//------------------------------// // Chapter 19. Hope Springs Finite // Story: Resuscitatio Artium Magicarum // by Xomniac //------------------------------// Shining Armor groaned as he slumped against the railing of the stairwell he and Faithful Shield had been hiding in. “That... was not fun.” “Tell me about it!” Shield cried, shaking his mane and trying to dislodge the ichor that was stuck in his mane. “I hate swarm tactics!” “Speaking of which...” The white Unicorn gave his subordinate a searching look. “A lot of those changelings seemed more focused on you than me. Why is that?” Faithful Shield had the decency to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well... remember that tour I mentioned? It was less a changeling hive, more the changeling capitol. Yeah, I’m pretty sure a soldier with a tendency for flashbangs would piss someone off.” Shining Armor nodded in acceptance. “Fair enough. So!” He clapped his hooves together. “We finally managed to shake them. Any thoughts on where we’re going?” “Er...” The soldier tapped his chin in consideration. “Give me a second, will you? They started shutting off parts of this place and placing them underground a bit after I arrived.” “Yeah...” Shining looked at him questioningly. “Why is that, anyways?” “Eh...” Faithful Shield shrugged absentmindedly. “A lot of people started moving out over time and the city was becoming too big to manage. So, higher ups decided to put a bunch of it away. Cut out unnecessary parts, hide away old weapons, stuff like that.” “Huh...” Shining Armor grunted sadly, contemplating the structures around them, from the Overloft above to the Subarchives below. “A pity. This place is...” “Something else?” Faithful Shield chuckled at his superior’s bemused look. “What can I say? I felt the same way when I walked into this place. Anyways...” He looked up at their surroundings. “I’m fairly certain that we’re on Diamond Lane. That means if we go down this way for a bit, we should reach Starlight Square. With any luck, we can hide out there for the next nine minutes. After that...” He grimaced. “Well, you’re safe, so I’ll try not to think about that.” Shining Armor winced in sympathy as he stood up. “Right. Well, after you.” The two galloped down the street, glancing around and making certain that they were alone. Suddenly, as they came to a corner in the road, they were forced to a full stop. The reason... “GAH!” Shining Armor clamped his hooves over his nose. “W-what on Mundus!? It smells like a griffon slaughterhouse! And do not ask me how I know that, because that escapade involved way more alcohol than somebody with my rank should consume on a diplomatic visit, even if the local Guard invited me into a drinking contest..” Faithful Shield, on the other hand, paled drastically, a deep, onset terror materializing in his eyes. “‘She reeks of the blood of countless enemies...’” He breathed in horror. “‘A smell she revels in and accept without question, taking joy in how it instills an unending terror in her foes.’” Shining Armor shot the frightened pony a wide-eyed look. “You know who smells like this!?” Faithful Shield nodded numbly. “Somewhat. She’s a legend. One of three. And if she’s here... then there’s a fair chance she’s here as well. And they’re both going to want to kill us. Well...”  He chuckled darkly, slowly starting to step forwards. “At the least, they’re definitely going to want to kill me.” “Wh-!?” The white Unicorn sputtered. “Then why the hell are you going forwards?! We should-!” “No use.” Faithful Shield shook his head miserably. “There’s one part of the legend that’s persistent: If you can smell her, then you’re too late. She can already smell you.” Shining Armor glanced around hesitantly before reluctantly following behind the soldier. “After all, it’s just a fact of life...” The pair rounded the corner and simultaneously reeled back in shock, barely restraining themselves from vomiting. Faithful Shield finished in a sickened voice. “You can’t escape the Wolf.” “HAHAHAHA! YOU GOT THAT DAMN RIGHT, FUCK-ASS!” What laid before the pair could best be defined as the remnants of a massacre. A full platoon of corpses was strewn about the square, their blood and innards staining the floor and walls. Their bodies were in varying states of destruction, but one thing was assured: not a single one of them was whole. Some had varying parts of them shorn off, be it their torsos, limbs or their heads. Others... others weren’t anywhere near as clean. About half of them looked like they had been either torn to pieces or had chunks of them bitten out. The two perpetrators of the crime, both female, were standing in the exact center of the carnage, staring at the two ponies. The one on the left appeared to be a child, standing only about four and a half feet tall. She was clad entirely in black. She was wearing a black shawl with a white fur fringes and white laces with a pair of similarly colored tassels. She had a coat with the same design beneath it. She had a pair of knee-high white lace-up boots on her feet. She was wearing a black bucket hat and had a curtain of short black hair that parted over her eyes. Perhaps most disturbing of all were the two lines