Chapter 10: The Death of Innocence
The Roadrunner rocked and swayed as is sped through the grasslands of Griffany, near the city of Pura, Jacob at the wheel. Inside the windowless passenger section, the members of Dawn Shield, weapons at their sides, chatted, mostly about their new, feline comrades. In the two weeks since the tigers had arrived, they and the ponies had all become fast friends, not only training together but often enjoying each others company in more casual events. It was the latter that had a certain colorful pegasus amused at her country friend’s expense.
“Come on AJ,” Rainbow said in a teasing tone, “admit it.”
“Ah ain't admittin' it, 'cause it ain't true,” the Apple harrumphed.
“Oh, Applejack,” Rarity said, placing a reassuring hoof on her whither. “It isn't something to be ashamed of. Why, I for one would be absolutely elated if it really is true.”
“But it ain't!”
“Perhaps not to the extent Rainbow is insinuating, but is there some truth to her suspicion?” Sweetie asked.
Applejack was about to just shoot it down, but realized they would see right through her lie. With a sigh, she relented. “Fine. Yes, Ah think Zhatka is handsome and a good guy, but Ah don't have those kinda feelin's. He's just eye candy.”
“Would you bang 'em?” Rainbow asked.
“Rainbow Dash, would you please try to maintain a level of civility?” Rarity scolded.
The conversation was interrupted by the machine slowing and rocking as if they had rolled over something.
“Alright, listen up,” Midnight said. “For several years, we have trained and performed various missions from search and rescue, to apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals, to removing dangerous creatures from populated areas, but it's not enough. The fact is, if we were to be invaded now, many of you would die.”
“Oh, come on!” Rainbow protested indignantly. “We're total badasses. We can take them. That's what we've been training for.”
Midnight's glare silenced the pegasus. “Yes, you are 'badasses' and you all have the ability to fight and win, but there's one thing that could make everything you've learned useless. It's that reason that we had to leave Equestria for Griffany.”
“Wait, why are we in Griffany?” Applejack asked as the vehicle came to a stop and the back door swung open. “What do they got that Equestria don't?”
They found themselves in one of the most well known landmarks in the nation of the griffins, the Pura Colosseum... and sitting in the center were nine griffins, all in chains and surrounded by armed guards.
Midnight looked at the prisoners and then back to his soldiers. “The death penalty.”
The confused expressions soon gave way to worry and fear as they filed out of the roadrunner.
“You... you mean we...” Twilight stammered.
Midnight fixed them with an apologetic look. “I've seen countless soldiers lose their lives because the first time they killed was on the battlefield and they freaked out. The first one is always the worst, so I decided that it would be best to get it out of the way.”
“So you want us to play executioner?!” Twilight shouted. “Midnight, I can't believe you would do this?”
“I don't like it either, but Equestria doesn't exactly have any minor skirmishes. That would be preferable, but since it's not an option, I have to improvise.” Midnight waved a hoof toward the chained griffins. “These nine are some of the most depraved, evil, wicked creatures that ever plagued this world. Rapists, murderers, most both, a couple even have chicks among the list of their victims.”
At that, the ponies looked at the prisoners in a slightly different light. The thought of these prisoners' crimes made the prospect a little more bearable.
Midnight continued, “As some of you know, the penalty for these crimes is not just execution, but public execution in the arena. These nine were slated to be food for a pack of manticores . We're actually doing them a favor, seeing as they won't be paralyzed and eaten alive by us. It's a much better way to die.”
“But still,” Twilight said, still terrified of having to take a life.
“Do you not realize what you'll be doing in a month and a half?” Midnight asked. “You'll be killing far more than one sick bastard that deserves to die. All of you will have to kill dozens, some will be decent people with families and friends. If you can't kill them,” Midnight pointed a hoof at the griffins, “how can you fight in the coming battle?”
Twilight opened her mouth to try to speak, but closed it again. She knew he was right. It was a terrible truth, but it was still the truth. She squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears and drew her weapon, holding it her fore-hooves and standing on her hind legs, and took a possession in front of one of the chained griffins. The others, following her example, readied their instruments of death and chose a prisoner.
“Alright,” Midnight continued. “Take however much time you need to prepare yourselves, and then... strike.”
For several minutes, the girls regarded their weapons and the ones they would have to use them on. The first to strike was, not surprisingly, Scootaloo. Being the Element of Courage, she swallowed her fear and lunged forward, burying her katana into the heart of the criminal.
She 'watched' the blade pass through the body of her target. He let out a squawk, then a gurgle. The young mare 'looked' on as the creature's magic seemed to leak out of him, as if he sprang dozens of leaks, until he was the same ambient gray as a rock.
