“You’ve been quiet this morning.”
The words sounded loud against the silence of the medical bay, and Steel tilted his head back at the unexpected comment, giving the pink unicorn standing at his side a quizzical look. “I guess I have,” he said, watching as she levitated yet another syringe into the air, tapping it gently with one hoof to displace any bubbles. “Depending on what you mean by that.”
“I mean exactly what I said,” Dawn replied as the syringe angled down towards his side. There was a momentary twinge of pain as the needle slid into his haunch. “You’ve been very quiet through this entire procedure.”
Steel shrugged as the plunger on the syringe depressed, pushing the clear fluid into his body. “More so than usual?”
“I would think so,” Dawn said, pulling the needle from his side. “Normally, you’re a bit more responsive to my questions and comments. Even as monosyllabic as you can be from time to time, you still respond more than you have today.” Apparently satisfied with her work, she floated the syringe out of his sight, a clatter sounding from somewhere near the counter as it found whatever place she’d chosen for it.
“Psychoanalyzing your commanding officer now, are you?” he asked, giving her a small grin. “How was that for monosyllabic? Better?” Dawn cocked an eyebrow at him, her horn lighting as she levitated another medical tray across the lab, the dull orange glow around it almost matching the color of her mane.
“Was that a sense of humor?” she offered, one ear flicking as the tray came to a rest on the small cart next to the examination table he was lying on. “Now I know there’s something wrong with you.” Steel shrugged as a length of clear tubing floated off of the tray, its transparent surface taking on a unique sheen under the glow of her magic.
“In any case,” she said as the tubing floated up alongside him, “part of my job description on this team is to keep an eye on both the physical health—your leg please—” he stretched his leg out on the table in front of him, rolling it so she would have easy access to his veins, “—and your mental health.” A cotton swab floated up in front of him, smelling faintly of alcohol, and there was a moment of coolness as she rubbed it against his coat, the orange glow of her magic standing in stark contrast to the olive green of his own leg. “So when you get quiet, I get curious.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said, his eyes darting up from his leg, meeting with her own before turning back down towards his stretched out limb. “I’m just taking advantage of the check-up to a do a lot of thinking, that’s all.”
“Worried about taking your day off?” He watched as the needle at the end of the tubing sank into his foreleg, taking on a new shade of red as blood began to flow through it.
“No, it’s not that,” he said as he eyed the blood. “Although,” he said, angling his attention towards her and giving her a level stare. “I still think I don’t need one—”
“Everyone needs a day off,” Dawn said, adjusting the bag as it began to fill with his blood. “Even Captains.”
“I know,” he said, settling for a nod in response. Dawn was one of the best combat medics the Rangers had ever had before she’d been retired, and she was undoubtedly an asset to the team, but … I can’t say her bedside manner is exactly tactful, he thought as the mare continued to work. He shifted his haunches slightly as she glanced at him again, a look in her eyes that said she was still waiting for him to speak.
“In any case, that isn’t what I’ve been thinking about,” he said, and she nodded. “Although there definitely is a lot with this job to think about.”
“Understandable,” Dawn replied. “You’re leaving Hunter in charge of a job you’d rather do yourself.”
Steel nodded. “Yes, I am,” he said. “But he can handle it, even if he has gone ‘above and beyond’ a few times, that’s what I hired him to do, and he’s capable enough of running the place for a day. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Then what is?”
Steel shrugged, his massive shoulders heaving. “Just family business.” Dawn tilted her head to one side, her ears standing straight up in surprise as her eyes widened. “Not that kind of business,” he said, recognizing the look. “Cappy and I aren’t in that big of a hurry to tie the knot.”
“But it’s related, isn’t it?” Steel almost shook his head in irritation at her words. “I’m a mare,” she said, apparently catching some sort of reaction in his expression that he hadn’t been able to hide. “I just know.”
“Well, alright,” he said as the needle pulled free, another cotton swab lowering itself over his foreleg to help stem the little bubble of blood that popped up. Somewhere in the back of the medbay was a carefully cooled freezer building a small stockpile of the team’s blood. In the event of another mission like the one to the Equestrian Railway headquarters a few weeks ago, Dawn would now have blood transfusions for each team member if needed.
“It’s a little related,” he said as the cotton wad was affixed by a piece of plain, white medical tape. “My sister is a little upset with me.”
“Something you said to her, perhaps?” Dawn suggested, the fresh bag of blood floating over towards one of the medbay counters.
“Not to her,” Steel admitted, shaking his head slightly. “To Sparkle, my niece.” He looked up, watching as Dawn drained a small sample of blood, probably for a battery of tests to make sure he was still in optimum health. “I was telling her and Jammer a bedtime story again the other night, and apparently it got a little too vivid.”
“I’ve heard you have a tendency to get swept away in your storytelling.”
“It’s true, I do,” Steel said with a nod, looking down at the examination table. He couldn’t get up quite yet, but he knew from experience that she’d tell him—
“You can get up now.”
He nodded, rising to his hooves and giving his body a little stretch. “Anyway,” he said, stepping down from the examination table. “Apparently not only was she really scared, but I gave her nightmares that night, and she didn’t sleep very well.”
“It sounds like you owe her and your sister an apology,” Dawn suggested as she turned towards the back of the medbay, the now sealed bag of blood floating behind her.
“I already did apologize,” Steel said, turning and looking at himself in the mirror. His large frame almost loomed in the mirror, deeply defined muscles standing out even in his advancing age. He gave his head a small shake, watching as his close-cropped, grey mane barely rippled. “That’s not what I’m thinking about.”
“So what are you thinking about, then?” Dawn asked as she moved back into the front of the lab, the bag of blood no longer floating at her side. She moved over to the counter, her horn lighting as she made notes on his medical record, the motion giving him a clear view of the crossed syringe and bandage wrap on her flank. A far cry from the two crossed kite shields sitting on his own.
