//------------------------------//
// Chapter 55: Consequences (Part 1) 
// Story: Harmony's Creed 
// by Gapeagle 
//------------------------------//

	"Valor awaits you." Valor spoke to me in a whisper. "Valor knows you hurt."

I sat up on my sleeping mat and looked lazily at the spirit. There was concern in her ethereal face. She must have been watching me all night long, I thought. The sun was already higher than what I had anticipated. With the chatter outside my tent, there was no doubt I was the last one up.

"Valor sees you are worried. Valor is here. Valor is never alone." She spoke in short spasms.

"Thank you." I uttered. "I assume my worries are bothering you?"

"Yes. You are worried. Not bad to be worried. Valor worried too."

"I see. Well, I'll need you in little time. Stay with me, alright?"

"Always." She then faded away.

I stretched and yawned before exiting the tent. I was even farther behind than I had expected as the Canterlot gates were opened and the migrants wandered into the grand city. All of our tents, except mine, were wrapped up and on the horses. Vinyl was kicking the fire out and spreading the ashes about. The three Bearers were huddled together, talking only with themselves.

"What is the news?" I asked my friend.

"Well, a Brother came by half an hour ago. A scout saw us arrive her last night. He said the Bearer of Honesty is doing better, but not great. Fluttershy may have to heal her up all the way."

I frowned. "That's unfortunate for both of them. After seeing what the Bearer of Kindness can do, I rather her abstain from using her powers again."

"I get ya, but for me, I rather have Applejack fightin' beside me than Flutters. I know it's mean to say that, but it's how I feel."

"I presume that's what the Bearers are discussing over there?" I pointed at the trio. 

She nodded. "Yup."

We both watched the Bearers walk up to us. Fluttershy was holding her wrist as if it was hurt, so I already knew what the answer was. Rarity smiled at me, but her eyes did not. Pinkie was humming a tune, but was still melancholy in her standards.

"Good morning, Octavia. I'm sure Vinyl has informed you of what has transpired?" Rarity asked.

"Of course, Bearer."

"Well, we've concluded that the best action to take would be to have Fluttershy heal Applejack. Applejack's wound is severe, so this healing will keep Fluttershy down for some time. I wish I could take the wound instead. I can't bear to see Fluttershy in pain."

"Don't worry." Fluttershy began. "It's my decision. I don't want to see Twilight again anyway."

"Understood." I bowed. "I shall ready my horse and we shall head for the South Den."





I was back in Canterlot. Half a year went by since I last was below its towering spires and its white structures. It was like traveling down the memories of my childhood, when everything outside of the city was a mystery. The people, the streets, the merchants, the sellers, the Royal Guards, all of them so familiar and somewhat heartwarming.

The city, however, was not in its best state. Smoke rose from the Grand Royal Palace. We could easily gawk at it from the other side of the city. People were in silent terror. Their eyes shifted and their arms were kept close. It did not take long for the news to reach us. The Palace had burned down from some accident, they said. Empress Luna was caught in the flames and was never recovered. 

I did not believe this for a second. A simple fire could not bring something made of stone to the ground so easily. Many Guards said that the fires started at the top of a spire. The kitchens were down below, so it was not some cooking fire. According to stories, the fire engulfed the Palace in mere minutes. It was not some accident, I knew, it was a battlefield with a pyromancer present.

As we rode down the streets towards the Den, Brothers and Sisters were lining the rooftops. Crossbows and pistols were ready in their hands.  They watched us with keen eyes. It seemed like they were expecting us to attack them at any moment. Rarity called out to them at one point, but they never responded.

"Ya know, this is the first time they've seen me since ya'll thought I was dead." Vinyl commented.

Indeed. I used to know these Assassins. I lived with them for years. Their faces were the same as ever, but they did not recognize me in return. I felt like an intruder upon their land. They followed alongside us on the rooftops. Sometimes they would point a weapon at us, most of the time they simply watched around us. Applejack was not trusting the other Bearers, I concluded. Did she believe they were all conspiring against the Brotherhood?

