//------------------------------// // “..tears he left behind long ago...” // Story: Stories in Stone, Memories of Twilight // by TDR //------------------------------// Stories in Stone Memories of Twilight By TDR “..tears he left behind long ago...” [Training. Day One.] The murmur of voices filled the air as the gathered group tried to figure out what was going on. Two dozen Guard ponies from both the Night and Day watched and half as many Griffon and Diamond Dog soldiers stood in the large court yard by the Guard barracks. The order had come down from their superiors that they were to take part in some sort of training exercise, though no one knew what that was, and speculation was running rampant. Most of them had just come from the mission against the changelings and had expected some sort of leave or reward, not more work. Only three of those present knew what was going on and none of them were talking. Two of them had volunteered for the training and the third was practically dragged along kicking and screaming. Breezy Mist was not comfortable with this at all. Unfortunately, though, he was not able to defy a direct order to attend from a superior. For some reason, Peach Blossom wanted him in this training session, much to the blue pegasus's annoyance. It probably had something to do with eating all the doughnuts while on watch with Peach Blossom that one shift. He really had not thought the captain would stoop this low for payback. Captain Peach Blossom and Captain Lion Heart had both volunteered themselves for the training. It was easy to tell why Lion Heart wanted to become stronger, given who he was back in Gallopagos, Peach Blossom was a bit tighter-lipped as to why he was so eager to be there. Something had clearly happened during the invasion, though Breezy was not sure what had happened to get the captain so fired up. Breezy had thought Guard Captain Nicker Fury would be supervising this, since guard Captain Shining Armor was in the Crystal Empire and Guard Captain Hospice Moskau was still on leave. To be honest, he was always on edge when the zebra mare was in charge. One bonus to this was that Guard Captain Fury had rewritten the schedule of postings so that those in training would have a few weeks free for the exercise. Breezy hoped the training would only be some little thing that would take a couple of days and he could use the rest of the time to slack off. Another thing that bothered him, though, was the Griffons and the Diamond Dogs. The dogs looked like their kind always did to him: slouched over as if they could not figure out if they wanted to be on all fours or on two legs, and they had the vacant stare of creatures with maybe two brain cells to rub together. The griffons were a little more worrying. They had all come straight from the attack on the changelings the day before and looked ready for anything. Most of them were larger than the average pony, with the hooked beaks and claws of natural predators. While they unnerved him at the best of times, he had to admit the little female in their lineup was kinda cute. Of course, he fully expected to have a limb ripped off if he said anything about it. There was no way a pony could come close to being as intimidating as the birds. He would be surprised if the trainer managed to teach them anything without pissing themselves from those looks. A massive clang echoed through the courtyard as the large double doors of the guard house were flung open and a trio of figures trotted out. A flash of green from the lead figure slammed the door shut again. Breezy sighed, wondering if these were more 'volunteers' to this training. A pegasus, a unicorn, and a zebra... wait a moment. Breezy's attention focused fully on the small group. One he recognized as Starfall, that mare he had been ordered to deliver those weapons for. The zebra he did not recognize, but suspected she was a medic, judging by all the saddlebags she wore covered in medical symbols. He had never seen a zebra with a mane and tail that fluffy, though. Granted, he had only seen a few zebras, mostly the mohawked one who came to visit the castle on occasion and Guard Commander Hospice. It was the unicorn that actually made his blood run cold. The stocky gray stallion was nothing special to look at; he wore no uniform, only a weapon’s harness with a rank symbol Breezy didn't recognize. His choice of weapon was a little odd; Breezy had never seen a sword like that before, but that was not what bothered him. The stallion’s eyes were hidden under an old, wide-brimmed brown hat with two cuts in the brim. Breezy recognized that style of hat from some older war movies he had seen, mostly belonging to the pony who made the main character of those stories into a badass who took out all the enemies with a pocketknife or a leftover plate of beans. They were also the ones those main characters still feared even after they saved the world. With how this unicorn was carrying himself, coupled with that hat, Breezy kept getting flashbacks of those movies. He glanced back at the rest of the group. Most of them were ignoring the newcomers and just talking among each other or goofing off. This would not end well; he glanced over to Lion Heart and Peach Blossom, who had quickly shifted to attention when the trio showed up. Breezy rapidly followed suit, hissing at Peach Blossom. “What the buck did you get me into here, Captain?” Peach Blossom's response, if any, was cut off by a booming voice. “SHUT UP, YOU MAGGOTS! WHAT IS THIS CLUSTER BUCK?! GET IN FORMATION NOW!” Starfall screamed, bellowing with a voice that did not match her small size. The unicorn in the hat shook his head sadly as the group stumbled over each other trying to get in some form of order. Breezy swallowed hard, trying hard to remain at attention with the others jostling about him. “This is what she gave me? I ask for the best, and I get these idiots?” Jer'rahd demanded. “Do not start to despair just yet. There is one or two worth the effort, I bet,” Velkorn commented with a roll of her eyes. “Might as well start this while they are still fumbling about,” Jer grumbled stomping up before the still-shuffling group. “SERIOUSLY!? What the buck is this? You idiots are supposed to be the best your respective nations have to offer, and you cannot even get in a simple formation?” he barked, glaring at them from under his hat. He gestured a hoof to Breezy and the two captains. “You see these three here? Get in line with them. STOP GAWKING AND MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!” The group flailed about again, rushing to do as was ordered, finally getting in some semblance of organization. Jer'rahd paced in front of them, looking the group over and taking note of several returned glares and a number of faces that clearly wanted to be somewhere else. A few seemed to be taking this seriously, though, and that was enough for the moment. Time to pull a Stonehooves on them. By the stars, he was going to enjoy this. “I am Major Jer'rahd Kaisur, your senior instructor in this training exercise. To my left is Instructor Captain Starfall Silvertail. To my right is the company medic, Instructor Velkorn. Captain Rhede Pelt and Captain Bleu Scale shall also be instructing you when they arrive from their duties. From now on, you will speak only when spoken to by an instructor, and the first and last words out of those filthy sewers you call mouths will be 'SIR'! Do you maggots understand that?” An assortment of grumbles and a few clear “yes, sirs” are heard. “Bullshit! I can't hear you. Sound off like you are from a species that actually has mastered the use of language past grunts and gurgles!” “YES, SIR!” “Pathetic. If you worthless sacks of shit manage to pass my training— buck, if you manage to survive, you will be a weapon, a minister of death, ready to destroy any that stand in your way. But until that day, you are pukes! You're not the lowest form of life on this planet; you are not even sentient beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabasstic pieces of amphibian shit.” Jer'rahd paced before the group, glaring down any of them who dared to meet his gaze. “Because we are going to be hard, you will not like us. But the more you hate us, the more you will learn. This training will be hard, but fair! There is no species or racial bigotry here. I do not look down on stripes, feather dusters, mudsloggers, birds, or mutts. Here, you are all equally worthless. My orders from the princesses themselves are to weed out all the non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in the 42nd Guard! Do you maggots understand all that?” “YES, SIR!” “LOUDER!” “YES, SIR!!” “Bucking