Gjallarsong

by BlackRoseRaven

Verse Three

Verse Three:
~BlackRoseRaven

And all must age, for time rules immortal:

So must the seasons change, and all that

begins, shall find their end at death's portal,

Be they mighty lord, or merely a rat.

Time takes from us, cruelly, what we love most,

Time does not know mercy, nor is it weak,

Time makes a victim of even the ghost

of memories that we do not dare seek.

For nightmares mean nothing to ancient time,

As sorrow means nothing to old Chronos,

He is the reason, we are merely rhyme,

He tempers our lives into legatos.

But some prefer the more dissonant chord:

Gjallarsong shall be the Dragon's reward.

Thesis stumbled over the tundra, then collapsed on his stomach, shivering in pain and hugging himself tightly with one foreleg. His whole body was on fire with agony... he couldn't make himself run anymore. No, he couldn't force out another step, because... because he was a failure.

Thesis gasped quietly, trembling hard for a few moments before he slowly dragged his hoof into his line of vision, staring at it where it lay in the dirt. He had more in common with the dirt than he did with ponies, he knew that. In his heart of hearts, he knew he wasn't a real stallion, just a puppet, just a toy struggling to pretend that it was alive.. a... doll to make Princess Celestia feel like she had a son...

He clenched his eyes shut, trying to force out those thoughts, but all that did was make room for the memories of only... minutes? Hours ago? He didn't know. But it was still so fresh in his mind that when Sworn Tenet's face appeared in front of his closed lids, Thesis thought for a moment that he was seeing a ghost, or that time had twisted and turned upon itself and...

Thesis gave a raw shout of denial, pounding the ground with his hoof before he gritted his teeth and slowly dragged himself up to his hooves. He should have fought harder. He should have realized they were walking into an ambush. Heightened senses, supernatural strength, a synthetic, durable body, and a mind that could process information twice as fast as any normal pony's... and he had still gotten his flank handed to him by a brute of a diamond dog and he was responsible for the failure of the mission and the loss of his entire unit.

He was responsible.

And up until the very end he had just thought Sworn Tenet was an asshole.

He was the asshole. He was the asshole, and he was everything else that his CO had called him. Just like he was everything that all the ponies thought he was... except ultimate, or superior. He was inferior. He was weak. He was sloppy.

Thesis breathed slowly in and out, then pushed himself slowly up to his trembling hooves, looking up with tears in his eyes. Tears that were... useless, he thought. Crying was pointless. He had to be strong. He had to find a way to live up to everything he was supposed to be, one way or another. The time for fun, and pretending he could just be another pony... all those times were over.

He wasn't just another pony. Any more than he was supposed to be a Prince of Equestria. He was a homunculus, a puppet, a... machine. A weapon.

Thesis forced himself to take a step forwards, and pain ripped through his body. His head dropped as his legs quivered beneath him, but then he gritted his teeth, whispering: “Pain is... nothing more than a chemical reaction. Pain tells us that we're still alive. I'm not... like ponies. I'm just chemicals and synthetics and...”

Thesis forced himself to take another step: it hurt like hell, but it was easier than the last as he forced his head to rise, gazing straight ahead as he rasped for breath. He stumbled slowly across the barren tundra, the only landmarks he needed the faint trail still scraped in the earth from the convoy's passage only hours ago.

He just needed to make the military outpost where they had arrived by train... but the sun was starting to set now, and he would be easy prey to anything roaming this neutral territory at night, whether it was wild beasts or bandits. His only choice was to push as hard as he could and hope that somehow he managed to get to safety before something else found him.

He stumbled onward, following the tracks of their passage, Thesis doing his best not to think about anything. He didn't want any distractions at this point. He didn't want to make any promises, or lose himself to his thoughts. He just wanted to focus on getting through this, prove that...

Thesis frowned uneasily as his ears twitched, his body tensing automatically before his eyes flicked over his shoulder... and he gritted his teeth as he saw tails of dust being kicked up in the distance, by something that was likely moving fast. Griffins wouldn't kick up that much dirt moving over the ground... but diamond dogs, on the other hoof...

The stallion swore under his breath, turning forwards and throwing himself into a staggering gallop. He gasped in pain, his muscles howling in protest, but he forced himself to focus through it, overriding the agony with the knowledge that if he didn't run, he was going to die. And whether he was a pony or a puppet, he knew that he didn't want his life to end from being mauled by dogs.

Thesis stumbled and lurched over the ground, trying to keep his gaze ahead even as the barks and howls of the hungry beasts began to sting at his ears. Were these the dogs that had been with the griffins? Or were these wild ones who had gone feral with no one else around?

Not that it mattered, either way: they sounded like they wanted blood. Thesis forced himself not to look back as he ground his teeth together, galloping as fast as his aching body would let him move. He could hear them gaining on him, though, and he swore under his breath: he should be able to leave these diamond dogs in the dust, but with as badly injured as he was...

He risked a look over his shoulder, and he saw them: yes, they were the dogs from the encampment. And the one in the lead had blood on his face: Thesis was willing to bet it wasn't his own. The stallion swore as he looked back forwards, gritting his teeth: he had an idea of what the griffins had done. Fed them one of the Royal Guard, then sent the blood-crazed dogs out on the trail of another pony for them to slaughter.

So much for them wanting him alive. Thesis felt every nerve in his body burning with pain, with anger, with wanting to whirl around and attack the beasts... but that would just get him killed. He had to keep running. He had to escape the diamond dogs. He had to focus and control himself, and somehow, survive.

