//------------------------------// // 35. Lights Out // Story: Secrets of a Royal Guard // by Anzel //------------------------------// The note had been crystal clear: meet in the alley behind the Phial and Filly Alchemist Supply at half past ten. My pity party with Sunny had almost made me late, but eventually we’d gotten right. Well… right enough to part ways. This meeting was going to be different. We’d never met face-to-face before and I suspected we never would again. This was the end game. I’d flown in to make it difficult for anypony to follow me. Paranoid, sure, but at this point I couldn’t be too careful, and a pegasus diving straight down from the clouds was a tough thing to spot and even harder to trail. I was committed. Nothing could stop this now. It was far too late for that. Finish the mission. Remove the threat. Serve justice. The alley itself was shrouded in shadows. There was a door to the shop back there, but Runic had long since bricked it up on the other side. He preferred the side entrance or the door through the storefront. Both were more visible. He didn’t want ponies sneaking in from the dark alley to steal his rock collection. It wasn’t long before reality rippled briefly and a cloaked figure stepped from the shadows. Slowly it drew back its hood, revealing the fact that she was a unicorn mare. A familiar unicorn mare who I’d barely ever paid attention to. “I should have caught on it was you,” I said softly. Miley’s friend Val smiled. “You’re good, Silent Knight, but not that good. I’ve still got a lot of years on you when it comes to the trade.” “Perhaps, but I should have noticed how you were frequently in the store before or after a drop.” I shook my head. “Would you care to elaborate on who you really are?” “Equestrian Intelligence Service, Deputy Director responsible for the Nordanver Division. I’ve had my eye on them since before you put on that armor.” My ear flicked and I frowned. “This complicates things.” “This doesn’t complicate anything. It will be our little secret. After today you’re just Silent Knight and I’m just Val. Cousins, acquaintances, friends, whatever it turns out to be.” I nodded. “One more lie in a lifetime won’t be the end of me.” I eyed her before asking, “You’ll forgive my curiosity, but why get involved in this?” “I’ve several reasons. The simplest, believe it or not, is because we’re family. Runic would do anything for you, and I would do anything for Runic.” “I can appreciate that but risking your career for family is pretty extreme,” I replied. She shook her head. “This is a real black eye for my division. We had knowledge of Alastair’s ties but were blindsided that he’d try something so brazen, reckless, and stupid. Besides, would you do any different? “This is in my wheelhouse, for the most part. You’re the pony risking your career and misappropriating guards to make sure that justice is served for three ponies that aren’t related to you. At least we’re family and we have to protect the family. All of the family. You’re sworn to protect her.” The point was far more than fair. I just nodded and replied, “Yes, I am and I will. I would do the same thing again.” “And so would I. That isn’t the only reason though.” Her expression turned gravely serious. “I was there. You probably don’t remember the support ponies from the local embassy that helped Princess Luna with all of the paperwork, but I was one of them.” She shifted with a discomfort I recognized: the pain of remembering. “Princess Luna accidentally left behind a document and I volunteered to gallop down and give it to her. By the time I got there, it was too late. I had to watch, virtually helpless.” Val’s hooves trembled in what I could only imagine was anger. “Me, a veteran EIS operative, sat nearby and powerless while our princess was in danger and our ponies died. Surprised, outmaneuvered, and unprepared. I never saw it coming. I have to make good on that, Silent Knight. I wasn’t going to sit here and do nothing. So when you started sniffing around, I knew we could make this happen together.” I wanted to reach out and set a hoof on her shoulder but, in truth, I barely knew Val. Until recently, I didn’t even know we were family. “I understand. Then it’s time to close this book. You have enough information? Do we need him alive?” Her eyes narrowed. “No, we don’t need him and I doubt you could get him alive. Besides, we have nowhere to hold him that won’t raise too many questions. Gather up anything physical he has and leave it for me in the usual way but otherwise don’t worry about it.” ‘Don’t worry about it’? What a callous way to talk about ending someone’s life. But who was worse: the callous talk, or the pony with the sword? “Then can I assume by the fact we’re meeting face-to-face that it is time?” She nodded. “I’ve been watching them myself. Guard Intelligence lost him when I got him on the ship. No pony