A blanket of silence hung over the ocean’s waves as they lapped gently against the hull of the mighty vessel, the moon and scattered stars providing most of the light aboard the sleeping ship as Kepler made his way towards the brig. His heart thundered in his chest in stark contrast to the calm around him, and his breathing was shallow with anticipation of what was to come. The very idea of what he was about to do was enough to send adrenaline pumping through his veins, his steps hurried yet as quiet as possible so as not to draw unwanted attention. The halls of the ship were mostly empty, thanks to the late hour and the lack of imminent attack from the Equestrians, thus providing Kepler with the best opportunity he had for accomplishing his goal. He also had a sneaking suspicion that Whiteclaw and the other gryphons who were in the know were doing what they could to make his task easier, although he had no way of confirming his thoughts at the present.
The stallion’s journey through the ship’s interior was thankfully uneventful, nary a soul in sight from the moment he left the hold. His hoof carefully opened the latch on the solid steel bulkhead, the door leading to the brig swinging open with a mild groan. The heavy door fought Kepler’s grip as he slowly closed the opening behind him once he had entered the dreary corridor, his eyes slowly acclimating to the gloom. Once his vision adjusted, the stallion immediately spotted Gloria standing a few paces further down the hall, along with Princess Twilight, who perked up with a gleeful smile upon spotting him.
“Oh! Master, you’re here.” Kepler had to resist pushing the mare away from his person as the alicorn rubbed her flank along his right side, her swirling eyes still glowing with their sickly green and pink pattern.
Kepler turned toward Gloria as he did his best to ignore the mare rubbing along his body like an oversized cat, “The guards?”
Gloria smiled, “Seems that Whiteclaw was able to give us some help. The guards had to take a ‘bathroom break’ right as I got here with Twilight. We shouldn’t have any issue moving forward.”
Kepler nodded as he retrieved the key ring that had been helpfully left on the desk adjacent to the brig entrance, “Then let’s not waste any time. We have a lot to do and very little time to work with.”
The trio made their way to the cell containing the rest of the wayward Equestrians, finding that none of them had been able to get to sleep. Not that Kepler blamed them, with the imminent shadow of death hanging over their heads. Applejack and Rainbow were the first to spot their group as they stepped up to the cell bars, the pegasus’ wings flaring in anger as both mares’ ears folded back.
“What are you doing here?” Rainbow hissed out, her words catching the attention of the other mares.
“You shall see in a moment…” Kepler took a half step back and raised his hoof, bringing it down like a hammer against the base of Twilight’s neck, the hypnotized mare letting out a soft grunt before her eyes rolled up and back, her body falling limp to the decking as the other mares cried out in shock.
“What did you do that for?!” Applejack yelled, “She couldn’t do anything – ”
“Shut up and listen for a second before you get us all caught.” Kepler interjected, silencing the mare with a hard smack of his hoof against the bars of the cell, “I’m only going to explain this once, so listen carefully. I’m not going to stand by and let that insect murder the lot of you. Stupid and naïve you may be, but you’re still civilians who don’t deserve to die. I knocked out Twilight so she can’t alert the changelings to our plan, but I’m going to need all your help if we are going to get you back to Equestria in one piece.”
Stunned silence met his words, before Fluttershy of all ponies managed to speak up, “You mean, you’re going to set us free?”
Gloria mirrored Kepler’s smile, “Better yet, we’re coming with you so we can help you level the playing field in this war. Chrysalis has kicked a hornet’s nest and doesn’t even realize how much trouble she just pushed into motion.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes at Kepler, “And why should we trust anything y’all have to say?”
“Because it’s that or the firing squad.” Was Kepler’s blunt reply.
The five mares shared several looks between each other, before Rarity turned to face the stallion, a firm determination in her expression, “What do we need to do?”
“Well, for starters, could one of you carry the Princess for me?” Kepler quipped as he unlocked the cell door, swinging the solid plate open as quietly as he could, “She’s light enough but I need my hooves free in case we run into trouble on the way out.”
Applejack rolled her eyes as she pulled the alicorn onto her withers, the other mares quickly following the orange earth pony into the corridor, “Ah got this, ain’t no trouble when compared to barrels of apples back home.”
Kepler nodded, “Then follow me, and keep quiet, the last thing we need is one of the changelings to catch us out and about.”
The group slowly worked their way through the halls of the ship’s interior, taking side corridors and less used pathways to avoid as much of the night watch as possible. Most of the crew were asleep, but that meant that there was less background noise to cover up their movements. Multiple times Kepler ground his fangs together in frustration when one of the mares’ hooves would crack loudly against a bulkhead frame or the constant click clack as they walked over the metal decking. Oversensitive his hearing might be, but even a braindead deaf could detect these mares coming a mile away.
