//------------------------------//
// Chapter X - The Hunt for Boggs 
// Story: Ballad of the Dawn 
// by Takarashi282 
//------------------------------//

By the time it took them to go to the armaments, she’d already resigned to her fate. It was down all of the steps to a corridor that she hadn't noticed before. When she walked to it, a wall appeared opaque behind her. Knitting her eyebrows at the display of magic, she followed Shining Armor down to another flight of stairs.
The room was sprawling, but wasn't filled. Altogether, there seemed to be about a dozen troops, including that of Shining Armor himself. They all wore heavy metal plating, with body suits like tights underneath. They were chatting idly when two guards called Trixie over. They procured a suit of armor for her, too. It was made of a few plates that overlapped each other, the Crystal Heart emblazoned on the breastplate. They helped her put on one of the body suits. While they were tight, they were still pretty flexible, and as far as she recognized, there was no chafing to be concerned of. The suit of armor went on top, and was easily strapped over her body, with a few minor adjustments to fit her more curvy nature. They helped her with the helmet as well, and it slipped on like a glove. It scraped her horn as it came down, and she tried her best to quell her own concerns about the damaged velvet.
Overall, the suit of armor was heavy, but not as heavy as her own saddlebags with the book inside. She was glad to have the concentrated weight off her back.
When she turned, she saw Discord as well, who lacked a suit of armor. They managed to get a jumpsuit on him, but any suit of armor fit awkwardly on him due to his odd-bodied nature. When Discord caught her gaze, his mouth formed an 'o', and he floated over to her. "Wow..." he remarked. "Who knew you would look so good in armor?"
Trixie managed a single laugh. "Chatting up another lady when you have one at home waiting for you?" she asked, a smug smile appearing on her face.
He shrugged. "I'm not chatting you up. It's just classy." He folded his arms. "Frankly, you're not my type of mare anyway."
"Nor are you my type of stallion," she returned. She eyed the jumpsuit. "Speaking of, how's the suit?"
"Fine," he said. He grabbed at the fabric and pulled it down past his legs. "It's a little... tight downstairs, but nothing I can't get used to."
"Oh, I see that," Trixie said.
Discord snorted, putting a claw over his face. "Wow. Please, no ogling.”
"The Great and Powerful Trixie does not ogle!" she huffed.
"Yeah, well—" Discord began, when he was cut off by a loud banging on the floor. Trixie looked past him as he turned around, and Shining stood amongst them.
"Okay, ladies," he projected, "listen up!" The chatter in the room grew still, and all attention turned to him. "We may be few, but we have an important mission: to locate the threat Boggs at the Yakyakistani border. You are our choice soldiers. I expect you will not fail us."
He lit a map on the wall, a small pin drawing a line to the northwest. "We'll make a beeline toward the border. We had a pretty bad storm yesterday, so we'll be tracking through deep snow. While I was optimistic about our time table before, it looks like our ETA is going to be around tomorrow morning. Provided Boggs is still there, we'll split up into three groups. One to the east, one to the south, and one to the southeast. We'll back him up against the mountain if we don't capture him first."
The map grew dark, and his expression turned somber. "Our target is a highly skilled unicorn that is able to change his own appearance. Because of his power, he's extremely dangerous. Be careful, and don't take him on alone. Understood?"
The room erupted in ayes, and Shining smiled. "Good. We set out in five minutes. Get your final preparations ready, and we'll head out."
A scramble of clanking armor filled the room, along with idle chatter. Trixie shouldered her saddlebags, and they seemed heavier. This is it, she thought, adjusting her breastplate. That was the day that they would hopefully apprehend the unicorn menace. The ponies that had been hurt would finally be avenged. But a lead ball of doubt fell in her stomach. What if they failed? 
Faster than she'd realized, they were deployed, and the Frozen North stretched out in front of them. Thankfully, they were greeted with a calm air, but the wet snow that had fallen prior built up considerably. Shining Armor lit his horn, bidding the other unicorns to do the same, heating up the air in front of him. Trixie frowned, lighting her horn to do the same. However, her horn fizzled out, her head starting to pound with her heartbeat. 
“Having trouble?” somepony asked behind her. A mare trotted beside her. She was an inch or two taller than her and a tad bit thinner. Her coat was a brilliant magenta. 
Trixie nodded, heat rising to her face.
She gave a kindhearted smile. “Don't worry. I struggled with magic as well when I was your age.” She gestured in front of her. “What do you think the air looks like when it's heated up?”
Trixie shrugged, striking the ground harder in frustration. “That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. I know that the air particles go…” She gestured rapidly with a hoof while trying to think of the word. “Haywire when it's heated. I tried visualizing that…” She shook her head. “It just didn't work.”
The mare nodded in understanding. “I see.” She glanced at Trixie. “Tell me, what are you good at?”
“I'm a magician,” Trixie responded, which elicited a confused expression. “Like, for entertainment. ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie,’ that sort of thing.”
“Okay.” She nodded to herself. “You're thinking of the scientific way of heating the air. It's a good way for chemists to think about it.” She gave a sincere look. “But am I correct in assuming that you’re not a scientist?”
Trixie scoffed. “Not in the slightest.”
“So, now the question is, what would a stage-pony visualize what heat looks like?”
The last hit Trixie hard in the chest. She stopped in her tracks. All of that time, she had forgotten who she was. All of the weight that she had on her shoulders had taken the forefront of her mind. 
She remembered back to Canterlot, when she had successfully performed the teleportation spell. The hope that she suddenly felt when she realized her bonds were broken. The exhilaration after she had finally done it. Instead of being crushed under her friends’ positions, it gave her the push to continue.
