In the Service of the Princess

by 621Chopsuey

Crystal Empire Inbound

The dining car had seen better days.

In the ensuing minutes since moving the engagement there, I had regained use of my wings thanks to a timed interception of one of Ponente’s magical attacks to the rope that bound them—attacks she became more and more liberal with the more I attempted to bar her way. The walls were scored with trails of ice that stuck out like a festering infection. Stuffing from the cushions decorated the floor, the seats having been hacked away at repeatedly and without mercy. The lightstones hadn’t been spared either, plunging the car into near-darkness. In short, our unleashed aggression had done a number on the interior that would undoubtedly send the cleaning crew reeling.

I gasped heavily for breath as I focused my sight on Ponente. The prolonged fight had evidently taken its toll on her as well; her movements had become less cat-like and increasingly sluggish with the passing of time, and her magical attacks were more spaced out. In an effort to exert herself as little as possible, she had taken to switching tactics by holding one end of the dining car and utilizing defensive magic to maintain a vast distance between us.

So far, it was working.

It took some time to figure out why she didn’t make an effort to push forward. Ponente’s goal was to wear me out until she could strike when I was at my weakest, and probably get in some sadistic playtime as a bonus. Then she could simply stride right into the coach car and have her way with the princess. That meant abduction, assassination, or Goddess knew what else. Whatever it was, it meant a bad end for Cadance. Hopefully, killing me somewhere in that plan was not mandatory. I was literally the only one standing between her and Princess Cadance’s car, armed with nothing but a frying pan.

The urge to berate myself grew. I wouldn’t be in this situation if I had been more careful. Sure, tread lightly and always expect the unexpected, they say, but one can only accomplish so much if one decided to play it safe. That paired with a desire for adventure and excitement got the best of me. Now here I was without a means of communicating with the rest of the security detail, isolated in the midst of a security breach, and nearing my limits in prolonged combat.

Of course, everypony makes mistakes. I’ve had more than my fair share of stupid ones in the past—ones easily avoidable had I practiced greater care, like forgetting to read a perp’s rights prior to questioning. Granted, that was early on in my tenure with the precinct, but a stupid mistake nonetheless that let a perp walk free and earned me an earful from the captain.

My ears perked at the sound of something slicing through the air, dispersing the thought. Correction, several somethings. Stalagmites of ice raced up towards me in rapid succession, each needle-like tip capable of skewering a pony with ease.

Whatever disappointment I still felt with myself was replaced by survival instinct. My hind legs propelled me onto a table in one of the adjacent booths, the stalagmites rushing up and past where I stood a split-second before. The rush continued on from there with a prolonged cycle of magical attacks from Ponente and table-hopping from yours truly.

As I got steadily closer, she took more and more steps back to maintain distance between us. Granted, that wasn’t much; Ponente had little room to work with, being situated between the first few rows and the kitchen.

That wasn’t to say I was less at an advantage with her. The cramped train car rendered three-dimensional flight nearly impossible, so that limited what wing-based techniques could be utilized. Either way, Ponente had nowhere else to go unless she retreated into the kitchen for another round of hide-and-seek. That was unlikely, though. It would be pointless for Ponente to pull back when she was a hair’s breadth away from the princess.

The double doors to the kitchen burst open behind her, and from them emerged another newcomer who skidded to a halt before the unicorn. A male pegasus, judging from his build and wings. He wore gear more or less in similarity to Ponente’s suit, the notable differences including a hoodie shrouding his balaclava and additional protective padding on his legs.

The ice queen chanced a look at her associate. “You are supposed to be engaging the rear guard,” she chided between breaths.

“We’re encountering more resistance from those blokes than expected,” he replied, his accent Trottish-heavy. “The rear guard’s managed to dwindle our numbers and they’re still pressing on.”

“Then press back!” Ponente snapped. “We did not board the train just to give up and waste our time with this lot! I will not leave here empty-hooved, I shite you not.”

I leapt up high, frying pan held high for a critical blow to the ice queen’s skull while she was distracted. Ponente, however, wasted no time in proving me wrong on that count by side-stepping the strike, which instead ended up dropping the Trottish guy like a sandbag.

I could feel the predatory grin on Ponente’s muzzle as she prepared to launch another round of magic from behind. I took another wild swing at her, but missed again as she jumped back. Ponente retaliated by casting a gust of wind strong enough to blow me back into the wall. Before I could recover, she swiftly followed up with a pillar of ice that shot up from the floor and struck me square in the gut. I hit the ceiling thereafter.

That was new.

I fell to the floor, stunned in more ways than one. That hurt like hay, and probably would for the next few days, and my breath was coming in ragged, labored gasps. The effects of the fight were starting to take their toll, a realization noticed while heaving up onto aching hooves. My limbs felt heavier and my body was lethargic and sore from bruises upon bruises. I urged myself repeatedly to press on, but it was a slow process.

