1: Aftermath

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Broken glass littered the floor of the main hall. It had been of little consequence so far, but as far as the gray blue pony was concerned, it was a loss. A feeling of loss for him that he did not even know he could feel. It was not important and yet he felt sad that it was gone. He never wanted to be remembered for the things he had done...and yet...and yet they had made something which he was happy to leave behind. But now it was gone and the only thing left of him would be that damned statue. Honestly he would have to have words with somepony to have it destroyed. No one deserved that monstrosity.

He looked down at the colored glass that had once been a beautiful stained-glass window; he could just catch his reflection, his copper mane was getting a tad long and it reminded him that he needed it trimmed. That was normal. That was a normal thing, that normal everyday ponies did. He took a deep breath and brushed the glass away, not wanting to look at the pieces, let alone himself. He walked slowly to the edge, where the massive chunk had been blown out of the wall. It wasn't raining; it hadn't rained since that night the previous week.

The crunch of glass behind him made him tense, but when he looked back he saw familiar gray eyes, the inky black blue of his coat and the white of this pony’s mane. “Are you all right, Copper?” Corser said, though there didn't sound to be too much actual concern in his voice, merely an attempt at being polite.

Copper knew he was under a lot of stress, having to run both the Night Guard and the Day Guard. “I will be fine...” He turned back to the hole, and had to admit to himself that that was the truth. He would be fine. He was always fine. Never great. Never good. Just...fine. “How are things with her?”

There was a slight hesitation. “She is...adjusting?” He looked at Copper, seeming to search for something. “I don't know what the proper word would be...but she's stopped talking about murder.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “I am sure that this was not quite what she had expected...and how is...the other one?”

Copper looked at the pony, who sighed and shook his head. “Still unconscious... We aren't sure what exactly happened, or is happening to be honest. The doctor who's seeing to her says it's an odd coma...”

“Speaking of...Doctors...has there-” the other pony shook his head and Copper sighed. “I know he's not dead...we would have found a body...I think...” His gaze wandered to the shattered window. “I guess the Doctor just decided it was time to leave us.”

“When we needed him,” Corser said as he looked at the broken glass on the floor.

“Now Corser...we have to trust in what he thinks is best...” Corser looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “And besides...” he said with a smile. “Means I don't have to deal with him for a while.”

Corser smiled as well. “Yes...well, things would probably be easier with him gone. I'm just glad the other one isn't here...”

“Oh Pots wasn't so bad...and I honestly knew he'd split when he got the chance... He just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a shot at Celestia.” The two of them walked across the room slowly, glass crunching under their hooves.

“And has the...device been dealt with?” Corser stared blankly at the scorch mark on the floor and matching mark on the ceiling.

“Destroyed. And the plans burned... Some things were not to be in the hooves of ponies,” he said, sounding slightly wistful.

“Something that can't be stopped by magic is just...too dangerous, Copper. It had to be destroyed. Who knows what somepony could do with that... I mean...the Doctor just...and Celestia just went down like nothing...”

Copper nodded slowly and sighed. “Yes...that was the point... To make something that she couldn't stop.”

Corser stared at him. “Well, you succeeded. And it scares me that you thought that up and built it all in a few weeks...”

He smiled a bit. “Imagine what I could do with a year.”

“I'd rather not. I like sleeping when I have the chance,” he said as he watched Copper stare at the empty room. “When are you going to let them start rebuilding?”

“I don't know...it...frustrates me that once everything has been fixed, it'll be like it never happened...” He turned, looking down a side hall. Did he hear somepony running?

“I thought you didn't want to be remembered,” Corser said, looking the same direction.

He frowned at him. “This is completely different. This is something that...” He shook his head, closing his eyes. Now he was getting a headache. “I don't know...maybe it should all be forgotten. Maybe it would be better if nopony knew what we did...” He was listening so hard that it was giving him a headache, but now he was sure that he heard somepony running.

“Maybe...but I'm more concerned with how history will look at it... If they'll see it as good, or bad. We overthrew somepony, who most thought was doing a good job. Perhaps doing it in not the best of ways...but it looked like she was striving for the better...”

Copper did his best not to snap at Corser. “It doesn't matter,” was all he could manage. He had had this internal struggle already, he didn't need to have it rekindled.

“Doesn't matter? Copper. You lead a coup against Celestia. One that succeeded. If things end up going bad when ponies find out, you-”

“Shut up,” he said and walked towards the running hooves. “I am not going to take this. Least of all from someone of your heritage.” There was a silence and Copper sighed. “I'm sorry... I'm just...I'm angry. At everything...especially myself...” He sighed and looked back at Corser, who was looking at the hole.

Though he did not look angry. “What are we going to do, Copper? I'm...for the first time since I can remember...I'm actually scared of what might happen. I-”

“Copper! Corser!” A completely white pony wearing tiny spectacles and a white coat was running towards them.

“Dr. Hive? What's wrong?” Copper said, shortening the gap the other pony had to run by running towards him.

Dr. Hive shook his head. “Nothing's... Wrong. She is awake and-”

Copper blew past him, running at full sprint. Everything felt too slow, suddenly every part of his body ached. When was the last time he actually took the time to rest? Everything had been rushing so much that he wasn't sure he had even slept. He would rather die than stop. The hallways seemed to stretch on forever. Finally he rounded a corner and saw the room ahead. He almost fell over trying to stop, slamming into the door frame and gasping for breath. “My dear Copper...”

There, in the center of the bright room, she lay. “Princess Celestia...” he managed to get out. He felt his eyes sting, but fought back the tears. What would they accomplish?

But she was crying. Crying and smiling. “Oh Copper...I knew that you would work things out...” Copper moved towards her; he felt in a daze as he slumped against the side of the bed. He couldn't fight the tears anymore, but it didn't matter. “I knew...that you would be able to do it...” Her voice was soft and weak. But Copper didn't care, he just wanted to hear more of it. When did his mental opinion of Celestia change so drastically?

“Princess... I-”

She held up a hoof. “No. There is no need...” She smiled at him.

And suddenly he was a foal, battered and bruised. He was crying harder than he had in his entire life, which to be honest had not been very long. Doctors had been talking about how he was lucky to be alive when they thought he had been asleep. Something so drastic as the loss of a wing could cause a pony to bleed out quickly and especially somepony so young. It was a miracle, they said. He should have just died. What was the point of being a pegasus that couldn't fly? What pony would ever look at him as anything more than just a cripple? A grounded pegasus. Somepony who had nothing but a useless wing.

Then the conversation outside had stopped and he had looked up. “There now...no more tears...” She walked with such grace, the likes that Copper had never even imagined. His mouth gaped as he stared, trying to comprehend what was happening. Her mane shone in so many colors and he wiped the tears from his face with the bandage around his leg. But he couldn't stop. The glow from her warmed his face and he had not even realized he was cold. She knelt beside his bed and reached out, gently wiping the tears away. “No more sorrow...” Then she had smiled and Copper felt nopony would be able to fly as high as he could.

Again she reached out, wiping the tears away. But he wasn't a foal anymore, nor did she look as splendid. “I am so sorry...” he choked, trying to stop the tears.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she said, still smiling. “The mere fact that I am still alive says that even I underestimated you...” She gently ran her hoof over his head and then ruffled his mane. “You have done a better job than anypony I could imagine. I could not have picked a better to end me.”

He looked at her and she nodded. “I...I couldn't do it...even when we thought it was you doing all of it...I just...I couldn't.” He wanted to say so much to her, but nothing wanted to form into a sentence. It all just tried to get out at once and he fell silent.

“And that is why you have nothing to be sorry for Copper. I expected to die. I was prepared for it. But instead of striking me down, which I knew you were capable of...you saved me.” Her smile widened and she laid back in the bed. “There is nothing I could do or say to show you how much that means to me. I tried so hard over the years to send some kind of message, but he wouldn't let me.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Despite what he would have said, he did not have complete control. I made decisions as well, but...but he always won when he thought it mattered...”

Copper stared at her. “So you let me retire...”

She nodded. “In hopes that you would have time to notice the things that I-”

“He. Not you...” The persistence in Copper's voice made her laugh, though it was soft.

“Yes... Notice things that he did. And that I did. Choosing to make Twilight a student was my decision...but he was planning to use her as well.” Copper placed his head down on the bed, he was so glad. “You saved her, too. He was going to kill me and take her...” He looked up at her, noticing now how sunken her face was. She looked malnourished, starved almost to the point of death. There had probably been magic to make her look normal, so that nopony would see anything was wrong. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked at him. “If anypony is to be sorry...it is me. He did many things through me that I must find a way to fix.”

“I have been trying to think of things...but I do not know his plans, so it is difficult to pinpoint an actual fix...” Copper said, looking past her. He had managed to regain his composure and planned to keep it.

“Not even I know them... He was very good at keeping himself away from me, while still influencing things.” She took a deep breath, which started a short coughing fit. “But...things will get better...”

He nodded slowly, looking back at her. “I have questions, if you are up to giving answers,” Copper said, after a slight pause.

“Yes,” she said, nodding slowly. “I may not look it, but this is the best I have felt in...a long time...”

“That kind of brings me to my first question... When did he take control?” It had been hard not to explode with questions, but he had to take it slow.

She sighed heavily, seeming to almost melt into the bed. “I am not sure... He was dormant for quite a long time, but I believe it was after Luna and I defeated him and the Crystal Empire vanished. When it reappeared, I thought I was free of him as he tried to take it back... I am unsure if that continues to be part of his plan...”

“Probably...” he said, sighing heavily as well. He had never been there and had frankly never wanted to. Though he had heard it was beautiful, he would prefer not to have to deal with Cadence, or Shining Armor.

“I know that he wants it...that was the only real thing that ever seemed to hold his interest.” She looked over out the window.

“Wants?”

Celestia nodded slowly, staring out the window again. “Yes. Though weakened...I doubt that he is beaten.”

“Then we have to figure out how to beat him for good...” He stared out the window as well, letting his mind wander.

There were several minutes of silence before Celestia spoke again, “Copper... I am sorry...for everything that I have put you through. All the things that he put you through...”

Copper shook his head. “I do not know what else I would be doing if not... When I was a foal and I lost my wing...I am unsure what someone so young would do...” He paused, staring blankly out the window. “You gave me confidence that I could do things.”

She smiled at him. “Quite touching,” Celestia said as she entered in all her splendor. It looked as if she had more to say, but decided to say something else. “Glad to see you are awake, Princess.”

Celestia stared at herself and then seemed to suddenly understand. “Oh how clever.” She looked down at him and smiled. “I was unsure why Chrysalis had been there, but it now makes sense.”

“We had to replace you with somepony. We can't have the great Princess Celestia just...disappear,” the Celestia in the doorway said, looking at the two of them.

“Yes...and...I...I have a lot of things to apologize to you for, Queen Chrysalis.” Celestia said, as her expression once again fell into depression. The Celestia who was Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at her. “You have the most reason to hate me. There are no words that could express the sorrow I feel for what I did.”

“Yet I have managed to refrain from murdering you in your sleep,” Chrysalis said. “I would think that is the best you are going to get as an acceptance to your apology.” She sighed before continuing, “But I do understand the circumstances. I have decided to shape my hate towards King Sombra.”

Copper had not moved throughout her little speech, but he relaxed. “I feel responsible for the things that happened to you...and I will do everything that I can to help fix it.”

Her expression softened slightly. “That makes me feel a bit better about it.” Chrysalis turned to Copper. “I see you have already reconciled with things.”

He frowned slightly, looking at her. “And how are you adjusting?” Copper had an idea about how things were going, but he wanted to hear what she would say with Celestia in the room.

“It is awful.” That wasn't what he was expecting. “These ponies are just so damned needy. Every few minutes, somepony is coming and asking me for something or other. I can't get a moment to myself.”

Copper laughed. He couldn't help it, after such an intense moment to receive such an answer just caused him to crack. “That sounds odd coming from you of all ponies...”

“It's haaaard.” She stomped her hooves a bit on the floor as if throwing a little tantrum. “I mean my subjects aren't needy at all. They take care of themselves. But these ponies, they’re just all over the place. When Corser ran up to me and told me she was awake, I had to make up like five excuses on the way here. I kept getting stopped every few halls, I swear.”

“Corser is another I must apologize to...” Celestia said, looking past Chrysalis.

Chrysalis laughed scornfully. “He is not coming. He told me that he does not wish to speak with you and went to get Luna.”

“That is unfortunate...but...to be expected.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “He may have suffered the most at my, or his hand. To live the lives of thousands every night...I suppose whether I survive or not does not matter to him...”

“He will come around eventually,” Copper said as he stood up, taking a deep breath. His mind was working once again. “Eventually he will come and speak to you, but they will be on his terms and I am sure he will have a lot to say to you.”

Celestia nodded, looking at him. “Yes… Are you leaving already?”

Copper nodded as he turned away. “Yes. We only have one lead...and that's the Crystal Empire. So that's where I have to go.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at him. “Right now? This very minute?”

“The sooner the better. I have lots to do for arrangements, so I'm off to see Corser and work something out.” He walked slowly towards the door, part of him hesitating.

“Copper...” Celestia sounded weak. “You do not have to do this...”

He hesitated at the door, looking down at his hooves. After a short pause, his head slowly rose and he looked back. “I can't think of anypony who could do it.” He shot Chrysalis a look as she opened her mouth to speak. “Who is actually here, or could actually be contacted, or...I don't know...actually stuck around long enough to make sure we all made it through all right.”

“Like Pots,” she said with a sneer.

“I expected him to leave. But...” He turned away. “I expected the Doctor to stay.”

“Alright...so it's a direct line to the Crystal Empire,” Corser said, looking up at Copper, who was standing on the back of the train, leaning against the door. “No passengers. No cargo. That's what the manifold says. It's going to just be the conductor, who is under the impression that he has someone very important to pick up.”

“That's an interesting cover story...and I mean, I understand the need for secrecy, but I would feel more comfortable in a train full of ponies...” Copper stared through the small window in the back of the train.

“We don't know how many allies King Sombra has that he could actually still be in contact with. Or who have defected.” he said as he looked up and down the train yard. “If the letter we intercepted has any truth to it, both are very likely… And you are a high priority target. They want you dead so you can't assist Celestia. Or go against her. Or...whatever they think.” The letter had been hastily written and everypony had had a hard time discerning what it actually said.

“Right...” A whistle blew at the front of the train and it began to move.

Corser trotted with it, as it was not moving very fast. “Go straight to Shining Armor. He's going to be the only pony, besides Spyglass, who knows you're heading there.”

“You sent Spyglass?” Copper said, glaring down at him. Spyglass was a good friend and a mailpony, who had been quite helpful to him. Good company, too.

“We didn't have anyone else who could do it that we thought you would trust!” Corser said as the train pulled away from him.

Copper watched as he faded off into the distance before heading inside. It was a good idea to send Spyglass. Mostly he was just annoyed that he was not informed and couldn't tell Spyglass what to say to Shining Armor. He also hadn't seen Spyglass since the day before they took Canterlot and he could not help but miss him. No way of knowing how he was, or what he was up to. His mind wandered back to Ponyville and to his house that stood vacant. At least he knew, deep down, he always knew that somewhere he had an actual home. A house that stood and was filled with things that belonged to him.

From the letters Twilight had sent to him, Fluttershy had taken it upon herself to make sure that the place stayed tidy. He wondered if he'd ever get to go back there on his terms. Would Celestia make him go? If there was some other pony who could, and would, go in his place...could he just sit there? Words spilled into his head as he took a seat. He could not recall who said them, but they rang in his head. “When did you last sleep?”

Something had woken him. His eyes cracked open slightly as he peered around the empty car. It was empty just as he had expected, but that wasn't what had woken him anyways. He slowly got up, stretching slightly. Then it hit him again. A bad feeling. He rushed to the window, looking out. Night had fallen and all he could see was snow. The feeling was intense. Did he just see movement out in the distance, or were his eyes playing tricks on him? He had learned to trust feelings like this.

He made his way quickly to the front of the train. It was all enclosed, because of the harsh weather that it sometimes had to travel through. He hesitated at the door to the first car, quickly moving to the side. Paranoia was something that he could just not get rid of. Nor would he if given the opportunity. Leaning forward slightly, he looked through the little window. Inside was a pony wearing a conductor’s hat. The door opened surprisingly quietly and Copper checked both corners before he moved into the room. He cleared his throat.

The conductor spun around and nearly fell over, “Who-?!” He froze and blinked, staring at Copper. “Well I don't believe it. Copper Feather.” Copper couldn't help but notice how the pony looked past him into the other car, like he was looking for something. “This sure is a surprise. Anypony else I should be aware of?”

“Yes, sorry to disturb you but I was beginning to feel uneasy,” Copper said as he moved to the side of the car, looking out one of the windows. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

“Nope. All quiet,” the conductor said as he moved back to watching the controls. Copper knew how to drive a train. He hadn't done it many times but he had enjoyed it. “I have to say, you gave me quite the fright just now. It's always uneasy havin' an empty train. Not the first time I've had to do it; morning trains gotta be there and evening trains gotta be in Canterlot. Be better ways to do it, but that's the way they do it.” Copper was scanning the fields of snow, barely listening to what he was saying. “I bet you don't remember me...”

Copper hesitated and looked at the pony. “I'm...afraid not?”

The pony chuckled. “You knocked me out.” Copper blinked and raised an eyebrow. “I never found out exactly why but apparently you were on some important mission. I was so stubborn, I wouldn't listen to a word you had to say...so you hit me with a shovel.”

“Sorry,” Copper said lamely, looking the pony up and down. He remembered that moment, though he had not paid attention to what the conductor looked like.

“Eh, it was a long time ago... But they ended up putting me on this route here as a punishment, I suppose.” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Honestly, how was I supposed to know you were telling the truth? You weren't well known back then.”

He nodded slowly and then stopped. Something was moving off in the distance. “How far are we to the Crystal Empire?”

The pony pulled out a watch and looked at it. “Mmmm I'd say almost there. About two hours more travel.”

“Is there anything out here?” It was hard to pinpoint where whatever he saw was, especially with the speed of the train.

He shook his head. “Not till the Crystal Empire. Why do you ask?”

“Cus there's something out there,” he said as he peered out. The feeling was stronger now. Time to stop figuring out what it was and go with it. He grabbed the conductor and shoved him out the door. “Go! Go!” He had to keep shoving him.

“I can't leave the controls!” he shouted at him.

Despite his arguing, they were both now running back through the train. Copper glanced back, in time to see a bright light.

His eyes cracked open slightly and all he could see was wood. Had he fallen asleep at his workbench again? There was an odd noise coming from outside, that sounded vaguely train like, but different. Oh that's right, he was on a train, wasn't he? But they weren't moving. His whole body felt numb yet stung slightly. He decided it better not to move just yet. Assess the damage first. But as far as he could tell, he wasn't hurt at all.

There was a jingling of keys and a door opened. Somepony came in and closed the door behind them. He heard them walk off to the left and he decided to lift his head. His body felt weird, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He sat up and felt his arms slide off the table. What was in his hand? He looked down at it, his mind taking a moment to realize that he did indeed have a hand. In it was a bottle. How much had he had to drink? He set it down on the table and looked up at the pony who was going through drawers at the the other end of the room. “Scootaloo?” He had seen the filly several times, with other fillies, all running around constantly Ponyville trying to get their cutie marks.

She stood bolt upright when he spoke and slowly turned around. She looked worried. “Ah...you're awake?”

He looked down at his hand again. “I think so? I'm not sure...” He looked at her. It had to be Scootaloo, he didn't know anypony who was orange with pink hair. But of course she looked completely different. She stood upright, wearing a long gray dress.

Those purple eyes stared at him. “How drunk are you?” she asked cautiously.

Copper looked at the bottle a moment and then pushed it far enough so that it fell off the table into a rubbish bin that he somehow knew was there. “I'm not drunk, Scootaloo. Just confused...a moment ago I was...” He looked down at the table. “I was on a train and I'm pretty sure it was crashing.”

She walked hesitantly over towards him, keeping her distance. “Sounds like a hell of a dream...”

He shook his head. “No...it wasn't a dream...I...” He looked at her and noticed her flinch. “Scootaloo...where am I?”

“Oh god, what kind of game are you playing at?” she said as she placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

He shook his head again. “No game. Please just answer.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “All right...fine... You're in your office. In New York,” she said as her hands went from her hips, to crossed across her chest. “Do you need your name, too, Copper Feather?”

“Interesting...” he said as he looked around the room slowly.

Her eyes narrowed at him. “What's this all about?”

“I'm not sure...but I'm trying to figure it out.” He leaned back in the chair a bit and was a bit caught off guard by the fact it leaned back.

“Well...uhm...” Her expression softened quite a lot and she didn't look at Copper anymore. “Anything else I can do to help?”

He reached up and rubbed his face. “I...” He hesitated, as an idea struck him. “Do you know how to get in touch with the Doctor?”

Suddenly she looked worried. “Doctor? Are you hurt?”

“No no,” he said, shaking his head. “Not a doctor. The Doctor. Doctor Whooves.”

Her brow wrinkled slightly as she thought. It was beginning to dawn on Copper that she was keen to help him, but hesitant to get close to him. After a moment she shook her head. “Nope...can't recall any Doctor Whooves...” She finally looked at him again. “So...what's going on?”

Copper found that his chair also swiveled and was on wheels. He turned around to look out a window and saw that there were cars on the street three stories below. He had seen designs of them in Horsh's lab. They moved quite quickly down the streets below. Scanning the cityscape allowed him to see smoke rising towards the sky and in the distance...an airship. “I'm not sure...” He could not help but stare at the airship.

She moved closer to him. “Copper...please, what's going on?”

“I...don't think...that I'm the Copper you think I am,” he said, looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and he felt the need to explain further. “Judging from my point of view...I think that I...switched places with the Copper of this world, would be my guess.”

“That sounds a lot like this movie I watched last week,” she said, suddenly brightening up quite a bit as she went into an explanation that seemed a tad too much exactly what Copper thought happened. About a man who was in an accident and woke up in an alternate universe, where things were completely different and he was a different person in that universe. “Overall it wasn't very good...not believable at all.”

Copper sighed, staring down at the street, watching the cars. “Well I'm fairly certain that's pretty much what's happening...”

She frowned at him. “So you're saying that your from some alternate universe or something?”

He looked at her and frowned slightly at the look she was giving him. “Please. Just...go with it, all right? It's all I got right now till I figure it out... The alternate is that this is a dream. Or my other life was a dream.”

“Or you've gone crazy,” she suggested with a slight smile.

He chuckled softly, nodding. “Oh yes. That's always an option...” He fell silent and heaved a sigh.

There was several seconds of silence, before Scootaloo suddenly stood bolt upright. “Oh! Oh dear I almost forgot!” She quickly rushed back to the drawers and began going through them once more. “Oh jeez...this won’t be good...” Copper watched as she pulled papers out and rushed back to the table, putting papers on the table. “All right so...uhm...a friend of mine's sister needs help.”

“A friend?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

She glared at him. “Yes. I have friends. I don't spend all my time hanging out with you, despite what ponies say.”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Sorry that's not what I meant by that.”

“Doesn't matter.” She pushed a piece of paper in front of him. “She'll be here soon and I...well I was hoping you wouldn't be drunk...”

“I'm not drunk,” Copper insisted, smiling at her.

That didn't seem to convince her. “Yes...well...look. She's going to offer a case and we need the money. Your savings are empty and if you don't take the case I don't think we'll be able to eat... I was going to do everything without you, but since you're not drunk, you can do it yourself.”

He nodded slowly, looking at the paper in front of him. It was a contract as far as he could tell. “Scootaloo...” he said slowly, looking back up at her.

“Hm?” She stopped, she had been heading back over to the drawers. “What?”

“How old are you?”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “It's rude to ask a lady her age. And honestly, you should know. I turned 16 two months ago. You got me this,” she said holding up her arm. It took a second for Copper to notice the bracelet.

“And...” He paused, he heard a car stop outside. “How old am I?”

She rolled her eyes and moved to the drawers. “You're 36.”

That was interesting. He was a lot older here and so was she. But he couldn't tell how much of an age difference there was, as he didn't know what Scootaloo's age was back in Ponyville. “And...what are you to me?”

She paused and looked back at him. “You're serious about all this? Don't think you're taking it a tad too far?”

“Scootaloo, please,” Copper said softly. He didn't want to have to beg her, but he would if he needed to. There was something he was missing and it was important.

She stood up, her back to him. “I'm...” There was a moment’s hesitation and then she turned around. “I'm your daughter.”

Copper froze in his seat. That was a big thing to not know. But...there was something off about her body language. She did not seem upset that he did not remember. “My...daughter?”

Again she hesitated. “Ok, adopted daughter?” He stared at her and he could practically see her sweat under his gaze. “All right fine. I'm not your daughter.” She turned from him back to the drawers. “Can't blame a girl for trying to take advantage of a situation...as it stands...you're-” there was a knock at the door.

Scootaloo moved quickly to the door, seeming to be thankful for the interruption. When she opened the door, it was impossible for Copper to not know who it was. “Miss Rarity,” he said, standing up.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at him and looked down at Scootaloo. “Ah, you're Sweetie Belle's friend...I see you've already explained things to Detective Feather?”

Detective Feather? He kind of liked the sound of that. But Scootaloo was staring a tad slack jawed at Copper. “No I hadn't-”

“I'm afraid all she managed was your name,” Copper said swiftly. Apparently he didn't know Rarity. “Please, come in. Have a seat,” he said as he gestured to the seat on the other side of the desk. Rarity sauntered inside. There was no other word to describe the way she walked. She was dressed beautifully, so Copper assumed that her personality would be similar if not the same. “What can I help you with?”

She sat down, looking almost on the brink of tears. “It's these dreadful men who keep harassing me. I can't stand it. They just will not leave me alone. They treat me like I'm...I'm some kind of hooker.” Copper made sure to keep his expression blank as strange images of Rarity with a rather large hook came to mind. He was unfamiliar with that word, but it did not sound good. “When I was talking with her about it, Sweetie Belle mentioned that her friend knew a Detective and I was hoping that you could get them to leave me alone. A Detective is sure to scare off those brutes.”

Copper nodded in agreement. “Yes...of course. Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo finally snapped out of whatever shock she was under and blinked. “Huh? What?”

“For a case like this...how much would you think it would cost Miss Rarity?” There was a lot of things he needed to learn. The currency was one of them. He needed to find some kind of reference price later so that he knew what to base prices off of.

“Uhm...” She moved over quickly to the side of the desk and began rummaging through papers. “Well...let's see...standard fee would be fifty dollars.”

Dollars. That was an interesting word for money. How many dollars were there to a bit? Or were bits less valuable? He returned his focus back to Rarity. “I do hope that is not out of your price range.”

Rarity shook her head and began going through her purse. “Not at all. I'd gladly pay double to be rid of those mongrels.”

Scootaloo stared hopefully at Copper, almost pleading with her eyes. “No need,” Copper said giving Scootaloo a smile. “Fifty will be enough.” She suddenly looked deflated.

“I'm afraid I only have twenty on me right now...but if you come by the club tonight and scare off those ruffians, I can give you the other thirty.”

“That will work just fine, Miss Rarity,” he said and patted Scootaloo softly on the head. She gave him a confused and flustered look as she batted his hand away. He laughed softly as he wrote down the information on the contract. He was glad that they were labeled what was supposed to be there, otherwise he would not have been able to figure it out. “If you'll just sign here at the bottom, I will be at...the club, tonight.”

“It's called the Pink Wave, on 44th street. They hang out in the alley every night, waiting for me to leave...” She shuddered. “I'm always afraid they're going to try something...”

“It'll be all right Miss Rarity,” he said as he watcher her sign and pass the paper back. “We'll have it all sorted out tonight.” He gave her a smile, which she returned halfheartedly.

“Thank you Detective Feather... I'll...see you tonight.” She stood up and hastened out, closing the door behind her.

“I cannot believe you just turned down a hundred dollars. A hundred dollars Copper! That would've set us up for weeks.” Scootaloo slumped down onto the table.

“Don't worry Scootaloo. There'll be plenty more cases.” He stood up and let the instincts of this body guide his actions. He grabbed several things, including a watch, keys, a pen and pad of paper. Then he stopped as he was buckling something on. He looked at it and then slowly reached into the back of the drawer, pulling out a revolver. He stared at it a moment, instantly knowing what it was somehow. He looked at Scootaloo, who had gone back to filing papers. “What's a Detective in this world?” he said as he holstered the gun and went across the room for his coat. It was long and a dark brown. Part of him wished it was copper colored.

“Well technically you're a private Detective,” she said, apparently giving up on arguing with his strange behavior. “You were a police Detective up until eight months ago, when you quit to become a private Detective.”

“I see...” he mumbled. Police. That registered the same as guard to him. Someone who upholds the laws. “Why did I quit?”

She hesitated and then looked at him. Her mouth opened to say something, but then she closed it again. “C'mon,” she said. “We have to get going. We'll eat on the way there at a sandwich shop I know. Pretty good and cheap.”

He looked at her, but decided not to press the question. “All right, sounds like a plan.” He pulled his coat on, buttoning just two of them. Enough to hide the belt of his holster.

“That's the Pink Wave?” Copper said looking at the...interesting building ahead of them. Steam was rising from vents at the side of the streets. Technology was far more advanced here and it seemed that ponies relied less on magic. It was the fringe of what Copper could push his imagination to see. He had seen things that had been nothing but rough sketches. Things that were impossible dreams were common place here.

“Yes,” Scootaloo said, looking around. “That looks like the alley Rarity was talking about.” Copper followed where she was pointing and saw a fairly well lit alley. He started off towards it and she trailed behind. “Do you have a plan?”

“Yep.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “What sort of plan?”

“A good one. Just watch.” They came around the corner. Ahead the alley continued on a ways, opening to another street and there beside a heavy metal door, were three ponies. They were leaning against the walls of either side, one beside the door and the other two across it. The two across were brown with different manes; the far one with a darker brown mane and the other with a lighter brown. The one beside the door, however, was a red color with a blue mane. They were talking to each other, but stopped abruptly when Copper rounded the corner. “Evening,” he said, as he came into the alley.

“Who are you?” the lighter mane said, all of them standing up a bit straighter. They were dressed in long dark coats.

"I'm Detective Feather and I was wondering if you gentlemen would be willing to help in an ongoing case.”

They chuckled a bit, the dark mane nudging the lighter one. “Of course, Detective,” the blue mane one said, giving him a smile. “Always happy to help an officer of the law.”

“Wonderful.” Copper stopped a few hooves away from them. “Well here's the thing boys. Ya see there's a pony in there,” he gestured vaguely to the door, “who's being harassed by a couple of ponies.” Their smiles faded. “She asked me to come around and see if I could get them to leave her alone. Have you by any chance seen these ponies?”

There was a few seconds of silence as they sized Copper up. He knew that's what they were doing as he had done it just moments before as he walked down the alley. Suddenly the blue mane shot a hand into his coat, but the barrel of Copper's revolver was already pressing into the colt's forehead. “I...uh...”

“Now...what could you be reaching for I wonder?” Copper reached into the pony's jacket and grabbed hold of his wrist before slowly pulling it out making sure that the revolver that the pony had gone for was pointed at the wall. “Oh dear...you know you could hurt somepony with this... Drop it.” It clattered to the ground and Copper kicked it backwards, before taking a step back. “Now then. Miss Rarity would like to be left alone. And I'm not the kind of pony to ask twice. So be good boys...and go on home before things get any worse.”

“A-all this f-for some burlesque dancer?” the blue mane stammered.

Copper hesitated and leaned backwards slightly, tilting his head towards Scootaloo, who had picked up the gun. “What's burlesque?” Her face went beat red and the colts started laughing, but the click of Copper pulling back the hammer silenced them immediately. He straightened up. “Never mind. Doesn't matter.” He sniffed, looking at the blue maned pony. “You have three seconds.”

They ran. Copper was almost surprised at how fast they could run. Scootaloo beamed up at him. “That...was...awesome.”

2: Fields of Snow

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Pain. That was all that he could register. And cold. Pain and cold. He gasped for breath, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. What had just happened? Where was he? His eyes cracked open slightly, he could see flames and the remains of something. He opened his eyes further, seeing the remains of the train. Every breath burned his lungs. He figured he must have been thrown out in an explosion. “Where's the conductor...” he muttered as he made an attempt to get up. It didn't go too well. His left front leg was broken. Now that he knew this, his second attempt to stand went far better. He actually made it up onto his hooves.

Hooves. He had hooves again. Not hands. His mind reeled a moment, trying to understand what just happened. He shook his head; that would have to wait. First thing was to check damages. Left front leg, broken. Wing, broken; not like it would have been any use anyways. He was fairly certain he had a few broken ribs and had a few burns. But the snow had been good for those and they only stung a little. Several lacerations; some bleeding, but it would be a while till he bled out. Overall, he decided he would live.

Now to find the conductor. He opened his mouth to call out, but immediately decided against it when a few other thoughts registered. The train had been exploded. Somepony did that. Somepony that could be nearby. He knew he couldn't fight in this condition, or run away. No, he had to find the conductor first. “Damn it I didn't even get his name...” he mumbled as he made his way towards the train wreckage. None of his legs were in terribly good shape and walking was difficult. Given a moment’s rest as far as his mind went, thoughts raced. Was that a dream? Did that actually happen? Was he dreaming again now?

“Well well well...what do we have here?” There was suddenly light and Copper had to sit down in order to block his eyes with his good leg.

“That looks a lot like Copper Feather...” How many ponies were there?

“Yah, it is. Look at the wing. Ain't gonna be nopony else.”

Then a voice that caused a knot in his stomach. A voice he had not heard in a long time, but still filled him with dread. “Well now. Here we are set to rob a train...a train that's supposed to be empty...and who do we find, but none other than Copper Feather.”

“Don Burrasca...” Copper managed; all he could see were shapes.

“Oh I'm so pleased that you remember me,” he said and Copper heard the crunch of snow as somepony came closer. “Now...here we were looking at manifests...and what do we find? A train carrying nothing. Now that is odd. Not a single passenger? Not even any supplies? They at least carry supplies... So I thought to myself...” The lights dimmed and Copper stared at the griffon in front of him. He was large even for a griffon and wore a large fur coat which made him appear even larger. “Why would nothing be on the train?”

“I told Corser the train should have had ponies...” Copper mumbled; he was going numb.

“Oh my. Where are my manners. Someone get Copper a coat this moment.” Don Burrasca stopped in front of Copper, grinning down at him. “After all, can't make money off a corpse.” He looked back and called back to other figures. “And get a healer. I don't want him a hundred percent, but we can't have him dying.”

There was a griffon who placed a large coat around Copper and he held it to him tightly. It was still warm. “Ransom, eh?” Copper said, closing his eyes. His mind was working fast at this point, faster and faster as he warmed up. “And the conductor.”

“Mm?” Don Burrasca looked back at him. “Ah yes. Poor fellow...somewhere in all this I'm afraid. He would have died if he'd been where he was supposed to. Shame for him you saved his life. Would have been a quick de-”

“You'll get more for two, than for one,” Copper interrupted. “If you're already going to bother with one hostage...might as well have two.”

He frowned at him and then his grin returned. “Oh yes, that is true. Guess it's that guy’s lucky day.” Again he turned back and looked at the group. “Someone find the conductor. If he's still alive, make sure he stays that way.”

Copper smiled a bit and took a deep breath. There was something else familiar. A smell... He looked to the side at the griffon who had had put the coat over him. “Gilda...” he said softly.

“You know you've cost me quite a lot of money over the years, Copper.” He gestured his hand vaguely away from the the train. “Gilda my dear, please take our guest to our camp... We'll move out when the light comes.

“This way Copper,” Gilda said as she began walking.

He did not hesitate to follow her. There was no way of getting to the Crystal Empire on hoof. None that he knew of, anyways. His focus now turned to Gilda, walking a few hooves in front of him. How long had it been since that incident on the train? What could he possibly say to her, now of all times? He looked back behind him to look at Don Burrasca. He was overseeing something...something that was important...something that wasn't the search for the conductor. “Interesting...” he mumbled.

Turning back he stopped abruptly, staring into the eyes of Gilda. She was staring him down. Copper was in no mood to try and test wits and blinked owlishly at her. She looked past him a moment and then hissed, “What the hay are you doing out here, Copper?”

His brow wrinkled. “What does it matter to you?” he said quite casually, giving her a slight smile. “I'm trying to enjoy my retirement. Never been to the Crystal Empire...thought I'd visit before completely settling down.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “So it's true then. She really did retire you.”

He nodded slowly, smiling a bit. “Yup.” He rubbed his face a bit, though again he had to sit down in order to do so. “How far is this camp? I don't know how much farther I can go on one broken leg and...I think two sprains?”

Gilda looked at him. “Not far,” she said softly and turned away from him. But she did not move and after a moment, she turned back and froze.

Despite what Don Burrasca might think, he is not as stealthy as he would probably have liked. Gilda may not have heard his approach, but Copper sure did. “I thought you would have been there by now, my dear,” he said, Copper could hear the mirth in his voice.

“My fault, I'm afraid,” Copper said, looking back at him. “I needed a break...tad beaten up you see.”

“Yes well...that is understandable...” But his eyes did not leave Gilda.

His stomach turned slightly. It was not painful, or uncomfortable, but it was a tad odd. But the oddest thing was suddenly looking at a completely different place. “You can put the gun away now...I'm pretty sure they're gone.” He turned his head slightly to see Scootaloo, grinning at him.

“Ah...” He holstered the gun back under his coat. “Right...” He took a deep breath; it was a lot warmer here and the air didn't burn. His mind worked for a moment and he sighed as he leaned against the wall. “No time has passed...” he mumbled, staring at the other wall.

Scootaloo moved slightly in front of him, the other gun disappearing onto her person. “What?”

He shook his head. “There wasn't any passing of time. I must have spent at least an hour...”

She frowned slightly at him. “You're being crazy again,” she said, as she leaned against the opposite wall.

Laughter could not be stopped from coming out. Not the way that he felt. “Quite...but our movie theory was wrong. No time passed from me leaving to me coming back.”

“So swapping is out as a possibility then?” At least she was trying to be helpful, even if she thought he was just going crazy.

He knew he wasn't. Now especially. He had just gone from being here, to being back there and then back again. Either this was some sort of insanity that he could not properly describe, or, more likely, magic. Magic always felt like such a lame answer, but it had to be it. It was the answer to most things that couldn't be readily explained. “Yeah I think so... It's more like I'm living two lives...when I'm not in one, nothing happens till I get back...”

There was a few moments of silence, before she spoke again. “So are we going to just wait for Miss Rarity?”

Copper nodded and closed his eyes a moment. “Well we want that thirty dollars, don't we?” He cracked an eye open slightly to look at her, smiling.

She grinned at him and nodded. “Yes. We need it. Hundred would have been better, but I guess I can see why you would want a low price.”

“Oh?”

She nodded again. “Yes. If we charge too high a price we won’t get enough people coming. Better lots of little jobs worth a decent amount of money, than the rare job worth lots of money.”

He couldn't help but chuckle; she was quite smart. “Quite right. Though to be honest I was thinking more that I needed to figure out how money works here...seems things are either very expensive here, or cheap there...”

There was a few moments of silence as she stared disbelievingly at him. Copper let his mind wander to events, trying to organize his own thoughts that were jumbling up inside his head. He had easily doubled his problems with whatever had happened to him. He now had to work out things across two lives. “What's going on in your...other life?”

It took a moment for Copper to refocus. “Oh...well, honestly the usual struggle... Being held captive by some criminal and held ransom. Just another day in my life, to be honest...” That struck a thought and he reached up, feeling his face. There was no scar on his muzzle.

“I thought you were in a train wreck?”

He laughed and nodded. “I was. I was trying to find the conductor when I ran into some men... Their boss is not the kind of guy I'd really like to deal with multiple times, but unfortunately this time I didn't have a choice.”

“Yeah...sometimes you have to deal with people you'd rather not,” she said, giving him a slight smile.

“Oh? Was that a jab at me?” He put a hand over his chest and put on the best feigning of pain he could muster. “You wound me, Scootaloo.”

They both jumped as the door swung open and Copper had to resist pulling his revolver. “Oh, Detective! Thank goodness. Marvaline said she heard voices out here. I had hoped it was you.” Miss Rarity was dressed...the only word that Copper could think to describe it was, provocatively. But regally so.

Copper nodded slowly, giving her a smile. “Just us, Miss Rarity. And if I'm any judge I do believe we solved your little problem,” he said as he gestured vaguely down the far end of the alley.

“That's good.” She shivered slightly. “Would you like to come inside? It's awfully cold out here.”

He looked at Scootaloo, who was in fact shivering. To him it was nothing, but than again he had just come from the fields of snow. “Ah...yes...” He gestured to Scootaloo, who moved quickly inside as Miss Rarity moved out of the way. He glanced both ways down the alley, hesitating only slightly before following her in.

“I'll go and get that last thirty for you right away,” Miss Rarity said, before heading off down a hallway.

“Take your time,” Copper said and looked around. They were in what appeared to be a dressing room for a theater. He had been in one of those once...what was the name of the play?

“This doesn't look anything like I thought it would...” Scootaloo said as she examined the makeup in front of a large mirror.

“What did you think it would be like?” Copper said, noting that there were three girls at the far end, the way Miss Rarity had gone. They were staring at him and whispering. They were dressed...similarly to Miss Rarity. He nodded to them before turning back to Scootaloo and attempted to ignore their sudden fits of giggles.

“Well...I...have never had much interaction with them and we were always told in school that burlesque ponies were...well...dirty. It’s something only desperate girls do...but the dresses they're wearing.” She was looking down at the three girls. “They're pretty...”

“Mm...I suppose so...” He had caught his reflection in the mirror. It was the first time he had gotten a look at this body. His hair was ragged and unkempt, but still the same color, as was his fur. His own eyes surprised him. They were definitely his eyes, the same shine and depth. He was average build as far as he could guess from the other ponies he had seen, though his shoulders were a tad on the wide side.

“I mean...just look at this stuff... These must cost a fortune...” Copper heard the edge on her voice. The longing.

“I don't think they would suit you,” he said, giving her a slight smile.

She spun on him, glaring up at him. “Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?”

He waved a hand vaguely in the air. “Not every girl needs makeup, that's all.”

“He is quite right.” A shiver ran down Copper's spine at the sound of that voice and then he felt the pressure. He watched as a hand leaned Scootaloo's head, whose body had otherwise gone rigid, to the side slightly. “That is something that I have always said about you, dear.”

“Madam Raven,” he said, staring at the pitch black feathers of the griffon in front of him. Much like Rarity, she was dressed...provocatively, and he couldn't help note that it looked like she might pop out of that corset with a bust that large. But that was a simple passing thought, the rest of him went calm, despite the panic that set in in part of him.

“Oho? So Detective Feather knows little me?” She smiled at him and he felt the sting of a wound that he knew this body shouldn't have. Something that did not leave a mark, but still bothered him on the rare occasion. He put so much effort into forgetting that time. “I was not aware that someone of your standing would know of me... Unless sweet little Scoots has mentioned me.”

