Quick Step stormed through the streets of Cloud District with raging, twitching eyes. Chitin’s face flashed through her head. His devilish smirk. His wicked, fanged smile. His piercing dark green eyes. His… wife and son…
No! He was a treacherous, thieving scum who cared for none but himself. He made her believe they were partners, friends, lovers!
And then he stabbed her in the bloody back when she most needed it. All to protect his stupid pride!
And yet… why was she still feeling like this?
Not only had she most likely ruined a reformed stallion’s life, but she had made a fool of herself in front of the Princess. No. She needed to calm down and relax, wait and see, soothe her raging nerves. And she knew just the mansion for that~
She walked up to the gates of Secure Lines’ house and rang the doorbell, which played a rather joyful tune for such a dangerous place.
She waited, and waited, and waited...
Who was she kidding, Secure was probably at work. Perhaps Celestia would forgive her if she started cleaning the whole Castle…
“Yes?” A head popped out from… inside a bush. Well that was something you don't see everyday, “Oh, it's you. Hey, did you forget anything? I can go grab it for you if you want.”
Quick took a few seconds to respond, still shocked by the fact that the pegasus’ body was nowhere to be seen. Yet after a few seconds of pointless pondering, she shook her head and got her mind where it belonged, “No... not really. I just wanted to know if I could help with the cleaning.” She raised a large bag and offered a smile, “I brought my own equipment to make it easier.”
“Huh… you sure like cleaning don't you?” Secure chuckled and hopped off the bush, flapping her wings to get a few leaves out of her feathers, “Sure. I was planning to do that soon anyways. Damn Archer better pay for the damage once we get him back.” The mare moved to a nearby pillar and just pulled a lever, thing that opened the gates on a very slow fashion, “Usually it's voice activated, but I deactivated almost every system to work in peace. Come on in Miss…”
“Step, Quick Step.” The vanilla Pegasus greeted her with a nod, and made her way inside, “And if I may ask, what were your working on inside that… bush? It's quite the odd place to be.”
“Oh, I wasn't in the bush, I was below it.” When Secure noticed the even more perplexed expression on Quick’s face, she rolled her eyes and waved her off, “It's a secret hatchet that leads directly to the basement, the house’s full of those. Well then, my place is your place. Feel free to do whatever you want to do.”
“Thank you.” Quick nodded as Secure walked back to the bush, “If I need to find you?”
“Just call for me.” And not wanting to lose more time, the yellow coated pegasus jumped back into her hole.
Quick sighed and took another look at the house, now noticing the extent of the damage done. Piles of glass shards were everywhere, from the garden to the pool and even on the stone path that lead to the main door. It'd seem Secure hadn't even bothered with them yet. Well… might as well start now. She grabbed her small broom with her muzzle and leaned down, sweeping the shards away with a small hum.
She kept at it for several minutes, her technique and prowess with the broom, her expertise with the mop, the delicacy with which she used the duster, it would put most maids to shame. Yet as she dusted and swept, she realized that her thoughts would not leave her alone, her afflictions being far stronger than what she had expected. At least she had managed to clean the entrance so it looked like an actual home now. You know, without taking in mind the huge holes in the walls where the windows once stood.
She stepped in to continue her little maid adventure. Luckily the first floor wasn't really affected as the battling took place on the second half of the manor.
But it was the second floor that proved to be a struggle. Flashes of a life long gone passed through her mind. The voices of those she harmed screaming into her troubled soul with every movement of her brush. The pain. The anger. The darkness that had plagued her being for oh so many years.
With a furious roar she slammed her hoof on the wall, eyes dilated, wide open with a raging flame deep inside them. Her chest was breathing heavily, her gaze drifting to the floor were here knees fell. Tears built up on her sky blue eyes, trailing down her reddened vanilla cheeks.
“So… sad.”
Quick froze. That voice… she knew that snarky, mocking tone far too well...
It was her own.
“So pathetic!”
“No, get out!” The pegasus panicked, eyes widening and dilating in horror and anger as her wings flared defensively, even though she knew none was in that room but her.
And yet still… an ear shattering cackle echoed around the house, heard by none but the vanilla-coated pegasus as smoke only she could see spewed from her chest, taking the shape of a three-horned, two legged creature, a set of leathery wings growing from her back and almost taking half the size of the room. And those blood red eyes, slitted like a snake’s with a golden hue surrounding them, they drifted around the room as the massless smoke took form. And then they found Quick Step, a white, toothless grin spreading from ear to ear across the demon’s face.
With another cackle the smoke beast began to change forms once more, four long, slim legs resting on the ceramic floor, her demonic wings stretching and flapping as her coat became a darker shade of white than Quick Step’s, gorgeous golden armor covering her hooves, torso, and neck. And in almost every aspect but the three horns that protruded from her forehead, she was identical to the awestruck maid. From eye color to height, from mane to even rump side.
It was herself.
No… this wasn’t her! This was but a pesky demon so powerful it could destroy the entire district with a wave of her hoof. A demon so evil it had to be sealed into a small, metallic pendant she had thrown away several years ago...
A pendant that now somehow was resting on her neck.
Quick Step gasped, stepping back with a look of pure horror on her stiffened face. The mare ahead laughed as it struck a cocky, yet sensual pose, wings casting a shadow over the maid who struggled to even stand. The spirit of Lust, the heartbreaker from Tartarus, leader of the succubi tribes of old. Lilith, the Queen of the Succubi.
“Now my dear Step, isn’t that a rather rude way of welcoming an old friend?” The succubi mused, circling the pegasi with a haughty giggle, “Now look at you… even after all these years you still look delicious~ And that amulet? It really does suit you well…”
“H-How… I got rid of it! I… I buried it! W-What… no!” Shaking, Quick Step grabbed hold of the pendant’s chain and tried to tug the damned thing off. Yet all she managed to get was a loud laugh from Lilith, the demon forcing the amulet to tighten around her neck nearly choking the stunned mare.
“Once a sin, always a sin my dear.” The demon ran a wing down the mare’s spine with the wisest of smirks, “You really think you can escape that easily? You owe me! I gave you so, so much. We had a deal! And you will pay me. You can’t keep ignoring me any longer, love~”
She could feel it, the necklace taking over her mind, her soul, her being. She had to take it off, she had to fight her! “Fuck… your… deal!” She roared, slashing at the golden chains with a knife. Blood was drawn from the scruff of her neck, training the emblem red. Yet she did not care, she just watched the pendant fall with a metallic clink. With a magical glow, the chains were sealed together once more. Step did not care, a cocky grin stretching across her lips as her thoughts cleared up once more.
The demon on the other hoof didn't look quite as thrilled, her long hairless tail waving calmly as her body took a far more demonic look, “And here I thought you missed me... After all the things we did together. All the beautiful treasure we gathered, all the adventures we we went through... all the stallions we had at our hooves~”
“You mean all the things we stole, all the rampages were went through, and all the stallions we hypnotized?” Quick snorted, stomping down on the amulet with a smirk, “Yeah... I think you and I have a very different idea of what we went through dear. Now fuck off before I bury you again!“
“Silly, silly Secure. You’ve become so… nice. It’s saddening really. But do not fret my dear. I can easily help you—”
A red light flashed in Quick’s eyes, and she felt her heart stop, her breath hitch, and her soul… it felt like if her soul had been ripped out of her body. No. Nonono! This...couldn’t happen! She didn’t have the amulet!
“—remember~”
Quick gasped for breath as she landed on the floor, a surge of pain storming through her body the moment she crashed into the cement streets. She could barely feel her legs and wings, her head aching as if a thousand tons of weight had been slammed into it. Slowly, and painfully, she began to open her eyes, the cold of the night air sending shivers down her spine.
She was most definitely no longer in Secure’s house. Heck, she wasn’t even in Canterlot if the smell of saltwater and the sound of waves crashing against the coast was any indication.
Ahead, a tall white brick building stood. The symbol of the Two Sisters’ was painted on a glass mosaic that rested beautifully above the two large white doors, golden details decorating the seemingly hoof crafted entrance.
A tall tower rose from the roof as well, the powerful breeze creating a rather calming chimed ringing as the several small bells were pushed around by the powerful breeze
Quick Step's eyes widened to the side of platter at the sight. She knew this place. She recognized it immediately. This was Manehattan, the heat coastal city of Equestria. Fourteen years ago to be precise. And she knew she was in one of the very last remaining places of worship of Celestia. A church. A place of peace and faith, of good.
Tears formed in her eyes when they glanced at the glass Mosaic. She knew what would happen. She knew that in mere minutes if not less it would be destroyed into nothing.
Crash!
Just like expected, the glass shattered into several million pieces, and a rather old looking stallion was sent flying into a nearby apple tree, the darkened skies above and the tree’s own shadow hiding his bloody body from view. Quick wanted to believe he had survived that. She wanted to rush to him and help him. She knew better.