“Mainly just about myself.” He said, letting a sigh escape after the words. “It made me start thinking, you know with everything that’s going on between Cappy and I—”
“How’s that going, by the way?”
“It’s going well,” Steel said. “I see her when I can. I’m actually going out to visit her later tonight. But anyway,” he said, giving his shoulders another shrug. “It just made me worry about someday maybe being a parent myself.”
There was a muted thump as the faucet turned off, Dawn wiping her hooves on a nearby towel. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, dropping her forehooves to the ground.
“Not much,” Steel said, giving her another shrug. “It just made me worry about being a father. If I ever have kids, what if I’m not a good parent? What if I just end up scaring them with my mood or my stories?” He gave Dawn another shrug. “I guess I’m just thinking about that.”
“Well, in your case that may be some time off yet,” Dawn said, giving him a polite nod. “But if it keeps bothering you, let me know.”
“I will,” Steel said, giving the mare a nod. “It shouldn’t, though. I guess I’m just a little on edge because—”
“You finally have a special somepony, and now you’re wondering about where it will go,” Dawn said, motioning him towards the door. “My advice is not to worry about it too much, and just be yourself, Steel. That’s who Cappy fell in love with. Now off with you,” she said, “Go enjoy your day off. Buy Cappy some flowers; go see the sights of Canterlot. Do something! And if you could,” she said as he let out a little laugh and headed for the door, “tell Sky Bolt that even if her parents are coming today, she still has to meet with me right now, and I will come find her if needed. And don’t you worry about her,” she said, her eyes narrowing as he began to open his mouth. “She’s fine. Getting better every day. Tell her to meet with me, and then, on Doctor’s orders, forget about her, leave the barracks for the day and go do something not Guard-ish.”
“All right,” Steel said with a chuckle. “You got it.” The door to the medical bay closed behind him and he turned down the hall towards the workshop. “Just forget about it,” he said to himself as he headed for the workshop. “Just forget about it and be yourself. On a day off.”
“Okay.”
* * *
Steel let out a relaxed sigh as he sat down in on the marble bench, gazing up at the large statue of some famous pegasus pony filling the center of the square. He turned towards his saddlebags, pulling the cheap, paper cup of lemonade he’d purchased from its small holster and giving the straw a faint sip. The tangy-yet-sweet liquid filled his mouth, and he let out another sigh before leaning back and swallowing, feeling the still cool liquid rush down his throat.
The weather wasn’t nearly as warm as it had been a few weeks earlier, but it still wasn’t the chill rush of a late fall yet, and the majority of the ponies in the square around him were still getting by on as little clothing as they felt they could. Even the usually overdressed nobles were wearing less than normal, restricting themselves to hats, light scarves, or in some cases, open collared jackets.
It wouldn’t last. He knew that from experience. Another week or two and the end of summer would hit in earnest. He wasn’t sure if it was because Celestia and the weather teams liked to keep ponies on the edge of their hooves, or if it was just some part of the system he didn’t quite get, but usually a late summer like this led into a fast and cold fall, followed by freezing winter.
I guess I could always ask the next time I deliver a report, he thought as he took another sip of his lemonade. Unless it’s a big secret, which I doubt. They’d probably tell me. And after that meeting a few weeks ago with Hunter, it would be nice to have something to chat about that isn’t going to earn a chewing out with the Royal Voice. He took another sip of his lemonade, swishing it across his tongue for a moment before swallowing; the sharp, sour tang tickling the sides of his mouth and making his cheek muscles tighten. That meeting had gone a little less well than planned.
Not much I can do about it now though, he thought as he took another sip. The crowd ebbed and flowed around him, mostly ponies out shopping or taking an afternoon break from their jobs. Hunter’s got his KP rotation, and I can’t really do much else. He frowned for a moment. I don’t like something that vital being completely out of my control like— He shook his head. Don’t think of work, Steel. Come on. This is your day off.
His eye darted towards the sun, trying to gauge the time based upon it’s position. Then he stopped. What was he even bothering for? He had all day to himself. There wasn’t any need to keep an eye on the time. The only things he had to do were stop by his sister’s shop and then perhaps by the house, and then make it to Canterville to see Cappy when she got off work that evening—
“Excuse me, sorry.” Steel turned in surprise at the bright, cheery voice. Standing next to the bench was a tan earth pony with a rakish grin and a brown, spiky mane, panting slightly as if he was out of breath.
“Oh it’s you!” the stallion said in a faint Trottingham accent, his bright blue eyes lighting up as he saw Steel’s face. “A pleasure meeting you … again … Captain...” his voice trailed off as the stallion cocked his head to one side, giving Steel an odd look.
“I’m sorry,” Steel said, setting his drink to one side, “I don’t think I’ve met you.”
“Oh, that’s quite alright,” the stallion said, the odd look vanishing from his face as he broke out in a wide smile. “Sorry,” he said, grabbing Steel’s hoof with his own and giving it a rapid shake. “I’ve got an interesting life. Things don’t quite always happen to me in the—um—right order.” He gave Steel another grin. “Anyway,” he said, dropping Steel’s hoof almost as quickly as he had grabbed it, his head already panning rapidly around the square. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen anything … unusual, around here, have you?”
“What do you mean ‘unusual?’” Steel asked, his eye catching the strange stallion’s cutie mark as he twisted. It was an hourglass, a common enough cutie mark in some places. Of course, an hourglass could mean a lot of different things.
“Oh, you know, the usual unusual things,” the stallion said, still turning this way and that as if looking for something. “You know,” he said, his eyes fixing on Steel for a moment before bolting back to the crowd. “Odd sights, noises, maybe screa—” His voice stopped abruptly as his nostrils flared. “Aha!” he said, grinning. “There it is! Thanks for your help. Got to run!”
The strange stallion galloped off through the crowd, dodging around the various calmer residents with cries of “So sorry!” and “Sorry!” Steel watched him go, taking one last, large swig of his lemonade. There was something about the strange stallion that bothered him, especially with what he’d been saying. Had he been asking about him hearing screams? Because it had certainly sounded like it.
