CHAPTER SIX
A bottle made of glass
The dappled sunlight through the tree’s lush green foliage warmed my coat wonderfully. It was a beautiful day, and not a cloud in the sky. I’d taken my overcoat off and was sat on my haunches to check the time, as well as to take a moment to enjoy the sunlight. It was still early, so that was good. It certainly didn’t do to be late, especially when expecting company, but… what if she didn’t come? I mean, it was always a possibility that she’d changed her mind, right? Girls were notorious for changing their mind at the last minute and as much as this one liked me, or seemed to like me, she could have already forgotten about me and moved on to somepony else! I could be stood here for hours like a complete arse, waiting for a mare who had absolutely no intention of coming here whatsoever. Oh, gods! I gave myself a shake and brushed my mane from my eyes, trying to calm my racing imagination as well as my nerves. I was hopeless with girls, so much so my folks had been worried I’d be single forever, and who could blame them? These days even colts and fillies were getting married, let alone stallions and mares. Well, so my dad thought anyway, but he’d always been a bit cynical. It was a trait I’d inherited from him, along with several other bad habits I tried to keep to myself. Still, I’d kept the ‘business with the mare’ from both of them, especially mum. Mum was keen to have grandfoals – very keen - and kept reminding me that she didn’t have any yet, as if it was somehow my fault I couldn’t magic the little furry darlings out of thin air. I dreaded the subject coming up. Every time she mentioned it, it was like a knife through my heart. Perhaps to her I was a failure, the son who hadn’t lived up to her expectations. She was right too I suppose. I’d let her down, and all because I couldn’t produce the offspring she’d always wanted to dote on in her later years. There were times when I’d challenged her on this notion of course, but she was adept at turning any sort of argument to her favour and so I’d given up even trying.
“You can’t just go into a shop and buy one, mum,” I said to her in irritation one day.
“You’ll never find one if you’re stuck inside reading books all day, or that endless ‘training’ nonsense. Get out there and meet somepony!” she’d replied.
It was so easy wasn’t it? Just ‘go out’ and ‘meet’ somepony, just like that. As if they’d been stood there all along simply waiting patiently for me to arrive, and say-
“HI!”
I nearly soiled myself in fright as a green muzzle and bright yellow eyes filled my vision without any warning.
“Bloody hell! I- Oh! I’m sorry, gosh, I shouldn’t have said that… sorry…” I blurted out hopelessly. It didn’t matter though, the mare wasn’t listening anyway.
“Come on then!” she chirped. “I’ve got plans for you and me. I hope you’re hungry!”
The green mare chuckled and took my hoof, pulling me out from the shade of the tree and into the blazing sunshine. On her back was a picnic hamper tied to her saddle bags, a large blanket rolled up and strapped behind it. Meadow ran across the open grassy field, heading down to the riverside and up onto the large flat rocks on its bank. Sunlight on her back made the happy green mare virtually shine in the radiant light. She turned to face me, the wide brimmed sun hat she wore casting some shade over her features, but nothing could hide the vibrancy of life in those big bright yellow eyes. I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot until I sat down on the rock. It was red hot. With a shriek I jumped in the air, trying to blow cold air on my singed backside while my companion fell about laughing.
“Wait until I put the rug out, for goodness sake!”
A few moments later, still chuckling, Meadow bade me sit next to her on the large checked rug. My bum was still sore, and part of me wanted desperately to jump in the river to cool it off, but a soggy stallion wasn’t likely to earn any favours with a new marefriend. Or at least, one I hoped would be. Celestia, I was so nervous! I had to get myself under control. If Meadow suspected my discomfort however, she didn’t let on in the slightest. Smiling expansively she levitated out a delicious looking selection of pies, salads and sandwiches, the aroma from which was making my nose twitch. Under the sensory assault of anticipated flavours it was all I could do to stop myself from drooling, and judging by the expression on her face, she must have found my reaction pleasing. Meadow opened a jar of something and floated it over to me.
“Fancy a taste?” she asked pleasantly.
I looked at the jar, its blue contents shiny and inviting. “What is it?” I asked.
“Just try it,” she replied, encouragingly. “You’ll see.”
I dipped a spoon into the stuff and spread a little on a piece of crusty bread next to me. Taking a tentative bite I felt the rush of sugar and fruit. Fresh fruit. Dear gods, it was… delicious. I closed my eyes as the tangy yet sweet taste of blueberries danced and played on my taste buds. I’d had jam before of course, but nothing like this, it was heavenly. Opening my eyes to the happy knowing smile of Meadow was a sight I could never tire of.
“Nice?” she asked me. I think she already knew the answer.
“Wonderful!” I exclaimed, genuinely thrilled by me new discovery. “How do you do it? That’s absolutely amazing! It’s nothing like what I’ve had from the shops.”
She nodded sagely, “That’s because I add a secret ingredient that they can’t.”
“Secret?” I was intrigued. “What’s that then?”
“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you would it, silly?” She reached out and tapped me on the muzzle with a hoof. The feeling was utterly electrifying. Goddesses, I felt so good just being near her, but, to feel her physical touch too… it sent me to a whole new level.
The next few hours went by like a ripple on the river bubbling past us. We chatted and laughed, neither saying very much, just small talk about this and that. Meadow told me about her training to be a nurse and asked me about my work in the watch. She seemed surprised by my enthusiasm to help ponies and looked a little sad when I mentioned looking for a more challenging posting. I mentally kicked myself for mentioning it and hoped I hadn’t ruined the mood.
“Fairlight…” Meadow began. “Do you like it here? In Ponyville, I mean.”
I nodded, “I do. It’s lovely, if a little dull for my career. But, you know, I can live with it.”
She sighed. “Look, I know it’s sudden, and I’ve barely known you five minutes, but… but I don’t have very long left and I’ve never been very good with colts you see, and-” Meadow shook her head, “Oh, no! Me and my big mouth! I’ve ruined everything now and spoiled the mood. I was having such a nice time too...”
I reached over and placed a hoof on her leg. “It’s okay, Meadow, you haven’t ruined anything.” I smiled gently. “Please, tell me what’s on your mind?”
The green mare took my hoof in both of hers and looked down shyly. “I’m going to be moving to… to Manehattan. The hospital there has offered me a full time job as a ward nurse.”
In those few words I felt my heart break as my dreams, so fresh and new born, shattered like glass around me. I don’t know how, but I managed to keep a smile on my face. “That wonderful news, Meadow! You must be really happy.”
“Must I?” she said sadly. “I’m not so sure I want to go anymore. Not now.”
I tried to keep my voice light and pleasant. “Why not?” I asked. “You’d be crazy not to take it up, Meadow. You’ve worked so hard to start your career a nurse, and here it is being offered to you at last. It’s what you’ve been working towards isn’t it?”
She nodded, “Yes. Yes, I suppose it is.” I could see a shimmer of a tear forming in the corner of her eye. Meadow took a shaking breath, “But the timing of it, Fairlight, I… I’ve only just met you and… I wanted to spend more time here… with you.”
I took her head in my hooves and brushed her tear away, “I want to stay with you too…”
Meadow looked up at me and threw herself forward, carrying us both off the rug, the rock, and onto the grass. I looked up at her in surprise, “Meadow?”
“Damn you, Fairlight, you’re going to make me say it aren’t you?” She half sobbed, half chuckled. Her face was wet with tears and grass.
“No. I’ll say it…” I whispered, slowly moving closer until my mouth was a hair’s breadth from hers. “I love you.” It was madness. Absolute madness. I’d barely met her, and yet it felt like we’d known each other all our lives. Something like this, it couldn’t last, it simply couldn’t! And yet… And yet I just didn’t care. Even if I never saw her again, I wanted her to know how she had moved a dull, grey stallion’s heart.
