//------------------------------// // The Fourth Awakening // Story: Night Patrol 2: Awakening // by Foxgear //------------------------------// Night Patrol Chapter 61 By Foxgear Trifecta awoke in Lady Wiess’s bed for the third time since the start of his mission. It was a relatively easy thing to happen. Not that she was, maybe, he was just across the hall, and she wanted to wring him as much as possible before their inevitable departure. It did give VeeVee reign of his borrowed room, so he didn’t have to bunk with her, and it gave her a place to hide. Jazz was all but glued to her unit now. They were undergoing their final prep before being deployed to reinforce the stagnated northern west front. The fact that the peace talks were going poorly only reinforced Germane’s need to fortify their positions. If things didn’t settle down, Germane would switch from a defensive war to an aggressive one. Plans were in work to sabotage Prance rear line faculties and take out key officials. The Prench Queen very much on the list. So that little detail would have to be reported as soon as possible. His brow frowned. Trifecta wondered how it was possible to sit in on that strategy meeting. He knew how. The answer was softly snoozing beside him. It truly worried him what could become of Wiess if any pony were to find out about them. Life in prison would be her best option, followed quickly by the much more horrifying public beheading. They defiantly had unique ways of taking care of traitors in Germane. Though the beheading was from the fact she was a noble. (Fifteen minutes of pure agonizing fading consciousness.) Just thinking about it made him shiver. (I’d prefer to get my skull caved in then my head cut off personally.) “Whatcha thinking about?” The morning light radiated off Wiess’s groggy face, her eyes tightly closed while stretching like a cat underneath the sheets. He found the sight beautiful. “Nothing much, just lamenting this bliss ending and how I wouldn’t want to be beheaded.” Wiess blinked, her eyes snapping open wide. “Oh… ok.” The peach mare smiled sadly, looking down at her stained sheets. “I suppose this is our last morning together.” “Yes.” “Are you… sad to be departing?” “Do you really have to ask?” “I suppose not, yet I cannot convince you to stay.” Wiess clutched her blanket close with a slight frown. “Honestly, it makes me think I have no feminine charms.” “Now, we both know that’s not true,” Trifecta said, nuzzling her neck. “You’ve got more than enough. Truthfully, I wish you’d come with me. My friends can be very… accommodating. No slight against the ponies here, but they seem… much stricter with their enforcements.” Wiess couldn’t meet his eye, knowing his words were true. “Yes, if any pony here were to find out, I would be punished harshly. I know that. But in my heart, I feel I haven’t betrayed my country, but then I could no longer accept that if I were to go with you. I’m twisted, I know, but I will never regret these joyous three days. The days I was able to be myself with the pony I love.” “So, you’ll just submit to your mother’s wishes then? And be some noble stallion’s trophy wife?” Wiess snorted, “Honestly, I’d probably only be considered for a mistress position at this point. I guess I’d still be a trophy, if only a silver one. Unless I’m really unlucky, I could be bronze.” “And if I said, I would come for you after the war, what would you say then?” Wiess's entire body went stiff, slowly she turned to him, her eyes as conflicted as the world. “Well… I don’t know what my mother and brother would say about that…” “I’m not asking your mother or brother; I’m asking you.” Trifecta declared with no hesitation and fire in his eyes. Could she do it? Wiess wondered, could she really do it? There were many reasons to let this fairy tale end and think of it as a pleasant dream. She was a loyal Germanian, after all, and her country needed her. Yet, if the war ended and she was to retire from her position. Could she go galivanting off with Trifecta? “If I wanted to be selfish, ignore my family’s position and my own, I would say yes, in a heartbeat.” She smiled warmly, thinking of the future she was sure wouldn’t happen. “That’s only an if, though.” “Are you not allowed to be selfish from time to time?” “I suppose so…” She muttered lamely, her cheeks hot as Trifecta caressed her body. “That’s not a yes, you know.” Trifecta reared back, his smile intoxicating. “It’s not a no, either. When I come for you, I’ll ask again. Until then…” He finished his sentence with a kiss. “Oh you,” She playfully smacked after they separated, her blush uncontrollable. “You don’t know what you do to me. This is almost torture.” “If you’re into that sort of thing,” Trifecta whispered huskily in her ear. Before she could respond, there was a strange sequence of knocks at the door. Indicating it was VeeVee, Trifecta’s teammate, and was currently pretending to be his attendant under his Lord Teutonic glamor. From the other side of the door, VeeVee called, “My lady, are you presentable?” That was code for ‘Is Trifecta in disguise?’ “No, I need just a few minutes to freshen up!” Quickly the two star-crossed lovers jumped out of bed. Wiess making a deliberate about of noise to cover up Trifecta’s presence. He put on the bare minimum of his disguise. He wrapped his wings and covered his ears, donning a cape to hide the rest. “Understood, my lady, please beware a visitor is waiting patiently for you.” Wiess let a silent ‘FUCK’ leave her lips as she hurried to get her uniform on. She wondered who it could be. “It can’t be Weisser. He’s at the peace summit as security detail.” Wiess muttered darkly under her breath. Conflict arose in her heart. There was no way she could slip Trifecta past her brother, especially if he found out they were involved with each other. He was such a pain of an older brother, always chasing away any stallion she was remotely interested in because he found them ‘unworthy.’ As if he would know! “Are you done, ma’am?” “Just another minute!” There had to be somepony else there. VeeVee wouldn’t be rushing her if there wasn’t. Strange how well she clicked with a foreign agent. Just as Wiess finished buttoning her last button and Trifecta was about to make his escape to his room via the window, a commotion erupted outside. “Wait, my lady, please. Lady Wiess is not ready!” “Oh, we’re all mares. It’s fine!” Wiess felt her blood freeze and forgot to breathe for several seconds. (No way… what’s she doing here! She shouldn’t be here! She’d never leave that mare’s side!) The doors of her room burst open, nearly flying off the hinges as the bombastic brunette and peach mare forced her way inside. It was Germane’s second-deadliest ACE, better known as ‘Bloody Shovel’ Graffee Zeppelin. “Wiess! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you! Word around is you gotta colt friend!” Zeppelin’s gaze fell on Trifecta halfway out the window. “Oh, there he is! How nice!” Before Wiess could run any interference, Zeppelin was across the room, mare handling Trifecta back into the room. Perhaps it was her overly excitable nature or because she didn’t seem to have her eyes open. That Zeppelin didn’t notice anything odd about the stallion she was groping. “Hmm, good hard muscles, stern-looking face.” The Ace’s hoof drifted to a particular area. “Very nice here too. Ok, I approve!” “Pardon?” Wiess asked indignantly, not keeping up with Zeppelin at all. “What are you approving of now? And why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Lady Titania at the peace summit?” “Oh, I would love to be by Lady Titania’s side!” Zeppelin replied, smiling; it was a very fake smile, barely, if at all, hiding her displeasure. “But that stupid Prench bitch thought it was too much for both Lady Titania and me to be there. Saying it was a clear sign of aggression! So, I and most of the unit had to come home after flying all the way there!” “That means…” Wiess’s stomach was in knots. “Weisser is here too. A heads up, he already knows about your friend here. He’s already running a background check.” “But Lord Teutonic was on Weisser's and mother’s approved list! That’s the whole reason I met with him in the first place!” Zeppelin laughed heartily, casually approaching Wiess, so they were only an inch apart. Softly in a severe tone, she said, “Honey, Lord Teutonic died a week ago from battle wounds before the ceasefire, so stop pretending.” An artic chill ran down Wiess’s spine. The conflict in her heart flaring up. The debate of who her heart belonged to, Trifecta, or her country raged like a civil war, and she was prepared to do her duty when something dawned on her. “So, you approve of Tri, does that mean…” She left the question open, hoping beyond hope, her gamble would pay off. “His name is Tri? Kind of an odd name for a Germanian, but yes, I find him a fine stallion. I don’t know how you managed to find a pony with such taught muscles, but that is a catch I wouldn’t let go of, and neither should you, so I’ll deal Weisser if he gets out of hoof.” Wiess, as well as VeeVee and Trifecta, let out a collective sigh of relief. Well, Trifecta’s persona as a noble was in tatters. It seemed Zeppelin thought he was still from Germane. However, that didn’t mean they were getting away unscathed as Wiess received a swift slap on the nose. “What’d you do that for!” “I know you’re having trouble finding a mate you like, and that your mother and brother agree on, but having your colt friend impersonate a noble was stupid. I thought you a bit more clever than that!” Zeppelin suddenly returned her attention to Trifecta. “You have any family of importance?” “If you’re asking if I hold any noble titles then, I must say I do not. I am no pony of significance.” Zeppelin hummed while pressing her hoof against her cheek, “Well, that’s too bad, but that does give me some leeway. Alright, as of today, your Tri Zeppelin!” A collective, “What?” Followed by Zeppelin, embracing Tri had the room in a tizzy for several reasons. Zeppelin paid it little mind, lost in her own cloud nine scheming. “You’re a bit too old to claim as my son, I’m not looking for a little brother, so I’ll adopt you as a cousin, maybe? Sounds good? Good. I’m glad we all agree.” Wiess wanted to groan. She should have known Zeppelin would choose the easiest way for her to help while at the same time making a nightmare for every pony else. Being Germane’s second-highest ranked Ace, a noble, and Lady Titania’s personal assistant and best friend, Graffee Zeppelin was unofficially ranked fourth in both magic and political circles. She might as well be the Kaiser’s unofficial second stepdaughter. Luckily Wiess wasn’t the only one who saw all the problems this would bring, and VeeVee stepped up to bat, so to speak. “My lady, such an offer is very generous, but is it truly the best course of action? Maybe you should start with something less extreme. A personal recommendation might be more reasonable.” Zeppelin childishly puffed her cheek, looking stumped. Impatiently she paced the floor, chewing her lips and making a protracted ‘hmm’ noise. It was a strange sight. Making the three watching question if this mare was indeed a mare and not a filly pretending to be one. “How old is she supposed to be?” VeeVee asked Wiess softly. The amount of time Zeppelin was pacing was becoming concerning. Five minutes have already passed. Wiess replied, “She’s in her thirties. Normally when she’s with Lady Titania, she’s super serious and composed. When she’s not, she reverts to something of a ditzy teenager. That’s what makes her so dangerous. Without Titania around, she’s kind of a loose cannon.” “Maybe we should just slowly back away,” Trifecta suggested, already acting on his suggestion by backing out of the room. The other two joining him. They made it to the hall when… “Eureka! Ok! I’ll do that!” Zeppelin bounced in place, cocking her head to the side when she saw the others. “Why are you over there?” “No reason,” Wiess nervously answered. “So, what did you decide?” “I’ll write a recommendation!” Zeppelin smiled and stood there, staring expectedly at them. Her gaze suddenly shifted to VeeVee. “Well?” “Well…?” VeeVee was uncertain what to say, and then Wiess poked her in the side, giving her an irritated look. (Right, I’m a servant here.) Producing a strained smile VeeVee curtseyed to the noble