The faint sound of waves crashing against the cliff where the church rested, the dim light that gave the area a grim, dark feel, the scent of blood, dread, and chaos in the air. It all felt so… real. It only made her tears flow more freely.
A powerful shiver ran down her spine and she felt her body tremble slightly. Her eyes widened when something seemingly phazed through her body. Another pony altogether.
She was teal earth pony mare with muscular yet still feminine complexion. Her long, wavy pink mane dancing slowly behind her to the wind’s pained balad. Her stunning golden eyes shone with determination, with valor and courage. Her body, protected by heavy silver armor with slim metallic blue and pink details, rested firmly against her body as she gazed at the church ahead, sensing the power that emanated from it, power that caused her hoof to instinctively move to one of the two scabbards on her belt.
A second pony, a unicorn stallion who shared the same coloration as the mare, followed behind. He wore a light chainmail golden-colored armor instead. Several flasks containing a variety of potions of different colors and sizes hung from his own belt, next to a small knife and bag of bits that were yet to find a use, and still he carried around everywhere just in case. A large odd-looking staff rested on his back, and tied to said staff a large book with a pristine blue cover and a green faint aura surrounding it. Majere’s Staff and the Polynomicon. Items of legend only a wizard of his calibre could ever hope to wield.
She knew those two, an unwanted feel of hatred filling her gut at the sight of the two ponies she thought she’d never see again. Two ponies said to have come from a long-forgotten island far east from the Celestial Sea, an island filled with ponies whose magical and physical prowess was far greater than most, legends and rumors speaking even of god-like powers. The Aesir. Twins, warriors, members of Celestia’s royal guard and most importantly two of the most renowned Specialists of modern history. Andraste, the Slayer of Beasts, Celestia’s Saber. And Gwydion, the Magnificent Mage, Celestia’s Caster.
“This is the place?” Gwydion asked calmly, taking in the sights of both the eerie place of worship and the body laying under the tree.
“If the fact that there's smoke coming from a church isn't a good enough giveaway, the reports say that yes, she's here.” Andraste’s eyes drifted to the side, noticing the body that was lying on the tree’s exposed root as well, “And most likely with enough bodies to fill a morgue room.”
“As expected.” The stallion sighed deeply, taking a quick breath before brandishing his silver staff, a pure white crystal orb resting on its dragon-like claw, “It's time to end this. For Celestia, and the kingdom.”
The mare also brandished her own weapons, two beautiful black-colored long swords which glowed with an eerie light, “For Celestia, and the kingdom.”
Quick Step observed the two ponies with wide eyes, a part of her wanted to scream, to tell them to get out of there and call for backup. She wanted to stop them, she wanted to stop what was about to happen, but she knew she was powerless, she was but a spectator of one of her past’s most dreadful moments.
The two ponies looked at each other as they advanced, they knew that what awaited them was not going to be easy, pretty, or joyful. This was no regular threat, no silly little monster creating some chaos for the fun of it. No…
They could die. And they knew it very well.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
The twins let out a mighty cry as they bucked the doors open, stepping forwards with weapons ready for action. But… what they saw? It was shocking. Horrifying. Gut-wrenching. Truly the work of a monster.
Thick crimson blood oozed from the cracked walls, the scent of death and destruction filling their being. Remains of the ancient church were scattered across the smoking, dust-filled room, from benches to statues and emblems, all now nothing but dust and rubbish. Vibrant red vines spread across the walls and floors, ethereal, magical, filled with dark energy as they pulsed very much like veins, seemingly draining the color out of everything it managed to reach. And at least a couple dozen bodies could be spotted between the remains, ponies all of them of various ages and types. Some religious leaders. Others mere followers. Not a single twitch or jerk to signal they were still alive.
And in the middle of it all, a vanilla colored Pegasus mare hovered in the air surrounded by a powerful dark aura that kept her there, her wings don’t even needing to move. Her blood red snake-like eyes admired her brand new treasure, a golden scepter with beautiful rubies encrusted on its handle, an historical item used for the most sacred of ceremonies. Around her, the same kind of vines bound those ponies still conscious. One of them wore a long white and pink tunic staind with the blood of its followers and friends, an earth pony that struggled to break free, mixture of anger and fear tormenting his soul.
“Hmmm, such a shame. Keeping such a beautiful little thing hidden in these miserable, dusty old churches should be a sin of its own. Does this thing actually hold any power? Or is it all just a giant ruse you use for attention?” The demon hummed and tilted her head curiously, before turning it around and using the flat head to keep herself steady, “I wonder… I’ve always wanted to see what makes these tick...” The sage’s eyes widened when he saw the mare hitting the staff against a fractured bronze statue of Celestia. With a grunt, he tried to break free again, adding more and more strength even with his elderly body.
But the binds just became tighter and far more painful to his body.
“Oh? What’s this? My brand new little pet wants to play~!” Lilith giggled and pulled him closer, eyes locked onto each other, her hot breath washing over him, “Actually… breaking this would be such a waste… Maybe I could use it as a brand new, fancy toy. One for my… ‘special collection’ if you know what I mean~”
“You… bloody, atrocious being! You shan’t get away with this… I… I won’t let you disrespect the sacred treasures… of our Princess!” The sage grunted, looking around to try and find a way out yet finding nothing but death and despair, the sight of his follower’s bodies spread across the flooring crushing his heart.
Noticing this, Lust couldn’t help but cackle maniacally, the vibrations of her laughter making the whole building shake rapidly, making the already heavily damaged building crack and drop several more heavy pieces of debris over everything around them, “You!? Oh but you are nothing but a puny old stallion! The only reason I still have you alive and breathing is because your squirming is simply delightful. So learn your place, pet. Or else... I’ll split your body in bloody half!”
The stallion chuckled, a faint, breathless chuckle. And then, without a hint of fear, without a hint of shame or regret... he spit on Lust’s face.
The pegasus was speechless. He… he just disrespected her, he just bloody disrespected her! The aura around them intensified and a demonic hiss filled his ears, so high pitched and filled with energy that it made them bleed. She would not stand for disrespectful pets, those were useful for one thing and one thing only. To be killed and fed to the crows!
The chains lifted him up and strangled his body, his breath hitching and his eyes near ready to pop out of his sockets. Lust just watched him with a bloodthirsty grin, waiting to see when the poor stallion would give in, when his body would just give up and break!
She was barely able to see the slash that cut the chains in half, nor the aura that pulled the stallion away. And she barely got to notice the sulfur-heavy trail the aura had left behind…
Before it blew up in her face, causing more and more parts of the roof to fall on her until the sky was clearly visible from inside. Lust screeched in pain and covered her blinded eyes, her vines rising like snakes in the air and snapping like whips. The rage inside her grew stronger, alongside the creepy, startling bloodthirsty grin as her magic intensified.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? It seems like Princess Celestia finally sent in the cavalry, huh loves? Are you here to pick up the remains of these pagan followers, hmm? Or are you here to get yourself punished?” Once Lust’s eyes recovered, she eyed the two with a hungry gaze, wondering if they would be good enough to entertain her for a bit. The magical aura that they emanated was powerful yes, far more than all of these idiotic religious bastard. But in her opinion? They were still nothing but pests.
Andraste stepped up, the two black swords levitating around her even without the aid of unicorn magic. They pointed at Lust, their sharp blades glimmering with the moonlight that filtered through the broken windows. “Succubus Queen Lilith, in the name of the Crown, Equestria, and Celestia herself, you are under arrest for murder, thievery, hypnotism, and illegal usage of the dark arts. Deliver yourself to us immediately and you shan't be harmed!”
Lust blinked, was… was she being serious? Her cackle made the cliff itself tremble, the chains snapping and wiggling in the air and dropping all the ponies they held to the floor, striking them once to make sure they were knocked out and out of the way. “You… want me to surrender to the crown? To the filthy glorified mare? Please, do you even know who I am?”
“Lust. One of the seven demonic generals, the Seven Deadly Sins. You and the other six worked under the command of Aka Manah, the Demon Lord millennias ago. He was slain, you were sealed inside seven powerful amulets. Anything else you want to know about yourself?” Gwydion snarked and pointed at Lust’s neck with his staff, his expression unchanged as he gave the shining necklace an eyeful, “That, is what we’re after. We would rather not hurt the mare you're controlling, hence why we’re giving you one final chance to surrender before we do something we’ll probably regret later.”
Lust smirked, now this was getting interesting, “So what? You’ve done your research, good on you. But knowing my past means nothing little pet. It only shows that you should be far more scared than what you are right now.”
“Scared?” Andraste chuckled, “I don’t feel scared, I feel sorry, sorry for the mare who you’ve put under your curse.” Her blades flew forwards and in a blink of an eye darted past her, two fresh cuts now on her cheeks, “And I plan to end that!”
Lust remained silent for a while, static, frozen solid as a wing gently grazed her cheek. Blood… nobody had managed to make her bleed before.