Meadow seemed to melt in my forelegs, wrapping hers around mine and pulled me towards her, kissing me hungrily. The flavours of the various picnic treats mingled in our mouths until she pulled away and took a deep breath, “Come away with me, Fairlight,” she murmured. “I have accommodation there, and you could get a posting to the Manehattan Watch.” She brushed my mane and rubbed her muzzle against mine. “We could be together.”
I hung my head slightly as reality encroached on my racing heart. “Meadow, I don’t know if I can so soon, I’m still in my probationary period.” I looked up suddenly, “But I’ll try.! I promise you I will and I’ll move heaven and earth to be with you if I have to.”
She hugged me tightly. “I know the chief officer there. If you want, I can have a word with him…” She half lidded her eyes, her scent sending shiver down my spine. “If you like…?”
“Of course!” I said, nearly squeaking. “It would make me the happiest stallion in Ponyville, no, Equestria, to go with you and… and to live with you.” Good gods, I couldn’t believe what was happening, let alone what I was saying. Was this a dream? Or had I completely lost my sense of reason as my heart overrode my head? Whatever the answer the two of us had been whipped up by a tumultuous whirlwind of emotions, and for good or ill I was along for the ride. I swallowed. “But Meadow, are you sure you want me? I mean, you’re a beautiful mare with a promising career and I’m just, you know… a drab grey-”
“Stop that right now!” she said tapping me on the nose. “I happen to like grey, and I won’t have you putting yourself down, Mister Fairlight. Do you understand me?”
“Yes ma’am,” I chuckled.
She reached up and nipped my ear. “I know I want you, my watch stallion. The question I have to ask you though, is… do you want me?” Meadow finished in a sultry whisper that sent a shiver down my spine.
“Oh goddesses, yes…” I breathed. “Meadow, I do. So much…”
She kissed me again on the lips and moaned softly as she spoke, “Will you… be gentle with me? Please?”
I nuzzled her and stroked her neck with my hoof, “I will love. I promise.”
In the late afternoon sun with its rays dancing across the sparkling ripples on the river’s surface, we came together as one. I don’t know if anypony saw, and I don’t think either of us would have cared even if they had. As Meadow’s groans and cries echoed out over the grassy plain, I knew then that I had found the love I had always been looking for without even realising it.
In a heaving gasp, she collapsed on my chest, panting into my ear, “Oh Celestia, Fairlight… I… Oh, I’m so happy!” She kissed me again and we rolled onto our sides looking into each other eyes. Meadow gave me a special smile, one that melted my heart, “I love you so much my watch pony. So, so much…”
We didn’t say any more, but lay together watching the sun as it slowly began so set.
********************
A loud roaring noise woke me from the comfort of my most precious memories. Damn it all, why did I have to come back to this? Why?! Buck this world and everything in it to the bowels of bloody hell! They’d taken my Meadow from me, destroyed everything I had ever loved and those… those bastards, those… I blinked in confusion. Where was I? Everything was moving, swaying, and it was dark too. Rain splashed on my face and… no, it wasn’t rain. Salt water? It stung my eyes, splashing my face in time with the swaying motion. I tried to move, to sit up, but my legs were tightly bound. Somehow I wasn’t surprised considering how I’d got to this point. With a little effort I managed to look down and saw that my hind legs were shackled to what looked like a length of chain and... a very large rock? Luna buck me, I knew what they had in store for me now. Why couldn’t they have just killed me and had done with it?
“He’s coming to, boss,” the black stallion next to me said flatly.
Blaze walked over. She was wearing water proofs to protect against the waves that the boat was ploughing through. When you had wings, getting soaked was to be avoided. Personally, I doubted I had that luxury. “Rough night eh, Captain?” Blaze said grinning ominously.
“Yeah,” I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of water. “Kinda depends whether you’re dragging a lump of rock around with you or not though. So what’s the plan then, Blaze. Going to dump me overboard?”
For a moment, just the most fleeting sliver of time, she looked unsure, sad even, but then the tough expression was back in full force. “I’m sorry, Captain Fairlight, it has to be like this,” she said calmly. “We can’t have you wandering around interfering in our business. I’m afraid you know too much about us.”
Shit, this was going to be it then; a terrifying, drowning death in the black depths of the sea. I tried to reach down to find the power, but typically when I needed it the most the bloody thing was like a scared cat hiding under the bed.
“I need to ask you though, Captain, how did you catch on to me?” Blaze asked.
I smiled despite myself, despite the cold and the spray hitting me. “It wasn’t too hard, Blaze. You left a few breadcrumbs along the way.”
“Oh?” she asked curiously.
I nodded. “Yeah. The boxes addressed to a house belonging to a dead pony, the way the house was surrounded in Watch crime scene tape long after the incident? It had to be somepony who knew I wouldn’t be coming back. Kinda narrowed it down a touch.”
“That could have been anypony in the watch though,” she reasoned.
“True,” I shrugged, “but then who has control of the evidence in a case where a watch pony dies? The watch chief. The pony that came to collect the boxes used a key to get into the house, and I know for a fact the locks hadn’t been changed.” I knew because Pewter had been the only other pony to have a key, one which Meadow and I had left her for when she visited. Blaze didn’t need to know that though, otherwise Pewter might be taking an unplanned swim in the near future too.
“Supposition, and not enough to get you hanged, Captain,” Blaze pointed out.
She was right too. “No, but somepony’s working on the inside, Blaze, both at the watch and the agency.” I watched her confidently, assessing her reaction. “How else would you know it was me on the gantry?”
The big pegasus mare laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. There’s always somepony who’ll sell their soul for a hoofful of bits, or to ‘scratch an itch’ if you get my drift.” She frowned in thought and rubbed her chin. “You have an uncanny knack for pissing ponies off, Captain, and our client has asked us to give you particularly… ‘special treatment’.”
My blood ran cold. “And this is it?” I asked.
Blaze shrugged. “I’m sorry, it’s just business you understand.”
“Oh, I understand, Blaze,” I snorted ironically. “You’ve sold out your friends and your soul for money. I thought more of you than that. I thought you thought more of yourself.”
The mare thumped her hoof on the side of the boat. “Don’t give me that, you self righteous prick! Don’t you bucking dare try to lecture me!”
I could feel the strength inside just starting to free itself. I encouraged it forth, teasing it out. If I could only keep her talking for a few more minutes I might have a chance to-
“Get him over the side and let’s get back home.” Blaze stood up and turned away, her decision made.
“Oh, Blaze?” I called as the brutish ponies grabbed at each end of my soaked body.
“What?” she snapped irritably.
I grinned toothily. “I’ll be seeing you…”
The world tipped upside down and I hit the water with a deafening splash. Gravity sucked on my already weakened body, and down I went, what little light there was vanishing quickly as I plunged ever deeper into the inky black embrace of the ocean’s depths. Memories of my near drowning as a foal came back in full force now, eliciting a terrifying surge of panic and fear that squeezed at my heart. Black images flickered through my mind, the shadows of the dead clawing at me, pulling me into their chill grip, the restless souls of the lost screaming out in joy at their newest arrival. And then, strangely, a peculiar wash of calm enveloped me, tantalising me with its gentle promise of eternal rest. Maybe now I could be finally be at peace, with myself, and the world. I only had to let myself go, just… let go. My lungs filled with water, the last of my air bubbling back up to the surface. Struggling was pointless, but I did anyway. My body burned, my lungs were on fire despite the freezing sea water. Mercifully it didn’t last long. Quickly the pain and panic began to ebb as my life faded away. It wouldn’t be long now, I kept saying to myself. Not long now.
“Are you just going to sit there and die?” the spirit asked, sitting there watching me with my own blue eyes. “Don’t you want the chance to live? To take revenge for what they’ve done to you?”
