"Disperse! Quickly!" Bronze Star shouted.
As the ogre got closer, the eight ponies scattered in all directions. Most of them ran for cover. Bronze Star and a couple others were looking for a way to fight back against the ogre.
"What should we do?" Pinkie Pie asked frantically, bouncing around the area, "What should we do?"
"Just keep moving!" Bellerophon advised the others, "Ogres have a limited attention span! If there's too much activity going on, we may be able to confuse him! Once that happens, we might spot his weakness if he has one!"
Bronze Star and the six mares took this tip into account. They scurried all over the open area. Every now and then, one of them shot a jeer towards the monster to divert his attention away from the others.
A normal ogre would have been unable to keep track of so many ponies at once. However, this ogre seemed to be a touch more clever than the average one. He snarled loudly again and stamped his foot hard against the ground. This tremor was so powerful that all eight of the ponies lost their balance and fell on their flanks.
"So much for that great idea," Rainbow Dash remarked sarcastically from the ground.
"On your hooves, now!" Bronze Star ordered, rising up hastily, "If you stay still, you're just making yourself an easier target!"
Before long, all eight members of the group were up off the ground. They continued darting around the area, but this would only keep them safe from the ogre for a short time.
"Whatever will we do now?" Rarity asked in a dramatic yet serious tone.
"See if you can get closer to him," Bronze Star suggested, "But not too close! If you spot anything that can be exploited as a means to bring him down, let me know!"
The other ponies busied themselves with this task. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity were only willing to get within twenty feet of the ogre. Fortunately, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Bellerophon, and Bronze Star managed to get much closer than that.
At one point, Bronze Star ran directly behind the ogre. He was literally within reach of the creature. He could have sworn he spotted a large blemish on the back of his left leg. But before he got a clearer view, the ogre turned around and swung his club directly at the gold stallion. He missed, but one of the spikes of the weapon grazed the side of Bronze Star's head. It left a shallow cut along his temple. Bronze Star groaned and slowed down his pace for a moment. That moment was all the ogre needed to properly concentrate. He focused on the young prince and raised his club high into the air.
Before he could strike, Applejack lunged towards Bronze Star and pushed him out of harm's way. While she did this, Bellerophon and Rainbow Dash flew in front of the ogre's face to distract him. This gave Applejack and Bronze Star time to get away.
Once Bronze Star regained his coordination, he turned to Applejack and told her "Thank you for that. You probably just saved my life."
"Ah, don't mention it, sugar cube," Applejack responded, smiling pleasantly, "By the way, I think I saw an open flesh wound behind the ogre's right knee."
Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and queried "You're sure it was his right knee?"
"Yup, it may be dark out here, but my eyes don't deceive me," the mare with the hat confirmed.
"Alright, excellent work, Applejack," Bronze Star said appreciatively. He turned back to the open area and called out "Everypony, find some shelter!"
"But Bellerophon just said –" Twilight began.
"I know what he said!" Bronze Star interrupted her, "Now listen to what I'm saying! I have a plan to defeat the ogre, but I need your cooperation! Get yourselves to safety! Now!"
The palomino stallion and the six mares obeyed Bronze Star's command. They scurried off to a cluster of trees and concealed themselves amongst the large branches. The ogre paid them no heed; now that he was alone in the clearing with Bronze Star, he planned to focus all his attention on the gold stallion.
He looked down at the pony dressed in black and approached him slowly. The ogre was at least four times larger than the pony, not to mention far stronger and deadlier. At this time, there was nothing he desired more than crushing the pony to pieces.
Bronze Star was not the least bit intimidated by his foe. He merely grinned in amusement and taunted the beast with "Come and get me, you half-witted, oversized mongrel!"
The ogre could not understand these words, but he was more than willing to carry them out. He raised his club into the air, charged towards Bronze Star, and waved his weapon towards the ground. Despite his rapid approach, Bronze Star did not move a muscle. Then at the very last second, he dove under the ogre's legs. Then he reached into his supply pack, pulled out his mask, and slipped it on. After that, he drew a machete from his belt.
Once again, he stood absolutely still and waited for the ogre to turn around. Once the creature was facing him again, Bronze Star dove forward and dug his machete into the giant's right kneecap. The effect was instantaneous; the ogre yelped in agony and almost lost his balance. While the ogre was slouched over, Bronze Star jumped onto his left leg, climbed up it, and stabbed him in the thigh. The ogre shrieked again, and while he was distracted by this newfound pain, Bronze Star climbed up his back.
