Hurricane raced through Ponyville, her legs beating a steady rumble on the roads. All around, she could hear the flap of wings. Royal Guards covered the town.
Five were in hot pursuit of her.
She dove into an alley and slumped against the wall. A firm press of her hoof staunched the flow of blood from her wing, but could not hold it back for long. Her wingblades had tumbled from among her feathers when the hook impacted, and the remainder had been thrown. Her body ached from the beating she’d received and given.
“Over here!” came a shout. They’d found her again.
She ran at a stumbling gallop down the narrow alley. She just had to reach the wagon across the street. Then she would be safe. She could escape. The mission would be complete and she could focus on ending Dulcimer’s insane plan. She could bring true freedom to Equestria.
A set of hooves against her back threw her to the ground.
She looked up to see a Royal Guardspony clad in silvery metal. They reached out to grab her. She wrapped her forelegs around one of the pony’s and rolled, snapping her enemy’s leg out of joint. The guard screamed in agony and collapsed in an armored heap.
An unseen blow sent Hurricane’s skull smacking against the pavement. Light flashed behind her eyes. She held her head. Four ponies stood before her, tall and strong. The pony she’d injured held their leg tight against their body, fashioning a quick sling with a cloth.
“Ahh-ah-ah, ahh-ah. Ahh-ah-ah, ahh-ah.”
The guards’ eyes unfocused, and they turned as one to look at the wagon. An earth pony mare climbed down from the back, singing a low, haunting tune. Smoke drifted from around the soldiers’ hooves to climb upwards to the mare’s glowing necklace.
“Seems you five got a fright
Patrolling on this Nightmare Night
But Hurricane got away
Oh-oh, whoa-oh oh
There’s no reason for you to stay
Whoa-oh, whoa oh, oh, oh…”
Hurricane rose to her knees. She spread her good wing to distance the soldiers from herself, but they didn’t pay her any attention. They were frozen in the moment. She stood up and made her way to the earth pony mare’s side. “The Mother. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
Merry Mare touched a hoof to her amulet. “Likewise, Commander. If you’ll just climb into the cart, I’ll handle these good ponies.”
She cleared her throat. “Captain? May I help you?”
The soldier at the head of the group shook his head. His expression changed from blank to severe in a millisecond. “Ma’am, have you seen a pegasus mare run past? She has a sky-blue coat, a white mane, and several injuries.”
“I’m afraid not, sir,” Merry replied. She flicked her tail, urging Hurricane onward. “Is she alright?”
“No, ma’am. I’m afraid she is a highly dangerous individual. I’d advise you to stay indoors. If you see her, do not approach. Contact the guard immediately.”
“Oh!” Merry took a step back. “Oh, my. I’ll be sure to do so. Thank you very much.”
“Thank you.” The captain looked over his shoulder and addressed his injured teammate. “Are you good to fly?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. Fan out and holler if you see her. Do not engage alone!”
Hurricane lay across one of the wagon’s seats. She was alone with the driver, who set off at a slow pace. Merry Mare climbed into the back of the cart and sat across from her. “So, I take it the mission went well?”
“I am… afraid I’m not sure.” Hurricane groaned and tried to sit upright. “I was forced to take the lives of two of our number when they were captured.”
Merry placed a hoof on her back, pushing her down with a surprising amount of strength. “It’s hard, I know. I had to clean up a few loose ends in the Canterlot Police Department’s lockup. Trust in the fact that it furthered the cause.” She smiled. “Rest for now. We’ll have you fixed up with some ambrosia soon enough.”
“Thank you.” Hurricane settled her chin against the wood board. “Has Lanner reported in yet?”
“Absolutely. The mirror has been recovered. The first step has been taken in freeing our Master from his confinement.” Merry leaned forward, the low light from the moon reflecting on her glasses. “It’s only a matter of time before we won’t need to rely on alicorns for the movement of the sun and moon.”
Hurricane nodded. She rubbed her hooves together. “And the tome? The Grimoire Alicorn?”
Merry looked off into the night, waving a hoof. “Never mind that. It’s been taken to Dulcimer, and he can do what he likes with it.”
Hurricane gritted her teeth, but kept up an outward appearance of calm. “Has Zephyr reported back, yet?”
Merry’s smile vanished. She raised an eyebrow and pressed her lips together. “From what we’ve heard from Lanner and the Royal Guard going in and out of the castle, Zephyr is dead.”
Hurricane stood up straight and ignored the fiery pain in her body. “What? No! No, he can’t be! He was… Oh, Creator, he…”
Merry jerked her head back, a frown spreading across her lips. “Another casualty in the war, I’m afraid. He fought well, but we all have our limits—”
“He can’t be!” Hurricane reached across the wagon and grabbed the collar of Merry’s cloak. “He can’t be dead! I need him! I need him to…”
Merry lowered her ears to her scalp. “Commander, take a moment and ask yourself: ‘Is this wise?’”
Hurricane looked down at her hooves. She released Merry and sank back into her seat. “Zephyr…” She swallowed a sharp pain in her throat. “Zephyr had a very important mission to perform. H-he…”
She shook her head. “We have to stop Dulcimer. He seeks to turn himself into an alicorn, Mother! He wants Equestria for himself—”
“And for now, what he wants is not our immediate problem.” Merry rapped her hoof against the bench. “We have plans for him in the near future should he accomplish his goals. Let him play with his test tubes while we change Equestria.”
“It’s not a matter of if he’ll accomplish his goals,” Hurricane snapped. “But when!”