This question was about to be answered when we arrived at the solemn Den. The Assassins on the rooftops gathered above the Den's entrance. Two of them jumped down and guarded each side of the door. There, blocking the door, was the grungy Den Master Braeburn."

"Ya'll arrived soon enough." He spat. 

"Den Master, please move." Rarity commanded. "You know why we must enter."

"I only take orders from my cousin, thank you. I had to tighten this shithole down since Twilight betrayed us. AJ's not letting no more Bearers in unless she says so."

"Why?" Rarity huffed. "Does she not trust us?"

"Guess not, sweets." Braeburn muttered. "Lots of things changed since ya last left. Brothers been going out solo and never return. Found some bodies of two Sisters just yestermorning. So yeah, we ain't lettin' no one in until Honesty's magic shit proves ya in the clear."

The Den's door opened and a weak Applejack appeared. She was not in any type of armor and had a bunch of bandages over her chest. The tip of her Element was glowing with an irregular beat. Braeburn turned around nonchalantly.

"Ya holdin' up, cuz?" He asked.

"Let them in." She ordered harshly. "They ain't lying. Well, not from what I can tell at the moment. If one of them do lie, I'll break her skull in."

"Sounds about right." Braeburn chuckled.

We were allowed in, but had to move ahead of Braeburn and his men. Applejack had to lean on the walls to get anywhere. Her legs could not support her all the way. Without the armor, she was a slimmer woman, but still had arms that could rival a man's. Her skin was paler than what I remembered, showing she was struggling with the wound.

"Ya'll missed some pretty action here." She told us.

"We had a lot of our own, don't worry darling." Rarity sighed.

This made Applejack pause. "Ya couldn't bring Rainbow with ya? Girl's that stubborn?"

Rarity sighed again and pulled out the Element of Loyalty. Unlike Caramel's emotionless response, Applejack loudly cursed and slammed her fist into the wall, cracking it. The force was felt through the floorboards and made our teeth rattle slightly. 

"The Brotherhood's fallin' apart!" She yelled. "One damn Assassin at a time!"

"Applejack, she died as a he-"

"I don't care how she died!" Applejack snapped at Rarity. "Only matters is that she's dead. This is all Twilight's fault. When I get her, I'll rip that corrupted Element right out of her chest."

"Applejack, please don't speak like that." Fluttershy said softly. "I rather not picture it."

Applejack cursed again and then wiped the angry sweat from her face. "I'm sorry. I jus' never seen a woman throw away her friends like this. The Brotherhood's family. We'll held together. Twilight threw it all away. I ain't never gonna respect or show any mercy to a fool like that. Never!"

She continued after a pause. "But forget it! I can't move much with this collapsed lung. I'd be a sittin' duck out there against Twilight's magic."

Fluttershy stepped up and removed her leather glove. "That's why I'm going to heal you. You need to be out there."

"Don't!" Applejack snapped again. "I mean, it ain't worth it. Ya gonna be pretty bruised by healing this."

"I know." Fluttershy said determinedly.

"Fine. I can see ya committed. Go ahead, come on back with me to the tables where I can lay down. Bring some bandages for the wounds ya about to receive. I don't like ya doin' this for me, but I can already see why ya doing it."

An Assassin brought the needed supplies and the two Bearers disappeared in a back room. We then waited for the screams of Fluttershy's pain to follow. Applejack's own screams, however, were much louder than hers. We all could only look at the floor and wait. Even Braeburn was upset at these sounds. 

After a minute of silence, Applejack stormed out from the back room. She had replaced her bandaged chest with a light tan shirt. A determined look was on her face as she marched through the hallway. 

"Braeburn! Get my armor and rope. We're killin' Twilight and Sunset today! Round up any Assassins also." She paused. "One last thing, get my hat."

"Bout time." Braeburn grinned.





We only knew one thing about the enemy's position: they had ran off into the Northwest corner of the city. I did not know this area of the city well, but I did know that it was a rich part of the city where the homes were all extravagant. It was also near the edge of the city, where it overhung off the mountain. 

The other thing about our enemy: they all had some sort of magic. We could not guess how many shard users Sunset and Twilight had in their small circle, but even the simplest shard user was dangerous. We needed every advantage we could get.

