A Rather Large Adventure

by BradyBunch

Chapter Sixty-eight: Sudden Death

Slipping into the redoubt wasn't the problem. The issue was in doing so without making it obvious.

The barbed iron gates of Black Fang Redoubt stood wide open. It displayed the flickering firelight deep within the camp onto the desert sand. This made it hard at first for Spike, hidden at the corner of the open door, to enter.

"Okay," he said to himself, clutching the stolen knife to his chest. "Okay, okay, think, Spike. Think. I always wanted to be a spy, but this, this is really intense. What would… somepony like Freedom Fighter do? Hmm. I guess I… gotta think like Freedom Fighter before acting like him." He posed in a feral stance. "Yaa! I'm… a… sad, strange little pony who's got everypony's pity? No, no, that's not him. How would he go about something in stealth mode? I go up on the ceiling and in the corners and the shadows of every single thing! I do leaps and cartwheels and somersaults with cool spy music playing from… somewhere. Gah! I can't do cartwheels! I can't even do a handstand!"

Spike sighed and crept around the edge of the door, making sure to keep within its shadow. "Good thing those aren't necessary."

Spike was so small, he could stay within the shadows easily, even when they thinned out into clear torchlight inside the camp.

"But why was the gate even open in the first place?" Spike whispered, hiding behind a stack of barrels.

Two Noxxa, conversing in small mutters, passed by so close to the barrels Spike could hear them draw breath. Spike held his own until they had passed by, and he let it out and kept moving. If there was anything he had learned in the travels over the past month, it was that staying still was inviting danger to come. Always move. Never stay. Don't stand still, no matter how afraid you are.

So Spike, scared out of his wits, sprinted to the next dark building and dove into the corner, huddling down to lessen his profile.

Because the streets at this time were busy. Not quite so busy as in the morning, but Noxxa were certainly awake. Lights were on in every building. Figures moved through the windows. Weapon racks were empty. The blacksmith forge, vomiting smoke, was busy with last-minute repairs.

Spike had no idea why, but as he watched, more and more Noxxa came out into the streets of the camp and began to rally. They looked rowdy and violent. Many Noxxa had painted themselves dull red or a bony white over their base of black. It made them look even more devilish than they already were, which was an accomplishment that Spike noticed immediately. His legs shook in place.

"What are they doing?" he whispered. He tried his best to be as soundless as possible. Spike put a hand to his forehead. "What am I doing? Ugh. Think, Spike. Where would Rarity be kept? If she's been locked in a dungeon-!"

He stopped himself for two reasons. The first was that he was getting louder, and more Noxxa were assembling by the minute. The second was that he had come to an inevitable conclusion.

"But Blueblood doesn't want her in a dungeon," he whispered. "He wants her with him. And Blueblood is usually…"

He craned his head around the corner of the building. Right down the main street was his cabin, ruined by the girl's assault earlier in the day.

"...right there," the glum dragon finished.

---

Eight pairs of eyes appeared over a ridge of rocks only a hundred yards away from the imposing iron doors of Black Fang Redoubt. Firelight illuminated the stretching towers, looming high above the picketed walls surrounding the camp. It was much bigger than they remembered it.

The ponies, even Tempest and the Guardians, felt a tremor run through their spines. Inside the hellish portals were three ponies that meant more to them than they could possibly imagine.

"The gate's wide open," Starlight finally whispered.

"It's a trap!" Pinkie whispered as quietly as she could, which wasn't very quiet.

"I'm not going in there," Tempest declared.

Fluttershy wheeled around, surprise embedded in her face. "But Faust said-"

"This Faust of yours said that we would return to Black Fang Redoubt, and our hostages would be delivered into our hooves." Tempest settled down on the rocks with her hooves crossed in front of her. "Well then. This is Black Fang Redoubt. And I'm not moving until Faust delivers on her promise."

"You don't believe in her, do you?"

Tempest only gave a laugh. "What, did you think showing me a tall alicorn angel would convert me to your kooky Goddess instantly? Here's another lesson for you all. Showing signs is worthless if the pony simply doesn't believe in the first place. I've seen ponies say they'd believe in the supernatural if they were shown a sign. Horse shit, in my opinion. They never intend on believing if they see a sign. They'd just demand more and more. I'm different. I don't believe in the Goddess. So the signs have no impact on me. What is a god to an unbeliever?"

Much as Twilight hated to admit it, Tempest had a point.

"I see movement inside," Firestorm murmured, squinting.

Pinkie Pie picked up two small rocks and held them up to her eyes, adjusting them as if she was looking through binoculars. "Hmm. I don't see them."

Fluttershy plucked the rocks from Pinkie's grip. "How about now?"

Pinkie gave a slow, suspicious nod as she squinted. "Yeeeeaaah. I do see better, as a matter of fact."

"There are Noxxa assembling outside!" Freedom reported.

"What?" came the whisper from Applejack, adjusting her hat for a better view.

"Why do you think they're doing that?" Starlight proposed.

"Oh no," Twilight breathed. "Spike's in there. He'll be seen!" She started to lift herself up. "Wait here. I'm going in."

"Absolutely not," Freedom Fighter refused, holding out his arm and keeping her down.

"But my friends!"

"We've already lost three of us!" Freedom pointed out. "I don't want to lose you too! Okay? You're the strongest out of all of us. Even more than me. What will we do without you?"

Twilight, silent at first, haltingly replied with, "Rely on Starlight?"

"Starlight's a great leader, but with you here, she still can rely on you!"

"Oh? And who will I rely on?"

He looked the princess right in the eyes. "Rely on me, Twilight," Freedom Fighter whispered. "Lean on me when you're weak. Stand on my shoulders when you're just out of reach. I'll be the pillar to bear you up."

Twilight, stunned, took a moment before she said, "But what about you-?"

"I've stood on my own before," he said, giving a small laugh and avoiding her eyes. "I can do it for a little longer."

Twilight dropped back into their hideout. Before she knew it, Twilight was merely inches away from his ragged yellow face. And his scarlet loops were soft, and as warm as a fireplace.

He grinned. He looked cute when he grinned. Twilight felt an urge to lean in closer to examine how his lips worked.

"Do we have a plan?" Starlight asked, tapping Twilight on the shoulder.

For the first time, Twilight felt a fleeting moment of hate for her student. But only for a short while. Then she cleared her mind and spoke.