Steel took a final sip from his drink, leaning over to deposit the now empty paper cup in a nearby trashcan. Across the square, the strange stallion vanished from sight as he ran down the stairway towards the southwest side of Canterlot.
I think... Steel mused, rising from his seat. I think I’m going to follow him. He began to make his way across the square, taking a more relaxed, sedate pace than the tan earth pony had set. Something about the way the pony had been acting made his senses tingle. Just follow him enough to see what—
A distant scream rose up from the direction that the pony had been heading, and Steel bolted forward, adrenaline flooding his system as he made for the stairs. All around him ponies began to look up in shock as the scream registered; eyes wide, ears standing up. Another scream sounded, just as distant, and Steel began to shove past the ponies around him.
“Guard!” he yelled, trying to buy himself some space. “Everypony make way!” He did what he could to keep from brushing the ponies too harshly, but a few still stumbled out of his path as he pushed them aside, shooting him surprised looks. Luckily, most of them were young. Even if they stumbled, they could take it.
Steel came to a stop as he reached the top of the stairs, running his eyes rapidly across the city spread out before him. The stairway stretched down in front of him, leading into another street that traveled the length of this level of Canterlot and—there! The mysterious brown stallion was running down the street at a full sprint. Down near the end of the level, panicking ponies were pouring out of a shopfront, many of them running as fast as they could.
Steel coiled his legs under him and jumped, clearing the whole first set of stairs and landing on a relatively clear spot on the first landing. He barely crouched, transferring as much of the impact as he could into forward momentum, pushing off again and clearing the second set of stairs, landing at the base in a full run. Up ahead he could see the stallion he’d spoken to ducking inside the shop doorway.
“Help!” one of the fleeing ponies screamed as she ran past him. She was gone in an instant, his speed carrying him forward even as more ponies passed him running the opposite direction.
“Help!” another pony cried out as he shot past. “Changelings!”
The words sent a shaft of ice sliding into Steel’s stomach. Changelings. He increased his speed, switching to a full out sprint. If there were changelings in Canterlot, there was no telling what they would be up to, or even if he’d be able to spot them before they blended back in with the crowd.
He turned as he approached the shopfront, his hooves sliding on the smooth paving stones. It was a bulk clothing outlet, the front windows displaying a number of formal dresses and suits. It would be a nightmare to navigate. Racks of clothing, shelved or in circular hangers, would provide a veritable rainbow of cover, and if there were any marequins standing up they would be giving a changeling plenty of profiles to hide behind.
Can changelings mimic something non-organic? he wondered as he looked at the doorway. The door to the shop was hanging open now, and just as he’d feared he could see rows and rows of circular hangers festooned with all different kinds of clothing. Behind him he could still hear the screams of the terrified citizenry. The Royal Guard would be showing up in minutes.
“Minutes” was a lot of time.
Steel dove forward through the door, ducking low in case there was a changeling waiting for him. He’d never had the chance to go with one of the bugs hoof-to-hoof, but based on reports of the invasion and stories he’d heard in other lands, he was confident he could take several of them down without any great difficulties. Their skills lay in ambush and surprise tactics, his on the other hoof...
He crept forward, taking great care to keep his head below the level of the racks around him. It meant that he was effectively moving blind, but at the same time it hopefully meant that any changelings couldn’t see him. He moved forward, alternating his eyes between the ceiling and the wooden floor in front of him, stepping as lightly as he could.
Then he heard it. A long, raspy hiss that made the hairs on his coat stand on end. Followed by a chittering sound that reminded him of some of the bugs he’d heard in the Plainslands. Definitely a changeling, then. He waited, listening, but didn’t hear more than the one sound.
It could be bait, part of him warned. A trap. It was something that would work well enough on someone without any experience. Have a single target draw attention, lead the foe into an ambush. Against an unsuspecting pony, it was a classic tactic.
But he wasn’t any ordinary pony. He was a Dusk Guard. He moved forward, taking a surreptitious, zig-zagging route towards the source of the noises.
I wish I’d grabbed my armor when I left, he thought as the chittering grew in volume. Then again, I wasn’t supposed to need it. It’s my day off.
Some day off.
The raspy sound grew louder, and he could hear the sharp click of chitinous hooves striking the wooden floor now. He was close. His eyes darted around the scene, looking for any signs of ambush. Nothing. Just colorful clothing and the occasional marequin. Nothing that was moving.
The changeling was moving closer now. He could hear its rapid footsteps scrabbling against the wood as it drew closer to him. What was it doing? Was it trying to get itself captured? There was an excited squeak close nearby, and Steel took a few steps back. The only thing between himself and the changeling was a single circular rack. He shifted his weight. If it was going to come for him, he was going to be ready.
Take it down fast and quick, he thought. Don’t give it time to shift into something that might make you hesitate. Something in his pulse was pounding, even as he readied himself for the approaching changeling. He almost felt … afraid. Was it because it was the first time he’d faced a changeling? No matter, he’d dealt with fear before. He could still fight with it.
The changeling came sliding around the edge of the rack, coming to a halt as its eyes met his, and for a moment the two stared at each other. Steel felt a slight twinge of surprise through his fear as he looked at it. It was smaller than he’d expected, wasn’t in any sort of combat stance at all, and there was something about its eyes...
The changeling let loose a rapid-fire series of clicks, its hooves scratching against the floor as it tried to rush towards him. Steel reared up, pulling his right hoof back for a straight blow. The changeling saw his motion and tried to skid to a halt, its eyes widening even as Steel felt his own fear increase and then—
“Don’t!” Somepony slammed into his flank, hard enough to send both him and the one who’d done it tumbling to the side. His hoof went wide as he tried to lash out, missing the changeling by miles. The ground met his shoulder and he tucked his head in, switching the fall into a roll that would bring him up on top of his attacker, so that he could bring his hooves down on—
He threw his hooves to the side at the last second, sending them crashing down on either side of the strange, brown stallion’s head. Adrenaline was pounding in his system now. Was the stallion a changeling? He raised one hoof, ready to knock the tan pony out so he could sort things out later.
