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// 45 - Age and Experience 
// Story: Mending Light 
// by Kiromancer 
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My intentions in sparing Amethyst had been simple, or so I’d thought. I didn’t want to see anypony else die, especially not by my own hooves. Even though it would have been Bellerophon’s decision to swing the sword, it would have been on me had I not tried to stop him. Still, our new ‘ally’ did little more than put everyone on edge.

We tried to rest up, but even with the level of fatigue, none of us could really sleep, not with Amethyst Vein in the room. I kept catching her watching me, a sidelong look that I did my best not to acknowledge. Even stranger were the looks I saw Dusky giving her. I fully understood why Dusky wouldn’t trust her, but there was something else in her eyes too, something I couldn’t quite place.

I didn’t have much time to confront either of them about it, as Bellerophon wasn’t giving me any peace, either. We should have at least left her behind, like we did the scout, though leaving her behind in enemy territory would be a far greater risk. This is a mistake you’ve made.

I sighed. I can’t. You’re far too eager to kill her. To kill anyone.

I am only trying to do what is necessary. There was a hint of mockery in his voice. We’re here to save your friend, are we not? We cannot achieve that just by asking politely. 

No, we can’t. I just… I’m not going to let there be any more death than necessary. I glanced over at Amethyst, raising an eyebrow as she quickly glanced away. Besides… look at her.

What about her?

I don’t think she’s your enemy here. I hesitated, unsure who exactly was the enemy.

Dusky spoke up suddenly, stepping towards Amethyst. “So, now that we’re working together, tell me more about this place and your Oracle.”

Amethyst Vein spun towards Dusky. “Oracle?”

“Yeah, you said he advised the ancestors of your ancestors about the return of Bellerophon. Clearly, he isn’t an ordinary person.”

“That would be because he is not ordinary at all. He is a dragon of old, one who witnessed the rise of the vile Tapioca.” Amethyst turned towards me once again, awe in her eyes. “He was there. He saw her tyranny, and how each of her spawn inherited her iron hoof.”

Bellerophon’s attention now focused on Amethyst. Dragon of old… it can’t be…

Dusky didn’t let it cross her face, but she shifted subtly, as if she were about to defend herself from an attack. “And his real name? Surely it isn’t Oracle.”

Amethyst narrowed her eyes, but shook her head. “That, I do not know. Such questions are off limits to us.”

Star’s voice was low. “Could it be?”

“Broken Tooth.” Dusky confirmed.

My stomach sank.

Bellerophon’s anger rose, and he slipped in a bit too easily, directing his attention to the others before I could push back. The vile little worm! His lies have caused all of this, and now he sits here spreading this vile crusade. I should have killed him when I first laid eyes upon him.

Amethyst seemed more confused than anything else. “Eh? He does have one of those, but what…” She stopped, turning to stare at me, at Bellerophon.

“Bellerophon say that, um, Broken Tooth is responsible for his situation.” I let my eyes fall away from Amethyst’s gaze. “But, um, less nicely.”

“Situation?” Amethyst stepped back, eyeing each of us in turn, awaiting an explanation.

Tell her what he did to me. A thousand years lost, waiting in darkness for a lie.

“Trapped between life and death. A formless soul, lost for centuries in darkness, with nothing but his anger and grief to sustain him, held within this cursed bracer… th-that’s what he says.” I lifted my hoof to show her the bracer, the whole thing feeling unnaturally heavy as I held it there, as if all the weight of the mountain above us were crashing in on me.

In contrast, Amethyst seemed awed by it. “No, there has to be some kind of mistake. All this time, he’s always extolled your virtues, Lord Bellerophon the Untainted Hero. Lord Bellerophon the Immortal Prince. The Justicar who would right all wrongs. Why would he say all that if he meant to do you harm?”

Star narrowed her eyes. “Given that he is willing to proceed without the real Bellerophon present, it is safe to say he has ulterior motives.”

Dusky nodded. “A figurehead.”