"Well, without the next step from Faust, we can't exactly make a move. What more can we do at the moment except just… stay here?"

"We're not even going to launch a rescue mission inside?" an indignant Rainbow clarified.

"What if the guards see us? What if those Noxxa in the courtyard march out? We're not exactly in the safest of spots right now," Pinkie followed up.

"Right now, we've worked like it all depends on us. Now that we've done all we can, all we can do is pray like it all depends on Faust."

Tempest opened one eye at that, then closed it once again and groaned.

---

Spike had crept all the way behind the main buildings in the street without the aid of torchlight. No Nox would ever think that there would be a dragon in the camp, much less in such plain sight. If they just took a closer look at the shadows, they'd perhaps see him run as fast as his little legs could carry him from one shelter to another.

But fortunately for Spike, the Noxxa were preoccupied with other business. And Spike was small and smart.

Before he knew it, he was in the shadows of the cabin, directly beneath the steps leading up to the door.

There were hoofsteps creaking on the floorboards above him. Spike inferred they were from Blueblood. There were also spoken murmurs and rises and falls in pitch and tone as he spoke.

Then there was a higher-pitched voice, belonging to the most breathtaking mare he had ever dreamed of. Her quick-spoken words were muffled, but he could sense her tone: defiant and refusing.

Who else could he be speaking to but Rarity? Spike was sure of it. He gripped the dagger ever closer to his chest.

Question: now what?

There would be no way he could sneak in and spirit Rarity away with Blueblood in the same room. And there would be no distraction he could cause to bring out Blueblood without also drawing the attention of the entire camp, which was in the courtyard howling and shrieking and assembling together. They were all armed and ready to attack.

A thought pounded at the back of his head. Keep moving! The longer you stay in one place, the more likely it is that somepony will find you.

But he was running out of time. He couldn't stay forever, and his options were limited. What was he going to do? Spike's knees knocked together. It was all he could do to stop hyperventilating.

Then the hoofbeats came closer and closer to the door right above him, and Spike drew a deep breath. The doors opened, and light from inside spilled onto the dark street. A series of white legs came into view, and they were wobbly. Blueblood stumbled out and down the steps, holding something in his magic grip. Spike looked closer and saw it was a bottle of obviously very expensive wine. A martini glass was also in his magical aura, but it was lagging far behind him.

He must have obviously been celebrating his good fortune. And he was trying to share it with Rarity. Spike was hit with a fresh wave of anger and thought seriously about striking from his hidden spot and slashing the back of his legs so he wouldn't get away and then sinking the sturdy knife deep into his heart.

But he didn't. He just watched.

Blueblood stumbled away, and the martini glass was suddenly dropped to the ground and shattered. The prince just took a swig from the bottle itself instead and staggered off into another road of the massive redoubt. After going as far as he could, he rounded the bend and disappeared.

Spike, forcing his violent thoughts down, realized: the door hadn't locked when it closed! He could…

Spike wiggled his way through the cracks in the steps, awkward because of his bulgy nature, and scrambled up the steps, tore open the door, and went inside and shut it, all as quickly and quietly as he could.

His eyes instantly went to the corner of the well-lit cabin, where a divine white pony was lashed to a small wooden chair facing the ridged wall.

"Oh, what is it now, O high-and-mighty prince?" came the mocking sigh from Rarity, not seeing who had entered. "Another attempt to share a drink with me so I could collapse into your arms like a brainless mare of old?"

"I wouldn't quite put it that way," Spike replied, shuffling his feet.

Rarity gasped so hard that Spike was sure she would be short on breath. She bumped up and down in her seat while turning so she could face her savior. "Spikey-wikey! Oh, my dear, I'm so happy to see you! You were exactly who I was hoping above all others would come to rescue me!"

Spike blinked. "Wow. It's, uh… it's me?"

"Why, of course you are, darling!" she quickly affirmed. "Who else but my magnificent, loyal, humble dragon assistant could better deliver me from the grasp of these demons?"

Spike shrugged. "Noble Blade?"

Rarity blew a raspberry. "Pshaw! Noble's locked up at the moment. Who else can I rely on but the dragon that's already saved my life twice this trip?"

Spike knew she was referring to in the Rolk's cave and on Mount Aris, when he'd felt a sudden urge to defend her in imminent danger. But Spike was still confused as to Rarity's strange new behavior. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden?

Rarity cleared her throat. "Um, Spike? Would you mind…?" She jabbed her head at the ropes binding her to the chair.

Spike felt stupid. "Sure, sure." He came over and used the stolen knife to cleave through the ropes on the back. When the last rope fell, Rarity all but fell out, and weakly rubbed her upper arms to regain feeling.

Spike folded his arms. "What's the part you're not telling me?"

"Hmm?" Rarity gave him a surprised look. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

"The way you're talking right now. It seems like you're really reaching. Come on, I've heard that tone before too many times to not recognize it. And every time you say it, it's when you're being insincere. Straight up now, tell me. What's going on?"

"I…" Rarity gave up with a sigh. "Look, I just… It's been terrible. The prince… he still thinks he's doing the right thing. He didn't make me get down on my knees and force me to, well, service him. Thank Faust for that. But he is still scum. For the past hour or so, he's been convincing me to start a new life with him. His astounding reasoning being that my friends would never come in without getting butchered, with the addition that if I didn't, he would give the order to execute Noble. He tried to be 'civil' by offering me a drink, but I knew he was simply trying to get me inebriated."

"What's that word mean?" Spike wondered.

"Hammered, Spike. He was trying to get me hammered. And I'm sure that he was going to get me to nail him as well, as if by some miracle I would see him in a different light afterward."

"Where'd he go now? I saw him leave this place."

"He went to go pee or something. He had drunk a lot."

"Ah."

"But Spike… he simply wasn't true! It was only during the last hour that I had a true moment of introspection. I knew that there would be one friend of mine who would look for any way to rescue me from harm, just as you've done so many times in the past. Remember the diamond dogs? Remember the Crystal Heart? And the Equestria Games? I was holding out for the hero of the hour. And it wasn't Noble Blade. He's a knight in shining armor, all right. But you are my knight in shining armor."

Spike's knees trembled. "...Rarity?"

"Out of all the ponies I've met over the years, none compared to you, Spike. Noble Blade is a remarkable pony, but I would never think of separating him from Fluttershy. Trenderhoof was totally disinterested with anyone apart from Applejack, and Blueblood… well, I think no words need be further spoken about him. And during all that time, who was there for me to lean on?"

