[Blazing's Entry]
Bullets that can pierce steel doors. Armor that can stop standard projectiles without being as heavy as a platemail. Invisible airship. Beam weapons and magic.
What a pain...
But none of that matters right now because I'm stuck in the mirror world. Yes, from Antares' explanations we really are on the other side where Twilight Sparkle rules, basically at the same geographical location where Ironclaw is on our side. That of course means in the middle of a freaking desert again but apparently the supply routes of a private martial arts school are better than the GFL ones.
Public institutions, am I right?
So, yeah, this is gonna be a long one.
I wasn't surprised in the slightest when I heard this place was being resupplied once a week and that the caravan left yesterday. What DID surprise me was that a temple in the middle of nowhere offers a supply of fuel and an emergency way out. When we explained our situation to Antares he immediately offered us to send Crom away on a glider which is a better version of commonly used griffon thrusters but Crom refused, saying the week wasn't a big deal and that he wanted to stay with me anyway. I guess the promise is something he intends to keep and I couldn't be happier.
The fact that we really are in the mirror world explained Antares' desire to remain unknown as a changeling because here they are considered night terrors and evil predators, basically what they were known on our side as after the invasion of Canterlot. I don't really have any desire to tell on him though. After watching few practice lessons I have no doubt his massive power is related to his students loving and respecting him. He might not be a queen-grade changeling but he sure holds more power than I've ever seen even Chrysalis possess maybe aside from the story about her forcefully draining Shining Armor and fighting princess Celestia.
I asked him how long he's been here and I certainly didn't expect the answer. Sometimes they say the world is small. I can now say that two worlds aren't much bigger. I once had a talk with Heavy Hoof about his coltfriend Cross and he told me the history of commander Shadowstep and her legion, mostly how they all died and she was tortured by a dragon sorcerer, resulting in the creation of Cross.
Where is this going?
Half a millenium ago, as Shadowstep's legion marched through the desert it shattered into straggler groups running away. Antares was in one of those groups and found what he thought was a mirage but in truth was a portal anomaly left behind by griffon-pony wars in an area which used to be so bombarded by magic it turned into a desert. As it turned out the building he saw wasn't an illusion but a temple belonging to some sort of monk order who took him in, especially when he proved to be an excellent fighter and obedient like most changelings. And just like that he stayed there, the anomaly eventually disappeared, and century after century he fed off the coming students and as the old grandmasters came and died he kept the place going.
My guess is that the portal anomaly lasted in some form, allowing him to remain in this world as long as he stayed in the area and recently somepony found out about it, binding it into a mirror and stabilizing it.
Rocky was up and walking around two days after we got stranded here and now she's doing some light exercises with the students here. I was shocked at how easily Antares defeated me so I decided to ask him for some lessons.
[End Entry]
"Tsk!" I hiss, getting up from the floor for what feels like the fiftieth time, "Again?"
Antares shakes his head.
"How to say it tactfully? You are bad, even worse than most of my newest students. There is no real point in us sparring anymore."
"What?" Crom, who has been watching us, relaxing and sharpening his axe, blinks in shock, "Back in the Guard he was considered the best hoof-to-hoof fighter possibly of all Equestria."
"Well, he's not," Antares says bluntly and looks back at me, "You have no feel for the flow of battle, you are slow, easily distracted, and you don't think about the fight. All you've got going for you seems to be an unnatural ability to predict the best course of action for the enemy. Something which I've been exploiting over and over by either putting you in a position where you can't react despite knowing what would come or simply by not doing the most effective attack at the time. Anyone who know what they are doing and have the time to measure you up a little would do the same, no matter what weapon they use. Simply put, you have no skill to carry you, you just react perfectly. You can't win only by responding to your enemy."
I watch him blankly, having no idea what to say. This has been my only pride, the only thing I was good at and now with just few words and several hours of fruitlessly trying to defeat Antares it's gone. I'm not physically fit anymore, my only ability is apparently worthless, and I don't have enough divine power to count as a force to be reckoned with.
I sit there silently, watching the wooden floor.
"What's going on with your wings?" asks Antares and I spread one, looking at the blackfrost plumes.
Yeah, I'm not in a great mood right now.
"Can't you, I don't know, give him a refresh on basics before we leave with the caravan?" Crom throws me a lifeline, "We still have few days."