I was getting soft, I thought distastefully. Almost two years in the Crystal Empire, and barely anything chaotic happened there. Compared to time spent in Canterlot since graduation, where every day was filled with running, flying, tackling, and everything in between, sentry duty in the Crystal Castle was practically a vacation. A really boring vacation. Maybe I should take Descent up on those extra sparring sessions after all this chaos. Assuming I’m alive to ask him, that is.

I mentally shook my head. What kind of thinking was that? That was the mindset of one ready to surrender. No way was I going to give up and die here—not when there was a princess who still needed protecting, not when I had family to come home to, and certainly not when I still owed a friend a hard drink. Plus there was the opportunity to top Star on a scare and win that bet.

Ponente had by now cleared away the remnants of her earlier attack and was busy planting something on the door to coach. Correction, several somethings: fire gems. It took a few moments to put the pieces together and dreadfully realize she was attempting to breach the door by blowing off its hinges.

The clock was ticking down to the wire now. I had to act fast and stop her, otherwise if that door went it was game over for all of us.
Having gained a second wind with that prospect, I stretched my wings and rushed forward into the air, getting closer to the ceiling as I closed the distance between myself and the ice queen. As soon as I was over Ponente, I tucked my wings in and let gravity do the rest of the work, landing on all fours with a thud. Probably would’ve been a more impressive display had I more height to work with, but that was a fantasy for later.

The loud landing prompted her to turn around in surprise. Before Ponente could react any further, I quickly crossed my blades over throat and forced her against the door. She glowered at me. “Persistent one, you are.”

“I could say the same about you. Now, do us all a favor and just give up already. We’d really like to just go home, have a cold one, and call it a day.”

She responded by placing another fire gem on the door’s handle without looking back.“Do it.” Ponente sneered as if she could sense my inner conflict. “If you want to keep your precious princess safe from us and end this, then strike me down, here and now.” She was trying to put up a front to hide her weariness from the battle. It was a subpar job. Guess I ought to up the ante by implementing a more coercive approach. The idea of bluffing with the threat of toasting the car with Ponente’s own fire gems crossed my mind. If she got spooked enough, her common sense would kick in and she’d back down. But the plan was too extreme and impractical, not to mention Ponente was probably not that stupid to believe the bluff was a viable threat. That, and self-immolation wasn’t exactly how I imagined my end.

Then there was outright killing her right there. Much as I ought to right now, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. No amount of military training, no matter how thorough or rigorous, could ever prepare me for the reality of taking another person’s life. It’s a burdensome, unforgivable sin no one should ever have to carry.

With Ponente in a state where she couldn’t put up much of a fight, the best course of action was to restrain her. We could interrogate her from there and find out who had the balls to put a hit on Cadance. Whoever hired Ponente needed to be dealt a lesson. Plus, she had said ‘we’, which meant her capture would crumble the resolve of however many cronies were aboard.

I kept up a straight face and brought it close to Ponente’s, all the while pressing the blade against her neck just short of drawing blood. “Trust me, I want to. But only on our terms, them being you laying down your arms and calling off your cronies.”

“I came here with a purpose, and I intend to leave with it fulfilled. I will let nothing stand in my way.”

My patience was wearing thin. “You just don’t know when to give up, do you?”

“Persistence has kept me alive this long, boy” She sent me stumbling back with a kick to the gut. By the time I regained my footing, she had created a blade of ice over her foreleg and held it close defensively. “Succumbing to hesitation only results in bad endings.”
Back to Plan A. “Here’s a bad end for you!” I flared out my wings and—

“CEASE HOSTILITIES!!”

The sudden appearance of a third, thunderous voice nearly sent the two of us jumping out of our skins. Ponente, wide-eyed in shock, chanced a look behind me to see who the new arrival was. I did as well, and my full being was put at ease by a wonderful sight.

There stood the four members of Black Shift, poised and ready to react if things went south. They had certainly seen their share of the action, though thankfully the injuries they suffered were not too serious. Just a couple cuts here, a limp there, or a few noticeable dents in their armor. Thank Goddess they were all right.

However, that voice belonged to none of them; that would be the fifth pony, standing in the center of them. And to my and Ponente’s surprise, it wasn’t one of the kitchen staff brandishing some form of dinnerware as a makeshift weapon either. It was familiar blue alicorn. A very, very unhappy blue alicorn.

Princess Luna spoke again, retaining the edge to her voice, but thankfully lowering her volume to a level that wasn’t ear-splitting, thank Goddess. “I command thee to stand down and cease hostilities, or thou shalt suffer the consequences for thy further disobedience.” When Ponente’s horn glowed again, the princess took several steps forward, each one heavy and firm with the authoritative power her title carried. She soon loomed over her, her height and flowing mane enabling Princess Luna to eclipse the lighting and overshadow the mercenary. I wanted to advise her she was potentially putting herself in harm’s way by being too close to the enemy, but knowing her, she probably wasn’t in the mood to listen to reason.

