//------------------------------//
// Chapter 17: Into the Darkness I'll Sing Them A Song 
// Story: My Little Minecraft: At the End 
// by Journeyman 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 17: Into the Darkness I’ll Sing Them a Song

Void. Silence. Oblivion. The stillness of eternity encompassed all. The din, as vast as the confines of one’s own mind, was barren, save for a single, solitary soul.

“What... where am I...?”

Barricade felt very light and airy, as if every muscle in her body had turned into a quivering mass of jelly and began floated away. That thought seemed peculiar to her, but she couldn’t put a hoof on as to why.

“Am I dead...?” If she was, the afterlife was quite dull. Her eyes remained locked firmly shut on their own accord, all external sensations, smells, sounds, and tactile, were nonexistent, and she seemed to be suspended in a blank void. The last thing she remembered was passing out in the vicinity of the medical tent. The memory was a mass of light, color and sound, all blending together in a viscous hodgepodge.

Where she was, it was pleasant, if prosaic. It felt like she had fallen asleep in a humid bath. The sensory deprivation only made the feeling all the more vivid.

Vivid... her senses had been blunt and useless when she was losing blood. The current feeling of warmth had only arrived since her mind rose to consciousness in the nothingness. And... yes, she could feel it, see it even behind the curtain of her closed eyes: a dim light shone in the distance.

Barricade mobilized herself, commanding her sluggish body to move towards heavenly bliss. Barricade wasn’t sure if what she was moving towards was something concrete and physical, or perhaps the representation of the afterlife. She still wasn’t sure if she was dead; walking to Site Command had aggravated her arrow wound enough to be serious. Whatever the light was, it was better than listlessly wandering a blank nothingness.

Barricade shuddered. All of a sudden, her body felt like it cut through a pit of sludge. Barricade flailed uselessly trying to get out of the dank, dark presence, failing miserably at doing so. The substance felt slimy, like swimming through grease. Unpleasant as it was, Barricade tried to finagle her way through it in order to reach her destination. Such efforts were for naught; the sludge she had discovered refused to let her bypass it.

She opened her mouth to shout, “Let go!” That was indeed a mistake. The moment she did so, the vastness took the initiative and plunged itself down her throat. Barricade choked as the disgusting horde forced its way down her throat. She gagged and gasped, desperately fighting against the caustic cloud. Her swiping hooves cut through the noxious scum, doing nothing save for increasing the vile and abhorrent feeling the sludge presented. 

Barricade would have howled in torment if the filth wasn’t blocking her throat from attaining air. Every lingering touch brought the sense of rot and festering disease. Every time she touched the sludge, every time more of the vile contagion forced itself down her throat, she felt a rising sense of misery and disgust. The feelings did not arise from the foul, greasy feeling itself, but the rising sense of... something. Whether real or some construct of her sluggish, deluded mind the Captain felt a dull thudding in time with her own heartbeat. 

And it stopped. As sudden as the attack started, it ceased as equally quick. Barricade took a moment to ponder what just happened, gagging in reflex due to dredging up the unpleasant memory.

She could feel it. 

Barricade gaped in understanding. It wasn’t some plague or cesspool, it was alive. In the back of her head, a dull, throbbing announced itself to her. It was shifting and writhing around her skull, exploring the confines of her mind. Barricade wasn’t sure what to think. 

Her mind... gone was clout and dreary sluggishness that clouded her thinking. As her mind rose to normal cognition, the light she had previously pursued had grown to such a blinding degree it hurt to observe, even behind the shield of her eyelids. Blinded by her sudden assault and earlier languished soul, she had failed to discover just how painful the light had become. Consuming, blinding, painful; gone were her worries about the presence in her soul and in their place was the worrisome, searing pain brought from her supposed saving grace. 

 ... And... beeping?

Beep... beep... beep...

And her eyes finally opened.

All the Captain could see was a blinding, consuming light. She shifted, having gain complete control of her limbs at last. Her legs dragged across comfortable linen. It was a start.

Beep... beep... beep...

“Am I dead?”

The light flashed even brighter than before and then blinked out. The ephemeral shadows dancing in the corners of her eyes became sharpener and more pronounced. The haze soon cleared, aside from the stains left on her cornea, the shadows darkened, and figures were given life before her eyes.

Doctor Hemos moved his penlight away from her eyes, checking her dilation response. He nodded and satisfaction and put his little light away before meeting her weary gaze.

“You’re in the medical bay with me.”

“Yup, definitely dead.”

Hemos snorted. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Captain.”

Barricade’s eyes drifted across the tent, a familiar and practiced reaction of hers upon entering any environment. She lay splayed out on one of the dozen or so surgical beds on the other side of the entrance. Carts holding trays of medical utensils and tools sat inert next to each bed, all in pristine condition and ready to use. On a cart in the far corner was her own armor and several lengths of bloody bandages, the last remnants of what had just occurred to the Captain.

With bleary eyes and weary limbs, Barricade sighed. It had been quite the trying night and she just wanted to bask in the pervading silence of the hospital tent. “Was I –”

“No. I never lost you. Poor choice of words on my part.”

Beep... beep... beep...

“You were thrashing around quite viciously before you awoke. Bad dream?”

It didn’t feel like a dream. But was she thrashing? The bed wasn’t disheveled in the slightest. ‘Whatever,’ she thought. Barricade ran a hoof through her lengthy, bubblegum-pink hair. She could have sworn it was real only a few moments ago. The vile sludge, the blanketing void; “Unpleasant, but just a dream.”

Barricade listened to the silence in the tent. The two were alone; that seemed to bother her subconscious, but she couldn’t put a hoof as to why.

“How is he?”

Doctor Hemos, clad in his immaculate white lab coat revealing his syringe cutie mark, nodded in satisfaction and walked to the edge of her bed. Picking up an inkwell and quill with his magic, he jotted down some notes on her clipboard before returning the it to its proper place. “I haven’t received any word other than of his capture. If he managed to escape, I’d assume somepony would have made a ruckus by now. Then again, I’m always the last to be told anything.” He gave a disgruntled snort.

Barricade rose, but Hemos put a hoof to her chest to keep her down. “You lost a fair amount of blood; anypony smaller would still be unconscious. That, however, is not a valid reason to get up and about.”

Barricade moved Hemos aside, an easy task given their difference in girth, and hopped to the floor. She winced; her wound, though free of the arrow, still throbbed with pain. Layers of gauze circled her abdomen and back to stem the bleeding, but such injuries would take time to properly heal. The Doctor was right in that regard, but the presence of the alien was at the forefront of her mind. Tearing off the wires hooking her up to Hemos’ machines, Barricade cracked her neck and stretched what she could.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...

The Doctor moved to block her path. “Devotion to duty is admirable, Captain, but unnecessary here. The creature is contained, and if he’s not, I’d know very quickly. You’re not well enough to be moving so soon!”

Barricade knew he was right, but did not care. One step at a time, she walked to the entrance. She twitched her neck, trying to shake the nervousness creeping up on her. Something didn’t quite feel right.

“You’re risking court martial by doing this. It’s under my power to temporarily relieve you of duty until I certify you are well. Don’t make me pull rank.”

“And it’s my duty to ensure this base is properly protected.” Barricade eyed the Doctor, daring him to so much as slow her down. “Everypony here, even you, are under my protection. I run this base, and that creature has the power to tear it to pieces.”

Hemos, finally showing emotion other than boredom, grit his teeth in frustration. “Blast it.” He galloped out the back door and out of sight, no doubt running to inform the Major. That left the Captain alone, standing on the hospital’s tarped floor. She continued to the door, her mind dead set on the creature’s bearings.

She stopped.

Her muscles were tight and chorded, ready to spring at the slightest aggravation. She had frozen, not a muscle moved, and her tail did not so much as twitch. If anypony stumbled upon the injured Captain, they would see her coiled like a spring, ready to move at a moments notice.

“I’m missing something...”

Something felt... off, and Barricade couldn’t put her hoof on it. She slowly circled around, taking care to move her back towards the wall of the tent.

Everything seemed fine. All of the Doctor’s equipment was neatly tucked away and cleaned to a mirror shine. The surgical beds were equidistantly placed against the wall, and the tarped floor was clean of any and all debris. Under her hooves, shifting her weight slightly to get a feel of the ground, she felt the hard earth. Everything was calm and peaceful.

“All’s quiet.”

...

“Wait.”

Barricade galloped out of the medical tent with all haste and looked towards the heavens. There was nothing but a solid mass of black obscuring Luna’s starry sky, but that was not concerned the Captain. The rain, as turbulent and wild as it was, had come to a complete halt. No clouds, no deluged mud, and no rampant lightning strikes and sonic booms laced the land.

The night was as silent as the grave.

“What the buck is going on!? Anypony there!?” Barricade called into the din. None answered. Barricade took a few cautious steps into the barren camp. She was in the very core of the garrison; the place should have been bustling with activity. Couriers should have been running to deliver their documents, quietly cussing in fear and irritation when their charges were damaged by water. Guards were supposed to be stationed at every critical locus, and that included the hospital. If it wasn’t raining, she’d expect to see off-duty Guards chatting away besides the lights, magical orbs spaced intermittently to illuminate the garrison.

