//------------------------------// // Mission 4, Part 6: Choices // Story: Semper Pie // by deathtap //------------------------------// The kitchen was a mess. There were items all over the place. But it was clear that whatever troop moved through there, they did it fast. Tourmaline bend down and picked up a white cloth that had a red stain on it. Blood. “This is a bandage,” Tourmaline said, showing it to Misty. “You were right,” she said and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m impressed.” She turned to the Solar Guard. “Your orders, sir?” “We continue. Once we reach the surface, two of you head to the M-Com station and report what you’ve seen here. They’ll know what to do,” Valor ordered. “We’ll go, sir,” a Day Guard replied, saluting. The other, another Day Guard, saluted as well. Irons was chewing his lip. “Clever rascals, aren’t they? Getting the better of us like this. Tricking us in the tunnels to get the filly out of there. But why? Why risk getting caught up here? It’s going to be harder escaping out from the surface than below.” “You’re overthinking it. There might not be another exit below that we aren’t watching,” Valor stated. “We’re relying on you to find them, Irons.” “Will do, mate.” As they moved towards the entrance to the mansion, they noticed that nothing seemed to be displaced. Everything was normal, but Irons could see the markings on the rug as clear as if they had dragged their hooves through glow-in-the-dark paint and ran across the threshold. He pointed up the massive staircase that led to the second floor. “They went that way!” “Okay, let’s move!” They rushed the stairs, being careful to make sure that there were no traps. This time, however, the Elites seemed to forget or were too preoccupied with trying to escape and the Guards found no obstacles in their way. Galloping carefully, they reached the second floor and Irons pointed down the western corridor. This time they moved, quickly and as quietly as possible. The pony in the lead had his shield up with his hoof setting the pace for the others. Right next to him, Irons trotted quietly with him. “This is too easy,” Valor muttered. “I hope you’re right about them taking the filly this way.” “Me too, sir,” Tourmaline replied quietly. Irons, who was a good ten strides ahead of them, suddenly roared and drew his weapon. The pony right behind him followed suit. This was it. She was right there. Right around the corner. They were going to save her. His deductive skills had paid off. He was going to save a life. As Tourmaline turned the corner, he found himself in a room full of books. A study? No, this wasn’t the study. This was the library, and by the state of things, it had been abandoned a long time ago. He took it all in at a moment’s glance before his eyes found his target. At the far end of the room against the wall that led to the far rear of the building were about ten Elites with their shields ready, but Irons was already on top of them. They were fighting hard, the Ranger and the Guard with him were already too close for crossbow fire and the escaping Elites had to commit to hoof to hoof combat. “Get the filly! You make sure she’s safe!” Valor ordered and drew his sword and headed towards the main body of the fighting. Misty and Tourmaline headed towards the far end where one of the large bay windows was wide open. In his haste, Tourmaline did not spot the two Elite pegasi aiming their crossbows at the window. He inhaled sharply and was about to pull his shield up, something that he knew would be too late, when two bolts sang in the darkness and struck one of the pegasi in the throat. The other dodged downwards buying enough time for Tourmaline to get his shield ready. The pegasi with the bolt in the neck swayed for a moment before crashing down to the ground on the outside of the window, the second charged forwards but was met with another crossbow bolt, which forced the Elite to twist upwards awkwardly, perhaps from the sudden pain, and slammed its head against the windowsill for good measure breaking a huge chunk of the sill with him or her. “Those bolts came from outside!” Misty shouted. They quickly looked outside and saw a line of Guards heading straight towards a sizeable group of Elites. Tourmaline stared at them with pride. They were the Guards from before. They had organized and were now committing the Elites to battle, which the Watu stood no chance in winning. But they refused to stand down. “Watch out!” Misty shouted, pulling Tourmaline back and away from the edge. Three bolts sang past and embedded themselves into the ceiling with a dull thud. “He’s leading them,” Tourmaline shouted over the rising din outside. “Who is?” “Semper. I saw him.” “Impossible. He’s inside!” “I think I did. I didn’t get a very good look because you pulled me in. Thanks.” “You’re welcome,” Misty replied. “Now what?” “We help! How many bolts you got?” Misty looked at her quiver. “Ten regular, three explosive, two ice, one air.” “Okay. We’ll provide them with support from up here.” “Did you see the filly?” Misty asked. “No. Cover me. I’ll take a look—” She stopped him. “Don’t. Here.” She took a small mirror that had decorated one of the reading tables and offered it to him. “Use this.” “Thanks.” Laying with his back towards the base of the sill, he lifted the mirror over the edge and looked at the reflection and searched. The battle below was in full swing, but two Elites were keeping their eyes on the open window and the other windows of the mansion, their bolts at the ready. If he had peaked over, chances are he’d have gotten a crossbow bolt through the eye that time. “See her?” “No!” “Keep looking!” “I am!” Then he saw her. She was being carried on a stretcher and was outside the fence near the woods. The pegasi were all committed to fighting the Guard in the air, and the other Elites were struggling with making a gap in the fence to bring the filly out. The Elites were forced to work together to buy time to get out. They were between a rock and a hard place. But Tourmaline was wrong. Semper wasn’t there. The pony that was fighting certainly resembled Semper, but he wore the Night Guard uniform and was a unicorn. Where was he? And why did he care so much? It wasn’t relief he was feeling, it was strange. A feeling he did not quite identify. “Stand back,” a cold voice intoned. Tourmaline lowered the mirror and saw Semper standing at the entrance to the library in front of him, his eyes staring through the open window. Again, a strong feeling of something off hit him harder than before. Something was off. Those eyes were harder, so it seemed, than usual. As if he had come to some sort of resolution. With some apprehension, which surprised him, Tourmaline moved out of the way. “And?” “He’s dead,” the stallion said plainly. “And?” “And what? He’s dead!” Fleur de Blanc looked down at her daughter. “So, she slit his throat.” “Seems to be the way of it, yes.” “And where were his escorts?” “Outside the room, like he asked, ma’am.