//------------------------------// // The Envy Of Argent // Story: Our Darkest Days // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// In a dark cavern, the masked pony pulled out his magic mirror, and spoke with his hooded ally. "Well?" The hooded pony asked. "Another page is ours." The masked pony announced. "Excellent." The hooded pony chuckled darkly. "Now only two remain. You cannot allow Echo and his underlings to gain those last two." "Oh, I won't." The masked pony boasted. "Their fellowship has been fractured by their last few quests. They will no longer pose much of a threat to us." "That remains to be seen." The hooded pony declared. "And besides, now is not the time to get complacent. The fate of those next two pages will decide the balance of power for what is yet to come. You must not fail. Is that understand?" "Perfectly." The masked pony nodded. "Good." The hooded pony stated. "Now, go. Seize the next page." "At once." The masked pony bowed. The hooded pony's image faded from the mirror, and the masked pony set off for his next target. "It's almost time." He hissed. "Almost..." The trio arrived in the country of Haygypt, home to the great pyramids of Grassa. "Ah, home sweet home." Sterling sighed, as they stepped off the boat. "This is your homeland, Sterling?" Sunset asked. "That it is, Sunny." Sterling nodded. "It's been too long since I've been here." He sniffed deeply. "It's good to be back." "Yes, that's all very interesting." Echo said sourly. "But can we please focus on the matter at hoof?" "Go easy on Sterling, Echo." Sunset admonished him. "You can't blame him for being happy to be home." "Perhaps, but we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted." Echo stated. "There is too much at stake. Now, the next page is in the possession of a Unicorn stallion named Brody." "Brody?" Sterling asked. "As in Brody Bronze?" "You know him?" Echo frowned. "Oh-ho, we were pals back before I left for Equestria..." Sterling chuckled lightly, then frowned. "But why would he have a page?" "I don't know... but if he's a friend of yours... then there is no doubt that he is using the page for his own selfish needs." Echo said disparagingly. "Come on, Echo, I know this kid." Sterling protested. "Brody wouldn't do something like that..." "And how long ago was it when you last saw this stallion?" Echo demanded. Sterling hesitated. "Does it really matter?" Sunset asked. "If Sterling says Brody's okay, that's good enough for me." "Of course he is." Sterling smiled. "I've known him for years. He's a nice guy." "Well, for all our sakes, I hope he's still nice." Echo declared, incensed at being outvoted. The trio walked into the city. All three of them hoped and prayed that the citizenry wouldn't be acting strangely, but this was a false hope; Wherever they went, there were ponies arguing in the street. "You think you're so great, just because you've got a bigger house, huh?" One spat to his neighbour. "What about you?" The neighbour growled. "Lording that fancy carriage over the rest of us!" "You two can both stuff it!" An old lady yelled. "Showing off those original hips of yours!" "And it begins..." Echo said wearily. "Looks like your friend isn't as pure as you made him out to be, Sterling." "Well, let's not go that far." Sterling growled. "He's right." Sunset declared. "We all know how those other pages corrupted their protectors. Brody's probably a victim in this." "Perhaps..." Echo said grudgingly. "Let's just hope that spell doesn't mess us up too." Sterling stated, before turning to Sunset. "Though I have to admit, the green-eyed look is good on you. Maybe it'll work on me." "Smooth, Sterling." Sunset teased. "Admit it, you're flattered." Sterling chuckled. "Maybe a little." Sunset admitted. "But it'll take a lot more than one compliment to win me over." "No problem." Sterling grinned, leaning in close. "I like a challenge." "I'll bet you do." Sunset nudged him playfully. "Gotta admire a driven stallion..." As Echo looked at the two of them, a powerful surge of envy overcame him. It took a considerable amount of willpower for him not to punch Sterling in the face. 'Calm down, Echo.' He told himself. 