She closed her eyes. How would the Great and Powerful Trixie picture heat? She galloped to the mare’s side, lighting her horn. All traces of being somepony who she wasn’t had disappeared. She imagined a stage light appearing right in front of her, shining onto the snow. The snow in front of her melted, giving way to the brown earth underneath.
“You did it!” the mare whooped, lighting her horn again beside her. 
Trixie’s heart raced, and she nearly tripped over her own hooves in her shock. “Wait… how…?”
“You said you knew what happens to the air particles when they’re heated,” the mare continued. “You have that understanding. You just needed to paint a picture in your own style.”
“For me, it was a stagelight,” Trixie noted, frowning. 
The mare chortled, putting a hoof over her mouth. “They are really hot, aren't they?”
Trixie huffed, slouching. “Like you wouldn't believe.”
They both shared a laugh that died down quickly. Trixie unconsciously stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, focusing on keeping her magic going. She felt an of odd burning in between her eyes that spread deeper into her head. She ignored the tingling pain as she recommitted, the snow melting faster than before.
“Don't overdo yourself,” the mare warned. “Here, I'll pick up for you. Just take a rest for a bit.”
Trixie nodded, letting her horn fizzle out. She fell behind the mare as she continued to melt away at the snow. 
She frowned. “I haven't got your name,” she realized. 
The mare glanced back at her, her horn fading. “Sorry?”
“I don't know your name,” she repeated.
“Oh!” she gasped, giving an embarrassed smile. “My name is Melody.”
Trixie bowed her head in a half nod. “Melody,” she committed to memory. “Nice to meet you. My name's Trixie.” She offered a hoof to her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Melody reciprocated, taking it between both hooves with a solid shake.
“Trixie?” a deep male voice erupted. “The cowardly show pony that tried to rule over Ponyville?”
She turned her head. The voice belonged to a brawny stallion who must've been at least five inches taller than her. She noted the lack of wings and horn. 
“That was years ago,” she muttered. “You'll be pleased to know that the Great and Powerful Trixie has since then been reformed.”
“Tigers can't change their stripes,” he mused, shrugging. “I can tell because of how narcissistic you still are.”
Before Trixie knew it, a gargantuan snowball catapulted into the stallion’s face. Her eyes widened. It wasn't her; it had come from the opposite direction.
Discord floated over to the stallion, tossing and tossing the same snowball into the air and catching it. “Why, that isn't the way you talk to a lady.” He dropped the snowball, snapped his claws together. The back half of the stallion’s armor crumpled, and he gave an uncharacteristic squeak. “Think twice before harassing my friends.”
The stallion nodded, his teeth gritted in pain and eyes wide in terror.
Trixie let out an unintentional laugh. “I think he's had quite enough punishment for now, Discord.”
He smiled, snapping his claws together one more time. There was a brief creak, and the stallion let out a sigh of relief. “But it's so fun watching him squeal,” he complained playfully. 
Smirking, Trixie turned her gaze to the stallion, but by the time she did, he was long gone. “But thanks, Discord,” she sighed in relief. “Didn't think I'd get the end of it from him.”
The corners of Discord’s mouth turned upward. “You're welcome.”
The rest of the day passed with a low key atmosphere. Of course, this was ignoring the situation at hoof, but Trixie banished all thoughts of it from her mind to prolong the peace that she felt. 
It turned out that Melody wasn't too much different from Trixie, barring the criminal background. She was also a student at the academy, and had also dropped out because of her trouble with magic. She experimented with many things, being down and out for upwards of four years trying to find a place to belong. She found the Crystal Guard when she moved to the Crystal Empire, and she had a family in it ever since.
The burly stallion wouldn't talk to her directly, but Melody filled her in on a few details. His name was Bell, the last name that he went by, and nopony knew the first. He was burly and intimidating at first glance, but was a softy when you hit the right chord with him. Rumor had it that he was abandoned by his family in his foalhood, and since then, he dedicated his life to making himself stronger. “He wants to be a father one day,” Melody added, nodding to him. “I can only imagine why.”
At some point, she was introduced to Terra. Out of all of the soldiers, she was the only one that was shorter than Trixie. But she was very nimble, moving at such a pace that everything seemed to blur around her. She had dedicated her life to joining the Crystal Guard. “She has a spirit that not even the disappearance of the Crystal Empire could snuff out,” Melody added. She walked in a manner as if she was making a perimeter around her. “Because of that… well, she’s possibly the most dangerous out of all of us.”
“But that doesn't mean that she's going to hurt any one of you,” Trixie defended. It was this type of prejudice that she was painfully familiar with.
Melody gave her a serious look. “I don't think you understand.” She gestured to Terra, who was practicing bucks about twenty feet in front of them. “We give her that space because we respect her. She requested that we not bother her.”
“But she does talk, right?”
“Not very much.” She drew a line across her lips as if zipping them closed. “But when she does, she comes to us. But she’s always quiet about him…” She shook her head. “I've said too much.”
“Who's him?” Trixie asked.
“I'm afraid that's something you'll have to see for yourself.” Melody closed her eyes.  “That's something Terra promised to kill is over if we share.”
The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence. A howling wind broke it, and before long, sheets of white snow rammed into them in a relentless blizzard. 
“Unicorns!” Shining bellowed, his voice nearly lost to the wind. He leaned into the gusts, his hooves sliding beneath him. “Put up a barrier!”
Trixie nodded to herself, aiming her horn at the blizzard in front of her. Heat filled it as the snow melted before her, a deep puddle of water forming underneath. She imagined a curtain in front of her, and the water soared in a thin sheet in front of her. 
“Melody!” she called out. Her knees buckled. There must have been about fifty pounds of water in front of her. “Freeze it!”
Melody’s aura shot toward the curtain, dispersing across it as tendrils of ice shot out from the center, eventually freezing into a wall of ice. Trixie let her horn fizzle, and she fell onto her flank, gaping for breath.
