//------------------------------// // Thirteen // Story: The War for the Sun & Moon // by Maxes Altho //------------------------------// The next day, same room. A camera is now present. The door opens, and Shining Star, Chryssid, and a griffoness enter the room. The griffoness is the first to speak. “So, what am I doing here?” See, Grenda, I’ve decided C’s narration is a bit dull, so you’re gonna take over telling about the mission you guys went on while everypony thought I was a bit coocoo. “But Shining Star, I was under the assumption—” Yeah C, you’re boring, no offense. Chryssid huffs. “None taken.” And Grenda, I would go with Quick, but he’s just as boring as C sometimes. “I heard that!” The three turn. The camera pans upwards to view a small blue Pegasus flapping in front of the one window in the room. Quick, aren’t you supposed to be watching Tiny today? “Um, wasn’t it Grenda’s turn?” Oh Goddesses. An alarm rips through the building. Shining Star sighs. C, take Quick with you and find Tiny. And make sure you get to her before High Mighty does. “I have never failed yet. Come with me, Quick. I believe I know where to look.” Chryssid leaves the room. Listen Grenda, here’s how it’ll work. I’ll set it up, and you take it from there. I didn’t go on that mission, so I can’t say what happened. Will that work? “I dunno, Shiny…” Just trust me, okay? It’ll be alright; you’re just talking into a microphone. “O-okay, I’ll do my best.” Thatta girl. So, it took about two weeks before my sanity returned. Not that anypony believed me; apparently I had had several such 'fits' before, and usually ended up causing harm to whoever was around me. What made this fit different, however, was the dream... ---------- Gems. Gems everywhere. An entire city made of sparkling gems. A population of ponies, living gems. Living in the gems, with the gems, trading the gems to other cities. In front of a giant gem building, the largest for miles around, walks three beings. A black bug, a slouching lion-bird, and an airborne blue pony. They are searching for something-no, someone. Somepony is also searching for them; black shapes hug the shadows and rooftops of nearby buildings. Zoom to another building, this one much smaller, where red eyes glow in the dark, waiting. Behind the eyes, another shape looms, taller than a pony, with wicked horns. ---------- “Oh, my fucking head. Hey, C, you up there?” I ask without opening my eyes. Getting no response, I slowly open my eyes, and gulp. This is definitely not my room; I don’t remember having an all-white room covered in white padding. I try to get up, but fall flat on my face. I’m wearing a white suit, one that has trapped my hooves against my sides. I start panicking; I try to teleport somewhere, anywhere, but a buzzing above my eyes stops me. I’m wearing a stupid magic-nullifying ring around my horn, so I’m pretty much screwed. I notice one block of white has a black border around it, with another, even smaller block of full black set high on it. A door? I scooch over, and amend that statement: a door with no handle. “Hello? Is anypony out there?” Wow, great soundproofing, no echo whatsoever. I turn myself around so my back hooves face the door, and begin pounding. “Hey! Get me out of here! I’m not prone to being locked up like an animal!” The black block slides away, revealing a pair of cold hard eyes. “Shut up in there! It’s not food time yet, prisoner.” I know that voice. “Blockade? What’s going on? Why am I in here? I’m—wait, I’m a prisoner? Why?” “You’re charged with murder of a teammate, and assaulting several members of the Warriors. The shrink is trying to plea insanity, but—” My heart stops. “What? Who did I kill?” “According to Tread, you snapped Dig’s neck while escaping Canterlot Fortress. You also stabbed a doctor in the shoulder, broke the bones of several guards, and tried to tear Pulse’s horn off the last time she visited you.” “Is he awake?” Another voice, even more familiar. “C? Is that you?” The hard eyes move away, replaced with the orbs of my changeling buddy. “C, what happened? I couldn’t have killed Dig, didn’t hurt anypony, did i?” The eyes shift sideways. “I am sorry, Shining, I saw it with my own eyes. You did indeed kill our comrade.” “No,” I mumble. “No, it’s not possible. I—I… killed…” I hurl all over the floor. I try and avoid it, but without my front hooves, I fall into the upchuck, bringing a fresh wave out my mouth. I eventually scooch away, my stomach completely empty. I black out, and come to to find myself banging my head against a wall, muttering nonsense. Somepony cleaned up the vomit on the floor and me while I was out, and a pony stands in the room, carrying a tray in his magic. “Who—who’re you?” I groan; my stomach hurts and my mouth tastes vile. “You should remember me; I’ve only been here every day I could since they brought you back, Shining. Here, I brought you some food. Don’t eat it too fast.” He sets down toast and a glass of water. I concentrate, and find I can at least levitate the food. As I take small sips of the water, his name comes to me. “You’re Dr. Brain, right? The group’s head