//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 — Tourniquet // Story: Modulation // by ProBrony //------------------------------// Now, while their backs are turned. — Chapter 8 : Tourniquet — A low rumble shook Sweetie Drops Confectionery. The yellow mare behind the counter barely registered the tremor, and resumed ringing up the purchases of the two young ponies in front of her. “This town is cuh-razy,” she mumbled. The mare scowled under her breath as she pressed the ‘sale’ button on her cash register. She put on a smile and turned back to her customers. “That’ll be six bits, ladies.” The ponies, each one different shades of pink, dug through their saddlebags and put together their money. She noticed one was just a filly. They slapped their bits on the counter, and the older one grabbed their impressive haul. “Thanks, Ms. Bon Bon,” they chimed simultaneously as they headed for the door. Bon Bon waved cheerily as they walked out the door. “Anytime.” The two ponies began to walk to the exit. In a swift motion, the older pony levitated out a piece and tried to sneak it into her mouth. The the other saw it. “Hey, save some for me, Sparkler!” she said. The young mare called Sparkler held the bag aloft with her magic, and made a cold face. “I’m gonna eat all of them, now that you called me that!” The smaller one jumped and tried to snatch the bag out of the air. Sparkler simply raised the bag higher. The filly grit her teeth and glared at Sparkler, then ran for the door. “I’m gonna tell mom on you when she gets back!” she called back. The unicorn was hot on her tail. “Dinky, you better not! You know I was only playing! Here, you can hold the bag,” she said, extending the bag to her. Dinky paused, eyeing the bag hovering near her. She snapped at the sack, and placed it in one of her saddle bags. She buckled the bag down as Sparkler rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dinky. Let’s go to the gazebo. We can munch on the treats there.” Sparkler walked out the door without looking back. Dinky stared back after her, but hesitantly followed the mare outside in short steps. Bon Bon had watched all this silently. When the door closed, she deflated with a heavy sigh. It had been a busy morning. School was starting soon, and the colts and fillies of the town were eager to spend the last of their summer allowance at her shop. This was Bon Bon’s first lull of the day, long after her scheduled lunch break. She wanted to complain, but she had no one to complain to. If she was to be honest with herself, she needed the money that this great day of business brought. Her shop was third behind the empires known as the Cakes and the Apples, and she felt it every day. Bon Bon unwrapped a piece of candy and plopped it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored the sweet, juicy morsel, relishing her craft. The candy was delightfully tart, but only just enough to give it a bite. The strawberry taste was prevalent and succulent. No wonder they were a hit with the kids. If only more kids wanted them. “Wow, Bon Bon, you, like, totally outdid yourself,” said a comically girlish voice. It sounded like it belonged to a very young mare, the kind who had rich parents who paid for everything. A strong, raspy voice answered back. “Thank you, Bon Bon.” This one sounded like an old mare tired of ‘youths these days’. “I worked very hard for this. You wouldn’t believe how long it took to get the strawberry to taste so pure.” “Oh yes she would,” Bon Bon replied. A hoot sounded from behind the counter. Bon Bon jumped out of her chair before snapping her head around. Resting above a glass container filled with jawbreakers sat an amber colored owl. The owl turned to the frozen mare, and hooted again. Bon Bon laughed, mostly at herself. “I forgot you were here, friend.” The owl hooted again. An old, sage-like voice emanated from the yellow mare. “But Bon Bon, How could you forget me already? I’ve only just arrived!” Bon Bon walked over to the owl and patted its head, and spoke plainly. “Sorry sir, I hope you can forgive.” She silently petted him. He never flew away. “You’re quite tame. Are you a lost pet? Maybe I’ll have to ask around and see if you have an owner. In the meantime, it’ll be nice to have some company.” “But Bon Bon,” said the raspy voice, “didn’t you want to be alone?” Bon Bon looked down at her hooves. “Not alone, just… She needs some time.” The girly-girl returned. “Oh come on, girl. Don’t like, lie to yourself.” “You know, the mare who needs time didn’t get on a train last weekend. ‘She’ is standing right here,” chimed the raspy mare. Bon Bon didn’t have a reply to that. She sat alone in her store front, with the owl softly hooting. Shortly, she looked up, smiling. “Sorry for that, Mr. Owl. I hope you can forgive me, I get… distracted, sometimes. Talking to myself.” She sighed. “You know, you could use a name. How about—” A stronger tremor shook Bon Bon’s store, vibrating everything. A few glass jars teetered close to tipping over, but fortunately fell back into place. “What in Tartarus…? Those mares better not be up to something crazy again!” she growled through gritted teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a yellow pegasus running past her shop. Bon Bon spotted a distinctive pink mane flowing behind the pony. Bon Bon’s eye twitched. “So it is one of them! At least it’s only Fluttershy. I swear, this town already interesting enough as it is without those six—” The house across the street erupted. Timber and furniture launched towards her storefront. Bon Bon could feel the force of the destruction underneath her hooves. Through the airborne debris, she witnessed the emergence of a creature she had never seen before. Mid-jump, it looked like a thing from the nightmares of a filly. Before she could make head or tail of the monstrosity, the debris reached her storefront. Windows and display cases shattered around her from the incoming debris, and she reached up to shield her eyes. With only three hooves on the ground she was not prepared for the beast's landing, which shot another shockwave into the store. Bon Bon went airborne. The shockwave knocked most of her jars to the ground. She slammed hard onto the floor, glass shattering around her. Candy rolled all over the store. Bon Bon lay dizzy on the floor as the beast launched itself down the street. *** “Omph!” Gasped Fluttershy as she ran into her fourth pony since she entered the town. The stallion yelled something after her but, as much as she wanted to say an apology, she couldn’t speak. She was running almost too hard to breathe. Fluttershy’s heart was shooting black lighting into her veins. She could feel every thud from her heart, and from her horseshoes. Her muscles had long been burned down to nothing, but she wasn’t going to stop. She couldn’t stop. She didn’t know where