Stories in Stone
Memories of Twilight
By TDR
“...you left me in the dark....”
“So that's what I missed, huh? How exciting,” Rhede grumbled, looking out the window of the hospital room with his leg bound up and raised off the ground, wrapped in a light blue cast.
“Pretty much. We gathered up the scales, the dagger bits, and the wing to see if Sparkle could scry on them to find out anything we might have missed.” Starfall responded, idly wiping down one of her crystalline swords with a rag as the pair waited for Rhede's discharge paper work.
“All this shit in a day and a half... Jer tell Dusty?”
“Talon's daughter? Yeah; she took it about as well as expected. Blamed Jer'rahd for letting her father get killed yesterday; today it's a different story.”
“Hmmm?”
“She was supposed to go back with the body to take care of whatever business needs to be taken care of with the griffons when one of their leaders dies. Evidently, she's his only child hatched right now, so responsibility falls to her to take care of everything. An adviser is currently running that portion of the kingdom, though he was not meant to rule for long.”
“If she doesn't go back to claim the spot he left, it is likely one of the other griffon gods will make a play for the territory. She has the right of succession until a new god is born in that territory. What changed her mind?”
“Turns out last thing Talon said to her was that he was pleased she had not failed out of the training yet, or something like that, according to Jer'rahd. In any event, she's not leaving until she’s done with it. On top of all that, Jer'rahd's actually offered his aid if she needs it to secure her father’s land when she's done.”
“Bet he feels he owes Talon or Dusty something for the god’s death. Geez, for a pony with a death wish, he sure is doing his best to prolong his life.”
“Bleu figures he is trying to make sure everything is perfect for everyone before he dies. He's tried to get Bleu to take over a dean spot in that music school, and I swear, he and Bleu are feeding one of the soldiers information on me.”
“Information?”
“Never mind; just don't be surprised if he tries to patch up the issues with you and Velkorn sometime soon.”
“What issues? We don't have any issues.”
“Please, don't even try that with me, Pelt. She spent all the years we've known her just shy of trying to reverse mount you. Now she can't even look at you without a scowl.”
“Good, that means she is finally getting the hints I’ve been giving her.”
“This crap again?”
“Yes, this crap again. Jer's not the only one expecting to die young. I just don't plan to take myself out like he does. Anyway, can we get back to business, or do you want to poke at my love life some more? Don’t answer that. What about the troops we are training? With the way of things, Jer's got two more weeks of the basic before he either goes hardcore or leaves off. The group of them will be better for it no matter which he picks.”
“He's going the full two weeks, plus the advanced. This incident has proven that he can't be everywhere, and the crap with Miss Pie proves that even if he was, it would not be enough, so he plans to make sure that every pony can take care of themselves if one of us is not there.”
“That might delay our hunting them down.”
“You are injured, Pie's a mental wreck right now, and Sparkle's in a mood. Besides, with what Miss Pie described as having happened, those three will be out of commission for a long while.”
“That still leaves Claymore, Bloodtail, and Wind Razor running about. Anything else I should know about?”
“Yep, four other things,” Starfall quipped.
“Okay, spill it.” Rhede sighed.
“Celestia wants the lot of us to come to Canterlot as soon as we can.”
“I expected as much after all this.”
“Jer'rahd confirmed that there are four voices now when he hears the books, and Nocturne heard them as well.”
“We already knew that they had four, though I thought Jer and Luna didn't hear the voices ‘til after the ceremony.”
“Jer'rahd was confused by that as well. Anyway, we're getting a sixth party member, courtesy of Princess Luna.”
“That Mare-Do-Well again?”
“Yep.”
“Does she really think we don't know who she really is?” Rhede chuckled.
“Jer'rahd and Twilight don't seem to know.”
“Yeah, well, both of them are idiots. Sometimes I think I could just wear a pair of glasses and Jer wouldn't recognize me.”
“He's not that bad... You would need to put a little s-curl in your mane over your forehead as well to fool him.”
“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind. What's the last thing?”
“Canterlot was attacked last night.”
“What, AGAIN?”
====================================
“Ummm, excuse me, ... ummm. Miss Bleu...”
Bleu lifted her head, looking around curiously for the source of the really soft voice. A loud “yeep” as she moved made the dragonling even more curious, though the currently pony-sized blue dragon was still having issue finding the source.
The troops were preparing to head back to the training facility today, and due to Rhede being in the hospital still and Velkorn and Starfall making themselves scarce, Jer'rahd had asked her to gather some supplies from the town to bring back.
Not the brightest idea he had, though Bleu decided not to take advantage of it by ordering everything on Sugar Cube Corner’s menu and marking it as supplies. Boss was in a bad enough mood as it was, and crates full of cupcakes instead of grain and oat bars would not help.
She lifted her head up, looking around again, and finally spotted a pink tail poking out from under a few sacks of trail feed.
“Ummmm, hello?” Bleu questioned. “It's Fluttershy, right?”
“Oh yes, that’s right.” Fluttershy whispered. “Umm. would you mind helping me with a teensy tiny little thing... thatisifyoudon'tmindorarenottobusydoinganythingelseintheworldrightnowsoIdon'thavetodothis.”
“Ummmm...” Bleu blinked, tilting her head and wondering how the pony managed to hide under the grain sacks. “I guess I can... What was it you needed? If it's hiding lessons, just remember to tuck in your tail...”
“Oh no, that’s not it... Thank you, though,” Fluttersack responded. “It's just that Zecora seems to think you might be able to help me... ummm not be...”
“Not be...?”
“Errr, not be scared of dragons... At least, not as bad as I am...”
Bleu stared at the tail, confused.
“She wants me to help you not be scared of dragons...? Does this Zecora even know me?”
===============================================
“You should stay in the training outpost for a while, Sparkle. I can drill the troops and give you some training as well,” Jer'rahd stated, watching the purple unicorn go over some books.
“Yes, because your skills were so helpful last time,”Twilight snarked.
“Least I didn't get knocked out because I ran headlong into Bleu,”Jer'rahd growled, going on the defensive already.
“No, you just freaked out when you hit the water and cost us time we didn't have looking for you instead of Talon.”
“You know why I have issues with water, and I never told you to look for me. Besides, you were out cold until right before you found me, anyway.”
“And what exactly do you think you could teach me?”
“How to use that oversized belt buckle you've yet to even draw from your side, for one. Maybe not enough to make you a swordspony, but at least enough that you don't cut off your own legs, and maybe use some of the star metal's properties.”
“I don't need your help to learn that. I've read a number of books on sword play.”
“Books are no substitute for training. How many of your spells have you cast properly without practice?” Jer'rahd countered, looking over the book shelf.
“None of your concern,” Twilight muttered. “It is not as if you knowing how to use your sword has done anything constructive!”
“Swords are not supposed to be constructive. They either prevent a life from ending, or take one.” Jer'rahd exhaled loudly. “Stop trying to blame me for Talon's death, Sparkle. You are just as much at fault as I am...”
“Bull shit. I had no control over what happened!”
“You think I did? We lost a powerful ally and got nothing in return except some information that Rhede already figured out. Canterlot was attacked, the enemy has four very potent artifacts and are seeking the other two of the set, we have two elder gods running about somewhere, and who knows when they will show up again. Any advantage that we can get at this point, no matter how small, we need, because if this is war, then we are already losing it.”
Twilight lifted her head up from the book, glaring at the gray unicorn.
“I don't give a crap if you like me, Sparkle, but I am offering to train you in something that might let you live a little longer when everything finally comes to a head.”
“Good, because I don't like you. I am really starting to think it was a mistake to free you, as you have not managed to do anything you were supposed to. One of my friends is a complete wreck right now, and the griffon god that supported Princess Celestia the most is dead. The other gods might very well take this opportunity to try and rekindle old territory disputes. King Talon's death has far more consequences than just losing a powerful ally.”
“So we fix it.”
“How are we supposed to do that?”
“You're smart. You'll think of something.”
“THAT IS NOT A HUGE HELP, KAISUR!”
“I'm a warrior, not a diplomat. Give me a target and I will take it, destroy it, or defend it as need be. You claimed once to know all about us. You are doing a piss-poor job of proving that statement. We haven’t changed much since two weeks ago.”
“You were a rock two weeks ago,” Twilight snapped.
