//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve: The Board is Set // Story: Cure For a Toxin // by RadBunny //------------------------------// Shifting tapped his hoof in thought against the clipboard, the Commander’s brow furrowing. “’The Bringer’, and he’s a gryphon? The same that attacked the chemical lab?" the Commander of the Lunar Nights mused. “That’s all you could get out of him?” “Considering I had to blast him out of Toxic’s mind before anything else, yes,” Luna replied. “It was like there were two minds in that gryphon’s though, quite strange. Some other force perhaps? Or a supportive party.” “Well I hope you gave him a few hits from me. So, all we know is that a nebulous organization, likely the remnants of the Windigo’s group is at large. A ‘Whisper’ could refer to their continued influence. But that’s all we’ve got for now.” Shifting let out a growl at that. “Which means very little. No motive other than targeting Toxic, which implies a chemical attack, or some sort of utilization of such that only he would be able to stop. That would make the assassination logical. But still, that’s an escalation I didn’t anticipate, along with Toxic’s use of dark magic utilized from the leylines no less,” Shifting let out a huff. “I most certainly didn’t teach you that. “You probably didn’t have to,” Luna remarked, leaning on her love’s shoulder, the pair sitting in a private conference room. She put down the report from the guards; the aforementioned stallion’s family now under constant guard from disguised legionnaires. “From what I was able to gather before blasting that apparition to oblivion, fear and rage were amplified in Toxic’s mind and heart. It’s likely he just reacted. The game just changed with the attempt on his life, obviously. He and his family are under guard now, and he should be considered a high-risk target. I don’t recall him ever using dark magic in any report I’ve read, but certainly a few warranted moments where he has gotten rather emotional during an incident.” “Ah, but for emotions you mean the Klugetown event? That one I remember hearing about personally. There’s a lot of redacted material though- things erased beyond recovery. Even from what I gathered, it doesn’t surprise me that he became more publicly emotionless after that. I certainly would have done the same,” Shifting mused. “Well, in this case, if he was able to access dark magic so easily that is troubling indeed. Perhaps due to the Windigo’s magic influencing him? They do thrive off such emotions, dark magic sometimes causing such,” the Commander said thoughtfully. “Perhaps, but it may be much more natural than that, Shifting,” Luna added, “Dark magic is, after all, still just magic at its core. It’s naturally occurring but just feeds off different emotions. Despite its past uses, it isn’t inherently evil in nature, simply the other side of a figurative magical coin. In this case, it would make sense if he was able to utilize a leyline for it. It uses similar emotions to the Windigos and the like. However, this attack will necessitate a shift in his training as well as to control this other type of magic. The fact the leylines seemed to reach out to him is interesting and adds a new aspect. It seems he has an affinity for the energy as you do.” “No kidding. His interactions are much more different than mine. I’m able to tap into that source of magic easily, but Toxic just, I don’t get it. It’s like the leylines are attracted to him in a way,” the Commander admitted, his fiancé reaching over to poke his side with a hoof. “Well, we know there are creatures that live in the Leylines per se, right?” Luna suggested. “Nacreous’s friends for example. So, in a way, the leylines are alive, even if not in a corporeal sense like Nacreous has experienced. Toxic may have sparked their interest.” Shifting let out a hum at that, the stallion shrugging. “I don’t know much about that,” he admitted. “Are you saying these leylines chose Toxic? I know that your words are true, I’ve just never met one of these leyline creatures. I know the Order Nacreous was a part of communed heavily with such magic, but only the basics.” “Oh, I’m not saying each leyline has one, only that they may be alive in the general sense the Tree of Harmony is. My knowledge of that sort of magic is rather primitive, I admit.” The raised eyebrow from Shifting, prompting Luna to let out a huff. “What?” “Luna, the Tree is now sapient and evolved to be such. The leylines have been around longer than that.” Luna stared at her stallion, reaching up to massage a temple with a hoof. “You raise a fair point,” she admitted, “but my words stand. In whatever form the leylines exist, they may be more open to Toxic for some reason. Perhaps Nacreous could-” A knock interrupted the pair, the afore-mentioned and familiar hippogriff poking his head in. “Nacreous! What can we do for you? We actually had some questions of our own, but that can wait,” Luna asked from her comfy position on Shifting’s shoulder. “Oh? I’d be glad to answer. My words are about Toxic. I assume you all were going to shift his training?” the Doctor asked. Seeing Shifting nod, Nacreous couldn’t help but grin widely, an alabaster Alicorn poking her head in as well. She was clearly unsettled about something, but still seemed supportive of her fiancé. “I have a different idea. I’m curious what you two, and Toxic will think. I think we all agree that Specialist Shield will need more than just additional training in this fight.” The longer Shifting and Luna listened to the Paladin the wider their smiles got. “Will it work? I mean, that would aid in more resources to combat threats on his life, and I assume guard against the influence of darker magics on a passive level,” Shifting asked as Luna stared, his grin now matching her own. They had thought a previously-discussed project was on the mind of the Emperor and the Solar Princess, but this option was much more appealing. “It’s not just up to me, but yes, it would most certainly fulfil those