Over the next two minutes, the ogre struggled to get the gold stallion off of him. He tried shaking him off, reaching back at him, and even waving his club backwards. Nothing worked. Bronze Star gradually climbed higher up the giant's back until he reached his shoulders. Then he took his machete and sliced at the back of the ogre's head. This sudden action was enough to seriously befuddle the ogre, but not enough to bring him down. Bronze Star's next move solved this problem. He shifted his position on the ogre's back and stabbed him below the throat.
At this, the ogre dropped to his knees, and then fell flat on his back. Bronze Star leaped off of him just in time. Before the ogre had a chance to recover, Bronze Star jumped onto his chest and struck him repeatedly in the face with his front hooves. Ogres had tough skin, but Alicorns could pack very powerful punches.
Bronze Star beat the ogre for an entire minute before he relented. By then, he had knocked the beast senseless. Then he drew his machete again and lifted it into the air. He prepared to plunge his blade into the ogre's neck to finish him off. But something about his adversary caught his attention and made him hesitate.
The ogre was still conscious, as his eyes were slightly open. His eyes were actually what stopped Bronze Star from killing him.
One of Bronze Star's hobbies was learning about all the strange creatures that lived in Equestria. He had once read a comprehensive volume about the physiognomy of ogres. According to that book, their pupils were always one of three colors: black, yellow, or red.
This ogre's eyes were dark blue.
Bronze Star was deeply confused by this irregularity. At first, he speculated that this ogre had a rare illness or a genetic mutation, but there was no record of any such thing happening.
Bronze Star thought back to several instances in the past few hours when he had seen other objects that were tinted dark blue. After that, the real reason for the ogre's distinctive eyes quickly dawned on him. For that reason, he chose to spare the ogre's life. So he lowered his machete and sheathed it in his belt. Immediately after this, the ogre's eyes turned yellow and a cloud of dark blue smoke exited from his ear. It bolted away and disappeared from sight.
Bronze Star hopped off the ogre and nonchalantly sauntered away. He then called out "Alright, everypony. The coast is clear!"
Bellerophon and the six mares slowly came back out into the opening. All of them had witnessed the clash between the gold stallion and the ogre. Needless to say, they were absolutely speechless.
When he reached his companions, Bronze Star thought aloud "No need to worry about the ogre. He won't be bothering us anymore."
"I should say not, considering the huge flank-whopping you just gave him," Applejack noted irreverently.
"Wherever did you learn to fight like that, dear?" Rarity questioned in astonishment.
"It's just an acquired skill," Bronze Star claimed.
He tried to make this answer sound candid and sincere, but it did not have that effect on the five mares from Ponyville. None of them were convinced that it was the truth.
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Rainbow Dash remarked in doubt.
"It's one thing to know how to fight," Fluttershy professed, "A soldier or one of Royal Guard might have the ability to bring down a rampaging ogre. But I've never heard of a diplomat who had the prowess to do that single-hoofedly."
"She does have a point," Pinkie Pie coincided, "It's unlikely that a representative from Canterlot could pull off what you just did. Unless… you're more than just our ambassador."
Pinkie Pie zoomed closer to Bronze Star and eyed him suspiciously. Then she stated in a tone of melodramatic skepticism "You are just an ambassador, right? Or do you work for somepony other than us?"
Bronze Star was not caught off guard very often, but this was one rare instance when he was. He considered making up another explanation, but he realized that these mares could see straight through a phony allegation. Ultimately, he sighed and retorted with "I suppose I may as well tell the truth; I'm certain all of you can be trusted with it. Believe me, I am the ambassador to Ponyville. However, I'm also a member of Princess Celestia's Council, as well as her inner circle. The ponies on those boards are required to go through basic military and combat training. Mostly to be used in the event of an emergency, such as the one we're in."
"Well, that's understandable," Fluttershy commented. The others gave mutters of agreement.
"Why didn't you just tell us that earlier?" inquired Applejack.
Twilight Sparkle could see where Bronze Star was going with this. She stepped in and answered for him: "In Canterlot, having a position on Celestia's Council is considered to be one of the highest honors imaginable. Being in her inner circle is an even greater privilege. For that reason, the names of the people on those boards are supposed to remain confidential. You see, that's about as close as you can get to the Princess without being directly related to her."
Bronze Star almost scoffed at the irony in Twilight's last statement, but he prevented himself. He did not want to have to explain that as well. However, there was still one more small matter we would have to account for.
In all the turmoil, Bronze Star had not yet removed his mask. Since he was facing the other ponies, all of them could see there were three openings on it. Rainbow Dash informed him "Hey, Gold, there's a hole in your mask. Other than the eyeholes, I mean."