“No. Two weeks ago, I chose to save a nation rather than a mare I was in love with, and still am. Two weeks ago, my best friend was disowned from his family and fought his brothers for what he thought was the right choice. Two weeks ago, another friend was attacked by her own daughter, who, up ‘til that point, had been missing and thought dead. Two weeks ago, Bleu watched her grandmother die so that she could live. Two weeks ago, Velkorn gave up a kingdom to follow her friends and a stallion who had spurned her love since she knew him. Two weeks ago, we went through hell trying to save a friend and failed. Don't tell me we have not done anything, Sparkle.”
“Two weeks ago, my biggest concern was my mother harassing me about settling down to start a family like my brother,” Twilight muttered.
“And now you have had a taste of what we live instead of just reading about it or watching it from afar. It's not something that you can try and ignore or pretend it's all a dream now. You have a good picture of what could happen if those six succeed.” Jer'rahd grumbled as Twilight sighed, flipping closed the book she was reading.
“You may know about this era, and you may think you know about us, Sparkle, but the five of us know war. And war... War never changes.”
==============================================================
The fire crackled in the fireplace, partially lighting the study with a golden, flickering glow. Before the fireplace rested a pair of plush high-backed chairs facing the fire. Book cases, antique furnishings and various trophies, both hunting and academically unusual covered any free wall space that the room might have possessed. A single mahogany door was set into the wall across from the fireplace. The wall to the left of that door had a pair of glass-paneled double doors that opened out onto a small balcony that overlooked Canterlot. The nighttime view was stunning, though the occupant of the chair paid it no mind, staring instead into the magically fueled fire light. The soft glow of blue magic gripped a crystal bottle of wine, pouring the contents into a gilded wine glass on the table before it was set down and the glass raised instead.
A soft creak sounded in the otherwise quiet room as one of the balcony doors eased open.
“You're late,” stated the voice from the chair, unconcerned.
“Shit happens,” grumbled a shadowy form as it moved into the room, clearly hobbling.
“What happened?”
“We got our asses kicked,” Scarlet cursed, hobbling closer to the fireplace, her foreleg in a hastily set up sling, “but Lord Talon is dead.”
“Well, that's something, though Celestia is still alive. Your bomb did not even faze her. The entire city has gone on high alert since that explosion yesterday.”
“That bomb wasn't meant to kill her. It was meant to take out any Element Bearers that went to recover the artifacts.” Scarlet cursed, sitting down in the empty chair and panting softly at the effort to move.
“She was the only one there, aside from some guards, and she managed to save them, too. Brought the building down, I suppose.”
“Didn't you have some items stored there as well?”
“A great many nobles did; the treasury was more like a museum than a vault, anyway. Everything lost is easily replaceable if I cared to do so. Like the others, I plan to make a big fuss, then do nothing about it.”
“Then what is the problem?”
The figure rose from the chair, trotting towards Scarlet and looking her over, the fire behind him obscuring the unicorn’s features in shadow.
“I told you I wanted the element Bearers alive... the unicorns, at least. Sparkle would be useful for strengthening the family line, and Rarity is a perfect trophy mare. Both are renowned enough that my station would be elevated by association.”
“Ugh... you’re as bad as Claymore.”
“You mean the misogynistic? No, I simply have certain tastes and plans for the future. If you accomplish what you claim to be doing, I won't have need of either of them. But until you succeed in those goals, I wish to keep all my options open.” The figure regarded the injured mare. “So why have you come this time?”
“I am in need of a place to lay low for a time. With my injury, I do not trust any of the others I associate with to not attempt my removal, particularly Claymore and the zebra.”
“And you trust me enough not to do the same?”
Scarlet smirked. “If anything happens to me, you lose out big time. You could turn me over to the Guard and gain a bit of renown for it, but that wouldn't last long. What you want can only be gained by working with me, so I’m safer here than anywhere else right now.”
“And under their very noses, too. I hate how astute you are, given the situation, but you are correct. Your group's goals do coincide with my own agenda enough for us to work together. So long as Celestia is removed and I have a place in the new order, our agreement stands.”
“So glad you see things my way.”
“Do not misinterpret my agreement as an act of compliance with your goals. If I do not get what I want, I have no qualms turning on you, and while I have no doubt there are others more skilled than I intent on your end, I would have little trouble in destroying the lot of you if I chose. You know I am quite capable of making it happen, whether you achieve your fabled divinity or not.”
“I expected no less from you.” Scarlet smirked. “I always have had an eye for the ambitious.”
“Flattery will get you nothing with me; I have mares far more attractive than you praising me daily. The only thing you have that I care about is what your group intends. Now then, I suggest you pick an appropriate one of your disguises to use for when a doctor arrives. I suppose we can come up with some sort of cover story. Ditzy model fell down some stairs or something. I do normally tend to have a preference for the 'as stupid as they are pretty' type.”
“No, not this time.”
“Oh? I'm no doctor, but with your leg like that, you will not be doing much.”
“Oh, I want it treated, but you said once before that you had a doctor who could fix the burns with magic or what not, didn't you?”
“I do, though he does not come cheaply. Nor will it be a swift process.”
Scarlet nodded to her foreleg. “I will not be doing much for some time, anyway. So long as he can fix my leg as well, price is not a concern, as I can give you directions to another cache of the Order's.”
“Another one? The contents of that first one was more than Manehatten pays in taxes a year.”
“Don't get your hopes up. This one is not as big and is a bit harder to get to, but it is still simply sitting there for the taking. After a thousand years, I expected more of the safe houses to be found, but only a few have been.”
“So be it. I will make arrangements; you still need to change yourself to something else for a time so no one sees you with me. There are a number of posters with your likeness about.”
Scarlet smirked, closing a gold bracelet around her leg. Her coat rapidly flashed to white, her already lithe form seemingly accentuated by the color. Her mane and tail fluffed, curling themselves as they rapidly changed to a pale pink, with an even lighter pink stripe. Her cutie mark changed just as quickly as her coat, looking like a small grouping of fancy arrow heads of gold and bronze. An ivory horn sprouted from her temple to complete the illusion, though her foreleg was still clearly injured.
“Hmm, I did not expect that. Are you sure copying another mare is the best idea?” the stallion asked.
“Considering that there is no real Fleur de Lis, I think I will do fine.” Scarlet winced.
“I see. Might I compliment you on your lovely singing voice, then,” the stallion said with a grin.
“Just get the damned doctor.”
==========================================================
“Not sure how much more of this shit I can take,” Wind Razor snarled. Her forepaws pressed harder to the side of her head to drown out the screams and the yelling coming from the far side of the abandoned building.
[“We were lucky that he found this building. If we need to put up with his pet training as well, so be it. I do not wish to be wandering around in the dark in this weather.”] Bloodtail gestured to the gaping hole in the wall and the pouring rain outside that did nothing to drown out another of the mare’s cries, nor the slap of hoof against flesh that silenced it.
“Did you need to give him that damn potion? Better we just kill her and leave the body to rot than deal with all the complications toting a prisoner around has.”
[“It is a long trip, and she keeps him out of my mane. I am more than willing to mix something that deadens her magic if it means I do not have to listen to the bastard.”] Bloodtail muttered. [“Pity your kind has no way of using cork earplugs, though perhaps you should wrap a rag a few times around your head. That may deaden the mare enough for you to sleep.”]
“I'd rather wrap it around Claymore’s neck. Why the heck do we even keep him around?”
[“Nocturne believes he has his uses. I am slowly starting to feel the same. He is almost as good a tracker as you, and he is a well-trained fighter that is almost as strong as a dragon. You are skilled in combat, though you are a harrier type, while he is the type to take the brunt and continue to dish it out.”]
“A meat shield.”
[“If you wish to put it simply, yes.”] Bloodtail responded, poking the small fire.
“That doesn't make me like him any more.”
[“You are female. The hate of ones like him likely comes naturally. No matter; you asked what I knew about Nocturne's plans before?”]
“Pretty much. I get the gist of it, but I don't trust her.”
[“None of us do, though I am surprised you trust me to risk asking about her.”]
“I don't, but our personal goals are so far apart that we won't even get in each other’s way if we did decide to split. So if shit goes down that doesn't work for us, we can team up for a bit, then go our separate ways with no issue.”
[“Pragmatic.”]