So we ran across the city, all the Assassins we could muster, all the Bearers, except Fluttershy, and all weapons we could find. This felt not like a battle, but a hunt for a rare creature. A creature that we all wanted extinct. As we went boldly through the city, no longer hiding, but now wishing for any challenge to face us on the spot, I couldn't help but think of the stories I read when I was learning how to read from Twilight. Many epics and poems told of major battles were both sides had generals and massive armies that clashed on a broad battlefield. Men in those stories were just numbers and faceless suits of armor. None of them were named, none of them had their own stories. They were merely counted in how many went into the battle and how many did not make it out of the battle. 

This was not like that. This was personal and direct conflict. There were no generals who commanded from the back of the lines. The soldiers in the battle all had names and a story. Whatever document that would retell this battle would always fail. Words and images can only go so far. These words I write, are a retelling of what I went through. I shall say now, I write only the truth. To whoever reads my words, I say thank you and hope that you understand what has transpired. 

This is the battle that I endured.





"They're there alright. This is it."

Applejack lowered her binoculars. Snow was falling from the sky, gathering on the cold roofs around our feet. The curious thing, it was not snowing anywhere else in the city. This odd weather pattern could only be by Minuette, who I heard could control ice and snow with her shard. This weather change made Rarity conjure us all a set of thick cloaks to go over our robes. 

"It's like they wan' us to get 'em." Braeburn grumbled. "I don't like it."

"I agree." I said. "They aren't hiding whatsoever. They have something prepared for us."

Applejack adjusted her hat. "Maybe. It still don't matter. They chose to lose their minds. C'mon, sooner we kill 'em, the sooner can rebuild what Twilight destroyed."

"I hope the next Bearer of Magic will not fall into this corruption." Rarity sighed.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "There won't be another Bearer of Magic. The Element's corrupted like she is. Best thing to do is return it to the Tree of Harmony and forget it ever existed."

"Are ya gonna address the lads an' lasses before heading out?" Braeburn asked.

"Sure." Applejack turned around to face the Assassins. "Listen, the Bearer of Magic needs to be ended. Do whatever it takes. Kill all her allies as well." She then turned around and jumped off the roof.

"Short, but sweet." Rarity said curtly.

We all followed the Bearer's lead. Some Assassins kept on the roofs and most went down to the streets with Applejack. Our feet my tracks in the rising snow. My face hurt from the coldness, but the warmth of running helped fight it. We were all heading to a single large mansion on the corner of the rich neighborhood. There was no clear indication that this was where Twilight was hiding. It was only a hunch given by the Bearers as they said they could "feel" the Element's presence.

We were only half way there when out first opponent stepped out into the street. It was a woman dressed in cobalt blue Assassin robes and had a blue dragon mask. The mask possessed a mocking white grin, the same could be said with the wearer's eyes.

"Ah! You all finally arrived for the show!" Minuette giggled. "Isn't it great that the family's all back together?"

"If ya wanna live, step out of our damn way!" Applejack hissed. "I beat ya once, I can do it again."

"That was me flying solo, dear Bearer." Minuette defended. "This time, it's a little more even. Did you really think Twilight was just gonna send one fighter out at a time? We're all smarter than that."

Twilight teleported next to Minuette, her pistols all floating in the air by her magic. Unlike Minuette's mocking grin, she had a face of deep remorse. It was apparent that she was reluctantly fighting. Beside her was a thick cloud of what appeared to be smoke. At first I thought it would be Sunset, but no, a man formed out of the smoke. The man was young with striking blue hair and golden eyes. It was Noteworthy. 

If that wasn't enough, Sunset slid in on a trail of fire. Half of her body was engulfed in flames, but none of it was harming her. The final opponent was Amethyst Star, who had glowing yellow eyes. Electricity was zapping between her fingers. 

"As you see, Bearers." Sunset laughed. "Recruiting is not that hard. Three of the Brotherhood's finest, fallen to low levels by your incompetence, now rise again with shards."

"Listen Applejack." Twilight stepped forward. "We don't need to fight. We're trying for the same goal: peace. However, peace cannot be made while the Templar and Brotherhood fight. We are two sides of the same coin!"