It only took Bronze Star a second to realize she was referring to the orifice that his horn was meant to go through. He quickly pulled off his mask and gazed down at it, pretending to seem surprised. Then he slid it into his supply pack and proclaimed "Thanks for letting me know, Rainbow. Must have happened when I climbed up the ogre's back."
"With all due respect, I don't believe so," Rarity countered, "I can spot a flaw in a pony's attire from a hundred feet away, darling. That third hole was already in your mask when you put it on."
"In that case, I have no idea how it got there," Bronze Star asserted.
"Or…" Pinkie Pie began falteringly. She gazed at Bronze Star shiftily and queried "You don't have a hidden third eye, do you?"
"Not as far as I know," Bronze Star drolly retorted.
Despite the absurdity of her question, Pinkie Pie was actually quite serious when she asked it. She leaned up to his forehead and stated shiftily "Can you see me? Hello? Are you there?"
"I don't have a third eye, Pinkie," Bronze Star brusquely assured her, "My uniform just has some notable blemishes in it. I'll get them patched up when we return to Ponyville. All that matters right now is that we get into that fortress."
The other ponies agreed to this proposal. A few seconds later, they heard a weak yet alarming groan. They turned back out to the center of the clearing and saw that the ogre was the source of the commotion. He was still lying flat on his back, moaning in discomfort.
The mares were startled by this sudden outburst. Bronze Star eased their worries by saying "Relax; he won't get up. I didn't permanently disable him, but he'll be out for several hours. At any rate, he's not our problem. In fact, he wasn't our problem to begin with. That's why I spared him; he was possessed."
"'Possessed?'" the six mares inquired in unison.
"Correct," Bronze Star elucidated, "Although ogres are violent creatures, they typically don't attack first unless provoked. The only reason this one did was because he was forced to."
"By who?" queried Bellerophon.
"By the same individual who was responsible for the avalanche, the thorn, the trees, the serpent, and the bridge," Bronze Star responded, "It was Nightmare Moon. She's been trying to dissuade us ever since we entered the Forest."
"Why would she do that?" Rainbow Dash enquired in perplexity.
"The only fathomable explanation is that Nightmare Moon sees us as a threat," Bronze Star speculated. He turned to the fortress and announced "There's no doubt about it, now. The Elements of Harmony are definitely in that building. And despite Nightmare Moon's best efforts to throw us off, all she's doing is prolonging the inevitable. We're going to find the Elements, and we're going to stop her TODAY."
…
Several miles north of the fortress, SIG Sauer was following Dense Miasma along another path in the Forest. So far, the two stallions had not come across anything nearly as problematic or dangerous as the things Bronze Star and his group had come across. In fact, other than an occasional rodent, they had not come across anything at all. SIG Sauer was hoping that would change soon; they had already been galloping for close to thirty minutes.
"How much further to the sphere?" SIG Sauer asked, a little peevishly.
"It should be less than a mile away," Dense Miasma informed him, pointing down the road, "I'm sorry this is taking so long. I know we'll get there soon. I didn't mark the trail, but I'm confident we're almost there. And I'm pretty sure we're not lost."
"You don't have to explain yourself, Dense," the older stallion assured him, "It's easy to misjudge distance in a place like this. Everything about the environment looks very similar, most of the paths are tarnished, and there are no outposts to rest at."
"Can't argue with any of that," stated Dense Miasma. After a moment of silence, he scoffed and said "It's actually kind of funny. Until three days ago, I never once thought I would ever enter this place. But when Noble Edict went around asking for 'volunteers' to watch after some 'anomaly,' I figured I may as well get out and have some excitement. Plus, I wanted to do the town a favor for taking me in."
"Oh, so you haven't lived in Ponyville your whole life?" SIG Sauer presumed.
"Actually, I just moved here two weeks ago," Dense Miasma disclosed, "So did Petal Picker and Soapstone. The three of us share an apartment just outside of town."
"Are they family?" SIG enquired.
"No, but we went to school together," Dense Miasma expounded, "We were roommates at the University of Neightown. Truthfully, I'm not on good terms with my real family. Believe it or not, neither are Petal Picker and Soapstone. We came to rely on each other for support and aid. So after we graduated, we stayed together. Not long ago, we decided to move to Ponyville."
"For the Celebration?" stated the pine green stallion.
"Not entirely," Dense Miasma enlightened him, "The Celebration helped influence our choice, but the primary reason we came here was because we were looking for work. Since Ponyville's a great deal smaller than most of the other settlements in Equestria, we figured it must have a larger demand for labor."
"Makes sense," was all SIG Sauer said in response.
Dense Miasma looked over his shoulder and stated "What about you? Do you have family?"