'Focus on the mission...' They soon arrived at Brody's residence. When nopony answered his knocking, Echo broke down the door, grateful for something to let out his frustrations on. "Overkill, much?" Sterling frowned. Echo ignored him as they entered the house. Together, they searched it, but found no trace of Brody. "Nothing." Echo frowned. "Nopony's been here for a while, I'd gather." "Funny." Sterling snorted. "This is Brody's mom's house. He lives in her basement. But there's no Brody, and no mom..." "Are there any other places he could be, Sterling?" Sunset asked. "I can think of a few." Sterling shrugged. "Then by all means, lead the way." Echo declared, stepping beside Sunset. Sterling lead all across town, to places such as bars and sports arenas, but to no avail. Though they did run into some old acquaintances of Sterling, who revealed that Brody had been experimenting with dark magic recently. "Yeah, he really got into it." A bar patron revealed. "Totally obsessed. His mom went on vacation just to get away from him..." "You don't say?" Echo frowned. "That's another knock against Cross's judgement..." "I would never have guessed." Sterling sighed. "The Brody I knew would never do that..." "It's not your fault, Sterling." Sunset declared. "No matter what some ponies may think." She glared at Echo. "Thanks, Sunset." Sterling smiled, before sighing. "Boy, this all brings back memories. When we were kids, me and Brody were tight. We trusted each other. But now, I'm not so sure..." As dusk descended upon Grassa, they decided to book into a hotel for the night. "Night, Sterling." Sunset smiled. "Night, Sunny." Sterling smiled. "Good night, Echo." Sunset said flatly. "Yes, yes, good night." Echo frowned. Sterling was beginning to grow concerned. The animosity between his companion seemed to be increasing, rather than decreasing. "Easy there, guys." He declared. "Huh, good thing we've got separate rooms, or I'd worry about you two tearing each other apart. The single rooms concept pleased Echo, as the thought of Sterling and Sunset sharing anything was utterly repugnant to him at the moment. "I happen to think some time apart would be good for us right now." Sunset declared. "And of course, we know where to find each other if there's trouble." Sterling added. "You mean I know where to find you if there's trouble." Sunset smiled. "Well..." Sterling chuckled. Echo could take no more. He stormed into his room. "Okay..." Sterling sighed. "Night, then." Sterling and Sunset both entered their own rooms. In his own room, Echo was pacing angrily. "Who does that muscle-bound buckethead think he is?" He muttered angrily to himself. "Thinks he's so great, just because he's athletic, and handsome, and good with the ladies... Gah! I hate him!" Some time later, Sunset teleported into Sterling's room. "How are you holding up, Sterling?" She asked. "Not good." Sterling sighed. "I thought Brody was better than this... I mean, I knew the kid since grade school. This isn't like him one bit." "Don't beat yourself up." Sunset told him. "Whatever Echo says, it's not your fault." "Still having trouble forgiving him for what happened in Aerovis, huh?" Sterling noted. "Not just Aerovis." Sunset declared. "It's just... all this time I had spent with him, studying dark magic with him, I still don't know a thing about him." "Oh, come now, that can't be true." Sterling protested. "It is." Sunset frowned. "Day in and day out, we always worked in silence, and whenever we did talk, it was about work. And when I do try to get him to open up and do social things, he just clams up." "Well, he's a bat pony, Sunset. Bat ponies don't really talk much." Sterling shrugged. "Still, a part of me thought if I helped him with this quest, I might be able to learn more about him... but instead, he continues to keep more secrets from me. Like why is everypony so nervous about him getting angry? What is with those wispy eyes when he does get angry? And what is about this stupid 'probation' I keep hearing about? Every day with him, more and more questions pops up and I don't have a single answer!" Sunset fumed. "It's so dang frustrating!" "And I understand that." Sterling nodded soothingly. "But I don't see why this is such a big deal to you, Sunset. You didn't seem to mind before..." "You missing the point, Sterling." Sunset shook her head. "He and I are supposed to be friends, yet he can't trust me to tell me one thing about himself. So, how am I to trust him if he cannot trust me?" "...I really don't know, Sunset." Sterling sighed. "But you have to know that Echo does care about you. Maybe you just gotta give him time. He's bound to come around..." "Well, I'm not holding my breath." Sunset grunted, before glancing at Sterling. "...Perhaps you could tell me about this probation Echo is on." Sterling pondered the idea for a moment. There was a chance that Sunset knowing the truth about Echo would actually repair the rift between them, but there was a greater chance that it could ruin their relationship once and for all. 