she was running. She just needed the forest and that thing long behind her. The frightened pegasus was turning randomly, not caring for the stares of the ponies she passed. She was out of breath and too scared to warn them, and could only hope her expression was all they needed. She tried her best to put as many things between the beast and herself as she could. Hitting a hard right, Fluttershy found herself on a narrow side street, devoid of ponies. Her pace slackened for the first time since leaving the forest, and she wondered if she had lost the monster at last. A scream, followed by a roar that shook her feathers, answered her. Fluttershy jumped and hung off the ground, her eyes scanning up and down the street. Only then did she realize she was truly in Ponyville. Slowly it dawned on her. She had been too scared to think of anything but ‘run’. “I’m sorry,” she quietly whispered to no one. Fluttershy didn’t dare fly high enough to spot the beast, for it would surely return the favor and hunt her down. Sounds of destruction faintly bounced off the houses around her, the echo preventing her from knowing where it truly was. Despite the displacement of the sound, she could tell it was getting louder. So were the screams. Suddenly, a house several blocks down the street exploded, sending timber and furniture into the sky and onto the street. Fluttershy whipped around, and gaped dumbly at the sight. Her knees failed her, and she collapsed wide-eyed on the ground in a heap. The monster from the forest landed before her in the street, shaking her bones. “No,” was all she said in quiet protest. In the bright, unfiltered light of the village, the beast looked even worse. It was past the point any creature Fluttershy knew about could live. The rotting flesh smelled putrid, and hung in pouches and tatters. From where she sat, she could clearly see the crater in the beast’s head in the unfiltered sunlight. Muscles moved, and tendons stretched. Blood coated the front of the beast, more than there was before. Fluttershy tried not to think about that. The smell filled Fluttershy’s nose, even at a distance, making her cough. The beast’s one good eye was scanning left and right, but its ears twisted towards Fluttershy. Fluttershy willed herself to be the smallest and quietest she’d ever had been in her life. It roared, and began a lumbering gallop towards Fluttershy, its multiple front legs creating an odd-metered stride toward her. She wasn’t going to outrun this beast now. She would tire out long before it did, and when it caught it it would feast upon her, and move on to the next pony it saw. She had one move left. Fluttershy reached down, deep inside herself, preparing to use her stare. The beast was only a two blocks away now, and it would need to be closer for her to have the effect she desired. She would have to be in the kill zone any second, but she had to hope her spirit could tame the beast. The thuds grew louder as it approached. Its claws and hooves left divots and craters in the ground as it smashed down the street, destroying mailboxes and upending unattended carts in its wake. Fluttershy took a deep breath, and Stared the beast down. Her vision was blurry, her cheeks were wet with tears, but she stared nonetheless. Her insides were jelly, but maybe she could trap the beast if she tried, if she really, truly tried. At some point, she realized she was screaming. As the beast started to enter range, she Stared it. The steps did not stop. The beast did not stop. Fluttershy knew something was wrong. She blinked a couple times, and Stared the beast again, and again to no avail. She started to panic. “Please!” She begged. “Please, please!” “Shut up. You almost had my shop destroyed you sniveling diva,” shouted a raspy old voice. “Diva?” Distracted, Fluttershy had no time to react to the beast upon her. She crumpled, and waited for the beast to gorge itself upon her. She didn’t have to. The mare from Sweetie Drops Confectionery stepped into the path of the best. She dug her hooves into the ground. As the monster ran full speed into her, she wrapped her forelegs around one of its claws, lifted, and twisted. The beast lifted up and over herself and Fluttershy, and slammed face-first into the ground with quickness unseen and a sharp crunch. Bon Bon let go of the beast, allowing its momentum to carry it tumbling down the street, leaving a streak of red behind it. “You pegasi are too fragile.” She turned towards the beast and began marching. The beast rolled to a halt. It found its footing, and rose from the ground. Turning back to Bon Bon, it flared its multiple arms and roared. Bon Bon’s eye twitched. A knot formed in her stomach. “Y- Y- Y- You get away from there!” She screamed. Her hooves were moving before she told them to. Fluttershy was alarmed by Bon Bon’s heightened voice. She responded instinctively. A voice from deep within came to her lips, surprising herself. “What’s wrong, miss?” Asked Fluttershy. “My… My store!” was all she shouted as she charged the beast. It saw her coming. It charged her, and Bon Bon got low, ready for another grapple. The beast dug its claws into the ground, grinding to a halt within Bon Bon’s reach. Bon Bon grabbed the beast, lifted and twisted. There was no momentum. Nothing happened. The monster bent over and roared, its gaping mouth destroying Bon Bon’s ears. She reached up to cover them, and was immediately struck by the beast. Her earth pony strength kept her upright, but she sank several inches into the dirt. Immediately after, the beast struck her from the side. Bon Bon slid down the street, her hooves leaving long divots in the ground behind her. She came to a stop and collapsed. She struggled to stand up, but fell on herself. The beast turned to Fluttershy, and licked its lips. Fluttershy silently screamed, feeling the terror grip her heart again. Like a drop of water in the dark, one thought echoed in her mind. Why didn’t I run? Saliva dripped onto the street. The monster started to gallop. Each step reverberated through Fluttershy’s skeleton louder than the last. She yearned to fly, but her wings felt like they were welded to her sides. Her legs felt like a newborn foal’s, dumb and useless. Before the beast had her in its killzone, a falling shadow caught Fluttershy’s eye. Before she had time to look up, it flew down and struck the beast’s head at alarming speed. In a flash, its head was slammed onto the ground. Atop its head was a pegasus, decked in black armor, frozen in calculated posture as its hind leg drove into the beast’s skull. Fluttershy gasped. The pegasus was a Lunar Knight, and even with the distance, her amber eyes shone fiercely in the sun. The moment didn’t last. The beast braced itself with its multiple forelegs and whipped its head back, sending the Knight skyward. It turned yet again and lumbered toward