Diprosopus

by WritingSpirit

They Lament Every Night

*SNAP!!*

"... arity...!"

Silence.

"...lease wa... Rari...!"

It filled her. Dominated her. Reigned supreme over her like a tyrant. Her ears strained in place, trying their best to break free. Her world was a dominion of darkness, engulfing and entrapping her vision in a state of blindness, yet she could feel its restraints... weakening... coming loose...

"Rari... don't... can't do..."

The plug of silence started to slip off, letting in a high-pitched ring that slowly set in her ears. Her eyes struggled to open, the giant blemishes she was seeing all simmering down into clarity. Muffled voices chimed suddenly, trying to burrow and claw through the crumbling wall of quietude, sounding unstintingly frantic. Even as they distort and merge with the ringing, she could hear her name beneath the mesh of noise, called by whom she wasn't sure.

"Rarity, co... on!!"

That nagging feeling in her head told her it was somepony she knew. Somepony she held dear.

"Please wake up!! Rarity, please!!"

"S-Sweetie Belle?"

A loud gasp broke through the warped silence, breaching and shattering through her obscured vision as Rarity found herself being hugged tightly, eyes dilating in bewilderment when she saw her sister's distressed, tear-strewn face staring back at her. Stifling a sob, Sweetie Belle buried her face into her chest, to which she could only gape at until she noticed all the other faces smiling softly at their reunion.

There were all her friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, sighing with relief. Behind them, she caught a glimpse of Soarin', Spitfire and Shining Armor, all three tending to a frazzled, evidently soot-covered Twilight Sparkle massaging her pounding head, the intention behind their muffled voices only palpable through their grim frowns.

"You scared me!!" Sweetie Belle yelled into her sister's face, much to the older mare's shock. Never in her life had Rarity heard the teenager being so upset before. Even that caught the attention of Twilight, as the white mare spotted her friend stepping towards her, stifling a weak smile.

"I thought you were DEAD, Rarity!! I thought he... he got you or something--!!"

Rarity cut in with a hush, instead hugging the teenager tightly in her hooves.

"I couldn't fathom why you would think that way, Sweetie Belle," she replied in an assuring whisper, clenching her watering eyes shut to suppress the aching pain in her chest.

"He will never get me, got that Sweetie dear? He will never tear us apart. Even if he did, I'll always find a way to come back to you, understand? I'll always come back to you... no matter what happens..."

The rest watched in silent relief at their sisterly reunion, providing Rarity the warmth of welcoming grins once she calmed Sweetie down. She glanced around the rotunda, the mystical yet genuine quietude of nocturnal Canterlot managing to alleviate her fears away; she didn't want to wake up and find herself facing their sworn enemy in some sort of torture chamber. Spike surely wouldn't want that to happen as well.

That's when her heart dropped suddenly: the said dragon wasn't here. Rarity's face fell when she glanced around to make sure, the absence of the love of her life swiping the colors of her face. Immediately, she stood up, though her hoof suddenly seared with pain, prompting her to yell aloud before falling to the floor, the rest gasping in response.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle yelled. rushing to her side.

"Rarity, are you alright?"

"Wh... wha..."

"Yer hoof ain't in its best shape now, sugarcube," Applejack explained, forcing her to turn hesitantly. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw a gaping, ominous red slash across her right hind hoof, reaching up to her chest and staining its surrounding fur with blood. She winced when she tried to shift it about, watching only as more blood spurted from its core, forming branching rivers leading into the floor.

The same hoof was suddenly lifted up carefully and painlessly, with a string of bandages magically wrapping about itself as Fancypants stepped from behind the huddled crowd, trying his best to give a smile. It wasn't long before Twilight, clutching a salve tight onto her wounded shoulder, finally limped towards her with help from her brother, the fashion designer unable to hide her horror when she spotted her friend's bandaged horn, a small crack running down from the tip with a small glow emanating from within.

"Janus struck us before we escaped," the violet mare explained, cringing from her aching head as her horn fizzed out a small spurt of magic, assaulting every nerve within her skull.

"His magic somehow got... caught in the space continuum and... well... it struck and destroyed the Stream Gate when we reached here."

"Wh-Where... where's Spike?"

"He and Inkie Pie are in the hospital, but there's nothing to worry about. They're just unconscious, that's all. Spike might be slightly burned, but he's lucky he has those scales to protect him and Inkie from the explosion. Otherwise, who would've known what could've happened to him?"

Rarity let out a huge sigh of relief. At least he was safe; that's all she wanted to hear.

"But what about the invasion?" she asked.

"Did the Princesses know?"

"They found out an hour ago."