"Y-you really mean all of that?" Spike murmured in wonder.

"Don't you think I haven't noticed your presence in my life? Everything you do, you do beside either Twilight or me. Think about it! The shopping trips we went on where you picked out my wares, the extra pair of hands to carry my supplies, you standing as a model for the ensembles I'd make! Even the mining expeditions underground to pick out the most beautiful gems! And you restrain yourself from eating them just because I say so. Listen, I… Spike, I know that it's hard. I must have been so selfish! I've been asking so much from you and given back so little, but you stick by me anyway! Only the strongest of ponies can do such a thing! Rainbow is loyal, and Applejack is strong, and Twilight and Noble Blade are determined, but you are the most loyal, strong, and determined pony out of all of them!"

Spike was really shaking now. "Dragon," he weakly corrected. His mouth felt hoarse. Rarity was actually saying these things to him!

"But I don't see you as a dragon!" Rarity said. "You're more than that! And I know you think so too!"

Spike took Rarity's hooves and held them tenderly. "You mean more to me than you think you do, Rarity."

"B-but I must mean the world to you!"

"The world isn't enough for me," Spike whispered.

Rarity grew a tear at the corner of her left eye as she smiled. "Oh, you charmer!"

"You're the one that charmed me when I first saw you," Spike replied, giving a shy grin.

Rarity immediately planted a kiss on his bright red cheek. She pulled away and gave a high, cute laugh. "Oh, Spike! I never would have thought…"

Spike rubbed his cheek absently, gazing into Rarity's sapphire eyes. Rarity, spotting this, cut herself off. "What?"

Without warning, Spike grabbed her cheeks and kissed her full on the lips.

Rarity gave a squeal of surprise. Then a moan of contentment as she began to kiss him back.

The kiss felt both long and short to them. When they broke away, both of them were giving each other wide-eyed stares of wonder.

Then the door to the cabin opened.

"Hey, prince, I was wondering where the list of soldiers staying at the camp… would… be…"

The Nox cut himself off. Surprise had taken hold of him for a second. Then he growled, slammed the door shut with a hind leg, and scurried on six sharp claws towards them, baring his fangs.

Rarity screamed.

Spike, without hesitation and in one fluid motion, picked up his discarded knife, turned around, and sank it hilt-deep into the Nox's neck just as it came upon him.

With his arms up and holding it in place, he swung down and hurled the body over his head to the floor, and as it came off the knife and hit the deck, it exploded into thick clumps of dust.

Rarity, watching the whole thing, gave him a gaze of bewilderment. "S-spike? Where'd that come from?"

"You were in danger," he explained.

"But you just--I mean… wow. I didn't know you had it in you!"

He rubbed his neck. "Heh. To be honest, neither did I. But, uh, I think you kinda pushed it out."

"With a kiss?"

"Yeah."

She shrugged. "Sounds fair, all right."

"Let's get out of here," Spike continued, grabbing Rarity's hoof. "We can keep kissing once we get back to the campsite."

"But can't we kiss now?!" Rarity protested.

"I wouldn't mind, but what if we get discovered?"

"Hm. Again, fair point."

"How should we get out?" Spike wondered. "I came in through the front gate, but it'd be much harder to sneak two of us through a crowded street."

"And we can't stay here, either," Rarity pointed out, gesturing at the mound of sand in the cabin. "Blueblood might come back at any moment, and that's not counting the Noxxa."

"Wait a second!" Spike remembered in a split second. "What about Noble? As long as we're here, we should get him out as well."

"Well… yeah," Rarity said with hesitance. "Is that not why you came in here?"

"No," Spike mumbled, feeling abashed all of a sudden. "I was only… thinking of you."

Rarity's mouth turned into a frown. "I'm disappointed in you, Spike. I thought you weren't like this. Noble is a higher emergency than me."

"It was a more immediate emergency on my part to worry about you," Spike admitted.

"So you have no plan to break out Noble?!" Rarity demanded, throwing an indignant hoof in the air.

"No," Spike said, feeling more dejected than ever.

Rarity had evidently seen this, because her demeanor flew to one of reassurance in an instant. She caressed the top of his head and kissed his cheek again. "Oh, I'm so sorry for that, Spike. I shouldn't have been so forceful-"

"No, you're right," Spike readily said. "If Twilight finds out that I was in the enemy camp and didn't bring back Noble, she'd kill me!"

"Oh, o-of course she wouldn't!" Rarity said with a nervous, unsure laugh.

"Have you seen her these past few days?" Spike refuted. "I can't remember her being so unstable. Who knows when she'll just… snap?" He shivered. "I don't want to be the straw that'll break her back."

"Then we need to find him, and quickly!" Rarity declared with a hoof in the air. She then trotted to the window in the back and slid it open. "Come on, Spike. Through the back we shall go to allay suspicion!"

"What about when Blueblood comes back?" Spike pointed out, running over to the window.

"We hide," Rarity said. She boosted him up to the windowsill and pushed him through. Spike immediately fell seven feet and landed on his back with a groan of pain.

"Sorry!" Rarity hissed, cringing. "Hang on, I'm coming after you."

She hoisted herself up and wiggled her way under the window, then grabbed onto the ledge and dropped to the ground beneath.

---

It was peculiar. Noble Blade could clearly see where he was going by the light of the sphere above his head, but no other creature could see the light. It was only enough for him and a small area around him to be illuminated.

He was in a long, narrow, musty cave corridor with cells embedded into the rock walls and old stools outside them, occupied by sleeping Noxxa. There weren't any ponies in the cells, but Noble could see the red-stained bones in heaps inside of them, and could infer what happened rather easily.

He carefully stepped over a slumbering Nox's outstretched leg. One slip-up and it was all over.

Take a deep breath, Noble.

Noble released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and drew in another one as he maneuvered his way through the hallway.

Presently, he heard the clinking of hard chitin on rock. Without a second thought, he bolted into a half-open cell in the corridor and hid by the hinges of the door, enveloped in shadow. With tremendous effort, he kept his breathing under control. He was hidden in plain sight. They'd never think he was there.

Four Noxxa were clicking their way down the corridor. Their yellow eyes glinted like so many gems in the darkness. They were talking among themselves as they walked, and they stopped right outside Noble's impromptu cell.

