The master and the windigo

by stupidswampdragon

43 - Crazy He Calls Me

Lyra gathered herself from the pavement with a pained groan. Despite being mid-afternoon, night seemed to have descended onto Canterlot; the alleyway was shrouded in darkness. There was nothing supernatural about the dim lightning, though. Glancing around, Lyra found herself in an all-permeating grey fog. Fine dust floated everywhere. It blotted the sun out, covered every surface. It also worked its way into her coat and scraped at her throat with every breath she took.

Despite the vague inkling that she was still in a life-threatening situation, Lyra's most immediate thought was how dirty everything became. Even the gritty cobblestones looked uglier.

What a mess, she frowned and rubbed her forehead. She was mildly disoriented, her ears still ringing. It was quite disheartening how she had no difficulty recalling that particular sensation.

It's just like after Twilight teleported me to the palace garden. What did she say... a difference in pressure or something?

Squinting at the fog, a sober chuckle left Lyra's mouth.

Well, an entire building exploding would indeed do that I guess.

"What a lowly trick!" Snowy sneered, shaking her translucent hoof roughly in the direction the inn used to be. "I did not expect somepony as esteemed as a princess to sink to such depths!"

Glancing at the windigo, Lyra raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"As if we were playing fair ourselves," she mumbled and popped her neck by rolling her head around. "Let it go. All is fair in love and war."

"True, but Master isn't a princess." Snowy turned to her, then gasped and yanked her hooves in front of her mouth. "I- I mean, of course Master is a princess! I... uh, I'm just not used to the fact yet!"

"That's 'cause she ain't," came a low, grumbling voice from the side, shortly followed by Axiom creeping into view. "I only made everypony think she is."

"You WHAT!" Lyra snapped to the spider, then burst into a fit of coughing. The dusty air did her no favours.

Axiom wasn't really shaken by his master's fury. He gave the pony a hard look, all his yellow eyes glittering for a few moments; then he imitated a shrug, using six of his legs to bounce his torso up and down.

"T'was the only way to get these hoodlums to follow ya'," he growled and turned away. "What, did ya' really think ya' could just talk yer' way through?"

Her teeth sinking into her lip, Lyra looked away just the same. It was naive to expect Axiom act as a faithful servant just because Pinkie had asked him to, of course... but Lyra still didn't expect the spider to be so unruly.

Keh! It's like he has his own agenda, she ground her teeth, then rolled her eyes when the realisation struck. Well duh... of course he would. He's a servant who has played this game for thousands' of years. I'm probably his what, many dozenth master?

Thinking about that for a moment, another servant popped into Lyra's mind - the one of Chrysalis. That dragon had been content to watch their fight from a distant rooftop, even as her master had been being undone before her very eyes.

Sneaking a glance to the windigo sitting next to her, Lyra gave a sly smirk. It had never occurred to her before, but being largely absent of memories had made Snowy far more reliable than any other servant.

Talking about reliable...

The mob that accompanied her was strangely quiet. She could clearly hear the debris raining down on the nearby rooves, pieces of brick and mortar clanging loudly against the ceramic tiles. All the gryphons and ponies around Lyra were silent, staring into the fog with the same disbelieving stare. Lyra wasn't sure how to categorise their reaction. It certainly wasn't panic... bur rather looked like awe, mixed with curiosity and astonishment.

Well, at least they aren't in a rush to leave me, she sighed in relief. Guess I should take this situation under control before they can change their minds, huh?

As it was only those drunkards standing between her and a number of hitponies, making her followers stick around felt like a rather urgent topic.

"Barkeep..." she squinted to the left, at the old gryphon. She was fresh out of ideas, so it was time for the tried-and-proven plan B: doing something stupid instead. "What the heck were our drinks made of?"

The nearby bystanders immediately broke into a faint chuckle and turned to the gryphon as well. No-one took the accusation very seriously though - not even the accused.

"Esto estaba cerca!" he shrugged, his voice solely hinting at relief.

This was... close, Lyra mumbled to herself, quickly translating. Well, duh.

"Too close for my liking!" a pegasus thundered, wildly shaking his head to get the thick dust out of his mane. "Were we still in that inn...!"

The crowd broke into a loud choir of murmuring, generally sounding very much in line with that statement. Generally.

"This couldn't have been Celestia!" a high-pitched voice shrieked from the back. "This isn't like her!"

"Like, not at all!" came the reply from somewhere else, the source lost to the swirling, dusty fog.

Note to self: if I ever become an evil overlord, I'll have to make sure I have some ungodly good PR. Lyra rolled her eyes. Seriously! She just blew your inn up, and you're STILL thinking she's the fancy princess who she makes you think she is?!

The formerly silent crowd rapidly turning into a loud mess around her, Lyra vented her frustration by kicking a pebble away. Such was the power of belief! Celestia could have personally walked into the inn, placed the kegs of gunpowder and lit the fuse... and the witnesses would still doubt their own eyes.

Such obvious injustice was too much. It kept gnawing away at Lyra with every thought, right until she felt like a furnace ready to erupt in smoke and anger. Her face ached; she was forcing herself to look indifferent so gard that her muscles started to cramp.

"I've lived here for longer than how old you actually are! I know that explosions are not how the princesses work!"

"Yeah, well... let's ask the thugs she hired! Oh right - we can't, 'cause they're in ITSY BITSY TINY PIECES NOW!"

The arguments didn't seem to ebb. The discussions gained power and loudness if anything, and soon Lyra's ears were ringing with the screaming of ponies in her proximity.

Well, so much for my brilliant plan... that I came up with in five seconds! she flashed her teeth, angrily rubbing her eyes. The dust and the noise made an annoyingly effective combination, assaulting all her senses at the same time, compounding her already complicated situation. I'll be lucky if these fools don't start fighting each other... and the Guard hasn't even shown up yet. Bet my assassins are already watching too, just waiting for these idiots to disperse. Ugh.

"Shouldn't look that annoyed." Axiom chuckled. The spider moved to the top of a bench, the cleanest part of the disaster zone. "It ain't that surprising - an unruly mob is gonna' be unruly. They ain't gonna' become a united force just 'cause ya' promised 'em something. They'd follow ya', sure... but only for their own good. On their own terms, ya' could say."