Rainbow, not wanting her daughter to suffer alone, struck next. She swung her scythes in a downward arc, each finding a home in the collar of the bird-lion. The next was Fluttershy, having the most experience with death. Her claws raked across the neck of her griffin, a spray of blood coloring her barrel.
Applejack, Rarity, and Sweetie attacked at nearly the same time. The farmer's ax cleaved through the griffin's shoulder in a brutal display. Rarity's rifle emitted the loud 'zap' as the magic propelled the tungsten coated lead at twenty-five hundred hooves per second, striking the griffin's center mass. At that close range, the projectile exploded from his back and buried itself into the stone wall beyond. Sweetie, not wanting to cause any undue suffering spun her small blade around her victim and buried it into his brain stem, causing instantaneous death.
Pinkie plunged her dagger into her griffin's heart, her mane flat and a tear in her eye. Twilight followed, swinging her glaive at the murderer/rapist's neck, cutting through the jugular.
Applebloom was last. She stood there, her fore-hooves holding her hammer over her head as she trembled. She didn't want to do this, but she didn't want to be the only one that didn't.
She closed her eyes and let out a cry as she brought God Crusher down hard. The massive weight and her extreme strength made the griffin akin to a watermelon. His head exploded under the force, sending chunks of flesh, bone, and gore flying.
The young earth pony could only stare in shock at the mutilated remains of what was once a living, thinking, feeling being. Her head swam as it tried to comprehend why the image didn't seem right. She realized it was because something was covering part of one of her eyes. Applebloom reached up and grabbed the offending object and looked at it... only for it to look back. It didn't take long for her to realize it was the griffin's eye.
Her reaction was what any would have expected... She screamed.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
The ride home was silent and somber, the girls still trying to cope with what they had done. They could all see, especially now, why Midnight did what he did. The only one that didn't freak out was Fluttershy, and that was only because she had seen plenty of her animals die. To her, death was just another part of life. That wasn't to say it didn't affect her. She cried for over an hour.
Midnight, too, was silent. His emotions were a miasma of guilt, disgust, and self-loathing. Those familiar thoughts of his own evil had returned in full force. He dirtied their souls. The blood on their hooves was his fault, and worse, he made them kill in cold blood. It was worse than killing on the battlefield, he knew that already, but he felt it was better than to risk any of them getting killed because they weren't prepared.
The roadrunner came to a stop just outside of town, and Jacob opened the back doors as Midnight addressed his soldiers. “Take your time coming to terms. I won't expect you guys tomorrow, or even the day after. And for what it's worth... I’m sorry. Dismissed.”
The ponies within slowly shuffled out, still silent, and started for their homes, the townsponies staring at the still bloody mares. The only one who didn't leave was Pinkie. Instead of heading out the back, she sat there, lost in thought. Jacob looked back from the driver's seat and, seeing the distraught mare, cut off the engine and ducked into the back.
Jacob waved Midnight on, who had noticed the lack of pink leaving. “I got this. Go comfort your wife.”
With that, Jacob closed the hatch and took a seat beside Pinkie, placing a hand on her back, stroking her gently.
“I...” the usually happy mare tried to speak. “I killed him.”
Jacob nodded, solemnly. “I know, Pinkie.”
“I...” Pinkie started to speak again, but instead she collapsed into the human, crying.
“Shh,” Jacob said, stroking her flattened mane. “It'll be okay. It's over.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
The door to Golden Oaks Library opened, wrapped in a lavender light. Spike, smiled as his adoptive sister and brother-in-law walked in. That smile, though, vanished when he saw Twilight's expression and turned to a worried frown when he saw the dried blood in her mane.
“What's wrong?” the young dragon asked. “Who's blood is that?”
“Spike,” Midnight began, “we can talk later. Right now, I think your fiance needs you.”
“What?! Is she okay? That's not her blood is it?” Spike pleaded, becoming frantic.
“She's fine... physically.” Midnight sighed. “She had to take a life today and needs you.”
The moment 'take a life' left the stallion's mouth, Spike was running out the door. Left alone, Twilight went through the door in the back, into the attached house. Midnight put out the 'closed' sign and hurried after his wife. He climbed the stairs to find Twilight staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Thankfully, Midnight had convinced Roseluck, Tulip's mother, to host a “Crusader Sleepover”. He didn't want Aurora to see her mother in the state she was in.
