//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: The Unfathomable Burden // Story: Spectrum of Lightning // by Seriff Pilcrow //------------------------------// Twilight Velvet braced her forelegs on the inner wall of the “jeepney”—at least, that was what Daring Do called it—as it trailed behind a military truck. The jeepney less resembled an actual jeep and more like a van with musty, torn-up seats running along the sides and facing each other, save for the driver’s seat and shotgun. Whether this rust bucket was factory fashion or severe neglect on the part of the owner, Velvet couldn’t say. Not that she cared at the moment. Her forelegs tried to absorb yet another violent jolt, this one nearly bouncing Velvet out of her seat. Despite the chaos of the ride, she still felt numb.  Rapids’ fate was still too fresh. She wondered if this feeling would ever fade. Velvet’s eyes briefly met those of the driver through the rearview mirror. After another moment, the dingy earth pony switched his gaze to glance back at Daring. “Kumusta kayo diha?”  “Okay lang po!” replied Daring. Her eyes flicked towards Velvet before she turned away with a sigh. “At least, physically…” Velvet’s jaw clenched. She hadn’t spoken so much as a squeak since Daring secured their ride. The air had faded from a fresh mountain jungle breeze into stale city haze, a hint of the now-familiar odor of gunpowder wafting through the air. Velvet was torn between watching out the window and looking towards her adventuring companion. She didn’t want to meet Daring’s eyes, but at the same time, she didn’t want to catch sight of yet another family in tattered clothes trudging to the opposite direction. If she was especially unlucky, that family would be lying on the dirt, their fur stained red. Sometimes, Velvet looked down at her—no, River Rapids’ necklace. There it was, poking out of her jacket pocket the same way as it poked into her mind. A symbol of Rapids’ last act. A symbol of Velvet’s failure. Velvet squirmed in her seat and put her front hooves together. Everything around her was conspiring to make her feel small. And the worst part? It was working.  “I don’t understand,” croaked Velvet.  Out of the corner of her vision, Daring focused on her with a pensive gaze, barely flinching Velvet tried to swallow, her throat far too dry.  “Understand? What don’t you understand?” Velvet gave a lifeless chuckle. “What’s different this time?” “Hmm?” “I thought I would be having fun…” With a muddy hoof, Velvet wiped at some itch near the corner of her eye. “...you know, back at the train. Don’t get me wrong: up until today, I was.” Velvet felt her heart twitch as she looked through the open back door of the jeepney, the bloodstained bodies of three ponies shrinking in the distance.  Daring gestured at the necklace in Velvet’s jacket. “To be fair, you did just watch Rapids die.”  Velvet shook her head. “It’s not just Rapids. I mean, it’s primarily her, but…it’s not just her.” Velvet cupped her hooves. “Though since you brought her up…how do you deal with it? Losing ponies like her? Surely you’ve had your own Rapids…Rapidses…y-you know.” It was Daring’s turn to sigh. “More than I’d like to admit. Why do you think I kept trying to push you away after the train? An ounce of prevention, as they say.” Velvet rubbed at her eyes again—must’ve been a wisp of soot. Yeah, that was it, nothing to do with her rapidly crumbling faꞔade. “But let’s say Thunderhooves entrusted Rapids to me instead of you and I had to witness her death. Lots of ponies say you have to have a tough shell to protect a soft interior.”   Daring took her pith helmet off, frowned, and shook her head. “That’s not how you reinforce something. A shell’s not good enough. You need crossbeams or…buttresses or whatever.  Velvet snickered. It felt good to divert her mind, even for a moment. She imagined the sides of Daring’s helmet, reinforced with flying buttresses.  Daring frowned. “Or whatever it is you engineer folk use. Egghead.” Loud foreign voices from outside cut Daring’s words short. Furrowing her brows, she leaned out the window and surveyed the road ahead. “That shell of yours was older than you probably remember.” Daring retreated back into the jeepney and leaned closer to Velvet. “And I don’t think it’s healthy for you to keep trying to patch it up, even if it means you get to bask in your adrenaline rushes more often. That being said, I think you need to look at why you’re here—this journey will kill far more than your boredom.”  Velvet fidgeted and shrank into the corner of the seat. Nothing stood in the way of Daring’s armor-piercing words anymore. The pegasus pulled her hat down to cover her eyes. “Life’s a wild ride, Velvet. That means sometimes you’re on top, and others, you fucked..” An explosive concussion rocked the jeepney. The vehicle braked hard, sliding in a drift to the left before coming to a stop and throwing them back into their seats. A thick heat washed over them, beads of sweat coalescing on Velvet’s temple. “The hell?!” Velvet leaned out the window. Thankfully, the hood of their jeepney seemed fine, but the truck that had been in front of them was now a twisted open wreck. Flames consumed it and its occupants.  Civilians were running from the scene while other ponies and mousedeer, all in uniform, scrambled past the flaming wreck. They galloped to a second pickup lying on its side.  Velvet pulled her head back inside and fought to get her breathing back under control.  A nauseating weight tightened her chest and larynx. This type of death and carnage was...different.  “W-was…was that a mine?” The Jeepney rocked as the driver started screaming something in his native tongue, throwing the vehicle into reverse. Daring pressed her helmet back onto her head and braced a hoof on the metal bars lining the window. “The insurgents wouldn’t plant mines this close to a military checkpoint. It’s gotta be something else.” Some of the Fillyppine soldiers ventured to the intact pickup; others pointed their guns towards the thick forest off to the left. Still others were gesturing and yelling at civilians to get out of the road.  The jeepney backed into some debris with a metallic screech. Two soldiers hoisted a limp, groaning earth pony from the remains of the pickup bed and carried him away. A third soldier—a white earth pony—started slamming her hooves on the windshield. The tint made it hard to tell, but Velvet thought she saw a trembling hoof pushing up against the window from the inside. Velvet rubbed her eyes and gulped as she watched the soldier continue to bash at the glass, yelling the whole time. And she thought the train shootout was bad. Something rustled the trees at the other side of the road. An unholy clanking, rumbling cacophony rattled her ears. Or was it her seat?   The jeepney driver’s voice raised up an octave. His cloven hooves trembled. “Pistikot! Kinahanglan ta mogawas sa dalan!” He fumbled with the stickshift, pushing the jeepney backwards again before throwing it into first and twisting the steering wheel. The engines roared, and the jeepney freed itself from the debris with a jolt. Velvet’s head slammed into the bars of the window. She rubbed her head and looked behind her as the jeepney picked its way through the rest of the debris.  “Daring, what’s going on?! What did he say?!” “I told you to grab hold of something,” Daring growled. Her foreleg muscles tightened around the bars. Several soldiers had run up alongside the jeepney and started shouting at the driver. He merely kept his head down and his eyes forward.  Velvet panted once, her voice nearly cracking. “That doesn’t answer my questions!” The jeepney lurched to a stop in front of a soldier. “Unsa ang ginabuhat mo?! Paghunong!” the soldier barked and gestured with his rifle.  “Yeah, of course they want us to stop.” Daring rolled her eyes before turning to Velvet. “That’s about the most polite invitation we’re going to get.”  “But what do they want?” “‘We have to get out of the highway.’ That’s what our driver said. The soldiers want the same, but they want us out of the jeep first.”  The rumbling cacophony crescendoed. Velvet’s ribs were beginning to rattle. Fresh sweat trickled down her mane. “I don’t think so! What if we—”  Several trees at the left of the highway snapped and fell. The source of the unholy noise chugged into view. Civilians and soldiers alike scattered. Velvet’s jaw hit the floor of the jeepney. “A fucking tank? Should I just bend over now then?!” The Fillyppine soldiers surrounding the jeepney scrambled for cover. They trained their guns towards the tank and its mixed escort of thirty or so mercenaries and insurgents. Before Velvet could watch more of the battle, Daring took her by the shoulders and slammed her body downwards. “Get down, unless you want to eat a tank shell!”  The Daring Duo hunkered on the dark floor. Unimpeded, the jeepney lurched forward, its engine roaring to life. Velvet’s hooves scraped the rusty metal, while the sleeves of her jacket saved her right elbow from an abrasion. The jeepney’s wheels screeched as it finally escaped the maze of debris.  Through the opening at the back of the passenger compartment, Velvet watched the tank cross the road, crushing the pickup under its tracks. The white earth pony had retreated with her comrades—unwillingly, it seemed. Crying out at the crushed pickup, she kicked and screamed at her sisters in arms as two of her number held her back.  Velvet’s ragged breaths solidified into a cold mass weighing on her chest.  Civilians scrambled out their cars and galloped away from the nascent battlefield. Though the Fillyppine soldiers’ bullets had pinned the insurgent and mercenary infantry down, they bounced off the tank’s green metal plates—no surprise there.  The surprise, instead, was at the turret. The turret swiveled to face a Fillyppine squad frantically gesturing civilians out of the killzone. From a small muzzle just below the larger main cannon, a stream of yellowish orange flame erupted and clung to soldier and civilian alike. A few changes in angle sent another jet of flame into the forest on the other side of the road. An otherworldly belch drowned out the screams of ponies flailing out of the blazing forest and writhing on the ground. “Hoy, balik kita didto!” Glaring at the driver, Daring jabbed a hoof back at the skirmish—massacre, more like. “Kinahanglan sila ug tabang nato!” “Buang ka ba?!” The driver screamed back, pressing the pedal down to the floor. “Walay kitang paagi para makapatay ug kanang tangke de giyera!” Daring glanced back at the carnage. “Celestia damn it!” She slammed the seat with her hoof. The jeepney steered into an intersection. The suspension rattled, highway asphalt making way for dirt. Still, the black smoke from the flame tank’s hoofwork remained visible above the forest canopy. Velvet could still imagine the heat play across her face—the merciless agony of being burned alive. The numb shock she felt couldn’t quite obscure the sight, nor the screams of the ponies flailing out of the blazing forest and writhing on the ground. Her tears couldn’t quite obscure the sight either.  “W-what are we gonna do?” Velvet fought the quiver in her voice. “And why in Celestia’s name do they need a tank that shoots fire?!” Daring climbed back up to her seat, prompting Velvet to do the same. Daring’s jaw clenched, and they both glanced back at the column of smoke. “Nothing…not right now, at least.” Daring hissed as she took her helmet off, her hooves visibly tightening their grip. “Our driver’s right. We can’t help without cooking up the proper tools.” The gunfire and screams soon faded away. But Velvet couldn’t bear to lower her hooves from covering her ears. Not yet. Velvet’s stomach twisted itself in knots.  