Be Careful About What You Say...
Princess Luna watched the newcomer carefully, her gaze alert to any wrong move it might make.
This was actually far more difficult than it sounded. The strange creature was unnaturally still, even as he walked down the corridor, giving the impression that he was floating, rather than using his feet.
That’s not to say that he wasn’t walking; His coat was long, but it wasn’t long enough to completely obscure his legs. No, it was just that the creature had a way of moving that seemed to cut out any unnecessary movement. All in all, Luna found him extremely unnerving, and that wasn’t even considering what his kind had done to her home.
Currently, the trio was making their way towards Celestia’s lab, the Sun Princess leading the way, followed by their visitor, with Luna trailing behind. The creature had not said a word since his initial, incredibly formal introduction, which only added to the unnerving feeling that Luna was getting from him.
The three entered the room, which was abuzz with activity. Doctors filled two of the side rooms, working furiously on the two patients within. Ammon’s room had fewer physicians, and they talked calmly. The cell that contained the monster Luna had captured was filled nearly to the brim with surgeons and nurses, who all talked and moved frantically.
“I believe you may have more experience with these patients than our own physicians,” Celestia said as she gestured towards the hive of activity.
The creature didn’t respond, or give any indication that he had heard her. His only response was to step up to the cell, and peer in.
After a moment, he forced his way inside and towards the lone bed in the room, pushing aside the healers. They just stared as he made his way to the patient, moving out of the way of the intimidating creature.
“All of you, out,” he said. His voice was quiet, but commanding.
The lead surgeon just looked at him with contempt. “We are trying to save this thing’s life, if you don’t mind,” he said indignantly. “Its heart rate has plummeted, and it has nearly stopped breathing, so if you excuse us, we would like to be able to continue our job.”
“Him,” the creature said, immediately drawing the assembled ponies’ confused stares. When no one said anything, he continued, almost as if he were giving a lecture. “He is male, and you are killing him. His heart rate and breathing are supposed to be that low, now get out.” Even though he was rebuking the doctors, he still spoke with the same cool, uninterested tone as when he first arrived.
The doctor in charge looked like he wanted to argue, but was stopped as Princess Celestia stepped forward. “It’s alright doctor, please go and help some more... familiar, patients.”
He looked at her, doubt in his eyes, but finally relented. “As you command Princess,” he said as he moved out of the room, his staff quickly following.
“The others too,” The creature commanded, gesturing towards the room that held Ammon. Luna found it galling, but her sister ordered the rest to leave as well. Once the assembled doctors had left, the creature walked out of the beast’s cell, and into the one that housed Ammon.
“Shouldn’t you start on the wolf? Its wounds are more critical,” Luna asked, her annoyance with the creature shining through.
The creature didn’t respond at first. Instead, he just sat there, studying Ammon closely, poking and prodding the comatose lizard, and lifting limbs to get a better look. “No,” he finally said as he set his bag on the nightstand next to the bed.
“You want it to die, then?”
The creature didn’t even spare her a glance. “Anatomically, he is male, and I suspect he thinks of himself that way as well,” he said, annoyance creeping into his voice. “I suppose the only way we will know for sure is when he awakes, and tells us. Until then, please refer to him by the proper personal pronouns.” The creature then opened his bag, digging through it as he searched for something. “And as far as the levels of injuries go, this patient is, by far, in worse shape. If I don’t act now, he will lose the use of two of his limbs, and may become seriously infected.”
“How can you say that?” Luna asked incredulously as the doctor pulled out a large syringe. “The wolf is missing half of its skin.”
The creature looked up suddenly at the princess. There weren’t any physical cues, and there were no eyes to speak of to translate his mood, but Luna could feel his anger somehow.
“His skin,” she said as she rolled her eyes.
The creature seemed pleased with the answer, and looked back down towards what he was doing. His movements were slow, but deliberate, and clearly practiced as he began cutting into Ammon’s arm. He obviously knew what he was doing. “I do not have the time to explain the wolf’s biology. In layman’s terms, he will recover. Now, if you please, I have work to do.”
