Tainted Silver

by Bluecatcinema


Crystal Dawn

It took a while for Sterling to gather his wits after Epoch's visit. He didn't even know how long he'd sat at the table, nursing his remaining cider.

'I still can't believe it.' He thought. 'Epoch, here. He tracked me down... just to lecture me.'

He took one last sip, finishing his drink.

’But why?’ Sterling grimaced, ’What was the point? So he could make me feel bad? And what the hell was up with that question? ‘Who am I without the Forefathers?’’ Sterling shook his head in frustration, ’He must be trying to buck with my head. That has to be it…’

With his drink done, Sterling left his payment on the table and walked out of the bar. As he left the bar, his eyes glanced out towards the plains, watching it span out for miles…

’Still, it’s hard to believe Epoch found me here. He couldn’t had been looking for me all this time, could he?’ Sterling thought worriedly, ’...I gotta get away from here soon. I’ll work one or two more days, then I am outta here. If Epoch could find me here, no doubt the Forefathers or the authorities will be able to without a sweat… for all I know, they’re closing in on me right now…’

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Haygypt, Barbossa was walking through the streets of Cairode, continuing in his search for information regarding Sterling Cross.

He had gone through a lot of names in his files that had connections to Sterling and his family… but aside from Nile, many upon many of the names he came across were either deceased or had left the country.

Barbossa found the amount of ponies who happened to know about the Crosses and were either dead or gone away to be quite alarming. Granted, it had been over ten years, but it was disconcerting that so many ponies had disappeared, just like that.

However, Barbossa had hope that the next pony on his list would help him. A pony who still remained in Haygypt after all this time.

And his name was Brody Bronze.

'This is it.' Barbossa thought as he approached Bronze's home. 'If anypony knows Sterling more than anypony, it would be his best friend...'

Once he reached the door, Barbossa knocked three times. Moments later, Mrs Bronze answered. She was a mint green mare with a brown mane (worn in a bun), orange eyes, and a Cutie Mark of a plate of cookies. Like her son, she was slightly heavyset.

"Oh... can I help you, sir?" She asked.

"Good day, madam." Barbossa said politely. "I am Senator Barbossa Wheatley. I do not mean to be a bother, but I wish to speak with your son, Brody.”

“...Oh no, is he in some kind of trouble?” Mrs. Bronze asked, worry all over her face, “Because Brody has already apologized for everything that happened-”

"I can assure you, that is not why I am here." Barbossa declared. "But I do wish to speak to him. It's rather urgent."

"Oh... okay." Mrs. Bronze said awkwardly. "But he's not here right now. He's down at the docks, on the family schooner. He's been spending a lot of time there lately..." She frowned, before returning to her instructions. "It's the one with gold stripes and a blue flag. You can't miss it."

"Thank you, madam." Barbossa nodded.

Barbossa made his way down to the nearby dock, He spotted the boat quickly, and noted that Brody was busy mopping the deck. He appeared to have seen better days; His glasses were cracked, he had bruises all over his face, and there was a bandage around his snout.

"Ahoy there, Mr. Bronze." Barbossa declared. "Permission to come aboard?"

Brody stopped mopping for a moment, taking a look at Barbossa.

"Permission not granted." He scowled and returned to his work.

"Come now, I wish to speak with you." Barbossa announced, climbing onto the deck anyway.

"Well, I'm not in the mood to talk right now." Brody muttered, keeping his eyes on his work.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to take 'no' for an answer." Barbossa replied. "There are important matters of which I must discuss with you. Matters involving... Sterling Cross."

Brody paused for a moment. His hoof clenched the mop handle… before softening.

"Really not in the mood." He repeated, his voice a growl.

"I gathered as much." Barbossa nodded. "But as I said, this is an important matter. I’ve been going around asking about Sterling for the past few days. And as word would have it, you and Sterling were best friends when you were colts."

“Yeah, well... I thought we were.” Brody said bitterly, “But then, he gave me that stupid page.”

"The one from King Sombra's spell book?" Barbossa prompted.

“Yeah, that.” Brody scowled, “Sterling - or should I say ‘Flatfoot’ - gave me that page that had the power of ‘Envy’. I don’t know how, but it bucked with my mind. I mean, one moment, I was just fine. The next, I kidnapped a freakin’ mare! And for some reason, I wanted to change my name to Argent. Argent Kick!”

“That’s… odd.” Barbossa admitted, a bit confused.

“Tell me about it.” Brody rolled his eyes, “I mean, I sometimes wished I had a bod like Sterling, but I didn’t want to become him! It was the page!”

"I have heard about the negative effects those pages had on their owners." Barbossa nodded.

"'Negative'." Brody scoffed. "That's putting it mildly. That page made me into a monster!"

"At least there were no lasting effects." Barbossa pointed out. "Once the page was taken, you reverted back to your normal self, like nothing ever happened."

“If that was only the end of it.” Brody shook his head, “Ever since that bat and his marefriend kidnapped me, the Cairode Vanguards been on my back everywhere I go! I tried telling them that it wasn’t entirely my fault, but they don’t listen! None of them listened! Ponies avoid me like I'm carrying all ten plagues of Haygypt, and that’s if they don’t go and throw rocks at me or beat me up! And as for jobs? Well, I ain’t leavin’ my mom’s basement anytime soon!”

“That’s awful…” Barbossa murmured.

“Oh, that wasn’t the worst part!” Brody seethed. “That night Echo and Sunset kidnapped me? They told me that my ‘best friend’, the guy who got me into the Forefathers to begin with, was one of the big wigs! And the reason I hadn’t been doing anything with them is because I was told I was given the ‘Pro-Visitor’ treatment!”

“...Don’t you mean ‘provisional’?” Barbossa pointed out.

“Yeah, threw me off for a moment too...” Brody admitted… before throwing down his mop, “And that what PISSED ME OFF THE MOST! The guy who was supposed to be my best friend just put me on ‘reserve’, like the Vanguard did! He threw me to the side, just like everypony else!”

"I can see how learning that could be... disconcerting." Barbossa declared awkwardly, “But please, do try to-”

He was cut off as Brody began sniffling. The grown rotund stallion began to bawl.

“Brody… are you-” Barbossa murmured, feeling more awkward.

“It’s just ain’t fair, dude!” Brody cried. “Why did my best friend do this to me? Lie to me, use me, drag me into a organization then pretend to not know what I am talking about when I bring it up?” He then stomped his hooves in anger, “After all the years we spent together, I wasn’t expecting much! I just thought everything we had together meant something! What the buck did I do to deserve this?!”

"...I'm afraid I can't answer that." Barbossa bowed his head. "Sterling did commit some awful acts in his day. But surely you, of all ponies, would know that it's not entirely his fault.”

“Oh, how ya figure?” Brody challenged, wiping his tears.

“Well, Sterling did not have the best of childhood. After all, he had a abusive mother, a cowardly father… and of course, Crystal.”

Instantly, Brody’s anger was replaced with nervousness.

“...Yeah…” Brody glanced away, his eyes becoming shifty, “Crystal…”

"I take it you know more than a little about him?" Barbossa asked.

"Well, of course I do." Brody said awkwardly. "He was Sterling’s bully of an older brother. Sterling used to tell me all the rotten things he’d do to him… including stuff he would make him do. Hell, Crystal even gave me some of that couple of times when we were young…” He added, almost inaudibly. "You'd think that would stop now that we're adults..."

"Wait, what was that?" Barbossa frowned.

"Uh... nothing!" Brody looked away, covering one of his bruises on his right hoof as he did.

"Those bruises..." Barbossa mused.

"What about 'em?" Brody said defensively. "I told you I was getting beaten up!"

“Yes… but you also told me that the Vanguard were watching you.” Barbossa added, “No self-respecting Vanguard would simply sit back and watch you get the snot beat out of you… unless of course, somepony of ‘great persuasion’ were to arrange such a beating. Somepony like Crystal Cross, perhaps?”

"What?!" Brody spluttered. "That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?" Barbossa asked. "What baffles me is how it is you’re still able to walk after such brutalities. It’s almost as if those attacks were merely shows of strength… or warnings.” Barbossa glanced intensely at Brody, “Now, which is it?"

"Okay, okay." Brody sighed. "Crystal's the one behind my butt-kicking."

“But why? Because of what happened with the page?" Barbossa asked.

"No, because he's a psychotic bully!" Brody snapped. "Always has been! Ever since we were kids, there was something… wrong, with him.”

"How do you mean?" Barbossa frowned.

“Where do I begin?” Brody scoffed, “He used to beat up other kids just for looking at him funny, he'd say things like he'd be happy if somepony were to die... not to mention some local pets tended to disappear, and he always acted shifty whenever it was brought up.”

“But that was a long time ago.” Barbossa reasoned, though from what he'd heard from Nile, he believed him, “Surely he mustn’t be that bad now…”

“You would think that, but no.” Brody grimaced, “He may be a senator now, but he’s no different from the bully all those years ago. In fact… I think he might've gotten worse… because who knows what shady crap a senator can get into… and don't get me started on Titanfall.”

"Titanfall?" Barbossa asked. "You know about that?"

“Of course I do. I’m a ‘Pro-Visitor’.” Brody nodded, “I read the newsletters they sent me.”

“...So you’re still affiliated with the Forefathers.” Barbossa frowned.

