//------------------------------// // Picking Up The Pieces // Story: A Hiss in the Dark // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Canterlot was in shambles.  The roads were filled with rotting corpses, the railroad had been destroyed, and just from the initial estimate, the guard suffered a fifty percent casualty rate, with about half of those casualties being fatalities. Surprisingly, though, that casualty rate only applied to the guards and civilians within the castle itself.  Outside the palace, there had only been a few deaths, the most notable one being the death of Lieutenant Angel Feather. Even with all the chaos, destruction and death, though, Canterlot still remained in the hooves of the Equestrians.  Work crews could already be seen clearing away the debris caused by The Moon’s Ascent, and rescue crews had already been dispatched to find anyone who had been trapped or injured by the monsters that had wreaked such havoc upon their fair city. One such crew was heading up the stairs of one of the palace’s many towers, hoping to find someone alive up here. What they found, however, was nothing short of horrifying. “What are…” “I’m gonna be sick…” “Who would do something like this?” Oddly enough, there was very little blood and gore.  Just bone, all arranged into some sort of macabre covering over the door.  Four skulls stared eyelessly out at the collected ponies, promising nothing but death beyond the portal. “I… I don’t think there’s anyone behind this door to save, sergeant,” one of the privates said as soon as he had managed to get his stomach back under control. “We still have to check, private.  We’re still missing an Element of Harmony, and she may be behind that door.  As… horrifying as that may sound,” the sergeant said as he stepped closer. The soldiers all nodded at that, then stepped forward to begin dismantling the grisly ward on the door.  The moment that one of the soldiers touched the bones, though, there was a bright flash of green light, which temporarily blinded the guards.  When their vision came back, they saw that whatever had held the bones up had disintegrated, leaving the door unbarred and waiting for someone to open it. “Uh... “ the soldier at the front said intelligently. “Everypony back!  It's probably booby trapped!” the sergeant said as he rapidly retreated from the door.  His soldiers quickly followed suite, all except the one at the front. “Private!  Move before you’re-” “Sir, I think someone’s behind here.  She’s… she’s crying…” “Soldier, I don’t care if it's the lost queen of the Crystal Empire that’s behind there!  You move your butt, or so help me…!” Despite his commanding officer’s orders, though, the private still reached out, turned the handle, and pushed.  With an ominous creak, the door opened, revealing the chaos inside. The room had once been a spare bedroom, or maybe an observation room of some kind, but all it was now was a mess.  Broken furniture littered the room, and a large amount of blood had been smeared everywhere.  There wasn’t a single sign of life, except for a small, quivering ball of something that was hiding underneath a cloak under the bed. None of the soldiers said anything as the private entered the room, made sure to avoid the puddle, and crouched down next to the bed.  “Miss?  Are you okay?” The bundle didn’t respond at first, choosing to peek out from under the cover, only to eep at what she saw.  “N-no… please, not more… no more soldiers…” The private glanced back towards his troop, and for the first time, noticed the glare from his commanding officer.  He ignored it, though, in favor of trying to comfort the scared pegasus under the bed.  “Don’t worry, there aren’t any more traitors around.  We’re not going to hurt you, honest.” The yellow pony poked her head out just the slightest bit more.  “P-promise?” “I promise.  We’re only here to make sure you’re okay,” he said with a warm smile.  “If you’d like to come with us, I’m sure your friends would like to see you.  They’ve been worried sick.” “O-okay…” she said, shivering a bit as she crawled out.  As soon as she stood up, the rest of the soldiers gasped when they recognized the young pegasus. It was Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. “Can you tell us what happened?” the private said as he gently led her out of the room.  She seemed dead to the world, her eyes staring at a point a thousand miles away as she and the soldier left the room and passed by the bones on the floor. “I-It was a huge wolf.  It… It had huge claws, and teeth… and… and...” “Shh… it’s okay, the wolf can’t hurt you anymore, we’ve caught it,” the private hushed to her. Much to his surprise, though, this had the opposite effect on the shell shocked pony.  “I-It didn’t hurt me!  It saved me from the soldiers!  Why did it save me from the soldiers!?”  Fluttershy said, her voice becoming increasingly more hysterical.  “It… It killed them!  They wanted to take me away, and it killed them all!” “Shh… It’s okay, we understand.  Let’s get you some hot chocolate and get you to bed, it’s been a long day…” the guard said as his unit fell into line behind him.  With a confidence that they did not feel, the whole troop started their long trek back to the main part of the castle, leaving behind the macabre room of death. *        *        * Captain Knight Breeze sighed in frustration as he entered the morgue.  This part is always the worst… he thought as he reviewed the many, many tables sporting the bodies of the dead.  This wasn’t all of them, just the small portion of the guard that they were able to examine in this room.  The rest were either on their way, or were being stored at a secondary location until the ponies had had time to process them all. That was just the defender’s bodies, though.  The undead were all being burned without exception.  