It didn’t take a long while for the jeep to come to a stop at a small village tucked away in the jungle. The Daring Duo made sure to compensate the jeepney driver for the extra trouble—much to the reluctance of Velvet’s bit purse. They were on hoof again; the narrower dirt roads were flanked by run-down buildings, paint flaking off the walls. The impact of the insurgents and mercs on the locals did not escape their notice.  Velvet tried not to look, keeping her neck craned down. She kept her hood pulled up to block her peripheral vision, but it was no good. She only saw more of the same: dirty, bloodied ponies or mousedeer, all dressed in torn clothes and sleeping on straw mats or staring at the ground with vacant expressions on their faces. A small ache welled in Velvet’s chest.  Velvet cantered to Daring Do’s side. “I thought we were heading to a city?” The frown from earlier hadn’t left Daring’s face. All this time, she kept her eyes forward on a shabby eatery ahead, even if she was blinking more than usual. “Haribon decided that this was a better place for us to meet up. It’s faster if we both drive towards each other than if one pony drives while the other waits.” “Yeah well, let’s hope he has a phone or a messenger dragon or something,” Velvet muttered. “I’ve got to get Night Light up to speed.”  “Psst.” A third voice perked Velvet’s ears up. She turned her head to the left: yet another mousedeer lying on a mat, a striped, mostly white bandana featured on his forehead, standing out from his grayish, wrinkled fur. He regarded Velvet with a shrewd, yet kind gaze.“Okay ka ba Ma’am?” he offered in a voice like shifting sand. Velvet licked her lips and glanced back at Daring before giving the mousedeer an apologetic smile. “Uh, sorry, I don’t underst—” “Ah, sorry.” The elderly mousedeer bobbed his head before scratching the back of his neck. “Didn’t realize you two were Equestrian. Just…it looked like someone was troubling you.” While Daring walked to Velvet’s side, the mousedeer fished for something behind him and held it out to Velvet.  “I know it’s not much, but…consider it a welcoming gift from us locals.” Velvet simply stared at the small pack of crackers on the mousedeer’s hoof. Several seconds passed before she was shaken out of her stupor by a nudge from Daring’s direction. “Hey, don’t forget your manners.” With her magic, Velvet took the crackers from the mousedeer’s hoof and held it against her chest. “You don’t have to do this, you know. Celestia knows you need this food more than I do.” The mousedeer chuckled, then adjusted his bandana. “I’ve been welcoming ponies and deer into this village for sixty years, at putang ina, I’m not going to let the damned rabble rousers stop me from doing that!” “Th-thanks…” Velvet gave the mousedeer a soft nod of gratitude before stuffing the crackers into a chest pocket in her jacket. As she and Daring continued their way through the village, Velvet glanced down, a lump materializing in her throat.  Upon entering the shabby eatery, they soon found a table with four chairs. Velvet sat in an exhausted heap, the stained, rough plastic chafing her furry bottom. She leaned her saddlebags against one of the table’s supports.  “Stay here.” Daring turned to a table with several serving platters in a row. “I’ll get us some grub.” A ticklish, squirming sensation radiated from Velvet’s stomach. “N-no thanks.” “Twilight, this is the freakin’ third world.” Daring rolled her eyes. “They don’t have souffles or eggs benedict or whatever you Canterlotians—” “It’s not that,” growled Velvet. A couple of seconds passed before she sighed and dropped her head onto the table. “S-sorry, but…you could drop some eclairs right in front of me, and I’d probably leave ‘em for the flies.”  “Not that your ass needs any more filling.” Then Daring shrugged, the expression on her face softening. “I’ll grab something either way, just in case you change your mind.” Daring disappeared into the customers lining up around the buffet. Velvet, meanwhile, continued to rest her head on the table, arms sprawled out in front of her while her cheek touched the rough plastic of the table. What was her problem? Was this all she was going to amount to: a mopey housewife? Not that Night Light would even want her to become his wife after all the silent treatment she had been giving him lately.   Velvet rolled her head to the other side. Her gaze falling on  a buckball court on the other side of the road. Nopony in their right mind would be playing right now, though—not when the court was occupied by straw mats, improvised tents, and their dazed occupants. Maybe this was why: she hadn’t seen a single civilian since Applewood, and she hadn’t had any meaningful interaction with them since the train attack in the outskirts of Canterlot—assuming the buffalo allies didn’t count as “civilians.”  Wait a second… Velvet blew a tuft of mane away from her face. That didn’t completely add up. What about the train shootout? That security guard died there, and she didn’t break down. Why was everything so different now? This time, it felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest. Like the world had lost its color. Not even finding the last piece of Indra’s Bow had pulled her out of the abyss. “Excuse me, Ma’am?” The voice wasn’t Equestrian, that’s for sure: there was a certain “hardness” in his vowels. It was hard to describe; Velvet wasn’t the linguistic ponthropologist around here. As if her head was tied to a millstone, she swiveled her head to the speaker. The pegasus stallion’s brown shaggy mane was swept back in a crest, and his white fur almost blended with his torn cream shirt.  