“What’s the point?” I thought back at the thing. “It’s too much for just one pony. Everypony is pulling at one another, trying to grab what they can at the expense of their fellows. Friends turning on one another, the ponies I would have once given my life to protect selling my soul for hoofful of coins. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“What about the orange mare? You like her, don’t you?” it hissed.
“No,” I replied. “She’s my friend. She cares for me.”
“Friend?” the spirit laughed, its voice echoing and insubstantial. “Fool yourself all you want, but I am a part of you now, and I can read your soul like the pages of an open book. I know your heart, pony, and I have seen your darkest desires that you keep hidden from the light. I can feel the anger within you, the cold hatred you have hidden in plain sight. You want to take revenge on the ponies who killed your wife and your child. I know you do. I know...”
“Shut up!” I snapped.
“What about the thestral?” the spirit asked curiously. “She waits for you, does she not? If you are dead, how can you find her? This time you may not stay in the Wither World, you may cross over completely to the world of the eternal herd, and then who will save her?”
“Shut up damn you!” I roared. “Shut the buck UP!”
The spirit chuckled, “I know who you really are pony. I know who you were. His blood runs in your veins, as pure as the first snows of winter in the mountains. It called to me as your fear and anger calls me now. His strength lies within you, waiting to be awoken, if only you had the strength of heart to use it.”
I stared into those blue eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”
The spirit nodded slowly. “There is another way…”
I sighed, closed my eyes, and asked, “What do you want from me?”
“You already know,” it answered cryptically. “We must become one, you and I. One entity, one being,indivisible. I know you want this, pony. You long for it. You yearn for it. Together we can be strong, we can live freely and sing the songs of the ancestors. Divided as we are now only death awaits, butI can offer you life, the life you were always meant to have. When the time is right we will find a way to merge as we should have from the beginning. As it was always meant to be.”
“I don’t understand!” I thought back at it. “Who are you?”
It laughed, the mist spilling from its maw. “Me? I am you! Listen now. Can you hear them? Your people call out to you. Will you ignore their call?”
A figment of my dying minds imagination perhaps, but somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear them; voices, so many voices. They were calling to me, the sirens singing me to the afterlife. Regardless of what the spirit said, the reality of the situation was at the bottom of the sea. I was dying, and there was nothing I could do to save myself. Nothing...
As I hung there, floating in the emptiness, an unfamiliar voice rang through my tortured, fading self. “I believe I will take care of matters from here on in. You may wish to die, boy, but more depends upon you than you could possibly know, and now is not the time for selfish acts like dying.” The voice was strong, powerful, and full of the light of magic. “Give your trust to me. Release yourself into my hooves. Yes…that’s right. Good. Now, Fairlight, watch and learn my young friend.”
My lungs, bereft of life giving air, suddenly filled with a new kind of magic. My eyes opened. I could breath! Sweet goddesses, I couldn’t believe it! Air. Sweet, sweet air! I was enraptured. The magic of the spirit raged through me, freezing the water down to the chain binding my hind legs and splintered the metal like it was no more substantial than rotten matchwood. Upward the energy coursed, making my muscles bulge, straining my bindings until the ropes on my forelegs split apart. The horn lock on my head which should have blocked my magic exploded into fragments that floated away past my head in the swirling water.
The voice spoke again, “Now, Fairlight, use your magic to take you up, up to the night sky. Think of the moon and how it glows, the way the stars sparkle like diamonds on black velvet. You can make it happen. Will it to be so, and it will be so.”
The will to live screamed through me with an electrifying violence, lending me an ever increasing strength which I focussed like an arrow, concentrating on the surface, willing myself upward to reach it with outstretched hooves. Behind me the water boiled and froze simultaneously, an impossible mix of magics bending reality and physics, forming a pillar of ice and boiling water which acted like a gigantic spring, rising upwards at a phenomenal rate. Atop that pillar, a pure white wendigo, his eyes blazing bluer than the ocean around them. Whatever the voice was, whoever it was, had lit a fire within me, rocketing my body up to the surface like a shooting star. I bared my teeth, and grinned.
Goddesses help anypony who got in my way now.
************
The night sky was probably the most wonderful sight I had beheld in my entire lifetime. Pure, clear, and infinitely welcoming to one such as I, it felt like… home. I stood there atop a white and blue column of ice, coughing out the fluid in my lungs that had, only the goddess knows how, kept me alive. I shook out my wings, letting the frigid salt water slough off them and threw my head back to screech my defiance out into the emptiness of the night. That bitch Blaze would pay for her supreme arrogance. Oh yes, she would pay. I could feel my teeth itching, and smiled in anticipation at the feast to come. The pegasus would soon discover that none who dared challenge the lord of the four winds would live to see another sunrise.
Shaking my mane and coat, I took a grip of myself. When the hell had I started thinking of myself as the ‘lord of the four winds’? I didn’t normally think like this, nor did I salivate at the thought of drinking somepony’s life energy either. The very thought of it was utterly repugnant. Damn it all, was this something the spirit had put in my head? Unlikely. It was most likely linked to that stupid idea Luna had planted there with all that ‘lord’ and ‘lady’ nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, I actually quite liked the sound of it. In fact I thought it was, well… ‘cool’ I suppose. But Fairlight, the pony from the Manehattan Watch, was a far cry from any nobility, and who the hell wanted to be the master of a pile of frozen ruins in the middle of nowhere anyway? I sniggered to myself. Bollocks to that one! Still, ‘Lord Fairlight’ had a certain ring to it that had me grinning from ear to ear. I took a deep breath and looked around me. There was no sign of the boat, but no matter, I would find it sooner or later. For now, I wanted to get away from here and feel the wind beneath my wings, and a good shower too. Salt water wasn’t good for a pony, and I always liked to look my best for the enemy. A few experimental shakes later and my wings were ready for flight. Ready for the big orange pegasus that was coming right… at… me…
One bone jarring impact later, Tingles and I picked ourselves up from the home made iceberg. Her eyes brimmed with tears while she hung on to me like her life depended on it. Shocked at her sudden appearance, relief washed through me and I stood there for a while silently enjoying the sensation of her warmth seeping through my coat. I didn’t deserve a friend like her. I was a mess: emotionally, physically, and spiritually too I suppose. Everything about my life was more than complicated enough without involving myself with yet another mare. It didn’t mean I didn’t want to though. Tingles hugged me until I thought something was going to break. “Tingles!” I wheezed happily. “For goodness sake, let go! You’re going to suffocate me!”
Reluctantly she released me and stood back, taking me in fully as if expecting me to vanish like a puff of wind at any moment. She glanced around at the solid ice with the waves lapping at its edges, and I could sense her confusion. “Celestia’s grace, Fairlight,” she said breathily. “I thought you were… Oh goddess, no, I didn’t believe you were... I mean I couldn’t-”
I gave her a gentle nuzzle, “Shhh, it’s alright now. Please, love, wecan talk as soon as we get out of here, okay? I just want to get to dry land, and to be honest with you, I don’t know where in Equestria we are.”
She shook herself and looked at me in a very peculiar way; opening her mouth to speak she paused, closed it, then tried again. Finally, she actually said something. “We’re at the mouth of the bay. The Manehattan docks are a few miles back that way.” She blinked and then frowned as if trying to come to terms with something. “Come on, we can talk as we fly.”
A single light bound and we took flight, flying higher and higher above the waves, back towards the faint lights of Manehattan.
“How did you know where I was?” I asked, genuinely amazed at how she had located me literally miles from shore.
She laughed and looped effortlessly through the air around me. “When I dropped off the kid I came looking for you,” Tingles explained. “There was a pile of clothes, a sword, and all your gear in a pile on the shoreline. Couple of the agency ponies came with me and thought you’d… you know.”