"Not really."
"Come oooooon! I know we can't pay you but-"
Antares scowls at Crom's insinuation.
"I couldn't care less about money. The point is that I get students like him here. Soldiers or colts, it doesn't matter. They have so many bad habits ingrained in them that just getting rid of those takes months or years. Time that we don't have."
"We?" asks Crom.
"I would like to return home one day. When you told me I wasn't stranded in some other world similar to mine but just a twin world of the Equestria I was born in I started thinking about it and, if possible, I want to wrap things up here and see new horizons. I've been here for centuries and, trust me, things get stale after a while. Most of all, I want to see Shadowstep and apologize to her. If she survived then her course of action was correct. Those of us who deserted... were wrong and paid for it."
"You know we could just say we wouldn't take you to Shadowstep if you didn't help Blaze get better."
"It's not about whether or not I want to teach someone but whether I can and, as I said, I can't."
"Can't you help him improve his style or something quick?"
"It's fine, Crom," I wave a hoof dismissively, "We'll take you with us if you want, Antares. I don't know where Shadowstep is but one of my friends should be able to help you. I'm not gonna keep you from working with those students who deserve your attention."
"Blaze..." Crom sighs.
"Hey, it's not all bad," Antares smiles suddenly and pats Cromach's head randomly, "You might have zero feel for martial arts but just this little session told me there is something in you. You are a bruiser, a brawler, you refuse to hurt someone needlessly which reflects in your overly defensive approach to combat, and when a friend is threatened you go all in like you did in the cantine when you arrived. You know what?"
"Hmm?" I look up at him towering above me.
"I might not be able to smack some skill into you during next few days but I sure can make your muscles burn. Some basic training should do you good no matter what and, depending on how my meeting with general Shadowstep goes, I might think of a good style for you later."
"Won't you feel bad for leaving your school just to get closure?"
"The leadership of a temple is traditionally passed down from grandmaster to his best student and the poor guy's been patiently waiting for me to croak for decades. He's definitely responsible enough to take over although the shock from the good news might wreck his poor old heart. As for the closure... I like exploring, I like seeing what the world has to offer, being stuck here for centures since Shadowstep's march was a little too much for me. I might stay with you for a while or travel, it doesn't matter as long as it's a change of pace."
"How is the search for the mirror going?" I decide to switch topics.
After our appearance and first explanations Antares ordered the temple searched from top to bottom for the mirror which disappeared in the commotion but so far nothing has come up.
"Still no clue. The few older members I trust completely are going through all rooms and personal belongings but the mirror must be being moved around while we're not watching."
"Is it possible this is a group effort rather than some lone smuggler?"
"No, I'm certain of that. I know most of my students fairly well and the reputation of my school is impeccable so there's a good reason for everyone to be here. Old families, especially griffon ones, want their heirs to build endurance, self-reliability, and some close combat skills. There are only few students of questionable backgrounds and those enlisted at completely unrelated times. This has to be a solo effort or an incredibly long-term operation which is impossible since you told me the first rift between the worlds opened fairly recently."
"How is the guy getting the blueprints though, the supply caravan?"
"I see no other way. I'll have the caravan members watched during this visit so we'll know if someone makes a move."
"You are one sneaky bastard."
"Changeling soldier. I might not be an infiltrator but even I know how to cover my tracks and watch a target. Especially if everyone around me would immediately set me on fire."
"Well, at least that won't be a problem at home."
"Peace between the predators and the prey. Strange but welcome."
"Hey, if you want high quality love then the best way to get it is to take good care of your provider. Queen Chrysalis understood it and now things are fine... ish."
"We'll see. Now go get some rest. Beating you up any more would be pointless."
Struggling with each step not only due to physical exhaustion, I leave for my room. Crom comes as well, helping me move with a wing wrapped around my back. Back in my temporary room I crumble on the bed and Crom sits next to me. Thankfully, after our initial misunderstanding each one of us got a separate room. Not that it stopped Crom from spending every night in mine but it was the thought that counted.
"Can you stay here a while?"
"Sure, not feeling like brooding alone?"
"What can I say? Misery loves company."
I keep repeating what happened today in my head. With minutes ticking away Crom lies down and snuggles my back.
"Damn," I mumble.
"Hm?"