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “And how close was he?” “Close, ma’am. But he never wrote or saved anything. We don’t know half of the formulae. She’s the only one with the serum inside her. Without her, this whole operation is over.” The stallion shrugged. “Dr. Ivory was clever, but his pride clouded his judgement. Not to mention his… growing appetite for torturing her.” Blanc looked at Rose. Her eyes were staring off into space, but somewhere behind those dead looking eyes, Blanc saw defiance and a smile of victory. A part of her felt proud. Proud that, even now, she was living up to her name and being a thorn in her side. “Is she stable?” “No. We need to find a hospital.” Blanc snorted a laugh. “And where is one that we can go?” “Nowhere here in Equestria. They’ll take the blood sample and all sorts of unnecessary questions will be asked.” “Boron. I asked where can we go. Not if we take her to one here.” The Baronet walked over to the window and stared out of it. “The closest is probably in the annexed region, ma’am.” The baronet inhaled sharply. “Is there no other place? It is still very dangerous for me there.” “Ma’am, with all due respect, if we don’t go to a hospital soon, your daughter will die. With her, our entire investment. So, I can assure you that it is absolutely necessary we take her to a hospital.” Boron shook his head. “I can’t believe just how cold you are. This is your daughter here, and not only have you made her become a test subject, but now you’re even contemplating on letting her die.” “She’s not my daughter. She’s the offspring of my ex-husband’s first wife. She gave birth to her. I have nothing to do with this one.” Boron looked at the mare. “And yet you were willing to let us use your real daughter.” Blanc shrugged. “My real daughter would’ve gone through the process just fine. She’s my daughter after all.” “Actually, we don’t know that for sure, ma’am. And even if you were sure that she’d survive the transformation process, there’s no guarantee she’d be normal enough to return to her regular life.” “I have no doubt in the slightest.” “Then why didn’t you insist?” Blanc looked at the stallion. “Are you doubting my word or my judgement, Boron?” The unicorn gulped. “No, ma’am.” The mare turned around and looked out across the clouds, her expression unreadable. “We head towards the annexed region.” “I know of another place,” another stallion whispered from the corner of the room. “It’s just over the border in Zebrica. The Border Guard there are quite lenient regarding what goes over the border considering that the trade agreement between Zebrica and the annexed region is a little more liberal than with Equestria proper. There’s a small clinic helping displaced ponies and other creatures that were freed.” “Don’t remind me, Vision. Those were difficult times for us all. Especially us who happened to be hooked on this.” The Baronet raised the vial and shook it. “Every day I curse that unicorn for making me inject it. Every day.” “I know, ma’am. Same here.” “Am I… am I a terrible mother, Vision?” “No, ma’am. You’re just trying to do what you think is best,” Vision lied. “I am? I guess I am. I just. Sometimes I just…” The mare closed her eyes and shook her head. “Very good, Vision. Let’s go to this hospital.” “I will make the arrangements, ma’am. What do we go with the body?” Boron asked, gesturing with his head towards the deceased form of Dr. Ivory on the floor. “Get rid of it,” the Baronet replied, and sniffed. “What a ridiculous question. Dump him overboard.” “Yes, ma’am.” Herald stared at the body with mixed emotions. It wasn’t the sight of the body that made him feel sick, but rather the horrid smell. He would have never been able to inspect the body if he had not been a pegasi, and only then he could only inspect what was left of him. The fall from the airship, for it must have been an airship, ripped his body in half when he hit a tree protruding from the side of a cliff. The bottom part of his body was long gone, perhaps making a very happy meal for a manticore or another flesh-eating creature. “So, what killed him? The fall?” Question asked. “No. He died much before he hit the ground. It’s hard to tell, but his throats been cut open and that wound is older than the rest of him.” “Do we know who he is?” “Yes.” “Wow. That was quick. Who is he?” Question used his magic to lower himself to the ground. Herald took out his notebook. “Ivory Scope. He’s a scientist with the Canterlot Biology Department. Or rather, he used to be until he lost funding after he tried pony experiments. He lost everything, including his reputation, and vanished. He’s not been seen for the past two or three years.” “Until now.” “Well, not entirely true. There were rumors that he was in the annexed region doing some work for the ponies there.” Herald took out a quill and quickly noted something down. “Nopony thought to check in on him?” Question asked. “Nobody.” “Nobody? You’ve been out here too long, Herald.” “Part of what I do, Question. Part of what I do,” the Border Guard replied. “It’s interesting that Canterlot would send somepony from the Night Guard all the way out here for something like this though.” “There is always a reason,” Question replied nonchalantly. “Any leads on the airship?” “No. We don’t monitor airships that head away from the border. We don’t need to. Especially if they’re heading towards the ex-annexed areas. Borders are not closed anymore. And the Zebricans are much more open too. Things are really changing for the better.” “Uh-huh,” Question tilted his head to the side and looked at the wound on the throat. “This made from a knife?” “Not sure. Could be. It is a clean cut.” “Are bodies like this common around this area?” Question walked around and peered at the other side of the wound. That brought a smile to Herald’s lips. “Not anymore! It’s why it was such a big deal. We don’t get any bodies around anyplace. It’s just amazing. Not like before.” Question backed off and wiped his hooves with a cloth, tossing it on a trash pile. Other Border Guards were collecting evidence while the morgue ponies waited patiently to collect whatever else needed to be gathered. He wondered how anypony could do that job. It made him sick just being this close to a body. The Border Guard were a completely different type altogether. They just didn’t seem affected at all. What had these ponies seen? “But there might be one place they’re heading. Most airships would make for