“Yeah, I get the picture,” I said levelly. They’d actually thought I’d done myself in had they? I couldn’t blame them really I suppose, after all I didn’t exactly inspire confidence with my scary eyes, scar, and broken horn. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d secretly hoped I’d gone off and drowned myself just so they could have breakfast in peace without the weird grey pony sitting next to them. Mind you, it was hard to tell what that lot were thinking with their permanently miserable expressions. Working with ponies like that for any length of time would have anypony wanting to top themselves.
“I didn’t believe it,” Tingles chirped. “I couldn’t. Not you. You’ve too much life in you, Cap’, and so much to live for too. Anyway, I thought I saw something in the distance, out across the water. I wasn’t sure, so I flew out over the bay to have a look, and here you are!” The grinning pegasus barrel rolled happily.
“Here I am.” I sighed. I didn’t know what else to say. She’d believed in me, trusted me, and flew out here in the dark and cold, miles from land, and searched for what? Was she expecting to find me paddling out here somewhere having an evening swim? With Tingles, it was entirely possible. That was when I saw something I’d never really noticed before - Tingles’ cutie mark. A neat image of three ice cubes sat on her flank. They were quite cute really. Maybe she’d been destined to work in a cocktail bar, or a huge passenger liner like the Maretania. Whatever it was, fate had decided otherwise and lumbered the poor girl with me.
“Hey! Whatcha looking at back there?” she jibed.
Blast it, I’d been caught red hoofed! “Sorry, its your cutie mark,” I said quickly. “I’ve never really asked what the three ice cubes represented.”
“My special talent of course.” She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you know?”
“Of course I know that!” I huffed. “Everypony does, I’m not that stupid.”
She giggled, flying upside down and waving her legs like she was walking. How does she do that?! I wondered silently as Tingles floated past me, making my clumsy flight look like a brick layer attempting brain surgery.
“Dad thought I was destined to be a cocktail girl,” she explained. Ha! ‘nailed it’, I thought to myself. “Or an ice sculptor,” Tingles added.
“Must be a big call for that then,” I said sarcastically.
Shit, me and my big mouth. Tingles flew down and bopped me on the head with a hoof, “Don’t be cheeky!” she laughed and flew a loop around me again. “Dad liked sculpting you see. He worked with stone and bronze mostly, and has some of his best works in the Royal Museum of Art in Canterlot. Mum’s a teacher in Canterlot too, at the magic school there. As for me, well… fate brought me to a different vocation.”
I watched her barrel rolling beside me. She truly was in her own element up here in the sky, and she radiated joy as brightly as the sun on a summer’s day. Growing up I’d always been jealous of pegasi and their remarkable affinity with the sky, the wind, and the clouds. The sense of freedom they emanated seemed to be something the did effortlessly. And now here I was with wings of my own, even if they were kind of ‘loaned’. I’m not sure I was even fully in control of the things either; they just sort of… worked. How exactly I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t want to think about it in either case. The erratic nature of my spirit’s magic was something I was still trying to come to grips with. The last thing I wanted right now was to start doubting it and end up nose diving into the briny water again. Still, I wasn’t complaining. How many unicorns got to fly? Sure there were airships and balloons, but this? No, this was freedom. True freedom. I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. Flying together with Tingles was certainly a strange experience though, and held a peculiar sense of intimacy which I hadn’t really thought of before.
“You like them?” she asked flying closer to me.
“The ice cubes?” I nodded. “Yeah, they’re actually kinda cute. Really go with your colouringtoo; the tangerine and green complement each other well.”
She suddenly blushed beet red, and without a word suddenly shot straight up into the sky, vanishing from sight in a heartbeat. Damn it, I’d said too much! Buck me and my bloody big mouth too. How the hell was I supposed find the agency facility now? Not only did I have little more than a vague idea about where I was supposed to be going, I didn’t know where my stuff was either, and now Tingles had flown off somewhere too! I sighed loudly, letting my wings do the work. All I could do now was, quite literally, ‘follow my nose’ and hope I didn’t end up flying about in circles all night as I tried to find my way back. I flew on for a few more minutes, the waves far below me, until in the distance I saw torches and lanterns moving this way and that on the shoreline. Something told me that was my reception committee, although I suspected they were most likely waiting for Tingles. Only… she was already there, smirking at me as I came in for a flustered landing.
“Took you long enough,” the tangerine mare said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Get lost did you?”
Oooh! That bloody pegasus! “Hey thanks for buggering off and leaving me, ‘partner’. How do you know I wasn’t going to get lost out there?”
“‘Friend sense’,” she smirked. “All pegasi have it. I can home in on you from a mile away. Several to be exact. Works better when you’re not drowning though.”
I walked up to her and fixed her big green eyes with a hard stare before bursting out in laughter. That bloody pegasus! That annoying, crazy, beautiful tangerine flying nuisance. Goddesses, I-
She bopped me on the forehead with a hoof, “Heads up ‘agent Nox’, the boss is here. Act casual.”
I nearly burst out laughing again as the pony who’d been in charge of Delta team at the post office in Ponyville when I’d first met him, approached me. I saluted him and he gave a nod, “Good to see you, Nox, and you Agent Tingles. Would you excuse us please?” Tingles nodded and walked away to where the rest of the agents were running magical energy detectors over the foreshore and, by the looks of it, my gear. The slim offiver turned to me, “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.” He held out a hoof which I shook. “Brandy Wine, senior agent with Equus. I know who you are of course, Captain Fairlight, a.k.a Agent Nox.” I was a little surprised by this announcement, but then probably a lot less than I would have been normally. Agent Brandy Wine had the look of a stallion who got things done. “I suggest returning to your ‘normal’ state as soon as possible,” he said smiling wryly. “You look very, shall we say, ‘alicorny’ like that. The last thing we need is you drawing the wrong type of attention from one of the more eagle eyed members of the public. It’s bad enough as it is with all the rumours of unidentified alicorns popping up all over Manehattan without more of them appearing.”
Brandy Wine winked at me conspiratorially. I kinda liked this guy, I think he was going to be alright to deal with. He watched me in silent fascination as I released the power and felt myself returning to normal. Normal, and cold. Bloody hell it was absolutely freezing out here! I shook myself hard to try and get some warmth back into my damp fur. Ever since the spirit had taken up residence within me I hadn’t been feeling the cold particularly, but this time, soaked to the bone and stinking of salt water, I began to long for nothing more than a hot bath. Brandy called one of his agents over who was carrying my overcoat and other assorted accoutrements. Within no time the comfortable and familiar feeling of my old clothes was bringing at least some warmth back to my bones.
“Thanks, Sir,” I said gratefully.
“Brandy will do, Nox.” The officer bobbed his towards Tingles. “But please, remind your partner not to keep calling you ‘Cap’, Captain, or goddesses forgive me, ‘Fairlight’. If somepony hears it could get very messy for all of us, yes?”
“I understand, Sir, um, Brandy.” I felt a little strange speaking to him like I was his equal, but in some respects perhaps I was. I had been a Captain in the Watch after all, even if it did seem to be little more than a faint memory to me now. “I’ll speak to her tonight,” I finished.
He nodded, “Come on, we’ll get a hot cuppa and have a chat about what happened out here tonight.”
And we did. The two of us spoke at length, about the parcels at the house, the disagreement between Blaze and her crew, and my little dip in the sea. I didn’t go into too much detail about the last part, I didn’t want Brandy thinking I was becoming unglued and letting voices control my actions. That might not be a particularly good strategy in the long term. As I talked the veteran officer took it all in, making notes in his pocket book. He was a pleasantly insightful unicorn, his black and silver dappled coat was quite striking, and his maroon eyes were hard to look away from. They had a strange way of looking right into you, like he was assessing your honesty.