"What do you think we'll do while the others are out invading Appleoosa? Just stay here and watch over Rarity and Noble Blade?"

"Gah, they always pick us to do that. Why can't we be part of the action?"

Blueblood had taken Rarity as well. Noble felt a bolt of lightning travel down his spine into his hooves. His mouth felt dry. Rarity!

But how? Did Rarity come to Black Fang Redoubt as well? When? He felt confused. What had he missed out on?

Faust, he called in his head. What should I do?

In response, all he felt was his own fear. Noble knew that didn't come from the Goddess.

So he waited. After about three minutes, they decided to move on to the kitchen and enjoy a glass or two of wine. Blueblood had apparently ordered some to be taken up, but that didn't mean they couldn't get a sip as well!

As they faded away down the corridor, he scrambled out of the empty cell and made his way further along the passageway. He noted that he was going up. That meant he was underground in a cave of some sort. The entrance couldn't be far.

"Where's Rarity?" he whispered.

I am taking you to her. You are on the fastest route.

"Where is she?" he repeated.

Why do you need to know? As I said, I'm leading you to her. It doesn't matter where she is.

"I prefer to know the whole plan before going in shorthanded," he explained softly as he rounded a bend. "If you could let me in on where we're going…"

No. I have a sequence of events that need to play out, and letting you know will disrupt them.

"So am I to be a puppet of yours?" he breathed with a hint of incredulity.

A puppet? No, Noble, that's a word ponies use when they have any kind of restriction set on them. I don't intend on letting you become a mindless drone. Have I done anything to you to prove otherwise? Right now, all I ask of you is to clear your mind and put your trust in me that I know what I'm doing. I see a bigger picture than you do, Noble, and if you saw it as well, the best outcome would be denied.

Noble gave a groan but didn't stop walking. "Then… that's okay. If that's the case, one step at a time is enough for me."

Glad you think so. You're approaching the end of the corridor, by the way.

Noble kept his eyes focused ahead. Sure enough, there was the opening to the cave, and beyond it, the clouded night sky. The moon and stars couldn't be seen.

"Did you cloud the skies on purpose?" he whispered.

I may have subtly told the weather ponies to gather clouds near Appleoosa. It'll lessen your visibility without the extra light.

Noble poked his head out of the cave mouth. As he did, he took a deep inhale of beautiful, fresh air. It was so vastly different from the foul, musty cell that for a few moments he just stood there, absorbing the cool night air.

Then he trotted out and clung to the shadows of the deserted streets. There was no one in these parts of the redoubt; everyone was in the center street instead. But still, Noble felt more comfortable hidden from sight.

He had the large picket fence to his right, and the backside of storage sheds to his left. Was there something he should do?

"Is this the right way?" he breathed.

I will lead you, Noble. Just empty your mind of your expectations and allow me to take control. I do expect my children to have the ability to choose, but for the moment I need you to put your expectations on hold so I can speak clearly through you. Fools are no good to me.

Noble understood, and did his best to stop the nagging feelings of immediate escape over the ramparts off to the side. But intrusive thoughts kept on pressing into his head. What if I get spotted? What if I reveal myself and it's my fault I get captured again? What if Rarity's already dead?

I don't even have a weapon.

The thought stopped him dead in his tracks. If there was anything he needed, it was something to defend himself. But where to find it?

Noble was considering going towards the smithy to look for one, belching smoke from over the rooftops from far away. But as he rounded a corner, he saw a lumpy form lying in the middle of the street that gave him pause.

Curious, he crept closer, sticking to the shadow near the picket fence. The body was just barely outside the puddle of light from a torch in a ring above their heads, but the closer he got, the less he needed it.

When he stepped into the light, he recognized the body immediately.

Lying comatose in a puddle of his own vomit and urine was Prince Blueblood. His suit was crumpled and soiled, and his mane was ragged and hung over his face. The silver necklace with a sapphire in it was still around his neck, but it was all piled in a heap.

Noble stared in shock for several moments. This must have been what Faust had meant by leading him to his destination. But he was rooted to the floor. Unable to move, or think.

He leaned over him to examine the body. He wasn't dead, of course. But a whiff told him that he had alcohol on his breath. A shattered bottle a few feet off was further proof of that claim.

But what could he do with him? Noble harbored no delusion that by dragging him inside, he could win his undying gratitude.

"He must have been celebrating," he murmured. A wave of anger came over him, and he had to take a step back from his body to resist the temptation to hurt him. "Bastard!" he hissed. Wild imaginations crossed his head. He thought of smashing his head into the stones. It would be so easy now, so-

Kill him.

Faust's voice rang clearly in his head.

Noble Blade took another step back and put a hoof to his head. Was that a headache? "No. No, I can't kill him!"

You must. Why else do you think I brought you here? The law decrees his death.

"Not from me! I'm not the one to do that sort of thing! Who am I to judge and execute other ponies?"

You didn't judge him. I did. I saw his heart, and it was vile and evil. You'll never get the Element of Honor while he's alive.

"This is murder!"

This is justice.

"Not if it comes from my hooves! I hate him too much! He foalnapped me. He betrayed the country I love. He defied my mentors. He cheated the money out of an entire town. He imprisoned Rarity and intends on violating her. He's driven us all to the brink of insanity. He's turned into a weak and foolish tool to be driven about by the Noxxa. And he's probably done all sorts of other evil, nauseating things before he left Canterlot. For all these things I want him to die, so if I kill him, I'm not a justiciar. I'm a coward, a vigilante and a murderer."

Think about what you're going to do, Noble. Think.

"I'm not going to be a murderer!" he hissed.

That's right. You're going to save lives. There's only one hope of stopping Solaris from eliminating all life on this planet, and leaving this pony alive will obliterate that hope. Should the millions of souls of the entire planet die, just because you want to keep your hooves clean? I have weighed his life and found him wanting. He planned your death, and my Prophet's death, and the death of many other ponies by urging Equestria to not fight for their freedom. He is prideful, vain, selfish, and cruel, and such beings have no place in my ranks. You're not sparing him out of mercy, because only his death will be merciful to the ponies you love. You're sparing him out of vanity, so you can look at your clean hooves and say you had nothing to do with it. But I tell you now, Noble Blade, that if you spare his life, the blood of the millions you've doomed will be on your hooves!

"No!"

It was the hardest thing he could remember doing. Saying no to the opportunity? What was he doing?