‘Wait!” the pony said, giving him another confident grin. “I know what this looks like, but believe me, I can explain.” Steel turned as a faint scratching met his ears. The changeling had vanished into the depths of the store.
“It got away,” Steel said, turning back to look at the pony, who gave him a somewhat apologetic grin. “You helped a changeling escape.”
“Well, technically speaking, it’s not a changeling,” the strange pony said. “Now, if you don’t mind, could you get off me? You’re pretty heavy, even for an earth pony.”
For a moment Steel considered clocking the pony in the head and just letting the Guard clean up. He could feel his heart pounding and—why was he so terrified? He took a step back, and sat down on his haunches, looking at his hooves in surprise.
“Ah, you feel it too, huh?” the strange pony said, climbing to his hooves. “That’s a projected field of fear. Very heavy, almost overdone.” He frowned, procuring some sort of long, silver device from somewhere that almost immediately began buzzing. “And it’s getting stronger. Well, that can’t be good news.”
“Why can’t that be good news?” Steel asked as the feeling of terror began welling inside of him. It was almost wrong, this feeling of fear. It was worse than anything he ever recalled experiencing, including that juvenile dragon he’d faced...
“Because that means that … um …” The earth pony was staring at something behind him now, his eyes wide with amazement. “Oh that is just brilliant!” he said, a grin lighting up his face. Then it vanished.
“Um, Captain Song—that is your name, right?”
“Yeah, it is,” Steel said, feeling an overwhelming desire to turn around.
“Um, right,” the pony said, glancing behind him again. “Run.” Then he spun and bolted for the entrance of the store. “Run!”
Steel darted forward just as the roar echoed through the shop, taking a straight line for the entrance behind the sprinting earth pony.
“And here we are again! Running!” the strange stallion cried, laughing. Steel risked a glance behind him and almost stumbled.
A dragon was sitting in the shop. A juvenile, blue-scaled dragon, roaring at them. He felt his jaw slide down, hanging open in disbelief. Two twin horns curved back from its head with almost sinuous grace. A crest of spines ran down the back of its head, vanishing behind two massive wings that were spread wide. The dragon roared again, and its eyes met Steel’s.
There was something wrong with its eyes. Steel’s gaze locked with its, and even in the midst of overwhelming fear, there was something about it that didn’t quite sit right. Something was wrong with its—
His hooves slammed into the shop door, smashing it open, and he tumbled to the ground, his head smacking against the stone hard enough to make him see stars. He scrambled to his hooves, trying to untangle himself from whoever he’d run into.
There’s a dragon there’s a dragon there’s a— He paused. The inside of the store was empty. There wasn’t a sign of the dragon that had been chasing him. His heartbeat began to slow, and he shook his head, clearing it from the impact with the ground. Where did the dragon go?
Behind him came the clattering of hooves against stone and he turned to see the odd earth pony who’d told him to run climbing to his hooves, stretching his jaw. “Well,” he said, giving Steel an amused grin. “That went better than I’d expected.”
For a moment Steel was stunned. Better than expected? There was a dragon—no there wasn’t. In fact, he could even feel his system calming down, the fear already fading. What was going on? He shook his head again.
“Oh drat,” the pony said, flicking his little silver device with one hoof and looking at it. The device made a humming noise, its tip lighting up. “It’s moved away.” He looked at Steel. “Well, come on then, we’ve got to find it before somepony else does.
“Find what?” Steel asked, spotting a squad of Guard in the air, already flying towards the shop at high speed. They were at least another fifteen seconds away. “That dragon?”
“The not-changeling!” the pony yelled. The little device—it almost looked like one of Sky Bolt’s specialized screwdrivers—began to blink, its pitch changing, and the stallion gave a little yell of surprise.
“Well don’t just stand there! Come on then!” he said, placing the screwdriver in his teeth. “Let’s go! We’ve got to catch up to it!” He took off along the side of the store without looking back.
When in doubt, Steel thought, falling back on his instincts, follow whoever seems like they know what’s going on. He took a last look at the still approaching Guard and then followed the stallion down the space in-between the buildings, surprised at how fast the tan pony was.
“Who are you?” he called out. The pony slowed, letting him catch up a little as they came around the rear of the building. The back door was open. “And you said it wasn’t a changeling! Who are you, and what was that thing?”
“I don’t know!” the pony called back at him. There was a wide grin on his face, as if he was enjoying every moment of their chase. His device beeped again and he turned, leading Steel down a steep, curving road that lead to the next level down. “I’m not quite sure yet!”
“Who you are?” Steel asked, giving the stallion a strange look.
“Oh, right, the order!” the pony said, coming to a quick stop. “Forgot that this is the first time we’ve met. I’m the Doctor. Nice to meet you.” He was in motion almost as quickly as he’d stopped, already continuing down the road.
“Doctor who?” Steel asked, almost feeling like he was the butt of some sort of joke.
“Just the Doctor!” came the response. “And as for what we’re chasing, I don’t know yet! But it’s fascinating! It was projecting an emotive field wide enough to cover that whole store! Surely you felt it. The fear?”
“Well I—” Steel began, thinking back on the strange, almost frantic fear he’d felt in the shop.
“And changelings can’t do that now, can they?” the Doctor said, still following the pulses of whatever it was he was holding in his teeth. “So therefore, whatever it was, it was not a changeling.”
“So what does that make it?” Steel asked as the Doctor began to slow.
“I’ve no idea,” he said, skidding to a halt and giving Steel a mad grin. ‘But I can’t wait to find out. And whatever it is,” he said, tapping the little screwdriver-like thing as it began to pulse more rapidly, “it’s in this warehouse right here.”