Finally, Brandy spoke. “Unlike your last team leader,” he began, “you’ll find I’m a lot more flexible. The mistress asked me specifically to give you more free rein, and as far as I am concerned, that begins now, Nox.”
I cocked my head to one side quizzically, “Last team leader? You mean Warlock?”
He nodded, “Yes. The mistress has re-assigned him to… other duties. You are with me now, and before you ask, Tingles is too. I have been told in no uncertain terms that you two come as a package.” He gave me that wry smile again, and I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by him for some reason. He knew things, this pony, and I would do well to keep him on my side. Brandy downed a mouthful of the hot tea and stretched. “So then, Nox, what’s your next move?”
I hadn’t really thought about it yet, other than how much I would like to smash my way into the watch house and take Blaze down. But caution was the order of the day here, and controlling my anger came as part of it. “I want to speak to the foal, Sir,” I said confidently.
“The foal,” Brandy mused. “The one Tingles brought in earlier, correct?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Brandy scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Why? You think he knows something?”
I nodded. “I do. He mentioned his mother and sister had been ‘taken’. I want to find out what he knows, there could be more to this business than just a crooked cop lining her pockets.”
Brandy nodded and looked towards the other agents who were sat about chatting in the lamplight. “It is more than just a crooked cop, Nox,” he said quietly, careful to keep his voice low, “and you know it too, don’t you?”
I nodded, “The commissioner.”
He grinned humourlessly, “The commissioner. Bent as a rubber bit.” He took out a cigarette and fished for a light before I held up a hoof stopping him, and lit it with a spark of magic from my horn. He raised his eyebrows and took a draw. “Cigarette?”
“No thanks,” I replied, “they’re bad for your health.”
Brandy raised an eyebrow, “So is drowning.” He had me there. “The commissioner is somehow connected to this mess,” he explained, “The mistress tells me that she’d had you suspended from work to get you off the case, and that she was later implicated somehow with the firebombing of several homes. Homes of ponies who had been involved in counter-smuggling ops. Sound familiar?”
I nodded. I knew all about that alright, and I was damned glad he did too. There was always the chance nopony would believe me, and hearing this was like a weight lifting off my shoulders.
“The problem,” Brandy said solemnly, “is that she has friends, powerful friends, and ones with links to Celestia herself.”
“Shit,” I spat.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Brandy took a pull on his cigarette, watching the smoke drift away into the chill night air. “The bitch is almost untouchable… Almost.”
“Almost?” I asked intrigued.
Brandy nodded. “Why do you think the mistress wanted your particular skills?”
My heart jumped in my chest, the spirit stirring excitedly. It was all I could do to avoid drooling at the prospect of getting my hooves on that evil creature. Instead, I fought the rising emotions down, and kept my voice sound as calm as I could. “I’m not an assassin, Brandy. You want to start murdering ponies, you can do it without my help.” I could hear the spirit grumbling quietly, slinking away. It was quiet now, but it was listening. It was always listening.
Brandy held up a hoof, shaking his head. “Nopony said you were an assassin, Nox, but there may come a time when evil is knocking at your door and hiding under the bed won’t make it go away. I pray that time never comes, but if we don’t act soon, there may be no more Equestria worth saving.”
“Are things that bad?” I asked in surprise.
He shook his head slowly, “There’s a problem with ponies, Nox. You know it, I know it, and for better or worse it’s in every single one of us. As a race we’re trusting and open. Some would even say gullible. It’s been a thousand years of peace and tranquillity that’s lead us to this point, a point where we have become the perfect target for those seeking to exploit a people unable, and unwilling, to fight back. All it takes is one pony to say, ‘hey, wanna try something new?’ and ‘boom’, you’ve got a new Ryetalin or Breeze-head running around. We have to stop this at its source, to take the fight to them. I need you, Nox. I need your strength to help us.”
“Then there’s one thing I want, Brandy,” I said quietly.
He gave a short nod, his eyes focussed on the other agents. “Sure, what is it?”
I stared past him towards the magic lights of the docks. “Let me deal with Blaze in my own way.”
He turned to me and stared for several seconds, weighing me up. I could sense him considering his options and then, finally, he came to a conclusion. “Okay, sure. But Nox, try to keep the body count under control?”
I grinned. “Yes, Sir. You know me.”
He gave me a sidelong glance as he finished off his tea. “Yes, Nox, I suppose I know enough to know that I trust you. I may not exactly approve of your methods particularly, they’re unorthodox certainly, but I like a pony who gets results. And you get results.” He wiped his muzzle. “Grab your gear, arrange what you need, and get to it. Keep me updated is all I ask.”
“One other thing, Brandy,” I said lifting a hoof.
“What?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “When I go after Blaze, find another task for Tingles that night. I don’t want anypony getting hurt.”
He nodded and sighed. “Okay, if that’s what you want. She won’t like it you know, and if the mistress finds out she’ll have my guts for garters.”
He was right of course. Tingles would flay me alive for it, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt, as much as I knew how effective an agent she was. I trusted her, but… I don’t know, I just work better alone sometimes. At least, that’s how I justified it to myself. I’d get the job done, then the anger of the tangerine pegasus would be like the wrath of the goddesses. Only worse. A lot worse.
********************
Tingles sat next to me in the small room, the foal seated opposite us with a rapidly emptying bag of sweets and a colouring book thoughtfully brought in by one of the other agency mares. The little fellow was busy colouring, the crayon held in his mouth.
He tried to speak, “Mffff ithh my mfmummff.”
By the goddess, I hated ponies talking with their mouths full. My companion must have read my mind. “Is that your mum?” Tingles asked. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Mmmfffmm!”
I cleared my throat. “Brandy, can you finish your picture after we’ve finished talking? We need to ask you some questions so we can find you mummy, okay?”
He put down the crayon reluctantly but nodded his head so vigorously I thought it might drop off his shoulders. I couldn’t help but smile. Brandy’s caramel coat and cream mane and tail really did echo his name, whilst his big red eyes shone like garnets.
I smiled kindly at the foal, but it was pretty clear who he trusted more, and it wasn’t the scary guy with the dodgy horn, scar and blue eyes! “Brandy, I want to find your mum and sister, so I need you to tell me what the ponies looked like who took them away. Can you do that?” I asked him.
He nodded and started to draw again, pulling different colours out and making a very interesting attempt at pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns. Their legs were straight lines, and the horns would put an alicorn to shame. Mind you, his drawing skills still knocked mine into a cocked hat. We’d already sent agents out looking for anypony who knew Brandy Snap and, importantly, those could take him in. I didn’t want the little guy ending up in the orphanage if I could help it. What we had already ascertained though, was that he and his family had been out near the waterfront when a gang of ponies grabbed his mother and his sister while out for a walk in broad daylight. I still couldn’t believe it. Celestia’s tits, is this what things had come to? Kidnapping in broad daylight? Part of me felt that Blaze was up to her fetlocks in this for not keeping up regular patrols, but then, that was probably the idea wasn’t it. It would be simplicity itself for her to redirect the Watch’s ‘priorities’ away from her dirty little enterprises. In fact now that I thought about it, I’d hardly seen hide nor tail of a watch pony since coming to in the agency medical bay.
The foal finished the picture, together with a big sun and lollipop trees. He pushed it to Tingles, not me I noticed, and tapped the ponies one by one. “That’s mummy, Carnation. That’s my sister, Flax. And these are the mean ponies.”
“Did you hear what they were said, Brandy?” Tingles asked in her kindly manner.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
Tingles’ smile could have melted diamond as she said, “Yes?”
The little foal picked up a crayon then put it down, looking from me to Tingles and then back again. “Will you tell them I told you?” His eyes went wide and he covered his mouth in horror. “They’ll come and get me! I don’t want to go away!” Brandy started to sniff and a glistening dribble of snot dropped from his nose onto the table. I was torn between wanting to hug him and give him a hankie. I settled on a hankie.