Fluttershy. It was so close her mind shook. The knight tumbled upwards through the air, the world spinning around her. Finally gripping air beneath her wings, she righted herself high above Ponyville and shouted a command. “Yes sir, Amber Eyes!” Two voices called out in unison, followed by two more Lunar Knights flying out of an adjacent alley, their hooves grazing the ground. They slammed into the beast’s side, catching it mid stride. Their combined blow sent the beast into a house, demolishing the front of it with an earth-shattering boom. Fluttershy stood dumbfounded in the street, blinking at her good fortune. Her ears were ringing. The beast gripped rubble and dirt, pulling itself out of the house and roared at its new assailants. It pawed debris off itself and threw it at the new knights, who dodged them. It turned back down the street and made for Fluttershy once more. The knights didn’t let up, and continued to strike the beast. Blow by blow, the beast slowed. It swatted at them annoyed. It stood its ground, slashing through the air with its claws. The knights were swarming around the monster, doing their best to dodge or deflect the assault of arms and get in strikes of their own. Her mouth twitched as Fluttershy realized that someone had come to her rescue. She felt like she could breathe again. She continued to cry, silently. Again, I am the one who needs saving. She tried to wipe her eyes but she couldn’t stop crying. She heard hoofsteps behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Fluttershy saw the female Lunar Knight approaching her. Her black armor seemed to suck the sunlight out of the air as she walked with a noble stride. Fluttershy seized up, forgetting about the beast completely. It’s her! Her stomach dropped. It had to be the knight Applejack mentioned. The dark armor and the fierce eyes made Fluttershy quiver. She was already stammering, thinking of something to say to get out of this pony’s presence. However, as the mare walked up to her, Fluttershy’s words failed her. All she could ask was, “What is that thing?” The mare called Amber Eyes shifted her gaze from Fluttershy to the fight going on down the street. The hurricane of limbs slicing through the air continued, sending showers of dirt whenever they struck the ground. The intensity was staggering, but the Knight in front of Fluttershy remained stone faced. “That beast is known as a hekkatron,” she answered coolly. She didn’t break her gaze. Fluttershy’s expression must have conveyed confusion, with tears still creeping down her face. Amber Eyes sucked her teeth, and continued. “It is an old foe, and one of the last things I’d expect to see on a day as mundane and as asinine as this one.” Fluttershy gave the mare a puzzled look, but the mare showed no interest in discussing it further. “Get out of here. Go home. You are in the way.” The lack of reaction from Fluttershy made the knight suck her teeth. She struck Fluttershy on the flank. “Get out of here now!” she shouted. She blinked. Finally coming to, finally realizing that this was her exit from her nightmare, Fluttershy turned and ran. She pumped her legs hard, and disappeared around the block. As she rounded the corner, the Lunar Knight turned back to the fight, and dove in. *** The Lunar Knights swarmed the beast like hornets. They flew in separate orbits around the hekkatron, dishing out stinging blows. The beast would retaliate and clip a Lunar Knight, sending it spinning into a building. Despite the blow, they would immediately rejoin the fight. At first, they were flying and striking as hard as they could, determined to put the beast down. However, the hekkatron showed no signs of being anything but annoyed, and with each subsequent violent ejection, the Lunar Knights took longer and longer to rejoin the fight. Despite their best efforts, unless something changed, this was a fight the Lunar Knights were going to lose, and Amber Eyes knew this. One of her Knights collided with the other, sending them crashing to the street. In the moment that their leader glanced at them, the hekkatron reached out and grabbed her, tossing her down with her subordinates, dirt flying into the air. She skid in the dirt down the street. When she came to a stop, she found her knights already flanking her, lifting her up and dusting her off. They muttered apologies, but she slapped them both with her wings. “What kind of flying was that, Antumbra?” she hissed. An emotionless ‘Sorry, sir,’ was all Antumbra had to say. She turned to the other knight. “Any ideas, Penumbra?” “None, Sir. If I may say, what in Luna’s name are we doing fighting a hekkatron? Are they not supposed to be—” “Penumbra!” Amber Eyes cut him off sharpy. “I do not care what anything is supposed to be, I care about what something is, and this thing is a threat to this town, ourselves, and tangentially our Princess. It must be destroyed, now.” Antumbra spoke up. “But how, Sir? Have one of these ever been truly defeated?” Down the street, the hekkatron was approaching, seeming to have finally forgotten about its yellow snack. The lead Knight gave no command. “Sir?” Their leader placed a hoof on her head and grimaced in anger. “I expected to wake up to a much more peaceful Equestria than this,” she said under her breath. She looked up, and saw her knights staring at her, waiting. She glanced down the street. The hekkatron would be upon them in seconds. She grit her teeth. “Knights! Wings up!” All three Lunar Knights extended their wings and launched into the sky like rockets. Not a second later, the hekkatron stumbled dumbly where they had been, and tried futilely to swipe them out of the air. Above it, the Knights circled like hawks, flying out of range of its claws. “The enemy is an old one,” shouted their leader as she as she dodged a blow that would have easily ripped a wing off, “even if it is tough. We will put him down! Strike! Rake out its eyes and break its forelimbs! Smash what is left of its skull into the ground! Do what we must, for our Princess! Line up!” “Sir!” exclaimed Penumbra and Antumbra, and they flapped even harder. The Knights peeled away from their orbit, prompting the hekkatron to give chase. It ran hard, but the knights were pulling away. After obtaining enough room, the knights turned and headed straight for the hekkatron. Their hooves grazed the ground as they pumped their wings as hard as they could. As they flew, they formed a spear. Penumbra, Antumbra, and then their commander bringing up the rear. The knights met the beast. They were right in its kill zone, under its cruel maw and in the range of its arms. Penumbra pulled away, hard right, as two arms of the beast reached out to slice him in half and only met air. Antumbra pulled a hard left, pulling three arms after it, leaving the commander as clear of a shot as she could ever hope. The