Dawn of Crystal Empire

by TopWanted

Lullaby/Bedim/Gladius - Chapter 20

Author's Note:

Warning: Slight gore in this chapter as well

Lullaby walked through the forest, the fall breeze starting to nip at her face. The trees were beginning to turn their beautiful shade of orange and red. She smiled to herself, she always loved this time of year.

Today was a weekend and Bedim had gone to hang out with Crisp so the mare was by herself for most of the day. She decided to go visit her old training grounds, for old time’s sake. Honey’s visit had reminded her of one thing, she hadn’t seen her old friends in a while. She hadn’t even spoken to Gladius in years. Ever since she left the Wonderbolts, Lullaby had slowly distanced herself from everypony. Every now and again the red Pegasus would come for a visit, stopping by the schoolhouse or even on the street and they would share a pleasant conversation. A few folks even assumed they were dating for a while.

Sure the fully grown pegasus had turned into quite the handsome soldier. Lullaby had even heard that he had a fan club among the youth in Crystal Falls. Girl fillies wanted to meet him, boy fillies wanted to be him. However they just never seemed to share that little spark that Lullaby had felt only once before. There was no doubt that Gladius had a certain crush on her, she recognized that right away, but her feelings could never be reciprocated. Not while certain other feelings were colliding in her chest for the past fifteen years. Still, her ex-student had really grown into something to be proud of. This brought a smile to her lips.

Lullaby entered the grounds through the trees. A short look of disbelief crossing her face. Since Javelin’s promotion he had not stopped at expansion, aiming to increase the northern settlements battle capabilities as well. This called for more troops and more troops called for more space to train the troops. What had once been a moderately sized clearing in a dense forest had turned into a vast open encampment. The oval track was still present in the dirt but the surrounding trees had been cut down profusely to the point one might call deforestation. Large barracks and sentry towers were perched outside the track and some small sheds that held weapons as well. Further back she could make out an area laid out with benches, most likely used for meals. Taking the place of the previous officers’ barracks in the center of the track were several blacksmith, carpenter, and leatherworkers huts. The place looked busy today, as Lullaby imagined it was most days.

She spotted a group of pegasi and earth ponies running around the faded track. As they passed the huts and came back around a few spotted the blue maned Pegasus and shouted in delight. Lullaby was swarmed by two or three ponies she had known as a Wonderbolt. The rest trotted over, interested in learning about the mare.

“You kids aren’t going to believe who we have here today!” a pink unicorn shouted placing a hoof over Lullaby’s shoulder. “This mare is a legend!”

“No,” Lullaby waved a dismissive hoof with a smile. “I’m really not.”

“She went so fast she shot a griffin into the horizon!” another declared. “Plus, she trained Captain Gladius.” At the mention of the esteemed captain’s name, the younger ponies began to smile and murmur in excitement. Lullaby couldn’t help but hide a blush. “So what have you been up to?”

Lullaby shrugged. “Oh, you know. Teaching fillies arithmetic and grammar. Life of a schoolmare.”

“Boring!” the pink unicorn sighed. “You must be so exhausted dealing with little kids all the time.”

Lullaby gave a small smile. “No, I like it. I really do.”

“Well, look who decided to drop by.” A large red Pegasus glided gracefully to the ground as the throng of ponies parted for him. He wore the standard Wonderbolts uniform, sans helmet. A shiny medal placed over his chest. On his sides were two long sabers that seemed to attach to a device girdled around his stomach and wings. He smiled broadly as he approached, taking Lullaby’s hoof in his and placing his other hoof over it. “It’s so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Lullaby smiled. They held their pose for a few moments, earning an embarrassing cough from the soldiers around them. Lullaby let go of Gladius, her cheeks glowing red.

Gladius smiled, his red complexion hiding his own blush. “So what brings you here?”

“Nothing really,” Lullaby replied. “I just feel like we haven’t spoken in a while.”

“Yeah, I know how you feel.” The stallion frowned and rubbed the back of his head, glancing to the side. The group was still around them, some stifling giggles while the rest felt the need to listen closely to what they were saying. “Don’t you all have some laps to do?” he asked harshly.

“Yes, sir!” they all replied and returned to their run with smiles.

