EPILOGUE
Gods, what a cacophany! Wagons rattling, barrels banging around, shouting, cursing; I was nearly deaf with all the bloody racket. I knew we’d be busy rebuilding, but I hadn’t fully appreciated just how much work would be needed to be done to block off the unsafe areas, let alone all the deliveries of food, furniture, and goodness knows what else. Our own carpenters were working round the clock to make repairs to everything from doors to shelves, whilst the carpenters from the outlying villages were bringing us beds, chairs, cupboards and all manner of items that would turn this long dead fortress into a home for the tribe once more. I’d been saddened to see Twilight leave of course, but Maude had decided to stay on with us for a while longer, left to her own devices exploring the tunnels and upper reaches of the fortress that in all honesty I had secretly been concerned about letting her into. I needn’t have worried; Maude was an experienced explorer of caves and all sorts of places that any normal pony, such as myself, would avoid like the plague. I was naturally disappointed by Twilight’s assessment of what could happen if I were to use the heart stone, but the potential risk had simply been too great. Instead, we had taken to clearing as much as we dared and work was coming along very well indeed. If all progressed according to plan, we may even be able to open up some of the higher levels to the point where we could find ourselves out in the open air once more, but if not then I would be more than content with what we had achieved so far. And achieve we had.
Trading was in full swing with villages both local and further afield. Apparently their desire to make money overrode any concerns about dealing with a tribe of what some had once called ‘bandits’. That had been news to me! Superstition was one thing, but bandits? When I’d tried to find out more about how this name had come about, it turned out to be no more than just that – a name. The other villages couldn’t even remember why they’d avoided Smiling Borders other than the fact it was just ‘somewhere they didn’t go’. Of course, it wasn’t all one way. The tribe were suspicious and unfriendly towards anyone they deemed ‘outsiders’, and thus a thousand years of mutual disagreeableness had been fostered. Today, that had passed like rain on the mountainside, replaced by eyes that shone with the colour of gold coins.
I think my personal favourite change though was Barrick’s Baking Company, name after the late owner who had died protecting my son from his would be killer. From our farms to the mill, to the bakery and then shipped out by pegasus carrier for speed, our goods were in some cases so fresh they arrived still warm at their destination. Smiling Borders was beginning to gain quite the reputation for itself. As the money began to roll in, improvements not only to the fortress but to the village began to take shape. The roads into the village in either direction welcomed travellers with neat fences, seasonal flowers in well kept borders, a hot spring soak for the weary and a good nights sleep with excellent ale and food at the Wyvern’s Tail. We’d stopped short of advertising it as a holiday destination though. There were some things that were just that one step too far, and dragging the tribe out of their entrenched insular and bull-headed mentality had been a battle from day one. Speaking of bulls, two minotaurs were stationed either side of the doorway where I was now standing. The enormous round steel door barring my way had only recently been found, and once cleared and made safe we’d had guards stationed immediately. I had no idea what was in here, but there was one thing for sure, whatever was in this place made my mane twitch just standing here. The name on the map had thrown me at first too – Thesaurus. Wasn’t that some sort of dictionary? Twilight had mentioned the word several times, but I can’t recall her ever referring to anything about enormous round doors. But looking at this now, and sheer size of the door too, I began to have my doubts this had any connection with literature at all. The little picture beneath the name on the map usually gave some visual indication as to what the associated word in old equestrian meant - handy for ignoramuses such as me - but unfortunately it looked as if somepony had dripped something onto the ancient scroll and the resultant stain had made the image unintelligible.
“There’s no key hole,” Grimble muttered absently. “How in Equestria are we meant to gain entry?”
A good question. I’d tried speaking to it, tapping at it, and even had one of our more talented unicorns use the door opening charm Twilight had taught us. There didn’t appear to be any defences as such, which was a good sign of course, but unfortunately there didn’t seem to be any way at all of getting in here. Short of brute force there wasn’t much else I could think of.
“Hello boys.” The clip clop of hooves announced the appearance of Shadow and Tingles, both of whom I noticed received a nod from the guards. It wasn’t that long ago they’d have been lucky to get even a grunt of acknowledgement. Now, thank the gods, we were starting to feel more connected with our people than ever before. “We thought we’d come and have a nose at what you’re up to,” Tingles remarked as she passed a sandwich to Shadow. The black mare took it with a smile and the two stood there casually munching away whilst watching Grimble and I wallowing in frustration.
“Not much,” I said checking around the door for anything I’d missed. “Any input would be very much appreciated right about now.”
Tingles shrugged, “No idea. Shadow?”
Shadow licked a crumb from her mouth and walked up the door, her fiery red eyes staring at it, examining it. Carefully she tapped the door as if listening for something only she could here. Step by step, inch by inch, she sniffed, tapped, and scrutinised the door before finally stepping back and nodding emphatically, “No.”
Well what a lot of good that was! Bloody hell fire, we’d need explosives to get in there at this rate.
“This isn’t dangerous is it?” Tingles asked plainly, “I mean, your last couple of experiences with getting into places didn’t exactly go smoothly from what Twilight told me.”
Thank you, Twilight… “No, love,” I replied a little sarcastically. “Our unicorns have checked it out, and as far as I can tell it’s nothing more than a very big, and very solid, door.”
“As far you can tell...”
“As far as-” I closed my eyes, “Yes. To the best of my knowledge there is nothing here planning to jump out and turn us into kebabs, blow us up, or bring the roof down on our heads. All there is, is this.” I held my hoof out to the door, “A very big, and-” My hoof moved. Something gave and there was a distant clanking sound that began to reverberate down the corridor. I stood back hurriedly. “Quick, everypony back behind me.”