Barricade kept on walking, eyes sharp and ears open. In her heart, she would prefer some kind of attack or Changeling incursion to happen; that at least would give her a physical presence to focus her attention against. The never-ending silence crept into her consciousness like a horde of spiders, willing her to succumb to fear. An attack, she could handle. She could fight, and fight very well, “But what do you do when there is nothing to face?” 

Barricade pushed those instincts down; she needed to keep her cool, and this was certainly an instance where a collected mind was crucial. “Think, Captain, think.”

What was going on? Barricade passed empty tent after tent, and still hadn’t seen a single pony. The Magi’s Barracks, the brain behind research behind the two portals, was equally barren of activity. All posts, all empty streets in the garrison’s grid-like formation, had been robbed of all souls.

“IS ANYPONY OUT THERE!?”

Not even the crickets responded.

“Come on, Captain. Think. Start from the beginning.” Rewinding events in her mind, she started from the beginning. “Doctor Hemos – Doctor!”

She was alone in the tent before she and Hemos left. The Doctor, as cantankerous and troublesome as he was, would not leave such an important facility staffed with only himself. He especially wouldn’t leave his duties to the facility if he were the only one present.

Barricade raced back to the hospital. She was wrong, there was one other soul present, and she had let him just walk right off. Light green tents, uniform in color and size, streamed past as she weaved through the makeshift streets. The hard ground, an impossible fact given the memory of rain, cushioned her stampeding charge.

Doctor Hemos’ domain was exactly as she left if: pristine, orderly, and smelling of blood. Trotting to the rear entrance, Barricade began rooting around the dirt to find any clues. No scents or hooftracks. “Look around, Captain,” she told herself.

She did. The tent in front of her was mainly for storage and contained the cold storage unit needed for samples, cultures, and stored blood supplies. Barricade took a quick peek inside. Lining the walls were rows upon rows of shelves, their contents all clearly marked for easy reference. Barricade scanned the clipboard detailing inventory; the last noted pony to enter removed blood and plasma for her transfusion. Seeing nothing else of note, Barricade exited the tent and continued.

As she stood on the hard earth, she pondered a difficult question, “Left or right?” Left led straight to the Military intelligence Center and the heart of the base and was where most of the high-ranking officers would be. It was the logical place to go if something was wrong, as it had the likely greatest concentration of ponies.

On the other hoof, she could go right and check on the creature. He was the likely culprit, or at least had the likely cure, for whatever was ailing the wasteland Ponyville had become.

Barricade felt her heart jump in her throat at mention of the town’s name. “Flutters...” The last time she had seen her daughter, she had chased after Major Stormcloud and received the disheartening Canterlot report. The motherly instincts within her rose up, demanding she returned to town and find her daughter. So many times, Fluttershy had nearly been lost to her. The dragon’s slumber, Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changeling Incursion; her dear daughter had faced more than a soldier ever would. What if whatever event that had befallen on the garrison had come for Ponyville as well?

But she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t. Whatever happened upon waking up, Barricade could not fathom it in the slightest. If she couldn’t acquire any reinforcements to help, or even comprehend, what shadowy fate befell her comrades, there was no helping Ponyville either. But what if whatever had stricken the base had not reached the town? She had no know, had to discover for herself.

Stretching her wings to take off, she prepared to jump and gain lift, but stopped. She had been almost mortally wounded hours ago and would be in no condition to fly for some time. “Damn it.” She ruffled her wings in irritation, brushing them up against the course gauze.

Her daughter, her duty, or her brothers-in-arms?

Barricade stood quietly, the ghastly night watching over her like a curious child. Twisting slightly, Barricade turned left.

She hated it. She hated it with every fiber of her being. Her instincts screamed to find her daughter, but she knew she could not. Information, reinforcements, surveillance; those were her first concerns if she was going to help anypony. “Take care of her, Dashie.”

Her steps echoed quietly among the many rows of tents. The magical spheres, offerings of comforting light, had taken on a whole new vibe. The darkness, sharp shadows capable of hiding any number of foes, tucked themselves around every corner and intersecting square. Her trek took her down one of the ‘streets’ aligned by the garrison’s grid-like pattern, but behind every row stood a wall of consuming black. Barricade couldn’t help but quicken her gait ever-so slightly. Every step, every breath, every throb of her heart echoed in her ears. She stopped once again, listening carefully for any noticeable interruption.

Nothing.

Barricade soon found herself face-to-face with the very heart of the garrison, the Military Intelligence Center. In the astonishing large tent, one held up by magic more than poles and grain rope, lay wall-to-wall desks stocked full of paperwork and tables loaded with charts. 

Barricade was no longer surprised to find the usually bustling tent to be completely barren of life. Taking a preliminary survey of her environment and finding it normal – as normal as normal was since waking up – Barricade took a few careful steps inside. She expected to smell the rich, moist air, but only caught a noseful of dry, musty parchment.

Sifting through the charts first, she discovered they were nothing more than records pertaining to the search for the two creatures. Overhead searches and the few, brave ground patrols had searched roughly 17% of the Everfree Forest. With one creature captured – hopefully he was still captured – and one localized underground, Barricade made a mental note to reorganize the patrols to search for the Farlander.

Wandering over to one of the desks, she searched those documents as well. The first held logistical data involving food and housing for the soldiers. Nothing of much interest there, so she proceeded to the next desk. The only piece of relevant information was a hastily scribbled and barely legible note reminding some Captain, the name illegible due to the pony’s poor penmanship, that an additional four squads were needed to escort Princess Celestia back to Canterlot.

Barricade moved to the next desk. This one contained a brief report from the Archmage, summarizing her research on the Farlander Portal.

“I have come to understand that the materials used in creating the structure given the placeholder name “The Farlander Portal” were not made from Equestrian soil or any known alloy or compound. How the Farlander created these materials is beyond my knowledge, but I am certain the structure is only partially complete. 

I have detected dormant energy reserves housed in each stone used for the gateway’s construction. It is my suspicion that whatever nodule apparently missing from each stone harnesses and focuses such power inward like a lens, with the combined effort of all twelve providing the proper energy required for portal activation. I surmise the method uses a concept similar to Starswirl the Bearded’s theory of Slipstream Conduits. Nevertheless, it is a simple, yet efficient, means of travel.

Best Regards,

Czarina Bangle, Archmage

There was little else of note documented in the MIC, and even less that she didn’t already know. Barricade sighed and exited the room. Besides entering Ponyville itself, that only left one more location to search: the creature’s makeshift holding cell.

“Momma?”

Barricade banished that thought immediately. She darted around, searching for the source of the timid voice. “Fluttershy!?” Barricade opened the tent flap and scanned inside. Nothing. Next, she searched the streets. They were as barren then as they were ten minutes earlier. “Honey? Are you there?”

The soft clatter of hooves echoed a few tents further down. Barricade raced down the street, attempting to locate the source of the sound. She came to a thunderous halt, the still night only accentuating the discordant sound. “Fluttershy? Is that you?”

Barricade put a hoof to her brow to shield her eyes from the dull light of the magic sphere. As useful as they were, she did not wish to lose her night vision. Spending time in the MIC had partially bleached her eyes, so all she saw beyond outside the center street were darkened shadows which hide all in their embrace.

“Flutters?” Barricade clenched her eyes for a moment to dilate her pupils a little faster. 

“Mommy? Is that you?”

“I’m here Flutters!” Barricade took a step into the darkened side street and stopped. The same thoughts as when she first exited the hospital, only nagging thoughts lurking in the back of her mind, rose to the surface. Fluttershy was terrified of the dark. Why was she out and about?

“Fluttershy... come here,” Barricade ordered, slowly stepping out of the darkened nook. “Let me see you.” 

“I can’t... it hurts. My leg...” A shapeless mass, concealed in the darkness, limped around the corner of the darkened alley and slumped to a crumpled mess. “Momma...” Fluttershy whimpered and trailed off. The stench of iron wafted across Barricade’s nose.

Barricade was frozen. Ever since she awoke, little doubts had lingered like bloated ticks on her subconscious. Everything seemed so perfect, yet so fake. Every last detail relating to the garrison, right down to the placement of each installation, was flawless, but the devil was in the details. Doctor Hemos would never leave his hospital abandoned. Lieutenant Chaser was not present in the hospital, regardless of not being cleared to leave. Despite it raining for the last two days, the ground was as hard as sun-baked earth.

What the hell was going on?

“Why are you out here, sweetie?” Barricade could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Something was dreadfully wrong, and she couldn’t see it. Again, the sense that she was missing a painfully obvious fact haunted her mind.

“Something chased me away from home. There’s something out there. I saw its eyes, something in the darkness.” Fluttershy whimpered as she crawled towards her mother. The closer her daughter clawed to her, the stronger the scent of blood became.

“By the Powers...” Barricade felt a scream build in her throat as a shadowed form crawled into the cool street lights. Fluttershy was not just injured, she was nearly torn to pieces. Fluttershy had fallen not do to pain, but because her right rear leg ended in a bloody stump near the knee. Several long gashes and burns raked across her torso, chest, and abdomen. Most had scabbed over with coagulated blood, but some of the larger wounds still hemorrhaged with every movement. Barricade wasn’t certain due to a laceration on her forehead coating her face in blood, but Fluttershy may have been missing an eye.