“I'm a mercenary. It's in my nature.”
[“Valid point. Nocturne is rather hesitant to let anyone else see the books, even after all of us risked ourselves to recover them from Tartarus, then from Crystal Empire and the Changeling Hive. Thankfully, I managed to skim through them while she was unconscious and picked up a few things.”]
“Find anything exciting?” Wind Razor questioned, turning her head to start to preen her wings.
[“Quite a bit.”] Bloodtail responded, setting a kettle over the fire. [“The ceremony she speaks of exists, and there are several locations that it can be performed at for maximum benefit to us. The ritual can be performed anywhere, in truth, but the books indicate that a more favorable and more powerful result will need one of the sites.”]
“She had me scout out one of those in the badlands; just looks like some ruins. Crawling with trolls, too.”
[“Trolls are failed users of the ritual. Well, that is how they are created. The beasts can breed true once they are made.”]
“Wait? The ritual makes trolls?”
[“If one is not properly prepared, yes.”]
“How the fuck do we get properly prepared to become gods?”
[“The Elements of Harmony.”]
“That jewelry Scarlet brought back?”
[“Indeed; each book outlines how they perform the ceremony. Each also adds more to the complete picture for a proper ceremony.
The Gray Grimiore tells of the ritual sites. The Red Tome does not mention the sites, though it explains how others aside from the ritual caster can be granted godlike power as well. The Silver Script explains how to perform the ritual without the material components. And finally, the Teal Text explains that the Elements of Harmony are needed to prevent becoming a troll from the ritual rather than a god.”] Bloodtail pulled the tea kettle from the fire, filling a mug and dropping a small bag into it. [“So long as one has the Elements, any of these will make one a god, though all of them will make a stronger god. Luna and Kaisur, according to the book, knew about the ritual site, and Luna at least knew about the effects the ritual could have on others. They seemed to have lucked out on the fact they were Element Bearers. Nocturne wants all of the books so that she might use their power to the fullest and become a true god.”]
“So how the heck does some fancy jewelry stop trollification?”
[“It was not very clear, and I had limited time. Something about they act as filters for the amount of power being channeled and block that which would corrupt mortal, though it did reveal the location of the fifth book just as the others revealed the locations of the next one in line.”]
“Always questioned that. Why didn't we find a book that told the location of one we already found? And how the heck did something locked in the Crystal Empire for nearly two thousand years ago know where something was in a freaking changeling's horde?”
[“Silver Claw claims to have heard tales that the books are alive and will speak with those who utilize them.”]
“Sounds farfetched.”
[“And yet we have already seen stranger with what Kaisur turned into, and with Discordian powers. Magic seems to not care about what we find to be strange.”]
==================================================
“Ye want me tah do what now, yah pudgy lass?” Brier Rose shouts out pointing a hoof at Princess Celestia from the other end of the dining table.
Celestia winced, sending a loaf of bread zipping across the table to shove into the crystal pony’s mouth.
“The insults are bad enough; if you plan to join me for breakfast, you are going to at least pick whether you are going to eat or talk, not try and do both at once. Besides, a friend of mine was killed yesterday, and I am not in the mode for your antics, Rose.” Celestia tried her best not to smile as the crystal pony choked on the bread, flailing about until he finally managed to get it free.
“Yah invited me tah this little meal. And it's nearly dinner, not breakfast, yah lazy bint!” Rose snaps back.
“Well, it was a rather long day yesterday. I had far too much happening to properly sleep.”
“Heard about that. Heck, ah felt it, too. Not a bad bit of work, ye protecting tha guards, but that ain't gonna stop mai being ticked at yah fer all tha years yah left us in limbo.” Briar commented, taking a bite of the bread he was choked with and swallowing it. “So who da yah think did it? Ah figure one of tah ones yer looking fer right now?”
“That is indeed likely the case. That is also what I will need your help for.”
“Flattered that yah think ah'd be able tah track um down, but ah got nah clue about this new age yet, and ah ain't as young as ah used tah be.”
“You are barely in your mid-forties, so sorry if I do not believe that nonsense about you being too old. I had no intentions of sending you after them anyway; there is already a team in the process of doing that.”
“Then what the heck did yah need me fer? Finally planning on telling me who that mysterious descendant is that freaked yah tha buck out?”
“Indeed. I plan to send you to meet him— in the morning, in fact. You will be assisting him in the training of his Guard regiment and adding your own training to his. That should increase the skill of the recruits that are there even further... or kill them... one of those.”
Briar looked at Celestia skeptically. “Alright, whats tha catch lass? ‘Cause yah ain't hiding that grin very well.”
Once spotted, Celestia could not help but let her smile spread wider. “As much as I should not be enjoying this, there is no catch for you. You will be meeting Major Kaisur tomorrow. For the time being, I am placing you in the rank of Major. You will be answerable to the Guard Captains in that position, though I understand you already consider Shining Armor a Prince?”
“Nat a good one, but ah' was working on 'im afore ah left tha empire. He'll do ‘til we get some pony with some stones, or failing that, ‘til ah ken shape him up properly.” Briar leveled the half-eaten bread at Celestia. “So if'n we're both majors, who’s in charge of tha training?”
Celestia's grin grew wider. “I am sure you two will sort that out with no trouble.”
Briar narrowed his eyes, looking at the Princess as if wondering what she was trying to pull. “Alright, but ah got a condition for ye.”
Celestia's ears flattened. Oh, how she missed the days when she could tell a pony to do something and they fell over themselves bowing and scraping to do so. Granted, it was a nice change of pace to have someone to get into an argument with, particularly since Luna had become so docile as of late, but that was not the point now. “And what is that, Major Rose?”
The crystal pony grinned wide. “If'n ah'm gonna be training, ah need a hat.”
=================================================
The clack of the train cars along the track was the only sound she had heard for the last hour. Rarity was rather worried about that fact, though by the same token, it was understandable.
Rhede was sleeping off his medication in the bunk car, having not technically even been released from the hospital yet. That he could even walk considering what had happened to him was a surprise to her.
Starfall was hanging out a window near the back of the train being rather visibly sick. For a pegasus who could do what she did in the air, it was a wonder that she could be laid low by a simple train ride to Canterlot.
Bleu and Fluttershy were in another car speaking with some of the half-dragon troops that were also aboard the train. Jer'rahd let the whole group ride; he evidently planned to have the train stopped to let them out near the barracks. She was half-tempted to go and find that Lion Heart stallion and have a word with him. He would be the perfect model for her if she began making stallions’ clothing.
Big Mac was a dear, but there were only so many things that would go well with his red coat. Black fur, however, everything went with. It didn't hurt that he had the whole “tall, dark, and handsome” bit down pat, though the scales were a bit distracting. Perhaps she could come up with something to hide or take attention from them? Well, she would look into that later. She didn't mind them, but one had to consider the customer base. Half-dragons were rarely well received.
Pinkie Pie and Dusty were in the car with Lord Talon's body. It unnerved her to see her friend like this, though there was really nothing that she could think of to comfort the pink pony. Rarity was not even sure why Pinkie Pie was so distraught over someone she only met once dying.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Velkorn were in the same car as she was, though aside from a bit of small talk, it had been just the noise of the train’s movements the entire trip so far, although Applejack did look like she wanted to ask the zebra something.
Velkorn, however, seemed to be doing her best to not glare at Rainbow Dash, who was giving her best “I don't give a crap what you say” look back in response. Best not to bother them and accidentally start something.
Jer'rahd and Twilight had cleared a car near the back and were evidently doing some sort of training. He had offered the same sort of training to Rarity, but she had declined. She expected that anything the gray unicorn was going to teach had to do with building muscle. While having some clearly defined muscles was never a bad thing, Rarity was quite content with her delicate form. Twilight might be able to use a little more bulk, though; nothing but reading and spells clearly could not be good for her in the long run.
====================================================
“GAHHH!!!” Twilight screamed out, clutching her head as the Brilliant Dawn fell with a clatter to the floor of the train car.
“I told you it would hurt. It took me a few months of doing that to be able to stand it. Took me even longer just to be able to pick the stupid dagger up the first time,” Jer'rahd stated as Twilight whimpered. “On the plus side, you can already carry the blade about with ease, so there's no need to work on that. Now try it again.”