clever pony thinks he's all that,” a voice muttered. Jer'rahd didn't even seem to turn, but he is suddenly in the face of a griffon in the middle of the group, his head turning slightly to look between the large griffon and the half-dragon standing next to him. “WHO SAID THAT? Who the buck said that? Who's the slimy little parasprite turd-licking little arrogant prick that just signed their own death warrant?” Jer growled. His eyes narrowed under his hat, the red glow of his left eye clearly visible as he glared at the troops. “Nopony, huh? The bucking fairy godmother said it? Out-bucking-standing! I will run you all until you bucking die, I'll P.T. you until your assholes are sucking cider!!” Jer'rahd whirled again, his horn flaring as he yanked Breezy backwards off his hooves into the air to float him upside-down and meet the startled pegasus's gaze. “Was it you, you scroungy little piece of crap, huh?!” “Sir, no, Sir,” Breezy whimpered. “Sir. I said it, Sir,” an earth pony two rows back shouted. Jer'rahd was on him before the last “sir” was said. Breezy gasped for air, jumping back into formation the moment he was dropped. “Well...” Jer spared a glance at the pale yellow pony’s uniform name tag. “No shit. You a comedian, Tiberius? A bucking joker? I do admire your honesty and the pair you got on you. Hell, why don't you come on by the house and mount my sister...” Jer'rahd's fore hoof came up suddenly, slamming his knee into the pony’s chest, flinging him back over his own flank to fall in a coughing fit on the ground. “You little scumbag. I got your name, I've got your ass. You try to make a crack like that again. and I will hang you by your own entrails from the barracks so everyone else can look at the squirming bag of maggots that will be your earthly remains and know what not to do. Now get up on your hooves and unbuck yourself or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck!” “SIR, YES, SIR!” Tiberius coughed out, getting back up to his hooves as Jer'rahd moved back to the front of the group. “I don't give a shit why any of you pukes joined up for this little training. I don't give a shit what your rank is or what you did before this. All your accomplishments to date mean diddly squat. You will do nothing unless an instructor tells you to do so. You will not fly, you will not dig, you will not use magic unless we give you permission. If you can't hack it, if you quit or screw up so bad that I throw your ass to the curb, you are done!” Jer growled. “Your senior officers and your princess gave me your hides. If you fail or give up, you are out of the Guard, or pack, or wing, or whatever the buck your superiors call it. No pension, no medical, nothing. You will be finished and branded a sack of shit for the rest of your pathetic days. Do you understand that!?” “SIR, YES, SIR!” the group shouted, though quite a number of voices seemed shaky at the prospect. “What the buck was that warbling in those shouts? You maggots scared of me? Is that what all that stuttering bit of nonsense was? Yer legs knocking, teeth chattering, and pissing yerself already?” Some mutters filled the air, though there was no definite response. “SPEAK UP, MAGGOTS! I ASKED IF YOU WERE BUCKING SCARED OF ME!” A mixed chorus of ‘no’s and ‘yes’es was the response. Jer'rahd’s left eye flared a little brighter red. “Well, looks like I found a few of the smart ones, and the rest of you either have balls of steel or are too stupid to realize what I am going to do to you.” Jer smirked, baring his fangs, an act that caused a few flinches in the first row even by some of the half-dragons with their own fangs. “Captain Silvertail, get these maggots out of my sight. Run them ‘til you get tired. Feel free to smack the shit out of any who decide to try and fly or use magic. Yer all ground-bound from this point on. Any attempts at magic or flight will be met with severe punishment. Not a damn one of us has any qualms about breaking off your ass and handing it back to you. NOW MOVE!” Jer'rahd took a step towards them as Starfall took to the air. The group bolted away from the insane unicorn, being herded by the pegasus as they galloped off. Velkorn trotted up next to the still-grinning unicorn and shook her head. “I know this is all training and such, but I think you are enjoying it a little too much,” she commented. “Oh, I know I am,” Jer'rahd chuckled dryly. “It is obvious that you do, though I suppose I should ask: where is Bleu?” ============================================================== The creek of the door to her office drew Octavia's gaze up from the paperwork on her desk. She was briefly hoping it was Jarred, but he was back on tour with the rest of Pontera; they were already off schedule due to being here for the opening. At this point, she would be happy with some inane banter with Vinyl if it meant avoiding more of those forms. Twilight Sparkle was not expected, however, nor was the small blue dragonling sitting on her back. A nervous smile crossed the earth pony’s face. She was really not sure how to react to those two. If not for Twilight, the school would have never happened, and without Bleu, The Platinum Swan and the songs that allowed the school to be built would never have been. The problem was that the little dragon did not seem happy with the situation. Octavia was not sure what to do about it; Twilight had put her in a bit of fix here. Legally, she and Vinyl had the rights to all the songs after Twilight signed the contract, though considering who Bleu was, it did not feel right to simply continue using them if she did not wish it. That went double for the school’s name. The little dragon had run off after the concert yesterday and Octavia had not had the chance to talk with her or Twilight. She was a rather surprised that the pair was here now. “Miss Sparkle, Miss Scale, greetings again. I apologize for the mess; while the school was opened officially yesterday, there are still a number of things to be done before the first students show up next week, not the least of which is the paperwork. What can I do for you?” Octavia questioned hesitantly. “Don't worry about me; I'm just here because Bleu asked me to bring her back over here,” Twilight responded, smiling sheepishly and looking at the piles of paperwork around the gray earth pony. “Oh?” “So are you the one actually running this school?” Bleu questioned in a rather somber tone. “In part. While I am considered the dean, that is really only due to Vinyl foisting her share of work onto me along with the title. There is a whole staff of ponies to run the school proper. It does cut into my playing, however.” “Oh? What do you play?” “Cello, mostly, though I am skilled with a few other instruments as well.” “Did you want to go back to that? Seems you have a rather cushy spot right here running this school.” “Yes, well... This is not exactly my forte— office work, politics, and such. Unfortunately. it is going to take a good bit of work and time before someone more suitable can be found for the position and I can simply go back to my playing. Might I ask what this has to do with your visit?” “It has a few things to do with it,” Bleu muttered cryptically. “I see. Might I ask, Miss Bleu, what you are planning to do about this? I understand that the school and who it is dedicated to is a bit of a shock, but without the songs that we were given, the school would have never been possible. We thought it fitting that this is the name to be used. Was there a problem with that?” “No, no... I think she would have loved this. Honestly, this is what I was trying to do after she died... not really to this scale, mind you, but no, this works perfectly— no worries there. I wouldn't mind seeing the place, though. I wasn't really up for much of anything like that yesterday. Got a bit emotional.” “Of course.” Octavia nodded, rather glad to be away from the paperwork for a time, and relived at the dragonling's seeming acceptance. ===================================================== Rhede yawned, stepping off the train in Ponyville, the ideas and possibilities still running rampant though his head. He hoped Twilight would be back at the library so he could ask her some questions. A short walk through town gave him glimpses at what the current Element Bearers did. The few clouds in the sky were rapidly being demolished by a seemingly angry Rainbow Dash. A glance into the Carousel Boutique showed Rarity fitting some stallion for a suit. Moving past Sugar Cube Corner got him ambushed and given a cupcake by Pinkie before she rushed off to help some other customer at her boss’s call. He didn't see Fluttershy or