Stories of a Warden

by Rosencranz

XI

Volume 1

XI

“The weeping cannot be seen, like a plant
whose seeds fall endlessly on the earth,
whose large blind leaves grow even without light.
Hatred has grown scale on scale,
blow on blow, in the ghastly water of the swamp,
with a snout full of ooze and silence.”
-Pablo Neruda, The Dictators

Somepony was dead, and Catalpa needed to know why. Which meant she needed Aspen. And at the moment, Aspen was galloping rather rapidly away.

She was standing over Dogwood’s corpse, two guards at her sides, staring down at the body. Her mind was racing. This was not good. It changed things. How, she couldn’t be sure yet, but it definitely was not good. How could she react? What would she do now that--

She realized everypony was staring at her. The pool of blood around the body had grown. She was practically standing in it now. Jerking her hooves out of the pool, she edged away from the body, glancing nervously at her escorts.

“Dogwood slowed Aspen down enough that Princess has gotten word out to most of the guard. They’ll probably stop him at the edge of the city. I need you to get to him, and bring him to me. If anypony stops you, tell them I sent you,” she said.

“And if Princess shows up?” one asked.

“Tell her I sent you.”

The two glanced at each other. One shrugged, the other nodded.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go!” Catalpa shouted.

The two turned and dashed off, headed down the path Aspen had taken. Catalpa looked back down at the body and sighed. This complicated things, accelerated her timeline prematurely. The blood of one of Princess’ ponies was on Aspen’s hooves, and unless she let Princess have her way with him, there would be serious repercussions.

Which she didn’t plan to do. Aspen had been open to hearing her ideas of resistance. When she had come to him and asked him to recruit guardsponies to her side, he had turned her down. But he hadn’t turned her in. Which meant she owed him her life.

And she was about to pay back the favor.

Mind still racing at a fevered pace, she pushed her way out of the crowd. There were traces of blood on her hooves; she wiped them on the grass as she walked. Disgusting.

As she made her way up a ramp onto one of the upper terraces, she looked out over the city. Over the burned crops, over the growing crowd around the body, over the bustling guards weaving through the civilians, trying desperately to keep the peace. To keep things safe for their families, their loved ones.

She wondered if they knew how futile that effort was.

A drop of rain hit her in the back of the head. She looked up and saw that the sky was grey and brooding. Monsoon season was beginning to set in. A storm was coming.

She was at the top of the ramp now, on a terrace that stood opposite to the gleaming marble entrance to Princess’ lair. Dug into this terrace was a deep indentation, lined with varnished wood and irregularly-changed floral decorations. In the center of the indentation was a simple door, little more than a slat of wood wedged against a thin frame. The entrance to the Council’s quarters. It was only slightly more impressive than the Council themselves.

Catalpa shoved the door open and made her way inside. A narrow hallway branched in two directions. The first went to the Council’s “lounge,” which was essentially Catalpa’s living space, given that the other Councilponies never used it, and she did not make it to her own home to sleep most nights. The other went to the Council’s auditorium, an underground rotunda that mirrored the design of Princess’ throne room. Except smaller, of course.

Catalpa took the first branch, and made her way into her quarters. There was a pallet in one corner, a few rough wooden tables and chairs splayed across the room, and in the center a fire underneath a smoke chute. The fire was out, as usual. The Council’s staff was supposed to keep it maintained, but they rarely did any work unless Catalpa was around. Nopony else seemed to care.

The lounge door behind her creaked open.

Speak of the devil.

“Councilmare?”

Catalpa turned around. Standing before her was Buckthorn, the squat mare who called herself Catalpa’s ‘assistant’. Catalpa considered that a very loose use of the term.

“What?”

“Do you need anything?” Buckthorn asked.

She felt a pang of hunger run through her stomach. When was the last time she had eaten? She couldn’t remember. Hell, when had she last slept? She’d spent all day yesterday dealing with Princess after the Equestrians’ escape attempt, all night surveying the damage from when one of them had returned, and all morning arguing with the rest of the Council about how to best deal with Princess.

She could feel herself fading. Slipping. She was too damn old for this. Her hooves hurt. Where had the years gone? How long had it been since--

“Councilmare?” Buckthorn’s voice snapped her out of her reveries.

She blinked. “What?”

“I asked if you needed anything.”