Grimble took up a flanking position as the two minotaurs thundered into place, axes keen and ready. Everything went quiet, but then a few long tense seconds later, a loud clanking sound, like gears turning, slowly began to make itself heard. Gradually it picked up speed. Without hesitation I unleashed the magic, bringing myself fully to the ready, my sword out and low. Something was happening alright, and it was as worrying as it was exciting. If golems came charging out of there I’d-
A huge hissing sound filled the passage making us back away hurriedly. And then, with all the speed of a glacier, the door began to move. It was barely perceptible at first, but it had definitely move inward, even just an inch or so, but it was there. As we watched there was another loud clanking sound, and the whole corridor shuddered. The massive door moved backward, and then, unbelievably, rolled to one side on an enormous toothed track. Everything went silent.
“That was… different.” Tingles put her hoof on my shoulder, “Want to have a peek?”
I did.
Shadow nodded and gave me a nudge, “Together?”
“Of course, love, but be ready.” I checked my sword was free and readied myself. “We don’t know what’s in there, and if I say run, you get the hell out of here, okay?” They both nodded their assent and I caught Grimble’s eye. “Let’s go see what a ‘Thesaurus’ is then, old friend.”
We moved up to the massive opening and stared into the darkness. A quick check of the door revealed little more than a massive steel device to keep out intruders. Interestingly there was no magic here, other than- “Whoa!” The second I put my hoof over the threshold, magical lanterns arrayed on hooks around the inside walls burst into life. A veritable Hearthswarming display of illumination shone out, nearly blinding us.
“Oh...” Tingles stared around her in wonder. “Oh, my Celestia...”
Shadow summed it up simply, “Gold.”
It was. Dear gods, it was. I felt my mouth go dry as I stared at a literal sea of glinting metal, not knowing where to look next. Nopony seemed to know what to say, and I couldn’t blame them. Before us sat innumerable chests of every size and description, including crates of gems, sacks of coin, bags of… of… I licked my lips. All of it was neatly arranged on shelves, stacked up on the floor, and sitting there… glinting. Just… glinting.
“How,” I breathed. “How is all of this here?”
“Perhaps after destroying the fortress there was simply no way to get in here,” Grimble suggested. “The entrance from the forest road was also locked and protected by magic.”
“There was also the fact that they may not have even known it was there in the first place,” Tingles pointed out. “The forest gate is a long, long way from the visible part of the fortress and on the other side of the mountain. The wendigo flew here after the battle, and the Celestian forces chased them to the pass.”
“Cursed.”
All us froze. My hoof stopped inches from delving into the nearest of the open and inviting chests of coins. “Shadow?” I asked, looking up at her.
“The ponies thought the fortress was cursed.” The dark mare leaned down and plucked out a coin with her hoof, holding it out before us. “No curse. Only superstition.”
It made sense, ponies had always been prone towards being superstitious and fearful of the unknown. Not all of them, sure, but a lot of nonetheless. Go back in time and matters only got worse, not to mention the fact that the ponies of the time would have been all too aware that the princess had turned the area into a death trap of magical curses and spells. Whatever the reason, the fact remained that it was still here, and it was making my stomach to cartwheels.
I turned slowly to take in the enormity of what I was looking at. “Money...” I closed my eyes and cleared my throat. “There’s so much money...”
“This belongs to the tribe,” Tingles said suddenly. “Grimble, would you help me to choose a competent and trustworthy treasurer, please?”
The griffin bobbed his head, “Of course, my lady.”
I don’t think I heard a single word of what she said. “We don’t need magic,” I breathed. “We’ve enough money here to rebuild the whole fortress from scratch!” I couldn’t believe it! “Masons, architects, builders… We can do it, everypony. We can actually do it!”
“Don’t get carried away too much, love,” Tingles beamed, “we’ve a long way to go yet.”
“I know but-” My ears twitched. Somepony was running up the corridor.
“Lord… Lord Fairlight!” The young mare slid to halt, her progress halted by the enormous minotaurs. I hurried out to meet her. “Iris? What’s up, what’s going on?”
“We...” She swallowed, trying to get her breath. “There’s... There’s an army marching on us. Hundreds of them!”
“Give her a drink, somepony, quickly damn it!” I snapped. “Who are they, Iris? What did you see?”
Iris took the canteen and swallowed a mouthful gratefully. “Sky wagons,” she said, wiping her muzzle, “transports and chariots too. They’ve landed near the forest road logging camp in the clearing. They’re all grey unicorns!”
Oh, good gods. Vela. It had to be. I clopped Iris on the shoulder and smiled at her, “Thank you, Iris.” Next I turned round to my friend, “Grimble, get my family to safety. The rest of you to arms. Sound the alarm and meet me in the armoury. And for Luna’s sake, hurry!”
********************
There were no banners, no martial music, nor any of the gaudy panoply of war many of the old tapestries and paintings in fortress depicted. Armour, weapons, and standing with your brothers and sisters was all we needed. Horns had sounded throughout the ancient halls of my forefathers, the armoury working like clockwork to outfit our tribe with everything they needed to protect our home. Every pony, minotaur, griffin and hippogriff, had their own set of armour and knew exactly where it was. Grimble had drilled them well, and the armourer and his team had worked wonders with their charge. I stood at the front, mist rolling out around my hooves. It was harmless against friends, but woe betide any enemy that dared enter its bitter embrace. Swords were already drawn, bows readied and axes hefted. There would be no niceties here. Trying to free your weapon in the midst of an attack when your adrenalin spiked would likely end with you a bleeding lump of meat on the ground.
Above us the flyers watched the approach of the unexpected arrivals.
“Here they come,” one of them called.
And sure enough, moments later, the grey stallion in the swallow tail overcoat and top hat rounded the bend in the road, passed the last of the apple trees, and stopped. Behind him, just as Iris had said, a loose column of grey unicorns milled around, their eyes wide and staring about them in amazement at… apparently… everything!
“Look at all those mares!” Somepony whispered behind me.
“There’s hardly any stallions. Are they all wendigo?”
“They’re unarmed, look.”
“Shut up, damn you eyes!” Grimble’s rumbling curse closed their mouths as effectively as a bucket of ice water.