of stitches that ran up her face, meeting perpendicularly between her piercing blue and emotionless eyes. She had the cold, frigid air of death around her. Someone who was so used to killing that it was boring. Clinical. A fact of life. The other, on the other hand... if the shorter person was cold, then she was demonic. Everything about her, from her stance to her rabid grin, just screamed ‘predator’. She was wearing dark blue leather pants, boots and a jacket with metallic braces affixed to her joints. Her jacket was open with no shirt beneath to hide her bare skin. She had long, ghostly blue hair that ran down her back. Latched around her head was what appeared to be a metallic pair of blood-red square headphones with dials on them. She had piercing red eyes that stared at them hungrily, her tongue sliding over her spiked teeth and blood-stained lips. Running directly beneath her eyes and over the bridge of her nose was a line of stitches, similar to another that seemed to encircle her throat. Perhaps most disturbing of all was what she held in her hand: a leg from one of the corpses, several prominent bite-marks in it. “Well, well, well,” The taller one cackled madly. “Lookie here! Two more shithead lambs to the fucking slaughter!” To the disgust and horror of the two ponies, she brought the dismembered leg up to her mouth and tore a chunk out of it with her fangs. “Jus’ my lucky fucking day!” She got out through her messy chewing. The shorter individual rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You just love the fear factor, don’t you?” She muttered. “Either way...” She refocused her attention on the ponies. “Shining Armor. We have been looking for you.” Shining Armor swallowed his bile as he stared at the two in abject horror. “W-who are you!? And why would you be looking for me!?” “Gavrill the Wolf and Veronica the Shredder,” Faithful Shield breathed. “Franken Fran’s sisters.” “HA!” Gavrill barked out. “Sweet! My name’s lasted long enough to become a boogeyman! And as for you...” She looked at the shorter girl contemplatively. “The Shredder? Eh, it’s decent. I’ll give you that much.” Veronica ignored her, continuing to emotionlessly observe the ponies. “In response to your questions, I am Veronica Madaraki, and this is my eldest sister, Gavrill Madaraki. We’ve been searching for you because Scholar ordered us to protect you.” “S-Scholar?!” Shining Armor gasped in shock. “What do you-!?” “He’s the one who created them.” Shield answered quietly. “Just like the Twins. They’re his creations, and if they’ve been informed of what rides on your head, then they’ll protect you.” “W-well...” Shining looked at the field of dead for a moment before swallowing heavily and gritting his teeth. “Alright then. Fine. So be it. You both make me sick to my stomach, but we’re in the middle of a war with a majority of the opposing faction wanting me personally dead. I’d rather stick with someone who wants help me rather than kill me,” He glared at them vehemently. “No matter how vile they might be.” Veronica nodded in agreement. “That works.” Suddenly, she disappeared in a blur and reappeared between the two. In the interim, her right arm had shifted. Where once there had been a human hand was now a pole of metal with a crescent-shaped scythe affixed to the end. Her arm was raised up above Faithful Shield’s neck. Just as the blade came down, the ponies were engulfed in a flash of pink light. In the next instant, the scythe dropped through the air and buried itself in the ground. Veronica narrowed her eyes at her weapon-arm accusingly before turning to glare at the spatially displaced ponies. Shining Armor panted from the exertion of the teleport. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” He grit out. “Trying to kill me.” The captain snapped his head around to face Faithful Shield, balking at the dead look in his eyes. “She already said it...” Shield groaned miserably. “They’re here to protect you. Me? I’m a grunt. Disposable,” He gave Shining Armor a shaky grin. “At least one of us will survive.” “Well, you’re half right, fuckwit!” Faithful glanced over his shoulder for a second before hastily tackling Shining Armor. Not a second too soon. If he had been a second too late, then the both of them would have been cleaved in half by Gavrill as she raked her suddenly massive and clawed arm through the space the two had occupied. Shining Armor and Faithful Shield rolled along the ground for a second before staggering to their hooves and backing away from the murderously grinning monster. “What the hell was that!?” Shining Armor panted. “What do you think you’re playing at, Gavrill!?” Veronica demanded furiously. “Scholar told us to protect Shining Armor! I don’t care what you do to the spare, but the captain is off-limits!” “Fuck what Scholar said!” The fanged human snarled. “He just wants us to keep this shithead alive for a fucking bet. If he had tactical value or something like that, then fine! Fuck it! I’d bite my tongue and take my lumps. Better than the alternative. But this?” Her grin went from blood-thirsty to savage. “Oh-hoh, with this I can do what I want with him. And what I want is to rip both their heads off!” “It was