'Best not to risk it.' He thought. "Well?" Sunset asked. "I can't tell you, Sunset." Sterling sighed. "You were willing to before." Sunset pointed out. "Yeah, but things have changed since then." Sterling admitted. "I've actually come to respect the guy. I can't betray him by blowing his secrets like that. It's best that you let Echo tell you when he's ready." "...Fine." Sunset growled, "Suit yourself. I'm going to bed." And with that, Sunset teleported out of the room. "What, no goodnight kiss?" Sterling joked to himself. Later, as Echo slept, he had a dream. Sunset and Sterling were in bed together, kissing. "Mmm, you're such a good kisser." Sunset purred. "You're not so bad yourself." Sterling smirked. "No, no..." Echo groaned in his sleep. In his dream, the two moved closer together, embracing each other... "Oh, I've been waiting for this for so long..." Sterling declared, caressing Sunset's curves. "You and me both." Sunset added, as she kissed his neck. The two leaned even closer together... "No, please! Unhoof her!" Echo, in his dream state, stepped forward. However, he was suddenly being pulled back. When he glanced behind him, he was treated with a horrifying sight. Rancour, Zhadnost, Uroho, Eros, Hubris, and Lethargy were all dragging him back. "Ancient Chineighse proverb: There is no love for the outsider!" Rancour cackled. "Shush now, leatherwings." Zhadnost sneered. "Silence is golden, you know!" "Yeah, what are ya, a peeping Tom?" Uroho belched. "That's disgusting!" "Forget her." Eros grinned. "You could always have some fun with me..." "Like she's worth your time, anyway." Hubris sneered. "Yeah, she's not worth the effort." Lethargy yawned. "No, let me go!" Echo struggled to escape their grasp, staring at the bed ahead of him. Suddenly, the masked pony appeared. He stepped in front of the bed, blocking it from Echo's view. Then he lashed out with his crystals, and everything went black... "No!" Echo suddenly bolted awake. "Just a dream... He sighed. "Just a dream..." Sterling drew back the curtains on the window. It was morning outside. "May as well go wake them up." Echo sighed. "The sooner this wretched chase is over, the better... Echo went to Sunset's room first. He knocked on the door, but got no answer. "Sunset?" He called, with still no answer. Starting to worry, Echo forced the door open. Inside, the room was a mess, with no sign of Sunset. "No..." Echo gasped. "No, no, no, no, no!" In his own room, Sterling was sleeping peacefully, when he was suddenly and violently shook awake by Echo. "What are you doing?!" He yelped, annoyed. "Let go of me!" "Where is she?" Echo growled. "What have you done with her?" "Who?" Sterling wrenched free of his grasp. "Sunset!" Echo yelled. "She's not in her room!" "She's not?" Sterling gasped. "Where is she?" "Don't try and play innocent with me!" Echo snarled. "What did you do?" "I didn't do anything!" Sterling yelled. "Get a hold of yourself! Losing your head isn't going to help Sunset!" Echo's anger softened at the idea of helping Sunset. "Yes." He nodded. "She needs us." "What could've happened to her?" Sterling pondered. "I saw her room." Echo declared. "There were definite signs of a struggle. She was most likely kidnapped." "How can we find her?" Sterling asked. "She could be anywhere!" "I believe I have something that can help in that regard." Echo smiled. In Echo's room, Echo took out a small stone from his saddlebag. "This stone is attuned to Sunset's unique magical signature." He declared. "It should lead us right to her." "And you have this... why?" Sterling asked. "For just such an emergency." Echo declared. "I actually have one that's attuned to your Earth Pony magic, too." "Okay..." Sterling frowned, a little disturbed. "And how exactly did you... 'attune' them? And when?" "There'll be time for that later." Echo shrugged. He moved the stone around, the item glowing as it changed directions. "Now, follow my lead." The two rushed off to find Sunset. They followed the stone's directions to the shore, where it pointed them to an abandoned schooner in the middle of the Nile. "She's over there!" Echo flared his wings. "And I'm going to save her!" "Oh no, you don't!" Sterling grabbed Echo's back hoof as he took off. "What do you think you're doing?" Echo growled, as Sterling dangled below. "I've got a stake in this too, remember?" Sterling pointed out. "And besides, you can't expect to save her alone! Not if the guy behind this is who I think it is!" "Alright, fine!" Echo growled, his envy overcome by logic. He pulled Sterling up and grabbed his sides. "Hang on!" Echo flew off in the direction of the schooner. Sunset was tied to a flagpole (her horn disabled by a sealing spell) atop the boat's top deck, struggling as a chubby neon green Unicorn pony with a powder blue mane, square glasses over orange eyes, a bronze medal Cutie Mark, clad in dusty royal guard armor, was trying to read the page. "Help! Get me down from here!" Sunset yelled. "Would you mind keeping it down?" The chubby pony groaned. "I'm trying to read