//------------------------------// // Chapter Two - Sands of the Wither World // Story: Fairlight - Memories of a Perfect Sky // by Bluespectre //------------------------------// CHAPTER TWO Sands of the Wither World I walked on. With no sense of direction in this lifeless place, let alone any notion of time nor distance, it was all I could think to do to stop myself from going mad from sheer boredom. My hooves plodded onward seemingly of their own accord as my mind wandered off on its own course, away into a world of memory. I would have said I was weary I suppose, but that would have been an out and out lie. As strange as it may sound, I didn’t feel any fatigue at all, and I hadn’t even got a clue as to when I’d last eaten or drank. Oddly enough the thought of food and drink came to me now as an almost alien concept. Good gods, I’d only been here five minutes and even the mere thought of eating was like trying to explain what it was like to fly when I had no wings. After all, would a fish have an understanding of what it was to soar through the air like a bird? Mentally I caught myself; I had heard of flying fish so that probably wasn’t the best analogy I could have conjured up. Still, at least it was distracting my wandering mind from dwelling on the barely restrained fury that was boiling away in the background of my soul, reminding me unceasingly of its existence. I imagined it to be something like a small, hard, ‘ball’ of anger - a manifestation of all the pain and despair I had suffered. The same pain and despair that was now waiting impatiently to be visited upon the scum who had sentenced me to this… this… whatever the hell ‘this’ was. My hooves trudged on. One after the other, after the other, after the other. The light here never changed, did it. I began to wonderd how long I had been walking for now. Was it hours or days? Maybe even weeks? Who could say? I wasn’t tired, so I just walked, one leg in front of the other. Thud. Thud. Thud... The sand crunched slightly beneath my hoof steps, the only sound I could hear other than my steady breathing. Come to think of it, did I even need to breath here? After all, my body was... well, gone I suppose. No doubt it had been burnt to a crisp back in the old wooden cabin. It would save somepony the trouble of cremating us anyway, so that was handy for them. I stifled a chuckle as a lump came to my throat. Thud. Thud. Thud… The image of a green mare, her pale green mane blowing in the breeze, entered my lonely mind. With little distraction here in the emptiness I could focus all my attention on memory, recalling her every detail, no matter how small. I closed my eyes and let my body find its own path whilst I drowned myself in memories of a summer day…. The day in question had been hot - too hot for any sensible equestrian citizen to be wearing a heavy woollen tunic, yet there I was looking like I was ready for the onset of winter. Already starting to sweat profusely after only being on duty an hour or so, I took shelter beneath a large oak tree and almost immediately felt the relief of its cooling shade. But it wasn’t enough. Perspiration was soaking into the wool and making the tunic heavier than It was already, and I downed half my canteen of water to try to keep at least partially hydrated. I pulled out my tunic collar with my hoof, trying desperately to waft some cool air down my front to provide some relief from the stifling heat. Whoever thought it was a good idea to design tunics in thick wool cloth for creatures that were already covered in fur needed publicly flogging. Oh sure, they were great in winter, but in summer? Give me a break! Across the manicured lawn from where I was stood, a group of ponies were setting up a picnic. They were all sat around the edge of a large red and white checked rug, with a selection of plates and neatly arranged cutlery. As I watched, the brightly coloured ponies opened their hampers and placed the food before them: cakes, sandwiches, pies and, I noted with a jealous gaze, a pitcher of what looked like lemonade. The outside of it was frosted, a tiny dribble of the liquid slowly rolling down the outside. I could imagine ice clinking inside, cooling the delicious beverage to the perfect temperature. Someone in their party was quite the clever clogs with magic to manage to pull that off on a day like today. Or any day for that matter. Feeling increasingly thirsty, I wondered whether I could be brazen enough to ask for a glass, but quickly quashed that thought. It wouldn’t be right to simply trot over there and ask, but, that little voice said at the back of my mind suggested, surely they wouldn’t mind would they? I mean, come on, it’s a lot of lemonade to go around and you would be able to speak to them. You know you’d like too, right? The problem was, I really would have liked to. Very much indeed. At least, that was right up until one of their number, a ludicrously pink pony with an equally wild pink mane, began performing cart wheels around them. She crashed unceremoniously through the group, splattering chocolate cake frosting in all directions and raising shouts of outrage from the assembled mares. A particularly large dollop flew into the mane of a particularly elegantly coiffed white pony, eliciting a shriek of horror. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the spectacle and suddenly realised that if even for a few seconds, my mind had been completely taken off the cloying heat of the day. Just then, a deep rumbling shook the tree I was sheltering beneath, rustling its leaves. The mares looked up to the sky, the lavender coloured one quickly levitating the remnants of the crockery and leftovers back into the hampers. Moments later the deluge began. I’d rarely seen its like; the rain came down in large meaty droplets, hammering the ground and obscuring my sight of anything more than twenty feet away. The colourful troupe had now fled for cover anyway, and my plans to continue my rounds had been brought to an abrupt and very soggy halt. I didn’t much care really, there was a strangely mystical calm standing there beneath the oak - a pleasant smell of grass, rich soil, bark and leaves mingling with the fresh rain. I looked up, closed my eyes and felt the water dripping though the canopy of leaves onto my face. Standing on my back legs, I raised up my forelegs and whooped aloud. “This is what its all about!” I laughed to myself, revelling in the wildness of the smells and the sounds surrounding me. “Feels good doesn’t it?” I nearly fell over backwards. Looking round at the intrusion to my foalish display, I came face to face with… a large brimmed straw hat. A delicate green foreleg appeared and tilted the hat back, revealing a pair of deep yellow eyes and a somewhat sardonic smile. “I… erm… yes,” I stammered. “Yes it does. Very good actually. Um… yeah.” Very smooth! The mare giggled girlishly, holding her hoof up to her mouth then turned to look out across the field. “Which one did you have your eye on then?” she asked in a disinterested manner. My mouth opened as I began to speak but no words came out. Perhaps it was just as well too. Unfortunately however it also meant that I ended up standing there with my mouth hanging open like a landed fish, until I shut it with a snap. “I- What?!” I blurted. The mare laughed out loud, stomping her hooves on the ground in glee. “Oh, you are fun!” she beamed happily. “Look, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist teasing you. I’m in one of those moods today. But don’t you feel it too? The sun, the blue sky, the rain. It’s all so… alive!” She turned a glowing smile on me and I looked down at her, feeling as though I were falling into those deep yellow orbs. “Yes,” I replied unable to break the gaze. “Yes, I do.” As the moment passed, the mare turned away from me. I smiled sadly to myself, expecting her to simply walk off into the rain. But then... she paused. With a movement that made me start, she turned back to me and grabbed my hoof in hers for a vigorous shake. “MEADOW!” she said in a squeaky voice before clearing her throat and trying again, “Meadow. My name is Meadow. A pleasure to meet you sir.” A slight blush rose to her cheeks as she said, “I beg you to forgive my forwardness.” With a lot more confidence than I actually possessed, I cleared my throat and bobbed my head, “Fairlight, Miss Meadow. A pleasure, likewise, to make your acquaintance.” I tried a smile that probably came out as more of a grimace, but it was the best I could muster right then. “Please, there’s nothing to forgive. Rather, I would say that you’ve brought a ray of sunshine here with you through the rain storm.” Oh goddesses, that sounded so cheesy! I mentally cringed, my self esteem diving for cover behind the settee of helpless libido. But instead of running off or worse, laughing at me, she actually smiled; a smile that melted my heart and made me feel like I wanted to run around in circles shouting for joy. I had never felt anything like this before in my life! “Fairlight.” Meadow hummed to herself for a moment, apparently contemplating the name. “I’ve never met a Fairlight before,” she said absently. “Sunlight, Moonlight, Light Ray, but no Fairlight.” She looked out across the lawn once more. My heart was racing and my blasted mind a totally befuddled mess. I desperately wanted to say something, anything, to keep the conversation going. Provided it wasn’t another crappy chat up line, I thought I might just be able to pull it off. “What’s that uniform you’re wearing?” she asked me suddenly, “If you don’t mind me asking sir?” The forward little mare peered