Steel looked up at the side of the massive wooden structure. They were on the edge of the southern warehouse district now, heading into Canterlot’s industrial district. It was a good place to lose somepony if you were trying to hide.
“Are you sure?” Steel said, giving the pony a suspicious glance. “And how do you know that a changeling can’t spread fear like that.”
“Because if they could, they could do the same with any other emotion,” the Doctor said, his eyes still on the strange device in his mouth, as though he was looking at something, although Steel couldn’t tell what. “Then they would be able to feed themselves. So whatever’s inside here...” he stepped up to the side and gave a door a tap. It creaked open. “Whatever it is, it’s not a changeling. And I can’t wait to find out what it is.”
“We could have found that out after I’d subdued it,” Steel said, following him in. “And you’re very well informed. Who do you work for?”
“Subdue it?” the Doctor turned, giving him a disappointed look and—Steel noticed—not answering his question. “Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
“Are you sure?” the Doctor said, one eyebrow coming up. “Or were you just afraid?” Then he turned and ducked inside the warehouse. Steel’s eyes narrowed, but he ducked in after him, following.
The inside was dark, lit only by shafts of light coming from windows spaced around the edges of the roof. Rows upon rows of shelving filled the inside of the warehouse, covered in all sorts of mechanical parts. The beams of light crossed the shelves, producing a genuinely startling array of shadows that criss-crossed the room. The effect almost made the inside appear that much darker. Up ahead of him, the Doctor tapped his tool, and the glow at the end got a little brighter, just enough to light up a small patch of the warehouse.
“So who do you work for?” Steel asked, stepping up alongside him. He shot a glance over at him, locking eyes with the stallion. There was something about the blue irises, the way they looked at him. They looked … old. “You’re very well informed, if what you say is true. And you seem to know me, but I don’t know you.”
“Oh, like I said,” the Doctor said, breaking the eye contact and stepping forward. “I live a complicated life. But I am well informed. You’re Steel Song, Captain of the Dusk Guard.” He paused, looking down at his screwdriver again as if it could tell him something. “And a legend in your own time.”
“Thanks,” Steel said, following the tan pony. “But that doesn’t tell me much about you.”
“Oh, I don’t like to talk about myself much,” the Doctor said. “It’s a bit boring, really. Nothing special. I’m just the Doctor.” He checked his device again. “Interesting...”
“What?” Steel asked. Then he felt it. A change in the air—was it real or imaginary? But there was nothing imaginary about the feeling of ice that was working its way into his stomach, or the shiver running down his spine.
“It’s nearby,” the Doctor said, turning in place, his screwdriver held in front of him. “Feel that?”
“The fear?”
A nod. “Yeah, that’s the emotive field. But why fear? Why is it making us scared?”
“Maybe because that makes us panicky?” Steel suggested, backing up against the Doctor. They were back to back now, turning, watching the shadows. “Makes it easier to catch us?”
“Can’t be it,” the Doctor said. “If it wanted to catch you, why would it make you want to run away? Why not love? Why not joy?”
Steel shrugged. That did make sense. “Maybe it feeds on fear?” he suggested.
“Not much does,” came the reply. “Fear isn’t a very good commodity for food, is it? You feed on fear, you drive away your prey. It’s why changelings feed on love.”
“So then why was this thing making us afraid? And why the dragon?” Steel could feel the fear rising now, an icy chill that was filling his entire body. He could even feel the Doctor’s body trembling where they had backed into one another, although a quick glance showed that he still had that grin on his face, although it wasn’t quite as pronounced.
“I don’t know yet,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “Maybe as soon as I get some data I’ll have something to go off of, but for now...” He paused. “It’s close … it’s circling us.”
“I know,” Steel said, feeling his body start to shake. He could hear faint tappings on the floor. “So you said it’s not a dragon?”
“No,” the Doctor said, “it’s not a dragon, whatever it is. It has to be some kind of shapechanger, but not a changeling...” his voice started to trail off into rapid fire muttering, most of which Steel couldn’t make out.
So it wasn’t a dragon. They continued to circle, slowly making their way deeper into the warehouse. That made sense, because the dragon it had been had looked just like the one he’d faced years ago, right down to the horns. Well, almost just like it. There had been something about the eyes...
There was another skittering sound nearby, not unlike the sound the creature's chitin had made earlier when it had looked like a changeling, but not the same either. What was it then? He could still feel the terror inside of him, but he shoved it aside. He’d fought fear through most of his life. But he’d conquered it. Just like the day he’d gotten his cutie mark, diving into that manticore to save his classmate...
His mind fixed on the manticore for some reason, and then there was a roar nearby. Not the long, deep and high screech of a dragon, but the deep throated roar of a manticore. There was a crash behind him, and Steel spun to see a full grown manticore leap from one of the shelves, boxes scattering all around it as it landed in a crouch, growling.
For the briefest of moments time seemed to slow. Steel made a brief, mental curse at his lack of armor, noticed that the Doctor was standing staring open-mouthed, and then charged forward, intent on taking the manticore by surprise.
“Wait!” Something bit down on his tail, hard, and Steel slowed just enough for the manticore to let out another roar and rear back. Steel came to a stop, ignoring the Doctor’s grip on his tail, and sat back, raising one of his hooves and—
The manticore let out another roar, this one sounding wrong. Then it turned and ran, but before it did Steel felt another sense of unease. There was something off.
A foreleg came up in front of him as he leaned forward and he stopped. The Doctor was shaking his head.
“Don’t follow it! Not yet!” he said. “I know what it is!” The fleeing manticore vanished into the warehouse, disappearing behind the shelves. “It’s not right...”
“That thing just tried to eat us,” Steel said, turning. “What do you mean it’s not right?”
“It wasn’t trying to eat us,” the Doctor said, slapping his forehead with one hoof. “It was already feeding, but on the wrong emotion! It’s a crystal fae!” He looked at Steel expectantly.