pony. “What can I do for you, my lady?” “Go to my mansion and fetch me parchment, pen, ink, and my seal. Wax will be required as well. I guess you don’t know where my mansion is… it’s the one right next to Lady Titania’s… oh, I have a seal in my office desk in my room here as well. That’s a much shorter trip. You do that, and I’ll go make us some coffee.” VeeVee blinked, visibly confused, “Shouldn’t I make the coffee, and you go fetch the seal…” she trailed off as Zeppelin unleashed an unholy death glare that made them all freeze in terror. For an earth pony to have such a volume of magic was unheard of. Not even Applejack the first had such power! Zeppelin got right in VeeVee’s face. “I make the coffee.” Wiess got in between the two mares. “She’s new, so forgive her, but she does have a point. You’re not serving lady Titania, so do you really need to make it?” She asked timidly, genuine fear in her heart. Zeppelin could slap her through the wall. Said wall was ten feet of solid interlocked stone. Thankfully her words seemed to have an effect—Zeppelin pouting like a schoolgirl whose crush wasn’t in sight. “I suppose that makes sense. Alright, I’ll go, I guess.” Much like how she suddenly breezed in, Zeppelin wandered away dejected. Not having her commanding officer and friend in proximity was hard on the brunette. In a lot of ways, she was like a lost puppy: a vicious one that would rip you apart, but still, a puppy needing its master. “So… she’s the second-ranked ACE?” Trifecta asked with a bit of disbelief. Wiess could only nod. VeeVee chimed in with, “Is it any weirder than some of our heavy hitters? I mean, seriously? Also, does this mean I have to bring her coffee, or are we done here?” “You two better get a move on. Zeppelin is a ditz, but my brother makes it his mission to get into my business. It would be better for all of us if you got going. That said, the Lord Teutonic bit is out the window. I’ll see about getting you some armor from my unit and some documents. Stay hidden until I can get them.” “No wait,” VeeVee grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her and Trifecta next to each other like a mother setting up her children for a picture. “I have a better idea.” She said, pushing the two down the hall. “Why don’t you two go for a ‘walk’ as a ‘date’? One that takes you out of the city, perhaps?” “Are you suggesting…” “Yes,” Interrupted VeeVee with a strained smile. “This is for the best. You two might as well make the best of what time you have left.” “What about you?” “I can take care of myself, ‘Tri.’ Trust me. I am much more capable than you think.” “But, I already thought you capable.” “Well, I’m simply more than you even think. Look, we’re getting into the weeds, just get the fuck out of here, please?” Wiess waivered, but a reassuring touch from Trifecta cleared her mind. In the sense that she came to a decision. Right or wrong, she was on board. “Alright, let’s go. It’ll be easier if I’m there to collaborate with your story. There’s a secret passage in the park that only certain ponies know about. We’ll use that to get out of the city.” Wiess’s voice trailed off, her topics switching to something more lovely dovey to dissuade onlookers. It was the cringe kind of love talk that no pony wanted to deal with, so they were probably clear unless some official business came along. Now alone, VeeVee wandered into the room she and Trifecta had been using during their stay in Germane. The door she left open closed by a mysterious force and one she had no hoof in. The deadbolt locked with a loud ‘clunk.’ Graffee Zeppelin in her HM89-MFFF materialized as she canceled her stealth spell, her horn clicking to a different spell combo. An attack one most likely. “You’re not as stupid as you let on.” Zeppelin beamed cheerfully, “To deceive one’s enemies, one must first deceive their friends as some pony once said.” “So, they say, I can’t quite remember who said that.” VeeVee turned to face the mare known as the bloody shovel. To match her moniker, Zeppelin carried a rusty shovel with a polished edge. A good swing would smash her skull or gouge her throat. “So, why single me out?” “I was honest when I said I would help those two, but that’s a personal business, and this is a duty.” “You’re making me the fall pony, any crimes you dig up will be blamed on me, and with your rank and authority, you can spin whatever story you want. That’s actually kind of clever but shortsighted. Do you think you can get Trifecta to go along with it? He’s a loose end. Weiss will be found a traitor; eventually, it won’t be hard.” Zeppelin drew her shovel with levitation. “I’ve already thought of that too. Unfortunately, the loving young couple will not return from their ‘date.’” “Are you framing me for that too?” Zeppelin did not reply. “Why are you going so far for her? You know her actions would be considered treacherous, right? She’s in denial, but she’s a traitor.” “I am aware…” the earth mare muttered, her gaze hardening. “Wiess is a loyal soldier and devoted her life to Germane. I can’t say if she wasn’t a pony I knew I would be doing this. I probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. I guess we can call this Wiess’s devotion getting cashed in for a get out of jail free card. I hope that stallion is worth it. She’s been tainted by love, she’ll never be the same pony as before, nor can I in good conscience allow her to stay in our ranks. This is the only way forward for her.” “So, all her years of devotion get her exiled with her lover rather than killed. Honestly, that’s not a bad payoff. If she wasn’t going to a certain place, it would never work, though.” “Yes,” Zeppelin laughed knowingly. “A certain country that defies conventional logic. The only place that would accept a pony such as her openly and honestly.” “Yes, they truly are soft-hearted fools at times. Though I can’t say I dislike that about them. It’s been beneficial to me over the years.” VeeVee glanced out the window. “So how long are we going to keep chatting? You think they're far enough away by now?” Zeppelin hummed while checking the clock, “A few more minutes if you don’t mind. Since you seem so willing to talk, I have