//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13 - In Our Mind's Eye 
// Story: Evenfall: Verdant White 
// by Yinglung 
//------------------------------//

"Finally! We're finally leaving that darned city."

Kanipha stretched his legs, as the zebra colt looked back to the direction of Ville de Platine one last time. The said city was no longer visible, clouded in the mist of the Crystal Mountains.

The zebra looked down the valley with the dim grey light from above. The meandering Whinnypeg River flowed quietly downstream. Large amount of materials were floated on barges, which were in turn dragged along by troops on shore. The army marched in a few loose columns across the treacherous mountain trail towards the Echo Notch, the seldom-used gateway to the metropolis of Manehattan.

Hearing no response to his remark, he added and pointed to a pegasus at a distance surreptitiously. "Why is she following us?"

Octavie-Fontaine promptly turned. "I'm tasked as a Prench representative by Director Muzzle to both the northern nations and the Eastern Cities, monsieur zebra. I'm here for important reasons."

Kanipha looked surprised at being overheard, but he immediately said. "My name is Kanipha! And you shouldn't be allowed so close to us when we're discussing important stuffs all day."

The grey pegasus merely shrugged. "Your dragon commander allows me here. If he wants, he can send me away from this cohort at any time."

Kanipha grumbled. "Tsk. What're you doing here anyway? Aren't you technically an army officer? Why are you even sticking your hooves into diplomatic matters?"

Octavie-Fontaine's gaze flickered, but she soon said blandly. "I'm whatever role Director Muzzle wanted me to fulfill. Besides, this is none of your business, especially since you're nobody."

Kanipha's eyes twitched. "W- What?! What kind of a diplomat are you, you daughter of a-"

Spike, who had been at the front silently and alone, sighed and interrupted. "Kanny, let Octavie do her things. Despite everything, La Ville is potentially a valuable ally."

Kanipha bit his lips, and swallowed his irritation in the face of Spike's words. Geuse looked to the scene, and commented on something else to draw away the tension. "It's a good thing we have boosted our numbers as well."

Pinkie Pie had not looked particularly animated since the tumult in the city, but she still chimed in. "H- Hey, how's it going anyway? I mean, the crystal ponies are mixing in well, aren't they?"

Pisacan, who was trotting nearby, duly replied. "Thanks to most of them being my clan, and with the combined efforts of their former commander and Princess Cadance there, they didn't act out too much despite the abrupt change in allegiance."

Geuse shook her head. "That must be one Tartarus of a chore to manage so many former prisoners of war. I mean, the changelings, be they so few, were enough to cause a headache on the seas."

Pisacan knitted her brows. "That's why you don't see Clepy or the royal couple with us right now. My brother insisted to help out even if he's coughing his lungs out."

Spike suddenly turned with a severe look. "Is he alright? I heard that many of our troops are also sick. Do we have enough medics and medicine?"

"We're barely hanging on with the number of medics, but it's medicine that we truly lack."

"We're also trying our best to help." Yolana, the muskox shamaness, interjected. "Our horns have some soothing properties, and we can ground some of them into powder without harming ourselves. But if this went on, we can't grow our horns fast enough to treat even a tenth of the sick."

The dragon let out a heavy sigh. Massaging his forehead, he muttered under his breath. "Argh... War is Tartarus. Those stories I used to read are all loads of bulls! No offense to Mkondo."

"That's because those stories are written by and for those who live in peace, Spike."

Offering a somewhat dejected smile, Pinkie continued. "But at least we remember a time before all these happened." 

Spike merely gritted his teeth slowly. "I've never met that Sunset Shimmer, but if I..."

The dragon's ireful remarks were cut short by the panicked arrival of a messenger from the front. The helmeted white wolf was completely out of breath.

The dragon interrogated immediately with a stern voice. "What's the matter?"

The wolf hurriedly removed her helmet, revealing herself to be Gumpa, the wolf prince's first betrothed.