Velvet turned away. Her only reply was a grumble.  “Sige, sige. Didn’t want to cause you any trouble.” The stallion’s voice softened. “I was just wondering if you knew a…Daring Do?” Velvet’s ears perked up. Her upper body catapulted from the table,  blue sparks sputtering from her horn. “What about her? Who the fuck are you?” The stallion stepped back, then blinked a few times. “Ah…you must be the unicorn Daring told me about—Midnight Pellet?” It was Velvet’s turn to blink. The gears in her mind turned, however rusty they were from the day’s events. She rubbed her face and extended a hoof. “Twilight Velvet, actually. Sorry… you’re Haribon, right?” The stallion nodded, then flew a few feet off the ground as he took one of the vacant chairs.  “I’m just not myself today, I guess,” continued Velvet. Haribon brushed his mane back with a hoof. “No worries. I’ve been there. You should’ve seen me back when the first bombing happened under my term.” Velvet’s eyebrows creased. “First bombing?” “But the insurgents are planning something new; otherwise, they wouldn’t have hired Blitzgruppe and essentially kicked us out of our own city.” Haribon then stroked his chin and glanced downward, muttering his next few words in a quieter tone. “We can turn their goal against them, though… What would magic lightning do to a tank?” Velvet cocked an eyebrow upward. She’d…have to take note of that. She turned in her chair and extended a foreleg at the crowd in the buckball court. “How bad is it? I mean…” She indicated out the window. “No offense, but this village looks more like a refugee camp.” Haribon nodded gravely. Meanwhile, Velvet crossed her arms. “I don’t see how the Spectrum of Lightning is supposed to solve this.” “Shh… Yes, well...” Haribon held up a hoof, waving it downward in a calming motion. He leaned closer, his voice dropping to an almost inaudible whisper as he glanced at the customers grouped around the serving tables. “I don’t suppose we can discuss it after dinner, though?” Velvet jumped when the rickety cart Daring had been pushing bumped into their table. Ignoring her, Daring gave the pegasus a grin. “Haribon, fancy meeting you here! I was starting to think you’d fallen victim to Fillyppine Time.” Haribon chuckled, then looked at the plates on the cart. “Hmm, di ko kabalo na ganahan ka ug bulad…” “Are you kidding? Bulad’s perfect,” Daring replied. Velvet followed Daring’s gaze down to the three plates sitting on the cart. On top of each plate was a tiny mound of rice—barely a third of a cup—next to a couple of small, brown dried fish, each split in half at the middle. Daring scooped a wing under one plate and slid it in front of Velvet before pausing, her ears turning back slightly.  “I don’t know what your stance on actual meat is, Velvet,” Daring said before sliding a second plate in front of Haribon. “But this was all they had.” Velvet regarded the offering. It certainly wasn’t anywhere close to typical Canterlot Cuisine, but that was besides the fact that she just didn’t feel hungry. She started to push the plate away, but then paused as the scent of cooked food hit her nose. Her stomach tingled, and then growled, sending a whole new message.  She ignored the sound of Daring’s chair scraping across the floor and lifted one fish with her telekinesis. One half cracked off and fell on the plate, exposing a rather sharp fin on the fish’s belly.  To hell with it. Maybe some semblance of food could take her mind off her present perturbations. Surely this wasn’t as bad as grass off the ground. Twilight Velvet smacked her lips, then lifted the last half-fish on her plate. Daring Do pushed her empty plate away and nodded. “Not bad, eh? I like to think of it like…hay jerky.” “It’s…actually kind of nice…” For now, the pit in Velvet’s stomach had stopped screaming bloody murder. Haribon leaned back and crossed his forelegs. “Sabi ko na nga ba, eh. Although I would’ve preferred you tried our mushroom sisig, even rice is hard to grow these days.” There was a small pause; though the other two were watching her, having already finished eating, Velvet didn’t hesitate as she crunched down on the sharp, salty fish floating in her magic. She could hear the gentle rumble of Haribon’s chuckle under his breath.  “I’m pleased that you appreciated what sustenance we could provide. Maybe once you return to Canterlot, you can head to the imported goods section of Barnyard Bargains so you can cook some bulad for your fiancé. He must be dying to know all about your trip here.” Velvet choked, her ears folding back. “I don’t suppose you have a messenger dragon around here, right?” “And I suppose every little Equestrian hamlet has one of their own?” Haribon snorted and sat up a little straighter. “If I had one, I wouldn’t have needed to travel all the way to Equestria just to hire you, would I?” “Mm. I suppose not,” Daring agreed. “Hell, the last working cell tower got wrecked by Blitzgruppe days ago.” Another, even longer pause. Velvet tried to not react but she could feel herself shrink. Out of the corner of Velvet’s eye, Daring leaned in and tapped Velvet’s leg with a hoof. “We’ll talk later,” Daring whispered to Velvet before raising her voice and facing Haribon. “I’m…sorry to hear it.” “Na’ay uban na hinungdan.” Haribon shook his head, then tapped a hoof a couple of times on the table. “But…you did want to change the subject, so I’ll play along. Why don’t we talk about what brought you two here in the first place?” A small jolt shook Velvet out of her stupor, and she sat up straight again. On Haribon’s side of