//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Temple of the Stars // by OrphiusOlyandra //------------------------------// Once more, we were in our disguises, and once more, Gilda was leading us through the town. All the leering males, being ordered around like a slave, and overall degrading treatment reminded me of exactly why I never partook in any undercover missions within the gryphon borders. I was a princess, not some piece of meat to be weighed and measured by the common rabble. The worst part was, this was just the countryside, once we actually got within the township of White Peak itself there was no doubt there would be even more males. And guards. A shudder ran through my body at that thought. Filthy guards and their filthy armor. If one so much as touches me, I cannot be held responsible for what happens next. Especially if Nightmare Moon manages to find her way out through pure coincidence and no action of my own. Trixie on the other hoof, was enjoying this immensely. Sure, she hated the idea of being part of a harem, but you wouldn’t know that if you were one of the poor males watching us pass. Considering the way she would sway her hips, hang off Gilda’s wing, whisper things in the gryphon’s ear, and be an absolute tease about everything. Even without reading any emotions or minds, I could feel the annoyance and frustration radiating off the poor gryphoness. Torn between her hate for sexualized female items and her desire to just kiss Trixie silly no doubt. A quick check told me Nightmare still had no idea about their relationship. Good. If one good thing could come out of all this, I hope this was it. Plus, it had been so long since I had last played matchmaker, and I recalled fond memories of pushing two ponies together and watching the sparks fly. Love-hate relationships were always the best. “-stop it, Trix,” Gilda muttered in annoyance. “Seriously, it’s old now.” The unicorn-disguised-gryphoness cocked an eyebrow. “Trix?” Gilda-the-male, growled in annoyance. “Adelina then. I shouldn’t have to tell you that wives aren’t supposed to wave flank at half the town. If I was a male from the northern tribes, I would probably be beating you right now. But, I’m not a douche like that.” “Not my fault you wouldn’t let me walk in front of you. If you did, you’d have enjoyed a nice show for the past three hours,” replied Trixie with a smirk. “But if you insist ‘dear’.” Gilda put out her arm to stop Trixie walking ahead. “No, that’s not the point and you know it. Stay behind me, and stop flirting with everyone in sight. I’m not asking for anything remotely hard.” “I wasn’t flirting with everyone in sight,” muttered Trixie, but she did drop back slightly. While her flank still swayed, it was less exaggerated now, much to my disappointment. Walking for so long with the same scenery does get dull after a while. As we passed the final hill, the township came into view and behind it loomed a large mountain range, the highest of which had a peak of pure white. The green grass underfoot soon turned to a pale yellow and the soil was soon dry like sand. Off in the distance, we could see the grassland turn into the desert so representative of the Changeling Wastes. “Alright we’re here.” Gilda looked over her shoulder at us, “Seriously, now’s the time to really fit in. We’re at the edge of the Changeling Wastes, so I’m betting bits the guards will be tighter than a trip wire.” We simply nodded in reply and I could see Trixie’s entire body slumping into the submissive stance she used back in the cabin. Truth be told, I picked up the showmare on a whim, thinking she might be useful as a cover story, a total liability once they got captured, but I was seriously starting to reconsider. As we got closer to the guards, I followed her example and looked down at the ground while letting my shoulders go slack. Gilda stood up taller, and she reduced her usual glancing about. She still had her predatory walk, and I wasn’t convinced she could not walk like that, but now there was a very male arrogance to it. In just this week of travel and sparring I’d been surprised by just how quickly she improved. She still had her flaws taking a defensive stance, but she was learning, and that was the important thing. As long as she didn’t get herself killed in combat, I’d consider myself lucky. Gilda gave us one last quick appraising glance before walking up to the gate at a brisk pace. Beside her and just slightly back stood Trixie, and I trailed behind both of them. The guards immediately... relaxed? They slouched, leaning against their spears with lazy abandon. As we came to a halt before them they didn’t respond, seemingly staring into the sky with a lazy smile tugging at the corners of their beaks. After a moment of being ignored, Gilda coughed loudly. They blinked, as if awoken from a stupor and turned to scowl at us. “What?” The darker coated one asked with annoyance. “The gates friend.” Gilda replied in her false accent. “We-” “Yeah, yeah.” He waved a claw before he turned around and shouted up, “Get the gate!” Gilda blinked in surprise, and her brow furrowed. She glanced between the guard and the gate while the heavy wooden doors slowly swung open. Her beak opened to protest, but after a second she shut it and walked through that gate. After a moment, we followed her. As we stepped through the gate, a buzzing began filling my ears and an oppressive weight lodged itself between my wings. With a shake of my head, the buzzing disappeared and I could feel Nightmare stirring in the back of my mind. Magic. Strong magic permeated this place, no doubt the result of the Wide Eyes’ testing facility, and it was no surprise that the gryphons couldn’t feel it. Still, there was something familiar about this sensation. A quick glance over at Trixie told me nothing. It was impossible to tell if she felt it or not. “Nightmare?” “This is definitely familiar, but I can’t put my hoof on it either. If you find the epicenter, perhaps it will help jog my memory.” I nodded in response and picked up my pace to catch up to the others. Out the corner of my eye, I kept a close watch on those around us. Sure, I might have been gone for a thousand years, but I’d never seen a town this at peace and idyllic, even in Equestria. Considering this was a fortified town next to the Changeling Wastes, such calmness should have been impossible. Gilda frowned over her shoulder at the gate, her eyes narrowing on the guards. “Last time I was here... they didn’t even let me in. I had to smuggle myself inside...” She shook her head. “They didn’t even check us for weapons or...” She scowled and turned around. “What?” She froze in shock for some reason. “Gilda?” whispered Trixie. “Huh?” Gilda turned back towards her. She shook her head. “Sorry, I swear someone just said my name.” She smirked and tapped a claw to the side of her head before rolling her eyes. “What’s up?” “N-Nothing.” Trixie’s eyes flicked to the side. “And did you hear that?” “Heard what?” Gilda blinked. “I could have sworn I heard sobbing...” she replied with a frown. Gilda looked around. “Well I didn’t hear anything.” She turned towards me. “Did you hear something?” I simply shook my head. She frowned at me. “Are you not telling us shit again?” An eye roll followed by a flick of my eye to the other gryphons around us. “Oh...” Gilda had the grace to look embarrassed. “Right...” She muttered and turned around. “Come on, let’s go find an inn.” “Did you hear that?” “Hear what?” “I’m... not certain... It was like the ghost of a word, and yet, it felt as though I knew what was being spoken. If that makes any sense.” “Something dark is afoot here.” “You don’t think they’d be experimenting on the entire town do you?” I frowned and shook my head. “We do not think so. Gilda may idolize the Wide Eyes, but only fools would test such a dangerous chemical on their own citizens.” “This place is wrong.” Gilda said aloud. “Everyone’s so...” she stared at a passing couple that were having a relaxing picnic. “Normal. This place was set on a hair string last time I was here. Everyone had that... you know, hard, ready-for-anything look. Even the females glared at everyone else.” Trixie cast a look my way. “Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere private?” “Yeah, seriously,” Gilda looked over her shoulder at me. “When we get to the inn, you’re talking.” She looked forward again. “This is really weirding me out.” A simple nod in reply. We passed through the town, apparently not attracting any attention, and Gilda led us to an inn. She pushed the door open, and approached the counter, checking the room out as she went. A quick survey told me the bar was empty, but for a few patrons, who were merely sitting alone and drinking with odd half-smiles on their beaks. “A room for the night.” Gilda ordered the bartender and I could see a shiver run through Trixie. He just stared at her for a second, before shrugging. “Alright.” Gilda blinked. “And the price of such?” she inquired. He shrugged again. “Ten crowns?” Gilda’s brow furrowed. “Are you insulting me and my harem?” Trixie shifted uncomfortably. The bartender shrugged. “Alright, fifty crowns?” Gilda tilted her head and stared at him. “...” He just stared back at her, but with far less intensity, almost as though he was bored. After a moment, Gilda left ten bits on the counter and held her claw out. “Keys.” After another moments bored observation, her turned around and came back with several. He dumped them on the counter and then turned away to stare into space with the same half-smile. “Changelings?” whispered Nightmare in my mind. Gilda shifted uncomfortably, before pocketing all the keys and making her way up stairs. I lingered just a bit longer, examining the gryphons in the room before following her up the stairs. A quick glance back down at the innkeeper told me all I needed to know. “Impossible. Changelings are