and bronze armour with a visored helmet topped with a metal spike.
Two officers, representing the two forces, strode forward and stood before the carriage doors.
As Carcassonne opened them, the officers saluted the Bearers upon their arrival.
Twilight recognised the Canterlot Officer.
“Blizzard Wind!” she said happily “I didn’t know you’d been promoted. It’s great to see you again!”
“Thank your brother for that, my lady Twilight Sparkle” He removed his helmet to reveal a grey pegasus with a snow-white fur and light blue eyes warm with humility and compassion “It’s good to have you here. We feel a lot safer already”
“We won’t let you down, Blizzard” Twilight patted him on the shoulder.
“Nor we, you” he said and parted for the Boulettan Officer removing his helm.
He was also a pegasus, clean and prim with a bright orange coat and a cream-coloured mane tied into a ponytail behind his head. He appeared to wearing some form of makeup. His lips were possessed of a certain shimmer and she could swear he was wearing eyeliner. He smiled warmly and bowed his head.


“Welcome to Boulette City, Bearers of Harmony” he said “I’m Captain Lafayette, 17th Municipal Guard Regiment. Recalled from Slovenly along with many of the stallions you see here” He nodded at Carcassonne “I presume Representative Carcassonne has given you a debriefing”
“As best as I could manage” the scarlet unicorn butted in “They’ll definitely need to visit HQ”
Twilight nodded Lafayette and followed him while turning back to Blizzard Wind.
“Is my brother here, Lieutenant?”
“I’m afraid Captain-General Shining Armour hasn’t yet been recalled to this area” the grey pegasus said “But we have four battalions currently keeping the city safe. The officer in charge would be Colonel Peregrine, one of our best. He’s at HQ. But the battalions are commanded by Lieutenants Jupiter, Montague, Loli Beats and myself”
“Well, I’m not much for military matters, so don’t expect me to start taking charge” Twilight admitted “But I’ll talk with Peregrine later. Thank you, Blizzard”
“The others will be happy to know you’ve arrived, your highness” the Lieutenant said as he spread his wings “You’re sure to find out what sort of creatures are behind all this. Oh, and by the way...” He reached into a pocket on his belt and pulled out seven golden clip-shaped items tipped with clear crystals “Princess Cadence had these made for you. They’re Communication Clips, attach them to your necklaces and you’ll be able to track and speak to each other wherever you are”
The Bearers did so, the crystal tips slowly glowing the same colours as those of their respective elements. Spike took one that matched that of Twilight but with a hint of green.
He smiled. Recognition at last.
“Good luck, my lady mares. The guard have total faith in you”
Blizzard took off as Lafayette led them out of the station.


Boulette was a towering metropolis but very different to Canterlot. It more closely resembled a more conventional city like Manehattan or perhaps Detrot.
Applejack in particular thought back to Manehattan. Nopony seemed to smile, everypony was just plodding along, keeping their head and their mouths shut.
Fluttershy meanwhile, patted Angel’s back as she coughed lightly. She gave an uneasy glance to the enormous foundries pumping clouds of black smog into the sky. The construction of weapons and walls was such an ugly thing.
The city itself looked hospitable enough just...unfriendly.
Was this what it was like outside the mainland?
One would find more cheer in a graveyard.
Then again, they had just suffered one of the biggest terrorist attacks in modern history.
At nearly every street corner there were guards. A cadre from Canterlot and a smaller squad from Boulette. They stood parallel to each other and Twilight caught some of them were scowling at each other.
They arrived at a hotel, a grandiose specimen with wall to wall windows on every floor.
Lafayette and Carcassonne checked them in and an elevator did the rest.
It felt weird. Nopony really paying them that much attention, positively anyway.
As the elevator stopped, Spike, carrying the luggage, bumped into Lafayette. As both of them apologised, Rarity noticed something fall out of the officer’s pocket. She picked it up with a flash of bright blue magic and gave it an examine.
It was a heart-shaped brass locket.
Rarity’s eyes looked to her left and right. Being the curious and, admittedly, slightly nosy mare she was, she couldn’t resist a quick look inside.
It was a picture of Lafayette smiling and being kissed on the cheek by a very pretty zebra with silver-stripes and locks of navy-blue mane and...a beard?
‘Oh’


Rarity glanced at the young Boulettan officer before her and tapped him on the shoulder. The others were occupied each taking a share of the luggage. It was a good a time as ever.
“Pardon me” she said a little uneasily “You appear to have dropped this, dear”
Lafayette’s face fell as he snatched it back and hid it away in his pocket again, glancing nervously at the Bearer of Generosity.
“D-did you...see...” he trailed off.
Rarity gave him a reassuring smile.
“You have a very handsome coltfriend, sir”
“Please...” Lafayette’s voice dropped to a worried whisper “Please don’t tell anypony!”
“What’s the matter? It’s nothing to be ashamed of”
“That’s not what my CO’s think...”
“Oh...I’m so sorry to hear that, dear” Rarity patted him on the shoulder again “Don’t worry. My lips are sealed”
“Thank you...” The young officer straightened up and marched to the door of a large and well-kept room.
“Bearers of Harmony. This shall be your room”


*


The six mares took in the room a moment.
It was large enough to accommodate six beds and desk space and possessed every appliance one would need for briefly living away from home. The room itself was very modern but the décor appeared based off traditional design, patterns across the wallpaper closely resembling those on the armour and banners of the Boulettan guard. The back wall however, was a pair of glass doors leading to a balcony, a scenic view of the city before them.
“Yes...this will do nicely” Twilight Sparkle said with satisfaction “Thank you Carcassonne and Lafayette, Boulette is very generous”
“I call top bunk!” Pinkie yelled, bouncing into the room.
“Um, Miss Pinkie, there are no bunks, the room has six...” Lafayette stopped suddenly as, in the blink of an eye, Pinkie was lying on a bed that had doubled in height for no apparent reason.
“Wh...what just happened?!” Carcassonne spluttered.
“It’s best not to ask, trust me” Applejack muttered.
“Just as long as I don’t have to sleep next to a certain technicolour-maned snorer” Rarity mumbled.
“Oh really?” Rainbow Dash sneered “Well let’s not talk about what you get up to in your sleep!”
“So what’s everypony planning on doing on the town, as it were?” Rarity suddenly exclaimed with a forced smile.
“Well, I’m heading to the HQ. I want to get the full story on what’s been happening and why” Twilight said.
“That sounds like a fabulous idea! I’ll right behind you, Twilight darling!”
“Oh marry me tonight, my wondrous gallant!” the cyan pegasus put on her best impression of the white unicorn, fluttering her eyelashes and batting her hooves winsomely “We belong in each other’s embrace forever!”
“Shutupshutupshutupshutup!” Rarity hissed.
“Oh, to love a dragon!”
“Rainbow Dash, without sounding too demanding, I demand you shut your impertinent face!” Rarity snarled, before turning straight back to Twilight, Carcassonne and Lafayette with a face that looked a little too-happy “Come along then, darlings! Let’s find out all we can!”
“Right...sorry, dragon?!” Twilight started as the door shut behind them.


Rainbow Dash sniggered at the spectacle, ignoring the disapproving look from Applejack.
“Well...” she said at last “I’m gonna’ stretch my wings a bit, catch ya’ girls later” Throwing open the glass doors, she flew down into the cityscape, as was her usual laid-back manner.
“Well...ah’m gonna’ do a little scoutin’ round town. No sense waitin’ fer’ them varmints-for-hire to find us when we’re least ‘spectin’ it”
Applejack gave Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike and Angel a nod “Let me know if anything pops up. You okay, Spike?”
“Huh, wha?!” The little dragon snapped to attention, blinking wildly.
“Aw, Spikey’s just having a shipping-trip!”
Applejack felt best not to go into that she closed the door behind her.
“Okay, Angel. Let’s see if we can make you some lunch...” Fluttershy rummaged through her luggage, revealing what she’d made so much fuss about. Various packets of feed and pet-keeping items.
“I wondered what was so heavy” Spike muttered, getting to his feet “If I could just have a word with Angel in private?”


Uneasily, the little white rabbit followed the young dragon outside, waiting till the door was completely closed before turning to his old pet-sitting nemesis with sparks of flame in his eyes.
“Okay, bunny-boy, listen and listen good!” he snarled, causing Angel to jump back slightly in shock “You may have had your way last time but right here, right now, I’m the boss and I’m onto you! That means you follow a few rules! They’re called the ‘Rules Angel Follows If He Doesn’t Want His Tail Scorched Off’ Rules! Number One! Never take advantage of me! Number Two! Never take advantage of anypony else! Not Twilight, not Rarity, not Fluttershy, nopony! Number Three! Never play the cute and innocent look and make me look like the jerk! Number four...”
He stopped, mid-rant, as Angel held up a medium-sized shard of amber. A naturally growing gem in the woods, though not easy to find.
Spike blinked.
“You...Is this...for me?”
Angel put his free front-paw behind his back, looked away humbly and nodded.
“Um...thanks” the little dragon took it, looked it over and popped it in his mouth. Amber was very tasty for dragons. It had a certain honeyish flavour.


“You find this in the Everfree?” Spike spoke with his mouth full. Amber was also very sticky in the heat of a dragon’s mouth, latching onto his teeth as he chewed.
Angel nodded.
“That was a pretty big risk. Did Fluttershy know?” Spike finally pried the amber off his teeth with his tongue as Angel shook his head.
He looked him up and down. Everything about him seemed genuine.
“Well...” he paused a moment and took notice of the bunny’s guilty-expression “You were a colossal pain in the tail...”
Angel gave the tiniest of nods, closing his eyes.
“But hey...I remember the first time I was pet-sat...” Spike chuckled bashfully “It took me weeks for Colgate to forgive me for the trouble I put her through...so I guess...” He held out one little hand “Apology accepted. Let’s start over, huh?”
The little white rabbit looked up with a smile and shook his hand with his front-paw.
The door creaked open as Fluttershy poked her head outside, smiling proudly at the two.
“I’m glad you two could work things out” she said “I need to get us a few water bottles. I don’t want anypony getting sick from the tap-water, it’s never a good idea to do that far from home. I’ll be a few minutes, if that’s okay”
“I’m coming with you! It’s getting boring and I wanna’ see new places!” Pinkie Pie appeared in front of her, somehow having exited their room and appeared in the corridor without anyone’s notice.
The two mares left together as Spike and Angel returned to the room.
There was a pause.
“So...” Spike looked around “Do you read comic books?”


*


“See, I told you that movie was gonna’ suck” Lyra said with a hint of smugness as she and her marefriend made their way home.
“Okay, you can be right about films for once” Bonbon grumbled “I can’t believe that thing got green-lit”
“I can’t believe that thing got Trifle Bay” the mint green unicorn chuckled “What were you expecting? A hint of charm? Nope, just explosions, yelling, swearing, sex-jokes and casual racism”
“Ugh...fine...you’re picking the next movie”
“Great”
“But no Random Sandler!”
“Okay, okay...I mean at least he pretty much tries to make it terrible”
“How is that better?!” Bonbon reached her house as she threw down the Daft N’ Dangerous 6 flag on the couch.
“Besides, I needed something to cheer me up. By the end of the week, I have to go to Canterlot to see that heartless, stuck-up nag Derpy has to call an aunt released from her house arrest” Lyra gave a begrudging sigh then reached over to nuzzle her marefriend lovingly and give her ear a playful nibble “Tell ya what...come upstairs and we can make a little movie of our own”
Bonbon gave a snigger.
“What movies do you watch when I’m not around?”
“Movies where I’ll be waiting upstairs in a maid outfit with garters and a feather-duster”
“Whoa, okay, whoa! Seriously?!” Bonbon gave her an unimpressed look, watching as her marefriend wilted with disappointment before answering.
“I’ll go get my policemare’s uniform” She said with a wry grin.
“Don’t keep me waiting, officer” Lyra giggled, racing upstairs.
Bonbon gave a relaxed sigh and checked over her mail on the kitchen table.
There was one new item. A crisp, embroidered letter with the Canterlot Royal Seal.
At first, she’d thought it was Lyra’s but, upon inspecting it, it was addressed to her.
She opened and read it.
‘Special Agent Sweetie Drops.
It is time’
She put it down, pondering for a moment.
So the time had finally come.
As they’d said it would.
“Oh, Officer?!” Lyra called down from the bedroom.
Bonbon checked her wardrobe.
‘Well...’ she thought, throwing on the policemare’s cap ‘Better make the most of it’


*


Three eyes stared up at a daunting foe.
Plucky Cooper the Griffon Scout, Shireling the Tracker, and Lesmaline the Lost Siren stared up at the pale, hairless, horrifically-scarred goat seated upon a giant, rotting bat.
“Who...who are you?” Plucky asked.
The goat threw back his head and cackled, his voice croaky and screeching like a vulture.
“YEARGH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!”
“Geez, that was scary!” Scootaloo jumped back “How do you do that?”
“I’ve had years of practice” Tungsten said “I listen to the books on tape, me and Button Mash play the games at the arcade and I watch the TV series whenever I can”
“Oh, I love that show!” Scootaloo exclaimed “Okay, girls, we need to get the show on DVD next time we’re at Derpy’s”
“Ah ain’t never seen it” Applebloom said quizzically.
“It sounds a bit scary” Sweetie Belle added.
“No, no, really. It’s awesome!” Scootaloo bounced around “My favourite villain was definitely the Willowmaker! He’s so cool! Even if he does steal the Princess’s baby”
“Ah yes, the Willowmaker played by Ziggy Stardust himself!” Tungsten chuckled, adopted a coy and almost glamorous tone.
“I know this is hard for you, my dear Thrilana, but you can...trust...me. Your baby will be absolutely fine...in my kingdom...Safe from the war...safe from the shadow...safe...from...everything”
“Ooh, Ziggy Stardust’s so dreamy! I think I might like it if he’s in it!” Sweetie Belle piped up excitedly.
“My favourite villain would have to be...Thogolgothoth” Pipsqueak said.
“Yes! Thorn Berry! Always brilliant no matter what he’s in” Tungsten gave his voice a tremendously hammy yet somehow very sonorous vibe that seemed to vibrate between octaves.
“Oh you foolish little mooorrrtalllllllssss...You are in....myyyyyyy realm now...and there are rules...that one musssst obeeeeyyyy...And I...I am the one...who makes them...Hwuhuhahahahahahaha!”
Pipsqueak shook his head in admiration and Tungsten cleared his throat.


“My favourite would probably be either Ulach the Brazen Guardian or Blood Knight Commander Thryce”
“Aw, that mean old doofus?!” Scootaloo squawked “Ulach, I can understand but Thryce is so horrible! When he kills Mitch right in front of Tally Hoe!”
“Okay, I might not like it after all” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“I mean, how can you like that guy?!”
“Two words. Pony - Jay” Tungsten said, putting on an impression of his favourite actors in the series, reedy and low-pitched, devoid of the humour or hamminess that prevalent in most of the villains.
“Heed carefully my command, Ardulea. For if I am forced to repeat myself it shall be to your replacement”
“Okay, granted. The actor’s pretty good”
“Pretty good?! He won the TAFTA Award and the Lancy VA Award for his performance!” Tungsten exclaimed.
“Alright, alright. Mean character, great actor” Applebloom interjected “Now...Goat-fella’ was sayin’?”
“Right” Tungsten returned to the game on the board as the first session of O&O Club at Ms Cheerilee’s went swimmingly.
“Ahem...I am Varbeck Van Grief, Nephew of Highlord Vladric Van Grief and First Lieutenant of the Grellgard, voiced by Gladed Bamber. And you insufferable creatures have meddled in our affairs for the last time! Bloodsnout, my servant, voiced by Glee Gladley Baker, rip them, I say! Rip them asunder!”
The great bat gave a hellish screech and pounced.
There was a rattle of dice.
“A three and two fours” Applebloom said “Where does that leave us?”
“You all jump out of the way but Plucky Cooper’s wounded” Tungsten answers.
“Right...Argh!” Scootaloo cried as the griffon scout moved too slow and took a deep gash to the side from Bloodsnout’s claws.
“No! Plucky!” Shireling yelled, dragging her out the way “Y’all pay for that, ya filthy monster! Y’all pay dearly...Five an’ a four”
The bat gave a wail of agony as Shireling’s dual bow fired true, catching it in the neck and shoulder while Lesmaline fired a blast of Siren sound magic at the beast’s leg.
“Gargh! You useless, fetid vermin! Finish them I say! I’ll deal with you, stream-born scum...five...Hyargh!”
Varbeck leapt from his mount and drew a fearsome sickle, bearing down on the Siren.
“Once I am finished with you...your blood shall be quaffed in onyx goblets at Castle Grell...Scootaloo, you can roll a dice”
“Oh right” the little pegasus did so “Two and a three”
“Ah, Plucky’s still incapacitated until the next round.
“Shoot! You two better stay alive ‘til then”
"This role-play's pretty fun" Sweetie giggled.


Aside, several other foals were playing non-campaign games while Dinky and Pipsqueak were setting about painting models.
“I didn’t know you could paint your own figures” Dinky said with a little frustration “Oh, it’s just not looking the way yours do”
“Well, let me see if I can help” The little pinto looked over. Dinky’s painting was all over the place. Trying to match Pip’s technique was clearly difficult for her “Ah, I see the problem. You’ve been applying the paint by stroke. It’s meant to be layered. That’s how you give it the finish”
“Really? I mean these models are pretty thin, won’t the layering ruin the details?”
“No, no, let me explain” Pip held up two paint pots of the same colour but one had a clear plastic cap instead of a black one “The clear-capped pots are layering paints. They’re very thin and dry fast. You use those to apply the shine and other effects. So one or two flat colours followed by a lot of layers. That’s how you do it”
“Oooooh. Now I see” Dinky gave a squeak of joy as the finish was applied much more easily and with greater success “Thanks Pip. You’re always so helpful”
She gave her that smile of hers.
“Um...right” Pip mumbled “Sorry, I...I just need to go...check my bag for...frogs...”
He scampered out the room, leaving Dinky by the paints, looking perplexed and slightly disappointed.


“Do you think Pip’s been acting strangely?” Tootsie Flute asked, momentarily turning away from her game with Truffle Shuffle.
Dinky couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. As early as a day ago, Pip had never stopped staring at her, blushing furiously when she gave him a smile. Now he’d done nothing but keep his head down whenever he was in her company.
It didn’t take a grown-up to notice.
Something was up.
Just then, the voice of Tungsten cut the chatter.
“Whaddya’ mean you like the direct-to-video spin-off series?!” He sounded furious “How could you possibly like that garbage?!”
“What’th not to like? Cashew Brotherick wath in it!” Twist protested.
“But the character he was playing was atrocious! The so-called hero, Borny Blinkenfink, never wants to be the hero, never does anything of note, is totally useless and unhelpful and if they got rid of him, nothing that happened in the film would’ve changed, whatsoever!”
“Yeth it would! There’d be no Cashew Brotherick”
“Ah’d leave it, if ah were you, Tungsten” Applebloom piped up “She’s very keen on Cashew Brotherick”
“And you gotta’ admit, Bullywog was funny” Rumble pointed out.
“Yeah, okay, Bullywog was one of the only good things in the movie. Of course, he was. He was voiced by Flick Fayall”
“Can you do the impression?” Ruby Pinch asked, fighting back the giggles.
Tungsten sighed and cried out in an exaggerated, slobbery lisp.
“You witleth, jibbewing, imbeciiiilettttth! When I thay I want that mermaidth egg, that means I want that thtupid, thtinking mermaidth eeeeeegg! Nnnnnextht time you weturn to your mathter empty-handed, why I’ll hang you all upthide-down in a gweat big bubbling pot of thtinkbug thteeeeewwww!”
Several of the onlookers fell-about laughing as Tungsten took a gulp of orange juice from his carton.
“Okay, he was good and Prim Spigot-Pith was a decent Archmage but the rest of the actors were just so bland and phoned in and the plot was full of holes and clichés for no reason! And don’t talk to me about the garbage that came after that! The studio who brought the rights couldn't give less of an effort! None of it's canon and do not say otherwise if you call yourself a fan!”
“Oh dear” Pipsqueak groaned, returning from his ‘frog-in-bag-checking’ “Somepony brought up the direct-to-video spin-offs, didn’t they”


“I mean who’s idea was it to get Ponny Oiseau to play the new Archmage?! He disgraced that role! The Archmage played by Switchard Harris was wise and benevolent, the one played by Sullen Trickman was cold, calculating and ultimately fell to darkness, Farry Oldman was broken after losing his family, Lark Latiss and later Bliss Barrie was smart but eccentric, Brom Baker was losing his wits and Prim Spigot-Pith was an arrogant sceptic who impeded the heroes but later sought to mend his mistakes. Whatever their role, they’d been well-acted throughout the series. And then Oiseau comes along and turns the consistently wise, learned and powerful wizard into a barely-articulate, confused, misogynistic whiner who plays rugby in a business suit!!! And half the film was centred around him! What were they thinking?!”
“Settle down, Tungsten, its fine. I’m sure nopony’s actually seen that one” Cheerilee butted in, looking up from her marking.
“Right, sorry” The fervent fan took a deep breath.
“Who’s Ponny Oiseau?” Sweetie Belle asked.
"I don't know but he sounds creepy" Scootaloo gave a shrug.
“Um...Crusaders?” Dinky mumbled “Could...Could we talk in private?”
“Uh, sure” Scootaloo turned to Tungsten “Could we take five a moment?”
“Sure. I think Snips and Snails need another hoof with the manual”


Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Dinky gathered just behind the school-door.
“Okay, Dinks, what’s the problem?” the little orange pegasus asked.
“Well...” Dinky looked to her left and right then answered, massaging one foreleg with the other nervously “It’s Pip”
“You wonderin’ how to ask him out?” Applebloom said with a smile.
“No, no, that’s just it...” the little periwinkle unicorn looked forlorn “He’s been acting...weird...like he doesn’t want to look at me...I mean, he helps me with the paints but...I was expecting him to really talk me through everything like he did last time we played. Now he seems so...”
“Distant?” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“It...It’s like he’s ashamed of something. Like he did something wrong and he feels bad about it but he hasn’t. At least I don’t think he has...”
“Let’s talk to him, okay?” Applebloom proposed “We’re stayin with you, yer mom and Sparkler tomorrow while our big sisters are away. We’ll talk to him, private-like”
“Thanks, girls...” Dinky said quietly “Um...there’s something else...”
“Spill”
“Well...yesterday, mum was crying”
“What?” Sweetie Belle gave a gasp “Why?”
“Well...my dad’s been away for a couple of days, doing something for the princess. Mum always gets a bit lonely. But...when Sparkler came in to help, mum said somepony had been saying bad things about her...and sending her mean letters...Well, sending others mean letters about her. She found them in the mail”
“Oh Dinky, that’s terrible”
“Right...but yesterday...Pip’s mum...she really didn’t like my mum...and I don’t know why...”
“Do you think maybe she’s behind this...or just believing the one behind this?” Scootaloo asked.
“It couldn’t be her. She barely knows her, she's not from here” Sweetie added.
“But who’d say bad things about my mum...” Dinky seemed close to tears “She never does anything to deserve it...”
“Do you think...Diamond Tiara?” Scootaloo suggested.
They were quiet. While it was true, Diamond Tiara wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as she had been ages ago, she still faltered from time to time, acted selfishly or insensitively. Still, clandestine slander seemed beneath her...but then they remembered the Gabby Gums incident. Never a pleasant experience or any of them.
“We’ll have a talk with her tomorrow” Applebloom decided.
“But shouldn’t we tell Cheerilee or something?” Scootaloo asked.
“Not until we know who it is. Blaming somepony without proof is just gonna get us in trouble. And maybe Dinky and Pip too” Sweetie Belle said firmly “Remember girls, the Crusaders help ponies. That’s not something we’re gonna’ do well if we don’t do it responsibly”
“Right” Applebloom gave a nod “Tomorrow then. We’ll ask around. Don’t you worry none, Dinky. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are on the case!”
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you remember me?”
The mare stared, bound up and hanging from cords hidden in the darkness that surrounded her, at the decomposing face of a stallion she’d once feared.
A stallion long dead.
“Yes...I’m sure you do, you filthy little breeder”
“No...” Fleur de Lis whimpered, powerless, held immobile in the grip of the ropes, She could only stare and feel her heart beating hard against her chest as she hung helplessly “It’s not you...you...you’re dead...”
“So...Are...You” The stallion’s hideous, hateful face honed into view.
The late Lord Magistrate Nitpick.
He looked different to when she’d last seen him. He was a stallion long dead and indeed looked the part. His eyes were a pair of murky vacant off-white pools in black, sunken sockets. His teeth were jutting out of grey, swollen gums. His mane had fallen off in scraps as had most of his skin, revealing fetid exposed flesh housing nests of maggots. The sight of him and the stench of his festering form, was overpowering. More than anything, she hated how he looked at her. Malicious, vindictive...hungry.
He looked so different yet nothing about him had changed.
And he was coming closer.
Fleur struggled in the grip of the cords for a moment. Then the cords were pulled closer to the undead noble.
They weren’t cords at all. They were tentacles.
Tentacles that made up most of Nitpick’s new body.
Tentacles that were swarming all over Fleur.
“No! No, please!” Every struggle she gave just caused the pulsing tendrils to grip her tighter.
“Does the sight of me...offend you?” Nitpick growled, a demented sneer twisting his cold, colourless lips apart “You could’ve stayed quiet...You could have simply satisfied me and walked away...but you...you had to make things...unpleasant...”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” the mare screamed, anger in her eyes and voice “YOU TRIED TO RAPE ME, YOU MONSTER! YOU TRIED TO KILL US BOTH AND TAKE OVER CANTERLOT! STOP PRETENDING IT WAS MY FAULT!” Tears of anger and despair poured from her eyes “YOU’RE AN EVIL, SELFISH, MURDERING WORM AND I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD!”
The undead stallion was quiet for a moment.
“You shouldn’t be...It won’t protect you”
A tentacle shot forward.
In the darkness, the sound of Fleur de Lis screaming as the tendril impaled her eye socket could be heard far and wide. The mare’s body was hoisted into the air, trashing wildly as the tentacle in her eye delved deeper into her body.
“A shame...My previous offer would have brought you far less pain”
“Get it out! Get it out!” Fleur screamed, jolting as her body was literally encroached “Please, stop!”
“Do you feel it...Fleur de Lis...the sensation of discipline!”
“I HATE YOU!” The mare screamed “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!”
“Now, now...less of that...What’s this?”
Fleur gasped as she felt the constrictors grabbing something deep inside her. Her normally meagre stomach tensed and rippled. She doubled up, gasping, her mouth agape and her eyes wide with horror.
“No...Please...” she whimpered, her torrential rage and indignation giving way to pure terror “Not...Not my baby...”
The creature with Nitpick’s face gave a callous cackle and craned his neck over to the side, twisting Fleur’s head to get to do the same.
“Watch...Closely...Fancy Pants!”


Fancy Pants was indeed watching closely.
At least, as closely as he could manage with a nail through his left eye that pinned his monocle to his face as his remaining eye stared, unable to close, as the writhing tentacles of his long-dead arch nemesis invaded his wife’s body by every available means, tearing holes in her flesh from the inside and out to make space for more.
All the while Fleur screamed.
But not as loudly as the screams of his parents.
On either side of him, the blood-red phantoms of Pantaloon and Petticoat hollered in his ears.
“What are you doing?!” his father bellowed “Celestia’s breath, Fancy, are you just going to sit here and watch?!”
“Darling, please! Please help her!” his mother pleaded “You have to! She’s in pain, crying for help, can’t you see?!”
Every sight, every word, every breath of anguish, Fancy saw, heard and felt it all.
Yet he could not move a muscle in his body.
He was imprisoned in a wheelchair, heavy metal manacles holding every part of him in place.
He would have given anything to move, just to be able to try and stop what was happening.
What this monster was doing to his wife.
And to his foal?
Did he even have a foal?
If he did, he certainly seemed to be losing it.
He could barely think, let alone speak.
He could only watch as the creature ripped Fleur apart, her screams drowned out as the tentacles poured in and out of her mouth, nostrils, eyes, ears, every part of her became a container for the mass of flesh and horror, splashing and spattering every variety of filth and gore.
“What sort of coward are you?!” His father raged, turning away “Very well then, watch if that’s all you’re good for...You’re no son of mine!”
“Fancy...why...how could you do this?” His mother began crying as she stepped back into the shadow “My son...my little colt...what have you become...without us?”
There was one last scream he heard, louder and longer than any. Not a cry of pain or fear but total surrender to despair.
It was his own.
“Sssshhhh...Don’t worry”
He felt the chill of metal caress his neck as his head was tilted upwards.
He found himself staring, once again, into that horrible gas-mask with its blood-red eyes. Only this time, they were actually weeping blood. And the slits on the mouthpiece were also bleeding and twisting upwards in a horrific grin.
The murderer of his parents placed a knife upon his outstretched throat as his voice came through the mask quiet and calm.
“It’s all over now”


A short but sudden scream ripped through the main bedroom of Briefly Manor.
The distinguished butler, Tombola, gave a startled gasp, winced and turned to the equally startled old housekeeper.
“Mrs Pot? I believe we have another one”
In Fancy Pants’ bedroom, the stallion sat bolt upright, sucking in great gasps of air, struggling to put what he’d seen out of his head. 	Stumbling out the bed, he rushed to the ensuite bathroom, grabbed groggily at the basin and retched violently, depositing several of yesterday’s meal down the sink.
Turning the tap to wash away the sickening substance, he shook his head and took several grateful gulps of the cold tap water, protocol be damned. Washing out the taste of vomit and nightmares, he gave his head another shake and recovered his senses.
Stumbling on the way, he re-entered the room and noticed he was the only pony there.
The memories of the dream returned as quickly as they had been banished.
“F-F-Fleur?” he whimpered like a foal, crawling back onto the bed and assuming a foetal position before his pillow “F-f-f-fleur?”
“Fancy”
His head snapped to the side where his wife stood in the doorway, a pink, sheer-silk dressing-gown trailing over one shoulder, looking down him with wide eyes of concern.
His breathing slowed and he managed to remove himself from his awkward position as Fleur spoke, pityingly.
“Another one?”
The normally immaculate gentlecolt slowly nodded as his beloved wife steadily made her way towards him, sitting down beside him and placing one foreleg over his shoulder to nuzzle him.
“I’m right here, Fancy...” she said softly, stroking his neck with her hoof “I’m alright...I’m not going to let anything hurt us”
“There was...something different...this time” His shaking hoof reached out.
Fleur thought he was reaching for her own hoof.
Instead, he’d placed it gently on her belly.
“You...you had a foal...in you...right here” he whimpered “You had our foal...and he was killing it...before you”
Fleur tried very hard to remain strong with the thought.
This was definitely the worst nightmare her husband had suffered yet and all the span of two weeks. They were almost consecutive now.
“Fancy...” she whispered “Nothing is going to happen to me or...you” She’d faltered but her husband didn’t seem to notice “He’s gone, 	Fancy, he can’t hurt us...he won’t hurt us”
“I’m sorry, Fleur...” his tone had settled. Now, he simply sounded tired “I’ve caused you so much hassle this week”
“Fancy, please don’t talk like that” She kissed him below the horn “You know I’m always here to help you”
She prayed she’d locked her cabinet in the dressing-room (What had formerly been the smoking room) as she remembered the primly 	hoof-written words on that letter.
‘Fleur de Lis.
It is time’


*


Diamond Tiara was in her parent’s expansive garden, playing with several of her various toys.
Her expression was one a foal possessed when they were trying to take their mind of things.
Her mother was still out of town and her father was often too busy to keep her company. And now Silver Spoon was preoccupied.
She remembered how the conversation had gone and wondered if it could have gone better.
“What do you mean you’re busy? You’re never busy” Diamond didn’t sound angrier than usual but it always made Silver flinch slightly.
“Well...I am today” the little grey bespectacled filly mumbled “I’m going on a walk...”
“Is that it?”
“Um...no...” She twiddled her hoof nervously “I’m going on a walk...with Featherweight”
“What, that weird, skinny colt with the camera?”
“That’s him”
There was a pause.
“Sounds boring” Diamond Tiara had snorted.
“Um...maybe...but I think it’ll be nice”
“Whatever. You enjoy it”
And that had been that.
Looking back, should she have put up more of a protest?
Or should she have wished her friend luck?
The little pink filly shook her head.
So her whiny little friend was hanging out with a skinny little weirdo, that’s all. How did it concern her? What did she care?
The thought made her pause.
What did she care?


“Diamond Tiara!”
The filly jerked her head up. The volume and tone was reminiscent to her mother but the accent belonged to only one group of ponies.
“Applebloom?” she asked as the three fillies poked their heads over the white garden fence “Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What are you doing here?!”
“We need to talk to you”
Raising one eyebrow in suspicion, the little rich filly tottered over.
“What about?”
“Diamond, somepony’s been writing bad things about Derpy” Sweetie Belle began.
The filly before them paused a moment. Her eyes seemed to twitch.
“Okay...so?”
The CMC all narrowed their eyes in unison.
“Dinky’s really upset” Sweetie added “And Derpy spent yesterday crying when she found out”
“I see...well...that's a shame, I guess...” Diamond Tiara’s tone sounded like she was waiting for approval “I hope they get better”
“Well?” Scootaloo asked sharply.
“Well what?” Diamond Tiara asked defensively.
“Don’t play games with us, Diamond! Do you have anything to do with it or not?!”
“Wha...I...you...” Diamond Tiara stammered, any number of insults she could have offered trapped in her mouth by sheer shock. Eventually, she simply turned her back and began storming off.
“I don’t have to take this from you! I’m telling Randolph! You’d better be gone by the time he gets here! Go run back to your lame clubhouse or goof around with Pipsqueak and his weird friend’s club for geeks!”
“Now listen here, Diamond! Wha’s happenin’ to Derpy and Dinky is not only mighty mean, it's also illegal!” Applebloom barked, causing Diamond Tiara to stop dead in her tracks “This is somethin’ ya’ ain’t gonna’ be able to talk yer way out of. An’ yer’ daddy won’t help ya either! This is serious! Now, you can go call yer butler if ya really want to hide that much but if you leave without answerin’ we’re goin’ straight to the police! Now for the last time, did you write those letters?!”
“NO!!!” Diamond Tiara spun back round to face them. There, before them, was something they really hadn’t ever seen before or expected to see ever.
Diamond Tiara was crying.


“Girls, please...” There wasn’t any hint of anger or indignation or arrogance they’d grown so used to in the long years they’d known the spoiled little filly. She seemed almost pleading.
“Look...” she began, sniffing “I know I’ve been mean to you...And...And nothing’s gonna’ change that. And I’ve been mean to Dinky too, calling her a blank-flank and...saying she can’t do magic and...stealing her muffins and...picking on her and Pipsqueak but...” She wiped her streaming eyes with the back of her shaking hoof.
“Diamond?” Sweetie Belle stared as the faces of the CMC steadily mellowed “Wh...What’s the matter?”
“You don’t understand, I...” Diamond Tiara swallowed hard and struggled with her words “I’d never...ever pick on her mother, okay?! That’s just...too much for me. I...” She took a deep breath “I like Derpy, okay?! She’s such a nice pony and she cares so much about Dinky, no matter what happens, no matter how much time or money she has, no matter what her eyes do to her, she always looks after her daughter and...And she can’t help being weird and...and...I...”
She broke down at last, falling to her knees and openly sobbing.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders glanced at each other momentarily. Then with a shrug, Applebloom clambered over the fence, approached Diamond Tiara and gave her a gentle hug.
It didn’t take long for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to do the same.
“I promise, that’s the truth” the little pink filly sniffled “I didn’t write those letters, I’ve never picked on Derpy, ever. Please believe me”
“It’s alright, Diamond...we believe ya” Applebloom said soothingly “Ah’m sorry we snapped at ya”
“No, no, it’s...” Diamond gave another sniff. Sweetie Belle offered a tissue but she made a face.
“Ew...”
“I haven’t used it, Diamond” Sweetie sighed, rolling her eyes. Eying it a moment, Diamond Tiara took it, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Applebloom gave her a small pat on the head the way her big sister always did.
“Okay...” the pink filly continued “Look, I know I’ve been a bully before to...almost every foal around...but I never make fun of Derpy. I really like her. I owe her big time”
“Really?” Scootaloo’s ears piqued “How? When?”
“Uh...” she thought back “It must have been...two, maybe three years ago. It was my birthday...I was getting lots of presents from my dad, all of it from the big city and costing a fortune, same as usual...except...something went wrong” Her voice stopped sounding aggrieved and strangulated, steadily growing calmer “There was a strike or something...at the post office? Anyway, something went wrong that meant I wasn’t getting any presents or cake or balloons on my birthday, maybe not till next month. Well...I wasn’t happy” She sighed “I was all set to throw a tantrum all day and that would mean dad would yell at mom and mom would yell at dad and...You get the idea, it looked to be a really lousy birthday...but then...something incredible happened” She smiled, sniffing as another tear rolled down her cheek.
“There’s a knock on the door, right before everything goes to hay...and there she is. Derpy Doo, the muddle-headed mailmare...smiling with those goofy eyes...and behind her is a cart full of packages, all of them wrapped up in brightly-coloured paper and with a letter saying ‘To Diamond Tiara, Happy Birthday’. She...” She beamed, almost giggling with joy “She didn’t care about the strike. She’d gotten everything my mom and dad needed to make me a happy birthday and...And she’d made me a basket of my favourite cotton-candy muffins. She’d made them the instant she found out it was my birthday because...‘sniff’...because that’s the sort of pony she is...And ever since then, I promised myself I’d never, ever try to hurt her...” Her smile faded “I know I did though...when I started picking on Dinky...I never meant to hurt her though. I didn’t know she was Derpy’s daughter until much later, I just...I try not to now...I mean, okay, I tease her a bit but...that’s it, you know, I’m not making her cry or anything...I never mean to...hurt her”
“Shh...It’s okay now, Diamond” Applebloom said “Let’s put all that behind ya’. Listen, why don’t we stay with ya ‘til yer feelin’ better and we’ll learn what we can later”
“We could use your help” Sweetie added.
“I...I dunno...really?” Diamond mumbled “Well...listen...I know what happened seven years ago...with Derpy and her family...when Dinky was born and Doctor Whatshisname showed up”
“Really?” Scootaloo asked “How? Rainbow Dash only told me a little about it”
“Yeah, I don’t know much but...It must have been a few years ago, a bit before I actually met Derpy but I found out about it later” the rich filly cleared her throat and wracked her memory.
“I was at the Gala, you see. I saw Derpy in a dress and her aunt hit her for it and dragged her out. At first, my parents thought she's stolen the dress and crashed the place but we found out later she'd been a VIP and she was there to tell the Princess she was being abused. For years and years! So a week later I came down one afternoon to find my parents arguing...with another group of ponies. Lawyers from Canterlot, I found out. They were representing the Glass family. I found out the Rich family was...er...severing all financial ties? I think that’s what my dad told me. Anyway, they weren’t dealing with the Glasses anymore. Not when they found out what their mean old Countess, had been doing to Derpy. The lawyers just kept making my dad bigger and bigger offers but he didn’t want to hear about it”
“Wow! Awesome, Diamond!” Scootaloo exclaimed, patting her on the shoulder “Your dad and your mom?”
“Oh yeah, she wasn't putting up with it either!” Diamond’s eyes twinkled with pride “She said what the Countess had done to one of their own family for so long and for no reason was unforgivable and the Riches would never stoop so low. She ended up hitting one of them in the face and Randolph had to restrain her” She was almost giggling “They’re pretty cool sometimes...my parents”
“You’re alright, Diamond Tiara” Scootaloo chuckled “So...watcha’ playing?”
“Er...nothing”
“Hang on...” the little pegasus inspected where she’d been “Is that an Ogres and Oubliettes figure?”
“Scootaloo!” Diamond glared daggers at her “If you tell anypony...”
From the kitchen, polishing the last of the dishes, Randolph the old butler gave a chuckle as he gazed out the window.
“Learning from them at last...Mr Filthy is going to be most pleased”


*


Boulette was larger than it had seemed at the station.
Right now, Twilight and Rarity were approaching the government square.
And they did not like what the mercenaries had done to the place one bit.
The local forces had blockaded several streets were the turrets had fallen down and were still rooting through the carnage finding and identifying bodies.
“Oh...these poor ponies” Rarity groaned, shaking her head.
“I apologise, Miss Twilight, Miss Rarity” Lafayette said flatly “You may have to get used to this. This is the case in...most of the area”
“I’m so sorry, Captain” Twilight replied “I promise, we will bring this city, and its ponies, the justice they deserve”
“I hope so, Miss Twilight...” The captain gave them an uneasy look “I’d rather you than...Let’s just keep walking, we’re not far”
It didn’t take a genius to notice something off about his topic switching. Twilight and Rarity gave each other a glance.
They reached the main military bunker at last, something that was being used, temporarily as a government building while the 	Crossfort was compromised.
The bunker’s name was imprinted on the wall itself in bold white spray-paint.
Fort Clovis.
Saluting the guard and placing a badge upon a lock pad, Lafayette opened the door for them.
The building was flawlessly clean but didn’t seem friendly. Hardy-looking Boulettan officers gave them and their Equestrian co-workers resentful looks as they passed.
“How many personnel do you have, Captain?” Twilight asked.
“Well, after the mercenary attack, we numbered just under one thousand. Few enough to declare a state of emergency. We decided to recall personnel from our local territories and outposts. Slovenly, for instance, where my regiment used to be located. Fort Alaric, our main weapons depot, with as many munitions and artillery as we’d hopefully need. Unfortunately, that was compromised seven years ago in a raid we’re currently linking to our recent attack. Similar patterns. So we also took personnel from Fort Wamba, Fort Hidilco and Fort Gondomar, a grand total of six thousand armed soldiers and engineers”
“So...enough to repel another attack?”
Lafayette gave a gulp and another uneasy look.
“I hope so, Miss Twilight. With respect, I don’t much fancy joining the last poor four thousand sons of nags who were here last”
“While I take issue with the profanity, Captain, I am confident we can succeed” Rarity piped up.
Lafayette nodded and took them to a closed door which he opened with his badge.
Standing before them was a lean but muscular, bearded unicorn with a blue coat and a white mane cropped short. He was wearing a bright scarlet and bronze jacket with several medals and gleaming, brass shoulder-pads. His hard grey eyes were fixed on the trio in front of him with an expression that went beyond simple grimness or cynicism.
This stallion was not happy to see them.
“Ah...Colonel Quimper...” Lafayette said nervously “This is...”
“A bucking outrage is what it is, Captain!” the officer before them barked “Why wasn’t I informed?”
“I assumed you were, Colonel” the young captain straightened up uncomfortably “As per the wishes of Princess Celestia...”
The Colonel threw him a threatening glare.
“The whole point of Boulette’s municipal guard was to avoid this kind of bureaucratic curd!” he bellowed.
“Well, the city is in a state of emergency, Colonel” Lafayette pointed out “Princess Celestia wishes for the Bearers to seek out the perpetrators and learn all they can. All of Equestria’s threatened and-”
“Lafayette, get out of here and wash your face” Quimper snarled “You’re an officer of Boulette, not a damn pay-ride! And then somepony get these mares out of here before security’s compromised”
“Colonel, I’m not sure you fully understand the situation!” Twilight interjected, spreading her wings slightly to capture attention “Boulette has been subject to a catastrophic terrorist attack which left the local government and military practically crippled and your Senator abducted. Now we hear the ones responsible are still in the city and could strike at any moment. Colonel, I’m sorry to say this, but you need all the help you can get. We’re here to help you. That’s not something we’ll be able to do well if we aren’t kept informed”
There was a pause as the Colonel turned his vicious gaze to Princess Twilight Sparkle.
“She’s right, Colonel” Lafayette added calmly “If these terrorists are still in our city, we need to be prepared. And we aren’t prepared because if we were, they wouldn’t be here in the first place”
Quimper continued to glare daggers at the three ponies in front of him. His sneer twitched slightly and he turned to Lafayette.
“Get out of my sight...” he growled “I...will take the Bearers to HQ”
Lafayette saluted with a smile.
“Very good, Colonel. My ladies”
“Thank you kindly, Captain Lafayette” Rarity cooed “A pleasure to meet such a socially acceptable stallion such as yourself” She gave him a wink and turned back to the seething Quimper.
“As you were, Colonel. Shall we, Twilight?”


*


Rainbow Dash did not like the way the Boulettan troops glared at her as they passed.
Finding a place that wanted to service her was turning out to be difficult too.
“Yo’, ‘scuse me? Hello?” she jumped in front of the guard at a street corner “I’m looking for a bar or anywhere I can get a cider. Can you help me”
The guard gave her look and turned away.
“Hey!” she snapped, angry now “I’m talking to you!”
The guard made no effort to acknowledge her.
“Are even listening to me?”
“Just like those ‘Questie’ nags. Always coming over here and telling us to do things their way”
Rainbow’s head spun round to where the voice had come from.
A couple of stallions with dark jackets and close-shaven manes who where smoking on the sidewalk, glaring at her with disdain.
The guard near her gave a chuckle.
“What did you say?!” Rainbow Dash barked “What the hay’s your problem”
“Listen, nag! Boulette bars are Boulette business. That means we do business with Boulettans and nothing else. You wanna’ bar, go find one back home where you belong, ya Questie dyke!”
Rainbow Dash was quiet a moment, odd for her after being insulted.
She paced over to the two, the one who’d insulted her throwing down his cigarette and rising to his full height. He was several feet taller than her but, to Rainbow Dash, that didn’t matter.
“Say that again” she hissed “I dare you”
“Whassa’ matter?” he growled, rising a hoof “Gonna’ go crying to yer pay-ride princess, huh?! Questie?!”
He threw a punch and found it caught in Rainbow’s own hoof.
Next moment, he was bowled head over hooves by the Bearer of Loyalty’s uppercut as his partner was floored by a side-kick before he could draw a flick-knife.
“Buddy, if you think I need the Princess’s help to kick your flanks...”
“You! Get down on the ground!”
Dash spun round behind her where the Boulettan guard was yelling at her and pointing a rifle at her.
“Wha...Are you crazy?” she spluttered.
“Get down on the ground right now or I’m gonna’ shoot you in the face” the guard barked.
“Dude, do you even know you’re doing?!”
“I will pull this trigger!” the guard’s hooves were shaking “Get on the ground! This is your last warning!”
“Enough!”
‘What now?!’ Rainbow thought, exasperated. Thankfully, she saw Equestrian Royal Guard approaching. The officer was a huge bright orange-coated earth pony stallion, possessed of a cyan mane with cream-yellow streaks behind both ears. His size and shape reminded her of Big Mac. He’d drawn a mace from his belt and had hit the rifle away from the guard and was glaring at him while three of his subordinates, two Equestrians and a Boulettan, surrounded Rainbow and the two thugs.
“What is this, Sergeant Angrius?!” the officer thundered “You’ve been warned before. No firearms are to be drawn on unarmed perpetrators. Are you trying to cause another scene?”
“...no, sir” the Boulettan growled.
“I should hope not. Get down to HQ. I’m putting you on fatigues. And you two...” He turned to the two shaven stallions.
“Hey, she attacked us!” one of them protested.
“You think we’re blind?” the officer snapped “We saw you try to land the first punch. You’re damn lucky I’m not sending you down for assaulting an Equestrian State Official. Now get out of here!”
The two stallions needed no second warning as the three guards around Rainbow Dash slammed their staves to the ground and saluted.
“Apologies, my lady” the Lieutenant said “I am Lieutenant Jupiter. My division guards this sector”


“It’s cool” Rainbow Dash sighed “Geez, ponies in this city are jerks!”
“Ah...” the Boulettan guard cleared his throat “I’m sorry about Sergeant Angrius and those two punks. You must understand, Miss Dash. A lot of Boulettans aren’t fond of Equestrians at the best of times and the attack has made everypony really rather jumpy”
“I guess...” the cyan pegasus shrugged “Still, can’t they see we’re here to help? The least they could do is give us a little credit”
“That’s unlikely in a city where help is considered a worse insult than invasion” Jupiter grumbled, turning to the Boulettan “Captain Volvic, could you take Angrius’ place for a while? I expect civil conduct from you”
“Of course, sir” The Boulettan, Volvic, saluted and took his post on the street corner “Ma’am, if you’re looking a bar, I know several. Unfortunately, I’m not sure they’ll service you. You might need to head to the Restricted Zone”
“Huh?”
“I’ll take you” Jupiter said “Continue patrol, I'll join you shortly” The guards dispersed as Rainbow Dash followed Jupiter to the ‘Restricted Zone’.
“So what makes it restricted?” she asked “Is there a sorta’ plague or something?”
“No, no, nothing like that” the Lieutenant sighed “It’s where the non-Boulettans are restricted to”
The way to the Restricted Zone was signalled by how much litter and graffiti spread the cityscape. The Restricted Zone itself was walled up but for an open archway guarded by Boulettan sentries in heavy brass armour.
The walls and arch were covered in slurs, slander and threats.
‘Foreigners Out’
‘Boulette For Boulettans’
‘Questies Can’t Protect You’
‘Celestia Is A Foal-Fooling...’
Rainbow chose not to finish that sentence for fear of lashing out. It wasn’t fair. Though she wasn’t nearly as obsessed with the Princess as Twilight, she still liked her and owed her a lot and Rainbow Dash hated seeing her besmirched in this way by the very ponies she was trying to help.
As the guards let her pass, she turned to the Lieutenant.
“Thanks, Jupe. I’ll take it from here”
“Very good, my lady. Remember to use the communicators if anything happens”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t sweat it, seriously. You’re looking at a mare who’s faced down every threat Canterlot’s faced since Nightmare Moon”
“Indeed, ma’am” he smiled before turning back to the city square “Good luck”


The Restricted Zone was kept quite hospitable by the ponies living in it but it was unbelievably cramped.
The zone was a maze of streets, avenues and roads with barely any free space and the only city square in the zone was dominated by stalls and filled with the cries and calls of ponies and non-ponies across the Known World. The denizens were largely separated into different ethnic communities but didn’t seem hostile.
She found the Prench district. Kept very traditional, almost enough to be stereotypical, the site was filled with baguette stalls and foul-smelling cheese booths and accordion players.
At last, she found a bar where they sold cider. Though the greying barpony was fervent in his insistence that is was 'cidre' not cider.
Whatever. It certainly did her quite a bit of good.
“Is ze cidre to your liking, Madame Rainbow Dash?” the barpony asked.
“Yep. I think I’ll have another. And one of those little pastries with the walnuts”
“Certainly. You will be kept most comfortable here, Madame. Zere are many ponies here who respect you and your colleagues well...” He craned his head forward as he brought forth the order “We hope you can improve things here, oui?”
“Yeah, I...” she sighed “We can’t just make them, you understand, much as I’d like to...But we’ll try our best. We always do”
“I am sure. I will prepare your request”
As he left, Rainbow was all set to finish off her cider in private when a familiar voice sounded behind her.
“Dash?! Fancy meeting you here!”
A clawed hand slapped her on the back, thankfully not injuring her, as a white-headed female griffon pulled up a chair before her.
Rainbow Dash smiled wide.
“Oh my gosh, Gilda!” She gave her a hug “It’s awesome to see you! I didn’t know you were living in Boulette now”
“Are you kidding?! On any other day, I wouldn’t come here if they paid me! This city clucking sucks! It’s worse that Griffonstone! You know around here, if a griffon’s found wandering outside the zone at night, the guards’ll shoot them dead on sight! Total egg-holes, the lot of ‘em!”
“Tell me about it” Rainbow Dash grumbled “So why are you here in the first place?”
Gilda rolled her eyes.
“I’m taking part in a funeral flight over Boulette conducted by the Aviators Council”
“The wha?”
“New rulers of Griffonia. Every so often, when things get bad, the local towns and tribes put aside their differences and get together in a great alliance. Course, not much gets done seeing as they’re all too busy hating each other and when the troubles are over, everygriffon goes back to being isolated. It’s dumb but that’s politics for ya’. Cheers”
She tapped her cidre bottle against Dash’s and drank.


“So they’re planning a funeral flight?”
“Yeah, for the attack on Boulette. A way of paying respects as well as demonstrating our new strength. The Aviators love that squit, pompous punks. The flight’s led by several members of the noble Griffonian families. Most of them Raptors, of course. My uncle usually participates in these sorts of things but he’s in Trotsylvania trying to fulfil some kinda’ blood oath so I’m filling in for him”
“Well...It’s nice to see ya’. I suppose you know what we’re doing here”
“If I know you well, you’re trying to find the punk-flank mothercluckers who stormed the Crossfort and blew up those turrets, aren’t ya” Gilda chuckled “Wish I had a job as awesome as yours”
“Hey, we could use your help” Rainbow said, holding up her hooves “I mean...I don't like to admit it but from what little we know, we may already be in way over our heads here. The guys we’re after are some seriously messed-up ponies who aren’t going down without a fight.”
The griffon measured Dash’s words, finished her cidre and smiled.
“I’m listening”
From the roof of an adjacent building, hidden from above by a camouflage blanket, the mercenary, Bloodhound spied the Bearer of 	Loyalty and her griffon friend through the bar window with a pair of infra-red binoculars.
His lips twisted in loathing as his hoof instinctively pawed at his horrific facial scar.
“Griffons” he hissed “I bucking hate griffons”


*


“So we have contingents waiting in the city?”
Shadowplay scanned the data logs again.
“Yes, Mr Cascadius. They’ve all checked in. Blue Murder works alone, as you know, but Almogavar’s covering Corax, Mustaleski for Agravain, Hed’Kika for Bloodhound...oh and the Cult insisted that one of their hunters, a pony named Threadbare, assist them”
Cascadius nodded, munching on a carrot.
“Threadbare’s very capable” he said “Najiva vouches for him. Thank you, Shadow. Go get yourself some lunch”
“Very well sir” The batpony bowed and left, leaving Cascadius and his guest eating lunch at the table in his meeting room.
“How is the meal, Sister?”
Before him, a tall griffin with a beige face speckled and streaked with dark brown and blood-red tattoos over her eyes smiled as her hooked, black-tipped beak picked the last of her lamb chops clean.
“I have to say, Mr Cascadius, this lamb is tremendous” she clacked happily “Your cook has outdone himself”
“Mr Corax will be happy to know that when he comes back, Sister Slashtalon. He saved it especially for you. I’m sure he’ll be happy to cook for you again, he so rarely gets the pleasure of cooking for fellow carnivores”
Sister Shrike Slashtalon, former Aviator turned war-criminal, threw the bare bone down on her plate and licked her talons.
“Mmm...Well, if he’s as good a killer as he is a cook, Boulette and the Bearers are doomed”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves” Cascadius took a sip of lemonade “These Bearers aren’t to be taken lightly. Brute force will be criminally insufficient. We must wait for the right moment. We have the animosity of Boulette’s citizens toward foreign intervention and, thanks to your good self, the Griffonian funeral flight. All we need is a spark”
He got to his hooves and gazed out the window.
“The Bearers say Friendship Is Magic. But magic is a dangerous thing in the wrong hooves. We need to teach them that. Using the enemy’s strength against them is a difficult task but always efficient. ‘Kill With A Borrowed Sword’...third of Master Sun Zoo’s Thirty Six Stratagems”
“Indeed. I look forward to the results” Shrike Slashtalon chuckled as the door was knocked and opened.
The quivering figure of Royal Flush stood in the doorway.
“You...wanted to see me?” he mumbled.
“Yes, Senator, I did. Are you hungry?”
“Uh...no...” He never had any appetite around Cascadius and even less so when accompanied by a flesh-eating griffon “Ahem...sir?”
“Spit it out” Cascadius eyed him like one would a simpleton.
“Can you...can you tell me how Trilby is?”
There was a pause.
“She cries all the time, barely remembers her own name and wishes for death” Cascadius said bluntly, as if reciting a shopping list “Now onto more important matters. Please sit down”
There wasn’t a seat at the table. The pale-faced Senator sat on the floor without much argument as Cascadius, as always, smiled calmly.
“I have a job for you”
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pipsqueak had finished packing.
His O&O set required a separate box. He was used to carrying it.
Nancy had still insisted on giving him a hoof with it to the station.
“Now remember, Pipsqueak. If ever you want to come home, just get in touch with me or Blue” she fussed as they waited for the train “There’ll be a telegram office somewhere in Ponyville, I’m sure”
Pip nodded. Not many Trottingham families could afford orbs, transceivers or even phones so most communication was handled by the telegram office.
“It’s alright, mummy. Don’t worry. Sparkler always takes good care of us” He reached up and kissed his mother on the cheek “We’re going to have a Lord of the Horseshoe marathon with the Crusaders. I just hope Sparkler doesn’t spend the day pointing out the CGI. It gets annoying really fast”
“Alright, darling. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it” She gently placed her hooves on her sons shoulders “I’m so sorry to keep sending you away like this. When I’ve got my work done, I promise, I’ll leave plenty of time for you”
“Hello, Pip!” They found Tungsten and Blue Murder following up behind. Tungsten showed them the movies before putting them back in his bag.
“Just make sure you don’t forget them, eh?” Blue Murder chuckled.
“I know, mum, don’t worry” Tungsten groaned while betraying a smile. As the thundering steam train to Ponyville arrived, both mothers kissed their sons on the cheeks as they bid them farewell.
“Okay, Pip. I need to go over the new rulebook with you” Tungsten said as they boarded “That Pirates Expansion Campaign you suggested could well work. Now Dobyn Dawnblade’s father was a pirate, Robard Redbeard. What I’ve got so far is that Robard sailed as Captain of the Bonny Founder in the fleet of his uncle, Pirate King Jolly Rodger. After Jolly Rodger went missing, his first mate, Silvertongue, took command. Now Robard and Dobyn always suspected Silvertongue had something to do with...”
They continued talking about subjects their mothers knew and understood little of but paused to wave them goodbye from the window as it drove off.
“Off they go again...” Nancy sighed.
“They’ll be fine, Nancy, why wouldn’t they be?” Blue chuckled.
“Well...Let’s face it, Ponyville hasn’t the greatest track record for safety”
“Maybe but they always pull through with nopony hurt” the portly unicorn shrugged “Besides, he’s with his friends”
Nancy gave a dismal snort.
“Those friends are half the reason Ponyville gets a bad name. The rest of the reason is because of the ponies meant to protect it! I don’t want Pipsqueak growing up with mad-mares like them as role models! I heard those Cutie Mark Crusaders or whatever they call themselves actually crashed a funeral once!”
“Uh...yeah, I checked with a Miss Heartstrings. It wasn’t that serious. There was no actual funeral, they were just putting on a play” Blue Murder gave a chuckle “Still a bit annoying to be interrupted though and Mr Waddle didn’t appreciate being called ‘too old’”
“I can imagine. No respect...”
“No, no, you don’t understand” Blue gave her an awkward glance “He’s thirty-one years old”
Nancy’s eyes widened.
“Honestly?!”
“Yep. Drinking has ruined his life, according to him”
The earth mare gave another sigh.
“To be honest, it’s not them I’m most worried about”
“Now Nancy, it’s nothing to get you fretted. Tungsten once had a crush when he was Pip’s age. Filly he liked, couldn’t bear to be away from her. Then two years later, he barely remembers her name. Foals are like that”
“Are they, though?” She looked worried “Is that all it is? I mean...I knew my old stallion when we were foals...stupid little filly that I was...didn’t realise that he’d always remained a foal...that’s when he was a pony at all and not a...a beast”
She looked close to crying. Blue gave her a hug with one fore-hoof.
“Nancy...This is important...Pip is not Dodger. You’ve raised that colt right. And if anypony, Dodger, that mail-mare, her filly, anypony want to take advantage of that, they’ll have us to answer to”
Nancy gave a third sigh.
“I wouldn’t mind so much but...the day they met, Pip almost died!”
Blue glanced at her.
“You’ve never told me this before”
“No, I...I was advised to keep it under my hat, as it were” Nancy rubbed one foreleg awkwardly “But...you are his god-mother...”
Blue Murder gestured toward a bench and smiled.
“The train to the outskirts isn’t for another hour...Why don’t you tell me about it?”


*


Quimper did not say a word as he marched Twilight and Rarity to the HQ. He was met by a light-green guard who actually had the gall to point his rifle at the two.
Quimper raised a hoof and growled.
“Arms down, Sergeant Etric. They’re here on the...acting-Senator’s orders”
The guard, Etric, scowled at the two mares and opened the door to HQ.
A dark room with a light in the centre of the ceiling above a great circular table scattered with maps, documents and records.
Carcassonne was there beside three other Boulettans.
Rochelle, a middle-aged orange, cyan-dotted unicorn mare with a blue mane cut to shoulder length; Belfort, an ancient balding, purple-coated unicorn stallion with a paunch, a curly white moustache and spectacles; and Lyon a tall sandy-yellow male earth pony with a great dark mahogany mane that flowed down his neck and shoulders like that of a lion.
All four of them were speaking to an officer of the Canterlot Royal Guard, a colonel from the look of his intricate armour. A mighty pegasus stallion with a speckled navy back and face and a cream-yellow chin and belly and a light brown ponytail of a mane. His steely ebony eyes were fixed on reports before him.
“I thought we made our position quite clear, Colonel Peregrine” Rochelle said sharply “A curfew is out of the question. The ponies of Boulette have suffered enough without becoming prisoners in their own city”
“I explained to you, Senator, that I don’t like it anymore than any of you but with the threat level as high as it is and growing higher, either a curfew is put into affect or more Royal Guard battalions will have to be sent over to protect Boulette. Captain-General Shining Armour has already been requested to take charge”
“Do you doubt Boulette’s own prowess in defending its home, Colonel?” Lyon asked, his voice deep and booming.
“Well, Commissioner, I’m afraid to say that brings me to my next point of concern. As I explained when we arrived, Lieutenants Lolli Beats and Blizzard Wind are investigating the allegations of corruption in the...former Senator’s cabinet...the Senator himself falls under heavy suspicion as well as your other respective predecessors, Civil Administrator Book Cooker and Commissioner Brutalight”
“Both were killed in the attack on the Crossfort” Belfort said in a level tone.
“True but there are numerous members of the municipal government, still alive and living in this city, that have fallen under suspicion. 	With this in mind, relying on Boulette’s own military, a branch heavily involved with the former Senator’s affairs, would not be...”
“That’s enough!” Quimper barked as he strode in and begrudgingly made way for Twilight Sparkle and Rarity.
“Ah, sirs and madams, two of the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony” Carcassonne said, slightly breathless, “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic, and Lady Rarity, Bearer of Generosity”
“Your highnesses, we thank you for aiding us in these troubling times” Rochelle said calmly as she and her two associates bowed their heads in respect.
“You don’t have to call us ‘highnesses’, Senator. We don’t wait on ceremony in Ponyville”
“Ponyville?” Belfort raised one wispy eyebrow “I thought the Bearers were called over from Canterlot?”
“Uh, yeah...long story” Twilight was puzzled that they weren’t aware of what went between Canterlot and Ponyville.
Then again, from Manehattan to Fillydelphia, the cities outside of the capital seemed rather nonchalant. Perhaps their modesty preceded them. She couldn’t say it wasn’t what she wanted.


“Alright, we’ve had our introductions, now let’s be serious here” Quimper strode forward, practically pushing aside everypony without even touching them “I’ve been speaking with my fellow officers, proper, experienced, military-minded officers...” He gave a derisive sneer towards Peregrine who raised one eyebrow in response “And we believe the time has come to send these terrorists a message the same way they did for us!” He placed his hooves upon the table and grinded his teeth.
“Very assertive but we hit a small snag there, Colonel, as we have no clue as to where they came from or where they currently reside” Rarity pointed out with a hint of smugness.
Quimper scoffed.
“Unlike some, my lady...” he said the words with poison “Boulette’s military branches have not been idle” He found documents with the shots of the four mercenaries “Gringore we could not trace. No record of where she came from. But as to the others...” He smiled “Tybalt, born to parents from Horn Kong. Miura, a resident of Hofu in Hakuba, Neighpon. And Lambasar, a native of the Haytay State, Haissan. I and two other officers intend to lead shock troops into these three territories and make them pay for what they did to our city. Do as they did for us. See how well they deal with it”
There was a pause.
“Are you insane?!” Twilight squawked “Words cannot describe how many problems that would cause!”
“Don’t lecture me on the problems of warfare, ‘princess!’” Quimper snarled “The ponies of these cities have committed a war crime, a crime we, the Boulettan Armed Forces, intend to punish”
“Colonel, the four mercenaries who attacked the Crossfort are fugitives wanted across the Known World. They’re just as feared and hated in the cities they came from as they are here!”
“Then they should have kept a better eye on them. We’ll teach them what happens to those who neglect to keep their mad beasts under control”
“Colonel...no” the Bearer of Magic’s tone was frank and firm, as if reprimanding a stubborn child “It would be as thoughtless and destructive as attacking them without a reason at all. The ponies of Horn Kong, Hofu and Haytay are not responsible for what took place here thanks to a trio of ponies who happened to have once lived there. Princess Celestia will not allow it, is that understood?”
“Then what? Do we simply wait around until they resurface?”
“What we do is beat them at their own game. Follow their patterns, trace them and intercept them. You seemingly have the means to find out where they were born and what they’ve been doing with their lives. Use that information. Find out all we can or we’ll be going into battle blind”
Seven pairs of eyes were fixed on young Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Rarity and Peregrine had a great amount of pride and admiration.
Carcassonne, Rochelle, Belfort and Lyon showed varying levels of impressed.
And Quimper, under a prominent scowl, betrayed some amount of anxiety.
“I think the Princess has the right idea, everypony” Peregrine said calmly “Gather any Intel available but striking carelessly will only cause chaos. With enemies who’ve already demonstrated such levels of brutality, it is important not to drag any innocents into this” He stood before Twilight and saluted “The guard will be at your command for the duration of your stay, Twilight Sparkle”


Quimper scowled and stormed out of the HQ.
“I apologise for the Colonel’s rashness, Miss Sparkle” Rochelle said gravely “He’s always been...ah...he’s something of a...” She was pausing for the right word.
“He’s nuts” Carcassonne finished. Rochelle gave her look, reluctantly nodded in agreement and departed, taking Belfort and Lyon with her.
“This curd right here” the Representative said to the two Bearers “This is what I have to deal with every day! You can see why I’m so grouchy most of the time”
“Indeed. The fellow seems completely unreasonable. We haven’t been at threat level for more than a week and already he wants to start a world war!” Rarity clucked.
“I don’t trust him one bit” Twilight said “We’ll have to keep an eye on him”
“Perhaps I could be of assistance?” the Bearer of Generosity gave her eyes a flutter then lightly scowled at the two unconvinced looks upon her “I can be subtle when called to be, thank you very much”
“Well, alright” Twilight sighed “But if anything gets dicey, use our communicators”
“Yes, yes...I’m not sure all this political chatter is my sort of thing anyway. I’d much rather stretch my legs a little. Toodle-oo”
She trotted out, leaving Twilight Sparkle with Carcassonne and Peregrine.
She knew Peregrine from seeing her brother on patrols or in training. Peregrine was a very dedicated and capable officer. He’d taught Shining Armour a lot and vice versa. While Peregrine’s fierce discipline and cautious and calculating tactics served well in most events, sometimes a little daring was called for.
Shining Armour had once saved his life from a cave dragon ambush. But only by disobeying direct orders. What could have gotten him court-martialled served to raise his position higher in the guard and at Peregrine’s own insistence. Nonetheless, the Colonel had warned young Shining that if he ever acted in such a way that brought misfortunate upon himself and his fellows, his punishment would not be light. Peregrine was among the highest-ranking military officers in Equestria and held one of the highest positions in Canterlot with Shining Armour in the Crystal Empire.
He brought Twilight the necessary records that detailed the attack on the Crossfort, those responsible, other sightings of them and any clear patterns that had been noticed.
“Well, we can agree on one thing” Twilight said dismally as she surveyed the documents “They certainly don’t care about who they hurt in the process. So many casualties...”
“80% of Boulette’s military forces were swept off the map with little to no effort” Carcassonne added, grimness in her voice “Anything they had available they used, yet with so little resources wasted. It’s like they were showing off”
“It’s not showing off, Miss Carcassonne. It’s something far worse. It’s ruthlessness. Though, I reckon they’d call it ‘efficiency’” The Bearer of Magic threw the documents down on the table “This served as a message to all of Equestria. Not only are the mercenaries capable of such an act but they’ll commit it anywhere at any time at any opportunity. Scare tactics”
“Tactics of a coward” Peregrine growled “But it’s worked here at any rate. Relations between Equestria and Boulette are hanging by a thread. Quimper and his ilk have looking for any excuse to 'relive the glory days' when they trampled over others with impunity”
“That didn’t end so well last time” Carcassonne groaned “The former Senator was already stirring up trouble with the populace, agitating them against all non-Boulettans, inciting violence and xenophobia. I was close to uncovering quite a bit more but most of the information was scrambled in the attack”
“I guess the mercenaries didn’t want it discovered. We can only assume it led to them”
“Mercenaries are a dangerous brood, your highness” Peregrine declared “There are no stupid or careless mercenaries, at least not for very long. A pony whose job is to kill will do so without fuss, without passion. I would never be one to pass off the achievements of you and the Bearers but know that this a foe quite unlike those you’ve faced. They are cunning, swift and utterly without mercy. Be very, very careful, Princess Twilight”
“I will, Colonel Peregrine, I promise” She gave a small bow “When my brother gets here, make sure he’s kept informed”
“Captain-General Shining Armour is being sent the full briefing as we speak, ma’am”
“Thank you, Colonel. I believe I shall be heading to the remains of the Crossfort”
“Will you require an escort?”
“I don’t think so. Might see if Spike’s available though”


*


Mustaleski made her way through the Restricted Zone, the Poatsulan area where long-haired winter ponies and the occasional reindeer peddled their wares and tilled their trade.
Swathed in cloth and walking briskly through the streets with a heavy rucksack, she went largely ignored.
At last she found the right basket merchant, nodded to a contact, slipped behind the curtain and clambered into one of the baskets.
It took her through an open trapdoor down into a drainage system, thankfully no longer used, that took her into an abandoned side of the ghetto, a condemned area of the city virtually untouched but for criminals.
And worse.
She met with those she would have command over. A small contingent of around four seasoned mercenaries like herself and six recruits. All gathered from around the world, all expert in the field of mercenary work and all armed.
They were engaged in general chatter amongst each other.
“Gotta’ say, I’m looking forward to seeing Threadbare in action”
“Clearly it’s your first time seeing it. That one’s a complete loon, worse than Gringore, I reckon!”
“I don’t buy that for a minute! Nopony’s crazier than her!”
“Oh really? I tell ya, Threadbare’s bad news!”
“He’s just a mumbling curd in a mask. He doesn’t scare me”
“That’s ‘cause you’re either too new or too stupid, maybe both! He scares me!”
“Oh really? Why’s that then?”
“Cause that ain’t a mask!”
There was a pause.
“You mean...”
“Yeah...”
“That’s his face?”
“Yeah...”
“How?”
“He did it himself”
“You what?”
“Yep. Initiation exercise”
“...You meet some real weirdoes in this job”
“You’re telling me! He’s a Piggsicornist, remember? From the cult! They’re all bat-curd crazy! Every last one of ‘em! At least Gringore still has her face!”


Mustaleski entered. They saluted her on sight. For that she was satisfied. Her reputation preceded her.
She was a devious and merciless assassin feared across the Winterlands. A tall, lean but muscular earth pony with a jet-black coat, a grey mane streaked with red, a pair of piercing silver eyes, and a bright orange stripe running down her back and decorating her rump with a flash of colour. A crack-shot sharpshooter and a world-class athlete, her strikes came hard and fast whenever they were called for. She was young but experienced far beyond many of her compatriots. A foal-soldier in the war-torn Dead Snow Valley, she’d fought off the Raptor Griffins, the Stalliongrad Troopers, the Caribou Raiders and even a zombie onslaught before her twentieth birthday. It was said she had once slowly crushed a minotaur’s neck between her thighs. It was one of the few moments she had ever shown pleasure.
She liked killing and it helped that her career was also her hobby.
Striding by her contingent, she found the Master Assassin of the Echo Squad she was tasked with assisting.
Agravain sat patiently on the roof of a decrepit warehouse, gazing out across the city.
From where they were, an abandoned, condemned ghost street, it was like hiding upon a scab on the city’s face.
But the placing was perfect. Here they would go unnoticed yet have easy access to the rooftops and alleyways from where they could enter and exit without being trailed.
It was also a perfect area to test out Agravain’s technique.
She turned to the silent assassin and cleared her throat, speaking in a sultry Stirropean accent.
“Bearers are scattered. Take out communicators and they remain separated. Key to victory”
Agravain nodded and pressed his fore-hooves together. His horn glowed bright silver and emitted a small repeating pulse that gradually grew larger. He then closed his eyes, raised his head to the sky and began a bizarre holler, making sounds one didn’t a tongue to speak, his lips twisting into bizarre shapes over his jaw as he practiced a technique largely unknown and forbidden across Equestria.
Magic Crystal Disability.
Sound magic was a very powerful field, especially for crystal ponies. With the right, pitch, frequency and magical magnitude, the magic contained within imperial crystals could be temporarily or even permanently disabled.
Perfect for ensuring the Bearers couldn’t call for help.


*


Pinkie Pie, as she always did, happily bounced along the streets of Boulette. Locals gave her unpleasant looks but she paid them no mind.
Fluttershy meanwhile trotted after her, distressed at how the Boulettans eyed them with disdain, positively hiding behind her mane. She didn’t like it here, she didn’t like it here at all.
It was a far cry from Canterlot, a daunting place for her at the best of times. The looks they gave her were so unfriendly.
So unkind.
“Okay, Flutters! Let’s start searching! Special Detective Pinkie Pielock Hooves and her trusty sidekick, Dr Flutterson, are on the case!”
She pulled a magnifying glass and a Sherlock Hooves hat out from...somewhere...and began searching, leaning her head toward the sidewalk and eventually sniffing along the ground like a dog.
“Tobacco...window cleaner...bird poop...grit...mustard...hmm, nothing concrete. Literally, this stuff's asphalt” She rose up and spoke in an exaggerated Trottingham accent “What do you make of this, Flutterson, old chap?”
“Um...I think...they’d probably be clues at the Crossfort...”
“Good thinking, Flutters! C’mon, my number one sidekick! We’re off searching!” She bounced along merrily, Fluttershy struggling to keep up.
“Pinkie, I don’t like it here...” she whimpered “Everypony looks so angry with us...I’m worried they might...”
“Aw, don’t worry, Fluttershy, Auntie Pinkie’s not gonna’ let anything happen to you!” She gave the nervous little mare a friendly nuzzle on the cheek as she continued on.
They came to a street where two Equestrian officers seemed to be in a heated argument with a Boulettan citizen, a dirty fellow in a stained vest.
They recognised Blizzard Wind from before, a far shade angrier than they’d last seen him.
The other was a curious individual. Fluttershy had, at first, assumed she was a pegasus but upon closer inspection, her wings were made up of skin rather than feathers, barbed and bat-like. Her coat was dark-pink and her mane was a mahogany brown streaked with scarlet. Her feline eyes were primrose pink and fixed with no small amount of disdain at the dirty Boulettan before them.
“I trust I’ve been clear, sir” Blizzard Wind barked “Any more defamatory slogans on the Restricted Zone wall and you’re being sent down for hate crimes”
“This kind of Questie curd never happened when Flush was in charge!” the Boulettan growled.
“I can believe that” the batpony said aside.
“And furthermore...” Blizzard continued, his tone harsh and fierce “I hear you call Lieutenant Lolli Beats a ‘blood-sucking freak’ again...and you’re a dead pony. No ifs, no buts, call her that again and you’re bucking history! Got that?”
“Fine” the Boulettan grumbled and disappeared down an alley.
“Seriously, Blizz, I can take of it” the batpony said shrugging.
“It just makes me sick”
“How do you think I feel? C’mon, we’re needed back at the base”
As both the Bearers got a clear look at them, Pinkie Pie jumped a clear several feet in the air and cheered, zipping over to the batpony and hugging her tight.
“LOLLI!” she cried happily “I’m so happy to see you! I haven’t seen you for months and that makes me so sad ‘cause I love seeing you!”


“Hey, Pinkie!” the batpony named Lolli chuckled, rubbing Pinkie’s mass of fluffy pink mane “Great to see you too! I’ve missed you so much! Boulette sure could do with another friendly face. Are any of your absolutely mega-awesome friends around?”
“You betcha’! Fluttershy, over here!” she beckoned over her shy little friend, who appeared from around the corner, tenderly pacing towards them “This is one of my super-duper best friends, Lolli Beats! We see each other in Ponyville for Vinyl Scratch’s karaoke parties! She’s great on the mic! Lolli, this is Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness and best animal-keeper in Equestria...although I don’t know for sure, I mean there could be somepony who’s even better than her at keeping animals but that would be super-hard! But she’s still the best animal-keeper in Ponyville, hooves-down!”
“Um...hello...” Fluttershy said “It’s very nice to meet you...Miss Beats...”
“Aw, c’mon, call me Lolli, everypony does”
“Oh...okay...” She gave her a smile “Um...it’s interesting though...I never thought I’d see another batpony. I was turned into one once”
At this, Lolli gave her an awkward look and Blizzard cleared his throat.
“Oh, sorry, Lolli, she doesn’t know. Please don’t be mad” Pinkie said with a hint of guilt before whispering to the little pegasus out the side of her mouth “Flutters, you don’t call her that!”
“Oh...oh, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy squeaked “I’m very, very sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude...please don’t be upset...I’m very sorry”
“Aw, its okay, girl, don’t sweat it” Lolli patted her on the head “I know you didn’t mean it and I can’t stay mad at somepony so cute. But seriously though, this mare right here?” She pointed to herself “Genuine 100% Thestral”
“Oh my...I heard of those but...I wasn’t told what exactly that meant”
“S’alright, not that many ponies know. But there’s a difference between a batpony and a thestral. A thestral like me was born this way to thestral parents as far as several generations, long-lived and awake and alive day and night. Batponies are this way through a contrivance such as being bitten by a gene-carrier, eating or drinking a variety of ingredients that can trigger the transformation or can occasionally be born with recessive thestral genes. They're also less able to control their thirsts and must spend their first few years moving only by night, it takes them a while to get used to the day. In general, more bat-like. I guess that's why the 'Bat' comes before the 'pony. Thestrals, on the other hoof, are the best of both worlds”
“The More You Know!” Pinkie declared, holding up a peculiar slogan with a shooting star with red and green trails.
Blizzard Wind blinked.
“Oh...that’s...really quite interesting...” Fluttershy’s tongue was tied “I became a batpony when I was bitten...I caused a bit of trouble in Applejack’s farm...” She twiddled her hoof regretfully.
“Yeah, funny story” Pinkie said “Personally, I think it could have been avoided if we’d all used our noggins but hey, Flutters looked great as a batpony! Led to some pretty kinky fan-art, let me tell ya!”
“You don’t say” Lolli chuckled “Listen, Pinkie, I’m glad you’re around ‘cause me and Blizz were working on a ah...private project...we might your help with”
“Whoa, you two trying to put a bun in the oven?”
“Er...no...”
“Then are you trying to get pregnant?”
“What the bu...No!” Blizzard exclaimed “Guard business. Colonel Peregrine has us working an important job” He leaned in to whisper “The former Senator and his crew were in deep with some shifty fellas long before the attack. Whatever they were doing, it wasn’t legal”
“Ooh, sneaky-sneaky! I like it!” Pinkie grinned “How can I help?”
“We need somepony with your technical expertise. If you’d help out, we’d owe you one”
“Okie-Dokie-Lokie! C’mon, Shy!”
“Oh, um...I’m not sure that’s really my kind of thing...I’m not very good with technical things...” she mumbled “If it’s okay, I’d much rather just find some food for Angel and go back to the apartment”
“Sure thing, don’t worry about it” Lolli reassured her “Just make sure to give up a call with the communication clip if anything crops up”
“Okay...thank you”


*


Applejack made her way through the city uneasily.
She had been wrong. It wasn’t like Manehattan. It was worse.
At least there, nopony seemed to pay attention to you.
Here it was different and not for the better. The looks they gave her, one would think she’d hurt them or those they loved.
Pure resentment. Pure hatred.
She’d never seen anywhere like it.
Passing by a street, she glanced a large poster. The sight of it was enough to make her grind her teeth.
It was a gaudily coloured poster of Senator Royal Flush in golden armour and a great axe with light shining off him and noticeably thinner and buffer that he was in real life.
Kneeling before him was Celestia, sans crown and horseshoes, her face drawn in an exaggerated, satirical weeping expression. 
In the top-left hoof corner was a slogan.
‘Royal Flush Brings A New Age.
Support The Autonomy Movement
A Free Boulette.
A Strong Boulette.
A Feared Boulette’
Why, in their right mind, anypony would want to be ‘feared’, Applejack could not fathom.
The values at hoof were completely contrary to what she held dear.
Keeping her head to the ground, she plodded along. Her ears pricked as she heard a scream.
“Please! Please leave me alone! I don’t want trouble!”
“Well, that’s too bad, ‘cause we do!”
Steeling herself, Applejack raced into the alley from where the sound came.
Two shaven stallions had cornered a small mare in the alley, a young silver Chineighse pony with two blue ponytails for a mane, a fluffy, pink coat and glasses. She was cowering in the corner, her coat dirty and her glasses broken from a strike to the face as the two stallions loomed over her.
“You’re in a lot of trouble, nag!” One of the thugs snarled “You foreigners should’ve stayed in the Restricted Zone. Them’s the rules, see”
“No, you don’t understand! My father’s from the Bayjing Embassy! We’re allowed outside the zones! I have my licence!”
“We don’t want your licence! We don’t want your kind in this city at all, ya got that!?” He drew a knife as the mare gave a whimper “Here, this’ll help ya remember!”
As he raised it, he found his hoof grabbed by another and slammed into the wall, not quite breaking it but definitely leaving him unable to hold the knife as well as before.
Clutching his hoof with a pained snarl, he and his partner looked up to see a bright orange farm-mare giving them a deathly glare.
“Alright. Let’s get this straight. Ah don’t wanna’ hurt ya right now but that might change if you even think about picking up that there knife again. Ah won’t tell ya to change, nor will I ask why you won’t, ‘cause it’s quite clear talkin’ ethics to scum like y’all won’t amount to nothin’. So ah’m givin’ ya a moment to run. Please don’t make me hurt ya and please, please...don’t make me want to”
The two stallions paused, glanced at each other, back at the farmpony, to each other again and took off.
“There ya go, little missy. Them varmints won’t hurt ya no more. Up ya get now” She gave the young mare a helping hoof “Y’alright?”
“Yes, yes...thank you...thank you so much!” The mare was crying but seemed a lot less afraid “My parents, they’ll make sure you’re very well rewarded”
“No reward needed, miss. Ah’m one of the Bearers. All in a day’s work for us. Though, ah gotta’ say, ah think this must be the first time ah’ve ever had to save ponies from ponies before. Never thought ah’d have to” She tipped her hat “Ah’d better tell the others, they’ll need to hear about what’s goin’ on in this city”
She fidgeted with the communicator clip. Her face fell with concern as it failed to light up.
“Now what is tarnation’s wrong with this thing?” She looked up at the young mare “D’ya think ya can get back to the embassy on yer own?”
“I think so, yes”
“Right, then tell them to have the guards outside and alert. An’ put a search on those two stallions who attacked ya...Something mighty suspicious is goin’ on”


*


There came an knock on the door to the Doo family household followed the sound of the door unlocking.
“Derpy?” the Doctor called “I’m back. You alright, love?”
The time-traveller found his favourite partner sitting at the kitchen table, crying into her hooves.
There were papers scattered across the table, all which had become crumpled from the mail-mare’s grip and stained with tears.
“D-D-Doctor...” the grey pegasus whimpered “L-l-look what they said about Dinky...”
He paled. Sparkler had told him what had happened on the way home but it was worse than he feared.
There were more pictures of Dinky than there were of Derpy. The ones of his partner had such tasteless slogans as ‘Is this the face of a dangerous pony?’, ‘Wrecker of town hall remains at large’, ‘Would you leave your foals with this mare?’ and so on.
The ones with Dinky in them were far less pleasant. Pictures of her had been edited through some means or another to make her look injured with bruises and cuts all over her face and body. The one photo that was genuine had been when Dinky had tripped on her dressing gown and fallen down the stairs, bumping her head on the banister and twisting a fetlock.
To Dinky it was a sharp but brief moment of pain which her parents swiftly helped ease but Derpy almost fell apart, blaming herself for allowing such a thing to happen and believing her own daughter wasn’t safe with her, flying out the door in tears and hiding on a cloud. It had taken a full day of the Doctor, Dinky, Sparkler, Rainbow Dash, Carrot Top, Cloud Kicker and Lyra Heartstrings to convince her that Dinky’s injury was no fault of hers.
Yet here it was again with such hateful words.
‘What’s She Hiding? What’s Her Mother Hiding?
Every day, little Dinky Doo goes into town with another suspicious injury and a funny story behind it.
There might well be another story at work that’s not so funny.
Her mother is not safe. And while she remains in her ‘care’, neither is poor Dinky.
Send help quick’
But the worst of all was a Missing Pony poster with a photo of Dinky’s face from around three years ago.
‘Have You Seen This Filly?
Taken from a loving family four years ago.
Anonymous witnesses report her to be in the company of a mentally unstable mare and bearing numerous injuries.
If found, please inform local authorities’
Each of these papers were signed by somepony under the name ‘A Concerned Citizen’.
The Doctor couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so angry.
But the fury of a time turner was not something he ever wanted Derpy Doo to experience.
He leaned over and hugged her tenderly.
“Derpy...you shouldn’t let this get to you...whoever wrote this doesn’t know you, nor do they know Dinky” He stroked the back of her messy blonde mane “It’s just some stupid old bully who wants to hurt you for no good reason...but that’s why you have us to stop it hurting...okay? Remember, Derpy? We’re always here for you”
Slowly, Derpy looked up, her face soaked with tears. The Doctor produced a tissue to dry her eyes and nose and smiled warmly.
“We’re never going to believe this garbage and neither is anypony else who know you. A pony only has to get to know you to realise you’re not mad, you’re not dangerous...you’re one of the best mothers I know”
“B-b-but...I...that time...when she fell and hit her head...” she whimpered.
“Oh come on, love. It was over in a flash. We made her feel better and made sure it didn’t get worse. Because that’s what parents do. Every parent in the world makes mistakes with their children but we don’t let it stop us, okay?”
Sniffing, Derpy managed a slight smile.


