//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: The Pale Land // by OrphiusOlyandra //------------------------------// Dash yawned yet again and rubbed her eyes, not for the first time that day and not certainly the last. And just like every single time before, Twilight glanced at the pegasus out the corner of her eye. It wasn't hard to imagine what Scoots had said to Dash, but still, to see her so tired and rundown was just strange. It almost seemed cruel to do that to such a proud pegasus, but it had to be done. With a shrug, Twilight grabbed the bag with the dried berries in it and began munching away, watching everything that happened around her with a careful eye. There was a spy among the ranks, there was no doubt about that, unless Pinkie really was as naive as she wanted everypony to think. But who? Lyra? Possibly, but unlikely considering she had been Twilight's most stout defender way back when. So who then? Eclipse? Far more likely, but considering all the other volunteers were unknown to Twilight, any of them could be the spy and that made her job infinitely harder. "You should talk to her, you know," said Spike as he looked up from his slab of meat, blood dripping from his chin. "Who?" "Rainbow Dash." He jerked his head towards the pegasus who was poking at her food. "You need to talk to her." "Why? It was your idea." That got a glare from the drake. "I'm being serious, it was your idea, if you're not happy with the aftermath, you deal with it." "Twilight," growled Spike, "do it or I will-" "Very well, if you insist," sighed Twilight as she stood up and trotted over to Dash who was still just staring at her food. Sitting down next to the pegasus, Twilight couldn't help but notice how messy her wings were, with feathers sticking every which way. Add on the bags under Dash's eyes and Twilight felt a pang of guilt, but a small shake of her head cleared that out. Twilight sat there eating in silence , waiting for that inevitable racist comment, but when none came, a frown creased her brow. Perhaps using Scoots was a tad too much after all. She opened her mouth to say something, to start the conversation, but nothing came to mind. How do you approach such a pegasus? What could even be said when they hated each other as much as they did? The mission. Of course. The mission was paramount. "You good enough for the mission?" asked Twilight. Dash's head snapped up, her eyes bleary and unfocused before they narrowed. "Of course I am, we're fucking up some unicorns, right? Nothing's going to keep me out of that." "No." She needed a way to get this through Dash's thick skull. "This is a mission. A small group taking out an entire supply camp. You need to be on your game. Come on, Flight Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, would you send anyone into a dangerous situation if they weren't on their game?" Despite the scowl on her face, Dash looked away. "I'll be fine, alright?" "Says the pony who hasn't been eating." Twilight pushed the food towards Dash. "Seriously, as much as I hate you, we need you. This is a small group and every single pony matters. Everypony needs to pull their weight, and if even one of us is caught out, we're fucked. So, are you up to this? This is a mission and you need to functioning, if you're not, get lost. Seriously. You are endangering this mission just b-" "I'll be fine. Just give me some time to wake up and I'll give them the good ol' Rainbow Dash one-two buck." That cocky grin was back, but even that was strained. "Like you said, I'm Flight Lieutenant, I know my limits and I know I'm good for this." "Very well." Twilight began eating once more, but kept watch on Dash out the corner of her eye. For a brief second, it looked as though Dash was going to say something, but then she shut her mouth and began eating as well. Silence descended in their little corner, while the other ponies chatted away, waiting for the scouts to come back. This was good, this was favorable, silence was what they always had when left alone, but still, there was something off about everything. She could feel it, itching in the back of her mind, just waiting to be teased out, but there was nothing. "Was she telling the truth?" The question was so quiet Twilight thought she imagined it at first, and then she noticed the almost pleading look directed at her. "What the filly said about her family, was it true?" "That they cut off her wing? Yeah, it's true." "Who are they?" growled Dash. "What?" "Who. Are. They? I want to know who they are so I can fucking murder them." "General Storm and Commander Hail." Dash's jaw dropped. "Why else do you think they used such a stupid excuse? It was to save face and nothing more. The daughter of two high ranking officials unable to fly, they needed a way out, and what better than some bit of mythology that nopony actually cares about?" Dash's mouth slammed shut and a growl filled the silence. "I am going to fucking kill them." "And be branded a traitor?" asked Twilight, cocking an eyebrow at the pegasus. "Well... um..." She shook her head, and when their eyes met, all Twilight could see was fierce determination. "They are in charge, they have a duty, an obligation to those under them to not throw them to the manticores. They don't deserve their titles, and to do that to their own blood? They deserve to die." "Something we finally agree on it seems." And something that racist pegasus got right for once. "Regardless, we can hunt them down later, right now we've got other things to deal with." "Huh? Oh! Right, yeah, that." Dash yawned and began nibbling on her food. "Eh, I'll let you take charge on this one." Wait, what? Twilight frowned at the pegasus, trying to figure out what the heck was going on in that brain of hers. Nothing was making sense, absolutely nothing was making any sense at all. A change was to be expected, wanted even, but this much, this fast? There was no way this could have happened so quickly. This was a trick, this had to be a trick, it was the only way anything made sense. "After all, I'm compromised like you said," said Dash with a shrug. "Though I'd probably still make better decisions than a horned freak like you." "There we go, and here I was starting to think your brain had been killed by Scoots," sighed Twilight. "Ha, as if! You're gonna have to try better than that to trick me," she shot back, and though her usual conviction was in it, it just wasn't as convincing as it had been in the past. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind," replied Twilight. "At least tell me you sent someone competent to scout an-" "And not a dirt pony or horned freak? "Exactly." Dash's head slumped forward before she jerked awake again. "Can we seriously start doing something now? I'm about to die of boredom here." "Because that's why you're so tired." "Of course it is!" snapped Dash. "Of course," replied Twilight with a smirk. A growl rumbled in the back of Dash's throat and that only made Twilight smirk deepen. "Give me one good reason why I should smash your worthless skull in." Dash took a menacing step forwards, but with how sunken her eyes looked, it was impossible to take her seriously. "I'd like to see you try," chuckled Twilight as she stood up, stretching out her legs. "One on one, no wings and no magic. Sound fair to you?" "Why not make it a challenge and have one of your friends help out," said Dash as she began circling. "Oh, did I forget to mention I'll even tie a hoof behind my back?" That got a snarl out of the pegasus. "I don't need help to beat you." "You're too overconfident!" yelled Dash as she leapt forward. Even as Twilight skipped back, a lime green glow surrounded Dash, holding her in midair. "This is a serious operation," snapped Lyra as she stepped between them. "And I expect both of you to behave. Got that?" "Please, we are merely working out and making sure we're in shape for the upcoming ambush," said Twilight with an eye roll. "I'm pretty sure she just wants to murder you," said Lyra. "I'm pretty sure I just want to murder her," said Dash. "But then again, with that horn sticking out of your head, I'm not surprised that you couldn't figure that out." "What did you just say?" said Lyra innocently as the magical bonds intensified, causing Dash to wince. "It's generally a bad idea to insult a unicorn when they've got their dirty little hands all over you. Why, I could lose control and something bad would happen." "That's assuming she's even got brains," muttered Twilight under her breath. "I could so take you on if you weren't allowed to use magic," said Dash, "and you know it too, which is why you rely on these stupid tricks of yours." "Oh really?" singed Lyra as the bonds vanished. "Well once we get back to base, we can have a one on one matchup and I'll gladly kick your flank so hard, you'll be launched into next week." "I'd like to see you try," growled Dash, her muzzle inches from Lyra's. "Break it up ladies, break it up, no need to fight over m-" Dash immediately spun around and punched the pegasus in the face. He stumbled back, clutching his muzzle. "What the fuck was that for?" "Obviously she's not a fan of being hit on," said Lyra as she smacked him across the back of the head. For her part, Dash merely blinked in surprise before a sheepish smile appeared. "Oh... sorry, I thought you were Thunderlane. He always blocks that." "Oh har, har," he muttered as he rubbed his snout. "Geez, that hurt, damn it. What the fuck? Am I bleeding? Tell me I'm not bleeding." He paused, head tilted to one side. "Actually, will I get a scar from that? Chicks dig scars." "Oh great, another Thunderlane," moaned Dash, "Excuse me while I bash my head against the nearest wall before I decide to kill him." "Hey!" "It's true," said Lyra, getting a couple of nodding heads and chuckles. "You drive everyone insane." "That's like a bolt to my heart!" Ignoring them all, Twilight picked up her crossbow, loaded it, and aimed it straight at the stallion. "Lightning Streak, you better have some damn good information for me, or I will literally give you a bolt through the heart." "Twilight, babe, don't be li- Fucking Tartarus!" He stared at the bolt that was embedded in the wall right by his face. "Geez, alright, alright, I forgot how insane you are, just calm down." "Very well." She put the crossbow away and crossed her hooves. "Also, who's been letting Lightning Streak get out of hoof? I swear, you're worse than you used to be." "I can assure you, I am much better than I-" He yelped and scrambled behind the pegasus who came in after him. "Protect me from the insane mare!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course, where there's one Streak, the other is never far away. Hello, Fire Streak, keeping your brother out of trouble as usual?" "Somepony had to take over once you left." His eyes darted over to the bolt in the wall before he sighed and facehoofed. "You tried hitting on Twilight already? Do you have a death wish or something?" "But... but..." The younger stared up at the older with wide, innocent eyes. "It was a misunderstanding." Dash snorted in amusement and even Lyra rolled her eyes. "Just like how my bolt was an 'accident'," replied Twilight. "Now, back to business, do you have information or not?" "Yes, mother," sighed Fire Streak as he gave a lazy salute. "We found the base, but we couldn't get close. There were two guards at the entrance, probably another two nearby if they're using the standard unicorn deployment, but considering how this is super hush-hush, we estimate there will be about eight. We left Dust Gale behind with Berry Tart so they could defuse some of the magical sensors that are littering the place. Seriously, you couldn't take three steps without bumping into something." Yeah right, the amount of magic needed for that would be far beyond the abilities of practically every single unicorn that has ever and will ever live. Well, almost every unicorn, the ones that could do anything near that scale... was... Twilight's eyes widened. He was here. He had to be here. If Fire Streak wasn't exaggerating like normal, th- "Twilight..." whispered Spike. "I'm fine," she hissed back before saying in a louder voice, "Alright, we're moving out. Lyra, is this location still secure enough for us to leave unnecessary gear here?" "If it's not, I'll find the pony responsible," said Lyra as she flicked her hoof, examining the blade before retracting it again. "And trust me, I've been taking lessons from humans." "Humans are overrated," said Twilight as she brushed past. "What?" The chill in Lyra's voice made everypony pull away, even Dash. For her part, Twilight merely smirked back. "You heard me, humans are all nice and well, but they're extinct now, are they not? So therefore, they must not be as great as you think they are." "Don't you dare try and use your fancy logic on me!" "I wouldn't dream of it." Twilight inclined her head towards the exit. "Shall we?" Lyra nodded and trotted over to Twilight, the two walking out side by side, making their way down the treacherous path. It was clear that Lyra had something to say, but with all the prying eyes and loose rocks everywhere, Twilight