Diprosopus

by WritingSpirit

Equitis Ardentibus

"Home sweet home, Stellar Lionheart."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working."

Always bubbling with sarcasm, Caduceus Brineheart. Still, Stellar preferred it more than the tainted ink of silence blotting the ruins of the once-bustling town. It struck him strange about how he was perturbed by the downfall of Pendant Lakes a week ago, yet now all those thoughts felt numb to him. Numb to the deaths of so many on that bloody night.

They were clinging onto the back of Jovern, who was circling around the esteemed Palgiot Palace, standing with a straight fissure cut into the middle, with one half crumbling to a lower level than the other. Such a gigantic, desecrated structure required them to find a spot for the giant dragon to land, with the fact that the palace was standing on a lone butte that towered over most of the cityscape only making their trivial search ever the more complicated. Despite all of that, he still had one fragment of hope.

Harmony Peridot.

Throughout the subterranean journey, he had began to trust her, as did Caduceus and Jovern, mainly from the light conversations that they have. She never harbored any grudges as they believed she would, even going so far as to say it was all water under the bridge when Caduceus 'accidentally' mentioned it. Perhaps she did change after all.

"Think I spot a landing," he heard Caduceus say.

"Right there. At the banisters of the west wing."

"Can you get us down there?" Stellar asked their pilot.

"Already doing it. Hang on tight, boys."

With a quick dive, Jovern stretched his claws out, wings flapping hastily once they touched down with a scattering of rocks and dust everywhere. Both ponies slid down his scaly back, readying their respective blades as they glanced around the desolate hallway, where torn tapestries hung from above and shredded carpets cover the floor. Stellar chuckled to himself; home sweet home indeed.

"I'll be waiting outside," Jovern notified them.

"If you need any help, give a signal."

A giant flap of his wings was all that's needed for the dragon to take off again, leaving them alone in the dark abyss of the palace. Slowly, they began their slow march down the ruined path, the silence they shared aiding their ears in the wary search for whatever creature that nestled within. Both ponies remembered about the pile of bodies they found outside as much as they remembered their encounter with the shrieking banshee of a devil back at the orphanage that was once the beautiful mare known as Autumn Palgiot.

Stellar had a hunch. It was a dangerous hunch, one he wished not to be true. Harmony did tell her about how the Palgiots, among others, had turned into some form of demon. If that were true, then they've probably just stepped into their lair. He shuddered at the thought, gripping on his blade tighter than before.

"Where to first, Stellar?" Caduceus asked.

"To whatever here that Janus may be interested in," was the confident answer.

"His forces were killed to find something powerful enough for Janus to use. Something worthy the attention of a pony like him, if there is such a thing."

"He already has the Dreamscape essence. What else would he need?"

"No idea, but if it exists, it certainly predate the Archives. If it didn't, Persimmon would've let us know about it if such a thing was ever in there."

"Unimaginable..." Caduceus muttered.

"What of Harmony? Does she know about it?"

"Hopefully so."

A small clatter from beyond made Stellar raise his hoof up, gesturing his friend into silence as the two of them raised their blades. Slowly, they inched along the walls, crouching low in their slow journey towards the junction ahead. Squinting his eyes, Caduceus could make out the silhouette of a stone balcony, while Stellar stopped to reach back into his saddlebag, taking out a flintlock pistol and filling it with gunpowder.

"Scout ahead, Caduceus," he whispered to his friend, reaching back into his saddlebag once again.

"Tell me if you see anything."

"Would do if you tell me what you're holding."

"This?" Stellar asked, raising up an ornate, cylindrical tube made from ivory, approximately about half the length of his pistol, that he took out, along with several musket balls.

"Apparently, the gunsmiths back at Canterlot called it some form of sound suppressor or, as they phrased it, a 'silencer'. Supposedly, it completely silences the sound of the gun when it's fired."

Caduceus scoffed. "Bloody technology these days. Can you imagine?"

"My thoughts exactly."

With a shake of his head, Stellar soon plugged the silencer at the barrel, spinning it over and over until it barely touches the tip of the frizzen spring. He never liked using these 'modern trickery', as he called them, but if they were ever in a lair of devils, the last thing he wanted was to attract any wrong attention. Caduceus was already peering out from the corners when he was done, signaling him over with his blade.

"See anything?" he asked his friend.

"No sign at the moment," Caduceus replied in a low voice.

"Where's Harmony?"

"Hopefully doing what we expect her to do," Stellar muttered. All of them, Jovern included, had trusted her on what their mission is for: to find what Janus's forces is (or was) desperately searching for in the depths of Pendant Lakes. Whatever weapon that they were looking for, he just hoped Harmony would not harbor any second thoughts.

"Where do you suggest we revisit first?"

"Wherever Harmony might be."

"You really care for her, it seems."

"She might have done many wrongs in the past, Stellar," Caduceus replied, noticing his friend's frown.

"But however much you loathe her, she's our ally now. We need all the help we can get, even if it might be from one such as her. She could be a demon herself for all we know, but that wouldn't change a thing. We have to trust her."