examiner.” I frown. “What happened to me, Doc? I remember being captured by the Empress, but after that, nothing. Then I wake up here and Blockade and C say I…” I feel a small amount of bile start to rise, but I force it back down. “Just, what happened?” He sits on his haunches. “To be honest, Shining Star, the only pony who knows is you. I was able to delve into your mind a bit, and what I found disturbed me. Whatever the Empress did, she forced her way into your mind and broke it. I found three fragments, all working against each other, and the remnants of a spell from the Empress separating each fragment from the others. The main fragment, which we dubbed S1, seemed to be you. S2 and S3 were constantly fighting before I could reverse-engineer the spell she used, and put it back up. That seemed to quell your insanity a bit, but you were far more broken than that. I found a magic signature from another pony within your mind. They were burrowing deep into your mind, searching for something. They tore apart S1 trying to find it, and as far as I can tell, they were unsuccessful.” “Wait, three parts?” “Yes, although to say it was an even split would be a lie. At one point, I would like to say S1 took up about fifty percent of your mind, and the others about twenty-five each. However, S3 was at about five percent, S2 about forty, and S1 at fifty-five.” “Bright Star and Shining Resolve.” Dr. Brain looks perplexed. “I’m sorry? Did you actually give names to the fragments?” “No, nothing like that. The fragments named themselves. Tell me, Doc, have you ever heard of a ritual to combine two ponies’ souls?” “No, I can’t say I have. Tell me, Shining, can you see the fragments right now?” “No, but if you take this fucking ring off and lower part of that fucking spell, I can show you them.” “I will do no such thing. The last time you suggested that, three guards ended up in the hospital with broken legs.” I wrack my brain, trying to think of something to get him to listen. “The Commandant.” “Excuse me?” “Battleborn and The Commandant. They know what happened to me fifteen years ago. Go find them, and they can back me up. Somepony completed an ancient ritual designed by Starswirl the Bearded, and saved two foals, Bright Star and Shining Resolve, by combining them into one pony, me.” “You realize we aren’t letting you get anywhere near Battleborn, and I’ve never heard of any ‘Commandant’ in the Warriors. I guess you still aren’t ready to reenter society.” He leaves the room, and his eyes show in the small window. I move over to the door. “Please, just tell Battle what I’ve said. He’s known me for as long as I’ve been in the Warriors, and knows stuff about me that I don’t even know.” The window slides shut, and I am alone with my thoughts once again. ---------- Two days later (at least, I think it was two days; sorta hard to tell time in a cushy windowless box), I’m close to going insane again just to relieve some of the boredom. I’ve already paced the floor (more like face-scooted) so much I’ve left indents in the cushion, bashed my head against the wall to stimulate my brain cells (again, hard to do against cushion), and tested what I can do with the stupid ring on my horn. Turns out, not much. I can do simple levitation and create a single light ball. Anything more, and the ring fizzles it out. Suddenly, I hear the locks creak. The door opens and a single guard steps in, one I’ve never seen before. Moving quickly, he clocks me upside the head, dazing me. Seeing I’m still conscious, he rears back to strike me again, when a blue angel comes to my aid. “Soldier, that’s enough. I want him out of it, not unconscious.” “B-Battle?” I feel myself, numbly, lifted onto his back. “Yeah, it’s me, Shining. Turns out the doc was mistaken, and is letting you out of solitary on temporary leave. You have to keep the jacket on, though.” “S-Sco—” “Yep, that’s where we’re going.” The trip to Scootaloo’s den passes in a haze, but before I know it, I’m there in the dark room with the single light and the tur-no, tortoise. The orange Pegasus steps into the light, remaining cautiously distant. “Shining Star. Battle tells me you went through quite the traumatic experience.” “Uh-huh.” “What information do you have regarding your sudden sanity?” I think, and a pounding headache comes rushing in. “City of crystal, C, griffon, Pegasus, searching, one of Them, hunted, waiting in the dark…” She looks intrigued. “Another dream? Like the first and second?” I nod, the headache slowly subsiding. She paces back and forth. “Before Chryssid came, you had a dream regarding him. Then, right before we lost you, you had another dream about a griffon captured by Pinkie Pie. Lo and behold, Chryssid and Tiny return with a griffon in tow. After receiving a message from our infiltrators, we sent Epsilon, sans you and with Grenda the griffon, to Fillydelphia to retrieve a Pegasus by your dreams. Something is happening, something tied with the threads of Fate.” She trots over to the door and summons Battle in. “Shining has had another dream. Send the changeling, Grenda, and Quick Writ to the Crystal City. They are to search