Her Highness’s expression darkened. “Must I twice repeat myself?”

Ponente relented for a moment, a moment I expected her to retaliate again despite the odds against her. She wasn’t stupid enough to make a break for it, not when she was outnumbered five to one. Right? That number included Luna, too. Sure, she may be a princess, but she was the more battle-y one. She’d been known to stick her hoof into an intense situation if need be compared to Celestia’s passive methods of intervention.

In the end, Ponente chose not to chance facing more ponies than she could handle and dissolved her ice blade. We were on her immediately; I restrained her against the door while two of Luna’s guards secured her, one with an inhibitor ring and the other with manacles. It was a nostalgic moment, one that reminded me of the good old days back in Canterlot when it was just lawponies tackling perps in a crowded street.

It was over. We’d won.

Smirking, I backed off once Aria Frost and Lifeline had her secured and led her away. “Good girl.” Too bad cryomancy couldn’t heal that burn.

“T’would be unwise to poke the bear.”

I rubbed the bald spot on the back of my head nervously beneath Luna’s gaze. “My apologies, Your Highness.” I was still doped on adrenaline from the last … however many minutes I’d spent fighting Ponente. Time has a habit of flying by when you are either having so much fun or fighting for your life. Having survived the encounter, it left me rather excited and a little overconfident.

That’s when I became aware of the adrenaline wearing off. All the aches and pains steadily came back and I felt my legs begin to buckle. Star was quick enough to slip in and support my side before I had a chance to faceplant.

“Are you well, Second Lieutenant?”

I smiled wearily, looking between Luna and Star. “I’m alive, thanks to you. Are Princess Cadance and the others safe?”

To my relief, Star nodded. “I warned Captain Ray about possible intruders when I couldn’t reach you. Guess that was a good move on my part.” She allowed herself a moment of pride before adopting a more stern expression. “As for you… Let me guess, you lost your earbud, didn’t you?”

Oh, right. My helmet was probably nothing more than scrap metal about now. So much for safety first. “Um, yes?” I cleared my throat nervously.

“That would explain why I couldn’t reach you.” She dug into her satchel and fished out a tiny crystalline bead, no bigger than a pea with a length of thin cord stemming from it. Star took the earbud in her magic and placed it in my ear with care, all the while retaining her stern look. “Try not to lose it next time. These things don’t grow on trees, you know.”

“I’ll make sure of that.” Once the replacement earbud was in place and the cord secured, I motioned to my ear, signalling Star to perform a test link just to make sure it functioned right. One nod later and the sensation of our minds connecting manifested in the form of the earbud vibrating against my eardrum.

Alright, back in action.

Oh, you called back? Despite it being a mental connection, I could sense the teasing tone in Star’s thought. And I thought you were too embarrassed to do so after that little tangent you took earlier.

Shut up. I cut the link. A moment passed in awkward silence when an idle thought crossed my mind. I turned to Luna and hesitantly asked, “Er, aren’t you supposed to be dreamwalking?”

Luna’s expression remained neutral. “Indeed I still would be, had I not happened upon Echo’s memories of these events in the Dreamscape. But ‘tis a tale for another time.” She motioned to Echo, the remaining member of Star’s squad. “Come with me. I wish to see how my niece fairs.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Her Lunar Highness turned her attention back to Star and me. “In the meantime, Commander, take yourselves to the rear and have Lifeline tend to thine injuries. Then attend to the prisoners and glean whatever information you can from them.” Her tone grew dark as her night. “Use any means necessary. I wish to know what miscreants dared to bring harm to my niece, and to what end.”

Star looked to me. “You okay to walk?”

I took a step away and wriggled my limbs. The aches were still there, but they were less pronounced than they were a minute ago. It was safe to say none of them were debilitating enough to sideline me, as much as I wanted to lean on Star for a little longer. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Luna nodded approvingly, then looked to the few fire gems Ponente managed to plant. With a wave of her horn, the explosives disappeared to Luna knew where. A few seconds later, several booms echoed in the distance.

With that, Star and I left with our orders and proceeded to make our way to the rear of the train, catching up with one another as we went. “Had a busy night, huh?” Star asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” I felt my ego swell a bit and put on a confident smile. “Takes a little more than a scuffle to keep me down, though.”
She took an eyeful of the damage to the car. “I think your definition of ‘scuffle’ differs from mine, Flash.”

“You know what I mean. Man, I haven’t had any action like this since the changelings came to town.”

Star chuckled. “Trust me, what you went through was nothing compared to what Black Shift put up with. As soon as I dropped down to avoid being skewered by your marefriend, more of them swarmed in.” We entered the still-dark kitchen. I laid my a hoof on a flat crystal next to the door to activate the kitchen’s backup lightstones, bathing the room in a soft white light. “Last I recall, there were a dozen of them at the most.”

I was genuinely surprised at the number. “Dude, how did you hold your own against that many?”