"You got that wrong, Twi." Applejack growled. "You are tryin' to destroy us! Ya killin' ya Brothers and Sisters for a plan that not even you understand. Ya crazy! Ya made some mighty poor choices and here's the consequence of it all."

"Come on! Let's fight already!" Minuette squealed in anticipation.

"Do you ever think we followed the Creed, AJ?" Twilight questioned. "Do you think that killing everything that disagrees with us is right? The only way to stop the killing is to stop ourselves. I'm destroying the Brotherhood so that there would be an end to all this madness. Both the Order and Brotherhood can work together with shards to protect the world as one united force."

"What you're talking about is a domination of the world." Rarity snapped. "That's not what the Assassins stand for. Not now, not ever!"

"I can't wait any damn longer!"

Minuette formed an icicle in her hand and shot it at us like it flew from a cannon. The small spear ripped through an Assassin's skull, spreading blood to the white snow. It was the first blood spilled of the battle. 

I drew my sword. Applejack saw the killing of her Brother and then charged at the five. Twilight grabbed her with her magic and flung the Bearer into a building far off. Applejack's screams faded as she was hurled away. The pistols of the Assassins rang out, but the bullets were stopped by a magic shield bubble Twilight created.

"Minuette! Why did you do that?" Twilight barked.

"Because I enjoy it. You weren't really going to listen to these fools anyway." Minuette replied.

"Perhaps." Twilight said through her teeth.

All the Assassins had their weapons out and charged at the enemy. Twilight's own pistols fired from within the bubble, hitting only one unfortunate Sister. We smacked our weapons on the shield, but we could not penetrate it. It was like hitting an unbreakable glass dome.

"We can still negotiate!" Twilight pleaded.

"No, that's passed, Twilight." Sunset finally said. "They won't listen. It's time for survival."

I felt my hand tingle. Valor wanted out badly. I stretched my hand out and the spirit leaped through the shield and tackled Twilight to the ground. The Bearer of Magic was taken completely by surprise and lost concentration, which made the shield evaporate. The next instant was chaos.

Twilight escaped Valor by teleporting away. I was about to chase after wherever she went, but Minuette came at me with her sword of ice. I sidestepped away from the attack, which would have undoubtedly split my skull if I allowed her sword to connect with me. Her sword of ice broke upon being slammed downward into the ground. 

"Minuette!" I shouted. "What has happened to you?"

"Oh, you know full well!" She replied. "I've kept this side of me hidden for too long! Fighting for a Brotherhood and cause I never really believed in. It was not until Apathy joined me that I finally decided to have some care-free fun for once."

She launched a spike of ice at me, which I deflected with my sword. To counter, I lifted my hidden pistol at her and fired, but the bullet was stopped by a wall of ice she created as defense. The ice shattered and the rogue Assassin leaped through, blasting bits of icicles at me. I rolled to dodge them, but some scraped my skin, giving me a cold stinging.

A fireball flew by my head. Sunset was battling against Rarity and some Assassins. One quick glance towards them, I saw one Brother go up in flames, his whole body burning away. While they faced the extreme heat, I faced the extreme cold. Minuette's attacks were relentless. She could form any sharp projectile in her palm, she could create a cold armor on her body, which was not the best defense, but certainly a challenge to get by. 

I released a kick to her gut, making her fall backwards. A blizzard then surrounded her, shrouding her in blinding snow. This whirlwind of icy terror came charging at me. I quickly threw Valor at her and the spirit ripped the shard user from her protection. A puff of snow was thrown up as she hit the white ground once more.

"Shards are fun, aren't they?" Minuette snarled. "Once you taste them, you can never go back."

"I only wield a shard to end these chaotic battles!" I returned. "Any other time, I would cut my hand off to remove its mind-altering effects."

"You are lying! You love your shard. It's the first friend you ever had!"

"That would be me, bitch!"

Vinyl stormed in front of me and smacked Minuette across the face with the butt-end of her musket. The strike sent the shard user in the air once more. Vinyl then spun the rifle around and fired. I could see the ball of lead rip through the tip of Minuette's shoulder. A grunt left the former Assassin, but it was easy to tell the wound was nothing worth noting.