"It's the only thing I had going for me, you know? Now I get told what I was teaching newbies for years was wrong and might have hurt them nore than helped. What will I even do if I return? I can't go back to training guards."
"Sure you can."
"But Antares said-"
"First of all, how can you be so sure he was right?"
"He wiped the floor with me, few times literally. He knows what he's doing and what he's talking about. I can see he's right."
"Well, maybe. The thing is that noone cares about you not being the best of the best. You didn't teach the recruits martial arts, you taught them hoof to hoof combat. You showed them what to do when they don't have the time to do anything fancy. Thanks to you some of them actually sift through the orders they get instead of blindly obeying them."
"I... guess?" I press my back tighter against the griffon behind me, still unconvinced.
"Trust me, I've been through a ton of part-time jobs before I joined the army and it's not about being the best at something but being good at selling what you can do. If worst comes to worst you can start as a normal guard. It's not like we would turn anyone down these days."
"Moments like these just remind me how little experience I really have. I doubt I can really put 'defeated an evil dictator in a fight inside his head' in my resume. Even after all that I'm just a unicorn, ignoring the details, who dropped out of a university twice."
"No matter what, I'll be there to help, simple enough."
Not pressing Crom further, I just decide to rest through the afternoon, wrapped in a pair of soft, white wings.
A large surge of magic is occuring nearby. Wake up!
My eyes shoot open and I jump down from the bed even before I realize I'm awake.
"Mmmm," Cromach moans.
"Get up, Cro!"
What's going on?
It's almost morning and somepony is using some strange form of magic. It feels foul but powerful.
"What's up?" Crom blinks, immediately ready for action when he sees me standing in the room and looking around.
"Some weird magic is coming from the cellars."
"Changeling magic? Is Antares eating his students?"
"I doubt that. This magic feels like... death. I've never felt anything similar before. Let's go."
"Should we tell Antares first?"
As we run out of my room the temple shakes in its foundations.
"I think he knows now."
This place either must have been built on the site of the Ironclaw fortress or the fortress on our side must have been built on the layout of this temple because we have no trouble navigating through the halls down underground accompanied by surprised glances of students waking up and sticking their heads out of the rooms.
Rock Candy joins us as we run past her room and we spot Antares and a bunch of students standing in front of a shimmering wooden door.
"Soooo, we weren't the only ones who felt the magic?" I grin.
"Magic?" the fake griffon raises an eyebrow, "We ran here after we heard the explosion but the door is locked and shielded."
"Oh yeah, that won't last long," I focus on the aura around the door.
Mistake, as soon as I drain the magic unlock the door.
Sure. I've been itching to be a bit useful after I failed you during the training. Sorry, once again. It seems that me watching your blind spots isn't enough to beat that changeling.
Let's agree we both suck and see what's behind the door.
The barrier is simple to dispel but the amount of magic poured into is is staggering and I stumble as the drained power courses through my veins.
The door turns to vapor.
Oops, I just wanted to unlock it. What the hay?
The cellar is dark and rich with the heavy scent of blood sticking to our muzzles and making several of the students throw up on the spot. Brown puddles and smears on the floor accentuated by a heap in the corner only serve to unsettle the ones still standing steady.
I feel Mistake attempt to conjure a sphere of light in the middle of the room but he miscasts again and bright white glow coming seemingly from everywhere illuminates every spot in the room. Antares immediately jumps inside, talons at the ready to rip any threat to shreds. A short moment later he's grabbed by an invisible force and shoved into a wall. I don't wait for more and rush inside as well.
A brown, scarred unicorn is standing on the far end of the cellar with horn glowing bright red. Stains of drying blood all over the floor and the unicorn are explained as the heap in the corner reveals who must have undoubtedly been some of Antares' students.
"Blood magic..." I shiver as memories which are not mine flow into my head. Memories of cults sacrificing victims to make their life force fuel their magic. It's just a flash of explanation before Mistake cuts the flow of the knowledge of the gods but it's enough.
"Surprised, alicorn?" his eyes and grin go wide, "I'm a soldier. We know how to work with limited resources and on the battlefield there are only two things in abundance - blood and corpses."
"How could you do that?" groans Antares', still being crushed, "We took you in after you-"
The unicorn cackles.
