Chapter 8-The Journey Home
Carrot Top heard nothing, and felt nothing but pain. Well, maybe that wasn't exactly right. She was feeling several kinds of pain, all at once. Her legs were all sending back to her brain the pain of exhaustion: she'd pushed herself too far. Her neck was still registering pain from that choke hold Coxa had put her in. The pain coming from her back was the worst of them all, by a country mile. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and turned her head to survey the damage.
"..."
Her thoughts hit a speedbump as she stared at her wound. The damaged area occupied nearly half of her back, and her coat hadn't survived the blast. The wound was burnt, in the worst way possible. It looked as if the heat her skin had been subjected to had melted it for a second, after which it cooled and solidified into flesh again. It was red, raw, and was sending near unbearable pain back to her head. The only thing that she could remember that came close to this was from that time...
When Carrot Top was a young filly, she and her parents had gone camping. Her father wanted a "rustic outdoors trip", and so they had left Canterlot for the weekend. Their small camp had been set up in the White Tail Woods, a forest outside Los Pegasus where it was said the Deer occasionally visited. The first two days consisted mostly of her father attempting various "rugged" activities, failing, and her mother chastising him for it. Carrot herself didn't do much, as she had just barely learned to walk.
On the third morning, her parents had just finished breakfast when they decided to go for a walk. Carrot was still sleeping, and her father thought she'd still be konked out by the time they got back. While they were away, she woke up and crawled out of their luxurious tent. In the middle of the campsite was their roaring fire. Like most fillies, Carrot was entranced by fire. How could she not be? It was wholly unlike anything her young eyes had ever seen. And it was so warm.
Her parents were on their way back when they heard a loud cry. It was different from Carrot's usual wails, more panicked. They trotted back as quickly as they could, and found their daughter. She had fallen into the fire pit, and been horribly injured. Her front hooves had just been put out by her flailing in the ash and dirt, but the damage was still done. Her skin underneath was blistering and scarred. Her mane was in worse condition, the scarlet flames devouring it until she was nearly bald. She kept crying and saying, "No," repeating the word as if it was a mantra that could make the pain she was feeling go away.
By that point her father finally got his wits back, and grabbed her off the the ground. Without either parent having to say anything, her mother trotted as fast as she could to the tent, and came back just as quick with a bottle of water. She used it to put Carrot's mane fire out, but by that point she'd lost nearly all of it, and her scalp was burned by the heat. The local doctor was able to heal her, well enough that she didn't even get any lasting scars from the ordeal. But it was the last time "camping" was mentioned in the Harvest household, and it left Carrot herself with a severe distaste for fire.
"Okay, that was odd," Carrot Top thought. "Why did briefly recalling that incident turn into a full-blown flashback?" One second she was regaining consciousness and connecting some dots, the next she was reliving an awful event from way back. "Stop and try and focus on the good news. If I'm feeling pain, I must be alive," she reasoned. Well, time to see where she was.
At first all she could see was a great expanse of black stone, one whose texture and exact hue didn't match any stone she'd ever seen before. She lifted her head up slowly, and realized she'd been looking at the ground. The odd rocky floor went on in every direction, and there was nothing else. No ceiling, no wall, just a stone floor and a great expanse of blank emptiness. Carrot winced. Despite the continued pain from her burn, she didn't turn to look at it again. Instead she focused on figuring out where she was exactly, and turned around to survey her location.
Every movement sent pain flashing through her muscles. She was pushing her limits, and if she didn't stop soon she might pay a dangerous price. Carrot laughed internally at that. She'd nearly died a half dozen times in the last twelve hours, and she was thinking about the long-term effects? That made her think: Had it been twelve hours? How long had she been unconscious here in Creepyville? Before Carrot could more seriously ponder the question, her eyes found something.
A wall, one made of the same rock she stood upon, was standing not thirty meters from her right, and like the floor it didn't seem to end in any direction. Unlike the floor, it was far from featureless. There was an enormous "room" (if that word even applied to a structure so large) set into the wall, cube-shaped and so massive she could barely quantify it. If she was forced to make an estimate, she'd say it was at least 3000 hooves tall, wide, and long. The inside didn't have any furnishings, but it wasn't empty either.
