Libera Mé

by EZTP

25 What I See

Morning came to Equestria in the Everfree Forest, the waking hours of it brought sunlight. The previous night was a dream to Applejack, who was up bright and early, readying a simple breakfast for her, soon to be, hungry friends. She was growing more concerned with each passing hour as Rarity and the creature were yet to return from their night time patrol. It had been a long and turbulent night but her dreams were beautiful and fulfilling. She woke up refreshed with an urge to get something done, her rumbling stomach giving her direction. The creature had an impressive supply of nutritious nuts and fruits to serve up to her friends to give them energy for the arduous day.
Rainbow Dash was up and out flying, keeping her sharp eyes open for any approaching patrols.
Pinkie Pie woke up surprisingly mellow saying she had some weird dreams about being buried by chickens in chocolate cotton candy. She had slept well and was trying to have a makeshift table set for them to add a homely feel to the cave.
Fluttershy was surprisingly vigilant, keeping constant contact with her animal friends for any important changes in Ponyville. There were none, the queen was still there.
Crystal was now sleeping next to Twilight every now and then stirring at a strange sound. Twilight and Spike rested soundly together.
Applejack was artistically chopping and carving the fruits to be more decorative adding all types of berries and nuts in the larger ones to add some presentation. The best part of the day already was seeing Twilight still sleeping with the biggest smile and all cosy in her makeshift bed. More than ever she was glad the creature still helped them.
Its cave was remarkable, not the clearing where it had camped with her but an area storing basic necessities like food and water. It took some doing but they made it comfortable. The knife she was using was a spare the creature had, during its time it had experimented with different styles of sharpening, lengthening and reinforcing but the best one for it was still the small knife it carried. It was disconcerting to see what it had taken to eating in the forest, more disturbing however to see it kept the skeletons of the fruit spiders for their applications such as frames for traps.
Last night was strange to her after they met up, it was as if the whole thing was a dream already. The morning sun however made them all feel better, Celestia was alright and still fighting. Her sister, Princess Luna was an unexpected welcome to her dreams. She spoke to her about the creature and her line of questioning was confusing. Still whatever she needed she got and that was all that mattered. She took in a deep breath and savoured in the sweet smells of the fruits.
“Alright everypony, its almost ready!”
“Finally! I’m wasting away here.”
“Hey Rainbow, didn’t hear you come in. It would be really nice to get Rarity and our friend so we can eat together.”
“Hey, more for us.”
“Rainbow...”
“Fine, I don’t see why.” She flew off to find them and the rest settled at the makeshift placings.
“WAIT!” Pinkie cried settling a single flower in a rock at the centre. “Done!”
“Girl, you are just crazy today!”
“Why wouldn’t I be, aren’t you excited!?”
“Well sure I am!”
“Me too!” Fluttershy Chided.
“Me three!” Twilight sat down next to Fluttershy grinning, “It smells wonderful Applejack, thank you!”
“My pleasure sugar cube, how’d you sleep?”
Twilight looked out the cave and into the fields where she was yesterday, “Like I’m ready to shine!”
“Yeah, that was mighty fancy with all those lights.”
“It really is a sweetheart, isn’t it?” Fluttershy thought aloud.
“A tad hard headed but Granny says the harder the nut, the better the contents.”
Rainbow dash flew in and sat quietly on the table.
“Everything alright?”
“Umm...yeah, sure, fine, no problem. They’ll be along shortly.”
True to her word the creature and Rarity ducked with a laugh. The were both grinning and it looked like they had a very pleasant patrol.
Twilight looked at Fluttershy as she was nudged by her, “See anything Teddy?”
“It looks like they do not know we are here, let’s keep a low profile until evening.” The creature looked at Rarity who had joined the table, seated with perfect posture by her fruit salad. She giggled and the creature chuckled a second.
“Teddy os sort of a weird name.”
“So is Rainbow.”
“No it’s not!” They laughed at her attempt to recover, “I just thought something tougher you know? Like Earthshaker or Thunderfoot.”