Silence laden with the noise of the ongoing train, albeit a short one, descended as Star reflected over her close encounter with the scummy kind. “If anything, I’d say luck. Those guys were disciplined and well-trained, for the most part. Relentless, too. Even had a diamond dog that threw us in for a loop. I’m surprised we managed to hold them off until Luna showed up.”

“Diamond dog, huh? Sounds a lot like mercenaries."

Star pondered over the information “Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what evidence we gather later. We may just as easily be dealing with a PMC.”

Private military companies, or PMC for short, are essentially armies independent of any nation. They were outlawed in Equestria; we weren’t exactly prime real estate for a company whose militaristic values clashed against society’s fundamental values of friendship and harmony. Then again, neither were crime families, but they possess greater flexibility when adapting to keep the business running. Private military companies? Not so much, which was why they were few and far between compared to the number of dirty-dealing factions in existence. Their chances of survival are greater when established outside of Equestria. Preferably in an area where a high level crime called for a high in demand for security, among other things.

That did not necessarily mean PMCs were out of the question. They may be based outside Equestria, but their business can take them anywhere and be contracted by anyone. A foreign power could well have paid a pretty bit for the abduction of the princesses.

Uncle Descent could tell us more once we got back to the Empire. As a freelance contractor himself with a few years prior experience in a PMC, he had valuable connections with friends in low places. Luckily, he only oversaw training and provided security. Anything beyond those duties was out of the question.

“Ponente—ice queen over there—has to be the squad leader." I said. "You’re lucky you weren’t the one to end up facing her. I’m not saying your magic is subpar compared to hers, but were it you in my shoes, she would’ve given you a run for your bits.” I couldn’t help but get geekishly excited over Ponente’s bag of tricks. “She was like a raging blizzard. Icicles, ice blades, snow screens, wind gusts—she even teleported.”

Star halted our progress and gazed at me incredulously. “Teleportation?”

“Yeah. Ponente pulled it off on the roof. One spell, and poof!” I snapped my wings for effect, “She’s gone in a flurry of snow.”

“Flash … that’s impossible. She couldn’t have teleported that way.”

Excitement dimming, I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean she couldn’t have that way? I saw what I saw.”

“Free-form teleportation can’t be performed by any regular old unicorn. Only the higher level ones can do that. And by higher level, I mean ‘personal protégé of Celestia’ level.”

“Okaaay, so she didn’t do it that way. What’s the problem?”

“The only other method is medium-based. For example, you’ve heard of Sunbeam Sparkle; she could jump from one location to the other via a source of fire, like a fireplace. You said Ponente did it with snow, right?” I nodded to both accounts, to which Star rolled her eyes. “Then she did it wrong. She needed mirror-flat ice to use as a jump point, not a hooful of snow or something like... that.” She aimed a hoof back towards the double doors to the dining area, where in lay a pool of water that was once a string of icy stalagmites. “Unless she managed to develop a new variation, the teleportation theory is out.”

Then what else was there, if not teleporting? The more I pondered over the matter, the more I wondered if I was overthinking it. Maybe Ponente was simply quick on her hooves and exceptional with utilizing ice and snow to her advantage.

Most of my adolescence was spent in Zebrica...

The words lingered in my mind, taunting me as if it held some hidden meaning I had yet to grasp. If there was one, it was pretty damn elusive. My knowledge on Zebrican magics was very limited, unfortunately. Maybe Star knew? Being a unicorn, magical knowledge came with package. “Could Zebrican magics be involved?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Ponente said she grew up in Zebrica. If that’s true then she may have learned a trick or two from the locals. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about their magic, would you?”

Star shrugged. “Not exactly a common topic at the academy, but yeah, I know a decent amount of info on the subject. The basic thing to know is that Zebrican magics don’t require a horn to use; potions aside, it’s an innate ability, much like the earth ponies and growing crops—”

“—or the pegasi’s ability to walk on clouds?”

“Exactly, but it’s mostly conjuring objects or crafting illusions. Anything bigger than that requires some lengthy dancing and chanting.” Star put a thoughtful hoof to her chin. “The best solution I can think of is Ponente rendered herself invisible the moment she cast the snow flurry spell to keep up the illusion of teleportation. And to psyche you out.”

Ponente certainly did a fine job of doing that. “It’s as legit of an explanation as we’ll get for now, until we start poking and prodding her for information.”

“I’ll inform Aria.” She did the motions and waited for several agonizing seconds, her face growing more concerned with each passing second. “I can’t reach them.”

That wasn’t good. Maybe something went awry with their earbuds? Chances were that was the case with all the punishment they suffered in the raid. Better that than the alternative Ponente using her Zebrican abilities to break ... free…

The look we shared was easy enough to decipher in seven simple words: we had a bad feeling about this.

The door leading to the rear of the car burst open. Oddly, we saw no one step inside as moderate rain blew in, a sight we both found very unsettling. “She’s here!” Star lit up her horn and fired off a trio of fireballs. They each hit their mark, the seemingly empty screaming in pain as if Star had hit a ghost. I followed up with twin jabs with my wingblades. They definitely struck something, as when I pulled back the edges of the blades were lined with red.