Both Lyra and Snowy turned to the spider, both master and servant doing the same motion - rubbing their chins with their hooves.

"So we have an army of greedy beggars, basically." Snowy spoke up first, slowly massaging her translucent forehead.

"For their own good, huh." Lyra hummed faintly, her amber eyes resting on the arguing crowd. "I guess being blown to bits doesn't rank too high with them, right?"

"Really surprisin'... ain't it, Boss." Axiom rolled his eyes. He was trying to wipe the bench clean, but his ghostly legs failed to stir the dust; he snorted scornfully at the realisation.

He was not the only one scorning. Lyra wore a similar expression; but her mood shifted gradually, and she was soon biting her lip in thinly veiled excitement. She finally turned back to her servants, eyeing both the spider and the windigo with a toothy grin.

"What do you think - how many of them are around?"

Neither servants were in a hurry to answer. They stared at each other for a bit, blinking and visibly confused; then they turned back to their master and shrugged in unison.

"Lots?"

"Gee, thanks." Lyra rolled her eyes, then pointed a hoof at Snowy. "Whatever! Snowy, make these hoodlums forget some nice things Sunbutt did. No charity, no giving free money to the poor, no pardons on Heart's Warming Eve."

Snowy produced her most reluctant nod yet.

"I... uh, can do that... but what will happen to Master? There are a lot of ponies around, and Master may forget..."

"Axiom will keep an eye on me and tell me if I'm going nuts," Lyra yanked her gaze to the other servant. "And in the meantime, he can also fabricate a few memories of our princess being an absolutely terrible ruler. For a spider who has lived that long, I'm sure he has some reference to work with."

"This wise, Boss?" Axiom snorted and crossed his legs just under his face. "What of your godhood? Sane godhood, I mean."

"It'll be fine... I'll just keep it short and to the point. Certainly not gonna' remain a god long enough to give my insane side any chances," Lyra smirked wryly, then motioned at the arguing crowd. "Besides, we're taking risks no matter what I do now. It's either going nuts or having this lot leave me to fend on my own. What are my chances against two princesses and a whole army, again?"

Axiom wasn't immediately satisfied by the answer. He made a face - but his expression lightened by the moment, and he pulled out his quill and parchment before long.

"Sure stumbled into one nice dead-end shady alleyway, Boss."

---

It was the loudest march Lyra had ever participated in. Rows and rows and rows of everything - ponies, gryphons, even two diamond dogs. Lyra had absolutely no idea which hole those could have crawled out from, but she didn't pay them much mind. A brief erasure of memories followed by a similarly speedy introduction of her fake Princess persona, and even those lumbering bipeds were as loyal as any other member of her newly created army.

If anything, she felt a little uneasy at how simple it was to brainwash them into following her. Devaluing lives never seemed simpler.

It's not all doom and gloom though, she calmed herself as she yanked her gaze away from the tall figures. It was the first time she had seen diamond dogs and ponies get along that well, both parties unified by a mutual desire.

Everyone wanted to ransack the palace of the hated monarchy. Marching at the forefront of the snarling and shouting crowd, Lyra could almost see the headlines of tomorrow - the articles describing the end of an era, the emotional writings further empowered by the images of a burning Canterlot. Perhaps a few pictures of her as well, the unexpectedly re-emerging unicorn princess who sparked the whole rebellion.

She couldn't help but cringe at the prospect.

I sure hope my godly powers will be sufficient to put this genie back into the bottle.

There wasn't much time to ponder on the issue, though. A new group of bystanders reached her ever-growing legion... and in the distance, at the end of the street, she could finally see some different kinds of houses. White buildings which almost glittered in the sunshine, their pure colours barely tarnished by the lingering dusty fog.

"Looks fancy," Snowy purred next to her, and Lyra nodded curtly, licking her lips. They were about to wander into Canterlot proper.

No stopping this wave now, she chuckled grimly and cleared her throat.

"FOR OUR PURE AND BLUE WORLD!" she boomed her age-old battle cry and rushed forward.

Only a tiny voice whispered in the back of her head, trying to question just what that phrase could have possibly stood for... or where it could have originated from. It didn't seem to stand for anything. Adrenaline kicked in right afterwards though, washing all such doubts away.

---

Lyra quickly learned to hate being a princess. She was supposed to lead and inspire; she understood that much. She was to set a good example, a beacon the lesser underlings could imitate; that was all well.

It was a pity that being a role-model had forced her into acts that were reckless at best... and downright self-destructive at worst.

She was the first to appear from the shady alleyway. The sun blinded her for a moment, and she silently chuckled; were she her opponent, she would have set an ambush right there. Spears, arrows, rocks, spikes; whatever she would have had at her disposal. Forget about aiming, just send volley after volley into the narrow street! She would be lying in her own blood before she could so much as gasp... and even if the shots missed her by some astronomic luck, the densely packed rows of the rag-tag misfits would have suffered horrible losses all the same.

But, thankfully, nothing such happened. She burst into the sunlit street completely uneventfully. She celebrated the fact with a relieved sigh, but there was no stopping. She charged onwards, the rest of her rag-tag army following without any concern for the possible dangers. Dozens and dozens emerged from the shadows, the dusty-dirty figures charging into the sparkling daylight to the thundering noise their very own steps made.

Somehow the picture made Lyra's heart pound with a tinge of pride. All those ponies, gryphons, diamond dogs and whatnot... they were her followers, in all interpretations of the word. She was certain they would stand by her; that they would follow her to the end of the world, as long as she showed them how to get there. She may have had misgivings about those ruffians themselves, but she had no reason to doubt their zeal.

The zeal her very own actions had sprouted. Sure, those actions were a lie - but in that moment, that didn't really matter.

Vaulting over a potted plant, Lyra gave the thought a wicked grin. She understood why everypony wanted to be a princess. The title may have promised a short life, but that sensation was certainly worth the risk. To be in the front, to lead...

To see her own actions change the world.

That feeling didn't go away either - not even when the colourful row of armoured ponies showed up at the distant end of the avenue.