"After Crowley sent me here to explore where the portal anomaly went? Oh dear, how easy was it to persuade you I was just some poor soldier lost in the desert after his caravan got raided by nomads. Well, now it's time to end your little school since your other 'visitors' revealed our ploy."
His horn's glow brightens and, letting Antares drop on the floor, a square on the wall behind him bursts out with blue light. Mystery of the missing mirror untangled, I don't wait longer, focus on the unicorn, and pull with my mind.
Red veins appear, glowing even through his coat, and his bloodshot eyes go wide. He coughs and I feel the formation of a general protection spell in his horn. It's obvious he has no idea what I'm doing and his horn cracks as I forcefully rip his magic out of him. Crumbling on the floor, he cackles again.
"Cool... trick..."
*Tink*
Something flies out of the mirror and hits the floor.
In the second I have I see Crom shield his face with an arm so I manage to at least close mine before a bright flash makes everypony unprepared scream. With eyes now completely useless I hear steps and clinking from the direction of the mirror.
Blinking, I still see nothing so I return to the tracking spell and see the black world filled with white outlines of griffons jumping out of the mirror and aiming their rifles. Reflexively, I cover myself with one fire wing and spread the other to protect anypony close enough. Cromach, being the only one not blinded by the flashbang immediately rolls behind me.
The hail of bullets and melted lead is short and precise. Despite my eyes not working properly I feel a sudden emptiness from where Antares was.
He's alright, the bullets just bounced away from him. Sure makes you wish you still had your changeling powers. Rocky and Crom are also fine. Both had enough experience with griffon weaponry to cover their eyes and hide behind you. The students though... didn't.
White outlines of six griffon soldiers aim their rifles at us, the remaining four survivors.
"The alicorn and the group encountered. Requesting orders," one mumbles into his mouthpiece.
Good. That means we have few seconds.
The room is bathed in green flames as Antares drops his disguise and goes wild. One griffon is ripped in half before he can turn his head, armor offering no protection against an overfed changeling.
In the despair coming from him I feel he realized one thing, something Void told me when I fought him in Rift. No amount of power is sufficient to prevent all tragedies.
The six soldiers are turned to bloody paste in moments and Antares turns on us.
"This is all your fault!" he growls.
"Hey, hey, we ran away from the guy who sent those soldiers. He did the same thing-" Cromach objects.
"You just HAD to show him the way here," says Antares, ignoring all evidence, reality, and sanity.
"That makes no sense-"
Antares lunges at me, mouth wide and snarling.
He freezes mid-air, covered in black ice.
"Chill out," I say firmly, "and think before doing something you'll regret."
The alicorn of Hope.
But it's not just hope, is it? Hope comes only when there is nothing else left. The powerless wish and hope because they have nothing otherwise they would change things themselves. Only the desperate ones truly hope.
Split into two, arguing forever, the alicorn of Hope and Despair, gains power from both but has to balance them otherwise he would either crumble and go insane or just become a useless wishing dreamer. The desperate and broken unicorn who decided the only way out was to give at least a little hope to the ones around him.
The sadness coming off Antares gives me so much power that even his love reserves can't break my blackfrost prison.
"Antares, are you listening?" I ask calmly, "I won't say it twice."
He growls.
"I'll take that as a yes. I'm going through and making sure the mirror can't be repaired. When I'm gone break the mirror on this side and I'll do it on the other. Help Crom get to the Everfree gate as soon as you can-"
"Wait! I'm coming with you," says Crom heatedly, "I promised."
"No. The royal sisters need to be told about a griffon unit armed with so much firepower they could take over a small country in case whoever is behind this sets their eyes on Equestria."
"But-"
"Don't argue! I'll come back to you and this time..."
I grin.
"...this time I mean it!"
Not waiting for an answer, I jump through my black and white world into the portal.
After brief sickness my legs touch the floor and I buck backwards as hard as I can, hoping my special talent and strength shatter the mirror.
They do, at least one does. The other leg hits something soft.
Turning my head, I see Rock Candy groaning on the floor with her muzzle bleeding.
The white silhouettes of a group of griffons aiming at us are, unfortunately, a rather more pressing matter.
"Mister janitor, you seem to have a habit of ruining my plans," says the familiar scarred griffon, "but where are my manners? My name is Crowley and, despite some evidence contradicting Black Ops reports, yours must be Blazing Light."