Melody galloped to her side. “Are you all right?” she asked, offering a hoof to her.
Trixie took it, lifting herself onto her hooves. “Yeah. Thanks,” she managed between gasps for air. She put a hoof up to her breast, forcing her lungs to slow. Her heart thundered in her chest. 
“You did great!” Melody exclaimed. She lay a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. “Using the snow to make an ice wall… very resourceful!”
“Thanks…” Trixie found herself leaning into her hoof a little. “Whew… I could use a rest.”
Melody nodded. She looked around. “It's getting dark. I'm guessing that we'll set up camp soon. Can you hold out for that long?”
Trixie nodded back. “Yeah.” She straightened up. “So, Melody…” She rubbed her foreleg with a hoof. “You never said anything about me being a former criminal.”
“Well, you said ‘former’, right?” Melody pointed out. “I'm not doing anypony any favors by focusing on the past.”
“But doesn't that change your opinion of me?” She hooked her leg in her hoof, grabbing tight. “I'm just confused as to how you can be so nice to me when I've done something so horrible.”
Melody gave her a solemn look. “Of everyone I've met, the ponies with the darkest pasts have the brightest countenances.” She looked toward the east, which was now enveloped in an inky shadow. “You know, ponies like you remind me of the sunrise. The pink sky, the birdsong… I lived on a prairie when I was younger, and I would always awaken to this ballad of the dawn. Always gradual, always welcoming.” She managed a smile. “I think that you encapsulate that pretty well, don’t you think?” 
Trixie was left speechless. “I-I don’t know…” She closed her eyes, sorting out what to say. “But thank you.”
Melody nodded. “It's my pleasure. Now, let's clear out the snow from this area; we'll set up camp, at least, hopefully.”
Her predictions were right. The sky grew darker and darker, and the storm didn't let up. Muttering about his luck, Shining Armor reluctantly called for camp to be set up. By this point, ice had made a protective shell against the barreling storm, a low whistle coming from a tiny hole in the top of it. The ceiling altogether gave about twenty feet of clearance, giving plenty of breathing room. 
After ensuring that the walls were secured, Trixie and the rest of the unicorns melted the snow with such heat that it vaporized in front of them. The earth ponies shoveled the snow to the corners of the dome, forming banks that tapered into its walls. 
Once the frozen earth was deemed dry enough, they set up a huge tent that was about halfway to the ceiling. Upon stepping into it, Trixie realized that it wasn't as big as it seemed on the outside, but was still plenty of room for the thirteen of them. 
They unloaded their gear from the convoy, laying out sleeping bags along the sides. What confused Trixie is that out of the thirteen, only eleven set up in there. Terra was notably absent from the group. 
“Okay, cadets,” Shining Armor projected. “No intermingling with the opposite sex. Males on the left, females on the right. No pranks unless they're actually funny. No fighting. Yadayadayada, you know the drill.”
“Yessir,” Trixie chimed in unison with the others.
“Good. Melody, you're on first watch. Discord, despite your background, you're on second watch. Be sure not to break anything.”
A female soldier stepped up. “All due respect, sir, why are we entrusting a draconequus with our lives?”
“Granted.” He looked around the group. “Discord has been proven trustworthy by both the Princess and my sister Twilight Sparkle.” He paused, if only for a split second, a sigh escaping his lips. “We would be foolish if we were to ignore his power.”
She grunted a harsh, “Hmph,” and sighed. “No further questions, sir.”
Shining Armor paused for a split second. “Good. The rest of you, get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow.” He lit his horn, a map popping in front of him. “It seems as if Boggs hasn't made any progress. We should be able to execute the plan as is for the time being. I'll be keeping an eye on this throughout the night. I'll give you updates of anything happens. That is the end of my report.
“Sir,” Trixie and the rest of the troops chanted in unison, and started setting up as Melody walked out of the tent.  Making up her mind, she trotted up behind her. 
“Melody,” she called. “Where is Terra?”
“She's in her own separate tent just by ours,” Melody spat. “Approach it at your own caution.”
Trixie hesitated. Why was Melody acting like this all of a sudden? Before she could ask, Melody lit her horn, and the ground shook. A pillar burst from the earth in front of the tent, the ground diviting around it. Trixie stepped back, trying to keep her footing as the earth underneath her was pulled like a tablecloth from under her. The quaking subsided, and Trixie righted herself. 
Do I really want to talk to Terra? She reconsidered, bringing a hoof to her chin. If Melody is so bitter to her, there must be a reason.
Trixie walked to the small tent. It was a three-pony, with ample room for a single person or two without being smooshed together like sardines. She frowned. Why would she stay in a tent like this when there was room enough in the tent that she could have her own corner. Something was off
Shrugging it off, she approached the tent, the flap velcroed shut. She cleared her throat quietly when she heard small whispers from inside. She snuck closer, and the whispering faded into gasps. She narrowed her eyebrows putting her ear up to the tent wall. What ensued were small wet smacks and groans aimed at nothing. They grew louder, their breaths getting faster and faster—
She was yanked backwards at the speed of light. When she stopped, she stumbled backwards, falling on her flank. She grimaced, the frozen earth like concrete underneath her. 
“That's close enough, cadet.” Shining Armor’s voice was cold, hard as steel. He walked up to where she'd fallen, his eyebrows creased in a mix of concern and irritation.
Trixie felt the tingling heat in her cheeks. She tried rubbing it away. “Th-they weren't…”
Shining nodded slowly. “They are.”
She glanced back over at the tent. “But, why? Isn’t having something this intimate within the army illegal? Wouldn’t it be considered conflict of interest?”
“Yeah.”
The magician’s eyes widened. Why on earth was he acting so casual about this? “This could cost you your job!” she hissed. “Not to mention the media, they’d destroy you if they got a hold of this information!” 