a few questions for you.” VeeVee laughed hotly, “Do you think I’ll spill my secrets so easily?” Zeppelin snickered, “Of course not, I’m just curious…” “About?” “How do you hide that terrible smell from them?” “Smell?” VeeVee replied softly, a cold sweat dripping down her body. “What smell are you talking about?” “Come on now,” Zeppelin pressed. “That rotting corpse smell.” The saddlebags VeeVee wore dropped to the floor as she rose to bipedal, a bone wand in each claw. “I swear SHE gave you the nose of hounds. Ironically, I’d run into one such as you, but given this country’s makeup, I shouldn’t be so surprised.” Zeppelin’s rune horn chattered as the mechanism clicked to a new combination. The earth mare dropped into an aggressive crouch with her metal wings spread wide like razor blades. Her eyes shining with a cloudy orangish-yellow hue. The magic aura wafting off her could be mistaken for a high-level unicorn as her hair blew in an invisible wind. “I knew it,” VeeVee snarled, clutching her wands tightly, a profound purple aura appearing around her body. “You’re one of HERS!” “Enough of your chatter!” “Same for you!” In the park west of the Kaiser’s palace rested a park roughly twenty acres in size. It comprised of a lush number of trees and a small assortment of boulders that numbered five. Each boulder was about two stories tall and twenty feet across. They were placed to form a pseudo mountain that ponies of all ages could climb for pleasure. Benches were placed in a strategic position so parents could fully view the rocks from any side to keep an eye on their little ones. It was a cheap and social place for city folks to escape from the city's gridded brick and mortar—a place of natural beauty to refresh oneself. Fifty yards from this spot was a no maintenance path with a no entry sign. Dead trees formed a spooky entrance to the trail, abundant with dead leaves and other undergrowth made it more unwelcoming. Naturally, even with the signs, teenagers made a well-worn path. Disregarding such warnings to go on a small adventure—most of the time at night. The empty beer bottles, cigarettes, and other particular discarded trash eluded to what activities took place here. The teens never traveled far into the deeper woods. Only ever far enough to get to the small campsite that had formed over the years from generations past. The out of sight spot was an open secret to most teens and adults that passed down this secret. However, they did not know that all of this had been planned many many years ago. The sign, the out of sight campsite, all of it was deliberately set up to allow such rule-breakers free reign to walk down the closed trail. The secret was the hangout for horny teens wanting to have their first beer and stamp their V-cards was all a cover. It was all to hide the underground catacombs' actual secret entrance just two feet from what had been a teen keg party the night before. “You seriously put the entrance right here?” Snorted Trifecta at the hidden underground entrance before him. It was nothing special, just a graffiti-covered rock, but if you had a certain kind of dog tag, that same rock that had such things as Call Lucy Lily for a good time and several dick drawings. Opened to the same underground cavern he entered three days ago. “This has been here since I was a teen. Can you believe how surprised I was when I found out?” “I’m surprised you guys got away with it for so long.” “Well, this entrance is only recommended for mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Usually, the teens show up by nightfall and end up camping out until early morning. They’re usually gone by 2:00am.” “Talk about literally hiding a tree in the forest,” Mused Trifecta. He had to admit he never would have thought the entrance to an underground network that leads to several bases, and the Kaiser’s palace would be right where a keg party had taken place. Several stained and discarded articles of clothing littered the ground. “That’s a lot of socks with bows.” “It's the fashion right now; last year, it was stripes.” “Same back home.” A sly grin spread across his lips. “Wouldn’t mind seeing you in a set. I’m sure I saw some in your dresser. Black with pink bows, right?” A blush appeared on her cheeks as Wiess opened the secret door to the catacombs. “Those were a gift! It’s not like I’ve worn them or put them on to see how they look in the mirror. They are far too audacious for me.” “So, you say,” He teased, bumping her on the hip. “I suppose you’ll just have to try them on so I can tell you how good you look.” “Shut up,” Stuttered Wiess, unable to make eye contact. If her face was any hotter, steam would be rising from it. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to you ogling me.” She added quietly as the secret door shut behind them. The tunnel led further underground. Soft blue lights marked the worn rocky pathway of the cavern. Sniffing the damp air, Trifecta’s ears flickered to the sound of running water. “Are we going toward the door hidden behind the waterfall?” “If we want to be caught, yes. The caves are vast and connect from the forest to the underground base, the palace, and the city sewers. Where you entered is only one entrance of many. It’s a bit too high traffic, though. We’ll bypass the central chamber and take the less-traveled route that leads to an entrance much further out in the forest. It’s not often used because it’s so out of the way.” “So, we could have left at any time?” “Not exactly. Even if our inbound teams don’t use this route, there is still a patrol that comes through here at scheduled times. The schedule is always changing, with different teams being assigned all the time. Even I can’t guarantee we won’t bump into somepony, so let’s cut the chatter.” “That you should have done before entering, sister.” Weiss and Trifecta halted at the pony barring their path, a stout, taller, and beefier stallion version of Wiess. His slick back blond hair, well-kept muzzle, and noble appearance gave him a dignified and powerful aura. His crystal blue eyes settled on his sister and her lover, disappointment and hurt clear as a pond in their blue depths. “Weisser, what are