Twilight's answer wasn't short of astounding: how in the world did the Princesses knew of the attack before their timely return to Canterlot? Plus, it only started half an hour ago, which meant they knew it would happen before it did! Did the royal sisters send some sort of pony there to keep watch over them? Even so, why couldn't that pony wake everypony up in camp to defend it instead of letting them take the fall?

The librarian was almost clouded with doubt herself; if not for her utmost, unwavering faith in her mentor, she would've cried treachery already. Princess Celestia would never let hundreds of ponies be slaughtered like that. What about the minotaurs and gryphons that were in the camp, like the captain himself? What would their leaders say about the deaths of their own kind in another country's war?

"She couldn't have let such a thing happen," the lavender mare protested in a whisper.

"C-Could she...?"

"I'm having a little trouble believing it myself," Shining replied, letting out a heavy, languid sigh.

"But whatever happened, I'm just glad you guys are alive."

"However, if Camp Éigríochtar has fallen," came Spitfire's voice.

"Wouldn't that mean that Janus had passed through the north border?"

Twilight quietly nodded, leaving them at the brink of uncertainty. It was the day they all feared: the day that Janus finally steps into Equestria. Even before that, he had already caused bombings and assassinations with perhaps only a wave of his hoof. No doubt, he did it once, though that lead to the fall of Pendant Lakes. The last thing they wanted was him completely blowing up an entire town again. Or worse.

"I'll ask the Princesses for any measures we might have to take," she assured, despite being doubtful herself.

"For now, we'll have to wait until her conference with the other nationals are over."

"No kidding," came Rainbow Dash's rasp.

"She must really have a lot of guts to still attend the conference, especially with those gryphons and minotaurs around. If I were them, I wouldn't be as nice when I know the very soldiers I've sent would all be killed."

Even Fluttershy had to agree. The Highlands Grand Unity Federation take pride in their citizens as much as their traditions, history and culture; to send them off like pigs for slaughter would probably be the last thing that could drive them up the wall. Their hircine (goat) counterparts hasn't announce the order to send the armies, and for the Federation to lose trust in the Princess would no doubt deter them from such a decision.

"I hope they won't be mad," the yellow pegasus said meekly, with Rarity nodding along.

"Me too," Twilight answered. Janus is coming closer by the minute and the last thing they needed to lose right now was a powerful ally. She glanced at the closed doors of the conference room at the opposite side of the hallway, gulping quietly while wishing in her heart for at least a decent conclusion.

"Come on, Princess Celestia..."

"We're all counting on you..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Stupid... darn..."

With one swift tinker of the small screwdriver in his hoof, the radio finally managed to crackle, white noise fizzing out of its speakers as the quartet of three ponies and one looming dragon surrounded it, all eyes staring down at the vintage device that they had salvaged from one of the derelict homes nearby. They were having a lunch break, after all, with the only available object to break the mundanity of chewing food whirring through its speakers, the antennae pointed towards a crack in the ceiling.

Stellar found that same crack just fifteen minutes ago, when they were scouring the subterranean land for the night. Despite being small, it was one of the few cracks that allowed daylight to slip in, forming a single, glowing streak on the cavern floor and, inadvertently, allowing a little bit of contact from the outside world. It was Jovern's idea to use a radio, mainly to know the political conditions of Equestria, although aside from a bountiful, obscure and irritating grove of white noise, there hadn't been any modest results. Yet.

A little crackle -- thanks to Caduceus's straightforward methods -- whirred their attention back to the device, with all of them craning their necks, trying to hear a single voice straining to escape from the clutches of white noise. With a groan, Harmony picked it up, immediately slamming it down hardly onto the craggy rock, much to the surprise of the others.

"What?" she asked, glancing at all their faces as the fizzing sounds faded.

"That's what you learn when you've dealt with pretty stubborn ponies before. Your Patriarch was one of them, if I could recall. Wouldn't you say the same as well?"

The two old colts stifled a chuckle at her statement.

"We could never agree more," Caduceus replied with a nod.

"-- are underway as the Ministry probes into the recent bombardment of Manehatten. The death toll had risen to over five hundred just yesterday during the Royal Guard's search for more survivors, leading many to question not only the matters of national security, but the Princess's reign as well--"

"Had seen this coming, really," Stellar remarked.

"Equestria's starting to lose faith in her ever since the Rembury incident."

"Manehatten bombarded..." Harmony muttered. She herself had been to the city during her solo travels before stumbling upon Pendant Lakes. Even then, Manehatten had all those towering apartments, skyscrapers and other majestic architectural wonders that signified the city itself. She could never picture it: such a glorious place in ruins. Then again, she could never picture Pendant Lakes becoming some subterranean wasteland as well.