Gladius sighed and looked at Lullaby again. “It really is good to see you,” he reiterated.

“Yeah.” Lullaby smiled but melancholy seemed to seep into it. Gladius frowned once more, noticing.

“Let’s go find someplace to talk,” he said, placing a hoof on her shoulder and leading her into the compound. They talked as they walked.

“So how’s it been?” Lullaby asked. “I haven’t spoken to you in…” she tried to remember the last time.

“Almost a year now,” Gladius replied. An awkward pause passed between them. “So… How’s Bedim?”

Lullaby smiled at the mention of her son. “He’s struggling a little bit with his apprenticeship. He doesn’t like to talk to me much about it but I can tell when he’s having a hard time.”

“He’s at the bank, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure that’s entirely the reason he’s struggling,” Lullaby smiled knowingly.

Gladius grinned at the mare’s cryptic response. “What’s that mean?”

“It means I think he’s got a marefriend he’s keeping from me,” she chuckled.

“Really?” Gladius chuckled as well. The two sharing a brief moment of laughter.

“Either that or he’s in love,” Lullaby spouted. Instantly the laughter ceased and another awkward moment passed between the two. Lullaby bit her lip.

Gladius’ frown increased as he began to look at the ground. The moment passed and he raised his head once more, hoping to change the subject. “Have you given any thought to my offer?”

Lullaby slumped her shoulders, herself now looking at the ground. “I appreciate it, Gladius. I really do. But I can’t just up and leave the schoolhouse. Besides, half the team is gone or retired, would the new recruits even accept me as your second wing?”

Gladius beamed. “Are you kidding? As they were saying back, there you’re a legend! Hay, if it were up to me I’d give you my position.”

Lullaby smiled. “Thanks, but I just can’t. Not… Not right now.”

Gladius sighed and nodded, looking up. “We’re here.” Lullaby turned her head up at the large barracks they had come to. The plaque on the door read “Captain Gladius.” He stepped forward into the room and held out an inviting hoof. “Care to come in?”

Lullaby smiled and took it, entering the humble barracks. The inside was very basic. A small cot in the corner with a window above, a desk with writing tools on the side and various papers and charts hanging from the walls. Lullaby recognized them as flight plans and maneuvers. However, above the desk was a large map of the area. Above the Eastern and Western mountains there had been a black circle drawn with the words “scouting perimeter” below it crossed out. A long arrow rested above the line, pointing north with the words “new scouting perimeter.” Lullaby studied the map intently as Gladius prepared some tea.

“What’s this?” she asked raising an eyebrow at the map.

Gladius turned from the pot of tea to look at what she asked about. His face grew slightly pale and he let out a sigh. “My uncle believes that the reconnaissance area of the northern scouts is too small. He wants to expand it another hundred miles.”

“A hundred miles!” Lullaby asked surprised. “That’s insane.”

“I know,” Gladius clenched his teeth in frustration. “But you know how it is around here. The stallion always gets what he wants.”

Lullaby frowned, not envying her old student’s position. “You’re sure you’re ponies can handle the journey? That far north is yak country, the harshest of climates.”

Gladius shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“And honestly, why does he want to scout for settlements so far north? Nopony would be able to survive that weather year round.”

Gladius didn’t respond, simply returning to the whistling teapot and pouring a couple cups. Lullaby sat on the bed while Gladius took a seat by the desk. A long silence followed. Lullaby glanced at Gladius but it just seemed like the stallion did not want to talk, his eyes continuing to avert themselves from her. Lullaby set her cup down and furrowed her brow. “Okay, what’s up? Something’s wrong and it’s more than stress about the scouts.”

Gladius looked up surprised then smiled. “You always could read me like a book.”

Lullaby smiled back and leaned back on the bed. “You got to when you’re a teacher.”

Gladius sighed and placed his cup down as well. “It’s… It’s something pretty complicated.”

“Complicate me,” Lullaby replied.

Gladius frowned as he tried to find the right words. His eyes misting over for a brief moment, but the stallion brushed a hoof over his face and it was gone. He straightened his composure. “So apparently there’s been a leak.”

“A leak?” Lullaby replied.