“I promise you, Brandy, on my honour as the lord of the four winds, I will hunt down the ponies who took your family and cut them down like wheat before the scythe.” I felt the corner of my mouth curl in a smile. “Your mummy and sister will come back with me, safe and sound. Fear not.”
Tingles looked at me, her jaw hanging open and her green eyes as wide as saucers, “Wha…?!”
Brandy clopped his hooves together. “WHOA! That’s so COOL!”
Well, yeah, it was kinda cool. Embarrassed, my cheeks flushed and I put a hoof behind my head rubbing my mane, “Um… So, Brandy, what did these bad ponies say. I need to know so I can go get ‘em!”
“Okay!” he chirped. “I heard them say mummy would ‘fetch top dollar’, and sis would be ‘good bait’. The ponies called each other funny names too. One called another one ‘Bates’ I think, and another was ‘Jingles’… no….” He tapped a hoof on his muzzle, rolling his eyes. “JINGO! That was her name! I remembered!” He stomped his hooves on the table while I stared at Tingles. We shared a look. My goddess, we both knew who that was. The other bucker was another story. Bates, the bastard who had raped my wife and ran me through with a poker was part of this nightmare. I owed him. Dear goddess, the bastard was so close now I could smell his stink…
“Cap’?” Tingles nudged me with a wing.
“Sorry, Tingles, I was a little lost in thought there,” I apologised. “And watch the Cap’ thing okay? Brandy has already told you off for calling me that.”
“No, I didn’t!” the little foal shouted at me. “Don’t be mean to the nice lady! You be mean to the nasty ponies instead!”
“It’s okay Brandy, Nox was talking about somepony else we know called Brandy,” Tingles explained gently. “He’s a friend of ours called Brandy Wine.”
The little fellow banged his hooves on the desk and kicked his chair, “Pfffff! What a silly name! My name’s cool, like lord thingy…”
Tingles had to hold her sides to keep her laughter in check, sniffing back tears of mirth. I could feel my cheeks reddening in embarrassment. ‘Lord Thingy’, the cheeky little bugger. In all fairness though, it was my fault. I hadn’t meant it to slip out, but it had all the same. I wonder why? Bloody hell, maybe I was going senile already? Nearly ready for pasture, Fairlight… I cleared my throat and tried to regain control of the situation by concentrating on the piece of paper in front of me. The third pony in Brandy’s picture was a purple unicorn I wasn’t familiar with. Brandy didn’t know her name, but said it was a mare. He wasn’t sure of any other details, they’d been wearing cloaks apparently, no doubt to cover any cutie marks, but he’d given me enough to point me in the right direction. I collected the piece of paper and stared at the pictures. The yellow male had to be Gates, and the indigo pegasus, Jingo, we knew too. But it was the unknown purple unicorn who had me scratching my head.
I was about to fold the paper when I noticed that only Gates and Jingo had cloaks drawn on them and sudden realisation popped into my head. “Brandy, was the purple unicorn wearing a cloak?”
He was busy drawing something else now, and his mouth was full of crayon. “Mno.”
“Did you see her cutie mark?”
“Mno, mnidnt af won,” he slobbered around the crayon.
Tingles stood up suddenly looking from me to the foal. “Brandy, this is important. Did the purple unicorn mare have a cutie mark?”
He spat out the crayon and shook his head. “She was a big foal! No cutie mark!” He laughed and jumped down and ran around the room shouting “Big blank flank!” and falling about in hysterics.
Tingles and I didn’t need to say any more, we’d both heard enough. We left Brandy Snap playing and exited the room. Thoughtfully the agency mare on duty outside smiled and went in with a plate of sandwiches for the foal, leaving us to our own devices. In the corridor my brightly coloured partner leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. I knew how she felt too, goddess damn it. Brandy’s family had already been sold into slavery, the sex trade most likely, and with the worst of the bunch - Gates, that pox upon ponykind.
Tingles spoke softly, “Gates. He’s one of the one’s who…” She tailed off.
I took a breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, him and Melon Patch.”
“Oh Celestia, Nox, those poor ponies.” Tingles hung her head in horrified realisation of the nightmare that had swallowed a little foal’s mother and sister. All we could be thankful for was that young Brandy was too young to really understand what had happened.
I sighed. “I know, Tingles. Believe me, I know all too well what those scum are capable of.” I fished out a couple of mints from my pocket and hoofed one to her which she took gratefully. When ponies said something ‘left a bad taste in your mouth’, they weren’t kidding. “You worked with Jingo in the watch didn’t you?” I asked her.
She nodded, “I did, but we weren’t especially friendly with one another. She was always quite distant to be honest, and a real smart arse with other ponies which drove them away from her. Creeped around Blaze and Dawn a lot too, like they were the ‘in gang’ or some such.”
“Know anything about her personal life?” I asked.
Tingles shook her head. “Not really. She didn’t mix with the rest of us at all, even in the break room. A bit of a loner in some ways, but she was very family orientated, I know that much. Even brought her little sister to work one day and doted on her the whole time she was there. Cute I suppose, if she wasn’t such a… Oh, I don’t know. I don’t like to say ‘weirdo’, but in her case? Yeah, she was.”
“Where does she live?” I enquired. “Any partner? Husband maybe?”
“Been a while, but so far as I know she actually lives with her sister downtown on eleventh and mane.” Tingle’s eyebrows shot up hopefully. “Might want to check in on her, you think?”
“I think,” I nodded thoughtfully, “we can pay a little visit to… to… Oh, buck…”
The world lurched like I was on the deck of a ship and I slammed heavily against the wall. Damn it! What the hell was going on? I was so weak... And then I realised something. When was last time I’d taken any life energy? The massive expenditure in the sea had drained me, not to mention the flight back to shore immediately afterwards. The huge strain was finally taking its toll and was affecting me physically as well as magically. I could barely keep my eyes open.
“Cap! You okay? What’s wrong?” Tingles sounded panicked, and put a foreleg around me protectively. “Come on, we’d better get you to the medics.”
“No!” I gasped. “Can’t! Buck it all… Tingles, check my pack. The thermos flask...”
She looked inside and her face went white. “It’s broken! The whole lots leaked out!”
I thought I’d felt something damp against my flank. Blast, why didn’t I check? I needed to get back to my room and take some of the berries and the life energy in the glass bottle, if there was any left. There should be, right? Gods, I couldn’t remember, my head was a total disaster area. “Tingles, please, help me back to my room. Please…”
“Okay, you’re the boss.” Tingles didn’t sound convinced, but did as I requested. “Here, lean on me…that’s right, one leg at a time.”
How we got to my room I’ll never know. I remember collapsing on the bed and feeling like I could sleep forever. I had a vague sense of Tingles rummaged around the room and pouring out the last of the bottle and berries, crushing them into an ad-hoc smoothie.
“Get this down you, Cap’,” she urged. “Come on now…”
Gratefully, hungrily, I downed the mixture, feeling strength drip back into me. But it wasn’t much. Not much at all. What in Equestria was I going to- Wait! Aunt Pewter’s jam! Weakly I tried to stagger over to the cupboard until Tingles stopped me, realising what I was after. Guiding me back to the bed she brought out a jar for me and took off the lid.
“Is this what you’re after?” she asked, looking at the bright red sticky contents.
I nodded, and Tingles pulled out a spoon, lifted my head, and began feeding me the sweet preserve like a newborn foal. I didn’t care. The stuff tasted amazing, but its effects were what I really craved right then. And effects I got in spades. Thanks be to Luna, it was working. Slowly, my legs and spine began to shiver as the life giving energy seeped back into me, filling the void and making me feel whole once more. I’d have to be more careful in future and make sure I had a stock of the preserves. I’d have a word with the kitchen staff and see if they could make some with the berries that appeared each morning.
