The soft patter of rain against leaves filled my thoughts as I sat in the gazebo. Around me, the Palace gardens soaked up the morning rainfall, quenching its thirst.
There were a hundred things I should have been doing. My schedule was rarely empty and delays such as this only made it worse. There were tasks to see to, training to adjust, changelings to speak with, and plans to make.
I sat and did nothing but listen to the rain.
Nightmare Moon was watching me. The gazebo was perfectly visible from her office in the Palace, and she told me not to leave her sight without telling her. That was the only reason why she was not glued to me right now; she could work while keeping an eye on me.
I tried to think about last night and the bloodless times that came before it. Instead, the rain cut through my thoughts like a soothing balm or a numbing tinnitus, depending on how melancholic I was feeling.
I tried not to think about the blood on my hooves and how it never seemed to wash away. The mesmerizing sight of leaves dancing underneath the raindrops helped.
The muted sound of hooves on gravel slowly approached me. I tasted no emotions so it had to be a changeling coming.
“Phasma,” a familiar voice called out as they stepped into the gazebo.
“Coxa,” I greeted him.
“Sorry I haven’t stopped by, it’s been busy,” he apologized.
“Same,” I said.
“I’ve also got nothing to report. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said quietly.
Coxa shifted uncomfortably on his hooves, “But it’s like you said: if no body is found, they can’t be dead, right?”
Slowly, I looked up to Nightmare Moon’s office. I could see her back and mane through the window as she worked at her desk.
“Right,” I repeated.
Coxa followed my gaze, then did a double-take when he noticed my face.
“You break your nose in a duel or something?”
“Yeah.”
He stepped closer, “Uh, Phasma? You okay? You don’t sound okay.”
“Sure, I’m fine.,” I said plainly. “As much as anyone can be ‘fine’ nowadays. Just keep your head down and keep working. At the end of every rainbow is a pot of gold…”
“Pot of… right,” he shook his head. “Something happened. You’re going to tell me what happened.”
I shook my head, “Why do you all continue to press after I say that I’m fine?”
“Because you’re obviously not,” he retorted. “You’re also bad at lying when it comes to… well, you. What happened, Phasma?”
I switched topics, “.... General Labrum reports about half a dozen problems have been found within the Night Guard.”
Coxa’s eyes narrowed, “That wouldn’t put you into this mood. Anyone with half a mind would be excited to hear about that, barring some unforeseen complication…?”
“Vague ideas are all we’ll get,” I explained.
“Right,” he nodded, “so nothing to go all depressive over. Are you really not going to tell me what happened? It has to do with your fucked-up nose, doesn’t it? What happened?”
I tried again, “Nightmare Moon says we’re to go to war with an ominous threat that could wipe us all out. Again.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about that already. Word travels fast– especially something as serious as that. But that’s something we changelings are used to,” he dismissed me. “I can do this all day, Phasma. Or at least for another three hours, I’ve got an appointment with Prince Blueblood that unfortunately can’t be skipped. Bastard still won’t open up yet. Now, am I going to have to waste my entire morning, or are you going to tell me what’s eating you?”
“Let me deal with it, Coxa. Everyone’s got enough on their plates. I have to do this alone.”
He groaned, “It’s like talking to a brick wall, I swear. Is that Oestridae over there, watching us? Hey, Oest! Get over here!” He waved to my guards, who were standing close to the main doors to the garden.
Oest waved back and slowly walked over.
Coxa pointed at me, “Oest, Phasma is being a little bitch. Do you know what’s going on with him?”
Oest grimaced, “.... Yes.”
“Well?” Coxa pressed.
Oest stared at the ground, "I don't know if there's anything we can do."
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Coxa demanded.
'I don't want to put Oest in a bind. I guess I have to bite the bullet and tell the truth.'
"Moon and I got into a fight," I told Coxa. "I started it and… she ended it."
"... Nightmare Moon broke your nose?" Coxa gasped. "Phasma, that's…. Panar, I can't even begin to describe it! Oest, why didn't you tell me or Lace?!"
"I said it's my fault!" I rose from my chair.
"I don't care!" Coxa spat back. "You're the fucking King! She should be afraid of you! Of hurting you! We… we won, remember?! We won the war! We beat the ponies and forced them to concede defeat! I don't care that you started the fight, this is not how our King should ever be treated, let alone our friend!"