“Fluttershy... dear Celestia, why?” Her daughter twitched and whimpered. Barricade felt bile rise in her throat; Fluttershy’s wings were broken in several places and hung uselessly at her sides. Only the slightest shred of muscle and tendons bound the functionless wings to Fluttershy’s body. “Baby, what happened? Nevermind.” Barricade cleared away the rampant thoughts. Her daughter mattered more than whatever monstrosity hurt her so dearly.

“This is going to hurt a little, so be brave for me, Flutters.”

“O–o–okay. Don’t leave me.” The last sentence came out in a wistful plea. Fluttershy’s terrible ordeal had left her body broken, leaving the mare clinging to whatever shred of sanctuary she could gather. Barricade nuzzled her poor daughter, quickly pulling away when she moaned in pain. Barricade knelt down and wiggled her head under her daughter’s chest. Fluttershy bit her lip, stifling the cries of pain ready to explode at every twitch. Slowly but surely, Barricade inched Fluttershy onto her back. Her heart broke with every muffled scream of agony and silent sob.

Fluttershy, although half blind due to blood and hair glued to her skull and indeed a missing eye, understood what her mother was trying to do. Wiggling herself like an inchworm, she shifted herself further onto her mother’s back. Out of instinct more than intent, her injured back leg thrust out to seek purchase against the hard ground. The bloody stub collided with the dirt, sending a terrible jolt of pain through Fluttershy’s shredded form.

Fluttershy reflexively bit the back of her mother’s neck and screamed in agony. Barricade hissed, but let her daughter ride out the stab of pain. It wasn’t pleasant for Barricade, but if it helped her daughter ride out her suffering, it was a small price to pay.

Fluttershy panted as she released her mother, the taste of blood on her lips not just her own anymore. “Momma, I’m sorry! I – “

“Hush, Fluttershy. It’s alright. I don’t mind.” Barricade splayed her wings, stabilizing Fluttershy’s precarious equilibrium. Despite being quite large for a pegasus and Fluttershy’s figure being petite to the point of anorexia, there was little room for Fluttershy on her back. Nevertheless, Barricade walked at a slow pace back to the military hospital. Every step jostled Fluttershy, causing her to grunt in pain. Warmth blossomed across Barricade’s back; one of Fluttershy’s scabs had opened and blood flowed freely from the wound once again.

The rising sense of dread did not falter in the slightest, despite having recovered her daughter. Every step was light and careful to avoid jostling Fluttershy too much, but Barricade’s entire body was chorded like a tightly-wound spring, ready to move of flee in a moment’s notice. Her motherly instincts soared due to being near her daughter, but that lingering sense of fear had yet to abate.

“How did you get here, Flutters?” 

She replied sleepily, “I don’t remember...” Fluttershy coughed and nestled her head between Barricade’s shoulderblades. “I remember talking to you... and then running from something in the darkness.”

It clicked. Just like that, everything clicked. The dreadful silent night, the missing ponies, Fluttershy’s sudden appearance; everything led to only one possible conclusion. Barricade was amazed she hadn’t understood her situation earlier. ‘I’m a fool.’ Her mind had been struggling to put the pieces together since she awoke, and only now did she finally understand what was happening, the very purpose of this experience.

Before Barricade could contemplate her cerebral realization, Fluttershy’s chest heaved. Blood splattered against the back of Barricade’s head, forcing her motherly instincts back to the forefront of her thoughts.

“Hold on, Fluttershy!” Barricade took the liberty of increasing her pace. Despite that aggravating Fluttershy’s ravished body, healing her wounds was a higher concern that worrying about her immediate pain. As much as every moan and cry was a nail into the soldier’s heart, it needed to be done.

Barricade bolted through the hospital tent flaps and moved straight towards one of the surgical beds. She quickly slid her daughter onto the closet bed, emitting a cry from her wounded offspring. 

“Hold on!” Barricade scoured the drawers and shelves of supplies, retrieving several rolls of gauze and thread to stitch her wounds. Barricade gulped; there would be no fixing Fluttershy’s wings. Her daughter would never fly again for as long as she lived. She shoved those thoughts to the side; every waking thought needed to be focused on her daughter. As long as she survived, it would be alright.

Fluttershy weakly coughed up blood over Hemos’ white bedsheets, tainting their once unspoiled hue. Yanking a water basin off the shelf and filling it with water, Barricade started cleaning Fluttershy’s fur of blood. Quickly enough, the basin and some borrowed towels became saturated with her daughter’s lifeblood. Barricade fought off the rising panic and fear she felt for Fluttershy’s wellbeing. She needed to clean her wounds before they could be properly stitched up. 

A long, jagged slash, almost a claw mark, cut across Fluttershy’s right fore leg to the small of her back and was the biggest culprit for Fluttershy’s exsanguination. Barricade was prepared; all soldiers were trained in basic field medicine, and this was no different.

‘Extreme blood loss, several lacerations and burns to torso, neck, and abdomen, cranial trauma, broken wings,’ Barricade gulped as she recounted her daughter’s wound up close. This was too much. This severity of her wounds was great and the number, numerous. Barricade had never even heard of a pony injured to the extent Fluttershy was, especially since her dear daughter was holding on for dear life.

“Momma...” Fluttershy whispered.

“Hush Flutters. Save your strength.” The Captain fought to keep her voice level. She couldn’t afford scaring her daughter. Luckily, Fluttershy was barely conscious as it was and not too susceptible to fear in such a state.

‘No...’ Barricade’s panic shot to critical levels. The taste of bile flooded her throat as she fought to control herself.

“Fluttershy!” She tried to keep herself calm and failed, panic finally leaking through the cracks of her strong facade. “Can you hear me?”

“Why did you not come for me?” Barricade felt her blood freeze. Fluttershy remaining eye pleaded with her mother, imploring for some kind of logical explanation from her mother. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop this from happening to you, Flutters. I’m so very – ”

“And the next time? The last?” Fluttershy’s eye flooded with tears. “After everything that happened to me, where were you?” Barricade couldn’t believe what she was hearing, Fluttershy, always the passive doormat, was standing up to her mother, demanding an answer for her extended absences in her life. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changelings; I was so scared, but you were never there for me. You work in Canterlot, but never gave any time to see me over the years. Always working, always busy protecting Equestria’s borders. Only Rainbow Dash knows I even have a mother.”

“Flutters – ”

“It’s always the same. Princess and country. Duty before self. I’ve saved Equestria more than you ever will. Do I even matter to you anymore? Were you ever worried for me?” Fluttershy gave a sick laugh. “What kind of mother doesn’t even check to see if her daughter is okay?” 

Barricade dropped the needle and thread in shock. The needle hung pendulously from a stitch in Fluttershy’s side, still leaking blood. As Captain of the Pegasus Corp, Barricade was one of the leading figures in the Equestrian military, and one of its busiest. Border patrols, scouting for monsters, general law enforcement, all were duties assigned to Barricade and those under her command. Throughout the years, Fluttershy wrote to Barricade like clockwork, always describing with delight her experiences and loving friends. Barricade kept every letter in an oak chest at the foot of her bed, no matter where she was stationed. She could go weeks without obtaining Fluttershy’s newest letters, and even months without seeing her lovely face, but she always had those stored letters. It was one of her greatest pleasures to relive those memories through her daughter, even though the love and adoration were channeled through nothing more than parchment and iron gall ink.

It was marvelous to see how much her daughter changed since she lived in Cloudsdale. From her letters, she was very much like her friend Twilight: always a shutin and refused to talk to anypony. Five years later, her daughter was a national hero and had a life full of love and friends. Only a few hours ago, she was smiling in delight, enjoying the company of her mother and oldest friend. 

But now Fluttershy’s face was contorted with betrayal and scorn. Barricade had never imagined how deep the scars of her absence ran in Fluttershy. Every letter was teeming with life; she never expected the pain and hurt hiding behind kind words and playful anecdotes. It was the curse of a soldier’s life: a soldier always knew the risks and price of deployment, but whether gone for long periods or simply dead without a trace, the tension lurking in the corners of the minds of family never vanished. It was a vain hope, a fool’s hope, and Fluttershy finally understood.

“When you’re done... just leave. I don’t want to see you ever again.” 

Barricade collapsed. Hearing those words come from her daughter felt like a stake to the heart. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her daughter, her flesh and blood, was casting her out of her life. “Please, Flutters – “

Fluttershy weakly reached for her mother and pulled her close. She was in no condition to move her mother without her permission, especially due to Barricade’s girth, but Barricade could not resist her daughter’s touch. Her eye was saturated with tears and pain – no – outright hatred. Fluttershy pulled Barricade in close, half of her face still hiding behind layers of dried blood and plastered hair. 

“You don’t get to call me that anymore.”

Barricade could only stare blankly into the depths of Fluttershy’s eye. Hot tears flowed in torrents, cleaning a path through the sweat and grime accumulated on her face. Barricade didn’t know what to say or even do; all she felt was a barren emptiness chilling her to her core. Mother and daughter stared into each other’s eyes for the longest time, neither paying any mind to Fluttershy’s wounds. The Element of Kindness had revoked her fate-given gift in order to say her final words.