“Fairlight,” Tingles stated quietly, “the bottle… It’s empty…”
She sounded a lot more concerned than I was right then, but I was so relieved to feel my strength returning I didn’t give it much thought. The preserve had done its job well enough. “Yeah, it’s okay,” I said wearily. “It appears here most mornings with the berries anyway. The cleaners bring it in I think.” To be honest I’d never really considered where it came from, or how it got here. Luna had made the arrangements and who was I to look a gift mare in the mouth? I yawned. “I suppose… I suppose it must be… magic.” I smacked my lips and rubbed my eyes. Ah, magic, the answer to all life’s little mysteries! Well, at least my sense of humour hadn’t drained away completely yet. “I’m going to lie down for a bit, love,” I murmured. “I’m so tired… I can’t hardly…” I yawned so widely I heard my jaw crack and hauled myself onto the bed with an encouraging nudge from Tingles.
“Okay, Captain, sleep well.” She mumbled something else I couldn’t quite hear as she left the room and flicked off the light. She was such a good friend. Such a good… friend...
My dreams were a clouded mess of disjointed and terrifying images. Brandy the little foal featured heavily in them, weeping for his lost mother and sister. Their cries for help pulled me ever deeper into the dream world, emphasising the feeling of being helpless and alone. I was desperate to help them, to do what I could, anything, to save the two frightened ponies that were lost in a world totally alien to them. Desperation and anger at my impotence dragged me on past the laughing images of Gates and Melon Patch, their filthy visages decaying in the depravity they revelled in. Anger gave way to a steel hard need, a hatred beyond anything I had ever experienced. The voices, the smells, the faces… Gates and Melon Patch - I would find them, and by the time I had finished with them, they would pray for the merciful release of death. A grim determination settled through me. I felt… jubilant, excited at the prospect of revelling in their demise. They deserved it, called out for it. Death. A pony cloaked in black, scythe carried over its shoulder yet as insubstantial as a shadow, walked toward me, its hooves echoing as if we were in some great stone hall. It grew closer, solidifying as it came. There was no face, only a black nothingness.
“Who do you fear?” its hissing voice asked.
I reared and slammed my hooves down hard, “I fear NOPONY.”
“Do you fear death?” the cowled figure asked.
The answer came without pause. “NO.”
“Do you fear yourself?”
I hesitated, unsure how to answer. The figure looked up, two bright blue eyes shining out through the dark mass under the cloak’s cowl. The pony threw back the hood and there was no mistaking it now, it was like a mirror. I was looking at… myself.
The thing wearing my face walked towards me, “Ponies fear the unknown. They fear death. They fear... you.” In the barest whisper of breath, it spoke next to my ear, “You have become death.”
Shouting out in panic I pulled my head away from the saturated pillow and sat up, panting hard. Rivulets of sweat were dripping off me. I was soaked in it, my bedsheets were stuck to my fur, and I felt terrible. Dear gods, I was shaking like a bloody leaf! Just to make matters worse my head was banging with a the mother of all headaches, my legs felt like lead and… Oh hell, my room. In the throws of my nightmare I must have lashed out with my magic. Around me the floor, walls and ceiling were solid with ice, even the door to the bathroom. This was going to take some explaining, and the worst of it was, I really needed to go to the loo. Gingerly I peeled off the covers, swung my hind legs over the edge of the bed, and promptly slipped on the floor, landing in a heap of sodden bed covers and steaming fur. I was burning up, so much so that the ice was actually melting beneath me. Buck me ragged, this wasn’t good! I grabbed the jars of jam and downed as much of the sticky stuff as I could. I felt sick to my stomach eating so much gooey sweetness in one go, but it didn’t matter, I had to try and do something to settle things down. The magic had leaked from me during the night, and what precious little I’d had before bed had probably already gone. The jam helped of course, but I was desperately low on reserves. I only hoped that whoever brought the bottle last time would do so again today. I took a sip of water and winced as the tart taste washed away down my throat. Gods, I was heartily sick of berries. I looked around the room at the mess and groaned. I think one of the worst things about all this was that I felt like a guilty foal who’d wet the bed, and I suppose in magical terms that was exactly what I’d done. I’d have to strip the bed and hide the evidence before the cleaners came round. Fortunately I had a laundry basket, and I doubt anypony would bother asking why I’d given them a ‘helping hoof’ this morning. For all they knew, I’d simply spilled some juice on my bedding. I only wish it had been. My guts rumbled ominously and I was swiftly reminded of a more pressing need than cleaning the room. Unfortunately the door to the bathroom was so solid with ice there was no hope of getting it open any time soon, so after quickly turning up the heating I set out for the nearest loo.
The corridor was quiet at this time of night, day, or whatever it was. To be honest I had no idea. My clock had been frozen solid and my pocket watch was locked somewhere in a huge icicle at the back of the room. I’d have to sort that out later too. What a treat! Fortunately the toilets weren’t too far and I virtually flung myself onto the seat in the first cubicle I came to, and just in the nick of time. All I can say is thank the goddesses that nopony came in whilst I was in there! A wave of heat flooded through me, passing quickly to a peculiar chill that made me feel a touch light headed. I don’t know what the hell that was, but thank Luna it passed as quickly as it had appeared. My insides were in turmoil, and the deadly aroma of digested berries was anything but pleasant. Eventually however, everything seemed to settle down. And so, after a freshen up with a damp flannel, I nipped out quick. I decided against going back to my room, and to let the heating do its job. I wasn’t sure how I’d explain the water on the floor, but I could cross that bridge when I came to it. There wasn’t much I could do just at the moment, and so I decided to hang out in the canteen until I felt a bit better, or had a shower, or… Damn it, I couldn’t decide! My head was still such a bloody mess, concentrating on anything was a task in itself. I rubbed my eyes. Along the corridor was Tingles’ room. I wonder if she was still awake?
I knocked lightly on the door. “Tingles? It’s Nox. You up?”
There was no answer. I was about to walk away when I thought I heard the sound of movement coming from the room, like something rolling across the floor. I tried again, slightly louder this time, but there was still no answer. I tried the handle. The door wasn’t locked, which wasn’t that unusual in the agency, but still, it was a mares room after all. I hesitated, second guessing myself. No harm in checking she was okay, right? Besides, something was niggling at the back of my mind - something wasn’t right here. I may be wrong of course, but if I was right and I did nothing I’d never forgive myself. Damn it all! I’d probably get a bollocking from her, but here goes…
I pushed the door open, surprised to find the light was still on. There was nopony here. The bed was unslept in, her overcoat hanging on the peg on the back of the door. Had she stayed out all night and forgot to turn the light off? Maybe, but wouldn’t she normally have taken her coat with her? The room was neat and tidy, with all her things well organised and not showing any signs of being disturbed. Where the hell was she? I moved further in and nearly tripped on a glass bottle on the floor. That must have been what the noise was, but what had made it roll in the first place? That was when I noticed the green tail poking round the corner of the bed. The rest of its owner was slumped further in and partly hidden behind the cupboard. She was draped over some sort of object that was studded with gems and glowing with a curious white light.
“TINGLES!” I shouted, and rushed over to her, slipping on the silvery white fluid that had spilled from the bottle. It was almost invisible against the white tiled flooring, but even in my panic to get to her I knew what it was. And I knew what the damned fool was doing too. “Oh goddesses, Tingles, no! What the hell have you done?”
She was weak, so terribly, terribly weak. Her coat was palid and her eyes sunken, and yet despite it she still tried to smile. “Hey… Cap’. Sorry, I couldn’t… make as much as… I thought…”
“You bloody fool!” I snapped. I looked around frantically. “Buck, buck, buck!” I didn’t know what the hell I was looking for, but one thing I knew I had to do was to get her away from that damned… ‘thing’. I pulled it out from under her and flung the cursed device across the room. Next, I went to help Tingles off the floor. I was still weak myself, painfully so, but she needed me and, damn it all, I would save my friend come hell or high water.