“A what?” Steel asked, one eye still looking in the direction the manticore had vanished. The fear—or emotive field—was gone now. He could feel himself calming. Something still felt uneasy, something in the way it had looked at him.
“Oh, this is just brilliant!” the Doctor was saying, running both hooves through his mane. “I haven’t seen a fae changeling in ages! Not since,” his eyes darted to Steel and he let out a cough. “Well, not since a certain event a long time ago, anyway.”
“What’s a fae changeling? Or a crystal fae? Whatever you called it?” Steel asked. The fear was gone now. Whatever it was it had run again.
“It’s a crystal fae, technically,” the Doctor said. “But most everypony called them crystal changelings because they could change shape and feed off of emotions.” He was pacing back and forth now, talking at a rapid-fire pace. “But they aren’t like the changelings. Well, not really. They’re more like some sort of emotive, empathetic version of changelings. Very rare, very unique.”
“What do they do?” Steel asked, gritting his teeth.
“Easy,” the Doctor said, spinning and looking right at him. “They’re empathetic feeders. They need emotional energy to live. But unlike changelings, crystal fae don’t drain their targets. No, what they do is project their own emotion of what they want around them. Well, sort of. They sort of send out something, like say happiness, or peace, and then when they find a shape—”
“Sorry? A shape?”
“Yes, a shape. Crystal fae don’t drain,” the Doctor said, heading down the warehouse in the direction that the manticore had taken. “They feed on the surplus. So, say you’re in a park watching a bunch of fillies and colts. That would make you happy, right? Right, so what you don’t know is that one of the other children there is actually a crystal fae. It’s looking like a child because it makes you happy. And because you’re happy, it’s soaking up all that excess energy. Very, very rare creatures. Haven’t been around for over a thousand years. Why here? Why now? And why fear? Crystal fae can’t eat fear.”
Steel stopped as something inside his mind clicked. Something he’d seen, something he’d noticed. What had it been? There was something about the thing every time he’d seen it. Something about the eyes...
“The eyes,” he said, looking up. The Doctor was still trotting down the warehouse, muttering to himself. “Doctor, the eyes!”
The Doctor came to a stop, looking back at him. “The eyes?” he asked, a quizzical look in his own. “What about them?”
“It’s scared,” Steel said. “The eyes, in every form it’s in, are scared. Whatever is going on, it’s scared of us.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” the Doctor said, stepping back towards him. “Why would it be scared unless … wait.” He flicked his screwdriver again, and it changed in pitch, making a strange tone.
“Oh of course!” the Doctor said, shaking his head. “How couldn’t I see it! Of course it is!”
“It’s what?” Steel asked, taking a second to glance at the strange metal device. He still couldn’t make out any sort of readout or indicator.
“It’s a baby!” the Doctor said, shaking his head. “That’s why it’s sending out fear. It’s scared!”
“Wait, so what about—”
“The changeling in the shop? Easy. It was sending out little bits of scared fear, and the ponies around it got scared. One of them must have thought of changelings. And so it took the form of a changeling, trying to please the ponies around it.”
“So when I thought of a dragon I’d fought—” Steel began.
The Doctor nodded. “It became that dragon. And just a minute ago you thought of a manticore, right?” Steel nodded. “Alright then,” he said, nodding. Then his face grew grim. “Oh no, this is bad. This is very, very bad.”
“What is?”
“Don’t you get it?” the Doctor asked. “It’s caught in a loop of it’s own design. It’s too scared to send anything out other than fear, and that’s going to make the ponies around it afraid, and feed fear back into it. Then when it turns into whatever they’re thinking of—”
“But where does it get the mass?” Steel asked.
“From the energy they’re feeding back into it,” the Doctor said. “If it keeps getting more and more scared, it’ll keep gathering more and more energy and getting more and more scared. It’s too young to know how to control itself. It’ll just keep mimicking things that terrify the ponies around it until—”
There was massive roar that echoed through the warehouse, dust falling from the rafters as they shook. A huge thump echoed across the ground, almost like a gigantic footstep.
“Until it’s so big that no one can help but think of anything else.”
“Outside!” Steel yelled as there was another massive thump. “Now!” The pair bolted for the door they’d entered through.
“It must be next door!” the Doctor yelled as they reached the entrance. “Must have snuck into one of the other warehouses. But what set it off?”
Steel didn’t even slow as he reached the closed door. He threw his shoulder into it, splintering the wood and smashing it into pieces. The shattered pieces scratched at his coat as he pushed through and ran into the street, but went completely unnoticed at the sight of the shadow cast over the street.
“Sun above...” he said as his eyes ran up the side of the warehouse and caught sight of what was casting the shadow.
It was a hydra. Four heads. Four, panicked looking, terrified heads, but hydra heads nonetheless, with thick, bony jaws that could cut a pony in half, rising out of the inside of the warehouse next to the one they had been sitting in.
“Oh of all the—” the Doctor said as he skidded to a halt next to Steel. “Who in the bloody blazes thought of a Hydra?”
“I’d guess it would be one of them,” Steel said, spotting a troop of Guard pegasi valiantly distracting the hydra. They were darting around, dodging its heads and generally keeping it away from nearby fleeing ponies. Steel wasn’t sure if it was because the crystal fae wasn’t used to having more than one head, but it seemed to be having trouble keeping track of them.
“This isn’t good,” the Doctor said, running his hooves through his mane again. “It’s too big now. Everyone’ll see it, and it’ll just keep reinforcing the idea that it’s a hydra, and they’ll keep treating it like a hydra … there’s no way to stop it. It’s going to die. One of the rarest creatures in the world and it’s going to die.”
“Doctor,” Steel said, shooting the stallion a glance. “You said that it was a child right?”
“Yes!” the Doctor said, almost spinning in place, a frantic expression on his face. “It’s just a child. Barely a foal!”
“And it reacts to the emotions of those around it, right?”