"Go ahead! Gang up on me, I don't care." Minuette laughed.

"You can stop this, Minuette!" I yelled. "I remember a Den Master, fastest ever to earn such a rank. What happened? Why did you so easily betray us?"

"I remember fighting for a cause I didn't believe in!" Minuette fired back. "Just a pawn, waiting to be sacrificed for this pointless war. Yeah, I was a good Assassin, did my chores, paid my dues. All of it didn't matter when you all left me and my Den to be slaughtered. That was the deciding factor. Why would I just die like a criminal on the gallows? Huh? Not only did I not care for the foolish Brotherhood, but they didn't care back. Sweet mutual Apathy. Twilight offered me to have a chance at fun, I took it. Now I don't care about what happens. We all try and fail based on some fate we have no control over. It doesn't matter what the Templar do, it doesn't matter what the Brotherhood do. Together, we all fall into a giant pit of despair, so why even care what happens between now and then?"

"Because our whole purpose is to care!" I answered. "We must have some Loyalty to our own race, to our brothers and sisters in this world. If we all fall, then let us make it the best possible descent imaginable."

"You know I'm right, Octy!" Minuette croaked. "You know it!"

Minuette sent a wave of ice at us. Vinyl and I jumped out of the attack and prepared to counter. I was ready to unleash an attack, but I saw Vinyl reloading her rifle. I instantly knew what she planning. I had to repel the shard user until she was ready to fire again. 30 seconds of fighting was now right ahead of me.

Minuette's blade of ice and my steel sword met with a high-pitch clang. Every part of her sword I broke, it would form again. Her attacks made me constantly step back. This was part of her strategy as I walked right into a wall of snow and ice. Being pinned to that location, I simply blocked all her attacks.

There was one small opening between her attacks and I took it. I flexed my left shoulder, sending a wisp of Valor to knock the shard user off me. Minuette fell backwards and flipped upright in spectacular fashion. I sent Valor out again with her fist outward in a sort of flying punch. The speed of the attack surprised Minuette, who took the spirit's blue fist right to the face, knocking her laughing mask off.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed.

I charged at her, but the snow around me deepened. It was moving like an undercurrent. Before I thought of jumping, the snow swept my legs from under me. It was a simple move by Minuette, but one that gave her time to recover.

Vinyl swooped in around the wall of ice and pointed her rifle right at the shard user. Minuette paused and then jumped to the side, trying to predict when Vinyl would pull the trigger. Vinyl's hand did not clasp the trigger until Minuette made her faulty prediction.

The rifle fired. The ball struck Minuette right in the heart. She seemed paralyzed after the attack, looking down at her bleeding chest. Her already pale face grew even whiter as her hands clutched her now crimson breasts. With a gasp, she fell to one knee and then keeled over onto the melting snow.

She was still alive and I walked over to her. Her eyes watched me slowly and without much worry. Her mouth was in a frown, but her eyes did not hold defeat.

"Can't say that I'm surprised." She gasped. "Funny thing is....my....tears are frozen too..."

Vinyl shook her head and looked about. "Well, that's one down. Four more punks to go."

Vinyl started reloading her weapon while I now gazed at my hand. Would Valor turn me into a version of Minuette? Would Valor corrupt me and pull me away from my values? I did not want to answer. All I did think was that it was not the time to ask such heavy questions.

The snow started to melt and subside. Now, Canterlot was cold, so I knew it wasn't because Minuette died, but because Sunset Shimmer was melting everything with her fire. Rarity was still fighting the Templar. The Bearer had formed a wall of stone in front of her and Sunset was spraying hot fire at it, just waiting for the other to poke her head out. 

Pinkie was chasing after Twilight. I would not say they were fighting, but loudly arguing. Twilight was also dodging the pieces of buildings Applejack was chucking at her. 

"Pinkie! Stop this! I know what you're trying to do!" Twilight screamed.

Applejack chucked another giant piece of stone. Twilight teleported off the mansion she was on. The piece of stone completely razed the mansion, leaving only the foundation. 