far more adept at mimicking gryphons than this. It’s almost as though their minds have been tampered with,” I replied. “And this is not the mindless insanity brought about by the chemicals either. This is something else entirely.” Gilda stopped at a room, and unlocked it with one of the keys. A peek inside and she shut it. “I think we should all sleep in one room tonight.” She jerked her thumb at the door. “That one’s just one bed.” She walked along the corridor, trying different rooms until eventually she stepped through a door. I followed her into a fairly large room with three small beds, and a very homemade, almost rustic, appearance. Even as large as the room was, three beds took up most of the space, and the confines were uncomfortably tight. The blinds were shut, the door was locked, and I cast a sound proofing spell over the room. “Trixie, dost thou feel any magic usage?” I asked. “I’ve felt... something...” She frowned as she began pacing. “It’s not exactly like magic, but it is at the same time. It’s been buzzing in the back of Trixie’s mind and she can’t place her hoof on what it is. It’s familiar, yet not.” “Wait,” Gilda looked directly at me. “You really don’t know what’s happening?” “How could We, we just arrived,” I snapped back. Gilda shrugged. “Well, I just assume you’re always holding something back on us, and I’ll find out what when it’s about to bite us in the ass.” “All We know for certain is that it is magical in nature,” I replied. “No shit, Sherclop,” Gilda replied sarcastically. “Got any info that’s slightly more... not completely Goddess damn obvious?” “It is not Changelings,” I replied. “They are far more adept at impersonation than what we have seen thus far.” “Well what else could it be then? Could the town have just been overrun by a particularly retarded hive?” Though her voice betrayed her lack of faith in that idea, she shrugged, “Or should we not drink the water or what?” “If We knew, we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” I said. “This entire situation reeks of mind magic.” Gilda shook her head. “Well, sorry for exactly not trusting you... Oh wait, I’m not sorry.” She snorted and turned to Trixie. “Hey, remember that time Luna warned us she had Nightmare in her head and totally told us what we should do if Nightmare came out? Oh, wait, you don’t remember that do you?” She turned to glare at me, “Probably because you didn’t warn us!” I shrugged in response. “We are entitled to some privacy.” She seethed with frustration. “Oh... fuck I hate you so much.” She turned away. “From this point forward, I’m adopting a policy of ‘blame Luna’.” She walked towards the door. “You two don’t burn anything down while I’m gone, alright?” The door clicked shut behind her and we sat there in an awkward silence. “So...” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. Trixie looked towards me. “Yes?” The illusionary disguises disappeared and I gestured at her horn. “How did that happen?” She blinked and scowled. “Trixie is afraid that’s none of your business.” Her hat was back in place as was her cape. “Just refrain from doing anything stupid,” I replied. “Please, Trixie is smart enough to know her limits. Gilda is far more likely to be the cause of trouble.” “Merely commenting was all,” I replied with a shrug. “Well, Trixie would prefer it if you kept your comments to yourself.” She huffed. “Very well.” We lapsed back into silence. “Any idea as to what might be causing the current strangeness in this town?” Trixie shrugged. “Is it really so strange? Beyond seeing things and the strange magic Trixie feels, are the gryphons truly being so odd?” She gave a small smile. “Gilda is rather paranoid.” “Yes, yes she is, but that’s probably why she has survived as long as she has.” I shrugged. “Do whatever thou wish, We are going to grab some extra sleep.” She paused. “Luna, do you know why Gilda is... um... what she is?” She stared at me, gauging my reactions. “She isn’t very communicative.” “That is something thou will either have to ask Nightmare or Gilda herself. We are not in the job of giving up secrets so liberally,” I said. She hesitated, before asking, “Does Nightmare actually know? Gilda claims you’re the one who tried to see her memories.” “A lady never kisses and tells.” I smirked at her. “Or in this case, a lady never reads and tells. If thou wish to know the truth, thou shalt have to ask Gilda thyself.” Trixie frowned. “And she will dodge the question, or simply tell me to not ask.” She paused. “Do you know who Gilda was mourning, back in the basement?” “Nope,” I lied. Trixie sighed. “Gilda’s right. You never tell anypony anything.” She flopped onto her bed and blew the mane out of her eyes. “Trixie tires of you. Be quiet so she can rest.” I rolled my eyes. If only I could cast a silence spell on the mare so I wouldn’t have to listen to her annoying voice. I pushed open the door to the shop, and one of those stupid tinkling bells let the guy in there know he had business. Assuming he wasn’t staring at the sky with some retarded, ‘all is well with the world’ look on his face. I kicked the door shut, as if I could shut the... I dunno. Weight? That weird faint pressure I had in the back of my mind. Whatever, I shut the door like I was trying to shut the town out. Then I noticed the gryphon smiling into space in complete fucking bliss. I scowled. All these happy gryphons were putting me in a bad mood. I began to browse the store, looking for anything I might have use for. We were going into the Changeling Wastes, or at least in that direction, so we’d need some supplies for desert travel. I didn’t know what ponies could or couldn’t eat out there, so I’d better get something to dry grass with for Trix and Luna too. Head wraps for me and Trixie... what else? Blankets for Trixie, it can get cold at night out there, and she’d probably like some decent things to cook with. She hasn’t said so, but I know Trixie actually enjoys making food, so maybe this would be nice for her. After I’d pieced together the supplies we’d need, I hesitated when I found myself staring at a bottle of whiskey. Not shit stuff either, but not great. I picked it up and thought about it. I know Trixie wouldn’t like it, but... I sighed and put it in with the other supplies. What she won’t know won’t hurt her. Who knows what we’ll run into out there? I doubt I’ll be able to get through the rest of this week without needing at least one drink. The small display of knives and other weapons drew my interest. I wanted more than just my knife if shit got bad, and I wasn’t gonna rely on Luna to summon up that sword for me every time things went to Tartarus. I added three new knives and a hatchet to the supplies. With nothing else left to shop, I approached the counter. He just ignored me as I glared at him. Fucking happy prick. I jabbed him with my claw, “Hey.” He frowned and absently rubbed the place I’d just touched him. His head slowly creaked around to face me, tilting to the side and staring at me with a confused look in his eye. We stood in silence for a moment, until I got fed up with his retarded gawk. “Yeah, I’m buying shithead.” He nodded and gave me a polite smile. “Alright.” That happy smile returned to his face, and he drifted off into lala land again. I grit my beak and threw a couple of bits on the counter. He didn’t even pay attention as I packed away the things I’d brought and turned to walk away. “Sir,” he called out as I was about to walk out the door. I looked back at him. “You forgot your change.” He pushed the bits I’d left towards me. I scowled and stepped back to scoop them up. Whatever. If he was brain dead it wasn’t my problem. I was in a worse mood by the time I made it back to the inn. Between there and the supply store were what seemed like hundreds of the happy shit brains, looking oh so bloody peaceful. I wanted to just start punching everyone I saw. None of them even seemed to notice that the sun had set and it was dark now. I entered the bar and not a single gryphon noticed. I grit my beak. Where was the bouncer who glared at everyone? The musician who played the piano in the back, or the cute serving maid who almost met the patron’s eyes? It felt like everyone was just... gone. Like, not only were some of the gryphons I remember from here last time not there, but everyone just felt like they were somewhere else. It was really pissing me off. Stupid happy fucking assholes. I made my way up the stairs and opened the door to our room. I slammed it shut behind me and looked to the room with a scowl. “Well I just robbed some douchebag.” “You did what?” Trixie sat up in her bed and glared at me. “I mean, at the general supply store, the guy gave me back the bits I paid with.” I fell onto my bed. “Fucking bastard didn’t care that I had a handful of his shit. He just had that brain-dead, shit eating, ‘I’m such a happy fucker!’ smile on his beak.” “Oh... Trixie is sorry then.” She peered curiously as the supplies I had brought and her eyes lit up. “Are those cooking utensils?” “Yeah,” I took them out. “I didn’t know what was good, but I figured you’d like something to work with.” With a little squee I’d never heard from her before, she began rummaging through the stuff, examining each of the pots and pans for something. When she finally finished looking through them, she glanced up at me with a huge smile. “Thank you!” She half tackled me with her hug before her disguise came back up and she opened the door. “Trixie shall make us a feast worthy of a princess! She’s gotten sick of the crap we’ve been eating.” I smiled, glad that I could make her happy like this at least. “Alright. Hey, maybe now would be a good time for you to show me that vegetarian cooking that you wanted from me.” And I silently prayed that she forgot about learning to cook my food. Seriously, ponies can’t cook meat for shit. If it were possible, her grin became even wider and for a split second, it reminded me of that pink one. Then, with a playful little smile, she bounced out the door. “Well... that was... unexpected...” remarked Luna. “We hope thou dost realize we will not be able to carry all those utensils with us.” I sighed. “I know... but hey they were free right?” I glanced at her. “Just let her enjoy it while it lasts.” I shrugged. “At least one of us can be happy, right?” “Happy allies are a blessing,” she remarked as she eyed the daggers and hatchet I’d bought. “We can melt those down and forge something better if thou wish.” I nodded. “Yeah, they’re shit.” I took out the best of the knives I’d brought. “But, you get what you pay for, right? Can’t expect too much from just a supply store.” I shifted. “But honestly, how much use am I gonna get from a sword, and what do you know about forging anyway?” “Enough to make passable equipment. We spent a thousand years on the moon and during that time We forged our own armor from the tattered remains of our equipment. It has been one of the few areas of study We have been meaning to expand upon.” I glanced at her. “So what’s the catch then? Where’s the hook in your generous little offer?” I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not the giving type, so this either bait or a bargain.” “Or maybe We are trying to be a better ruler like thou suggested. Or, perhaps, warfare is something We know and despite everything, We do look after those under us and want them to live.” I snorted. “I’ll believe that when you tell me why you and Nightmare aren’t as powerful as Celestia is.” After a moment I added. “Or any one of the other billion secrets you’re keeping from me.” I lay down on the bed. “Though, I doubt you forging me a sword’s gonna do much harm.” I shrugged. “Alright, if you want to, then I won’t stop you.” “Thou must be truly arrogant to think We keep any secrets from thee specifically.” Luna stood up and the daggers began hovering in the air before her. “We suggest thou close thine eye if thou wish to keep thy sight.” “Wait, you’re just gonna forge a sword right here? Don’t you need like... an anvil or something?” I stood up and backed away from her. I doubt she’d do it right then and there, but you never know. “We would tell thou to sit back and watch, but watching will leave thee blind.” She smirked at me. “And anvils are for mortals.” “If it’s so bright should you really do it here? Isn’t that a bit of a giveaway that some of us aren’t really gryphons?” “Very well, We shall do it at a later date then.” I swear she was pouting. I took the sword-to-be knives from the air. “Well, we’ll have plenty of privacy out in the desert.” “With any luck, we won’t have to go out in that direction.” She sighed. “Alas, hope is not a plan.” I frowned. “Don’t say that.” Luna cocked an eyebrow at me, but refrained from saying anything else. “That’s a Great Scars saying. You’re not a Great Scar.” She blinked before bursting out laughing. “The Great Scar’s use that saying?” Soon she was rolling on the floor while tears streamed down her cheeks. “What’s so fucking funny?” After a couple of seconds, she finally calmed down enough to actually talk coherently. “It’s just, that was Slight’s favorite saying. To think the Great Scars use their enemies saying. Ha! She’d get a kick out of this no doubt.” I stared at her blankly. “Slight... as in Song of Night? Curse? The goddess damn legend?” “‘Song of Night’? ‘Curse’?” Once more she burst out laughing. “Oh Slight, if only you were still around to hear these names.” “Wait, so that story was real?” I fell onto my haunches. “The legend of the Last Shadow in the Day is true?” “We knew gryphons were a melodramatic species, but even that is a tad over the top.” Luna cleared her throat and straightened her mane. “Yes, those legends are real, though no doubt exaggerated.” I nodded. Right, of course some of it was true. Feeling stupid for freaking out, I spoke, “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, it’s just... fuck, I love those stories. I mean, what she faced, and... I dunno. It was someone I looked up to when I was a cub.” I snorted. “Whatever, you’re right. I really doubt she had bat wings and could disappear into shadow at will.” “Oh, those were true.” I blinked in surprise and stared at her. “What?” I said blankly after a moment. “Oh yes, some of the nightkin had bat wings, and others could disappear into the shadow at will. A couple even had both, though it was rare due to how dangerous it could be to go through the ritual twice.” I just stared at her. “‘Nightkin’?” “Did thou truly believe only one such as her existed? Though it would be best to ask Nightmare about it, for she was in total control closer to the end there.” “Well, in the legend I heard she was like, the last pony loyal to Nightmare and when Nightmare was defeated, she changed Slight into a bat pony as a final curse on Celestia.” I shrugged. “Really though, ‘nightkin’? What happened to them?” “That is most assuredly false, though she was the last surviving nightkin,” replied Luna. “As for the rest of them... no doubt slaughtered by those fighting against Nightmare Moon, whether they deserved it or not.” “Huh.” I looked across at her. “I like your version of the story better.” I smirked. “I always loved how she was just one pony spitting defiance into a god’s eye. How, despite being so hated and loathed, she defeated all comers and made a legend for herself.” I shrugged. “Heck, all Great Scars love that story. The pony who made the goddesses weep. Against the odds, doing something stupid just because. Great story.” “Yes, Slight was a rather... fun... individual to be around.” For once, Luna’s smile seemed to reach her eyes. “So... where did the bat ponies come from? You mentioned a ritual, right?” “Thou will have to ask Nightmare Moon. We have an idea of what was involved, but We lack specifics.” “I’m just curious really. I mean, I don’t care too much, but it’s a bit like learning that the tooth fairy’s real or something.” I shrugged. “I guess I’m sharing a room with a goddess, so bat ponies aren’t too hard to believe.” “Well We do know that the chemicals the Wide Eyes are researching are the same chemicals that were precursors to the bat ponies,” Luna replied. “In the end, it was Nightmare Moon who figured out how to make it work properly.” “So what were the chemicals supposed to do anyway?” I turned to her. “I mean, if you made bat ponies, then I guess you were trying to change ponies in some way.” A sad sigh came from Luna as she rolled onto her back. “It started off as a failsafe plan of sorts. The dragons were getting restless, and with the recent aggression from the changlings, we were afraid our forces would be stretched too thin. In order to stop that, we began experiments into augmentation in an attempt to increase the combat prowess of our little ponies. Somewhere along the line, a seed was planted into our head by a close friend, though we sadly cannot recall her na- Aurora? Thou art certain? Yes... that does sound right though. One night, Aurora commented that she wished to see the night as We did and from that we began parallel research into changing ponies so they could do exactly that.” I stared at her and frowned. “Aurora wasn’t a friend.” “She... wasn’t?” “I... don’t think she was...” I shifted. “I mean, she didn’t feel like a friend.” I frowned and shook my head. “No, I shouldn’t be telling you this.” I stood up and stepped towards the door. “It’s from Nightmare’s head, not mine. I’m gonna go and check on Trixie.” “Nightmare Moon and We share the same body. We share the same memories. Tell us.” I shook my head. “No. If Nightmare kept you out of my head, then I’m keeping you out of hers.” I shrugged. “Or at least I’m not telling you what’s in there. If you actually make it inside Nightmare’s head then I can’t stop you.” Luna glared at me, but truth be told, it was more adorable than anything else. That filly really didn’t scare me anymore. “Anyway, I have grass to cook. Want anything?” I paused with the door open. “Whatever is available.” I closed the door behind me, and set out to find Trixie. Where would she go to cook... the kitchen. Duh. I doubt these brain deads would care if we used it anyway. I blinked when I entered the common room, and all the gryphons stared at me. They still had the brain dead look in their eyes, but now those eyes were following me. “What are you retards staring at?” I said aloud. None of them answered me or responded. I shook my head and turned away. Creepy, but these retards were too mind fucked to do anything nasty anyway. I pushed open the door to the kitchen, and entered to find Trixie humming a tune as she moved from location to location, a dozen objects hovering in the air around her. With her back to me, she still hadn’t seen me and her hips swayed with her tune. I had to admit, I was getting a bit distracted by that curvy flank moving back and forth to that tune. I watched for a moment before I coughed, letting her know I was there. “Trix.” I said to get her attention. Again no response. I rolled my eyes and walked up to her. I tapped her on the shoulder and said in her ear. “Trix!” “Bwah!” she gasped and all the things she was floating fell to the ground. She turned around and glared at me. “Gilda!” I smirked. “Surprise.” “Wh-What are you doing here!? How much did you hear?” He eyes darted to the door. “Is Luna nearby?” I blinked. “No, Luna’s up in the room. Don’t you remember? You wanted me to learn how to cook grass, right?” Then I paused. “What’s with the song?” She was obviously sensitive about it. “It was something Trixie’s father used to sing to her,” said Trixie a tad sadly before she brightened back up and planted a kiss on my beak. “And, no Luna means no need to not kiss you every opportunity Trixie gets.” I smiled. “I can live with that.” I gestured towards the things she’d dropped. “Though we might have to