"Yes, but I haven't seen most of my relatives in years," SIG Sauer replied, "My job always keeps me busy. Whenever I'm not in Canterlot training new recruits or overseeing national security, I'm out on assignment someplace else. That leaves me very little time for family. Or a social life. Not that I ever really cared much for the latter."
"What about the former?" stated Dense Miasma, "Surely you place a high value on your family?"
"Yes, family is extremely important to me," SIG confirmed, "While I'm not on speaking terms with all of my kin, I am on fair terms with a considerable percentage of them. Even so, it's been a long time since I've paid any of them a visit. Partly because almost all of them reside in the settlements. In fact, the only ones that live in Canterlot are my son and my daughter."
"Oh, I didn't know you were a father," Dense remarked. He looked back at the older Unicorn and asked him in interest "What's it like, being a parent?"
"I don't typically discuss my children with ponies I just met," SIG Sauer explicated, "But I already made an exception with Noble Edict earlier today, so I suppose I can make one with you, too. In answer to your question… it's actually somewhat hard to express in words. But I'll do my best."
The two stallions continued trotting through the Forest, but Dense Miasma kept his gaze on SIG Sauer as the latter stated "Have you ever been in a race or a tournament? Or some other type of competition that you vigorously prepared for and looked forward to with great anticipation? And if so, did you manage to win or at least place in that competition?"
"Well, one time at the University of Neightown, I participated in this tourney," Dense Miasma recollected, "I spent many weeks exercising to prepare for it, and even more time eagerly looking forward to it. It was composed of over a dozen types of vigorous sports. The match I entered was supposed to be an all-stallions bout, but that didn't stop Petal Picker and Soapstone from showing up to cheer me on. Their presence really boosted my morale; I did very well in the competition. I wasn't the champion, but I did make runner-up."
"Well, do you remember the great wave of satisfaction you felt upon completing the contest?" SIG Sauer asked rhetorically.
"Oh, yeah," Dense Miasma shamelessly affirmed, "I don't think I'll ever forget it; I celebrated all night long. But what does all this have to do with how it feels to be a parent?"
SIG Sauer then explained his point: "The preparation you put into that tourney is trivial compared to how much preparation would be needed to get yourself ready for parenthood. The time spent waiting for the big day to come would be far more stressful and wearisome. However, even if you were the winner of that competition, I can assure you that the pride you felt when you received your medal would be nothing compared to the pride you would feel when you hold your newborn child for the first time. I underwent that exact sensation when I first held my son and my daughter."
Dense Miasma raised an eyebrow in fascination and thought aloud "That's an incredible way of putting it, sir."
"I'm glad you think so," stated SIG Sauer, "In my mind, that's the best way to describe parenthood to a person who is not yet a parent. In a sense, you should classify it as 'winning.'"
"Winning at what?" queried the younger stallion.
"Life," was SIG's concise but direct answer, "Life is precious. There is no greater accomplishment than creating a new one. That's a personal victory that must be cherished."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Dense Miasma pronounced, "Maybe later you and I can talk about this further."
"Perhaps, but let's get to that energy sphere," SIG Sauer proposed.
"Not to worry, sir," Dense Miasma proclaimed, "It's right up here."
The stallions walked on in silence for about twenty seconds. Soon they could hear a calm humming sound. It got increasingly shriller as they walked further down the path. A hazy glow could be seen through the trees up ahead. When Dense Miasma and SIG Sauer reached the end of the path, they arrived at a huge clearing. There was almost nothing on this patch of land: no trees, no bushes, no rocks, no animals, not even a puddle.
All the same, the clearing was not entirely empty. In the center of it, there were two young mares standing close to a giant sphere of dark blue energy; one on either side of it. This sphere was quite large; it had to be at least ten feet in diameter. Despite its dark blue hue, it had to be the brightest thing SIG had seen in hours.
Dense Miasma gestured for SIG Sauer to follow him. As they entered the clearing, the younger stallion called out "Petal, Soap, I'm back!"
The two mares turned around and looked in their direction. The one on the right breathed a sigh of relief and remarked in mild annoyance "Dense, where have you been?"
"Ponyville, or have you forgotten?" Dense Miasma replied somewhat mockingly, "Anyway, what's important is that I'm back. I brought somepony to help"
The two mares watched as the two stallions approached them. The one on the left gazed at SIG Sauer and questioned "Who might you be?"
"My name is SIG Sauer, ma'am," was the pine green Unicorn's answer, "I work for the government."
Right now, it was just light enough that SIG Sauer could clearly make out the appearances of the three ponies. The mare on the right was an Earth Pony with a mauve coat, a brown mane, red eyes, and a clay sculpture for a cutie mark. The mare on the left was a Pegasus with an ochre coat, a violet mane, yellow eyes, and a bouquet of flowers for a cutie mark. He also got a good look at Dense Miasma. He did not notice this earlier, but the younger stallion was a Unicorn with a cerulean coat, a grey mane, black eyes, and a mass of fog for a cutie mark.