“I don't know how to feel,” Twilight said, her voice flat and machine-like. “I killed someone... But at the same time, if I didn't, he would have died anyway and in a much more horrific way.” Her horn lit up and the blood lifted off her. It came together and floated in front of her while she stared at it as if it held the secrets of the universe. “Should I be happy that I spared him a worse fate, or horrified that I killed him?”
“Both, I suppose,” Midnight answered. “Killing should never feel good. It should tear you up inside. That's how you know you aren't a monster. That being said, you can take some solace in the fact that it was a small mercy. They were all monsters and deserved their fates, but they were still living, thinking, feeling beings. A soldier must learn to cope with the lives they take. That's why I did what I did.”
Midnight moved to Twilight's side, no longer able to look her in the eye. “I... I know what I did was a terrible thing, but it was a necessary evil. I'd understand if you don't want to stay. I don't deserve y-”
His self-depreciating was cut off as Twilight pressed her lips to his. Relief washed over him as he felt the passion in the act.
Twilight broke the kiss and looked him in the eye. “I will always love you. I know why you did what you did, and if anything it makes me love you more. It shows that you want to protect us, even if it means we'd hate you. You're willing to sacrifice your happiness for us.”
Tears formed in Midnight's eyes. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. If you need somepony to talk to about today, I'm here.”
“Thanks, Midnight. I could use somepony to talk to.”
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Rarity and Sweetie walked through the back door, not wanting other ponies to see their bloody coats. Not so much Rarity, she only had a couple flecks in her mane (though to her, she might have well bathed in it). Sweetie, on the other hoof, was standing beside Applebloom at the time of the executions and was splattered quite a bit.
“Love, is that...” Virgil went to greet the returning pair, only to stop, stunned at the sight.
Just as he was about to fly into panic mode, the back door burst open, nearly hitting Rarity in the rear. A worried Spike ran in and immediately latched onto Sweetie.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Who did this to you?” he fired off one question after another.
“I'm not hurt. This... isn't pony blood,” Sweetie replied.
Rarity took over from there. “You see, Midnight felt we needed to understand what if feels like to end a life. He took us to to Griffany and... we executed prisoners.”
“What?!” Spike said, shock and anger obvious in his voice. “Why would he-”
“Spike,” Sweetie interrupted, “that’s what we're going to be doing in a month. When Korda's forces get here, each of us will have to kill dozens, even hundreds. Killing hurts, Spike, but now...” Sweetie trailed off, tears flowing from her eyes.
“Now you know how it feels, and can prepare yourselves properly to do it again,” Virgil said in understanding.
“But,” Spike searched for something to say, but nothing came to mind.
Virgil wrapped his arms around his wife. “Come, my love. Let us bathe and retire for the day. Spike, comfort your mare. She needs you.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Rainbow tossed her scythes on the couch and headed upstairs. Her daughter, though, sat in the living room, holding her sword in her hooves, lost in thought.
She was brought back to reality by her mother returning, something tucked under her wing, and walking quickly into the kitchen, only to return with two glasses. The multicolor racer placed the glasses on the coffee table and sat down, revealing the object she had retrieved from upstairs to be a bottle.
“Come on Scoots,” Rainbow said. “I think you earned this.”
“Is that..?” Scootaloo began, but her question was answered by the alcoholic smell that emanated from the bottle when her mother uncapped it and filled the glasses.
“You've had some before,” Rainbow stated. “Don't try to tell me you haven't.”
“But... um... I've never actually been drunk,” Scootaloo confessed. “I've only ever had a drink or two... You know, to relax and stuff.”
“Well, after today, I think it's time to fix that. 'Course, I won't make you if you don't want to.”
Scootaloo regarded the offered whiskey for a moment longer before taking it and settling next to her mother.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
As Fluttershy approached her cottage, she spotted the now familiar blue form of Blue Streak. He often stood in for her to care for her critters whenever she had to leave for whatever reason. He wasn't the best with animals but he didn't need to be to fill their food bowls. He saw her as she neared and trotted up to greet her.
“Hey, Shy,” he said. “Loopy tried walking outside today, but I managed to catch him before he hurt his leg any more than it already is... are you okay?” His smile fell when he saw her puffy, red eyes and forlorn look.
“I... yes. I'll be fine,” the timid pegasus said, her voice hollow. “Midnight took us to Griffany and... had us execute murderers that were supposed to be sent to the arena.” Streak's eyes shot open in shock. “It... was necessary. We needed to understand what we were going to have to do. I've had to hunt down animals with blood fever before, but this was worse. It's like the first time I had to kill an animal all over again.”
“Oh, wow,” the flightless pegasus said in disbelief. “I can't imagine what that must be like.”