Somehow, through either sheer dumb luck or divine intervention, the group made it up to the main deck without being caught. Kepler directed them towards the stern where some of the lifeboats were secured, praying that their luck would hold out. The group had just arrived and was preparing one of the rafts to deploy, when a deep, satisfied voice called out from the shadows behind them.
“Well, well, well,” Kepler spun around as the others froze in their actions, the hulking form of the Feldgendarmerie that had initially detained Gloria materializing from the space between the two aft turrets, “what do we have here? A traitor, a soon-to-be-flightless deserter, and a collection of dead meat.”
Kepler spoke swiftly and softly as the grinning tercel approached, “Ready the raft and cast off without me. I’ll catch up as soon as I can after I deal with our unwanted company.”
“You can’t fight him alone,” Gloria hissed in reply, “he’ll kill you.”
Kepler’s scalding glare was enough to make the hen shrink back for a moment, “We don’t have a choice right now. The Equestrian’s safety comes before everything else.” He softened the glare with a quick kiss and a gentle push, “Go on, my love, I’ll be right behind you.”
Kepler turned back to face the massive gryphon as Gloria rushed to help the ponies launch the lifeboat, drawing his knife from its sheath on his side with a hoof, “Been a while, Feldgendarmerie. I don’t suppose you would be willing to look the other way and pretend you never saw us?”
The tercel’s grin never faltered, his eyes lighting up with almost sadistic glee upon seeing Kepler’s knife glint in the moonlight, “Fat chance of that. I never liked you, even when you were working for us, I never thought that you would be anything of use.” The two began to circle each other, Kepler’s gaze remaining locked on his adversary even as the others rushed to get the lifeboat in the water. “Now I see you as the truly pathetic little pony you really are, without honor and without loyalty to anyone but yourself.”
His words cut deep, and had Kepler been alone he might have succeeded in goading the stallion into an attack. However, given their current circumstances, all the gryphon’s barbed insults did was harden Kepler’s resolve. “Big words from such a hypocrite buffoon. You say I am without honor, yet you would stand by and watch as civilians are murdered in cold blood upon the ship you serve. What happened to your warrior spirit, or did the changelings drain that too along with whatever brains you once had?”
A sound not unlike nails on a chalkboard made Kepler wince as the tercel’s claws screeched against the metal of the deck, his eyes narrowed in fury as his wings flared wide, “I have more spirit in one talon than you have in your entire body! You dare to question my skills?! I’ll paint the deck with your blood and make your little chicken of a mate watch as you beg me for mercy!”
Kepler’s lips pulled back into a grin of his own as a loud splash was heard from behind the circling duo, “You mean the little chicken that is currently sailing for shore with your prisoners?”
As expected, the moron jerked his head towards the sound behind him, leaving himself wide open as Kepler’s wings rose and dropped in a powerful downstroke, hurling the smaller stallion directly at the distracted gryphon. The idiot realized his mistake a second too late as Kepler’s knife plunged into the side of his neck, digging deep and cutting off his startled squawk with a thick gurgling of blood. Kepler released his grip on the blade, ducking under the wild swipe of the larger creature’s talons and jumping back with another swift pump of his wings. He landed in a ready stance in case his adversary managed to make a counterattack, but it proved unnecessary as thick bubbles of crimson rose from within the tercel’s beak. His talons weakly pulled at the combat knife still embedded in his neck, but it did little besides hastening his demise as his legs collapsed under him. One foreleg reached towards Kepler, seemingly in a final attempt to kill his enemy, before falling limp to the decking, a stream of blood running from his gaping beak to begin pooling on the metal below his cooling body.
Kepler waited for a moment, just to be sure, before walking up to the corpse and jerking his blade free, the wet sound of metal against flesh making his stomach churn a time or two. He washed what he could of the tercel’s blood off the blade with his enemy’s fur before sheathing the weapon and taking to the air. His wings carried him over the side railing and towards the shore, his searching gaze finding the bobbing form of the lifeboat in seconds as he shifted his course to intercept.
The ponies jerked slightly in surprise as he landed, while Gloria rushed over and enveloped him in a tight hug. Kepler rubbed the hen’s side with a hoof for a moment before gently pushing her back, his gaze locking with the Equestrians’ as they continued towards the distant Fillydelphia shore.