The silence that followed this pronouncement was oppressing, and made the two alicorns feel uneasy as they watched the doctor. “I don’t seem to recall what you said your name was,” Celestia said, trying to lighten the mood a little.
“I didn’t say.”
“May I inquire as to what your name is?” Celestia asked.
“It is your kingdom,” he said a little stiffly. “You may do as you wish.”
He went silent again after that, with the silence only growing with every passing moment, punctuated only by the clinking of glass tubes, and the sound of metal cutting flesh as he continued to work on the comatose lizard.
“So, what is your name?” Celestia asked, finally catching onto what he meant.
The creature stopped, and let out a sigh.
It was then, that Luna realized it: He wasn’t breathing. Neither his chest, or shoulders moved when he spoke, and his sigh had marked the first time where she had heard an audible breathing sound come from him. She tried to repress it, but she couldn’t help it as she felt a shiver run down her spine.
“My name is Doctor Luther Thomas Wittelsbach. Most individuals usually just refer to me as Doctor,” he said. Then, without another word, he turned back to his patient, his fingers almost dancing as he got back to work.
* * *
Something was watching me. I wasn’t sure what it was, or why, but I could feel it, just beyond my sight, studying me, examining my every move.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of this, I turned around, completely fed up with whatever it was. “What? What do you want!?” I shouted into the dark.
“I would appreciate it if you woke up,” a familiar voice said nearby.
“What…?” I mumbled as I opened my eyes.
I was back in the observation room from earlier, though this time it wasn’t quite as empty as it was before. Sitting next to my bed was Celestia, an amused look on her face as she watched me come to.
“What happened?” I asked as I brought a hand up to my forehead.
“You were wounded while defending my ponies, and my home,” she answered, a sad smile on her face. “For which I am eternally grateful.”
I just gave a shrug at that, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the praise. “Uh… don’t mention it. I didn’t really do all that much, to be honest. Just… whatever anyone else would have if in my position.”
Celestia gave me a puzzled expression, but thankfully did not push the issue. With a grunt, I tried to pull myself into a reclining position, but stopped when I realized something.
I could move my right hand.
Not only could I move it, but the thing felt like it was brand new. In fact, my whole body felt better than ever, even before coming to this place. “What in the…” I said as I looked at my now working arm in wonder. As I examined it, I became aware that I wasn’t wearing anything, but that wasn’t anything new. After all, I had been pretty banged up, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if the doctors had cut my clothes off to operate on me.
As i examined my once ruined arm, I noticed a couple of inconsistencies about it. “Uh… where are the stitches? Or the scar?”
Celestia got up, her horn glowing as she levitated a glass of water towards me. “Let’s just say your physician is very skilled. How are you feeling?”
“I… I feel great. Fantastic, even,” I said as I took the proffered water. “...What happened? Last thing I remember was getting chased down by that orange pony.”
“We won, though the cost was great,” Celestia said as she studied me, an unreadable look on her face. “We lost a large number of our forces, and-” She stopped, suddenly, as a knock sounded out through the room, interrupting her train of thought. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
I just nodded dumbly, a bit curious at who could be interrupting us. The white pony moved towards the door, opening it only a crack, clearly intent on making the conversation as brief as possible. She spoke in a hushed, whispered tone, but I was still able to make out what she said.
“What is it, Luna?”
Luna? Isn’t she the other half of the dynamic duo that Celestia is a part of? I thought to myself.
“I apologize for the interruption, but one of my captains has arrived with the casualty report. He insists that we are both present to hear it.”
“Can it wait? I’m in the middle of something important, here.” Celestia sounded a little bit aggravated.
“I asked him that myself, but he said, in his own words: ‘this is too big to wait.’ He believes it may change how we deal with… them.”
Yeah, I knew who she was talking about. If my country had been overrun by superpowered freaks intent on causing as much destruction as possible, I’d probably use the same amount of venom when referring to them, no matter how benevolent some of them might be.
“...Very well,” Celestia said, surrendering to her sister. She then turned to me, an apologetic expression on her face. “I’m sorry, Ammon, I need to take care of this.”
“No problem, take your time,” I said with a smile.