the table was a large messenger bag that hadn’t been there before, a few specks of dirt clinging to its underside. After pushing his plate aside, Haribon opened the bag and slipped out several folders, drawings, and photos. One in particular grabbed Velvet’s attention: a rather detailed sketch of an earth pony. The colorful artwork portrayed a teal mare with an archaic blue blouse, embellished with rectangular and triangular patterns snaking on the rims. Gold bangles contrasted nicely with her coloring, and her brown mane and tail were done up with braids. “Is this…Mage Meadowbrook the Fourth?” Velvet looked at Daring. “I thought she was a unicorn.” “She was.” Daring then pointed at the earth pony’s clothes. “This is also not Marwari dress. I don’t know if I’ve seen any sari that short before.” “Quite. No, that isn’t Meadowbrook the Fourth... but that pony did know her.” Haribon’s voice brought both Equestrians’ eyes on him as he brought his hooves together. “We Fillyppine ponies ought to be proud that one of our own was found worthy to be the first to wield the power of one of Meadowbrook’s Eight Enchanted Items.” Haribon’s eyes drifted to a hole on the corrugated iron roof. A small lightning bolt cut through the sky, illuminating the overcast clouds. Haribon’s tone softened, and he sighed. “It’s a shame she fell victim to its curse and burden.” “Skip the dramatics.” Velvet frowned as she tapped a frog on the drawing. “This pony here is the Lightning Mare, right?” Haribon cocked his head. “‘Lightning’…what?” Daring scooted her chair forward. “That’s what the bison back in Equestria called her after they discovered her in a cave several centuries ago.” Haribon rubbed a hoof under his chin. “Ah…so that’s where she exiled herself. And now she’s coming home. I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later.” He then scratched a hoof lightly on the table, then muttered to himself, “Tabangi niyo kami, mga diyos.” The only light in the eatery was a single ceiling bulb a few feet away from their table. Velvet huffed: the thunder that she half-expected from that earlier lightning bolt never came. Hopefully the Lightning Mare wasn’t too negative right now. “...right. Well, I should probably start from the beginning.” Haribon cleared his throat. “Before the Kingdom of Caballos colonized the Fillyppines, Mage Meadowbrook the Fourth traveled here from her native Marwari.” He tapped a hoof close to the drawing, bringing it to the Equestrians’ attention. You’re looking at one of her first friends: Taligsik, a local warrior of her tribe.” Velvet levitated the drawing of Taligsik to eye level. A modern artist’s interpretation, sure, but it was all Velvet had to go on. Just like Daring, Taligsik possessed rosy eyes, but there was a different…air to them. Maybe it was her more decorated eyelashes, or her more relaxed posture.  Velvet looked up at the sky again, at the area where the lightning bolt coursed. An electric shudder course down her spine. Taligsik must’ve gone through hell—centuries of it— to become…whatever she was right now. “So… If Taligsik was close to Meadowbrook the Fourth, did Meadowbrook make the Spectrum of Lightning for her specifically?”  “Not necessarily.” Haribon swept his hoof left to right. “When Meadowbrook the Fourth finished the Spectrum, many ponies wanted to be the first to wield it. But an artifact like that shouldn’t be given to just anypony. Meadowbrook eventually decided to give it to somepony she trusted—somepony of integrity.” “And I take it things went well at first,” asked Daring. “But of course. Taligsik held the power of the winds at her hooftips. More so than any single pegasus, or even a highly trained team. Her powers were great, and continued to grow with time.” Haribon fished a piece of paper from his bag. “This brought about an era of such great agricultural prosperity, that the ponies of that region eventually gave Taligsik the title ‘Inaiyau’—after one of our traditional lightning deities.” “A prosperity you’d like to replicate today,” muttered Velvet. “As any nation would.” “Just so.” Haribon nodded. “But as for Taligsik, she stayed a guardspony, even after getting that title bestowed on her. I am sure you are aware, the Spectrum can be used for more than just growing food…” Velvet’s eyebrows creased. “A weapon in a pinch, right?” Haribon nodded again, but this time his hoof twitched near-imperceptibly. Velvet pursed her lips, zeroing in her gaze at Haribon. “Like father, like son…” Haribon averted his gaze, missing the glare that Daring shot towards Velvet. “You don’t have to answer that,” Daring said upon looking back at Haribon with softer eyes. “No, no, your pupil has a point.” Haribon waved a hoof placatingly. “Taligsik thought the same thing when the Kingdom of Caballos came to colonize her tribe’s land in the Battle of Grouper Beach.” He then looked squarely at Velvet’s eyes. “I take it you two have experienced Taligsik’s power firsthoof? You can probably predict one of the two things that happened next.” Velvet glanced downwards and rubbed her eyes. The feeling of her eyes and tail crystallizing under the influence of the Lightning Mare made Velvet shiver and shift in her seat. Thank Celestia for the golden guardian angel. “We’re very aware of her rock-steady personality. But what’s the second thing?” “This is where things get a little cloudy.” Haribon picked up the document he got from his bag and scanned through it. “After the Battle of Grouper Beach, Taligsik refused to talk to Meadowbrook the Fourth, at least for a few weeks. Because of this, most of what’s in Meadowbrook’s diary is based on things she extrapolated or overheard…except for the last day.”  