“I know,” he said. He hadn’t moved an inch. “This situation is more nuanced than you think.”
“And?”
Shining paused for a moment, then sighed. “I have a feeling you won't let it go until I tell you.”
“You bet your flank.”
Another sigh. “That stallion—Rusty, as we call him… he's a childhood friend. Had a family and everything. But almost out of the blue, his wife started turning abusive, hurting him and his kids.” He rubbed the nape of his neck. “He confides in Terra… I can't take that away from him.”
“Dear Celestia…” the magician mumbled to herself, both at the favoritism and Rusty’s situation.
“I know that's what it seems like,” Shining sighed, tilting his head downward. “I'm going to discharge both of them after this expedition, and I’m sending in my resignation from the guard.” He raised a questioning eyebrow at Trixie. “But wouldn't you do the same? Even if it did risk your political status, made you unpopular to your subordinates, and made your loyalty questionable to your other friends. Would you try to help them out?”
Trixie opened her mouth, yet no words came out. The image of Starlight appeared on her mind. She would do anything to be sure she was safe and happy. She knit her eyebrows. It was the same case with Shining. 
But she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Wouldn’t discharging the both of them before this expedition make more sense? Furthermore, he was in a position of power. There had to be a division between personal feelings and profession. There just had to.
“One thing that I learned through my life,” Shining continued, looking toward the icy wall, “is that nothing is just black and white. In between are many shades of grey, more than any of us could even count.” He closed his eyes, meeting Trixie's. “Maybe Boggs is the same. Behind what he's done, maybe he has a family, a kid like I do. Perhaps he was hired on to do this, and he's just trying to keep his children fed.” 
“But what he's done is horrible, regardless, just like you,” she fumed. “Even if you’re resigning, why didn’t you mitigate this sooner? And, in the case of Boggs, how could a monster like him be anything like us?”
Shining let out a small laugh. “Simple. Why are you here?”
Trixie's mouth fell wide open. She felt a sweltering heat rise to her cheeks. 
“I know the desire for revenge,” Shining said. “After Chrysalis made me her puppet, forced me to be disloyal to my wife… I was furious. Those were days that I could never take back. Actions that I can't reverse. In a blind rage I worked to track down the changelings. But I realized that while that obsession was going on, I was tearing my marriage apart.” His voice choked up, and he looked away, raising a hoof to his face. “The point is, don't let your quest here be one of revenge. The only reason why I haven't sent you back to Canterlot is because Princess Celestia believes in you, that you're doing this for the right reasons.” Shining gave her a solemn expression, and his eyes seemed deep with understanding. “Please don't prove us wrong.”
With that, Shining walked away, leaving Trixie to her own devices. The nerve. How could he chide her about the mote in her eye without considering the beam in his? She wasn’t the one not trying. She wasn’t the one betraying the trust of her comrades. She wasn’t the one who was trying to slimily slip away from her problems. How could he say that? Was there no authority figure that wasn’t involved in scandal? Was there no hero who wasn’t a villain at home? 
She grit her teeth until her jaw ached. Most damning of all, it was working. Was she actually here for revenge? It was true that she felt an intense anger toward Boggs, but it couldn’t be the same obsession that Shining had with the changelings… could it?
It was then that all doubt left her mind. No. It wasn’t. She just wanted to see it through. There was no desire to slaughter Boggs, no desire to chase him down to the end of her days. She just wanted to rest easy knowing that the days of his tyranny were over.
Above all, she didn’t want scum like Shining Armor manipulating how she thought.
She trudged back to the tent, the frustration that she felt turning into fatigue. She climbed into her sleeping bag, and fell asleep in an instant.





She jolted awake, taking in a sharp breath. Discord stood above her, his claw on her shoulder. He gestured his head behind him. “C’mon,” he urged. “I need to talk to you.”
    Trixie nodded, confusion stirring in her chest. She slowly lifted her sheets from above her, shivering as the cold met her once again. She followed Discord out of the tent, the icy dome refracting the moonlight in a shattering of color. She caught her breath in her chest.
    “Melody, dear,” Discord called. “I do believe your shift is up.”
    “Thank Celestia,” Melody groaned. To Trixie’s disbelief, she jumped. She lit her horn, a rope of energy wrapping around the pillar of earth. She wrapped around it, cutting rifling into it. She landed gracefully, trotting to a stop ahead of them. Her eyes were oddly bedroom-ish as she approached.
    The draconequus chuckled. “No need to impress me, my dear,” he said slyly. “I’m quite spoken for, I’m afraid.”
    “Worth the shot,” Melody shrugged. “Anyway, I’m going to hit the hay.” Her eyes caught Trixie’s. “Typically we don’t have two ponies do lookout at the same time. Especially when they’re of the opposite sex.”
    Trixie could feel the coldness in her voice. “It’s not like that,” she confirmed. “Discord’s with Fluttershy, and he’s insanely faithful.”
    She held her gaze for a split second. After a moment’s hesitation, she sighed, averting her gaze. “Don’t keep her up for too long. There’s a strong unicorn in her. We’re going to need her if we’re going to take Boggs down.” With that, she trotted to the tent.
    Discord cracked his knuckles. “Anyway, I’m headed up.” He extended a claw to her, a kindhearted smile on his face. “Need a lift?”
    She felt the corners of her lips curl up. “Yes,” she said, taking his claw. Soon afterward she felt weightless as she was lifted upwards. It was a gentle way up, much more pleasant than teleportation.
    They landed atop the watchtower, the whole ice dome expanding out before them in a cool blue. The frozen earth below them glimmered in the scattered moonlight.