of record knows he ever got here. That ship was bound for the island kingdom of Eybarmir, officially, but the captain and I had a deal.” Val offered me a map from the folds of her cloak. “I kept an eye on them as they moved about. They’re playing up the gryphon traders angle to make the rapid migrations make sense. I guess they got comfortable though. They’ve finally settled in a place that is far enough away from any village. I highly recommend moving soon, if not immediately. They might be settled, but they also might still move. Are you ready?” The hairs of my coat stood on end as I accepted the information. I tried not to let the trepidation in my heart bleed into my expression. “Yes, the team I’ve assembled is the best shot we have at this. We’ve been training almost every evening for over a month. The ponies I chose are all experts at what they do and the plan is solid. Especially for an ambush. We’re ready.” “Good. If anypony can do it, it’s you.” Why me? I just nodded. “Thank you. For everything.” “It truly is my pleasure, Silent Knight. Go show them the consequences of committing acts of war. Good hunting.” Without another word, I leapt into the air and flew as fast as I could to the palace. Once I arrived, I put on my usual officer appearance and went down to housing. Crimson Dawn was sitting in the common room reading a comic book as I approached. His eyes shifted over to me and he slowly rose. “Lights out,” was all I said before turning and heading off to the next station. Time was of the essence, but after ensuring all parties had received the message, I had just enough to spare to handle one final task. Probably the most important one. I landed in front of Crystal Wishes’s building and hurried up. I stopped outside the door and took a deep breath. It was time to say goodbye without it being obvious. After letting myself in, I called, “I’m home.” My voice trembled and I knew it. I didn’t want to do this, but I had to. Crystal wandered out of her bedroom and replied, “Welcome home. You’re late and your meal is cold.” She was irritated, and she had every right to be. I’d been neglecting her a lot. She deserved so much better than this. I forced a bright, fake smile. “Sorry… work stuff like usual.” I paused and lowered my eyes. I had to tell her some truth. She deserved at least that much. “Actually, it isn’t all work stuff. A friend at the palace was in a really bad way. That set me behind on my work, which still isn’t resolved. I’ve got to get back to it, but I wanted to at least drop by and apologize. I’m sorry, Crystal. I know this isn’t what we discussed for your birthday.” The mare wandered over and kissed my cheek. “Well, aren’t you considerate. Your job is your job. What is this one all about? A new initiative? Some Haven trip dropped on you at the last minute?” The smile on my face held and I tugged the mare into a hug. “Classified,” I replied in my best teasing tone. “Isn’t it always,” Crystal said with a fake pout. “Fine, fine. Go be a hero. Should I expect you for breakfast?” A hero, sure. No, nopony would be calling me a hero for tonight. Taking lives didn’t make you a hero. This was the other side of the soldier’s coin. Sometimes battles weren’t fought out in the open. Sometimes your foe wasn’t even ready. To ambush a princess when you’re not at war is how you start one. To ambush the original ambusher back? That’s just combat… and Alastair was about to get a craw full of combat. He’d been running for a year while I’d prepared. A whole year’s worth of training, learning, growing. And it would probably all be resolved in less than ten minutes. I brought my focus back to the mare looking up at me with irritation still in her beautiful face. “Call it brunch. I think my morning is going to be packed.” She smiled, and it seemed more sincere. “Okay, brunch it is.” We kissed and I lingered in the embrace. Our eyes met and it took a lot of effort not to tell her goodbye. Instead, I whispered, “I love you, Crystal. I really do. More than anypony I’ve ever met. I’m truly sorry that I have to go, but I do have to. I hope you’ll forgive me.” She flushed and nuzzled her cheek to mine. “I love you, too. It’s alright, Siley, I knew you were a guard when I fell for you.” Did you? Did you really know what that meant? Reluctantly, I pulled away and moved to the door. She watched me go and said, “See you tomorrow.” “Yeah,” I replied. Hopefully that was true, but tomorrow or the next time… sooner or later it was going to end. I couldn’t do to her what Stratus did to Mom. Not to Crystal. When the door closed behind me, my expression darkened and I hurried down the hall. I got into the stairwell and slumped for a moment. A surge of emotions hit me all at once: sadness, anger, bitterness. This was what it really meant to be a soldier. Soldiers didn’t get to have nice things so that other ponies could. Soldiers had to walk