There were deep gouges in the rock of the "room", all of them long and shallow. Well, shallow to the standards of the room, which meant at their deepest the scratches were 8 feet thick. Near the back of the room was the portal, or what was left of it. It was closing fast. Carrot's brain started processing that. If the portal spit her out here, then that monster would be...uh oh.
She turned around slowly, to enhance the drama she supposed, and found that in the direction directly opposite the "room" was the Voidbringer. Before in the library, she'd thought the tentacles were just it's appendages. But now that she saw the whole thing...she was wrong. The thing was just this enormous (she was using that word a lot lately) mass of tentacles. Alone each arm was the same width as the one that had grabbed her, but altogether the monster was utterly gigiantic. It would barely fit inside that weird "room" thing.
Oh.
That wasn't a room. It was a cell. She put the facts together. Giant monster. Cell. Black stone everywhere. Oh sweet Celestia, she was in Tartarus. That means that the thing had been imprisoned here. That...made sense. She'd never been curious enough to research Tartarus, as far as she'd known it was some hidden other world that kept nasty stuff locked up. The fact that a Voidbringer, an abomination capable of ending reality itself, was locked up here wasn't at all surprising.
She kept staring at the limp, burnt mass of tentacles when she heard a grinding sound from all around her, resonating across the entire chamber. Wincing at the pain in her hooves, she turned around again to face the wall, where the echo was the strongest. Out of the wall emerged an enormous stone serpent. It wasn't that it burst from the wall, it just slithered through as if the rock was water. The snake was at least half as high as the monster, probably taller.
It slithered across the room in that creepy way snakes do. This was getting too much for Carrot Top, and she decided to settle on laying down rather than standing. She felt a sting of pain in her lungs, and started coughing. The snake passed by her without changing pace and wrapped it's tail around one of the Voidbringer's arms. What. It then spent the next few minutes dragging the monster back towards it's cell by like a wagon hauling a cart. The creature didn't stir during the process, not once.
When they reached the far end of the cell, the snake passed through the wall again, as effortlessly as the first time. Now that the monster was fully inside it's astronomical prison cell, the bars came down. But of course normal bars would be too pedestrian. Instead, from the ceiling and floor giant columns of fire rose and met, locking the Voidbringer in. They were just far enough apart that even it's smallest tentacle wouldn't be able to fit through for long.
While she had been staring at that, the serpent flowed out of the wall again and made a bee line for her. A shadow fell over Carrot, and she looked up to see the stone snake staring at her.
STATE YOUR NAME, RANK, AND REASON FOR INTRUSION.
That...was odd. It took a moment to piece together exactly what just happened, but the snake hadn't spoke to her. It's message just shook her mind for a moment. Scary. "Uh, Carrot Top. Leader of a kinda tactical operations group thing. And, I guess I returned your prisoner for you?" It continued looking at her for a few moments before replying.
THIS FACILITY APPRECIATES YOUR EFFORTS.
Carrot wondered if it would be able to answer some of her questions. "So, this place is Tartarus right? What does that make you? I mean, I've seen Cerberus before, he kinda scared my town half to death, but I've never even heard of something like you."
CORRECT, THIS FACILITY IS DESIGNATED "TARTARUS". I AM THIS FACILITY.
"You mean, your run this place? It's 'yours' and whatever?" Carrot asked.
INCORRECT. I AM THIS FACILITY.
Carrot tilted her head at that. "I'm going to need some clarification."
I AM THE BARS. I AM THE CELLS. I AM THE PRISON. I AM TARTARUS. MY FUNCTION IS TO KEEP INMATES FROM ESCAPING.
She looked over at the tentacle monster taking a nap behind the fiery barrier. "Looks like you're doing a bang-up job at it too," she said. Without any of Tartarus's facial features moving, Carrot felt like it bristled a little at her comment.
INCORRECT. A THIRD PARTY OPENED THE PORTAL, AND THE OUTSIDER FLED BEFORE I COULD INTERVENE. I HOLD NO POWER OUTSIDE THIS FACILITY.
Okay, so somepony broke this thing out of jail. Who would be crazy enough to do tha—urgh. Another coughing fit interrupted her train of thought, and Carrot was surprised to see blood on the ground, contrasted by the black stone. She lifted a hoof to her mouth, and stared at the blood that stained it. She desperately looked up at the impassive serpent and asked, "What's wrong with me?" It's penetrating eyes trailed over her for a few moments.