“Hey, Sterling may have screwed me over, but they pay alright, and I don’t have to really do anything except send reports back every now and then.” Brody grimaced, “Besides, it’s not like I have other options.”

“But what does Titanfall have to do with Crystal?” Barbossa questioned.

“Well… let’s say that when Crystal heard about that and how Sterling was involved in it… he was so angry. I hear Crystal cut the budget to the local hospital.” Brody shuddered.

"I would imagine so." Barbossa nodded. "Estranged or not, the news that a Senator's brother was involved in an attack on a major capital could have serious repercussions on said Senator's reputation."

"It's more than that, though." Brody declared. "I don’t know what it is, but the thought of Sterling seems to make Crystal go ape-crap crazy whenever he’s brought up. In fact… there have been rumors about him lately…”

“Rumors, you say?” Barbossa leaned in.

“Yeah… you said you were going around asking about Sterling, right?” Brody frowned, “...How many ponies have you talked to before me?”

“...Well, besides Sterling’s old friend in the Vanguards… two.” Barbossa revealed, a bit disturbed by the fact, “A lot of the Cross family’s friends and acquaintances seem to have disappeared over the years…”

“I can tell you exactly why that is… but I'd really rather not.” Brody glanced around nervously, “Crystal was a jerk when we were kids… but now that he’s a senator… I heard he’s been doing ‘things’. And I have a feeling me getting beat up is just a part of it. At this point, I’m surprised I’m still alive. I mean, if he’s going to have me beaten up, why not kill me and be done with it?!”

"Perhaps he finds it more amusing to stretch out your agony?" Barbossa suggested.

"Wouldn't put it past 'im." Brody scowled. "I thought Sterling was better than him. But recently, I've started to think that he's just as bad. He manipulated me, looked down on me, and finally, tossed me aside like garbage."

"I can see you've had it rough." Barbossa sympathized. "Tougher than you deserve."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Brody sighed. "Please, just leave me alone..."

"As you wish." Barbossa said solemnly, turning to leave.

"And be quick about it." Brody demanded. "The sooner you're gone, the sooner I don't have to think about that lousy Sterling anymore."

Barbossa stopped in mid-step.

"...You know, Brody, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss him.” Barbossa shook his head, not facing the chubby stallion, “...If you ask me, Sterling, for all his flaws, was trying to keep you out of harm’s way… rather than just keeping you out.”

Brody's angry expression faded, as he found himself unable to form a reply to Barbossa's words. Barbossa simply kept walking.

'Poor Brody.' Barbossa thought as he left the docks. 'All those terrible experiences have broken him... I can't say I blame him for losing faith in Sterling. Thought it seems another Cross brother has caused him even greater pain. I guess those ‘rumors’ I heard aboutbeforehand might actually be true...'

All of a sudden, a carriage pulled by suited ponies pulled right up next to Barbossa.

“...What the-” Barbossa gaped.

The carriage’s door immediately opened, revealing the same bald, suited pony with sunglasses that had been following him days prior.

"Get in." The stallion ordered.

"Um, no." Barbossa replied, a bit perturbed. "I think I'd rather walk- GAH!"

The stallion grabbed Barbossa and shoved him into the carriage, following in after him.

Barbossa quickly straightened up in his seat, and found himself face to face with Crystal, the bald pony sat next to him.

"Senator Wheatley." Crystal declared. "Nice to see you again."

"Senator Cross." Barbossa said flatly. "Wish I could say the same."

“Oh, dear, where’s my manners?” Crystal shrugged unapologetically, as he gestured to the bald pony, “Barbossa, I assume you are familiar with Detail Turk?”

“I believe so.” Barbossa cast a glare at the sunglasses-wearing stallion, “Head of security, accomplished boxer, and in charge of ‘damage control’, right?”

“You forget ‘friend and confidant’, right, Detail?” Crystal grinned at said stallion.

“That is correct.” Detail tapped his sunglasses in acknowledgement.

“Okay… care to tell me why you took me off the streets?” Barbossa frowned.

“Well, Mr. Wheatley, Detail has been telling me quite a story over the past two weeks.” Crystal frowned, “That you’ve been asking around about my brother.”

“So, you were following me.” Barbossa deduced with a frown, “...I wasn’t aware you were so concerned for my safety.”

“Not really. I’m more concerned as to why you are still here, asking about Sterling.” Crystal declared, “...Wasn’t the information I gave you enough?”

"As helpful as all that information was, I felt there was no harm in getting a second opinion." Barbossa said calmly.

"And would you happen to know why I was given the wrong number for the RDL?" Crystal scowled.

"A simple mistake." Barbossa shrugged. "These things happen."

"Funny how it happened to me, though." Crystal said through gritted teeth. "Right after our little 'chat' regarding Sterling."

"A coincidence, nothing more." Barbossa declared.

"I have my doubts." Crystal said coldly. "Mostly involving the true reason you're looking for Sterling."

"We've already had that conversation." Barbossa dodged the question. "If anything, I should be asking why you are so concerned about finding Sterling yourself? As if you want to be the one to find him. You and only you.”

“Well, that’s simple. He’s family.” Crystal said quickly, “He may be a lost cause, but I feel responsible for all the wrongs he has done. As his brother, I could do no less.”

“Now, I find that admirable.” Barbossa declared… before frowning, “But I also find it hard to believe, especially considering what Nile and Brody told me…”

“Oh, what does a washed-up Vanguard and a deadbeat loser know? It’s their word against mine.” Crystal grunted.

“That’s quite a good point, isn’t it?” Barbossa glanced at him intensely, “As far as Haygypt and the world is concerned… there is only one story, one truth: the story of a colt who overcame his abusive childhood to become a respected senator, while his younger, mentally disturbed brother becomes a hated terrorist. Simple and clean, wouldn’t you say?”

“Exactly, because that all there is to it.” Crystal gave a smug grin.

“Really? Then why so determined to find Sterling?” Barbossa asked, “...Could it be that if my companions were to apprehend Sterling personally, that he would have his own truth to add to the story? A truth that will would be different from your own?”

"Now, you're just talking nonsense." Crystal shook his head.

"Don't take me for a fool." Barbossa scowled. "You and Sterling can’t both be right. So which is it? Who’s the real monster in the story? The terrorist or the senator?"

"That is not the point." Crystal growled, trying to regain control of the conversation. "The point is that you have been deliberately mislead-"

"Oh, I beg to differ." Barbossa declared. "I've heard things about you, Crystal. Disturbing things."

"Malicious rumors, nothing more." Crystal declared through gritted teeth.

"Really?" Barbossa smirked. "Because these rumors seem to have little to do with politics, and more to do with certain childhood hobbies of yours."

"My past doesn't matter at the moment." Crystal clenched a hoof.

"Everypony's past matters." Barbossa retorted. "And yours is an interesting one. Especially when it came to your brothers. From what I've heard, you weren't exactly the best big brother..."

Crystal's face contorted with rage. He was about to explode.

"Look, you-!" He snarled.

“Sir, please.” Detail placed a hoof on Crystal’s own.

Crystal paused… as he took a deep breath and calmed down.

“...You know what, how about we change the subject?” Crystal said firmly, “You’ve been hard at that little pet project of yours? Operation: Paradise, was it?”

“Paradiso.” Barbossa corrected, a bit confused as to why he brought it up, “What of it?”

“Oh, I just wanted to say that it’s a very sweet and lovely little idea…” Crystal smirked, though his smirk was unsettling, “Making pals with all the Nightcrawlers and all the other freaks of the world..”

"That's not exactly how I'd put it." Barbossa frowned, “But yes… again, what of it?”

“Well, I know that you seem to have quite a few favorites among them. Such as that professor and his wife…”

“I wouldn’t say favorites, but Echo and Sunset and I do share a social and professional relationship.” Barbossa admitted.

“And who could forget that griffon that usually follow you around?” Crystal sneered.

“...My relationship with Fury is personal. I would appreciate that you do not pry.” Barbossa glanced firmly.

“Oh, of course, of course…” Crystal smirked, “I’m just saying… it would be quite a shame if something were to happen to them, or any of the other members of your little ‘operation’...”

Barbossa paused, as he stared at the grinning senator with a cold glare.

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" Barbossa glared.

“...Oh, nothing.” Crystal shrugged. "But it's a dangerous world. Ponies can get killed just crossing the street. Especially when their friends are half a world away from them, unable to keep 'em safe."

"I really don't like your tone." Barbossa seethed. "If you even think of threatening my friends-"

“I’m only going to tell you once. Leave Cairode, and don’t come back.” Crystal interrupted him, “Or there will be hell to pay. Not just for that freak Sterling was so obsessed with and his wife and that mangy griffon, but for every single pony involved in your little project.”

“You really are doing this?” Barbossa grimaced, “Threatening my friends with violence? Just like you did with Brody?”

“One would say threatening.” Crystal glared, “I say it’s extending a kindness. Just like I’m extending one to all your freak friends. I can easily retract that kindness… but do you think you could live with anything happening to them?”

"...Very well. " Barbossa said begrudgingly. "I shall depart Cairode as soon as I can."

"I'm glad to know you've seen sense." Crystal grinned. "...But before you go…” He then growled, extending a hoof, “I want a direct line to Elite Everest. It's way past time I had a talk with him."

"...As you wish." Barbossa handed Crystal a piece of paper with Elite's number on it.

"This had better be the real number." Crystal snarled. "Or else."