“I...” Barricade wasn’t sure what to say. Her mind had blanked and was only saying what came stream of conscious. Once they started, she could not stop. “I’m sorry Fluttershy. I’m so, so sorry. You’re right; I was barely there for you, even when I could be.” 

Barricade blinked back the tears. “You’re my only child, and I love you so much, but I wasn’t there for you when I needed me the most. I’m always working, always protecting Equestria. It’s important, but that’s no reason to leave you out of my life.”

Fluttershy stirred, but Barricade held out her hooves and held her daughter close, not letting her wiggle out of her grip. “I don’t know what I can do to make it all up to you, all the missed dates, empty birthday parties, and broken promises, but I swear I will do everything in my power to make things right.”

Like a half formed thought, the pieces of the mystery came together once more in Barricade’s mind. As they did, with a surprising burst of speed, Fluttershy’s hooves grabbed a scalpel on the surgical tray and thrust it at her mother. Barricade saw the attack, but the shock of it – Fluttershy! Of all ponies, Fluttershy was trying to kill her! – dulled her reaction. The keen blade plunged into Barricade’s shoulder, cutting through the meat and sinew like butter.

Barricade stumbled backwards and collapsed in a heep. Fluttershy followed her mother to the floor. The Element of Kindness crumpled even less gracefully than her mother. As she hit the ground, several bones cracked, the sound echoing in the tent like a whip. The stitches that Barricade had been working on tore through the weave and Fluttershy hemorrhaged once again.

“I hate you!” Fluttershy screamed into the night.

Barricade tore the knife from her shoulder and threw it to the other end of the room. Her mind was still in shock over what just happened – Fluttershy just tried to kill her! – but her self preservation instincts took over instead. The wound cut into muscle more than and nerves or major blood vessels; it would hurt like nopony would believe, but she’d live.

Fluttershy crawled toward her mother, bleeding and coughing up blood along the way. Against her better judgement, she rushed to her daughter’s aid. Fluttershy lashed out with a hoof, but the attack was slow and weak enough that Barricade parried it without effort. She embraced her daughter, willing her to stay still. 

“Please Fluttershy, stop moving. You’re killing yourself! Hate me all you want, but please! Stop this!” She wrapped her hooves around her splayed daughter’s body, crying profusely.

It did little good. The severity and brutality of Fluttershy’s wounds, along with her current exertion, had taken a heavy toll on the poor mare’s body. Fluttershy lifted her shaking hooves up to her mother’s neck and tried to squeeze, but she had become too weaken with blood loss. Realizing she would never accomplish what she wished, her hooves dropped to her sides uselessly. “I want you to suffer...”

Fluttershy closed her eyes, unable to so much as blink for any longer. A smile curled across her angelic lips. “Fluttershy!” Barricade screamed at her daughter. Fluttershy did not respond with anything other than slowing her breath.

“Fluttershy, please don’t go... I’ll leave and never come back. I’ll even quit the Royal Guard if you want. Please, just don’t go to sleep. Don’t close your eyes...” Barricade hugged her daughter and breathed in her flowery scent. “I don’t want to lose you, Fluttershy. Please don’t go...”

Barricade did not know how long she lay there with her daughter’s broken form. An eternity could have passed. The universe could have collapsed and Barricade would not have noticed in the slightest. Barricade moved her blood and tear-stained face out of the crook in her daughter’s neck.

Barricade’s breached hitched in her throat. Fluttershy was still smiling with her hair fanned out, framing her perfect face; she looked like an angel. Fluttershy once sent a letter claiming she had been drafted as a model, and seeing her as she was, Barricade could believe it.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I’m so...” She hiccuped. “I’m so sorry...” 

The bloodied lay across the room, dripping blood and as cold as death. Barricade eyed the blade longingly. Barricade pulled away from her deceased offspring and wiped away the moistness staining her face.

“It’s not real... none of this is real.” It was the only thing that made sense to her. The inconsistencies, Fluttershy’s change in attitude, and the prickling sense of being observed led her to the conclusion she was just a rat in a trap.

Taking a deep breath, she called out to the empty tent with all the authority she could muster, “Come out now! No more games! No more hiding! I’m sick of the nonsense and cheap parlor tricks!”

“That took longer than anticipated,” echoed a voice from the doorway. Barricade whirled around to confront the newest threat.

It was herself.

Her doppelganger was clad in full Royal Guardpony armor, minus the helm, and was smiling at Barricade as if she were some favored toy. The eyes are what drew Barricade’s attention more than the regal bearing, aura of authority, and inexplicable arrival. Barricade could see no difference between her copy and herself, but her eyes, her copy’s eyes, were so full of cold, malevolence that Barricade faltered. Was it really herself? Was she capable of such a soul-freezing glare?

“For those that truly treasure the love and laughter of children, seeing one decay and die is the greatest torment a scourge can conjure. It’s a sick and depraved act that even I perform with hesitation. I once told another that there is little I treasure more than the laughter of children, and those words ring true even now. It is my deepest regret to debase myself to such an extent tonight.”

“Everything was a lie... you used her, just to get to me...” Barricade whispered. “Whenever I got closer to the truth, something else would appear and distract me. When I figured it out the last time, she started dying. You made her die.” Barricade put herself between the Doppelganger and her daughter’s fresh corpse. “You... you bastard. My very daughter!?”

“Please, let me explain myself.” 

Barricade breathed in air for a great bellow of aid, but she was reminded that nopony was present in this strange shadow world. Was anything real? What was real? This... this was not just somepony playing a trick, something far more sinister and complex was going.

“‘Twas a distasteful, yet necessary, act. You are a soldier, a noble and proud individual and commander of many lives. You do not fear death or pain, so something a little closer to home was necessary to test your mettle.”

No... not a pony. Not a normal one anyway. Something was wrong, so very wrong.

“Why...” Came her whispered reply.

“I was curious if I could depend on you under pressure. I needed to understand how you would react under the worst of circumstances. Most life forms fear pain, but there are those warriors and heroes that conquer that fear and galvanize their will into a weapon. They become more than heroes. They become legends.

“It is easy, however to break such a will. Those who do not bend, break. I congratulate you on seeing through my ruse, but such efforts were needed for future plans. Why your daughter? Simple; because she is the only one that can hurt you. This world’s purpose, this conjured facade, was to see how you react to what could hurt you more than any other. All blades leave lasting scars, so I selected the one which could pierce the deepest. Until the very end, you acted like a mother protecting your spawn. It was exactly as I predicted.”

Barricade wasn’t sure of that was a compliment or an insult. She grit her teeth, ready to retort, but was cut off too soon. “Do not be so quick to judge me; I risked much protecting your daughter only hours ago. If you believe I am unscrupulous... well, you’ll see.” Her smile was not in arrogance, but pure satisfaction. Seeing it made Barricade’s skin crawl. “This is my world and I’m not strong enough to perfect its nuances, but this world,” she cast her hoof about, “served its purpose. I wanted to break you, and you passed my little test.”

“You still haven’t answered my question. And what do you mean, helping my daughter? She’s dead!”

“I may be pragmatic, but I’m not a monster,” she nodded where Fluttershy lay. Barricade looked and gasped; the fresh corpse of her daughter had vanished. “She was a lie from the very start, Captain. Ever since you fell asleep, you’ve been under my control. Illusions, all of it. I don’t use children for my goals. Even I have standards.

“As for your question, I will answer that shortly, but my end goal you refer to? The reason I needed to test you in the first place? Why, Captain Barricade, what is the purpose for a commander evaluating his lieutenant’s? I must know your limits on order to plan, for a certain... unprincipled cur has come to this world. Soon my chance to strike will arrive, and I needed to know if I could trust you ponies,” her Doppelganger struggled to say ponies as if it were some disgusting curse word, “to not falter before he attacks.”

“The portal... you are the harbinger of all of this.” Barricade’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“No.” It was the same voice, right down to the deep, reverberative tone Barricade had become synonymous with. The Doppleganger paced around a surgical tray full of tools, coming closer to the Captain. Barricade not wishing to come too close, paced as well. She took a split second to memorize what was on the surgical tray: forceps, several scalpels and surgical knives waiting to be cleaned of her blood, and three syringes full of some clear liquid, likely painkillers. They could be useful in a fight.

The Doppelganger’s gaze drifted across Barricade, taking in the bandages wrapped around her abdomen and the gauze taped to her flank.

“My my, I hope your guest hasn’t induced too much suffering.”

“You brought him here, didn’t you?” Her Doppelganger seemed pleased with herself, or himself, or itself; Barricade was not sure what to title her guest.

Her copy tsked and walked away. “Wrong again.” She started rooting around the room, taking in Hemos’ workplace in a single, controlled scan. She soon lost interest and returned her attention to Barricade. “I had no part to play, and certainly no interest, in that construct or the lowly Enderman.” Enderman? So that’s what the second creature was called. “I am here for... ulterior purposes.”

The Doppelganger stood on the other side of the large tent, far from the front and rear entrances. Barricade calmly paced around the table and planted herself in the path of the front entrance. As she walked, she made certain to never draw her eyes away from the Doppelganger.

