//------------------------------// // Recovery // Story: Tainted Silver // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The morning after Big Red, Sterling and the boys had gone camping, Cherry was busy preparing for the upcoming baking contest. She was hard at work baking a cinnamon and cherry pie, when she heard a knock at the front door. "Hmm, who's that?" Cherry wondered. "I'm not expecting anypony just yet..." Cherry walked to the front door, opening it to reveal Marshall. "Marshall? What a surprise." Cherry declared, "What brings you here?" "I wanted to talk to you about something." Marshall explained, "Can I come in?" Cherry nodded as she let the sheriff in. "Huh, it's quiet in here. Where's Red and the others?" Marshall asked, before frowning, "Where's Sterling?" "They went out camping for the night. Sterling is with them." Cherry stated. "Really?" Marshall asked, surprised. "They actually let Sterling join them? I'm not sure if I like that..." "What do you mean by that?" Cherry asked. "Think about it." Marshall urged. "Out there, in the open... Sterling might use that opportunity to escape!" "Relax, Marshall." Cherry rolled her eyes, "Sterling didn't seem to be planning to skip town this morning… and if he did try anything, I'm sure Big Red can handle him." "You really think so?" Marshall frowned. "Yes, I do." Cherry nodded. "What's wrong with that?" "Well, you don't seem as concerned about Sterling now as you were a few days ago." Marshall pointed out. "Well, a lot has happened since then." Cherry shrugged. "I've learned more about Sterling, too." "Which means we really need to talk." Marshall nodded. "About what to do with Sterling. I figured with the Red and the boys away, this would be the best time to do so." "Talking behind Red's back?" Cherry admonished. "I don't have much of a choice." Sterling sighed. "You know how stubborn Red can be when he thinks he's right." "But if he finds out we were talking about Sterling, he won't be pleased..." Cherry mused. "And Sterling certainly wouldn't appreciate it either..." "And why is that a problem?" Marshall scowled. "Don't tell me you're on his side now!" "Don't get me wrong." Cherry declared. "I still don't trust Sterling, but… I’m starting to see that he might not be the ‘worst’ pony...” "Meaning?" Marshall asked. "A few days ago, I saw him leap to defend a Changeling who was being harassed by the townsfolk because they thought he was infected like the ones at the hive were." Cherry recalled. "He stood up for that poor Changeling in front of everypony. He may be a criminal, but how bad can he really be if he were willing to perform such a noble, selfless act?" "I guess you have a point there." Marshall admitted, recalling how Sterling had saved him and Wrangler from that finicky time bomb. "Sterling may not be the criminal scum I thought he was... but he's still a criminal. And he wasn't working alone. Who's to say his fellow Forefathers won't come to Dodge Junction looking for him?" "If the Royal Guards couldn't track him here, those awful ponies probably won't be able to either." Cherry pointed out. "But what if they do?" Marshall asked. "It's a safe bet that whoever the Forefathers send won't be as... Restrained as Sterling is. They could tear this entire town apart looking for him. Imagine all the losses we'd suffer... All because Sterling chose to hide out here." "I... I hadn't considered that." Cherry admitted uneasily. "It is a distinct possibility." Marshall declared. "Sterling may have more decency than I gave him credit for, but those Forefathers are monsters. I've been reading up on them. It really helps that one of your friends was a RDL officer, gets you access to some files… and let me tell you, these guys did a lot of things. Things that would turn your stomach." "But surely they wouldn't to such extremes to recover a comrade?" Cherry frowned. "That's if they still see Sterling as a comrade." Marshall declared. "If they were so chummy, surely he would have gone to whatever rat-hole they're hiding in rather than hide out here." “...Sterling did say that he left them.” Cherry realized, “I didn’t believe him at first… but now…” “Well, if that’s so, then you can see the big problem we might have.” Marshall frowned, “If what is said about these Forefathers are true, then Sterling may very well put a target on the heads of everypony in town, whether he meant to or not." "So we could all be in danger?" Cherry's face lit up in fear. "Yes." Marshall said flatly. "Which is why Sterling can't stay here any longer than he already has." "I don't know..." Cherry shook her head. "Red wouldn't think highly of that though. And the boys all like him. Not to mention Sterling will be moving on soon enough." "But that may not be soon enough." Marshall countered. "Can we really afford to gamble with the lives of our loved ones like that? At this point, I don’t care about bringing him in. I care about Dodge Junction not ending up like Reinadh!" “Marshall…” Cherry murmured, seeing the intensity in his eyes. “...Ugh, I gotta get back to the office.” Marshall shook his head, “Just think about what I said, Cherry. I’ll get back to you when I can.” Marshall left the homestead. Cherry stood in place, uncertain. 'Is Marshall right?' She thought. 'Is just knowing Sterling going to be the end of us all?' Big Red, Sterling and the boys returned to the homestead around lunchtime. "We're back!" Big Red called. "Welcome back, boys." Cherry smiled. "Did you have fun?" "You bet we did!" Globe chuckled. "Just like always." Huckleberry nodded. "Definitely the most fun I've had in the great outdoors." Sterling admitted. "That's... good to hear, Sterling." Cherry smiled weakly. "Hope things weren't too boring while we were gone." Eclipse declared. "You know me, I like a quiet life." Cherry ruffled Eclipse's head feathers. "Now, why you boys get yourselves cleaned up, and I'll get to work on lunch?" "Sounds like a plan." Sterling nodded. Sterling and the boys made their way upstairs to wash up. Big Red made to follow, but then he noticed an odd look in his wife's eyes. "You okay, darlin'?" He asked. "Ya look a little... Worried." "It... It's nothing, Red." Cherry lied. "I'm just putting a lot of effort into this year's contest, that's all." "Well, that ain't nuthin' tah worry about." Big Red chuckled. "Yer gonna blow the other bakers outta the water like ya always do." "That's my Red." Cherry stroked her husband's beard. "Always thinking positive." "With everythin' Ah've got in mah life, how can Ah not?" Big Red kissed her. As Big Red made his way upstairs, Cherry's worries, briefly abated, rose up again. 'Oh, Red...' She thought. 'I hope you can still think positively when the worst happens...' Many years ago... If you asked Sterling how things has been following the dismemberment of his left front hoof, he would answer: “Pretty crappy.” Upon returning to the Infinity, Sterling was rushed to the infirmary, so that they could further treat the hoof that was cut off by a chainsaw wielded by a manic Erlenmeyer. Even though he had lost some blood, Sterling has managed to pull through. As he recovered, Loveless and Ricochet had debriefed Father and the others about what had happened. While some were quick to address the concerns with their covers having been blown and briefly exposed to the Hazard family, and even consider ‘dealing’ with them (Nalik was naturally all for offing the mostly Earth Pony family). But Loveless was quick to defend, bringing up that the family would be of no threat to them, with the fear of the police finding about their imprisonment of Erlenmeyer being enough to silence them. Ricochet was quick to back him up. In the end, it was agreed that the Hazard family would be left alone, and that they could put the whole thing behind them. Unfortunately, Sterling did not have such luxuries. It has been a couple of months after the incident with the Hazards, and Sterling was still struggling through his recovery. His hoof had healed, looking good as new, but it wasn’t anywhere near as functional as it once was. It was beset by a constant tremor, making it impossible for Sterling to hold a crossbow, much less aim it, and whenever he tried, he suffered from agonizing pain. Even then, the hoof throbbed in pain every so often, making it next to impossible to do anything with it without experiencing a great deal