clean that up.” There was a flash of blue and they were back on the counter. To my surprise, there was a slab of uncooked meat on the table that had not been touched at all. With another peck, this time on my cheek, she turned towards the pot of boiling water, letting her tail brush along my face as she did so. I blushed at that, but playfully snatched her tail in my beak and gave it a light tug. To my surprise, a shiver ran up her spine and she glanced back at me with half lidded eyes. I let go of her tail before she got any ideas. Shit, I shouldn’t have done that. I need to stop winding Trixie up like that, especially if things are gonna end soon anyway. I was still pissed with myself for going all soft hearted and not breaking up with her when I had the chance. Damn it, why’d I have to be so damn selfish. I shook my head and banged a claw on my skull. Damn it, stupid thoughts. Just enjoy tonight. Let her have this. No feeling bad tonight. “So what are we cooking?” I asked her. “Well Trixie managed to find some meat so that you can teach her how to actually cook it and she just put down some pasta to cook. Remember to add salt and oil to the water beforehand,” she said. “Just keep stirring it, and the oil should prevent the pasta from clumping. You will have to take it off from the heat before it goes soggy.” I nodded. “Alright sounds easy enough.” “Trixie was planning on cooking a simple tomato flavor, which should be easy enough for you. If you follow Trixie’s instructions, it should be taste fine.” She turned and stared at the meat. “Now, about your meal...” “Easy, Trix.” I told her. “If you feel like you’re gonna puke, then I’ll cook it and we can try again another night.” Oh please, oh please. Tell me she’s about to throw up. Though she looked green, she nodded her head and took half a step back. “Perhaps it would be best if you showed Trixie how it was done first?” I nodded, feeling relieved. “That’s fine. So, what kind of meat do you have here?” “Trixie isn’t certain,” she replied and I only just caught myself from facepalming. “Why? Is it important?” I nodded. “Yeah, different meats have different flavors. I wouldn’t cook fish the same way I would cook pork.” “Oh...” Trixie looked down at the slab of meat. “Alright. Can’t you tell?” I leaned in and sniffed it. “Well, it’s thigh muscle, so it’s at least as big as a deer.” I cut a piece off and tasted it. “Tastes like venison to me.” I turned back to her and she looked very green. “So, where did you get this from anyway?” “Did you... did you just eat that raw?” She stuck her tongue out. “If you were looking for more kisses, you are going to have to wash that mouth of yours.” Interesting. I’ll have to remember that for later. “Cooking it’s just for flavor and being clean. You can eat any meat raw, but all the diseases the animal might have carried will still be there. You cook it, and most of that goes away.” “You still ate it raw,” said Trixie before her eyes widened. “The pasta!” She rushed over to the pot and grabbed a single pasta in her magic. Biting down she sighed. “Overdone.” She frowned. “It’s not quite soggy yet, so still passable. Just.” “You make ‘passable’ sound like someone crapped in it or something” “Failure is still a failure,” she said as she leveled a mock glare at me. “Trixie hasn’t overcooked pasta since she was a foal, so this is entirely your fault.” I snorted. “Of course. That totally makes sense.” “Of course it does. If you weren’t so damn hot, Trixie would actually be able to concentrate on what she was doing,” she replied with a wink. I froze in surprise. “Well, I think that was the first time in a long time, no wait, make that ever. First time ever someone called me hot who wasn’t sarcastic or had a fetish.” I paused. “Oh wait. Never mind, that’s still never happened.” I elbowed her. She rolled her eyes as she began pouring out the hot water. “Well as far as Trixie is concerned, you are very hot. Downright delicious even.” “Yeah well, you’re the first.” I stood next to her. “And it’s not my fault if you’re easily distracted.” “Or you’re just that sexy. Learn to take a compliment.” Trixie frowned at me. “What about the one you lost your virginity to?” I blinked and raised an eyebrow. “You really expect me to tell you that story?” “Trixie is curious. And watch, this is simple, and straightforward. You cut the tomato into thin slices, quarter them, and then mix it in with the rest of the sauce. Depending on what flavor you’re trying to create, you add salt to help sweeten it, and pepper to spice it up a tad. Normally, Trixie would prefer to add some more flavors, like a pinch of rosemary or perhaps cheese or butter, but for your sake we’ll keep it simple.” I nodded and took up a bit of salt. To be honest, I didn’t have any idea how to make sauce, I mean I, use apples and pepper to spice up my own meat. Doesn’t do much for me nutritionally, but it adds to the flavor. I sprinkled it in lightly and stirred it as Trixie watched. I talked as I did. “Well, you might be curious, but really it’s more embarrassing and stupid than anything else. Not exactly, a good story either. Just...” I shrugged. “Lame, I guess. It’s a lame story.” “Well if you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” replied Trixie. “It was a personal question after all and that’s enough salt.” “Thanks. It’s not one of my bad memories but it’s like... one of those ones when you just wish you could go back and scream at yourself, ‘What the fuck are you doing shithead?’” I dusted the salt off my claws. “Pepper now?” “Yes. Just a pinch, we don’t want it too spicy.” I felt her hooves wrap themselves around my waist as she hugged me from behind. I put my claw on her shoulder. “How about you? Got any funny stories? I’m not in the mood for anything heavy right now.” “Mmmmmm... nope, not really.” She nuzzled my neck lightly. “Though there was this one time Trixie made a bar go completely silent. There was this stallion who just would not take ‘No’ for an answer, so Trixie threw him out the window and into a pond. It was a shame it happened just after one of Trixie’s performance or she would have turned him into a female or something.” I laughed. “Yeah, I’d probably have broken his nose or something. Funny enough, my way’s actually more subtle than yours.” “Trixie is a showmare after all.” I shook my head and chuckled as Trixie threw another pinch of some herbs that I didn’t recognize into the sauce. “Well, speaking of stories, Luna just told me that ‘The Last Shadow in Day’ was actually true.” I shook my head. “Can you believe that?” “Um... perhaps if Trixie knew what story you were referring to?” “Haven’t you heard it?” I turned around to face her. “I loved it when I was a cub. Uh... I think in Equestria the closest thing they have to it is called the Curse of the Everfree.” Trixie blinked. “Really? They tell that to foals in the Gryphon Kingdom?” I nodded. “Yeah, I freaking idolized Song of Night when I was a kid.” Trixie stared at me in horror. “Song of Night? You idolized that monster!” “Hey!” I turned to her. “She wasn’t a monster.” “She was a half pony bat demon!” “She wasn’t a demon!” I argued. “She was a freaking legend; all Great Scars respect what she did.” “She attacked Princess Celestia!” she argued. “She was a monster who butchered her way from one half of Equestria to the other.” My brow furrowed. “Wait, in your version she attacked Celestia? Hah! That’s so awesome! In the version I heard, she just spat in her eye. Actually attacking her is so much more badass.” “What?! Trixie may not love Celestia, but that’s just wrong!” “That’s not the point, dude. She was just one mare who defied her gods. She fought against all odds and turned against the sun itself, and in the end, left both Nightmare and Celestia in tears. It was stupid and reckless, it broke the natural order of equinity. It flew in the face of all reason, and it was pointless too.” I smiled. “I loved that when I was younger.” “Well Trixie supposes that when you reduce it to that it does sound cool, but...” She suddenly punched me in the back. “But our food is getting cold and you never taught me how to cook that venison.” Damn. She remembered. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll show you some other time. Enjoy your food while it’s hot and I’ll cook this.” She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. Let Trixie set up the table.” She pulled up a table with her magic and laid a tablecloth over it. I turned away from her and set about cutting the venison into slices. I’d just fry it with some pepper and salt. Not exactly fancy, but quick and easy. I spoke to her over my shoulder. “Anyway, but the part of that story that I think you might want to know about, is that Slight was actually a bat pony. Luna said there used to be a bunch of bat ponies and she called them nightkin. She also said that Nightmare made them using a more refined version of the chemicals the Wide Eyes are using. Maybe you can figure out if that’s important, but I think it’s at least related.” “Well these Nightkin had powers right? Maybe a super army of some kind?” “Luna mentioned that those chemicals are supposed to be some way of creating super ponies.” I glanced back at her. “Maybe that’s why Nightmare wants them? To make herself and Luna powerful again.” “Maybe?” Though Trixie didn’t sound convinced as she sat down on at the table, patiently waiting for me to finish up. “Well they want something out of this. Though I really doubt it, Luna could be working for the good of Equestria, but Nightmare definitely wants something out of this.” I served up the meat onto a plate, and borrowed a little of Trixie’s pasta sauce to flavor it a bit. “They’re working together too nicely for them both to not want something.” I sat down across from Trixie and put my plate on the table in front of me. I glanced across at her. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the smell, but she put her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hooves. Her horn lit up, the lights turned off and a single ball of blue hovered in the air above us. All the while, she gazed at me with those wide eyes of hers as her tail swished in the background. And that was when our cups were filled with red wine. Or rather, hers was, but she had a variety of alcohol for me to choose from. There was everything from hard liquor, to cider, to fine wines. I grinned at her, and selected a bottle of cognac. “Where did you get all this?” I asked as I poured myself a glass. “This is an inn, and apparently the only well stocked thing in this entire place is its liquor cabinet.” Trixie held out her glass and I immediately raised mine. “To an end of this Tartarus filled journey.” “Heh. I’ll drink to that.” We both took a sip at the same time, and I let out a satisfied sigh. “Oh yeah. This is the good stuff.” “Agreed. Trixie hasn’t had wine this good in a long time.” She took another sip and took a bite of her dish. “Would have been better if the pasta wasn’t overcooked, but it’s still good. Try some.” “Alright,” I answered and clawed some of the pasta onto my plate. “Ahem.” I looked up at her in surprise. “We have knives and forks for a reason.” She waved a hoof towards the utensils next to my plate. “Or if you prefer, Trixie can feed you like a little foal.” I rolled my eyes, and picked them up. “Sorry. I’m just not used to eating on a date. Never had to impress a mare before.” Trixie chuckled and booped my beak. “And that makes you even more adorable.” I blinked in surprise. “Okay, I can deal with a lot of things, but I’m not adorable.” I shook my head. “Nuh, you don’t get to call me that.” “Fine, but only because you’re so hot.” Once more with that wink. “Trixie still finds it difficult to believe you find her hot though.” “Yeah well-” The door behind us slammed open, and my head whipped around. The bartender was standing there, staring at us. As he stared at Trixie, he shivered visibly and his pupils dilated. He moaned like he was having an orgasm right there, before he dove across the room right at Trixie. I didn’t even think as I tackled him away from her and crashed his weight into the wall. He tried to punch me in the face, but I caught his fist and sprained it. I twisted him over my shoulder and threw him into the floor. He started to rise again, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and choked him unconscious. After he collapsed to the floor, I looked up at Trixie who was staring with her eyes wide. “Trix, are you alright?” I asked her. “Why would he-” Two more gryphons burst through the door, but before they even got three steps in, the dining table slammed into them far faster than I thought possible, and that was quickly followed by probably every pot in the kitchen. “Is having a nice romantic dinner too much to ask for!?” she yelled at the unconscious gryphons. I didn’t answer her as I put my fist into the temple of one that started to rise up. He collapsed to the floor again. “Come on, we better wake up Luna.” I peeked out the door, and noticed there were three more waiting in the room outside. They didn’t react as they caught sight of me, so I stepped out of the room slowly. I kept a claw on my knife. “Let’s go, Trix.” “Alright...” She followed me slowly out the room, her disguise once more firmly in place. Along the way, she made sure to kick the two downed gryphons by the door. The moment she stepped outside the room, the gryphons’ eyes locked onto her, and they gave that retarded sex moan all at the same time. “Mother fucker.” To my surprise, I wasn’t the one who said that. They all charged at once. One of them was thrown to the side as Trix smashed a barstool over his head, but the second one tackled her to the ground. I charged at him, but the third gryphon tackled me. Rolling with it, I used our momentum to throw him into the wall. I turned around to help Trixie, but the gryphon she’d hit with a barstool decided to get revenge. No fucking way was I letting him pull that shit. My fist slammed into his kidney and he arched back in pain. I wrenched his wing out of its socket and broke his hind leg at the joint. He collapsed to the floor, and I turned around just in time to get tackled. His claws wrapped around my throat, but his grip had nothing on Luna’s. With a snarl, I severed his spine, and he collapsed to ground with a scream. I stood up and used the hilt of my knife to knock him out. I turned to help Trixie, only to get a faceful of gryphon as he was flung at me. I fell onto my back, and pushed the unconscious asshole off me. Trixie was standing there, breathing heavily and holding a hoof to her face. “He licked Trixie, she hissed. I stood up. “Really?” She nodded. I glared at them. “The fuck is wrong with this town?” We made our way up the stairs to our room. I pushed open the door, and saw Luna collapsed on the bed. “Luna wake up. Freaky shit is happening.” I shook her to wake her. “Luna get-” I cut myself off as her eye opened. A slit reptilian eye. It was then I noticed her coat was darker, and I took a step back as she sat up and turned to look at me. “Ah shit.” I said aloud. “Hello again,” purred Nightmare as she took a step towards me. “I’ve missed you so.” I nodded. “Yeah, hello, big reunion or whatever.” I looked over my shoulder. “But we’ve got more important things happening right now.” I showed her my bloody knife. “We got attacked.” “Well at least neither of you are dead.” She suddenly dropped onto one knee in pain. “Urgh. Those idiots!” I took a step towards her. “Are you alright?” “I’ll be alright once I kill whoever is in charge of this shoddy operation.” Her eyes closed and her horn lit up. “While you two were having dinner, Luna and I have managed to figure out what has happened. Or at least, the most probable option.” “Great.” I told her. “So what the fuck is happening, and why are these guys giving Trixie the rape face?” I glanced over at Trixie. “One of them licked her.” “They did?” Nightmare looked at us in surprise. “That... was something I was not expecting.” “Yeah well, it’s fucking weird.” “She must be giving off the most positive emotions,” replied Nightmare. “What were you thinking or doing at the time?” “Well Trixie was in the middle of cooking dinner, which is something she enjoys and if either of you spread that around, Trixie will end you.” She straightened her hat. “Trixie does have an image she needs to maintain after all.” Nicely lied Trixie. “So what’s happening here?” I asked Nightmare. “Should I feel guilty about paralyzing that guy?” “Well if he still has a mind left, yes. Otherwise he’ll probably be a shell of a gryphon for the rest of his life,” replied Nightmare. “It’s the damn changelings. They’ve managed to escape on their own, and if what you said is true, then it seems as though they’re developing a hive mind separate from that of the Queen’s and knowing the chemical formula used, they’ll probably be mindless monsters bent on only one thing.” “And that is?” Trixie asked. “Please tell Trixie it is not her.” “Emotion. They’ll feed on emotions until there’s nothing left, and then keep feeding. Constantly expanding outwards with a desire to consume and nothing else,” said Nightmare as she rubbed her temples. “We need to get out of here soon. I can already feel their mind pressing up against mine, trying to get in.” “Where are we going?” I asked her. “We’re getting out of this town, right?” “Yes. We are getting out of here as fast as our hooves can carry us.” Nightmare’s head snapped to the side. “Gotcha!” A sword flew out, embedding itself in the wall opposite me. “You thought you were so smart didn’t you? I am Nightmare Moon, you cannot fool me, you despicable cur. Go tell your Queen I am coming to rid this world of your vile influence.” I stared at her. “There was a guy behind there right? Tell me you’re not going insane please... Or, you know, insaner.” “You can’t see him,” She burst out laughing, “Of course you cannot. Hold still my dears, and I shall rid you of their vile influence.” Her horn lit up and I instinctively jerked away as her magic surrounded my head. “What are-” Pain flooded my body, forcing me onto my knees as I clutched my head. It was like it was being squeezed to a pulp by a minotaur. Trixie’s cries of pain reached my ears, and for a split second, I managed to get back onto my feet. A second wave of pain doubled me over and back down I went, my eyes squeezed shut. Then, as suddenly as the pain began, it ended. I pushed myself onto all threes, my claw going to my good dagger as I glared at Nightmare. “The fuck?!” I snarled at her and looked over to see Trixie slowly starting to stand up. I stepped over to put myself between her and Nightmare. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” She simply jerked her head in the direction of the sword embedded in the wall and trapped there was a gryphon. I blinked at it. I just stared for a moment as my mind processed the facts. “So... they were in our heads?” I glanced back at Nightmare. “How long was he there?” “Long enough,” she replied as she looked out the window. “It seems my fears have been confirmed. The hive mind has infected everyone in this town and there is not a doubt that if we stayed here any longer, we would have been caught under its spell.” I looked back at Trixie. “Trix, are you okay?” I offered a claw to help her back up. “Trixie is fine,” she said as she ignored my claw. “But hive mind? Changelings cannot possess others.” “They can when their innate magical abilities have been amplified.” Nightmare rubbed her temples. “Change of plans, we need to find a log of every gryphon that’s come through this town since this mess began.” “Give us some warning next time you’re gonna pull shit like that.” I glared at her and shook my head and got back on topic. “Well the guardhouse will be keeping track of everyone that comes through here, assuming no one snuck in.” “What about the Wide Eyes?” she asked. “We need every name.” I frowned. “They won’t have kept track of that.” I tapped a claw to my chin. “There’d be a list at the facility in the wastes... and if this is the king’s op he’d have a list of who goes where too... Maybe Grace would know.” I turned to Nightmare. “Beyond that... If we check the registries at the inns in town, maybe we could piece together a list.” “If they still-” A creek came from the stairs and her sword immediately appeared. “Looks like we’ve got company. We need to find out who’s been here, eliminate all the changelings, and get out of here.” I nodded. “Alright, so what’s the plan?” I glanced at Trixie. “How are we going to do this?” I kept an eye on the door. I slowly padded up to it, being careful to stay to the right so the light from our lamp wouldn’t cast my shadow under it. My claw touched the doorknob and I looked back at the other two. I mouthed silently, “Keep the conversation going.” “What Trixie wants to know is, how were the changelings’ magic amplified? The chemicals? And how are we even going to kill them all?” she asked. “Right, you weren’t present when Luna told Gilda about that. Basically it was the chemicals, we wished to make our ponies stronger so they could better defend Equestria.” Nightmare peeked out the window and scowled. “We’ve got more incoming. And we can kill them all if we find their research facility. If they had all the chemicals that I used then I can perform the ritual.” Trix scowled at me. “And you only decided to tell me the part about your foalhood legends?” I shrugged before I drew my other knife and kicked the door. Outside the room were two gryphons who reared back in shock, exposing their ribs to me. I took advantage of that, and buried my knives in their hearts. I let them collapse to the floor before I sheathed my knives and turned around to face the two ponies. “So we’re still going into the wastes?” I asked Nightmare. The window shattered and a flaming arrow lodged itself in the wall by my head. “Well we’re definitely not staying here!” said Trixie as she threw the bed outside, using it as a makeshift barrier to the bolts flying at us. “Well?” I turned to Nightmare. “Teleport us already.” “It’s taking all my magic to stop them from infiltrating our minds again,” she said as she gestured at her still glowing horn. “They’re weak, but with so many of them working as one, they are a match for me.” I grimaced. “So we’re fighting our way out? Fun.” “Trixie can teleport us,” she muttered as she added a table to the barricade. “No!” Nightmare cleared her throat. “We cannot risk that. We are fighting our way out.” “Why? If Trix can zap us out, then isn’t that less risky than fighting our way through a horde of changelings and brain deads?” “We’ve got a higher chance of dying if Trixie decides to zap us out,” snapped Nightmare as she joined me by the door. With her sword drawn, she watched as the gryphons rushed up the stairs. “Amateurs.” Me and Nightmare met them head on. She did most of the work, but between the two of us they didn’t stand a chance. There were only four in the first wave, and she fucked them over in a way that was scary fast. More came after that, and I tagged three of them with slashes to the neck and underarm, and Nightmare bagged more than I counted. By the time we were done we’d fought our way down stairs and into the common room, corpses decorating the steps behind us. “What can’t Trixie just zap us out?” I asked Nightmare. “Trix, you can manage a short hop, right?” I looked back at the very green unicorn. “She has a-” “Trixie will tell you later,” she said with a glare at Nightmare. “It’s a private matter.” The door burst open, and before either of us could react, a chair slammed into the unlucky gryphon’s face. “And Trixie is getting tired of being interrupted every time she tries to speak.” The ceiling above us groaned and I tackled Trixie to the side as a section of ceiling collapsed in a pile of flaming debris... A section of the ceiling on the other side of the room. Well it would have been awesome if it had been directly on top of her. Right? I stood up, dusted myself off and coughed into my claw awkwardly. “Sorry.” Trixie merely rolled her eyes and dusted off her hat before putting it firmly back on her head. “If you two are done back there, I could seriously use some help!” yelled Nightmare from upfront as an arrow left a cut along her cheek. “I can’t hold off all these arrows, stop the gryphons from getting in and keep their stupid hive mind at bay all at the same time!” “Please, the Great and Powerful Trixie could do all that and more.” The showmare stood up and with a flourish, the cabinets were ripped from the wall, forming a barrier outside to block the incoming arrows. “I’ll take out the archers if you can distract them.” I said to Trixie. “Like a firework or something?” “A firework? You mock Trixie. Why have one, when you can have-” A horde of bright lights appeared around her, shooting through the window and exploding in a variety of colors. “-over two dozen?” I rolled my eyes and dived through the hole. I came to my feet and spotted three archers on the roof across the street. Shit. I was thinking they’d be on the ground. They got over their shock at the fireworks and lined up their shots on me as I took to the air, heading straight at them. I did a perfect barrel roll just as they all fired, and none of them hit me before I was among them. I tackled one to the roof and rolled to all fours with fresh blood on my knife. One of them went to notch and arrow, but I threw my blade into his throat. He fell gurgling as I rushed the other two with my hatchet. These were hunters not soldiers, and it was only a few moves before one of them was dead with my hatchet in the back of his skull and the other had his neck broken. I stopped long enough to get my weapons back and snatch up a bow and a quiver full of arrows. I flapped across the street and landed on the ground in front of the bar. “They’re gone!” I called out. “Come on, we need to move!” I glanced over my shoulder as more gryphons landed just down the street. “Come on!” Silence. “Mother fucker!” I cursed and turned around. Shit, there was like ten gryphons, and some of them were wearing guard armor. It only took me a moment’s hesitation before I threw myself back through the window into the common room. “What the fuck are you doing?” I asked as I rolled to my feet. Shit. Trix was on the ground with a knife in her side, and Nightmare was fighting two gryphons that were coming at her with short swords. With one on each side, she was forced to constantly turn and move to meet their blades, and more than once, a sword snaked past her guard to land a glancing blow. I grit my beak as I realized they were wearing light armor without any kind of a marking. They were either soldiers without clan markings, or Wide Eyes, and I knew soldiers weren’t trained to fight in that style. I notched an arrow and took aim. Shit, I hadn’t fired an arrow since I was twelve, and with the way they constantly danced around each other, there was no way I’d be able to get a decent shot in. Add on the smoke and it was an impossible shot. “Make sure Trixie’s fine!” yelled Nightmare as yet another strike managed to land on her exposed flank. “Oh, you want to play do you!?” Stepping forward, the blade went straight through her shoulder and for a brief second, the world around me wavered and all I saw was the perfect little inn with Trix standing before me with a seductive smile on her face. A second later, it snapped back to reality and I watched as Nightmare smashed her hoof into the first gryphon’s face. Before they could even react to her suicidal move, the sword was ripped out of her body, and soon both of them were missing their heads. “I hate doing that,” growled Nightmare as she limped over to me. “Putting my body in harm’s way to kill the enemy is not the right way of fighting at all.” I turned away from her and bent down next to Trixie. “Those were Wide Eyes.” I said, as I examined Trixie’s wound. “Check their bodies, if they’ve got rank they might have info and we won’t have to go inn to inn for your list.” The knife hadn’t hit anything important, but even though I knew how to pull a body apart, I had no idea how to put one together. After a moment, I pulled the knife out, and Trixie stiffened and gasped, the pain pulling her out of unconsciousness. I grabbed her head, and looked into her slightly dilated eyes. “Trix, you alright?” She nodded mutely as she breathed in short, shallow breaths. All of a sudden, her eyes widened and a splintered piece of wood shot past my head. I was immediately on my feet with knife drawn, but the gryphon behind me collapsed in a bloody heap on the ground, the wooden splinter sticking out of his chest despite the armor in the way. “Fuck!” I swore. That was Trixie’s first kill, something I’d been hoping would never happen. I turned around and helped pull the unicorn to her hooves. “Trix, get up. Focus on the pain.” I told her. That last thing we needed was her freaking out right now. “Think about how we’re gonna get out of here.” Her eyes stayed on the corpse though. I slapped her across the face. “Trix! Stay with me. You’re supposed to be Great and Powerful, so why the fuck am I the one doing all the work here!” “Y-Yes. Of course.” She shook her head and that steely determination was back. “Trixie is great and powerful!” She took a step forward only to collapse forward. Before she hit the ground, I managed to catch her. “Keep your weight on me.” I ordered. “Even a shithead like you can manage that, right?” I needed to keep her pride up. If she was angry at me, then that was even better. You can do surprising things running on just emotion. “Where’s your fucking spine, bloody filly.” A quick glance back