Merry fiddled with her gemstone. “I understand that you’re upset about your friend’s death, but—”
“You’re Creator blasted right I’m upset!” Hurricane propped herself on her forelegs. “I’m beyond upset! I’m furious! That tome needs to be destroyed, Mother! It needs to be destroyed and Dulcimer needs to be ripped apart! He seeks to undermine everything we’ve fought for! I’ll not let Zephyr’s sacrifice—”
“Enough!”
Merry Mare moved quickly to hide her snarl. She coughed into her hoof and put on a picture of serenity. Veins throbbed on her neck. “I understand your concerns, Commander. I share them, to a point, but I also know that we have precious little time to do certain things. Once Luna shows Equestria how a crazed Nightmare rules the country, we will have to act quickly to fill the resultant power vacuum. We don’t have time to focus on one Viscount’s power grab.”
She adjusted her glasses and gave the commander one of her best smiles. “I hate to say it, but we need Dulcimer. We need his funding. He will overstep his bounds one day, and it will be his last mistake, but we cannot continue without his coffers. Our troops need armor and weapons. Our people need inlets to the government. You yourself would be unable to do your good work without his assistance.”
“He has Sombra’s book.” Hurricane held her injured wing, wincing as the wagon ran over a bump. “Every wicked, vile thing that monster did is now in the clutches of one who would use it to send Equestria into ruin.” She spat blood onto the floor of the wagon. “One who knows what we are, Mother.”
“I am well aware of what he knows,” Merry growled. “More so than even he does. He knows who you are and where you come from, he knows we exist and what our goals are, but he does not know me. He does not know the Maid or the Crone either. He does not know where we are or what we are capable of. He does not know the numbers of our supporters. What little he knows is what I fed to him through Scuttlebutt. Trust me when I say he is controlled.”
Hurricane leaned back. She regarded Merry with lidded eyes and bared teeth. “You found it necessary to tell him my story?”
“He would not have trusted you unless he thought he had something to hold over you.” Merry’s amulet flashed in the shadows. “I took a calculated risk.”
“You left me flat-footed and unprepared!” Hurricane flared her good wing. Feathers fluttered to the seat, ragged and rumpled. “I swear this very moment on Platinum’s grave, I will see that book burned, Mother. I swear it on Zephyr’s corpse!”
Merry Mare’s legs tremored. Her jaw creaked as her teeth ground together. She sucked in a deep breath, her necklace sparkling. Her eyes flashed daggers.
Hurricane held her breath.
The Mother’s face softened, but the murder never left her eyes. She smiled wide and placed a hoof on Hurricane’s shoulder. “Very well; you must do what you think is right.”
Hurricane stared at the hoof. She waited for a sign of ill will, but none came. “Th-thank you for your blessing.”
“It doesn’t stop there.” Merry patted Hurricane and drew a map from beneath her cloak. “This is something I know you’ve been seeking for a long, long time. As a reward for a job well done, a mission complete, I would like to invite you to the Grove.”
“The Grove of Golden Apples?” Hurricane wrinkled her snout. “Why?”
“We have found it, Commander,” Merry whispered. “We’ve discovered the recipe. We’ve unlocked the secret. The very secret you’ve desired all these years…”
Hurricane’s jaw dropped. Her heart raced. She ran a hoof through her mane as sweat broke out on her brow. A salty tear fell from her eye and stabbed her scar with intense pain. “Y-you’ve found… you’ve found it? I can speak with—?”
“Yes, Hurricane,” Merry said with a widening smile—a smile akin to a snake about to bite. “We have achieved contact with the dead. You can finally speak with your friends.”
***
Centurion Stonewall, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, stood in the midst of the Ponyville castle library’s wreckage. She was a tall pegasus pony in shimmering, golden and purple armor. Rather than the usual enchanted white-and-blond of the Royal Guard, her coat and mane remained natural. Off white hair peered through the few uncovered portions of her legs and face, while her fiery red mane crowned her helmeted head.
A Royal Guard lieutenant dug through bomb debris, shoveling aside burnt pages with his hooves. He let out a shout. “I found someone! He’s breathing! Get a stretcher!”
Stonewall leaned over the lieutenant’s shoulder. A brown earth pony lay across the floor, breathing but unresponsive. She recognized him by sight: Time Turner, Knight of Time. Medics rushed up to move Time safely and quickly. She was no medical expert, but it was clear he was going to need a long, long medical leave.
The lieutenant sighed. “Never meet your heroes.”
“What was that, Lieutenant?” she snapped.
He reared up and spun around, landing at attention before her. He kept it short and sweet, as she expected. “The old saying: ‘Never meet your heroes.’ Had a strong example of why that’s true, ma’am. I’ve heard stories about the Knights of Harmony since I joined up.”
Her flinty eyes scanned the library before coming to a rest on his face. “I have, too. Now’s not the time to reminisce. Do your job, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The lieutenant saluted. “Most of the fighters have been called for, either due to finding their bodies or from the testimonies of Doctor Do and Captain Carro—”
“Changeling!”
Stonewall’s head snapped around slightly faster than the lieutenant’s. She was moving long before his legs could respond. She cantered around a corner, her wings spread and ready for a fight. “Changeling?” she asked. “Where?”
She was answered without a word. In the midst of the isle there sat a pile of chitin and green mucous. Craggy hooves bent in pain. Eye sockets stared lifelessly at the ceiling. The mouth lay open in a silent scream. A hole had been ripped into the creature’s back, from which trailed the slime.