“I am aware of many ponies and griffons,” Copper said, giving her a slight smile.

She tilted her head to the side slightly, staring at him with those crimson eyes. “Mmm; I would not doubt that...but,” she straightened up. “Where are my manners? I have yet to thank you for such the service you gave to my little Rarity...”

Little...yes, everyone was little to her. She was a large griffon; not large as in physical size, but large in terms of her presence. It filled rooms. It knocked down doors and lingered wherever she went. She was something of a fluke, at least as far as Copper knew. A magical griffon. “No need to thank me. I am simply doing my job.” It was hard to stay calm.

“Oh but that is where I must give thanks...” He had to try very hard to not flinch as she brushed his cheek slightly with the back of her hand. “Most would not even look twice at somepony like my little Rarity. Not even police officers would come to the aid of a burlesque girl.”

His cheek felt like it had been burned, but he knew that was in his head. “That is unfortunate,” he said, looking past her at Rarity. In his peripheral he saw Madam Raven's expression shift drastically for a moment, to something that was close to annoyance at not being the center of attention, but then shifted into curiosity.

“Yes...but I am sure a Detective such as yourself is quite busy,” she said as she reached, much to Copper’s surprise, into her bust. She pulled out several dollars, which she held out to him. “The last thirty is on me.” The smile that her expression melted into was one Copper had never seen. He had seen her feign interest. Feign sincerity, trust, love...but that smile was of genuine thanks.

“Thank you,” he said and took the dollars. He did not even look at it as he put it into his coat pocket. There were seconds of silence, before she turned away, looking down at Scootaloo. He struggled to hide his shock. He had stared her down and won. Scootaloo, however, was completely unable to hide her disbelief.

“You being a good girl, Scoots?” She was at a complete loss for words and simply nodded. “Good...”

Her gaze returned to Copper, who smiled slightly and nodded slightly to her. “I'm afraid, Madam Raven, that we must be going. As you said, quite busy now that we're in business again. But be sure that anypony who comes to me for help is going to get it.”

“As long as they can afford it,” Scootaloo added, staring up at him.

“Ah, yes. Of course. Money does keep us going, so that is a must as well.” He turned and opened the door, taking a step outside. Scootaloo rushed after him, almost in a panic.

“I will remember that,” was all he heard before the door closed.

Scootaloo stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open. He looked at her a moment and then lifted her chin, closing her mouth. He smiled as he watched her mouth open and shut several times. “I...you just...that was...and you...” She flailed slightly as she sought for words.

“C'mon. Let's get back before it gets any later,” he said as he began walking.

She ran past him and stood in front of him, forcing him to stop. “Who...who are you?”

He smiled at her. “Copper Feather, as I said. Though she is quite different than the Madam Raven I know...” He smoothed out his coat, looking at Scootaloo. “Seems this one actually likes me in a good way.” He reached up to confirm that his cheek was not on fire and it was indeed his imagination. “At least I don't think she does...but you could only really tell when she hated you...”

“I...you stared her down...like...like it was nothing!” She was staring at him, her mouth opening and closing again as words failed her.

“She...” he hesitated a moment and glanced back at the building. “She is the most terrifying woman I have ever met.”

“I...” She stared blankly at him a moment. “But you...”

“The things I do and say are very different from the truth sometimes,” he said as he fiddled with the sleeve of his coat. “It is possible to lie with one’s body and actions, as well as with one’s words.”

“You...you were acting?” Scootaloo floundered, her eyes wide.

“Pretty much. I'm quite good at it sometimes. But the truth is that that woman terrifies me. Always has.” Again he glanced behind him; it was hard to not feel like they were being followed at this point.

“So...you have met her before then?” Scootaloo said as she watched the ground, walking beside him.

“Yes. Not here though. Fairly certain I killed her.” Her eyes widened at him again. “But there was no proof of her death. Then again...I would have expected her to take revenge by now...” He took a deep breath and sighed.

“You...you killed her? But she was right-”

“Not here,” he said, looking down at her. He gave her a slight smile. “You have remember I'm not from here.”

She nodded slowly and then she too glanced back at the club disappearing into the distance. There was a long silence, which lasted until they got to the office. Copper let instincts undo his coat; buttons were still a mystery to him. “What are we going to do now?”

“Hm? Now?” He looked at her as she pulled the money from his coat pocket and smiled at her. “We wait for another job.”

“And in the mean time?” She fiddled with her dress, staring at him.

“Hm...” He sat down at his desk, going through it in search of something. “I'm not sure...I was planning on going and seeing some movies. They sound very...interesting.”

“Movies...” She stared blankly at him. “Are you serious? You're just going to-” there was a knock at the door.

The stomach turning was starting to get on his nerves. “Yes well...how long are you going to be at this break, hm?” The look on Don Burrasca seemed quite sobering from the feelings he had felt just a moment ago, as was the biting cold.

“I'm fine now,” he said as he continued to walk, following Gilda.

Don Burrasca moved beside Copper and looked down at him. “I must say I was shocked to hear of your alleged death. Where did you manage to slip away so quietly and vanish for so long? It must have been excruciating for you to remain hidden for so long.”

“So then you do not believe I died?” Copper looked at him and watched as his expression became one of amusement.

“Of course not, how absurd. But I suppose that you would be unwilling to divulge such secrets that you must of used...” His expression shifted to wistfulness.

Copper gave him a smirk. “Oh trust me, I would very much like to...divulge the secrets of my disappearance...

He opened his mouth to respond, but there was a shout in the distance. He turned and rushed off without a word.

“Did...did you really die?”

He turned to see Gilda, staring at him. He took a deep breath, which burned and then nodded. “Yes. I did. And it was very powerful and ancient magic that brought me back. But it can't be done again.”

Copper could see tents now and soft lights off in the distance. “What did it feel like?”

There was a moment of hesitation. No pony had asked him that since he had fully come back. How did it feel? What did it feel like? What was it like? He thought a moment, closing his eyes. “There was a lot of pain...and then nothing for a moment, before I was waking up again. I feel like there...there was something...I forgot...but it doesn't matter. I am more interested in you. My exploits have been most likely exaggerated, though widely told. How are you?”

“I...” she hesitated and then took a deep breath. “I am quite content, thank you. Things were going quite well until you showed up and I lost my coat.” It was clear that she was forcing politeness.

“Ah...sorry about that...would you like it back?” He could see the tent they were heading towards.

She frowned at him. “No. I do not want a coat that is covered in blood.”

Copper looked down at the coat. “It's not covered in blood...sure there are a few stains-”

“Stains I'd rather not have to constantly explain.” She opened the tent and he moved inside.

“I'm sure it would help your reputation,” he said, looking back. But she was already gone. “Thank you,” he said, knowing she must still be able to hear him. But the tent was empty now, besides himself and a cot. He wondered who had been staying in here as he moved over to it and laid down on the cot. Eventually a pony came in, a unicorn. “Ah...healing, yes?”

The unicorn was heavily garbed, approaching him slowly, his horn glowing. Copper started to feel better. “Weel thes sure is a surprise. Ah wasnae sure if they whaur tellin' me th' truth.” Copper could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Pots,” Copper said, staring at him.

“Afraid aam nae tay guid at healin', but that's wa Ah got awa' wi' offerin'.” He pulled the hood off of his coat. “Nane ay them ken we're friends. Sae, what's yer escape plan?”

“Why am I not surprised...” He shifted slightly; the broken leg was set and his sprains were better. He probably could fight, but not very well. “You used to work for Don Burrasca, so I guess you running back to him shouldn't be a surprise...”

“Oi, it ainae loch 'at, Copper. Th' Don's a stable employer, an' Ah needed tae gie it ay Equestria,” Pots said defensively, sitting down at the entrance to the tent. “Aam oan guard duty, by th' way. Th' Don dornt hink yoo'll be runnin', but wants tae keep an watch oan ye aw th' sam.”

He sighed, relaxing down onto the cot. There was quite a lot of things happening. “I had a feeling it was you...when I saw the explosion. Not many ponies could do that...” He stared at Pots, trying to guess at the line of events that lead him to Don Burrasca. But he was too tired. He needed sleep.

“An' nae mony ponies can teel th' difference atween explosions,” he said with a grin.

Copper smiled slightly and nodded. “Yes...now...please...I need to sleep.” Pots simply nodded and didn't say another word. Copper drifted off to sleep, it was a normal, uneventful sleep, which allowed him to organize his thoughts.

When he awoke, he saw a different pony sitting by the entrance. Red furred and purple maned. “I'm sorry Copper...I didn't want to wake you...I...we have things to discuss.”

There was no stomach turning this time; apparently blinking at the right time saved him. But there was another knock on the door, as Scootaloo stared at him. He nodded to her, holding his revolver to the side after retrieving it from his desk. Scootaloo opened the door and the pony behind it was unmistakable. “Corser...surprised seeing you here,” Scootaloo said, glaring up at Corser.

“I see you're still here,” he said down to her, his eyes narrowing. “Honestly Copper, I don't know why you continue to associate with this criminal-”

“Hey! Don't you dare-”

“Corser. Scootaloo,” Copper said firmly and both of them turned to look at him. “Knock it off the both of you.”

Scootaloo made a “harumph,” before moving away to the filing cabinets.

There was a moment’s silence while Corser watched as Copper placed the revolver on the table, pointing it at the wall. But he made no move to enter. “What brings about this visit, Corser?” He was desperately searching through his head for any sort of old clue to his relationship with Corser in this world.

“Have you gone absolutely mad?” Corser demanded, staring at Copper.

“What do you mean?” Copper tilted his head slightly to the side.

Corser adjusted his dark jacket, “I'm talking about what happened tonight. It's one thing to take a job from one of Raven's girls, but to pull a gun on Don Burrasca's men...that's just suicide!”

“Were they Don Burrasca's men?” Copper looked at Scootaloo, who looked quite bewildered and gave a frantic shrug.

“Oh yeah, like she would tell the truth,” Corser said, glaring at Scootaloo.

Copper raised a hand before she spoke. “Corser. If you're not going to speak kindly to Scootaloo, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Scootaloo? Were they his men?”

Scootaloo frowned, folding her arms. “How should I know? I've been out of the loop for months.”

Copper gestured a hand towards her. “There you go. She doesn't know.”

His face scrunched up in anger, but he managed to fight it down. “I just can't believe you would trust her and not me. I know Chrysalis had a fondness for her, but when she left you I thought you would ditch her.”

He felt a sting in his chest and saw Scootaloo bite down on her lip. “Corser,” he said slowly, staring Corser in the eyes, “I trust both of you. It...doesn't matter if;” he felt his mouth go dry, but he forced himself to continue. “Chrysalis left. I'm not going to simply abandon Scootaloo.”

Corser frowned at him, staring blankly. “Well, they were Don Burrasca's men. And I'm sure he's gonna be plenty pissed that you drew a gun on them. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that there was someone being harassed that needed help. And since police,” he found himself spitting the word, “Weren't willing to help. I had to step in.”

His eyes narrowed as he glared at Copper. “You...” He grit his teeth. This Corser was not as level headed, a bit quicker to anger. Probably not as good a fighter and Copper could probably put him down if necessary. “I see how it is. You'll side with criminals over us.”

“I will side with anyone who asks me for help.” His hand was inches away from his gun. He wasn't sure if this Corser would draw a weapon on him.

“You've changed...so much that I don't even think I know you anymore.” He turned away, grasping the door handle. “At least you're not drinking yourself silly anymore.” With that he closed the door.

Silence followed. The long awkward silence when one party sits and waits for the other to fess up to something. He let his mind wander, letting her think her own things. He thought of the pony who was sitting in front of him back in the other world. Something had seemed off, but he would have to confirm his suspicions when he went back. But he turned his focus back to Scootaloo, who was standing on the other side of his desk. “Ya know how you asked what you were to me?” He nodded slowly, she seemed quite uncomfortable. “Well...you're sorta my...parole officer.”

He arched a brow at her. “Parole officer,” he said, knowing what it meant. “What for?”

She put her hands behind her back. “Not...not for anything too bad. I just...I used to work for Don Burrasca. Well, I mean my father was another boss, but when he was murdered in the war, Don Burrasca took me in with his guys and I...well mostly I just made deliveries and stuff...moved money around...” Copper leaned back slightly in his chair, simply content to listen to her. “But I got caught and they were pinning crime after crime on me...a lot of the things I didn't do and...and you stood up for me. You came to my defense...I...I don't know why you did. But you did.”

Perhaps the Copper that used to be wasn't a bad pony. “I see...”

“And...and I didn't tell you earlier cus I was hoping to just avoid the whole thing. If what you were saying was true, I thought that maybe we could get...I don't know, a clean start...a time where every time you look at me I don't feel like you're disappointed in me...or like you're judging me...and...you haven't. And so I...I didn't want to tell you...”

She looked like she was on the brink of tears. “I...I can see this seems a very big deal to you.” He realized the gun was still on the table and opened the drawer that it was to go in. “I personally could not talk. I have consorted with criminals. I have helped criminals. I have been helped by criminals. Some have called me a criminal and I have committed many crimes.” He placed the gun back into the drawer.

She gaped at him, trying to speak, “I...you...”

He looked at her and smiled. “Do you think it would be possible to get a meeting with Don Burrasca?”

Her eyes widened and she looked around almost in a panic. “What? Are you nuts? After what you just did, you just want to go and have a talk with him?”

The smile did not fade and he nodded. “Quite right. Can you?”

She was frowning at him, but sighed. She rubbed the back of her head. “I don't know, I could try...but I don't think they'd like me just popping in and telling them that Detective Feather wants to speak with their boss. I don't know if that would work where you come from, but here, that's suicide.”

“We'll see,” he said as he stood up, smiling. Worst case scenario, he would be in for a hell of a fight. But if this one was anything like the other, the mere fact that Copper was trying to talk to him would pique his curiosity too much to deny. “How much is a movie?”

Scootaloo blinked owlishly at him. “What?”

“A movie? You mentioned them earlier.” As he spoke, he walked around to where he had seen her hiding the money.

“I...uhm...a quarter,” she managed.

He grabbed ten dollars and wondered if that was literal. “And there are four quarters in a dollar, yes?” She nodded and he smiled. “Which way to the nearest movie?”

Her brow wrinkled slightly. “We watch them in a theater.”

Copper raised an eyebrow. “Then they are some sort of play?”

“I...sort of? I'm not sure how to describe it...well...hm...the nearest theater is just a few blocks away.” Copper stared at her and then pointed down the street. “That way. It'll say Movie Theater on a big sign. Hard to miss.”

He smiled, at her as he put on his jacket. “Thank you. For everything. I know I must be quite bothersome to deal with.”

She sighed, nodding. “Very. I'll see if I can get that meeting for you.” Her brow wrinkled again. “Are you not going to take your gun? There may be ponies looking for you...”

Copper shrugged, opening the door. “It'll be interesting,” he said as he left and began walking. He half expected her to come running out after him, but he reached the Movie Theater with no problems. It took him a moment to decipher the sign, but he figured that three movies were playing. It wasn't until watching the second film for the third time that he felt it.

“What do you mean discuss?” It only took Copper a few seconds to remember what was going on.

The other pony looked from side to side and then out the tent quickly. “I...I know you don't have reason to believe me, but I'm...I'm on your side.”

Copper stared at him a moment. “And how many changelings work for Don Burrasca?” The other pony froze. “Not that I have any problem with you working for him, or being a changeling,” he said as he stretched and then regretted it. He collapsed onto the bed, clenching his teeth. That he had forgotten. The pain.

The other pony seemed to snap out of it and made a move towards him, but stopped abruptly. “I...are you all right?”

“No...” Copper said through clenched teeth, trying to take in as much air as he could. “But I will be eventually...” He closed his eyes again.

“How...how did you know?” The other pony said, sitting down in the middle of the room.

“Know you were a changeling?” He took another deep breath, but kept his eyes closed. “I've spent a long, long time with them... You tend to notice things, but mostly it's in the eyes and the way you speak. Impossible to tell at a glance, but I had a hunch and took a shot.”

He frowned at Copper, thinking for a moment. “So...you tricked me by accusing me, despite being unsure?”

Copper smiled slightly, nodding. “Yup. But, what do you need to discuss?”

“I...I want to help you, but I don't know what to do,” he said, staring at Copper. He knew he was staring, despite having his eyes closed.

“No need to help...” Copper said, taking another deep breath.

“But...but what's your plan to escape?”

“Yes, I am quite curious about that myself,” Don Burrasca said, as he came into the tent and the changeling went rigid.

Copper cracked his eyes open. “Oh but Don Burrasca...that would ruin the surprise.”

3: A New Nightmare

View Online

The click of tools; it was comforting. When was the last time that he had built something? It was so very comforting. It was amazing. It gave him time to think; to get his thoughts together. Papers littered his desk covered in drawings and sketches. Suddenly something was off. Something had just changed and he looked up. “I said...what are you doing?”

“Oh! Scootaloo,” Copper said with a smile. “Oh you would not believe the day I have had, the things-”

“Copper...have you slept at all? You don't look like you've slept.” She moved towards him slowly,. “And...what the hell are all these?” She started picking up papers.

“Notes... I'm trying out some things that I was inspired by when watching the movies...” He turned back down to the things he had collected.

“Movies...right…” She sounded skeptical. “How many movies did you watch?” She picked up pieces of things.

“Oh Scootaloo...movies...” He ran a hand through his hair. “Movies movies movies. Cinema. Film. It's all so fascinating. The things you could do with this technology... Education, entertainment-” he stopped, looking at her. “Of course you already use it for those purposes and more... It's...I can't even describe it.” He shifted things around the desk. “You have given up magic in exchange for technology... You can do things that replace magic...”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Have you slept at all?” she said again.

He hesitated a moment and then shook his head. “No... I've not slept since I got here...which would have been...” His face scrunched as he tried to think.

“Two days ago,” she said, frowning.

Time was such a fickle thing. He'd shifted back and forth a few times. Don Burrasca had left him alone after that and no pony had even been in to talk to him. He'd spent the time just sleeping. Recovering. That damned switching. What triggers the shifts... It's not time. It's not events. It was all just random. He placed his hands over his face. Suddenly he was tired. Physically. He was mentally rested, but that was because of his other self. At least he had decided that he would refer to the other world as other and the current as the current one. It made sense in his head. Probably impossible to explain. But everything was impossible to explain. The movies had not helped him figure that out. It had just caused his mind to wander. “Right...then I suppose it's time to sleep...”

She nodded as she moved over to a large closet and when she opened it, of all things, a bed fell out. “I managed to get you a meeting later tonight. I'll...I'll come back and wake you later.”

He stared at the bed as he approached. “Yeah...thanks...” He looked at her, her arms folded in front of her. “Really. Thank you, Scootaloo.” He smiled at her. “For everything. I honestly don't know where I would be right now without you...”

“Hmph... Well, just remember that if you ever snap back,” she said as she made her way out. “I'll see you later, Copper.”

The door closed fairly softly. His gaze was pulled back to the bed, staring at it. Bed sounded good. Sleep sounded good. His bodies could not keep up with his mind going back and forth. He pulled his shirt off with some struggle. Clothing was still so new and difficult to do. He flexed his wing and spread it as far as he could. It was oddly heavier, but at the same time lighter. This body was strong and had been through a lot. How rough had this body had it compared to his other one? How had this body lost his wing? He would have to ask Scootaloo.

Oh how soft the bed was. What was it filled with? Was it just his tiredness that made it seem so soft? His eyes closed and he was out when he hit the pillow.

Sand, that was what he saw. But it was taking shape. After just a few moments, his dreamscape was just as he wanted it. How he liked it. But with one major difference. There was a large projector sitting on a sideways turned gear, pointing off into the distance. He had given the projectionist four dollars to let him look at it and talk with him about it. He would have to figure out how it worked. How much did they cost? “Oho? What do we have here?”

A shiver ran down his spine. “Nightmare...” he said and turned. And it was Nightmare. But...different somehow.

“Mmm?” She drifted towards him. She seemed less solid, but oddly more...beautiful. She trailed smoke as she moved forward. Was she weaker, or stronger here? “You know who I am, little pony?” She reached for him, but the ground underneath him shifted and he pulled away from her.

“Of course I know you. Or know somepony like you.”

“Like me?” She moved closer again, though she did not try to touch this time. “But I am unique... Oh but so are you...” She took a deep breath and everything dimmed slightly. “You are not from here. Body of this world, but not in mind or spirit. Mmm...” She took another breath and the light dimmed further, before she exhaled. “Such strength...”

“You are different than the one I know…” Copper said slowly. “The difference is obviously strength, but I do not know whether it is more or less...”

She reached out for him, though she was too far to touch him. “You have my mark... The mark of a vessel...but you have never been broken. Such strength you contain...but I have no need of vessels anymore.”

His brow wrinkled slightly, staring at her. “What do you mean?” He was sure now that this Nightmare was much more powerful.

“I can pass in and out of your world at my leisure...from the subconscious-”

His eyes snapped open and there she was, in the center of the room, stretching out large wings. The horn atop her head glowed softly. “To the conscious... I am impressed you managed to follow me so easily.”

He sat up, staring at her. His gun was back in the drawer. He would not make that mistake again. “What do you want?”

“I want to know you,” she said, sitting at the edge of the bed. “I felt you enter my world of dreams. Such power you wield. When most sleep, it is like a pebble dropping into the ocean. But for you...” She leaned towards him, smiling slightly. “For you...it was as if the moon came crashing down.” Again she reached out and ran her fingers over his chest.

He swallowed, staring at her. “You want to know me?” Thoughts of striking her came to mind. Here she seemed quite physical. Her fingers actually felt warm. In his dreams when Nightmare had touched him, it had burned with cold.

“Oh yes,” she said, scooting closer to him. She had this odd look of child like wonder.

“Uhm...” He stared a moment and cleared his throat. It had just occurred to him that she was quite lacking in the clothing department. “All right...what do you want to know?”

“Everything,” she said, leaning still further.

He stared, focusing on her eyes. “Well...I'll make you a deal...I'll answer your questions, if you answer mine.” He had always been curious of Nightmare and this was too good of a chance to pass up.

But the grin on her face was quite unsettling. “All right. I shall go first.”

“Wait,” he said, raising a hand. “Not here. I need to sleep and so I would think it best to do this in my dreamscape.”

Her brow rose. “Oho?” She licked her lips. “All right.”

That made his head spin, but he was back in his land of gears. And there she was again. “Ok... Me first,” she said, sitting in the air in front of him. “Who are you?”

He blinked, his mind raced a moment. Of course she wouldn't know who he was. “My name is Copper Feather.”

“Mmm...Copper Feather...” She was twisting oddly in the air.

“Yes...now...hm...” He frowned slightly. Where to start? “What are you?”

The grin on her face extended too far up her face, revealing far too many sharp teeth. “I am the manifestation of nightmares. The physical entity. Bad dreams do not simply leave...they linger. They persist. They feed on good dreams if you let them. My turn. Where are you from?”

He opened his mouth and then closed it again, deciding to be vague. “Equestria.” Her head twisted round in a disturbing fashion. “So...you are a bad dream, that has eaten other bad dreams?”

“Yes and no... I am the worst dream. The one that is dreamed the most. The one that terrifies all.”

“Death,” he said, staring at her.

“Precisely. The fear of death is persistent everywhere. I was born by that fear.” Copper thought on this and was surprised Nightmare was actually allowing him time to. Then came her question. “Do you fear death?”

His eyes snapped to her and he smiled. “No. I do not fear death. Not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Ah, no. It's my turn to ask.” She folded her arms in front of her. He thought for a moment, looking at her. “How can you manifest out of the dreamscape?”

Did she seem more smoke like now, or was she always like that? “Can the Nightmare you know not? Mmm...well it used to be that I could only walk your world in a vessel, but those burn out.” She was a lot more talkative than the Nightmare he knew and much more willing to give knowledge, but it was probably circumstantial. “So I sought a way to escape entirely. I merely need someone who is asleep and I use them to come out. It is not easily done, takes a lot of power and they must want me to be real. Usually I simply trick them...but they stay asleep...they cannot chase me as you did. Now. Why do you not fear death?”

Copper was making mental notes, wondering if they would be helpful, or harmful to his other self. “I have died before. It was painful. But I did so out of choice. After that I just...never felt the fear of death again.”

She nodded slightly. She was becoming solid again, taking the shape she had on the bed once more. “You do not fear death...but you do fear.” It was partially a question but mostly a statement.

He decided to ignore it, but he was running out of questions to ask now. She had given him so much to think about it was starting to get hard to think of new ones. Then something came into his head. “What are your goals?”

Eyes open, staring at the flap of the tent which was still closed. He took in a deep breath, though slowly. There was not so much pain now; there was just an ache. He felt as though he had simply been in a fight. His mind wandered to what he had been doing. He had been awake for a few hours and was waiting for somepony to come and bring him his food. To his surprise, Gilda appeared. He blinked slowly, staring at her. “Hello, Gilda.”

She frowned at him as she entered, placing a bag onto the bed. He knew it was filled with oats. “Don’t hello me. You are driving my father insane.”

“Oh?” He smiled as he shuffled to get the bag open. It was a diet he was used to. “How am I doing that?”

“Why don't you just escape already? Since you apparently have some sort of plan already,” she said, sitting down.

He chuckled and looked at her. “Oh I see. Then it is working.”

“I-” she stopped, her brow wrinkling. “Do you even have a plan?”

“Do I need one?” Copper said as he laid on his side, looking at her. He could not lay on his stomach or back. But the side was fine. “I mean honestly, everything is going according to his plan. Why would I need to escape?”

“So…” Her brow furrowed. “You don't have a plan?”

“Who knows?” He again nibbled into the bag of oats. “Perhaps I'm merely saying this to throw you off the trail. Now I'm suddenly denying having a plan, yet I have stated that I have one.”

Her frown was quite large, matched with her glare; Copper had no doubt he was annoying her. “I...so you’re driving him crazy...”

“Yes,” he said, nibbling oats. Was he just eating for something to distract himself? “The mind is such a fragile thing. I am instilling paranoia into his head, waiting for him to make a mistake, which he has made several. But...the proper mistake is what I am looking for.”

“You’re playing a pretty dangerous game, you know.” She was staring at him and Copper couldn't help notice the slight admiration in her gaze.

“You think the game I play is dangerous? You are in far more danger than I...” Already out of oats. “You continue to stay by his side.”

“He is my dad.”

“He murdered your mother,” he said, returning her glare full force. “Because he thought she might betray him. He had no proof. He had no reason. It was just his paranoia driving him to conclusions that had no reason. And no one said otherwise against him, for fear of retribution.”

He watched her claws dig into the ground, her beak shut so tight he was waiting for cracks to form. “Shut up,” she finally said and walked to the exit.

“I am glad to see you.” She stopped, but did not turn around. “I was glad you were all right when I saw you on the train all those years ago...and I am glad that you're still all right...” He laid his head down onto the bed. “But I fear for how much longer...”

She did not answer and simply left. He reached back and touched the stub that stuck out the wing slit in her jacket. It did not feel like his jacket, despite her giving it to him. He closed his eyes and waited. He waited for something to happen. He only had to wait an hour, once the shouting had quieted.

Don Burrasca stood in the entrance. “So this is your plan, hm? Make me think that you're going to escape and just sit and wait...” He approached him slowly, Copper could not ignore the blood on his claws. “Change your story back and forth. Claim you have a plan, deny you have a plan...”

“Whose blood is that?” Copper asked conversationally.

He raised a claw in front of his face and stared as though he'd never seen it before. “The money isn't worth it,” he said slowly.

Copper had broken him. It had not taken as long as he had thought it would have, or hoped it would have. “I thought you valued money.” Copper knew he was in no physical shape to get in a fight.

“You're too much of a headache... You...” Don Burrasca's claw slowly lowered and he stared at Copper. He began walking towards him slowly, breathing heavily.

He rolled off the bed and to the floor just before Don Burrasca's claws hit the bed. He kicked upward with his least hurt leg, catching him under the beak. Then hit him in the stomach, before knocking him over to the side. He rolled and winced as he came back up on his hooves. “That worked a little too well...”

The griffon was breathing heavily, clutching at his stomach. “Blag,” was the noise he made. Copper wasn't sure if that was an attempt at a word, or not.

A thought in his head said, kill him. Copper hesitated. Don Burrasca was evil, plain and simple. He had killed, because he thought ponies might do something against him. Might cause a problem. Might do damage. Might be a threat. Put him out of his misery and yours. The world would be a better place without something like him. He turned and walked out of the tent. Sadly, it wasn't that simple. There would be something to take his place.

Copper's bones were fairly strong, although he’d suffered a lack of flexibility with the amount of breaks and mends that he’d had. He was a tough pony, tougher than most pegasi. But that was little meaning when compared to a griffon going full speed. He felt his ribs crack at the force of the hit and rolled several feet. Through the haze of pain, he managed to make out the face of Gilda as she pinned him to the ground.

She looked angry and yet surprised. “Copper?! Damn it, I thought you were him.” Her head snapped back to the tent. “Did you kill him?” Her eye swiveled to stare at him.

He coughed, splattering her a bit with blood and she quickly moved off him. “No,” he wheezed. She manged to puncture a lung. He curled up, coughing again, splattering the snow red.

“Damn it,” she said and made a loud cry of anger, before rushing into the tent.

Copper rolled on the ground a bit, trying to find some sort of footing. “Och guid, he didnae murdurr ye!” He stared blankly into the bright, innocent eyes of Pots. “Though looks lik' he messed ye up ferr a lot. Alva, shift they hooves quicker lassie!”

He could hear somepony rushing towards him. “He didn't land a hit,” he managed, “this was Gilda...”

“Ah, aye. Girls oan th' war path richt nou. Don Burrasca gaed nuts, 'n' stairted butchering griffons 'n' ponies left 'n' richt.” Somepony came beside him and there was a bright light, followed by the uncomfortable shift of his ribs moving back into their right spot.

“Now don't move. I don't think I have enough energy to fix you again,” a female voice said. His eyes began to see once again as the pain subsided. He looked at the pony and his mind went back to long ago, back to Froud Valley.

“Changeling?” Copper said and she nodded.

“Yes. Seems that's all that managed to survive. We're a lot tougher than ponies and I guess he thought we would go down easy...” She looked quite old, but for changelings you could never tell. “There's eight of us changelings. Two griffons, including Gilda. Three ponies, including yourself and Pop Pots.”

“Three?” He was already feeling a lot better, but did not move as per instruction. It was always best to listen to pony doctors.

“Yes. And no, it is not your conductor friend. He was found dead in the wreckage.” She needed work on her bedside manner. “One of Don Burrasca's grunts.”

Gilda emerged from the tent, trying to glare at the whole world all at once. “He's gone. I couldn't have been a minute behind Copper leaving...”

“Gone?” Now it was really hard to stay still. “How? I'm pretty sure I collapsed one of his lungs. And there's only one way out of that tent.”

“Think I don't know that?!” She started slashing at the snow.

“Calm doon lassie. He aye said he hud some kinda escape plan in case o' emergencies.” Pots was between Gilda and him, so he was unsure of Pots’s expression. But apparently it calmed her down a bit.

Unfortunately, her anger quickly shifted to Copper, glaring at him as though it could pin him to the spot. He glanced at Alva, who was still focusing on him. He decided it was best to not move. “Why didn't you kill him?”

He blinked. That was not what he was expecting. “I do not kill when there is another option.”

“So you let him go?!” She went towards him, but found Pots in the way.

“I was not aware that he had some sort of magical escape plan. Otherwise I would have incapacitated him.” He felt very vulnerable, laying in the snow. “So just calm down,” he said as he forced himself to relax, which wasn't easy as he could feel anger bubbling inside himself.

“Easy for you to say. I have been waiting for a chance to take him out. This was the best chance I had and you just let him go, so stop lecturing me.” She was practically snarling at him. This was the same kind of anger that she had just before...

“Or what?” he snapped, glaring at her. “You'll rip off my other wing? Finish the job?” He was fed up with her attitude, but that felt a little too far as everypony fell silent. The magic stopped and he stood up, dusting snow from Gilda’s coat. “Do not think that you can act like this to me, Gilda. I'm sorry, but you can't blame me for things that I could not have possibly known,” he said with a softer tone now. The situation was tense and he needed to calm it down, not aggravate it.

She took several deep breaths, turning away from him. “Right...but now things are even more complicated... He's hurt. Off who knows where. With who knows who.” She turned back and froze.

Everypony was standing motionless and it took Copper a moment to realize they were looking behind him. “Oh my. Is everywhere here this cold?” a familiar voice behind him said.

He turned slowly, to see a large alicorn. She looked identical to Nightmare Moon, but without the armor the pictures had shown her in. Pitch black with a mane of the night sky. “Nightmare? But...how?”

“You dragged me along,” she said as she walked slowly towards him, a bit wobbly. “Goodness, hooves are surprisingly difficult...mmm...” She pressed against Copper as she stood beside him, smiling at the rest of the group. “So many minds...similar but so different...”

“Dragged you...what?” His mind raced as he tried to fit things together, but as she pressed her muzzle against his neck his mind went blank for a moment. She was being affectionate to him?

“Oh yes. It would seem that I come with you when in your head...interesting, yes? Very interesting,” she said with a smile; she was using him for support while attempting to get used to standing on such legs.

“Interesting is one way to put it,” he mumbled and looked at the group, who was still shocked into silence. “I'm not even going to explain, because even with her backing me up, you'd all think I was insane. This is Nightmare.”

“Th' Nightmare? Th' actual Nightmare? Howfur?” Pots mumbled as he took a few steps back.

“Not the Nightmare that I've spoken of,” Copper explained. He had to try and explain this without lying. Hopefully they did not ask too many questions, or it would be difficult to keep to the truth. He didn't want to lie to them. Especially not Gilda.

“So a Nightmare...but not The Nightmare?” Gilda said slowly. She had heard of Nightmare. Most had at this point.

“Yes,” he said simply. “But enough. We need to get to the Crystal Empire... What were your father’s plans for getting payment?”

“There...there weren't any.” Gilda said, everypony was staring at Nightmare, who was staring at the sky. “He was going to wait until we were well away before even contacting Princess Celestia.”

Copper frowned. That meant nopony knew where he was. To them he had just vanished. But the question was, whether to go to the Crystal Empire, or back to Canterlot. “Which is closer?”

“Crystal empire is closer, ainlie a days hike. Bit if ye'r heading tae civilization than we'll hae tae pairt ways again, Copper,” Pots said, which pulled Copper's gaze to him.

Pots had been an odd friend. The first time he had met him, he was trying to kill him. But that was because of a misunderstanding and since then he'd been nothing but a good friend. He sighed and nodded in response. “Understandable... Not much for you in civilized society,” he said with a smile, which Pots returned as a grin.

“Richt yer. Th' empire is that wey,” he pointed off in what felt to Copper a random direction, “ah suggest heading ower,” again a seemingly random direction, “thare 'n' follaein th' tracks.”

Copper nodded and glanced at Nightmare, who seemed almost euphoric. “Where are you gonna go?”

“Me 'n' th' lassy git a guid deal gaun oan. She kens whaur ah will be whin she needs me.” He actually gave Gilda a sort of playful nudge, which she seemed very displeased upon receiving.

That seemed to be the best answer he would get and he had to accept that. So he nodded and smiled at Pots. “I'll see you then.”

Pots grinned at him. “Count oan it,” was all he got, before he trotted off into the distance. Copper noted he was going in the opposite direction of the tracks.

He thought for a moment and then sighed. “Can you walk yet?” he said looking at Nightmare, who finally looked at him, smiling.

“Hm? What's the matter? Are you not enjoying being so close to me?” she said as her smile widened.

Copper had absolutely nothing to say to that. The fact was that she was very warm and it was pleasant, but at the same time it was slightly unnerving. He knew she was immensely powerful in the other world, but what sort of things could she actually do? She had had enough power to physically manifest herself... “We need to get going,” he said, avoiding answering the question all together, which made her grin. Now he turned his attention to Gilda, who was staring off towards the tracks. “I'm sorry I snapped,” he said, moving towards her. Nightmare stumbled to keep up with him.

“I am too,” she said, taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alva, please go and get everyone. We're heading out.”

Alva nodded and headed off towards the tents. “What was your plan then?” Copper was curious as to what she was thinking.

“He has been degrading. I've seen it coming for a long time. He's been slowly going insane. Making rash decisions. Paranoid that everyone was out to get him. I think the only reason he wasn't suspicious of me was that I was acting suspicious...acting like I was out to get him, because I was.” Copper was standing beside her now and Nightmare was stumbling behind, trying to catch up.

“He was quite insane. Something has been inside his head,” Nightmare said as she sat down behind Copper.

He looked back at her, arching a brow. “How do you know that?”

“Oh,” she grinned at him, “I've done a bit of mental torture in my time. Somepony has been inside his head and they have not been gentle. His thought process was destroyed. Someone attempted to use him for their own ends and ended up breaking him I think. Or they did it for fun.”

Gilda was looking back at her, too. But she was glaring. “And you could tell all that from inside Copper's head?”

“I prodded into his head a bit. As I did yours.” Her grin moved to Gilda, who shifted uncomfortably.

“So than you were attempting a coup and...I messed things up,” Copper said, frowning and staring off at the tracks. Surprisingly, the wreckage of the train was gone and the tracks looked fine. “Would it be possible to flag down a train?”

“I could do it,” Nightmare breathed. She was suddenly very close, whispering into his ear, which twitched as he leaned away from her. “I could make a train stop...”

“Could you do it without hurting anypony?” This actually seemed like a good idea.

“You actually trust her?” Gilda said, staring at him.

He shrugged and shook his head. “No. Not really. But I don't doubt she could do it. I'm asking her to do it gently...” He heard the crunching of several hooves as a group approached. He could spot the one regular pony in the group, who looked fairly beat up.

“Oh I can be gentle,” she breathed, leaning from the other direction. “I can be so gentle...”

Copper moved forward after standing up and clearing his throat. “Right then... You have a train manifest, when does the next one come?” He started to walk towards the tracks.

Gilda followed him, as did Nightmare, though she struggled in the snow. “Yes, they were surprisingly quick to replace the train when it didn't come back, probably to check what happened and it's been running properly since then.”

“Perfect.” Things were going right again. Hopefully this luck actually held up.

“We've got less than an hour till the next train going to the Crystal Empire,” one of the changelings said and a piece of paper floated out off to the side of Copper. He glanced back at the eager changeling, reminded that he had quite a good reputation among changelings. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

“Thank you. Seems we're having good luck now...” Copper, Gilda and Nightmare walked in silence towards the tracks, but the changelings could not seem to stop chattering to one another, but it was to be expected. What stories about him had circulated amongst them? Gilda moved to speak with the other griffon, leaving Copper alone. He had to slow down to let Nightmare catch up; she was still struggling to walk properly. “You never did get a chance to answer my question,” he said conversationally as he let her lean against him.

“Hm? Oh, about my goals? Mmm...” She looked thoughtful for a moment, staring off into the distance. “You mortals and your dreams. You want so much sometimes...but what are my goals? I suppose I do not have any... I was having so much fun living.” She looked at him, smiling. “Are we asking questions of each other again?”

He gave a slight shrug. “If you would like.”

“I would like that very much.” She sounded tired and worn out. She almost seemed docile now. Probably because of a loss of power; there was not as much fear in this world.

“Well, I won’t count that as your question...so feel free,” he said, looking around to make sure that nopony was in earshot.

“Why do you do it?” she said softly, her eyes half lidded. “I have seen your memories...but all they are are things that you have done. What drives you to keep doing it?”

That was a good question, one which he didn't readily have an answer to. They were almost to the tracks before he had finally worked out an answer. “It isn't because I have to...it's because I can. It's because I don't want anypony to have to go through those things, so I put myself through them. Yes, others could do it. Some could do it better than I could hope. But I would rather take the pain myself. If I could I would do everything. I have thrown away my life twice and twice I have returned unscathed in the end. I don't know what else to do with myself. I'm retired. I have a home. I have more friends than I can count...and I don't want any of them to have to deal with the things I have. I dirty my hooves, so that others may stay clean.” He sat down in the snow a ways from the track. He was rambling now, but now that he started he couldn't seem to stop. “It took me a long time of thinking, staring at what I almost did to her and decided that I do what Celestia asks of me, because I adore her. I would be nothing without her. There was nothing I could do against her when the time came. And I even planned it so that I did nothing...because I knew if it came down to my decision, I would let her end me.”

“You wish to take the world on your shoulders, because you can...because she asks you to?” Nightmare was sitting beside him, watching him with curiosity.

“She asked me to be better. To do the things that are necessary for everypony to live happily. But it required so much sacrifice...and I am no closer to completing that goal than when I laid in that bed as a colt,” he said and then looked at her. “And that was two questions. Not fair,” he managed a smile.

She gave him a small grin, “Oh but you were so willing to talk, I had to take advantage of it.”

“Uhm... Copper?” He looked over to see one of the changelings standing a bit to the side, shuffling almost awkwardly. “The train is coming.”

He blinked and then looked at Nightmare. “Well it's a tad ahead of schedule...but could you stop it for us? Gently.”

Nightmare nodded and stood up. He looked over at where the train was, it was moving quite fast, though it was a fair distance away. But as Nightmare's horn glowed, he could hear the screech of the brakes. “There...stopped.”

Copper looked and she was gone. But he could feel her back in his head, vaguely muttering to herself. It was a feeling he had come to be accustomed to; a weight in his mind that was not his own. The train came to a stop and he entered the lead train as the others headed into the back. He found himself in the middle of an argument, “-just flipped itself! And it's stuck! I can't get it to go,” a unicorn was saying.

“Gentlecolts,” Copper said and wasn't surprised when both spun around. The other one in the car was a griffon, who was brandishing a shovel. “Sorry to stop you at such an inconvenient place.” Something compelled him to wave a hoof and so he did. The brake released itself. “But I was a tad stranded and didn't feel like walking.”

“Copper Feather?!” the pony breathed, his eyes wide. The griffon was staring wide eyed at the brake and seemed stunned into silence.

There seemed to be a vague sense of something in his head saying that he was welcome. “Yes. If you don't mind...” He slumped against the side of the train and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The adrenaline was finally wearing off and he felt sore. “I'm just gonna sit here till we get to the Crystal Empire.”

The pony pulled the griffon towards him and there was a rushed, quiet conversation that went on. Copper didn't bother paying any attention to it as he looked out the window. “Well I can't just sit idly by and not ask,” the griffon said and took a few steps towards him. “Why do you have a griffon coat? And why is it covered in blood?”

“It's my blood,” Copper responded, giving him a calm look. “At least I'm fairly certain most of it is. I was a tad out of it when it was given to me.” He wondered what about it gave it away as a griffon coat, but than again he hadn't taken a very good look at it. He had never seen a coat like it before, but he was very out of the loop when it came to fashion. “It was a gift from a friend, who's also on the train. Along with one other griffon and nine ponies.”

They looked at each other and it looked like the pony couldn't keep quiet anymore. “What happened? You were scheduled to arrive the day before yesterday. But the whole train just...vanished.”