The victory was short-lived, however. A piercing chill shot over my face, and my head suddenly felt much heavier than normal, heavy enough to bring me collapsing to the floor. It took a moment to register the ball of ice encasing my head. I began to panic and scrabbled at the damned thing. It was way too cold in there, and I doubted Ponente had the courtesy to leave any air holes.

“As I told you before, nothing will stand in my way.” said a voice muffled by the ice.

Through frozen vision, I watched as the air distorted with a slight green tinge, and Ponente materialized a heartbeat later, marred with our defensive efforts; portions of her mane and suit were singed and blood trickled from twin cuts on her cheeks, but the plastered sadistic smile to her face sickened me.

Ponente made a move towards Star. Anticipating an attack, Star took several steps back and launched more fireballs. Much like the first time, they sailed through the air as they homed in on their target. However, Ponente’s initial move was a feint; she avoided the attack with a nosedive to the floor as she conjured an ice slide. Her momentum propelled her past the fireballs before they could land a hit, and knocked Star off of her hooves to boot.

The young Kicker’s reaction was quick. She unleashed a torrent of water with the strength to wipe that stupid smirk off Ponente’s face. With our adversary distracted, Star quickly rolled to to her hooves again, then cast another fireball to gain more distance. It certainly did that, even if the projectile dissipated once it hit a shield of ice generated by a very, very angry unicorn.

Watching the lethal dance while in the midst of struggling to break free from the icy prison, I wondered how Ponente managed to rebound from fatigue in such a short amount of time. Taking into account the accurate guess of Zebrican magic, it was safe to say she had an herb or potion or something to boost her to full strength stowed away, ingesting it after escaping custody. Sounded legit.

I felt the shock of the ice around my head shattering, and I instantly took in a deep breath of glorious air. Meanwhile, Aria Frost roughly pulled me to my hooves. “Get your act together, Sentry. They’re coming through!”

As if on cue, the kitchen door slammed open again. We watched as a diamond dog that looked more like an overgrown rottweiler stomp through. At this point, it was safe to say everyone invading the train was wearing some form of black clothing, though the sneaking suit was a size or two too small for the big lug and out of place with the light set of armor. A few other ponies, all of varying species and breeds indeed wearing black, poured in through the door behind him.

Star chanced a glance at the newcomers and instantly paled. “Dammit, Aria, I thought you had them tied down!”

“Apparently one of the dogs knows how to break free of the leash.”

“Then put him back on it!”

Aria shot a glare at Ponente. “I was referring to her.”

The ice queen remained unperturbed by the barb. “Sticks and stones, sweetie.” She nonchalantly blasted a spray of ice at Star, then gained her cronies’ attention. “Bruiser, hold them off! The rest of you, on me!” She ran off back to coach, the remaining mercs following her lead.
Aria and I rushed to intercept them when Bruiser lived up to his name, slamming into us and sent us careening into the counter. It took a dazed moment to regain my senses, only to see the big lug towering over us, gauntlet fists held high for a strike. I held my wings up in defense.

The strike didn’t come. Cautiously peeking through feathers, I saw his fists frozen in a ball of ice, much to his confusion.

Cool and collected Aria whipped out her rapier and jabbed it at Bruiser. The sudden onslaught unnerved the diamond dog, and he found himself stepping back to avoid getting impaled. Big mistake for Bruiser; he had forgotten about the ice slide and backed right into it. With a doggy yelp, he slipped and fell flat on his rear in classic comical fashion.

It may have been funny to us, but Bruiser certainly wasn’t amused. With a downward thrust, he shattered the frozen bonds, then narrowed his eyes and growled.

Aria and I got into defensive stances. That’s when a loud clang reverberated through our ears. Bruiser’s eyes went unfocused, and he collapsed into a heap an instant later.

Behind him, Star proudly twirled a frying pan in her magic. “Frying pans. Who knew?”

“Guess you could say things panned out for us.”

Star deadpanned at the cheesy pun. “No. Just no.”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, worth a shot.” I looked down at Bruiser, who was splayed on the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. “I thought that was gonna last longer.”

“This whole ordeal’s lasted far too long already, Sentry.” Aria wiped a splotch of blood off from her face, though that only smeared it into her coat. Must’ve scored that with that counter to the face. “Let’s just clear these guys out before things get any worse.”

Coach has been breached! shouted Amethyst Stone through our earbuds. Repeat, coach has been breached! Assistance nee— The connection cut.

I grimaced. “Things just got worse.”

“More like out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Aria opined. Clever girl.