"Noble Edict was not available, so he came with me instead," Dense Miasma explained, "I'm confident he'll be able to help us with this matter."
The two mares seemed to be content with their friend's statement, so they calmed down.
The Earth Pony nodded in SIG's direction and said "Name's Soapstone."
"And I'm Petal Picker," stated the Pegasus.
"Good morning, ladies," SIG Sauer acknowledged. "At least, it will be once the Sun's up."
"Well, it's already after nine o'clock and it's nowhere to be seen," Soapstone pointed out.
"That's very unusual, especially for the Summer Sun Celebration," Petal Picker noted.
"He claims it's Nightmare Moon," Dense Miasma informed them.
"I don't claim anything; it is Nightmare Moon," SIG Sauer remarked, "Over three hours ago, she appeared in front of the entire town. I was there when it happened. I do not have time to go into detail about everything that's going on. All you need to know is that Princess Celestia is currently missing, and it's my job to find her. At present, I don't have any solid leads, but I have reason to believe that this energy cloud may give me one."
"I guess that's a reasonable assumption," stated Soapstone, "We've been watching this thing for the past three days, and up until a few hours ago, nothing about it changed. So it would make sense if Nightmare Moon is responsible."
"Can't really see what she would want to do with this sphere, but I suppose you'd know better than us," Petal Picker observed, "If you really think something about it could bring back the Sun and Celestia, feel free to check it out."
SIG Sauer nodded and turned his attention towards the energy cloud. He stated firmly to the other three ponies, "For your own safety, I would ask that you move back."
Petal Picker, Soapstone, and Dense Miasma obeyed this request and took several steps away from the energy cloud. Now that SIG Sauer had some room, he got a closer look at the energy cloud.
It was composed of the same type of sparkling dark blue energy as Nightmare Moon. It was also larger than SIG Sauer originally thought. Instead of ten feet, it had to be at least fifteen in diameter. The humming sound it produced had evolved into a high-pitched shriek. Any louder and it could be classified as white noise. The cloud was hovering about ten inches off the ground, but nothing was holding it up.
The energy cloud was indeed shaped like a perfect sphere. However, a small rectangular prism was attached to the base. Because of its position, it stood out rather conspicuously. On this prism were four nine-syllable sentences:
One moment for contact to begin
From darkest past comes future's decree
The blood of a friend keeps one within
The blood of a fiend will set one free
SIG Sauer read all of these sentences twice, and then he said over his shoulder "Is this that inscription you referred to?"
"Yeah," Dense Miasma affirmed, "Before I left, we spent a while trying to make sense of it on our own. But we have no idea what it means."
"Do you have any ideas, sir?" Soapstone asked SIG Sauer.
"Well, for starters, it's a riddle," the pine green Unicorn perceived, "That alone tells us plenty. All riddles are fundamentally the same. The wording is supposed to be cryptic, but when you think about it, the solution is very simple."
"So do you think you'd be able to solve it?" queried Petal Picker.
"I'll certainly try," SIG Sauer guaranteed her. He looked down at the inscription and studied all four lines closely. He rubbed his chin as he thought deeply on their meaning. He uttered "'One moment for contact to begin'… 'contact'… has anypony else shown up here in the past few days?"
"No, other than Noble, you're the only person we've seen," Petal Picker answered.
"Have you heard any voices?" the pine green stallion enquired, "Screams? Yells? Anything of the sort?"
"Nope, there's no noise except for the cloud's obnoxious humming sound," Soapstone apprised him.
"Well, 'contact' must refer to a means of communication," SIG Sauer professed. After a moment of thinking, he theorized "Could it be possible that the humming sound is actually the energy cloud itself trying to converse with us?"
"We thought of that, but we don't think it very likely," Dense Miasma disputed, "There's no pattern to the noise, other than that it gets louder as we get closer to the cloud. And that could simply be a reaction to motion."
"Alright, so that brings us nowhere," SIG Sauer declared, "We'll come back to this line, but I have a feeling that finding its meaning would help us solve the next line, as well."
"Why is that?" said Soapstone.
"'From darkest past comes future's decree'" SIG Sauer muttered, "Think about that. People don't use 'past' and 'future' in the same sentence unless they're talking about a cause-and-effect relationship. Maybe once we've made 'contact,' something about the 'past' will determine the course of the 'future.'"
"That would certainly fit the description," Petal Picker coincided, "But what about the future would be determined?"