"Imagine what could Janus do..."

"-- town of Cirrus Deep invaded by bandits and the nearby camp that the Princesses had established being burned down. Our Majesty is currently having a few talks with the representatives of the other nationals to discuss the further matters at hand. With these recent, dark tidings, there can be no doubt that Equestria, awaits her answer."

"Invaded by bandits... pah!"

With one flick of his hoof at the switch, the radio whizzed into silence, leaving Stellar to sigh. They were here, trapped in the shadowy ruins of what was once their home, and yet the Princesses are fighting a battle above. It doesn't take an expert to know that the battle was a losing one, especially when they had resorted to censorship and secrecy.

The colt knew of the town of Cirrus Deep, having stopped by there on a few expeditions. Despite its remoteness from other major towns in the North, the platoons placed to guard the borders, its existing town defenses and guards, plus the supposed camp situated close by it, was enough to protect eight Palgiot Palaces. Whichever of his minions Janus had hired to topple that would've been one of the most dangerous ponies in Equestria.

"Equestria these days..." he grumbled, cocking his rifle.

"Can't trot around without being fearful of a blade in your back or a bomb landing on your head."

"Oh, but I wouldn't complain about the former."

With a sigh, Caduceus shifted toward his friend's side, handing him a small piece of rationed lettuce, to which Stellar accepted eagerly. As always, the doctor was somewhat right; even after the eradication of Sicarius Nox, the blades of Pendant Lakes were constantly tainted with blood, to the point where murder became but a trademark of Pendant Lakes instead of a crime. Death was always shrouding the town, even when in ruins.

Harmony was one of those claimed, yet not absorbed completely by death. He felt only pity for her state; life severed her and death abjured her, leaving her empty shell to roam the ruins of her unintended doing. He had heard stories of old regarding necromancy and the Inmortui -- what was known to the current generation as zombies and the Undead -- though never had he seen one before, nor expected one to possess emotions.

"I await results of my homeland's involvement," Jovern stated, sourly puffing a ring of smoke out of his nostrils.

"The Sovereign Federation of Draconis takes our pride and honor more so than those of the Highlands Grand Unity Federation. For the Princess to have an alliance with our Federation would be fruitful and a great advantage against Janus, but I doubt that agreement could come across easily."

"Speaking of which, why were the dragons so hostile to ponies in the first place anyway?"

"Truth be told, I haven't had the faintest idea why."

The black dragon rested his head on the floor, heavy with thoughts flowing through his mind in his search for a proper answer to Caduceus's question.

"If I could remember, we had trusted each other at some point. Once, both communities were allies, prospering and protecting each other. Aye, that was centuries ago, when what you call the Badlands was a grander, more prosperous place than now. At that time, I believe my great-grandparents weren't even born yet! However, something happened; something that not only severed the alliance between Equestria and my Kronii -- my masters, but also ignited a civil war in our lands, split from the choice of maintaining the allegiance to the Celestial Empire, or abolish it. It bred us with hatred against ponykind and in turn, bred them with fear from us, and the bonds of unity shattered. Just like that."

"What could've caused it?" Stellar asked.

"Never knew," was the answer.

"Only the Vahlzervaan: my country's most ancient scholars, the Hramdinh: the Federation, and a few other dragons knew of that day. I was hoping that with this war, my leaders' faith in the Princess would restore, though it is but an utter disappointment as of yet."

"Old habits die hard, hmm?" Harmony remarked.

"It seems stubbornness doesn't only limit to ponykind."

All of the males could agree with subtle nods. Softly murmuring and grumbling something that the rest could only assume as contained disappointment, Stellar suddenly stood up, stretching his aging limbs with one hoof drawing his rapier as he turned towards Jovern, asking:

“Would you care to join me? I was thinking we could salvage some supplies, and I need somepony, or in your case, dragon, with a pair of sharp eyes."

“You flatter me, Sir Lionheart," the dragon said with a deep chuckle.

“I am but a dragon, ripe at the age of five hundred and sixty-one. What you call my 'sharp eyes' isn't exactly what they used to be anymore. These claws had been snatching less prey in recent years..."

“Just follow him, Jovern," Caduceus replied, almost scoffing at his friend.

“Apparently, Stellar here thinks I'm a tad bit blinder that I used to be."

“You and your bloody assumptions, Caduceus..."

“It is but a very true fact, is it not?"

Immediately after the doctor challenged his reply, Stellar couldn't help but let out a snicker, leaving his friend to roll his eyes, the dragon to give a small, amused grin, and Harmony to just stare at the two colts, her mind questioning both of their maturity. Jovern, of course, quickly got up, his decision clear and simple as he followed the former butler into the deep darkness of decrepit apartments, disappearing from view just as Caduceus let out a short groan.