a direct order, sister,” Veronica intoned darkly. She snapped her scythe-arm up and pointed it at Gavrill. “Don’t think I’ll let you disobey them so lightly.” Gavrill’s slasher smile widened a few fangs. “Awwww, you think you can take me? That’s cute.” Her grin widened even further, far more than should have been possible. “Real fucking cute.” Shining Armor and Faithful Shield watched the two stare each other down silently, barely keeping from flinching as the sparks flew. Slowly, the captain leaned over to his subordinate. “Well, they’re distracted. Want to make a run for it before they notice us?” Due to not turning his head, he was unable to notice Faithful Shield frantically shaking his head. Thankfully, he did notice the projectile flying towards them just in time to flash up a shield and catch the double-bladed knife before it went straight through Faithful Shield’s eye. Slowly, the two turned their heads away from the projectile and caught sight of the sisters glaring at them both, Veronica’s hand still outstretched. “Now do you see what you almost did?” She demanded coldly. “If we’d started fighting, it would have taken forever for us to find them again!” “Tch, yeah, yeah...” Gavrill groused as she tore another chunk out of her dismembered pony leg. Suddenly, she brightened up and grinned savagely. “Saaaay... I’ve got a helluva compromise for ya!” “If it’s the Lazarus gambit, don’t even start,”  Veronica cut her off. “Chrysalis sunk that idea when she invoked the Law of Inheritance.” “Yeah, he said we can’t take him in alive...” The elder sister mused before swallowing her meat down and grinning bloodily. “But he never really said ‘whole’ now, did he?” The younger sister blinked in surprise. “Care to elaborate?” “Eh, easy enough. We rip his limbs off and drag his ass back to sis. Then, she stitches him up so that he’s presentable. No fuss, no muss,” Gavrill chuckled savagely. “Just a whole lot of fun.” Shining Armor didn’t miss the miserable whimper Faithful Shield let out. He slowly tilted his head towards him and whispered him a question. “Their sister... Franken Fran, right? How bad is she?” It was obvious from Shield’s voice that he was seconds away from a breakdown. “If they end up being close to dragging you away to her, I’ll do you a favor and mercy-kill you. And if at any point over the last few minutes we’ve spent together you’ve considered me your friend, I’ll expect you to do the same.” Shining Armor paled and swallowed heavily. “Agreed.” “Hmm...” Veronica tapped her lip in thought for a second  before grinning and nodding in acceptance. “Very well then. That is a sound plan.” “Perfect...” Gavrill slowly raised her hand to one of her headphones, placing her hand on the dial. “And the extra?” Veronica shrugged indifferently. “Do with him as you will.” Gavrill cackled joyfully as she yanked the dial on her headphones to the max. “Fan-fucking-tastic!” Shining Armor swallowed heavily as he glanced back and forth between the two monsters. “Any chance that we can hold them both off?” “Eeeh...” Faithful Shield waved his hoof side to side in the air. The younger sister’s left arm shot up into her torso and was replaced by a pair of double-edged sword-blades. One was straight, while the other had several uniform spikes of metal on the side facing the other blade. Meanwhile, the elder’s body suddenly started shifting. Her body began to bulk up, with her limbs and torso taking on several extra pounds of bone and muscle. She suddenly fell forward onto her clawed hands. Her jaws also jutted out from her face, forming a veritable monstrous muzzle that was leering greedily at the two of them. “Yeah, no.” “Right...” Shining Armor backed away slowly from the advancing pair. “Any chance we can make a run for it?” “One has a nose capable of sniffing out a flea in a pack of pigs while the other’s ears are accurate enough to hear an ant fart in a crowd,” Shield deadpanned. “Honestly, there’s only one idea I can think of.” Gavrill let out a harsh, cynical laugh. “Oh yeah, little pony? And what’s-?” BANG! The monstrous creature kept its eyes shut for a second... before reopening them and letting out another laugh. “Did you re-!?” BANG! “ARGH!” Gavrill spat out furiously, collapsing on her side and clawing at her eyes and ears. Veronica was in the same situation, clutching at her ears painfully. Shining Armor panted furiously as he and Faithful Shield galloped down the street. “How did you know that would work?” “Well...” The soldier grit out. “They have control of their own biology, so I knew the second they saw the flashbang, they’d shut their eyes and ears off. So, I sent out a second one right behind it to catch them just as they got them working again, catching them head on.” “That... was gutsy. If it didn’t work...” “But it did! That’s what counts! So now, I’d say we have about...” “ROOOOAAAAAR!” Faithful Shield swallowed heavily and increased his pace, trying his best to stay ahead of the heavy stomping sound behind them. “A few seconds lead. In here!” He quickly hung right and started ascending a covered staircase, Shining Armor right behind him. They got about sixty, seventy steps up the stairs before the sound of shattering above