The purple unicorn cursed lightly, standing back up and forming a shield. She slowly lifted the Brilliant Dawn up again and steeled herself as she jabbed the blade into the shield with much the same result. The sword clanged to the ground again.
“Buck it! I cannot do this.”
“Take a break. You already are doing it for the most part, Sparkle, though it will take time. Are you instantly good with a spell the moment you learn it?”
Twilight exhaled deeply. “No, but...”
“Put it this way as well; you can hold a star metal blade with your magic—a weapon made out of a metal that negates or dulls magic around it—and still cast spells. There are only four spell wielders I have ever known who can do that with this metal: me, Princess Luna, you, and Cyan Sparkle. I am assuming you are descended from him?”
“That's what Celestia said. She has books of important family lines tucked away in the library. Not a direct line like Dash is to Starfall, but close enough. And there's six then.”
“Six?”
“Who can use a star metal weapon with magic. My brother had this sword before me and Princess Celestia helped the blue dragon goddess’s consort, Rahs, make this blade to counter yours. I am fairly certain she can wield it.”
“Your brother, I can believe, but until that mare shows me she can do more than imprison ponies and whine, I won't believe she can do anything combat-oriented.”
“What about when she went after Discord?”
“Not that I would call Princess Luna a liar, but I don't believe that happened the way she said.”
“Gahh! What is your problem with Princess Celestia? Everything you do seems to be designed to antagonize her or torment her.
Why?”
“You read my story. You tell me.”
“There is no clear information on that— just a gradual dislike that went into hatred. You started out revering her as much as Princess Luna.”
He trotted over to his bag and pulled out a new book, then tossed it to her with his magic. Twilight caught it and flipped it open. The only thing in the entire book was Lord Talon's name, his homeland of Winterfall Aerie, and the date of his death.
“What the heck is this?”
“You watched my story. You should have seen me fill out books like that before.”
Twilight considered remembering one of the books she found before Celestia sent her the scrying spell and the Waning Moon.
“You're making another list of those that died under your command?”
“I never stopped making the old one. I spent perhaps the last day before I was turned to stone filling out a list of all those of the Lunar Republic who died before I defected, or because of it. That alone filled a book.”
“What does this have to do with Celestia?”
“All those names, all those deaths could have easily been prevented if Celestia got off her flank and did something directly instead of delegating it to others. The First Dragon War, she let the enemy come to her in Canterlot and simply trapped him. The war of the north with the Griffons, if she had gone up there and dealt with it, no one would have died, including my father and Starfall's husband. The Bone Hound incursion, the war of the Zebra Lands, the Second Dragon War, even the War of Night. If she had actually led as she was supposed to instead of getting others to do it for her, there would not be a damned name in any of those lists I have made, let alone seven books’ worth, and that's just the ones lost under my command.”
“She could have been killed; star metal was running rampant back in that time.”
“A leader who is not willing to face death and the results of their own decisions has no right to allow others to do it for her. It is one of the reasons I lead from the front of every battle.”
“You didn't have a country to run that would allow you to get away to do something like that. What would Equestria have done if she
died?”
“Moved on. New gods would have been born if she failed, just like in every other race. If she is too damned scared to do what is needed to save her subjects on her own, then she should not be delegating them.”
“That is not a fair assumption of her and you know it.”
“You asked what my problem was with her, Sparkle, and I told you. Fair or not, that is my view of things. The only time I have ever seen her do anything was when we imprisoned Luna and when we fought in the garden, and even then, all she did was let ponies die while she tried to contain the escapees.”
“She is supposed to be the Goddess of Peace as well as the Sun.”
“And Luna is the Goddess of War. I am aware of this, Sparkle, but she strives for the impossible when everyone told her it could not be done and fails. That is the definition of stupidity to keep doing the same thing and expecting it to change. What was it that finally achieved peace, Sparkle? What fended off war and conflict for you corn-fed ponies for the past thousand years? It sure as buck was not skilled negotiation or a ‘can't we all just get along’ tree hugging crap. It was a war and a display of power that scared every other nation into actually listening to what she had to say. A false knowledge that she had the power to defeat the monsters that every nation feared and none could touch. They feared the power that beat Nightmare Moon and her generals, not her skills at politics,”
Jer'rahd ranted, glaring at Twilight, the red light in his eye flickering brightly. The light slowly faded as he collected himself. “Sorry.”
“I didn't expect that.”
“You asked why I treat her like shit, and there's your answer: because I think she deserves it.”
“I still say you are wrong.”
“When she proves it to me that she had a damned good reason for letting all those ponies die in her name, then I might stop, but not until then. That's enough of a rest; pick up the sword and let's start again.”
=======================================================
Spike looked up at the massive red dragon sprawled out on the cavern floor, cursing quite loudly to itself. “Bad time of it, I gather?” he quipped, looking up from the book on the table before him.
“I do not need your mindless prattle added to what I already endured,” Silver Claw growled.
Spike shrugged. “You look like you got in a fight and lost. Have a falling out with your friends?”
“It is none of your concern, whelp,” Silver Claw growled, pushing himself back up to a sitting position. Nocturne was in a secure location tending her own wounds, and he had come back here to rest and to keep an eye on the whelp’s progress. “I am more concerned with how far along in your studies you are.”
“I finished the language book yesterday. Sort of helpful, but so far, nothing I have read was written in draconic, so there was not much point of it.”
“Nothing...? All of it is written in draconic.” Silver Claw turned his head, looking down at the dragonling at the table with his one good eye, noting a large pile of pony-sized books next to him.
“Where did you get those?”
“I found a pile of them in a closet over next to the book shelves. I was looking for a book on who Cindervale traded with primarily and who they were allied with, and I stumbled across it and a few other books of interest.”
“Impossible. There were no closets or pony books here...” Silver Claw looked down at Spike before picking up one of the dragon books and flipping through the pages, his eye narrowing. The book was written in pony. He checked another one, then another.
They were all written in pony. NONE of them should have been in anything but draconic, and they were all in pony.
He stretched out, yanking a book from the shelf and looking it over. It was an old legend about how a pony god was able to turn anything he touched to gold—a classic fable on the perils of wishes, written in Draconic. He pushed aside the books on the table and set it before the small dragon, who looked up at him with a bit of annoyance and fear.
“Read this.”
Spike looked it over, flipping a page or two. “What does an old fable about Prince Midas have to do with anything?”
Silver Claw snatched the book back up to look. It was now written in pony. This was... interesting. He dropped the book to the side and looked over the books on the shelf, smiling slightly as he caught on to what was happening, though he needed to be sure.
“Whelpling, find me a book on the Love-Cursed Queen.”
“Who?”
“Queen Chrysalis.”
“Oh... I think I saw one around here, though why can't you get it yourself?”
“Humor me.”
“Fine.”
Spike trundled over to the bookshelf as Silver Claw watched him carefully. The small dragon moved around the staircase of books and yelped as he tripped over the corner of one of the tomes, sending the whole pile down on top of his head. Silver Claw winced and dug him out.
“Gah, first time that’s happened…” Spike cursed, holding a pony-sized book in one hand and rubbing his head with the other.
“What is that?”
“Huh?” Spike looked down at the book in his hand. “Queen Crystal, a biography...”
Spike opened it up and flipped through a few pages. “Hey, this is just like that book that Twilight found in the Crystal Empire... though a great deal more in depth... It's about Chrysalis before she became the changeling queen...”
Silver Claw smiled wide, his fangs being bared, making the little dragonling even more nervous.
“What... why are you smiling?”
“Wisp Wing... your ability is the same as hers... incredible. I was unaware I could be this fortunate.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing that should concern you, whelping, though suffice to say I have been proven correct in believing you were a god.”
“Well, that makes one of us.”
Silver Claw smiled. Wisp Wing was a god of information; it was said there was nothing written or drawn that she could not find and view, no matter where she was. There were no pony sized books in this library, and no tome in this place contained any information on the Love-Cursed Queen. She was considered part of pony history, not dragon, and there were certainly no books ever written about her that would be here.
“So here’s something I found out…” Spike stated, disrupting the larger dragon’s train of thought.
“What is that?”
“We could contact a few of the other races and get support for the rebuilding of the dragon empire without involving Canterlot at all.