the coast and head along the shoreline. Lots of cities and ports along the coast. Nopony would ever venture directly south. Goes straight into the desert. There’s nothing there, except if you’re heading into Zebrica. But!” “But?” Questions prompted when the stallion didn’t continue. “But why go that way? If you’re going across Zebrica, just head that way! The way this body hit the cliff means that its momentum was going in that general direction.” “South?” “Yep. South.” “What’s there?” “Desert. And the border into Zebrica. The newly opened, no need for permission, completely allowed border between our two great nations. So, there’s no reason to head there in an airship unless you’re going to that particular hospital.” “And why would somepony head to that particular hospital?” “Why it’s famous! For its ‘miracle’ cures.” “Miracle cures?” “Yeah. The main focus of the hospital is herbal potions, I think. Bunch of hogwash if you ask me, but there are plenty who say it’s really real.” Herald shrugged. “I guess it’s possible if so many are swearing by it. I personally wouldn’t trust something that hasn’t had a good once-over by the Magi of Medicine, but whatever. If it works, it works.” “Magic can only cure so much, Herald. After a point something else needs to be involved,” Question replied taking out a small plastic bag and picking up something and placing it inside. “What you got there?” “Some green ooze from his clothing. I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t look natural.” “Lemme see.” Herald glided down and walked over to the plastic bag and inspected it from the outside. “Looks like blood.” “Yes, but green blood? What animal has green blood?” “Out here? Take your pick. We got all sorts,” Herald replied barking a laugh at the end. “Guess you’re just the paranoid type, eh? We completely overlooked it. Must’ve been from a real hungry predator or something.” Question pocketed the piece of cloth. “Still, better safe than sorry. I’ll keep it for now. How long till I can get an airship heading south towards that hospital you were talking about?” Herald rubbed his chin. “Dunno. By this evening, I s’pose. There aren’t many airships heading that way, so we’d either have to commission one or you hop aboard a supply ship.” “Let me know. I would like to leave as soon as possible.” Question turned and walked a little away before vanishing in a puff of color as he teleported back towards the basecamp. “You heard the colt, get him aboard an airship,” Herald shouted as he turned towards two subordinates who were helping the morgue ponies. “Sir, there’s a new airship in the nearby town, sir!” “Get him aboard it!” Herald yelled back. “Yes, sir!” The first shouted, then turned to his comrade. “What was that ship’s name again?” “Um… I think it was the Lipizan II,” the pegasus mare responded after a moment. “Yeah. Definitely that’s the name.” “For all my long life I have never seen, a pony whose blood is the color green. It is something beyond all I know, but we shall try to cure her body though.” Fleur de Blanc narrowed her eyes at the zebra mare in front of her. “I am aware.” “We are ill supplied to provide a solution, bringing her here was a desperate resolution. Her body is responding fine, but her mind is on limited time. Soon her mind will cease to be, unless she gets proper help quickly. To Equestria you must soon go, for better care they will show.” “Will she be able to make it?” Blanc asked. The zebra leaned back in her chair and thought quietly. “That is something I cannot say; it is still early in the day. We will see what potions we can make, for her life is certainly at stake. If she starts to show improvement, we will begin to organize her movement.” “That will not be necessary. I have my own airship on standby. There’s no ship quicker than her.” The zebra raised an eyebrow, a gesture that Blanc did not miss, but both mares chose to pretend to have not noticed each other in that sense. “What is your name? I’ve told you mine.” “Zecora is the name given at my birth, and potions are what gives me my worth.” Blanc nearly fell off her chair when she heard that name. There was no one outside of Lost Hope, no, Freeport, that did not. The mare that was now a minor legend. The mare that was the catalyst to what had happened. The mare that brought him. But Blanc was not new to the game of deception and trickery. She knew how to play her cards and when to fold. Freeport was so suddenly founded that plenty of slave traders had managed to slip away, herself included. But Blanc knew it was only a matter of time before her name and identity were discovered. It wouldn’t take long before the Guards would come for her and her group. She needed to get out of Equestria before then, but all her resources were there. Everything. She had started consolidating her mammoth fortune and finding places to flee to, but she had to be careful not to arouse suspicion. And here she was, sitting across from the very filly who had inadvertently been the centerpiece to everything that was done. A single question past through Blanc’s head as she shifted her veil unconsciously. Was he here? Was that monster close by? Would he come for her now? No, she had to play it cool. Only a very small number of ponies knew of her true identity and she had dealt with those appropriately. Except for that griffin, the new mayor of the annexed region. But she was untouchable and, in all hopes, had forgotten about Blanc completely. She had to play it cool and remain calm and reserved. “Zecora? That is a beautiful name. I’m sure that my daugh—” Blanc cut herself off with a cough. “My… er… director is in good hooves with you here.” The zebra raised her eyebrow again. “Such a young filly holding such a prestige title, her survival to you must be quite vital.” “Yes, of course,” Blanc said and stood up. “Quite. I have other matters to attend to. Farewell for now.” Blanc saw the zebra nod and could feel her eyes on the back of her head as she exited the room. Once outside, the mare let out a long sigh. As soon as Rose was stable, she would get her out of here. Leaving her mansion was a stupid plan. She shouldn’t have listened to that idiot doctor. Question stood next to the captain as he stood and looked at the bedsheet with the zebra next to him. The captain narrowed his eyes at the zebra and smiled whenever she glanced his way.   “And how long has it been since they’ve gone?” Question asked after cutting off some of the green stained sheets and putting them in different bags. “It’s been about three days since they have gone, I am deeply regretful of what I have done. The filly was improving before she left, her state had kept me so bereft. She kept saying one thing over and over again, a name of Lisi she uttered as if she were in pain. I do not know what is happening, but her emotional state was very saddening.” “We will do everything we can to find her,” Question replied. “We are pretty sure who she is, and we have created a taskforce dedicate to getting to the bottom of this. I’m here to gather any leads to help us find those responsible.” “If you find that filly, you’ll find those guilty.” Zecora narrowed her eyes. “The potion I gave will heal her body for sure, but her mind will not be able to endure.” “How long?” “It may already be too late as they took her before last potion dose. They took her away when I was so close. I pleaded with them to keep her here, but they all threatened me with a spear.” “That’s fine. You did what you could. All I know is that this Fleur de Blanc is a sick filly and I’m going to find her and soon. I appreciate all your help in getting us this information.” “If there is nothing else I can do, then I must bid you both adieu.” “Hang on a moment,” Question said. The unicorn looked at the captain. In response, the captain removed his hat and scratched the back of his head. “So… what now?” “Well, I will interview a few more ponies here then we’ll head straight for Canterlot.” At that, the captain shook his head. “Sorry, no-can-do. I’m a banished pony, you see. I can’t cross Her Highness’ border because—” “Don’t worry about that. Leave that to me. Just get me there as fast as you can. And I’ll need to send this via your fastest pegasi to the nearest Border Guard station. This note needs to get back to HQ as soon as possible. What can you do?” The captain took the roll in his hoof and scratched his head. “Okay. I think I can help you, but you’re gonna have to be really real about me getting into Equestria. As much as I’d like to go, I’m not really welcome there. But my, uh, filly-friend lives in Canterlot and—” “Yes, yes. I know. You mentioned this quite a few times already. I am sure I can work something out. In this case we’re on a very tight deadline and time is of the essence. Straight to Canterlot. I will handle any questions along the way.” “Right! If you say so.” The captain trotted away leaving Question with the zebra. Questions turned back to look at the bed, placing his hoof on his chin in deep thought. Zecora shifted slightly in the silence. “If you don’t mind me asking, you mentioned that you’re forming a taskforce. There would be a pony named Semper involved of course.” At that, the Night Guard seemed to snap out of his reverie. “Oh? You know Semper? Yes, yes. He’s involved. In fact, I think he’s in charge. I don’t know. It’s all very complicated. But yes, Semper is definitely involved. I’m just an external investigator gathering evidence.” Zecora smiled to herself and nodded. “That is good; he will do what needs to be done. I just hope that he isn’t the one.” Question furrowed his head. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?” “Nothing, no need for any concern, it isn’t something for you to discern,” Zecora replied with a weak smile. With a slight nod of his head, Question seemed to get the answer he wanted. “I’m sure you and your guest have a few things to catch up on already. Please let her know that we’ll leave as soon as possible, so it would be good for you to say goodbye.” Zecora gazed out of the window and saw the mare in question hovering gently over a small pond, her once bright hue dulled utterly. “Providence Dasher has been here for so long, but the potions she takes are getting too strong. There has to be another way to save her, something more powerful than potions as it were.” “Right now there’s nothing but the potions you’ve managed to make. And the rest of the Watu Elites?” “Most of them have come to a ghastly and grisly end, none have been cured nor are on the mend. The reports that we’ve sent, you must have read; this whole business has me filled with dread. There is something that mixed in that I’ve missed, something obvious yet have dismissed.” “It’s impossible for you to know. There are too many plants on your side of the border. There are also a lot of animals with green blood too. Too many places where the green substance could have originated. But I’ve sent it in for analysis, so it will only be a matter of time before we get some form of a result.” Question turned and opened the door. “Thank you for your time, doctor.” “Please do not call me that for it isn’t true, helping others is just what I like to do.” “Sounds like a doctor to me,” Question quipped. He smiled and placed his hat on his head. “Should I take a message to Semper for you?” At that, Zecora fought the fire rising to her cheeks. “No, that is very much alright, please do not worry and have a good flight.” “Okay. If you change your mind, just hoof it over to Providence.” Zecora nodded and waited as Question closed the door behind him. She turned to the window and opened it and, seeing the window now open, prompted Providence to fly over and into the now empty ward. Providence looked at the bed for a long moment, remembering the filly that lay there. “Are you sure you don’t mind me going?” she asked without moving her eyes. The zebra shook her head. “There is nothing more for us to say, I think now it is time for you to be on your way.” “I’m going to go see him you know. Are you really, really sure you don’t want to come with me?” Zecora sighed. “I will always keep a special place in me for him, but chances the feeling’s mutual are are slim. He came for me not because of his heart, he came for me because our nations were apart.” “You know, that doesn’t make sense. Even if he didn’t love-love you, he still wouldn’t have gone that far just for anypony. Anyway, you won’t know unless you ask him.” “I already know what he will answer me, it pains me to think on it – please leave it be.” Providence smiled gently. “Alright. I’ll miss you, Zecora. And thank you, really, for everything you’ve tried to do. It was fun while it lasted, but lately… lately I’ve been forgetting things that I shouldn’t. Yesterday I nearly forgot my daughter’s name. I remembered that I had a daughter, but… I don’t even remember her face or where our house is. It’s getting real bad.” “Shouldn’t you at least go say goodbye? Shouldn’t you at least go and try?” “I… want to, but she won’t recognize me. I hardly remember myself! And I don’t want to destroy the last memories of what I was. No. I know it’s cowardly,” Providence choked back a sob, “but I don’t want her to remember this.” “She’ll love you no matter who you are, you are her one and only shining star.” “I know! Trust me, I know. But, and I understand it’s selfish, it’s me that isn’t ready. Plus… plus there might be a way. One last chance that I have and I’m going to take it. We all are. Us.” She