you doing here?” Wiess retreated reflexively behind Trifecta, her fear of her older brother cowing her to meekness. For his part, Trifecta stepped forward, meeting the Germane Shock trooper head-on, towering over Weisser by an entire head. Forcing the earth pony to look up to make eye contact. To his credit, Weisser did not back down or seemed cowed in the slightest. “So, you’re my sister’s latest boy toy.” “That’s one word for it, I guess. You’re not that type of noble into pureblood lines, are you? That’s creepy bro, about makes me vomit, honestly. Is that why you’ve chased off every stallion before me?” Weisser snarled, “Being concerned for my sister’s wellbeing and future is natural. I simply wanted her to have a stallion of worthy caliber. Her standards were subpar in my and mother’s mind. There was no ill intent or want to drive her to such extremes.” He closed his eyes, his entire body visibly shaking. “To think my good intentions would pave such a hellish road.” Weiss peeked out behind Trifecta, “Weisser, what do you mean?” The metal horn atop his head clicked, shooting a blinding blue light from the tip. Both Trifecta and Wiess found themselves pressed to the ground, unable to move. In a booming voice, Weisser said, “Discovered corpse of unknown germane operative and Officer Weiss, both killed by a spy of unknown origins. Moving to assist Officer Zeppelin in the apprehension of operative.” His metal horn clicked in sequence; the recording function disabled. Weisser kept the two lovers restrained, pulling Weiss’s dog tags from around her neck before allowing the two to stand. “What is the meaning of this brother?” Complained Wiess rubbing her neck where her dog tag chain had left an imprint. “It is as I said,” Weisser whispered. “As of now, you’re dead. Never show your face here again, Weiss.” “Wha… but… I…” Tears bubbled around her eyes. “You can’t… this can’t be…” Weisser looked away, “It’s the only way. I’m only following orders.” Trifecta freed his wings, wrapping one around the shocked Wiess and leading her past her brother. It became evident to him that Zeppelin had played the fool. What he couldn’t figure was why she was letting them getaway. With Wiess drawing the bulk of his concern, Trifecta was too distracted to realize what sort of danger his straggling teammate was in. “Come on, let’s go.” He comforted his lover, his eyes trained on her brother, who showed no sign of taking any further action. “I’ll take care of her.” He suddenly promised the stoic sibling. Weisser held back his tears, his heart tearing itself apart. (If only I’d let her choose, maybe… maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.) “You better.” Was the dishearten brother’s rebuke. Zeppelin clearly laid out what his sister had done and what his superior officer planned to do. Had Lady Titania been here, he’d be watching his sister face the firing squad, the gallows, or spectating the Kaiser’s daughter beat her face in until she thought Wiess suffered enough. As it happened, Zeppelin was of a kinder heart, rewarding Weiss’s years of service with a single act of leniency. As a Germane Shock trooper, one of the Kaiser’s most elite and trusted units, it enraged him to think somepony betrayed their leader. Yet, as a brother, he wanted to see his sister safe and happy. He’d prefer such a dream to take place in their home, where he could see her grow old with her husband and see his future nieces and nephews whenever he wanted. It was a dream he held in his heart and what he strived for. He also wanted to fulfill his mother’s wishes of raising the family status, and thus he tried to do both and got neither. His sister was a traitor, there was no way around that, but he could not deny his own fault in the events that made this outcome unfold. So, he took the out Zeppelin gave him. To preserve his sister’s honor, she had to ‘die.’ All her sins would be taken on by the pony left behind, and Wiess could be rewarded officially as an honorable soldier. Weisser dared not to look back at the disappearing form of his sister, one because he would lose his resolve and two, he did not wish to show his tears to the stallion that had taken her from him. What he did do was impart what could be his very last words to his little sister. “I hope you live free and happily.” No matter what, he would not apologize to her. He did what he thought was right for her and the family at large. Though it was all for not, he believed at the very least, his heart had been in the right place. Weiss silently cried, bowed her head to her brother, and clung to her lover, the last rock of her life, as it dawned on her what she had done and must now live with. “Tell mom… I love her, ok?” “I can do that.” “Thank you, Weisser.” Departing with those words, the two siblings would never see each other ever again. They would emerge from the tunnels forever separated. One carried by the wings of love to a new life of freedom, the other would appear to find horrible black smoke rising from the city he loved and a titanic battle over the skies of the Kaiser’s palace. “By Gaia’s mane… what is this?” His eyes had to be deceiving him. For in the sky flew two streaks, one raspberry, one orange, it was something out of a storybook fairytale from the age of the divine. As if two gods were dueling before mere mortals. The orange streak zoomed overhead, shaking the trees with its speed alone. But he recognized the pony. “Vice-Commander Zeppelin,” Weisser took a moment to gather his thoughts, having only seen this level of power from only one other pony before. “So, you have blessed blood as well. But then… who is that?” He asked aloud as the violet streak chased after the Vice-Commander. Graffee Zeppelin had what many would consider a blessed and lucky life. That is what strangers assumed, and they would be correct in their ignorant view. After all, she was a mare of noble birth, best friend of the Kaiser’s stepdaughter, loved almost like a second daughter by the Kaiser himself, and was talented and possessed a high military rank. For the cherry on top, she was a direct descendent of the Alicorn of Earth, Gaia. Which only make her more loved in earth pony centric