closely at my tunic, almost sniffing the material and silver buttons. Come to think of it, I think she actually was! Great alicorn feathers, I could feel my cheeks burning and I was convinced I must have been blushing like a firefly’s backside. Just then a whiff of orange blossom perfume caught my nose, sending my heart pounding into overdrive. “I’m with the watch, Miss Meadow ma’am,” I said nearly choking on my own tongue. “I’m on attachment to Ponyville until the Autumn.” “Ah,” she nodded knowingly. “So, what will you be doing then, Mr Fairlight of the watch?” “I’ll be re-assigned Miss. Hopefully back to my home town.” I looked back to where the ponies had been enjoying their rather short lived picnic, and further, to Ponyville in the distance. I could just make out the outlines of the buildings from here. “I do so like it here though.” I almost whispered the last words and I noticed her peering at me with a quizzical expression. “I see,” Meadow said quietly. Suddenly perky once more, she picked her hat up and rammed it back on her head, adjusting the bow beneath her chin. “Tell me, Mr Fairlight of the watch...” A wry smile curled her lips, “What would your marefriend think of you chatting with a single lady under a tree in the rain, hmm?” “I don’t have a marefriend,” I answered truthfully. The green mare turned away, pulled her saddle bag tight and looked ready to plunge out into the rain. I sat down on my haunches. Another chance lost, I lamented and felt the pit of self pity beckoning me in. Damn it all, I was useless with mares and once again I’d buggered the whole thing up. “I like to come here for my lunch breaks,” Meadow said in a nonchalant voice not even looking at me. “I’ll be here tomorrow around the same time. If you’re passing, you can tell me more about the watch. Oh, and I’ll bring some sandwiches with me too. You look like you need a decent diet.” She laughed out loud and with a flick of her tail, galloped off into the rain. As she disappeared from my sight, hidden by the downpour, she looked back at me over her shoulder and called out, “And bring a brolly!” I grinned like a foal who’d just been given his first nightmare night treats. Well, that was a surprise, wasn’t it! Dear goddesses, a mare liked me. She actually, really liked me! Oh, my gods above! Abandoning all professionalism and decorum, I dropped to ground and rolled in the wet grass, covering my uniform in muddy, grassy goodness. I didn’t care any more. Nothing could ruin this day for me now. Meadow, eh? Woo hoo! Roll on rain. Roll on... ******************** Everything comes to an end sooner or later, even memories. Usually when I was lost in thought I ended up bumping into something, not coughing up a mouthful of water. Flailing my legs to try and get a purchase on anything solid, reality slammed back in around me with all the subtlety of a flying house brick. Luckily I hadn’t blundered far into the… river? It certainly looked like one, although the ink black water was hard to differentiate from the black sand, black hills, black sky, and whatever else was out there that was a variation on a theme of black. The décor was beginning to wear on me, and reminded me of this peculiar gothic mare I’d met in Manehattan some years ago. Skulls, black curtains, dark purple walls and blood red carpets made the interior of her house look like a funeral parlour. Apparently somepony had broken in expecting to rob the place. Instead, the poor sod had bumped into the pale grey owner with her nearly black eyes and ran out into the street screaming. They were pulling him pieces of him out from under the tram for days. Still, at least the mare’s house had ‘features’, if you like plastic skulls and things I suppose. By comparison this place was nothing but... well, lots of nothing really. Gods, somepony seriously needs a word with their designer. Opting for a little variation I changed direction and began walking along the edge of the river. With no wind everything was as still as the grave, which was probably what drew my eye to the barest movement on the water. Barely a ripple in fact. Normally I wouldn’t have been bothered by such a thing in the slightest, but what the hell was normal about my situation? I decided to keep a wary eye on it just in case. I’d heard of creatures that would hide beneath the surface of rivers in Equestria pretending to be logs, that would then leap out and snatch a pony in a whirlwind of teeth and snapping jaws. Ah yes, the good old Everfree Forest - a top holiday destination if ever there was one. And who gave it that bloody name anyway? It sounded all nice and peaceful and tree-huggy. There was a distinct lack of anything in that name that suggested being torn apart limb from limb by hungry predators. And unfortunately, that had happened on far too many occasions to my knowledge alone. Good grief, the watch wouldn’t even go in there unless they had the army with them, and it was an almost guaranteed body retrieval. Nopony in their right mind went in there unprepared. Speaking of being killed, I wondered if I could actually die here. Being dead wasn’t quite as final as I’d thought, apparently. But other than not being hungry, tired or thirsty, I felt very much physically alive. In any case, I didn’t fancy having to face going through that whole ‘dying’ experience again thank you very much. Knowing my luck I’d probably still end up here, I thought to myself cynically. Still, might be a different colour scheme next time round. “Off we go again!” I suppose I shouldn’t have spoken aloud, but did it really matter? I mean, who was going to hear me out here? I was in all probability going to go stark staring mad here sooner or later. Most likely sooner the way things were going. Bloody hell, I wondered if I would end up like great uncle Barrel Cracker? He was very fond of drinking was uncle Cracker; a bit too fond if I recall correctly. One day he had convinced himself he was a slice of lime and tried to jump into a glass of gin. Sadly for uncle Cracker, it turned out to be the town well. Couldn’t swim, poor bugger. Amazingly he didn’t drown though, Equestria was suffering a drought that year and the well was bone dry. Broke every bone in his body. At least I was in one piece, but goddesses, this endless walking was giving new meaning to the word ‘monotonous’. I had always been an organised sort of fellow. I kept notes, lists, reminders of thing to do and so on and so forth. With the amount of things I had to remember it was more a case of necessity than anything else. But if you were to ask me what I was planning on doing at this very moment in time, I would have had to answer truthfully - I had NO idea what so ever. Zero. The only thing I could do was keep on plodded along, following the bank of the treacle black river. How much time had passed was no longer of any importance. Nothing seemed to change here at all, and with no way of gauging it with no sun, sound, nor even something as simple as a breeze, it had become little more than a meaningless and ultimately forgettable concept. So, I filled my time the best I could with memories of my life, my work in the watch, and happier days with my beloved Meadow. Unfortunately, and rather worryingly, the more I thought, the more I found bits… missing. Just a little here and there, and probably more attributable to old age than anything sinister. Bloody typical, I thought to myself, ready for the knackers yard now eh, Fairlight? I let out a sigh. I had to try and do something to get out of this place. But how? I had no idea where this place was, or what it was, other than for some bloody silly name. I certainly hadn’t got the faintest idea of how to get out of here; if there even was a way out. Maybe this was it for me then. Maybe I was going to be stuck here, plodding along through nothingness forever, slowly losing my mind to the endless dark landscape. Most worryingly for me was that my mind was beginning to feel like it was emptying itself of coherent thoughts like an hourglass, my memories so recently regained now slipping from my mental grasp as easily as soap in a bathtub. After all that had happened. After all that suffering, grief and pain… I gritted my teeth; was I was going to lose even my memories? A small spark of panic flared up in me and I suddenly had the urge to run, to bolt screaming and cursing at the world: at Equestria, the princesses, that bloody stupid golden alicorn idiot, but most of all… those damnable two. That pair of evil filth: one red, one yellow. Without warning my knees buckled, sending me crashing muzzle first into the sand. Coughing mouthfuls of the dry, tasteless grittiness out of my mouth, I realised for the first time since arriving here, that I was tired. As much as a relief as you may have thought that would be to actually experience a physical sensation at last, a niggling thought at the back of my consciousness shouted a warning. Something was wrong. What it was however was a little harder to pinpoint now as a bone aching weariness washed over me with a wave of crushing lethargy. Oh Luna, did I feel tired! I could just close my eyes, right here, right now. It would be so easy to slow my breathing, to relax, and drift off into a land of… land of… “Oh, who cares?” I whispered to no-one in particular, and yawned widely. Flopping onto my side, I let myself slip away into a deep slumber, and was glad of it. ******************* Gods it it was cold out today. The sky was a uniform blanket of slate grey, smothering the city in its oppressive gloom. Thankfully it wasn’t raining for once, though the wind was annoying. I shook my