“Train robbery, courtesy of Don Burrasca.” Both of them froze and Copper waved a hoof vaguely. “He's gone.” He hesitated a moment and decided not to tell them about Gilda. “He had Pop Pots blow up the train. The conductor is dead.” That unasked question seemed to buzz in the air and immediately died. He watched as both of them removed their hats, staring out the window.

“Pilot was a good conductor. His father was a conductor...” The pony seemed to be trying to come to terms with the news. It was surely difficult for them. Copper didn't know how well they would have known each other, but surely they were at least acquaintances.

“I'm sorry,” he said, taking another deep breath. His body hurt as it warmed. His severe injuries were healed, but he would still have bruises and new scars everywhere. “I don't know if it was the explosion that killed him...or if it was Don Burrasca...” Despite what Alva said, he had the feeling that Don Burrasca would not have spared Pilot even with Copper's prompting.

“And what of Pop Pots?” the griffon said and there was obvious anger building.

Copper shook his head. “I don't know. Don Burrasca went crazy, started slaughtering his own men. Griffons and ponies... Either he fled, or was killed.” It wasn't good to have Pots as an open friend. He was a killer with a bad reputation, even if he didn't kill females or children.

That didn't seem a good enough answer for either of them as they turned back to their equipment, obviously trying to distract themselves. Copper stood up again and moved out of the lead train, closing the door softly behind him. This train was different, obviously not built for this kind of route, but capable of making it. The places between cars was open to the air, not confined and covered like the other, so the cold was a bit of a surprise to him. He shivered as he quickly moved into the next car and hesitated a moment as he saw several ponies staring at him.

He cleared his throat. “Sorry for the delay, but you were ahead of schedule and I needed a ride.” They were all staring at him and he realized that he must be quite a sight. Copper Feather, wearing a griffon coat covered in blood, who had been missing for over a day, along with an entire train, looking quite beat up. He was looking for an empty seat, or a pony he knew. But there was nopony in this car that he recognized, which was disappointing, but it was to be expected. Almost everyone he considered friends, were either in Canterlot, in Ponyville, or dead. That was an unpleasant thought.

He moved to the next car, collecting a bit of snow on the way. He was quite surprised to find Gilda heading towards him when he entered. “There you are. Where's-”

Copper shook his head. “Gone back.”

“Well...she was really helpful... C'mon, the next car was fairly empty. That's where we're setting up,” she said as she turned and walked back towards the cabin.

There was an annoying amount of murmuring going on. “Yes, I'm Copper Feather. No, not dead. And this is my blood on the coat,” he said as he followed her. He was surprised to find that she left the first door open for him and was holding the other door open for him, waiting for him to get into the car. There was a moment’s hesitation, could she be trying to trap him? But the changelings would side with him, so there was no way she could use them against him. But there was that other griffon and a pony, perhaps... He shook his head and closed the door before moving into the next car. Just as she said, it was mostly empty, but there were all the changelings and the other griffon and pony. He moved to an empty seat and laid down onto it. Was he really tired, or not? He was just beat up. There was no need for him to sleep, just to rest. Rest until they reached Crystal Empire.

4: Meeting of Minds

View Online

The Crystal Empire. Impressive to say the least. Standing at the crystal pillars that marked as the entrance to the city could strike one speechless. Staring at the massive crystalline structure, glittering in the sun, surrounded by large crystal buildings, it was hard to look away. Copper however... “Why is the train station so far out?” Everypony turned to look at him, some glaring. “I mean honestly. I do not want to walk that far...” He let out a heavy sigh before he began to trot towards the city.

“Some like to appreciate beauty,” one of the ponies said. It sounded like Alva, who was following him while the others gawked.

“And you do not?” he said as he looked at her.

“No. I've seen it a few times. It's neat to look at, but it doesn't change.” She shot him a glance and Copper almost checked to see if his head was still attached. “And don't think you can just be so friendly with me. I'm still mad at you.”

There was a moment of hesitation. He was sure he had never seen her before, but she seemed so familiar. Mostly her voice... Changelings tended to keep the same voice. Then he felt very, very bad. “Chestnut,” he said simply.

She scoffed. “I'm surprised you even remember my name. After you sent me off to Trotland to be your decoy... There are still changelings in that damned prison cus of you.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “I'm sorry... I really didn't think you'd actually get all the way to Trotland...but they never sent anyone after you, which I had planned on them doing...”

“Oh I'm aware. There was practically an army waiting for us at the docks. They tore the ship apart.” She truly sounded upset and almost as if she was going to cry. “Do you know how little to drink there is in prison? None! Nothing. Not a bloody drop of alcohol in the whole damned place!”

It wasn't a good thing to do, but he couldn't help it. He laughed, hard enough that when she hit him, he fell over. He was in tears and covered in a few fresh bruises by the time he could actually get back up. And she had changed back. Well, back to what he was used to seeing her as. A chestnut colored pony, with hazel eyes and mane. He smiled at her. “It is good to see a friend.”

“I'm only your friend if there's a damned drink in it for me,” she said, though the edge had fallen from her tone slightly.

He chuckled, nodding. “C'mon, I'll buy out a bar.”

“My goodness, that is a rush...” It took a moment for him to refocus on Nightmare, who was still sitting in his dreamscape. “And that world looks so interesting...”

There was movement around him as gears started to turn again. “It is. But...since your power comes from fear-”

“Yes...I am weakened in that world. Glad you caught that.” She sounded sarcastic, but she was smirking at him. “Now, it is your turn to ask questions.”

“I'm gonna ask two, since you cheated last time and did,” he said and she chuckled, but gestured for him to go on. He had to think of what to ask her. “What do you do?”

She blinked, tilting her head to the side for a moment. “I do? I do lots of things. Mostly I keep the lesser nightmares from gaining strength into things like me. But for fun...” She grinned at him. “I do lots of things.”

For some reason, that sent a shiver down his spine. That seemed quite suggestive, but at the same time unpleasant. A thought struck him and he wished that he had asked it earlier. “What do you know of The Pony of Gears?”

Her smile, for the first time, faded. “I do not wish to speak of that...thing. It is the only thing that I find more unpleasant than myself.” Her nose wrinkled in annoyance before she continued. “But fair is fair... I know little. I only know from what I have experienced and that was very unpleasant.” She looked lost in thought and then shook her head. “I do not want to continue this game.”

“I am sorry if I upset you,” Copper said, looking at her as she seemed to spread out.

“I am aware you are.” She rubbed her face and when she pulled her hands away, she was once again smiling. “You are so interesting...” She drifted closer to him, but not too close. Her hand reached out slowly, but she did not touch him. “Such a mind you have...so many thoughts...so many ideas...plans...goals...yet you give so little thought to love.”

He blinked, refocusing from watching her hand, to looking at her face. “I give enough thought to it.”

“Not enough,” she said, grinning. “Celestia will not have you and you have accepted that... So instead, you seek out the bad girls...” Her tongue ran over her lower lip; it looked black and greasy. “Chrysalis...Celestia...Luna...Madam Raven...Gilda...Nightmare... So many...you have such an odd attraction to the girls who could do the most damage to you...”

Copper frowned at her, but he had no rebuttal. When it was put like that, it was hard to deny. “And why are you saying this?”

She leaned in close. “Because I am a bad girl, Copper...” She stared at him, eyes of pitch black. But at this close, Copper could see a milky gray sort of fog, just below the surface. “I want you to feel what you do for them, for me...I want to be wanted...” She suddenly pulled away, a look of slight annoyance on her face as everything seemed to rush downward.

He opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. “All right, get up,” Scootaloo was saying. She was sitting on the bed beside him and had been poking his face.

“Is this normally the way you wake me up?” he said as he sat up, groaning a bit.

“I don't often get the chance- why aren't you wearing a shirt?” She gave him an annoyed look, as if he wasn't allowed.

He guessed it was because she stared at the stub over his shoulder. “It was more comfortable. And I wanted to get a look at myself,” he said as he picked up his shirt, pulling it back on.

“Yes...well, hurry up. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get this meeting.” She turned away and stood up. “Had to go to Madam Raven,” she muttered. “And of course she was more than happy to help...”

Copper chuckled softly as he went to the table. He looked at it a moment, at the things he had worked on. It seemed so long ago. He was losing track of time. He would need to build something that would tell him not just the time, but what day it was. Maybe they built those? “Hm?” He looked up at Scootaloo, she had said something.

“I said, where did you get the money for all this? Some of it looks expensive...” She was again moving things around the table.

“Oh. Well, as I was going to a different theater, cus apparently they don't like it when you buy several tickets in a row to the same movie... This odd fellow came up to me and tried to rob me.”

She gaped at him. “Are you all right?”

“Hm? Oh yes. He only had a knife. But he had quite a lot of cash on him.”

“You...you robbed him,” she said slowly.

“Not really. I took payment for wasting my time and almost putting a hole in my coat.” As he talked, he walked over to the object of conversation and put it on. But he left his gun in the drawer. Better to go without it.

“What...what happened to the mugger?” Scootaloo said, moving quickly between him and the door.

But he gave a shrug. “I don't know. Probably still in that ditch I left him? Or else someone found him and got him to a doctor? I know he'd have trouble walking after I busted his leg,” he said, watching as Scootaloo's face shifted to one of shock, then to horror and then to admiration.

“Wow...so you beat him up?” She said, grinning and opening the door.

“I dunno. I might have killed him. He wasn't really moving when I went through his wallet...but he was breathing.”

The Cat’s Cradle was not what Copper had been expecting. It was apparently a very popular club, bar, restaurant thing, as far as he could tell. A reputable establishment. A perfect front for illegal operations. Outside was a large griffon, probably the largest Copper had ever seen. But he recognized the look that he was getting. One of distaste. Like his very presence was going to be a complete waste of time. There was a line, but Copper did not bother with it and went straight to the one Scootaloo had pointed out to him as the bouncer. No one got in unless it was through him. “I'm here to see Don Burrasca,” he said, staring up at the griffon. “Tell him that Copper Feather is here for our meeting.”

Copper hadn't noticed the murmuring of the crowd around, but he sure noticed when it stopped. Background noise was something he only vaguely paid attention to, looking for key words in a conversation, but when it stopped, it always gave one the feeling of having said the wrong thing. The bouncer, however, seemed unimpressed. “Name?” he said as he looked at a clipboard.

Copper's brow wrinkled, as he looked at Scootaloo. “Didn't I just say my name?” She nodded. “Thought so.” He turned back to the bouncer. There was a comment about to come from his mouth, but he remembered he must be diplomatic, so he simply said, “Copper Feather,” and tried to hold back his annoyance.

The bouncer seemed to be satisfied. “She can't come in,” he said, pointing a claw at Scootaloo. “No minors.”

Copper opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Again his brow furrowed, as he looked at Scootaloo. “Well then.” He turned back to the bouncer. “I'm afraid you can inform Don Burrasca that we will have to have our meeting outside then. I am not going to leave a little girl out on the streets at this time of night. It would be irresponsible,” he said as he folded his hands behind his back. Your move, he thought. But he had to avoid the annoyed glare he was getting from Scootaloo. There would be consequences to that 'little girl' comment, he knew.

For an instant, the bouncer actually looked slightly panicked, but made a decision quickly. “In the back, through the red double doors. Keep her away from the bar.”

“Like I would drink the piss water you serve here,” Scootaloo said as she stomped past the bouncer.

He smirked as he moved in behind her, not looking at the bouncer. It was not terribly loud inside, but there was a large stage to the left, with a band and somepony singing. It took him a moment, but he was sure that it was Lyra. He'd seen her around a lot in Ponyville in the time he had been there, and had had lunch with her once. He had to admit her voice was quite enchanting and after scanning the front row of occupants, he spotted Bon Bon. It was difficult to make out the differences in ponies here, but he was starting to get used to it. “Hm...interesting...” He could spot quite a few Ponyville ponies here in fact.

“C'mon,” Scootaloo said, glaring up at him. “You can watch on your own time. I ran myself ragged to get you this meeting.”

His attention turned to her and he smiled. “Sorry. Just...” He looked back at the audience and began walking towards the double red doors. “Lots of familiar faces.”

There were two griffons in front of the double doors. Not bulky like the one outside, but intimidating in the way that they stood. Something about their posture told Copper that they were hiding some fairly heavy firepower. He didn't question those instincts. As they came up to the pair, he opened his mouth to speak. “We're here to see Don Burrasca,” Scootaloo said, her arms folded in front of her.

The two griffons looked at her; well, more glared down at her. But Copper had to admit she was doing a great job at holding that look of annoyance. He supposed that anger beat out fear. “I'm Copper Feather. I have an appointment with Don Burrasca.”

They both looked at him as one moved towards him. Copper spread his arms as the griffon patted him down, he was very glad that he had left the gun at home. Something told him these two would not look kindly to him having brought some sort of weapon. “The Don is straight down the hall. Red door on the right,” one of the griffons said, with a fairly rough voice. The other stood silent, but stepped aside and pushed the door open for them.

They entered and the sound stopped as the doors closed. There was nothing but the sound of their footsteps, till Scootaloo asked, “You sure about this?”

Copper hesitated and then nodded. “Yes. But...” There was the door, it was the only red one in the hall. “Let me do the talking, okay? If he's anything like the Don Burrasca that I know, I'm fairly certain I can handle him.”

“I hope you know what you're doing...” she mumbled as they came to a stop at the door. Copper hesitated again, wondering if he should knock, or simply walk in. Perhaps he should-

“Come in,” came a voice from the other side.

There was no mistaking Don Burrasca's voice, but his tone seemed off. Copper pushed open the door, which opened up to a rather large and spacious office. There were a few plants, as well as a couch at one side. On this side of the desk were two large chairs. Behind the desk, unmistakeably, sat Don Burrasca. “Good evening Don Burrasca,” Copper said as he moved into the room, removing his jacket and laying it over the back of a chair.

“Please, have a seat.” It was then that Copper looked at him, took a good look at him and he nearly hesitated. That was the look. The look that said he knew everything already and was barely interested in the conversation. That was the same look that Copper had practiced in the mirror for years to perfect and this griffon was doing it spot on.

So he returned the look, without even thinking. This was not the same Don Burrasca that he had known. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” he said as he took a seat, barely registering Scootaloo taking the seat beside him.

“Ah it is no problem. This is all over the matter of some of my...mmm...employees,” he said, leaning back in his chair. There was obviously a lot of things that he was trying to do at once and it seemed that he was going to make Copper feel as if he was interrupting his busy schedule.

But as far as he was concerned, Don Burrasca was wasting his time. “Yes. I just wanted to make sure that there was no...hard feelings towards one another.”

He steepled his fingers. Who was this? This was nothing like the Don Burrasca he had known. Not even in the slightest. The words something has been inside his head came back to mind. If this is what he would have been without the mental torture, Copper was afraid what could have happened in the other world. “Yes...well...you did draw a weapon on one of my subordinates...”

“He drew first,” Copper said calmly, making sure that was well known.

“Yes...I am aware of that. Quite the feat as well...he was known for being fairly quick on the draw. But no harm done in the end. Mostly egos bruised and all that.” His eyes never left Copper and Copper never looked away from him. It was almost like a staring contest. But this was not for who would blink fist.

“I'm glad to hear that. After all, it was merely a job on my part.” Copper leaned back into the chair more and decided to test what they had told him. “And treating a lady in such a way is not the sort of thing I would think you'd be for.”

There it was. It was ever so slight. The shift in facial muscles as the brow wrinkled slightly and the beak tip rose. That beak made it difficult to read griffons if you didn't know what to look for. “I was not aware of that little detail. I trust the lady is all right?”

Copper nodded lightly. “Oh yes. Quite all right, if not a bit flustered at being treated as a...” He turned to Scootaloo. “What was the word she used?”

Scootaloo sat up straight instantly. “I...uhm...” She looked down at the floor and then at Don Burrasca. “Well, she said they were treating her as if she were some kind of hooker.”

He frowned noticeably. “This was not brought to my attention. It is one thing to bother a private Detective, but another to disrespect a lady.” He shuffled papers around on the desk and made a note. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” There was a few seconds of silence, which was filled with shuffling, before he spoke again. “You know, I was quite surprised that you wanted a meeting with me.”

“Oh?” Copper looked around the room. It was painfully obvious that he was feigning disinterest, but that usually made people want to talk more.

“Oh yes,” he said, looking at Copper. “Most people when they find out that they might have done something to upset me...leave the city. Can't imagine why.”

Copper shrugged. He could guess some reasons...but those would be rude. “I haven't the foggiest idea. Perhaps to find some sort of way to seek forgiveness?”

“Mmm...perhaps. I do not understand why anyone would be afraid of me,” he said as he leaned back and once again steepled his fingers. “I run a good business here.”

“That has been on my mind, actually,” he said as he gaze went back to Don Burrasca. “What is it exactly that you do?”

Don Burrasca smiled at him. “Why...I help people, Detective Feather. There's a lot of people moving into this country who don't have homes, or jobs. I help them to...mmm...adjust.”

He nodded. “That is what I thought.” It was easy to read between the lines. He was being careful, because he didn't know if Copper had ulterior motives. “It sounds like-” he stopped and Don Burrasca gave a slight smirk. There was what sounded like an argument coming down the hall.

“My apologies. It would seem another matter is about to seek my attention.” Copper stood and gave a slight nod.

Scootaloo began a break for the door, but Copper gently steered her towards the couch. “I am in no hurry. Please, take your time.” Copper guessed he had some sort of apparatus that allowed him to hear all the way down the hall. In the silence, one could probably even hear footsteps if one knew what to listen for.

He got comfortable on the couch just as the door practically burst open and he saw one of the griffons who had been standing at the double doors. “Please Ms. Heartstring, he-”

“I don't care!” It was Lyra, glaring at the griffon, who thought it prudent to move. “Burrasca.” She moved quickly, Bon Bon right behind her.

“Ah, my dear Lyra. What on earth has gotten you so riled up?” Burrasca spread his arms wide, smiling.

“It's that blasted band you got. They can't play a single song correctly. How am I supposed to sing when I'm practically attacked by sour notes?” It was obvious she had taken most of her anger out on the poor griffon, who was now standing beside the door, glaring at Copper as if it was his fault.

“Oh dear me,” he said and he genuinely looked concerned. “But last night you said they were perfect. They played beautifully I thought.”

“Yes, well that was last night,” she said, heaving a heavy sigh. “It was because you were in the audience. The one night you don't listen, they played like they didn't care. It was humiliating.”

Copper glanced at Bon Bon and found that she was staring at him with a look of intense interest. “I'm sorry,” Don Burrasca said, patting her hand gently. “I will find a better band to play to you by tomorrow.”

A thought struck Copper from somewhere in his subconscious and he smiled as he stood up. “I hate to interject. But perhaps I could be of assistance?” They all looked at him and Lyra gave him a look like she had never even noticed his existence. That actually kind of hurt. He had liked Lyra for the brief interactions they had had. But he folded his hands behind his back and continued. “I could find the perfect band to accompany you. Free of charge, of course.” If Scootaloo could glare fire of some sort, surely his head would be aflame, or melted. “As a sign of...good faith.”

Don Burrasa practically grinned. “Well now, there you go. Detective Feather will find you the perfect band.” His gaze moved back to her. “Shall that be all right?”

There was an odd sort of interaction between Lyra and Burrasca. Non-vocal communication. Just with a look, they seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking, or something to that point. “All right...” she said slowly and stood up, looking at Copper, this time with a friendlier look that he recognized. “But they better be able to play well.”

He gave her a smile, a genuine smile. One that you would give to a long lost friend. Oh how he missed living in Ponyville. How he missed being able to simply go out into the street and strike up a conversation with anypony and be treated as a friend. “Of course.” He turned to Scootaloo. “Come, we shall start immediately.”

The two of them walked out the door and he closed it behind them softly. Scootaloo went to say something, but Copper held a hand to silence her and listened. “Well that was weird...” he heard Lyra say. “Why did you have a Detective in-” she stopped talking abruptly.

Copper opened the door once again. “My apologies, I forgot my coat.”

Don Burrasca gave him a smile. “Of course. I was just about to send someone to bring it to you.” He held out a hand towards Copper. Copper took it without thinking, gripping slightly firmly and shaking it slightly. “I do hope you will be prompt. The club opens at five and Ms. Heartstrings starts at six.”

“Of course,” Copper said as he put on his coat and headed back out of the room. He was impeccably smart. There would be quite a bit of issue trying to determine who was smarter, but right now, Copper knew he was on even ground. He knew more than he did and that gave him a slight advantage, but Burrasca could find out more than Copper could and he had the home field advantage.

“What-” Scootaloo began, but again Copper held up his hand to silence her.

“Not until we're outside,” he said as he began to walk down the hall, at a slow, measured pace. There could be panic bubbling up inside him somewhere, but he was not going to let it. Hopefully that was a good impression that he just left. Flaunting his intelligence slightly to keep him curious. Hopefully enough to not kill him.

The street was pretty much empty and Scootaloo seemed to steam with anger as she walked beside him. “Sorry,” he said, taking a deep breath. “That did not go anything like I planned... He is nothing like the Don Burrasca I know. It threw me for a moment...”

“You handled it amazingly,” she said and there wasn't even a hint of sarcasm to her tone. “I've watched people crumble in front of him. I could only dream of being able to read someone like that...”

He looked at her and smiled. “It just takes practice. I can tell you, I wasn't very good at it at first. It takes a lot of practice and you make a lot of mistakes along the way.”

There was a long silence, before she spoke again. “So...a band.”

Copper nodded. “Yup. I hope you have some idea of where to start, because I have no idea.”

She smiled and nodded. “Yup. Luckily for you I happen know exactly where to go. And we're heading there now.” Her brow wrinkled a bit. “While you were making your little speech, I was working out a plan. Though we're kinda gonna be sorta maybe stealing the band...”

That alone piqued his curiosity further and even though he was certain he was paying attention to where they were going, Scootaloo still managed to somehow get him lost. “We aren't being followed,” he said, glancing back to make sure they were indeed not being followed.

“I don't trust Burrasca,” she said, looking back behind them as well.

“It would not be prudent of him to do such a thing. It would be most unfortunate for our new found...relationship,” Copper said slowly, but even so, he still watched the area behind them as though expecting something to move.

“I suppose so...we're here anyways,” she said slowly.

Copper looked around slowly and could see nothing but buildings with drawn curtains. “Where is here?” Something caught his eye and he stared down ahead on the road. There was somepony there. Or something. It seemed...off. He had an odd feeling. Not particularly bad but...it was a feeling he'd not felt before. A mixture of excitement, intrigue and a bit of fear. Nervousness throwing its hand as well.

“C'mon,” she said, walking down an alley that seemed oddly well lit compared to the others around.

He looked at Scootaloo and then back. It was gone. “Odd...” The feeling slowly passed, but something about it lingered. He followed after Scootaloo, who was fishing about her person. “So...” There was an odd alcove to the right, an arch and stairs leading down into a building. “Interesting.”

Scootaloo pulled something from somewhere and was clutching it quite tightly as she headed down the stairs. “This is it.”

Music was drifting up from a large door. It sounded pleasant. Quite pleasant indeed. Scootaloo moved to the door, knocked three times and then kicked the door a few times. A slot opened and two eyes glared out from it, the music getting louder as it did. There was something hauntingly familiar about the music. “Whatcha want?”

Scootaloo held up something and the pony behind the door stared at it before he slammed the slot closed and the door opened. The pony behind the door reminded him of the bouncer back at the club, though rougher. The two of them entered. There was a lot of ponies. A lot of drinking ponies. But at the other end of the room...

“No way.” It was impossible to have any doubts now. The light gray pony with dark gray hair. “Octavia.”

There she was, on stage. It was her group on stage. There was Symphony, that light olive and purple hair, playing her violin. And the light brown, light tan maned pony, with those green eyes; Frederick on the piano. Octavia was probably the most famous pony that Copper had ever come across. There wasn't a pony or griffon that he'd met that didn't know who Octavia was. Capable of playing any and practically every instrument that Copper could think of. He enjoyed her music quite a lot. Yet she was here, in what was obviously some sort of sleazy, dirty bar. But there was no questioning her skill. She still played amazingly, as did her company. But...she did not look the same. “Ah, Copper. Long time no see. The usual?”

He turned to see the rough pony behind the bar. “Nnnno,” he said slowly, looking him up and down. There was a vague familiarity for a moment, but no name came to mind.

“Hey Argus, when's the band finished?” Scootaloo said as she got onto a bar stool.

“Ah, got your little chaperone, eh?” He picked up the glass he had been cleaning. “Shame that.”

Copper sat down at the bar, looking at Argus. “When is the band off, Argus?”

Argus shrugged, not bothering to look at them. “Who knows. Whenever they stop playing.”

This wasn't getting them anywhere and Copper turned back to watch the band. There was most definitely a difference. They looked...battered. Roughened. None of them looked as regal, or well-kempt. It was disheartening to see such magnificent performers thrown down... “What happened...”

Scootaloo was arguing with Argus. “Why are you being so difficult? It's a simple question!”

No need to sit and listen to this. Copper got up and moved around the bar towards the front. He took a seat at a front table. They did not look any better at this distance. And it looked like Octavia had been...crying? Her eyeliner had run, there was no questioning it. The piano looked like it had taken more than a few bottles, as did Frederick from the look of him and the black eye. Symphony looked as though she'd been sleeping in a ditch. Yet the music was fantastic. It was just as amazing as it always had been. He watched as Symphony caught his eye, his eyes locking with her gray green eyes and slowly she shifted across the stage and nudged Octavia. Her eyes opened and the music stopped as she stared at him with her gray purple eyes. Only Frederick kept playing. “Copper,” she said faintly.

There was a few seconds of silence and some thought drove Copper to raise his hands up in surrender. “I'm not drunk,” he said instinctively.

“Sure you aren't...” she mumbled, she was glaring tiredly at him.

“I have a job. I need a band to play at The Cat’s Cradle. Tomorrow night,” he said, speaking slowly and carefully. She was obviously quite upset with him, but too tired to truly express it.

Symphony however, was fully capable of a full glare. “What a load of bull. I can't believe you would come in here after months and start spouting crap like that.” She moved partially between Copper and Octavia, as if one of them would attempt to strangle the other.

“It's true. Took a job from Don Burrasca.” He noted how the entire bar fell silent. “Ms. Heartstring needs a band. The best band.” Frederick had not stopped playing. He was staring at his piano as if his world would collapse if he stopped. But he muttered something.

Something that Symphony heard. “And so you come crawling back here. The nerve you have...”

Copper took a deep breath and stood up. He watched Symphony tense. But he turned around, looking out at the bar. “Talk it over amongst yourselves. I'm...” The words caught and then came out on their own. “I'm trying to help.” And with that, he walked back towards the bar. “Let's go Scootaloo.”

She turned around. “What? But I-” she stopped as she saw the band, staring at him. “I'm gonna have to keep better tabs on you,” she muttered, glaring up at him.

“I'll be outside if you change your mind,” he said and walked towards the door. There was a moment where it looked like the doorman wasn't going to move, but he took a peek out the slot, before opening the door and letting them out. Copper wanted to scream as the door slammed behind them. Instead, he spun on Scootaloo. “Don't you ever do that to me again,” he snapped and she immediately backed against the wall. “If you're going to walk me into a situation where I'm going to be interacting with ponies that I have previous history with...you tell me ahead of time.” He spun away and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He was actually mad. The feelings that were rushing through him: sorrow, regret, pain and fear. It was not pleasant. And worst yet, they weren't his. He rounded the corner and slumped against the wall, sliding down till he was sitting on the ground.

It took quite a while for Scootaloo to make it up and she found him staring up at the sky. “I'm sorry,” she said softly. “I...I forgot that you don't remember things.”

“What happened?” Copper said, looking at her.

He watched as she moved to the wall opposite and took a seat. “They were gonna be famous. They signed a contract that they thought would have made them a lot of money.” She sighed heavily, shaking her head. “But their manager took the money and ran. They put everything they had into it. Especially Octavia. Apparently she had sold everything but her instrument. They were stuck bar hopping for cash. I don't know all the details...but you and Octavia are, or were, friends. You...I guess you promised to help them out, but...never did.”

There was pressure. It felt like someone was squeezing his chest. “I'll do everything I can...I'll make sure you get another chance...” he mumbled. The words came from somewhere inside. Some part that wasn't actually him.

They heard the door slam again and some ponies making their way up the stairs. Symphony almost tripped over him. “The hell you doing on the ground?”

He looked up at her and then stood. “Thinking. And waiting.”

“This better be for real,” Frederick said, glaring at Copper. “I don't think Octavia can take another one of your false hope excursions.”

Apparently he had done more than say he would try. Behind them, still coming up the stairs, was Octavia. She was dragging her cello case up the stairs. Every thud it made against a step made him feel worse. Especially the hopeful look that she gave him when she looked up. “You...” He hesitated a moment and then helped Scootaloo get up. “I said I would help. It...it just took a lot longer than I hoped.”

“You're telling us,” Symphony said, glaring at him still. But the look that Octavia was giving him made his heart sink. Things had gotten a lot worse it seemed.

Scootaloo started walking and they all followed him, Frederick picking up Octavia's case. She looked weak from hunger. “I wouldn't believe it either,” Scootaloo said, looking at the group. “But the Copper we have now may be a bastard...but he's a bastard who knows what he's doing.”

He couldn't help but chuckle and smile a bit. “Just because you don't like how I deal with things, doesn't make me a bastard.”

“No, interrupting a conversation between Ms. Heartsring and Burrasca and telling them you can pretty much do anything, is what makes you a bastard,” Scootaloo said, unable to help but smile.

Copper couldn't help but glance back down the street towards where the figure had been. But it was unsurprisingly not there. “Well, let's get back to The Cat’s Cradle and make sure I fulfill two promises tonight.”

“You cannot be serious,” Don Burrasca said, watching Octavia and her group set up.

“You said get a band. I got a band. Just wait till you hear them play,” Copper said, watching Octavia, who was trying to help and was mostly managing it with Scootaloo's assistance.

“Yes, but we wanted a good band. Not something you scrapped out of the gutter,” he said, frowning.

Copper could see the gears in his head turning, trying to work out the joke. “They look a bit rough, but you didn't say they had to look amazing. Just wait till you hear them play,” he repeated. It was obvious just looking at them that their attitudes had completely changed. They wouldn't doubt him again. Not now.

“But I mean...what is wrong with that fellow?” He pointed at Frederick. “What happened to him?”

“Someone threw a beer at his piano and he dove off the stage,” he said; they had been talking a little on the walk and the subject had come up. “It was a short fight. But truly, just wait till you hear them play.”

“Just because you keep saying that, does not mean that they are miraculously going to be good,” he said as he turned towards him. “You are wasting my time, Detective Feather. It was not a very hard task to accomplish, but it seems to have been...too...much...” He stopped, staring at Copper.

They had begun to play.

5: Empire

View Online

It was amazing to watch the look on Don Burrasca's face as it shifted. It had been a long time since somepony had left him speechless. Truly and utterly speechless. Even Copper had to admit it was the most beautiful music he had ever heard. But it was not the music that had his attention. It was not the look on Don Burrasca's face. Not even the fact that even Lyra was immensely impressed and stunned into silence. It was Octavia. The look of bliss.

He breathed deep; the atmosphere felt good. There was no doubt in his mind that things would be better for them and he couldn't help but feel a bit...good. “Kinda leaves you speechless, hm?” he said, looking at Don Burrasca.

The words seemed to break whatever trance he was under and he shook himself, clearing his throat. “Ah. Yes.” He brushed off a bit of imaginary dust. “I'm afraid next time, I shall take your judgment. They are better than anything I have ever heard.”

“Glad you are enjoying them,” he said, watching Octavia. There was some sort of feeling that felt almost his own, but not quite. This old Copper must have truly wanted to do everything possible to help Octavia. “Of course...they have had it quite rough. But you are used to,” he paused and looked at Burrasca out of the corner of his eye, “Helping people. Isn't that right?”

“Yes,” he said simply, straightening up. “And this is a group of talent that obviously needs my help.”

It was interesting to see him floundering. Copper had kept control, but Burrasca had shown weakness and lost this battle with Copper. Still, he had to respect him. “Yes. My first suggestion is something to eat. I'm not sure of the others, but I don't think Octavia has had much to eat in the past few days, if anything...”

“And which one is that, might I ask?” He had completely regained his composure now.

“Octavia is the one in the center, playing her sort of...I believe it is a type of cello. Though she could play practically any instrument you put into her hands. Symphony is the one on violin. She is quite protective of Octavia. And Frederick...well...Frederick is Frederick.”

“I will keep that in mind,” he said slowly and then turned to Lyra. “What do you think, dear Lyra?”

It took a moment for Lyra to seem to register the fact that someone was talking to her. She probably wouldn't have realized it if Bon Bon hadn't given her a slight nudge. “Ah...uhm.” She looked at Burrasca and then at the group. “They will do perfectly.”

“I'm glad I could meet your standards,” Copper said and then gestured to Scootaloo to come over. “If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask.” He watched Scootaloo and felt he needed to add, “For a price of course. I do have a business to run after all.”

She simply nodded, words seemed to not exactly be working for her at the moment. Tomorrow night would be the most packed night ever, once word got around. Copper was almost surprised to see Burrasca's hand extended towards him. “I'm quite glad that all this went so favorably.”

“As am I,” he said, clasping the griffon's hand. There seemed to be a lot more conveyed in that simple handshake and Copper put his hands, as well as the small piece of paper, into his coat pocket. Sometimes, things are predictable.

But with that, they turned and headed out the door. “That went great!” Scootaloo said, practically shaking with excitement and struggling to keep her voice down.

He nodded, passing though the main doors. “That it did. Better than I could hope. But now, I think it is time to go home.”

A yawn was the answer he got. “Yeah...” The streets were empty and barely lit by street lamps. “It's been a long day...longer for me than you.”

“To be fair,” he said chuckling, “I had not slept for a while beforehand.”

“True. But it took me three tries to get your lazy butt to actually wake up.” She folded her arms in front of her, almost glaring at her.

“My apologies. I was far more tired than-” the grip of fear took him abruptly. It was not easy to scare him, he knew that. But this feeling of dread was overbearing. This was fear on an instinctual level. The source was evident: a cloaked figure moving slowly down the street towards them.

“I'm fairly certain you don't have any money, Copper,” Chestnut said, frowning at him. Her brow wrinkled. “Are you all right?”

He had stopped where he was, staring blankly into the distance. What was he going to do? That- no. Keep the worlds separated. “I'll miss things here if I focus there...” he muttered and shook his head. “Yeah. Sorry.” He shook his head again and began walking. Focus here. “I'm afraid I don't have any money. But considering I know the current ruler and she was expecting me a few days ago, I'll have to talk to her first.” He smiled at her; the feeling was already fading. “But I'm sure there's a bar in the center palace castle thing. Crystal Vodka is supposed to be famous.”

“Mmm...vodka sounds good right now,” Chestnut said, staring up at the large structure.

Copper had to admit that the buildings were far more impressive to look at up close. There was a lot to their structure that just...couldn't be seen from a great distance. His pace slowed as he examined them in greater detail. Perhaps this is where the Gem Cog originated? His thoughts were buzzing. The Crystal Empire was the only choice he was given, but it looked so promising that everything felt like it would work out. He needed that. He needed more things to just...work. “Quite impressive,” he said as he gazed at the buildings.

“You're drawing quite a lot of attention.” Copper looked back to see Gilda. Apparently she had followed them without him knowing.

That was quite impressive and he had to guess she could easily outpace her father. “Am I?” Now he actually looked around at the ponies, it was true. There were a lot of ponies staring. The majority of them...crystal ponies. This was the first time he had ever seen one. They did not leave the Crystal Empire and having never been here himself, he had never had the chance. They sparkled and glistened as if coated in crystal, but they were slightly translucent. He had almost forgotten such ponies existed. But they all seemed interested in him, which was to be expected. “Yes...well...vanishing and then appearing again, beat up and in a bloody coat, tends to draw attention,” he said slowly, wondering how many of these ponies even knew who he was.

“You have a point,” Gilda said as she moved to take up the spot on the other side of him. It was obvious to him that she found him interesting. The words that Nightmare had spoken came back and he shook his head. Things were not so simple as she put them, though he knew where she was coming from.

“And I don't think any of them have seen a griffon before. Unless you and your father have stopped by here?” He looked at Gilda and the look she gave him made him look away. He cleared his throat. “Or not.”

“No. We didn't stop here,” Chestnut said, looking around as well. Out of their trio, she appeared the most normal.

They had gathered quite a large group of followers now. Dozens of ponies, both crystal and regular. He wondered who would have been at the train station to meet him if things had gone according to plan. Would it have been Cadance? Or would she have delegated somepony to do it... He highly doubted he rated that high on her list of liked ponies. “We are starting our own parade...” Copper said, looking around. He wasn't sure what he was looking for now, but would know it when he saw it. “A parade...a...party.”

Gilda and Chestnut both stared at him. Gilda may not have known Copper that well, but Chestnut knew enough about Copper's style that she had an idea what he was thinking. “Please don't.”

Copper couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes things required stealth, or tact. And sometimes, you needed to make an entrance. He spotted a few crates stacked off to the side. That would do. Chestnut tried to block his path and might have succeeded if Gilda had assisted. He hopped up onto the boxes; now there was even more muttering than there had been. He cleared his throat and smiled. “Good-” He hesitated a moment, as he was unsure of the time, but made a guess. “Afternoon everypony.” There was a large crowd gathering now. “Now, show of hooves real quick. How many of you know who I am?” He was struggling a bit to get out of the coat. When he looked back up, he saw nearly every single hoof in the air. Since he had brought down The False God, tales of his exploits in Equestria had run rampant. No one had known who he was, but after that...stories spread like wildfire. “Ah. Good. Well, just to make sure. My name is Copper Feather.” He couldn't help but smile now. Something about attention was always a thrill. There was silence now as he adjusted his footing and laid the coat down.

“What are you doing?” Gilda hissed from off to the side.

“Setting the ground work,” he whispered and then laughed. “Now, I know there are dozens, if not hundreds of stories about me. Most of them are true. But that's not the point of this,” he said as he waved a hoof vaguely. “I will be here in the Crystal Empire for quite a while. Not sure how long myself. If anypony wants to talk to me, maybe ask a question or two, feel free. But understand that I will be quite busy and will most likely give short answers of either yes, or no. So please attempt to shape questions in that manner. But please give me at least a day or two to get settled in before coming and asking questions. And be expected to answer some questions yourselves.” He would probably need to ask quite a lot of questions of them. “This is my first time in the Crystal Empire and honestly I'm quite happy to be here.”

With that, he stepped off the crates and there was a lot of chatter, but from what he caught of it, it was positive. Everypony seemed in a much better mood. “Quite the speech.”

He looked to his left and tried very hard to not glare, or frown. “Shining Armor,” Copper said. He had forgotten that Shining Armor was stationed here now and Corser was managing both the night and day guards.

“Better late than never, eh Copper?” he said, almost glaring. There was some sort of distaste in his tone of voice.

Copper had never gotten along with Shining Armor. That was probably because of the hostility between him and Corser. And Copper was on Corser's side. “Yes, well...when someone blows up the train and holds me hostage for a few days, I'm afraid it quite ruins my schedule.” He did manage to smile.

Shining Armor blinked and stared blankly at him. “I...so that's what happened?”

“Yes. Courtesy of Don Burrasca,” he said and watched as Shining Armor's gaze went past him. “Gilda is with me. She and her father...do not see eye to eye and she has been most helpful in getting me here.”

“Well...there's not much I can do about that...and the rest of your group? I got word that there's quite a few other ponies-”

“They're with me. Minus one. Not entirely sure where his loyalties lie. Chestnut will be able to point him out,” he said, gesturing to Chestnut. She looked quite amazed, partially staring at Shining Armor. In comparison to Shining Armor, Copper was just a beat up pony, with nothing to show for all the work he has done. No rank. No medals. Nothing but rumors and myths. Shining Armor was practically a prince. And yet, Shining Armor feared him. He was afraid of Copper; it was written all over his face, posture and tone. But where Copper had him beat in smarts, Shining Armor sure looked better than him. More like a hero than Copper ever could...that was what Copper thought. He could not help but compare himself to Corser, or Shining Armor. Ponies that looked the part of the job that he did. Something to look up to, not some battered pony. Somepony that it would be expected of to save the world. Not him. This kind of thinking was not terribly good for his self esteem and he knew it.

“All right...now, are you going to tell me why you're here? Neither Princess Celestia or Corser gave any explanation. And the mailpony has no idea what's going on either,” Shining Armor said as he turned around and started to lead the way.

“I do hope he's doing well. Spyglass is a good friend of mine.” He was hoping that he would get a chance to see the pony and talk with him.

“He's completely taken over the delivery of all mail inside and going out of the Crystal Empire.” There was no contempt in his voice; it was almost a tone of admiration.

“Yes...that sounds like him,” he said chuckling. Spyglass was a pony who took mail quite seriously. Copper already felt like he would enjoy being here. But there was a job to do. “I will explain what I can once we are somewhere more private. Information is...delicate and needs to be handled carefully.”

Shining Armor nodded, glancing around. “Right.”

“Also, where can we get something to drink?” He turned and looked back at them. “I promised Chestnut that I'd get her something to drink.” He glanced at Chestnut and then whispered to him, “She's upset with me cus I got her thrown in prison.”

He stared disapprovingly at Copper a moment and then glanced at Chestnut. “There's a bar in the palace. Your group can go there while we...discuss matters.”

Copper nodded and smiled. “Sounds good to me,” Chestnut said, licking her lips. “I need to get drunk.”

Copper laughed, shaking his head. “Goodness, Chestnut...just try and not drink the whole bar...again.”

“I'll drink the whole empire out of booze if I want and you can't stop me,” she said, with such a serious glare that even Shining Armor looked taken aback.

“Uh...how serious is she about that?” he said quietly, leaning towards Copper.

“Quite serious. She is...quite complicated. She'll have one hell of a hang over tomorrow, but she's fairly docile when drunk,” he paused, “as long as you don't try and get her to stop, or stop giving her alcohol.”

There could have been better places, Copper had to say, to have a private meeting. A balcony had quite a few flaws, but it was high enough up that their voices would not carry. He stood, staring out over the Crystal Empire. “This is the view he had...” Just inside was the throne room. Or at least, one of them. Apparently there were at least two. One on the lowest floor and then the middle one, which is the one they were on.

Shining Armor came up beside him, a quizzical look on his face. “Who?”

“King Sombra,” he said softly and took a deep breath. “Everything is on a need to know basis. I'll try to tell you everything, though I doubt you'll believe most of it. And you'll probably do something stupid, which would lead to one of us being tossed from this balcony.” He looked at Shining Armor quite intensely. “And I can assure you that you will be unconscious when you do.”

He actually took a step back from Copper, but Copper didn't let the gap get too wide. “Hey, why are you threatening me? We’re on the same side!”

“Partially,” Copper said; Shining Armor was backed into the wall now and he stopped advancing. “You've been extremely far out of the loop and you have no idea what's been going on in Canterlot.”