---

"Soldiers!" Snowy barked a warning. She landed right next to Lyra, effortlessly picking up her master's pace. "Too many to count... hundreds. Maybe thousands, even."

Biting her lip and lowering her head, Lyra's initial reaction was to grumble a faint curse. She didn't cut back on the pace, however. She couldn't allow herself to be humbled; and even if she had to sink to such lows, she wouldn't do so right in front of her believers.

Focus. Gotta' stay focused, she berated herself for the momentary wavering. Right... Snowy has fancy eyesight, almost photographic memory and can do ridiculous acrobatics.

"Hit the rooftops," Lyra motioned upwards with her nose. "Check 'em out better. Get me some details!"

"Is Master seriously going to engage them?" Snowy frowned, her translucent face betraying growing uneasiness. "I know Master has fared well against the changelings, but-"

"Changelings? Who even cares about those?" Lyra furrowed her forehead, then shook her head and barked her order. "No time for nonsense! Recon the force ahead, stat!"

Her mouth left wide open, Snowy nodded silently and vaulted into the air. She landed on a name plate before turning into blue mist, the sentient plume rising to the red tiled roof above.

She's so ditzy sometimes, Lyra growled. She didn't enjoy the windigo's antics all the time; right now, she needed her efforts focused on getting her force into fighting shape. She shouldn't have to ponder just why Snowy would talk about fighting changelings - when everypony knew that Lyra had made her name by clearing the gryphons from the southern deserts! Who cared about a few bugs when she stopped entire armies in their tracks?

I swear, that stupid ghost... every foal learns about my deeds in school! I had single-hoovedly ended the Third Gryphon War-

The horseshoes on her hooves kicking sparks, Lyra skidded on the stony pavement, barely in control of her motion. Her instincts proved victorious: she managed to stop, and very suddenly at that.

So suddenly that the closest ponies couldn't react in time.

They didn't crash into her, but only due to the virtue of them going out of their way to not harm her. Two pegasi took to the air with panicky beats of their wings; the earth ponies scattered in all directions, opting to collide with other ponies instead of touching the unicorn princess.

Lyra recognised those efforts with a numb nod, her thoughts completely elsewhere.

The Third Gryphon War... every foal knows about it, right? The last actual war Equestria had.

She made a face and rubbed the side of her head. She hadn't had the best of all history teachers, but she distinctly recalled the plays about the heroes of that war. She remembered all the complicated music sheets... the many sleepless nights. That she had a lot of issues getting the tones right.

Music? Huh. I used to... play music? she chuckled grimly, her hoof firmly planted against the side of her head. Irrelevant! Those plays... those are important! They were about heroes of long past, I'm sure of it. And I'm... I'm young, aren't I? I'm pretty sure that I should be young. I haven't lived that long.

Slamming her hoof against the pavement, Lyra looked around with an irritated glare. All the ponies and gryphons retreated from her burning gaze, but she couldn't see the single being she was interested in catching: an oversized spider who was in for some really stern talking.

There's no way I could have fought in that war, Lyra seethed silently, still scanning the crowd, still in vain. Oi, Axiom... just how badly have you broken me already?! The princess who isn't one, the general who fought in a war that ended centuries before she was born... what else of me is not me?!

"Why did we stop?"

Jolting like a thunderstruck pony, Lyra yanked her head towards the voice. She found herself staring down a strangely quiet crowd; all the gazes were focused on her, all the faces looking surprised.

She broke into sweat. She opened her mouth, and promptly realised that her throat felt incredibly dry. There was really no good reason for the halt, especially when they were advancing on the soldiers. She had thrown their momentum away and had nothing to show for it. She had increased the casualties in the best case - or lost the whole battle, in the worst.

She was about to dish out some faltering, half-hearted excuse when blind fortune decided to give her a pass.

"There's a pony marching in front of the rest!" Snowy shouted from above. "He has some REALLY fancy armour... and a white flag!"

"Form up! Make a line!" Lyra began yelling, acting as if her momentary stupor was just her coming up with a strategy. "There IS going to be a battle, and I expect all of you to do your best... but I'll try to strike a deal first."

---

"Well, that was stupid." Axiom moaned. "Parley... Boss, do ya' seriously expect these folks to simply see ya' and sell their princess out?"

Her amber eyes rolling in their sockets, Lyra consciously ignored the spider. She had nothing to say to servant who made her doubt all of her memories. Had Snowy been less chatty, she wouldn't have even noticed.

"It's worth hearing them out, though." Snowy answered in her master's stead. "It's possible they don't really know whom they are serving."

"It's also possible they know and plain don't care." Axiom folded his front-most legs in the air. "We had the momentum. Giving up on that, just for a flimsy chance... if that ain't showing weakness, then I ain't no idea what is."

Glaring at the spider, Lyra decided that she had heard enough. Her mind was made up anyway - Axiom simply couldn't be right.

"Victory has no smell. Nopony will care how we came out on top as long as we did," Lyra shot an angered glare at the spider. "Besides, we all know there is no argument I could lose against mortals. I will convince anypony as long as I'm given the chance to talk."

Snowy glanced to the side, chuckling lightly; Axiom, on the other hoof, was less pleased with the answer.

"Whatever ya' say, Boss." He shrugged and took a few steps away from Lyra, moving into the shade of a larger bench. "Whatever happened to not overusing our powers, I wonder."

Always saying what's convenient for you, Lyra snarled, then shook her head with a dry snicker. It was partly her fault, so deeply trusting a ghost who baked false memories for a living. I- whoa.

Loud banging of armoured hooves demanded her attention. The armoured colt had already approached her to the distance of ten steps, at which point he stopped and slammed the lower end of his flagstaff against the ground.

Quickly scanning the colt, Lyra dryly noted that the 'flag' was really just a pike with a bedsheet tied to it... but the pony holding the makeshift device was much more deserving of her attention. She recognised the face under the silver helmet.

You...! She tried to keep herself from making a face. YOU of all ponies...!

"Shining Armour, acting captain of the Canterlot garrison!" the colt announced himself, taking a firm stance.

Lyra couldn't help herself; a guttural chuckle left her mouth before she reigned herself in.