    “When I was trying to take over Ponyville again, I had perverted your friends’ minds.” Discord sat, crossing his legs in front of him as he floated. “It was actually quite weird doing so.”
    “Discord...”
    “You see, in order to change somepony’s nature that much, you need to know them inside out. As a draconequus, my Touch allows me to see into the minds of anyone I choose. In doing so, I see their memories. I know their likes, their dislikes, their fears… but they were the purest ponies I did that to. It made them difficult to crack.”
    Trixie narrowed her eyebrows. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. 
    Discord inhaled sharply. “Well, because I used my Touch on Fluttershy, I know everything about her. I love every bit of her, don’t get me wrong, but I regret ever doing it. I just wish that I’d be able to forget it all. Not to mention, even though I did that to her, she forgave me, almost straight away. But as for the others, well… not so much.”
    “How do you figure?” Trixie asked. She sat down as well, pulling her legs closer to her barrel.
    “Just by their demeanor toward me. Sure, they may not be as suspicious of me as they were before, but there’s still a divide there.”
    Trixie huffed out a puff of air. “I understand. I’m a little bit of an outcast from their group, too.” She chortled.
    Discord loosened, raising an eyebrow at her. “What’s so funny?”
    She took a breath. “N-nothing. Just that, within the space of a couple days, we went from joking about sex, to joining an army, to doing all this sentimental crap.”
    He narrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah… how did that happen, exactly?”
    They shared a small laugh, and for a second, the weight disappeared off of Trixie’s shoulders. She felt a warm tingling inside that she hadn’t felt with anyone else beside Starlight. It wasn’t anything unfamiliar, but she relished the moment.
    “Anyways,” Discord said. “You need to rest up. Don’t want you to be sleep-deprived because of me.”
    Trixie nodded, suppressing a cold sigh in her chest. She gathered herself to her hooves, nearing the edge of the watchtower. She could teleport to that patch of grass right next to the tent’s entrance.
    “Discord?” she asked, looking behind her.
    “Yes, dear?”
    She bit her lip. “Thanks for opening up to me. It means a lot.”
    Even though Trixie couldn’t see his face, she could hear the smile in his tone. “The same goes for you. Goodnight.”
    “Goodnight.” She lit her horn, imagining a lasso pulling her closer to the earth. She zapped down, taking one last glance at the watchtower before entering the tent and pulling her covers back over her.
    For once in the past few weeks, sleep came easy for her.





The morning broke over the horizon, covering the tundra in a pinkish blue. The rolling banks of powdery snow glistened in the distance. The dome had been melted down again, and Trixie was pleased to see that the storm had passed. However, a wall of snow two times her size formed in front of her. She could already feel the headache coming along as she imagined melting all of it.
    Once they set up the tent, they gathered around the center of the frozen clearing. Everypony was in their armor, perked up, and ready to go. She sighed.
    “Listen up, cadets,” Shining announced. “After watching the map almost all night, Boggs has still not moved position. Which means that he’s either got a lodging there, or he’s waiting for us. Be on your guard.
    “From now on, we’ll be splitting into teams.” Shining lit his horn, a holographic map illuminating in front of him. He pointed to the moving arrows. “We’ll be splitting up into a south team, southeast team, and east team.” He gestured to Melody. “Melody, Discord, Rusty and I will make up the east team, and I will be the captain. Trixie, Terra, Rising Wing and Dawn, you’ll make the south team, and Terra will be the captain. Bell, Diamond, Rush and Daemon, you’ll make the southeastern team, and Rush will be the captain.” He steeled his gaze. “Disobey their orders and you’re disobeying mine. I expect all of you to work together, no matter what inhibitions you may have.” He paused, if only for a split second. “That is all for right now. Move out!”
    “Sir!” Trixie chanted, the rest of the cadets doing likewise.
    Her heart jumped into her throat. This was it. They were finally going to face Boggs. Anxiety stirred in her stomach. 
    Almost immediately, they were on the move, splitting up into their groups not long after. Shining had them station parallel to the mountain by about two hundred yards, while the southeast team made a beeline to the center. The east team followed the mountain front by the same measurement that they did.
    Trixie and Dawn were at the front of the group, lighting their horns, the snow melting into the earth and vaporizing into the air. She withstood the slight tingling in her horn as she pressed forward.
    “Is it really true?” Dawn asked, his baritone nearly lost to the sizzling snow. “That you were the one to nearly take Ponyville under your rule?”
    Trixie sighed, closing her eyes as she heated up the snow in front of her. “The same,” she said with an effort. “You need an autograph or anything?”
    He flinched. “S-sorry.” He paused for a time. “If it makes you feel any better, my dad was a mobster in Vanhoover. On the surface he was just a regular guy. You couldn’t have guessed what lay beneath.” He let out a small laugh. “Not even my mother knew, he was so secretive about it. That was until he was found dead with a hole in his chest about eight inches wide. My mother and sister and I were up here at the time, and when we heard the news, we decided to stay up here. The only time we went back was for his funeral.”
    Regret twisted her gut. “I’m sorry,” she said, hanging her head. “That must’ve been horrible.”
    “It was, believe me,” Dawn sighed. He cleared his throat. “But that was years ago. No need to mourn anymore.”
    Trixie frowned. She picked up a hoof. “So, what brought you to the army, then?”
    He let out another laugh. “The same stallion, I’m afraid. When I was younger and still in foal school, I was bullied like none other. It never really escalated until one time when the pudgy guy tried bucking my right in the chest. Thing was, he was so slow that even a turtle could move out of the way before the hit struck. So I get out of the way, and I take my hoof and shove it in his mouth. He lost a few teeth and his dignity that day, but I was expelled within the next couple of minutes. 