Oh, it was on! The demon mare laughed maniacally and raised her hoof, a crimson red whip materializing from thin air and circling around it, “Then it is time to educate some pesky little brats! Time to show you your place, and make you kneel before your mistress!” She cracked the whip and plunged it forwards, a powerful wave of magic shooting from it. Andraste deviated the wave with her two shining blades as they returned just in time, the magical blast now shooting upwards and crashing against the roof.
The resulting explosion was massive, the whole church trembling and even more debri falling down on everypony still there. Luckily, Gwydion was around to cast shields and protect those who needed it.
“One of those hits could easily kill us.” Andraste hummed.
“Luckily, she won’t be able to hit us.” The stallion dashed back as his horn glowed a deep purple light, forming a similarly colored circle that floated in the air. He swung the tip of the cane inside the ethereal ring, creating a strange, ancient symbol that pulsed with power… before firing a storm of small pebble-sized projectiles at the demon at speeds none could match.
Lust grinned and cracked her whip, dozen of vines firing from its base and whipping the air, blocking every single projectile with expert precision. Her eyes darted to the left where the mare rapidly approached. Huh, seemed like she could somehow run on walls. Eh it didn't matter anyways. She pulled her whip back and mused a thought, letting the rest of the projectiles approach her…
They all hit, they all pierced through her body and left bloody drops behind as they kept their way, finally halting when they reached the wall. But she seemed unphased by this, unaffected by the several holes that were now in her body.
“Pathethic.” She lifted her whip and blocked the incoming attack from the side, the whip coiling around the blades and then around the mare, before throwing her away, “Simply pathetic.” She cracked the whip once more, and it began to vibrate, morphing into dozens of little knives that floated around her, “Are these really the mighty Specialists? The most powerful members of the Royal Guard? And the worst of it all, they dare to send only the two most worthless, pathetic meat sacks instead of the entire pack!” The twin’s eyes widened when they noticed how the wounds made by the projectiles began to close down, healing in an instant, “I’ll show that pathetic mare not to underestimate the powers of the Sins. I'll show her who I truly am! With your deaths!” She released the knives, and each and every one of them stormed towards the two ponies. The mage called for a shield with his magic, giving the two time to think on their next move as the magical blades bounced off the shield, still managing to crack the arcane barrier.
“You remember now, don’t you? All that power, the power to make the world kneel down before you, the power to get anything and everything you want. The power I gave you. It was beautiful, don’t you think?”
Quick just watched silently as the battle kept going. The shield had just been broken and the two twins had jumped their separate ways to dodge the barrage of knives. The thorned vines quickly grabbed hold of them, binding their legs, and limited their movement. With a quick swing of her sword, Andraste slashed the vins into several little pieces that faded away into nothing, freeing herself and then doing the same for her brother, who fired off several dozen Magic Missiles that flew at her from several directions, only to be blown into smithereens by the demon’s agile whips.
Yet the twins dared not to give up their relentless attack. Andraste swung and parried at the rampaging vines, her moves swift like a coursing river, her attacks with all the force of a great typhoon, the blasts of energy that came from her blades holding all the strength of a raging fire, and her moves, unpredictable, swift, and deadly, as mysterious as the dark side of the moon.
Gwydion on the other hoof was simply untouchable, teleporting left and right to avoid the barrage of attacks that came his way. And everytime his magic flicked a knife away, he fired a projectile right back at the cackling demoness.
Quick Step just observed the battle with pained eyes. She had failed to notice when her hooves had started to move on their own, walking through the battlefield as dozens and dozens of dangerous projectiles phazed through her. Quick looked at the hissing demoness with horrified fascination, drawn by the power, by the corruption. With every step she took, she could feel her old past come closer and closer.
Lust slowly drove her gaze away from the two Specialists, turning to her direction as if the pegasi was there herself. And with the widest of smirks, fangs glimmering with the moonlight that pierced through the roofless building, she extended her hoof to her.
Quick Step stared at it for what felt like an eternity. She… she had to touch her, she needed to reach her, to reach her power. Her… power.
But her attention was soon taken away from Lust by a powerful, ear-shattering boom that caused the ground to tremble violently. The two specialists seemed unfazed by this, ignoring it altogether as they kept on fighting. But both the demoness and the pegasus looked at the sky with wide open eyes.
“No!” Lust screeched out, her body growing red and bursting in flames. Her whip cracked and dove for the pegasi, coiling around her body and binding her still before slowly pulling her closer and closer, Lilith’s eyes flaring up with hellish flames, “You won’t get away again, I won’t let you! We will be reunited my dear, we will conquer this world and everyone in it. We… WE WILL-”
“We will do nothing but part ways, dear.” Quick said softly as the vines fell apart, her gaze dark, her head down, rage and frustration filling her heart, “ have a life now, friends and allies who would stop at nothing to bring me back. But I won’t let you hurt them. Any of them!” She stomped on the floor and the whole church cracked in half, the two specialists freezing mid-air, as time seemed to just stop, “Golden Swords Agent Oh four two! Specialist Assistant of the Royal Guard! Honorary Soldier of the Griffonstone Army! Friend of Midnight Song, Pickett Midnight, Cereza Blume, and many, many others I will forever fight for!”
Another boom was heard, followed by a mighty current of wind stronger than any hurricane could ever hope to be, everything from the church to the cliff itself vanishing from sight in a matter of seconds. And so, Lilith and Quick were face to face, the demoness staring into the maid’s eyes with a hissing scowl, wings spread wide open as her shadow loomed over her.
But Quick knew, this was her mind, and she had all the power of the universe here!
“So you better get your slutty demon ass away from here, and never come back!” Quick growled, the shadow vanishing into nothing as her entire body glowed with a bright, golden hue, ”Or else, I shall take that stupid amulet, travel to Tartarus, and feed it to bloody Cerberus. And you and I both know pet, I will do it!” She smirked, her aura quickly drowning Lust’s own, “So, without further to do. Get wrecked, scum.”
And then, the final boom…
And the two mares were gone.
“Gasp!”
Quick Step awoke with ragged breath, a racing heart, and a body that felt a million times heavier than it really was. Her eyes burned like fire as they darted left and right uncontrollably.
“Shhh, easy there.”
Quick’s eyes closed as she felt the tender, caring ministrations of a claw running through her mane and coat, her breath becoming steady and the storm of emotions inside her head turning as peaceful as a forest glade.
Her head was slowly raised to meet Cereza’s gaze, the griffon’s amber eyes soothing Quick’s troubled soul. She held the pegasus close, hugging her tightly from behind, several small cuts spread across her face, “Now that was quite intense my dear, I almost feared you wouldn’t make it.”
The pegasi’s eyes widened at the sight, lips quivering as her hoof slowly moved to graze the injuries, “Your… your face.” But her hoof was quickly pushed away by Cereza who just shook her head with a comforting smile.
“Don’t worry love. It’s nothing a good hour of makeup can’t fix eh?”
“Cheesiness aside, I sure as hell I’m glad that’s over“ Came a relieved sigh from the house’s owner. Several cuts were also present throughout Secure Lines’ body, and she seemed to be limping slightly. But otherwise, the mare seemed to be alright, “Cleaning girl? You and I have two very different definitions of cleaning.”
That’s when Quick Step finally noticed the mess she had made. walls had been shredded, glass shards spread across the floor while several of her very own knives rested all over the place. And her doubts were confirmed. She had harmed them. This chaos around them? It was her doing.
She… she did all of this.
Cereza shushed her thoughts and pressed the pegasus’ head against her feathery chest, letting the warmth and softness do their magic on the frightened dear, “Shhhh, it wasn’t you and you know it. Lust forced you to wear it and well, let’s just say I’m lucky I checked on you when I heard what happened with Celestia. That and Miss Lines here managed to cut the pendant with a perfectly executed spear shot. Quite a task considering all the points she had to avoid.” She chuckled as her claw ran across Quick’s now bare neck, following it by a kiss on the cheek while Secure just shrugged nonchalantly.
“I… I'm… so sorry. “ Quick whispered and sunk her head on Cereza’s fur, “I was weak, she easily took control of me. I… could have killed you two.”
“But you didn't.” Both Cereza and Secure said in unison.
The griffon ran her claw through Quick’s mane once more and down her cheek, before grabbing the mare’s chin and lifting it up, her gaze falling on the griffon's eyes once more, “Lust could have given a far more terrifying fight, my darling. But you stopped her from fully linking your souls. You stopped her from killing us, you didn't hurt us… “
“You saved us. I don’t know what the fuck is going on to be honest. But that sounds like quite the feat.” Secure nodded, laying down besides the other two and draping a wing over the maid.
Yet Quick still felt terribly guilty. If only she had stopped Lust as soon as she appeared... Curled up into a ball, she clenched her eyes shut to avoid their peaceful eyes, to hide the tears that slowly rolled down the size of her face. She was far too exhausted. And if she was being honest with herself, she really didn't want to look at neither of them right now.