"If something happens, we lose the key to staying in power in Equestria," I explained. "We can't let all this be for nothing."
"This won't be for nothing, Phasma! Did…. Did you hit her?"
I cringed, "Well, no…"
"Then I don't see any reason why we should let this stand. A slight against you is a slight against all of us!" Coxa turned towards the Palace doors.
I lunged after him, "Coxa, wait! Please, you can't tell anyone! If Nightmare Moon finds out I've been spreading rumors about a fight that I started, she will break things off!"
"Maybe that's for the best," Coxa huffed.
"Coxa, I can't lose her! I… I don't know what I'd do without her!"
He shook his head, "You'll live. Just like the rest of us. Nightmare can't get rid of us easily. We hold power in Equestria now, especially since we're her number one defense against the resistance. Maybe we can even leverage a shift in power."
"No, Coxa!" I hissed. "We're in too deep to stop! It's far too late to try to untangle ourselves from Moon, we have to help her. The Eleventh and Twelfth Legions, they… there's no undoing what they did– what they are doing. We have to press forward. Please, Coxa. I, we, can't lose her!"
He stared at me, "I'm going to speak with Lace. Oest, you will join me. We'll decide what to do."
The two of them left, leaving me alone once again.
As much as Coxa’s talk threw me off kilter, I found myself feeling better after it. The heavy melancholy that had dragged me down was gone, and I was feeling just a bit lighter. I decided to head back inside and try to find something to do, productive or not.
‘Perhaps I just needed to get it all out of my system….’
However, before I could leave the Palace gardens, Nightmare Moon came outside to see me. Following just behind her was Princess Cadance, looking every bit as worn down as her own fiancé.
“Good morning, my love,” Nightmare said as she crossed the distance between us.
“Good morning, Moon,” I smiled back. “Morning, Cadence.”
“Morning,” Cadence said as she watched Nightmare Moon hug and kiss me.
Nightmare moved slowly, taking care not to aggravate my unfortunate injury. Even though my focus was on Nightmare, I could tell that Cadence was upset about something.
“Unfortunately, duty calls to me already,” Nightmare sighed. “I can not spend the lunch with you, dear. Although, I did manage to acquire some free time this afternoon for us. Perhaps we shall get dinner together outside the Palace.”
“Wait, really?” I asked, my face lighting up.
She nodded, “Indeed. We have earned some reprieve– though we must take care to show reserve. We must not let our troops think that now is the time to relax. We shall adopt disguises for the courting.”
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” I grinned.
“I shall get in touch later today. For now, I have fools to oversee and correct. I leave you with Princess Cadence, who wishes to speak with you about… something…”
“Love,” Cadence whispered to Nightmare.
Nightmare nodded slowly, “Ah, yes, love. The Alicorn of Love wishes to speak about love with the King of those who feast on it. Hardly a surprising encounter, one should think. I will see you again soon, Phasma.”
“I’ll look forward to it, Moon,” I smiled.
“One last thing. Marquess Deep Pockets stopped by today, seeming exceedingly… supplicant. Apparently she ran afoul of you and wanted to make a sizable donation to the crown’s latest efforts of reforming the army as an apology.”
I scratched my chin, “I don’t know who… Oh, wait, I think I know her. Some suicidal noble insulted my guards while I was in the bathroom. Must’ve been her.”
She chuckled, “You have managed to unintentionally scare up some support, then! The Marquess’s support will lead to other nobles throwing their support in for our efforts. What did you even say to her?”
“I just told her I was too busy to punish her and to get out of my sight,” I shrugged.
“How amusing,” she remarked. “Unfortunately, I must go now. Till we see each other this evening.”
“Take care, Moon,” I waved.
Nightmare turned and left, leaving Cadence and I alone. There was a pause and silence that dragged on longer than it should have.
“So…” I tried to break the silence.
“So…” Cadence echoed. “… May I ask what happened to your nose?”
I brought a hoof up to my muzzle reflexively, but did not dare to touch it.
“It was a training accident,” I borrowed Coxa’s guess. “I’ve survived worse– and not-survived worse, I suppose…”
Her eyes narrowed, “You must be having some rough training. Not even the guards have injuries that bad. Shiny pushes them, but your instructor seems to be pushing you far harder than she should.”