Thesis sprinted through the barrens, the diamond dogs drawing closer with every moment. They were close enough that he could hear their growls and their large, clawed paws slapping down into the dirt. He wanted to look back again, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the endless horizon ahead, even though he knew there was no way he was going to escape, that there was nothing but barren wastes for miles and miles around, that-

A tremendous boom tore through the air, and Thesis looked sharply up... before his head snapped backwards as he heard and felt an immense explosion, the diamond dogs breaking into yelps and howls of horror.

Thesis skidded to a halt, looking incredulously at the crater in the earth only some twenty feet away, and the at the diamond dogs that were skittering away with their tails between their legs. And as he watched, his sharp eyes detected a shape shoot through the air before it collided with the earth behind the fleeing dogs, sending up another explosion of force and dirt, the deafening boom drowning out the panicked yelps of the diamond dogs for a moment as they fled, bloodlust forgotten.

Thesis slowly turned around... and looked up in disbelief at the enormous ship that was floating slowly through the air, rumbling, massive turbines spinning on either side of it as propellers whipped through the air above. He knew what it was, but he had thought that Princess Celestia had decreed these ships wouldn't be used unless the war took a turn for the worse...

The battleship slowly rumbled to a halt in the skies above: it was the size of a freighter, its hull enormous and made from ironwood and metal, with cannons standing out of hatches all along its length. Two much-larger cannons loomed over the prow of the ship, and Thesis knew there were all kinds of other turrets and anti-air weaponry all over the goliath flying vessel.

As Thesis stared, a large hatch slowly opened in the bottom of the ship, several Pegasi leaping off the end of this to shoot down towards him. He blinked slowly, and that was all the time it took for them to land around him: four ponies in lightweight blue armor, designed to maximize speed and protection. They were Equestria's best, the bolts from the blue: the Wonderbolts.

“Sir, where are the others?” asked one of them quickly, and Thesis looked for a moment at the mare. Her goggles were over her eyes, her armor was tight to her body, her straps were done up and all her equipment secure even though it had been a literal second's worth of drop... she was professional. She was taking this seriously. Why hadn't he...

She reached up and grasped his shoulder, shaking him gently, and Thesis blinked before he shook his head hurriedly and whispered: “Ambush. We were captured. The griffins... Sworn Tenet convinced the griffins to let me fight for my freedom. But... I... I couldn't save them...”

Thesis trembled, then he gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut as he reined in his emotions, becoming almost mechanical as he recited: “Twenty three minutes. Perhaps... six and and a half miles. Northwest. Twelve griffins. Six diamond dogs.”

The Wonderbolts traded uneasy looks, but then the mare in charge straightened and saluted before ordering: “Ace, Princess, take him to medical. Jack, you're with me on scout.”

Without another word, the mare leapt past Thesis, followed by the soldier she had chosen: Thesis was almost knocked over by the strength with which the two took off, and even through the mix of emotion and numbness, he felt envy. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, watching how quickly they vanished into the distance... before his eyes flicked back towards the remaining Wonderbolts as one of them asked hesitantly: “Sir, do you need us to get a stretcher?”

“No, I can support my own body weight.” Thesis replied after a moment: he wasn't entirely sure that was true, but he was even less keen on the thought of a medical team being called down to get him. “Can you two carry me?”

The Wonderbolts both nodded, then turned around to face the open door in the bottom of the ship. Thesis strode between them with a faint smile, then he took a breath before throwing a foreleg around either pony, his body giving a thrum of pain. “Ready.”

“Three count.” said one of the Wonderbolts, and Thesis readied himself, mentally counting along with the soldiers before kicking off the ground with his rear hooves at the same time as they did, then holding his hind legs up as best he could, supporting himself with his body as much as possible as he ground his teeth together in pain. The two soldiers struggled all the same to carry him up to the doors: he was heavier than they were, and it was awkward to fly so close together, their wings smacking against his back every so often as they struggled their way up to the hatch.

They made the lip of the door, and Thesis gasped as he fell free from them, landing on his side as his whole body shook with agony. He coughed hard, blood splattering out of his muzzle before he hugged himself, shivering in pain, as one of the Wonderbolts stumbled away with a groan, while the other immediately dropped beside Thesis, swearing under her breath. “Ace! We need to get him to medical, now!”

“We need to get me to... oh hell.” Ace turned back towards them, his eyes widening slightly as Thesis coughed, more blood dribbling from his muzzle as the Prince struggled to his hooves. “Sir, where are you feeling-”

“Just guide me to the medical bay.” Thesis rasped as he forced himself slowly to his hooves, the stallion shivering once before he slowly forced his head up. He saw other ponies hurrying towards them, but he ignored them as he began forwards, stumbling a little over his own hooves, but determined to make this last leg of the journey on his own. To not be a nuisance, to not fail in his duties, to... “I need... to send a message to Princess Celestia...”

“Sir, you need medical attention, and you should wait for it here. You're badly injured...” said the other Wonderbolt as she hurried up to his side, but when he only gave her a short look, the mare grimaced before saying uneasily: “Medical bay is two floors up...”

Thesis nodded, brushing past the rest of the crew as they stopped, none of them knowing what to do as the stallion only continued to push his way forwards. He heard their mutters, their surprise, their... fear, he thought. Why were they afraid of him? He didn't want to get in anyone's way, or distract others from their jobs and duties. He had wasted more than time today...

“Don't golems go to the magic academy for repairs?” asked a low voice, but Thesis heard it all the same, the stallion stiffening slightly... but it was only all the more reason for him to move on.