“No!” Amethyst stepped back, setting her jaw. “That is what Firetail has planned. He must be going behind the Oracle’s back to trick us all. If he has his own agent as an unquestionable figurehead, he could get all of us, the Oracle included, to do as he wishes! That must be what’s going on!”

A figurehead… Bellerophon considered the word, and I could feel that same burning rage rising in him again. He was setting me up. Setting me up for his own ends.

Dusky lowered her head with a sigh. “But if the Oracle is so old and wise, shouldn’t Firetail realize that he’d eventually, if not immediately, catch on?”

Amethyst shrugged, her disdain obvious. “No pony ever said Firetail was smart.”

“Well, regardless, we’ll both need to thwart him to meet our goals.” Dusky took another deep breath. She was shaken, but doing her best not to let it show. Who wouldn’t be, after hearing that the thing which opposed their goal was a dragon? “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

Her focus shifted away from Broken Tooth, Amethyst’s voice dripped with venom. “Firetail is all about arrogance and pomp. He wants his presence to be known, to the point that he chooses his personal guard for their flair over their skills. If you can slip past his regulars, you shouldn’t have any problem getting your friend out.”

Dusky pressed on. “And just how much is between us and that?”

“First you’d need to get into the inner city. You’re all so painfully Ostfriesen that you wouldn’t need my help with that one.”

It was so absurd I almost laughed. I looked at Dusky, and found her glancing back, the barest hint of amusement crossing her lips before it was gone. It was only for a split second, something just for me, and somehow it actually bolstered my spirits.

Star considered. “Then what?”

“The inner city itself, there shouldn’t be any problems so long as the gate went fine and you don’t linger. The palace is another matter. Everypony there is in Firetail’s inner circle. They’ll know if somepony strange is trying to get in. That’s also before his personal guard.”

“Great. I’m guessing you can’t get them to let us pass?” Dusky didn’t sound too hopeful as she tilted her head at Amethyst.

Her answer, however, was more promising than I’d expected. “Maybe. They have full control of the palace and refuse to let anypony by without asking twenty questions—including me. But there might be another way.”

The picture is beginning to become clear. Bellerophon's mood had grown darker in my mind. If these Olymponians are an infection, then Broken Tooth is surely the heart of it. To fix this whole problem, we just need to eliminate him.

W-we just need to kill a dragon? This was ludicrous, and the sense of just what we faced was almost overwhelming. We’re just here to save Merri...

Bellerophon's smug attitude was only tempered by how deadly serious I knew he was. Don't delude yourself into believing stopping Firetail alone will fix this. Now you look at Amethyst Vein. She may have been raised to believe in Bellerophon, but it was Broken Tooth whispering lies into her ear. You won't find her faith shaken in the god who sits among them as easily as it is in Firetail. Now then, ask her what her plan is.

I swallowed. This was a delicate dance, and falling too far to any side would mean having to kill many, many more. Or, more likely, simply result in us getting killed ourselves. I eyed Amethyst carefully. "Which is?"

"Wait until the earliest hours of the morning." She straightened slightly, eyes narrowing. "Those outside are less supervised and as the patrols are consistently boring, many have started smuggling in flasks. They try to hide it, but they become sluggish and unfocused. That is when you can use the rear servant's entrance. Normally it would be too far in the open, but that window widens greatly at that hour."

I hesitated, looking at the others. I shouldn't be here. I'm just a weather pony. I never wanted to kill anypony, or stop anyone.

Death is going to be inevitable, Night Flurry. We can only do what we can to minimize it. If you will not take this opportunity, then I will. His threat hung in the air.

"So," I took a deep breath. "what makes this a 'might' scenario?"

Amethyst Vein almost seemed excited as she looked me in the eyes. "Firetail has my master key. Somepony will have to let you in. Lucky for you, the only pony I trust enough to keep things quiet should have a spare."

Dusky leaned in, still on edge. "And who might that be?"

"Old Ed." Amethyst's eyes didn't break from mine.

It took me only a second to connect it back to the older pony who'd passed us through the eastern entrance with little more than a few curses. "The... gatekeeper?"