“Hey, Derpy” The door opened again as Sparkler arrived, Tootsie Flute and Dinky in tow. She beheld the papers on the table “Ah geez, more of this garbage?! Seriously Derpy, I wouldn’t let it get to you. Most of this wouldn’t even get the Flower Trio worried! It’s likelihood of convincing anypony in town is literally less than nothing!”
“You...you sure?” Derpy mumbled.
“Absolutely. Listen...back when we were growing up, Tootsie always got into accidents and got hurt” her head bowed as she relived painful memories “I wasn’t a parent, I was a big sister. Being a parent was a lot of responsibility and I barely did it right. But nopony ever said this about me. You’re ten times the parent I could ever be. Hay, you’re ten times the parent anypony I know could ever be. Don’t let it get to you. That’s exactly what they want”
She paused as her godmother hugged her tight.
“You’ve been a great sister, Sparkler” Derpy whispered “And I know you’ll make a great parent one day”
“Group-Hug!”
The two mares were bombarded by Dinky and Tootsie Flute hugging their sides.
“Mummy?” Dinky said, looking up into Derpy’s mismatched eyes “I don’t care what those papers say. I don’t care what anything says about you. I think you’re the best mommy ever and I’ll never stop thinking that...and I’ll never stop loving you...please don’t cry”
From how she heard her shudder, Derpy knew her daughter was close to crying herself.
That was something she never wanted.
“It’s okay, little muffin” she replied “I don’t want to cry anymore...not when I’m around you”
Dinky gave a small giggle as she looked up again.
“I know what’ll cheer you up!”
“Uh-oh” the Doctor took a step back as the periwinkle unicorn filly pounced on her mother’s front with a joyous cry of...
“Tickle-Tummy!”
As Dinky began mercilessly ticking Derpy’s belly with her little fore-hooves, mother and daughter erupted into a bout of wild giggles, rolling on the kitchen floor as either one tried to gain a foot-hold.
The father shook his head, laughing.
He liked family-life.
He liked it a lot.
Beside him, Sparkler and Tootsie Flute smiled warmly at the spectacle in turn.
After a good two minutes on non-stop laughter, Derpy and Dinky slumped to the floor breathlessly.
“Thanks, little muffin” Derpy panted, beaming at her daughter “Much better now”
“Great. Just to say, the O&O Club have invited the Doo family for their Lord of the Horseshoes Marathon at my place” Sparkler chuckled “I know the CMC would love to see you there. Catch you guys later. C’mon Toots”
As the pink unicorn and her little blue sister made their way home, Tootsie Flute gazed up at her sister and guardian.
“Sparkie?” she asked “Did anypony ever give you a hard time when we were growing up?”
Sparkler titled her head.
“Well, it took quite a bit of time before I was allowed to look after you...but when the Doos got involved...Look, Toots, some ponies are just like that. They’ll say anything just to get a reaction out of somepony, however mean or unneeded. The important thing is to ignore them and not give them that satisfaction. It’ll be okay, Tootsie. Trust me”
“Okay, Sparkie”
Sparkler felt the need to change the subject.
“So, you been having fun at O&O Club?”
“Absolutely! It’s really cool and it means me and Truffle are spending way more time together. If he gets a set for his birthday next month, I’ll be able to play with him whenever”
“Aw, you and Truffle Shuffle are hanging out, that’s great!” Sparkler gave her little sister’s mane a friendly ruffle “What about Twist?”
“Oh, it’s okay. She’s spending a lot of time with Babs Seed from out of town”
“Really?” She raised one eyebrow “Oh well, might be a good influence on the little bruiser”
“I’m sure she will” As Tootsie Flute trotted on down the path home, Sparkler gave one look back at the Doo family household and sniffed, stifling a flow of tears much like her aunt.
‘You don’t deserve this, Derpy...You don’t deserve any of it...’
> Interlude Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a very old saying.
The oldest.
Demons run when a good pony goes to war.
And an invisible war had come to Equestria.
Numerous eyes, not always in pairs, turned to the newcomer arriving at the hidden base.
“Anypony need a Doctor?”
“Doctor Whooves, a welcome sight. We stand a chance in this daunting fight”
Zecora, dressed in hardy forest armour and sporting a massive Mohawk that would put a Minotaur’s battle-axe to shame, beamed at him.
“The Dark Horse Squad are assembled and ready. But our march must be handled safe and steady. The Deceiver’s armies flock to his banner. So in his works, we must throw in a spanner”
“Well, maybe a screwdriver can suffice” the Doctor chuckled as he came across numerous friends across Equestria assembled for Luna’s secret army, the Dark Horse Squad, comprised of mysterious specialists, venturing where nopony else could, fighting in the darkness to serve the light.
Numerous familiar faces greeted him. Screwloose and Screwball were applying finishing touches to lethal-looking weaponry with a little too much enthusiasm, Steven Magnet the Sea Serpent fussed with his hair, spraying and combing it to ensure it would hold shape during battle and, in the corner of the room, a little white rabbit pawed at a heavy firearm, muttering.
“I’ll make this right, Fluttershy...I promise...He won’t hurt you anymore...I won’t hurt you anymore”
“Eh, what’s up, Doc?” the Doctor appeared from behind him with a goofy smile.
“Hey, Doctor...” Angel managed a smile.
“You alright, bunny boy?”
Angel looked up, his face sullen but determined.
“He’s out there, Doc. I know it. I’ve seen him...The one who nearly destroyed my life...who nearly destroyed Fluttershy”
“Gevaudan. The Big Bad Wolf, the one you saw in your nightmares”
“He turned me into a monster, Doc”
“Come on, Angel. You weren’t a monster, you were a grouch”
“A grouch who hit the kindest, gentlest pony any rabbit could ever meet” He was close to tears “The day she lost it, the day ‘New Fluttershy' came into town...I did that to her, Doctor...me...All because I wasn’t getting enough sleep...I turned her against her friends, against everypony...not even Discord could do it without cheating but I...”
“Angel, come here” The time-travelling stallion gave the remorseful bunny a hug. It had been a very hectic day for all involved when Fluttershy made a change. And the Doctor, the only pony around who could speak rabbit, had been there for Angel when he realised what he’d done. Horrible and repetitive nightmares had made the bunny incredibly irritable.
And on that day, he’d done the unthinkable and paid the price for it. Fluttershy, his mother-figure, his protector, had frightened him.
Though the day had ended fairly easily for most, Fluttershy, privately of course, had secretly dealt with a major guilt trip which still hurt her to this day.
And this, in turn, made Angel’s that much worse.
“She forgave you, Angel. It’s over now. You need to move on”
“She forgave me because that’s just what she does...She’s always forgiving ponies, even if they don’t deserve it...” Angel whimpered “Who else will forgive me if I can’t forgive myself? Every time I close my eyes, I see her face, the tears on her cheeks...and the slap I gave her...”
“Angel, mate, listen” He looked the white rabbit in the eyes “You’re looking at a stallion who’s done a lot of things he ended up regretting...and usually forgetting. You haven’t forgotten. That makes you ahead of me by quite a bit. But it’s important to move on once you’ve made up for it. So let’s get out there, bring down Gevaudan and all the other monsters and then, when Flutters comes home, really make an effort. Show her how much you care, eh?”
Angel gave a smile.
“Thanks Doc,” He pumped his firearm and yelled in anticipation “Right, Gevaudan, I hope you’re ready for a bunny-beatdown! You hear me, ya mangy mutt?! I’m gonna’ get WATERSHIP DOWN on your ass!”
“That’s the spirit” The Doctor patted him on the back and walked on, heading through the base until he met with the commander.
Princess Luna stood at a great podium in the bunker, speaking with Sparkler and a dark grey batpony with colourless eyes and a navy blue cloak.
As the Doctor approached, Luna faced him and smiled, the batpony bowing and departing into the shadows.
“Doctor. Your coming brings us no small amount of hope”
“Let’s hope it lasts” the Doctor sighed “Hey Sparky. Thanks for helping out” The Doctor gave his niece a friendly ruffle of the mane “Are Tootsie and Dinky alright?”
“We are placing all remaining citizens in places of safety but those two have not been found yet” Luna answered “They was seen between Ponyville and Trottingham. Fear not, Doctor. We are ready to conduct an emergency search. Your friends will not abandon you or your family” Luna gave him a nuzzle as he made his way toward the main bunker.


“This is all so...different” Sparkler said with amazement as they journeyed through the bunker “I never knew these ponies got up to this kind of thing without any of us knowing”
“Well, thanks for giving your crazy old uncle a chance to explain himself” the Doctor chuckled.
It had been an awkward day when Tootsie Flute accidently locked herself in the ‘Timey-Wimey Box’ while playing hide-and-seek with Dinky. They had thanked Celestia she’d had the sense not to press anything. But, naturally, the Doctor had to come clean to his new nieces about what he got up to.
Still, it was hardly the strangest thing Sparkler had ever come across. A town where Pinkie Pie had a say in most matters was never a stranger to curious cases.
They found Madam Coldblood and Spinning Jenny training with their boken, wooden training swords. Blunderbuss was adding some finishing touches to his beloved grenades and in the corner of the room an old acquaintance appeared to be chatting up Miss Harshwhinny.
“Hey, you come here often? Its okay, I like a mare with a lot of experience. Trust me, those wrinkles on your face are in all the right places, just hope it’s the same of the rest of you. No, don’t be like that, I got the same. What’s say we compare?”
‘Thwack’
Scowling, Miss Harshwhinny stormed out of the room, brushing past the Doctor, while the stallion who’d incurred her ire got up off the floor.
“She’ll be back” he chuckled, before noticing the time-traveller, leaping to his hooves and wrapping him in a hug.
He was a navy blue pegasus with a slicked-back silver mane and a cocky smile. A very old friend of the Doctor.
Though he’d much prefer more than friends.
“Yo! Doctor Do-It-Right, how’s it going! Come ‘ere, ya big old stud!”
“Captain Jack Heartthrob” the Doctor chuckled “I can honestly say I’ve missed you”
“Wow. That’s gotta’ be the longest duration of time anypony has ever said that to me since leaving. I mean seriously, sometimes I get that when coming back to the bed after a pee break”
“Too much information, mate...and too much hugging, paws off!” He swatted away a hoof sliding a little too far down his back.
“Fabulous bottom, Doc. As always. Derpy’s a very lucky stallion”
“Mare”
“Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?” he chuckled. He was an impulsive chuckler.
In truth, he was an impulsive stallion.
“Let me say, Doc. Excellent catch! That little pegasus has a face to die for. So goddamn cute! That irresistible aura of innocence about her!” He made a girlish squeak then frowned “Now that I think about it, that’s actually kind of a turn-off. It’d be like...doing it with a plush-toy”
“Jack!” the Doctor exclaimed.
He spun round, smiling.
“Still here, ready and waiting at your service. Where do you want it?”
“Stop it, Jack, okay! She means more to me than anypony can imagine. We’ve been through some tough times to get where we are”
“Hey, hey, all serious now” He patted his shoulder “We won’t let you down. It’s great that you’ve found your true calling and I’m really liking Ponyville. Hay, that green unicorn and the earth pony with the pink and blue mane? Totally cute together. Though they get up to some pretty adventurous stuff in the bedroom. That maid and policemare bit? Whoo-hoo-hoo! That’s my kind of police brutality! They were sleeping that off for a full day! Best Intel-Gathering Operation Ever!”
“Seriously? Jack, you’re an international, interdimensional secret agency operative not an erotic film producer!”
Jack shrugged.
“In practice, they’re basically the same except operatives don’t tell ponies when the camera’s on them” He spun round exuberantly and kissed Sparkler on the hoof.
“Captain Jack Heartthrob, I’m a stallion who loves meeting new ponies”
“Stop it”
“Hey, come on, Doc. I’m not gonna try anything with your family. I’m insatiable, not suicidal”
Coldblood and Jenny had ended their spar and turned to face the Doctor.
“Doctor” Coldblood said “With your company, we are ready to begin our search and rescue operation”
“Right” The Doctor checked himself and held up his screwdriver “Good to go?”
“Yeah, great. The old sonic screwdriver. If we ever run into the army of the killer wardrobes, we’ll know who to call” Jack chuckled.
“Wouldn’t be the first time”
“Yeah...I still owe you that drink”
“Well, they weren’t, strictly speaking, wardrobes so much as living plastic but same result”
Jenny cleared her throat.
“We’ve got a location. But bad news. The Deceiver’s Legions are a mite early...and they came from the east of here not the north, bypassing Trottingham”
“Oh nononono, not good. Not good at all. We need to get out there fast!” The Doctor ran for the doors, his companions in swift succession.
“My ultra-seismic precision nitro bolter is functional!” Blunderbuss cackled, lovingly cradling a bulky but intricate Demolition Dog rifle “Let us show them the glory and terror of the 10th Demolition Dog Battle Den!”
“Master - Long-Range Scan Complete - Daughter Of Master Located At Coordinates 290406”
The Doctor’s eyes widened and a smile broadened his face as a bizarre contraption glided into the room, speaking in a stilted, robotic voice and doing the closest thing it could to wagging its tail.
“Doctor...” Sparkler asked, dumbfounded “Is that a metal dog?”
“Correctamundo! A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again! Ladies and gentlecolts, this is K9. K9 the Great as he’s called some few centuries into the past and future. He’s another very old and very dear friend, aren’t you, K9?”
“Affirmative Master – Suggest Following Coordinates Immediately”
“Right. Time for tearful reunion’s later, once Dinky’s safe and sound. We’re off!”
“You gonna’ say it, Doctor?” Jack asked.
The Doctor smiled and declared, at the top of his voice.
“Allons-y!”


*


The hills and meadows between Ponyville and Trottingham were beautiful.
And tremendously fun when racing over them as fast as four little hooves could carry oneself as Dinky Doo and Tootsie Flute where finding out.
The Wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armour would be taking place tomorrow but the Doctor had the means to take them to the wedding in the span of a few moments, he claimed. They were always puzzled by Dinky’s father and his mysterious powers but it certainly gave them time to enjoy themselves. Derpy had gone with the Bearers of Harmony but Dinky and Tootsie had chosen to enjoy the Ponyville spring for a couple more days.
“Down the hill again, Tootsie!” Dinky cried merrily, lying flat on her belly with her forelegs outstretched and slightly cushioning her face as she and her cousin, whom she had gotten quite used to calling ‘sister’, rolled down the hill, giggling nonstop.
“Again, again!” the little periwinkle unicorn cheered, racing back up the hill.
Tootsie Flute gave a great puffing exhale of exhaustion.
“I wish the hill didn’t take so long in getting up” she groaned.
“Aw, but then rolling down it wouldn’t last as long, so it wouldn’t be fun” Dinky pointed out “Sometimes good things need a little bad to make them that way. That’s what my parents say”
Tootsie weighed her cousin’s words.
“Makes sense, I guess...wait...do you hear that?”
There was the sound of a muffled breathing, almost like air sucked through a straw.
Curious, the two fillies followed the sound, searching through the tall grass.
“Aha!” Dinky cried, startling the one responsible for the noise.
It was a colt. He must have been about their age but he looked significantly younger as one could only assume he hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet. He had a short, messy mane and was possessed of a piebald coat, rare in Ponyville. It quickly became clear how he had caused the noise. 
He was using an inhaler.
And appeared to need at that moment, with Dinky jumping out at him.
“I...I...I’m sorry” he gasped “I...I wasn’t following you, honest...I was just...er...I was...”
“It’s okay. We’re not like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with their silly ‘No Slimy Colts’ policy” Dinky chuckled as she and Tootsie eyed him. He was one of the most curious-looking ponies they’d ever seen “You know, you sound just like my daddy”
“Oh, um...thanks...” he mumbled, finally catching his breath “Sorry...I lose my breath quite easily...condition...doctors say it won’t last long though...”
“That’s okay” Dinky said smiling. The colt took a moment to look at her smile.
It wasn’t long before he was smiling back.
“Um...hello...” he said with some amount of effort.
“Hi. I’m Dinky, Dinky Doo. And this is my cousin, Tootsie Flute, but I call her my sister”
“Ah...how do you do?” the little colt got to his hooves at last “My name’s Pipsqueak”
“That’s a nice name” Tootsie piped up.
“Um...glad you like it...I don’t...” he replied sullenly “I prefer just ‘Pip’ if that’s alright”
“Pip’s nice too. You wanna’ play with us, Pip?” Dinky chirruped.
“Uh...okay” He gave an awkward look at his surroundings “What are you playing?”
“Well, we started off by playing ‘Roll down the hill’ but if you like playing something we could do that”
Pipsqueak thought a moment.
“Do you like playing pirates?”


*


“I just know you’re back when we’re running like hay” Jack chuckled breathlessly “Ugh, geez...I need to get back in shape...but you know how it is when you know what all your gym partners are like in the sack!”
“No, Jack, I don’t and I probably don’t need to” the Doctor grumbled as he and his companions followed K9, moving fast for a metal dog, to where Dinky had been located.
K9’s ears started spinning as he spoke.
“Alert - Multiple Life Forms Approaching And Indicating Hostility - Recommend Defence Mode”
From the clouds above, there came a hellish screech as swarms of white, bat-like creatures with gleaming foot-long talons came swooping down towards them.
"What the hay are those?!" Sparkler screamed.
“Ambush! Defensive positions! Repel the enemy!” Blunderbuss bellowed as he took aim with his bizarre gun and fired.
A blast of bright blue lightning shot out and unleashed a mild shockwave in the middle of the swarm, sending them scattering.
“Ha! Direct hit! Keep the flying vermin separated!” the Demolition Dog cackled.
“Flying Furies! Flipping fantastic!” the Doctor snapped, reaching for his screwdriver. The sound it emitted caused the winged harriers to lost balance entirely, the sonic pulse wrecked havoc with their sonar. With unbearable shrieks they swooped and dived, trying to claw the foe one after the other. Coldblood cut one clean in two with a single strike of her katana while Spinning Jenny leaped up atop one’s back, stabbed it through the neck and sent it careening into another. Sparkler, the only one without gadgets among them, nonetheless demonstrated her skill with magic, ranging from blasts to beams, repelling the nightmarish creatures.
As K9 powered up his laser function, firing beams of bright red at the assailants, the battle seemed won.
Then another, similar, screech came from the side of them as more flocks of Flying Furies descended from the sky.
“We can’t let them hold us back!” the Doctor ordered “If they’re sending small forces to distract us, we’re not who they’re after! Keep running!”


*


“Yarr, avast on the port side! Avast!” Pip cried merrily.
“A vast what?” Dinky asked, struggling not to giggle.
“I don’t know but it’s pretty big!” the little pinto made an effort to stand on his hind legs as he put one forehoof above his eyes in an observant gesture “Ahoy! ‘Tis Moby Duck! Thar’ she blows!”
“What are you talking about? Ducks don’t blow”
“Well, whatever it is they do, she’s doin’ it! Duck ho, on the port bow! Man the cannons! She’s gettin’ away! Faster yer swabs, faster!”
“More steam! More steam!” Tootsie yelled, getting into the spirit.
“Gar, this be a sailin’ boat, ye landlubber!”
“Oh yeah...More wind! More wind!”
“Arr, we’re gainin’ on ‘er. She’ll not get away this time! Forty years I’ve awaited this moment!” Pipsqueak gave a cackle that, the two fillies supposed, was trying to sound menacing as Pipsqueak raised one eyebrow at them “Arr! Yes, I know what you’ve said about me! I know what’s been whispered on this ship! Ye all think I’m a raving madam! I...” He paused “Wait...”
Dinky and Tootsie doubled up laughing. Red in the face, Pipsqueak stammered out an explanation.
“I...I misspoke! I m-meant to say ‘mad’. A madpony! I’m...pffhaha...I’m not...I’m...” It became too much for the colt as he joined his new friends in their wild laughter, rolling on the grass and clutching his sides.
“Okay...okay...” Dinky was first on her hooves “Okay...so...Moby Duck?”
“Oh yeah” Pipsqueak scrambled upright and gave another bellow "Raise the main sail! We're goin' after 'er!"
Dinky found it so cute when Pipsqueak was shouting. It wasn’t shrill or even very loud but it was filled with so much enthusiasm it was impossible not to feel heartened.
He’d had to pause to use his inhaler a couple of times but he still seemed upbeat enough to continue.
“Man the cannons, ye swabs! I’ll sink the scurvy bird if it be the last thing I do!”
“Look out! Kraken to starboard!” Tootsie cheered, pointing wildly to the side.
To their surprise, they noticed a tentacle emerging from the grass. A black glistening tendril, brushing through the grass like a snake.
“Um...Hello?” Dinky asked, taking a step back “Mr Kraken? Are...Are you friendly?”
“Oh yes...Very...”
A distinctly unsettling voice came from behind them.
They turned and screamed, scrambling backwards on the grass as a hideous, emaciated stallion emerged, grinning morbidly.
He was unlike anything they’d ever seen before. His coat was a blotchy mixture of sickly dark blues and greens and his mane was black, oily and hung over his face and neck in strands. His glowing eyes were bright yellow and without pupils or irises, a pair of sheer pools of bile. His teeth were sharp and dribbling a yellow liquid that glowed like his eyes. He had a crooked horn that pointed downwards and appeared cracked and rotten. But most noticeably his back was dotted with holes, like a honeycomb, from which emerged a brace of writhing tentacles that had slowly pointed towards the three foals.
“Hello children” he purred “Can I play too?”


Tootsie screamed and turned to run. A great red paw slammed into the ground in front of her as a crimson horned dog-like creature standing on its hind legs and wielding a battle-axe snarled at her, followed by several more of its kind surrounding them.
The stallion drew himself up with a smirk.
“I am Morlock” he declared “Son of the Great Deceiver, Marephistallion. We have returned as we always vowed we would and we seek the ancient enemy known as the Doctor. His offspring dwell here. The scent of the time-turner, of Emelpi’s ashes, of countless lost reflections into time and space, is heavy on the air. One of you...came from him”
The dog-beasts growled with slathering jaws, pawing at their axes as the three foals stared into Morlock’s hungry, sadistic eyes. Dinky felt Tootsie Flute huddle up to her, quivering. As Dinky clutched at her shoulder, Pipsqueak, hooves shaking with every step, slowly placed himself in front of his two new friends.
“I grow impatient...” Morlock sneered “Answer me or your short lives will end in mortal agony...I think I’ll have the blue one killed first. She lacks the look of a time-turner and my hellhounds are very hungry”
Tootsie Flute began to cry into her sister’s shoulder. Dinky looked up at the strange monstrous pony who wanted her life.
She didn’t know where he’d come from, why he was after her family or what he would do with her. All she knew was that Tootsie would die in pain if she didn’t come forward.
Shutting her eyes tight and trying hard not to think of what might befall her, she opened her mouth to speak.
“It’s me”
The voice that had spoken had not been Dinky’s.
Both fillies’ eyes snapped open to see Pipsqueak standing before the terrifying creature before them, trying hard to remain standing on his rattling hooves. As Morlock raised one eyebrow, the little pinto colt spoke again.
“I’m the one you’re after...The Doctor’s child...I’ll come with you...but let Dinky and Tootsie go...that’s all I ask”
“P-P-Pip...No!” Dinky gasped.
“It’s alright, Dinky...” Pip closed his eyes “I can do this...just...be safe for me...alright?”
“Heh...brave little colt...I’m hardly surprised” Morlock mused as he slid a tentacle around Pipsqueak’s four hooves, hoisting him up in the air and dangling the colt in front of him, face-to-face.
“I suppose any offspring of the Doctor were hardly likely to look normal” He glanced at the two fillies on the ground “You two might want to run home. Let them know the Deceiver’s legions are at their door”
They managed to find their hooves but remained staring at the helpless colt in the grip of a pony out of their nightmares.
“Please run” Pipsqueak pleaded.
“Pip...you can’t”
Dinky was close to tears.
“Please just go!” he yelled. As if on cue, the hellhounds began snarling again, snapping at Tootsie’s fetlocks. Reluctantly, Dinky and Tootsie galloped away back to Ponyville, tears streaming from their eyes.
Little Pipsqueak was left with Morlock, who was eyeing him with amusement.
“Always so determined to save your friends...You take after your father...And like your father...it won’t help them” He nodded to the hellhounds “I think that’s a suitable head-start”
“But...but you said...”
“I said I’d let them go...” Morlock sniggered, holding the whimpering colt by the neck with one tentacle “I didn’t say I wouldn’t follow...and I certainly didn’t say I would let them live” He turned back to the hellhounds, who were getting to all four paws, pawing the ground in anticipation.
He gave an order, his voice possessed of an eerie echo.
“FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!”


*


Far from Ponyville, a young gazelle maiden gave a great sigh of relief as the airship landed at Kimpala docks, overlooking the vast East Zebrican Valley.
Her perils were over at last.
Since escaping that horrible palace of pain and humiliation, she had taken the route to the Wilderlands of Zebrica via the Salt Road, a journey that had lasted her two months. Her old tormentor had sent seekers, of course. She’d barely lost them at Al’Farasnahr, hid for days in a village in Cameloon and at Gnubangi, several friends she’d made over her journey gave their lives to bide her time.
But at last it was over.
Finally over.
Stepping forwards, she removed her hood, showing her face to the airship’s passengers. The landing bay was, thankfully, the single landing bay that hadn’t been damaged in a recent explosive accident on the main landing sites and now largely abandoned.
She’d seen the explosion the evening before and had prayed all through the night she wouldn’t have to flee again.
A large contingent of zebra and antelope guards with pikes departed from the airship, bedecked in cobalt-blue armour with green and red-striped cloaks, lining up to surround the landing bay. They made way for their sergeant, a zebra, and a finely-dressed gazelle, like herself. 	Her cousin, a senior commander of her father’s guard.
“Princess Sembel” he said warmly “Thank Khnum we have found you”
“Qohaito” she sighed “At last...I have never been happier to see you...”
“Come, Princess” Qohaito said “Your father, Emperor Adulis has been consumed with grief the day you were taken from us. All of Antelopia will celebrate your return, you’ll see. We’ll...”


‘Crack!’


Commander Qohaito staggered and slowly stared at the bullet-hole punched through his chest before toppling to the ground.
Sembel stared, mouth agape at what had transpired.
“Q-Q-Qohaito?” she whimpered.
“Ambush! Defensive positions! Princess, get down!” The sergeant drew a blade and bellowed orders. Almost on signal, three more shots fired, taking out three antelope readying crossbows.
“Sniper! Up th-argh!” A soldier’s alarm was cut off with a bolt to the head.
“Bring up the arbalest!” A corporal cried, taking cover behind a great square shield and preparing her long-range crossbow “This will bring him down!”
Before she could fire, however, a soldier beside her brought his pike down on her neck, severing her head in one blow.
“What are you doing?!” The sergeant roared as the turncoat removed his helm. A red-striped zebra with a spiky white mane and a missing eye smiled as pointed his bloodied pike out before him.
“There’s been a change of plans, Sergeant” he said, his voice possessed of an urban drawl, quite unlike most Zebricans “The Princess is coming with us”
As they clashed, another stranger pounced onto the landing bay from above, a towering pale green stallion encased in the bronze armour of a Neighponese Samurai with a great mask of a fanged horror. The bay shook as he stepped forward, drawing a wickedly-sharp black iron blade. Upon drawing it and sweeping it out across him, four of the guard lay bisected.
“Princess!” the sergeant cried, falling to his knees as the red zebra spun around and sliced him across the fetlocks.
“Run!”
The blade of the red zebra protruded from out his chest as the young gazelle gave a scream and ran.
There was another crack of gunfire and, for a moment, she thought the sharpshooter had gotten her at last.
In fact the shot had fired far above her, launching a zipline from one building to the next which was swiftly made use of by a plumb blue unicorn mare, sniper hovering over her shoulder as she took several more shots of any survivors, before dropping, rolling and stopping Princess Sembel dead in her tracks.
“I would stay put if I were you, miss”


Sembel fell to her knees in shock as the three assailants, hooves red in the blood of those who’d sworn to protect her, surrounded her.
“Please...who are you? Why are you doing this?”
From behind them, there came the sound of a satisfied chuckle and a tapping hoof of approval.
“Very well done, I must say. Almogavar, Kamakiri. Welcome to the team”
The red zebra and the samurai spun round to where the voice was coming from. The zebra stamped the butt of his pike on the ground while the samurai bowed his head low and then raised it in one swift movement.
“You two have performed splendidly. A thorough and patient search and a swift capture. I couldn’t have asked for more. Particularly liked the sabotage yesterday afternoon”
“A good student learns from his master, Cascadius-sama” Katakiri said, his voice low and without mirth.
“Bloodhound and Miura were right to recommend you. And Blue Murder, thank you for taking care of the rookies”
“This’d better be the last time. My own son isn’t nearly as much of a hassle”
The zebra, Almogavar, raised his eyebrows innocently while the armoured hulk, Katakiri, gave a scowl behind his mask.
The stallion named Cascadius simply chuckled.
“No need to worry, these two have more than proven themselves. Solo missions are hereby authorised for the pair of you”
“About damn time” Almogavar scoffed “That hit on Robber Baron in Sugarcandy’s mine!”
“And now, Princess Sembel...I believe it’s time we completed our contract...” Sembel, whimpering, heard the heavy hoof-beats approach her and a hoof take her shoulder. She found herself looking into the eyes of a stallion whose expression of sheer nonchalance and callous calmness made her blood run cold.
“Forgive us for starling you but you see our employer was adamant that your safe and punctual return to him was crucial. I’m afraid Warlord Schnortel has been missing you terribly”
“No...No...” The gazelle shook her head, her breath quickening as she began to scream “NO! Please! I beg you, please! Don’t send me back! Don’t take me back to him!”
“Oh sweetheart, please don’t cry. Here” Cascadius took Sembel’s chin firmly in his hoof, produced a tissue and dried her eyes, smiling “It might not be so bad. Schnortel can be very generous to those who serve him well...at least in our experience”
“Please...I’ll do anything...Whatever he’s paying you, my father will offer twice as much!”
“Oh no, no, no, that won’t do at all” He wagged his hoof like a scolding parent “I don’t break a contract...ever. It’s very bad form. Although, we would of course be willing to take up your father’s offer once our contract is expired...about three years from now. Now, if you could please step on the airship, we should arrive at Morrillia by this time tomorrow if we don’t stop. I hope nopony needs the toilet”
“NO! PLEASE! PLEASE JUST KILL ME! JUST KILL ME!”
“Hey, hey! Shut up! My transceiver’s going” Blue Murder snapped as Sembel was dragged by the two mercenaries into the airship, wailing and sobbing, the ordeals and sacrifices of her two month flight wasted before her.
Blue Murder, meanwhile, held the transceiver to her ear.
“Hey love, everything alright?” He face went from cheerful to concern in moments “Sorry? A...A monster attack? A monster army attack?! You...You’re sure they’re heading towards Trottingham...Bloody hay, alright, hide in the clock tower. Mom’s on her way...I love you”
She turned to Cascadius with terrified eyes.
“It’s Tungsten!” her voice wavered “He’s in danger!”
The paymaster did not pause as he produced a hearthstone.
“Use it quickly and make sure you aren’t followed. Hopefully no-one in Kimpala can track these. I’ll send for some help. Good luck”
Blue Murder nodded, lit up her horn and used the hearthstone, disappearing in a flash of sepia.
As the sobbing Sembel was bundled into the airship, Cascadius set about clearing the platform, tossing the corpses over the cliffs and into the valley. The valley did not lack for predators and would, no doubt, find the litter of carcasses inviting.
While doing so, he switched on his crystal-operated transceiver and adjusted the frequency to all contact levels. The screen showed various green and red lights on a map, signifying where his colleagues were and if they available or not.
“Everypony, we have a situation. I need all available commanders to head to Trottingham as quickly as possible, by whatever means necessary”
“Some of us are a little busy at the moment, Cass” He heard Bloodhound’s voice “What’s going on in merry old Trottingham?”
“Tungsten’s in danger”
“We’re on our way” Bloodhound hadn’t paused as various green lights and even some red ones went blue, signifying acceptance and progress in a job.
Cascadius smiled.


*


“We can’t keep this up!” Jenny yelled, cutting down three more Flying Furies who strayed too close to her blade “They’re regrouping up there, coming at us in waves! We’re pinned down”
“Do not worry, sir” Blunderbuss beckoned “I shall momentarily adjust seismic levels to ninth-level exterminatory mode. Grant me cover”
Jack stepped in with a Sonic Blaster, firing off several crack-shots.
“I’m covering for ya’, short stuff. Hoping I can cover you in a totally different way later”
“Now is not the time, Jack!” the Doctor yelled, setting his screwdriver to a higher frequency.
“Wait...” Coldblood said, eyes upon the sky “They’re not regrouping. They’re retreating! Look...”
Sure enough, the Flying Furies were ascending back into the clouds, leaving behind the dead and wounded, screeching and cawing all the while.
“Well, ladies...” Jack caught his breath “It would seem, for once, I lasted longer than the gang of bat creatures”
“This is gonna’ be a thing with you, isn’t it” Jenny shot him a look of distaste.
“I can tell this is your first time with him” the Doctor chuckled “K9, what are your thoughts”
“I Am Not Programmed To Detect Innuendo, Master - I Apologise”
“No, no. Why did the Flying Furies take off?”
“Scanners Detect Long-Range Recall Signal On Infernal Frequencies - All Demonic And Undead Life-Forms In The Area Obey”
“Can you follow them?”
“Affirmative - Tracing Enemy Activity...” His ears suddenly started spinning “Alert - Demonic Presence Approaching At High Velocity - Subjects In Pursuit Of Two Equine Life-Forms”
Blunderbuss removed a pair of military binoculars and looked out over the hills.
“I see two colts approaching”
“Fillies” Coldblood corrected him.
“Yes, ma’am...and something else...” His paws leapt to his rifle “Ha! Hellhounds! Demon-loving traitors to the canine race! Open fire!”
“Watch your fire! That’s Dinky and Tootsie!” the Doctor yelled, catching sight of the two terrified fillies.
“S’alright, love. You wouldn’t trust us with guns if we weren’t any good with ‘em” Jenny grunted as she and Coldblood coolly drew flintlocks and fired on the hellhounds.
“Maximum Defence Mode!” K9 declared as round after round of bullets, bolts and lasers peppered the pursuers, bringing down around half their number before the remnants turned tail and fled.
“Daddy!” Dinky cried.
“Sparky!” Tootsie wailed.
“Dinky! Come here, little muffin!” the Doctor held out his hooves.
“Tootsie! It’s okay, I’m here!” Sparkler did likewise.
“Halt!”


The two pairs were suddenly cut off from each other as Coldblood, Jenny, Blunderbuss and Jack pointed their firearms at the two terrified fillies.
“What are you doing?!” Sparkler shrieked.
“You will answer the following questions, without delay” Coldblood ordered grimly “Move an inch closer and we will fire. Miss Dinky Doo, what was the name of your grandmother?”
“I...I...please...” Dinky curled up on the ground.
“Just answer the question”
“L-Looking Glass...”
“Good. And what was her nickname among the community her husband grew up in? Quickly please”
“D-D-Ditzy...”
“Good. And Miss Tootsie Flute, what was the name of you and your sister’s best friend during your foal-hood who travelled with you until Miss Sparkler found her a home?”
“Foxglove...her name was Foxglove...” Tootsie whimpered.
“What colour was her coat and mane?”
“Magenta coat...and a purple mane with a green streak”
Coldblood nodded as she and the others turned away their guns.
The two fillies fell, sobbing into the arms of their family.
“What the hay was that?” Sparkler barked.
“My most sincere apologies, Miss Sparkler, but Marephistallion is not called the Deceiver without reason. We had to ensure they were not spies”
The Doctor hugged Dinky tightly, tears rolling down his own cheeks as he whispered to his daughter.
“It’s okay, Dinky, it’s okay...I’m here...it’s okay”
“No...No it isn’t” the little periwinkle unicorn sobbed “They’ve got Pip! He took Pip!”
“Who’s Pip?” Jenny asked.
“Our new friend...we were playing in the hills when a really scary stallion showed up...he said his name was Morlock...”
“The Soulsnatcher, son of Marephistallion and Serendipity” Coldblood whispered grimly.
“He...he said he wanted the Doctor’s child...And he said he’d kill Tootsie if...if...”
“It’s alright, Dinky, just tell me happened” the Doctor said, drying his daughter’s tears.
“Pip...he said he was your son...and Morlock took him and those big dogs chased us here...and I don’t know what he’s doing to Pip!” As she broke down crying again, the Doctor slowly looked up at his companions.
“Well then...” he said, steeling himself “Let’s go get him back!”
“Doctor, is that necessary?” Coldblood asked “If Marephistallion believes he already has your child, we may have time to bolster our defences at Ponyville. It’s an unpleasant circumstance, I know, but...”
“But nothing!” the Doctor stood up, eyes blazing “A young colt gave his life to protect my daughter. What’s happened here isn’t his fault, nor is it Dinky’s fault. It’s my fault and I’m gonna’ fix it. We’re gonna’ go in there and save that kid. I chose to stay in Ponyville to avoid blood on my hooves. Not again, not after all I’ve done. Pip does not die today. I won’t allow it!”
There was a pause.
“Very well, Doctor” Coldblood said, bowing “Let us go on the offensive”
“Aha! Spoken like a true Demolition Dog, ma’am!” Blunderbuss yapped with glee.
“Sparkler, can you take Dinky and Tootsie to Ponyville? Princess Luna will be waiting for you, make sure she knows what happened”
“I’ll do my best, Doc” Sparkler nodded as her uncle craned down and kissed Dinky on the cheek.
“Don’t worry, love. We’ll get him back. I promise”
The Doctor tried never to look back but he found himself doing so regardless as Sparkler took the two fillies on her back and rushed back the way they came.
“Right then...” the time-traveller growled, looking forward “Time to send the demons running!”
> Interlude Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a warm morning but the afternoon seemed to bring about a cold shower of sorts, making the air seem almost moist upon the skin. A great tide of mist shrouded the great hills and mountains east of Ponyville almost entirely from view.
And in the mist came the invisible war and those who fought it.
An army swarmed the hillside. Even without the mist, the colours of the hill itself would be blotted out from view.
At the head of the hill was a palanquin, kept raised by an unfortunate assortment of creatures that had, through some horrific enchantment, become fused, latched under the palanquin as a quivering, twitching mass of heads and limbs trapped in constant agony as they could only move steadily in whichever direction they were directed. From within the creature itself came the groans and wails of sentient beings that once been whole.
Atop the palanquin, a withered husk of a pony sat swathed in rune-inscribed cloth, its eerie heavy breathing appearing to echo across the landscape. 
Monsters of all shapes and sizes surrounded to the emaciated figure. Monsters rarely ever seen in Equestria or any place like it.
The palanquin owner was flanked by a quartet of succubi, lithe and luxurious demons of pleasure, with bodies like batponies but possessed of caprine horns and forked tails. They trailed their fore-hooves over the palanquin owner and each other. Their master barely registered it.
Surrounding the palanquin were hordes of slender gaunts, cultists of the demonic restoration, long and lanky of limb and neck, pale things with vacant eyes and constantly mumbling cryptic oaths in their master’s name.
Gaunts weren’t ideal soldiers, however, rather legions of slaves. Ungul were different. Twisted, savage and carnivorous equine effigies in ramshackle armour and rusty but still very lethal weapons, the armies of ungul had long served as the primary fighting force of Marephistallion’s armies.
Forming the vanguard were hordes of hellhounds, brutish bipedal canines, blood-red and hungry for slaughter. They were uneasy allies and it didn’t pay to leave them to get impatient. But they would be sated soon and once fed they would be forever loyal.
And when those failed, the army was privy to a half-dozen monstrous gulgants, lumbering behemoths as tall as the highest trees in the Everfree. Dull-witted and aggressive, the gulgants had seats strapped to their backs where small ungul slave-drivers kept them in line with hooks and chains.
Flying Furies were encircling the sky, caterwauling sentries that had swept the clouds into a great thick vapour above them, hiding them from Ponyville and Ponyville from Cloudsdale. Once the town fell, Cloudsdale would be next.
Every breath escaping from out the cloth like the faint sound of griffin talons across a blackboard, the figure in the palanquin turned to a bizarre being beside him.
“Doctor...” he wheezed “Are you certain the child is close?”
Doctor Poddle had been bizarre even in his early life, an unfortunate case of a unicorn born with an unresponsive horn. Unable to use magic, he began researching the means to completely radicalize pony technology, rendering the magic he’d grown to despise completely obsolete. He built a device, a hulking metal mech-suit walking on two legs that would, with otherworldly force, protect the wearer from harm and grant him capabilities unseen. There was but two drawbacks.
The first was that he hadn’t added a means to exit the suit. Ever.
And the second, rather less immediate but far more significant, was that he hadn’t counted on where the force had come from. It had come from the realm of chaos where Marephistallion and Discord drew their power.
Driven completely mad in moments, Poddle defected to Marephistallion upon his ascension, offering to equip his armies and build his war machines in return for more and more knowledge kept only within the realm of chaos.
While he remained in the suit, however damaged it became, he survived. He had since become fused within it, the transparent pod where the suit’s wearer resided displaying a hideous sight of a pair of what had once been hooves and a demented, disfigured visage, eyes jolting in their sockets and the insane Doctor’s grin nearly separating his face in twain.
He spoke through the suit’s speakers, his voice possessed of an unhinged giggle.
“Close enough for my sensors, Lord Marephistallion, hehehmhmhmh....Though the little treasure appears to be fleeing”
“Morlock and his hunters will ensure it remains in our grasp” He removed one hand, a bony, six-fingered specimen, and watched it twitch in front of him “I need that foal...I will not allow it to impede me”


“M-m-master...” A trembling gaunt appeared, bowing before the palanquin “Your noble son sends a message. He has captured the Doctor’s son and is heading to you with all haste”
“Ah...a son? Interesting...Go on...”
“Yes...th-there is more, master...Princess Luna guards the town. She and a small elite team. They...are unfamiliar”
“Ugh...Luna...that little harlot has been an annoyance since day one...No matter. My armies will swarm Ponyville as planned. Gevaudan!”
There came a howl from one of the hills and a breeze as something large but quiet flung itself high into the air and landed without much of a sound. Unusual for something so large. A gigantic silver folewolf with glowing eyes trailing bright blue mist, knelt before the palanquin.
“Master...” he growled “Your bidding”
“I trust you are ready to mend your previous mistakes, wolf” Marephistallion said in an unamused tone.
“Master” the great wolf looked up, his face full of humility but his voice betraying a low growl “I assure you...I did all I could. I filled the Bearer of Kindness’s pet with horrors of the mind...and through him she too became a cruel and spiteful thing”
“A petty little bully calling ponies names and cutting in line...Far from the berserk, bloodthirsty slaughterer you promised she would become. I have to say...I was very disappointed”
“If...If I had more time...”
“Well you do not. The time for you to mend your mistakes starts and ends today. Claim Ponyville, slaughter its inhabitants and bring me Princess Luna...” He grinned from behind the cloth “I intend to deliver her bloodied, broken and befouled corpse to her darling niece as a wedding present”
“It will be done, master. I promise you success”
“Promises will only get you so far, Gevaudan. Get me that town. Quickly. Oh, but before you do, hold that idiot still. He has earned the death sentence”
“Wh-what?” The unfortunate gaunt spluttered as Gevaudan’s immense hand seized him by the shoulders “Wh-why? What have I done?”
“You were foolish enough to bring ill news to me” Marephistallion said, hints of mirth in his voice as he slowly stretched out his arm, his hand convulsing on its wrist.
“And I cannot abide stupidity”
The palm of his hand split open and produced a ghostly black tendril, shooting out and impaling the gaunt through the throat, draining him of his essence in mere moments as the dying cultist’s body writhed and shrivelled.
Once he was done, the tendril and the hand went back behind the cloth as Gevaudan let the dried husk of a corpse slump to the ground and turn to dust.
“Bah...” the demon prince sneered “I would need a billion of his paltry kind to acquire my full power...But with the child of a time turner, I will become more powerful than ever before...the world shall be mine...existence itself shall be mine” He gave a deep sniff on the air.
“You’re out there, aren’t you, Doctor...Heh...I am not running from you”


*


Sparkler ran. She ran as fast as she was capable.
Somehow you always found something to run to or from in Ponyville, things being the way they were.
But she knew she didn’t do as much running as she used to.
“Sparkler!” Dinky cried, clutching the back of her neck “Are daddy and Pip gonna’ be okay?”
“Of course, Dinky, don’t worry” Sparkler said between gasps “Daddy’s gonna’ take care of it!”
“Are we gonna’ be safe back home?” Tootsie asked nervously.
“Sure we will, Tootsie. We’re not far now, just a little more...oh...” She struggled not to curse in the company of her younger sisters as she glanced over the hill.
A vast army of ungul was making their way across the fields, their armour clanking and clattering as they marched, stomping in lockstep.
Hellhounds flanked each division, pawing at their axes, sniffing and snapping at the air.
No flying furies could be seen which was a benefit but any closer and at least one of the hellhounds would be alerted.
Sparkler crouched and nudged the two fillies off her back.
“Get down...Don’t move a muscle”
Dinky and Tootsie huddled up against their big sister as she looked over the hills.
Ponyville was several miles before them but there seemed no possible way to enter without either being spotted by them or running into the town while it was under attack.
Neither of which she wanted for her little sisters.
“Okay...okay...” she felt her breath growing more and more shaky “Don’t panic. None of you too panic, we’re gonna’ get through this...I promise...We’re gonna get back home”
“There’s hundreds of them” Tootsie whispered fearfully.
“Yeah, I can see that” Sparkler said off-hoofedly, searching for some way to enter, hooves frozen to the ground in anxiety.
As her eyes swept the scene while Tootsie huddled up to her, nopony noticed Dinky Doo silently slipping away.
She hated disobeying her parents and making them worry but she had no choice. Nothing in the world could have convinced her to simply hide away.
She had a friend to save.


A large barricade had been built at the head of the town.
It wouldn’t last long against the hellhound’s axes but it gave the defenders just enough time to take their positions.
A motley collection of specialists held their chosen armaments close and waited with baited breath as the walls shook, the weapons and war machines of the enemy slamming into their defences. The minotaur, Iron Will, fastened a stockade and joined his colleagues below, thumping the head of his sledgehammer in his palm.
Luna turned to her lieutenant.
“And to think, I’d been missing the days I took to the field” she sighed.
The grey batpony, dressed in rare sap-silk armour, durable yet flexible with a great black cloak and jagged blades along his gauntlets, gave a dry chuckle.
“In those days, your highness...we had a larger army”
“In those days, your highness, we needed one” A luscious voice sounded behind them as Fleur de Lis appeared, her glamorous face tweaked with a satisfied little smirk.
Luna and her lieutenant blinked.
“How is that a pony who makes a living getting others to notice her can so easily move unnoticed?” Luna asked with hints of exasperation.
Fleur shrugged with a giggle.
“It’s easy when you know how” She tossed her mane and spoke in a more serious tone “I’ve been up on top of the town hall. If the enemy measures worth by size then they’re led by a rather large white folewolf who doesn’t seem all that happy about being here”
“Gevaudan, the howling horror. He plagued this town for a time. By far his least successful venture”
The batpony chuckled.
“I once had somepony who bore that name among the knights. She’s the only wolf I ever let scare me”
“Angel Bunny has a claim after that one’s life” Luna said “I will face Morlock should he approach” She drew her sword from the sheathe slung over her side and let it catch the light.
“The Sinistrous Blade, cast from the left side of the Equis Blade of Laurelore” the batpony mused “Swift and keen and always ready for service” He himself drew a mighty falchion from off his back.
“Right then...” Luna stepped forward, every pony and creature defending the town turned their eyes “Let us hope the Doctor fares adequately. We meanwhile...hold the line” She turned back to her lieutenant “I hope your fighting days aren’t yet extinguished...Midnight Blade”
The grey batpony smiled.
“Nothing’s killed me yet. Nothing can kill the Eternal Knights” He held the blade upwards and a stretched out his pteropine wings, closing his colourless eyes in prayer. One by one, those around him joined him. Fleur, Angel, Zecora, Iron Will, Chalice Harshwhinny, Screwloose, Screwball, Steven Magnet and every other who had chosen to help out and fight this day joined him in prayer, their murmurs growing into a combined chant.
“We are the shields in the shadow. We are the blades that reflect the sun”
The pounding on the door hollered throughout the town between each verse of their vow.
“We are the heroes unseen and unsung. We are servants and yet masters, forever fighting in battles without heroes”
“We are the hammer, white-hot, against the anvil of harmony. We ring, deafening, upon the coarse metal that bleeds and scars the land”
“We are the burning embers in the fires of the sun. We are the biting frost on the dark side of the moon”
“We are the Heroes Unsung, the Army Unseen. We are...The Dark Horse Squad”
“And we are there when the world needs heroes”
Midnight Blade’s hoof run along the edge of his falchion.
“Eternal Knights...We take up arms again...White Wolf...Fletcher Fray...I’ll see you soon”
The barricades came down as Ponyville was met with leering, snarling faces of Marephistallion’s army of monsters.
Luna spread her wings and raised her sword high, her eyes blazing with the light of her moon, as she bellowed.
“ON BEHALF OF MY SISTER, I WELCOME THEE... TO PONYVILLE!”


*


“Wake up, child”
Pipsqueak slowly opened his eyes, his head threatening to split.
He found himself looking into the great, bile-yellow eyes of Morlock, holding him upside-down by the hooves.
He remembered now. He’d passed out. He badly needed his inhaler back. Being captured by a creature out of his nightmares was not good for his condition.
All he could think about was wishing he was back home. And he didn’t think that often.
That and hoping Dinky and Tootsie were back at her home.
They’d been so nice. So unlike most foals he’d grown up with.
Truthfully, his only other friend was his god-brother, Tungsten, who was about four years older than him.
He just couldn’t have let this monster take them. Nice fillies like them would be missed by a lot more ponies than him.
He just hoped his mother and Tungsten would get over it. His mother could always have another foal and Tungsten was a lot tougher than Pip. And his father wouldn’t care.
He wouldn’t care at all.
Morlock’s grin stopped his trail of thought.
“I imagine you must be rather scared” he sniggered “But don’t worry...You are about to be part of something magnificent”
He was being carried up a hill and soon realised Morlock wasn’t the only monster about.
There were hordes of them. He recognised the hellhounds from before. Joining them were hideously ugly equines, twisted and disfigured dressed in scrap-metal and cradling rusty blades a little too happily.
Walking up the hill, Pipsqueak found a crowd of tall, thin ponies staring at them with wide, blank eyes. As Morlock approached, they passed, bowing their heads.
He saw the palanquin. He saw the terrible mass of flesh beneath it. He saw the bat-like mares doing things he knew his mother would not like him seeing.
And he saw the figure perched upon the seat itself, glaring down at him through his cloth.
“Morlock...” he croaked “You have returned...And not alone”
“Father” He knelt, still keeping the colt in mid-air “I have found him”
There was a pause.
“Bring him closer”
Morlock rose to his hooves and did as his father bid, lifting the struggling colt in front of the strange, hunched creature atop the palanquin. The succubi all craned forward, reaching out for him, their faces full of eager curiosity.
“Away!” the figure squawked, causing the temptresses to flinch and shy away. He raised his head and Pipsqueak found himself looking into the most horrifying eyes he’d ever seen.
They seemed to split into pairs and morph into one consistently, like a lava lamp. Their colours shifted along with their shape but never once did anything about them look remotely friendly. Just looking at them made Pipsqueak feel like he was losing his mind.
Since as early as he could remember, Pipsqueak had always loved scary things, the weird and wacky, the chilling and creepy. One of the reasons Nightmare Night was his favourite holiday and Luna was his favourite princess.
But this wasn’t that kind of scary. This wasn’t big, loud, bright and silly, jumping out at you and making a funny noise.
This was a slow, cold and unsettling kind of scary, one that stuck into you like a knife and then slowly, very slowly, twisted. A daunting horror that shattered his illusion of safety in the world and made him question everything he’d ever known.
And as it stared at him, Pip could swear his sanity was being eaten away.
He felt his breath growing faster and faster.
He didn’t have his inhaler.
He was going to pass out, he knew it.
Then a hoof reached out of the figure’s robes. No...Not a hoof...A hand!
Back in Ponyville, Lyra Heartstrings had once been what she described as a ‘homosapientologist' but what others described as a ‘human-freak’, not meaning she was a freak in the conventional sense or that humans were but that the study of mythical creatures known as ‘humans’ was a particular hobby of hers which she explained to others frequently.
It had been a temporary phase and she’d never been what could be described as obsessive but she’d mentioned the hand, an appendage owned by members of the primate family.
But this was different. It was grey, bony and had six fingers, a thumb on either side of its palm, each tipped with a hooked, yellow claw.
It seized him by the throat like some awful arachnid, forcing him to breathe slowly and less frequently, at least ensuring that Pipsqueak wouldn’t pass out. But ironically, there was nothing the little colt wanted more than to simply faint into unconsciousness and escape from this nightmare.


“You are certain this is the child?” whatever was inside the cloth rasped.
“Without a doubt, father. The time-turner’s colours are apparent upon him”
“One set of colours, indeed, yet he possesses two. What of the other?”
Morlock grinned.
“I would believe it to be none other than Princess Celestia herself”
Pipsqueak’s eyes widened.
Did they really think he was the son of Doctor Whooves and Princess Celestia? Why would that even be possible?
Did he really look so different from everypony else?
Morlock’s father, meanwhile, gave a sort of purr indicating deep-thought.
“It sounds promising, Morlock...perhaps too much so...How can you be sure?”
“Who else could it be, father. He shares his colours, his accent, even some of his manner. And you remember how close the time-turner and the princess were during both occasions they fought you. It is no secret they mated more than once”
Before Pipsqueak could ask if he should have been hearing this, a metallic stomp came from his right and a shambling metal construct with what could only be described as an equine carpet stretched across the interior of a control pod started talking.
“Master, hehehmhmhm-I must interrupt. Much as we all appreciate your son’s...valiant efforts...” He hid no small amount of sarcasm in his voice “My scanners indicate no time-turner or hehehmhm-ahem...alicorn essence upon this colt’s person. Indeed the child I detected disappeared from medium-range scanners some time ago”
Morlock gave the cyborg a sneer.
“Perhaps your scanners are defective, Poddle” he snapped, causing the doctor’s already contorted face to twist slightly at the affront.
“My hrhehehmmm sensory system has never been wrong in all the centuries it has remained active!”
“There’s a first-time for everything, Doctor. It’s an old system, after all, and with a sub-par inventor”
“Listen here, hybrid, I...”
“Enough” Their master hadn’t shouted but it certainly seemed that way. His voice carried on the light winds around them, silencing both his son and his tactician. At last, he retracted his hand from Pipsqueak’s throat, waved it at the gathering of gaunts and barked out a command.
“Begin the ritual. Immediately”


*


The horde of the Deceivers servitors found themselves rather more outmatched that they’d anticipated.
As soon as they’d breached the barricade, Luna and her personal guard charged to meet them. The Sinistrous Blade swung freely in her magical grasp, cleaving through whole swathes of armoured ungul with every swing.
As they held the line, the specialists set about causing chaos among the enemy’s own ranks.
Midnight Blade threw down several varieties of bombs, dived into the disorientated enemy and proving himself a one-pony army, his falchion slicing through foes at comet-speed between throwing crescent-shaped, bladed boomerangs at any who wouldn’t go down respectfully.
Fleur de Lis leapt into the fray with a pair of tessen, Neighponese battle-fans with iron ribs and covers, adorned with lace and tiny gemstones. Holding one in her hoof and two more in mid-air, she engaged in a dazzling combat ballet as beautiful as it was devastating.
Zecora, bellowing zebra war-cries, held her own with a decorative staff that doubled as a spear. Kicking up the soil, she slammed the butt of her staff on the ground, causing the dirt particles to erupt into a tornado around her, blinding and stumbling her attackers. Dust-dancing, a very effective form of zebra magic.
Screwball and Screwloose skipped through the mayhem, hoof in hoof, happily blasting away at any who came near with a minigun and a flamethrower respectively. It was anyone’s concern how they would be convinced to stop by the end.
Iron Will charged, head-down, with a roar, sending the ungul flying, as he straightened up in mid-charge, swung his sledgehammer and smashed it straight into the face of the first hellhound he crossed, knocking him out for six before heading on the next.
Miss Chalice Harshwhinny demonstrated why she was a judge for the Canterlot games, having once been a world-class athlete and unmatched martial artist. And though her sporting years were somewhat behind her, her fighting years were not.
Steven Magnet showed his species effectively travelled on land, by winding and twisting their serpentine body across the ground in a bizarre series of flamboyant poses, churning up the armies of the invaders like some unstoppable engine of war, hooting apologies and occasionally blowing kisses to those who fell beneath him.
Gevaudan, observing the carnage, howled in rage and turned to a fleeing hellhound alpha male.
“What are you doing, you useless scum! You’re falling to a handful of pathetic little country-equines?! Kill them I say! Is that so hard?!”
“The pony allies are too strong!” the commander spluttered “Nothing can harm them! It’s no use” He shrunk under the folewolf’s demented gaze as Gevaudan placed a massive hand upon his shoulder and hissed.
“Then neither are you”
With a quick twist, the hellhound’s neck was snapped clean away from his spinal column. The great wolf let the body slump to the ground and shot those who had been fleeing with him a murderous snarl.
“You can fight like warriors or die like vermin but you do not run!” he roared “Out of my way, fools. I will deal with the alicorn myself”
The horde parted as Gevaudan crouched and bounded forward on his hands and feet. Luna saw him seconds before he pounced.
“Take cover!” she yelled as the night guard flew out the way as one. As the folewolf sprung, the princess of the moon closed her eyes and brought her blade forwards, charging it with magic till it came close to burning her hooves.
The incoming force of Gevaudan’s pounce and Luna’s strike crashed into each other sending both of them flying some distance backwards. Gevaudan rolled, his claws digging into the ground to gain some grip while Luna spread her wings, letting herself slow and come to a halt.
She gave Gevaudan a look. In the past, back during the civil war, the folewolves were among the several non-pony or demi-pony races who supported Luna’s rise to ascension. Contrary to their reputation, the folewolves were gentle when under the moon’s gaze, turning belligerent when it was hidden from view, hence the howling. Luna had, long ago, given them the means to control their temperaments through medicine brewed from night-flowering blooms.
When she returned to Equestria after the return of harmony, she’d found many old friends among the folewolf packs.
Gevaudan was not one of them. He was as reviled by his own kind as he was by Equestria. Luna had faced him before back when Marephistallion the Deceiver appeared the second time alongside Discord the Master of Chaos and Trojan the Warmonger.
Gevaudan hadn’t been so large back then.


“Ah...The legendary Nightmare Moon” the immense monster snorted “Your sister seems to have let off with a slap on the fetlock”
Luna steeled herself. She knew this was coming but it still took a great deal of her self-control not to rise to it.
“I would hardly call a millennium on the moon a light punishment...but not entirely undeserved”
“Oh is that what you’ve been led to believe?” he chuckled “You poor little filly. How many lies has your sweet sister etched into your skull, do you ever wonder?”
“You will never make me betray my sister a...” she paused, the words catching on her tongue.
It didn’t go unnoticed by the great wolf who gave her a menacing smile.
“A what? Again? Is that what you were going to say?” he laughed “The master had you in his power for a matter of days yet he broke in moments what took your sister and your filthy foster mother an immortal lifetime to build!”
“Stow your tongue!” she barked “If Marephistallion doth believeth himself to be Nightmare Moon’s progenitor, he ist truly more arrogant than I ever couldst have believed! The past is finished. At present, thou art intent on ruining Ponyville and the Doctor’s child” She pointed her blade at the wolf “I seek to prevent thou from claiming them”
“Do not imagine your alicornhood gives you any greater chance against the king of nightmares!” Once again, Gevaudan charged, his jaws slavering. Luna leapt to one side and barely missed his bite but soon had to swing her sword across her as the beast brought his claws round. Despite his size, Gevaudan was fast. Fast enough to keep up with her. With fang and claw he matched her strike for strike.
With a battle-cry, Luna bathed her blade in moonlight. A soft but piercing hum filled the air as Gevaudan edged back, shielding his ears. Wasting no time, Luna shot forward with the force of a lightning bolt, pitting Gevaudan’s flesh with a tally of cuts all across his body. He gave a yowl of pain and fell to his hands and knees, panting.
Luna landed before him, sword raised.
“Call off your troops and stand down” she ordered “Force me to slay you and I shall”
Gevaudan growled, gasping for air...then gave a slow chuckle...and howled.
The noise rushed through the landscape, flowing leaves off the trees and making every friend and foe around Ponyville writhe in agony, clutching their temples. Luna, caught straight in the centre of the howl’s proximity, fell to one knee, disorientated.
With one swipe of Gevaudan’s paws, the Princess was propelled sideward, smashing into the base of the town hall, half-conscious.
Rising to his feet, the folewolf growled as his hand bled, the Sinistrous Blade catching it right before impact.
“You still put up a decent fight, alicorn” he sneered “But I am out of patience. Your niece will spend her wedding night weeping over your twisted carcass!”
“No...” Luna coughed, struggling to rise “...never...”
Gevaudan rose one paw, ready to finish the job.
“Hey! Hamster-Hole! Open wide!”
With the sound of a several simultaneous thunderstorms and about as much force, a hail of explosive bolt-fire hammered into Gevaudan’s side, causing him to fall once more and shield himself with his arms. When the surge had stymied, the folewolf looked up, snarling, to see a small white rabbit armed with a pair of the largest and most intricate firearms anything had ever seen and matching Gevaudan’s snarl with his own.
“You and me! Lupo a Conejo, comprende?!”
Gevaudan’s snarl fell to an unimpressed and slightly dumbfounded frown.
“You cannot be serious” he sighed.
With Rememberly knew how much strength, Angel leapt high into the air and pointed his weapons down at the wolf.
“THE ANGEL COMETH, MOTHERBUCKER!” he yelled.
With a growl that sounded more irritated than angry, Gevaudan swiped at the rabbit.
Angel, however, landed on the back of Gevaudan’s hand, bounded up his arm and leapt at his face, kicking out with his little back-legs.
Gevaudan gave another howl as he crashed into the ground, his jaw nearly shattered from the kick.
Luna stared, speechless, as Angel landed and smirked.
“You know what they say about rabbit’s feet”
Whimpering, the folewolf scrambled to his paws, spitting out shattered fangs and nursing bleeding gums.
“Sheesh, I’ve heard of buck teeth...” Angel sniggered “But never teeth ‘bucked’”
Gevaudan gave another snarl, more demented than the last and spoke degradingly through his broken teeth.
“You’re dethpicable!!!”


*


Ages past, Trottingham was once subject to a series of aerial bombings from the Lunar Republic’s Blitzwing Battalions during the Civil War. They’d built huge bunkers to protect themselves, large enough to accommodate large sections of the populace and, for the sake of heritage, kept them in the underground train stations.
Yet even now, after just under a thousand years, they were still serving their purpose.
The demonic detachment sent to butcher Trottingham clearly weren’t interested in sacking it as they’d left the houses abandoned. Most of them were crowding around the heavily barricaded train station entrance as an armoured gulgant hammered against its doors.
The rest surrounded the famous clock tower, Tall Toby. They’d seen one survivor within and their orders were very clear that survivors weren’t permitted.
Tungsten crouched, his head buried in his chest, as he hid in the scaffolding.
And here he thought he was having a bad day before this madness took place.
It wasn’t enough that Kirby had giving him a hard time, as usual, but Pipsqueak hadn’t been in today.
That meant nopony to talk to. Nopony to even stand by when the going got tough.
He hoped he and his mother were safe, at least.
Just his luck to run off and hide in the quarry when the bullies from school came looking for him. He’d missed the raid siren and had only twigged that something was horribly wrong when a bright red canine biped threw an axe at him.
He didn’t think he’d ever run so fast.
But now, it seemed, it was all for naught. The doors did not seem willing to hold.
He’d always been afraid of heights but, right now, there were worse things to worry about.
He edged closer to the window, tentatively weighing whether or not he wanted to see how many were outside.
That question was answered prematurely as the stained glass window smashed open and a horrific pale bat-like creature perched itself where the glass had once stood.
Tungsten screamed and scrambled backwards as the creature reared back, ready to pounce.
Crack!
The next instant, the creature was gone, a spray of blood spattered across the one side of the wall.
Tungsten blinked.


Below, the flying fury’s body fell to the ground before its comrades, minus most of its head.
Another crack of gunfire echoed across the town as a whole line of ungul were felled, their helmets breaking inwards as a sniper bullet passed through dozens at a time.
A hellhound pointed to the rooftops. A slightly stocky unicorn mare knelt upon the top of the local bank, a smoking sniper rifle hovering over her shoulder. With another shriek, the furies took to the sky, encircling her.
Behind the sniper, a black and white blur flew upwards, spinning gracefully, its cloak making it appear a majestic shadow.
It drew a bow and fired. One fury was shot out of the air, crashing to the ground.
Three similar blurs appeared, a red blur dived and brought another fury to earth, plunging a blade through its chest, a blue and orange blur zipped round and ripped one or both wings from two of the fiends while an indigo blur shot forward and left four of them decapitated.
A pale mare with a green mane leapt from a rooftop, chainsaw buzzing as she landed upon a hellhound.
“CHIMICHANGAS!” she cried before bringing her weapon of choice down upon the beast’s head, laughing maniacally.
Assembling, one by one, the battle-hardened, bloodthirsty ponies stared at the oncoming onslaught with anticipation.
“You kids wanna’ play it rough, eh?!” Bloodhound snarled, a machete in his hoof “Alrighty then, let’s make this fun! Get stuck in, lads!”
“Once more unto the breech, dear friends, once more!” Corax bellowed as he weaved through the furies, lashing out with a gleaming rapier “Jubilation! We dine on daemons tonight!”
“How do you like that, you hell-spawn bastards?” Blue Murder growled under her breath as she continued her fire “Hold on, Tungsten. Mama’s coming”


*


“Any closer, K9?”
“Scanners Report Close Proximity To Daemon-Equine Hybrid – Addition: Scanners Indicate Higher And Purer Density Of Daemonic Presence”
“Marephistallion” Coldblood groaned “He can’t be in any fit state to fight us. Not after last time”
“I’ll make sure he stays away this time” the Doctor said as they made their way over the hills east of Ponyville.
“Scuse us for not feeling absolutely reassured” Jenny muttered.
“How can you not trust me? You’ve known me for years”
“Exactly”
“Okay...Starting tomorrow, I’m going back to the gym. I don’t care who I meet there or how awkward it is”  Jack panted “Never thought I’d get tired of getting my hooves over huge mounds”
“Can you please just stop?!” the Doctor moaned exasperatedly.
“Quiet!” Blunderbuss barked, sniffing the air “There...that is no ordinary mist. Its smell is unlike normal vapours”
“You sure?” Jenny asked.
“Madam. Canine nostrils never lie. I know the smell of mist and that is not normal mist”
Coldblood’s tongue shot up and quivered, retracting quickly.
“I sense it too” she hissed “There is foul magic at hand”
“Confirmed – Daemonic Presence Pinpointed” K9’s laser pointer shone faintly in the direction of the high, mist-enveloped hill before them. His ears started spinning.
“Emergency! Infernal Channel Activation Detected”
“The ritual” the Doctor gasped “Run!”
With newfound adrenaline, they raced up the hill. As the mist gave way to them the hordes of gaunts and ungul swarmed.
The demon-tainted creatures were very vulnerable to sonic weaponry, capable of piercing infernal channels. This gave the Doctor an edge as a wave from his buzzing sonic screwdriver kept the hordes at bay.
“Okay, buckle-up and clench ya’ flanks, it’s about to get real in here!” Jack yelled as he and Blunderbuss opened fire.
“Strontar-Har!” the Demolition Dog yelled as he happily, as his namesake implied, demolished the foe.
Drawing their blades, Coldblood and Jenny fought off those two strong for bolts and bullets, ungul commanders and hellhounds falling to their dance of death.
As the Doctor followed K9 far up the hill, his ears pricked to the sound of chanting.
‘Zhan Zhakh Zhal Zherahm’
‘Rahm Rahl Rahsh Raenakh
Nakh Nahl Nath Norash
Ash Azhk Arn Aival
Val Vash Var Viimar
Mar Mal Mard Mizhan
Zhan Zhakh Zhal Zhereem’
The incantation of infernal ascension. Calling Tartarus unto the realm of the living. Or in this case, at this considerably weaker magnitude, calling a being from Tartarus into the body of a pony.
“Stop!” he bellowed.
“No interference!” A mighty tentacle knocked back the time-turner as Morlock appeared, grinning “You cannot stop us”
The chanting was getting louder.
“Primary Objective Confirmed – Protect The Doctor” K9 stepped in, or would have if he had feet, firing off lasers at the tentacles. 	Morlock gave a pained cry and edged back.
“Gah! Cursed mechanical mutt!”
“So unreliable, hehehmhmhm!” The metallic stomps of Dr. Poddle sounded as a ripple of blue lasers churned up the soil before K9 “I have longed to face you again. I simply cannot wait to examine you closely!”
“Familiar Threat Identified – Databanks Confirm – Dr Vitruvius Poddle – Military Scientist, Daemon Cult Leader and War Criminal – Maximum Attack Mode!”
As K9 and Dr. Poddle battled, the Doctor scrambled to his hooves and found the ritual circle.
The chanting grew louder and louder, threatening to burst his eardrums...then subsided.
The cultists parted for him, not bothering to get in his way.
The Doctor stared at the swaying form of a little pinto colt, standing in the middle of the throng of gaunts.
Slowly, he raised his head and opened his eyes.
The most horrible pair of sheer black pupils stared into the Doctor as the colt smiled a smile no sane foal would use.
His voice was shared by several other voices out of one mouth, all very low and not at all benevolent.
“Too late, Doctor...Far...Too...Late...”
> Interlude Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dinky!” Sparkler ran over the hills outside the town, eyes streaming with tears as she and Tootsie searched desperately for their sister.
“Dinky, where are you?!”
The pink unicorn nursed her temples, cursing herself for letting the filly run off and squandering her adopted-father’s trust. If anything happened to Dinky, she’d never forgive herself.
She’d already done too many things she couldn’t forgive.
Tootsie clung to her elder sister’s foreleg anxiously.
“Sparky! She might have gone back to where we were playing before”
“Great, do you remember the way?”
“I...I think so”
“Okay, Toots. Lead the way, hurry”
Off they went back the way they came, turning at one hill or another. Sparkler was impressed how much Tootsie was able to run. And how fast, she seemed able to overtake her galloping older sister at a mere canter.
She didn’t know if it was foal metabolism or the fact that she’d been carried on her back until now.
“Here...” Tootsie cried out “We were playing right here, then Pip showed up and...”
From above there came an almighty screech and the sound of heavy wing-beats as a great gust from behind Sparkler nearly knocked Sparkler to the ground.
As she scrambled to her hooves, her ears pricked to a filly’s scream.
“Sparkler! Help me!”
Her little sister was struggling in the grip of a flying fury, soaring high into the air, her face filled with terror.
“Tootsie!” Sparkler screamed, lighting up her horn.
A lightning-fast bolt of magenta magic shot through the air and blasted the fury clean between the wings, sending it and Tootsie careening into the ground. With another flash of her horn, Sparkler caught her little sister in mid-air and hugged her tightly.
“Sis, thank Celestia! Are you okay?!”
“Sparky, watch out!”
The fury was unsteadily getting to its hind legs, croaking as one of its wings bent at an awkward angle. With a cry of rage, it clambered forward ungainly, talons outstretched.
Sparkler put one hoof in front of her trembling sister.
“Close your eyes” she whispered.
With a furious roar, Sparkler unleashed a torrent of magic at the creature, bombarding it with the most advanced defensive spells she knew and leaving it slowly twitching on the ground, smoking.
“S-S-Sparkler?”
The pink unicorn closed her eyes in regret.
Tootsie only called her ‘Sparkler’ when she was worried about her.
The two unicorns hugged.
“It’s okay, Tootsie” Sparkler said, breathing gratefully “We’re okay...We’re gonna’ be okay...Was Dinky here?”
“Yeah, we were playing right over here” She waved her hoof over a large area of tall grass.
Sparkler gave it a look. There were small dips in the grass where clumps of it had been pressed under-hoof. Not hard and not for long but recent.
“She went this way...towards the hills”


*


In the deep reaches of the forest outside Ponyville, where the Everfree met the Whitetail, Wendigo and many other forests, the great ivory-white ceremonial staff of the Deerking slammed upon the podium of his throne, calling the cervine court to silence.
“I do not believe I have made myself clear” King Aspen rose, his majestic face contorted with indignation “I have made my decision”
“I understand that you’ve made your decision...But given that it’s a stupid decision, I’m electing to ignore it”
“You will not take that impudent tone with me, outsider!” Aspen growled as a navy-blue, white-maned pegasus mare stood before him defiantly “While I oversee the Whitetail Conclave, my word is law. Approaching the Equestrian realm and revealing our presence is strictly forbidden!”
“It didn’t stop you from nearly tearing apart their town with those damn vines several centuries ago, if I remember correctly”
Whitetail’s tall, armoured bodyguard gave a snort.
“We were defending our way of life, our honour, our...”
“I didn’t ask you, Slackthorn!”
“Blackthorn!”
“Who cares?”
“Enough!” Aspen slammed his staff down on the podium again “The Equestrians were encroaching on our borders, threatening our realm. They required a demonstration of our might”
The pegasus tossed her mane and scowled.
“Races far mightier than us have tried, Aspen, and lived to regret it”
“King Asp-”
“I’m not finished” The pegasus continued regardless as the deer from the tribe who’d taken her in hid smiles. Chieftain Runningwind, his wife Fallingleaf and his daughter Wintermist observed the pegasus they adopted a century ago doing their tribe proud.
“Aspen, you very nearly brought ruin upon our kind. It was only thanks to the benevolent nature of Laurelore, along with your frankly-disgusting power to manipulate the consciences of non-cervines, that the Equestrians were duped into believing they were in the wrong. Well, take note. Laurelore may have forgiven you and Celestia may be fooled, I can’t say that doesn’t ever happen, but Luna is different. Luna pays her debts. And the Wolfsong Tribe owe this very same Luna a debt”
“Ludicrous. No deer could ever owe equines a debt”
“We do” Runningwind stood up and spoke “The Wolfsong fought under the banner of Princess Luna and her Republic a century ago. You may not care to recall, King Aspen, but the Wolfsong keep our word. We swore a vow to rescue the moon goddess from her prison among the cosmos and place her on the throne of her homeland. And that vow, to our shame, can never be honoured”
“Your delusional promises mean nothing, Runningwind” Aspen sneered.
“You are incorrect!” the pegasus stared him dead in the eye “Luna does not forget a debt. If we arrive late to her call or not arrive at all, thanks to your arrogance, she will not be happy. And she will know who’s really to blame. That power of yours won’t work on a weaver of dreams. You will be called to answer for the negligence you showed today. You’ll very likely lose your throne, amongst other things, Aspen”
“King!”
“Sir or Madam will do just fine for me”
Aspen went red in the face.
“D-D-Do not dare speak another...”
“Or...” the pegasus cut him off again, in her stride “We can answer the call, with your permission, fight for our friend, we won’t mention you and the two of you can mind your own respective businesses. Trust me, Aspen. Princess Luna is not a mare you want to turn your muzzle up to”
Aspen glared venomously at the pony he and those beside him had always declared an outsider yet so many deer, one of his own daughters among them, had taken to calling ‘friend’.
Grinding his teeth behind tight lips he took a deep inhale through his nostrils.
“Runningwind” he barked.
“Your highness?” the weathered-looking stag looked up.
“I will allow your tribe to aid this...princess...in whatever conflict she’s embroiled within. But only your tribe. None other. Is that understood?”
“Perfectly, your highness” The Wolfsong Chieftain cracked a smile “We thank you for your generosity”
“Now get your...daughter...out of my sight” Aspen and Blackthorn turned away and stormed off, leaving the Wolfsong tribe to gather their armaments and prepare for battle.
“Well done, sister...” Wintermist approached the pegasus “You were...a lot braver than I could have been”
“I just got a little heated. But I pay my debts and I keep my vows. I’m not letting that pompous bigot disgrace us even further” She strapped a pair of knives to belts around her legs and reached for a very old but very familiar helmet.
“Have you ever fought demons before?”
Wintermist shook her head a little nervously.
“It’s no simple task to send them running...but it’s not impossible”
She placed the helm over her head. It still fit as well as ever.
“Eternal Knights...We take up arms once again” she whispered “Luna bless our blades”


*


Over the mountains west of Ponyville, an airship navigated its way through the misty peaks. It was an impressive specimen, slim and sleek, gleaming mahogany brown with brass inlay between two thin gyro-engines with crystal-powered boosters.
Its pilot, a somewhat weathered-looking but elegant green unicorn with a lone blonde mane that was turning platinum, checked the gauges and dials in the cockpit and relaxed.
Beside him, a small contraption, arranged from jigsaw-like wooden segments made to like a female goat’s head, whirred to life on the control panel.
“Progress through the mountainside remains steady, commander” it said with a robotic but feminine voice “We should be able to safely increase speed in t-minus seven minutes”
“Good to know, Nanny” the pilot chuckled “You know, when I left my home, I kept with me three things that came from my father. You, this airship and my bow...The bow was the only thing that didn’t keep breaking down”
The automaton service unit, dubbed ‘Nanny’ by its creators, didn’t seem fazed.
“Your father was a better archer than an engineer, sir. We all have our specialties. He taught you a great deal”
“That he did. Archery, sword-work, comradeship, honour, duty...and airship control. My father was one of the best archers in the world and, in my experience, one of the best ponies in general...but he was probably the worst airship pilot I’ve ever known. But I can’t be too harsh. Piloting airships solo is rarely ever easy. Hooves can be ungainly and using magic can prove very volatile. It took me whole decades to learn properly. After I joined the Eternal Knights, I studied advanced piloting under Midnight Blade...the second worst airship pilot I’ve ever known”
“Indeed, Master Fray. How many airship pilots have you known?”
“Uh...” Fletcher did a mental count “Three. Well...four, but I’ve only ever heard of Pinkie Pie. Two of them taught me and one of them tried to kill me”
“And who was that, sir?”
“Count-Oberst Von Hochmut. The Crimson Count, they called him. He planned to have me assassinated in a game of chess. When that failed, he caught me in a dogfight over the Ferderhorn Peaks. He was probably the best airship pilot I knew”
“Most interesting sir...And what happened to him?”
“He crashed”
“...I see, sir...Clearly piloting airships is a complex subject” Nanny blinked or did the closest it could to doing so “Scanners confirm all drones have cleared the mountain range. Assembling at checkpoint now”
As the mountains disappeared behind him, the pilot turned to his left and right to see an assembly of automaton glider drones, small but swift and very deadly. A combination of pony and griffon technology that had taken him many years to perfect.
“Set the drones to follow our location, Nanny. We’re almost there. According to the sensors, the attack may already be taking place”
He reached into an overhead compartment and removed a helmet that could pass for an antique. Slipping it over his head, he closed his eyes.
“Eternal Knights...We take up arms once again” he whispered “Luna bless our blades”


*


The Doctor drew back, staring at the creature that had once been Pipsqueak and the horrible smile it was giving him.
He was too late.
Pipsqueak’s breathe came slow and haggard, as if he’d long forgotten how to do it properly. He paused a moment to look at one hoof and trailed it through his mane.
He spoke again in that horrible voice.
“I...am...whole...again...”
“Father...” Morlock edged towards him, wonder and fear prevalent on his features in equal quantities “How do you feel?”
Pipsqueak gave his neck a crack one way then the other as his smile turned flat, neutral, almost curious.
“I feel...” he murmured, his eyes slowly falling upon his son “...Nothing...”
Morlock’s face fell instantly.
“F-Fath-hurk!” He gasped as an invisible force seized him by the throat as he was steadily lifted off the ground, kicking feebly.
As the Doctor watched, still disorientated, Pipsqueak also levitated up to stare the half-demon dead in the eyes.
“This is not the Doctor’s son, Morlock...You brought me the wrong foal...”
“Oh dear, hehehehehehmhmhm...” Dr Poddle looked away and gave a satisfied grin “I did warn you, young Morlock...if you remember”
“Silence” The voice coming out of Pipsqueak’s mouth was definitely not his own “Morlock...You failed me...And you know as well as I...that you only get to do that once...”
“Father....please...” Morlock choked. The Doctor found it amazing how quickly the son of the Deceiver has gone from feared to fearful in the presence of his father’s anger. It was almost pitiful in a way.
“I’ll find her for you...I remember who it was...”
“So do I. The colt’s memories are now my own...Heh...What an interesting father he has” the possessed Pipsqueak said off-hoofedly “You’ve disappointed me, my son. And here I thought you took after me...What a shame”
“Father, I promise...I can still help you...I’ll find her...”
“No need” Pipsqueak’s grin stretched across his face to lengths no normal pony was capable of “I’ll find her myself...but you’re right. You can still help me”
The colt’s mouth pulled open, widening as far as his chest as Morlock gave a scream.
A miasma of every colour of madness and corruption flashed before the Doctor and his companions. The time turner raised one hoof to shield his face as a piercing whistle threatened to make his ears bleed.
When the chaos had subsided, the limb body of Morlock fell to the ground and wheezed weakly, the tentacles on his back and every other demonic essence of his body stolen, leaving behind a barely-living pony, near devoid of any semblance of health, that could be questionably compared to an adult version of a miscarriage.
Pipsqueak meanwhile floated slowly down to the ground and stood on two legs. He raised his head, a ferocious expression of sheer black eyes and gleaming fangs upon his face, as he began to grow.
Taller, thinner and meaner, the being that had once been a meek, innocent young colt transformed before their eyes into a hunched, gangly, snarling monstrosity, still possessed of Pipsqueak’s piebald coat and unkempt mane. His head grew huge, bulky and with a heavy jaw full of razor-sharp teeth more at home in the mouth of a shark. His hooves split into six long, claw-tipped fingers and toes as his legs stretched the length of a hoof-ball field. Guttural grunts and growls escaped him as Marephistallion took on a more able form.
Breathing deep and examining how very small his foes looked below him, the beast threw back his head and roared triumphantly, sounding his awakening to all of Ponyville.


“Snurk-wha whussah?”
Several miles away in Sweet Apple Acres, Granny Smith jolted out of her slumber in the rocking chair on the porch, gazed around blankly and noticed the sight of the creature on the hill.
She tutted disapprovingly.
“Foals these days...No gol’ dang respect”


*


The hulking demon approached Trottingham with both outrage and confusion.
The Deceivers onslaught was nearly entirely obliterated by a hoof-ful of eccentric equines.
Ungul, Furies and Hellhounds lay dead all across the streets of Trottingham and were steadily turning to dust.
He snarled and drew a menacing, serrated four-bladed maul. Stepping into the street before them, he bellowed.
“Stupid, pitiful mortal pony whelps!” He practically screamed and gargled every word “You believe yourselves victorious! Bah! You have barely scratched the hide of our unstoppable force and now, you miserable weaklings, you face me!” He spat volcanic phlegm “I am Warhound Lord Crullion Bloodgullet, Warden of Skulax, Butcher of Winsomely, Wielder of the Foalcrusher, Packmaster of the Sixteenth High Hellhound Slaughter Pack and bringer of your painful, bloody end!”
There was a pause.
“You bored yet?” Bloodhound asked, deadpan.
“Very” Miura said flatly.
The Packmaster strode forward, brandishing the Foalcrusher and snarled.
“You dare challenge me?! You fools! Many centuries before your pitiful mothers had you spilt into their plots, I fought beside the great Deceiver during the worthless reigns of Laurelore and her daughters! Five hundred mothers at Winsomely wailed for their fillies and colts as I CRUSHED them. I crushed them for Marephistallion! And as I crush you, you will shriek and sob and burst into a great lake of hot, stinking gore! Just! Like! Them!”
“Ah yeah, I remember my cutecinera” Gringore muttered.
“Can I shoot him now?” Tybalt asked, tilting his head almost tiredly.
“Hooves off, kiddo” Blue Murder appeared, walking slowly towards the beast before them “This one’s mine”
“Oh...this’ll be painful” Shadowplay sniggered, hovering in the air with his hooves behind his head.
“So shouldn’t we assist?” Miura asked.
“I didn’t mean for her” the batpony gave a coy smile.
Blue Murder strode forward with a steely gaze. If she wasn’t striding or gazing steely, it wouldn’t have looked intimidating. She was dressed in a cream-coloured raincoat and a few simple trinkets and her overall appearance definitely showed more of the side of her that was the kind, loving and hard-working single-mother than the side that was a ruthless, eagle-eyed, cold-hearted gun-for-hire with the blood of hundreds on her hooves.
But the way she looked at others, the way she moved, the way she acted in the midst of a mission would alert any intelligent creature to the danger of crossing her.
Crullion, it seemed, was not particularly intelligent.
“Ha! You bear the stink of a weakling! A broken mare with detriments in your own foals! Know that they are as dead as you! I know the smell of a mother! And you will watch as I gleefully deprive you of that role!”
“Er...mate, you might wanna’ shut up now” Bloodhound took a step back.
“Do you hear me, mewling mortal harlot?! I will drown your offspring in a torrent of-”
Crack!
The sound of a pistol interrupted his threat. A moment later, Crullion set himself to yowling in agony as one of his eye sockets was rendered empty.
Blue Murder stood before him, a firearm levitated in front of her with magic.
“No...” she said calmly “I don’t think you will”
She reached inside her coat and withdrew a long, spiked, steel baton. Unlike Bloodhound, it wasn’t ornamental or expensive or even very shiny. She’d literally stuck knife-points to the sides of a metal pole.
But she knew how to make something hurt with it. She knew very well.
Her foe was getting unsteadily to his feet, growling ferociously.
“You...” he bared his canine teeth “You will suffer for your blasphemy, four-hoofed nag! My strength cannot be overcome”
“Strength?” Blue Murder shook her head “That only gets you so far. It’s not about how much you want to fight...it’s about whether or not you can”
Crullion swung his maul forward. It hit the road with a heavy thud as he stared perplexed at the unicorn who’d simply strafed out the way with little to no effort.
“And it’s not about how hard your hits are...” she said, pointing a pistol at the beast’s kneecap “It’s about where you hit”
The packmaster’s knee exploded in blood and bone splinters as he staggered.
Blue Murder drew a knife from her coat and dual-wielded pistol and blade with her magic while holding the baton in her hoof. Such art took enormous amounts of power and focus but in all her years of mercenary work, she’d acquired both of those things.
As the maul came down upon her again, she spun gracefully, standing just out of its reach before bringing her own blade down upon the beasts’ hand. Before Crullion could fully register the dagger sticking out of his wrist, she dragged the blade up, nearly splitting his arm in two, before whisking it out at the shoulder and cutting deep into the armpit, while her own hoof slammed the baton’s head down on his foot then swung it upwards, cracking his jaw and nearly bowling him over.
Her colleagues watched, impressed, as the demon gave another pained yowl, nearly half his body rendered useless.
“This...” he wheezed “...is not...possible!”
“No, I think you’ll find it’s very straightforward. Now you physically cannot pick up your terribly-named weapon, however much you’d like to”
“You miserable whelp! You think I cannot crush you with my bare hands! Die!”
He threw a punch. Blue Murder craned her neck to the side, narrowly missing it. Before Crullion could retract his arm, the unicorn had placed the barrel of the pistol under his elbow and fired.
His other arm now ruined, Crullion howled and spat a shower of flames. Blue Murder dropped the pistol and knife as her horn lit up to its fullest extent to form a translucent bronze-coloured shield. With keen focus and staggering tenacity, she moulded the shield to form around the raging Crullion rather than herself, blocking the flames and growing smaller. As it encased his mouth, the demon’s own fire started to burn his own throat. Barely able to keep herself balanced, Blue Murder picked up her baton and swung it with full force into where she thought the creature’s lungs were.
Crullion’s single remaining eye bulged in its socket as his roar became high pitched, muffled within the shield.
There was a small but loud explosion as the hellhound leader’s head blasted into bits, smoking pouring out its neck-stump.
His killer steadied herself on her baton and sighed.
“That...ought to do it...” she growled “Give my regards to the mothers of Winsomely, you sick son of a nag”
Bloodhound appeared behind her, laughing uproariously.
“That was quite something, Blue. Well done”
“Indeed it so be’est 'well done'. Very much so” Corax said, inspecting the carcass “A trifle of a pity, I do so prefer my meat rare”
“Oh sorry, Corax. I’ll make sure to only singe him to death next time” Blue Murder snapped sarcastically to the mirth of her colleagues.
“See, told you she could do it” Shadowplay said, patting her on the shoulder “You’ve never let us down thus far”
“I hope I never do. Thanks for the help everypony. Appreciated. Now piss off”
“Righto” Bloodhound said with a shrug “Come on, everypony. Trottingham doesn’t want our sort. Back to work. My hostages’ll be missing me”
“Verily, back to my sonnets. I hope my roast kept warm in the stove” Corax said offhoofedly “To be perfectly honest, the rhino wasn’t as appetising as I thought. But you do get a marvellous crackling”
“Take care, Blue. Give Tungsten our best” Shadowplay waved her goodbye as her various co-workers departed Trottingham in their own separate ways.


*


The Sinistrous blade was growing heavy in Luna’s magical grasp. The hordes simply wouldn’t stop coming.
All around her, the Dark Horse Squad showed signs of fatigue.
Their enemy must have been banking on throwing as many soldiers as it took to simply tire them out. Tactics of a heartless creature without regard for life.
Tactics that so befitted Marephistallion.
Searching through the swarm, spreading her wings out to ward away the onslaught, she spied Midnight Blade cornered by a gulgant, its rider shaking the giant’s chains impatiently. The batpony was also showing signs of being the worse for wear, despite his kind’s enhanced metabolism. His wing-beats were slow and his sword held in two hooves. As the gulgant’s club came round, he spun in the air to dodge and struck its shoulder. With a gurgling whine, the monster swatted him as if he were a fly, catching him from the side and sending him knocking into the remains of the stockade.
Crying out his name, Luna surged forward, her vigour momentarily imbued.
The gulgant made to grab him but the falchion struck out, catching its hand. Growling it retrieved its club and raised it high.
There was a whistle and a screech as the ungul piloting the beast feel from his saddle, still gripping the chains. The chains went taut as they reached their full length and pulled hard at the gulgant’s neck, sending his club-strike pounding into the ranks of ungul surrounding him. Never one to waste an opportunity, Midnight Blade threw a couple of knives into his foe’s ankles, sending him toppling to the ground, and finished him off with a clean strike across the throat.
Meeting her lieutenant, Luna sidled back-to-back with Midnight Blade as the ungul stared at the downed gulgant. The batpony peered at the ungul driver and noticed the finely-crafted arrow sticking out between its shoulder blades.
“That is no pony arrow” he murmured.
As if on cue, several more arrows of the same make flew down from afar, bringing death to the ungul they struck. Luna looked out toward the Everfree.
A congregation of deer had emerged, clad in silver armour and cloaks of darkest blue and bearing intricate bows and lances decorated with feathers and glowing gems. Above them, a navy pegasus mare with a white mane and a pair of short swords in her hooves flew high into the air.
“Qi Lunay Raath!” she bellowed. Luna recognised the tongue. A cervine phrase, the motto of her old friends in the Wolfsong Tribe.
It meant ‘By the Fury of the Moon’.