this!" "Stop!" Sterling, being carried by Echo, dropped onto the top deck, as Echo landed aside him. "Sunset, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Echo asked. "No. Thank goodness you're both here." Sunset smiled. Echo frowned at the word 'both', as he glanced at Sterling. "Don't you worry, Sunny, we'll get you down." Sterling pledged. "Hey!" Echo and Sunset turned to face the stallion. "What do you think you're doing?!" The stallion demanded. "This is my par-Sterling?" "Brody Bronze?" Sterling gasped. "What the bu-" "You're ruining everything!" Brody screeched. "Ruining?" Sterling spluttered. "What's going on?! What are you doin'?!" "I don't know, but he's trying to infuse me with dark magic and make me like that masked freak!" Sunset revealed. Echo frowned deeper, Sunset's attitude towards dark magic concerning him. "Freak?" Brody snorted. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..." He got between Sunset and the two stallions. "Lady, you're going to be kicking flank once I'm through with you. Once I get a bit of practice in, we'll be good to go." He turned to Echo and Sterling. "Don't you worry, guys, the mare is just having anxiety issues, she will be fine once the dark magic infusion process is done." "What the heck are you doing, Brody?" Sterling growled. "And what is this about dark magic infusion?" "Yes, I doubt somepony of your caliber has the capability to do so." Echo said bluntly. "Are you saying I'm dumb?" Brody growled. "Actually, I was leaning towards 'recklessly irresponsible'." Echo clarified. "You gonna let your buddy talk to me like that, Sterling?" Brody asked. "Yes, I am." Sterling declared. "This isn't the Brody I know. You've gone off the deep end, pal. "Oh, that's nice." Brody growled. "We haven't seen each other in ages, and this is how you treat me!" "Come on, Brody, let the mare go and give us the page." Sterling ordered. "You know what, Sterling? Just run along with this bat-guy, ok?" Brody shooed them. "Just walk away. Because you both seem a little intimidated by my unmistakable confidence and charisma." He started to turn away, before realizing something. "Oh hey! Did you know? I'm changing my name! It's gonna be called "Argent Kick!" He kicked at the word 'Kick'. "Argent Kick?" Echo frowned. "Argent is another word for 'Sterling'." Sterling rolled his eyes. "This obsession with me is getting out of hand, Brody. "Hey, I'm not obsessed!" Brody protested. "If I was, I would be going with 'Argent X', the 'X' being another word for Cross! But no, I'm going with Argent Kick! For Argent Kick-flank!" "Oh, if I wasn't tied up, I would kick your flank!" Sunset said angrily. "Oh, the gratitude!" Brody spat, frustrated. "Look, I can care less about your fanboyism, but if you think I'm going to let you do anything to Sunset, you got another-" Echo started. "Easy, Echo..." Sterling turned to face Brody. "Look, Brody, pal, you really need to cool it. Dark magic is not something you should be messing with! You're still a kid!" "Hey, I'm not a kid!" Brody said indignantly. "I have been working my butt off over the years since you left! I joined the militia! I got knife training! Heck, I even got a hoof in into that organization you're into!" "Organization?" Echo and Sunset said together, before turning to Sterling. "Sterling?" "What are you talking about, Brody?" Sterling asked, a bit confused. "Oh, as if you don't know!" Brody began trying to pull out something out from under his armor. "You really think you can just walk in here and, you know, do everything? It's... no... you can't go around sucking up to the big boys, Sterling! No, no, no!" Sterling glanced at Brody worryingly. "That's me, ok?! That's me. I'm the guy who's going to impress Flatfoot! Me!" "Flatfoot?" Echo repeated. "I'm the one that's been training in my mom's basement for this bull-crud! Me!" Brody slipped the page into a seam in his armor, then pulled out a somewhat large knife, waving it around, much to Sterling and Echo's concern. "I'm the one, just watch me! Anything you can do, I can do better!" Brody charged at Echo and Sterling. Echo took to the skies, while Sterling sidestepped the attack. "You think you know Sterling?" Brody snorted. "You don't know him at all! But I do... Just wait. Before this is over, Flatfoot will be singing my praises!" "Who is Flatfoot?" Echo frowned. "No clue." Sterling shrugged. "Wrong answer, Sterling!" Brody sneered. "What exactly are you planning to do here, Brody?" Sterling growled, firing with a crossbow bolt. "I'm going to turn your lady friend here into a copy of that masked pony working for him." Brody declared, zapping the bolt with his magic. "Then I'm gonna give her to the Order." "Order?" Echo frowned, divebombing Brody. "What order?" "Beats