“I know that Celestia is unwell,” he said defensively and seemed to accept his position.

“You know nothing. You don't know anything and you need to realize that everything that I'm going to say is true and you need to-”

“Copper!” He turned and was almost knocked to the floor. It was hard to describe the feeling Copper had. It was Twilight, with her arms wrapped around him and she looked as though she was on the brink of tears. “Thank Celestia you're all right! When we heard that you disappeared...I thought...” This was something Copper had never experienced. Someone actually cared about what happened to him, on an emotional level. This felt different than what Jeta felt for him.

When had anypony ever been this concerned for him? “It's all right, Twilight. I'm fine.” Had she cried when he died? How many had truly been upset at his passing? What did he leave behind?

“They said you just walked up covered in blood...and...” She took a few deep breaths, regaining herself and finally let him go when she realized who was around. “Sorry...I just...”

He smiled at her. “It's all right, Twilight. Everything is fine. Just hit a bit of a snag is all.” His eyes wandered back behind her. And he saw...her. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Celestia's adopted niece. He wondered who it was that made that call. Something inside him felt like it twisted as he looked at her, dark purple mane with rose and pale gold streaks, pink in color with pale gray purple eyes. He turned his gaze away from her and back to Shining Armor. “This actually works out better. Twilight can confirm my story.”

“Hm?” She looked at Copper and then at Shining Armor and back again. “What story?”

“The story of that night a few weeks ago,” he said and took a deep breath as Twilight's face turned to a frown. “I know Celestia asked you not to tell anyone...especially not Shining Armor or Princess-” he hesitated a moment. “Cadance.” Saying her full name was too much of a mouthful, but being so informal felt odd. “But it doesn't matter anymore if you did and it would actually make things a lot easier on everypony here if you had.”

Twilight shook her head. “No. I didn't tell them.”

He sighed slightly and shook his head. “Oh well...then I suppose I'll start with...” He paused; where was a good place to start? That night would be a good place to start, but it would seem out of context to the bigger picture. “Honestly it was hard to believe...when such a long time ago, aboard The False God...I was told that it was Celestia who had had it built...and had told it to destroy Manehatten...” He was met with a shocked silence and so after another deep breath, he continued. “I didn't believe it at that point. But when I woke up in the Badlands, with Queen Chrysalis to thank as my savior...”

“Her?” The anger in Cadance's voice was intense enough to make Copper lose his train of thought for a moment.

“Yes. Her. Of all the ponies in all the world, she brought me back, with the help of the Doctor.” He had not expected a reaction to that and did not get one. “And thanks to Twilight, we got all of me back, instead of just most of me. The Doctor did a lot of research, got information from only he knows where and we found out that Celestia was being controlled by something. At that time, we didn't know who, or what. But things were going to get worse and we had to stop it.”

“You just blindly followed what this guy had to say?” Shining Armor snapped, glaring at him.

Copper looked at him, not with anger, but with a sort of look that quelled his rage instantly. “No. But when I found out what Celestia had done to the changelings, to drive Chrysalis to such madness... I can say I believed a lot of things, not because he said them, but because I knew they were true.”

Cadance's rage had not been stifled in the least, “What could possibly-”

“Massacre,” Copper interrupted and she went silent. “The slaughter of changelings.” His eyes were locked to Shining Armor. “When was the kill order on all changelings put out, Shining Armor?”

“That day. When she was beaten,” he said, though there was a hint of a question in his tone.

He sighed, shaking his head. “The order has been in place years before that. But they had to be discreet about it. There were thousands of changelings living peacefully in Equestria. But it was slowly weeding them out. Ponies would go missing from time to time, vanishing completely... Why do you think when the order went out, you got papers on hundreds and hundreds of changelings? It knew all about them and it was antagonizing Chrysalis into retaliation, so that it would have an excuse.” He raised a hoof to silence Cadance before she could speak. “No,” he continued, “it doesn't absolve what Chrysalis did. But I'll ask you. How many ponies died during her invasion?”

“I...” Shining Armor hesitated, trying to think. “I don't know...”

Again he sighed. “None. Not a single pony died. Yes, countless were injured, but none died. But there were no injured changelings. Just a lot of dead ones.”

There were a few seconds of silence and everyone looked at Twilight, who sighed. “Celestia told me something...the real Celestia. Before she sent me up here...she said, Copper seems to be the only pony who knows what's actually going on...and that we need to trust him.”

“Real Celestia?” Shining Armor said, both he and Cadance were puzzled.

“Which brings me more to the point. With Chrysalis and the Doctor's help, along with several others...it came to light that it was King Sombra controlling Celestia.” He was met with a gasp from Cadence and watched as they both stared at Twilight as she nodded. “We beat him, but it left Celestia extremely weakened...to the point she could not walk.”

“So you-” Copper raised a hoof to silence Cadance, who seemed a lot quicker than Shining Armor.

“Yes. We're having Chrysalis pose as Celestia while she recovers,” Copper said and immediately set his hooves apart and glared at Shining Armor. “This is the part where you either stay right there, or I follow through with my threat.” Shining Armor had made a move towards him and lowered his head, but stopped when Copper spoke. He had a look that Copper had seen before. The kind of look you give somepony you plan to beat to death.

But Cadance moved to comfort him. “No. It was the right decision. If ponies had found that Celestia was in that bad of shape, they would have asked too many questions and everypony would have panicked.”

That seemed to alleviate the tension rather abruptly. “Exactly. Which is why I had to do it. I was not sure Celestia would even survive...let alone be able to do anything. But...that is the current state of affairs. King Sombra survived, not terribly surprising and I had to come here, because it's the only lead I have in even finding out what to do.” He took a deep breath and sat down. “He has more allies than we know and we have no idea what they're doing now.”

“So that's why there was such secrecy with you coming here,” Cadance said, as it looked like Shining Armor was still trying to calm down. Copper could hardly blame him for being angry, after what she had done.

“Honestly, too much secrecy. I would rather have been attacked and have somepony that we could get some information out of,” he said, wiping his brow.

“You can't use yourself as bait.” He looked up to see Cadance. She was taking all of this surprisingly well. If she had not been there...he might have actually had to fight Shining Armor.

But he straightened up a bit, squaring his shoulders. “Wouldn't be the first time. Wouldn't be the last.” The look she gave him made him sag slightly and sigh. “We're running out of options. Running out of leads. And probably running out of time...we don't know who his allies are, if they can help him regain power, if they even know of his defeat, or if they're going to reorganize into something worse.”

“What could be worse than The False God?” Twilight said, staring at him.

“Thankfully the plans were aboard the ship. And they-” he stopped and took a deep breath. “I'm certain they've silenced the builders...they wouldn't be able to get me to build it, either, but they'll-”

“You could build it?” Shining Armor said and Copper couldn't decide if it was anger, excitement, or something else in his voice.

But Copper just looked at him a moment and then sighed. “It was based off of my flight wing design. I sent a copy of my plans to Horsh. I'm not sure if he was one of the builders, or if they took the plans off of him...but-”

“Then it was your fault!”

“Shining Armor!” Twilight and Cadance both snapped, glaring at him.

Shining Armor ground his hooves into the ground as he glared at Copper. And Copper stood up. “Yes. It was my fault,” Copper said. “It got off the ground because of me.”

Twilight looked at him. “Copper...you couldn't have known.”

“Doesn't change the fact it was my fault. It was my designs that allowed the damnable thing to fly. And it got thousands killed. Including Horsh and myself...” He turned away from them, which in his head seemed a bit over dramatic, but he didn't want to look at them anymore. “And I will regret it my entire life. But like everything I regret, I've learned to live with it.”

Something caught his eye and he stared to try and figure out what it was. “Copper...you couldn't have known,” Cadance said, but Copper wasn't listening. “Just because you make something, doesn't mean you can control what others use it for.”

“Sometimes I don't feel what I do and what I need to do are the same. Yet I keep pushing forward,” he said as he took a few steps forward, trying to get a better look at what it was he was looking at. He shuddered and closed his eyes. It had to be his imagination. “But it doesn't matter.” He stretched his wing as the other three remained silent. “There is work to be done,” he said as he turned, to see them all staring at him. There was a moment of hesitation, as he felt he should say more, but he wanted to drop the subject. “Where is the Crystal Heart?”

He was quite honestly surprised that he had missed it. A large heart shaped crystal sitting out in the open was hard to miss. And they had walked right passed it on the way inside. It was immediately apparent that it had a vast amount of power. It looked almost...dangerous. He had only heard of it from Celestia, when the King Sombra events had occurred. He was not in Canterlot at that time...what was he doing at that point? Was he in Griflon? Or was he in Aquis? It was so hard to tell which days things happened. It was difficult for him to even remember when certain things happened to himself.

Somepony was talking and he brought his attention back, looking at Cadance, who had moved beside the Crystal Heart and was talking about something that quite frankly Copper had no interest in. “But do you know how it works?” he said, staring at it.

“It...” she hesitated and Copper guessed she was reminding herself who she was talking to. “No. It just...does.”

“No way to activate it? Or...deactivate it?” Copper was circling it now. He never thought it odd that small things had immense power. It seemed to be the way of the world. Power had nothing to do with size. Big or small didn't matter.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cadance shake her head. “No...not that we know.”

This...tingling feeling was starting to get on his nerve. What exactly was it? What did he see earlier that set this feeling off and why was this making it worse? And why in Equestria did he have the urge to touch it? “So you've just been sitting and hoping that it continues working...”

“Hasn't failed yet,” Shining Armor said, glaring at him. Copper stopped and stared at him. He had forgotten that he was there. Oh, and so was Twilight. “So we can rely on it.”

“For now,” he said as he moved closer, the feeling growing the closer he got. “Do not forget that it would have had to have failed in order for Sombra to take control the first time.” There was a few seconds of silence and Copper ground his hoof into the ground. “He is no longer a king. Therefore undeserving of the title. Honestly, you ponies and your titles...”

“Once a king, always a king,” Twilight said, though he could hear the slight uncertainty in her voice. “As a princess, is always a princess.”

“Princess of what...” he muttered, he could see his reflection in the crystal now, it looked...far away...distant. Or perhaps it was simply smaller than it should be?

Again somepony said something that he didn't catch. He turned and stared at Cadance a moment trying to figure it out. Apparently she decided to repeat herself, “So you really think he survived?”

He nodded and turned back to the crystal; the longer he looked, the odder his reflection looked. “I'm quite sure. And Celestia is sure, which is enough proof for any of us.” He really wanted to touch it, though immediately regretted it the instant he placed his hoof upon it.

What had he heard a long time ago? Power corrupts and something about...ah yes, and absolute power, corrupts absolutely. Where had he read that? He shook himself mentally, trying to get back to what he was doing. What was he doing? Oh right. Nothing. He wasn't doing anything. Everything had been done. Done as much as he could. Done it all. He could do it all. But what was this? What was before him? Oh yes. The Crystal Empire. His Empire. Everything was his. No one could stop him. Not now. Not with power. Not with this corruption. Not with this absolute corruption. Why would anyone stop him? Why would they try? What would be the point in defying him? Were the ponies unhappy? What is happy? What happened when you removed every ounce of freedom? Does that not mean that you are happy? What was happy? Yes, was. Was is proper. There is no is. Only was. There is only what there is left, which is what I left.

What of the Crystal Heart?

Yes, what of the Crystal Heart? Could that stop me? But it is mine and nopony knows where it is but me and nopony but me can get to it.

Are you sure?

What is sure? Sure. Yes, I am sure. Why do you question me?

I do not want you to fail.

What is to fail? I cannot fail. I am absolute corruption. Nothing stands before me. Everything falls. If I desire it, everything falls. Everything falls in front of me. Not the Crystal heart. And not her.

Do not think of her.

Right. Do not think of her. Think of anything but her. I'm not allowed to think of her. Why do my eyes hurt? Why is my face wet now? Why does my chest hurt?

It is because you do not listen.

Right. Listen. I must listen. Listening keeps the pain away. What am I doing? Oh yes. Nothing. Nothing to do but keep my power. I cannot lose. I am power.

You are power.

I am strong.

You are strong.

I am corrupt.

You are corrupt.

What have I done?

When Copper came to, he found several ponies around him and he waved a hoof vaguely. He coughed as he got up and with the way everypony looked at him, it was as if they expected him to spit blood. “Right then. No touchy...” He shook himself and coughed again. He was quite a distance from the Crystal Heart now, in the street. Did they move him, or was it trying to get rid of him? “Well then...” He sniffed and looked around again. There was a lot of different ponies around, including several crystal ponies. “That ever happen before?”

Cadance moved forward, shaking her head. “No...”

“Oh goody. I'm special,” he mumbled, as he made his way to the stairs, slowly. But not slow enough to make it look like he was struggling. He felt a tad dizzy and maybe a tad nauseous, but now public appearance was important. Oh Celestia his appearance. How did he look? He couldn't tell from the reflection of the Crystal Heart. Now he needed to find out how he looked. He was sure that the train wreck must have messed him up, especially with the minimum healing he got.

“Are you all right?” Twilight came up beside him, she sounded very worried.

“Fine. Just another day being me. Explosions, assassinations, inanimate objects making me hear some kind of weird conversation.” There was a bit of hesitation as he thought. “I don't think that it's actually the first time that that's happened, so I'm sure I can chalk it up to something that happens often.”

The look on Twilight's face was a mixture of confusion and concern. Copper couldn't help but laugh. “Copper. I'm being serious. Are you all right?”

He smiled at her and nodded. “Yes. I'm fine. That was just...weird. Though weird is pretty normal to me, so I'm not sure if I'm the best judge of that. But, I'd like a clear look at myself right now.”

She smiled a bit, though it seemed a little forced. “I think you need to clean yourself up before you take that good look at yourself.”

Copper chuckled softly as he followed her as she headed up the stairs. They were followed by Shining Armor and Cadance. “That bad, eh?”

“Pretty bad. But, you've looked worse.” There was a smile there, though he couldn't see it; it was in her tone of voice.

“Good to know. Doubt I'll ever look that bad again...” He hesitated and then shrugged. “Well, hopefully.”

She led him to a bathroom and stood outside. “I'll have to talk with them and try and explain things a bit more in detail.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “All right. Thank you, Twilight... I think I just need a break from ponies for a while...” She simply nodded and closed the door behind him. Again he took a deep breath and then moved to the mirror to look at himself. He had to be honest to himself and admit that he thought it was worse. The scar over his right shoulder looked like it had been the worst wound he got, a couple scratches here and there, three new scars on his face. “Damn it...” he said, leaning in a moment before pulling his goggles off and staring at the cracked lens. He sighed and set them down by the wash basin. How long have I had those? he thought as he moved to the tub and began filling it with fairly hot water. The nick in his ear was annoying, that probably had bled quite a lot. He moved towards the mirror again, staring at the three scars. He must have gone out of the train on his right side, as his left seemed unscathed. His wing wasn't even scratched but it had broken.

Ironic.

But he had looked worse, that was for sure. He moved over to the water and got into the tub; the heat was more of a comfort than he could possibly have imagined. He didn't realize how much he ached. How sore he was. Years of pushing himself past his limit had given him a high tolerance, but this truly felt good. He turned off the water before it got too full, just enough so that he could lay and submerge himself if he wanted. Which he proceeded to do. Aquis was probably his favorite place to go. Partially for Jeta and partially for just the feeling of weightlessness and being submerged. It always made him feel good and-

He stared at the ceiling through the rippling water. He surfaced slowly and what he thought he saw was still there. “What have I done?” he read slowly. Within the ceiling, almost as if from far away, it was written. Over and over again.

6: Legality of Clockwork

View Online

Sanity was something he was aware he had very little of left. He knew he was immensely paranoid, but he was trying to fix that. He had become trusting and actually cared more than a little for many. But...what little sanity did he have left? Was this him losing it? Was he going crazy? He sank back into the water, closing his eyes a moment. But when he opened his eyes, the words were still there. He came up from under the water and shook his head. “Damn it...not now...keep it together...”

When he opened his eyes once more, they were gone. In their place his head felt as though it were going to split open. His hooves went to his head, as if he could hold in his sanity. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Was this a panic attack? His heart was racing. “What have I done?”

He shuddered and stared around the empty room. Now the crystals were shifting and moving under their surface. Suddenly it clicked. “That damned heart...” he murmured. “That has to be it...there...there...” He took a deep breath. “I am not going crazy.”

“How would you be able to tell?” Copper remained stock still, his eyes running over the room. “What is sanity? How do you know when you have lost it? I do believe I have lost it...” He covered his mouth, trying to make sure he was not the one speaking. “Did I ever have it? I do not know...”

Copper got out of the bath slowly. Very slowly. His eyes wandered around the room as he did. “Who is there?”

There was quite a lot of silence before he finally got a response. “Who is where?”

He thought a moment, trying to work out better wording...or perhaps a different question. “What are you and where are you?” Was the voice in his head? He had had voices in his head before, not of his own choice. That thought made him feel like he was already crazy.

Again there was a very long pause, before it spoke again. “I am what's left.” Copper had to stare at the wall to be able to see it, but as he read them they seemed to speak aloud at the same time.

“You are words...within the crystal?” It was odd, the voice seemed to come from the wall where the words were...carved? No...cracked. The words cracked themselves inside the wall and then slowly healed.

There was no response for a long time and then it spoke again. “Am I insane?”

“I...do not know...” Copper said carefully, “I don't know what you are...”

“I am what is left,” it said again, seeming to have established that at least that.

Copper looked around, the cracks seemed to follow his gaze. From the hallway, he heard somepony shout, “Lesser of two evils?!” Apparently Shining Armor was still having difficulties understanding.

“Yes...” he muttered, “You said that... Left of what?” He could guess at this point, but he would like it to be confirmed.

It was almost a minute before the words came back. “I am what is left.”

Perhaps it could not comprehend the question? It seemed so basic...not quite child like, but it was as if it was broken. “Cracked...” He sighed and shook his head. “Why can I hear you?” He closed his eyes, wondering if he could hear it without seeing it.

Again, silence. “You touched the heart,” it said. He could see the cracks through his eyelids.

But touching the heart...others had done that, hadn't they? Hadn't several ponies done that? But...none of them had had the reaction that he did. Did he do something? “Yes...I touched the heart...but-”

“You let me out.”

He opened his eyes and stared at the words cracked in the wall, as they slowly closed once more. “I...you were trapped? Within the Crystal Heart?”

There was silence again and Copper moved towards the towels, deciding he did not want to stand there wet any longer. “I was not trapped,” the words seemed to be clearer, “You came and got me,” louder. “I was safe. There was no reason to leave.”

“And now? Now there is reason?” He began drying himself off; he felt quite calmer now, glad that he was not losing what little sanity he had left.

“Yes. Reason,” suddenly it's words became twisted and frenzied, “many reasons. Power. Control. Regret. Guilt. Pain. Fear.” Those were the only words he could make out in the frenzy that now covered the wall, overlapping as if it were trying to scream a thousand words all at once.

“Right! Right! Stop!” He closed his eyes tight, pressing his hooves to them so hard that he saw bursts of light. It seemed to work to a point and block out the words or at least began drowning them out. “Enough!” He took deep breaths as his headache was getting worse. But it finally seemed to calm down, as the echoes faded away. He did not open his eyes until the headache faded. But his heart continued to beat hard. Faster. The headache was suddenly replaced by fear.

He opened his eyes and stared at the cloaked figure who was approaching him. Them. Scootaloo was there, too. Scootaloo... “Copper...are you all right?” Could she not feel it? No...this was something that was based purely on instinct. This body knew of fear. It knew of horrors.

“Get behind me,” he said, staring at the figure. He saw the glint of something beneath the cloak. Something was immensely off. Everything about the figure seemed wrong, especially the way it moved. He could hear the shuffle of Scootaloo moving and she gripped his jacket.

Sometimes he forgot that she was still young. This was important. This very moment. She was important... He pushed her backwards off of him, as the figure lunged. The glint had been a knife, as he had thought. Or more of a dagger judging by its length. It was good that he had seen it coming, though he had been expecting a knife and that misjudgment let it nick his left side. Immediately he felt the heat of blood. Perhaps it was more than a nick. Now he saw under the hood and it put him in mind of long ago...a masquerade ball...but there was no time to admire it as it slashed upwards. This time, it missed. “Copper!” Scootaloo was somewhere behind him.

He needed to stay between it and her. Why were they wearing a mask? It swiped again, it was clumsy with it, using large hesitant swipes. “Move back, Scoot-” again the dagger swiped past and he had to duck to avoid it. Where was she? He couldn't chance to look back, but she had to be moving away.

This was not going in his favor. Whoever this was, they were fast and his coat and shirt had quite a lot of nicks in it already. The blade was getting closer. “Copper! What do I do?!” Scootaloo was in a panic. Again Copper had to position himself between his attacker and her... Was it going after her? He risked a glance back and regretted it immediately as the blade buried into his left shoulder. “Copper!”

There was an ease of tension in the attackers arm and Copper took advantage. “Bad move,” he said, surprised at his own calmness, as he grabbed hold of their wrist. He held the dagger in place and swung his fist. That was a mistake as well. It was like punching a...well, something very hard. It was more a helmet than a mask. But at the very least, it disoriented the figure, giving Copper enough time to, as he ignored the pain, strike a blow to it's stomach. Pain again. A full suit of armor? He grabbed hold of his attacker’s waist and released the wrist to grab their shoulder. He was mildly surprised at the strength of this body, but with all the adrenaline pumping through him now he could probably lift a car. And they were surprisingly light.

He slammed them down on their head in what could only be described as a sort of suplex. And he had an odd sort of satisfaction at the noise they made as they hit the ground. A mixture of metal and crunching. The dagger slipped from his shoulder as he stood back up, leaving a rather bigger slice on its way out. His hand immediately shot to it to stifle the bleeding. “Copper...” Scootaloo was still there.

“Can't pass out over a little knife wound...” he muttered as he kicked open the cloak. They were indeed armored. Made out of armor it seemed.

“It's...it's a ...” He looked at her a moment. “It's a clockwork!” She pointed, her hand shaking. “Th-those! Those are illegal!” She was shaking, stepping backwards. “Oh...oh god...this...this...I...” She looked at him, her eyes widening. “C-Copper...”

He waved his left hand vaguely and looked back down at the...clockwork. “It's some sort of machine, right?” It was not moving now; he was fairly sure that he had broken it.

“Y-yes...but...but they're illegal here in the states. You have to go to Europe to even see some of them...and I've...I've never heard of one move like that...their movements are...they...they jerk around...” She was blabbering now.

Was it after her? Or was it after him? Or were they simply in the wrong place at the wrong time... “Do we have bandages back at the office?” he said, as he tore large strips from his shirt. Apparently he had done this before, because the movement seemed familiar.

“Yes,” she said, taking deep breaths. At least she knew how to calm herself down. Copper had to admire her a bit. She had a lot of qualities that made her sensible. She was just a little panicked now.

“Good.” He grabbed the clockwork by the wrist and began walking, dragging it behind him. He took the time to look and saw that the dagger was in fact attached to its wrist.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, coming up beside him. “You...look, you don't know...but it's a serious offense to have a clockwork here. Like, death sentence serious.”

“Why?” he said, looking at her and then around them, making sure no one was around. He did not want to get into that kind of trouble, but there was no way he was going to leave this on the street.

“I...I don't know. They just are. It's some law that was passed a while ago. You can't even have them on airships.” She was looking back and forth between him and it. “Just...just leave it.”

“It'll be fine,” he said, giving her a smile. “I promise. Nothing's going to happen. I just need to find out why it came after us, all right?”

“You promise, huh?” She folded her arms in front of her. “The good old Copper Promise?”

He stopped and looked at her. “I keep my promises. The past Copper is no longer here.”

Several moments of silence past as they continued, before she looked at him. “You punched a clockwork,” she said, staring at him.

“I did.” Surprisingly it wasn't very heavy. Perhaps about the same weight as Scootaloo, if not lighter. He wondered what it was made out of.

“Twice,” she continued, still staring at him.

“I did,” he said, glancing at her and then at the clockwork he was dragging. It was making a fair bit of noise, but it would be making more if not for the cloak.

A car passed ahead of them in the distance and it caused Scootaloo to hesitate. “And then-”

“Then I slammed it into the ground,” Copper said, giving a slight smile. “Now, c'mon. We need to get back to the office.”

“Where'd you learn that move?” she said, moving up beside him.

“Saw it in a movie.”

“Done this before, hm?” Copper said, watching as Scootaloo sewed shut the large gash in his shoulder.

“Yes. I have,” she murmured. Obviously she was trying to focus. “Though never on you...but you're extremely lucky. It only nicked the bone. We still should have gone to the hospital...” She bit her tongue as she leaned in closer. It had been a rough hour for the both of them and Copper was sure he was close to bleeding out, judging from how woozy he felt.

“Oddly thin knife...” he said, looking at the clockwork, which had been left on the floor by the door. It would need to be thoroughly examined.

“Any idea who sent it?” Scootaloo muttered as she tied off the last bit.

“No one...unless I have any enemies you haven't told me about...ones with these kinds of resources would be more than a little important to mention.”

She began wrapping him in bandages. “None that I know of. But I really don't know...well...any of your enemies.” She leaned back in her chair once she was done.

Copper looked at her, then at the pile of bloody rags and bandages beside her. He turned his gaze back to her and took a deep breath. “Thank you...” She stared at him. “What? I'm not allowed to say thank you?”

Slowly she smiled at him and nodded. “Nope.”

He laughed, which unsurprisingly hurt slightly. “All right. Fine.” He looked around the room a moment and then at the clockwork. “I do believe it's time to get to work,” he said as he stood up.

“Yeah, you do that. I, am going to sleep.” She stood up as well and went to the washroom, coming back a few minutes later, cleaned up and wearing a similar, although slightly different outfit. “Uhm...” Copper had picked the clockwork up and moved to his desk. He could feel Scootaloo watching him as he sat it down and looked it over. “Would it be all right if I slept here?”

He laid it upon the desk almost gently. “I don't see why not...” Next, he pulled out his gun and holster, affixing it. It hurt a bit in some places where it overlapped his new wounds. “Don't have anywhere to be, do you?”

She shook her head as she moved over to what Copper had once thought was a closet and let the bed once again fall out. “No. I don't...” She turned back towards him and looked like she was going to say something, but instead took a deep breath. She shook her head. “Try and keep it down, all right?”

A smile crept onto his face and he nodded. “Don't worry. I don't plan to bang anything around right now.”

“All right,” she said as she crawled under the covers. But then her head immediately came back out. “Are you gonna be here when I wake up?”

Something stirred inside him. Something deep within the recesses of this body’s memory. It was a swelling feeling, enough to cause him to hesitate. But he nodded and the words he spoke felt familiar. “I'm not going anywhere.”

She seemed satisfied with that. “Goodnight,” she said as she laid back down.

Copper stared at her a moment longer, before turning back to the clockwork. It was wrapped up, or tangled up in the cloak at this point. “Now then...let's see what we have here.” He tore the cloak until it was nothing but the clockwork upon the table. He stared at it a moment and then quickly grabbed paper and a pencil. “Obviously a machine...based upon a female figure...” he muttered, writing several things on the paper: height, approximate weight, color, basic shape, how annoying writing with a pencil was. He lifted the wrist up from the table and examined the dagger. It was attached, or more accurately, it was embedded. Retractable by the look of it...and it only took a moment of fiddling with it before it withdrew with a shnickt.

A knock on the door snapped him from his thoughts. He stared at the door, gun drawn. A few seconds passed before there was another knock. “Copper! It's Corser. Are you in there?” Another knock, more a pounding. It sounded almost desperate. Panicked.

Copper moved slowly to the door and cracked it open slightly, ready with his gun. It was indeed Corser. “Yes?”

Corser forced the door open and froze as it was immediately replaced with a gun. “Whoa. Copper.” He put his hands up immediately. “What the hell happened to you?”

“The usual. I am not in the mood for any lectures at the moment.” Copper was surprised that despite everything, he could hold the gun so steady.

“Easy Copper...” Corser took a step back. “Look. Sorry. But...look. Police found blood and signs of a struggle a block outside The Cat’s Cradle and Don Burrasca claims no knowledge of what happened. I knew you had been in the area...I was thinking you might know what happened and it looks like you do.”

He stared at Corser a moment, before lowering the gun. “Yes. Someone tried to kill me... I'm more than a little on edge.” He glanced both ways down the hallway, before moving out of the way.

Corser moved in slowly, watching Copper as he holstered his gun and shut the door behind him. “Ok, I understand the hostility, but Copper, we've been-” he froze, seeing what was on the table. “Copper, what the hell is that?”

“It's what tried to kill me,” he said as he moved back to it and went back to his examination. He glanced at Scootaloo, who despite Corser's poinding on the door, was still asleep. Though she had shifted into a different position. Corser went to say something, but Copper held up his hand. “I said I am not in the mood for a lecture. I know it's illegal. But someone tried to kill me,” he paused a, “and Scootaloo.” He looked at Corser, who was standing very still. “I intend to find out who.”

“Copper...this...I...this is bad Copper. First Don Burrasca, now a clockwork...this is getting out of hand. You should have called the police. You should be in the hospital...you...” It seemed that words were failing him.

But Copper simply stared at him. This Corser was a lot different than the one he knew. Where was his resolve? His determination? “And what would that have done, Corser?” He shifted some of the pieces around that he had removed. He was looking for some sort of signature. Some sort of lead... He did it on his creations, because Horsh had always done it...he had said that's how it was done...but it could be as simple as a few scratches on some plate... When Corser did not answer, he looked up.

It seemed Copper's gaze was enough to get him going again. “Copper...this...this...what do you think you're doing?” he sounded exasperated at this point.

“I am only going to say one final time.” He pulled something out slowly; it was an entire device. Some sort of...Copper could only describe it as its heart. It had been in roughly the correct spot. The clockwork was steam powered, with two boilers roughly in the place of where lungs should be. The fire was still going. Somepony had based this heavily on this world’s pony anatomy, which from the little he knew had several similarities to the other world’s. “Do not lecture me. You were saying we're friends...and if that's true, I know you're not going to turn me in.”

“I'm saying this because we're friends, Copper. You put your career on the line to vouch for me when I got out of the army. I wouldn't be here without you...but...” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right. Copper...what are you doing?”

“I am trying to find a creator’s mark,” he said examining the heart. It was exquisitely designed and elegant. It actually pumped oil throughout the clockwork. Beautiful.

“Since...since when do you know so much about machines?” Corser said; apparently his curiosity was piqued now and he was looking inside the thing that laid on the table.

“Long story,” Copper said, avoiding the subject. But the thought struck him that he did like Corser. He was his friend. “I'll tell you about it sometime...but whoever did this...completely beyond my skill...”

“Does it...does it work?” Corser was hovering a distance away.

“Not right now...I could...maybe fix it? If I wanted to...” He rubbed his hand slightly. He had dented its head and face, as well as its stomach. It was built to be fast, not to take a hit. “I busted it up pretty thoroughly...” He had not thought of repairing it...

“If you did...you could ask it. I've heard of some clockwork that could talk...”

“Probably just pre-recorded responses,” Copper said as he fiddled with the heart. It had no markings. Every surface, gear and pipe; they were all flawless. The only marks were on the outside, from the scuffle and being dragged. He placed the heart down on the table. “But a good idea...probably would be recorded with the name of its creator...”

“Don't do it while I'm here. Clockwork are illegal, but a broken one is less of an offense. I...I think I can overlook it considering the circumstances...” He seemed to have calmed down quite a lot. “Copper, I'm worried about you. So are a lot of people at the precinct. The things you're doing...”

There was a short silence. “I'm not worried about that.”

He frowned. “What are you worried about then, Copper? What worries you? What the hell are you doing with yourself? I mean, I'm glad you're not drinking anymore, but...it's like you have some sort of death wish.”

Copper stared inside the clockwork. It was the kind of stuff he wished he had the skill to do. “What am I worried about...” he said softly, searching his own mind. “Here, I worry about Scootaloo.”

His frown deepened. “Why do you even bother with that girl. She's a criminal, Copper. She was going to-”

“Stop,” Copper said, glaring at him. “If you want to keep considering me as a friend, you are going to stop talking that way about her.” Corser fell silent and for several minutes as he stood there, watching Copper continue his examination. “Was there anything else you wanted?” He was starting to become annoyed at the way that he was just standing there, staring at him.

“I...” he hesitated and then sighed. “No. I can see you're quite content in whatever little world you seem to be in, so I'll just leave.” With that he turned away.

A thought suddenly struck him as he stood there. Something caused his wing to twitch and he knew this would probably be his only chance. “Corser. How did I lose my wing?”

Corser paused a moment at the door. “You never told me the details. You know that.” He did not turn as he spoke.

“What did I tell you?”

Now he turned to look at him. But he decided to humor him. “It was during the bombing of London. You and your squad were dropped in to assist when the Germans were invading. When they started to lose the battle, they bombed the city.”

“Bombed...the city...” The news of Manehatten ran through his head as Corser shut the door. A little louder than he should have. “What has been happening in this world...”

“It was World War II.” Copper had not heard her get up, but he stared at Scootaloo now. “Sorry...I forget that you're going through this whole...memory thing. It just ended six years ago, but the bombing of London he was talking about was eleven years ago. I...” She folded her arms, staring at the floor. “Burrasca said I was there during the bombing...but I don't remember any of it...” She looked up at him and it clicked.

“Are you gonna be here when I wake up?” Copper brushed soot from the face of the little filly in his arms.

“I'm not going anywhere...not without you,” he said softly and watched as she closed her eyes. How long had he been knocked out? He stared across the street at the building he and his squad had been in, or to be more accurate the rubble that was left of it. She had woken him up after he had passed out inside this other building. His eyes wandered to the blood streak that he had made as he dragged himself out of the street and into the cover of the building.

His wing was gone and he knew it was bleeding badly. But this was easily fixed. After all, there was a lot of things on fire. He didn't even scream as he set fire to his wound. Now that was one problem out of the way and since he wasn't going to bleed out, he needed to get out. He looked down at her again. She was a bit bruised, but she was in a lot better shape than him. Who had left her alone? It was an odd thought to have. Why had he no concern over himself? He shifted against the wall and used it to push himself to his feet.

There was still screaming, cut off by explosions, far in the distance. They were still bombing the city. His movements were clumsy, but eventually he made it to the window, looking out into what was left of the street. He heard part of the building crumble and moved through the doorway out into the street. There were a lot of things on fire. But there were no ponies around. The streets were empty, except for those who could no longer run. It was good that she was asleep. No child should see something like this.

Clumsily he moved down the street, taking his time. There was no rush at this point. There was no place he was going. He was just walking for the sake of walking at this point. Something to do. The slow breathing of the little filly was...comforting... Another building collapsed, but he could not hear bombs anymore and the screaming seemed so far away. But screaming meant living ponies... Hopefully they would be alive when he arrived.

The last thing he had expected was the car that came slowly around the corner a few blocks ahead. He went to call out, but the soot, smoke and pain kept his voice locked away. But the driver had seen them and several ponies and griffons got out of the car and ran towards him. His legs gave out a bit and he almost stumbled, but he recovered and kept walking.

“American!” somepony in the group called out. “Are you all right?!”

He did his best to clear his throat and tried to swallow down the soot that caked his mouth. “What a stupid question,” was what he managed to say when they got close. “Water.” He shifted the little filly, so that he could grab the canteen that was handed to him and he gulped down half of it. “Wake up, little filly,” he said, shaking her gently awake. Her eyes opened slowly, large and glistening. She drank from the canteen as best she could, spilling quite a bit. When he looked up, he noticed the crowd that had been following the car. His shirt shifted as the filly gripped onto him and settled back to sleep. “What's been happening?”

“Germans,” somepony beside him said. “They were given the order to retreat. Last broadcast was a ten minute warning. Less than a minute later, the bombs started.”

“They bombed their own troops,” the griffon driving said. Something about the way he looked at Copper gave him the impression that he had taken charge. “You're the first American we've found alive.”

“Any Germans?” he said, before drinking more from the canteen.

“We put a bullet in them,” somepony in the back of the car said. There was well over fifty ponies and a few griffons in the group behind the car.

He leaned against the car, taking a deep breath. “God...what happened to you?” Some woman was behind him and he saw an entirely brown pony. A sort of...chestnut brown.

“The building I was in exploded,” he said, trying to keep his breathing regular, which wasn't easy. “I was lucky and got blown out a window, I think...” He watched as everyone's gaze went slowly to the filly in his arms. “Then I found her. Or...well, she found me.” He had to admit to himself, he would have bled out on the floor, or the building would have collapsed on top of him, if she had not woken him.

“What's the plan?” he said, looking at the driving griffon.

“We're heading to the hospital, picking up survivors on the way. And killing Germans,” he said, as he nodded to the pony in the backseat, who got out. “Get in. You look like you're gonna collapse.”

Copper got into the car and once the sensation of his back burning subsided, it was comfortable to sit. “So then...hospital?”

The griffon looked back at him, “Yes. Unless you have any objections-” he hesitated as he looked Copper up and down. “Sergeant.”

He shook his head. “No. What's your name?”

The griffon gave him a smile. “Burrasca.”

Copper nearly fell over, but leaned against the table instead. The memory had hit him hard enough to actually hurt. “Are you all right?” He looked at Scootaloo. There was no doubt. That was why this Copper would do anything for her.

But he nodded. “Yes...I'm fine...just...need to sit down,” he said as he moved around the table and sat in his chair.

She moved around the room to him. “You did lose a lot of blood...maybe you should sleep.”

He took in a slow, deep, breath. It did not hurt, which he was mildly surprised at. “No. I'm fine. Just a bit...woozy. I'm fine,” he said again. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her, or convince himself.

“Are you sure?” she said, looking at him, trying to look at his face. She was so concerned for him.

It actually made him laugh. “Yes. I'm sure. I just...” he hesitated. Perhaps someday he should tell her...but for now... “I figured something out that I did not know before.” Why had the old Copper not told her? There must have been a reason...and until he figured out the reason, if any, he would keep it to himself.

“Well...good...” she said as she turned her attention to the clockwork, looking it over. “Have you figured out anything about this?”

He took a deep breath and leaned further back in his chair. “Nothing that I'm looking for...” He suddenly leaned forward. “But...oh Scootaloo...the things that I've learned by just looking through it...the elegance is...” He shook his head. “It is beyond words...the things I could do with this kind of skill...the sheer complexity-”

“All right,” she said, as she pulled it off the table and dragged it across the room. “That's enough of this.”

“I-” he blinked, trying to comprehend what was going on. “Scootaloo, what are you doing?” He started to get up, but he put too much weight on his arm and slumped back in pain.

“You need to sleep.” She unceremoniously shoved the clockwork into the closet. “And I have errands that need running.”

“I-” he blinked again. “I thought you said you didn't have anything to do today.”

“I changed my mind.” She closed the door on the clockwork and turned back to Copper, her arms folded in front of her. “No arguing.”

Copper couldn't help but laugh. “All right. Fine.” He took a deep breath and stretched a bit, which hurt. “Sleep actually sounds pretty-”

There was a knock on the door and it opened before Copper had a chance to do anything. The door had not been locked again after Corser left. “Chrysalis,” Scootaloo said, staring.

It didn't look like the Chrysalis he had expected. But she was beautiful. Long blonde hair, a pale, almost white coat of fur. She was wearing a large coat that looked to be made for far colder weather, but it was her; there was no mistaking it. From the way that she stood, to the shine of her eyes and that expression on her face. The expression was the stern, almost disappointed look that he had learned quite well. “Copper...I see this-” she stopped talking.

He had not gone for his gun this time, yet she stared at him as though he'd shot her. Her eyes went to the bloody rags and back to Copper. “Probably looks a lot worse than it actually is,” he said and began moving papers off his desk into drawers. He pretended to file them, but mostly he was hiding his notes on the clockwork.

“Are...are you all right?” Her expression had melted into the once again familiar concerned, yet stern, face he had seen on occasion. As if she was angry at him for getting hurt.

“Fine. I've just been stabbed.” He glanced at Scootaloo, who seemed stunned into silence. “It's-” he hesitated a moment, wondering if he'd ever been stabbed before. Probably had. “Not the worst thing I've gone through,” he decided was a safe bet.

“I...” She shifted uncomfortably across the room, seeming to have completely lost her train of thought. “What...what have you been doing? I...I ran into Corser on the way up. He failed to mention you being stabbed.”

“Yes, well...that would be Corser for you. Worried about the wrong things.” He did not want to look at her right now. It made his heart ache.

“Copper...he said you've been doing some very reckless things. He wouldn't go into details, but he's really worried about you.” There was hesitation. “I'm worried about you.”

Copper looked up at her and he saw her flinch. Perhaps he was being a tad too harsh on her? But from what he had heard, she had left him in quite bad shape. Then a thought struck him and his expression softened slightly. “Do you know where the Doctor is?”

She glanced around and behind her. “Is there one here?”

He leaned back in the chair, there was no mistaking a changeling when he saw one. He spent too much time with them, someponies would say. “Not a doctor. The Doctor.” The expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. He had hit it perfectly.

Suddenly there was darkness. The headache was back, though it was quickly going away. His heart was racing and he was panting. He heard the door open. “Copper? Are you-” silence.

He opened his eyes and saw what was around him. The entire room had cracked. Cracks ran around the room, up the walls, across the ceiling. He looked up to see Twilight and the other two standing in the doorway. He straightened up; he had apparently been on the floor. “Fine. Just...having some...” He looked around the room and noticed how the cracks ringed his hooves. “Difficulties...” he mumbled.

7: Land of Ice

View Online

The damage was...quite immense. Water from the tub, or the shattered pieces that were once the tub, flowed into the cracks in the floor. Everything was broken. Everything was destroyed; cracked apart. “What happened?” He wasn't sure who asked it, but he knew one of them did. But that was a very good question.

He was going to sound crazy as he tried a hoof at explaining, “There was something in the crystal heart. Something that came out when I touched it.” He was trying to explain it in a way that didn't make him sound crazy. But really, how hard would that be to believe? They had to believe him. There was no reason not to.

“And, it did this?” He was sure that was Twilight speaking.

But he hesitated. Had it? “Yyyyes,” he said slowly. But from the look Twilight gave him, he knew that not even she was convinced. How could he have done this much damage? No, how could it do this much damage? Or...whatever. This was not something to worry about right now. “Though it seems...” He looked around; he could not see any letters, though he wouldn't be able to with all the cracks. It had the ability to crack the crystal to make letters, so it must be capable of this. “It is gone...”

“How convenient,” Copper stared at Shining Armor as he spoke.

“Oh. You're still here?” The anger on his face was quite clear, but Copper had honestly forgotten about him. That was unlike him. Shining Armor was a threat. Copper did not forget about threats. But this...this had shaken him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to think.

“What was it saying?” That was Cadance speaking.

His brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate. “I'm not sure. It blabbered quite a bit...it is quite broken...and...” He looked around the room. “Powerful,” he muttered. Power. Power corrupts. That's something it had said. Or had said inside the crystal. Or was that even it saying that? Things were getting too confusing to keep straight now. He rubbed his face absentmindedly. “I am being pulled in too many directions at once...too much all at once.” He saw the way they were looking at him and shook himself. “Too much time to dwell on it, I think.” He walked towards them and saw how they moved out of his way, Twilight not as much as the other two. “There is work to be done.”

The tavern was quite packed, though it had not been when Copper arrived. He had never been good with crowds in this sot of situation, but he found that if he treated the crowd itself as one pony, he could do quite a lot. Unfortunately he had not had time to ask for information, as he was too busy regaling the crowd with tales of his adventures. They were completely enthralled; was his life really so interesting? He had never thought it as such. He also wondered how many drinks he had had at this point. It seemed every time he emptied a glass, or Chestnut emptied it for him, another was there when he looked down. That was a better question. How much had Chestnut had to drink? Apparently she had racked up, as the barkeeper had said, “The biggest tab the Crystal Empire'd ever seen.”

Yet when Copper said that he would cover it, ponies practically threw bits at the barkeeper, paying the tab and then some, which had that pony practically doing flips. What was he talking about right now? Oh yes the airship. “And, well...I figured that the only way to make sure it went down, was to put it down myself.”

There was a lot of muttering, which seemed to happen every instance he went quiet. How famous was he? “And...you died,” somepony said.

Copper sighed and nodded. “Yup. Dead as dead.” He was trying to evaluate how drunk he was. Not to the point he wasn't still in control, but he was getting there a bit too quickly. He figured that he should stop. “And I can say I was a bit annoyed when I came back.” He found himself taking another drink despite himself. “Honessly,” he slurred a bit and pushed the drink to Chestnut, who happily took it. Slurring was bad. “I didn't ashk to be brought back.” A bit more drunk than he would like.

Then somepony asked him the question he had been waiting for. It was just like working through the mind of a pony, but in a larger scale. It just took time and eventually somepony would make some comment, if lead in the right direction. “But why did you come here? There's gotta be a reason.”

“Ah...yes...” He had to concentrate now to not slur. “Well...” How should he word it? Damn alcohol. It was screwing up his thought process. How truthful should he be? What would the consequences be if he said the wrong thing? Where was Twilight? He looked around for her but she had left with Cadance. “I'm sure a lot of you heard what happened when I touched the Crystal Heart.” There was a lot of murmuring and nodding.

“What happened?”

“Honestly, no idea. Probably happened cus it was this hoof I punched Sombra with.” It was a revelation that he had not thought about. He had touched the Crystal Heart with the same hoof he had hit the shade of King Sombra with. He stared at the hoof which he had gestured vaguely with. It was oddly quiet. He looked up, to see dozens of crystal ponies staring at him in stunned silence. “Ah...yes...too much to drink,” he said, pushing the cup in front of him away. “Let's just put it all out there then.”

He explained most of it. The parts that would keep them on his side. He left out Chrysalis and changelings. He left out Celestia. He merely alluded to both Equestria and Canterlot as ‘places far away from here.’ Honestly he left out a lot, though he did not do so to the point of lying. He merely didn't tell them the whole story.

“So I'm here because there was nowhere else to start looking for clues.” It was an amazingly sobering story. He took a deep breath and noticed as he again pushed a glass to Chestnut how they watched his hoof. “I don't think Princess Cadance would approve of me telling anypony any of this. And I know Shining Armor would be against it...but then again, he's against anything I do...but that's beyond the point. I know it's hard, but, anypony who is willing to talk. I know it's a painful topic-” again he had to push away a glass. Why were they still giving him drinks? “Which is why I'm not going to ask anypony about it and merely say that it would be more than helpful.”

But he was met with silence. And another drink. None of them looked mad, but some of them were clearly upset. He stared at the drink. He wouldn't pressure any of them to answer by giving them a look. There was no need to work like that anymore. He was a different pony than the one who would get answers by any means. “What about the Ice Queen?”

It was like a gunshot in a library and Copper looked up.

“She's a myth,” somepony said, shoving the other pony who had spoken out. “Don't send him on a wild goose chase.”

“Ice Queen...” Copper muttered, staring past them all. He knew of her quite well, but she was a pony spoken in legend. A myth of the north. Something told to young ponies to make sure they come home on snowy days before it gets too late. His father had told him the story. He shook his head. It was a lead. “What about her?”

“They say that's why the Crystal Empire vanished. Cus she couldn't stand to watch what Sombra was doing-” then there was an argument. Lots of shoving and Copper decided to take this chance to escape the crowd. It was a lead. How do you find a myth? A legend...something that most ponies didn't believe in. Would he become like that someday? Something that ponies merely told as stories? A myth?

“There you are.” Copper looked up from the ground; where had he been walking? It didn't matter. He was happy to see the pony that was approaching him, though it took him a moment to recognize him. But the gold streak in his mane was the biggest hint and the spyglass that hung like a sword at his side.

“Spyglass...” He smiled at the pony. “I see you've decided on an eye color.” A light shade of green.

“Yes, well...didn't really have a choice in the matter,” he said as he shifted the bag on his other side, which Copper had dismissed at first. “You have a letter from...Princess Celestia.”

Copper looked around to make sure no pony was around. “Which one?”

“I don't know. I do not read the mail merely deliver it.” He proffered the letter towards Copper who took it. “It's...it's good to see you. I wish we had had time to actually talk after the...incident.”

Copper nodded slowly; Spyglass was very young. He wasn't sure if the changeling had any real friends at this point besides himself. And he knew that he made a poor friend. “Well, there will be time once things have settled.”

“If things ever settle,” he said and Copper laughed. “I'm serious. When it comes to you, there's no end.”

Copper was still laughing slightly as he nodded. “Yes I'm aware. I just can't bring myself to stop. And now, I have to find somepony who supposedly doesn't exist.” Spyglass tilted his head to the side slightly. Copper sighed. “The Ice Queen. Or, Snow Queen. It really depends on where you go, but the story is all over the place and they're all roughly the same...”

“Which means they're all based on something that actually happened.” The two of them looked over to see Twilight. Apparently she had found him.

“Yeah, but that's hardly anything to go on. They say the Snow Queen's story is older than Equestria...the only thing I know about her is the little poem...”

Spyglass looked at the two of them, a confused look on his face. “What poem?”

Little dears, lend me your ears

The snow has fallen on the ground,

Which calls to foals all around.

The winter fun, has just begun.

And so the Queen puts on her crown.

Roll in the hills, and throw the snow.

For all the while, bask in the glow.

The winter whipping through the trees.

And watch your breath in the cold breeze.

But I must warn,

Stay close to home, where it is warm

For She is near.

From high above she starts to peer.

For little ones who venture out,

Get caught within her snowflake stare.

If you’re alone, she will collect you.

Only your home and warmth protect you.

But not every foal is lucky this way.

For some have gone missing, it’s true.

Away she’ll whisk you to her home,

A castle built of ice, not stone.

Holding you in glacial arms,

To keep you as her own.

Copper stopped and stared at the crowd that formed. He was greeted with the sound of stomping hooves and for the first time he could remember he felt embarrassed. He cleared his throat, looking again at the letter and getting down off the box he had leaped up onto. “It...used to be my favorite song when I was young...” He read the letter to keep his mind off of what he had just done. He had not meant to simply recite it like that, but had gotten swept up in the moment.

“It is interesting...but, what's it mean?” Spyglass said, tilting his head once again.

“It's called Land of Ice and it's supposed to warn foals about staying out too long during the winter,” Twilight explained. “The Queen represents pneumonia and frost bite.”

“It hardly mentions ice at all,” Spyglass said as his brow wrinkled.

Apparently this was the same group of boxes Copper had made his earlier speech upon, as there on a box sat Gilda's bloodied coat. He tucked the letter inside it before picking it up and draping it over himself. It was no cloak but it would do. “It's probably lost several verses.”

“Uh, Copper?” Twilight said, staring at him a moment. “There's a lot of blood on that.”

He nodded. “Yes, I'm aware. But it was a gift in time of need and I am going to need it.”

There was a moment’s silence as the two of them looked at him. “Why? Are you going somewhere?” Spyglass said.

It looked like Twilight was a bit faster on the uptake. “Copper, you're not thinking-”

“I am,” he said, taking a deep breath. “It's a lead. And as absurd as it sounds, it...it feels like a good idea. Maybe it's not...but, it's what I feel I need to do.”

“What are you going to do?”

Copper turned and smiled at Spyglass. “I'm going to find the Snow Queen.”

Dear Copper

I'm not going to tell you to do anything, because we both know you'll do it anyways. You have put a lot on your plate, more than I would have asked you to and all I can say is thank you. Thank you for all that you have done and for everything you are going to do. The only advice I can give you, is to trust. Trust in everypony around you, but especially, trust in yourself. Everypony trusts you. Especially me.

Remember to trust,

Celestia

It was good to see something besides white, though the look Chrysalis was giving him was not much of an improvement. At least he had confirmed that the Doctor does exist here. “And what do you know of the Doctor?”

“Not as much as I'd like. Enough to know that he could help.” Copper was trying to stay calm but just simply looking at her made his heart ache. He had truly loved her. “I wonder what other consistencies there are.” In the snow he had had lots of time to think and decided to call the things that were the same consistencies. It made sense. “Are you queen here?”

She froze stiff, her eyes wide. An expression Copper had never seen before on her face. Terror. “All right, this is getting too weird for me,” Scootaloo said as she walked quickly to the door, grabbing her coat. “Honestly, it's like the two of you are talking in damn code.” She slammed the door behind her.

Copper had watched her but Chrysalis had stared at him. “So, either you are, you were, or you're going to be,” he continued, turning his gaze back to Chrysalis, who took a step back.

“I...how...”

“The Copper you knew is...” He thought about it for a few seconds. “Gone. Gone is a good word to use. I am what was...pulled into his place.”

“You're...you're not Copper?” She was starting to move into her defensive posture. Goodness he had spent far too long with her.

“Oh no, I'm Copper. Copper Feather. Always have been. Just not this Copper Feather. I never fought in World War II. I didn't lose my wing in a bomb blast. I never joined the police department. I never became a Detective.” He covered his face and took a deep breath. “But you...I know you. I know the way you walk. I know the sound of your voice...I know the way you cling in your sleep...” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I do not know what you are to me, or what I am to you. But this Copper...his body...he loves you even to this day, despite breaking his heart. And I hate it. I hate having to feel this heartbreak, that I might have to someday experience myself-” he stopped. He was rambling.

He shook his head and looked at her. She was standing on the other side of the table. “Who are you?” Curiosity. Her interest was captured now.

“I, am Copper Feather. Negotiator. Diplomat. I've saved countless lives and at the same time, been the cause of more loss than I can imagine.” But apparently that was not what she was looking for.

“That's what you do.” She leaned on the desk, staring at him. More than interest now. “Who are you?”

It caused him to think before he finally spoke. “I don't know anymore.” Her brow wrinkled. He leaned back in his chair, looking at her. “But enough about me. We're both at a disadvantage. I know a lot about you, some things that aren't true here. But I do know, that is not your true form. Some ponies say that I spend too much time around changelings...” She tensed again. “But I enjoy their company. Even if they just want to feed from my affection, or like me because I put-” he hesitated, “the other Chrysalis in control.”

Her fingers wriggled slightly and she grabbed her coat absentmindedly. “Control of what?”

“A lot. I kind of...” What was the proper way to explain it? “Well. Overthrew the current power and put her as a temporary replacement.” He held up a hand. “I do not have that kind of influence here, so you will have to settle for whatever love you're getting right now. Things work very differently in this world.”

“You seem to be adjusting.” For some reason, she had calmed down quite a lot. “Does Scootaloo know all this?”

He nodded. “I would not have lasted this long without her. I most likely would have ended up dead. Hit by a car or something if not for her. I don't know if she really believes it all or not. But I know I can trust her to not say anything.”

“And me?” She gave him a slight, lopsided grin. That was her plotting face.

“How would the world react to the existence of changelings?” The expression melted immediately. “I would not do that. But you have no reason to believe me.”

She was glaring at him now. “What do you want?”

“Your help,” he said as he slowly stood up and made his way to the closet.

“With what?”

“Finding the Doctor. And...this.” He opened the closet.

It had taken a lot of talking to explain what happened but this Chrysalis seemed quite agreeable; probably with the threat of changelings being revealed on the table she wasn't about to try anything against him. “That's not possible.” Except for one part.

“You keep saying it and yet I have the knife wounds to prove it,” he said, lifting the wrist up once again and revealing the blade hidden within the arm. “With this. Several wounds. Including quite a nasty one.”

“Clockworks can't do that, though. Copper, I've been in London. The most advanced one I've seen, could at the very most serve tea.” She seemed to be more or less trying to convince herself rather than Copper.

“And yet this one stabbed me.” He caused the blade to retract again.

“They can't move like that.” Chrysalis crossed her arms. “They can't.” She turned towards the clockwork and reached a hand out to point at the clockwork's arm. “Look, this…” She stopped as she looked more closely at what she was holding. “This one…” She frowned and leaned forward. “It looks so well defined…” she said as she looked at all the complex, elegantly-designed clockwork insides. “I've never seen anything like this,” she said, a hint of shock in her voice.

This scared her. Copper could see that and with good reason. If this was beyond anything public, this meant that someone went through a lot of trouble to not only keep it secret, but to kill Copper. Or Scootaloo. “Why was it after us is the question I'm most interested in...everything else can wait.”

“How are you going to do that?” she asked as she watched him. Whatever he was doing was making quite a bit of noise and it took her a moment to realize what he was doing. “Copper...you're not...”

“Only way to find out.” He was trying to see what he was doing. He could see what he damaged, but it would take a long time if he wanted it to move the way it had. “I've searched it for some kind of marking...if it's truly so advanced it should be able to talk, right? Corser said that some of them could do that.”

“Yeah, the latest ones can say certain phrases, but...but this is dangerous.” He made a mental note that she made no attempt to leave. “What if it tries to kill you again?”

The gun that pressed to the temple of the clockwork was more than enough to convince her. “If it can't survive being dropped on its head, I'm sure it could not take a bullet. But it won’t be able to. A lot of its inner workings are still broken. It won’t be able to move very much at all, if at all.”

Back to the white. He sighed softly. The explanation to Chrysalis of what had happened had taken too long it seemed. He had to go all the way back to explaining what happened with Rarity. But there was still no explanation as to what caused the switch. It would not be so bad if there was a reason for the switch. But at least he could prepare himself in the split second it took. The feeling was...annoying. Like somepony reached in through the back of his head, grabbed the front of his head and then pulled it out the back.

What was he doing? Oh yes. Walking North. He took a moment to find his bearings and then began walking once again. There were no landmarks and all it would take is one light snow and he knew he'd be lost. Somehow this had seemed like a good idea. It still seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately it was his only idea. But something told him that it was the right thing to be doing. “For little ones who venture out, get caught within her snowflake stare,” he mumbled.

He was far from little that was for sure. But Celestia had told him to trust himself. This was himself, trusting himself. Right? This is how that works, right? Whose idea was this? Had it been his own idea? Had it been the thing in the castle... Thing. Was it a castle? Technically it did work as one, but did they call it a castle? Or was there- he slipped on ice and hit it rather harder than he would have liked.

Though he would have liked to not hit the ice at all. For a moment he laid on it, trying to see if it was even worth the effort to get back up. This had been a bad idea; it was a stupid idea. How did he think this would work? Perhaps this was more about him wanting to be alone for a while, more than it was about finding the Snow Queen. He had been dealing with other ponies so much as of late. He was not used to this...large group thing. It was daunting. Difficult. He did not want to do this anymore. He didn't want to do anything anymore. Perhaps he could just lay here on the ice. “Why is there ice?” he mumbled as he struggled up again, looked ahead to see how much further the the ice went and felt his jaw drop.

Was the lake of ice there because of it? Or was it there because there happened to be a lake at this particular place? Whichever was the case, the castle of ice loomed in the distance.

Now Copper was even more frustrated. But the more he thought about it...the less it seemed like his idea. Wander into the snow and hope he finds it? Something had guided him; he was sure of that now. That made him feel slightly less silly. Though when he took another step and ended up on the ice once more, the feeling of being silly had returned. It was ice. Of course he couldn't just walk on it.

It took a moment to get going, but he had skated before. It was a little awkward without skates but it was manageable. In fact it was quite...fun. He could quite get used to this. A quick figure eight, followed by another. Then a spin. What was it called? A pirouette? He had heard the term once before, but he was not sure what exactly it was. He knew it had to do with spinning. Or as the pony had described it to him, fancy spinning. It made him dizzy but it was fun. How fancy could he get? Could he go backwards? Yes, he could. That was difficult but possible. More so difficult when he slid into the door.

It opened quite easily and his momentum carried him into the center of the room, slowly spinning as he did. He went rigid, staring around. The place was immense and seemed to stretch on forever. He could barely see the back wall. But something about it seemed...very familiar. But maybe that was just the way castles were? Perhaps they all vaguely reminded one of previous castles. But it felt like more than that. It was also empty.

He cleared his throat. “Hello?” The word echoed and seemed to fill the entire place. Slowly he skated forward towards the other end. He found himself mumbling, “Away she’ll whisk you to her home...a castle built of ice, not stone.” Well at least part of the poem was based on some kind of fact. He continued to skate and once again it started with a simple figure eight. Perhaps that was what he was missing. Fun. Skating down the halls and practically singing.

But when a door opened, he went rigid. Especially when it was that feeling. “You may go now.” Somepony was talking as they came out of the room. “I do not know where he has gone and even if I did I...would not...tell...you?”

Again he cleared his throat and attempted to be serious. Though this was ridiculously difficult when one is slowly sliding across the floor, spinning in a slow circle. “My my. Copper Feather...”

When he turned to face the two, the shadow that stood in the door made him feel sick. “Madam Raven,” Copper said with clenched teeth. It was a good thing that Copper had not eaten because the sheer...stench of her...it was unbearable. Thankfully he did not have to look at her for long as he continued to slowly twirl. “Odd seeing you here.”

“I could say the same of you, dear Copper.” Even her voice made him feel sick. For once he wished he had the other body. In that body he only had the memories, not the physical aspect to it.

“Yes well...busy busy,” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “If you'll excuse me. Your presence is sickening.” He could not stand it anymore and skated off down the hall. It was not until he was back in the main hall did the stench leave. He laid down behind a pillar, taking deep breaths. That was not handled in the best manner but he couldn't help it. He shifted into a sitting position, leaning against the pillar.

“Given other circumstances, I would have considered that quite rude.” It was the voice that had spoken earlier. But now it was not overwhelmed by her. It was...soft, but cold. It sent a shiver down Copper's spine.

“My apologies. But that...that thing makes me physically ill. Months of torture, organs being ripped out and all that...” He took a deep breath, trying to once again shut out the memories. So much he wished to simply forget. He cleared his throat and stood up. “Again...sorry...I did not mean to intrude.” He turned and could not help but stare.

Snowflakes. In her eyes were two large pale blue snowflakes which shifted ever so slightly in shape. She was staring at him as well. Snowflake stare. Now that line made perfect sense. Other than that and her horn which appeared to be a large icicle, she looked rather normal. Her mane was rather long and as white as snow, with an off white body. “She is most unpleasant.” Her cutie mark was three simple snowflakes.

He cleared his throat and nodded. It was hard to not stare at her. She was...beautiful. “Quite so...I do hope I did not disturb anything.”

“No. She was leaving. I was tired of her incessant questioning.” She watched him with an expression of annoyance as she spoke. “The same question that you are going to ask.”

Copper's brow wrinkled. This was more something he was comfortable with. One on one. “What question is that?”

Her eyes narrowed and he noted the way the snowflakes shifted shape. “The location of Sombra. I do not know. He did not come to me.”

He stared at her in the best confused expression that he could manage. It was good enough that had he seen it he would have impressed himself. “That was not the question I was going to ask. Though it is a comforting thought that Madam Raven does not know where he is either.”

Now it was her turn to look confused. “What were you going to ask then? When you wandered out of the Empire, in search of me...I was sure that you were going to ask.”

It had been what he was going to ask. But he had thought of something better. “So it was you who guided me here, than?”

“Is that the question you wanted to ask?” Her smile was slight, very slight. But it was indeed a smile.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No, but I was not aware that there was a limit to questions.”

“Not to questions. Merely to answers.” It seemed Copper had gotten her interest. “I was quite impressed with your rendition of Land of Ice and you skate quite well.”

He felt embarrassment creeping back in. “I...uh...” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Yes well, it is my favorite and it has been a while since I have skated, but it is a lot of fun.”

She smiled a bit more. “Yes, I could tell. But to answer your question. Yes. I assisted you in getting here. It was quite foolish to simply wander out and expect to find me.”

There was a moment of silence and then he shrugged. “Well it worked.”

She laughed, though it felt quite cold and not heartfelt. “Yes. But know that it will not work again. I was kind this time.”

“Yes and I thank you,” he said as he bowed slightly. “But my real question...” He looked at her, suddenly feeling quite serious. “Is whose side are you on?”

Those eyes shifted again in an odd manner when she blinked. “Sides? I am usually not the sort of pony to pick sides.”

He smiled slightly and nodded. “All right. I suppose that's as good an answer as I will get. Thank you for your time and your help thus far.”

Her brow rose slightly as she looked at him. “Is that all? You went through all this trouble, to find me and ask me which side I am on?”

“Essentially.” He shifted slightly, trying not slip on the ice, which he seemed fairly good at now. “I mean, if you were choosing them I would not fare well. If you chose our side, it would be extremely helpful. But personally I am fine with you remaining neutral. It means you won’t help them.” He gave a slight kick, which sent himself sliding towards the door. “It'd be terribly troublesome to figure out how to beat someone such as you.”

Somehow, but unsurprisingly, she was able to keep up with him without a problem. “You are the reason I am not siding with them...” Copper stared at her. He could easily get lost in those eyes. But she continued. “The power you wield would be the end of me.”

“A few ponies have been saying that...that I have a lot of power...” he muttered, trying not to stare into those eyes. “I am unsure.”

“Was the room not enough to convince you? Even I am unsure of what gave you such power...but there is no doubt you are powerful.” Several things went through his mind at that point. How could he have done such a thing? How was that even possible? “You are most dangerous now...because you have no control.”

She was leading him somehow. Perhaps slightly altering the floor? But he was going in a large circle now. She did not want him to leave it would seem. “So I am of interest to you, hm?” She blinked, staring at him. “You are guiding me in circles. You allowed me to find you, you helped me...are you waiting for me to convince you to join my side?”

The space between them was slowly closing as he slowed, or perhaps she was speeding up. “I have been waiting for you, Copper. There are so many things I have wanted to say to you, but been unable...so many wasted years. But now, here you are, so willing to come to me.”

“What...” He hesitated, trying to think. “What are you talking about? You-”

“I know you Copper. I have known you for such a long time...” She was a little too close now, closer than Copper would have normally felt comfortable with. Then they touched. It was a gentle touch; he almost expected it to burn but it did not. It was such an odd gesture, but she had pressed her forehead against his, her horn having gone somewhere into his mane. “I have known you for such a long time...” Against his forehead it almost felt...cool.

It was quite warm, a little uncomfortably so. That was probably because of all the bandages. It was like wearing a heavy coat. But the coolness of the window made it all so much better. Outside, everything was covered in white. It had snowed in the night. The door opened and the nurse came in. He half expected to be yelled at for being out of bed. Again. “Copper?” He turned to look at the nurse. She gave him a smile. “Would you like to go outside?”

He nearly fell over in his attempt to get across the room. “Oh yes. Very much. I have not been able to play in the snow this year.” Then he added, “Please may I go out?” after remembering his manners.

She nodded, giving him a large smile. “As long as you stay in the play yard, there should be no problem. The doctor says you can move around now.” She lead him down the hall, but for him she was not moving fast enough. It had been over a week of watching snow and finally he would get to go out and play. He stumbled again, nearly running into the wall. “Be careful. It'd be terrible if you got hurt.”

“But I'm already in the hospital. You can't get more hurt in a hospital,” he said with a grin as they came to a door and he rushed outside. The cold air felt good. The snow beneath his hooves felt good. He started to run but tripped and landed in the snow. But he got back up and shook the snow from him and tried again. He made it a bit farther before he fell and landed in deeper snow. This time he laid there a moment before he sat up. He stretched out his wing a moment and thought. Somepony had said that he would be off balance for a long time until he adjusted. How long would that take? Copper didn't have the time to learn. He wanted to run. He wanted to play.

Again he got back up, not bothering to shake off the snow. Now he was determined. He ran again, but this time when he felt the loss of balance he flapped his wing. He fell over the other way, but leaped back up immediately and ran. This time he did not fall over. He had to keep his wing out slightly, which gave him just enough lift to not fall over. Perhaps it looked a little odd but at least he could run. He laughed and jumped into a large pile of snow that had been shoveled from a walkway.

“Roll in the hills, and throw the snow,” he sang softly, throwing up quite a lot of snow as he rolled down the mound. “Bask in the glow,” and it did glow. The snow did. It glowed. Copper had never seen the snow glow like this, but there it was, as he sat panting. It felt amazing to be out. Too long had he been in that room. Weeks were spent laying and recovering. He had been worried that he would miss Hearth's Warming Eve. But that was still some time away.

It felt so good to be outside in the snow. He felt like he had been on fire, cooped up in that room. Long, deep breaths of the air filled his lungs. Cold wasn't the right way to express how he felt. He did not feel very cold, to him he felt more...calm.

“Away she'll whisk you away to her home,” he mumbled as he laid in the snow. “What does a home of ice look like?” He wondered aloud. It had always bothered him. Would it be a simple cottage made of ice? Or something grand like a castle? He spent several minutes pondering this, until he heard the crunch of snow and looked up. “Celestia!” His heart felt as though it filled up once more.

“Oh, dear Copper, there you are.” She was a beacon of light. “They informed me that you were to be released and I have come to take you to Canterlot.”

He tilted his head to the side slightly. “Canterlot? Why am I going there?”

She smiled at him. “If you are to be my negotiator, you must be taught to be diplomatic. You've many lessons but I am sure that in a few months you will be more than capable.”

Again he was confused. “Capable of what?”

“Of speaking with my sister.” Her gaze turned from Copper and froze onto him.

His eyes opened slowly and he found himself with the Snow Queen once more. It had been so odd, experiencing that from another perspective than his own. Oh how young and naive he had been. “You have been watching me?”

Those eyes were impossible to avoid now. “I tend to all my foals...”

The rate at which Copper's heart beat increased, before settling down again. “And I am one of your foals?”

She pulled away slowly and Copper felt odd as he actually missed the cool feeling. “You are a special foal. She has kept me from you and kept you from me...” He wondered what was going through her mind right now.

“Why would you want me as your foal?” Copper knew that she was not his mother, but the way she spoke to him, was as a mother. Now he was conflicted. How does one go about something like this? She had claimed him as her foal.

The blank way that she stared at him gave Copper the impression she did not understand what he was asking. But she seemed to work out some sort of answer. “Who could not want somepony as amazing as you?” The slight twinge in Copper's chest was odd. It felt like something a praising mother would say. But what would he know of mothers?

8: Shatter

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It hurt slightly to leave her after spending hours with her; hours spent skating around the castle simply talking to one another. The way she just sat and watched him slide away down the hall, with that slight smile on her face. She was...she was broken. “I will always side with my foals,” she had said. How long had she spent alone? How long had the world not believed in her, to the point that she reached such a state? He had seen madness first hand. Experienced it. Lived it. And he knew it when he saw it.

“Power corrupts,” he said slowly and took a deep breath. “In more ways than just moral outlook.” The main doors shut behind him and he only slid a short distance before he felt sick.

“Finally.” He could hear her claws click on the ice as she came towards him. “I was not sure if you were going to stay with her or not.”

Those sleek, jet black feathers hurt his eyes. That shiny black beak brought back memories of tearing. The raking of claws. He had let himself become too open to the past. But he refused to shut everything inside again. That was more painful. “Madam Raven.” He could not even come up with an insulting name. It had been beaten out of him to call her anything but that. “Unable to find your little friend?”

The look on her face was sickeningly amused. His heart was beating faster. “Ah if only you knew...there is so much that you do not know.” She was keeping her distance from him. Was she aware of his power? No...she was afraid to incur the wrath of the Snow Queen.

“If you are not going to enlighten me, go away.” He was trying to not be sick. His legs felt weak.

“No, I think not. Not either.” She was still giving him that look. What could he do? There had to be something. Something in his brain that would wipe that disgusting expression from her beak. “I was quite fond of Lady Evale, by the way. I was disappointed she could be killed so easily, by someone such as you.”

Then memories forced their way to the front, demanding to be paid attention to. He seized them. “I met your daughter.” That was the perfect line; the expression practically exploded from her face into anger. “She was doing quite well.” Ellis. It had been a shot in the dark, but he was fairly certain of it now that he saw Madam Raven again. She held the regal air that Madam Raven had had when he first met her. “Quite happy to be away from you.”

“You dare.” Her claws dug into the ice. Perhaps Copper had gone too far? He certainly went a long distance when the blast hit him and went still further when he hit the ice.

But Copper was used to taking a hit like that. She had magic, he'd fought things with magic. He was back up soon after hitting the ice. Being with the Snow Queen had...invigorated him. He felt a lot younger. “I dare? You're the one who's crazy.” It was a bad idea to make her mad but if he could push her correctly she would make mistakes. It was to the point where he almost dodged the second blow.

She was barreling down on him, the ice becoming black and tainted under her as magic flowed from her. “You impotent little thing. How dare you talk to me like that!” A third blow, again he almost avoided it.

“I will talk to you however I wish,” he said, as he got up again. “You have no control over me anymore. Nothing you can do-” she was towering above him now and the stench of her caught his words in his throat.

“You're so pathetic, Copper. What are you expecting to happen? Do you expect the Ice Queen to come save her little foal? Or perhaps you're depending on your lover Queen? That pathetic excuse of a changeling would not dare come near me.” The ice cracked as she reached out towards him. “Or perhaps...you expect your pathetic Princess to help you?” Something inside him was cracking now. “That bedridden bitch couldn't do a thing to save her own skin, let alone her pathetic dog-”

Anger welled within him, the likes that he had not felt before. The blow cracked through the air like a bolt of lightning, followed by a piercing screech from Madam Raven as she tumbled backwards.

“How dare you.” The ice cracked beneath his hooves as he walked towards Madam Raven. Blood was pooling around the mangled mess that had been her arm. “You are not allowed to talk about any,” the ice behind him jutted upward as it fractured and sought ways to get away from him, “of them.” Something inside him had broken. The mental dam that he had built inside over his life had crumbled in another spot. Everything that he had pushed inside. Everything that he had shut inside so that he could keep going. It was forcing itself upon him and he could do nothing to stop it.

Her breathing was ragged as she clumsily tried to mend her arm. “What...what did you do?”

“How should I know?” When had he ever felt this angry? This was pure rage. Hatred. He had never hated anypony this much. She was something that should not exist. She was something that deserved to die, for the pain and torment that she had caused to all those around her. And he realized that he was going to kill her. There was no question about it. He knew it, and from the look on her face, she knew it as well.

With her uninjured arm, she threw some sort of magic at him but he struck it and it shattered in the air; bits of it scattered around, leaving little puffs of smoke. “Where did you get this power?” she panted, trying to back away but slipping on her own blood.

This is what he had gotten, he knew that now. This was the power that the Pony of Gears had given him to defeat Sombra. His rage was blinding now. He could see nothing but her as he approached and the closer he got the smaller she seemed. He got closer, until he was the one towering over her. “If I could give you a fraction of the torment you've given, I would. But I am not cruel and your death,” he reared up, “will be quick.”

Everything shattered.

He screamed, not because of the pain, even though the water burned, but because of anger. She was gone. He thrashed in the water, screaming. Ice formed around him but it exploded in his fury. Cracks formed in the water around him, quickly to be filled back once again. He flailed and shouted as he sank slowly to the bottom. Eventually he was out of breath and too tired to move.

His hooves touched the sand and slowly he collapsed onto it, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, panting. “I can't do this anymore...” He could hold nothing back anymore. Tears ran down his face as he laid it against the wet sand. So much pain. Too much sorrow. Suffering. Loss. Torment. He stared at the bubble that was around his head, as red streaks of water flowed past. His gaze wandered to the sand and then up the trail of blood. He was bleeding. Badly it looked. He could feel nothing but the burning of the water.

When he looked down at himself, he could see that his scars had split and were bleeding. Would he bleed to death or freeze to death first? He wasn't sure. Before he lost consciousness, he felt the vagueness of rising and the loss of thought.

Suddenly all of it was gone and he was looking inside of some sort of a machine. It took him a moment to remember what he was doing but Chrysalis was glad to remind him. “Well? If it's so safe, start it up.”

He had to mentally shake himself. “Give me a moment. This is delicate work and these are cheap tools.”

She scoffed and sat down across from him. “I'm sure it is.”

It took several minutes, silent for the most part, excluding Chrysalis's overdramatic sighs of exasperation. There were quite a lot of similarities. Despite how part of him felt because of this body, he was enjoying her company.

There was a click and the eyes shot open. They looked around in an almost panicked manner, before stopping on Copper and staring. “Yup,” he said, looking down at the clockwork. His hand pointed to where the clockwork had stabbed him. “You got me pretty good but not good enough.” Its eyes did not leave him. He wondered how they worked; how it interpreted what it saw. “You're still pretty busted up, I'm not sure if you can even hear me.”

“Copper.” Its eyes shot to Chrysalis as she spoke. “It's a clockwork. That's not how they work.”

“Well, it can hear.” It looked back at him. “Or is registering we're speaking, since it keeps looking at the speaker...can you speak?” He leaned over it, looking over its face. It seemed...capable of expressions, though they seemed basic. Right now it seemed stuck in 'frown' mode. “Not speaking to me? Or did I break that?” He picked up a tool, examining it in an almost wistful way. “I could tinker until I fix it...or break it more...or-”

“Keep that away from me,” the clockwork said. Its voice sounded surprisingly normal, though it sounded as if it was speaking through an empty can.

Chrysalis' jaw dropped and she stared at it.

“Ah, so you can speak.” He waved the tool vaguely back and forth, watching how it stared at it. “And you have some sort of self preservation...such a fascinating thing you are... What is your name?”

Chrysalis regained her composer and frowned at him. “Copper. It's a machine.”

“Doesn't mean it has no name. I name my creations.” He leaned over the clockwork, staring into its eyes. He had not even thought to look at them. “Now...what is your name? What are you called?”

It did not answer and after a moment, Copper realized why. He put the tool down. “Emily Mark Twelve Point Five Version B.”

“Emily...” Copper said, watching as her expression turned from 'frown' to a 'neutral' shape. “Thank you, Emily.” He straightened up a bit. “My name is Copper Feather. Did you know that?”

“Yes,” Emily said, staring at him. Chrysalis seemed stunned into silence. Everypony but Copper seemed to be at such a loss for words as of late.

“Why did you try and kill me?” For how serious a question it was, Copper asked it quite nonchalantly.

“You got in my way,” she said. Copper decided since it looked and sounded female, he would refer to it as such.

“What was your objective?” He again leaned down and watched her go back into 'frown' mode.

“Objective was to capture the pony known as Scootaloo at any cost. Use force as necessary, leave no witnesses.” He was surprised at how straightforward an answer that was.

“You're being quite helpful,” Chrysalis voiced what he was thinking. “Why?”

“My inhibitor is broken. I cannot refrain from answering questions unless in combat mode. Combat mode is only accessible when being threatened, or initiated during objective when threat is imminent.” Her gaze did not leave Copper and even though it was a machine, Copper knew that look. Somepony had put a lot of effort into her.

“Ask any questions you want,” he said, giving her a smile.

Back to neutral expression. “Why did you not destroy me?” Expression in first person, that felt important to Copper and so he made a mental note of it. “I attempted to murder you.”

“Yes well...you didn't,” he said as he looked back into her open chest, paying attention to how gears moved. “Ponies try to kill me all the time. I've stopped taking it personally.”

This got a look from both of them. “What?”

He blinked. “What? I'm not a very popular pony amongst certain groups. It's hard to go a few days without somepony trying to murder me.”

“Data error... Subject: Copper Feather, ex-military, ex-detective. Drunkard. Threat: none,” Emily recited, as if reading from a list.

He laughed, which got a look from both of them again. “Not anymore. That Copper is gone. But that's beside the point. What is the status of your objective?”

“Objective failed. New objective: await retrieval,” she said, once again sounding like she was reading it from a list. Copper half expected to look at the ceiling and see it written there.

“Await retrieval by who?” That was the important question.

“Retrieval will most likely be by another Emily.”

That wasn't the answer he was looking for, so he decided to ask directly. “Who wanted you to retrieve Scootaloo?”

“Unknown. Anonymous contractor.”

He was almost frustrated at this point. “Who. Built. You.”

Her eyes seemed to glaze for a moment. “Access denied. The Creator builds all. The Creator knows all. Access denied. Shutting down.” Her eyes snapped shut and everything inside stopped moving.

There were several seconds of silence, in which Copper pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “That was useless,” Chrysalis said finally, leaning back in her chair.

“For the most part, yes. Though we know more than we did. Just not enough for it to be useful...” He reached into her head and unhooked the last thing he had done. He did not want her starting back up without him.

“Still. Useless. Are you gonna get rid of it now?” She was looking from it, to him.

He looked at her, wondering if she had gone mad. How could he get rid of something so flawless as this? It was...near perfection. It was a machine like nothing he had ever seen. He would be more inclined to hack off his own leg. “No. There's more I can learn from it.”

“Copper...it's dangerous to have something like this around...you can't-”

“What do you care?” he snapped, glaring at her. “You left me. Him. You left him. You abandoned me,” he shook his head, “him. You abandoned him when he needed you. You let him become what he was when I got him. He is broken emotionally. He had no friends aside from Corser and Scootaloo. And if I had not been here, he would be dead and Scootaloo would be gone.” She remained silent, staring at him. “You have no right to lecture me on what I can and cannot do, after the things that you have done.” He lifted Emily up quite gently and moved her back to the closet. Now that he had spoken with her, she felt more like a pony than a machine. That was odd.

“I had my reasons...”

He spun on her and opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He placed Emily down and closed the door. “Perhaps you did. I don't know what sort of goodbye you gave him, if any...all I know, is the pain and heartbreak that he feels. Both of which I feel were undeserved.” He was staring at the closet door, trying to keep himself calm.

She put her arms around him and he tensed up. “I'm sorry. I had no choice...”

“And now...now you have a choice?” He wanted to shrug her off, to push her away.

“Now there is no choice but to come back...” She raised her left hand so that he could see that upon a finger she had a single ring. He knew it immediately and its subtle beauty. “There were too many things to do before I could...a queen simply does not just...get married...”

Now he understood the heartbreak. Why the thought of her caused him pain. He had proposed to her. “You could have told him.”

“Told him what?” She was clinging tightly to him. Perhaps she did love him? “Told him that I was queen of some creepy species that feeds off the love of others? What would he have done? I would have had to show him to convince him...and I do not think that would have ended well.”

“I don't know what he would have done.” Though a few ideas came to his mind. He would have either accepted it or...or shot her. “But you should have at least tried.” He pulled away from her now, moving back to his desk. He ran his fingers through his hair as he sat down.

“You do not know the kind of pony you were.”

“No. No I don't.” He pushed something across the table absentmindedly. “But the more I learn, the less I like of him.” There was a long drawn out silence before he spoke again, “Now. Do you know how to find the Doctor?”

She folded her arms under her bust, looking at him. There was a long, fairly drawn out silence, before she sighed, “Yes. I do know how to find him.” There was hesitation. “Or...well, I know where to look anyways. He's not easy to find. Especially when you're looking for him.”

“And that would be where?” Copper was a little annoyed she was drawing this out so much. There must have been something that happened between her and the Doctor to make her this hesitant.

“London,” she said, averting her gaze. “At least, that's always where I've seen him...”

His eyes wandered to the closet. Clockworks. “I guess I have to go to London then.” It was not a very difficult decision. But he sighed. How would he do that? Perhaps... “Burrasca...”

The frown on her face was something to be marveled at. “I do not like that you are helping him. Don Burrasca is a criminal.”

“So am I,” Copper said, gesturing to the closet vaguely. “Just having that makes me one as far as Corser is concerned.” He slumped slightly in his chair and took a deep breath. He just felt exhausted mentally. He needed distractions. “I will have to talk to him. I'm sure he and I can work something out.” Suddenly he got up again. “Thanks for visiting but I've got work to do.”

She stared at him. “Copper...what are you doing?”

He grabbed his coat from the hook, though he hesitated a moment. “I don't know anymore...moving forward, I think.” He put the coat on; even though it was slashed up it would still work just fine. “I don't know anymore. At this point nothing really makes sense to me. I just keep going and going. Pushing forward. I'm not sure if there's any point to any of it anymore.” He placed his hand on the gun under his coat. It gave him some sort of comfort. It would not be left behind again.

“And then what? What happens when you're done and there's no forward anymore?” She was very close to him now.

“There is always a forward.” He looked back at her. “Always. It does not end. There is always more to do.”

“You'll kill yourself going like that,” she said softly. She actually looked very concerned.

There was a moment of silence, before he opened the door. “It wouldn't be the first time.” He closed the door behind him, letting the door separate her and him.

It was not hard to find The Cat’s Cradle, especially in the daylight. The walk did him good as well. He focused entirely on walking, not letting any of his thoughts wander. Left, then right. Left, then right. He hardly noticed the strange looks he was getting, though eventually it was hard to ignore them. When he got to The Cat’s Cradle Copper simply pushed past the bouncer, who made no attempt to stop him.

The two griffons at the back door did not so readily move out of the way. “The Don isn't seeing anyone today.”

“I'm sure he'll make an exception for me.” He opened his coat, showing both the bloodied bandages as well as his gun. There was no reason to hide it. “Just tell him I need to talk with him.”

There was a slight hesitation, before the griffon on the right moved through the door.

“Ah, Copper.” He turned to see Lyra. “I have to say, that I am ever so grateful for-” she stopped as she took a good look at him. “I...are...are you all right?”

He smiled a bit and nodded. “Oh yes. Fine for the most part.” He wanted to say somepony tried to kill me last night, that's all. But he didn't. It seemed in poor taste.

“Uhm...what happened?” She moved closer, touching the holes of his coat tenderly.

It was odd to see Lyra with such concern on her face. He had not seen her like that before. “Just got into a bit of trouble last night.”

“But you're all right...yeah?” Behind her, he could see Symphony talking to a group to the side of the stage.

He tried to position himself so that Lyra was between him and her. There was this feeling that her seeing him like this would not end well. “Yeah. I'm fine. How is Octavia and the group getting along?”

“Oh they are absolutely wonderful. You should have seen the crowd we had...and the cheering...” Now she had a blissful expression, which was much better than that look of concern. “Oh I simply cannot wait for tonight. It is going to be-”

“Don Burrasca will see you.” The griffon had returned, though he did not look happy at all. Apparently he had been talked at quite a bit before being able to explain why he was there.