Spike widened his eyes. "Gumpa, what's wrong? You look-"

Gumpa nervously shushed the dragon. Her ears perked up and flicked quickly, as if she was searching for something in panic. Before Spike could ask again, Gumpa began to wail pitifully. "Oh help us, Spike, something horrible happened before the Notch! My Puuska... the white wolf and other pony vanguards a- are..."

Spike asked with a steely look. "Horrible? What happened?!"

Gumpa gasped for air, and she replied shakily. "W- We have arrived near a lake in front of the Notch. It seems that someone had built a large dam there."

Pinkie narrowed her eyes. "That's the Echo Lake and Echo Dam, built relatively recently to provide power to Manehattan. The lake would feed into the downstream Delamare River that skirts the big city."

Spike nodded and signaled the female wolf to continue. Gumpa gulped and nodded. "We're surveying the area to find a way for the main army to cross the Notch safely, that's when... that's when..."

"What? Spit it out already!" Rainga, the white deer, couldn't help but get agitated with worry.

Gumpa gasped for another breath of air. "Eek! T- There's a strange song in the air..."

"... A song?" Both Magnar and Stellan frowned and said. None of the listeners understood why it would cause such a grave concern.

Gumpa looked even more neurotic seeing the doubtful faces. "It's no ordinary song! It's witchery, witchery I tell you!"

Spike patted the wolf's shoulder. "Okay, calm down, Gumpa. What's so horrible about a song?"

"I- It causes all our soldiers to go out of their minds! They began to ignore our orders, and wander towards the dam... some of them even jumped into the lake! Puuska and I were the only two that were unaffected, but we don't even know where the song came from. And when he wanted to stop them, he was himself attacked and roped away... by his own soldiers!"

Spike looked incredibly perturbed. He turned to Pinkie, who trembled violently and was barely to return his gaze.

He turned and faced the rest of the group, who was looking as much concerned as he was. "... Everyone suddenly acting out of their place."

Kanipha narrowed his eyes. "Since the changelings are dealt with, this leaves us with only one possibility, really."

Spike nodded with gritted teeth. He turned to Gumpa again and asked. "Gumpa, I assume that Puuska gave you something in the room, right?"

Gumpa widened her eyes, and hesitantly nodded. She pawed towards her sack and took out a small fragment of black stone.

The dragon's gritted teeth crackled with anger. "As I guessed... This is probably evil mind control magic. That's why magic-negating artifact like the two-faced stone shielded you from harm."

Yolana nodded severely, and took out a sack of stones from her bag.

"Spike, since the battle outside the city, I've gathered all two-faced stones that we can find from the muskoxen's belongings. It's far from enough to distribute to every soldier, but among us few, it should be adequate to protect the bearers from being affected by such nefarious magic."

Gumpa suddenly knelt in front of Spike, her face contorted with guilt and worry. "Please, Spike! Help me rescue Puuska! I've been a coward and left him alone to danger again, I-"

"Of course we're going to. That's for you, for me, as well as for us all."

Spike briefly looked at the despondent marefriend of his, his entire face began to twitch. "I don't know who's using that song to bewitch our soldiers."

Hot smoke almost leaked from the corner of his mouth. "... Be it Sunset Shimmer or not, I'm going to make sure that the perpetrator face the consequence."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Nordland trio - Rainga, Magnar and Stellan - were left with the main army to stand guard, even though Rainga was clearly reluctant to separate with the dragon. It eventually took Frigg's cooing to soothe her nerves.

But even Frigg's words of caution could not stop Spike from insisting to lead the small team of companions to investigate the strange happening. He delegated the commandership to the worried doe and quickly departed, to the mare's unease.

As the group progressed, the stagnant sun's light from the distant horizons was further dimmed by the cloud of mountain mist. But not before long, a faint buzzing of singing voice could be heard from afar.

Spike immediately tensed up. The song was either in a language he did not know, or simply lyricless humming. However, it was so irresistibly sweet, filling with invitation and longing. It seemed to urge the listeners to loosen their restraints, and throw their body and soul to the mysterious source of the song.

Before any desire to give in popped up in his mind, however, he hurriedly grabbed at the two-faced stone he wore as a necklace on his neck. He grabbed at it with such strength that it almost cracked the scales on his paw, but its effect was prompt as well. Soon his mind was clear of any undue influence, and when he listened to the song again, it was mere sonorous humming.