Gladius rubbed his hooves together pensively. “My uncle has… a lot of secrets. Some he’d rather keep private. He tasked me with finding whatever pony might have stumbled onto one of these… secrets.”

“Did he tell you what it was?” Lullaby asked.

Gladius clenched his hooves together. “No.”

He was lying. Lullaby knew it in her gut. First Honey and now Gladius was keeping something from her. Still, like Honey, she just had to respect the choices and secrets her friends made. No matter how helpless it made her feel. She rubbed a hoof over her eyes. “Is it dangerous? You’re… mission?”

Gladius leaned back in his chair finally letting out a long breath. “Honestly, I don’t think so. For all I know it’s just some punk kids that got where they shouldn’t have.”

Lullaby gave a small fake smile. “Right.”

The conversation continued but the friendliness in it had disappeared. Lullaby left the barracks an hour later, giving the stallion a hug goodbye and went home to where she hoped her son would be.

Hidden below the window to Gladius’ barracks, sitting in a barrel, a mustard yellow pony scratched feverishly on his notepad recording every word he could hear. He had snuck into the encampment late last night and would leave once more when night fell again. He grinned ear to ear as he placed a home made sandwich in his mouth and took a large bite. “Captain Gladius,” he snickered. “You are going to make me a very wealthy pony.”

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Bedim stood before the bank forlornly, a long sigh seeping from his lips. The frustrating burning in his head was just getting worse whenever he came near the building. He hadn’t been to work in close to a week now, even though he’d told Lullaby otherwise. The stallion hated himself for lying to his mother figure but he just didn’t want to disappoint her. He stepped toward the door one more time only to have the pain resurface violently. He clutched his head in pain and pulled back, his face a storm of emotions. With one last sigh he turned away and headed into the square.

He thought about going to see Crisp but the pony was a master forger now, he was probably busy. Bedim had seen Crisp only sparingly in the week since the two met Pristine. He had only recently learned that the white mare was living in the same house as his best friend. Once again, emotions swelled in the young stallion and he could only grimace. He knew nothing untoward would happen between Crisp and Pristine, especially with his mother, Aunt Honey, there; but Bedim’s mind continued to race into areas he’d rather leave closed. It was like the burning in his mind was turning him into a different pony. One he did not want to become.

Then there was the whole problem of the epidemic. Clearly he and Crisp had just stumbled into discovering that little detail that nopony wanted out. Crisp had brought up the argument that they should tell the town, while Pristine had no argument to give, opting for silence. Bedim agreed that it was a big problem that ponies deserved to know about, but at the same time what would telling them accomplish? Bedim thought about this all the way to his house. Lullaby, he knew, was out meeting friends so he might have the house to himself for an hour or two. All he wanted was a nap to lessen the burden on his head.

He opened the door to his home and found Lullaby curled up in a chair with a book. “Oh, hi, Beddy,” she greeted warmly. “They let you off early?” Lullaby was one of the only ponies Bedim allowed to call him Beddy. As a filly he had rebelled against Aunt Honey’s use of the moniker, but that stopped when Bedim found out just how truly terrifying the mare could be to rebellious fillies.

Bedim looked at the older mare with sad eyes and slowly closed the door letting out a sigh. Perhaps it was fate that he’d come home now and find her. Crisp’s words about talking to his mother rang through his head. Time for the truth. “No, mom,” he sighed. “I… I haven’t been to the bank in a while.”

Lullaby frowned and put down her book. She pulled up another chair by the table she was reading at and patted its seat. Bedim came closer and sat beside her. “What’s wrong?” she asked kindly.

Bedim felt his face flush and slammed his elbows on the table, covering his face with his hoofs. “I’ve been getting these head aches,” he mumbled.

“Headaches?” Lullaby replied.

“Yeah,” Bedim lifted his head to look Lullaby in the eyes. “There’s this… burning in the back of my mind when I’m around that place or even when I’m around…” he trailed off, not feeling like bringing up Pristine to his mother just yet. “Anyway, the feeling just seems to get stronger every day and recently I’ve been having… blackouts with it.”

Lullaby deepened her frown but she did not relinquish her kind smile. She turned her eyes to the side as if trying to recall a long lost memory and sighed. “Do you remember anything from these blackouts?” Worry seeping into her voice.