"It is real this time." Barbossa said stiffly. "I'd stake my life on it."

"Good." Crystal smirked. "Now, allow me to hasten your departure. He called to the outside of the carriage. "Airport, and be quick about it!”

Within a couple of minutes, the carriage was pulled up right in front of the airport. Instantly, Barbossa was shoved out of it, the senator barely catching himself as he glared back.

“I’m glad that we had this chat, Wheatley. I’ll be seeing you at the senate in a few more weeks.” Crystal smirked, before adopting a wicked gleam. “And for your sake, that better be the only place I see you…”

Once the carriage left, Barbossa stood there, clearly incensed, as he pulled up his mirror and contacted Elite.

"Hello, Barbossa." Elite smiled. "Any new leads?"

“No… in fact, we have a problem.” Barbossa glared, “Guess who caught on to me asking around?”

“Crystal?” Elite frowned.

“That’s right. ‘Brother dearest’ had his best guy following me. For how long I don’t know. But Crystal wasn’t too happy. He just took me aside and told me to leave Cairode, or else everypony in Operation: Paradiso will suffer.” Barbossa growled.

“Ah, buck.” Elite cursed.

“And… just a heads up, Crystal now has a direct line to you. He wasn’t happy about me giving him the wrong connection earlier.” Barbossa cringed.

“Well, that’s just perfect.” Elite grimaced, “...But are you okay? Did he do anything to you?”

“I’m fine… the only thing he did is make me mad.” Barbossa seethed, “Nopony threatens my fellow Nightcrawlers, and they sure as hell don’t threaten my friends.”

“Unfortunately, all we can do now is do what he says. We’re no closer to finding Sterling, and now, it’s a matter of days before Crystal steps in.” Elite sighed.

"True." Barbossa huffed. "But it has given me an idea."

"How do you mean?" Elite asked.

"Perhaps we've been going at this all wrong." Barbossa declared. "Clearly, finding information about Sterling had bore no fruit… but maybe we were focusing on the wrong brother… I say, that instead of the terrorist… we look into the senator...”

Elsewhere, Seeker was still seeking out leads regarding Sterling's position. He had searched mountains, valleys, and even such probable hiding places as the Ghastly Gorge in his attempts to find Sterling, but those leads had turned up empty. He was currently outside Trottingham, bemoaning his failure.

'Nothing.' He frowned. 'I’ve been out here all month, and I still haven’t found the guy. Sterling, wherever the heck you are, you better be willing to come back, because I am going to be ticked if all of this was a buckin’ fool’s er-’

Suddenly, the mirror activated on Seeker’s hip, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Hello?" He held it up, “This is Seeker.”

"How you doing, eh?" An odd voice asked.

The mirror’s glass was nothing but static, but the voice rang clearly

“Um, who is this? You seem to have a bad signal.” Seeker frowned, “I can only hear you.”

“Oh, that’s probably the mirror. I’ve been meaning to get a upgrade.” The odd voice apologized, “This is Agent Aboot.”

“Agent... ‘Aboot’?” Seeker repeated, confused, “...Um, I don’t recall anypony of that name in the organization…”

"I was at Ricochet’s last party, donchya know?" Aboot declared. "You know, the one with the exotic dancer, and the giant pinata?"

“...Hmm, you know, that is sounding familiar.” Seeker mused, “Maybe we did meet there… but why are you calling me?”

“You’re lookin’ for Sterling, right?” Aboot asked, “Well, I’ve found him!”

“Wait, really?” Seeker lit up, “I’ve been searching for weeks, and I’ve found jack squat! How did you find him?”

“Oh, it’s the darndest thing.” Aboot chuckled. “I was tracking this old Titanbeast that found its’ way to the plains near Dodge Junction. I stopped by to get more supplies, and wouldn’t you know, I saw Sterling, right in the flesh, walking down the streets!”

’...Hmm, I don’t recall any agents being sent to Dodge Junction recently, let alone hunting for a Titanbeast of all things…’ Seeker frowned… then he shrugged, ’Then again, I haven’t been back in weeks. Not like I kept myself privy on everything.’

"Thanks for the assist, Aboot." He smiled. "I owe you one."

“No problem.” Aboot smirked behind the static, “Good luck with your endeavors.”

The mirror on Aboot’s side of the conversation shut off and was set on the table. Aboot… or rather Epoch, as his horn stopped glowing under his fedora, gave a smile.

"And I truly mean that." Epoch declared. "Happy hunting."

The next morning, Sterling was bucking cherries... or trying to. He hadn't been able to sleep much that night before, and it was showing.

"Bad enough I get haunted by old ghosts in my head." He muttered to himself. "But one of them has to go and show up in real life. Who does that Epoch think he is, anyway? Trying to mess with my head like that? Well, it ain’t gonna work. I'm too smart to let ponies get into my head. always have be-"

"Talking to yourself, Sterling?" A familiar voice asked, “I would say he got to your head.”

Sterling froze. He recognized that voice more than any others…

“No…” Sterling lowered his head, feeling the weight of shame upon his shoulder, “...Not you…”

"Face me, Sterling." The voice demanded. "You owe me that much, at least."

Sterling reluctantly lifted his head… only to see nopony.

“A little higher.”

Sterling quickly glanced up, and nearly leapt in shock as none other than Echo Alchemy was hanging upside down from the tree he was bucking.

“...Echo.” Sterling frowned.

“Hello, Sterling.” Echo greeted politely, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it has.” Sterling nodded numbly, “...You look well.”

“Considering I’m a part of your subconscious, that goes without saying.” Echo said matter-of-factly, “I look as well as you think I look.”

“I guess. Sorry, it was a dumb thing to say.” Sterling shook his head.

The two stood (or rather Sterling stood and Echo hanged) for a few seconds in silence.

“...So, you’re taking up cherry bucking now? That must be fun.” Echo declared.

“Heh, it’s alright. It’s only temporary though. In a couple of days, I’m going to get out of here.” Sterling revealed.

"Well, at least you picked a lovely place to temporarily stay in." Echo noted. "There are worse spots to hide out in."

"You don't have to tell me that." Sterling joked. "I was lucky enough to find a nice way place for me to lay low."

“Sterling…” Echo began, as he then let go of the tree limb and landed on his hooves, “You do know why I am here, don’t you?”

“...Yeah.” Sterling sighed, “...I suppose it was only a matter of time before my guilty conscience brought you up to the surface."

Echo gave a snort.

“What?” Sterling asked, a bit off-guard from the snort.

“'Guilty'? 'Conscience'?" Echo repeated, disdain in his voice, “You would have to possess a conscience and know what guilt is to know anything about that.”

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sterling frowned, “Where the hell all this is coming from? I thought we were-”

“Having a ‘friendly’ conversation?” Echo finished, a bit peeved, “You really think we are still friends? After everything you did to me and Sunset?”

“Well, no, but-” Sterling stammered.

“You lied to us.” Echo snarled, “Led us all around the world to recover pages of Sombra’s spellbook, exposing us to all sorts of dangers. Only for us to unwittingly help the Order of Darkness with their plan, which actually helped my brother, whom you used to your selfish ends and got him killed!”

“I never meant for that to happen!” Sterling protested, “That was never part of my plan.”

“Sure it wasn’t.” Echo scoffed. “After all, all of that chaos and tragedy was but a ploy to get Sunset and I together so we could conceive a Maelstrom for you to make into a soldier for your heinous little project. And then do away with us once all was said and done.”

“Granted, it sounds pretty bad if you put it like that.” Sterling bowed his head. “But you should know I never meant to hurt you, Echo."

"Balderdash." Echo grunted. "If you never intended to hurt me, you wouldn’t have gone through with all that nonsense. You could had easily picked any other Nightcrawler in the world, yet you chose me, like a lamb being led to slaughter.”

“...Yes, I admit, at first, that was what I was going to do… but things changed!” Sterling insisted, “You and Sunset… when I was with you two, I felt something! It took a little while for me to realise it, but I really did come to appreciate your friendship. I had fun with you guys, felt a kinship I'd felt precious few times before. And don't pretend you didn't feel the same way about me.”

“That is true.” Echo admitted, as his face became saddened, “That journey for the pages had prompted me to re-evaluate my relationship with you and Sunset. And yes… I did come to think of you as a good friend.”

However, Echo’s saddened expression turn to spite.

“But all of that was a lie, wasn’t it?” Echo sneered.

“No!” Sterling shook his head rapidly, “I did lie… but deep down, you were my friend too.”

"Oh, really?" Echo scoffed. "If that were really the case, then why… why did you try to kill me when the Forefathers told you to?”

“I…” Sterling floundered, as he struggled to come up with a response, “I didn’t have a choice.”

“There was always a choice, Sterling.” Echo snorted, “If our friendship had meant anything to you, you wouldn’t have done what you did. But you did it anyway. Because the Forefathers demanded it. Because all you are is a hound, begging for scraps at the master’s table!”

“That is not true!” Sterling protested, becoming more agitated, “It’s not!”

“Or perhaps you had other motives. I saw how you looked at Sunset.” Echo said accusingly, “You were willing to kill me, but maybe you grew a soft spot for Sunset. Maybe deep down, you thought you might had been able to sway Sunset into helping you raise MY foal to become the perfect soldier!”

"It's not like that!" Sterling denied. "I swear!"