The tall grey stallion at the head of the column came to a halt and bowed politely, “Do I have the pleasure of addressing Lord Fairlight of the tribe of the four winds?” he asked formally.
He was a tall grey coated fellow with a short oil black mane, typical of a wendigo, but those deep purple eyes and the lack of a horn marked him out as very different from the rest of his entourage. And there was something else too, a sense of… wonderment, of excitement, but also… fear. A lot of fear. It was in their eyes, the way they pressed in against one another, and it radiated from them like a bonfire. If there was one thing I knew could happen in a situation like this, it was that fear could get you killed. I had to try and defuse the tense atmosphere quickly.
I bobbed my head respectfully, “I am he. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, sir.”
The stallion nodded, “My name is Lord Runcible Spoon, Lord Fairlight. May I present to you my friend and assistant, Terra, descendant of the tribe of the four winds.”
My heart near stopped in my chest as I looked into the vibrant yellow eyes of the wendigo mare. “Lady Terra...”
“Just Terra, please, Lord Fairlight.” Terra curtsied, smiling broadly. “It is an honour to finally meet you.” She held out her hoof, indicating her compatriots. “We have travelled far from the northern wastes to reach you and your people.”
My blood ran cold. This was… These ponies... Were they the remnants from the tribe that had escaped to the north? How in Equestria had they survived? More to the point, how in Equestria had they got here when none of them had wings?! My answer came, as if by reading my mind, in the shape of that old hoof I knew all too well.
“Excuse me!” The familiar stallion, supported by the now obligatory black overcoated ponies in sunglasses, made his way through the crowd of wendigo. “Beg your pardon madam. Oops! Sorry!” I shook my head as he appeared, all smiles and sporting a recent bandage on his leg. “Fairlight! Good lord, stallion, really got the red carpet treatment here, eh?”
“Hello, Brandy.” I waved to the others behind me to lower their weapons. “This is a surprise.” I nodded to the large group of wendigo. “A very big surprise.”
“Well if you actually answered your TED, you’d have already known we were coming, wouldn’t you?” he smirked sarcastically. I couldn’t argue with him on that point. With all the excitement of exploration and renovations I’d left the communicator in my cloak pocket, and if I’m being honest, conveniently forgotten all about it. “Got a few mins to spare?” he added.
I shook my head in disbelief. This was all a dream, wasn’t it? The family in the forest was one thing, and in fact we’d hardly seen hide nor hair of them since Glacies went home, but now all of a sudden a whole tribe from ‘up north’, and mostly mares as one of my more chatty warriors had pointed out, just roll up like a flock of lost sheep! My mind was reeling, and all I could settle on was, “What happened to your leg?”
“Ah! Tripped on a stump getting out of the chariot, would you believe.” Brandy shrugged, “Nothing too serious, but it held me up a touch. I’d planned on coming to see you first, but you know how headstrong these wendigo types are!”
“Yes… quite.” I hung my head and felt a chuckle rise up inside. I turned to one of my aides, “Bring refreshments, and fetch the medical team for our guests.” I returned to Brandy, “You’ll forgive me if I don’t invite you inside just yet, old friend. With your leg, and so many, um… ‘guests’ I don’t want to risk any more injuries. With all the renovations going on there’s more trip hazards than a kitten in a wool factory.”
“Any luck with the old place?” Brandy asked.
“Getting there,” I replied pleasantly. I nodded to Runcible and Terra, “Please, forgive my rudeness. All of you, be welcome to our home and rest beneath our orchard. We weren’t expecting guests, but we will do what we can to make you comfortable following your long journey. Once you have rested and eaten we will arrange accommodation for you all. Any medical problems, please let us know and our medical team will assist you. In the meantime, friends, brothers and sisters, I bid you all welcome, to the Fortress of the Four Winds.”
********************
I leaned back in my chair staring up at the ceiling as the words washed over me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was a dream, or more specifically a nightmare, and one I could unfortunately believe too. I should have know I couldn’t have had any bloody peace, and now that things were finally starting to go right, I had this… this utter bollocks to deal with! Oh gods, Vela, why couldn’t you just let things bloody well go, eh? I’d thought, or rather ‘hoped’, that the situation would resolve itself, but that was just ignorant wishful thinking on my part wasn’t it? I’d been brought back to the mortal realm as a living breathing creature, and as for Vela? Damn it all… This was partly my fault wasn’t it. I’d found that damnable staff and brought it back for him. I’d even put the bloody thing right into his blasted hooves. Now he’d… Oh gods…
I took a deep breath, clearing my mind. A change of topic was required. “Your daughter is unharmed, Runcy?” I asked.
The grey earth stallion nodded, “Physically, yes. However it remains to be seen how much damage that beast has done to Silver’s mind. Fortunately both she and her friend are on their way home now, and Brandy has assured me they will be receiving the very best of care Equestria has to offer.”
“They both will,” Brandy nodded.
“And Vela?” I asked. “What happened after he rolled up?”
“Confusion mostly,” Brandy said honestly. “From what we could tell, after Vela arrived the male members of the tribe mostly sided with him following a mass breakout from the cells.”
“Cells...” I groaned, trying to keep my mind focussed. Gods almighty...
“Some of the mares joined him too,” Brandy continued, “but the majority escaped the fighting with the elder, Runcy, and the girls. A lot of the Veritas members escaped too, but the ones we rounded up we’ve had transferred to our headquarters for interrogation.” He took a sip of his drink, “After we attacked we ended up in a firefight with some of the Veritas goons who quickly decided that being piggy in the middle wasn’t really the best place to be.” He shrugged, “They gave up after a few minutes. When we got inside, Vela and his crew had vanished, no doubt through the portal.”
Mentally exhausted I rubbed my eyes, “Destination?”
“Unknown,” Brandy replied. “We’re securing the facility first, then we’ll be bringing in experts to analyse the portal to see if we can get an idea where he and his wendigo have gone.”