The griffon easily picked up on this and just kept petting the mare’s head until Quick’s breath slowed down, finally falling asleep after a while. With a quick nod, she carefully removed herself from around the mare and shook her wings, a few drips of blood falling to the floor as several large cuts spread across her torso came to view. She didn’t want to say it but Secure’s spear had failed… the griffon had to get close and personal to get rid of the amulet, “Please take care of her. I'll pay everything that must be payed. Once she wakes up, make sure she eats something.”
“No need for the money, got plenty of that.” The guardsmare chuckled as she stood up as well, glancing at Quick with a puzzled look. Finding her guest in the middle of her second floor chanting some weird demonic bullshit while glowing red was not something she expected, but even she who knew almost nothing about these so called demons, could notice how much Quick was struggling to break free. She was truly admirable, “I’ll take care of her, it’s the least I can do after seeing the amazing work she did on the front lawn.”
“I’ll come back for her later. There’s something I must do first.” And just like that, Cereza took off, soaring out the giant hole in the window with a burst of wind.
Secure didn’t question it. She just grabbed the sleeping mare and took her to the main room. Rebuilding that house… well that was a pain for another day.
The soft night breeze of Manehattan, the calmness of the waves crashing against the cliff. It seemed like a completely normal and peaceful night, if it wasn’t for the remains of an obliterated church, and the piles of bodies that were spread all around it.
One of those bodies was a rather young teal earth pony mare, one black short sword laying right beside her.
The other sword? It was currently pressing against a vanilla pegasus’ throat, held in the grasp of a crying unicorn stallion, his body shaking, the injuries on his body oozing red, his now broken staff on the floor mere inches away from him. He looked at the demonic pegasus’ eyes and growled, the blade doing a small cut yet nothing that could be considered deadly.
“Do it then, kill me, take revenge for your sister’s death and end with me once and for all.” Lust hissed and cracked her tail like a whip. She had been defeated, yet even then she felt proud of everything she had accomplished, and the annoying bloodthirsty grin she wore caused the stallion’s nerves to intensify. “I’ve killed dozens, robbed from dozens more. Just look at the life I stole from that so called specialist. She was so pretty, so noble, soー”
“Quiet!” Gwydion commanded, gritting his teeth in rage, “Y-You monster… you scum! I shall get rid of you once and for all!”
“Then kill me boy! Just one slash and it is all over! Cut the head of a demoness and her spirit will fade away, you know that don’t you? I’d like to think the one who defeated me isn’t that dumb.” Lust scowled, before chuckling and stretching her neck, pressing it closer to the blade, “Or perhaps you just lack the balls to do so.”
“Kill you?” He snorted in rageful amusement, “I’m no fool Lust. I know that if I kill her you will just vanish, and give yourself to someone else. No. I will get rid of you, by saving the mare who you have under your control. That was my mission all along, not to get rid of the amulet, but to free this poor mare who you’ve corrupted. I can sense her, her faint aura begging for help. Once a courtesan, a mare who gave herself to anyone just to feed her upcoming child. Now a thief, a criminal, a murderer. You were forced to leave your child by the very same who gave it to you, and abandon all your equinity for the sake of power.”
Lust’s eyes narrowed, “Are you really trying to reach up to her? Hah… fool. She’s gone, forever! So just kill me and get this over with, you cowardly pet.”
“No, she’s not gone… she’s far stronger than you will ever give her credit for.” Gwydion raised the golden scepter that Lust had stolen and focused on it, gathering its power, connecting his soul with it. He raised it and pointed at Lust’s heart, a single tear falling from his eye, “In the name of Celestia, I seal you inside this mare’s heart, who shall be your master for here until the day she dies, and you die with her. You shall no longer control her, but service her! And you will then see the pain you’ve made her gone through, suffer when she suffers, cry when she cries, and forever be one with her. And she shall never falter, her soul shall never linger. No… she will forever fight you, and keep us all safe.”
Lust screeched and tried to move away, yet the scepter kept her still. The magic it emanated was far too bright, far too strong for her to fight it, and already could she sense her powers be drained and sucked back into the abyss. Yet this time, her powers were split, a part going back to the amulet, while the rest stood inside the mare, inside the deepest parts of her mind and soul.
“N-No… you can’t… you can’t do this!” Lust roared, yet Gwydion just turned around and left the demon mare to be, grabbing his sister’s body and carrying it into the city, “N-No! I… I can not die, I am Lust, the Queen of Succubus, the most powerful of the sins, the one who shall rule it all!”
Her screams were completely ignored, her voice fading with every passing minute, until they became inaudible whispers. And the mare, was put to rest.
School.. was boring. Without Lancey here to help her with answers, Pockets couldn’t afford to fall asleep in class. Her eyelids were heavy and she was still feeling drained from using her magic earlier.
“MISS MIDNIGHT!” the elderly mare called out.
“Popcorn! I mean, HERE!” She called out, raising her hoof, “Uhm… yes?”
“Midnight…” the mare sighed and shook her head. “You look like the end results of a necromancy summoning. Why don’t you go to the nurse’s office? I’ll have the class notes delivered to you later.”
Oh how much she loved this mare right now. If only every teacher could be like her and not like… shudder, Ancient Tome, “Uhm… sure! Thank you, and real sorry for this Miss Lecture, I promise to be super duper awake next time!”
“Yes, well we are aware of your… situation. Now run along. Oh and Midnight?”
The unicorn mare paused.
“You’ll be getting a pop quiz on this subject during your next class.”
“Oh don’t worry, I’ll study my butt off for that, expect an A+++ for that one Miss Lecture, because you better believe I’ll blow it out of the-” And then she fell on the floor with a loud pomf, her snoring filling the room.
The class chuckled as her teacher offered a slow clap at her performance. She looked around the room and spied one mare in particular, a new student? “Uh, hmm. Sweet Aroma was it? Would you mind taking her to the office?”
“Yes ma’am,” the unicorn mare said with a small smirk and lifted Pockets with her magic, carrying her off. This was almost too easy~
“Hhmm, now my dear cousin. What shall we do first? We could start by hypnotizing every single one of your male classmates, make them fall to my knees and do my bidding just like those guards.. oh that was such a wonderful day. Or, I could just take you with me right now and finish the ceremony, get your powers, and begin my rule over this pitiful land.” Oh the dilemma, the two options just sounded far too delightful.
But… she had a duty to fulfill first. There was a reason she was there, after all. And for once, it wasn’t because of her cousin.
Aroma made her way towards the school’s gym area, humming a happy tune. If she wanted to take over Equestria, she needed an army. Not a huge army of brainless zombies like the ones she had used so far, but a small yet effective army of powerful individuals, who would do anything for her. And what groups were more powerful than the legendary Seven Sins, and of course…the Specialists.
And standing right there, working as a substitute teacher for the old mare in charge of the physical education class, was a tan-coated pegasus stallion. He watched as several mares and stallions ran around the obstacle course, a long red lance tucked under his wing. His cutie Mark was of a boar’s head?
Ehg, these ponies and their strange flank symbols.
Still, it mattered little. The Cutie Mark would mean nothing once he was under her spell. She all but tossed Pockets to the side, making sure to leave some pheromones on her nostril that’d keep her on a heavy sleep, and walked towards the stallion with a wide grin.
“Substitute teacher Gungnir!” She called out cutely, her ponytail swinging from side to side, “A minute please?”
He looked up and that piercing gaze met with hers. a small smile crossed his muzzle and he strode over to meet her. “For a beautiful young mare like yourself?” he asked, his voice was a smooth as silk. “I have all the time in the world.”
Aroma giggled and got closer to him, her hoof trailing along his chest, that lean, muscular chest, “You see… I’ve been having some problems lately with a friend of mine. I was hoping…” A strange pink fog surrounded the two, almost invisible to the untrained eye. It quickly climbed up Gungnir’s body, and filled his every orifice, “You could help me with that, isn’t that right my dear professor?”
“Hmm, perhaps a little extra-curricular study?” he purred, the smoke… hadn’t taken effect yet? “Well, I could help with that. Mind you, my classes tend to be hard and vigorous~”
What… why was he acting so natural? He was under her control now, right? What… what was going on?
She giggled a tad nervously and shook her head, yet her hoof kept doing circles on his chest, “No, not that kind of help. I need another kind, one more direct and aggressive.” Come on, she was using half of her hypnotic powers now, this was bound to work… right?
“Ahh, I can do that,” he mused. “It’s been a while since I hunted my prey. Though… I do tend to take my time devouring it~” His eyes looked deep into hers, their crystal-blue orbs seeming staring straight through her.
“Y-You… you’re not feeling weird about this? Nothing?” Aroma asked nervously. This was ridiculous, there was no way any regular stallion could stand her powers, especially not one as amorous as this one!
“Oh, don’t worry my dear, I’m quite experienced in my spear-techniques~” he said as he trailed a wingtip down her spine.
Aroma shuddered and gasped. This was bad, this was real bad. First the minotaur had broken out of her control, and now this guy wasn’t even affected in the slightest! She needed to fix this… one final push, one final push and he should be hers forever.