“Curry. Then I need you to head out in front of the Council chambers and wait on a group of guards to come with an escort. Tell them to report to me in the lounge.”

“Yes, Councilmare.” And with that, the pudgy little mare turned and bustled out the door.

Catalpa moved over to the pallet and sat down, rear hooves crossed, forehooves on her knees. She closed her eyes, trying to slow her racing mind.

Focus, Catalpa, focus. Where do we go from here?

She couldn’t be sure. Her plans were ruined. She had hoped to drain the treasury funds, use them to bribe the rest of the guards, and take on Princess while she was still burned out from the Equestrians. Everything had been in place. After hours of debate, she had won the rest of the Council over to her side. Her fellow members were spineless wretches, terrified of Princess, but when she had finally convinced them Princess could be overthrown, they had leapt greedily at the chance for a power grab.

Moths to a flame. Everything was set so perfectly.

She had already disseminated rumors of Princess’ Equestrian past through the guard, all the while using the same knowledge as a bargaining chip for her life. Princess’d had no clue what was coming. She’d been too wrapped up in pursuing her fellow Equestrians. But now...

Now the whole thing’s gone to shit. One of the loyalists is dead at the hooves of one of the rebels.

What would Princess do from here? Catalpa couldn’t be sure. If she handed Aspen over, she would execute him and that would be that. If she tried to protect him, though...

She can’t come after me. She’s too smart for that; she knows if she kills me the Council mobilizes its half of the guard.

But would she care? It was hard to say. When Princess was enraged, she tended to disregard rationality and sense. Still, though, Princess engaging in outright war with her own people over the protection of Aspen seemed unlikely.

An assassination would be more her speed.

Yes, that seemed about right. Something quiet, covert. An elite guard with a stone knife, slipping through the night. Everypony would wake up one morning and find out she had disappeared, and without her the Council would falter. And the rebellion would be over before it started.

Good thing I don’t plan on going to sleep anytime soon.

“Councilmare?”

Catalpa didn’t move, didn’t open her eyes. She heard Buckthorn waddle into the room as a sharp scent filled the air. Her stomach growled.

“Leave it on the table.”

“Yes, Councilmare.”

The door creaked again as Buckthorn left. Catalpa opened her eyes slowly and saw that Buckthorn had left a steaming wooden bowl on the table. She got up and made her way over to it. Still and quiet, she sat over it for a brief moment, just savoring the smell. Savoring the memories.

Her older brother, coming into the shack after field work... telling her about his day... handing her a bowl he’d picked up on the way home, from the wrinkled old mare on the West Terrace...

She reached down and took a bite, rolling the curry around her mouth, enjoying the burn of the spice mixed into it.

Her older brother, splitting a bowl with her... telling her how he was going to help change the world... how Princess’ time had passed and he was going to help oust her...

She swallowed, feeling the burn travel all the way down the back of her throat. Refreshing.

Her older brother, slipping out in the night to meet “friends...”

She felt her face growing red.

Her older brother, never coming back...

The burn had moved to her stomach, now, a red, hot anger. She pounded a hoof against the table in frustration. This was supposed to be it, dammit! A whole lifetime of preparation--years and years of working her way up through the ranks of the Council, of swaying the guard over to her side--wasted. All that work, all that effort...

She had been so close to vengeance. So close!

The door behind her swung open and she whirled around. Two guards stood in the doorway, their chests heaving, both bleeding from a number of gashes and cuts. Each was holding one of Aspen’s forelegs; he hung between them, limp and bruised and desperately clutching something green in his teeth.

His breath was faint, and his eyes were almost shut. Most of his coat was matted and red--Catalpa wondered how much of it was his own blood, and how much was that of his fellow guards.

“Aspen?”

He glanced up at her with one eye, gave a low groan, and then let his head flop back down. His hoof slipped out from under the foreleg of the guard to his right, and he sagged to the ground. Another groan. He mumbled something under his breath.

“What?” Catalpa asked. “What was that?”

As he mumbled something again, the guards leaned in, trying to tell what he was saying. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and before anypony else could react, he hit the guard on his left with his free hoof. The guard went down, letting him go, and in a flash Aspen was on top of him, pummeling him viciously. The other guard threw himself into the fray, tackling Aspen.

The three thrashed wildly on the floor as the guards desperately tried to regain control of Aspen. Catalpa sighed and sat back against the table. She closed her eyes and took another bite of curry.