"You're lying to yourself, Sterling." Echo retorted. "It's quite clear where your loyalties lie: The Forefathers and only the Forefathers!”

“That is a load of horse-apples!” Sterling snarled, “Do you see where I am?! I left the Forefathers! I’m done with them!”

“Really? Then why do you still have the mirror Father gave you?” Echo asked, “The one in your old jacket?”

“What, that?” Sterling asked, having almost forgotten about that mirror his first night at the homestead, “I just haven’t the chance to get rid of it. I wasn’t going to use it!”

“Is that so? Or is it because you want to keep your options open?” Echo sneered, “Maybe you're starting to get cold hooves about being on the run. Perhaps your morals aren’t worth spending the rest of your life in fear.”

“That’s nonsense!” Sterling growled, “I don’t know what kind of stallion you take me for, but I am not going back! I know what’s the price is for leaving, and I’m willing to pay it!”

“Are you? Are you really?” Echo asked, “Because if you ask me… I think you’re scared.”

“Scared? Of what?” Sterling asked.

“Scared that once you do leave the Forefathers, you will have nothing.” Echo glared, “You stuck by the Forefathers through thick and thin, because you know that you aren’t anything without them. That’s why you’re still holding onto that mirror. Because without the Forefathers… you’re nothing.”

"That's crazy." Sterling shook his head.

"is it?" Echo sneered. "You already returned to them once remember?"

"Only because they went to the trouble of sending somepony to bust me out." Sterling pointed out. "I couldn't just say 'no thanks, I'll wait for the next one', could I?"

"Why should I believe anything you say?" Echo snorted.

"Because you're a figment of my imagination." Sterling pointed out. "You know what I know. And you should know that I say is true."

“Really?” Echo retorted, “Yet here you are, trying to argue with a ‘figment of your imagination’ over whether you’re with the Forefathers or not. How can I know what is true, if you don’t know yourself?”

Sterling made to retort… but no words came out.

"...Buck... you always did have that annoying knack for making sense." Sterling sighed.

“Well, one of us had to.” Echo frowned, “Because you clearly can’t.”

“Look, not everything can be plain and simple.” Sterling retorted, “But all that matters now is that I am going away. Far away. I'll find a nice, out of the way place, and start over. I'm going to do things right, and try to act like a good pony.”

“Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Echo asked, “After all the awful things you have done, you still want to think of yourself as the good guy. A hero. Just who are you trying to fool?”

"I... I really do want to be the good guy." Sterling admitted. "All I ever wanted was to be a hero. I owe it to... somepony once knew."

“All you’re doing is lying to yourself even more… and that is just pathetic.” Echo sneered, “You’re not a good pony, Sterling. You can lie to me, Sunset, and everypony else, but we all know you’re not. You’d probably sleep a lot better at night if you just admitted to yourself that you're a selfish Faustdamn coward who just takes whatever he wants and doesn't give a buck about who he hurts. That's you. That's Sterling Cross."

“...You’re wrong.” Sterling seethed, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“But I do.” Echo insisted, “In spite of everything, I actually pity you. You need to stop running, and face up to the consequences of your actions.”

“You know what?! No!” Sterling stomped his hooves, “Over the past week, I already had to put up with Scalphunter, Tropics, and your buckin’ brother! I already have enough problems as it is without you guys coming up and telling me what a awful pony I am! And honestly, I’m sick of it! What do you want from me?!”

“I’m only a hallucination of your mind.” Echo frowned, “I want what you want. But you don’t seem to know what it is you want.”

"Yes, I do." Sterling insisted. "I want to get out of Equestria, and away from all the ponies chasing me, as soon as possible."

"Is that really what you want?" Echo asked.

"Yes." Sterling retorted, growing more angry.

"Is it, though?" Echo urged.

"I just said it was." Sterling snarled.

"Are you sure?" Echo frowned.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Sterling yelled. He turned away in anger "I've been sure of it for weeks. That's my plan, and I'm sticking with it! So why don't you just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

On those last words, Sterling turned around to face Echo... only to find him gone.

Shaking his head in shame, Sterling slowly sat down, leaning against the tree… and slowly hit the back of his head against the tree.

“Faust damn it…” Sterling silently cursed, his eyes growing misty, “...Echo… I never meant to hurt you… the whole reason I left was to protect both you and Sunset. But I guess I can’t blame you for not believing me… from the moment we met, I had done nothing but lie to you…”

Sterling glanced up at the sky in remorse.

“...If only I can go back to those days…”

Many years ago...

As the sun rose over the Crystal Empire, Sterling awoke in the bedroom of a single-floor house the Forefathers had provided for him within the Crystal Empire.

"Good morning, world." He smiled. "Time to get to work."

This has been Sterling’s life as of two months ago. Only a couple of months after rescuing the enigmatic Epoch from the Alpacians, Sterling had informed Father and the other Ouroboros that he would be departing for the Crystal Empire to join the Crystal Guards, so that he could be closer to Echo, and proceed with Project: Maelstrom.

Getting into the Crystal Guard proved to be a lot easier than he thought. With all the training and experience he had working as an agent, it made for good resume materials, and as soon as the recruiter saw his file, it was clear that he was a shoe-in.

Unfortunately, Sterling had not been able to secure a position as Echo’s guard, as it was a position given only to ponies the Prince trusted. Sterling had no problem with this for the moment, deciding that he would have to bide his time, until an opportunity arose...

That opportunity soon came, as Sterling made his way to the Crystal Palace, clad in gleaming Crystal Guard armor, as he did everyday. During his stroll, his eyes wander, glancing at all the Crystal Ponies he passed by… specifically, the mares.

Sterling had figured, while he was waiting for a chance to get closer to Echo, he could use the time to look for mares that would ultimately carry his foal that would be a Maelstrom.

Unfortunately, he had no luck in finding the right one yet.

’Dammit… I should've known this wouldn’t be so easy.’ Sterling thought, ’It’s one thing to find a magically-gifted mare. To find one that’s willing to do the deed with him, that’s another. Not like ponies are lining up to date the guy who kidnapped half of Canterlot under the influence of dark magic… still, I’m sure that special mare is out there… somewhere.’

Sterling reached the Guards' barracks soon after, falling into line among the other soldiers.

"Mornin', Sterling!" One of the Guards waved.

"Yo, Cross!" Another smiled.

"Hey, guys." Sterling nodded, having endeared himself to his colleagues during his time in the Empire.

Soon, the Captain of the Guard, a tall, powerfully-built sapphire blue Pegasus stallion, came in. As he glanced amongst the soldiers, he immediately acknowledged Sterling.

“Ah, Sterling. On time, as usual.” The Captain mused.

“Well, I aim to please, sir.” Sterling smirked.

“Yeah, I bet you do.” The Captain frowned, “...Still, it wouldn’t hurt for you to show up a few minutes early.”

"...I'll keep that in mind, sir." Sterling nodded.

"See that you do." The Captain said gruffly. "Just because you're good at what you do doesn't mean I'll be cutting you any slack. I expect nothing short of excellence from all my soldiers. if you can't hack it, you're out. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Sterling declared.

"Good." The Captain smiled.

'Arrogant windbag.' Sterling thought as the Captain turned away. 'Like the guards here have ever done anything important. The way I heard it, they couldn't even find one little pacifist Changeling... then again, if that's their idea of "excellence", this little undercover job should be a piece of cake.'

"Okay, dismissed." The Captain declared. "Cross, you're with me today."

"Yes, sir." Sterling saluted.

Minutes later, Sterling and the Captain were making their rounds, patrolling the streets of the Crystal Empire.

"So, Sterling, how are you enjoying the Crystal Empire so far?" The Captain asked.

"It's okay." Sterling shrugged. "Finally starting to get used to all the shiny buildings... and ponies. Still one of the nicest places I've ever been, though..."

"Not to pry, Sterling, but I've been wondering something." The Captain declared. "Namely, why a clearly over-qualified pony such as yourself would be working here rather than somewhere, else like the RDL."

"Eh, that's not really my scene." Sterling shrugged. "Too cloak and dagger. I prefer the honest work of a guard."

"That is quite admirable." The Captain admitted. "At least you know what you wa-"

Suddenly, a blood-curdling roar filled the air.

“...What was that?” Sterling’s eyes widened.

"Oh, no..." The Captain groaned, having grown a bit pale. "This is not good..." He turned to Sterling, “Come on, we have to go!”

’He certainly looks freaked out. Still, nice to finally get some action.’ Sterling smirked.

As they went to investigate, they heard screams and crashing sounds. They followed the noise to its source; The marketplace, where a giant, monstrous thestral, with wisps coming from his eyes, was rampaging around. Two Guards were already there, bruised and battered, and several others were arriving on the scene.

To say the least, Sterling was freaked out by such a beast… when he recognized the cutie mark on his flank. A black star with two red eyes on it. A description that matched one pony he knew.

’Wait… is this…’ Sterling gaped, “Captain, is this who I think it is?!”

“Aside from a gigantic pain in my flank, yeah.” The Captain said through gritted teeth, “You know the drill, soldiers... contain Echo Alchemy!"

The Guards charged at Echo, spears ready.

"Back off!" Echo snarled, his voice savage and snarling.

"Get back in your cage, freak!" One brutish-looking Guard charged.

"Raarrgh!" Echo swung his hoof, sending the Guard flying with a single strike. "Don't any of you call me that!"

Another Guard threw his spear at Echo, but he countered it with a punch, shattering the blade.