of pain. This of course meant that Sterling had to stay off it when he walked (resorting to a sling to keep it up), so his speed was impaired also. Sterling's wounded hoof made it more and more difficult to complete his assignments. He missed crucial shots that he would have easily accomplished before, and found it difficult to chase down targets. Even hoof-to-hoof combat was a trial, as striking an opponent with his wounded hoof inflicted more pain on Sterling than his opponents. With each poorly-executed assignment, Sterling's self-respect diminished, and his fears grew. Oddly enough, the other Ouroboros did not seem to take heed of his floundering performance, each meeting carrying on like nothing was different, as if they didn’t care... But in the back of Sterling’s mind, he felt that something was not right... "The others know how badly I've been doing lately." Sterling declared as he spoke to Loveless one afternoon. "Why else do you think I've gotten so few missions these days?" "I don't think that has anything to do with it." Loveless replied, an odd look on his face. "Well, I think it does." Sterling frowned. "They know how messed up I've gotten. They haven’t say anything to my face, but I know they are thinking it. And they're not going to tolerate it much longer. How long before they decide to put me down? Like Dysley..." "Don't think that way, Sterling." Loveless told him. "I'm sure you're just in a slump." “A slump, Loveless?!” Sterling snarled, “A permanently busted hoof is not a slump! It’s a buckin’ career killer! And pretty soon, it’s gonna kill me!” Loveless wheeled back, taken aback by his outburst. Sterling’s anger quickly faded, replaced with remorse. “I’m.. I’m sorry, Loveless.” Sterling murmured, “I… I just don’t know what to do. Ever since Neigh Orleans, I've been struggling to meet the quota. I can barely perform out in the field. My hoof hurts 24-7. And I just feel… broken, and that I’m going to be thrown away, just like Dysley...” “Look, Sterling, it’s going to be alright.” Loveless assured him, “You have served this organization for many years, and even if you’re not doing so hot now, the others surely won’t put you out to pasture. Especially once you have your project started.” “My project…” Sterling scoffed. “...I haven't even been able to really focus on my project… having your hoof cut off kinda does that for you.” “But you are still working on it, are you not?” Loveless asked. "Yeah..." Sterling said sadly. "Not that it'll do me much good right now...." "Sterling, you must try to be positive." Loveless urged. "I don't like seeing you like this." "I don't like being like this, to be honest." Sterling admitted. "But I have no choice. Fate already made it for me." "Sterling, you musn't give up hope." Loveless sighed. “Might as well face it: at this point, my days as a Forefather are numbered…” Sterling shook his head. ’...Not if I have anything to say about it.’ Loveless thought firmly. Later, Loveless made his way down the corridors, a specific destination in mind. En route to his destination, he came across a sight most unwelcome: Ricochet walking down the hallway, with none other than Cloak Hazard in tow. There was another factor which contributed to the Hazard family being left alone, with that factor being that apparently, while Doc was working on Sterling and Loveless was left to contend with the rest of the family, Ricochet had apparently told Cloak all about what they did, and offered him membership into the Forefathers, and there happened to be a policy about Forefathers not going after their agents’ family... So now, Ricochet was showing the new agent around the place. "And that was the gym. What do you think of this place so far?" Ricochet told Cloak. “Gotta say, as far as secret organizations go, you guys sound awesome.” Cloak admitted, before shivering, “Though it woulda been nice if this place wasn’t buckin’ freezing. Why is this place in the middle of the mountains?!” “Heh, I dunno. I learned to roll with it my second week here. You get used to the cold eventually.” Ricochet shrugged. "Reminds me of my creepy aunt's place." Cloak snorted. "I'm not gonna have to give any old ponies a hooficure, am I?" "Relax, kid." Ricochet chuckled. "We don't expect anypony to do anything that bad... but there is a lot of work involved." "If there's any garbage that needs takin' out, let me know, and I'm outta here." Cloak said dismissively "Well, we do deal with some trash from time to-" As Loveless passed by, Ricochet quickly stopped. “Ooh, I just realized I had a thing.” Ricochet lied, as he looked around… spotting Tropics, “Yo, Tropics! Mind taking over showing Cloak here around for awhile?!” “What? No!” Tropics snapped, “I have better things-” “Okay, thanks, you’re a real peach!” Ricochet smirked, as he turned to Cloak, “I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Ricochet rushed after Loveless. "So... you been here a while? Any tips?" Cloak said to Tropics. "Yes." Tropics sneered. "Keep your mouth shut, and stay out of my way." “Well, same to you… you witch.” Cloak scowled. Ricochet dashed over to Loveless. The chaired stallion took heed of the approaching stallion, and only gave a huff. "Yo, Loveless!" He called. "Wait up!" "Not now, Ricochet." Loveless said coldly. "How ya been, pal?" Ricochet asked. "Been a while since we talked." "Not long enough." Loveless tried to evade him. "Come on, dude, talk to me." Ricochet followed after Loveless. "You haven’t talked to me in months. Why are you avoiding me?" "Why do you think?" Loveless scowled. "Or have you forgotten that Sterling got his hoof cut off?!” “Um, no. I was there.” Ricochet frowned, “Still doesn’t explain why you’re so mad at me!” "Hmph!" Loveless snarled. "You don realize why I'm angry!" Loveless made to storm off, but Ricochet leapt in front of him. "Then tell me why!" Ricochet demand, his face inches from Loveless's. “You wanna know why?!” Loveless snapped, “It’s your fault that Sterling is suffering right now!” “My fault?!” Ricochet gaped, “Hey! I wasn’t the crazy beyotch with the chainsaw!” “True.” Loveless growled, “But while you were off playing with the Hazards, Sterling had to contend with Erlenmeyer by himself! “That’s not fair!” Ricochet protested, “We both agreed on the plan! I kept the family busy, while Sterling looked around the place! We didn’t know Erlenmeyer was going to go all psycho on us!” “That is also true.” Loveless admitted, before seething, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you left Sterling to fend for himself!” "That's not how it was!" Ricochet yelled, “Come on, Loveless, you know me! I would've never sent Sterling in there by himself if I knew that this was going to happen!” “You say that, yet while Sterling was running for his life, you were shoveling gumbo into your mouth!” Loveless spat, “What if I had not been there?! Sterling would have been dead and you’d have been none the wiser!” “But Loveless…” Ricochet murmured, “He’s... he’s okay.” “Okay?!” Loveless snapped, “You call having a bum hoof that hurts like a bucker everyday okay?! Sterling might get put down, just like Ignite almost did, and you call that okay?!” “Loveless, I feel bad enough about what happened back in the bayou as it is.” Ricochet groaned, “I don’t know what you want me to say.” “What is there to say? You bucked up.” Loveless growled, “What’s worse, you decided to recruit the asshole who built that stupid lock that got Sterling into the situation in the first place!” "Hey, the kid has some skills!" Ricochet defended his decision. "Besides, it's better to have some good come out of the whole-" "I don't want to hear it." Loveless cut him off. Loveless stormed, leaving a dejected Ricochet behind. Shortly after, Loveless was in Doc's lab, trying to salvage some hope for Sterling. Unfortunately... "There has to be something you can do!" Loveless urged. “I’m sorry, Loveless.” Doc sighed, “I reattached the hoof, applied all the medicine and magic applicable… but there is only so much that could be done. A pony cannot have his hoof severed and reattached without suffering some sort of permanent nerve damage.” “But surely there must be some procedure we hadn’t tried?!” Loveless asked, “Some small piece of technology implanted into the word, expermantal drugs, some sort of mechanical attachment joined to the hoof, some ancient, obscure