//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Hybrid Breakdown // by Kyuubi325 //------------------------------// Celestia glared at the carriage's only other occupant as it rocked side to side. Aaron, despite his restraints, only gave her a wolfish grin; he hadn't said a word since she had him loaded onboard. He hadn't said a word since their last talk, not even when she had removed him from the labs allowing him to catch his first glimpse of the sun in decades as he was wheeled into her transport. Looking back out the window, she watched as the thick forests flowed below them like a vast sea of pine green. Despite the seriousness of the situation, it was oddly cathartic to watch, but just as she began to let her guard down, she heard Aaron clear his throat through his muzzle. "You know, getting the Hannibal Lector treatment really shows how much you care..." She heard his muffled sarcastic voice through the mask. "You're getting what you want; isn't that enough for you?" She ignored his strange comparison. "I'm strapped to a standing gurney with a leather muzzle on my face while you enjoy silken cushions and proper lumbar support." He raised an eyebrow. "Gotten to used to your gilded cage, I'd be happy to throw you back in." She stared back into his eyes. "After what you did, you should be thankful I've decided to let you go." The princess snorted in irritation. "Please, you're letting me go because while everyone else dances at the borders, daring the other to cross first, the Dogs have drawn blood." He stared at her. Celestia exhaled. "They had already begun to invade just as my messenger had arrived." "I take it you're attempting to keep it under wraps?" He struggled to tilt his head to the side coyly. "It wouldn't be ideal if word got out to the other nations." She admitted. "I suppose one can be thankful for small miracles." He sighed, leaning his head back. "Miracles? What do you care? One would think you would be cheering for my fall..." She grit her teeth. "And who would be dying before your fall?" He blinked. "My ponies..." "No... my children." He glared back. "They are not yours." She growled. "They aren't?" He leaned his head forward, making the leather creak. "Was it your suffering and seed that created them? Did your little scholars milk you for days unending so this doomed generation could be birthed?" "Enough! They are my subjects! Ponies pledge their loyalty to me, not you!" Celestia's voice shook the carriage. He was unmoved. "When a ruler turns the world against their people, it's only a matter of time before they grow disillusioned." He finished. Celestia didn't bother saying anything else, turning her attention back out the window. As the carriage began to bank to the left, she saw the others in the heavily guarded convoy, just barely catching a glimpse of the two Dogs resting in the third transport. On the surface, her entourage was as grand as it had always been. But while she had tried to fill in the gaps with the best of the guard, the lack of representatives from the aristocracy and nobility was felt. Both houses of her government had distanced themselves from her, leaving the council chambers at Canterlot Castle barren. Instead, they choose to have meetings at their private estates, always at alternating times, to prevent their princess from dropping in. She was doubtful they would rebel, but their lack of support was already wearing thin. Celestia couldn't run the country alone, and they knew it. Emergency budgets went unapproved, defense plans sat in their folders, tax policy went unamended. She was drowning in paperwork, with the whole situation an exercise in futility because after giving her stamp, they were sent to the house's representatives and never seen again. The destitute ponies gathering at the base of Canterhorn scarcely allowed her to leave unmolested; it was only by the rebuffs of the guard they had gotten through. If one looked close enough to her private carriage, they would see hoofmarks and imprints left by desperate ponies. Seeing the convoy bank again around a large hill, she saw their destination in the distance. A vast encampment, the likes of which had never been seen before on Equestrian soil, perhaps on any nation. Tents and fires stretched as far as her eyes could see, with swaths of the forest cleared to make way for their advance and to fuel their military machine. "Even if they are true to their word, it will be generations before this valley heals..." She said to herself. Aaron turned his head as far as it could go, just catching a glimpse of the temporary settlement, oddly finding it distasteful. " A pity, Luna once told me this was her favorite place to vacation." Not receiving a response, he continued. "The older settlements and untouched wilds reminded her of simpler times." "They're all gone now... That army has raised every settlement to the north of them." She shook her head, remembering the desperate refugees. "For you..." "I never asked them to do so; what happened was only because of your inaction." He stared back at her looking far more melancholic. "You were scared of letting me out of my bottle, assuming some great catastrophe would happen, only to set in motion exactly what you feared." "Your insane." She said