wind whistled furiously through her ears. The remaining arms were busy keeping the beast upright in mid stride. The commander brought her wings in tight, slipping between them. “Eat it, Tar-head!” She screamed. I know you’re going to feel this one! With the beast unable to defend itself, she headbutted him directly in the chest. Her helmet tore flesh and hit bone with a thud that reverberated up and down her armor. She could feel the destruction as the waves of energy ran up and down her suit, and the distinct sensation of breaking bone was not lost on her. However, the hekkatron did not fall. It staggered, but stood its ground. The commander found herself in silence and without momentum. She blinked, and hesitated. In that moment a claw reached under and snatched her. The beast slammed her against the ground, all while roaring in pain. Amber Eyes felt her lungs empty and felt something pop in her shoulder. Her mind screamed and bounced around her skull, but she forced herself to stay focused. Instead of another slam, the beast threw her hard into a side alley. Her armor clanked as she tumbled down the narrow street. As she came to a stop, she said a quiet thanks to her Princess. She rolled over to look at the entrance to the alley, and saw the hekkatron begin to advance on her, wedging itself between the buildings. She tried to stand, but her right foreleg gave out. She landed on her face, eating pavement. “Horse apples,” she hissed. She tried to stretch her wings, but they ached immensely. After much effort, she was airborne. She could fly, but she wasn’t going anywhere fast. “Knights!” she yelled. The beast was about to enter the alley when Penumbra and Antumbra struck it again. It made an odd yelping noise as it disappeared from the end of the alleyway. The leader laughed to herself, until her two knights flew back across the alley. She grew silent, as the hekkatron’s claw gripped the corner, and her stomach sank as its disfigured head looked around the corner. A voice shouted behind her, originating from the other end of the alley. “He’s right here, Big Mac! Let him have it!” Hooves approached quickly from behind. A red blur whizzed past her and slammed into the beast in front of her with a hit so hard she felt it. Catapulting it airborne, the blur flung the monster into the storefront behind it. In its place stood one of the largest stallions Amber Eyes had ever seen, larger than any pony in the Princesses’ forces. A hoof fell on her shoulder. She winced and turned to scold the fool who dared hurt her. She found herself looking into the face of the woefully obvious liar from the morning. Her eyes narrowed. “You,” was all she said. “You can thank me later, ma’am,” Applejack replied, “but for now, let me get you out of here.” Applejack moved to hoist the knight, but she shoved her away. “My ponies are still out there. I cannot leave them.” “Maybe so, but you’re no good to them now. My brother will help them.” Amber eyes looked back down the alley. Sure enough, the brute of an earth pony was going blow for blow with the hekkatron. Above, her knights fought with the beast’s arms to get in strikes when they could. Combined, they were holding their own against the beast well enough, but she could tell winning still wasn’t a viable option. She looked to the sky, and said a prayer to Luna under her breath. She then froze. “Come on, girl. Let’s go. You’re too young to be in a fight like this, if you ask me.” Applejack tugged, but the knight kept looking skyward. She frowned. “Ah said—!” “—Let go of me, country mare!” she spat. Applejack let go, but was about to share some terse words, when the knight pointed up. Following her hoof upwards, she saw a huge carriage hanging over the city. Squinting, she could see a envelope displayed on the side of the carriage, and a grey pegasus holding the vehicle in the sky. “What’s so important about that?” Applejack asked. She turned, but found that the knight had gone. Looking up again, she saw her slowly rising to meet the pegasus. Her armor was clearly dented, and her flapping was laborious. “Fine, you crazy mare!” Applejack shouted after her. She turned and ran down the alley, away from the fight, to find any more stragglers in the area needing a helping hoof. *** “The beast is hurt! Go for its chest!” Penumbra shouted. “Try to force it out of town!” “Eeyup,” was all the new combatant said as he continued to tussle with the hekkatron. Big Mac was a strong pony, with Earth pony magic augmenting his already peak physical condition. Glancing blows from the beast were nonexistent, and Mac's headbutts were devastating. It was only with his help the Knights have any hope of leading the hekkatron away from town. Leading, but not defeating. Big Mac approached the hekkatron, which punished him with a blow to his side. Without flinching, Big Mac sidestepped, and headbutted the beast's side from his improved angle. The hekkatron reached around slammed Big Mac's back with two claws. Gave the monster a quick shove for space, pivoted, and bucked the beast hard, sending it down the street. He grunted, and kneeled to catch his breath, unsatisfied with his skirmish and eager to return. While down, the two remaining Lunar Knights swooped in. The hekkatron's elbows, knees, and already wounded chest were battered by the airborne assailants. They were precise, and merciless, leaving reddening welts where their horseshoes struck. The beast trashed madly on its back, desperately trying to rid itself of the buzzing Knights. One of its arms clipped Penumbra, launching him in a painful arc into the next street over. Finding himself alone, Antumbra switched to defense as he was barraged with the snatching arms of the hekkatron. Dodging as well as he could, he continued to lure the beast down the street. His flying grew sloppy as time wore on, and he quickly grew tired. Then, a misstep sent him into the dirt. Whipping his head up, he had just enough time to see the claw coming. Shutting his eyes, he felt the claw slam into the road beside him. Looking up, he saw Big Mac standing between him and the beast. Big Mac began fighting the beast again, with renewed vigor. On his left, Antumbra heard flapping wings, and turned to see Penumbra landing. He extended Antumbra a hoof, which he accepted. They spread their wings and launched back into the air. They had to keep fighting, no matter how much stamina the beast had. Despite their best efforts, the beast wasn't stopping. They were losing. In the next street over, Applejack was following them. She had instructed a few ponies cowering in their dwellings to flee already. She made no attempt to fight, as her bones still ached from the earlier encounter, but she wasn’t going to flee the town until everypony else was gone. She was responsible for this disaster, and she had to do everything she could. She could