their heads forced them to a halt. If they’d kept going, they would have been crushed. Gavrill jumped above them, kicking off from the high walls and wheeling around in the air to face them as she landed heavily on the staircase, slobber dripping from her slavering jaws. A quick glance over their shoulders confirmed that the way back was blocked by Veronica, her serene facade broken by a small yet nevertheless malevolent bloodthirsty smirk and light dancing over her blades. “Hehehehe...” Gavrill chuckled darkly. “Looky looky looky... two lost little piggies walking into the butchershop! You’re gonna make a fucking delicious pot roast.” “Oh yeah?” Shining Armor snarled, lighting his horn up. “Well this pig’s not going down without a fight!” Faithful Shield bit his lip hesitantly as he glanced over at his superior, nervously eyeing the advancing monsters. “HAHAHA!” The beast in front of them cackled, raising her arm high. “Say goodnight, pi-!” BOOM! “-ARGH!” CRASH! Suddenly, the wall to Gavrill’s right imploded. The blast slammed into her before she could react and sent her straight through the opposite wall and out of sight. Shining Armor raised his foreleg to his eyes, wincing from the sting of the resulting smoke and dust. “W-what on Mundus-!?” “BAHAHAHAHA! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!” The ponies and Veronica reeled back in surprise from the sudden outburst. As the smoke cleared, Shining Armor couldn’t help but gape in shock. “Null!?” The red golem swung around, staring madly at the ponies. His eyes held a far more manic, insane look then they’d ever held before. The possible cause was a massive, jagged greatsword he held clutched in his hands. Unlike his previous swords, instead of being red itself, it seemed to be engulfed in a blood-red aura. Running up and down the flat of the blade were jagged glowing runes, dissimilar from the ones that Scholar normally used. Perhaps most disturbing of all was the skull inlaid into the sword’s hilt. Veronica groaned in exasperation, shifting her arms back to normal and palming her face. “Oh great, he’s possessed again...” “This... is going to be painful.” Faithful Shield groaned as he took several cautious steps back, his ears flattening against his head. “HAHAHAHA!” Null bellowed, swinging his sword up to bear. “SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!” Shining Armor quickly flashed up a shield. The sword sparked against the pink barrier for a moment... “DAMN IT, NULL!” BLAM! Before he was knocked away by a blast of green magic. Nix huffed as she floated through the hole in the wall, rubbing her orb-shaped head tiredly. “Stupid, stupid, stupid idiot. Honestly, I know he enjoys the rush of letting those things try and take him over, but it can still be freaking annoying. Ah well. Now then...” She turned and narrowed her eyes eagerly at the soldiers. “Shining Armor! I’ve been looking for you.” “Nix!” The golem looked up past the ponies and reeled back in shock. “Veronica!?” She gasped quietly before squeeing eagerly. “VERONICA!” She zipped past the soldiers and engulfed the black-cled girl in a hug. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” “Hahaha!” Veronica giggled joyfully, eagerly returning the hug. “Nix! I’m so glad you and Null are alright! We didn’t know what happened, Fran sealed Madaraki Manor and us with it before the Princesses could find us!” “We went down in a blaze of glory trying to free Scholar! Geeze, we didn’t even remember that you two existed! Fran did a hell of a job!” Veronica nodded and chuckled in agreement. “I know, right? She’s simply amazing! She’ll be so happy to know you’re both okay!” “Right, right. But first...” Nix trailed off slightly before turning around to stare at the frozen forms of Shining Armor and Faithful Shield. “I’m assuming you know the mission?” Veronica tilted her head slightly before smiling darkly. “Oh yes. Gavrill devised a most ingenious plan. Just to confirm, did the bet specify Shining Armor’s... physical condition?” Nix’s eyes narrowed eagerly as emerald sparks began to waft up from her hands. “No. No it did not.” Acting on impulse, Faithful Shield whipped around and tried to bolt up the staircase. He didn’t get very far before Veronica suddenly blurred ahead of him and halted him with a sword inches from his nose. “Stand still...” She breathed darkly. “Yeah...” Nix giggled madly, engulfing her arms in infernos of green flames. “We’re going to protect the shit out of you!” Shining Armor lit his horn up again, getting ready to fight. But before he could... CRASH! “GYAH!?” “MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” Gavrill came crashing through the stairwell’s right wall, slamming into Nix and carrying her through the opposite wall. Veronica blinked in surprise and lowered her weapons. “Um... what just-?” “BLEED IN THE NAME OF KHORNE!” “ACK!” Suddenly, Null rocketed through the hole he’d made, barreling into Veronica and launching her through his initial point of entry. Shining Armor and Faithful Shield blinked numbly as they tried to process what had just occurred. “Captain?” Faithful Shield whispered. “I’m not crazy, right? That all just happened?” “I don’t know,” Shining