Night Patrol 2 Awakening chapter 20
By Foxgear
“YOU WHAT!” Were the first words to come from Sixes' snarling mouth, hot liquid fire drips from his jaws burning through the cobblestone. Celestia grimaces at his tone, his anger and hatred like a burning heat against her coat. He was the same he’d been a thousand years ago. Her eyes pan, watching the others snarl with their leader, their loyalty clear, she held no sway over them any longer.
Next Celestia looks to Cadence, the Princess of Love looking torn as she looks from the Night Patrollers to the Sun Princess. Celestia offers a faint smile, now looking at her beloved student and her friends. The six mares’ expressions ranged from shock, confusion and horrified. Twilight looking slack-jawed that a pony could hate her beloved Sun Princess. This would be an important lesson for her. Celestia chuckles to herself, she should have shattered Twilight’s naïve view of her many moons ago, but her greed prevented her from doing so.
Last, she looks to her sister, Luna, her expression unreadable. Yet she wasn’t shouting or demanding answers just yet. A sigh of trust? Or is she simply waiting for the reason of her night ponies anger to be spoken? So, she may pass her judgment later? She will have to wait and see.
Focusing back on Sixes, with Fury and Topaz by his side, Celestia takes a relaxing breath and steps back, bowing her slightly in a message of peace. She heard several gasps come from the crowd. She could imagine their surprise. She, the Princess, bows to no pony below her station, yet here she was doing just that.
“Remember your vow, as I remember mine, you three need not look at me with such hostility. There is a reason for my words, please hear them.” She kept her head low, not daring to look to Luna for help if she did she would forever lose their respect. After what she did to her sister, to ask for Luna’s help in quelling their anger would be the biggest insult she could make to the Night Patrollers. “Please, hear my words.”
The snarls stop. She looks up seeing Sixes standing alone, Fury and Topaz lurking in the crowd. She breathes a sigh of relief and raises her head. Waiting for Sixes' permission to speak. His jaws snap uneasily as he reigns in his anger for the time being.
“Speak your words then.” He says gruffly.
“Thank you, Sixes.” Celestia coughs and casts a spell to project her voice. The royal Canterlot voice, how long it’s been. “I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, to the valent and loyal members of Night Patrol express my deepest thanks for your aid in liberating Canterlot. You have all fought valiantly in not just this campaign, but many others, the some of which have not even been written on the pages of history. It is for that reason, I must deny your service. Despite recent events, we are still in a time of peace. For you soldiers of the night, I wish for you to enjoy this peace. You have lived your entire lives, since the time my sister found you in the mountains of Firehorn through the ten years you followed me after Nightmare Moon’s banishment, you have not seen more than a moment of peace. Your entire lives have been fighting, suffering and strife. My wish, my purpose for denying your service is so that you may go and enjoy the peace of this new era you’ve found yourselves in. To put it simply, I wish for you to know a life outside of war.”
Her speech concluded Celestia looks to Sixes to judge his reaction, his expression… was not reassuring. His chest began to heave, a mocking smirk spread across his lips as he laughs, pointing an accusing claw at her.
“Peace?” Sixes scoffs glaring at the Sun Princess. “What a worthless pass time.”
“That’s not true Sixes! You’ve just become a warmonger! You were too afraid to live in peace!” Celestia screams losing composure. It was like a thousand years ago, the same as last time, her words weren’t reaching or rather he wasn’t listening any longer. “There are no more enemies to fight! They’re gone! It’s time to put down the sword!”
“And do what?” Sixes snarls back. “What am I to do? Look at me! Look at the scars that mar my scales! I’m not one of your soft ponies! None of us are! We were made for war! It’s all we’ve ever been good at! You just don’t want to accept that! We tried it your way and remember what happened? The moment things started getting messy you turned to us! You were too afraid to let the normal ponies know the taste battle, your precious students! You started that school to train new protectors, but you didn’t want to use them! So, you used us instead! Because we were already covered in blood!”
Celestia winced, fighting back tears, “That’s… not… not true. They weren’t ready. I couldn’t let them go. Like I didn’t want Crusader to…”
“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare bring him into this!”
“What do you care!”
“I cared as much as I could!
“It wasn’t enough! All he wanted was your respect!”
“ENOUGH!” Both Celestia and Sixes cease their fighting as Luna got between them, her wings spread wide to separate them. In a much more subdued tone, she said, “Enough. Please. That’s enough. I know not the grudge between you two, but this is a time for mourning, rebuilding, and celebration. Not for tearing at each other throats.” Luna said solemnly. The hatred she had felt in the dream world was as scathing in reality as it had been then. An anger festering over the past thousand years.
Sternly Luna looks at her sister and Sixes. In a harsh hushed tone, she spoke to the two, “Can we not do this privately? Perhaps at another time? Now is not the time for either of you to be screaming at each other in public!”
Sixes steps back, looking frustrated, his gaze intensely fixed on Celestia, “If that’s your wish, I will obey.” He turns and walks away, the crowd separating to make a path for him and he disappears into the darkness of the night.
“Thank you, Luna, I had forgotten myself.”
“Don’t thank me,” Luna curtly snaps, her voice but a whisper, but her tone was fierce. “Once this celebration is over you and I will have a lot to talk about. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to go. Morning is drawing close after all.”
Luna quickly trots away following Sixes into the darkness. Celestia barely having time to call out to her, but a stern voice stops her.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Fierce Fury told her suddenly appearing by her side while casually sipping his drink. “I know a little something about being angry, neither one will want to listen to what you have to say at this moment, better to wait till the morning.”
Celestia hangs her head, she knew Fury’s words were true, she was the all-wise Celestia after all. For all the good her wisdom is when it comes to dealing with her sister and Sixes. “I suppose your right, I think I shall go refresh my drink.”
“Sixes, please wait!” Luna cries out. He stops instantly at the sound of her voice. The voice he’s been longing to hear for over a thousand years. As her hoof steps quiet he turns seeing her basking in the soft glow of the moonlight. His heart races as her teal eyes shine and shame and guilt fill his heart.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” He tells her, speaking of his fight with Celestia. “That was a private matter between me and her, I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in front of everypony like that.”
Luna smiles at him, a smile he doesn’t deserve. She walks towards him getting dangerously close. A smile plays on her lips as she stands up tall measuring their heights. A giggle escapes her lips as she tries to stifle it with her hoof.