He barely realized that the mare was walking alongside him still, following him through the metallic green, ill-lit halls. All he could focus on was putting one hoof in front of the other and finding his way to the medical bay...

He stopped at an intersection, then shook his head briefly before turning left on instinct. The mare followed him, and then she asked hesitantly: “Sir? Do you know where you're going?”

Thesis heard the question under the question, and he replied in a mutter: “I've been on one of these battleships before. You don't have to guide me. I know you have other duties... Princess?”

The last was more of a question than he meant it to be, but the mare gave a wry smile and nodded, murmuring: “Yes, sir. And if you don't mind, sir... you look like you might fall down at any moment. You may need some help.”

Thesis only looked ahead with a small shrug, not wanting to argue, or even sure he could deny her. The company was nice... and so was knowing that if he did fall on his face, someone would be there to help him up.

But as he approached the stairs at the end of the corridor, he murmured: “Duty comes first, though, and I understand that. We have our duties. We have our obligations. I... failed to meet mine. I failed. And now I'm...”

Thesis stumbled on the steps, almost falling on his face and swearing as he barely managed to catch himself, his whole body shaking with pain, but Princess was there in a moment, quickly slipping forwards to support him and slowly help him up to his hooves. She grunted at the weight of the stallion, but Thesis quickly shifted his weight off her... or at least, as much of it as he could, blushing slightly as he leaned on her more than he liked to make his way up the steps.

He opened his mouth... but Princess cut him off unintentionally as she muttered: “Sir, with all due respect... if we did everything our commanding officers told us to, then we'd be nothing but pawns on the battlefield. And I don't know about you, sir, but I've always had a problem with being someone else's pup...”

She broke off awkwardly, clearing her throat and looking down embarrassedly, and Thesis was silent before he looked up and said quietly: “I think that trying not to be a puppet is what just got my entire unit killed, Princess. I should have saved them. Instead, they all died. Everyone but me, because I'm different, because...”

They stopped as they reached the next floor, and then Thesis shook his head briefly, lowering his eyes as he pulled away from her. But after a moment, Princess stepped forwards to support him again, saying quietly: “You can't blame yourself, sir. We all make our own decisions. You're a Prince, and a hero to Equestria.”

“I'm a homunculus. A weapon.” Thesis glanced away, and then he sighed before adding in a mutter: “Please don't call me 'sir,' by the way. Technically you're all higher rank than me. And I'm not much of a Prince.”

“Well, can we at least get you to medical? Because if you keep bleeding like this, the only thing you're going to be is a corpse.” Princess said almost pleadingly, and Thesis grimaced a bit... but considering how weak and wobbly he felt, he knew that the mare was right. He needed treatment. He was getting weaker by the moment and even if he could force his body to move, that would only last until his muscles stopped functioning, until the chemical reactions in his body began to shut down...

Thesis shivered a little: that wasn't fear, though. That was his body attempting to stimulate itself, to... “I feel... bad.”

“What happened to you?” asked Princess quietly, but Thesis only grimaced a little, so the mare simply nodded before she cleared her throat and added hesitantly: “I can... take a message up to communications after we get you to medical...”

Thesis only nodded, no longer trusting himself to try and put coherent words together. He and the mare made their way slowly through the ship, Thesis weakening with every step... but somehow, he all the same made it to the medical bay, where several ponies in white uniforms rushed to get him into one of the beds. He was barely aware of the needles, the stitches, the bandaging... but even through the haze, he still heard it all too clearly when one of the doctors muttered: “Shouldn't we be sending him to a mage or a blacksmith, not wasting resources...”

Thesis wasn't sure when he opened his eyes, but he finally did: his whole body ached, still, but he could tell that he was already healing... perhaps too fast, as he silently reached up to brush aside some of the rough bandaging over his chest to study the stitches quietly. They were already twisted and turned, a few frayed and broken, his dark flesh strangely humped up here and there by the healing process.

No pony could heal this quickly, he knew. But he wasn't really a pony, was he?

Thesis sighed quietly, then he glanced down at his foreleg: there was a large intravenous in his limb, but he noted that his wound had begun to heal around the needle... and it looked as if a bit of whatever they were trying to pump into him was actually leaking out around the needle, probably forced out by the pressure of his veins.

Maybe the doctor was right. He needed a technician, not medicine.

Thesis grimaced a little, then he reached out and quickly yanked the needle out of his limb, dropping it aside before he swung himself out of the bed. He groaned as he landed on his hooves, but the throb of pain was thankfully quite dull in comparison to how bad it had been before.

“Sir? Sir! It's only been two hours, you have to get back into bed!” a nurse said sharply, and Thesis glanced over at the mare as she hurried towards him, looking at him with disbelief. “You... you shouldn't even be able to get on your hooves!”

“I guess I have a good constitution.” Thesis said, a little ironically, and then he cleared his throat before turning and heading quickly to the door, leaving the dumbfounded nurse staring at him as he called: “Have to make my report, sorry!”

The stallion stumbled out into the hallway, then started to turn... and a voice remarked mildly: “I thought you were just saying something about listening to other ponies?”

Thesis turned with a look of surprise towards Princess, who was smiling and leaning against the wall, shaking her head slowly before she said softly: “They put me on duty out here. After I went up and made your report for you to communications. We're heading back to Canterlot now... we only found... I mean...”

She stopped, then cleared her throat and looked down for a moment, and Thesis shifted and looked away silently, knowing what they had likely found.

After a few long moments, Thesis finally asked: “Any sign of the ambush team?”