“Did you say ‘Facility’?” I asked. I sat up, my eyes taking in Brandy, Runcy and Terra. “Just what the hell was going on there, Brandy? Cells? Facilities? This sounds more like a bloody prison than an outpost of the empire!”
Runcy took a breath, his eyes slightly downcast. “The circle, that is ‘Veritas’, were apparently experimenting on the wendigo stallions, trying to find some way to ‘improve Equestria’s soldiery’, or some such madness.” he explained solemnly. “I don’t know the full story yet, but that seems to be the gist of it.”
Madness? It was insanity. Absolute, raving insanity. There was no other word I could think of to describe what I was hearing. By the goddesses, this just kept getting worse and worse! My hooves began to twitch, but I kept my temper under control. These were my guests, after all.
“And Celestia knew about this?” I asked.
Brandy shook his head, “No. We’d known about Veritas for some time of course, but from most angles they looked like any one of the innumerable ‘old boy clubs’ out there. You know the kind: old farts with silly hats and daft hoof shakes getting pissed with their mates away from the wife and kids, singing bawdy songs about the good old days. Eccentric, yes, but essentially harmless.”
He was right there. When I’d been working in Manehattan I’d been introduced to several of the local lodges, or ‘orders’ as they were also known. A few years back somepony’s private carriage had been involved in a burglary and we’d found the wallet of the owner stuffed down the back of the passenger seat, lost earlier that day and subsequently missed by the thieves. The owner had been the ‘Grand Poobah of the Grand Old Order of the Herring Ticklers’. I think the best part for me, other than the years of jokes we had down the watch house afterwards, was the photograph. The guy had been looking at the camera directly when his picture had been taken. He looked so serious too! Pity about the large herring shaped hat he was wearing of course. What I wouldn’t have given for one of them! This ‘Veritas’ though… I’d only ever heard of them once, and that was very recent indeed.
Brandy put down his drink and picked up where he’d left off, “We kept an eye on the lodge of course, but it was all very tame. Other than bringing in the usual strippers, pole dancers, tobacco and so forth, there wasn’t much to write home about at all. But one day, something changed. We found large quantities of scientific equipment was being bought up. Not from just one supplier, but from several across the country. All of it was packaged up, put into barges, and then taken to a private airfield where it went off to destination of destinations unknown. It was more by chance that we found out something unusual was going on. Whoever was doing the buying used multiple accounts under different names, with different delivery dates and so on and so forth. But it was always the same destination. Mitre and his team helped us with the field work and, to cut a long story short, we traced the money back to accounts held by the companies whose chief officers belonged to...”
“Veritas,” I said, taking a pull on my pipe.
Brandy nodded, “Exactly. We had agents on the inside with Veritas, however finding out what they were up to was no easy task. And what we did find was something that scared the crap of me, Fairlight.”
“This ‘super soldier’ thing?” I suggested. “Sounds like something straight out of the pages of a science fiction comic, Brandy.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Brandy sighed. I could see the concern in his eyes, but also the relief that their plans had been foiled. “Anyway, that got kicked into touch when our friend Vela appeared and went on the rampage.”
“I’m guessing Veritas haven’t left the scene completely,” I suggested.
“No.” Brandy shook his head. “There’s too much at stake for them, and they’ve got ponies high up the ladder, Fairlight. Right at the very top.”
“Like Nadir, for example,” I suggested casually.
Brandy froze. It was only for a second, but I saw the hesitation in his eyes. He knew who that was, but he didn’t know how much I knew yet. “You know about him?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said. I blew a smoke ring and nodded to Tingles who rolled her eyes at my tobacco habit. “He was behind the business with the commissioner, Brandy. He’s the one who has his hooves dipped in the blood of Meadow, Sparrow, and many of my friends and family in the tribe. You see, I make it a point of mine to remember those who murder those I love. Shall I go on?”
He leaned towards me, his tone deadly serious. “Fairlight, listen, we all know what happened to the commissioner and Velvet Cream. Hell, we even helped you to do it. But for the sake of Equestria, please, don’t do anything to Nadir, do you understand?”
“I understand what you’re saying,” I replied levelly. “You don’t want me treading on any ‘unseen hooves’, right?”
“Right.” Brandy rubbed his muzzle and sighed, “Look, I know what you’re thinking, Fairlight, and by the all the gods and goddesses I’d want to do the same. But Nadir’s different. He’s got connections with ponies involved with the government, the watch, and the armed forces - Ponies who see Celestia as weak, especially after the debacle with the changelings at the royal palace.”
Yes… Yes, I could why some would think that, especially as Celestia had been ignominiously thrown down by the changeling leader. I should have realised it sooner, “You’re talking about a coup.” I gave my shoulder a rub, trying to make myself a little less uncomfortable in the horribly new chair. Why did they always over stuff the bloody things? And then suddenly it came to me… “This is what that whole ‘facility’ business was about, isn’t it? Veritas get enough of their jacked up super soldiers together and then trot into Canterlot to take over the country and it’s goodbye Celestia. Am I in the right ball park here?”
“Almost.” Runcy cleared his throat, his deep tones resonating in the snug room, “Veritas don’t want to overthrow Celestia.” Brandy and I both looked at Runcy in disbelief as he continued, “It’s true that they believe her to be weaker than she once was, however they understand how removing her as the leader of Equestria would devastate the entire country. Instead, they wanted to bolster our armies and make them strong enough to deter any foreign aggressor from trying their hoof at invading us again.”
“And thus relegate Celestia to a more spiritual leader role, yes?” I asked.
Runcy nodded. “I don’t think there are many who have not heard of what happened at the royal wedding, nor how she favours the so called ‘Bearers of the Elements’. Do not misunderstand me, Lord Fairlight, Celestia is a strong ruler, and she has unparalleled skills in negotiation and the art of politicking. However, Equestria has been at peace for so long now that our armed forces are more of a ceremonial guard for the tourism industry rather than an effective fighting force.”
I nodded, scratching my chin, “Forgive me, Runcy, but you sound as if you almost agree with them.”