“If not for my horn, you would be taller than me now. I hadn’t noticed before in the heat of the moment, but you’ve changed, you’ve aged since I’ve last seen you.” Luna said looking into his eyes. She now had to look slightly up at him. Before they had been the same height. She was unused to ponies being taller than her. “As for the issue between you and my sister, I care not that you are fighting, but why you are fighting. Please, Sixes, will you tell me what has driven a wedge between you two? Her hoof in my banishment aside I could not imagine you spitting such hostility upon any pony that is not your enemy.”
Lighten the mood and cut into the issue, classic Luna. Of course, she was the guardian of the dream realm, she had plenty of experience digging into ponies’ problems. Why would he be any different?
“Will you bother me in my sleep if I refuse to answer you now?” He asks her coyly, a faint blush appearing on the princess’s cheeks.
“Well,” Luna coughs, “If it is warranted, then yes, yes I will.”
He sighs, the tension leaving his body, the rage and hatred for Celestia subsiding, for now. “Another time, it’s been ten years or a thousand and ten since we last spoke. I’d like to hear what you think of this new era.” Sixes began to walk towards the gardens, gesturing for Luna to follow him with his tail.
Deciding not to push the issue Luna trots along beside Sixes, telling him of her research and adventures that lead her waking him and the others up. When she got into the details of the keys she was amused she see Sixes facepalm.
“For the moon, Nightingale gave her key to Kira and then Kira put it in that stupid trap castle Gadget made for her? Fuck, who told her that was a good idea.”
“Your language is certainly much crasser,” Giggles Luna, “You used to only swear on the battlefield.”
“Set up a swear jar if you don’t like it,” He jokes, earning a light and lovely laugh from the princess.
“Perhaps I shall,” Luna said trying to reign in her laughter. When she finally did she looks around their surrounds seems they have gone and gotten lost in Celestia’s gardens at some point. Not that she minded. The roses were quite a romantic setting. “I see my sister still enjoys her gardening, though I don’t know where she finds the time.”
“I think she just makes the day longer.” Sixes said sounding much more relaxed. Luna paws the ground uncertain if she should try to address Sixes and Celestia’s issues or wait. She was having such a good time, she’d hate to spoil the mood. He notices her hesitation. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing,” She replies quickly. “I…I… oh screw it. I believe Celestia may have a point.” Not really what she wanted to talk about, but it was something that needs to be discussed too. “Before you say anything, I don’t mean for you retire from your service. Equestria needs you now more than ever after this last invasion. Our regular forces are in shambles and our military infrastructure is in even more peril than before. While I know you want to get into the action. I feel you’d be better suited rebuilding Equestria’s military from the ground up. Besides I’m sure it’ll take time to get everything you need to supply the Nightmare, you might as well relax and enjoy the present day a little in the meantime.”
“We did that before,” Retorts Sixes, ignoring that last part. He didn’t need to be sitting on his claws at a time like this. Especially when he ran the numbers in his head. “It’s not our fault Celestia didn’t want to spend the bits on tanks and warships. She put everything into the magic arts. When we built the Nightmare, we presented her with plans for more cost-effective ships. I understood we couldn’t make a fleet of $13 billion-bit ships, but…”
“That ship cost $13 billion!” Luna’s eyes nearly fell out of her head! “How… how did you pay for it!” Sixes smiles sheepishly and it dawns on her. “My treasure!”
“We may have taken a… small loan.”
“Small loan! That’s more then I spent founding Night Patrol in the beginning! That’s fives more expensive than the Moon Cutter, The Solar Flare, and the Midnight Dusk! That’s three warships! Combined!”
Sixes chuckles scratching his head, “Well then you probably don’t want to hear how much the tanks, the moon phase: Midnight Armor and the artillery shells were.”
Luna looks darkly at him, “Tell me.” He whispers the amount in her ear, her jaw dropping. “HOW MUCH!” he whispers again. “That’s per shell!” Luna begins to hyperventilate. “But… but we fire three shells at once! That’s… that’s…”
“18,500 bits per barrage fired, we also have ten turrets so, that’s…”
“185,000 bits to fire all ten turrets once.” Luna stutters remembering how many barrages they fired during the battle to retake Canterlot. She never cared about the price of war before. Not when it came to bits, but this, this was insane. “That’s a quarter of the entire Equestrian economy, today! How… how did you afford this a thousand years ago?”
Sixes didn’t answer, his face solemn.
“Sixes?” Luna said with concern, remembering Celestia’s words of the Griffons and something Sixes had done to ensure they would never rise up again. “Sixes, what did you do?”
He laughs humorlessly, “Prince, no King Silvericus, Silverous’s son, demanded reparations. Saying his father and his country couldn’t be held responsible since Hoofenstien was one that pushed his father into war and violating the treaty. He went to the Europa congregate. Gaining the support of five other nations with an ax to grind against us. In response, I ordered the Nightmare to fly over Griffonstone. At the time nations were just starting to build airships, converting their sea vessels to air. They were going broke just trying to catch up to us. Older Airships couldn’t stand up to the Nightmare, nor could any nation afford nor did they know how to build one like it. We rain down shells on the Armada, the griffon city, everything. I remember the flames, the city burning for three days straight. I remember on the fourth day when the Griffon King come on deck, his crown in his claws and tears in his eyes. He fell to his belly and he offered us everything.”
“Everything? You don’t mean?”
Sixes nods, “All the gold in all the Griffon nations. An uncountable amount of money. We took it. We took it all then made the griffon king sign a treaty that all gold coins in the griffon kingdom would be no more than ten percent gold per coin.”
“Ten percent! That would make them nearly worthless against any other currency! They’d have to offer millions for the most meager of trades! There’s no way they could keep the kingdom afloat like that!”
“Exactly,” Sixes answers. “With such a weak currency they couldn’t supply, upgrade, or support an army of any threat worthy size. Do you not approve?”
“Whether I approve or not is not the question, the matter is done with, I can no more fix it then I can fix my own mistakes. But I would be lying if I didn’t say I don’t feel little remorse for them.” Luna shakes her head. “I searched and searched and have never seen any record of the Griffons acting up again, not once in the last thousand years. The method, well perhaps too much had the desired effect.”