Centurion Stonewall scowled at the empty exoskeleton. “Where is the monster?”
“The slime trail leads to the far wall, ma’am,” a soldier said. “We have the creature cornered.”
Stonewall’s metal-shod hooves clanged against the crystalline floors as she tramped to the changeling’s location. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight.
Blankety Blank huddled against the wall, his body covered in the same mucous he had used to slide himself from his carapace. Where once had been hardened armor, now there was only new, white, weak flesh. He ran a spongy hoof down his flanks. Several gill-like air slits opened and closed along his sides with each breath. A tiny knob of a horn adorned his forehead.
His multifaceted eyes blinked upwards. “C-Centurion St-St-Stonewall. N-nice to meet you.”
Stonewall scowled. She tilted her hoof to reveal the sharpened edge along one side of her boot. “You know me, beast, but I can’t say the same for you. Where did we meet? At a party, perhaps? Or at the barracks? Perhaps we passed each other by during the changing of the guard?”
Blankety’s mouth popped open. “Th-this isn’t what it looks like.”
“No?” Stonewall stomped a hoof. “You weren’t at the palace earlier this month? You weren’t the changeling who appeared in Prince Blueblood’s business meeting? You weren’t the monster who escaped right out from under my nose?”
Blank turned away. “I was p-protecting him—”
“Look at me!” Stonewall snarled in the changeling’s face. “Look me in the eye, filth!”
Blankety flinched. He turned slowly, shuffling his forward half against the ground. He propped himself up on his forelegs, but his weakened knees couldn’t support his weight. Lying down, he tilted his chin back.
Stonewall’s eyes bored into him. “Give me a reason I shouldn’t have you squashed.”
Blankety heaved a breath. “I’m w-working with Twilight Velvet in the marehunt f-for Hurricane.”
Her ear twitched. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “Do you think I’m really that stupid?”
He gnawed his lips with his fangs. “Do y-you think I’m dumb enough t-to lie about that?”
Every muscle in Stonewall’s body tensed. She snapped her head to one side. “Lieutenant, get this thing in chains. Make sure it can’t use its magic. We’ll bring it back to Canterlot for a full interrogation.”
The lieutenant nodded. He raised a hoof to signal the medics. “Bring a stretcher—”
“Do not forget the chains,” Stonewall said. “Make sure it can’t move.”
The soldier paused with his leg hanging in the air. “Ma’am, if we chain him in his current condition, it could affect his exoskeleton growth—”
“Soldier.” Stonewall lowered her head and glared at him from under her eyebrows. “Was I unclear?”
“They won’t be necessary, Centurion,” a voice said from behind them. “He’s on our side.”
Stonewall looked over her shoulder. She turned fully around and saluted. “Captain Carrot.”
Care saluted in return, accidently bumping the bandage wrapped around her head. “Ow. Centurion Stonewall. Glad you could make it to the party.”
Stonewall flicked her eyes to the left and right. “Seems not all the guests were invited.”
“No.” Care pointed her horn at Blank. “But he was. He’s telling the truth.”
“Yeah?” Stonewall glowered. “You trust this… changeling? It’s a dangerous thing, underestimating those creatures.”
“Not underestimating him is why we’re working with him.” Care pursed her lips. “He’s got the right stuff.”
Blankety’s ears drooped. He stared at his hooves. “Th-thank you.”
Stonewall shut her eyes tight and swished her tail. “Does he need medical attention?”
“Yes, please.” Blankety rested his chin against the floor. “P-painkillers would be a nice start. A bandage for my kn-knee, too.”
The medics looked to the centurion. She gritted her teeth. “Did you hear him or not? Get him what he wants.”
They carried Blank away on the stretcher, feeding him soothing medicines and wrapping gauze around his bleeding leg. Once she and Care were alone, Stonewall opened her eyes and laid her ears against her head. “Horseapples.”
Care Carrot sighed, leaning against a bookcase. “I’m glad you’re here, Stony.”
“What the hay happened here, Care?” Stonewall waved a hoof, gesturing at the carnage. “What sort of enemies do we have that can infiltrate a castle and put legendary ponies like Velvet and Daring Do in the hospital?”
Care scratched an itch on her back that turned out to be a scab. Red collected on her hoof. “A legend come to life. I’ve fought her twice now and been outclasses both times. She’s a machine. Unfeeling and strong. She just keeps coming.” She shrugged, forcing out a sigh. “And I don’t know if I can match that.”
Fire burned in her eyes. She blinked through the tears. “I had her. I had her. She was mine and I let her go… all because of a stupid mistake!”
She kicked the bookshelf, sending several tomes to the floor. She ran a hoof through her long mane. “I don’t know where to go next. Where? What do we do after this?”
“I can give you a next step,” Stonewall said. She gestured with a wing for Care to follow her. They walked into the hallways, headed for the staircase. “Princess Luna is coming tonight. She’s only a few minutes away. She’ll want to be debriefed on the battle and what the assassin wanted.”
“Huh.” Care snorted and rubbed an aching leg muscle. “She won’t be happy.”
“Nopony is right now,” Stonewall said. “We’ve got one silver lining. We captured that unicorn mare you burned. She’s going to have a lot to talk about, I think.”
Care hung her head. “Okay. Let me know what you find out.”
Stonewall sent her a sidelong glance. “Sure, but tell me this: How’d you end up working with a changeling?”
“He’s Twilight Velvet’s secret weapon, I guess.” Care shook her head slowly to avoid a headache. “Beyond that… I’m not really sure.”