With Star leading the way, we mad a mad dash for the dining area of the car, only to find it free of any bodies. I swore under my breath. That wasn’t good. Trottish Guy must’ve came to in time to tag along with the rest of his crew, which meant they were indeed inside coach having their way the princesses. So much for all the effort put into keeping coach merc free…

Entering coach somewhat debunked the visual, but the situation remained severe all the same. Ponente and the remainder of her cronies, three total, had weapons trained on Echo, Ray and the princesses, who were behind them and protected by a defensive bubble. Good, they hadn’t been captured yet.

The relief was short lived, just like every other moment during the whole trip home. Amethyst was slumped against the wall, bound by tanglehoof. Windlancer was down, too. A dart protruded from her neck. I feared the worst when my eyes met the vacant expression she wore.

“...Windlancer?”

No response.

The ice queen noted the presence of three more ponies in the car and smirked over her shoulder. “My my, how the tables have turned. All of that trouble, and at last our prize has been earned. Nopony move another step closer, lest someone else wind up in an unfortunate accident.” Ponente made a show of magically tossing Windlancer’s body to the side.

I shot an angry glare at her callous toying. I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off her face with a hoof sandwich. Or slit her throat. Or jab her repeatedly in the chest with her own ice. Maybe a few other morally questionable things.

Whoa. That train of thought went dark pretty quick. Okay, think positive thoughts. The princesses were still conscious and breathing. There was hope for us yet.

Luna bared her teeth. “If you dare lay a hoof on my niece or anypony else—”

Ponente cut her off. “Congratulations, I have already done so. Now, pray tell, what will you do? You are at an impasse, Your Highness. You can wait, and in due time you will tire and your shield will fall, prompting my associates and me to leave with our hostage once we’ve properly dealt with you. Or can confront us directly as you did in days of old and maybe succeed in thwarting our efforts. That is, if you are not struck by conus venom in the interim.”

The tension between them was nearly palpable as she motioned to the mercs, who kept their sights firmly fixed on the princesses. “Dosing your kind is quite the challenge. Alicorns possess a higher resistance to toxins, but since there are very few of you lot in the world—four, am I right?—to experiment with, it all comes down to guesswork on how much will properly sedate you. For us mere mortals too little a dose brings muscle spasms. Painful ones. Too much, and death comes before you even feel the prick.” Ponente’s gaze briefly settled on Windlancer before reverting back to Princess Luna. “Obviously she did not fare well, but all the more data for us. Now, are you willing to chance luck again?”

Luna remained undeterred by Ponente’s threats. “If I must chance thy luck, then so be it, but know this: your heinous miscreancy shall not go unpunished, and my guards are willing to risk their lives to ensure t'is so.”

“Tell that to the Bishop.” Trottish Guy shot back.

“Your client, I presume? Indeed I will, once I have staked thy heads upon pikes that shall stand proudly atop the Crystal Castle as symbols of our strength.”

I smirked as he took a step back. That’s the Princess Luna I knew and loved.

Cadance managed to retain her sense of humor even through this intense situation. “I appreciate the sentiment, but Shiny and I could do without the heads on spikes. That doesn’t mean your castle isn’t fair game. Or at least, your bedroom.”

“Very well. More trophies for myself.” Luna turned to Ponente. “I think I will mount yours upon the mantle, next to the head of Chrysalis. T’is about time the vacant space to her left be filled.”

Ponente remained silent for a moment before she burst out laughing. “Is that your best? If you knew what I have been through, you would understand idle threats of dismemberment are foal’s play.”

“Then make due on your promise.” When everyone in the room turned to me, I explained, “Back in the kitchen, you said if we survived you would tell us more about yourself. Well, here we are.” Why she even made that promise eluded me, but then again I shouldn’t be questioning an opportunity to learn more about the enemy. Plus, she was the leader. Talk about a bonus.

Ponente arched a brow. “You do realize that was a taunt, right? I never had any intention of sharing anything with you.” I opened my mouth to snark back when she held up a hoof. “But you all are alive for the most part, so I suppose I owe you on that promise.”

With a sedated calm, she turned to one of the vacant seats and leapt onto the top of the backrest with catlike poise. We flinched, expecting her to pull a ploy, but eased up when no attack came. Only a little, though. It was still five versus four in here.

Having found a suitable vantage point to speak from, Ponente seated herself and spoke. “Two words, one name: Prince Ozgur.”

And just like that, unsettling silence fell over the train car. Cadance in particular looked understandably disturbed. The very mention of Ozgur’s name made ponies stop and think back to the chaos in Zebrica years ago. Some were appalled enough to label it genocidal. If there was one thing that could be agreed on, it was Ozgur’s lust for power outweighed devotion to a kingdom.

“Once, I was a normal little filly named Diamond Dust. I had a loving family and I made friends among the locals during our stay in Zebrica. With them, I learned about their culture, their spirituality, their magics. It was a peaceful life we made away from home—one that I thought would never end.”

Ponente’s—Diamond Dust’s—wistful tone grew dark. “Then everything changed when Ozgur’s lackies attacked. They came like a torrent of rain with intention of eliminating supporters to his rival heirs. My parents, favored by Princess Zanza due to their medical contributions to the empire, were amongst them.