“So, now what?” Rainbow Dash asked as Gloria took over steering the lifeboat from Pinkie Pie, who had somehow been operating the foreign engine’s controls without any issue.
“We make our way to shore and then head inland.” Kepler replied, “The city should still be occupying the landing troops’ attention so if we make landfall further up the coast, we should be able to sneak around and into Equestrian lines.”
“Then what? Y'all just gon ta surrender yerselves and hope for the best?” Applejack questioned.
“I plan to surrender myself to your forces, yes,” Kepler nodded, “but with the intention of being brought before your princess so that I can explain myself to her directly.”
“And why would we let you anywhere near Princess Celestia,” Rarity countered, her horn sparking dangerously as she aimed it at the unperturbed stallion, “after everything you’ve done to Twilight?”
“Because I am the only hope you have of stopping the Tyr and preventing further atrocities from happening.” Was his calm reply, “I also know what has happened to Princess Luna, and have a plan to free her along with your friend.”
Kepler raised an eyebrow at the confused looks being shared between the Equestrians, “You didn’t know? Hmph, it seems you’ve been kept in the dark even more than I expected.”
“What have you done to Princess Luna?!” Rainbow Dash growled, at least having the sense to keep her voice down as her wings flared wide, Applejack taking an aggressive stance at her side while Fluttershy and Rarity watched on.
“I did nothing to her,” Kepler answered, “but I do know what happened to her, given I was a witness to her capture. Right now, she is being held hostage in the Dream Realm by Chrysalis and her changelings, and as such is in far more danger than your friend ever was.”
“But I thought the Dream Realm was just where ponies went when they slept,” Fluttershy inquired, “why would Princess Luna be in danger there?”
“Because any wounds sustained in the Realm are translated to her real body, or so I’ve been told.” Kepler’s words were met with a barrage of terrified gasps, “However, I don’t think Chrysalis will outright kill Princess Luna, as she is worth far too much as a hostage. My guess is that she will simply keep the Princess trapped in the Dream Realm as an ace in the hole, should her plans start to fail. Meaning we have time to figure out a rescue, once we deal with the Tyr.”
Stunned silence followed his words, broken only by the soft hum of the engine and the gentle lap of the waves against the lifeboat’s side. Kepler turned and sat down beside Gloria, leaving the Equestrians to themselves at the bow of the skiff as they traversed the remainder of the distance to shore. The tension in the air rose steadily as they neared the city, the amber glow of fires and the distant sounds of gunfire reaching their ears even as they turned towards the shore north of the harbor. Everyone kept an eye out for danger as the hull of the skiff scraped along the sand, coming to a stop against the shore with a dense forest barely a hundred meters from the water.
“Alright, we need to make our way inland,” Kepler whispered, waiting until the Equestrians had disembarked with Twilight resting over Applejack’s withers once more, “Once we get past the troops attacking the city, we’ll need to secure transport to the capital.”
“Then we had best get moving.” Rarity’s voice was soft as well, likely due to the echoing cracks of gunfire still audible from the nearby city.
The forest was thankfully thick in canopy but sparse in underbrush, allowing for the group to make decent speed without risk of being spotted from above. Kepler and Gloria followed the ponies from behind, given they were in unfamiliar territory, as well as to avoid being attacked on sight should they encounter an Equestrian group. They marched for what felt like several hours, but was likely less than one, before coming to the edge of the forest. Kepler snuck to the edge of the tree line to scout for any gryphon troops but was instead met with the sight of what appeared to be an Equestrian forward operating base. Tents littered the ground beyond the forest’s edge, surrounded by hastily constructed defenses such as pitfalls and sharpened wooden spikes, although Kepler wondered at the effectiveness of such embankments when the enemy could simply fly over them.
There appeared to be a few hundred ponies if the size of the camp was anything to go by, the glint of gold armor reflecting the light of nearby torches as patrols walked the perimeter in pairs. Kepler noted several weaknesses in their defensive line but quickly reminded himself that he wasn’t here to attack the ponies. He made his way back to their group and passed on what he had seen, raising an eyebrow when Applejack pulled out several lengths of rope.
“And what are you going to do with those?” He had a pretty good idea already but wanted to be sure.
“Well y'all can’t exactly march in there like ya own the place,” The earth pony rolled her eyes, “and Ah still don’t trust y’all much more than Ah can throw ya, so if ya want to prove that y'all were serious about turning yerselves in, then let us take ya prisoner fer real.”
Kepler shared a glance with Gloria, who simply shrugged in response. “Very well, just please don’t tie them too tight, I would rather avoid getting rope burn anywhere uncomfortable.”