nations. For Zeppelin herself, she did consider herself lucky, but that was only after she came to Germane. Initially, she was from Prussia, a large nation east of Germane. She had been born into the ruling Don Family. There she had grown in luxury as any noble would. Until the line of succession was brought into contention. Suddenly her part of the family, a reasonably distant relative, had a chance to take the throne and even though her parents hadn’t wanted it. Other family members didn’t believe them, and thus a purge had taken place, her parents fleeing to her mother’s family in Germane. They lived decent, humble lives, wanting to keep a low profile, the purge souring their taste for the elite. When Zeppelin’s Aunt could no longer support them, and her mother and father all but killing themselves to make their daily needs. Graffee joined the military to ease her parent’s burdens. In the Academy, she was roomed with Titania, and they became fast friends. She hadn’t even known she was the Kaiser’s daughter at the time, and they became as close as sisters. At some point in their training, Titania revealed her hidden power. For those not in the know, she was dubbed a Blessed Blood. What was that? It was a pony descended from an Alicorn. In sporadic cases, they could activate a fraction of their ancestors’ power for a short period. Titania always described it as a curse, though, and said Zeppelin’s blood was truly blessed. For a long time, Graffee didn’t understand her friend’s words until Titania showed her evidence that she, too, was an alicorn descendent. Through much hard training and effort, she too managed to awaken the ancient blood inside her. The power of the Earth Alicorn Gaia. Mother of all Earth ponies. It was a power she used sparingly yet held supreme confidence in the fact there were only four others that she thought she needed to fear. Those being Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Titania. With Novo possibly being on that list. Of course, dragons were a different matter, but she was confident she could deal with any pony besides those five. So colored her surprised when this random Rinin was giving her the fight of her life! Her plan had been relatively straightforward. After letting Trifecta and Weiss escape, she would kill VeeVee and lay any and all crimes of the two on her corpse. The wands made of bone put her on edge, but she was confident of her power. She cast a simple but powerful spell that would have blown a hole through VeeVee. What had actually happened was VeeVee blocked the attack with a shield spell and countered with her own explosion spell that blew up both Trifecta and Weiss’s room! Such an attack required a decent sum of magic, and Graffee believed that was perhaps all the Rinin could manage. To her surprise once more, not only was VeeVee barely breathing hard, she was projecting a mighty and very menacing violet aura. The spells she fired were quick and weak, but at such a rate, Zeppelin found she didn’t have a second to concentrate for a counter-attack. Thus, she took to the sky to gain distance, firing three magic bullets to wound or even just distract the rinin. When VeeVee flew out of the smoke, her visage made Zeppelin feel fear. The rinin’s eyes had whited out, a tell-tale sign of a pony using a tremendous amount of magical power, but that was not all. In fact, it was much worse; VeeVee’s raspberry mane had changed to an ethereal mixture of purples and pinks with white sparkles dotting it like stars in the sky. The Rinin held a mana blade in each claw and gave chase at unnatural speeds. “Who are you!” Zeppelin demanded as she clashed with VeeVee’s blades with her own mana blade. She coated her wing blades to try and gain the advantage and struggled even to do that. VeeVee was fighting using a bipedal stance employed by dragons of smaller stature. Her blade work was of a similar style. More miniature Dragons tended to have higher intelligence and were more open to using tools to gain the upper claw to their larger brethren. It was a fighting style that quad pedals had a hard time countering. Spinning left, Zeppelin slashed with her wing and then jabbed with her foreleg, clocking VeeVee in the torso. There was a crunch, implying something had broken. VeeVee was hardly phased and broke off to breathe fire on herself. The strange sparkling pink flame healed the rinin right up. Zeppelin was cursing herself for taking the rinin lightly, while at the time, she hadn’t known she was a rinin, but still. She should have come fully equipped. Her lack of armor made her much more mobile, so she could evade better than usual, but she sorely missed her equipment, such as potions, grenades, and other useful and numerous tools. As they continued to clash, VeeVee never replied to her banter, merely snarling like a savage beast focused on the hunt. (Perhaps I can use that?) Performing a feint, Zeppelin got VeeVee to overreach with her attack, giving her an opening. A rapid burst of magic bullets peppered the pink rinin, stunning her. Taking this chance, she committed to a fatal strike, using her booster wings to add to her momentum. Before she could connect, Zeppelin aerial rolled away from VeeVee, the rinin smirking. “You have good instincts,” Praised VeeVee, her pupils returning, though her hair remained in its ethereal state. That said, her magic power did drop by a significant margin. “Had you gone through with that attack, this would have been over.” She didn’t try to reveal it, but Zeppelin could make out a third bone wand in the crook of the rinin’s left elbow joint. It would have skewered her the moment she got in range. “You’re a tricky one.” Listing in the air Zeppelin took in their surroundings. The initial fast pace of the fight discombobulated her sense of direction. Thankfully they had gone away from the capital. Besides the explosion at the Kaiser’s palace, the city was unscathed. Mostly. “One, two, three, four… shit. I’m going to have to pay for those, I bet.” So unscathed was a bit of a stretch as there were four columns of black smoke rising from the city. Hopefully, no pony was killed or, at the very least, not crippled for life. Zeppelin