for… who, exactly, Shining?” “Dunno. Red eyes in the darkness, near very tall building. Tall, horns, waiting…” “And search for a tall being in the darkness.” “It will be done, Scootaloo.” He leaves the room, and Scootaloo turns to me. “Let’s chat, shall we?” ---------- “And that’s it for me. The floor is yours, Grenda.” I’m still not sure about this. What if I screw up again? “You won’t, trust me.” But you kinda did a dick move there. “Yeah, but what we talked about isn’t important, at least, not to anypony else. All you need to know is she helped start my road to mental stability. You should understand that.” Yeah, you’re right, as always. So, I just speak what’s on my mind? “Just make sure it’s about the mission to the Crystal City. However, it would probably help to give a little background about you first. I’ll be in the next room if you need a confidence boost.” Shining stands and leaves, leaving Grenda alone. ---------- Okay. Hoo boy. Where to start? Well, my name is Grenda, Grenda Talonflame. My parentage doesn’t matter. What does matter is I was making a living in one of the travelling performance groups as a fire-breather. Yeah, kinda corny, but everyone goes nuts when they see a non-dragon spout flames. Of course, they know it’s fake, it’s just a combination of a torch near the beak and a special drink I take beforeclaw. At least, they think it’s fake; for me, the torch is just for show. Yeah, I’ve basically been cursed. My family line somehow goes around a couple dragon lineages. I never asked how, so I never found out how. The result is control over fire. I can breathe it, walk through it, fly in it, hold it in my claws, hell, even douse myself in flames and it all does squat nothing to me. Sounds fucking awesome, right? Well, what if the reason I didn’t have parents was because a young griffoness who didn’t know how to control her family power burned down her birth home with her parents inside? And then she was forced through orphanage after orphanage because small accidents kept happening, small, unexplainable burn marks appearing in the beds and on the personal items of other young griffons who didn’t get along with this chick. So she eventually ran away from Griffonia, and fell in with a small group of griffons who travelled the world, doing amazing stunts and shows. It was a decent living, and hey, feeling the cheering of the crowds as you create a ten-foot long stream of fire from your beak, singing their eyebrows, is an amazing feeling. Then, we came to Las Pegasus. We usually came through every few months to scope out the competition, see what we could improve, and even pick up some new talent. What we got instead was a ride in a police chariot to a dank dungeon. The Queen came to us and singled me out for no reason other than ‘I’m special’. I waited a week, the Queen’s pet the entire time. Nearly drove me to kill myself. I contemplated burning my bonds and escaping, but where would that leave me? In the middle of a hostile town without a flock to call my own, and from what I heard, no flocks left uncaptive in the city. Then Shining and Chryssid came, saved my life. I found a new flock with the Warriors, but I never felt like I could really fit in. I mean, this is a group of ponies. The only non-pony is a changeling. He explained the only reason they found me was because Shining had some screwy dreams that had me in it. Then, another dream nabs us a bookworm Pegasus. And now, another dream sends me, Chryssid, and Quick Writ the Pegasus to the far north, to the Crystal City to find something. Battleborn wasn’t quite clear on who or what exactly, just a tall being in the darkness. ---------- I stretch out on the seat. “So, Quick, what were you doing in those sewers anyways? Looking for mutant turtles?” “Keep your voice down!” He scans the train car, making sure nobody overheard us. “Never should’ve told you about my comic collection… I was searching for structural weaknesses in the foundations of buildings.” “May I ask why?” “I have this friend, specialized in appropriating valuables to sell to the highest offer.” I smirk. “So, you’re a thief, your friend was a thief, and you stole stuff to sell on the black market.” “I… uh… yeah, I stole stuff. By the Creator, I hated that work. Didn’t help that he took almost none of the risks.” “Then why’d you work for him?” “He’s family. You never turn your back on family.” I shut up at that. I never told them about my family. I glance around, and my eyes land on Chryssid, or Mr. C as he’s going by, transformed into a suave-looking pearl white Pegasus. His eyes are darting around. “What’s up C?” “I believe we are being watched, but nothing is out of place.” “It’s just nerves man. I’m nervous too; we know next to nothing about why we’re here. Look, we’re almost at the Crystal City now. Let’s get some food, that’ll probably clear your head.” “Yes, maybe I just need to feed a bit.” Half an hour later, the train pulls up to the station, and we disembark. We never see the three ponies moving in unison through the crowds, keeping us in their sights the entire time. ---------- “What in the flying feathers of