“I suppose Celestia hasn’t told you a lot of what we did then, huh?”
“I was preoccupied getting up to date with the current times. I merely skimmed the historical archives for context when needed. Why? What else should I know?”
Sixes lets out a long yawn, snapping his jaws he looks up at the horizon where the sun began to peak out, urging for the moon to lower. “Another time, I’m sure we’ll have another chance to talk.”
“Sixes,” Luna says but decides to let the matter rest, for now, it was late or early. Whatever she was tired. Igniting her horn, she brings the moon to its final stages of the night. “That matter aside for now. I notice you haven’t slept since you’ve awakened from stone. I know it was merely a jest before, but do you require aid in sleeping? Are you being bothered by nightmares Sixes?”
He smiles as he takes flight, Luna flying up beside him as he looks towards the Nightmare harbored off the edge of the city. “I’ve been asleep for a thousand years, nothing wrong about not wanting to sleep, right?”
“I suppose, but that doesn’t negate the fact your body needs rest. As such I order you to rest.”
“I thought I was on leave?”
“Even on leave you are still under my command, are you not?” Luna says coyly getting in Sixes face. A sly smiling playing on her lips. She knew she had him.
He huffs, smiling, “I suppose I am.”
“Well then, you best be off to bed then Commander. I have a lot of things to show you int this new era. One of the first is introducing you to the friends I’ve made in this new era. I think you’ll like them.”
“I’ll let them speak for themselves,” Sixes replies flying towards the Nightmare. Luna calling out to him one last time.
“Sixes, you know you can come to me if you are troubled, right?”
He shakes his head, “My troubles aren’t worth your attention.” He flies away, leaving the princess hoovering in the sky alone. Luna sighs as she looks at the lunar tower where her bedchambers were. Solemnly she flies to her balcony, dropping her regalia on the floor she slides into bed. As she nuzzles against her pillow she mutters.
“Maybe I think they are.” Her eyes closed and she drifts off to the dream realm. In the milky abyss, she calls forth the doors of ponies’ dreams, summoning the doors of Night Patrol. She waits several minutes for Sixes' door to appear. And when it did she found it in a decayed and chains binding it shut, barring her entry. “What in the world?” She peers through a crack in the door. Catching glimpses of a burning landscape and the woeful vitriol screams of Sixes on the other side.
“Sixes! Sixes open up! Please let me in!” She begs pounding on the door with her hoof. The door did not give to her assault nor did Sixes come to let her in. She slumps against the door, Celestia’s door, pristine and barred with golden chains appears before her. Angrily she stands up and pounds on her sister’s door. “Celestia!” She screams to no avail. Her sister did not answer.
He stood on the hill overlooking the rows upon rows of fresh apple trees. AJ’s and Rawhide’s hard work had paid off, they made their home. Sixes takes a step, eager to go see his friends when suddenly the grove catches fire. He races towards the house, fear clutching at his heart as the treetops burn. Voices call out to him ghosts of enemies long slain. He shakes them off continuing towards the house.
“Sixes…” A disembodied voice says.
Ignoring the voice, he continues he sees the gold-clad bodies of dead white ponies, EUP. He growls upon noticing the teal stripe on their shoulder pads. He passes a body with a pickaxe embedded in its spine. In the burning barn, he sees the massive form of Rawhide, bloody and beaten. He runs to his friend, his breathing shallow.
“Rawhide!” He yells shaking the big red stallions. “What happened! Rawhide!”
The big red stallion’s lone eye creeps open, his voice hoarse, “AJ… the kids…”
“I’ll find them! Just hang on help is on its way!” Sixes pulls Rawhide out of the burning barn. Smoke and fire everywhere. There was no safe place to put him, so he drags Rawhide to the clearing and shoots up a stream of fire. Hopefully, the others would find him.
“Sixes…” The voice says again, more clearly, it was female, but he ignores it. Pressing on towards the houses hearing the cries of foals and the sound of flesh being hit. The house was just up ahead, it was on fire! Spreading his wings, he flaps them to gain more speed, letting out a roar as he comes into the yard!
“AJ!”
“Commander Sixes! Wake up!”
Sixes opens his eyes, his breath fast and erratic, a red muzzle hangs over him. He squints his eyes up at the pony standing over his bed. A tuff of green mane exposes her identity. AppleJazz.
“What are you doing here? You're too old to become crying to me about nightmares.” He gruffly says to the young mare. Jazz’s cheeks burn pink as she snorts angrily.
“I only did that twice!” She shouts hitting him with her hoof. “And for your information, it’s eight, most of the ship is up already.” Her face frowns as she looks at the black rinin’s sweat-soaked scales. “Did you have another nightmare?”
Sixes glares at her as he tosses off his sheets. “I don’t have nightmare’s Jazz, just bad memories. What do you want?” The red mare bounces in place looking anxiously at him. “Well?”
“I need you to sign my leave papers!” She shouts. Confusing him.
“What? Why? Since when do I do that?”
“Well, a pony from the castle come and gave out these forms and said we had to fill them out if we were going to leave the city limits. The pony also said we need a to have them signed by our CO before we can go. And I’m in your unit, so you have to sign it.” She explains cracking a cutesy smile at him.
He takes the form sticking out of Jazz’s saddlebags, seems she was planning to go on quite the trip. Taking a feather dipped in ink in his claw Sixes reads over the form. “Alright, where do you want to go?”
“To Cousin AJ’s of course! I also want to visit the old farm, maybe some other surviving relatives. Oh, I just can’t wait to see them all! I wonder if they developed a new apple?”
“You do know none of them will know who you are, correct? And you do realize despite looking like her, the Applejack of this time is not the Applejack of ours. She is a stranger, Jazz.”
The young mare’s mood took a turn as she dug at the floor with her hoof, “I know, I know, but we’re still family, right? I’m sure I connect with them. So please, please let me go!”
Sixes sighs, this was his highly trained special recuse operative, pleading like a child wanting candy. She was only eighteen, he guessed, she still had some maturing to do. “Fine, I assume you’re going to fly there yourself?”
“Of course! I didn’t get metal studs stabbed in my back not to fly, right?” Jazz said equipping her metal wings. The wings were actually Nightingale’s, who had taught the earth mare to fly. Sixes hands her the slip and she lets out an excited squeal, slamming him with a hug. “Thank you! I’ll see you in a week!”