looked out the window and saw a bunch of Elites trying their best to play volleyball. They certainly could play it quite well, but each time the ball was life they were playing as if their lives were depending on it. They were always playing for keeps and never relented. “Life to most of them lost meaning and everyone needs to find their own purpose to live. Mine is my daughter and for many of them now, the thought of getting me back together with her is their purpose too. I can’t just abandon them. Too many have died waiting for me.” “Once again your loyalty is too strong, I hope that it doesn’t do further wrong,” Zecora replied. She walked over to Providence and gave her a hug. “The doors here are always open to you, if you wish to drop by then please do.” “Thanks. Now, what d’ya say we out this sad nonsense behind us and you read a chapter from my book?” Zecora giggled slightly and took the pages from her friend’s hoof. “I would like that very much; your stories have such an eloquent touch.” “They do, huh?” Providence poured herself a glass of water. “At least I haven’t lost my ability to write. At least there is that…” The pegasus stared off into the distance as if she had seen something there. A smile formed along her lips and she nodded to herself. “That’s it! I’ll write! My writing will connect with her. I just know it will. I just know it. It has to. As long as I write I won’t ever be truly gone. Some piece of me will always stay behind.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKRUPYrAQoE (Mood Music – Optional) Tourmaline narrowed his eyes. The stallion in front of him was alone. Semper. His eyes glinted with unrelenting purpose. Harder than stone. How could one forget? These were the eyes of a pony who was willing to go far beyond what it took. To do the things that needed to be done, whether they were the right thing or not. To let nothing stand in the way of his purpose: to protect the Kingdom, even from itself. He was the perfect Guard. And that made him the most dangerous pony there. Right now, all that stood between Semper and the filly wasn’t the army of Elites or platoons of Guards fighting to recover her. It was him. At that moment Tourmaline understood one thing, the one thing that had been nagging him ever since he saw Semper in the lower regions of the tunnels. What was he doing down there? If he was in charge of this operation, he should have been up top supervising and giving orders. Not on the front lines down below. The answer was so obvious. The answer was so clear. Why hadn’t he realized until then? “You’re not getting past me!” Tourmaline shouted and placed his shield before him. “Stop him!” Misty looked at Tourmaline surprised and clearly confused. She had not understood what the unicorn was doing nor saying. Semper did not hesitate and charged straight at him. Each step seemed to give rise to sparks as the distance closed between the two. Tourmaline shuddered, but he firmly stood his ground. He charged his horn and fired his magic, the ground dropping beneath Semper’s left-front hoof. The earth pony stumbled slightly, but recovered quickly and closed the distance even faster. Tourmaline braced for impact, but instead was met with a loud clang as Misty rushed forwards with her sword drawn. Semper had countered, a sword in his teeth as he pushed against the mare’s blade. “What’s going on?” Misty shouted in confusion trying her best to hold him off. “Stop him! He’s going to—” Before he could finish, Semper pushed in with his hoof and swung his body as hard as he could. Misty was swept aside with a violent shove that sent her flying across the room. She tried to recover in mid-air, but she smashed into two Elites who were as surprised as she was. They took up their weapons to finish her off then froze when they saw who stood in front of Tourmaline. Their newly drawn blades were dropped at once and two crossbows were up. A salvo was fired towards Semper. Semper ducked the first bolt as it whizzed over his head, while in the same movement he grabbed Tourmaline’s shield and held it up against the incoming barrage. Two solid bolts stuck hard against the shield. Tourmaline backed off, slipping down on his back as he stared upwards with eyes opened wide in fear and awe. “They knew.” Tourmaline grabbed his knife. “They knew! They weren’t trying to stop us! They were trying to stop you!” Semper slammed his gauntlet into Tourmaline’s throat, the unicorn gasped and floundered as he tried to make some distance between himself and Semper. Semper leaned forward and removed two quarrels from the quiver that Misty had left for Tourmaline and moved past. In desperation, Tourmaline reached out and grabbed the stallion by his hoof, still clutching his throat with his other hoof and gasping for air. Semper stopped when he felt Tourmaline’s hold on. “S-stop. P-please. Do not do this,” Tourmaline whispered as he tried to breathe through the pain, straining to get his voice heard with all his might. Semper turned his head ever so slightly. He did not look at Tourmaline, but the bolts, explosions, fighting, shouting, screaming, every noise that could be heard seemed to mute as he spoke. Tourmaline’s eyes widened and those words were carved into his soul as he heard them. Semper was right, and there was none that could do what needed to be done. Tourmaline had no choice but to let go and he fought the tears forming in his eyes as he released Semper and watched him go. “… and that’s everything I know! I swear!” Iris shouted looking at the Guard in front of her. Question took a sip from a milkshake he ordered and nodded. “I believe you. Really, I do, but I just need to know everything so that I can make a good and comprehensive report. Look at me, speaking out of turn!” At those words, Question waved a hoof and one of the other Guards trotted on over. “Would you like anything else?” Question asked. “There’s no better place in Canterlot than here for milkshakes.” “Is Rose alright?” the filly asked quietly. Those words wiped the smile from Question’s lips. He turned to the Guard next to him. “One more chocolate banana mix, Tornado. Oh, and no cherries this time around, please.” “Yes, sir.” For a long moment, Question looked at the unicorn in front of him. So young, and smart. Really smart. He was happy that he had met this particular filly and, on a normal day, he would have tried his very best to woo her away from the stuffy, stuck-up, stupid, stubborn academy and make her join the Guard. Why waste her skills in a society climb for no other reason than to make a name for yourself in a circle that would as soon tarnish and destroy it as they would worship and bless it. He hated Canterlot’s near-incestuous microcosm they had the audacity to