//------------------------------// // Twenty-five // Story: Freedom Through Harmony: Book II // by Electricut //------------------------------// Twenty-five Ponyville, Year Unknown Octavia “What happened to this place…?” Octavia whispered, as though in fear of disturbing the ashes. “Looks like the whole place was razed to the ground…” Lyra whispered back. “Some kind of huge fire spell…” “I wonder if anyone made it out alive…” Octavia wondered aloud, sadly. “I don’t see any bodies, but they could have all been moved away.” “I think we need to look at things from a perspective of our own survival.” Lyra stated. “This is a dead timeline. There’s not much we could do for any survivors. I’m sorry, but… it would be best if we just took care of that Order agent and got out of here.” Octavia didn’t respond. She didn’t really approve of leaving any possible survivors for dead. But she knew that Lyra’s words were true, and that there wasn’t much they could do to save them. “C’mon.” said Lyra, hefting her crossbow. “Let’s scout around here for ammo and supplies, and then get moving.” Octavia nodded, and the two began picking their way through the ruined Ponyville. The first stop was obviously the blacksmith, in hope of finding some weapons and tools intact. They didn’t have much luck there- the whole shop looked like it had been ransacked- but there were a few slightly rusty blades left. While Lyra crept around the back room of the shop, Octavia picked up a medium-length weapon; too long to be a knife, too short to be a sword. She nodded and slipped it into her belt, and picked her way through the dust to check on Lyra’s progress. “There we go, that’s more like it.” Lyra said, reaching into a cracked box. “There’s a fire core in here. About half full. I found a handful of arrows and some crossbow bolts that are in good enough shape to be fired, too. Most of them were snapped in half or aren’t sharp enough to do any damage.” Octavia nodded, and took the arrows. She only had six remaining in her quiver from her own timeline, and she felt more confident with these seven more, even if they were of far lower quality. “I don’t know what’s out there…” Lyra said as they stepped outside, gazing up at the dust-choked sky. “But I’m glad we’ve already got some good armor. I wonder, do you think we’d be able to find some more stuff at the Icarus mansion? They had a standing force of about twenty at any given time.” Octavia nodded. “We need to find food and water, too. If there’s nothing at the mansion, though, maybe we should just move on. It doesn’t look as though there’s much left in this town at all…” Lyra nodded mournfully, and the two began to pick their way through town again, this time for the mansion at the far side. At times, buildings had collapsed into the streets, there was too much rubble to be climbed over, and the pair had to double back to find another way around. When, at last, they came close enough to the mansion to see it, they stopped, surveying their situation again. “The doors are blown out.” Lyra observed. “Meaning someone’s probably already been in the place. Those doors wouldn’t break down just from some spell.” “I wonder if the people who entered are still inside…” Octavia added. “If so, the risk might outweigh the benefits of anything we may find in there.” Lyra nodded, but the two remained standing where they were. Finally, Lyra responded: “Let’s get a closer look. If it looks too hot to handle for whatever reason, we’ll just get moving.” Lyra took the lead, crossbow armed, and crept closer to the mansion. Octavia was close behind. Lyra sidled against the outer wall, and crept as close as she could to the now empty door frame. “Hold on…” she whispered. “I think I hear something in there…” Octavia put her ear against the wall, hoping to hear something herself. After a short wait, Lyra swore. “Definitely voices. There’re people in there.” “Should we approach them? What if they’re only survivors, and not some kind of… scavengers?” Lyra frowned, considering the situation. “I’ll take a look inside. Just a peek around the corner, so they won’t see us.” Slowly, carefully, Lyra stepped closer to the doorway, slowly to avoid being detected by the residents’ peripheral vision, until she could see around it. “They’re right inside… what are they… oh gods…” “What is it?” Octavia asked, concerned. Lyra pulled back, and readied her crossbow. “Don’t even look in there until I break up what those bastards are doing. You don’t want to know. But once they come at us, start shooting.” Octavia frowned, but nodded and nocked an arrow. Lyra spun and stepped forward, and ended standing fully in the doorway. It only took her a split second to aim, and she released her bolt. From inside, Octavia could hear her shot hitting its mark, and the person on the receiving end crying out in pain, before swiftly falling silent. Lyra quickly armed another bolt, then waited for a single agonizing second. “Now!” she exclaimed, firing her second bolt and moving to load a third. Octavia rushed beside her, bow pointed inward to the mansion, searching for a target. The inside of the mansion was in just as bad shape as the exterior, although some of the wreckage seemed to have been pulled together to compose basic accommodations for the mansion’s new residents. The residents themselves were in even worse shape than the town: unwashed, with weapons in varying stages of rust, armor that looked cobbled-together from odds and ends, and a wild light in their eyes. Octavia could not immediately tell what these people had done that had angered Lyra so, but she only had to look at them to know that her rage was