“Only a fool would disagree with self evident facts, Lord Fairlight.” The grey stallion glanced at Brandy, making sure he was taking everything he said in. “Even so, I love our princess, and I would give my life to protect her as surely as would most stallions in Equestria. However it is clear to our enemies in the world that we are not the powerful nation we once were. Indeed, if it were not for the intervention of not only the element bearers but also you and your warriors, we may all be little more than food for the changelings now.” He closed his eyes and took a breath, “Yet even with their recent defeat there is no guarantee they will not return when they have rebuilt their strength, nor that our more distant neighbours will not marshal their own forces to do exactly the same. As the old saying goes: blood attracts sharks.”
I nodded, holding out my hoof to my old friend, “Brandy?”
“I wish I could say otherwise, Fairlight, but Runcy’s right.” The agency stallion scratched at his mane and clucked his tongue in irritation. “You used to work in the watch, so you know as well as anypony what the prevailing opinion of the army is now. And as for princess… I don’t know. As I said, we don’t know the full story, but all the signs point to her not having the massive power she once held.”
“Or perhaps she never had that power in the first place,” Terra chipped in. “It is possible that the stories about her have been exaggerated over the centuries, and as there is nopony alive now who can confirm or deny it, the stories have become accepted as historical facts.”
I held up a hoof. “I’m afraid to say they are true, Terra.” I shook my head sadly, recalling the memories of the once beautiful fortress and the butchery of my people as they fled. “I saw it. I saw what happened that day.” I locked eyes with her, willing her to see what I had seen in the tribal memories. “The fortress above us is in ruins because of the power of the sun goddess and her unleashed wrath. I would never for a moment believe that Celestia has changed so much that she has had to delegate power to those who have neither the experience nor the wisdom to carry its burden with surety and confidence. No… I believe Celestia is taking steps to ensure that she does not become that which she hates the most – a tyrant.”
“By delegating responsibility?” Tingles asked.
“That would be my guess,” I replied.
Runcy shrugged, “Whatever the truth of it, the fact remains that Veritas is still out there. Worse, is that Vela is out there as well, and as long as he is, none of us are safe.”
“Ah...” I smiled broadly and took a pull on my pipe, “I wondered when we’d get to the meat of it. You want my warriors and myself to stop him, correct?”
Runcy raised an eyebrow, but his expression was a hard as stone. “That is for you to decide, Lord Fairlight,” he said plainly. “I’m a business stallion and a politician, not a warrior. Regrettably, neither are most of our fellow equestrians.”
A faint chirruping sound drifted over from Brandy’s pocket. “Excuse me,” he said quickly, standing up. “Everypony, would you all please excuse me for a few minutes?”
I nodded as Brandy left the room, fishing out his communicator as he went.
“It’s a pity we have to meet for the first time in such unpleasant circumstances, Lord Runcy.” Tingles topped up her glass and walked over to top off the others, “Fairlight has spoken many times of his desire to find the fabled remnants of the tribe in the north, but now you are here, I share in his joy at the reunion of his people.”
“But… You are not one of our people?” Terra looked from Tingles to me, then back to Runcy. “You are mated though, are you not?”
“I am,” Tingles smiled pleasantly. “And no, I’m not a wendigo nor a descendant of the tribe, as I’m pretty sure you can tell.” The smile began to thin out, making internal alarm bells ring in my head. “Does this trouble you, Terra?”
Terra shook her head, “No. I am merely surprised that the lord has a non-wendigo mate. The bloodline will not be pure in his foals.”
Tingles shouted over shoulder, “Lumin? Lumin are you there?”
“Yes, Mummy!”
“Could you come in here a minute, please love?”
Gods you could have cut the tension with a bloody knife. And that knife was in the cute shape of a small grey unicorn with bright yellow eyes and a mane and tail as black as crude oil. Lumin… Luna’s ears, he was going to be a handsome one! That poise, the way he lifted his hooves as he trotted in. Mercifully, for my selfish pride at least, he didn’t balk at the visitors, and instead stood tall and proud.
“A wendigo foal...” Terra breathed.
“Hmm, so it would seem,” Tingles said with slight hint of mock surprise in her voice. “May I introduce Fairlight’s and my son, Lumin.”
Terra held out a tentative hoof towards him, and then nearly leaped back in shock as if he were a snake about to strike. “Such… power!” she gasped. The grey mare rubbed her horn, “How can this be?”
“I presume you do know how foals are made, don’t you Terra?” Tingles asked innocently. I shot her a warning glance but it didn’t appear that our guest understood the intricacies of sarcasm.
“You were picked for him to breed you?” Terra asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite the question Tingles had expected and her mane immediately bristled.
“Picked to… to WHAT?!” Tingles’ muscles tensed beneath her fur, “To breed me?! I’m a mare, not some prize bull!”
“I don’t understand,” Terra said simply. She turned to Runcy helplessly.
Thank the gods Runcy came to rescue like the knight in shining armour he apparently was. “Lady Tingles, Lord Fairlight, forgive us. Terra and her people have had… ‘difficulties’ having children through normal pairings, and the production of foals was made through...” He closed his eyes and swallowed, “Enforced matings with pre-selected partners.”
“Oh, dear Celestia...” Tingles’ hooves flew up to her muzzle, “That’s… that’s sanctioned rape! How could your people do such a horrible thing?!”
“Rape?” Terra frowned in confusion. “Such matings were necessary to continue the existence of our people.”
“But… but you could refuse, right?” Tingles offered.
Terra glanced at Runcy, but said no more.
“In wendigo society, to refuse was to deny your own peoples right to exist,” Runcy said quietly. “The consequences of refusal were sometimes… final. In Terra’s case she was...” he closed his eyes, clearing his throat, “assaulted by one of the Veritas’ stallions after she refused him. I’m afraid that’s where I came bursting in and upset the apple cart.”
“Well thank Celestia you did!” Tingles said stomping her hoof.