Barricade faltered. For a fraction of a second, the room’s candle illumination increased to blinding intensity and returned to normal levels. Barricade took a step toward the Doppelganger, this time a stab of pain shot through her skull like a roadspike. She took a step back and the pain lessened.

Why come to Ponyville? Why come to her? She didn’t have any valuable intelligence or documents on her. Was it her knowledge of the escaped creatures? No, the entity revealed she knew more about those two than Barricade did. The entity said she was dreaming, so that made a little more sense. Was her entire experience just a conjured nightmare or a recreation of some entity? There were just too many questions.

What was the connection? Why was she important enough and not the rest of the base?

Out of suspicion more than anything, Barricade strolled to one of the surgical trays, never letting her eyes leave the intruder. She did not want to leave the entrance unguarded, but she had a theory to test. The Doppelganger smiled in knowing anticipation, well aware of what Barricade was about to do. Lifting a pair of forceps, Barricade threw them at the mare’s head with a calculated accuracy.

The Doppelganger did not even flinch as the forceps phased right through her head and fall harmlessly to the tarped floor. Barricade kept her best poker face, a practiced expression perfected while guarding countless VIPs and borders. 

She wasn’t real, or at least not physically there. Was it selective? Could she have solid mass at will, or did she not have it to begin with? Was it some new type of spell? Barricade had always kept tabs on the Council of Magic’s research and never heard of something quite like this.

Barricade’s heart jumped into her throat. The Doppelganger had copied everything except her mannerisms, but that did not exclude the possibility of Changelings.

“No,” her Doppelganger cooed. Barricade blinked. “You are not like the other one.” The Doppelganger rose to her hooves and walked toward Barricade. Barricade sighed internally; for a moment, she believed her copy could read her mind.

“Other?”

“The pitiful fleshbag in the caverns.” Barricade stood her ground as her copy began to circle her, harmlessly brushing her tail against Barricade’s form. “I needed a host to speak with the Enderman, and I had the unfortunate luck of choosing him. I hate cowards!”

Barricade backed away from the Doppelganger as if she was scalded. Barricade patted herself down. She was fine; no blistered skin or scorched hair anywhere. She could have sworn she just got burned. Something nagged at her consciousness, some deep and underlying suspicion about the entity in front of her: something dank and vile had protruded from the Doppelganger after her sudden explosion of wrath. Her demeanor supported her claims: gone were the playful eyes and calm bearing, and hatred slipped through her copy’s facade.

As soon as it began, it vanished. Back was the calm, authoritative smile. Barricade took a defensive step backwards, leaving herself room to do battle if the need arose. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

“What purpose? What do you want from me?” 

It was the only thing that made sense. The ability to move without detection and evade any blow could grant her copy access to any location in Equestria. Why stop there, the whole world! Out of all the locations, all the treasure troves of valuables and sensitive documents, she picked a surgical tent with a single Captain. Barricade was needed for something, something that only she could accomplish. Her copy seemed willing to talk more than anything, and that was good. If Barricade could just keep her talking, than she might let something important slip.

Barricade gasped, finally realizing the full implications of what she had heard so far. This entity, her copy with the perfect duplicate body and horrible, deadly eyes just let it slip that she – no, it – needed a host. ‘Am I a host for this thing?’ 

 “Events have progressed faster than anticipated. I did not expect that thing you have captured to join forces with you so quickly. It is only a matter of time until it reveals to you my influence. Oh, don’t be worried about what I did,” she said upon seeing the horror cross Barricade’s face. “you should be more worried about what I made your underling do, but that is a discussion for another time. I am not your enemy, Captain, but I do need your help in committing something... unsavory.”

“Answer the question,” Barricade said through gritted teeth.

“All traces of my influence must be eradicated before they reach the ears of your rulers, and that’s why I chose you. I gave you a test to see if I could trust you with knowledge of my presence and to discover if you have the courage to do what needs to be done.”

“Forgive me if I find your ‘benevolent’ claims unsubstantiated. You force me to witness my daughter cast me out of her life – ”

“Ha ha ha!” the Doppelganger chuckled merrily. “Of course I did! I told you already,” She took a step forward, causing Barricade to take a step back. “I needed to know what you would do under the worst of circumstances. ‘Why?’ you ask. Why you? Why this facade transmitted through leagues of smoke in mirrors? Convenience. You have the resources and authority needed to accomplish what needs to be done.”

The Doppelganger laughed, a deep throaty sound identical to Barricade’s own mirth. “As for your query, you are correct; I cannot prove my claims.” The Doppelganger rose and walked to Barricade. The Captain held her ground, refusing to yield to the entity. The tears came back to Barricade’s eyes. She blinked them back to not show her company her weakness, but they came anyway. The pain in her skull had reemerged as a dull throb, steadily growing stronger the closer the Doppelganger came.

“But know this. You have greater worries than those two maggots falling into your world. Something far, far more terrible has only just arrived.”

“We’ve dealt with worse,” Barricade shot back.

The Doppelganger chortled long and hard. It was not just a mild chuckle that snuck past her calm exterior, this was open, mocking laughter.

“I let my hosts see what I do out of courtesy. There are those that view other species as something lower than themselves, but I never understood that impulse. Take, for instance you, and me. Are you different? Yes. Weaker? Yes. Primitive? Yes, but none of that blinds me to your strengths. Your race has an admirable fortitude when banded together, and I respect that. Discord, Nightmare Moon, they are creatures that could have crushed all opposition if it weren’t for those with a firm will and a stout heart. Even if I believe I am far beyond a creature, I will grant it access to my deeds as long as they are my host.

“However, one positive trait does not negate your others, especially your race’s blind reasoning that you can overcome any obstacle there is to encounter, that you may band together after any threat. It’s a childish, irrational belief that all harm will pass without scars. Your kind should not hold such a misguided faith.”

Barricade’s eyes narrowed. “We are stronger than you think.”

Barricade knew that was the wrong thing to say the moment it left her mouth. For the second time, the Doppelganger’s eyes dropped their amused gleam. Barricade took a step back, trying her best to ignore the increasing pain in her skull. “So far, the only one to surprise me is the construct. Do you think you know pain? Do you think you know true horror? You know nothing of hell.

“That is why I am looking forward to Era’doth the Destroyer’s assault. I want to be there and watch your faces fall, your children cry, your blood boil when the Destroyer burns Canterlot to the ground. When the streets are littered with corpses and the tears of the lamenting survivors, when the purity of your Princesses has been stained with the blood of their enemies, when the very innocence of this world is lost to a true monster, just try to stand on the blood and desiccated remains of the fallen. When your world burns to ashes, when you are finally at the end of the golden age and retain the fortitude to stand tall...” Barricade took another step back, and the Doppelganger took a step forward. The merry shine had degraded to a cold fury. “Only then can you claim your race has strength.”

“I know our capabilities well enough,” Barricade countered. “If we can’t win, we retreat and regroup. We analyze and plan. We are relentless. I will grant you I have never seen your ilk before. I even admit you or this Destroyer may obliterate us like ashes cast into the wind. It doesn’t matter; we will go down fighting to our last breath. Even the recent Changeling incursion proved to the world that even few will stand against many.” It was one of Barricade’s proudest moments, seeing her daughter walk down that aisle. A timid and cautious mare, she was, but she was braver than any Guardpony.

“No, I’m not worried about ponykind. What doesn’t make sense is you. You say you will save us, but what’s in it for you? You don’t strike me as the most chaste of souls. What doesn’t make sense is the Destroyer and your relationship to him. What is he? What do you get out of watching him fall?” 

The Doppelganger nodded at Barricade, impressed with her strength. “So you still have some bite left... good. He was renowned as a god of harvest and creation long ago, back when I knew him under the name Era’doth. Much has changed since our last encounter; madness and a lust for power clouded his mind and he took a new name and body to enforce his own deluded image of his greatness. As punishment for his sins, he was dismembered and imprisoned in a shadow for all time. He destroys now; he’s forgotten his past glory and purpose.”

Sins? Barricade could tell there was much of the story she was not told, but she didn’t want to press her fortune. This entity was telling her so much already, and even if some if it was lies or embellished, discovering what was lied about would point to the Doppelganger’s motive for doing so. She could sort out fact from fiction later, but intelligence was never something you could have too little use for. At least the Doppelganger’s anger had cooled to a light flame; a hardness still lined her eyes.

“And the Portal?”

“That one is easy. Did you not discover that already?” Barricade shook her head, causing the Doppelganger to scoff. “Suppose you have a weapon or tool. What is the absolute first objective? What would be your first action?”

Barricade’s eyes widened in understanding. “...I would make sure it works...”

“Precisely. Era’doth sent the Crafter here for the sole reason of testing if his portal was in working order. The construct’s arrival was naught but a test; it is as simple as that.”

“Was the portal technology how he escaped his prison?” Barricade asked.

“Ask the Enderman; his kind released him.”

Barricade really wanted to ask more about the Enderman, but a more pressing issue called. Instead, she switched directions. “Why do you want to help us, then? To put him back in his prison?”