The necrokings had already shown that they carried an incredibly virulent magical disease, and it would have been counter-productive to allow it to spread through the city. However, as Captain Breeze looked over all the tables, he couldn’t help but feel as if something was… off.  There were only supposed to be guard bodies in this room, but there were just so many… “Ah, captain, good to see you,” Doctor Geraldt the mortician, a large griffin with dark grey plumage and black fur, said as soon as he noticed Knight Breeze.  “We were about to begin taking the armor off of the first victim.” “Was he one of ours?” “Yessir.  He was one of the first victims of the wolf; Private Longshot from ponyville.  He and his friend were both gotten, though his friend suffered a far more… gruesome fate, to be honest,” the mortician said as he began to take off the helmet. Captain Breeze winced painfully at that.  The private had come from ponyville?  That’s just great.  His town is destroyed, and not even a month passes before he follows. The griffon reverently removed the private’s helmet, then began working on his breastplate.  As the mortician worked, Captain Breeze couldn’t help but feel as if he recognized the private.  Almost as if he had been a friend, or something.  It’s just the illusion on the armor.  All the Solar Guard look like that, so I’m probably thinking it’s one of my buddies. But as the plate finally came off, and the illusion keeping the private’s coat and hair regulation colors fell, Captain Breeze couldn’t help but gasp in recognition. “Is there something wrong, captain?” the griffon asked curiously. “Y-Yeah.  There is.  At least, I think there is.  Geraldt, could you be so kind as to check the inside of the ‘private’s’ left foreleg?” “Certainly, captain.  There appears to be some minor contusions starting from his pastern to his knee, as well as… some kind of tattoo directly on the knee.  It looks almost… tribal, though I am unfamiliar to its design or pattern.” Captain Breeze’s face became stony at those words.  With a quick trot, he drew closer to the table and took a look at the tattoo.  One glance was all he needed to confirm his suspicions.  “Doctor, I want you to drop what you're doing and help me search these other ‘soldiers’ as well.” The doctor looked up in confusion at that.  “Sir?  I assume you’ve seen this before?” “Oh, yes, I’ve seen it before.  I’ve been fighting the bearers of this mark for the past eight years,” Captain Breeze said grimly. *        *        * “This cannot continue as it has, sister,” Princess Luna said with a grimace as she looked over her sister’s lab equipment.  “These beasts are too powerful, and we are but two.  The only reason they haven’t completely destroyed us yet is that they do not appear to be united.” “I know, Luna.  That is why I feel it necessary to ally ourselves with the few that are trying to prevent this disaster,” Celestia said as her horn gently glowed over the longspear that the creature Ammon was so fond of using.  It had been recovered along with the rest of his weapons when the broken and battered lizard had been found by Applejack. Honestly, Celestia would have rather had the hero here as she conducted these tests, but he was far too injured to even remain conscious, much less be of any help. That being said, she did not feel the least bit uneasy examining the lizard's equipment. After all, he had told her guard that he was willing to share with them the secret of his powers; all Celestia was doing was getting a head start. “While I do agree with you, I still feel it unwise to trust these beings,” Luna said, her eyebrows furrowed together in worry.  “Even this, ‘Ammon,’ may prove untrustworthy.  How do we really know that all he said was the truth?” “We don’t, though we do have evidence to support his good intentions,” Princess Celestia said, not even looking up as she made a few more notes about the weapon in front of her.  “He clearly means us no harm; otherwise, I do not think he would be quite so eager to throw his life away in our defense,” Luna nodded in agreement.  “I am not saying what he has done does not deserve our praise, just that we need to exercise some caution.  Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that he is telling us the truth.  As benign as he is, he is still an unknown agent; this, ‘Lady,’ could be pulling his strings without him even knowing it.  Who knows if she hasn’t rigged some kind of killswitch or failsafe should he rebel?” Celestia sighed in resignation.  “I agree.  That is why I am taking the time to study him and his equipment.  Should his master manipulate him against us, I feel it important to know exactly what we’re dealing with.” Princess Luna drew closer at these words, looking curiously over her sister’s shoulder.  “And what have you discovered so far?” “While I haven't finished every test, I have made a few interesting discoveries,” Celestia said as she levitated the spear in front of her.  She then turned towards a wall, twirled the spear a little bit, then launched it at the stone masonry of the room. The spear stuck. “Impressive,” Luna said with a nod.  “Some sort of honing enchantment?” “Strangely, no,” Celestia said as she gestured for her sister to inspect the weapon.  “It’s edge is no more sharp than a normal, unenchanted weapon, albeit one that is kept in peak condition.” Luna approached the weapon, her mouth turned down into a frown.  “Then… how is it so firmly embedded?  The blade is more than a foot long, and part of the shaft is inside that wall.” “Lucky shot,” Celestia said as she yanked the spear free. Luna looked at her sister, a half grin on her face.  “Come, now.  Do not keep secrets from me.  How did it really do that?” “The spear’s path just so happened to follow the exact trajectory necessary to find the exact structural weakness that would allow it to penetrate the wall,” Celestia said as she put the spear back down on the table. “Do you mean that… it will find the most deadly rout every time?  