was entirely focused on the path before her. More than once she slipped and more than once snow tumbled its way down the side of the mountain as they slid their way down. By the time they reached the bottom, the only ones who weren’t panting heavy were the pegasi. "Score: one-nill," said Dash as she glided past causing both unicorns to roll their eyes. "Is she always thi- "Bitchy? Racist? Stupid?" supplied Twilight. "Yes." "Twilight," growled Spike. "Okay, okay, we've just used the largest blunt force instrument we could find to smash her brain in, so she may be getting better," said Twilight. "Time will tell." "Scoots?" "Of course, know any instrument that's blunter?" Lyra frowned. "You shouldn't talk about her like that. You know she looks up to you." "Yeah." Twilight sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. "Old habits are hard to break, I suppose." "Pegasi, twelve o'clock!" yelled Pauldron and everypony immediately dived under the cover of the nearest dead tree. Pegasi? Here? Twilight glanced over at Dash, but she looked just as surprised and confused as she was. It was possible, but highly improbable . Plus, there was no point in time that she was unobserved, so it's not like she could have given anything away. Even if she did, Twilight had made certain to keep the important information to herself until the very end. Reaching behind her, Twilight drew out her crossbow and cocked it. Beside her, Lyra's blade slid free and she used it to shield the magic glow of her horn. All around them, ponies drew their weapons, bodies tense and magic ready. Through the thick crisscross of frozen limbs, dark shapes passed overhead. A tense silence followed, and it was only once the heavy wing flaps were out of hearing range did Twilight let out the breath she had been holding. Glancing over at the others, she blinked in surprise at the sight of Dash standing in the tree, eyes watching where the shadows had disappeared to and ears twitching. Body still tensed, she glanced down at Twilight with troubled eyes. "They weren't pegasi." "More gryphons?" She nodded as she jumped down. "Yeah, seemed like it. Wing beats were too heavy." Blaze Streak frowned, mulling it over before he nodded slowly. "Yeah, something sounded off, but gryphons? There's no way they could have made it this deep in pony territory." "That's what we thought until we ran into them in the middle of pegasus territory," said Twilight. "This is bad. There is definitely something odd going on here." "Too late to worry about that now," said Dash, "we might as well kill the unicorns first then come back for the gryphons." Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but Twilight quickly cut her off, "Blaze, how far are we from the base?" "We're close, they somehow managed to sneak it in under our noses without us knowing," said Blaze. "Then again, we haven't really used that outpost in a long time and we've had no reason to move in this direction, so..." "Very well, lead on," said Twilight. Silence descended once more as they weaved through the trees, ears perked for the slightest sound. She felt it before she could see anything. It was subtle, a light buzzing in the back of her mind, a small prickling sensation along her neck, but it was enough. There was magic here, a lot of it, and it called out to her, teased her, caressed her body, all while whispering seductive words in her ear. But she would not give in. "Spike, scout ahead," said Twilight. "I don't think-" "Spike, scout ahead," repeated Twilight and for a brief second it looked as though he was going to ignore the command, but then he sighed and took off. A unicorn was here, a powerful one, and that could only mean he was here. Trixie? A possibility. A minor, inconsequential possibility, but one nonetheless, though Twilight refused to spend more thought on that arrogant mare than absolutely necessary. Perhaps one of the other Generals? More likely and perhaps it was even Laurel... A steel grim determination set over Twilight. It mattered not who it was, it was someone powerful, and that meant it had to be one of the generals or Trixie, and as long as it wasn't Trixie, Twilight was going to enjoy the next couple of hours. Especially if she managed to get some time alone with them. "This way," said Blaze, "and walk where I walk. I don't know if there are traps elsewhere, but this is the path we cleared earlier." "There are none," said Twilight with a shrug. "There's magical residue here, but no traps." She frowned. "Not even any perimeter sensors. Odd." "Perhaps they thought the forest was good enough protection," said Pauldron. "Regardless, the probability of beasts wandering in is high enough that they should have some sort of perimeter set up," said Twilight. "Unless the others already diffused it?" "Perhaps," replied Lyra. "Only one way to find out. Blaze, if you will." "Yes ma'am." Slipping into single file, they began making their way up the small crest and off to the left, going around a fallen tree that looked more crystal than frozen wood, then down the bank into a small dip in the snow. There sat two ponies, a unicorn and a pegasus, huddled together for warmth around a small glowing orb. Lyra coughed politely and the two jumped apart, blushes on their cheeks. "Ma'am!" they said at the same time with a salute. "At ease," said Lyra and they relaxed. "Is the path clear?" "Yes ma'am," said Berry, "though there weren't nearly as many as I thought and some were already tripped." "Wild beasts or..." Twilight's gaze found itself drawn away from the two ponies before her. "We don't know," replied Berry. Moving up to the crest, Twilight glanced out at the cave entrance opposite them. "Any movement?" "None," said Dust. "Rainbow, what do you think?" That wiped the half dead look off her face. "What?" "What do you think?" Twilight jerked her head in the direction of the cave entrance. "You're probably more knowledgeable about unicorn tactics than any of us. Or, at least, the theoretical aspects of it." Though she frowned, the chromatic pegasus wiggled her way up and glanced over the edge. After a couple seconds of silent contemplation, she turned to Twilight and asked, "How much magic is there?" "Enough residue, but not enough actual traps," Twilight replied. "Sounds about right," said Berry. "I think I found about five traps or so and just three perimeter sensors in total? So definitely not a lot considering how secretive and dangerous this place is." "Those guards at the entrance, have they moved at all?" "Not that I've noticed," replied Dust. "Well I'd say they're either