The Doppelganger smiled, a cruel, twisted perversion of Barricade’s own delight she used against several underlings in the past. Barricade couldn’t help but take another step back. ‘What happened between you two?’ she thought.

“Why do I want him gone?” She licked her lips. “Revenge,” she hissed.

Barricade wanted no part in the squabbling between two omnipotent creatures. The entity’s wrath was tightly guarded behind smiles and promises, but the curve of her lips and injected liveliness to her eyes brought on by saying that single word let down her guard enough for Barricade to see the writhing mass of fury hidden under the surface

“What do you need me for? To stop this... Era’doth?” She repeated in an attempt to diffuse the situation; she did not need some god-monster’s wrath right then and there. It was the question she dreaded and the reason why the entity was in her company in the first place. However, asking her question did not sooth her troubled mind. She already had an ache in her stomach and shoulder to deal with along with the biped’s containment. Her position and every progressive inch with this creature in front of her needed to be done carefully and taken with a grain of salt. She sensed this thing had powers beyond what she had seen until then: invulnerability, possible teleportation, dream walking, and some type of illusionary magic. The creature in front of her could crush her without trouble, and they both knew that. ‘It’s the Eclipse all over again.’ She needed to be careful. Very careful.

“Kill Jetstream.”

“No.” It was more than just a statement, but a fact. Of all the favors the Doppelganger could have asked, this was one she could not allow and would never. It was not a point she would falter on. 

“He needs to die in order for the rest of you to be saved.”

“Please,” Barricade put every ounce of disgust and sarcasm in her voice as she could muster. “Enlighten me.”

“Do you not believe that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Dear Barricade, Celestia,” For the briefest moment, the Doppelganger’s lips curled into a snarl. “would focus on my presence once she learns how to communicate with the construct. She mustn't do so, for she needs to focus her resources on learning from the construct and the Destroyer by proxy. If she hunts for me instead, she will be blindsided once Canterlot falls.”

Barricade’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Canterlot!? Impossible! Why do you believe this!?”

Once again, she was ignored. “She would not understand my intentions as of yet, and I cannot reveal myself, as it would alert Era’doth to my presence. Jetstream must die to save your lives. I did not wish to kill Jetstream, but the construct coming so soon escalated events and my plans. He needs to die to correct the imbalance.”

“Just because you say it, that doesn’t make it true. Just talk with Celestia and tell her what’s going on.” Canterlot? Ponyfeathers, if the Doppelganger was telling the truth...

The Doppelganger’s brow furrowed in irritation at having to repeat herself. “I manipulated Jetstream to complete the End Portal, wiped his mind, and encountered your prisoner along the way. Once you learn how to communicate with it – ”

“The Equestrian military will recognize a third party is at play,” Barricade finished.

The Doppelganger nodded in confirmation. “And?”

Barricade collected her thoughts for a moment. Her eyes bulged. “Wait, if the Endermen released the Destroyer, why did you help it complete its gateway!?”

“That is not your concern at this moment in time,” she growled. “What would happen next?”

Seeing as the Doppelganger would reveal no more on the subject, Barricade slowly continued. “...The two present have not been much trouble or severe a threat,” her Doppelganger smirked at that line. Barricade eyed her suspiciously, but when the silence made it clear she would not elaborate, Barricade continued. “...so the chain of command would reconsider Sergeant Jetstream’s involvement in past events.” 

Barricade scrunched her brow in thought. What else... the portal! “And if the Farlander, this Enderman, continues to complete its portal, that would only draw more attention onto Sergeant Jetstream, as he was the first to discover it.”

“Which would what?” 

“Pull resources from the biped’s research staff and onto the Enderman and End Portal.” Barricade sighed in understanding. She knew where this was going now. “But Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would not discover anything, as you claim to have altered his mind.” The Doppelganger nodded. “The questioning would continue in a cycle with no end.”

“Leaving plenty of time for the Destroyer to make his move. Your kind will suffer either way, but if you help me, I can limit the pain to a single city, rather than a world,” the Doppelganger finished. She had a pleased smile on her face; Barricade finally understood her line of thinking and, although the method was gruesome, the logic was sound.

A errant thought crossed Barricade’s mind, “Wait, did you meet with the biped? You claim knowledge of that creature.”

“Ahhh, yes,” she sighed pleasantly. “I performed a little favor for you by meeting with it. Before Era’doth entered your world, I opened a channel between their minds. By doing so before he came, I averted alerting him to my presence and gave them a direct link into each other’s mind. If Era’doth was smart, he would have closed the link, so once you learn how to speak with the construct, it can tell you what it saw.”

“Why don’t you just speak to Princess Celestia or Luna? Surely this Destroyer can’t be that omniscient?” 

The Doppelganger’s lips curled around her teeth, but she answered the question all the same. “I can’t contact your rulers, as they are now under his watchful eye.; I assure you of that. Such a response is not irrational; your rulers are among the most powerful entities that walk the land and surveillance is a wise choice. The moment I approach, I would be detected, if I was not immediately attacked by him or your rulers.”

Barricade shook her head in disbelief, and then more vigorously as the ringing returned to her ears. “I don’t believe the Princesses would do that.”

“Than she has you trained like the lapdog you are. You understand why I am doing what I do, whether or not you agree with it, but she would be forced to take action against me. Her morals do not allow blood to stain her soul.” As the Doppelganger spoke, her eyes slowly hardened. Barricade took the information and filled it away for future notice. Her copy tensed every time Celestia was mentioned. Why?

“She would never put her own morals above the welfare of her subjects, but she would not stoop to killing either.”

The Doppelganger’s hard eyes stared down Barricade in a test of wills. The ringing and skull-splitting pain had abated and that left the Captain able to concentrate on her guest. The Doppelganger, however, quickly ended the standoff and walked to the bedside. Picking up an empty basin and gallon of water, she filled the basin and gestured for Barricade to join her.

“What is it?”

“Imagine if I never came here. Imagine if your Princesses were left for their own devices. This is what happens when fools are allowed to rule. Look into the basin.” The Doppelganger quietly sat down, waiting for Barricade’s reply.

“...What will I see?”

“What was, what is, and what has yet to be.” 

Captain Barricade had heard rumors about Starswirl the Bearded’s theories in temporal manipulation, but as far as she knew, they were all exaggerations and hearsay. Still, to reveal the time by not just changing an event, but reveal what happened after removing an event from time itself? Was that even possible? She didn’t think so, but the entity in front of her had displayed knowledge and abilities beyond what she would have expected possible.

She could not deny that her curiosity was strong. To take a glimpse back in time or far into it, to obtain such knowledge could shift the balance of power of nations, let alone the outcome between two individuals, was a tempting offering. With measured grace, Barricade put a hoof forward, and then another, then another, never taking her eyes off her copy. Said copy never stopped watching her with eyes as hard as stone.

Barricade had to look away from the copy in order to see into the basin and she did so, if hesitantly. She hated turning her back on this... thing in her presence, but her instincts told her that if this creature wished her harm, it would have befallen her already. Barricade looked into the calm, reflective surface and waited for the visions of ages long passed.

Visions exploded across the mirror-smooth surface. Golden fields of wheat, log cabins lodged deep in the forests blanketing the land and mountains, oceans, beaches, and cascading hills; the visual impulses raged across Barricade’s eyes and she understood them all. Such an overpowering deluge of information crossed every synapse, yet her lagging mind processed every iota of data presented to her. The land was rich and clean, the ever-present example of Equestria’s status of the shining star of the world.

Fear. She could taste it. Smell it. Hear it. See it. Ponies huddles in their domicile with sweat on their brows and fear on their face. Most were clear of any signs of danger; they were far from any signs of danger, in fact. Why were they afraid? Were they afraid of the dark? It was difficult to discern finer details, though Barricade wasn’t sure if that was due to the method used to show her the visions or the ever-present darkness looming over Equestria.

Eternal darkness. Barricade’s heart jumped into her throat.

The images cleared and focused, narrowing down to a large, sprawling city. Barricade could sense more than see the small towns and hamlets branching off from the city’s roads, all connected together in a fine network of gravel and asphalt. Yet despite the hundreds, possibly thousands, of ponies, all doors were locked, all wicks were cold.

The vision narrowed in scope even further, bringing her to the city’s town square. Several ponies lay huddled together while other stampeded in fear. Several poor souls lay broken and bloodied, trampled in their desperate escape from the one they feared.

Black stained the surface of the water. It shifted; it was not a amorphous void as Barricade originally thought, but inky-midnight fur attached to a pair of hot, glowing eyes.

“Citizens of Equestria, your Princess stands among you now!”

The terror of what suffering had kidnaped their princess’ heart and the thought that they faced nothing but the night forevermore hit them full force and the screams began. Nightmare Moon stamped her hoof with enough force to splinter the wood and stone beneath her. “Stop! We beseech ye to halt! Ye fears are in vain! All we desire is your devotion!”

The fleeing increased, if anything. What few courageous ponies that managed to stay for so long lost their nerve and ran alongst with their neighbors. 

“Stop!”

A lonely filly wailed under a spruce tree, desperately searching for whatever caretaker she had lost. She was the last remaining soul left in the town square.

“STOP!”