“If Velvet trusts him, then…” Stonewall wrinkled her forehead. “But he’s still…”
“Not all changelings participated in the Siege of Canterlot, Stony.”
“You weren’t there,” Stonewall hissed. “You didn’t see it. You didn’t see the battle—no, the rout. You didn’t see the damage they caused, the lives they destroyed. You didn’t see…”
She took a steadying breath. “You didn’t look into the eyes of the ponies they enthralled. The blank, dead, soulless eyes.” She wrinkled her forehead. “My sister, Bon Bon… Her friend Lyra was never the same after that.”
Care glanced away. She winced at the sight of Zephyr’s decimated remains. “Speaking of never being the same…”
Stonewall flapped her wings, her lips parting. “Pony feathers, what happened to his head?”
“Word of advice: Never get into hoof-to-hoof combat with a dragon.” Care forced herself away from the scene and turned to the spiraling staircase. Claw marks stood out where Spike had gouged the steps in his haste to run. “Spike… was… He’s had a hard night.”
“Spike? Princess Twilight’s assistant?” Stonewall gave the wreckage another long look. “Huh. Sign that kid up for the guard.”
“I wouldn’t ask him just yet. Killing that stallion hit him hard.” Care limped down the stairs. Her leg ached each time she put weight on it. She yawned wide and slapped her cheeks. “Hay, Stony… mind if I ask a personal question?”
“Mind if I chose not to answer?” Stonewall set her jaw. “Permission granted.”
“Have you ever killed anybody?”
Stonewall walked in silence for a good minute, not speaking until they had gone down three floors. “The year nine-ninety-seven. A rogue pack of diamond dogs attacked a herd of cows south of Appleoosa. My squad got sent in to rescue them. Killed a dog during the scuffle.”
Care watched Stonewall’s face carefully. She never saw so much as a twitch.
“Year one-thousand was the Siege of Canterlot—at my predecessor’s wedding.” Stonewall bobbed her snout. “Got in a fight with three changelings. They wouldn’t give up until they were all snuffed out.”
She extended a wing, popping the joint. “I got promoted to Centurion. When Shining Armor was crowned prince, I got his old job. I haven’t been doing much field work these days, so there isn’t much opportunity. I’m not complaining.”
Care lifted her gaze upwards as they entered the throne room. The map table was cold and quiet. “How do you decide when to take a life?”
“In the heat of combat, there isn’t time to ‘decide.’” Stonewall stood at attention and watched the soldiers milling around. “You act and you deal with the consequences later.”
Care furrowed her brow. “And if you make a mistake?”
Stonewall turned to look right at her, her eyes bright and intense. “You deal with the consequences later.”
***
Luna disembarked from her chariot on the steps of the Ponyville castle. She stared up at the battlements and just made out the shattered stained crystal windows near the top floor. A wing of pegasi orbited the highest tower, patrolling the perimeter.
A whoosh sounded from her right. She took a step back to give Andean’s impressive wingspan room to coast in for a landing. The massive griffon strode to the double-doors. His scaled armor trailed down his chest to buckle around his midsection. A brutish helmet bedecked with a long golden feather sat atop his brow. A sigh broke from his beak as he lifted his head to Canter Mountain. “There’s little chance a resolution will come tonight, is there?”
“I do not believe so.” Luna’s silvery armor glinted in the moonlight. She bowed her head to give the guards the signal to open the castle gates. “The assassin has not been seen since she broke a guard’s leg two hours ago.”
“Krar.” Andean followed her into the hallway, glancing up at the walls grown from crystal. “Surely she left a clue. Prisoners?”
“Just the one,” Luna replied. “She’s being treated for third-degree burns to the chest and forelegs. Captain Carrot fights for keepsies, it seems.”
Andean frowned. “‘Keepsies’?”
“Um…” Luna shrugged. “High stakes?”
“Indeed.” Andean slid the edges of his beak together. “Will we be meeting any members of the team you’ve put together, or are they recovering as well?”
“We shall speak with Captain Carrot now, and the others when they’ve had time to mend.” Luna looked ahead and spied Care sitting with the Captain of the Guard, near the open circle of thrones. “I am grateful that we did not lose anypony in the fight this time.”
Stonewall bent at the knee on their approach. “Your Majesty. Your Grace.”
Care watched them for a moment before hauling herself to her feet. She bowed her head, squaring her hooves so that she didn’t fall onto her face. “Princess Luna.”
“Rise, my little ponies.” Luna looked from the rock-like face of the Captain of the Guard to the far more tired face of her sister’s personal guard. “Care, please stand.”
She heard Andean ruffle his feathers. Probably because of her informality, she thought. She ignored him. “Care, can you tell us what happened?”
Worn and weary eyes met Luna’s own; hollow and pale. A scab stood out from under the bandage around Care’s head. The mare’s mane was matted and tangled. Her expression was limp and quiet.
“They came in the middle of the night,” Care said, her voice crackling out of a dry throat. “Through the windows. They came prepared for a fight. I held a couple up in the corridor, but the rest got past me. Spike…” Care shook her head. “Once I took care of those goons, I headed downstairs to cut off their escape route. I found Hurricane…”
Her horn lit up with a soft pink glow. She lifted a volleygun from across the room and let it clatter at Luna’s hooves. “Turns out these things only give you one shot, and this was empty. I didn’t even slow her down.”