Stallions, she thought to herself. No sense of tact in any of them.

There was a loud cry, and she opened her eyes again. One of the guards was unconscious, and the other was on the ground, cowering in front Aspen, who was standing once more, holding a spear he had wrangled from one of the guards’ backs.

“Please don’t...” the guard cried.

Aspen glanced up at Catalpa and she saw there was a mad gleam in his eyes.

“Just let me go,” he said to her, his voice cracking as he talked. She noticed he was quivering. “Let me leave the city, or I’ll kill him.”

Catalpa didn’t move. “Aspen,” she asked soothingly, “what’s going on?”

“What’s going on? What’s going on?! I keep telling you! I keep telling everypony! You just won’t listen!”

“You haven’t told me anything, Aspen,” Catalpa said calmly. “Would you care to explain yourself?”

“They’ve got Willow!”

“Who?” she asked.

“The Equestrians! We stumbled across their camp tried to ambush them. Didn’t work. They’ve got Willow tied up in a cave and they said if I didn’t bring them Princess’ crown, they’d kill him. I had to do this, you understand. I had to,” he said.

He was looking at her with a heated intensity. The glare of a trapped animal.

“Of course I understand. Do you want to put the spear down, Aspen?”

“Not a chance,” he growled. “I’ve gotta get out of here, back to Willow. Gotta give them the crown.”

“Why the crown?”

“Dunno. They didn’t tell me. It doesn’t matter. I have to get back there!”

“That can be arranged, Aspen. Let me help you,” Catalpa said.

“What?”

“I can get you out of the city. On one condition.”

“What?” he asked.

“Lead me to the Equestrians.”

“Why?”

“I need to talk to them,” Catalpa said.

“Why?” The manic look on his face was beginning to subside.

“Put simply, I need their help. Do you remember when I asked you to recruit the guard over to the Council’s side?”

Confusion spread across his face. “Your rebellion plan? I thought you’d called that off after Roads’ attack.”

Roads? It took her a moment for her to remember who he was talking about. She had snuck down to the prison to talk to Strongsteed several times and learned everything he had to tell her about the Equestrians, but in her head she still knew him only as “the one with the wings.”

“It was never called off. Only amended. But now that you’ve murdered one of Princess’ guards--”

“Two.”

“What?”

Aspen wiped a spot of blood off his face with one hoof. When he looked back at her, he was utterly expressionless. Drained of expression. There was something hollow in his eyes.

“I killed two of them,” he said flatly. Coldly.

Catalpa had seen every horror Princess could throw at her over the years, had watched private executions of “traitors,” had faced down mortal danger on numerous occasions without a trace of hesitation, but Aspen’s tone just then... It sent a ripple of fear through her heart. It was a feeling she wasn’t used to.

The rational side of her supposed it was because she was used to ruthlessness on the part of Princess. It was to be expected. But to she had known--or thought she had known--Aspen. She had thought of him as a good pony. She hadn’t realized the lengths to which he would go to protect his friend.

That’s what the rational side of her said. The other side just told her to get as far away from Aspen as she could.

“You killed...?”

“Two. Dogwood was the first. I gave him a chance. Two, actually. He didn’t take them.”

“I saw. And the other?”

“Sycamore. I couldn’t give him as many chances.”

Catalpa swallowed despite herself. Sycamore was one of the largest guardsponies, one of the stallions who had been working at the city borders for years. I couldn’t give him as many chances. Goddess... He must’ve been too threatening for Aspen to let live. Catalpa made a mental note to never be that threat. Not to Aspen, at least.

“Aspen, if you’ve killed two ponies, in broad daylight, no matter what the reason--”

“I know.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“The Equestrians owe me a favor now. I plan on using it,” Aspen said, his tone solemn.

“Do you really think that they’ll--”

“Yes.”

The caged animal look was back, with that. Catalpa hoped for everypony’s sake that the Equestrians would comply with whatever Aspen asked of them.

“Well, in that case, it’s in your best interest that I talk to them.”

Aspen stared at her for a moment, then sheathed his spear on the tattered pack slung over his withers. He glanced around the room, found the crown, picked it up, and shoved it into the pack as well.

“Alright, then,” he said. “Let’s get going.”