Armor responded blankly. “And honestly? I’d rather not stick around in case they come back and try to ‘protect’ me into an early grave.” And with that, the two took off up the staircase in search of safety. -o- “Null, give me that- Null, I said- Null, Null! DAMN IT, NULL! GIVE ME THE FUCKING SWORD!” “FOOLISH MORTAL! NONE MAY DICTATE THE ACTIONS OF-!” SLAP! “-OW! Damn it, Nix, that hurt!” “Does it look like I care!? Urgh, stupid sword. It’s sure as hell trying to possess me. Seriously, I don’t get why the hell you like messing around with these things.” “Well hell, I personally think that it’s kind of-! Heyheyhey, watch what you’re doing, that’s an-!” CRACK! “...antique. Niiiiix!” “That was a Khornate Greatsword, Null. A weapon of mass destruction! Not. A. Toy!” “...there’s a difference?” “GAHAHAHA! You little fuckers haven’t changed a bit.” “Shut up, Gavrille.” “Quiet, sister.” “Bite me. Either way, it was still valuable!” “Brother, because of it we lost track of the target!” “No we didn’t! Gavrill can track him down, right Gavy?” “First, don’t fucking call me that. And second, wrong.” “See, she can- WHAT!?” “Khornate magic reeks of blood. Normally I like it, but right now it’s blocking out Shining Armor’s smell. It’ll take awhile to track him down, fuckwit.” “... right, so... I’m just gonna go ahead and... float over here... take some... inventory... yeah...” “Ergh. My brother, ladies and gentleman. A genius of war.” “Sister, I have to ask, where were you, anyways? And why was Null using a possessor item? It looked like he was coming down off the high he uses them for when in the heat of a big fight.” “Eh, we were dealing with a Gem Custodian. Seath sicked it on Shining Armor. It had a lance with a hell of a blast to it. Null whipped the Greatsword out and kicked its ass, but it fell into the Subarchives before I could finish it off. With any luck, we’ll find the good captain before it finds him.” “Heh, that fucking figures. Well, let’s get to it! Hey Null, quit moping and get your shitty ass in gear!” “...” “Umm... Brother are you-?” “...Ia.” “Brother?” “Ia. Ia! Ia!” “Wait, is he holding-? Ergh, Null! Ha ha, very funny, now cut it-!” “Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!” “...Null?” “Sister, I’ve got a bad feeling about this...” “Shit, something’s wrong with him!” “P̘͓̮̙̟̬̠͗͛̈h̗̰̻̗͆ͣͤ̏'͕̲̭͈̠́ͪͣṉ̉̿̒̈́̃g͎̎l̪͖͇̲̮̰ͧ̀ͫ̆ǘ̦͇̜̬̹͋̎͌i̥͈̖̟̺͒́̈́̃ ͖͋̈́̌̆͗̃ͅṁ̟̻͈̪ͥͥ̋ĝ̯̫͎̱̤ͯ̾̌l̮̪͇̹̩͑w͇͍̫'̗̹̘͐͗͛̃̎ͯ͒n͔̺̗̪̼ͣͦͪ͛̌̂ͅa͍̖͂̈̽̿͑ͩf͉̱̭̖͎͍̩ͤ͌͆̈̽̅͌h͚̀̿̊ͪ́̆ ́̑̒̊̾ͩCͯt̗̰͔̣̪̘́ḫ̟̟͋u̠͕͖̰͉ͧ̆ḻ̾̇ͯ̽̅̽̚ẖ̫͈̗̄ͮ̽͌͛͆̿ủ̼ͣ͆̌͂ ͨ̐̈̓̂̿R̙̤̠̖̠'̻̰͈̠̩̉͋̑ḻ̞̺̔̾y̜̭̗̮̠e͌̇̎͊h̙̫̖͙̟̫̓̏ͅ ͓̥̲̪̏͊ͥw͚̤͌̇g͚̬̗̲̯̝ͬa͈͉̺̘̤͇ͩͪͅh͉͈̊͂̓ͫ̎̚'n̪͈͚̮ͩ̃ͯ̿̓̌a͙̗͙̍̾ͨ͆g̟̫̮͐́̂͗ͭ̅ľ͙͙ͪͤ̆̒ͪ ̗̝̝ͯ̀ͩͫͥ͛̃f͍̲̭h̦̆̍ͭt͇̦̪̘̮͔a̠̩̠̙͎̗ͫͤg̰͕͔̲ͭͪ̌ͭ̌n̞̦̥̏̆!̤͎̫̚” “NULL!” -o- Faithful Shield and Shining Armor groaned as they leaned up against the wall of the alleyway they were hiding in. “We... are doing this... way too much lately...” Faithful Shield groaned. “It’s like basic all over again...” Shining Armor concurred. “Save that Martial Law isn’t barking down my ears...” He sighed heavily before slowly climbing to his hooves. “Well, come on. No point sticking around. We’d better keep moving.” “Er... actually...” The captain glanced over his shoulder in confusion at the frowning soldier. “See...” Faithful Shield continued uneasily. “There’s something I want to talk with you about.” Shining Armor blinked in confusion and turned around to face him fully. “What’s on your mind?” Faithful Shield bit his lip momentarily before sighing heavily.  “Captain... the entire time we’ve been wandering around, every time we’ve run into someone... you only ever ran away when I did. All you did was engage, try to push the offensive.” The white Unicorn frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Well... yeah, so?” The other unicorn gave his superior a flat look. “Sir, forgive me if this sounds like a stupid question, but... what the hell were you thinking!?” Shining Armor reeled back in shock. “What!?” “Permission to be brutally honest, sir?” The captain snorted for a second before turning around and trotting out of the alleyway, gesturing for Faithful Shield to follow. “Reluctantly granted, soldier.” “Alright then...” The soldier snorted as he walked behind the officer. “To be frank, what you’ve been pulling so far is downright boneheaded. I mean, these people are ridiculously powerful! We know that the Oligarchs don’t like to be worshipped, but it’s widely acknowledged that they are akin to gods. And their closest followers are just as insanely strong! Trying to fight them head on, without any plans or without any forethought is... it’s suicidal!” Shining Armor grit his teeth and bowed his head. “... I know that it’s not a good idea.” Faithful Shield’s jaw dropped open in shock. “But...” He tried to search for a response. “Then why...?” “Because it’s my duty!” Shining Armor wheeled around and snarled fiercely. “I don’t know how it was back then, but allow me to explain to you the duty of the Captain of the Guard today. These days, being the captain signifies one duty, and one duty alone: protection. It’s my duty to protect Equestria and all who dwell within. I know that I’m not strong enough to beat them, damn it. I know that. But even if I can’t beat them, then I can still damn well draw their attention. I’m the shield, so they’ll focus on me. No one else but me gets hurt. That’s my duty as a captain. That is why I always go on the offensive. First to charge, first to fall. I have to shoulder Equestria’s pain. No one else. Do you understand, soldier?” Faithful Shield stared at him silently for a moment before nodding in acceptance. “Yes... I understand.” “Good.” Shining Armor turned around and began trotting down the street again. “Now, let’s-!” “I understand that that is a fucking stupid duty.” “WHAT!?”  