Andean surged forward, brushing Luna aside with a wing. He gripped the volleygun in his massive talon and gawked at it. “Where did you get this? Who had it? Where did they find—?”
“There was a griffon in her crew,” Care said. “I knocked it out of his grip before he got away. He one of yours?”
“These… these are unspeakably rare.” Andean’s wings spread halfway, covering the ponies around him in shadows. A growl rose up from his breast. “The assassin uses griffon metals and now griffon weapons?”
Luna jerked a step backward as Andean brought his beak close to her. “There can be no doubt!” he shouted. “One of my people is aiding this monster! I swear I shall not rest until this… this… this traitor is brought before me! He shall be allowed to endanger our world no longer!”
He slammed his fists against the floor and turned his head. One eye glared at Care. “Who was he? What did he look like? Have you seen him around the castle?”
“I-I don’t know.” Care looked away from his intense stare. “I might have seen him among the Blitzwings, but I can’t be sure. Just—just look for the griffon with burns.”
Luna extended a wing, touching Andean’s shoulder and guiding him back from Care. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”
Centurion Stonewall stepped up. “We can confirm that the attackers stole a magic mirror from Princess Twilight’s library. They left once they acquired it.”
Luna narrowed her eyes. The portal? What could they want with that? “Nothing else was stolen?”
“We aren’t sure, Your Majesty.” Stonewall flicked her eyes upward. “It will be a while before we can properly catalogue the damage done. Right now, it’s a mess up there. That’s all we know.”
Care nodded, her eyes on her hooves.
“Very well.” Luna turned to Andean to say something, but stopped short when she saw the way he clenched his talons. She cleared her throat and gave the soldiers a small smile. “Thank you for your service tonight. Care, I suggest you take some time to recuperate. Relax. Take a trip back home—”
“My place is here right now.” Care sucked a quick breath through her nose. “Your Majesty.”
Luna wrinkled her brow. She lifted a silver-shod hoof and touched it to Care’s cheek. “I have seen those eyes before, young one. You need to rest.”
Care’s mouth dropped open. Her ears twitched. “B-but I—”
“You are tired, and continuing forward will not make it less so.” Luna bent down to press her forehead against Care’s, careful to angle her shimmering horn away. “Rest. Spend time with your friends and family. Enjoy the small, good things this life has to offer. Do not run yourself into the ground, as I did. Rest.”
Care tipped over into Luna’s forelegs. The princess set her gently on the ground. She watched the guard sleep soundly, soft snores drifting from her mouth.
“Centurion,” Luna said, “please take the captain to her guest room. She will sleep until tomorrow afternoon. At that point, make certain she is fed.”
“A-as you command, Your Majesty,” Stonewall stuttered. She signaled for a stretcher.
Luna lifted her helmet from her head and set it on Twilight’s throne. She ran a hoof over the dark table and shook her mane free. “Andean, do you know whose volleygun that is?”
“No.” His growl rose in volume. “We do not allow personalization of the volleyguns. This is the same as any other.” He let the weapon clatter to the ground. “But we shall know him by his plumage. None of my Blitzwings have seen combat since we came to your shores. Save this one.”
He rested his claws on the hilt of his gold-trimmed broadsword. “And if need be, when I find him, he shall die by my own sword.”
Luna rubbed her snout with a hoof. “If it comes to that, then I wish you luck. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the guards.”
Andean raised an eyebrow. “You’re going somewhere.”
“I must see a friend.” Luna trotted up the stairs, calling over her shoulder. “A friend who so desperately needs one of his own right now.”
Andean gave his right wing a flap. “Then I wish you luck as well.”
Luna’s boots dinged merrily against the crystalline steps; she cringed at the contrast. It was a short climb to what Twilight had dubbed the “Kitchen Floor.” A few guards milled around in the small cooking nook, documenting Hurricane’s reentry into the castle. The table has been split asunder, and the chairs had collapsed beneath the blow.
She moved beyond the room. Her sights were set on one room in particular, with a door that had been locked for the better part of the night. She lifted a foreleg and knocked. “Spike?”
She heard nothing from the far side. “Spike, it is Princess Luna. I would like to speak with you.”
She sat down and waited. Her glimmering tail danced behind her. “I… know the past few weeks have been a difficult time. A trial. A tribulation, as we called it in the old days. We are under attack, and that is a hard thing to weather.”
She blinked the dampness from her eyelashes. “I faltered. We all do, from time to time, but my… responsibilities mean that my failures are amplified.”
She lowered her ears, letting them droop down. “You have not faltered. You have only ever stood strong and steadfast. Your actions tonight were not the acts of a monstrosity, but of a noble protector and gallant friend. I pray that… you will never become proud of these deeds, but that you can accept them as having been the right thing to do.”
She enveloped herself with her wings, bringing them in tight like a cape. “Twilight came to me in a dream. It was really her, make no mistake. It took her to remind me that when times are hard, we must stand together. We must cleave, each to the other, in order to gain strength and encouragement. If you will let me, Spike, I would be honored to count you as a friend.”
Luna heard a faint sob from behind the door. She gulped down a breath. “Spike? Will you let me in? Please, share your worries.”
There was a soft scraping, and then endless quiet.
Luna waited a few minutes more before standing. “If your answer changes, you know how to reach me. Take care, noble dragon.”
Inside the room, Spike pulled his ear away from the door. He stumbled up to his bed and flopped over into it. He gripped his ragged pillow tight, stifled weeping clawing its way from his chest.
