Reluctant hero

by MidnightFMare


Too helpful? pilot part 3

Luna pushes open a pristine white door, a white mare stares at her with concern "Luna! What is the matter?!"

I clear my throat "I... am at fault here Luna's sister. I brought a mare to speak to Luna on the matter of anthropology and she had recorded her voice to possibly disengage wards in a restricted section of some archives."

"White mane and tail, green strip, teal coat, yellow eyes?"

I nod and she buries her head in her hooves "Heartstrings..."

I cock my head "Are you friends with her?"

She sighs and walks past me and Luna "Not in the usual sense. She's a crazy mare bent on proving the existence of a mythological species that never existed. I've tried placating her with facts that prove that they never did but to no avail. I feared that she would try something like this but..."

Luna and I follow her "So you did nothing? You should have sent her to me and I could erase her knowledge and memories with ease."

"She probably has several fail safes to prevent that. I noticed several thin metal filaments in her mane and the book she wrote in was blank. More than likely she has all her notes and evidence hidden in several places that only she and possibly a few trusted individuals would know." I say, keeping pace with the two mares.

Luna nods "Sensible reasoning Midnight. But we can deal with that when we stop her."

I pause "Wait, we aren't going to help her?"

Luna nods "Why would we do that? She is breaking into the restricted section of the library! Obviously we would attempt to stop her from releasing a sealed being or a terrible curse."

Her sister gives me a quizzical look "Who are you?"

"Midnight Mare, amnesiac." I reply, bowing my head

She blinks and rolls her eyes "Of course you are. Here's the library"

Both mares push the doors open, an expanse of books on dusty shelves staring down at us impassively

Luna's eyes flick around the expanses of the library "Where is the entrance to the restricted section?"

Her sister rubs her head "I... forget, the only one who's been in that area is Twilight..."

I shrug and smell the air "I think I can smell her... burnt sugar, musty ink, and a dash of ozone..."

Both sniff the air "I don't smell anything..."

"Okay, I have a great sense of smell... follow me!" I run, following the familiar scent to a bookshelf against the wall

The sister grins "Yes! I remember now, it was a voice key charm."

I shrug "Open sesame!"

The book case disintegrates, revealing a long stairway "Coming?"

They follow, Luna lighting her horn "How did you mimic my voice?"

"Hm? I dunno, I guess I can mimic voices too. I must be a riot at parties."

"That's... are you sure you aren't Discord?"

"I don't think so." I reply, nodding to a gold light ahead of us.

Hunched over on a table is Lyra Heartstrings, grumbling and levitating books past her face

"Ms. Heartstrings?"

"There are no books on humans in here, These are just books of dark magic and uncensored history. Nothing on what I want." she says, levitating the books back "Seriously, you just needed to say that there weren't any books and I would've left you alone Tia"

Tia groans "If I said so, would you have believed me?"

"If you can't take the word of the monarch of the sun, then I wouldn't have asked you in the first place, Id've just broken in. But your runaround trying to convince me that they never existed was a bit tiring. I just asked if you had any of the redacted reports and the fact that I can't find any means that I'm looking in the wrong place. Where might that be anyways?"

I hum in thought "Well, they could be hidden in an unlikely place where no one would dare look. Ruins? loose tiles or trap doors in personal quarters, hidden alcoves outside the castle that only unicorns can get to safely? There are an unlimited number of places if you are creative. Huh, maybe I'm a spy or royalty or something... you'd think I'd remember something like that..."

Lyra shakes her head "Aside from here, I've scanned, checked, and probed the entire castle. I even mapped the catacombs too. But ruins..." she gasps "The castle of two sisters! The library there must be it! And Twilight said it had countless traps and hidden areas! Bye~!" she shoots past us, flooring Tia.

I rub the back of my head "Whoopsies?"

Luna groans "Stop speaking your mind around her. It does nothing but give her ideas."

Tia shakes her mane and groans "What hit me?"

"Lyra. Where's this castle of two sisters?"

Luna sighs "The Everfree forest outside Ponyville... come."

I salute and follow.


I look down at the landscape "I guess not thinking about it helps."

Luna nods "That it does. Now... only speak when I tell you, okay?"

I nod and yawn "How much farther?"

"A few miles, why?"

I smile "I know a way to get to far away places... watch."

I beat my wings and go higher, Luna watching me incredulously "What are you doing?!"

"Being awesome!" I reply, now a mile higher than her. I target a mass of dark trees near a small town and smirk "This is going to be fun."

I go a little higher and angle my head at the trees and start spinning in midair, my wings wrapped around my body "Corkscrew!!"

I feel the air push me back but I keep moving, eyes closed and focused on the feeling of weightlessness If this kills me, it will be worth it!! the air starts to whistle in my ears before gaining pitch "Wait... I can't be-"

Boom

A thunderous clap of sound pierces my eardrums, deafening me. I yell something but I can't hear it over the roar of sound.

Well... now I guess dying is doubly worth it if I broke the sound barrier. I think to myself, cracking my eyes open to see mass clouds coming at me

"I wonder if clouds hurt?" I mutter, breaking through one

as I am about to say something else I slam into the ground and black out


I groan and open my eyes "Ow... the ground hurts when you hit it at super-sonic speeds... duly noted."

Wing beats echo from behind me and I spare a look upwards.

A pissed looking Princess Luna "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

She lands and pulls me into a tight hug "Midnight! What the hay were you thinking?!"

"Uh... is that rhetorical?"

She slaps my head "No, it wasn't you idiotic fool! What possessed you to do such a feather-brained stunt?!"

"I thought it'd be awesome." I reply, rubbing my head "And lay of my cranium, I broke my fall with that."

She blinks "You... you don't have any broken bones?"

I stand and wobble "A headache and some dizziness is the worst at the moment."

She looks up at the sky, a shining pitch-black ring spreading across it "You... you did a sonic rainboom..."

"Pretty sure it's just a 'Sonic boom'. It's what happens when you break the sound barrier." I say, rubbing my head "I guess that cloud I hit slowed me down a lot more than I thought... cool."

She shakes her head "There is only one other pegasus who's broken the sound barrier, and that's Rainbow Dash..."

I snort "That's a funny name. Anyways, aren't we supposed to be stopping Lyra?"

Luna nods and walks towards a looming castle "Follow me."

"... How did I not notice that?"