“I have a higher limit to reach, and no extra time to make up that extra distance,” I explained. “You should probably look into similar regimens. You, ah, didn’t exactly put up much of a fight during the Invasion of Equestria. Now, you wanted to discuss love?”
“I do. I was going to talk about something else, but first I think we should talk about your… instructor,” Cadence said ominously.
“I don’t follow.”
She pointed at my muzzle, “I know for a fact that you didn’t have that before you went to bed last night.”
I backpedaled, “How the hell do you know something like that? Are you spying on me?”
“Did Nightmare Moon break your nose?” She asked, stepping closer.
“No one else was there, must’ve been one of the guards,” I speculated quietly. “Cadence, do you really think you can get away with spying on me?!”
“Do you think Nightmare Moon will get away with what she’s done to everyone in Equestria? Including you,” she jabbed at me.
“Wh… what?” My mind blanked. “What are you… ooh, do not tell me that you’re working with the resistance!” I groaned. “Are you really… Just how many traitors are in the Night Guard? Ugh, never mind, don’t tell me. I’ll pull that answer directly from you later. For now, I would rather you explain why you think confronting me was ever a good idea, Cadence. I didn’t think you’re that stupid.”
“I wasn’t planning on saying anything right away, but clearly things are worse than I feared,” Cadence sighed.
I quickly scanned around for anyone else, but didn’t find anyone.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t arrest you, Princess Cadence? I could yell for guards, and they would go and fetch Moon before she even gets to the stairs up to the second floor.”
“Let me put it this way,” Cadence shook her head. “You and I are going to talk. By the end of it, you will help me, and you definitely won't tell Nightmare Moon about any of this.”
“That’s quite the assumption,” I scoffed. “What exactly do you have to convince me to turn my back on Moon and everything I have worked towards?”
“Love, Phasma, love. I’m the Princess of it, whatever good that means nowadays. I’ve made it my duty to know everything there is to know about relationships, and recently about how you and your changelings feed off of it. First, before we talk about Nightmare Moon, let me ask you one thing; are you happy with what’s going on in Locksdale?”
I felt a chill run down my spine. I did not answer the question, instead I glared at her, nearly grinding my teeth in anger.
“You went there two days ago, according to my sources,” Cadence continued. “You saw everything, from the experimentations to the holding cells. I know what’s in there, Phasma. I’ve seen pictures. I would also like to think I know you well enough to say that you wouldn’t be happy with what’s going on in there. You’re not evil. You’re pragmatic. At times, the difference is too small to notice, but it’s there. So tell me, Phasma: are you happy with what you are doing in Locksdale?”
I cringed, “It’s a temporary measure. Once a more effective method of love is found, we can stop the experiments. We can do things humanely. Until then, we have to stay alive.”
“You and I both know that there are better ways to experiment. What’s happening in those walls is far beyond reason. It is cruel, evil, callous, and wasteful.”
“There’s no undoing it! What’s done is done, and this is the quickest way to put an end to the horrors! I can’t abandon the future of my species, we need something and we need it sooner rather than later!”
She stepped forward, “Then answer my question. Are you happy with what you are doing?”
“Of course I’m not!” I almost yelled. “Do you really think I’m the kind of person that enjoys ripping families apart? Draining ponies until they are literal husks, nothing more than mummies? There are ponies in there whose punishment should be nothing more than a fine. Instead, they are often put into a grinder. Sometimes literally! I never wanted that! But we are a species on the brink of extinction. Morals are for those who are better off. We don’t have that luxury.”
“And if you found an alternative?” Cadence proposed.
“This is what I do without one,” I said, gesturing around us. “I would kill you to find a less bloody method of sustaining the Hive. Sustaining and growing, mind you.”
“Then it’s a good thing you don’t have to hurt anyone for this. I know of a better way, one where no one gets hurt. Not even a little bit. Not only that, but it also produces more love than any barbaric butchery you and your changelings could come up with.”
“Why would you ever keep this a secret from me, Cadence?” I asked in disbelief. “If you have a method to end this, you would have given it to me as soon as you could.”