Noble, you are the only one I have on the board at the moment, and it is only by doing this that you shall obtain your freedom and the Element of Honor. Without them, the world will be laid waste, and my children shall face a premature judgment day. It is better that one pony shall perish than to have an entire world fall to the flames of demons.

"I… I know, but…I wish it wasn't me doing it. Killing him in the street in his own piss? This doesn't feel very… honorable."

Noble, do you remember what I said about why many are called, but few are chosen?

"Because too many ponies aspire to the honors of the world."

As a bearer of the Element of Honor, you are not to list towards the honors and ideals of the ever-changing world. You may be forced to do very strange and confusing things that the world looks down on. The honors and glory of the world will die. But my honor never will. To bear the Element of Honor, you must honor me. Honor to your morals will get you further than any kind of response the world will give you. This is the time to honor both me and the laws you have upheld. Take from this pony what the law requires, and the Element of Honor is yours.

Noble Blade drew the ornamental saber from Blueblood's sheath. It was elegant beyond compare; Noble could not imagine seeing its equal. The carved, spiraled hilt was of pure gold and the thin blade was of the finest steel. The only imperfection was the jagged tip, where it had broken off.

"I can't stab him through the heart with this," he whispered. "The tip is broken. He'd wake up."

Then take off his head.

Noble dropped the sword and backed into the shadow again. "I can't!" he heaved. "I can't! I can't!"

He took deep breaths whilst staring at the body he was meant to kill. He felt weak behind his knees. He felt as though tears were going to spill from his eyes.

He heaved for breath. Why did he feel so dizzy? It confused him. He was so eager to kill him before. What was different now? Was it because Faust told him to kill him, knowing how angry he was, and that was the way to open his eyes as to just how bad it was?

Noble glared at the body. Blueblood just lay there in his thin puddle of piss and vomit.

Then he moved back into the torchlight, picked up the sword with his magic, and grabbed Blueblood by the hair of his head. His snores jolted a bit. Was he waking up? He almost dropped him, but Blueblood was still deep in unconsciousness, and his breathing went back to normal.

Noble, using his magic, pressed the edge of the blade into the front of his throat. A thin red line appeared. He pressed harder, and red spurted out and coated the sword. No going back now. He quickly severed the taut vocal cords and fleshy esophagus, and then the windpipe. The blade got stuck when it came to the spinal column, but Noble wedged the blade between two vertebrae and twisted his head back and forth. He eventually bent it entirely backward. Then he cut between the bones, and the blade came out the opposite side, and Blueblood's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground, and Noble, now covered in fresh blood, held Blueblood's severed head.

He was dripping with it, covering his head and hooves and chest. He was blank. His mind was reeling. He had just killed Prince Blueblood, and he was holding his sticky, red head.

"What am I now?" he whispered. He dropped the head. It sounded like a pumpkin as it hit the dirt road, now running red with blood and soaking into the soil. He stumbled back, dropping the saber with a muffled clatter.

Something was running from his eyes and mixing with the blood and dripping off of him.

See that necklace he has on his neck?

Stump of a neck, he thought snidely, but he came closer. Truth be told, there it was, the bright silver tarnished with the red blood. And the blue jewel in the center shone like a star.

That jewel is yours. Take the amulet from him.

Noble used his magic instead of reaching for it. He held it in his dripping red hoof and stared at the jewel. He hadn't thought much of it when he saw it. What did it mean to Blueblood?

That jewel only meant a jewel to Blueblood. It was given to him as a gift from Celestia to remind him of the honor expected of him. But instead, he used his honor to usurp others, which is not honor at all. You must seek not for honor, Noble, except only to pull it down. Doing the right thing and killing him was not an easy thing for you to do, but you did it anyway, which is a true sign of honor if any there was one. You are guiltless in my eyes, Noble. Are you the same in your own?

He gulped. He still felt shaky. "It… might take a while to get over it."

No pony must run faster than he has strength. Take all the time you need.

Noble caressed the jewel, but not in greed. In somber loss.

The Element of Honor was deep and so rich in color, it looked like the color of a pony's eye. Was it his own? What he knew was it seemed to connect with him on a level beyond the mundane. It was familiar, if such a word could be accurate. It was an old feeling. It was warm and happy to see him. Noble was not sure how to feel about the stone. He felt warm toward it in return, but he also felt a twist in his gut about how he had purchased it. The Element of Honor was gained by doing the least honorable thing he could imagine.

"What a juxtaposition," he groaned. He slung it over his neck. It felt tight around his windpipe. Or was that just him, getting harder to breathe?

Noble unbuckled the saber from Blueblood's body and strapped it to his own hip. He then took the sword in the dirt and sheathed it. Then he staggered off around the bend, unwilling to be there any longer. He felt like he would add to the vomit already there.

After only a few more turns in the dark redoubt, deliberately trying to get himself lost, he heard hoofsteps around the corner. He nearly drew the saber again, until he realized that the only ponies in Black Fang Redoubt were him, Blueblood, and… Rarity.

A pony-shaped shadow was growing on the walls of the nearby buildings in the torchlit alley. Beside it was the silhouette of a baby dragon.

They rounded the bend. Rarity and Spike froze in their tracks when they saw him, crouching silently in the darkness, with a long weapon at his side.

Spike threw himself in front of her, brandishing a knife he recognized as Freedom Fighter's. "Stay back, Rarity! The prince'll answer to me!"

"Hold on!" he exclaimed, moving into the torchlight. "It's me!"

"WAAAUUGH!" Rarity shrieked, stumbling back. Spike dropped the knife in fear.

Noble just then remembered that there was blood all over him, from the time they had poured it on him in his cell, and the fresh blood from just now. He must have looked nightmarish to them. Ghoulish, even.

"Shh, shh," he urged, gesturing at himself. "Look, it's me! Noble Blade! I just escaped from my cell! The guards all fell asleep and left the door unlocked. I just slipped past when the time was right!"

"Wh-why do you have b-blood all over you?" Spike trembled.

"They tortured me in prison. They poured boiling blood on me over my open lash wounds. Some of this is my own, but most of it…"

"Oh, darling," Rarity breathed quickly, scanning him. "What kind of horrid, twisted creatures… Oh, but I'm just so happy to see you again!"

She held out her arms as if for a hug, but then stopped and settled to all fours again. "...On second thought, maybe a hug wouldn't work so well right now."