“Some tracks. But we couldn't risk pursuit. Queen reported that Blackhoof prison has been overrun and turned into a griffin stronghold. It looks like they've recruited and armed most of the prisoners, too.” Princess shook her head slowly. “This wasn't your fault, Commander Thesis. Information came down too late about what was going on. This mission was compromised from the start.”

Thesis swore quietly under his breath, looking down for a moment. He didn't know what to say... and yet the first thing that came out of his mouth was: “Thesis. My name is Thesis, that's all.”

“And my name is Red Sky.” the mare replied, reaching up and pushing her goggles back from her face to smile at him, and Thesis blinked in surprise before the mare awkwardly held out a hoof. “It's nice to meet you, Thesis.”

Thesis hesitantly reached up to take her hoof, shaking it briefly before he smiled a little, looking at Red Sky... and now not just seeing a Wonderbolt in armor, but rather, the actual mare wearing the gear. She had green eyes and a gorgeous pink-red coat, and he could see little corkscrews of her mane here and there sticking out from under the hood of the bodysuit she was wearing under her armor, all different shades of orange... “Red sky at night, sailor's delight.”

“You wish, sailor.” Princess laughed and shook her head slowly, then she smiled at him, studying him for a few moments before saying quietly: “I don't do mornings very well either. Now come on. Go back into medical for me, okay?”

Thesis hesitated... and then he shook his head before absently rubbing at his bandages: the stitches were itchy as hell, but he doubted the nurse or any of the medical staff would take kindly to seeing him pull them out. “Where is everyone?”

“Dinner. I guess we can walk down to the cafeteria if you feel up to it, but... they told me that you were going to be out of it for a while.” Red Sky stopped, studying the stallion quietly. “Then again, I guess I can't say that I'm entirely surprised you weren't. You're... you really are different, huh?”

“I guess you could say that.” Thesis muttered, looking down at a hoof and flexing it absently before he shook his head. He wasn't all that hungry... “You go to the cafeteria. I'm going to... head up on deck. It's usually pretty quiet up there. Pretty late for dinner anyway, isn't it?”

“Well, everyone was scrambled and on alert. We only just recently started heading back towards Canterlot, and we only lowered the alert phase an hour ago to caution. Kitchens just started up.” Red Sky shrugged and smiled a little. “I think I'll stay with you for now, though. Last time you said you could get somewhere on your own, you didn't make it very far.”

Thesis gave the mare a dry look, and Red Sky blushed and awkwardly lowered her head. But after a moment, Thesis only smiled a little before he said mildly: “You try and talk a big game, but every time I look at you funny you start blushing. So either you find me incredibly attractive – which I know many mares do, by the way – or you're just that big a wimp.”

“I'm neither of those things, thank you very much.” scoffed Red Sky, the mare quickly straightening and glaring at Thesis. “I'm just... well... you keep whining about everything!”

“I'm a prince, that's what we do. We whine.” Thesis retorted, raising his head slightly... and then he smiled a little as he dropped his head a bit, saying quietly: “Although some days I think... maybe I whine a little too much. But days like today are... hard.”

“They're hard on everyone, sir. You can't just give up, though.” Red Sky replied gently, and Thesis nodded a few times before the mare smiled briefly, asking: “Want to go up to the deck?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Thesis answered, looking up. It would be as good a place as any to clear his head. He knew that Red Sky was right, but he didn't even... know how he should be acting, what he should be doing. All he really knew was that... getting out of the stuffy halls of this ship sounded like a good idea to him.

Thesis shook himself out, then cleared his throat before saying finally: “Well, come on, watchdog. No point in waiting around here.”

Red Sky nodded, then followed after Thesis, the mare biting her lip as she studied him quietly. Thesis felt her gaze on him, but for the moment he didn't feel much like trying to start a conversation, or explaining what he was to some pony for the hundredth time. Especially not right now.

They walked on in silence for some time, until Red Sky finally cleared her throat loudly. The stallion repressed a sigh as he looked over his shoulder at her, pausing in the middle of a narrow hall, before the mare asked hesitantly: “I understand this might be inappropriate, sir, but... why aren't you commanding the 732nd Brigade?”

Thesis winced slightly at this, and then he shook himself out before muttering: “Because... well... I don't think I'm ready.”

He stopped, then bit his lip. Sure, that was true... now. But in the past, that hadn't been the reason at all, had it? Oh, he had certainly been very proud to be named commander of his own unit, sure, but at the same time... “I don't think I'm ready because I... I never really... took it seriously. I'm only just now starting to realize how lucky I was that the soldiers who served under me were some of the best and brightest I've ever met. Luckier still that we never saw much combat, since the brigade is stationed in Canterlot. It...”

Thesis laughed a little, then he shook his head slowly, muttering: “I might have made it to being a commander, but I'm not going to pretend that being who and what I am had nothing to do with it. When you can outperform, outrun, and outfight everyone else in the army, of course they're going to shove you higher up the ranks... if only to get rid of you.”

“You didn't strike me as the cynical type, you know. Of course, you also didn't strike me as being able to tell a joke, either, when we first met.” Red Sky said softly, and Thesis shrugged a bit and gave her a small smile, feeling strangely... embarrassed? No, maybe even a little more than that: he felt a little bit... dumb. “I'm not saying you need to cheer up or anything. But from what I heard, no matter what ponies think of you, a lot of soldiers respect you.”

She stopped, then smiled, adding quietly: “Maybe the brigade is supposed to be a learning experience for you. I heard you get sent out a lot on your own, after all.”

“Yeah. I always have to be the hero.” Thesis said quietly, but there was a small smile on his face as he looked ahead and and murmured: “I have to stop doing that.”