“Indeed.” Runcy reached over and gave Terra a gentle nuzzle which was genuinely heartwarming to see considering the direction the conversation had taken. “Forgive me, Lady Tingles, but would you mind if we changed the subject? There is a foal present and talking about such things is very distressing for us.”
Tapping out my pipe on my hoof, I watched Terra as she pressed her head into Runcy’s neck before moving away. There was no deceit in those eyes, only confusion, loss, and a tinge of fear. It was hardly surprising considering the circumstances of her arrival, and I had to admit I knew absolutely nothing about what her people had been living through this last thousand years. There was something else here too, something that Runcy had mentioned and yet hadn’t clarified. He’d said that it was one of Veritas’ ponies who’d assaulted Terra, and not one of her own people. Hmm… So something a lot darker and altogether more sinister had gone on there by the looks of things, had it? As intrigued as I was to discover more, now was not the time to be talking about such matters. I could always speak to Runcy later and find out the fuller story of his discovery of the northern tribe, and more about this mysterious ‘Veritas’ organisation too. In any case, raking up the past was indeed distressing Terra, and I would be damned if I’d sit there and allow a guest to have their wounds poked and prodded merely to satisfy my idle curiosity.
I banged my hoof down loudly, “This stops. Now.”
“I’m sorry?” Runcy looked up in surprise.
I got up off my chair and stretched my legs, “This stops, Runcy. All of it.” I shifted my attention to Terra, “All wendigo are born free, Terra. It was one of the central tenets of the tribe, and you will find that here we live as free as the wind through the mountains and the air beneath your wings. It is as our ancestors wanted. It is what I too want for you, your brothers, your sisters… for all of us. You are free to be who you want to be here, and whether you wish to stay with the tribe or leave to explore the outside world, you will always remain a valued and beloved part of our family. I promise you, Terra, as long as I am the Lord of the Four Winds, you will have a place beside our hearth, a plate at our table, and a warm bed to lay your head.”
A glint of light sparkled silver against grey fur as a tear began to roll down Terra’s face.
“Oh, well done you dumb lummox,” Tingles huffed, “you’ve made the girl cry now.” She got up and walked across the rug to kneel down beside the wendigo mare, gently taking her into a warm embrace. “Shhh…. Come on now, let it all out,” Tingles whispered. “It’s alright, you’re home now. Shhh…”
Something pulled at my cloak for my attention. “Daddy?”
“Yes, love?”
Lumin’s bright eyes stared up at me, “Mummy said a boy shouldn’t make girls cry.”
I glanced at Runcy who grinned back at me slyly, “See what I have to put up with?”
“I’ll say!” The voice from the doorway made me freeze. “And it’s no surprise either. You want to see what I found wandering about outside. It’s a right menagerie this place.”
Oh, gods that voice… That bloody voice! I closed my eyes and slowly turned, following the baffled stares of the others. Two bat ponies stared back at me from the doorway: my daughter Horizon, and another whose face I thought I’d seen the last of after the incident with the commissioner.
“Long time no see,” Noctem beamed, lifting Horizon from her back and plopping her onto the rug. “Thought I’d drop in and see how you were doing. Looks like you’ve been busy too, if all the piles of wood outside are anything to go by.” She nodded towards Terra and Runcy, “Forgive me, I didn’t realise you were entertaining guests.”
I cleared my throat, “Lord Runcy, Lady Terra, may I introduce-”
“-Noctem, Lead Huntress of the Night Guard,” the bat pony cut in, bowing theatrically. “Charmed.”
Ooh, that bloody bat! So stern and serious one minute and a flirtatious pest the next! I closed my eyes and tried to regain my grip on the situation. “I thought you’d returned to the Night Guard, Noctem?” I suggested hopefully.
“I did.” The cheeky creature plucked a glass from the table and helped herself to a drink. “I had some leave coming and the goddess granted me some compassionate leave.”
“Compassionate leave?” I asked a little surprised.
“Mmm!” Noctem slugged back her drink in one go and licked her lips, “The last time we were along you’d reminded me that I was in my prime. And time, as we all know, waits for no mare.”
Tingles’ eyes locked onto me with lethal precision, “I’m sorry, am I missing something here?”
“NO!” I choked.
The deep scarlet coated creature sashayed past me, her wicked golden eyes gleaming in the light from the magical lanterns. “He’s so innocent, isn’t he?” she purred. “Not once did he succumb to my alluring charms, nor allow himself to taste of the sweet fruit just a mere breath beneath his muzzle.”
I almost hear the floor cracking beneath Tingles’ hooves.
“Ha!” Noctem barked out a laugh and leaped aside, a cheeky smile spread across her face. “No, I fear Lord Fairlight’s chance has been and gone, Lady Tingles. However, as I believe you have a rather, um… large contingent of eligible stallions here, I saw no harm in spending a little time here to see what else was on offer.” She refilled her glass, leaning casually against the table as she did so. “No offence, but this place has wendigo wandering about all over the shop, and you lot do kinda look alike. Seriously, you guys are going to have to start wearing name tags because you all look the same to me.”
Tingles’ mouth hung open in shock at the candid attitude of newest guest.
“Oh, and I found another couple of waifs and strays on the way in too.” Noctem stood back, holding her hoof out as Shadow wandered in with a bundle of cloth on her back.
“Shadow?” I looked at her in confusion. The black mare looked at me and grinned toothily, setting my hackles up. Suddenly the bundle of cloth on her back… moved.
It was somewhere around here that the screaming started if I remember correctly. As always, everything happened at once: Terra leaped back and grabbed a fire poker, while Runcy pulled out what was clearly a hand held energy weapon. Tingles yelled out, Horizon leaped back in alarm, and Lumin threw his forelegs up in the air, laughing.
Brrrack! Urrrp. Ack!
The mass of leathery wings, claws, teeth and slobbering tongue, hit me full in the face like the worlds largest wet chamois leather, knocking me backwards onto Tingles’ lap. For a split second time seemed to pause, but as always, reality had different plans. Hopelessly overloaded beyond redemption, the chair gave way with a loud splintering crack, and myself, a shrieking orange pegasus and a leathery dragon, were pitched unceremoniously onto the rug.