dead or asleep then," said Dash. "There is no way horned freaks would be able to stand that still for so long without moving, they're not well trained enough. Plus, the wind is coming straight into the entrance, they'd have to move to not freeze to death." Twilight blinked in surprise and Dash smirked. "What can I say? I'm a pegasus, gotta pay attention to the wind, and I can tell you, they'd either have to use magic to keep warm or freeze to death and even then, they'd have to move, it's just the way things are." Dash shrugged and slid back down into the small dip. "Now, can we please kick some unicorn flank already?" "Dust? Streak? Does that sound right to you?" asked Twilight. "Hey, I said that is the case, and that is the case," snapped Dash. "Either trust me or stop asking me to do random shit, alright?" Twilight rolled her eyes and tilted her head towards the pegasi present. "So?" "Wind direction sounds right, but as for the magic thing? Eh, I'm not a unicorn," said Blaze. "They could always be cuddling to stay warm," offered Lightning. "Though they could certainly be doing..." He trailed off and gulped at the look Twilight and Dash gave him. "Okay, okay, geez, and to think I was glad to hear you were back." "Dead then?" asked Twilight. "Most likely," said Dash. "So what, we just rush in thinking they're dead and that's that? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," said Lyra. "Of course we're not going to rush in. We keep to the trees and slip in silently like we had planned." Twilight frowned and glanced over at the base. "Though considering they've cleared out some of the surrounding trees, making it in unseen will be hard. Even with invisibility, we'll leave hoofprints, and they may have aerial wards in place to spot pegasi so that's out." "They don't." All eyes turned to Spike as she landed on Twilight's shoulder. "Or if they did, I just tripped them all and got no response. Something fishy is definitely going on here and I don't like it." "Playing the part of a stupid drake just flying by?" asked Lyra. "The old ploys are the best ploys," grinned Spike. "The gryphons?" said Pauldron. "Perhaps, but why make it look like it's guarded? They'd have ransacked the place, raped everything that moved, killed them, and then eaten them all, hopefully in that order because raping the dead is just sick," said Lyra getting odd looks from everypony. "What? Even I have my limits you know! Plus, humans didn't do that, they just ate the dead." "Yeeeeeaaaaah, not helping your case, but that's alright, I don't mind some crazy in the sa-" "Finish that sentence and I'll remove your head, and I'm not talking about the one on your shoulders," said Lyra causing Lightning Streak to gulp. "You're positive about this?" asked Twilight, completely ignoring the other two. "You tripped the alarms and nopony responded." "Assuming there were alarms set up? Yes. Want me to fly in and see if they're alive or not?" Twilight nodded. "Just be careful, alright?" "Of course." He took off and circled off to the right and out of sight. "Alright everypony, time to hunker down and wait," said Twilight, "but be on the lookout for anything suspicious." They all nodded and began doing whatever it was they wanted to do. Some talked, others just lay down and relaxed, while some actually seemed to be keeping a lookout or keeping their bodies warm by practicing their blade work. Regardless, things settled down despite the tenseness of the situation. "You know, we may be walking into a trap right?" whispered Dash. "You horned freaks are known for doing all sorts of sneaky things because you can't win a straight up fight, and this smells like a trap." "But using dead ponies? That's a bit too much, even for unicorns," replied Twilight. "Who said they had to be dead, they just need to look like ponies. I mean, think about it, why stand in such an open place? Dig some tunnels and have hidden slots all throughout to keep watch, some boiling pitch, traps along the ground, anything. Even just making it seem like the place and then ambushing would be a better plan than how obvious this stupid thing is." Dash groaned and facehoofed. "They must think we're idiots or something. We must be idiots or something for the pegasi to not have won the war already." "Or unicorns aren't as stupid as you think they are," said Twilight. Dash snorted and shook her head. "Real amusing, you could tell jokes and maybe not be killed when you're captured." Twilight just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to entrance, watching silently as a small dark shape landed and poked its head in. Spike no doubt. She watched nervously as he disappeared into the hole and unconsciously, she began counting the seconds as they passed. "You know, there's no need to worry so much, if you trust him, then you'll know he'll survive without any issues," said Dash as she leaned back, staring up at the sky. "You really need to learn to relax." "Seriously?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her. "And I'm meant to take your word on this because?" "Well unlike you, I know something about loyalty," she replied with a shrug. "And sure, loyalty means keeping an eye on others, but it also means trusting them and their abilities." "You're certain you're alright?" asked Twilight. "I cannot have this operation compromised in any way or form." "If I kick your flank will you stop asking me that?" asked Dash in a bored tone of voice. "I swear, I can be half dead and fight better than all you losers anyways." "I'll take you up on that offer once we get back to base," said Twilight as she glanced back cave entrance, wondering just where Spike had gotten off to. "No wonder all you horned freaks are so anal, you cannot relax at all," said Dash. "At least I care about others unlike you," snapped Twilight. There was a sudden burst of flame from the cave entrance and everypony sat up. "Alright folks, that's the signal, time to get moving," called Twilight as she stood up. "I want both Streaks to stay behind, as well as Pauldron and Berry. If they come at us from behind, I want to be prepared. Lyra, Rainbow, Dust, you three have the rear guard. You two, with me ." Instead of waiting for a reply, Twilight scrambled up and over the ditch and began calmly walking through the forest and into the clearing. If Spike sent that signal, then all was well, all was safe. Dash wanted to see trust? This was trust. To her surprise, Dash was soon right next to her, keeping up step for step, a small smirk on her face. "Can't let myself be shown up by a horned freak like you," she said. "And here I was expecting a comment on how stupid unicorns were," replied Twilight. "You are stupid, but hey, I'm not going to seem more cowardly than a horned freak." She gave a bitter bark of laughter. "Plus, if you're gonna die, I want to be close by." "Of course." Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. And to think she had actually be concerned about Dash's wellbeing earlier. A part of her was amused at how Dash flinched at the slightest sound and the way her entire body was tensed, her wings ruffling continuously. A quick glance over her shoulder told her the others all felt the same with how slowly they moved. How cautious and nervous they seemed. Ignoring it along with her instincts that were screaming at her to take cover, Twilight began climbing the cliff face. Beside her, Dash struggled to find good hoofholds, but even then, quick reactions saved her falling on her ass more than once. Within the minute, they were on the ledge and Spike looked down at them patiently. "They're all dead," he said. "Throats slit." Twilight nodded and began edging into the cave and once more she found Dash beside her. "I thought I told you to take the rear guard," she hissed. "Firstly, I don't take orders from you. Secondly, the action is going to be up here, and I'm going to be a part of the action no matter what," replied Dash. "Very well, though I find it difficult to think of worse partners in this venture," said Twilight as she began walked past the dead bodies. To her surprise, as Dash moved past, she plucked one of her feathers for each of the dead pegasi and placed it in their clothes, just poking out of the top. Though her mouth moved, it was impossible to hear what she said, and once she was done, she simply nodded to Twilight. "Very well, come along then." Twilight glanced over at Spike. "How far have you explored in?" "Pretty far, but it's completely dead in here." "Any idea who attacked?" "Pegasi, duh," said Lyra. "Earth ponies are practically all dead or slaves and we saw no hoofprints outside. Plus, this cut? Looks like it's from a wing blade." "Pegasi huh?" Out the corner of her eye, Twilight watched Dash, but all she could see was Dash's back, making it impossible to judge anything. It was still unlikely, but she had been surprised by lower probabilities in the past and she hadn't survived this long through luck. If it was a possibility, it was a possibility and would be taken into account. "Regardless, we need to mo-" A pulse of magic rippled through the air and Twilight's eyes widened at just how much there was. Even the others felt it! The ones that weren't unicorns, even, and that could only mean one thing. Whatever had been cast, it was massive, something huge and terrifying, and that only served to excite Twilight. "Change of plans, you can explore the place, grab anything that looks important!" Before any of them could react, she raced down the corridor, following the already fading trace that lingered in the air. Behind her, she could hear the yells and cries of frustration as well as hoofbeats, but she ignored them all. Taking turn after turn, they were soon lost in the labyrinth and Twilight found herself alone in the darkness and dampness of the cave. But that didn't matter, she was here, and beyond this rusted, simple, wooden door was her revenge. Taking a deep breath, she stepped past the broken door and walked into the room, ignoring the scent of burning flesh as she did so. Her hooves splashed in blood, but she ignored that too. Instead, she focused everything on the stallion before her. Out came the crossbow, and as he cut down the final pegasus, Twilight cocked it and fired, only for the bolt to glance harmlessly off the magical shield that leapt up. He vanished in the unmistakable flash of a teleport and his ethereal blade clashed against Twilight's own shield. A grim smile touched her lips at his shocked expression and in that split second of recognition, Twilight shoved him back with her magic. "Surprised brother?" she spat as a wave of fire followed, but that passed by another shield harmlessly. "Surprised that your dear little sister is alive?" "T-Twilight?" "Oh, so you remember me." Twilight walked through the flames as they died down, the stone beneath her hooves still red hot. "I'm going to kill you, you know. And I'm going to make sure you suffer, like our parents suffered. You remember them right? How you killed them?" "Listen, there were-" "Don't you dare!" She stomped the ground, and with all the raw magic, the stone beneath her feet cracked. "I read your reports, I read your orders. They were our parents and you let them die!" "You can't win," said Shining calmly. "You don't have the training." "But I’ve got the power, don’t I?” Electricity cracked around her as she raised her crossbow once more. “Power with no control is not power at all!” The two circled slowly, walking over the still-glowing ground without a hint of discomfort. Both horns hummed with unmatched power, their hoofsteps mirroring each other perfectly, their poses exactly the same. “Your first mistake was to care about control at all. So what if I can’t control my magic, look at it already, sparking away, crackling away, just waiting to blow your brains out. All it needs is to be directed!” Arcs of pink lightning flashed out in all directions, most tearing chunks out of the wall and melting the floor, but some made their way towards Shining. Even with his skill, his power, he was flung backwards, bouncing off the wall before he parried the bolts with expert precision. Gritting her teeth, Twilight forced another volley out, but this time it shot out to the right, blasting a hole in the wall and flinging her to the side from the explosion. Rolling with the blast, she came onto her hooves and fired three quick bolts at the spot Shining had been a second ago. With a growl of frustration, she came back onto her hooves and reloaded her crossbow, eyes scanning the room. Where was he? "Come out, come out, wherever you are,” sung Twilight as she began walking moving through the dust. “Fee fie foe fum, I smell the blood of a unicorn foal.” “You can’t win.” A blast of magic narrowly missed Twilight’s head, leaving behind a trail of singed fur. “The next shot won’t miss.” “You won’t get a chance for another shot!” yelled Twilight as she unleashed her magic once more, only for the feedback to send her to her knees, screaming pain as her horn burned hotter than dragon fire. “This is pathetic. Come on, sis, come with me and we can actually show you how to use that magic of yours.” Shining held