Red Sky looked at him for a moment, then she gazed ahead and said quietly: “Sir, if you can actually be the hero... then you'll be doing us all a disservice by trying not to be.”

Thesis smiled briefly over at Red Sky, and then he turned his eyes back ahead as they finally reached a hatch that led out onto the deck. The stallion quickly mounted the stairs and pushed it open, then he closed his eyes as he felt the wind whipping through his mane.

He strode onto the deck, taking in a deep breath and tasting the open air as his body flexed: it was at least ten degrees cooler out here than it had been inside, but the brisk night air felt good against his skin. And the sensation of the wind on his face, as his hooves thudded gently against the wooden planks...

He smiled briefly, his white eyes opening to gaze up into the night air high above. The deck stretched out before him like the stage of a theater, the glowing light cast by the crystal lamps making the varnished wooden boards seem to glow. The night sky was the backdrop, gorgeous and velvet, filled with stars and with the beautiful moon high above watching over them all.

Thesis took another deep breath, tasting the night air and the wind, and then he glanced curiously over at Red Sky as the Pegasus strode out beside him with a slight smile. “Never would have imagined you the type to enjoy this so much. Most earth ponies don't do very well with their hooves off the ground.”

Thesis only shrugged a little, turning his eyes back out towards the night sky before he said softly: “For me, this isn't enough. I want to fly one day, Red Sky. Not like this, but... really feel what it's like to fly. But that's something that even a homunculus like me can't do under his own power. I can run circles around your average pony-”

“Thesis, I... can you please stop saying it like that?” Red Sky interrupted, and Thesis turned a curious look towards her before the mare shook her head. “You're not just some... puppet of a pony. You're... you. You decide and make who you are, you know that, right? And if you go around now, saying that all you are is a homunculus, that's all anypony's ever going to see you as and you're only going to have yourself to blame.”

“I'm pretty sure that's what everyone already only saw me as.” Thesis replied dryly, turning towards Red Sky... but he was looking at her curiously, studying her with a strange... intentness.

“I see a pony. An earth pony who can't seem to decide if he wants to be sad or happy. If he wants to... sit around and cry about everything that happened, or if he wants to do his job and move forwards, like...” Red Sky visibly steeled herself before looking up and saying firmly: “Like everyone wanted you to, if Sworn Tenet gave you that chance to get away. So take it, because the hardest part of the fight is the moving on.”

There was silence for a few moments as Thesis looked down, biting his lip before he blurted suddenly: “All I ever thought was... that he was an asshole.”

“A lot of the commanding officers are assholes. It's true. You just have to recognize that it's part of the job. Queen is always a huge asshole, too.” Red Sky shrugged, smiling hesitantly at Thesis. “But they know that if they're not assholes... some people won't give their best.”

“Yeah.” Thesis said quietly, looking down at himself and rubbing slowly across his bandaged body before he smiled briefly and looked up into the night sky. “Somehow that makes me feel better. I... don't want to be an asshole, though. Even if I recognize now that I needed an asshole to finally make me realize a lot of important things.”

Red Sky shrugged again, then said softly: “Then don't be an asshole. Be yourself, that's all I'm saying. I've just... heard a lot of stories about you, sir, and I'd prefer to believe they were all true.”

“Not every story is true.” Thesis smiled a little more all the same, though, looking up into the sky as he breathed slowly in and out, before he gave a brief nod and strode across the deck, saying easily over his shoulder: “It's okay if you've got a crush on me, though. I have a surprising amount of mares into me back home... then again, you girls do like your toys, right?”

“You're a terrible person.” Red Sky huffed, but she was smiling all the same as she followed the stallion to the prow of the ship, the two ponies leaning into the wind and watching as fields and barren lands passed by far below in a blur.

They were silent, as they stood side-by-side... but there wasn't really any need for conversation right now, Thesis thought. And when he glanced over at her, he couldn't help but smile: it had been a long time since he'd made a friend.

And he had never been as grateful for one than he was right now.

Thesis strode calmly into the throne room, most of his bandages and stitches removed, only the faint bruises and a few half-covered scrapes here and there revealing that he had been injured at all. He gazed up at Celestia, who looked back down at him with worry before she asked quietly: “Can you confirm the casualties?”

“The ambassadors and the entire unit were captured by the griffins.” Thesis hesitated, looking uneasily to the side as he realized that Valthrudnir was lurking near one of the walls, his arms crossed, a cold smile on his face... but what was that, gleaming in his amber eyes? Why did he look so... intent?

Celestia cleared her throat, and Thesis winced a bit before turning his eyes back towards his mother, bowing his head respectfully. “Sorry, just... gathering my thoughts. I... I was saved by Commander Sworn Tenet. He goaded the griffins into letting me duel their strongest warrior for my life, but...” Thesis halted, looking down for a moment before he took a breath and forced himself to look up, meeting the eyes of his mother. “I couldn't protect the rest of my unit. I failed to recognize the ambush in time. I failed to save my fellow soldiers, and I failed to save the ambassadors. I can confirm that at least one ambassador was killed and the other they had plans to make an example of.”

There was silence for a few moments as Celestia looked down, processing this quietly as she rested back in her throne... before she closed her eyes and asked quietly: “What can you tell me about their tactics?”

Thesis shifted a little, but forced himself to remain professional, as uncomfortable as it made him whenever his mother took on this... colder, more calculated air. “They recruited diamond dogs. In all likelihood, former prisoners from Blackhoof. One of them was enormous, he was the one I had to fight. It...” Thesis hesitated for a moment, then said quickly: “It seemed like they didn't completely have control over them. The one I fought was quick to turn on the griffins when their commander tried to stop him from stepping in. The rest of the griffins seemed afraid of him.”