magic...” “Loveless, please…” Doc urged. “Those methods, though theoretically possible, would take months if not years to perfect, years that Sterling doesn’t have. And these methods could just as well do more harm than good to Sterling. At this point, there’s nothing I can do for him…” “So, what? You’re just going to sit idly by and let Sterling be put down? Just like you did Dysley?!” Loveless snapped. Doc turned and silently glared at Loveless. His face was still obsured by his mask, but his quiet anger was clear to see. “Oh buck…” Loveless cursed, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that. I-” “It’s fine, Loveless.” Doc sighed, his eyes filled with silent sorrow, “Believe me, I do not want Sterling, or anypony for that matter, to suffer the same fate as Dysley had. I truly wish there was something, Loveless, I really do… but I can’t.” "... I understand." Loveless nodded stiffly. "Thank you for your time." Loveless rolled his way out of the lab, while Doc hung his head in sadness. As Loveless made his way down the corridor, beside himself with the hopelessness of Sterling’s situation, he crossed paths with Gridlock and Harlhooves. Or rather, he was preoccupied, he almost crashed right into them. "Hey, watch it, Loveless!" Gridlock growled, sidestepping to avoid him. "You almost ran over my hoof!" "...Oh, sorry." Loveless apologized. "I was... lost in my thoughts." He shook his head, seeing an opportunity to take his mind off things. "So... how have you been?" "Not too bad, actually." Harlhooves smiled. "We were able to make great bounds in our work on that Project: Regen, thanks to the notes you and Sterling recovered from Erlenmeyer." “Oh. How… wonderful.” Loveless murmured, embittered by the mention of the pony responsible for Sterling’s condition. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get as far as we would had liked.” Gridlock scowled, “Erlenmeyer bit the dust when we extracted her blood. Barely got enough of what we needed.” “Wait, Erlenmeyer’s dead? Actually dead?” Loveless gaped, “But her regeneration…” “Funny thing about regeneration.” Harlhooves cringed, “Helps you shrug off axes to the neck and a whole bunch of bolts… but when a cardiac arrest comes on… yeah, it does jack crap to prevent that.” “Cardiac arrest?” Loveless frowned, “But she was so young…” “Yeah. But with all the stuff she put in her body, it put a lot of strain on her system” Gridlock explained. “Doesn’t help that she was locked up for four months…” He then added with a hint of contempt, “...and got the crap beat and shot out of her…” “Are you insinuating something?” Loveless slowly turned to Gridlock, glaring at him. “I’m just saying. Maybe if she was bought back to us in conditions better than she was, our needle wouldn’t've lead to her untimely death. And we would've been further along.” Gridlock sneered. “Seriously, you couldn’t simply disarm a poor little bucked up mare? "That mare, and I use the term loosely, maimed and nearly killed Sterling." Loveless growled. "He is suffering because of the wound she gave him. You should consider yourself lucky I even left any piece of her!” “There’s no need to get hostile, Loveless.” Harlhooves admonished, “None of us knew that Erlenmeyer would be like that when we sent you to Neigh Orleans.” “Exactly. Sterling had no idea what he was up against!” Loveless snapped, “And now, he is paying for it with possibly his life!” “And that’s our fault how?” Gridlock scoffed, “Sterling only lost his hoof because he was careless. He let his guard down around Erlenmeyer and he paid for it. That’s how it works around here: you buck up, you must pay up. The pain will be a great reminder for Sterling.” “That pain is hindering Sterling!” Loveless snarled, “He can’t keep up with his quota, and if he can’t keep up with his quota, he’s going to be killed!” “That is unfortunate, but that’s how the cookie crumbles.” Gridlock huffed, “Sterling had a good run… but all good runs have to end sometimes. Just look at Dysley and all the others before him.” “Gridlock…” Harlhooves frowned. “You are un-bucking-believable.” Loveless seethed, “Sterling is in this mess because he was doing the both of you a favor! He and the rest of us went down to Neigh Orleans to retrieve your target for your project. Sterling’s life is possibly over, and you have the gall to complain about how much I wounded his attacker! Buck you! Buck you both!” With that, Loveless stormed off down the corridor. “...Hmm, this is strange.” Gridlock murmured. “What is?” Harlhooves asked. “Normally, if somepony like Loveless disrespects me, I'd throttle him.” Gridlock grimaced, “But right now, I feel… weird. Like maybe what happened to Sterling was our fault...” “I think it’s called remorse.” Harlhooves pointed out. “...Are you sure? Because I kinda think it would be something like heartburn…” Gridlock frowned. “Nope, it is certainly remorse.” Harllhooves sighed, “Because Loveless is right. Sterling went after Erlenmeyer as a favor to us, as a friend and comrade, and now, he faces certain death.” “Yes, Loveless made that abundantly clear.” Gridlock grunted. “And yet we were only concerned about our own project.” Harlhooves said shamefully, “You know, Sterling would have felt the same way if we had gotten injured doing something for him. Like it or not, Sterling’s situation is on our head.” “Buck… you’re right.” Gridlock growled in frustration, “Sterling is a damn softie, but he’s somehow the pony I tolerate the most.” “...We have to do something.” Harlhooves declared, “Sterling doesn’t deserve to go out like this. There has to be a way to help Sterling and his bum hoof.” “You know, there just might be.” Gridlock smirked, as an idea formed, “Because I know two brilliant stallions who just happened to begin development on a certain serum.” “Indeed.” Harlhooves smiled back, on the same track, “A serum that could more than certainly do the trick.” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Gridlock asked, “Let’s get cracking!” The two stallions walked off, determined to settle a debt and aid their fallen comrade. The next day, Sterling once again made his way to Loveless's workshop. It took him a while as it has for the past couple of months, his walking abated with his bad leg raised. 'Look at me.' He thought. 'I can barely even walk anymore. I've become a joke...' Just before he entered the workshop, he heard familiar voices inside. "We know what you've been doing, Loveless." Nalik's voice growled. 'Nalik?' Sterling froze in place. 'What's that snob doing here?' Sterling sidled up to the door, and took a peek inside. Not only was Nalik in the workshop, but Solomon also. 'Both of them?' Sterling thought. 'What's the occasion?' "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Loveless said firmly. "Then let me make it clear." Solomon frowned. "We know you’ve been covering for Sterling these past few months.” 'What?!' Sterling gaped. "That's ridiculous." Loveless looked away. “Really? Then Sterling, with a bad hoof, managed to snipe that annoying senator Quick Step?” Solomon asked. “...Well…” Loveless trailed off. “How about the fact we caught a group of agents returning from a trip to Hollow Sides to deal with a group of renegade mercenaries, a mission that was explicitly given to Sterling?” Nalik growled. “Um…” Loveless murmured. "And how about the extortioners in Manehatten?" Solomon asked. "The ones Sterling supposedly beat with his bare hooves?" “What’s your point, you two?!” Loveless grunted. “The point is we know how Sterling has been filling his quota.” Solomon crossed his front hooves, “We know Sterling hasn’t been able to make it down to the Coils as often, on account of his hoof. And whenever a mission order is sent Sterling’s way, you intercept it, and pass it onto other agents.” ’So that’s why I haven’t been getting missions?’ Sterling thought, shocked, ’I don’t believe it… Loveless… why?’ “Okay, you got me.” Loveless frowned, “So what?” “Loveless, surely you're aware that this isn't allowed?” Solomon frowned, “Those missions were meant for Sterling. You can’t just send other ponies to do his job. Unless you ran it by Father, which I know you didn’t, because he wouldn’t allow it.” “Well, what else was I supposed to do? Sterling hasn’t been the same since the incident.” Loveless growled, “How is he expected to complete some of the missions with that hoof of his? I was only trying to take off some of his burden.” “All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable.” Nalik scoffed, “The moment that mudpony got his hoof chopped off, his days as a Forefather became numbered. It’s only a matter of time before Father catches on and has somepony deal with him.” "'Deal with him'?" Loveless scowled. "You speak of him like a he's a sick pet!" "He might as well be, considering the way you're coddling him." Nalik mocked Loveless. "You defy Father himself for Sterling, even though he's not as useful as he once was." "He's still our comrade." Loveless snarled. "He's broken." Nalik scoffed. "And what do you do when something's broken? You throw it away, like the worthless piece of trash it-" Suddenly, a strong hoof collided with Nalik’s face. “AUGH!” Nalik groaned, clutching his now bleeding snout, tears springing to his eyes as he glared at the fuming Loveless, “You broke my nose, you bottomless piece of-” “Say another word about Sterling, and I will add your hooves to a list of things that will be broken!” Loveless roared. “Take it easy, Loveless!” Solomon urged, “Take it from me, you don’t want to have to go on a mission with him because he ticked you off… no matter how much he’s begging for a kick to the nuts.” “Oh, thanks a lot!” Nalik cried through his hooves. "I feel for you, Loveless, really, I do." Solomon admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're risking everything for Sterling is good. And I hate to be blunt, but it's clear that his career is finished. You have to accept that. Better now than later." Sterling couldn’t bear to hear any more. 'They... They're right.' Sterling walked away from the door. 'I'm done. Finished...' Overwhelmed by despair, Sterling decided to go back to his room and mope. He was barely halfway there when he was intercepted by Harlhooves and Gridlock. "Ah, Sterling." Harlhooves smiled. "Just the pony we've been looking for." "Not now, guys." Sterling frowned. "I'm really not in mood right now." "I have a feeling you will be." Harlhooves grinned. "Once you hear what we have to say." "It better not be another favour." Sterling growled. "Because I think we all know how the last one turned out." He gestured his bad hoof. "Funny you should mention that." Gridlock smiled. "Because we think we have something that should fix your little problem." "... Seriously?" Sterling froze. "How?" "Remember those notes you brought back?" Harlhooves prompted. "With them, we've been working on a new serum. Just like the one Erlenmeyer was working on. One that can heal wounds, and restore even so-called permanent damages." "You mean it?" Sterling could barely believe what he was hearing. "This isn't just some kind of sick joke?" "Give us some credit, kid." Gridlock chuckled. "The fact is, pulling off that favour cost you more than we ever wanted you to. This is our way of making things right." "So, what do you say, Sterling?" Harlhooves urged. "Are you willing to be our test subject?" "Yes." Sterling nodded without a second's hesitation. "Let's do this." "Then come with us, kid." Gridlock smiled. "Time to settle a debt." Sterling followed Gridlock and Harlhooves to their lab. It was larger than Doc's with far more chemicals, and a quarantine zone behind a sealed door. "Right this way, Sterling." Harlhooves directed Sterling to a chair. The chair had several tubes attached to a needle by one of the legrests, which ran up to three vials of liquid, each a different shade of green. Right next to the chair was a heart monitor, and other systems, much like the ones you would find in a hospital. “So… how does this work?” Sterling frowned. “Well, to begin with, Erlenmeyer was on the right track with her research.” Gridlock explained, “As you can attest, the serums she took made her next to impossible to kill.” “However, where Erlenmeyer slipped up was that she tested all the test serums on herself. The compounds in the different serums clashed with one another when she injected them all into herself, causing her brain to go haywire.” Harlhooves declared. "You can say that again." Sterling rubbed his hoof. "But we're going to do things a little differently." Harlhooves smiled. "After much research, we were able to pinpoint three key components of the serum that have proven to be most effective, and will definitely not overwhelm your system as it did Erlenmeyer. But to be on the safe side, we will inject them one at a time.” “And this will heal my hoof, right?” Sterling questioned. “That is our hope, yes.” Harlhooves nodded, “If things goes according to plan, you will be back to normal. And everything will be as it should be.” "Okay, let's get this show on the road." Gridlock slapped his hooves together. "Have a seat, Sterling." Sterling gingerly sat in the chair. "Now, fair warning, the chemicals will probably put you under for a little while." Harlhooves admitted, as he and Gridlock hooked him up to the devices. "That's to be expected, though." Gridlock added. "Your body will need some time to adjust to them, and to focus on healing, so being conscious won't be a priority." "You know, this chair kinda reminds me of the one I'd sit in during dentist appointments." He mused. He undid his sling, and extended his bad hoof, propping it under the needle. "Never was a fan of 'em." "I can assure you, this will be far less unpleasant." Harlhooves pledged as he lowered the needle into Sterling's hoof. "Here's hoping." Sterling winced slightly as the needle bore through his weakened flesh. "There ain't nothing for you to worry about, Sterling." Gridlock smiled. "It's true." Harlhooves agreed, his hoof reaching for the injector button. "Especially since your chances for survival for ninety-seven percent." “Yeah, I guess- hold on.” Sterling frowned. "You're saying I've got a three percent chance of dying?!" "Well, yeah." Gridlock shrugged. "But that risk is barely worth mentioning." Harlhooves declared, his hoof barely an inch from the button and closing. Sterling thought otherwise. “W-wait, I don’t want to go through with this!” He yelped, “Stop!” Sterling's protest came a second too late. Harlhooves hoof had already pushed the button, and the liquid from the first vial began flowing into his veins. "Whoops." Harlhooves cringed. "Great. Just great." Sterling growled. "Thanks for the warning." "Hey, Harlhooves said there was a chance of that stuff happening." Gridlock shot back. "It's not certain.” "Still would've been nice to know before you lured me in here." Sterling pouted. "It's going to be fine. "Harlhooves pledged. "Trust us, Sterling." Gridlock added. "We won't leave you out to dry twice." "Once was bad enough..." Sterling muttered. "If I die because of this, I'll be very upset." For a few moments, all was quiet. "Huh." Sterling shrugged, a little disheartened. "Nothing's happening. Guess the serum must be a dud." "Impossible." Harlhooves shook his head. "Maybe it just takes a while to get going." Gridlock suggested. Suddenly, Sterling started feeling groggy. "Oh, no. Here we gooo...." He murmured, slipping into unconsciousness. "There, ya see?" Gridlock smirked triumphantly. “Okay, the first injection is complete.” Harlhooves declared, “Now, onto the second vial…” Harlhooves pressed another button, injecting the second vial into Sterling’s hoof. “So… Sterling’s out like a light, huh?” Gridlock mused. “Yes. That seems to be a side effect that inflicted Erlenmeyer. Sudden bouts of unconsciousness.” Harlhooves explained, “However, Sterling should come to in about a few minutes.” "If everything goes as planned." Gridlock frowned. "I'm sure it will." Harlhooves declared. "Experimental as this procedure is, the theory is sound. Everything should be fine." Suddenly, Sterling's body began convulsing, and the heart monitor started beeping more rapidly. "No, don't..." Sterling mumbled. “Uh, is that a side effect too?” Gridlock’s eyes widened. "It shouldn't be." Harlhooves frowned. "Something isn’t right." He examined the equipment. "Sterling's body is reacting negatively to the first serum. Perhaps we should stop the procedure..." “Hold on, we can’t just stop halfway through!” Gridlock scowled, “Look, Sterling’s not dead yet! Maybe this is just the serum doing its’ job. I say we see this test to the end!” “But Sterling might not survive till then!” Harlhooves frowned. “It’s not like Sterling has much to lose, Harlhooves.” Gridlock rebutted, “If we pull the plug now, Sterling will not get better and he'll be killed anyway. Besides, how else are we going to perfect our serum?” “...Oh my Faust, you’re seriously more focused on the project?!” Harlhooves growled, “What about the remorse you felt earlier?!” "I feel bad for the guy, but we're past the tipping point here." Gridlock countered. "So you'd prefer he die to prove our studies?" Harlhooves scowled. "It's the best of a bad situation!" Gridlock declared. "Either way, we'll know how this all turns out!" "I doubt Loveless will see it that way!" Harlhooves yelled. Sterling's mind, seemingly ignorant of his body's condition as well as the two bickering ponies, was elsewhere. Sterling felt himself falling into a dark void. "Ahhh!" He yelled. "What's going on? Where am I?" At the center of the void, a bright light exploded, temporarily blinding Sterling. "Gahh!" He yelled. "Turn off the sun already." The light faded, and Sterling saw a vision of his family home. In a nearby window, snow was falling. 