"I do trust her. It's just..." Stellar stopped to sigh.

"How can we be sure she won't use this chance to do something behind our backs? Even if she wouldn't, what if... what if she was taken by these demons of sorts?"

Before Caduceus could muster a reply, a loud crash resounded throughout the hallways, hoisting their senses to a frenzy. Immediately, they raised their weapons, with Stellar especially readying his pistol and pointing it towards the corner. Both of them held their breaths as their ears picked up the faint sound of hoofsteps, slowing growing louder with every passing second. Within one huff of gasp, Stellar turned out from the corner, pointing the gun forward and pulled the trigger, the spark of the flint accompanied with a near-silent hiss.

"For Celestia's sake, Stellar Lionheart," the voice of Harmony Peridot groaned.

"Caduceus spent all night patching that portion up, and you just had to go and ruin it."

"Harmony!" her shooter exclaimed, slightly flabbergasted. His eyes were drawn to the small puncture the bullet of his flintlock caused on the mare's body where blood of the darkest, most tainted red slowly spurt out, streaming down her waist to the bottom of her hooves. With a scoff, Harmony settled down onto the floor, Caduceus immediately tending to her with a cough and a few long strips of bandages in tow.

"A-Apologies. We thought you were--"

"A demon floating around and making hoofsteps. Sure I am," she scorned.

"What took you both anyway? And where's the dragon?"

"Jovern's too big to come in, so he's waiting outside," Caduceus answered instead.

"We were finding a place to land. What about you? Find anything worth our attention?"

"There were a few things here and there, but from the state of the place, I reckon whatever place you expected each artifact to be in would've... moved, so to speak. We'd have to start from scratch to find whatever Janus is looking for."

"Might as well start then," Stellar said despondently.

"The sooner we find what we're looking for, the better."

Once all the bandaging was done, the three ponies resumed their expedition to search for something powerful; something that managed to evade the eyes of everypony somehow. They had spent one night theorizing on what kind of object it would be. Perhaps it was some form of enchanted weapon, or something more sinister like the Dreamscape essence? With the fear that Janus petrified ponykind's hearts with, plus all the obscurity that he clouded himself with, it was a wonder what otherworldly object he still needed in his possession.

Caduceus would've pondered on about that during the journey, though something else was amiss. He felt it while he was bandaging Harmony's ruptured chest. which still bled endlessly from his impetuous task. Once again, the feeling struck him when he glanced at the mare, his gut twisting into a knot. It twisted even more, however, when she turned back to say something, but furrowed her brows at the last minute.

"What?"

"N-Nothing," he stammered.

"I was just wondering if you are alright. You seem a little..."

"A little?"

"Disturbed."

A brief pause, yet tense all the same.

"You don't have to worry any further, Caduceus," Harmony said dismissively.

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yes," she muttered with a strange air around her voice that even made Stellar glance back.

"I'm fine..."

"Perfectly... fine..."

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"Mmh..."

"Morning, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight lazily half-opened her eyes at that voice, so cold and smooth yet so deep with warmth. The fuzzy balls of lights dancing before her merged, her face cracking with a subtle smile when she could make out the Masque putting his mask on, the stallion already adorned in his trademark cape over his vermilion coat. She let out a mirthful giggle once her suitor turned around, striding towards her and making her cringe a little as he gave a nuzzle and a peck on her left cheek.

"How was your sleep? It was good, I presume?"

"A lovely one," she mumbled her answer, crooning once she felt his hoof run down her waist.

"You were... mmm... wonderful last night."

"I treat first-timers especially well."

"I can see that," Twilight muttered with a bashful giggle.

"I still can't believe we actually did... did what we did last night. I mean, traditionally, it would've been last on the list..."

"I'm a wanted criminal, Twilight Sparkle," the Masque said slyly.

"I always, always break the rules, no matter what they may be."

"You naughty colt."

"No more naughtier than you, my dear."

"You made me say all those... w-weird things!"

"You loved it. Admit it, you did."

"Okay, okay, fine..." she stammered, hooves raised up in defeat with cheeks blushing so hard, the Masque couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Who wouldn't love it, she thought to herself, with all the gentle caresses and the pleasurable sensations that he gave her? Slowly, Twilight rose from the bed, using her magic to pull a hairbrush towards her from the nightstand while letting out a yawn. She was surprised, however, when the Masque's hoof snatched it in mid-air, the stallion proceeding to brush her mane instead.

"What are you doing?"

"You had a long night. It's best not to wear you out any further."

"I can do it myself, you know?" she muttered, pouting.

"But if you wanna do it... be my guest..."

"Would your brother question your long departure?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"He might," she answered.

"But I doubt Shining would have the time. He's on duty today, after all."

"Imagine if he found about us."

"No kidding," Twilight replied, chuckling.

"If he does find out, I'm going to get killed."