call a society. No, he despised it. But this filly was clever. Almost perfect. She would make a good Guard, especially one that sought out traitors. The other Guards called them Investigators, or Internal Review, but behind their backs they had another name for them. Inquisitors. Once upon a time that was what they were. A time now long since gone by. In those days they were called upon by Celestia to seek out cultists that were trying to free the near forgotten sister of the princess. They had come close a couple of times, but the Inquisitors had played their role well. In hindsight, is also turned those who merely were fascinated with the night into die-hard cultists that still plagued the echelons of pony life, hibernating in sleeper cells waiting for the right moment to strike out and bring back their god-queen and spread everlasting night. But the Inquisitors deserved their reputation. They were, in the end, nothing more than torture experts and well versed in deception and trickery. In the end, even the Princess of the Sun could not bear the stories and reports from her own and disbanded the Inquisitors placing them instead into a much less dark path. Besides, Investigator sounded so much better than Inquisitor. And using subtlety to get the answers you seek was a lot more fun, or sounded a lot more fun, than breaking a pony’s hooves to get them to talk. “How old are you?” “How is that important?” Iris narrowed her eyes. “Tell me what is going on.” “Your friend has been missing for several weeks now. The only one that has reported her as ‘missing’ was you.” “And I told you why! It’s because she didn’t want to go home but had to because of—” “Because of her sister, I know. Thank you so much for that, we’ve put her into protective custody.” Question studied Iris’ face and watched as a flurry of thoughts raced through her head. He knew that she had come to the only conclusion that made sense already, but her young mind would refuse to accept it. She will ask the obvious anyway.   “Is she alright?” she asked again. “You already know the answer to that, my dear. Would you like me to say it out loud?” Question watched as the milkshake was loaded onto a tray, two paper tissues removed from its dispenser, and placed on the side. A red straw with white stripes was inserted at the top as the server was about to put a cherry in. The Guard waved his hoof, to which the server replaced the cherry back somewhere behind the counter. “No,” Iris managed to say before succumbing to her emotions. The Guard placed the drink in front of Question, who used his magic to hover the tissue over to the filly. She took them in her own magic and dabbed at her eyes. “I know that this is hard for you, but is there anything else, anything at all, that would help us at least find her mother?” Question asked. “Anything.” A sudden changed appeared on Iris’ face as she stared hard at Question. He fought hard the urge to smile. It was pure, raw, unadulterated anger. An anger that would make her do almost anything to sate. This filly was in the wrong place. She needed to be in the Guard. She needed to be an Investigator like him. “She has her own private airship,” Iris said suddenly. “I remember Rose used to mention it sometimes. She would come into port and Rose would head over to the docks with Lisi to say hello, but their mother never used to stay for long and would head straight for her mansion.” “The Fleurs own many mansions. Did rose happen to mention which one she was going to?” “Most likely the main one. Up near the woods on the far side of Canterlot, just inside the city limits where all the other huge mansions are.” “Imperium Causeway?” Question asked noting it down. Iris nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I’m not from around here, so I don’t know all the name of all the roads anyway.” “It’s not that hard to learn them. Simple enough for a girl with your mind,” Question added before he could cut himself off. This wasn’t lost on the filly who blushed at his compliment despite the large drops of tears flowing from her eyes. She sniffled and wiped her nose. “Thanks.” “We’ve been looking for your friend’s body for some time now,” Question stated. She had accepted it, and had moved on, turning her grief into anger. A good emotion, if directed properly. Establishing that the friend was gone was something that was the most likeliest of outcomes. If he was wrong, so what? At least he had prepared her for it. And think of the joy she would feel if it were otherwise, unlikely as it seemed. “I want to see the body,” Iris stated. “I don’t care what condition it’s in, or whatever. I need to see the body. I need to see her one last time. To tell her that I feel awful for not understanding her pain. And to say goodbye. It’s important. You’ll do that for me, right?” “Of course. You have my word. But what if we cannot find her body?” “I… I don’t know. I just don’t know.” “Can you call somepony to take care of you?” Question asked as he placed the straw in his mouth. “No. I don’t have family here.” Question looked up at the filly. “I know it hurts. But you’ve been so brave for coming here and helping us.” He removed the straw from his mouth and placed the half empty glass on the table. “Have you… have you ever considered on joining the Royal Guard?” Iris looked up. “I… I haven’t.” “Think about it. I think you’d be very good addition to our forces.” He picked up the glass again and drained the rest of the contents. “For the time being, I would like a Guard posted with you. As a precaution. Do you mind?” “No,” Iris replied. “I guess that’s okay.” “Thanks for helping. If you should think of anything, just let the Guard with you know. He’ll send the information to me directly.” “She had a lot of servants,” Iris suddenly stated. “Maybe they can help?” “We’ve already asked. Most of them have lost their jobs at the various mansions. Two of them have been completely abandoned. The summer residence was destroyed. I think that they did it to lose the Guards that were on their trail. It worked.” “Why… why are you telling me all this?” “Because I need you to trust me,” Question replied. “I need to know that you can trust me completely. And because I want to help you. You don’t deserve to have this happen to you. Nopony does.