showed me Nightmare was still busy searching the bodies even as the building continued to go up in flames. The acidic smoke was already making my eyes water and Trixie was starting to cough as well. “Come on, we need to get out of here now!” I yelled at Nightmare and she nodded even as more of the roof collapsed in on our heads. “Very well.” Nightmare was immediately by our side. “Quickly, to the guard tower. We managed to find some fabric as well to act as makeshift bandages.” “Great.” I replied distractedly and took the cloth off her. We stepped outside and I found my breath caught in my throat. “Shit.” The guards from earlier had managed to create a barricade in the street in front of us. A perfect half circle with arrows, some bombs of some kind and a lot of gryphons with swords. This was not going to end well. To my surprise, I felt Trixie shift her weight off me. “Trix?” Once more those fireworks appeared around her. “Anything you can do, Trixie can do better.” I blinked in surprise. What t- They exploded in all directions and I was forced to cover my eyes, but I could still hear, and all I hear were screams. By the time my vision returned, all I saw was a pile of dead gryphons as Nightmare stood there with her sword impaled between the hind legs of one particularly unlucky male. “Hurry!” Nightmare yelled as she raced down the street. I glanced over at Trix who was panting with exertion. “Are you okay?” I asked her. “Of course. Trixie is great and po-” Her eyes rolled back and she fainted right there. “Shit.” I knew I wasn’t waking her up anytime soon. I bent down, and picked her up. Carrying her on my back as I ran through town to the guard post, I heard a fuck ton of gryphons roaring. “Shit, shit, shit.” I muttered. No way I could fight them wile carrying Trixie, I’d have to put her down. Thankfully, Nightmare left a handy trail of dead bodies and as we all know, dead bodies can’t attack. I ran up the stairs and into the guard post, just in time to see Nightmare pull a sword out of another gryphon. “Get the log!” I shouted at her as I put Trixie down on the floor and began bandaging her wound. “Where?” she asked as threw all the furniture against the door. “In a desk or something!” I shouted at her. “How the fuck should I know? I don’t work here!” I growled and turned back to the unicorn. The cut was pretty damn deep, but now that I had a proper look, I was certain it missed all the important stuff. Some of her muscles were cut, so she’d be limping for a while. “Hey Nightmare, find anything to clean the wound with?” “Nothing! This is a guard tower, so maybe they have some stuff lying around,” she replied as she tore through all the paper. “I think I saw a first aid kit over in the corner by the window.” I spotted the kit, ran over and yanked it open. Inside was some disinfectant and proper bandages. I snatched them out and flapped my wings for a boost of speed as I dashed back to Trixie. I fell to my knees in front of her, and rubbed the disinfectant into her wounds. I poured some of it onto the bandages and wrapped those around her. I fucking hate that I don’t know shit about medicine. First time I’ve ever had to worry about it, and it was someone else that was getting hurt. My fist slammed into the ground. “Fucking damn it!” I snarled and stood up. “Goddess damn brain dead animals!” I screamed. How dare they touch her! How fucking dare they touch MY Trixie! “I don’t want them cured, I want these fuckers dead! All of them!” I snatched up a chair and smashed it against a wall. “I’m gonna end every last one of them! Those filthy fucking mindless cunts are gonna burn!” I jabbed my claw at Nightmare. “You hear me?! No one hurts my friends!” My chest heaving, I stood there staring at Nightmare with my wings were flared. I was on my hind legs, my knife drawn and pointed straight at her. “Please, a cure doesn’t exist, and together, their hive mind is too dangerous. Once we get the necessary materials, I plan on destroying their minds,” replied Nightmare as she stared lustfully at me. “But your way sounds so much more fun.” I grit my beak as I glared at her. “As long as they’re dead, I don’t care. Get your log, and let’s hunt these pricks down.” “We should leave the dead weight somewhere safe,” said Nightmare as she grinned at me. I stared at her. “As long as she’s safe.” I looked back towards Trixie. If we were going to a secret Wide Eyes facility filled with mutant changelings, there was no way I wanted her coming. “If we can find somewhere she’ll be okay on her own, then yeah. Otherwise she’s coming with us.” “We could go out the window and barricade it up behind us,” she said. “Might want to sedate her or tie her up though.” I shook my head. “How the fuck is that safe? The changelings will just get in her head and turn her into a brain-dead like those fuckers out there.” “Hence the sedation and tying up,” sighed Nightmare. “And she’ll be safer like that than coming with us. Unless you plan protecting her while the army comes down on top of our heads.” I looked at her, then back at Trixie. “So, if she’s unconscious they won’t be able to get in her head? They’ll just ignore her?” “If she’s sedated then she can’t wake up, and if she’s tied down it’ll at least slow her down,” replied Nightmare as she glanced out the window. “And hurry, they’re getting closer. It’s only a matter of time before they search this place. Plus, if we’re out there causing a ruckus, there’ll be less reason for them to come after her.” I grit my beak. I hated the idea of leaving her here like this, but I hated the idea of dragging her wounded through the desert with a horde of angry monsters on our tail even more. I stalked over to the first aid box and snatched out a syringe and a sleeping potion. I walked back over to Trixie and read the instructions on the back of the bottle before I filled the syringe up to half full and injected that into her veins. I felt so fucking dirty as I tied her up, leaving her helpless for those sick fuckers out there. I almost changed my mind, but I knew that it wouldn’t be right to take her with us. This was more practical, and it was better for Trixie this way. If we died, then she wouldn’t die with us. “Stay safe, Trix,” I muttered as I stood up from her. I turned to Nightmare. “Okay, let’s barricade this place and go.” Nightmare threw open the window and managed to slip out, no doubt deliberately shoving her flank in my direction. “Get out and I can weld the window shut. With all that furniture against the wall, there is no way anybody will be getting in or out.” Goddesses, a couple of days alone in the desert with Nightmare and Luna? Only a few things came to mind that could be worse, and even those were a close run. I jumped out the window after her, and I kept an eye out for more gryphons as she sealed it. “Come, if we can find a Wide Eyes, I should be able to read his mind.” She then tossed me a small notebook of sorts. “Go through that and tell me if any of those names are important.” I flipped it open, my finger running down the tables as I checked the names. “Yeah, there a couple of Black Eyes in here that should be fairly high up in this.” “Right. Note down when they came into town.” Nightmare veered off to the right and landed on the roof of some fancy place. “If it was after this mess, we’ll probably need to kill them.” I closed the book and flew up to land next to her. “Leandro of the Black Eyes is the only decently ranked one to be through here since we left the palace.” I looked around the roof. “So, what are we doing up here? Shouldn’t we be going?” “We need a Wide Eyes. Now focus on all that hate and anger and draw those idiots to us,” said Nightmare as she scanned the area around us. “And pass over that bow and those arrows. I’ll thin them out from up here.” I passed her the bow like she asked. “I’m rusty as heck with it anyway.” Focus on my hate and anger? Yeah. I can do that. The first thought that came to my mind was that bitch Luna. She was the bloody whore that dragged me and Trix into this mess, and she was the one that convinced Trixie to come here. So she was the first one I blamed for Trixie getting knifed. It was a minuted till I noticed I was pacing back and forth along the roof top. I hadn’t even realized that I’d started. Then there were all these stupid brain dead pieces of shit in this town who were too retarded to notice what was happening to them, and who were the ones that actually hurt Trix. My Trixie. No one got away with that, there was no justification that I cared about. I don’t care if they’re possessed and it’s not their fault, those fuckers are gonna pay damn it! I might have been growling. I’m not sure, but whatever the sound I was making made Nightmare look at me. And of course there was fucking Twilight Goddess-damn Sparkle! The unicorn from Ponyville who’d showed up Trixie and run her out of town. What fucking right did she have? It was because of her that Trixie was on the run in the first place. I looked around and paused to listen as I heard the sound of gryphons taking to the air. I might have smiled a little as they landed. They were here? Good. And then there was me. The shit-brained, violent, alcoholic, thug that dragged her into this mess in the first place. The walking feathered sack of baggage and anger that broke everything she touched. Oh, goddesses, I hated that beaked bitch with her swearing and her drinking and her brawling and a thousand bad habits who somehow managed to make that unicorn fall for her. Who didn’t stop her as she got more and more attached and led her on despite having nothing to give back. That useless fucked up whore of a gryphon that when it came down to it, had failed to keep the one promise she’d made. To protect her. To protect Trixie. The one thing, that one thing she’d sworn to herself she’d do before anything else, and she failed. There was a heavy thud beside me as Nightmare