“Stellar, you cheeky bastard," he mumbled, loud enough for the only other pony beside him to hear as he crouched towards the radio, fumbling with the loosening knobs.

“You two make a great couple."

Harmony's response turned his face a morbid green that would've been more fitting on a chameleon, the mare stifling a laugh despite his appalled look. Even after she stopped, the doctor was fumbling about with his words, stammering and stuttering out a rickety sentence that only poked at her funny bone even more.

“You've misunderstood, doctor," she answered with a giggle.

"It's just that you two seemed really perfect for each other. I suppose I was being metaphorical."

“There is a difference between being metaphorical and being sarcastic, Miss Peridot," he answered, which only heightened her laughter. Sometimes, he wondered to himself how in Equestrian did he always stumble upon and end up with such ponies. Fate had always been a most mischievous force to reckon with; he himself had danced a dangerous tango with fate one too many times over the tightrope which were his patients' lives. Like many wars, there were the generously-rewarding wins, and there were the spirit-crushing losses, in which the latter was a more severe pain to deal with.

“Perhaps I should resume my examinations on you, if you don't mind?” he asked the mare, to which she immediately pouted. It seems even in death, ponies do not like checkups, he told himself with a triumphant grin.

“Just to pass the time, as always.”

“Well... if you insist...”

Silence came after the conversation, leaving Harmony to wince occasionally from each layer of bandages being carefully peeled off her chest and Caduceus performing as such while his thoughts simmer onto the forsaken town. It was now but an echo of its former splendor; a town once blessed in royalty yet betrothed to despair. Along with Stellar, he had served enough Palgiots to fix his loyalty and trust among them, even when Tantrum Palgiot caused a grave insurgency that involved the royal sisters, but even the greatest hunters must retire.

Of course, he, like most others, only heard one side of the story. Surely many of their royal subjects have their own tales to tell. Stellar himself, for example, had always lived on Fountain Square as a tramp ever since he was five; if not for Pendulum Palgiot's decision to adopt him, surely the colt wouldn't be the faithful butler he was always known as. Persimmon Mills, maiden-name Cryoheart, had lived in the famous Foster Grande Orphanage ever since her parents were brutally assassinated. Sidus Sirenheart had been living in an abandoned cottage in the woods, sneaking to the town only to steal loaves of bread. His last theft was a ceremonial dagger from the palace; an attempt too ambitious as he was caught by Stellar, who since helped to smuggle out some food whenever he needed some. It was exceptionally fortunate for him then, that the Brineheart family had been serving the Palgiots as doctors ever since Axle's reign.

Then there was this mare. The one they call Harmony Peridot.

Caduceus only knew briefly about Harmony's origins: that she was a freelance photographer, artist and fashion designer set on revolutionizing the world of design; that she hailed from the Equestrian capital as well as adopted the pompous need of elegance and style of its luxury-oriented society, and of course, that she was the lifelong marefriend of Winter Palgiot, until a chain of events orchestrated by none other than Janus himself severed their relationship into a love triangle with her fellow Voyager and Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie.

Of course, the mare was technically dead, so to speak, yet he knew she was also the last line for her family as well. He had never known of another Peridot still being alive, as she was the only child. It would be unfair to say it was destiny, yet it was also unfair to say that it was the result of her wrongdoings. Caduceus knew that personally himself.

“It's still beating, you know?"

“Hmm?" came his puzzled response.

“What do you mean?"

“My heart," Harmony answered solemnly.

“I... I can... I can somehow... feel it, as if it was still in my chest. I'm guessing that with its lack of blood, it'll look like some shrivelled leaf, but I know that it still works. Every thump... every thump just... pulses through me... some sort of energy that makes all my hooves skip to a... a kind of waltz, lost in these be-damned caverns."

“What of the fate of your heart?" he asked, curious.

“Did you ever know what happened to it?"

One single, almost subtle nod gave the answer.

“I've lost it long ago," she stated, sparing only a grimace.

“It was taken by somepony... and that somepony will never give it back. In exchange for it, he will offer me a deal of such proportions, I'd wager even in life, I could never accept such an offer, for it was a luxury that the dead can't afford."

"A luxury the dead can't afford..."

Caduceus would've studied the statement in full detail and praised it for its poeticality if he wasn't so focused on Harmony's dreadful fate. The loss of her heart was what mystified him the most, for it was one of the two most vital organs he believed a living pony should possess. Never had he thought of the consequences of losing only one of the pair.