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGy70BxOQwY – Mood Music (Optional) Tourmaline trembled. Despite his pain, he could not resist the undeniable presence of the stallion standing before him. Semper Pie. He had not seen Semper in actual combat, but already chills ran up and down his spine as he lay there. How far had he come since their time apart? Semper stood at the window’s ledge and gazed across the ensuing chaos below him. He held the quarrels firmly in his right hoof, the shield in his left was lowered and he used the based of his sword to swipe the bolts that lay embedded in it. Tourmaline had to see it. He had to see him fight. He had to see this through to the bitter end. The Elites from across the hall whom Misty had slammed into had immediately dropped their crossbows once they had fired knowing full well that they had no time to reload, and charged at Semper with their spears ready, their eyes wide open in a mixture of horror and desperation visible through their masks. They barely got four steps before the Guards behind them, along with Valor, cut them down effortlessly. But those Elites were trying to save her. It wasn’t the Elites that he had to fear, it was the stallion in front of him. The stallion now standing on the window’s edge. Then he jumped. From outside of the second story of the building. Struggling to his hooves, Tourmaline reached the window and pulled himself up and peered over just as he saw a burst of wind erupt from underneath the shield. Semper had inverted it, standing on the outside as if it were a sled, the air spell in the quarrel that he had activated slowing his downward momentum while providing a burst that propelled him forward, away from the mansion window. Despite his entrance into the fray, most of the Elites were preoccupied in containing and keeping the other Guards away from the filly that didn’t notice Semper as he flanked them from behind. But Semper did not attack them in weak point and instead he allowed the Elites to maintain the wall as the two forces locked head to head committing to battle. There was no mistaking it now. His purpose was absolutely clear. With the Guards, they would get in his way. He needed them distracted, and the Elites were going to do help him. Two Elites, acting as support and standing behind the line, turned with their spears to intercept. When they saw who it was, they shouted something. At this, three more Elites joined in forming a miniature line against Semper. They did not charge, but instead stood in formation. Three in the front, two behind. Tourmaline watched as Semper clipped two ice quarrels against the underside of the shield and spun his hoof in an upward arc as the spell ignited sending ice in an upward arc with spikes stretching forward as the angle slanted upwards. The three Elites in the front raised their shields as the spikes that collided with their defenses pushing them back. Perhaps they did not see what Tourmaline saw, but as the five Elites reformed themselves, Semper had already clipped yet another quarrel. The ice had formed a ramp. The Border Guard’s spear was out before the ice stopped growing, and Semper slammed his rear hoof into the ice and kicked back with all his force, pushing him forwards along the newly formed incline. Tourmaline watched as Semper used his powerful body to propel himself along the ice using his shield like a sled yet again. As the shield left the ramp, he leapt with all his might and dropped the quarrel onto the five Elites. In seconds a ball of fire and heat erupted between them as the quarrel exploded tearing them apart. In midair, three pegasi Elites detached and charged at Semper desperate to stop this pony’s onslaught. They knew him far better than any of the Guards and knew exactly why he was to be feared. But Semper was not to be denied. He sliced through one with his sword, half the body and wing separating from the torso. The pegasus gripped the blade and fell away with it disarming Semper of his blade. The second turned at a sharp angle and came down upon Semper’s back, but the Semper used his spear and threw it backwards to the ground with the tip pointing up towards them. The pegasi was no match for an earth pony’s power as Semper grabbed the wing and, using his earth pony strength, threw the pegasi down towards the spear before it had time to waver. The speed at which the pony hit the ground with the tip of the spear going straight through the center of torso made Tourmaline cringe. He felt that on the floor where he knelt. Semper landed next to the dead pegasi and rolled to a stop as the spear fell across his shoulders. The third pegasi was on top of Semper before he could stand. They grappled briefly as the pegasi tried to stick his sword into Semper, but a clean head-butted with the mask against the Elite’s open skull stunned him long enough for Semper to grab him and pull him to the side. Then Semper pushed the Elite towards fence. The helm and head passed through the gap between the bars, but when the Elite tried to pull back, the helm’s design got caught. The Elite was stuck. Instead of killing the trapped Elite, Semper took a slight running start and stepped onto its back like a springboard and launched himself over, clearing both the fence and the spikes above it. Semper landed in front of the stuck pegasus on the other side who screamed and flailed around trying to break free, but found the only thing possible was watch. With no shield, no sword, no crossbow, the only thing that stood between Semper were four heavily armed Elites, but it was clear that each had ran out of bolts. What could one Border Guard with a spear do against that? The first charged straight at Semper and, to Tourmaline’s astonishment, took the spear to the chest. He growled and held it there with his body. The second Elite leapt over the first’s pierced body using the back like a springboard, much like what Semper had done moments before, and came down with a scimitar. Semper kicked the base of his spear, sending it deeper into the first’s chest, but the Elite held it firmly and only the tip managed to break through the solid armor. At the same moment, Semper dodged to the side, angling his body so the blade whizzed by inches from his face. The scimitar hit the ground, and Semper slammed his hoof on the blade shoving it deep into the dirt. He took a step in and struck upwards with his gauntlet aiming right for the Elite’s neck. The Elite ducked and leaned back allowing the blow to hit the mask letting go of the scimitar in the same moment. As the second Elite stumbled backwards, the third came from the right side of the first’s skewered body. It was the perfect blind spot for Semper. A textbook move, and would have killed a normal pony. But Semper was no normal pony. Semper spun outward, the stabbing thrust of the third Elite’s blade sliding along the back of Semper’s armor. In his momentum, Semper grabbed the back of the Elite’s neck and shoved him towards the fence where he collided with the still flailing pegasus. The Elite moved to the side and was about to charge when he the second’s blade sailed through the air and hit him in the chest. Semper had picked and thrown it in one