'Look at all that power.' Sterling thought. He had never seen the Berserker dark magic in action, having only been heard horror stories from some of Flatfoot’s notes. To see such brutality in pony was awe-inspiring… and terrifying. 'But so little control. I sure hope that won’t be a problem for the offspring… then again, I can make sure that it doesn’t happen!’

"You're all the same!" Echo snarled. "All of you, treating me like I'm a monster!"

"If the horseshoe fits, pal!" One of the wounded Guards yelled.

"Quiet, you." The Captain growled, before turning his attention to Echo. "Now, why don't you calm down, and we won't have to get rough?"

"It's a little late for that, Captain." Echo snarled. "I was just trying to do some shopping. But those two intolerant buffoons wouldn't leave me alone!" He pointed to the wounded Guards. "They just kept pushing me, and pushing me. They wouldn't leave me alone... so now this is happening!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." The Captain groaned, throwing a glare at the wounded guards. "Whatever the reason, this little tantrum ends now."

The Captain charged at Echo, using his spear to vault over Echo and land on his back. He then grabbed hold of Echo's ears, trying to wrestle him into submission.

"Make it easy on yourself, Alchemy: give up!" The Captain demanded.

"Never!" Echo snarled. He suddenly reared up, and slammed the Captain against the wall.

"Ugh!" The Captain groaned, collapsing to the ground.

"You should have given up when you had the chance." Echo growled.

"Okay, time to step in." Sterling told himself.

Sterling stepped forward.

"Who the Tartarus are you?!" Echo roared.

"I'm the pony who's gonna take you down." Sterling said confidently.

"We'll see about that!" Echo sneered.

Sterling charged toward Echo. Like the Captain before him, he used his spear to get onto Echo's back. Unlike the Captain, he followed up by holding the spear tightly against Echo's neck.

"Rawrr!" Echo gagged, struggling to throw Sterling off.

"Sorry, big guy." Sterling held on for dear life. "It's naptime!"

With the blood flow to his brain cut off, Echo collapsed, unconscious. Seconds after, he reverted back to his normal self.

"Now that's how you do it." Sterling smirked.

The Guards stared, amazed.

"Well, you did say you wanted 'excellence'." Sterling pointed out. "...So… this is Echo Alchemy, huh?"

“Unfortunately, yes.” The Captain declared, “He was researching dark magic - for some twisted reason - and it caused him to turn into that. He caused a lot of trouble up at Canterlot before finally getting reined in. The royals decided to send him here. They said it was so he could 'continue his research'. But it's more like they dumped him on us."

“He isn’t always like this, is he?” Sterling frowned.

“Well, no. Quite the opposite… in fact, this has to be the first time he has turned since he got here…” The Captain mused, before glaring at the wounded guards, “Wonder why that is…”

The guards looked away sheepishly.

"Okay, get the guy back to his hidey-hole." The Captain instructed.

Two of the guards picked up Echo's unconscious body and led him away.

“What are you going to do to him?” Sterling frowned.

“Well, ever since we learned he can still transform into that monster, we had been taking precautions to prevent incidents like this happening… all the good that did.” The Captain shook his head, “For now, he’ll be confined to his quarters till things die down…”

“Oh, wow…” Sterling frowned, as they took Echo’s unconscious form away, “...Awful.”

“Don’t feel bad for him.” The Captain growled, “The pony made his choice messing with that stuff. Why a ‘professor’ would waste his time on that nonsense, I’ll never know.”

"Guess you've got a point there." Sterling declared, saying what he knew the Captain wanted to hear.

As he and the Captain made their way back to the barracks, Sterling's mind focused on Echo.

'Poor guy.' He thought sadly. 'Dealing with that condition, living in a place where he's hated and despised...' She shook himself. 'Well, lucky for him, once this project takes off, Echo will be much happier.'

The next morning, Sterling found himself called to see the Captain as soon as he came in.

'Wonder what's going on?' He thought. 'Never been called in this early before...'

As he neared the Captain’s office, Sterling heard some angry ranting coming from inside.

“How can you let this happen, Captain?” A somewhat familiar voice snarled.

“I am sorry, your majesty.” The voice of the Captain apologized.

’Your majesty?’ Sterling gaped, ’As in…’

Sterling peeked in to see Shining and the Captain arguing.

"Once again, Alchemy made a mess of things." Shining Armor growled. "And not only were you barely able to stop him, you actually provoked him!"

"Sir, please." The Captain defended. "It was just two of my guards who were at fault. Rest assured, they will be reprimanded accordingly, and it won’t happen again."

“Really? That’s what you said the last couple of times these infractions happened.” Shining glared, “The time Alchemy wrecked the marketplace, the time he attacked the traveling circus... and now, this happened.”

“Look, it hasn’t been easy, sir.” The Captain grimaced, “Some of the guys still aren’t happy about somepony studying dark magic in their midst.”

“Newsflash, Captain, none of us are happy about it!” Shining groaned, “If I had it my way, Echo would be sent as far away as equinely possible! But unlike some of your men, I do my best to not act on these feelings. So incidents like these don’t happen!”

’Sheesh, when they said the Prince was against dark magic, they weren’t kidding.’ Sterling frowned, ’I would hate to see his face if he knew what I was planning.’

"I assure you, your highness, we are doing everything we can to keep the Alchemy situation under control." The Captain announced. "In fact, the previous incident was refused in the fastest time yet, thanks to our newest recruit."

'Now there's a cue if I ever heard one...' Sterling thought, entering the room.

“Ah, here he is!” The Captain smirked, “Your majesty, this is Sterling Cross. The stallion who pacified Echo.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Prince Shining Armor.” Sterling gave a bow.

“At ease, soldier.” Shining declared, as Sterling got back up, “I must say, when I heard one of our Guards was able to single-hoofedly bring down that monstrosity Echo becomes, I couldn’t believe it.”

"Well, not to brag, but I do have quite a few amazing talents to my name." Sterling grinned. "I've been trained in boxing, Kali, Meet Kune Do, and Krav Maga, I know how to operate dozens of firearms, and I'm fluent in six languages."

"That does all sound quite impressive." Shining Armor smiled. "I see potential in you, Sterling. In time, you could be one of the best Guards the Crystal Empire has ever seen."

"I'll certainly try my best, sir." Sterling pledged.

“In light of your efforts yesterday, me and the Prince have decided to give you a special assignment.” The Captain declared, “We want you to be the guard to oversee Echo from here on.”

“...Really?” Sterling asked, “You want me to be his keeper?”

"That's right." The Captain nodded. "Yesterday, you proved you could handle him with greater ease than any other guard... Even me. So you would be the perfect choice to keep an eye on him."

“Well, you know…” Sterling shrugged modestly.

“I know it’s not an ideal position for a stallion of your caliber.” Shining admitted, before glaring, “But it’s for the good of the Crystal Empire that what happened yesterday doesn’t happen again. It’s going to be up to you to see to it that it doesn’t. You understand?”

"Yes, sir." Sterling nodded.

“Good.” Shining smiled, before glancing at the clock, “Now, I really should be going. I promised to take Cadance out to the theatre...”

The two gave a salute as Shining left. As soon as Shining was out the door, the Captain turned to Sterling.

“Now then…” The Captain nodded, “Follow me. I'll take you over to Echo’s study."

As Sterling followed the Captain down the corridors of the castle, he kept up a stoic outer appearance, appearing neither happy or disgruntled. Inwardly, though, he couldn't have been more pleased by the turn of events.

'This is working out better than I hoped.' He thought. 'Now I can keep as close an eye on Echo as possible. That means I can focus more on finding the lucky girl.'

Soon, they reached the door to Echo's workshop. The Captain knocked three times, but there was no answer.

"Alchemy, get out here!" He yelled. "There's somepony I want you to meet!"

There was a rumbling noise, as if a number of books had fallen over. The door opened, revealing Echo. Behind him was a completely messy room, with books and papers with notes on them sprawled over the floor, two blackboards full of scribbles that Sterling couldn’t make head or tails of. The room clearly reeked of a closed-in scientist.

"What is it, Captain?” Echo groaned, a bit miffed by the intrusion, “I’m very busy.”

"Well, I just wanted you to meet your new guard.” The Captain gestured to Sterling, “He’ll be watching you, so don’t try anything.”

“I should say the same about your stallions. But clearly they find enjoyment in poking beehives.” Echo glared.

"...I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.” The Captain declared swiftly, as he turned to leave. As he did, Sterling couldn’t help but overhear him say, “Frickin’ jackass.”

As soon as he was gone, Echo turned to Sterling, looking him up and down.

“So… you’re my new ‘babysitter’, Mister...” Echo said distastefully.

“Sterling Cross.” Sterling finished, holding up a hoof, “Please to meet you.”

"I wish I could say likewise.” Echo grumbled, ignoring the hoof, “But considering how you choked me out the first time, I’m not feeling all that friendly.”

“Oh… you remember that?” Sterling grimaced.

“Of course. First time aside, my memory retention remains unaffected when I undergo transformation. I remember you… and I remember how it is now because of you I’m stuck in here for the next few weeks.” Echo glared.

“Look, it wasn’t anything personal.” Sterling frowned, “I was just doing my job.”

“So was I.” Echo retorted, “Studying dark magic is my career. Something those two idiots couldn’t grasp.”