it as a fact rather than an argument. "And whose fault is that?" He twisted his face into a wolfish grin as the carriage began to land. The two of them sat in silence before she began to light up her horn. Unbuckling the restraints, she observed as he began to stand up under his own power. Stretching his limbs, making a few popping sounds before rolling his neck. "You know I could tell them about my treatment while in transit." He mumbled as he pulled the muzzle from his face tossing it to the side. "You could, but we both know you won't..." She took one last look at her regalia, polishing it with her foreleg. "And why is that?" He raised an eyebrow but looked curious. "You hate me, but you don't hate them." She sounded so tired. "You relish in my suffering, but it destroys you knowing they suffer as well. The only way you could help them is to keep your silence about this." She stared into his eyes coldly. "One last power trip before I go... Clever." He smirked as she began to open the door, following after her as she stepped out into the mud. Wince at the light despite the grey overcast, it had been decades since he had seen natural light, and it showed. His skin was like porcelain, a pale hue that even the princess was unsure would ever vanish. The tension could be cut with a knife as the two of them stood before the seemingly endless army. Celestia remained impassive on the surface, but they could hear her hoof shaking against her golden shoes if one listened closely. Even Aaron seemed to pause to take it all in, almost frozen by the countless eyes focused on him. He scarcely noticed Rex and Rover disembarking as well, carrying crates of their collected writings. Quickly making their way over and taking positions at opposite sides of him. For a while, they stood there awkwardly; eventually, Celestia broke the silence. "Just go...." He looked over, confused. "No grand speech?" He blinked, seemingly surprised. "No, just go." She said emotionlessly as she motioned her head. He nodded his head to his followers as they began to walk towards the line. The army parted like the Red Sea before them, but he stopped turning his attention to a runty canid instead of continuing. Her sensitive ears couldn't make out what was said, but she watched as they handed over a knife. Aaron slowly inspected it before working it behind his head, carefully cutting away the long blonde braids that covered his back. Leaving them to fall into the mud before handing it back. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron kept his eyes forward, keeping a mask of indifference, but decades of isolation made all this attention like he was drowning. A few of the soldiers around him slowly sheathed their weapons and removed their morion and kettle helmets, holding them tight to their chests as they stared up at him. Even the most exhausted and lacerated-looking warrior would stand up straight before him, gazing up with reverence he would expect only for holy figures. The silence was deafening as he made his way through, watching the soldiers continue to part before him. Time seemed to lose meaning as the trio slipped deeper into their ranks; vast da Vincian war engines would eventually take the place of soldiers. All showing signs of battle, from scorch marks on a wooden and iron tank bristling with cannons to chariots wheels stained red from the blood of their enemies. The mole-like creatures that powered them were covered with scars and fresh wounds tugging at their reins while their handlers begged them to be still before him, seemingly spooked by his presence. He almost didn't notice eery veiled robed figure waiting behind the rows of war engines, their stillness almost making them blend in with everything around them. When they started to approach, his attention was finally drawn, the flawless white and purple contrasting with the muddy surroundings. The long robes almost made it appear they were gliding above the swampy grounds, bizarrely untouched by the filth below. Their steps were measured and meaningful, not all dissimilar to that of a nun or perhaps a ballerina. Rex and Rover seemed to hold their breath seeing them before quickly averting their eyes. As if expecting to be struck down for daring to look at them directly so shamelessly. Aaron, meanwhile, couldn't pull his eyes away; they didn't move like the Canids, and the body shape was far off; it was so... human. The figure stopped before him, just a head shorter than him but still taller than most around them. Reaching up their long sleeves before brushing them against his face as if trying to remove a mask. They then carefully slid down to his arms, grasping his hand, bringing it close to the purple veil tilting their head as they worked the digits. Paying particular attention to the joints, almost obsessively counting each finger, as if expecting a miss count. Before just growing still, still enough, Aaron wondered if she was even breathing. Their arms shook as they brought their covered hands to the veil, pealing it upward, finally revealing what was underneath. "The Lunar Princess was truthful; Man has returned to us." Tears slowly leaked down of furred caricature's face. "Come, the kings are waiting for you..." He followed her deeper into the