To Shadow and her new friend Noctem, this was all highly amusing of course. For myself and my now bruised buttocks and slobber covered face, it was far from it. Tingles kicked me hard in the hock, shoving me off her, but I was so hopelessly entwined in over excited dragon, all I could do was endure the assault while laughing like a foal on Hearthswarming.
Lying on the floor, worn but happy, I looked up into the purple eyes peering back at me. “Have you met my dragon, Runcy?” I asked casually. “Lord Runcy, Tarragon. Tarragon, Lord Runcy.”
Urk! Arrack. Ark!
The grey stallion’s eyes flicked from Tarragon to Terra whose earlier look of horror had turned to one of barely restrained mirth. Behind me, Tingles’ shouts of outrage at her broken chair, Horizon and Lumin’s laughter, together with Shadow’s own brand of mirth, left me lying there utterly defeated. Sometimes it truly was best to go with the waves instead of fighting them.
“Fairlight?” Brandy’s voice rolled in from the other room. “That was the princess, we’ve got a situation report on...” He paused. “Where is he?”
Runcy closed his eyes and nodded towards the centre of the storm, “He’s down there.”
“Hey, it’s Tarragon!” Brandy laughed. And with a clicking yelp of delight, the leathery beast locked onto her latest target. Good old Uncle Brandy. Bloody hell, I had no idea they got on so well! Guess I’d missed a lot more than I’d thought whilst languishing in the land of the dead.
Gratefully, I got up and wiped some of the drool from my muzzle. “Sorry about that folks,” I grinned, brushing myself down. “She hasn’t seen me for a while, and you know how dragons can be.”
“I’ll take your word for that,” Runcy muttered. I followed his stare, tracing it directly to the fiery red eyed mare. “Is that...” He swallowed. “Is she a…?”
“Thestral?” I asked. “Yes. Never met one of her people before, Runcy?”
“No...” He shook his head slowly. “She’s… Magnificent...”
Shadow clicked and rustled her wings, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“She can speak Equestrian!” Runcy gasped.
Oh, this was going to fun! “That’s not all she can do!” I said animatedly. “She can breath lightning and eats fire. Unfortunately we can only let her out now and again as her favourite meals consist of children under ten years old, and you know how awkward villagers can be when their babies go missing. Still, we’ve got her down to about two a week so they can keep up with her.”
“My gods!” Runcy’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.
Shadow took a slow step towards him, her head held low, but her eyes, burning brightly in the blue light of the room, locked onto his. Slowly, deliberately, her lips began to peel back as a long, low hiss emanated from between her short pointed teeth.
“Hungry...”
“Fairlight, Shadow, stop it!” Tingles’ neigh bellowed out in the small room making my ears ring. “Can’t you see you’re frightening our guests?! Celestia’s mercy, your stupid sense of humour is going to get us all into trouble one of these days. Lord Runcy, Lady Terra, please, forgive him. Fairlight, for the goddess’s sake, act like a bloody adult for once will you?”
Bloody misery… I took a breath and bowed to Runcy and Terra, “I’m sorry, that was wrong of me. I’m not used to entertaining guests and I often find a smile to be the best cure for that which ails the heart.”
“Speaking of which,” Brandy interjected plopping a sated Tarragon back on the floor for the children to pester, “We need to talk.”
********************
The last piece of armour was strapped into place and I stood back, admiring the finished result. The gleaming black painted spiked crystal was in remarkably good condition for its age, and it hadn’t taken much adjustment at all to get it sitting right.
“How is it?” I asked.
Shadow wiggled her hind quarters before rolling her shoulders, “Good. I can move freely.” She reached out and took the axe the grey stallion passed her. “Thank you.”
If Runcy’s eyes went any wider he’d need an emergency optician. “I’m glad you approve of it my lady,” he said quickly. The tall stallion watched her clip the axe to her back with practised ease, adjusting the heavy crossbow and panniers to make sure they all sat properly.
“This is very good of you, Runcy,” I said honestly. “I never thought I’d find thestral armour here in Equestria.”
“It’s the only complete set I know of,” Runcy replied. “I’ve been to museums across the land, but most of what I see is broken fragments and often mislabelled as something else. Our people have forgotten so much of our past it makes me fear for our future. It was one of the reasons I was drawn to Veritas. They care about who we were, as well as who we are and the path our people are taking into the future. Sadly, I wish I could say the same for our current government, but I don’t see any effort being made to steer us away from crashing upon the rocks of fate.”
I knew all I wanted to about Fate, rocks or no rocks. Still, I was little concerned about how pessimistic this guy sounded. “Do you have regrets about how things worked out with Veritas?” I asked inquiringly.
Runcy snorted, “Of course I do. I regret that our once noble goals became warped to the point where we began to believe that experimenting on ponies was a valid way to overcome our enemies, be they real or imagined. I regret the pain and suffering my fellows in Veritas caused innocents, irrespective of how justified they may have believe it to be. You see, Fairlight, one can support the ideals and philosophies of a cause without necessarily agreeing with its more ‘practical’ methods.” He sighed, “When I was growing up I was always afraid that one day I would become like my father: cold, aloof, and ultimately spending the last years of his life alone and devoid of anypony to call a friend. It was one of the things I forever guarded myself against for fear of alienating my only child, Silver, as my father had done with me. He had been one of Equestria’s foremost politicians in his day, and like father like son, I followed in his hoofsteps. Unfortunately I was soon to discover the world of politics is one where sentiment and emotion are little more than a weakness in oneself and tools to use against ones opponents, and I fell foul of those who would use them against me in those early years. And so I promised myself that from then on I would always question, always suspect, and always be guarded and suspicious of those who brought me into their confidence. For many years it served me well, and like so many others I became beguiled by the arcane secrets of the organisation known as Veritas.” Runcy took a drink from me with a nod and took a sip. “You see, Fairlight, Veritas has a way of breaking down your own morality and overwriting it with its own, and the best part of it is that you never even know it’s happening. Oh, it starts innocently enough. On the face of it, Veritas is a pleasant country club of old boys sipping gin and tonics, eating canapés and playing cards, but the true indoctrination into their ranks started before you’d even taken that first step through the door. They play the long game. Never rushing, never hurrying, and forever watching. Becoming one of them is a process that takes place over many years by ponies whom you grew up with, whom you trust, and those you would even call ‘friends’. But they know what they’re doing. Before you know it, you find yourself agreeing with what they’re saying, what they’re doing, and you want to be a part of it no matter how monstrous, because sometimes you have to break down the old to be able to build anew.”