Applejack, but he figured they were around somewhere. He stopped in front of the library, looking over the town. It was all very idyllic, very picturesque, even. Rhede could barely stand it. “So this is what Jer feels like. Like my every step is tainting this place,” Rhede sighed. “No wonder he's always so moody.” “Yeah well, you could always go back to being a statue. Not much you could screw up doing that.” Rhede glanced back at Spike standing in the doorway, glaring up at him. “That is not much of an option, either, Spike. There's too much at stake right now... Though afterwards... might be for the best if we all copy Ruin's example,” Rhede grumbled as he reached back to the small plate and offered the cupcake to the little dragon. “I'm being as depressing as Jer. Here, I lost my appetite. Is Twilight around? I need to look up a few things and I could use her help.” “No, she left yesterday to take Bleu to a concert,” Spike grumbled, though he accepted the cupcake. “Well, that's good. Bleu needed some sort of cheering up, considering how she gets when she gets depressed. Odd for the Bearer of Laughter to be giddy as a school filly one moment and then depressed to the point that you have to worry about them killing themselves the next.” “Pinkie Pie sometimes gets like that too,” Spike commented between bites of the cupcake. “Starts talking to rocks and bags of flour. Kinda creepy.” “Oh? Huh. Maybe it is an Element of Laughter thing then. Anyway, mind helping me find some stuff since Twilight's not here? I think I have a lead on the ones we're after. Unless you have something better to do.” “The cupcake bought you a bit of my time,” Spike responded, nodding sagely. “I can assist you for a while.” “Well alright, now I know how to bribe you for help,” Rhede chuckled, heading into the library. ==================================================== “Pathetic,” Jer'rahd growled, looking down at the group of troops panting in front of him. A number of stragglers were still working to catch up, mostly pegasi and griffons. The earth ponies and Diamond Dogs had done well enough, and he was a little surprised that the majority of the unicorns had made the run with good time. All in all, it was exactly as he expected. Whatever guard training was now, it was nothing like it had been in the past. He glanced over to Velkorn as she pushed a few tubs of water out to the group, reprimanding those who tried to dunk their head or gulp down the cool water too quickly. “What is this crap? You only ran around the castle a few times. How the heck are you tired? Captain Silvertail, are you tired?” Jer shouted. “Not in the slightest,” Starfall responded, landing lightly next to Jer'rahd. “You’re not even breathing hard? How the heck are you louts letting this little mare outdo you so easily?” “Watch it, Major,” Starfall muttered, causing Jer'rahd to smirk slightly. He had almost forgotten she had a slight complex about being vertically challenged. “Sir... she was flying, sir...” one of the Pegasi ed “ That's a lot easier than running... err, sir.” “That is a very good point. Look at yourselves. You see how weak you are like this, running on the ground? Yes, it would have been easier for you to fly because that is what you have done all your life. Those of you with wings fly more often then you walk, and this had made you weak. This is something any enemy you face will know. Go for your wings and you are finished. You lose a wing or suffer an injury to one, what are you gonna do, lay down and die? What happens if you go down in the middle of the enemy forces? You just gonna let them win or try and limp back under fire or lie there and hope their prisons serve hot food that isn't you?” “Sir, there hasn't been a war, or even a battle in years. The changeling attack was the biggest thing most of us had even seen, and we won that... sir,” a griffon replied. “That was because of luck. The drones were all but brain dead; all they were told to do was capture. What would have happened if the Queen had time to tell them to kill? Not to mention most of that battle was fought inside the mountain. Those few of you there surely remember the bodies that were hauled out of that place. That much carnage was done by a small force of five, JUST FIVE well-trained soldiers and a rookie mage.” There was an assortment of muttering amongst the troops as some of them that had been there confirmed the statement to some of the others about a special strike team. “Now then, since that creature has tasted defeat once and managed to escape, do you really think the next time the changelings show up, they are going to just try and capture you? Think like that and you will be one of the first bodies that gets put in the ground with a sad song playing before they fill in the dirt on top of you. That said...” Jer'rahd pulled off the drill instructor hat and floated it and the Waning Moon over to Starfall. The pegasus winced a little struggling to carry the sword out of the way as Jer'rahd kept pacing before the group. “That said,.. I am sure a number of you are quite annoyed at being here. You think you already know how to do things and how much better you are than me. How you're a badass... isn't that right, Tiberius?” Jer glared at the earth pony, who flinched from the glare. “So I will tell you what. You think you are all hot shit that can take on anything that gets thrown at you? Fine; you beat me, you pass this training. No ifs, ands, or buts. There's a training weapon rack over there against the wall; grab whatever you want from it and come at me. Heck, let me make it even easier on you. I'll only use a shield spell and my own skills— no weapons at all. you lot can use whatever you want. Shit, team up if you want to. You win, you pass and go on to whatever you want to bucking be doing. You lose, and that's all the proof you need to realize you don't know shit.” Jer'rahd stepped back, dragging a line across the ground with his hoof before moving behind it, cricking his neck. “Any time you scum think you’re ready.” Velkorn sighed, trotting off to get a bigger first aid box from storage as the first battle cries sounded. A pair of griffons crossed the line with a number of other troops rushing for the training weapons or charging the lone unicorn. ============================================================= King Talon winced, watching from the balcony, as the first attackers impacted the ground. Celestia chuckled softly until an earth pony went spinning through the air to bounce off the courtyard’s wall. “So was that tale enough for you to accept this as necessary?” Celestia asked. “I still feel you are hiding some things from me, Princess, though it is interesting to know that they turned on Nightmare Moon in the last battle,” King Talon commented. “They did not turn on her; they wished to cure her of what she had become. Their loyalty has no limits when it comes to my sister, but they also do what they think is best for Equestria as a whole.” Celestia watched a pegasus dive bomb Jer'rahd while he was distracted by a diamond dog. The flier looked about ready to nail him with a wooden spear when he bounced off a green shield that suddenly popped up. “That does not answer my question. Are you agreeable to this, or should I expect more fallout from the other nations?” “You will not hear any other issue from me, Princess. While I do not agree with this choice or you allowing your student to do what she did, I know of the ones who escaped, and if they are working together, then this may be needed. He is correct about the changelings as well. Chrysalis will not likely be out to just capture next time, particularly since Sombra is with her.” A diamond dog yelled as he was flung into a couple of half-dragons, taking the whole group down with him. “At least I have that. I was hoping that this could all be taken care of quietly, but the return of the Crystal Empire and Chrysalis’s involvement in it was badly timed.” “Perhaps they are all connected, Princess.” “I have considered that as well. I have a number of ponies checking up on that, including Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and evidently Rhede Pelt is looking into it as well. I am sure one of them will find something.” The griffon nodded as a wooden spear shattered against a green glowing shield, the wielder quickly flung aside into a unicorn trying to cast a spell. “I thought you stated the zebra was the unarmed fighting expert?” King Talon muttered, wincing as another one of his griffons hit the ground. “She is; Major Kaisur is much better with his sword. However, his method of fighting is mostly pain tolerance and pure strength. He only