She nodded at that, then left the room. As soon as I was sure she was gone, I sprang to my feet, stopping when I noticed that I was pantsless. Looking around, I quickly spotted a pile of clothes lying haphazardly in a corner of the room. A quick examination revealed that they were mine, though my tunic hadn’t survived my ordeal. my pants, on the other hand, had made it through relatively unscathed, making it rather easy for me to preserve at least a shred of my modesty as I left the room.
* * *
Celestia entered the main laboratory, closing the observation room door behind her. Standing near the center of the room was a rather wiry looking dust pony. He wasn’t wearing his armor, though his uniform excused that.
Most airship units didn’t wear the full plate, opting for lighter, looser clothing while on duty, since it made climbing the rigging and performing their duties far easier. They usually only wore the traditional armor if they expected combat, and even then they only wore half plate, which was lighter and less likely to cause problems should a parachute be needed.
As a consequence to this, this pony’s mane and coat colors were not the regulation grey and dark blue. Instead, the pony had a dark blue coat, with a tri-colored mane that was alternating colors of grey, black and slate. As he turned at the sound of the closing door, Celestia caught a glimpse of the pony’s cutie mark: a kite shield with a crescent moon superimposed upon it, flanked by a pair of wings.
“Princess Celestia. I apologize for the interruption, but I felt this too important to wait,” the pony said with a salute.
Celestia glanced at her sister, who stepped closer to the yet unnamed captain. “Sister, this is Captain Knight Breeze of The Moon’s Ascent.”
Celestia nodded in recognition. “Ah, yes. I remember reading some of your reports, but I do not believe we’ve ever been introduced,”
“We have not, but that is unsurprising,” the captain said with a short bow. “I usually send all my reports in by carrier pegasus, or I turn them in during our brief stops at the capitol. We rarely have much time on solid ground.”
Celestia nodded again, then looked at the captain expectantly. “I believe you have some… rather unfortunate news for us?”
“I do,” the dust pony said, picking up a thin binder off the table and hoofing it over to the solar princess. “The casualty report for the civilians and soldiers during The Battle for Canterlot.”
Celestia took the unassuming white folder, silently dreading what was about to happen. She was surprised, then, when she opened the folder and only saw a single sheet of paper, with only two dozen names on it. “Captain, what is the meaning of this? I was told that the initial count was much higher.”
“That was true, Your Highness, but that was only the initial assessment,” Captain Breeze said with a salute. “We now know that we’ve only lost seven active guards, and seventeen civilians, though knowing the circumstances of the deaths, I believe that the civilian count to be much lower.”
Luna looked at the captain sharply, her eyes boring into the dust pony. “I don’t believe that. What about the rampage that that beast went on inside the castle?” she demanded, her tone icy. “I was there, I saw the bodies.”
“Ma’am, that creature’s actions are precisely why I think the friendly death count is much lower than it seems,” he said, completely unfazed by his princess’s anger.
Luna stopped at that, her gaze calculating as she examined the unassuming pony. “Explain yourself.”
“Very well,” Captain Breeze said, somehow straightening up even further. “As you know, Your Highness, Equestria has had no formal war in about a thousand years, give or take a few years. However, that isn’t to say that those years have been completely peaceful. There are always those that would prey on the weak, or the unprepared.”
“Bandits,” Celestia said with a sigh.
“Exactly. It is why the royal guard still exists in force. However, there are far more that desire to do us harm than just bandits,” the captain said with a grimace. “Rogue griffon clans, skirmishes with the Yaks, Changelings, Dragons, and so forth. However, the most… irksome, of these are the pirate and mercenary companies that strike and hide without warning. In fact, since I made captain, I have done very little other than hunt down these miscreants and bring them to justice.”
“Captain, what does this have to do with the death toll in Canterlot?” Luna asked impatiently.
“Everything,” Captain Breeze said, pulling out a small, folded piece of paper from his chest pocket. “Due to the shortage in senior personnel, I was overseeing the autopsy of the ponies that died during the siege. In particular, we were examining the bodies of those that died during the wolf’s ‘rampage.’”
“...And?”