“That night I was orphaned. Everything I held dear was taken away from me in an instant, and I could nothing but run at the fearful urging of my parents. From then on I became a wanderer and a street rat, eventually finding a haven with children who also lost their families. From them, I learned to fend for myself; I scavenged, I stole, I fought, I did what I had to be done in order to survive lest I fell to the bottom of the food chain.

“I suppose it was fate for me to survive those tribulations, for in due time I crossed paths with the animals who murdered my family. By now, the scared little girl from the village had grown to be a mare who had the strength to take what she wanted. They took innocent lives, so I took theirs. An eye for an eye, after all.”

She stroked the length of her crossbow as if it were a cat. “Now you see why I must do this. From those who burned down the village that night—” Diamond one-hoofedly aimed her weapon at Cadance, “—to your ‘high and mighty’ aunt, I can at least find peace by knowing all who have done me wrong during that time have had their shining stars extinguished.”

Ah, so that’s what Diamond meant by shining star; life. Not dissimilar to the Selenian Church’s teachings of spirit stars.

“And where do I stand in thy grand scheme?” Luna inquired, still neutral as ever.

“Your presence was merely happenstance, but a bonus nonetheless. I want to see Celestia suffer for her refusal to send aid to Zebrica, and the only way for that to happen is for her to endure loss.” Her eyes narrowed daggers at Her Lunar Highness. “Personal loss. I lose my parents because of her, she loses her dear niece and sister in return. An eye for an eye.”

I didn’t see any this happening. At all. Hay, King Sombra had better chances of coming back from the dead compared to this crazy plan panning out, and those were slim to none. Even if Diamond and her cronies overpowered us, Luna and Cadance could easily take them out. And I seriously doubted Princess Celestia would allow Diamond to take their lives in the off chance they were captured. Either Diamond was obsessed with revenge to the point of flawed rationale, or her foalhood trauma sent a few screws loose.

Ray spoke up. “And this job was just happenstance as well?”

“There are those who hold hostility towards Equestria for one reason or another, our client especially. His need for our services to obtain Cadenza was indeed happenstance.”

“You have to understand,” Cadance pressed, “Celestia felt it was the right decision not to get involved. She had the best intentions in mind for—”

“Do you hear yourself?” Diamond cut her off, barely containing her rage. “Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions. Celestia had the power to intervene when she became privy to the calamity in the Zebrican Empire. She could have prevented further loss, but instead she turned her back on us.”

Her voice grew lower, her rage threatening to burst. “That cost too many lives. To Tartarus with the best intentions! I lost my family because of Celestia. I lost my family because she made a crucial error in her judgement.” Her grip on her emotions fractured and she screamed. “I lost everything dear to me because of a goddess-damned technicality!”

A tense silence fell over the train car, save for Diamond’s shuddering breaths in her effort to subdue her emotional whirlwind.

All of this. All of this anger, hatred, and pain because of some heir’s mad scramble for the throne. Poor thing. Diamond didn’t deserve to suffer for Ozgur’s greed. I almost pitied her. Sure, a little torn up inside, but not outright sympathetic to just go easy on her. She was a threat that needed to be dealt with.

I noticed a pinprick aura of blue float over to Diamond’s head. I blinked, and it was gone. Must’ve been a trick of the light.

“Indeed, ‘twas my sister’s ultimatum that left a lasting impact on Zebrica. However,” Princess Luna continued, “the conflict was not hers to intervene. The matter lay outside our jurisdiction and in the hooves of the heirs to the throne. They possessed the power to set aside their differences and settle the right of succession peacefully. In the end, ‘twas their decision to wage war amongst themselves when compromise failed.”

“Spare me your speech, Princess.” Diamond spat, “You have no right to defend your sister. Not when she went against the very values of harmony this country was founded on.”

“Much as these are valuable ideals, friendship and harmony cannot be forced on others. They only apply when ‘tis mutual. Building such a union takes time, patience, and experience—and even then, it may not last. The Zebrican heirs made their choice to discard harmony when they could not set aside their differences.”

Diamond rolled her eyes. “You act as if you have a full understanding of this, yet you were still imprisoned on the moon during the crisis.”

“True, but my point still stands.” Princess Luna placed a hoof to her own chest. “Once upon a time, I much like you: bitter and angry at the world, and jealous of my sister. That jealousy tainted my heart, and the darkness within gave birth to Nightmare Moon. What I had done, I did out of resentment. I wanted ponies to appreciate me and my moon as much as they did my sister. Even years after my freedom from a dark form, I still possess doubts I will be accepted by my subjects after all I have done. But time and time again, I have been reassured that my misdeeds have been forgiven. That alone gives me hope.”

Princess Luna held out her hoof in an inviting gesture. “Come. T'is not too late to end this. You have the opportunity take advantage of the time you have now and start anew. All that must be done is to leave the past behind and move forward into the future, for a pony who carries the weight of her past is burdened by the weight of her misery and anguish. And then, only then, wilt thou find true peace.”