“Hmm, I don’t know about forever,” he mused. Oh fairy wings, did she say that outloud? “But, I don’t mind giving you a night you shan’t soon forget~”
That’s it. She was moving on to plan B. Her scaredy, nervous college student look vanished and turned into a smirk, a creepy giggle sending the most unsettling of vibes through Gungnir's body, “Oh, believe me. You will be giving me something alright…your will, your control, your soul itself.” Suddenly the mare grabbed something from her bag, a knife, a small silver knife. She slashed, and the pegasus managed to dodge just in time, only leaving a minor cut on his neck.
“Well, my little kitten has some claws,” he mused. “Sorry love, but it seems you’re not quite my… type…?” He uh… he didn’t feel so good.
Aroma giggled and raised her knife, and it was now that Gungnir could see the liquid that dripped from it, a strong pink liquid that emanated a powerful scent of laurels, which she just licked away with a playful, devilish giggle. Her plan B, a very strong aphrodisiac, a potion with effects similar to her curse, but far, far stronger.
“I uh…” the stallion wobbled, trying to clear his clouded mind, but it only seemed to make it worse. A moment later, he just stood there still, staring blankly ahead.
“Now my dear slave, I want you to get every pony in this gym out of here. Class’ dismissed it seems.” She needed to test the waters with something simple, something easy to make sure the spell had worked.
Then his spear lashed out, missing her by inches as he struck the shadows behind her. From the darkened hall, a light glinted and metal crashed against metal, a pair of emerald eyes glaring from the shadows.
“Tch! I was too late,” Midnight muttered as Lancer pulled his spear back.
Aroma mused and looked back, oh now this was rather convenient, “Well what do we have here. So you finally picked up with my little game? Took you long enough. Tell me Midnight Song, what kind of leader leaves her group unattended, just out there without any sort of supervision, and doesn’t realize when one of their members suddenly disappear?”
“Admittedly, I dropped the ball this time,” Midnight said as she emerged from the shadows. Her armour glinted in the sunlight, the deep blacks and purples shone like the night sky. “But you were easy enough to track. The rotten stench of your magic was easy to follow.”
“And yet you were unable to follow me when I escaped last time.” Aroma chuckled and just waved her off, “Anyways. It was nice seeing you, not, but I have more important things to do. I know Pride is here, in the castle, under the Princess’ protection. The… academy, this place has a pathway leading to the south entrance doesn’t it?” She hummed, but shrugged, “Not like it matters, my brand new strong, powerful, handsome knight will be able to find it. Now Lancer dear, I have two missions for you today. First, and most importantly, find Pride.” She turned to Midnight and smirked, “Second, grab my cousin and kill anyone who gets in your way.”
Lancer hadn’t broken eye contact with Midnight. Nor had she with him.
The students that were in the gym fled, weapons were out and they were getting out!
“Lancer. Stand down,” she commanded as the pegasus trembled. Midnight stepped closer and in a flash, he raised his lance at her face, the tip millimeters from her eyes.
“Lancer…’ Midnight replied. There was… something about her voice. Something that shook Aroma to her very core. “Prin comanda mea! Am spus, stau jos!” Midnight’s eyes flickered red, as did Lancer’s and he took to his knees, bowing to Midnight Song as his spear clattered to the ground.
Aroma stepped back, her legs trembling, her eyes widened, “What… h-how. That potion, that potion was meant to curse him forever, to keep him under my control no matter what. Y-yet you... who… no, what are you?”
Midnight turned and drew her blades, the rich deep-purple swords hummed as she felt her disguise weakening. “I am the Conductor. You have committed crimes against Equestria. Stand down or I will take you down.”
Aroma whimpered, and… her whimpers faded. They were soon replaced by a confident smirk, “Right… in my trap.”
Midnight’s ears picked up a slight sound, far, far away from their position. The sound of a bow being fired… Aroma hadn’t blinked, she wanted to see the bat become a pincushion.
That was the only reason she hadn’t missed that blur of motion, as Midnight brought her wingblade down, the two halves of what was a golden arrow striking the ground on either side of her.
“Archer,” he said in that creepy flat tone she’d been using. Then her wings blurred, a flurry of motion as she batted aside the barrage of arrows, they struck the walls, ceiling and floor, but she remained unharmed.
“Tsk, you filthy flying rat.” Aroma grunted. Time for plan C. She jumped into the line of fire, and allowed the arrows to pierce her body. Strands of grass and roots became visible, and the insides of her gassy disguise were fred…
And they smelled of sulfur.
The resulting explosion got rid of the entirety of the now empty gym. Nothing, not even the toughest of beings, could have been left unharmed by that.
Well, this is if Midnight hadn’t collapsed part of the ceiling to use as a shield.
And then she remembered… Pockets! She cleared through the wreckage and started looking around. “Pickett? Where are you?”
There was no response.
“Pickett, answer me!”
There was still no response.
“Pickett!”
Snoooore!
Resting there, right below two broken metal beams, their sharp ends inches away from her head…. was a still heavily asleep unicorn. If it wasn’t for the fact that Midnight Song was a little different at the moment, somepony would be getting a bitten butt. She flew over to her and carefully extracted the beams enough to pull her free. “Well, she got away… again. But at least she failed to get you and Lancer…” She blinked and looked around. Wait, where was…
Stars dammit.
Long ago, a group of seven dangerous bandits terrorized the streets of Manehattan. Bandits who were said to hold the power of ancient demonic beings, with powers said to rival the Princesses themselves. Yes, corrupted, evil beings who would stop at nothing until they got what they wanted, even taking as many lives as necessary in the process. They all were monsters in their own right, each with their own sins and horrific crimes.
Three of them now calmly waited on Princess Celestia’s throne room. One of them a pacifistic changeling stallion trying to find success in a world against him to feed his loving family. The other one a grumpy secret pegasus spy with a strange fascination for cleaning. And the third was a calm classy Minotaur, covered from head to hoof in bandages.
“Titan, Chitin.” Quick Step said quietly and just kept looking ahead. Two days ago she would have tried to stay as far away as possible from anything that had to do with the Sins. But now? She just didn’t want to say anything that could make her feel more guilty than she already felt, what with her attacking Chitin not too long ago, “You two… are looking good, not a day older.”
“Thank you.” Chitin nodded, this was just as awkward for him as it was for Quick Step. Yet unlike her, he did want to try and get a conversation going, to get rid of all the bad vibes, “You… seem to have been in quite the battle, Titan.”
“Astute observation Master Chitin,” the Minotaur said with a small wince. “Outside, I have little to worry about. But when one is punched three hundred times in the span of an eyeblink, it doesn’t do wonders for one’s organs.”
“Heh… yeah, you were always the toughest cookie to bite.” Quick chuckled, “A hundred stabs in under five minutes and you were like if nothing had happened. Yet one of your punches straight to my face and I was done for.”
Chitin chuckled and shook his head, “Those were quite the amusing battles to watch.”
“I do apologies Miss Step,” Titan bowed his head. “You gave as good as you got however. It was a solid month before I was able to please a female again.”
Chitin actually laughed out loud at that and this made the cutest of blushes appear on Quick’s face, “Oh shut up you two. Geez, you may speak like a noble knight, but deep inside you’re still the same old Titan I met, aren’t you?”
“Shh, not so loud, I have most of these ponies buying it,” Titan whispered.
Quick just pushed him away playfully with a laugh of her own. Even after all that had happened, she had to admit, it was good seeing her old friends. It kind of reminded her of the times before they found those stupid amulets.
“Now look at you two. Members of Celestia’s Royal Guard, truly honorable members of society.” Chitin smiled as he looked at the two just messing around, “Sure things have changed. And then you have Volk working as one of the most well known international chefs on Equus.”
“Volk?” Quick quirked a brow, “You mean the dragon who would cook us feasts just to eat half of it by himself and then cook himself some more? Damn…”
“He was always a rather good cook.” Chitin nodded and smirked at Titan, “And I believe Mister ‘I can eat five of these boars by myself in under an hour!’ can attest to that.”
“Don’t you mean Mister ‘Oh gods the pain! My stomach, it hurts!’?” Quick smirked as well, “He was known as the Brown Terror for an entire month.”
“I’m not too weak to squash a bug and swat a fly,” he rumbled at the two of them.
“There’s the Titan I know and love.” Chitin chuckled.
Yet before any more old memories could come up, the doors were open and Princess Celestia walked in, followed closely by Midnight, and a yawning Pickett. Even after about two hours of deep sleep, she was still pretty sleepy.
“Your majesty.” The trio said almost in unison and did a respectful reverence as the alicorn approached. Titan visibly stiffened when he saw Midnight in her armour, her emerald eyes locking onto his and he flinched again, saluting.