***
Time Turner rested the side of his face against the pillow. He stared at the midday sun through his hospital room’s window. He shifted his leg and groaned when his IV got tangled up in his bed sheets.
He made a point not to look at the scarred stump that remained of his right foreleg. The grenade had shredded it instantly, and did nearly the same thing to the rest of his body. Pockmarks dotted his flesh where shrapnel had done its dirty work. Bare patches in his coat were the result of emergency surgery to repair his ravaged skin and muscle. He gritted his teeth and hissed as a bit of pain speared through the dulling morphine.
“Doctor?” He felt a well-meaning but painful nudge in his side. “Are yah gonna eat or what?”
Time Turner raised his head so that he could look the pony in the face. A smile touched his lips as he looked into earnest, golden, askew eyes. “Yes, Derpy. I’ll eat in a moment. Thank you.”
He lowered his nose towards the lunch tray spread across his torso. A meager meal of tasteless hayfries and soggy greens awaited him. “Are you sure you couldn’t smuggle in a pinch of salt?”
“The docs say yah need to keep your fluids, and salt ain’t gonna help with that.” Derpy Doo crossed her forelegs and shook her head adamantly. “You’re on a strict diet as long as you’re here, Doctor.”
Time sighed. He bent low and chomped a mouthful of lettuce. He chewed the mushy glob and smiled. “Mm. So good.”
Derpy frowned. She leaned back in her chair and flopped open a book. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“No, I’m actually… urgh… a very good liar.” Time licked a bit of hay stuck between his teeth. “I just know better than to lie around you.”
She glanced up from her page. She tried to hide the dour look on her face behind a bright grin. “Yah got that right.”
A hoof thumped against the door. A grayscale mane poked through the opening. “So, hay, can I visit?”
Time felt a heavy weight in his chest. He lifted his left foreleg. “Of course, Dr. Yearling. Please come in.”
Daring Do shuffled in, her leg in a sling to help her recover from the dislocation. Bandages held back the flow of blood from several cuts. She bobbed her head to Derpy. “Hi.”
“Dr. Yearling, this is my good friend Ditsy Doo.” Time tipped his head to her. “Ditsy, this is A.K. Yearling. She’s the author of the Daring Do series, believe it or not.”
“My friends call me Derpy.” Derpy held out her right hoof. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
“Likewise.” Daring sat down to lift her left leg. She met Derpy’s with a bump. “I’ve, uh, heard good stuff about you from Time. And your daughter’s pretty cool, too.”
“Thanks.” Derpy fiddled with her wingtips. “Your, um, books are pretty neat.”
“Thanks.” Daring scratched her shaggy mane. She set her eyes on Time and bit her lip.
His brown mane, normally spiky and wacky, was unkempt and nearly white. His face wasn’t young and strong, but weak and aged. Crow’s feet grabbed his eyes and smile lines sat alongside his mouth. He was almost unrecognizable.
Except for his bright, intelligent eyes. Those she could recognize just fine.
He sighed. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this. Tired. Old. Broken.”
“You’re…” She rubbed the back of her neck. “You’re thirty-five?”
“Last time I checked.” He laughed humorlessly. “Time travel is a tricky business, Dr. Yearling. It hurts. A loop with no end, a limited life, and this is the result.”
“H-he’s gotten real good with the illusions,” Derpy said, trying to maintain an upbeat tone. She almost succeeded. “Real good with the makeup an’ that.”
Time flicked an ear. “So, was there something I could help you with, Dr. Yearling?”
“Amber.” Daring Do circled around the bed to rest her hoof on his left foreleg. “Please, if you’re gonna use that name, just call me Amber.”
Time Turner glanced down at her hoof. He took it in his own. “Very well, Amber Kestrel Yearling. Very well.”
Derpy bit down on her lips to slow the smile breaking out over her face. “Hay, I just remembered something nonspecific I needed to do in town. I’ll come by later to say hi. Dinky’s coming, too. She says she wants to show yah something.” She stood up, bumping the heart monitor with a stray wingtip. “Oops! See yah later, Doctor!”
She galloped through the doorway and nearly bowled over an orderly. A shout of “Sorry!” was followed by several others as the pegasus mare made her way through the hospital.
“‘Doctor?’” Daring laughed quietly. “You’re a doctor, too, now?”
“It is known to a very select few,” Time said, “that I have a doctorate in chronology.”
Daring snorted. She gave him a lopsided smirk. “That sounds like the punch-line to a bad joke.”
“Oh, I’ve gotten a few prolonged giggle-snorts.” Time leaned back and peered through the window. “It’s a hard sell, at times.”
Daring kept his hoof clutched in hers. She scootched her chair around to face the sun. She leaned her cheek against the padded backrest. “You working through another hard sell right now?”
Time quelled the urge to itch the leg that wasn’t there anymore. “I fought again, Daring. I got hurt again. I got hurt very, very badly. Again.”
“Is this it?” Daring Do craned her neck to see over her shoulder. She studied the lines tracing their way across Time’s face. “I mean, I can totally understand. If it is. It’s cool. You’ve… you’ve done a heck of a lot. You’ve been through a heck of a lot more than—than I think you really should have. I-I mean…”
Her lips trembled. “I-I’m sorry. I’m really, really dang sorry.”
“No. No, no, no, no.” He raised her hoof and squeezed. “No, you don’t have to be sorry, Daring. None of this was your fault—”
“It was, too.” A tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it on her shoulder. “I was the one who convinced you to jump back in. I was the one who got you back into the fight.”