The deer reared and hollered in unison as they charged at the horde, bulldozing all in their path in an organised charge.
Another cacophonic screech from above signified the gathering of flying furies. They were circling above, making ready to dive en masse.
There came another screech, quite unlike the furies, lower and more metallic, almost draconic.
There came the sound of rippling fire as the furies were peppered with a hail of high-velocity bolts from beyond the clouds.
A transceiver built into the side of Midnight Blade’s helm beeped and he answered.
“Yes?”
A familiar voice greeted him.
“I’m here for the party, sir. I hope you’ve saved me a few targets”
From inside the airship, the pilot switched off the transceiver and turned to his co-pilot.
“You’ll have to take over, Nanny. I’m going in”
“Very good, sir”
The cockpit opened and the pilot jumped out. Diving into the battle from high above, he drew a great whisperwood spear and plunged it into the gulgant he landed upon, sending it careening to the ground dead, before encasing the spear in his magic. It morphed into a bow and fired a glowing, screeching shot at a hellhound, causing a bright green explosion.
The airship he’d been flying was joined by a dozen drones that dropped a payload of bombs down on the regrouping ungul, flattening the majority.
On the ground, the deer encircled the foe, lances down and bows firing all the while. As a gulgant lumbered its way to face them, the pegasus in the deer ranks dived, her blades crackling with lightning, and plunged them into the ground. The sparking electricity snaked along the ground and climbed its way up the gulgants’ body, slaying it in moments. The electric current remained on the ground, flickering, as the ungul surrounding her moved in. With a roar, she withdrew the blades from the ground and spun, the electricity trailing them in a great whip of lightning that cleared the horde surrounding Luna and Midnight.
The pegasus and unicorn bowed before them as the batpony gave them a look.
“Still showing-off are we?” he chuckled.
“White Wolf...Fletcher Fray” Luna whispered, eyes wide.
“Your highness” They knelt before her “We are here to safeguard the town and fight by your side”
“You are most welcome here, I...” Luna’s heartfelt thanks were cut off by the demonic roar on the hills north of the town.
The mist was clearing and the shape of a hideous biped that had once been a foal stood over the Doctor and his followers.
“No...” Luna murmured, a tear forming at her eye “...Not him...Not my little Pip”


The chaos of battle subsided as the few remaining rabble of the Deceiver fled.
In the midst of the waste outside the town, the colossal form of Gevaudan lay flat on his back, bleeding from a dozen deep wounds and gasping for air. A panting, bloodied white rabbit stood over him, pointing a rifle between the wolf’s eyes.
Gevaudan growled with spite.
“Go ahead...” he spat “Use me as an excuse...Blame me for your mistakes!”
Angel gritted his buck teeth.
“You used me to turn the kindest pony living in Equestria into...into you!” He gave his rifle a meaningful click “You thought I’d tolerate that?!”
“I am not responsible for what she did! What she became! You did that to her yourself, you scrounging, leucistic vermin!”
“I know what I did, buddy. I won’t ever forget...But that stops here. You won’t use me to hurt her anymore. You won’t have your way with anything anymore! Not here! Not in Ponyville!” He pressed the rifle against the wolf’s forehead.
“I’m making sure of that...Say 'Hi' to the three little pigs for me”
He pulled the trigger and the scourge of spite and scorn that threatened to dominate the peaceful little town of ponies was, at last, at an end.


*


“Ah yessssss...” the creature taking Pipsqueak’s form, eying its claws somewhat vainly “This will do nicely...Now, Doctor...I believe we have some unfinished business!”
“Everypony scatter!” the Doctor yelled.
“What in the name of Komodos Raxis is that?!” Coldblood yelled as she and Jenny drew swords.
“It’s Pipsqueak! Marephistallion’s inside Pipsqueak!”
“Ugh, did you really have to word it like that?!” Jack snapped, looking disgusted “Not even I’d go that far!”
“Shut up and bring the damn thing down!” Jenny squawked, rushing at the demon and slicing it across the leg. It gave a cry and fell to one knee.
“Hah! You made a mistake, demon, making yourself such a large target!” Blunderbuss growled as he readied a missile.
“Stop! Please! It hurts! I’m sorry! Please, don’t hurt me!” The creature raised his hands in front of him and spoke with Pipsqueak’s voice and his face seemed more like the colt than before. Jenny stopped, blade raised, face frozen with shock.
Another moment she went flying across the hill with a blow from the demon’s hand.
“Jenny!” Coldblood shrieked, rushing to her side.
“So predictable!” the demon was back in the colt’s body “It almost takes the fun out of it...Heh...Almost!”
“Sir...I cannot...Do not ask me to harm the foal” Blunderbuss showed fear for the first time in ages. The Doctor understood.
Demolition Dogs, whack-jobs to a beast they may have been, were bound never to harm children of any kind. All pups were sacred to the Den.
“Keep it distracted, Blunder, however way you can! We need to find some way to subdue it!”
“Subdue me, Doctor?!” the foul beast cackled “You act like you haven’t ever met me before! I’ve never fallen easy and today will be no exception. Though actually it will...Because I’m not falling today!”
His claws came down hard upon the ground, blowing the Doctor off his hooves. He reached for the sonic screwdriver and activated it.
“Oh please!” the demon guffawed “This mortal body has its uses. Your little toy won’t harm me!”
He swatted the screwdriver away, bowling the time turner on his side with a deep gash on his foreleg.
The Doctor lay groaning on the ground as the creature loomed over him.
“Bad touch, ya hellspawn perv!” Jack yelled, firing at the creature.
“Oh shut up!” Pipsqueaks' possessor snapped, spitting a swathe of sulphurous yellow flames in front of Jack, Blunderbuss and K9, keeping them at bay “Now...where were we?”  His claws stretched out toward the Doctor’s semi-conscious body.


“Daddy!”
A filly’s cry pierced the sounds around the hillside as all eyes turned to a small periwinkle unicorn staring at the carnage.
Marephistallion eyed the child and slowly worked a grin into his features.
“There you are...” he hissed, rising to his full height “You...are...mine!”
The Doctor groggily looked up. His eyes widened at the sight of his daughter standing before the demon.
“DINKY!” he yelled with horror “RUN!”
Dinky did just that, running as fast as her little hooves could carry her, desperately trying to outpace the ambling horror who chased after her, roaring with insane laughter.
“Where are you running, missy?! Don’t you want to play?!”
The filly screamed as a claw barely missed her. Strafing left, she was able to dodge it but she knew the beast was toying with her and she couldn’t run forever.
But if she could just keep him occupied...
The beast laughed, coughed slightly and continued laughing.
“You can’t outrun me, girly! You are –caff- mine! Unlimited power is mi-caff, caff, ugh...Mine, all m-argh-caff-caff-caff-aghk...whuh...argh!”
The creature staggered and doubled up, coughing and wheezing violently, his gangly body writhing as he struggled to breathe.
“What...what is this...how?!” Marephistallion screamed between gasps.
Dinky stopped and turned to him. She carried a small flaxen satchel similar to her mother’s, barely noticeable.
She reached into it with one hoof and pulled out a small plastic tube-like instrument.
Pipsqueak’s inhaler.
“You dropped this” she said flatly, betraying satisfaction.
Marephistallion stared, his pitch-black eyes bulging.
“No...” he choked “No...No, no, NOOOOooooo” He collapsed, gasping for air, one hand flailing limply at the inhaler.
There was a smash and a cloud of dust erupting in front of the demon as a furious Princess Luna landed before him.
“Release! Pipsqueak!” she snarled, eyes blazing platinum “Immediately!”
“You better do as she says” the Doctor said, following up behind “In that state, you’re literally a prisoner in Pipsqueak’s body. Get out of there now and let’s finish this”
“Damn you!” Marephistallion raged, opening his monstrous maw.
An unholy wail filled the air as the demon’s essence poured out, a misty miasma of ugly colours heading straight for Dinky.
It stopped in mid-air and appeared to stretch backwards as the Doctor held up a small, metallic, jigsaw-like black ball. Like a vacuum cleaner hovering up dust, the essence was sucked, shrieking, into the ball which clicked as the shriek subsided and a dozen blue lights around the ball’s surface flickered on.
“Doctor...” Luna said perplexed “What is that?”
“A new device I’ve been working on” the stallion said, turning the segments one way then another “A time-travelling containment capsule designed to send something to a specific time and place and locks it there. Forever. Not existing anywhere else at any other time. Derpy calls it the ‘Timey-Wimey Mail-Box'. I’m sending Marephistallion to a place where nothing can ever find him. He won’t find any cultists, he won’t find any hosts...It’s the best I can do”
“Let us pray that is enough”


The Doctor pressed the top and bottom of the ball and, with a flash of light and a blur, it vanished.
Luna gazed down at where the demon had once lain.
The small, frail little equine body of Pipsqueak lay on the grass, breathing weakly.
“He’s alive. Bless my mother’s mercy!” The Princess of the Night sighed gratefully, picking him up “I shall take him to the hospital, immediately”
“Thank you, Princess Luna, thank you” Dinky looked over little Pipsqueak with a face full of sympathy “You hear that, Pip? It’s okay. Luna’s gonna help you”
Pipsqueak murmured something intangible as he was scooped up by the alicorn and flown to hospital. Dinky seemed ready to follow.
“Dinky!”
The Doctor’s voice was loud and harsh, causing the filly to freeze on the spot instantly.
“Come here” he ordered “Now”
Dinky slowly turned to her father with a face full of worry. He wasn’t smiling. He looked the closest she’d ever seen to cross.
Sensing awkwardness, Jack, K9, Coldblood, Jenny and Blunderbuss turned away and checked the local area.
“D-D-Daddy...” the filly whimpered, trembling in her hooves.
The Doctor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be easy. Worst bit was, he knew why she’d done it.
But it needed to be done.
He bent down and placed a firm hoof on his daughter’s shoulder.
“Dinky, I told you to go with Sparkler back to Ponyville. I told you to keep out of trouble”
Dinky said nothing but gave a small sniffle.
“Why didn’t you do that?”
“I...I-I just...” she mumbled “I just wanted to help...”
The time-turner winced.
“Dinky” he tried hard to remain stern “What you just did was very stupid and irresponsible. You saw what that thing could do. You could’ve gotten yourself killed, or worse! How do you think your mother would feel about that?! How do you think I’d feel?!”
“I’m sorry!” Dinky broke down into sobs, huddling up in her own hooves “I’m so sorry, daddy, I won’t do it again, I promise, just please don’t be angry with me!”
He’d known it was going to be hard from the beginning. The Doctor’s voice sounded more tired than angry.
“Why did you do it, Dinky?”
She sniffed and answered, her voice little more than a squeak.
“Because...I wanted to help Pip...He’s my friend...And it was my fault he was like that!”
“Oh Dinky, come here” the Doctor picked up his daughter and hugged her warmly until her crying subsided.
“I understand” he said at last “And part of me’s proud of you. But please...Don’t put yourself in danger like that again. I don’t ever want you to get hurt because of me. I promised that would never happen long ago”
“Okay daddy” she sniffed “I promise too. I won’t ever scare you like that again. I’m really sorry...Do you still love me?”
“Of course, little muffin” he chuckled slightly “Always”


*


“Morlock and Poddle escaped” White Wolf said begrudgingly as she and her battle-brothers stood before Luna “The mad weaponsmith grabbed the prone body of the Soulsnatcher and took him through a portal. Laurelore knows what he plans to do”
“But the amount of demonic energy he used was too much for him to return here” Fletcher Fray added “He can only be in the valley his ilk subside in and if he tries opening another portal, we’ll know before he even gets close”
“Morlock is not as charismatic as his father was” Midnight Blade summarised “He was barely able to hold his father’s force together and with him in his current state and having lost so badly, the Deceiver’s forces will turn on each other. They’ll be too busy fighting themselves to make any long-term plans. And the Doctor’s companions keep a watchful eye as do we”
“That is...sufficient” Luna said “We can take comfort in the fact that Marephistallion cannot threaten us again” She bade them sit down in her council room.
“I am overly more curious as to how you came to be here, Fletcher Fray and White Wolf”
White Wolf shrugged.
“We heard about the attack about a week ago. I spent an annoying length of time convincing Aspen to let the Wolfsong uphold their oath but we managed. Gathered our full strength and armed them. You saw the rest”
“And I’ve been trying to perfect the workings of the automaton we found in Empress Minerva’s armoury for some time” Fletcher answered “But those actually ready for battle wouldn’t be much use in pitched combat. Demonic presence interferes with their workings. So I had to bring the models that wouldn’t require prolonged close exposure to the enemy as well as navigate the mountain passes. So my bombers were the best course of action”
Luna turned curiously to Midnight Blade with an expression of begrudging amusement.
“You knew” she said sternly.
Midnight cracked a small smile.
“It was necessary for us to give it our all even if reinforcements were to come...That and it was more impressive this way”


“But how are you two alive?” the Princess of the Moon asked “Batponies have staggeringly long-lifespans but you...”
“So do deer. After the Civil War ended, the Wolfsong took part in a grand ritual that gave me a lifespan equal to theirs. All my family took part which eliminated the need for blood sacrifice...which was fortunate. Aspen threw a nag-fit but that’s nothing new”
“And as for me...” Fletcher pointed to his eyes. Where they had once been a pale green, his pupils were now fluctuating pools of light blue with darker specks swimming around.
“Nano Mites” he explained “Mites as in ‘fleas’. Benevolent and enchanted, the Breezies keep them as livestock. Dr Matsuyama studied them with my father, finding a cure for Ceroporosis. They literally repair deteriorated flesh, bone and keratin. I offered to test them for him. When it worked, I made myself, shall we say, a larger proscription. It was a great risk but I took it. Swarms of them work inside my bloodstream and...keep me up to standard”
Luna stared at the two.
“You...You chose to become immortal?”
“I don’t know about immortal but we chose not to age” White Wolf pointed out.
Midnight Blade stood up.
“The Eternal Knights swore a vow. To not rest until we placed you on the throne of Equestria. Now that you’ve been welcomed back and rule beside your sister that vow can never be upheld”
Luna paused, her lip trembling.
“I...I’m sorry...I never meant this for you...”
“Your highness, you mustn’t worry. This was our choice” Fletcher said calmly “It wasn’t that hard to make either. I’ve always spent more time around machines than living creatures after all”
“The Eternal Knights don’t fear death. Sometimes that’s because life is far more frightening” Midnight Blade said sagely “Think of us as your Bearers if you’ll allow us that honour. We are here whenever you need us. We’ll train the Dark Horse Squad and ensure Equestria has a means to protect itself from the evil hidden from your sister’s sun”
Luna’s face was neutral. She felt uncomfortable whenever her knights derided her sister. It reminded her of the mistakes of her past...and her sisters in turn.
“Thank you all” she said “I am forever grateful for your valour, my most gifted and noble knights”
White Wolf and Fletcher Fray bowed and turned to leave.
“Yours whenever you would have need of us, your highness”
Luna sat back.
“When the time comes for me to repay my debt to you, I shall do so readily. For now, let us be thankful the Doctor was on hoof”
“It is her adopted daughter that interests me” Midnight Blade said, standing in the doorway, his back to his princess.
“Sparkler?”
“Is that her name?” he asked “When did she appear? She doesn’t seem to be local”
“She...appeared around five years ago with her little sister” Luna said, looking back “So my sister tells me. She doesn’t say where she came from or what her life was like but...Before coming to Ponyville, I heard she bore the name ‘Amethyst’”
Midnight Blade was quiet for a moment then spoke.
“Did you know that the word amethyst literally translates to ‘You Won’t Get Drunk’? They are meant to protect the user from intoxication of all kinds, ease concentration and stimulate pleasant and uninterrupted dreams. During the first invasion of the Draconequui and the rise of Sombra, the Crystal Empire had amethysts distributed all over Equestria to prevent its foes from invading everypony’s dreams...”
There was a pause.
“Why are you telling me this?” Luna asked with a hint of suspicion.
Midnight shrugged, smiling.
“Just thought it was interesting”


*


“So...Morlock came searching for the Doctor’s child...but didn’t know which child it was...” Jack said as the Doctor and his companions conversed outside the hospital.
“Yes” Coldblood answered. As they talked, an angry-looking stallion, staggering about with a liquor bottle in one hoof, walked past them without speaking. They paid him little mind.
“He picked Pipsqueak, thinking the Doctor was the father and Celestia was the mother” Jack continued.
“Yes”
“Having possessed him, Marephistallion found out he was just a normal colt and drained his own son’s powers to activate his own”
“Yes”
“And then he passed out because the colt he possessed suffers from a respiratory condition, meaning he had to leave the host and be captured by that time-capsule”
“Yes”
There was a pause.
“Well...that’s...convenient”
“Rather anticlimactic” Coldblood said “And don’t you say anything” She gave Jack a threatening glare.
“Well it makes a nice change from all the blood and noise and life or death. And we all got out of it unscathed” the Doctor said breathlessly “Now if you excuse me, some of us have responsibilities”
“Don’t get all self-righteous horse-apples on us, Doc. You’re barely tolerable as it is” Jenny scoffed.


In a small but comfortable ward of Ponyville Hospital, Pipsqueak slowly opened his eyes.
The little colt was lying on a bed. Various magical appliances glowed and ticked around him.
He could swear he could hear a flute.
His entire body ached and he quickly realised he had an oxygen mask over his muzzle.
As his vision cleared sufficiently, he saw two unicorn fillies sitting on chairs beside him, identical in all but the colour of their coat and mane.
Dinky and Tootsie.
Tootsie was practicing her flute while Dinky was quietly drawing doodles with few crayons.
Weakly, Pipsqueak removed the mask and spoke.
“Hello”
“Pip!” Dinky flew to his side and wrapped him in a hug. Tootsie bounded up and joined in.
“Oof...please...you’re hurting me”
Just quickly, the two fillies drew back.
“Sorry” Dinky mumbled, twiddling her hoof “Are you okay?”
“Um...I think so...” Pip murmured “What happened...Did I faint? I don’t remember all too much”
“That’s probably for the best” Tootsie said “Some really weird and scary stuff happened but it’s all over now”
Pipsqueak lay back on the pillow.
“I always miss the interesting stuff” he said with a small chuckle.


“Where’s that bloody boy!” A slurred roar came from down the hospital corridor, causing Dinky and Tootsie to jump and Pipsqueak to clutch the end of his blankets in worry.
“Hide” he whispered “It’s my dad”
“What?” Dinky asked as Tootsie pulled her to one side, behind the open door as a furious stallion staggered in, wearing a dirty black trench-coat. His coat was dark brown with grey patches. His shaggy, unkempt mane was an unhealthy bleached colour that made it impossible to know what it had once looked like but his prominent stubble was black and nearly encompassed half his face. His eyes were yellow with drink, cold, hard and utterly unfriendly.
Dinky watched, hidden with her sister behind the door as Pipsqueak quaked on his hospital bed, staring at his father far more frightened than she ever could have been when her own father was angry earlier that day.
“You...” he growled “You stupid little curd! I tell you to keep out of trouble and what happens?!”
“Dad...I’m sorry” Pipsqueak mumbled.
“Shut up!” He barked, lumbering over the bedside, his cruel eyes boring into his sons, his dirty yellow teeth grinding “Forty bits an hour that ride charged me! Forty bucking bits! And then not only does the bloody raid siren go off but after I’m out of that piss-soaked bunker they tell me you’ve been ploughing around and taking advantage of this place! How much is this gonna’ cost, eh?! Who’s gonna’ pay for it?! Any idea, you plot!”
He threw the bottle in his hoof at the wall, smashing it to pieces and staining the clean white wall with the leftover contents.
“Wonderful! Now look what you made me do!” the stallion snarled “I can’t leave you alone for a minute can I?! And I got better things to do than pick up your curd! Do you hear me?!”
Pipsqueak shut his eyes tight and whimpered.
Soon his father was going to start hitting him, he knew it.
He’d always hit the brown patches on his coat...so nopony would notice the bruises.


“Leave him alone!”
The stallion spun round, staring groggily at the angry little periwinkle unicorn filly standing before him, joined by her slightly more worried light blue companion.
“You what?” he blurted.
“I said leave him alone you...you...bully!”
The stallion stared a moment, indignation spread across his bedraggled face.
Then he kicked out with one hoof.
Tootsie had grabbed Dinky in the time he’d taken to register them and the hoof hit her hard on the back of the head. She tripped and fell into her sister’s forelegs, crying as a filly would when struck.
Pipsqueak drew back, horrified.
His father was here and so were his friends.
If he let him, he’d inflict upon them the things he did to his own son.
“Dad, stop!”
His father turned back to him, snarling. Suddenly Pipsqueak rather regretted drawing attention to himself.
“What are you playing at?!” he snapped “You messing around with fillies now, are you?! You think that’s acceptable?! You think I’d allow that?!” He raised his hoof again “I’ll knock some sense into you, I will, you bucking little...”
“Excuse me?”
The stallion looked round again at a pink unicorn mare with a violet mane standing in the doorway, taking in the sight.
“Buck’s sake, what now?!” he barked.
Sparkler took a deep breath.


There was an almighty crash as the drunken stallion was propelled out through the hospital doors, landing in a heap before an approaching mare.
Sparkler stood seething in the doorway as the stallion groaned, struggling to find his hooves.
“Never...NEVER! Hurt! My! Sister!” she yelled before turning away and heading back down the corridor.
The mare stared at the sight.
Her husband had just been beaten.
Her husband who for so very long she’d lived in fear and resentment of was lying on the ground, bruised and battered from countless blows, utterly subdued.
She fixed her gaze towards the hospital doors and walked on.
“Nancy...” the stallion groaned “Don’t just stand there, give me a hoof”
“Oh, get lost”
There was a pause as both she and her husband took in the weight of the words she’d just spoken.
“What?” he tried to sound threatening “You...you get back here you nag, I’ll teach you to...” he slumped, his hooves giving way under his injuries.
Nancy turned back to him and shook her head.
“You are pathetic” she hissed “I see that now. You were always so pathetic, Dodger. I can’t believe I ever wanted you. Well, that stops now, do you hear? I’m done with you. Me and Pipsqueak, we are both done!” She grabbed him by the collar of his coat and removed his wallet and house keys “From now on you can manage your stinking pleasures in your own way! I don’t care how! Just stay out my life and stay out of my son’s. I’ll say it again. Get. Lost”
And she walked off, leaving the stallion who’d once been her husband scrambling in the dirt spluttering vulgarities.
She met the Nurse and asked to be shown to Pipsqueak’s room.
There she found her son, staring with wonder at the tall pink unicorn, hugging her little sisters tight.
“Excuse me, miss?” she said quietly.
Sparkler looked up.
“Hi. Are you Pip's mom?”
“That I am. If it’s alright with you, ma’am, I’d like to be alone for a bit”
“Sure thing” She picked up Tootsie and Dinky and made their way out the room “Come on girls, we need to get ready for the wedding. Hardly likely to be more hectic than this”
“Just one last thing, miss” Nancy said before the pink mare was gone “Thank you...Thank you for teaching me a very valuable lesson. You’ve helped me and my son in ways you can’t imagine”
Sparkler gave her a modest smile as she and the two fillies departed.
“Bye Pip!” Dinky called back as they left.
Nancy stood alone with her son, taking in the sight of his perplexed expression and numerous contraptions around his bed.
She dreaded to imagine what had happened.
She also noticed the bottle fragments on the floor and the spatter of alcohol across the wall.
It was over now.
“Pip...” she murmured, tears appearing in her eyes “My little baby, my precious little colt” She wrapped her son in a warm hug which, happily, he returned.
“I’m alright, mummy” he whispered “I’ll be okay”
“Yes, Pip...I promise you will”
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Pip was alright the next day. Celestia knows what happened, they weren’t exactly clear on the subject” Nancy stared at the dregs of her paper tea cup “I came clean about what Dodger had been putting me and Pip through all these years...what I’d let him put us through...”
“It wasn’t your fault, Nancy”
“That’s never very convincing...Still, I would’ve lost my son if weren’t for you” Nancy rested her head on her friend’s shoulder “I never saw Dodger again after that. With any luck he took my advice and got well and truly lost”
“I know all that, Nancy. But what I don’t quite get is why are you getting your mane in knots about him and this Dinky?”
Nancy closed her eyes a moment.
“I was still a filly when I fell for Dodger. Back when he had something that could pass for style”
“I remember...He was in a gang, wasn’t he”
“Fillies love a bad colt, that’s what I always told myself” The world-weary earth pony shook her head “Freedom was sweet while it lasted, I don’t mind saying it. Then I got pregnant...And I knew it was over. I could accept that. I was old enough, smart enough, or so I thought. But not Dodger. He didn’t want the party to end. He didn’t want responsibilities. He just kept on being what he’d always been, however poorly suited he was to the role. He wasn’t a bad colt anymore...he was a bad stallion...” she sniffed “And I kept letting that stallion into my life...into Pip’s life...And I’m worried...I’m worried Pip will make the same mistake. That she’ll turn out like Dodger...Or...Celestia help me...Or he will...”
The blue unicorn scoffed.
“Oh come on, Nancy! Pip? Turning into Dodger? He’s more likely to turn into blooming Fleur de Lis!”
Nancy tried to smile but found bad memories welling up inside her.
“I just remember how horrible I was to you back before I had Pip...I always said you were soft. I always gave you a hard time...you and Marmalade...” She was close to crying “You were lucky to have a stallion like him, Blue”
“Yeah...I really was...” Blue Murder murmured “Still...That’s all in the past. Our foals are the future and that’s what we need to keep safe, you and me, eh?”
The earth pony managed a smile.
“Maybe I am just worrying over nothing”
“Welcome to motherhood, Nancy. You’re looking out for the boy, there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s important is we do it wisely, for their sakes as well as ours”
There came a whistle as the train to the outskirts approached.
“Well...” Blue sighed “I’d better be off. Take care, old girl”


*


Tybalt had finally hit a target facing behind him. He was certainly satisfied, spinning the rifle on his hoof and whooping.
Balisong shook her head. Tybalt was young and headstrong as all the newbies tended to be.
Times were she’d been the youngest recruit among the mercenaries. And Cascadius had never let her forget it. He wasn’t disparaging but he was very firm. Even after she’d been a foal soldier in the Siege of Maneila and the Horneo Manhunts, the paymaster had been adamant she start from the bottom-rung in terms of mercenary work. It was only through several successful missions beforehoof that she was allowed to partake in the strike on Canterlot seven years ago. However well that went, she had at least proven herself which meant she had the privilege as serving as a commander in the organisation of theirs, permitted to take to missions solo.
This meant she could do things her way.
She made her way to Cascadius’s study, passing by Royal Flush. She suddenly leaned in close, leering at him, causing the portly politician to flinch and nearly tripping him over. The mare sniggered as he gracelessly picked himself up.
Royal Flush had once been the most feared stallion in the outskirts. The blubbering worm he’d been reduced to was testament to Cascadius’s skill in humbling others.
She gently knocked on the door and opened it.
Cascadius was sitting with his back to his desk, playing on a flute. It was an old country lilt that was pleasant on the ears.
Balisong made sure to let him finish the verse he was on before interrupting him. Not because he’d get angry but because she was rather enjoying the song.
It finished at last and Cascadius looked up, smiling.
“Hello there, Bali. What news?”
“We’ve got a new arrival, sir”
“He’s arrived at last, has he?” The paymaster rose to his hooves “Well, better make ourselves presentable”
Balisong frowned.
“I don’t like it. Working with his sort”
“Now, Bali, you’re not going to get all patronising again are you?” Cascadius gave her a look of disapproval “I recall, last time, you very much hurt Corax’s feelings”
The mare rolled her eyes.
“Well, I’m sorry I took issue with his cannibalising of prisoners, sir, but...”
“But nothing. He doesn’t have a go at you for what you get up to with the prisoners” He smiled as Balisong gave a startled shudder “I see everything that goes on here, Bali. You’ve no right to hold yourself above your colleagues. I’m sure there are many who would call you out on it if they felt the wish”
“I don’t kill the prisoners” she mumbled.
“They wish you would” Cascadius gave her a measured look “I’m not going to stop you. What you do to your own quarry is your business...and the films you make are making quite a decent bit. Just make sure you don’t compromise our operations”
Balisong shrugged.
“The camera never leaves the cell, boss. And it’s hardly likely the Equestrians are going to sit down and watch them”
“We can only hope. I expect you to take responsibility, Bali. Now...I must welcome a very old acquaintance”


He briskly made his way to the landing pad where airships docked and departed. The entire place was bustling as the deck crew and maintenance made way for an enormous brass airship about the size of a dragon king.
The Ubu Roi. Cascadius had only ever seen it once from a distance.
Billowing vapour and dust, the ship’s massive doors opened and a congregation of creatures funnelled out in lockstep.
Rhinos. Several varieties. In the Ivorium States, the rhinos were categorized into the servant classes but, while the skull-horned cultures enjoyed the privilege of soldier or attendant duty, the common hair-horned cultures were classed as slaves, pressed into hard-labour, in this case, pulling a palanquin.
Many centuries ago, almost every beast in Zebrica was slave to the mighty Ivorium Warlords, the smaller races of elephant among the first and the zebra among the most numerous. But one rebellion after another, sometimes with Equestrian aid but more often without, had left the Ivorium’s slaver empire a paltry fraction of what it had once been.
Nonetheless, one particular warlord still possessed significant power and influence, both things Cascadius wanted.
The palanquin nearly swayed under the staggering girth of the one upon it. The warlord towered over any creature on four hooves Cascadius knew. Unlike the common elephants, the mighty beast’s lower jaw was long enough to touch the tip of his trunk with two jutting teeth-like tusks while the two formidable tusks beside his trunk were both ten feet long and adorned with thick gold and gemstone rings. He was draped in a purple, crimson and turquoise cloak with golden tassels and a high, three-tiered, jewel-encrusted crown. Wealth hung from his body in everything he wore and held. His palanquin itself was of a similar decor. A square inch of it would feed a family for a season.
He wasn’t alone on the palanquin either. Surrounding him was his prized harem girls. This particular warlord was known for his covetousness of young females he’d hear about from near and far and his harem comprised of some of the most shapely and beautiful creatures in the world. Ponies, zebra, antelope, two deer, an okapi, and even a young giraffe. All swathed in coloured silks, lithe, nubile and terribly solemn, they kept their heads bowed and did their best to huddle together for emotional support. The paymaster pleasantly recognised Princess Sembel, the runaway he'd returned a year ago.
Cascadius held out one hoof respectfully to receive him and his host.
“Welcome to our abode, Excellency Schnortel”


The enormous gomphothere grinned as his slaves brought his vessel forward. He didn’t remove himself from it, he rarely ever did.
Schnortel was fat, even for a gomphothere, there was no denying it. He sort of dripped into the seat of his palanquin when he sat down, like a roll of dough dropped into a bowl and just...settling.
But he seemed in a decent mood, at least.
He spoke, his voice like that of all his kind, shrill and cacophonic, unlike the smaller, more common elephants who tended to be very sonorous.
“Mr Cascadius...” he guffawed “You seem to have done well for yourself”
“As have you” Cascadius’s true feelings about the Ivorium Warlord were mixed but he always made sure to show courtesy “We very much appreciate you coming here on such short notice”
“Just so long as you make it worth my while” Unlike Cascadius, Schnortel didn’t hide behind courtesy. A beast like him wasn’t capable of hiding behind much “The Ubu Roi will sail in your...venture and you will be granted a hundred of my best troops”
Cascadius smiled.
Skull-Horn Rhinos would make a fine addition to his ever-growing force, better yet a hundred of them.
“Of all three specialities?”
“As you requested” Schnortel nodded “Fifty Brontan Storm-Riders, thirty-five Teleoan Siege-Breakers and fifteen Uintan Seers. They will be more than a match for any paltry hoof-full of Equestrians”
“Don’t be too certain. A mere hoof-full can prove quite tenacious, I have found. Nonetheless, the Skull-Horn armies are formidable in battle and Equestria has never faced rhinos in open-field for quite some time”
“Just so long as I am sated”
“Of course, your Excellency. As promised, your debts to my organisation and any other in my influence are written-off and you shall enjoy the luxuries of a senior member of the organisation’s executive command. And after our operations are complete, you will be granted mercenary armies with fresh arms and munitions to mount a reconquista of Zebrica. You will also be allowed to keep a suitable share of the spoils in however way you’d prefer”
Schnortel gave the paymaster a measured look.
“One more thing” he held up one gigantic hoof “I have been informed that interfering upstart Fancy Pants has a new mare”
“This would be Fleur de Lis?” Cascadius suggested “Unicorn? Tall, thin, white coat and a primrose mane?”
“Yes. Fleur de Lis” the gomphothere grinned “I want her. I will give you my hundred best Skull-Horns to use in whatever way you like and I will have the rest of my armies at my command when I fight alongside you and your friends against Equestria. And if we claim the victory you’re so certain will be ours, I must have this Fleur de Lis”
“Sounds reasonable. What exactly will you do once you have her?”
“Everything” Schnortel answered with a cruel chuckle, licking his lips “I will break her in, the way a female was always broken in by my ancestors in the old Empire and add her to my...collection. And I will make her knave of a husband watch every moment!”
There was a pause.
“I think my employer will like that very much” Cascadius said at last with a smile “Fancy and Fleur proved quite detrimental to us in a previous run-in. I shan’t mind if you wish to settle old scores once they’re at your mercy”
“Excellent. My Empire will fight with you, paymaster, as long as you can deliver what you promise”
“I always do, your Excellency. My word is never broken. Now, you will find suitable refreshments in the chambers we’ve had prepared for you. If you’ll follow Mr Shadowplay” He turned to the approaching batpony “Is everything in order, Shadow?”
“Just a couple of things, sir. Blue Murder is currently en route to Boulette and should arrive at the rendezvous point in half an hour. And I got a transmission from Dr Bittersweet of Glanders Gate asking for you to appear at the asylum as soon as possible”
Cascadius groaned, rolling his eyes.
“That quack’s taking up far too much of my time than I’m happy with. Whatever it is, it had better be good”
“There’s just one more thing, sir” Shadow butted in “Miura and her fliers caught a griffin over the airspace. They’re bringing her over to the landing bay to receive your orders”
The paymaster’s eyebrows rose.
They’d been found?
This wasn’t meant to happen. This wasn't meant to happen at all!


There came a whistle as Miura landed alongside three pegasi and two griffins. One belonged to Sister Slashtalon’s battle-flock, the other was unfamiliar.
“Master Cascadius. We apprehended an intruder over the area. Awaiting course of action on your command” Miura said flatly, one hoof instinctively over the shaft of her katana.
Cascadius took in the trespasser.
The female griffin bore the features of a snowy owl, white feathers, speckled black, with a flat face, an elegant jet-black beak and wide, mesmerising, lemon-yellow eyes. The back half of her was, of course, a snow leopard, a smooth black-blotched tail swaying idly.
She smiled at Cascadius and spoke, her soft voice possessed of a prominent Farman accent.
“Greetings, Paymaster Cascadius. I am Strilda. I come on behalf of Jotnar Warhost”
Cascadius’s eyes widened and several of the mercenaries surrounding the griffin stepped back, startled.
“Jotnar?” the paymaster asked with awe “What reason do they have to seek us out?”
Strilda fluttered her eyelashes playfully.
“You are assembling a mercenary army, correct? For an attack on Equestria and its fair alicorn princess?”
Cascadius was growing ever more concerned.
“Yes but I sent no message to Jotnar”
Strilda shrugged.
“News travels fast”
“It wasn’t meant to” The paymaster’s voice grew noticeably angry and Miura pulled her blade half an inch out of it’s sheathe.
“Well, be that as it may, we have no intention of betraying you. On the contrary, our grand commander fully intends on, how you say, pitching in? We are, in fact, at this moment setting the stage, attacking the Crystal Empire’s fortress in Quartzwald”
Cascadius was quiet for a moment. His irritation was now apparent if only slightly.
“You do realise how much time and effort we’ve gone to in order to keep our operations a secret, correct?”
“Correct and completely understood. As far as the Crystal Empire and the Equestrians will know, it will simply be a random but effective raid by perpetrators unknown. To us, it shall be Jotnar’s initiation exercise. Your name will not be dropped at any point throughout. We are professionals”
Jotnar were many things but Cascadius wasn’t certain ‘professionals’ were one of them.
“See that we are not in any way compromised, Miss Strilda, and I will consider your organisation’s alliance with mine. Fail to do so, however, and Miura will guarantee you a gruesome death”
Miura gave a faint smile, cradling her weapon, but Strilda showed no sign of anxiety.
“Now if you excuse me” Cascadius rolled his eyes “Doctor’s appointment”


*


Rarity had made good on her promise.
She was currently just outside Colonel Quimper’s office, hidden behind the open door to the disabled officer’s washroom. She assumed from ponies like the Colonel that Boulette’s military didn’t have any disabled officers.
Through some spells, kept weak to avoid detection, she could just overhear the conversation.
But Quimper had gone to his office alone.
So who was he talking to?
“I’ll ensure your orders are carried out”
“See that they are. This is still my city. Those damn questie nags are gonna’ get what’s coming to them!”
“Oh they will, sir. Count on that. I have two stallions in my close circle who would be more than up for the task”
Quimper was the one calling the other ‘sir’.
So somepony in that room, a stallion with a gruff and somewhat chewy voice was the Colonel’s superior.
She didn’t know if Boulette had any officers ranking higher than the Colonel but it certainly wasn’t Peregrine or his lieutenants in there.
“So once they’re dealt with, what then. With respect, it’s hardly likely the Princess will take kindly to it”
“By that time, we’ll have identified the mercenaries. They’ll all be linked to foreign powers and it will be clear to the ponies of the city that Equestrian intervention can’t keep them any safer. What that idiot princess said to you won’t matter, not once we’re done with her. And once I return, we’ll be free to restore Boulette’s military to its fullest capacity”
“And then we claim back what they took from us. We claim all that’s rightfully ours”
“Starting with Canterlot”
Rarity placed one hoof to her mouth in shock but made no sound.
“I’ll have Sergeants Angrius and Etric sent up immediately for their assignment”
‘That, it seems, is my cue to leave’ Rarity thought, ducking her way out into the main corridor. She’d spent considerable time learning to gain attention from the crowd. Avoiding it was simply a matter of doing the opposite. Fortunately there weren’t many guards up until the main corridor who would think she’d simply come from anywhere.
Finally free of the drab, worn, old barracks, she focussed on finding Twilight Sparkle.
She’d want to hear this.
Rarity tapped at her communicator and, to her surprise, found it unresponsive.
Tapping it a couple more times and trying to activate it with her magic proved fruitless.
‘Oh well. I suppose slogging through this ghastly city to meet her in person is in order’
Trotting along, Rarity was distressed at the looks the populace gave her as she passed. It took her back to her awkward time in Canterlot trying to curry favour with the local elite. Jet Set and Upper Crust were always ready with some snide remark to set the others chortling in that obnoxious way.
But this was somehow different. This wasn’t mere disdain or conceit. This was something far darker.
This was hatred.
And even before assuming her duties as a Bearer of Harmony, young Rarity had always found hatred such an unhealthy habit, not to say unseemly.


She wracked her brains for where Twilight must have headed. This was going to be a longer day than she would have liked. And she’d made plans to be back at the flat soon.
She didn’t like leaving her dear Spike all on his own. He never tried to show it but leaving the little dragon out of things took its toll on him. She’d promised herself it would stop many months ago. And she enjoyed being together with just them. Hopefully Angel would fall asleep.
She remembered now. Twilight had been anxious to head to the scene of the crime.
Finding the Crossfort wasn’t going to be all too difficult, just follow the day-old trail of carnage.
She stopped by a road-sign and map and was put off by some of the posters hung up around it, all forecasting doom and degradation at the hooves of Equestria and its foreign allies and encouraging violence in their own streets.
Looking past that, Rarity saw a shortcut to the Crossfort via the subway. No doubt a squalid venture through the underbelly of the already tasteless cityscape.  She pursed her lips at the thought.
Anything to make this quick. She just wanted to meet Twilight, give her a brief summary of what she’d learnt and hopefully talk it over clearer back at the flat. She found the city’s atmosphere growing more distasteful by the moment.
She followed the directions to the subway, taking her down a rather grimy alley. She had a sullen suspicion it only got worse from here.
‘Just find Twilight and then back to the flat for a well-deserved bubble-bath’ she promised herself.
She came to the subway entrance and found she was not alone.
Two stallions with shaven manes dressed in black jackets near as sordid as themselves were approaching her from the opposite alley, eyeing her in ways she was distinctly uncomfortable with.
“Don’t you move a muscle, questie. We got something to say to you” one of them sneered.
Rarity was not about to let the two thugs intimidate her. She turned up her muzzle and glanced at them through half-closed eyes, her lashes fluttering.
“Sirs, I shall move whichever of my muscles I please as I have nothing whatsoever to say to you”
“Oh this one thinks she’s smart, huh” the other one sniggered “You’re different to that orange cowherd nag, that’s for sure”
“I dare say. That is both a blessing and a curse for many different reasons. But if you’ve crossed her already, you have by now realised we’re not to be trifled with”
“Oh that’s what you like to think, don’t ya!” She noticed one of them was removing something from the jacket. A flash of metal greeted her eyes as he drew a knife.
She took great effort to remain composed but managed to do so nicely.
“Sirs...I would not advise that” She spoke almost like a disapproving mother.
“You shut up! We’re done with this, you hear?!” the knife-wielder was losing patience “We’re done with you pansy-flank little pay-rides thinking you can step on us! Us! You ought to be the ones kissing the ground! It’s all you’re good for! And you’ll do it right now if you want to keep your face!”
Rarity was about to offer another comment to register general unrufflement.
But then stopped.
Her face fell and paled as she steadily raised a hoof.
The thug grinned wickedly.
“Oh you don’t like this, huh? You don’t want to feel it somewhere?”
“I know what she’d rather feel somewhere”
Rarity’s face was now a picture of worry as she pointed towards them.
“You’ve had this coming, nag!” the knife-wielder was readying himself, still a fair distance away from her.
“Let’s send all those filly-foolers a message, the way we do things in...”
“Huuuuuuuuuuuur”


Both of them stopped, their faces falling to dread just as quickly as they slowly turned around.
A flash of metal appeared, far greater than the knife.
Rarity’s eyes widened with terror as the shriek the two assailants prepared to give was cut off with their heads in one swoop.
Their bodies slumped to the ground, parting for their killer.
Rarity took a step back as the stallion before her stepped forward.
She found herself staring at one of the most hideous ponies she’d ever seen.
And for once, it wasn’t down to his apparel though that, in itself, left much to be desired. He was dressed in a black coat assembled from what looked like matted hair with a few belts slung across his person. He was also wearing a hat, a drab, wide-brimmed flaxen specimen, stained and torn at the edges.
But what got most of her attention was his face.
His sickly beige coat resembled frayed hempen cloth than anything else and was torn open in multiple places, exposing bone and teeth behind it. His milky eyes bulged in his sunken sockets and, upon a closer look, revealed themselves to be devoid of eyelids. The earlier thought about his coat looking like torn fabric seemed appropriate as his mouth had been sown shut, poorly. Thick tangled thread kept his lips from opening too wide, setting his face in a demented grimace, and from which escaped unintelligible monosyllabic groans.
Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had always talked about zombies on Nightmare Night which Applejack and Twilight always dismissed, Fluttershy fearfully hoped weren’t real and Rarity never paid much thought to.
But if this stallion before her wasn’t a zombie, he was a close enough approximation.
Aside from his face, the thing that most caught Rarity’s attention was his weapon of choice, a large, double-ended blade held by a wooden handle in the centre. He was trailing one end of it along the ground as he paced toward her.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuur” he groaned again.
Rarity tried to mumble something but no words escaped her. She was transfixed by the sights before her.
She’d just witnessed ponies die in a horrible manner.
And now she was watching as their killer approached her with similar ends in mind.
This couldn’t possibly have been happening.
She’d never dreamed ever in her life that she would meet with such an event.
This was all so unbelievable.
And yet nothing could have been more real.
The stallion’s eyes were fixed on her, unmoving gaze piercing her as the blade soon would.
He raised it off the ground. The movement caused Rarity to at last find her hooves as she ducked a swipe meant for her neck and ran down the subway as fast as her hooves could carry her. The stallion was in pursuit judging by the snarling groans her way. Yet he made no sound with his hooves.
For the first time in ages, it seemed darkness might be her salvation.


The assassin followed her in, trudging at an ungainly pace around the subway, still making no noise with his hooves.
His blank, demented eyes scanned the shadows like some fell scavenger.
His head spun round to the flash of cyan magic to the side of him as Rarity fired a bolt from her horn.
It hit him right in the face but all that happened was that he craned his head back, facing away from her. He hadn’t even stepped back an inch. He looked back at where the magic had come from.
His face was smoking but hadn’t been marred in any other way than last she’d seen it. His expression was one of triumph as he snarled.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaar!”
Giving a small shriek, Rarity ran further down into the subway.
Down and down she sped, not knowing fully whether she was still being followed and not particularly caring. She wished to put as much distance between her and this unwavering menace as possible.
Finally, she tripped, slamming her face to the ground as the sound of bells filled the area.
A tight sensation gripping her chest far harder than the bruise to her face, she scrambled to a corner of pitch blackness in the large expanse of cold, wet stonework, shut her eyes, placed one hoof over her mouth and prayed this would all be over soon.
Above, Threadbare peered down into the ever-darkening subway.
He had heard the bells.
And they signalled the presence of another hunter.
One with a taste for flesh.


There came another deranged growl from above.
Rarity could feel her heart slamming against her chest.
Then the growl grew quieter, fading away.
The assassin was leaving at last.
The Bearer of Generosity engaged in a long sigh of relief, sinking down onto her rump, her legs weak from the arduous chase.
Then there came a click.
Then the sound of sliding stone as the way she’d come in slammed shut, blocking off all light.
She gave another squeak of terror and lit up her horn.
She didn’t like this one bit. She wanted to leave immediately.
Wait. She could hear wind. That must have led somewhere. She found her hooves and took a step.
And heard another step. One that was not her own.
And another. And another. And another.
She suddenly realised what she was hearing was not the wind at all.
It was breathing. Heavy breathing.
Hungry breathing.
She lit up her horn and had a feeling she was going to regret it.
The next instant, she was falling on her back, screaming at the sight of yet another horror.
A horrific sight came into view as her magic case a small but bright light. A creature with a primate build and a bony, emaciated structure. Dark, oil-black skin glistening in the light and monstrous claws that would be the nightmare of any hooficurist. But, like the assassin from before, the most distinguishing trait was its face.
Its jaw was entirely skinless, the skin around it pulled away in a fold like a sleeve. The lower half of the beast’s skull boasted a mouthful of jagged fangs and a long, trailing, red tongue.
Twin globes of glowing yellow stared at her from sunken sockets and Rarity saw that above those, the creature’s brain was exposed, its head cracked open down the middle.
As it crept towards her, it was joined by several others of its kind, hissing and snapping.
Rarity realised then that she was completely surrounded.
The light from her horn kept them only slightly at bay but she knew that if she cast any other spell at one of them, the rest would have her completely at their mercy.
With few options open, she tried a tactic Fluttershy had once given her when avoiding confrontation with large, territorial animals.
Taking one step slowly at a time, she edged past them.
The creatures kept her surrounded but drew back from the light, letting her walk on relatively unscathed.
Then something flickered in the darkness. She felt something small, hard and metallic hit her horn.
Several nerves deadened and her magic completely subsided. Rarity’s legs buckled as her body suddenly felt so much heavier.
Her eyes stung but forced themselves open as the creatures surrounded her, growling and grunting, tongues lashing at the air.
Rarity’s terror dwarfed any feeling of confusion but her sudden fatigue prevented her from showing such. She struggled to find a single hoof to place upon the ground as she felt one of their claws brush against her side.
It felt so very cold.
“Part!” A booming stallion’s voice sounded from the shadows and the beasts did so, scuttling away as the sound of gentle hoofs sounded slowly on the stonework.
Rarity was relieved for a moment.
Then the same stallion’s voice began laughing.
The bells were plucked, ringing again as the stallion spoke.
“I go and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, dear one, for it is knell, that summons thee to heaven...or to hell”
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Ugh! Blast it”
Twilight fiddled one last time with the communicator clip. It wouldn’t respond no matter what she did. The colour was entirely faded.
She cursed herself. She should have kept a better eye on things.
The lavender unicorn felt guilt well up inside her chest. She’d hoped to have Spike here and give him a chance to help out.
Times were Spike had been involved in their adventures less and less and she’d been meaning to make it up to him.
‘Oh well. I’ll know to bring him with me next time’ she thought, though she didn’t want to think how many times she’d said that over the months. Steeling herself, she made her way into the near-ruined Crossfort. The door was half askew and burnt black from the ferocious artillery bombardments the mercenaries took part in.
Twilight had ordered the Royal Guard to pull back half a mile outside the Crossfort. If anything took off, she wanted as few ponies in the vicinity as possible. She hoped her own magical capabilities and experience would suffice if the worst were to happen.
The ponies of Equestria and Boulette were her responsibility at this time. She couldn’t let them down.
Opening the already ruined door, she made her way through the near-demolished government building.
The building’s interior structure was hardened metal underneath the brickwork and mortar. It wouldn’t cave in. According to the reports, everything that could come down had done so already.
Even so, nopony had chanced to look in yet. And unfortunately for Twilight, being the first one inside involved passing by every corpse the mercenaries had left scattered and sprawled through the buildings.
Nopony had been left alive. All personnel and residents at the Crossfort on the day of the attack had either been captured or killed.
Twilight found herself having to step over or duck under fallen beams and pillars frequently as she tried hard not to look into the faces of the countless dead as well as hold her breath. The smell was appalling and flies and worms were already gathering.
It wasn’t just security that had been massacred. There were technicians, secretaries, cleaners. Innocent ponies so gruesomely murdered for no better reason than being in the building at the time.
If this was what befell those the mercenaries didn’t take alive, she was dreading what was happening to those they’d captured.
At last she found it.
The communications room.
Heading to the desk, she paused, paled and tried hard to stop herself vomiting as she chanced upon the grisly remains of a yellow unicorn cut lengthwise in half, one side of him still slumped in his chair, the other lolling over the side, nearly touching the floor.
Clutching her stomach, Twilight looked up and came across an even worse sight.
An open elevator caked with dried red-brown blood, piled high with bits and pieces of pony, SWAT team equipment intermixed among the mess. The room more resembled the larder of a very untidy timber-wolf than anything else.
Unable to control herself, Twilight grabbed the nearest trash-can and vomited three times in succession.
She hadn’t been investigating for more than a day and already she was already regretting it.

Steadying herself she turned the revolving chair away so the sight of the halved stallion would no longer trouble her.
Even so, she felt sorry for the poor sap he’d once been. The wound was not clean. The process of cutting him in half, she hesitated to even contemplate, could have taken several straight minutes.
She checked the computer screen, using a small spell to clean the screen and keyboard. The computer had been shot multiple times through the monitor. Twilight grimaced.
It seems they gave an electrical appliance a more merciful death than some of the ponies in the room.
Regardless, they’d left nowhere untouched and nopony alive. Everything that could have been linked to them was taken or destroyed. 	They had missed nothing. Yet there hadn’t been any sign whatsoever of the mercenaries getting inside help.
They would’ve had to have come here before. If not them then perhaps Cascadius himself if he was as good as disguise as they said.
She gazed around, trying to clear her head. Difficult in the area she currently stood.
She noticed something. Something in the one place she really didn’t want to look.
On the wall of the blood-soaked elevator, facing the door, there was something had clearly been put up after the attack as it was completely clean.
She steadily paced over until the sight and smell was simply too much for her. Fighting nausea, she took the object in her magical grasp, off the wall and gazed at it.
Her eyes bulged.
It was a picture of her parents, Shining, Cadence and herself. Taken when her big brother had become an officer of the Royal Guard, a corporal in the Royal Palace Grounds Platoon. She recognised Flash Sentry, Moondancer, Blizzard Wind, Lyra and several others in the background.
But what most grabbed her attention was the small knife that had been used to pin the photo.
It was placed right on Shining’s neck.
With hooves shaking on the ground, barely able to keep enough focus to maintain her magical hold, she turned the photo around.
There was writing at the back. Two words.
You Interfered

Stepping backwards, her heart slamming against the inside of her ribcage, Twilight Sparkle dropped the photo and stepped back.
They knew.
They knew she was involved.
And now everypony she loved was at risk.
In that moment, she fully understood the Doctor’s words.
This was different to any threat she’d ever faced, any foe she’d ever known.
This was...monstrous.
Her hooves were shaking. She was finding standing upon them growing all the more difficult.
Stumbling backwards, she pressed her side against a wall and caught her breath, closing her eyes and praying to Celestia she hadn’t seen that photo.
Her eyes then opened wide as something smashed through the wall she rested against and seized her by the throat.
It slammed her into the wall twice, the first time bruising her face and bloodying her nose and the second time smashing a pony-sized hole through the wall and out the other end as the Bearer of Magic found herself face to face with a vicious-looking creature.
It grinned and spoke, its’ voice gravelly and growling.
“Ello, missy! You know what we do to nosy nags like yerself? Well, you’s about to find out!”
The next instant, Twilight was thrown across the dark expanse of a wide corridor. Picking herself up and spitting out a mouthful of blood, she took in the sight of her foe.
It was an absolutely humongous pony, one that could rival Bulk Biceps for size and shape. Unlike the massive pegasus, however, this pony didn’t seem naturally muscular. His eyes glowed purple and veins around his bulging muscles flushed the same colour in and out of sync, contrasting with his bright green coat. As her sided around her, Twilight saw sharp chunks of bright purple crystal embedded in his shoulders and spine. 
His face was tiny, as if wedged between his jutting jawbones and low forehead but his mouth was huge and crammed with a pair of long, pointed teeth on either side of his lower jaw that had been jammed there in place of two removed molars, setting his face in a permanent snarl.
“Who...Who are you?” Twilight spluttered, gathering her senses.
The pony was armoured in rusty-iron plates and was cradling an axe as menacing as he was.
“Who am I? Tha’s a good question, that is! An’ I got a good answer! I’s Hed’Kika! Guess how I got that name!”
Twilight managed to stand steadily on her hooves and dodge a ferocious kick from her opponent. Rearing up, gaining a little lift with her wings, she fired a beam of magic at the stallion’s face. He staggered backwards, slammed against the wall not too far from him and growled.
“Oh you shouldn’t a’ done that, prissy!”
Lurching to his hooves and adopting an aggressive stance that completely blocked Twilight from the opposite end of the corridor, Hed’Kika readied to charge.
Twilight’s legs threatened to buckle with fear. She glanced around. The corridor wasn’t wide enough to effectively dodge the charge or high enough to give her wings the advantage. All she could do was run.
But what happened when she reached the end of the corridor?
Bracing herself, she galloped as fast as her hooves could carry as Hed’Kika roared and stampeded after her.
Trying to keep her energy sufficiently shared between her running legs and the magical power, Twilight Sparkle’s horn began to glow brighter and brighter.

A blinding, faintly lilac explosion blew open the wall of the Crossfort as the Bearer of Friendship blasted herself an exit, spreading her wings, looping through the air and unleashing a salvo of magic bolts at the raging Hed’Kika, sending him stumbling.
Breathing heavily, Twilight shot him an aggressive glare while hovering above him.
“I don’t know what your mission was...” she bellowed “But you just failed it!”
Hed’Kika got to his hooves and snarled, his misshapen mouth twisting into a sadistic grin as one eyebrow rose over his glowing purple eye.
“Wrong again, prissy!” he snarled. Standing to his full height, he drew an axe from off his back, raised it high in the air with one hoof and roared.
“WAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!”
It was if he’s set off a powder-keg. His roar was joined by several others near and far over the city as several contingents of the mercenaries leapt from their hiding spots and made themselves seen in the only way they knew how.
Wanton death and destruction.
‘Oh Celestia...’ Twilight thought, face paling as she heard screams and explosions echo faintly around her ‘I have to warn the others. I have to get everypony safe!’
As she took off, a mercenary atop the cityscape, yelled into a transceiver.
“Here she comes, boys! Rack 'em up!”
As Twilight flew through the streets, hoping to find the guards she’d had pulled back, armed ponies on the rooftops drew log-shaped firearms and hoisted them over their shoulders, firing great cables across the street. As the cables crossed over one another, they sparked with electricity, creating a field of lightning right before the speeding alicorn who spread out her wings and desperately flapped backwards, too late to slow her flight.
Hitting the field, she writhed in the agonising grip of the electric current, screaming in pain, before falling to the ground with a thump, her wings twitching, her entire body crackling with sparks.
Mercenaries surrounded her like a wolf pack.
As Twilight struggled to open her eyes, she felt something a thin rod of cold iron slam against her face, throwing her to the ground.
‘Damn it!’ She choked ‘I have to...warn them...Can’t let them...’
Her horn lit up with her remaining energy, blasting forth the sound of a horn, the instrument that is, across the city.

*

The fortress of Quartzwald served as the bastion of the Crystal Empire’s reach into the northern Blinding Forest, the shadow of Sombra’s old kingdom serving as a grim memory in the form of a forest of towering, colourless crystal towers as far as the eye could see.
Quartzwald had been renovated to serve as a better means of civilian living rather than a military outpost as the need for army-building lessened in recent centuries. But the area still possessed a sizable fort were the Imperial Legions trained and carried out their duties.
Those on duty saluted their Captain-General and Emperor, Shining Armour, as he made his way through the base.
He was greeted to a familiar voice and couldn’t help but smile as an orange-coated, blue-maned captain flew down to greet him.
“Yo, Shiney!” Flash Sentry cried merrily “Good to see ya! We heading out yet? I joined up to see the world and I spend two years getting blinded by these freaking crystals!”
“Alright, Commander, calm down” he patted him on the shoulder “I’ve got our orders. We’re to head out by the end of the week. Everything needs to be ready by then. How’s Lemon doing?”
“She’s made progress. At least she says she’s found something” Flash winked “But Alma walked in so she might be a bit...preoccupied if you know what I’m saying...”
Shining rolled his eyes.
“Flash, I’m a husband and father. I’m not skittish. But I need to know quickly, our mission could depend on it”
He walked on, his long-serving subordinate following up behind with a cocksure smile.
“Me and Sunset are great, thanks for asking” he said off-hoofedly.
“Yeah, no offence, but after hearing how ‘great’ you two are from Comet Tail, I didn’t want to give you the satisfaction”
“That two-timing bastard! He swore not to tell!” Flash exclaimed before catching Shining’s unimpressed glance “I mean...Look, I’m telling ya, he wasn’t there. You can’t trust anything he says”
“So it isn’t true then? About the Dazzlings?”
“Oh yeah, that bit’s true” the pegasus gave a grin.
“Really...” Shining did not sound convinced “Sunset...and the Dazzlings...and you...”
“All four of ‘em, dude, all at once, all for the Flash! Mares can’t get enough!”
The white unicorn chuckled sardonically.
“What?” Flash asked defensively “You don’t believe me?”
“Flash...I’m willing to believe all four of them took part. But I find it hard to picture them being ‘all for you’, as you put it. Knowing them, I reckon it was more a case of you being ‘all for them’...Am I right?”
There was a pause as Flash Sentry looked distinctly uncomfortable.
“They jumped me, okay?” he muttered.
Shining Armour burst out laughing, patting the young pegasus on the back.
“What am I going to do with you, Flash Sentry?”

They found the door to the scrying chamber where magical practitioners designed spells and weaponry, deciphered enemy codes and strategies and sometimes simply convened around the great glass scrying circle.
Two such ponies were ‘convening’ in a rather intimate way.
Lemon Hearts, an old school friend of Twilight Sparkle, was set in a passionate embrace with Alma Rose, a pale lilac-coated, magenta-maned pegasus mare who Shining and Cadence had known well in their own academy years.
Lemon was half-sitting, half-leaning over a bench while Alma came close to straddling her, both pairs of hooves very busily working over one another as they moaned and giggled through interlocked lips.
They didn’t seem perturbed by the Captain-General’s entrance or even very aware.
Shining stared, deadpan, at the couple, glanced at Flash Sentry, unsurprised to see the young stallion wearing the largest grin he’d ever seen, and cleared his throat.
“Killjoy” Flash muttered as Lemon and Alma pulled free of their kiss.
“Hi, Shiney!” Alma hopped down, smiling brightly “Me and my folks just got back from Saddle Arabia. So happy to see you all, I can’t wait to catch up with Cadey and Flurry again! But I knew I had to start by showing sweet-cheeks how much I missed her!”
Shining couldn’t help but smile at the bubbly mare.
“It’s great to see you again, Alma. How’s your parents work gone?”
“Oh yeah, it went very well. The Shajarat Civil War has been declared at an end. My parents got them to organise a ceasefire and the local government agreed to let Equestrians help out provided they’re commanded by one of their own”
“We can arrange that. Thanks Alma. Lord Razzmatazz and Ambassador Amaranth have performed splendidly, Equestria and Saddle Arabia are very grateful”
“I’m just glad it’s over. Seven years of fighting, Shining, can you imagine?!” she sighed “Well, looks like you and Lemon need to discuss magic and politics and stuff so if anypony needs me, I’ll be taking a quick flight round the place. I’ll pick you guys up something in the square, okay? Laters!”
“Wait” Lemon waltzed over coyly, patted her marefriend on the wing, kissed her once more and slapped her playfully on the flanks, causing her to hop around, giggling.
“You know what you like, Alma!” Lemon gave her a wink “Off you trot”
As Alma left the scrying chamber, both unicorns gave an unimpressed look at Flash Sentry, his blank expression suggesting his mind was very busy.
“What are you gawking at?” Lemon snapped, causing the orange stallion to jolt to his senses.
“Nothin’!” he exclaimed.
“That’s enough, Lemon. What have you found out?” Shining said bluntly.

“Okay...” Lemon Hearts lit up her horn with a field of purple and let it fall from it in drops as if it were liquid. The scrying circle ebbed and vibrated as if it were a pool, its image warping to a map of the Known World.
“We started looking for any activities committed by this organisation who attacked the Crossfort. We started by tracing those responsible, then tracing those they’ve been seen working with. A fair few ponies, all of them wanted criminals. We then searched for incidents with similar patterns. Ended up with several few and far between, thankfully, but prominent in their location. Then, using our international contacts, we searched for any similar organisations of PMCs and if their most recent moving patterns pointed anywhere”
“Anything useful?” Shining asked, growing impatient and more than a bit concerned if this organisation they’d found themselves antagonising warranted such measures simply to detect.
Lemon Hearts tilted her head.
“Well, to the first we found too many leads and to the second, too few. But the third...was where it got...strange”
He lit up her horn again as the map showed various arrows starting at nearly every continent and slowly heading toward Equestria.
Then, suddenly increasingly greatly in speed, they all veered off in different directions.
“Whoa...” Flash Sentry piped up “Something bucked up”
“Yeah, that’s not genuine” Lemon summarised “Nothing moves that fast, not on the map. Something was interfering with the magical field. Something that knew we were getting close”
“Anything that powerful would rival an alicorn” Shining Armour said.
“Well you’d better hope that’s an exaggeration because I was able to trace a vague estimate to where this interference was...”
The scrying pool focussed on Equestria.
“Eep...” Flash said flatly.
“Yeah. Most likely location is somewhere on the outskirts or just outside of it but this organisation has something big and nasty on its side and I’m afraid this could be the least its capable of”
Shining Armour blinked.
When he’d heard a gang of mercenaries had committed an act of war against Equestria, he’d thought they were insane.
Now it seemed, they may not have been so out of their league as he’d first thought.
“We shouldn’t go in without knowing exactly what they’re up to and how to stop it” he said firmly “There’s no telling what could happen. 	From the looks of things, that’s exactly what they want. What we need to do is find out how they’re getting information. They must have spies or contacts somewhere. Find them and we’ll have something to go on. It needs to be done fast”
“We’ll work as fast as we can”
“We very much appreciate the help the School For Gifted Unicorn’s graduates are giving us in these times”
“Don’t sweat it. Anything to catch these guys. I don’t fancy getting what Boulette got anytime soon”
“Indeed. Flash, we’ll need to see the airships are supplied. Who’s handling that?”
As the officers convened and the scholars returned to their investigations, Alma Rose flew from the fortress’s battlements and round its walls, marvelling at the sight of the great expanse of glimmering crystals that gave the empire its name. Flying over the forests, she let the gentle breeze carry her, so glad to be back among friends and family. Now of all times.
Beneath her, staring with a hunter’s eye, an unseen figure stood, hidden in the forest of crystal spires.
A cloven hoof curled around a heavy bow carved out of bone.
Notching an arrow, the hunter’s eye fixed itself upon the pegasus.
“First...Blood...”

*

Loli Beats’ study was littered with posters, plushies and the like, most if not all of them a reddish hue. Her technician’s orb was large and took up the centre of her desk, right next to a heart-framed photo of her and a smiling purple-coated, blonde-maned mare. She opened her door to Blizzard and a bouncing Pinkie Pie before sitting down and showing the Bearer of Laughter what they’d been investigating.
“Okay” she began “It’s no secret that various hate groups in Boulette supported the Senator openly. And the same Senator saw fit to reward them, funding their campaigns and actually promising some of their members positions in government”
Pinkie gave a dumbfounded look while Blizzard shook his head.
“Hate...group?” Pinkie said slowly as if trying to understand how those two words could go together “Why...Why would ponies be in a group to...hate things? You shouldn’t...You shouldn’t hate things together. Hate's something you try to get rid of in groups! It’s...”
“Try not to think about it too much” Blizzard muttered sullenly “There’s never a good enough reason to hate things that are different”
“Yeah, I know that better than most...But here’s the big problem” Loli Beats continued, bringing up profiles of the hate group leaders and reports of their activities “What happened to the Senator they were all too quick to blame Celestia for, seeing it as some kind of conspiracy”
Blizzard scoffed at the notion.
“So we got permission to look into the group’s funding and we found some...interesting things”
“Flush couldn’t have funded all these groups at the time of his election without bankrupting his own campaign” Blizzard continued “Somepony else was sending him money but we’ve found no such payments from any of his legitimate donors”
Both lieutenants paused as Pinkie gave them a blank look, tilting her head slightly.
“He was being paid by somepony secretly. Meaning it’s likely they were getting that money illegally”
Pinkie giggled.
“I know, silly. I was just messing with ya!”
Blizzard gave Loli a suspicious glance. The thestral shrugged in reply. One could never tell with Pinkie Pie.
Budging over, Loli gave Pinkie control over the orb.
“All the computers in the Crossfort were fried. But we found out an attendant of the Senator’s, a communications officer named Banana Republic, was acting as a go-between for the Senator and his contacts on several occasions. We recovered some evidence from his personal effects. It wasn’t much but it’s a start”
“Can we ask this pony ourselves? I’m an expert interrogator!”  Pinkie bounced, the seat bouncing with her “Nopony expects the Pinquistion!”
The two lieutenants glanced at each other.
“Yeah, she’s always like that” Loli answered Blizzard’s unspoken question. The pegasus rolled his eyes and answered.
“Banana Republic, unfortunately, is dead. One of the Crossfort attack’s many casualties”
“Ooh, okay then...” Pinkie winced momentarily but brightened up "No worries, I'll do my best"
She set about decrypting files, her fore-hooves turning into whizzing pink blurs. It took the better part of five minutes before she was uncovering numerous instances proving the Senator’s corrupt dealings with enemies of the state including PMC’s, crime families and cults...while emailing her parents, commenting on Equestria Daily’s newest trailer, watching funny kitten videos and playing three simultaneous games of League of Legends.
“How...” Blizzard Wind muttered to which Loli had no reply but another shrug.
“Woo-HOOOO!” Pinkie exclaimed at last “I did it!”
“You found out who he’s working with?” Blizzard asked.
“No, I beat wreckenbawl4 on One For All! I am the Champion!” She yelled, waving a bright pink ‘No #1’ glove in the air.
Blizzard looked as if he were about to lose patience so Loli stepped in.
“That’s great, Pinkie, but what about the mission?”
“Oh yeah. It says the payments all came through different businesses, none of them I could actually find out about. But they all made their payments at the same time and in the same amount”
“It’s quite likely all the fake businesses are a front for the organisation he’s in league with” Loli summarised “I’d be willing to bet it’s the mercenaries who captured him”
“But there’s something else” Pinkie piped up “There was another payment made, bigger than all the others, that Royal Flush’s cabinet had sent directly to the fake businesses in equal shares”
“Where did the payment come from?” Blizzard asked to which Pinkie pointed at the orb meaningfully.
Loli and Blizzard peered closer and read...
“Invitro Hall!”
“It’s that mean old witch, Countess Glass! Dashie and Derpy told me all about her” Pinkie grinded her teeth, slamming a hoof into the other “Half of Ponyville’s looking to get even with her!”
“This sure is something” Loli said, a grin playing on her face “We knew that the Countess and the Senator worked together but if she was sending payments to this organisation with the senator as the middlepony...that makes her an accomplice for their actions!”
“So she’s gonna’ have one angry Princess on her flanks?!” the Bearer of Laughter asked hopefully.
“Let’s just say she might want her house arrest to go on a little lo-” Blizzard’s answer was cut short as the sound of the horn swept across the city.
“Magic alarm” he murmured, eyes wide with shock “But this amount of magic could only come from an alicorn!”
“Twilight?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, concern apparent on her features.
“Gather the guard! We need to find her!” Loli ordered.
“Right” Blizzard removed a chain weapon from his belt and clutched it in one hoof “I’ll get the fliers and find the princess”
“Right. I’ll take charge of protecting this district and find the others” Loli said “C’mon Pinkie. It’s time to party-hard!”
The two lieutenants and the nervous but determined-looking Bearer made their way down into the barracks to find the guards scrambling to their equipment. As the daunting figure of Peregrine made his entrance, bedecked in golden steel plate, they saluted.
“Get up, you lazy breeders! And arm yourselves!” the Colonel bellowed, fire flickering in his eyes as he stretched his wings in preparation “There’s ponies out there that want to buck your corpses!”

*

Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew out the open window of the bar, staring out at the cityscape from above.
Explosions dotted the place as the sounds of battle and terror echoed throughout. The city wasn’t burning around them but it was still hard to get one’s head round in any case.
“Come on...” Rainbow Dash fiddled with the communicator clip impatiently “Damn it! This stupid thing’s useless!”
“Leave it, Dash, we got bigger problems” Gilda said, hovering round so she and the pegasus were back to back as unsavoury-looking armed ponies surrounded them both in the air and from the rooftops.
“Afternoon ladies” A muscular, red, scar-faced pegasus in a green beret grinned at them, drawing a machete “We were told to invite you over for a few drinks and a hefty dose of mutilation...Sadly, we’re all out of drinks”
There was a pause.
“Was that supposed to be witty?!” Gilda asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Buck you, birdy!” the stallion growled “How’s this for wit then?! Back down or I’m gonna make dice out of your teeth!”
“Griffins don’t have teeth” Rainbow Dash muttered aside, before tilting her head to the side, motioning the griffin to do the same.
“Gilda. I think it’s gonna be like the Spring Break Incident at Flight Camp”
“I don’t think this is quite that serious...at least I don’t see any lawnmowers”
“Maybe, but we can’t go wrong here. I’ll head to the Crossfort, you head to the city gates. We find the girls and we bring help. Ready?”
The cyan pegasus and the white-headed griffin held one forehoof and claw together and began spinning in mid-air.
Bloodhound raised a hoof, motioning the mercenaries to brace as the two fliers spun faster and faster, trails of colour whirling like a Catherine Wheel. Slowly, unnoticed from their colossal velocity, they tilted slightly diagonally as the noise and sight of their speed grew mind-numbing, those around them momentarily stunned.
Then the two gave a yell together, taking them back to their delinquent days at Flight Camp.
“Whoo-Whoop-Wahoo!”
Letting go of each other, the two rocketed forwards, shooting past their surrounding foes and speeding down into the city.
Bloodhound jerked from his stupor with a snarl.
“Bucking hay, get after them, you pillocks, and fast! The griffin’s mine!”
“So long, squitstains!” the griffon screeched triumphantly as the mercenaries split up, trailing the two like a swarm of angry wasps as Gilda and Rainbow Dash set about demonstrated their skill in the air.
‘Okay motherbuckers’ Rainbow growled, keeping her wings close to her shoulders, letting her streamlined poise propel her through the air like a dart.
‘It’s on!”

*

Fluttershy had been nimbly trotting along a quiet street, having purchased suitable foodstuffs, when the alarm sounded.
Jumping high in the air in surprise, she shivered on her hooves as guards ran to their positions and citizens fled the scene.
She looked around fearfully. Screams and crashes sounded in the distance.
This was it. She knew.
They were under attack.
Her mind took her back to a forest fire she was trapped in as a filly. If Rainbow Dash hadn’t been there, she and her animal friends would have surely burned alive.
But Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found.
And in every shadow, a threat could present itself.
Shutting her eyes tight, she nagged herself, trying hard to sound like Rainbow Dash.
‘Keep it together, Shy! You can do this! You’re a Bearer of the Elements and the ponies of this city and the rest of Equestria are counting on you...Oh dear...that’s...that’s an awful lot of ponies...’
She felt her hooves shaking again.
“Please, miss...”
“Eep!” the little yellow pegasus squeaked momentarily as another pony approached.
She was a portly-looking unicorn mare swathed in cloth that covered most of her body, only her eyes visible. From the look of and from her accent, Fluttershy supposed she was Saddle Arabian.
“Please, miss...” she said again, her voice heavy with worry “My son...He ran off into the bombing site...I cannot be seen outside the Restricted Zones but please...help me find my foal...”
“Oh my” Fluttershy raised a hoof to her mouth before placing it on the worried mother’s shoulder, a newfound sense of courage and responsibility spreading through her being “Don’t worry, madam. Of course I can help find your colt. Just stick by me and if anypony gives us any trouble, I’ll settle it. I promise”
“Thank you. Thank you so much, good mare, bless you” The mare bowed her head “I will show you where I saw him run”
They hurried down into the blasted site of the attacks, largely abandoned. Pegasi flew overhead. Fluttershy hoped Rainbow Dash was safely among them and that the others were safely away from any danger.
“There, down into that alley” the mother pointed.
Fluttershy was puzzled as to what a colt would find in a dark alley between abandoned warehouses. She supposed fear made ponies act irrationally, especially with foals. She could name a fair few occasions when she’d done the same.
“Okay...” Steeling herself, she ventured down, the mother following behind her. The alleyway was fairly wide and led into a largely empty area that must have once housed some form of stall or perhaps just trash cans. Several were overturned, empty and rusting.
Peering around, Fluttershy called out.
“Hello?” she cooed “Little one? Your mummy’s here and she’s very worried. Are you okay?”
Behind her, the mother’s eyes flickered with calculation as her horn shone bronze, drawing a pistol hidden behind her leg.
‘Right then. Step one-Incapacitate...’

As Fluttershy’s ears piqued at the motion behind her, she slightly turned her head.
Then felt her legs buckle beneath her as the butt of the pistol slammed into the back of her head. Her mouth opened wide in a silent scream as her vision blurred.
Staggering, she spread her wings, desperately trying to give herself some balance.
She felt something cold and hard press its tip against one of them.
‘Step two-Disable flight...’
Bang!
This time, Fluttershy screamed loudly, her shoulders gripped with pain as a bullet ripped through the feathers on her left wing, cutting into the flesh beneath and letting it fall limply over her back. Falling to her knees, she scrambled, frantically attempting to escape.
“Please!” she shrieked as she was grabbed by the tail, hoisted onto two legs and turned round, staring at the mare in front of her and the cold steel in her once-compassionate eyes.
‘Step three’ The mare raised a hoof ‘Disable the stare’
The Bearer of Kindness fell backwards, wailing from a ferocious strike to the side of her face, leaving her with a black eye and a bleeding nose and mouth.
“S-s-stop...Please! It h-hurts!” she sobbed, tears streaming down her eyes as the covered the blackened one “Please! Don’t hurt me! Whatever I did, I’m sorry! Please let me go!” 
A vicious hoof-grip tugged at her mane as her back was slammed against the wall, her gaze forcibly lifted upwards to find the mare’s horn glowing bronze, assembling bizarre bits and pieces together to form the longest and most threatening gun Fluttershy had ever seen and the first she’d seen in a very long time. The mare tilted her head as she rested the rifle on her shoulder, pointing it straight at the terrified little pegasus trembling before her.
“Hello. Fluttershy, is it?” Her accent was very different. Where before she’d been possessed of a Saddle Arabian accent now she sounded closer to urban Trottingham “We need to talk”

*

“Yeah but what you’re forgetting is that, after sufficiently proving herself as Batmare’s first Jay, Grayla Gallop donned the mantle of Nightshade, a superhero in her own right, leaving Gothique City to safeguard over neighbouring Bridalore” Spike explained as he and Angel Bunny sat on Twilight and Fluttershy’s respective beds in the midst of a debate “Therefore the best choice for Batmare’s successor would be the second Jay, Volpa Vow”
At this, Angel retorted with a series of gestures with his paws, declaring how, due to Volpa Vow’s brief stint as the psycho-vigilante, Red Rider, the Power Pony Society would be highly unlikely to ever trust her.
“A valid point but, let’s face it, the Power Ponies don’t trust Batmare all that much either. I direct you to Issue #147: Worst Case Sceneighrio, where the titular villain, Dr. Noctule, captures and nearly succeeds in killing Batmare with a stolen plan created by the Power Pony Society in the case of Batmare going rogue”
Angel reluctantly nodded and put forward another suggestion.
“Yeah, I guess Batcolt could suffice. Same problems as Nightshade though, its unlikely Batmare’s shoes could be filled by anypony too versed in secondary roles”
Angel tapped his back-paw and gestured again.
“The film? Yeah, it was pretty good. I don’t think they used the Mane-iac to her full potential though. Throwing her into the second act really kills the pacing. She’s too prominent not to be the main antagonist throughout. Still, I liked Jestra. I’m glad they brought Taralicious back to voice her, she’s lovely. And I liked Mare-Bat’s development. I was afraid they were just gonna’ throw her out after the first...”
Angel’s ear shot upwards as he held one paw in front of his mouth.
“What?” Spike asked, puzzled as Angel scuttled underneath the bed and frantically gestured Spike to do the same.
As the little dragon crawled down to meet him, raised voices became audible outside the room as the lock started clicking from the outside.
Spike covered his mouth, he and Angel lying flat on the ground as two stallions entered. One was a stocky dark-red earth pony with prominent stubble, the other was a lean, light-green unicorn with a face too used to sneering.
“So this is where they’ve been living, huh?” the red one growled “Some of us have to make do with a couch to sleep on”
“Not that you ever sleep on it, heading to the brothels every night” the green one muttered.
“Shut up and hoof me the blueprints, Etric”
Spike and Angel watched as the two produced a toolbox filled with bizarre apparatus they set about covering the floor with, fitting together every piece.
“Damn it, I’m done with this kind of curd. I was trained to beat ponies up not play a bucking piano!”
“Angrius, we’ve done this dozens of times in the Restricted Zones. That fire in the Ghoran District lasted hours. You were laughing so hard you nearly pissed yourself”
“I remember” A fond smile played on the red stallion’s face “But you know what I mean. I can barely see these pieces let alone fit them together in my hooves”
“Just work fast. We need to set this up and hide it before those nags get back here” the green one sniggered “The so-called ‘invincible heroes of Equestria’ downed by a gas leak in their apartment. They’ll hang the headlines in the mess hall, you mark my words”
“How long do you think Celestia will take to get over it?”
Spike tensed himself.
He saw now. He saw very clearly.
They were making a bomb. A bomb they hoped would blow Princess Twilight Sparkle and her five best friends sky high.
He couldn’t allow that.
He glanced at a nervous-looking Angel.
“You got a plan?”
The white rabbit rose one eyebrow and shook his head.
“Okay then. Improvisation. Hope you’ve still got a decent kick” Spike put one hoof on the underlying covers shielding them from view, bracing himself to leap into action.
“Okay...three...two...one...”

*

Her magic depleted, Twilight felt a hoof collide with her shoulder. Hitting the ground, she found the strength to rise steadily leaving her body.
A one-eyed zebra with in a red cloak and amber scale-mail armour walked forward, brandishing a halberd.
“You think we were going into battle with the Elements without knowing how to handle an alicorn?” he sneered “Funny isn’t it. You can have an easy time killing anything...as long as you take it unaware”
“Almogavar! Be careful” A bald, orange unicorn with a blue stripe over his eye commanded, waving an Antelopian blade in front of him cautiously “We don’t know what she’s capable of”
“There were enough volts in that field to lay a yak low, Khopesh. This one’s not getting up so quickly” He raised the halberd above him as the Bearer of Magic struggled to collect her senses.
They were interrupted by an unearthly groan from behind them.
“Huuuuuuuuuuuur!”
The zebra, Almogavar, drew back slightly as the horrific cult henchman reappeared, trailing his blade along the ground morbidly. He said nothing but his cold, empty eyes bore into Almogavar’s and a tilt of his head seemed to suggest he wanted to finish the alicorn himself.
Almogavar stayed put, scowling.
“Let him go, Almogavar. Don’t mess with that one!” Khopesh squawked.
The zebra billowed vapour out his nostrils and stepped back.
“Freak” he muttered.
Threadbare stepped forward and eyed the downed mare hungrily.
With blurring vision, Twilight looked up as the disfigured stallion did the closest thing he could to smiling and raised his sabre.
‘Sorry girls...I guess I wasn’t prepared’

Threadbare stopped, his head twitching upwards towards the sky, sniffing like some scavenger.
There was a roar of movement overhead and a shadow passing over.
“Damn it! Defensive positions!” Almogavar yelled “Now!”
As the mercenaries rushed to a close-knit group, drawing weapons of all kinds, two great trails of fire streaked across the road, sending 	Threadbare and several others flying back swatting away the flames.
A dark-grey pegasus in lieutenant’s armour spread out his wings and hovered over them with a crossbow in one hoof and a chain whip in the other, his white mane flickering with flames. Around him, the battalion’s top fliers drew arms of their own.
“This is why they didn't want me in the Wonderbolts...” Blizzard Wind said casually “Stuff I fly over has a habit of catching fire. I hope that doesn't sound too scary...but it really is”
The mercenaries stared at the foe that had presented themselves.
Khopesh put out one forehoof.
“...All yours, guys” And he ran back the way he'd come into the alleyways.
“Thanks” Almogavar muttered, resolving to not have the cowardly ex-slaver as his colleague in future. Spinning his halberd in one hoof, he stared down the enemy as he landed and spoke.
“I am Lieutenant Blizzard Wing of the Royal Guard” He spun his chain in his hoof “We protect the innocent from those like you. Three-thousand, four-hundred and seventy-two ponies are dead. You will pay dearly for your crimes” Righteous fury was prevalent in his voice “Society cannot continue to live in fear of those who prey upon the weak”
Almogavar scoffed.
“You’ve been reading too many comic books, hot-head!” And with a roar, he pointed his halberd forward as the mercenaries rushed their newfound foe.
Between the two charging armies, Twilight Sparkle steadily got to her shaking hooves and lit up her horn, her eyes blazing with energy as she prepared for the first battle in the war she’d promised to finish.

*

The gentle flight around Quartzwald was forcibly interrupted by the great arrow piercing through her shoulder, locking one her wings stiff, as Alma Rose careened to earth, screaming.
She’d flown too far out from the fortress. Landing in the spires, narrowly avoiding impalement on the beautiful towers, she was alone.
Groaning, her hooves shaking with pain and shock, she reached behind her, frantically attempting to remove the projectile from herself, tears of anguish streaming down her face that had, mere moments ago, been full of joy.
The spire forest was dark beneath the crystal peaks. The great towering masses of solid magic jewels worked to absorb sunlight, their field covering the entire valley and leaving the ground around them bare, hidden from view but for the most keen-eyed scout.
She glanced back at Quartzwald. It seemed very far away and the walls seemed so high.
“Help!” she screamed “Help me! Somepony!”
Her screams were answered. And not in a friendly manner.
From behind her, there came a growl.
Slowly turning her head, feeling as if she would regret it, Alma Rose found herself face to face with a great grey warg, enormous wolves from the Frozen North with monstrous visages and never enough to eat. This particular warg had its face and coat painted with bizarre runes. The runes were red. She had a feeling it wasn’t paint.
“No...no...” she edged back, her pace matching that of the slavering warg “Stay back...please stay back...”
As the warg opened its mouth, bare inches from her chest, it yelped as a spiked metal collar, largely hidden by his fur, pulled harshly on its neck. The warg backed off and slunk around the pegasus’ impatiently.
With equal confusion and fear, Alma looked up as a strange figure loomed into view.
At the sight of its face, she gave a shriek and backed away but found a heavy cloven hoof stamping down on her tail, pinning her in place.
“You are right to be afraid” the figure spoke, its voice female, sultry but low-pitched, possessed of a curious accent “Who commands here?”
“P-p-please...”
Alma gasped as another cloven hoof latched onto her throat, lifting her into the air as the figure scowled.
“I do not know of any ‘Commander Please’...Answer my question...While I still possess patience”
Alma felt the breath squeezed out of her in the beast’s grip.
“Sh-Shining...Armour...”
The grip subsided slightly as her captor’s eyes gleamed.
“The Emperor...Yes...This is good news...His death and those of his servants will bring us mighty fame”
Struggling and feeling rage take her body, Alma writhed forward like a fish on a hook, managing to kick the beast holding her in the face.
The daunting female turned her head back with an unamused look as Alma suddenly felt very regretful.
“That was...brave of you...” she said softly, drawing a wickedly-sharp axe from a belt across her shoulders “But not...very...smart”
It had been as if she were brushing hair with it but as she lazily passed the axe over the back-leg that had kicked her, Alma gave a blood-curdling scream as it was separated from her body, leaving a stump pouring gore over the barren soil.
On and on she screamed, paying little attention to the mass of other figures beginning to surround her, slowly walking in a morbid, half-dead fashion.
Her screams were cut off finally as the tall matriarch slammed the axe into the ground, rested her foreleg on it and used her free hoof to cover the mare’s mouth, speaking softly and calmly to her wailing prisoner.
“Do not despair...this pain shall not last long...You shall serve well...to send Shining Armour a message” The side of her lips twisted into a sneer.
“The message that this shall be his first taste of battle with Jotnar Warhost...As well as his last”

*

The office of Doctor Bittersweet was made to appear smaller and darker by his guest’s entrance.
Yet the Doctor rarely reacted to it beyond mild concern.
“I would appreciate it in future if you knocked, Mr Cascadius”
“I, in turn, would appreciate not being peddled around Equestria to and fro, now of all times” Cascadius said with clear amounts of annoyance “Most of my contacts have already taken up residence with me, I would have thought you’d do me the same convenience”
“You know I cannot leave the asylum, Mr Cascadius” Doctor Bittersweet said calmly, rising to his hooves “Now, I assume you’re curious as to why I brought you here”
“Not to attempt to be more mysterious than me, I very much hope” the paymaster said, scowling.
“No, I simply wished to inform you that her ladyship, Countess Magnifying Glass wishes the asylum to take her niece for treatment...tomorrow”
Cascadius’s eyebrows rose.
“Tomorrow?” he repeated, inhaling through his nostrils “I do not believe the Countess has quite understood the situation. We cannot act until her house arrest is over. That is three days from now. Can’t she wait?”
“She insists that everything is prepared for her arrival. What’s more is that she is very concerned by the recent activities of the Bearers of Harmony and Celestia’s troops. She is adamant that they seek to persecute her. She fears for her safety”
“She rarely ever doesn’t” the paymaster muttered, massaging his temples with one hoof “We can act a day and a night from now but no earlier. And we shall need to exercise great precision. The Princess and the Bearers have been expecting this for some time. I assume you’re aware of how I go about this sort of thing”
“Distractions, you call them”
“Multiple distractions for this sort of operation” Cascadius thought a moment “You have guards, correct. Capable fliers?”
“Many. Versed in warfare and weaponry. Not even the Wonderbolts are immune to our riot-control gas”
“And here I thought the masks were just to make them look scary” the paymaster chuckled “I assume Lightning Dust will be leading the assault?”
“Indeed, she has been looking for a chance to demonstrate the benefits of supporting our establishment” Bittersweet answered, smugness playing on his features “If you would do us the kindness of supplying a few of your own personnel?”
“Yes, yes...” Cascadius waved a hoof disinterestedly.
“One more thing” the asylum keeper added “I’d like no killing. Glanders Gate does not desire such a stain on its reputation”
Cascadius eyed the stallion irritably and sighed.
“Fine” He went back to his thoughts “One distraction won’t be enough, however. We already have the Bearers facing some of my best in Boulette and a new associate of mine intends an attack on Quartzwald. But, I think...just to be sure...”
He pulled out a transceiver and dialled.
“Do you know, it’s rather rude to make calls in another stallion’s study” Bittersweet said aside.
Cascadius glanced at him.
“I know” Ignoring the look the asylum keeper gave him, he smiled as he spoke into the transceiver.
“Balisong? Hi, yeah, things are alright. How are you? Well, me and the good doctor were just talking and I just wondered...How do you fancy a trip to Ponyville?”
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tunnel into the catacombs was growing more and more familiar to Cascadius every venture.
And Tybalt seemed content to follow his lead. His newest recruit was learning fast. Cocky and impertinent he may have been, he at least understood how important it was to follow the lead of others, particularly in their line of work.
To say he was inexperienced was gravely wrong. Even before joining him, Tybalt had been pillaging his way across the southern outskirts with impunity, he and his gang having killed over ten thousand ponies.
But what had caught Cascadius’s attention was his attack on Sugarcandy City, an industrial powerhouse thought to be impregnable.
He had escaped with fifty-million bits, nearly bankrupting the entire city. Yet the landowners, though they’d paid the ransom, had not shut down their businesses as Tybalt had demanded.
And that was how each and every landowner in Sugarcandy looked out the city walls the next day to find a foal of their families hanging from a gallows.
Tybalt had demonstrated that day that he was not, under any circumstances, to be unfulfilled, no matter how costly his demands, and paid his enemies in blood.
Such tactics met Cascadius’s approval and the next day he’d made his offer which Tybalt had accepted without pause.
The paymaster had high hopes for him despite his shortcomings.
Now, however, the former bandit-leader stayed close to the paymaster as they made their way into the grand rotunda where the Cult of Piggsicorn conducted their rituals.
The ritual had ended several minutes ago but a hoof-full of cultists yet remained, cleaning the mess that was always left over.
One of the Gorging Ones lay sprawled out in her palanquin, her stunted slaved shovelling fermenting fruit into her gaping maw.
As they approached her, the two mercenaries noticed a trembling figure with her back pressed desperately against a pillar, writhing and sobbing in a trance, pawing at her new face.
It was Trilby. What was left of her.
The cult seemed to be making the most of their new Oracle.
Apparently they’d been introducing to what they called ‘The Penitent’. Something he’d never got the chance to see yet he’d hear bellowing and snarling deafeningly in the catacombs. The Cult had apostates fed to it and had it participate in the Oracular Rituals. To perform miracles, it was said, beauty must pair with grotesque in the most conventional sense.
Trilby’s position was enviable to very few.