All on it’s own?”  Luna asked, somewhat horrified. “...There’s no way of knowing without a… live subject, but i do not think so,” Celestia said as she stepped closer to the wall.  She then put out a hoof, lightly touching the hole in the wall.  “If it did, it would have found the weakness that would allow the spear to pass through, while taking the wall down with it.  No, what I believe it is doing is mimicking a keen edge spell through the use of probability.  The weapon will hit where the wielder intended, but will still accidentally find a way to slip through even the toughest of armor, or the thickest of scales.” “...And I take it that’s also how it keeps its edge?” Luna asked dryly.  “Because the edge never encountered any real resistance...” “It doesn’t dull or chip.  Or, maybe, it hits just so, so that the strike actually sharpens the blade.” Luna gave a low hum as she stared more intensely at the spear.  “That is a fearsome weapon indeed.  Armor would be useless against it.” “Not so.  While the weapon does use probability to its advantage, that doesn’t make it perfect:  The weakness must exist in the first place.”  With that, Celestia summoned her helmet and, after picking up the spear again and setting her helmet on the table, thrust the spear at the top of the helmet with considerable force. … “Impressive,” Luna said as she looked under the table.  “You not only passed through the table, but part of the stone floor as well.  I believe that only the friction on the sides of the blade and the shaft stopped it.” “And yet, my helmet still deflected it.  Though, if I had been wearing it-” “The spear might have accidentally skipped off, and pierced your jugular,” Luna finished the thought for her. “Now you’re getting it,” Celestia said as she began withdrawing the magical weapon from the table.  “It is a finicky enchantment, though.  It does not seem to always work, and when it does, it never works the same way twice.” “...Is it only on the spear?  I know he has more weapons than that, but-” “I’ve already ran a scan on the others, and it seems that each of their magical signatures are not only identical, but linked.  They are all, essentially, the same weapon,” Celestia said as she set the spear back inside its magical circle.  “The weapons have more properties than that, but for now, that is all I’ve been able to discern with what little time I’ve had.” Luna opened her mouth to ask more, but stopped when she heard the bookcase behind her creak open.  She turned to see Captain Star Blaze enter the room.  “Princess Celestia, your guest has arrived, and is currently awaiting your attention in your waiting room.” “Ah, thank you, captain.  Please tell him I’ll be right along,” Celestia said as she started to remove her lab coat. Luna glanced at her sister, an appraising look in her eyes.  “Guest?  I thought we were leaving the day-to-day details to our stewards.” “This is not a political appointment.  While I was in Vanhoover, I met someone who offered their assistance in dealing with the plague,” Celestia said as she swept past Luna.  “Because of his help, we were able to cure the plague much faster than anticipated.” Princess Luna grinned as she fell in line behind her sister.  “I must admit, that cure you sent worked wonders, and saved so many lives.  I would like to thank this stallion myself.” Celestia just shook her head at that.  “He’s not a stallion.  He’s one of them.” Luna shot her sister a look at that.  “Another one surrendered?” “Indeed.  He didn’t even fight, and he appears to be harmless, though that is always a suspect assumption with these creatures,” Celestia said as she reached out for the waiting room door.  “I must warn you, though.  The creature’s appearance is, by far, one of the most frightening of any we have encountered.  However, his demeanor is quite pleasant, so I would suggest a calm approach to him.” “Do not worry, sister.  I know how-” Luna started to say, but stopped short when Celestia opened the door. Sitting on the couch was another one of those things, but far creepier and more sinister-looking.  Like all of the creatures, this thing was bipedal, though it was far taller and spindlier than any they had encountered thus far.  It wore a long, black coat that went down to the midpoint of its calves, which was fastened in the front by large, black buttons.  Its legs were covered by a set of black trousers, and on the ends of its feet were a pair of thick, black boots. In one of its gloved hands it held a large, black, wide-brimmed hat. In the other, it clutched a doctor’s satchel, though it looked rather worn and beaten, as opposed to the pristine appearance of the rest of the creatures clothes. As intimidating as its dress was, it was the creature’s face that really caused Luna to pause.  The creature’s coat had some kind of cowl which covered the back of its neck and the top of its head, though it did not cover the face in the slightest.  The creature had a long, narrow, grey beak, with two slits on top to allow it to breath when its mouth was closed.  above that beak, Luna could see a pair of goggles, their dark lenses completely obscuring the creature’s eyes. As soon as the door opened, the creature looked over towards the two sisters, its emotionless face betraying nothing that went on inside its head.  “Ah, the Sun and the Moon make their appearance,” he said, his light tenor of a voice masked in an accent that Luna couldn’t quite place.  The creature stood up and, surprisingly, dropped into a low, sweeping bow.  “My master sends his regards, and hopes that you will make the greatest use of my abilities.” The creature then stood upright again, carefully putting the hat in its hand on its head.  “Now, if you ladies would care to lead me to your sick and injured, I would be most grateful.  I have much work to do.”