newspaper to try and keep the page I was on from flipping back and forth as the breeze caught it. I’d been stood on the street corner for a little over two hours waiting for my contact to arrive. He was late, as usual. ‘Jumping Jack’ or ‘J.J’, as he enigmatically called himself, would call at the news stand and buy a paper and a hot bran roll with his morning coffee. When he finished the roll, he would drop the wrapper on the ground as he walked away. That would be my cue to pick it up, frowning at the messy young stallion and throw it in the bin for him. What a public spirited pony I am! Doing my part for a tidier Equestria. In more ways than one. Unfortunately I was now beginning to worry I’d gotten the day wrong. Not like me really, but this was very unlike J.J too. Normally he was an unusually timely fellow as a rule. Probably had something to do with that stopwatch cutie mark he kept trying to hide. Unsuccessfully, I thought to myself with a wry smile. I looked back at my cutie mark and sighed. It looked like a grumpy dog of some kind, or perhaps a cat? Celestia knew what it was supposed to be, I sure as hell didn’t. Speak Easy, that smart arse egg head who lived down in the basement of the watch house with the rest of his ‘technical team’, had come up with the transfiguration spell to conceal my identity. It was only a superficial spell, but worked well enough for this kind of operation. I was becoming quite well known in the underworld of Manehattan. A little too well known for my liking and, as it turned out, for my own personal safety. Meadow constantly fretted about me whilst I was out on a job, hugging me tightly whenever I had to leave on watch related business that would take me away from home for more than a day or so. Occasionally, she would hug me so tightly it felt like being beaten by a street thug would be a far less life threatening proposition. I wasn’t ignorant to her concerns of course. I could see the worry in her eyes, that watery, searching gaze that made me question my career choice. She would never question me directly though, she respected my decision and backed me one hundred percent in every endeavour I undertook. And selfishly, I loved her for it. She had only ever once tried to talk me out of the watch. It had been early in my career, the first time she had found me in the hospital after I failed to come home one evening. I had been in the watch ever since leaving school, and like many of my fellows I’d trained hard, pouring all my effort into becoming the best watchstallion I could be. My father had been promoted to Watch Captain at the height of his career and I wanted to serve Equestria as he had, following in his hoof steps. And besides, if it wasn’t for the watch I would never have met Meadow in the first place, on that rain soaked day when a certain bedraggled green mare ran under my tree and into my heart. From then on I’d dedicated myself all the more to becoming the best watch pony that Equestria had ever seen so I could provide properly for my family’s future. I was proud to serve, and I worked damned hard too. Tired and aching I may have been at the end of the shift, but I believed I was making a difference in my own small way. At any rate, that’s how Meadow saw me and that was all that mattered. But to hear her trying to persuade me to throw away all my years of training and the monumental effort I had poured into my career, to abandon everything I had worked so hard for, was simply overwhelming. I’d shouted at her. Unthinkingly, I yelled and berated her in a rage, explaining that this was my chosen career, this was how I put money on the table, that this was all for us, for her, for our future, to make our dreams become a reality. But had it really been all for her? For us? Or was it just for me? The angry, self centred watchstallion Fairlight. I will never forget the look on her face. She’d quailed, backing up with her ears down and tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t shout at me nor run out as I expected her to do, and Celestia knows I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had. Instead she’d smiled, brushed the tears away from her cheeks and, rising to her hooves, deftly picked up my hat from the bedside cupboard. “When I married you, Fairlight,” she said in her usual calm manner, “It was to accept you for who you are. Just as you accepted me for who I am. I want you so much to be happy, love, and I know this job means a great deal to you. I can see it in your eyes, that… that fire. I can hear the passion in your voice when you talk about helping ponies and protecting our home. It’s one of the reasons why I fell in love with you.” I stared at her unmoving, not knowing what to say. She trotted over and plopped my hat on my head, tapping it down with a heavy rap of her hoof. “But,” she said as she took my head in her forehooves, “I don’t like… THIS!” She waved at my bandaged body. “Next time,” Meadow continued, “come home to me in one piece, okay?” She smiled that special smile that she kept only for me, and my heart instantly melted. Tears began to well in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I clenched them tight shut, fighting the emotion that was threatening to boil over. “Oh meadow, I’m a completely arse. Look, I’m sorry, love, I…” I sniffed, “I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I’ve no excuses to give you that would seem right, right now. You know I’m not the brightest pony in the herd and I never seem to be able to say the right words to-” A hoof planted itself on my lips, blocking any further attempt at speaking. “Oh shush, dafty!” she chuckled. “I’m going out to buy you some proper food. This hospital stuff is only fit for animals.” And with that she picked up her saddlebags, threw them over her side, and made for the door. “I expect you to be better soon, Fairlight of the Watch.” Meadow winked at me, “We have a foal to make remember?” Wiggling her flank at me, Meadow lifted her tail to one side, giving me just the slightest glimpse of… Oh Luna! “Ow! Bugger it all,” I squeaked, my head connecting with the headboard, “Dammit...”. The door closed slowly, the mare’s laughter gradually disappearing down the corridor. I smiled to myself as the memories of that day faded away like morning dew. It had been a grey day outside then too. Back in the present however, the rain clouds had finally started to drift away. Not too many weather ponies around Manehattan today it seemed, but that was nothing new. The rest of the grey clouds, apparently tired of soaking everyone and everything, wandered off to annoy ponies elsewhere, and I was glad of it. That horrid grey overcast was gradually being replaced with a nice tidy blue, and even a little sunlight began to peek around the corner of one of the taller buildings. I peered over the top of my paper just as a white stallion with a purple mane and green eyes walked up to the paper stand. “Morning Gracie.” “Good Morning Mister Trace. Well today?” “Yeah, not bad, not bad. Usual please, flower.” The paper stand mare deftly hoofed over a steaming brown bag before grasping a coffee pot in her teeth. Carefully she poured out a cup for her customer. “Copy of the Enquirer too with that Gracie,” the stallion asked. ‘Mister Trace’ settled up his bill and quickly consumed his coffee and roll. Must have some throat on him, I thought to myself as he gulped the scalding liquid down in mere seconds. The roll went the same way, and just as fast. As he walked off he surreptitiously dropped the wrapper by my hooves and carried on walking. “Hey buddy!” I called after him, levitating it in my magic, but it was too late. The litterbug had turned a corner and was already out of sight. I scrunched up the paper bag and threw it in the waste bin. “Sorry about that, sir,” Grace called to me as I clucked my tongue in irritation. “I’ll have a word with him when I see him next.” I nodded my thanks to her and turned to walk away, straight into another white and purple maned pony. “Oh, what the hell!?” I exclaimed angrily. Half expecting it to be a magical reappearance of ‘Trace’, I was even more surprised to see a unicorn standing there who could have been his twin sister. The gorgeous mare with the most enchanting eyes I had ever seen looked up at me with an equally heartstopping look of surprise on her face. “Oh my, I am SO sorry! I really should have been looking where I was going. I do hope you’re not hurt sir?” she said politely. She must have been from out of town, I wasn’t used to ponies being so polite around here and it took me completely off guard. In fact one of the first things I’d discovered after to moving to the great metropolis of Manehattan, was that unlike the small town I was from, this was a city brim full of individuals. Full for the most part, of themselves. Gathering my wits I was surprised by a flower floating over the mare’s head and neatly landing in the band on my fedora. “All better now?” she smiled at me. I listened for the telltale hint of sarcasm and was pleasantly surprised, I discovered, to find none whatsoever. Dear gods, she was actually as sincere as one could be! Whoever said miracles didn’t happen in Manehattan? “Thank you Miss,” I blurted as she and her friends trotted past me. The eclectic group of mares seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. At least that was until a bright pink pony bounced past defying all the laws of gravity, with a chirpy “Cheery-bye mister!” There was a distinct lack of chocolate cake on her this time, but yes, these were the very same ponies from the picnic area in Ponyville. It really was a