retrieved the memo pad that she kept tucked in her uniform. “Note to self, find an outstanding lawyer, cash in pending housing investments. Ask Titania for a loan, possibly.” Snapping the booklet close, Zeppelin put on a much more serious expression. “You’re quite something, you know? Very few ponies ever make me resort to this.” VeeVee brushed aside the compliment by inspecting her talons. One was broken from an attempt she made for the Germane mare’s throat; Zeppelin’s magic enhanced hoof was no joke. “Yes, I can safely say your one of a kind as well, definitely one of hers. You realize, of course, that I can’t let you walk away from this, right? I’m very fond of my secrets.” Zeppelin grinned, “Funny, I thought I’d take you alive to glean some intel, but I think you're too dangerous for that. It’s a shame, but you were going to die anyway. You’re burning much more energy than I am.” The ethereal wind blowing VeeVee’s hair began to die down, strands of her mundane hair mixing in with the majestic sparkly mane. To add to her problems, purple crystalized veins started to appear across her body like cracks, along with a pungent smell of rotting meat. “I really liked this one,” VeeVee lamented softly, bits of her claws breaking down into crystal. When she clenched it, it fell apart completely, leaving behind a stub. Placing a bone wand between her teeth, VeeVee held the other in her remaining claw, beckoning for Zeppelin to continue. Flaring her magical aura, Zeppelin snarled as orange-gold magic swirled around her metal horn. The runes spinning rapidly, clicking as she prepared her spells. “It’s over!” A scattershot of explosions lit up the sky. VeeVee fell through the smoke, shards of a failed shield dissipating around her. The rinin crashed to the earth, and Zeppelin gave chase, appearing on the forest floor via teleport, with another Bombardment Buckshot ready. VeeVee stabbed one bone wand into the ground, the other still clutched between her teeth, while arcs of purple lightning danced between her talons. “You can’t beat me!” “Not alone,” The rinin admitted, shooting the lightning at the earthed bone wand. “Your master calls, so you must answer! Come here, slave!” “Like I’d let you!” Zeppelin unleashed her attack, a widespread of glowing orange spheres flying at the rinin. However, a figure appeared between VeeVee and the coming attack. A shadowy black figure that cut a swath through the barrage. It was a pony, a black mare with long braided pink hair, adorned in pink light armor and dramatic fluttering pink scarf. A long-pointed horn revealed the species, and the slender silver rapier held loft by pink magic fluttered through the air. “I resent being called a slave.” The mysterious pony retorted hotly to her supposed master. A smile of glee appeared on her face when she saw the state of her ‘master.’ “You look like something the cat dragged in.” “Shut up,” VeeVee barked as more of her body crystalized and crumbled. “Perhaps I should have summoned your Aunt or perhaps your little sister? Is that what you want? If not, you’ll help willingly, Zil. You vowed to be my Cu, right? For the sake of your beloved family?” The eldest daughter of the late King Sombra twirled her rune inscribed rapier, her expression solemn in its shining reflection. Her thoughts of her dotting Aunt Gleam and her pregnant sister and her little niece and the humble life they’ve enjoyed these past five years. “I am your dog, master.” VeeVee stood up straighter, putting on airs. “Good, now, go bite.” Zil took off like an arrow, sword meeting shovel as Princess and Ace clashed. Light on her feet, Zil kept her rapier moving, jabbing and spinning like a windmill, never allowing the long narrow blade to overstress. The thin tempered steel was no match for the rugged sharpened shovel. The oldest daughter of Sombra was amazed by how well of a weapon the tool was. (It’s like a spear and club all in one!) She gritted as Zeppelin slapped away her thrust with the flat of the shovel, thrusting the sharpened end like a spear. That jagged gleaming tip made her nervous. It looked sharp enough to hack open her throat, but besides that, the rust caking the rest of the head was sure to give her tetanus. If not, something worse. “That thing is a war crime!” Zil snarled, drawing her parrying dagger, a new addition to her arsenal. The shorter, sturdier blade was a great way to shield from enemy weapons without carrying a full shield. It could also be used to break enemy blades in some instances. This was not one of those. “Only if toxins are manually applied does it count as a bioweapon! No pony is expected to keep their digging tool sanitized, right?” “I don’t see you digging trenches or foxholes!” Zil argued, ducking under a sweeping strike, meeting Zeppelin’s hoof in the face. She stumbled back, throwing up a single layer magic barrier to impede her opponent. Three AP shots swiss cheesed her wall, one burrowing through her shoulder plate. Charging her shovel, Zeppelin reared back, “It’s for digging your grave!” The tip of the shovel sliced through the flimsy barrier, catching Zil in the shoulder. Blood seeped from under the damaged armor plate. Zil was a seasoned warrior and did not lose her focus. She spun her rapier-like a drill, sending it at Zeppelin, who blocked with her metal wing. The spinning blade shattered against the sturdier steel, but its sacrifice was not in vain. The rivets on Zeppelin’s right-wing came loose from the magical shockwave, parts of the wing flying through the air like shrapnel. A piece of her own wing blade pierced her side. “Scheisse!” Cursed the Earth mare, but instead of retreating, she pressed forward with her wing, aiming for Zil’s throat. The black mare’s parry dagger flew between the gap of her steel feathers and twisted, snapping the metal feathers. “Just horns now! You fake!” Zil taunted, pulling her dagger back. She dodged a three-hit shovel combo, biting her lip as the shovel grazed her studded leather breastplate. Leather and iron flew, Zeppelin, pointing the shovel forward like a lance and charged. With her parrying dagger, Zil managed to turn the thrust, getting body slammed instead of stabbed. Here is where