“Oh, come now, Daring. I’m a big enough colt to make my own decisions.” He met her eyes and perked his ears up. “I decided to jump back into it. It was my own choice. My own call.”
He gave her the strongest grin he was capable of conjuring up. “And if I’m being perfectly honest with myself, there are a great many things about it I don’t regret.”
Daring Do felt a little heat in her cheeks. She chuckled. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yes.” Time lowered an eyebrow. “In fact, I’d say there are some things I am downright delighted to have experienced.”
Daring Do pressed her lips tight. She stood up from the seat and placed her left foreleg on the bed. “Scoot over.”
Time groaned as he hefted his body to the side. “I… huh… assume you’re not making a grab for my honor?”
“Cool your jets, Doc. I’ll respect your wishes.” Daring Do eased herself against his side. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. “See? This is me being all respectful and stuff.”
He looped his left foreleg around her, avoiding her injured leg and her aching wings. “Thank you. And I’ll do my best to make you feel… well… let’s say ‘special.’”
She smiled. “I think I like being special.”
Time shut his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her snuggling against him. “I think I do, too, Daring. I think I like it quite a bit.”
Daww. Time Turner and Daring are cute.
Two key things from this chapter: Awesome new knowledge of the villains, they get ever cooler! And the heroes have a mook in custody, and evidence the Griffons are involved. That guarantees future awesomeness.
That and a free trip to Orlando and a life-time supply of Turtlewax, I hope. Probably these "lucky" contestants are better off not winning the play-at-home version though.
I'm going to avoid the obvious joke about female dogs, and instead remind you of that great quote from the romantic movie they made about the two:
Have you ever heard the timberwolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or ask the grinning chimera why she grins
Can you growl with all the voices of the mountain
Can you shed with all the colors of the wind
Can you shed with all the colors of the wind
Of course he was, that's when Equestria and Griffonstone and Maritania were looking on. Shining has to walk a balance act, the Crystal Ponies don't want to be intimidated by him, but clearly they want to intimidate everypony else. How else do you explain that armored monstrosity of a train, or the giant statue of their most brave and glorious warrior right in the middle of town? I suspect the ancient Crystal Ponies had a strong martial tradition almost as much as the Pegasi did, to survive in such a harsh environment.
Like the Emperor's personal guard in red armor, rather than your average storm trooper? That's fair.
How do you know it has the answers if it's not saying anything! That's the oldest trick in the book! Now I want Flim and Flam to sneak in and use some illusions and flank-jiggling telekinesis to send the Mane 6 to random locations across Equestria, in the name of the Great and Powerful Tree, do not look behind the little curtain there.
More like the 12th disaster, but who's counting? I suspect the rest of the country feels its like subsidizing hurricane insurance in Florida, you knew what you were doing when you moved next to the Everfree.
At the dragon migration, the older dragons teach the whelps a health class about checking for gaps and weak points, titled Don't Be A Smaug .
Interesting. I had assumed crazy Luna= no nightmares, thanks for reminding me the folly of making assumptions. I wonder, could a nightmare live in a gem, perhaps?
What? You had me fooled this whole time that you were playing the literary equivalent of Xanatos Speed Chess! The Griffon Emperor has no clothes!
At this point I honestly want Hurricane to just get away, since the only other option is more dead royal guards.
Oh YES!
Hmmm. Would Hurricane look like a pegasus version of Trixie?
Not exactly surprising, but still ominous.
Well thank goodness someone is thinking about that! That explains a whole lot about why people are willing to go along with this crazed cult/conspiracy.
I have to agree with Merry here, it does seem like the main conspiracy could crush Dulcimer any time they choose, provided they don't have bigger threats to deal with. And Hurricane is clearly capable of jacking up an alicorn, so one jerk-icorn, even with short-term time-stop powers, isn't the highest of threats.
Ooooooooh. I'm guessing 'Dagi for the Crone....
Ok, at this point, I'm kind of wondering how the heck a strategic genius like Merry here lost an election to Applejack over some roads. Well, the Mayorship is clearly not the highest of her priorities.
Great, now I'm salivating on my keyboard again. So much villainous juicy goodness! I have to point out though, that if this conspiracy really did find a secret magical apple grove and create a magical apple alchemy recipe, someone who shows up at the Apple family reunion almost certainly has to be part of the conspiracy. I wonder if Apple Bloom can think of an older cousin or somepony who inspired her to go into alchemy. Also, I really hope the Grove works, I want to hear Platinum and the rest give their opinion on Hurricane's actions.
I was a little confused in this scene. Is Centurion her first name or rank? Because it's largely treated like rank, but it seems like her rank is captain.
Gross. Cool, but gross.
Boo-yeah! At this point a whole bunch of prisoners have conveniently died before interrogation, so I'm hoping nopony does something stupid like leave this prisoner without multiple magically powerful guards at all times.
That's harsh. I guess after you've been drained of love and mind-zapped by a monster who feeds on love, the closest you could ever get to someone after that was "special friends."
Stonewall is a wise pony.
Aww yeah, the only thing worse than momma bear is poppa bear-butt!
I'm going to hope Care does this, but I won't bet on it, even though this is presumably a direct order from the Princess.
Aww yeah, I really want to see awesome scenes of Andy cleaning house.
Just remember, dead birds tell no tales!
I got all sad when I realized I couldn't really narrow down who she meant.
Aww geez. Surely Luna can send for some of the Mane 5 to talk with Spike? I guess part of why he's had such a hard time processing this event is because it looks like he had to do it alone.