'What is this?' He thought. 'Am I hallucinating, or something?' As he tried to look around, he found himself looking into the face of his mother, Silver Cross. But she was younger, her face less harsh. Her face also seemed larger, as if he had shrunk. "Time for your bottle, Sterling." She held up a bottle milk. 'Is this... Am I?' Sterling thought as, through no will of his own, tiny hooves clasped the bottle. 'I'm a foal again?!' "How adorable!" Sterling's father, Green, entered his field of vision, also looking younger. "Isn't Sterling a handsome little one?" The face of Crystal as a young colt joined him. "Looks kinda runty, if you ask me." He sneered contemptuously. Before Sterling could react, his vision dissolved into a rush of colors. When the colors dissipated, a new scene was in front of Sterling: Crystal, a few years older, was glaring at him. "Did you use my drums while I was out?" He snarled. "No, I swear!" Sterling heard the voice of his younger self. "I don't believe you." Crystal said coldly. Crystal punched Sterling in the shoulder. "Ow!" Sterling's younger self yelped. "Ow!" Crystal repeated him mockingly. "Big baby!" He punched him again. "I-I'm gonna tell-!" Sterling's younger self began. "You're telling nopony." Crystal put him in a headlock. "Or you'll get worse than this!" He struck Sterling on the top of the head. "Argh!" Sterling's younger self screeched. "This is what happens to thieves and snitches." Crystal sneered. "Now take your punishment, ya wimp!" 'This wasn't the first time Crystal ever hit me.' Sterling thought sadly. 'But it was one of the worst. I really didn't touch his drums... And deep down, I think he knew that. He just wanted an excuse to hurt me.' There was another burst of color, and Sterling found himself stood in front of Silver. She had a report card in her hoof, scowling deeply at an "F". "You failed science?" She snarled. "How could you fail science?" "It's.. it's just so hard, mom..." Sterling's younger self said weakly. "I don't care." Silver spat. "You're a Cross, Sterling. You're supposed to excel. To be better than the common folk!" "I... I'm sorry." Sterling's younger self stuttered. "You're sorry, alright." Silver sneered. "A sorry excuse of a son. You're a disgrace to this family, Sterling. An absolute disgrace." 'Mom... how I hated you.' Sterling thought. 'But I was more afraid of you...' There was a further burst of color, and Sterling found himself in the wilderness outside the family home. ’The hell? Where am I now?’ Sterling glanced around, ’It looks like I’m outside Cairode but…’ Suddenly, Gold walked past him. ’Gold?! What is he…’ Sterling gaped, his eyes following Gold. The young colt was walking to a old well. He was wearing a small saddlebag, which held a small brown puppy doll. ’The well!’ Sterling gasped, as he let out a sigh of relief, ’Finally. A good memory…’ Gold gazed all around him, enjoying the outdoors. As he reached the well, he set his doll down from his bag and fished out a coin. He then climbed up the well, ready to drop the coin into it. 'Gold always liked making wishes on that well.' Sterling recalled. 'And they were always good wishes. Never any selfish ones...' Something caught Sterling’s eyes. Something that looked like a shadow began approaching the well. ’What the… what is that?’ Sterling frowned, a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. The feeling grew worse as the shadow neared Gold, who remained blissfully unaware of the thing approaching him. Suddenly, something began emerging from the shadow, something almost pony-like. Its hooves reached out towards Gold… ’No… no… not this… not again!’ Sterling panicked, as he screamed. “Gold! Look out!” However, Gold didn’t seem to register Sterling’s yell. "Gold!" Sterling yelled again. Sterling made to run towards his, but before he could, his back left hoof was suddenly severed. "Ahh!" Sterling dropped to the ground. "Seriously? This again?!" Erlenmeyer suddenly materialized, chainsaw in hoof. "Rarrrgh!" She snarled. "No!" Sterling kicked her back. "Have to save Gold..." As Sterling tried to crawl over to Gold, he grabbed by another familar face: Easel. "But why would you want to?" He taunted. "This is such a glorious picture of sorrow!" "Get off me!" Sterling struggled. "I have to help him!" "Funny, that." Blaze appeared, holding down another hoof. "I had to help my country, but you stopped me. And now, it's payback time." Another familar face joined in; Catapult grabbed Sterling's remaining hoof as Erlenenmeyer cackled madly. "You can’t save him, Sterling." Catapult taunted him. "You can't even save yourself." "No, no!" Sterling struggled in vain to escape. He looked over at the well. "Gooooold!" Unfortunately, his voice never reached Gold. The shadow’s hooves collided with Gold, and before Sterling's horrified eyes, Gold fell forward. "Ahhh!" Gold screamed. “Nooooo!!” Sterling screamed with him. Back in the real world, Sterling was convulsing. "Guh-Gold!" He gasped. "Gol! Guhhhl! Gullld!" "He's really losing it!" Gridlock yelped, concern overriding his scientific curiosity. "What do we do?" "I... I..." Harlhooves spluttered. Suddenly, Loveless came into the lab. “Gridlock, Harlhooves…” Loveless began, “I want to apologize for what I said before. I know you two didn’t meant for Ster-” He stopped mid-sentence, as he saw Sterling convulsing in the chair, and Gridlock and Harlhooves staring at him, like deers in headlight, “What the BUCK?!” "Um... hi, Loveless." Gridlock said awkwardly. "Never mind 'hi'!" Loveless growled. "What are you doing to Sterling?! What’s going on?!” “Well, you see, you thought about what you said, and we figured the best way to make up for Sterling’s injuries would be…” Harlhooves tried to explain, but as Loveless turned to glare at him, Harlhooves felt a chill on his spine, his voice becoming a squeak. “To test our regenerative serum on him?” "What?!" Loveless yelled. "What have you done to him?! What’s happening?!” “We don’t know. There’s seems to be some sort of side effect we didn’t account for!” Harlhooves stammered. “Well, get him out of that thing! And do it now!" Loveless demanded. “But w-we can’t!” Harlhooves protested. "There's still one injection left!” "We got no way of knowing what'll happen if we stop the test now!" Gridlock added, “You don’t want Sterling to get put down, do ya?!” “No, but I don’t want him to die like one of your Faust damn lab rats!” Loveless snarled, “This ends now!” Shoving aside the two ponies, Loveless wheeled over to Sterliing’s side, nearly ripping the needle from his hoof, seconds before the third injection could begin, as the contents of the third vial squirted all over the floor. Sterling’s convulsions soon came to a stop, the stallion growing limp, twitching only a little bit. "Sterling?" Loveless shook him. "Sterling, can you hear me?!" "Uhhh...." Sterling struggled back to wakefulness. "G... guh... Gold… Gold… Gol..." Sterling's head dropped down as he once again fell into unconsciousness. What seemed like an eternity of darkness and pain ensued. The next time he regained consciousness, Sterling found himself in his room. Ward was nearby, whining plaintively. Sterling gently stroked him with his good hoof. Sterling glanced up, seeing Loveless, not far from him, inspecting the broken blade he had brought back