small world after all. I smiled to myself and folded the paper into my coat pocket. Looking around discreetly, I leant down to scratch my muzzle with my hoof, hiding the small piece of paper in my mouth. All thoughts of hygiene aside, I called in to the rest rooms of the local ‘Donut Joes’ and spat out the note. Written in pencil on a torn off piece of newspaper, J.J’s hoof writing was as neat and well laid out as always: Shire Wharf 2:00Am. Tonight. I incinerated the note with a quick burst of magic from my horn and flushed the resultant ash down the toilet. So, it was going to be tonight was it? The months of investigation, the late nights, the apologies to a sleepy Meadow for waking her up as I climbed into bed in the small hours of the morning - It was all going to pay off tonight. Back outside I leaned back against the stone wall of a tall dark building, feeling its cold seep through my coat. It felt good. Our backs had been to the wall for far too long, and now… now we were going to put a stop to these scum once and for all. You can but hope. The watch’s headquarters building in Manehattan was only a short walk away. It was a fairly modest place too; built, it would appear from the outside, by somepony who had been made to come up with ‘something’ that would do the job at the lowest possible price. Probably at spear point too, if the generally rushed and unfinished look of the place was anything to go by. The offices had always looked ramshackle, and just to add to the interesting ambience the enquiry desk sported years of battle scars from the kicks of angry detainees. Most notably, a very neat outline of a particularly large shoe was embedded right in the centre of the desk frontage. When I’d first started working here years earlier I’d thought it had been part of the design. That thought had been quickly dispelled around ten minutes later when the first unruly drunkard of the day had been dragged in and commenced kicking hell out of the desk. Today however, the poor sod in charge of that same desk was one who had worked here well beyond her capacity to care any more about such trivial things as a few dents. The tired cyan coated mare with a neat short white mane and glasses perched on her nose ruffled a sheaf of papers with one hoof whilst the other twirled a pencil in a casual display of balance I could only marvel at. Earth ponies! Always a surprise. “You’re back,” came the disinterested remark. “Nice to be back Shelly,” I smiled up at her. My smile didn’t make the blindest bit of difference to her expression. “Any good news for a change, or am I going to be having yet another all nighter?” the uniformed mare asked, her eyes boring into me. “My foal can’t even remember my face anymore you know!” I looked up dramatically to the ceiling and stretched my forelegs out to either side. “Your ‘foal’s’ in her teens!” I replied, feigning exasperation. I noticed other uniformed ponies looking up from typewriters, whilst others peered around doorways to watch the spectacle. Spars between Sea Shell and myself were almost daily entertainment in the watch. Shelly waved her forelegs in the air, “That’s not the point!” Then unexpectedly she paused, noticing that something was different. Placing her hooves on the desk she leaned towards me and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper, “Wait, don’t tell me. You better not be taking the piss Fairy.” The watchmare jumped as I banged my hooves on the desktop, a grin spreading across my face. “It’s ON!!” I shouted. And as one the whole office went up with a spontaneous barrage of papers, whooping and cries of joy as relief and congratulations filled the air. “Captain Fairlight?” A voice hard as steel boomed down from the balcony overlooking the foyer. A shadowed outline of a large stallion loomed over me. “When? Where?” “Two A.M, Shires Wharf,” I shouted back up, barely able to contain my excitement. Dear goddesses, I couldn’t believe my own words. This was finally it! “My office, Fairlight, and bring your officers. The rest of you…” He waved an expansive foreleg at the ponies entering the foyer, “Action plan ‘Haze’ is now in effect. Teams to be assembled by oh-eight-hundred. Shake a tail people!” The figure paused. “Shelly?” he shouted down to the desk mare. “Sir?” “Coffee if you please.” “Hey! I’m not your secretary, Mitre you old… oh, sod it!” Shelly clucked her tongue and tossed her short mane in irritation. “Never bloody mind, right? He never listens anyway, the old swine. I don’t know why I let him do this. Every bloody day…” I was glad I couldn’t make out the rest of the words as Shelly began one of her ranting mutterings. Almost mercifully she disappeared under the desk and the distinct clatter of crockery quickly began to echo around the office along with the loud bustle of the watch gearing up for a long overdue night of action. “Looks like you’re in for it when you get home, Chief,” I quipped as I reached the landing. “Probably, Captain.” Chief Mitre looked back at Shelly working below as he turned and headed back into his office. “Goddesses know she’s a rare one. She’s stayed with me when many a mare would have headed for the hills long ago. You still with that green filly?” I nodded, “Yes, sir. We’re very happy, thanks for asking.” “Good,” the big stallion huffed under his breath. “Finding a partner who understands what we do for a living isn’t easy, Captain, so take good care of her, she’s one of the good ones.” He looked away for a moment, lost in memory. “I met Meadow when she was a young filly. I worked with her father too, but that was a long time ago now. He was a good stallion Fairlight, one of the best I’ve ever met. His daughter takes after him in a lot of ways, and it’s only by the grace of Celestia she didn’t follow him into the watch.” The chief stopped in front of a framed black and white photograph of a group of young watch ponies. They were all grinning at the camera: young, fearless and bearing all the pride of youthful confidence. As I had myself when I’d first joined. Now, a few years on and sporting a healthy dose of scars and cynicism in equal measure, I wondered how the ponies in the photo would see Equestria now. Meadow had rarely spoken of her father, and what little she had told me did little to help me understand much about him or their relationship at all. Whenever I broached the subject, her eyes would take on a far away look, not dissimilar to the one on Mitre’s face right now. I’d decided to leave the subject until she felt able to talk about it, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t speak to my boss. Tentatively I asked, “You knew Chief Apple Pop, sir ?” Chief Mitre was looked up to by the watch in more ways than one. Physically he stood a good few hooves taller than the rest of us and his sheer size had intimidated more than one villain into surrendering without a fight over the course of his career. And Celestia’s ears, was I jealous of that! Sure, I could hold my own in a fight alright, it’s just that I’d rather not go home with loose teeth and broken ribs. Mind you, accepting nurse Meadow’s ministrations was well worth a knock on noggin or two. Most of the time at least. The big blue stallion gazed at the picture lost in thought, “Hmm? Ah, yes… yes I knew him. Pop was a tough little bugger. Not as tough as me of course,” he thumped his chest with a smirk, “but damned useful to have your back in a scrap. He was the kind of stallion that we could all have learned a lot from. A hell of a lot.” Mitre reached up to the photo and a wistful look crossed his face. Was that regret I saw in those big eyes? My curiosity piqued. “Sir?” I asked, “What happened to Pop? Meadow never told me. She always changes the subject whenever we touch on it.” Mitre paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at me. “I’m not sure I should be the one to tell you, Fairlight. When Meadow stayed with us after… what happened… she snuck into my office and read my report. Like the damned fool I am, I’d left the bloody thing on top of my desk instead of locking it away. It never occurred to me she’d even think to do it, but in any case I found her there crying inconsolably after one of the lads found her and gave me a call. Look, really, if Meadow hasn’t told you…” He paused. “Have you not thought that maybe it’s because she doesn’t want you to know, or that it’s too painful for her to talk about?” “I have thought about that, sir,” I said looking at the picture. “But I’d like to know nonetheless. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I’ll probably find out sooner or later either way.” The Chief of the Watch sank back into his old manticore hide chair. It let out a protesting creak as he leaned back in it and swung his hind legs up onto the desk. “Get me one of those will you?” he said motioning with a hoof. I walked over to a small wooden pot on the shelf and levitated out one of the chief’s favourite cigars. Placing the end in a cutter, I pushed down on the small plunger, snipping the end off neatly. Almost immediately the slightly sweet scent of quality tobacco tingled my senses, and I felt once more the familiar pang of longing for a smoke of those marvellous creations. Creations that I knew all too well Meadow would fillet me for smoking. The chief took the cigar from me and placed it in his mouth, inhaling deeply as I magicked a flame to the end. “Thank you Captain, you’ve done well,” Mitre said in his gruff voice. “Very well. If we pull this off tonight, I think we could be looking at a promotion for you. Oh, and a nice pay rise for you ‘two’. Maybe… three?” He chuckled, peering down his muzzle at me. “Not yet sir, and not for lack of trying either,” I told him a little dejectedly. Mitre thumped the desk and blew out a puff of cigar smoke, shaking his silver flecked black mane, “Hah! That’s the best part, boy! Don’t be in such a rush my young friend. Slow and steady; you know the rest.” “Yes, sir,” I managed. Shelly entered the room with a tray of mugs and oat biscuits whilst trailing behind her were three watch officers who halted at the door looking decidedly apprehensive. I quickly realised why… “What the buck are you doing with that thing in your mouth you old goat?!” The mare’s shriek of outrage made us all cringe back at the audible onslaught. “Do you know what those things will do to your lungs?! You’re half ready for the knackers now and you’re still on them? I thought you’d promised…” Shelly’s berating continued amidst the chief’s desperate attempts to placate his wife as I closed the office door behind me. “Captain Fairlight?” one of the younger officers asked as I turned to look at them. “Should we…you know?” He gestured towards the office. “Er, no,” I replied. “No, Lieutenant. I think we’ll just leave them to, shall we say, thrash it out.” I think I knew what sort of ‘thrashing’ was coming the chief’s way too. I sighed; I would have to ask about Apple Pop another day. Right now, duty called. “Gentlecolts.” “Sir!” the officers replied smartly, saluting as one. “Let’s get moving everypony.” I gave myself a quick brush down and head off. “We’ve a lot to do.” So much for the coffee and biscuits, I lamented trotting down the stairs. ******************** The night was clear, if a little windy. Rain I could stand, but wind? You try standing out in the dark with cold air blasting through your ears for hours! Eventually I’d decided to take up station in a musty abandoned tool shack, now used as a dump for damaged and unwanted dockers equipment. I had to watch my footing too, having nearly cried out in fright when a coil of rope slithered from its hook up in the rafters and brushed against my flank on its way down. An image of one of the innumerable species of deadly Everfree Forest snakes, fangs dripping venom, materialised briefly in my imagination. I stamped my hoof down hard on the thing, subconsciously ‘killing’ the snake and allowing my already strained mind to re-focus on the task at hoof. But sweet Luna, I was bored. We’d been here for several hours now, and still nothing. There hadn’t been even one iota of movement from the single warehouse on the wharf. Could my contact have had the wrong day? Maybe the wrong time? I began to question whether I had read the note correctly. Oh goddesses, had I blown months of investigative work through carelessness? “No”, I whispered to myself under my breath. This was the right place, and although we were past the time noted by J.J, we’d been here well before then and had been careful how we moved the teams into position too. Damn it all, this wasn’t the time to start doubting myself. It was the right day and the right time, though something, something I couldn’t quite put my hoof on, was ringing alarm bells in the back of my mind. I pushed the thought away and gave a snort; we were all on edge. I just had to keep focussed and ignore any extraneous thoughts, no matter how much they tried to intrude. The plan would work. The teams were assembled in what we called ‘packets’ across the wharf area. Signals would be given by magical flare and the watch’s trans-etheral devices, or ‘TED’s’ as we called them. These were handy little magical gizmos which slipped over ones head and ear - another crafty concoction of Speak Easy’s ingenious technical department. Once tuned to the crystals in the other devices, we could hear and speak to one another surprisingly easily. It sure beat the hell out of the ‘good old days’ of whistles, shouts, or screaming at the top of your lungs to one another. If I ever found out which of Speak Easy’s ponies had invented these, I’d kiss them. Metaphorically of course. I rubbed my forelegs together for warmth, never taking my eyes away from the window. It was dusty but I daren’t risk trying to rub it clean in case somepony noticed the movement. This night, or rather ‘morning’ as it was rapidly becoming, had to go without a hitch. Moving my hind legs to keep cramp at bay, the minutes ticked by and I resisted the urge to call up the other officers of the watch for reports on any movement. They were good, trained by Mitre himself, and I knew these ponies would do their part without any micro-management from me. The watch was like an extended family in some ways. We trusted one another with our lives, and we had literally, on occasion. Mind you, that was back when the majority of Manehattan’s reported crimes were nothing more exciting than stolen flowers, apples, or Celestia forbid, fashion designs! Things had sure changed since then, and not always for the better. A crackle from the TED caught my attention and I pressed a hoof to it. “Fairlight,” I whispered. The voice that came back sounded tense, “We’ve got movement from the river. Looks like a barge. No lights. I count four, maybe five on deck. Hard to see in this light Cap’.” Crumble Top was an experienced watch mare, a lieutenant with several years in the Manehattan watch alone. Her violet eyes never missed a trick and the ponies who knew her had quickly learnt never to try and sneak things past her vigilant gaze. I had always known her as a pony to rely on, her icy calm was infectious with the ponies around her and they trusted her implicitly. Tonight however, the strain in her voice was testament to the pressure we were all under. “They’ve got at least one unicorn with them,” she continued. “I can see the glow from here. They’re pulling in to the dock side now. Crumble out.” The TED went quiet. A few moments went by before the gruff voice of Cloud Spiral crackled, “Affirmative on the movement. Counting five ponies heading towards the warehouse. Unicorn up front with a lantern. Other four possibly earth type. Unknown if armed.” Another voice, Dawn Rush this time, “No pegasi detected. Maintaining perimeter sweep.” Silence. I had asked for minimal TED communications in case the targets had unicorns who could detect it. “Highly unlikely,” I had been told by the court procurator, “but still, a possibility. As their use is new, unicorns won’t necessarily know to look out for their magical wavelength.” Personally I had been a little unsure of these new devices initially, but their usefulness and efficiency however had proved to be exceptional. Still, I wanted to take as few chances as possible. I extended this to the ‘flying squad’ too. Dawn Rush was keeping her squad hidden in the clouds and stationed in the many dock cranes, as well as the buoys out in the bay. Any pegasus flying tonight ran the chance of being detected, even with little more than the light of the stars and moon by an eagle eyed pony. If our targets had pegasi of their own, they would more than likely be using them as scouts to check the wharf before docking. I knew from experience that these guys knew what they were doing, and to catch them we had to be one step ahead. Tonight, was that step. The ticking of my pocket watch sounded deafeningly loud as I plucked it out of my pocket. Time was getting on, but it was still pre-dawn. Late or not, these had to be our ponies. My hooves began to itch in response to my rising adrenalin. Hell fire, I could feel the seconds dragging inexorably by, clunking one after the other after the other. A slight shuffle behind me caught my attention. Looking round I saw watch sergeant Heather rubbing the sleep from her eyes before giving me a nod. She looked as tired as I felt, but the fiery blaze of determination in her eyes removed any shred of doubt about her resolve. I turned back to the window. Through the gloom I could make out the windows of the warehouse by the glint of moonlight off the glass. The building was in darkness, but not, I suspected, for much longer. Sure enough, the warm yellow glow of an oil lantern appeared, almost imperceptibly, through the dirty windows nearest the large waterside doors. The light disappeared, reappearing a moment later at another window as the lantern’s holder made their way through the cavernous building’s interior. I activated the TED. “Stand by. Stand by.” I slipped out my truncheon from a coat pocket. The cherry wood heirloom was dented and scratched from years of service. It was old, but still quite effective. Nicknamed ‘donkey wallopers’ by the watch, I wondered whether my trusty sidearm would have a chance to thump some ‘donkeys’ tonight. I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Behind me, the silken sound of Heather drawing her own truncheon was re-assuring. It was good to know somepony had my back; Meadow would kill me if I came back with more injuries for her to heal. I offered a silent prayer to the goddesses that everything would go without a hitch, and more importantly, with no casualties. Move quickly, surprise them, and they’d give up without a fight. We’d done it before and everything was in place to ensure it happened again. Of course, things never ‘quite’ went to plan, but improvisation was a skill encouraged within the watch. Mitre knew his ponies well. As did I. I could almost sense the tension building in my officers; the watch ponies with them would be preparing to make their move on their officer’s command. And there… there it was! The now unmistakable silvery-blue swirling light, radiating from the windows like a beacon from the beyond. It still filled me with wonder and awe every time I