The Gorging Ones were disgusting creatures. One could barely believe they had once been ponies. This particular mare’s distended form was peppered with pustules and sores, marks of the Great Sow, and her features were practically hidden in the folds of her jowls and brow.
As she noticed the newcomers, she raised a hoof to staunch the flow of fruit and spoke, her mouth still half-full, spattering seeds and juices across her massive chest.
“Paymaster”
Cascadius bowed and bid Tybalt to do the same, the young bandit too distracted by the sight of the monstrosity before them.
“Abbess Bloatula” he said “You look very well”
“The Great Sow bequeaths my regal form with favour, as you see” Bloatula boasted, waving a gout-swollen hoof across her body “We thank you for your gift. You have granted us the means to spread our holy shrines further across the land. But I must ask, what brings you to our sanctuary at this time?”
The paymaster was glad to cut to the chase.
“I understand that you and our mutual friend, Doctor Bittersweet, had certain dealings a couple of years ago”
“That is correct...”
Cascadius found the irony of Bittersweet working with maniacs like the Cult just far too obvious to appreciate.
Tybalt, meanwhile, glanced at the shuddering Trilby, smirked and picked up some rocks.
“Heads up!” he threw one, catching the mare in the side of the head. The rock wasn’t sharp or even very big but it stung and Trilby gave a wail of pain and clutched at her temples, curling into a whimpering ball against the pillar.
“So this is Trilby, huh?” Tybalt scoffed “Didn’t recognise her without her diamond-encrusted hoof-bag or her pink limo or the crowd of journalists! Not so smug now, are ya’, entitled nag!” He threw another stone.
“Tybalt!” Cascadius snapped like a disparaging parent with the desired effect. The young mercenary dropped the rocks in alarm and stared at the paymaster who stood eying him with disapproval.
“Stop that”
Tybalt was quiet a moment.
“Why?”
“She belongs to the cult. She’s not to be touched without permission”
The outskirts bandit gave the mare a scowl.
“Like I wanna’ touch her. I don’t know what she gets up to here but she bucking stinks!”
Cascadius rolled his eyes. For all his boons, Tybalt was a trial sometimes.
He turned back to the Abbess.
“You are aware you should have informed me of this?” He said sternly “If our organisations are to act as one then all information must be shared and consulted on. I have kept no secrets from you”
Bloatula gave him an awkward glance.
“Please forgive our negligence on this occasion. Our order meant no disrespect or dissent”
“I am certain” Cascadius said calmly. He meant every word “So what did you and the good doctor arrange?”
“A blockade”
The paymaster’s eyes rose. This was unexpected to say the least.
“Whereabouts?”
“Squallor” Bloatula answered “It wasn’t difficult. The town of Squallor is adjacent to Slovenly where we made our sanctuary and posted straight on the outskirts. There, we were to apprehend subjects wanted by the asylum for...examination”
“Specifically?”
Bloatula shrugged.
“We were simply asked to apprehend all who approached from the borders out of Equestria. Survivors of a great storm that took them far from Equestria, so it was said. Bittersweet insisted they weren’t to enter mainland Equestria. Those who weren’t needed, we were permitted to keep for...cleansing. That, I fear, is all I can remember. It is many years past”
“Fair enough” Perhaps for the first time, Cascadius was cursing leaving Glanders Gate Asylum.
His transceiver gave a buzz. He plucked it from his pocket and held it to his ear.
“Splendid news, sir” The voice belonged to Bovril “Project Alpha is complete”
Cascadius’s eyes gleamed.
“Bovril, you’re a genius!” he cried with excitement “And Project Omega?”
“Still in its final stages, sir. I have pinpointed a necessary element that might take some delving”
“Yes?”
“We require magically-charged sangrinite, sir. Now this particular gemstone is nigh-on volatile in its magically-charged state so obtaining it could prove quite costly”
“Or not, as the case may be. I know somewhere we can obtain such an element...” Cascadius smiled “And one who may obtain it for us. Let me get in touch with Bali”


*


‘Oh my stars, my entire body feels more worn and expired than last season’s trend! How long did I stay up working last night?’
Rarity’s bright blue eyes weakly forced themselves open and with a groan, she awoke.
Strangely, her hideously cramping hooves wouldn’t prise themselves apart from one another.
She found herself completely unable to stretch, something she dearly wished to do at that point.
As her senses fully stirred, she felt the tug of hempen rope around her body.
‘Oh sweet Celestia, say it isn’t so!’
She was trussed up completely, unable to budge. And looking up to see iron bars criss-crossing above her, she realised she was also caged. 	Like an animal in an illegal circus.
The cage was in a dimly-lit cavern with brick walls. She could still have been in the subway.
As she struggled, something swift and ravenous slammed itself at the bars. She shrieked as one of the monsters from before pressed its claws and face against the bars, its tongue lashing out like a serpent, inches from her side.
“Get off!” she shrieked “Get away you filthy creature!” She tried to cast a spell but gained a migraine for her trouble.
She wasn’t wearing an anti-magic ring, they’d been highly rare since Sunset Shimmer turned against Celestia six years ago, but she’s definitely been hit by something that impeded her magic, she hoped only temporarily.
With no visible means to defend herself as three similar creatures surrounded her on all sides, gnashing and spitting at the cage, she shut her eyes tight and quietly whimpered, hoping this was all a terrible nightmare.
“Away!” The voice came again, the stallion with the bells. He was coiling them round one hoof and placing them in a pocket on his cloak interior. In the faint light, she could see him clearly.
He was a tall and terribly thin pegasus with a black and white coat, a wispy crimson mane and eerily pale green eyes that bore into her without expression. His smile was suave and elegant. It reminded Rarity of Blueblood to her disgust. His cloak was a dull grey specimen that covered most of his lower body but left his wings bare. Over the cloak was a bow and quiver slung over his back and behind it was an augmented rapier in its sheathe. The stallion looked as if he’d come from Second Age Trottingham and even spoke the part.
“Comely tidings upon thee, dearest mare” he said, slinging his weapons to the corner of the room and pacing over to the cage, each step a graceful movement more likely to be seen in a theatre performance.
But all this charm did not change the fact that he had her captive and surrounded by the clambering monstrosities around her.


“Who...who are you?” she asked.
“Ah, truly matters of presentation are not to be deferred, I see” he smiled and placed his fore-hooves at the edges cage. He undid a few screws and pulled off the top.
In that instant, Rarity now felt more frightened than ever. There was nothing between her and her captor and nothing she could do to fight him off. She shrunk in her container, clinging her limbs to her body tighter than the bonds that kept them there.
“Thy name is Corax, warrior poet, taker of lives, cleaner of corpses, hunter without equal and culinary artist. Enchanted, madam, and I bless thee for granting this humble stallion the pleasure of your body”
Rarity’s eyes widened with horror, struggling to comprehend what she’d just heard.
“Wh...What?”
“Forgive me. With all this rampant voyaging hither and yon, I grow so very hungry. And you...You are quite the prize. Oh yes...” his ghostly green eyes hovered over her “Such tenderness of flesh upon thee. Thy upbringing was most certainly comfortable yet not so audacious as to make you...tart. Yes, I believe you shall make a most enticing refreshment”
“No!” Rarity squealed, shivering, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes “Please...you can’t...you mustn’t! Please not that...You can’t possibly mean to...You can’t just...use me...”
Corax eyed her, a little puzzled.
Then he evaluated what he’d just said and cracked a smile.
Rarity slowly opened one eye as she heard the stallion laughing. Not evilly as most villains did but with genuine humour, not too unlike most ordinary ponies who’d heard a good joke or witnessed a great folly.
“Oh good graces...” Corax said breathlessly between his hoots of laughter “No, no, my heavens! This is indeed much ado about nothing...” He cleared his throat “My good lady, do not fear for your virtue and forgive me for setting such forebodings. I’ve no intention of...ah...defiling you. I am no wise some savage nonce to treat a mare with such oozing depravity. One or two of my...colleagues wouldst not be so exempt from such endeavours, I’ll wager, but I do not partake”
Rarity felt some amount of relief but knowing that such a fate wouldn’t befall her didn’t drastically change her current predicament.
“But...you said...”
“Ah, simple misunderstanding” Casually, Corax reached inside his cloak and removed a knife.
Rarity’s eyes widened again as the pegasus chuckled.
“I meant what I spoke of...literally”
The Bearer of Generosity reworked what Corax had said in her mind.
‘Pleasure of your body’
‘Tenderness of flesh’
‘Enticing refreshment’
“You...you...” she stammered, her fear returning in droves “You’re going to eat me?!”
“Well...” Corax twirled the knife in his hoof pensively “Parts of you...” He sighed, shaking his head “Oh dear me, our language does find so many ways to be filthy, does it not? Then again, ‘tis ever so nuncle with things of beauty”
He looked her over.
“I was beseeched not to slay thee, ‘ere thine dismemberment must be poised and most precise...Thy back-leg maybe. Verily, today ponies may walk with ease on three of flesh and one of birch or brass. A kidney perhaps...most piquant in a gravy pudding. Teeth. Thou mayst spare a few, I’m sure. Boiled down with thine tender hoof, a fine butter will make. And mayhaps an ear. I enjoy something to chew on homewards. As the saying goes...” he chuckled, his knife hovering over her “Waste Not, Want Not”


Rarity whimpered as the knife brushed over the fur on her right hind-leg, the cold metal close to shaving her, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.
“Please, steady thyself. I must draw a line”
“A-a-a line? Wh-what fo-argh! AAAARGH!” the mare screamed as the knife slid across her leg, drawing blood in a thin line. Pain shot through her body.
Her eyes snapped open as she writhed in vain, desperately trying to escape.
“Stop! Stop! Please!” she cried “Listen...I’ll give you anything you want if you just let me go!”
“I fear I must doubt thine tempting words. I have, from occurrence and encounter, learned that few ponies are ever willing to offer themselves as meat. And that is the only currency I must support myself with...”
“Please...a painkiller...anything...”
“I fear that would contaminate thee...They cause such bitterness...Please hold still. I shall try my utmost to make this cut a swift one”
Rarity clenched her teeth and whined as the knife continued to draw across her leg, sloping round her thigh.
‘That’s it, you repugnant brute. Keep your eyes down there like a good little dunce!’
Her mouth slowly started to open in a scream as the knife curled round, inches from her flank.
She seized her chance.
Magic was a complicated subject and, despite what her friends believed, she’d listened to Twilight’s numerous lectures on the subject with interest. When magic was cut off from the body, various methods could be employed to regain it. The key was being able to grasp control of one’s senses in whatever way best suited the subject. Respite and refreshment were best suited but the process would be slow. Sometimes, indeed rarely, one could regain control of one’s magical powers through forcibly stimulating the nerves.
In short, by feeling pain and fear, one would be made aware of one’s senses and thus one’s magic, provided one stayed concious.
Corax had been subjecting Rarity to just that for the last few minutes.
Now, at last, she felt magic pulsing through her and was eager to use it. It had simply been a matter of lulling him into a false sense of security.
Sure, it had resulted in a horrid cut nearly clean around her leg that would, no doubt, take a great deal of time and all of Sweetie Belle’s surprisingly extensive knowledge in first aid to heal but better that than lose a limb, amongst other things.


With a blast of bright blue energy, the Bearer of Generosity struck the cannibal right in the face, sending him flying across the room, slamming into the brick wall before them. The ghouls were stunned by the sudden blinding light and staggered backwards, giving Rarity time to take hold of Corax’s knife in her magic and cut her bonds.
Rising to her hooves, light from her horn keeping the ghouls at bay, she tossed her mane haughtily and spoke with contempt.
“I’ll beat thee, but I should infect my hooves...Yes, I know Shaking Spear too”
The prone form of Corax slowly began to rise, laughing merrily, as if he felt no pain. His collision with the wall had left gashes across his side and he limped a little getting up but his smile was unwavering.
“Oh, a clever lady...Yes, I have chosen well”
“Quite. But, traditionally, a gentlecolt allows the lady to choose. And I choose ‘adieu’ for now” And without further comment, Rarity’s horn lit up to near blinding levels and vanished within.
A minor teleportation spell, not on Twilight’s level but powerful enough to put generous distance between her and her captor. She reappeared near the subway exit but a howl from the darkness suggested the swarms of ghouls were intent on following her. With no time to spare, faster than her hooves had ever carried her, she ran toward the exit, the scrabbling and scraping of claws on rock growing louder and louder behind her.
Panting, to use the phrase, hoarsely, the mare leapt up the steps, resisting the urge to take in light and fresh air before making certain she was safe, turned and fired a great blast of magic at the subway arch, bringing down the corroding brickwork and blocking the ghouls in a cloud of grit and dust followed by a cave-in of stone, mortar and mould.
The young seamstress gave a weighty sigh of relief and, her breath sufficiently caught, yelled with triumphant fury.
“And good riddance!” Though she had a nasty feeling that she hadn't seen the last of Corax the Cannibal.


‘Whump!’
Spinning round with a startled squeal, Rarity turned to a groaning earth pony mare in Royal Guard uniform who had slammed into the ground from the rooftop of the surrounding warehouses, not far enough to kill but she definitely looked the worse for wear. On any other day, Rarity would have been horrified at the mare’s unkempt appearance and offered to give her a bath, hairdressing and clothes repair free of charge.
But fussy as she was, Rarity knew when things had gone to hay. And hay was no fit place for fussing.
The officer struggled to her hooves and looked around groggily. Catching sight of the Bearer before her, her face paled in horror.
“Lady Rarity!” she cried “Run!”
“Where are you off to?”
Atop the warehouse roof, a bald, orange-coated, tattooed unicorn stallion, a sickle-like Antelopian blade spinning in his magical hold, grinned down at the mares below.
“You’re all mine, girly!” With a roar, he leapt off the rooftop, his sword swooping down to end his duel along with his opponent.
The officer closed her eyes.
The blade loudly embedded itself in the ground, inches from her neck. Opening her eyes, she saw the mercenary imprinted against the wall in front of her, slowly toppling forwards, his expression dazed and bewildered as he slumped to the ground unconscious.
“No!” Rarity snapped, her hoof still outstretched “None of that! Shame on you!”
“Lady...Rarity” The officer fell forward, gasping for air. She fell into the fore-hooves of the Bearer of Generosity, who propped her up against the wall and allowed her to catch her breath and calm herself. An odd position for one who was constantly seen as the most high-strung of the Bearers of Harmony but she knew when another’s strife was greater than her own, principles demanded she help in any way she could.
“There-there. Deep breaths now. Slow and steady” She gave her a pause to gather herself.
“Thank you ma’am. 1st Battalion under Lieutenant Jupiter. I set out to order our regroup outside the barracks but the city’s so swarmed with Equestria’s Most Wanted that we’re cut off from one another. Most of our best fliers went with Lieutenant Blizzard Wind to find Princess Twilight Sparkle”
“Hold on...” Rarity peered round the corner “Can you walk?”
“I think so” The guard steadily got to her hooves. She was a tall mare with a long, unkempt navy-blue mane and a sea-blue coat and had recently been dealt a small but noticeable scar across the eye that thankfully hadn’t blinded her.
“Right...it would seem duty calls”


*


Course, bright orange hooves spun and shot forward in all directions. When Applejack paused, six mercenaries lay on the ground, either groaning in pain or unconscious.
Adjusting her hat and nursing a bruise below her eye, she shook her head and cricked the back of her neck.
‘For cryin’ out loud! You turn your back in this city for one minute...’
She took note of her surroundings. She was still on the high street. Most of the city’s denizens had run for any safe spot they knew when the alarm went off.
A magic alarm, Applejack knew. Twilight had practiced it before. The sound was unmistakable.
Twilight was in danger.
Racing into the square, chaos met her eyes. And not quite in the form she was familiar with after encounters with Discord.
The Boulettan Guard and the Royal Battalions clashed with the mismatch of killers and crooks that had gathered in the city from virtually every corner.
It wasn't a fair fight. The guard were armed with shields and staves, as per Celestia's wishes of non-lethal combat. They'd been prepared to quell riots and apprehend solitary criminals.
They weren't prepared for a full-scale attack.
Applejack gritted her teeth.
“Well if it’s a lesson they want, mah hooves are ready to teach!” she thought aloud as she charged into the fray.
The first mercenary she sought out had barely enough time to turn before he was laid out with a mighty buck to the face. Two more followed before a cry swept up from their companions. They swarmed her, any weapon they possessed ready and raised.
Applejack had exercised the hope that they’d fight each other over who would face her but that didn’t seem to be the case. On the contrary, they seemed fairly coordinated. The first two opened fire with crossbows. She ducked as the bolts slammed into a shield a unicorn had raised with magic behind her, protecting his companions, before swinging it round her head. As she dodged, it left her open for a strike from a mace she barely avoided. The same could not be said for a shallow but sharp slash from twin daggers across her back.
With a cry of pain, she fell forward, steadying herself with her fore-hooves and kicking out with the back. The one who caught her with the daggers took the brunt of it but the others saw their chance.
“Protect the Bearer!” the command rang out as the guard flew to relieve her, drawing off the surrounding hitponies.
Given a suitable opportunity, Applejack struck out against those that persisted in fighting. It took all her speed and strength to avoid being caught out again.
Once the last of them, the one with the mace, had been knocked down, the farm-pony fought her way out of the throng and gasped for air as if she’d escaped a cloud of smog. She’d found crowds uncomfortable at the best of times, more so if they contained ponies trying to kill her.


Pausing, her hat was nearly blown off her head as a pony flew overhead.
It wasn’t a pegasus. The flight was not voluntary.
Crashing into the ground, Applejack picked up the dazed individual.
It was a glamorous unicorn with a bright blue coat and magenta mane tied into twin buns on either side of her head. Her helmet more resembled a diadem, built for maximum magic usage.
Applejack helped her to her hooves.
“Up ya get, missy? What happened?”
“I’m alright, ma’am. Lieutenant Montague at your service” the mare said “We’ve been trying to bring down that pretty creature”
She pointed toward a colossal green pony in spiky armour, fighting off a golden-brown griffon. The great avian swooped and tried hard to slash at his opponent with his talons but the stallion seemed too durable. Grabbing hold of his opponent with one fore-hoof, the giant steed slammed the griffin into the ground twice before hurling the defeated, half-conscious foe forward.
Applejack caught him, a deal sight heavier than the mare and checked him over. He was badly bruised and one wing appeared twisted but he wasn’t completely out of commission. Turning to the massive green stallion, Applejack clenched her teeth.
“Lieutenant” she ordered “Keep your guard surroundin’ the area. Don’t let any o’ these varmints outta yer sights but stay away from the fierce fighting. Above all else, seal off the square an’ protect any civilians you see at all costs”
“Yes ma’am!” Montague replied, saluting as the farm-pony strode, steely-eyed to face the massive enemy.
Hed’Kika tilted his head as he took in the sight of the orange mare approaching.
“Whassis’ then?” he growled “Another prissy pony come to have a go against-”
He was interrupted by a hoof to his sternum.
Time seemed to slow for Applejack and Hed’Kika as the Bearer of Honesty delivered a staggering buck to the gut to the mercenary who whose eyes bulged and teeth grinded, as he did his utmost hardest to stay in one spot.
“Ain’t nothin’ ‘prissy’ ‘bout this pony, boy!” the cowpony snarled, checking behind her momentarily.
Montague was helping the griffin to his talons.
“There, sir” she said calmly “You’ll be alright”
She drew back suddenly as the griffin swatted her hoof away with his foreleg.
“Keep your soiled hooves off of me, equine dreg!” he hissed, his voice reedy and austere, drawing himself up with bristling feathers “And part for me! I shall pluck the gizzard of the soil-born wretch who dared assail Inheritor Milvio, eldest son of Raptor Skylord Clanger!”
“Well you can do yer pluckin’ once ah’ve floored the big blowhard and not before!” Applejack yelled, keeping her taciturn green eyes fixed on Hed’Kika who was nursing his chest and tensing himself for continued battle, evaluating the mare before him.
Milvio did not seem intent on waiting and flexed his wings, taking the opposite corner of the Bearer, surrounding the massive green stallion.
“You shall see, Equestrian, how a trueborn Raptor griffin faces down the foe” he sneered, drawing his talons across the road, showering a few sparks.
Applejack rolled her eyes. She didn’t find unwanted help welcome at the best of times and this pompous bird was grating on her already.
Nonetheless, Hed’Kika seemed all willing to face down both of them, raising his axe high and licking the edge we snarled.
“Come on then, let’s ‘ave it!” he snarled.
Applejack stretched her neck from side to side. It had been a while since her last brawl but she was certain she still had it in her.
And the stallion before her had earned himself an Apple Family-Style Beatdown.


*

There was an almighty cheer from the foals as the credits started to roll and the Lord of the Horseshoe marathon came to an end at last.
“That was awesome!” Scootaloo cried “I mean did you see that bit with the giant mammoth thing and the huge fiery falcon thing and the glowing arrow thing and the...”
“Scoots, we’ve been watching everything you have” Applebloom said, a little irritated “Of course we saw it”
“I’m just saying, it was awesome!”
“I liked how Dobyn and Alwyn got together in the end” Sweetie said dreamily.
“Meh...I still think he and Mako worked better” the little orange pegasus scoffed.
“Yeah but she and Igris make a nice couple too”
Scootaloo pouted.
“I guess...”
“Oh, don’t start shipping wars here. We get enough of that on the fan forums” Tungsten chuckled.
“Wait a bit...Wait...” The Doctor took notice as the cast credits came up “Yep! I knew I was right! Ravin Tennant as Rytely Bemused! Ah, I love that guy! Such a great talent for acting! What did you think, Derpy?”
Derpy didn’t say a word. Nestled up to the Doctor, the grey pegasus slept off a hard day’s work.
“Aw really?” Sparkler asked “You sleep through that?”
“Hey, some of us have to make a flight all across town in the early morning” her adopted-father said with mock sternness.
“True enough. How about you, Tootsie?”
“Shh...” Tootsie held up a hoof to her lips as she, Truffle Shuffle, Ruby Pinch and various other members of the O&O Club watched, stifling giggles, as Pip sat awkwardly with Dinky Doo rested against his shoulder, dozing calmly.
The little pinto colt was blushing furiously as he realised his friends were expecting an explanation.
“Well...” he began “We both got really scared during the Lurkh the Spider Queen scene so we...um...huddled...”
“Come on, that spider thing was clearly just an animated model! You could see the fibres!” Sparkler sighed.
“They’re meant to be hairy, Sparky” Tootsie protested “You promised you wouldn’t do this”
“Hey, the film’s over. I’m not interrupting anything”
“Okay, you lot, I think it’s time for bed. For all of us” the Doctor said cheerfully, getting to his hooves with Derpy still snoozing on his shoulder “Now, I assume Tootsie and Dinky have given you the rules about Sparkler’s house. You can stay in your beds and talk, read or anything fairly quiet for another hour and a half but nothing loud and absolutely no fighting. Whoever breaks these rules will answer to Dinky in the morning”
“Yes, Mr Turner” the club said in unison.
“And I warn you, she can be pretty scary when the rules of the Doo household are not respected” He leaned closer “No, really, trust me, I’ve seen her. You do not want to make her cross!” He seemed genuinely worried.
Several of their guests glanced incredulously at the little filly half-asleep beside Pipsqueak who had gained a reputation for being the sweetest pony around. It boggled the mind to imagine her angry but they’d heard Fluttershy could pull off some rather frightening stuff.
They felt it best to take the Doctor’s word for it.
Obligingly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders took the sleepy form of Dinky and placed her down on the small bed she’d had moved into the living room beside everypony else’s sleeping bags. The Doctor leaned over and kissed his daughter goodnight before carrying Derpy to the guest room.
Pipsqueak glanced at the sleeping Dinky, looking as pretty as she always had to him.
He felt tempted to kiss her on the cheek as the Doctor had done.
Then he remembered his mother’s worried face and stern words.
Sighing, he lay flat on his back in his little guest bed.
“Don’t worry, Pip” A friendly pat on the shoulder turned the little pinto to Applebloom, smiling encouragingly with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
“You’ll get your chance in the morning”


*


Everfree was surprisingly quiet in the late evening.
Balisong liked the peace. It reminded her of her hunting years in Horneo.
She was trudging through the forest, chatting with her companions.
“Who was it that said ‘You can never understand how the equine body works until you stare at it dying by your hoof’, do you know?” she asked, idly blowing on a cigarette.
There was a pause.
“I think it might have been Chairstallion Laohu Zhao” 
“No, he was the one who said ‘Death loses its sting the more one sees’. You’re thinking of Bobines Delovert” the batpony, Shadowplay, answered in a measured tone.
There was another pause. A low, raspy growl emitted from the trees ahead.
Balisong raised one eyebrow as a timberwolf approached, it hungry, glowing eyes fixed on the pack of ponies before it.
As it drew back to pounce, Balisong’s horn glowed a lime-green as a metallic hum faintly filled the air.
The timberwolf’s menacing snarl was silenced suddenly as its head was severed from its neck, showering sap and splinters across the forest floor. Balisong watched with satisfaction as the stunned eyes of the beast lost their glow, her deadly glaive coming to a halt upon her hoof.
Shadowplay and the other hitponies around her nodded with approval as they picked up their earlier conversation.
“Delovert? Wasn’t he a rampant foal-fiddler?”
“No, you’re thinking of Nocifer Degoutants” Balisong answered “Nasty piece of work. Grand Justice of Mareseille till the Dauphin Restoration. For thirty years every pony tried in his courts gave up one of their foals to him or face the gallows. The city-folk tore him apart when La Baleine took the city”
“You don’t get scum-bags like you used to, eh?” one of her friends chuckled.
“Alright but I’m sure there was a really dodgy Prench philosopher, wasn’t there?” Shadowplay insisted.
“The Marquis De Scarde? No, he was an author but never a philosopher. And to be honest, he only wrote the stuff because he’d never have the courage to actually do it. He wasn’t a monster, not even a madpony, just a bored old stallion who wanted to explore a really dark corner of his mind on paper”
“Yeah...you see ‘em now and again on fanfic sites...not so much in houses of royalty”
“Times were every ruler was a bucking nutter...Now it’s just the one or two”
“It’s gotten boring, hasn’t it” the rugged young mare gave a chuckle, smoke from her cigarette drifting out her nostrils “Not to worry, mates...The night’s entertainment is fast approaching”
She waved a hoof as the group split up into the undergrowth.
They were nearing the path to Ponyville.
Balisong grinned.
As any hunter knew, exercising patience and cunning would mean prey often came to you.


Cheerilee gave another giddy chuckle as she steadied Shoeshine who was stumbling down the path home drunkenly, her equally smashed mare-friend, Cherry Berry, finally managing to get to the punch-line of her joke.
“Okay, and...And then the mule says to the donkey ‘That’s not Tirek! That’s my wife!’”
Shoeshine and several others doubled-up laughing.
“You-you get it?” Cherry asked dizzily “Caramel? You get it?”
“I dunno’, Cherry” the nearby Caramel said with unease “You don’t think Cranky and Matilda would find that a bit personal?”
“It’s okay, Matilda’s the one that gave me that joke in the first place”
Caramel shrugged in admittance as he, Sassaflash, Cheerilee, Colgate, Berry Punch, Shoeshine and Cherry Berry made their way home from Cloudsdale, having celebrated Sassaflash’s acceptance into the Wonderbolt Academy with drinks and dance.
They were making their way to Ponyville, some of them very drunk.
Cheerilee was one for keeping them down, as it were, and was busily steadying her friends. She was impressed by her sister Berry Punch’s temperance in such matters. She didn’t drink half as much as she used to, a period in her life that had gotten her a bad reputation among her family and town. Cheerilee liked to think she had contributed to her rehabilitation, Berry’s marefriend, Minuette Colgate, providing a similar contribution.
Her daughter, Ruby Pinch, had done the rest. Berry had long ago resolved to never let her daughter experience the troubles she’d put everypony else through. Ruby had changed her very much for the better.
Right now, Berry was safely drunk, leaning on her marefriend, planting wet kisses on her cheeks.
“Colgate, has anyone ever told you when you get up on the dance floor, you shake it harder than a Pinkie Party Jello Tower?”
“I’ll take your word for it” Colgate chuckled, unsure whether to feel insulted or flattered.
“Sass and Caramel weren’t bad up there either” Shoeshine added “Still not sure about getting back together or does sweet-stuff still have the hots for Apple-Stacked?”
“I-i-it’s not like that!” the young stallion blushed furiously.
“Honey, she’d eat you alive and you know it” Sassaflash chuckled, tickling her on-and-off partner under the chin.
“And speaking of which...” Berry turned a wry eye to her sister “Has my dear sibling finally got her Big Mac on?”
“Hey, leave me out of this” the young schoolteacher sighed “We are taking things as they come, alright? No need to-”
‘Thunk!’
Cherry Berry gave a startled shriek as a throwing knife stood, quivering, in the trunk of a tree inches from their faces.
After a moment staring at the object, the heads of the Ponyville entourage slowly turned in the direction of a sardonic chuckle.
A rugged purple mare with a mane knotted and twisted with sandy-blonde dreadlocks rested on a large boulder, eying them with a smile. She had a silver piercing through her bottom lip and a criss-crossed scar over one cheek. She was wearing a set of belts and bandoliers slung over her back and, with a flash of lime green from her horn, retrieved her weapon and spun it idly on one hoof.
“Hello mates” she said, her Horsetralian drawl slow and sultry “Lovely night for a stroll, ain’t it”


The seven Ponyville-dwellers seemed to sober up pretty quickly as the stranger sprung down off the rock like a great cat.
That smile of hers was making them very uncomfortable. It was menacing in ways they’d never seen before. Inquisitive, anticipating, almost...hungry.
“Who...who are you?” Caramel asked, holding Sassaflash’s hoof tightly. Around them, the undergrowth rustled as more strange ponies approached, each one armed and bearing the same menacing smile.
“There’ll be time for names and acquaintances later, darl” Their leader purred “All you need to know is that we’re not nice ponies. And we’re intent on giving your quiet little town a wake-up call. A message of what life is really like...when we’re around”
“Wait!”
It was Berry Punch who spoke, stepping forward, standing with her legs astride in a defensive stance before Balisong.
“Just...back off, okay?” She was trying hard to sound firm, like trying to calm down a wild animal “I don't want to get violent”
There was a pause.
Then the silence on the path was broken by the leader laughing hysterically, doubling up and staring at her a look of dumbfounded amusement.
“Look, love...” she caught her breath “I think that should be us saying that to you...but we won’t...because we want to get very...very...violent”
Berry Punch took in the sight of mare before her.
She’d seen mares who were trouble many times in her unwelcome past but nothing quite like this. There was something about the glaive-wielder that wasn’t quite equine. This glee, this hunger for violence. Berry Punch had never seen anything like it.
Gulping silently, she looked back at her friends.
“Berry” Cheerilee whispered, fear prevalent on her face “Don’t...”
And with a yell, the plum-pink mare threw a punch with one hoof.
As if without moving, the mercenary leader had caught it. Shaking her head, unimpressed, she grabbed her opponent by the shoulder and twisted her foreleg round.
Berry screamed, falling to her knees. Sassaflash, not one to leave a friend in peril, moved forward but found one of the other strangers grabbing her by the wing and slamming her head into the ground. Caramel’s attempt to help her ended in similar failure. The surrounding ponies were simply too quick and too strong.
"Grab a sucker and have fun, fillies and colts!" their leader brayed wickedly "It's DEMONSTRATION TIME!"
Cheerilee backed up, teeth chattering.
“Cheery!” Berry cried “Run!”
As the young schoolteacher spun round, intent on bringing help from Ponyville, she stopped dead in her tracks as an orange and blue-dappled batpony stood before her, an intricate-looking knife in his clawed hoof.
“I must advise you not to struggle” he said calmly, his face not possessed of his leader’s grin “I promise this will be over quickly”
As the knife glinted in the moonlight, Cheerilee, overcome with terror, shut her eyes, clutched at her head and gave one loud scream.


*


Little Dinky gave a tiny squeak as she dreamed, snug in her bed.
Blissfully ignorant of the pony standing over her, cloaked in darkness.
They were coming tomorrow. The news had come early afternoon.
Everything had to be ready.
"I'm sorry, Dinky" a whisper barely pierced the silence as the moonlight outside glinted on something thin and sharp in the pony's hand.
"I'm so sorry"
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even gentle hoof-steps sounded loudly on the stone floor.
Though to call it a floor would be unconventional. The vast tunnels were a world between natural and pony-made.
Braeburn had never seen anything like it.
It had all happened so quickly, nopony could put their hoof on it.
Strange earthquakes outside of Appaloosa, not too far from the Buffalo territories, churning up the sand and hills, turning plateaus into canyons and vice versa. Not damaging enough to the ponies around to cause any trouble, thankfully. But then stranger things happened.
Buffalo and Appaloosans were going missing. No-one saw or heard anything but no less than twelve ponies from his hometown had disappeared and, according to reports, around eight buffalo.
Most recently, the buffalo had seen someone attempt to make off with a semi-conscious Little Strongheart. She’d been rescued without injury but the tribe had been adamant that a pony was seen committing the crime, fleeing to the new landforms and disappearing.
Hostilities could not be allowed to let fester again. The one responsible had to apprehended and brought to justice.
With a revolver in his holster and the handle of an oil lamp clasped between his teeth, the young stallion ventured further in.
An enormous underground grotto met his gaze in the light of his lamp, as large as a palace hall. Braeburn found his hooves walking upon steps carved out of the rock, leading down into the cavern.
Tentatively making his way down, his muzzle wrinkled as a horrific stench hit him like a brick wall.
He couldn’t remember the last time he...
Then he remembered. Years ago, he’d been called in to investigate a coyote attack on the chicken coop. One of the hen’s stomachs had been torn right open. The smell was appalling.
Braeburn gulped as he put two and two together.
Had something died down there?
And, more importantly, if it had...what had caused it?
“H-h-hello?” he asked nervously, voice muffled slightly by the lamp handle in his teeth, as he made the final step down.
He drew back instinctively as his hoof splashed on the floor.
The entire place was flooded. A clear three inches of water bathed the cavern in a great lake.
The smell was becoming more and more unbearable and grew stronger as Braeburn edged further into the chasm.
“Hello?” he asked again, turning left and right.
He saw something out the corner of his eye. He turned to face it.
The cavern echoed with a great scream as Braeburn fell backwards with a splash, the oil lamp falling from his clutches and clattering to the ground.
For the moment there was darkness. Braeburn was, for the moment, not quite sure if what he had seen was real.
He shook the water from his face and mane and stumbled to his hooves.
The water tasted...salty. Overpoweringly salty.
His eyes widened in terror.
‘Oh Celestia...No...’


In an instant, the cavern was illuminated in a sickly khaki light from hanging lanterns high above.
Braeburn was not thankful for the light as the sights before him gripped his insides and shook him to his core.
He was staring at bodies. Hundreds of bodies all over the cavern. Ponies, buffalo, mules, changelings, diamond dogs, all of them had died slow and grisly deaths as the floor around them was immersed in a literal bloodbath.
The closest body, the one that had shocked him in the dark, was a young mare he used to pass by not so long ago in Appaloosa, orange-pink with a curly brown mane and a cheeky wink whenever he passed. The poor creature was hanging with an iron collar round her neck and her limbs cut wide open, exposing the stringy tendons underneath the skin.
She twitched and Braeburn yelped again. The young cowcolt paled as he saw sharp needles carved out of bone inserted into her cranium, causing her body to spasm even long after death.
All around him, others were impaled, upside-down or right-way-up. Some had been sawn in half. A few had placed on seats full of barbs and still crowned with cages with inwards-pointing drills.
From the sight of their agonised faces, not a one of them had died painlessly.
Fighting nausea, Braeburn scrambled frantically back to the steps, wanting nothing more than to get the hay out this cave of nightmares and wash away the blood. Placing one forehoof on the first steps, he looked up at a figure standing before him.
Before he could catch his breath, the stallion was seized by the throat and hoisted high in the air. Gasping for air, he stared at his captor.
Whoever he was, he was large and clearly very strong. He was also wearing a mask, jet-black with four white curling tusks jutting up from its sides. His eyes, staring at him through the holes in his mask, bore into him menacingly.
A growly, unhinged voice sounded.
“Transgressor!”
With a roar, the enormous stallion hurled Braeburn back into the centre of the cavern. Shaking the blood from his mane again with a cry of disgust, the cowcolt saw he was surrounded.
Masked ponies, theirs were of pink pigs, all of them bloodstained, their hooves curled around jagged hooks they were trailing along the lake of blood they stood in, snorting and snuffling excitedly.
Braeburn drew his revolver and pointed it hysterically, teeth bared with rage and horror as he yelled.
“Don’t any o’ y’all move! Y’all under arrest!”
The pig-faced marauders all gave amused snorts at the sight. The large boar-masked stallion lumbered forward, wading through the red lagoon. Braeburn turned, cursing his circumstances and fired.
There was a dull click and a weak spurt as his revolver failed him, the powder wet and useless.
Cursing, he resolved to throw a punch with his forehoof.
It was caught and met with the boar-mask’s own, sending into the pool again before being held up by his mane, a rusty hoof hovering inches from his belly.
“You have defiled a shine of the Great Sow, transgressor!” he growled “We must cleanse it once again...in the blood and bile of the heathens”
Braeburn’s mouth quivered with terror, no sound escaping as he closed his eyes.
Just a day ago, it had been a pleasant day in Appaloosa. Waving hello to the locals, checking the apple harvest, having cider with Cherries Jubilee at the tavern, spending the evening with Little Strongheart on the hill with the pond.
And now he was, swimming in a lake of blood, about to be gutted by creatures out a foal’s nightmares.
How had this happened? What would it lead to?
“Strongheart...Applejack... Everypony...” he whispered, voice cracking with despair “Please be safe”


“DEMONS!”
A hoarse voice sounded from above as a frantic masked stallion scrambled down the steps, waving his hooves and yelling.
“DEMONS! THEY’RE DEMO-”
‘Shunk!’
He stopped, his entire body jerking forwards then backwards, struck dumb by an arrow protruding out of his mouth, its feather-tipped tail sticking out the back of his head. Swaying morbidly, he slumped and toppled into the red lake with a splash and lay dead.
As he was dropped by his captor, Braeburn looked up as the pig-faced madponies stared, knives still drawn and shaking in their hooves.
There was a faint chatter.
“Is it the Six Heathen Breeders of Canterlot?”
“Nay. The Bearers of the Blasphemous Hexarchy do not kill”
“There are three. Dressed in black...and armed”
There were gasps and wails all around.
“It’s them! By Saint Erymanthius’s Sulphurous Phallus, it’s them!”
Sure enough, three ponies, dressed in shimmering jet black long-coats and dark shades, slowly made their way down the steps.
The one on the left was a lean pegasus mare, navy-blue coated with a flowing silver mane adorned with a braid. The collar of her long-coat was adorned with a flurry of feathers every shade of the night. She was spinning a throwing knife in one hoof and snarling with a mixture of disgust and anticipation.
The one on the right was an elegant unicorn stallion, leaf-green of coat and with a long sandy-blonde mane. He wore a scarf over his long-coat, grey-dappled like marble stone. In his lime-green magical grasp, an ornate whisperwood bow hovered in front of him, a keen arrow notched and ready as he scowled at the savagery before him.
And the one in the centre was a hardy male batpony, coat of grey with colourless eyes behind his shades and a straight white mane upon his scalp. His collar was turned up-high in the style of the classic batpony and the long-coat itself was accented with silver stripes of command. His hoof was curling round the handle of a long and menacing broadsword, his fangs bared in an intimidating manner.
He spoke, his voice low and level but commanding respect, dominating the cavern.
“Cultists of the Piggsicorn” he said “For environmental disruption, housebreaking, abduction, torture, rape, cannibalism, mass murder, terrorism, the practice of illegal magic, active heresy and royal treason to the Equestrian throne and its citizens...you have been sentenced to death”


*


An Apple’s work was never done.
Big Macintosh made the most of sleep whenever he could.
He didn’t tire easily and this he owed to his routine.
He never snored and wasn’t one to sleep lightly.
Yet something got his eyes open that night.
He rose steadily as the sound of scratching and a slight whining from downstairs intruded his ears. They twitched for a moment and lowered.
The great red earth pony sensed all was not well. If Winona needed to, as Applebloom was partial to calling it, ‘go to the little lady dog’s tree’, there was the flap on the door she could exit and re-enter through. And no other aggressive animal came so close to the cottage as to cause Winona to leap into action as she was trained to do. Winona was a well-trained dog and when she was agitated, that was often grounds for nearby ponies to feel the same way.
Throwing off the blankets, Big Mac quietly made his way downstairs, taking care not to cause so much noise as to wake up Granny Smith.
He found Winona by the doorway, pawing frantically at the door, whining in a tone that sounded distinctly worried not for her sake but for someone else’s. As he approached, Mac was jumped slightly at the sound of a knocking on the door, slow and hard.
Who would be knocking on the door to Sweet Apple Acres at this time of night?
Quietly opening the door, he greeted the late arrival.
“Eeyu...uh...huh...oh...”
For the first time in ages, Big Macintosh was completely stunned, horrified into silence at the sight before him.
Cheerilee supported herself on one shaking foreleg with her other foreleg raised, quivering, at where the door was and her back-legs lying limp behind her.
She was covered in her own blood, head to hoof. She’d left a trail of it all the way up to the porch. Deep incisions across her forehead, shoulders, legs, sides and flanks had bled copiously, colouring the entirety of her grape-pink body a far darker shade of red. Her light-pink mane had become drenched with it and was cut untidily here and there to make room for more incisions across her scalp.
Her head rose, staring at the stallion with wide, traumatised eyes, her bleeding lips trembling as she whimpered weaker than Winona.
“Mac...help...”


Three words were all it took for the delirious and dreadfully wounded mare to pass out. The young schoolteacher fell into the massive red stallion’s chest who held her as gently as his shaking forehooves could manage.
“Oh no...Oh no...Oh no...Oh no...” he mumbled, tears and sweat pouring down his cheeks in a salty stream of horror. Beside him, Winona whimpered rubbing her nose against his side in worry and confusion.
“Mac?” an elderly voice hollered down the stairs “What in tarnation’re you leavin’ the dang door open for?”
“Granny...i-i-it’s Cheerilee!” Big Mac managed to stammer, frantically checking the pulse of the mare he’d always been so fond of.
“It’s what now?” she crooned, creakily ambling down the stairs, blinking dimly in her night attire. As her vision cleared, she noticed the calamity lying in her grandson’s shoulders.
“Mah stars an’ garters...That there’s Lil’ Bloom’s teacher! What the hay’s happened to the poor mare?!”
“She...She’s hurt bad! A-a-ah gotta’ get her to hospital!” Big Mac got shakily to his hooves, gently placing the prone form of Cheerilee over his shoulder.
“Go on, Mac, hurry on now!” Granny Smith hollered as the stallion stampeded into town.
“It’s gonna’ be alright, Cheery” he whispered to the unconscious mare at his shoulder “It’s gonna be alright”


It was there he noticed things were certainly not alright.
Though he guessed the time to be early midnight, there were a lot of lights on and a lot of ponies outside. The loudest commotion came from just outside the clearing before the Everfree Forest.
Doctor Horse and Nurses Redheart and Tenderheart could be seen keeping the crowds at bay and ferrying ponies in a similar state to 	Cheerilee to the hospital. He approached unsteadily, edging over to Redheart who was dressing the wounds of a barely-conscious Shoeshine.
“M-Ma’am?”
“Big Mac!” she jerked up and looked hopefully at the stallion “You’ve found Cheerilee! Thank Celestia!” She helped Mac put her down and checked her over, beckoning Snowheart to her side.
“What’s going on here?” Mac asked nervously “What’s happened to everypony? Has the whole gol’ dang town gone mad?”
He peered through the traumatised crowds.
There was a trail of fire still flickering on the ground before the Everfree Forest around seven trees that had been soaked crimson and had thick cords still lashed around their branches, cut limp.
As he stood straight in front of the flames, he realised somepony had written words with flammable oil and set it alight on the grass.
He read it.


WE’RE HERE


Big Mac didn’t quite understand what had happened here or why.
But he didn’t like it.
He felt Nurse Redheart’s hoof on his shoulder.
“Excuse me” she said worriedly “Did you find anypony else? Anypony in a similar way to Miss Cheerilee?”
“Nope” Mac answered “Why?”
The nurse paled, more so than usual, and took a shaky inhale.
“Well...Cheerilee was among seven friends who went to Cloudsdale and, we believe, were attacked on their way back. With Cheerilee with us now...We’ve only found four”
“F-four?” Big Mac stammered.
“Yes” Redheart spoke between unsteady breaths “Cherry Berry...Caramel...and Berry Punch. There’s no sign of them anywhere...Whoever did this...has kidnapped three of our friends”


*


Quartzwald boasted a large airship station, built for heavy cargo. In times of war, they could host a fleet.
Three gleaming, golden-plated flagships greeted Captain-General Shining Armour and Sergeant Flash Sentry as they entered.
Soldiers, builders and ponies of related professions were unloading munitions in enormous crates, marching in single file to lug them into the hold one-by-one.
Out the corner of his eye, Shining Armour turned his attention to the forestallion engaged in an argument with a certain royal pony he wasn’t all too keen on.
“You can’t expect me to lug these ungainly things to and fro! What do you take me for? A Diamond Dog Miner?”
“I apologise, your highness, I meant no offence but-”
“Your highness, did you say? So you are aware of who I am. And your brilliant mind brought you to the conclusion that it would be acceptable to waltz over to me and say ‘Howdy-doo your princeliness. If you’d be so kind as to do a spot of heavy maintenance!’ What sort of imbecile are you? I demand to see your supervisor!”
“What’s the commotion?” Shining Armour approached. The forestallion bowed whilst the one he’d been arguing with turned and sneered.
“Captain-General. I assume you can talk sense into this degenerate?”
“Prince Blueblood” Shining Armour positively groaned the name “I must confess, I had not been informed you were coming”
“Evidently, given your general squalor” The white-coated, golden-maned stallion withdrew a handkerchief and dapped it at his muzzle fussily “Would you kindly tell your subordinate here that his insubordination will not be tolerated?”
“I only asked him to help with that crate, sir” The forestallion pointed to a medium-sized crate of cloaks.
Shining Armour glanced, unimpressed, at the prince who’d made such a fuss over it.
“Excuse me?!” Blueblood snapped, catching sight of the Captain-General’s look “A member of the royal family is not expected to haul the belongings of others on any occasion! These are the uncallused hooves of a noble!”
“A unicorn noble” Shining said slowly “Couldn’t you...levitate it?”
“I have better things to do with the magic passed down from my exalted family than tow common paraphernalia!” the prince huffed “I sent Conkers out to get me a drink. If you want something done, ask him when he finally gets back. Until then, kindly do not ask me to degrade myself in such a manner!”
Captain-General Shining Armour rolled his eyes and Flash Sentry seemed all too willing to put his hoof somewhere on the princes’ person. The blue-maned unicorn resolved to levitate the crate and deposit it into the open hold as if to demonstrate to Blueblood how easy the request would have been.
Blueblood did not seem to register.
“What exactly brings you here, if I may ask?”
The arrogant noble gave a toss of his mane.
“I resolved to conduct a formal visit of the Crystal Empire. Your most regal wife recommended I stay here, goodness knows why”
'I know why. She wanted you out of her mane so she left you with me' Shining thought dismally 'Thank you kindly, wife-of-mine...Though I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same'
“Well, I’m certain we can accommodate you, your highness” he said with as much courtesy as he could muster “We are, at this moment, stockpiling and readying emergency forces in response to the threat posed by the...”
“Sir! We got a situation!”
The door was practically burst open by a tower guard, hurrying into the docking station, breathless and pale.
“I just found it, thank you” Shining pointed subtly to the prince.
“No sir! Up on the walls! Now!”
An alarm sounded across the fortress as soldiers and labourers rushed to their stations.
The Captain-General paused, worry turning gradually to dread.


As Shining, Flash and Blueblood raced up to the walls. Lemon Hearts was up there along with various other scryers and officers.
None of them paid much mind to their arrival. All of them were staring out, speechless, into the spire forest.
The rolling rumble of war drums flooded their ears as the Captain-General looked out across the landscape. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
“Sweet...Sacred...Celestia...”
“Oh...” Flash Sentry was heard to say “I picked the wrong week to get away from Sunset”
The clearing outside the spire forest was swarmed with beasts of war, armed to the teeth and howling for blood. The roar caused the drummers to beat even louder. As the noise ripped through the quiet of the forest, the mist surrounding the spire forest dissipated.
Sonic Drums, anti-magic war instruments rendering any long-range spells in the area useless.
Shining Armour saw the full force of the enemy surrounded Quartzwald in its entirety, hundreds and hundreds lined-up before them.
The horde comprised of warriors of the frozen north. Pale, shaggy-coated ponies of the plains, mountain goats and bighorn sheep, screeching white griffins with faces of hawks, owls and gulls, and the largest of them, the most armed and the most armoured, were the moose. A great crimson-furred specimen was roaring at the top of his voice, shaking his antlered head from side to side.
Intermixed were great bloody-muzzled wargs, held in place with chained collars, fur bristling as they howled with their masters.
To the sound of the drums, there came a chant from the horde.
“Jotnar! Jotnar! Jotnar! Jotnar!”
Shining Armour took one step back before he reminded himself that this was his fortress, his empire and his subjects.
All of which was under threat.
“Commander Flash Sentry” he said, trying hard not to chatter his teeth “See to it that the defences are in places then rally the fliers”
“Yes, sir!” The orange pegasus saluted and flew back into the fortress. 
“Alma...” Lemon Hearts, dressed in light but durable battlemage armour and a starry cloak, looked out worriedly “Where’s Alma?!”
“I’m sure she’s safe, Lemon. What matters now is holding them off and finding some way to get through to...” The Captain-General felt a nervous tapping on his shoulder.
Prince Blueblood shuffled on his hooves, his face betraying no small amount of terror.
“Um...I’d quite to go home now...sir...Could you please point me to the exit?” he squeaked.
“I’m afraid that’s not an option, your highness” Shining said grimly.
Blueblood stamped a hoof, griped and swallowed nervously, speaking through gritted teeth.
“Look, I’m sorry I was rude earlier. I’ll carry the crates. Whatever you want, anything! Please just get me out of here!”
“Your highness, we can’t leave even if we needed to” the Captain-General looked out upon the foe “They’ve surrounded the fortress. And these guys have anti-magical apparatus at their disposal. We can’t teleport out of here or even send messages. If we’re going to survive, we need to fight them off”
A weak little whine escaped from the Prince’s mouth...at least that was the most likely place it escaped from.
Shining sighed.
“You may barricade yourself in my office, your highness”
“Thank you! Thank you tremendously! You’re a good soldier...whatshisname...ta-ta” Blueblood stammered in gratitude before rushing down below at an impressive speed.
Shining Armour was, if anything, glad to see the back of him. A panicking prince would have been hell to keep out of trouble.
Gritting his teeth, he bellowed out an order.
“Man the artillery! Archers ready! Prepare to repel the offensive!”


Flash Sentry cantered through the workings of Quartzwald’s walls, heading to the scrying chamber. The main defence systems were powered by vast crystal conduits which worked without the need of unicorn magic. They’d be hindered by the war drums but not rendered ineffective. It’d be enough to send a distress signal at the very least.
He paused, mid-canter.
The lights were out on the corridor he was set upon. The torches extinguished.
He drew a blade, a sleek, single-edged specimen crafted from a iron and bronze alloy. Skysabres, prized by battle-pegasi, minimal wind-resistance and capable of conducting electricity in a lightning storm and storing it for temporary usage. It lit up as it was drawn, producing a faint blue electric light. Holding it aloft, Flash Sentry edged down into the darkness.
His hoof hit something. Lowering the sabre to cast a light, he jumped back in shock.
A guard lay dead, slumped against the wall, his neck twisted so far to the side that the bone jutted out through the flesh, the skin split open, the blood still pooling.
Clutching his mouth, Flash Sentry fought hard to remain on his own hooves. Shutting his eyes tight, fighting tears and wondering if he’d ever seen or talked to this poor pony before now, he whispered.
‘I’ll find them. I’ll find the bastards who did this, I promise you’
“...please...”
His ears pricked to the sound of a mare’s frail whimper. Edging down the corridor, his wings out for balance as he took each step quietly, Flash Sentry peered.
Alma Rose lay shaking beneath a gigantic figure, its armour, reflecting the faint light in the shadows, covering nearly its entire body. A pair of thin but massive antlers twisted and wended out the sides of its head. One of its forehooves pinned Alma’s wing to the ground. The other was held up against its ear, communicating on some sort of earpiece.
Alma whimpered again.
“...please don’t...”
“Quiet” The figure’s voice was low but distinctly female and possessed of an odd accent. She spoke into the earpiece “Very good, Strilda. Inform him we shall not disappoint. Now if you excuse me...I have company”
‘Curd!’ Flash Sentry cursed as he stepped into the shadows, sword raised, trying to look as daunting as possible.
“Let her go, right now, and get on the ground, dirt-bag!”
The figure tilted her head.
“Am I supposed to be intimidated by this folly?” she asked nonchalantly, her voice seemingly devoid of emotion.
“You don’t belong here!” Flash snarled.
“We’re just passing through”
“Who are you? What’s your business at Quartzwald?”
“I thought Equestria kept itself informed. Flattening your vassals in the Crystal Empire will be easier than we had thought. Let us hope Celestia learns a lesson in the importance of information when she receives little Princess Flurry Hearts’s head on a spike”
Flash pointed his blade before his foe.
“In the name of Princess Celestia and Captain-General Shining Armour, I’m placing you under arrest”
The figure’s hoof slowly moved from her ear to her belt, slung across her shoulder, where she removed and held up a small crystal-operated switch.
It didn’t take Flash Sentry long to know what she’d been up to in the darkness.
What she was holding was almost certainly a detonator.
To what, he didn’t wish to know.
“Take one more step, pegasus” she said, her manner almost goading.
Alma gave another terrified squeak and covered her face with a matted wing.
Steadily, reluctantly, Flash Sentry lowered his blade, gritting his teeth.
Encased in a helm that covered the face, the antlered fiend raised one eyebrow.
“Well...you’re no fun”
Her cloven hoof shifted and the detonator gave a click.


*


Pipsqueak gave a small shuffle in his sleeping bag as he stirred.
The light of mid-morning was escaping through the curtains in the living room.
Sparkler’s bed was empty and Tungsten was still in his sleeping bag, patiently sketching for his various fan-made game booklets.
He gave him a smile and mouthed a ‘Morning’, the majority of the colts and fillies still seemingly asleep.
The CMC had just re-entered the room, wearing small aprons stained with batter.
“Everypony” Sweetie Belle said softly, comfortably rousing those present “Sparkler’s made pancakes. There should be at least two for everypony but don’t hog, okay”
“Yay!” Truffle Shuffle cheered merrily, shuffling out of his sleeping bag and plodding to the kitchen.
Pipsqueak turned to Dinky, who was laying with her back to him. He gently nudged her shoulder.
“Come on Dinky. Pancakes”
There came a groan from Dinky’s camp-bed and the small colt realised she was hunched over in the foetal position.
“Dinky”
“P-Pip?” she whined, turning to him “I don’t...feel very good”
Dinky’s normally bright and perky face looked pale and clammy. Her eyes were bloodshot and her teeth were chattering distinctly.
“Dinky? What happened? You look very sick”
“I...I don’t know...I just feel really...ugh...Maybe I just ate too much popcorn and candy last night...I think I...” Struggling out of bed, she suddenly clutched at her stomach.
“Go, Dinky, go. Hurry. I’ll get Derpy and the Doctor” Pipsqueak hurried her to the bathroom.
It was so like Dinky not to make too much of a fuss and bother, even when under particular duress.
Most remembered when Diamond Tiara was tricked into thinking she’d eaten a slug. She shrieked and wailed and staggered to the bathroom, clutching her mouth and stomach, multiple times that day. The whole class was in a complete state the first time but by the end it had gotten rather boring.
Dinky meanwhile, tottered a little unsteadily but quietly towards the bathroom, without disturbing anypony, such was her usual wish and manner and one of the many things Pipsqueak so admired her for.
He hoped everything was alright. He knew for certain Derpy and the Doctor would never let anything happen to their little filly.
Gently tapping on the door to Dinky’s parent’s guest room, he called.
“Mr and Mrs Doo? Um...Dinky’s not feeling very well. I think she might be quite sick. Can you check on her?”
There was a mumble behind the door until he heard the Doctor’s voice.
“Okay, Pip. Thanks. We’ll be right out. Where is she now?”
“She went to the bathroom. I’ll check on her”
“Okay, Pip. Thank you. Tell her it’s gonna’ be okay” Derpy’s voice betrayed anxiety but then it rarely ever didn’t when something was wrong with Dinky.
Making his way to the bathroom, he placed his ear to the door and spoke.
“Dinky? Are you okay in there?”
There was the sound of a retching filly, drawn-out and distinctly uncomfortable.
Pipsqueak fought hard to put the image of a filly he regarded with near angelic grace and beauty expelling her stomach contents and decided to check for himself.
“Okay. My mum says you always feel a bit better after you’ve thrown up so maybe if we get you some water and...”
He stopped.
Dinky was gasping shakily, staring at the vomit she’d thrown up into the basin.
It was a dark red.
Some of it was still trickling down her lips and was now running from her nose and ears as her hooves began shaking wildly.
Her amber eyes bulged and Pip could swear they were bleeding out the corners as well.
“...Pip...I...” she squeaked, strangulated “it...it hurts...”
That was all she managed to say before collapsing on the floor, a small but growing puddle of blood gradually pooling beneath her face.
The small pinto gave a terrified cry and rushed to the periwinkle fillies side, holding her head in his forehooves and frantically running tissues under the tap, dabbing at the bleeding areas, desperately trying to staunch them in some way.
“Help!” he screamed “Dinky! Dinky! DINKY!”
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a lot to disturb the mid-morning peace at Sparkler’s home but Derpy coming down to find her most precious daughter so horribly sick and bleeding caused panic unparalleled.
She took the place of Pipsqueak, frantically mopping at where Dinky was bleeding, begging her not to die, until the Doctor and Sparkler, with great difficulty, managed to calm her. Tenderly, her parents wrapped Dinky up in a towel and carried her out the house, heading straight to the hospital.
Pipsqueak could not eat that morning and sat on his bed, his head in his lap, his eyes refusing to close, stunned with worry.
The foals were quiet as they ate much less than what they usually did. Not even Truffle Shuffle asked for a third pancake.
Quietly saying their goodbyes, Tootsie and Sparkler watched them make their way home.
Some had their parents pick them up, others lived reasonably close enough to walk home safely. Ruby was one such filly. A short walk up through town put her squarely on the path home where Berry Punch would be waiting.
Ruby took each step gingerly, thinking hard about what she’d seen.
Dinky was throwing up blood.
That could not have been a good sign.
Even in her worst of ailments, her mother had never reported to have done that.
She’d have to ask her mother about this when she got home. Or her Aunt Cheerilee.
The whole town would probably be concerned. Dinky was so nice to everypony. The CMC had once gone on to say she sets an example for the rest of the foals.
Her mind flooded with worries and notions, Ruby found the door to her house unlocked. Her mother was home.
Thank goodness. Ruby felt she needed her at this time.
“Mum?” she called out. The lights were off. There was no sound anywhere in the house.
She remembered her mother and aunt had gone out with some friends. Berry had told Ruby the importance of turning off every light and locking every door after leaving the house long ago.
But if she wasn’t home...who unlocked the door?


There was a package that had been put through the mailbox but it wasn’t wrapped in the usual manner, just plain paper envelope without a stamp. Derpy couldn’t have delivered it, particularly since she’d spent the morning with them and was now taking Dinky to hospital.
Uncertain, Ruby picked it up and read.
To Ruby
From Mummy
She tilted her head, slightly confused. Opening it, she found herself even more confused.
It was a DVD. Also unmarked.
The house had a player and a TV, a birthday present from Aunt Cheerilee so that Berry could watch the filming of the school plays Ruby had starred in.
Why would her mother send her a DVD? Was it a message? A gift? She could find no sensible reason for it.
Not stopping to turn on a light, Ruby switched on the devices, put in the DVD and sat tentatively on the floor.
It played automatically. There was no menu.
The screen was black, then blurry, then black again. Then a face appeared, illuminated by a colourless light.
It was a purple-coated mare with blonde dreadlocks and a criss-crossed scar across her cheek.
She smiled at the camera in a way Ruby found unsettling. It was nothing like mummy’s smile or aunt Cheerilee’s smile or even any smile she’d ever seen.
The mare in the film spoke, her accent Horsetralian.
“Ello mates” she said, almost merrily “Welcome back. I’m...well, you know who I am, and I found myself some real fine chums in mainland Equestria, Ponyville to be precise. Nice place, bring your camera, it’s worth a visit” Her manner was so jovial yet the room was dim and appeared quite dank. The mare looked away from the camera, which came to a stop and rested in front of a quivering bundle of what looked like rope and gunnysack “And now, I bet you're just aching to see the first of my new mates. She’s a real nice one, only thirty-four this year, lovely shade of maroon all round and a nice set of curves” she winked and placed a hoof over the bundle “Fillies and gentlecolts, feast yer peepers!”
Ruby had, just then, realised what the bundle was.
A pony, tied to a chair with a sack over its head. Faint groans and whimpers came from behind the sack and as it was lifted, Ruby gave a gasp and threw herself back against the seat of the couch, her khaki eyes wide and sunken with horror.


Her mother stared groggily at the camera, bleeding from the nose and lip, her head lolling against her shoulder. The dreadlocked mare placed a hoof around Berry’s shoulder and flashed a grin.
“Tell ‘em your name, darl. Loud and clear”
Berry gave a small, shuddering whine but said nothing.
“Your name, love. I don’t think they heard it”
Berry refused to speak.
Ruby stared, unable to speak with a gaping mouth and a trembling lip.
The dreadlocked mare gave the back of Berry’s mane a tug and spoke less jovially.
“Tell them your name”
“No” Berry mumbled.
The mare took a deep inhale through flared nostrils as her horn glowed green.
Ruby watched, transfixed, as a small knife that looked better suited for gardening hovered before the camera and began to glow with heat.
Berry’s plum-purple eyes widened with terror at the sight as the mare beside her idly checked her hooves.
“B-B-Berry. Berry Punch! My name’s Berry Punch!” she stammered before the mare’s hoof clasped over her mouth.
“Shh...”  She whispered, slowly retracting her hoof and pausing a moment, tilting the camera a little lower to show all of Berry Punch seated in the chair.
Then, as Berry opened her mouth to answer, the knife dived down and buried itself in her right hind-leg.
Ruby drew back, no sound able to escape from her mouth, her heart hammering against her chest as her mother’s screams poured out the TV speaker.
On and on she screamed until the knife was slowly removed, having cooled significantly, leaving behind a horrific, bleeding incision.
“Sorry, I interrupted you there. You were saying?” the mare asked.
“You...you...” the terrified mother spluttered through shock and pain “You’re crazy!”
The mare gave a laugh that sounded absolutely genuine.
“Love, I’ll take you to see some of my co-workers one day. You’ll know real crazy. But anyway...Your name?”
“Buck you!”
The mare’s smile vanished and her foreleg shot forward, slugging Berry Punch across the face with ferocity, before grabbing her throat and hissing, bared-teeth fury prevalent on her once-composed face.
“You better watch your scudding language, ya’ filthy nag! There are foals watching!” Her hoof relaxed as she continued in a more measured and far more insidious tone as her grin returned.
“Yours”
“Wh...What?” Berry’s horrified gape matched her daughters as her captor smiled sweetly at the camera and cooed.
“Hello Ruby. Look, mummy’s on TV! How’s your day been, sweetheart? Having fun at school? Well, your mummy and I and are about to teach you a really important lesson now so watch closely. Very important you know why you should never play with sharp objects”
Her horn glowing, she brought up a thin, curved blade, spun it in front of the camera and rested it upon Berry’s other hind-leg.
The captive whimpered.
“Please! Please don’t hurt her! Not my daughter! Not my little Ruby!”
“Don’t worry, love. I ain’t touched her. Swear on my life. I’m just leaving her a little message to let her know why mummy’s away. Now, 	Ruby...Do you spell Berry with two ‘r’s or just one? Let me show you”
As the knife pressed against soft flesh, Ruby watched as her mother, streams of tears pouring down her cheeks, looked directly into the camera and pleaded.
“Ruby...Don’t look! Please don’t look!”


*


Every step the three ponies took into the cavern sounded like the beat of an almighty drum.
Braeburn had never seen anything like the ponies before him.
The cultists clambered across the area, attempting to surround them, baring their hooks and snarling.
The stench of fear was on them and the Eternal Knights knew it.
They were known by the Cult and all those who thought the worst of the Princesses of Equestria.
These were not the Bearers of Harmony. These were not like anything Equestria was used to defending itself with.
These were ponies who killed. Ponies who went into the most gruelling situations and reminded those within what fear was. Ponies who looked murderers and rapists in the eyes and showed them there were far worse things between earth and Tartarus.
Hunters in the shadows. The last surviving testament of the reign of Nightmare Moon.
Honourable, dedicated, steadfast and, in the right company, very pleasant.
But not merciful.
Not to ponies like the Cult.
White Wolf gave her throwing dagger a spin in one hoof as Fletcher surveyed the scene.
“How much blood is that exactly?” he asked quietly “Do you know? How many died to make this pool? How many...” The unicorn gritted his teeth and asked louder “How many?!”
One of the cultists clambered about a rock with difficulty keeping balance with his wilfully malformed body. He raised his hook and screamed.
“TRANSGRESS-urk!”
He jerked, transfixed by a throwing dagger embedded in his forehead, and toppled over.
There was quiet. The cultists stared at the body while Midnight and Fletcher turned their heads to Wolf from whose hoof the knife had been thrown.
The pegasus gave them an inoffensive glance.
“What? He startled me”
Fletcher stifled a chuckle while Midnight gave a sigh.
“Well...that concludes negotiations” he said as one dextrous hoof took hold of the handle of his blade.
“If it’s shrieking and holding a knife, kill it”
“I love straightforward” White Wolf said, grinning wildly, as she drew two, slick shortswords and raised them high in the air.
“Qi Lunay Raath!”


Backed into a corner, Braeburn stared, speechless, as the three hunters leapt into the throng and preceded, with equal grace and wildness, to carve their way through the cavern.
The batpony, Midnight Blade, with a colossal flap of his wings, swooped up high and stabbed his blade into the ground. The stone below them cracked, the pool of blood sinking below. Parts of the cavern floor rose and sunk, separating the cultists from their collective assembly. In small groups, they were pitted against the three knights.
Midnight’s namesake, his great falchion, was a formidably-crafted weapon near as heavy as a boulder. Yet the Record-Keeper weaved and twisted it round his hooves as if it were silk. A storm of steel and bloodshed in any battle, cultists fell to him in their dozens with every swing. Batponies, fabled creatures in the darker parts of mythology, had access to magic known only to them. In flashes of rippling crimson mist, Midnight would disappear and reappear where the crowds were tightest and with mortal strikes set about replacing the bloodbath of innocents with the blood of those who had put it there.
White Wolf was different. Pegasi were fast and Wolfsong even faster. The Storm-Runner earned her name through a deadly mixture of speed and ferocity. Rapidly slicing to and fro with her shortswords, small blows opened up major veins and arteries, causing fatal or debilitating wounds upon her foe. In the time it took to blink, the pegasus sped through the cavern, leaving trails of dead and dying in her wake. Bigger foes such as the boar-skull guard, took many strikes. Such wasn’t a problem for her. Before they could even raise their hooves, tallies of cuts and slashes spread across their chests, necks and faces before the knight plunged the blades into their bodies, all the while snarling like the wolf whose name she bore.
As to Fletcher Fray, his method of fighting was something else entirely. The Battle-Brother was composed, steady, barely needed to canter, let alone charge. Fletcher, as unicorns were partial to doing, fought with magic. Shots from his bow came rapid and powerful, piercing through as many as four targets at a time. Whole flurries of quarrels sped from his ancestral weapon which, if the odd cultist managed to draw near, morphed into a lethal spear in a flash. Switching between the two fighting styles with ease, the unicorn provided a one-pony artillery arsenal.
One boar-skull neared Midnight, swinging a multi-headed flail. The batpony was quick to dodge but the flails simply kept coming, smashing into the rock around. As the boar-skull tried backing his opponent into a corner, he gave a guttural howl.
It was cut short, however, by a generous-sized rock lobbed with accuracy at the back of his head, sending him stumbling, squealing, as the flail caught itself between the crags in the wall. The foreleg holding it was swiftly severed by the opportunistic Midnight Blade, who raised his weapon for the killing blow, cracking a smirk.
“That’s unfortunate”
It didn’t take long before the last of the cultists fell, one swipe of Midnight’s falchion sending the final boar-skull flying from its neck. White Wolf flew high, surveyed the scene and gave her own blades a satisfied spin, admiring their handiwork. Fletcher paced quietly over to the Appaloosan Deputy who was slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.
“Braeburn, is it?” he asked, passing him a water canteen with which Braeburn washed the blood out of his face before taking several great gulps. Fletcher patted him on the shoulder, smiling encouragingly.
“Nice shot”


There came a groan from the steps. Midnight had found the priest of the shrine and kept him alive, his back legs hamstringed.
Snarling, the Record-Keeper grabbed him by the throat. The priest seemed to be chewing on something and dropped a half-eaten plant with blotchy, thistly black and khaki leaves. White Wolf peered at it while Midnight spoke, his voice quiet but formidable.
“Start talking and I will make this painless. It’s more than you deserve. By what means did you come here and who aided you?”
“You...” the priest growled “Will...Learn...Nothing!” He jerked, his cheeks rippling, looking as if a seizure was gripping him.
There was a blur of navy and silver and White Wolf grabbed Midnight’s shoulders and tore him away from his captive.
“Stay back!” she cried.
As the priest hit the ground, he spluttered and vomited a colossal amount, practically gushing for about half a minute before falling backwards, making no movement, staring up at the ceiling.
There was a pause as the four remaining living ponies in the room stared at the grotesque spectacle.
“Okay...Ew!” Fletcher said at last “What...What just happened and why?”
After a pause, Midnight checked his pulse.
“Damn it!” he snapped “Dead”
“You’re joking!” the green unicorn shook his head, dumbfounded “Are you telling me this guy literally barfed himself to death?!”
“It’s their chosen method of ritual suicide. Look” White Wolf, a talented herbalist, picked up the plant the priest had dropped “Bilethorn Bulb, one of the most powerful natural emetics and laxatives in the Known World. Among urban Equestrian communities it’s known as the 'Bowel-Buster'”
“How quaint” Midnight said in a deadpan fashion “But why did it kill him?”
“Taken neat, the toxins overstimulate the stomach acids, causing them to overflow, burning their way through both ways out the digestive tract and causing a fatal shock”
“...nasty...” Braeburn said at length.
“Why is everything they do so bucking disgusting?” Fletcher snapped “I want to be done with this lot quick! I miss foes with better standards of hygiene!”
Midnight, meanwhile, eyed the body.
“Get him home” he ordered Fletcher who was steadying a rising Braeburn “Then head back to base. Wolf...Take that one’s head” he gestured to the priest “I’ve a use for it”
“Well that sure couldn’t be taken out of context” the pegasus muttered as she set about removing the head with a sharpened axe.
Fletcher, meanwhile, cast his commander an uneasy glance, helping a groggy Braeburn out the cavern.
“The Princess is not going to like this” he said.
“Neither am I, Fletcher” Midnight replied grimly “But there’s no other way. Too many have suffered gruesome fates already. We can’t allow this to happen a second time” He gave the corpse a disdainful look at his colourless eyes shimmered.
“And there are ways to make a dead pony talk”


*


Big Mac hadn’t slept since Cheerilee and her friends had been checked into the hospital. He’d barely managed to tear himself away from the place. He’d rushed back to the Orchard and informed Granny Smith of what had taken place, barely managing to speak without breaking down. Then, with her knowledge and permission, had stayed outside Cheerilee’s room in Ponyville Hospital, his head bowed, tears falling from his eyes without him even realising.
When he thought about how she looked when she came to him, so horribly injured and traumatised, this mare who had been there for him and Bloom and so many others when it mattered...
Who had done that to her? And why? What did they gain from putting her and others through such horror?
Hoofsteps on the hospital floor close by caused him to jerk up suddenly.
It was Nurse Redheart.
He gave a weary sigh, it dawning on him how tired he was.
Redheart, bless her, was bringing tea.
“Thankee, ma’am” Mac took hold of one of the teacups offered and came to realise his hooves were shaking.
He was turning into a wreck.
At last, homely Nurse Sweetheart emerged from Cheerilee’s room, brow beaded with sweat.
Mac was up like a flash, stammering with worry.
“N-N-Nurse! I-I-Is she...she...is sh-she...”
The lilac nurse raised one hoof reassuringly.
“Miss Cheerilee is going to pull through, Mr McIntosh” Her words were followed by the massive red stallion collapsing to his knees, gasping with relief “It was...quite a close one. She lost a frightening amount of blood but her type is fairly common and it wasn’t too difficult or costly to arrange the necessary procedures. She’ll need rest and no small amount of safe company. She’s been through a traumatic ordeal”
“Ah...Ah understand...C-can I...”
“Mac?” a frail voice came from behind Nurse Sweetheart as Big Mac carefully walked in, preparing himself for the worst.
Cheerilee had been washed and was now sitting up in bed, propped up with pillows. One could see where the wounds had been made. To Big Mac’s horror, there were an awful lot, all now bandaged but clearly prominent. Burn marks also showed up across parts of her body and though her eyes were bloodshot, her forest-green pupils had a certain milky look beneath slight bags. She looked quite a far distance from the young, perky, ever-helpful schoolteacher the Apples had come to love and admire.
Yet still, she managed a smile.
“Thank you...darling” she murmured “For...for helping me...”
Mac smiled through his tears and nodded.
“No problem...Ah’m just glad yer okay...Do you...D’you think y’all be alright after this?”
“I think so...” the mare raised a trembling hoof over her jaw were several teeth, loosened by whomever tortured her, had been given sealing “Mac...Where are the others?”
The stallion winced. He’d dreaded being the one to tell her.
As he opened his mouth, however, his voice was overtaken by another.
“They have him!” the voice was unmistakably Doctor Stable Horse’s. He sounded far from calm “That mad nag! She has Caramel!”
“Please calm down, Doctor” Redheart said, trying to sound soothing despite her palpable anxiety.
“How can I calm down?! That...psychopath has my nephew and tortures him for a laugh!”
“What’s happening out there?” Cheerilee mumbled. Mac opened the door and glanced outside.
The Doctor had been weeping, his glasses foggy with moisture. He was slumped over the chair Mac had sat upon bare moments ago and was grasping his brow with one hoof. Nurse Redheart fussed over him, holding his free forehoof comfortingly.
“It won’t be long now. The Wonderbolts are going searching this afternoon. You need to send it to the town hall. It might help. We...”
“What’s going on?” Mac asked “Doctor? Nurse?”
Redheart answered for the traumatised Doctor.
“You remember Caramel was missing with Cherry and Berry?” Mac heard Cheerilee gasp at her sister’s name as the Nurse continued “Someone...sent Doctor Horse a DVD. Whoever did this has been...torturing them and...” she blanched “Oh it’s just horrible...They send the footage to their friends and family”
At this, Cheerilee shot up in bed, her eyes wide with horror as she shrieked out the name of one she knew would fall among that category, one who was and always had been immeasurably precious to her as she was to her sister.
“RUBY!”


As quickly as he’d rushed to the hospital, Mac rushed to Berry Punch’s house. He’d been there a couple of times. Berry and her friends invited him over for tea and other such events that would cause him to spend awkward amounts of time with Cheerilee. The schoolteacher often cast scowls at her sister for such embarrassments though neither she nor Mac could say that they found the meetings unpleasant.
Finding the right door, the stallion’s heart raced to find it already unlocked.
He found his eyes stuck rigid upon the image of Cheerilee, bloodied and agonised. He couldn’t bare thinking of such a thing befalling a foal like Ruby.
He didn’t know her well but Ruby was often very amicable around him and Applebloom and was, in any case, a filly very near and dear to Cheerilee.
Slowly opening the door, he found the lights off and the house cold.
Then a noise. A sniffling, a whimper of sorts.
Slowly, Big Mac made his way to the living room.
Ruby Pinch lay crouched, her head buried in her chest, crying alone. The television was going, a DVD having stopped at a stencil-like black and white image of a crying, bleeding mare.
It took a moment for Big Mac to realise who the mare was.
It took another moment for Ruby to look up.
“Uncle Mac!” she sobbed, flying into his chest, her little body heaving with sobs.
Ruby had taken to calling him ‘Uncle’ a while ago, also due to her mother’s foolery in getting her sister and the stallion together. He’d never minded. In fact, he quite enjoyed being an uncle. And faced with any crying filly, he did what he could, gently hugging her back and doing his best to calm her, still perplexed and worried at the sight on the television screen.
“Ruby...What’s wrong?”
“It’s mummy! She’s hurting mummy!” Ruby wailed “The horrible mare in the movie! She has my mummy! She’s hurting my mummy! I had to watch! I had to! I needed to know if she was...if she was still alive...” 
Saying those words again and again, the filly lost herself in a fit of despair, resting limply in the stallion’s forehooves.
Mac, meanwhile, took in what had taken place.
Whoever had tortured Cheerilee and her friends now had Berry Punch, Caramel and Cherry Berry. She was torturing them, filming the footage and sending it to their loved ones.
Big McIntosh, as a rule, didn’t get angry too often. Even during the ‘Gabby Gums Incident’, a series of mishaps and mistakes from all involved parties that he felt bad about to this day, his anger had never escalated beyond some harsh words to register disapproval.
This was different. This was unlike any act of villainy or malevolence he’d ever witnessed or even heard about in any way.
This was pure evil.
And it was making him unspeakably angry.


*


It happened so quickly, Shining Armour had trouble processing it.
One moment he was giving the order to repel the attack from the walls.
The next moment, there were no walls. He and the defenders were lying in piles of brick and rubble, half-conscious, in the fortress courtyard, a great hammering at the gates jerking them out of their stupor.
None of them seemed seriously injured. They hadn’t so much fallen as slid down. But somehow, regardless, the walls had simply fallen and Quartzwald was unable to defend itself.
There was a roar from behind the fortress doors that definitely did not sound equine.
Adjusting his helmet and tearing off a piece of his cloak to staunch a gash on his foreleg, Captain-General Shining Armour rose to his legs and drew his sword as the doors flew open and hulking beast lumbered through.
“GRENDEL ENTERS!”
A musk ox. One of the largest intelligent beasts in the Frozen North and one of the strongest. Most musk oxen, however, were gentle, operating out of large, sociable tribes in the hills. But this one seemed very different. Its hair was untidily shaven, exposing its rippling muscles and angry grey scars across its body and its shoulders were adorned with a necklace of heads and skulls, raw and bloody, open-mouthed and dead-eyed.
But its most prominent feature was its face. Demented was putting it lightly, the beast had no sign of sanity. Its eyes were miniscule pecks of grey set in wide milky pools, never blinking but constantly twitching. Its nose and mouth dribbled incessantly, its lips set in a morbid grin that seemed forced, as if independent of its owner, barely resembling a smile of any kind. Its sloping horns were chipped and fasted with spiked rings and bloody metal tips.
It eyed the unicorn and bellowed.
“GRENDEL SLAYS!”
An ox of any kind charging was not something to get in the way of. Shining Armour leapt deftly but still barely avoided the beast’s rush, scrambling back on his hooves, he struck out.
Grendel, if that was his name, twisted his head round and growled as the sword pierced his shoulder. With a howl, he swung round. 
The ox was quick, far quicker than Shining expected, and the unicorn found himself seized by the shoulder, picked up high and the air and slammed to the ground. The air was knocked out of the unicorn and his fetlocks failed him as he collapsed, a ragdoll in Grendel’s grip. 
The musk-ox held the captain-general against his chest, not pleasant given the smell of him, as his cloven forehoof grabbed him under the chin and proceeded to pull.
The beast was giggling like a schoolfoal as he spoke.
“Grendel picks pretty fruit”
Shining felt every muscle in his neck and shoulders tense to breaking point. His legs kicking frantically, the unicorn screamed in agony as his captor pulled and pulled.
“Captain!”
The sword Shining had dropped levitated in a purple haze as Lemon Hearts cast it forward. It stuck deep in the ox’s foreleg. With a howl, he released his clutch around Shining’s head. One hoof, however, still held him by the shoulder. Taking a couple of kicks to the face from his captive, Grendel chucked him forward.
“GRENDEL SLIGHTED!” he shrieked as Shining clattered to the ground, struggling to regain focus.
“Form up! Hold the line!” A cry from the fortress signalled reinforcements approaching, pouring into the courtyard and swiftly forming a shield wall. It granted Shining Armour a moment of respite as he and Lemon Hearts headed the defensive.
The force calling themselves ‘Jotnar’, flooded through the gates. The crimson moose approached, smiling cockily. He had heavy whiskers and sideburns a shade more ginger than his coat but his accent was closer to Equestrian than the tongue of the far north.
“It’s a shame, this” he chuckled, twirling a menacing warhammer in one hoof “We’re usually the forgiving sort. But I’m afraid the Warhost cannot ignore this offence”
“Offence?!” Shining Armour barked indignantly “You’re attacking us unprovoked!”
“Yes. And you’re defending yourselves and we take offence to that. It tells us we’re not doing our job right”
Shining Armour raised his blade as the defenders formed a shield wall in the courtyard, picking up their wounded brethren and dragging them behind.
“Who are you?” the Captain-General asked, grim-faced.
“Me?” the moose smiled “I’m Knuckle”
Shining Armour paused.
“Knuckle...Moose Knu-Oh really?!” the unicorn shot him a disgusted look.
“No, not really! Gets ‘em every time though” he guffawed “It’s Thrym. Thrym Hrodrisson. Happy to meet your acquaintance, Captain-General Shining Armour. I’ll ensure I leave enough of your remains for burial at your wife’s place”
“Why are you here? Are you in charge of this force? Answer me”
“I’m not sure I have to...But seeing as you’re curious, we’re here on an assignment and that’s all you’ll get out of me. And no, I’m not what you’d call the commander here, merely the first lieutenant. If you want our commander, she’s...preoccupying herself”
Shining Armour blinked.
“She?”
“Don’t look too surprised. You have your princesses dancing around in their high castles...Ours just prefers breaking them down”


Below the walls, Flash Sentry struggled to his hooves, the explosion above rumbling the corridors. Alma trembled on the ground, covering her face, as if hoping this was all a nightmare. The figure who’d pressed the detonator didn’t even budge.
“Wh-what did you do?!” the orange pegasus barked, holding out his blade again “What was that?!”
“The wall. I brought it down. That’s what I do to walls”
“Sh...Shining’s up there!”
“I know”
Behind the helmet, Flash could swear the antlered fiend was smiling.
He gritted his teeth.
“You...You sick nag!”
He lunged forward with a bellow. Swift as a loose quarrel, the armoured foe had drawn an absolutely massive axe and blocked the strike deftly, glancing at him unimpressed.
His hoof, however, she did not see coming. It knocked off the helmet but didn’t do a whole lot to impede her.
Bringing the axe round, she knocked the blade of Flash’s grip and seized him by the throat, forcing his gaze upon her.
She was a caribou, notorious raiders without equal, bugbears and bogeybeasts across rural Equestria. Her coat was pale and a shaggy platinum blonde mane sloped down her scalp and was woven into tassels and tails. A grim green eye stared at him menacingly. Half of her seemed weathered but not ugly.
The same could not be said for the other half. Flash Sentry did not want to think about what had happened to her but the right side of her face was a chalk-white, withered husk. Hair, skin and muscle practically clung to the bone in a tight wrapping, millimetres thin. The eye was sunken and colourless. Whether she could see out of it was a mystery.
Whatever had happened to her had hurt.
Steeling himself, Flash struck out with his hoof again, aiming for the right side.
He cried in pain, the scarred flesh he struck as hard as oak. He then flew backwards, laid low by a mighty headbutt that left him semi-conscious, groaning on the floor. Blood trickled from his lip and nostrils as the caribou spoke.
“The crying filly already tried that. It won’t end any better for you”
“Who...” Flash coughed and turned over, staring up at his opponent “Who the hay even are you? What do you want?”
The caribou tilted her head, measuring him, and spoke.
“My name is Angrboda, Herald of the End Times, and what I want, you don’t have” She gripped her axe “But I’ll settle for seeing the looks on your faces as those you believe snug inside your fortress die screaming”
“Wh...Why?” Flash panted.
“We have an assignment...That’s all you need to know”
“Plough your assignment!” Flash yelled, readying to raise another hoof.
This time, Angrboda was faster. Slamming the pegasus ferociously against the wall, she rendered Flash Sentry unconscious. Still holding his limb body in her forehoof by the neck, she glanced down at the weeping Alma Rose.
“I will let you flee. Crawl away, little sparrow, back to your nest. Find help for yourself and for your friends...Go”
Alma Rose stared a moment, not quite certain what the caribou meant by allowing her to flee. Then, glancing at her severed leg, then at the unconscious Flash Sentry, she fell flat on her stomach and crawled, pulling herself forward down the corridors on her forelegs.
“HELP!” she screamed, weeping openly, lost in pain and terror of the events, wondering if the whole world had just gone mad “SOMEPONY HELP!”
As the mare disappeared down the dark corridor, Angrboda gave a snort of contempt as she was joined by members of her retinue, cradling blades and clubs, eager for proper battle.
“Follow her. She’ll lead you to the rest. Once she does, kill them all” She traced a forehoof over her face from where Alma had struck her before.
“Save her for last”


*


Mayor Mare muted the DVD as Cherry Berry’s screams reached their peak and looked away in disgust as the stronger-hearted members of the Ponyville Town Council looked over the malicious DVD that had popped up around the town.
“Sweet Celestia, this is sick!” Raindrops looked away.
“This mare...sells this stuff?” Nurse Redheart exclaimed, aghast “Who...Who buys this?!”
“Ponies like her, evidently” Lady Justice answered grimly, holding her horrified wife’s forehoof.
Tall Order looked ready to throw up. By around the ten minute margin, they elected to fast-forward to the end, just to see if the three ponies were still alive by the end. To their relief, they still lived but were definitely not, in any way, in decent form.
The mare’s sadism was matched by her creativity and witnessing it was the stuff of nightmares, let alone experiencing them.
Bulk Biceps finally found his voice, his eyes twitching, the muscles in his neck and cheeks, unbelievably, tighter than normal.
His voice was oddly quiet, possessed of a fury that came slowly bowling from the darkest pits of the body, reserved solely for true, unparalleled rage.
"I'm gonna stomp 'em to dust...I’m gonna tear flesh, pull joints and shatter bones...I'm gonna roast them over fires and bury them alive...I'm gonna bash heads, break faces and jump up and down on the bits that are left...AND THEN...I'm gonna get really mean"
Mayor Mare raised her head, shaken to the core.
Fighting through the wish to simply curl up and cry at what she’d just seen, she thought of Ponyville and the scars that’d been left upon its citizens.
The news would be all over the town before the afternoon.
She had to a job to do.