from Brayzil. "Hey, don't touch my stuff." Sterling joked weakly. Loveless turned around in shock. "You're awake!" Loveless turned around. "Thank Faust!" He went over to Sterling and hugged him. “Good to see you too, Loveless.” Sterling smiled, as they broke the hug, amd he let out a small yawn, “How long was I out?” “Twelve hours.” Loveless frowned, “After I found you in Gridlock and Harlhooves’ lab, I took you to the infirmary to have Doc take a look at you, and then brought you back here… I didn’t know what to do, Sterling. I was afraid you were never going to wake up.” “Loveless….” Sterling’s smile faded, guilt-ridden. “What were you thinking, Sterling?” Loveless asked, “Allowing yourself to be made into a guinea pig, and to those two of all ponies?” “I… I’m sorry, Loveless.” Sterling shook his head, “It’s just… I overheard the conversation you had with Solomon and Nalik… about how you were covering for me.” “Oh.” Loveless murmured, “So you heard all that?” “Yes… I’m not mad or anything.” Sterling admitted, “...If anything, I felt awful, letting you risk getting in trouble with Father, just so you can fulfill my quota and keep me from being put down.” “Well, you shouldn’t. You’re my pupil, and closest friend.” Loveless declared firmly, “You matter deeply to me. I care about you wellbeing, and your continued existence, and I'm willing to do anything to keep you safe. It's my duty, after all.” "I know." Sterling nodded. "That's why I was so worried when I found out you were allowing yourself to be used like that." Loveless declared. “But I wasn’t.” Sterling frowned, “After I overheard your conversation, Gridlock and Harlhooves came to me, telling me that they would be able to fix me. I know it was stupid and reckless of me to trust them…” He glanced at Loveless, his eyes misty, “...I just wanted to be the way I was again. I didn’t want to die.” “Oh, Sterling…” Loveless placed a hoof on his shoulder, “I’m just glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you…” “...Yeah, me too.” Sterling admitted, “But… if it makes you feel any better, the moment I heard there was a chance of me dying in there, I wanted to back out.” "That does make me feel better." Loveless smiled. "I was worried you might have lost your will to... you know." "Never gonna happen." Sterling grinned. At that moment Gridlock and Harlhooves entered the room. "Knock, knock!" Gridlock smiled. “Look who is awake!” Harlhooves declared. Loveless and Sterling turned to the two with fierce glares. Ward gave a small growl. "And how's our patient?" Harlhooves asked. "Fine." Sterling said coldly. "No thanks to you." "Now that's a little harsh." Harlhooves pouted. “I say it’s not harsh enough.” Loveless growled, his voice just as cold, “Considering you nearly got him killed twice, I’d say he is more than justified to be pissed.” “Really?” Gridlock scowled, “Sterling here gave consent to let us test the serum on him. We didn’t force him or anything.” “That you didn’t.” Sterling admitted, silently chastising himself, “But I would had never agreed if I had known there was a risk of death!” "It was only three percent." Harlhooves snorted. "Crossing the streets of Manehattan holds a higher risk of death." “Then what happened back there?” Sterling challenged, “According to Loveless, I was out for twelve hours! Something must had went wrong in there!” “Okay, so there was a slight complication.” Harlhooves sighed, “But nevertheless, you survived.” “Yes, but I came close to dying again, because of you two.” Sterling snarled, “And honestly, it’s getting real old.” “Well, you’re sounding real ungrateful, kid.” Gridlock seethed, “We were just trying to help you, so that you wouldn’t be put down just like that rich boy Dysley. We could have easily let that happen!” "I'm so touched." Sterling snarled. "Well, it doesn't sound like it." Gridlock sneered. "It sounds like you appreciate our efforts, you ingrate." Sterling’s eye twitched, as in a fit of rage, he grabbed the nearest thing… which was the lampstand next to his bed, and with a swing of a hoof, smashed Gridlock over the head with it. "Urgh!" Gridlock grunted, reeling back from the impact, as pieces of the lampstand flew everywhere. "Okay, now that was really uncalled for!" Harlhooves yelled. “Oh, you’re next in line, buddy!” Sterling threatened, pointing the leg of the lampstand (the only piece that remained) at him. “Hehehehe…” Gridlock suddenly chuckled, rubbing his head. “And what’s so damn funny?!” Sterling snarled. “...Gridlock? Are you okay?” Harlhooves frowned in confusion. “Oh, yeah…” Gridlock smirked, as he got back up, “Even better now that Sterling confirmed that our test was a success.” "What?" Sterling glared, “What are you talking about?!” “Um, Sterling…” Loveless spoke up, his eyes widened, “You just swung a fifty pound lampstand against Gridlock’s head… with one hoof.” “And not just any hoof… the hoof that ‘suffered’ from permanent nerve damage.” Gridlock grinned darkly. “I… I did?” Sterling held up the leg of the lampstand. Holding the broken piece was indeed the hoof that was severed from his body months ago. “You’re right… my hoof… it doesn’t hurt anymore!” “By Faust, it’s a miracle!” Loveless gasped. “Miracle my hoof.” Gridlock snorted, “We went to see Doc after you took Sterling to have him checked. We took the liberties of examining your vitals and we were pleased by what we saw.” “Indeed.” Harlhooves agreed, “Not only have the nerves in your hoof’s been completely restored, the muscle density has greatly increased, effectively doubling the strength within your left hoof before the injury. You can now say that you really pack a punch.” “Double the strength?” Sterling repeated, as he looked at the piece of wood in his hoof. With a single clench, the leg was snapped in two, “...Holy buck.” “This is wonderful, Sterling!” Loveless smiled, elated beyond all reason, “You’re good as new!” “Yeah, I really am, aren’t I?” Sterling mused. “Well, it looks like we are owed an apology.” Harlhooves grinned. "...I suppose so." Loveless said grudgingly. “Yeah…” Sterling cringed, “Sorry for hittin’ you with the lampstand, Gridlock.” "Heh, I've had worse." Gridlock shrugged. "Besides, that was just proof of how well our experiment turned out." "Indeed." Harlhooves nodded. "It seems missing out on that last injection had no adverse effects." "So the serum is a success, even if it was incompletely administered." Loveless pointed out. "How's that for a happy accident?" Gridlock chuckled. "...We'd better make a note of the results." "Good point." Harlhooves nodded. "We really must be going. Sterling, would it be too much to ask for a blood sample? Just to be sure of the results?" "I think that's fair." Sterling accepted. "Let's give Sterling a little space to recover, though." Loveless declared. "Of course." Harlhooves nodded. "Later, Sterling." Gridlock smiled. "Later, guys." Sterling waved. After they left, Sterling glanced at his restored hoof. 'Wow, this is more than I'd hoped for...' He flexed his newfound muscles 'Forget back to normal, my game's going to be on a whole new level now...' Outside, Loveless, Harlhooves and Gridlock were making their way down the corridor. "All in all, a very successful test run." Harlhooves declared. "No kiddin'." Gridlock chuckled. "Not to mention we cleaned the slate with Sterling." He patted Loveless on the shoulder. "Right, Loveless?" Suddenly, Loveless turned around, pressing a button, as two chair arms sprung out and grabbed them by the throats. "Urgh!" Girdlock grunted, kneeling down. "Agh! Loveless, wh-what are you doing?!" Harlhooves wheezed. “You miserable pieces of fecal matter...” Loveless seethed, hate in his eyes, “We almost lost Sterling today because of your experiment!” “Again, Sterling wanted this!” Gridlock snapped, trying to pry the chair arm off. But stopped soon after as the chair arm’s grip tightened. “You took advantage of a desperate boy, afraid of dying because of his injury! An injury that came about because of you two!” Loveless growled. “But everything turned out okay!” Harlhooves protested, panting under the arm’s grip, “In fact, Sterling is now more useful to the Forefathers with that hoof of his!” “Only because you two were lucky.” Loveless said coldly, “Let me tell you something, I never cared much for gambling, especially when it comes to gambling the lives of those I care