And with that, he pushed his way through the door and out into the hall. Catalpa followed silently. They made their way down the corridor, until they came to the door that led out onto the terrace. Catalpa swung it open.

And found herself face to face with Princess.

“Well, hello there,” the unicorn said sweetly.

And then she sent Catalpa flying back into the wood paneling that lined the alcove. She heard her back pop as she slammed into the boards, her body filling with pain and rage. She slid down the wall, and sat on the ground for a moment, stunned, before struggling to her hooves. When she looked back up at Princess, her vision was hazy; the image of the other pony swam before her, tipping this way and that. She could just barely make out Aspen on the ground a few feet away from her. Apparently Princess had hit him at the same time.

She was too damn old for this.

“What the hell are you doing?” she coughed.

“Executing a traitor,” Princess replied innocently. Another bolt of magic caught Catalpa in the ribs. She sank to her knees.

“I thought you were burned out?”

“I’ve recovered enough for simple magic. Telekinesis, teleportation, that sort of thing. Magic’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it? Makes killing so much easier.”

“You wouldn’t dare kill me,” Catalpa coughed. “You do that, and this whole city goes up in flames.”

“Like I’d let that stop me. Or, anything else, for that matter.”

Princess’ horn flared with a sickly green light. Catalpa closed her eyes as a surge of regret filled her. She had come so close...

“Anythin’ at all? How ‘bout us?” a voice called out from her left.

Catalpa opened her eyes again. Standing on each side of the terrace was a small army of guards, each armed and glaring at Princess. Standing the head of the group to her left was a tall, broad-chested pony with a rust colored coat and a close cropped mane. Guard-Captain Redbud! she cheered inwardly. He was one of the first ponies she’d managed to recruit--his brother was one of the newest Councilponies.

She cracked a small smile. Suddenly, it looked like things might be back on track again.

“Guard-Captain?” Princess asked softly.

He grinned widely. “Yes'm?”

“What exactly do you presume to be doing?”

“Savin’ the Councilmare, ma’am,” he said. He leaned easily against the butt of his spear, jaunty grin still on his face.

“Oh. Well. In that case, you’re a traitor as well!” She whirled on him and gestured to the army around her. “Guards! Arrest him!”

There was a short pause. And then the laughter started. Princess glanced around at them, her face reddening.

“What--what are you--”

“They don’t answer to you anymore, Princess,” Catalpa said cooly, rising to her hooves.

“They’re with me, y’see,” Redbud added, beaming.

“You--you can’t do that! I’ll have you executed!”

“Well, Ah don’t quite see how you’re gonna do that, given that Ah just ordered every single guardspony who’s still loyal to you to the other side of town shortly before coming here. If you want anypony executed, seems you’ll have to do it yourself, Ah’m afraid,” Redbud said.

“Then I will!”

Redbud gave a hearty chuckle. “Really? All of us? Didn’t you say you were burned out?”

Princess fell silent at that.

“Actually,” Redbud said, his smile fading. “Ah think there may be one execution today.”

And with that, they charged her. All at once, a wave of guards, brandishing spears and clubs and crude axes descended upon her. There were a few bursts of light as she tried to stem the flow, but in an instant, even as a few ponies flew off their hooves, she was overwhelmed. There was a small pop just as the first guardspony reached her and thrust his spear where her neck had been an instant before.

And then she was gone. A cheer rang out through the ranks of the guardsponies, who now surrounded Catalpa. She glanced to her right to see a few of them help Aspen to his hooves, and when she looked back, Redbud was standing before her.

“Ma’am,” he said jovially, bending into a half-bow.

“Thank you, Redbud,” she said firmly. “What happened? How’d you get here?”

“Well, one a’ mah stallions told me Princess was headed in your direction, an’ I figured that couldn’t be good, given the state she was supposedly in. Oh, and given that she’d said she was plannin’ on killin’ you for what happened to Dogwood n’ Sycamore. So, I rounded up some of my folks, sent all the rest halfway across the island, and then headed up here to stop her. Looks like it worked.”

“Genius.”

“Thank yah, ma’am. Ah do like to think so, myself.”

“What do you plan on doing now?”

“Now? Ah’m not really sure. Ah was plannin’ on roundin’ up everypony who wasn’t gonna side with Princess, and gettin’ ‘em to hunker down on the West Bank, seein’ as that’s where most of our strength is anyway. Apart from that, Ah figured Ah’d see what you had to say,” Redbud replied.