“Nothing much,” Bedim replied. “Bits and pieces. There’s just this one emotion that flares up like a volcano.”

Lullaby inhaled. “And that is?”

Bedim looked his mother figure in the eyes, worry across his face. “Jealousy. Like whatever someone else has I want.” He grit his teeth. “And I want all of it.”

Lullaby grabbed the stallion and embraced him in tight hug. Bedim felt his anger and stress subside as he rested his head against Lullaby’s chest. His breathing slowed and before long he closed his eyes in peace. “Don’t let it define you,” Lullaby said softly while petting his mane. “It’s foolish to assume you’re alone. When you have a problem you can always come see me.”

Bedim raised his head, a frown still on his face. “So do you know what’s wrong with me?”

Lullaby opened her mouth to respond but closed it once more as nothing came out. She gave him a reassuring smile and restarted. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are who you are and what you are is Bedim Hush.” Her smile was infectious, finally spreading to the stallion. He embraced Lullaby once more and the two stayed like that for a moment.

A loud knock interrupted the familial moment as Lullaby raised her head. “You expecting company?” she asked with a grin.

Bedim parted himself from her and walked over to the door. “No, but it’s probably Crisp asking for something.” He opened the door to find a brilliant white mare standing alone in the doorway, a gray cloak wrapped tightly around her to hide her features.

“Pristine?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. The mare lowered her hood and smiled, taking another look side to side as she waved a hoof, silently asking to be let in. Bedim ushered her in and took a glance around the empty street she seemed to be so wary of before closing the door. He took her cloak from her and hung it up. “So what are you doing here?”

A loud crash sounded from the table where Lullaby sat. She had shot up in her chair and knocked it to the floor. The look on her face was like one had seen a ghost. Her mouth hung open, quivering, as she never tore her eyes away from Pristine.

The white mare tried to smile politely as she walked toward the older one. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, you must be Bedim’s mother. I’m-”

“Pristine…” Lullaby whispered under her breath, her eyes filling with tears.

Pristine frowned. “Y- Yes. I’m sorry. Have we met?” She moved forward again and the older mare backed away more, the tears now clearly streaming down her face. Pristine’s features softened. “I’m sorry. Have I upset you?”

Lullaby shook her head vehemently. “I… I just need some air.” She rushed out the back door and slammed it shut behind her. The two ponies inside stared dumbfounded.

“What was that about?” Bedim asked with a confused expression.

“I don’t know,” Pristine responded. “I don’t think I’ve ever met her before.” Pristine furrowed her brow, still a little upset by what happened.

Bedim shook his head. “No matter. What are you doing here?”

Pristine returned to the present, her focus centering on Bedim. “I… I think somepony’s been following me.”

Bedim frowned and looked out the window. “Following you?”

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Gladius sat low to the ground in the alley across from Lullaby’s house. The mare he had been tracking led him here. Though she had tried to ditch him with a cloak and a few dead ends the red Pegasus proved to be a formidable stalker. He watched as the white mare knocked on the door and Bedim answered it, calling the mare by name. “Damn,” he swore under his breath.

If Bedim knew the mare by name then he must’ve been the one his uncle had ordered him to find. The supposed leak. Gladius was sure it could only be a coincidence. There was no way in Tartarus that Bedim was a spy, let alone somepony who could not be trusted. He watched the white mare walk inside and he leaned back against the wall letting out a long exhausted sigh. He watched the late afternoon clouds above begin to coalesce as rain started to drip down.

Just what was he going to tell his uncle? Regardless of Bedim’s backstory he was sure that the over paranoid stallion would condemn him as some kind of “traitor to the north.” His uncle wanted a witch hunt, plain and simple, and Gladius was helping him achieve that. He ground his teeth as he stared up at the rain. A small chuckle sounded from behind the house whose alley he now sat in. He darted his head back to see a pony his age turn the corner. He was mustard yellow with a red mane and a green visor. A grin was splayed across his face.

“Damn good story, wouldn’t you say?” the pony chuckled. Gladius simply watched him wearily, standing from his prone position.

“Who are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

The pony’s grin didn’t diminish. “The name’s Rumor Mill. I hope you can consider me a friend since our lives are about to get a whole lot more intertwined.”