has training in the old Guard's close quarters fighting, though I have a feeling he picked up a few things from both Velkorn and my sister.” “He is using them against each other. Each race is used to fighting only with its own kind and they are getting in each other’s way, and he is using that to his advantage.” King Talon tilted his head a bit as a unicorn went flying and knocked a pegasus out of the sky. “I am impressed.” “Is that why you put your own daughter in the forces training with him?” Celestia cooed lightly. “I should not be surprised you knew that, but no, she needs some sort of discipline to go with her skill. I am quite glad he is not some stupid brute.” “I never considered him stupid. Brute fits, however. He is a rude savage, though given what he has fought and lived through, I can safely say that he likely knows more about fighting than any other creature alive today, except perhaps my sister. Pair him with the others, and they are nearly unstoppable. They have felled nations, destroyed gods, and have turned the tide of a battle from a complete rout to a victory simply with their presence.” “I suppose I can understand why you put up with them as you do. It is fortunate that they decided to turn on Nightmare Moon at the end then. ” “Yes, or my sister would likely have been ruling this last thousand years.” ===================================================== “And that is pretty much the tour, Miss Scale,” Octavia exclaimed as she trotted out into the main hall again. The building was set up like a giant 'I'. The main doors opened into a massive hall that ran the length of the building and was open all the way to the lofted ceiling about the second floor. The great window over the main entrance cast the shadow of the massive music sheet across the marble floor at the rising of both the sun and the moon. The walls on both floors were lined with doors leading to classrooms and offices. The corners of the 'I'-shaped building held dance studios, concert halls, and performance stages. Numerous glass cases dotted the main hallway filled with musical instruments, pages, and fliers for a plethora of various musicians, along with their assorted information and history on plaques. A large staircase dominated the very end of the hall leading up to the second floor. The second floor was the same as the first, though the main hall was divided and had a wooden railing around the edges allowing students to look over to the floor below. A small grouping of tables was set up near the staircase for the class sign-ups in the morning, though those were temporary. Octavia watched expectantly as Bleu walked up to the landing of the stairs where it split to lead to each side of the second floor hall. The little dragon’s gaze was on the massive painting of Platinum hanging there, taking up most of the wall. Bleu sighed, recognizing the dress as well as the background almost instantly. This was her on stage at Dullahan for the ESO show. “How did you get this picture?” Bleu asked, glancing back at Octavia and Twilight before looking at the image again. “Well, the crystal that was made the first time had a number of images... of Platinum at her last concert.” Octavia swallowed, looking at Twilight, who remained just as impassive as the dragonling. “Vinyl watched that crystal enough to know exactly what she looked like and had this commissioned once we decided to open this school.” Twilight blinked. “She watched that first song again, for this?” “Perhaps a hundred times; my friend may be a slacker and a wastrel most times, but every so often a bit of the perfectionist she was when we first met comes through. She refused to miss any detail that she could. She is doing the same for the founding members of the Platinum Swan,” Octavia explained. “No... this won't do at all,” Bleu grumbled turning from the picture and walking back over to the tables and slipping her bag from her shoulder. “The rest of the school is great, but that painting has got to go. It's too big and too showy; she wouldn't want anything bigger than what anyone else here got. Put a display case up there, a smaller painting or something, but get rid of that thing.” Octavia struggled to find something to say, though she was quickly distracted by the host of items Bleu was pulling from her bags. “So help me, if the Swan's painting is even half that big, I will set fire to it myself,” Bleu ranted as she unfolded a number of items. “What is all this?” Octavia asked, looking at the rolls of papers, trinkets, and a few old photos scattered over the table, along with several sheets of music. “Every dragon has a horde; this one's mine.” Bleu tapped each item with a claw as she explained it. “A poster from her first show, when she called herself Silver Sparkle. The first songs she wrote, both on the napkins here and actual music paper here. Four years of ESO posters that featured her as the main attraction. Numerous buttons, pins and cards bearing her likeness. An original ad she did to promote some bar in Manehatten that didn't survive the war. And this...” Bleu picked up a tiny worn black cotton stuffed pony that had almost faded to gray and only had a few strands of silvery hair left for its mane and tail. A single music note doted its worn flank and was all but unreadable. “This had been at every show she had ever done since I was hatched. It was the first thing she gave me, and it has seen every practice, every song, every joy and sorrow that our life ever had, right to the end.” Bleu sighed, slowly turning it over in her claw. “With that spell of Sparkle Butt's, you can get every song she ever did, or even write a biography of her from it. I wanted to make sure everypony remembered her after she died. And here it is, a thousand years later, and I'm not even the one who pulled it off.” “Not entirely true, Miss Scale. If not for the songs you did for the Platinum Swan, we would not have had the funds to purchase all of this,” Octavia started, but Bleu cut her off. “You could have let it go or even claimed it was your own, and you didn't. More a test to your character than anything else. Just... take care of this stuff, Octavia... None of it will ever be replaceable. Treat it the same way you have treated the rest of her legacy. She would have liked this.” Bleu turned, walking down the hall towards the door. “I will get Miss Scratch the spell information when I can. If she has any trouble, just contact me and I will do what I can to help,” Twilight said, trotting after Bleu. “I really don't know what to say, Miss Scale... This is...” Octavia stammered, looking down at the posters and tilting her head a bit at the name “Platinum Scale” announced across it. “Her name was Scale as well?” “Yeah, her parents were accountants. Silver and Golden Scale respectively. They gave her a lot of shit for my existence and that she wanted to sing.” Bleu pushed open the door. “That she gave me the name Scale was my proof that I was her family.” Twilight stepped out the door with Bleu and the pair headed off, leaving Octavia in awe over what she had been given. ================================================== “Congratulations, maggots. I think you managed to get one drop of sweat to form on my brow... No wait, that's just some one else’s blood. False alarm,” Jer'rahd shouted, watching Velkorn move among the pile of groaning bodies about him. He floated his hat and sword from Starfall, putting the hat back on his head and sheathing his blade. His eyes focused on the six who did not rush him and still stood in formation, watching. Two pegasi, a griffon, a half-dragon, a Diamond Dog, and what looked like some odd cross between a pony and a griffon. A hippogriff? Odd. He trotted over to the group and looked them over, watching the smaller pegasus flinch as he approached. Well, that answered why that one stayed— he really was scared. “Any reason you lot didn't join in the melee?” he snapped. “Sir, Peach Blossom, and I have already seen you fighting the changeling hive, and that was when you were barely able to stand. We are not stupid, sir.” the half-dragon spoke up, gesturing to the non-flinching pegasus, who nodded. “I see, what about you? Captain Dusty, was it?” Jer'rahd asks looking at the short dark brown maned griffon with tiger like stripes on the feline part of her body. “Sir, yes, sir. To be honest, I was just kinda curious what sort of pony invites a whole group of soldiers to attack him, sir.” “And?” “Sir, you are nuts, sir.” Dusty smirked. “I've been called worse. And you? Corporal Ironhide?” “Sir, I just wanted to sit back and watch my sister get her ass kicked, sir,” the hippogriff chuckles. A loud curse from