me." Sterling declared. "Seriously, Sterling?" Brody snorted, swinging his knife. "You know what I'm talking about. After today, I'll be welcomed into the Order. Probably become one of the bigwigs. Heck, someday, I might even be running the whole joint!" Sterling dodged the knife swings, then lashed out with a punch. "Ow!" Brody cringed. "You'll pay for that!" Brody struck back, but was easily repelled by Sterling. "Typical Sterling." He snarled. "Always gotta show me up. It's not fair! You've had your time in the spotlight! Now it's my turn!" Sterling dodged Brody's latest swing, but was unbalanced by the attempt. Brody capitalised on it by ramming into him, knocking him down. "Yes!" He yelled. "Who's the best now?" "I don't what you're talking about, but it ends here!" Echo charged Brody. "You can't stop me." Brody declared, as they clashed. "I will turn that mare into a living weapon!" "We'll see." Echo swung a hoof at him. "You know what that means?" Brody continued, dodging Echo. "A guaranteed promotion to the big leagues!" "And what about Sunset?" Sterling growled. "How do you know she'll even survive the experience?" "There's a little risk, sure." Brody shrugged. "But the reward outweighs it." "Not in my eyes." Sterling declared. "See, I happen to care about that mare... a whole lot, actually." Echo suddenly stopped in his tracks. "I knew it." He growled, glaring at Sterling. "You're trying to take her away from me!" "Say what?" Sterling gulped. "Don't even think about pretending otherwise!" Echo roared. "It's not fair! You don't deserve her, I do! I'm the one who spent a whole month learning everything I could about her!" "You... did?" Sunset gasped. "Yes." Echo said, his voice strained. "I love everything about you, Sunset. Your sharp mind, your kind heart, your beautiful face, your shapely flanks... and I won't let this musclebound neanderthal take you from me!" "...Um, am I missing something here?" Brody asked. "No, you're not." Sterling grunted, as he then eyed Echo warily, "Echo, listen, now is not the time-" "No, you listen!" Echo snarled savagely. "I won't just stand by and let you take the pony who matters most to me! No pony, not you, not Shining, not this stupid kid-" "Hey!" Brody said indignantly. "-Is going to get in my WAY!" Echo barked, his voice taking a monstrous tone at the end, as his eyes grew wispy. "Echo..." Sunset gasped, recognizing what was happening to Echo from Chineigh. "Oh, crud…" Sterling muttered nervously. Even Brody wasn't liking the look of things. "Whoa, easy, bat-dude!" Brody approached Echo, "Let's take it down a notch, okay-" Suddenly, Echo gripped Brody by his chest armor, the sound of metal crushing under his clutched hoof crinkling in his ear. "...Uh oh." Brody gulped. With a snarl, Echo, with strength far beyond what was capable for him, lifted Brody and chucked him towards the bridge. "With my last breath, I curse Stableberg!" Brody cried as he crashed through the window of the bridge. "...Ow." Giving off a grunt, Echo then turned to Sterling with a vicious glare, prompting Sterling to step back a bit in caution. "Echo, please, calm down! You're letting your anger get the better of you!" Sterling trying to diffuse the situation, holding up his hooves. "I know you care a lot for Sunset... I'm not trying to take her away from you!" "Oh, really?!" Echo snarled. "What about what happened on the beach in Fetland? And all the other times you've flirted with her?" "Look, I never meant to hurt anypony." Sterling declared. "And I get that you love Sunset. But I love her too, and I'm not gonna apologise for that!" "You should." Echo snarled. "Because I won't let you have her." "That's not your call to make." Sterling countered. "If she wants to be with me, that's her choice." "I'll kill you before I let that happen!" Echo grabbed Sterling by the throat and lifted him up. "Don't make me do this..." Sterling croaked. "You started it!" Echo spat. Sterling kicked Echo in the face, causing him to let go. "It's the spell." He declared. "It's filling you with envy. You've gotta fight it!" "NO!" Echo roared, his anger growing worse by the minute, as his body began to 'quiver' underneath the skin, as parts of his body began to grow muscular, namely around his hooves and his face, his bottom jaw's features growing harder. "What's happening to him?!" Sunset panicked, growing deeply concerned for the Thestral. "He's close to turning!" Sterling replied. "I can't let this happen, not again!" Echo charged at Sterling with a monstrous roar, and the two began to fight. Echo lashed out like a savage beast, while Sterling used strategy, attempting to wear his opponent down. He holstered his crossbow, not wanting to hurt his friend. "You don't wanna do this, Echo!" Sterling