away from their loved ones to go do what had to be done. To do what other ponies couldn’t. I wished I’d been good at anything other than being a soldier, but I wasn’t. That wasn’t who I was. It was always going to come down to this. My eyes fell on my cutie mark: a sword and a moon. Crystal’s talent was bringing joy through the written art. What was mine? War. How was that fair? What sort of horrible pony’s talent was war? I stuffed all of my feelings deep into my core. Focus and the cold calculation that my father had taught me took their place. Composure in the face of anything. That was what my father had given me. He’d made me a soldier and that was all I knew how to be. That’s enough pity. Get it together, Silent Knight. There is a threat to Princess Luna. A threat to good ponies. You’ve got a mission to lead and ponies counting on you. You can’t change who you are. Harden up, soldier. Bury it or they’ll be burying you beside Lavender and the others. Get the job done, Son. The Guard comes first. You swore an oath. That is all that matters. ☾ Clouds are an excellent base of operation in general. They obscure you when you’re on top of them and they’re only reachable by a minority of beings. The higher you go, the harder it is to see you. The trade-off is that the air gets thinner and that makes it harder to breathe. Suffice to say, the air was extremely thin. Autumn Wind landed beside me. “The cloud cover is set, sir. I pushed it in slow and careful just like we planned. The moon is blocked out completely and it is pretty dark under there.” “Excellent. Go ahead and give me the torrential rain. I want as many of those camp fires extinguished as possible. Be sure to activate your charm before going below the cover,” I ordered. Each member of my team wore a necklace and charm enchanted by Princess Luna. They’d been made for her Guard to use in Haven. This repurposing was necessary. Seeing in the dark was another advantage in our favor. “Yes, sir!” she replied before hurrying off. It wasn’t five minutes before I could sense the change below. It would be a miracle if any of the fires survived that sort of storm. Tranquil Dusk landed lightly beside me. “Sir.” “How many?” “By my count, twenty-four,” she replied. “More than I’d have thought. All soldiers? Any chance that some are civilians or aides?” Tranquil shook her head. “No, sir. They might be posing as merchants but they all have weapons and armor. I counted three times. Twenty-four soldiers, weapons, armor.” “How many sentries… and is he there?” “Six, and yes. Based on the description you gave me, I saw him myself. He’s in the big tent in the middle.” Something crawled up my throat like bile, but somehow darker. I felt ice in my veins. “Well done. Fall in.” As she went to the others, I turned and approached the assembled group of ponies. It was an odd mix. Two nox pony civilians, an armsmaster, a reluctant medic, a weather pony, a navy flyer, and a brawler that just liked a good fight. All pegasi. The plan had required that. For the last few weeks, we’d run through the operation over and over to ensure every detail was perfect. If we weren’t doing that, we were training with Steel Wings and Silver Flare. This group of ponies had more knowledge in combat arts than most guard veterans of ten years. That was what having an armsmaster bought you. I’d also found them protection. Very little of the armor matched other than the fact we’d all applied weapon-black to the shiny parts and hidden the local badges. The suits were cobbled together from spares, retired pieces, and similar secondary sources. Mismatched armor was better than no armor. There was a pregnant silence. They were staring at me with resolve but trepidation. Anypony that wasn’t afraid before a fight was no pony I wanted at my side. I cleared my throat and shattered the stillness. “You know why we’re here. You all have reasons you decided to do this. Some personal, some professional. Either way, I want to thank you for your hard work getting to this point. This is what we’ve been waiting for. “The details behind this mission have been kept from you, but you have a right to know before making your final decision. The gryphons below have attacked ponies. Worse than that, they killed royal guards. Make no mistake: they will kill you if you give them chance. Don’t give them that chance.” The ponies looked at me in surprise and then to each other. If I’d told them that before, they’d most certainly would have been influenced in our favor, but I’d wanted them kept in the dark. It ensured they weren’t swayed by loyalty to Equestria, that they joined of their own free will. Knowing now, though… that would put fire in their bellies when it was needed most. “This is something we’re going to succeed or fail at, and nopony will ever know. There will be no parade or medals. There won’t even be a note in your file and, to be quite