“That sounds right. Go through with it. I’ve got to leave town, actually. I need to find the Equestrians, and see if they can help us somehow. I need to know what they’re planning, what they’re going to do with the crown they made Aspen steal.”

“Alright.”

“Can you keep things together while I’m gone? It shouldn’t take too long--but I don’t want to leave any Councilponies in charge. You know how they can be.”

“Kinda like mah brother, if I remember correctly,” Redbud said with a grin.

Catalpa allowed herself a small smile. “Exactly. Anyway, shore up what space you can, and get as many civilians as you can somewhere safe. You never know what Princess might try next, we don’t want anypony getting hurt.”

“Will do. But just so y’know, I don’t think she’ll be doin’ much of anything to us in the next coupla hours. She’ll most likely be tryin’ to get together what’s left of her guard,” Redbud said.

“Probably so. In that case, just don’t let any fighting break out. Not until I get back.”

“Ah’ll try. No promises.”

“Redbud...”

“Fine, fine. I’ll make sure everythin’ stays civil while you’re gone.”

“Good. We’re trying to minimize bloodshed, here. I want to postpone starting an all out war for as long as we can.”

“Might not be too long.”

“Postpone it nonetheless.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Right, then. You gonna leave now?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, Ah’m gonna send a detachment with you, to escort you to the edge of the city. Just in case.”

“Sounds good.” Catalpa said. She turned to Aspen. “Ready to head out?”

He looked at her, his eyes glazed over. It looked like he was in some sort of daze. Maybe the events of the day were finally catching up to him.

“Aspen?” Redbud asked.

He snapped out of his trance, at that. “Hm? What?” He glanced from Catalpa to Redbud. “Right. Leaving. Let’s go.”

Redbud nodded, turned to a few of his stallions, and gave a low whistle. A handful of them moved forward, and he briefly explained to them what to do. One by one, they saluted, then gathered around Catalpa and Aspen.

“Goodbye, Redbud,” Catalpa said. “And thank you.”

And with that, they turned and made their way down the terrace, angling across town, headed for the woods.

_________________________________________________________

Something was definitely wrong with Roads. He was just sitting there, staring at the fire and frowning. And every so often he would twitch just a little, and wrap his forehooves around himself slightly.

But mostly he just sat there, that thousand yard stare on his face, gazing into the fire. Summer knew what he was thinking about. It had to be that mare. She grunted, and stamped a hoof on the ground. It just wasn’t good for him to be dwelling on it like this. A pony never got any saner, mulling the past over like that. It was best just to let things go--and, if possible, convince yourself they had never bothered you that much in the first place. That’s what she had done when Honey had--

That’s how she preferred to deal with things. And it worked! None of this sitting around and staring business...

Summer sighed and sat back against an outcrop, staring at Roads. She’d already found out Chief had more bananas stashed away at the back of the cave, but she wasn’t quite ready to go back to Roads yet. Or, more accurately, she didn’t think he was ready for her to come back to him.

Which was a real shame, because the longer she watched Roads beat himself up over he’d done, the more she wanted to gallop over and throw her forehooves around him and tell him not to worry about it. But, would that really get anything done? She wasn’t sure. It was best just to wait for now. Wait, and watch, and hope something changed.

And something did.

A voice echoed across the cave. She realized it was Willow, calling out to Roads. He was saying something she couldn’t quite make out, and Roads was walking over to him. They talked, for a while, stirring Summer’s curiosity, but she decided it was best just to let their conversation play out. Maybe something helpful would come of it. She certainly hoped so.

Although with Roads it’s not very likely, she thought as she lifted a hoof to brush her mane out of her face. She winced as the movement tugged at the stitches in her sides, and looked down to see they were oozing a bit of blood. Frowning at that, she wiped a bit of it away with a hoof.

It was so frustrating, having the slightest movement send pain rippling through her sides. She wasn’t used to having to check her movements--or feeling so helpless. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, having to rely on Chief and Roads for food, shelter, and safety. Not because she didn’t think she could count on them, but more because she was used to providing for herself. If she needed something, she got it done, without anypony’s help. And that’s just the way it was.

Until Princess came along, of course. Bitch. Summer could feel fury bubble up in her stomach just thinking about the evil little mare. What she wouldn’t give to--

A sudden ringing filled the cave, a high pitched squeal that made her wince and throw her hooves over her ears. The tripwire spell.