declared, as he dodged one of Echo's blows. "You don't wanna go past the point of no return!" "I DON'T CARE!" Echo roared, his voice seeming quiver with rage... and something else. "Sunset was the one bright star in my prison of a life, and I will rather die a hundred deaths before I let you take that from me!" "Echo..." Sunset whispered. "Think about your equinity!" Sterling urged. "You don't want to lose all that again." "Why? It's not like I have anything else to lose!" Echo growled. As the fight wore on, Sterling was the one being worn down. He dodged most of Echo's blows, but the ones that landed were devastating. Before long, Sterling found himself buckling. "You're mine now..." Echo hissed. "Don't... do it..." Sterling groaned, clutching his battered body. Echo answered with a kick, sending Sterling flying across the deck, and landing in a crumpled heap against the side of the deck. "Goodbye..." Echo grunted, approaching the down guard. "Echo, please, don't!" Sunset pleaded. But her pleads fell on deaf ears as Echo continued towards his prey... when suddenly... "LEEROY WINGKINS!" Brody screamed, as he charged out of the bridge, a bit worse for wear, but still kicking, as he swung his big hunting knife with much force as he could muster... Only for Echo to quickly turn around and catch it with one of his hooves. "What?!" Brody gaped. "Nice knife..." Echo sneered, as with a squeeze of his hoof, the knife shattered to pieces, prompting Brody to step back and glanced at his broken blade. "Hey! This knife cost me a thousand bits!" Brody whined. "You'll pay for that, you fr-" Before Brody could finish that sentence, Echo slugged him hard in the face, sending sprawling across the ground. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Brody whimpered, clutching the side of his face as well as his nose, the latter being broken, "That's no fair! I wasn't ready!" "My apologies..." Echo apologized mockingly. "How about now?!" He suckered punched him in the guts, causing the chubby pony to wheeze. "Agh!" Brody groaned, gripping his injured stomach. He glared at the Thestral as he approached him menacingly. "Why you..." He charged and punched Echo in the face, only to cry out in pain, having broken his hoof upon hitting Echo's altered chin. "Gah! Uhh... time out?" Echo smirked darkly, then started pummeling Brody. He knocked the hapless Unicorn across the deck, picking him up when he fell, and beating him down again, until eventually... "I'm getting bored." Echo growled. "Time to end this..." "No, please!" Brody begged, his face bruised and swollen, and his glasses broken. "Echo, no!" Sunset yelled. "Don't do it, please!" As Echo raised his hoof, he was tackled from behind by Sterling, who had recovered enough to fight again. Sterling rammed Echo headfirst into the ship's guard rail, and punched him repeatedly. Echo lashed out with a hoof, but Sterling grabbed and pinned it, following up with a headbutt. "Urgh!" Echo snarled. "You vile thug!" Echo managed to push Sterling off, but was clearly showing signs of fatigue. Sterling recovered, and stod firm. "Want more?" Echo snarled breathlessly. "No, you do." Sterling struck Echo on the head with the butt of his crossbow, knocking him out. "You'll thank me for this later, pal." Brody struggled to his feet, his body being in immense pain. "You know what, Sterling? I'm gonna take it easy on you." Brody fell to his knees, as he coughed a bit of blood. "Because you look like you could use a break..." "Come on, Brody, what was the point of all this?" Sterling sighed. "...Dang it, Sterling, I only wanted to be the one to make 'them' happy." Brody groaned. "Who happy?" Sterling asked. "Oh, you know who I am talking about!" Brody growled. "You're only one of their senior members! I just wanted to be up there with you! Being the big bads that run the Order!" Sunset glanced at Sterling confused. "...Seriously, pal, I have no idea what you're talking about." Sterling said firmly. "Come on, I'm talking about the-" Brody started. Suddenly, landing on the deck, was none other than the masked pony, the crystals cushioning his landing. "Is... is that-?" Brody quivered. "Yep." Sterling nodded, glaring at him and the masked pony. "And I think we both know who he's gunning for." "No!" Brody yelped. "Help me, Sterling! Please!" "After what you've pulled?" Sterling snorted. "B-but I can help you!" Brody declared, as the masked pony summoned his crystals. "I doubt it." Sterling frowned. "Hey, maybe, maybe you need a... maybe you need a sidekick, huh?" Brody said desperately. "What do you..." He realized the pun. "Kick! Get it? Get it? Because my name is Kick!" The masked pony's crystals begin to surround Brody. "Make an answer right now, because he's going to kill