"Like I wouldn't know you!" she grinned, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She knew the style was rash; but there was no point in being overly considerate after how she had introduced herself. "You're the one who doomed my town."

"Look, I understa-" Shining Armour sighed - then abruptly stopped, his head drooping to the side. "I'm sorry, but what was that?"

"That accursed wedding! It was yours, wasn't it? The one with Princess Cadence." Lyra widened her grin, even going as far as to wink slyly at the shocked captain. "All the soldiers were ordered back here so you two would have a perfect time. So, captain... do you have any idea how many have died for those happy moments?"

The pike faltered, and the weight of the white blanket dragged the weapon to the ground. Shining Armour stood frozen, so shocked that he visibly forgot about the situation he was in.

As far as Lyra cared, it was somewhat reassuring to see him being like that.

There was the case of vengeance, of course. Lyra understood that Shining was an unwitting pawn at best - but she couldn't help but feel somewhat happy about his unease anyway. It also felt nice to pressure him without resorting to obvious lies; Lyra remembered the scenes of carnage, even though she wasn't sure whether she could really trust herself on those. She remembered the gryphon units moving into town, torching buildings and killing civilians... but she also knew that such scenes could have only happened many centuries ago.

Snowy had mentioned changelings, but Lyra barely recalled that encounter. She remembered about a dozen grandiose battles, the scale of the armies such that they had blotted out the sky; the very earth shaking under the thundering hooves, the humbling sight of the mighty siege machines. There was no place left for changelings in those glorious moments. No, the only changelings she recalled were those she had found ransacking a small town... but the details of that encounter were lost on her. It hadn't seemed like an important fight - she had fought without her retinue, after all. No general would have gone into an important battle so unprepared.

And yet, at the same time, she couldn't forget about that minor squabble either. There was something that touched her heart every time her mind stumbled over the memory. There was something very important in that battle... something so important that her heart refused to forget about it. Her mind may have forgotten, but her feelings refused to die off.

Something heartfelt, something tragic... something chilly.

Something frightening.

Looking down at her slightly raised hoof, Lyra wondered just what she was trying to remember so desperately. Why did an otherwise unimportant band of changelings burn into her memories so badly? Why did remembering make her shiver so much?

So cold...

A loud clang broke through the thin veil of distant memories, and Lyra snapped to attention. The noise was Shining coming to; he shook his head, and by the time his head stopped moving, his gaze was focused on Lyra.

"I won't deny anything; I did hear the rumours. But I was also told that they were... unfounded," he mumbled. His composure was gone, his stance well matching his faltering voice. That weakness, while plain visible, was mostly temporary though. He shook himself and returned to standing strong, but it was clear he remained affected. His voice was quite different compared to that of a few seconds ago; his matter-of-fact calmness was gone, replaced by something Lyra could only identify as anger. Repressed and in check for now, but definitely showing already.

"So what really happened? Tell me. I want to hear."

Hoo... so righteous. A knight in shining armour, indeed. Lyra narrowed her eyes, piecing together the various emotions Shining showed. I could help you with your conscience, you know... make you repay your debt.

The gears in her head turning, Lyra sneaked a glance behind. The rag-tag bunch behind had some obvious issues; instead of getting into a solid line as she had ordered, those ponies looked more intent on forming loudly squabbling groups, debating only Equestria knew what. They were in a stark contrast with Shining's soldiers, who had already formed into a splendid formation: three rows of pike-ponies in the front, facing down the unruly mob with stern determination.

Lyra weighed the chances in her head. She was certain that the truth was different from the looks; she still expected the pampered soldiers to turn tail first. Yet, at the same time, she was sure that breaking their morale would be more difficult with Shining around. It would a costly battle.

No, Lyra quickly corrected herself and squeezed her eyelids. It would be a proper battle.

Memories flashed in her mind. She wasn't sure if they were really hers, but that distinction didn't make much difference this time. The pictures she saw - the scenes - they repulsed her. She understood what a proper war was. She saw the consequences, and she wanted to avoid it... if possible.

She wanted to keep winning without fighting.

She shook her head and gave Shining an almost pleasant-looking smile.

If I can make this choice... then I don't want to fight you.

"What do you think could have happened?" she giggled, placing a hoof in front of her mouth. "Aren't you a soldier yourself, captain? Surely you could imagine."

"I had no hoof in that recall order. I thought it was needless and... ugh." Shining slid his armoured hoof down his face with a heavy sigh. "Was it as bad as the rumours say?"

"Depends which rumours you listened to. Me? I saw a bunch of ponies get sucked clean of life." Lyra shrugged. Her voice rang hollow. It didn't seem right; it only felt proper that she would say those words utterly heartbroken.

Where is this confounding feeling coming from?!

Flinching a little, Lyra forced herself to refocus on Shining. She forced a fake little smile, and asked the obvious question.

"How bad would that rank?"

"Pretty bad." Shining frowned. He sat down and took his helmet off, burying his face in his hooves. "This... this isn't what I was told. Haha, I... ah, heck. What could I even say?"

Observing the strange captain up close, Lyra subdued her honest smile. It made her feel unclean, but she couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. She had always pictured Captain Shining as the pompous, self-absorbed noble most highly-ranked soldiers were. It was reassuring to see the actual captain easily disproving all those assertions.

For all it's worth, I'm really sorry for doing this. Lyra grit her teeth, flexing her face. But this is for the greater good. You're a good pony, you really are. If I could tell you everything... I'm pretty sure you'd understand.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she sighed. She sat down next to the other unicorn with a muffled groan, whipping out one of her more pleasant faces. "I'm Lyra. Princess Lyra Heartstrings. Nice to meet you... is what I'd like to say, were we under other circumstances."

"Princ... ess?" Shining muttered and bumped his head forward. "Don't think I'm earning brownie points with this but... I don't think I've heard of you before."

"Oh, it's not your fault. I was hiding so far!" Lyra grabbed her hoof in front of her mouth and gave a loud, obviously forced laugh. Then she moved the hoof and pointed in the distance, at the run-down houses. A large plume of grey smoke was still hovering over the area, still visible but dissipating. "I had some reasons to not reveal myself, you see."

Frowning for a second, Shining gave that answer a curt nod.