The Masque grinned, making her giggle once again when he leaned down to plant a kiss on the neck. He was really meticulous, the teeth of the brush smoothly gliding down her mane like ice skates. Twilight closed the eyes, relishing the moment in the embrace of the fine gentlecolt she was lucky to be with. When he was done, she could only stand up and turn to him, rewarding him generously in the only way she knew how.

"Come here..." she purred, pulling him closer.

Just as their lips touched, the door suddenly burst open, crashing into the moment and making both sides jump back as Trixie rushed in, a frantic look on her face. Her sweating form and loud pants would've made them laugh on any other day, but once both of them saw the faint stains of blood on her hooves, the Masque glanced back up, before storming out in a split second, leaving both mares alone in the room.

"W-What happened?" Twilight asked the pale-faced Trixie.

"Trixie, look at me. What happened?"

"T-The... the filly... crying..."

"What do you mean?"

"We..." Trixie stopped to gulp.

"We found her on the streets outside... she was... she was..."

"Bring me to her. Now."

With a hasty nod, the magician lead her out of the room, down the spiraling staircase and into the subterranean tunnels where the children slept. Both unicorns bit their lip when they heard the sound of sniffling coming from the center of a huddled group, the Masque just about break into the circle with his bare hooves.

"Make way," he yelled over the chatter.

"I need to see her."

When the filly came into view, Twilight's jaw dropped in shock. There was the filly whimpering on the floor teary eyes, closed with a rustled blue mane that looked as if it had been yanked and pulled on, and her sky blue coat that would've looked pretty if not for the jarring wounds coated and slashed all over her body, fresh blood still flowing from the seams. She looked by the age of seven or eight, though what caught her eye was the small metal tag of some sort she was wearing around her neck, with a series of numbers engrave onto it. The Masque knelt down, closely looking at the scars while gritting his teeth at whatever devil had did this.

"Unbelievable..." he muttered.

"She has been whipped."

"What?" Twilight gasped.

"But... but who could've done such a thing?"

"Get me some ointment!" the Masque yelled, with one pony scampering away to satisfy his demand.

"Celestia, what monster could've done this to you..."

"Mister? Hey, Mister! I think I know who she is!"

Another filly squeezed herself through from the crowd, popping out and glancing down at her injured counterpart. The Masque remembered her clearly; she was the one he rescued that night from the Canterlot Barracks where the Royal Guard and their detainees resided. Said filly soon turned back to the rest, a somber look drawn on her face that would've been called cute in other, more trivial, situations.

"She's one of the children from the barracks," the filly said with utmost confidence.

"I recognized her... she was in the cell opposite of mine."

"The Royal Guard," the Masque spat those words.

"Pah!! Should've known it was their doing all along."

"But that's impossible!" Twilight proclaimed, gaining every ounce of attention.

"The Royal Guard does not endorse torture in any form. Especially not on little foals like this! Princess Celestia made it illegal a long time ago! Whichever guard does it is... is suicide!"

"Do you need any more proof, Twilight Sparkle, other than what you see before you?"

"My brother would never, ever allow such a thing happening! He wouldn't let his own guards get away with this if they did! Please, you have to listen to me, the Royal Guard is not responsible for this--"

"And if they were?"

"They're NOT!!!" Twilight screamed suddenly, much to the surprise of everypony else. Upon realizing it, she just turned away to the side, eyes watering slightly while she gritted her teeth, the truth yelling and tormenting her. The Royal Guard would never do that, especially when their reputation and in turn, Princess Celestia's reputation, was involved. They would never do that... they would never... a hoof around the shoulder broke through the wall of those thoughts, making her turn to see the masked caper gazing down at her, the first tear slowly crawling down her cheeks.

"They wouldn't... they just wouldn't... you have to believe me..."

"Fine. I believe you," the Masque answered hesitantly, hugging her.

"I believe you... shh..."

"But she was certainly from the barracks," Trixie cut in.

"Look at the numbers on the tag. That's certainly the serial number system that the dungeons use."

"H-How would you know?"

"Most of us made a routine to prison before, Twilight," the magician answered rather bitterly.

"It's lucky we had enough bits saved just to get ourselves out of that place. This was definitely the Royal Guards' doing."

Twilight almost lunged at her when she said that, being pulled back at the last minute by the Masque, who barked at them to stop. The dormant volcano that is the tension of both rivals erupted again after so long, with the librarian steeling a glare at Trixie's defiantly scornful look, the azure mare turning away with a resentful humph.

"Perhaps the Royal Guards were responsible for this," the Masque told her, much to her disbelief.

"We have to take each possibility as a consideration, Twilight. This would be the most probable cause of... of this. You know that, don't you?"

She didn't want to admit it; that her brother's well-trained, harshly disciplined soldiers would crack a whip and remorselessly strike at such a small, innocent child. Would Shining Armor allow such a thing? Even worse, was he the one that gave the punishment and oversee it to be a success?

"There must be something else..." Twilight conjectured.

"Something we're missing..."

"It's h-him..."