He looked to his companions, and all of them were also tightly holding the anti-magic charm the way he did.

Spike particularly gazed at Pinkie, who insisted to come with him with the same level of stubbornness that he insisted to lead this excursion. The pink mare's pupils had shrunk to pins, and she was clearly palpitating with traumatic fear.

"Pinks, you... you need to go back. Frigg will take care of you-"

"N- No! I'm fine, haha, don't be a worrywart, I-"

"Pinkie! What we're about to face is another mind-bending villain, and you shouldn't force yourself to be exposed to something so-"

"I- I have to... I have to! I can't let my fear and my guilt stop me from helping everypony a- and helping you!"

Pinkie's eyes grew a bit red, but she continued. "Gumpa's right, there're no place for a coward in this big battle of good and evil!"

"That's not about being a coward or not, Pinks. You're clearly hurt, and I can see it. If you force yourself to be here, the wound in your heart will not-"

Pinkie gritted her teeth. Pushing away her face-covering straight mane, she said with uncharacteristic severity. "It will not heal regardless, Spike. So let me stay, at least I can help you this way."

Spike frowned deeply. Each of the pink mare's words sliced deeply into his heart. But before he could offer some words of his own, he was interrupted by a pegasus landing nervously near him.

"Geuse? What's wrong?"

"I know who's singing that darn song now! It's a monster in the water!"

"... At least it's not that orange witch, it seems." Pisacan raised her brows.

"Can you be more specific?" Kanipha merely groaned and asked.

"Fine, it's a big blue sea-snake-like thing. It's got red fins, blue eyes and some more reddish tinge near them. Its tail and, um, 'mane' are white. It's swimming in front of the dam and yapping like a mouth-breather. I bet you my trident that it's the singer of that mesmerizing song."

Pinkie suddenly gasped. "Oh dear, it can't be...!"

The worried-looking Gumpa immediately asked. "W- What can it be?"

Yolana softly added. "Do you have an idea who that creature might be, Miss Pie?" 

Pinkie gulped. "... Well, a- as far as I know, water creatures that cast hypnotizing magic through songs are few and far between. I've only heard about sirens and kelpies that do that. Sirens are more vicious by nature, but from what Geuse said, that singing creature looks more like a kelpie. Kelpies are in general placid singers, and some of them even have pony contacts. I- I don't know why-"

"No reason on earth would excuse her action."

Spike cut her off, and growled through gritted teeth. "This kelpie thing hypnotized an entire army of unwilling sentient beings to do her bidding, taking away their free will and placing them in unnecessary danger. This is vilest of the vile."

"But..."

"There's no 'but', Pinkie. We must use the quickest and the most clinical way to make it stop singing."

Spike's angry expression was quickly replaced by a chillingly cold look. "If it takes punching a hole in its throat, then so be it."

The companions near the dragon looked shocked and worried to see such vengefulness dripping from his words, freshly off his speech of peace to the Villians. It was clear that the dragon had taken the matter very personally. 

Yolana immediately said. "Good Spike, there's no need to be so riled."

Geuse added with a frown. "Yes, Spike, a commander should keep his emotions in check-"

"My emotions are very much in check, Geuse. I have no wish other than quickly bringing the nasty mind-controlling creature down and returning order to our army."

Spike narrowed his eyes and cut the pegasus off abruptly. Facing a stunned Geuse, he continued. "Now quit the yammering, and hear me on my plan to evade its detection and give it a paralyzing strike."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Aarrgghh-"

The kelpie let out a yelp of intense pain, as a searing blast of fire scorched the fin on its backside and cause it to fall wayside towards the shore. 

Free from the charge and attack from the brainwashed ponies and wolves, Geuse then quickly acted. Picking up a thick rope at a distance with her mouth, she flew up and around the creature, wrapping it up tightly like a lassoed bull.

"Quick, Yolana!"