Shining Armor roared, whipping back around. “You listen here, soldier-!” “No, you listen, captain!” Faithful Shield spat out, jabbing his superior in the chest. “I can appreciate dedication, but there is a line between being dedicated and being suicidal. Look, allow me to tell you the duty of the captain. Yes, you are supposed to protect others. Yes, you should shoulder the pain. But that does not give you carte blanche to die!” “I-!” “Did I say you could speak, captain!?” Faithful Shield demanded. “Now you listen here: you’re supposed to protect everypony, true enough. But let me ask you this: what happens after you die, hm? What happens then!? Who protects everypony then?” The soldier stamped his hoof definitively. “What happens to your sister, to Cadance, to everyone you left behind? What happens to everyone else!? If your job is to protect everyone, then make sure you do it right! Make sure you’re around to always protect them! For their sake, make sure you live! And if you’re not strong enough to protect them? You’re up against a threat you know you can’t beat? Well then, I’ve only got one thing to say to you.” He leaned in until he was face to face with the officer. “Back off, think things through, and get. Stronger. You play it smart and make damn certain that nothing, nothing can hurt Equestria ever again!” Shining Armor opened and shut his mouth for a moment. His face went through the gamut of emotions, ranging from furious to terrified to miserable. Finally, his visage became blank. Pensive. Slowly, he turned around and paced away from Faithful Shield. Shield made to follow before halting in his tracks. He turned his head left and right for a moment before trotting towards a staircase in an alleyway that led downwards. The Unicorn illuminated his horn and stuck his head into the shadows, looking around curiously. Finally, after taking only a few steps, Shining Armor halted in his tracks. He sighed heavily and hung his head. “You... you’re right. Celestia damn it, I’ve been such an idiot. I’ve just been thinking about myself, about my duty... but I should have been thinking of everyone else. I... I decided that was my duty. Celestia never told me to do it, Luna didn’t, Cadance didn’t... I did. It’s just... it’s always been my family’s duty, you know? Since... well, since your time, we’ve been doing our best to protect Equestria. I... I guess I’ve just always thought that taking it to the absolute maximum was the right thing to do.” Shining Armor was silent for another minute before shaking his head. “Faithful Shield... thank you. If I’m really being honest, I think I’ve needed someone to get my head on straight for awhile. If not for you... I really owe you a lot. Heck...” He let out a morbid chuckle. “Without you , I wouldn’t even be alive right now. I’m not sure what I’d do without you.” “Well sir... you might want to figure that out...” Faithful Shield’s voice wafted through the air behind the captain, weak and tired. Shining Armor blinked in confusion and turned to face his subordinate. “What are you talking abo-ARGH!” He recoiled in horror at what he saw. “Because... you see sir...” Faithful Shield stared morosely at the crystal spear of the intimidating Gem Custodian before him that was lodged in his barrel. “I’m... not gonna be around... much longer...” He let out a hacking cough, sending blood and saliva flying. Before Shining Armor could react, the crystal statue’s limbs shifted, lifting the spear it was holding into the air and Faithful Shield with it. It then flicked the spear down roughly, sending Faithful Shield hurtling towards Shining Armor. The white unicorn was barely able to flare his magic up in time to catch his hurtling comrade, grunting from the resulting exertion of the task. He only had a minute to look over his profusely bleeding friend’s chest before a horrifyingly familiar shadow fell over the two of them. A quick glance upwards confirmed that the construct had leapt into the air and was falling straight towards the pair, spear first. Shining Armor prepared to flash up a shield... ZAP! And blinked in shock when he was suddenly displaced in a flash of light. He and Shield were several meters up the street from the construct, whose weapon was currently buried in the street. “CLOSE RANKS!” In a flurry of rattling shields and armor, a line of soldiers made their way in front of the two, locking their shields together and activating several runes on their respective armors. One of the soldiers, a Unicorn, glanced back at Shining Armor and snapped up a salute. “Captain Shining Armor! We’ll handle this from here, you keep the