The podium was set up and the town gathered by late morning where a heavy rain and dark cloud made lightening the spirits even more difficult under the circumstances. Word had indeed quickly spread around the town and panic had seeped in. Lyra worried terribly for Bonbon, who’d been sent to Canterlot on some form of assignment. Octavia and Vinyl worried if they’d make it out of Ponyville on their Baltimare tour or back again. And above all, all seven of the wounded or missing ponies were treasured friends of everypony in town. To find out that not only had they had been so horribly attacked but that not all of them were safely home.
Until now, Ponyville had always seemed so safe.
True, all too often it would see an attack from some monster or menace but the Bearers of the Elements would always keep them at bay.
Yet they were gone. And the worst threat in eons had presented itself.
Mayor Mare and the senior members of the council approached, two of their number still hospitalised.
The ponies around stared up, blind and numb to the rain, the overpowering sense of dread and gloom as thick as clay.
The mayor stepped up, cleared her throat and spoke solemnly.
“Ponies of Ponyville...” she began “Today...our town has been...besieged...by creatures without hearts...the safety and security in which we have raised our foals has been violated. Seven of our nearest and dearest friends have been horribly and senselessly tortured...and three still have yet to be found...This is...most certainly...a terrifying time for us all...And exactly what these monsters want”
She took a pause. Already her mane was wet, sloping down over her brow.
“Often when this town was threatened, we relied on the Bearers of Harmony to aid us...Alas, they cannot. They have been called elsewhere. We must not blame them for this...not least owing to what we already have to thank them for. In this time...it falls to us to protect ourselves and each other from this unearthly menace” She cleaned the mist out of her spectacles and, instead, resolved to remove them a while.
“Now...as you well know...orchestrated violence is abhorred and denounced here in Ponyville and under common circumstances we have no wish, right or reason to even consider such actions”
Those around nodded.
“However...” her tone darkened as her forehooves gripped the podium, remembering the agonised faces of Berry Punch, Cherry Berry and Caramel “I think I speak for us all...when I say...THEY STARTED IT!”
The crowd edged back in unison at their town official’s sudden fury.
Drawing herself up, the Mayor continued, her voice rigid with determination.
“We in Ponyville have long held the lessons of Friendship and Harmony close to our hearts and minds...And some believe this makes us weak and foolish. I, for one, intend to prove them dreadfully wrong! As soon as we are able, we put any resources and influences we may have available to retrieving our friends and delivering justice to the monsters who torment them! We will prove to them that we are not simple cowards who let others fight our battles! We will prove to the Bearers and the Princesses that the lessons they have taught us have been well learned! We will prove to our imprisoned companions that their lives and well-being are as precious to this town as any of our own! With every ounce of our valour and might!” She held one forehoof high above her head.
“Who’s with me?!”


There was a pause. The crowd looked at their mayor as if her mane had just turned pink, which may well have happened in the rain.
Then one cheer sounded.
It was Carrot Top, a peaceful and mellow girl at the best of times, had her forehoof raised and cheering for the Mayor.
She was joined by her coltfriend, Written Script.
And then Cranky.
Then the Flower Trio.
Then Bulk Biceps with his trademark roar of ‘Yeah!’
And before long, the entire town was cheering in the rain, ready to show the world how far their friendship could take them.


Back in the hospital, the Doctor sat, his mind racing, upon the bed where Dinky was sleeping, her mother snoozing beside her. It had been a very uneasy morning and all three of them were tired beyond words.
Yet the sound of the cheer outside slowly brought a heartened smile to his face.
Ponyville was indeed a town like no other.
And on the distant hill where Marephistallion himself once stood, shrouded by mist, a dappled batpony spied the spectacle through binoculars.
“Full of surprises, this lot” he murmured “We’ll have to keep an eye on them”


*


Moon Tea’s bar lay on the crossroads not very far from Ponyville but rarely saw anyone from the town itself.
Pinkie Pie and Applejack had stopped there a couple of times on their way to visit the Pie family residence and Starlight Glimmer as well.
But they had few things to talk about to Moon Tea himself and this suited him.
He found the company of ponies uncomfortable, though he seemed one himself.
Yet what others saw was not always so.
Moon Tea’s real name, appearance and history were known to few and his relatively obscure presence had uses that came in many forms.
He was a weathered figure and had a certain aged look. Combined with how rarely he talked to others some believed his hearing was gone.
But he heard everything.
Right now, all he heard was the trickle of the small water fountain surrounding the bonsai tree in the centre of the room as he polished the table, still a good few hours before the bar was open. The bar was famous for its certain spiritual look and attracted those interested in such a field. Tree Hugger was also among the few that frequented the bar, exchanging herbs and spices with Moon Tea and his patrons.
Now however, he wasn’t expected visitors. Yet the door chimed suddenly as a figure strolled in, removing a hood.
Moon Tea scowled at the visitor, a pony who knew more about him that he was comfortable with.
One side effect of the bar’s murky location was that one often got the odd less-than-scrupulous patron, dodging or fleeing the law.
Yet all them paled in comparison to her.
“Lovely weather we’re havin’, eh Moonie?”
The visitor was a purple unicorn mare with blonde dreadlocks, a face that would have very attractive if it wasn’t pitted with scars and a grey and brown dappled cloak she was removing almost sultrily.
“I thought I told you you’re not welcome here” Moon Tea said dourly, keeping his pale eyes fixed on the unpredictable mare.
“I decide whether I’m welcome or not, mate” She sat down at a table in the corner, placed her glaive standing upright on the wood and spun it lazily.
The barkeep gave a quiet hiss of agitation as his forehoof slid to a Neighponese blade under the counter.
“I wouldn’t do anything drastic, darl” The mare didn’t turn to look at him “I’m not gonna’ be here long”
“What do you want, Balisong?”
“Well you can oblige me with a beer if you’re able” She slid one forehoof behind her back and stretched “And then I’d like you to send a message. I’d like to meet a mare here as soon as possible. I want you to put the word out. I’m told that’s in your influence”
“It is” he said curtly “What do want from this mare?”
“I’m not entirely sure it’s in your interest to find out” she replied “Bring her round and then I’ll be out of your mane, swear on my life”
Moon Tea paused, looking the unwelcome visitor over.
“Alright” he said at last “What’s her name?”
Balisong cracked a smile.
“Round these parts, folks know her as ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’”
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The touch of the Weeping Alicorn was always cold.
The Doctor had faced them time and again, each time suffering heavy losses he never found easy recovering.
He had been glad he’d rendered them unable to venture to the present day last time they’d crossed, trapped in their own timeline they’d dread his return as much as he would dread theirs.
Yet here they were. Clutching him by the forelegs as he was dragged forward, his back-legs trailing along the ground.
A thick mist enveloped the ground beneath him. Their legs invisible behind their trailing stone gowns, the Weeping Alicorns glided along the ground.
They stopped, as sudden as stone having set in place, as the Doctor steadily looked up.
He was brought before a great circular stone slab, large and smooth enough to serve as a table which was exactly what it was being used for. His limp forelegs were pushed forward by a cold pedestal moving up behind him and serving as a seat. The Alicorns grip loosened and he fell upon it. Groggily, he looked around.
He swiftly wished he hadn’t.
His wife and daughter were at the table and the Weeping Alicorns stood beside them as they did for him. Strangely though, their expressions were different.
The ones beside Derpy had expressions drooping in melancholy, moist dark lines running from their eyes down their cheeks.
The ones beside Dinky were open-mouthed and wide-eyed visages of fear and terror, something they reserved only for the Doctor.
Strangely, they seemed to match the mood of those they guarded.
Derpy was weeping at the table, her head bowed, her hooves rubbing over themselves in a silent prayer.
Dinky was shaking on her own seat, glancing to her parents fearfully. She was clutching her sides, either from the icy cold in the area or from the chill the Weeping Alicorns seemed to carry with them wherever they went.
The chill of doom, of oblivion.
And the knowledge that they could deliver it upon anypony at anytime.


“Derpy? Dinky?” The Doctor checked on them.
None of them reacted to him. Derpy continued weeping and Dinky continued shivering.
As confused as he was anxious, he looked up at his own pair of stone wardens.
Pure rage was set upon their stone features. Bared fangs and biting cold eyes, their wish to harm their quarry was prevalent on their faces.
But he felt none.
Looking forward, mind lost in uncertainty, he saw the figure appearing before him, sitting opposite him at the table where before there was only mist.
“Hello Doctor” he smiled.
Cascadius.
It was then the Doctors expression matched the Alicorns beside him as his most hated foe leaned over the table in a relaxed fashion.
Of course, why wouldn’t he be smiling?
This was exactly what he wanted.
Him, the Doctor, the two ponies most important to him and no way to escape.
Looking up at the Alicorns beside Cascadius, his two hearts almost jumped out of his chest.
They had removed their own faces, holding them in one forehoof like masks, broken off their forms like the top of an egg.
Their true faces leered at the Doctor, utterly demonic smiles and small, black, evil little eyes set in a pale, fleshy formless pulp.
Smiling, twitching, monstrous.
Cascadius looked over as if only just noticing them.
“Friends of yours, I assume?” he said “Nice of them to bring us all together” He reached under the table and brought out a large, rather bulky revolver.
Dinky gave a terrified squeak and Derpy closed her eyes with a whimper as pointed it at the Doctor’s head.
The time-turner felt something cold running down his cheek.
Then Cascadius smiled. That smile had become synonymous with all of the evils of ponykind.
“No...” he murmured “Tell you what, while we’re alone...let’s play a little game”
He pulled out the barrel of the gun. There was a chorus of clinking and clattering as the bullets rolled out onto the table in front of him.
He picked out three, fitted them into the barrel and brushed the rest away. Shaking the revolver, the barrel clicked into place as his eyes gleamed.
“Three bullets” he hissed with enthusiasm “Let’s see who misses out, eh?”
“NOOOOOOOOO!” Derpy wailed, trying to reach out for her daughter and husband. The Weeping Alicorn’s hooves tightened around her shoulder with a rocky, crumbling sound. On and on the grey pegasus flailed, crying out.
“Dinky! Doctor! No! Please! Don’t hurt them! Please don’t hurt my family!”
“Oh I won’t” Cascadius said calmly, raising the revolver in his hooves “I won’t need to. Watch closely. Everypony has a go and the only murderer here is our own sorry luck”
He held the gun to the side of his head and pulled the trigger.
There was a click.
He lowered the revolver, placed it on the table and gave it a push.
It landed under Dinky.
“Your turn, little one”


With a shaking hoof, Dinky picked up the gun, hearing it rattle on the table and stared at it as if it were an alien object.
Opposite her, Derpy sobbed, struggling to free herself.
“Dinky! Dinky, please don’t do it!”
“Dinky...” the Doctor murmured, the chill the Alicorn hooves sent through him locking him in place, his breath producing an icy vapour adding to the mist “Don’t...”
Dinky stared at her parents, her wide amber eyes moist with tears, struggling to keep control.
“Please don’t look” she pleaded before crying out in pain as the Weeping Alicorns beside her tightened their grip.
“No, no, no, that won’t do at all” Cascadius chuckled “You know the rules, Doctor, around the Weeping Alicorns...” His eyes glinted with menace “Don’t take your eyes off them...And whatever you do...don’t blink”
Their eyes forced open, Doctor Whooves and Derpy Doo stared, eyes streaming, as Dinky held the revolver to the side of her face and tightened her hoof on the trigger.


‘Click’


Dinky’s eyes had flickered a moment as the sound of an empty shot pierced the grim silence.
“Ah...How fortunate” Cascadius said in an intrigued tone “Pass it on to daddy, there’s a good girl”
Dinky stared at him, trembling like a rigid autumn leaf. Then she stared at the gun and then at her parents.
Then at Cascadius again, a glint of determination in her wide amber eyes.
“No...” she said “I won’t...I will not kill my mummy and daddy”
No sooner had Dinky finished speaking, she cried out in agony as the grip of the Weeping Alicorns tightened around her shoulders, edging towards the sides of her neck. Derpy and the Doctor did the same and even Cascadius gave a grunt of pain, the Alicorns by his side giving a hiss like knives across china plates.
He coughed and chuckled.
“Perhaps I haven’t been clear, little one” he said “You can either keep the gun and all of us will die...Or you can pass it on and only three of us will die”
“Dinky, please...” the Doctor whined “Just pass it to me...I’ll be alright, I promise”
Whimpering, Dinky passed the gun, rattling on the stone table under her shaking hoof, to her father.
He’d always hated guns.
He threw one last hateful look at the smirking Cascadius who was leaning forward in his seat with anticipation.
Closing his eyes and bowing his head, his hoof placed the gun’s barrel to his temple and began pressing down on the trigger.
“Dinky...Derpy...I love you”


‘Click’


“Damn it!” he cursed, throwing down the gun and looking to his companion.
Derpy stared blankly, her wall-eyed expression impossible to determine what she was looking at. Sweat and tears were pouring down her face and she’d begun shaking slightly in a somewhat fitful fashion.
“Derpy...” the time-traveller reached out in vain with one hoof, desperate to stop her crying one last time “Stay with me...please...”
“We don’t have all day, Doctor...”
“Shut up” he snarled, the gun feeling heavier and heavier in his hoof as he placed it down on the table and breathed deep.
Then Derpy turned, frenzied terror in her features as she shrieked out loud in desperation.
“Please, just give me the gun, Doctor!”
He stared at her.
She wanted to pull the trigger.
Did she expect to live?
Or did she just want to give her husband or her daughter a better chance of survival, even if it meant her end?
As if the alternative had entered his mind, the Alicorn’s hooves tightened again, threatened to crunch the shoulder blades beneath.
Dinky’s pained squeak finally forced him to push the gun to his right, landing before Derpy Doo.
“Derpy...I’m sorry...”
With more calmness and control than he often saw from her, Derpy picked up the gun and held it to her head.
“Mama loves you, Dinky” she murmured as her daughter watched with streaming eyes “Mama loves you both”
And she pulled the trigger.


There was a piercing shriek that blotted out any sound of the shot.
Dinky and her father both jolted back, struggling not to keep their eyes shut for long.
The little filly began sobbing.
Derpy Doo slumped over the table, the gun fallen out of her limp hooves, her eyes wide open.
The room was silent. All Cascadius did was observe, intrigued.
One of the Alicorns beside him laughed, its cackle like the rapid flittering of bat’s wings.
The Doctor’s lip trembled.
“Derpy...no...”
There came a gasp.
Derpy jerked, still slumped over the table and took several deep breaths, clutching her temples.
It had been an empty.
Derpy had never been all too good in tense situations.
“D-D-Doctor...” she stammered, breathlessly “D-Dinky...”
“For crying out loud, don’t shriek like that” Cascadius snapped with irritation, snatching up the gun and putting it to his head as if it were a trivial chore “You don’t know whether or not it fired. Though with you, it could have just gone in one ear and out th-”


‘Bang!’


He was cut off suddenly as he jerked, the derisive smirk twisting into a shocked grimace as the left side of his head burst open, showering viscera upon the Weeping Alicorn to his side.
Dinky screamed, witnessing the effects first-hoof.
The mercenary leader swayed, the dismayed look fixed upon his features.
His hoof upon the table as his eyes slowly fell upon the gun.
Slowly, his mouth curled upwards as he mumbled.
“Heh...”
And with that, he keeled over on the stone slab and lay still.
The Doctor felt the clutch of the Weeping Alicorns open. Twin hearts hammering at his chest, he clambered over to retrieve Derpy and Dinky. His treasured companion flew into his forehooves, sobbing. A gentle hug from him eased her significantly.
His daughter, meanwhile, stared at the body of Cascadius, blood pooling from his open skull.
A hoof on her shoulder caused her to spin round, shuddering.
‘No foal should ever have to see that’
“Dinky...It’s okay...We’re all here...”
Dinky slowly reached out for her father’s hoof, hope dawning in her weeping, amber eyes.
Then the lights went out. 


“Where are you lot going?!” an unearthly voice bellowed “The game’s not over yet!”
The lights emerged, straight in front of the Doctor’s face.
Cascadius stared back at him, the cocky, confident smirk replaced by a demented leer he’d never seen on the stallion before.
The wounds of his self-applied headshot were very much visible but they’d decayed.
No...The flesh hadn’t rotted. It had hardened.
Half his face was stone.
Like the Alicorns.
The Doctor was being held up by the forelegs, his head bowed, as the Weeping Alicorns once more held him prisoner.
Derpy and Dinky were in much the same way.
Cascadius paced around them leisurely, giving the revolver a spin around his hoof.
“I’d say the next shot could be a lucky one...Question is...Who gets it?”
He placed it down between the three of them.
“How about we spin it? Hm?” he smiled as Pinkie Pie would when suggesting something awkward yet fun all the same “Or can you decide for yourselves”
There was silence.
The Doo family glanced at each other, then the gun, all with the same terrified look.
Then a glow of piercing bronze light enveloped it completely, levitating it upwards.
The Doctor looked at his daughter, her horn shining the same colour.
He watched, helplessly, as the gun pressed itself against her forehead, her perfect amber eyes possessed of a dead-looking air of bleak acceptance.
“Dinky...” Derpy whimpered “My muffin...please...no...”
As the Doctor’s open mouth refused to move, the demon that had once been Cascadius loomed up beside him, observing with colourless white eyes and chuckling.
“Times up, Doctor”
Dinky gave a little sniff as the trigger began to slowly inch backwards.
“I’m sorry...”


‘Bang!’


With a startled cry, Doctor Whooves jerked awake, his coat heavy and clingy with a sheen of night-sweat.
Brushing the dishevelled mane out of his face, he looked up to see the prone, sickly form of Dinky still in the hospital bed and her mother resting her head next to her, both asleep.
The heart-rate monitor continued beeping quietly, a small conducting crystal glowing and fading in sequence.
The Doctor took an extended outtake of breath.
“Doctor Whooves?”
He spun round, clear shock and horror in his face.
It mellowed as he took in the visitor.
Standing in the hospital doorway was a lilac unicorn mare with a long wavy indigo mane with bright turquoise streaks.
Starlight Glimmer.
Her expression was concerned, as it often was in truth.
“Doctor Whooves?” she asked again.
“Yeah...sorry...” he stumbled groggily to his hooves “Not a great time”
“It doesn’t seem to be” she replied “And I’m sorry to intrude like this but the Princess needs you specifically to help with something”
The Doctor gave his sleeping family a look then glanced back to Starlight slightly peeved.
“You do realise that when I say ‘Not a great time’...”
“I know, I know, I’m very sorry and I’m sure she is as well but it’s absolutely essential. You and I are the only ponies with the skills capable of obtaining vital knowledge on the oncoming enemy and its leader, confidentially speaking” she checked the corridor behind her a moment.
“Which Princess is this? Celestia or Luna?”
“Neither. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has been concerned about this matter for some time. Now that is has escalated, she’s conducting an investigation into the history of the Mercenary Paymaster, Cascadius. She claims to know how to find out where he came from and why he’s doing this”
“Look, Starlight. I know better than most. Cascadius cannot be reasoned with”
“Everypony can be understood, Doctor” Starlight implored “And if we can understand somepony, we can get them to understand themselves and the consequences of their actions...” she sighed, looking at her forehooves.
“I know that better than anypony”
“I should think you do” The Doctor replied. Privately, the time-traveller had always been strangely cold towards Starlight Glimmer. To be sure, he was under no delusions that Starlight had seen the error of her ways but he was slow to forgive her.
He’d seen others do what she had done with far worse consequences. Consequences they rarely understood.
He took one more look at her family.
“If it’s that important, fine. I’ll come help as soon as I can find out what’s wrong with my daughter. But I can’t be gone for long. It’s never been good for Derpy, now of all times”
“I understand. Our research should only take the better part of an afternoon. I can summon portals. It’ll save time”
“Where exactly does Cadence plan to conduct this research” the Doctor asked as the unicorn turned to leave.
She gave a knowing smile.
“Where most research is conducted...the library”


*


Shadowplay found the study in darkness again. A single lamp illuminated the face and forehoof of his paymaster writing down figures on a sheet of paper.
“Sir, that’s really not good for your eyes”
Cascadius sighed, put down the pencil and turned on a main light.
“I appreciate the concern, Shadow, but I need to concentrate”
Shadow peered over, his batpony eyes seeing well in the darkness but the workings on the sheet baffling him.
“Plans, sir?” he asked “Profiles? Maps? Blueprints?”
Cascadius looked up.
“No, Sudoku” He leaned back in his chair “How goes the work?”
“Balisong’s endeavour goes well, sir, proceeding to Stage 2”
“Splendid. Did she enjoy herself?”
Shadowplay shrugged.
“Certainly seemed to. She’s happy to have new ‘playmates’, it seems”
“Doubtless. The ones she kept from the Crossfort are...quite exhausted. I must remember to have somepony make an end of it” Cascadius got to his hooves in a leisurely manner “Anything else?”
“Well, sir...The town seems to be willing to take the fight to Bali and her crew. They received the footage and the town mayor seems intent on going on a search-and-rescue operation, armed and ready for battle”
The paymaster chuckled, shaking his head.
“Full of surprises, aren’t they. This is all becoming very exciting, don’t you think, Shadow?”
“As you say, Mr Cascadius. Also...the Gorging Ones want a word”
Cascadius’s mood darkened as he groaned.
“Again? Between them and Glanders Gate, I haven’t had a moment’s piece of mind”
“If you don’t mind me saying, sir, they seem...concerned. I believe they’ve run into a problem”
The paymaster raised one eyebrow.
“I see...Then I must look into this. Come along”
They paced down the corridors of the headquarters, passing Royal Flush along the way, shuffling along with his head bowed.
Cascadius jumped at him and gave a loud ‘Rah!’ causing him to nearly topple over with fright, his hooves shaking.
The paymaster hooted with laughter and even the normally dour Shadowplay managed a chuckle.
“I feel better already” Cascadius said “Do you play Sudoku, Shadow?”
“I can’t say I do, sir. I’ve heard of it but the exact details are lost on me”
“Well...” Cascadius withdrew a couple of folded pieces of Sudoku he’d filled out “You have a nine-by-nine grid, divided into nine three-by-three sub-grids. Each digit needs to be filled with a number from one to nine. Seems easy enough, you think. But you see, you can’t have the same number twice in one grid, nor can you have the same number twice in any row or column, so no two of the same numbers can cross over each other in any direct way. The more numbers you fill out, the less you have available but as long as you’re careful, you’ll know where each one can and should be placed and you won’t need to backtrack”
“Sounds rather challenging, sir” Shadowplay said.
“It’s meant to be. I make time to play a round of Sudoku every day. Do you know why?” he gave a wry smile “Wars are won with strategy and strategy is knowing which trick to make at any place and time and trying as much as possible not the use the same trick more than once. Equestria is vast and if we are to challenge it, we must have both a force and a plan at each and every point of interest. No threat must be ignored, no opportunity must be wasted. Sudoku helps a pony know where to place their numbers, how to predict and plan ahead in any span of influence. An essential skill for strategists”
“Perhaps, sir...” Shadowplay said, brow raised with awe “I should take up this hobby”
“I would heartily recommend it”


They didn’t find the Gorging Ones deep in the sanctum as they’d expected.
Three of them were waiting instead at the cavern entrance. Owing to their equally hideous appearances, Cascadius had taken to identifying them by their coat colours.
Bloatula was a dull pink.
Corpulon was a mottled grey.
And Distendrius was a sickly pale-green.
All three of them in their thrones but their feeders absent, a tell-tale sign that all was not well.
“Your Sanctified Graces” Cascadius said, saluting “You summoned me?”
“We did, Mr Cascadius” Bloatula began “We report a great blasphemy to our most sacred brotherhood”
“Our pilgrims far in the tunnel systems are being found dead” Corpulon explained, his voice a pompous, reedy baritone “Slaughtered in droves. And now a shrine below Appaloosa has been desecrated, all its worshippers murdered most foully”
“Interesting...” Cascadius brushed a forehoof under his chin “Any witnesses?”
“Not from the shrine attack but a hoof-full survived the tunnel ambushes and we have more than enough reason to believe the perpetrators are the same” Distendrius said, possessed of a hoarse, gravelly voice “It was not the Bearers of Harmony”
“It couldn’t have been. We have them occupied” The paymaster nodded “So who is it they speak of?”
“Three do they number” Bloatula answered “In long dark coats and sheer black eyeglass. Armoured...and armed, blades moving like the wind”
“Three, you say?” Cascadius sounded more than intrigued “Describe them. Do they differ?”
“They do” Corpulon continued “A batpony leads them, winged blasphemies one and all” he spat phlegm over his shoulder “Dark of coat and eyes pale as milk. A mighty blade in hoof, carving through flesh and bone like wax”
“A unicorn from the Farmanic Forests. Green coated and golden-maned” Bloatula added “Eyes glowing an eerie blue. A bow forged from enchanted wood that melds into a spear at a whim”
“And a mare among them, a pegasus” Distendrius croaked “Navy-blue and white. Cervine trinkets round her neck and tribal feather bands in her mane, two short swords in both hooves, snarling like a mad beast all the while”
For a moment, Cascadius stared blankly at the three.
Then he smiled, wider and wider, and began chuckling.
“Sir?” Shadowplay asked, concerned.
“One thousand and fifty years...” Cascadius’s laughter was growing and louder “One thousand and fifty ploughing years....and they’re still on the hunt! Just for little old me!”
The paymaster doubled up, roaring wildly with laughter, slamming his forehoof down on the group as tears appeared in his eyes.
Shadowplay glanced awkwardly at the mirthless Gorging Ones.
“He’s...not normally like this” he assured them.
“We are aware” Bloatula responded, deadpan.
The paymaster continued falling about laughing for some few minutes before gathering himself, taking several deep breaths and straightening up.
“Okay...okay...whoo...I’m okay now...”
“You find this amusing?!” Corpulon snarled.
“Enormously so” Cascadius replied “The three transgressors you’ve described are...old acquaintances of mine. We worked together once long ago. Then we had a bit of a falling-out”
“Why then did you not warn us of this, you who claims to prepare for anything!” Bloatula squawked.
“Because these three were believed long dead. They are veterans of the Equestrian Civil War over a thousand years ago. No normal pony survives that long. We can therefore assume these are not, or at least no longer, normal ponies”
“Then what is to be done?” Distendrius wheezed.
“I must ask that you exercise patience. Victory demands it” Cascadius gave them a smile “But rest assured, this atrocity will not go unpunished and the more patience we exercise the more thorough justice shall be done. I am, as you may have been informed, a pony who always tries to turn a loss into an opportunity and with careful re-planning, we shall not only bring down these three undying hunters...but also the Princess who leads them”


*


Fluttershy quivered, sweat beading on her brow and intermixing with her terrified tears as the rifle cocked in the cloth-swathed mare’s magical grasp.
“I’d like answers please. Quick as you like but I’d hate to lose patience with you”
The young pegasus gave a nervous whimper.
“No, don’t give me that look. It doesn’t work. Not on me” She tilted her head “Now then...Where are the others?”
“Wh-what?” Fluttershy asked.
“You heard me. Where are the others?”
“I...I...I don’t know...”
Fluttershy would never be one to betray her friends, even when faced with death. But even if that were not the case, she could not tell anypony what she did not know.
Her captor, it seemed, was disappointed with the answer.
“I’m going to give you a moment to correct yourself, dear”
“No, really! I don’t know!” she wailed “We all went out to different places! The communicators stopped working!”
“I wasn’t talking about the Elements” The mare kicked her hard on the shoulder, causing Fluttershy to yelp in pain, clutching at the forming bruise. She kept the rifle steady.
“I’m talking about your other friends. The little super secret club they’ve got going when you lot are away. The one you thought we wouldn’t know about” She pressed a forehoof against her captive’s cheek, pressing her head against the wall “You must think we’re pretty dumb, don’t you”
“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Fluttershy gave a short cry as she was kicked viciously in the face, her head slamming against the brickwork behind her. The rifle moved beneath her chin and tilted her head upwards. With a bleeding nose and lips and blackened, weeping eyes, she stared fearfully into the cold eyes of the swaddled gunner.
“Alright, here’s how this is going to go. I’m going to count to five and either you’re going to tell me or I’m going to blow your brains out all over the wall. But either way, I’ll know if you’re lying. Five...”
“Please, don’t...You don’t have to do this!”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong there. Four...”
“I told you I don’t know!”
“And I’m about to start believing you. Three...”
“Please...” Fluttershy cried, eyes shut tight in prayer “It’s almost my pet rabbit’s birthday...”
“I’m grief-stricken, truly” the rifle-bearer said sarcastically “Two...”
“I don’t know!” the pegasus screamed, shaking wildly.
“I’ll believe you in a sec. One...”
Fluttershy, the fear gripping her overpowered by despair, stared down the rifle’s barrel.
Death would come for her out of that barrel, shattering her mind and leaving her a corpse in a blocked-off alley.
She wondered how long it would take before they found her or even if they would. She didn’t want to think about what this mare would do with her body.
She closed her teary, green eyes and whispered.
‘Goodbye girls...Thank you for being my friends’


“What they hay’s going on here?!”
It was Lafayette’s voice.
Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open to see him standing on the alleyway stairs, blade in hoof.
At the same moment, he saw her.
“Lady Fluttershy!”
The mare with the rifle didn’t turn but her eyes screwed in frustration.
“Bad move, mate” she snarled as the hovering rifle spun to face the Captain and fired.
He gave a cry of pain, clutching his shoulder.
This time, the mare did turn, confusion in her gaze.
She’d been aiming for his head. She’d heard his voice and went precisely for its source.
She never missed.
“Put it...down!”
Fluttershy had grabbed the rifle and managed to tilt it. She was wrestling with the thing with gritted teeth and clear fury in her eyes.
One of them was still half-closed from the blow. The Stare was not currently in use.
But this was something new.
She drew a small bolter with her free forehoof and pointed it at the Bearer of Kindness.
Before the trigger even tightened, she found the young cream-coloured pegasus grabbing hold of the bolter with both hooves, snarling like a wolf.
“I...said...” The bolter’s frame was crunching in her grasp “Put it...Down...NOW!”
The barrel of the bolter caved in on itself, flattening between the previously timid little pegasus’s forehooves.
The mercenary’s eyes widened with shock.
“Bucking Hay! Get off!”
Her free forehoof struck the Bearer three times in the shoulder, finally managing to pry loose her grasp. She deposited the ruined firearm beneath her clothing. No leads could be left behind.
Then, whirling the cloak around herself, she leapt upon an overhanging canopy and, with surprising dexterity, flung herself over onto the rooftops.
Fluttershy barely paused taking in the sight before rushing over to the injured Lafayette.
“Is it deep?” she asked “How quickly do you need a bandage?”
“I think I’m okay” The Captain nursed his shoulder before taking to wing, flying high into the rooftops.
“Careful!” Fluttershy called up “She might still have her bigger gun”
“She’s gone” Lafayette wasn’t in the air for long. Flying back down, he clutched at his shoulder again, wincing “You need to get back to your flat. The whole city’s gone nuts”
“What about the other girls? I can’t reach them. The communicators aren’t working”
“Yeah, I heard about that. One the mercenaries has some anti-crystal magic or something. Stopping the Bearers from contacting Canterlot or each other and our own resources aren’t up to the task” He placed a hoof on her shoulder, wincing as he did so “I must advise you head back to the flat for the remainder of this attack”
“No...”
Her tone was a great deal firmer and slightly louder than usual. Blinking away tears, she stood up and spoke.
“I’m not leaving everypony while they’re in danger. If Rainbow or Twilight or Pinkie or any other of the girls comes back wounded or...worse...” she appeared to choke on something before continuing “I’d never forgive myself. I’m staying outside, helping wherever I can until this is over”
“My lady, I am heartened by your bravery but-”
“I am staying in the fight” Fluttershy’s meek disposition appeared to have ebbed away, replaced by a stern, serious and outwardly intimidating expression, boring into Lafayette’s eyes.
‘What the hay is happening?! Why do my legs feel so shaky?!’ Lafayette thought as he frantically struggled to stay on his own four hooves as Fluttershy spoke again.
“I am going to help find the girls, I’m to help protect the city and then, and only then, I will head back to the flat. This discussion is over...” Her sternness subsided as her face grew meek, mild-mannered and irresistibly sweet once more.
“I mean...if that’s okay with you...”


*


“GOOD MORNING, MAGGOTS!”
Spitfire’s bellow rang across the hills below Cloudsdale as the Wonderbolts assembled. Turning on her fetlocks, she paced in front of them.
Their full strength was assembled. Twelve of the best aces each commanding four trainees. A total of sixty fliers, ready to take to the air.
“Now! I assume you’re all aware of what took place last night! Some sickoes attacked seven of our friends in Ponyville and kidnapped three of them! Now I don’t know what they think they’re dealing with and frankly, I don’t much care. But there’s only one thing they’re getting for their trouble. Bucked. From behind. Without pause. Over and over and over. Think you knuckleheads can handle that?”
“Yes, ma’am!” They said in unison, saluting and spreading wings.
“That’s what I like to hear! We start by scouring the Everfree! Yeah, you heard that right!” She held up a cannon-guard, standard pegasus weaponry, strapped to the foreleg and built to fire hails of metal bolts at the foe. Spitfire had hers decorated with brass inlays in the shape of flames.
“You’ve all been issued one of these babies which should take down anything smaller than a pony and six of you have artillery strapped to your backs. You also each have an SOS flare packed into the back of your cannon-guards. Now I assume you all know that SOS stands for ‘Somepony Save My Fat, Gormless Flanks ‘Cause I’m A Disgraceful Bucking Pansy!’ so I don’t wanna’ see anypony pulling it unless absolutely necessary and I do mean absolutely! Ya’ got that?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Right. Surprise and Rapidfire, you take your fliers downriver to the gorge. Misty, High Winds, you take them round the ridge. Me, Soarin and Fleetfoot will head for the ruins. Rendezvous in o’ two-hundred and if we can’t find anything, one of us heads to Canterlot to let ‘em know at HQ. Form up and move out!”


They were off into the air swiftly and gracefully, beautifully rehearsed. Venturing over the teeming forest of the Everfree, the flying force split into three. Spitfire’s contingent, accompanied by Soarin and Fleetfoot, scoured the area heading for the ivy-strewn ruins deep in the forest. Largely forgotten by Ponyville and only ventured on occasion by the Bearers and a few others, it seemed a likely place as any for neer-do-wells to hide away.
The clouds grew heavy over the place as they often did, put most ponies off before they even saw the ruins themselves.
Yet into it, the Wonderbolts flew.
“Captain” Fleetfoot said, hovering close, adjusting her goggles to heat sensor as she pointed forward “Pegasi and griffins in the clouds nearby. Looks like they’re readying an ambush”
“Well that’s bad news...for them” Spitfire grinned “Pull everypony close, we’ll knock ‘em outta’ the sky with a group dive bomb. Does it look like they’ve seen us?”
Fleetfoot tilted a dial on the side of her goggles, zooming in slightly.
“They seem to be huddled around some...wait a minute, that’s a...” Her mutterings grew to a frantic shriek “Scatter! Scatter!”
“BUCKING SCATTER!” Spitfire yelled as the Wonderbolts dispersed. From where Fleetfoot had pointed out, the clouds spat out a trio of streamlined metal silos shooting straight towards them.
They shattered in mid-air, releasing a different kind of cloud. It was a pale khaki and gave a hiss as it dispersed, threatening to envelop the nearby fliers like some monstrous spectre.
“Masks!” Spitfire screamed “Everypony put on your damn masks!”
As the smoke spread about them, the fliers began coughing and spluttering, frantically strapping breathing masks around their muzzles. Nonetheless, their training paid off. Once one had got their mask on, they helped others with their own.
She saw Soarin faltering below, struggling with his mask. Rolling her eyes, but nonetheless concerned, she hovered down and adjusted it around his face. Through the glass of his goggles, he caught sight of his enamoured blush.
Which then paled significantly.
“Captain! Watch out!”


A bolt of gold, blinking through the fog, slammed into Spitfire with near bone-breaking force.
Breath knocked out of her, the Wonderbolt leader, grabbed hold of the object.
It was a pegasus. One that had grabbed her by the chest and was pushing her downwards, rocketing towards the ground.
Finding control of her forelegs, nearly limb in the force that gripped them, she wrestled free, hurtling wildly through the air and finally collecting herself.
She found herself staring at a turquoise mare with a shock of spiky golden mane swept over her head, armoured in heavy flak and bandoliers, eying her murderously, thunder cracking her eyes as they bore into her.
“Hey there, Captain!” she sneered “Remember me?!”
“L-L-Lightning Dust?” Spitfire stuttered with shock in spite of herself as he gritted her teeth “You’re behind this?”
The disgraced trainee shrugged nonchalantly as had been her habit.
“Can’t take all the credit...but yeah”
The fiery captain billowed steam out her flaring nostrils.
“You...Back-Stabbing Nag!” She flew at her, snarling. The first punch caught Lightning across the cheek, drawing a blood from her lip and nose, but the second strike found Spitfire’s hoof caught by a baton her opponent had drawn.
Clouting her viciously, Lightning pressed a button on the baton’s shaft. It crackled with electricity, illuminating her face with a venomous glare.
“Me a back-stabber? Let me refresh your memory, Captain...” she spat “I had a dream, a dream I had worked for ever since I was a foal. You...and that self-righteous plot, Rainbow Dash, took that from me. You have about two minutes to regret it! Starting now!”
Beside them, one of the trainees fell to earth with an almighty crash, a great tattooed griffon matriarch clutching her by the shoulders. With a screech, she drew her head back and plunged her beak into the trainee’s upper foreleg.
The mare screamed in agony as, like some horror film, the griffin dug deep, tearing and burrowing into flesh.
At the sight of a mare under her care being so horribly mutilated, Spitfire roared, shot past the disgraced trainee and landed a punch into the griffon’s side. The avian horror had removed her beak from pony flesh and edged aside but the blow still caught her across the chest. Reeling, she shot the Wonderbolt Captain with a frenzied glare, trailing a sleek tongue across the sides of her beak.
“More...” she snarled, shuddering with pleasure as blood dripped from her beak and soaked the feathers and fur around her throat, her sleek red tongue lapping greedily “MORE!”


*


As the blazing light dissipated at last, the glamorous blue unicorn mare on stage took a bow. Smiling brightly, she addressed the audience.
“Thank you, thank you all...Now, this may sound so utterly phony but...what the hay” she chuckled and brushed a tear from her eye “Today, one can safely say without any doubt...that you have been...the warmest, most appreciative audience the Great and Powerful Trixie has ever played to. It has been an absolute joy and Trixie thanks you all. Goodnight”
There was a small round of applause as the four earth ponies in the audience, sat in a group before the stage upon a rustic, patterned picnic cloth registered their awe, some mildly, others wildly.
“Whoo! Yeah! Best show ever! Whoo!” a tomboyish, bluish-grey filly roared, forehooves waving in the air.
“Limestone, child, please temper thyself” A bespectacled mother said sternly “I am certain thou may show thine great praise less rambunctiously”
“Yes ma” Limestone sighed begrudgingly.
“And how didst thou find the performance, young Marble?” A weathered but respectable ochre stallion nudged a meek-looking, wide-eyed, long-maned, grey mare in prompt “Didst thou find the fete pleasurable?”
The young mare paused, looked up at Trixie and mumbled.
“Mm-hmm”
“Trixie is happy to have made your day that much more impressive” She hopped off the makeshift stage as her horn glowed purple.
A small chest backstage sprouted a collection of tiny little legs, scuttled over to the various props and devices and began swallowing them. Objects as large as fire poles and track saws disappeared into its supernatural gullet. The Pies watched amazed as the chest then spat out another chest half its size, then that chest did the same, then again, and again, until the last chest was barely the size of a satchel, wearing a brightly coloured belt across buckles at its sides.
Then the second chest opened its lid wide as its predecessor stood sideways and jumped straight into it. Then that chest did the same to its successor and again and again until the satchel-sized chest, having consumed the lot, scuttled over to Trixie who slung it elegantly over her shoulder.
“Well done, Lug” she chuckled.
The Doctor wasn’t the only one in Equestria who kept big things in small containers.
“And with that, ladies and gentlecolts, the Great and Powerful Trixie bids you all a fond farewell. I must make my way hence to Ponyville. Give Starlight, Maud and Pinkie my best. They certainly enjoyed the rehearsals”
“We shalt do so, Miss Trixie, with certainty. Thank thee most graciously for your stay and pray return soon” Igneous Rock Pie bowed, removing his hat as he and his family waved the travelling performer and oft visitor farewell.


The Hushed Whisper was a shady place but not inhospitable. Trixie was no stranger to the bar yet she knew its owner and its regular patrons about as well as any newcomer would. It didn’t pay to pry in such company. While not hostile by nature, the fellows one met at the Hushed Whisper were cagey at best. This had suited Trixie during her time in hiding after the Ursa Minor incident but now, after proving herself a friend and ally to so many in the humble town of Ponyville, she felt out of place.
Nonetheless, it was a good a place as any for a respite.
Moon Tea, busy trimming a bonsai tree, gave her moderately friendly nod.
“Trixie” he said “Haven’t seen you in a while”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has otherwise been preoccupied, Moon Tea, but the place brings back memories” How fond those memories were went unsaid “Trixie will have a chai if you please. Trixie got your note, you said somepony had mentioned Trixie by name”
“Not quite as often as you have, but yes” Moon Tea busied himself with the chai, his eyes shifting to the table in the corner.
Trixie tilted her head.
“Don’t” The tender was mumbling out the corner of his mouth. Something was making him edgy.
The blue unicorn looked out the corner of her eye, keeping her face pointing at the menu inconspicuously.
There was a purple-coated, dreadlocked-maned unicorn mare in a flak jacket at the corner table with her forelegs propped up over the table. She possessed a boomerang-shaped glaive that she’d placed upright upon a beer mat and was spinning it idly.
Even in the Hushed Whisper, a mare like her looked more ominous than most.
Trixie’s blood ran cold. Before Starlight and Maud had left for Canterlot, called over by Princess Cadence herself, they’d mentioned a kidnapping in Ponyville, perpetrated by a mare of such description. Three good and friendly ponies taken off the roads and horribly tortured, the footage sent to Lemon Zest, Dr Stable Horse and Ruby Pinch, all of whom forced to watch till the end just to see if their loved ones were still alive.
“Is that her? The kidnapper?” she whispered.
“Yeah. Somepony I hesitate to call welcome. Balisong. She’s a mare with a head count, that one. Word is she’s into the snuff business”
Trixie stared, aghast.
“Truly?”
“Yeah. She asked to see you. Didn’t specify reasons” He motioned under the bar table where Trixie knew he kept a selection of weapons.
“If she causes trouble, let me know. But if you want to get into a fight, take it outside. In any case...be wary”
Taking her tea and saucer in her magical grasp, Trixie paced slowly over to the mare at the table.


If she knew she was approaching, she gave no sign. She was sipping at a glass of beer, swirling it around in her own magical hold, as if contemplating.
She looked up, one eyebrow raised, as Trixie sat down.
“Are you Balisong?”
The dubious mare pursed her lips innocently.
“Depends” Her Horsetralian accent was heavy.
“On what?”
“On whether my name makes getting to know me...unpleasant”
“It does. You would be Cherry Berry, Caramel and Berry Punch’s kidnapper, would you not?”
“Yeah” Balisong hadn’t even paused. She looked disinterested.
Trixie knew the look of somepony who held the cards. Staying at the Hushed Whisper guaranteed only temporary safety and seclusion. She wanted to be found out, by Trixie specifically.
Somehow, this was all part of a grander scheme.
“So would these be the three you’re looking for?” she produced a photo from out her jacket and set it on the table.
Cherry Berry, Caramel and Berry Punch sat tied to chairs facing the camera, bleeding from more than several wounds and crying.
Trixie felt her neck muscles tense with indignation.
“Let them go”
“Well, what have you got to bargain with?”
“Bargain?” Trixie gritted her teeth “Trixie refuses to bargain with pony lives! You let them go this instant and Trixie might not hex your flanks off!”


There was a pause.
Then Balisong leaned forward, grinned in that obscene manner and spoke.
“Listen...Trixie, was it? Would it be surprising to you to know that I’m not scared of you?”
“Not so much surprising as disappointing. It means Trixie isn’t doing her job for if you do not fear the Great and Powerful Trixie, Miss Balisong, it can only be because you do not know her” Trixie leaned forward too, nose barely an inch from Balisong’s “Nor do you know those you are keeping prisoner and how precious they are to their friends and family”
At this, Balisong leaned back and, for a moment, looked to consider.
Then she produced a file from under the table, opened it and read aloud, glancing at the blue unicorn every few sentences.
“Beatrix Cassandranovich Lulamoon. Travelling performer and self-training mage. Father, ‘Honest’ Cludo Lulamoon, con-artist, currently serving time in Fillydelphia Penitentiary for multiple counts of fraud. Mother, Parcheesi Counter, private tutor with obsessive perfectionist disorders. Stepfather, Barrow Dean, missing after being charged with...oh...”
She looked up at Trixie, her expression appearing to show genuine sympathy.
“You poor thing...”
She went back to the list and her eyes gleamed “Ooh, this one’s interesting. Sister, name classified, committed to Glanders Gate Asylum for unknown reasons. Escaped three months after, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Well...you’ve had a very eventful foalhood, haven’t you? How have you made it this long?”
Trixie’s open mouth quivered, memories of her dark and largely unhappy foalhood flooding back to her.
An old father on the run.
A mother she could never impress.
A new father who did things to her she still struggled to understand.
And a sister who didn’t see pony lives as anything more than toys.
She struggled to speak.
“I...”
“Whoa, wait a bit. Here’s the rest” Balisong turned the pages in the file “Ah now. Berry Punch. Currently living in Ponyville with marefriend Colgate Minuette and one daughter Ruby Pinch, father or donor unknown. Parents unnamed but...wow...mother was sentenced to life in prison after killing her husband for beating their two daughters. Along with her sister, Cheerilee, was later adopted by Persephone, mother of Roseluck and stepmother of Daisy and Lily, into a family of Ponyville horticulturalists”
She shook her head and turned the page
“Caramel. Currently living in Ponyville with uncle, Dr Stable Horse. Parents, Salt Lake and Sweet Milk, both with a history of multiple intoxication offences. Granted custody of their son to Salt Lake’s step-brother, Stable Horse, after he was involved in an...incident with some of their drinking-friends”
Again, she turned the page.
“Cherry Berry. Currently living in Ponyville with marefriend, Shoeshine and her younger sister, Bloo. Parents, Logan Berry and Nectarine, prominent trade executives in Canterlot. Cousin, Lemon Zest, graduate of Canterlot Preparatory College. Proscribed for anti-depressants after she dropped out of said college in her second year for reasons unspecified. Though there’s a photo of her here entering and leaving Peachy Days Surgery in Detrot...” she looked up with faux-suspicion “Wasn’t that once a very special clinic?”
“No! Cherry would never...Where the hay did you find this?!” Trixie exclaimed “Is any of this even true?!”
The mercenary gave a chuckle.
“Might be. Might not be. You’re not gonna’ hear it from me but my point is well made. We have been keeping watch since your little town first caught our eye and our watch is unwavering. We have many eyes to see you go about your daily lives, many ears to hear what you speak of and many hooves to silence those who say the wrong thing. Let me clarify. If a monster attacks Ponyville, we know. If a Bearer ventures out of Equestria, we know. If Gummy the Alligator sits on the windowsill of Sugarcube Corner and licks his eyeballs...” She flashed her teeth as she grinned, the light from the piercing on her lip giving the impression of sharp, glinting fangs.
“We know”


There was a long pause.
Uncertainty, a feeling previously unknown to Trixie, flooded through her being like some foul disease.
She spoke.
“What do you want?”
“Well, it’s not so much what I want as my...co-workers. Basically, what you have here, Trixie me old mate, is a simple barter. I have something you want and you...well...you will have something we want”
The blue unicorn drew back and scowled.
“I’m not your errand-filly. And I don’t work with criminals”
Balisong’s gaze seemed to darken but her grin grew wider than ever.
“Well that’s a damn shame” she murmured before pulling out a transceiver, leaning back and making a call.
“Shadow, love. Bad news, didn’t get the help we needed” she paused “No, we don’t need them anymore. Uh...start with Berry Punch. She tried to bite me the other day. I know, normally I love a biter but y’know”
“Wait!” Trixie exclaimed. Balisong leaned further back, ignoring her.
“Yeah, get Gringore. She knows how to handle a chainsaw. As we planned. Send the back-end to Colgate, middle-part to Cheerilee and the head to dear little Ruby. Maybe she can still get a kiss goodnight out of it”
“Stop!”
Balisong smirked.
“Hold on a tick” She turned to the terrified Trixie with an arrogant grin.
“Yee-ees?” she said slowly, mockingly, with a faux-sweet expression.
Trixie took a deep breath and spoke quieter than she had in a long time, humbled through fear of her friends lives, privately vowing this mare would pay if Trixie ever regained the high-ground.
“Trixie will do it. Whatever you need, Trixie will get it”
Balisong pursed her lips and turned back to her transceiver.
“Change of plans, darl. Help’s arrived...Yeah, don’t kill ‘em yet. Got something special in mind for Berry...The last lot?” She held up a hoof in pause “Oh yeah, do you what you like. They got boring after the last one bit off her own tongue. Okay, leave it with me. Love ya”
She switched off the device at last and turned back to her unwilling accomplice.
“Glad to have you on the team, Miss Lulamoon. Your dad would be proud”
Every muscle in Trixie’s body was tense with rage but she held firm. For her friend’s sake.
“This is not something Trixie asks often but...why Trixie?”
Balisong chuckled.
“You’re a specialist. And you’re familiar with the item we so desire”
She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with a diagram scrawled on it and lay it out before her.
Trixie’s bright blue eyes widened with horror as the picture on the paper brought forth a wave of unpleasant memories.
“The...The Alicorn Amulet!”
Balisong gave a derisive guffaw.
“Really?” she sneered “That’s the name you gave the scudding thing? An Alicorn didn’t make it, never even bloody used it! It’s not even, technically speaking, an amulet! Why the buck d’you call it that? Does anypony in that scudding town have a shred of bucking imagination?”
“Wh-”
“You know what, never mind. Being a bit pedantic. But the main thing is; You get that thing and the poor old three stooges who’re presently entertaining me go free. That’s my fee” She leaned back in her chair and fixed Trixie with a wry smile.
“Now buck off and find me that scudding Amulet. There’s a good girl”
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Doctor had kissed his companion goodbye half-an-hour ago.
Derpy Doo remained at her sleeping daughter’s bedside, staring despondently at the motionless face of Dinky Doo, remembering how she looked when she found her bleeding from the mouth in the bathroom.
She gave a small whimper and fought back tears as she clutched her hooves together.
‘Not Dinky’ she prayed ‘Not my daughter. I’ve gone through everything for her. She was the best thing that ever came from me, the one thing I’ve ever done right’
She thought back of all the moments she was willing to go through hay and high-waters to see her daughter happy and safe, perhaps the only thing she’d ever been able to keep unharmed and unbroken.
Had she finally failed in that goal?
After all this time?
She looked at her daughter again.


The hospital staff had advised her to avoid touching Dinky in her current state.
She couldn’t even kiss her. That was the worst bit.
A gentle but audible tap on the door jerked the muddle-headed mailmare to her senses, as she looked up at Nurse Redheart, eying her uncomfortably with a clipboard in one hoof.
“Miss Doo...We’ve diagnosed Dinky’s ailment”
“What...What is it? Are you sure?!” She leapt to her four hooves and nearly grabbed the nurse by the neck “Is she gonna’ be okay?! Is she dying?! What’s wrong with my muffin?!”
“Miss Doo, please stay calm, I can tell you now, we can treat her safely and, given time and the necessary resources we have sent out for, she will make a full recovery”
The Nurse sighed as perhaps the third pony that day collapsed to their knees on the hospital floor, gasping with starved relief.
“You promise?” Derpy’s mismatched eyes were blinking away tears.
“Yes, but...there’s something bothering us. Something we’d like you to take a look at. If you’ll follow me”
Derpy was led, on uneasy hooves, to Doctor Stable Horse’s study. The Doctor was still showing signs of deep stress and it was testament to his dedication as a doctor that he was still coming into work. His face was pale and clammy and his hooves were shaking slightly but he remained firm and cordial.
“Ah, Miss Doo” he began “I ah...I am happy to report that we can safely treat your daughter but...what concerns us chiefly is not so much how to cure her daughter but...” he shifted his glasses uneasily “How she got sick in the first place”
“Wh-what do you mean?” Derpy tilted her head, puzzled, still blinking away tears.
The Doctor pulled up some notes, detailing a bacterial diagram, maps with red blotches around the Everfree and various other statistics that meant little to the grey pegasus.
“The ailment that your daughter possesses is known as Dryditch Fever. It’s quite an infrequent case that develops when one comes into contact with bacteria in a formerly wet or damp area, usually in forests or swamps, after the water’s evaporated or drained off and the bacteria that thrive in it are concentrated. The disease attacks the stomach, lungs and heart, developing severe ulcers and inflammation across the interior organs”
Derpy caught something in her throat, or at least felt like she had.
It all sounded so painful. The thought of little Dinky experiencing such things horrified her.
“Now, I can reassure you that the disease is treatable and we’ve begun at once. We should see definite improvement later in the week. But my underlying concern is that...well...” He looked over the notes again “The disease has entered its mid to late stage with seemingly no warning. Early symptoms include wooziness, mucus build-up, bouts of coughing and occasionally inexplicable nosebleeds”
Derpy blinked, not liking how the conversation was going.
“Do you remember...any signs from your daughter, up to now?”
Derpy took a step back, her breathing quickening.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Well...I’m simply inquiring...” Dr Horse knew he was treading deep water. He knew it from the start.
“Did you notice anything that may signify your daughter was...unwell...in any way?”
“N-no, I...” Derpy’s mouth quivered, struggling to make sense of it all “I mean, I...She was sneezing a few days ago but...but that was because of the flour, we were making muffins and I...I...she might have coughed a few times and...She was sleepy yesterday but I...I thought she was just tired and-and-and, I-I...” She descended into confused stammering.
“Derpy, please, stay calm, we’re only...” Nurse Redheart moved to shoulder her but was nearly slapped in the face by Derpy, who was backing up against the doorway with a face that could only be described as horror-struck.
“No! You...You...You think I let my daughter get sick!” she shrieked “You think I...I...I...” She fell limply on her behind and clutched her temples with her forehooves, her voice becoming a choked whimper.
“I let that happen to my muffin...I wasn’t paying attention, I wasn’t watching properly...It’s my fault she’s sick...I...I nearly killed her...My own daughter!”
Dr Horse rose, attempting to calm the frantic mother.
“Derpy, please listen, this isn’t...”
“YES IT IS!” Derpy screamed, twisting her head from side to side “My daughter nearly died! She was throwing up blood! She was passed out on the bathroom floor, bleeding from everywhere! She was put through more pain than anypony I know has ever felt and IT’S ALL MY FAULT!”
Before anypony could get another word out, Derpy had bolted for the door and flown off, tearing streaming from her mismatched eyes.


*


Twilight Sparkle had always found breezes very welcome at this time of year. But she generally preferred them caused by something other than a lethal halberd swiping all too close to her neck.
Flapping backwards with rapid wingbeat, she blasted away at the advancing Almogavar, who was dodging her magic bolts in a swift, elegant and very deadly dance with his own polearm, whirling and twisting round his head, neck and limbs as he advanced. Rearing on his hind legs as he held the halberd shaft behind his head, he turned it round and, one hoof grabbing the tail-end, placed the other forehoof on the ground and spun the halberd’s full reach out towards, further than Twilight could back away from in one wingbeat.
A hoof-full of feathers were cut from one wing and the lavender alicorn fell back with a cry, cut deep across the cheek.
Leaping into the air, the zebra roared as he brought the blade down. Twilight rolled to the side, barely avoiding losing a wing, as the halberd slammed into the asphalt road, scattering tiny chunks of gravel.
Almogavar gave a roar, reached to his crimson headscarf, drew a curved brazen throwing knife tucked behind it and hurled it forward, his one good eye glinting with zeal.
The alicorn princess screamed as it imbedded itself in her shoulder, not deeply but debilitating. Scrambling backwards, she was barely dodging her opponent’s blows, each one getting closer and closer to striking home.
Twilight stared at the scarlet-clad zebra who stood in stance, billowing vapour out his nostrils.
This was more than just determination or a thirst for glory. This mercenary had trained for this, trained for the day he would face and kill an alicorn in close-combat.
Twilight never even thought it possible.
Almogavar trailed his halberd blade along the road, drew it forward suddenly and showered sparks in front of her eyes.
Blinking them away, she gave a great flap of her wings, pushing herself back before casting a wide blast, blowing back the zebra some few feet.
With great dexterity, Almogavar caught the ground with one forehoof, found himself steady again and raised the halberd, smiling in a way that signified he was impressed with her resolve yet not with her skill in battle.
Twilight gritted her teeth, a sense of rage and indignation gripping her tightly.
These enemies...these murderers were waltzing into a city under Celestia’s protection, killing and brutalising anypony they liked, and were treating it like some foalish attempt to get to their nerves?
Were they after the Bearer’s attention?
Well, now they had it!


With a cry of fury, she shot forward rather than darting back as the zebra had expected. Crashing into him and getting in two hefty punches to his face, she hurled him away and blasted wildly at him as he flew in mid-air.
The hardy zebra slammed into the brickwork on the nearby buildings, leaving slight cracks as he slumped to the ground.
Twilight’s sudden vigour surged the guard nearby into full force against the mercenaries. Armed merely with staves, they struck hard and fast. Dozens of the hired blades fell unconscious or wounded in droves.
Blizzard Wind still struggled with Threadbare however. Whatever the cult henchbeast had done to himself over the years, it had made him swift and tough. The lieutenant was throwing his flail forward deftly but seemingly had no impact. Whether he was hitting Threadbare or not made little difference. The grisly stallion was as durable as a wet sandbag.
The chain lashed against his face and shoulder, barely grazing him, as he lumbered forward.
“You want this?! You want it?!” Blizzard yelled, spinning the chain fiercely “You’re an ugly bucker but you sure as hay look better than what your mama showed me last night!” He paused for a reaction.
Threadbare just raised an eyebrow, about the biggest change in his appearance most have seen in a long while.
“Aw, come on, you can’t just shrug that off!” the young lieutenant snapped indignantly, too peeved to stop the deranged foe from headbutting him.
The dark grey stallion was nearly laid out. His foe’s cranium could serve as a demolition ball!
“Ngurrrr” Threadbare snarled, raising the blade above his head and swiping at Blizzard’s neck. The pegasus rolled around wildly as the road became that much more pitted, sparks flying.
An idea came to Blizzard.
Flipping a small switch at the side of his helmet, there came a faint hiss.
Then his mane caught fire, a spark setting it in a blaze.
It was anypony’s guess how Blizzard Wind could set his mane alight without actually damaging it, let alone avoiding any injury.
One further wondered why his parents had named him Blizzard when he seemed more at home with flames.
But those were questions for another day.
The question on Blizzard’s mind was ‘How well does butt-ugly, gunnysack-face, psycho-for-hire like being on fire?’
The question was answered as he shook his blazing mane wildly, brushed his forehooves over his scalp and effectively threw a fireball straight into Threadbare’s chest.
“Burn you creepy bastard! Burn!” he yelled.
The demented stallion gave the closest thing he could manage to a scream as he flailed around, his dry, tarpaulin-like skin catching the fires in an instant. Blizzard flew back and caught his breath. Even in his current state, Threadbare was still swinging that humongous blade around him, howling all the while.
“That’s quite enough of that, sir!”
A blast of cyan magic hit the speechless adversary in the back, finally subduing him, the combination of immolation and disorientation too much even for Threadbare.
Twilight spun round as a dishevelled milk-white unicorn mare sprinted forward, deep purple mane messed-up abnormally.
“Rarity!” she cried, rushing over to the Bearer of Generosity. The boutique had certainly seen better days, to say nothing of her expression.
“Twilight, darling, thank Celestia!” she gasped, turning back to where she came and hollering “Down here! Hurry!”
With a clatter of hooves upon asphalt, a fresh cadre of guards sprinted down after, a blue unicorn mare at the forefront blasting away at the mercenaries, who’d found themselves trapped between two bearers and their compatriots.
Almogavar limped between them and appeared to marshal his fellows, breathing heavily and standing over the prone form of Threadbare.
He was looking around wildly.
Rarity moved forward, taking each step carefully like some exceptionally elegant wolf.
“You’re out of options, dear! Come quietly and this’ll end a lot easier!” she barked “They’ll still probably send you to the dark side of the moon but they’ll give you a torch”
The zebra kept looking around, caught something out the corner of his eye and paused.
He was looking straight up at the rooftops. A dark pegasus had just landed on the closest corner of a skyscraper, perched like a gargoyle.
The two tilted their heads at each other and smiled.
Almogavar leered at the Bearers standing to his front and back.
“That’s a very generous offer, Miss Rarity” he chuckled “But we’ve places to be other than the moon. And you’ve far worse things to worry about than me”
Rarity’s eyes widened in horror at the figure above.
“Oh good grief, not him again!” she groaned as the pegasus rose, standing on his back legs, drew a rapier and bellowed aloud.
“And then a soldier, seeking the bubble reputation, even in the cannon’s mouth!”


*


Another apple-family hoof found its mark against Hed’Kika’s jaw as Applejack delivered blow after blow, her oversized opponent nearly staggering, growling in rage.
Beside her, Milvio, the vengeful griffon prince, leapt at the enormous green stallion, slashing wildly with both avian talons and leonine claws at armour and flesh, hissing and snapping.
“Die, you filth, fall to a trueborn Raptor!” he screeched, letting his overconfidence get the better of him.
Grabbing the griffon by his downy chest, Hed’Kika swung him round and knocked both opponents down. Cussing in a manner she was glad Granny Smith wasn’t around to overhear, Applejack scrambled to her hooves and ducked a potentially-lethal swipe from her adversary’s ironclad forehoof, barely able to catch her breath.
“Alrighty” she growled between gasps “Ah’ll let ya have that one. But ah ain’t pullin’ soft shots no more, pal”
Hed’Kika snarled, slamming one hoof against his armour.
“Soft’s the only thing you prissy ponies can pull! An’ the only thing I’s pullin’ is your guts! RIGHT OUTTA’ YER THROAT!”
As Applejack riled up another strike, a skinny but forceful hand shoved her full in the face and nearly knocked her to the ground.
Milvio stood over her, a spiteful look on his feathery features.
“Interfere a third time, soil-bound creature, and you will lose an eye! Do you suppose that Inheritor Milvio requires your aid in-”
In the time it took to blink, the griffon was sailing across the street and colliding with a street lamp, bending it almost completely at a right-angle as Hed'Kika swung his hoof back round, knocking Milvio flat.
Applejack adjusted her hat, narrowly spared the strike-impact.
“Yeah...ah do suppose” she said flatly, before turning back to Hed’Kika.
“Oi!” he bellowed “I’s the one yer fightin’! So fight me!”
“Will do!”
Again and again, the two matched each other’s strikes, heavy hooves smashing into one another, nearly cracking under the pressure. The Bearer of Honesty felt sweat trickling from her forehead down her neck as she fought hard to block the onslaught.
Hed’Kika at last grappled her by the forehooves, both ponies standing on their back hooves as the enormous green stallion gnashed wildly at his enemy’s face.
Applejack drew her head back, both to avoid getting her muzzle bitten off and to avoid inhaling Hed’Kika’s noxious breath.
“My lady!”
A cord of magic constricted around Hed’Kika’s immense neck, pulling him backwards as Lieutenant Montague focussed hard, her coronet flaring a bright indigo.
The massive green stallion grunted as he struggled to breathe and fight at the same time. With a roar, he twisted round and brought down a great hoof upon his foe.
Montague sidestepped, releasing him of the magic just in time. Hed’Kika’s hoof slammed into the road, burying itself several inches into the concrete. Chips of grit and dust showered the unicorn who stumbled back to find Hed’Kika’s tusked snarl inches from her face.
The next moment, it had joined his forehoof smashing into the ground as Applejack leapt on his shoulders and put her full weight upon his back, sending the full bulk of his form careening down.
Leaping off, the hardy farm-pony took a stance as her foe struggled to regain his senses.
“You...” Hed’Kika slurred, face twitching with indignation “Is that...the best you can...”
His forehoof gave way, his eyes glazing over, and the massive green stallion collapsed upon the road.
Her duel at an end, Applejack gave her hat a tip and produced a startlingly good impression of her elder brother.
“Nope”


*


Derpy almost smothered herself as she buried her grief-wracked face in the pillows.
How had she gone so wrong?
There were many times she’d felt responsible, been responsible for her little muffin coming to grief or injury.
But this was the worst.
Dinky could have died.
Dinky almost died.
And her mother had known nothing.
Done nothing.
The pillow pulled tight in her grasp, threatening to rip in two.
It had felt like only the only last week that Dinky had a nightmare and slept in her parent’s room for the rest of the night.
She’s spent the rest of the night completely untroubled, safe and snug between her mother and father.
A horrible thought entered Derpy’s mind?
Could she have caught it from her?
She didn’t know.
She just didn’t know.
On and on, Derpy Doo sobbed forlornly.
She didn’t deserve the comfort of pillows and beds.
She should be on the floor.
Like how she slept at Invitro Hall if she hadn’t fixed the cistern properly.
Invitro Hall.
Her mind fell back to that moment in the laundry room. Where little Dinky almost fell into a vat of boiling water.
So many times, she’d nearly brought pain or grief upon the most precious thing she’d ever had.
Dinky was the only thing Derpy had ever done completely right.
And so much had gone wrong for her daughter because of her.
“What went wrong?” Derpy whimpered “I just...I just...”
“You...”
An eerie voice ran through the bedroom as Derpy’s head shot up, her wall-eyes darting round in all directions.
She spun round behind her.
And there it was.
Standing before her, in the reflection of the mirror, was her aunt, Countess Magnifying Glass, eying her with a look of something cold but calm, something that could only be called disappointment.
“You, Irregular” she said solemnly, every word a grip of icy chill at Derpy’s chest.
“You went wrong”


Derpy gave a terrified gasp and scrambled away, pressing her back against the wall, staring with horror at the most dreaded figure of her foalhood. Her aunt tilted her head and spoke again, shaking her head and sighing.
“Irregular...why must you put yourself through this? Why must you keep denying what you know to be true?” She sounded almost sad “The world does not accept you. It never has and it never will. Your lack of understanding is your sole defining feature, a feature nopony can ignore”
Derpy blinked away tears and stammered.
“Y-Y-You...wh-what happened to you?”
Her aunt did not look herself. She looked impossibly thin and the clothes she was wearing were as worn and unkempt as her hooves which were beginning to crack around the soles. Her already-pale face had become chalk-white and crumpled. Her eyes were a pale yellow, sunken in their sockets, staring into her as they had always done.
“You did this...You are destroying me” she said “As you are destroying yourself...and your daughter. You are destroying everything you’ve ever loved by impersonating what you know you can never be”
“You...” Derpy shook her head, gritting her teeth as memories of her past flashed before her eyes like a lightning storm “I never loved you...”
“Oh but you did. How could you not?” her aunt’s voice was bizarrely calm, close to sounding disturbingly comforting “When your parents gave up on you, it was I, your patient and understanding aunt who took you in, gave you a new home, a new name, a new purpose...that better suited you. I am the reason you live. Anypony else would have abandoned you as your parents did”
“But...but you hurt me”
“Only when you needed me to. You did not learn any other way. And you still don’t. These mistakes you make are proof of that. Do you honestly believe anypony else could have treated you better?”
“YES!” Derpy yelled, hoof slamming down on her tear-stained pillow “Ponyville treats me better! The Doctor treats me better!”
“And now your daughter lies half a corpse in hospital...”
Her words cut deep into Derpy who nearly doubled up in shock and guilt, swallowing hard, tears welling up in her mismatched eyes.
“You hurt yourself, with or without me” Countess Glass continued “How long do you want it to last, Irregular? How much of our lives must you destroy?”
“Don’t...don’t call me that...How...how did you get into my house?”
“I didn’t. Look around, Irregular. I am still under arrest, imprisoned in my own home and separated from you, made to suffer for protecting you from yourself. And look what it’s done to both of us. I am in your mind because, as you know as well as I...it is broken...and you need me to fix it again...”
“Shut up...Shut up...SHUT UP! GET OUT OF HERE! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!” Derpy screamed.
“I can’t...” the Countess’s disposition did not change but her yellowed eyes widened forebodingly “I am part of you. The part of you that knows just how wrong you are”


The door creaked open just as soon as a piercing shriek rang throughout the house.
The young unicorn, Sparkler, rushed upstairs just in time to find her foster mother lunging at the mirror, catching her before anything smashed. The normally bubbly mailmare’s face was twisted in fury, her eyes both set in the same position, bloodshot and wide, gripped by mania.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she raged.
“Derpy!” she cried out “Derpy! What happened?!”
“LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE...Me...”
Derpy’s chest heaved with gasps as she steadily regained her senses, blinking rapidly until her eyes felt like where they belonged again.
She stared at Sparkler blankly, twitching suddenly and curling up on the floor.
“Derpy...” the unicorn asked as calmly as she could “Are you...are you okay?”
The grey pegasus slowly looked up at her, tears streaming down her cheeks, her bottom-lip shuddering as she whimpered.
“No”
Sobbing, she collapsed into the forelegs of her family friend, burying her face into her shoulder as she had with the pillow.
“It’s okay, Derpy...It’s okay...Don’t cry...Please don’t cry” Sparkler’s wishes fell on deaf ears as she began crying with her mother figure in the doorway of the Doo family bedroom.


*


“You killed your daughter, Irregular...And I’ll make sure that’s the last sane thought in your head”
Countess Glass paced away from the mirror, the sight of her niece weeping ebbing away like dew dropped into a clear puddle.
She was faced with her own reflection, a satisfied grin etched into her features.
And she was not alone.
“Having fun with your new toy, I see”
“I had a feeling you were around, Cascadius” she turned to face him. He was sitting the armchair he often rested in, the one that had belonged to her late husband before his tragic accident on the way to Manehattan Penitentiary “It was worth the expense. Give my thanks to your contact for setting up the Transpeculum. One gets so starved of proper entertainment in this fetid little cell”
“Isn’t it your home?”
She spat into the fireplace.
“I never liked it when I was young let alone after becoming a prisoner here. The first thing I’ll do once this over is have the whole place blown up!”
Cascadius gave a smile.
“I think we can...arrange for that” he took a lip of a glass of lemonade he’d poured for himself without her leave.
She’d seen it happen often now but it always grated on her.
Still, she kept silent.
“Do you know...” Cascadius began “Before this all gets underway, I’d like to know something”
“You?” The Countess chuckled “I thought you knew everything”
“Not at all. I simply strive to know everything. That’s not something you achieve without asking questions” the paymaster said knowingly.
Countess Glass sighed.
“Very well. Ask away”
“I’d like to know, I really would...” he put his drink down and eyed her with earnest “What...made you what you are? How did you become...like this?”
The Countess’s lips twisted into a scowl.
“You mean ‘Why aren’t I more like my saintly, loving, ever-so-perfect sister?’ is that what you mean?”
Cascadius weighed her words a moment.
“Yeah, pretty much”


The ruined matriarch paced about the smoking-room, the poker in her grasp idly swishing through the air.
“Well...” she began in the breathy tone and manner of somepony almost ready to get something off their chest “Let’s just say my foalhood was...stressful”
“Your family not quite as lovely and caring as advertised?”
“Yes and no” Her lips tensed “I, among all the Glass family, understood that it’s perilous at the top. My father sprinkled the family wealth and influence around like confetti, regardless of the expense that would inevitably occur. I alone saw carelessness in their actions. Forty years ago, Canterlot entered a banking crisis. Many lesser families and businesses became bankrupt, left with nothing worth saving or offering. Yet my father welcomed them all, passing out the Glass household’s earnings like it was going out of style”
She took a deep intake of breath, resentment boiling over in her tone.
“Then I caught the eye of the Lord Magistrate. Played the charming, beguiling wife for that perverted old cretin, pushed out those two snivelling daughters of mine...all to save Invitro Hall, all while my sister spent her seasons canoodling with that great flapping lug”
Cascadius’s brow rose slightly.
“An arduous journey”
“And a completely thankless one. Father was all set to beggar the House of Speck along with his own, all the more bits to go to those with no right to it! I warned him what would happen. Would he listen? Would anypony listen?!”
“Would they?” Cascadius asked before the Countess put on some simpleton impersonation.
“Niffy, dear filly, don’t fret. These ponies are our friends, they always have been. They’ve more than earned their favour” she blathered, acting out some face show, her own features growing more and more angered after every word.
“Oh Niffy, you’re worrying over nothing. Kindness goes a long way, further than any purse or wallet. It’s what really shapes great cities like Canterlot”
“Generosity, my dear girl, is its own reward. It’s something nopony ever forgets and with patience comes the true earnings in life”
“I will not be selling out anypony who has shown such loyalty, Niffy. The clerks will be kept on. I doubt the increase will be overly detrimental”
“I’m very sorry, Niffy, but if these charges about your husband are anything other than a huge misunderstanding, we shall be compelled to be honest with her highness’s courts”
“Remember, dear old daughter, however heavy your worries leave you, the most you can do is find something to laugh about. So come on now, dear, laugh with us. HohohahahahahahahaHAAARRGH!”
With a bellow, Countess Glass lashed out with the poker, shattering a nearby vase, and breathed heavily.
There was a pause.
Cascadius took another sip of lemonade.
“Not quite smitten with their philosophy, eh?” he asked.
“The Magic of Friendship, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty and Laughter...Those six things have brought me nothing but misery!” Magnifying Glass hissed venomously “When it was over, we were looking at bankruptcy. Our entire business and estate hoofed over to the bailiffs. And what happens?”
“What happens?” Cascadius asked, quite intrigued.
“Oh, it’s a miracle!” she preened sarcastically “All our firm and dutiful friends flock to us and bail us out, once they were all safely back on their hooves. After everything, everything I worked for...We were all swimming in debt. And still, father was still content to paddle freely regardless and Looking was too caught up with her precious little offspring, Derpy Brain-Bypassed Doo, to pay it any mind. I suppose she could always settle down with the upstart, but me? No. I wasn’t content to be the laughing stock of Canterlot. I didn’t see the reason in waiting blindly for what we could easily take if my father had balls to call his own!”
She took another breath again, her tone calming.
“So I acted. I had my father declared insane. Nitpick saw to the courts, he could be counted on that at least. And then, my sister and her gallant husband disappeared in a most convenient disaster...” her eyes flickered with what looked like anticipation.
“But then the Chairmare and her wretched husband, the doctor showed up. I know he’d be the one to treat my father and the moment he left the cell so too, inevitably, would Count Stained Glass, with all his legal finances...”
“Then you met me” Cascadius said, smiling.
The Countess was quiet for a while, slowly trudging over to the settee and sitting down, eyes blank.
“I had locked up my own father, killed the Chairmare of Canterlot and her husband, seized back countless holdings my father had given up and had my little niece in my hoof like the insect she was...All of this, in under a year” 
She shook her head in wonder.
“And it was so...ridiculously...easy. My father had always prided the Glass family on their dutiful obedience of the philosophies of Harmony...Look where that got him. To Tartarus with that and all who preach it!” she stood up, the menacing snarl returned on her features.
“I had the city of Canterlot in my pocket and all it took was a word to the right ponies. That’s power that Harmony can’t compare, power that Harmony never bought my father or anypony else. This was mine, Cascadius...This was all...mine...”
“Hm...And look where you are now” The paymaster finished his drink “With your influence, the court and council’s fear of you, Celestia bogged down with Miss Shimmer and anypony catching on finding themselves in Glanders Gate, you were untouchable...Then that fateful night in Ponyville brought you knocking on the door”
He caught sight of the Countess’s grimace at the memory.
“Do you ever wonder...If you’d just left her alone to raise the foal alone and forget the past, this would have turned out differently?”
The two faced each other on opposite sides of the smoking-room.
“You...told...me...” she hissed “You told me she’d had the foal...That she and that...doctor...”
“So I did” he nodded “And believe me, once this is over, my lady” he flashed a smile.
“You wouldn’t have had it any other way”
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the early morning, sunlight pouring through the clubhouse window and the small nooks in the plank-work, Applebloom gave a yawn as she surveyed the board the Cutie Mark Crusaders had put up.
Rousing from their slumber, having gone to sleep under the investigations, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat up as the young farm filly gave a summary.
“Alright, gals. Here’s what we know fer sure” She picked up a thin stick and thwacked parts of the board where crayon pictures of various ponies, places and events were pinned.
The first was of a sad-looking grey pegasus with a smaller periwinkle unicorn hugging her.
“Fact One: Derpy’s been feelin’ low ‘cause somepony was writin’ mean things ‘bout her an’ Dinky wants us to help”
Then a picture of the periwinkle unicorn and a pinto colt dancing around surrounded by love-hearts.
“Fact Two: Pipsqueak’s head-over-hooves fer’ Dinky”
Then a picture of a beige mare, frowning but not so much as to make her look evil or ridiculous.
“Fact Three: Pipsqueak’s mom ain’t too happy about it”
Then a picture of a pink earth filly with a tiara topped with a halo.
“Fact Four: Diamond Tiara ain’t been the one writing the mean things ‘bout Derpy”
Then a picture of the periwinkle unicorn in a bed with a thermometer and the pinto colt standing over her with a sad expression.
“Fact Five: Dinky suddenly got really sick, something the one writin’ mean things about her seemed to be insinuatin’ would happen. Now, to an average-thinkin’ pony these things seem unrelated”
“Well, they look pretty unrelated to me” Sweetie Belle interjected.
“Thanks for proving mah point”
“No problem...wait...Hey!” the little unicorn scowled.
“Ah’m just kiddin’, Sweetie” Applebloom chuckled before continuing “But as ah was sayin’, if yah look closely at the goin’s-on, you’ll notice a pattern”
“Where?” Scootaloo asked as the three fillies scanned the board.
There was a pause.
Applebloom slowly turned to the little pegasus with a morose expression.
“Don’t ruin this for me” she sulked.
“Sorry, Bloom, but I don’t see any pattern. I mean, yeah, Dinky getting sick is one thing but are you saying somepony...gave her the disease on purpose?”
Applebloom said nothing but shrugged, giving the notion thought.
“But it couldn’t have been anypony at the Marathon” Sweetie pointed out “Or we all would’ve got it. And I feel fine, you girls feel fine. Only Dinky woke up pale and vomiting”
“Exactly” Applebloom countered “Y’all don’t think that’s a lil’ suspicious? Why did none of us get it? Why ain’t there some kinda’ bug goin’ round or health warnin’?”
“Yeah, they’d at least put a notice on the school” Scootaloo added “We’d have gotten some days off too. That would have been cool”
“Right. So explain why a young filly whose parents look after her well an’ are with her almost all day goes to bed feelin’ fine an’ dandy but wakes up sick as a dyin’ dog without any warnin’ or sign that whatever she caught came for anypony else”
There was a generous pause.
“I...don’t think we can” Sweetie answered.
“As ah thought. There’s more at work here, girls, there’s gotta’ be”
“I guess” Scootaloo checked the nearby alarm clock she kept on her, decorated with Rainbow Dash’s Wonderbolt motif  “Still, that might have to wait till later. We got school. C’mon girls”
As the three fillies packed and bundled everything into their bags and galloped out the clubhouse, a pair of gleaming amber eyes watched them closely. Through the apple trees in the early morning haze, a lithe batpony, hanging upside-down with his wings closed, went unnoticed.
“Such bright little things” Shadowplay mused “They may have uncovered more than anypony else and not even know it...We’ll have to do something about that”


Rushing to Cheerilee’s schoolhouse at a brisk canter, the Cutie Mark Crusaders found Pipsqueak sitting forlornly against a tree on the edge of the playground. Rumble and Button Mash approached.
“Hey guys” Scootaloo gave a smile to the two “How is he?”
The two gave the girls, and each other, uneasy looks.
“Not...great” Rumble answered.
“What happened to Dinky’s really hit him hard” Button sighed “He can’t take his mind off it. We’ve talked to Tungsten but he’s not having any luck either. Pip just doesn’t want to talk to anypony”
Applebloom sighed.
“This sounds like somethin’ tha’s just gonna’ have to pass. The doc and nurses say Dinky’ll get better by the week’s end. The sooner Pip can check on her the better. Just keep an eye on him, ‘kay?”
“Will do, girls” Rumble gave a salute.
“You can count on us” Button did the same. The young pegasus and earth pony were hugged warmly by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle respectively, both of them blushing furiously.
“Thanks, Rumble! You’re the best!” Scootaloo squeaked.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you, Button” Sweetie cooed.
The young farm-pony meanwhile gave a tut.
“Colts, colts, colts, tha’s all you two ever think ‘bout”
“Is not!” Her friends retorted furiously, prising themselves away as the school bell trilled.
On every other day, Miss Cheerilee would stride out and greet them warmly in her usual manner and would usher them inside for letters.
Today, however, there was a very different but by no means unfamiliar face greeting them.
“Awright now, young ‘uns. Inside for yer studies now. No back-talkin’ an’ no shirkin’, y’hear?”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders, and indeed most of the schoolfoals, stared up at their substitute teacher, dumbfounded.
Applebloom found her voice at last.
“Mac?!” she started, staring up at her big brother who was dressed in a black coat, a pair of spectacles and a motorboard, a uniform as ill-fitting as it was anomalous.
“Tha’s Mr MacIntosh t’you, young lady. Today, ah’ll be yer teacher an’ ah want none o’ ya’ll late. Inside now. This ain’t no round-up”
The class were led inside, Pipsqueak bringing up the rear, quiet and docile.
“Wh-where’s Miss Cheerilee?” Silver Spoon asked, gawking at the height of her new tutor.
“She’s...not very well” Mac said with unease “She asked if ah’d take over as yer teacher while she recovers. Ah accepted”
“I wonder why?” Snails sniggered to Snips before the two of them shrunk under the towering workhorse’s gaze.
“Any more o’ that, sonny, an’ it’s a paddlin’ y’hear?” he thundered.
“Mac, teachers don’t paddle anymore” Applebloom whispered, sinking in the void the awkwardness brewing about her.
The stallion snorted, clearly getting very carried away in this temporary position of authority.
“Nope. That ain’t what Granny Smith told me, young lady. So while ah’m in charge, y’all better shape up!” He raised a large wooden paddle and thwacked in on the desk meaningfully.
“Talkin’ outta’ turn...Tha’s a paddlin’. Lookin’ out the window...Tha’s a paddlin’. Starin’ at mah motorboard...Tha’s a paddlin’. Jokin’ about that catfight Cheerilee and Sugar Belle definitely did not have...Oh y’all better believe tha’s a paddlin’!”
Applebloom gave a resigned groan.
She knew her elder brother was simply playing along, the big red stallion was never one to raise a hoof against any foal, and it was likely the class knew that too, mostly.
But paradise help her, this was going to be a long day.


Elsewhere in Ponyville, things were a whole more hectic.
With a discomforted sigh, Mayor Merry Weather took in the pale, cloud-strewn sky in the late hours of the morning.
There was commotion and, uncomfortably for her, a frantic knocking at the door.
After all the tensions of yesterday, she’d tried to calm her nerves with a strong drink which turned into several strong drinks. She was now drinking tea with honey and hoping it would kick it at some point in the next hour as she stumbled, groggily, to the front-door, supported by her wife who’d just re-entered.
“Merry, you’re in no fit state to go out. After yesterday, they’re looking up to you. Don’t meet the town like this”
“I just...need to know...” Merry mumbled as Lady Justice shouldered her “What...what happened now?”
“There’s been another” her wife answered, clear worry in her voice “But different this time”
Merry groaned loudly, clutching her temples, a great pain not wholly caused by the hangover.
“Who?” she mumbled at last.
“I wasn’t told. But Carrot Top’s outside. I’ll speak with her” Lady assured her but was grabbed by the shoulder.
“I’m fine, Liddy, I...I need to do this...”
Stumbling to the door, adjusting her spectacles, checking a mirror to make sure her mane looked the right colour and stepped outside.
Carrot Top was crying on Written Script’s shoulder, an eye blackened and several lacerations covered by bandages. Nurse Tenderheart was busy applying another as Merry took in the scene.
“Carrot...I am so sorry, what happened?” her voice was barely a whisper. Carrot’s meanwhile, was impeded by her despair-ridden wail.
“They...they jumped us...there were so many...the masks...they took her...they took her...I couldn’t...I-I-I...”
“Slow down, slow down. Look, start from the beginning, what happened here?”
While Carrot took a moment to gather her breath, Written Script spoke solemnly.
“With Dinky sick, Derpy’s friends were helping deliver the mail. Today, Carrot Top and Cloud Kicker volunteered. They were on their way to Sparkler’s when...when...” He too lost his nerve.
“They took her!” Carrot Top wailed, her voice returned “Ponies in gas-masks! They jumped us, beat us up and...They took her! They took Cloud Kicker!”