saw it, as well as setting my mane to quivering and my horn itching like the blasted thing was covered in fire ants. Catching one of these things still in operation was the trick, and we’d always been just that hairs breadth too late. Up until now the damned things were inoperable by the time we made our move, but hopefully tonight would be the night we got the drop on them. I hit the transmit button on the TED. “This is it ponies!” I said urgently, “Officers take charge of your teams. Stick to the plan everypony. Keep comms open, weapons out. We go on three. Three… Two… One… Let’s move!” As one, the well practised and co-ordinated ponies of the Manehattan Watch moved into action. Even now after all these years, the sound of dozens of ponies moving almost silently in to engage an opponent was a huge adrenalin rush. Most of the public had no idea what was going on right under their noses, and that was the way we liked to keep it. The days of finding lost kittens and birds was over; we all had to adapt to a new Equestria - one which I was determined to keep as safe as possible, for the future of everypony. Our black watch barding whispered as we closed on the building, every member of my squad barely visible in the moonlight but for the occasional glint of an eye or teeth gripping a sidearm. We halted by the side entrance to the warehouse - a rusty old steel door scouted earlier by the ‘dock workers’ whom we’d sent in to help with ‘maintenance’. The locks had been checked, oiled, and working keys found for any locks encountered. Planning for the operation had been meticulous of course. All we had to do now was wait for the mouse to walk happily into the trap. I looked to my watch sergeant as she took the padlock from the door and placed it quietly on the ground. “Ready?” I mouthed silently. She nodded back in response. I whispered into the TED, “All teams report status.” One by one the disembodied voices of my officers crackled back through the ether: “Raven team in position.” “Eagle team in position.” “Condor team in position.” “Sparrow team in position.” “Budgie team ready to run interference.” Oh goddesses, there was always one wasn’t there? “Y’know,” Dawn had told me when I’d questioned her choice of team name, “Ya might think ah’m a bein’ flippant. But y’all remember the name though don’tcha?” She was right. I remembered the name, and I knew that Dawn would remember her role. Right now all our pegasi would be preparing to leave their positions and circle the target area, keeping a lookout for any unknown threats to emerge and to help with co-ordination should it become necessary. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, steadying my heart. “In three everypony. Three… Two… One… Let’s move!” Yule, the big ex-boxing mare, took aim and bucked the steel door hard, the oiled hinges allowing it to swing in near silence as another pony rolled in a ‘flash bug’. The relatively thin casing split open a moment later as the furious green creature that lived inside, incensed by its sudden and very rude jolting, defended itself in the same time honoured fashion of flash bugs everywhere - It blasted out a blinding white light as bright as a thousand suns. As if this wasn’t enough to deter a would be attacker already, the flash bug had another defensive tactic up its metaphorical sleeve which it used in combination with the former. Releasing a rapid pulse of flammable gas from glands on its body, the bug’s ‘light’ would ignite the quickly expanding gas to create a satisfyingly loud ‘pop’. Multiply this by four and you have, what we hoped, would be a sufficient distraction to any pony in the warehouse giving us enough time to take them down without anypony being harmed. Less than a heartbeat later, we charged in. Shouting in unison, all four team poured into the warehouse, converging on the now clearly visible group of cloaked figures standing together in a huddle in the centre. Staring out at their attackers they all lowered their forelegs and heads into a classic fighting stance, apparently ready for a fight. Still, whether they offered any resistance or not, this wouldn’t take long. We outnumbered them at least five to one, and a quick tap on the noggin from a trusty old donkey walloper and it would be ‘goodnight Maisie’. Excitement and the thrill of action sizzled in my veins as we moved in. It was hard not get get carried away in the moment, but keeping a cool head was essential. In fact, it was probably the only thing that kept me from charging right at them. Something was off here. I didn’t know what the hell it was exactly, but the way our targets were simply standing there in silence, waiting for us. Normally there’d be a burst of activity, the odd fight, somepony running or simply giving up and surrendering. But not this. This was…wrong. The other officers of the watch, steeped in the experience years in the watch brings, slowed their headlong rush too. The teams, sensing their leaders change, also slowed but still kept position and alertness. I had a bad feeling about this. I held up a foreleg, halting the watch. “This is the Equestrian Watch, you will lay down your arms and surrender. All of you are under arrest. You will be read your rights as dictated by the laws of Princess Celestia.” Nothing. Yule took a step forward, lowering her head and snarling at the cloaked ponies, “You heard the Captain. Take off those cloaks and lower your weapons. Do it! Or I’ll crack your heads open.” She’d always had a way with words, bless her hooves. Nothing. Frustrated with the lack of movement from the group, Yule gripped the corner of one of the ponies cloaks and pulled hard. With a flurry, the cloak fluttered into the air, revealing a black stallion with a white mane, tail, and intense blue eyes. The imposing size of the meat mountain alone would have been enough to balk anypony, with the exception of Yule of course, if it hadn’t also been for the strange contraption strapped to the earth pony’s back and head. The ethereal light from the swirling magic of the trans-dimensional mirror portal behind him, glinted off the black metal the huge pony wore. Abruptly he nodded to his companions and, together, they each removed their cloaks revealing more of the devices. Nopony moved. The warehouse fell silent, with only the occasional creak of barding and the heavy breathing to punctuate the stillness. To my eternal shame I stood there like a foal, perplexed at what I was seeing. Where these weapons of some kind? Surely not. And even if they were, we’d be on them before they could loose off a single bolt or spell. Shaking myself, I took a step forward and opened my mouth to speak. Just as I did so, the silvery light in the portal flared, bathing the warehouse in an otherworldly glare that made everything look like a photographic negative of its real world self. A hoof emerged, followed by a long slender white leg, a slim muzzle, and then the rest of an impressively tall snow-white mare. Now when I say tall, I mean huge! I wasn’t the largest stallion in world, sure, but this magnificent creature looked to be at least double my height. It could have been a trick of the light of course, but as she stepped gracefully though the mirror, she ducked to allow her horn to pass under the portal’s frame. Celestia’s backside, she was amazing! So… so, tall! Mentally slapping myself back to reality, I took in all I saw. I wasn’t the only one either; every eye in the warehouse was focussed on the extraordinary spectacle before us. Now this was going to be some report when I got back to the watch house! The metal clad ponies before us spread out, forming a barrier between the watch and the white mare. Her rich yellow mane and tail flowed out behind her like a river of flowing gold, a white silk dress covering her cutie mark and flanks. Almost regally, she calmly surveyed the scene. “What is this?” she asked imperiously. Or more accurately, I should say she ‘announced’ to the assembled ponies. “My apologies, ma’am,” I spoke out in my most polite but authoritative voice. “I must place you all under arrest until enquiries can be completed. If you are innocent of charges, you will be free to go.” The mare held up a foreleg and wave her hoof nonchalantly. “Arrest?” She let out a girlish chuckle, which would have probably been considered endearing in any other circumstance. In this one however, it made my my blood run cold. I took a stronger grip on the truncheon. The mare smiled, “I don’t think so, mister…?” “Fairlight,” I replied levelly. “Captain of the Equestrian Watch. Manehattan division.” “I see… ‘Captain’.” She looked down her sleek, smooth muzzle at me with those deep azure eyes. “I’m afraid my ‘employers’ will not take kindly to any ‘watch’ interference in our activities. Therefore I regret, my dear captain, that we must end our current discourse.” She shook her fine haired mane, letting it settle back over her neck. Damn, not a single hair out place either! I could only hope that she wasn’t hurt when we took her and her group into custody. I took a breath, motioning my officers to make their move when the mare suddenly backed up to the mirror and closed her eyes, raising her head. “Oh hell, Stop them!” I shouted, but it was too late. A large purple bubble popped into existence around the five. Quick as a Yule aimed a buck at the stallion in front of her, but even her powerful kick proved completely ineffectual against the glowing shield. “Damn it!” I cursed, and nodded to our magic users to prepare a counter spell. We would still take these ponies down, but now it would just take a little bit longer, that was