the pile drew Jer'rahd's attention as a second hippogriff struggled to get up from underneath a diamond dog. “I'm just going to let her do what she wants to you when she gets free at this point, Corporal. What about you? Private Tunnel Rat?” Jer'rahd raised an eyebrow, looking down at the smallest Diamond Dog he had ever seen. Starfall was taller than this one, though he was stocky. “Sir, Never smart, attack first. Easy to get crushed fast, always others willing to test new enemy, let them fall first, learn from failure and do better. Sir,” Tunnel Rat growled. “You are going to need to get out of that mindset and learn to work as a team,” Jer responded. “Sir, that how Diamond Dog packs are. Strongest hit first when think they win, or throw smallest if unsure, see what happens, sir,” Tunnel Rat growled, a touch of annoyance in his voice. “Hmph. I've been on the wrong side of that tactic, and it is a waste. What about you, Sergeant Breezy?” Jer'rahd tried not to smirk as the blue pegasus nearly jumped out of his feathers. “Err, me, sir? Well, I mean… um, it's your training exercise, sir. I wouldn't want to show you up or anything by beating you or something like that, err, sir.” Jer'rahd ignored Peach Blossom and Lion Heart slapping their faces with a hoof as he stared down at the pegasus, who was doing his best not to shy away from the glare. “Really now? Well, thank you for that. Much appreciated. In fact, I am liable to make you my special friend. HEY CAPTAIN, found my special friend over here already. How ‘bout that,” Jer'rahd shouted as he trotted away. Starfall glanced over to look at Breezy and slapped a hoof to her face. “Crap, I own Velkorn ten bits. I was sure it was gonna be Tiberius,” Starfall sighed. Breezy looked to the others around him, confused. “Umm, is that a good thing? Is being his friend a good thing?” the pegasus asked. “Pony have balls as big as castle. No brain, but massive balls,” Tunnel Rat commented. =========================================================== “Hey Rhede can I ask you a question?” Spike asked, dropping a stack of books on the table. “Sure, so long as it isn't how to hook up with that purple-haired unicorn mare you like. She's got some weird way about her that I have no clue what she's thinking. Kinda impressive,” Rhede chuckled ignoring the glare Spike gave him. “No, it's about dragons. I know you studied them a lot when you were an assassin and all that...” “Ambassador. I never assassinated a dragon; I just talked to them, mostly. Well, I never killed one as an ordered assassination mission, anyway. I suppose I do know more about how they were before the fall of Cindervale than anyone else alive today. Well, ‘cept maybe the Princesses, and possibly Silver Claw, but good luck getting an answer from him.” “Yeah... why do you think the first war started, anyway?” Rhede flipped a page, pausing to consider that. “To be honest, nopony really knows. Forgescale just seemed to have a rather single-minded desire to kill ponies, and zebras, and mules, and donkeys... heck anything that walked on four hooves was a target for him. No clue what set him off, though. Why, something on your mind?” “Err, no, nothing directly...” Spike paused a moment. “I take that back. You're looking for the connections right now between the Crystal Empire and Silver Claw's bunch, right?” “That's the gist of it. Why, you figure something out?” “What if the connection is Forgescale? What if the dragon in Bleu's book was him? Aviana sealed him in Tartarus along with Chrysalis and Sombra. Twilight said that Sombra spoke of a dragon that he followed to escape. The time matches up to when Sombra first showed up to enslave the Crystal Empire. Not long after that, Forgescale's first appearance happened. Sombra was alone and just attacked the Empire, though Forgescale would have had to gather allies for a bigger war, so it took him longer.” Rhede tilted his head, looking at the dragon before turning to flip open another set of books and looking over them. “You might be onto something there, Spike. It would explain why he hated ponies so much, though it doesn't tie anything together... Wait... A book. The story said the lovers used a book to gain immortality, and that's what changed them. Okay, the Crystal Empire vanished when the princesses beat Sombra. That sounds like some kinda curse, though if it was like the ones we got from Discord’s Castle, as soon as we removed them, the power went out. Maybe the book was what kept the curse going over the empire. Its sudden return was due to Scarlet or someone grabbing the book. “ “Going by that, they have two of them then.” “Yeah; at least the pair we had are still in Tartarus, guarded by whatever beast is watching it in this age.” “Umm uh oh...” “What ‘uh oh’? I don't like uh oh, Spike.” “Err, about a year or so ago, the Guardian, Cerberus, showed up in Ponyville. It took Twilight a little over a day to bring him back to where he was supposed to be. She still doesn't know why he left. And later that year, Chrysalis showed up for the first time, too.” “So either the guardian got free when the Changeling Queen got out, or someone broke in and freed her as a distraction while they took the books.” “This is really, really bad,” Spike grumbled. “Oh yeah. Four books of six, two of them we don't even know what they contain.” Rhede sighed. “Still, not bad detective work there. I can see why Sparkle keeps you around.” “Ugh...” Rhede looked up from the book at the dragonling’s sudden change in attitude. Spike had already been a rather big help, and he would prefer if the dragonling didn't go off and sulk again. “What's the matter?” “Nothing...” “I doubt that. I can tell something is bothering you. Let me write down that theory of yours and we can break for lunch. Tell me about it then. It may actually help, and besides, I've got over a thousand years’ insight to help you out of some fix or another.” “I thought you slept most of the time as a statue?” “I never said it would be good insight,” Rhede chuckled, noting the dragonlings small smirk. ===================================================== “You all suck. This is clear. Though in this instance, there is a good reason for why you suck. You want to know how I beat the snot out of the lot of you?” Jer'rahd shouted as he walked in front of the group, most of whom were still being treated by Velkorn. Perhaps he did get carried away. “Cause yer a bucking monster?” a voice Jer'rahd recognized as Tiberius quipped. “Only when you piss me off, and strangely, after trouncing the lot of you, I am in a relatively good mood. No, you got beat because you spent just as much time fighting each other as you did me. A couple of you were working together well enough, but most of you were only out for yourself— no team work, no real cooperation. Just a bunch of rabble. Cooperation in numbers is what makes the changelings so formidable; luckily they are stupid and easily confused. They might forget who's disguised as what or what they were doing. If their chain of command is disrupted they are useless. Hence why when the queen left, the remaining drones were practically falling over each other trying to figure out what to do. You lot have the same problem. I plan to fix that, or make sure you die trying.” The leathery flap of wings filled the air. A sudden rush of panic followed and was accompanied by scattering of the troops, all of them rushing to cover as a massive shadow fell over the courtyard. Jer'rahd slapped a hoof to his face, noting again that the only ones who didn't run were the same ones who didn't attack him. This time, Ironhide's sister remained as well, though the pair of them looked ready to bolt. Dusty and Tunnel Rat had their eyes on Jer'rahd, watching his reaction rather than the dragon. Another large Diamond Dog remained as well; Jer'rahd wasn't sure, but he thought it might be a female. She was switching her gaze between Bleu and Tunnel Rat. Bleu landed with a little more force than needed; the resulting mini earthquake and resounding boom did little to ease those already panicking. Jer'rahd glanced back at Bleu as she stretched, making herself seem even bigger. He noted Twilight slip off the dragon’s back a bit shakily and chuckled. “Nice of you to join us, Captain Scale. You take care of what you needed to?” Jer'rahd smirked. “Yep, all taken care of for now, Boss, but after this, you and me need to talk about it a bit.” Bleu stretched again, folding her wings across her back and looking down at the troops with a smile, lightning crackling along her fangs. “This is what we have to work with? Is there still the option for foals with pointy sticks?” “‘Fraid