*


Nervous, trembling murmurings were all that could be heard under the dirty hessian sack placed over the struggling mare’s head as, lashed in a straitjacket strapped to a wheelchair, she was led unwillingly into a house of hell.
The heavy doors of Glanders Gate Asylum gave a slam like a thunderclap as they shut.
With locks and bolts larger and more plentiful than a Bliss Bank, there was no way out for any patient.
She heard voices. None of them sounded friendly.
“You work fast. Saves me some time” The voice was a males, calm but in a distinctly bad mood.
“Canker Sore is a dependable member of our staff, sir” The second voice was mild, effete, speaking with a macabre serenity “I promised satisfactory results and I delivered”
“I thank you for it” the first voice sounded disinterested “I trust you were subtle?”
“We...had to be swift, sir, on your insistence, but we caught her by surprise and relatively alone” Cloud Kicker recognised the voice. Short-of-breath but relaxed in a somewhat eerie way.
She's been with Carrot Top, delivering the mail for Derpy, heading up to Sparklers. Ponies in masks had jumped them. That voice had come from their leader. They sprayed a gas. She still felt the bitter, noxious fumes at the back of her throat, threatening to choke her.
Fear bubbled in her insides as the voices continued to natter.
“All the same, I believe it would be best to bring her filly along. There’s no telling what sort of...inflictions were made upon her neuroses while in contact with such an invalid mother. I’m sure with some time I could...undo such damage”
“Mr Canker Sore...stop pursuing ambitions that physically nauseate me and focus on the mission at hoof.” The first voice was close to angry “We have an opportunity. Our enemy is away from home. When he returns, he’ll have gathered knowledge that could well damage our operations. I need him kept as distracted as possible. His daughter’s impediment does that job well but I need his mind kept sufficiently ill-at-ease”
“As a Doctor, Mr Cascadius, I must dissuade you. You could inflict serious damage on a stallion’s psyche.”
There was a pause and the sound of a stallion breathing deeply through his nostrils.
“That’s. The. Point. The more confused a pony, the easier to predict. And what have I told you about using my name on the job?!”
The pegasus could endure no more. Tugging frantically at the belts on her jacket, she cried out.
“Let me go! You can’t do this! Get me out of here!”
Something struck her in the thigh. Before Cloud Kicker could react to the sharp pain, a great deal more was inflicted on her as her body jolted wildly, seized by a violent grip of electric tendrils coursing across her.
Her screams filled the corridor until she fall back in the wheelchair, gasping for breath and quietly crying, transfixed by pain and terror, fearing what hell she’d woken up in.
“That voice...” the first stallion spoke again “It sounds...unfamiliar”
“What do you mean?”
There was a pause.
Then the first stallion barked an order.
“Take that hood off. Now”


The light struck her like a hoof across the eyes as Cloud Kicker stared up at her captors, a doctor, a dozen orderlies, four nurses and one mass-murderer.
They, in turn, stared at her.
Taking in the sight, Cascadius gave a weighty sigh and massaged his temples with one hoof.
“Canker Sore?” he asked like a disapproving teacher.
“Sir?” An out-of-shape earth-pony stallion with a mucky-yellow coat, a pair of small, orange-red eyes, a greasy black mop of mane and more than several warts across his face looked up.
“Who’s this?”
Canker Sore looked at the terrified Cloud Kicker, then at Cascadius.
“It’s Miss Irregular Glass, sir”
“No, Canker Sore, look again. Closely. What do you notice?” His teeth were bared as the orderly looked dully at the pegasus in front of him.
“Well...clearly she’s been grooming...and, perhaps lost some weight, maybe even gotten...”
“Where are the wall-eyes, Mr Canker Sore?!” Cascadius’s fury was not loud or clear but certainly apparent “That is something Miss Irregular Glass possesses, is it not?!”
“Ah, Mr Cascadius, I wasn’t certain you were aware,” Canker Sore smiled weakly “Our Dr Bittersweet cured her of that unfortunate habit some time ago”
There was a chilling pause. Cascadius’s eyes bore into the orderly’s, who shrunk under his gaze.
“Do you still have that photo I gave you?” the mercenary asked.
“Yes, sir, I do, sir”
“Let’s see it”
His hoof beginning to shake, Canker Sore reached into the pocket of his long white coat and held up a small photo of Derpy Doo, her head leaning against a brown stallion’s shoulder in relaxation, seemingly shot through a window.
Her eyes were all walled as ever.
“Notice anything?” Cascadius asked, tapping one hoof.
“Well, this is clearly an old photo, sir...”
“No, Mr Canker Sore, it isn’t. It was taken by Mr Shadowplay in Ponyville, outside the Doo family home, two days ago”
Canker Sore’s hooves were rattling on the marble floor.
“Ah...Well, sir, I’m sure...this is simply a...temporary relapse...surely, given time revisiting our...procedures, we shall-”
Cascadius raised a hoof, an expression of sheer disapproval on his features.
All those in the vicinity froze, a silence falling in the room so heavy one could cut through it with a knife.
Then he gave a sigh and spoke matter-of-factly.
“How well do your eyes work, Mr Canker Sore?” he asked.
The orderly had an unprocessed look about him.
“Perfectly fine, sir”
“You won’t mind, then...”
“I don’t follow”


Piercing the silence like a bullet-wound, a sickening, wet splattering sound filled the room followed swiftly by the ear-splitting screams of Canker Sore as he fell to his knees in a crawl, clutching at his face.
Cloud Kicker’s mouth fell open in a silent scream. All those around jumped back in shock.
One moment, Canker Sore had been possessed of two small, suspicious, orange-red eyes. The next moment, his right eye socket was a bloody, empty mess and Cascadius stood above him, a fresh eyeball resting on the sole of his raised hoof.
For a moment, he simply stood there, glaring in disgust at the weeping orderly before slamming a free hoof down on his back.
“What are you whining about?” he snapped “You’ve still got one. Next time, make sure to use it”
He took his hoof off the wretched stallion and looked at his stunned audience.
“I believe this fellow needs a doctor”
Three of Glanders Gate’s staff carried off the wailing Canker Sore as Dr Bittersweet simply stared, his eyes wide but his face otherwise lacking in expression.
“Mr Cascadius...that was...unnecessary”
“Not to me” the mercenary said coldly “You’ve only yourself to blame, Doctor. Next time, tell your staff what you need them to know, not what you want them to know” He turned to another orderly, an elderly pale blue unicorn with a grey, thinning mane and a face saggy with wrinkles.
“You” he said “What’s your name?”
“Sir...my name is Dr Gentle Nudge”
“Good. Pack your things. You’re going to Ponyville. Bring us Miss Irregular Glass” With his voice and expression calm, he took hold of the stallion by the scruff of his white coat and deposited Canker Sore’s eyeball in his coat-pocket. Gentle Nudge’s face curdled with disgust but he said nothing.
“Keep that” Cascadius said “And know that if you plough this up, the next pony we send after Miss Irregular Glass will be given three. Understand?”
“Y-yes sir, perfectly, sir.” he said groggily “With your permission, I believe I shall take Miss Recluse. She will be...quite able for the task. Now, erm...what do we do with Miss...er...”
He gestured to the restrained Cloud Kicker who hunched over in the wheelchair, wracking with sobs, lost in horror and despair at the sights in front of her, tears running down her pale, bruised face.
“Who are you ponies?!” she wailed “What do you want with me?! I don’t belong here! I want to go home!”
Cascadius gave her a look.
“Do what you like” he said flatly, shrugging, ignoring the horrified look he received from the struggling mare “You might as well. She suffered from dyslexia in her youth, her father nearly died in a thunderstorm, she hangs around Miss Rainbow Dash’s crowd and she’s suspiciously intimate with a mare...Medley, is it?” he asked the name of her marefriend “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll find ways to occupy yourselves with her”
“Thank you, Mr Cascadius. We shall make sure to cure her of these...unfortunate habits” Bittersweet nodded to the orderlies who dragged her wheelchair back, leaving her flailing in her straitjacket.
“NO! LET ME GO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” she shrieked, met with an apologetic look from the mercenary leader looking over his shoulder.
“Sorry, Miss Cloud Kicker. But you know what they say...” he sighed as the door to the mare’s new cell began closing as the staff of Glanders Gate asylum prepared her ‘treatment’, the screams and wails of their new patient echoing across that house of hell.
“Wrong place, wrong time”


*


It was anypony’s guess whether Pinkie Pie felt pain when she hit her head on a ceiling. Still, she insisted on bouncing her way down a stairway and hitting her head on the ceiling is what she did. Yet it did nothing to impede her and her general demeanour.
“Up and at ‘em, everypony! We’re going flank-kicking!” she cheered. As she made her way into the central bunker, she found the guards crouched behind the windows or wedged into corners, crossbows at the ready, stock-still with tension.
“Hey guys! Watcha’ doin? Playing paintball?”
As the guards tried to shush her, Pinkie Pie’s bounce was cut off, quite literally in mid-air, as a bullet shot past, missing her nose by a bare inch, hitting the wall on the far side of the room.
There was a lengthy pause as Pinkie Pie slowly plonked down on the ground, wrinkled her nose and sneezed.
“Gezundheit” Lolli mumbled, as she darted into a corner on the ceiling, hanging upside-down and peering outside. She nodded to an eager Colonel Peregrine, leading the defence.
“Sharpshooter out there. Three more with bolters, five with melee”
“Nice one.” the Colonel nodded “Blizzard and his boys took off but this lot’s pinned us down. We can’t stick around here long. Miss Pinkie, I suggest you find cover”
“Aw, cover-based shooting’s boring” Pinkie whined, budging up between two guards and pouting with her forelegs folded, her curly pink mane just visible over the window.
“No worries, Pinks. I’ll see if I can draw them out” Lolli gave wink.
Taking a deep breath, the thestral held a hoof out the window, waved it for all to see and yelled.
“Hey! Flank-Much! You got something to say, lets settle this like mares!”
Whisking her hoof back behind cover, stroking it as if to dust it, she gave Peregrine a look.
“Too far?”
“Come out!” there came a female’s accented voice from outside.
The guards turned to Lolli whose bright eyes darted from left to right. Steeling herself, she gave Peregrine a nod.
“Lolli” Pinkie piped up, her normally chirpy face twinged with worry “Be careful out there. I don’t want you to get shot in the nose”
“S’okay, Pinks. You got my back right?” Lolli chuckled, met with her friend’s fervent nodding.
Checking her gear and giving her wings a few readying flaps, she swooped out the window and placed herself in the square outside the guardhouse.


The three bolter-bearing mercenaries raised their firearms at the lieutenant while the five with close-combat weapons surrounded her at every corner.
Lolli Beats took in the situation.
“Er...hi” she began with a cheesy grin “Yeah, so...hiding behind the window like a bunch of little nags didn’t work so we figure we’re gonna’ do this the old-fashioned way.” she gestured energetically with her forehooves “You cool? We cool? Yay?”
Dropping from a rooftop to the ground with graceful poise, a tall, slender, black-coated earth-pony mare with a long silver mane streaked with red and a vibrant orange-flushed flank, emblazoned with a cutie mark of a deadly red-backed spider, strode into view, brandishing a small but heavy silver bolter made for killshots. Her cold, arrogant eyes scanned the opponent before her as her comrades held position, weapons primed.
“Keep your guard up at the windows” she ordered, her accent Hevonan, a Northern Stirropean state contested around the Frozen North.
“Understood Miss Mustaleski” one of her fellows replied.
Lolli tilted her head.
“Wha...Musti-Letski-Shake-Your-Buttski?” she twisted her tongue.
The Hevonan mare was distinctly unamused.
“Must-A-Les-Ki” she said slowly “It means, how you say, Black Widow”
“Oh...sorry to hear that”
“I mean the spider”
“Where?!” The thestral jumped, checking the ground. The mercenaries glanced at each other, perplexed.
“Ignore her” Mustaleski sighed “Focus on the guards, I’ll deal with the bat”
“Did you just call me bat?!” Lolli’s chirpy face bristled with fury, her protruding canines bared with a hiss “Okay, just for that, I’m gonna’ beat the buck outta’ your flanks more than anypony else here!”
Never one to remain still for more than a moment, she glanced at the sharpshooter’s scarlet behind and giggled.
“Though it looks like somepony else got there before me.! That your thing? ‘Coz I’d be okay with that, I mean, my girl Roxy and me have some experience in that field. I’m sorry I left my paddle at home!”
The side of Mustaleski’s lips tweaked with frustration.
“Are you mocking me?”
At this, Lolli adopted a goofy grin and answered.
“Eeyup!”
With a growl, Mustaleski drew up her bolter before the cheeky thestral.
“Only a fool or a coward fights with petty insults and only a fool or a coward reacts to them”
“Nag”
Bang!
Another bullet sped from the bolter. On the sound of it, however, Lolli’s wings snapped open, folding around her wings. As the bullet hit her, her body dissipated in a bright flash of neon red light with a flat thumping sound like an old-fashioned camera.
A thestral ability. Short-range teleportation.
Mustaleski drew back and set about reloading.
There was another thumping sound, straight behind her, as the Hevonan met the thestral swooping down from above, spinning a pair of nunchuks in both hooves. Slamming into each other, the two clashed. Locking hooves, Mustaleski hurled the lieutenant over her shoulders and drew a long metal rod which extended to twice its length in her hoof.
Lolli spread her wings, hovering in mid-air, and chuckled.
“Oh so that’s your thing?”
There was a click and viciously-sharp blades spring out the ends of the rod.
“Okay, clearly you’re not a fan of innuendoes”
“Please be quiet and die”
Spinning the polearm around her forehooves, Mustaleski advanced on the thestral.


Mustaleski was known to be cold, swift and brutal mercenary, survivor and victor of a hundred battlefields and slayer of countless foes.
But one thing she wasn’t was patient.
Lolli Beats knew impatience when she saw it and always found a way to capitalize on it.
Taking to the air, spinning and darting in all directions, she began weaving her foe ever further into frustration. The Hevonan slashed and swathed in furious circles, growing more and more enraged by the moment.
“Stop! Moving! And! Die!” As the blade flew forward, near enough to tip Lolli’s muzzle, the thestral dissipated in another teleport. With a growl, Mustaleski swung her blade toward where she knew her foe would appear, straight behind her.
A resounding clang filled the air as Lolli pulled out her claws, grabbing the weapon by the blade. She smiled a toothy grin.
“Gotcha pointy stick, nag!”
Having reached the peak of her fury, Mustaleski gave a snarl as she reared up on her hind legs, grabbed Lolli by the ear and head-butted her ferociously once, twice and thrice. Knocked semi-conscious, the thestral fell to her knees, blood pouring out her nostrils and from the middle of her lips, her eyes shut tight in pain.
“Lolli!” a high-pitched cry escaped the window “Are you okay?! That looked like it super-hurt!”
Whether Lolli hear her dear friend was uncertain as Mustaleski held her by the chin in one hoof, resting her spear on her shoulder and aiming for one of her eyes.
“Going to cry, little filly?” she sneered with disdain.
Lolli Beats stared up at her opponent, bloodied and bruised.
And smiled.
“Maybe a little”
And with a short intake of breath, Lolli Beats let loose one last thestral ability.
Ultrasonic Screaming.
Great rings of motion emitted from her open mouth and expanded, pulsing through Mustaleski who dropped her weapon and jolted violently, her face locked in a picture of shock and dismay.
Around her, the mercenaries felt the brunt of it even from afar, falling to the ground and clutching their ears. On the signal, Peregrine bellowed for the guards at the windows to return long-overdue fire. Blasts of magic and pulse bolts slammed into their quarry and laid the enemy low as those that fired them withdrew from their hiding-spots and retook the courtyard.
Pinkie Pie gave an almighty cheer as Lolli stood up, proud and eager as ever and grabbed the staggering Mustaleski by the neck, raising a hoof meaningfully.
“Hey, pay-ride!” she yelled “Watch the bucking birdy!”
And the fearsome mercenary was felled by a hard punch to the face, her silky mane covering her battered face like a shroud as Pinkie bounced into view.
“YAY LOLLI! YOU WERE AWESOME! IT’S JUST LIKE THOSE JUICE LEE MOVIES WE WATCH!”
The two bubbly ponies danced about giddily, performing a number of martial arts with enthusiastic sound effects as Colonel Peregrine surveyed the scene.
“Job well done, lieutenant. Remind me to buy you a flask of Sweet Apple Cider when this is over” he chuckled “Alright fillies and colts, let’s see if we can track down that damn crystal interference and then get the Princess and Captain-General on the line”
“Colonel!” one of the guards yelled, pointing to a shape emerging from the rooftops.
Peregrine stamped a hoof and signalled defensive formations. The guards snapped to position, weapons primed on the newcomer, Pinkie Pie adopting an aggressive stance with a wolf-like growl.


It seemed to be just the one but this was definitely one of the mercenaries. Dressed in a great trailing cloak with a collar of white tiger fur and a necklace of fine-cut bloodstone shards, he approached an enigmatic figure. He bore features of a crystal pony, silver of coat and gaunt, his light-blue mane tied in a tail behind his head and his deep crimson eyes wide and staring at his foe.
“Stand your ground” Peregrine ordered as they eyed him.
“He’s just standing there...menacingly” Pinkie mumbled.
Silence fell across the courtyard, the crystal pony pacing forward without a sound, his hooves hidden and muffled behind his cloak.
Then at last, he opened his mouth.
But no words came out. Only a long drawn-out moan, eerie, monotonous, yet somehow symphonic.
“What’s he doing?” Lolli snapped, slowly noticing her wings twitching, beginning to feel a strange pain between her eyes “What...what’s going on?”
“Oh...oh no...” Peregrine groaned as he and his guard stumbled in place as their hooves grew weak and shaky, their weapons clattering to the ground.
As the singer drew out his song longer and longer, the crystals at his necklace left his cloak and began floating round his head in a slowly spinning ring as he droned and hummed like a wasp, his lips twisting and his head twitching like some demonic possession, his crimson irises expanding and flooding his eyes a threatening blood-red.
Pinkie Pie gave a gulp, her shaking hooves rattling on the sidewalk.
Crystal magic was something she was actually quite well-versed in, to her friend’s surprise when she told them once during their travels. When one’s family dealt with rocks, one found the odd crystal and learnt what to do with it. 	Bloodstone, however, was a dangerous thing. Ironically not blood-red in colour but a bizarre flush of black, bottle-green and scarlet, it could be used in geomancy to shut off a pony’s equilibrium. In its presence, unicorns lost their affinity with magic, pegasi were grounded and earth ponies became sluggish, feeble and disorientated. Her immediate knowledge of the subject stopped there, Maud was the family expert, but all she needed to know was that whatever this foe was doing, it certainly wasn’t making her and her friends feel all too good.
And that meant she had to stop it. Certainly before Mustaleski and her cohorts came to her senses and found an easy target.
“Lolli?” she murmured through gritted teeth, struggling to keep her vision from blurring.
The thestral was still on her hooves but her wings were locked against her sides and her teeth were chattering feverishly.
“Y-y-yeah?”
“This is spell-singing, right? Th-that’s how he’s using the crystals...”
“I think so. Y-you got a plan, P-P-Pinks?”
The Bearer of Laughter stared down at her opponent and grinned.
“Always” She stepped forward, fighting through the magic and finding her balance, at least for the moment, as she asked her friend a very important question.
“Did you bring your boom-box?”


*


“That is a pity. Still, I did tell you Bittersweet and his madhouse weren’t all too reliable”
“I remember”
Cascadius often had to look past the fact that he was communicating via a transceiver to a skeletal cobra.
But the rules of the Echo Squad were as clear as ever.
Najiva paced elegantly around the solitary cell that had recently been made ready for their new guest.
“I, on the other hoof, haven’t been idle” the cobra spoke through the glamourling’s magic, two voices at once, a male growl and a female lilt “I found the one we were looking for. I’ve brought her here. We can consider Project Gamma underway. That makes how many ‘projects’ of yours now?”
“I’d need to back with my work-board to tell you. It helps to multi-task” the Paymaster chuckled “Very well done, Mistress. I look forward to the result. It must be ready by the deadline. Use any means necessary”
“Oh believe me, that last past goes without saying” Najiva tittered through the cobra but found herself craning towards the transceiver and giving a sultry hiss “Come home soon, I’m starting to miss you”
“The feeling’s mutual, Najiva darling” Cascadius said suavely “I’ll be back as soon as I can to welcome the boys and girls back. Let me know how that goes. Have fun with our new guest. Make it last. Ta-ta”
The transceiver blinked and switched off not too soon before the door was knocked.
Najiva emerged and beheld Miura, a bandage across the side of her head and wrapped around one foreleg. Beside her was Lambasar, who bowed respectfully along with two other members of the Echo Squad along with eight pony mercenaries, three of Slashtalon’s griffons and a Brontothere.
Each of them was gripping a chain tightly in one forehoof, all connecting to a tightly wrapped and restrained figure hidden under a sack, writhing and growling like a mad beast.
Najiva smiled and reached for the head of the figure.
“I wouldn’t get too close, Najiva-sama” Miura warned flatly “If these wounds do not speak volumes, seventeen of our number and six of yours did not survive her rage”
The glamourling craned her neck and chuckled sardonically as her cobra crawled atop her shoulder and spoke for her.
“Only twenty-three?” she sneered “Dear me, you really have lost your touch...Chrysalis”
With a flick of her forehoof, she tore open the sack just enough for the figure to reveal her face.
A changeling matriarch, angular horn encased in a jet-black crystal ring and her face twisted with a demented fury, hissing and spitting wildly as she beheld an ages-old foe.
“Najiva!”
“So you do remember me. I hardly need recall you, oh magnificent Queen Chrysalis of the Changeling Hives” the Echo Squad matriarch bowed mockingly at her new prisoner
“Oh...but wait, I’m forgetting. You lost the Hives...and you’re no longer the Queen...which makes you...” she paused, pursing her lips before shrugging.
“Nopony, really”
The chains went taut, every hoof and claw present pulling with all their might, as Chrysalis lunged forward, gnashing and snapping her fangs, her livid eyes pulsing wildly. For what seemed like hours, she struggled at her bonds, flailing her neck impotently, before finally collapsing to her knees in exhaustion.
Najiva, unshaken, shook her head as her cobra tutted.
“How far the mighty have fallen. To think you once struck terror into the hearts of my kin”
At this, Chrysalis raised her head.
“Fearing me was the wisest thing your arrogant kind ever accomplished, you preening usurper!” she hissed with venom.
Her smile disappearing, Najiva gave Lambasar a nod. The old stallion bowed, threw up one hoof and struck hard against the back of the Changeling Queen’s neck.
Like a hurled cinderblock, it nearly shattered bone. Chrysalis cried out in pain and curled up on the ground, cursing and griping under her breath.
Her smirk returning, Najiva gave her prisoner a look over.
“Are you crying?” she asked “Dear me, this is becoming embarrassing. Take her to the cell and have the procedures for Project Gamma underway as soon as possible” She craned in closer, staring her old nemesis in the face victoriously.
“You should thank us. Your scorn and spite can be a powerful weapon...if placed in the hooves of someone with actual competence. And through this, your hated enemies in the Crystal Empire, that time and time again made a fool of the great Queen Chrysalis, will fall in shame in ruin. I might even let you watch.” she drew back, as if smelling something unpleasant on her “But in the meantime, don’t get any ideas. Nopony’s ever escaped us and nopony ever will” She gave the mercenaries a smile “Gentleponies, put up with no form of disobedience or disorder from the prisoner until the Project is complete. Use any means necessary and if she gets too difficult, don’t hesitate to call me. I am always ready to show dear old Chrissie here who’s really in charge”
As she turned to leave, she wasn’t all too surprised to hear Chrysalis yell one last threat.
“Look at me!”
With distaste, Najiva did so, looking over her shoulder derisively as Chrysalis’s eyes bore into her with absolute hatred.
“Look at my face, Najiva...” she snarled “It’s the last thing you’ll ever see! You may not talk anymore, but I promise you, when I get out of here, I’m going to teach you how to scream!”


*


Blurry vision steadily made way for the sight of sheer marble floor tiles as Flash Sentry slowly regained his senses.
Trailing limply along the ground, his foe’s forehoof dragging him by the collar, he was led to the main geode complex. Here, all the crystal-powered systems and machinery operated.
It was deserted. When the sonic drums impeded it and the walls fell, those within had likely assumed they’d be better placed at the defences. Flash was, at least, glad that they wouldn’t run into his captor.
Angrboda looked around, a look of bored disdain on her marred face. She shook Flash by the scruff and barked.
“Which of these is the portal system?”
“The big podium in the centre of the room, genius” the cocksure pegasus muttered, receiving his face slammed into the floor for his trouble.
“Why is it still on?” she said flatly.
Sure enough, the portal system, though depleted of its magical energy, was still showing activation in its crystal nodes, the great quartz hexeracts slowly spinning in wait.
Flash Sentry shrugged weakly.
“No clue, I’m no geomancer. I just kick flank and wise-crack”
The caribou gave an impatient hiss.
“Fair enough” she sneered, pacing over the device with Flash Sentry in tow. Her antlers lighting up with a flame-like magical hue, she pried loose the mosaic plate covering the workings. There was a light emitted from within as Angrboda and Flash Sentry beheld the intricate jigsaw of crystals of all shapes and sizes rotating and grinding against each other, charging geomantic energy.
The caribou gave a sadistic smirk.
“It matters not” she said as she held Flash over the device and leered “In my experience...machines tend to malfunction...when you shove a pony’s head between the gears!”


Flash swiftly found his forehooves again as he pushed frantically against the wall before him, struggling as the caribou pressed a massive forehoof at the back of his head and made to follow up on her statement. Trying to turn his head sideways, he felt the static from the crystals crackling against his cheek and lips. His strained grunt turning into a fearful scream, he shut his eyes tight.
Blind to the sight, his ears pricked as the hum of the portal system grew louder, a great yawn of activation flooding the room as the crystal nodes spun at full velocity.
Angrboda tilted her head.
Then with a mighty eruption of power, the caribou warlord was blown across the room, smashing into the back wall as a portal blasted itself into existence.
A hyperportal, better known colloquially as a ‘speed portal’. Small, only capable of transporting five to six ponies at once and only possible through vast magical study but effective, requiring no active opposite conduit to achieve. With the magic on the opposite end dispelled however, the portal relied on self-activation, hence the sonic explosion.
Flash Sentry lay coughing on the floor, the fur at the side of his face singed but otherwise uninjured, much to the relief of the visitor.
The pegasus felt a gentle hoof prop him up and found himself staring into a pair of warm teal eyes set in a face of rich oranges and crimsons and boasting a tough but caring smile.
“Rough day, huh, big boy?”
Flash chuckled as Sunset Shimmer made her entrance.
“I knew you couldn’t resist me” he joked through coughing.
“Take it easy, speedy” Princess Celestia’s old student ordered as she strode up to the caribou who’d placed her coltfriend in such a condition. Already, Angrboda was shaking off the magical blast and was cradling her battle-axe in hoof as she faced down the unicorn.
Sunset Shimmer was not alone. Beside her were three sirens, slim, lithe and long-tailed with silky, shimmery, fin-like manes and each drawing a different weapon.
Sunset Shimmer herself was armoured in hardy brass mail, a gilded shield on her left foreleg boasting an inlay of a rising phoenix while her horn lit up and revealed a mighty, flaming-headed mace, spinning in preparation, scattering embers.
Twisting her neck to the left and right, eyes fixed on the terrifying adversary, she spoke.
“Alright, who ordered a bad-flank?!”
> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sounds of battle and bloodshed were muffled in the Captain-General’s study. But one didn’t need a vast imagination to picture what was accompanying them.
Blueblood shivered and whined beneath Shining Armour’s desk, every sound less than a yard away from the room he was hiding in causing him to jump and cower fitfully, tears running down his cheeks.
Prince Blueblood had never been a terrifically courageous stallion at the best of times, he didn’t mind admitting it. Even at festive occasions, the thought of ruining his grooming in public chilled him to the core.
Why he’d ever thought paying a visit to a military post was a good idea he could scarce attempt to remember.
If he survived this, this would be the last time he’d ever consider such a thing.
Another noise rang from down the corridor. A mare’s scream.
The sudden shrillness caused his ears to ring as he clutched them fearfully.
Raising his hoof off them by half an inch, he listened as the noise became somewhat familiar.
The voice at least, he was certain he’d heard before.
Step by step, Blueblood inched his way to the door, hoping nopony (Or whatever it was that was attacking) would hear the door creaking open.
In the dark corridor, a pony was crawling on the ground, gasping and sobbing.
She looked familiar.
He placed his forehoof on the door and deactivated the magic lock. Wincing as the creak of the door sounded loudly in his ears, he peered outside.
“Hello?”
“B-Blue...Blood...”
The stallion jumped as a mare crawled her way up the corridor.
“Alma Rose?” Blueblood recognised the young painter that his family had hired bare days before it fell apart.
“Blueblood!” the mare gasped “Get...Get help...Please...”
The prince stammered, dumbfounded and gripped by horror.
Alma Rose was missing a back-leg, pulling herself along the ground, trailing blood in a great path down the way she’d come.
“Oh...Celestia...” The stallion gulped and looked about the office for some means of contacting help.
The magical devices still wouldn’t work.
The only way seemed to be...
“I...suppose there’s nothing else for it...” Blueblood held out a hoof “I-I-I think I know the way.”
“Th-thank you...” Alma reached out, hope in her teary eyes.


“There you are!”
Blueblood and Alma both gave a shriek as a white moose strode into view, blue-grey tattoos over his face and body, cradling a mace with jagged, bloody stubs. He tilted his head and smirked as he slowly advanced, savouring the fear of his prey.
“I...er...” Blueblood slowly drew his hoof back. As the moose slammed the mace against the side of the wall in preparation, the prince’s nerve broke entirely, backing away and leaving Alma where she lay.
“I-I-I’ll get help.”
“Wait! Blueblood!”
“I’ll come back as quickly as I can, I promise!” Blueblood stammered as he turned tail.
“No! Don’t leave me here! Please!”
Alma screamed and screamed down the corridor as the stallion took off, disappearing down the corner and leaving her alone with the lone invader.
“Heh...Spineless curd.” the newcomer snorted as he grabbed Alma’s mane, pulling her back down the trail she’d made.
Alma Rose’s hooves frantically clawed at the floor as she was hauled on her one remaining hind-leg and pinned to the wall.
Even on her hind-leg, the moose was able to stare her dead in the face, blood and smoke on his breath and leered.
Alma couldn’t scream anymore. Her voice was hoarse and her heart was completely gripped by terror. She felt faint from shock and blood-loss. She could little more than whimper as the moose sniffed at her neck, his nostrils flaring.
“Good work.” he whispered, drawing a small throwing-axe “You brought them out of hiding...I think you’ve earned a treat.”
“Wh-wha...argh...” The young pegasus whimpered as she felt the axe’s blade glide down her abdomen and over her cutie mark as the moose gave a sadistic purr and slowly licked her cheek.
“P-please...”
“Go on...” he sniggered “Say it. Cry, little mare, cry for your princesses...They’re not coming.”
“Ingvar?!” a voice hollered from up the corridor as hoofsteps sounded “The armoury’s crystal-locked and Grendel’s still in the courtyard. We’ll need...”
A bighorn sheep and a mountain horse approached and stopped in their tracks.
The moose named Ingvar turned to them with an irritated expression.
“What?”
“Ingvar...” the bighorn sheep said slowly, suspicion and wariness on his face “What are you doing?”
The moose raised an eyebrow.
“What does it look like?”
“The Herald said we’re meant to let her go to warn the others and bring them to us.”
“She has. They’ll be coming soon.”
“Ingvar...” the horse spoke, fear in his eyes, hard to make out through the shaggy mane “You know the Herald won’t like this.”
“Yeah...I also know she won’t find out.” He gestured at the two meaningfully with his axe. They backed away with hooves raised.
“Whoa, whoa, Ingvar, we didn’t mean...”
“That’s what I thought.” He snorted “Once I’m done, I’ll bring a survivor to open the armoury...Might even bring her along so you can have a turn. But just remember...My axe is faster than the Herald’s.”
The newcomers looked at him, then Alma, then at each other.
“Right...” the mountain horse mumbled “Um...Don’t take too long.”
And they departed in an awkward shuffle, leaving Alma alone with the depraved captor once more.
She broke down in a small sob as the moose turned his gaze back to her, smiling a grey and yellow grin, his dark eyes gleaming.
“Now...where were we?”


Blueblood had surprised himself with his own strength at wrenching a small crystal hammer off a statue, no doubt of one of the Crystal Emperors of old. Hiding behind a curtain round a corner from Shining’s office, trying to stop himself shaking, he listened to Alma’s cries and Ingvar’s sick taunts as an act he dreaded to think about prepared to take place.
Shaking his head and shutting his eyes tight, he tried to block it out.
‘Just keep calm...The guard will probably arrive soon. They’ll save Alma, they’ll deal with that cur and all will be well.’
“Don’t do this! Please!” came a scream from round the corner.
He caught something in his throat.
‘It’s not like you can help in any case.’ he forced the words into his head ‘They’re hardened killers. You won’t last a minute and then where will she be? Just wait for the guard!’
Alma’s cries grew more angered and Ingvar gave what may have been a grunt of pain.
“GET THE BUCK OFF ME!” she screamed.
“You want to lose another leg, girly?” he hissed.
‘There, you see. She’s fighting back. It’ll be fine...Look, what’s she got to offer you anyway?! You don’t need money and she’s not even into stallions! What possible reason would you have to...’
‘One day, Blueblood...You will be a prince.’
The voice in his head was not his own. He stopped, his mind taken to a grey place he’d tried in vain to forget for years.
‘Mummy?’
‘But always remember, Blueblood. A prince must be strong and not just for himself.’ The soothing, gentle voice was somehow overpowering any nagging doubt or fear ‘There is a reason why the prince is always the hero of all the stories.’
“Mother...” he whimpered.
‘The prince will go where king and queen cannot. They’re never afraid to fight for the good of those who look up to them.’
“Mother, please...”
‘They give hope to those who have none. You gave hope to me, to my family, and you will one day give hope to all of Equestria.’
The crystal hammer felt somewhat lighter in his hoof.
“Mother, this isn’t the same...”
‘Be the prince you were born to be, my foal. Bring pride to all who know your name...bring hope.’
His hoof tightened round the handle of the hammer, his eyes opened wide in a steely resolve previously unknown to him.
‘Blueblood, you’ve finally lost your senses!’ the previous voice said in his head.
Only this time, Blueblood wasn’t listening.


He wouldn’t leave her alone.
Alma was kicking out with all three hooves that remained to her, biting whenever she could, but the moose wasn’t to be put off.
It was as if she was barely bruising him.
Ingvar’s hoof lashed out and slugged her viciously across the face. Her lip bled on the cold marble floor, her eyes shut as she felt the moose tug at her mane. 
“Are you going to behave?” the beast’s voice was close to her ear.
Following the sound, Alma threw a punch of her own. It landed, colliding with the side of the moose’s muzzle.
His own hoof snapped around it as he slowly turned his head, an angry scowl above his dripping red nostrils.
“Do you honestly have a death-wish?” he sounded more bored than angry. Drawing his axe again, he rested against the fetlock of the forehoof that had punched him “Do you want to lose this?”
Alma stared, her breath weak and shaky. She knew there was no answer she could give that wouldn’t end in pain.
Slowly, gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and tight and tried to wake up from whatever nightmare she’d found herself trapped within.
“Is that a yes?”
As the axe slowly drew across the surface of her fetlock, Alma gave a whimper as drops of her own blood spattered onto her face from where she lay, her foreleg held high before her captor’s gaze as Ingvar gave a sadistic smile.
Then his ears pricked. Her whimper was joined by something else.
A clatter of hooves.
And a yell.
“SANGUINE HALL!”
Ingvar turned his head right as the crystal hammer struck home, cracking into the side of his face. Knocked senseless, he slammed into the wall, bruising the other side of his face near as badly.
Breathing heavily, nursing her bleeding fetlock, Alma Rose slowly looked up dumbfounded at Prince Blueblood who was staring at the crystal hammer in his magical grasp then at the prone Ingvar.
A stunned smile broke into his face.
“Heh...Ha! Ha-Ha! You weren’t expecting that, were you!” he yelled giddily at the unconscious moose “Did you know who you were dealing with?! I think not! Next time you’ll think twice before going up against...”
“Blueblood...” Alma whimpered.
“Yes! Blueblood! Prince Blueblood!” the stallion cheered, waving his forehooves in the air enthusiastically “Noble! Champion! Genius!”
“Dead pony.”
“Dead pony! Leade...ah...oh...” Blueblood’s cheer was cut short as he realised who had spoken.
The mountain horse and bighorn sheep from before had returned, along with a cohort of fellow snow-beasts, all glaring at the posturing prince whose ardour swiftly diminished. Pale-faced, he looked at his downed foe and gulped.
“Uh...Now, chaps...um...If you’re curious...he was like that when I got here...” he whimpered.
They did not seem convinced.
“Maybe he uh...had a few too many at the...eh...” the Prince continued in vain before snatching up the hammer and gesturing with it meaningfully.
“Stay back, sirs, I’m armed!”
There was a clattering sound as the beasts before him demonstrated much the same, drawing all manner of unfriendly-looking weaponry.
Blueblood gave a whimper as his crystal hammer fell from his grasp.
“Run away, little pony.” the bighorn sheep growled.
The stallion looked at the sheep, then at Alma, then at the hammer.
“I...shall not.” Blueblood’s voice was shaky and strangulated but he spoke clearly, picking up the hammer again and holding it out “You are not getting past me, sirs. I...strongly suggest you leave.”
“Blueblood...” Alma murmured weakly, slumped against the wall “Just...go...”
“No.” he said, sterner, harder “This time...I will not be a coward. Just this once...I’ll be a prince”
“You’ll be a dead prince.” the mountain horse sneered.
“That is...quite likely...But I won’t be a cowardly one.” he shivered “N-n-now...I suggest you all leave...or...something very bad will happen.”
“Yeah...it will.” The bighorn sheep drew a great jagged blade and stepped forward.
Frozen with either fear or resolution, Blueblood closed his eyes. Alma’s call for him was faint in his ears as he tried to force his mind back to happier days, one final thought in his head.
“You see, mother...I was brave...Just this once."


“Everypony get down!”
Blueblood was jerked out of his pre-death amends as Alma lurched forward and managed to drag him to the floor.
Flat on his back, he stared as a curling tongue of pineapple-coloured magic flew over him.
A magic whip.
It hit the bighorn sheep first in the chest, then curled round towards every beast standing before them. Time seemed to slow for a moment as the warriors were taken off their hooves one by one. Then with a collective scream, they were shot down the corridors as a siren strode into view.
A bright honey-yellow siren with a great curly mane like golden sea-foam, baring her teeth at the attackers.
“You’ve been very naughty beasties.” she growled “Time for punishment!”
As the foes from the Frozen North struggled to gather themselves, she turned to the two stragglers with concern and hollered down the corridor.
“Down here! Shield wall, cover the healers!”
Armoured guards thundered down forward, dressed in brass and red jasper, bearing large shields and deadly pikes, helms adorned with a golden setting-sun above their visors.
The first line slammed their shields upon the floor, followed by the next line who placed their shields atop theirs as 	Adagio growled an order.
“Any creatures that get through me are all yours.”


Dressed in her white and blue cloak and agate circlet, Lemon Hearts cantered down the corridor, a trio of white-armoured healers behind her. The crashing of battle rang in her ears as she headed down the corridors.
The Crystal Guard and the Capital Reinforcements were striking back hard against these mystery attackers.
Someone screamed. She couldn’t tell which side. Adagio Dazzle’s whip cracked like a thunderbolt again and again, its tail snaking madly up and down beyond the shield wall.
She found the absent Prince Blueblood, a high priority escort. There was a pony atop him, obscured by blood. 	Whether the pony was wounded or dead was uncertain.
“Healers!” Blueblood had found his voice at last “Where are the damned healers!”
Lemon rushed forward and pulled him behind cover. Checking him over, her ears pricked as the groan from the other wounded pony sounded familiar.
“Lem...Lemmy...”
“ALMA!” The yellow unicorn gave a scream and swept up the near-broken figure of her girlfriend, clutching her tightly as her horn glowed violet, a healing field staunching the blood flow of the young pegasus’s wounds.
“Lem...It hurts...” Alma Rose whimpered as Lemon Hearts cradled her.
“I know, Alma. It’s okay. I’m here...I’m here...” she whispered. A nearby officer, a tall, shapely hazel-brown mare with freckles helped up the couple along with Blueblood before casting her eye over the shield wall.
“You may head to the Infirmary. It’s still very secure. We’ll be fine here.”
“Thanks, Chastity.” Lemon murmured, hoisting Alma upon her back, kissing her gently on the cheek as they cantered back down the corridor, the sounds of battle growing fainter.
“Um...ma’am?” Blueblood asked tentatively.
“You’ll be safe in the infirmary, sir. I promise.”
“No, no, it’s not that.” the prince gave a slight wince “You haven’t seen my valet anywhere? Conkers? Large ruddy-brown pegasus? I sent him to get me a drink. Have you passed him?”
“Not...since the attack, no.” She caught sight of the stallion’s expression. It was more than just general worry, this valet meant something to him “You sent him to get a drink? He’ll be around the canteen. We’ve just about secured that point. Stand still...” As her horn lit up, the floor around Blueblood shone a bright purple before he teleported out of the corridor.
Sighing, Lemon Hearts gave her near-comatose partner a tender nuzzle before returning on the path to the infirmary.


*


“You honestly never told Miss Cheerilee you don’t know the first thing about long division?”
Applebloom sighed as she and her elder brother made their way back to the family farm.
“Okay, in mah defence, it’s not that ah don’t know...I just never had it taught to me.” Big Mac gave her a bashful look and patted her back “Ah’m sorry, Bloom. Ah didn’t mean to embarrass ya, ah just...”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Ya didn’t embarrass me.” the filly gave him a small hug “Just felt a bit awkward, that’s all.”
The big stallion chuckled.
“Don’cha worry none. It’s just for this week, Cheerilee should be awright soon.” Reaching the door to their ever-welcoming home, Mac and Bloom strode in and found Granny Smith patiently reading in her rocking chair, greeting them with a warm but toothless smile.
“Howdy, yer two.” she cooed “An’ how did the schoolin’ go?”
Little sister and elder brother gave each other a bashful look and shrugged. Their granny gave a chuckle and clambered out her chair.
“Well, Bloom’ll wanna’ unpack an’ relax ah’ll reckon. Ah’ll be up to have a look at yer work in a moment or two. First things first, ah’ve gotta’ have a talk with yer brother.”
“Okay.” Bloom chirped as she tottered upstairs, leaving the huge red stallion with his grandmother. Mac turned to Granny Smith and realised she wasn’t smiling.
There were several times he could remember Granny Smith had been openly peeved with him over the years but this was a look that was different than the others.
Was it...disappointment?
Before he could ask what the matter was, Granny Smith opened her near-toothless mouth and spoke flatly and humourlessly.
“Come with me.”
They made their way to his room, a room he’d barely stepped in since Cheerilee’s attack.
Granny Smith made her way to his bed and sat down broodingly, reaching under his pillow and retrieving a small letter, not turning to face him. Giving the hoof that held it a flick, it opened and read...


Big McIntosh
It is time


Granny Smith pursed her lips with ire as she spoke at last.
“Care to explain, sonny?”
Mac caught something in his throat, nearly stepping back in shock.
“...Ah didn’t know you’d been in my room.” He hadn’t meant that to come out like an accusation.
“An’ ah didn’t know I needed to be. ‘Til now...”
The atmosphere was growing in a way Mac did not like at all.
“G-Granny...It’s not what it looks like.”
“Really?” she tilted her head with a slight creak “An’ what does it look like? Like ya’ve grown tired of yer silly little family farm an’ yer silly little family? Like ya’ll was plannin’ on up n’ leavin’ just outta’ the blue? Like ya was hopin’ yer brain-dead ol’ granny never to notice?”
“No! No, I...” Mac’s usual stoicism was crumbling around him. He felt like a colt again, scolded and shamed with no idea of the full weight of his actions “Granny, please...ah don’t have a choice.”
“An’ that’s where yer wrong.” Granny Smith got to her hooves and stepped towards him slowly, her stern face etched into her features.
“Ya got two choices, Mac, an’ ah suggest you listen to ‘em carefully.” She held up a forehoof and balanced herself on her walking stick “One...Ya can stay here, on this farm that’s been yer family’s haven since their first days here with yer family and its ages-old profession, among the ponies who’ve looked out for ya from the moment ya came into this world, on this farm...where ya belong!” her voice grew loud and harsh, causing her grandson to shut her eyes tight and flinch as she stood inches from him.
“Or...”
Mac slowly opened his eyes as he felt an old hoof gently place itself on his shoulder.
Granny Smith’s stern features were gone. In their place was the warm smile that had brightened his life since its beginning. A smile of encouragement...Of pride.
She spoke
“Ya can go out there an’ do what ya’ve always dreamed o’ doin’, even before yer sister was out doin’ the same. Ya can go out there an’ help this little town and all the land around it by doing more than just pullin’ a plough. Ya can go out there, give those varmints who hurt Cheerilee an’ Caramel an’ Berry Punch an’ all the rest a proper Apple family beatdown...an’ make us all mighty proud of Big McIntosh Apple.”
There was a pause as Mac collected himself, the icy guilt from before melting away from his great red shoulders.
“G-Granny?”
“Come on now, Mac. Ah’m old, not blind.” she gave a throaty chuckle “Ah see the look ya give old AJ when she goes off for adventurin’. Ya’ve always wanted to do more, even for just a little while. It’s...a hankerin’ that comes to all us Apples now an’ again, even lil’ ol’ me. An’ ah know ya’ve got in ya to be exactly what ya wanna’ be.” she gave his shoulder a fond pat “So if ya wanna’ go through with this...ah won’t fault ya.”
“...Thank you.” As if falling to earth, Mac wrapped her forehooves around his grandmother and hugged her.
“But jus’ remember, boy...It ain’t no walk in the fields. Use this...” she gave the side of his head a tap with her hoof “...before ya use these...” she patted his forelegs. “An’ both come after this.” she rested her hoof over his heart “Remember that good.”
“Ah will, Granny. Ah promise.”
“An’ come back home safe. That’s all ah’m gonna’ insist on.” the old mare looked at him earnestly “It’s bad enough AJ’s down in the outskirts. Ah hear iffy stuff ‘bout those places. Ah don’t wanna’ lose either of ya, y’hear? Ya promise?”
Mac smiled and stood to his full height.
“Eeyup.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” She gave a sigh “You do what ya need to do, mah brave old colt.” The old mare reached up and gave him a dry but warm kiss on the cheek “Jus’ come back home safe when yer done.”


*


As Cadence’s hooves trembled, she hoped Flurry wouldn’t wake up.
Not because she wanted her quiet but because she didn’t want her crying.
That would make two of them.
As she quietly cradled her snoozing baby, tears fell down her cheeks, landing as damp little spots on Flurry’s baby-cloth, the stillness and silence of the abandoned throne room weighed on her like a looming shadow.
Every slight noise made her jolt.
She still couldn’t quite believe how quickly the day had turned so dreadful.
Only moments ago...


Flurry Heart’s high-pitched laughter brought a tender smile to her mother’s face.
At the end of the day, motherhood was wonderful. Flurry Heart had learned much from her family and she was far calmer than her earliest months, realising to some extent the importance of controlling her inborn powers.
But Flurry, like every baby, just wanted to play sometimes and, whenever possible, Cadence made time for it.
It had been a hectic couple of months for all concerned but, at last, things had settled down and her daughter always found a way to brighten up Cadence’s day.
She giggled herself as she glided over to a cardboard box, still brightly wrapped from a birthday gift a few months ago, where Flurry Heart had scuttled under.
“Gotcha!” she cheered, throwing off the box. Pausing, she took note of the absence of her daughter, or anything for that matter.
“Flurry?” she called out, growing slightly worried.
There came a squeal of excitement from behind some of the books on the great shelf. The smile returning to her features, Cadence made a show of pacing by the shelf.
“Where did she go?” she gasped “Did she disappear? Did she turn invisible? She always was a fast learner? Where oh where could she be?”
She isolated the area producing Flurry’s giggles and raised a ready hoof to grab her and unleash the tickle-monster upon her daughter.


Without warning, there was a flash in front of her. Instinctively, she shut her eyes tight.
When she opened them, she found her hoof had landed on the tip of Starlight Glimmer’s muzzle.
The newly-materialised unicorn gave an awkward glance as Cadence resisted a chance to cry out ‘boop’.
“Um...hello.”
“Princess. Sorry about this, I came here as quickly as I could.” Starlight spoke, wide-eyed and out of breath “Me and Sunburst. We’ve been working on war preparations and...and...we discovered something bad, really bad!”
“Wh-what? What is it?” Cadence stammered as Flurry Heart tentatively crawled out of her hiding spot and tottered into her mother’s forehooves.
Starlight held up an intricate crystal device, a tall, many-sided prism of aquamarine fastened with silver inlays shaped like twisting nettles. A farsight pillar, a device perfected by the Crystal Empire and recently introduced to Equestria after the Empire’s resurgence.
“We’ve been tracking their use of anti-magic weaponry, your highness.” Starlight said, placing the pillar on the table “It was the only thing we considered a calling card of theirs. So, using the Crystal Empire’s technology, we’re able to pinpoint sudden and massive uses of anti-magic. And recently, we found one. A big one! One...very close by.” She shone her horn, still slightly woozy from the teleport.
The crystal projected a great glassy flare that warped and ebbed to form a map, zooming into the Crystal Empire and tracking the presence of a blinking grey blot.
Right above Quartzwald.
Cadence’s mouth opened and closed silently in shock before one, strangulated word emerged.
“Sh-Sh-Shining!”
“Your highness, before we do anything...irrational...” Starlight interjected “Sunset Shimmer has assembled a small elite team and we believe she can counter the anti-magic long enough to teleport there. In the meantime, I’ve already sent word to reinforcements. Commodore Ctenophore is heading to Quartzwald with a flying force of four hundred. Whether that will be enough...is uncertain.”
“I...I...Thank you...Please, gather the court, I-I-I need to send more troops.” Cadence stammered, shakily making her way to the door.
“Princess Cadence.” Starlight declared before the alicorn left the room, face heavy with uncertainty “Don’t do anything rash.”
“I don’t have a choice! Shining’s down there! And Blueblood and Lemon Hearts and Alma and...”
“I know, your highness, I know. What I’m saying is be mindful.” Starlight held up a hoof in reassurance “Remember, these guys want to spread us thin. The methods we’re used to won’t work here. This could either be the big go-ahead or just another distraction. Don’t let down your guard...We’ve already seen what he can do.”


She would not forget what he could do.
The memory of that horrible gas-mask hanging from her door.
Seven years and it still stung whenever she recalled it.
Those horrible red eyes.
The knife through the photograph.
No Interference.
In her moments of dread, she had prayed that whoever had done such things had died long ago, lost and forgotten.
Now it seemed, her entire world was in danger.
Flurry gave a little contented purr in her mother’s forelegs as she snoozed, unaware of the danger.
And, Cadence hoped with all her heart, protected from it.


*


Hoof and talon slammed into each other as the Wonderbolt Captain flew forward and clashed with the griffon matriarch.
Shrike Slashtalon gave a piercing avian hiss, her beak still dripping blood, as the trainee she’d been trying to cannibalise was thrown to the ground. Her great wings extending to their full size, a pair of huge mahogany-brown colossi with black and white dapples, she leapt back a full ten feet and adopted a predatory stance, her black tiger back-half pawing predatorily along the ground, tail swaying, claws out. Her forelegs clawed at the ground before reaching behind her back, retrieving a menacing flail. Three spiked spheres dangled from chains, knocking against each other with a sound not unlike rattling bones.
The griffon gave another hiss and spoke.
“Ah...The Wonderbolts. I haven’t seen that ridiculous garb since the last skirmishes of the Raptor Wars...I must have killed about thirty-seven of them myself.”
“Well, if you’re hoping to break that record, I’m afraid things are a little different now!”
“Oh, indeed.” Slashtalon cackled, her beak clacking mockingly “Once, you were the pride of pegasus skies, defenders, monster-hunters, heroes all. Now look at you! Jokes of the Equestrian Defence Force, flattened in damn near every conflict in modern history!” she gave a snorting noise through the slits in her beak that make a griffon’s nostrils “I once gained such pleasure in tearing your kind apart...now I just feel bad for you.”
“Oh really?” Spitfire gritted her teeth as the tips of her primary feathers flickered with flame. Her hooves scraped along the ground.
Slashtalon blinked.
The next moment, the griffon was stumbling across the ground, clawing at the soil for balance and nursing the side of her face, the hissing from her beak becoming a deafening snarl as Spitfire stood right where her opponent had once stood, her forehoof held out and wreathed in flame.
The pegasus raised an eyebrow.
“How about now?”
“No, I think that did it.” the griffon growled before leaping at the Wonderbolt Captain with a feral screech.
A whirlwind of talons slammed into Spitfire who brought the gauntlets around her forehooves up into a criss-cross, her neck craning quickly from side to side as the griffon’s beak shot forward like a spearhead again and again. Spinning and ducking, she landed ferocious punches against the avian’s chest and face before flapping backwards and letting loose a flurry of bolts from the calk-cannons on her forehooves.
Slashtalon’s talons turned into a silver blur, catching the bolts, groaning and hissing as a few select shots found their mark, cutting and piercing her limbs and shoulders. Spinning the wheel of the cannon, Spitfire charged an explosive shot.


A moment later, the ground rushed up to meet her, her ears ringing, the back of her head throbbing. Lightning Dust had seen fit to continue their earlier fight and delivered a vicious punch to the back of Spitfire’s head.
‘Spits, you idiot!’ the Wonderbolt Captain cursed herself ‘Never turn your back on an enemy. Rule Number 1!’
As she struggled to her hind-legs, her wings flapping about impatiently,
‘Crunk!’
A shattering jolt of pain erupted at the side of her shoulder, spinning her round dizzily. A swooping sound filled her ears as she barely ducked out of the way of Slashtalon’s flail.
“Captain!” Angel Wings called out from above, locked in battle with a gas-masked halberd-wielder.
“Spitfire!” Soarin yelled as he knocked aside his opponent, a blackbird-headed griffon, and made to dive down to her aid, followed by three others.
“Get away!” their captain bellowed, clutching her shoulder “You’re no match for her!”
“She’s right. You’re not.” Slashtalon added, eying them hungrily “But please, dearies, feel free not to take her word for it!”
At this, Lightning Dust stood over Spitfire and grabbed her by the throat, holding her head between her forelegs and leered up at the Wonderbolts vindictively.
“Hey! Wannabes! You wanna’ see how many ‘loop-de-loops’ Spits’s head can do?!”
Spitfire struggled against her captor’s grip as she saw Soarin growl and lunge forward. Slashtalon’s flail sailed round, aiming straight for the flying stallion’s head.
Like a sudden pale-teal jet, Vapor Trail set about earning her name as she shot forward. Not at Lightning Dust or 	Slashtalon but the flail head, just avoiding colliding with Soarin as she smacked the spiked ball away with both outstretched forelegs, sending it back towards its wielder.
Shrike Slashtalon had just enough time for a startled cluck before the flail shot into her chest. Her hardy breastplate avoided fatal damage but it did nothing to avoid knocking her to the ground, leaving her wheezing with pain.
Distracted, Spitfire’s elbow knocked into the side of Lightning’s jaw, pulling herself away as the full-figure of Soarin smashed into her, sending her flying through mid-air, clattering to the ground in a heap.
Captain Spitfire rose to her hooves and glared at the traitor.
“Don’t...You...Ever...Call my team ‘Wannabes’!”


Slashtalon meanwhile was beset upon by Fleetfoot, Angel Wings and Thunderlane who flew around her, two of them guarding against her talons while the third would go for the weak-spot. Vapor Trail nursed her forehoof, broken by the flail, as Sky Stinger fought off any who sought to finish her off.
Across the clouds, the Wonderbolts were proving their worth. Somewhere among the fray, one of the missiles hit home, sending griffons and gas-mask wearers flying.
Grinding her teeth, eyes blazing, she and Soarin advanced towards the scrambling Lightning Dust.
“Hurting innocents was your fatal flaw, Lightning...Now it looks like it’s become your hobby.” Spitfire growled, cracking her fetlocks “Let’s see you fun you find it from the other side!”
The electric-maned pony snarled and gave a signal. There was a thumping sound as another silo of gas was fired. 	Lightning Dust adjusted her gas mask but her threat was clear.
“This ain’t over, nags! We’re gonna’ get even! And then we’re gonna’ make that googly-eyed freak wish she’d never been born!”
As the bomb hit the ground, the figure of Lightning Dust was obscured by the mist as the two pegasi drew back. 	Behind them, Slashtalon wrenched the bolts out of her shoulder and screeched loudly. With a cacophony of caws and warbles, the griffons shot into the skies and took to the wing, followed by their pony allies, high into the clouds until they’d disappeared from sight.
Letting loose an exhausted sigh, Spitfire turned to check on the wounded cadet, Angel Wings readying to apply first aid.
It wasn’t pretty. The cadet’s shoulder had received a deep hole bored into it that was nearly an inch wide and at least four inches deep.
Stopping the flow of blood was the work of a moment but it fell to Spitfire to calm her.
“Kid. You okay? We’re here. The griffon’s gone. Are you with me.”
The cadet gave something between a groan and a whimper.
“C-Cap’n...is it...is it bad?”
“Nothing you can’t handle, kid. Don’t worry. The worst’s over.” Spitfire gave her a pat on the shoulder, nodding to Angel Wings who picked up the cadet and headed back to Canterlot with an escort of three, the injured Vapor Trail among them with Sky Stinger beside.
“Okay...” The captain brushed her fiery mane “We finish our patrol. Then call it in and tell the Princesses. If these guys can spring out of the clouds this close to home...We may already be looking at all-out war.”


*


Four shaky pink hooves found their balance on the road outside the garrison.
Agravain tilted his head as the Bearer of Laughter stood upright before him as he continued spell-singing.
Lolli, meanwhile, fumbled in her backpack with one hoof, still struggling to stand.
Whipping it out, she revealed a colossal portable music player coloured various shades of red.
Peregrine, fighting the weight of his own sudden, colossal fatigue among his guards, gave a befuddled look.
“How...never mind. Whatever you’re doing, do it fast!”
Pinkie straightened up and took a strange stance as Lolli hit the play button and did the same.
Sound Magic was complex in practice but quite simple in theory.
Sonic waves could be sent out or repelled with the right amount of force.
When fighting with music, immersion was key to creating a series of sounds that would overpower strength and strategy. 
The more mnemonic and fluid it was, the more effective it could be used as a weapon of anti-personnel, interfering with the focus and thought of the foe.
And for a force such as the one Agravain possessed, only the most insufferable yet catchy song would ever be able to combat it.
And Pinkie was something of an expert in that sort of music.


The instant the music started, Pinkie and Lolli began dancing in perfect synch, every beat a different movement, the ground pounding and pulsing as they stomped and clapped.
Agravain’s calm face twisted suddenly as his focus was dented from within, singing louder and slower in an attempt to wrest control of the sonic energy at work. At his signal, Mustaleski and her mercenaries took aim and opened fire.
The music grew louder and the dancing harder.
A great swirling miasma of pinks and scarlets enveloped them and the guard in a protective field, bouncing the bullets away harmlessly.
The speechless Crystal Pony was practically bellowing the song now, his crimson eyes bulging with fury.
Pinkie’s great mane bounced like cotton-candy as she jived. Lolli’s wings arched with the wind as if it were an ornate collar.
It was mesmerising, breathtaking.
Yet nopony could stay long to see it.
With a final bounce, both dancing mares slammed all four hooves upon the ground. The miasma exploded outwards, throwing the mercenaries back against the street and bringing Agravain to his knees.
Peregrine took to the wing and yelled.
“Right, everyone spread out. We’re taking back this city!”
The winged guard took off as Mustaleski signalled for her cohorts to fire. A raised hoof from Agravain halted them before the first shot could be taken.
The silent stallion fixed the Bearer of Laughter with a steely glare before gesturing to the alleyways. Mustaleski gave an indignant scowl but knew better than to argue.
Scuttling into the darkness of the streets, the mercenaries disappeared. Agravain’s face turned somewhat calm again as he bowed his head, perhaps with respect, at Pinkie and Lolli before his forehoof rose, trailing a primrose powder which he tossed to the ground, vanishing in a bright cloud. An alchemist’s trick.
Alone, the two mares switched off the music, gave a combined ‘whoo’ of exhaustion and hoof-bumped.
“Go Lolli.” Pinkie gasped.
“Go Pinkie” Lolli sighed.
“Okie-dokie...I’m looking for the rest of the girls.” The Bearer of Laughter cracked her hooves in eagerness “This city looks like its ready to party hard.”


*


A gilded horseshoe tapped frantically on the great quartz node as the three spheres of lapis lazuli, jasper and malachite refused to swirl in synch. Contact with Boulette and the Bearers within was not feasible.
Princess Celestia hung her head with exhaustion and distress.
“Come on...blast it, come on...”
“Princess, I really would stop, or at least pause. This cannot be good for you.”
“That’s not what’s important right now!”
At her bellow, the entire room appeared to shake.
Even such a resolute stallion as the one before her nearly quaked at the spectacle.
Celestia immediately regretted such an outburst and begun breathing deeply and speaking quietly.
“I’m sorry, Fancypants. I didn’t mean to...I’m just...”
“I-I-It’s quite alright, your highness. I can understand your stress, wholeheartedly. But we’re doing all we can to reverse the anti-magic field and track it. Patience will pay off.”
“But how long will it take before...” Celestia shook her head, unable to complete her sentence “Dear mother Laurelore...Twilight, Spike, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy...They’re all over there. Trapped, surrounded...Are you sure there’s nothing we can do?”
“I’m afraid the anti-magic makes teleportation impossible.” Fancypants explained “In the Crystal Empire, the magic of gemstones can negate the anti-magic but in Boulette, it is quite impossible to overpower it through the means we’re used to. We would need to send reinforcements by hoof which would take at least two days. We are trying to contact the neighbouring cities but we’re unsure if they can even hear us.”


The great pearly alicorn shut her eyes tight, tiny droplets of tears falling to the marble floor, before she suddenly turned and slapped her forelegs against the wall. Fancypants jumped as the sound of sobbing escaped his princess.
“I’m a fool!” she wept between grief and anger “I’m a huge damn fool! What was I thinking?! Sending the Bearers alone into a warzone! I...I...”
“Princess, please, you know that’s not true.” Fancypants reached out and gently held her shoulder “They’ve braved worse scrapes than this. And Boulette has an army and an Equestrian garrison. I’m certain they’ll fight them off.” his voice wavered “There...may well be a heavy cost in this but...I’m very sure we’ll pull through. Twilight is a strong girl, Celestia, one you’ve every reason to be proud of. And the Bearers are beside her every step. They’ll find a way through this. This is indeed a terrifying time. But friendship like theirs has always been a great conduit for courage in all who behold it.”
The weeping stopped. Celestia placed all hooves back on the floor and slowly turned, a heavy smile on her face as Fancypants produced a handkerchief to dry her tears.
“Dear old Fancy.” she said quietly, hope resurfacing in her voice “You’ve always found ways to keep me together at times like this.”
“I doubt I’ve have lasted so long at court if I didn’t, your highness, if I may say.” the gentlecolt chuckled “I’m told it was a skill of my mother’s as well, back when she was Chairmare.”
Celestia’s smile grew all the more wider.
“If there was a pony I’ve known in the last fifty years who I could see as a mother...it was her.”
Alicorns were a strange race. With endless and uncertain age, they could turn from elders to youths in the blink of an eye.
Great power came with all its burdens, far too many for one pony to bare alone whatever their race.
She’d known many Chairponies but struggled to remember each one.
Petticoat, however, she’d never forget.
The thought brought her to a dark place.
“Fancypants.” her tone turned firm “Please ensure our experts can do all they can. I...have to see somepony.”
“Very well. May I...know who this pony is?”
‘The one responsible for all this madness’ Celestia thought darkly, her mind gripped in an oncoming mass of fiery smog.
“I’m afraid this must remain a royal affair, sir.”
“As you wish but if we need to contact you, where will you be.”
The Princess stopped a moment, took a breath and spoke without turning.
“Invitro Hall.”


*


The great red stallion had followed the map exactly. While complex mathematics weren’t his forte, maps were clear as crystal to him.
The map itself had been hidden in the envelope that had carried the letter. In fact, it was the inside of the envelope itself. Opening it up fully, revealed the location.
Nopony would find this place.
As soon as the stone door had rolled aside, the newcomer beheld a great cavern in torchlight, filled by a gathering of both strange and familiar faces. Ms Harshwhinny, Bonbon and Fleur de Lis were practicing sparring with one another with wooden weaponry, landing swift, graceful strikes upon the blades. Iron Will was teaching a few other ponies wrestling techniques with a dummy, nearly breaking its limbs in some cases.
And just beside him, three dark, hooded ponies in armour walked past, nearly bumping into him.
Glancing at them, he nearly blanched as he noticed they were carrying a severed head.
One of them, a blue mare with a white ponytail and sharp canines, cast him a suspicious eye and growled.
“What are you looking at?!”
“Come along, Wolf.” the leader said dourly as they departed without another word.
The red stallion shook his head, unsure of what he’d just seen.
“Big McIntosh.”
At the iconic voice, the stallion instinctively turned and knelt as the graceful, enigmatic form of Princess Luna strode forward and glaced a silver-clad forehoof upon his shoulder.
“I thank thee for thine service here. Thine dedication shalt serve us well. Welcome, Big McIntosh...” she spread her wings and cast her forehoof across the workings of her organisation.
“...to Darkhorse.”
> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Battle raged on.
The hardy orange hooves of Applejack were learning that pony bones were a lot easier to kick loose than the trunks of apple trees. But like the orchard, they seemed surround her for miles.
Montague blasted away with spells of her own while Milvio had quickly recovered from Hed’Kika’s strike and was lashing out wildly at every foe with beak and talon.
All around friends and foes clashed, hoof-on-hoof, blade-on-blade.
As a mighty hoof connected with a mercenary’s jaw, Applejack suddenly shut her eyes tight.
There was blood on her face.
She could taste it on her lips.
Had it come from the mercenary she’d just kicked? One of his comrades? One of hers?
She could feel her mind becoming foggy. It wasn’t something she was used to. As all her friends knew, she was a straightforward, forthright and, above all, honest mare. She could remember various points in her life when she’d been so confused and unsure of herself but only through fatigue or confusion.
A terrible thought hit the back of her mind as she continued grappling with the foe.
Was this how Cascadius fought? Attrition and confusion?
Regardless of how many lives were lost?
Something cracked against the side of her face.
The world span, her ears were ringing a monotonous, metallic whine.
Had she dropped her hat?
There came a deafening rattle from above. Screams from the side of the city where the mercenaries swarmed rang out.
“My lady!” Montague’s voice cut through the ringing “On your hooves, quickly!”
“Where...” the Bearer of Honesty mumbled, finding her voice “The...rattlin’...”
“Up there. Don’t worry, they’re ours.” Montague yelled over the din, pointing to the rooftops.
Stallions in bronze and scarlet armour were firing off hails of shard from small, silver many-barrelled cannons, spinning wildly as they reloaded.
“Boulettan Crackleshot Cannons.” the officer explained “They’re sure to thin the herd.”
As they rained down their sharp metal pellets, mercenaries fell here and there, clutching at their wounds or lying still. In the time bided for them, the Equestrian Guard rallied and set up a shield wall.
She looked up again.
One of the gunners was looking at her through a dark visor.
C-c-c-crack!
Applejack’s forelegs gave way, her entire body nearly falling flat on the ground as she clutched a bleeding gash across her cheek. Panting hoarsely to avoid screaming, she struggled to find her hooves.
The Crackleshot was firing too close.
“Cease fire!” Montague’s yell could barely be heard over the racket as she herself clutched a bloody shoulder.
She could practically feel her pupils shrink as the cannon whirred into life again, primed on her.
It was too close.


Pow!
The Crackleshot Cannon fell swiftly to earth, smashing onto the cobblestones. The visored gunner that had wielded it followed suit, though the visor was pretty much gone, along with most of his head.
Applejack and Montague spun round from where they’d heard the shot pierce the cacophony.
Beside Hed’Kika’s unconscious body, a strange mare swathed in Saddle Arabian cloth that obscured all but the shadow of her eyes had appeared. Her hood was turned up slightly, suggesting she was a unicorn, but no sign of her colours could be seen. Applejack noticed she was depositing a smoking sniper rifle across a belt slung across her back.
Around her was bronze-coloured mist, tell-tale signs of recent teleportation and, as he grabbed hold of Hed’Kika’s ear, her horn lit up and rings of brass-coloured light encircled the pair of them.
The mare gave a mocking salute as they disappeared.
Behind them, a blaring horn went off from somewhere around the city.
The mercenaries stopped in their tracks and the ones closest to the fighting collectively threw down spherical objects.
Cloudy jets of coloured smoke filled the air as the foes made their escape, scurrying like vermin into the alleyway network they’d likely memorised before the attack.
As the noise subsided slightly, the guard took a moment to gather themselves and collect the dead.
“Dang it!” the farm-pony cursed adjusted her hat “Ah gotta’ find the girls. This whole rotten city’s takin’ years off my life.”


*


Twilight’s eyes fixed themselves on the eerie pegasus clambering atop the arching rooftop. Coyly, almost playfully, Corax stood to his full height and hopped down the enormous drop, his great black and white wings slowing his fall enough for him to land perfectly fine as graceful as any ballerina. He bowed and behind her, trapped between two waves of guard, Almogavar and his crew clapped obligingly.
Corax spoke to his new royal adversary in his effete, impeccably polite manner.
“Good morrow to thee, merry ladies.” he cooed “How goes this hurly-burly? To be sure, thine grace be unwounded.”
“Stop this.” Twilight interrupted him, her eyes blazing, trying to keep her voice calm but firm, suitably ‘princess-like’ “This is wrong, you should see that! You’re killing hundreds for no reason whatsoever!”
“Not so.” Corax shrugged with a smile that would have been soothing on any other face “Tis a gift.”
“A gift?! It’s murder!”
“Murder?!” he melodramatically clutched his chest “Thou art a deft and vicious thing to wound me so. I be’est no murderer so crass and savage.”
“Then what do you call this?!”
Corax looked about the carnage, his face as innocent as a choircolt.
“Theatre, dear mare.” he waved a hoof about him.
“Have you such little respect for life?!” Rarity barked.
“Not at all, fair Miss Rarity. Life is glorious!” He drew his rapier and pressed it to his chest “And so it is my duty, as a warrior bold and a muse inspired to ensure that death is every bit as glorious still!” He sighed “Tis the greatest pity when a pony is born into this wondrous world and does naught but while away their days until their last. Nay...To die in battle, against Corax the Bloody Bard...'Tis a death that shall be remembered. Etched into mural fine and mourned lackaday by the widows and orphans. Do you not agree that is so much more...dramatic?”
“You’re insane!”
“As are many artistic minds.”
“Enough!” Twilight spread her wings out formidably “It’s pretty clear you won’t listen to reason so I’ll talk on the bottom line here. Your troops are surrounded. Stand down and you’ll be treated fairly. This is a time-limited offer.”
In front of Rarity, Almogavar the one-eyed zebra titled his head with intrigue, no sign of fear on his face.
Corax gave a small snort through his nostrils and smiled.
“Nay, child. That die is long since cast.” He reached into his long black cloak and retrieved something.
A horn. A long, twisting goat’s horn, dark grey and flecked with puce. The butt of it had been carved into a ring set of spines, like a leech’s jaw. Cradling it almost lovingly, he spoke again.
“Sound trumpets. Let our bloody colours wave. And either victory or else a grave.”
“Stop it! Just stop it!” Twilight yelled “Can’t you see this for what it is?”
“And pray, what is it?”
“It’s evil! This is evil! All the tricks, all the killing, the lives you’re taking! Can’t you see that?!” Twilight screamed, fighting to get through to her opponent’s mind, if it were at all possible.
Corax gave a lilting chuckle and held the horn in one hoof before him.
“No pony means evil but the devil...and we shall know him by his horns.”
Before anypony could blink, he’d done something disturbing.


He'd stabbed himself in the side of the head with the butt of the horn, the teeth digging into his scalp.
His milky, mint-green eyes went blank. His face and neck twisted and creaked as he slowly, like a puppet pulled on strings, stood on his hind legs, his wings spread to their full length, the tips arching into the air. His blank eyes then went crimson, as if filling up with blood.
Taken aback, Rarity saw Almogavar give her a smirk and speak in a sardonic manner.
“Now would be a good time to run.”
Twilight felt her mane blow back as Corax opened his mouth. From his throat erupted a great guttural howl. Echoing through the city, Twilight could feel her eardrums shaking in her skull as she fought to keep her hooves steady.
“Hold position!” Blizzard Wind fought to be heard over the echo.
“What...” Rarity’s head swam as she tried to form sentences properly “What was that?”
Corax stumbled, his head bowing, as the horn attached to his scalp fell loose, the gash at the side of his head Rarity noticed before bleeding down his face. The deranged pegasus looked up with his usual green eyes and smiled.
“Twas the Headstone Horn, dear madam. The beckoning hollerer of my ghoulish brethren.”
A chill ran down Rarity’s neck as she worked things out in her mind.
“Twilight...” she called out.
“Ghouls?” the alicorn asked Corax, seemingly deaf to her friend’s call.
“Be you not aware, most clue’ed muse?” Corax chuckled, his tongue lolling out and licking the side of his face as a trickle of his own blood ran down his cheek “So like th’eerie Wendigoes, Ghouls are born from tumultuous umbrage and mordant spite, such so oft’ the final thoughts of those slain in the broils of battle...” His eyes appeared to light up as he grinned.
“And be I so blessed with fortune that old Boulea saw so much bloodshed?!”
The scream he’d given before seemed to resonate from the ground.
And before Twilight could blink, the roads and sidewalks had cracked open like eggshells and dozens of scrabbling, slavering, undead freaks had shot out of the ground.
“Defensive positions!” Blizzard yelled “Hold the line, you sons of nags!”
Twilight reared on her hind legs, her horn blazing every shade of violet as she prepared a shielding spell bolstered by holy flame to burn away any ghoul that approached.
As her magic filled her mind, she became deaf to Rarity’s frantic yells.
Or the hiss of a crystalline blade from Almogavar’s belt.


As the pierce of pale quartz shot into her shoulder, an eruption of broken focus went off in her head. Twilight fell forward, the shield dissipating mid-summon. Almogavar drew his halberd, raised it high and rallied his fellows.
Before Rarity could aid her treasured friend, one of the mercenaries threw a cluster of bombs that burst into a noxious green flame before her. Frantically brushing embers out of her face, Rarity called out Twilight’s name again and again as Blizzard and his crew tried to fight the blaze.
As the ghouls fell upon the guards, Threadbare grabbed the alicorn by the mane and threw her into the throng as mercenaries of all kinds set upon her. Corax swooped over the ghoul swarm and drew his rapier before the princess, grinning like a foal with free reign over a toy store. Finding her focus, Twilight dodged the swing of Threadbare’s blade, catching him with a hoof to the side of his face. With a grunt, the stitched-together pony stepped back, the alicorn casting a spell upon her hoof to make the next punch really count.
The next moment, she gave a shriek as Corax’s rapier dived into the shoulder-flesh below her wing and was drawn out just as quickly. Before she could even clutch at the wound, Threadbare has regained his balance and brought his free foreleg up, delivering a vicious uppercut to the alicorn.
Twilight’s head spun. She managed to cast a flash-bang charm for a moment as she found her hooves. She found herself drawing them back just as quickly as Khopesh, the tattooed thug from earlier, slashed at her foreleg with his sickle-blade. To ensure none attacked her from behind, Twilight flapped her wings hard while on the ground, measuring how close the surrounding foes were on the air. As she reared up and kicked Khopesh across the face, the mercenary crouched down.
Like an arrow shot from his bow, with a cry of ‘Huzzah!’, Corax vaulted over Khopesh and struck out with his rapier. Twilight barely dodged his lightning-fast thrusts, the last one she felt cutting across her ear. Before she could fight him off, Khopesh stood up and used himself as a jumping board, launching Corax into the air before throwing down a small clay bomb that burst into a metallic flash in Twilight’s eyes. Blinded, she could do nothing as the butt of Almogavar’s polearm slammed with force into the back of her head.
As the ground rushed up to meet her, it dawned on her.
The mercenaries were fighting with not just tricks and guile.
They were using teamwork...
Friendship.
It shamed her to admit to being so insular but she’d never once expected the Magic of Friendship to apply to, for lack of a better word, ’The Bad Guys’.
The feel of the cold steel edge pressing against her neck shut her thoughts off.
She heard them.
“We got her...” Khopesh said shakily, disbelief in his voice “We got her...”
“Hreeeeeeee.” Threadbare hissed, cradling his blade.
“So we did.” Almogavar laughed triumphantly, a hoof on the alicorn’s back. “How d’you like that, prissy?!”
As her vision was regained, Twilight saw the serene smile of Corax, joined by the edge of his blade just before jugular.
“Fare thee well, princess.” he said as a normal pony would say ‘Ta-ta for now’.
His grip tightened on the blade.


Everything warped and rippled, like the world suddenly trapped itself in a many-faceted gem.
A sonorous wail like the cry of a peacock filled the air. The hooves of the mercenaries shook, they fell from their quarry and stared as Rarity leapt through the fire, burning blue flame in her eyes.
Throwing her head towards the sky she let loose another booming contralto cry, louder and longer.
Rings of glassy flare flowed out like a pebble dropped into a crystal-clear pond, each one shooting forth with a pounding thrum. Corax, Almogavar, Threadbare, Khopesh and all the other mercenaries were blown back across the street and the ghouls scrambled away from their prey, clutching the sides of their heads and balling up into foetal positions until they slowly faded to nothing.
Rarity’s blazing eyes bore into the foe as she bellowed with ten voices at once.
“BEGONE!”
Almogavar found his hooves, glanced to his fellows and nodded.
“I believe we’ve done all we can here, folks.” he growled “Abort!”
Corax stood on his hind legs as his fellows departed.
He gave an impressed smile.
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” he chuckled “Thou art a maid of most remark, O Rarity fair.”
“I said begone!” the seamstress growled, the streaks of flame steadily dying in her eyes.
“Aye, my lady.” the pegasus bowed and took to wing with one last discourse.
“If we do meet again, why then we shall smile. If not, why then, this parting was well made.”
And with a flick of his wings, he disappeared into the alleys on the wing, spinning and twirling in flight.
As Twilight made a stumbling return to full consciousness, she checked on Rarity with astonishment. Her friend was sitting on her haunches, breathing heavily, her mane hanging low with exertion.
“Oh dear...” the seamstress gasped “That was...rather wearing.”
“Rarity, that...that...Where did you learn that?!” Twilight exclaimed as she clasped Rarity’s shoulders “That’s like...advanced defensive magic! Have you been taking classes?!”
“Twilight dear, do you...do you think we could talk about this after we’ve gotten back home?”
“Oh...yeah, sure.” The alicorn laughed nervously.
“Your highness.” The blue mare Rarity had helped before approached and bowed. Turning to the guards, Twilight took note of the wounded, now healed quite substantially after Rarity’s spell. Though she counted at least half a dozen dead.
Feeling certain there was something in her throat, Twilight nodded and spoke grimly.
“Secure the area. If we can pursue them, do so at a distance. We have reinforcements underway. The city will soon be protected. You’ve done very well, officer...”
“Sergeant Odessa, your highness.”
“I’ll escort you, ma’am.” Blizzard said, loading up his revolving crossbow, his scorched wing tips twitching.
“Thank you.” Twilight rested Rarity’s lolling head on her shoulder “Come on, Rarity. You’ve done enough for one day. Spike must be missing us.”


*


Fluttershy could practically feel her heart thundering against her chest as she cantered down the streets.
How ironic, she thought, that the battle was raging all across the city but she couldn’t find it anywhere.
Taking to the skies would help but that would just leave her completely in the open for the sharpshooter or any other.
But were the others okay? That was the question ringing loudest in her mind.
She could at least speed up on the wing.
Taking off she flew down the streets gracefully, catching the feel of a sudden gust as she turned a corner.
“Eep!”
Thwump!
Pegasus and griffon fell in a heap as Gilda looked up, shook her head and spat feathers.
“Damn it! What the...”
At the sight of the notorious ruffian that had reduced her to tears some time ago, Fluttershy gave a startled squeak.
“I’m sorry, Gilda! I’m sorry I flew into you! Please don’t yell at me!”
“What? Oh, it’s you.” With her avian front legs, Gilda grabbed hold of the dainty little pegasus and got her to her hooves “You wanna’ get outta’ here. This place ain’t safe.”
“You...you’re not with them, are you?
“What?! No!” Gilda shook Fluttershy firmly by the cheek “Get it together, Butters, I’m on your side!”
Fluttershy blinked.
“Flutters.” she mumbled “My friends call me ‘Flutters’, not Butters.”
“Well, whatever it is, I think this clucker’s about to call you ‘dead’.”
Fluttershy’s green eyes widened with terror as a ruddy-coated pegasus with a missing eye, a gold tooth and a machete hovered in the air in front of them. He grinned menacingly, his gold tooth twinkling slightly.
“...‘Ello...” Bloodhound chuckled.
To Fluttershy’s astonishment, Gilda reared up and shielded her, hissing at the mercenary before her.
“Back off, buddy!” she bellowed “I got two pairs of talons, two pairs of paws, a sharp beak and harsh language and I’m not afraid to use any of ‘em! You come any closer, I'll find whatever ponies use to make their eggs and rip yours clean off!”
There was a pause.
Then Bloodhound nonchalantly drew a bolter.
Gilda’s face fell.
“Well...Shoot.” she cursed.
“With pleasure.” Bloodhound sneered as she cocked the bolter.


Cling!
With a metallic screech, the mercenary found it knocked out his hoof as a crossbow bolt found its mark upon its barrel. Its wielder snarled.
“Alright, who did that?!”
“Oi! Flank-wipe!”
The full, formidable figure of Colonel Peregrine dived into battle, putting away a crossbow and drawing the largest battle-axe Fluttershy had ever seen.
Gilda, however, had seen larger but she didn’t let that bother her. For the moment, the axe was on their side and that was what mattered.
Peregrine and Bloodhound clashed in mid-air. Bloodhound held his machete firm, his free hoof pressed against the flat edge of his blade to hold it against the battle-axe’s force.
“Right...” Peregrine barked in his authoritative tone “Now that we’ve established you’re nothing special, I want you to listen good. I am Colonel Rameses G. Peregrine of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard and by the authority invested in me by the Princesses of Equestria and her domains, I want you cowardly scum out of this city! And I want you out now!”
Bloodhound answered with a roar as machete and battle-axe clashed, their wielders circling around each other in aerial dance of death, further and further into the sky till they disappeared into the clouds.
“...cool.” Gilda mumbled.
“PULLET!”
A shrill cry came from a rooftop as an imposing golden-brown male eagle-griffon glared at them imperiously. Behind him, a slighter griffon with deep-blue feathers, a parrot’s beak and a panther hind piped up.
“Ye alright there, Gilda lass?” he spoke with a soft Trottish accent.
“Quiet!” The larger griffon snapped as Gilda scowled and bowed her head slightly.
“I’m alright, Hyacinth,” she said to the parrot-headed griffon before turning to the eagle “Milvio.”
“Lord Milvio!” he snarled “We shall return to our roostings then address the drudges of this dung-heap, immediately! Snap to it, pullet, do not delay! You too, psitacci!” he glared at the blue parrot-griffon before taking to the wing.
“Um...” Fluttershy mumbled “What do we ‘pull’, exactly?”
“No, no, pullet. I’m a pullet, half-pullet anyway. It’s a griffon thing.” she shrugged, spreading her wings “I gotta’ go. Smell ya’ later”
“Wait!”
Fluttershy gripped Gilda’s shoulder in a panic as she drew her gaze away from the battle.
“Where are the girls?!” she asked fearfully “Where’s Rainbow?! You must know!”
“We got separated.” Gilda glanced around “I think she went toward the ‘Restricted Zone’.”
“Okay.” The Bearer of Kindness looked around nervously “Can I help in any way?”
“I think the best thing you can do is find some way to contact your friends and keep together.”
Fluttershy, remembering what she’d meant to do from the start before all this madness, checked the communicator.
It was glowing again.
“Oh! Oh thank goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she brushed her hoof against it and spoke “Girls! Are you there?”


*


Wind billowed through a mane of seven colours.
The skyscrapers of Boulette blurred into a great glass labyrinth as Rainbow Dash swooped and weaved her way across the cityscape, the most capable flyers among the mercenary strike team in hot pursuit.
With a cocky smile and a wry glint in her crimson eyes, the headstrong young pegasus was in her element.
She was only sorry Dumb-Bell, Hoops and Score weren’t here to see this.
Behind her, pegasi, griffons and even one or two more exotic fliers were in pursuit. Here and there, she would make a sharp turn or pull back a sign or window.
Hearing them smack against the obstacle and scream a curse as they fell was really quite satisfying.
Her communicator clip had been fastened to her ear just in case, and sure enough, the gentle sound of her oldest and dearest friend softly sounded.
“Girls, are you okay? Please answer, I’m so worried!”
“Flutters?” Rainbow called above the din of the rushing wind “I’m okay. I made some new friends.”
“Those bucking wings are coming off when we catch up, shorty!” One of the mercenaries yelled behind her.
“See, we’re getting on just fine!” the Bearer of Loyalty chuckled “How did you get the communicators working again?”
“That would be me.” a higher-pitched, chirpier voice interrupted. Pinkie Pie.
“Hi Flutters, Hi Dashie! Me and Lolli got ‘em souped up again. One of those meanies was trying to shut them down but we showed him what for!”
“Nice one, Pinkie. The others okay?”
“Hi girls. I’m with Rarity, afraid she’s a bit worn-out but we’re not too hurt.” Twilight spoke.
“Well, ah’m trying to chase down those varmints but this whole city’s a maze. Ah hope they ain’t in the Restricted Zone.”
“No problem, AJ. That’s where most of our guards are. On that note...” Rainbow Dash caught sight of the towers conjoining the great gates of the Restricted Zone.
Her wings tilting downwards, she dived towards the towers as Lieutenant Jupiter stood up and grimly surveyed the oncoming foe. Raising his mace high, he bellowed out a command.
“All Guns! Open Fire!”
Equestrian guard atop the towers powered up crystal-charged machinery. Trident-shaped arrays span like helicopter blades as lightning crackled and snarled. With an almighty buzz, Lightning Fork Cannons shot forth a chain of debilitating voltage.
The mercenaries caught in the line of fire convulsed in mid-air, open-mouthed and wide-eyed before steadily tumbling to earth, smoking slightly, where Sergeant Volvic and auxiliaries surrounded them with high shields and electric tridents.
Their leader, a blue-grey griffon with the head of a Majesty Crowned Pidgeon, glanced around, thought a moment and threw down her pair of swords, bowing her head in surrender. She was joined by her fellows as the guard cuffed them.
“Sweet.” Rainbow said breathlessly as she gathered herself.
“Very well done, Miss Dash.” Jupiter said with admiration “We’ll take this filth to confinement. The authorities have demanded any prisoner is interrogated with every sanctioned force. You should head back and find the Bearers. The Colonel will address all figures of influence once the city is deemed secure.”
“Thanks, Jupe. You ponies done good.” She smiled as she flicked the communicator “Don’t wait up, girls. I’ll see you at our place.”


*


It was getting on for mid-evening when the Bearers of Harmony reconvened outside the suite. The building itself had been relatively unscathed but the guard had doubled and all staff wore looks of worry. Rainbow found Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy in the main hall, Lafayette and Blizzard Wind accompanying them. The unicorn and alicorn rested against each other while the pegasus practically flew into Rainbow’s forehooves.
“Oh Dashie, I was so worried!” Fluttershy gasped “I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you, I’m sorry I couldn’t find you, I’m sorry-”
“Hey, hey! Slow down, Flutters. It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She looked up “Where are the others?”
“They’ll be arriving shortly.” Twilight said sleepily.
Sure enough, the door swung open as Applejack and Montague entered followed up by Pinkie Pie and Lolli Beats, both mares bouncing jubilantly.
“Who da mares?!” they cried out, striking a pose.
There was a pause.
Twilight raised one eyebrow.
“Yeah, let’s never say that again.” Lolli mumbled as Montague listened into a receiver and spoke up.
“Okay team. That was Jupiter. The Colonel fought off who we think was the ringleader of the encroachers but he’s pretty bloodied up and is requesting all officers report to HQ immediately. All aggressors have left the zone. Reinforcements to arrive in o’ two-hundred hours.”
“Right.” Blizzard Wind placed his helm over his bandaged forehead and bowed.
“Thank you, Bearers of Harmony, this city is saved in no small thanks to you.”
“You’re very welcome, noble officers.” Twilight said sagely “You’ve done Equestria proud.”
As the guards departed and the six friends headed up the stairs, Rainbow paused as he fully caught sight of Fluttershy’s face and the injuries it had sustained.
The bruised eye, the cracked lip, the gash across her cheek.
Rainbow’s voice grew quiet and slightly shaky, her eyes wide and blank with contained fury.
“Shy, who did this?” she whispered “Who hurt you?”
“I-I-It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt anymore, I promise. I’m...I’m just glad you’re okay. I...” As her breath quickened, staring into Rainbow’s concerned eyes, Fluttershy’s head fell into her friend’s shoulder as she covered the bruised side of her face and gently cried.
“I’m sorry.” she whimpered “I didn’t want to cry when the...guards were around. I didn’t want them to worry.”
“It’s okay...” Rainbow gently brushed her friend’s mane with her forehoof as she whispered soothingly, almost motherly “It’s okay. It’s all over now. I’m sure Angel’ll make you feel better. I bet he’s missed you.”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy.” Twilight said, unlocking the door to their room “We’ve got through today and tomorrow we head back home. There’s nothing more to...”
She stopped as the six mares looked into their room.
The remains of a dirty bomb kit lay sprawled about the room. Pieces of shattered ceramic vase lay scattered next to a bedside table. Several bed-sheets had been pulled from the beds. One of the sliding glass doors on the balcony was slightly cracked.
And in the centre of the room, a dragon hatchling and a white rabbit were tying two Boulettan officers, one dark-red, one light-green, to two opposite chairs with the twisted-up bedsheets, balled-up pillowcases stuffed in their mouths as gags.
The two creatures turned to the stunned mares and gave awkward smiles.
“Er...hey.” Spike mumbled “Yeah...funny story.”