Gilda just happened?” We’re waiting in the entry hall of the Crystal Castle, awaiting an audience with Princess Cadence. The last ten minutes were a complete blur for me. Quick gives me the scoop. “We found a small café, you bemoaned the lack of meat options, got into a fight with the cook, and we got arrested when you tried to use a passing police pony as a bludgeon.” “Oh. But you know us griffons, can’t live without meat.” “I thought griffons were more omnivorous than pure carnivorous.” “We. Like. Meat. Got it?” I stalk over to him, or at least, as close as the guards would let me. He pales in fear. “Roger, loud and clear, totally got it, no questions here.” He begins spouting off, a somewhat annoying habit of his. I’m sure it’s just because he can’t hold all that book stuff in his brain, so he gets rid of it by speaking. A guard steps through the door. “The Princess will see you now. No funny business, keep your wings at your sides at all times. I see a wing twitch, I clock you. You make a wrong step, I clock you. You do anything I don’t like…” “And you clock us. We get it, lame-o.” He makes a threatening step towards me; I step at him, ready to go, but C holds me back. “It would not be wise to aggravate our captors, Grenda.” C turns to the guard. “We would be most delighted to meet with her Highness.” The guard leads us in. Wow. I can at least say this place looks a million times better than Queen Pink’s pad. Crystal archways of a hundred colors, crystal stained-glass windows, a crystalline throne, one pissed-looking pink alicorn firing her horn at us… Wait, what? A beam of pink energy hits C, shredding his disguise and throwing him against the door. “HOW DARE YOU BRING A CHANGELING INTO MY THRONE ROOM AFTER WHAT THEY DID TO US!” She leaps off her throne, charging her horn again. I move to intercept as Quick rushes to our fallen bug. “Whoa whoa whoa! What in the talon of Tilnhagan are you on about? Oh crap, the wedding, right?” Shit, that did the trick. Her horn immediately stops, and she breaks down in tears. “Oh, my sweet Shining Armor. Why was your sister so cruel? Why did she have to send you away?” Chryssid climbs to his hooves shakily smacking his lips. “Love for the one you have lost, hatred for your perceived enemies, remorse because you know not what you could have done differently… Princess Cadence, I do believe we can help you. Quick, the letter.” Quick Writ, true to his name, scampers over to the princess and drops a letter at her hooves. The sobbing alicorn picks up the letter and reads it. Slowly, the tears stop, replaced by grim determination. “Guards! Leave us at once of I will have your heads mounted on the castle wall! Both heads.” Wow. Nothing left except the dust clouds that look like the guards. She slowly resumes her place on the throne. “I was wondering when Battleborn would call in that favor. So, what can I do for the Warriors today? I wasn’t aware they were so accepting of… other species.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Nothing at all! It’s just, I thought they were known for their, shall we say, equine supremacy? How they would use other species for only as long as they were needed?” This girl’s really ruffling my feathers. “Listen, lady—” “Grenda, please. Let cooler heads prevail.” Chryssid lays a holey hoof on my shoulder, backing me down. “We have come seeking someling who we believe holds part of the key to defeating the Empress.” The Princess raises an eyebrow. “Oh really? And what makes you think that?” “My friend Shining Star has had visions detailing the fall of the Empress, and several dreams regarding the three of us. Each time, the dreams he has had have come true, and he has had another vision of someling in this city. You are an alicorn; you must be able to feel the presence of the threads of Fate. Has anything happened lately, any strange beings coming to your city?” “I have not heard of any—wait, Shining Star? As in, the Crown Prince Shining Star? The Crown Prince who was lost, found, and recently lost again? You are in league with him?” “Yes, but he is not the Crown Prince. He has always been faithful to the Warriors.” She doesn’t believe us, I can tell. “Okay. I haven’t heard of anypony entering the city lately, but you should check with the record keepers near the train depot. They know everypony who enters and exits the city.” Then her features turn dark. She speaks too softly for the other to hear, but my eagle ears hear everything. “If I capture them and present them to the Empress, I could gain favor with her. She can break them and retrieve her son. Then, she will love me again because I helped so much, and then she’ll bring my Shiny back!” Shit. I motion to the others, and we start backing out. She catches our movements. “Aw, leaving so soon? You don’t want to stay for some tea, maybe?” I squawk out, “No thanks, you’re Highness. I’m sure you don’t want a captive audience, right?” Me and my big beak. Her eyes shoot daggers at me. “How much did you hear? No matter, I always love a bit of sport. I shall give you one hour to do your business in my city. If, Twilight forbid, you are still