The weak, feverish voice blazed through all the speculation and arguments, all eyes turning down to the scarred filly. Immediately, the Masque knelt down to the child, gently shushing her while looking around breathlessly. Normally, his composure wouldn't be easy stirred, but when a pony is met with such turmoil, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if it could wedge into the nerves of one's sound mind.

"For Celestia's sake," he shouted.

"WHAT'S TAKING IT SO LONG?!!"

"Here, sir!"

Quickly, the Masque snatched the bottle, popping open the cork and, with a shivering hoof, rubbed the stinging liquid across the gashes. The filly winced and hissed, even letting out a cry when his careful hoof wandered along the deeper wounds. All the gathered audience could do was watch, jumping occasionally from the filly's pained voice screeching over her whimpers and grunts; they too were suffering her pain.

"H-He... he was there..." she squeaked.

"Don't speak now, my child," the Masque advised.

"It will do only worse for your suffering."

"N-No, no... he was there... the pony..."

"Who was there?" Trixie asked, her voice becoming as sweet as a sugared caramel apple.

"You can tell us. It's okay now. Who was there?"

"The one th-they're looking for..." the filly continued, which perplexed them. At least, most of them. Many a pony in the room would never understand who she was talking about. Then again, many a pony never had any sort of ties to the royal Canterlot family.

"The one we were looking for," Twilight said grimly, gritting her teeth. She should've known it was his doing. Whipping a child into devastation... it would be the work of a sadistic madpony that craves only for death and destruction, and so far she only knew one that fitted the description perfectly.

"She means the pony behind the bombings in here and Trottingham, as well as the destruction of Manehatten."

"What?" Trixie gasped out, representing their voice in unison.

"But why? What would he want with a small filly like her?"

The librarian couldn't even begin to think of an answer like that. Janus was in Canterlot... that was new information enough to shake her to the core. Janus was in Canterlot... it made her head spin just to think about. Why was he here? What would Janus gain by whipping a filly of such a small age anyway? Was it part of his sordid methods to manipulate young foals into his malicious control? No, there was a missing piece to the puzzle, and it wasn't a good sign.

"You..."

"Huh?"

"It's you..."

"What is it?" Twilight asked, eyes wide at the filly's hoof pointing right at her.

"What do you want?"

"He wanted me to look for you. S-Said he has a message for you..." the filly said, earning fearful mutters and chatters from the rest. She couldn't believe it; Janus had a message for her? Was this filly set free only because he had something to say to her? Twilight bit her lip, glancing up at the Masque, who gave a nod. Holding her breath, the librarian mustered up her confidence, asking the question that had been burning up in her head.

"What was the message?"

"C-Complete the sentence," the filly said, shivering terribly. She was forced to remember that, Twilight surmised, her cheeks seething with rage. That was what all those whippings were for; each mistake, five to ten lashes, she estimated. A pony that punishes young children in the most torturous of manners... how heartless can he be, she asked herself. How heartless can he be?

"The p-princess s-s... the princess sp-spent her days crying in t-the tower, for... for the dragon burned her... her knight in..."

"In?"

"That was it. That was all he wanted me to say..." the filly claimed, starting to sniffle.

"Please, please don't send me back to him! Please!!"

"Shh... you're safe..." Trixie hushed her, hugging the sobbing filly in her embrace. She turned to look at Twilight, who had trotted away to a corner in a moment of deep thought. There were many questions running through her head concerning their so-called enemy, like how he knew Twilight was down here in the first place, but she reserved those thoughts for later.

"What does it mean, Twilight?"

"The princess spent her days..." the lavender unicorn muttered.

"For the dragon burned her knight in... her knight in shining armor. That's the answer!"

Then she stopped.

Her brother is on duty today...

A child from the barracks...

The dragon burned her knight in shining armor...

"No..."

In a blink of an eye, Twilight galloped up the stairs and rushed down the catwalk before anypony else could stop her. She gritted her teeth, running as fast as her hooves can take her with sweat falling from her head, not from her galloping, but her anxiety. It doesn't matter how many puddles she may trip into anymore, nor how much her hooves were starting to ache from her frantic rush through the tunnels.

The dragon is going to burn the knight.

Shining Armor is the next target.

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"Excuse me? Where's the hospital ward?"

"Down the corridor and to the left, my Hvid Jæger."

Dapple Deuce grumbled her 'thank you', a little ticked off. She never wanted to be the Hvid Jæger, or White Hunter in typical Equestrian; that title was bestowed unwillingly upon her while she watch her friends lining up to be set on fire for some insane sacrifice. Other than that, she was secretly glad that they were all okay.

At least, most of them.

This strange... realm that they were in was breathtaking, to say the least. From what Phoenix found out, they were in the town of Byafisogsne, which, when translated, literally meant 'the town of ice and snow'. The residents here, the reindeer or 'rensdyr' in their language, have been living here since the dawn of time, isolated yet prosperous. What was even more of a marvel than the natural scenery was the architecture; they were made from the most beautiful of wood, like the floor, for instance, possessed both the artistry and texture of marble instead. It reminded her of a few log cabins that they had to stop by for the night.