me!" Brody squealed. Sterling was of two minds. His wanted to save Brody, but his mind said 'Ah, screw it.' Just as the crystals closed in, Sterling tackled Brody out of their path. But as he did, the page slipped out of the armor, and onto the crystals, which carried it over to the masked pony. For a moment, Sterling considering making a grab for it. But he knew he was in no shape to fight. Echo was still out, and Sunset was tied up. He had no choice but to let the enemy have the page. The masked pony nodded mockingly, and departed. Sighing deeply, Sterling turned to Brody. "...You saved my life..." Brody gaped in shock. "Even though I acted like a total jerk..." "Yeah, you did..." Sterling agreed. "Why'd you do it?" Brody asked. "Because we were friends once." Sterling declared. "I'm sorry." Brody sighed. "I just wanted to be a big shot. Like you..." "I know you did." Sterling sighed. "So... now what?" Brody asked. "Now you give all this up." Sterling growled. "Say what?" Brody gaped. "No way!" "You almost died today!" Sterling declared. "Unless you want that to happen again, you're gonna have to disappear!" "Disappear?" Brody repeated. "What, you think you've seen the last of that masked goon?" Sterling growled. "Think again!" "But, but... the organization-" Brody shook his head. "Forget it." Sterling interrupted. You gotta book, bro. Fast!" "Okay, I will." Brody trembled. "Thanks, Sterling. For saving me. I'm sorry for-" "I know." Sterling said bluntly. "Now beat it before I change my mind." "You got it." Brody nodded. Stopping only to unseal Sunset's magic, Brody departed. As Sterling untied Sunset, Echo awoke. His eyes had returned to normal, as well as his body shape, as the thestral clutched his head. "Oh, my head..." He groaned. "Sorry about that, pal." Sterling apologised. "You gave me no choice." "I understand." Echo sighed. "I can't believe it that I almost let myself…" "Almost let yourself what?" Sunset asked. "Echo, please. I know there's something you're not telling me, and I can't stand it anymore. No more secrets, please." "You gotta tell her, Echo." Sterling agreed. "She has a right to know." Echo sighed deeply. "Very well, I guess you do deserve the truth…" Echo sighed, "You want to know how it is that I'm on probation? How it is I'm despised and distrusted back home? Why Shining is so insistent on keeping me cooped up... well, there was this incident back in Canterlot…" "In Canterlot?" Sunset mused, recalling Celestia mentioning how Echo didn't 'make a good impression'. "Yes... I don't really remember much about it, though... my memories were drawing nothing but blanks, but something had happened to me... something that had caused me to do something awful. The last thing I remember before everything went blank was I was sitting at a bar, in Carris... I had just gotten my fourth rejection from an institute, for they refused to allow some Thestral to do his research on dark magic there. I was just sitting there, moping... and then a stallion sat next to me..." "Who?" Sunset asked. "I don't know." Echo declared. "That's when it all went blank. I don't know how long it had been, but the first thing I remembered after that is finding myself in Canterlot Castle, standing in front of Princess Miracle Morningstar. I learned that I had become some kind of feral beast, and had kidnapped and imprisoned many ponies." "You did?" Sunset gasped. "Why?" "I don't remember." Echo sighed. "From what I've been told, I was a savage, ruthless creature. The same creature that I almost became just now…It was thanks to her that I was able to come to my senses and returned to normal. And that would be the end of it... I was wrong." "What do you mean?" Sunset frowned. "Allow me." Sterling stepped forth. "You see, Echo was moved to the Crystal Empire for his protection. Many ponies weren't happy that a pony who was studying dark magic and had unknowingly kidnapped half a town full of ponies only got off with a slap on his hooves. At first glance, everything seem fine... but then there was another incident..." "Another one? What happened?" Sunset questioned. "Well, some of the Royal Guards found it funny to mess with the Thestral." Sterling frowned. "They began harassing him, pushing him around, calling him names... but then they began messing with his research..." "That was what sent me over the edge." Echo growled. "It turned out that Miracle's magic had only supressed my beast form, rather than getting rid of it altogether. Before I knew it, I had blacked out again..." "He nearly killed those poor guys." Sterling recalled. "That I did." Echo sighed. "Once again, I had caused great harm to other ponies, bringing myself even greater regret." "Oh, Echo..." Sunset sighed. "That is why I was on probation." Echo