not. Celestia wants this lot trained.” Jer'rahd sighed. “All right. you maggots, shows over. Back in formation; this is where things start to get interesting for you. Captain Scale is going to teach you basic claw-to-hoof combat. If any of you are not total buck-ups, you will receive an advanced lesson from Velkorn. Captain Silvertail shall be showing you fliers the same tricks in the air. Weapons training will be by me, and ranged training will be taught by Captain Pelt when he arrives. For those rare few who do any sort of magic, you will be shown some advanced lessons by Miss Sparkle here. Once that is done, I will drill teamwork so deep into your heads you will be working together while asleep!” “Wait, what?” Twilight responded as Jer'rahd paused in his yelling. She looked about nervously as all eyes turned to her. “I don't have the time for...” Jer'rahd trotted over to her, somehow managing to loom over her, though the gray unicorn was only an apple taller. Twilight did her best not to be impressed, and judging by the sound of sucking air from the gasps of the troops, she was doing well enough. “Neither do we, Sparkle,” Jer'rahd muttered. ”But I want this lot to know everything they can as fast as possible. I know the theory, but I can't put it into practice. You're the only mage I know aside from Princess Luna who can put what theory I have to use. Besides, you need some of this training as well if you plan to put yourself in danger like you did at the hive. I can train you to use that blade you carry.” “I am not one of your soldiers.” “No, you are not; I won't force you to do anything, but I will strongly recommend it for your own safety.” “And here I thought you didn't like me.” “I don't, but I would rather dislike you than your corpse.” Jer'rahd turned, glaring back at the troops still shying away from the massive dragon in the courtyard. “WHY ARE YOU MAGGOTS STILL TRYING TO HIDE BEHIND ONE ANOTHER? GET IN FORMATION!” Jer'rahd glanced up at Bleu and over to Starfall and they both nod, having taken note of the ones who did not flee from Bleu. There might be some hope for some of them after all... unless like Breezy, they were just frozen in terror. =================================================== “He has a dragon?” King Talon gasped out as Bleu landed, though the look of shock faded as Celestia laughed at his reaction. “Indeed; for someone professing to be knowledgeable about the Five Beasts, you seem surprised that one of their number is a dragon.” “Bleu Scale was supposed to be a dragonling at best— only as big as a pony, similar to many of your partnered unicorns. I was unaware she had grown to a full dragon.” “She has not yet. For a blue dragon, she is still rather small, though she is just as dangerous as Kaisur, perhaps more so given her mood swings. Bearing the Element of Laughter is not as easy as one would believe.” “So long as she does not refer to me as Fred like the other one does, I think I will be fine,” King Talon grumbled. “I gather you have met Pinkie Pie, then? I was wondering who she was talking about when she told me of what went on at the volcano.” Celestia chuckled, glancing back out into the courtyard at Twilight, who still seemed stunned to be there. “Is that your student?” “Yes. That is Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic, one of those who freed my sister and defeated Discord and a multitude of other threats. She is also the one who awoke the Beasts after her friends and brother were attacked.” “Is she also the one you chose?” “I did not choose anyone. Twilight, it seems was fated for this; however, the Elements themselves seem to have chosen her when she first gained her Cutie Mark, just as they chose the others. As usual, however, destiny has been altered by chaos. I can no longer predict where her path will lead. When she helped save the Crystal Empire, I had plans to start her next phase of training. With all that came of that, everything has changed.” “Good.” “Good? That is an odd thing to say when one of my plans fails.” “I do not feel like dealing with a new untested princess. I prefer our discussions; it is easier to deal with someone closer to my age.” “Flattery will get you nothing but a smile from me, Talon. Besides, you and Twilight are closer in age then I am to you.” Celestia smiled. ================================================================ “Wait, so Fluttershy stampeded a herd of animals through the Gala? Was this before or after Rarity splattered that noble with cake?” Rhede laughs. “Just after, from what Twilight said, and about the same time rainbow Dash and Pinkie destroyed half the ball room,” Spike chuckled. “Though I was at Pony Joe's by that point.” “Heh, honestly, after that last Gala, I am surprised Celestia even bothered to have them anymore.” Rhede took another sip of his soup, glancing over to the nearly empty plate in front of Spike that was piled high at the start of the stories. He was quite glad he had gathered a large sum of bits from the treasure horde at the hive; otherwise, he would likely be washing dishes to pay for this meal. The little beast put away more than Bleu. “Well, aside from that, you at least see what I am saying now,” Spike remarked. “True; it does seem like she has been neglecting you, but I still feel that's not the whole story. You seem to have gotten over the owl, and they all each had something they wanted to do at the Gala. Still rude, but not neglect, as they didn't even stay with each other. I don't get the birthday thing, but by the same token, it seems she went all out for your birthday, maybe to apologize for it?” Rhede mused. “As for the wedding thing, well, I’ve yet to meet Shining, though he sounds like a jerk for setting you up like that. However, it is the sort of prank I might play on one of my younger brothers, so I dunno. Might be he considers you family enough to get away with it.” “Well, at least you're being honest about it instead of trying to convince me I’m wrong or blatantly apologizing. I still don't like that she took Bleu to the concert over me.” “That band will play again. How often does someone’s sister, who was killed a thousand years ago, get honored with a school?” Rhede responded. “Okay, you got me with that one. It just seems like stuff keeps getting piled up.” “It has been lately, I'm sure, though she has been running around trying to deal with the lot of us. Jer'rahd is not making this easy for her. He rarely makes anything easy. He's got his own problems as well, and is likely taking them out on her.” “Hmmmmm.” Spike murmurs between bites. “Hmmmmm? You got something else on your mind?” “Still thinking back to the dragon wars with you guys. Do you think there ever could have been peace?” “Rapid subject change, but after that bit about you trying to find out who you really are with the migration, I can understand it. Celestia seemed to think so. In fact, if it had not been for that attack on her at the Gala by Silver Claw, we might have even had it. The warrior types like Luna and Jer'rahd were looking for an excuse to wipe dragons out. Celestia and a number of nobles on both sides were still trying for peace. Most thought the Flame Party was finished in the attack on the wall. None of us realized that rather than attack the Discord’s Castle like he was supposed to, Mustang hid most of the dragon troops in supply crates and secreted them in storage areas around Canterlot. He planned for the failure of the main force. Tactical genius that one; far too patient as well. Though as I said, if not for that attack, things would have been very different. With Celestia out of commission, the two most powerful individuals in Canterlot were fully focused on revenge. Cindervale might still be up today if Silver Claw had not tried to kill Celestia first. If he had gone for Luna or anyone else, Celestia would have stopped any attempts at revenge on Cindervale. Near as I can tell, he was so focused on rescuing his father that he gambled his entire race to the wolves and lost.” “So what, you saying you would have done things differently?” “Oh of course; he had the run of the castle as Mustang. What I would have done was get a few troops caught in a cockatrice's stare, then come to Celestia with some story of ponies being turned to stone by dragon magic or some such believable rubbish. She would have given up the spell that would change them back, and I could have just walked into the garden and freed whoever I wanted before scampering off.” “The stone to flesh spell is not that simple,” Spike muttered. “You need insane amounts of power to do it.” “He was the son of a dragon god, and at the same time, the most powerful