“Ha ha! I like both. For today though Teddy is perfect.” It helped Applejack set the remaining salads down and fetched a drink for each of them. “I must apologise foe the lack of matching utensils.” It brought a large jug of water and six cups for all uses.
“Oh you needn’t worry.” It remained silent and seated itself after Applejack.
“If you ladies don’t mind I would like to discuss the plan Miss Twilight has come up with.”
“Our plan Teddy.”
“Sure, now seems as good a time as any, at least we are comfy.”
“Thanks to Miss Fluttershy’s reconnaissance, the descriptions of the fortress and Princess Sparkles inventiveness, we have been able to assemble a sufficient map to come up with a plan. I want your input here, any flaws you might think you see you must identify.” The creature stood up and clumsily propped the map against a wall, one of its knives as a pin to keep it there. It took the small stick as a pointer and gestured around the cave. “We will begin our assault from here, Miss Sparkle will make use of her invisibility spell to assure you all get there in one piece. At no time are we to communicate on this trip. During the day you will learn how to move about effectively while under this spell.”
The creature dragged the stick in a straight line to the fortress symbol, “I will make my way directly to the fortress with Crystal and breach the gates using an old trick, it will work and that is all you have to worry about. Any enemies on the way will be dealt with swiftly. Before the gates are breached Miss sparkle will turn Crystal invisible as well.” The creature pointed to the fortress layout, “I will know when to breach when Miss Fluttershy will signal an all clear with a bird call. Under the cover of a smoke cloud, which Miss Pie will provide thanks to her party could in a bottle, you still have it?”
“Yup!”
“The seven of you will use its cover to move silently to this location.” It pointed towards a door leading to the underside of the fortress, “Miss Fluttershy’s animals have told her they are funnelling their catch into this area, the rats say it is some type of cell block or the area where they are being transformed into changelings. There is a heavy guard presence but that is all we know. They could no go in further for fear.”
“Umm...that sounds really bad.”
“You will wait for my distraction to let the enemy filter out of the area and into the central chamber at the entrance. Thanks to Princess Luna speaking with Twilight after she...fainted last night...we know the Elements Of Harmony are being held amongst the heavy guard presence below. You will search the entire fortress if you need to but do so as discretely as possible, for this reason Crystal will be with you and will aid in any fight, should it be necessary. Once you have recovered the elements you must engage the queen and defeat her.”
“How will you be distracting them?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I will be fighting the queen. This will gain us an advantage assuming she considers me arrogant enough to face her alone.”
“Well I don’t think she’ll have any trouble assuming that.”
“True Miss Dash. From Miss Sparkles description she is ready for me this time and is significantly stronger. So you will need to hurry up it you want a piece of her!” They laughed at the light hearted joke, if all works out we will not be using plan B.”
“So why do we need a plan B? This one sounds right simple.”
“Plan B is simple enough, in two separate steps. Miss Sparkle will send me into the fortress using her magic and I will open the gates from the inside using the mechanism described. If I fail to open the gates you are to retreat without me and think of another plan.”
“We couldn’t leave you with her!”
“I can take care of myself Miss Rarity. My failure, should it come to pass, will be due to an unforeseen circumstance meaning you will all suffer the same fate. For a backup I suggest you consult Miss Zecora, she has an alternate plan that I would prefer not to use involving dragons.”
“Dragons?!” They all cried out.
“Is there an echo in here? Yes, dragons. She will explain everything should it come to that. Now as far as the second part to plan B; I will do my best to weaken the queen but we have to prepare for the fact that the elements will not work again.”
“What makes you think they will work this time?”
“Something Miss Dash told me. It is to my understanding that these gem creatures were invincible until I fought them. An experiment when I aided your escape proved the reason I can fight them is my blood.”
“Your what?” Fluttershy was very concerned about where this was going.
“Crystal here has been consuming small amounts of my blood. If the creatures are close enough to either of us their overall strength is compromised. I had the same effect on the king pony your queen was with. She is also weakened by my presence, I personally think its the smell.” They all giggled but Fluttershy, still was looking concerned, “The second part of plan B, is for me to grapple the queen while you throw your absolute best shot at her with all the elements, she will have been weakened enough for the magic to take full effect.” They all smiled and were happy with this plan until Fluttershy spoke.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What will happen to you when we use the elements?” The mood became heavy at the thought. They all remembered the night Twilight and the creature had their confrontation, how she dislocated its arm and singed its hide with her spell.