"But Twilight! You need to remember us!" Pinkie reasoned. "Come on! Do you, like, really believe in all this?"

"I do!" Twilight barked.

"Then let's work with that. I'm sure there's some way to be friendly with the Templar! Oh! How about we throw a 'Joint-Operation' party for them? How abou-"

"Enough Pinkie!"

I ran towards them. Applejack was forcing Twilight towards the edge of the city, where it overhung like a giant balcony. Pinkie casually kept up with Twilight and thus they both were going the same direction. 

"Pinkie, the only way for either side to give in is if they are broken." Twilight explained. "If the Templar and Assassins are in no place to fight, then they will be forced to help each other when a third party goes against them."

"Third party? Who's that?" Pinkie rubbed her brow.

"Well, I don't know!" Twilight shrugged. "I was thinking it would be Sunset."

"But she's Templar."

"Not anymore."

Pinkie shrugged this time. "Oh, yeah."

Applejack threw another lump of stone. This one's target was true, heading straight for Twilight. Pinkie, unaware of the projectile heading their way, zoomed over to Twilight and leaned on her. 

"Well, here's what we should do..." Pinkie started in a confident tone.

Twilight teleported away, leaving Pinkie still in the stone's path. It was only now that Pinkie saw the giant stone. My heart leaped into my throat as I was expecting the worst.

"Pinkie!"

Twilight quickly took hold of Pinkie and threw her out of the rock's path. The mansion was utterly destroyed by the rock crushing it. From my position, I could see Pinkie's flight through the air. The Bearer of Magic did not grab her and hold her, she had simply tossed her roughly in the air. Pinkie's high-pitched screaming could be heard easily over the sounds of the fighting behind me.

"TWIIIILLLIIGHTTT!" She screamed in desperation.

She was heading right over the edge of the city. She landed back first on the high railing that prevented people from falling over. In one silent moment, she hit the railing and rolled right over the side, to an impossibly high doom. I saw her summon clones of herself in some desperate way of surviving. It was no use, as the clones simply fell with her.

"Pinkie!" Twilight rushed over to the railing.

The Bearer of Magic reached over with her glowing hand, trying to catch the falling Bearer in her magical grasp. I rushed over to her, constantly hearing mumbled "no" and "it can't be." 

"Can't you pick her up?" I asked as I too looked over the railing.

"She's out of reach. She's gone. Oh, how could this have happened?" Twilight cried. "Pinkie's dead, Octavi...."

She stopped her words and looked up at me. "You..." She growled. "I...You show up now?"

"Bearer, do not hold me in such contempt at the moment." I told her. "You just killed Pinkie."

Twilight stood up. "I killed her? No, Applejack did! If she wasn't so stupid, launching pieces of mansions at me....This wouldn't have happened."

I pointed a finger at her. "If you didn't go insane, Applejack would never have to throw anything at you."

"If you obeyed me like I asked. If Sunset never told you about the Truth. If you just remained ignorant, none of this would have happened!"

"Live with it." I snarled. "You were never going to control me as some puppet."

Twilight levitated me in the air and threw me aside. She uttered something inaudible and then pointed at me with hatred. Her eyes slightly glowing from Magic's influence. Tears fell from her cheeks and onto the snow. Her voice possessed both hers and that of the Element.

"We'll deal with you later. If all the Bearers have to die today, then Applejack is going before Us."

She teleported away. I got to my feet and slumped over to the edge. The clouds below hid the Green Valley from my sight. There was no doubt Pinkie was still falling, rethinking her whole life with her friends and family. The only Bearer who never killed anyone. The only Bearer who saw herself as a moral example instead of a Brotherhood commander. If the Elements were corrupted, she was the only pure one of them. 

My hand tightened on the railing. Just like I felt with Rainbow, it was a surprising feeling that I cared so much for Pinkie. With all the Bearers, I had a strong bias against them even though all of them except for Twilight were just looking for my best interests. The Brotherhood was now falling apart and with it, the Bearers. At that point, I did not see much of a future. I simply couldn't see beyond this horrid battle.

"I'll make sure of one thing. Twilight and Sunset are going to die. If the Brotherhood dies today, then they win."


~