“Truth be told, I only found out very recently,” Cadence admitted, rubbing a foreleg. “But what matters is what you will do. If I tell you this, will you put an end to Locksdale’s crimes against ponies?”
I gaped, “Of course I would!”
She nodded and let out a long breath, “Good. He should be here soon…”
“Who should be here soon?”
“It’s a surprise,” Cadence waved my question away. “Before he gets here, I have one more important question.”
I crossed my forelegs, “Oh you do, do you?”
“I will answer any question you have afterwards,” Cadence explained, “like an equal exchange.”
“.... Fine. I hope you have some good answers for me, such as why you think siding with the resistance was ever a good idea.”
“First, my question,” Cadence said.
Then, she walked forward, stopping only one pace in front of me. Cadence looked…
‘She looks… in pain?’
“How many times has she hurt you?”
“What–”
Cadence stepped closer, and I shrunk back instinctively.
“Nightmare Moon broke your nose, and it wasn’t in any training accident, was it?”
“.... It was my fault,” I whispered.
'Even if Moon doesn't even know the real reason why, I deserve it.'
“Do you really believe that? Do you think that I believe that? There’s nothing that could ever warrant such abuse. Nopony should ever lay hooves on their beloved in that manner. Nopony. Not even a Princess– especially not a Princess!”
“I started it! I started the fight!” I yelled. “I’m lucky that she stays–”
“Don’t you finish that thought!” Cadence jabbed a hoof at me. “I don’t want you to ever say anything like that! I doubt that you even started the fight in the first place, Phasma! Tell me what you did!”
I cringed and tried to back away. However, Cadence gave me no room.
“I… suggested that we… free Celestia….”
Cadence blinked, “... So she’s alive? Celestia’s alive?!”
I winced and nodded to one of the statues standing guard over the gardens around us, “Yes…. suffering the same fate as the spirit of chaos…”
“Thank Cel– ha! Oh, that is a relief!” She regathered her wits, “So you suggested that Nightmare Moon free Celestia, then what?”
I cringed, “Then, uh…” Cadence motioned for me to continue, but I couldn’t.
“Do you even understand what you’re going through? Why it’s wrong?”
“She’s the best thing to happen to me in so long, Cadence! Even with these small hiccups–”
“Small?!” Cadence seethed. “There’s nothing small about this! This isn’t love, it’s.. It’s… bucked up! Something bucked up and not love! There are ways out of this, Phasma. You need to reconsider what you’re doing, what’s being done to you, and change. Change what you and your lings are doing, change Nightmare Moon’s behavior, change everything!”
“This all has to be for something, Cadence. I can’t have come all this way for nothing! I’m not going to spend the rest of my life in a cell as my new species dies off!”
“That’s not going to happen,” someone interrupted us.
I quickly spun around, already charging a stun spell in my horn. Somehow, a gray pegasus had entered the gardens and made it almost all the way over to our gazebo without me noticing. I backed up so I could keep both the pegasus and Cadence in my line of sight.
‘I’m not sensing any emotions from them! That’s how they snuck up on me! That means that he’s…’
The pegasus stepped out of the rain and into my little sanctuary, and eyed me up and down.
“Phas… what’s happened to you?”
I gasped, “Ph– no. There’s no…”
‘He can’t be here. If he was alive, he would have come to me as soon as he could. He would have clarified things and revealed that I didn’t kill him. No… it can’t be him…’
Thorax smiled.
“It’s not possible…”
He chuckled, “Long time no see, huh? It’s been over half a year since we last talked.”
“You… why? How? Where were you all this time?”
Thorax looked down at the ground, “I was in Manehattan when Canterlot fell. I tried to explain things to the pony I was…. err, with at the time. It wasn’t easy, but eventually he listened to me. We left Manehattan, along with his family, and we have been living up north ever since. It was safer up there, at first. Took longer for the Legions to sweep through there, especially the mountains. Ironically, I kinda found the resistance long before I saw another changeling.”
I blinked away tears, “Why didn’t you come to see me? Or even write a damned letter, Thorax?! After all this time, I had thought that you… that you died!”
Thorax trotted over and embraced me in a hug. As usual, I flinched away and froze up.
“I heard what the Legions were doing. I heard what Nightmare was doing… I wanted to see things from the ponies’ perspective… I’m sorry. I should have at least written a letter, you’re right.”