honest, chances are if this goes bad, we’ll be hung out to dry by Intelligence. Does anypony want out? This is your last chance. If you go, nopony will think any less of you.” There was no movement in the rank. Seven determined faces stared back at me. Nopony would be leaving. I knew that, but I had to ask. I had to give them one more chance to escape. One more chance for me to mitigate the guilt should one fall. “Take heart. You are a fine group of ponies. You know this plan, you know your role, you know how to fight and, most importantly, you know you’re coming. Those poor bastards below just think it’s raining.” Steel Wings chuckled and shook his head at me. “Let’s just do this already.” “You’re right. Enough words. Time for action.” I slipped the goggles over my eyes and tightened my hoofguards. Following a soft tap to my breastplate my night vision kicked in. “Once we’re done, we go our separate ways as agreed. The Nightwatch will be disbanded and there will be one less threat out there. If anypony is questioned related to this, I expect you to give up nothing. Keep the secret as long as doing so doesn’t lead to anything illegal or dangerous. If it gets to that point, your final order is to give me up but none of the others. Are we clear?” There was a quiet murmur of agreement. I moved to the edge of the clouds and looked down. The other pegasi did the same. It was time to live up to the oath. No hesitation, no question. Remove the threat to the princess. Get justice for the slain. “No quarter. Lights out.” I leapt off and angled myself at the small camp below. The others followed hot on my tail. Our trajectory was almost straight down. A maneuver that Blur called the meteorite dive. That was his contribution: training us to fly like him and give our quarry virtually no warning of our arrival. My body shook from the speed and force behind the dive. Like stars falling from the heavens, we set upon the camp. It was almost pitch black and the rain pattered off my armor. The sound wouldn’t be obvious to anyone below and in a minute, it wouldn’t matter either way. Some of the larger tents were glowing. They were the sort that could afford a fire inside. My target was in the largest one. The ground grew ever closer at breakneck speed and I pulled up to avoid slamming into it. There was a more suitable landing area: one of the sentries. Just as Blur had taught, I angled up, spread my wings wide to slow down, and put all my hooves towards my foe. My course brought me into a direct collision with him and, as he cried out in surprise, I permanently silenced him with a perfectly placed strike to the throat. Blur shot past me and dropped immolation potions on some of the larger tents just as Autumn Wind streaked lightning across the sky with some well-timed weather manipulation. The makeshift dwellings were set ablaze while Blur pulled up and disappeared into the night. Cries of surprise and panic erupted from the camp as the gryphons tried to figure out what was going on. I took a quick look around. Steel Wings was to my left, standing over the bodies of two gryphon sentries. Silver Flare was on the right and finishing off a third. His eyes quickly darted up. “We’re under attack!” one of the gryphons managed to shout before the brawler put him down with a crossbow shot. Still, it had been enough to get the survivors moving. Most were unarmored, but a few managed to salvage their weapons from the tents and join the fight. The melee started properly at that point. The element of stealth was lost, but the damage had been done. We still had surprise and dark vision on our side. They were still shocked to find themselves thrust into a battle. To their credit, the gryphons leapt to the defense and engaged my ponies as best they could. Steel Wings roared a challenge and threw his shoulder against the nearest gryphon, tossing him aside with ease before dancing close to another and dispatching him in a whirl of flashing steel. The hoofblades he’d selected were messy but extremely effective. Nothing to hold, nothing to drop. I almost pitied any gryphon that went up against the armsmaster. The title is not earned lightly. One of the other soldiers closed in on me. He was unarmored and swung a claymore wildly. I rolled under the sloppy attack and drew my blade in one fluid motion. Quickly, I struck across his middle. He crumpled over and I flipped the blade around and drove it down, finishing the job. In the haze of battle, I heard Risky Storm cry out in pain. Not Risky… Crimson. Risky was dead. This was Crimson. I scanned the camp and saw him holding his forelegs up to block the savage blows of a large gryphon. As I shifted to aid him, Silver Flare appeared out of nowhere and tackled the attacker, knocking him clear of the nox pony. Nova was on Crimson a moment after, dragging him out by the collar of his armor. I shifted my attention back