Between the dire circumstances and the mess he was in, and the already-drying blood all over him and the awful smell he was sure to have, Noble understood entirely.

"You're escaping?" he asked them.

"Trying to," Spike explained. "We were about to look for you, actually, but it looks like you found us."

Thanks to the Goddess, Noble thought.

"Now the only problem we encounter would be getting out," Rarity remarked.

"You don't know how?" he asked.

"To be honest, I never thought I'd get this far," Spike admitted. He scratched his head. "Maybe going over the picket fences?"

"The sentries will see us running off and shoot us," Noble pointed out, gesturing at the guard towers looming at every junction of the encampment. "We need a more subtle way."

"A way they'd never think to question," Rarity continued.

"But we need to do it quickly!" Spike added. "Who knows when Blueblood will return?"

"That's a problem you won't need to worry about," Noble said. His deep blue eyes seemed heavy and pained. "He's dead."

Rarity and Spike stopped every movement. Their faces held a mix of disbelief and excitement.

"I came across his body in an alley near the picket fence," Noble said, thinking quickly. "His head's chopped off. It was awful, he was in puddles of piss and vomit and blood. I didn't have a weapon, so I took his sword and his…" He held up the necklace.

"His pimp jewels?" Spike finished.

He nodded uneasily. "...Yes. His pimp jewels."

"Well, that's one problem out of the way," Rarity commented. "It'll be that much easier for us to escape! And they won't discover his body for a while now! Everyone is assembling in the front."

"To launch an invasion against Appleoosa," Noble finished. "This camp isn't the only one that's doing so. All across Equestria, they're rising up, because the main invasion force of Noxxa just invaded Manehattan. They're fountaining into Equestria by the tens of thousands, and while our army is preoccupied, they'll appear and strike at the home front!"

"How did you know that?"

"The guards in my cell talked too much."

"Well, unless we have an invisibility spell, we're screwed," Spike said. He gave a pointed glance to the two unicorns.

"I'm not as advanced as Starlight," Rarity said.

"I just got out of prison," Noble said. "I feel awful."

"Great!" He threw up his arms. "Just great!"

Rarity's eyes suddenly glittered. "Hold on. You know how we thought you were Blueblood from your silhouette?"

"Yeah?" Noble uncomfortably answered.

"Who's to say it won't work again?"

---

K’ra felt exultant. Everything was going according to plan! With all of the stupid prince’s desires finally gratified, he could now focus on the main reason he came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere.

Stepping out of the barracks made especially for him, armed and ready to move out, he made as if to join the massive throng in the middle of the campsite. But as he was, out of the corner of his vision, he caught a sliver of movement that he knew, somehow, wasn’t natural.

He turned. Two pony-shaped figures were making their way through the edges of the buildings on the main road.

He skittered over to them quickly. Adrenaline filled his veins. It was Rarity, and a pony in a raged brown cloak with the prince's uniform on his back! It was so bloody and red, it was as if it was never a pristine white tux in the first place! He drew his saw-edged blade with a steely rasp.

“What do you think you’re doing?” demanded the one in the cloak, shoving Rarity behind him.

K’ra recognized it as Blueblood’s voice immediately. He sheathed his blade quickly, restraining his rage. “So sorry, my prince. Why, whatever are you doing at this time of night, slinking away in such a drab attire?”

“Because I’m an absolute mess of myself,” he haughtily replied. “Being covered in blood will do that to you, you think?”

Oh, the prince’s condescending attitude was as present as ever. But something was off… and what was that he had said? “Blood?”

“Noble Blade’s blood,” he said, and he sounded sickly smug. “I just killed him in his own cell. It was a messy affair. Bits of hair and guts all over the place."

"You what?" he demanded in rage.

"Rarity kept expressing her one true love to him, so I removed that part of the equation altogether. Now nothing is in my way to gain the most perfect mare in Equestria! On the downside, it ruined my favorite tux! So I’m going to the river outside to wash it.”

“Why on earth are you taking Rarity with you?” K’ra asked menacingly, peering around into the folds of his robe. Indeed, his long horn was completely discolored with scarlet, and the red around his striking blue eyes was indeed dry. He took a sniff. There was indeed blood all over him. The prince seemed much more believable now.

“Why not?!” the prince demanded. “You want to know what will happen if I leave her alone? She could escape! And one of those stupid ponies could come and rescue her, too. The safest place for her is by my side.” He gave Rarity a tight squeeze, bending her down. “Isn’t that right, Rarity?”

“You’ll never get away with this!” Rarity screeched.

“Oh, my dear,” he said with insincerity, forcing her head up to gaze with fright into his hard, dark blue eyes. “Stop saying that! You’re living a fantasy! This is the real world now, and your world is me.”

K’ra gave them both a look of satisfaction. This was certainly strange for him to do, but something was telling him that why shouldn’t he do it? It was just like him to be that way.

"Fine, then. Take her, my prince. I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint you." He gave an insincere grin of his own.

---

As soon as they had moved out of immediate earshot of the Nox, Noble whispered to Rarity, "Too far?"

"That was just like him!" she encouraged. "Just keep on doing that if we get stopped again."

Noble initially had doubts about the plausibility of Rarity's plan when she had suggested it. But as it turned out, he was indeed so covered in old blood that none of the assumed pearly white of Blueblood's coat could be seen. All he had to do was retrieve his crumpled, bloody suit from the body a few turns back, while Rarity quickly fashioned a ragged cloak from some tatters of leather hanging from a window. Spike had been sent off to the position Rarity had instructed, while Noble and Rarity moved together in plain sight.

Noble, and Rarity as well, he knew, were nervous as to if the disguises would actually work the first time. But after the success with the smug Nox, Noble wondered if it wasn't just them doing the work.

The power of Faust sometimes worked in wondrous ways and sometimes in tender mercies. She might not force everyone in the camp to become blind, but she could subtly alter the perceptions of them so as to believe them. She could influence them to not question the pair moving out of their vision. She could make it so their hoofsteps were part of the din all around them, or a part of the dreams of the bugs still asleep in the camp. And she could make it so that what the Noxxa were hearing when Noble tried to mimic Blueblood's voice was actually Blueblood's voice. Once Noble considered this, he nodded. Of course! Anything truly remarkable on Faust's part would make them stand out, and standing out was the last thing they needed.

At least, standing out in a bad way.