"I take that explosion wasn't you, then."

"Do I look like a pony who wants to blow herself to pieces?" Lyra giggled and stretched her front legs in the air.

"True enough," Shining sighed wearily, then returned to hiding his face behind hooves. "Was it an accident, then? Please tell me there were no casualties. I wouldn't want ponies dying because I wasn't in the right place... again."

Grinning openly, Lyra knew she had the perfect response to that one.

"Oh, but you are in the right place all right!" she cocked her head to the side, grinning expectantly. "You can protect me! Save me from the evil tyrant that has been trying to kill me."

Shining was too shocked to reply right away. He stared blankly for a while, then shook his head with jagged motions, finally rubbing his mane and leaning closer as if to inspect Lyra.

"Tyrant...?"

"The pony who has chased me for so long, always trying to kill me... assassins, explosions. Even changelings." Lyra gave a bitter smile. She closed her eyes and turned her nose towards the sky, enjoying the little wind that ran through her mane. "Your wedding, ordering all the troops there; I'm sorry that I accused you with that. You were convenient to lash out at, but I really should have known better. You have no motive."

Shining made a face and turned away. His resolve was obviously in tatters; he hummed loudly and rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"That sounds bad." He finally exclaimed, in a hushed, dry tone. "All right... we should tell Celestia about this. She needs to know-"

A loud, shrill laughter cut him off. The noise was loud enough to make not just him, but all other ponies, gryphons and other assorted bystanders turn towards there - both the rag-tag crowd and the army of Guards stared at Lyra in silent unison.

"She is the one trying to kill me!" she cackled, leaning towards Shining until he began backing away, his discomfort plain obvious. "Captain, that audience you seek... that would be the end of me. You would only deliver me to my doom."

"NONSENSE!" Shining Armour sprang to his hooves with a loud shout. "I know Celestia, and she would NEVER do something like that! She wouldn't even think of such things! She is the most pure of all ponies in Equestria, and I won't stand you slandering her!"

Lyra wasn't particularly bothered by the outburst. She remained sitting, only moving so she could pay the captain a toothy grin.

"You're really like your sister, you know. This little tirade... it's like I heard her talking for a moment," she mused, paying care to speak aloofly and with the right dose of sarcasm. "Blind faith must run in the family. I wonder if you will wind up like she did, mmm."

"Sister?" Shining gave a scornful grimace. "What are you talking about? I have no sister."

"You do. You simply fail to remember." Lyra exhaled loudly with a pondering expression. "Damnatio memoria... erasing a pony from all remembrance. A fate truly worse than death."

Shining took his time to respond. He narrowed his eyes and hummed to himself, then finally turned away as he broke into a chuckle.

"I can't believe I trusted you!"

"Think! Think deeply and try to remember." Lyra grinned to the back of the captain. "Only the memories directly related to your sister are gone - the rest are intact. Your past is a mess, but you failed to pick up on it! Details! Focus on the details and you'll see that I am right."

Shining didn't move, but he clearly took the advice. He hung his head low; even his ears his dipped, his self-control waning as he retreated into his memories. That was good enough for Lyra, who gave the development a relieved sigh. She had already suffered enough of fragmented memories to know both how to spot them, and how a fellow sufferer would react.

"What details should I look for?" Shining glanced back at her, cracking an eye open. "I'm giving you your fair chance, but... but I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

Putting a hoof to her chin, it was Lyra's time to ponder. She had to be careful with her suggestions. Too bad she barely knew anything about Shining or Twilight - no matter what she said, she was gambling blindly.

"Master..." Snowy purred from the sideline.

If only I picked a different lie... Lyra frowned at the windigo. But, it's still not hopeless. No need to reset this little chat just yet.

"Ask 'im how he met Cadence," Axiom groaned from the bench.

Raising an eyebrow, Lyra gave the spider a suspicious look. Why Cadence of all ponies?

"Twilight often came to Boss... eh, old Boss's place." Axiom murmured, looking away. "I heard enough stories."

Lyra gave the explanation a curt nod. With nothing better to go with, she opted on trusting the spider.

"Think of Cadence." She returned her gaze to Shining. "Can you remember how you two met?"

The good captain's jaw almost hit the floor.

"How do you even KNOW of that?" he stammered, then slapped himself on the face and turned back to Lyra. "Who told you?!"

"Isn't it rude to answer a question with a question?" Lyra smirked and raised her eyebrows higher, signalling 'come on now, I'm waiting'.

"Hrmpfh. Well, you seem to already know anyway." Shining huffed and looked away in discomfort. "Cadence came around to help my parents out. They were busy at work, so we needed somepony to foalsit-"

The abrupt silence and the shocked face were all that Lyra needed. She got up from the floor and giggled to herself, knowing Shining Armour just ran onto a memory-landmine. She knew the feeling; she knew it all too well. She made her way to the paralysed captain, fighting with her sense triumph at each step.

"Can't think of anypony who needed to be foalsat, huh?" she whispered into the Shining's ear once she was close. "There's no need to be ashamed, captain... this simply shows that your memories have been tampered with. It's not your fault."

The soothing words were in vain. Shining Armour collapsed with a loud clang, covering one eye with a hoof. The soldiers in the distance visibly jolted at the scene, but weren't provoked into attacking just yet.

They aren't very far from doing something stupid though, Lyra noted sourly. She had to hurry.

"Now that I think about it... we had always ordered a table for four. I know because Dad used to make jokes about how it's a lucky number," Shining mumbled softly, swaying his head with unsteady motions. "I... I remember my hunt for magical books just before Heart Warming's Eve... but why? Nopony in the family is a magician. I..."

Tearing her gaze away from the agitated-looking soldiers, Lyra decided that she had hammered this iron long enough. Whatever part of her had wanted vengeance, it was now satiated.

It was time to return to making a better world.

She lowered to the shock-stricken Shining and poked him on the head. She was expecting him to jolt at the sudden touch, but he reacted exactly the opposite way: he only moved many seconds later, and did so like a slow-motion replay even then.

His pupils turned to Lyra, but his gaze was so deep, Lyra immediately understood he wasn't actually looking at her.

"What is this sorcery..." he muttered, his voice uneven and trembling.