"That must be where the other half of the riddle ties in," SIG Sauer hypothesized, "On that subject, there's something about the last two lines that seems… contradictory. Both hint at the possibility of bloodshed. But only that of a friend or fiend. The first 'keeps one within'; the second 'will set one free.'"
"A most interesting choice of words," Dense Miasma thought aloud, "It's as if it's talking about a prison."
"Actually, it does seem like that," SIG Sauer commented. He spent another minute studying the sphere and thinking, but then he noticed something strange. A large silhouette was stretched out along the front side of the sphere. SIG Sauer looked around the area, but there was nopony in the clearing other than himself and the other three ponies. He quickly realized that whatever was casting the silhouette was actually inside the sphere.
SIG Sauer moved in for an even closer look. He soon discovered that it was not an object that was casting the silhouette. He announced to the others "Wait a minute… There's somepony inside this thing."
"What?" Soapstone remarked in surprise, "Are you sure?"
"Very," SIG Sauer replied. Soon, another thought occurred to him. There was the word 'contact' in the first line of the riddle. Up until now, he had assumed that 'contact' referred to verbal communication. But there were multiple ways to define that word. He wondered… maybe in this context, it referred to physical contact. Case in point, maybe physically touching the sphere was the key.
To determine the validity of this idea, SIG Sauer slowly lifted his right front hoof up and placed it against the bottom of the sphere.
Immediately after he made contact with the energy cloud, he saw a very bright light that momentarily blinded him. After the light subsided, his eyesight quickly cleared up. When it did, SIG Sauer looked around and discovered that he was alone and in a different place.
He was no longer outdoors. Instead, he was standing in a hallway. A strangely familiar hallway at that. He studied his new surroundings, hoping to find some indication of where he was. When he could not locate any useful clues in his immediate area, he trotted down the hallway to expand his search.
Near the end of the hallway, he came across a portrait of an elderly stallion. He recognized this stallion; he was Rigid Hunter, the director of the Equestrian Threat Neutralizing Agency (ETNA). He recognized the portrait as well; he used to walk past it every morning when he worked for ETNA. Assuming the portrait was in its proper place, SIG concluded that he had to be at ETNA's headquarters in Canterlot.
But he had not set hoof in this building in seven years. Not ever since… the tragedy.
"You!" a booming voice yelled from the adjoining corridor.
This sudden outburst alarmed SIG, but what alarmed him even more was that he recognized that voice. It was his own.
SIG Sauer hurried over to the next hallway and gazed into it. A pine green stallion was viciously beating an azure mare.
SIG Sauer was now convinced that this was a flashback. He had witnessed this same exact scene once before. But he had been a direct part of it back then. The stallion down the hall was him from seven years ago. The mare he was beating… he would never forget her face. She had haunted his memories ever since this day.
He watched as his past self gripped the mare by her throat, slammed her against the wall, and held a knife to her throat. His past self yelled in rage "How could you do this, you… you… you monster! I trusted you! I saved your life! And this… this is how you repay me? By stabbing me in the BACK!"
"It's not my fault you were so easy to manipulate," the mare replied without any display of emotion, "You shouldn't take this so personal. This was just business."
"'Business?'" SIG's past self muttered through gritted teeth, "People are dead because of your business! People I cared about! People you swore to protect! Do their lives mean nothing to you? Is there anything about you that's for real? Anything AT ALL?"
"Actually, yes," the mare answered nonchalantly, "I really was following orders. I can promise you one thing: if you kill me, you'll never know who my real boss is."
SIG remembered all of this very well. He had spent five minutes contemplating whether or not to stick his knife into that mare's neck. She absolutely deserved to die, and the law would have been on his side if he killed her. But he had sworn an oath to do everything possible to protect the citizens of Equestria. If he did not learn the name of this mare's true employer, her boss would simply find somepony else to in infiltrate the ETNA. So despite his overwhelming desire to kill the mare, SIG Sauer had chosen to let her live. He had summoned a security team to arrest her.
As she was being taken into custody, the mare had gazed back at SIG and called out with a note of heartlessness "Say 'hello' to that nosy mare of yours for me. She's waiting for you in your room."
The first time he heard that remark, SIG Sauer was quite perplexed. But it did not take him long to grasp what she meant. As the security team carried the mare away, SIG Sauer watched as his past self bolted in the opposite direction. He had navigated through the corridors until he came across a door with the label "Chief of Field Operations." This had been his office.
SIG watched as his past self shoved open the door and ran inside. He gazed around frantically, as if he expected to find somepony there. At first, it appeared to be empty. Then he noticed the chair at his desk was turned away from him. He had slowly approached his desk. Very slowly, as if something about it unsettled him. When he reached the chair, he spun it around so that it was facing him.
