Launching the Last Star

by The Real Darkness

Reporting In Silver's Star

Author's Note:

Large timeskip since the last chapter's contents.

Arctus had been filled in when he returned from his journey, leaving Strong Stitch as main defense against Hazth should he come to the heart of Equestria, Stitch had even gotten her weapon made with the blood that the Master Scout left behind. It had been two weeks since Silver Spike was expected to report back and switch with Strong Stitch.

So, what was the delay? Could changelings have caused strife somewhere besides Canterlot during his brief time out?

"Welcome home, Art, has Silver Spike also returned?" Celestia greeted him as he walked through the throne room.

Arctus held a shortsword, a blackened shortsword with a blued sharp edge. Scout Strong Stitch was with him, ready to echo each sentence of the coming ritual. They had gone through another switch on posts to allow Stitch time at home while Silver was posted.

"With this weapon, we reave," he held the shortsword into the air for even the guards present to see it. Suspicions were going around the quiet room.

"With this blood, we conquer," Arctus brought the shortsword down and made a small cut on his forearm, blood pooled to the surface.

"In this loss, we allay," he stabbed with enough force that the shortsword barely pierced the marble flooring under the rug.

"After the accomplishments, we savor," the Master Scout moved his arm atop the shortsword, lining his wound up with the pommel of the weapon.

"In union, you are free," he rotated his arm and a few droplets of blood fell to the pommel of the weapon.

Arctus completed the final rite owed to a Scout. He bid him a Scout's Farewell and closed his eyes.

"Fight amongst the Stars, Scout Silver Spike!" He shouted, feeling a sense of pride overwhelm the sadness he carried all the way home.

The blood from Arctus had drifted down the blade and touched the expensive rug.

"It...Art, this-," Celestia began to speak, but a shatter interrupted her.

The shortsword now lay broken in several pieces, Arctus' blood was still over the shards. The perfect scout weapon had seen the height of combat, that he was sure of. The indestructible weapon was now broken as its wielder, to be reforged as its wielder.

Another shatter rung through the throne room and the large pieces broken into several, a third and they were now miniscule. A series of crumbles that sounded quite like breaking bread ended the noises.

A purple and pale pink light wisped into the castle from the throne room doors Arctus had left open and the weapon's dust began to levitate and followed the dim ball of light out of the castle. The Master Scout led Celestia and many guards outside, where even in the daylight, a new bright white star appeared, shining brilliantly in the sea of blue.

Arctus smiled at the star, letting every emotion ramp onto him as it pleased.

It was quiet outside for a long while before Celestia spoke up.

"Is he truly gone?"

And it was not Arctus or Strong Stitch that answered.

"Princess Celestia, the Master Scout informed me of this ritual. It is performed in the ranks of betters or equals and once done, the Scouts take a day of silence and a night of storytelling to attest to the glory of the fallen Scout."

And this was a ritual Arctus had done many times, the mortality rate of Scouts before the age of thirty was incredibly high. The rate for Scouts before the age of thirty three was one hundred percent save for the two Aeternian Scouts in this world.

"I see, Art. We shall stand along with you and Strong Stitch," Celestia looked to the door guards, "close court for the day, inform my sister of what has happened, and cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day."

Some of those requests, the door guards could not do, but they would have the information relayed without issue, they always did.

Arctus held two pieces of paper, one had a wax seal of some unknown kingdom, another had the wax seal of Aeternia that he put on it. The first paper he handed to Celestia, the seal had been broken by Arctus a long time ago. The other paper he kept as he entered Canterlot proper, still looking at the new star the shone bright during the day. Strong Stitch left for the training yard on her own.

---

Arctus appeared at Silver Spike's family home, he had no spouse or foals of his own, but he did have parents that he had long since moved out from. He knocked, seeing all the stares he got from ponies about the streets of Canterlot. A few moments passed before a male unicorn.

"Hey, hey! Track Spiker! Come over here! Silver Spike must have done something!" The unicorn called and another pony appeared at the door.