feel the rumble from every fall the beast had, and it made her hopeful that maybe they could pull it off. She trotted along as fast as her pain would let her, in an attempt to stay ahead of the fight. The brawl started to drift towards the open town square. She pressed ahead, running to the center. It was completely quiet, and she sighed with relief. The beast had obviously chased Fluttershy through here at some point, as there were many shallow holes from where the beast trampled. The gazebo that sat in the middle of the square was in poor shape, as if the beast had slammed up against it. A nondescript banner hung off the side, one of its support ropes ripped. She picked her ears up, turning left and right, hoping for something. Applejack almost sighed with relief. It was then she heard a noise. Her heart leapt up in her throat. It was a filly’s sob. Applejack looked around wildly, trying to find the already distant source of the noise over the sound of the fight. The fight was echoing off the deserted streets, making it that much harder. She trotted up to houses around the outer edge of the square, and began to call. “Hello?” she shouted, walking the perimeter. “Ah heard ya in there! Come out, you gotta get out of here!” She heard no response. She picked a house at random and ran in, busting the door down and immediately wincing. She found herself in a living room, with papers thrown about the floor. She saw no one. She ran to the back of the house, and saw a dinner table with hot hay sandwiches sitting out, still steaming. Still, nopony was around. She turned and ran back out into the street. “Ah know you’re there!” she shouted. “Ah can help! Just let me know where you are!” Silence answered her, or as much as silence as a nearby fight with a carriage-sized monster would allow. Applejack stood, her ears up and soaking in for the tiniest peep. She heard nothing except the fight nearing. Maybe she didn’t hear anything at all in the first place? Applejack began to walk away, before something stopped her in her tracks. “Miss Applejack?” she heard call out from a distance. She turned, and stared out across the square, trying to find a source of the sound. There, in the middle, under the shade of the damaged gazebo, were two pink fillies. *** High above, Amber Eyes was slowly approaching the suspended pegasus. She gritted her teeth. “You, citizen! I need your help!” She almost spat out the words, and loathed saying them. Asking for help was for those without power, she thought. She had to, however. The hekkatron needed to go down. The pony became clearer as she flew closer and she could see she grey mare had blonde hair. A quick glance at her cutie mark revealed bubbles. Disappointment crossed Amber Eyes face; this pony is weak. Thankfully, the carriage she was carrying was indeed a mail carriage. Judging by its bobbing, it was filled with undelivered packages. Amber Eyes smiled. “Citizen, I am recruiting you for a mission of utmost importance—” she paused. As the mare turned to her, she saw that one of her eyes pointed in the wrong direction by an extreme margin. Her eyes widened, but she continued. “Surrender your carriage to me.” The pegasus’ good eye shifted from the Knight to the town, and back to her. “Uh, how do I do that?” “You’re telling me you don’t know how to perform an airborne tow switch?” She facehoofed, and breathed deeply. “I don’t care. The town is under attack, and I need you, and more importantly, your hefty cargo.” The pegasus glanced over her shoulders at the large load she was carrying. “What do you need with this mail? I can’t let it get damaged. I could lose my job.” She half-grinned. “It’s already hard enough to get hired.” Amber Eyes didn’t have time for this. “There is a hekkatron—” she spotted the look of confusion on the mare’s face. “—a monster destroying the town right now. It’s tough, and while my two knights are giving it trouble right now, they won’t last. I need you. I. Need. Your. Cargo.” She pointed at her load. “I need you to drop this carriage on its head, as hard and fast as you can. I do not have time for this!” She expected immediate compliance, but the grey mare simply gulped. “I… I can’t. I’ll lose my job. I have to take care of… T- T- Those mares will be here soon, right? They always show up when there’s trouble...” The mare’s face slowly descended into pure terror as she looked below, her eyes bulging. Amber Eyes looked down, and couldn’t stop herself from letting out a gasp. *** Applejack started towards the fillies. “Listen here, youngins. We’ve got to get out of here.” She tried to keep her voice even, but the commotion was rising behind her. The smaller one was crying. The older one she was holding onto just shook her head. “If we don’t scram, who knows where that monster will come next. Ah just need you to come with me, to head to the outskirts of town, and then you’ll be safe.” On cue, she felt her world begin vibrate. A huge tremor shook the square. The fight had reached them. The gazebo, already damaged from the hekkatron’s earlier rampage, began to fall. Applejack saw the roof begin to sag, and took off running. She took a flying leap at the ponies, hoping that when she hit them they’d be alright. Flying through the gazebo, Appleack ran into the older mare, sending the two fillies out the other side. She scrambled to her feet. “Run!” She shouted, before the roof fell in on her. The blow of the roof was mercifully negligible, but when Applejack tried to rise, she couldn’t move. She looked behind her and saw that her hind legs had been pinned. “Horse apples,” she swore, but looking up she was relieved to see the fillies shaken but relatively unharmed in front of her. “Now run on! Get!” But they didn’t move. Slowly, the young pegasus extended a hoof above Applejack head. Applejack closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, but she did turn around. Looking behind her, she saw the hekkatron rise up from behind the demolished gazebo. She wasn’t safe. She hollered for help, but neither Big Mac nor the Knights were in sight. It licked its lips in anticipation. The young filly screamed. *** “Oh, my Princess,” Amber Eyes gasped as she saw the beast approach the three ponies in the square. She frantically searched for any sign of her Knights or the red stallion, and spotted them laying in the street a few blocks over. The rest of the town had been deserted, her troops dispatched. Even if she dropped like a rock and attempted to stop the monster, she would be useless. She was too weak to stop it. “Oh, my Princess,” she said again. “No, please Celestia no! My foals! My babies!” Shouted the mare next to her, almost forgotten. Amber’s heart leapt to her throat from the sound. Her eyes misted over. She was immensely thankful she was at such an altitude that her knights would never know— assuming they made