A female Unicorn was slouched over in the chair. She had a plum coat, an indigo mane, teal irises, and a silver peace symbol for a cutie mark. She was not moving, and she was barely breathing.
SIG Sauer watched as his past self picked up the mare in his front legs. He held her close and said desperately "Wysteria? Wysteria, honey! Are you alright?"
The mare was conscious at this time, but that would change very soon. She was fading away quickly; she had just enough strength to gaze up at SIG Sauer. She managed to bring a small smile onto her face and tell him "I… I'm sorry about this morning."
Earlier that day, the two of them had had gotten into an argument. She had been the one who started it, and it had not ended well for either of them.
SIG Sauer had sorrowfully replied with "I don't care about that. None of it matters now. I've already forgiven you. Please, stay with me. I love you… so much."
Somehow, Wysteria managed to remain smiling and tell the pine green stallion "I… I… I love you, too. With all my heart."
Shortly after that, her smile had dropped, her eyes clamped shut, and her body went limp.
By this point, SIG's eyes were flowing with tears. He begged Wysteria "Don't go, please… Come on, sweetie, wake up. You gotta wake up! Please, you have to be alright! The kids need you! I need you!"
He had tried shaking her, resuscitating her, and straight-out pleading, hoping that something he did would revive her. To his dismay, nothing worked.
The current SIG Sauer could not bear to watch any longer. Going through this event once was terrible enough. He could not imagine enduring it a second time. So he marched solemnly out of the room. When he was out in the corridor, he came face-to-face with Nightmare Moon.
SIG Sauer was still wearing his belt. He reached for his knife, but before he could grab it, the black Alicorn warned him "Do not bother. Do you honestly believe you could harm me here? Surely you must realize that this is all an illusion."
"A very detailed and accurate illusion of an actual event," SIG Sauer heatedly contradicted her. He lowered his front leg and demanded "Why are you showing me this?"
"Because out of all your memories, you consider this one to be your blackest," Nightmare Moon explained to him, "Despite your attempts to shut it away, it brings you pain every single day. Unbearable, torturous pain."
"What do you care about my pain?" SIG Sauer shouted furiously.
"I can help you ease it," Nightmare Moon ambiguously proposed, "You miss your wife. That much is obvious. I can reunite you with her."
SIG Sauer scoffed in astonishment and snappily retorted with "So, what are you saying? That you can bring my wife back? I highly doubt that; you don't have the power to resurrect the dead!"
"Perhaps not in reality," Nightmare Moon audaciously remarked, "But anything is possible in this realm. Here I can offer you a suitable alternative. The next time you go to sleep, I can ensure that your next dream is about you and your wife. I can make this dream last for as long you'd like. You'd be able to care for her, love her, grow old with her… whatever you'd like. I can give you back the life you were so wrongfully deprived of."
"What of my children?" SIG Sauer barked, "Do you truly believe I would ever abandon them for a simple fantasy?"
"No, I would not expect you to," Nightmare Moon frankly disclosed, "However, there is more to this proposition. Whenever your children next fall asleep, I can connect their dreams with yours. You could dream of your wife; they could dream of their mother. Now just imagine that. Your son and your daughter would be able to spend time with both of their parents. That happened very rarely even when your wife was alive, if your other memories of her are any indication."
There was a tense interval of silence before the black Alicorn went on with "Think of this, SIG Sauer. You've devoted your entire life to protecting Equestria's government. What has it gotten you? Respect? Praise? Acknowledgement? That may be enough to appease you, but was all that worth losing the mare you love?"
"I've asked myself that question many times," SIG Sauer remarked, "And every time I do, the answer is always no. However, as horrible as that loss was, I have come to accept it, and I've managed to move on."
"If that was true, this would not have been your blackest memory," Nightmare Moon proclaimed. She started moving towards the pine green stallion and stated portentously "I do not think you fully comprehend just what it is I'm offering you here. I'm giving you the option to live the rest of your life with your wife and children. The four of you, together, incapable of being broken apart. You'd be able to make up for all that lost time. I can make that happen. All you have to do is back away from the energy cloud."
SIG Sauer had to admit that this offer did sound quite appealing. However, he had several reservations about it. For one thing, there was no way he could trust Nightmare Moon to keep her word. She had no loyalties to anypony, and she was more than likely deceiving him. Aside from that, Nightmare Moon was a criminal, and SIG Sauer had always believed in a strict policy of refusing to negotiate with criminals. Plus, as much as he longed to see his wife again, he knew she was gone. No matter how realistic Nightmare Moon tried to make her seem in his dreams, it would not be the real her. Lastly, there was the matter of the string attached to this proposal. That was what really caught his attention.