“We'll have to put this on hold a bit I'm afraid.” He smiled at her. “I shall see you in a while, Lyra.” He moved through the doors quickly as he caught Symphony moving towards them. Then it was just a quick walk down the hall up to Burrasca's door, which he opened without bothering to knock.

“I know that we are comfortable with each other Copper, but you cannot simply barge-” he stopped immediately, seeing the shape he was in.

“Forgive my lack of formality.” He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. “But somepony sent a clockwork after Scootaloo.” He could see Burrasca's feathers ruffle immediately. “And it tried to kill me as well.” He sat down across from him. It was good to sit.

“A...a clockwork. You are sure?” He didn't move, staring at Copper.

“It's in my closet if you don't believe me. We could go have a look.” Copper tried to not to sound too rude.

“No...I do not think that will be necessary. Though it is rather unfortunate that something such as a clockwork not only got into New York without me knowing...but also attempted murder,” Burrasca said as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers.

“Someone built it. And someone apparently contracted that creator to kill me,” Copper said as he relaxed in the chair. It was a bit too comfortable all things considered.

Burrasca arched a brow at him. “And how, pray tell...do you know that?”

“I asked it.”

There was a drawn out silence, in which Burrasca was obviously waiting for Copper to explain, but he was in no mood to. “I see...” It was obvious he didn't. “You are a most curious individual. But, I must ask: where is Scootaloo?”

“She is doing errands. I don't know what. Didn't ask.” He could stay in this chair forever.

“With someone hunting her down. You simply let her go?” There was a certain tone in Burrasca's voice that Copper didn't like.

“A fact she is more than aware of. But I am glad to see you still have such concern for her. You have done a fine job in raising her,” Copper said it and actually meant it.

Burrasca did not seem to think of it that way. “I have done what I could for a child whom is not mine. She had gone through a lot.”

“I am more than aware of that,” he said, thinking back to how forceful that memory had been.

“She told you? I did not think she remembered...she never mentioned it to me.” He almost seemed offended, as though Scootaloo telling Copper something, and not him, was an insult.

“No. I was there.” It was time to show a bit of his hand. Show Burrasca that he knew more than he did.

It took Burrasca almost a minute of staring and opening and closing his mouth; his face scrunching up in odd ways as he wrestled thoughts. Finally, he cleared his throat. “It is not often that I am caught off guard to such a degree, Sergeant.”

“My military days are long behind me. My title is Detective now, if any.” He tried very hard to not let the tiredness seep into his voice.

“Still...I understand now why you treat me with such familiarity.” Something had changed about the way that Burrasca looked at him. It was one of respect, but now it had gone a step further. Closer to...admiration. “I'm truly sorry I did not recognize you.”

“I've changed a lot.”

“But...wow.” Burrasca actually sat up straight and Copper noticed now that he had been slumped in the chair. “I have wanted to thank you for that day. You are the very pony who gave me inspiration.”

Copper's brow furrowed. “Inspiration?”

“I suppose it may have looked different from your side but...but to us...” It dawned on Copper how much younger Burrasca must be to him. In his memory, he looked very young. “To us...we were losing hope...and then suddenly...out of the smoke, comes a figure. The city burning and collapsing around him...but that determined look on your face. I will never forget it. The look as though all of it was a mere inconvenience.” This was a side of Burrasca he would have never imagined. One that he was sure nopony had ever seen. “I could never describe the feeling that I had at that moment.”

He was smiling. Truly smiling. It looked as though years were melting off of him. He was obviously much younger than he pretended to be. Suddenly he sank back and immediately after the door burst open. “I don't care what Burrasca said! Move out of my way!” It was Symphony, no mistake. “Now where is- Copper!” She rushed over to him. Well, more stomped out of annoyance towards him. “Lyra said you'd been shot!”

“No. Just stabbed.”

The silence that followed seemed to last a very long time. Minutes, as Symphony stared in disbelief at him, glancing over at Burrasca and back several times. And it was broken by the sound of laughter coming from Burrasca. “Goodness. How nonchalant. Do you often get stabbed?”

“Not often, no,” Copper said with a smile. “But it's ok. I'm fi-” his words caught in his throat as he grit his teeth.

“Don't give me that!” Symphony was jabbing him. “You should be in the hospital! Why aren't you in the hospital?!”

He grabbed her wrist, taking deep breaths. “That...that really hurts.” She recoiled immediately, as if realizing what she was doing. He shrugged open his coat, showing the mass of bandages. “I think you popped a stitch...”

“See? This is why you need to go to the hospital,” she continued, though her voice had lost the sharp edge it had had now that she saw it.

“Nah. Scootaloo's good enough with a needle.” He looked down as the red on the bandages began to spread. “Ah...yeah...I think you popped a stitch.”

“I'm...I'm sorry...” She was staring at it. He was fairly certain he had never seen Symphony like this.

“I'm fine. Just need to rebandage and such,” he said and got up. He looked at Burrasca.

“Yes yes, down the hall to the left. Plenty of medical supplies in there,” he said as he waved a hand vaguely.

Copper smiled and headed out of the room. “Thank you Burrasca. Oh and before I go...shall I assume that you will help me and Scootaloo-”

Then she was there, out of breath. “I told you not to go anywhere!” she said, glaring at him. “And look what happened. You probably reopened your wound. That's just great.”

He couldn't help but chuckle. “One moment Scootaloo, I'm trying to do some business,” he turned back to Burrasca. “Can you get us to London?”

There was a hushed silence in the room, mostly out of sheer confusion. But he finally responded, “Yes. I will get you, Scootaloo and the thing in your closet, to London. It just so happens that I need something done in London.” Copper gave him a look and he smiled at him before continuing. “Nothing illegal. I just need someone to retrieve my daughter.”

“Gilda.”

Again there was silence, but this time stunned. “How...” He shook his head. “No, I should not question the things that the great Detective Feather knows...but yes. Gilda. I am not sure if she is in trouble, but she has not been talking to me.”

“So you want me to go and get her and bring her back here to New York.” He realized his coat was still open and fixed it back over his shoulder.

“Essentially.”

“Sounds easy enough. I'd like to leave-”

Scootaloo cut him off. “A month. At least. You need time to heal, since you won’t go to the hospital. Now, come. We have to rebandage you.” She practically pulled him from the room and was followed by Symphony. “Chrysalis is gone, by the way,” she said as they entered a room that quite frankly looked like a hospital room.

“I'm sure she is.” That soured his mood quite a bit. He was just starting to feel a bit better about everything and then she had to bring up her. “Not surprised...”

“I'm not even going to ask what happened between the two of you.” She pushed Copper onto the seat and began unwrapping his bandages.

“Good. Because I'm probably not going to talk about it.” He closed his eyes and waited for any sort of pain to come. But Scootaloo was quite an expert, undoing bandages and reapplying them with ease.

“I'm sorry Copper.” Symphony's voice seemed to pull him back from wherever his mind was about to go.

“It's fine. They were going to need to be redone anyways.” He wasn't sure if that was true but Scootaloo didn't retort; she simply continued to work. But apparently from the looks of the stitches they hadn't reopened. “But enough about me, how are Octavia and Frederick?”

“Honestly, they're doing great.” There was a bit of hesitation. “Octavia keeps asking about you. Wondering when you'll come to visit.”

Suddenly Copper felt bad. Very bad. He had left without saying goodbye to her and had simply left her here. “Is she here now?” When he thought about it, he actually would very much like to see her. He wondered if this Copper had had feelings for her. He wouldn't have doubted it.

“Yeah. She's in the prep room, eating I think.” That reminded him how hungry he was. How long had it been since he had eaten in either world? Too long.

“Food sounds really good...” he said, rubbing his stomach, which growled.

Scootaloo looked at him. “I think I agree with your stomach,” she said with a smile. “You need to eat.” She backed away and rubbed her hands together. “All right. That should do it for now, just...take it easy.”

He smiled at her and nodded. “All right. I will. Now,” he stood up, picking up his jacket. “Let us go and say hello to the rest, shall we?”

To say that Octavia was happy to see him was an understatement. Copper really wondered what their relationship had been before he had come. She fussed over him quite a lot. Of course she was really worried about the knife wound and the many cuts that he had. There was talk of her getting him a new coat. But she didn't seem to find it weird that he did not go to the hospital. In fact, she didn't even mention a hospital at all.

She looked fantastic, better than he- or this Copper- had ever seen her. There was no sullen expression. There was no tired eyes. She looked happy. Happy to be there, happy to have a place to live, happy to have a place to stay and happy to see him.

Even Frederick was happy to see him. They all ate together and everything felt good. Despite the stab wound.

Darkness. Darkness and warmth. A lot of warmth. To the point where it was almost uncomfortable. There was also quite a lot of pain and numbness. Was this being dead? He couldn't quite be sure. It wouldn't be good to base all future experiences with dying on one time. But then again, he could remember very little about the event. Was it warm? He remembered that it was. Though that could have just been the fire. He opened his eyes and was a little caught off guard at the sight of the inside of cloth.

He coughed and closed his eyes again. He groaned slightly as he shifted. “Sh sh...” A hoof was placed on top of him and stroked his mane gently. “It is all right, my little one...” The Snow Queen. He could not help but relax. Though he was a little uncomfortable at the fact he was unable to see. But otherwise he felt...safe, of all things.

But he could not stop crying. “I just don't know what to do anymore...” She was still stroking his mane. It dawned on him that what he was seeing was bandages. Of course they were wet now. He reached back to undo them and found that his right leg would not move. It was a bit of a struggle and he only managed to get it off when the Snow Queen helped him. “How long have I...I been asleep?” His entire leg was bandaged, but not only that...he could see the odd magical glow.

“A long time, my dear.” He looked up into the immensely concerned face of the Snow Queen. “I was worried that you would not wake up.” She leaned and nuzzled him. “You are so lucky that you have such a gift.” She touched his bowtie, where the little stone in the center sat rather unimpressedly.

He closed his eyes and leaned into her. It was odd how such little affection could somehow make everything feel better. Now it didn't matter. Was she really his mother? He doubted it. But for the moment...for now...just for a while...it would be all right to just say that she was. Because right now...

That is what she was.

9: Everything is Fine

View Online

What exactly was a mother? He wasn't entirely sure and had never been sure. There were vague memories of somepony who was a mother but those were long ago. It felt longer than he could imagine. A smudged face in his mind. A feeling of warmth. The feeling of comfort. Of safety. But was that what a mother was? If so, then she was his mother. That was how he felt now. Warm, comfortable and safe. If only he could stop crying. “You have done so much.” Her voice was so soft. So soothing. Comforting. “My little foal...so young...”

He tried to speak but words were hard. Everything was hard. It was hard to move, to think, to breath. Everything hurt in a way that he had never felt. “I-” was all he managed before it caught and he could manage no more.

“You have matured so much.” Every word made everything feel better in some part of his head. “But you are still so young...” She kissed his forehead softly, before resting hers against his. “And you have a fever...”

Sick. Of course he was sick. He could not remember ever being sick before. Perhaps a slight cold but never this bad. He felt as though he were dying. Maybe he would die. Death at this point would be welcome to get away from this pain. “What do I do?” His voice was faint.

“You must rest...you will get better. I will not let Him take you.” With every word he felt stronger. “My little foal...you have taken the world on your back in an attempt to please others...you must think of yourself.”

“Too much to do,” he muttered, his eyes closing for a moment but then opened again. He was fairly certain he blacked out for a second.

Her eyes held him there. “You do too much. You have the world convinced otherwise, but you are still a foal...”

That hurt. It hurt his pride. It hurt his mind. It hurt everything more than he thought anything could. But she was right. Some ponies would still call him a foal, though it had been a year since he had passed out of that age. What he had been through had worn on him when he was younger. He had grown quickly with and without choice, maturing faster than any would guess. But it was out of necessity. Nopony would take somepony so young seriously. So he made himself older, by action and appearance. It wasn't terribly hard. “I...I'm hungry...” It was all he could manage to say. The walls inside him had crumbled.

The smile was so soft and so warm that it ate away at his pain. “Then you must eat.”

It was basic, the food provided. Hay and grass. He wondered where she had gotten it at first but when he had the chance to look around, he found they were in a large cave which looked as though it was well lived in. Pools of water glowed and bubbled with heat. There were several gardens and lots of grass growing down here. Now he got a better look at himself as well. She had gone overboard with bandages. “I'm so tired...” he mumbled, chewing slowly on the grass. His head would not lift and so he had rested it on his leg to get it off the ground enough to actually eat.

She did not leave his side. Caring for him. Tending to him. It was a tad suffocating. “Do you need any more?”

He had not even finished what he had and shook his head slightly. He felt pathetic, laying on the ground, barely able to chew and still unable to stop crying. Unable to move his right leg. He knew something was wrong with it, even with the magic over it. She had cast something over it, for some reason or another. At least his mind was still working decently. But there was the feeling, once again, that he was...broken. But in a good way? “No,” he managed to say softly, after catching the anxious look on her face.

She relaxed and smiled as she laid down beside him. “Everything will be fine, my dear.” It was odd that such a gentle nuzzling could make him actually believe it.

Everything will be fine. It could all be fine, couldn't it? He would just...go back and find that everything is fine. Celestia is back on her hooves and ruling once more. Sombra was defeated without his help. Madam Raven and Don Burrasca were beaten by Gilda and Pots. He didn't have any uncontrollable powers. And Chrysalis loved him and they could live peacefully. Was that the kind of world he was striving for? He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. It hurt to breath. “Where are we, mother?” The last word came out without any provocation, or previous thought.

“We are below my castle,” she said, moving closer to him. She was cold, but with the way Copper felt, he was sure anypony would be cold. “Or...what is left of my castle.”

For the first time, she was not looking at him. She was instead staring at the ceiling. “I broke it.” It was obvious. In his wrath, he must have destroyed the castle, along with everything around.

“Not on purpose.” No, it wasn't on purpose. “You do not have control and that...that woman.” For the first time, her tone was unpleasant, but that soon faded. “She is not welcome in my halls any longer.”

There was a silence that fell upon them. Copper filled it with chewing and attempting to eat. His eyes were continuously drawn to his leg. Finally he managed to ask, “How bad is it?”

She blinked and it took her some time to figure out what he was talking about. But her face sank slightly as she saw it. “It...” She thought a few seconds and then cleared her throat. “I am afraid...that...” Another bit of hesitation. “If you had more practice...more control...then perhaps you could have managed it...but...” She shifted and unwrapped his leg.

It was cracked. Black cracks ran in jagged patterns up and down his leg. The air caused it to burn along the ragged lines. They appeared to seep deep into his leg. They both stared at it and as they did, it seemed to crackle down the ravines. “It hurts,” was all he could manage to say.

Quickly it was wrapped and whatever spells she had cast upon it were put back into place. “It is magic meant to do more than kill...but it could not take hold of more than your leg with the sheer force of your own...” She kissed his leg gently and as she did, touched her horn to it.

It burned a bit before the pain faded. But if pain was all it could do he could handle that. Pain was something he could deal with. Or at least he hoped that he could. There was doubt burning within him. “Perhaps...Twilight...” It was the only pony he could think of. The closest. “Or...or Celestia...Luna...” He slumped down and into her.

“You are in no condition to go anywhere.” Her tone was stern now, but Copper was only vaguely aware of it.

“She will know. They...somepony will know what to do.” Resolve. The pain was nothing now compared to the fear inside him. He tried to drag himself up.

“You lay down.” She was over him, keeping him firmly down. “You can't go anywhere in this state, you need-”

“I will not be a cripple!” He had not meant to shout but that is how it came out. He forced himself to his hooves. Three of the four. The one would not move no matter how hard he tried. “A wing is one thing,” fear, “I can live with a wing. I will not lose my leg,” so much fear, “I will not-” he slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. The thought of it was...unbearable. He would be useless. He could not be useless. He would not be useless. “I don't want to be useless.” The tears had redoubled their efforts and he shut his eyes in an attempt to stop them.

The next thing he felt was the feeling of being lifted. “Everything will be all right.” The comfort in her voice barely reached him in his panic and he tried to focus on anything, up until he lost consciousness.

He was laying on something cold. Slowly he opened his eyes. It was a sleigh. “Mother?” He looked around and could see nothing but white. Nothing but the fields of snow stretching off into the distance. He was wrapped tightly in a cloak. The sleigh was moving at great speed, pulled by a large stallion of ice. This was a much better way to travel. With some difficulty he managed to sit up.

The cold wind felt good. Very good. Had he ever had a fever before? He could not remember, but it was awful. Over another mound of snow and there in the distance, was the Crystal Empire. Oh how he must look, speeding down the street pulled by a colt who was not only melting but was cracking against the stones. He was not sure how the sleigh was able to hold up so well. One thing that he did not want to see was the Crystal Heart. Unfortunately that was where they came to a stop.

He struggled to move at all and when he finally managed to get out of the sleigh, he wound up on the ground. At the very least he had stopped crying, even if it was just because he was out of tears at this point. He was struggling to even do anything at this point. Yet he somehow managed to get up; into a sitting position at least. By the time ponies got to him, the ice pony was mostly melted. He felt, at the very least, he had to say, “Thank you.” Then came a coughing fit, which almost left him on the ground again.

“Copper!” Chestnut; not the pony he was hoping would reach him first but at the very least it was a friendly face. “I- wow. You look dreadful.”

Blearily he stared at her and she froze on the spot. “I don't feel good,” was all he managed to say.

She took a good look at him now and he did the same as well, staring at his reflection in the reflective crystal that was the ground. The cloak he wore was...regal. He realized that it was his mother's cloak. Furred white all around, with a striking blue colored cloth. Under the cloak he was wrapped nearly head to toe in bandages, only his eyes and bits of fur and mane sticking out. “Copper?” And upon his head...a crown of ice.

His gaze turned to Chestnut again and behind her he could see other ponies rushing up towards him. Through the haze he saw her. “Twilight.” Words were hard. He licked the roof of his mouth in an attempt to get them to come out. “Help.”

Wump.

There was something cold on his forehead, but the rest of his body was hot. He forced his eyes open again, for what felt like the hundredth time just today. “Twilight,” his voice croaked and he cleared his throat in an attempt to better it.

“I'm right here, Copper.” It was unmistakably Twilight. “What happened? Did the Ice Queen do this to you?”

Somehow he managed to shake his head. “No...Raven...” He tried to shift as best he could but less so managed to free his leg as he did throw it off the side of the bed. “Magic...something...”

“Copper, you have a very bad fever.” It was hard to even move his eyes, but Chestnut was there as well. “You’re very sick and injured.”

Damn it was going to take a lot more to get his point across. His head felt fuzzy and his mouth felt as though he'd been chewing on leaves. And not the good kind. “Magic.” It was annoying to not be able to get whatever his point was across to them. It wasn't until Twilight attempted to move his leg back under the covers that she realized. Copper knew she realized something because of the gasp of pain when she touched it.

“Ow. Ok, that can't be good,” she said, lifting it this time with magic. It felt soothing, though the burning and pain came back as she removed the bandages. There were further gasps from lots of ponies. Apparently the room was packed full of ponies.

Copper didn't care anymore. Who could care about a public image now? Everything was fine. He had to worry about himself. Nothing was wrong anymore. Was this the fever talking? He wondered where Chrysalis was, perhaps she was here as well? But wouldn't she be at his side rather than Twilight? Fever. It was a thought he struggled to hold onto. But it was the explanation for everything at this point. “What the hay happened to his leg?” Chestnut was beside Twilight now and it was hard for Copper to focus on them.

“I'm not sure...powerful magic...I...I've not read about anything like this...” The touch of her magic on his leg drew away the burning. It felt good.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to see if I can fix it.” He knew Twilight's focusing voice and wished he could muster the strength to tell Chestnut to be silent.

Whatever she was doing felt like it was helping. Then the pain stopped abruptly, to the point where Copper had to make sure his leg was still there. It was and now the cracks seemed barely there; just jagged lines on the surface as if painted on. The feeling of magic faded, but the feeling of pain did not return. “Thirsty,” he muttered. It was too much work to say too many words at once.

There was the shifting of ponies, several ponies, helping him to sit up slightly to the point he could drink from a glass. The water burned but it also felt good at the same time. It was the best thing he had ever drank. “All right, now out with all of you. He needs rest,” Chestnut said as she got ponies to leave.

Copper watched as Chestnut practically beat ponies out the door. It put a smile on his face. “So much fuss...” he muttered, getting more comfortable on the large bed. It was...overly large in fact.

He could move his leg again, though it was difficult. Stiff. No, unresponsive. There had been damage to it beyond healing it seemed. “Copper...what happened?” Twilight was the only one left in the room.

“A lot,” he managed as he struggled with the bandages. After a moment she helped him, but stopped once his face was visible. The look on her face was...odd. “What?”

“Copper...you look...” She seemed at a loss for words.

“What?” he repeated and then looked around but there were no reflective surfaces nearby. “I look what?”

“Young.”

That had not been what he had expecting. “Young?” He stared at her and she nodded. She moved to a table and pulled a mirror from a drawer, showing it to him. It was true. No longer did he look the ragged pony. He looked almost a foal. He looked the age he was. What had mother done to him? Why would she take that from him? The scars he had received from the train wreck were faded to the point where he could hardly see them and his older scars had faded slightly as well. What was the point of this?

“I...did not know you were so young,” Twilight sounded as if she were trying to think of something to say.

“I am.” There was no point in hiding it anymore. Not like anypony had ever bothered asking. “I'd be older if I hadn't died.” He felt he needed to point that fact out.

“I mean...I thought you were older than me.” It seemed like it was hard for her to understand this.

“No. You're older.” Copper wasn't sure by how much, but he knew it had to be at least a few years. Being dead let everpony get on in years without him. He slumped into the cushions of the bed and closed his eyes.

“I...I mean...Celestia sent such a young pony, to do all of those things? ” His eye cracked open, though he had no strength to retort or to give her a look. It was all he could do. “Copper...”

“I was a foal when I was sent to topple leaders. Negotiate trade that the lives of thousands depended on. Fought. Killed.” There was a bit of the old Copper but he was fading fast. “I have done and seen more than most any pony could imagine...and it has left me battered. Bruised. Scarred. And broken. An older pony could not have managed it. It was my fault.” Again his eye closed. “I asked for it. I agreed to it...” That seemed to be the end of the Negotiator. The voice that was him died away. There was a moment of silence, before he muttered, “Talking hurts.”

That seemed enough to get her to leave. That had not been what he wanted. He did not want to be alone. He just wanted not to be lectured and told things that he already knew. But now he had to rest.

In both worlds he rested. Recovered. Detective Copper seemed far less injured, but it took a lot longer for Scootaloo to say that he was able to get up again. He spent his time studying the clockwork, Emily. He couldn't help it. She was fascinating, a true work of genius and he wanted to learn as much as possible from her. They had moved her to The Cat's Cradle; he and Scootaloo were already staying there, both for their protection and partially because Octavia did not want him to leave.

Over the time, he learned how to truly separate his thought process from either world. It wasn't hard once he was given enough time. There was no hesitation after the switch now, or at least there hadn't been as of yet. But with one fever racked brain and the other absorbed with work, it was hard to tell. In the end, it was a month before the Copper in the Crystal Empire was up on his hooves. And for him there was work to be done.

“Where is he?” Cadance was looking left and right down the hall as Twilight emerged from a doorway across.

“I don't know. He's been running all over the empire from what I've heard. Everypony says they've seen him and all of them say he was going someplace different,” Twilight was slightly out of breath.

“You'd think a pony with a limp would be easier to find.” Both of them shot Shining Armor a glance, Twilight's was the harsher.

“Chestnut's got him cornered!” Spyglass called from down the hall and the group of them galloped off down the hall.

They found Chestnut banging on a door. “Copper! Open up right now! Just cus you look younger don't mean you are! Now stop acting like a damn fool and open this door! You can't be up and about yet!”

“What's he doing in there?” Twilight moved and gently pushed Chestnut out of the way before she could beat the door down.

“How should I know? Somepony told me he locked the door hours ago and won’t answer or anything.” She sat down on the ground.

“Maybe he's killed himself.” Everypony looked at Shining Armor. Except for Shining Armor, who was staring at Spyglass. Everypony then looked at Spyglass, who had been the one who was speaking. “What? He's done it before,” Spyglass said in defense of his comment.

Chestnut pushed Twilight out of the way. “I swear to Celestia! If you're dead I'll kill you!”

“That's redundant.”

Copper could hardly hear them on the other side of the door. “Everything will be fine,” he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “Everything will be fine, because I will make it fine.” Click, pop.

“I will make it fine. She wants Sombra, who cares why. Sombra wants the Crystal Empire. Again, who cares. The way they're going about it is wrong. So I have to stop them.” He felt like he had either achieved clarity of the situation or gone insane. It was hard to tell. All he knew is that mother had given him back what he had given up. Perhaps insane was the proper word? Whir, pop, pop, click.

“I can't beat them the way I have been going. Let's make this a griffon hunt.” Shnicht.

There was a smile on his face as he moved to the door and pushed it open. “Now, stop it right now.” He probably looked like he had gone mad. His mother's cloak around him, his goggles securely over his eyes, bowtie and to top it all off, what looked like a metal leg. They all stared at him and when he caught his reflection, he realized that he clashed something terrible. Perhaps he needed the ice crown to top off the look? But as he stepped forward, his leg clinking with every step, he realized it didn't matter.

“Copper?” He looked at Twilight, pushing his goggles up from his face. His improved leg worked perfectly now. No more limping or loss of movement. Emily had been a treasure trove of information and with the blueprints safely in another dimension, there was no way anypony could copy this. Not unless they took it from him.

“I'm sorry.” It was something that needed to be said. He sighed and sat down in the hall. “I know I've been...cold. And rude. And a jerk at times. But it was who I had to be. But now, today is a new day. Or is it night?” He wasn't sure, as he didn't know how long he had been working.

“What is that?” Spyglass was low to the ground, as was Chestnut, staring at the metal leg.

“Obviously, it's my new leg. Can't do much if I'm limping around everywhere. Don't worry, it's overlaid atop my leg. It's more of a casing, really. I won’t bore you with details.” Though the extra weight was going to take some getting used to. “It'll both work as a, hopefully, temporary construct, as well as strengthen my leg back to its original mobility.” He adjusted his goggles slightly, which were still, annoyingly, cracked. “Eventually I should be able to walk with minimal limping without it and-” he stopped. Everypony was staring at him and he realized that he had started going into details after saying he wouldn't. “Never mind.”

There was quite a lot of silence now and Copper felt slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat, but it was Chestnut who spoke. “Well, since nopony is going to tell you, I guess I will.” He turned to look at her.

“Easy Chestnut, it's not like there's any rush,” Twilight said, giving her a look. Copper turned to look at Twilight now. He had missed something. There were seconds of him staring at her before she finally spoke to him. “Celestia wants you to come back to Canterlot. Just for a little while,” she added, seeing the look on his face. “She wants me and Chestnut to come back, too.”

“Which one?” he said slowly. Honestly it didn't matter which one and he was already walking. It was a long walk back to the train station.

“Both, I think,” Twilight said as she walked quickly to catch up, as did the whole group.

“Interesting,” he said. Normally he would have probably been more conflicted. It didn't make sense to leave the Crystal Empire as it was Sombra's target. But he was so far out of commission that it probably didn't even matter. If he hadn't made a move in the month that Copper was out, there was either something else stopping him or he was more hurt than he had thought. Odd how his thoughts seemed so clear now. “When does the train leave?”

They had been talking about something behind him, he wasn't sure what but he was aware that it was about him. “Uh. It's waiting for us actually.”

“Oh good. No hurry then.” He smiled and took a deep breath. It was so odd at how alive he felt right now. “Where's Gilda?” It had just occurred to him that she was not part of their little group.

“Uhm...I don't know.”

“Probably at the bar,” Chestnut said, coming up beside him. “That's where I saw her last, anyways.”

“Right then!” Copper took another deep breath, smiling. “To the bar. We need to collect her. As well as the rest of our little troupe of ponies.” It felt so good to be alive. He'd probably gone crazy. He was probably out of his mind. But if he was out, who, or what, was in?

As they passed it, he noticed that somepony had placed the ice crown on the sleigh, which now had quite a crowd around it. “There he is,” somepony whispered. What rumors would be caused by this, he wondered? But they did not linger and moved off into the city.

Thankfully, Gilda was right where they thought she'd be, as were the other changelings and the surviving pony of Burrasca, who had apparently switched sides. “I see you're up and about,” Gilda said, eying the metal device over his leg.

“Oh yes. Now, come along. We're all heading to Canterlot and I simply shan’t leave you here,” Copper said, trying not to grin. Madness was fun.

However, she simply stared at him. “I suppose I can't really say no, considering the circumstances.”

“Nope,” he said as he turned and trotted down the road. He wanted to run. When had he ever wanted to run? Run for the sake of running. Perhaps this was simple youth rather than madness? He had not felt young since that time in the snow... Oh how he wanted to play in the snow. Was that strange?

“Could you slow down?” He looked back to see Twilight and the others further back than he had expected. He must have been running after all.

“Nope! See you there!” And he ran. Full gallop. Why shouldn't he run when he wanted to? He wanted to run. He wanted to play. He wanted to do whatever he wanted.

When he got to the train station he collapsed onto a bench, completely out of breath. Yet he could not stop laughing. By the time everypony had caught up, he had caught his breath but was having quite a case of the giggles. “What has gotten into you?” Gilda said, staring at him.

“Lots, I think.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Or perhaps a lot has gotten out? I'm not sure. Either way, I am having a blast.”

“The Ice Queen did something to him,” Twilight said slowly to Gilda. “She like...gave him back his youth or something. I'm not sure.”

“She made him young again?” Gilda stared at Copper, who was not paying full attention and pretending that the wheel of the train was extremely interesting.

“No. I don't think so. She just...I don't know. She just...I guess made him young. But he was already young and just seemed older.”

“I had thought he looked too old; he was a class behind me and Dash in Flight School. Yet whenever I saw him after, he looked so...old.” They were getting on the train.

“Imma ride up here,” Copper said as he got up onto the top of the train.

“That's not safe,” somepony said, but Copper ignored them as he sat down. He wanted the wind through his mane.

“Nothing fun ever is.” He pulled down his goggles and pointed his hoof into the air. It glinted in the sun. “Onward!”

Despite his provocation, the train did not get moving for a few more minutes. But the time he spent up there gave him time to think. This youth, or madness, that he had now was glorious. He felt better than he could remember ever being. But he could already feel it settling down. It wasn't until the train went out into the snow that he decided to go down into the car out of the cold. With every flake, he could feel her. But it was too cold. Even with the cloak.

The conversation stopped immediately when he came in. “No please. Don't let me interrupt you. Please, continue talking about me.” It was obvious they had been, just from the way they were looking at him. Yet he just stood there. Smiling.

But nopony said anything.

“All right, fine. I'll talk about me then,” he said as he moved to an open seat in the group and sat down. “I feel better than I can ever remember feeling. I will be honest and quite blunt.” He cleared his throat. “I'm fairly certain I've either gone insane, or I'm just acting a tad too much like a foal.”

“Well, at least you're aware of it,” Gilda said, frowning at him.

“Gilda,” hissed Twilight. “This is not the time.”

“Oh? And when will be the time, little miss magic mane?” Twilight frowned at Gilda’s words.

Copper raised his hoof and everypony stared at it. “Easy now. Whatever it is, it's wearing down. But I refuse to give it up entirely. I am not gonna be a stick in the mud anymore.”

There was a certain look that seemed to get passed around the room. There were the eight changelings, who seemed unsure. There was the other pony and the two griffons. “I never thought you were,” Twilight said, looking at him. Of the ponies here, he probably trusted Twilight most, followed by Chestnut. Spyglass wasn't there.

“Well I was. And it bothered me, though I couldn't tell that it had until now.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. Looking down at himself, he felt slightly silly. The cloak was perhaps too grand? Copper noticed how it sparkled slightly, as if it was dusted softly with snow.

The ceiling had held his interest as Octavia played softly. Frederick and Scootaloo were talking about something. Today was the day. This time, he had to mentally push away the other world. This body was older. He was older here. And it was time to get things started. “The ship leaves tonight...” he muttered.

Octavia stopped abruptly and he heard her coming over to him. It was odd to see her so often. He wondered where the Octavia was in the other world, but shook those thoughts from his head. When he was here, he had to focus on being here. He took a deep breath and looked over at her, smiling. “Must you go?” she asked.

Of course she didn't want him to leave. She cared about him, though he had found it was not in the way he had thought. Part of him had felt disappointed, but the more he thought on it, the more he felt that it was mutual. His eyes wandered to the other...pony in the room. Chrysalis. “Yes.” She looked at him. Apparently she knew Burrasca more than Copper did. Which was interesting.

“I wish you did not,” Ovtavia said as she sat down.

Again he shook his head. “I have to. There's just no other way around it. I have to go to London and find the Doctor.”

Chrysalis moved over and sat down on the other side of him. She did not like the attention Ovtavia was giving him judging by the look on her face. Apparently she still felt that he belonged to her. But as the days went by, he realized how much she cared for him. How much she loved him. If only the other Chrysalis acted like this. Every time he saw the ring on her finger, he felt a slight pang of pain in his heart. “It's not going to be easy to find him.” She had convinced Burrasca that she knew where to find ponies that could help, but she would have to come as well.

Of course, Copper had agreed to it. There had been a lot of truth to her words. She knew London a lot better than he did and Scootaloo didn't know anything about it, other than what she had heard. He needed her. “Doesn't matter how difficult it is going to be. Still have to find him.”

“And figure out about the Clockwork,” Scootaloo said, standing in front of him.

“I don't like how everypony is crowding me all of a sudden,” he said, looking around.

“Sorry.” It was Octavia who got up, who was the one pony he didn't want to leave him alone right now.

Scootaloo took her spot and Copper watched her as she walked back to to her cello and begin playing once more. He sighed softly and stared once again up at the ceiling. “There's a lot to do. But Burrasca has offered us a lot of resources.”

“I'm still not sure how you convinced him.” He looked at Scootaloo and couldn't help but smile. But she just frowned at him. “I'm serious. I know he helps ponies and stuff, usually not legally, but this is pretty ridiculous. A ride is one thing. But for him to offer even more assistance, to the point where he damn near was about to come with us-”

“We're also getting his daughter,” Copper suggested, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes.

“That's another thing,” she pointed a finger accusingly at him. “I wasn't even aware he had a daughter. Yet you not only knew that, you also know her name.”

Again he sighed and leaned more back into the couch. “We've been over this before, Scootaloo. You're just disinclined to actually believe me.”

“Yes...well...” She continued to frown at him but then glanced over at Frederick and Octavia, before she sighed. “All right...so maybe I just don't want to believe you...but with the amount of crazy stuff that's been going...I guess I sort of have to.”

He laughed softly and stretched his arms up towards the ceiling. “You don't have to. But it'll keep you from losing your mind.” He stood up, stretching his legs now. He felt like he had been laying on that couch for days. Which he sort of had been. He was either here sitting, or sleeping, on the couch, in the side room with Emily, or out watching Octavia perform.

It was amazing to watch them on stage. The place was packed every night and Burrasca said that this place had never been so popular. Copper felt pretty proud about that in fact. It was thanks to him. Well, mostly it was to Lyra's amazing voice and Octavia's playing. Symphony and Frederick were impressive as well, but it was the Lyra and Octavia combination that truly shined. At least, as far as Copper was concerned. “Maybe, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.”

The door opened and Burrasca came in. “If you are ready, the ship is fueled and staffed. I hope you are all right that it took longer than expected, but I could not simply let an airship go without properly filling it. It's also far less suspicious. There's cargo and guests. It will slow travel quite a bit, but-”

“There is no need for you to explain yourself, Burrasca,” Copper said, looking at him. Burrasca arched his brow. He was not used to be interrupted. “It is, after all, your airship.”

He smiled slightly. “Quite so. Now then, let us be off.”

10: An Explanation

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It was probably the most amazing thing Copper had seen and he wanted to know everything about it. An airship. He had thought the car was impressive, but this went beyond that. So far beyond it that he had no words. The airships of his world were nothing. These looked hardly like ships. The ones of his world were ships taken out of the water and worked around. But these were structures built to fly. One question burned its way to the front of his mind. “What are the balloons for? Surely they can't be the only thing that lifts it?”

“They're filled with helium.” It was Chrysalis who answered him. The ship was absolutely massive. Not to the point of The False God, but it was...very impressive.

“Helium.” Of course. Helium. He knew of that. It was a gas, lighter than air. They used it to fill balloons. Oh how had he never thought of that before? That would lighten the load of the ship to the point were it wouldn't need wings or rotors. “I wonder if they'll let me see the engine room...”

“As long as you don't touch anything,” Scootaloo said as they were boarding the ship. “I'd rather us not fall out of the sky.”

There were several people there to greet them. A pony, who judging by his uniform and hat was the captain, came up to them and said, “Welcome aboard The Lady, Detective Feather. Burrasca has instructed that your time with us be as pleasant as possible.” He waved a hand to the left of him, gesturing down the hall. He was a rather...large pony. No doubt the largest pony Copper had yet to see. But there was something in the eyes... “Your rooms have been made up and prepared with dinner. We leave first thing in the morning once the other guests have boarded.”

“Sounds good to me,” Copper said as he rubbed his hands together. “I was hoping that I could have a tour of the engine room, perhaps tomorrow?”

“Oh yes, I'm certain Horsh would-” all conversation stopped, as Chrysalis came aboard.

“Well I must say, it's just as impressive inside,” she said. She had dressed to impress, that was clear with the long flowing gown she was wearing. And from the look the crew was giving, there was this odd mixture of awe and jealousy, or was it envy? Copper couldn't be bothered.

“Horsh,” he said softly. He shook his head. “Sounds good. Very good.” Horsh. He would see Horsh again. That was going to be...odd.

“So I heard dinner?” Chrysalis moved to stand beside Copper. He gave her a look and she frowned at him. “Yes, I want to eat.”

There were some confused looks. “All right then, let us go.”

It felt like they were walking through some sort of building. How could this be a ship? It looked nothing like one; Copper just couldn’t seem to get over that. But there was food waiting for them. He had been eating very well as of late and it looked as though this would be no exception. “Well, this is...ridiculous,” Scootaloo said as she sat down at the table.

“Why's that?” Copper also took a seat and noticed how Chrysalis sat across from him. Of course he had seen Chrysalis eat, but from what he knew, it was not very filling. As she had described it, it is like starving and eating a few grapes. It's something.

“I've never seen Burrasca treat somepony like this...ever.” Scootaloo was glaring at him. “It's suspicious.” There was a large plate of lobsters on the table.

“Well...” He thought about it as he began serving himself. “We go back a long time. Memories are sort of...well, they're forcing their way to the front. Especially important ones.”

“And you and he knew each other?” She wasn't getting anything.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Yes. Apparently, I was his inspiration. We met back in the war.”

To that Scootaloo had nothing to say. Nopony did and so they ate in silence. “I'm going to bed,” she said finally as she stood up.

“Goodnight,” he said, watching as she walked away from the table.

She didn't say anything in response and shut the door. “Well, that's quite a bit of hostility,” Chrysalis said.

“You don't have to tell me,” he said with a sigh. Should he tell her? What sort of things would she think? He would have to tell her eventually. Someday. Maybe he should tell her now? But it just...didn't feel right. To share something like that. “She knows I'm not telling her the whole story...”

“Why aren't you?” Ever the voice of his thoughts, even here.

“Because I'm not sure. Why would Copper not have told her? I mean...” He looked up at the ceiling. “It feels like it's not something that I can tell her. But there's nopony other than me that knows.”

“Well, you'll have to tell her eventually.” Again? Could she see his thoughts? Was he so easy to read? Maybe it was just the way his brain worked. They were obvious decisions. “Anyways. It can wait until tomorrow, when her mood has improved. She is still very young and needs time to calm down.” She pushed her plate away as she stood up. She had eaten the most of the three of them.

Was it possible for a changeling to starve? He had never given much thought to it. “Yes, I suppose that's true...on both points.” He rubbed his face. Why was he so tired suddenly? Probably because of all the food he had eaten. And there was still so much left over...that bothered him somewhat. But he could do nothing about that right now and stood up.

Realization dawned on him as they both made a move to go towards the bedroom. There were only two beds. He did not move, even when she did. Slowly she moved to the bedroom, looking inside before moving slightly in and looking back at him. “We could always...share...”

He saw the way she fiddled with the ring upon her finger. “I'm not him,” he said as he leaned against the table.

“I know that. And for the most part I've accepted he's gone but...but everything I loved about him, I've seen in you.” She sounded sincere. She sounded like she meant every word of it. “It doesn't feel like you've changed at all...”

What would he say at this point? He honestly wanted to sleep in a bed. He had spent a month with her. Of course he'd spent less time with the other Chrysalis before things had gone certain ways. But that had been out of desperation. Desperation for attention. For love. Everything told him he should. “How big is the bed?”

She looked behind her and then back at him. “Ridiculous, as Scootaloo would say.” She was smiling at him.

Was this a good idea? He was quite sure it wasn't. But when he got into the room and saw the size of the bed, there was no question there was room for the two of them. There'd be room for ten ponies, maybe twelve. She sat down on one side of the bed, looking at him. He moved to the opposite side, taking a deep breath as he did. He was being cold. To Chrysalis. “Chrysalis, I-” he turned around and saw her. The real Chrysalis. No disguise. Just those beautiful green eyes staring at him. She had closed the distance quite a lot faster than he would have thought possible.

“Copper,” her voice was soft, in that familiar tone that he had come to adore, “I know you love me. You know you can't hide your feelings from me. Nor could I hide mine from you. I know it is going to take time...but...but please...just stop trying to push me away at least...” She moved back, to the other side of the bed. “Then at the very least...maybe things between us will get better.”

“It'll never be how it was, Chrysalis...but,” he couldn't. He couldn't say no to her. She was still much the Chrysalis he loved. “We'll have to see...there's a lot that will happen, I'm sure...” He got comfortable in the bed, his gun under the pillow. He'd seen that in one of the movies.

The dreamscape. It is difficult to explain in detail, but simply, it is the state of one’s mind, reflected by their personality. Right now, his was more than a little bit messed up, with broken and withered trees as well as shattered gears. He wished that he had a Luna in this world. She had been more than a comfort to him in the other world. She had come to him on more than one occasion, calming him. But here he was alone.

Or at least, usually he was. “Nightmare,” he said, looking at the figure not terribly far away from him. “Interesting seeing you again.”

She did not look the least bit happy, but her annoyance was not aimed at Copper. “They want to speak with you.”

His brow furrowed. Who would want to speak with him? Furthermore, what sort of pony would use Nightmare in such a way? “I-” He could say no more as everything rushed to black and they were standing upon what appeared to be glass, but he could see nothing else. It gave him an odd feeling like he was not standing on anything.

“There. I brought him,” she said. She sounded as if she was trying not to murder something. “I do not like being used as some sort of errand pony.”