“Ma’am, the first body we examined was one that we knew wasn’t a traitor, one that had a record we could verify, one who had died defending Canterlot from the beasts that were attacking us. On his body, positioned right on the left knee of his foreleg, we found this,” the captain said as he hoofed over the paper, the look on his face deadly serious.
Luna opened the paper curiously, her sister looking over her shoulder with some interest. The paper didn’t have any message, or note written on it. Just a symbol, looking almost as if two eyes had somehow melded into one.
“Captain, what is this?” Celestia asked.
“It is the Mark of the Twin Eye,” Captain Breeze said ominously. “The bearers of this mark belong to the Warhawks; a band of sellswords that have historically sold their services to the Griffon Empire. However, in recent years, they’ve been trying to instigate a war between Equestria and The Griffon Empire.”
“I remember this, captain,” Celestia said with a nod. “If memory serves, weren’t they exposed and arrested?”
“They were, but we only managed to catch a hoofful of them,” the captain said, his mouth turned down in a frown. “Since then, they’ve gone underground, staying low, keeping out of trouble, all while looking for the right time to strike. We’ve managed to unearth a few cells here and there, but since they’re based primarily in the Griffon Empire, there really isn’t much we can do. The Griffons have let them be, since their main concern isn’t rogue mercenary groups, but rebel clans within their own government. They even still hire them from time to time, since they have battlemages that rival our own.”
“And you think this mercenary group infiltrated us?” Celestia asked, raising her eyebrow a little.
“Ma’am, upon seeing this mark on the private, I had the mortician help me examine the rest of the bodies. Every single guard that the wolf killed had this mark. All one hundred of them.”
Luna looked at the guard captain, bewilderment clear on her face. “Captain, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that the wolf’s ‘rampage’ was nothing of the sort. What we’re looking at was the makings of a coup, and the wolf put it down. Brutally,” the captain said, his steady, teal gaze boring into the Lunar Princess. “This wasn’t a rampage, or a senseless massacre, but an incredibly focused, precision strike. He even went so far as to wipe out about eighty percent of the undead that our lizard friend missed when he went down into the gem mines, making the cleanup afterwards that much easier. He did not kill a single guard that was actually a guard.”
Celestia looked back at the notes, somewhat confused. “But what about the civilians he killed?”
“As I said, the civilian count is probably lower,” Captain Breeze said, emphasizing his words carefully. “While we haven’t found one of these marks on any of the wolf’s civilian kills, due to the nature of his other targets, I’m willing to bet that if we dig deep enough, we’ll find that those civies weren’t quite as ‘innocent’ as we initially thought.”
Both princesses looked stunned at this revelation. Luna especially looked completely flabbergasted. “Maybe… maybe it was… luck?” Luna said, her argument sounding flimsy even in her own ear.
Captain Breeze shook his head. “No, I would not trust luck with something this well thought out. Besides, do you really think this beast would go on a rampage, but just so happen to only kill those that were traitors, wipe out the remaining undead, and nearly escape, all while leaving two of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony alone? No, by all accounts, this creature did us a favor. I’d even shake it’s paw, but until I know its motivations, I’d rather not,” the captain said with a grim smile. “After all, even if a wolf saves your hide from a manticore, you don’t exactly open your door to it.”
Celestia looked at the captain, a searching expression on her face as she thought about what he said. “Actually, captain, I know someone who would do just that,” she said with a smile.
* * *
Havoc crept carefully through the magnificent halls of the griffon keep, his eyes darting back and forth as he searched for any signs of life. The keep was supposed to be abandoned, but in a world with magic and dragons, that was always a suspect assumption.
“Come on… You’re just scaring yourself. Nobody’s lived in here for ages,“ Havoc whispered to himself.
Yet despite this fact, he couldn’t help but feel as if something were… off. Like someone was watching him. Everything seemed fine, all he had to do was grab the key, and be on his way. A simple snatch and go, nothing could possibly go wrong.
And that worried him greatly.
Havoc crouched behind the statue, his eyes studying the massive double doors in front of him. There was nothing wrong with them, nothing that set them apart from the many doors he had already passed…
Except for the dust on the ground, and the footprints he found there.
Any suggestions? He thought.