I'm not even a little sad about this, because I know he'll give himself a Skywalker-hand/hoof.
Ouch, guess those 5 years (and more) weren't free after all.
Awww, you can't go wrong with snuggles.
So overall a fantastic chapter, the villains got way more cool with fantastic exposition, the heroes got way cooler now because Andean is more involved and they have a snitch to squeeze!
This story is excellent! I got here from "In the Absence of Sunset Shimmer", and have been making my way through your stories. Lovely that you happened to update just as I was nearly caught up, too!
You had me anxious there... It was good to see that all of the good guys seem to have survived this raid, though the hospital is getting an awful lot of business.
Poor Spike... No wonder he has such a "world of cardboard" anxiety in Absence. It was a good touch to have Luna reach out to him, whether she got through or not.
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Totally!
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This is not a story prone to being boring, except for that one chapter, which can be fixed in post-production. Future awesome was guaranteed from the start!
I have two reactions to that: That I laughed for figurative days, and that I remember how much I actually like that song. "Colors of the Wind" is silly, yes, but I like silly.
The orthos and the breezie are my brothers
The griffon and the changeling are my friends
And we are all united with each other
In a tangled chain of eating and getting dead
The crystal ponies strike me as the types to do decorating right. Or possibly, those are leftovers from the Sombra regime. Or maybe he was a product of his times.
Possibly true. Which means Sombra's takeover could have been a sort of military coup. At least in DayBreak, it altogether was the same kingdom, at least after the unification took place. United yet distinct, like Colonial America.
I was thinking more like that huge mechanic from Raiders of the Lost Ark plane action scene, except Zephyr actually got character development.
Or, How to Avoid Arrows and Influence the Economy.
Nah. Nightmare's are mostly relegated to being spooky smoke monsters when they're not invading dreams. Stay tuned.
Come now! At this point, the mare has a busted wing, is out of crazy wingblades, can barely see straight, and is verging on exhaustion!
You're right. The guards are doomed.
More like a colorless Rainbow Dash. Her mane is far more wispy than Trixie's stunning locks.
Given the evidence, I can see how you might come to that conclusion.
Unless there was another benefit to letting Applejack have the mayorship? If she is indeed a tactical genius, that would be a fairly obnoxious oversight.
Actually, it's a deeper cut than blood relations. A little more literary and allegorical and stuff. To say more would be giving stuff away, but safe to say it's all part of the build-up.
I would feel bad if I didn't give them a moment to state their piece!
Her rank is centurion. Captain of the Guard is a title separate from rank. I've added a clarifier in the next chapter.
I took a note from Warren Hutch's depiction of changelings. They are icky. Icky, yucky, and nasty. But also cool.
Imagine how betrayed she must have felt to learn that Bon Bon had been lying to her. Imagine how strong their friendship is for them to reconcile after that. It's not a completely unhappy ending.
She'll at least get a full night's sleep, which is better than what she's been getting.
I can neither confirm nor deny the presence or absence of awesome griffon king sword fights in the future.
Ouch. That's got me all sad now. What have I done to these characters?
If only there was a tall, adorable, redheaded filly he could commiserate with.
You know, I try to be subtle, but I just can't manage it...
I've been setting this up since chapter two!
I've often thought so!
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Thank you! It's great to know you've been enjoying the stories. Another update's in the pipeline, so the wait's at an end.
This story has spend a lot of time in the hospital. I don't think it's a bad thing, but it is noticeable. This story could almost be called The Emergency Room and How We Got There.
Spike, Twilight, Scootaloo, all my favorite characters get put through the wringer. It leads to some great moments, though, and I think Spike's is gonna be fantastic.
Whether Luna got through to him, that's something you'll have to wait and see.
For some reason it really only just hit me here about how straight up evil the Mayor is at the point we're at. Was this really all caused by her losing the election to AJ? Seems like a rather...extreme reaction.
Gee, how sad.
I mean, it's not like I'm cheering for every dead body, but he had clearly thrown in with the side of the big bads, and maybe Hurricane can again get to feel what it's like to loose people close to you. Like, you know, the people close to all the guards she's been killing.
Side thought, if Merry is the Mother, I'm betting Adagio as the Crone.
Heh. Or, you know, not.
Man, I would pay real bits to see this actually happen, just for the chance to see her friends chew Hurricane out for what she's been up to. Still waiting and hoping for her ideology to get right where she can see it happen.
Thank you.
Oh hey, they do grow back.
Oye, Stonewall, you idiot. What happens if you order him chained up, his exoskeleton takes exactly the damage you were warned about, and then you discover he was telling the truth all along and you just crippled an agent of the crown? Probably bad things for your promotion track, if not your career general. Thank goodness for the excellent timing of Captain Carrot.
Ooooo, nice.
Yikes. Poor Spike, even more so than before. Just when you'd think "killing someone in one hit" couldn't get any worse, it turns into "exploding someone's head in one hit".
Ooooo, Andean is on the scene and he is pissed about the griffon weapons being involved. I like this development.
This is definitely an argument for serial numbers on the volleyguns, heh.
Maaaaan, poor Spike.
Now that was a pleasant end to the chapter.
Pardon me, but I believe you may have meant 'askew'. Eschew means to avoid.
Spike needs the help right now. But Zephyr was dead anyway traitors are rarely spared.
Surpisingly good actually from what we have seen of the Nightmare Moon timeline in The Cutie Remark.
That ending was sweet.
But Spike needs a hug, a friend and a very strong drink.