YOU SUFFER FROM MULTIPLE RIB FRACTURES, AS WELL AS LOW LEVELS OF INTERNAL BLEEDING. WITHOUT MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, YOU WILL DIE IN THE NEXT HOUR.
"I can't be—" she started to say, before being interrupted by another string of coughs, these ones heavier than those previous. "...believe..." Carrot said, struggling to continue what she had started to say, "...after all this, I'm going to die here." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I thought I was ready. I thought I was okay with dying. But now that it means sitting here, slowly bleeding out, alone..." She looked up at Tartarus. "Can't you help?"
MY FUNCTION IS TO ENFORCE ORDER WITHIN THIS FACILITY. MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IS IRRELEVENT TO MY FUNCTION.
Now the tears were flowing freely, cascading down Carrot's cheeks. "Can't you show me a way out of here?"
THIS IS MODERATE-LEVEL SECURITY. THE STANDARD EXIT TO YOUR PLANE OF EXISTENCE IS LOCATED AT THE ENTRANCE. AT YOUR CURRENT LEVEL OF INJURY, REACHING THERE WOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY EIGHT WEEKS OF WALKING.
Carrot bowed her head, all hope crushed.
THIS FACILITY AGAIN COMMUNICATES IT'S APPRECIATION FOR ASSISTANCE REGARDING PRISONER #10102010B, AS WELL AS IT'S CONDOLENCES REGARDING YOUR IMMINENT DEMISE. FAREWELL.
With that, it slithered back into the wall. Once again, Carrot Top was alone. Well, unless she counted the giant abomination bent on obliterating all reality that was currently conked out. Which she didn't. What to do...
Carrot settled on dragging herself over to the closest wall. It wouldn't do to die laying down on the job. That thought made her chuckle a little. And that small snippet of laughter sparked something. She wiped the tears from her muzzle. What was it that comedian always said? Oh yeah. "...some things in life are bad..." she whispered. "...they can really make you mad. Other things just make you swear and curse." With every word, her voice gained more life. "When you're chewin' on life's gristle: don't grumble, give a whistle," Carrot continued, even beginning to imitate the performer's Trottingham accent. "And this'll help things turn out for the best...and..." She sputtered into another series of coughs.
"...Always look on the bright side of life," she said, then whistled. She'd never really got the song before. It was catchy, and had it's funny lines, but that was it. Only now did she see what they'd meant. She had to die. She didn't have to die sad, crying over what she had could have been. Carrot was whistling, reveling in these last moments and reminiscing on all the moments, good and bad, her life had given her. Each took her back, just as the foalhood story of getting burned had. She remembered her family, the love they had shared, and the pain it caused them to see her go. She remembered the residents of Ponyville, how welcoming they had been, how open. But more than any of that, she remembered her friends.
That was it then. Time to face the curtain with a bow. She let out one last weak whistle, smiled, and closed her eyes. Just as she started to slip away from this mortal coil, her ears caught a faint sound. She could have sworn she'd heard it once, not too long ago...
Darkness. All Carrot could see was a dark...well it didn't feel like a void. It wasn't empty, or even necessarily black. She felt some tension leave her face, and the dark grew almost imperceptive lighter. Carrot attempted to facehoof: she'd had her eyes closed. Something was wrong though, her hooves weren't moving. She tried opening her eyes, and after a small struggle the world filled with light.
A wall. That was the first thing she really saw after she had awoken. A boring, dull, blue wall. At least it was one she recognized. Carrot Top was in Ponyville General Hospital. Which meant she was alive. Huh.
She tried to look around more, but when she attempted to move her neck she left a flash of dulled pain. Okay, so it hurt to move and she was on painkillers. Great. Just by moving her eyes, she looked down to see she lay in a bed. An IV was in her arm, and Carrot squirmed a little at the sight. She'd never liked needles. A quick look around allowed her to see that she wasn't alone. To her left was Bon Bon, asleep in her own bed. A small patch of fur on her upped torso had been shaved, which revealed the small line of a scar.
"You're awake!" came a voice from her far left. Carrot once again attempted moving her head to face this pony, but the pain that flashed through her made her stop trying. Luckily, the speaker walked into Carrot's line of sight for her. Her name was Nurse Redheart, and she was busily checking Carrot's forehead. "How long have you been up? Is this your first time here, or did you forget there's a button next to the bed to call us? How are you feeling?"