The muskox priestess huffed and reluctantly nodded. She took over the rope and dashed away from the shore. The kelpie was immediately dragged up onto the rocky shore. Rope and small rocks chipped into its delicate scales, causing the kelpie to wail miserably.

"Thank you, Yolana, Geuse. This should be it."

Spike looked around, and nodded imperceptibly when the controlled soldiers began to groggily return to their senses. Some of them were shocked to find themselves in water or precarious places, and Geuse hurriedly joined others on shore rushed to help. When she returned, she was dragging along an unconscious Puuska in her hooves from afar.

The dragon, however, merely walked near the kelpie with a bland look.

"You. I assume that you're intelligent."

The kelpie wheezed and recoiled in fear. "W- Who are you?!"

Spike raised a brow. "Oh, you can talk as well. I should assume so, 'cos you can sing that song after all."

"How come you're not affected..."

The dragon spat. "I have no obligation to answer that, you vile monster."

The kelpie looked stunned and hurt at being called names. "I- I'm not a monster! W- why do you attack-"

Spike's rising anger was overshadowed with his incredulity. "You ask why we attacked you? It should be us who ask why you used your song to bewitch an entire army into your selfish bidding!"

"I- I-"

The dragon coldly huffed and interrupted the kelpie. "I kid. Your crime is so bad, your defense does not interest me."

"S- Spike-" Several of his companions also called out, stunned that he was not showing any kind of leniency. 

He turned, and his gaze swept across his clearly worried companions. It eventually locked onto the gradually realizing herd of ponies and particularly, the pack of white wolves, who were all closing in onto the culprit with angry looks. 

"You see, kelpie, I don't eat fish, and neither do ponies. However, the wolves probably would appreciate a bountiful meal after being needlessly worked and made to attack their own chief."

"Eeek!" All colors drained from the kelpie's face.

"Please, Spike, don't give her any more scare. Hear her case out first."

Pinkie, who had been silent before, suddenly placed her hooves on the dragon and pleaded. Spike turned with wide eyes, and then let out a slow, heavy breath.

The kelpie took in the cue quickly enough, and spurted out fearfully. "M- My name is C- Cassie."

Spike continued to glare at her. "... Cassie, huh. So you're a 'she'?"

"Y- Yes..."

"Make your case short and to-the-point, 'Cassie'. I very much frown on unprovoked aggression on our soldiers, using mind-controlling magic no less. My quip was not entirely serious or final, but depending on your explanation, I would consider what kind of treatment you should receive, and what kind of example you would be made to any other mind-controlling beings out there."

Cassie gasped and wheezed again weakly. Being out of water was extremely taxing for a kelpie like her, but she took in one last breath to plead. "P- Please, mercy! I- I have a reason!"

Spike huffed mockingly. "Do tell. I wonder if there was great good being done that had escaped my eyes."

Cassie winced. She pointed weakly towards the lake and yelped with all her might. "W- Water sprites, show yourselves!"

Spike and the others looked to the water, and a handful of small kelpie-like creatures elevated into the air in pockets of water.

"The water sprites need to get to the ocean and can't leave the water. If they can't get there in time, they would become very, very sick!"

"Wait a minute."

The dragon suddenly widened his eyes. "So what... what were you trying to do by hypnotizing all our soldiers?"

"C- Clear us a way to the ocean, of course!"

Spike's expression froze. "... You want to... destroy the dam."

"Of course, how else-"

Spike blinked, and abruptly turned away from the pleading kelpie. Facing his companions, he said. "What else do you all need to hear?"

Several of them squirmed uneasily. Yolana looked to Gumpa, who was still tending to Puuska, and sighed. "... What happens if the dam breaks?"

Pinkie and Spike's gazes met, and the pink mare said difficultly. "The Echo Dam feeds into major rivers of the East Coast. The entire Echo Lake would be emptied into them at once, flooding all downstream communities at a blink of an eye. An unimaginable number of homes and businesses would be destroyed, countless lives would be lost, habitats would be ruined, and the fertile farm soil around Delamare that fed so many ponies would be washed into the sea, causing famine within the surviving ponies."