“You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs,” I said quietly.
Runcy shrugged, “If you need to make an omelette at all.”
A short orange stallion trotted up through the throng, his slightly exotic appearance marking him out as one of the few I had ever learned to trust. “Fairlight, Lord Runcy, Lady Shadow,” he nodded.
“Hello Bingo,” I smiled. “I take it this isn’t a social call.”
He huffed slightly under his breath, “The portal link has been established with the northern border post,” he explained simply. “Brandy’s there with the army and the rest of your force. From there they’ll take you on to the outpost.”
And after that it would be up to us to save the day once again, eh? Vela was up to something that could destabilise Equestria, possibly even pull us into a war the likes of which we’d never seen before, and I had vowed to Celestia that I would defend her and our homeland with my dying breath. She hadn’t reminded me of my oath, but she had kept hers, and true to her word we had our land back. And I intended to keep it.
“Will you not be taking any wendigo with you?” Runcy asked curiously.
I shook my head, “No. They’re far from strong enough to fight, Runcy, and I haven’t decided what I’m going to do about the whole spirit joining thing. I don’t even know if it still works. Honestly? I don’t know how Celestia would react either. Having a lot of grey unicorns in a broken down old fortress is one thing, but demonic beasts from legend leaving vapour trails over your palace? I’m not so sure.”
“I don’t think Terra would like being referred to as a demonic beast!” Runcy smiled.
“Meh, you get used to it,” I chuckled. I let out a sigh, “Runcy, I wish I knew how she’d been able to tap into the wendigo spirit when she had never undertaken the joining ritual, but I have given our people full access to the library and hope to have an answer. It is… possible, that we may not need to be so draconian in our approach to this after all.”
“But Celestia has already told you that you have full reign over your lands,” Runcy pointed out. “That means that you could, should you so wish, have your people become full wendigo.”
“I…” I closed my eyes. “I know. But I saw what happened at River Valley, Runcy. I saw what the princess can do and what Equestrians are capable of, even if they have become softer over time.” I nodded to myself and adjusted my helmet. “Let me think on it. For now, take care of her, and your family.”
“I shall.” The grey stallion clopped me on the shoulder, “May the goddesses bless you.” He turned to Shadow, and to my amazement, took her hoof and kissed it! “The goddess protect you beneath the light of her moon, my lady.”
Shadow looked like she was going to pop, her cheeks burning furiously.
“Well, time to go!” I said quickly, steering the armoured creature away from her enamoured new friend. “Farewell, Runcy. Give our love to Silver!”
Runcy bowed, waving to us as our small band headed into the small chamber where the glowing silver portal stood ready to receive us.
“You’ve struck quite a chord with our Lord Runcible Spoon there, love,” I observed.
Shadow smirked and treated me to a cheeky wink. “He would make a fine mate, but he is not a warrior.”
“I suppose I should be grateful he isn’t!” I chuckled.
The black mare suddenly grabbed me, and in a remarkably swift display of the deceptive strength of the thestral race, had me against the wall, much to the amusement of our contingent of warriors. “I have what I want.” Burning red fires met my blue eyed gaze, a thin tongue gliding over short, sharp teeth. “Do you?”
“Yes…” I pulled her into me, my armour suddenly becoming very uncomfortable. “Dear gods, yes.”
Shadow’s smiled grew as her brows drew down and she kissed me gently on the lips. “It is a large fortress,” she whispered. “We do not have many children.”
“One is not enough, eh?” I grinned.
“There will be time,” Shadow replied quietly. “When we are home.”
“Home...” I nodded slowly, turning my smile on the rest of the warriors who had stopped to leer. “And you lot can pack that in too!” I laughed. “Come on, let’s go and get this bollocks dealt with so we can get back to rebuilding our home, have a hot meal, and sink a few cold beers.”
That got their attention.
Suddenly Shadow’s winged flared and she leaped into the air, dropping onto the threshold of the shimmering portal. In shock I watched in awe as she reared and tossed her mane, her armour glinting in the bright otherworldly light. She was a creature out of time, out of history, and the mother of my beautiful daughter. By the gods, I loved her. The thestral rumbled low in her throat, a shriek of clicking and hissing in her alien tongue howling out around the room. Nopony could understand her, nopony here knew that ancient language, but we could all feel her drive, her passion, and her boundless energy. Stomping her hoof, Shadow eyes flared like tiny suns. She took a breath and roared, “FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BOLD!”
And with that she leaped in the light. A second later, if even that, the rest of the warriors surged after her through the portal. I suppose being last for once wasn’t too bad… I sighed and saw Runcy standing in the doorway. The poor sod looked like he was about to collapse. From what I’d seen he had his hooves full already anyway, and the goddess help me, I knew what that was like! I bobbed my head to him respectfully, but I’m not sure he even noticed. His eyes were locked on the portal, staring at it with wide foal-like eyes and lost in a world of his own imagination.
And who could blame him?
I began to laugh. The whole world was a place of madness after all, and if any of us cared to listen carefully, you could hear them. You could hear the gods laughing. But what could I do but entertain them? I closed my eyes and leaped into the light, leaving a mostly simple thought for them to consider…
“Ah, bollocks to the lot of ‘em.”
THE END