about...” Suddenly, the chair arms pulled the two captive stallions closer, bringing them to Loveless’s eye level. “If you two ever, ever, use Sterling as a test subject for your little experiments again, I promise you, you won’t be lucky again. I will see to it that the two of you die a death far worse than anything Father could hope to muster up.” Loveless threatened, his voice fierce, “In fact, I don’t want you to ask Sterling to help you with anything you have planned ever again. What happened today will never happen again… not if I can help it… do I make myself clear?” For once in the two’s lives, they felt a twinge of fear, Loveless’s fierce blue eyes burrowing into their souls. "Y-yeah!" Gridlock gagged. "Perfectly clear!" Harlhooves choked. "Excellent." Loveless let them go. The two let out gaps, panting for air "Good day, gentlestallions. I will see you both at the next meeting." Without another word, Loveless rolled down the corridor. "Faust!” Gridlock gasped, rubbing his throat, “The buck was his problem?!” “I do not know.” Harlhooves admitted, freaked out, “But I do not doubt for a moment that if we defy him, he will make good on his threat.” "Then let's try to stay on his good side." Gridlock shuddered. "Agreed." Harlhooves nodded. "Besides, we have work to do." "Oh, yeah." Gridlock nodded. "That serum we gave Sterling was just the test run. Who knows what wonder we'll see once we've refined it..." "I daresay we'll find out soon enough." Harlhooves chuckled as they walked back to their lab. The next morning, Loveless visited Sterling once more. As he entered his room, he was quick to notice something was different. There were several broken bowls, cracked tankards, and even a dented lamp (no doubt a result of Sterling still adjusting the newfound strength in his left hoof). "Hello there, Sterling.” Loveless greeted, “I’m a bit afraid to ask… but what happened here?” “Heh, it’s the hoof.” Sterling held up his left hoof, “It’s been taking me all of yesterday to get used to having a hoof that is twice as strong as your other hoof. I’ve been breaking things left and right.” “So I noticed.” Loveless cringed, as he noticed Ward staring sorrowfully at a broken food bowl, “I really hope you hadn’t tried… ‘relieving’ yourself.” “Come on, Loveless, I don’t have a death wish.” Sterling rolled his eyes. “So… there hadn’t been any problems?” Loveless asked. “Aside from figuring out how I’m going to explain this to the decorator, no.” Sterling shrugged, “After the hell of a mind trip it put me through, I’m grateful.” "What do you mean by that?" Loveless questioned. “...It’s hard to explain, really.” Sterling sighed, “After the first dose happened and conked me out, I had this dream… at least, I think it was a dream. To be honest, I’m not sure what it was. It was as if I was seeing moments from my past, playing before me like some slideshow. Nothing real good… especially towards the end… with…” His head lowered, “Gold…” “Gold…” Loveless repeated, “When I got you out of that chair, that was what you said… in fact, you were saying it over and over.” “I was?” Sterling asked, as his face fell in sorrow, “Oh…” “...You know, I heard that name before.” Loveless recalled, “When I first read about your file from Deerbai, before we met. Gold… Golden Cross… he was your little brother, wasn’t he?” “Yeah. Yeah, he was.” Sterling nodded glumly. "I know you don't like to talk about your family much." Loveless noted. "Was Gold as bad as the others?" "Not even close." Sterling shook his head. "Gold was the best of us. His good nature and kind spirit put the rest of the family to shame." "It certainly sounds as though he was a decent sort." Loveless nodded. "Whatever became of him again?" “Gold died. Shortly before I was sent to Deerbai.” Sterling declared, his eyes misty. “He was only eight.” “Yes, that’s right.” Loveless realized. “I read there was an accident. That he leaned in too far and fell into the well.” Sterling let out a snort of derision. "Yeah, an accident." Sterling scoffed. "He just happened to fall into the well he climbed onto every other day." “...What do you mean?” Loveless whispered, “Is there something I don’t know?” “Just forget it.” Sterling shook his head, “No one bothered to listen before, and there’s no point bringing it up now.” "Please, tell me." Loveless urged. "It might do you good to finally get it off your chest." “...Fine.” Sterling sighed, “...Remember when you asked me, after you busted me out of prison, why I burned down my parent’s house?” Loveless gave a silent nod. “...Well, I’ll tell you why…” Sterling said darkly. As the sun slowly set behind them, Sterling told Loveless the tale. As soon as Sterling finished his story, Loveless stood there speechless. “...Sterling…” Loveless whispered, “Sterling, oh Faust… I… I had no idea...” "Now you see why I don't like talking about it." Sterling sighed. "Because it's too painful to remember. I just want to forget it ever happened." "I know that feeling all too well." Loveless admitted. "And how did you deal with it?" Sterling asked. "It wasn't easy." Loveless noted. "But I learned that it's best to leave the past in the past, and that the only way is forward. You want to forget what happened? Then forget. Never let those thoughts cross your mind ever again." "Even thoughts of Gold?" Sterling asked. "Yes." Loveless nodded. "To spare yourself the pain of his unfortunate fate." "I guess it's worth a try." Sterling declared. "Indeed it is." Loveless said sagely. "You've been through enough pain already, I think." "No kidding." Sterling nodded. "But at least it's given me a chance to focus on what's important." "How do you mean?" Loveless asked. “I’m talking of Project: Maelstrom.” Sterling announced, “I’m ready to start it. I’m planning on speaking with Father tomorrow.” “You are?” Loveless said, surprised, “So soon?” “Yeah.” Sterling nodded, “Spent most of last night and today catching up on my research. To be honest, I was just about done with the planning before the whole thing with Erlenmeyer happened, and it wasn’t till last night that I finally found the determination again to finish it. And now… I truly feel like I’m ready.” “That’s… that’s wonderful, Sterling.” Loveless beamed, “If you are truly ready, then I wish you the best of luck… would you like me to accompany you when you go to speak with him?” “Thanks… but no thanks.” Sterling shook his head, “You had done enough for me these past months, and I will always be grateful for that. But this is something I will have to do on my own.” "Well… I can respect that." Loveless nodded politely, "So… any doubts?” “Not a one.” Sterling shook his head, “I’ve got a good feeling about this, Loveless. After everything that had happened lately, I feel that things are finally going my way. And now is a better time than any to set forth and seize my destiny!” "Faust knows you deserve it." Loveless declared. "You go for it, Sterling! May the odds be in your favor." "Thanks, Loveless." Sterling nodded. "I have a feeling luck's on my side..." The next day, Sterling found himself in a long and dark hallway, leading downwards, the only source of light being the lit lanterns on the walls spread throughout the corridor. A long while ago, when Sterling first became Ouroboros, he once asked where Father went when he was not in the Coils. His fellow Ouroboros replied that Father rest within the lowest sanctums of the Infinity, having a chamber isolated from the rest of the organization. And that the only way to access it was through a hallway at the far end of the upper levels, a hallway that many came to call ‘The Hall of Judgment’. It was a place that agents would dare go through only if they truly felt they needed to speak with Father. And considering how lonely the corridor felt, that rarely ever happened. Sterling made his way down the path, he heard ominous string chords. The unseen music sent a chill up his spine... then he saw a Unicorn stallion playing a violin. “Lemme guess… background music?” Sterling deadpanned. “That’s right.” The violinist nodded, “...If you’re looking to reach Father, his room a little further that-a-way.” He gestured further down the hall. “Oh, thank you… and keep up the good work.” Sterling shrugged, as he continued on his way. Soon, Sterling came upon a set of doors, framed by what appeared to be silver serpents. “Okay, the moment of truth.” Sterling huffed, “...Here goes nothing.” Sterling placed his right hoof on the right door’s handle, pulling it open, as he slipped into the room. “Whoa…” Sterling whispered. The room was more spacious than Sterling thought, with severalstone columns lined up at the sides. Between each of the columns was a painting of some sort. One painting in particular caught Sterling's eye; It depicted many strange creatures, two of which seemed to be flying serpents. 