stallion in Equestria. All he would have needed to do was ask and he would have had the magic to make it happen. What gets me is: why didn't he? He escaped with an alicorn, for Luna's sake. Why didn’t he ask her to free his father?” “Maybe she couldn't?” “But she could block a god-level spell that stopped six individuals from turning back to stone? Something doesn't add up.” “So what, you think he doesn't want to free his father?” “Oh I am sure he does, but I figure he wants to be famous for it. Every action he has taken seems to me simply to cry out that he wants to be remembered as a dragon that did the impossible. Killing the pony princesses would have been a good way; freeing Forgescale would have been another, but not as notorious, as anything he did would be overshadowed by what Forgescale would have done. Now what I am worried about is if he and the others are trying to gather the books to do what Jer and Luna did, to become more powerful.” “Maybe he wants to rebuild Cindervale with them, and the dragon empire?” Spike chimed in. Rhede leaned back, thinking this over and shifting some of the pieces of the puzzle around in his mind. The dragonling was full of insights; why the heck was Twilight not hauling him around everywhere with her? “Maybe, though there have got to be easier ways to do it. He likely could have gone to nearly any nation and asked for help. The world’s at peace now, though that it still strained. If the dragon nation was restored, some of the nations that have fallen into disfavor would likely regain their lost pull with allies as strong as the dragons. It could all be done with politics, and if he played it right, Celestia wouldn't be able to touch him. No, the books are likely for something darker. I don't trust that dragon to have his claws on them.” “As if a pony would be more trustworthy to have something like that?” Spike snapped. “Good point. Those damned things need to be destroyed. I don't trust anyone to have them, of any race. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, or so it is told. I often wonder how Celestia manages to refrain from giving over to any sort of darkness.” “Twilight says it's because she actually loves her subjects and cannot bear the thought of hurting them.” “If that was the case, she should have gotten off her flank and helped during the wars instead of camping out in Canterlot. I know the tales of what she did during the Discordian War. If she did even half of that, the first war would have ended in a matter of days and the second would have never even happened at all.” “Maybe she is afraid of becoming corrupted by it?” “Hmmm, very perceptive observation for one your age...” “I'm thirteen...” “My comment stands. Now speaking of perceptive, what is going on over there?” Rhede muttered, looking out the window at a small crowd gathering around a cloaked pony. ============================================================ Jer'rahd trudged along through the mud, running alongside the group of soldiers on the second run of the day. The goal was to keep them as exhausted as possible through the entirety of the first few days of training. The others would be sleeping in shifts so that at any point in time they could join along with him in wearing them all out. Keeping them panicked, tired, and in situations they had little experience with was the whole goal of this exercise. A few days of this sort of thing, and they should be worn out enough to start on the real training. Fighting and thinking were easy when you have plenty of time to rest between. Fatigued, injured, and lacking sleep however... well, if they could deal with the training like this, then they should be set for anything thrown their way. He glanced up at Starfall as she guided the storm clouds along with the marching soldiers. The occasional blast of lightning that added effect and kept them on edge was supplied by Bleu. It had only been six hours since they all first gathered, but he was sure most of them felt it was much longer than that. Peach Blossom and Lion Heart were of the most interest to him. They both had signed up for this on their own rather than be ordered to participate like everyone else. The two hippogriffs, Ironhide and Ravage, were brother and sister. The pair seemed a bit more durable than the normal griffons, though not by much. Of the ten other griffons, only two were worthy of a special note just yet: the small female named Dusty, and of all things, a half-dragon griffon named Rek'gar. He had honestly never seen or even heard of a cross like that before, and this was hardly the time to question him. Oddly, two of the Diamond Dogs had his interest as well. The first was Tunnel Rat; despite his small size, he was doing everything he could not to lag behind or even slow up. Despite working twice as hard as the larger dogs, he seemed more inclined to press on than the others who seemed already debating giving up. The only other one of note from the six dogs was the only female; like the half dragon griffon, this was perhaps the only female diamond dog he had ever seen. Jynx, he believed was her name, and she was putting forth just as much effort to keep going as the small dog was. Complaining a lot less than the others, too. The ponies were a varied lot. Thirty ponies and half dragons in all. Eight half dragons, three winged, two with horns and one rather large half dragon that seemed to have neither horn nor wings. He was aware that in the past there had been some half dragons that did not have wings and instead cast magic like a unicorn, but there had not been any earth pony variants as far as he could tell. Interestingly enough, he had caught a few of them looking to Lion Heart when orders were given, as if they were checking with him first. Probably something to do with his leadership in the Night Guard. It was something that needed to be stopped for this training, though it could also be taken advantage of later. There were only five earth ponies, which worked out; they would likely have the easiest time with the physical training. He was somewhat annoyed that Tiberius was one of them; he didn't want anything to be easy for that one. The only other one of note was a brown coated pony named Mal. He had come the closest to actually laying a hoof on Jer'rahd during the spar. There were eight unicorns, a small enough force that Twilight should not be too strained teaching them a few things, along with the dragon casters. At least, once Twilight returned from Ponyville, anyway. None of them struck him as odd or exceptional. There were nine pegasi as well, including Breezy and Peach Blossom. All of them seemed to be suffering for the run almost as much as the griffons were. Peach Blossom was rather odd, however. At times, he seemed to be doing his best to look like he was not even winded from the workout and other times he barely managed to slog along, only to perk right back up again randomly. At first, Jer'rahd thought it was simply to inspire the others, or impress the trainers. Then it became quite clear he really didn't try to hide his exhaustion when Jer'rahd or Bleu were watching him, only when Starfall and Velkorn were... no, it was just Starfall. What the heck was he... oh no, Jer'rahd glanced to Bleu to see if she had noticed, and the dragonlings gaze was dead on the pegasus with a far-too-knowing grin on her muzzle. Jer'rahd sighed and shook his head; thinking back, he had seen that far too many times and knew what it meant. He shouted at the group to move faster as he ran along with them. If Bleu had her way, that pegasus did not know what he was getting into. ========================================== Rarity screamed out as a flash of magic struck her. “You beast, this shade of brown should only be used for accents!” Rarity shrieked, falling over to be caught by Applejack and carted off. Pinkie ran up after her. “Come on, Applejack; we've got to get her into a nice soothing pink, STAT!” Rhede blinked, watching the show along with a large group of other ponies wondering what the heck this was all about. Clearly, he was not going to find out by just standing here. “What's going on here?” Rhede questioned pushing his way out of the crowd. Spike darted along behind him, peeking around his legs as Rhede stopped. “You there; you are her assistant!” a cloaked pony shouted from the middle of the circle, pointing an accusing pale blue hoof at Spike. “Where is Twilight Sparkle?” “Do I know you?” Spike questioned, tilting his head. The figure flipped back her hood, revealing a pale blue unicorn with magenta eyes and white hair with a light blue streak through it. Rhede gave an appreciative whistle at