You know I can’t tell you anything like that, The Storm of Storms answered. I can only reveal such information in my temple, and you’re nowhere near there.
Yeah, but you can’t blame a guy for trying, Havoc thought with a groan.
Havoc knew he wasn’t going to get the key by just sitting here, but even so, these things required a little… preparation. He might be keeping whomever was already inside waiting, but he would be truly devastated if he joined the party without a surprise gift ready...
* * *
The door opened with an ominous creak, the person behind it clearly wanting to make as little sound as possible.
“Oh, just come out, I already know you’re there,” Avalis said as he casually picked at a spare bit of gem from his teeth.
With a bit of trepidation, the hateful little thief popped around the rest of the way. “Huh… didn’t think it’d be you.”
Avalis took a second to examine the thief. He wasn’t very tall, barely broaching five feet, though height didn’t really matter among the champions. His face had a distinctly fishy look to it, what with the scaly skin, the gills on the side of the neck, and the fins, but the creature clearly had no problem breathing on dry land. Its skin was a light blue, and it was dressed in a very nondescript brown trench coat. Behind him, Avalis could occasionally see a short, flat tail twitch back and forth.
“What? Didn’t think I would come for what is rightfully mine?” Avalis said as he stood up from the throne. “Or did you think I would just let your theft go unpunished?”
“No, I’m just surprised that you came after me first,” the fish said casually. He then looked up at the ceiling, his lips turned down in a frown. “If memory serves, wasn’t it a newb that took the Focus off you?”
Avalis growled in irritation, smoke rising dangerously out of his nostrils. “The fool got lucky. Besides, he is under the watchful eyes of the Two Sisters. It would be less than wise to mount an assault on him at the moment. Believe me, though, he will get what’s coming to him,” Avalis slowly approached the fish, his smile growing more evil by the minute. “You, on the other hand, have no such protection.”
The fish smiled, and shook his head. “You got me there. There’s just one problem, though,” he said, his grin growing with every second. “You’re going to have to catch me, first.”
And with that, the fish turned and bolted.
Avalis gave a sigh at that. “Why do they always run?” he said, right before he spread his wings and took off after the pesky thief.
Before he had even gotten off the ground, though, he felt an irritating, gnawing pain in both his shoulder and wing. The pain wasn’t stopping him from flying, or even hindering his movements. In fact, the two points barely felt like paper-cuts.
Avalis frowned as he shrugged off the weird twitch. His wounds had already healed, and he knew that what he was feeling was merely a ghost pain: A psychological remnant of where that accursed lizard had stabbed him. There wasn’t even any scarring left, a clear testament of the skill of the healers of this world.
It would not stop him from reaping his vengeance against this thief. It was a minor annoyance, nothing more.
Without another thought devoted to the matter, the grey dragon took off after the thief, intent on painting the walls of the abandoned castle with the fish’s blood.
* * *
“You might as well give up now. Nothing your champion has can even touch mine,” Devourer said with a smug smile.
Storm of Storms just shrugged, not really concerned. “Touch? That’s where you’re wrong, Sunny Jim. My buddy’s perfectly capable of touching him. Not hurting him, but touching is easy.”
Devourer gave the nature spirit an annoyed, petulant wave. “Bah, semantics. My point still stands.”
“Not really. All I need to do is play keep-away for a couple of turns. That shouldn’t be too hard. I mean, The Hidden’s been doing it since turn one. Compared to that, this should be a cakewalk,” Storm of Storms said, rubbing his claws together in anticipation.
Devourer rolled his eyes, annoyance clear on his face. “Well, that’s all I can do this turn, anyway,” he said as he shrugged a bit. He then turned and looked at The Lady, steel in his gaze. “You know I’m coming for you, next, right?”
“Oh, so forward,” The Lady said with a wave of her hand. “Just be sure you can actually deliver. I’m a girl with very high standards.”
“Joke all you want, Lady, but I think you’ll have some trouble seeing this one coming. Especially with Demon’s piece so close to yours,” The Devourer said as he slid the dice towards the player in question. “Hey, Demon, it’s your turn.”