"Is Spike in position yet?" he whispered, peeking around the bend of the smithy. Though the gate was just at the end of the street, the streets were still crowded, and there was a limit to how much the Noxxa could ignore it if they just walked by in plain sight.

"Well, he'd better be," Rarity breathed back. "We can't stay here forever."

Directly across the street from them between two wooden barracks, a small green flame lit up, then quickly extinguished itself.

He was ready.

Noble took a deep breath. "Show time."

---

K'ra skittered up the roof of the building closest to the gate. With a raising of his cruel sword, the hordes below swiftly ceased their inane chatter and paid attention to him. The guards posted in the tall towers were gone. What purpose did they have in keeping watch for a soon-to-be empty base?

"The time has come!" he announced. "We shall slither from our dark places and overrun the settlements in this part of Equestria! Our duty to our Lord and Marshal Malice is a small one, however, compared to the glory we are sure to achieve when this world is smoldering ashes!"

In a passing glance, he saw Rarity and Blueblood trotting down the street. Rarity was as nervous as she always looked. Blueblood was still covered by the cloak he wore.

Knowing their intent, he continued to speak, to get the Noxxa's attention off the ponies coming closer. "But even Malice himself is nothing, nothing, compared to the almighty glory that is Solaris! Him, the God of creation and eternal glory! To him be all praise given! To Solaris may we offer this world, ripe for the taking!"

"AAAAAUGH!"

It was a childish roar, and K'ra knew it wasn't from the Noxxa. A glance to the approaching trotting prince told him everything: a small, purple, baby dragon was running out from the shadows in the street and lunging for him with a long, sturdy knife.

"Prince!" he called out.

He heard him just in time. The prince whirled around and struck the dragon, dropping the knife, and wrestled him to the ground. The entire camp's attention was now on them.

"Rarity!" Spike cried, wiggling to get free. "Ngh! Run!"

"I can't!" she bemoaned, whirling to every side. Noxxa were instinctually circling them until there was no way out for Rarity to run.

"Hah!" Blueblood spat. "Looks like your little rescue attempt failed, you childish brat! Trying to save Rarity, were you? I'm telling you now, she is mine alone. And you will pay the price for your insolence!"

"I don't even know what that word means!" Spike protested, raising a claw up to get him to wait. "Could you tell me first?"

"Such insolence!"

"There you are, using it again."

Blueblood forced the dragon to his chubby little legs and shoved him forward. "Come on, then. Move! I'll see to it personally that you will perish!"

"Let us handle it, prince," K'ra generously offered. He spread his four arms to the side. "You appear to have your hooves full already."

"Let's see what the kid thinks," Blueblood snidely replied. "What do you say? Where do you want to stay? With me? Or them?"

The baby--Spike, his name was--took one look at the black bugs on every side of them, and clung to his cloth-covered leg like a life preserver.

"Get off me, you petulant pest!" he scolded, kicking him off.

"How dare you treat him that way?" Rarity demanded indignantly, stepping between them. "Spike is ten times the pony you are!"

"Ten times zero is still zero," he easily replied.

"Whoah," Spike commented. "A self-burn. Those are rare."

Blueblood motioned him on. "Come on, then. Come with me. You get to die the same way Noble Blade did!"

"No, no!" Rarity pleaded with him. "Spare him! Please!"

"As long as there is another challenger, you will never cleave to me!" Blueblood refused. He reached under his cloak and drew his broken saber with a hoof. "Come with me and meet the false Goddess you revere! Or else meet her slowly and painfully!"

He pushed Spike to march, and he did.

"Rarity." He tugged on her. "Follow me."

"I will never!"

Blueblood gave her a resounding smack across the cheek. "Come with me willingly, or I will drag you, and you die as well!"

Rarity stood up proudly, bearing the red mark, and haughtily trotted after the two others.

"Where is he going?" asked some of them amongst themselves. "Why is he leaving?"

"I can hear you!" Blueblood said, giving those Noxxa an evil glare. "And as for your doubts, I'm taking this dragon to the stream so when I chop his head off, his blood won't make a mess of the campsite the way Noble's did! I have to wash my clothes off there now because of it! Now move out of my way!"

Some Noxxa did, clearing a path, but others remained, worried about what to do.

Blueblood affixed those Noxxa a condescending gaze. "When I'm off my ass in this place, you move for me! Is that clear?"

They moved aside in a heartbeat.

Just before they reached the wide-open gate, Blueblood turned around once more and pointed up at him specifically. "And for goodness' sakes, keep the doors shut! It's how this little would-be assassin crept in!"

K'ra felt stupid. Of course! No matter if it was their time to move out; that was their most vulnerable hour! If there was any a time to lock up their camp, it was now! "Yes, prince," he sullenly replied.

"I'll be back once this little whelp is dead," Blueblood said, pushing Spike dismissively. "When I give three knocks, open the gate again, and only when I come back will you begin your invasion. I don't want to miss it, you know!"

"Yes, prince," he repeated.

Blueblood led the captives outside the gate, and, after a glare by K'ra, five Noxxa rushed to the doors after Blueblood and the others passed through and pulled the levers to slowly, ponderously, shut the doors with an ominous boom.

---

Once the twin gates were shut completely, Noble breathed properly again and panted for breath, pulling back his hood.

"Amazing!" Rarity complimented him. "You tied up every loose end in a cute little bow, Noble! And you sounded just like him, as well!"

"That's not something I'm proud of," Noble said, looking sick to his stomach. He dropped Blueblood's saber and patted Spike on the head with his sword arm. "I'm sorry if I was too rough."

"Eh. Can't complain," Spike easily replied. "What other option was there? You even had me convinced."

"It was too easy to sound like him," Noble said. "All I had to do was emphasize my accent and act haughty, and Faust fills in the believable lines, and boom, I'm a snobby prince." He wiped his crusty head and pulled the hood back on. "It's scary."

"Well, however it happened, we're free at last thanks to both of you," Rarity congratulated.

"You were the one that came up with the plan," Spike pointed out.

"But you were such a good actor, Spike! Is there anything you can't do?" She leaned down and pecked him on the lips, and both of them grinned shyly.

Noble, for his part, was astounded. He gestured at both of them as he tried and failed to search for words. "When… did this…"

"Like, an hour ago," Spike replied. He sighed in wonder. "The best hour of my life."

"I tackled you to the ground," Noble pointed out.

"And you slapped me in the face!" Rarity also replied.