“Hey, I’m not saying what they did was right, but you didn’t really have to go ‘Saddle Rager’ on them.” Sterling winced. He started to get a feeling Echo was not going to be the most pleasant of individuals.

"I’m not familiar with this ‘Saddle Rager’.” Echo scoffed, “But you should know that my condition isn’t something that can be managed so easily.”

“Your condition?” Sterling repeated.

"Yes. I’m sure the Prince and your commanding officer told you.” Echo growled, “Whenever I become angry or severely stressed, I transform into that mindless beast. The doctors told me that it’s from the dark magic I came into contact with long ago.”

“What? Like some sort of experiment?” Sterling asked, knowing full well the real reason for Echo’s ‘condition’.

"Hell if I know. The last thing I remember was being at a bar in Carris, then the next, I am at the Canterlot Castle, having kidnapped a lot of ponies. Everything in between is a blank.” Echo shook his head.

“Eesh, talk about one hell of a blackout.” Sterling cringed.

"Ever since then, I have been suffering from this terrible curse." Echo moaned. "Running the risk of becoming a monster whenever I lose my temper, exiled to the furthest reaches of Equestria, hated and feared by all..."

"...Well, I’m sure it can’t be that bad.” Sterling said awkwardly, “I mean, it’s not like you get out much anyways, is it?”

“True. I am fortunate to have access to all the books and materials I need.” Echo admitted… before glaring, “But I would rather having to be here on my own terms, rather than locked away because the Prince and his men has it out for me!”

"I'm sure they mean well..." Sterling started.

"Of course you do." Echo sneered. "You're the obedient guard, doing anything your superiors tell you... Because it's so much easier and less painful than thinking for yourself."

"Whoa!" Sterling gasped, offended. "No need for insults. I was just trying to make nice with you, since we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"I have no time for niceties." Echo declared. "No time for anything other than my research, in fact."

Echo retreated back into his workshop, slamming the door behind him.

’...Crap.’ Sterling rubbed the back of his head, ’I guess I can’t blame him. The guy sure had it rough.’ He then pondered, ’Maybe it’s for the best that I don’t try to pursue a friendship with him now. It would have looked fishy to everypony else. I’ll work on earning his trust later.’

And so, Sterling’s new post as Echo’s guard begun. Over the next few weeks, Sterling stood outside Echo’s workshop, keeping watch. It was entirely uneventful, as only a few ponies ever happened by Echo’s room, and Sterling only left the post to eat or use the bathroom.

As for Echo, his mandatory house arrest came and went and he was free to leave his room. Whenever he left to do something, he would either glare or give Sterling the cold shoulder as he left. Sterling most of time would simply remain stoic, and occasionally return with a glare of his own.

True to his own words, whenever he was off duty and on his way to and from work, he kept an eye out for any prospective mother's to bear Echo's child. But none seemed to fit the bill.

'That Crystal Pony skin looks nice, but most of these mares don't quite have what I'm looking for.' Sterling thought one morning, as he looked over the streets. 'I know the Crystal Ponies are supposed to have this love magic connected to the Crystal Heart, but that's not exactly the kind of power that can be used anywhere…”

Sterling was making his way over to the Palace, when he felt his mirror activate. Making sure, nopony was watching, he slipped behind a random building, and held up the mirror, which revealed Loveless's face.

“Hey, Loveless.” Sterling smiled.

"Good to see you, Sterling." Loveless nodded, “I’m just calling to see how you are holding up over there.”

“Oh, things been fine.” Sterling smirked, “I’ve been guarding Echo’s room for a couple of weeks. Nothing much to report really.”

“And how is this ‘Echo’?” Loveless asked, a bit worried, “Is he anything like Synchro?”

“Well, he certainly has his grouchiness.” Sterling cringed, “But aside from that, he’s pretty harmless.”

"Do you think his abilities could prove... troublesome?" Loveless asked.

"Hard to say." Sterling declared. "He doesn't even seem to be aware that he's a Nightcrawler."

“Wait, Echo has no idea he’s a Nightcrawler?” Loveless frowned.

“Not a clue. You think a dark magic professor would know about them already.” Sterling mused.

“Well, it’s not something you can just look up in a book.” Loveless shrugged, “So, how goes the search for ‘Mrs. Alchemy’?”

“Well, it could be better.” Sterling admitted, “There’s not much in terms of magically gifted ponies around these parts, and considering Echo’s reputation, I doubt any of them would willingly lay with him, let alone sire a foal from him.”

"That does present something of a roadblock." Loveless frowned. "But I'm sure you'll find some mare willing to pair with Echo sooner or later."

"How are things back home?" Sterling asked.

“Oh, not too bad.” Loveless declared, “Nalik has been gone over the past weeks overseeing the study of those glyphs that supposedly have information as to where to find those ‘Deities’.”

“Well, I’m sure everypony else is happy to not have him around.” Sterling chuckled.

“You said it.” Loveless nodded, “Gridlock and Harlhooves are hard at work gathering materials for Project: Infestation 2.0. As for Doc, he’s been busy catching our new ‘Ouroboros’ up on Project: Bad Dreams…”

"You don't say?" Sterling mused. "Let's just hope the rookie can stay on point, and not focus on the past... how's Ricochet, by the way?"

“Oh, he’s still the same as ever.” Loveless declared, “...Although Solomon has recently asked him to join up with us on Project: Titanfall.”

“Really?!” Sterling gaped, “Do you know why?”

“Not sure, really.” Loveless frowned, “Solomon just told me that having two ponies work on our invention would be better than one. Apparently, our favorite drunk is quite a whiz in weaponry.”

“Well, considering how good he is with two crossbows, I wouldn’t be too surprised.” Sterling shrugged, “Maybe Solomon is on to something.”

“I don’t know. Just yesterday, Ricochet ordered nine mini-fridges. The day before, he asked me how many legs does a spider have.” Loveless grimaced.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Sterling joked. "Ricochet never changes."

"So true." Loveless nodded.

"How's Ward doing?" Sterling asked. "The little guy giving you any trouble?"

"No, he's been very well behaved." Loveless smiled. "He misses you, though." His face fell. "And so do I."

"Yeah, relax." Sterling smiled. "I'll be back soon enough. Once I find Echo a lady friend, I'll be coming home with the first of our new generation of warriors."

"I hope it'll be soon." Loveless admitted.

"We'll see." Sterling said solemnly. "Call you soon."

As the mirror deactivated, Sterling sighed. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but there had been something off about Loveless lately.

'I know he didn't like the idea of me going undercover again.' Sterling mused. 'But it seems like this is more than that. Something bigger...'

A few days later, Sterling was once more at his post. He could hear the sounds of revelry above. There was a royal summit going on that night. Every influential pony and non-pony in Equestria had been invited.

'They get to have their party, while I'm down here, babysitting Echo.' He thought. 'Still, with most of the guards up there, I've got a little more privacy than normal...'

At that moment, a dark brown-coated Unicorn stallion with light green eyes, a black mane, and a suit entered the room.

"Can I help you, pal?" Sterling frowned.

"Oops, sorry." The stallion chuckled. "Wrong corridor." He turned to leave, then stopped. "Say, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so." Sterling said bluntly.

"Are you sure?" The stallion frowned. "You look so familiar... Didn't I see you in college once?"

"No." Sterling declared. "I've never even been to college..." He muttered under his breath. "Anyway, I'm kind of on duty, so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Okay." The stallion nodded. "Rest assured, I'll try and remember where I know you from. It'll come to me eventually, don't you worry."

“...What an odd pony.” Sterling frowned.

Suddenly, Sterling’s mirror began ringing. Stepping away from the door a bit to prevent Echo from over-hearing, he activated it. The mirror showed Synchro, the decor of a nearby tavern just outside the Crystal Empire being behind him.

“Synchro, nice to see you.” Sterling smirked.

"Sterling." Synchro nodded. "How are things with Echo?"

"About as well as they can be." Sterling admitted. "How are things on your end?"

"Events are proceeding apace." Synchro answered. "The Order of Darkness has been hanging on my every word. And, thanks to the Forefathers' help, they have the makings for their ritual well underway."

"Let's just hope they don't foul this one up." Sterling declared.

“Oh, they won’t. Not if I can help it.” Synchro scoffed, “Have you found the lucky mare to be Echo’s mating partner?”

“Not yet.” Sterling shook his head, “And trust me, I’ve been looking.”

“Well, I suggest you get the lead out.” Synchro growled, “If what I overheard from the locale is true, the Crystal Faire is being held in a couple of months. That is the only chance we have at getting that book before they take it back to Faust knows where.”

“Hey, I’m not a love guru.” Sterling growled, “If I'm going to get a Maelstrom, I need a mare with powerful magic capabilities. And considering your brother’s reputation, it’s going to be doubly hard to get anything to happen between those two. And that’s if I find the right mare.”

“And what will we do if you don’t find her?” Synchro asked.

“...I don’t know. We’ll just have to cross that bridge when it comes to it.” Sterling admitted, “For now, we just have to keep on doing what we’re doing until something happens.”

“I guess…” Synchro nodded, “...By the way, I don’t know if this is anything important, but I noticed something rather unusual lately.”

“Unusual? Unusual how?” Sterling raised a brow.