“Well, yes but by now—”
“Then get everyone away from it!” Steel said, starting forward. He could already feel the effects of the—what had he called it? An emotive field? Whatever it was he could already feel it spreading. The fear was resonating.
“What are you doing?” the Doctor called after him.
“Something that I hope works!” Steel called back. “Just get as many ponies as you can outside that thing’s range!” He shut out the Doctor’s words behind him, focusing on one single thought, one idea as he raced towards the warehouse the hydra was emerging from.
It feeds on an emotion, Steel thought as he ran through the door. It picks an emotion that it's sensing and sends it back at those around it. He could feel the waves of fear now. What was it the Doctor had said? Fear isn’t a good commodity, and crystal fae don’t feed on fear. They want joy, or peace.
Or in the case of a scared child...
He was in the warehouse now. The ceiling had been ripped away when the fae had changed, broken beams and wood littering the floor. The hydra had knocked back the surrounding shelving, scattering whatever had been stored—cotton from the look of it—from the shelves and scattering it across the remains. The hydra was—
No, he thought as he began picking his way over the wreckage, fear pressing down on him so strongly he could almost feel it across his back. Don’t think of it as a hydra. It’s just a scared child. Just a scared child. He pushed forward, the fear invading his mind, making his breathing unsteady.
There was a rumble above and one of the heads turned in his direction. He picked up his pace, trying to get closer to the child’s massive, scaled—It’s not a hydra, he reminded himself, trying to drive the feeling from his mind. Think of what you would do if Sparkle was scared, if Jammer was terrified of a dream, if something, someone you cared about was just scared. He pushed all his thoughts towards that line, ignoring the head giving him an angry glare.
He was almost at the child’s body now. The lone head gave a growl, descending down from the sky and heading for him. Then its mouth opened wide and it leapt at him. Steel ducked, the head shooting by overhead.
It’s just a child, he thought. A scared child. He fixed the image in his mind, trying to project it as best he could past the soul-sucking terror that was filling his very essence.
Just a child. The head swung back around, protruding jaw just missing his tail as it snapped shut. You’re just a child. He dove forward as the head crashed down behind him, shelves splintering and ground shaking underhoof. And you don’t— The head came down again, closer. Steel made one last leap, coming right up against the body of the creature. You don’t— There was nowhere to run now. A hot breath made his mane ripple. You don’t— He turned. The head was sitting right in front of him, eyes fixed on him. His eyes locked with its own, saw the confusion, the fear.
You don’t have to be afraid.
He closed his eyes as the jaws opened, picturing himself and his niece, his nephew. You don’t have to be afraid. Then he waited for the jaws to close down. You don’t have to be afraid.
There was a rush of wind that stirred his mane, but it wasn’t hot. And then, the fear faded, vanishing. A weight gone from his mind. He opened his eyes, turning. The hydra was gone, leaving a massive empty crater of cracked stone where it had stood, debris pushed around it in a massive ring.
And sitting in the center of the ring was a small, crying, crystalline filly, even younger than Sparkle. Steel took a few steps forward, and the filly looked up, sniffling. He could see why the Doctor had called them crystal changelings now. She was shaped similarly, although with curved, smooth edges rather than hard, jagged shapes, and a pearlescent sheen to an almost shining coat that looked more like it was made of gemstone than chitin. Her mane looked like it was spun from cut glass, and her wings had a ethereal quality to them, as if they would fade away the moment she moved. The filly sniffled again, looking at him with terrified eyes.
“Hey,” Steel said quietly, taking a few steps towards the center and kneeling on his front legs. “It’s gonna be ok. Come here.” He held out one foreleg and the filly rushed into him, burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing. “Don’t worry,” Steel said softly, putting one hoof on the crying filly’s back, “it’s going to be all right. I’m here now.” He pulled the filly in, holding her close against his chest as he whispered the words. “It’s going to be all right.”
After a minute the filly’s terrified sobs subsided and he stood, lifting her in his leg. At some point she’d changed, switching from the crystalline form he’d seen to something that looked more like a normal filly, albeit one with a shining coat that looked like crystal and both wings and a horn.
“It’s alright,” he whispered again as the filly looked up at him, her wings melting away into prisms of light, leaving only the small, stubby horn. “Let’s get you home, okay?” The filly gave another sniff, but didn’t say anything, burying her face against his shoulder. “It’s going to be fine,” Steel said, cupping her against his shoulder with one hoof as he made his way towards the exit. “You’re safe now.”
As he stepped out of the wreckage of the warehouse, a pair of pegasi Guard landed in front of him and he sat back on his haunches, holding up a hoof.
“Captain Steel Song, Dusk Guard,” he said. “I’m taking this filly home, I’ll be back soon to fill you in.”
“But sir...” one of the pegasi said.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said, standing again and glancing down to make sure that the fae was still alright. “This filly has been through a lot, and I need to get her back to her family.” For a moment the pair looked as if they were going to contest his decision, but then they nodded and stepped aside.
“Captain Song,” the Doctor said, stepping out of an alley as soon as Steel was some distance from the Guard. More of them were arriving now, along with—unless he missed his guess—the Princesses themselves and even his own team, if the hat he’d seen on one tan pegasus had meant anything. “You really are amazing, you know that.”
“Shhh,” Steel said, his eyes darting to the small filly asleep on his shoulder. “She’s asleep.” The Doctor’s eyes widened in surprise.
“And she’s asleep. And a she. Steel, I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
“You keep saying that,” Steel said, sitting back on his haunches. “But I don’t think I’ve ever met you before today.”
“Well you haven’t,” the Doctor said with a grin. “Well, you have now. But for you, this is our first meeting.”
“What do you mean—”
“It’ll all make sense in time,” he said with a grin, as if he there was some joke Steel didnt get. “Now, to get her home to her family.” He gestured with his “screwdriver” at the pearl-white filly.
“She has a family?” Steel asked, surprised.