Barricade pulled herself away from the vision, not wanting to see events progress any further than they already had. Immediately her eyes drew themselves onto the Doppelganger, whom had not moved an inch since the vision started. “I know this already. Princess Luna had succumbed to depression and sorrow to become Nightmare Moon. Even fillies know the tale.”

That had been exactly what the Doppelganger wanted to hear. “Ah, of course it was. Princess Celestia was quite the chessmaster indeed.”

“What are you implying?” Barricade demanded.

The Doppelganger’s tale wrapped around her legs. The smile was not present, but she was obviously pleased with herself. “It’s hard to change history, but the process is simple enough when one is revered as a god. Word is law.”

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“Would you stake your daughter’s life on that?” Barricade opened her mouth to proclaim she would, but stopped. Her knee-jerk instinct was that she would stake her own on such a claim, but not Fluttershy’s. But Fluttershy had long proved she could take care of herself, timid as she was. Quickly enough, she overcame her hesitation and replied with a resounding, “Yes.”

The Doppelganger, however, noted Barricade’s minute hesitation, but said nothing on the matter. “I pity both of them; Luna for falling so far, and Celestia, for refusing to put her kin out of her misery before the worst came to pass. Tell me, Captain Barricade, have you ever seen your kin die of starvation? Have you seen what eternal night does to an agrarian society such as yours? The crops waste away and the temperature plummets. Ponies burn wood and cloth to stay warm. Rural natives have the resources to adjust to cold, but the cities soon cannibalize each other when the shock of their situation sets in. Show me a soul, and I will show you his fears. How does he face those fears, with a stout heart or a coward’s demeanor? Fear turns heroes into cowards when they are at the end.

“Equestria tore itself apart in fear. The plants withered and died, and the horror set in. Have you seen an entire world face death? It was not pleasant.” The Doppelganger gave a tired laugh. “The body eats itself when it acknowledges it is dying. Fat and muscle evaporate and die as the body cannibalizes everything it can in an effort to function just one moment longer. Have you seen legions of adults and fillies starve and die? Did you watch them wither before your very eyes as their bodies no longer have the strength to understand their situation? Your Princess caused the deaths of hundreds before her rampage was stopped.”

“It was a cry for help...”

“Than Celestia should have killed her, or at the very least not hide such facts from the ages ahead.” Her lips curled into a snarl once again. “Every year you celebrate ‘Nightmare Night,’” every iota of disgust and contempt she could muster flooded her voice. “all due to Celestia’s attempt to reduce the pain of losing Luna. Not once did the blood staining her sister’s soul ever cross her mind, or the sins that she was willing to wash away in the sands of time merely due to the grief over her part in her sister’s fall from grace. She knew without a shred of doubt that she would return with a vengeance, but her heart wilted under the pain of losing a loved one. If Luna was not stopped, her subjects would have paid the price and I would have laughed at celestia’s misery as maggots feasted on their flesh!” 

She laughed madly. “Then again, perhaps banishment was her punishment. Not even I can think of something worse than that to the Queen of the Night.”

“What are you talking about?” Barricade had taken yet another step back from her copy. So far, she had been quite calm and collected, but even more rage was slipping through the cracks, confirming Barricade’s earlier suspicion. For whatever the reason, the Doppelganger utterly loathed Celestia and the hatred she expressed it with made Barricade nervous enough to wish for more space between the two.

“The moon, dear Captain. Think about it.” The Doppelganger spread her hoof over the basin’s rim. Ripples coursed across the surface, and when they ceased, the fading image of Nightmare Moon was replaced by a gleaming green, blue, and brown sphere centered in a field of stars.

Barricade gasped upon seeing her planet.

“Marvelous, isn’t it?” Barricade did not respond. “Princess Luna is a great architect indeed. Every star, every nebulous mass and celestial body is hers to command and create every imaginable piece of art. Constellations and heavenly spheres, all are hers and at her beckoning call. She is marvelous; even I must acknowledge that.”

The Doppelganger wrapped a hoof around Barricade’s back and sat down. The Captain was busily staring at the fantastic image presented to her, taking time to find land masses like Zebrica and Equestria itself. “It is a thing of beauty. There are other planets in the heavens, some even more grand than yours, but every diamond shines with equal luster. Now imagine, the one thing you wanted most, the one thing you could never hope to regain, was always there waiting whenever you awoke from sleep’s quiet bliss.

“That jewel, the one housing everything you know and love dangling like an ornament on a tree, hangs so close but you are never able to touch it. It would drive one mad, wouldn’t it?” she whispered huskily in Barricade’s ear. “You cannot forget such an image, no matter how often you see it. After a thousand years with the very stars framing such a gem... it’s impossible to not long for such a sight. I pity her for enduring for so long.”

Barricade stood frozen, eyes watching the planet wistfully. It made sense why the first act of personal business on Luna’s part was to visit Ponyville and rekindle friendships. “To suffer for so long, dear Captain... it would have been more merciful to put Luna out of her misery.”

“But she’s fine...” Barricade said, but her voice lacked all conviction. The Doppelganger knew this and countered her statement.

“Did Celestia know that for certain? Did she understand the consequences isolation would have on her sister’s psyche?” The Doppelganger’s voice dropped to a low whisper once more, enticing Barricade to follow her thinking. “Why didn’t she destroy her heart of stone when she obtained the Elements in the first place, if such a feat lay within the Element’s power?”

The Doppelganger removed herself from Barricade and sat down next to her. “Look again. This is what would happen in the present if I would have never interfered in your affairs.” The Doppelganger placed a hoof on Barricade’s back and tilted her forward, but she did not resist. With another blast of color, the next vision was shown to her.

It was dark, and yet light shone brighter than the sun. No, not light. Lightning. Lightning strikes; this vision took place in the mountains next to Ponyville, if it was not in Ponyville itself. Rain pelted everything in sheets and refused to relent. For now, mother nature ruled the land and sky.

A shapeless form cut through the darkness, running for all it was worth. A pink and yellow form.

“Fluttershy!” Barricade exclaimed. She grabbed the basin in a fit of motherly impulse, causing ripples to disturb the image. Quickly letting go, she observed unfolding before her eyes. Fluttershy was running for all she was worth, which wasn’t too fast given her slim, atrophied physique. Her brow was stained with sweat and eyes were wide with fear. Intermittently, she would glance over her shoulder and keep on running from some nameless thing behind her. Fluttershy soon began to pant heavily, but that did not stop her trek through the darkness.

“Where are you, Flutters?” Barricade whispered to the image. Besides the occasional lightning strike, she could see nothing other than the dim outline of Fluttershy running through the wet grass.

A shapeless mass of black fog lashed out of the darkness. Fluttershy skidded to a stop and ended up slipping onto her back as she hydroplaned across the saturated fauna. “Get up, Fluttershy!” Barricade called.

Fluttershy did indeed rise to her hooves, but it did the pegasus little good. A separate mass of twisting shadows latched onto the mare’s leg and lifted her into the air. Fluttershy floundered and wailed as she lost control of her sense of direction and firm footing. Her wings instinctively flared open and flapped wildly, but a separate tendril of shadows twirled around her abdomen and held fast. 

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy called to the sky. Billowing darkness imbued with flickering particles shielded the air. Both Fluttershy and Barricade could not discern where Fluttershy was, let alone any recognizable landmarks to establish a firm point of reference. The Element of Kindness was trapped, hemmed in the middle of the storm with nothing but the sound of pounding rain to keep her company... and chains? Yes, Barricade could hear the sound of clanking irons.

Fluttershy screamed, not in fear but pain as the shadows constricted her frail body. “Stop it!” Barricade screamed. “STOP IT!”

Eyes, a pair of hot white eyes, emerged from the darkness. Fluttershy felt the silent approach even though Barricade could hear nothing from the creature flanking her daughter. The air hummed with energy during the creature’s approach. Sensing more than seeing the leviathan, Fluttershy slowly turned her head around until she could also see the beast pursuing her.

Fluttershy screamed in pure terror and pain. The tendrils constricted and pulled, dislocating and crushing Fluttershy’s brittle bones. Barricade looked away from the basin, eyes scrunched tight and blinded by salty tears. The moist air was cut by tearing and the screaming halted. Barricade dry heaved as her mouth flooded with the bitter taste of bile.

“I rescued your daughter from his wrath by giving her the means she required to fend off the Void. My only wish is to see him suffer, and to assist your kind in his defeat. I can’t help but have a soft spot for children; it’s just my nature. I need your kind’s help. Consider the safety of your daughter a... sign of good faith.”

Barricade fell to her knees and heaved once more. The Doppelganger knelt next to the distraught mare and wrapped a wing around her comfortingly. “But for what’s to come, expect more than just an enemy raid. War is never easy, especially if you never know you are one side from the start. The only true victors are the winners and the bystanders, but even then, the price is high. The shadow of death and fear is thick and broad. Innocents become entrenched in the middle, while even the victors pay in flesh, blood, and bone. There are only costs, and never any gains.”

Barricade continued to weep silently. For the second time tonight, her daughter had suffered and died before her eyes. It had become too much to bear.

“Look into the basin.”