corporal safe!” Shining Armor opened his mouth to protest... before glancing at Faithful Shield’s bleeding form and changing his mind. “I... alright. Keep safe, soldier, that’s an order!” The Unicorn nodded in understanding. “Alright. Good luck, sir!” With that, his horn lit up and the pair were engulfed in another flash. When the light faded, the captain and corporal were in a back alley. Judging from the nearby sound of magic blasts and fighting, they were only a few meters away from where they’d been. Shining Armor hastily propped Faithful Shield up against the wall, his eyes focused on the hole in Shield’s midsection. His mind immediately locked into his training, pressing his hooves down on the area around the wound and producing a shield around it, pressing down in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. “Alright, just-just calm down, soldier. You’ll be fine, you’ll be just fine! I-I just need to-to-!” “Captain...” Faithful Shield groaned weakly as he held a hoof up. His blood-stained lips were curled into a rueful smile. “With... all due respect... that’s a load of shit... hurk!” He let out a body-wracking cough. “M-my stomach... damn Custodian. Hell of a fighter. Anyways...” He shook his head weakly. “I’m done.” “I-I-no!” Shining Armor shook his head in denial. “Just-just try and stay awake, Shield! Stay awake!” “Say... boss...” Faithful Shield mumbled blearily. “You think... you could do me a favor? Somethin’... that needs doing.” “You’ll be able to do it yourself, Shield, just-!” “Shining Armor!” The wounded soldier bit out viciously. “Listen to me, damn it. Back left pocket. T-there’s a locket. Get it for me.” The captain seriously considered protesting... until finally he acquiesced without a word, freeing a hoof to pat down Faithful Shield’s armor and locate the standard issue hidden pocket. From within it, he withdrew a plain golden locket, which he held in front of Faithful Shield’s face. Shield’s horn flickered weakly for a moment before engulfing the locket in a white aura. An unseen movement triggered the mechanism and let it swing open. Inside was a simple picture: Faithful Shield, smiling happily as he stood shoulder to shoulder with an equally happy orange mare with a light gray mane. Seated on Shield’s back was a young filly, with a radiant yellow coat and pure white mane. Shining Armor blinked at the picture in surprise. “Your family?” He then paled, his pupils shrinking in horror. Faithful Shield all but read his mind and scowled angrily. “H-hey, watch it. They’re being monsters towards us because... we’re the enemy. They... they wouldn’t stoop that low. And... besides...” His eyes were filled with a deep sadness. “I was stationed here in Vitrum... they stayed back home... at the base in-hurk!- Canterlot...” “Oh. Oh!” Shining Armor’s eyes widened in realization and a minute amount of pity. “I...” “Yeah...” Faithful Shield nodded weakly in agreement. “Anyways... for whatever it’s worth... I think there’s a good chance of you getting out of here. So...” He pressed the locket into Shining Armor’s hoof with his magic. “I want you... to take this... and... give it to my... next of... kin... whoever they might be.” “I...” The white unicorn shook his head desperately. “Shield, it’s been over a thousand years, how could I possibly-?” “M-my daughter... She’ll be -ugh!- in the military records...” Faithful Shield winced, his every word taking a load of effort. He then smiled weakly. “You’re not... the only guy... whose family has a military history... That picture... six years old and already playing soldier...” He let out a hoarse laugh. “I guess it’s in our blood. If... there’s no one left... leave it on her grave, alright?” Shining Armor was deathly silent, staring numbly at his dying friend before slowly nodding. “I’ll... I’ll need a name.” Shield shakily raised his hoof and pointed out the mare next to him. “My wife... Radiant Dawn... and...” He moved it over to the filly. “”My daughter... Sheltering Hope.” Hearing the name, Shining Armor’s brow scrunched up in confusion before his jaw dropped open in numb shock. “I... I know her.” Faithful Shield’s eyes widened in surprise. “R-really?” He wheezed. Shining Armor nodded mutely. “Yeah... F-from a story. A few years after Vitrum disappeared, Princess Luna... she was... possessed, I suppose. She became a dark creature known as Nightmare Moon, and tried to shroud Equestria in eternal night. Princess Celestia defeated her and sealed her in the moon, and my sister and her friends save her, but... the few days it took Celestia to defeat Nightmare Moon, the sun didn’t rise and the night drew on. Ponies were panicking and no one knew what to do. Until... a single blank-flank recruit stepped up. She... she used her magic to conjure a-an unparalleled pillar of light. It reached out all over Equestria, spreading light and hope to all who saw it. She supported those who were afraid, protected them from the dark. She got her cutie mark midway through it without even noticing: A pure white shield, with a yellow star in the middle and white wings sticking out of the sides. And her name... was Sheltering Hope.” Faithful Shield’s eyes lit up with joy. “M-my girl... my