"Exactly that. Sorcery." Lyra sighed. She glanced to Axiom and gave the spider a barely noticeable nod. "But fear not. I will bring an end to your madness."

Those words were enough to awake Shining from his stupor.

"You can... undo this? Mend me?"

"Watch and see," Lyra smiled warmly, then placed a hoof on Shining's forehead. All theatrics, of course; but it helped reinforce the feeling that it was she who did the magic. Certainly not an invisible spider who took his quill out just at that moment.

"Y'know Boss, I've this funny feeling ya' dun' want him to remember the story exactly as it went," Axiom rolled his eyes and began writing. "Heh. Never believed in bein' honest with the cops anyway."

---

"Fooled! Completely fooled! What an idiot I've been! And for all these years, never even suspecting anything!"

A dry smile was all that Lyra had to say about the captain's rambling.

"Just think how many ponies could have disappeared like Twi'!" Shining snarled. He spoke with such rawness that he almost frothed; his expression and tone were enough to make his subordinates keep a healthy distance from him. "One day you're the highlight of the royal court, then the next... poof! You don't exist! No, it's worse than that. You haven't even existed! All gone!"

"Don't be so angry at yourself," Lyra scratched her head, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. "You couldn't have done anything. It's a truly wicked magic, the one you're talking about."

Speaking the truth had never felt more awkward to her. She quickly took her gaze off of Shining and stared dead ahead instead. The wide avenue ran towards the centre of Canterlot in a straight line; and at its very end, in the distance, Lyra saw the walls of the palace. Even from so far away, the white marble shone like a great wall of light.

Squinting at the bright barrier, Lyra took a note of the colour. It wasn't impeccably white, but tinted with hues of orange. That had nothing to do with the wall itself, though; it was the sunlight itself that was turning red.

The sun was about to set.

Hah... such a perfect setting. Almost poetic, Lyra gave the sight a dark grin. She was in high spirits; there was no way she could lose now. A whole army was behind her; professional soldiers and hastily armed riff-raff marching in mixed rows. A combination just as powerful as unlikely! And even better yet, she simply couldn't imagine the Palace Guard putting up much of a fight against their good ol' Captain Shining Armour. They might even turn coats themselves for all she knew.

Nothing stood in her way now. The only thing missing was a red carpet, leading her straight to Sunbutt's lair.

"It's not just that accursed magic!" Shining snarled and motioned behind his back. "I didn't even know there was a hunger-revolt growing! I didn't even think that was possible in Equestria!"

"Well... yeah. Who would've thought!" Lyra chirped, keeping her gaze steeled in front of her.

"Ain't gonna' tell 'im it was us behind that riot, right, Boss?" Axiom chuckled on the right.

"I don't see any issues with the current flow of events." Snowy shrugged, the windigo standing ten steps ahead of her master. "Master never said this riot had nothing to do with us. We're spotless!"

"Truth by omission," Axiom frowned at the windigo. "How befitting of you, Nix... forgetting about details."

Being the only one to hear the argument, Lyra simply steeled her face and began marching without a word. About two kilometres and she would be inside the palace... and then this whole stupid game would come to an end.

---

"Looks like a huge column, Sir. Mixed forces... never quite seen anything like it."

The sergeant accepted the report with a nod. He had seen that much himself, through the binoculars. Were it not for the irregulars mixing in their ranks, he would have been certain that he saw Captain Shining Armour's force returning.

No... there's no doubt. That's him, he shook his head, his lip between his teeth. But where did he get all those conscripts from? And why does he need them at all? His force was ample enough for investigating a freak explosion.

Narrowing his eyes, the sergeant placed his head on the rampart. Something didn't click about that picture.

But let's say he needed those auxiliaries. Isn't the investigation over there, at that plume of smoke? Why is he bringing all of them back here?

"Strange," he finally hummed to himself aloud. "Most strange."

The faint words were lost to the blowing wind. A bit chilly and uncomfortably strong, the currents kept tearing at everything in the open; flags, tents, clothes and even manes. The sergeant righted his helmet with a frown and gave the empty air an angry stare; this was the reason why everypony hated wall-duty. It was much better sitting in the barracks, sipping hot tea. The same productivity, too.

"What are we going to do, Sir?" his aide asked, forcing the sergeant to turn his attention to the yellow pegasus. The corporal was young; barely out of the academy and mostly beneath the old 'veterans' concern.

"What do you mean, what are we going to do?" the sergeant snorted disdainfully and put his chin back on the cold stone. "We let them in, of course."

The corporal nodded hesitantly and turned his eyes to the distant crowd.

"They are pretty loud."

"It's not against the law to be loud," the sergeant rumbled as he closed his eyes. Another wave of wind rushed down the ramparts, and he found himself wishing his spot was in one of the fancy towers.

"They are rather disorderly, too."

"If disorder was against the law, we would all be in prison by the evening."

"There's also armed civilians amongst them," the corporal kept on the whining. "Can we really just let them into the palace like that?"

"Captain Shining is leading them, you know?" the sergeant rolled his closed eyes. He had about reached his limit with the youngster. "Lock him out yourself if you want. See where that takes you."

The corporal shuddered at the mere thought and huddled next to the rampart himself, biting his lips in his embarrassment. Sneaking a glance at him, it was the sergeant's turn to feel awkward.

Whatever happened to me, making young colts feel miserable! he chided himself, then knocked loudly on his helmet, hoping the loud sound would overpower those annoying thoughts. Unsurprisingly, that plan wasn't very effective.

"Listen, kid. I'm gonna' give you some advice... and listen well, because I'm not going to repeat myself." He rumbled, the rim of his helmet firmly planted against his noseridge. "There's one golden rule to the Guard, and that's keeping your head down. Always keep your head down, okay? Don't volunteer and don't make a fuss. Jump - but only when they tell you."

While that was the ultimate truth indeed, the corporal didn't seem to appreciate it. He acknowledged the advice with a tired sigh.

"That... doesn't sound very motivating, Sir."

"Shouldn't have enlisted if you wanted to be motivated," the sergeant chuckled. Another wave of wind rocked his armour, and he couldn't help but shudder at the cold sensation. "Well, that's enough wall-gazing for us! Let's inspect one of the towers... number four, let's say! They've got a fancy teapot there... samovar they call it, I think."