in the city after that, I will devote all resources to finding you three. Fifty-nine minutes.” Stomp on my eggshell, why don’t ya? We rush out, leaving the crazy princess to her counting. ---------- “Do you think she’ll make good on her threat?” We’re running towards the train depot. “She is stricken by grief, and has found, in her mind, a way out of the grief. This will make her desperate. I do not doubt she will try anything to ensure the return of her loved one.” “Even though the Empress won’t give her what she wants.” “Guys, we are so screwed! We’re screwed we’re screwed we’re screwed we’re—” “Quick, calm the fuck down. We’ve still got, what, fifty minutes? We can handle this. What do we know about who we’re looking for?” Chryssid grunts. “Red eyes. Behind and above, another. Tall, strong, smart.” I screech to a halt (yes, I can make a screech noise in midair, what of it?) and look at him. “How do you know that? They never told us that!” “When the Princess of Love launched me against the wall, she knocked me out momentarily. I experienced a vision, like Shining Star does. In the vision was nothing but darkness, darkness and a pair of red eyes, animal eyes. Behind the eyes was another figure, much taller than I, and taller than the average pony.” “Okay, a really tall guy and his pet. That’s a start; it’ll at least cut down the options.” ---------- “I’m sorry ma’am, I can’t help you.” “Come on! All you have to tell me is if somebody who entered the city matches this description!” “And I already told you ma’am, that information is confidential. Now take your friends and feathery rear end and leave.” Rut me with a spoon, this guy is dense. I’m ready to call down brimstone on this idiot (literally. One burst of flame would get him talking, I’m sure) when Quick Writ steps away, speaking loudly. “That’s too bad, then. I’d hate to go back to Princess Cadence empty-hooved. Hey Grenda, how many ponies do you think keep their jobs when they miff off the Princess? I heard they end up in a specially-made dungeon.” The stallion at the record house gulps. “P-Princess Cad-dence sent you? Why didn’t you say so? I will personally retrieve the information you have requested. One moment please.” He scurries off. “How’re we doing on time, C?” “Thirty minutes.” “Ah, here we are! Immigrants and New Citizen Hopefuls.” The stallion returns with a thick ledger. “Now, who are you looking for?” “We don’t actually have a name, but we believe he is a tall guy, with a pet with red eyes.” “Red eyes? Then you’re looking for Bard.” Another pony, a mare this time, steps from the back room. “Who?” “He’s a nice young minotaur who recently entered the city. He came in with a single sack, full of odd bits and stuff, but nothing dangerous, and an adolescent albino Timberwolf, if you’d believe that.” The stallion huffs. “I still say it was a Birch Timberwolf.” “No, definitely albino. The wood looked like oak, but bleached white. And don’t forget the eyes: blood red.” Wow. Talk about a streak of good luck. A Minotaur in a city full of ponies? Easy money. “Where can we find this Bard?” “He was looking for the town blacksmith. The shop is near the center of town.” “Great. Thanks.” Quick fishes a few bits out of the purse he brought (he calls it a messenger bag, but seriously, it’s a purse) tosses them to the ponies, and we take off. Twenty-eight minutes to go. --------- “Sorrry, hun. Bard hasn’t shown up fer work fer a coupl’a days.” “Do you know where he’s staying? It’s really important that we find him.” “Naw, can’t say I do. Could I interest ya in a claw sharpener? I always keep a few around, jus’ in case a grif shows up.” I politely decline, and we move away from the shop. “Now what?” Chryssid begins scanning the street, then leads us down a nearby alley. I get nervous; I need open air. I can’t even spread my wings out in this dark space. “What’s up, C? Why are you taking us here?” “My vision showed the minotaur to be in darkness. I am thinking, Minotaurs are a hard-working race. He would not want to risk being late to work at a forge, so he might be living underground, and have an entrance nearby.” He stops as his hoof strikes something other than the crystal path with a clang. We look down. “Interesting. This looks like the crystal around it, but cleverly concealed gaps and a hinge reveal this to be,” Quick places his hooves on a certain spot, and the cover pops up, “aha! A sewer cover, recently made too.” He inspects the inside of the cover. “Definitely not pony made. I don’t recognize any of the tool marks.” Quick hops into the hole. Chryssid nudges me towards it. “Um, maybe I should stay here, and keep watch.” “Nonsense, Grenda. If we had a fourth, we could consider it, but since we do not, we move as one.” Stomp on my—“fine. I won’t like it though.” I jump into the hole… And into murky blackness, which transitions to pitch blackness when Chryssid bounces down, slamming the cover closed behind him. “Hey C, can you see anything?” “Unfortunately, no. What is it with ponies and unrealistic expectations of changelings? We do not see in the dark.” Shit. Son of a taint! “Alright, stand back a