little girl... was a hero? She’s got a legend?” Shining Armor grimaced and shook his head. “I-I’m afraid not. Hope’s exploits were eclipsed by Celestia sealing Nightmare Moon. Her... her story faded into the background. I’m sorry.” Faithful Shield blinked before smiling sadly. “Doesn’t... doesn’t matter. She was a hero... th-that’s what matters.” He then furrowed his brow in confusion. “But... how do you know it?” “Umm...” Shining Armor rubbed his forehead in thought. “It’s hazy... my father... he told it to me. He said that... that...” Shining Armor’s eyes slowly widened in shock as the memory came to him. Slowly, he turned his head and stared incredulously at Faithful Shield. “That... he always wanted me to remember where our family came from.” The wounded soldier blinked blearily for a second before snickering. Said snickering evolved into full-blown laughter. “Ha. Ha ha...HAHAHAHA-HURK!” He groaned and pressed a hoof to his chest. “Y-yeah, shouldn’t a done that. Still, though... looks like we were right earlier: DNA. It’s a scary thing, ain’t it?” He raised his hooves up and clasped Shining Armor’s his smile all but splitting his skull. “Either way, best kind of mission, huh kid? The one where it completes itself. Great, isn’t it?” Shining Armor shook his head weakly. “I-I- this just isn’t fair. We just found out, we-!” His mounting panic was cut off by a raised hoof. “Kid...” Faithful  Shield muttered weakly, a smile on his lips. “Let me tell you... I’ve only known you for less than an hour. But... I can say... with absolute confidence... that you have made me... and all of our family proud. So... proud. You’ve gone... above and beyond... your duty. And... you upheld... the family’s promise...” Shining Armor blinked in confusion. “Promise? What promise?” Shield blinked blearily before nodding weakly. “Oh yeah... I never told Hope... And I doubt Dawn would have told her...” “What promise?” Shining Armor pleaded, clasping Faithful Shield’s hoof desperately. “Shield, what promise?” Faithful Shield opened his mouth... and let out a body-wracking cough, sending blood flying. “It was... the promise... our forefathers made... to Celestia... and Luna... when they joined the guard. That... our family... would forever protect... would... forever protect...” “Protect what? Protect what?” Faithful Shield slowly leaned his head back and rested it on the wall, closing his eyes and letting a smile ghost across his face. “That we would... protect...” Shining Armor leaned in, trying to catch his ancestor’s final words. “Protect... the heart... of... Equestria...” And with that, Faithful Shield let out a final breath, smiling contentedly. His hoof slipped from Shining Armor’s leaving him holding the locket. Shining Armor stared at his deceased ancestor numbly, absent mindedly slipping the locket into  his own armor’s pocket. He stood there for a moment before biting his lip and scrunching his eyes shut. Despite his attempts to prevent it from occurring, tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks. Suddenly, the sound of a massive explosion snapped him out of his misery. The captain glanced over his shoulder momentarily before staring mournfully at Faithful Shield’s corpse. Finally, he swallowed heavily and lit his horn up. An array of shields flashed before the body before a final one covered them all, blending in to match the wall and hiding him from sight. The job done, Shining Armor began to trot out of the alley. Midway out, he stopped, glancing over his shoulder. He fished the locket out of his armor with his magic, staring at it mournfully a final time before shoving it away and galloping out of the alley. -o- The street was littered with bodies. Miraculously, close to two dozen or so of them were intact and groaning in pain. About half a dozen weren’t quite as intact and were doing a bit more than groaning. The rest... those that weren’t intact were far from intact. Or solid, for that matter. The Gem Custodian stomped through the bodies on its hindhooves, spear dragging on the ground as it slowly swept its head from side to side. Finally, it came up to one of the groaning soldiers. Without any hint of emotion, it raised a hoof up and planted it on the pony’s breastplate, holding him down despite his feeble protests. Slowly, it raised its dragon-headed spear up and pointed it straight at the soldier’s face. Said soldier’s protests became far more panicked as arcane lightning began to crackle and gather at the spear’s tip. But before it could fire... “HEY!” The Gem Custodian’s head whipped around just in time to receive a high-speed ball-shaped projectile of magic straight in the muzzle. The blow took the construct straight off its feet and launched it down the road. The Custodian tumbled for a few seconds before flipping itself right-side up and planting its spear  in the ground. It tore up the ground a bit before finally grinding to a stop, glaring venomously, if blindly, up the street towards its aggressor. Shining Armor returned the glare in turn, his horn lit up and several layers of shields surrounding him. “My name is Shining Armor,” He growled darkly. “You killed my I-don’t-know-how-many-greats-grandfather. Prepare to die.”