justified, whatever the reason. These were scarcely people. Savages. She pulled back her bowstring and put an arrow in one of them, in one smooth motion. Each was able to disable one more of the scavengers, leaving three, before they got close. Lyra pulled the combat knife from her boot again, and blocked an attack from a rusty hatchet. Octavia yanked the blade from her belt and brought it up in time to deflect an attack from another sword. Remembering her training from such a short time ago, Octavia dropped to a crouch, and tackled the man’s legs, sending him flailing to the ground. Before he could scramble back up, she brought the blade up and down upon him. A swift end. Octavia thought. Even against a wicked opponent, and even in a hopeless place, one must not lose sight of their honor. Before she could regain her balance, the third savage was upon her. He kicked her blade out of her hand, and she dodged out of the way to avoid his strike with a cracked sword. His filthy hand grabbed her arm, and she attempted to trip him to the ground as she had with the first assailant, but this one was a more skilled fighter. He drove his weapon downward, and Octavia was only able to dodge enough to avoid a direct hit. The rusty knife cut into her armor, only stopped just enough to avoid it cutting into her arm. Octavia grit her teeth, reached down to pick up her previous assailant’s weapon, and drove it into her attacker’s leg. He flinched back in pain, and when Octavia stood again, he stumbled forward to stab her. A crossbow bolt landed dead-center in his head. He froze for a moment, then collapsed. Octavia turned to see Lyra, grinning in victory. “Thank you.” said Octavia simply. “I was nearly among the dead for a moment…” “Don’t mention it.” Lyra waved, quickly collecting her bolts. “I’ll always be there to watch your back. Especially in a place like this…” Something seemed wrong in Octavia’s mind, but she shook her head and moved to collect her arrows. Lyra slung her weapon over her shoulder, and rushed towards the back of the room the two were in. Octavia looked, and saw another person there, still alive. She had long, pastel blue hair that looked as though it had been combed at least recently, and the feathers of her sky-blue wings were highly ruffled and somewhat dirty. She looked battered, with scrapes and bruises all over, but none of it looked like it could be life-threatening if treated properly. “Are you alright?” Lyra asked, helping the girl to her feet. Octavia moved over to the two as well. “Well, I mean… are you badly injured? Can you move?” “Y-yeah…” the girl confirmed shakily, her wings ruffling slightly to help her with her balance. “I think… I think I’m alright… For the moment, anyway. Thank you for stopping them, and saving me. I didn’t think there was anyone but raiders in this town…” “We didn’t think there was anyone at all.” Octavia admitted. “We’re… new here.” “You’re from somewhere else…?” the girl asked. “My advice would be to turn right back around and go home. Unless it’s actually worse there…” “I’m afraid it’s not an option, as much as we would like to.” Octavia said mournfully. “What about you?” The girl looked away. “My sister and I were trying to find somewhere where we would be safe... We got separated, and I ended up here…” Lyra frowned, but in sympathy. “We have no idea where anything is here. But if you need to find your sister again, and there’s no one else… You could come with us.” “Is that wise?” Octavia asked quietly. “We don’t even have any supplies for ourselves…” Lyra looked around, a hand still on the girl’s shoulder. Finally, her eyes settled on something, and lit up slightly. “There. The filthy people had food stored here, it’s on those shelves. Let’s see if any of it is edible.” Octavia nodded, and the two moved over to the shelves. The girl followed behind. “You’ll really help me find my sister again…?” “Sure!” Lyra confirmed. “I couldn’t just pull your butt out of the fire and then just leave you for dead. You need security and safety even more than we do. We’ve both had some combat training. Plus, you know the lay of the land a bit better than either of us.” Octavia picked up a box of fruit, the majority of which seemed fresh enough to be eaten. “Th-thank you!” the girl said in earnest. “Well, if we’re going to travel together… we’ll want to head to Fortress Apollo. We heard a rumor that there is safe haven in that place... A place where normal civilization still exists, and where we will be secure. Oh, and… My name is Flitter.” “Fortress Apollo, huh…? Well, that’s on the way to where we need to get, anyway. My name’s Lyra.” “Octavia.” she said, moving the salvageable food into a bag. She then began to look for other supplies, mainly medicine. “On the way?” Flitter asked. “Where are you headed?” “Eclipse.” Octavia answered. “There’s someone who will meet us there. Someone who we will have to fight.” Flitter frowned. “There’s not much left at Eclipse… They got hit especially hard when fire rained from the sky.” When fire rained from the sky? Octavia thought. It must have been a very potent fire spell. But if Eclipse was hit too, harder than other areas, it couldn’t have been Celesta that ordered the spell. “Couldn’t ask for a better place for a final confrontation…” Lyra mused. “Seems our Order friend is quite the dramatic one.” “Yes… Let’s just hope she also carries the sense of honor that accompanies such poetic thinking, and does what she promised.” Octavia mused. “If we defeat her, we may be able to go home.” “Quite a lofty promise…” Flitter commented. “Might I ask where your home was, and why this ‘Order’ person is your