The Master Scout shook his head, gently extending his hand with the folded letter meant for them, his wax seal atop it. The father of the fallen Silver Spike levitated it in his magic, staring at the unique seal before breaking it. Arctus stood in front of their home, watching their expression change as they both read it. He lifted his other hand, chain rattling and handed them the flail he had once used in combat again the Master Scout. It was the only weapon left that he could claim from the campsite to give to them.

---

Celestia sat that evening, Arctus had returned midday and needed to run an errand related to the news, but she had been terrified to open the letter that he already had read.

But she could not live in fear of words within.

So she unfolded it with her magic, Luna sat at her side as they both were on a bench in the gardens, the entire castle had been shook as the news had gone around. A look of fear in everypony's eyes. A look of sadness in each guard's face. The sisters' eyes went through the letter together.

---

You've done enough looking.

My kingdom and power grows.

Does yours?

~Master Scout Hazth~

---

A splatter of something black and vicious was below his name on the letter.

"This individual is hungry for war," Luna commented.

"On the contrary, he has us locked in an arms race. He's trying to grow to overcome Arctus."

Celestia looked to the new star in the evening sun's sky, "and he killed Silver Spike to send a message more than these words. He wants us afraid so we become predictable. I believe Arctus know this."

"He has some more wisdom on this, we're both sure of that, but we must wait to ask him as he follows tradition," Luna stood from the bench, "we are surprised to see that the Eight Heroes are strong enough to take a pony's soul."

"We are alicorns, we're powerful, but the Eight Heroes Arctus talks about are Gods," Celestia looked to her sister, "and if he came from their stars, what does that make him?"

"We do not know, sister, but he'll be getting the answer to those questions soon enough, I have a cluster of stars to show him soon enough."

Celestia thought of the now completed ceremony.

How many moons they could share together?

She counted new wrinkles on Savus, but Arctus didn't seem to age even still. She could at least see that Lohey's hair grew in the short time she's been there, but the Master Scout of hers would come home with the same length of bedraggled mess.

---

The faces of his crying parents were fresh on his mind, even the way their hooves clenched to him. Scouts are a family all in their own blood, but they raised him from a young foal. That's a grief he would not know. Arctus traveled back to the castle in the late evening sun, entering the training yard and seeing countless training dummies, all human in shape, set up with piles laid of them on the ground nearby. Guards were bringing more of them to the yard where Strong Stitch stood with her newly attained Scout weapon.

Arctus stood at the fence, wishing to participate in the brutalization of the inanimate humanoids, but he was watching Stitch practice with her weapon.

It was a bar mace, a devasting weapon, a spike adorned the tip to allow for piercing attacks. Plated Shell must have definitely made it with the blood he left behind for the process. Arctus was not present for the smithing as he still had much to think and write down after proofing Discord is an Aeternian.

The Master Scout leaned over as Strong Stitch clutched the mace tightly. Multiple Strong Stitch copies appeared around her, even Arctus saw himself in a fierce stance in the training yard. Guards appeared, Celesti, Luna, and somehow Silver Spike. Savus also appeared.

There were multiples everywhere, cragadiles, timberwolves; Arctus knew exactly who touched that weapon.

Kamna was known to like tricks, but she loved panic among enemies the most. There was another hero who enjoyed tricks, but particularly loved using perfect clones and hallucinations.

All of the images looked to Arctus before they vanished after a blink of his eye and Strong Stitch stood in the position of where an image of Savus was.

Ezith, being able to make convincing illusions was a favorite trick of his and Strong Stitch just got access to such a power.

Arctus leapt the fence, drawing his spear and nodding the Strong Stitch.

The two of them spent the rest of the evening together, destroying a lot of wood and straw in terrifying feats. The guards were endlessly bringing them more and more. Both had used Silver's death as a source for resolve to better themselves for Hazth who perched on the shoreline, having let his thunder be known.