Each door was carved from birch; a fine white contrast to all the different shades of brown. The woodcarvers of the town must've been highly respected, it seems. A pony that closely examines it would see that they were all different from each other, for they prefer the carvings to name the room rather than dull signs and tags. The door that she was looking for had a matronly doe whose hooves were tenderly wrapped around a young fawn, sleeping in the embrace of serenity while its mother passionately glanced down at her child. Surrounding them were carvings of laurels and orchids, with butterflies and bees pollinating them; the only view of spring in this hinterland, frozen in time.

Pushing those doors open, Dapple Deuce marched in, guided into the dimly lit room by an aisle of makeshift straw beds, the only source of light being from a few oil lamps and from the giant stained glass window at the end of the room, which displayed the exact same carving from the door in a more glorious spectrum. Dapple quietly sighed: it has been a while since she had seen so much beauty. Warrior or not, she was still a pony.

The last bed held the only patient in the room, which was also the only one she was looking for. Dapple held her breath when she reached that bed, settling down onto the stool right next to it. It took a long while, with her shivering sighs and her mumbles, but she finally thought of something to say.

"Hey, Brutus."

The minotaur laid there, unconscious and still. His chest was wrapped with layers of bandages, a small murky blot in the center reminding her of their run-in with the Whitewind Bear. Dapple shook it off her head; she was here to accompany him, not to reminisce about how he got here.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm here to see if you were alright, if you wanted to know."

Silence.

"The rest will come down to see you soon," she continued.

"They're waiting for dinner to be served. Some of the priestesses said it would take quite a while. You should've seen Ganger rushing them like it's the end of the world. He's a funny one, my brother."

Again, silence.

"L-Listen, Brutus, I really can't thank you enough for what you did for me. You're... you're the stupidest minotaur I've ever met. You, rushing right in just to get yourself stabbed by that giant claw... what were you thinking?! Do you really think... do you honestly, really think for one moment that I actually cared that you came in? No, I wanted to do this alone!! You heard me!! ALONE!! And you just had to march in there and RUINED IT FOR ME!!"

Dapple stopped, her panting receded as she cleared her throat.

"I just... I wanted to do something big... no matter how much my life would be in danger, I wanted to do something big, Brutus. That bear was it, I just knew it! That bear was my lucky shot, Brutus, and I wanted to do it alone, but you came in. You came in and helped me when I didn't want any help."

"I felt cheated, Brutus," she continued despondently.

"For every passing second, I felt that you cheated and wanted to kill the bear for yourself. I was so angry that... that I wanted you to die, because you're such a... a giant asshole. It made me proud that I killed the bear and you got hurt! Hah! You? Stealing what's mine? I would've killed you there and then. Oh, I would stab you in the heart and rip it out your chest, for Celestia's sake!"

Dapple stopped to sniffle, one hoof pressed against her forehead.

"You... you... you just... you ruined it. You... you went and nearly got yourself killed. I wanted to do it alone without anyone's help and you knew that. I wanted to kill him all by myself... but you know something else. You know something that I couldn't see because I was too blind to see it then."

It took her half a minute to let it out.

"I was a bigger idiot than you are."

She let out a shaky sigh, her eyes closed and head hang low as she continued:

"I actually thought I could tackle the bear. Can you believe it? I actually thought I was strong enough to fight a giant bear. If you did it on your own, I'm sure you can get him, but me? Heck, Ganger was right. Would you believe me if I said I never even dared to pick up an ant back then? G always teased me about it, calling me a coward and stuff like that... I think it made me want to prove him wrong. To prove that I could be stronger than him in any way possible and I don't need nopony to help me with my problems. He always said I was in over my head... maybe he was right... maybe I did take it too far..."

Silence once more.

"What I wanted to say was," she stopped, with one hoof to wipe her tears, the other clutching Brutus's hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to put up with me, I'm sorry you had to go through all the hell that I was supposed to go through because I was stupid enough to... to... to put myself in harm's way. I never had anyone, even my brother, do that for me, and for that, I really, really appreciate it... so thank you. Thank you for saving me. Even if you don't wish to speak to me anymore, thank you."

Dapple Deuce wanted to stop there. Dapple Deuce wanted to stand up and leave the minotaur to rejoin the dinner upstairs, but still she stayed in her dismal position. She wanted to leave, yet there were questions still unanswered; questions that could only be asked at the right moment. Her mind was yelling at her, telling her to chin up and gallop back to the dining room, yet her heart... it told a different story. A convincing story.

"Can't believe I'm doing this..." she hissed at herself, lurching the stool closer to the bed.

"Brutus?"

No response, as expected.

"S-Sorry to disturb you again," she apologized, stifling a smile.

"But... but I have to know something... something really important. It might be very personal for you, but if you could just hear me out for a second..."

The minotaur still remained unconscious, leaving Dapple to muster her up her confidence.

"Do you... l-like me?"

Silence, before she realized Brutus was still asleep.

"You're probably wondering why I s-said that," she muttered, blushing slightly.