the fight fell apart. Having minimal experience in unarmed combat, Zil found herself face first in the dirt. Zeppelin, on the other leg, was used to brawling in the mud. She clocked Zil in the jaw, again and again. Leaving the daughter of Sombra with a swollen face. Pulling an anti-magic ring from a pouch, Zeppelin slipped it on Zil’s horn while putting her in a headlock. “I give!” Zil shouted as Zeppelin tightened around her like an anaconda. They probably appeared to be nothing but a tangle of limbs; if one weren’t looking closely, this might look like a compromising position rather than a painful restraint. “I said, I give! Gods your good a this, do you practice with your colt friend?” Zeppelin felt Zil’s entire body relax, which made her almost strangle the other mare, so she had lightened her grip a little bit. Only a little. She waited several moments to see if Zil was faking, but she remained totally relaxed and at her mercy. It wasn’t hard to figure out why. “She’s gone.” VeeVee had escaped during the conflict, obviously. “Where’d she go?” Zeppelin demanded applying more pressure to Zil. “You think I know? Fuck, I don’t even know where I am! She summoned me! With no warning, by the way, and when I was supposed to be watching my niece! So, fuck off! I did my job! If you want to catch her, let go of me and run after her! I won’t stop you!” Perhaps against her better judgment Zeppelin let go of Zil, keeping a sharp eye on the black and pink unicorn as she rubbed her throat. “Thank you,” Zil coughed out, getting to her feet. “Gugh, that bitch always uses me for shit like this. Still, you got her good, brightens my day.” Putting her shovel on her back, Zeppelin pondered what to do. With her wings destroyed, she wasn’t flying anywhere soon, and since VeeVee could still fly, tracking her was all but impossible. The rinin would be long gone by the time she got back to the palace to report what happened. That said, their fight had put the capital on high alert. There was a high chance of a patrol catching her. So she might as well get all she can from Zil. “Your name is Zil, correct?” Zil gave the earth pony a sideways glance. “I wish she wouldn’t have used my name, but yes, my name is Zil. I know what you want to ask, but just so you know, that bitch has a curse on me. I can’t answer certain questions, no matter how much you threaten me.” Zil removed her scarf to show the slave seal on her neck. “I very much dislike it, but I am her slave.” “I take it this wasn’t a willing thing?” “One wasn’t,” She answered. “The first seal she gave my entire family, the second one on my neck, I willingly submitted too. A very loose definition of willing but willing.” “To protect your family?” Now that they weren’t at each other’s throats. Zeppelin could get a good look at the numerous battle scars on Zil’s body. There were many slashes and stab wounds and one large blast mark where her mark should be. “Did she give you those? Or are those from serving under her?” Zil followed Zeppelin’s stare, “Some are from before, some after.” “Alright, what is VeeVee’s objective?” The dark Princess snorted, “The hell if I know. After she captured us, she forced us to move to a certain town, and that my Aunt and Sister had to settle down and start baring offspring. Besides the occasional summon, she leaves us alone. That’s all I can say.” Zil began to fade from view. “Looks like my time is up.” “But the ring…” “You blocked my magic, but I was brought here via summoning, and my master is canceling my summons. Read a fucking book you… well, you deserve some respect, I guess. Don’t bother looking for me, but if you managed to kill that bitch. I’ll owe you one, Earth Pony.” “My name is Graffee Zeppelin.” Zil smiled to herself, “Zil, Princess Zil, eldest daughter of King Sombra, or I was. Now, I’m just Zil.” The dark Princess faded from view, the anti-magic ring falling to the ground with a soft ting! Zeppelin retrieved the item, musing that she’d need to study more magic. While also filing away today’s lesson, it was nice to know that Anti-magic rings aren’t a catch-all. “Now,” Zeppelin looked to the sky at the billowing black smoke clouds. “Where’d she go?” Looking west, Zeppelin assumed VeeVee made her escape that way, or maybe north or south. East would take her back to the capital, and she couldn’t imagine a reason for VeeVee to go there. “Some things don’t go as planned, I guess, but this is a real mess, and I’m going to have to deal with it. Hopefully, I can pass this off as a lone wolf attack. Shit, this is going to suck so much!” Her tone was akin to a teenager being assigned homework over a long weekend. At a steady trot, Zeppelin began her journey home on foot. She managed to fly thirty miles outside of the capital and would not return for several hours due to her injuries. “Hopefully, the Kaiserin is all right.” She prayed, With the Kaiser and Titania away, if anything were to happen to the Kaiserin, claimed to be the heart of Germane, things would go from dicey to apocalyptic. VeeVee, under the guise of an invisibility spell, landed in the newly renovated hole in the Kaiser’s palace. The fire was under control, with the smoke providing her even more cover. She cast teleportation and appeared in the underground lab with a final painful push, right before the floating hybrid that she reviled so much. When her feet touched the ground, her back legs shattered, leaving her only one working claw and blackening wand that would soon be at its limit. “Originally, I wanted to destroy you,” She rasped, pointing the wand at the soulless body. “But beggars can’t be choosers.” With a bright violet flash, VeeVee’s body crumbled into a pile of raspberry-colored crystals, while the creature inside the vat tube opened it’s green/pink eyes. Bubbles floated to the top of its vat as its body moved and breathed for the first time. With a flicker, the strange hybrid was standing outside its tank, dripping wet in a flash of light, it’s crooked pink horn smoking with magical energy. “A better fit than I thought it would be.” The creature said, shaking its head. Sparkling violet magic showered over its body, causing it to vanish without a trace.