went tumbling along the roof with a gryphon on top of her. There was a brief tussle, but soon he was tied up in magical chains. “Okay, we’ve got one. Now cut out the anger and run!” I glanced over the edge of the building and my eyes widened in surprise. It seemed like the whole town was out to get us. I glanced at the rooftop behind me, and noticed at least twenty gryphon corpses. Some of them with arrows piercing them, some with slashe marks, but at least half were down bleeding from arteries and crippled with shattered bones. I looked at my claw in surprise and noticed I was clutching a bloody knife, and my arms were coated in the drying, browning, coppery substance. I dimly recalled fighting them, moving between their clumsy strikes and cutting their bodies at the seams. Slashing and clawing and grabbing and breaking them like the useless animals they were. Weak, pathetic, feeble minded fools who had the goddess damn audacity to damage the Great and Powerful. A small chuckle escaped my beak. And to think, there were still so many more left for me to punish. I looked over at Nightmare, who was busy dragging our hopeless prisoner along. “We need a defendable position so that we can read his mind without being disturbed!” I walked over next to her, and picked the guy up with her help. “Got anywhere in mind?” I asked. I might have been grinning, but I’m not sure. “No clue.” Her eyes scanned our surroundings. “Archers on the wall!” I dropped the prisoner, and flew towards the gryphons she’d mentioned. I didn’t even think as I pulled off the flying maneuvers that me and Dash had practiced so much. The arrows were all too far off, and far too slow to touch me. The braindeads were doomed the moment I touched down next to them, and I was disappointed to see just two. It wasn’t enough as I broke one’s wings and threw him off the roof. I wasn’t happy as I pushed the others own arrow through his mouth and out the back of his throat. Just two of them? I wanted more than that. I wanted them all! They all needed to burn for what they’d done. With another quiver of arrows and a new bow, I caught up with Nightmare again. High above, Nightmare began cutting them down again. Then, out the corner of my eye, I saw the Northern guard tower and I tapped Nightmare on shoulder and jerked my head over. As one, we began veering off towards it. We landed, and I pulled open the door leading downstairs. “In here?” I asked Nightmare. “Is this good enough? I can hold them as they come down the stairs, and you can do your shit.” “Very well.” She threw the gryphon into the wall and chained him down before approaching with her horn glowing. “Now hold still my dear, this may hurt a bit. Oh, who am I kidding? This will hurt a lot.” The resulting screams made me smile. Good. If that brain dead was suffering, than that was what he deserved. I pulled the door to the roof shut, and aimed my bow at it as it began to rattle in its hinges. I nocked an arrow, and drew it to my cheek as someone heavy pounded into the door. “Come on.” I muttered impatiently as another minute passed. “Hurry up.” I ordered as the lock shifted and bent. “Just do it already!” Finally the lock gave way in a flurry of splinters, and in the door stood a massive male with arms as thick as a minotaur’ss. A heavy blacksmith’s hammer in his claw and a roar directed at me that cut off as an arrow pushed the brains out of place inside his skull. He fell to the ground, and another gryphon behind him rushed over his corpse. A female this one, with a feminine shape to her hips and a pretty face. The stupid over-sexualised, cattle, whore, brain-dead died with a gurgle as an arrow punched through her lung. She didn’t finish her death noise as she was flung aside by a male in his early forties. His red tinged colors marked him as a local to the waste borders, and I managed to put one arrow in his shoulder before he was too close to aim properly. I dodged his blow, and my bow string cut off his breath as I pulled it against his neck. It was satisfying, but strangling was too slow so I jammed a knife between his ribs. I tossed him down the stairs behind me with the bow still wrapped around his neck and turned to face the next gryphon. I didn’t have time to notice his features, because sooner than I liked he was dying, gurgling and clutching his throat and I’d moved on to the next fucker that deserved what was coming. Finally, there were enough of them. An endless supply of deserving monsters who had no right to scream in pain as I ended them. Not that I didn’t want them to scream. They didn’t stop. More and more piled through the door and joined their friends at the bottom of the stairs, losing blood and breath as the light in their eyes dimmed. I laughed, and it wasn’t my usual chuckle or smirk. It was a laugh of joy and satisfaction as I realized they weren’t going to stop. These bastards were just going to keep coming, and coming, throwing themselves at me without any thought for survival or escape. I was unable to stop laughing after I started, and the wide smile on my face stayed with me for the minutes that felt like seconds as I ended brain-dead, after brain-dead, after brain-dead. I don’t know how long I was fighting for, but I didn’t care either as I lost myself to the moment. My knife came to halt as it was blocked by the edge of a short sword. Unblinking eyes, surrounded by wrinkles and age gazed back at me, but devoid of life and intelligence. The fist that caught my face and threw me down the stairs stopped my laugh, but another chuckle slipped out my throat as I pushed myself back up to look at the gryphon that was standing there. His unadorned light armor made him a Wide Eyes, and the tiny burn scars on his face marked his experiences in Zebrica. His colors had him from Aviana, or around that region, and the red tips of his crown feathers made me guess Red Ends. None of that mattered as I threw myself at him and our blades clashed. Other gryphons might have tried to help him defeat me, but they lasted bare seconds before they fell to the floor and left me alone with him again. His short sword was designed to kill, and he had the edge as he deftly parried my blows and used his reach as best he could. But we were indoors, and a lack of room to maneuver the larger blade was an edge I had over him with my shorter knives. I had finally found what I wanted, the douche I could punish that would not be ended in just a second. Frustration and joy filled me as I came so close to ending him like I should, and him ending me like he should, but each time we saved ourselves with a dodge or a parry. I didn’t know whether to growl in annoyance at him for being such a goddess damn tease and letting me get so close, or smile at him for drawing it out for so long. It was fucking perfect, completely and utterly perfect for a while there, as we both stood on the edge of getting our fair end. None of the others had come close to giving me what I gave them, but this Wide Eyes was just a slip up and a half-second away from mixing my blood with those I’d punished. It was so fucking close when his sword grazed my arm and his fist caught my ribs. It was just a razor’s edge between me and him, as at the same time my knife cut the veins in his over stretched arm. After that it was over too soon. The bastard died so damn quick once the blood loss slowed him down, and I felt like he’d cheated me as he dropped the sword and fell with a knife in his heart. That, goddess damn asshole. He was so close! SO DAMN CLOSE! I looked up the stairs, hoping for another Wide Eyes or maybe two, but instead all I saw was an empty doorway and bloody staircase. There were no more brain-deads coming down. I turned around to check on Nightmare, and found her staring at me in lust as she licked her lips, her eyes running along my body as though I was some meat up on display. I grit my beak, and my heavy breathing and drum pounding heart made it too hard for me to say anything. After a moment to catch my breath I spoke. “Have you got what we need?” My voice was level, except for the exhausted edge. “Mostly,” she replied. “The hive mind decided to wipe out his mind while I was searching through it. However, since they’re all linked, I followed the trail around and got some information out of that poor gryphon you just executed.” I blinked. “Executed?” I asked. “Term of endearment,” she replied with a smile. “Now come, I know the location of the mine and it has everything we need to end it once and for all.” I nodded. “Good. And you’re sure Trix will be okay?” “Of course,” she replied sweetly. I couldn’t hear a lie in her voice, and for some reason I felt like I could trust her. I don’t know why, but I felt like I could rely on her more than I could Luna. “Then let’s go now.” I glanced at the Wide Eyes corpse. “Why didn’t you help?” I asked her. “You were just staring at the end.” “Oh, we weren’t just staring,” she replied with a wink as she sauntered past, her tail brushing my cheek. I blinked, my mind still pounding with too much adrenaline to put that sentence together. After a second I followed her up the stairs, and glanced down the stairs at the pile of dead. I didn’t count them, but I knew there was at least as many here as I’d killed in my entire life up to this point, not counting this night. I swallowed. This was why I couldn’t be with Trixie. This right here. I was not a good person. I didn’t deserve her, and she had no place being chained to an animal like me. It wasn’t fair to her, and I hated Luna for pushing her towards me. She had to know how much that would hurt her. Fuck Luna for messing with us like that. Fuck her for encouraging Trixie along the path that would only end like everything with me ended. Next time I saw Luna, we were going to have words. No one hurts my Trixie. No one. I followed Nightmare out the door, and flapped after her as we took off into the night.