it through the day. Without warning the mailmare dropped out of the sky. She was flying with pistons on full, furiously flapping her wings as she plummeted to the town far below, yanking the carriage behind her. Amber Eyes watched solemnly, as the pony descended, her payload in tow. *** “Run!” Applejack screamed. The fillies from the gazebo rose to their feet, but they were moving too slow. Applejack tried to buck off the boards, yet nothing happened. The collapsed gazebo groaned, but didn’t budge. She could hear the beast walking, stalking. She shuddered, waiting for the killing blow. She felt a glob of saliva land in her mane, and she shuddered. “Ah’m sorry,” she said to no one. The beast bent forward, and sank its teeth into the nape of Applejack’s neck. She tried to stifle her scream in, but it slowly leaked out until she couldn’t help it anymore. She screamed her lungs out, her forelegs kicking and scraping the ground. As she drew in more breath to scream, she could smell the beast. The stench reeked of death and decay. The beast let go, catching Applejack by surprise. She was panting hard, but alive. She looked at the wound, and immediately turned away. It looked nasty, but she knew it wasn’t too serious. This bite was not meant to kill, only to maim, to stop her from running away. The next one would do her in. The ground beneath her quickly turned red. Applejack laughed sickly, but kept struggling to get free. The beast roared in triumph, and went for the kill. Applejack tensed and closed her eyes. “Stop right there, Mister!” shouted a soft voice. Applejack waited, but never felt a bite. She looked back, up at the beast. More blood oozed from her wound, but Applejack saw that the beast had frozen, his attention on the approaching mare. If Applejack was free, she would have hugged her. Fluttershy was quickly approaching. She landed in between the fillies and Applejack, and looked at the beast who was almost upon the gazebo. The hekkatron recognized his prey from earlier. It roared a huge roar, and set its eyes upon the yellow pegasus. “Big mistake, mister!” shouted Fluttershy, and she stared him. The effect was immediate. The beast’s eyes glazed over, and he froze in his tracks, three claws off the ground as it was about to step on the gazebo. Fluttershy flinched, as if she just realized what she was doing, but she held her gaze. She held it as she turned her head slightly to the side, and addressed the fillies. “Can you two sweeties help Applejack out, please?” They wasted no time rushing over the Applejack. The older unicorn grabbed a few boards with her magic and lifted them just enough for Applejack to slide out. “Thank you girls, Fluttershy,” she said as she tried to steady herself on three legs. The fillies looked at her wound, but she shooed them and turned it away. “Now let’s go, on the double!” The two fillies finally ran. Applejack paused to look at Fluttershy, whose eyes were still locked on the creature. She couldn’t think of anything to say, and hobbled after the fillies. Fluttershy was alone with the beast. “You’ve been a bad monster, haven’t you?” The beast stared blankly at her. It didn’t move a muscle. Fluttershy wasn’t sure if it understood her, but she spoke anyways. “You will go back where you came from, and never hurt anypony ever again. Do you understand me?” Again, blankness. Fluttershy waited for the beast to turn, but it never did. Slowly, its head dipped. It started to make a sound like purring. Fluttershy panicked. “I- I- I- I said it’s time for you leave, okay?” she said feebly. The beast answered with a shrill roar, and lunged towards her. “Watch out!” shouted a voice. Fluttershy was bounced off her hooves. Her ears filled with noise as a sickening crash assaulted her ears. She was sure she was screaming, but she couldn’t hear herself. She landed on her back, dazed. From nowhere, the hekkatron had seemingly turned into a pile of broken, flying debris. A spoked wheel whizzed past her head. The banner from the gazebo slowly floated down and draped over her as a cloud of dust rose around her. The square was quiet as a meadow. Fluttershy’s ears rang. She coughed as the dust floated into her mouth. She pulled the banner off her, picked herself up, and started in a direction. She hesitated, waiting for a sign of the monster. Just because she couldn’t hear the beast, didn’t mean it was safe. She instead stood, rooted to her position as the dust slowly dispersed. She gasped. The hekkatron was spread eagle on top of the gazebo. Its eyes were vacant. Its neck was clearly, horribly broken. Bones poked out in odd angles, and blood flowed from the punctures. Fluttershy sunk in herself at the sight of the injured monster. Despite it being seconds away from killing her, she couldn’t help but let a piece of her heart go out to the beast. She shut her eyes. “Fluttershy!” Applejack called. Fluttershy didn’t answer, but sat there, waiting to be found. Finally, Applejack staggered up to Fluttershy. “Thanks, Fluttershy. Ah thought Ah… Y’know. Thank you, so much.” Fluttershy finally opened her eyes and looked at Applejack. She was a mess, worse than Fluttershy had ever seen anypony before. She started to cry again. Applejack looked down. She went to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she slowly neared Fluttershy. She sat down, reached her good hoof around her, and squeezed. She hugged her, and nuzzled her. She said nothing. Slowly, Fluttershy placed a hoof around Applejack. She started to cry even more into Applejack’s coat, her tears mixing with the sweat and blood. “Where are they? Where are they!” A mare shouted. Fluttershy turned, looking for the owner of the voice. It was the same voice that warned her before the explosion took out the hekkatron. A grey pegasus walked up, her eyes searching around frantically. Fluttershy noticed that her eyes were always looking in two different places, but held her questions. One of those eyes landed on Fluttershy and Applejack, and she rushed over. She ran in front of them to speak, and recoiled when she saw Applejack’s wound. “Oh dear, are you going to be alright?” the pegasus asked. Applejack grunted. “Yeah, Ah think so. Ah’m not going to lie, though, it hurts.” “Never doubted it.” Again, another half grin, but her expression quickly returned to a more serious one. I’m looking for my foals,” the pegasus continued unsurely. Applejack could tell she was making a point to avoid looking at the wound. “The ones who were in the gazebo. Please, did you see where they ran off to? “We’re right here, mama!” said small voice behind her. The grey pegasus turned, and saw a young unicorn waving at her. “Dinky!” she yelled, as she flew forward and wrapped the young filly in her legs and wings. She kissed her all over her face. “I’m so happy you’re okay!” She suddenly held the filly away from her. “You