encampment attempting to ignore his discomfort with the grotesque imitation, nodding his head, seeing they approaching a grassy hill where two tents waited. One a rich green and the other faint blue, both with enough gold accents to make even the wealthiest blush. They also showed signs of use; stains from long campaigns could just be seen on the canvas and then... there they were... two kings who once would have slaughtered one another as soon as seeing each other... sitting side by side, despite their greying muzzles, a level of ferocity still remained, which only came from a lifetime of hardship and war. "The rumors were true..." The brutish Pitbull king of Diamondia sized him up, slowly leaning forward in his chair, causing it to creak under his muscular bulk bowing his head, "Shall we begin another campaign worthy of being chronicled in song?" The more petite Border Collie of Fluoritia pushed up his glasses, shaking his head. "No, surely you bring us a new age of enlightenment." His clouded eyes stared at him as if he had the secrets of the universe. Looking at each other, they growled but nodded their heads. "But first things first... The Equestrians," They said in unison. Aaron seemed to be in thought, seeing their armies in person, he'd be a liar to say he wasn't tempted. With barely a word, they would have happily burned it all to the ground; in his mind's eye, he could see the looks of despair of the solar princess as everything she built was destroyed. After everything she had done, could he deny she didn't deserve it? But even his twisted heart refused to let them further harm those who carried his blood. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "Leave the princess to her fate." "But what of the lands? Surely we aren't walking away from such wealth?" The Border Collie beat his rival to the punch. "I never said we were walking away from the wealth." His mouth grew into a crooked grin showing rows of perfectly white teeth. "You asked what I bring. Conquest or Knowledge? The answer is both... I bring you... Banking." The two dogs looked at him like he was mad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun had just begun to set on Celestia's command. Since she had left Aaron, the pit in her stomach had only grown, like she had released a great evil into her world. Trotting back onto the familiar marble floors of her palace, she approached her throne, the only thing in the grand hall that seemed to have escaped her student's carnage. As pristine as the day it had been presented to her a millennia ago, she never truly believed she would grow into it. As a filly, it seemed so insurmountable, and yet she had. Approaching it, she sat down, looking over the small army of stonemasons and artisans attempting to make the palace presentable again. Try as she might, a feeling of futility washed over her as she watched them working, her keen eyes seeing the telltale signs of age that showed through even the burliest of stallions. Occasionally one of them would stop their labor, groaning as they attempted to recover from the aches and pains that came with aging bodies. Others struggled to catch their breath, occasionally leaning against the walls or materials, before quickly returning to work under her gaze. Acting as if they had been caught stealing from the royal purse, they pushed themselves to their limits. Closing her eyes, she nearly fell asleep as the stresses of the day had finally begun to catch up to her. "Princess, what shall we do with his cell and its contents?" The voice of a guard broke her from her daze. Celestia kept her eyes closed, entering deep thought; it would be so easy to burn it all, pretend it never happened... with everything around her, could she be blamed for it? Inhaling, she looked to the guard. "Seal it, but don't touch a single thing inside..." "Yes, your highness..." He seemed to want to continue but saw the exhaustion on his sovereign. "Wait..." She raised her hoof. "Have we gotten word from our scouts yet?" "Yes, they report the Dogs have started a slow retreat from our lands." He bowed. "Make sure to keep me updated until they are fully out," She ordered almost robotically. "There is another issue, princess... The protesters are still gathering at the base of the mountain; the captain is concerned but unsure how to handle the growing unrest?" His professionalism seemed to slip as a deep frown formed on his muzzle, undoubtedly uncomfortable with the events. "Maintain the checkpoints; Canterlot can't handle such a massive influx of ponies." She shook her head, the orders tasting bitter on her tongue. "Send out the royal guard; the aristocracy and nobility have made their point, I'll hear their demands, in return for them helping manage this crisis." She rubbed her temples, attempting to relieve the migraine that had formed over the course of the day. "Yes, your highness." He bowed, taking his leave. Standing from her chair, she began to make her way to her private chambers, exhausted as the weight of a nation crushed her. The moment she saw her bed, she collapsed into its sheets. Becoming dead to the world that was crumbling around her, faint snores could be heard. But even in her dreams, she couldn't escape the grim reality she was trapped in.