‘M-maybe I’ll cut Cadence some slack and let her go… just this once…’
“I thought you were dead. I thought that I was responsible for your death, Thorax!”
“Ah. I didn’t think… I’m sorry, Phas. I just heard all of the rumors about you and Nightmare Moon, and… I didn’t believe them. Not at first. But when the stories didn’t stop coming, and when things got worse for everypony…” He broke the hug, “Phas, it’s not too late to stop this. I found a better way to harvest love. You can put an end to the horrors of Locksdale.”
“Tell him what you found,” Cadence said.
Thorax nodded, “The pony I revealed myself to? He’s more than a friend… It wasn’t easy. Not with the fall of Equestria as he knew it. But eventually…. It turns out that love freely given is more powerful than love stolen.”
I groaned, “That’s the corniest, most bullshit thing I’ve ever heard. I hate that it's probably true, too!”
“You can undo the damage that’s been done to Equus,” Cadence said. “There can be peace between our kingdoms, between our species. Thorax is proof that we can live together!”
Before Thorax showed up, I was ready to throw Cadence into a cell and be done with her lies. But with him here, I actually saw a different way that all of this could go. A way out, a solution to all of our problems. With the right pressure and maneuvering, the changelings could get out of this mess– maybe even being accepted by the ponies. It would be tricky, convincing everyone that we are victims too would only work so much. Still, everything was falling into place… All except one thing.
I shook my head, “I’m not abandoning Moon. She was there for my darkest hour. I love her, just as she loves me. I’m not losing her.”
“You may love her, but she doesn’t love you,” Cadence said. Before I could even hiss in anger, she continued, “Not in a healthy way, at least. Look at yourself, Phasma. You’re scared of a hug!”
“Phas, what’s she talking about?” Thorax asked.
“It’s…” I stalled. “I…”
Cadence didn’t give me time to explain, “Nightmare Moon is hurting Phasma. That broken nose? It was her. How long has it been like this, Phasma?”
“... It started two months ago,” I admitted. “Right around when she wanted us to reform the Night Guard and reform it quickly. She was stressed out more often and was getting more and more overworked, just like the rest of us…”
‘That must have been when she found out about this threat, this Epitaph. The stress got to her.’
“There are two ways this can end,” Cadence warned. “You can ‘go down with the ship,’ and turn us in. Things will only get worse for you and for everypony. Don’t deny it. Or, you could listen to us, and fix everything that’s wrong with Equestria right now.”
“And Nightmare Moon?” I asked. “What about her?”
“The old legends speak of the Princess she once was before she turned against her sister. The Elements can bring the old Princess back. They can save Princess Luna, but only by destroying Nightmare Moon as she is now.”
“No!” I yelled. “I cannot let that happen! Luna is dead, only Moon survived!”
“You have to!” Cadence insisted. “If Nightmare Moon loves you, truly loves you, then that love would carry on to who she is at her core; if her heart is yours, then Luna’s will be, too. The Elements can save her.”
“She’s right, Phas,” Thorax agreed. “The Elements won’t kill her, not if we use them correctly. We can purify her and bring back Princess Luna. She’ll be like Nightmare Moon, only without the… evil bits.”
“I can’t lose her,” I repeated. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”
“To love something, first you must set it free,” Cadence quoted.
“But what if Luna doesn’t love me?”
Thorax once again pulled me into a hug, “Then it wasn’t meant to be.”
I returned the hug, sobbing quietly.
‘I already plot against Nightmare Moon, just in case. Is this so different? Oh, what am I saying, of course it is! If Nightmare Moon finds out, she’ll kill me! Or worse, she’ll let me live! If this is all true, if Luna really is the person who deserves to live out of us three, then keeping her possessed or whatever is just another life I am ruining… God damn it! Panar damn it! Why couldn’t things just be perfect?! Why does it have to be this way? You know what? Fuck them. We’re doing it my way.’
Slowly, I pulled myself back together.
“... We’re doing things my way,” I whispered. My throat was too coarse to speak normally. “We’re not using the Elements on Nightmare Moon. Not until I’m convinced about all of this. If there’s a chance that you two are wrong, then Nightmare Moon deserves a chance to live.”