Applejack nodded, looping a section of rope around his barrel, securing his wings to his sides but not to the point of pain. Next, his fore and hind legs were hobbled together, with a length leftover around his neck for the earth pony to hold onto. Gloria was given a similar treatment, although her talons and beak were left unsecured after Kepler raised an eyebrow at the Stetsoned mare. Applejack had the decency to blush in embarrassment before grabbing the two ropes hanging from their necks, leading the duo towards the Equestrian camp while the others flanked them on either side. Rainbow had taken over carrying Twilight while Applejack led Kepler and Gloria, the stallion doing his best to not look too ridiculous as the ponies behind the defensive wall took notice of their approach. A din of hastily called orders and a flurry of movement rose from the camp as several pegasi took to the air, surrounding the group with spears and crossbows at the ready.
Kepler noted that many of the soldiers were giving him strange looks, as was expected, but thankfully none were eager to attack them as the leader of the squad barked out from the front, “Halt! State your business here!”
Kepler rolled his eyes at the obvious question, but kept his mouth shut as Applejack replied, “We are the Elements of Harmony, sent on a mission by Princess Celestia to find and capture the ones behind the new weapons the gryphons are using against us.”
The commander, after glancing at Kepler and Gloria in their trussed-up state, lifted a hoof before marching up to glare into the stallion’s face as the other pegasi stood down around them.
“So, you’re the one who’s been behind all this.” Kepler noted that the mare was a good head and a half shorter than him but did his best not to roll his eyes as the smaller pony sized him up, “Honestly I was expecting something a bit more, monstrous.”
“I would say the same, but that would imply I ever considered you a true threat.” Kepler’s voice had a bit more bite than he intended, but it seemed to amuse the mare more than anything.
“You’ve got steel, I’ll give you that.” Another hoof signal and a duo of soldiers took the ropes from Applejack as the commander turned to the other Elements, “So, what can we do for you? I take it you need transport to Canterlot as soon as possible?”
“That would be much appreciated,” Rarity smiled warmly as the group was escorted into the camp proper, “we need to get Princess Twilight and these two prisoners to the capital as quickly as possible.”
A worried expression crossed the commander’s face as she spotted the unconscious form of Twilight still laid out across Rainbow’s back, “Does the Princess need medical attention? We don’t have the best facilities, but our medics could take care of things here if needed.”
“I’m afraid Princess Twilight is under a powerful spell,” Rarity replied, her ears folding against her head as she cast a worried glance of her own at the limp alicorn, “one that we fear may require Princess Celestia to break.”
“Say no more,” the commander’s hoof rose in a swift salute, “we’ll have you all on the first train out of here in the morning. Sergeant!”
“Ma’am?” A younger unicorn stallion answered from their right.
“I need you to escort our guests to a tent so they can rest and get some food in them. Make sure they have everything they need so they can be ready to leave first thing in the morning.” The orders were delivered with crisp professionalism, the tone of an experienced commander who expected their orders to be followed. Kepler was not impressed.
“Yes Ma’am, right away Ma’am!” Kepler pitied the poor lad; it was obvious the nervous stallion was fresh out of training and was not used to being away from home. War was harsh on everyone, but none more so than the youth who had to face death far too soon in life.
Kepler and Gloria were escorted under heavy guard to the other side of the camp, where they were secured in irons instead of the rope Applejack had used, with thick metal bands locked around their wings to pin them in place. Gloria was forced to endure a muzzle around her beak and heavy leather bindings over her talons, much to Kepler’s annoyance, even though he knew why the restraints were implemented. Both were then chained to a metal post near the center of the camp, where they were subjected to the insults and snide comments of the passing soldiers as night wore on. Gloria hid behind Kepler as much as she could, while the stallion endured the verbal abuse without complaint. He understood the reason for their hate, doing what he could to comfort Gloria as the moon passed overhead, and reminded himself with every barbed insult or glob of spit that landed in the dirt around them, that it was his fault when all was said and done that all of this had happened.
Neither of them got any sleep, and as the sun rose in the east, Kepler struggled to maintain his dignity as they were led to a nearby train station, the jabs to his ribs and forceful tugs on the chain around his neck turning the easy walk into a slog. Gloria got it worse, likely because of her species, and Kepler vowed to make it up to her as soon as he could, however possible.