*


The butler was very close to ruining his coat-tails when he beheld the full form of Princess Celestia upon the front porch of the stately Invitro Hall.
He let her in without a word.
Princess Celestia gazed around.
She had only visited Invitro Hall twice.
Once so long ago it seemed like ancient history. Indeed, it was ancient history to many, back when Laurelore ruled Equestria and the gifted artist, Count Diaphanous Glass and his beguiling Lady Hour ruled Invitro Hall. They were there to have their likeness encapsulated in magnificent stained glass that to this day decorated the royal palace.
The second time hadn’t been all that long ago. It had been at the wedding of old Count Stained and the late Countess Cylindrica.
Cylindrica had once served as Celestia’s lady-in-waiting, beside the future Chairmare, Petticoat, Fancy Pants’s mother. She’d been such a happy mare with so many stories about her goofy young colt-friend.
Like so many, she drifted away from Celestia as her mortal life cycled on.
Though she remembered the worried letters she’d sent. Letters about how rarely her daughter, Magnifying, smiled or laughed with the family. How she said such nasty things about ponies and how she made those opinions known in such troubling ways.
How she’d find her in the garden...doing things to small creatures.
One of the last letters told a sordid tale of a skinned rabbit found hidden in little Looking Glass’s pillowcase. Nopony knew how it got there but Cylindrica had her suspicions, though it shamed her, and they only grew after she’d heard the laughter from the other daughter’s room.
A child’s laughter. The first time she’d heard it from her.
Celestia’s eyes flickered with a jasmine and amber flame with the memory.
Everything the Glass family had once stood for, all the love they’d had for each other and for Equestria, all destroyed by the spite and hatred of a single member of them, their memory forever tainted.
And even that wasn’t enough for her.


Finding Countess Magnifying Glass wasn’t hard. One simply had to follow the smell of alcohol.
As she neared the smoking-room, two fish-faced young mares, one fat, one thin, stood in front of her.
Monocular and Binocular pouted childishly before their princess.
“You took your time!” Monocular sneered “It’s disgraceful the way the Glass family have been treated!”
“We’ve been humiliated by common ponies and our concerns neglected!” Binocular scoffed “That’s what mother says anyway!”
“And we are entitled to our dead daddy’s inheritance. Its high past the date that the courts can hold onto it! We want it now!”
“Yes! And our share of the glass trade stocks! And our cut from stupid old Irregular’s wages! And our-”
A gilded hoof slammed upon the ceramic floor, leaving a generous crack. As her eyes and mane cracked and blazed. her voice echoed almost demonically through just one word.
“Move.”
Monocular and Binocular blinked, their faces long with terrified grimaces.
Steadily, they shuffled sideways out of her way, scuttling up the stairs and barricading themselves in their rooms.
Walking slowly and almost silently, Princess Celestia found the Countess.
She was hunched over the fireplace in an armchair, a poker in her hoof brushing through the fireplace. She turned slightly, the face of the once-formidable aristocrat twisting in intrigue as she eyed the Princess.
“Why, Princess Celestia.” she said, not hiding her sneer “How very nice of you to pay a visit to our humble home. Shall I show you around? You really get a head of the place when you’ve stuck inside it for seven damn years!”
“You got off lightly, Mrs Glass. I thought so from the beginning and now I’ve never been more certain of it.”
“Countess!” the old mare hissed.
“’Mrs’ Glass will do just fine.” Celestia paced forward “I’ve come to talk. Do not think me completely ignorant. I know what you’ve done...What you are.”
There was a pause. Two very powerful mares looked into each other’s eyes predatorily.
Countess Glass rose from her armchair as a corpse would rise from the grave.
Celestia felt disturbed at the sight of her. Yet she couldn’t help but feel it was befitting.
The grotesque, horrifying creature Magnifying Glass had always been inside was now at the surface for all to see.
“You’ve come to negotiate?” the side of Magnifying Glass’s cracked lips twisted in sick amusement.
“Yes and no.” Celestia stood to her full height, at least a full foot and a half taller than the Countess and spoke in her Princess voice.
Unlike Luna’s thunderous bellow, Celestia’s voice was calm but firm, assuring listeners that they would put up with no hint of dissent and needing very little to let them imagine the consequences of trying her patience.
Alone, in a quiet room, it was more frightening than a hundred Nightmare Moons.
“Where is Cascadius?”


There was another pause.
The Countess blinked four times in swift succession.
Then she gave a sickly smile and strangulated snigger.
“You’re asking for my help now?”
“No.” Celestia replied “I’m demanding it.”
“Demand?” the Countess’s eye twitched “You...demand to me?”
“I do. And if you have a shred of sense, you’ll comply.”
“You...” The old mare’s face contorted between amusement and insult “Do you really imagine that I’m afraid of you?”
“Do you really imagine I can’t make you afraid of me?”
The Countess took a deep breath, raising one eyebrow arrogantly.
“...’your highness’...We are both figures of power. There’s only one key difference. I know how to use that power. You do not. Nor have you ever wanted to. And power is like a password or a secret door. We have to use it as often as we can...or we forget it’s there.”
“Abusing power is not testament to strength.”
“Ha!” The Countess tossed her head with a chuckle “You’re starting to sound just like my father. I always found that phrase so amusing, ‘Abuse of power’. Only ponies like him...and you...could see power as some kind of terrible, addictive substance you need to steer clear of. It must be some kind of defence mechanism...to hide the fact that you’re just scared.”
This time, Celestia raised an eyebrow.
“Are we?”
“Dear Princess, let me enlighten you on something. Since the financial crisis some two dozen years ago, you and your family have had...surprisingly little power in Canterlot. And the reason for that is that you don’t understand power. And you always fear what that you don’t understand.”
“I have seen what the lust for power does to others.”
“What, from your sister? Who’s to say power did that to her?” Magnifying Glass cocked a smug smile “Who’s to say she wasn’t just a bad pony from the start? Why not? That’s what they said about me.”
One could practically hear the teeth of Celestia grinding against each other from behind her tight lips.
“I looked into your finances.” she said emotionlessly “I unravelled the web.”
“Impressed?”
The Princess closed her eyes a moment and replied.
“I wondered for years...since the beginning...why did nopony in this city raise a hoof to stop you? Therein I found the answer.” she sighed “When you sent your father to the mental wards, you took over the debts everypony once owed him. You threw his generosity back in their faces and set up a city-wide blackmailing scheme. Everypony of note would let you have your way or they’d lose everything.”
“Well, obviously discretion doesn’t do wonders if you want to prove something.” the Countess shrugged “It was enough for all my father’s associates to understand things would be very different now. But a certain Chairmare wasn’t very smitten with the idea.” she shook her head “I’m afraid I didn’t like her attitude at all. What happened next ensured there’d no misunderstandings among the elite.”
She leaned in forward, her yellow eyes like pools of sulphur, her voice like the growls of a hungry scavenger.
“That’s...real...power.”
Celestia scowled.
“Have you any shred of regret?”
“No. Does that surprise you?”
“As we speak, hundreds could be losing their lives thanks to the monsters you believed you could command.”
“Thousands, I should think...or rather, hope.”
“Why?” Celestia shook her head “Why do you hope that? What do you gain from this slaughter?!”
“Satisfaction of a point well-made.” The Countess answered without pausing “You denied me my authority, in my family, in the court, in Canterlot. This is what happens when ponies deny me something. I’ve spent my whole life demonstrating the dangers of such an action.”
Celestia’s eyes flickered again as she spoke bitterly.
“You are a poisonous, hateful old hag without a heart.”
The Countess tilted her head and replied.
“And you’re a spoiled, brainless, little pay-ride with no knowledge of the world you believe you rule.” She gave a smirk “We can continue this all day and you can either carry on with this ridiculous ‘ever-so-princessly’ false tranquillity or grunt, hiss and snarl in a frenzy but the end result is the same...” She held out a forehoof and smiled with discoloured teeth and wide yellow eyes in a way she must have thought looked triumphant.
“You can’t touch me.”


Princess Celestia placed a hoof on Magnifying Glass’s shoulder.


The Countess’s smile faded. Her face became blank, staring at the hoof at her shoulder.
Celestia stepped forward, causing the Countess to shuffle back in her grip.
The alicorn could practically hear the quickening heart-beat of the mare before her.
"Magnifying Glass..." Celestia said with a tone of utter tranquillity, her face relaxed, utterly at peace "Do you know why I choose not to act on the power you criticize me for not using? It's because...I believe that a ruler should show self-control, solve problems through reason and compassion, give before taking and build a better world through it...and many others believe that as well. Luna says that I ought to be the elder sister, thinking first and making decision based on logic and fair judgement. Cadence says that ponies look for a ruler they can look up to. Fancy Pants says that the key to keeping focussed is self-awareness and composure. And Laurelore...she taught me so much. And I try. I want you to know that I really do try to live up to their expectations...but..." she took a step forward.
"When I think of the Bearers...Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and my dear apprentice, Twilight Sparkle...who, without them, I would not have the strength to rule this kingdom...threatened with death, forced to witness the worst side of conflict by those who spit on the ideals of harmony..."
She took another step.
"And when I think I think of Fancy Pants who I have watched grow into a gallant and selfless stallion who has improved every good pony’s life since he acquired his cutie mark...and remember the pain and heartbreak and tragic loss he suffered at the hooves of your family...and the two wondrously kind and giving ponies taken from this world in the same way..."
Another step.
"And little Derpy Doo who is so precious to all of us that there are times we believe she was Bonnycorn's gift to life itself...and every day she’s spent helping others and doing all she should to look after her friends, her town, and her truly magical family...and I think of how many years she dealt with your coldness and abuse, the torment she suffered because of your pomposity and spite...what it could have done to her if she hadn't come to Ponyville..."
Another step.
"And Ponyville itself, so beautiful and peaceful...filled with every kind of pony and so welcoming to those outside...how it has changed for the better with the help of so many good ponies, devoted to the ideals of harmony, how many friendships have been made and flourished in that town...and I think of it ground to dust and its ponies separated from each other, brought down to nothing simply because you wished it so...When I think of that...and all others who’ve suffered in this mad cycle...all because of you..."
She briefly looked round the room and inhaled deeply.
"That’s...when...I...get...MAD!"


With a brazen clang, Celestia’s gilded hoof smashed like a sledgehammer into the side of Countess Magnifying Glass’s face. The old mare sailed across the smoking-room and crashed into a chest of drawers, lying in a heap, clutching her cheek with pained gasps.
She found herself lifted up by her collar as Celestia’s blazing eyes bore into her own.
“Where’s Cascadius?” she asked again.
The Countess squawked with pain and fury.
“Argh...Oh...You Plot!”
She found herself flying across the room again, slamming into the side of the wall.
She was grabbed again before she hit the ground.
“Where is he hiding?”
“I...” the Countess gasped “I don’t know!”
The world rushed in circles for Magnifying Glass as Celestia swung her into the coffee table, smashing it to pieces. The alicorn towered over her.
“Where did you find him? Who did he direct you to? What did he tell you?!”
“Please!” The Countess held up shaking forehooves “He didn’t tell me anything!”
“YOU LIE!” Celestia roared as the Countess was hauled in the air, shoved against the hard stone above the fireplace and pressed, slowly.
“Tell me what he told you...” the alicorn demanded “Tell me now!”
“Please...I...I don’t...” The Countess screamed as she felt the sides of her skull nearly squashing in on themselves as magic from one side and hard stone on the other trapped her head in mid-air “He never told me anything, I swear...I never asked...I told him to do anything...he did it. He always did it until...”
“Until he took control.” Celestia shook her head “Pathetic.”
The glow around her horn dissipated and the Countess fell to the floor, gasping for air, nursing bruises and staunching gashes, her horn glowing crimson as she slowly healed herself, unmoving.
“You believed you could command him like a pet when the leash you believed was yours never existed to begin with.” The Princess spat “Well, let me assure you. There are far worse things to fear than Cascadius.”
The Countess glowered at her, her bruises dark and angry.
“What makes you think I fear him?!” she hissed.
“Countess...” Celestia sighed “If I fear him, the Bearers fear him and the Doctor fears him...WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU DON’T?!"
Magnifying Glass flinched, bowing her head, staring at the floor obligingly until the danger passed.
“You’re useless. To them, to me, to all.” Celestia said with contempt “If nothing else, I’ve shown you how much power you actually have this night. The horde you brought to our gates has already begun its slaughter but we will defeat them, I can assure you of that. And when we do, you will have nothing left to hide behind. Know that the rules of Royal Equestria are very different in times of war. When your house arrest ends, you’d better hope you’re a fast runner and a light sleeper. Because when this war you wrought is ended, you will stand trial for every crime the records your pet sent me reveal you to have committed. And once you are found guilty of high treason, which you very much will be...” She let the silence seep a moment before turning towards the door, two final words ending her visit.
“...you’ll hang.”
When Celestia slammed the door behind her, the mural depicting the Banishment of the Bonnycorn shattered, falling to so many pieces on the floor, it was practically powderised.


Silence reigned Invitro Hall.
The Countess sat in the armchair a while, turning back towards the fireplace as her wounds healed.
Her horn occupied, her hooves slowly reached out and clasped the poker, still resting in the burning wood.
It was red hot.
She stared at it, looking deep into the burning metal, seeing her niece crying, screaming, hooves raised in a plea for mercy.
‘Fsssh!’
The poker toppled over and fell back into the burning logs.
The Countess was quiet.
She’d seen her niece, weeping and fearful, just as she needed her to be.
She’d been so close.
Her hooves had reached out to grab at nothing.
Her neck had craned forward where she’d bitten thin air.
With blank, dead eyes, Countess Magnifying Glass slowly retrieved the red-hot poker and stood up, corpse-like. Small, faint hisses came from when she looked down the poker and droplets of her drool evaporated on the searing surface.
Step by step, her body swaying morbidly, she walked to the vacant great hall where just before the staircase, the great portrait of her sister and her family stood in paint.
A smiling baby Irregular sat happily between her adoring parents. One of her eyes pointed towards the end of the staircase.
Looking at her.
Mocking her.
‘Drrrong...’
The Countess’s ears pricked as she froze.
The bells of Canterlot, built into the New Arch of Unity after the Crystal War, sounding the end of the old hour and the beginning of the new one.
‘Drrrong...’
It was seven-at-night.
The Countess inhaled deeply.
Her eye twitched.
‘Drrrong...’
She exhaled deeply and spoke, not knowing whether it was out loud or in her head.
“Ring on...”
The poker raised before the portrait.
‘Drrrong...’
“For births that lead to early deaths...”
‘Drrrong...’
“For marriages made in hell...”
‘Drrrong...’
“And for the coming in of every year that brings this accursed world closer to its end...”
‘Drrrong...’
The final toll blotted out the hissing tear and the hellish crackle as the poker plunged itself into baby Irregular’s eye. The smiling face twisted and blackened as the portrait caught fire, the flames eating away at the happy family whose painted likeness had always mocked and disgusted Invitro Hall’s owner since its creation.
Staring motionless as the painting burned, Magnifying Glass sighed.
“Would that it had come...before tonight.”
> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparkler made her way back home silently, dead-eyed, her blank, emotionless face a perfect contrast to the roiling storm that was her mind.
They’d come soon. She knew it. And, as always, they’d bring madness.
From her garden, Carrot Top gave her a wave, her face marked with a couple of plasters after the last attack.
Sparkler briefly waved back, uncertain if she was smiling or not.
The general mood of Ponyville was a lot more sombre than usual with all that had occurred. Nopony felt safe.
It was surprising which members of Ponyville’s citizens were putting on a brave face for others. Some found newfound courage, others felt more alone and afraid than ever.
Sparkler paused at a hedgerow overlooking a bench.
Upon it were Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch, the two town musicians as close as a married couple (It was likely exactly that but they weren’t very clear about it).
Vinyl was rubbing her cheek against Octavia’s shoulder. The elegant, grey earth pony gave a rueful look.
“Vinyl, please...I didn’t come here to play around.”
“I’m bored!” Vinyl huffed “You brought me out here but you ain’t telling me why. Are you going to give me the silent treatment just because I accidentally smacked Bonbon’s flank in that last dance?”
“No!” Octavia sighed “Look, it’s about what’s been happening...You’re a mare of the world. You grew up rough.”
“Thanks.”
“I mean...If these mercenaries are coming down on us, dragging ponies off in the night, torturing and burning...I mean, that’s serious!”
“No curd, Dusk Shine.”
“Will you please stop acting like this is a joke?” The earth pony snapped, fixing her marefriend with an angry glare.
A moment passed. Vinyl’s back hoof gave a shuffle, her mouth twisting with half-concealed hurt, blinking fast behind her shades.
“Sorry, Tavi...”
Octavia lowered her head.
“No, I’m sorry. I’m just really stressed with this right now, mostly because...My parents want me back home. They want to head back to Trottingham and forget about Ponyville until this thing blows over.”
There was another pause.
“...I see...”
“Look, they-they’re only doing it because they’re worried. They asked if I want to bring you. They...”
“I know.” Vinyl put a forehoof on Octavia’s and gave a half-smile “You know...my parents asked me pretty much the same thing.”
“And?” Octavia asked, to which her marefriend gave a cocky smile.
“I told them to screw off.” she chuckled “Ponyville is my home. It’s where I found everything good that has ever happened to me. And I’m not going to leave it. If those buckers come back to cause more trouble, I’m going to fight them off and spend as much time as I can with the mare I love.”
Octavia Melody’s anxious face lightened up with admiration and adoration. Craning over to kiss her marefriend long and lovingly on the lips, she felt Vinyl’s forehooves brushing her neck and mane.
“Doncha’ worry, Tavi.” Vinyl cooed in between kisses “Scratch’ll keep you safe.”
Sparkler gave something close to a smile as she finally reached her doorstep.
Her horn lit up and the door unlocked. Her home was a modest little thing, but the Doo family had made it liveable the day their lives crossed over each other. The hallway was dark but Tootsie’s shawl was hung up.
“Tootsie? You home?”


“Sparky?” a little call came from the bathroom. It sounded somewhat pained “Please can you help?”
Tentatively, the young mare crept forward. The bathroom door was half-open.
Tootsie Flute was seated on the edge of the bath, clutching at her forehoof. Her eyes were moist.
“Sparky...” she whined “I...I sprained by forehoof on the way home. I can’t remember how but...it hurts.”
“Oh, Toots, come here.” Sparkler rushed to her side and examined the bruising around her little sister’s fetlock.
Glancing up, she noticed Tootsie had a small cut near her muzzle and a bruise on her cheek.
Tootsie noticed her sister’s anxious look.
“Um...when I sprained my hoof, I tripped over and hit my face on the path. I-it’s not that bad.”
Tootsie looked at her little sister. Her purple and violet mane was shaking slightly. There was a slight sound of chattering teeth behind her mouth.
“Sparky?” she asked, putting her free forehoof on Sparkler’s muzzle, giving her a friendly ‘boop’ “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.” She answered, a lot quicker and more sudden than most would do “Look, don’t worry kid. You just need a bit of rest. Shall I take you up to your room?”
“Thanks, Sparky.”
It was the work of a moment for Sparkler to prop Tootsie Flute atop her back, carry her carefully up to her little bedroom and place her down on the bed, placing her music player and the Ogres and Oubliettes book Pipsqueak had let her borrow on her bedside table.
Checking the sprained foreleg was in a safe position, Sparkler brushed her little sister’s mane and kissed her forehead.
“I’m just taking care of some stuff around the house.” she explained “Just let know if you need anything, okay?
“Okay.” Tootsie chirped with a smile “Thanks, Sparky. I love you, big sis.”


Sparkler swore her walk downstairs took longer than she’d ever thought possible.
A small package had just popped through the mailbox.
She knew for a fact, however, that it was not Derpy or her friends who had delivered it.
Tentatively, waiting to hear the hoofsteps of the pony who delivered it fade away, the young unicorn retrieved the small brown paper package and opened it.
A small rock fell out.
There were specks of blood on it.
She knew whose.
Underneath it was a letter.


You should keep a closer eye on her.
Or you’ll make the same mistakes she did.
And you know where that led her.

There was a photo stapled to the letter.
A photo of Derpy Doo, nestled with her Doctor and daughter the day before Dinky fell sick.
The letter shook in her grasp. She couldn’t tell if it was through fear, grief or rage.
She certainly felt a generous measure of both.


It happens tonight.
Don’t be late.


Or next time, it’s a bigger rock.


*


Conkers glanced at the vibrating crystal spires that made up the pillars of the empire’s edifices.
Something distinctly unprepared was taking place outside.
He turned back down the corridor with a resigned shrug.
This wasn’t his business. His master had requested a cocktail and he’d deliver. He wouldn’t be an able valet if he did not.
It wasn’t easy to get a cocktail on a military outpost, even if you had special pass. But he’d deliver.
The taste was Blueblood’s problem, not his.
He hoped to be back in Canterlot soon, the dangers notwithstanding.
He missed his coltfriend. Since Roscoe had left Marchion to take his degree at Canterlot, they’d been able to see a lot more of each other but a valet’s work was never done.
And despite all the burdens, he could never leave Blueblood’s side.
There was commotion in the corridors.
Hooves clattered on the crystalline floors and through the doors came a trio of crudely-armed and armoured ice-beasts.
A skua-headed griffon, a mountain goat and a buffalo (Or bison as they were known in the Frozen North). All of them had weapons of some sort. The griffon stood in front, clacking its beak in readiness.
Conkers placed the cocktail on a windowsill and stood before them trimly.
“Are you gentlebeasts lost?” he asked “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I’ll say there is, squeaky.” the griffon snarled, drawing a sickle “You can die slow!”
The metal blade whipped forward.
Too quick for a common pony.
But not quick enough for Conkers.
Strafing deftly to the side, he brought his hoof down hard on the griffon’s outstretched talons. There was a dull snapping sound but before he could cry out, the griffon’s head lurched back as the pegasus followed with an uppercut.
The skua was out for the count. The mountain goat drew back to ready his mace. With nimble grace, flat-faced and calm throughout, the massive pegasus struck out with one hoof, pinning the goat’s to the wall. Hearing the mace clatter as it fell, Conkers grabbed it and swung it into his foe’s hind-leg. The mountain-goat gave a throaty bleat of pain as the stallion he’d imagined an easy fight grabbed him by the base of his horns, spread his wings and sprung upwards, slamming the mountain-goat’s cranium into the ceiling. Swift as the wind, Conkers grabbed the unconscious goat by the hind-legs and swung him into the bison.
The bison was less damaged by the blow than Conkers would have hoped but he yet had speed on his side. As the shaggy bovine reeled, Conkers landed stike after strike in swift succession, readying another at the muzzle.
Too close. He didn’t see the bison’s forehoof.
Blankness hit his eyes for a moment as he found himself flying independent of his wings. Crashing into the shimmering pillar, Conkers noticed the drink meant for Blueblood toppling from its shelf. Hurriedly, he caught the drink in his hooves, spilling only a small sip.
Cradling it like a puppy, Conkers paled as the bison readied his axe, grinning viciously, rumbling a threat in broken Equestrian.
“Kiss head goodbye, bird-horse!”


With a swoop, the bison’s head disappeared under a black shroud.
Blinking, Conkers noticed it was Blueblood’s jacket, its owner wrapping the cloth over the attacker’s face, tugging hard at the sleeves as he yelled out at his valet, a frantic expression on his face.
“Don’t just stand there, you goof! Hit him!”
Trying to keep himself together, Conkers obeyed his master as ever, grabbing the bison’s shoulders and headbutting the beast hard before spinning in mid-air and kicking back with both hind-legs. The bison gave a muffled groan and fell backwards with a crash.
Dusting himself primly and picking up the cocktail glass, he glanced around.
“Sir?” Prince Blueblood was nowhere to be seen “Sir?”
“Down here, lunkhead...” he heard a muffled growl some distance beneath the unconscious bison. Wincing, Conkers craned down and hoisted the bison’s shoulders up a moment, a difficult but not arduous feat for a stallion of his strength.
Shuffling under the prone bovine, Blueblood freed himself and got to his hooves, gasping and bedraggled.
Conkers stood as trim and calm as always and held out the glass.
“Your cocktail, sir.”
Blueblood took it only too gratefully, quenching his throat and soothing his parched throat.
“Good stallion.” he rasped.
Conker’s ear twitched as the clatter of hooves sounded down the corridor again. The valet stepped in front of his employer and prepared for war.
A full cadre of armed snowbeasts cantered towards them, swinging blades or cudgels.
“Run, sir. I’ll hold them off.” Conkers sounded, flat-faced as ever.
Blueblood stared at his valet then at the oncomers.
Did he want to be brave a second time in one day?
He may never have known if he would be as a blaze of heliotrope snaked past into the corridor and crashed into the foe.
Aria Blaze darted from foe to foe swinging a pair of giant chakrams, bladed wheels of the Orient, crafted from dark cobalt, crackling with bright blue-electricity as they spun and weaved round all four hooves. Like a bounding bolt of lightning she struck out at the Jotnar, cutting them down in droves. Sirens were ever acrobatic beasts and as the lilac lady of war swished and weaved over the canopy like a streaming banner, she left carnage in her wake.
As the blood haze cleared, the siren shook her mane, standing over a pile of dead or defeated invaders and glanced at the two stallions.
“Blueblood?” she started, raising an eyebrow “What are you doing?”
The prince shrugged.
“Trying to be a hero.”
Aria blinked and gave him an awkward look
“...You’re not very good at it.”
“I realise. It’s my first time.” Blueblood leaned against Conkers with a tired expression, whining almost childishly
“Conkers...Would another cocktail be possible?”
Conkers rolled his eyes but managed a smile.
“I’ll see what I can do, sir.”


*


Shadows were without form and thus without weakness.
That was what Shadowplay had always been told by Cascadius, teaching him from the moment he found himself alone and afraid.
He owed him everything. And when given a mission, he’d see it through to the end.
He stood, upside-down it was worth pointing-out, watching Zecora’s hut with keen, steely eyes.
Project Omega was a-go.
Trixie Lulamoon, dressed in a plain dusky cloak and hood, was picking the lock to the zebra’s homestead. The mare was twitchy, checking left and right at any noise. The wooden door opened with a creak and the stage magician ducked inside.
The hut still gave Trixie a slight chill. The wooden chimes rattled like bones.
She kept reminding herself that Zecora was a civilized pony and a friend of her friends.
But she had bad experiences with zebras. She didn’t speak often of it.
Trixie feared to light a lamp or even cast a spell. Taking each step carefully to avoid creaking any floorboards, she made her way over to the little compartments where the special ‘doohickies’, as Pinkie Pie called them, were kept.
There she saw it. The Alicorn Amulet, or whatever it was meant to be called, resting under a glass compartment.
She winced at the sight. The sheer black frame contrasted the blood-red gem in the centre of it.
It never shone. That was something she’d always noticed. She’d actually been quite disappointed when she’d first put it on all those months ago. She’d hoped to appear radiant, perhaps overshadowing Twilight Sparkle and that necklace of hers.
Looking at now, knowing more about the horrors of the world this amulet could have brought to Ponyville, she felt sick to her stomach.
What did Balisong, or worse yet Cascadius, want with it?
She cleared her mind of such concerns.
What mattered now was getting the damn thing and proceeding as planned.
She took another step forward, almost close enough to touch the cabinet with the tip of her hoof.
It was then that she felt the spearpoint just under her ear.


“Trixie...Have you lost your mind?
Or have you with our foes aligned?”
Zecora’s voice was quieter and colder than Trixie had ever heard.
And the spear was definitely sharp. The glint running down the edge threatened to blind her. The blade was single-edged and the handle was bamboo, more like a Neighponese weapon than a Zebrican though Zecora had likely made it herself. And Trixie didn’t much fancy finding out how well she could use it.
“...Zecora...” she said softly, trying to keep her cool, no easy task with sharped steel inches from her face, even for the Great and Powerful Trixie
“You need to understand...If I don’t get this to them, they’ll kill the three they have prisoner.”
“You spoke to them without us knowing,
While all the while this threat is growing?”
“No, Zecora, I just want to save my three friends. Okay?” Trixie felt sweat beading down her brow.
“Please...”
“No beast may have this cursed stone -Through any means we could condone - To save their lives, you’d doom the land- This, I tell you, shall not stand.”
Trixie glanced out the window and braced herself, her lips twisting with awkwardness.
“Is that your decision?”
“My decision has been made - You will leave or face my blade.”
The blue unicorn breathed heavily.
“In that case...forgive me.”


Shadowplay ducked into the foliage as the wood around the window he was looking through shattered. An unconscious zebra flew over him and landed in the forest undergrowth. The sound of startled nightbirds rang overhead.
Then silence.
The pale batpony watched with baited breath as Trixie Lulamoon, wide-eyed and shaking, made her way unsteadily out the hut, placing the alicorn amulet in her hat and carrying it at her shoulder.
He bit the air with trepidation.
She was doing it.
She was going against Equestria’s secret organisation. All for three ponies of arguably little worth.
This could be easier than he thought.
Admittedly, this was only part of the grand scheme. An important part but a long way to go to the final design.
But if easy sailing continued, well...
Shadowplay shook his head. Cascadius always taught him to prepare for the worst and the worst was far from behind them.
Never be certain of victory until after it’s happened. Never underestimate your enemy. Never-
Thwack!

His quiet, prep-session was cut viciously short as the butt of a bamboo spear cracked into the side of his jaw.
Catching his face in the ferns, the batpony scrambled in the undergrowth and caught sight of a zebra.
An angry one.
“You death-desiring sack of pus! I’m sending you to Tartarus!”
Shadowplay reached for his knives. He blinked as the blade on the end of the bamboo caught the moonlight.
There was a sound of pinching steel as Shadowplay opened his one good eye and shrieked as the blade pierced his chest.
Grinding her teeth, Zecora twisted the spear until forced to retract it, covering her eyes as the batpony’s scream became a cone of sonar, threatening to rupture her eardrums.
The mercenary clutched at his spurting chest and folded his wings. There came a cloud of shadow from his wing membranes as he shielded himself. With a sound not unlike tearing of paper, a black mist enshrouded him as Zecora cut at where he’d laid.
When the mist subsided, she found her spear-tip in a patch of moss.
Growling, she turned her head left and right, her sharp, teal eyes scanning the undergrowth.
One of the talismans around her neck, white-spruce and moth-shaped, began to rattle. Taking it off and holding it like a pendulum, it titled slightly south-west.
Sinking into the bushes, Zecora began hunting the batpony.


‘Hurts...It hurts...Sweet Saola, it hurts!’
The frail batpony clutched the bleeding wound, huddled atop a branch among the gnarled, towering trees, the other hoof clutching his mouth for fear of the zebra hearing his breath.
His batpony shadow magic shivered in small tendrils as he tried to force his wound to heal. It wasn’t obeying him. His focus was diminished. His control had wavered.
Shadowplay realised that for the first time in years, he was afraid.
Not just of the zebra but of the plan itself.
Fumbling around his cloak, he pulled out the transceiver.
“Bali...” he whispered into the box “Bali, something’s gone wrong. Abort. Quickly...”
A low clinking sound came from the transceiver, like a tiny glass shattering on the ground.
The batpony stared at it in confusion.
He tuned its focus node and spoke again.
“Cass? Boss? They’re onto us! I can’t get in touch with Bali. Come in! Please come in!”
He found himself slamming the back of his head into the tree as the transceiver screamed, a cacophonic whine erupting from the shaking device. Hastily, he switched off the gadget and craned his neck round.
Another flock of birds had left the canopy.
The undergrowth rustled and the glint of a spear surfaced.
Cursing in Ib’Xianese, Shadowplay painfully took to the wing.


“Can we trace it?”
“Not to his boss, no.” Special Agent Sweetie Drops put her array of hacking and spying equipment down on her desk with a despondent sigh.
“Damn. Very well...” Fleur de Lis ran a forehoof through her mane with anxiety “We’ll have to focus on her original plan then. I just hope Trixie knows what she’s doing. If she really hasgone rogue, none of us are safe.”
“That’s not gonna’ happen.” Starlight Glimmer stood before her squad-mates with a resolute smile “I’d know if it was. Me and her have an understanding. She’s turning the fear tactics the Mercenaries like so much on their heads. They think she’s playing into their hooves. But if things go her way, they’ll play into ours.”
“Well, we can’t expect it to be that simple.” Sparkler added “From what we’ve seen, these guys prepare for everything.”
“Nopony can prepare for everything, Sparky.” Twilight Sparkle’s Apprentice replied “Somewhere along the line they’d have had to slip up, everypony always does. We just need to find out where!”
“We’ve got the signal for who he was calling first.” Bonbon piped up “The kidnapper.”
“Perfect.” A low gruff voice with a country accent sounded behind them “Ah’ll gather the town.”
Big McIntosh Apple slung a belt over his shoulder and eyed himself.
Bedecked in improvised armour of leather, hardened canvas and scrap metal, he passed for as good a warrior Ponyville could create at these times.
But if all went to plan, it would serve.
“Tonight...” he said as calmly and frankly as ever “These varmints’re gonna’ learn what happens when ya’ hurt the ponies we love.”


*


“Right...I see...You’re quite sure?”
Royal Flush was witnessing a phenomenon.
One he’d never really expected to see in his lifetime even before all this horror took place.
Cascadius looked nervous. He was standing in the middle of his officer with the transceiver at his ear, his face showing something that was neither anger nor fear but somewhere in between and not excessive in its level.
But such a change in a stallion like him was impossible not to notice.
“Yes, yes, I heard that bit. If you can’t get in touch with them then...No, no, I think you’re right. We can’t take the risk, not now. Does Bali know...”
His hoof brushed the side of his face where strands of his mane had fallen over his brow.
“I see...No, I’m going myself. For a matter like this, I need to personally observe the state of things. Besides, I’m not letting anything happen to Bali, even if she has let things slip. Look, Bovril, we need the Palioxis up, running and taking me and a squadron of our most adaptable fellows to the Outer Everfree, asap! Countermeasure Clean-Up! Not a drill! Don’t let me down!”
He turned off the receiver and headed briskly for the exit to the door.
Royal Flush shuffled on his hooves.
Cascadius halted an inch from the door. The former-Senator’s heart felt clenched in invisible claws as the mercenary leader slowly turned, his expression giving away little more than cold suspicion, which was often the last thing unfortunate ponies saw in him before their grisly end.
“Royal Flush...” he said flatly “Come here...”
Each step felt shaky, like parts of the floor were ready to crumble and fall beneath him.
And Royal Flush would have found that preferable to a moment longer in a room with a mildly irritated Cascadius.
“Senator...” he still called him that, likely out of mockery, though there was no amusement in his tone. His eyes were fixed on the trembling politician and Royal Flush noticed Cascadius’s upper and lower teeth did not move far from each other as he spoke.
“If I find...that you are, in any way...responsible for this predicament...”
“I’m not, sir. I promise you, I’m not. I-”
“Shh...I’m not finished.” Cascadius raised his hoof to Flush’s lips “Now, as I was saying, if that is so...and if I have not by now made the risks of upsetting me transparently clear...then neither of us will enjoy the methods I employ to remedy that. Though...personally...I will try my very best to do so...”
And with that, he turned, opened the door, and stood before the strange snowy owl griffon new to the organisation.
“Are you still here?” he asked tiredly.
“As per your request, Mr Cascadius.” she said with an innocent smile “I bring good tidings. My master and her warhost have proven themselves at Quartzwald and are returning as soon as can be.”
“Fine, good. I’ve been meaning to speak with her.” the paymaster turned down the corridors with an expression that could only be described as ‘peeved’.
“Your mood appears sour, my lord.” Strilda cooed “May I enquire why?”
Cascadius stopped, sighed, rested his hoof against the corridor and spoke.
“Because, Miss Strilda...Through means I am still working on determining and, I assure you, the very last time...somepony...has bucked us!”


*


A mighty crash of fire and stone came out of the Portal Chamber above, causing those in the courtyard to turn their gaze. Shining Armour watched, perplexed, as what appeared to be a pair of comets shot out.
Sunset Shimmer and Angrboda landed like metal shells upon the ground, rolling across the floor in their heavy armour with clanks and rattles. The towering caribou matriarch got to her hooves and scraped them across the ground with a snarl, cradling her battle-axe.
Sunset Shimmer leapt up and slammed her mace upon the tiles, the magical emberseeds within cracking against each other, bursting the metal head into roaring flame.
“Come on then, you big nag!” she growled “I’ll turn your skull into a spittoon and use your antlers as tampon hooks!”
Several heads turned. Thrym Hrodrison and Shining Armour both shared a glance of alarm even while their sword and hammer locked.
“Is she always like that?” the moose asked.
“You’ve no idea.” Shining Armour replied tiredly before bringing his shield up and continuing their clash.
The ice beasts relentlessly harassed the crystal shield wall. Blades, banners, plumes and helms of every shape and colour slammed against each other in the courtyard.
Atop the main fortress, Sonata Dusk was leading her own archers. She did not, however, carry a bow. Instead she wielded a heavy chrome hailgun, an enormous rotary firearm carried over the shoulder, magazines hanging from the side of it. The deafening rattle of the contraption was one of the only two sounds that could be heard atop the fortress, the other being the hyperactive cerulean mare’s yell of ‘Dakka-Dakka-Dakka-Dakka-Dakka!’, a crazy look on her face as she fired at the second and third lines of the Jotnar onslaught.
The tide was turning. Shining Armour could see that.
All they needed to do was hold out.
‘Easier said than done’he reminded himself as the hammer of Thrym swung through the air, taking a few blue strands of his plume off his helm as he ducked just low enough to keep his heads on his shoulders.
Placing his shield before the flat of his sword to blocked a strike, he recalled a simple but effective technique Peregrine had taught him. As Thrym brought down his hammer, Shining stepped back and let himself be pushed down then swiftly drew forward, pushing the weight of his weapons against Thrym’s, throwing the head of his hammer backwards.
The dark cobalt and star-shaped garnet smashed into the side of Thrym Hrodrisson’s face. The moose spat blood but a smile stretched across his face as he drew back and sent another blow against his opponent’s side which nearly sent Shining Armour flying.


In the centre of the courtyard, Sunset Shimmer’s mace struck as fast as it was strong, relentlessly bashing against the armour of Angrboda. The reindeer barely flinched as each strike met, fixing the unicorn with a cold look conveying little more than mild contempt.
At last, Sunset Shimmer’s mace slammed the ground as her horn lit up, blowing a gust of the flaming emberseeds at the doe’s face. Angrboda gave a hoarse cry of pain and angrily tried to brush the embers out of her eyes and mane.
Sunset Shimmer took her chance.
The mace swung round and, despite the reindeer taking the chance to turn slightly, saving her head from the blow, the furnace-like macehead crashed into her shoulder, nearly shattering the pauldron and likely doing no favours to the bone underneath. As the raider princess fell to the ground, Sunset Shimmer’s shield pinned her down, the bout at the side of it fitting round the reindeer’s neck like a guillotine. A fitted, flame-shaped blade in the centre of the shield clicked readily, ready to spin, surely to decapitate whomever pinned in the bout.
Sunset Shimmer and Angrboda stared at each other, the daggers in their gazes near as fearsome as their own weapons.
“Now...Back...The Buck...Down!” Celestia’s former student growled.
Angrboda eyed the blade on the shield and struggled to swallow.
Her options, it seemed, were limited.
A transceiver fitted at the side of Sunset Shimmer’s diadem sounded as a gruff stallion spoke.
“Lady Shimmer. This is Commodore Ctenophore. Air Group CB. Nearing Quartzwald. Ready to bombard the enemy position on your order.”
“Very good, Commodore.” Sunset gave a nod and glanced at Angrboda once again. The reindeer looked odd. Her one good eye was vague, cloudy, as if in a trance.
“Are you listening? Our fliers are coming down on you in moments. The beasts who serve you will die in their hundreds. Crystal bombings never leave many alive.” she gritted her teeth and pressed the shield closer to her neck.
Even in the din of battle, Sunset Shimmer swore she heard something on the wind.
A horrid shriek, like a bloody rip through the winds.
Slowly, a sardonic smile crept on Angrboda’s ruined features.
“I think you’d better tell them to fly home...fast.”
Sunset raised a brow. As her free hoof hovered to her transceiver, it picked up worried voices.
“Wait, scanners are going wild, check the perimeter.”
“Confirmed, unidentified, heading for...holy...”
“WHAT IN TARTARUS IS THAT?!”
“Disperse!” Ctenophore’s voice bellowed as the shrieking grew louder“Fliers disperse. Get to the towers. Get to cover.”
“Taking damage to the right flank. It’s coming too fast. We have no-HRAAARGH!”
Sunset glanced back at Angrboda.
In the next instant she drew back, shrieking suddenly as the reindeer’s antlers glowed an icy blue. Pursing her lips and puffing her cheeks, Angrboda blew a stream of dry, stinging icy mist at Sunset’s face.
Raising a shield and blinking fast, splinters of frost in her muzzle and mane, the unicorn snarled.
“You sick nag! What’s out there?!”
The shrieking grew louder and louder, the most horrible sound that had ever met Sunset’s ears. Like the sound of hundreds of dying animals, crying out with rotting lungs. All around, the Equestrians broke off the fight and gathered in the courtyard, staring fearfully as the sky as the Jotnar regrouped, shooting their foes with sadistic leers.
Angrboda got to her hooves and spoke softly and coldly as the lands of never-ending winter from which she came.
“What’s out there you ask? Heh...” she ran a hoof over the terrible pale scars on the side of her face and answered.
“The one that gave me this!”


Shining Armour glanced skyward to see Ctenophore and Air Group CB scatter in the clouds.
A dark shape pierced the hazy skies and a rippling, blue-grey miasma erupted from its tip.
Fifteen pegasi and four sky chariots disappeared in the smog with a terrible collective scream. When it cleared, shapes were falling to earth.
The Captain-General drew back as pony-shaped detritus smashed upon the marble courtyard.
They weren’t burnt. They were more...drained. As if every drop of moisture was sucked from leaving a husk, like dead wasp nests, crumbling to powder.
This creature had reduced two dozen fliers to bundles of rotted parchment.
As it screeched again, it landed.
The beast was draconic. But it lacked all majesty they’d seen from the species. It was built more like a bird or bat with a long, low body and short, chubby legs. It lacked a pair of forelimbs but it more than made up for it with its back legs spreading like chicken toes with talons a dozen times the size, curved like a raptors, scratching the marble tiles with an eerie, stony wail.
It was coated with skin rather than scales and was a murky mix of inky and fleshy tones that ranged from the kind of pink one would find on a dead bird embryo and the kind of blue one would find in the gunk that tended to clog up shower drains.
The most prominent thing Shining and Sunset noticed was the presence of two heads on its single pair of shoulders.
Neither of them had eyes. That wasn’t to say they were blind, rather than they literally simply had bare skin where the eyes would have been on any other creature. The head on the left was snake-shaped with an extended, hog-like snout. The head on the right was bulkier, a heavy lower jaw full of jutting, slavering fangs like an alligator.
As its tail coiled up and over its shoulder, they noticed that it was, in fact, a third head, or at least a third jaw, circular, leech-like, trailing a cold, noxious ooze.
As it stood between the two armies, Angrboda trudged over to it and stroked the side of its neck in a manner that seemed kindly. The better side of her face smiled. The serpent head gave a tender hiss while the alligator head shook in a somewhat canine manner.
Sunset Shimmer was the first to find her voice.
“What is that?!”
Angrboda turned to her as if she’d forgotten she was there.
“That would be Skoll and Hati. Brother and sister that together make a Dire Cave Wyrm. The tail doesn’t have a name but I don’t think it minds. I don’t know if Cave Wyrms all look like him or if she’s just...special...But one is certainly enough, would you not agree?”
She leapt up on its back as the Jotnar Warhost sheathed their weapons and scrambled to the gates.
“This has been a nice day.” the reindeer said with a nonchalant smile “I look forward to our next endeavour. Continue to impress.”
With another screech, one of the beast’s heads, Skoll perhaps, reared and shook and blew a great cloud of winter-grey vapour out its great nostrils. What began as a slow, thin mist became a thick fog of piercing frost that nearly divided the courtyard in two.
Sunset Shimmer, with a cry of rage, blasted a jet of flame through the mist. Drilling a hole through the smog, she peered through it, the fellow officers gathering with weapons raised.
The mist cleared.
The Warhost was gone. All that remained were hoofprints and bloodstains.
The weighty silence was broken by Sunset Shimmer’s mace-head smashing into the marble tile.
“Son of a nag!” she swore “Next time I see that overgrown slab of curd, heads are gonna’ roll!”
Shining took a step back as Princess Celestia’s former student ground her teeth.
“Antlered heads!”


Metal, stone and bone-headed weapons clattered to the ground as the Jotnar Warhost rested at Sheersmoke Peak, a barren expanse with its towering crystal peaks grey and dead, one of the several places in the Crystal Empire that painted a perfect picture of the aftermath of Sombra’s tyranny. Normal ponies feared to tread the area.
But the Jotnar weren’t all that normal.
Angrboda dismounted, patted Hati’s snout and rubbed Skoll’s chin. The tail coiled around her shoulders a moment, caressing itself on her fur in a comforted manner, hissing lightly.
As she approached, any warrior close stood and bowed. Those around had largely taken to resting, nursing wounds or boasting over victories.
Angrboda’ breath came out as a wispy vapour. It did so naturally now, ever since her scarring.
The beast at her side was more than worth it however and overall, the scars had largely been a benefit. It made her more...unique.
And few could boast of ever enduring a Dire Cave Wyrm’s breath and living after all.
As she was about to prove.
Her holler drowned out all talk among the Warhost, snuffing out any conversation they held amongst each other like a scythe through a sheet.
“INGVAR!”
The white moose froze and those around him ferried away. In the time he took to fully comprehend the situation, his Princess was standing before him.
“Ingvar...” she said again “Word reached me of your achievements.”
“Ah...” the moose bowed “I did only as you instructed, your highness.”
“Did you?” she asked.
Ingvar felt a hoof clutch him by the nape.
“Did I tell to rape?”
Frost clutched at the inside of Ingvar’s chest. A few of the Warhost cringed, others chuckled. But all knew what was coming next.”
“I...She...”
“She was our demonstration. I had severed a leg and sent her fleeing...Why...did you believe it necessary...to do...” A tight, growling noise came from the back of her throat “That...to her?”
“I...P-Princess, she...” he took a step back but found he couldn’t move. The hold his princess had at his fur was hard as a steel gauntlet “Sh-sh-she was our enemy...”
“Does that not make it rape?”
“Sh-she was a pony!”
“I repeat the question.”
What came of Ingvar’s mouth was a series of burbles, stammers and gasps as he find himself rising in the air. Frost-white wisps were coiling round Angrboda’s antlers as her magic took hold of him. Her good eye was half-closed in disappointment. The scarred one was wide and piercing.
“Ingvar...” her voice began to deepen, darken, her rage creeping to the surface like ice across a pond “We are the Jotnar Warhost. We seek out the strong, we prove ourselves on the harshest battlefields and return bathed in the blood of those others used to think great. But, Ingvar...To rape...It is to prey upon the weak. You cannot rape what is stronger than you. Rape, therefore...is an act of weakness. You lower yourself to commit it. You neglect the challenge of the strong to harm what is already defenceless and defeated. You...shame...the Warhost.”
The Warhost silently beheld the spectacle, Ingvar wriggling in Angrboda’s magical grip like a worm on a hook. Thrym rested his hooves on the end of his war-hammer with an amused expression while Grendel stretched his neck with trepidation, licking his lips.
“And as I hope you know, Ingvar...” Angrboda hissed, one hoof raised “I do not allow any beast...to shame the Warhost.”
“Please, your highness, n-AAAAAARRRRRRRGGHH!”
Ingvar’s screams suddenly grew about four volumes louder and eight octaves higher as Angrboda ripped something away from between his hind-legs. Holding a bloody clump of something that was hard to make out for most of the Warhost, she raised it high in the air.
Skoll’s nostrils twitched and the Dire Cave Wyrm began hissing and snarling, blood on the air driving it to ravenous hunger.
Tossing the thing in her hoof distastefully, Angrboda gave her pet an appetiser. Skoll caught it first and snapped it up while his sister growled and smacked her jaw against his with indignation.
Ingvar’s mouth was open wide, hoarse whimpering escaping his throat as tears streamed down his face. Angrboda turned to him once more, her voice slightly softer.
“Now, Ingvar, I must ask...Did that hurt?”
The white moose could do little more than gasp and wail, lost in agony.
“I thought so. But here is what you must know. What you tried to accomplish, it grants a very similar sensation. Your victim...loses something they kept very close and considered safe, sacred, now despoiled and ruined before them, helpless to repair it. Your victim dies every time they close their eyes and lives a life scarred forever.” Her bad eye twitched “For many...the pain never ends.”
The fur around Ingvar’s throat pulled tight and twisted, the moose’s eyes widening as he gurgled and croaked helplessly, rising higher and turning on his side.
“So you might consider yourself fortunate, Ingvar...” Angrboda snarled “That your pain ends so soon.”


Like a sack of trash tossed into a compactor, Ingvar flew over the Warhost with a plaintive scream. He didn’t even land before the jaws of Skoll and Hati were upon him. Pulling on opposite parts of him, the screaming changed again and again in pitch, tone and volume and at last stopped as Skoll rended and Hati tore. Blood and gore spattered the grey earth and a foul stench cut through the frost.
Dire Cave Wyrms were famously messy eaters.
As a bighorn sheep and a mountain horse tried to slink back further into the compressed horde, Angrboda’s voice cut the silence.
“Sundrel! Idengruf!”
At the sound of their names, their compatriots seized them and threw them forward, landing on their knees to kowtow before their Princess.
Sundrel the bighorn sheep stared up at the unsmiling caribou matriarch fearfully.
“M-M-Mighty Herald! We didn’t help him!”
“Neither did you stop him.” Angrboda’s tone was dry.
“We...we...we spoke against it.” Idengruf the mountain horse whimpered “We tried to persuade him...”
“You failed.” Her antlers gleamed with wispy magic once again and two knives rose from the sheaves at her sides.
They spun in the air and rested under their necks, steadily starting to glisten with the colt sweat from their brows soddening their faces.
Angrboda hissed in an inhale and raised her good eyebrow.
“Nonetheless...” she said slowly “You made some effort.”
Sundrel and Idengruf opened their eyes, glanced at each other and raised their heads with relieved half-smiles.
The knives flashed.
The two beasts gave a collective scream of pain and clutched the sides of their faces.
About two-thirds of Sundrel’s left ear and roughly the same amount of Idengruf’s right lay in a red puddle between them.
Angrboda redeposited the knives at her side, picked up the ears and slotted them into their former-owner’s bandoliers.
“Hold onto those.” she commanded “Remember that if this is allowed to happen a second time, you will deal with it personally and properly. Because, let there be no doubt in your mind, this will not be allowed to happen a third time!”
“Y-y-yes, your highness.”
“Th-thank you for your mercy.”
“You are most welcome.” And with that, the Herald of the End Times turned, stood before the bloody-muzzled Skoll and Hati, spun round and bellowed her command to all among the Warhost.
“Now. We march on! We must meet with our new employers! They have a task for us that, if completed to their satisfaction, will put the Jotnar Warhost on the map!”


*


Trixie Lulamoon gazed around the forest clearing.
The transceiver felt unclean in her hoof as she raised it to her ear.
“I have it.”
“Well, stop the presses, eh?” the sardonic voice of Balisong sounded in her ear “Trixie Lulamoon finally delivers what she promised. ‘Was there ever any doubt?’”
“Where can I find you?”
“The crossroads you take out of town? You always turn right to the Hushed Whisper. This time turn left.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you as soon as I can.”
“Do, darl. Oh and, this is just a polite suggestion but I wouldn’t dawdle if you get my drift. Because, not wanting to tantalise you or anything, my guests are getting a tad impatient.”There was a fumbling sound “Ain’t that right, love?”
The voice in Trixie’s ear changed drastically. Gone was the derisive tone and the accent.
In its place was a familiar and unspeakably frightened stallion.
“Trixie...Please...Please, help...Please, get us out, she’s a monster...”
“I beg your pardon?” Balisong’s voice was back “Am I to understand that...you’re not enjoying my company?”
“N-n-no, i-i-it’s not that, I-I-I...”
“Balisong!” Trixie exclaimed, paling.
“You mean you've been lying?” the mercenary’s voice sounded horribly playful “Do you think I’m...unkind?”
“NO! NO! NO, MISS BALISONG, PLEASE!”
“Miss Balisong, please stop!” Cherry Berry’s wail was heard “You...you said you wouldn’t hurt him anymore if I...if I did what you said...”
“Did I? Well, it stands to reason that deal only stood as long as you were all polite...”
“Miss Balisong, stop! I’m getting you the Amulet! I...Trixie promises you!”
Trixie Lulamoon stood in the clearing, cold and afraid, for a terrible while.
At last there was noise from the other end. She wanted to bet that the wait was deliberate.
“Alright, sweetheart. Don’t get your tail in a twist...Meet me on the left side of the crossroad and I’ll take you to my humble dwelling, right?”
“Fine. And do you promise not to hurt them until I see them?”
There was a noise that sounded like the mercenary sucking her teeth in thought.
“No. Bye.”
The blue unicorn growled as the transceiver threatened to break in her magical grasp.
“Trixie is going to kill that bucking nag!”


She indeed found the mare left of the crossroads, lounging predatorily upon a fallen tree.
“Good girl.” she purred “Daddy would be proud. Let’s have it then.”
Trixie held the amulet tight and arched an eyebrow, hoping her defiance wouldn’t cost her dearly.
“Not until I have the hostages.”
Balisong sighed, slunk off the tree and stood before her with a dry smile.
“You are hard to please.” she chuckled “So...you interested in what that thing really is?”
“Not as much as Trixie’s interested in what your master wants with it.”
“Master?” she sniggered “You think we’re some sort of priesthood? No, mate, he’s my boss, my employer, my paymaster, so to speak. Though, honestly, he’s spent a while as my tutor, you might say, so you’re not that far off the mark.”
She shrugged and gave a chirpy shake of her dreadlocked mane as they paced down the path, into the tall grass, too dark for Trixie to get her bearings.
“History time.” she chuckled “Now, what you may not know is that Sombra’s ascension wasn’t the first time the Crystal Empire fell to ruin. Every time the Empire’s fallen, this little darling has cropped up and every time it’s buried again, the Empire revitalises. Now here’s how the story goes. When the Empire was founded, the twelve royal houses of Crystal decided to build their capital, Geoya, atop the Winterwonder Peak as north as north will go. After the hundred and twenty years of peace and plenty, they felt it right to build a great temple to give thanks to their ancestors. They designed a house of worship such as the world had never before seen with colossal halls and a tower that pierced the clouds and touch the very heart of paradise. Seasons went on then years then decades, then close to a century. As the tower’s height grew, so too did the difficulty building it ever higher. Work ground to a slump and the Crystal Ponies feared it would never be completed and their favour with fortune would whither.”
Her piercing glinted as she smirked.
“Then a stranger came. A stranger claiming that he could finish the tower, single-hoofed, within a single night, wishing for a boon in return. Now nopony remembers what this stranger called himself or what he was. All that is recorded is the note they gave to his two...curled...horns.” she chuckled “Three guesses.”
Onward they walked. Balisong continued at her leisure.
“So the household masters said ‘Why not? What have we to lose?’ and asked the stranger of his boon. This stranger, he claimed, wished only to add the shrine of his own faith to the twelve shrines of the house forefathers, marked with a sacred gemstone. The masters agreed and the deal was struck. At dusk, he entered the temple and told them to return at midnight. After what was, by all accounts, the darkest, longest night the crystal ponies had ever endured, Geoya awoke to find the tower complete, its height so staggering it would take a pony a full day and night to climb the staircase to the top. Of the stranger himself? No sign. And none spoke of him long after. But the shrines of the gems stood tall and proud. Twelve for the masters...and one for the stranger. A lonely diamond, red as blood, encased in oily black stone. Not wishing to offend any mystery gods, they chose an honorary Abbot for the Stranger’s Shrine. As a gesture of good faith, they picked one of the most beloved stallions in the Empire, Veemon Adamantis, the younger brother of Highmaster Valo of the House of Diamond. Veemon took his post and worshipped well for six good years until the ailing illness of his pregnant wife, Pendance, impeded his prayers. On his behalf, the twelve masters prayed for her recovery but after no luck, he desperately sought the aid of the thirteenth god, the ‘Blood Diamond’ as it had started to be called. As he refused to eat or sleep, he regularly fainted mid-prayer and it was said the God behind the Blood Diamond sent him visions and commands. On its insistence, he cut his fetlock and spilt his blood upon the shrine, the diamond soaking it up like a sponge. Upon hearing Pendance’s condition had improved, the twelve masters gave their own blood in turn. Within the day, Pendance recovered. Of course there was celebration and joy and new interest in this strange red gem. But it soon died down as the studies grew inconclusive and prayers went unanswered, the Blood Diamond determined alien to the Empire and indefinitely taboo.”
She chuckled.
“Of course, the Blood Diamond didn’t like that at all.”
“So when the time came for Pendance to give birth, the whole city waited with excitement for the arrival of Veemon’s beloved child. And what they saw was a freak. A misshapen monster, eyeless and hairless with bat-like wings, monkey-like hands and maggots crawling out of every orifice. A creature that could neither be considered living or dead. Pendance fell into a fit of horror and despair and Veemon prayed to all twelve gods...and then thirteen. The Blood-Diamond spoke to him again, claiming the child was his gift to her and his wife’s ailing health was what he took in return. If he wished her recovery, he had only to...return the gift.”
She made a slicing gesture across her throat.
“So he did. Again and again and again. All to keep her alive. In her state, she couldn’t argue. And he was desperate, desperate, to keep her alive by any means. Eventually, his brother discovered him in the midst of the ritual. Valo Adamantis brought forth the Diamond Hammer of his family and made to smash the evil shrine that had corrupted his brother. In terror, Veemon grappled with him and the brothers beat each other to death. By now as mad as her husband, the experience shattering her like glass, Pendance climbed to the top of the tower, quicker somehow than anypony could do by normal means, and threw herself off the top. According to notes, with the force of which she landed, there wasn’t so much a ‘splat’ as a ‘splash!’. When the masters and citizens came to the temple, they found Pendance spread across the yard and the two brothers sprawled before the Blood Diamond Shrine, their skulls smashed open and the red stone pulsing with power as blood flowed from the three corpses.”
Balisong took a great exhale, no doubt satisfied with her delivery.
“The night after saw the city swept up in a winter harder and crueller than they’d ever imagined. The snow and frost and the clouds that carried them were red as gore and those caught in it froze from within. The city was abandoned before the month’s end. Nothing is left of Geoya that anypony can see. To this day the winds and cold around it are too much for most explorers to tread.”
Trixie felt like something caught in her throat.
She remembered bitterly this foul thing that had caused so much misery and death had been worn, by her, willingly, around her neck.
She wasn’t certain but she had a feeling the place it had been worn was starting to sting.


Balisong continued, showing no sign of unease.
“Now, nopony knows how this thing got out. Maybe the stranger retrieved it, maybe some other worshipper, maybe it got up of its own accord. Regardless, the second time this baby cropped up was during the prelude to the Republican War of the Sesquitera, between the First and Second Age. News of the Blood Diamond’s return reaches the ears of the House of Opalis. Now, the House of Opalis were among the most prominent pioneers who founded the new capital of Esperanta. When Gaudian Opalis, now old and crippled by the terrible winter, heard of the Blood Diamond’s presence seen among the Methys Vale, likely brought over by the brilliant but insane explorer, Amethystopholes. He wrote to the Methys Clan urging them to do all in their power to keep the Blood Diamond away from pony hooves and never to touch it. He then wrote to all the other clans to do the same. But after years of no reply, he and his sons swore to prevent the Blood Diamond falling into the wrong hooves and dooming the Crystal Empire again, by any means necessary.”
She shook her head.
“So began the Three Kinslayings committed by the House of Opalis and the sons of Gaudian. The first was a massacre of the Aquamarinos who refused to give over their fastest and strongest ships to the Opalis. The second was an invasion and wholesale slaughter of the Methys Clan who refused to give up the Blood Diamond. And the third, when the Opalis found out that a son and daughter of the Methys had been sent to their allies in the Ijadi Clan on Renia Isle, the slaughter not only of the Ijadi but the entire population of Renia Isle, fearing the Blood Diamond had corrupted the place. The Blood Diamond was recovered but when it was discovered the daughter survived somehow, Gaudian all but two of his sons in a fit of fanaticism. After that, the other Clans revolted and Gaudian moved to become Emperor of the Crystal Empire, determined to protect his beloved ponies from the thing that, unbeknownst to him, had already taken root in himself. The Republican War took place and the House of Opalis was rendered virtually extinct. Before dying, Gaudian hid the Blood Diamond where he believed none would find it, causing the victor of the war, Lulo Nacris, to spend years searching for it for fear that the Opalis would return to use it again. In the end, he practically ruined the new Republic with the resources he spent searching for it and went missing on his journey back to the Ruins of Geoya. He left in command his brother-in-law, Ormer Abalon who ‘somehow’ came into possession of the Blood Diamond. Choosing to wear it on a diadem that increased his power a hundred-fold, he soon set about crowning himself Emperor and would later earn the name ‘Ormer the Abhorrent’. Inviting the clan leaders and their families to a feast, he had them all slaughtered as he ate, sparing only the youngest fillies and colts who he collected for his pleasure, all under the Blood Diamond’s wishes apparently. His cruelty lasted ten years until he fell asleep with a dark little catamite who prized the diadem off his head and tore him to pieces on the bed. Greeting the populace with Ormer’s head, he was hailed as a hero and a liberator, worshipped by millions and crowned with the most magnificent gems in the Empire, one of which unfortunately being the very same Blood Diamond his predecessor had worn. The colt’s name?”
Trixie felt her neck grow tense as she guessed.
“Sombra?”
“Spot on, love.” Balisong patted her back “So you see, this little baby, the Blood Diamond, has been regarded by the Crystal Empire as the Bringer of Doom and Destruction for over three thousand years, since before the First Age of Magic. Nifty, eh?”
“Well if that’s the case, your ‘paymaster’ is more than welcome to it.”
“Ah, you might think so.” The mercenary sniggered “But you see, there’s a twist in the tale, so to speak. After the Crystal Empire was rendered moot, its royal family guests of Princess Laurelore, the Blood Diamond was brought to Laurelore, bound with every protection known to ponykind, and examined by the finest minds Equestria had to offer. Star-Swirl, Vorpal Blade, Aurora, all the greats from far and wide examined it and concluded...” 
She began giggling. Pausing in the grass and doubling up, her body shaking with each cackle.
“Concluded...what?” Trixie asked, disturbed more than ever by the dark tale.
“There was no dark magic!” Balisong exclaimed, her face twisted with sick amusement “No curse, no blasphemies, no demonic presence. The Blood Diamond increased the power of its wielder, more than most magical catalysts, but that’s it.” She shook her head “Quite a turn-up, eh?”

“But...that’s not possible, the Amulet...the Diamond causes evil. Causes it’s wearer to-”
“No, no, no, love.” She patted her on the shoulder again. It was becoming degrading.
“Take it from me...Evil, for a loose definition, does not come from gems or stones or plants or clouds...Evil is, was and always will be ‘pony-made’. The Rituals? Simply the result of desperation, paranoia, terror. The Kinslayings? Terror again, fear of the past repeating itself, which it very much did. Ditto for the Republican Civil War and the Blood Diamond Hunt. Ormer and Sombra and...heh...little old you?”
She titled her head as her demented citrine eyes stared into Trixie’s own. Her hoof tapped the side of the blue unicorn’s head.
“You know what they say about power going to your head. Thing is, Trixie, my old mate, is that the best way to get a good pony to do bad things is to convince them that they’re not in control, that they’re not responsible for their actions. In truth, the Blood Diamond has about as much power over your ‘morality’ as a cheerleader squad has over the results of a hoof-ball game. It has no power over what actions we take, what we choose to do with what it gives us. That’s our own bloody fault. All the madness, all the noise, all the death in all the scudding mess that took place over this Blood Diamond, it gets all the blame. But in the end, it was just ponies being ponies. Thing is, you lot just have to find some way to justify it! An evil artefact, an ancient curse, a never-ending nightmare, abusive parents, a jilted affair, anything, anything at all to avoid the alternative...That some ponies, indeed most ponies, perhaps even ponies in general...are just...really...curd.”
They paused a moment. Balisong looked at Trixie with her crooked little smile and laid-back stance while Trixie looked at Balisong upright, disdainful and suspicious.
“I’m afraid...Trixie does not believe you.”
“Suit yourself.” She shrugged “Could have said that at the start, would have saved me some scudding time.” She leaned her shoulder against a barn and Trixie realised they’d finally reached her hideout.
Balisong tossed her the keys and gestured at the door.
“They’re in there.” she winked “Well, go on then, they must miss you. I’ve a few calls to make.”
Trixie eyed the place, then its owner.
She didn’t fancy entering anything Balisong had been inside, especially if Balisong herself wasn’t inside at the time.
There could any number of traps waiting for her. She didn’t want to have too high an opinion of herself but she wouldn’t put it past these mercenaries to hold this elaborate plot just to kill the Great and Powerful Trixie (After all, she too had taken part in the field of world-saving on more than one occasion)
Steeling herself and remembering there were three innocent ponies within, she opened the door and crept inside.
Outside, Balisong’s grin widened as she pressed the transceiver by her ear and spoke quietly and coldly.
“Move in...Look for the fire.”


Trixie took every step carefully, expecting a bear trap or a falling axe to pop out of any corner.
The place was large but bare. The haybales had long turned to rot. Instruments hanging from hooks had long gone to rust.
Yet there, at the back, were three chairs. Upon them were the figures of ponies with her hooves tied.
Trixie felt her breath return as she noticed their chests rising and falling.
They lived. All three still lived.
In the darkness, however, it was impossible to tell one from the other.
She cast an illumination spell, a primrose pink glow lighting up the barn interior.
The three ponies had their heads bowed and, to her shock, Trixie saw that was largely due to the fact that each of them were wearing large wooden boxes on their heads, dirty things with heavy padlocks.
Carefully, Trixie edged forward.
The pale pink mare, it must have been Cherry Berry, raised her head slowly, the box likely making it an arduous task. Soon, Caramel and Berry Punch did the very same.
It was then that Trixie realised the boxes were chained together by the padlocks.
She sensed all was not well.
Carefully focussing her magic, she held up the key and, concentrating hard, formed three magic molds of the same shape, inserting the three keys, one solid and two arcane, into the padlocks.
They gave a twist and the medal locks and chains fell to the straw-strewn floor.
With another gust of magic, Trixie opened the front of the boxes, three at once.
The three ponies within stared terrified at her.
In each of their mouths of a giant, glistening worm, coiling across their faces, poking inside their nostrils, sliding over their eyelids or snaking round their necks.
At the sudden entry of the newcomer, the worms craned their heads towards her and gave a collective bubbling screech, their faces splitting open like flowers, showing off rounded, hungry jaws.
‘Of course.’ Trixie thought, her mind a flurry of revelations ‘Coldwater Leeches. They’ve used these before.’
The next instant, her horn lit up bright pink as the leeches shot forth out the prisoner’s mouths and pounced at her.
There was a flash of light.
Cherry Berry, Caramel and Berry Punch opened their eyes to see the worms their captor had placed in their mouths. Balisong had warned them all, smiling as she did so, that any move they found unnatural would make them burrow into their necks and drink their blood until there was nothing left.
For what seemed like hours, the things had delved across their faces, sliding and sniffing and licking. Every move they made would cause them to jump and scream if only they could.
Now all that was left of the Coldwater Leeches were three thin, twisting trails of ash on the floor.
Trixie Lulamoon undid the wooden head-prisons. Cherry Berry instantly fell before her, clutching her hind-leg and weeping incessantly.
“Please! Please get us out of here, Trixie! Please!” she sobbed “I-I-I wanna’ go home! I just wanna’ go home.”
“Of course. Don’t worry. Trixie’s here to save you.”
“Sh-sh-she’s not c-coming back is she?” Caramel stammered, rubbing his forelegs and shoulders frantically “Please don’t let her come back. I can’t take any more...”
“It’s alright, please stay calm. Trixie will keep you safe, Trixie swears on Trixie’s life. Berry, are you alright?”
The young, mulberry-red single mother slowly looked at her rescuer.
She looked as though her capture had aged her by ten or twenty years. Bags were under her eyes and her lips were cracked. She was blinking over and over but her drained-looking expression didn’t change.
Trixie tapped her gently on the shoulder. Berry simply tilted her head blankly.
“Is...is she still with us?”
“Balisong...She...She gave her something.” Cherry Berry whimpered “Berry Punch bit her and...she really didn’t like it.”
“She gave Berry something...A drink” Caramel shuddered “I don’t know what it was but...She wouldn’t stop screaming...”
Trixie shook her head at the horror of it.
“Tri...I promise, I’ll get you back. Your families, your loved ones, they know what’s gone on and they’re waiting for you. I promise, just...”
There was a clunk. Berry Punch’s head turned sharply to the sound.
The four noticed liquid pooling swiftly under the barn door.
“...oh...” Trixie murmured.
Cherry Berry grabbed her hind legs in terror.
“She’s gonna’ burn us...She’s gonna’ kill us!”
“No, no, calm down!” Trixie exclaimed, gathering the three “Stay close, hold onto Trixie. She’ll...She’ll try her very best.”
Pink light shone and a cone of glittery primrose sheen slowly began to form.
Keeping her eyes wide-open, focussed on the shield, the Great and Powerful Trixie faced the blast head-on.


*


The noise and light weren’t hard to spot.
Big Mac felt his girlfriend clutch his side.
This hero business was paying off already.
“Do you...Do you think they’re okay?” Cheerilee’s worried tone sobered Big Mac who held her gently.
“Ah’m sure. Trixie’s a bit hot-headed but she’s sure capable. S’long as she’s by ‘em, they’ll be okay.”
“Okay...okay...Stick to the plan, right?”
“Eeyup.”
He didn’t mind saying Miss Cheerilee looked positively scintillating in her improvised armour. Mostly a set of leather, harnesses and straps of scrap-metal. But it was the way it seemed to carry her up, complete with the purple cloak and sabre at her side.
He hadn’t known until now that her uncle had been a soldier.
He wasn’t certain why he found her more attractive than ever in armour, or what she or indeed Granny Smith would think of him if they ever found out.
But, steeling himself, he remembered that his girlfriend’s sister was in peril, experiencing torture he couldn’t begin to imagine.
And it had gone far enough.


*


The ground rushed up to meet Trixie Lulamoon as she lay, near catatonic, upon the bare foot of ground that had escaped the explosion, her magic exhausted.
Berry Punch stared into space, Caramel desperately shook Trixie’s shoulder and Cherry Berry crouched on the ground, her head in her chest, and prayed for an end to the horror.
Striding through the flickering flames around what remained of the ruined barn, their tormentor re-emerged, similarly hard-faced ponies with deadly weaponry moving in.
“You are one persistent little madam, ain’t ya, darl.” Balisong purred, spinning her glaive around her free hoof “See ponies like you can rise high...or die young. And I’m afraid to tell you that our organisation considers it necessary for you to rank among the latter.”
“Please...” Caramel whimpered “Please don’t...”
“Shhhhh....” Balisong hushed him, her citrine eyes gleaming like gold flecks in the fire “You three are in enough trouble already. I really wouldn’t make it worse for yourselves.”
Swatting away the young stallion, the mercenary took hold of Trixie’s mane in her free hoof, holding the glaive in her magical hold, resting it under her neck.
“Anything to say, Great and Powerful Whatsname?”
The fatigued magician gave a faint mumble.
“I’m sorry. what?”
The blue unicorn cleared her throat and repeated louder for all to hear.
“Trixie said...Go Suck Trixie’s Magic Wand And Die...”
There was a pause. Balisong gave her new nemesis a tired look.
“Well...thank you for that. Congratulations, Miss Lulamoon, you’ve succeeded in ever so slightly pissing me off. Perhaps that’ll grant you some momentary satisfaction before I cut off your ‘Magic Wand’ and put it somewhere Starlight never shines.”
“Bali?” one of the mercenaries called.
Their leader sighed impatiently.
“What?”
“There’s something out there. Something in the bushes, it sounds like a-”
A shower of leaves cut of their sentence as a...shape flew forth.
Balisong spun round as time seemed to slow.
Leaping forth towards her was a humungous red pony in cobbled together armour. His eyes were blazing, his mouth opened wide with a war-cry.
And, she noticed, in his hoof was a huge stone hammer.
Coming right for-


Time stood still for both parties as Big McIntosh’s hammer swung round and hit Balisong square across the cheek.
There was a grisly, wet crunch as half her face disappeared behind the great stone head and a spurt of blood appeared between. Her lips twisted to the side as teeth fragments were spat out and her piercing came loose. Her eye closed and bled as did her ear. Her undamaged eye stared a moment as time caught up with them.
The next moment, the mercenary spun through the air, making a noise not unlike a mad cat caught in a storm, before she smashed into a dead tree and fell still.
The mercenaries gaped as this six-foot-six giant of a stallion stood where their commander had once done and cast his eyes around with contempt.
“Who...Who the hay are you?” one of them gasped.
“Who am ah?” Big Mac growled, raising his hammer high “Ah’m what happens when ya mess with Ponyville!”
His hammer arched through the air while his other free hoof shook loose a weighted net. Coiling round his foreleg like a snake, he charged the squad.
“Shoot him! Kill him! Now” One of them yelled.
Big Mac set about making clear that was easily said than done.


The first of the mercenaries was sent sailing through the air by a mean back-kick.
The second drew a gun but found it snatched from his grasp by the net as the hammer came round and cracked into his chin, sending him head-over-hooves.
The third threw a knife. With reflexes that would put a wolf to shame, Big Mac craned his neck to the side as the blade hit another attacker in the shoulder who was promptly brought down by another back-kick square in the face.
Before he could draw another knife, the wielder’s head was wrapped in the neck and dragged forward, right into Big Mac’s forehooves smashing him into the ground.
A fifth swung a sabre sideways for his neck. Ducking down, Big Mac swung the hammer across her sword-hoof then kicked her other forehoof out beneath her, smacking her head into the soil.
Hearing the click of an aiming gun, Big Mac whirled the net around in his hoof and threw it forward, catching the gunpony by the forehooves and dragging him into another lunging forward with daggers. The two crashed in mid-air and fell to earth.
As one left on the ground reached for his gun, he found his forehoof disappear suddenly under the stone hammer. Before he could scream, Mac’s hoof came up and cracked into his jaw.
The final mercenary, a griffon, thrusted forth with an electric spear that narrowly grazed Mac’s shoulder as he spun. Breaking the metal shaft, he grabbed the spearhead, stabbed it through the griffon’s left wing and shoved his beak against the dead tree beside him.
All eight hardened mercenaries law sprawled on the ground before Big MacIntosh Apple.
Trixie, Berry Punch, Caramel and Cherry Berry stared nonplussed at the scene.
A proud smile spread across the stallion’s face.
Then suddenly became an open-mouthed silent scream.
Something had stabbed him.
Dropping the hammer, he found himself pressed against the earth as a keen, metal glaive stuck out of shoulder, inches from the back of his neck.
Trixie stared and moved to aid him but fell forward in the ashes and lay immobile, struggling like mad to force her body to move.
The glaive twisted in Mac’s shoulder. His scream became a howl of agony as it wrenched itself free, gripped in venom-green magic. Tossed on his side, the glaive rested against his face. The stallion tasted his own blood as the blade edged itself into his mouth and tugged the edge of his lips. His hoof reached for his hammer but another’s pinned it down.
Balisong stood over him.
The left side of her face was blotted out by gore. Her eye didn’t show. The side of her lip was loose and torn. Her muzzle was bent and bleeding. She coughed and dribbled blood as she breathed heavily but the right side of her face appeared to smile slightly as she leaned in close.
“Bad move...mate...”
The glaive gave a hiss.


It then dropped lifelessly. Mac half-threw, half-spat it out and stood as Balisong fell, pinned down by a petite mulberry mare with the angriest face Mac had ever seen on a pony.
Cheerilee stared at the monster who’d tortured her, put her sister through hell, traumatised her niece and had just been trying to carve her boyfriend’s face.
All patience, joy and timidness in her mind was gone.
With a roar of unbridled rage, her hoof rose and smashed into the crimson-matted face of Balisong.
Over and over, again and again, Balisong’s hooves flailed helplessly under the Ponyville Schoolteacher who raged and screamed on and on.
“MONSTER!” she screeched “YOU MONSTER! YOU MONSTER! YOU MONSTER! YOU MONSTER! YOU-”
“Cheerilee!” Trixie’s voice cut through her screams just as her hoof landed again.
Something gave way under Cheerilee’s hoof.
Balisong gave a scream unlike anything anypony around had ever heard.
Cheerilee threw herself off and crawled away in horror, staring at the aftermath. Mac’s hooves took her by the shoulders.
The mare she’d punched was clutching at her face with bloody hooves and writhing on the ground in a frenzy, shrieking and wailing as a tide of scarlet poured out of her shattered jaw.
The schoolteacher stared at her bloody hooves. Her lip trembled.
Then her sister came forward.
Berry Punch wrapped her forelegs around her sister and didn’t let go.
There was a mechanical humming from above as a star seemed to travel forward. Light began to shine on them.
Big Mac winced as he wrapped a piece of green cloth around his shoulder and gestured for the forests.
“Quickly! Get outta’ here! Vamoose!”
Caramel and Cherry Berry scrambled to their hooves and retrieved Trixie Lulamoon. Carried atop their backs between them, the blue magician cast one last look at the maimed, screaming remains of her attempted murderer.
Her cries sounded almost...filly-like.
Remembering all she’d said and done, she turned away as they disappeared into the safer parts of the Everfree, reminding herself to consult Twilight and Starlight heavily over the events.
This night had been a difficult one for all concerned.


*


As the sleek, dark airship landed in the smouldering clearing, a beige stallion in a trench-coat and goggles leapt out with a bizarre firearm slung over his back.
Others followed. One by one, they gathered up their fallen brethren. The ones who could stand supported by the shoulder and the ones who couldn’t carried on the back.
A lithe, pale batpony materialised, a white bandage with dark red stains strapped right around him. He gasped and stammered as his comrades approached.
“Bovril...Thank buck...” he panted “You have to hurry.”
“We’re here, Shadow. Don’t worry. It’s a clean-up. We’re getting out of here.”
Bovril patted him on the shoulder and turned back to the creature on the floor, screaming and sobbing seemingly without end.
“Bali!” they crouched round her “Bali, it’s us. We’re getting you out. Okay?”
“Hurksh!” the mare on the ground howled incomprehensibly “Ik hurksh! Ik hurksh! Ik hurksh!”
“Bali, wh...” Shadowplay gaped “What in hay happened to you?!”
Balisong’s hooves shook as they gently pulled them away from her face.
Or what was left of it.
“Dolk! Dolk! Puk ip back! Preesh!” she burbled.
“Give her to me.”
Behind them, the paymaster stood, holding the door open for the wounded and their carriers.
Anxiously, Bovril wrapped a bandage around Balisong’s head, hoping to keep both the situation and her face together.
Carried between the two, the mare whimpered and whined as she was passed to her mentor. The door to the hold closed behind them as a dim light turned on. Mercenaries applied aid to themselves or each other.
As the Palioxis took to the sky, Cascadius cradled his old student and placed a hoof over her chest.
“It’s alright, Bali. I’m here. I’m here.”
“Plss...” she mumbled incoherently through teeth shut together, tears from one eye streaming down her cheek “Mrk it shtp hrrtng...”
Reaching up and retrieving an oxygen tank, Cascadius carefully placed the mask over Balisong’s ruined face. Her spluttery gasps and whimpers were muffled and became short, sad hisses that steadily slowed.
Her remaining eye blinked as Cascadius dabbed at it with a cloth, then slowly closed. The breathing became slow and quiet.
“Breathe...Breathe...” he whispered, almost tenderly, gently rubbing her shoulder.
He was reminded vividly of the first time he met her. Alone, afraid, desperate.
He’d promised to never let her find herself in such a situation again, as long as she learned and served well.
And Ponyville had led him to break that promise.
As Balisong's eyes closed and her head lolled against Cascadius's chest, her hooves retracted.
A shiny, dark-grey amulet with a blood-red diamond in the centre fell from her hoof into his.
He gave a relieved sigh.
As he softly rocked the unconscious mare in his hooves, his gaze darkened as he thought of Ponyville and its surprisingly tenacious denizens.
Far more tenacious than he’d expected.
But Cascadius was a pony who learned from his mistakes and acknowledged the strength of his potential enemies when demonstrated to him, vowing thereafter to take their threat seriously.
'Of course, those same enemies aren’t always happy when I do.'
The ancient red diamond gleamed in his grasp.
'And Ponyville will most certainly be no exception.'
> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinky’s head hurt.
She didn’t want to rub the side of it. She was afraid what might happen.
Her fetlock had some sort of tube attached to it by a plaster.
It worried her that it might be inside her. It worried her more that she couldn’t feel it.
Her throat was dry.
Her muzzle felt blocked.
Many concerns and uneases swirled round her mind but the first and foremost was the greatest worry.
Where was her mummy?
The door in the hospital room clicked open and Dinky half-expected the lovable wall-eyed pegasus she called ‘momma’ to walk in and give her a hug and maybe a muffin.
But it was almost as nice.
Sparkler had arrived.
“Hi Dinks.” her face had specks of worry under her warm smile and slightly reddened eyes.
“Sparkie!” Dinky squeaked happily before coughing.
“You okay? Here.” she hoofed over a flask of orange juice.
“Thanks so much, Sparkie.” the little filly took some grateful swigs of juice and tried to settle down “How long have I been in hospital?”
“Uh, no more than a day. They’ll probably let you out soon.”
“Is momma coming?”
Sparkler gave an awkward glance then leaned forward, looking Dinky in the eyes.
“Look...I’m not gonna’ lie, Dinks. When you got sick...mom didn’t take it well. She’s at home but don’t worry. I’ll let her know you’re okay right away.”
Dinky felt her hooves clutch the blankets slightly. Shuddering, she ignored Sparkler who shut a window to her right with some care.
“Don’t want you to get cold. Weather’s all over the place recently. First, it’s hot, then it’s cold. I think it’s ‘cause of Equestrian armies going to and fro. Pegasi and sky chariots and stuff.”
“Uh-huh...Thanks, Sparky...” Dinky was quiet, gloom setting into her shoulders and throat, looking small and sounding quiet.
Sparkler gave the window an adjust, as if she was worried it might crack.
Then the young lilac unicorn ruffled the straw-coloured mane of her adopted sister.
“Don’t worry, Dinky. I’ll tell mum you’re ready to see her. Might be a well but she’ll be really happy to know you’re okay.” She gave her a smile. She left her the juice cup on the bedside desk.
“Be back soon. Try to get some rest.”


The door closed lightly as Dinky found herself alone in the room.
The button beside her bed would summon a nurse. At the moment, she had her juice and her head felt a little better. She didn’t like to be a bother. She’d picked it up from her mother.
Her father on the other hoof...
She wondered how long it had been since she’d seen them...how long it felt like.
She tugged the covers over her shoulders. Strangely, she was starting to feel chilly even with the windows closed.
Her ears twitched.
It was the most peculiar feeling but she could swear she heard heavy breathing.
From the right side of her face.
“...You have your mother’s mane...”
Dinky gasped, gripping the covers. She’d heard a voice, she was certain of it.
An old mare’s.
One that sounded hoarse and croaky, full of bile and decay...
Yet strangely familiar.
She looked to her left, seeing only the bedside desk and all the nick-nacks upon it.
Then she looked to her right.
She nearly fainted dead away.
Staring at her through the window with sickly, boggling eyes was a face quite literally out of her nightmares.
No...not her nightmares.
Her memories.
She remembered.
She remembered the look, the voice, everything.
The angry words. The horrid scowls. The sharp crack of the riding crop, her mother crying out in agony as each one landed.
She whispered fearfully, her shivering body locked in place, terrified out of her wits.
“I...know you...”
With a slow, unsettling crease stretching across her face, Countess Magnifying Glass gave a menacing grey grin.
“My, my...how you have grown.”


Dinky edged away, her wide eyes full of horror.
“I...I know you! You’re...you’re that mare who made my mommy cry!”
The mare from her nightmares raised her eyebrow.
“Well...I had my reasons.” her voice was austere yet somewhat fractured, quivering, some foul derangement playing at the back of her throat “But really, what little foal wouldn’t recognise a family member?”
Dinky blinked.
It seemed alien to imagine a monster like this as her blood.
But then why would her mother have spent so much time around her in the first place?
“Why are you here?” Dinky murmured.
“I wanted to see how your mother had left you...” Those bulging yellow eyes were staring straight into her “Then again, it would make sense. Getting rid of the mistake.”
The little filly felt close to choking.
“What do you mean?”
The side of Magnifying Glass’s lips gave a feverish twitch.
“That’s what she called you, you know...Her mistake...” she snarled “When I spoke to her about what she’d done...what she’d made.”
Dinky felt her breath coming faster and harder. Something in the back of her head felt like it was burning.
“No...That’s not true.”
“I remember her exact words.” The old mare was staring straight through her, then put on a simpleton voice and mimicked the voice of Dinky’s mother.
“It wasn’t my fault...I got drunk...”
For a moment, there was silence.
Dinky felt like something had snapped in the back of her skull. A twisting vine, blooming and bright, pulled taut and broken cruelly.
Her thoughts slowed. Every moment from his life was flowing backwards. Every goodnight kiss, every warm hug. Every calming smile. Every time the words ‘I love you’ were spoken softly to her by one of parents.
And then she repeated the words in her head.
She got drunk.
It wasn’t her fault.
She wasn’t her fault.
Every word hit her head like a bolt one after the other.
Her...
Mother...
Didn’t...
Want...
Her...


Her throat felt like it had blocked. She twisted uncomfortably as her brow furrowed, scowling at the horrible mare in front of her.
“You...you’re lying!”
“Now, really...what sort of great-aunt would I be if I lied to my own kin?” her voice sounded like the purr of some cruel, mad cat.
“You’re lying! My mama loves me!”
“Ma-ma...” the old mare sneered mockingly “You don’t sound a day over two! You really have got her brains!”
“You...Shut up!” Dinky’s eyes blazed “Don’t talk about my mama!”
“Oh, why not? Is it not the right of any mare to talk about her family? The foals they might have? The mistakes they might make? Though in your mother’s case, they’re one and the same.”
“I’m not! I’m...I’m not her mistake! Mama loves me! And daddy loves me! They both love me!”
The creature in the window rolled her eyes.
“Tartarus’ sake, am I the only one who realises it?! That’s not love your mother shows you, it’s a guilt complex! She’s a simpleton! Simpletons aren’t capable of love! And your father?! You imagine he feels anything but shame when he sees you? The product of his drunken tryst? He said it himself. ‘We didn’t mean for it to happen’. That’s you. You weren’t meant to happen!”
“Shut up!” Dinky was screaming, hot tears streaming down her cheeks from eyes narrow and angry as as a pair of daggers “Shut up, you horrible witch! Shut up! Shut up! Shut u...”
As her forehoof flailed in her rage, she suddenly felt her fetlock grow cold.
One of the tubes had fallen out.
Her fetlock was bleeding.
Dinky Doo’s eyes widened with horror. Her limbs felt limp and shaky. Her head fell back and her free foreleg pawed limply at the emergency button.
Her vision was blurring, staring up at the sneering mare with skin like rotting parchment who was slowly shaking her head.
“Well now...that wasn’t very clever, was it...” she murmured “Then again, it runs in the family.”
Dinky’s head hit the pillow at an uncomfortable angle. Her forehoof felt the button shift under it.
The last thing she heard was the blare of the alarm, the doors opening and the canter of doctor’s hooves.