“Would you be alright?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I am but dead, after all," the mare replied, stifling a weak smile.

“The lack of a heart doesn't mean much to a dead mare."

"That's not what I meant."

One last layer off her chest revealed the gaping cavity in her chest, to which Harmony could only glance to the side, her eyebrows creased in a frown. The reeking stench of rotting flesh made the doctor gripe slightly, though that by itself wasn't enough to put him off; he had dealt with dead bodies that went through worse. The only time he had to step out from a mortuary was during the autopsy of a decomposing body, the flesh having turned softer than a pot of molten jelly and the smell worse than waste mixed in swamp water.

“It was the knowledge of the lack of a heart that concerns me more on your well-being," he said.

“The realization of something missing, especially when it is vital and evidently lost, can haunt one's mind gravely. Perhaps one might lose, per say, a small ring. You can buy a new one, of course, but what if the memory of losing it gets stuck in your head? What if it was something traumatic like losing a heart?"

“Perhaps it hurts, perhaps it doesn't," she answered softly.

"What of your horn, doctor? It was a necessary sacrifice, was it not?"

“Not as painful, however--"

"Because you've known worse."

Caduceus almost flinched when Harmony said that, watching with widened eyes as she stood up, half of her face covered in a veil of darkness, the other cast underneath a streaking curtain of daylight sifting in from the crack above. Tracing her hoof absentmindedly towards the hole in her chest, she drew a sideways glance towards the doctor, sighing quietly.

"Have you ever... seen your family pass on in your youth?" she asked.

"Well..." the doctor began hesitantly.

"It is... pretty hard to say--"

"There's more I've read than your grades, Doctor Brineheart," the mare shot back, much to his surprise.

“It is rather strange for a prestigious doctor like you, with affiliations to the great Palgiot family, to not have somepony to call as family. Persimmon had that drunk of a husband to begin with, Sidus had his fellow assassin as his soulmate and wife, and even Stellar was, at least, treated by the Palgiots as a brother. You, on the other hoof..."

Nothing. Caduceus always had the mind to muster up a reply, but this time he could conjure nothing. His lips remained stiff and straight, his wary gaze faltering into one of defeat as his pupils slanted towards the ground. The stalk of his confidence withered at the mare's words, the optimism he was known to retain chiseled and crumbling.

“I suppose that answers the question," Harmony muttered, settling next to him.

“I almost thought Winter was the one, but... you know how that turned out. We're pretty much the same when it comes to love, you and I: that we never experienced any true love. That we have nopony close to protect us in times of trouble."

"Why bring it up now then?" Caduceus asked grimly.

“Why bring up the matter of love? You've said so yourself, you are a dead pony."

“But you are not."

Harmony wore a faltering grin; one that had the glimmer of hope not for herself, but for the aged doctor. Quaintly, she held the colt's hooves in hers, the sound of silence enveloping the two as the sense of touch, from one pony to another, resonated strikingly with every faint pulse of Caduceus's heartbeat. They raptured in a rare serenity; of two former enemies trapped in the remnants of their battleground, even though the colt never understood why he did so. Of course, the mare seemed to have notice his doubts.

“Believe me when I say you still have time for love," she muttered softly.

“I'm certain there will be a mare of your age who shares the same fate as you do. One day, the both of you would meet, perhaps in the near future in a place least expected, where she would become the light of your life as you would become hers. Love is inevitable, even for an old coot like you."

Caduceus managed to chuckle: old coot indeed, he thought to himself.

“And how would you know that?" he asked, skeptical.

“Why would you think that I still have a chance at love?"

"Simple," was her reply.

"Even though it didn't work out, it was a chance encounter that lead me to meet and fall in love with Winter for the first time. If a mare like me could have a chance at love..."

"What's to say that you couldn't as well?"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

“Just... be... very... careful..."

"I'm trying my... phew... best," Ganger replied with a tired smile, hooves starting to wobble.

"You're not exactly... gah... the lightest pony in the world."

Pinkie just bit her lip, watching as the cook lifted her up with a puff of his breath, her hoof stinging slightly with each thump down the final set of stairs. It would be more sensible if he had somepony else to help him instead, though she knew how Ganger was when it comes to an opportunity to display his strength. His twin sister was more affiliated with that title, to be honest, having always been the brawler of the two.

One more huff, and the mare found her hooves gently placed on crutches with the help of Phoenix, both exchanging soft smiles. It was also with his and Velvet's help that she learned how to use crutches, albeit after a considerably long endurance of pain and a few falls that managed to bruise her chin. Despite all of that, it was her, as always, that laughed the loudest at herself in the end.