"I always had that nagging feeling that you were... protecting me, for some reason. I-I mean before the Whitewind Bear as well. There's one time-- do you remember? That I was suppose to go into the Wayfarer Woods to get some firewood and you volunteered instead? Then there's that time when you watched over me when I was down with hay fever. Velvet told me you offered to do it yourself. Do you remember that?"

"Then there's that one time, at Valewood..."

Dapple bit her lip; she was going to have trouble leaping over this hurdle.

"It's you, wasn't it? You were the one who gave me that pendant on my birthday, didn't you?"

It was more of an assumption than a conclusion. She didn't even know if Brutus actually still has the pendant on him, if he was the one who made it. She recalled how Velvet said he was some sort of a blacksmith back in the day, it being one of the reasons why he was offered to join the caravan in the first place. For a smithy to craft a pendant would be a piece of cake, yet Dapple couldn't imagine how long it took to find the gold and the ruby for it, not to mention how hard it must be to precisely cut the ruby into its desired shape.

"You spent all your time making that just for me," she muttered.

"I would never understand how much blood, sweat and tears -- the former two especially -- that you toiled through to do this. You were... generous enough for all of this... yet... yet when you finally gave it to me, I just... threw it on the floor like it meant nothing. I felt... what they call it? Flattered? I don't know, but I felt something that day, even if I threw it down on the floor and I'm sorry, Brutus. I'm really, really, really sorry..."

That was when Dapple finally let her sobs out. She buried herself in the blanket, the very little tears that came dampening the minotaur's blanket with a stain at a time. Every emotion she could name were blazing like a riot in her head, however much she wanted to stop. Nevertheless, riots don't stop unless they wanted to.

"Y-You don't... deserve me, buddy..." she managed to say between her sniffles.

"I'm sorry for everything... I'm an idiot, I know... and you don't want to be with me, Brutus, however much you might say you like me. I'm not worth all the trouble... but thank you."

With that, she stood up and leaned forwards, gazing down at the minotaur longingly with the desire to start it again, but alas, she knew she couldn't. Closing her eyes with tomato-red cheeks, Dapple gave him a kiss on the lips, relishing in those several seconds before she reminded herself to make it quick, snapping out and standing up with a flushed clear of her throat.

"Thank you for giving me a chance," she stammered.

"E-Even if I wasn't worthy of a mare to honor it."

Turning around, the unicorn raised her head high, wiping any remaining stray tears that clung stubbornly onto her with the desire to embarrass. One trembling sigh later, she strutted towards the door, though not before her frustrated heart beckoned her to glance back at the sleeping minotaur.

"I won't disturb you any further," she promised.

"Just... if you have anything you want to say to me when you wake up... I'm available for you. Also, promise me you won't tell the rest about this, okay? They might... freak out and call me an impostor if they knew... Bye..."

That settled, Dapple left the room, first to recollect her thoughts before planning to join the others for the dinner and to greet with the revered Princess Crystallia, goddess to the reindeer and savior to them, whoever she may be. She, however, didn't notice Brutus weakly turning to the side just to watch her beautiful form stride out from the view of the doorway, wanting to call out to her yet only able to muster a whisper:

"Promise."

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

"Mommy? Mom? Mommmm~!"

Princess Cadance sighed once more. Fourth time today.

"What is it, Radiance dear?"

"Are we going home soon?" he asked innocently.

"It's a little boring here in Canterlot."

"Now, now, Radiance," she replied, looking up from the scroll she was writing.

"You know we have to stay until Daddy finishes his job. You know how important it is to us that he does it now, do you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why not hang out with the others?" Cadance suggested.

"You have Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to hang out and play games with. Then you got your Aunt Applejack and Kane and your Uncle Spike to play with."

"But Daddy said you promised me to take me out to the fields and play hoofball with me!"

"Daddy said that?" she asked, to which Radiance eagerly nodded. Cadance sighed; she's going to have a long talk with Shining about this. She has her duties of her Crystal Princess, which reminded her of getting a babysitter every time such a situation happens. Perhaps this was what her mother-in-law went through before turning to her as a babysitter for Twilight. Speaking of which, her sister-in-law was the first candidate on her list, though her sudden departure left that position vacant. Spike and Applejack each tried their best, but with Radiance being Radiance, it wasn't much of a surprise when they told her about how... what word did they use? Active? Yes, how 'active' he was. Truth be told, she was on their side.

"Well, I have my own things to do, so hoofball's a no-no."

"Aw..."

"Cheer up, hon," she said, nuzzling his cheek.

"The moment Daddy comes back, you can play a round or two of hoofball with him. Just be patient and, with a little bit of luck, you can get what you want eventually."

Radiance nodded, disappointed, but he still held his smile. That smile... it was the perfect carbon copy of Shining's own, which was one of the things Cadance find unbearably cute. After all, he does resemble his father more than herself, with his athletic personality and carefree nature being one of the few traits he inherited. Smiling to herself, she was about to go back to her writing when he cried out again:

"Mom?"

A sigh. "Yes, dear?"

"Why is Daddy always gone?"