Spike added with barely suppressed anger. "In short, the millions living in and around Manehattan would meet their watery graves if her plan succeeds."

Kanipha and Geuse gasped and covered their mouths. Even the peace-loving Yolana looked hard-pressed to speak on the kelpie's behalf.

Cassie said with a horrified, shaky voice. "I- I didn't know... I didn't think..."

"You didn't know?"

Spike breathed out slowly. "I should expect such from someone who so carelessly uses her own mind-bending power on others."

His voice turned blander and blander towards the end. "... You're too much of a dangerous fool to simply let go."

Cassie let out a shocked yelp, and she teared up with a terrified voice. "P- Please, mister dragon, i- it's a mistake- I- I..."

The kelpie's plea descended into incoherent mutters, as fear consumed her very being.

"Spike, that... that's not what Twilight would have done. What Cassie's done was very misguided, but she did it for her little friends. And we all did stupid things for our friends."

The dragon straightened abruptly, and turned to the pink mare. Pinkie knitted her brows with deep pain on her face, but she continued bluntly. "You're being controlled by your anger, Spike."

Spike gritted his teeth, his claws dug deep into the palm of his another paw. Pinkie knew that Spike was biting back his anger so that he did not lash out on her, and sadly lowered her head. 

The pink mare then weakly tugged at Pisacan. The young matriarch sighed and attempted to talk him down. "Spike... have you so forgotten what you yourself have told the Villians to convince them not to scapegoat the crystal pony prisoners?"

This time, Spike could not help but yell aloud. "What the Tartarus?! How're the two situations remotely close? The crystal ponies in the Ville are surrendered personnel, they are defenseless and cannot be prosecuted for what they did in any previous battles once they folded their flags!"

The dragon angrily pointed towards Cassie. "But we're talking about a mass-murderer-in-waiting here! If she succeeded with what she was going to do, what Sunset Shimmer did to Cloudsdale would be foal's play in comparison!"

Pisacan took in a deep breath when Sunset Shimmer was mentioned, and she became silent again.

Geuse worriedly exchanged a gaze with Kanipha, then said. "Spike... didn't you forgive Discord even though he did terrible things in the Equestrian capital and to Twilie?"

Kanipha nodded and added. "Yeah, and Chrysalis too, right? You gave her a pass eventually."

Spike simply shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "Those are different. I never really completely forgave Discord until Twi was found out to be alive. As for Chrysalis... I'm still withholding judgment on her for most things... In any case, neither actually threatened to murder the entire population of Canterlot."

Kanipha muttered. "This is more like ponyslaughter, I would argue..."

Spike said through gritted teeth. "I don't think the hundreds of thousands of drowned ponies would care about the difference, nor can they."

Pinkie observed the companions, who were all unable to convince the dragon to stand down. She let out a wheezy sigh, and touched Spike's face with her hooves.

"W- What?" Spike was a bit stunned.

"Spike, this is not like you. The Spike I know and love isn't like this."

"W- What do you mean?" Spike was clearly rattled, and his voice trembled.

"I... I know this is tough. It is, for both of us. And the responsibility you have to suddenly shoulder out of nowhere must be enormous."

"So are we all. Rainbow Dash also did pretty much the same thing in the Amarezons, didn't she?" 

Spike shook his head slowly and gave Pinkie a meaningful look. "Plus, I have the advantage of having an ancient dragon's experiences in my head. I can do this and I must."

Pinkie looked incredibly forlorn for a moment. Then she walked away from the dragon and towards the injured kelpie.

The dragon immediately shouted. "Pinkie, she's dangerous!"

The pink mare turned and said sadly. "Spike... you used to be so carefree, so allowing and so much fun. You didn't mind it when Twilight made you do overnight study, you didn't mind it when Dashie pranked you in the most over-the-top way, you even didn't mind it when Rarity and I..."

Pinkie winced and shook her head. "But being so harsh and unforgiving isn't like you, Spike. She's injured, she's trembling in fear, and all she wanted was simply to bring her little friends back to where they belong."

Spike looked down to the ground in silence. After a while, he said lowly. "... At the expense of so much possible destruction, at the expense of everything we know and love?"

