//------------------------------// // 41 // Story: Canis Fidelis: Harmony // by PseudoFiction //------------------------------// She sighed as she woke up, eyes still closed as she felt the last of the fatigue leave her. With a small grin, she reached out and stretched her forelegs, flexing a crick out of her neck with a light ‘pop!’ Slowly the aching in her limbs and joints dissipated as she forced her eyes open. Could use a coat of paint, she thought to herself as she noted the flaking paint. She just lay there staring at the weathered ceiling of her bedroom as she listened to the morning birds twitter happily outside. The sun filtered through a crack in the curtains. Downstairs she heard a commotion. Hooves pattering on the wooden floor. No doubt her roommate was up already. Sighing again, Lyra Heartstrings pulled her covers aside and rolled out of her bed. The mattress complained. “Could use a new mattress too.” She mused. All the seafoam coloured unicorn’s thoughts, all her musings, they were all perfectly normal. Completely disjointed, unrelated little things that contributed nothing to the grand scheme of life the universe and everything. They were just simple little thoughts that came up as her day began to unfold. The exact same thoughts she had the morning before, and the morning before that. Every morning was the same, all the things she procrastinated time and time again. An old college habit. It was only when she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and turned to look across the rest of her bedroom that she noticed something new. New was not good. It immediately upset the unicorn, causing her eyes to widen as she stumbled back against the frame of her bed. “Hello, Lyra.” The new thing rasped without looking up from what it was doing. Lyra worked her mouth, but no sound came out. Her eyes took in the broad brimmed hat hiding wether or not the new thing was a unicorn; the long purple cape hiding potential wings and the dark purple body-suit hiding the coat-colour. She could see the cowl hiding the fact whether or not it was a stallion or a mare, the pale eyes and the spinning metal object balanced on one of the padded hooves. But her mind failed to comprehend. Lyra couldn’t believe she was staring at Mare Do Well. The Mare Do Well. Not just some caped cruscader Twilight Sparkle and her friends had dreamt up to show up the ever overconfident Rainbow Dash. This was the vigilante who had been born as a result of their misadventure. A real vigilante, in the flesh. “I… mah-mah-Mare D-Do Well?” the unicorn shook her head as the vigilante flicked her hoof upward. The four pronged metal object whipped upward before she caught it again and tucked it away under her cape. “Whatever label for me makes you comfortable. We need to talk,” Mare Do Well’s raspy, androgynous voice explained. “My sources tell me you have been talking about knowing what has been kidnapping ponies lately.” “W-… uh…” still dumbfounded, Lyra let her rump settle on the floor, shaking her head. As Mare Do Well’s blank eyes locked on the unicorn, she heaved a light sigh. She was clearly running out of patience. But she was a hero. A protector of the innocent. She couldn’t start beating answers out of poor Lyra like she would any other thug. So she maintained her composure, pulling the brim of her hat a little lower over her creased cowl to hide her blank, intimidating eyes. “Focus, Miss Heartstrings. Do you know something or not?” “Um…” cocking an eyebrow, Lyra tried to peer through the mask wondering whether she was still dreaming. “Maybe?” Mare Do Well let a secret smirk tug at her lips. Maybe was better than no. And after every other one of her other leads had been dead-ends, she was willing to take maybe. “Good enough.” Taking a few steps forward, Mare Do Well melted from the shadows, letting the sunlight pouring between the curtains strike her form. In Celestia’s radiance, her buff figure was less imposing as she politely seated herself before the unicorn. “Let’s talk about what you know.” “A-alright.” Lyra nodded as she began to explain, still unsure. “I, uh… a trade caravan, they, uh… they came into town yesterday. They were hurt. Said something attacked them and took their friends. They described what they thought they saw. It sounded… it sounded kind of like the creatures I met some years ago.” Mare Do Well hummed thoughtfully. “Creatures you met?” “Yes. I was abducted.” “Abducted,” the masked mare repeated as if testing the word. “By whom?” “By... by a human. Or at least; a group of them.” Mare Do Well’s pale white eyes narrowed. Human wasn’t a word she was particularly familiar