out a hoof. “There’s no need to live your life like an earth pony. We can show you how to use that magic, how to harness it and to create with it. Come with me, trust your big bro like you used to.” Twilight staggered back onto her hooves, her vision colored red from the blood running down her face. With shaky hooves, she picked up her crossbow and aimed it at Shining. Even with both hooves to keep the blasted thing steady, it shook uncontrollably. And as she pulled the trigger, Shining merely stood there, not even flinching as the bolt flew wide, missing him by two pony lengths. “I didn’t want to do this, but I’ll take you in by force if I have to. You’re too powerful to let fall into the wrong hooves,” he said as he walked towards Twilight. “Don’t worry, once you get back to the capital, you can forget about this nightmare entirely. You’ll see.” “You never cared about me, you never cared about mother or father, it was always about your career.” The world around her spun and Twilight’s hooves buckled under her as the magical feedback continued wreaking havoc on everything. “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to slaughter you, I’m going to make you scream for the sweet release of death, and then I’m going to torture you some more!” Lunging forward, Twilight flicked her wrist and a small blade popped out of her gauntlet. It was a small thing, no more than a hoof length, but it was more than enough to puncture Shining’s breastplate and go straight into his chest. A look of shock overcame his features as she bucked him off and rolled to the side, throwing up as the pain from her horn finally began dying down. Loading yet another bolt, Twilight aimed it at Shining, and despite the shaky hoof, this time it flew true. It flew straight for his chest, straight for his heart, a one shot kill, and with this kill, she could finally lay her past to rest and forget about it. But at the last second, the very last bloody second, there was a flash of light and the bolt bounced harmlessly off the wall behind him. All Twilight could do was stare at the now empty spot, her eye twitching as she grit her teeth. "That coward!" she screamed. "That bloody coward!" It should have been obvious, she should have expected him to just teleport away when things weren't going his way, and she should have come up with some plan to prevent him doing just that. But now it was too late. No doubt he was already halfway back to Unicornia by now with his tail between his legs, and hopefully he'd make up some fantastical story rather than reveal the truth. The last thing she needed right now was to have the unicorn territories cut off to her. "What... happened here?" asked Dash as she stepped through the door, her voice echoing back to her. "A minor disagreement," replied Twilight with a shrug as she brushed past, ignoring the look of fear Lyra was giving her. "Nothing to worry about. Did you find anything?" "A-A minor disagreement!? Does that look like a minor disagreement to you?" Twilight glanced around at all the holes in the ceiling, the half melted wall, the right wall that had been blown to bits, and her vomit on the ground. "Considering the weapon they were building exploded when I shot it with my crossbow? Yes, a minor disagreement." Twilight shrugged and stumbled back onto her hooves. "It seems as though they were attempting to create a three dimensional crystal array with a feedback loop to help sustain power. Turns out, three dimensional power arrays are very unstable and under no circumstances should you ever shoot one, or else that happens." "And you survived," said Lyra, her voice flat. "Yes. I must have been exceptionally lucky to not have been vaporised." "Why did you shoot it?" hissed an earth pony Twilight did not recognize. "We could have used it! We could have figured out how it worked, made it better and then used it against them! It could have won us the war!" "Because it's unique. One of a kind. No weapon will ever match it," said Lyra as she glanced at Twilight. "Isn't that right?" "Who knows?" Twilight trotted down the corridor, leaning into Spike as he landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her tenderly. "So, did we find anything interesting or not?" "We got a map," said Berry. "And it was pegasi," added Pauldron. "We found some bodies further in. It looks like they came in at night and killed as many as possible, but the alarm eventually went off." "Pegasi..." whispered Twilight, a frown on her face. Had Rainbow Dash actually managed to get the information out? If so, how? There was no such thing as coincidence, not in a place like this. Everything had a place, everything was a move on the board, and everything occurred because there was a greater goal. She needed more data before she could make a final judgment, but for now, the possibility of Dash revealing the location was in play. A low probability, but a probability nonetheless, and to discount it was just asking to be backstabbed. And then there were the gryphons. In all her travels, they had never been this active, this obvious. An artifact of sampling perhaps? Maybe their paths had never crossed, or perhaps they were starting to be dragged into this war as well. Perhaps they thought the pony races were weak and that now was the opportune moment to strike and take all three down in one fell swoop. Or, perhaps, an alliance had been called. A deal with monsters, but still a deal, and a powerful one at that. There were too many pieces in play. Too many ponies pulling strings and orchestrating everything. Never had Twilight felt so alive. A gasp was torn from Rarity's throat as she sat bolt upright in bed, only for pain to lace its way through her stomach and back, causing her to collapse back down with a weak groan. Every nerve in her body felt as though they were on fire just from that one simple movement, and not for the first time, Rarity found herself relishing in the pain. She simply let it wash over her, let it consume her mind and wash away the dream, the memory. It mattered not what it was called, as long as it no longer existed, even for a second, it would be enough for her. As she lay there, swimming in the pain that accompanied each gulp of air, she could forget. She could pretend everything was alright, that nothing was wrong and that she most certainly did not wake up in a cold sweat yet again. But as with everything, that too soon came to an end and she found herself in a silent room, her fur matted down in the most unsightly of manners. As she stepped out of the bed, a bolt of pain ran through her body. Despite