Thorax stepped back and shared a look with Cadence.
“That will have to do for now,” Cadence sighed. “But you have to put your hoof down and end this suffering that she’s putting you through. Nopony should ever lay a hoof on their special somepony.”
“Pony this, pony that,” I muttered. “... Fine. I’ll…. think about doing that. Somehow.”
I let out a long breath. I felt numb and tingly all over.
‘Damn it. I really don’t want to do this. I hope she forgives me in the end, but I can’t live like this.’
“I’ll help you,” I whispered.
“You will?” Cadence asked, and I nodded. “... Okay. We’ll help you too, Phasma. Trust us, and we’ll get you through this.”
I slowly shrugged, “If Moon doesn’t make it through this, too, I don’t see much point. The changelings can survive without me–”
“Don’t!” Cadence barked. “Don’t think like that! Princess Luna will… I’m not going to pretend to know what she’ll do, or even who she is, but you should never underestimate the power of love.”
I groaned again.
Cadence continued, “Phasma, if you’re going to help us, we’re going to need two things. First, you have to put an end to the abuse of rights in Locksdale.”
“I can do that pretty easily. Especially if the shutdown is only ‘temporary.’ How quickly will your plan… be?” I asked.
“That depends on the second thing,” Cadence explained. “The Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon destroyed them when she returned. We need to find a way to remake them.”
Thorax nodded, “We figured that only someone with unrestricted access to all the forbidden sections of the Palace could uncover those secrets. Someone like you, Phas.”
“There’s an easier solution than making new Elements,” I revealed quietly. “The Elements haven’t been destroyed. Nightmare Moon tried several times, but she was never successful. She told everyone, including me, that they were gone, but…”
Cadence and Thorax leaned closer in anticipation.
“You found them?” Cadence guessed.
I shrugged, “Rough positions. I only got the report yesterday morning, in fact. It’s going to be impossible to get their exact locations, but Moon scattered them throughout Equestria. Far enough to make them a hassle to gather, but close enough that she could keep an eye on them.”
Cadence pumped a hoof in the air, “Yes! Finally, some good news.”
“We’re also going to need a set of bearers,” Thorax pointed out.
Cadence froze, the joy leaving her like air from a balloon, “.... Oh Celestia. I nearly forgot…. I don’t suppose that rumor of a new set of bearers was true, Phasma?”
“... It was true,” I said quietly.
“Yes! Wait, was?” Cadence asked.
“Six ponies from Ponyville were prime candidates for using the Elements.”
“What happened to them?” Cadence frowned, already guessing the answer.
I shrugged, “What do you think? Moon killed them.”
Thorax shook his head sadly as Cadence’s face darkened, “... Wait. Twilight…”
‘She knows the unicorn, too? Eh, not surprising. If she’s engaged to Twilight’s brother, then, of course, she would know Twilight, too.’
“Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s star protégé,” I confirmed. “She was there.”
Cadence fell back onto her haunches, “That means that–”
“She’s alive.”
Cadence jumped right back up and stared at me in wonder, “She is?!”
“We– that is, the changelings I sent to investigate– only uncovered five bodies. The sixth, Twilight Sparkle, was… missing.”
“You’re certain that she’s alive?”
“I am,” I said. “I can’t explain why, but… I'm certain that she’s not dead. There would have been evidence.”
‘Best not to reveal everything I know right away…’
Cadence began to tear up, "Oh Celestia, that's wonderful news! I was so worried… Shiny has to hear this!"
"It's your funeral if this gets leaked," I said. "If shit hits the fan, I'm throwing you to the wolves."
Cadence wiped away the tears and cleared her throat, "I will gather the pieces. Thorax, you'll have to find new Element bearers. You have the guide. Phasma, shut down Locksdale and give us the locations as soon as you can. In exchange, we'll help you through all of this."
"I'm still not convinced about using the Elements of Harmony on Moon," I reminded them.
"I'm sure that I can convince you eventually," Cadence sighed. “At the very least, it does not matter right now. Even just getting Aunt Celestia back will be a huge victory. She’ll have an idea what to do, what to say…”
I sighed, "Fine." Then, I stepped close to whisper the locations to Cadence. When I was done, I gave her some more instructions, "Don't write that down, just memorize it. If you write anything down, be sure not to destroy it with magic. Anything undone by magic can be remade by magic. In fact, don't use magic on the notes in the first place. You don't realize just how complicated a simple spell, such as levitation, can make things."