Carrot hated getting barraged by questions, so she handled it like she always did. "Less than a minute, no, and I can't move my neck." Carrot's voice came out in a rasp, her throat burning at the effort of forming the words.
"Well that's to be expected!" the Nurse snapped. "That crazy stallion brings you in here, holding your lifeless body, raving about him being a doctor, which he isn't, waving that ridiculous silver w—!"
"Wait, what?!" Carrot cut in. "What do you mean by 'lifeless corpse'? I'm not an expert on biology, but I don't think I'm dead."
The Nurse rolled her eyes. "Well, that's because you aren't. Not anymore." She got out a stethoscope and continued the check-up, continuing to babble as she did. "It turns out you'd only been dead for half a minute or so, and this 'doctor' friend of yours helped us bring you back with a little bit of magic. It was really touch and go; if you'd had gotten here even a few seconds later, you might have stayed dead."
Carrot weakly raised her eyebrow. "You raised me from the dead? Are you telling me I'm a zombie?" Redheart chuckled.
"No, no, no. Necromancy is illegal, extremely dangerous, and doesn't leave the victim capable of speech. We used some divumancy and CPR to restart your heart, but even then you'd lost too much blood. We readied you for surgery to seal up the wound, but you needed blood and fast," the Nurse said, frowning as she put away the stethoscope and hooked up Carrot's hoof to the blood pressure testing thing. "Luckily for you, this 'doctor' friend of yours claimed to be the same blood-type, and donated enough blood to save you. Considering that your body didn't reject the donation, it seems he was telling the truth. For once."
Carrot Top just stared at Redheart. This was a lot to take in. "How long am I going to have to stay here?"
The Nurse shook her head. "I hate it when patients ask that. You're injured, and should focus on being fully-healed, not getting back outside." She shook her head at the results of the blood pressure test, and looked down at Carrot. "I don't think you understand the severity of your injuries. The surgeon managed to stop your organs from bleeding out, but they're still not in the best shape. We're using a magical ointment that should cause your burns to heal within the week, though it will take more time for the scaring to fade and your fur to grow back.
"The worst part is your muscles," she said angrily. "You shouldn't have pushed yourself that hard. If a Unicorn or Pegasus had stressed their body out that much, there would be permanent muscle damage! Your magical endurance allowed you to persist longer, but even then you're insanely lucky you didn't tear any of your muscles!" Nurse Redheart took a deep breath, and continued clinically, "If we take into account your healing qualities of being an Earth Pony, you should be able to move without hurting yourself in a few days, and be ready to walk again in a week and a half."
Nearly two weeks without being able to walk. Normally, Carrot Top would be horribly distressed by that news. Considering that temporarily crippled is a large step up from being dead however, she wasn't. She asked Redheart. "Is there anything else I should know?"
The Nurse's gaze softened. "That you're lucky to be alive. And that you have quite a few friends who've been trying to see you all day. I'll send the first batch in." With that, Redheart walked out of the room. Carrot didn't really notice. Her ears were still ringing from that word. Friends. Almost meeting your end completely alone and miserable had improved the word considerably.
She heard the doors open, and the Doctor came into view. Carrot could just barely make out the coats of the three Flower Shop girls off to the side, whispering quietly with the nurse. His eyes moved over her, coldly clinical in their analysis of her injuries. Then he looked at her, directly into her eyes. Carrot had never been able to read much from The Doctor. His eyes never seemed right, not like any other pony she'd met. That day, Carrot saw one emotion quite plainly: a cold, quiet anger burning behind his eyes.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked in a low voice.
"For what, Doctor? You're going to have to be a tad bit more specific, I've been quite a busy mare lately."
"Don't be clever with me!" he snapped. "I wrote the book on clever! If you were to look up 'clever' in the dictionary there'd be a smiling picture of me! There are tyrants in the farthest reaches of worlds you've never even imagined could exist who go white with fear at the idea of me being clever!" The Doctor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Why did you jump into the portal?" The Doctor asked, his voice quietly neutral again.
Carrot Top glared at the stallion. "I'm sorry if my heroic sacrifice didn't live up to your standards, Doctor, but you are not my boss. You're not my father, and I'm not even sure I'd call you my friend. What I did back there was my decision!"