Like that AppleJazz was gone like a storm.
Snorting fire Sixes steps down into the rest of his chambers aboard the Nightmare. As an officer his room was little bigger than the rests, he also didn’t have a bunkmate. Trotting over to his desk he looks over the list he compiled last night after returning from last night’s celebration. The list consists of material and parts they need to be produced to resupply and repair the ship and tanks.
First, he would need to find some companies willing to produce the material and then find a way to pay them. He’d have to talk to Luna about that. A smile graces his lips, Luna, she was back, they were back. His smile fades. He had felt her presence, begging for entry into his dream world and he had denied her. She was not going to let that go.
“I better get going, lots of things to do and lots of catching up to do.” He said making for the door. Glancing at his armor he felt the urge put it on, but he was on leave, he wasn’t supposed to be in uniform. Correction, he was, but not his armor. His officer’s uniform hung his closet. Another Allure creation, along with the Phase 3: Midnight Armor. Sadly, he’s never worn the officer’s uniform his friend worked so hard to design. “I suppose, if I’m to conduct business on behalf of Night Patrol, I should look the part.”
Stepping out into the hall Sixes tugs at the collar of his officer’s uniform, maybe he should have gone to that final fitting as Allure suggested. Or maybe he was a little bloated from all the feasting. Still, it was nice. A simple midnight blue uniform jacket with his medals and rank. Well, some of his medals. He had a lot of medals. An entire drawer full actually. Placing his officer cap on his head Sixes steps out into the hall, and instantly runs into a grumpy Fierce Fury, who was also in uniform?
“Why are you so dressed up, Fury?” He asks the red Rinin.
“Why are you? Did that bastard watch carrying pony come and tell you, you had to be in uniform even on leave? Fucking ridiculous, since when did we have to wear off duty clothes?” The red rinin rages, pulling at his collar, eventually, he just gave up and unbuttoned the jacket, giving him a messy appearance.
Sixes frowns, “Watch carrying pony?”
“Yeah, a bastard named Time Keeper, come from the castle, woke me up and gave me a bunch of stupid forms. I’ve been signing fucking leave papers for the last two hours! Why the hell do I need to that? If half of my unit wants to go explore the outside of the city then they would damn well be allowed to do so! They’re not fucking children and I’m not their parent!”
“I’m inclined to agree,” A third voice drones, it was Topaz also in his officer’s uniform. “This is such a waste of time and energy. Thankfully most of my unit has been content with exploring the city. Unfortunately, some wish to go to Nippon to visit. The forms I’ve had to fill out are… extensive. Are we not an allied nation?”
Sixes rubs his temple, “I’ll speak to Luna about this if I see her today.” Fury snorts, Sixes looking at the red rinin with ire. “What?”
“Good luck, trying to do that. I told the pony who gave me the forms I would be speaking to Luna about this stupid crap and he told the Princess’s schedule was too busy for me to meet her today.”
“What a load of horseshit!” Sixes snaps. Luna ran both the kingdom and Night Patrol by herself, and always had time to listen to the concerns of her ponies! His teeth began to ache as he clenches his jaw, growling ferally. Noticing what he was doing Sixes coughs, trying to keep his composure. “I’ll see what I can do. For now, I need your help. Personally, I don’t like being anchored in Canterlot.”
“Seconded,” Fury agrees, already tired of the city on the mountain.
“Third,” Adds Topaz.
Sixes urges them to hush and listen, “As such Topaz, I want you to fly to the old castle with a team and begin surveying the structure. See if there’s anything salvageable or if we need to start anew. Get estimates for both. Fury you’re with me, we’ll have to find some suppliers. And though I don’t like the idea of helping those pathetic EUP ponies, we’ll go with Admiral McGather to check out the fleet Celestia is building.”
Admiral McGather, age 65, Earth pony, a heavy smoker and tactical genius in airship warfare. He literary wrote the book once he got a hold of his own ship a thousand years ago. After Luna’s banishment, Night Patrol hired him as their top commander under Luna of course. He even took the thousand years sleep with them. He was a proud Equestrian patriot.
“Well, let’ go get the old coot.”
Sixes and Fury step out on the dock were the Nightmare was harbored. They were on the very outskirts of the city, most of the surrounding area was either empty or industrial. Behind them was Admiral McGather. He wore aviator shades, smoked a pipe, and wore navy hat and jacket with the NP icon. He puffs out a plume of smoke as he shoves his way through the two rinin with no fear, grumbling angrily as he hobbles on three legs, the fourth holding the blueprints of the ships Celestia was building.
“What a mangy collar of crap these dinghies are. Doesn’t any pony know how to make a bloody warship! Only tier 2 gem engines, made of wood, only fifty-pound cannons! And only twenty of the worthless things! Blah! What a load of crock! Is this a navy or a merchant's vessel?” The Admiral tosses the blueprints over the side of the cliff. “Hundred seventy-five pieces of floating crap. I’m going to go get this straightened out. Don’t even bother coming by till after I’ve given those pinheads a good ass chewing. You boys go find us some pony who knows how to make artillery shells. We used up most of them retaking the city. We were lucky the damn shells still worked after a thousand years. Gotta thank Gadget for that preservation spell. Even the Nightmare is skating fine after sleeping for so long! Alright, I’ll catch ya later.” With that, the Admiral trots off.
Fury snickers jabbing Sixes in the six, “You ever think the old coot just likes talking out loud?”
“Probably. Come on, let’s head for the castle.” Sixes figured most ponies of industrial importance would be at the castle overseeing the reconstruction of Canterlot. As such, that would be the best place to find arms making pony rather than wandering aimlessly around the streets of Canterlot. “Gloves!” He shouts for the sub commander; whose head appears up above peering over the flight deck. “Is Trifecta up there?”
“He left for the city! Something about visiting some ponies or something!” Gloves replies.
“Then you’re the highest-ranking officer! Take care of the ship!”
“Aye, sir!”
“Come on, let’s take a look around the city,” Sixes and Fury depart taking to the sky. They glide easily through the air looking at the bustling streets of Canterlot below. It was almost hard to believe the city had been invaded not two days ago and already ponies were carrying on as if it was forever ago. With the city business center suffering little damage it was no wonder ponies returned to their normal routine.