to the battle at hoof just as Blur zipped by once again and tossed immolation potions directly on a group of gryphon soldiers that had huddled together to create a phalanx with their spears. It was a horrific sight and the smell was sickening. It dramatically cut their numbers, however. I put the sound of their screams out of my mind and moved towards the largest tent in the camp, the only one that wasn’t burning. The sound of the battle behind me was already starting to die out. These gryphon soldiers just weren’t prepared to deal with a well-prepared attack force that included an armsmaster, less so from an ambush. Certainly not both. I took another quick glance back before my attention returned to the tent in front of me. Almost on cue, Captain Alastair burst out, a sword in his claw. Light poured out from behind him and he took a moment to survey the situation. For a second, it looked as if he was going to run. That would have been wise. Then his eyes fell on me. Pointing a jagged talon in my direction, he screeched, “You!” My heart skipped a beat and rage welled up inside me. Without a word or battle cry, I galloped at him. This time he thought better of taking it on the chin and leapt out of the way, swinging his sword at me. It skidded across the back of my armor. Sloppy, Silent Knight. Don’t let anger make you stupid. I wheeled back and rose on my hindlegs. Our swords banged together with a deafening clang as I blocked the gryphon’s next blow. He’d overextended, so I swung my right forehoof and caught him hard in the shoulder. It sent him three steps back and I pressed the advantage. The advance had been timed too soon, however. It was another sloppy move on my part and Alastair made good use of it. He brought his sword down heavily against mine. So hard that it rattled my foreleg and knocked the weapon from my grasp. “Hah!” he breathed as he swung wildly to try and finish me off. He was getting way ahead of himself. Alastair’s blade went wide as I slipped forwards and under the arc. The hilt and his claw landed heavily on my flank but I had gotten where I’d wanted to: past him and slightly to the side. I wrapped both hooves around his wing and snapped it. He shrieked in pain and kicked me forcefully away. No escape now. My landing was heavy and awkward but I managed to roll and get to my hooves. “That was for Risky,” I growled at him. He didn’t respond with words so much as with angry, guttural sounds. The gryphon charged forwards, swinging his sword at me once again. Mine was on the other side of him and I had little chance of reaching it and less time to act. To my left, I spotted a camp chair and grabbed it just as his blade sank into the wooden seat and buried itself there. With a quick twist, I wrenched the sword from his grasp and sent it and the chair flying. Then I caught a balled-up claw right in the cheek. Thankfully, I was a smart enough pony to wear a helmet. Even with the protection, the sheer force snapped my head to the side and stars briefly filled my vision. The gryphon snarled in pain from the impact of his unprotected fist against the metal helmet and reared up onto his hindlegs, giving me time to recover. I leapt onto him and started to land hoof blows against his forearms as he brought them up to block. Each heavy thump pushed him further back and the normally yellow scales were turning dark from the pummeling. Alastair shifted and tried to catch my hoof. I let him. The anger had subsided. This was business now. With my hoof in his claw, I grappled with him and held on. He hit me twice in the chest with his loose claw, but that was alright. I yanked the captured one towards me. Then I brought my other hoof down just above its mate, breaking his forearm before shoving him back. “That is for Starry.” “Shut up about your stupid little ponies!” he shouted, cradling his broken claw and backing up. I walked casually forwards. He was outmatched. I’d dedicated myself to this moment. He’d been running scared. “You’ve lost. Surrender.” The words rang hollow. Alastair cast a shadow across me as the firelight danced in the tent behind him. I was sick of it looming over me and my life. One path left. “Surrender? Hah! Maybe I should just so that you stupid ponies have to explain all of this! My grandfather is the king. How do you think he’ll respond to this attack on his kin? He’ll have your hide!” His eyes flicked to a spear nearby. He took a step towards it. “Grandfather will have your stupid princess’s hide. He’ll have you flay—” The word was interrupted by a strangled gasp. The sword Runic had made for me had struck true, finding the gryphon’s heart. Always carry a backup. I used the force of the blow to push him onto his back and stepped over him. With both forehooves on the hilt I pinned him down. Our eyes met and he stared at me in shock and disbelief. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you said after ‘surrender, hah’. Besides, you’d never surrender to a pathetic pony like me.” Then I leaned in closer and whispered, “And this is for Lavender.” I gave my blade a heavy twist. Captain Alastair wheezed and reached up at me with his one good claw. In the darkness, as his final breath escaped, I swore I could see a swirl of black and purple smoke go with it. Then the lights went out. With a grunt, I pulled my sword free, retrieved my primary, and went into the tent. Even with the battle still going outside, I had to make sure we didn’t miss any evidence of what these gryphons had been up to. I secured every missive, scroll, and note I could, leaving nothing unsearched. Content that everything was in my possession, I ducked back out of the tent. Without warning, I was blindsided by a heavy blow to the shoulder, the force of it knocking me over. My armor had spared me most of the damage, but I was completely disoriented as I scrambled to get my sword up to fend off any further attacks. A brute of a gryphon loomed over me, standing on his hindlegs with a great axe held high. My blade would do little to stop that. A blur of motion caught my eye and Tranquil Dusk leapt from the darkness onto the gryphon’s back. With more of a yelp than a war cry, she drove her short blade into his neck. He roared in pain, dropped the axe, and clawed at the nox pony clinging to him. The two struggled before he stumbled, tripped, and they went down together. I was back on my hooves in an instant. My heart started beating faster. Gryphons had extreme advantages once the fight went hoof to claw. Especially one so big against an untested fighter like Tranquil. I pounced on them and knocked her off his back and clear of the fight. The gryphon struggled under my weight and managed to batter me with a few elbow strikes. It took all of my effort to keep him on his belly. I just had to hold him down. Just hold him a few seconds more. The wound to his neck was savage and the fight drained out of him. Once he had stopped moving, I got up and went to check on Tranquil. Visibly, she looked uninjured, but she was shaking. Her eyes were locked on her blood-covered hooves. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine,” I whispered. “I… I killed him,” she stammered. “Don’t focus on that right now, we still have to get out of here.” I looked around and spotted Nova. She was standing over another fallen gryphon. She saw Tranquil and her expression darkened. I waved her over. “Get Lavender out of here,” I ordered as the pegasus medic arrived. I wouldn’t leave her behind again. Not this time. Nova looked at me in confusion but she looped her forehooves around Tranquil and nodded, “Yes, sir.” The sounds of battle had given way to the hammering of rain on the remains of the tents and the ground. I took stock of my surroundings and found no further gryphons standing. Chief was walking the battlefield checking the bodies and finishing off the barely living. “What’s the count, chief?” Steel Wings said with confidence, “Twenty-four bodies. All accounted for, sir.” Blur and Autumn Wind landed beside me and Silver Flare came out from behind a burning tent. His helmet was mangled, and the right half of his face was bloodied. I hurried over to look at him. He held up a hoof. “I’m fine, sir. Let’s just finish up here.” “Alright,” I replied and looked to the others. Given the circumstances, they all looked pretty good. Just determined faces now. Words seemed inappropriate, so I just gave them all a nod of thanks. I took a deep breath and looked around. The camp was near silent outside of the patter of the rain all around us. All eyes were on me. “Burn it. Burn it all.” ☾ Steel Wings and I stood together in the palace basement locker room while Nova was tending to Crimson Dawn. His right foreleg had been broken in the melee, but he’d kept going despite the medic’s objection. It was admirable, but it had made the injury worse. Tranquil was physically fine. However, there are other wounds besides the ones you can see. I didn’t imagine anypony knew that better than me. Mine were raw; whatever mending I’d accomplished had been undone in an instant. Now I could see those same wounds all too clearly as the mare stood in front of a sink washing her hooves for the twelfth time. “Thank you for everything, Chief,” I said quietly, briefly turning my gaze away from the other three. He nodded. “It has been a long time since I’ve gotten to cut loose like that. I think I worked out my aggression from the last war.” I just quietly shook my head. “Well, sir. May we never meet again?” He offered a hoof. “May we never meet again,” I repeated, taking that hoof and shaking it firmly. Steel Wings looked to the other three, offered a polite salute, and left. My attention shifted back to Crimson. One thing at a time. “How bad is it, Nova?” “He’ll walk again, but we need to get him