She glanced to the cave opening and saw Aspen standing there, bruised and bloodied, clutching something green in one hoof. She walked over to him, horn glowing as she began to disable the alarm spell.

“Guys,” he said over the whine of the tripwire. “I think I just started a war.”

And with that, the noise died out and a hush fell over the cave, as Summer, Roads, Willow, and Chief stared at the battered islander.

“I’d say that’s something of an exaggeration,” said a female figure, emerging from behind Aspen. “He’s merely accelerated the timeframe for already imminent violence.”

Summer looked her over. She was tall, almost as tall as Chief, and lanky, with an angular face that peaked out from under a long, off-white mane. As she walked further into the cave, Summer noted that her movements were tense and precise; this was a pony who never had a hoof out of place. “And who are you, exactly?” Summer asked.

“I’m the unofficial head of the island Council, the leader of the rebellion against Princess, and the impromptu diplomat to Equestrians. Call me Catalpa,” she said with a slight bow. “And you are Summer, I presume? The leader of the Equestrians?”

“The leader of these Equestrians,” Roads pointed out.

“Quiet, Roads. Let me do the talking,” Summer said.

“Oh, because that went so well last time...”

“As if you could have done any better.”

“I don’t see how I could have done any worse!”

“Please, you--”

“You quibble like young colts,” Catalpa interrupted. “Please stop. There are more important things to discuss.”

“Oh? Like what?” Summer replied.

“Where’s Willow, for a start,” Aspen demanded.

“Well, I seem to recall telling you to come back alone, Aspen. Given that you didn’t hold true to that part of the bargain I might have to--”

“I’m over here,” cried Willow, interrupting Summer.

“Willow!”

Aspen dropped Princess’ crown and dashed across the cave to the other pony and ripped his bindings away. He helped Willow to his feet, and, as soon as he was steady, grabbed him around the withers and kissed him. Summer cocked an eyebrow.

“You know we were never gonna actually kill him, right?” she said.

Aspen spun around, a look of horror spreading across his face.

“W-what?”

“When we told you that we’d kill him if you didn’t bring back the crown? We never actually planned on hurting him,” Summer said.

In an instant, all of the blood drained from Aspen’s face. His jaw slackened and his eyes widened.

“Do you... do you have any idea...” he choked.

“Do I have any idea about what?” Summer asked, sitting back against a rock.

“Do you have any idea what you made me do?!” he seethed.

The color was returning to his face, along with an unbridled fury. His jaw clenched as an expression of unadulterated rage spread across his face. There was a small crack as he rapped the butt of his spear against the ground, then levelled it at Summer. On the other side of the cave, Chief tensed and began to slide uneasily towards Summer, who had dropped into a battle stand, forehooves splayed, horn pointed at Aspen.

“I killed my own people! My coworkers! My friends! Two of them!” he took a few menacing steps towards Summer. “Dead, because of you! Because them or Willow! Their deaths are on you, not me! And now you want to tell me what? That it wasn’t real? You never meant to hurt him? What, was it some kind of joke? Some sick joke you Equestrians play? Who can get other ponies to kill each other?!”

“If they’re dead they’re dead. Doesn’t matter if we lied to you or not,” Summer said.

“At least then it would have been real! Do you have any idea what happens now? Their family and friends grieve and bury them, and I can never show my face in my city again. I’m a murderer, all for your stupid lie! I threw my life away today to save Willow’s, and now you’re telling me it was nothing?! No. No! You’ll pay for this. You’ll pay for the lives you ended today!” Aspen cried.

And with that, he took off, dashing towards Summer.

“Aspen, no!” Catalpa cried.

And suddenly he stopped. At first, Summer thought it was because of Catalpa. Then she realized Willow had Aspen’s tail in his mouth. He jerked the bigger pony back, wrapping his forehooves around him.

“Stop it!” he said. She realized he was almost in tears. “Stop hurting each other! Stop hurting everypony else! Just stop, all of you!” he said. Then he looked down at Aspen. “But mostly you. You’re better than that. You don’t need to fight anypony else today...”

Aspen tensed for a moment, but then the fire seemed to rush out of him. He turned and buried his face in Willow’s chest, and said something Summer could only barely make out. “I killed them, Willow,” he said. “I killed them...”