“I don’t want to...” Barricade broke down and sobbed into her hooves. Pain, a deeper pain than she had ever earned cut her soul and seized her heart in cold, icy talons. Her daughter and ever-present pride had fallen. The thought of further wanton destruction and pain broke the Captain’s will to continue.

The Doppelganger continued to talk. “What will you do when you are at the end, when all debts come to fruition and your life is placed upon the scale of time? I can end this with infinitely less death and chaos. Is one life so much to pay for the lives of thousands? The ravages of death and decay, the skies blackened under the wings of ravens, the streets running red with the blood of mares and fillies; I can stop it all. I can save you all. This is not just about the life of your daughter or your comrades, but nations and worlds. All you need to do is say one. Simple. Word,” she whispered seductively in Barricade’s ear. “One life is all I ask. What will be, will be, Captain, but the rest of the world need not suffer over the fate of a single soldier. It will be quick and painless; I swear that to you.

“Era’doth isn’t some beast or power-hungry lord, but an ancient and mighty god. Even as a fragment of his former self, he has the power to rend the world asunder. Creatures spawn under his shadow and the very universe itself bends to his will. Imagine if Discord revived, but only had the desire for unquenchable power and bloodlust; that is what you face upon his return. The last vestiges of his prison still bind him, but if he is allowed to continue his machinations, he will be freed.

“He is not the only creature to have risen from darkness and ashes. Have you not discovered the signs? Your plane is on the brink of something equal parts grand and terrible. The release of Nightmare Moon, activity in Tartarus, the return of Sombra, Discord’s release; I implore you to believe me that these events are not mere coincidence. The doors are opening, the seals, breaking. Evil is coming to plague these lands. This – ” 

Barricade laughed. It wasn’t a casual chuckle. It wasn’t even true happiness; Barricade had finally understood the madness of her situation and the absurdity finally made her snap. “You’re a Celestia-forsaken, bold-faced liar.”

Her Doppelganger slowly parted from Barricade, eyes gleaming dangerously. “Explain.”

Barricade’s insane smile turned on her. “You proclaim you’re jumping through all these hoops to save us from some unseen horror on the horizon, but you’re just another selfish bastard in it for yourself. I’ve finally figured it all out. If what happened in there,” she tilted her head to the motionless basin, “honestly rings true for the Destroyer, than you are only a more subtle beast, no more, no less. This isn’t about lives or morality, it’s about the Elements of Harmony.”

Her copy did not twitch a muscle, but Barricade could swear that the lights dimmed during the shift in the conversation’s tone. “You’re didn’t save Fluttershy because of some sense of justice, you need her alive to use the Elements of Harmony with her friends.” Barricade took a moment to connect the dots. “That’s why the Destroyer attacked her,” Barricade could not bear to say kill, even when butcher was a more suitable term for what she saw and heard. “He did so to cut the link between the Elements. Attack the weakest link, and the rest of the chain is useless; it’s one of the most basic rules of engagement.”

The Doppelganger’s lips curled around her teeth. Barricade ignored the threatening gesture and continued to madly rant, “You’re protecting her out of necessity, not desire, because...” Barricade trailed off. This creature’s stay, its strange abilities, and knowledge all collided with a single, pertinent thought: why use her own body as a means to communicate with her? Did it not have one of its own? It could have been convenience and nothing more than that, but the fact that the entity used subversion and manipulation subconsciously confirmed her suspicions. Nothing was more off putting than seeing oneself act so differently than how one normally does. 

“You can’t do anything else, can you? You need the Elements because you’re not strong enough to do this on your own. That’s why you need a host to do your dirty work.” The silence confirmed Barricade’s assumption. The air had grown cold and harsh, crackling with energy flowing in torrents around the pair. The Doppelganger had yet to so much as twitch a muscle, but the taunt muscles and icy gaze spoke volumes about its wrath.

“You selfish, secretive, back-stabbing wretch,” Barricade took a step forward. “You proclaim safety and the purest intentions, but you’re using others to complete your own goals.” Barricade spat at the Doppelganger’s hooves. “The world you want is nearly here, but you want it remade in your own image, where everypony is as vile and disgusting as you. You believe a life is a small price to pay. A life is never so disposable. I deny your offer and will do everything in my power to stop you as equally hard as the Destroyer. Tooth and hoof, blood and bone, I will fight with every fiber of my being to save both Jetstream’s life and any poor souls that have the misfortune of meeting scum like you. You want to protect children... but you’re using my own daughter to fight your fight. You may not succum to bloodlust like some wild beast, but you’re an even worse kind of monster.”

Silence flooded the tent, accentuated only by the sound of Barricade’s own heart beat. The sound beat like thunder, despite being the most quiet of noises. The Doppelganger’s livid gaze pierced the air life daggers. Barricade did not back down in the slightest. If this disappointed the Doppelganger, if this killed her, her conscious was clear.

“Than you can baptise your soul in the blood of the fallen. Thousands will die in the oncoming storm, but at least your conscious is clean. Live with the knowledge that the blood of innocents is on your head.” The Doppelganger’s voice was as even and calm as the night. “Into the darkness I’ll sing them a song.” 

The Doppelganger slowly turned around and walked to the door. “If I cannot obtain your assistance, I will do this myself.”

Nevertheless, Barricade said, “I will fight you.”

The Doppelganger stopped and turned around. Contrary to the previous venom saturating her voice, this time she sounded almost... pleased. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“This is just a dream,” Barricade growled quickly. “You can’t hurt me here.”

“Does that make it any less real?” She turned around again and walked to the door. “Brimstone,” she called over her shoulder.

“What?” Barricade faltered. 

“Brimstone,” she repeated. “My name is Brimstone.”

“Brimstone’s not a name.”

“Wake up.”





Doctor Hemos jumped back as Barricade shot to a sitting position. Slowly, she turned to the startled group of ponies who stared at her sudden rise from sleep. One of the nurses had prepared a small packet of smelling salts, but she had halted administering it with an unspoken directive to halt from Hemos.

“Captain, do feel you well? You’ve been asleep for the past hour,” Hemos said. Barricade put a hoof to her head and pulled it away for examination. Seeing nothing attached she examined the rest of herself carefully. Those present gave the mare the time to check herself out.

“I’m... I’m alright.” The built-up tension in everyone’s posture eased, especially the eagle-eyed Lieutenant Chaser. Even if the danger had apparently passed, her eyes flashed across Barricade’s body, her eidetic memory taking absorbing everything in a single sweep.

“It was just a bad dream... what dream?” She could only remember vague impulses like light, silence, and pain, but not the actual contents of what brought her to the land of the living. Her hoof rose to her shoulder, rubbing a wound that was not actually there. 

“I feel...” Barricade swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “I don’t remember what I was dreaming about, and I think I’m glad.” It was poor form to be caught scrambling like a foal over something as small as a bad dream. 

‘What happened?’ Barricade thought. She felt exhausted. Her past wounds and the exertion of recent events made the mare pay a heavy price. The only emotions she could gather from the leftover dream fragments were fear and a complete, blind hatred. Of what, the Captain was uncertain.

Lightning was the one to finally break the tension. Bowing her head slightly, she said, “It’s good to see you alive and well, Captain.”

Barricade had already examined the patch of gauze on her flank and the layers of bindings wrapped around her stomach and found the bandages to be fresh. The creature really had done quite a number on her.

“Was I – ”

“No.” It was Doctor Hemos who responded. Now that the tent had calmed, he had resumed his duties by examining her vitals. Rows of machines blipped and flashed, projecting data that the Doctor understood in an instant. Blood pressure, pulse, O2 saturation, and a few specialty instruments used to examine magic and the pony brain. Concern flashed across the Doctor’s face and was gone in a flash. “I never lost you. I was worried the arrowhead would fracture upon removal and complicate matters, but its removal was swift and without incident.”

“Captain.” came a stern voice near the back. A pony had just entered in full military uniform.

“Major Stormcloud,” Barricade fought to sit up, but the Major held up a hoof.

“At ease, Captain. Rest easy, but I’m here with you on business until Princess Celestia leaves. I need you to come with me; reports say your new friend is getting a little antsy and I’d like to make sure he calms down before we leave.”

“With all due respect, Major,” Hemos said, “Captain Barricade is my patient and is under my care until I clear her to leave.”

“True, but I have the power to override preceding orders in the interest of security and public safety. Make sure she is fit to move for the next hour. I need her until then, where she shall then be returned to you, Doctor.” Without verifying his orders were followed, the Major turned on his hooves and left the tent. “Make sure she gets a cloud,” he told some unnamed soldier escorting him. The Guard nodded and followed the Major out into the rain.

Hemos, disgruntled as ever, gave a disappointed snort. “Saddle up, Captain; we’re going on a trip – what’s that?” Hemos asked after hearing Barricade hum a soft tune.

“La la la la, la la la la... it’s nothing, just a tune that came to mind.”





Minecraft/MLP:FIM crossover.
For chapter updates and my ramblings, visit my page on Fimfiction HERE.
Barricade is a character by KnightMysterio that I have been graciously allowed to use. Click the link to check out his stuff.
Chapter Commentary: LINK
Edited by: Wolfmaster1337, Cor Thunder, Material Defender