smooth motion. The Elite slumped down where he had stood as Semper turned around. The fourth and final Elite stood firm by the filly’s side and drew two blades. Semper grabbed the tip of his spear, which was protruding through the first Elite’s body, and applied his force on a single point along the shaft. This force caused the wooden haft to burst apart in a spray of splinters. He held the tip of his spear and calmly walked towards the last Elite, and the filly. Tourmaline watched as the Elite shouted something, but Semper shook his head slowly and gestured for the Elite to get out of his way. Predictably, the Elite refused and charged. Semper ducked the first scimitar blow, stepped to the side and used his gauntlet to stop the second blade before the Elite had a chance to use it. Before the Elite could recover from both parries, Semper slammed the spear tip into the side of the skull. The Elite, still conscious, tried to swing this blade at Semper’s stomach, but the earth pony turned and kicked out with his hind legs. The Elite literally flew in the air before slamming into a tree breaking it apart from the point of impact. And there he stood, alone. There was nothing in his way. He wiped the spear’s blade against his cape and walked towards the filly. “What are you doing?” Valor all but screamed as he realized what was happening. Tourmaline felt him trying to summon a teleportation spell, but he did not have enough power. It was too late. All eyes were on Semper as he raised the spear above the filly’s form. Tourmaline had seen enough and turned around and slumped down where he was. He felt tears flowing from his eyes. The entire battle was silenced by one simple downward motion. “Is it done?” Providence asked as Semper was escorted by a large number of Guards towards the holding cart. Chains were fastened around his hooves and his neck. Over his mouth he wore a muzzle of steel. He looked at the pegasus and nodded. “Yes. It is done.” “Did she… go peacefully?” “Yes.” “Thank you.” Providence smiled sadly at the stallion. “And I’m sorry.” “Wait. You knew that this monster was going to kill her?” Valor asked standing in front of the mare. “Why in Celestia’s name didn’t you say anything? We could’ve saved her!” “Yes. You could have. Yes, you could have kept her safe. Place Guards around her as she slumbered. But then what? Is that something she deserved? To be locked away in her mind forcing herself to live every day because she would always believe that she had to? What kind of life is that?” Valor relaxed his shoulders. “We are not executioners.” “It wasn’t an execution. It was release. There was nothing you or anypony could do for her. The only right thing to do was end her misery,” Providence said quietly averting her eyes from the Solar Guard’s hard gaze. “Then why didn’t he do it when he saw her the first time?” Valor shouted pointing at Semper. “If he did, my father might still be alive!” “Sir, would you have believed me? Would you have let me?” Semper asked. Valor looked down at the ground. “I knew there was a reason why you let us follow you into those tunnels. You could have hidden your tracks, lost us easily if you had wanted to. You knew that we’d chase you into those tunnels. You were trying to get me and my father away from the filly. Well, you succeeded! What stopped you?” “Myself.” Stunned, Valor furrowed his brow. He had not expected that response. The Solar Guard knew if the roles were reversed he would have never been able to do what Semper had done. He just couldn’t do it, especially not to a filly. A mare maybe, but not a child. “She spoke to you,” Valor said quietly. “I saw it. Her lips were moving after you… after you murdered her. She was telling you something. What was it?” “She made me promise.” “Promise what?” “To protect her sister.” “Are you saying that to make me feel better?” Valor asked grabbing Semper’s face in his hoof. “Because if you’re lying to me I’ll gut you right here.” “I have no reason to lie about this, sir.” The stallion had a point, but that only infuriated Valor even more. The Solar Guard narrowed his eyes. “We will protect her sister. You’ve already done enough.” “She doesn’t need protecting anymore, sir. She is free.” At that, Valor shook his head. “You’re lucky that I’m not going to end you like you ended her. You’re going to pay for this, Semper Pie. I don’t care why you thought that she had to die, especially since we have the best doctors and medication in Equestria. We could have found something to stop the… whatever it was! It wasn’t your decision to make.” “Her blood is green, sir,” Tourmaline interjected, “her entire biology is changed. Apart from looking like one, for all intents and purposes, she wasn’t a pony anymore, sir!” Valor turned on him. “All we needed was time. We would have found a way. We protect our kind! That is what we do. Or had you forgotten.” “And let her suffer? For how long? Weeks? Months? Years? You’re too selfish!” Providence shouted and began to cry. “You think he wanted to do this? You think he liked searching for her across Equestria knowing what he had to do? Knowing that when he finally found her that he’d have to...” “That’s what you were doing with the mother,” Valor said nodding slowly. “You were testing me. Testing us. To see if we’d be open to the idea of an impromptu execution. You were never really going to kill the mother, were you? It was always about the filly. Did we pass your test then?” “Yes, sir. I didn’t expect anything less from Celestia’s Chosen,” Semper replied. “Doesn’t matter anyway,” the Solar Guard growled and looked at the earth pony. “Doesn’t matter anymore. Even if we did find out a way to save her, or at least find out anything, she’s gone and there’s nothing anypony can do about that. You’ll live with this, and for the rest of your life you’ll always remember it. The weight of what you have done is branded across your very soul.” Semper stole a glance at his flank. A spear now lay across the crossbow and blade. “I did what I had to.” “And you will pay for it dearly. Take him away. Lock him up until the High Council decides what to do with him. This is why the Border Guard should remain on the fringes of our beloved kingdom. You and your kind belong far away from civilized society. Get him out of my sight. I don’t ever want to see him again.” Valor turned away from Semper in disgust. Two Day Guards approached either side of Semper and placed their hooves on him. He jerked his shoulder hard making both Guards back off and stood aside as Semper himself climbed the steps into the jail cart. Providence watched as the door slammed shut and didn’t stop staring until the vehicle rounded the edge of the property and headed towards the gates at the far end.