He let out a choked sound Summer thought might have been crying as he sat in Willow’s embrace. Summer didn’t particularly care. She had done what she needed to in order to survive. Aspen had been made to think it was either Willow or those ponies because in reality it was either Summer or those guards. And if Summer had to choose between her life and that of the islanders, she was going to choose her own. Every time. That was just how survival worked.

She turned to Catalpa. “Well, that’s taken care of, then. You said you were a diplomat? Well, great. Sure took your time meeting us, didn’t you?”

Catalpa narrowed her eyes. “I haven’t had the chance. Up until now, Princess has controlled the island.”

“And now?”

“Now the Council has some power. Some say in the matter of governance.”

“What’s this Council you keep mentioning?” Summer asked.

Catalpa took a moment to explain the history of the Council, and their role in some of the islanders’ struggles against Princess, finishing with the story of what had taken place in town that day. Once she was finished, Summer gave a low whistle.

“A whole army, huh? What do you need us for, then?” she asked.

“I was hoping you could help me take care of Princess,” Catalpa said.

“I thought that was what the army was for?”

“If push comes to shove, yes, the Council’s forces can overwhelm Princess’ and most likely end up bringing down the dictator herself.”

“But...?”

“But that would involve a lot of bloodshed. If you can bring Princess down, I can find a way to diffuse the whole situation.”

Well, that had been what Summer was planning anyway. But if Catalpa was asking for her help, maybe she could get something more out of her scheme than just killing Princess.

“We can bring down Princess. For a price,” Summer said.

Roads looked at her, confused. “I thought we were already--”

“Shut up, Roads,” Summer interrupted.

“Name your price,” Catalpa said.

“You know our supplies? The ones you confiscated?”

Catalpa nodded.

“Well, we want ‘em back. We can’t leave without them,” Summer said.

“You bring me Princess’ body, and I can have somepony send them to you. On two conditions.”

“What?”

“The first is that you leave right afterwards. The only way I can bring back together all of the islanders--the ones loyal to both Princess and the Council--is to blame Equestrians for the whole affair. The islanders are angry about the deaths, each side blames the other. You kill Princess, and I can blame her death on you. I’ll blame the other deaths on you as well. Then I’ll spread rumors of Princess’ being a native Equestrian, and of the ponies she murdered over her lifetime. It should unite almost everypony against you. Which means you’ll need to be going.”

“Fine with us. We were headed out as soon as possible anyway. Monsoon season’s coming,” Summer explained. “What’s the other condition?”

“You take Willow and Aspen with you.”

“What?” Summer asked, bewildered.

She turned to Aspen. He was sitting, watching her intently. Willow was still draped around him, and staring at him curiously.

“Catalpa and I have discussed it already. I can’t go back to living in the city. Not after killing two ponies. Those two had large families, and lots of connections. There will be retaliations. It’s how blood feuds get started. I need to leave, and I want Willow to come with me. If he will.” Aspen glanced up at Willow expectantly.

“Where you go, I go,” he said firmly.

“Right, then. Besides, I’ve heard from Strongsteed that Equestria is more... accepting, anyway. He said we’d like it there.”

“Alright then. You can come with us. We’ll try to take care of Princess for you. We’ll need your cooperation, though,” Summer said.

“Do you have any ideas already? Anything we can help with?” Catalpa asked.

Summer smirked. “A few. Roads?”

He nodded. “Right. Well, basically, it all comes down to the crown. That’s why we needed it in the first place.”

Catalpa started. “Wait, you were already planning on--”

“Shut up. Just listen to Roads,” Summer interrupted.

“Okay,” Roads continued. He picked up the crown off the ground. “Anyway, do you guys see that jewel there? That gem is arcanoresonant to an extreme degree.”

“What?” Catalpa asked.

“It holds magic,” Roads explained.

“Just like a cloud!” Willow chimed in.

“What?” Aspen asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, this gem holds magic. It’s how Princess has been staying alive for the past two hundred years--every so often, she goes to the nexus on the other side of the island--”

“The what?” Catalpa asked.

“Think of it like a font of natural magic. Anyway, she goes to the nexus and charges the gem, and then channels the organic energies in the gem to ward off the effects of age--and to reverse any sort of bodily harm, or to extend her magical stamina, so that she can cast more without burning out.”