She almost looked hurt, gritting her teeth. "Not just any gatekeeper. He’s my friend and one of our best fighters."

"Best?" Star kicked a hoof impatiently. "Then why have him tucked away at one of the rear gates?"

The venom returned to Amethyst's voice. "Firetail. He says it was the Oracle’s orders, but I know better. It’s because he doesn’t like Old Ed. The Oracle would never indulge such a petty thing."

"Did you talk to your Oracle?" Dusky questioned her, though I already shared Bellerophon's doubt that she could be turned against him. "I'd think he'd want to know if Firetail is making a power grab."

"No. He is busy with more important things, like the return of..." She stared back at me. "...of Bellerophon."

"Did Firetail tell you that?" Dusky pressed further.

Amethyst Vein pushed back at last. "Yes, but I don't need that glory monger to tell me what I already know."

Star stepped forward, staring Amethyst down. "Hold on a second. You expect us to double back? How do we know you are not leading us in circles?"

I cringed. We were so close, and Star knew it. If we trusted Amethyst Vein, we'd be stepping back from the edge of rescuing Merri. It was a risk to trust her, and perhaps a much greater risk not to.

Amethyst's stance was firm, and she spoke without any hesitation. "In case it wasn't clear, I have no love of Firetail. I'm also a mare of my word, but if you really want, I'll stop helping."

Bellerophon felt like a string pulled taut, ready to break. Her plan may save the lives that are so very precious to you.

I cleared my throat quietly. I hated this, every moment of it, having to choose which path would result in taking less lives. "Um, Bellerophon thinks it's a sound plan."

Starshadow sighed and walked away, gathering the supplies we'd set into the other room, and Dusky turned to give me a tired smile.

I returned the smile, doing my best to hold myself together. 

Soon enough, we were back on the path, seemingly heading away from our goal. This time, instead of sneaking around the outskirts, Amethyst Vein led us straight through the streets of the city, cutting down our travel time considerably.

I glanced around at the meager buildings as we passed through a particularly well lit area. We'd avoided it on the journey in, keeping away from these more populated sections of the city. As we marched through, faces poked out to watch Amethyst and her 'guests'. Foals, with elders and parents, all ponies who clearly weren't soldiers.

You're so ready to start a war... but you know the cost of that. Weren't you the one who made peace with Tapioca to save lives? What makes these ponies unworthy of saving?

Bellerophon had seen them too and as he spoke there was some hesitation. They've all been lied to. Everyone of them has been raised to believe in this... crusade. That one day I would return to lead them in the bloody revolution foretold by this... oracle.

Well, I mean... would you have? Just... imagine if you'd been found in Ostfriesen. If somepony else had put on your bracer, and you'd woken up here, and the Oracle had told you all about the injustices that Ostfriesen had committed over the past thousand years, and only your faithful remained here. What would you have done?

Bellerophon went silent.

I pressed on. Maybe somepony, like Merri, was supposed to be a sacrifice, your new body. Would you have tried to save them like you did me? If... if you wanted, c-could you have simply pushed me aside and taken over?

More silence. Through it all, I could feel guilt and pain through my mind.

I thought so. Had things not played out the way they did, you'd have never been given the chance to learn the truth. You'd have led this crusade as readily as they would follow. I sighed, and waited, but he did not answer. Soon enough, we had returned to the long tunnel where we had first entered into the mountain.

We marched on in silence. Soon, we reached the gate back out to the Ostfriesen wild, only to find it abandoned.  

I paused in the rear, watching as Amethyst Vein disappeared into the shadows. I frowned, feeling the bracer upon my leg. It didn't feel like a trap, but I couldn't shake the thought of a dozen armed guards suddenly appearing from the darkness, or spikes suddenly springing from the wall, like a trap from some twisted Daring Do novel. 

Dusky poked her head into the corner where Amethyst had gone, and a few seconds later, waved us closer. Hidden with the shadows was a side passage, leading away from the hallway into a small, ill-lit room. 

Amethyst turned back to ensure we'd all followed her inside, then looked back into the room and called out. "I'm here, Ed."