“I will be behind the queen and quite safe.”
“But you will still get burned, maybe worse.”
“That is not a concern for any of you. I have the best healer in all Equestria to help me. Our sole purpose is to defeat the queen.”
Rarity was already aware and could see the others were noticeably concerned for the creature. She wanted to speak and console them but she found herself feeling sad at the thought. It did not mention to them how bad those burns were, how deep they went. Only her and Fluttershy had learned of it. She looked at her friend and tried to speak. “Teddy...”
“Now do not waste your concern, this is purely a plan B. I will be fine after and that is all you need to know. Your worries should lie with that queen.” Its argument was less than convincing, “Should this fail then we retreat with whatever we can, the Princesses if possible. I will remain with the queen while you get the key soldiers out and regroup.” The creature looked over them and saw they all had the same worry in their eyes.
“Do not assume that!” It barked, “You are soldiers now, the last line of defence for your friends, family, and loved ones. Even if I go down it will be nothing compared to what you will gain! There are greater things to loose than this old fool.”
Rarity stood up and stomped her hoof, “Teddy is right! We must remember there are many ponies who need us now. Besides, after all we have seen I think we can safely assume you are too thick headed and stubborn to let that happen.” Saying It hurt her but the concern had shifted to the many ponies still trapped.
“Very wise Miss Rarity, a little mean but wise.”
She looked around to see her effort had regained her friends their courage, even Fluttershy.
“Now I expect to see you all out front in the groove where we will begin working on your invisibility training. Are there any thoughts or questions we should concern ourselves about?”
Rainbow Dash stood up, “Shouldn’t we try to free the others? Get a little more fight on our side.”
“A valid point but the odds of them being useful are minute, unless you want them as targets for the enemy.”
“So if we can find a pony to help, we can release them?”
“As long as it does not compromise yourselves or the plan.”
“Got it.”
“I have a question. Wy are you helping us after all that happened?” Rarity’s inquiry was forced but she wanted them all to hear it as she did. The creature smiled at her and she knew they thought the same.
“I gave my word to Miss Fluttershy that I would fight your enemies to the best of my ability. They are still here and I never go back on my word.”
“So it’s a just matter of pride then?”
“No Miss Rarity. Each of you in your own very special way has given me something. You have effectively helped me to be a better me and that debt can never be repaid. Understand this, I fight with you, not because I am bound by word or debt, but because I want to help you.”
“Glad to hear it!”
“I must say it feels rather pleasant to have a ‘plan of action’ as it were.”
“It seems like we could do more though.”
“The way this is set up, I will handle the golems, you will handle the queen. Sounds fair.”
“Wait wait, what about this dragon thing?”
“That my friends will have to wait for another time. I shall leave it as a pleasant surprise for later on. So we are all good?” They looked to each other and nodded. “Good. Miss Fluttershy and Miss Twilight shall remain monitoring any changes throughout the day. At the moment though, let us finish this lovely meal and get started. In this area we should be quite secluded. The trees above provide cover from sight, the floor is rigid, Crystal is here,” the wolf rolled over complacently to return to her sleep, “eventually,” it added, “We should be fine.”
The creature sat by Applejack again and resumed the meal. It was obvious it was taking pained steps to eat with composure. Seeing it though Rarity wanted to lighten the mood as they stared into the bowls.
“You know its funny but...” she hesitated feeling foolish at the notion.
“But...?” the creature coaxed her.
“You remind me of a knight.”
“A knight you say?” the creature stood up straight and proud, puffing its chest out, pulling up its now empty bowl, brandishing its small knife high in the air and striking an heroic pose, “Dost thou mean the knights of old? Adorned by magnificent armour gleaming under the golden sun?” It stomped its feet ceremoniously, “Marching proudly into battle to save kingdom, country and fair maiden?” It clumsily clonked the bowl on its head and grinned sheepishly while taking the watermelon chunks a proud brow, its two odd utensils as its teeth.