“I think we did more damage than the Changelings did with the shelling,” Comments Fury as they pass over some ruined apartments. “We musta made a few folks homeless.”
“They’ll have their homes back soon enough, or maybe they’ll move out of this dreadful city. I can’t imagine why any pony wants to live here.” Sixes retorts, finding the smells raising up disgusting. Beside him, Fury was twitching. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I just feel like flying around is all. Kind of nice to be in the sky again.”
“Go then,” Sixes urges, smiling at his friend, “It doesn’t take two of us for this kind of work.”
“Thanks, bro! Catch ya back at the ship!” Fury says veering off. It was nice to see the normally angry pony cheerful.
“I guess that means I can’t be having that bad of a day,” Sixes chuckles diving down into the city.
Fury weaves between the clouds feeling bliss. He loves flying, maybe it was because he was originally a pegasus or maybe it was because of Nightingale, but he loves being in the sky. He looks to his wing half expecting Nightingale to be there. For a brief second, he heard her laughter and saw her flying beside him. The image quickly disappears like the mist.
Right, he sorrowfully remembers, she didn’t come with them. She stayed in the past or in the present it had been back then. She stayed and he left her. Or did she leave him? He didn’t know. Truth be told he was never sure what kind of relationship they had. She had kind of came to him first and he just followed along. He enjoyed it, maybe he even loved her, but maybe not enough.
“Fuck,” He cursed. Why was he thinking about this now? Because he had the time to think about it? He hadn’t thought Celestia’s offer for some R and R was so bad until now. No pony said it’d give him time to think about his fucking problems. Which sucks. “Could use a war about now. Should go prod Celestia I’m sure she has somepony she wants to be killed.” He grins, chuckling at the faces of the ponies from last night. “She must have done some real image changing over the past thousand years. I wonder if any pony would believe me if I told them Celestia was once called the Sun Goddess of War. Probably none of them.”
Fury continues to fly mindlessly not minding where he was going. He couldn’t shake Nightingale’s memory, he couldn’t fly away from it. She haunts him in every cloud. His heart aches and he wonders, why didn’t she come with?
“Fuck… FUCK!” He roars letting loose a stream of fire! Clouds explode into steam, he takes aim at other, his rage boiling to the surface as he blasts another and another and another! Steam rises from his body with bursts of fire exploding from his coat, his anger grows. He takes aim.
“Hey!” A voice cries out. He ignores it. “Hey! Stop that!” The voice shouts again. He blasts another cloud paying the voice no mind. “I said stop!” He wheels around, snarling his heckles raise displaying his fangs to their fullest. His eyes dilate becoming sharp slits of rage as he bears down on the midnight blue mare haggling him.
“WHAT!” He snaps, bursts of fire shooting from his mouth as he yells, it was harmless, but it makes the mare back away to cower behind a cloud. She was wearing some kind of uniform, it was blue and yellow. Blue and yellow… where had he seen that… Firefly… Firefly’s imposter unit! “Wonderbolt…” He snarls.
The mare seems to regain her courage, she flew from her cover puffing up her chest, “Yeah! I’m a Wonderbolt! Night Glider! And you’re in restricted airspace!”
Night… she said Night. The rest of her words breeze past him. Night. Nightingale. He misses her. He scoffs at the mare turning to fly away when more Wonderbolts come flying over. He observes their flight pattern. He could see Firefly’s influences, she did have a talent. Not as much talent as Nightingale, but passable for what the EUP needed.
As Fury prepares to slip away, the air becoming far too crowded for his tastes when a mop of fiery orange hair appears in front of him. It was styled the same way as Nightingales, giving him pause. He stares at her muzzle, she was saying something but he wasn’t hearing it, her coat was yellow. In terms of color she looking nothing like Nightingale, but that mane style, that couldn’t be a coincidence? Could it?
“Hey! I’m talking to you!” The mare screams. “I know you saved the city, but you can’t be blowing up clouds like that! It’s freaking everypony out! You sound like a fucking dragon for Celestia’s sake!”
Fury stares into her eyes, she flinches slightly, but quickly steels herself. This mare had a backbone. “What’s your name.” He asks.
“Captain Spitfire,” Spitfire introduced, her voice cracking slightly by the question. Seems he caught her off guard. “What’s it to you?”
“Nothing,” Fury retorts. “You look like a pony with some skill. Care to help relieve my boredom?” Spitfire and several other mares turn red in the cheeks. He scoffs, “Oh for Luna’s sake, get ya minds out of the moat! I mean a flying challenge! Ya yawl learn flying from Firefly, yea?”
“Well, the training program was created by her, so basically yeah… wait, wait, wait, you know Commander Firefly!” Spitfire quickly did the math and yeah, Commander Firefly created the Wonderbolts around the same time these guys were around according to Luna’s stories.
Fury scrunches his brow, “Commander Firefly? Sheesh, she was only a Sargent in Night Patrol. Let me think… yeah, she was in charge of the Ranger division. Celestia sure gave her one hell of a promotion.” He shakes his head. “Well, good for her.” All the Wonderbolts around him stare slack-jawed. “What?”
“How can you be so nonchalant about meeting the legendary Commander Firefly!” The teal mare beside Spitfire gasps. “Do you not realize who you’re talking about!”
Fury shakes his head, “Legendary? Jeez, she wasn’t bottom of the class, but legendary is a bit far. Nightingale was better than her, I was too, seeing how I trained her. Personally, I thought she was kind of average for the time. If she wanted she could have become an elite, I guess. Sixes took over training towards the end there, did she try? Or did she not make the cut?” He taps his chin, unable to remember exactly when Firefly left Night Patrol.
“Ok, buddy you have some brass balls to be spewing crap like that!”
Fury looks between his legs, “Well they’re not brass, but they are a good size. And I’m not spewing crap, your dumbasses can’t seem to remember, I WAS THERE A THOUSAND YEARS AGO! What you call legendary was just my daily routine! Firefly was a good flier, probably one of the betters on average before you got the real talent. But I guess our average would be legendary for you EUP ponies.”
“WHAT!”
“You got some nerve pal!”
“Quiet!” Shouts Spitfire. “He may be rude, but he did help save the city.”
“But Captain…”
“No buts!” She snaps, a smirk dancing on her lips as the looks the red rinin over. “If we’re going to claim to be Equestria’s best flyers we better be prepared to put our money where our muzzles are.”