“They're brutes. Savages, that's all. The little chicks follow behind the largest and the meanest.” Valthrudnir said coldly, and then he asked contemptibly: “How badly you were injured? Furthermore, why did you allow yourself to be so badly beaten in the first place by a-”

“Quiet.” Celestia's voice was soft and almost gentle, but her eyes were as hard and cold as ice as they flicked towards the dragon, who shifted backwards slightly in surprise as his eyes widened ever so slightly. There was an almost tangible pulse through the room, and then Celestia calmly turned her gaze back towards Thesis as she asked: “Why were you unable to predict the ambush?”

“They attacked from under the ground. I was watching the skies. I have no excuse: I should have spotted the sinkhole, but I... I was distracted.” Thesis admitted, looking up at his mother even as he shrank a little under her gaze. Reporting his failures was bad enough, but reporting to his mother that he had allowed soldiers who he had been sent to help, to die... “The griffins used flashbombs to incapacitate us all. They coordinated their tactics with-”

“They ordered the diamond dogs to dig a hole, then waited patiently for you to fall in it. That doesn't require coordination, Thesis. That just requires ponies to be too stupid to watch their hooves.” Valthrudnir said coldly, and then he shook his head before saying disgustedly: “But you equines seem incapable of doing more than focusing on what's right in front of your noses anyway, even if-”

“Thesis, I am removing you from duty, and I will be asking the military council to review your behavior and actions in this matter.” Celestia said quietly, overriding Valthrudnir as if he wasn't even there, and Thesis dropped his head in both shame and acknowledgment. “If the council finds that you have behaved inappropriately, you will be stripped of your rank, pending a hearing that will determine whether or not you will be discharged. Whether you are my son or not, there are countless lives at stake, and-”

“Nonsense!” Valthrudnir snapped, striding forwards from the side of the hall and gesturing angrily outwards, as Celestia turned her cold gaze towards him. “Thesis is your strongest soldier and your greatest weapon against the griffins! All you're doing is playing politics to avoid some contrite accusation of nepotism in the face of a tactical error! The rest of those soldiers are as much to blame, if not more so, for their own lack of insight and their ignorance to the threat! Being dead doesn't make them any less moronic than they obviously were in life.”

Celestia looked calmly over at Valthrudnir for a few moments, and then she said in her soft, and serious, and somehow chilling way: “But Thesis is alive, and in spite of the mistakes he made, it was the other ponies who bore the brunt of his error. Thesis is supposed to be a commander and and a prince, and is to be held to a higher standard than most other ponies... unless you wish to argue that he should be treated the same as the rest of us insects, Valthrudnir, is that what you're getting at?”

There was silence for a few moments as Valthrudnir shifted uncomfortably, and Celestia gave a thin smile before her eyes turned back towards Thesis, looking at him intently for a few moments before she said quietly: “Your armor was missing. Was this taken by the griffins?”

“I removed it during the fight. The diamond dog was strong enough to break it. I needed all the speed I could get, and at that point, the armor had been damaged to the point of becoming a liability.” Thesis replied quietly, and Celestia nodded slowly as she tapped a hoof against the arm of her throne.

“Very well. While you are on suspension, you will be put to work at the nearest ore mine. When the time comes for your hearing, you will resume work in Canterlot at either the refinery or a blacksmith's.” Celestia halted, studying Thesis for a few moments. “You are also required to turn in your commander's armor.”

“Oh, you've made your point, Celestia, very well!” Valthrudnir groaned, looking exasperated as he strode over to the throne, dropping one hand against the back of it and looming over the princess... but somehow, in spite of his size and attempt at intimidation, he almost seemed to be pleading with her as he gestured futilely with one hand and said tiredly: “I was incorrect in my estimations. I take responsibility, if that is what you so desire to hear. I will... make further attempts at... coordinating my efforts alongside yours. Punish Thesis if you must, but do not-”

“Do not tell me what to do, and what not to do, Valthrudnir, or I will ask you to leave this court.” Celestia said quietly, even as her eyes remained on Thesis, steady and cold. “I have made my decision.”

Valthrudnir snarled, his body flexing, the dragon leaning down as he opened his mouth... but when Celestia didn't so much as look at him, he slowly closed both his jaws and his eyes. He looked strangely... pained, Thesis thought, watching the dragon lean back and forcefully compose himself.

Finally, Valthrudnir simply crossed his arms, visibly sulking again. If any other pony, any other... anything in the world tried to treat the dragon like that, Thesis knew the consequences would be dire, if not horrific. Valthrudnir, after all, wasn't much for subtlety: it was always clear that he and his strange, powerful magic were behind whatever nightmares were visited upon anyone who was so much as rude to him. He was just careful enough to make sure there was never an obvious connection... although it wasn't like Valthrudnir ever pretended he was bound by any of their rules anyway.

But with Celestia, it was always different. Thesis still didn't know why... unless it was really possible that, in spite of everything, this mighty, terrible dragon really did care about the Princess of the Sun more than he would ever be willing to let on...

Celestia was implacable, however, refusing to so much as glance at the dragon as her gaze remained on Thesis. She waited until the stallion finally brought his eyes back to hers, and then the Princess of the Sun said calmly: “You have been given your new directives, Thesis. I want you to first report directly to your section's quartermaster and turn in your remaining equipment. Then you will be debriefed at the command center. Understood?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia. Right away, ma'am.” Thesis saluted, forcing his head to stay up, his eyes to meet his mother's, and then he turned around, his whole body feeling the weight of shame crash down on it as he slowly marched his way out of the throne room.