“It's... hard to explain,” Fluttershy said.
“Well, do you want to talk about it?” Blue asked.
“Actually, I think I want to be alone,” Fluttershy answered.
“Oh,” Blue said, sounding a bit down.
Fluttershy looked at him in slight confusion.
Is he disappointed? He just wants to stay to make me feel better. That is sweet of him.
“Um, on second thought,” Fluttershy called out before he left the yard, “some company would be lovely.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“Applebloom?” Applejack tried getting her little sister's attention.
“Ah'm goin' to bed,” Applebloom said, monotonously.
“Oh... okay.” Applejack watched her sister climb the stairs with worry in her eyes.
With Applebloom wanting to be alone and Big Mac making a delivery to Bittsburgh and Granny Smith already in bed, Applejack was left alone with her thoughts. She tried to busy herself with chores – tidying the living room, cleaning the kitchen, and so on – but it was no use. Again and again, the fearful expression of that griffin as her ax fell on him went through her mind. She was scrubbing the sink for the third time when the mop she was using earlier fell. The clatter startled her so badly, she twisted around and adopted a fighting stance.
“Are you well?” said a voice from the door.
Applejack turned to face the speaker, ready to attack if need be, only to see Zhatka looking at her with worry. The Apple family had offered room and board to the tigers who took up residence in the barn and took turns in the two beds in the guest room. Tonight, it was Zhatka and Poda's turn.
“Oh, sorry,” the farmer said sheepishly. “Ah'm just a bit jumpy, Ah guess.”
“I have seen that look before, Miss Applejack,” the tiger said, his accented voice full of concern. “Midnight took you to Griffany, didn't he?”
Applejack looked back at him in surprise. “How did you know?”
“He came to me to talk about it, one soldier to another. He was conflicted about the morality of it,” he explained. “Come, let us sit. I will let you borrow my ear.”
Applejack chuckled despite her mood. “You mean 'lend an ear'.”
“That's what I said,” Zhatka replied, a little confused. “Anyway, come and tell me about it. It will help.”
Applejack considered his offer for a moment before taking the invitation.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Applebloom stared at her reflection, her bloody face barely recognizable. It conjured images of a terrified griffin's head exploding beneath her hammer. Her breath quickened as her panic rose. She twisted the water on and began scrubbing her face frantically.
“Applebloom?” came the familiar voice of Nightshade from within.
The filly ignored her friend and continued to scrub, rubbing so hard, a patch of fur was starting to be pulled out.
“Applebloom, stop! You're going to hurt yourself!”
“Ah-Ah gotta... gotta...Ah gotta...,” the young mare couldn't even form a coherent sentence.
“Applebloom, calm down!” the ghost pleaded. At the first sign of blood, Nightshade knew she had to act. “Alright, I didn't want to have to do this.”
Applebloom was engulfed in a flash of light and found herself in a very different place. The suddenness of the shift brought the yellow powerhouse back to reality. She found herself in a place that seemed very familiar, but she couldn't remember where she saw it before. It was a chapel of some kind, polished wooden pews sat facing a beautiful marble podium. Wall sconces shed their light, aided by the bright sun that filtered through the stained glass windows that lined the walls, depicting ponies in armor holding off various monsters, griffins, and even other ponies. And there, in the center of the aisle, was Nightshade, a worried look on her face.
“What... What happened? Where are we?” the yellow farmer asked.
“Technically, we're still in the bathroom,” Nightshade explained. “It's kinda hard to explain, but I used a part of your mind that you weren't using and made it into a place for me. Thinking about it, I probably should have asked first, sorry. It's my chapel, the one where we met. This is how it looked when it was first built.”
“Why?” Applebloom asked, quietly.
“Well, it's weird just floating around in your head. This is more comfortable for me.”
“No, Ah mean why am Ah here?”
“Oh,” Nightshade chuckled sheepishly. “You were freaking out. I was scared you were going to hurt yourself.”
“Oh, that... Ah just... Ah'm covered in blood, Nightshade. Blood of a griffin Ah killed.” Tears welled up in Applebloom's eyes. “No, Ah didn't just kill him, Ah mutilated him. Ah... Ah saw a bit of his skull in mah mane.”
Applebloom felt a pair of hooves wrap around her barrel. Nightshade was decidedly more solid and warm than usual, Applebloom noticed.
“You're strong, Applebloom, and I don't just mean your muscles,” Nightshade said. “You'll get through this, I know you will.”
Applebloom returned the hug. “Thanks, Nightshade. You really are mah best friend.”
“Thanks, Bloom. Now let's get you cleaned up.”