"Need a little help with the burn ointment, V," the stallion called out, his flaming tail whipping and flailing about in vain to reach a small bottle perched at the corner of the table. Sure enough, a loud sigh soon came from the next room, Velvet stepping out and simply grabbing the bottle before tossing it to his friend, who caught it with ease. Pinkie's inquisitive mind started to wonder how much times did Phoenix require the help of the caravan, but shook that thought off immediately; even though Phoenix was one prone to asking for help, he was still the caravan's informal leader who finds answers better in more complicated and perplexing situations.

Slowly as well as carefully, Pinkie limped into the dining room and towards the closest chair, hooves gripping on her clutches tightly. The crisp aroma of recently-brewed turnip soup lingered in her nostrils; no doubt the result of another wonderfully-made dish from none other than Ganger himself. She couldn't help but sniff it a few times, enticing the tingling sensation of hunger underneath her stomach with only a few licks of anticipation to show it.

"Saturn's coming back with a few saffron buns," she heard Velvet speak from across her.

"Where's Ollie, by the way?"

"Fishing, if I could remember," Selena said, halfway slurping in her soup.

"Told me he had a craving for cuttlefish suddenly last night. He'll be back in a sec."

Of course, Pinkie told herself, gulping down a spoonful of her soup. Sometimes, she forgot that Ollivander had a particularly different appetite from the rest of the caravan thanks to his gryphon origins and such. She had never seen him fish before, having only heard them when Selena recounted about his gliding and diving maneuvers just to grab a snack.

"What about Brutus?" the aforementioned mare asked their fellow assassin.

"Is he joining us for lunch?"

"Most probably."

"I really do hope so," Phoenix popped up, seating right next to the pink mare.

"I'll need him and Ollie to help me to decide upon a few routes through a few mountains we'll be crossing. Apparently, Fleetywit forecasted heavy fog for the next few days around the area. Natural ones, fortunately."

Sure darn right they were fortunate, Pinkie thought in her head. The last time they stepped into a pegasus-made fog, all of them were captured and beaten into pulp, with she herself being offered as a sacrifice to some tyrant of a god. The guilt of that day had never left her, yet she never, ever let it run up her head. As Phoenix had always reminded her, she was more than the mare she thought she was.

"You alright, Pinkie?" Velvet spoke suddenly, the said mare nearly falling off her chair.

"You seem awfully quiet today."

All eyes turned to the pink mare, whom stared back silently and nervously at every face in the room with only a near-silent gulp to voice out her discomfort. Slowly, Pinkie scanned the room of inquiring faces, her heart stopping when she turned towards the gray stallion who called her in the first place, immediately feeling her cheeks flush at how concerned he was looking. His smooth, dignified voice strummed the chords of her heart once more, leaving her head to echo at the single word that was starting to keep her staring at the ceiling at night.

Diane... her mind repeated in the stallion's voice. It was a mystery, how her middle name could incite such sensations of rapture and bashfulness, though there was a spark when Velvet said it; the same one that made her stand up from her chair, much to the surprise of everypony, and turn towards the corridor, hiding her face from their view as her mane started to lose its curl, draping down the side of her cheek like a veil.

"Pinkie!" Phoenix called out, though the pink mare tried her best to ignore it, limping away from the table. The lurching of a chair warned her of somepony following right behind, yet that only prompted her to hasten her escape, crutches dragging across the wooden floor with a jerking groan, her gaze following aimlessly along. All she could think of was being alone, just to think things through. That's right, she told herself. Just to think things through...

A loud yelp of pain rushed out her mouth, coinciding with another, less intense cry as she slammed into Saturn Lithehoof, followed by successive thuds of saffron buns being let loose and rolling across the floor and the smash of crutches and a black cane against the wall. Pinkie tripped backwards, landing on her burnt hoof which forced out from her a scream that shook the house.

"Pinkie!!" she heard her name, clenching her eyes shut as tears threatened to seep from within. She felt herself being lifted up, heaved across the corridor and back onto the chair that she tried desperately to flee from. With a weak whimper, the mare reluctantly opened her eyes, her face flushing a deep crimson once again when she saw Velvet's face staring back at her.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

"G-Get away from me..."

Velvet was the only one that heard what she said, as well as the only one who stepped back while the rest tried to help her up. Her voice was grim, shaking with hatred that seemed to be directed towards him, for whatever reason he couldn't understand. Even as she was moved into the dining room, Pinkie's blue eyes glared at him, blanched with all the happiness and carefree energy that once lingered within them.

"She really needs to watch where she's going," Saturn declared, rubbing his aching head.

"Is she always this careless? V? Hello~? Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, uh... depends..."