The Elements rode the train in one of the passenger cars, Princess Twilight being kept asleep with a potent spell to avoid any problems from her condition, while Kepler and Gloria were secured in a cell in the car adjacent. Three squads of soldiers watched over them as the train sped along the tracks, and for the first time since he left the Tyr, Kepler was afraid. Not of the ponies around them, although they were much more intimidating without his knife, but of what awaited them at the capital. As much as he laughed and griped at the stupidity of the royal family, they still had enough magical might to move the celestial bodies around the planet, which would be more than enough to vaporize Kepler if they so choose.
Kepler had never been a religious man in his previous life, but in that moment, he felt like he was about to go before God to answer for his sins. The feeling was not a pleasant one, as a cold sweat ran down his neck as the morning light illuminated the shining spires of Canterlot, the gilded city looming above them like a holy hammer, ready to crush them under the weight of their crimes.
Geeze, he really needed to get some sleep, he was starting to write poetry in his delirium.
The train slowed to a halt at the station, a heavy hiss of steam signaling their arrival as the group was escorted off the train. The Elements led the group while Kepler and Gloria followed behind, two rings of soldiers surrounding the group while a smaller detail escorted Kepler and Gloria personally. Kepler did his best to ignore the ponies around them, instead attempting to memorize the layout of the city itself, before shifting his attention to the castle before them. Inside the massive marble structure, was the rest of the royal family, the ones who would judge him for his actions, and the ones he had to convince to let him go free. A tall order to be sure, but a challenge he felt he could overcome. Only time would tell if he was right, and only Fate knew the outcome of his choices. The Elements carried on through the castle as the giant front gates were closed behind them, while he and Gloria were directed down another hallway until they arrived in the castle dungeons.
A heavy lock secured their cell, and the restraints were left on their bodies as the soldiers left, leaving the duo in the dim light of a single torch as the door to the dungeon slammed shut. A few moments of silence hung in the air, the rapid shifts from one location to another coupled with the stress of the situation as a whole having taken their toll on the stallion. A quick glance at his companion told Kepler all he needed to know about Gloria’s state of mind, the muzzled hen shaking in her restraints as her eyes darted from one side to another. Kepler walked over to Gloria, rubbing her face as best he could with the muzzle in the way, a soft hum escaping her beak as he leaned up to kiss her between the eyes. Her shaking didn’t stop, but it thankfully lessened as her gaze locked onto his, the fear in them fading slightly as he spoke in a soothing whisper.
“We’ll get through this, my love.” His voice sounded unnaturally loud in the silent cell, “Please bear with it for a bit longer.”
Gloria nodded, a smile gracing the corners of her beak as she lay down on the wooden plank that pretended to be a bed as it hung from the left wall, her breath slowing into sleep almost immediately. Kepler very much wanted to join her, but being in the center of the pony capital, knowing that interrogation was guaranteed to happen sooner than later, his nerves were far too wound up to even entertain the idea of sleep. Instead, he sat down on the floor next to Gloria, rubbing her side with one hoof as he pondered his options.
The steady drip of water on some distant stone, and the faint crackle of the torch across the hall every few minutes were the only sounds in the dungeon, Kepler’s ears turning this way and that in anticipation of the ponies’ return. Minutes melted into hours, at least in the stallion’s mind, his hoof never ceasing its tender strokes over Gloria’s form, until the heavy groan of the dungeon door interrupted his errant thoughts.
His gaze lifted from Gloria’s sleeping face, taking in the presence of the Element Bearers, sans Twilight, before shifting to the much larger bulk of the white alicorn standing at the fore of the group. Her rose eyes bore into him with equal parts curiosity and anger, her multicolored mane rippling violently on a nonexistent wind. Kepler could feel the power radiating off her body like heat from a bonfire, yet he maintained his confident poise even as his heart beat a pounding rhythm in his chest. He couldn’t show weakness, not now.
“My subjects tell me you have done many things,” the alicorn’s voice was warm like the sun emblazoned on her flank yet held a hard edge as she glanced between him and Gloria, “some that I would hardly believe had it not been the Elements who said it was true. So, tell me, young stallion, what exactly do you plan to do now?”
Kepler swallowed thickly, feeling that he was once again in a battle of wits against a much stronger opponent, with his life on the line should he fail to convince his adversary of his intentions. The changeling queen was terrifying in her own right, but even her anger and cunning paled in comparison to the literal sun’s fury standing before him now. His gaze shifted back to Gloria, who had yet to awaken, clenched his jaw in resolve, and turned to face the solar storm with his own steel spirit.
“Princess Celestia,” His voice carried clear and strong between them, his back straight and his head held high as he met her gaze with every ounce of his conviction, “I’ve come to bargain.”