//------------------------------// // Committing Pieces // Story: Dusk's Dangerous Game // by Airstream //------------------------------// Sweetie Belle’s return to consciousness was neither slow nor confusing, like it had been when she was imprisoned. Instead, it was rather like waking from a long sleep, a bit unpleasant but quickly ignored. The pastel unicorn sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes with one hoof while she took in her bearings. She was in a very simple room, on a cot that creaked just a bit when she moved. The walls were old brick, and the entire room was lit by a single magelight, throwing a gentle yellow glow from wall to wall. There was a door in one corner, one that rose to a point at the top, and set with an iron ring. The air was dry, though a bit cold, and Sweetie Belle thought she might be able to hear church bells in the distance. Curious as to her whereabouts, she rose from her resting place, and proceeded to a nearby door. She attempted to open the door, but was perturbed to find it locked. Another tug proved fruitless, and she settled down despairingly, sure that she was a prisoner once more. A voice came from outside the door. “Just a moment, Ms. Belle, we’ve got the door locked so nopony can get in except for a few trusted members. I’ve notified my superiors, and somepony will be along to collect you shortly. Just…take it easy for a few minutes, alright?” Sweetie Belle didn’t bother to speak, simply walking back to her cot and waiting. She did not have to wait for long. Five minutes later, the door rattled and opened wide, admitting several ponies. Sweetie Belle caught sight of the familiar orange coat of Scootaloo, and Night Light standing close behind her. A third unicorn, her coat snow white, her mane fiery red, stood at the head of the group, and in the very back stood one more pony, cloaked and hooded. The white unicorn spoke first. “Ms. Belle, we are glad to see you awake after such a short time. The Specialist’s needles are filled with all sorts of poisons, and we were not sure what he had given you. How are you feeling?” “My head hurts a bit, and things are kind of fuzzy around the edges, but other than that, I feel just fine.” Sweetie Belle said, rubbing at her neck. The white unicorn’s face remained serious. “That’s good to hear. I have just finished debriefing Scootaloo and Night Light on their experiences, and I would like to do the same with you in a while. But first, I would like to offer you the same choice we offer every pony that comes through here.” Sweetie Belle’s curiosity was piqued. “Alright then, let’s hear it.” “Do you know where you are, Sweetie Belle?” she asked. Sweetie Belle thought. “Well, I’m assuming that this is some sort of safehouse, a hidden place for members of the EF to go to ground. Let’s see…you mentioned that I hadn’t been out too long, so I wasn’t moved far. I remember hearing a large bell before I passed out. That was familiar, so we are near the Bronze Clock, in the center of town. And I think I might have heard church bells, which when combined with the age of the brickwork and the style of the door, indicates that I am in an abbey or monastery near the Bronze Clock, of which there are only a few. And I met Scootaloo in the Tomb of The Paladin. So, I am going to assume that I am in the old cells for monks beneath the Abbey itself. This means, since you appear to be the one in charge, that you are the unicorn known as Lively, EF leader for this portion of the city.” There was a beat of stunned silence from the occupants of the cell. A slow grin crept across the unicorn’s face as Scootaloo and Night Light did their best not to laugh. She gave a graceful bow. “I forgot I was talking to an excellent reporter. Lively Song, at your service. And I am the head of EF operations in the city of Trottingham. Scootaloo did not overestimate you in her report; you are a very intelligent mare. And in answer to the rest of your question, you are indeed in the catacombs and cells of the Abbey of the Paladin, which is the central hub for the EF in Trottingham. And now that you are here, I must offer you a choice.” She gestured for the hooded pony to come forward, who obeyed, though its face still remained obscured by cloth. “It is no longer safe for you in Equestria, and we apologize for that. It was never our intention to get you caught up in this mess, and it was certainly never our intention for you to be captured. That said, we can do one of two things for you. The first is a popular option. We can send you through the Everfree and then through Los Pegasus, and hook you into a group of refugees heading for Gryphon lands. They are officially neutral in the conflict, and as such you will be protected there. Or you can take the second option, and fall in with us. We can offer you a role in the fight, and you’d be able to satisfy any lingering curiosity you have about how we operate. This would require a brief stay from you here before we send you into the Everfree.” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Why would I need to stay?” Lively Song sat on her haunches, the two Pegasi behind her doing the same. “We have discovered something about ponies who were under Celestia’s reign when Twilight began her rebellion. They have been…changed slightly. There is a bit of loyalty to Celestia written into ponies, that we need to weed out before they can be trusted.” “I have no loyalty to Celestia at this point, I promise. That’s unnecessary!” Sweetie Belle protested. Lively arched an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked, and gestured for the pony next to her to lower their hood. They did so, and Sweetie Belle stared into the face of a very familiar pony. Twilight Sparkle winked at her. “Hello, Sweetie Belle.” she said, her voice warm and welcoming. Sweetie Belle reacted without thinking, but the two Pegasi were ready for her. She hurled herself off of the bed, ready to tackle the purple unicorn and beat her unconscious if necessary, drag her to the nearest guard or to the Princess if she could…two sets of hooves caught her easily, and she was slammed down onto the cot, where she fought tooth and nail to get back up. Twilight regarded her curiously, and as Sweetie watched, the unicorn’s coat disappeared in a rush of green magic, revealing a bulky Changeling. Gradually, she stopped struggling, and came to her senses. Lively Song’s smile was gone. “Each one of us reacted similarly. The only ones who did not were those sequestered in the Everfree when Twilight arrived, about five thousand ponies. Celestia’s subjects are devoted to her, whether they realize it or not.” Sweetie Belle looked at her friends, their faces set as they backed away slowly. She was silent for a brief moment, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. “What would I have to do to be rid of this?” “It’s not a long procedure, though it is somewhat dangerous. Three days of preparation, staying down here. Count yourself lucky, Scootaloo had to stay down here for two months. The process is significantly shorter for unicorns. The reason you remain underground is so our Crystal can work unimpeded. Once your three days are up, you’ll…” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Wait. What about a crystal?” Scootaloo stepped forward. “It’s a crystal sent to us by Radiant Zenith, magically charged to siphon off unwanted mental influences. It leaves you a blank slate from a mental magic point of view. About the size of a pony, maybe a bit bigger.” Lively resumed her explanation. “Indeed. The crystal will bleed off most of the mental influence. On your third day here, you will actually be taken into the room where the crystal is located, and a spell will be cast to completely purge any mental influences leftover. After you’re all clear, we can send you downriver to the Ever Free proper.” “Why is it a dangerous process?” The white unicorn looked uncomfortable. “Well, it’s taking something that is a part of you, whether you wanted it to be or not, and removing it. There will be some trauma, mostly of an emotional nature, but it fades quickly. Some ponies, however, go into shock, or become depressed or apathetic. There are memory gaps occasionally…it’s different for everypony, but the effects are always temporary.” Sweetie Belle nodded thoughtfully. “I’m staying.” Lively Song looked surprised. “Just like that?” “It may sound strange, but I am not ready to give up on this. So long as I can work to bring the truth to everypony, I will continue to do so. By any means I can, short of…short of…” “Killing.” Lively Song said. Sweetie Belle nodded. “I don’t remember much about the escape, but I think…I killed somepony, didn’t I?” Scootaloo sat next to her on the cot, putting one hoof around her shoulder. “You killed Autumn Sunset, Sweetie. She had a knife to your throat, and you took it away. She fell on it.” Sweetie Belle nodded, numb on the inside. Night Light moved to stand beside her. He turned to Lively Song. “Ma’am, if you care to wait outside, we will be along in a moment. Right now she needs talking to.” Lively nodded, and departed the cell along with the Changeling, closing the door behind her. Night Light turned back to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie, what you have to understand is that in this case, you really had no choice. You were put in a position where she would have killed you if you hadn’t reacted. It was your life or hers.” “And we are both glad you chose to keep yours.” Scootaloo chimed