“Well, apparently it didn’t do her much good,” Catalpa said. “She says she’s burnt out after the last time the two of you met.”

“Really?” Roads asked. “Fantastic. That helps us.”

“How?”

“It gives us a more manageable timeframe,” Roads said.

“For what?” Catalpa asked.

“The attack. Basically, she drained the energy in this gem when she fought me in that field. Now, if she wants to fix her leg and recover from being burnt out faster, she’s going to need to visit the nexus again. And that’s when we strike.”

“When she’s in a nexus that heals her and augments her magic?” Catalpa asked. “That is not a tactically sound plan.”

“Well, here’s the thing about augmenting magic. Do you know what happens when two nexuses meet?” Roads asked.

“No.”

Until a few minutes ago, she didn’t even know what a nexus was, Summer thought with a grin.

“Well, neither do I. But I have a few theories. And in none of them does it work out well for anypony who happens to be standing in the nexus.”

“So, what exactly do you intend to do?” Catalpa asked.

“This gem can be recharged. I plan on charging it in the exothermic nexus on top of the mountain. Then, when Princess steps into the nexus, we toss the gem in. And when the magical energies intertwine... boom!”

“Boom?”

“Boom. I think. Or, at the very least, everything should catch on fire. If I’m right,” Roads said. “And I usually am, at least about this.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Catalpa asked.

“We’re just gonna have to hope I’m not wrong.”

“Alright, then. It’s our best bet, for now at least. When can you be prepared to do this?” Catalpa asked.

“I’m not sure. Chief, how fast do you think we can get up to the nexus and back?” Roads asked.

“Without your wings and my hoofguards? Four hours. Maybe more,” Chief replied.

Roads turned to Catalpa. “Can you make sure that Princess doesn’t leave town for at least another four hours?” he asked.

“I can try,” she said. “I’ll invite her to peace talks. If she feels threatened, though, she’ll leave. If she gets it into her head that war is imminent, she’ll want to be at full strength to have a fighting chance to stop us. But she won’t want to leave before that. She couldn’t risk us attacking her ponies while she was gone unless she absolutely had to.”

“Well then,” Summer said, “you stall her.” She turned to Willow and Aspen. “You two need us now. Can I count on your help?”

“Sure,” Aspen said begrudgingly.

“Yep!” Willow said.

“Okay. We’ll head up the mountain, to the nexus, and back. When we’re ready, we’ll send Willow to meet Catalpa, and tell her to force Princess’ hoof. We wouldn’t want her getting any extra recovery time, if we could avoid it.”

Willow nodded. “Sure!”

Aspen glanced at him. “You’re willing to take part in Princess’ murder?”

“Do we have a choice?” he asked.

“...no.”

“Exactly,” Willow replied.

“It’s settled then,” Catalpa said. “I’ll go meet with Princess, and try to keep the peace in town.” And with that, she turned and headed out of the cave.

“Okay, Willow, Aspen, you two stay here and wait for us to come back. We shouldn’t be gone long. Roads and Chief, let’s get going. We need to get up that mountain, now.”

Roads frowned. “You’re coming with us? With your sides all cut up like that?”

“Stay here,” Chief said.

Summer shook her head. “Not a chance,” she said, a wicked gleam in her eye. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Author's Note:

Thanks, once again, for reading! I’d like to dedicate this chapter to my editor, Secondaryspine, who doesn’t give himself nearly enough credit, and didn’t think he deserved an editor ‘thank you’ at the end of this chapter.

Well, guess what? I still wrote one anyway. Because fuck you, that’s why. You did work, you get credit!

Comments

[secondaryspine]

I love you, Rosen

[Rosencranz]

Love you too, Pip.

[applebuckapprentice]

This is such a well written story that the first time I read through it I was up all night. Needless to say this last chapter is a good transition into the final fray. keep up the extraordinary work.

[TheStratovarian]

Good, bad, and ugly, written well, and in great taste. Thank you highly for writing this, and I truly hope your muse always guides you!

[AntiquatedAnnomaly]

The plot thickens. I can't wait for the "Boom."

[secondaryspine]

I'm gonna burn yer college to the ground. Moar!

[websterhamster]

The, eh... romance, that is apparently going on between Aspen and Willow quite frankly disgusts me. Just FYI. And don't judge, I have a right to be disgusted by that sort of thing