“Probably nothing." Synchro answered. "But there was this odd red stallion making his way through the town I was in. The thing about him was that he had some strange-looking horn, and was wearing a eye-patch. But damn, that one golden eye gave me the creeps…”

’Red stallion? Golden eye? Eye-patch?’ Sterling frowned, recognizing the description, ’That sounds a lot like…’ He mentally shook his head, ’No, that can’t be. He’s been locked up by those Napoleons for at least ten years now…’

“...Is everything alright?” Synchro frowned, “You went silent.”

“It’s nothing.” Sterling shook his head, “It’s just, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you saw Black-”

Suddenly, there were screams in the air, followed by more sounds of commotion.

“The hell…” Sterling whispered.

“Sterling, what’s going on?!” Synchro demanded.

"... I'll call you back." Sterling announced.

As Sterling headed up to the ballroom to investigate, he saw a very unusual sight: what looked like living shadows in the shape of ponies had surrounded the guests.

“Um, that’s… not something you see everyday.” Sterling grimaced.

However, he stared towards the middle of the ballroom… and his blood froze. Standing in the midst of room was a stallion he has not seen in many years. The stallion responsible for the deaths of two stallions he knew, and other troubles that plagued the Forefathers.

Black Knight Paladin, in the flesh, bearing a familiar-looking red horn.

“Ohhhhhh crap.” Sterling blanched, ’How… why…’

"Spread out." Black Knight ordered the shadows. "Subdue any remaining resistance, eject any bystanders, and secure the palace."

'That's my cue to leave.' Sterling thought as he quietly backed away. 'Who knows what Black will do if he finds out I'm here?'

Sterling ran as fast as his hooves could carry him, returning to Echo’s room.

“I gotta get Echo outta here.” Sterling muttered, “I don’t know how Black got that horn, or those powers, or even how he got away from the Napoleons, but I can’t let them ruin my plans, not now!”

Moments later, Sterling barged into the room.

"Cross?" Echo looked up from his book. "What is the meaning of this? I'm in the middle of something."

"Seriously?" Sterling frowned. "You don't know what's going on out there?"

"Should I?" Echo shrugged.

"Look, we've gotta get outta here." Sterling urged. "Like, right now."

"I am not going anywhere." Echo snorted. "I have important research to do."

"Forget your research!" Sterling tried to drag Echo out of the room. "Move!"

"Let go of me, you musclebound oaf!" Echo struggled.

In his normal form, Echo was no match for Sterling. But as they neared the door, a group of shadow ponies approached.

“Oh, buck me!” Sterling snapped.

“Wait, are those…” Echo frowned.

"They're what I wanted to get you away from." Sterling declared, as the shadow ponies entered the room. "You should get behind me. ...Unless you want to let off some steam?"

"I have a better idea." Echo quickly walked to the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?" Sterling frowned, preparing to take on the shadow ponies.

Echo didn't answer. Instead, he moved one of his research boards, revealing a strange mark drawn on the wall. It resembled an arrow, but with several spike-like patterns added. Echo tapped the symbol with his hoof, and it glowed a bright white. A field of energy surrounded erupted forth, pushing the shadow ponies out of the room.

Undeterred, the shadow ponies attempted to get back inside, but found themselves prevented from doing so by an invisible wall.

"What was that?" Sterling gaped.

"An ancient mystic sigil." Echo declared. "I discovered it during my research, figured it might come in useful. Once drawn, it creates a mystic shield that deflects all magical beings."

“And you had that all drawn up… because?” Sterling frowned.

“I was stuck in my room for a few weeks. I needed something to do besides the norm.” Echo grimaced, “And it turned out it to be useful. The sigil will keep out anything magic-based for at least two weeks before wearing off.”

One of the shadow ponies, in frustration, grabbed a nearby flower pot from outside and threw it at them. The flower pot, not being magical, sailed into the room, shattering against the wall, much to their shock.

"Might be a good idea to close the doors, just in case." Sterling declared.

“That I can agree.” Echo nodded.

Sterling quickly shut and barred the doors.

"You can't hide in there forever!" One of the shadow ponies said in a cold voice. "You'll have to come out eventually!”

"He's got a point there." Sterling admitted reluctantly. "Doesn't look like you've got much in the way of food and water."

"I have a little water." Echo declared. "And some leftovers from tonight's dinner."

"That'll go real far." Sterling snorted.

"...Well, since there's nothing else to do, I think I'll continue with my research." Echo said nonchalantly.

"What?" Sterling frowned. "Aren't you the least worried about the shadow monsters that attacked us?!"

"It's not like we can anything about it right now." Echo shrugged. "Besides, as long as we have this." He pointed to the sigil. "We're relatively safe."

"Relatively." Sterling groaned. He had faced many enemies and dangers with the Forefathers, but never anything like this. It was definitely out of his comfort zone. "You go ahead and do your research. I'll go... fortify the defenses."

"Yes, you do that." Echo said unconcernedly, his nose already in a book.

After taking the time to block some of the windows (in case the shadow ponies got any bright ideas to attack through there), Sterling made his way to the most secluded part of Echo's chamber and held up his mirror.

“I’m not just gonna sit here and wait to die.” Sterling growled, “Father and the others should know how to get me out of this one…”

He activated the mirror.

"Sterling to Loveless." He declared. "Can you hear me? There’s something going on down here, and I need backup!!"

The glass showed only static.

“Hello?! Loveless?!” Sterling spoke, grimacing, “Damn. Maybe Loveless’s mirror’s acting up.”

Sterling turned off the mirror and activated it again.

“Ricochet? Come on, man, I need your help!” Sterling pleaded.

But it was once again static.

“Not again…” Sterling growled, “Somepony has to answer their mirror.”

So, Sterling tried all the connections he could think of.

“Synchro! Your brother and I are trapped. I need ya to bust us out!”

“Doc? Are you there?! I am trapped, and I have no way of getting out!”

“Gridlock, I’m kinda pinned down here. Could use some of your horsepower right about now!”

“Harlhooves! I’m stuck, and I could use that brain of yours right now!”

“Solomon, I am getting desperate here… I need you to do your thing and fry these shadow ponies… hello?!”

“...Nalik? Are you there?”

However, every attempted call was met with static silence.

“Dammit. Somehow, Black must be jamming up the signal.” He frowned, “So much for back-up.”

Reluctantly, Sterling returned to Echo.

"Still reading, huh?" He frowned. Glad one of us is taking this so calmly."

"One must do something to keep one's mind off things." Echo declared.

"Lucky you." Sterling scowled. "I've never been much of a reader myself."

"I'm shocked." Echo said sarcastically.

"Watch it, bookworm." Sterling scowled.

"At least this bookworm has something to take his mind off things." Echo shot back. "I suggest you find something too."

"Easier said than done..." Sterling muttered.

Over the next few days, Sterling and Echo were forced to stay where they were. While they couldn’t leave their room, they could still see a bit through the windows. And it wasn’t a pretty picture. There were shadow ponies running rampant through the streets, breaking through windows and chasing ponies around. What more, for some reason, some thugs began roaming around the places. Why they were siding with the shadow ponies they did not know. But Sterling could only assume Black hired them.

However, between all the rampages, the moments of eerie silence and peace that occur when nothing was happening, were what was really getting to Sterling. Moments where he had no idea what was going on… moments, for all he knew, it was all over, and Equestria had fallen to Black Knight.

'Of all the ponies that could have taken over...' Sterling thought, as he chewed on a scrap of sandwich. 'How did Black Knight even manage it, though? Where did he get the power to make shadow ponies? And why does he have Sombra's horn on his head? Dammit. If Black wasn’t already a threat to us before… he’s pretty much doin’ what we’re doin’!’

Sterling glanced at his mirror, and sighed in defeat.

’Oh, Loveless…’ Sterling grimaced, ’I really don’t know what to do now. If only you were here. You would know…’

Unfortunately, Loveless was in no position to provide guidance. In his workshop, he sat in place, powerless. Father had decreed that the Forefathers not intervene in events, despite the graveness of the situation.

"Sterling." Loveless said to himself. "Please, you must survive this..."

Ward padded over to Loveless, whining plaintively. It was almost as if he could sense that his owner was in serious trouble.

"I know, boy." Loveless patted the dog comfortingly. "I'm worried about him too. But Father, in his 'infinite wisdom' has refused to allow us to step in. All we can do is wait, and hope Sterling makes it out of that mess alive."

Ward whined once more.

"My thoughts exactly." Loveless sighed.

As the days wore on, Sterling felt the pangs of hunger within. Desiring something, anything to take his mind off it, he decided to speak with Echo. As usual, Echo was busying himself with his research.

"Gotta give ya credit, bookworm." He admitted. "You're taking of all of this pretty well."

"In fairness, I've been through worse." Echo declared.

"...You know, you could just let your little... condition out and take these guys on yourself." Sterling suggested.

"I could." Echo admitted. "But I fear I could cause more damage than those shadowy fiends. And no matter what others may think of me, I do not wish to hurt anypony."

"So much for that plan." Sterling sighed. Still, I gotta respect your decision."

"How do you mean?" Echo asked.

"Not everypony can keep their inner monster under wraps." Sterling pointed out. "Or are even willing to. Some of them just allow themselves to succumb to it totally."

"I can't deny that I feel that urge... often." Echo frowned. "But I cannot allow myself to give in. To do so would mean turning my back on everything I hold sacred. If I did, I would become the monster so many see me as."

"Whoa." Sterling declared, genuinely impressed. "That's... that's pretty darn hardcore. Major respect, Alchemy."