with, and it showed on the expression her cowl pulled. “Explain fast.” “R-right. Uh…” Lyra’s eyes darted about the room as she thought of something. “They didn’t say who or what they were, but I was sure they were humans.” “How do you figure?” “Well... because of this.” Getting up she quickly trotted to her wardrobe and pulled the doors open. Pushing aside several hangers over which dresses, socks and sweaters were draped, she revealed a cork-board stuck against the back panel. Pinned the board were scraps of paper, notes, newspaper articles, copies of historical documents and notes referring to library book-numbers. “What is this?” the vigilante asked as she joined the unicorn. She noted several sketches of alien looking creatures with flat faces and standing on their hind legs. There were also detailed diagrams of what looked like five-fingered claws. “These are my notes. I studied ancient Equestrian history in college.” Lyra explained with a hint of pride. “My major was on the Lunar Republic, but my interest was always in the Rainbow Knight.” “The Rainbow Knight?” Lyra nodded. “Yeah. Story goes that there was a creature who came to the world of ponies over a magic rainbow and brought the world back from the brink of darkness. A creature called Megan. Only a few very old documents claim to know what she was. Apparently she was a human. Even fewer documents describe her appearance. But the general gist of it is that a human is a creature that walks upright on two legs.” “So you met more of these humans when they abducted you? Why?” Mare Do Well demanded. Lyra seemed to flinch, but it wasn’t at the vigilante’s tone. It was something else. It was the sight of her sketch. She turned away from her notes, quickly trotting back across the room. Mare Do Well watched her curiously, eying the unicorn’s body language. She could read Heartstrings like a cheap paperback book. She had all the clear indicators. Mare Do Well had seen them plenty of times on victims of muggings and abuse. The way she had flinched at the sight of her own drawing. The way she slouched and trembled halfway across the room. The way her whole body jolted as Mare Do Well slammed the wardrobe doors shut, just to be sure she was reading the signs right. Lyra was afraid. Moving closer, the mare lowered her tone and smoothed her voice a little. The harsh androgynous voice faded a little, and much to Lyra’s surprise the vigilante adopted what sounded like the tone of a kind-hearted stallion. But she couldn’t be sure. “What did they do to you?” Mare Do Well asked softly. Lyra felt an ounce of comfort as she felt one of the vigilante’s padded hooves touch her shoulder. She had expected the touch of an individual who beat criminals in the dead of night to a pulp with her bare hooves to be abrasive and cold. Much to her surprise, the touch was warm and gentle. Comforting. It reminded her of when she was a filly. She’d wake up in the dead of night screaming, haunted by nightmares. And then her father would always come galloping in to hold her. To lull her back into more pleasant dreams. “They-…” Lyra paused as her voice broke. Clearing her throat, she tried again, “They had questions. About me. About magic. About Equestria.” “What did you tell them, Lyra?” Mare Do Well’s voice whispered. Lyra squeezed her eyes shut. Her lip was trembling. “It wasn’t my fault. They hurt me. Hit me with sticks that fired electric sparks…” she broke off into a soft sob, her whole body shaking in time. “What did you tell them?” Tears broke through the unicorn’s eyelids and streamed over the fur on her cheeks. She sniffed as more water ran from her nose. The question was repeated. “What did you tell them?” “... everything…” The sky was clear bar a few dark cumuli. A cool autumn wind brushed the countryside, but the sun was in full view casting her warming rays across Equestria. In all, for a soggy autumn morning, it was very nice. Mare Do Well hated it. In fact, she hated inter-city transit. It was long, tiring, and in the daylight hours it was hard to hide. It was hard enough hiding her wings underneath her cape throwing around crooks and thugs. But in full flight it was near impossible. The whole point of her costume was that she could be anypony. She could be anything. With her cape and hat she might be a pegasus, or perhaps a unicorn. Maybe neither… or perhaps even both. As she glode with the winding train tracks connecting Ponyville and Canterlot far below – weaving between hills and chasms the same way she wove between the dark clouds spitting a light drizzle – the vigilante was deep in thought. Her hind legs hung limp with her