    “My mother wasn’t too pleased about the news, neither was my dad, but for different reasons. I remember a few minutes after I told him, he plopped my right on his knee in that great big recliner he would always doze off in. ‘Donny, m’boy,’ he had said, a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye. ‘You have a knack for magic like your mother, a left hook like your father, and the heart of a damned lion, that’s for sure.’ He laughed a jolly, deep laugh, but then gave me a serious eye. ‘That power that you have is going to be something that somepony needs someday, whether it’s your mother at the grocery store or the little guy being picked on at the park. Use it for good, y’hear?’”
    Dawn shrugged. “Honestly, that was all I needed. I remembered his words, and decided that the Crystal Guard was the place for me. I’m just sticking up for the little guy, y’know?”
    Trixie nodded slowly. Almost all of the ponies that she had met were oddly open, barring Terra. She didn't want to pry too much, but she always got more out of a conversation than she would've ever expected. It was almost like being in a support group in that sense, and she figured that when they woke up with the chance of dying almost every single day, it made sense. 
    They continued their long journey, the mountain range growing ever closer. She started at them in awe. She was too used to Ponyville, where she just had the lone peak of Canterlot, and everything else was green rolling hills. However, the snow-blanketed mountains and cliffs stood higher than Canterlot. The dark cliffs underneath clashed against the white snow. Because of this, it looked like it popped out of a painting. 
    “I would call this two hundred yards,” Terra announced. She pushed to the front of the group. “I need to take a piss, so if you need to stop and relieve yourself, do so now.”
    Feeling her tingling full bladder, she followed Terra, clearing a way for her. All the while she was silent. 
    Trixie undid the back half of her armor, her flank meeting an unexpected biting cold. She huffed out a puff of air, lifting her tail and waiting to release. The freezing temperature didn't help. 
    “I've heard a little about you from the others,” Trixie started, lifting her chin. “It seems like you're quite the enigma.”
    Water abruptly stopped running. “And I prefer to keep it that way,” she grunted in a rough alto.
    Trixie bit her lip. She's a tough nut to crack, she thought. “H-how did somepony like you get into the Crystal Guard?” 
    She let out a strained laugh. “You must be deaf. I don't like talking about my past.”
    “Only for Rusty’s ears, huh?” she blurted. She bit her tongue. 
    Terra gave her a steely glare. “What do you know?” she said coolly.
    Trixie unconsciously scrunched her nuzzle. “N-nothing. The Humble and Innocent Trixie doesn't--” 
    The next thing she knew, she was in on the floor, her chest exploding in pain. Terra stood above her, almost muzzle-to-muzzle, her eyes like roaring fire. “What. Do. You. Know?”
    Water started running, except it wasn't Terra’s. Trixie tried to keep her face from going lax as Terra stood stalwart and waiting. She let out a self-conscious laugh as the river kept flowing indefinitely, feeling her tail getting wetter and wetter. 
    Terra backed away, stomping her hoof on the ground. “You know what, I don't care!” She sat, violently putting on the back hair of her armor. “It's a waste of time, anyways.” She stomped away, leaving Trixie motionless. 
    After gathering to her senses, she stood and wrung out her wet tail. It was a little more than humiliating peeing herself, and she kept her head down for the next while. She couldn't meet Terra’s shadow, even. 
    “You seem a little off.” The pegasus Rising Wing landed next to her. She tucked her wings to her sides. “What happened to being hunky-dorey about all of this?” 
    “I wasn't,” Trixie mumbled, glancing at Rising. “Never was.”
    Rising flipped her mane, a reddish color as compared to her night-like coat. “Well, you definitely stood from the crowd. No wonder why Melody flocked to you. She just thinks we're so… melancholy.”
    Trixie grunted, lowering her head again, but not as low as before. 
    “Judging by the fact that you smell like piss, you tried talking to Terra, did you?” 
    Trixie gave a shallow nod. “It's that common?” 
    Rising threw her head back and chuckled. “Just be relieved that you didn't also crap yourself in the process!” She raised her eyebrows. “Wouldn't want you to tarnish that poor rep that you have.”
    Trixie scowled. “What’s your deal?”
    She returned the look. “My deal is that there are some things that are unforgivable. Almost ruining my home village is one of them.”
    Trixie shifted her eyes, frowning. “I know that was wrong. I know I’ve made stupid mistakes in the past.”
    “An understatement.”
    “But I’m different now,” Trixie continued, putting a hoof on her chest. “If you don’t forgive me, that’s fine. At I least I know that I’m changed!”
    The last came out louder than expected. Frustration boiled in her chest. She ground her teeth together. Red rims formed around her vision as she glared at Rising. Her eyes locked with hers, and it occurred to her that it might be a good idea to deck her.
    “Enough, ladies!” Terra commanded in a biting tone. “We might be on each other’s shit list, but we’re still working together. I don’t give a rat’s ass about your feelings.” She shot a look between the both of them. “This is survival. We can’t afford such things to get in the way of that.”
    “Says the one who never works with anyone!” Rising spread her wings. “You must’ve fucked a ton of stallions to get up this high. No wonder why you’re Shining Armor’s favorite! You must’ve been riding his dick all of thi—”
    In a blink of an eye, Terra blasted forward. Her hoof flew into Rising’s face, and she went sprawling. Terra spun, landing a kick on her barrel, making a sickening crack. Rising rolled into the powdery snow, disappearing behind it.
    Terra took a deep breath, becoming eerily calm. “That’s enough antagonizing for one day.” She shot a look at Dawn. “You’re a medic, right?”
    Dawn’s eyes were wide, and he was as still as a plank of wood. But with those words, he loosened. “You’re damned lucky I am,” he responded. He galloped toward the mare, running the back of his hoof across her side. “She has a broken rib, likely two.”
    She gestured toward the snow where Rising had disappeared into. “Take care of her, then.”