"Well it was a bloody stupid one!" The Doctor yelled. "There were other options! You could have woken me up! Or used the screwdriver to make it grab the bomb! Or just thrown the damn thing at it!"
Carrot shook her head at The Doctor's manic raving. "I didn't have a lot of time to dally about Doc, and you looked to be completely unconscious. Tricking the monster wouldn't work because I had no idea how smart it was. If it figured out it was holding a bomb, it could just throw it back into the library. Tossing it wouldn't work either. I had one chance to ensure the plan's success, and next to no time to carry it out. I went with the safest option."
"And what about your family? Your friends? How 'safe' was your choice for them?" The Doctor countered, his gaze level with her own.
That made Carrot pause for a second. She steadied herself with a long breath before answering. "Derpy would know what happened. She would be devastated by my death, but we all knew that was an option. I told Rainbow Dash to get word to my family, should the worst happen." She turned her head to look at the Doctor, in spite of the agony the motion caused. She gave the stallion her hardest, most unyielding glare she could muster. "The lives of millions were on the line, Doctor. I did everything in my power to save them, and it looks like everything worked out in spite my 'bloody stupidity'."
For a second she thought The Doctor would fire back. Instead his stare became less aggressive, if no less penetrating, and a small smile replaced his scowl. "So, you can defend yourself from reasoned moral criticism. Considering your future, you'll need that."
Carrot gave The Doctor a withering look. "What does that mean, exactly?"
The smile grew by centimeters. "It means I see dark days ahead, for you and yours. Though I'm not actually sure of that. Things are different, because of me. You, you aren't even supposed to be alive! Your team is supposed to dissolve." A puzzled look shadowed his face. "I'm not sure why I was able to save you. My entire life people have died around me, billions of them, despite my best efforts, hampered as I was by the Laws of Time. But you? Apparently that was allowed." His smile became more toothy, and seemed more fragile. "In a way, I suppose Fate smiled on you, Carrot Top."
"Urgh," Carrot said, trying to reach her arm up to facehoof and failing miserably. "Why are you speaking in riddles? Stop being cryptic and talk like a normal pony for once in your life!"
Something about that must have been amusing, because The Doctor let out a giggle at that. "Oh, you'll need to get used to that quirk. You have the eye of ancient beings now, Ms. Carrot. Beings that previously didn't even know you existed are watching very closely. You've returned from the dead, and carry in you the blood of a Time Lord." The Doctor scratched his mane with his hoof.
"I must admit, I'm not entirely what that all means yet, but I can hazard a guess. You shouldn't be up and about, let alone breathing. That makes you a fulcrum, a tipping point in Time. In good hands, or hooves I suppose, it could save countless lives: crush empires before they can form, stop disasters from starting in the first place, nudge events in just the right direction." He looked at her again, his gaze cold and hard. "But this gift cuts both ways. Without even knowing it, you could set history down the bad path. Depending on your actions, you may go down in the annuls of history as a true hero. Or a despicable monster. Though, personally I'd wager of the former. You'd be surprised how little action it takes for a civilization to think well of you."
Carrot Top let out a weary sigh. "Personally, I'd prefer it if I wasn't remembered at all."
The odd stallion laughed and walked out of her line of sight, three other pairs of hooves sounding off across the linoleum immediately after. "Doctor, I have one last question." Carrot said, her soft voice carrying across the small hospital room easily. The sound of hoofsteps suddenly stopped, and Carrot was sure she had The Doctor's attention. "Who are you, really?"
The Doctor let the words hang in the air for a moment before answering. "Oh," he said, stretching the syllable out, "the stuff of legend."
Carrot let out an angry huff. "One of these days," she said, "I'm going to punch him right in his mysterious, smarmy face."
"I believe an explanation is in order." Carrot wasn't exactly an expert on reading other pony's moods, but it didn't take Sherlock Hooves to realize Twilight was doing her best to look calm, and failing utterly in the attempt.
"Where's the rest of the Element gang? Is the world in peril yet again?" Carrot joked, though it didn't look like Twilight appreciated the humor. Then again, it might be hard to appreciate black comedy when half your body is covered in bandages.
"I don't understand how you can be joking at a time like this! Half a dozen ponies nearly died, yourself included!" Twilight snapped.
Carrot lifted her shoulders up a fraction of an inch in a vague imitation of a shrug. "You either laugh or you cry. I prefer laughing, myself. If you want to talk seriously though, I can return that volley. What are you doing here?"