Fury smirks, “Am I to assume you want to challenge me?”
Spitfire returns the smirk, “You know it. I’ll take you on myself, it’s only right as Captain, or are you not up to the task you, ya old Rigg?”
Cracking his neck Fury lets out viscous grin, “Alright, you’re on. Going by the old rules since you challenged me, I pick the course, now what do you I get if I win?”
“You get Fleetfoot for the night.”
“What the fuck Captain!” The teal mare cries.
“What! You’re always complaining about not having a stallion! Well, I’m getting you one!”
“But still!”
Fury shakes his head, “Yeah, I’m not agreeing to that. Personally, I’m not looking at any mare without genealogical records. I was,” He chuckles. “Fairly vigorous in my day if you get my meaning. Neither the less, I will settle for… ten pounds of gems from each of you.”
“Deal,” Spitfire agrees, “And if I win you tell us what’s your beef with Celestia.”
“Well’s that’s really more of Sixes' problem, but if you want to waste a bet on that sure. It’s not like you were going to win anyway.” He smirks, irritating Spitfire. “Well, I’ll set up the course, GRUNTS follow me.” Fury flies away, the Wonderbolts looking confusingly to their leader.
“Well,” Spitfire said menacingly, “You heard him grunts!”
Under Fury’s instruction, the Wonderbolts built a race course to his liking. Fifteen cloud rings were placed in the sky and ground acting as checkpoints. A number of times the Wonderbolts constructing the course would consult the red rinin, asking if he really wants the rings so close to the ground. Fury would angrily rebuke them, telling them if their bellies weren’t hitting the dirt when they flew through, he would cook them over a spork. Next thunderclouds were space through the course with ponies stationed on them with orders to fire lightning as he and Spitfire do the course. It was ok if they target him more. After a few final adjustments, Fury flew over the course.
“Good enough for what’s for. You ready Spit?”
“It’s Spitfire.”
“Right, well I shouldn’t need to explain this to a… professional as you say, but I will anyway. This is a basic high-speed fall, climb, and fall maneuver. We dive down, keeping within the checkpoints. We level out and then climb and dive again back to the finish line. Watch out for the lightning and try to keep up.”
“I’ll be fine,” She smugly replies. Rearing up Spitfire spreads her wings while Fury darkly chuckles, his joint popping in a sickening chorus. A red glow pulses beneath his chest, Spitfire notices steam rising from between his scales. What was he up to?
With smoke rolling from his mouth Fury mockingly laughs. “Ready?” Her muscles tense as Fleetfoot flies by, the starting flag in her mouth and a small thundercloud in her hoof. She flew in front of them three times, waving the flag, the third time she clapped the cloud between her hooves, releasing a deafening thunderclap, signaling the start of the race!
“GO!”
Fury jumps ahead of her his body twisting into a spiral as he dives off the clouds, bursts of flame and steam exploding from his body. She quickly dives after him trying to build speed. Ahead of her Fury continues to spin, level out, and then spin, every spin creating another burst of speed that sent him rocketing faster and faster. His wings were folded tight against his body, his front legs were laid flat instead of out in front, his feathery reptilian tail whips in the wind controlling his trajectory.
(He has almost no air resistance flying like that! What the fuck with that boast?) Spitfire growls flapping her wings to try and increase her speed. She gains slightly but Fury was still way ahead of her, he passes through the three checkpoints leading the ground and arching upwards slightly as he passes through the ground checkpoint, wisps of dust kick up as he passes through. (Shit that’s really close to the ground!)
She lines up the checkpoints flying through them perfectly, she hits the fourth trying to gain lift, rocks, and dirt scratch at her belly ripping her suit as she barely flies above the ground. Flapping her wings, she gains lift, but a lightning bolt strikes in front of her, she tilts, the edge of her wings digging in the dirt. She levels out baring her teeth as Fury slithers through the lightning barrage as easily as a snake slithers through the grass.
(Shit!) She pumps her wings faster, already going way beyond her maximum speed. She avoids the lightning, but her turns were stiff. She’s never had to fly this fast before! (Pull up! Pull up!) She screams to herself tilting up to the next checkpoint. She begins to climb Fury’s speed reduced, his larger wings steady pumping away as he climbs the next checkpoint. Knowing this was her chance she with her smaller wings, pumps more rapidly, quickly climbing, but she was still lagging behind. Then inspiration hit her.
She drops her front legs, letting them hang against her body. Her speeds increase from the drop-in wind resistance, but she found it harder to fly straight without her legs for guidance. Remembering what Fury was doing with his tail earlier she adjusts her flight path with her tail, her flight path smoothing out.
(Wow, I hate to say it, but this is a lot smoother. Now if I could only figure out how to that burst thing. He builds fire in his body and then releases it through his scales or something like that, creating a burst of steam and fire. Is there anything like that I can do?) She wonders going over every technique she knows. (A thunder jump! If create thunderclouds and then activate them it should give me a speed boast like his!)
Focusing her Pegasus magic she gathers moisture from the nearby clouds and charged them with lightning, creating arcs around her body. Once she had a strong enough charge she spun activating her mini thunderclouds, a loud CRACK splits the sky! The sudden burst of energy sends her rocketing straight up!
“HOLY CELESTIA’S TEET!” She screams, the wind pulling her lips back comically. She rockets to the top checkpoint; switch Fury just flew through and began the dive towards the finish line. She spreads her wings, breaking hard. Her wings joints screaming at her for trying to break at such high speeds. Her wings give and she’s sent veering off into a cloud. Her speed greatly reduced, which was fine as she was back in her normal rage. Nimbly she twists her body and gets back on track, but she was lost a lot of time and a lot of speed. Fury was almost halfway to the end!
“Ok, I can do this, gotta get the right amount of charge,” Spitfire resumes Fury’s pose diving down at an angle, her wings tight. Lightning builds up around her, much more than before, she calculates her trajectory. Once she used her boast she would be going way beyond her maximum. But no risk, no reward, right? “Here we go!”
She spins, thunder cracking in the sky as she rockets towards the finish line. Her goggles tremble, a crack forming on the edge of the glass. She was going well beyond what they were built to handle. She tries to raise her leg, but the wind whips it back against her body. The crack grows, once it reaches the other side, it would break and fly into her eye! Her eyes begin to water, the wind sneaking pass the goggles seal, she couldn’t see!