“Of course she does,” the Doctor replied, his lower lip sticking out as he nodded. “A very long lived one. Of course, she’s just a mere toddler, only about a dozen years old—”
“A dozen?”
“Very long lived, the crystal fae,” the Doctor said. “Now, if you’ll just follow me, I can take her home.” He trotted into the alley he’d come out of and Steel followed.
“What is that?” Steel asked as he looked at the strange, blue box the Doctor had stopped by.
“This?” the Doctor asked. “It’s just my ride.”
“Wait, what?”
“My ride,” the Doctor said. “It’s all a bit complicated really, but if you’ll just pass her to me, I’ll make sure she gets home all right.”
“How do I know you’re going to do that?” Steel asked, one leg still wrapped around the sleeping filly. “I don’t really know anything about you.”
“You know I’m honest though,” the Doctor said with a smile. Then his face grew serious. “And I promise you, you can trust me. I will take her straight home, no stops along the way.”
“In a box?”
“Yep,” he said with a smile, “in my box. I promise. Cross my hearts.”
“Hearts?”
“Well, I’ve got more than one.”
Steel shook his head, the corner of his mouth turning up in an amused smile. “You’re not an earth pony are you?”
“No, I’m not,” the Doctor said with a shake of his head. “But don’t worry, I promise you, she’ll get home safely. When you see me again you can ask.”
Steel looked down at the sleeping filly on his shoulder. “Alright then,” he said, carefully tilting her forward into the Doctor’s waiting hooves. “I’ll ask.”
“I’d expect it,” the Doctor said with a grin. “And you did.” The filly stirred as he took her in his hooves and then let out a yawn. “Poor girl,” he said his voice growing quiet, “must have fallen through a temporal rift … which would mean that … oh yes. That is right about now, isn’t it?” His voice trailed off for a moment as a faraway look crossed his muzzle. Then he seemed to snap back to the present, his grin reappearing.
“So then,” he said, stepping back with the filly cupped in one leg. He rapped a hoof against the door of the box and it creaked open. “Until next time, Captain Song.” Then he ducked inside, the door closing quickly as he disappeared.
Steel blinked in surprise. For a moment it had looked as if the box had been much larger on the inside. If it was, that was a neat trick of magic. In fact—
The door opened up again, just wide enough for the Doctor to stick his head out. “Oh and by the way,” he said. “Just as a favor to you, when it comes time to explain all...” one hoof began gesturing wildly at everything nearby, “this ... Just tell the Princesses that the Doctor says ‘hello,’ alright? Have a nice day!” The door shut with a click and then a strange sound, almost like the call of a trumpeter bird from the plainslands, began to fill the alleyway. Moments later the box faded from view, leaving Steel staring at the empty space where it had been in amazement. Then he shook his head.
Teleporting boxes, he thought as he walked back towards the now crowded street. He could see Princess Celestia sitting at one end, a worried expression on her face. I’m going to have to ask Sky Bolt about that one.
“Captain Song,” Celestia said as he approached, giving her a brief bow. “Your Lieutenant led me to believe that you had taken the day off.”
“Well, Princess, you know how it is,” he said with a chuckle. “Some days trouble just finds you.”
“I see...” Celestia said, giving him a curious look. “I assume that you have some sort of insight to offer as to what happened here, then?”
“I—” Steel shut his mouth for a moment, thinking over everything that had occurred. What did he say? That he’d helped a scared little girl who could turn into a hydra?
“Not really,” he admitted after a moment. “I’m not one-hundred percent certain what happened myself. All I can say for certain is that ‘the Doctor’ asked me to say hello to you for him.”
“Oh?” Celestia said, her eyebrows rising. Then she nodded, the worry in her face vanishing as her mane billowed behind her, replaced by a faint smile. “I see. ‘Doctor’ Who?” And then, much to the confusion of her escort, she began to laugh.
* * *
“Hey, Steel!” Cappy said, leaping up and wrapping her legs around his neck. “How was your day off?”
“It was … interesting,” Steel admitted with a smile, giving her a quick kiss.
“Oh, interesting, eh?” the emerald-coated mare said, sliding back down to the ground. “Didn’t know what to do with yourself?”
He let out a little chuckle. “Something like that. But as usual, something to do found me.”
“Oh?” Cappy said, giving him a wry smile. “And what did you find?” She spun around as he reached for his saddlebags, double-checking the door to the post office to make sure it was closed for the day. “Something—” She let out a gasp as she saw the bouquet of flowers that Steel had picked up from his sister’s flower shop.
“Are those—”
“Blue roses? Your favorite?” Steel said, giving her a smile. “Yes they are. But,” he said, handing her the bouquet and reaching into his saddlebags again. “I also got this.”
Cappy let out an excited gasp as Steel pulled his next surprise from his saddlebags. “You got yourself a rafting helmet?”
“I did,” Steel said with a nod. “You kept saying how you wanted to take me rafting. Well, today I went out and got a helmet. Now you can.” He gave her a warm smile.
“Well,” Cappy said, looking down at the bouquet. “I’ll admit I had planned to go on a run and then have dinner at your old place—”
“Well, we don’t—”
“Are you kidding?!” Cappy asked, a wide grin erupting across her face. She shook her head, her blue mane rippling in the afternoon sun. “This is going to be great! Come on! We’re going to have to hurry if we want to get a good ride in before dark!” She began to trot down the street at a quick place, her bouquet still tightly gripped in one hoof.
“So this is what you did today?” she asked as he came up beside her, just close enough to give her a soft bump with his shoulder. “Looked for a few gifts for me?”
“Well, not quite.” Steel said, thinking back on the morning he’d had. “I had a little bit of an adventure this morning.”
“Oh really?” Cappy asked, looking over with a smile. “Doing what?”
Steel smiled. “I helped a little girl stop being scared.”
“It was an adventure?”
“Yeah,” Steel said, looking over at her. “It definitely was. And it always will be.”