I sounds terrible, horrible I know, but I still did it. I managed to down the remains in the bottle and even licked the fluid off the floor, as much as I could, desperate to build some magic back up. It was barely enough to help me levitate her off the ground and onto my back, but thank the gods I managed. Holding her there by the magic from my horn I bolted out the room and down the corridor for the only one I knew who could help her. Corridors flew by, and the nearer I got the further my destination seemed to be, like one of those damned nightmares where you goal was always just out of your grasp. But finally, taking that last corner, the large heavy door loomed before me.
“Mistress! Open up, for the love of the all that’s holy! Please!” I hammered on the door with my hoof but no reply came. “Open the bucking door! I need your help now! LUNA!”
Still no reply.
I felt down inside myself. The spirit was weakened, but still there. With a little persuasion and driven by need, I released its power into my body, feeling it freeze and warm me in equal. My voice, heavy and filled with ethereal energy, boomed out in the corridor.
“PRINCESS! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW, OR BY THE GODS I WILL TURN IT INTO MATCHWOOD!”
With a flicker of purple light, the magic around the door suddenly shimmered and died, the locks snapping back as the heavy portal swung open. A voice from within flowed out,
“What is the meaning of this infernal noise?” Luna’s face appeared, staring at me in surprise. “You! What are you doing here?”
I rushed inside, “It’s Tingles, she’s… she’s dying. Damn it, Luna, she’s the one who’s been filling those cursed bottles isn’t she? You gave her that damned device and look what’s happened to her! My friend…This is your bloody fault, so DO SOMETHING!”
The princess slammed the door shut and locked it, throwing off her cloak and shot me an angry glance, “Put her in front of the fire. Gently now… that’s right.” She plucked a bottle from the shelf and hoofed it over to me. “Drink, you need energy, I can see it in your eyes.”
“Is this hers?” I hissed. “Is it?!”
Luna scowled, “No! And if you are going insist on shouting, I will throw you out of the window and see how fast you can learn to fly, so be quiet!”
I was virtually shaking with adrenalin, but followed the princess’s directions and swallowed the contents of the bottle. Almost immediately I felt a strong wave of energy encompassing me, rather like jumping into a hot bath. I was alive, alive and alert at last. But now, Tingles lay before me. I had to help her. I sat beside the tangerine mare and pulled a cushion off the chair to place gently under her head. Brushing a few wisps of hair from face I opened myself fully to the spirits power, letting it flow freely through me. Slowly, I opened my maw and allowed the mist to form.
A midnight coloured forehoof reached over and stopped me. “No, this is beyond you now I fear.” Luna looked me in the eyes. “To bring her back from where she is now will likely take all you have, and your spirit is already weakened. To go beyond your limits could result in death.”
“I feel strong!” I said assuredly. “I will save the girl. I will not fail again!”
Luna seemed surprised. Her eyes widened and then she leaned forward with a gentle smile playing across her lips. “You always did surprise me, my lord.”
Oh goddesses, this again! “Luna, please!”
“Oh, be quiet Captain, I know what I’m doing.” Luna huffed. “You must remain still now and, I pray, quiet!”
Chastened, I nodded and watched her intently as she worked. Luna raised her hooves above her head and began a peculiar chant, the room darkening noticeably as she continued. A black swirl of non-light ebbed and flowed around her hooves, gaining speed and emanating a sort of humming wail. Her chanting grew louder, its intensity shaking the walls, the doors, and even rattling the windows. My horn itched like crazy from the intense magical build up, and my eyes went wide as I saw a small pinprick of silver light seep out from the princess of the night’s chest only to be immediately sucked up into the black vortex swirling above her. With a strange shout that made my mane stand on end, Luna drew the black mass into her mouth and, in one fluid movement, leaned forward and clamped her mouth around Tingles’ own. The princess’s eyes blazed with white light, bleaching the room with their radiance. Alarmingly, Tingles’ own eyes began to glow now too. Brighter and brighter they shone, until she was filled to the brim with the magic of the night princess. I held my breath. Her colour was returning before my very eyes, her chest moving with her breathing, and her were legs beginning to twitch as life surged through her veins. With a shudder, Tingles came back to herself and locked eyes with the princess who carefully pulled her mouth away. Luna looked utterly exhausted, and Tingles looked like she was in a state of shock.
“What... What was that?” Tingles gasped, blinking her eyes. “Princess? What am I doing here? Fairlight!” The tangerine mare sat up in a flash and nearly knocked me flying, her forelegs pulling me into a crushing embrace.
Luna sat back, rubbing her brow. “Are you well my dear young mare?”
Tingles released me and turned to face the princess. “I am, your majesty, thank you. I… I don’t know what happened...”
“I do!” I said angrily, “It was that bloody thing you were using. What were you thinking, Tingles? Giving me your life? Do you want to die?!”
She looked abashed, and despite my anger I felt ashamed at my outburst. This mare was sacrificing her life daily to give me strength to help Equestria. She was truly one of a kind, an example of all that was good in a pony.
“No…” she said solemnly. “I want to-”
“She wants to help you, Captain,” Luna interrupted, “as do I. You have a remarkable talent for influencing those around you, affecting hearts and souls wherever you go without having any idea how, or even that you are.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “This is all, I don’t know... madness. Sheer madness. I appreciate why you’re doing this, Tingles, but giving me your life? Goddesses, please, don’t do this.” I sank to my haunches and hid my face in my hooves. The magic began to drain from me, my eyesight returning to normal, the wings retreating into my back as it they had never existed. All that was left was the broken, scarred unicorn I always had been.
The tangerine mare scooched over and held me in her forelegs. “It’s okay, Fairlight, I’m alright. Look, see? I’m okay!” She began to gently stroke my mane, holding me to her chest. “Don’t cry now, love. Come on now… Shhh, it’s alright, I’m not going away.”
I melted into her warm embrace as she held me tight, and I cried into her fur like a foal. Emotions raged through me, but with one overriding them all – relief. I barely noticed Luna walk up beside me and place a kiss on my forehead.
“You have many who love you, Captain… My lord of the four winds,” the princess said gently. “Never forget that.”
I felt the heat of the fire on my coat, the warmth of Tingles’ body and the smell of her breath, her fur, her mane… I wanted to go home and hide in her embrace forever, forgetting the world outside. But it was not to be, and probably rightly so. I couldn’t hide from my duties, nor from life. So many depended upon me including the princess, and my tangerine pegasus. The sheer relief of having her back with us, with me, was overloading my emotions.
Tingles moved her muzzle and brought my tear sodden face up to hers. “I know I shouldn’t say it, you have Meadow and Shadow, but…”
“Tingles,” I said quietly, listening to her heart beating beside me.
“I love you, Fairlight,” Tingles whispered, “I always have.”
I snuggled my muzzle into her chest, “I know,Tingles. I-”
“Shhh, its okay,” the orange pegasus said tapping me on the nose. “I understand. I’m quite a selfish pony at heart, my Captain, and whether you like it or not, whether you feel anything for me or not, I will still love you.” She let out a little whimper, “Damn you, Fairlight, I love you so much. Why do I feel like this? Why?”
I didn’t understand mares. I probably never would. Right then, like my dream, I didn’t truly understand myself either. Perhaps I was over thinking things again. Maybe I should just live for the moment and take tomorrow by the balls. Yes, there was always tomorrow. Right now though, a mare who loved me was holding me to her breast before a roaring fire on a soft warm rug. If the eternal herd was the heaven of the ponies then they could keep it. Here and now, I had found mine.