*


“So...you wanna’ explain this, or shall I?”
Rainbow Dash stood before their two prisoners with blazing eyes.
Agrius and Etric sat tied back to back with rolled bedsheets, snarling at their captors and struggling helplessly.
“You’re gonna’ get it, nags! You got no idea what you’re dealing with!”
“Yeah, we do, actually. In fact, we just got done takin’ ‘em to back-hoof town.” Applejack said, unimpressed “They ain’t comin’ to help ya’. You may as well start talkin’.”
“This day alone, I have been accosted by multiple neer-do-wells, dragged through filth, caged, lacerated, near-burnt and forced to spend prolonged time in the company of a deranged, cold-hearted and insufferably pretentious cannibal who butchers not only living ponies but classical dialogue!” Rarity said with a piercing glare “So if you imagine for a mere moment I shall withhold any pent-up fury on a pony who would dare to damage not only my things, not only my friends’ things but our little Spikey-Wikey, you will find yourself gravely mistaken!”
Etric spat.
“Kiss Boulean flank, ya’ Questie plots!” Etric spat, met with Rainbow Dash’s hoof across his lower jaw.
“I saw enough of that curd on the Restricted Zone Wall, you sick creeps! Talk like that one more time, I’m gonna’ show you how we do things in Ponyville!”
“You don’t scare us, nags!” Agrius retorted “Violence ain’t your way.”
“Uh-huh...but here’s what you need to understand.” Twilight Sparkle leaned forward, staring the red stallion in the eyes.
“We’re not feeling ourselves today...”
Etric gave an uneasy look, a dribble of scarlet spittle running off his lip.
“We needed you gone. You can work the rest out on your own.”
Twilight shook her head and sighed.
“Alright, you brought this on yourself.” she said begrudgingly, nodding to her little cream-coloured pegasus friend.
“Fluttershy, if you please?”
The Bearer of Kindness stepped forward, much to the derision of their captives.
“This freak?!” Etric spluttered “She’s probably off her face on atropine! Is this meant to scare us?!”
All Rainbow Dash could do was snigger as Fluttershy, calm and quiet as ever, paced over to Etric and focussed. Her eyes widened, her mouth tightened, her mind cleared.
Etric stared at the pegasus’s huge green eyes.
He felt his brow freeze and his collar sear.
His limbs began shaking.
“Wh-wh-what are you doing?!” he stammered at the normally timid pegasus who simply gave a small, quiet ‘shhh’. Struggling behind him, Agrius snarled.
“Etric, what are you whining about?! She’s a Questie! They’re all wet blankets! You’re a Boulette Soldier! Grow some balls!”
Etric couldn’t hear him.
He felt his mind being opened up.
The eyes were in his head.
The Eyes Were In His Head.
The Eyes Were In His Head!
“It wasn’t nice...what you did.” she murmured “Hurting Spike and Angel...creeping into our room...to kill us with fire just as we came back safe from all that happened...Not very nice at all...Not even very brave...” She took a deep breath “Now, I know a thing or two about being scared...but that’s no excuse for me to be a coward...and it’s no excuse for you either.”
The sound of Fluttershy’s voice was as quiet and calm as the rest of her
Yet the feel of it was as terrible and foreboding as the angriest parent, hooves pounding on the bad foal’s door, shouting for them to come down right now and explain themselves, counting down to ten before they were in even deeper trouble, whatever that would entail.
Somehow, Etric was feeling it. Right against the back of his spine.
For the first time in many years, Etric was truly gripped by fear.
“Wh-what do you want?!”
“Why did you want to kill us?”
“I...It was just an order.”
“Who gave you that order?”
“Shut up, you dumbass! He’ll kill u-”
Agrius’s protests were muffled by Applejack’s hoof landing squarely across his jaw a second time.
Fluttershy gave an uneasy look at the spectacle but continued.
“Who gave you that order?”
Rainbow Dash sucked her teeth as the stare worked its magic and made sure to check the wall-to-wall window curtains were fully pulled. None of them wanted passers-by or aerial observers to find the Bearers of Harmony interrogating Boulettan troopers. There was no telling what might happen.
As she checked, she caught something in the corner of her eye.
There was a red dot, shining against the curtain.
There was nothing within the room that would cause such a glare.
It was tilting slightly, lowering down to face them, right behind Fluttershy.
Almost like a...
Rainbow Dash’s heart struck the barrel of her ribs with a jolt as she flung herself forwards, screaming at her friends.
“GET DOWN!”

Ker-Ack!

A cylindrical beam of light made its way into the room with the speed and strength of a lightning bolt. Rainbow Dash flew into Fluttershy’s shoulders and hauled her to the floor. Applejack threw herself down, clutching a bleeding foreleg. Rarity grabbed Spike and both were covered by the outstretched wing of Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie covered her eyes with her mane, her tail twitching as if to sense danger.
After a pause, Applejack raised her head.
“Is...is everypony okay?”
Slowly, they raised their heads. The silence, long and foreboding, was broken by Fluttershy’s whimper.
“Oh dear...Oh dear...Oh dear...Oh dear...Oh dear...”
“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie’s eyes boggled with horror.
The Bearers of Harmony looked grimly at their prisoners.
The shot that had punched a hole through their windows had carried on, driving a deep, bloody tunnel into Etric’s forehead and out of Agrius’s throat.
The two Boulettan would-be bombers were dead, their punctured heads lolled to one side, blood and brains leaking into the carpeted floor below.
Fluttershy’s face was as pale and pulled tight in horror as any corpse. Shivering, staring at the two bodies in the centre of the room, she gave a drawn-out whimper and buried her face in her own mane.
Pinkie was shaking, her breath coming on just as shaky.
“No...no...I...I didn’t do it...I didn’t mean to....I-I-I-I...”
“Everypony calm down!” Twilight Sparkle sounded “Rarity, I’ll take care of Spike. Can you get Carcassonne and Lafayette in here, quick?!”
“A-a-alright...” Rarity scrambled to her hooves and staggered out the door queasily “I’ll be back with them as quickly as I can.”
Applejack, despite limping on one bleeding forehoof, tended to Pinkie and Fluttershy locked in trauma at the sight of the grisly double-murder. The hardy farm-mare took them both to her shoulders and hugged them tightly.
“It’s alright now...It’s alright...” She turned, her eyes widening with dread “Dash, what’re you doin’? Are you crazy?”
The reckless pegasus had thrown open the curtain. With a gust from her wings, Twilight pushed her out the way of any potential shot but none came.
Daring to glance at just what had fired, Rainbow Dash peered out the window, noticing the small, sheer, rounded hole punched clean through the glass.
Atop a building opposite, dressed in a plain garb befitting desert climate, shrouded and obscured from head to hoof, a unicorn mare put away her sniper rifle and gave a mocking salute with her forehoof before disappearing in a teleport.
“I know her!” Fluttershy exclaimed “I saw her!”
“So did I.” Applejack murmured.
Twilight looked out at the spectacle grimly.
The sniper hadn’t been after them.
Agrius and Etric were their targets.
But why them?
And, a more predominant thought, what did the mercenaries have to gain by letting the Bearers of Harmony live?


*


Alma Rose’s face was blank and expressionless, her eyes closed in deep sleep on the hospital bed.
Lemon Hearts knelt beside her, holding her remaining forehoof gently, her eyes streaming.
Standing before the bed, staring down in shock at the sight, were Razzmatazz and Amaranth, Alma’s parents.
The stallion was a deep rich magenta in coat with a long dark-green mane and curling beard, swathed in white Saddle Arabian attire with intricate eastern patterns.
The mare was silver with a long, tumbling mane of rose-red and long eyelashes, draped in shimmering emerald-green cloth.
Both of them wore traditional Aswari bridles and forlorn expressions.
With a strained murmur, Amaranth broke the silence.
“Where did you find her?”
“In the corridors. But she’d been led in by the enemy after being taken prisoner.” Shining Armour answered, standing in the doorway, addressing the visitors urgently called to their daughter’s bed “Ctenophore and his scouts found where the enemy had camped. Her leg was there.”
“The limb wasn’t severed long. We can revitalise it.” Crimson Croix, a silver and red crystal pony with a close-shaved mane who served as the Master Healer of Quartzwald, spoke up gently “But according to Miss Chastity’s report, Miss Rose has endured gross trauma which may stunt the reattachment, leave it impaired and cause...a number of very nasty side-effects. We can go along with the reattachment procedure if you’ll accept it or play it safe.”
Razzmatazz’s brow furrowed in anxiety.
“How long before we would need to make a decision?” he asked.
“We would need an answer by tomorrow morning. We can’t keep the severed area safe and ready for reattachment longer than that.”
“Will she be awake by then?”
“Hopefully.”
“We’d like her to decide.” Amaranth answered.
“We can’t guarantee that but we’ll honour your wishes if possible.”
“Thank you, Master Healer.” Razzmatazz nodded as the doctor left to deliver the news to his colleagues.
Lemon Hearts gave a sniffle as she cradled her girlfriend’s forehoof in her own.
Amaranth gave her a look, then one to her husband, then back to the young mare.
“Young Lemon Hearts...you were the one who brought our daughter to the healers?”
“Yeah...” the young mare answered flatly.
The two had seen their daughter interacting with the young mare frequently, long enough to know it went beyond the boundaries of friends.
Lemon Hearts wasn’t unaware.
“Should I leave the room?” she asked quietly.
The parents looked to each other.
“Now is far from the right time to ask this but...would it be correct to say...that you are our daughter’s...lo-”
“Marefriend. Yes.”
There was an uneasy pause.
“Do you...not approve?” Lemon Hearts found herself asking.
Razzmatazz sighed.
“Not...as much as we should.” he said grimly, pacing over to the young mare and kneeling down beside his daughter’s hospital bed alongside her.
His voice was calm and sincere.
“However, in our eyes, what we would have approved of stopped being an important issue stopped when she grew up. She’s very happy with you, this we have seen. You love each other and that is enough for us.” He stood and gently patted the shoulder of her daughter’s marefriend.
“Stay beside her if you like.”
Lemon Hearts gave a nod and turned, staring as Alma’s chest rose a little and her mouth opened to take a breath of air.
She’d wake soon.
Lemon Hearts gave a weighty sigh and rested her head against the bed.
“It’s okay now, Alma.” she whispered “The worst is over.”


The ornate, crystal-adorned doors of the Imperial Crystalline Palace felt harder and heavier than Shining Armor had ever remembered.
But it would be worth it. So very worth it.
Coming home to his wife and foal.
“Shining!” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza flew into her husband’s forelegs and planted his sweat-sodden face with kisses. The stallion held her close, his hind-legs shaking, threatening to buckle.
"Cadey..." Shining spoke the pet-name of his wife in a contented sigh "I'm here, Cadey..."
Two tiny little forehooves pawed at the underside of his chin as little Princess Flurry Heart made to hug her father, her round, rosy-cheeked face full of joy for her father coming home, oblivious to all else.
“Deeh...Heh...Geh...” she burbled, reaching out to her daddy.
Shining Armour felt like he needed that smile.
“Hey, there’s my little gem.” he chuckled, kissing his daughter’s forehead as she giggled. Leaning over, Shining and Cadence’s lips locked lovingly.
“Shining, thank Celestia!” Cadence said breathlessly “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, I wanted to be, when I heard about the attack, but-”
“Cadey, it’s okay.” Shining said with a smile “I’m back now...I haven’t really got any clue how I’m back, considering what I’ve seen but hey, at least we’re both surprised.”
He noticed significant moisture in the corners of his wife’s eyes. Cadence was shaking her head, lips trembling. One of her forehooves thumped against Shining’s chestplate frustratedly.
“Don’t joke about this...please...” she whimpered “I was so worried. I thought...when I knew it was...them...”
“It’s okay, Cadey, honest.” Shining caressed her slender, cerise cheek “Tomorrow I’ll present my report to the Princess and then we’ll get a better view at this whole thing. We’re not letting the Crystal Empire fall nor the rest of Equestria, you can be sure of that.”
“Okay, Shiney...okay...” Cadence barely felt the hug as she thought back to that night that still troubled her all those years ago.
As she closed her eyes, sharing the warmth of her husband and baby daughter, she was certain she felt the blood-red goggles on that old gas mask staring into the back of her head, whispering those two deadly words in her ear.
No Interference.
She'd interfered. She knew it now.
She'd interfered a lot.
What would come next?
And from whom?
And upon whom?
And how soon?
Cadence's body shivered as she felt her hooves feel limp, as she and her baby were carried gingerly back to her chambers by her husband.


*


Twilight braced herself as Carcassonne gave her and her friends a nod outside the Senatorial Chamber.
The Bearers of Harmony walked in grimly, finding Acting-Senator Rochelle, Colonel Quimper and Captain Lafayette waiting to convene.
Carcassonne closed the door as Rochelle spoke, soft-spoken and austere.
“Please, you start. Asking questions comes first...then the other thing.”
Anxiously, Twilight Sparkle explained the events that had transpired in their room culminating in two dead ponies.
She could hear Quimper’s hoof grinding the floor while Rochelle’s eyebrow rose in an uncertain manner. Lafayette, meanwhile, gave a sheepish look and had a certain shakiness in his chest that suggested he would be willing to say something if his commanding officer didn’t look so ready to pull somepony’s head off.
Colonel Quimper was the first to speak after the Princess had her say.
“You expect to take the word of a prepubescent dragon...”
“And a rabbit.” Fluttershy quietly added. Quimper ignored her.
“...and believe that two dedicated soldiers of Boulette died attempting to mount a hotel bombing?! Do you truly expect the citizens of this city to believe foreign aristocracy over the defenders of their home and loved ones?!”
“We expect them to believe the truth, Colonel.” Applejack said, fixing the old stallion with a discerning eye “These were your troops. We saw them at their posts but when battle started, they weren’t nowhere to be seen. Did you know they were in our room?”
“Is that a baseless accusation towards my loyalty, Equestrian?!” Quimper seethed.
“Nope. It’s an honest question regardin’ the loyalty o’ those under yer command. Ah’ll say it again. These were your troops. Is this yer responsibility?”
“You would dare try to pin this on me?!” The Colonel seemed close to exploding.
Lafayette edged away and interjected.
“Sir, I’m sure they don’t suspect you had something to do with the intended bombing itself. They just want to know if you saw Agrius or Etric before the-”
“I know what they mean, soldier! And you will not insult the memory of your brothers-in-arms if you want to keep your helm or the head inside it! It is obvious what took place! Troopers Agrius and Etric were abducted in the midst of battle and murdered!”
“In our hotel room?” Rarity asked with a defiant toss of her mane “Just to be clear, who’s making the 'baseless accusations' here?”
“Now you listen good-”
“Enough, Colonel.” Rochelle interrupted, massaging a temple with her forehoof before turning to the Bearers “In any event, we will pursue this to the best of our abilities. Now...” she cleared her throat, seemingly already tired of however many days she’d spent as acting-senator “Onto the matter of the defence of the city.”
“Hey, it’s what we do.” Rainbow Dash gave a satisfied smile and ran a forehoof through her mane “No need to thank us.”
There was a pause. Quimper gave a small scoff while Rochelle fixed them with an unimpressed look.
“Thank you?” she repeated, unamused “You seem to gravely misunderstand the state of affairs, Miss Dash. Perhaps you may explain to me how, despite your Princess assuring us that it would not be so, an armed and dangerous mercenary force was allowed to infiltrate the city and launch a bloody, coordinated attack upon our very streets?”


Twilight blinked.
“Well...we were just as surprised as you-” She threw a forehoof to her lips, realising what she was saying.
Rochelle’s lip curled in disappointment.
“You don’t say...” she murmured with disapproval, stepping closer “Your Princess pleaded with us to send their troops here. She assured us no other army could us as safe as them...Now I have over a hundred ponies dead in the streets.”
“Senator. Our troops have done all they could.”
“With poor armaments, blunt weaponry, no advanced military technology-”
“Senator.” Carcassonne interjected “Those were factors insisted on by the city authorities. Too much Equestrian military influence would cause unrest.”
“Perhaps it’s time to cut to the root of the problem.” Quimper said surreptitiously “Namely, the prevention of Boulettan rearmament under Equestrian law.”
“Now hold on there!” Applejack butted in “You ponies had scattergun cannons! And one of them was trying to shoot me!”
There was an uneasy pause as all eyes locked on Quimper who puffed up like a bellows, his brow jagged with fury.
“My troops did nothing of the sort! They held the line and died for their city and their forefathers, unlike some! The shot must have come from the enemy!”
“No, the shot from the enemy killed the scattergun-user aiming at me.”
Quimper turned to Rochelle with gritted teeth.
“Are you gonna’ let this...foreigner throw mud on the memories of our-”
“Colonel, this is your second warning!” Rochelle interrupted again. She gave a wary glance to the Bearers “We are not aware of the full matter here, your grace, but the problem remains the same and more drastic than ever. We require our own weapons and the right to wield them. You will take this note to the Princesses. We understand why this is, and always has been an issue, but now is a time of civil peril. If those we trust provide us inefficient protection, while forbidding us to protect ourselves, our vassalhood under the Royal Equestria will become very fragile indeed.”
She motioned to an uneasy-looking Lafayette.
“Captain, please show them the door. The Bearers of Harmony and the Lady Representative will depart swiftly back to Canterlot to inform them of what has taken place and what must be done. That’ll be all.”


Without a word, the Bearers of Harmony left the office, sharing each other’s anxiety.
Lafayette looked at them apologetically as they were led to the train station. Their things had already been packed for the journey. Volvic was porting their bags and gave them a friendly nod.
As the train came into view, Lafayette tapped on Rarity’s shoulder. The seamstress turned to him and he spoke plainly.
“Shall we get your friends some refreshments?”
“I think that would be most appropriate.” Rarity said merrily “Extra sprinkles on everything, is that right, Pinkie?”
The pink party-maker of Ponyville gave Rarity an odd look. Her eyes were wide but somewhat blank and her face was emotionless.
“Huh? ...oh yeah, sure. Thanks, Rarity.”
Rarity was about to inquire just what was making her normally hyperactive and broad-grinning friend this way but Lafayette nudged her shoulder and the two headed to the refreshment kiosk.
Before taking any orders, Lafayette ducked behind a blank, rain-sodden billboard and brought Rarity round with him.
The seamstress gave him an uneasy look.
“Are you ill?”
“Not half as much as this city...” Lafayette checked left and right and spoke.
“Listen, you can’t let Quimper rearm the Boulettan Guard.” his voice was shaky and nervous “He’s the last pony Rochelle will have leading the city and he knows it. But he has the ear of many important stallions in Boulette. And he’s also stark-raving mad!”
“I’m aware...” Rarity checked in a similar fashion and conveyed what she’d heard from him.
Lafayette’s eyes widened at the news.
“You mean...he was communicating with another stallion?”
“One who said this city was his...Lafayette, I know this might sound horrid considering all that’s happened but...do you think this whole thing was a set-up?”
“A set-up?”
“I mean, with the attack and Royal Flush being abducted and now Quimper and all others like him pushing to have their weapons back...Perhaps this is what he wants. Is it possible that Quimper’s in league with these mercenaries in some way?”
The stallion paused and swallowed audibly.
“I’m not sure I want to think about that...I’ll have to leave that to you and your Princesses. But don’t let the ponies in this city know you suspect that. This city is on a knife’s edge. One false move from Celestia will send them into a revolt!”
“But surely it’s the mercenaries that are the threat here.”
“You don’t know Boulette. They’d welcome a fight if they had their steel but Celestia’s taken their weapons. It’s her they blame for all of this and if they get wind that a Boulettan is the one under suspicion, the vassalhood goes up in cinders.”
Rarity grimaced.
“I see...” she murmured “I’ll tell Twilight everything. Thank you for telling me.”
“I’m just glad to have more than a hoof-full of ponies one can trust nowadays.” Lafayette nodded flatly “Well...we should probably get your friends those refreshments.”
Turning back to the kiosk, they bought two teas, a cider, a coffee, a smoothie and a frosty milkshake with extra sprinkles.
Their friends accepted with thanks but without much joy.
Rarity couldn’t blame them.
Carcassonne turned away from Commissioner Lyon and spoke to them.
“Celestia’s already been informed of the events. She’s missing you a lot...” she gave a half-smile “Look, whatever you may think, we owe you a lot and me and Lafayette aren’t the only ones who’ll forget it.”
Twilight returned the smile.
“Thanks Carcassonne. You've been a great help here too." she said "I’ll give your love to my sister-in-law.”
They meant to step on the train but stopped for a portly, friendly-looking unicorn with a blue coat and a curly red mane. She gave them a smile and parted for them.
“After you.”
Fluttershy gave a small, instinctive flinch.
She felt certain she’d heard that voice before...
With her mind a maze, she joined her friends boarding the train without a word.


*


Deeper and deeper.
Hoof-steps cracked like muskets on the great slate steps.
A stallion carried a semi-conscious mare down into the secondary healing bay.
He sighed at the circumstance.
He would have much preferred a place of hearing to be somewhat better placed. But old habits died hard.
His old friend had always preferred the dark or at least was better used to it.
But whatever helped her work her magic.
With a weighty push of the heavy doors, wondering why she didn’t want something that could just be switched, he entered the secondary healing bay.
A sheer stone slab in the middle of the room stood surrounded by sceptres topped with pale, sickly-yellow orbs.
Gently, she placed the unconscious mare upon the slab and called out.
“We’re alone. You can show yourself.”
There came a scrambling, scuttling sound as a bundle of rags rose on four hooves and an unsightly, hairless caprine face emerged, missing an eye and a great number of teeth.
“Ah...Master Warmonger...” it chattered “It has been long...long and cold and damn and dark...the worms in my head got hungry...I hear them screaming every night.”
“What did I say that sounded like ‘Tell me about your personal problems’ Ratbag?” the stallion sighed with contempt “I’m here for my old protégé. I have need of her skills. Don’t waste my time.”
“Oh yes....yes...of course...” Ratbag answered with a nervous giggle as light, graceful hoof-steps sounded on the floor behind the newcomer. He sighed again, in a more relieved tone, as a tall, slender, scarlet mare approached and laid a hoof upon his shoulder.
“I have missed you, Cascadius, my dear, faithful guide.”
“Apologies, darling.” he said “I’ve been out of touch with many ponies lately, my mind has been stretched, I’ve neglected those who trust me and...you see the side-effects.” he laid out his hooves before the prone mare breathing haggardly on the stone slab.
The scarlet mare craned over her with wide eyes. Her long horn lit up with a bronze glow and the bandages wrapped around the patients’ head parted slightly, revealing her injuries.
She gave an austere shudder.
“The savagery of earth ponies, I would assume. The hooves breaking bone, ripping flesh...I remember the feeling.”
“Ooooooh the poor filly...so young...and once so beautiful...” the goat’s tongue trailed around his lips before he felt Cascadius’ hoof against his shoulder.
“Harm her in any way, gelding, and I shall forcibly ruin whatever precious parts of yours still remain.”
He turned to the mare.
“Bovril can’t heal her. I’m leaving her in your care...Grand Mistress Servilia.”
His old friend from over a century ago bowed.
“I will be ever at your service. But for a task this grave, the methods will be...painful.”
“Balisong is no stranger to pain. And besides...” Cascadius glanced at her, taking care to note if she seemed conscious enough to hear his words.
“It may benefit her sense of hindsight to know what happens when you take your mind off the task at hoof.”
Servilia nodded, gestured to Ratbag to fetch her a variety of instruments and paced over the stone slab, looming over the wounded Balisong like some immense crimson she-bat.
Shakily, Ratbag carried a cauldron of hissing, white-hot liquid and sharp metal implements.
With a sigh, she thanked her experiences.
Both she and Ratbag had long become used to the sound of screams.


Cascadius caught Miura brooding and Tybalt kicking the wall in frustration.
“Not wasting your time, am I?” he asked sardonically.
“They’re gonna’ get it! They’re all gonna’ bucking get it!” Tybalt raged “Look what they did to her! Bali never hurt anyp...”
He trailed off as he caught sight of Cascadius and Miura fixing him with an unconvinced look.
“Okay, she never hurt anypony that didn’t deserve i...”
He trailed off again, noticing the same look.
“Okay, she never hurt anypony she wasn’t paid to...”
He sighed, giving up.
“Ah, who am I kidding? Balisong’s a sick, psychotic nag and we all know it!” He tensed his neck and spun one of his pistols “The point is that she’s our sick, psychotic nag and we’re not letting whoever did this get away with it!”
“Tybalt, please prioritise.” Cascadius said frankly “Once Balisong’s recovered, whoever did this will be her responsibility.”
“I very much doubt she’d want it any other way.” Miura said “Meanwhile, the Bearers of Harmony return home, bringing news to their Princess.”
“Indeed.” Cascadius answered “Blue’s got in touch. It would appear the unfortunate passing of two captives in their care has affected at least two of them.”
“Kindness and Laughter.” Miura guessed “Neither too easy to keep close in the face of bloody murder.”
“We don’t yet know how deep the wound cuts.” Cascadius mused aloud before pulling out a file, opening it and showing the two.
A grinning, cotton-candy maned pink mare bouncing around with confetti in the breeze greeted them.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie.” Cascadius explained “Of all the Bearers, the most gregarious is ironically the greatest enigma. Seven years and I haven’t been able to pin-point anything crucial to getting me to her core. I’m close though. But I need to test the waters.”
He held up a photo.
A bright, decorative bakery in the sunshine, the little pink pony flanked by a dumpy blue mare with a bright pink bouffant and a lanky yellow stallion with freckles, ginger mane and a baker’s cap, all three smiling and waving.
“I need somepony, two would do, to pay a visit to Sugarcube Corner.”
Miura and Tybalt glanced at each other.
“We’re not taking Gringore?” the mare asked grimly.
“No, I don’t need too much collateral here.” Cascadius answered.
“And now? With Ponyville at its most terrified?”
“That is precisely the best time to strike. The guard will arrive tomorrow but using our...system, we can act before then.”
“Boss, it’s not that I doubt you...” Tybalt interjected “But if we can just attack the place whenever, why not just torch the place?”
Cascadius fixed him a stern glance that each mercenary had experienced under his tutelage but never gotten used to.
It still withered him.
“Because, Tybalt...it’s unprofessional.” Cascadius answered “To burn the place would leave far too many risks behind. The possibility of stragglers, avengers, underground resistors and, of course, retribution in ways we aren’t currently prepared for.”
He rose a hoof meaningfully.
“It’s not enough to simply destroy your enemies. To make sure they cannot recover, they require total disassembly; political, military, social, emotional; every podium of their stability cracked and crumbling, every strand that leads in and out of their core snapped and hanging loose. That is how we leave an enemy, Tybalt. Anything less...is insufficient.”
His eyes glinted.
“How else do you suppose I became the greatest killer in Equestria? I do more than kill...and so will you.”
He stamped his foot and spoke frankly and calmly.
“See Bovril about which route to take. I’m not sure the Gorging Ones will give you a straight answer. We must make use of all the time we have.” he ordered the two, turning and heading back to his study with some final words.
“And after all...there’s a fairly universal method to popping a balloon.”


*


Derpy couldn’t stop herself shaking.
Her daughter was sick.
And her aunt knew.
Her head hurt.
She couldn’t think straight.
She was meant to be a mother. She’d promised from the very beginning. She’d be more careful than ever and never let any harm come to her little filly. She wouldn’t be dumb. She wouldn’t be clumsy. She wouldn’t be...
Herself...
She wouldn’t be Derpy.
Where was the Doctor?
Her Doctor?
Or any doctor?
The stress was killing her. She wasn’t blaming anypony. They’d just got Berry Punch, Caramel and Cherry Berry back.
The hospital was packed and understaffed.
And the whole town was probably just as scared as her.
She’d have made herself a cup of tea or even a glass of water but her hooves were shaking so much she knew she’d drop something.
The click of the door made her jolt, her wings out and threatening to knock something loose from the walls.
She hoped to see the Doctor walk in, that bright, confident grin on his face as he carried in his daughter, happy and well again.
She felt she’d always hoped for silly things.
Nonetheless, Sparkler coming in was always very welcome.
“Hey Derpy.” she looked pale, slightly breathless.
She had just come out of the unusually cold, windy weather.
“Hi Sparkie.” Derpy said quietly as the young unicorn stood before her.
After a brief, somewhat awkward pause, they hugged.
“There’s a doctor here to talk to you...there’s been news about Dinky.”
Derpy looked up and practically flew to the door with baited breath.


An elderly, jowly, pale-blue stallion was at the door, his flat face and half-hooded eyes betraying nothing.
“Miss Doo? Good afternoon.” he said in a low, reedy voice “My name is Dr Gentle Nudge. I’ve come from Canterlot Royal Hospital. I was summoned by Ponyville’s Hospital staff to assist them at this time.”
“I-Is my little filly okay?”
Gentle Nudge took a breath.
“She has, I fear, suffered a severe and sudden bout of Dryditch Fever, as the doctors informed me. In its current state, very particular medical strategies are needed.” he said softly “But we believe we may assist. Would you care to come with us to the ambulance prepared? We had to park outside the town, what with the current unrest, but we have already placed your daughter safely in the vehicle.”
“C-Can I see her?”
“Of course. I came here to ask if you’d like to come to Canterlot Royal Hospital with her.”
Derpy swallowed.
“Will my hu...coltfri...” she struggled to find the right word for the Doctor “...I live with somepony I care a lot about. I need to let him know I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry, Derpy, I’ll let him know.” Sparkler said with a friendly nod, still sounding somewhat breathless “Now let’s go see Dinky. She misses you a lot.”
Scrambling on her unsteady hooves, Derpy made her way outside where it had begun to rain with some force.
The guard due to protect Ponyville hadn’t arrived yet so the civilian vigilantes were on patrol. Bulk Biceps, Pokey Pierce and Carrot Top, still bearing her earlier injuries, were patrolling the northern part of the town in wet-weather gear, nodding to Derpy as she passed yelling over the sound of thudding raindrops.
“Be back soon, okay Derpy? If you don’t come back in an hour, we’re obligated to send out an armed search party.”
“Don’t worry guys,” Sparkler gave a smile and a slightly awkward nod “We’ll both be back soon.”
They hurried, eyes out for any potential attackers. Derpy could hear Sparkler’s breath from where she was walking now, laboured, shaky gasps with wide eyes and a sweaty brow.
The ambulance was in a clearing right before the Everfree Forest. It was guarded but it was hard to make out just what they were wearing or carrying. Right now, that wasn’t on Derpy’s mind.
Doctor Gentle Nudge opened the doors to the ambulance and let both mares in.


Facing Derpy was a bed and a group of doctors and nurses whose faces were obscured by surgical masks and goggles, all with their heads craned over a bundle in the gurney-bed with only one speaking to the pegasus carriage-drivers out the front, quietly and calmly.
Derpy caught her breath, fearing to look at her daughter’s state, and asked the question that had been on her mind since his whole confusion began.
“Is it true? Can you help my daughter get better?”
The doctor in the back raised his head and spoke.
In a voice that was somehow, unnervingly familiar.
“Yes, Miss Irregular Glass...I believe we can.”
Slowly, with eyes wide, mouth open and hooves shaking with horror, Derpy realised she was staring at the calm, courteous face of Doctor Bittersweet.

Shunk!
Derpy jolted as she felt something pierce her neck. She didn’t bleed. In fact, something was going into her neck. Something cold and tingly. Her forelegs felt numb and floppy as she flailed.
“No...no...nuh...nnnn...” she mumbled as she tried to reach for the door.
She grabbed hold of a forehoof holding a syringe, slightly filled with her blood.
The forehoof before her was lilac.
Derpy’s sloping face contorted with dismay as she saw her adopted daughter sadly looking down on her, the syringe in her forehoof, fearing to have made a sound with her horn.
“I’m sorry, Derpy...” she whimpered “I’m so sorry...”
“Very well done, Miss Tyria.” Doctor Bittersweet said calmly “Now please return the syringe.”
“Spurh...wh...whyyyy...” Derpy moaned as she lay on the floor, forcing herself with all her steadily-depleting might to move. She saw the bedsheet fall from the gurney and two hairy brown hooves hit the ground.
Then four.
Then six.
On one body
A creature craned down at her. Eight beady eyes stared menacingly at her as two fur-covered fangs twitched before its muzzle, giving a demented-sounding slurping sound.
Gingerly, Dr Bittersweet passed the creature the syringe. Two small twitching forehooves atop its shoulders rose and grabbed hold of it. Opening it up, its fangs parted as it drank the blood inside.
It writhed and twisted, its body contorting, its limbs shrinking or swelling. Thick fur grew out the top of its head and out the small of its back, changing colour rapidly. Its fur went from a bristly brown to a smooth, soft grey. Its eight eyes became two, white and yellow.
“Nnn...nnnn...” Derpy mumbled as it dawned on her what this creature was and what they were doing.
With abject terror, she stared into her own eyes, only these ones were pointed directly at the same thing; her.
Another Derpy Doo stood over her, a sadistic smile one would never find on such a mare spread across her face.
“Do you find the appearance comfortable, Miss Recluse?”
The creature spoke with her voice, but not shaky or awkward or even kind.
“Oh yes, Doctor...I believe this will be suitable...” the thing that looked like Derpy purred “If I can just get the eyes right...then we will have the perfect podium of observation."
“Indeed.” Dr Bittersweet said "And of course...”
He gave the real Derpy, the one lying on the floor, a meaningful gaze.
"Miss Irregular's young filly will be very safely taken care of...Very safely indeed."
He turned back to his two cohorts, motioning to the door.
“Be about your work then, no delays.”
“Wait...” Sparkler said anxiously “I...I did what you asked. You need to promise me...”
“Yes, yes, you and your sister will be quite safe from now on...under our watchful gaze.”
Sparkler stared at him then the thing that looked like Derpy then Derpy herself.
Without a word, her face torn by dread, grief and overwhelming guilt, she turned away as Recluse closed the door behind her.
Derpy felt gloved hooves grab at her, hoisting her atop the gurney. Black straps coiled around her like pythons, pinning her down.
Her wall eyes were blurring and weeping as everything she saw steadily paled.
Dr Bittersweet’s face loomed in above her, upside-down.
“Now then, Miss Irregular.” Dr Bittersweet crooned “Let’s get you home...”
> Chapter 23
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“She rises.”
An acid-green eye opened wide at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.
A violet hoof threw itself forward.
It found itself stopping suddenly.
There was no sign of magic but she was familiar of the feeling of it.
Something was holding her.
A mare approached. Tall, ochre-coated with a flowing mane of bright red and piercing ebony eyes.
“Do not exert yourself.”
“Let me go.” the young mare on the stone slab snarled, her hoof refusing to move.
“Not without instruction.”
“I’m giving you your scudding instruction!”
“Insufficient. My instruction comes from the greatest of all warriors.”
The Horsetralian-speaking mare hissed in fury.
“Then let’s see him and I’ll kill the bastard! Then I’ll give you your scudding instruction!”
A stallion’s voice sounded from behind her.
“I don’t think that would end particularly well for you, Balisong.”


Balisong stopped, looked behind her and noticed Cascadius sitting patiently on the stone steps in a dark underground chamber carved out of rock.
“Boss...” she murmured in a much more passive tone “Where am I?”
“Doctors.” he said plainly. He wasn’t smiling.
“...why?”
“You’d hurt yourself.”
“Who’s she?”
“A friend.”
Basilong found her hind legs, twisting round and standing up on the ground once more.
She felt groggy. Her teeth hurt. So did her eye.
The left side of her felt...numb.
“Boss...” she mumbled “What happened?”
“You were attacked.”
“Yeah...yeah, I remember that but...am I okay now?”
Cascadius pulled an awkward face.
“For a given definition...” she turned to the tall ochre mare “Give her a mirror.”
A hairless goat appeared from the shadow carrying a disc of thick, bottle-green glass.
“Be at ease, good mare...” he whimpered with a nervous chuckle “You’re still prettier than old Ratbag.”
Balisong did not listen, she sent the goat away with a snarl and held the glass as the top with one forehoof, staring at her face.
It was divided into two halves by a trailing silver scar, running like a river from her brow to her chin. There was a dark, colourless patch spread across the right side of her face and the right eye was as black and shiny as a bullseye marble. Metal caps had replaced most of her teeth and some of the locks of her mane had gone missing from the front of her scalp where the silver river met its end. Part of her lip had been torn, the black iron running over her gums, leaving a cleft below her right nostril. The piercing she’d once had there was gone.
She stared for a moment.
Sinews in her neck were twitching.
Ratbag was crouched in a corner, watching with unease. Cascadius and Servilia meanwhile stood nonchalantly.
“Any questions?” the Paymaster asked.
Balisong slowly put the mirror down and turned to her mentor with a cold, dead gaze augmented by the very cold and dead new right eye.
“Just one...” she murmured, the unmarred side of her face twitched feverishly “Where’s...the scudder...that did this?!”


Cascadius gave a shrug.
“In Ponyville.” he said plainly “Likely licking his wounds.”
The demented mare hissed and made for the exit.
“He’ll have something worse to lick when I get to work on him!”
“You don’t want to go back to Ponyville, Balisong.”
“There’s nowhere else I want to go right now! I’m going to make that stupid, scarlet scud bleed from every hole for-”
She stopped.
Cascadius was standing before her, one hoof raised in front of her, blocking her from stepping forward. His face was flat, his eyes lidded.
His voice came flat and even. And nothing else seemed so terribly out-of-place, unnatural, uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry...perhaps I didn’t make myself clear...let me try again...” He widened his gaze as Balisong’s zeal diminished under it, those eyes feeling as though they were swallowing her up “You do not want to go back to Ponyville, Balisong. There is nothing for you there that would be beneficial for you to pursue at this moment. The time to deal with that particular site will be soon but do not ask me how soon.”
Balisong blinked, her undamaged eye twitching.
Words got stuck in her cold, dry throat as she processed what she’d been told.
“But...what they did-”
“Can wait.” Cascadius interrupted “I gave you the opportunity to indulge yourself in aid of our operations. But that opportunity has now been exhausted. You went to Ponyville on my orders, you were brought back here on my orders, and it stands to reason that if you wish to return to Ponyville, you shall do so...”
He waved a hoof slightly, asking for the end of his line.
Balisong felt something stuck in her throat.
The words came out in a strangulated tone.
“On your orders...boss...”
“Correct.”


*


Silence oversaw the train back to Canterlot. Night and day.
Twilight Sparkle gazed around, observing her friends and how they’d changed so greatly in a matter of hours.
She wasn’t sure anypony had slept at all.
Pinkie Pie especially was huddled next to Applejack, her eyes wide and blank, her mouth flat and expressionless.
It wasn’t that she was obviously sad. They’d seen her sad before. Sad Pinkie was streaming eyes, trembling bottom-lip, drooping mane.
This Pinkie was simply...Still. Motionless. Locked in a state of uncertainty, she’d become unresponsive.
Her world had become so strange, and not in a way she felt safe in exploring.
And to be fair, Twilight felt the same. She reckoned all of them did.
Applejack was wearing two bandages around the same foreleg. While her present concern was how she’d be able to bring in the harvest if her leg didn’t heal in time, she knew there was more to it than that.
The Boulettan troops had used some serious weaponry. On her.
She was nursing a bruise at the side of her shoulder and there was a trembling feeling at the base of her spine. All in all, this feeling of lingering unease was just unfamiliar to her.
But even that didn’t blind her from Pinkie’s plight.
With her free forehoof, she hugged Pinkie by the shoulders.
To their surprise, the normally-cheerful pink mare jerked slightly and edged away, her eyes wide as she blurted out.
“I didn’t do it! I didn’t mean to! I couldn’t stop it! I...” she caught her breath, glancing round the cabin “I...I’m sorry...I just...”
“Hey, hey, it’s alright now...” Applejack held Pinkie gently but firmly by the shoulders, her green eyes warm and sincere. Breath by shaky breath, Pinkie Pie grew somewhat calmer in her cousin’s hold.
The quiet Fluttershy reached over and hugged her normally merry pink friend from behind.
Pinkie seemed to flinch but Twilight saw there was definite improvement.
“Okay...okay...” she was murmuring “I’m...I’m really sorry, girls, I just...I don’t know how this got so...so...”
“Crazy?” Twilight asked, nursing her temples “We...didn’t know how serious these ponies were going to get, how serious the situation was, it just...it just kinda’ blew up at the last minute. We expected victory to come easy and that’s something this...Cascadius or whoever he is doesn’t want. Maybe he was cleaning up loose ends, maybe he was leaving us with one final insult but either way...”
“I don’t get it.” Rainbow Dash, for the first time in many months, sounded doubtful in her own abilities “I mean, didn’t the Princess say they’d take precautions?”
“She did. It’s just that...well...” the young alicorn wracked her brains for the analysis that made the most sense to her “It sounds like these mercenaries knew that she’d take precautions.”
“...how?”
“Well, because that’s what she’d do, wouldn’t she.” Twilight explained “The biggest danger here is that they know us but we don’t know them. I think the first priority, when we get back, is find out who and where they are. Knowing them, they’ve probably got ponies hidden away somewhere close to Canterlot and Ponyville. If he’s been doing this for as long as he has, he must have left something behind, no matter how careful he thinks he is. Obviously don’t get paranoid but keep aware, you never know-”
“Oh, ‘scuse me, sorry.” the portly blue mare with the Trottingham accent from the station poked her head round the door bashfully “You wouldn’t know where the toilet is, would you?”
“Oh sure, it’s just down the back of the cabin. It doesn’t have a sign but you’ll know by the lock.” Twilight answered.
“Ta.” And with that, she disappeared.
“So, as I said, girls. Be on your guard.”
Fluttershy felt herself shiver slightly.
She felt almost certain that she’d heard that blue mare’s voice during the attack.
Not quite the same accent nor the manner, just the tone.
But if she was on a train to Ponyville and the towns close by...
No, that wouldn’t be possible.
If she was with them, she wouldn’t be taking a train. She’d be in some secret, sordid mode of transport with the other thugs.
Fluttershy weighed the situation and found it simply irrational and against everything she knew about ponies.
Obviously, the mercenary leader Cascadius had ponies in or around where they lived but...
They wouldn’t be actually living there. Among the town, getting to know ponies, having work, having friends and family, knowing that they’d have to kill them.
Fluttershy felt certain that no pony living in the world could possibly be that cruel.


“So...what you’re saying...” Rainbow Dash worked out the words in her head, wondering if they made sense “...is that these ‘mercs’ or whatever, are one step ahead of us and know what we’re about to do because...they know we’ll try to be as kind and smart as possible?”
“Basically, yes.” Twilight answered “The Doctor said that these ponies operate a spy network. It doesn’t take long for anypony to know how we do things in Equestria and, rather than combat it, they’re working along those lines to essentially trap us in our own system while they work on unravelling it.”
There was a pause.
“Well then what do we do?” Rarity asked, checking the injuries Corax had left upon her and hoping they wouldn’t start to itch “I mean to say...we can’t stop being kind and smart or else...where will we be?”
“...I don’t know.” Twilight shook her head.
“Well, maybe it’s the fact that we’re slow.” Fluttershy piped up, shuffling her shoulders “I mean, taking care of a whole kingdom during all of this. It takes time, ponies to see, things to organise, and that means they keep ahead. Maybe what they’re not expecting is for us to...you know...be more assertive.” She gave a meaningful nod to Rainbow Dash who cracked a bashful grin “I mean, faster with our responses, more...more, oh-what’s the word?”
“Spontaneous?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, that’s right. I mean, I remember back when I was studying animal behaviours in the Everfree, I saw a young manticore separated from its mama and chased by a timberwolf. It ran and ran but it couldn’t get away and then the big mean timberwolf chased it into a gulley and up against a rocky outcrop, nowhere left to run or ride. And then, this little manticore just jumps up and scratches the timberwolf’s muzzle. And-and then the timberwolf, he’s just so shocked that he runs away and the manticore gets out and I made sure it found its mama again.”
There was a pause...
“So er...we’re the manticore right?” Spike asked.
“Right. We’ve got to do what they’re not expecting.”
“Oh, well, if that’s the solution, I’d say Pinkie’s our expert there!” the little drake chuckled as all eyes turned to Pinkie who was beginning to slightly perk up.
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I like your way of thinking, Spike.” Twilight ruffled his spines “Next battle, Pinkie’s in charge of tactics. They’ll never see that coming.”
“Aw, come on, Twi...” Pinkie was practically blushing, looking unusually humble “I mean, I’m good for helping out but...c’mon, I’m not as smart as you. Not your kind of smart anyway.”
“You don’t have to be my kind of smart, you just have to be good at what you do. And what you do best, Pinkie, is surprise ponies.”
“Of course, Nova told us how you outwitted that Bloodstone-User.” Rarity said cheerily “I mean, my goodness, bringing out a boom-box quite literally out of nowhere and dancing your opponent into submission? I can’t imagine any of those brutes know what’s in store for them!”
“Right on! She’s got the power of randomness!”
“An’ with the randomness she has, that makes her one of the most powerful ponies who ever lived!”
“Aw, stop it you girls, cut it out!” Pinkie was giggling, falling on her rump to the floor and tapping her hind hooves on the ground giddily, hiding her eyes behind her mane.
“No, really, Pinkie. I think that could be a good way to go.” Twilight patted her forehoof “You’re up first, next time. We’ll follow your lead. It’ll be just like that scary forest we crossed back when we were up against Nightmare Moon. Nobody knows how to deal with scary stuff better than you.”
Pinkie seemed to snuffle a bit between the broad smile and reddened cheeks. She began to nod her head rapidly, shaking a tear out of the corner of her eye as she put on a brave face.
“Well, if you need Auntie Pinkie to help out, I’ll do it. Pie’s Honour.” She crossed a forehoof over her chest and nodded.


“And I guess if we need surprising ponies to do our planning for us, Derpy’s the mare you want too.” Rainbow Dash chuckled.
“Maybe. Maybe.” Twilight sighed, thinking back “How’s she holding up?”
The mood in the car turned somewhat solemn.
They’d heard from Big Mac, Applebloom and Starlight Glimmer what had transpired back home shortly after departing via a communication crystal.
It had come as a shock in an already harrowing day.
“They said that Dinky’s recovering...” Fluttershy said softly “Which probably means Derpy will too.”
“Ah still can’t work out how it happened.” Applejack said with a shake of her head.
“Neither can I.” Rarity added “I insisted Big Mac make sure Sweetie Belle be checked for whatever awful ailment Dinky was struck by, you can’t be too careful these days. Still, I...I suppose if she’s recovering...”
“We’ll look into it. Starlight said Princess Luna was going to take care of it later.” Twilight said.
“It sounds like Derpy’s blaming herself a lot. But I’m sure she would never let anything bad happen to Dinky.” Fluttershy said softly.
“You kidding? She’d go to Tartarus and back for her.” Rainbow Dash replied “I mean, look, I know Derpy. I’ve known her for a long time. I’ve always been like a big sister to her even though she’s like seven years older than me. And I’ve known that no matter how much she tries, there are just some things she’s not good at and shouldn’t really be trusted to do, alone anyway. But, and I know the Element of Honesty is your schtick, AJ, but I’m gonna’ tell ya’ll the honest truth. I have never once worried for Dinky with Derpy looking after her.”
“I know, that’s the strange thing.” Rarity said, thinking back “I remember once, quite a long time ago, I saw Derpy and the Doctor in Ponyville, not long after that Gala where she freed herself from her horrible aunt. And I learned, shortly before I walked in, that Dinky was...teething at the time.”
“Oof.” Pinkie Pie winced “I know the pain. Pumpkin and Pound gave me a couple of long nights when they were getting their first nibblers. Me and the Cakes took it in turns calming them down.”
“Yes, well, I think we’ve all seen that rather less-than-pretty side of siblinghood.” Rarity continued “Now I remember Sweetie’s first teething, it’s etched into my memory. And mother’s too. I kept glancing at her expression every time Sweetie began crying again and she needed to be settled down. First time, full of sympathy and comforting coos. Third time, still fairly relaxed, perfectly understanding. Seventh time, definitely showing signs of stress. And Sixteenth time, I tell you, my mother looked as though there was murder in her mind!”
“Ooh dear.” Fluttershy murmured.
“Yes, well, after that I didn’t know what to expect from Derpy. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her get angry.”
“So...what was it like?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know.” The glamorous unicorn said plainly “She didn’t get angry. Dinky started crying, wailing loud enough to bring the house down, at least twenty-three times. At least.” She shook her head “And each time was the same. Dinky simply got up from what she was doing, completely calmly and caringly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mother so in-control.”
“Derpy? In-control?” Rainbow Dash shook her head “Dinky really did change her life.”
“Her father too. Remember, it’s them Cascadius really has it in for. We let them know what’s happened as well as the Princesses.”
Rainbow Dash sunk into her seat and ran a hoof through her mane with a weighty sigh.
“At least they’re still where we left ‘em.”


*


Princess Luna felt the cold slate under her hooves feel somehow familiar.
The Eternal Knights had modelled Darkhorse HQ on their ancient base they’d used in the Civil War on Sunless Isle.
Dark, quiet and lit by sparse blue candles fitted in gaps in the rock.
She met the three around a great stone slab.
Luna glanced at it.
Then what was upon it.
The three strange ponies wearing dark garb and darker looks bowed.
“Your highness.” The batpony said flatly, one ear twitching as if to signal.
“Bright may the moon shine.” The pegasus said.
“Long may the stars blaze.” The unicorn said.
“Where once we lived the nightmare...” The batpony said.
“Now the nightmare lives through us.” They said as one.
“Rise.” Princess Luna said, her face appearing tired and unimpressed as she asked frankly.
“What’s that?”
The head of the warty, greasy, shaven-headed, pink-grey stallion was standing slightly askew with its jaw lolled open and eyes half-closed. The side of its muzzle was flared in a deranged fashion.
The three glanced at it then looked up. White Wolf toyed uneasily with her braids while Fletcher Fray shuffled a forehoof bashfully.
Midnight Blade however simply answered.
“A severed head, your highness.”
“Why is there a severed head on the table?”
“Because we put it there, your highness.” Fletcher answered.
“Where did you get it?”
“A body, your highness.” White Wolf answered with a slightly cheeky look, her sharp incisors gleaming.
“Don’t be difficult.”
“We haven’t broken the rules on disassembly of casualties in conflict. The subject took his own life upon knowing he’d be questioned.” Midnight said plainly “Therefore, he was neither a prisoner of war nor retreating vanquished.”
“The purpose of the Code of Equestrian Warfare is not to find loopholes, Lord Commander.” Luna retorted.
“We understand your distaste, your highness, but this subject requires questioning. His faction’s activity is unprecedented. We need to know how he did this and where they came from.”
“Nothing known to ponykind can build such an intricate tunnel system under Equestria.” Fletcher Frey explained “If Cascadius and the Cult of Piggsicorn are aligned somehow, which all evidence seems to suggest, we need to find out what they’re using to cause such excavation.”
“If Cascadius does own a Geoweapon then we are all, if you’ll pardon the phrase, royally bucked!” White Wolf summarised.
Luna glanced at her bodyguards, then at the head. She shut her eyes and bowed her head.
“Do what you must.”
The Knights nodded and White Wolf stepped forward, holding up two long pale-iron needles with twisting copper handles.
Fletcher’s horn glowed a luminous electric-blue and the wings of White Wolf opened up fully, primary feathers bristling with electricity.
As the needles crackled with arching volts, White Wolf jammed the needles into the sides of the severed head just above the ears. Spinning them round, she turned the head to face Midnight Blade who raised his own forehooves which were tipped by shimmering shadowy claws. Raising them with a pteropine hiss, he grabbed the sides of the head and pressed hard.
The head didn’t move but the way Midnight writhed and snarled, one might have thought a storm had thundered through the chamber. Luna even felt certain there was strong wind in her face. His wings stretched to tearing point, thick blue veins showing in the skin turning pale as they pulled taut. His frost-white mane bristled and billowed. A force of great and terrible magic took hold.
Wolf turned the needles to differing angles as the eyelids of the head began to open and close.
The shadow it cast upon the table seemed to stretch ominously.
All three Eternal Knights wore expressions of extreme discomfort as the necromantic ritual commenced.
“The living demand answers from the dead!” Midnight Blade finally snarled “Speak!”
The head’s mouth stretched open and a series of horrid gurgles filled the room.
“You er...might want to step a little to the side, your highness.”


Luna did so and narrowly avoided a spurt of pale-grey fluids that erupted from the head’s mouth. Now it did begin to move, writhing and jolting until at last, held immobile in Midnight’s claws, it spoke...
“Guh...Ah...I...Where...where am I?”
“A world of hurt.” Midnight answered “No less than you deserve for the lives you took.”
The head blinked, one eye only half-closing before opening again, and spoke.
“Where are the eighteen thousand concubines ready to feast on the filth of he who dies for the Great Sow?”
The knights glanced at each other and Fletcher answered.
“They’ve gone to get some mouthwash. Anyway, that’s not your concern. You’re in our control and you’ll remain as such until you tell us what we need to know.”
“Wait...” The head glanced down and stared “By Crommyonia’s Seventeen Teats! Where is the rest of my body?!”
“Right where you left it.” White Wolf answered darkly “Now start being useful. I don’t necessarily have to make you feel pain...and only pain...” She turned a needle slightly and the head winced, squealing as the nerves in his brain were tweaked in the wrong place “But I will...if you push me.”
The head gave a snarl of its own and snorted.
“You servants of the false goddesses will not harm me! The Great Sow has beheld your softened soul!”
“Well, when we let you go, you can tell her to look again.” Fletcher retorted “Are you willing to know exactly why they don’t let us out of our castle unless things really get this bad...Or are you going to be smart?”
“Or as close a Piggsicornist can get to smart, anyway.” Midnight added as the head raised one of its brows.
There was a pause. It wasn’t possible for the head to show too much but what little it showed was uncertainty.
It spoke at last.
“What knowledge do you seek, heathens?”
“Where is Cascadius?”
The head looked to his left and right.
“We were never told.”
“You must have been. How else would you have-”
“We were never told where we were.” The head interrupted “We could trace our distance and direction based on how far we were from our coven. But whereabouts in Equestria that was, we could not say. The Paymaster gave us the hideout and left us with no clarity.”
“So...there’s nothing you can tell us about Cascadius?” Luna asked.
The head snorted derisively and muttered.
“The Paymaster...He believes himself immortal...omniscient...and like all false deities, his end shall be calamitous! He does not see the threads of his own web wrap around his hooves!”
The Knights and their Princesses looked to each other.
“Cascadius’s allies plan to betray him?” Fletcher supposed.
“Let’s not forget, one of those allies is Countess Magnifying Glass. It stands to reason.” Wolf said sardonically.
“That doesn’t sound like the Cascadius I remember.” Midnight pointed out “He’s brought together armies of thugs and cut-throats before. At least thrice now. He’s not one to withhold a backup-plan. He’s got quite the ego on him, sure, but he’s devoted to his own sense of organisation and preparation. If he can’t trust his allies, chances are he has plans to get rid of them.”
“And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they know that too.” Luna added “Good grief, all these power-games and conspiracies. It’s like our first years as Princesses! How does he cope?”
“With all due respect, your highness, I fail to see how anything Cascadius has ever done would convince you he’s sane.” Midnight murmured, turning back to the head.
“So what would Cascadius do if he found out you’re up to something?”


The head began blinking wildly, the colour in its eyes fading. The batpony signalled to the pegasus who adjusted the needles.
Another jolt of electricity ran through the head, causing it to twitch frantically and cry out in pain.
“Eyargh! Blasphemous craft!” it cursed “End it! My soul belongs to the Great Sow! Cast my essence unto the Noxious Void!”
“After you’ve finished being cooperative!” Midnight said, baring his teeth “What’s he planning?”
The side of the head’s lips twisted, almost in mirth.
“Planning? Heh...The fates are out of his hooves! He controls less than he believes! We have seen it! All of us! In our dreams!”
“He’s gibbering.” Fletcher said “The arcing’s scrambled his brains.”
“Wait...” Midnight murmured as the head’s voice grew louder and more demented, a sardonic, bleeding grin stretching across its morbid face.
“A golden egg! But gold that isn’t gold! Gold as pus! Gold as venom! Gold as the festering corpse of the old world! And its key, black as night and full of screaming stars, begging for freedom! And as it cracks open, we saw...the end!”
As it began laughing, one of its eyes burst and the left side of its face began to smoke and char. The needles shook in White Wolf’s forehooves as the head decayed before them, still laughing, snapping and yelling.
“NO ESCAPE! HE LEAVES US NO ESCAPE! HE’LL HAVE THIS WORLD OR SEE IT RUINED AT HIS FOREHOOVES! THE GREAT INFLICTION MANIFEST! IT COMES FOR US ALL! NO ESCAPE! NO-”
Its mouth hung open mid-word then hit the table. From the ears down, it crumbled into a burned pile of flesh, bone-fragments and brain matter.
The Princess and her Knights stood back and stared to one another.
Princess Luna broke the silence.
“Is it over?”
White Wolf nodded.
“Bucked up beyond all repair, your grace.”
“We were already dealing with a broken mind.” Fletcher said “Its hysteria intensified the arcing to burning point.”
“I see...” Luna was thankful that the gruesome spectacle had come to an end but concerned that things were no less evident than they were before.
“Does...anypony have any idea what any of that meant?”
Midnight Blade looked up, his face graver than usual.
“I have some idea...” he said flatly “But I pray to Laurelore that I’m wrong...”


*


“I realise you are used to hearing this and that, at this point, my opinions on the matter aren’t as imperative as they once were...but you look dreadful.”
“Thank you, auntie.”
Fancypants felt dreadful.
Fleur had been away for some time. He understood the importance of course.
With things in Ponyville being the way they were, she wanted to make sure her parents were safe and prepared. Recently he’d heard from her that she and her parents were arguing about going back to Stirrope.
She had asked him not to get involved and he had obliged not to.
But nights alone were difficult enough without the continuous nightmares he’d been suffering.
He’d been forgetting to wear his monocle when he left more recently of late. Thankfully, with all the recent chaos, nopony noticed.
He was wearing it now however and resting upright against the carriage as he rode with his aunt, Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers, to the royal entourage awaiting the return of the Bearers.
“You’ve been keeping in communication with Miss de Lis, I hope.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Fancypants answered, wearily but not dismally “She seems fine.”
“Good.” The Grand Duchess was peering out the carriage window through her opera glasses.
“I must say, I’m curious...” she said nonchalantly “She’s had a habit of being rather quiet around me and I wondered if it was something either of us said.”
“Well, she does get a bit nervous around...well...”
“Me.”
“A lot of ponies do.”
“I should hope so.” The old noblemare cracked a smirk “But I hope she didn’t react too gravely when you told her about...her.”
Fancypants looked puzzled.
“What...you mean...Countess Magnifying Glass?”
“No, no, Fancy, you silly colt.” The Grand Duchess said tiredly, shaking her head “Your...previous venture in the field of marital protocol...”
There was a definite pause.
“...ah...”
The Grand Duchess’s eyes narrowed and she looked down at her nephew in a fashion that had always cowed him in his colthood.
“...‘Ah’-what, nephew-of-mine?”
Fancypants gave his collar a small tug.
“Well...I’m not entirely sure I ever did.”
Bustle Bloomers blinked.
“Do you mean to tell me...that you have lived with your young wife for a period of just over seven years...and you have never once told her that you were once married?”
“Would you believe me if I said the opportunity never arose?”
“Fancypants...” Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers pressed the edge of her forehoof to her temples “You are my nephew and I love you very dearly but you really can be a bloody twit!”
“I know, I know...” The gentlecolt shook his head “I mean...it’s not as though it’s a memory I enjoy holding onto.”
“None of us do, Fancy. I have no idea what your Great Aunt Geestringente was thinking. In fact, any attempt to understand what your Great Aunt was thinking at any point was doomed to failure.”
They both gave a shudder at the memory at the late matriarch of the Pants family who took steps in controlling young Fancypants’ life after the death of his parents.


Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers was stern and much sterner in his foalhood. But he’d preferred her company over that of his great aunt any day of the year.
It wasn’t that Lady Greestringente Wedgeworth-Knicks was cruel like Countess Magnifying Glass had been to Derpy.
But she had been raving mad. That, the family agreed, was apparent.
“In any case...it happened so soon after...” he trailed off quietly “My parents...”
“Don’t mumble, Fancy.” His aunt fussed “Yes, yes, I’m well aware of that. Quite unacceptable I thought, as much now as I did then. But reasoning with your great aunt was a ruinous expedition. And as for the character of your first bride in itself...” 	She gave a snort.
Fancypants’s young life had already been turned upside-down by the death of his parents. So it came as a bit of a shock when his great aunt took him into her home and informed him that he was to be married.
And the timing wouldn’t be the only way in which Lady Geestringente Wedgeworth-Knicks had ignored her grandnephew’s emotional state. The marriage had not been a happy one. His great aunt’s admiration for his bride’s family was not repaid and for the whole of his nineteenth year, his wife spent every moment they were together rigorously crushing his soul.
It was shortly after his twentieth birthday and a hellish argument over his friendship with Raven Inkwell that Fancy returned one night to find an insulting letter from his disappeared wife, detailing her own interpretations of his infirmity of purpose, the absence of quality in his house and family, his deficiency of any future worth speaking of and the far-superior status of the stallion she’d left him for.
Afterward, Fancypants had become very distant to the world and, for a period of two years, took very little interest in the state of affairs until a private meeting from the three princesses invigorated him considerably. He ran for Royal Council Chairstallion, won in a landslide, rehired the manor staff his wife had routinely sacked for any imagined offence and became who he was today, albeit before he attended that fateful Rejuvenation Play in Ponyville.
The carriage began to slow as Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers stood to exit, casting her nephew another stern look.
“Whatever the circumstances, nephew-of-mine, and however unpleasant they were for all concerned, it happened. And Miss de Lis must know at some point soon. Or she will be decidedly slow to forgive...as will I.”


The Royal Entourage was a gathering of assorted higher-ups. The nobility, the gentry, the clergy, the military and so forth.
Fancy left the carriage to find the first face that greeted him an old and friendly one.
“Stained Glass!”
The old stallion of the Glass family, supporting himself with a walking stick, ambled forward and held out a forehoof for the young gentlecolt he’d known ever since Fancy was a colt.
“Fancypants, my dear boy. Capital! No, yes, capital! How wonderful to see you1” he hugged him with a reedy laugh and patted his back “And Grand Duchess Bustle Bloomers, how long it has been.”
“Count Stained Glass, you are a welcome sight.” Bustle Bloomers raised a forehoof that Stained kissed magnanimously “I apologise for the state of my nephew’s dishevelled state.”
“Oh, no, no, yes, no, that’s...that’s no trouble at all.” he chuckled “I, ah...I’m no stranger to dishevelment myself.”
Fancypants gazed around. There were more than a few familiar faces. Some more welcome than others. He had a nasty feeling that through fate’s fickle hoof, he’d run into...
“Look! Look! There he is! At last!”
Fancy rolled his eyes behind his monocle as the shrill cry of Upper Crust filled the air. The lemon-yellow noblemare with the wavy lilac mane was cantering up with a very overenthusiastic smile with her silver-coated, slick-maned husband close behind.
Yet, to his surprise, the two frequent hangers-on raced straight past him, heading instead for Stained Glass whose eyes lit up as he cried out in wonder.
“Why...Uppity! Little Uppity Crust! Just look how you’ve grown!”
“Dear old Count Stained! It’s been so long!” the gaudy socialite practically flew into his forehooves and hopped on her hooves as if she were a giddy filly.
“I haven’t seen you in decades, dear girl. An-an-and who’s that with you now, I...why, is that Jettison Set Junior?!”
“It is, hello, dear old stallion.” Jet Set was brought into a hug by the old Count and the three laughed long and loud.
“We’re so sorry we haven’t made time to see you until now, Stained.” Upper Crust said “Things have been very difficult these last few years. In fact, just recently, we’ve both been very preoccupied with a, ah...unexpected bit of fortune.”
She gave a smile to her husband as Stained Glass blinked behind his massive spectacles.
“Oh, yes? Did your family win another pot? 'Pot luck', you might say?”
“Oh no, not quite.” Jet Set chuckled “But if you’ll show him, darling.”
Upper Crust rose a forehoof and gave her rather unusually large belly a gentle caress.
“We are delighted to say, Count Stained, that very soon, Maison Du Pompé will be resonating with the pitter-patter of little hooves.”
“Oh-hoh capital!” The old stallion shook with laughter “Congratulations, you two.”
“We’ll be sure to invite you to the blessing.” Jet Set said merrily.
“You are too kind, my dear filly.” Stained replied “I’m positively buoyant you two are so happy together.”
They laughed and appeared to trail off momentarily as Fancypants approached. The husband and wife bowed as the gentlecolt gave them a smile that, for the first time in a while, was absolutely genuine.
“Greetings, you two. And, ah...congratulations.”
“Thank you, Mr Fancypants, and we hope that your own marriage is soon blessed with child.” Jet Set smattered.
The thought gave Fancypants pause for thought. While they certainly had explored the possibility, Fleur de Lis’s condition she’d suffered from since foalhood made the possibility of safe childbirth less likely than either of them would be comfortable with.
And in any case, times like these, Fancy had felt, weren’t the best time to bring up a child.
He'd need this to be solved. The murderer of his parents put down for good. He wouldn’t feel as though his family were safe otherwise.
He changed the subject.
“I ah...didn’t know you knew Count Stained Glass.” he said.
Upper Crust gave a weighty sigh and explained, sounding more sincere and heartfelt than Fancy had ever heard from her.
“My late father, Stuffed Crust, was the Baron of Sumpton Field...” she said with an uncomfortable expression “He was also one of the most frivolous and unapologetic spendthrifts in Equestria. In memory, my foalhood divides pretty evenly between dining at the finest spots on Restaurant Row...and flitting from rented houses in the middle of the night to escape the bailiffs. When he died, I inherited his debts before I’d even got my Cutie Mark. All would have been lost if it weren’t for dear old Count Stained Glass. He offered us kindness when nopony else could and despite knowing we could not hope to repay him.” She shook her head “It pains me to think of what that dreadful Magnifying Glass put him through. If it was anything like what she put me and Jet through, forcing us to praise and defend her every act of spite and vileness in this city for fear of our debt taking an abnormal skyrocket out the blue...”
She winced. Jet Set patted her shoulder gently and spoke in turn.
“He deserved better than a parasitic old crone like her as a daughter. I myself owe him my apprenticeship at the Aviator’s Guild. It would have collapsed if it weren’t for him. I never got to know Looking, the other one...Or her own daughter. I’ll...I’ll need to make time for that. I’d never forgive myself otherwise.”
Fancypants gave the two a smile and turned as the grand host of prominence harkened to the whistle of the Equestrian train heading for the station.
The station doors parted and the lilac alicorn greeted her mentor.
Fancypants approached, the crowd making way for their Lord Steward, and it was then that he noticed the Princess of the Sun appeared to be crying.
Her flowing meridian-coloured mane swooped back behind her head as she dropped to her hinds, her gilded forehooves throwing themselves around her student as she sobbed openly.
The crowd stared nonplussed as Twilight looked for words.
“P...Princess...Are...are you okay? Has something happened to you?”
“Twilight...oh, Twilight, I’m so sorry!” Princess Celestia wept “I was so stupid to send off, knowing what they could do...not knowing what they planned...I-I should have kept you safe!”
“B-but Princess, it’s okay. We...we got through it alright. Things...got a bit dicey but...”
“No, no, it’s...things have happened...Horrible things. In Ponyville. In the Crystal Empire. Everywhere!”
Twilight’s violet eyes widened with terror.
“Is...is everypony okay?”
“I...I think so.” Out of the corner of his eye, Fancypants noticed that what he could see of Celestia’s expression did not look certain. “I just...I just needed to know you were alright...”
As mentor and student hugged, Fancypants approached and surveyed the scene.
“Erm...where’s the pink one?” he managed to say, sounding a little silly.
Rainbow Dash gave a shrug.
“Yeah, she went off. She does that. It’s kinda’ her thing.”
“She got the ‘Pinkie-Sense’.” Applejack explained “Something was happenin’ at Sugarcube Corner. If Twilight needs to stay here, we were gonna’ head there ourselves. Probably best we make sure everypony knows where each other is for now.”
“But...how did she go ahead of you if you were on the same train?”
“We-ell...” Applejack scratched the back of her mane.
“To be entirely honest, Fancypants...” Rarity said awkwardly “In the years we’ve spent in each other’s company...we’ve learned not to ask.”


*


Carrot Cake puffed the air out of his cheeks as he gently closed the door to the nursery at Sugarcube Corner.
“Well, they’re asleep. Both of them.” he sighed wearily as he turned to his wife in the kitchen “Your turn next time.”
“I know, honey, I know. Thank you.” She gave him a cheery smile and kissed him on the muzzle before turning to apply the finishing touches to a day’s work.
A large cake pink from top to base with a fondant and wafer sculpture of a smiling mare with cotton-candy mane. Cup Cake was just touching up the wavy icing and adding little fizzy chews with smiley faces on them all around the base of the cake.
Carrot Cake gave it a glance and smiled, impressed as always by his wife’s handiwork.
“Pinkie’ll like this for sure.”
“Well...the poor thing must have had a hard time out there.” Cup Cake shook her head as she made sure to carefully carry the cake down onto Pinkie’s favourite hot-plate and put it on the table out of harm’s way.
“Well, our Pinkie has a way of finding a bright side when things are at their worst.”
“I know, honey, but this isn’t your average day of danger in Ponyville. I mean...ponies are dying.”
“True enough.” Carrot Cake brushed his bright orange mane thoughtfully “I remember when she told us...about her-”
“I know. I know. It’s not something a cake’s really going to solve, is it.” The two bakers looked to each other thoughtfully.
“Well, it’s a good start. If she’s really feeling down, we’ll be there. Nothing else for it.”
Ta-Ring!
The door to the bakery rang.
The bakers left the kitchen, readying themselves to greet their adopted daughter with bright smiles.
They faded as soon they saw who had entered.
Cup Cake gestured with her forehoof, gesturing her husband back into the kitchen as she spoke steadily, eyes fixed on the two strange-looking visitors.
“Er...I’m sorry...sirs...we’re about ready to close...”
“Oh that’s fine.” the rangy piebald stallion in the wide-hat said, his forehoof reaching for a pistol at his side “We’re not hungry.”


Cup Cake took in the pair, knowing almost at once that the horrors on Equestria’s horizon, spoken of so often nowadays, had come to their bakery. She moved behind the counter her forehoof trailing underneath the cubby holes, hoping to find something useful.
“Then...I don’t quite know how I can help you...do we know you?”
“No. But we know you, butter-berry.” Tybalt said with a cocky smirk.
The baker narrowed her gaze.
“My name is Cup Cake.”
“We are aware.” A hard-eyed dull-lilac mare showed off blue-tattooed teeth as she began drawing a blade out of a long wooden sheath.
Tybalt glanced around, noticing the colourful balloons and ribbons and the ‘Welcome Back’ sign hanging from the ceiling. He idly tapped a balloon with his forehoof, sending it gliding across the room.
“Nice decorations...” He smiled wider “Are they for someone special?”
“Now look...we...we don’t want any trouble. We’ve never done anything to hurt you.”
“Again, we are aware.” the mare said “However, we do not intend to wait until you do. Consider this a message to your adopted-”
Scrunch!
Miura stopped, her expression turning from cold calmness to tired irritation as she glanced at Tybalt who had removed a vanilla and cinnamon swirl from the counter and taken a large bite, showering flaky pastry over the floor. The young mercenary gave Miura a casual look as he munched away.
“What?” he asked, his mouth half-full.
“Must you?” Miura hissed “While we’re working?”
Tybalt shrugged.
“Not really.” he swallowed and nodded approvingly with a smile “Mm. These are good.”
“Enough!” the sword-wielding mare barked “Get your husband out of the kitchen. Both of you are required.”
Cup Cake furrowed her brow and spoke firmly.
“Now, I don’t know what your game is, but you aren’t putting a hoof on my husband. Or my daughter.”
“Oh, we doing this then?” Tybalt cricked his neck and spun a pistol round his forehoof, siding up to look Cup Cake face to face.
The baker’s hoof curled around the handle of something hard and wooden.
“That’s okay, love-handles. I love a mare with meat on her-”
Bop!
The rolling pin came around and clouted the young gunslinger across the side of the scalp. For a moment, Miura could simply stare at the audacity of the scene as Tybalt clasped the side of the counter before he could hit the ground, one forehoof nursing the smarting side of his head as he turned to look at Cup Cake with a mixture of anger and alarm.
“Did you just whack me with a-”
“Heads up, honey!” Carrot Cake yelled to his wife who ducked swiftly. The yellow and orange stallion, using impressive strength from one so lanky, then hurled a generous-sized sack over the counter. Before Tybalt could raise his pistol, he was bowled over with full force, the impact bombarding the area he’d been standing at with a great puff of flour.
The stallion fought the great weight off of him as he looked up with a look of rage, dusted all over in white.
“Okay, this just got irrita-ah-ah-Ah-Choo!” He sneezed over and over, crawling around, half-blinded and disarmed “Ah-Choo! Ah-Choo! Oh, are you bucking kidding m-aaah-Choo!”
Miura turned and drew her katana, drawing it sideways and growling.
“Now you die gruesomely.”
With a squeak, Cup Cake ducked as the blade swept across the counter.
She then came up, holding in her forehoof an unsold pie.
Thought came quick and simple strategy was achieved.


Splat!
Miura opened her eyes, her shocked face plastered by cream, custard and crust. She took a moment to properly comprehend the fact that here, in this war of attrition, she, Miura, Flying Terror of a Thousand Battlefields, raised by the last Iron Sun Samurai who spoke only the language of the blade, had just been hit in the face by a custard pie.
Gritting her blued teeth with a snarl, she drew the blade round again.
Cup Cake hopped up again, this time tossing a strawberry tart.
Splat!
Miura took a moment to wipe fruit compote from her eyes before she swept again, swifter and keener.
Splat!
“Stop it!” she roared as she shook the thicker parts of a chocolate-cherry gateaux from her muzzle as she attempted to land another strike “Where do you think we are?!”
“A bakery.” Cup Cake said, ducking and drawing up a cherry-meringue-bombe “Where else?”
Splat!
“Enough!” the sweet-spattered swordsmare screamed “Stop doing that and die!”
“I’d do as she says! She’s lactose-intolerant!” Tybalt piped up, picking himself up “Seriously, don’t give her too much cream! It’s not pretty!”
“Shut up and kill something, baka yaro!”
“Okay, okay, I’m on it.” Tybalt grabbed one of his pistols and lined up a sight.
“Don’t you dare!”
Wham!
The gunslinger stumbled back, clutching his muzzle that felt slightly flattened by the force a baking tray. His forehooves wrestled with those of Carrot Cake’s, who’d left the kitchen, as requested, to defend his wife and place of business.
“I promise, this only gets worse for you, string-bean!” Tybalt growled as one forehoof broke free and tightened round the baker’s neck, the other fighting for control of the pistol.
Choking, Carrot Cake reached for the closest thing in reach which happened to be a large bright blue balloon.
Desperately, he buffed the side of Tybalt’s face with it, rubbery squeaks sounding with each feeble pummel until-
Pop!
“Ow! Owowowow!” Tybalt’s forehoof flew to his ringing ear, the balloon having burst while pressed against it. Discombobulated, he fought for control but was grabbed by his own ponytail as Carrot Cake slammed his opponent’s head into a small red table at the side of the dining area. The gunslinger fell as the victorious baker turned to his wife, feeling strangely exhilarated.
“You okay back there, honey-buns?!”
“I’m fine. But I might need some more pies.” Cup Cake said as she ducked again and landed another hit with a banana-nut flan.
Splat!
“DIE!” Miura shrieked as she grabbed the counter, readying to vault.
“Hey!” Carrot Cake grabbed her by the wings, holding the other forehoof behind her back. Miura’s hind-legs kicked rapidly against the counter and at Carrot Cake’s shins as Cup Cake held the forehoof that wielded the sword tight.
“Let’s just drop that, shall we? No weapons allowed in the store”
“I will open your throats and pull out your tongues!” the struggling Miura howled as she thrashed.
“Careful, she’s slippery.”
“Hold it!”
All three ponies turned to the bedraggled-looking Tybalt who stood with his other pistol ready.
But it wasn’t pointed at any of them.
He was directing it through a door he’d opened. Leading to...
“No!” Cup Cake said at once, eyes filled with dread. Carrot Cake’s mouth hung open with horror as Miura stopped struggling.
Tybalt looked upon two little foals in their cots, coming out of sleep with little whimpers. He then turned to the bakers and grinned slyly.
“Congratulations. You have beautiful children.” he said darkly, fixing them with a menacing glare “Go get them...slowly.”


Tentatively, both holding a forehoof in the air for pax, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake slowly edged past the irate Miura, who was now cradling her sabre in preparation for using it, and shakily attended to their crying foals.
Tybalt gestured them to the dining area while the seething Miura brought up two chairs and brought out a couple of rolls of cord from her cloak. She tossed one to Tybalt, throwing him an angry glare while she began tying the four Cakes to the chairs back to back, landing a quick punch to Carrot Cake’s muzzle while she did so. The baker gave a cry of pain, sniffed and looked down to soothe his whimpering daughter.
Pumpkin and Pound were, by now, crying fearfully as their parents held them tightly to their chests, cushioning the biting tightness of the cord around their foals with their hooves.
Cup Cake held her breath, her trembling hooves shielding her son from witnessing what was about to take place.
“P-p-please. You don’t need to-”
“Excuse me.” Tybalt said bluntly “I don’t think you’re in a position to be telling us what we need or need not do, ma’am.”
“Our foals. Please!” Carrot Cake protested “You can do what you like with us but spare our-” He was cut off as the cord was placed between his jaws, pulling his head back and preventing any more words as Miura hissed.
“No. We were ordered to deliver a message. We do not leave it only half-delivered.” She stepped back as she drew up a small dark device which she tossed to Tybalt. The gunslinger fiddled with the device a moment before pulling out a copper-coloured wire. Glancing into the kitchen, he noticed the cake the two bakers had prepared for their adopted daughter, still on Pinkie Pie’s warm-plate that depicted the end scene of one of Pinkie’s favourite foal’s tales ‘The Lamb Who Wasn’t Lonely In Winter’.
He gave something of a smile and took it to the end table of the dining area. He then rested the device between the cotton-candy mane and tail of the little pink fondant pony atop the cake, looking it over and edging it slightly to the left.
He caught sight of Miura’s unimpressed scowl.
“What?” he asked “It’s a nice cake. Don’t want to ruin it.”
Miura rolled her eyes.
“I’m not working with you again.”
“Please yourself.” Tybalt then drew the copper wire out of the detonator, wound it round one of the chairs then around the doorknob to the Sugarcube Corner entrance, twanging the wire taut and nodding approvingly. Miura closed each curtain and blinds on the windows and opened the one opposite the bakery, placing a shard of topaz in the corner of the windowsill.
As Carrot Cake and Cup Cake struggled, making muffled pleas and cries for help, the two mercenaries silently slunk out the window, Tybalt giving them a wink and a grin before they closed the window behind them.
“You die as you lived; baking to perfection.”


Shoeshine looked up a moment, glancing left and right, wearing improvised armour and cradling a motorised weapon made from parts of a floorbuffer.
She was certain she’d heard something around Sugarcube Corner.
Signalling to Pepperdance and Pokey Pierce, the three ponies of the Ponyville Volunteer Patrol ducked around the bakery.
In the corner of an alley, one could have just made out a disappearing tail of a shade and style unfamiliar to them.
Weapons at the ready, they approached the alley, the mares taking each corner while Pokey readied his bow and cast a spell to light up the area.
They sprung out and cast their eye out.
Grass, pebbles and a few trash-cans greeted them.
Shoeshine pursed her lips and signalled for her comrades to check the other side of the alley, going around the Boutique and out opposite the School.


From the shrub outside the town, Tybalt and Miura gathered their breath, brushed off whatever they’d been hit with at the bakery and looked out. Miura’s steely eyes focussed as a certain bouncing pink mare hopped along the path, approaching the bakery.
Tybalt turned on the communicator.
“Boss. Target is approaching.”
“Confirmed.” came the reply “Is the topaz ready?”
Miura pulled out a small block of topaz, traced her hoof over the intricate ridges of it and an image of the Cake family struggling in vain at their constraints greeted them.
“This will be a necessary study.” the voice of Cascadius came from the communicator “Have you two guessed, by now? The universal method to popping a balloon?”
The thought still made Tybalt’s ear sting as Miura gave a snigger.
“I believe you intend to enlighten us, master.”
Cascadius chuckled through the communicator as, through the shard of topaz opposite the door of Sugarcube Corner, the outline of a puffy-maned mare showed itself through the blinds of the door.
He answered as he could practically feel the hoof of Pinkie Pie curl around the doorknob.
“Apply sufficient pressure.”


Ta-Ring!
“I’m ho-oooome!”
Pinkie Pie gazed a moment, a carefree grin on her face.
She stared a moment at the scene of her adopted family tied up to chairs and the detonator placed atop a bright, colourful cake, a length of copper-wire attached to it snapping at its threshold.
Cup Cake and Carrot Cake gave muffled screams and shut their eyes.
For a moment there was silence.
Pinkie Pie glanced around the room and giggled.
“Is this some kinda’ prank? ‘Sorry, we can’t do any baking right now. We’re tied-up with the kids.’ Is that it?” She hopped over and bit through the cord constraining her guardians “C’mon ya’ sillies, let’s get cookin’!”
Through the sight of the topaz, Tybalt and Miura stared with gaping mouths.
“Wha...?”
“How...?”
Silence came through the communicator until at last, the Paymaster could be heard.
“I...see...No, actually, I don’t see. At all.”
“Where’s the boom?” Tybalt blurted out “Where the buck is the bucking boom?!”
At this, to their shock, Pinkie Pie turned to look at the topaz shard on the windowsill.
Tybalt and Miura felt the eyes of the Bearer of Laughter upon them.
There was no doubt about it. She wasn’t looking just at the windowsill, or the shard upon it.
She was looking at them!
She could see them. And hear them.
Somehow.
With a cheery grin, she declared...
“Did somepony say ‘Boom’?!”
With a flurry of confetti and the sharp sound of party-poppers, the denotator jumped as something sprung out of it like the bird of a cuckoo-clock.
Gummy the Alligator, dressed in a pink vest and miniskirt waving miniature pom-poms side to side as wacky music shot forth.
With his vacant glare and robotic movement, Gummy was joined by his keeper in the bizarre dance to the bizarre music.
The two mercenaries continued to stare in bewilderment through the topaz at the scene.
There came a voice through the communicator.
“Tybalt...”
“Yes, boss?”
“Explain.”
“I...don’t think I can, boss.”
“Try.”
“Well...the target kinda’ did a thing...and then not...kinda’...”
“...I see...” Cascadius lied again “Okay, this mission has gone...rather sour. Return to base. Make sure you aren’t-”
“Hi!”
Tybalt and Miura spun round with surprise and alarm as Pinkie Pie, the same Pinkie Pie that was standing in the middle of Sugarcube Corner in quite literally the same second, had materialised behind them with her same unbreakable grin.
“Whatcha’ do-in’?”
“Yargh! Demon!” Miura screamed as she drew her sabre, cutting across Pinkie’s neck.
A fluffy pink cloud hovered where Pinkie Pie had been a moment ago. As the head came off, it blew a raspberry before dissipating.
“Over here!” She appeared to the right of Tybalt, standing on one forehoof.
The mercenary jumped and drew his pistols and fired off a couple of rounds, all of them perforated thin, pink air.
From Ponyville came the sounds of commotion.
“There! Over there!”
“It’s them!”
“Get ‘em!”
“Abort!” Tybalt yelled as he and Miura fled into the undergrowth, pursued by the bouncing sounds of the Bearer of Laughter’s hooves.


After a mile and half of galloping, Tybalt and Miura ducked behind trees and readied their weapons, gasping and wide-eyed.
“Okay...now she’s just flat-out terrifying!” Tybalt spluttered, grabbing hold of Miura’s shoulder and handed her his communicator “You need to run. I’ll hold them off.”
Miura stared at Tybalt a moment.
“What’ll you do?” she asked “What’ll they do?”
“Doesn’t matter! They can’t be allowed to follow us!  You won’t leave tracks! Don’t drop anything! Go!” He clicked his firearms and gritted his teeth “I’ll give Pinkie something to ‘thinkie’ about!”
She found it strange but the sound of him making one of his terrible one-liners he must have thought sounded cool was enough for Miura to leave without another word.
She made no noise and left no leaves or dirt blowing or trailing, such was her way.
Steeling himself, the gunslinger whistled a tune to put him in a focussed mindset suited for battle.
He saw his foe standing before him on the edge of the forest.
Just standing there...menacingly.
A bead of sweat ran from his brow, down his muzzle and dangled for a moment from the fur under his chin.
Pinkie Pie blinked.
The drop of sweat fell and hit the ground.
She jumped in the air.
With a battle-cry, Tybalt drew up his guns and fired off round after round at the Bearer of Laughter.
There was a bizarre metallic-sounding whistle as the body of Pinkie Pie began to spin, her cottony mane trailing both in front and behind her until her entire being was a shiny, magenta wheel, whirling faster and faster, trailing up the dirt and moss behind her, the bullets bounding off wildly.
Before he could reload, Tybalt gave a cry of utter confusion as the rosy wheel shot forth.
With a smash, both Pinkie Pie and Tybalt flew up into the air as they collided. Pinkie Pie unravelling herself, completely unscratched grabbing hold of the semi-conscious Tybalt’s shoulders and holding him down like some kind of surfboard as they fell to earth.
Thought could not be properly achieved by the confounded mercenary as the ground rose to meet him and pink gave way to black.


The whistle of the train sounded new arrivals.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy leapt off the train to be greeted by a restless crowd gathered round something in the middle of town, cheers of encouragement mixed with curses of scorn. On a nearby bench, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake, looking slightly bruised and shaken nursed their restless foals on their knees with grateful smiles.
Raising her eyebrows in curiosity, Applejack edged her way through the tight throngs and beheld the focus of the town’s attention.
Pinkie Pie stood before the fountain, wearing a gigantic grin and a strange wide-brimmed hat with a bandolier of teeth and other trophies around the head of it. As her four friends stared, she crossed her eyes and put on a ridiculous accent as she hooted.
“Howdy folks, ah’m a big dumb killermadickery-doo! Look at mah’ shmancy ha-yat!”
Under her back-hoof, a piebald stallion, gagged and trussed up with cord trying his forehooves to his back-hooves behind him, rolled his eyes.
As the crowd cheered, Rainbow Dash fly into the air, loop-de-looped at whooped with forehooves in the sky.
“Score One for Ponyville, Baby!”
Standing on the edge of the crowd, a grey pegasus mailmare, eyes looking more focussed and keen than anypony would have seen in some time, observed the scene.
‘So much for ‘professionals of the highest calibre’.’ she thought ‘Just wait and see what Dr Bittersweet makes of this.’


*


“They have Tybalt.”
Cascadius said aloud, pacing back and forth slowly as his students, allies and associates surrounded him with uneasy looks.
Miura was kneeling before him, breathing heavily.
“He told me to go on ahead, leaving no trace of our means of entry and exit around Ponyville. The Bearer of Laughter was...unlike any opponent we’ve ever faced.”
“I am sure.” The Paymaster nodded, looking up with a flat, evaluating expression “You both acted well-enough in the situation you found yourselves in and I commend you. All of you.”
The mercenaries glanced at each other.
“Boss, we didn’t kill a single one of the Bearers.” Bloodhound pointed out.
“Nor did I expect you to.” Cascadius replied “I said from the beginning that these are not going to be easy opponents. This exercise was a measure of that statement.” He stepped down and took turns in looking his cohorts in the eye meaningfully.
“The biggest strength the Bearers have is experience. They have faced such a wide variety of the abnormal and ominous that they have become highly proficient at adapting quickly to a situation. This makes them unique among the Equestrian military. Even though our method is unlike anything they’ve faced before, we can now say the same vice-versa. They fight in ways we are simply...unfamiliar with. Under the circumstances, we’ve done alright.”
“So do we take down the town then, Boss?” Balisong asked tentatively.
“Not yet. There’s still much to do.” Cascadius cricked his neck “What we must do, in order to properly surround our foe so as to be ready to attack from every angle, is to contain them. Place them in as tight and concentrated an area as possible. Lure as many as we can to one select spot.”
He stood atop the podium again.
“Fortunately, I had planned for this. Worst case scenario for the early-mid stages of our campaign.”
“What about Tybalt?” Bovril asked.
“He’ll never tell them anything.” The Paymaster said “And they won’t hold him in Ponyville, they lack the means. And they know I can get in and out of their prisons after that Echo Squad impersonator seven years ago.”
He brushed the mane out of his brow and said confidently, a smile creeping across his muzzle.
“This victory of theirs, though insignificant, will benefit us. The Equestrians will believe they have prevented us gaining the upper hoof. Our pawns are already in place. And tomorrow, we will ensure the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony cannot resist our lure.”
He spun round with a slightly theatrical atmosphere, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Because, my dears...Their next opponent...will be Me.”