He sighed quietly as he began to listlessly make his way down the hall towards his quarters to gather up the few pieces of equipment he hadn't already turned in... and then he frowned a little as he realized a pony was walking beside him, his eyes flicking to the side before he blushed ever so slightly at the sight of Red Sky, who had her head cocked towards him and one eyebrow raised.

The stallion only grumbled, looking back ahead, and they walked on in silence for a few moments before Red Sky said finally: “I think we can probably cross nepotism off the list. She came down hard on you.”

“It's what I deserve. I screwed up.” Thesis muttered, shaking his head briefly, and Red Sky only smiled wryly at him, studying him silently before the stallion looked over at her and asked: “Why aren't you out on duty? I thought you Wonderbolts worked every hour of every day.”

“We do, except on our days off. I get three days off before I'm back on active duty, sir.” She stopped, then smiled a little when Thesis gave her a pointed look. “I mean... Thesis.”

The stallion grunted, looking back ahead before he said wryly: “Well, I guess I get infinity days off now. They're going to throw me out of the military.”

“They're not going to throw you out. I mean, it sounds like you're going to... be stuck on shore for a while, so to speak, but you're going to be fine. I'm sure they're not going to strip you of your status as a commander, or even your rank as a lieutenant.” Red Sky hesitated, then continued in a ramble: “And why would that even matter to you, anyway, because you were just complaining a little while ago about how you didn't think you were ready to be a commander and you wished you didn't have all those privileges and responsibilities and everything, do you remember?”

Thesis scowled over at her, and then he turned his eyes back forwards and muttered: “Well, yeah, but... I also don't want to go down in flames. This isn't my ideal way of-”

“I know you're a Prince and all, so you're kind of used to ideals, but... normal ponies don't really get ideal anything. We just deal with things as they come and try to make the most of it. Sometimes when you want something, it means sacrificing something else.” Red Sky explained, looking at him pointedly. “You're getting what you want. Maybe not in a way that really works for you, no, but you're still getting what you think you want.”

“That argument barely makes any sense.” Thesis grumbled, looking up before he chewed slowly on his lip. Well... “I guess... I mean, okay, it's sort of logical, in a really... not-smart way. I get it. But I don't see how me not being a commander is a good thing if it means I also won't be in the Royal Guard at all anymore.”

“What's Celestia going to do, make you go to your room?” Red Sky asked mildly, and Thesis gave her a sour look, which made the Pegasus wince and shrink a little as she cleared her throat, then mumbled an apology.

Thesis only shrugged a bit, looking back ahead before he said finally: “Don't worry about it. I like you better when you're being a bossy know-it-all instead of a suckup, anyway.”

“I am not.” grumbled Red Sky, glowering at Thesis, and Thesis simply shrugged once more in response before the mare asked: “What will you do?”

“I... can't really do anything. I can't exactly decide my own punishment or anything.” Thesis said slowly, looking mildly over at Red Sky, but the mare only continued to look at him. “What, you think I should just use my princely powers to say 'Commander Thesis gets a spanking, but nothing more?' Because I'm pretty sure I can't do that. The royal 'we' is still just a me.”

Red Sky snorted at this, and then she shook her head before asking: “But why is it so important that you're not a prince?”

Thesis stopped for a moment at the foot of a flight of stairs, and then he shook his head before replying quietly: “Because whether I'm supposed to be... greater or lesser than ponies, they end up treating me the exact same way. Like I don't belong. I just want to be equal, Red Sky. I want to belong. I want to fit in somewhere, just like everyone else.”

Red Sky smiled at him faintly, and there was silence for a few moments before another voice said softly: “And there you go, whining again.”

Thesis looked past Red Sky in surprise to see Songbird striding towards him, the mare looking up at him softly before she said quietly: “I already took your gear to the quartermaster for you, Thesis. Don't worry, I cleared it with the Royal Guard before I touched your things. Your mom was really mad at you, huh?”

“Not just me.” Thesis said softly, thinking briefly back on the way she had treated Valthrudnir. Then he shook his head before smiling a little, gesturing over at Red Sky. “This is your replacement, by the way. She's a lot more attractive and fun than you are. And she's a Wonderbolt.”

“Ooh, a Wonderbolt.” Songbird rolled her eyes as Red Sky blushed as deep as her namesake, but then the earth pony smiled at her, bowing her head politely. “Don't worry. Thesis goes to the magic academy every few weeks for treatment for that nasty rash he gets. It's not contagious.”

“Thanks, Songbird. I'm glad you're always there to brag about all my best qualities.” Thesis said ironically, and then he sighed a little before asking in a quieter voice: “You got a minute?”

“Yeah. I was hoping to talk to you anyway.” The earth pony smiled up at Thesis, then she glanced over her shoulder at Red Sky: “I hope you don't mind if I join you two.”

“No, uh... I can go...” Red Sky started, but when Thesis only smiled at her and Songbird shook her head quickly, the mare grimaced but then nodded hesitantly, even as she looked uncertainly at the mare in the maid uniform. “Well, if it's not going to be... awkward for you two... I don't want to get between Thesis and his marefriend.”

Thesis and Songbird looked at each other, then the both burst out laughing, Red Sky blinking in surprise before Songbird said wryly: “Thesis is a lot of things, but the last thing is coltfriend material.”