requirements,” Nacreous said with an eager chuckle, a previous spark of enthusiasm now becoming a roaring fire as the Emperor summoned his breastplate, claws tracing over the symbols gently. “But if anypony is worthy, it would be Toxic.” “Will it not be another burden?” Celestia asked softly, “that stallion bears enough weight for his duties as it is. I will not recommend an option to Toxic that will put more stress into his life.” Her ears were flat against her skull, more words seeming to be unsaid, but her posture conveyed her reluctance. “I don’t think he’d see it that way,” Nacreous replied, surprising Celestia as he reached over to grasp her hoof gently, Luna and Shifting watching curiously. There seemed to be a hidden weight to the hippogriff’s words. “He has already been walking the path, he just didn’t know it. All this would do is unlock some help. There is no more responsibility with this calling, only the promised power that this pony already should have access to. Would it be a burden to finally have the power to defend that which you hold dear? To know that you had a greater strength to draw upon than just your own? All of us here have that option; Toxic doesn’t in multiple meanings of it. I don’t just mean the sun and moon either. He’s a natural protector, Celestia.” Luna couldn’t help but grin at seeing her sister so flustered, even after all the time she had spent with Nacreous. Shifting gave her a nudge on the shoulder, the Commander of the Lunar Knights winking at his Fiancé to accompany Nacreous’s words. “Then ask him, Nacreous. You have my support. I’ll stand as a witness for him, if Toxic accepts,” Celestia said. “I made a promise to keep him safe, and to deny this potential source of strength from him would betray that trust.” Her voice then dropped to a whisper only Nacreous was able to hear. “What little trust that hasn’t been betrayed, that is. “Likewise,” Luna added. “He needs the help, this recent incident showed as much. I cannot watch as a pony falls to a darkness we still don’t know how to combat. Perhaps this new opportunity can harden his mind against this evil. I trust you on that matter, Nacreous. Whatever this new evil threat is, it has targeted a pony already buckling under the weight of responsibility. I will gladly vouch for him.” “For what weight my view carries, I as well,” Shifting concluded. “Luna was right when she spoke of Toxic many moons ago. I see quite a bit of myself in this stallion. There’s a great will in that pony, an odd attraction to the leylines that has given him some aid, but Specialist Shield can only take so much. If I can help prevent the darkness in another’s life that consumed myself for so many years, I must try.” Nacreous nodded, summoning a parchment with a wave of his claws as the three other individuals signed it. It was a simple summons, but their signatures with his would add considerable weight. Considering things could immediately proceed if Toxic accepted, it was a weighty request indeed. It would be sent within a few days, at least until the stallion in question had recovered from his ordeal. But they could not wait too long, for predators often struck again when their prey was wounded. A quip sprang to mind, modified from an ever-popular comic book of which a certain dragon assistant hypothetically had two original copies of. “With great responsibility…” Nacreous whispered. Once alone, Celestia called up a specific report from years ago, hoof massaging her temples. How could she have forgotten? “Lulu, I need to show you something. It’s about Toxic. Give me an hour first. Then again, see if you can snag Shifting and Nacreous too,” Celestia called out, sending her voice magically over a temporary mental link. As her sister sent a soft chime back in acknowledgement, the Solar Princess shook her head. It was logical that she had forgotten. Over a decade of interactions, a single moment in time when so much had been chaotic with Luna returning a few years after. Opening the classified recording, Celestia zipped through the crudely-recorded images of the incident, zeroing in on a single frame taken from a nearly-destroyed security camera from a remote warehouse in the Badlands. Face a mask of vengeful rage and clad in a broken hazard suit, a familiar blue stallion leered over five cowering reptiles, broken weapons surrounding them as their claws were raised up in a begging gesture. The image was broken with static and a dense fog, light refracting across numerous bright surfaces to one side. Was that purple mist spilling from his eyes, or was it a trick of the light? What else could I do? I monitored, spoke with you, and forgot. You said that nothing felt different, no intent on accessing those magics. I know how fickle magic can be so I passed it off as a one-time thing, if it even happened at all. I suppose I convinced myself of the lunacy of it all, and I didn’t want to pry and disrupt your life any more than I already had. But this new incident; it wasn’t a trick of the light at all. I can’t afford for you to fall down a dark path, Toxic. We can’t afford it. And yet there was a strong fire of hope in Celestia’s chest. She knew this stallion. It wasn’t evil intentions that day that made dark magic course through Toxic’s veins, nor a desire for power or domination. It was rage, righteous anger at what he found in that warehouse. Celestia would never hold such actions against him, nor any other creature. She herself had turned the area to glass not a few days later; Toxic had been more merciful to those monsters than she, even under the influence of such magic. There was a reason their interactions with the Badlands were next to none, and that was even before Twilight’s adventures. Unlike other fallen sorcerers, Toxic hadn’t let the dark magic control his mind or actions that day in the Badlands. Pure intentions sometimes meant everything when meddling with such powers. The power Darkness held over one’s heart was next to nothing if your intentions were selfless and pure; that much had been