For a second it seemed as though Twilight would give a sharp, angry retort. Instead she took a slow, deep breath, and answered calmly, her unbandaged eye closed in concentration. "I think I'm the one who should be asking that question. After apparently running all over town looking for your friend, you showed up in the middle of an interdimensional invasion, sneaked past by magical barrier, and then tried using a bomb to blow up the monster! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
Carrot let the question hang in the air, as if she was actually pondering how she would answer. "I can't answer that question, Twilight."
At this point, Carrot was sure Twilight was going to burst a blood vessel. "And why not?!"
"Why were you there? Why was it you and your friends were fighting a giant tentacle creature in the middle of the night?" Carrot asked, her eyes locked on Twilight's.
"Because—" Twilight began.
"—the princess gave some dramatic speech about how important this was." Carrot finished.
Twilight blanched, and didn't respond. Carrot, however, could see her question as plainly as though it were written on her face.
"I can't tell you how I know that, not directly." It was time to take a stab in the dark. If she was right, this would stop Twilight's interrogation. If she was wrong, she'd look pretty crazy. This was Celestia's apprentice though, so the odds of her knowing the words were...at least fifty percent. Maybe sixty, if Carrot was lucky. "Why does the sun rise?" Carrot asked solemnly.
"..." Twilight stared at Carrot Top, seemingly flummoxed by the question. Good. Carrot's gamble had payed off. "Because it is needed by all." From what she remembered of that briefing, the response showed that Twilight was versed in the security phrases, probably better than Carrot herself. "Why does the sun set?"
That meant...crap. It had been a while since her royal benefactor had versed Carrot in the details of Canterlot security. It didn't help matters that Luna still struggled with modern Equestrian. If she had to guess, it was a question of specific loyalty. Or something. "Because the moon necessary as well." Hopefully that got across what Carrot hoped it did.
Twilight's face relaxed, but her eyes focused even more. This was a puzzle, and while she was going to have to drop it now, Carrot would bet her house that the unicorn would be asking her mentor some questions about this. Twilight nodded one last time, and limped out of the room. Carrot really hoped that Luna would stonewall Twilight's questions. While it wasn't exactly a lie, she had just implied that what happened was on the Princess's orders. Which they weren't. At all.
Carrot barely had enough time to rest her head on the soft hospital pillow before she saw her friends enter her field of vision. She looked them over, surveying the damage to her "team". Lyra didn't seem to be injured at all, but from the look in her eyes in was clear she was hurting all the same. She came over to Carrot Top, muttered some sort of greeting, and then walked to the side of Bon Bon's bed.
Octavia had picked up a few scratches, and a brace for her back. Apparently carrying Bon Bon to this hospital had been more than she could handle. Carrot would remember that. Vinyl had a cast of some kind on her horn, and from the way her legs were swaying she must have been tired, dizzy, or on some painkillers. Maybe all of the above. The two of them approached Carrot and gave her a warm embrace, before stepping aside of the final member of the party.
Carrot had spent the last ten minutes bracing herself for Derpy's anger, her disappointment. She had died, and all she'd left for her dearest friend in the world were some words delivered by somepony else. She had every right to slap Carrot, to yell at her, to leave her house and end their friendship. What Carrot Top hadn't been prepared for was a hug. A painfully tight hug, peppered with warm tears that fell onto her shoulder.
"You're okay!"
And that was all that needed to be said.
EPILOGUE
Carrot and her friends were assembled in Twilight's library, in the middle of the night. It had been a month since the incident that had killed Carrot Top, and she'd felt...better. She healed faster than the doctors had predicted, and she was living life with a renewed vigor. Whether it was from the fact she was living on borrowed time, or if it had something to do with the Doctor's blood transfusion, she didn't know.
Bon Bon had woken up in her hospital bed two days after Carrot did. Pinkie had thrown them both a "Glad you didn't die" party, which because of their injuries they were unable to attend. They'd gotten a summons to meet here at midnight, the first contact from their benefactor since the Minotaur job.
Just as they were starting to wonder what was going on, the soft thunk sound came from the second-floor balcony, and Princess Luna walked inside. The alicorn was as tall and regal as Carrot remembered her, though her dark face was tense as she looked over the assembled group.