Gladius got into a defensive stance. The pony was a little shorter than him and clearly didn’t look like he had the capacity to hurt him, but it was safe to be sure. “What do you mean? Story?”

Rumor Mill tilted his visor to block his eyes from the rain. “I mean the story about a blossoming settlement in the north being ravaged by a terrible disease or curse. The conspiracy to keep said epidemic a secret and the pony they called for help. Then that pure innocent girl finds a nice stallion whom she happens to let slip the secret to. This causes the conspirators to send a dog on the chase for an enemy that doesn’t exist.” Gladius drew in a breath. He knew almost everything. “But that’s not all is it?” Gladius raised an eyebrow. Rumor Mill’s grin seemed to reach to his ears. “That dog has a secret of his own. One he can’t tell anypony lest he be labeled a failure and a coward. You see a death is on his hooves and he fears everyone will blame him, should the truth ever arise.” Gladius face flushed and he grew pale. “Now I think the dog is probably the most interesting character in this little story, don’t you?”

Gladius felt his knees go weak and lowered himself from his defensive stance. His lips quivered as he replied. “What do you want from me?”

Rumor Mill strolled closer, his hooves splashing through the forming mud. “I want a million bits. Enough to get me out of this podunk doomed town and into some place a little classier.”

“A million bits!” Gladius replied. “I don’t have that much.”

Rumor Mill turned to face him, his eyes unfeeling and hungry like a bird to a worm. “Loan it. Steal it. I really don’t care how you do it, but I want that money. And precious stones won’t cover it. I can get all the stones I want in the mines but I’d rather not get my hooves dirty.” He smirked.

Gladius head fell and he grit his teeth in anger. “You bastard,” he whispered.

“Bastard I may be,” Rumor replied with a smile. “But soon to be a very rich bastard.” A small squelching noise could be heard over the rain. At first Gladius assumed it was Rumor walking in the mud once more but then he noticed a blossom of red cover the pony’s chest. Rumor coughed as he looked down, a hole with a horn driven through his neck. He choked on the blood that began to fill his mouth and collapsed his legs, falling to the ground. The horn slid out with a slurping noise and a tall gray unicorn in a brown cloak stood behind him, wiping the blood away.

Gladius’ face paled once more as he stared into the cold eyes of his uncle. A look of rage on his face. “What have you done?” Gladius asked shocked.

“What have I done?” the older unicorn asked back. “I saved your life and everything we’ve worked so hard for.” He pointed at the lifeless body. “This snoop was going to destroy it all. I did what needed to be done. What you should have done?”

Gladius breathed rapidly, his mane and coat slowly getting soaked by the rain. “You were following me?” His uncle did not respond. “Why? Why go through all this then?”

“To teach you some backbone!” Javelin shouted. “You are the softest waste of time I’ve ever had. Stars above! I have to blackmail you just to get a little job done! That is not what a leader does!”

“And what does a ‘leader’ do!?” he shouted back, emphasizing the word.

“A leader takes control of the situation,” Javelin smiled darkly. “And makes it his own.” He used his back legs to kick a barrel in the alley and smash it to bits. A loud noise rang throughout the neighborhood. Gladius heart stopped as he saw his uncle disappear and the door to Lullaby’s house open. Bedim exited to investigate the loud noise.

“You’d better hide if you don’t want to be caught.” The voice rang through his head. It was his uncle’s. Gladius took one last look at Bedim before he grit his teeth and flew away to a safe distance. He watched from above as Bedim walked to the alley and discovered the body. A short scream of panic cut through the air as a neighbor walked up moments later and discovered the stallion above the body.

“Murder! Murder!” a pony called. Soon all the neighbors had come out to witness the young stallion standing before Rumor’s corpse. Lullaby and Pristine soon followed looks of shock and terror on their faces. Bedim pled with them that he was innocent but another pony screamed something. “Look! His horn!” Bedim had not noticed that the rain washed away the ash surrounding it and the blood red appendage stood out against the dark atmosphere. More screams followed and Gladius could simply watch as the neighbors turned on the young stallion.

He felt tears fall hard and fast with the rain and screwed his eyes shut. It was all happening again, and he was too weak, too pitiful to stop it. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered before flying off at top speed through the storming rains.