“As we see.” The voice was overbearing. Overpowering. Suffocating. Every word was beat into his ears whether he wanted to hear it or not. The worse thing was, he had heard it before. But now he realized that before it had been from a great distance. Now, it was in front of him.

“The Pony of Gears,” he muttered, trying to stay upright at the sheer force of that voice.

“No,” it said. “That was something we made, that interacted with you.” There was nothing actually speaking.

“Then what are you?” It was hard to have any sort of defiance in him, but somehow he managed. At the very least, Nightmare seemed impressed.

“It does not matter what we are. What matters, is what you do and what you have done.”

“What I have done?” He wished that he had something to look at beside the darkness around him.

There was silence for a moment. “And what we have done. We sought your strength in this world. We needed you to be here, to save it.”

“Save it from what?” Again, Nightmare seemed impressed he could talk back in such a manner. He was impressed as well; it was weird how he could get through with such outbursts.

“From destruction. From the Other. It is time that we explain much. The Other seeks death. The death of all. The destruction of everything. But in order to do so, he must win over that world. Many he has tried with force, such as in your world. But in this world, he is trying something else.”

“He was Sombra?” Copper said, taking deep breaths. Words were hard. It was like having the fever again.

“He gave power to Sombra when he demanded it. You will ask Celestia for further understanding. But the Other did not enter your world. Not yet. Only when he has entered, can he truly be defeated. And only then can he truly win. In this world, he has entered. He defeated the one we had sent to face him, but before he could take control, we diverted our focus to you and pulled you here. But you fought, with the power that was given to you. You fought us with the power we had given you.”

“You should have expected that,” he said, panting slightly.

“Yes. We should. But it was in the manner we brought you here. We could not pull you straight through. He has not been beaten in your world and if we drew you out, we would forfeit that world to him. Such are the Rules. Unlike him, we may change champions, but if those champions are moved from that world, the world is forfeit.”

He wanted to retort and it took him a moment to gather the strength. “Rules...like some sort of game?”

“To the Other, it is a game. We do not see it as such. Every world we lose is the loss of countless lives. Every loss weighs heavy upon us. We seek to not lose any more.”

He took deep breaths; they seemed to help build words. “So you pulled me into this world?”

“No. We put your soul into the body of this Copper. He had died, of alcohol poisoning.” Something thudded in Copper's chest. “It was unfortunate, but it worked to our advantage. We had a body that would accept your soul.”

IT WAS NOT THAT SIMPLE, something said. Or perhaps said was not the proper way to phrase it. The words were simply in his head. Like someone writing in all caps on the inside of his skull. IF IT WERE THAT EASY, IT COULD BE DONE MORE OFTEN.

Copper turned slowly and saw, standing behind quite a terrified looking Nightmare, was a tall figure, wrapped in a tattered black cloak. Held in the bones of its hand was a large scythe. “Death is on our side.”

I DO NOT TAKE SIDES. BUT NOR DO I LIKE MEANINGLESS DEATH. Those words were almost painful. Two points of glowing light beneath the hood seemed to stare at Copper. BUT WE WILL SPEAK MORE ONCE THEY HAVE FINISHED.

“You must stop fighting us, Copper. When we tried to pull you, you fought and lashed at us. You broke what we were trying to do, which is why you now flip flop back and forth. You would have remained here until you died and then been returned. But because you fractured what we had done, it is now unpredictable.”

“And you can't fix it?” Copper said, practically gasping now. The voice of Death was nothing compared to this.

“We have tried. Something inside you fights us every time. You must find the Doctor and get his help to fix what you have done, lest you destroy both worlds.” Copper had nothing left in him to fight. “Then you must defeat the Other and save this world.”

There was silence, but in that silence, Nightmare moved to him. She held onto him, as she helped him back to his feet. He was gasping for breath, but eventually, it calmed. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, turning to Death.

TIME IS SOMETHING I HAVE PLENTY OF, he said. Or didn't say.

“What is it that you wanted to discuss?” He was leaning against Nightmare for support. Both physically, mentally and morally.

I WANT YOU TO WIN, COPPER. BUT I WILL NOT INTERFERE ANY FURTHER THAN I HAVE ALREADY. Those eyes flashed brighter for a second and Copper had a feeling he'd already done much more than he realized. IF YOU DIE, THIS WORLD WILL END. HE DID NOT TELL YOU MUCH. NOT ENOUGH.

“How much more is there?”

MUCH. MORE THAN I COULD EXPLAIN. BUT KNOW THAT I CANNOT HELP FURTHER, OR I WILL BREAK THE RULES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT FORTH, he said as he shouldered his scythe.

“May I ask you a question?” While speaking with Death, you might as well try to find some things out.

YOU MAY ASK. Again his eyes flashed. BUT I MAY NOT ANSWER.

“When I was brought back...in my world...what sort of things happened? I can only remember things in a very vague way.” It was bothering him that he felt like he was missing those years.

THAT IS GOOD. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU. EVERY WORLD HAS THEIR OWN VERSION OF DEATH. I DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU WERE BROUGHT BACK. BUT I DO NOT THINK I WOULD HAVE ALLOWED IT. THOUGH I AM CURIOUS AS TO WHY IT WAS ALLOWED. It was odd to think of Death as curious. But that raised more questions than it answered.

But he decided to not push his luck. He was Death after all. “Thank you,” he said as he watched Death walk away.

DO NOT DIE NEEDLESSLY, AGAIN.

And suddenly they were back in the dreamscape. “A warning of that might have been nice,” he mumbled, looking at Nightmare out of the corner of his eyes.

“I didn't have time.” He noticed how she held onto him tighter. “When they tell you to do something, you do it...but I'm glad that the Doctor will be able to help.”

“You know him?” He leaned into her, taking a deep breath. She was a comfort to him.

“Yes. And if anypony can help, he can. The only problem is finding him. I can't find him,” she added before he had a chance to ask.

“I have a feeling that he'll find me...” That was a strong feeling, one that he was more than sure of.

“Probably...” She laid her head on top of his. “He has a way of popping up when he's needed.”

His eyes closed. It was not often he closed his eyes in the dreamscape. “I do not know what to do...I am so conflicted on so many ends...”

“I know you are,” she said softly. Then she did the most tender thing that Copper could imagine her doing. She kissed his forehead softly. “But you must do what you think you must.”

He was warm. Very warm. Maybe a little too warm? And what was he holding on- oh. He had opened his eyes to find himself looking over the top of Chrysalis's head. They were in the center of the bed, so he couldn't know who had moved to whom. What he did know was that his arms were wrapped around her and her arms were wrapped around him. Right then, he didn't care. But that changed quickly when he heard the clearing of a throat and looked to see Scootaloo glaring slightly at him. “Cozy?” Apparently she had been standing there a while, getting over the shock of her appearance most likely.

There was slight hesitation, before he pulled from her and sat up. Not abruptly, but slowly as to not disturb her. He knew the consequences of waking a sleeping changeling. “I think it's time we have a talk...”

Her nose crinkled slightly. “I've had that talk before, thank you very much.”

He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. “No not that.” He took a deep breath and told her. He told her the whole story, as he could remember it.

At first she stood with her arms folded, but by the end of it, she was sitting on the edge of the bed in tears. “Why didn't you tell me?”

Copper was sitting beside her now. Crying ponies were always his weakest point. “I didn't know how. And I didn't know why it was being kept a secret... I just-” she hugged him. Her hands clenched tightly onto his shirt as she sobbed.

“Now it makes sense...everything makes sense...the way you look at me. The way you act around me...” He couldn't think of anything else to do but put his arms around her. “I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting...I...if I had known...things would be so different. So much better...”

Maybe they would have been, but Copper couldn't be sure and they would never know. What he did know is that he would do anything for Scootaloo. That was a feeling that he would never let go of.

He spent most of the morning with Scootaloo and Chrysalis when she woke up. Even though he wanted to go and see Horsh and discover the secrets of this ship, this was more important. This was far more important.

But eventually they did go their separate ways. Scootaloo apparently had some things to do, as did Chrysalis. Both of them would not answer questions of where or what. Copper felt that slightly odd, but apparently they were spending the day together, or so it seemed since they both went off in the same direction.

The engine room was not hard to find, as there were plenty of signs and a large door with the words 'Engine Room' printed on it. He felt odd when he found it to be unlocked. The smell of it made him feel good. Oil, metal, the burning of coal. It smelled right and the air felt right. It was quite loud as he made his way down into the underbelly of the ship.

There was a conversation going on. “-I said, I don't care. There are some things down here I don't want anypony touchin'.” The voice was unmistakable. He'd heard it many times before.

As he rounded a corner, he saw him. “You must be Horsh,” he said with a smile. Both Horsh and the pony he was talking to froze, staring at him. “I do believe that the captain informed you I was planning a visit. Hope you don't mind me coming down here...”

Horsh eyed him and then looked back at the pony. “Now, get out and don't touch anything more.” The other pony disappeared down a side passage under some pipes. “As for you, I do mind. Just cus you got permission, doesn't mean you can just barge down here.” A pause. “How did you get down here?”

“The door was unlocked,” he said, gesturing back towards where he had come.

“That blasted idiot,” Horsh turned back to what he had apparently been doing previously. “I'd wring his neck and toss him overboard if I could run the ship by myself. But I can't be in two places at once.”

“Yes, well, I'm sorry to barge down here. I just wanted to see the engine.” And what he was seeing was all he had hoped for and more. The efficiency and complexity.

“Don't see why. Only ponies that wanna see the engine are either thinking of ruining it, or are one of those blasted enthusiasts, who think that just cus they can put together a watch, they know how a ship works.”

“Well, I'm afraid I'm neither,” Copper had his hands behind his back as he watched things work.

Horsh looked back at him, almost glaring. But it was obvious that Copper had gotten his attention. “Then what are you?”

“That is a good question,” he said with a smile. “May I?” He gestured to a desk, which was covered in papers.

Horsh looked at him a moment and then shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”

Copper moved quickly, looking for a blank piece of paper. “I would like to consider myself an inventor.” Horsh laughed and then masked it into a cough. “Yes I thought you'd think as much.” He sketched what he could remember of his wing, making several modifications to it to compensate for the fact he was much bigger and shaped differently. “Though I'm afraid the simplest things often escape my eye.” Such as helium. “I'm afraid this is just a rough sketch, but, what do you think?” He held the paper out to Horsh.

It took the griffon a moment before he grudgingly glanced at the paper before turning back to the engine. Then he stopped and snatched the paper from Copper. His eyes ran over the paper several times. “Well color me surprised. You've actually got a lot of skill...ever built it?”

Finally he had his full attention. “A few versions. I never thought to use helium though...or something similar. Something to take up weight would make it work a lot better.”

“Yeah...but...” He turned the paper to the side. “Why just one? You need-” he stopped as Copper showed him. “Ah. Sorry.”

“It's fine,” he said as he pulled back on his coat.

“From the war?” Horsh said as he took a seat beside him.

“The bombing of London.” He shifted slightly to look more at the griffon. In the darkness of the engine room he could not make out terribly much.

“Mm.” He leaned forward and pulled up his left pants leg. “We've got a lot in common it seems.” Even in the low light, Copper could see the metal. His mind raced back to that memory that he had gained. Had he seen Horsh in that group? He couldn't remember seeing him. But it was a big city and a major disaster from what he had heard and seen.

“So it seems.” He offered his hand to Horsh. It was an odd gesture, but apparently it was important here. “Copper Feather.”

The smile on his face partially caught Copper off guard, but not as much as the feeling of cold metal on his hand. “Horsh.”

Copper couldn't help but twist the hand slightly to get a better look at it in the gloom. “Impressive... I-” He hesitated. “May I see it?”

He laughed in response, pulling it from somewhere up his shirt. It was connected at the elbow. It was nowhere near the elegance of Emily, but it was very impressive. “Built it myself,” Horsh said as he passed the forearm over to Copper. “Took quite a lot of effort, building with one hand.”

“I can imagine,” he mumbled as he turned to the desk. He picked up several things, one of which was an examination eyepiece. “Quite impressive...”

“It's taken years to perfect it. Still acts up on occasion.” Horsh was moving about now. Copper noticed there was ever so slightly the hint of a limp. Normally it would be impossible to notice, but he was looking for it. “Just can't seem to get the fingers to work all the time.”

“That's cus this S-spring is the wrong grade,” he muttered. He pulled it out without thinking, pulling out another from some drawer. This Horsh set up his work station the exact same way. It was amazingly familiar. “And this gear needs less teeth and this needs more...” Fingers were amazing. He could work so much, so fast. He practically gutted and rebuilt the entire thing.

“Spent years on it. But I've gotten used to its little quarks. Still, be nice if it could- what the heck are you doing?” He had finally turned around and saw what Copper was doing.

Copper looked up, with the look of somepony who'd been caught with their hooves in the cookie jar. “Uh. Tinkering?”

He snatched the arm up, glaring at him. “You don't just mess with things that don't belong to you.” He was working on reattaching the arm. “Honestly, if you messed this up I...huh...” He wriggled and twisted things. “Interesting...this is some advanced clockwork engineering. How do you know so much about clockwork? It's illegal in the states.”

Copper now had quite a triumphant look on his face, though he did not show Horsh. “Oh well, I'm not really all that legal of a pony. I've had the chance to examine quite an impressive one up close.”

“Oho? Well then...someday you'll have to show it to me.” He was fiddling with his hand now.

“Hopefully I will.” It would be nice to speak with Horsh about Emily. But Burrasca had said that none of the staff had been informed and he was not to tell them.

A little alarm went off above their heads and Horsh looked up. “Ah. Six. Dinner will be served soon. You best get upstairs. You're apparently some sorta guest of honor...” Again they shook hands. “If you get the chance, come on back and I'll give you a tour.”

They gave each other a large smile. “Oh that would be grand. I'd love to get more ideas from this thing...”

“Do anything more and you'll end up like Doctor Vonzinzer.”

Copper's brow furrowed. “Who?”

Now he had a lot to think about. Dr. Vonzinzer...apparently he was the greatest inventor the world had ever seen. But he was also in prison for...many reasons. Going insane for one. Murder for another... He was the reason clockworks were illegal in the states. If there was a candidate for the Other, that was probably a good bet. Oh and apparently he was in London. “Are you all right?”

He looked up, looking at Chrysalis. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind.”

“Too much down there for you, hm?” Scootaloo said, looking at him over her bowl of soup. Her attitude had changed quite a bit, but she was still snippy.

“More than I had the chance to see. It was good to see Horsh...” He was looking down into his own bowl of soup.

“Know him from your other world, hm?” Chrysalis said and Scootaloo gave her a look. Though Scootaloo was much more accepting of the fact he was from some other world, she did not like talking about it.

“Knew...” he said as he swirled his soup. “He died.” He pushed his soup away; it wasn't really to his tastes. “And it was sorta my fault, though partially his own as well...it's a long story.” It was odd how this was enough to make him lose his appetite.

“Oh...I'm sorry. This must have been really...weird for you then.” Chrysalis was watching him. Scootaloo, however, took his bowl and finished it off. That made him smile.

“It was actually quite nice. He's very similar...but also very different. It's so interesting to see the differences.” Why did he keep glancing at the door? Did he have his gun on him? It was odd to try to nonchalantly pat himself to make sure.

“I see. I can imagine it-” Chrysalis had spotted him acting weird and her brow furrowed. “What are you doing?”

“I have a bad feeling all of a sudden,” he said as he was now watching the door.

“Shame,” Scootaloo said as she finished off his soup. “The main course is coming soon.”

The doors burst open.

“And you think you can just change, just like that?”

Oh here it was. Here was the madness that he was becoming used to. He was enjoying it. “I did. I think. I'm not sure.” He was comfortable. The madness made the other world just...melt away. But at least he knew it was madness. The madness of youth. “Fairly certain that I've changed quite a lot.”

“I say for the better,” Twilight said as she sat across from him. Of course she would take his side. “If you're happy, then everything is fine.”

He took a deep breath and smiled at her. “Yes. Very happy now.” How could he not be? He looked at Gilda and her almost annoyed look. “I feel Pinkie would be the only pony to give me a run for my bits at this point.” He stretched out on the chair and sighed happily. Truly he was so happy. He felt bubbling with it now and every moment he felt more and more.

“That's quite a lot of happy,” Twilight said, smiling. She seemed to be the only pony here that saw the change as positive, besides himself.

“Indeed.” He took a deep breath and laid his head down, frowning as he realized he put it down upon his metal leg. He stared at it, as he had quite forgotten it was there. “This is going to take a lot of getting used to.”

“Does it hurt at all?” Chestnut was there as well. How many ponies were here? Quite a few it seemed. How did he keep forgetting that there are several ponies there? He needed to stop doing that. She was pointing a hoof at his leg.

He looked at her and tilted his head slightly to the side. “No. It's a bit heavy, that's all.” He raised the leg slowly and realized that everypony was staring at it. Experimentally he waved it back and forth and watched their eyes follow it. He couldn't help but smirk. “And that's not all it can do.” Shink.

They all stared at it. And all took a step back. Except for Twilight, who scooted slightly away on the seat. “I...that seems...excessive...”

“Well...” He had to admit that it seemed far bigger a blade than he had intended. Perhaps it was the angle? Either way his point was quite clear. “I'm done playing nice with them. Whoever them are. Sombra, or Raven, or any of their allies. A lot of ponies doing a lot of things that I'm not going to put up with.” He repeated the motion and with a shnikt the blade disappeared once again.

“But it's only for emergencies.” Again he laid down, making sure that he was not laying his head down on the metal limb.

“Fairly impressive.” Several of them seemed to share in Chestnut's statement. It probably was to them, but it wasn't like he wanted to use it. He had used the same sort of mechanics within Emily's arm to build it. It had been a lot more difficult than he had imagined, especially re-assembling her arm before Scootaloo had the chance to catch him. But he felt that he had to do it. Prove that he could do it. Prove that he could do whatever they could do. And do it better. He wasn't sure if it was better, but it was larger and more compact at the same time.

“I don't want to use it, but it felt necessary. In the best case scenario, I won’t need it. Especially with the power I have.” He took another deep breath.

“What power?” That seemed echoed from everypony.

There was a few seconds of silence as he thought how best to describe it. But everypony here was trustworthy, or at least not going to betray him. “I'm not quite sure myself, in fact. But in order to beat Sombra, I was given power by-” he hesitated, trying to describe it. “I don't know what. I've been trying to figure out what it is, or was...it called itself The Pony of Gears, but apparently that wasn't quite what gave me the power, only what facilitated its transfer to me...”

“So back in the Crystal Empire,” Twilight said slowly, putting the pieces together in her head. “What happened in the bathroom, was actually you?”

“So it would seem. But I'm not sure what exactly triggered that...when I fought Madam Raven, it was anger and that seems to be a heavy influence...first thing I need to do is learn control.” He was quite tired. He wondered if they'd let him sleep for the rest of the trip. “It's some kind of magic, so I was hoping that you'd be able to help me, Twilight.”

She sat up noticeably straighter. “Why of course, Copper. I'd be more than happy to help.”

“I know that look,” Chestnut said, before moving towards a nearby seat.

Twilight blinked and looked at her. “What? What look?”

“Not you, him.” She pointed an almost accusing hoof at Copper. “He wants to sleep.”

Had he really spent so much time with her that she could tell that? Perhaps he had. She was a good friend and he'd spent...probably months with her. “Yes. I'm fairly tired.”

“Well, it has been a long day,” Gilda said, waving her hand up in the air as she walked away. “What with chasing you all over the damned Crystal Empire and all.”

He couldn't help but laugh, as did most of the group. Even Gilda seemed amused by it all. “Thank you. All of you. Just for being around and putting up with me.”

There seemed a bit of general consent that it wasn't very easy. “We're friends, Copper. At least, with you.” He noticed Twilight's glance at Gilda and Chestnut.

With that, he closed his eyes. A thought slowly crept into his mind. If I'm the one fighting them, then that means that I am the reason for the switching. Could I force myself to switch?

11: High Skies

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Apparently he could. Apparently he could force a switch if he concentrated on it and pushed himself to the other world. Which in turn, meant that he could prevent them. Good. That meant he would only switch when he wanted to. But what was happening? Oh that's right, ponies had burst through the door. Three ponies wearing masks to cover their face and carrying what Copper knew to be machine guns. “Everypony on the ground, now! I wont ask twi-” Bang.

He was fairly impressed with his own speed. He was out of his chair, had drawn his gun and was walking towards them before they even knew what was happening. Bang. Bang.

Three shots. They went down. One in the shoulder, another in the hip, the third in the forearm. He apparently had impeccable aim. He wanted to stop them from doing whatever it was they were going to do and had done so without serious injury to them. Somepony screamed and panic ensued rather quickly as everypony rushed away from the gunponies. Well, except for one.

Copper was to them, kicking their guns away before looking left and right down the hall. Empty. “Right then.” He looked back, noting that Scootaloo was under the table, while Chrysalis...well, Chrysalis was still sitting there as if nothing had happened. He looked down at the ponies; apparently they had not experienced the pain of being shot before. Well, neither had he, but from the memories he had of it, he had had worse. “Evening,” he said as he crouched down and rolled the hip injured pony onto his back. “Put pressure on it. Scootaloo? Could you please bring a table cloth?”

She did as asked, though she did protest, “You shot them. And now you're helping them?”

“What?” He looked at her a moment and then at the three ponies. They were dressed...oddly, with poofy white shirts, black and white striped bandanas and long black shorts. “I suppose. What's with these outfits?”

“They're pirates,” Chrysalis said, smiling to herself. “The skies between the states and Europe are filled with them.”

“Oh?” He looked down at the three of them. They weren't like the pirates that he had seen. “Well, that sounds like a lot of fun.” Suddenly the ship pitched to one side and Copper almost lost balance.

“Apparently the Captain is making an attempt to get away,” Scootaloo said as she was bandaging the pirates. She hadn't lost her balance at all.

“What makes you think that?” Copper was, again, looking down the halls. They were now filled with ponies running in panic.

“I was practically raised on ships like this. Well, not like this. Not this grand. But it's the same basic premise. He's probably trying to unhook something that they've grabbed the ship with.” She was quite quick at bandaging, though Copper noticed she wasn't gentle at all.

“Ah, that's good. Let's get up to the captain then. Make sure the ship doesn't go to them,” he said as he moved out into the hall.

When Scootaloo followed him, he had to double take. She had taken one of the machine guns, along with the ammo of the others. She caught the look he was giving her and frowned at him. “What? You think I'm just gonna let you have all the fun?” He saw a glint of something in her eyes and wondered how many times she'd fired a gun. His instinct was to assume many.

“I didn't say anything,” he said with a smile as they moved down the hall. “Move!” he called out. “Everypony to the lifeboats! Or whatever the heck they're called!”

“Lifeboats is correct terminology,” Chrysalis said from behind him.

“Good.” Running proved to get them to the bridge rather quickly.

The door was open. Copper stopped and motioned the other two to the wall, which they were quick to do. He could hear ponies talking inside. “It's not that difficult you old pony. Just give us the manifest, we'll take the valuables we want and be on our way.”

“There isn't one,” Copper heard the captain say, though it sounded like he was having difficulty speaking. He peaked around the corner and was met with a sight he hadn't expected.

“Ah. Uhm...evening?” There was a rather large pony there. Of course an unexpected pistol whip evened the odds a bit and the pony went down. The second pony by the door was grabbed and Copper stood behind him, using him as a shield as a good dozen guns were pointed in his direction. “Evening,” he said again, a bit louder.

“Who the hell's this?” Two crew members laying face down on the ground and the captain propped against the large window at the front. “The hell do you think you're doing?” Ok so it was more like seven guns and the one talking to the captain looked unarmed. Eight in total in the room not including hostages.

“I'm sorry, could you repeat that?” Copper heard Scootaloo cough softly to keep herself from laughing. “I couldn't hear you over me counting in my head.”

The pony he was holding stood rigid, as one would expect when there was a gun barrel, still warm, pressed against the back of one’s neck. “A wise pony, eh?” He spat on the floor. “Who the hell are you?”

“That's disgusting,” he said, trying not to look at what the leader of the group had just expunged. “Honestly, we're inside. Somepony is going to have to clean that up and I'm sure that it's not too pleasant. And judging from the color of it, you might want to see a doctor.” He paused. “I forgot the question.”

This actually got a chuckle from several ponies in the room and the two ponies outside the room. Even the pony he was holding seemed to try not to laugh. “You think this is some kind of joke?”

“It isn't? Damn and here I was about to try my standup routine.” He was trying to calm himself down and buy time. He was fairly out of breath from running down the hallway. “Well, some other time then.” They all seemed to relax quite a lot more. “Now, I'm fairly certain I know what's going on. Robbery and all that. But you see, I have trouble just sitting still and letting those kinds of things go, so I'd like to ask everypony to just calm down and just go on home and we'll all just forget this whole thing happened.”

This was greeted with a lot of laughter. “Oh now we know you must be joking! There's eight of us and only one of you.”

“Oh that is right. And I didn't bring enough bullets for all of you.” He smirked as he backed away from the door. “Scootaloo, would you be so kind?”

It must have been quite the sight. None of them had been ready for the shower of bullets that were fired. Scootaloo was not the best of shots, yet she knew how to shoot. But she did not shoot at them at all, more so she shot around them. They dropped to the ground and when the bullets stopped, the pony he had been holding got a pistol across the back of the head.

“Now then.” He went about quickly relieving everypony of their guns and tossing them towards the wall. “Would everypony please be so kind as to line up on that side of the room?” he said as he gestured towards a wall away from them. Reluctantly and slowly, everypony moved. The worst anypony had was a few grazes. “Good shooting, Scootaloo. Remind me never to upset you when you have something that shoots.”

“Honestly you should just do your best to not upset me.” She was holding the machine gun quite menacingly at the pirates.

“Who the hell are you?” the leader said again.

Copper looked at him and laughed. “Doesn't matter. Now.” He leaned towards him, pointing the gun at his face. “Get off this ship.”

“Uhm...Copper?” He turned towards Scootaloo, raising an eyebrow. She pointed out the window.

He looked. “Oh. Uh.” There was a very large cannon pointed at the room. “Right then.”

“Sit down.” It wasn't as if he had much of a choice as he was shoved into the chair.

“It's pretty uncomfortable with my hands tied behind my back, you know,” he said, staring at the inside of his blindfold. “Where's Scootaloo?”

“Just shut up.” Apparently he was more than a little upset. There was a moment of silence and then a door opened. “Here he is Captain.”

So he wasn't the actual leader. “Really?” A female pony...that felt...familiar somehow. Somepony he had heard before. “Ye're quite the rough pony. How many were killed?” That wasn't directed at him.

“Uhm...” There was a moment of hesitation, as if he was trying to decide if it was worth lying. “None.”

“Ya serious? None?”

“Well, several ponies were injured...myself included.”

“Ya have a scratch.” There was the sound of a smack. “Suck it up. Now, onto our guest.”

It had been slowly dawning on him from some sort of feeling he was getting, so he took a shot. “Vinyl Scratch.”

There was a long, drawn out silence. It was the kind of silence where everypony was reevaluating everything that they know about the situation. Then he was struck upside the head followed by the male pony saying, “That's Captain Scratch to you.”

There was the sound of a smack. “If ya don't calm down, ye'll be swabbin' tha outer hull for the next five months, rather than two.” Captain Scratch cleared her throat before speaking, “So ya have me at quite tha disadvantage.” The blindfold was removed and there she was, standing before him in probably the most pirate outfit that he had ever seen, including eye-patch and large hat. But it was definitely her. There was no mistaking it at all. Though he had never heard her speak before.

“My apologies. Copper Feather. Detective, Copper Feather. Pleasure to meet you.” Again there was that drawn out silence as they once again re-evaluated their situation.

“Well now, now that that's outta the way.” She turned to the other one. “Make sure tha cargo is secure and tha other two passengers are nice and comfy.”

With a lot of grumbling the other pony left the room. “Well isn't this interesting...mind explaining a bit?”

“Before I untie ya, I would like to be sure ya wont shoot any more of my crew,” she said as she moved behind him.

“Depends. I'll try, but I make no promises,” he responded with a chuckle; it was difficult to keep a straight face.

“Good enough.” She cut the cords. “Now then. Sorry about tha rudeness, but we were suppose to come in, grab ya, make it all look like just random piracy and be gone. I'm guessin' Don Burrasca told ya none of this?”

Why didn't it surprise him that Burrasca would have pirates in his employment? “Afraid he didn't,” he said as he rubbed his wrists. “Probably best he didn't. Would've caused problems.”

“Yah, well, I'll be havin' quite tha talk with him about it later,” she said as she rubbed her face and sighed. “Anyway. I figure talkin' to ya would be easier than either of the girls. That little one...what exactly did she do? Most of tha men won’t go near the door and she keeps bangin' and screamin' at it.”

“Let's just say...don't give her any guns and call it good.” He stood up and stretched a bit. He noted immediately his gun was gone.

To that, she chuckled. “Oh I see. Well now, that is interestin'.” She made her way to the door, which was behind Copper. “Could ya come calm her down, before she ends up knockin' down the door?”

“If she hasn't already, I'd be glad to.”

Copper tried his best to keep direction in his head. They went up two levels, then down one. Took three turns, then five. Judging from the ship he saw out the window, they were on the other side of it, up one level and he had been somewhere in perhaps a cargo hold of some sort. Copper found out a lot from Captain Scratch, why all the secrecy and such. Clockworks are illegal in the states. That meant a ship coming from the states with one on board was instantly a red flag. Plus, no guns. Civilians and even police, weren't allowed to own, let alone carry guns of any sort. Which to Copper seemed odd, but then again, he knew very little of laws.

It didn't take all that long and he knew immediately when they got close. The banging and screaming echoed throughout the ship and got louder as they approached. What exactly was she using to bang on the door? He stood in front of it and waited. The hallway was empty and Vinyl excused herself as she had orders to give and things to do. “Scootaloo?” he said and waited. The banging continued.

“Open the door!” Bang bang bang bang. “Where's Copper?!” Bang bang bang.

“Jeez. How long have you been keeping this up?” Bang bang. He was just talking to himself honestly. He waited another moment, till the sound was actually starting to hurt his head and he sighed. He opened the door and leaned to the side to avoid the chair leg. It was easy to grab ahold of it when she tried to draw it back again. “Honestly, with all that banging, how were you going to hear somepony trying to tell you anything?” He pulled it free of her loosened grip as he entered the room. “Evening Chrysalis-” he stopped as he looked out the window. "Nice view.”

“Copper!” Scootaloo was quite stunned. The room was quite large, filled mostly with a bed. Looking around the room, a framed photo on a dresser caused him to stop and stare at it.

“Ah, there you are. Everything all settled then?” Chrysalis said with a smirk.

Copper looked at her as he refocused on the ponies in the room. “Ah, I see Burrasca told you.”

She nodded, with a smile. “Oh yes. He did. Not entirely sure why he made such a fuss over not telling you or Scootaloo.”

He sat down beside her on the bed, getting comfortable. “That's rather annoying. I would hope that we would have all been in the dark. Would have been much more entertaining and more his style.”

“I...what's going on?” Scootaloo was still grasping the air as though she had the chair leg.

“Burrasca planned for us to be kidnapped,” Copper said as he laid back in the bed and closed his eyes. He felt tired. “So we're being smuggled into London, so that they don't confiscate Emily and arrest us.”

“Ok...but that doesn't explain why they didn't just tell us that.” She had her arms folded once again as she spoke.

Copper looked at her and waved the chair leg. “This, probably.” He tossed it out in front of him onto the floor, chuckling.

She looked at it as if she'd never seen it before. “Well, all they had to do was open the door. Honestly.”

“Didn't know you cared so much...now, I'm just...gonna take a little nap... Wake me when somepony comes to get us...” With that he closed his eyes. It had been quite the productive and busy day.

Scootaloo nudged him awake and was looking at him when he opened his eyes. “The Captain wants to see you apparently.”

He stood up slowly and stretched a bit. Chrysalis was gone. That was the first thing he noticed. But he wasn't surprised that that was what he noticed. “All right then...” He moved to the door and standing outside was one of the ponies that he recognized from being in the bridge.

He didn't say anything to him, but gestured for Copper to follow. So he did. Again he kept track of all the twists and turns. It wasn't as if they were trying to get him lost, which he was almost disappointed by. Finally they came to the helm and he was...well, it was exactly what he was expecting. Nothing like the False God, but still...something about it felt terribly familiar. “You wished to speak with me, Captain Scratch?” he said as he approached her. She was standing at the helm.

“Aye.” She stepped aside and somepony moved to take over. “Come with me.”

She lead him towards the front window and then out a door onto the deck of the ship. It was...not as big as he thought. Nowhere near as large as the ship he had just come from. He also noticed that there was nopony on the deck aside from them. He took a deep breath of the night air, staring off into the distant sea of clouds. “What a sight...”

There was an odd expression on her face and then she stared off into the distance. “Aye...it is.” She took a deep breath as well. “Sometimes ya forget to appreciate it.”

“I never will,” he said as he moved to the railing. There was hardly any wind, as they weren't moving very fast. He bent over the railing slightly, looking over at the deck below them. “Now then, you wanted to speak to me?”

“How do ya know me?” It was a question, to be sure, but she said it without a questioning tone.

Copper turned to face her and leaned against the railing. “I know a lot. More than I'd like. Enough to be a threat, but too much of an asset to get rid of.” Why was he trying to impress her? This wasn't exactly like him...it was like the memories of this body were taking hold of some influence. “But to be specific, we have a mutual friend.” His thoughts were on the framed picture beside the bed.

Her brow furrowed a moment. “Aside from Burrasca?” He nodded. “And who might that be?”

He smiled a bit. “Honestly it'll be much more entertaining to have you find out on your own. When you go see Burrasca at The Cat’s Cradle, be sure to stay for the show.”

“I've seen it.”

“Not this one,” he said, unable to help but smirk. “Trust me. You won’t be disappointed.”

She frowned at him and then sighed, shaking her head. “Okay. I'll take ya word for it...” There was a moment of silence as they both looked out over the sea of clouds. “Ya play an odd game, Detective Feather.”

“Yes, well, I have to entertain myself somehow.” He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes. Faster. They had increased speed, but it was not enough. He wanted to feel the wind on his face.

“So, why exactly ya goin' to London? It's rare Burrasca asks me to do somethin' like this. Usually he only gets my attention to steal somethin'...but stealin' a pony and his clockwork...” She was leaning against the wall by the door. “It's not like him.”

“My relationship with Burrasca is complicated.” He paused. “To say the least.” He turned his attention to her. “But as for what I'm doing...that's a long list. First thing is, I need to find The Doctor.” He emphasized the word the, in order to try and avoid confusion.

There was a long silence as she looked at him. “And what ya want to find him for?”

This time it was Copper's turn to rethink the situation. “Do you know him? It's...more than a little important I find him.”

“I know of him. Heard his name quite a few times...” She looked out over her ship. “I don't know where to find him, but I can give ya a place to look.”

That was not all of it. He could tell from the way she spoke, but if she didn't want to tell him, she didn't have to. But still. This was quite...convenient. That felt odd. “Anything would be better than what we have. London is big, from what I've heard.”

“Ya've never been?” Her gaze moved back to him.

“Oh I've been. But...it was not under favorable circumstances...” She simply nodded in response, just as silence rolled in once more. There was so much more to Captain Vinyl Scratch than he could probably find out. What sort of thing had lead her to go to piracy? He wanted to ask questions, but she looked to not be in the mood for answering. “How long until we reach London?”

“An hour. We're over land right now and we're headin' toward a dock that won’t ask us questions.” She stared off into the distance. It was apparent to Copper she was thinking quite hard on something. He guessed it was about what sort of mutual friend they both had. Perhaps it wasn't exactly fair that Copper had saw the picture on the dresser... “Well I need ta be headin' back inside...”

“I think I'll stay out here,” he said, staring out into the distance.

There was a soft fog rolling in. It clung heavy to the cobbled streets. The night had passed quite quickly in the little dockhouse, which was quite a large building, but Captain Scratch had known the griffon who owned it and they asked no questions. He would even hold Emily for them while they were gone. Copper was fairly sure that he knew the griffon as well. It was something about the way he looked, but he couldn't quite put his hoof on it. Or finger, as it was here.

Copper had no worry that Emily would be safe. Especially when the name 'Burrasca' was mentioned to the griffon. Just that name held so much sway. It was impressive. He wondered if his name would have the same sort of effect in the other world? His name held power, that he knew. “Do you think that the Captain's information can be relied on?”

He looked over at Scootaloo, who was walking beside him. “How am I to know? It's the only lead we have at the moment, until Chrysalis returns.” It bothered him slightly that she had left the moment they arrived. “Until then, we search for Roseluck.”

“Hopefully this address is good...” she mumbled as she looked at the piece of paper.

“I'm more worried about if she'll be home,” he said as they rounded a corner. There was a rather large sign out front of a store. “Or...well, would you look at that. Seems it's a shop.”

They moved towards the store, but Scootaloo stopped beside it. He waited a moment, looking at her. “Have you ever talked with this...Roseluck?”

“On occasion. Though it has been a long time and I'm certain she's very different here...everypony seems to be.” He leaned against the wall as he waited.

“But you mentioned similarities, yes?” It felt good that she believed him.

He nodded in response. “Yes. But I mean...look at Captain Scratch.” He decided against mentioning her full name. “Probably one of the most drastic differences...or Burrasca. Sure he's still a sort of criminal, but here at least he's not completely insane...”

She looked at him for several moments. Several silent moments. In fact, she didn't speak to him again until they were inside the shop. It was a small shop but it seemed quite well off. There was an elderly looking pony behind the counter, who watched as Copper approached. Scootaloo went to wander the shop. It was an antique store of sorts. “Morning,” the old pony said as he put down his cigarette.

Copper smiled as he looked around. “Mmm, well now. Good morning. I was hoping you could help me with something.”

“Well, we've got quite a lot of merchandise.” Copper couldn't help but notice how the pony was looking at him.

“Actually, I'm looking for somepony.” He was watching his face closely. “And I was told this is where she'd be.”

“Oh? I'm afraid it's just me here.” There was an odd smell in the air, but one tended to find odd smells around antique stores.

“See, I told you the information was wrong,” Scootaloo said, coming up beside him. “Can we go now?” She leaned closer and whispered, “It smells bad in here.”

“That is a shame.” The click of Copper pulling the hammer back, thickened the silence of the room. “Now then. I'm not sure if this will kill you, whatever you are, but I know it'll hurt.” The old pony stared at the barrel of the gun, eyes wide. “Where is Roseluck?”

The eyes of the pony flickered across the room. First to Copper, then to Copper's left and then back at Copper. Such a small hesitant glance. “I...I don't...”

“Copper, what the hell are you doing?” Scootaloo had moved away from him.

“Thank you,” he said as he took a step back, but he didn't holster his gun. Quickly he moved over to the door and proceeded to kick it in. Bang. Bang. Bang.

He wasn't sure what the hell it was. In fact, he had no idea at all. Tall, gray and fat looking; nothing like a pony at all besides a vague size with long lanky arms. But three shots seemed to at least put it down, though it was still squirming on the floor. It had rushed him. If he had just opened the door, it would have grabbed him the instant he opened it. “What the heeeeaaugh... What the hell is that?!” Scootaloo was beside him, staring. Then it was gone. He stared at the spot it had been and then swung the gun around over Scootaloo.

“No no. You stay over there.” The other thing had moved almost around the counter, but froze. “Not used to guns, hm? Scootaloo, check on Roseluck, please.” She was in there, he could see her on the floor in the small storage room.

She rushed over to her and knelt beside her. After a few seconds, she looked back at him. “She's knocked out. Somepony knocked her on the head.”

“I'm guessing that was the one who just left,” he said, staring at the thing. “If you're going to flee, do it now.” And then it was gone. Just like the other one. What sort of magic was that? he wondered. No fancy flash. Just...gone. He holstered his gun and moved quickly to the front, switching the sign to closed and locking the door.

“What do we do?”

“Get her upstairs, first...check for a back door, make sure it's locked...then wait.” He was already moving to pick up Roseluck. “Secure the building, make sure there's no more of these...those things.”

“You...you think there are more?” Scootaloo said as she moved quickly behind him as he carried Roseluck out of the room.

There was a second where he hesitated and then despite his better judgment, he held the gun out towards Scootaloo. “Here. Don't shoot anything unless I say to.”

She didn't hesitate to take it, reloading it with an expertise that...mildly startled him. She aimed vaguely down the sights at the wall. “Right.” Again there was an instant of hesitation before she continued. “How...what exactly gave it away? I mean...how did you know?”

He moved through the back door behind the counter. “I don't know. Something about the way it was looking at me gave me a bad feeling...and I don't question feelings like that anymore. I've always just called it the feeling.” He made his way slowly up the stairs, letting Scootaloo go first. “And it's never wrong.”

“Never?”

“It's never failed me before. Somepony told me a long time ago that it was good instincts.” Scootaloo opened the door. It was clear that she had had training from the way that she moved in and looked around. The gun never left the direction she looked. She was looking for...targets.

“That's weird...but I can see how it's extremely useful.” She was looking into every room.

“It doesn't always happen. But it's saved me more times than I can count.” He moved inside and laid Roseluck onto the couch, gently.

“There's no one else here. And it doesn't stink up here...pretty sure it was that thing,” she said as she moved into the kitchen.

He nodded slightly as he looked over Roseluck. It was a fairly bad bump, but it didn't seem life threatening. “I'd have to agree with you. It was like...”

“Bad breath,” she said as he heard her move about. He glanced into the kitchen and saw her making tea.

“Yeah...that's weird...” He rolled his shoulders slightly, looking around before heading quickly back down the stairs. The back door was locked. A quick circle around the building, checking every room on the bottom floor. Empty. The whole building. “Good...only two it seems...” The look that the one gave him. It looked like a pony...but there was just...something so wrong about the way it looked...looked at me...it was wrong. So wrong. He shuddered and moved back upstairs.

“Anything?” Scootaloo was sitting near Roseluck, drinking tea of all things.

“I didn't know you liked tea,” he said as he sat down in a chair.

“We don't have a kettle at the office,” she said as she sipped. “I poured you a cup.”

Just as she said, there was a cup sitting in front of him. He picked it up and took a rather large drink of it. It was hot, but he liked it. “Thank you...” Again, the memory of that look made him shudder. But the hot tea helped.

“I guess now we wait?” She looked at Roseluck and Copper nodded.

They did not have to wait long. Roseluck shifted a few minutes after Scootaloo returned to the kitchen to brew a second batch of tea. There was something about tea that made Copper feel rather good. Copper moved over to her, looking down as he sipped his tea. “Morning,” he said before taking another sip.

Her eyes opened blearily. “Doctor?”

“'Fraid not,” he said and she shot up into a sitting position, scooting away from him.

He sipped his tea. “But it's good to know that we came to the right place. Would you like some tea? After all, it is yours.”

“I'm sorry we kind of helped ourselves,” Scootaloo said as she came back into the room, setting down the tea tray. “But I honestly think it's of trivial consequence, considering we saved you.”