only way back?” “It… would take a lot of time to explain. And you might not believe me if I told you.” Octavia admitted. “Suffice to say, it’s not physically very far from here, but a great deal of specialized magic was involved in putting the two of us here. And the same magic is likely the only thing that can send us back.” Flitter nodded slowly. It didn’t seem as though she fully understood- but then, Octavia herself didn’t fully understand either- but she accepted her explanation for what it was. “I don’t think there will be many obstacles between the edge of Ponyville and Fortress Apollo, but in this place, you cannot be too cautious. Let’s keep looking in this mansion, and make sure we’ve found everything that could be useful.” The party now of three girls began walking up the grand stairway, to see what remained on the upper floor. Octavia frowned, an idea in her head refusing to be shaken, and she adjusted her pace to walk alongside Lyra. In a low voice, she asked “Lyra? Do you mind if I ask you something…?” “ ‘Course not.” Lyra confirmed. “What’s up?” The three reached the second floor, and while Flitter moved out slightly to scan another room, Octavia started slowly. “Do you… I mean, if not then I’m sorry for asking, but… Do you fancy me?” Lyra froze up for a moment, her eyes slightly wider than they had been a moment ago. When she slackened up again, she sighed regretfully. “Was I that obvious…?” “No, no, you were pretty subtle…” Octavia assured, but not sounding too steady herself. “It took me this long to put it all together, and even then, it was just a stab in the dark…” Several agonizing moments passed in which neither could think of anything to say. Finally, Octavia broke the silence: “I… I’m sorry. I wish I could feel the same way for you, but…” “I get it…” said Lyra, her voice low and restrained. “You’ve already got Scratch. Or just don’t swing that way… or both. Either way, I guess I saw it coming, or should have at any rate… I’m sorry.” “So am I…” Octavia said, nodding sadly. After a few more tense seconds, the two moved forward and embraced, separating just as quickly. “I’ll be alright…” Lyra promised. “I always bounce back. It’ll just… need a bit of time. And we’ve got plenty to keep ourselves busy in that time.” “Hey, guys, I think I found something good!” Octavia heard Flitter call from another room. Glad for the interruption, the two made their way to her. When they caught up, she held up something on a small chain. “I bet we could find someone to buy this in Apollo.” Octavia moved forward and cupped the object in her hands, confirming what it was. “We will want to keep this.” she told Flitter. “It’s the Icarus Charm; assuming it still works- and I can’t see why it wouldn’t- it will give whoever wears it a temporary set of wings.” Flitter nodded after a moment. “Yes, it would probably be best to keep this. What about this sword, then?” She retrieved a blade from the dusty bureau at the side of the room. It seemed to be another Icarus relic, the rapier once belonging to the heir of the house and queen of the kingdom, Rarity. “A fine weapon indeed…” Lyra commented. “But unless you use swords, Flitter, there wouldn’t be much point in keeping it. Octavia and I are both archers.” Flitter nodded and handed the sword to Octavia, who then slipped the sword into her belt. The trio continued to search the mansion for anything of use, but found little else. Still satisfied by what they had already been able to uncover, they hastily exited the mansion and began making for the northern gate of town. Bow and crossbow were armed, ready to fend off another attack from the disaster-born savages, but none approached now. Beyond Ponyville was empty ground, with some resilient grass still growing. Glad to be free of the crumbling town and in a place that they could at least pretend was normal and safe, the three set off through the southern fields, heading north. The walk was too long to make by nightfall, so when the sun set over the horizon, the three girls made camp for the night. Not much conversation was had aside from battle advice and reminders to be cautious; there wasn’t much else to say between them. Lyra was still in battle with her own mind, reconciling the fact that Octavia was out of reach to her. Two slept at a time, with the third watching camp in shifts. When morning came, all three were already prepared to get moving. By midday, Fortress Apollo was in sight. It was a welcome change: while the bricks seemed to have been scorched as well, the outside of the instillation still showing signs of damage, the building was intact and sound. Getting closer, Octavia could see soldiers standing guard outside, and the group was eyed warily as they approached. The guards raised their spears when they got close enough, but only cautiously, not out of hostility. “Who are you? What’s your business here?” “Refugees from Trottingham.” Flitter replied. “Our business is simply the desire for haven.” The guard looked them over. “Been getting several from Trottingham lately. Raiders are bad out there, I hear. These two look trained, were they in the militia?” Lyra nodded, playing along with the white lie. “We were junior members of it, in training to become full soldiers. But we can fight, yes.” The guard thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Alright. We could always use more soldiers on hand here. You can stay, as long as you pledge to fight to defend this place as long as you’re here.” The two nodded gratefully, and the guards lowered their spears and opened the door. With a sense of anticipation at what they would find, the three stepped through.