in. “Listen, that feeling you get when you take a life…it’s not going to go away. And it shouldn’t. If you kill a pony and feel nothing, that’s worrying. That means you’ve lost your empathy for others. But it will fade, with time. It will never be easy to live with, but it will get easier.” “But she probably had a family, ponies who cared about her, innocents who loved her.” Sweetie Belle said. “She was not a nice pony, Sweetie Belle.” Night Light said, shaking his head. “She hurt a lot of ponies, and they had friends and family too. So do you. And you chose to make sure that you would see yours again. And if you were going to kill somepony…well, I hate to say it, but you probably couldn’t have picked one more deserving of it, in my opinion.” Sweetie Belle looked at him. “Do you remember the first pony you killed?” “Every night.” he said simply. “I worked with him for two and a half years in the Guard. He was my friend, we watched out for one another, I even met his family at one point. On the night I was set to get out of Canterlot, he discovered me breaking into Luna’s chambers for the books I had been sent to collect. There was a struggle, both of us were trained to kill, and…” he shrugged helplessly. “I was trained better. That was the first time I killed for Equestria or the EF. And I still see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes, right as he was going. It’s very clear. But I had a job to do, and I did it.” Scootaloo jumped in. “My first was about a year ago, right after I joined the EF. I was running a package from Hoofington to Trottingham, and there was a checkpoint I didn’t know about. Three solders chased me, I outran two, and the third cornered me in a little hollow in the woods right off the trail. He charged me, and I swung a tree branch at his head and split it open. It was only once I got to the safehouse in Trottingham that I realized what exactly I had just done.” Night Light placed one wing along Sweetie Belle’s back. Scootaloo did likewise. “We don’t encourage killing, Sweetie Belle. But when it’s you or them, and you have to make a tough choice, it’s better for you to walk away and live.” “I won’t kill somepony again if I join up.” Sweetie Belle said. Scootaloo took one of her hooves. “You may not have a choice. But I can tell you this, if you are ever out in the field, you’ll be trained. If you prefer a non-lethal solution, we have those too. Not every EF member is a killer, Sweetie Belle. If you don’t want to learn how to kill, then you won’t learn how to kill. You’ll take self-defense classes. We all do, every one of us. But there are ways around taking lives. Heck, that’s what I specialize in, combat-wise. I prefer unarmed combat.” Sweetie Belle nodded, reassured somewhat by this testimony from her friend. “And if I join? What then?” Night Light smiled. “You’ll be sent back to the Everfree for training. The castle in the middle, called the Regia, is where we call home. You’ll meet with Lady Twilight, and she will work to help find a spot where your talents are needed. Each assignment is voluntary, so you can find one you are comfortable with. After that, you’ll settle into a new life.” Sweetie Belle nodded. “And if I go?” “You’ll go with the next group of refugees into Gryphon territory, and wait there until the conflict is over. It’s not a great life, but you’ll be safe. The Gryphons care for their own. I’ve escorted groups to the camps before. It’s a week’s hard march, and you’ll likely be put to work in a farm once you get there.” Scootaloo said. Sweetie Belle weighed the options in her mind. This was it. Safety against self-reliance, and ignorance versus knowledge. There was really only one outcome for her, she realized. She had made the choice when she had gotten on the train out of Canterlot. “I’ll join.” she said, making her choice. As one, the three ponies got up and walked to the door. Night Light knocked twice on the door, and it swung open. What Sweetie Belle saw below took her breath away. He smiled at the expression on her face. “Welcome to the Trottingham headquarters of the Ever Free Rebellion, Recruit Sweetie Belle.” he said. The door was one of several, arranged in a ring around a central pit, a giant ring that was occupied by several groups of ponies. Some were arranged in a smaller ring around a circle of padding, as two ponies grappled with one another in simulated combat. Others were reading over folders, tacking up different lines of data on a giant board, planning operations across the city. Still others were being treated for wounds along a series of low wooden benches, and another group appeared to be practicing illusion magic, a class taught by an instructor who wore an unusual pendant around their neck. Sweetie indicated the pony in question. “What is that?” Scootaloo snorted. “The pendant? That’s given to Changelings who are applying to live among ponies full time. It indicates that they are a Changeling, and once they’ve earned the trust of the leadership, they may remove them. That one is Azure. She’s close to being done with her trial period. If you want to learn how to conceal yourself while you’re here, she’s the one to talk to.” Night Light nodded. “She taught me a thing or two, and I can’t even use magic. There are similar courses at the Regia, but this is a good place to learn basics.” “And it’s safe, more’s the point.” Lively Song said, trotting up to them. “Have you made your decision, Ms. Belle?