    He bowed his head, rushing toward the bank of snow.
    Trixie tried to suppress her awestruck expression, but to no avail. “She’s going to be okay, right?” she asked, her stomach clenching remembering the sound.
    “She’s tough,” Terra breathed. She wiped her brow. “She’s been through a lot worse than a broken rib.”
    She turned, her form becoming more lax. “You asked me why I joined the army. Let’s just say that I had high aspirations as a filly. Had good supporting parents. But everything was stacked up against me. So I trained, and trained, and trained. Yet, it still wasn’t enough.”
    “So, is it true then?” Trixie asked. “That you joined illegitimately? Through…”
    “That was only once,” Terra snapped. “Turns out, that sector commander was just waiting for me to become that desperate. To become his little bitch for an hour.” She bowed her head. “Thankfully, he was relieved of duty shortly after Shining figured out that he was using female soldiers’ sex against them. And I, being viewed as a victim, stayed. It didn’t sit well with anyone, so to compensate, Shining gave me this position. It was a poor decision on his part, but I wasn’t going to reject that kind of offer.”
    Trixie frowned. “You were so adamant before about keeping your past a secret. Why tell me now?”
    “Because I need something to distract me from wanting to outright kill Rising.” She paused, looking over her shoulder. “Of course, I’m not going to give this information for free. What have you heard?”
    Trixie bit her lip, shifting her eyes away from Terra’s uncomfortable gaze. “You and Rusty were having sex in your tent. I thought you’d have been alone, so I wanted to try talking to you. But upon doing so, I heard you guys.”
    Terra gave a little hmph, turning her head away from her once again. “Then you probably already know that both of us, after this mission, are going to be relieved of duty.”
    Trixie raised her eyebrows, raising a hoof to her chest. “How did you figure that one out?”
    “Shining has had our back for a while. He’d have known if you’d heard anything.” Terra bowed her head. “But no. After we’re relieved, and once all of the paperwork is done with his horrid wife, we’re going to move in together.”
    Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Why not marriage?”
    Terra laughed. “So naive,” she remarked. “After what a horrible wife his is, you think he’d be comfortable with remarrying?” She exhaled. “That’s out of the cards for at least the near future.”
    She took a deep breath. “Anyways, I’m not feeling too violent anymore, and I’ve spoken far too much.” She looked over her shoulder once more, and for the first time ever, her eyes seemed gentle, insecure. “Do take care that you don’t tell anyone about this. I would rather go quietly.”





After a few minutes, Rising had regained consciousness, and they were on the move once more. This time, the trip was silent. Rising wasn’t too eager to share her history after her very brash opinion about Trixie herself, and frankly, she didn’t want to know it either.
    After a while, the glistening snow thinned, its powdery top turning into sheets of ice. Trixie wiped sweat from her brow. “It’s warmer,” she noticed. “This can’t be right.”
    “No,” Dawn agreed. “It can’t be. We’re much farther north than we used to be, and much higher in elevation. If anything, it should be colder.”
    Trixie’s eyes widened. “Do you think it could be Boggs?”
    Dawn grunted, nodding. “It has to be.”
    “Tread lightly,” Terra ordered, her voice silent. “Tone down the heat. I don’t want there to be any steam from melting the snow. Rising, Dawn will cloak you as you scout ahead.”
    “Rodger,” Rising responded. Dawn lit his horn, and she disappeared out of sight. Trixie could only feel the wind from her wings as she lifted off.
    Terra shot her gaze about, crouched as if ready to pounce. “Approach slowly.”
    Trixie nodded slowly, toning down the heat she was creating. The wall of snow may have been getting lower, but still the water from it ran behind her. She tried to minimize the splashes she was creating. 
    The snow around her got lower and lower, to the point that she could finally see over it. There was a clearing about half the size of their camp in front of her, but the frozen earth was much more thawed. She spotted a small stick that was entirely black with its own soot.
    In the center of the clearing, she spotted the rest of the group, standing over something covered in fur, flat as a pancake. 
    Trixie glanced backward. “It's the others!” she called to Terra. 
    She went lax, but only a little bit. “Shining Armor,” she said. “What's going on here?”
    Shining gestured his head toward the center of the circle, a grim expression in his face. “Take a look for yourself.”
    Terra cocked her head to one side, stepping forward as the icy snow back crushed underneath her hooves. Trixie followed suit. 
    As she neared the circle, the smell of rot filled the air. She gagged, her eyes watering. Regardless she pressed forward. More of the thing came into view. It was like a hide rug that existed in foreign countries, but it was more than just hide. The color of the coat, and the shape of it all was reminiscent of a particular person. 
    Trixie gasped, putting a hoof over her mouth, her stomach twisting intensely. “Dear Celestia!” she breathed. “It's Boggs!” 
    “Was.” Shining nudged the house with a hoof. “It's almost as if the skin was shed.” He gestured to the ragged cuts across the hide. 
    “But a normal unicorn couldn’t have done this,” Melody posited. “Not even an alicorn could. They would die in the process.”
    Trixie gaped. “Wh-what are we dealing with, here?”
    Abruptly, a force pushed Trixie forward. She rolled on the frozen earth, blunt pain covering her body as she slowed to a halt. Her side felt raw as she struggled to stand. Everypony else was knocked backward, in the same state as her, or worse.
    But where was Discord?
    Trixie gasped as a dark mist ahead of her slowly dissipated. Little by little, two forms shone through the darkness. One was off the ground, arms clasping to his neck. The other was harder to make out. It was a biped, a claw-like arm clasped around the other’s neck.
    A stray wind blew away the rest of the mist, and the two forms came into view. Discord was the one that was being strangled. But the other…
    Trixie’s heart stopped. The other was a mess of mismatched body parts, lion, horse, eagle, buck, and dragon. She stood on two legs, taller than Trixie, and taller than Discord. Her green eyes seemed to glow ominously as she strangled him.