the mare’s looks something largely ignored by the clearly angry unicorn. “Trixie? What are you doing here?” Spike grumbled, glaring at the mare. “Oh jeez you again? You call that great and powerful?” Rainbow Dash shouted from above, gesturing to Rarity as she was carried into her shop. The unicorn’s horn flared as magic struck the pegasus, making one wing grow larger and sending her into a spin. “Cool. She's Rainbow Wobble now,” Snips quipped up, watching Dash tumble through the air. “Yeah hahah,” Snails retorted, ducking as Dash nearly crashed into the pair, sending the other ponies around them scattering. “Great spell, O Great and Powerful Trixie,” Snails yelled, waving. Rhede noted Spike wince at the sight of the two colts and saw the anger grow in the unicorn’s eyes. “You two, QUIET!” Trixie snarled, blasting the pair with a spell. Rhede's eyes widened as the two colts wer suddenly joined together by the horn tip and started flailing about, screaming at each other. “Alright, that's enough!” Rhede shouts striding forward shifting a little in his robes, loosening up his weapons in case he needed them. She was starting to push the limits of jokes now. “What the heck is this all about?” “Who are you?” Trixie questioned, looking Rhede up and down, her eyes still flickering red. “The names Rhede Pelt, I'm a Gen... agent of Princess Lu.... Celestia. Why are you attacking the town?” “You do not seem so sure what you are, colt.” “It's complicated. Now answer me,” Rhede ordered as the two conjoined colts flailed past. “Somepony fix those two!” “Trixie has unfinished business with Twilight Sparkle, not you,” Trixie stated. Her horn flashed and grabbed Spike off the ground, bundling him up into a ball and bouncing him a few times. “If tormenting her friends will not bring her out, then perhaps, doing so with her assistant will.” Rhede's ears flattened and he whirled, flicking a blade from his tail. The unicorn mare blinked and jumped to the side. The blade whisked past her and embedded into the corner of a house behind her. She glanced down as a strand of white hair fell, cut free from her mane. “Leave Spike alone and fix what you did or the next one goes between your eyes and I get someone else to fix the problems,” Rhede snarled. “I don't know what the buck your problem is, lady, but I have far too many other problems to add you to the list.” “You dare threaten Trixie, cretin!?” The mare’s eyes glowed red, along with her horn and an odd amulet about her neck. Rhede took a step back and flicked his foreleg, the tip of the star metal dagger sliding free to be ready. “What the hay is going on here?!” a voice shouted from outside the gathered ponies. The crowd parted and Twilight trotted towards Rhede and Trixie. The purple unicorn paused, looking over her friends, the flailing Snips and Snails, and Spike squished in a ball. Her eyes fell on Rhede and she bit her lip, noting he was in a stance she had seen him in more often than not when he was about to kill somepony. “Trixie, what are you doing here? Why are you doing these things?” “Trixie knew Twilight would show up eventually. Why... why? You humiliated me!” Rhede's face took on a look of annoyed disbelief. Trixie's horn flashed, showing a red panel that started playing back some images of her in various scenes. “After you showed me up with that Ursa Minor, I became a laughingstock. Everywhere I went, I was laughed at and ostracized. I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living! A ROCK FARM!” “What the heck is a rock farm?” Rhede muttered. “HEY, you’re lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you,” Pinkie Pie shouted angrily. A red arrow appeared in the air and floated down, poking Pinkie's nose. It pulled her whole muzzle off and dumped it in a trash can, leaving a smooth, pale section of skin where her face had been. Rhede twitched, grinding his teeth a little. “Okay, what the buck kinda spell was that? What the buck is your problem? And somepony please give me a back story on this, because that was quite possibly the weirdest shit I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of stuff,” Rhede stammered, looking at the depressed Pinkie. “Trixie was a stage performer that came into town making some wild claims for her show,” Applejack responded, trotting up to small group. “She said she beat an Ursa Major by herself, and a couple of colts got overzealous and went out to find one so she could do it again.” “Those two?” Rhede snidely remarked as Snips and Snails tumbled past again. “Errr, yeah. Anyway, the bear came into town and smashed it up pretty good...” “Along with Trixie's wagon with all her things!” Trixie shouted. “...yeah, that too,” AJ continued. “Trixie tried to stop it and failed miserably. Then Twilight popped up and saved the day. Afterwards, we find out it was only an Ursa Minor, kinda proving she was a fraud after all her talk.” “Okay, and did the stuff that happened in her story happen as well?” Rhede questioned. “Well, I guess so...” AJ responded. “Of course it did. Why would Trixie make this up!?” “Ooookay, let me see if I have all of this straight,” Rhede sighed, rubbing his head. “A show mare comes into town plying her trade, which includes promoting herself as the best, and telling stories to increase her fame so she can draw a crowd to her show. This is done so she can make enough bits to live off of. A couple of idiot foals think it's real and go out of their way to put the whole town in danger. The show mare fails to live up to her boast, though tries anyway, even if she fails and her home and lively hood gets destroyed for her trouble. After all that, she's pretty much treated as crap by ponies who would have done little more than run away if put in the same situation, simply because she can't perform some massive spell against a bucking force of nature given a bear form? Am I correct in this so far?” “Errr yeah... I wouldn’a put it like that, but... umm,” AJ responded, looking a bit sheepish. Twilight winced, having the same look. “Right, okay then, I am done here. Far as I can see, she is completely justified with this crap, and I am not gonna get involved. All on you ,Sparkle.” “Wait, you're not going to help?” “Why? This is something you ponies did on your own. I need to work on the damage Discord did, not on what you brought to the table. We are not here to solve all your problems for you, Sparkle. We are here to make sure all the problems that do exist don't get worse. Just freaking apologize, buy her lunch, and send her on her way. Or whatever she wants.” “Trixie has no need of an apology from one such as Twilight. I have been practicing and I challenge Twilight Sparkle to magic duel.” “What?” “Great, Jer is gonna flip at the word duel. This isn't to the death or anything, is it? “ “No; winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville forever!” “Nope, sorry, not an option either.,” Rhede said flatly. Twilight and AJ looked at him, wondering what the heck he was doing. Was he helping or not? “You dare question TRIXIE!?” “I was going to bury a dagger in the middle of Trixie's head before Sparkle showed up, so yeah, I do. Get your jollies in beating her if you can, but she remains in Ponyville. She has a job to do same as the rest of us.” Rhede looked down to Spike as the dragon rolled to a stop at his hooves. “I'm borrowing Spike as well, Sparkle. You can deal with this on your own however you want.” “Trixie did not give you permission to GAAAAAAAAH!!!!” The blue unicorn screamed out, clutching her horn as Rhede lightly tapped Spike's bubble with the side of his foreleg, popping the magic shield. He lifted the dizzy dragonling onto his back as Trixie regained her hooves. “How did you do that? Trixie's shield is impenetrable!” “Guard secret. Believe me when I say I am not in the slightest bit in awe of your power; a bit in awe at that shapely flank you have hidden under that cloak, but not the magic,” Rhede commented, making a kissy face and getting Trixie to blush as Twilight and AJ rolled their eyes. “Anyway, we'll be at the library, Sparkle. Let me know how this turns out. Oh yeah, and one last thing, Trixie...” Rhede turned back, glaring at the blue unicorn mare, his voice deepening as his look took on aspects of Jer'rahd's thousand yard stare. “You actually hurt anypony or do any real damage in this little revenge prank nonsense of yours, and I will end you faster than you can say your stage name, you got it?” Trixie's eyes widened and she nodded furiously. Rhede nodded in response, turning to trot off with the motion sick dragonling groaning across his back. “An’ I thought that Jer'rahd fella was intense,” AJ muttered.