to the hospital sooner rather than later. It isn’t a clean break. He may have a limp. It’s hard to know.” Crimson, who was clearly in a lot of pain, said with a shaky voice, “I’ll be fine. Just do what you need to for Tranquil. Besides, we can’t answer questions about this.” I walked over and patted him on the back. “Don’t worry about the questions. This was a training accident. We can’t be too careful about this.” My gaze flicked up to Nova. I hadn’t seen it before, but there was blood under the rear plates of her armor. “Get him admitted and taken care of. Make sure somepony looks at that cut on your flank too.” “What about Tranquil? And with all due respect, I think you’re close to shock yourself. You called Tranquil Lavender out there.” I ignored the last part and replied, “I’ll look after Tranquil. She’ll be right behind you. As for me… one patient at a time, Nova.” She looked at me and then nodded, helped Crimson up, and said, “Lean on me.” He did so and they left together. Tranquil washed her hooves again, staring at them. I came up next to her and turned off the water. She trembled. “I can’t get the blood off.” Her hooves were spotless. Rubbed a bit raw, but spotless. “This is not a life for ponies,” I said softly, shifting my wing around her. She turned to me. Her eyes met mine and welled with tears. “I killed him. I’ve made a huge mistake.” I looped my forehooves around her and she leaned against my chest. Softly, I stroked her back and whispered, “I know. I’m so sorry. I wish I could have talked you out of this. You’re going to be fine, though. You saved my life and now you know this isn’t for you. This is not what you’re meant to do.” “But how do I get the blood off?” she sobbed. My ears folded back. I didn’t have an answer. The blood never comes off… or at least it hadn’t yet for me. It would be hard. Especially for a sensitive pony like her. “Tranquil, taking a life is not something that just goes away. It’s… I don’t know… like a stain on the spirit.” She winced and I quickly added, “At least take solace in knowing that the life you took was not a kind or benevolent one. And the action was just. You took one life to preserve mine. Thank you for that. It is going to be tough for a while. Very tough, but you’re strong and you’ll get through this.” Her head ducked and she whispered, “I don’t know what to do now.” “You should go to the hospital and look after your brother. Focus on that task. Once that is done, try to get some sleep. One task at a time. One focus. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to a pony that helped me some. I know you’ll like her.” She nodded and pulled away. “Okay… One task. I’ll go after Crimson.” She hesitated. “Do you really think this pony can help me?” “I do. I’ll come get you right after lunch,” I replied. “Alright,” she responded before wiping her eyes and hurrying out. That was when I started washing my hooves. The blood never comes off. Not off my hooves or off the sword that Runic had given me in friendship. I’d used it for its intended purpose, but it still felt wrong. I’d wiped it down already, but I could still sense Alastair’s blood on it. I pulled open the locker that was assigned to me and tossed the sword inside. I couldn’t stand to look at it. Runic had made it to keep me safe. An object of defense. My hooves started to shake. To try and calm myself, I took a deep breath and then collapsed onto the bench that ran along the center of the locker room. For the first time, in a long time, the weight of unfinished business was gone. Alastair could never get at Princess Luna again. He’d never kill another house guard. It was done. It pained me to see the others worse for the wear. More than I thought it would. When Crimson had cried out, it had sounded like Risky. I’d seen Lavender’s face in Tranquil’s when the gryphon died. It wasn’t enough to stop me in the moment, but now it felt suffocating. It was a small mercy that no pony died. I’m not sure I could have handled that. I still wasn’t over Lavender, Risky, and Starry. They were gone, though. All three of them were still dead and they’d died on my watch. Three dead on my watch and now more injured. That was going to weigh on me. As far as Alastair went, in truth, I felt no guilt, no remorse. One less threat out there. At the same time, I didn’t feel happy or even justified. The weight of my ponies was there. All I felt was a brief relief that it was over. The gryphon no longer loomed. I’d put the job first, conducted a dangerous operation, and came out of it again. This time. Perhaps not next time… but this time I’d managed to survive again. Not that I should be surprised. Isn’t that what Knights do? Isn’t this all we do? My eyes closed and I tried to focus on the next task. Sleep and then work like nothing ever happened. Hide the pain, hide the wounds, and hide the doubt. Toughen up, Silent Knight. Toughen up.