//------------------------------//
// Interlude Part 3 
// Story: Lost Reflections 
// by Purple Patch 
//------------------------------//

“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”