The Diamond Dogs and several Griffon gods supported the Empire. Since its destruction, most of them have been on the down swing. A bit of negotiation could have some of the smaller factions supporting the rebuild as well, like the Harpies, the Minotaur, and the Rams. All of them suffered a great deal because of Cindervale's fall. Heck, I bet there’s even a few tribes of orcs running about that would be willing to help. With that much support, Equestria couldn't touch the rebuilding effort, and all of those races would benefit from the Dragon Empire’s return.”
Silver Claw raised a brow. This whelping was faster on the uptake that he was expecting. Still, it was not really a surprise, considering what god power he had.
“That is not a bad suggestion. The only issue is right now, there is no set guarantee it would work. Our race has become barbaric nomads. It would take a massive show of power to cow them into following a ruler enough to rebuild. It is not something either of us is currently capable of. Cindervale only existed because all of the dragon gods agreed it was the best for the race. The other gods that exist now would likely not even part with a single gem from their horde to help. When one fears nothing, one does not see the reason to join together to be stronger, not to mention the races that help us would think we owe them for a long time afterwards.”
“We would owe them, but we wouldn't need to obey them. And if the dragons did not fear anything, why do they still migrate? All it took to get them to do that was one dragonling not much older than me telling them to,” Spike retorted.
“Hmmm. Keep in mind, young one, that only happened after three of their gods had been killed and our race as a whole was being systematically wiped out by ponies. That is a greater fear than anything we could ever hope to achieve. To that end, it is small wonder they still run.”
=================================================================
The gathered troops stared dejectedly at Jer'rahd as he got off the train with them, along with Bleu. Most had hoped the situation and summons by the Princess would give them a day or so of rest while their instructors went to Canterlot.
They clearly did not know Jer'rahd very well.
Dusty also got off the train before it was sent along its way, though her expression was unreadable. It seemed as though Breezy had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her, however.
“Alright, stow your gear and be back here in ten for today's training. Just because there's crap going down doesn't mean you are going to slack any,” Bleu shouted as Jer'rahd trotted over to the supply wagons and dug through the crates.
The guards scattered as the gray unicorn yanked a large box from the pile with his magic, floating it to the center of the field and ripping the top off. Bleu fluttered over and took a look inside the crate curiously.
“So this was the plan, Boss? Sorta clever... oh right, sorry… Anyway, you think they are worn out enough?” Bleu questioned, ignoring the glare the unicorn gave her.
“They got more rest than I wanted them to yesterday, but after all that's happened, they should be tired and emotionally worn as well.”
“Well some of them are, anyway. We gonna be alright ignoring Celestia's summons like this?”
“We have a job to do. If it's important, Rhede will fill us in,” Jer'rahd said.
“Actually, he vill not have to, since I am here to do dhat,” stated a voice standing right next to the pair.
Jer'rahd and Bleu leaped back away from the crate and the scarred zebra mare looking into the chess sets within, a rather large unlit cigar hanging from the corner of her mouth. She was dressed in a Royal Guard uniform, though it was devoid of any rank. Her dark, sandy-blond mane and tail were slicked back, leaving her piercing green eyes to look from the crate’s contents to the pair.
“Chess sets, ehh? Planing on teaching dhe basic points of strategy, I see. Too bad; I had doubts about you, though dhe Princess vas quite adamant,” the zebra stated looking at Bleu curiously. “Little one, how about helping me out vith a light, jah?”
Bleu stared at the mare curiously as she held out her cigar.“Errr I’m not a fire breather…”
“Really? Pity dhat; might have been fun having a portable lighter. Ah vell.”
“Who the heck are you?”
“Vhat? Feh, she said you had no respect for authority... Then again, I am in my sniper check uniform. Ah vell, it vill be forgiven just this once. I am Guard Captain Hospice Moskau. You vill call me ‘sir’.”
“What are you doing here?” Jer'rahd muttered getting a rather angry look from the zebra.
“Dhat is one. I am here to bring the new addition of the troops for you to train. Zhe zebra nation contingent has arrived. There vill be fifteen more to add to your ranks, four of dhem casters,” Hospice replied. “It has been a vhile since ve had any decent zebra casters, still much stigma vith them.”
“Bullshit. I already have enough crap going on without adding more rookies to this contingent.”
“Dhat is two. You are not being given a choice in dhis matter, Major, dhough ve are giving you a new instructor to help vid dhe work. Major Rose shall assist you.”
“Forget it. Like anyone that limp-hooved pasty pale pathetic pony princess provides will be able to show anyone how to dig a hole, let alone know which end of the sword is the pointy one. Take the sod back to Celestia and tell her where to stick it,” Jer'rahd snarled.
Neither Jer'rahd nor Bleu saw the zebra even move as Jer'rahd was suddenly slammed into the side of the cart he had gotten the crate from hard enough to splinter the wood. The mare had one hoof pressed against the unicorn’s chest. Her other hoof was hat his throat, sheathed in a metal covering with a steel blade at the end that was pressing into the pony’s skin. As far as they could tell, she had not been carrying any weapons at all a moment before.
“Dhat is dhree. Allow me to inform you of your situation: you may have been hot shit in dhe past, got away with a number of dhings, but you are in my house now, little pony, and you vill follow my orders. Not everyone in the Royal Guard is a soft pampered little priss. Dhe ones guarding dhe castle are nobles’ foals, coddled little dhings. Dhe Princess may not have a standing army, but dhere are some of us who still do dhe dirty work of removing monsters who overstep dhere bounds. Most of dhe ones you have in dis little exercise of yours could have gone to my personal division, but dhe Princess said to put dhem here so you can have your little 42nd again, so I did. You are vasting my time and yours vith dhis braggart bullshit. I am your superior officer, and so help me, if you forget dhat one more time, I vill end you faster dhan a fat pony ends a cupcake.”
Jer'rahd's eyes widened, but he grinned, baring fangs and pushing up off the cart with his hooves, an unusually crazed look in his eyes. The mare did not move the blade even after the point of it pierced Jer'rahd's neck. Both his eyes started to glow red.
“Go ahead and do it, then. Do everypony a favor and kill another monster... if you can manage it,” Jer'rahd growled, his blood running down the mare’s blade, neither of them so much as flinching from the locked gaze.
“BOSS! Calm the fuck down. HEEL!!” Bleu shouted.
Jer'rahd blinked again, the glow fading from his eyes as he pulled his head back, un-piercing his throat from the zebra's blade.
“What...? Right, sorry....”
“Jeez... Boss, what the buck was that?”
“Zhis little pony has a death vish and something in him dhat vants out quite badly.” Guard Captain Moskau flicked the blade, letting Jer'rahd’s blood splatter on the ground. “If it comes down to it, colt, I ken very much end you. Ve have been informed of your situation and ve are setting up countermeasures. Your group is allowed to head dhis because you know how to train ponies for var. My division knows monsters, however, Kaisur: Hydra, Leviathan, chimera, demon, and more. Do you really dhink dhat you stopped dhe entire garden from escaping on your own?”
“Does everyone know who the buck I am around here?” Jer'rahd growled, receiving another glare from the zebra.
“Only dhe important ones. And you vill address me as a superior officer, Kaisur.”
“You had a sword in my neck a moment ago, and you want me to call you ‘sir’?”
“To be honest, Boss, you did that yourself. She just didn't move. Sorta impressive and creepy on both sides of it,” Bleu muttered.
“Did you need a doctor dhen?”
Jer'rahd reached up, wiping away the blood on his throat with a hoof. The wound had already healed over. “No, he won't let me die that easily,” Jer'rahd grumbled. A light cough from Bleu made him glance up to the zebra again. “Errrr, sir.”
“Better, dhough you need to work on dhat. I have changed my mind, dhough. I vas going to let Nicker handle dhis, but I dhink I shall keep you under my division. You are crazy, suicidal, and disrespectfully violent; but dhen, we are never gonna survive unless ve get a little crazy.” Guard Captain Moskau grinned at that like it was some sort of inside joke. “Still, you have a job to do, and dhe training is needed. Dhankfully, Major Rose is also skilled in combat situations, dhough from my understanding, he is more of dhe guerrilla warrior type dhen the soldier type.”
“Guerrilla warrior tactics? What the heck is dhat? Errrr that?” Bleu asked, ducking behind the cart before the zebra thought she was making fun of her accent.