forelegs tucked up under her chest. Her wings were spread wide beyond the edges of her billowing mantle, making for an impressive wingspan that might rival that of a princess. Her concealed eyes were absent as she mused over what she had learned from Lyra Heartstrings. After she had calmed down, the minty-green unicorn with a lyre stamped on her flank had told the vigilante everything. And what Mare Do Well learned disturbed her. Lyra hadn’t just been tortured by these humans. She had been interrogated. From her descriptions, Mare Do Well figured the abductors had been in some sort of military uniform. That meant one thing. Invasion. That was of course if Mare Do Well took Lyra’s story at face value. But to be honest, she wasn’t sure why she shouldn’t. She was after all a vigilante who donned a mask, leapt from rooftops and beat criminals and monsters in the dead of night with her bare hooves. If either of them were eligible for being committed to a mental institution, surely the sane thing to do would be locking up Mare Do Well without a second thought. In that respect, the vigilante didn’t have to worry about Lyra spreading the word and causing a panic. Even she had thought the whole ordeal to be a strangely vivid nightmare. But Mare Do Well wasn’t about to gamble the future of Equestria. So she started listing facts. As far as she knew there was only one human kidnapping ponies. How was the human abducting ponies? Clearly humans had advanced technology beyond anything Equestria had developed thus far. She would have to plan her engagement carefully. Why was the human abducting ponies? The easiest explanation was that this was an invasion of some kind. But then why abduct ponies? They must’ve had all the intelligence they needed by now. Food, maybe? Did humans eat ponies? It might be worth investigating. But a more pressing question; why only one human? An expeditionary force perhaps? Recon? Or a more likely answer; this invasion was unsanctioned. Humanity at large was not to blame. Equestria was threatened by the will and actions of a single man. Mare Do Well hoped she was that lucky. Armies would be difficult to handle. A single man she could handle. Regardless of plans and motivations, Mare Do Well had everything she needed thanks to Lyra. She would make sure that unicorn was properly compensated for her troubles when all this was over. In truth, it was Lyra who was the real hero here. Mare Do Well was just the stooge who saw it through to the end. Thanks to Lyra the vigilante had a description and a name. One more question stabbed Mare Do Well in the brain like a punji-stick. Luna’s furry little four pawed friend with rows of dagger-teeth. The dog, Bungee. Where did he fit in? Was he affiliated with the human invader? And if so why befriend the princess? If the human’s objective was the downfall of Equestria somehow, why would his dog be running around saving foals from hungry Diamond Dogs? Perhaps the dog and the human were connected, just not in the way Mare Do Well originally thought. For now though, she would focus on the human. The dog’s fate would be considered after. It was a lot of data to process and organise. She needed to get home. Back to the comfort of her lair. She would add to her notes, pin some new facts to her criminal-board. And then she would sleep. She would collect herself, and when Luna’s moon showed itself again she would continue her search for answers. Canterlot had loomed into sight, the shimmering city sliding underneath the flying vigilante. She stopped flapping her wings, holding them horizontal as she caught on the up-draft of a chimney. Pushed higher into the air she hovered completely stationary for a moment. Her eyes narrowed as a flash of light arced through the skyline. Dust and debris billowed up into a thick black smokestack curling up from one of the Canterlot Palace towers. The rumble of the explosion came after, low like distant thunder. And Mare Do Well found herself attracted like a very hungry bear to honey. Thoughts of the comforting dank of her basement and her lumpy cot were pushed to the back of her mind as her wings flapped. With a distinct crack like the shot of a start-gun, Mare Do Well was launched forward, diving down on the palace. Stretching out her legs she slashed through the air like a bullet, no more than a streak of black and purple to the naked eye. It was only at the last possible minute that she oriented all fours for landing and stretched out her wings. Her feathers ruffled noisily as she plunged into the bank of thick smoke. All she saw was black, swirling around choking the air with burning, acrid