Then she looked at Quick and… the mood Quick was feeling was far different. Midnight was playful, sneaky and rather reprehensible. This Midnight? Quick felt the urge to salute, lest she lose a hoof or her head. Chitin narrowed his eyes, not because he didn’t trust her, not because he feared her… but because that mare, in his trained changeling eyes, could have might as well be dead. She held no emotion, her heartbeat was almost mechanical, and her eyes were cold and soulless. That mare… she terrified him.
“Is everything alright?” Celestia asked Chitin, then realised he was undisguised and Midnight was standing right there. ‘I hate foresight,’ the mare thought to herself. But Midnight was needed, she couldn’t send her off just yet. “Just um, pretend she’s a statute.”
Chitin slowly nodded, and stepped back just in case, his eyes never moving away from the thestral.
“I take it you called us here due to the fact that the thieves already have five of the seven amulets, isn’t that right?” Quick questioned, breaking the silence. She still felt a tad nervous due to what had happened earlier in the morning, but right now this was more important than her shame.
“Yes, and the fact that Archer is still under their sway,” Celestia sighed. “Conductor? Your report?”
“The female known as Sweet Aroma attacked Westhoof Academy, presumably to retrieve Pickett Midnight again. She also tried to sway Specialist Lancer, but had to resort to a direct method of a poisoned dagger, when her smoke spell failed. I had to resort to a Command Seal to free him.”
In that brief moment, a flicker of emotion broke through her shell and Chitin caught it. Intense regret.
“With that done, her methods will not work again, but Lancer is still missing. I can only assume they took him, or he has launched independently. Our next concern should be to free Archer. Saber and I will do so shortly.”
“Saber is back?” Celestia herself sounded surprised. “Well, some good news finally. What of Caster?”
Midnight paused for a moment. “Caster is still outside the city. Exact location is unknown.”
“Your highness, if I may.” Pockets spoke up, rubbing her eyes clean, “I hate to say this… but I have to correct something my lovely currently-a-super-soldier bat said. She wasn’t after me this time, I don’t know why, but I know that she wasn’t after me. I was just an added bonus she failed to get. Her target was Lancer.” She stretched her back and sighed, that felt good, “Think ‘bout it, why did she leave me behind yet took Lancer with her? She needs them for some weird ass reason.”
“As it stands, she has Lancer and Archer. And her ability does not seem to work on females, or she’d have targeted Pickett or myself,” Midnight added. “Simply give the word, I will locate and purge her existence.”
“I do not believe that to be necessary, your highness.” Chitin spoke up, “Killing her is a rather extreme way of solving things. And while yes, it’s the most effective way to free those under her control, it is not the only one.” He levitated a couple of flasks he had kept in a small bag, a strange golden liquid shining dimly, “This is what I like to call, Changeling Amber. A mixture of different plants indigenous of a changeling hive, which when enchanted, are able to absorb a specific emotion to a certain extent. In this case, love.”
“We believe that’s how she controls her followers.” Quick added, “They develop an unhealthy obsession with her and do as they command. Meaning, they believe they love Aroma, and would do anything, anything for her.”
Midnight looked at Chitin, and the vial he held. “With all due respect Your Highness. Why should we trust the words of a liar.”
Chitin’s eyes widened, “Excuse me? With all due respect Specialist Midnight, but this ambar already freed a guard, it works. I’m not lying when I say this could save us the trouble of doing something we will later regret.”
Midnight opened her mouth, but Celestia raised a hoof. “Conductor. Nightmare Ponies.”
Whatever that meant to her, she shut her mouth and took a formal stance, staring straight ahead.
“Apologies,” Celestia said. “We are done blaming the whole for the actions of a few. Now, we have a cure for her magicks. But it doesn’t solve the main problem. She’s gathering strength, and those Amulets. And somepony is rebuilding the Sins.”
Then, Quick Step tossed a small ball of red cloth, a faint glow coming from it, “They can’t rebuild them. Not without all the seven amulets. The souls inside them must be summoned together, or else nothing will happen.”
“Wait… Aroma’s gathering the amulets too? Why?” Pockets quirked a brow, “I mean, you need seven to use them, and she’s alone. And I doubt a zombie can do much to help. So why would she be after them?”
Then Midnight exhaled. “Seven amulets. Seven Specialists.”
Celestia’s eyes slowly widened. “She wouldn’t…”
“No, that’s… that’s impossible.” Chitin said and looked at the Princess nervously, “The amulets only work when you accept the demons inside them. And if she can’t mind control females, then it’s of no use.”
Quick narrowed her eyes. Chitin was right… but there was something he did not know, something none of them knew, “Unless…”
“Unless what Miss Quick?” Celestia said. “Now is not the time to withhold information.”
“Four years ago, me and Cereza were doing a small job on the Badlands, south of Equestria. We had to pick up some valuable cargo, some ancient treasures a stallion named Doctor Caballeron had salvaged.” She began explaining, doing circles around the cloth-covered amulet as she recalled what had happened all those years ago, “One of these artifacts was an amulet, just like the one we held as Sins… but at the same time, completely different. The head of a stallion, horns of a goat, an upside down five-cornered star on its forehead.”
Both Chitin and Titan’s eyes widened, they knew what that symbol meant, and a sense of dread and even fear began growing on their hearts, “Aka Manah…” The changeling whispered.
“Before he died, it was said that he kept his powers sealed so he could one day be fred and come back to rule Equestria. If someone were to find that amulet and use its powers… they would have complete control over the Sins.” Quick added with a solemn nod.
“And the spirits of the seven demon lords would take the body of whoever their king commanded. And their conquest would begin all over again.” Chitin said nervously, before turning to Celestia with a frustrated, angry, and frightened tone in his voice, “We must find whoever holds the amulets and stop them. We must find Aka’s amulet and hide it. We must stop this before it is too late.”
“Caballeron?” Pockets quirked a brow. Apparently that was the only part of this whole deal that had stuck on her, “Is this a Daring Do book? Are we inside a Daring Do book because that’d be hella cool. Wait… does this mean Daring Do is real!?”
“Nooo?” Celestia whistled innocently.
“She is,” Midnight nodded in her usual flat tone. “She lives in the woods of the Tenochtitlan Basin.”
Celestia facehooved.
Pockets’ excited giggle and glimmering eyes told Celestia that she would probably have to take Pockets on a field trip soon.
“In any case.” Quick cleared her throat to call their attention, “The amulet is perfectly safe, so we don’t have to worry about it. The Golden Swords have one of the most secure headquarters in Equus, and you’d need an army to break in.”
“Or two Specialists,” Midnight simply stated.
Quick’s eyes widened… no, she couldn’t possibly…
“Princess, permission to leave the room immediately!” She quickly exclaimed and spread her wings. She had to get there before it was too late, she needed to stop this.
“Take Midnight and Cereza with you,” Celestia nodded.
“Negative, I can’t take Specialist Midnight with me. Orders of Golden. No outsider is allowed in.” She shook her head and took off, turning to Celestia one more time and sighing, “If I do not come back, find Golden and tell him to start the Order Protocol. That should help us out.”
“Quick Step, you are part of my guard now, that makes you and Cereza outsiders as well,” Celestia pointed out.
The pegasus smirked, “We have our ways, and our IDs. Plus, he can’t say no to family.” And with that, she took off at unbelievable speed… breaking the window on the process.
“That’s coming out of her paycheck,” Celestia muttered. “Midnight, follow her. If Archer and Lancer are there, I need you to recover them.”
Midnight nodded and looked at Pockets, before stepping back into the shadows and vanishing.
“Wait!” Pockets called out and tried to stop her, but she wasn’t nearly quick enough. The unicorn mare sighed and sat down. She had been acting normal for a while now yeah, but it was just to avoid showing how stressed, how frustrated, and how worried she was. Seeing Midnight like that… it hurt her for some reason. She already missed the happy, sneaky, and fun Midnight.
“What’s wrong?” Celestia said, moving up next to her and taking the unicorn under her wing.
“Nothing.. it’s just that I know this is necessary, I know Midnight has to be on her top game for this. But… I still can’t help but worry, she seems so cold and emotionless. I don’t even know if she sees me as her marefriend in that state or just as a fellow guard.” The unicorn’s pained words were almost whispered, looking down at the marble floor and doing circles with her hooves, “The worst part is… I can’t help at all. I can barely control what my Breezie magic does, and my regular magic is just slightly above average, meaning I can’t do crap about this whole deal.”
“Hmm, is that what you truly believe?” Celestia said as she hugged her closer. “You know, Midnight is not overly fond of it as well. But you know, she has something now she’s never had before.”
“A brand new set of armor?” Pockets half-joked. Yet her expression spoke for itself, she had no idea.
“That armour is quite old actually,” Celestia chuckled. “No my little pony. What she has—” The alicorn beeped her nose with a wingtip. “—Is you.”
“Me?” Pockets chuckled and shook her head, “Yeah, she has me but… does that really change anything right now? I mean, you saw how she didn’t even say goodbye or anything, she just magically disappeared into the shadows and was gone.”