"Don't worry about us," Cadence weakly smiled. "Just…. Figure out a way to stand up for yourself. Call on your friends, if you can. Don't be alone when you confront Nightmare. Oh, and stop committing war crimes. Please."
I rolled my eyes, "I'll go shut down Locksdale today. I'll tell them that a new method has been discovered. It won't even be a lie, so I can probably shut them down for good."
'A lot of lings will be relieved to hear that. Not as many as I'm comfortable with but enough to make the decision supported.'
"We'll find a way of getting in touch," Thorax promised. "I'm not going to disappear again. Unless I get foalnapped by extremists in the resistance who are under the assumption that I'm a double agent, despite my obviousness and lack of discretion."
"Is… that a real concern?"
He laughed, "No, but it would make a romantic story. All tied up, knife to my throat, when Diamond bursts through the doors, taking down pony after pony…"
".... Right. I'll tell the First Fang you're okay then, Thorax. They'll want to see you too."
He clapped in excitement, "Yes! The whole gang, back together! We will have to make it soon!"
"The whole gang…" I repeated, ".... minus Tarsus."
"Why, where is he?" Thorax wondered.
I cringed, "You better sit down for a moment…"
Finalizing the design in my head, I used a quill and ink to jot down the outline of my drawing.
“I shut down Locksdale today,” I announced. “So, you know… sorry. You’re going to have to wait for all this to blow over now that we’re not getting any information from there. Look at the bright side: you could be dead.”
I blew on the drawing to dry the outlines. Switching to a brush that I dipped into black paint, I began coloring in my masterful sketch.
"So in short, I'm continuing to work against Moon, despite my best judgment. I think I'll prevent the usage of the Elements but having them on hoof will be an incalculable advantage. I don't think Luna will love me. I've never met her… I hate gambling on unknowns. I hate gambling in general. Better to stick with what I've got, and try to work it out as normal people do."
The slow beep of a heart monitor was the only response to my musings.
"I seem to be at odds with myself, now that I think about it. Part of me wants to do this scheme. The rest just wants to go to bed and snuggle with Moon. I think it's because deep down, there's a version of me who sees all the wrong I am doing and wants to get punished for it. Moon loves that part of me, but she definitely wouldn't approve of what that part of me is doing when she isn't tying it up with rope. Good thing that by the time she'll find out what's going on, it'll be too late."
I switched to gray paint and began coloring in the statue.
"Your sister-in-law and brother asked about you. They're both very worried. I told them that you're alive, but nothing more. I'll keep plenty of cards close to my chest for this…"
I dropped my brush and looked over my drawing and regarded the final product.
‘It looks like a child with cerebral palsy had drawn it.’
I grinned, "Magnificent! I think this is my best one yet!"
I picked up the drawing and showed it to Twilight. I pressed it against the cocoon, as if she was paying attention at all and wasn't comatose.
"Do you like it? I really think that the 'I want to die' text right there really brings it all together. It'll be featured in museums centuries from now, without a doubt."
Slowly, I lowered the shifty drawing.
"Not a fan? Hmph, I'd like to see you do better. I had thought that you would appreciate the drawing's message, given your current situation, Twilight."
Twilight Sparkle bobbed slowly in the pod, the wires and tubes holding her in the center of the part-machine-part-organic pod. Her extensive injuries, up to and including missing two legs and her horn, had interred her in the healing pod indefinitely.
Until we could figure out how to actually apply all of the healing pods' properties to ponies, we would be unable to repair her injuries. The most we could do was keep her in stasis, on the brink of death but never dying.
"Still, a more hopeful fate than what awaited me," I reassured myself. "I'll find a way to fix you. I'm not entirely sure why I went so far and risked so much to save you, but I guess I'm going past that point anyway. If Nightmare found out you're still alive, she probably wouldn't even kill you. You'd be turned into a statue, just like Celestia. Hmm. I hope we can solve all this before the threat to Equestria comes knocking."
I sat down with my back against the pod.
"Things are going to get very messy, but maybe, just maybe, it will all be worth it."