everything Golden had done to help her recover, her entire body still felt sore, and more than once she would find herself gasping in pain as she stretched a hoof a bit too far or turned around a bit too quickly. As much as she wanted to believe that Golden had changed, it was impossible to get past that memory, that whisper of suspicion in the back of her mind. No matter how hard she tried to forget and forgive, every single time she closed her eyes she could see him. The way he stood up above her, that sadistic grin plastered all over his face as he brought the knife the down, or the whip, or the white hot iron poker. As much as she tried to forget, every single damn time she closed her eyes, she could taste the blood on her lips, feel the tears staining her cheeks, hear the pitiful noises she had made. She could remember it all in painstaking detail no matter how much she wished to forget. How much sleep had she gotten since then? It almost reminded her of when she was forced to work late nights in order to support her family, but even then, when sleep claimed her it was a peaceful thing that left her mildly refreshed the next day. A yawn escaped as she trudged towards the bathroom, her hoof scraping across the ground as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. It was only once she reached the door that she remembered what lay beyond and that gave her pause. As much as a warm bath would help right now, as much as she wanted to soak up that warmth and just forget, she couldn't bring herself to open that door and step through. Eyes closed and forehead against the door, Rarity let out a long sigh. She could feel the dirt and dust cling to her body as well that as grimy sweat that just fouled everything up. She wanted a bath, she needed a bath. There were still patches of dried blood in her fur and she felt absolutely disgusting, all sticky and filthy and... and- A shudder ran through her body. But no matter how much she wanted to go through and clean herself off, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Even with her hoof on the handle, ready to turn and step through, something stopped her. She just couldn't bring herself to do it, she just couldn't find the whatever it was that was preventing her from stepping through. Slowly, the hoof dropped away and Rarity turned away. She could take a shower later, at same point when it wasn’t the middle of the night and beyond freezing. Even with all her layers of clothes, the chill still managed to seep through her clothes and she found herself missing the warmth of home. Home... Yet another sigh escaped as she squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the tears from flowing before they could even start. She could not, would not think about that right now. Not about Sweetie, not about mother, not about Trixie. She couldn't afford to think about any of that, she needed to focus on the here and now. This sudden change in disposition, this sudden tenderness displayed by Golden was so startling, so random that there must be some deeper ploy at work. Such sudden changes simply were not in pony nature. Well... unicorn nature, but surely earth ponies and unicorns were not that far apart. They had the same triggers, the same responses, the same emotions. Push the right buttons and get the right results, or at least that's what she had always suspected. All it would take was a bit of manipulation, a bit of prediction, and soon she'd able to push all the right buttons to get the right results. Then again, she had seen Golden's face for a brief second during her... captivity as it were. Just a brief glimpse though, half hidden by shadows and moving bodies, but she saw it. And on that face was etched in painstaking detail a look of horror and disgust. Perhaps that was the one thing that haunted her dreams the most, not the pain or the suffering, but the look on Golden's face. It was as though something important had been stripped from her, as though some hoof had reached into some special place and taken away her innocence. It was hard to hate somepony when they had that look on their face and when they were trying so hard to make up for what had happened. At least, that's what Rarity assumed Golden was doing, rather than trying to become her friend so that she could find out all the dirty secrets Rarity knew. As much as she hated to even consider that possibility, it was there and even thinking about it felt as though she was spitting in the face of her mother... and father. She had shown Golden love and affection. Treated her like an actual pony rather than some lesser being or some vile thing that needed to be purified. If she had done that out of her own freewill, then surely Golden could be returning the favor now. Even in her mind that sounded weak. Still, she had to have hope, she needed to hold onto that possibility, no matter how small. After all, she had made a promise to her mother to always believe in earth ponies, to always give them the benefit of the doubt and to see good in them no matter how bleak things may seem. Perhaps... perhaps keeping that promise would lead to her death, to her staying here and dying a slave, but sometimes, some things were worth the risk. She had to know the truth. She had to know if the stories were true or if she had been living a lie all her life. She glanced over at the sleeping mare and found a pair of green eyes watching her curiously. There was no malice in there, no accusation or mistrust. Just... curiosity. Slowly, Golden stood up and walked over. Each step was deliberate and placed with expert care, almost as though any sudden movements would cause her to flee. Still, Rarity stood her ground, watching just as curiously as she curbed that instinct to flinch. Gradually, almost tenderly, Golden raised a hoof and lightly took hold of Rarity's hoof. Together, they reached out, turned the handle and pushed that door open. Once more with those light steps as Golden stepped into the bathroom, their hooves still touching as they stood on opposite sides of the door. The message was obvious, the choice lay before her, but still she was... scared. Yes, that was the right word, even though it didn't seem to quite fit. She was scared of stepping through and, well, and what exactly? What was she scared off? She didn't know and she didn't even want to find out, but still, the option was there before her. The door was open. And then she saw those green eyes. It wasn't caring, it wasn't loving, it wasn't even friendly, but it was... inviting. No, not inviting exactly, it was there, but there was