bit. I have an idea.” I summon the familiar heat from within, and spit a glob of fire onto my tail tuft, promptly setting it ablaze. I look at the others sheepishly. They’re looking at me like I just came straight out of Tartarus. “Sorry I didn’t warn you. Don’t ask how, but I’ve got some dragon blood in me.” Chryssid smiles. “I knew there had to be something unique about you.” Huh? He’s not freaked out? “Whaddaya mean?” “Each of us that Shining has dreamed of is special. I am the final spawn of Chrysalis, Tiny is a master demolitionist, far advanced for her age. Quick Writ is an ex-thief, and smarter than any non-unicorn. And now we have you, Grenda, whose blood intertwines both griffon and dragon. Shining is the son of the Empress. Do you think it mere coincidence that we have all met under these conditions?” “Huh, never thought about it that way. Let’s see what makes the Minotaur special, why don’t we?” We venture off into the tunnels, me leading the way with flaming tail. ---------- “By the First Egg, how complex are these tunnels?” We’ve been wandering for almost twenty minutes. I know the Princess is above, scouring her city for us. We need to find Bard, and hope he’s got a way out of the city. “Shh! Do you hear that?” Quick sidles up to a nearby tunnel and sticks his muzzle down it. “Cowabunga dudes!” The yell echoes faintly. I can see a tear in Quick’s eye. “I knew they existed!” My ear catches something striking the wall, some distance behind us. “Quick, C, we’ve got trouble.” “Yep, already know.” “Huh? I didn’t think a pony’s hearing was as good as—” the retort dies in my throat. Quick is staring nose-to-nose with a white Timberwolf as tall as him. Chryssid has mysteriously vanished. “Well well well, what do we have here?” a raspy voice sounds behind us. I turn, and my fire reveals three changelings standing in the tunnel. We’re trapped. “A griffon and a Pegasus, both wanted for questioning by Her Majesty the Empress. Wait… wasn’t there one more?” “Nope, definitely not. No other changelings here!” Faust damn it, Quick Writ. I hear the wolf growl; shit’s about to get serious. Suddenly, one of the changelings is knocked over by a black blur from a side tunnel. The leader turns to assist his comrade, when the Timberwolf leaps over Quick and bowls the changeling over. “Quick, you alright?” “Uh… um... y-yeah, I think.” I hear a smack, then a yell, and Chryssid is launched over our heads and against a wall. “If you two are finished with tea time, could I get a little assistance?” I smirk; assist I can do. “Depends. How do you feel about Changeling Flambé?” “What about the Timberwolf?” “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” I turn and face the brawl. The Timberwolf is fighting valiantly, shrugging off blow after blow while tearing one of the changelings apart. I take a calming breath. I feel the heat growing. In, out. The feeling intensifies. In, out. It grows to almost painful temperatures. In, out. Then, I release. A huge fireball shoots from my beak, filling the tunnel. I don’t even hear the screams as the chitin turns the changelings into kilns. As the fireball dissipates, three blackened lumps remain, and one standing Timberwolf. The wolf’s lost all its bark, revealing metallic joints and bones… wait, what? Quick recovers from the blast and cautiously approaches the thing. “Amazing. Completely mechanical, autonomous, able to make decisions, and withstand the heat of a thunderstorm! Guys, do you realize what this is?” “That would be Scruffy.” I turn around (again; getting kinda dizzy from it all) to see our quarry: a Minotaur. He’s kinda small for how tall I thought a Minotaur would be, with small horns poking out of the sides of his head. The thing quickly leaps over and nuzzles his hand. “Aw, did those things bang you up? Don’t worry, I’ve been meaning to upgrade you for a while. Let’s get back to the shop.” He looks at us. “The changeling, the griffon, and the Pegasus, just who I’ve been waiting for. Come with me.” He lumbers off into the darkness, Scruffy a few feet in front of him. With no other options, we follow. “Hey C, do you know who those guys were?” “Changeling Death Squad.” “Sounds bad.” “Quite. They only answer to the Empress herself. Have you heard reports of ponies inexplicably going missing without a trace?” “Yeah. Wait, you mean they were…?” “Yes, they were targeted by the Empress. As far as I know, this is the first time a death squad has failed.” The news shocks me into silence for the rest of the trip. I roasted three of the Empress’s top agents to nothing, and they were supposed to be the best? ---------- “Home sweet home.” The Minotaur pulls open a concealed door to reveal a mechanic’s wet dream. Metal bits of varying size and complexity line two of the walls of a large room. One wall is completely taken up by a forge, workbench, and other things I could only guess their use. The fourth wall has more metal bits, but they appear more decorative than functional, and a door, probably to Bard’s personal quarters. Scruffy hops onto a pad in the middle of the room as Bard moves over towards the workbench. “Aw, shoot. I’m