"What took you so long?" It was the same grizzled voice that had greeted us to the Forge. Old Ed slipped from the shadows, glancing among us as if appraising his executioners. "What is this?"

Amethyst Vein straightened her posture, like I'd seen some guards do for inspection as an old captain passed by. An almost imperceptible change, but a clear one. One I'd done myself, time and time again, when seeing my father approach. She wanted to impress him. "I've made a discovery. I finally have a way to expose Firetail's treachery."

"Is that so?" Old Ed turned to us, his gaze only strengthening the impression in my mind of a Canterlot Guard Captain. He was most certainly sizing us up as friends or foes.

Amethyst pointed a hoof towards me as she sidestepped, leaving Old Ed's eyes firmly set upon me. "This is the Voice of Lord Bellerophon."

His gaze burned through me. It was most certainly like my father at his most authoritative, but with none of the love and respect. I stepped back and let my eyes fall away.

Old Ed practically spat in disgust. "He's one of the fabled Voices? This rookie?"

"Yes. Lord Bellerophon has entrusted him with the First Name." Amethyst Vein stepped back into place, and emotion crept into her voice. "It is through him that I learned Firetail is incapable of completing the ritual."

I felt like a piece of fruit being bartered over. I needed to interject. "I-it's um, more complicated than that."

Amethyst frowned, stepping back in between me and Old Ed. "But in the end, you can hear Lord Bellerophon. That's the most important thing."

Dusky' voice rose up besides me. "Night is Night. He's a person first and foremost, before this... thing that has happened to him."

I turned to glance at Dusky, a little surprised to hear her say it so firmly. Her jaw was set solid, and her eyes had a fire in them that threatened to consume me. I wanted to grin as wide as I could, with only the gravity of our situation keeping me from giving her the biggest hug I could. 

"That 'thing' is an honor." Amethyst glared at Dusky. "Any Olymponian would kill to host the will of Lord Bellerophon!"

"But we're not Olymponians!" Dusky didn't back down.

Amethyst's voice changed suddenly, from anger to some distant hope. "You could be! With Lord Bellerophon's blessing, being born an Ostfriesen wouldn't matter! You could live as a king among us!"

I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest, all my old dreams crashing in on me. I could almost laugh at how deep Amethyst's proposal cut me.

"Amethyst." Old Ed had placed a hoof on her shoulder, his voice suddenly much stronger than before. "Calm yourself. This is not a simple matter."

Star jumped in, her own tone attempting to match Old Ed's sudden calm. "He is able to channel Bellerophon's power, but it is not without cost. We have reason to believe that what you ask would have severe, or even fatal, long-term consequences."

Amethyst Vein fell back onto her haunches. "What? How... how is that possible?" 

I sighed. "We don't know. Neither does Bellerophon."

Old Ed continued to support Amethyst as he gave us his attention. "Then, what do you intend to do?"

"Firetail is currently holding my sister captive, with plans to use her for some kind of ritual," Star narrowed her eyes. She was speaking not of plans, but of fact. "We are going to rescue her."

"The one that prepares a host for Lord Bellerophon?" Old Ed shifted uneasily, then turned to look back at me. His gaze wasn't as judgmental as before, and I met his eyes. "Doesn't he already have one?"

Dusky nodded. "That about sums it up. It's likely that he's trying to create a fraudulent Bellerophon with which to exercise absolute rule. None of us want that."

Old Ed turned from me, to her. "What do you propose? For us to oppose him directly would only cement his position."

"Then don't." Dusky met his eyes with the same fire as before, holding her head steady. I suppressed that smile once again, wondering how she did it, and only then noticing that for as confident as she looked, her knees still shook as she spoke. "We only need help getting in. We can rescue Lunaris on our own. His prospects will vanish with her and his power will collapse on its own."

"I offered them entry through the servant quarters," Amethyst Vein nearly smirked. "During 'Happy Hour', of course."

"And so you need my key." Old Ed's stern face slowly turned into a smile. "Very well."