Haribon spun the document around and slid it to Daring, who lifted it up to eye level with her wing. Her mumbles were slurred at first, her mouth moving as fast as her eyes perused the document. But it wasn’t long before Daring slowed down enough for Velvet to understand. “‘May I be damned. My creation has robbed innocents of their right to live and condemned a gentle soul to a lifetime of exile.’” Daring stopped, lowering the translated copy of Meadowbrook’s diary. By now, it was several minutes past closing, and the eatery had become dark and empty. Only crickets and distant gunfire provided ambience to the otherwise silent table.  After clearing her throat, Daring continued reading. “‘For days, the villagers wondered why, every night, Taligsik would venture to one of the houses destroyed in the Battle of Grouper Beach. In hindsight, I wonder if following her there was the right choice.’” Velvet turned to Haribon, but he offered no additional commentary. The ball was still on Daring’s court—and by extension, Meadowbrook’s. “‘I saw Taligsik lying prostrate in front of a lightning-statue. The sparks pouring out of her hooves illuminated the ground she lay on. Her sobs were dotted with scratchy coughs. Neither her mind nor her magic had seen rest in the past few days. When I saw the golden band around the lightning-statue’s hoof, I understood. How could anypony rest after what Taligsik had done? It is a wonder she was still able to speak after she laid eyes on me.’” Under the soft glow of a coupled flashlight spell, Velvet’s magic lifted the sketch to eye level. Wrapped in Taligsik’s left front hoof was another golden band. Velvet, too, understood. “Did…did Taligsik accidentally kill her wife?” Haribon nodded. “It wasn't just her either.”  Her ears folded backwards, Daring sighed and resumed. “‘When she stood up, Taligsik directed my attention out the window. Statues dotted the ruined village all the way up to the shoreline. With what little moonlight there was, I could still make out their  contorted limbs and faces. Most of them were not wearing any sort of battle dress. Some were barely older than my nephew. Yet in spite of all this,  Taligsik did not rage against me. Instead, she would crane her head downward, grit her teeth and growl…not at me, but at the eternal storm I put inside her.’” Daring took her helmet off and leaned forward, continuing.  “‘‘This is why no one is worthy,’ she declared.’” Velvet leveled a long stare at Haribon, watching as he turned away, hanging his head.  Who was he to disrespect Taligsik’s wishes? Daring’s voice brought Velvet’s attention back to Meadowbrook’s account. “‘There was little I could do to sway her decisions. Taligsik had already broken Indra’s Bow and hid two of the pieces in the uncharted jungle. The third—she would take it with her, far across the ocean, where she said she would never harm anypony again. She allowed me to touch the piece one last time, however. She must’ve known how much the loss of one of my creations—my children—pained me.’” Daring rubbed the sweat off her forehead and pushed her mane back. “‘I understand why Taligsik entrusted me to destroy the Spectrum of Lightning. Its mere presence sends a tingling sweat down my hooves and weighs heavily on my brain. But…I cannot bring myself to murder my children.’” Velvet’s ears folded back. Evy had been her mistress; the Spectrum…well… She blinked a tear from her eye. “‘Perhaps the Spectrum may still be salvaged; this is not the first time one of my Enchanted Items required extensive modification. In any case, nopony else should lay their eyes on the Spectrum. Not yet. Without the entirety of Indra’s Bow, that shall never come to pass—until the Spectrum is once again ready for the world.’” Velvet rested her head on her hoof and glanced downward. Meadowbrook’s resolve echoed in Velvet’s mind. Maybe that was what Haribon was banking on? Daring swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked for where she had left off.  “‘If only I had raised my child well before meeting you. Forgive me, Inaiyau. Though we all bear our own burdens, the one I have bestowed upon you is unfathomable even for the gods. In due time, may they grant you release.’” Daring gaze turned distant as she let out a long breath. “No wonder Uncle Ad didn’t want me finding this thing.” Daring sighed before glancing at Velvet. “Course, after last night, we don’t need a historical account to know that.” “To be fair”—Velvet raised a hoof—“your uncle happened to discover what Sarimanok was planning to do with the Spectrum.” A few seconds later, Velvet shrank back, eyes on Haribon’s face.  “S-sorry…” Haribon’s hoof reached out across the table and slid the document back to himself. “Sa bagay, tama ang tito ni Daring. It was for the best. Papa…didn’t understand—and neither do the insurgents and mercenaries.” Velvet hung her head and twiddled her hooves. “Sa tinuod lang, I don’t think I understand either.” Even the crests in Haribon’s mane seemed to droop. The distant clapping of gunfire directed his attention outside, followed by a low rumble. Velvet wasn’t sure if it was thunder in the distance or something else.  “Or maybe you understand a little too well.” Daring tapped Haribon’s hoof with the primaries of her left wing. “Either way, it’s your show now. The responsibility lies with you.” Haribon squirmed in his seat. “But—I am my father’s child. With power like that, who—”  “It’s not the gun—” Daring cut across him “—it’s the pony behind the trigger.” She brought out a pistol, laying it across the table with the grip towards Haribon. “I'd like to think you know better than your father.” “First of all, I think you just insulted Mage Meadowbrook the Fourth, calling the Spectrum a ‘gun.’” Haribon’s chuckle dried up as he pushed the firearm back towards Daring. "Secondly, guns don’t erode your body and mind until you’re less like a pony and more like a force of nature.”  “Meadowbrook the Fourth wanted to fix the Spectrum… Maybe she succeeded?” suggested Daring. “We don’t know that,” Velvet butted in. Finding herself suddenly under the intense gaze of both Daring and Haribon, Velvet ducked her head, staring at the floor. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what more to add or why she even spoke up in the first place. She drew in a deep breath and marshalled her thoughts. “I-I mean”—Velvet darted her eyes back and forth—“for all we know, Meadowbrook never got the Spectrum to work, and it still turns ponies’ minds into angry vegetables. Why else would it still be hidden?” Daring and Haribon joined Velvet in the silence that followed. Another bout of distant gunfire caused Haribon’s eyes to flutter to the side…something that didn’t escape Velvet’s notice. “Still”—Daring nudged her head to the direction of the gunfire—“fixed or not, this place would go straight to hell if the Spectrum were recovered by our less-than-benevolent competitors.” “Oh definitely,” Velvet and Haribon said in sync.  The latter then sat up. “And with that in mind, I think it’s time.” With that, Haribon placed his bag on the table, the dull thud tantalizing Velvet as she imagined the contents comprising the final piece of Indra’s Bow.  Not waiting any longer,  Daring and Velvet took their pieces of Indra’s Bow out of their bags, placing them on the table. Haribon paused, joining the mares in staring at the two pieces of the broken discord artifact before clearing his throat. “Let’s not do it here and now, though.” He scooped the other two pieces into his satchel. Velvet sputtered and stammered. “But you just—! It… that’s… what?”  “I’d rather not drag them into this.” Haribon swept a hoof at the refugees on the buckball court before facing Daring. “You still remember that safehouse in Uyanguren?” “The same ‘safehouse’ I got pinned down in in a two-hour shootout? What about it?”   Haribon slung the bag onto his body and got out of the chair. “I’ll see you girls there first thing in the morning. That part of the city is deserted right now, so if the insurgents come knocking on the door, nopony else will get caught in the crossfire. The final piece of Indra’s Bow is secured there.” Haribon turned to leave.  “You don’t even have it here?” Velvet was incensed. She glared at Haribon as a mousedeer came up from behind him, leaning up to whisper some message in his ear. “So what do we do now?”  Haribon nodded in some accord with the mousedeer before ushering her forward. Both her mouth and her cloven hoof trembled as she waved to the Daring Duo. “M-maayong gabii sa imong duha po…” Haribon acknowledged her wavering voice with a nod and a smile. “Waling-Waling here has volunteered to let you girls stay in her place for the night. Just follow her lead.” Haribon paused for a moment, then focused on Velvet. “I’m sorry we can’t offer you something as luxurious as whatever you have in Canterlot, but—” Velvet waved it off, a small smile cracking on her face. “Don’t sweat it! It’s not the house; it’s the ponies…uh…mousedeer that live in it!” After Haribon thanked Velvet and said his goodbyes, however, the smile faded away from Velvet’s face. What was she even doing anymore? She faced away and stared at the ground. This continued even while Velvet and Daring followed Waling-Waling down a small road. The soft wind whistling through the jungle and the chirping of crickets, along with the absence of any mention of the Daring Duo’s mission, gave Velvet’s brain the perfect ambience to think about her sudden shift.  The answer wasn’t appealing.  Earlier, Daring said “we’ll talk later.” That “later” was just around the corner. The flamethrower tank from earlier added to the list of things conspiring to make Velvet feel small. In the garage of Waling-Waling’s shanty, Velvet pushed back the only way she knew how: overworking herself. The all-too-familiar aroma of gasoline wafted into Velvet’s nostrils as she sat on bare dirt and lifted a tree branch out of a metal barrel. Only a couple of small drops of the emulsion dribbled back into the barrel from her makeshift stirring rod. “Not thick enough; needs more oil,” muttered Velvet. Her magic dropped the stick and, in its place, swiped a jerry can from a workbench. Viscous, tar-like liquid oozed from the nozzle and disappeared into the barrel’s gaping maw. “Feels like home, eh?” Daring drawled. Her comment was followed by the sound of ripping duct tape, causing Velvet to set the jerry can down and look right. After scraping some adhesive off her trowel, Daring patted one of the dark gray bands strapping a remote onto a rectangular explosive charge. From her chair, she wrapped her wing around the charge and leaned forward, bringing it closer to Velvet. “I think you can take it from here.” The charge slipped from Daring’s wing and kicked dust from the ground. Velvet let it fall, staring at it where it landed. Her glimmer-less eyes traced its fall, then glumly stared at Daring. “Look.” Daring sighed. “You want to take down that tank so badly, and all we have is a pile of scraps. A flame fougasse is our best shot.” Daring picked the explosive up again, weighing it in her hoof before setting it gently against the barrel of goo. Her eyes gained a haunted look before she pulled her helmet down lower to shield them. “Don’t ask me how I know that. Let’s just say this isn’t my first rodeo.” A magenta aura lifted the charge, and soon, Velvet buried herself in her work. “Work”… this shit sure didn’t feel like it just a day ago. At least it didn’t last as long, judging by the green indicator light and the single beep. Velvet set the charge aside, then levitated the jerry can again. Daring was right, although “fougasse” was a weird name to call their improvised anti-tank mine. It wasn’t anything fancy—just an oil drum, an explosive charge, plus some other magic stuff to direct and concentrate the explosion. Velvet couldn’t be assed to remember the name, but putting her mind into a project was far preferable to dwelling on the past 48 hours events—or debriefing with Daring. Especially debriefing with Daring. Maybe she forgot about ‘later?’  “Salamat sa mga kagamitan!” Daring called out to somepony behind her. Velvet kept her eyes on the jerry can, but folded her ears. She was hoping Daring had just fallen asleep. “Ah, dili sa akoa ang kagamitan kana.” Waling-Waling’s naturally soft voice wasn’t helped by how far she was from Daring. It was a wonder Velvet could hear her over the background chorus of crickets. At least Waling-Waling had the courtesy to walk closer. “Gikan kana sa…usa ka pag-iimbak ng sandata ng mga rebelde. Ambot lang ngano gibaya-an nila kana.” Waling-Waling shrugged. “Pero walang anuman, hah!” Nice, a distraction. Now Daring won’t have time to talk about— “I think I know what’s wrong: you’re scared.” The soft, yet forceful guttural undertone of Daring’s voice jolted Velvet’s ears upwards.  Velvet gulped and rubbed the back of her neck. “If this is about me punching you in the shoulder, that was all just a—” “Stop, stop.” Daring raised her front hoof. An icy gust blew from the hoof and caused Velvet’s fur to stand. “Let’s be grown mares for a second. You’re scared that after seeing everything you’ve done, Night Light’s going to leave you.” Velvet allowed the now-empty jerry can to fall to the ground. Daring blew a puff of air, as if she was taking a smoke. Celestia knew they both needed one. “Now, I still stand by what I said in the airship: Night Light?” Daring paused, then nodded. “He’ll be okay.” Even before Daring leaned back, tilted her head down, and glared at Velvet from beneath her eyebrows, something in Velvet’s chest made a pathetic attempt to brace for impact. Whatever Daring was going to say now, there was always going to be a fine print. “But that’s not even the crux of the matter. The question isn’t if Night Light can live with you. It’s if you can live with you. Talk to me, Vel. Why did you decide to accompany me?” “I mean, it seemed fun at the time.” Velvet tapped her hooves together. “And it’s for a good cause. Oh—and there’s also the fact that this will make an absolutely killer article…” Daring cut through the noise like a pegasus through fog. “But it was mostly the first one, right?” Velvet stayed silent and hung her head. “I’m not saying that’s wrong. Celestia knows I enjoy the adrenaline rush too.” Daring swiped a bottle of antiseptic and rubbed it on the red patch on her wing. “But thrill is…fleeting. It’s temporary.” Velvet’s eyes darted from side to side. “Well, it’s like…you know how ponies are willing to spend hundreds of bits just to fly to Las Pegasus and ride on the brand new Wild Blue Yonder for three minutes?” Daring set the antiseptic aside. “Yes, and those ponies calculated just how much they would have to pay. Have you? On the plane…airship…whatever back to Equestria, what are you going to have to show to Evy’s insurers? To Rapids’ family? To Night Light?” The pit in Velvet’s core crawled up from the chest pocket where Rapids’ necklace was and to Velvet’s neck. Her voice box seized. In any case, she had no comeback, witty or otherwise. “When the thrill of the chase fails you—when the adrenaline wears off— you need to find something else to keep you going. Something to keep you from falling apart.” Daring stepped off the chair, circled round, and hopped onto a nearby hammock. “I can’t tell you exactly how to construct your crossbeams. That’s something you’ll have to discover for yourself.” Velvet swallowed the pit…why bother? It was just going to climb back up again. “…a-and what if I can’t find something else?” she whispered. Lying on the hammock and facing the sky, Daring crossed her forelegs. “Then go home, Twilight Velvet, because you already have ‘something else,’ waiting for you there.” Velvet’s eyes began to water as Daring waited for a response—or an opportunity to continue. “Back in the Canterlot outskirts, I said that once we find the Spectrum, we would go our separate ways. I told you that because I doubted that you would survive if you stayed by my side. Up to now, I stand by that, but for a different reason.” Of all the things that day that caused Velvet to feel small, Daring’s final glare was the coup de grace. “When you talk to your fiancé again, I don’t want to be a devil whispering in your ear.” The hammock creaked as Daring rolled, facing away from Velvet. Her magic levitated the jerry can, but with her mind flying apart, Velvet set it down before she lost her telekinetic grip completely.  The pit in Velvet’s core immobilized her forelegs. One stayed perched on the rim of the barrel, while the other hung limply from her side. She craned her neck upwards. The sky remained overcast, and lightning—natural, judging by its pure white color—fanned out inside a cloud. As Velvet traced the path of the lightning bolt, she found herself gazing at a hole in the clouds. The crescent moon beamed down on Velvet. Its judging glow added to the weight of the pit. In the mind of Velvet’s eye, there was no Mare in the Moon right now.  There was, however, a Stallion of the Moon—back home.  And Velvet had repaid his patience and kindness by leaving him. The weight of the pit dragged her head downwards. She buried her head against her forelegs, propping them on the barrel. Broken sobs from a broken mare dampened the ground below her face, echoing into the night.