The pink mare only said softly. "We have prevented just that. Why must we dwell on unspilled milk?"

Spike closed his eyes. As if tiredness suddenly caught up to him, he backed off a few steps and sat on a rock behind him in unsteady gait.

It was at that moment that the assorted soldiers cleared out a path towards them, and trotting from a distance was a caped silvery mare.

"My lord! I have come the moment we receive news of your victory!"

Frigg galloped towards the group, and respectfully bowed to the dragon commander. She gave a glance to the roped kelpie and nodded with satisfaction. "I see that you have captured the monster causing the unrest."

The silver mare looked bemused when Spike gave her no response, and so she went on. "My Spike faithful and true, the main bulk of the army is about to move across the Notch, not least because the prince we brought along from the Ville was getting fidgety despite having the royal couple from the Crystal Empire by his side. I implore you to decide on a way to deal with this water creature, as soon as possible."

Spike tensed up again when he felt the gazes of every companion looking intensely at him. He gave a look to the expectant Pinkie, then to the kelpie, then to Pinkie again.

Eventually, he let out a long breath. "She can't go."

"Spike!" Pinkie yelped.

"I didn't say that must mean serving a kelpie dinner. She seemed to be clueless about what she nearly did, and I... I'm not cold-blooded, despite what they said about dragons and lizards."

"... Huh?" The pink mare became confused as to his intention, but she was slightly relieved that he was backing down.

"Frigg." Spike turned.

"Yes, my lord?"

"I trust that the Firstlings build the best ships."

Frigg smirked. "That's of course true. While the runes and charms did play a part, we would not be able to brace for the flood on our ships if not for our proud hoofwork."

A small smile briefly appeared on the dragon's face. "Well, then can you make a landship, holding water on the inside?"

Frigg widened her eyes, but she cautiously nodded. "I don't supposed it's too difficult for our craftsponies."

"Good."

Spike stood up and briskly walked towards the kelpie. He knelt down and put his claws to her terrified face.

"Gah!" Cassie almost screamed in pain.

Pinkie also looked shocked, as she trotted towards Spike and extended her hoof in worry.

Spike waved her down and said. "I'm just picking out some broken scales and chipped pebbles on her face. It would cause the wound to fester, coming from a fellow scale-owner."

Both were surprised by the sudden expression of mercy. Spike then said. "I can't let you go scots-free. So you must be with us on our way forward. I'll arrange for a container filled with water to be built, and then we will put you and those water sprites inside. Once we're by the ocean, we'll replace it with seawater. You can't cross the dam by yourselves anyway, can you?"

Cassie blinked. "No, we can't."

"So, Yolana?"

Yolana raised her brows. "Yes, Mister Spike?"

"Would you happen to have more powdered horn salve by your side?"

"Yes. Do you want me to treat her?"

"Please do. The burns on her back will be the worst, treat those first."

Cassie winced as Yolana began to apply salve to her back, but she still managed to say. "W- Why do you show me kindness now?"

"I still distrust you, and I still hate you for taking our soldiers' minds hostage. But I'll not bite at a hoof that pleads for forgiveness, and to let you fall sick in our care will be my lapse in duty."

He huffed. "A chance is what Pinkie and others told me to give, and what you will receive. But if you dare to play tricks when we're shipping you along..."

The kelpie shook her head like a rattle-drum. "I- I won't do it anymore. I was desperate! I- I'm grateful if you can take us across the dam w- without busting it!"

"We'll put you back into the water before we finish building that landship. Meanwhile you should stay positively put."

Cassie merely nervously made a noise of acknowledgement. 

At the side, Pinkie looked to the dragon; despite the persisting thorn in his words, she was very glad that he finally relented. Spike merely looked up to the grey horizons, and then slowly placed a paw on Pinkie's shoulder. 

"Let's hope that this is the right decision. So far our good-hearted trust has... mixed results."

Pinkie nodded back, first with some hesitation, then with a thin smile. 

"It... will be, Spike. For the goodness in all our hearts, It will be."