“AMBUSH AN’ SURPRISE TACTICS!” shouted a voice from behind them, before Jer'rahd was hit with something resembling a log and sent tumbling across the parade field to crash into a archery target.
“BULLSEYE!”
“Oh... I see,” Bleu commented as the troops all rushed up to see what the commotion was. Spotting Guard Captain Moskau, all of them suddenly snapped to attention. Bleu looked from them to the white crystalline pony who was watching the rubble Jer'rahd had created on impact.
Major Briar Rose grinned as he cracked his neck and stretched, standing upright on his rear legs, putting most of his weight on a massive wooden pole that was twice as tall as he was and at least a thick around as a barrel. He wore no armor or saddlebags, and his cutie mark was clearly visible as a dark spear across his flank. Not to say he was unclothed: a wide-brimmed brown fedora that matched Jer'rahd's instructor’s hat rested on his head with a rank pin of Major on it. Unlike Jer'rahd's hat, however, this one was clearly new and did not have any cuts in the brim.
The troops looked from him, then over to Jer'rahd as he stood up, flinging a pile of training equipment off of himself and adjusting his own hat, glaring at the crystal pony from under the brim.
“You hit me with a tree? That's how you greet ponies?” he snarled.
“Nope, just ye, lad. That bloated sack of whale meat sitting on tha throne said we should work out, which oh us is in charge of this place, considerin’ we're both tha same rank an’ all. I figure a good spar'd be tha best way.”
“You spar with a tree trunk?” Bleu questioned.
“Not preferably, but it's tha closest thing ta tha way mine spear is. Mai spear’s little shorter and not as thick as tha log, but tha logs lighter tah balance that out.”
“I am sick of being blindsided by all this crap. You wanna spar for who runs this, then let’s go,” Jer'rahd snarled. He grabbed a training sword from the rack he landed on and rushed the crystal pony.
The crystal pony grinned, shifting and guiding the log with his hooves rapidly slamming and lifting it up, trying to crush the gray unicorn as he came close. Jer'rahd bounced around, dodging the attacks or deflecting them with a shield to let the massive log hit the earth, kicking up clouds of dirt and dust.
Rose narrowed his eyes as the dust cloud built up enough to obscure his vision. He yankd the log back, rearing up on his back legs, the log yup right ready to smash Jer'rahd as he came out of the smoke.
“Ye can't hide in tha dust ferevea; ye canna dodge ferevea either, colt,” Rose quipped.
“Who's dodging, you geriatric old fart?” Jer'rahd snapped.
Rose looked up as the unicorn pony let go of the top of the log where he had been clinging and dropped down, smashing the wooden sword against the crystal pony’s back. He growled as the weapon shattered against the rock-like hide of the pony before he rolled away and grabs another sword with his magic.
“One for one.” Jer'rahd quipped.
Rose grinned wide, his eyes dancing in glee. Bleu slapped her forehead, recognizing the look as the same one Jer'rahd got when he was fighting.
“Oh crap... we are gonna be here all day,” the dragonling grumbled as the sparing pair readied to rush each other again.
“Hold my hat,” the two ponies stated at the same time, tossing their respective instructor hats to Bleu.
=================================================
“Might I inquire as to where Bleu and Kaisur are at the moment?” Celestia stated, looking down at the body laid out in the throne room with a bit of strain in her voice.
“They got off the train, along with the troops at the training grounds,” Rarity replied. “Bleu is supposed to fly him here when they are set up.”
“Ahh, I see. So I shall not be expecting them today. That is fine; I am not in a mood to deal with him right now, anyway.” Celestia lifted her head from the body of Lord Talon and looked around. “Where is Pinkie Pie?”
“Umm, she's out in the garden… she saw what happened to, ummm, Lord Talon here and is not exactly taking it very well,” Fluttershy piped in.
Celestia sighed, looking over the remaining Beasts of the Moon and the current Element Bearers who were present. Her gaze lifted, meeting Luna's eyes as her sister trotted into the room as well. This was likely as good as she was going to get for this information. She gestures to the Guards around the body with a sigh. “Take him to the Griffon embassy. Tell them we will provide them with an honor escort to return him back to his homeland. Please let me know their response.”
The guards nodded and lifted the litter holding the griffon god’s body and troted out of the throne room with it. The door closed behind them with a hollow, echoing thud. Celestia's horn glowed, masking the entire throne room in a ward of protection from spying. She sighed, looking at the ones gathered with a grim expression. Celestia hated to think it had come to this again after only a thousand years, but conflict seemed unavoidable. The six escapees—two of which were gods, and a group that could kill them, all with something against Equestria—and the changelings, on top of Sombra were a threat, and needed to be treated as such..
“I have called you here today because Canterlot has been attacked. Judging by your expressions, you have all heard this already,” the Princess of the Sun stated as she paced before the gathered group, her eyes running to Rhede as he attempted to sit without showing any pain, and to Velkorn, who looked both worried and angry at the earth pony.
“That is what the public knows, and that is all the public will know. The Guard Captains and your two groups, however, will know the truth: the Elements of Harmony have been stolen.”
The sounds of disbelief and shock from the five current bearers came as she expected, though the three former bearers did not seem to be as concerned. That was also expected. She did not, however, expect Luna to look so pissed by the revelation.
“Sister… you kept the artifacts in the least defended location in all of Canterlot—a place where they have been stolen from three times now. What exactly have thou been thinking all this time? At least the building is gone so you won't be tempted to do it again,” Luna snorted.
“The Order was unexpected, Discord unavoidable, and this recent theft is the first proper one we have had in seven thousand years, sister. I would say that the defenses are quite adequate. The Elements sat on a statue in the open in the forest for a thousand years with nopony so much as looking at them cross eyed. They are little more than jewelry to anyone other than their chosen wielders or someone they are a threat too. They cannot be destroyed, nor hidden forever. I could have left them on a table in the middle of Canterlot and the results would have been the same.”
“The escapees took them, however,” Rhede commented.
“That's what I don't get: what good would the Elements do against them? I mean there's no reason to target them specifically. A unicorn with a cockatrice spell is a bigger danger to them than all of us using the Elements,” Twilight stated.
“Maybe there just tryin' tah be cautious?”AJ commented.
“Princess, out of all of us, you had the most contact with the books. Can you shed any light on this?” Starfall commented, looking to Luna.
“I am afraid not. While I communicated with the books often as Nightmare Moon, they never stated anything about the Elements of Harmony. They did, however, wish me to find the other books; it was my plan once Canterlot fell. Perhaps they found out about how I was defeated with the Elements, and that is why they took them— to prevent such an event.”
“That is a reasonable assumption, sister, though I cannot shake the feeling there is more to it,” Celestia mused.
“Princess Celestia, did you still have Discord's Book of the Blue?” Rhede questioned. “There may still be something there.”
“No. That book was destroyed when the Red Tome and Gray Grimiore were sealed in Tartarus. It was the only one that could be destroyed of the three, and even that took two days in a super heated forge. Discord's book did not speak much about the books anyway; it was primarily idiotic rambling and a small bit about the Elements.”
“That book was what had the information on how to cure Luna. I think Discord wanted to use the Elements on himself for some
reason,” Rhede pointed out.
“Well, they were used on him. Twice, in fact, so if that's what he wanted…” Rarity piped in.
“If we still had the Elements, I would suggest waking him up to find out what he knows. That is not an option right now,” Starfall muttered.
“I would not consider it an option even if we did have the Elements,” Celestia snapped quickly before regaining her composure. “In any event, we have no idea what their next move might be, and as such, we are unable to make a move of our own.”
“Not entirely true, Princess,” Twilight said with a glimmer in her eyes as she looked back at the bag with the items recovered from the clearing that remained in the room. “We might not know what they are doing right now, but we can learn everything they have done up to this point.”
==========================================================
A battered blue unicorn lay on her side, tied to a dead tree by a length like a dog on a leash, her hooves bound up tight as well. Bloodtail, Wind Razor, and Claymore stood not far away on the hill, looking down on ruins half-reclaimed by the desert below them.
“So this is it, huh? A ghost town on the border is where the book's supposed to be?” Claymore grumbled as Bloodtail nods.
[“This is the location that the Silver Script gave, though this was supposed to be a thriving town.”]