'Father has a strange taste in art.' He thought. In the center of it all was a lonely wooden throne with intricate carvings… and seated upon it was Father, examining scrolls… until he took notice of the pony in his presence. “Ah, Sterling.” Father noted, furling up the scroll, as it vanished into thin air, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” “Um, hello, Father.” Sterling gave a small bow, “I hope I am not bothering you. I hear you don’t like to be disturbed.” “It is alright, my son.” Father nodded, “I do not usually receive visitors to my personal chamber. When I do receive them, it is because they wish to ask me of something… is that why you have come?” “That is correct, sir.” Sterling winced a bit, “I wanted to talk to you about something.” “In that case, please…” Something glinted from under Father’s hood, as suddenly, a table materialized in front of him, followed by a chair seated across from him, “Take a seat.” Sterling did as such, easing himself into the seemingly cold wooden chair. He turned to Father, and was about to begin talking when... “I have heard about what has transpired between you and Gridlock and Harlhooves.” Father began. “Oh. Really?” Sterling frowned. “Yes. And I do apologize for those two’s reckless actions. I do not condone experimentation on my followers, whether or not they had consented beforehand.” Father said firmly, “If you wish, I could apply disciplinary actions upon them, so they do not think to do this again.” “I appreciate the sentiment, sir, but that won’t be necessary.” Sterling shook his head, as he glanced at his left hoof, “Even though I didn’t like almost dying again, something good did come of this.” “On that, we can agree.” Father smiled, “I do not believe you needed a stronger left hoof to be the agent you are, but I cannot deny that it would make you a greater boon than you already are.” “Thank you, sir.” Sterling nodded. "To be honest, I'm just glad that my hoof actually works again." "As am I." Father nodded. "And if I may say so, sir, this is a magnificent chamber." Sterling declared. "Worthy of your greatness." "If only greatness were my goal." Father declared. "This place is more of a safe reruge for when I need to be alone with my thoughts. I appreciate the efforts you and the others put into our goals, but sometimes, I require some peace and quiet... and the time to admire some of the treasures I've acquired over the years." He waved a hoof at the walls. "Those paintings, for example. Each one hoof-chosen by myself to adorn these walls. Feel free to take a closer look, Sterling." "They certainly are a sight, sir." Sterling nodded. As Sterling glanced at the paintings, he saw one that depicted pony whose body was in twisted agony. The style was very familiar to him... “Hey…” Sterling leaned towards the painting. “Isn’t that…” “Ah, yes, a painting from the late Easel Muse.” Father declared, “The stallion was mentally unwell and a cold-blooded murderer… but I sincerely believe all artists deserve to be remembered for their work.” “Well, I guess you’re right.” Sterling frowned, glancing away from the disturbing painting. “...But since you brought up Easel… I want to discuss something important.” “Is that so?” Father mused, “Go on…” “You see, sir, that mission with Easel Muse has gotten me thinking, and in the months that followed, I’ve been researching the remaining notes of Flatfoot, the dark magic researcher, for a possible project.” Sterling announced, “A project that I believe will benefit our cause…” Sterling quickly summarized his project, how they Forefathers could have their own group of loyal Maelstroms under their command. “Hmm, interesting.” Father declared, “So your project revolved around recreating the circumstances of Easel Muse’s birth, a union of a Nightcrawler and a magically gifted pony, so to produce a Maelstrom.” “That is the gist of it, yes, sir.” Sterling nodded, “And with that Maelstrom, we could possibly create more. With an army of Maelstroms, we could become a force to be reckoned with. What do you think?” "Well, this is an interesting possibility." Father declared. "You really think so?" Sterling smiled, elated. "I do." Father nodded, “You certainly put a lot of thought into this.” “Thank you, sir…” Sterling nodded, before frowning, a bubble of doubt rising up within him “You don’t think it’s a little too ambitious?” “One would say ‘ambitious’. I’d say ‘visionary’.” Father countered, “The Forefathers had contemplated the uses of a Nightcrawler, and while there has several endeavors to harness the power of a Nightcrawler, none of them had bore fruit. But with your project, we could create a Maelstrom, the strongest kind of Nightcrawlers around, bringing true might to our organization. If your project comes to fruition… you could spearhead a new generation of powerful agents, dedicated to our cause.” “Well, that was the idea, sir.” Sterling smirked, relieved, “I figured even if we had only a pony as powerful as Easel on our side, our team would be better for it. But if we had ten, twenty, or even a hundred…” “I can see your logic…” Father acknowledged, “But… I can also see the dangers of attempting to wield the power of a Maelstrom. A Maelstrom, no matter the power, is still an equine being, and is capable of free will. What will you do should a Maelstrom think to rebel against us? Such power on our side is desirable, but if it were to be turned against us..." "I don't think it'll come to that, sir." Sterling declared. "If the Maelstroms are born within our ranks, raised by our comrades, they can be taught our creed at a young age. They will believe in it as steadfastly as the rest of us do. And yes, there is a chance of them turning on us… but that is a risk I will have to take. It’s like they say: sometimes a little risk leads to a big reward." He looked fondly at his repaired hoof as he said this. “Indeed.” Father nodded, “However, there is another factor to consider…” “Another factor?” Sterling frowned. “Your project calls for a child to be born and raised by the Forefathers.” Father explained, “Do you believe that the parents will consent to having their child taken from them to be raised to fight for the Forefathers? What do you intend to do with them once the child is born?” "Well, I, er..." Sterling paused for a moment. That thought hadn't until ocurred to him until that moment. "...I'll... have them dealt with." "Is that so?" Father mused. "Are you fully willing to do what is absolutely necessary when the time comes?" "I'll do what I must to ensure this project's success." Sterling responded. “...Very well, then.” Father mused, “From this moment forth, you have my blessings to put your Project: Maelstrom into motion." "Thank you, sir." Sterling beamed, mentally jumping for joy, "I don’t really have a schedule or anything, so I don’t know how long the project will take. So it might take a while.” "Time is of no concern to me." Father said cryptically. "I have more patience than you can possibly imagine." "...Okay then." Sterling nodded, confused but pleased. He got up from his chair, “Thank you for your blessings, sir. I promise, you won't be disappointed." "I'm sure I won't be." Father declared. As Sterling departed Father’s chamber and the ‘Hall of Judgment’, he was greeted by Loveless, who was waiting outside for him. "So?" Loveless smiled, his hooves tapping excitedly. "How did it go? Did Father say 'yes'?" "He sure did." Sterling grinned. "Excellent!" Loveless cheered. "Yeah, I thought so too." Sterling chuckled. "This is it, Loveless. This is my claim to fame. I can feel my destiny drawing. Project: Maelstrom is going to change my life. I just know it." "So do I, Sterling." Loveless agreed. "This one moment is going to lead to great changes for all of us. Big things can have small beginnings." "And this is mine." Sterling said proudly. "The future is wide open. Whatever happens, I'm ready for it."