all. Nothing to worry about. I signalled to the others to clear the way for the magic user to- What was that strange noise? A weird metallic whining sound had started up inside the glowing purple bubble. As I peered through its translucent surface I saw a rotating set of what looked like plumbers pipes strapped to the back of one of the stallions. Slowly and deliberately, he pointed the open end of the now rapidly spinning tubes at the assembled members of the watch who stood there transfixed by what they were seeing. The white mare looked back at me with a sad look on her face. “It has been a pleasure meeting you Captain… ‘Fairlight’, wasn’t it? But sadly, all good things must come to an end. I hope you will forgive me. Parting truly is such sweet sorrow.” Suddenly the panicked voice of Dawn screamed over my TED. The other watch officers heard it too, looking at each other in alarm. “Get out of there!” she howled. “For the goddesses sake, get out now!” The white mare’s previously seductive look had been replaced with one as dark as the night sky. “Goodbye, Captain Fairlight of the Equestrian Watch” “Shields!” I shouted. The watch’s magic wielders moved forward with practised ease and quickly brought up energy shields of their own. “Crossbows forward.” Following my orders the watch ponies moved up, covered by the unicorn shields, and levelled their crossbows. What came next was something I would recall in my nightmares for the rest of my days. Bursts of yellow fire belched and spewed from the white mare’s ponies, accompanied by a horrible symphony of ear splitting noise the likes of which I had never heard before in my life. The scene before me held me in a freezing iron grip of shocked immobility. Whatever the spinning tubes were, flames erupted from the ends spraying shards of death straight through our shields, and horrifyingly, through the watch ponies themselves - as if they were no more substantial than air itself. Mares and stallions, ponies I had called my colleagues and friends, ponies I had worked with for years, were instantly transformed into chunks of flying meat, organs and bone. Most stood stock still in shock, unsure of what to do. This was no equestrian magic. This was like nothing any of us had ever seen before, nor had any defence against. I quickly took stock of the situation and gave my commands, my heart hammering in my chest. “Fall back. Officers, get your ponies out of here. Now. Crossbows lay covering shots.” Pointless. The screams of the wounded and dying spread a fear through the watch as effectively as the fire wielded by the white mare’s group. Viscera and crimson flying gore mingled with the shocking white of shattered bone rained down around me. “SIR!” A foreleg grabbed my barding and pulled me face to face with watch sergeant Heather. “We need to get out of here!” The panic was unmistakable in her voice. Order had broken down utterly and ponies were running for the doors, slipping on the gore of their fallen comrades. Wounded friends were kicked and trampled in the headlong rush to get away from the scything death sweeping through the warehouse behind them. “Get everypony out, Heather,” I growled. “Get them out!” Heather bobbed her head and turned to run for the door we had originally come in from. I followed, but didn’t get far. The door was blocked solid with a mass of panicked watch ponies, all trying to jam themselves though at the same time. Roughly, I kicked one of the ponies aside - a young stallion, not much more than a colt. He stared at me with eyes wide in terror. “Get a grip of yourself, watchstallion!” I roared, pointed a hoof at the rest who were now looking at me rather than the door. They were all breathing hard, some with dark spots down their sides oozing blood. “Watch sergeant?” “Sir,” Heather snapped a salute. “Get them out,” I said a lot more calmly than I felt. “Take them to the assembly area and contact the army. We’re going to need every pony we can down here.” “Yes, sir!” Pulling and prodding the ponies into a more orderly evacuation, the experienced sergeant of the Manehattan Watch, filed the ponies through and out into the night. I didn’t doubt that once outside they would run for all they were worth, but it didn’t matter so long as they were safe and away from this scene from hell. I turned back and picked up a loaded crossbow that had been dropped in the panicked scramble to escape. I hadn’t used one since basic training, but I was still a reasonable shot with the things. Magicking up a bundle of bolts from a quiver, I ran for the cover of some crates, keeping as low to the ground as I could. I’d soon discovered how little protection these afforded to the weapons wielded in this building tonight, but I had to do something, anything, to take their attention away from my ponies. Using the stacks of boxes and crates to hide my movement, I snuck around to draw a line of sight on the five ponies. Keeping slightly behind the large archway of the portal, I hoped the shimmer from its eerie surface would help keep me from being spotted. The group was still covered with the mare’s magical shield, and I took note of how the glow of magic was brightest to the front where it was being concentrated, no doubt to protect her comrades from any retaliation. Judging by the way loose bolts littered the wooden floor there had a spirited attempt at fighting back, and even now that order had broken down I could still see the odd spark of a forlorn bolt ricocheting off its surface. I could only pray that the shield was weaker at the rear and my bolt may have some hope of penetrating. Carefully, I slipped round to the dark corner of the warehouse and placed the crossbow on one of the crates to help my air. Luna, guide me, I thought to myself as I concentrated, took a breath, and slowly let it out. My hoof squeezed the release lever. I’d half expected the result I received, but it didn’t stop my heart sinking as the bolt skipped harmlessly off the shield’s surface. “Buck you then”, I muttered as I pulled the quiver open to take another bolt. Maybe I should have thanked Luna that the ponies under the shield hadn’t notice the bolt strike and turned their weapons on me. All their attention instead was focussed on cutting down the fleeing watch ponies, with some of them sporting sickening grins on their faces whilst they did their grisly work. The bastards were enjoying this too, and turned my stomach to see how the drool dripped from the mouth of one of the tube wielding black ponies whilst his eyes shone with wild excitement. Killing, it seemed, had never been so much fun. Well, we’d have to see how much long that lasted, wouldn’t we? Held in my magic’s grip, I emptied the bolt carrier onto the floor, searching for what I prayed would be there. And thanks be to the gods, it was. As fast as I could I re-cocked the crossbow and placed the faintly glowing green tipped bolt into position before resting my weapon once more on the box. These bolts had been developed by our magical research team to combat shields following previous run-ins with underworld unicorns. They hadn’t proven to of much use today, but I could only pray that it might, just might, be enough from this angle. If it worked then I’d owe Speak Easy and his team a round of drinks. If not, enjoying a frosty pint of wheat beer would be the least of my concerns. I levelled the crossbow at the black coated goon, bringing my eye to the crude sights and trying to control my breathing. Aiming for the centre mass of his body, I hoped that even some deviation in my aim would still allow the bolt hit him and, if not kill or incapacitate him, at least divert his attention from those still trying to get out. I slowly exhaled and squeezed the release lever, feeling the crossbow buck in my grip as the heavy bolt left on its deadly journey. Despite taking no more than the blink of an eye to complete it’s flight, the projectile seemed to take an age to travel towards the shield while I gritted my teeth, willing it to strike true. Had it…? Yes! There! A flare of bright green light appeared for an instant on the surface of the shield, and disappeared just as fast. Abruptly the roaring, whining noise stopped as the large stallion fell to the ground with a bellowing cry. One of his colleagues moved to aid him whilst the others, the white mare included, turned as one to face their attacker. Oh crap… That was me! “Over there!” she shouted, levelling a foreleg in my direction. My heart leaped into my throat. “Oh bollocks, time to move!” I blurted out loud, and I jumped up, running for all I was worth for the metal gantry steps I’d noticed earlier as I’d moved into position. Metallic ‘pings’ and thuds resounded around me as I ran, splinters flying up from the crates stinging my sides and flank. I was damned glad of my watch training that night, not to mention the barding which went at least some way to keeping my mangy old hide in one piece. Leaping up the stairs several at a time, I took the corner along the gantry like Sombra himself was after me. Fortunately my rubberised hoof covers gave me exceptional grip on the smooth metal as well as covering the noise I made, and any advantage I had might make the difference between life and death in this situation. That said, this high up it was virtually pitch black and the fiery blasts from the weapons the ponies were using down below was blinding them, helping me avoid a swift and bloody end. At least for now. Quickly I recalled the floor plan of the warehouse in my mind. There should be an office up here, the door open, ready for- I tripped on something at the end of the metal gantry