also something more, something deeper. Understanding. That was it. Golden understood. Of course she did, she had to understand, after all, she had gone through the same thing herself. She understood and now she was here, willing to help Rarity move past what had happened. All it required, all it needed, was a bit of trust. So easy on paper, but in practice? Rarity took a deep breath and pulled her hoof back. For a brief second, disappointment flashed across Golden's face, but then Rarity placed her hoof down on the other side of the doorframe. Legs trembling, and with her heart racing away faster than a dragon’s wings, she looked up at Golden. There she found something beautiful, something innocent, like a virgin glade of apple trees. Sure, it was only a smile, but something about it just sung to Rarity’s soul and she found herself returning it. It just felt so natural, so right. Despite everything that had happened, despite all the reasons she had to mistrust an earth pony, this could work. They could work. As weird as it sounded, it was true, they could work together and help each other. Taking a deep breath, she took a second step, then a third and then a forth. With each step, she came closer to the edge of the bath, but even then, she couldn't bear to look down. What horrors lay down there in the inky depths? For a brief second, fear gripped her as Golden glanced down before she shook her head and simply smiled. Though the tub was small, Golden removed her boots, stepped in, and held out a hoof. Hesitance. Rarity's head dipped down slightly, moving towards her reflection in the water, but Golden's hoof was immediately there, tilting her head back up. Once more Rarity found herself enthralled by those green eyes and that tender smile. The message was clear though, one thing at a time, the first step was getting clean. Once that was done, and only once that was done, would they consider the next step. Plus, wounds would heal, scars would fade, and maybe in a week or so, she'd actually look like what she used to. A small smile tugged at her lips as Rarity cocked an eyebrow at Golden. "Well darling? Aren't you going to turn around?" Golden merely rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. Rarity reached up to the zipper and began pulling it down, only to stop midway. Already she could see the gauze covering her wounds, already she could see the blood and the merest hint of a scar. Even with her eyes closed, trying to bring up the courage to see what had been done to her, she could still see those wounds and those eyes. She needed to do this, she needed to move past this. As bitter tears leaked down her cheek, she felt a hoof on top of hers, slowly, gently, drawing it down and the zip with it. And when she went to open her eyes, she found herself look at Golden's hoof, completely blocking her sight from everything. Once more the message was clear and once more she found herself following along, going by the script somepony else had written. So she closed her eyes and reached up, pushing Golden's hoof away from her eyes. There was a brief moment of hesitance from the earth pony, a brief moment where Rarity no longer felt the other’s presence. There was just a void where Golden once was, a lack of warmth that left Rarity so vulnerable and so exposed that left her heart fluttering. With something that could almost be called tenderness, Golden began peeling the outer jacket off her body. Then the heavy woolen sweater, followed by the boots and outer most pants. The turning of the taps could be heard as the water was turned on and hot steam began filling the air. And then it was back. That course fur rubbing along her own sleek coat. Those rough hooves running along her frail frame, drinking in every single last inch, memorizing every curve and dip in her body . With expert care, Golden gently eased her out of the rest of her clothes, guiding her hooves so she could step out of them and into the tub without any issues. Despite the chill, as soon as her hoof touched the water, she bit her bottom lip. It was hot, painfully so, and as her hoof was forced under, it felt like it was searing her straight to the bone. But... it was what she needed. She needed this pain, this warmth, and this heat. As she stepped into the bath and lay down while Golden removed the bandages, she could feel everything being burnt right off of her. It was painful, but exquisitely so. A small gasp was drawn from her lips as she felt one of the wounds in her side open yet again and for a brief second her eyes fluttered open. And in that second she could see the water, and a rich wine red that slowly spread over its surface, and though no details could be made out through the ripples, she could see a pair of bright green eyes reflected back up at her. Taking a deep breath, she dipped her head under the water, letting that heat sear straight through to her brain before she pulled it out again. In that split second as the cold air rushed in to meet her face, she understood why the water was so hot, why it needed to be so hot. It felt like she had walked through fire and come out the other side completely clean with all the imperfections burnt off. "Why?" That one single question echoed through the room as Rarity opened her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" Silence. "Well regardless, thank you." Rarity closed her eyes once more before she could be tempted to look down at her own reflection. "Thank you." "For what? Ah took ya away from your family. Ah took away your freedom, your life. Ah took everything away, so why are ya thanking me?" "For doing the right thing now," whispered Rarity as she reclined in the bath. "And for proving to me my mother was right. That there is good in the other races, that they are ponies and not monsters, that they are deserving of trust and love. Maybe you're doing this for the wrong reasons, but you're still doing it, so thank you for that." Silence descended once more and Rarity closed her eyes, relaxed in the water with a content smile on her lips. Things were not perfect, far from it, but at least now she knew mother did not lie. There are earth ponies out there worthy of being called a pony. Earth ponies that could be friends given enough time and enough trust. Maybe even an earth pony that could be loved like how her mother had loved father. Maybe her life hadn't been a lie, and maybe it wasn't worthless after all. Maybe there was a purpose behind everything she had been doing all these years. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out alright in the end.