are okay, right? No scratches?” “Yes, mama,” Dinky said. The pegasus began to hug her again. Eventually, she set her down. The pegasus looked around. “Where is Sparkler?” “Don’t call me that,” said a pink unicorn. She walked up to the group of ponies, wearing a look of disdain for the scene.. They grey pegasus smiled, but didn’t approach. She looked over at Applejack, who was still being supported by Fluttershy. “You could do with a trip to the hospital.” “It’s… not that bad…” Applejack said through gritted teeth. Fluttershy knew she was right, but it looked bad. She got up, and moved for the banner. She grabbed it off the ground and tore several strips with her teeth. Returning to Applejack, she began wrapping her wound as best she could. The pegasus spoke. “I’m sorry, Amethyst Star. I’m just so happy to see you. To see both of you! That you’re okay! I was so worried, I just didn’t know what to do. I love you two so much. So, so much, you know?” Dinky pried herself from the pegasus, and looked at the hekkatron still lying in the rubble of the gazebo. “Whoa, did you do that, mama?” “You are so fired, you know that?” Asked Amethyst Star. The pegasus grimaced. “I… I did what I had to,” she said. “I didn’t mean to… If there was another way, if I didn’t have to, I would have…” Dinky didn’t wait for an answer and hugged her mother again. Amethyst Star stood nearby, looking away. At the edge of the square, Fluttershy could see ponies approaching the destruction. Amethyst Star walked over to the beast, and poked it with her hoof. It remained unmoving. “Really though, what is that thing?” she asked, then almost retched. “And where’s the rest of its face?” On silent wings, the ponies in sleek, black armor landed before them. The two flanking ponies landed gingerly, but the center one stumbled. The flanking ponies moved to help, but she quickly righted herself up and shot them a glare. “As I’ve said before, that thing,” she said, turning her amber eyes upon the beast, “is a hekkatron.” There was silence, until Applejack spoke up. “And what in tarnation is a hekkatron? Ah’d really love to know. That thing was more vicious than any beast I’ve ever heard about in the Everfree Forest.” Behind the knights, Big Mac approached. He looked bruised but otherwise unscathed. “Eeyup,” he agreed. Applejack smiled warmly. “That’s because it’s not of the Forest. It’s not of Equestria. It belongs to Discord.” The silence was long. Applejack’s heart stopped. “You’re not saying he’s escaped, are ya?” The Lunar Knight laughed. “No, he’s still a lawn ornament in Canterlot. I’m saying that this beast is tainted by his magic. I thought they were no longer a problem in Equestria. I’m surprised we won.” “What do you mean, ‘no longer a problem?’” asked Fluttershy. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.” “Me neither,” wheezed Applejack. “Besides, when we faced Discord, his magic reset. Everything went back to normal.” The female Lunar Knight hobbled over the hekkatron. Her knights never left her side. She sucked her teeth, and kicked the motionless body. Fluttershy made a noise of disgust. “We have to report this to our Princess immediately, Sir,” said Penumbra. “Yes, I know,” replied the commander. “Soon enough. We’re not done here.” Antumbra looked over at his shoulder at the crowd that was gathering, but they respectfully remained out of earshot. Fluttershy followed his gaze, and scanned the gathering ponies. She potted Bon Bon, who looked bruised and cross, but otherwise said nothing. Fluttershy quickly averted her eyes from her. She also saw Nurse Redheart and some of her staff among the ponies, checking injuries and treating those hurt. Waving her down, Fluttershy asked her to bring a stretcher. One look at Applejack and she disappeared into the crowd. “What is more important to our Princess, sir?” he asked. He was ignored. “Hey you, miss, what exactly is a hekkatron?” asked Applejack. “Tell me what you’re hiding.” The commander flipped as fast she could to stare Applejack in the face. Fluttershy slunk beside her. “I’ll tell you once you tell me what you’re hiding, you liar.” Some ponies, recognizing who the Lunar Knight was talking to, gasped. Fluttershy tensed beside her, but said nothing. “Hey, now, you watch your words, Missy!” “Or what, you’ll bleed over me?” Fluttershy spoke up. “Or I’ll take care of you.” This caused Amber Eyes to pause, and stare at Fluttershy. Fluttershy said nothing, and returned the gaze. She held tighter onto Applejack, however. Applejack returned the squeeze. “You,” said the knight. “I saw you stop the beast in tracks, after one of my headbutts, and his—” she pointed at Big Mac”—beatings did nothing. How did you do it? No one has ever stopped, much less caused a hekkatron to pause like that in any way, except maybe to make it consider which pony to devour first. Do you have an evil in your eyes, eh little pony? Worse than Discord?” Fluttershy meeped, and Applejack shot the mare a cold look. “You leave her alone.” “Sir, we need to go,” reminded Penumbra. Amber Eyes shot him a dirty look, but didn’t say anything. She looked back at Fluttershy and Applejack. She admired their courage. In a town full of ponies that fled, these two stayed. They stood together, and stared in the face at what Amber Eyes thought was certain death for each one of them, and for those two fillies. Then it clicked. “You. You both,” she said slowly, smirking. “You’re Elements, aren’t you?” There was a pause. Applejack eventually responded. “Yeah we are. So what?” Amber eyes smiled. “You’re the ones responsible for resealing Discord and… ‘helping’ our Princess. I guess it’s also fair to say you ‘helped’ with the changeling uprising, too, huh?” “Helped? There was no uprising because…” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ugh, nevermind. So what if we’re Elements, lady?” “So, this will go quickly. I’m tired of playing games, so I’ll be straight with you. I have been commanded by our Princess Luna to ask about the whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle. Where is she?” Applejack began. “Well. She’s. Uh…” Amber Eyes began to cock an eyebrow, displeasure spreading across her face. Applejack sigh. “She’s on the ru—” “—She’s on a vacation,” interrupted Fluttershy flatly. Applejack looked at her, flabbergasted. Thankfully Amber Eyes didn’t notice Applejack’s expression. Her gaze was on Fluttershy, and her anger was rising. “A vacation?” asked Amber Eyes. “She’s traveling, conducting research,” said Fluttershy. “That sounds like fieldwork,” replied the knight coolly. “Which is it, Elemental? Is she vacationing or conducting research?” Fluttershy kept her voice even. “If you knew Twilight, you’d know that they are one and the same. It should be common knowledge to anypony serving under the Princesses, as I’m sure you know she is Celestia’s pupil. Are