"What's wrong?" the silver unicorn asked his evidently upset friend, who helped him up, his wobbling, stinging hooves reaching and grabbing his cobra-adorned cane earnestly.

"Is it about Little Miss Pinkie Pie here?"

"N-No!" he began to protest, stopping and sighing in defeat when he noticed Saturn's arched eyebrow.

"Okay... maybe it is about her, but it's nothing major, I swear."

"Nothing major, eh?"

Velvet thought he saw Saturn flash a grin, the two picking up the scattered buns as his mind raced through the mare's abrupt grudge against him. As if her bipolar mood swings she was notoriously known for having was bad enough, Phoenix did say it's best not to get on her bad side. Of course, if he ever did get onto her bad side, it was mostly likely accidental and he would've figured out why if not for his friend staring impishly at him.

"What?" he finally burst out, earning a small chuckle from Saturn.

"What's with that smile?"

"If I could remember, your pink friend isn't one prone to doing anything... how shall I put it... minor."

"She's just a little uncomfortable around me for now. That is all."

"They always are."

"What exactly are you implying, Saturn?" Velvet asked, irritated.

"The only ponies that could be uncomfortable around me are the ones that found out I'm about to cut their throats wide open and turn their heads into trophies."

"Seriously, V? Do you ever know how love even feels--"

Saturn stopped halfway when he saw his friend's glare, serving as a boost of memory as well as a grave reminder. Both unicorns stepped into the living room, carefully traipsing over a few paint cans towards a couch draped underneath a translucent fabric, to which they immediately settled down with a crumple, mouths zipped in brief silence.

"It might be a Celestia-given second chance, y'know?" the silver unicorn said suddenly.

"Something like this doesn't come everyday."

Velvetine Willows stared down at the floor, the claws of the past ripping his head once again. It was like a ripple of waves in a lake: strikes hard in the center and spreads out in residuum that tingles in his chest. Now, a new stone was tossed in this same lake, except this time the concerns were different; this time it felt like it was thrown as a warning, or a threat even, on returning to his past.

"I'm sorry," was his somber, shattered reply.

"But once was enough."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Soft...

The feather was shed recently, by a young pegasus. It was ripe with innocence, as expected from a child, yet tender with dirt, likely a tramp living on the streets. Its hairs were frayed at the tip; an undeniable fact that this child was struggling, no doubt caught for stealing some food from the vendors to sate their hunger and placed in some filth of a jail cell, where they would lament there every night. The child will be declared a juvenile of the public... a juvenile when he or she only wanted to survive.

Never was he fond of such travesty. A child does not deserve such nightmarish experiences in the Canterlot dungeons; the young mind was always blooming with figments of an innocent imagination at this age, and for such darkness to be unleashed upon them would only corrupt those figments, guiding him into a path of shadow instead of one in full light. Pity to those who travel in the darkness.

Pity...

Something the Canterlot Royal Guard never had.

Pity also the Guard then, for hiring fools.

The Masque of Canterlot stood on the tip of one of the many spindles pointing from Canterlotian roofs, staring down underneath Luna's shrouding night with wings flared like many of the statues and gargoyles around. His destination was in the distance, just right at the foot of Her Royal Majesty's pompous palace. It had always been a challenge to do this, and a challenge it would be again, even if he did this countless times before. They would call it a rescue mission. He would call it just another necessary routine to be done.

One leap, and he soared over the wary eyes of Luna's thestral guards and some of Celestia's unicorn guards, landing like a hawk on the arch of the palace gates. Even underneath the full moon, they always never spotted his shadow, with some blatantly saying he supposedly never had any. None had the sense to realize the notion of how many buildings were cluttered together with roofs sometimes overlapping each other in the 'majestic' capital, merging his shadow with many of the colossal ones all around. Never mind that, as the place he wanted to go was now right below him.

The Canterlot Barracks.

Aye, the barracks... what he dare call the nexus of authoritative stupidity. With a Cheshire grin, the masked pony dived down, slowing into a forward glide with his wings outstretched, carefully maneuvering underneath every accursed balcony closest to him. He could only laugh in amusement at the thought of the Princesses hiring a banister-obsessed architect to design the palace, seeing how there were so many balconies around. All the more better for him, actually.

Landing on a soft patch of hay, he hurriedly leaped through the entrance, whizzing across the pavement like a dart and shutting the door soundlessly behind him. Aside from the distant echoes of ponies taking swigs and cheering loudly behind a door, his attention turned towards a small set of staircases, leading underneath the wooden floors and into the land where many of Equestria's most wanted had found a secondary home.