“The book was lost in a dragon’s horde for who knows how long. The damn thing may not even be here anymore. There's a couple of buildings still relatively intact though; we should check those first,” Wind Razor observed.
“Sounds good. Let’s get this over with, get the damn thing, and get back before anything else happens. I've got a bad feeling.” Claymore muttered.
“You probably picked something up from that new toy of yours. Who knows where she's been?” Wind Razor snapped before taking off.
“No respect for her superiors...” Claymore growled, trotting down the hill towards the town with Bloodtail.
==================================================
“YOU CALL THAT A HIT, YOU WANNA-BE DOOR STOP?!” Jer'rahd shouted, dodging a blow from the massive training weapon of Briar Rose.
“IT COUNTED AS A HIT, YA WHINY BINT. AH DIDNA REALIZE YA WANTED ME TO TRY AND KILL YAH!”
Bleu and Guard Captain Moskau watched the battle with greatly-faded interest. The troops had already moved off to set up chess boards and start playing at Bleu's direction. A few of them protested the exercise as a waste of time.
“Chess is a game of strategy. If you can think several moves ahead of your opponents in a game, you can manage to do it on the battlefield. The rules of battle change, but the principle remains the same.” Bleu paused as the fighting pair thundered past, still hurling insults at each other. “Not everything in combat is about being stronger or more skilled than the enemy; a great deal of it is being smarter, too— countering moves they make with your own in order to win. This game helps build that mindset of thinking ahead.”
There were a few mutters of agreement, though still a few protests as the whole section of gathered troops dodged aside when the duelists rampaged through their midst again.
“Look, if you don't know how to play, the ones that do will show you, or you can just read the directions on the boxes. I want all of you to keep score, win or lose; I want the name of who you played against, as well. Then, I want you to find another partner to play in the next match. Every one of you needs to have played against everyone else by the end of the day. Even with the addition of the zebra troops, we have an odd number of participants, so the Guard Captain Moskau here will be filling in the odd spot.” The zebra mare's grin made a number of the troops flinch.
“Now here's the good part: The overall winner of this little tourny will get to sleep in and skip morning PT tomorrow. Sure, that puts an unfair advantage on the ones who know how to play, but that gives incentive for the rest of you to learn.” Bleu grinned wide, which caused the rest of the troops to flinch. “Just for the record, this is the PT after a day of rest, so suffice to say, it's not going to be pretty, especially considering whoever loses this little duel here is the one whose gonna be in charge when the training starts, and you know they are gonna be in a foul mood.”
Bleu finished with a grin as a cart exploded behind her, accompanied by more shouting from the two Majors.
================================================================
“You found anything yet?” Wind Razor asked.
“No,” Claymore snapped.
“How ‘bout you?”
[“Not a thing,”] Bloodtail replied. [“Have you found something, Claymore?”].
“I said I ain't found shit!” shouted the pissed-off earth pony.
Having looked over all the ruins and dug through a number of buildings, nothing of any importance—or even anything that was salvageable—was found aside from sand, ruined structures, and old bones.
[“I am not even sure what could have done this. The place only seems to have weathered a sand storm or two since no life was here. It has been perhaps two or three years tops if the weather patterns here are the same as the zebra lands this place borders.”]
Claymore crouched, looking down at a skeleton with a grumble and reached out a hoof, knocking some sand loose from it. He noted the claw and tooth marks in the dried-out bones. He considered a moment, then sighed.
“Trolls.”
“Hmm? Are you sure?” Wind Razor questioned, looking at the bones. “Could just be wild dogs or something that chewed on them.”
“I served at the wall for most of my life, bird. I fought against, and with, packs of trolls. I know the marks their teeth make on flesh and bone. If the structures were any more intact, there would likely be claw marks across certain places where they sharpened their claws or just marked their territory. Nasty brutish things, trolls. They're like the bastard offspring of Diamond Dogs and some sort of rock lizard that's mother was a goat.”
“Trolls? Why the heck would they have been here? I though they stayed in mountains and jungles, not deserts,” Wind Razor commented.
“Birdy, there's a type of troll for every damn terrain there is. The buckers are attracted to old places, too. If there’s ruins, there's trolls.”
[“There were no trolls in the ruins we were staying at.”] Bloodtail pointed out.
“No clue about that. Musta been something to do with the former owners,” Claymore grumbled. “Not even any troll signs.”
[“In either case, if there are trolls and ruins about here, it may be the location of the book.”] Bloodtail stated, looking about. [“The Silver Script had some information on trolls, though the connection was unclear.”]
Wind Razor looked at Bloodtail curiously, though a small smirk crosses her beak. No sense in letting that idiot know everything.
Claymore's ears perked up at the sound of a scream. “Shit.”
The other two looked at him as the earth pony galloped off back towards their camp. They look at each other and shrugged before starting to follow.
=================================================
“Ya sure about this, Twilight? This is kinda grisly...” Applejack asked, looking down at the severed wing, the bloody scales, and dagger shards resting on the low table before them.
“No; I'm not even sure it will work on anything other than the daggers,” Twilight responded, looking at Celestia. “I don't suppose you know, Princess? It is your spell.”
“I have never considered trying it on once-living things— only objects. Though it does work on locks of hair, so I suppose it should work... though those items were freely given.”
“Does something like that matter to the spell?” Rhede questioned.
“Normally, it should not, but I am unaware if there will be some sort of blocking spell around the group. So far, Nocturne has proven to be one step ahead of us, and I would not put it past her to be so shielded.”
“Better to start with the daggers, then, Twilight. Perhaps we can find out where she got them and go from there,” Starfall offered.
“That sounds like a plan. Alright, Princess, would you mind helping me in this?” Twilight asked. “We can speed this up with more ponies looking. Sorry, Rarity, but I am not sure I will have time to teach it to you.”
“I can do that, Twilight.” Celestia nods.
“Quite alright, darling. I simply hope you find something useful.” Rarity responded.
Luna frowned. “You did not plan to ask me, Sparkle?”
“No offense, Princess, but somepony needs to keep an eye on things if Princess Celestia is busy. From what I have found out, you seem to do better in times of conflict than your sister.”
“She does have a point, Lulu. Since you have returned, you have gotten more of a reaction from the noble houses with less effort than I do. There will likely be a great deal of information to sift though, and there is little time left to do it.” Celestia sighed, looking over the gathered ponies.
The Princess of the Sun flattened her ears and inhales deeply before speaking. “Here is what is going to happen: the day court duties will be added to the night court until Twilight and I have finished. Rhede, Starfall, and Velkorn, you will continue to aid Kaisur in what he is doing, along with assistance from Guard Captain Moskau and Major Rose. However, I have other tasks for you, too. Starfall, you will be aiding my sister in making sure the court runs smoothly. Do not think I forgot how well you and Rhede did while I was indisposed. Miss Rarity, if you would help the pair of them, they may need your knowledge of nobility and royalty of this era. Lulu is a fast learner, but the day court is not the same as the one held at night.” The white unicorn bowed and Starfall nodded.
“Velkorn, you and Rainbow Dash will accompany the Wonderbolts and a Royal Guard unit in returning Lord Talon's body to the griffon lands. I understand that you have acquaintances there, Dash, and Velkorn being a zebra may indeed ease some of the repercussions if she is to deliver the news. You must also inform them of his daughter’s decision to stay in such a way as it does not look as if we are holding her. We do not need a conflict with the griffons at this point. Give them any information they wish about the ones responsible, but leave out anything about who you are.”
[I do not tell you how to rule; do not tell me how to delegate. I may not be as skilled as Rhede, but I am in no way a novice,”] Velkorn snorted.
“Actually, you did tell me how to rule— for several months, in fact, after I was injured. Rhede, I am giving you full access to the royal libraries, including the restricted wings and the collections of any noble or personal individual you see fit. We need anything at all about the books, preferably any hints of rumors that may exist of anyone encountering them, no matter how miniscule. I also want you to do any research you can on the Elements themselves and make contacts to try and find them. “
“I'm not going to find anything here; I've already checked all the old books in Canterlot… even the ones in lockdown... Don't give me that look. I was your regent for a while; I had the authority. My best bet is to head to the Crystal Empire and see what they have there. According to Bleu, their library has a number of things she's never seen before, and she did just as much checking on things as I did. Also, I want to bring Miss Pie with me. She likely needs a vacation, and considering her actions in the Empire the last time, she is a local hero. With luck, that will cheer her up a bit. If we get the Elements back, we need a non-depressed Element of Laughter.”