you sure you’re a Lunar Knight?” Amber Eyes practically lunged at Fluttershy. Fluttershy didn’t flinch. “I am Amber Eyes!” She spat, her voice lined with venom beyond her years. “I am Luna’s right hand mare! I have seen things that would haunt you forever while under my Princess’ service”. Amber Eyes stepped up to Fluttershy, inches from her face. “Look here, you Elemental. Question me about my knighthood one more time and I’ll do something about it.” “Do something about it and Ah’ll do something about it,” said Applejack. Feeling something sting, Amber eyes looked down, and noticed Applejack’s hoof on her shoulder— her injured shoulder. She shot her knights a look, and saw that they were subtly crouched, ready to strike. However, this was no time to get into a fight. Amber Eyes could only imagine the scolding and punishment they’d receive if they fought one of Celestia’s most precious, and a wounded one at that. She sucked her teeth, and looked back at Applejack, and then Fluttershy, and then smiled. “Let me guess. Loyalty,” she nodded at Applejack, “and Courage, or something like it,” she nodded at Fluttershy. Fluttershy and Applejack looked confused, but they didn’t say anything. Finally, she eased back. Applejack’s hoof slid off her shoulder. She turned, and walked back to the beast. “I will answer answer your question. A hekkatron is a child of Discord. While almost all of Discord’s magic resets, not all of it does. The things that don’t, get put away. Forever.” She kicked the beast hard, knocking its head to the side. Its exposed brain turned up. Everyone around her recoiled, but she didn’t move a muscle. Her eyes remained callous. “This beast is supposed to be in Tartarus. It’s from before My Princess’ Fall. As for it’s face, I’m going to guess we weren’t the first ones to encounter it. Judging by this battle, whoever it found before us is most likely a mess of organs now.” Dinky whimpered. Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other, then back to the knight. She spread her wings, and her fellow knights did the same. “One more thing. I understand that Twilight Sparkle is off doing whatever, but that should leave five Elementals guarding the town.” She turned back to them. Her voice lowered. “Where are the other three? I know there are other ponies missing in this town. Aren’t they your friends?” Applejack’s jaw was open, but Fluttershy’s was firmly shut. They gave no answer. Amber Eyes’ lips began to curl. “I don’t think you two would be unwise enough to lie to a Canterlot official, but I can tell that’s a bit of a raw subject. I won’t coerce an answer out of you, not today at least, but I know one of you knows something, and chances are the other does not. Find them immediately. What would have happened if we weren’t here? If that pegasus with the eye was late with the mail? Would her fillies still be here?” Dinky stuck her tongue out at the knight, but her mother just hugged Dinky tighter. Applejack and Flutterhsy remained silent. Amber Eyes looked them over for a moment, then turned. “Wings up!” she commanded, and the Lunar Knights were airborne. It wasn’t long before they disappeared into the sky, headed back to Canterlot. Nurse Redheart returned with a couple ponies and a stretcher. They took Applejack off of Fluttershy’s hooves, and laid her on the stretcher. As they were about to walk away, Applejack asked them to wait a moment. She looked at Fluttershy. A beat passed, and Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak. Applejack cut her off. “Ah’m sorry, Fluttershy. Ah’m glad we made it through that, and Ah’m sorry you had to deal with that alone. Ah needed to go find Sweetie Belle. Ah didn’t think it would take so long. Ah didn’t mean to leave you alone. Ah’ll talk to you soon. We’ve got to find them, Shy. Dash, and Pinkie.” Fluttershy froze. Her eyes widened, and she held her breath. She looked Applejack in the eyes, looking for signs. Anything. She saw nothing. “I’m sorry too, Applejack,” was all Fluttershy said in return. The emergency ponies carried Applejack away, and Fluttershy turned to the beast. “Tartarus?” she said to herself. She shuddered, and looked down, and sucked in a breath sharply. She was covered in red, just like that day. Just like Twilight. Her stomach dropped, and her mind drifted. She felt weightless. Red is not your color, darling. Fluttershy shook her head violently. “R- Rarity?” she asked under her breath. No one answered. As the seconds ticked by, she became aware it was rather loud for being outside. She jumped, despite herself, then realized where she was. The crowd had finally enclosed, and Mayor Mare was instructing construction ponies on how to remove the monster. Ponies were whispering amongst themselves, and they were looking. Looking at her. Fluttershy felt like she was suffocating. She spread her wings and flew into the air. I need to go home, she thought. *** Fluttershy had lost the strength to fly before she made it home. She began to slowly walk, meandering around the empty streets. Over and over, a thought played in her mind. It smothered her, filling the corners of her mind. It was all she could think about. She knows. The Lunar Knight commander had to know. She was sharp, Fluttershy could tell, and what she said right before she flew off had her worried. She knows. By the time she walked to her door, the sun had set. She creaked open her door, and was greeted by Angel impatiently tapping his foot. Fluttershy didn’t even look at him as she walked past. Instantly sensing his owner’s distress, he shut the door behind her and followed her into the kitchen. She has to know. Fluttershy stepped in the kitchen, and quickly sat down. She stared at the table as tears pooled beneath her chin. “Angel Bunny,” she said. “I can’t do this. All this violence. All these lies. I can’t, Angel. I can’t…” She can’t possibly not know. She cried, hugging herself. Angel hopped onto the table and rubbed Fluttershy’s mane as she cried. As he comforted her, he looked behind him, across the table, where another pony sat. The pony’s normally cheery cheeks were gaunt. Her aura of happiness had become haunted, and almost tangibly empty. Abnormally thin, the mare sat catatonic, barely showing signs of life. She made no effort to move across the table and comfort one of her best friends. She simply stared off into the ether, unseeing and unfeeling. Her hair fell like old streamers in her face, but through the pink locks Fluttershy could see a blank, smiling face. In front of her, a plate of food from that morning sat in front of her, cold and untouched. Fluttershy slowly rose, and walked around the table. She took a hoof and gently stroked the hair of the empty mare. She waited for some reaction, but as always, there was nothing. Pinkie Pie was wasting away, and all of Fluttershy’s nurturing wasn’t doing anything.