Her eyes stopped at Carrot Top, and the air seemed to chill. Of course, considering this was the Princess of the Night, it could actually have gotten colder, Carrot supposed. "Why does our dear royal sister have the impression that thy latest scandal was a missive from us?" Luna asked quietly. Well, quietly for the Princess. Her volume was louder than Pinkie Pie's speaking voice, but not quiet at the level of your average pony's yelling.
Carrot chewed on her response: she'd learned to be careful when talking with her Princess. From what she could tell, the alicorn liked Carrot Top. Her mindset was still quiet medieval, however. Carrot and her friends had a good working relationship with Luna, but they were still servants. When she spoke to Luna, Carrot had to make sure that Luna would not take any offense from her words. "Your Majesty, I meant no harm to your royal person. Your beloved sister's apprentice knew something was odd about us, so I used the security phrases you taught me to ensure a swift end to the investigation. I apologize for my lack of foresight as to what consequences my actions would have towards Equestria's ruler of the night."
Luna nodded, the barest hint of a smile on her lips. "Very well, then. Report." Carrot Top nodded, and summarized the events as she understood them. Whatever measure of joy that showed on the Princess's face before was gone by the end. As Carrot finished her story, with that last conversation with Twilight Sparkle, the room was gravely quiet. "Something must be done, posthaste.
"You have all shown yourselves to be loyal and capable subjects. It is time you were rewarded for your efforts. Henceforth, you will all be employed by the state, though We will keep your true purpose a secret from all who do not need to know of you. For this, you shall all receive the same salary as a royal guard. From what We understand of modern currency, it is enough to live on, though not with much comfort. We think you shall most likely want to keep your current professions; as a disguise and to supplement thy income. All that must be done is to write a charter of some sort." She looked down seriously at Carrot. "Speak the words, and We shall minute thy speech upon paper."
They'd be getting paid for this! It was the best news Carrot had gotten in what seemed like an eternity. She turned to see her friend's reactions. They looked as shocked as she was. "None of you have to keep this up if you don't want to," Carrot told them, "I'd understand, after what happened."
"It has been dangerous, hasn't it." Bon Bon spoke quietly. She let out a low sigh, then smiled at Carrot Top. "Well, it's too late to stop now. You're all my friends, and you risked your lives to save me. I have to return the favor, somehow." She blushed a little before speaking. "The money doesn't hurt, either." One by one, the rest of her friends nodded. It was decided.
Our Goals
1. The investigation and termination of events and beings who threaten the stability of Equestria
2. The continued secrecy of our organization, so we will be more efficient in obtaining our other goals.
3. The detainment of all anomalous and/or otherworldly objects that could pose a danger to Equestria or it's citizens.
4. The protection of Equestria and it's citizens at any cost.
We swear to uphold these goals to the limits of our abilities. With us working together, we have no limit.
Signed
"Carrot Top" Octavia Philharmonica "Bon Bon"
Golden Harvest Field lieutenant and logistics Sweetie Drops
Field leader and combat expert Diversionary tactics
"Derpy Hooves" Vinyl Scratch Lyra Heartstrings
Ditzy Doo Engineer and technology expert Alternative tactics
Resource acquisition and dispersal
Organization Name
The Background Ponies
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That's the problem! You marked this story as completed, but it isn’t. I was so confused to see an ending that wasn't an ending...
Good chapter by the way ^^
3437765
Thanks! Yeah, sorry. When I finished the last chapter, part of me was like, "What if I made them think that's the end? It would be hilarious!" In retrospect, messing with the reader was a bad idea. Glad you enjoyed the chapter though.
3438299 it's still marked as complete :B
3442563 Well, now it is :B
3443339 …ah. :B Oops.
3445482 Seriously though, how did you like that last chapter? I spent quiet a long time on it, so feedback would be appreciated
3445630 It's good story, but I have the exact same problem than the first story… it has a single confrontation. It really smells of hero's journey, it has most elements of it, but then what feels like the belly of the whale was the actual apotheosis. Basically what I'm saying is… a longer plot, with more than one up and down would be better. Also, the other ponies in Carrot's group could be a bit more relevant. That aside, it's gripping and well written, characterization is one of the best for Carrot Top I've ever read (and I read A LOT of pony), and you've got an interesting world going.
3446709 Thanks, I'll take that into consideration with the next one.