SIG Sauer looked up at Nightmare Moon and asked suspiciously "Why do you want me to back off? What's so important about the energy cloud? Does it have to do with the person inside it?"
Nightmare Moon seemed to be perplexed by this statement. She remarked innocuously "What are you entailing? There is no 'person' inside that cloud."
SIG Sauer could tell she was lying. Then he stated irreverently "'From darkest past comes future's decree.' What I just witnessed must be the 'darkest past." So now you're giving me two options. Whichever one I pick must be 'future's decree.' Even more interesting is how you're trying to influence my decision. You're offering me so much in exchange for something that apparently amounts to so little. There is no rational explanation for that. Unless…"
He paused for a long while and thought about the scenario very closely. There were a few gaps, but he managed to piece them together with the information he already had. Eventually, he had everything figured out. He leered up at Nightmare Moon and declared "Princess Celestia is in the sphere, isn't she?"
Nightmare Moon did not even try to deceive him this time. She grinned wickedly and replied with "Yes, she is. Now you must decide what you will do about that. Will you make a vain attempt to liberate her, or will you back away and let her be? For your sake, you'd better chose the latter."
"I will not," SIG Sauer boldly declared, "I don't care what you do to me. I'll never betray Princess Celestia. Not for anything."
At this, he reached for his knife again and mumbled angrily "Now, end this illusion right now, or we'll find out the hard way if I real can harm you in this realm."
Nightmare Moon was not intimidated by this threat, but she chose to comply with his wish. She spoke emotionlessly "Very well."
Immediately, SIG Sauer saw the same prodigiously bright light from before. When it subsided, he was back in the Everfree Forest with Dense Miasma, Petal Picker, and Soapstone.
He noticed that the three younger ponies were gazing at him in astonishment. Justifiably so, as from their point of view, he had not moved a muscle or spoken a word in the past twenty minutes. They tried getting a response out of him, but he did not even seem to notice them in all that time.
"What happened, sir?" queried Petal Picker.
"It would take too long to explain," SIG Sauer responded, "But I know what we have to do."
"What might that be?" asked Soapstone.
"We have to destroy this thing," the pine green stallion declared.
The others were surprised to hear this. Dense Miasma asked "Why do you say that?"
"Princess Celestia is inside it," SIG Sauer informed him, "Nightmare Moon is using the energy cloud to hold her prisoner. That's the whole reason it was planted here in the first place. So we have to get this thing open. Right now."
"You are certain of this?" Dense Miasma assumed.
"Of course I am," SIG Sauer confirmed, turning back to the energy cloud, "Without a single doubt, this must be done."
The cerulean Unicorn, the ochre Pegasus, and the mauve Earth Pony all looked around at each other. A few seconds later, Dense Miasma lightly sighed, stepped behind SIG Sauer, and declared "Very well. Then you leave us no choice."
"What?" SIG Sauer remarked in great confusion. Concerned, he turned around to face the younger Unicorn. Without warning, he felt a sharp jab in his ribcage. It was so sudden and unexpected that it almost took his breath away.
At this moment, SIG Sauer and Dense Miasma were directly facing each other. The young stallion bore an evil smirk accompanied by an expression of sadistic pleasure. He was holding his right front hoof against the spot on his torso where SIG Sauer felt the rush of pain. He slowly looked down and saw that Dense Miasma had stabbed him with a thin knife just five inches away his heart.
"That hurt?" Dense Miasma asked rhetorically. "'Cause this sure will!"
He dug his knife another inch into SIG's chest and then released his grip on the weapon. SIG Sauer collapsed onto his back, the knife still protruding from his chest cavity.
Although he was in tremendous pain, SIG Sauer brought himself to lean his head forward. Petal Picker and Soapstone carried the same aggressive countenance as Dense Miasma, and they had drawn a similar type of knife. The two mares kept their distance, but the stallion knelt down in front of SIG and told him menacingly "Do not resist this, sir. Stay on the ground. If you make any trouble for us, I will hunt down your children and make them suffer."
Normally, SIG Sauer would have tried to strangle anypony who so much as threatened his children. The only thing stopping him here was the knife in his chest. All he could do from the ground was scowl hostilely. He demanded furiously "Who… who are you people?"
"We're believers, sir," Dense Miasma informed him, "Believers in the glory of night. We have been waiting a long time for this to happen. This is a very memorable occasion. Nightmare Moon has come here to bring prosperity and amity to this land. We will not allow anypony to stand in the way of that. Not Celestia, not Noble Edict, and certainly not you."