(Gotta brake!) She mentally screams trying to spread her wings, but once again the speed as too great! Her wings were pressed against her side, she couldn’t unfold them! If she could they’d probably just break from the wind force. (Shit, gotta pull up somehow!) She was still veering towards the ground at this speed she’d probably break her neck! In desperation, she tries to use her tail to angle upwards to reduce her speed, but her tail wasn’t like Fury’s, her tail hairs just uselessly frayed in the wind.
“SHIT!” She screams in terror, through her wind wrecked and watering eyes she saw the ground approaching and braces herself for the biggest impact of her life! Closing her eyes to try and protect them from the shattering glass to come Spitfire wonders how her mother is going to react to this when she felt something tug on her flight suit.
“Follow my lead and hang on!” It was Fury! His claws come over her body and interlock as his large wings come around her. She feels the heat of his body as he builds up fire in his stomach. “Try and keep your head down!” The next thing Spitfire new it was suddenly hotter, but they were slowing down. She peeks through her cracked goggles, watching the giant flame burning from Fury’s mouth like a thruster. Their speed reduces and Fury spirals away using his large wings to break as they touch the ground. “Hang on to me!” He shouts, she quickly flips snaking her legs around his larger body as he uses his claws to dig into the ground, they skit for nearly forty yards before coming to a stop. She let go, falling to the ground, her breathing fast.
“Easily, easily now,” Fury said softly, helping her up. “Take a trot around get that heart rate settled. Yeah, that’s right. Good, good. Just like that. Hey! Get some water over here grunts!” He shouts at the gathering Wonderbolts, who quickly did as they were told without question. Spitfire paws at his barrel.
“Whiskey… I want whiskey, under my desk.”
He shakes his head as he pushes her leg down. “Whiskey later, you need water.”
“Ok…ok…” She pants, her body feeling like jelly as her legs fall out from under her. Fleetfoot arrived with the water, Fury taking it and slowly begins to drip little droplets onto Spitfire’s tongue. Her tongue, dry as a bone, laps it up.
“That’s good.” Fury says steady dripping the water. “Just lie there for a bit. You’re going to be fine. Hey! Don’t crowd her! Go do your drills or something!” He snaps at the flocking pegasus. “Here let’s get you into the shade for a bit.” Gently Fury puts Spitfire on his back and sets her down underneath a nearby tree. There he gently massages her neck with his claw, trying to get her to relax. Using boast like that put a lot of stress on the body.
After a few minutes, Spitfire regains her senses, but she was very docile, her speech was slow and slurred and she could barely move, but the first thing she asked was, “Did I win?”
Fury chuckles heartily, “I suppose technically you did. I’ll admit I was a bit surprised to see you come rocketing pass me only to miss the finish line by a hundred yards. But I suppose I didn’t win either because I veered off to save you. Really you surprised me, I didn’t expect you to know the Thunder Gale.”
Spitfire looked at him with cocked eyebrows, “Thunder Gale?”
“So, you didn’t know it, then I’m more impressed. The Thunder Gale is a boast technique developed by Nightingale, a pony of my time. She was one to teach it to me, though I call mine Flame Burst. It’s the same in concept. Still, if you going to use it, you better build up your resistance and control at high speeds.”
“I guess, so,” Spitfire says lamely. She felt terrible. “How long till I can move?”
“It varies pony to pony.”
“So, can all of your kind do that? Rinin I mean?”
Fury nods, “Once Nightingale and I worked out the kinks, we made it a standard technique. All our flyers can use it to some degree or another but very can actually reach the top speed. I think other than myself, Sixes, and Topaz, AppleJazz is the only one who can use burst at full speed. Though Trifecta can do if he really wants too.”
She laughs humorlessly, “Luna was right, you guys really are elite.”
“You’re not bad yourself. A little more training and you’ll have it down. You have a lot of raw skill, much like Nightingale did. You… remind me a lot of her.” Fury said wistfully. “Sorry, I’m kind of ruing my own image, aren’t I?”
“A little,” Chuckles Spitfire, “But it does make you more approachable. You guys are kind of intimidating.”
“We try.”
“Right,” Spitfire sighs softly, her body aching with every breath. “So, I know I didn’t win, but could you tell me anyways.”
“Tell you what?”
“Why you guys don’t like Celestia.”
He snorts, “Sure, but like I said that’s more of Sixes thing. I won’t speak for everypony, but I’m fine with Celestia for the most part. But if I had to choose between her or Sixes and Luna, I would take Luna or Sixes over Celestia if came to who I would follow into battle.”
“Ok, I can get that,” Spitfire nods, regaining some motion of her body. “So, what’s Sixes’s problem with Celestia?” A growl escapes from Fury’s throat. “What?”
“That’s their business,” He gruffly says. “I’ll suggest you leave at that.”
“Alright, alright, you don’t need to bite my head off,” Spitfire said quickly. They sit in the setting sun for a few minutes. “So do you want to go hit up a bar?”
“Sure, why not? Can you walk yet?”
“I don’t mind being carried.”
“Really,” Fury snorts. “Here I thought you’d be more prideful.”
“Some ponies call this a privilege. Besides I can’t much pride left after that stunt.”
“I suppose, so which way?”
“That way!” Spitfire points. “Onward my trusty steed!”
“I will drop you.” Spitfire sticks her tongue at his threat. He laughs as they march towards the city proper. He wonders what Sixes is up to?
Sixes sullenly walks the streets of Canterlot, his head tilted downward as he brushes his way through the crowd. A soft threatening growl escaping his throat with everypony he bumps into. Some tried to get him to apologize, but once they got a closer look at what he was they clam up and continue on their way. Passing by the Canterlot museum he climbs the stairs, away from the bustling pony filled streets. What would one ask has the Night Patrol Commander in such a foul mood? It was quite simple really. The ponies of this time were useless. Plain and simple.
He had a but simple mission, to find a company willing to make their weapons and other supplies, gear, and replacement parts. First, he had gone to one of Celestia’s royal stewards or whatever they were called and had a list compiled of all the manufacturing companies in Canterlot. He’d rather not have their faculties in Canterlot, someplace more modern and industrial would be better, but most of the owners were stationed in the Capital so he’d have to talk them first. Making the list had taken a few hours of time and he had gone back to the ship to acquire the blueprints, materials and projected cost documents. When he returned he began his hunt for a supplier.