One of the mercs ripped off her gasmask and shot an incredulous look at her squad leader. “You’re not seriously having second thoughts about this, are you?” the white, silver-maned pegasus asked, her accent also Trottish. “C’mon, Ponente, we’ve been prepping for this. We didn’t come all this way just to come home from the job empty-hooved. Some of us here need to make a living.”

“And may I remind you how many were sacrificed just to reach this point?” chimed in the third merc, again Trottish. What was it with Trottish ponies today? “Granted, some off the blame can be put on the inclement weather, but that’s beside the point. You back down now, this job and their lives will have been all for nothing.”

Trottish Guy nodded. “Silver and Wavecrest bring up good points. What’s it gonna be: side with yer mates and get what ya want, or give up to these blokes?”

“Shut your trap,” Ray snarled.

“Boil yer head.”

Silver glared at her comrade. “Able, unless you want to screw us over, just do as he says and shut up.” It wouldn’t surprise me if Able’s mouth had gotten him into trouble before. With a mouth like that, I would not have been surprised in the least.

Diamond averted her gaze from us as she sat in silence, taking Luna’s words into account. At least, I hope she was and not planning a third play on us. If she seriously was considering calling off the raid, that would be fantastic, not to mention surreal. I’ve heard stories of the princesses and the Element Bearers turning their enemies around with nothing more than a friendship speech, but to see it in person… talk about remarkable.

Yet we had to remain vigilant, prepared for things to go south. Free will was free will, and Diamond had the choice to disregard Luna’s offer and continue with the operation. Having seen what she could do, I’d rather we didn’t have to drag this out any longer and further risk the safety of the princesses. Sure, Luna kept the mercs at bay with her shield spell, but with Diamond and her lackies popping up a new trick at every turn, its effectiveness became less and less certain.

Much as I wanted to get vocal and nudge her in the right direction, I repressed the urge to add my two bits. Luna had said what needed to be said, and that’s all Diamond needed. Plus, I was never great at hostage negotiations.

All I could do in the tense silence was pray and hope Diamond made the right decision. For her sake. For her parents. For everyone here on the train.

Diamond at last broke the lengthy silence. “...so I turn around now, and it will all turn out for the better?”

“Yes.” Luna nodded. “Cast your hurt aside. Leave your past behind. Let friendship show you the way. It’s what your parents would have wanted.”

I gulped. Was she going to do it?

A sigh escaped Diamond and she coldly met the princess’s gaze. “It still does not bring them back.”

A dart shot through the defensive bubble and struck Cadance in the foreleg. At once, everyone had their weapons aimed and began shouting varying orders of surrender like a classic Mexicolt standoff. Silver had her sickle in my face at the same time I had my wingblades in hers, our faces contorted in anger and eyes ablaze with spirit. It was an intense, chaotic moment. Obviously, neither of us planned to back down and surrender in favor of the other, which left nothing but dwindling seconds on the clock until someone decided to make the first move.

Damn it, and I thought Diamond had been convinced enough to turn over a new leaf.

“Crivens, yer still standing?”

All heads whirled to Cadance at Able’s words. To our surprise, she was indeed still standing, rubbing the area where the dart struck her. She wasn’t lightheaded, spasming, or a corpse on the floor. In fact, Cadance didn’t look fazed in the slightest. The conus venom appeared to have no effect on her, much to Diamond’s ire.

“Oh no you don’t,” she muttered venomously as she made to reload her crossbow. “I will not have this taken fro—”

One moment I was on the ground, the next airborne and a contrail of blue and yellow streaking behind me as my blades drew a crimson line along Diamond’s foreleg, forcing her to loosen her grip on the crossbow. With a mid-air spin to reorient, I planted myself between Ray and Echo, ready to bar any further attempts at princesses’ lives.

I didn’t have to make a second move, though. Like a bolt from the blue, convulsions consumed Diamond as arcs of electricity danced along her body. For several long seconds we watched in shock as she screamed in agony before collapsing to the floor in a heap.

I blinked. What just happened?

“Anypony else?” Star glared down on the other mercenaries, a tracer in her magic which still sparked with the remnants of a lightning spell.

“Did you…?” Echo trailed off.

“I wasn’t gonna let her have a second shot.” Star returned her attention to the remainder of the mercs, whose varying states of faltering confidence were plain as day. “Last chance. Drop your weapons.”

None of the mercs argued.

End of Part 2

Author's Note:

I want to give a big thanks to Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, Ponibus, Web of Hope, Rodinga, Dusk Watch, Swiftest Shadow, Poptard, and Equestrian Scholar for their patience and time, plus loads of input regarding Zebrica.

Comments

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which meant they were indeed inside coach having their way the princesses.

Needs a "the" and a "with".

Exciting story but the typos and missing words bring in down a bit.