Cadance bit her lip, glancing at the barracks across the yard where Shining was working. It wouldn't be a surprise if a child's father would always disappear in the afternoon for the purposes of work, but Shining's case was just extreme. The last time Radiance saw him was almost four days ago, what with his father's recent routine of working during late nights. She wouldn't blame him for coming home late; Shining held the burden of protecting the entirety of Equestria from an invasion. Who wouldn't do the same in his position?

"Well, er... Daddy has to do very important things," she improvised her reply.

"Things like... like making sure we all can sleep without any bad ponies coming to get us. You don't want bad ponies to snatch you away in your sleep, right Radiance?"

"No!"

"That's right," she said, chuckling.

"Daddy's protecting all of us, just like your grandaunts Celestia and Luna are doing. I do that too back home. And you know what, Radiance? Someday, you'll do the same."

"Really?"

A nod. "Really."

"Can... can I go see Daddy?"

Cadance chuckled. Now, wouldn't that be a first? She could already imagine how excited it would be for him to see his father working as the Captain of the Royal Guard for once, even if Shining's too busy assembling his paperwork now. She would tag along too, but with all the duties of running the Crystal Kingdom involved through the exchange of letters to her stand-in back there, it would be hard.

"You can," she began.

"But be careful on the way there. You know how to get there, right?"

"Yup!"

With a wave and a peck from her mother that made him giggle, Radiance hopped off her mother's bed and scampered out of the room, his hooves jiggling with a child's excitement. He rushed down the hallways, making every necessary turn around the corner. One of them, however, made him bump into a pony, leaving him dazed on the floor with one hoof rubbing his head.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." he said, finding himself staring at the bottom of bleached-white hooves. His gaze drew towards the pony's face, which was hidden under a cloak, though he could make out the pair of red distinct eyes staring from underneath. Stifling a small sheepish grin which earned him a small smile from the pony in return, he brushed himself free from the dust on the carpet, before the other pony asked:

"You're Shining Armor's son, aren't you?"

"Uh... yeah," Radiance answered.

"What about it?"

"Just tell your father I said hi," the other pony said in a deep voice, trotting past the perplexed colt without even bothering a glance back.

"Also, like your mother said, do be careful on your way there."

The reply that followed just left Radiance blinking in confusion.

"You'll never know when a bad pony would suddenly come out and snatch you away."

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

Shining Armor.

Captain of the Celestial (and inadvertently, Lunar) Royal Guard, happily married husband to the Crystal Princess, Cadance, father to the most adventurous colt, Radiance, 'big brother best friend forever' to Princess Celestia's faithful student and one of Equestria's glorious heroes, Twilight Sparkle and practically one of the most loyal servants of the Royal Sisters... that sums up his most prominent titles, among numerous others. There was a rare, almost forgotten title that hadn't been properly in use for the past few centuries that came with his position in the ranks of the Guard, and that was being General of the Army.

To represent Equestria's military faction among other nations was no easy task, especially when he had no experience on the battleground at all, unlike the generals of other nationalities. At this time of war where every threat to Equestria had so far been very real, he could only imagine how much they actually looked down at him like how he was looked down at by his various sergeants back when he was just a new recruit. It was hard enough to work to the top; no doubt it will be harder to earn the respect of the others.

"Sir?"

"Yep?" he responded, looking up from his various paperwork: reports from the various outposts around the country. Everything was listed there, including resources, troop conditions and, if there were any, enemy sightings and possible mobility. He had been paying extra attention to the stations up north, upon having learned the devastation and losses they suffered in the Highland post of Camp Éigríochtar. Janus could attack at any time, the signs foretold.

"What is it?"

"We have another break-in at Fairlane Street."

"Who is it this time?"

"District attorney," the guard answered, to which Shining let out a sigh.

"Around five million bits and eight million more worth of gold bars cleared out from the vault."

"Any roses on the scene?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"Always him..." he cursed underneath his breath.

"Tell the attorney we'll investigate as soon as possible."

"B-But sir," the guard began again with a shiver.

"I don't mean to be rude but... he insists that we start now."

"Really?" Shining exclaimed, suddenly standing up and slamming his hoof onto the table.

"Tell him I can't divide my attention between small robberies and a national threat. Tell him that if he wants himself to be alive and his home to be intact, he should use his head for one second and think how much Equestria is in danger right now instead of coming to me to get his royal luxuries back. Those exact words. Understand?"

"Y-Yes sir!"

A salute later, the poor guard dashed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Letting out a groan, Shining slumped back into his chair, tossing the report onto the table while his other hoof rubbed his eye out of fatigue. He'd rather spend his time going out into the fields with his son like he promised, but once again, as usual, duty calls.

Once again, he resumed leafing through the reports, his horn levitating them in a row like a slideshow. He frowned at the number of reported sightings; they have grown from last week's, which could only mean they were ready to attack. At any point of time, one of the northern camps would be stormed by Janus's forces, with half of them being under the control of their allies. Imagine the uproar it might cause again if any of the Highlanders lost their armies.