“Fine. I will see to it that transport is made available to you. Fluttershy, your task is much the same, though more suited to your skills. I would like you to speak with your animal friends and see if they might have heard something about the ones we are looking for. They escapees spent a long time in the Everfree Forest; perhaps one of them might have seen something.”
“I... I'll do my best, Princess.”
“Applejack, I know it is close to being time for your harvest, so I have a different task for you that will keep you in Ponyville. “
“An’ what's that, Princess?” AJ asked.
“You need to be in the town as much as you can, working with the Mayor and the Guards stationed there. The citizens of Ponyville trust you. I have someone there now who will act as need be if there is a situation, but your presence will keep the townsfolk much calmer than someone I send.”
“Alright, who's this pony that you have there?”
“She will reveal herself if the need arises, but she prefers to remain hidden. I have no idea where she gets that from... likely her father.”
“Do what?”
“Never mind; Sunshine will be there if anything happens. If you need help with your harvest due to your brother’s injuries and the situation in town, have Kaisur bring his trainees down there to help. I will have a messenger on standby for you all in case you need to get a message back to me or we need to pass something on to you. We will all need to work as quickly as we can. We all know what we must do; Starfall, I trust you will inform Jer'rahd and Bleu that they should focus on the training over everything else for now.”
“Not a problem.” Starfall nodded.
“Then let us get started.”
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“You cheated, you know.” Jer'rahd cursed, glaring up at the crystal pony.
“An’ how tha buck do thee consider this cheating?” Rose smirked looking down at the unicorn.
Jer'rahd cursed again, struggling to get out from underneath the rather large tree that Major Rose had kicked over atop of him while they were sparring. The unicorn pony was still flailing about trying to get out from under the fallen tree, but every time he tried to lift it with magic, Rose bounced up and down on it and disrupted any concentration Jer'rahd had gathered by repeatedly squishing him.
“You hit me with a tree.”
“All's fair in war.”
“This was a spar.”
“Same thing, not like ya canna take it lad. Thine is a rather tough one, had me on the ropes a few times. Bit of a monster thou are.”
“Says the pony who broke four training swords with his face.”
“Yah, well, us crystal ponies are a lil' tougher, anyway. Ah ken see the relation, though. Clearly one a’ tha brood.”
“What?”
“The pompous royal windbag dinna tell yah? Yer onea mine, somthin akin to a five greats grand kids down tha line. Tha dark sister went on about tha family line right down tah yer gran-ma being a Vermillion Rose. 'Lestia went a bit nuts bout then.”
“My grandmother’s name wasn't Vermillion. Her last name might have been Rose though, her first name was Thistle.”
“Yah sure about that, lad? Tha mad pony on tha throne seemed sure it was.”
“Positive. I used to have a picture with my family’s names on the back. I did a great deal of research on them as well, and I didn't find out anything about a Rose family.”
“Actually, Boss, rocky here's got the right of it,“ Bleu stated, trotting up with a low whistle at the oak tree still laying atop Jer'rahd.
“Damn, Boss, are you alright? That sucker looks heavy.”
“I am fairly sure my spine’s snapped a few times, but it's this lout who is making it hard to get out from under here,” Jer snarled.
“Bah, yah had a knife in yer throat and barely flinched. Quit yer bellyaching. S'why ah was able tah cut loose on ye.” Rose smirked.
“ Now whatcha talkin’ about, lizard?”
“Your grandparents moved to Ponyville after the war and changed their names to Kaisur. That translates to old Draconic as ‘guardian’ or ‘protector’, just as Silver Claw said. The pair of them were heroes of the war, and they were afraid if they remained well-known, the remnants of the dragon army would find them and kill them and their son, your father. Vermillion Rose was your grandmother’s real name.”
“So when did you plan to tell me this, Bleu?”
“I didn't. You said yourself it doesn't matter anymore who your family was. It only mattered who they were to you. I mean, I can tell you, but I doubt you will like it. In any case, if the Guard Captain is right, this chunk of mobile stone is your ancestor, or something like that.”
“So the daft bat wasn't fully gone outta her 'ead ehh? Good tah know.” Rose nodded. He hopped off the tree and kicked it with both rear hooves, rolling it off Jer'rahd and sending it crashing back into the forest. Jer'rahd stood up and shook himself loose of the dirt and dust he had accumulated in the fight. “Damnit colt; all that, and ye ain't got a scratch. If ah hadna just kicked thine flank across tha landscape, ah'd be a bit afraid o'yah.”
“Why not? About the only thing I’m afraid of is me. Why should you be any different?” Jer'rahd growled.
“Actually, Boss, you're afraid of yourself, what's inside you, deep water, losing your friends, Nightmare Moon, losing, sobriety (most days), your nightmares, sea ponies, you were afraid of rain for a while, raisins...”Bleu trailed off at the glare from Jer'rahd and the laughter from Rose.
“Ahhh, oh tha’s great! Most of it ah sorta understand though, but raisins? What tha’ heck is up with raisins?” Rose gasped out between bouts of laughter.
“That's a joke by Rhede. I'm not afraid of them, I just hate them.”
“Then why do you tend to dive for cover if Rhede throws any at you?” Bleu grins.
“Because when we were foals, he used to play this joke on me where he substituted the ones I had for lunch with rabbit pellets...” Jer'rahd's ears flattened as both Rose and Bleu lost it.
“THAT’S NOT FUNNY!”
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Trixie screamed again, trying desperately to conjure a spell, or at least get free of the ropes binding her. Her whole body hurt from what she had endured since the start of this ordeal. She was unable to think straight enough due to whatever foul tasting mix was constantly shoved down her throat to disrupt her spells. She was beaten, degraded, and raped every time the group stopped for the night, and forced to march at a ridiculous pace all day.
To make matters worse, she was now tied to a tree and surrounded by a group of brown and gray creatures that were all teeth, claws, and long ears. Tiny black eyes stared at her from disgusting mange-spotted brows and mats of hair. Claws as long as her horn dug up the ground as the creatures bounded around her, dodging her weak kicks. As they slowly moved closer, their odd barking noise sounded like laughter from something that didn't know what laughter was supposed to sound like, and clearly did not care to learn.
She flailed at the end of the tether, having barely managed to get her hooves free. She screamed out again as a filthy claw raked across her side, drawing blood and just missing her cutie mark.
She stumbled from the blow, reeling back as one lunged for her throat. She flinched reflexively, only to feel the hot splatter of blood cover her front. She trembled expecting her throat had just been ripped out, but a sickening squelch forced her to open her eyes as she realized she is not dead.
The crushed remains of the troll before her clung to a plank of steel like mud stuck to a farm horse's hooves, dribbling and gooey.
The end of the steel length was gripped in her captor’s teeth as he growled, yanking the blade back and smashing another troll to the side of the tree she was tethered to with another wet squelch. The remaining four trolls looked at each other and leaped at Claymore as one. They had barely gotten off the ground before the earth pony had knocked them out of it, wielding his massive sword as if it was a butter knife and not a two-pony-long hunk of cold iron in the vague shape of a sword.
As the trolls hit the ground, Claymore was among them, crushing a skull of one beneath his hooves and bisecting the other in a shower of gore and entrails. He let go of the end of the weapon and grinned at the remaining pair. The trolls met his gaze for a moment before scampering off howling.
“Wind Razor, follow them. They might have more clues about the damn book in the nest. Trolls collect shit,” Claymore shouted at the griffon who had been watching the fight. She blinked and took off winging after the creatures.
Bloodtail trotted up, looking at the bodies with disgust, then at the battered mare and Claymore as he moved closer to the blood soaked mare.
“Bucking Tartarus, I hate trolls.” Claymore grinned, looking down at Trixie. “Let that be a little lesson to you, mare: everything in this land wants to kill you, and my companions would prefer it if you died so they don't have to deal with you. I'm the only one who even wants to keep you safe, so you better start listening to me when I tell you to do something, or I just might change my mind on that.”
Trixie shuddered as Bloodtail sighed.
[“You are a disgusting piece of work, Claymore, though I cannot fault your effectiveness.”]