    “Now, now,” the female draconequus said, cackling in a low alto. “What do we have here?” With a broad motion, she tossed Discord toward the rest of the group, nearly missing Trixie, but knocking a few soldiers off of the cliff behind them.
    “Rusty!” Terra’s voice shrieked. 
    Trixie would’ve looked, but her gaze was stuck on the draconequus. That’s impossible! she thought. There’s only one draconequus… and that’s Discord! She blinked, almost expecting her to disappear. Almost expecting that she could see through a mist disguise. But she was flesh and blood, an actual draconequus.
    A war cry sounded from her left. Terra galloped toward the draconequus.
    “Terra!” Shining screamed. “Don’t engage! Terra!”
    To Trixie’s dismay, Terra kept galloping. No! she thought, trying to light her horn, imagining a lasso around her to pull her back. But her focus broke, and Terra kept running. She jumped high in the air, to about the height of the draconequus head, spinning with a hind leg extended. But the draconequus disappeared, teleporting behind her and grabbing Terra mid-kick.
    “Hmm…” the draconequus hummed. “You want to go out quietly, eh?”
Trixie’s chest went cold. She had the Touch.
“Well…” She grabbed hold of her remaining limbs as Terra struggled. “We can’t have that, can we?” Her arms flexed as she began to pull. Terra’s grunts turned to screams of absolute pain. Trixie saw her body stretch and stretch, hearing her bones crack and pop. She averted her eyes as the screams climaxed, and with a wet shlick, came to an abrupt stop.
    She opened her eyes when the draconequus threw both halves of Terra behind her, a pool of red underneath her. “You know,” she said, too casually, “I would be inclined to let you all leave unscathed, as it’s only Discord I’m after. But this is just too much fun!” She narrowed her eyes as she looked straight at Trixie. “You can watch as I do this disappearing act, Trixie Lulamoon. Just so that you won’t bother to follow me again.”
    Trixie’s eyes widened. “Y-you’re Boggs?”
    The draconequus made a gagging motion. “Boggs is such a disgusting name. I can’t believe I chose it for myself. But when you have a yak prince called Rutherford… Shining Twinklestar just doesn’t cut it.”
    “Who are you, then?”
    She chuckled. “Oh, so this is social hour now?” Her gaze focused on another pony, and she heard shrieking. Trixie turned her head. She’d picked Melody up, and she was slowly approaching the draconequus. 
    “Melody!” Trixie screamed. She tried casting magic again, but to no avail.
    The draconequus laid a gentle claw on Melody’s head, who was now frozen. “Ah, so your name is Melody, eh?” she mused. “Surely that name must come from somewhere.” The corners of her mouth raised in a demented smile. “Now sing.”
    Melody struggled. “Wha… what…?”
    The draconequus rolled her eyes. “Wow, you ponies are thickheaded!” She glared at Melody. “Sing!”
    Melody let out a shriek of pain. Her mouth gaped open as if trying to inhale, but nothing came. She grunted, turning her head to Trixie. “Trixie, you need to run… Tri…” Her voice fried, and she tried to inhale again. Her eyes bulged and became bloodshot, and her face became visibly purple. Her back arched, her body spasming for one moment… then fell limp soon after.
    Trixie’s eyes welled up in tears, her vision smudging. “Melody!” She cried out once more.
    The draconequus threw her limp body to the side, frowning. “How disappointing. She must be tone-deaf of something.” 
    “Dawn, Trixie!” Shining yelled to her side. “You have to run, now!”
    “So the attractive stallion’s name is Dawn, huh?” The draconequus snapped her talons, and when Dawn stood, he burst into flame. He screamed in pain, dropping to the earth once again. He rolled, writhing in pain when slowly but surely his movement all but stopped.
    “Hmm…” The draconequus stroked her chin. “Perhaps that was too merciful to have him die that quickly.”
    “Trixie!” Shining called to her. “You’re the only one left other than me. Run! Go now…”
    But she couldn’t move. No matter what she tried, no matter how much she desperately wanted to run, she was petrified with fear. 
    “Shining Armor, is it?” the female draconequus asked with mock innocence. She floated toward him, and he lit his horn. But no matter the tough facade he was trying to conjure, his hooves were shaking beneath him.
    The draconequus picked the commander up by the horn, staring him down. “Let’s see, now…” she mumbled to herself as he struggled, yelling in pain. “A prince, huh? A young child, too…” She grumbled to herself, her posture slightly slacking. With a decisive flick of the claw, Shining flew backward, landing on his back with a firm knock. He coughed out his air, wheezing. “Too boring,” she said, shrugging. “It may be more entertaining to see how this plays out.”
    Her gaze turned to Discord. No! Trixie thought, lunging forward, but stopping immediately after when she saw one of his eyes open, looking straight at her. “Don't,” he mouthed.
    “What have they done to you…” she breathed, walking over to him. Trixie lit her horn, preparing for attack. But the female draconequus slid herself under an arm, picking Discord up as he groaned. She unlit her horn. What was going on here? 
    Suddenly, a flash of light blazed past Trixie, scraping the creature's arm. She let out a surprised yelp as blood seeped down her talon. Shining stood, his horn fizzling. “What… do you plan… on doing?” he gasped. 
    The draconequus scowled. “Confidential,” she growled. Her mismatched horns glew, electricity snapping between them. Realizing what was about to happen, Trixie hopped in front of the commander, breaking free of her petrifying fear. She imagined a brick wall in front of her, the air shimmering around her as the protective barrier formed. A burst of energy shot toward them, breaking the barrier. She heard a sickening crack as she and Shining Armor were sent off the face of the cliff.