"Thank you." Echo smiled, before returning to his research.

'Finally, we're making progress.' Sterling smiled to himself. 'Forming a connection will do well for the future…'

Sterling's smile faded as he remembered how bad it was out there.

'Though, I guess it won't really matter if Black and his shadows take all of Equestria.' He thought. 'Or even take down the Forefathers... now there's a scary thought.' He shook his head. 'But isn't Equestria supposed to have its defenders? Why aren't they doing anything about it? if they're planning to, they're sure taking their sweet time.'

Suddenly, there was a sound… it was faint at first, but it began to grow. It sounded like many hooves marching.

"You hearin’ that?" Sterling frowned.

“...Yes.” Echo nodded, a bit curious, “What’s going on out there?”

As they continued listening, Sterling and Echo heard the sounds of battle: screams, roars, and more. Then there was a crashing sound, followed by a heavy thud. Then there was more screaming and cries of pain. All too soon, those sounds gave way to cheering and cries of happiness.

"You don't think..." Sterling asked.

"I do." Echo nodded. He covered up the sigil, dispelling the enchantment.

Sterling removed the barricade from the door, and opened it. The two headed outside, finding a huge crowd, celebrating in what appeared to be a battlefield.

“Whoa... what do you think happened here?” Echo asked.

“I think there was some giant battle...” Sterling smiled, “And it looks like we won.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Echo nodded.

“Sterling!”

Sterling and Echo watched as the Captain, a bit banged up, approached them.

“Captain. Are you alright?” Sterling asked.

“Oh, a little dented and bruised, but I’m okay.” The Captain shrugged, “But I’m relieved to see you’re okay. Where have you been?”

“Holed up with Echo here. The moment I saw the shadow ponies, we stuck around in his room for the past few days. I was worried we were going to starve in there.”

“Well, you’re alive. That’s all that matters.” The Captain smirked.

"As I am, Captain." Echo added.

"Yes, good." The Captain said flatly. "You probably have a lot of questions, Cross. I'd be happy to fill you in, just as soon as we finish attending to the wounded."

"I look forward to it." Sterling nodded.

The Captain walked away, leaving Sterling and Echo alone.

"So..." Sterling turned to face Echo, trying to be friendly. "These last few days have been one crazy ride, am I right?"

"Yes, I suppose." Echo said, his voice distant.

"But we pulled through it together, huh?" Sterling gently jabbed Echo on the shoulder.

"You could put it that away." Echo said flatly.

"Something wrong, Echo?" Sterling asked.

"Let's not embarrass us both with this charade." Echo said coldly. "I'm well aware that you were only friendly with me our lives were hanging in the balance. Now that the crisis is over, you don't have to pretend anymore."

"Now hold on a second." Sterling frowned. "It's not what you think-"

"I'd prefer not to think about it at all, thanks." Echo turned and walked away. "Let's just get back to business as usual."

'Unbelievable.' Sterling thought, frustrated. 'Just when we seemed to be getting somewhere...'

Just like that, things returned to normal… well, as normal as they could be at the time, as the Crystal Empire underwent renovations following what ponies started to call the ‘Crystal Sun’ incident.

Sterling wasn’t sure what the Crystal Sun was, but he didn’t care, having heard of its’ swift destruction.

As soon as he was able to, he slipped away into a supply closet, and called Loveless, letting him and the others know that he was okay.

Needless to say, Loveless was beside himself with joy and relief, having apparently been trying to contact him since Black Knight’s takeover, reflecting Sterling’s own relief of being able to hear Loveless’s voice once more.

After all of that was said and done, Sterling went on to debrief him on everything that had happened.

"...And that's pretty much everything." He finished. "Crazy story, right?"

"You can say that again." Loveless nodded. "While it is a pity that we couldn’t appropriate the Crystal Sun's power for ourselves, I think that kind of power is best destroyed. At least we can finally take solace that Black Knight is dead.”

"Yeah, one less headache for us." Sterling grinned.

"I'm really glad you're safe, old friend." Loveless admitted. "Ward and I were worried sick."

“Yeah, me too.” Sterling sighed, before putting on a brave smile, “But I’m a survivor. After all, I did rough it in the woods for three months, right?”

“That you did.” Loveless nodded, “...So, what now?”

“Well, I guess it’s back to business.” Sterling grimaced, “No thanks to our dead ‘friend’, it’s gonna be harder to find a gal who wants to associate herself with a ‘dark magic’ expert. And Echo himself is really wanting nothing to do with anypony.”

"I have complete faith in your abilities, Sterling." Loveless assured him. "You'll think of something. You always do..."

“Thanks, Loveless.” Sterling beamed, “...Well, I better get going before they miss me. They’re having us help with repairs over in the main hall. Real big hole in the ceiling. Say ‘hi’ to Ward for me.”

"With pleasure." Loveless nodded, before vanishing from the mirror.

As Sterling made his way back to the hall to help with repairs, a stallion who looked vaguely familiar suddenly ran past.

"Ahhh!" The stallion yelled. "Mirror monster!"

'Mirror monster?' Sterling frowned, ’Jeez, is there like a freak magnet for this place?’

Wondering what causing the commotion, Sterling glanced in the direction the stallion was running from. Emerging from a room was an orange Unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane, green eyes and a Cutie Mark of a two-toned sun emerge from a room.

Sterling was immediately floored by how beautiful the mare looked.

'Whoa.' Sterling gaped. 'She's beautiful...'

Sterling was so in awe of the mare that he let her walk right back without stepping out of the shadows. He then walked toward the room she emerged from, finding a mirror inside, one that was faintly glowing. Sterling quickly deduced that the mirror was probably where she came from.

'If that's a mirror monster, then get me one of those mirrors.' He smiled.

Sterling returned to his work, thoughts of the mystery mare still on his mind.

A couple of days later, Sterling found himself summoned by the Captain.

"What's up, chief?" He asked.

"We need you to escort a special guest to Echo Alchemy's study." The Captain declared. "A Unicorn named Sunset Shimmer. She's an old student of Celestia's, and she is coming to the Crystal Empire to assist Alchemy with his work."

"Seriously?" Sterling gaped.

"I know." The Captain nodded. "There's no accounting for taste..."

"But what about Echo, anyway?" Sterling asked. "Don't you need me watching him?"

"We'll bring in two guards to take your place for the time being." The Captain answered. "Now, come on. Sunset should be here by now."

"Right behind you, Cap." Sterling nodded.

The Captain led Sterling to the castle foyer, where, to Sterling's surprise, the mare from before stood in front of him.

'No way.' He gasped. 'It's her.'

"Miss Shimmer?" The Captain announced. "Your escort is here."

"Hello." Sunset smiled.

"...Hi." Sterling said breathlessly. "Right this way, please.

"Lead the way." Sunset smiled.

Sterling lead Sunset down the corridors, unable to believe the situation.

'The mirror mare is here.' He thought. 'And she's Celestia's former student... what are the odds?'

"Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I remember..." Sunset glanced around.

"Renovations have been done here and there." Sterling answered in a gruff voice, intent on retaining his cover for the moment. "But given the whole shindig with that Black Knight character, it merely gave us an excuse to remodel the place while the royals are off on vacation."

"Well, I think you all are doing a good job." Sunset smiled.

'Beautiful on the inside too, I see...' Sterling thought.

Sterling lead Sunset down to Echo's study. All the way, he couldn't help but snatch glimpses of the mare's beautiful face.

"And here we are." Sterling gestured, "The guy you're looking for is in there."

"Okay. Thank you very much." Sunset smiled as she made to go in...

"Hold up." Sterling, for some reason he couldn't explain, blocked her path.

“Huh?” Sunset frowned.

Sterling blanked for a moment, not sure why he did what he did… but realizing how suspicious it might look, he quickly thought on his hooves.

"...I just want to make sure you know what it is you're getting into." Sterling said cautiously, a sense of actual truth seeping in, for reasons he did not know. "This pony has issues... what kind you may ask... well, there's a reason there's two guards out here."

"Really?" Sunset frowned, as she glanced at the guards, "Well, surely, it can't be all that bad. Celestia seems to trust him, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to."

"And that is all well and good.. all I ask is that you be careful. Wouldn't want you to hurt your pretty little self." Sterling said ominously.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mister..." Sunset trailed off, not sure what to call him.

"Sterling Cross, ma'am." Sterling saluted. "I wish you good luck..." He then turned and walked away. "You're going to need it."

After Sunset entered the study, Sterling turned to the guards.

"That'll be all, fellas." He declared. "I'll take it from here."

"Suit yourself." One guard declared.

"But the rest of us wouldn't be so keen to go back to being close to that weirdo." The second snorted as they walked away.

"Hey, it's part of the job." Sterling shrugged.

After the guards left, Sterling looked at the door to Echo's study, Sunset still on his mind.

'A former student of Celestia.' He thought. 'That means powerful magic. The sweet personality and the gorgeous bod doesn't hurt. And she doesn’t seem the least bit deterred by the subject matter... ' He smiled happily. 'Echo, I think I may have just found the perfect mare for you...'

It was at this moment Sterling knew that his project was finally about to begin. He had a Nightcrawler. He had a powerful Unicorn. And he had a plan to get them together.

But little did he realize the great ramifications that his, and Synchro’s plan, would have for not only them, but for every pony involved. What would followed in a month’s time would come to be their darkest days...