soot and ash. Her rear hooves hit the rubble-strewn marble of the balcony first, before her front hooves followed and the vigilante slid to a halt. She squinted and coughed softly. The smoke was too thick. She couldn’t see a thing. Until her hat began to glow. Pure white light engulfed the rigid purple canvas, rippling and wavering with the paleness of the vigilante’s eyes. Slowly but surely under the force of her will, the smoke parted like a curtain before her, clearing a section before Luna’s wrecked bedroom was fully visible. As the glow in her hat faded, the vigilante calmly stepped forward. No bodies thus far. That was good. It was when she reached the door leading out into the hallway that she stopped with a start. The emotionless dark purple mask betrayed nothing of her shock. There they lay. Immortals on the floor, coated in rubble; unmoving. A brilliant white pegasus clad in gold, smeared with soot and his armour dented in places lay at Mare Do Well’s hooves. One wing was splayed out under his body, twisted and broken, the other spread out over his face for some protection. His chest rose and fell slowly with shallow breaths. The explosion had knocked him out cold, but he was breathing at least. The figures that worried him the most were pale white and dark azure. The still figures of the mighty alicorn that protected Equestria. The goddesses in charge of the sun and moon respectively. Celestia’s coat was charred like the golden vestments; dusted with debris and soot. Her mane and tail lay in tangled pink heaps, lacking the magical aura that usually engulfed them. The younger regal sister was the same, her vestments missing completely with her eyes clenched shut. Mare Do Well was about to check them for signs of life when a growl caught her attention. Soft at first, then louder with every passing moment. The sound was coupled with a snapping of teeth and the soft scrape of claws on the rubble littered floor. The vigilante stopped in her tracks as she saw the figure stood over Luna’s still form put itself between the two ponies. Four legged with a long muzzle, pointed eyes and fierce predatory teeth. His torso was clad in a black vest that seemed embedded with some shrapnel. The dust stained his brown and black coat with some blood seeping into the fur on his foreleg. Bungee, Mare Do Well mused, remembering the dog’s name. I wonder what his contribution to this was. Even as she thought it, she didn’t need to be the world’s greatest detective to figure it out. It all just sort of clicked into place. Bungee had been standing over Luna, nudging her, waiting for her to wake up. He was putting himself between her and the vigilante. He was protecting the princess. It wouldn’t surprise Mare Do Well to learn somehow Bungee had saved the princesses. The alicorns stirred. They’d be fine. Bruised; sure. Cut; maybe. Pissed as hell; definitely. But they’d be fine. Lifting up a hoof, Mare Do Well gently gestured Bungee to calm down. “I’m not your enemy, dog,” she rasped before adding thoughtfully, “In fact, I think I could hazard a guess we have a common enemy. I bet you even know his name.” Her conversation with Lyra earlier had been insightful. Not only did the vigilante have a description of the creature she was hunting, she also had a name. “Rourke.” Mare Do Well watched curiously as the dog seemed to calm. No longer bearing his teeth, his growl lowered before Bungee’s whole expression softened. Still watching the vigilante though, his whole disposition towards her changed, like he understood exactly what she was saying. It wasn’t that sight that amused Mare Do Well however. Looking into the dog’s eyes, she saw something else. It had appeared at the mention of the human’s name. It interested the mare very much. Hiding a grin, the masked mare nodded. “I thought so.” She chuckled, suddenly realising what she was doing. Can’t believe I’m talking to a dog. Bungee’s ears perked up first, twisting down the hall before his eyes were drawn in the same direction. Mare Do Well had to follow his gaze before she heard it too. Shouting voices. Heavy hoof-falls. The scrape of armoured hooves on the palace floor. Help was coming. The princesses would be fine. There was little left for the vigilante to do here. Bungee looked back, but by that time the masked mare was gone without a trace. Her scent had vanished, he couldn’t even hear her hoof-falls, nor the ripple of her cape in the air. All she had left behind was a whisper. A final command from a complete stranger, and yet Bungee had every intention of obeying it. “Take care of the princess.” In truth, Bungee didn’t even need telling.