Putting it all in a neat stack, Shining stood up to glance outside the window, sighing at the ponies down in the plaza below. There was an intake of a bunch of new recruits recently, the majority training right before him. He could see fear; a collective and reasonable one, for who has no fear in the notion of a war? Then again, ponies like Janus do exist, if one was nice enough to call them ponies.

Turning around, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw a particularly bright pink gift box sitting on the table, adorned in hearts and wrapped with a yellow bow on top. Was it there when he was attending to the reports? Was he so busy that he missed it out completely from his view? With a shrug, he sat back into his chair, lurching forward to examine the tag hanging from the side.

"To my big brother best friend forever," it said.

"Here's a souvenir I got for you for all your hard work. From Twilight Sparkle."

Shining Armor chuckled lightly. Her little sister bringing her a souvenir in gratitude? How sweet! He always pondered on where that mare has gone skipping to; being gone for a few days is a lot to ask for in a time of war. The very notion of the present itself brought him some relief of that idea. With a small grin, he used his magic onto the tip of the ribbon, giving it a tug.

*Tick*

His ears twitched.

*Tick*

His magical grip on the ribbon loosened, the first bead of sweat dripping down his head.

*Tick*

With one hoof grabbing a table microphone from the side, Shining pressed the single button at its base, eyes still glued to the present. A small fizz and whir later, he heard a small cough from the other side, before a voice said:

"Yes Capt'n?"

"Evacuate the building."

"I-I'm sorry, Capt'n?"

*Tick*

"Evacuate the building," he grimly repeated, eyes still glued to the present. That ticking sound... he knew what was inside. That ticking sound, however much he didn't want to believe was real and was all just a clock of paranoia running in his head... it was there. It was truly there. Time was running out, and there isn't much of it left.

"Didn't you hear me, sergeant?! I said evacuate the building!!"

*Tick*

"NOW!!"

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

Time was running out.

"I'm sorry!!"

There isn't much of it left.

"Let me through!!"

The princess spent her days crying in the tower...

"Excuse me!!"

For the dragon burned her knight in shining armor...

"Pardon me!!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, galloping through the thick crowd of ponies around. She was panting, gasping for air, her hooves aching from all the galloping through the sewer tunnels and the suburbs. Being back at the busiest streets of Canterlot only made her pale; a carnival was being held by the Equestrian Performers Association, filling the already-crowded streets with larger barricades of ponies, none of which knew of the impending danger that was coming.

"Make way! Make way!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Some were kind of enough to let her past, but most brushed her aside, making her wait impatiently in place as they browsed for their wares. Twilight was smart enough to use her teleportation spell, but in some cases, using it would knock others over and probably start a fight; a risk she couldn't afford to take. She glanced up, gritting her teeth as she stared up at the looming towers of the Royal Palace where the barracks was nearby. So close, yet so far.

"Twilight?"

Twilight turned around to see Fancypants and Fleur De Lis coming up to them, both husband and wife giving her a wave. The mare would've gave them a grin or even a proper 'hello', but with what's at stake now, she couldn't think of anything else but to rush off before it's too late.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Fancypants asked.

"Sh-Shining..." she gasped.

"My brother's in trouble..."

Without another word, Fancypants hastily trutted forward, the ponies before them letting him pass when he pushed through the crowd. Slowly, they waded through the giant sea of ponies, with many a pony bearing a frown as they marched through, though Twilight never bothered to care less. Her gaze still stuck to the royal palace, praying so hardly in her head.

"Please, please, please..." she muttered, heard by those close to her. Tears were beginning to stream from her eyes; although she desperately wiped away each wave, there would always be one standing by to flow out her eyes and soak her dampening cheeks. They were reaching the end of the crowd, which already made a ravine of Fancypants's doing long enough for them to quickly and steadily march through. It never seemed to end, but from what she could saw, she was almost there already. She almost reaching to the end of the crowd; one step closer to the barracks. One step closer to her brother.

*BOOM!!*

In almost a second, the crowd erupted in a unison of screams, scrambling them about as they retreated from the street. Twilight's face was a pale white, her tears even stopping with her jaw hanging agape at the large cloud of smoke blowing from the direction of the palace. She could hear nothing in her head, the explosion rendering the hysterical uproar into silence. All she could do was watch at the horrifying beast of soot and flame before her, looming over the town and reveling in its might. The beast blotted the afternoon sky in a dense darkness that echoed its brother from the Rembury explosion back then, yet this time was different. This time, it had engulfed somepony into its depths. Somepony dear.

"Shining..."

With the speed of light, Twilight snapped out from her daze, galloping through the clearing street with Fancypants and Fleur De Lis following close behind, her tears flying in the wind. Nothing mattered anymore, be it how many ponies she had to knock over or how many bombs there might be in store for her. All she did was galloping as quickly as she could despite her achingly painful hooves with nothing in mind but to look for her brother.

Even if he might not be alive anymore.

Author's Note:

EDIT: Did some minor tweaks and add-ons for the last scene