“You're not much of a coltfriend yourself.” retorted Thesis, and then he winked over at Red Sky, adding: “But hey, it's not your fault. Like I said before, I know how attracted you are to me and all. You're just projecting your desires onto other mares.”

“There's that psychology class you took rearing its ugly head again. He failed it, by the way. His bloated ego makes it hard for him to sit and listen to anyone.” Songbird said easily, smiling a little as she approached Thesis, even as she half-hid herself behind her long mane almost shyly. “But let's get out of here, okay? We're blocking up the hall.”

“With my bloated ego, I know. Alright. This way, ladies. Follow the handsome stallion up to his room.” Thesis said with a waggle of his eyebrows, and Songbird sighed as Red Sky gave a lame smile, her eyes flicking back and forth almost apprehensively.

But she followed all the same, straying behind a little now as she studied Songbird and Thesis curiously: they were already talking away, leaving her... not quite forgotten, but the two clearly had their own little world together all the same. For the moment, though, Red Sky was very happy to simply study the two and how they interacted.

Were they lying to protect themselves? Thesis had seemed to brighten the moment he'd seen her, and now he was rambling away, sounding half like a jackass and half like the smoothest stallion she'd ever heard. And Songbird looked at him with a mix of adoration and affection she had only ever seen in the eyes of ponies gazing at lovers or... perhaps...

They reached Thesis' room with little event, the stallion bowing them inside and grinning lecherously at them, making Red Sky reconsider for a moment what she was doing even as she crossed the threshold... and then her eyes widened in disbelief as she stepped into the room.

The walls were covered in faded blue paint, pale white designs still visible here and there over the surface: as a matter of fact, it looked like some of them had been touched up, if not entirely redrawn several times over. The furniture was all rich and spotless, and there were two clotheshorses set up on one side of the room, one wearing rich, princely garb, the other a set of beautiful dress armor. But the regal effect was somewhat spoiled by the fact that there were dozens of pieces of origami hanging off them by thin lines of string, most of them birds and paper gliders.

A portrait of Thesis on the wall proudly rested beside a picture of the Wonderbolts; a painting of Celestia and Thesis together shared space with a smudged crayon drawing. Baubles hung from the ceiling: Red Sky could see authentic Kirin lanterns alongside charms of questionable origin and toys like glass witching balls.

She slowly lowered her eyes to see that Thesis had slipped into the room and was now laying on his enormous bed on his side, tossing her a wink as he supported his head beneath one hoof and gestured outwards with the other, saying easily: “Welcome to my little kingdom.”

“You're still a prince, Thesis. You could never be a king.” Songbird said mildly, from where she was sitting on what looked almost like an enormous toy trunk at the foot of Thesis' bed. The stallion blew a short, childish raspberry at her, but Songbird ignored it as she looked over at Red Sky, saying easily: “He's not quite as creepy as he seems, don't worry. He's just got weird hobbies and still hasn't learned how to change his own bed. But I guess since he's never home...”

“Hey, I know how to change my bed.” Thesis reached back and grabbed a pillow, throwing it at Songbird, but she swatted it out of the air with an amused look at him. “All I do is ring the bell and a servant comes and changes my bed. See? Easy.”

“Yeah, real easy.” Songbird laughed and shook her head, and then she smiled and ducked away when Thesis lazily grabbed at her. “You're never going to grow up, are you?”

Thesis made some argument about how was still a baby in dragon years, and Songbird had some snappy comeback, but Red Sky had been distracted by the drawings on the wall across the bed. She studied these intently, the white shapes on the blue: these patterns had evidently been redrawn many times over, and showed the clear outline of a mare and a stallion seated together, side-by-side... except all the older, faded outlines were smaller, growing more pale the smaller they were.

Red Sky stepped closer, and her shadow fell over the wall, partly filling in one of the outlines... and the mare smiled a little before she looked over her shoulder at Thesis and Songbird, who were now wrestling like foals. “You sure you two... don't have something going on?”

Thesis and Songbird both looked curiously over at Red Sky: the stallion was half-laying over the mare in a grapple, his body over hers... but they were both relaxed, completely at ease with each other. Considering the fact one was a big strong stallion prince and the other was a rather cute mare in a maid's uniform... “Seriously. I'm getting weirded out now by the lack of sexual tension between you two.”

“She's my sister. That's all.” Thesis said simply, and then he leaned down and loudly, sloppily kissed Songbird's cheek, making her shout in frustration and hammer her hooves against his face, Thesis laughing as he leapt backwards and hid under his forelegs as the mare grabbed a pillow and started to smack him with it.

Red Sky sighed and shook her head, but she smiled after a moment, studying the two quietly before she said finally: “Sister, huh? I guess I can sort of get that. But you know, family-”

“Family is the most important thing.” Thesis half-interrupted and half-finished, sitting up with a smile as he absently grabbed Songbird and yanked her into what was part-hug and part-headlock, the mare wincing and flailing uselessly as her head was squished against Thesis' broad chest. But after a moment, the stallion's grip loosened, and he visibly softened as he said quietly: “Family is the most important thing. Family, and friends, and our kin and kindred. That's why it's so serious that I failed and that's why... my mother was so angry at me.”

Red Sky softened, but she didn't know what to say; Songbird, however, only sat up, reaching out and taking one of her brother's hooves and squeezing it silently before she said softly: “Tell us what happened out there. You can take an hour to clean up and talk to us before you go to debriefing.”

Thesis was silent for a few moments... but then he slowly nodded and looked down before beginning quietly: “I realized too late we were walking right into a trap...”

Comments

[hellcatte]

It's interesting how many of your villains are just victims of their own instincts and pasts.