The Demon in the Dark looked down at the dice, the hood it wore disguising its face. “Perfect. Placement is optimal, but testing is still underway...” It said as it reached out for its piece at Canterlot, its claw hovering over the city on the mountain. “Believe that more power is needed before the design may fully actualize. Will move here. Targets abound.”
“Really, Demon? The Equestrians are going to be on high alert. Do you really think it wise to do that?” Defiler said with a snort.
“Wisdom is of no consequence. Stress testing is more important, to expose weakness, must test in even unfavorable conditions,” The Demon said as it picked up the dice. “Winning planet inconsequential compared to the gains of design testing.”
“Well, whatever. Just make sure it doesn’t come back to bite you,” Defiler said as he watched The Demon throw the dice.
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The Demon in the Dark. In my mind he talks just like Abathur.
7070856 That is one of the inspirations for him.
7070856 The man speaks the truth.
Heh. Funny you'd say that...
Is Ammon gonna get a new furry best friend?!
7071219 I figured she was talking about Fluttershy.
im wondering just how many players are vying for this world: lady, fate. storm of storms, huntress, defiler demon (did i get those names right? are there more?). also im missing miss armour knight.
7071452 Is Fluttershy gonna get a new furry best friend?!
I'm okay with either scenario
7071529 you forgot civilization but i think he threw in the towl when huntress joined.
Both the Doctor and Captain Breeze demonstrate how easy things work when people give a damn about what they're doing. And now the wolf's mission objective is out; what will the official reaction be?
Really liked how the Doctor acted. Always found those stoic characters very interesting when done well, and this one has most definitely been done well. Favorite part was when he ran the pony doctors out after telling them they didn't know squat.
7071219 It's not, Lupus. It's never, Lupus.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
Can I submit an idea for a new 'piece'?
7073091 cdn-webimages.wimages.net/0515653062ac6320649937f5ccde9dd969494b-wm.jpg
7073091
So take that, six
7074091 Sure. No guarantee that I'll use it, but you may certainly submit an idea.
7074257 You want it in a PM, or in the comments? Also, I don't want it for a major character. Just comic relief from time to time, IF you do use it..
7074340 PM, definitely. And don't worry, I wasn't planning on using him as a major player.
7164323 sorry,was tired when reading that comment.
7318117 He called him a thief because he assumed that was Ammon's class.
Spoiler alert: It's not.
As for the other wondering you have, I ain't telling.
7318122 She didn't. The problem happened in the city they were both in. none of that chapter happened in canterlot.
7318122 And she didn't let him slink away. He disappeared while her back was turned, and she really didn't have time to go looking for him, what with the crazy lady holding up the train station and all.
7318128
Good that you mention it. It just assumed it was that way because of the long range teleportation, or at least i though tit was one up until now.
7318129
Ah, ok. Now I get it. Celestia talked about her and I was completely confused why she did that, but it now makes all more sense!
Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me!
7318171 No problem, man. Anything else you're confused about, just let me know!
TBH at this point I really just want the alpha to die, it feels really cheap and annoying.
7491178 Damn Alpha Smart Pistol.
alright this story is dead, removed from tracking list.
7957728 It's not dead, just on hiatus. I'm trying to complete one of my others before working on this one.
8073252 Nope, more like this:
funnypictures2.fjcdn.com/comments/I+wanna+get+into+dnd+badly+i+think+i+can+_7c628d0ef880dbf5e1a9a5ceabc3de83.jpg
While not perfect, this is the closest I've got. Also, Ammon wears normal clothes, not armor.
Once again, another great story that I'm chomping at the bit waiting for you to continue, even though I've just reached the end. You did leave with a mild cliffhanger, and I'm eager to see what the next moves are.
And while our hero Ammon is the champion of Lady Luck, I'm loving the Huntress so much more. I have a fascination with animals and hunting and survival, even though I'm a city grown girl whose only experience with killing an animal for food is raising and harvesting chickens in my college Animal Sciences class, I still find myself just loving more rural areas and the idea of being able to support yourself by living off the land. And while God the Father is the only God for me, I wouldn't say no to being a champion of The Huntress, especially if I could do some good while living out my fantasy of being a survival hunter.XD