"Sir, that's against... I think virtually all protocols," the corporal whined loudly but without any actual enthusiasm. He sounded like an overgrown foal who kept protesting, solely out of habit.

"Following your orders is the prime directive of the Guard!" the sergeant barked at the younger colt. "My order is 'inspect tower number four'... so hop to it!"

The corporal snapped to attention right away.

"Sir! Yes, Sir!"

"Much better," the sergeant growled, pushing his helmet back on his head. "Let's get a move on, then. I'm feeling this chill in my bones, brr-"

His complaint was cut short by an unexpected guest arriving: a green-cloaked pony walked out from the stairwell. The stranger didn't seem very concerned by walking on the fortified wall - he moved pretty boldly in fact, as if he had a specific purpose in mind.

While the sergeant had learnt to ignore the everyday nonsense, this was a little too much even for him.

"Halt!" he blared at the interloper. "This is a restricted area! State your business!"

The green-cloaked pony stopped right away and turned to the sergeant.

"Are you in charge of this wall?"

"I said, state your business!" the sergeant reiterated in a much lower tone.

"If you insist..." the cloaked pony sighed. "I bring a orders from Princess Celestia to the commander in charge of this wall."

As if seeking to prove his words, the stranger brought a scroll out from under his cloak. Focusing on the object, the sergeant noted that the wax seal did look rather authentic at first glance.

"Give it to me," he ordered and stepped closer to the cloaked pony.

"I am under orders to give this to the commander in charge and to him only." The stranger shook his head under the hood, judging by how the fabric moved. "Orders of the Princess."

"Well, luck's on your side. You bumped into the right pony right away," the sergeant rolled his eyes. He reached out with his magic and snapped the scroll from the stranger, snuffing the other pony's magenta aura out. He didn't waste any time; he broke the seal and unfurled the scroll right away. The message was short, merely three lines of neatly written letters; but the content was all the more confusing.

"Hey, these orders - are you -" the sergeant scratched his helmet and glanced up from the letter. Alas, by that point the green-cloaked pony was nowhere to be found.

"He already left, Sir." The corporal meekly offered some explanation. "Poofed out. Looked like magic."

"Figures... hoity-toity magicians, thinking they can do anything they want. Seems Celestia's antics are infecting the whole court now," the sergeant moaned. He took another look at the scroll... then furled it up and placed it in the pouch of his armour. "Well, orders are orders! Kiddo - fly to the gate and tell them to close up tight, all right?"

"Sir... yes, sir." The corporal blinked in utter confusion. "Are we... locking that lot out, Sir?"

"We're doing more than that," the sergeant winked at his underling. "We are convincing them to go home. Now hop to it... I've got a tower to visit."

---

"I should do... what, Sir?" the earth pony blinked with a dumbfounded expression.

"I said, turn this thing around and do whatever you are paid to do!" the sergeant re-explained with no small amount of exasperation. "What's so difficult in this? Am I not speaking properly or what?"

"Well... I understand your words, Sir. It's the meaning that I don't grasp!" the earth pony scratched his head, then turned to the cannon next to him. "Aren't these only for announcements? Like, when a famous royal arrives?"

Turning to the huge metal device himself, the sergeant rubbed the side of his helmet thoughtfully. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but his thoughts were closer to the earth pony's than those of the princess; he couldn't understand the sudden need to make a few loud booms.

After all, all the cannons housed in the Palace Towers were only ever used for loud booms. Not that being loud didn't serve a purpose - they were pretty ideal for celebrations, marking the arrival of important parties and simply keeping time. Even if the latter practice had been largely abandoned by now. Few enjoyed waking up to a loud noise precisely at midnight.

"And then there's the other thing," the earth pony pointed at the unfurled scroll. "Why would I even put anything other than the black powder inside? Wouldn't that muffle the sound?"

The sergeant bumped his helmet up and rubbed his forehead. He wasn't really paid for all these theoretical discussions. He had his orders and he really itched to follow them - and then have his tea and go home precisely when his shift was over.

"Look, there's a reason they are called cannonballs," he moaned, wishing he had colleagues who didn't over think things so much. "Just stick the darned thing in the cannon and make it boom."

"They may be called cannon-something, but that don't mean they belong in a cannon. Unless you want to wipe with sandpaper next time," the earth pony rolled his eyes. "Those cannonballs of yours had been rusting in the storage since Celestia-knows when. My great-great-grandfather had served here, and I'm sure even he didn't open that storage. Nopony since, either. Those balls might be nothing more than rust by now."

"Then put a bowl of rust-dust in the cannon! The order never said the cannonball had to be intact!" the sergeant barked angrily. "Look, I'm not paid to argue with you and you're not paid to argue with me! We're both paid to do whatever Celestia orders us to do, and lo, here is her letter! She wants us to scare that crowd home with the cannon! Understood?!"

The earth pony leaned against the cannon and chewed on thin air, thinking... then finally accepted the reality of his situation with a shrug.

"Well, whatever. I gotta' fire this thing two times a day anyway. Doesn't matter which way I'm pointing it at, I guess."

"Good!" the sergeant celebrated with an outburst of anger and dejection, turning away from the pony and his cannon. "Get to it! I've still got five more towers to notify!"

Sure hope they are less fussy than you, he growled to himself and stormed down the stairs. Otherwise I'll be here all night. Ugh.

---

"The gate's closed," Snowy shouted as she landed next to Lyra. "Shut real tight, as far as I can see. Even the drawbridge is raised."

"Seems you've just become ponita-non-grata," Lyra giggled, forwarding the message to Shining. "The palace is locked down."

"Ha! You got some good eyes if you can tell from this far," Shining squinted, staring at the wall. "It could be that the gate is still open... and the black is just a shadow. It's almost sunset, and the white wall can trick the eye."

"Even so, I wouldn't march closer until we're sure that it's... well... you know!" Lyra pulled a hoof in front of her throat. "That we're not walking into a trap."

"How cautious of you!" Shining pat Lyra on the head with a warm grin. "Don't worry, those colts there know me. They may not know the real Celestia yet, but they do know me. They wouldn't mean to harm me."