"I apologized-" He cut himself off as he squinted. "Hey, do you see something pink?"

---

Twilight was watching in horror. With the gate wide open, the girls, only a hundred yards away, could see everything that had transpired in the redoubt. And everything that could have gone wrong did. Spike had failed. Rarity was bound to the prince forever. Noble Blade was dead.

Faust's promise had been false.

As the doors slammed shut and the three of them stood just outside the redoubt, Twilight felt an overwhelming, furious urge to fly out there and obliterate the prince where he stood.

"It's him," Freedom Fighter breathed. He looked shell-shocked. Twilight knew the feeling: his reality was falling apart piece by piece. "He's… killed Noble Blade!"

"See?" Tempest said, still lying on the ground. "It didn't work. You should have made your move when we had the chance."

"Do you know how hard it is to tolerate you?" Firestorm snapped at her in a fit of fury.

"I'm getting out of here," Pinkie Pie whispered, scrambling out of the trench.

The three figures spotted Pinkie's distinct body and began to run as fast as they could towards them.

Firestorm flapped out of the trench, and his intense eyes blazed with cold, righteous fury. "You're gonna pay, Blueblood! I'll tear your head off and shove it up your-!"

"It's us!" Rarity yelled.

"Don't attack us! Please!" Spike followed up.

"It's me! I'm Noble Blade!"

Firestorm's flaming attitude shut off like someone else had doused it with water. His dumbfounded expression revealed everything. "Okay, what?!"

"Is that-"

"Wow, is it really-?"

"Ah… Ah dunno what ta…"

As the trio grew closer and the girls got out of their trench, Pinkie was the first to take action. She flew at lightspeed into Noble Blade's chest and scooped him up, spinning him around and around. The other ponies drew around in wonder and amazement. "It's YOU! It's really you, Noble Blade! I was soo worried about you that I was about to bake some funeral cupcakes to mourn your untimely demise, but now that you're here, we can just eat normal cupcakes instead! I can't wait to have you back and as a normal pon-WAAAUUUGH!"

Pinkie jumped away from him as the hood on Noble's costume fell off. The dried red blood on his face and head and neck was still as outstanding as ever, although it was peeling and hard. The other ponies, although they had seen deformed faces before, still felt a twist and turn in their stomachs looking at Noble's hard, empty, blood-covered face.

The only pony, in Twilight's opinion, who felt worse than she did was Fluttershy, who was approaching him as if he was a ghostly apparition. Her face wore a hopeful and joyous, yet frightened and grieving expression that Twilight herself had worn only a few times before.

"Fluttershy," he gasped, holding back a grieving yet joyous smile of his own. "I-it's me. I'm alive."

"...I… was so… worried…" she breathed, sounding on the brink of tears. Every word was a gasp. "You… could have d-d-d… died… What w… What would be… left for me here?"

Noble needed no more prologue. Instead, he lunged and held her tightly around the upper body, burying his nose into her shoulder.

"I never could have died," he muffled in reply. "Because you are my life. You are my strength. They can never take that away from me in a dungeon, not if they tried for a thousand years!"

Fluttershy gripped onto him even harder, as if to reassure that he was actually still there. She clearly had no intention of letting go.

"What happened in there?" Rainbow Dash demanded of Rarity. Twilight picked up on the signs of a crowing conversation and turned her attention towards them.

"Oh, it was the most peculiar thing!" Rarity answered. "Spike had managed to come and rescue me, and then Noble came along and we all rescued ourselves!"

"How did he escape?"

"The guards were careless. He just-"

"I did it with the help of Faust," he said all of a sudden, taking his face out of Fluttershy's shoulder. He took center stage, and every pony paid attention. "Without her, I never would have avoided getting caught. We never would have escaped. And I would never have gotten…" He held up the necklace. "This."

The blue stone glowed like an incandescent light. They all found themselves gazing into its depths in wonder. Even, Twilight noticed, Tempest Shadow. Her expression was one of wonder the longer she looked. It seemed to be reflected in her eyes, a reflection of loss and amazement at the same time.

"Three down," Starlight whispered. She looked at her hoof and sighed. "One to go."

"Hang on," Spike said. "The pimp jewels you took from Blueblood's body was an Element of Harmony?"

Twilight gave a jolt. Not at Element of Harmony, but… "Blueblood's body?"

"You mean… He's kicked the bucket?" Rainbow asked, a glint in her rose-colored eyes.

"Ya made him bite th' dust?" Applejack whispered, removing her hat.

"He's dead," Noble spoke, plain and simple. "His headless body's in some forgotten street. I saw it myself."

"So… the Noxxa saw you and thought Blueblood had killed Noble when it was really the other way around?" Pinkie asked, rapid-fire.

He nodded uneasily, sweating. "I…"

"He came across his body," Rarity corrected Pinkie. "He didn't actually kill him."

"Oh. Okay."

"Are you all right?" Starlight asked all of them, scanning Spike, Rarity, and Noble with her eyes. "No lasting injuries?"

"I got lashed," Noble said. "Open wounds stink when you're walking around."

"You never looked like you were in pain!" Rarity protested.

"I was," he answered, and there was an edge to his tone now. "I just kept my screams on the inside. Didn't want you to worry."

"Apparently, that didn't work," Firestorm remarked. "We're worrying very, very much."

"Take them back to Appleoosa to get patched up," Twilight ordered Starlight.

"Before you go," Noble said, and his tone had grown harder. "I want to tell you something."

Twilight, unaccustomed to this, listened patiently.

"Firestorm, Freedom Fighter, Tempest. Come here too."

The aforementioned ponies came up to him, and Twilight knew they were all thinking the same thing she was.

"All the prisoners are dead. Blueblood is dead. The Noxxa are gathering together inside to invade. I'm too weak to stop them. But you're not." He pointed at the gates of the camp. "Burn it," Noble said. He had never sounded so determined. "Burn it to the ground."

Twilight noticed Freedom Fighter give an evil grin. She was aware there was a grin on her own face as well.

Author's Note:

First off, hooray! A good-things chapter for once!

Second, no matter how much you liked this one, you'll like the next one even more.

Comments

[Jade Dawn]

Twilight noticed Freedom Fighter give an evil grin. She was aware there was a grin on her own face as well.

Oooh, boy. Why do I get the feeling that Twilight is about to go Brightburn mode...

[BradyBunch]

9781263
But hey, at least the whole thing ended up well!