out of wood parts. Scruffy, you wanna stay a wolf, or go for something a little more edgy?” He holds up what looks like a large raptor carcass. The wolf barks happily. “You want this, right? Well, you know what I hafta do to you then. I promise, I won’t ever hurt you.” It nods, then goes completely still. Bard moves over and taps something on the skull. With several clicks and a loud hiss, he removes part of the head from the body. I feel a bit sick, but since it was never alive in the first place… He gingerly takes the head part over to his workbench and starts tinkering. “So, what brings you three to my labyrinth? I’ll admit, while I was expecting company, I didn’t expect it so soon.” “To be honest, we came for you. See, this friend of ours, Shining Star, had—” “A dream, I’m guessing.” Noticing my shock, he adds, “A few nights ago, I had a dream too. In it, a changeling, griffon, and Pegasus came to me, seeking my help in some endeavor. You need a way out of the city, correct?” “Um, yeah. Princess Cadence is gonna turn us over to the Empress if we show our faces aboveground. We need you to come with us back to the Warriors and—” His head shoots up. “The Warriors? No way am I getting involved with that scum. I’ll get you out, but then you’re on your own.” “What? What is it with everyone hating the Warriors all of a sudden?” “I assume you heard what happened to my kin, how we were utterly destroyed by your Empress. However, she kept many of us alive as an example of her reign. Afterwards, my kin was approached by a different group of ponies, ones who saw a way to defeat the Empress. The few remaining clans heartily agreed, and mounted an attack on our own capitol, which had been placed under the rule of one powerful unicorn by the name of Trixie. We were slaughtered by her magic. When we returned to our camps, defeated, the Warriors ordered us back to the battlefields. We refused, and in retaliation, they murdered every weapon smith from the southernmost isle to the northern shore. My master saw this coming, and bid me flee the Isles I called home. I did the worst thing imaginable: I listened. I fled the ones I love and my clan, and in doing so, lost all honor. I tell you truly, I am the last Minotaur blacksmith Equis will ever know.” He turns to us, rage boiling in his eyes. “That is why I will not help your clan. For their crimes against mine own, I should force you from my home right now. But,” the storm simmers, “fate, it seems, has other plans. Never before has a single representative of each race come together as such. I pledge myself to you and your friend, in the hopes of defeating not only the Empress, but the corrupt Warriors as well.” Wow. I’m speechless. “You mean to tell me that this group who says they’re gonna save the world really only means the ponies of the world?” “I would say so. Does Shining Star know of this?” We look at Chryssid. He stands defiant. “I never heard of such accusations.” His stance falters a bit. “However, I have been noticing… deviations. Certain looks from ponies within the Warriors. It seems as though, even after rescuing Tiny, Shining, Grenda, and Quick, there are still those in the Warriors who hate me, more than ‘he is just a changeling’.” “I think our course is clear,” Bard announces, slotting a now-reduced head part into the head of the falcon. With a series of clicks, the dull eyes glow into red life. He slips closed a hatch over the casing as the new Scruffy stands and stretches its wings, giving a triumphant screech. “We must return to the Warriors and retrieve our friends. Then, we must make our move on Canterlot, destroy the Empress, and find the Princesses. With their might behind us, we can stand against the Warriors, and cut away the corruption.” “Sounds like a plan. One question though,” Quick sounds nervous. “How are we supposed to get out of the city? Cadence is after us, and I didn’t see a way out besides the ponyhole cover.” Bard grins. “Like I told you, I have my ways. Follow me.” Scruffy takes off, testing its new wings, as Bard exits his shop and sets off down another tunnel. With another puff of flame, my tail relights and we follow him. Five minutes later, I notice us moving upwards, and I can see sunlight ahead. I shake my tail out as we enter a large abandoned warehouse, with a large machine standing in the center. “Bard? What in Tilnhagan’s tail is that?” Bard is smiling like a maniac. “That, my dear griffon, is our way out.” ---------- (This is my speculation of what happened while Bard was prepping his getaway machine.) “Come on, my ponies! Find them! Reports put them still within the city!” Princess Cadence shouts out to the milling guard ponies. She quickly takes flight, hopping one street over to the next group of search parties, landing in front of a decrepit warehouse. “Anything yet, Captain?” He salutes. “Not yet, my Princess. We have cordoned off the area they were last seen and are interrogating the blacksmith they visited, but no results yet.” A small buzzing starts up, but Cadence chooses to ignore it. “They can’t have escaped the city. Spread out your search, envelop the