He found no pony. Not that there weren’t companies that could take on the work, but the owners flat out refused. They complained of the costs to set up the factory lines, the training of workers, acquiring supplies, buildings, machines. Even with Night Patrol pitching in an investment of over 50% for start-up costs they were still hesitant. Maybe the more infuriating part was their stupid question of why they could need such heavy weapons, what was wrong with the current standard of cannons and ships? What need was there to invest in such things when the Princess was around?
Ridiculous. They were beyond ridiculous. How sheltered where these ponies? Did they not see Celestia fall? Granted Celestia could have taken down the queen herself, there was no doubt about that. But no pony saw the bigger picture. Celestia was not invincible, just as Luna is not invincible. They need armor, capable support and soldiers, the golden meat shields couldn’t even do the meat shield part! What really made him bristle was the fact they held these thoughts right after a major attack! There was no call to arms, no panic or thought given to the fact that over HALF of the EUP forces had been killed in that attack.
Now granted, the EUP, Royal guard, and all of the Equestrian military branches combined was still bloated beyond belief. Even with the losses of the battle they still had thousands upon thousands of troops to spare all across the nation. But what they didn’t seem to get is that once word gets around that Celestia had been defeated, even only momentary, and ineffectiveness of the Equestrian to repeal the enemy without the completely unexpected aid of Night Patrol was to get out to the other nations. Equestria’s military might would be put into question. Wars start when the other side thinks they can win, it doesn’t matter if they actually can, but if they think they have a chance, eight out of ten times they will take it. He’s seen it before. And he’ll most likely see it again in the near future.
A voice spoke, “I’m sorry we're closed.” Shaking Sixes of his rambling.
“Huh?” He looks up coming face to face with a white stallion with blue hair and a mustache and monocle. He was at the top of the stairs of the museum, standing in front of the door. “Oh, sorry that’s alright. I wasn’t planning on going in. I’ll get out of your tail.”
“What a moment,” The stallion said quickly, “Judging by your looks I would assume you to be one of Luna’s ponies? Specifically, Commander Sixes?”
“Aye, what’s it to you?”
The stallion did quick bow. “I am Sir Fancy Pants, a bit of mover and shaker here in Canterlot. Some of my associates have told me you looking for a pony to produce arms, the likes of which no pony has ever seen?”
“I am, though I had no luck finding a willing manufacturer today. What’s it to you?”
Fancy coughs, “Well, once, a long time ago when I was young I was in SEAL. I consider it my duty as both a former soldier and patriot to do all I can for my country. I am proud enough to admit I had fallen into complacency much like my fellow industrialists.”
“Care to get to the point?”
“Yes, yes, sorry. To be quick and frank, I have recently acquired a string of abandon industrial buildings in several cities around Equestria as well as in Canterlot. I was originally going to have them torn down and replace with something more eye appealing, but this attack has changed my mind.” Fancy offers his hoof. “Commander Sixes, I would consider it an honor and part of my duty to aid you. I owe Princess Luna a great favor for a careless action in the not so distant past. I hope by helping you, I will show how sincere I am.”
Sixes glares at Fancy’s hoof, “You’re not looking for favors from the Princess, are you?”
“I have no need for such things, I’m doing this because I love my country and want to protect it, and I believe you are the pony for the job.”
Sixes grasps Fancy’s hoof with his claw, “If you wish for peace…
Fancy smirks, finishing the old phrase, “…prepare for war.”
“Here is what we need.” Fancy takes the files, giving Sixes a firm nod. “I hope you know that if these fall into the wrong hooves.”
“I understand, I will begin preparations. I’ll have my best and brightest get to work in the morning. It may be a bit of a long shot but I hope to begin production in three to five months. I shall be off; my wife gets rather lonely if I’m not back before ten.” Fancy takes a couple steps down, only to stop. “Commander Sixes were you and Celestia… no sorry, it’s not my business. Goodnight, Commander.”
“Yeah,” Sixes says hesitantly looking up that full moon. “Goodnight.” Spreading his wings, he takes off into the sky, circling around the city, following the old Canterlot patrol route. He passes the lunar tower. He catches sight of Luna on her balcony. She was probably about to go dream walking. He lands on a nearby tower, watching the balcony. He watches her magic spread throughout the city and beyond, hunting the nightmares of ponies. He smiles and rests against a statue, but he does not sleep. He dares not.
Hours pass and Sixes could feel himself nodding off, yet he forces himself to wake. He would not sleep until Luna was in her bed. Only then was he safe to slumber. His eyes droop. The moon begins to lower. Where was Luna? She should have returned by now? Right?
“So, here we are again Sixes,” Luna said from up above. He looks up as she lands behind him. “Your dreams are barred by the same spell that guards my sister’s. Care to explain that?”
“…”
“Sixes, please. What is it that you don’t want to tell me? Why do you torture yourself to the point that you wait for me to finish my dream walk before sleeping?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Sixes,” Luna says sternly, “Do not underestimate my will, I have seen many…”
“I can’t tell you,” Sixes interrupts looking Luna straight in the eye. “Because if I do, if I let you see the things that haunt me, you’ll never forgive her.”
“Her… you mean Celestia?” He doesn’t reply. “Sixes, please, tell me what happened between you two!”
He shakes off her hoof, cringing at the hurt expression on her face, “It’s in the past, it doesn’t matter now.”
“It certainly does matter! Even when you're sleeping your not really sleeping! Your being tortured! I hear the screams through your door, it’s rotten and brittle and on the verge of breaking! Your mind can’t take much more! How long have you suffered like this?”
He looks mournfully at her, touching her cheek with his claw, tiny tear droplets drip onto his talon. He made her cry. “Since the day you were gone, for ten years and a thousand more.”
“Then let me help you, even if you’re worried about how I will react to Celestia’s actions it will not be the first time nor the last that we have been cross with the other. I can forgive my sister, maybe not today or tomorrow, but we will endure. So please Sixes, tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s not just Celestia,” Sixes says looking away from her. “I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
His chest tightens, he looks mournfully at her as he reaches for her, “I’m afraid you’ll see the monster I really am.” He drops his claw and flies away, Luna screaming for him to come back.