"Heh. Typical aristocrat, thinkin' the world revolves around 'im." Axiom rumbled from the background. He was balancing on the top of a lamppost; all the nearby ground was full with various soldiers and pike-toting civilians, packed so tightly that not even a spider had any room left.

Glancing back at that crowd, Lyra tried to gulp - but she couldn't. There was a knot in her throat.

Standing a mere step ahead of the lot and still not hearing any whisper had made her uneasy. She tried to be an optimist and attributed the revered silence to the fact that they were about to storm Canterlot Palace. Nopony had done that in known history, so all her followers coming down was somewhat understandable.

Hope I can really trust them, she took a trembling breath. She wasn't really nervous - just nervous enough to be angry at herself for not being calm.

"Third, fifth squads! Form up on me!" Shining shouted, and about two dozen armoured pegasi took it to the skies. He also began pacing forward, slow enough that he had time to throw a sly wink at Lyra. "We're going to walk straight in... you'll see."

Basking in the captain's confidence, even Lyra was a little reassured. She took a long, hard look at the white walls - now painted red by the setting sun - and felt a little silly for having had doubts.

Everything has gone fine so far, after all. She felt her tensed muscles letting up. Guess I'm not used to not having my bad luck hound me, heh.

---

It wasn't anything fancy. As far as the sergeant could tell, that rarely used artefact - that 'cannonball' - was nothing but a huge ball of metal. Sure, it was polished like a silver mirror and had enchantments brimming beneath the surface... but it was still just a huge, round slab of metal.

A heavy slab of metal, as he noted. The two earth ponies almost broke their backs putting the thing into the cannon's barrel.

"Why do we even keep these things around?" one of the loaders groaned once the ball was loaded. "By the amount of dust, these things haven't been used for centuries! You saw it, sarge - we had to break the door! The lock was nothing but rust!"

"Yes, yes. Indeed, indeed." The sergeant absent-mindedly nodded, his eyes on the clock on the wall. His shift was to end in a few minutes - and all he could do was hope that these complications wouldn't force him into an all-nighter.

A screeching noise assaulted his ears; the crew pulled the cannon in the given direction. The ancient device wasn't cooperative. Understandably so: it hadn't been moved in a few centuries. That was a lot of time! Despite the maintenance, the gears still rusted, almost fusing to the rails underneath.

That complication was nothing some earth-pony-brute-force couldn't overcome, though; and finally the cannon was pointing the way it should have. Curious, the sergeant walked past the panting ponies and put his face to the barrel; he saw the hollow tube staring at the houses near the moat. There was a plaza right next to the house, filled to the brim with various ponies and gryphons and whatnot.

What a colourful festival, the sergeant rubbed his eyes, double-checking what he saw. He then shrugged and pat the cannon, his armed hoof making a loud clang on the metallic surface. Well, this is going to be really loud... so I guess most of that lot will be running all the way back home. And, best of all, I still get to have my evening to myself! Gotta' love life when it's so simple.

All of a sudden, the clock on the wall made a loud bong. Then another - and another - and another, until the count of bongs was eight.

Full hour.

"Very well!" the sergeant slammed his hoof down. "It's time - MAKE THIS THING GO BOOM!"

Nothing such happened. The sergeant counted to ten to make sure he gave the crew enough time - then turned around, the disapproval clear on his face. He saw an earth pony with a burning torch standing at the back of the cannon, with another one waving at him.

"Sir, if I may... you might wanna' move out of the way first."

---

"Look! Lights movin' in the towers!"

Lyra had no idea who called that one out, but the spotter was correct. Peeling her eyes, she also saw the bright points zig-zag at the top of the towers.

What the heck are they doing? she cocked her head to the side. It almost looked as if somepony was trying to message them, but there was no rhyme or reason to the motions.

"Bo- Boss! HIDE!"

The agitated voice was enough to make Lyra shudder. She yanked her head to Axiom, expecting some sort of explanation just why she should throw her pride away and start running.

"Those lights... the cannons are up there!" Axiom pointed four legs at a singular tower. "Boss, they are gonna' bombard this place! And there ain't gonna' be anything left of ya' if ya' don't take cover! NOW!"

Cannon...

Blinking rapidly, Lyra mused instead of moving. She did remember something by that name! A long, hollow metal tube... filled to the brim with explosives. Similar to the party-cannon Pinkie loved to parade around with, only loaded with very unhappy-looking shells instead of confetti.

Where have I seen those things, I wonder...?

A scene popped into her mind. Waves of gryphons disappearing as the very ground under them turned into muddy geysers. Explosions. Chaos. Mayhem.

For a moment she saw hell.

Then her gaze returned to the towers and the blood froze in her veins.

"CANNONS!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "DISPERSE! THEY ARE FIRING CANNONS AT US!"

She saw Shining Armour stop and turn to her, a puzzled look on his face. Others reacted similarly, with a few openly beginning to ponder.

"Uhh... cannon? Whazzat'?"

Lyra didn't stick around to answer. She dashed to the closest building and vaulted through the window; she landed in a richly decorated bedroom, missing the bed by mere centimetres. While knocking her nose into the ground hurt, she still felt lucky. All she had to do was roll a little, and she was already under the bed.

Squeezing her head under her legs, she heard two things. Her own heart pounding - and the crowd outside, clearly simply chatting instead of running like no tomorrow.

"Should we be afraid?"

"Well, the princess looked pretty afraid. She just up and leaped through that window."

"Wasn't she yelling something like... cannon?"

"Yea'. Got any idea what a cannon is? Must be pretty big, scarin' a princess like that."

"Bah! Princesses are all scaredy-cats anyhow. Fool's on us, expectin' her to be any different!"

Lyra couldn't bear it any longer.

"RUN YOU IDIOTS!" she shrieked from under the bed. "YOU'LL BE ALL BLOWN UP IF YOU-"

A thundering boom filled the air, forcing any other sound - noise, speech, everything - into submission. Jolting mightily, Lyra thought the very sky had cracked and fallen down on them - and just on cue, her room turned into a whirlwind of broken glass and wooden splinters.