surrounding blocks.” The buzzing grows louder. “It will be done, my Princess.” The buzz grows to a dull roar, gaining volume with every passing moment. “Good. Let nothing slip past your—by the name of Faust, what is that noise?” Suddenly, the door of the warehouse explodes outwards, showering the ponies with shards of wood, metal, and crystal. Out of the door leaps a massive three-wheeled contraption, spitting fire and smoke out of the back. As it lands, tires squealing, Cadence looks to find a Minotaur, changeling, griffon, and Pegasus riding atop the beast. It stops in the middle of the street, and the Minotaur salutes. “Princess Cadence, I presume? Sorry our meeting is a little rushed, love your city, the Empress is a bitch, ‘kay thanks bye!” With a fresh screech from the tires, the machine leaps down the street and towards the edge of the city. “What the actual fuck was that?” the captain stumbles to his feet. “That… was them!” The princess bolts to attention. “After them! Don’t let them escape the city!” ---------- “What the fuck is this thing, Bard?” My beak is being vibrated off my face, along with my talons, tail, legs, and eyes. I’m speaking into a special headset provided by Bard, which is allowing us four to communicate over the roar of the machine. Bard drives the thing with a large wheel and several sets of levers. “Back on the Isles, we had these simple contraptions called bicycles. They allowed us to move at a running pace with less than half the effort.” He slams the machine down another street. “I got to thinking, what if I combined the bicycle with the power of an airship? The result is this baby, the motorized bicycle, Mark 1.” “I think I’m gonna be sick!” I whip my head around to the seat behind me. Quick is holding on for dear life, and looking a bit green around the muzzle. “Turn and hurl, my friend! Don’t ruin the upholstery!” “There is a blockade ahead. I would suggest turning.” “Sorry, bug, but this thing only has one speed: full steam ahead!” Cackling like a mad griffon, he plows right through the blockade. I notice the buildings are somewhat familiar. “We’re heading back to the train depot?” “Yeah! We can follow the tracks to… what city, again?” “Manehattan!” “Another blockade. We may have a problem with this one.” I look, and sure enough, another blockade looms in front of us. The difference this time is the rapidly expanding pink bubble coming from the blockade right at us. “Scruffy. Command code: Nullify.” Immediately, the falcon takes off, somehow keeping up with us at full speed, then overtaking us. He flies into the bubble, tearing a chunk out of it. He then flies back out, tearing even more holes. Suddenly, Scruffy is a blur, crisscrossing the bubble wherever he can, shredding it to pieces. Soon enough, the bubble collapses completely, and Scruffy flies back to Bard’s side. “What! You made a machine capable of bypassing a magical field?” Quick shouts into his headset. “What can I say? Ponies have magic, Minotaurs don’t. We have to adapt with technology. the Empress understood that, and respected our strength. The Warriors want us weak.” “Princess ahead. She is charging another blast.” “Scruffy. Command code: Deny. Query: Redirect.” The bird takes off again, making a beeline for Cadence. He gets only halfway there when she fires. Scrufffy is caught in the blast. I cry out, knowing he’s been obliterated but the cry dies in my throat. Scruffy is perfectly fine, as far as my eagle eyes can tell. He’s glowing brightly with a pink tinge. With an ear-shattering shriek, a pink beam shoots from the falcon straight at the blockade, completely destroying it and sending all the ponies flying. We roar through the smoldering blockade and out into the cold northern wastes, following the train tracks south by southeast. About ten minutes later, Chryssid call for Bard to stop. We come to rest near a cluster of rocks. “Okay bug, we’ve stopped. Why?” “We must send a message back to the Warriors.” Noticing Bard’s building rage, he amends his statement. “I will not tell them of your doubts, but we must tell them we are safe and returning to base, nothing more.” “Fine. I hooked up a long-range radio on the beast. Feel free to use it.” With a nod, Chryssid locates the radio and begins fiddling with the controls. Apparently finding the right channel, he starts speaking. “Home base, home base. This is Charlie Echo Seven, please respond.” “Charlie Echo Seven, this is Home base, go ahead.” “Home base, we have escaped the city with package secured. We will be back by 1700 tonight.” “Come again, Charlie Echo Seven. How are you returning that fast?” “The package is a Minotaur, Home base. He has engineered a trackless train, able to move across any ground.” “…Charlie Echo Seven, are you using some new code I’m not aware of?” “Negatory, Home base, confirmation code CMC3BFF. Package is Minotaur engineer. We will be back by 1700 tonight.” “Confirmation code accepted, Charlie Echo Seven. We’ll leave the welcome mat out.” He turns the radio off and turns to Bard. “See? Was that really that hard?” Bard harrumphs. “The sooner we can get your friends out, the better.”