declared. "Beast or not, I had to answer for my crimes. It was only thanks to the Princesses' intervention that I didn't end up behind bars or euthanized. Though there are times when I think that was what I deserved..." "Don't say that." Sunset declared. "You're no monster. You're a good, kind stallion." "You still believe that?" Echo smiled. "After everything I-" "You're not the only one who's made mistakes." Sunset declared. "I've made several; Betraying the trust of my mentor, manipulating the denizens of a parallel world, turning into a raging she-demon..." "What?!" Echo and Sterling gasped. "Long story short, I knew what it's like to lose yourself to the darkness within." Sunset smiled. "And I also know what it means to be an outcast." "You do?" Echo gaped. "Of course I do." Sunset nodded. "I guess I forgot that for a while. But I won't again." "Thank you, Sunset." Echo smiled. "And about what I said earlier-" "No need to explain." Sunset smiled. "It was the spell. The real question here is: What was that Brody guy talking about? All that stuff about an 'Order'." "Yes." Echo mused. "And he seemed to think Sterling was involved... Why would that be?" "I wouldn't put too much stock into that." Sterling shrugged. "He must've got it into his head that he and I are a part of some non-existent group. As for me, I've always dedicated my life to the Royal Guard. Ain't any other organization I would serve." "So he was off his nut, huh?" Sunset declared. "I can believe that." "So can I." Echo nodded. "You're a good stallion, Sterling, and I trust you. Now, let us be away from this place." "Lead the way, pal." Sterling smiled. Sometime later, as evening fell over the city, the masked pony met with his hooded ally atop a roof. "Greetings." The hooded pony declared. "What news have you?" "Page acquired." He declared. "No thanks to that fool, Bronze. He almost blew our whole operation wide open!" "Calm yourself, my friend." The hooded pony declared. "For we now have five pages. If the final page can be made ours, victory will be all but assured." "But what about the pages Echo and the others have?" The masked pony asked. "And how does Echo fit into the endgame?" "You'll see soon enough." The hooded pony declared. "Once all the pages are accounted for, our master plan can finally be set in motion. Just be patient for a little while longer." "Very well, Flatfoot." The masked pony sighed. "For now, all you have to do is focus on getting the final page." The hooded pony declared. "Consider it done." The masked pony chuckled. "I'm on quite a roll lately..." Meanwhile, the trio stopped back at the hotel for the night. "I'm sorry, Echo." Sunset declared. "I shouldn't have given you such a hard time lately." "That's alright." Echo smiled. "I should have trusted you enough to share my past with you." "So we're both to blame." Sunset nodded, offering her hoof. "Let's call it even, and move on." "Gladly." Echo took her hoof and shook it. "You know, I missed being able to talk with you. There's nothing quite like conversing with a like-minded and fair-hearted friend." "Same here." Sunset smiled. "And I promise, we'll be having more talks soon." "I look forward to that." Echo chuckled. "Good night, Echo." Sunset beamed. "Good night, Sunset." Echo beamed. Once she'd retired to her room, Sunset started thinking about what Echo had said before. 'He said he loves me.' She thought. 'And I was so worried when he almost changed. Do I feel the same way? ...I just don't know. I've never been in love before, so how can I be certain?' Meanwhile, Sterling slipped outside, and activated the mirror, having to tell Shining the bad news. "I don't believe this." Shining groaned. "I trusted you, Sterling. You and those others... and you let me down…again." "Your highness, there's still one page left." Sterling protested. "I'm sure we can-" "I'm sorry, Sterling." Shining interrupted. "But I can't leave the fate of Equestria in your hooves anymore. I'm sending in a battalion of Guards to secure the last page." "But what about us, sir?" Sterling asked. "Remember our agreement, Sterling?" Shining reminded him. "You are to bring Echo back to the Crystal Empire post-haste. Is that understood?" "But sir, what are you going to do to Echo?" Sterling frowned. "Because if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" "That is no longer your concern. Just do as I command, understood?" Shining glared. Sterling remained silent. "Understood?!" Shining demanded again. "Understood." Sterling nodded begrudgingly. "Good." Shining faded from the mirror. "Rrrah!" Sterling snarled angrily. He almost threw the mirror over the railing, but composed himself in time. "I'm sorry, your highness." He declared. "But that's an order I cannot follow."