The hallway of these jail cells was unlikely to be left unguarded; he had broken in too much times to not dispute that fact. Every time he came in here was different, for the ponies he were rescuing was always in different cells and the number of guards seem to multiply. He knew that one day, launching a prison break would be impossible when there would be guards covering every single tile on the floor, but that is a thought better saved for the future.

For now, he has a child to rescue.

Stealthily, with wings keeping him aloft, he crawled like a lizard up the pillars and across narrow wooden supports, carefully creeping over the heads of the many guards unaware of his presence. He could hear their rambles of recent events, notably the destruction of Manehatten and the purported bandit attack on an army camp.

"... think they're hiding something from us?" the first guard said in a lowered voice.

"Really, how can an army camp be overrun by bandits? How is it even possible?"

"They did say anything is possible in the north," came the other guard's reply.

"Still, it is ridiculous. Plus, we have allies from the Highlands there. What bandit attack would be able to break through ponies, gryphons and minotaurs, all at once?"

Those voices became murmurs, fainting and brushed underneath a carpet as the Masque crawled towards the faint whimpering coming from a dark corner. He smiled when he spotted a shivering little filly, hooves crunching down into strips of stale hay with a few bruises on the side of her body, lips bleeding from forceful bites. The sight of the latter two was enough for him to force out a frown; they have the concern for the friends they've lost in the far north, yet not have the decency to hold back any brutal beatings on a frail filly's body?

"Psst..." he called out frantically yet quietly.

"Hey! Hey, young'un!"

"H-Huh?"

The small child perked her head up and would've let out a shriek that could cover five lifetimes if she didn't recognize the mask staring back at her. She was about to gasp out in joy, though the Masque's stiffly-raised hoof stopped that. Quietly, she watched in amazement as the stranger slipped from underneath his wings a mix match of blades, all connected to and retractable into one handle. What she didn't know, like most others, was that it was a skeleton key, hoof-carved from none other than yours truly and bringing him otherworldly rewards and wonders.

A click of the door paved way for her freedom and his relief, to which she shuffled into the embrace of the ever anonymous savior, who could chuckle deeply in both timbre and empathy. A small sniffle, near-silent in her happiness, was enough to notify him of the many remorseless horrors she had faced. The Masque knew it must be terrible to her; a child would cry loudly for attention, yet she cried with the intention to be not heard.

"I'm here to get you out..." he assured in a low whisper.

"Doez it hurt? Their as'zaults?"

"Not when you're here," she replied genially with a large grin, rivaling the warmth of Celestia's sun.

"I feel a lot safer around you, y'know?"

"Well, we aren't ezactly out of the hot water yet. Follow me."

His wings flared out once again, and with a defying leap and a filly clutching tightly on his back, the Masque landed onto a protruding brick that would've send him falling if not for his staunch perception of balancing, before taking another leap and gliding towards the windowsill.

The night air of Canterlot met them, the rhapsody of freedom lifting the plugs off the filly's ears she placed as a result of the carnal barks of guards. She slowly rose up, craning her neck with a falling jaw at the sight of Luna's full moon; a coin hanging in the sky that sparked a glitter in her eyes while her savior and, for now, pilot, soared through the skies, the feathers on his wings rifling and skating along the clouds.

"Where are we going?" the filly finally asked.

"Dependz," he said, gliding over the capital.

"I have but a choi'ze for you. You can return from where you came, back to the plaze you call home, or you can come with me, where I can show you a new world; a paradize, underneath the gutters of Canterlot. Pick what you wish."

The filly just pondered, humming aloud as he patiently circled about the city, flapping his wings a few times only when the pull of gravity started to strain them. Her choice quickly came to her in a split second, even though he had already knew the answer. It wasn't the first time he asked this question, after all.

"This... paradise of yours," she wondered out loud.

"Is there anypony... like me there?"

The answer, to him, was as simple as the grin that formed on his lips.

"You know z'at z'ey say friendship is magic?" he popped the question, to which the filly nodded eagerly.

"Well, if it is zo..."

"Then my paradize is a magical paradize."

Author's Note:

Finally back from Taiwan!
Sorry for the extra-long delay. Refer to recent blog post for details.

Good to be back

Comments

[Fury of the Tempest]

You lost me at the last scene. Even with Janus turning things to hell, that would NOT. HAPPEN.

This isn't our world. This is EQUESTIRA. Even if yours is a lot darker than ours. The filly would NOT be treated like that, at all.

[WritingSpirit]

3062334
Treated like that by whom?
Just a reminder, Janus isn't easy to predict

[Fury of the Tempest]

3064254
... Wait wait wait. Your stating that Janus has agents in the guard that treated the filly like that?

[WritingSpirit]

3065105
Spoilers!