shown. You’re stronger than that. I know you are. In some ways, you’re stronger than me. “You’re sure that you’re ok?” Spectrum asked her son, Toxic nodding at the simple portal where his parents looked on in concern. “Yes, I got released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and that was after being asleep for two days straight, and a third day of solid tests before they let me contact anyone myself. I’m just taking it easy in a hotel now, just got here. And I’ve got a few doctor appointments this week for the non-physical injuries.” “Do keep us in the loop, and take care, Son, try not to get mugged again,” Manifold Shield said, Toxic actually surprised at seeing his father choked up slightly. “I will, and I’m ok, I promise. I’ve got a dozen guards and probably two dozen more I don’t see on a daily basis. The bonus of high security clearance.” “Love you.” “Love you guys too.” As the call ended, Toxic shook his head tiredly, the sleep in the hospital not seeming to have helped that much. No dreams, just completely out. But at least it’s something. He hated lying to his parents, and by now they could probably tell something was amiss. They always seemed to know when his various assignments took their toll, even if they knew not to ask. But now Toxic’s safety and whereabouts were being pushed up to top-secret levels. The less his parents knew the better and the safer they would be. That was how it had been for many years, and his parents knew better than to ask more. And that’s why I understand, Celestia. Lies have to be told to keep those you love safe. I don’t like it, I never will, nor will I agree with it as a standard to operate on. But I get it. It feels different when you are the one being lied to though. He opened a portal to retrieve some enchanted parchment, running down his list of who to contact. Parents, check. Varti? Check. Now for a certain, special gryphoness. Poor Gelly, she probably had no idea what was going on. It had been three days, and he had just sent a few parchments saying something had come up. How could explain it? He…. Toxic’s hooves abruptly began to shake, making the unicorn sit down on the floor. Every noise seemed to be amplified, the air itself seeming heavy. Somecreature tried to kill me. Again. For the first time, the statement now began to disseminate through the pony’s mind, Toxic knowing full well the signs of an anxiety attack as his heartbeat thudded in his ears. An assassin, sent to kill me. And he almost did, if not for my security systems and that weird leyline tug to get that bracer ready. The world seemed to spin for a moment, Toxic taking deep breaths as he struggled to stop his hooves from shivering. I guess it never sank in, still hasn’t sunk in. How do I even process this? Am I even safe here? I learned a long time ago that even a Goddess can’t save my life. And now… A few tears trickled from his eyes, the stallion feeling pent-up sobs in his chest aching to be released. I always feared it would happen again after that incident years ago. And now it did, in Equestria, not some backwoods forest bordering the badlands. This was much closer, not some random fanatic. Someone tried to- A knock on the door made the Unicorn’s fur stand on edge, a quick spell indicating there were just two individuals outside, one a legionnaire. It served as a good enough distraction to stem the tears as Toxic swiped a forelimb across his face. Friends, that’s good. Guess I’ll be on edge for a while to say the least. Fantastic. I get to add ‘attempted assassination’ to my list of mental traumas. At least I didn’t kill them, contrary to what I thought. The simple question to Celestia had assayed that thought; the ‘body’ of the assassin, while having been blown apart, was more magical than physical. Whatever it was, it definitely hadn’t been permanently destroyed by Toxic’s efforts. That both made him feel better at not having taken a life, but also didn’t assay the fear of a returning event. I still never want to take a life. Even in Klugetown, I never- “Hey, Toxic. It’s Hammer.” As Toxic opened the door, two concerned violet eyes met his, a familiar gryphoness’s beak clenched in worry. “I’ll leave you two be. She’s got temporary security clearance for this incident by the way.” Hammer trotted off promptly, leaving Gelliana looking over Toxic in genuine concern. “Are you alright? T-they didn’t tell me anything until an hour ago, just that you were unavailable. There were more guards posted around Icait, and I didn’t know what was going on, only that you stopped answering my parchments,” Gelliana whispered, ears flat against her skull. “T-they said that you w-were ok, b-but I didn’t know i-if y-you…” Her words faded as Toxic dropped his gaze to his hooves, a lump in his throat preventing everything but a few words. She must have seen his damp eyes, the way his voice wavered and cracked. Toxic could feel Gelliana’s gaze on him, even though his own eyes were now closed. “S-sorry. I was going to…I…” A quiet sniffle that accompanied the soft shaking of his sides was enough for Gelliana to quickly step forward and wrap Toxic up into a tight hug, her own worries taking a back seat. Burying his face into her soft shoulder, the stallion took a shuddering breath knowing that tears were running from his closed eyes but not caring in the slightest. As the gryphoness held him close the stallion let himself cry, barrel shivering as the dam holding back the emotional impact of the past events cracked and began to break. And yet Gelliana didn’t say much more, only tightened her hug around Toxic and rested her head against his. The shaking of his hooves and sides refused to stop, the stallion just focusing on the warm gryphoness holding him close as he sobbed, burying his face into her feathers. Gelliana rocked the distraught pony back and forth as the peaceful scent of her feathers made everything else fade away. “I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” she whispered, “but it’s ok to not be ok.” Thank you, Gelliana.