“Because she wants to save her friends,” Celestia explained. “Can you trust her to come back?”
“Yeah… she’ll come back, I know she will.” Pockets sighed and leaned on the alicorn, “She’s too awesome not to. Still, you can’t blame me for feeling bad.”
“I can understand. But this is another part of Midnight Song.” The alicorn settled down and looked at her. “Let me ask you this. Do you love her any less now you’ve seen this side?”
“For real?” Pockets said with a smirk, “Hell no! I will always love her, no matter how she acts, no matter what she says…” She moved her hair aside and showcased the silver horn ring that rested there, “This, this means that no matter what happens, she will always be there for me. And I promised the same thing to her. So no, I do not love her any less, and I highly doubt I ever will.”
“Then you have your answer,” Celestia chuckled and let her go. “Midnight is the same. She just has a job to do right now okay?”
“Alright…” The unicorn nodded, damn Celestia was good at that, she already felt way calmer now, “Thanks, by the way, I needed that.”
“You’re very welcome,” Celestia said. “But I have to ask. How do you feel about all of this. Aroma is your family after all. She likely has answers to a lot of questions you’ve had your whole life.”
Pockets’ expression changed altogether to a far darker, more frustrated one, “I… I hate it. I hate her and all she’s done to me. Tall Tale told me that I needed to stop her, that I had to save his tribe from her. But now? Now it’s personal. She’s hurting those around me, and I can’t stand that. If I get answers then good, but if I have to sacrifice those answers for anyone’s sake… I’ll do it no questions asked.” She turned to Celestia and her eyes.. they were fierce, dangerous, resolute, “Something tells me I’m the only one who can stop Aroma, and I promise, for everyone’s sake, that I will, even if it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.”
“Then I have a plan,” Celestia said. “It’s risky, but should it work, we can end things sooner rather than later.”
“Really? What is it!?” Pockets immediately asked, giving the alicorn every bit of her attention, something she never did with anyone but Midnight.
“It’s simple,” Celestia said and looked at Pockets. “Tell me my dear, how would you like to be bait?”
Pockets blinked… well now that was something you didn’t hear everyday, specially not from a Princess, “Well… unless I’m going to be used to fish a giant fish, then I guess I’m fine with it?” She shrugged. She had no prior experience in the bait business and knew nothing about how it worked. Buuut if Celestia wanted to go fishing, then eh who was she to stop the freaking Princess of the Sun.
“Our fish is rather tiny I’m afraid,” celestia smiled and Pockets saw it coming too late to stop her. “Good thing I’m using little bait~”
“OH COME ON!” Pockets groaned. Really? Did she have to use the size joke? “You friggin oversized swan…” She mumbled with the most adorable angry pout Celestia had ever seen. She was like a penguin, even when angry she was adorable.
Chitin just stared in horror. Had… had that unicorn just insulted Celestia? Oh wow, he wondered what the weather on the sun was like this time of year.
“A swan? well, I’m glad you think I’m so lovely,” Celestia chuckled and ruffled her mane. “Now, let’s get you outfitted shall we?”
Horrible flashbacks of her shopping for clothes with Midnight came back to the unicorn. And now… she had to go through the same hell with Celestia herself…
She feared for her soul, for her sanity, and for her long gone Street Cred.
There was a blinding flash of light, and when Pocket’s vision cleared…
That… that was a lot of weapons and armour. This was the Solar Guard Armoury!
“I’m thinking gold and silver myself,” Celestia mused.
“W-Wha… just… what…” And now Pockets was broken. This? This was bucking incredible!
“Gold and Silver? Oh Celestia you’re so predictable sometimes.” Came a deep, smooth voice from behind them, followed by the sound of a small, hopefully controlled explosion. They turned to the source, and found a muscular red pegasus with golden mane and balbo beard. And for Celestia’s nonexistent beard, for someone his age, he was hot! Chiseled jaw, flawless skin, and a hairstyle so well done not even a typhoon could ruin it. He held a black lean helmet on his hoof and a blowtorch on the other, a variety of tools spread messily on a table he had just set up there in the middle of the armory, “For that mare? Darker colors, lighter armor, her size is perfect for poking your opponent with a stick. The kid’s gonna be as powerful and effective as a goddamn viking warrior when I’m done with her.”
“Uhm… who’s that?” Pockets couldn’t help but ask.
“This is Front Lines. Secure’s father and head of weapons research and development.” Celestia introduced him. “Front, this is Pickett Midnight and Chitin.”
“A pleasu—”
Chitin’s words were practically shoved down his throat when Pockets all but dashed past him to lean on a shelf full of an assortment of different helmets, a confident pose and sly smile, a gleam in her eyes that could captivate any stallion. That was the secret of flirting, that and a good ol’ pick-up line that never failed, “Oh honey, you can research my weapons, if ya know what I mean~”
Front Lines looked at her utterly confused, before chuckling and shaking her head, “Oh kids these days and their hormones. Sorry sweetheart but pedophilia is a crime I am not planning to mess with.”
And now Pockets’ face was on the floor, she was done, completely and utterly done with life. “B-But I’m an adult…” She whimpered, and dragged her body towards the only alicorn princess who could give her a back rub.
“So my dear Celestia, what can I possibly help you with in this fine morning?” He questioned while going back to the helmet at hoof.
“Isn’t it like six in the afternoon?” Pockets’ mumbled, yet was completely ignored.
“We have something coming up, and my newest Guard here needs a refit,” Celestia chuckled, ignoring the mare’s comment and pointed at the dejected Pockets. “She is an adult despite her size. But she needs some protection.”
“Physical or magical?” He asked, still not deviating from the helmet which was now far thinner than before, and far more aerodynamic.
“If she really is going after the amulets, then both.” Chitin replied.
“Give her the Front Lines special,” Celestia nodded.
The stallion hummed, and looked around the armory, “Well, usually for someone her size we use chainmail. But that’s barely going to protect her against anything. Light armor that is resistant against physical and magical attacks… you’re asking for something quite difficult my dear, specially if we go with that kind of armor. Not sure if…” He looked to Princess and smirked, “My resources are enough.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “What do you need?”
He grabbed a large notebook from the table and tossed it to the floor, “Look around the final pages. Project Valkyrie. Was meant for you my dear but I could do the arrangements to create a different, more darker and lighter version.”
Celestia opened the notebook and searched for said page. Both her eyes and Pockets’ widened at both the design, and the materials needed for it.
“It’s either that or chainmail that will completely kill her stealth.” Front Lines sang, still working on the helmet.
“You know Tia, as much as I’d freaking love having a suit like that… I don’t think it’s worth the effort.” Pockets sighed and shook her head, “Not gonna make you go through the bother of finding all that crazy stuff.”
“Nonsense,” Celestia shook her head. “Now Front. I know you and you better believe I saw that suit your daughter had. You know, that one you gave to her without my permission?”
Front froze and the helmet fell to the floor. He giggled nervously and responded with a simple shrug.
“Mhm, I thought as much,” Celestia chuckled. “Now, I will assign you a stock of Etherite. As well as Dragon Scale and Boltweave kevlar.”
“And something tells me that unless I want to be sued by the crown, I have to provide all the remaining materials.” He sighed and kicked the helmet away, “Fine. I’ll make the suit. But don’t expect me to get you that automatic cake slicer for your birthday now.”
Then Celestia floated him a key. A gold key
The key to the Warehouse. Where they kept all of their raw materials.
“Use what you need. The Conductor needs an updated outfit as well. “You have total reign over the design choices.”
A playful grin began to grown on Front Line’s lips, now this was going to be fun, “I’m going to need access to the case’s files. If you want me to make the perfect armor, I’ll need to know the enemy.”
Celestia nodded. “They’ll be in your office waiting for you.”
“Good. Now you better leave, because I’m about to test the castle’s new defense wards and I don’t want to see your beautiful face turned to stone Celestia.” He said as he absent-mindedly just bounced a small ball on a shelf.
“You assume it’d be enough to stop me?” Celestia mused. “Very well, we’ll talk again soon. Pockets? Are… put that down Miss Pickett!”
The thief pouted and whimpered like a sad puppy, hugging the huge flail that easily tripled her size.
“Don’t hug that! That’s a—”
There was a sharp crack of lightning.
“Storm Flail…” Celestia sighed.
“Now that’s quite shocking.” Front Lines chuckled.
The thief coughed some smoke, and then raised a hoof, “First of all, that was terrible. Second of all, ouch. Third of all, ouch.”
Celestia shook her head as she floated the weapon away and healed her wounds with a spell. “Well, now that Pockets had proven her ill talent for weather magic. We shall leave you be Front. Best of luck.” With another application of magic, she teleported out, the stallion alone in the armoury.
He sighed and stood up, throwing and catching the key he was given without the slightest of interest on it. He didn’t really need much for what he was planning to do, he just wanted to play with Celestia for a bit.