Rarity and the others burst out laughing at this ridiculous facsimile portrayed. Its grin softened to a smile and they calmed down after some moments.
Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hoof giggling uncontrollably.
“I will remember that forever!” Applejack chortled.
“I knew you had it in you!” Pinkie exclaimed with pride.
“You look Ridiculous! My Sides!” Rainbow rolled around still laughing.
Rarity took some breaths to recover and wiped her eyes. The laughter was a relief for them breaking the tension of the task. Truth be told they all laughed to find somme relief.
“Where would you come ip with such a ridiculous notion?” the creature asked.
“It’s hardly that ridiculous if one stops to consider it. A bold warrior with mysterious origins, noble heart, gallant stride saving us damsels from certain doom time and time again!” she raised her hoof to her head for extra dramatic license. The creature chuckled and glanced briefly to Twilight. Its smile lessened.
“I am hardly a gallant or honourable one. Besides, a knight Mis Rarity must be appointed by a monarch. Further might I add that you have been reading far too many stories!”
“I have... not,” she said embarrassed, looking away and fiddling with her mane.
“Please Rarity!” Rainbow retorted, “All those seedy novels with heroines, heroes, maidens and monsters! You’re worse than-”
“You?”
“Hey, I do not read seedy novels!”
“Did you not like ‘The Marionetter’ Miss criticise?”
“That was your book!”
“What about that chapter with Daring Do and Doctor Equin?” Rainbows smirk faded instantly, “When she was bitten by that snake and he had to-”
“THATS DIFFERENT!” Rainbows face had turned a light shade of red, “Daring Do is cool, knights are just ponies in clunky armour.”
“They are most certainly not!” she defended “They are so much more than the armour they wear. They are heroes, paragons of virtue and justice who seek out evil wherever it may lurk.”
“I think Rarity has a point sugar cube.” Applejack added.
“Not you too!”
“I agree.” Fluttershy chided in, “It’s exactly like the part before the final battle when all seems lost and the hero gallops in to save the day.”
“A knight would not have hurt those ponies, a hero by definition cannot be alive. They must give the ultimate sacrifice to be called a hero, ergo; there is no such thing as a living hero.”
The mood became heavy once more. Rarity refused to let the good nature end, “You are a more like a knight than any other pony I’ve met. You are strong but gentle,”
“Fearless and caring.” continued Applejack.
“Scary but loving.” listed Fluttershy
“Way too serious...and fun!” Pinkie laughed.
“Intelligent and wise,” Twilight added.
They all looked at Rainbow who sat with folded hooves stubbornly refusing to go along with them. Pinkie came closer to her and looked her straight in the eye smiling widely. “And...”
“Look, Miss Dash has a point, you are getting caught up by-”
“WAIT!” Pinkie interrupted, “What was that Dash?” Rainbow looked away and mumbled something that they couldn't make out, “Do I need the motivator?” Pinkie giggled holding up her special feather.
“Alright.” Rainbow did not look at them but smiled to herself, “Fierce and cool.”

The verse echoed in the cave and silence prevailed once more. “It sounds better in the original language. These words were once spoken by true knights form my land. It is a rough translation. I wish I could say I was worthy. I am not.” The creature bowed to the friends. “You ladies flatter me, I thank you for your kind words. In kind I wish to say you are all beacons in my darkness here, guiding me to greener pasture. Your truth, wisdom, willpower, pleasure, spirit, and love have given me reason enough to stand beside you.” It raised itself and smiled.
“Can we hear the original?”
“You would not understand it though Miss Twilight.”
“I know but...”
“Twilights an egghead like that,” the all giggled at Rainbow’s joke while she blushed. The creature cleared its throat.

Twilight somehow did not like the way it sounded. The creature cleared it throat and smiled widely to them, it was eerie how it just stared; A long lingering gaze over the gathered group.
“Teddy?”
“Thank you my friends.” The atmosphere became very heavy, they all jumped as the creature clapped its claws together. “Do not worry about cleanup, lets get going for some much needed training.” On cue Crystal joined the creature and they stepped out into the day, their silhouette against the suns morning rays.