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “I’ll stay.” she said, realizing deep inside that she had made the right choice. Lively Song smiled. “Very good, then. Welcome to the EF. I’ll send a message along to the Regia, let them know to expect you along with the next group heading in.” “That’s the group Night Light and I are going in with.” Scootaloo said cheerfully. “In the meantime, relax, heal, and learn a few things. In three days’ time, you’re on your way to the Regia.” Twilight Sparkle looked at the two Lunar Guards in front of her, both of whom still smelled faintly of lilac shampoo. They stood at attention, waiting as Twilight considered what they had to say. “So, I’m going to review this one more time. You were both caught off guard and captured by Fluttershy, who then took you back into the custody of herself and two other Elements, Pinkie Pie and Applejack?” Cool Breeze nodded. “Yes, Milady.” Twilight sighed. “Well, that’s understandable. I wouldn’t expect you two to take on three of the Elements. Anyway, she bathed you, tied you both up, and then told you to relay a message. What was the message?” Silver Star looked straight ahead as he recited the message from memory. “We were told that they wished to talk to you, alone and unarmed, on the edge of the Apple farm in Ponyville, three nights hence, Milady. They said they would not be wearing their Elements, and asked that you not bring along any soldiers as a sign of faith. Though it was not part of the message, I heard them discuss their betrayal of you in Canterlot. They appeared to consider it a regrettable mistake, and wished to make amends for it, Milady.” Twilight was silent for a moment. “Cool Breeze. Do you think the Elements were being truthful?” The Pegasus thought for a moment. “I couldn’t be sure, Milady, but I think so.” “What say you, Silver Star?” “Milady, I could detect no untruthfulness from any of them. Although, as stated, it was hard to tell.” The purple unicorn tapped one hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Very well. No disciplinary action will be taken, although you will both be reassigned, likely to another observation post. You are dismissed.” Both came to attention and saluted smartly before pivoting to their right and exiting the room at a brisk walk. The doors closed behind them, and Twilight turned to the councilmembers next to her. “Well?” Radiant Zenith shook her head. “I can’t decide this for you, Twilight. It sounds like a trap, though a fairly transparent one if it truly is.” Nightshade, Captain of the Pegasus strike group known as the Shadowbolts, spoke. Her voice was surprisingly low, and it fluctuated wildly as if she was unaccustomed to speaking. “We have no major movement around the edges of the Forest. They’d only have the Ponyville garrison, and the Solar Wing is currently engaged near Los Pegasus, clear on the other side of the Everfree. They’d be hard pressed to make it all the way around in three days, and in no shape to fight once they arrived. You’ll have no interference from the Element of Loyalty.” Golden Radiance spoke next. “I’d vote against it. If they are wearing the Elements and you are alone, you’d be hard pressed to retreat before Celestia arrived. Still, it seems unlikely that she would be so overt as to attempt trapping you in this manner.” Iron Oak nodded in assent. “I’d say proceed with caution, Lady Twilight. My issue is a lack of protection for you.” Twilight was silent for a span of minutes, the crystal around her neck hovering as she ran through calculations in her head, taking into account all of the advice she was given. The pendant settled back down, resting on her chest as she made her decision. “I will go, and I will go to the meeting alone. Pick ten Lunar Guards as escort, and Iron Oak will take his top twenty marksponies. We will arm them with flash powder spheres. They’ll stay a respectable distance back.” Iron Oak bowed slightly. “It shall be done. But what of your protection, Lady Twilight?” Twilight smiled thinly. “Don’t worry. I will be quite protected. Trust me.”