He moved through the endless halls of the armory in search for something that had come to his mind ever since he saw that unicorn…. something about her, it made him think back to one of his first, and biggest projects yet.
On a silver pedestal stood a seemingly regular short sword. Nothing stood out about it, but the rainbow colored gem on the upper middle section of its handle. He tossed the ball he had been playing with away and picked up a small gem, a simple magically infused gem he had managed to get Celestia to bless with her powers.
He moved the gem closer to the short sword…
And it erupted it a bright white and golden light. The handle began to change its appearance, becoming more detailed, more regal, more heroic. It now sported a beautiful mixture of white, gold, and pink, and Celestia’s Cutie Mark now decorated the sword’s pommel. The blade itself was now surrounded by a powerful flaming magical white aura, now looking more like a beautiful, Celestia-themed longsword.
Front Lines admired his work of art with a smile, before tossing the gem away and thus causing the sword to return to normal. “Maybe one day I’ll find somepony worthy of using you, my dear Arcana. Maybe tomorrow, depends on how things go.” He shrugged and picked up a chestplate. Silver and gold, ergh, how generic. Time to make it more fashionable!
“No, no, and a hundred times no!”
Quick Step landed with force on a large clearing not so far from Las Pegasus, a beautiful lake fed by a tall waterfall meeting her with the singing of birds going back to their nests after a long day of work.
“You are not going in with me. It’s far too dangerous! Who knows what kind of agents Aroma has gotten her dirty breezie legs onto?” Quick groaned as she walked through the rocky path that surrounded the lake, followed by a silent Midnight. Cereza was missing, most likely already on the base, and even after several attempts to lose the thestral on the skies, the batmare was her only companion.
Yes it was a stupidly bad idea to go in there alone.
But in Quick Step’s opinion, it was an even dumber idea to go with Midnight.
“Then you would like to handle Lancer and Archer on your own then?” Midnight finally spoke. “You’re either overly confident or overly stupid.”
“I miss the regular Midnight.” Quick grunted as they reached the waterfall, yet she kept going, letting the water wash over her body, “Hope you don’t mind getting wet, the entrance is over here.” The cave that greeted them didn’t seem like anything special. It was just a cave behind a waterfall underneath a mountain.
“You know I don’t mind getting wet, as long as it’s with somepony as cute as you,” she replied in a rather familiar tone before walking ahead, her flank swaying rhythmically.
Quick Step froze, trying to reply yet only managing to splurt out random babbles. She built up some mental strength and gave a gentle shout, a shout so gentle it even made the cave itself shake gently, “WHAT!?”
“Hmm, I also love it when they shout, though last time it was my name you shouted like that,” she smirked.
Quick looked at Midnight with her jaw on the floor, then back to the waterfall to make sure this wasn’t a crazy serious-twin, crazy-twin plot twist or something like that, and then back to Midnight. Nope, that was definitely the same mare that was being as cold as a robot a few minutes ago. “I… you… I… gah! Let’s just get this over with.” She mumbled and took the lead once more, before bucking a rock that, for the regular eye, would have seemed like any other rock in the massive cave.
The rock was actually pushed away by the buck, and Midnight could hear gears turning and mechanisms activating, and the rock that had been moving just sank into the floor, revealing a large hallway that lead to a small metallic door. The lights flickered a couple of times, glowing a strange vibrant red instead of the usual white, “We’re kind of late to the party it’d seem. The alarms are already off, are you ready?” Quick asked Midnight, deciding to ignore her sudden mood switch.
“Well, at least we have the climax to look forward to,” she said as she walked in, drawing her swords, “So, who can I look forward to punishing in there?”
“Eh, nothing special.” Quick shrugged and walked after the thestral, the rock moving once more into its place behind them, “Former wanted criminals, war heroes, illustrious creatures from all sorts of countries, ruthless killers wanted for arrest in all sorts of countries. Your usual patch. Hopefully some of them have been able to fight back instead of immediately falling for Aroma’s pheromones.” When they reached the door, Quick pressed a code she did not let Midnight see, as hard as she tried, into a panel nearby.
The door was unlocked, and the two walked into a fairly large fancy-looking room. It seemed like some sort of lounge, with a couple of leather sofas, decorative plants, mugs with coffee resting on a crystal table, large paintings depicting famous spies hanging in the wall, a large round carpet on the floor greeting them to the Golden Swords HQ, red lights that flickered while illuminating the room, and absolutely no soul in sight.
“Uh…” Midnight looked around. “Are we early?”
“On the contrary.” Quick kept walking towards the next door, extending her wings and letting Midnight have a glimpse at a weapons he had never seen Quick Step use, a curved, slender, single edged blade with a circular guard, a long grip made specifically for a pegasus’ wings. An ancient, golden colored katana, “We’re far too late. The vault is not far from here, let’s hurry!” She called out and opened the door, diving into the next room.
Yet before Midnight could go in as well, Quick returned and tackled Midnight out of the way, a powerful blast of magic flying inches away from the two mares and crashing into the chandelier, which fell down and shattered into a million pieces, “Hide, now!” Quick ordered and darted away, taking cover behind a pillar.
Midnight vanished into the shadows. Just… how did she do that?
A unicorn walked into the room and looked around, his gaze devoid of any emotion, his eyes lacking any soul. He was like a walking corpse. Behind him were a heavily armored buffalo, who squeezed through the door and began to sniff the place out, trying to find a trail that could lead him towards the intruders.
“In the name of our Mistress, we command you to surrender and come with us.” The unicorn said in an incredibly creepy monotone voice, his horn glowing and charging up another attack, “Else we will be forced to terminate you.”
Midnight was nowhere to be seen, having melded with the shadows.
Quick prepared her katana, yet waited for them to get close enough. One false move, and she was done for. Still, she peeked around the pillar’s corner and kept searching for Midnight to try and come up with a plan. She had to be somewhere around here…
The movement… from the approaching Unicorn’s own shadow? A hoof shot out and clocked him in the jaw before retreating.
The unicorn hissed and fired his beam at Midnight, yet hit nothing, “Show yourself heathen! Surrender to our queen!”
“Oh, I’m so scared,” Midnight cooed from the shadows. “You know, I think my some of the bugs in my dad’s collection are bigger than her. Exactly why should I be afraid of that? Will she cute me to death?”
The buffalo scowled and tried to slam against the shadow, only managing to hit the wall and injuring himself, “D-Do not speak ill of our queen, heathen!” He stuttered, shaking his head to get rid of the dizzyness.
“Does she really think she’s a Queen?” Midnight snickered. “You know, she should get laid. I know a few flowers she can pollinate.”
“Silence!” The unicorn scowled and fired another beam, creating a sizeable hole in the wall. Meanwhile, Quick had moved behind a large sofa, thanking Midnight for her distractions, yet hoping she would really stop with the puns at the same time.
“I tried that, but my friends hate it when I’m all serious, so I’ve decided not to be,” Midnight giggled from everywhere and nowhere. “Plus, I’ve figured you all out anyway. You want the medals to summon that demon right?”
“You heathen shall fall!” The buffalo roared and stomped on the ground, causing the room to shake before slamming against another wall, cracking it, “Stop talking or I will show no mercy when I catch you!”
Quick had used that moment to hid beneath another sofa, she was so close… just one more distraction and she could take those two down.
“Ooh, I tried Mercy once, she tasted divine~” Midnight cooed. “She made the most adorable squeaking sounds when I nibbled her—”
“Silence!” The two males shouted and attacked the wall from where they thought the voice came from. Yet failed once more.
“The only one that’s about to be silenced, is you two.” Quick grinned and then the unicorn received the bucking of a lifetime, his bones cracking audibly and his mind turning black. The now unconscious unicorn fell to the floor, and the buffalo that was with him just stared in shock and horror.
“You heathens!” He roared and tried to slam Quick Step. Buuuut…
The shadows surged, and a pair of hooves grabbed his hind legs. No way… she couldn’t be…
Midnight flipped the buffalo, a creature thrice her size was just slammed like a ragdoll against the floor, his head making a spiderweb-shaped crack in the marble flooring.
“Weird,” Midnight said as she dusted off her hooves. “The zombiepones haven’t spoken before, not with clarity like that.”
“I noticed that too. Something’s clearly not right… let’s go, we can think about that little detail later.” Quick kicked the buffalo to make sure he was completely knocked out, and kept going her way, but of course not before asking the truly important question, “What the actual heck was that back there by the way? I’ve only ever seen dark mages do that, not thestrals.”
“Uhh, well…” Midnight grinned and shrugged. “Classified?”
“I will find out sooner or later.” Quick grunted and bucked the door open, walking into the next room… her eyes widened, and her legs stepped back in fear.
Around thirty different males of all sorts of different species were standing there in the trashed main hall, weapons ready, horns glowing, wings flapping, and teeth gritting. Quick drew her katana and stood firm, this… was going to be ugly. “Midnight, it was a pleasure knowing you.”
Midnight cracked her neck and smiled. “Oh, this is gonna be fun!”