and flung my hooves out desperately, catching myself just in time to avoid pitching muzzle first over the railing to end the night as a smear on the floor below. Looking over my shoulder I found myself looking into the glassy eyes of one of the snipers assigned to provide the rest of us with cover. Somepony had beaten the poor sod to the punch; a neat hole in his forehead ending his life before he’d known what had hit him. But there was no time to mourn him now, nor any of my brothers and sisters. I had to stay alive, to give them time to escape. I reached the steel door to the office and pushed. It was locked. That couldn’t be right... I tried again, harder this time, but the cold metal blocking my escape resolutely refused to move. Damn it all to hell, it was locked, and from the inside! What the buck was going on here?! There were three snipers assigned to this area, and the door was supposed to have been left unlocked. What the hell had happened here? I closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. I would worry about that later - if there even was a ‘later’ for me. Unfortunately it was looking decidedly unlikely I would ever get out of this nightmare alive as holes were being blasted through the gantry floor by the wildly firing ponies below one after another, their anger now focussed solely on yours truly. I backed towards the railing and reloaded another infused bolt into the crossbow. Shooting blindly towards the flickering flames emanating from the shield, I was rewarded with a shriek from below. “Kill him! Kill him now, you fools! What the hell are we paying you for?!” The mare had a rather nice voice for a homicidal maniac. Unexpectedly, the beautiful white mare dropped the shield. I should have known was coming next too. Focussing her magic, she yanked the saddle pack and tube-thing from the now unmoving lump I had perforated earlier, and hoisted the whole lot into the air. The open end of the tubes swung up and towards me as that terrible whining sound began once again. “Oh buck me bucking sideways!” I cursed as I fumbled for another bolt. It was too late in any case. The whining roar lanced fire towards the gantry and began to cut through it like the proverbial hot knife through butter. Beneath the unyielding onslaught, the tortured steel groaned and I felt it move slightly, giving me a sickening feeling of imminent gravitational pull. Looking around frantically in the flashing yellow light, I saw a line of holes in the side of the office wall - the side of the office wall window, that was. I loosed the last bolt towards the mare and flung the heavy crossbow at the window, shattering it. Fear and adrenalin pumping through my body, I ran and leaped, keeping my eyes closed tight as I crashed though the broken glass into the office beyond. I didn’t have to wonder what had happened to the snipers any more: the body of another of them cushioned my fall as I rolled off, shaking the glass from my barding. I was bleeding from multiple lacerations, but that was of little importance when faced with getting back to my team alive. Beside me a lantern sat on the floor, still lit, reflecting a low glint from the padlock on the…inside of the office door? In surprise, I looked back at the sniper ponies. Each had a hole in the back of their heads, and a corresponding one on the front. Poor buggers, they hadn’t stood a chance. I doubted they’d even seen their killer. There was no sign of any bolts judging by the wounds which suggested it must have been one of the magical fire weapons. Which itself meant, my racing mind deduced, that there must be at least one more of these buckers around here somewhere. A loud rattle reverberated through the room from the far doorway, the frame illuminated by the yellow light which flashed in time to the noise beyond. I sidled up to the door, praying that the recon team had oiled the hinges on this one properly. They had. Thankfully, opening it proved to be an easier task than the last one. Whoever had taken out the snipers apparently hadn’t expected anypony to come in through here and had been so pre-occupied making their own cacophony, they hadn’t noticed the crash of my unceremonious arrival. Carefully, I pulled the door open. On the outer balcony, a black cloaked earth pony panned fiery death into the sky, a staggered line of piercing light reflecting off the surrounding structures. Suddenly I flinched back instinctively as a bolt suddenly embedded itself in the door with a loud ‘thunk’. Fantastic, I thought to myself sarcastically, escape magical murdering ponies, only to be shot by my own bloody team! Pushing the thought aside I reached my truncheon only to find the damned thing had vanished, no doubt torn away or dropped in my dash for freedom. All I had left was my combat knife. Mechanically, and with a silken smooth movement that my old instructor would have been impressed with, I drew it silently from its sheath. Hooking my foreleg under the pony’s muzzle, I pulled her head back, drawing the blade sharply in and across her throat. She let out a startled cry, releasing a huff of air, and her eyes went wide. I couldn’t look at her. There were parts of this job I hated, and hurting other ponies was top of the list for me. But actually taking the life of another? You could never be prepared for that. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling her body become heavy and limp. I let her slip to the floor and stepped up to the railing before a voice crackled over my TED. “Cap? Captain Fairlight, is that you?” Blaze’s voice blasted through my ear so loud I thought my eardrum was bleeding. “Blaze?” I replied quickly, “I’m on the outer gantry on the west side of the warehouse. Tell your team to stop shooting, dammit, it’s me!” “Stand by one,” came the reply. Blaze was Dawn’s second in command of the flying squad, and a damned good watchmare. Hopefully she’d be able to make sure I didn’t end up as a furry pincushion too. I gave myself a shake, turning to head down the metal steps... and paused. A metallic clinking sound called my attention. I span round to look at the silent figure of the mare, her throat open to the night air as steam slowly lifted from the still warm wound. Her eyes stared up to the stars with the same glassy stare I’d seen in the sniper ponies. She doesn’t deserve my compassion, I thought callously. Her and her damned compatriots in the warehouse had murdered my friends, leaving them bleeding and dying in a cold, dark, cesspit on an all but forgotten dockside. They didn’t deserve that. Something inside me though… Damn it, it was still wrong. Had I really needed to kill her? I could have hit her over the head with something, like a chair or… or something less deadly than a bloody knife! Gritting my teeth, I stared at the metal tube device beside her, the thing slowly cooling down having completing its grisly work. How many had it killed? How many had she killed? My gaze drifted back to the device. It was hard to make out much in the way of detail, but I would have a better look at it later. For now though, the bloody thing was coming with me. Three buckles cinched the pack to the mare’s back and I hauled it up and off, taking the connecting cable and bit with it. “Come on Cap, you’re the last one. We gotta haul flank!” “Celestia buck me sideways, Blaze!” I yelped in surprise as the light grey pegasus seemed to materialise in front of me. “I nearly shat myself!” “All part of the service, sir,” the cheeky creature replied. “Come on now, let’s get the flock outta here. Jingo, take the capn’s toys and get back to the station lickety split. Talc, you grab that side.” “Whoa! Hey!” I exclaimed as the two pegasi grabbed me and effortlessly hauled me bodily into the air. The ground dropped away as my stomach performed cartwheels, threatening to empty itself in response to the lack of anything solid beneath my hooves. Oh Celestia, what a time for my bloody vertigo to play up! I’d have to have words with these girls when we got back to… to... to what? Suddenly the horrible reality of what I was going to face slammed into me like a bucket of iced water on a summers day. Gods above, what the hell was I going to do? “All the teams have been pulled out, Cap,” Blaze shouted down to me. “The army boy’s are on scene now. They’ll take care-a things.” “Blaze,” I asked, “where’s Dawn?” There was a long pause. I wondered for a moment if she hadn’t heard me, and then I noticed the glint of starlight in her tear filled eyes. “She didn’t make it Cap.” I didn’t reply. My mind had been reduced to an absolute blank, and was glad of it. Every time I closed my eyes, even for a second, I would hear the screams of pain and fear all over again. I would keep seeing the flashes from those terrible devices as they tore my brothers and sisters to bloodied shreds. Ponies I had shaken hooves with only this morning, I would never see again. Except to bury them. I had to get back to the watch house, had to get back and find out how every pony was, make sure every pony who needed medical help had it, make sure we knew… knew who we had… lost. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, letting the tears of grief flow as the flapping wings blew icy wind onto my sides. Somepony was responsible for the horror of this night. Somepony had to pay for this, and I would make sure to collect. In full. “I don’t know who you are yet,” I whispered to the night sky as we sailed out over the rooftops heading for the city light of Manehattan, “but I promise you, I will find you…” We began our descent to the watch house, my heart as cold as stone. “And I will kill you.”