“I...saved?”

“Easy now. You got lucky to not get a concussion.” Again he sipped his tea. “My name's Copper Feather. Detective Copper Feather. I was told that you'd be able to help me find the Doctor.”

“Who...” she mumbled, staring at him. She still had the look of fear, but it was waning. “Why do you want to see the Doctor?”

“Not want. Need. Matter of saving the universe from...” He waved his hand vaguely. “Well, shattering would be accurate.” Scootaloo froze, staring at him. Perhaps he should have explained that earlier to her. “But I was told the Doctor can help me stop it.”

“I...” She looked at him, but it wasn't with disbelief like he was expecting. “I don't know where he is.”

There was a drawn out silence and he used the time to finish off his tea. “Well, that's a shame.” He set the cup down and sunk into the chair. “Blast it...”

“So what happened? I was opening the shop and turned around to walk back to the counter and everything went black.”

“We showed up,” Scootaloo said as she sat back down. “There was this pony behind the counter...older fellow...and the whole place smelled bad. Then there was this...this thing...”

“Big and blobby. Long arms...ugly looking. Gray...” He shuddered again at the look that pony had given him.

“I...my head hurts...I just...” She rubbed her head and winced. “The Doctor has a lot of enemies. They probably...probably thought coming after me would get his attention...”

He nodded slightly; it made sense. A lot of sense. “Hopefully it worked,” he said, taking a deep breath. “And he's on his way or something.”

As if on some odd cue, there was a knock. There was silence. “Uhm...who's gonna get that?” Scootaloo said, looking between the two of them.

Copper got up and took a deep breath. “Stay at the foot of the stairs and stay out of sight, Scootaloo.”

They moved quickly down the stairs and she stopped at the foot as he moved into the hall. He almost hesitated as he saw through the window. “Oh great...police.” He gave a slight smile and unlocked the door. “Good morning Officers, could I help you with something?”

“Good morning,” one of them said; Copper watched as he removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. “We had reports of something like gun shots in the area.”

Now it was time to act. Copper put on his most confused look. “Gun fire? Is that what that was? Oh dear, I thought that was fireworks or something.”

“Afraid not. So I take it that you heard it?” The officer was looking at him and that was a familiar look Copper had gotten and given often. He didn’t believe a word of it.

“Oh yes. I'm afraid so...”

“Could we come in?” he said, looking in past Copper.

“I would not have any problem with it, but I'm afraid it's not exactly up to me. Not my place, you understand.” There didn't seem to be anything too terribly off. No sense of the feeling.

“Oh yes, we understand.”

The other officer finally spoke. “Isn't this the place run by Roseluck?”

Copper nodded in response. “Oh yes. She's upstairs, having a bit of a lie down. Afraid I surprised her with my visit.”

The officer was writing down everything. “Could I have your name, please?”

“Copper feather. Detective. Well, private Detective, from New York.” They both raised an eyebrow. “I'm on vacation, visiting an old friend.”

“So you'd have no problem with us coming in and looking around?” Copper shook his head and moved off to the side. They both came in. “Would you mind removing your jacket? It's making my partner uncomfortable, considering the circumstances.”

He hesitated and then sighed. “Yes, of course. Though I highly doubt that it will make either of you more comfortable.” He pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto the counter. Thankfully his gun holster was empty, but he already had an excuse ready if they asked about it.

There was silence. “I'm sorry,” the officer said and Copper knew that they were staring at his stub. “How did it happen?”

“The bombing of London. I was stationed here, assisting from the states.” He looked back and he froze.

“Morning Officers.” The pony who had entered showed something to the two officers. “I'll take it from here.”

12: Pair O' Docs

View Online

There was no mistaking it. He looked so different, but the color was similar. And that expression. He knew that expression so well. That look in his eyes. “Doctor...” he breathed. He could hardly believe it. But after a second, he regained his composure. The two officers seemed quite satisfied with what they had seen and the pony watched them go. When he looked back at Copper, he stood up straight. “You are late, Doctor,” he said, folding his arms.

“Mmm and who might you be?” The Doctor moved up to him, looking him up and down.

“I mean honestly.” He did not answer the question as he moved behind the counter. “I don't like to think what would have happened if we'd not intervened. Scootaloo, would you be so kind as to pour the Doctor some tea? There's a lot to discuss. And it still stinks down here.”

“Yeah yeah,” she said as she lowered the gun. “Do you want sugar or something?”

They moved upwards into the room. “Oh yes, two sugars please.”

“I'm very glad that you showed up. Saves us the trouble of looking for you.” Copper moved into the room and sat down on the chair.

“Doctor! You did come.” Roseluck was smiling now.

“Of course. They sent me a personal invitation,” he said as he sat down beside her. His attention turned to Copper. “Well, as you know who I am, could I know who you are?”

“Sorry,” he said, leaning back in the chair. “Not used to people not knowing me.” He cleared his throat. “Copper Feather. Private Detective.”

“So, who hired you to find me, then?” the Doctor said, as Scootaloo returned with the tea tray. She was used to serving tea it seemed.

“No one. This isn't about anything like that.” He took up his now full teacup and took a sip. “Where to start...I find that's always the problem, don't you Doctor?”

“Mmm it is a trouble. But the basics would be nice. Like, why you're here.” He took up his tea as well.

“Ah, simple then.” He took a sip of his tea. “This world and my world-”

“Your world?” Roseluck interrupted and Copper gave her a slight frown.

“Or, my other world I should say. Since I don't think I can rightly leave this one permanently- But I'm getting off topic. The worlds are going to essentially crack apart and shatter. I was told by-” he paused, slightly annoyed. “Damn them for not giving me something to call them by. They said a part of them was the Pony of Gears? It exists here as well I've come to find.”

“Ah...yes...them. Them I know of. So you say that this world and your...other world, are going to break?” He was taking it quite well, as far as Copper was concerned.

“Shatter. They're going to shatter.” Copper sipped his tea. Oddly enough, he was very calm about the situation as well. He guessed it must be the tea.

“The world is going to shatter,” he repeated, taking a sip. Everyone else in the room seemed too stunned to speak.

“Probably the whole universe, reality in its entirety if I were to guess.” There was something about the way he was looking at him that gave Copper the impression he believed every word.

“That is quite a problem then. What exactly did they tell you I could help with?” He was pouring himself another cup of tea and it looked as though Scootaloo had brought out a bowl of sugar cubes.

“They didn't. Honestly they're very unhelpful.” He sipped his tea. He had quite a lot remaining and it was almost getting colder than he'd like.

“Yeah. They're not. I've dealt with the Pony of Gears, who claimed to be an agent of theirs. Unhelpful is an understatement. They do nothing but cause more and more problems.” Copper nodded, relaxing further into the chair. “So. What happened?”

He finished his tea and set the cup down, then steepled his fingers. “Part of it was their fault. Part of it was mine, though it was subconscious and instinctively.” He took took a deep breath, resting his hands beneath his chin. “There's someone in this world, who wants to end it. They wanted my help stopping it. So they tried to pull my soul into this world, putting it into this body. But I fought back. In the other world they gave me power. The power to crack and shatter things... I don't know what the power is, but I used it apparently and created a crack between this world and that.” It was odd expressing his thoughts out loud. It seemed to help him work things out at a faster pace. He should probably do it more often. “And though I've figured out how to switch back and forth and keep myself from switching without my consent...I think the switching back and forth is the problem.”

“Sounds like it,” he said, taking a sip of tea. “Well then...sounds like we need to figure out how to close the cracks you've made.”

Copper nodded. “I haven't been switching since I found out. I wasn't going to until I talked with you and found out your opinion and what you think I should do. From what I understand, you deal with this sort of thing all the time.”

“Quite often. But you can't close it from this side, as you don't have that power.” He stood up suddenly, which made Scootaloo jump and almost point the gun at him, if Copper hadn't grabbed her wrist.

“Easy Scootaloo. Sorry, she's jumpy when she's got a gun.” He pat her on the head and she relaxed. “Lead on Doctor. Since you know what you're doing.”

“Yes, well...what we're going to have to do, is isolate the crack and make it visible from both sides. Which means you need to find your Doctor. Which I assume you know, since you so easily recognize me.”

“Quite so. Though that is quite the problem,” he said as he stood up. “He disappeared. And I've no way of finding him.” He rubbed his face. “No clues. No hints. No nothing. He just...vanished.”

“Ah...yes...I- erm...” He glanced at Roseluck. “I've a habit of doing that. But I'm also good at showing up when I'm needed.”

“When you're not late,” Copper said with a stretch.

“I wasn't late. Not yet. Rose was bait. They weren't going to do anything to her, until they were sure I'd come.” The Doctor moved towards the stairs and they all followed. Roseluck, or Rose apparently, had kept silent.

Though now she wanted to talk. “Where did you go? Honestly, you said you'd be right back and it's been months.”

“Ah, well...right back can mean all sorts of things,” the Doctor explained. “In this case, it meant a few months.”

He opened the door and looked down the street. “I see,” she said as she stared at the ground. Copper knew that look. It was the look of disappointment. But the Doctor seemed to have other things on his mind. Which, honestly, was to be expected at this point.

They didn't go far, before there was something that Copper had not seen at first. It was a large blue thing. “I...what is that?”

Everyone looked at him and then at what he was pointing at. “Oh? That is very interesting,” the Doctor said. “I wonder why she let you see her...” he mumbled.

“It's a police box,” Rose said as they approached, Scootaloo stared at it as though she could just now see what everypony was talking about. “From a long time ago. You used to see them quite a lot, but...not anymore.”

“And why are we going to a police box?” Scootaloo said, staring at it as if daring it to disappear again.

“That,” the Doctor pointed at it. “Is what's going to let us see the rift as it appears.”

“Rift?” Copper said, touching the side of the box. Tenderly. He could swear it had...something. Something. It shuddered. “How interesting...it's a machine.”

Again, everyone stared at Copper. “How-” the Doctor began, but he stopped. “You're quite amazing. Would you like to see inside?”

The sheen in Copper's eye would terrify the average pony. “How could I say no?”

The Doctor opened the door and offered him entrance. And it left him silent. For the first time he was stunned. It was immense. His heart beat heavy in his chest. He could feel it. Feel everything. Feel every ounce of it. Every inch of it. The taste of the air. The smell of it. He had no words. The panel shuddered under his touch. There was feeling there.

And words burned into his head and at last he spoke. “Pony of the Gears That Turn.” The lights dimmed and then everything seemed to turn on at once, lights flashed, things turned and everything went on at once. “I think she likes me.”

“Well that's new,” the Doctor said as he peered around and everything calmed down. “Yes yes. Now just settle down.”

“Doctor. It seems we've moved,” Rose said as she looked out the door.

“Moved? Moved where?” Scootaloo looked out. “Oh bloody hell. Where is this? Africa?”

“Australia I think,” the Doctor said as he looked over their heads.

Everypony but Copper stared outside. “Oh you know more than all of us...don't you...this is the time and the place...you know exactly what you're doing...incredible.” He ran his hand over the console slowly. Deliberately.

“Right now. Stop molesting my ship,” the Doctor said, giving his hand a swat.

Copper chuckled softly, holding up his hands. He had not thought of it that way, but that's what it must have clearly looked like. “Sorry,” he said as he walked outside. He took a deep breath, looking around. This looked like... “Is this the Badlands? Why would I go there? No...it doesn't work like that, does it? No it doesn't...” There was something...speaking to him. “It couldn't...”

“It does.” He was aware of the Doctor beside him. “So, what's next?”

“You don't know?” Copper said, glancing at him.

“Nope. Never done this before. Only know that if this fails, we'll trigger the rifts and they'll probably destroy everything.” He looked back at the ship. “As far as my calculations go.”

“Well, that'd happen anyways if we didn't try. So, who the hell cares if we do it early.” He flexed a bit and heard his neck crack. As well as other parts. He sniffed. “Right then. So we can't see it from this side, but if I do it on that side, it'll show here when I come back. If I come back.”

Scootaloo stood in front of him. “I don't know what's happening...but I know it's not good. Have you ever saved the world before?”

“Just another day for me,” the Doctor said, giving her a smile. “Saving the worlds not all that tough. And I find you get better at it with practice.”

“Well, let's shoot for one and then go for a double later.” There was still the Other to deal with, after all.

The screech of train breaks could snap anyone from a sleep, except for somepony who spent their life around trains. And as much as he would like to, Copper didn't get to spend as much time around trains as he would like and so it woke him. “I need the Doctor,” he said as he stood up.

Everyone looked panicked. “Why do you need a Doctor?” Twilight said hurriedly.

He paused a moment. “Not a. The. The Doctor. Doctor Whooves.” He took deep breaths. The air smelled...what was this. This air was familiar. “Why did we stop? We're not Canterlot.”

“Are we not?” somepony said, moving to the window.

“No. We're a few miles outside Neighagra Falls.” He could smell the water in the air. It had been a while since he had smelled that. He looked out the window, tilting his head. “Welp. Time to go see what stopped us.”

There was a lot of muttering and murmurs as they passed. There was a general consensus that this was his fault, though no one seemed upset. Everypony seemed grateful he was there. “What's going on, Copper?” somepony asked.

“I intend to find out,” he said. With every step there was the clink of his metal hoof. It echoed and everyone paused when it did. He did not bother going to the drivers; instead, he got off the train, walking to the front. Ahead, the track was destroyed.

“Any sign, Mr. Copper Feather sir?” With a glance back, he saw the conductor leaning out of the window.

“I'll go and investigate. If you've locks on your door, lock them now.” He didn't want another blasted train robbery. He walked along the tracks at a fair pace. A glance behind him showed the only ones who followed him were Twilight, Gilda and Chestnut. Honestly he would have preferred none of them. He shook his head. “Well now, let's see what the problem is.”

It was as if the tracks had been removed. A large enough chunk to be noticeable from a large distance. From over a small embankment, the head of a pony appeared. “Ah, just a moment! You're early.” Light glinted off large spectacles.

“I don't bloody believe it. Vinheim, the hay are you doing out here?” Copper dropped down over the embankment. “Jeez you old pony, what in Tartarus are you up to now?”

“Oh! Copper!” He adjusted the large...lenses in front his eyes. “My goodness, what in Equestria are you doing here?”

“Nevermind that,” he said, looking at the...contraption, as that was the most fitting word for it; a large glass jar with quite a lot of things beside it, as well as inside. The rail tracks had been arranged on either side and wires ran from them into the jar. “The hell is this?”

“Ah, you see...this,” he gestured to a large jar, filled with wires. “When the lightning strikes, this will use the railings as a conductor and this will store the lightning! Oh, Copper! Can you imagine the things we can do if we could harness lightning?”

“Yes, I can. Now put the rails back. We're in quite a hurry,” Copper was speaking as though to a child.

Vinheim shifted back and forth. “But...but...lightning, Copper.”

“Train, Vinheim. We had this discussion last time. You cannot procure things that you need just because they're there,” Copper said as he looked at the railings. Just glancing at it he knew immediately that it...it would work. It really could work. It would eventually burn out, or explode, but it could trap it long enough to use it. Just like his shock glove. But lightning...lightning...that gave him ideas. Scary ideas.

“Yeah...but it was so easy. And...” He stomped his hooves again. “Fine. Doctor? Could you assist me?”

From the other side of the device came Doctor Whooves. “Afternoon Copper. Knew I'd find you if I waited long enough. What happened to you?”

“Train wreck. But...find...me...you...” He pointed a hoof accusingly at the Doctor. “You! Where the hell did you go? You went out the window and just...”

“I went out a window?” His brow furrowed slightly. “Doesn't sound like me.”

Words were hard. For the first time, he was without words a second time. But he found them a lot quicker. “You...” Thoughts clicked into place. “Time travel...you...this is...this! This is when you left to find out more information...and...and...” Thoughts continued to click as the Doctor nodded. “You mean to tell me, the only reason we know that it wasn't technically Celestia causing all this and-” he stopped.

“What do you mean, technically not Celestia?” The Doctor moved towards him in a hurry, suddenly fairly serious.

“You didn't...oh Celestia what...this...this is...this is a freaking paradox!” he exclaimed.

“Sh sh. Shush. Shush. Don't bring attention to it.” The doctor looked around quickly. “It's fine as long as you don't bring attention to it.”

“But you-”

“Shush. None of that. What did I just say?” He was in front of him now. “Do. Not. Bring. Attention. To. It. I'm serious Copper. If you listen to anything I say, this one is important.”

His brow furrowed. “Why wouldn't I listen to you? I- oh. Right.” He shifted a bit. “Yeah...sorry about that. I know I was a jerk, but...oh jeez. I don't want to talk to you. But I need you to help me. But...arg.”

“Easy Copper. Just...don't think about it, don't say anything about it. Just...ignore it. Put it out of your mind.” There was a pause. “Why do you need my help?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. “No. Too much needs to be explained and I can't risk any more paradoxes. You need to go back, tell me- er...us...” He sighed. “And then come back here and talk to me.”

The Doctor frowned at him. “Well, all right. Won’t be that easy though...I'm sure there's quite a lot I have to do before I can come back...might take me a few minutes,” he said with a smile.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right. Thank you, Doctor.”

There was a look of confusion on the Doctor’s face. “You called me Doctor.”

“Yeah.” A pause. “Oh right. Just...get going. You'll understand. And just...” He hesitated. But he had to say it. There was no way things could have been otherwise. “My plan...just...go along with it. I knew there was some reason you were so compliant...but...it works.” He hesitated again. “In the end.”

He gave him a quizzical look, but in the end he nodded. “All right. I'll...be right back.” He turned and trotted off.

“What's going on?” Twilight popped over the edge.

“Ah, Twilight. Could you help me? We gotta put the tracks back together,” he said as he clambered up the edge. “Could you, please?”

“Oh. Yes.” Her horn glowed and the tracks lifted up and after a moment set back into place. It only took a few minutes and they all got on the train. All but Copper. Twilight stared at him as he looked back. “What are you doing?”

“I'll meet you there,” he said, staring in the distance.

“You're...you're not coming?” Twilight moved a bit closer.

He shook his head. “I gave my ticket to Vinheim.”

The head of the old pony poked out the window. “These seats have cushions!”

He took a deep breath of the air. Neighagra Falls was quite lovely. There could be worse places to wait. “But I'll catch up.”

“This has something to do with the Doctor, right?” He could tell she was thinking of staying with him.

“Yes, but no. You can't stay.” He took a deep breath.

She actually looked frustrated, staring at him. “But Copper...”

“Nothing to it. This is important. And-” he paused. “Just...” He stared down at the ground. “If...if things start to go bad...” Was he crying? “Tell...tell everyone I'm sorry...there should be...should be enough time...at least for that...” He wiped his face.

“Copper...what's going on?” She was moving closer to him.

“Just...please, get on the train.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe they would actually be safe? He could succeed. Right? “Please.”

He heard the train kick, as the engine began to turn the wheels. “Copper...you better explain later.”

“I will,” he said and then took a deep breath. He stared at the ground and muttered, “If this works...” He took a deep breath. She could not hear him over the train and he could not hear what she said over it either. But the train pulled away and he watched it go off into the distance.

The insanity was ebbing away. There was a familiarity to it all. Tears were also becoming something he was very familiar with. Perhaps it was the years he spent not doing it, trying to catch up with him. He moved down over the ledge again. He slipped and landed in the dirt at the bottom. Here he threw himself a pity party. Sobbing in the dirt.

A line popped in his head from a book he had looked over. It had been in a drawer in his desk. The line had stuck with him and though he did not understand where it came from, or if it applied to ponies here, or just there...but it came to him. “From dust we come and to dust we shall return.” It seemed fitting to lay in the dirt. But at least he stopped crying.

Misery returned. Where had the happiness gone? Where was the bliss of insanity? He did not like the seriousness. “Do you think I find it entertaining?”

“How could you?” he muttered.

“Honestly it beats dying,” he grumbled. “I mean honestly, how many times have I saved our life? We're alive because of me.”

“Yes, I am aware,” he said.

“And you just pushed me down. She pushed me down. But you and I know best, that I get up.”

“But I'm miserable.”

“Miserable and alive. Life is pain. Nothing but pain. Especially for us.”

“But what if I don't want that?!” He slammed his hoof down on the ground as he got up. “I don't want pain. I don't want misery! I want to be happy!”

“And you think I don't?!” The metal hoof crashed into the ground this time. “I want so badly for it to end. I want you to not need me. I don't want to be needed. Don't want to be necessary. I would be more than happy to just live out a peaceful life. To be wanted.”

“Why can't we have it? Why can't we live like we want.” He ground his hoof into the ground, glaring at it. “It's not fair.”

“No. It isn't fair. But who else can do what we do? Who would do it? Shall we simply let the world end so that we can have peace for what little remains?”

He rubbed his face, removing the dirt, or at least as much as he could. “No. We have to...we have to...”

“Save everypony. Yeah. That's what we do best. We save ponies. We do our best to save everypony and hopefully save the world.”

“And then...then what...”

There was a long, drawn out silence as he thought. “Then, we save ourselves.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” the Doctor said and Copper turned. “Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt.”

“I...” He looked at him. There was no hint of a sneer. Not the slightest sign of malice. All that was there was concern. “I have issues.”

The Doctor nodded slowly. “Yes, quite so. But at least you're aware of it. Many have worse issues and deny it. But, you seemed urgent and I came as soon as I was thrown out of the window.” Copper could still see glass fragments in his hair, yet he had not a scratch.

“So that's why you disappeared...I asked you to.”

“Well, you mentioned I vanished, so obviously I had to come. Can't really change the past. Well you can, but in this case I thought it best not to,” he said as he moved into the pit with Copper. “Now...what happened. Short version.”

“Well, Celestia is bedridden-”

“I know that bit. I want to know what happened when you left for the Crystal Empire,” he said, waving his hoof vaguely.

“Pots blew up the train under Burrasca's orders. I spent a bit of time as a hostage. Gilda tried a coup, but Burrasca escaped. I met something in the empire that was hiding in the Crystal Heart, calling itself What is Left.” He took a deep breath. “I found out that I can shatter things. And I...I had a fight with Madam Raven and I used it to try to shatter a spell. Didn't quite work well enough and I injured my leg badly. I still can't figure out-”

“It's called The Shattering,” the Doctor said. Copper gaped at him. “It's...old. Ancient even. Back when there were wars between types of ponies, earth ponies developed a technique for breaking spells using sheer force of will. It's been gone for a long time and I've never heard of a Pegasus being able to use it.”

“The Pony of Gears gave it to me,” Copper said as he took a deep breath again.

“Ah. That explains it. It did have that ability as I remember it...but I don't know how it could pass it on. Maybe...awakened it is more like it.” The Doctor was sitting in front of him. “Very interesting. How did the fight go?”

“I...” He paused a moment. “I think I won? She ran away. And I...shattered her arm.”

He nodded slightly. “So, what was it that you needed my help with?”

“Ah. Well, you interrupted me before I could get to that part. Not that it wasn't important and you'll have to tell me more, but...well, you know about the Other?”

He nodded slightly, frowning. “Yes...always trying to destroy worlds. Had a couple run ins.”

“Well, whatever it is that fights the Other...pulled me into another world.” And so he explained. He told him everything that he thought was relevant, which wasn't a lot of it.

“That...” He paused and nodded slightly. “Yes...I think I understand. Come with me. If you can program the Tardis there, then you can do it here.” The Doctor stood up and began walking.

Copper followed him, watching him. “The Tardis? Is that what she's called?”

He glanced back at him and nodded. “Yes. And she's right over here.”

It was the same. Somehow, it was the exact same box. He moved up to it, unable to stop. Did it exist throughout all realities as the same entity? Or were they just similar in these two? It shuddered at his touch. “Hello again...” he whispered. “You feel like an old friend...”

“Please do not flirt with my box,” the Doctor said and once again Copper realized that is what it looked like he was doing. He laughed as he went inside. It was so odd. Did the Doctor feel threatened by him? He had an odd feeling that the Tardis cared more for the Doctor than he could possibly imagine. Some sort of deep affection that surpassed love.

“Perhaps I will feel that way about somepony someday and they for me...” he said as he ran a hoof over the console. It shuddered once again under his touch.

“What?” The Doctor closed he door.

Copper cleared his throat and smiled at the Doctor. Or perhaps, he smirked. “Now, I must molest your ship.”

The Doctor gave him a very, very confused look. “That is one of the oddest things anypony has ever said to me.”

“I've heard stranger...” he said as he ran his hoof slowly and deliberately over the console once more. Lights flickered and the entire thing shuddered. Someday, he would like to know more about it. More about the Tardis. But he felt he would never live long enough to discover it all. Or be allowed to, with the look the Doctor was giving him. “Should be there now. Deep in the badlands.”

The Doctor gave him a quizzical look as they both went outside. “How did you know?”

“It's where she chose,” he said as he moved away from the Tardis, to what he was sure was the exact spot he had stopped. “I've no idea how this will go. But here goes...everything.”

It was a rift between worlds, a large split in the air. And through it he saw himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself, looking at himself.

His mind was there, yet it was over there. In two. One in two. Two taking one. Two fighting for one.

Then it was over and he was looking at himself. “Detective.”

“Negotiator.” The Negotiator was bothered that he had to look up to look at himself and the Detective was bothered that he had to look down in order to look at himself.

“This is weird,” the Negotiator said.

“Quite so,” said the Detective.

“What now, Doctor?” Said the Negotiator.

“Close it,” they both said. Which they then stared at each other. “Doctor,” they said in tandem, with a nod.

The Negotiator looked at the stunned face of Scootaloo. He had to say it. He pointed a hoof at the Detective. “Be quiet and let me speak.” He knew what he was going to say. “Scootaloo...” She straightened up. He took in a deep, shaky breath before he spoke, “I will be with you every day. But I will miss you terribly. Every day, I will miss everything about you. You are the daughter I always wanted. The daughter I will never have. And I will always love you.” She was crying. That had not been his intent, but he had to say it. He was sure he was crying as well. “I will never leave you. And I will always miss you.” He pointed his metal hoof at the rift. All it took was a twist.

Snap.

“That was abrupt,” the Doctor said.

Copper went to say something to him, but he could see the faint glisten in his eyes of tears being fought. “I had to get it over with...I could feel it widening...”

“It was long enough,” he said softly.

Copper looked at the faint line in the air as it slowly dissipated. “Yes. Long enough.” Just as a test, he tried to move back. It didn't work. He took a deep breath and moved back to towards the Tardis. “Time to go home...”

The Doctor moved into the Tardis ahead of him, taking a deep breath. “Yes, I do believe it is time to go home...”

The door snapped shut behind Copper, nearly catching his tail. “Ah! Hey now.” He looked up, glaring vaguely up, at what he wasn't sure. “No need for that now.”

The Doctor looked up from what he was doing at the console and then back down. “Oh she's just being playful now. Be glad she let you get your tail in.”

He frowned slightly as he sat down. “That's naughty.”

“That's what I say,” the Doctor said with a chuckle. And then the Tardis shook.

There was a moment of silence and then he looked outside. “Oh. Canterlot. Perfect.” He looked at the Doctor, smiling.

“Yes yes, now, out. I have business,” he said with a smile. “Things to do. Lives to save.”

Copper gave him an odd look, but he slowly stepped back out of the Tardis. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

The Doctor smiled back at him and nodded. “Yes. Thanks for not splitting the world apart.”

He laughed and moved back. “Yes. Quite happy about not doing that.” The Doctor waved and then the door seemed to...hesitate. Copper hesitated, too. “We'll meet again.” He pressed his hoof against the Tardis and ran it downward slowly. “I will miss such a beautiful machine.” It shuddered and the door snapped shut. It vanished with quite an interesting noise as it faded in and out, until it was gone. “A machine that can be embarrassed...a machine with a soul...”

There was a noise behind him and he turned. He was at the train station and there was a train coming. No...I couldn't be... But as it came in and came to a stop. “I just don't understand-” Twilight stopped.

“Told you I'd meet you here,” Copper said, smiling at her. Time travel was odd. “Even managed to beat you here.”

“I...how is this even...” Chestnut hugged him. She actually hugged him. Had she ever hugged him before?

“Don't you ever do that again...Twilight came back in tears...we all thought...” She stood in front of him. A hoof to the side of the face is never pleasant. Copper remembered his observation on Chestnut a long time ago, that she could hit hard and he was quite right.

He rubbed his cheek. “I deserve that, I think...but...I wasn't sure if it was going to work.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was either going to save the world from breaking apart, or make it happen sooner.” There was silence. “That's the short end of the stick, anyways. But it worked. So everything's fine.” He was still rubbing his cheek.

“Glad it all worked out,” Gilda said, looking around. He wondered if she'd ever been to Canterlot. Probably not.

“Quite,” he said with a smile. “Now then. I believe I need to talk to Chrysalis.” He breathed deep, as if he could somehow smell her in the air, or catch something of her.

“You should see Princess Celestia first,” Twilight said sternly.

He looked at her and hesitated. “You're...you're right...Celestia first...” He rubbed his face. Hopefully he could keep from crying this time.

13: Discussions

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How long had he been staring at the door? He couldn't be sure. Some time alone, is what Twilight had told him. Told him. He knew that. He knew that they should speak in private, but for her to say something like that...yet he was just...staring. She probably knew he was there. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He was keeping her waiting. Wasting her time.

Yet still he stood. How long would he stand? How long would he keep her waiting? Why was he making her wait? There wasn't any point to it. He slowly pushed open the door to Celestia’s hospital room. Perhaps she would be sleeping. “Copper...” Her voice was so soft. Softer then he could ever remember it being.

He looked at her. She was smiling at him. But this time, there were no tears in his eyes, though his heart felt heavy. He had acted such a fool, thinking everything would be fine. “Celestia-” he paused and took a deep breath. “Princess Celestia. You wanted to see me?”

Her smile widened more. “Yes.” He was drawn towards her. He couldn't help it.

He sat down beside the bed. It was so apparent to him, so close to her now, “You look so much better.”

“I feel it.” Her smile seemed to widen. “It is so good to see you.”

He had to admit it, “As it is to see you.” He got comfortable where he sat, he felt like he would be there a while. “What was it you wished to speak with me about?”

She shifted in order to get closer to him. It was so comforting just to have her close. “Oh there is much to discuss,” she said smiling, getting more comfortable. “Firstly. Twilight wrote me.”

“Oh boy,” he said with a sigh. He stood up and moved onto the bed, laying down quite nonchalantly. It was going to be a long day and if he was going to be lectured he was going to be comfortable.

She was still smiling at him. “She holds you quite highly. Though I do believe it is because I do.”

“I'm sure that has influenced it...” He shifted onto his side so that he could lay and look at her. He didn't want to stop looking at her. Here there was comfort. Here there was some kind of sanity. In her face. In her eyes. He could still taste the insanity, but here it was quelled.

“She said that you went to see Her,” she said smiling. “And had an interesting time.”

“Mother...” he mumbled.

She nodded knowingly. “Oh yes. She has adopted you.” She was smiling even more at him. “It has been some time since she has done such a thing...it makes me glad that the Snow Queen has found someone to dote on. Even if I do not approve of her methods...”

Snow Queen. She called her the Snow Queen. So few did that. “Her methods?”

“She is powerful. How powerful, I don't know. Perhaps more than I.” She laid down as well, looking at him. “She is older than I. Older than Equestria. Some say that she was the first.” She shifted a bit to get comfortable.

Copper gave her a pillow and almost hit her with it in the process. “The first what?”

She smiled as she laid her head upon the pillow. “The first unicorn. First of the kind.” Copper stared at her. “Glorious...and always so...”

“Lovely...”

Her smile was so sincere. “Yes. And she took you. She took much.”

“She gave more.” He would always defend her.

Celestia nodded slowly. “Yes. She gave you more. More than you know.” Copper's brow furrowed. “Oh? You have not realized?”

He frowned at her. “Realized what?”

“Oh my dear Copper.” She smiled at him and the longer he looked, the larger it got. “You have a new title.”

He continued to frown at her. “I was unaware. Would you care to enlighten me?”

She raised her head and cleared her throat. “Allow me to enlighten you, Prince Copper Feather.”

He could not frown more. His mouth could not physically frown further. It annoyed him that he was incapable of showing more distaste for the current situation. “Don't you dare.”

She laughed. He had never heard her laugh before...it was as she was: beautiful and regal. But yet, it surprised him. It did not seem like the laugh she would have. But he had thought she was incapable of laughter, as not so long ago he thought himself. But now she laughed. She laughed at him and it softened his expression.

“I do not want to be a prince.”

It took a while for her laughter to subside into giggles. “Yes, well...you are. Adopted, yes. But still a prince. Not by blood, but by magic.”

His brow furrowed as he stared at her. “A prince by magic?” There was a slight pause. “As Twilight is?”

“Yes. Though it is different. Twilight Sparkle ascended to her position. You were brought into it. As far as the Snow Queen is concerned, you are her child. No one would oppose her claim to motherhood, for fear of her wrath.” He nodded slowly and she smiled at her. “Copper, you are a prince now. But I know you do not want the title, so I will not speak of it.”

“Thank you,” he said as he relaxed back into the bed. It was one of the most comfortable he had ever been in. “I have enough titles.”

She continued to smile at him. “Now then. On the subject of what happened in the North... Please, tell me of this.” Her hoof touched his metal limb. He could not feel it, but knew it was gentle. Concerned.

“I fought with Madam Raven. My injury was due to my anger and inability to control the power that I was given.” Her look was one wishing for him to continue. “The Doctor called it The Shattering.”

Her hoof was withdrawn. “That...is powerful magic. Ancient magic.”

He sat up slightly. “So you know of it? The Doctor did not explain it well enough I think...”

“I would expect him to not,” she said with a sigh. She knew the Doctor...that somehow did not surprise him. “Where he could tell you exactly what it was, I can only tell of what I have found. All of the books have been destroyed. As far as I know, I had the last copy and it-” she paused, looking at him. He saw the sorrow in her eyes. “It was destroyed when I was young.”

“I know it is something used by Earth ponies.” He felt he must give her a place to start.

She nodded. “Yes...to defend against the unicorns. Stories tell that it was a brutal time. I wish I knew more of it, to be more helpful...but all I know, is it was used to kill unicorns.” Her smile waned. “And it was the unicorns who took the power away. That's all I knew of it.”

Copper nodded slightly and let the silence fall. It lasted for several minutes as they both thought. But it was Copper who broke the silence, which for some reason felt odd to him. “When I went to mother, Madam Raven was there...”

Her head tilted to the side. “Yes.”

“She...” He paused, looking at Celestia. “She was there, looking for Sombra.”

Now her smile was gone completely and she looked almost sad. “Yes...I would expect that.” She took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “Do not be angry with her. But Sombra sought her out. It was there he learned the power of crystals.”

“I...don't see...” She held up a hoof. Had she ever silenced him?

“The Snow Queen saw him as her child, but she saw the darkness within him. We came to help and we fought. We won, but barely. She had to cut him from his power, so she did...something. Even I am not sure and she sealed away the Crystal Empire. Without its power, he was no match for us and she struck him down. But no mother could finish her own child.” She wasn't looking at him now. Words came back to mind. Not the Crystal Heart. And not her. “She took him and hid him. She has told me she hoped he would come to his senses, but he escaped her...and I was weakened by the battle with Discord. I could not stop him...” She looked to be fighting back tears. “I couldn't stop him. Not then. Not before...”

“Before?” That seemed very important. Too important to be left alone.

“You must understand. Copper...he was not always like that...he was...” Her eyes were slightly glazed, as if she was looking far away. “He was my friend. I trusted him...and he betrayed me. Betrayed us all.”

Her. Not the Snow Queen... Celestia. He was worried Celestia would come for him. Then there was a feeling he didn't have everything...something was missing. Something so important that he had to know. He had to know now. “Who is Sombra?”

“He came back from her...changed. He delved too deep into the darkness of magic...too far...” She had not answered him. She could not hear him from wherever she was.

“Celestia.” He actually snapped at her and she looked at him. “Who is Sombra.”

Her mouth opened to speak and then she turned away. She took a deep breath. “You must swear that what I tell you, shall not leave this room. You cannot tell anyone. Not yet.”

There was hesitation. He was actually hesitant to promise her. He had made many promises and kept them all. But this...he could not say no. “I promise. I will tell no one.”

She sagged and laid her head on the pillow he had given her. “Sombra Starswirl.”

Part of the world Copper knew collapsed. “I...” He stared at her, trying to think.

“I don't know what happened to make him change. He would not tell me. He returned and he was...so different. But he was sane...and then one night...he wasn't.” Copper could tell it was difficult for her to speak of this. “Luna and I are the only ponies who know who he was...and now, you do as well.”

Once again, there was silence. It was a harsh silence. The kind that made one feel deaf. Then Copper spoke. “When I was in the empire, something spoke to me. It...it felt like him. But only so...so slightly, I did not think it was possible...” He looked at her and she was staring at him. “It didn't know what it was. It just kept saying that it was what is left.”

She was silent for a while and then nodded. “He cast out the parts of him that he didn't want, or thought he didn't need...things like regret. Fear. Kindness. He knew of their existence, but could not destroy them, because they took shelter in the Crystal Heart. If it came out, it means it sensed you had destroyed the rest of it.”

“But I thought...that Som- he, was still alive?”

“Not the part of him that you hit. The Shattering breaks magic. That is all that Sombra was at that point.” Her smile finally came back, though it was small. “He lives through what was left. The parts of him that he did not want.”

“And you knew this?” It made a lot of sense. “You spun words to make me think he was still a threat-”

“He could be. Our enemy is vast and what is left of him is still very powerful,” she said softly. Soothingly. “Please, Copper. I had my reasons. Most of all you needed to see the Empire. See what the goal of our enemy is. It was not just some personal obsession. They need it. But I do not know why...”

“I have a few ideas...” he said with a sigh. “Madam Raven. Using her powers...I don't want to think of what she could do with it...”

There was a general nod of agreement to this, followed by a silence as the both of them laid there. After a while, Celestia smiled at him and tapped his metal leg once again. “So, tell me of this. I have always found your devices so interesting.”

Copper smiled. “Well, it could be considered an artificial limb, but it's got quite a lot of different things going for it. It's correcting the damage, rebuilding the muscle slowly. The magic had done a lot of damage to the leg, all the way to the bone.”

“Twilight Sparkle had not mentioned it, so I was curious,” she said, smiling. Things seemed to have shifted back to something more resembling normal.

“She probably sent the letter before I did it.” He shifted slightly, lifting the leg up. “It'll be a long time before I can take it off. It can't be removed without quite a lot of work.”

Her head laid back onto the pillow. “You never cease to amaze me. You came up with this all on your own?”

“Well, no.” He stared at the limb a moment. “Most of it was based off of something that I'd seen...but, correcting my walk isn't the only thing, it's also going to be used for physical defense.” He bent and twisted his leg. Shing.

Her eyes went wide as she stared. “Goodness. The intimidation factor of that alone will detour most ponies.”

He stared at it and then sighed. “I'm not worried about ponies...” Shnikt. “Mostly I'm worried about situations where I will be forced to use it...I...I did it for selfish reasons and part of me regrets it...” he said with a sigh as he laid back down.

Her head tilted slightly to the side. “Selfish reasons? You are one of the least selfish ponies I have ever seen.”

“I did it to see if I could.” He paused. “To prove that I could. Prove that I was as good as, if not better.”

“Better than who?”

He hesitated as he looked at her. “I'm bad at telling stories...I never know where to start...”

She smiled at him. “Well, just start from the beginning. There's a lot I'd like to know about you, Copper. I know so much, but next to nothing of what you've done in recent time.”

So he told her. He went back to that day when they sat in the meeting room. The day he retired. He told her of everything he could remember. Perhaps he should have left out some of the personal thoughts on her, but those had changed and he pointed that out. She simply listened, smiling quietly and asking the occasional question, or reminding him of things. He hardly noticed when food was brought in. It ended with his hesitation outside the room before he had come in.

It was morning. “I am sorry that you have had it so difficult,” Celestia said softly. “No pony should have to go through a fraction of what you have done.”

All he did was shrug in response. “What of Chrysalis?” It had been bugging him ever since he had spoken of her. He wanted to be with her now.

“She is doing quite well. She seems happy, though not content.” Copper nodded; he expected as much. “We have worked out details of an alliance and changelings are free to move about Equestria as they wish, without fear of being hunted or hindered any more than any other pony.”

“Good,” he said and slowly moved from the bed. “I think I've been away from her long enough...”

As he walked to the door, she smiled at him. “She may not say it...but she has missed you.”

“Rest well, Princess,” he said as he closed the door behind him. Of course she would say that, but the question was whether Copper believed it or not. Honestly, he wanted to. He walked slowly down the hall; with every step, there was a clink.

He was in the main hall again. The first thing he noticed was that they had not replaced his mural. The second thing was the large amount of ponies. The third thing he noticed...was Chrysalis. And she was Chrysalis. No longer disguised as Celestia. He had missed quite a lot apparently. Then he started to look at the faces in the crowd. They were all familiar...diplomats. “Ah, Copper. I had heard you were here in Canterlot.” It was Amira.

“Good morning,” he said, looking up at the horse.

“I almost did not recognize you. You have changed quite a lot.” She had the air of somepony who was desperate for something to do. Especially if she was being pleasant with him.

“I'm guessing you never passed my letters to Safanad.” To Copper, it looked like she stopped breathing, staring at him. “Thought not. I had thought it odd she didn't reply...but I suppose you can't reply to letters you don't receive- Ah, and look. There she is now.”

Amira spun around in a panic, but of course, she wasn't there. “What?” This is a meeting of diplomats. Of course she would not be there.

“Perhaps I'll deliver them to her myself when I get the chance,” he said as he walked past her. “I know you convinced her. I know you set everything up, but it's fine. Water under the bridge, as the saying goes. Forgiven, forgotten.” He gave her a smile and he actually enjoyed the look of panic on her face. “Good morning,” he said as he walked away.

Conversation died away as he walked. It got quiet, until the only sound was the clink of his hoof and the whispers. Chrysalis watched him as he walked. Chestnut moved up beside him as he made his way across the room. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine,” he said as he smiled. Seeing Chrysalis, even at this distance just made his heart...race.

“Liar,” she said, frowning at him. She was trying to get in front of him and block his path, but he was having none of that.

“I'm fine. Now...I would like to speak with Chrysalis.” He was almost to her now. So close.

“She is in a mood,” Chestnut hissed, partially blocking him, slowing him slightly.

“Oh? And what mood would that be?” he said, looking at her, finally breaking eye contact with Chrysalis.

“A strange one,” she said, still frowning at him.

But he continued on and stopped in front of Chrysalis. “Copper,” she said with a smile once he was closer. “So good of you to finally come see me.”

“Queen Chrysalis,” he said, smiling and giving a bow. It made him happy to see her. Just to see her made him feel better. That made him feel pathetic. “You are doing well, I hope?”

“Oh yes.” She looked out at the crowd. He couldn't help but notice that the door behind her was the one the Doctor had used to get behind the Sombra Celestia thing. He needed to work out what to call that combination in his head. Yet he couldn't help see Sombra in a new light now...especially now. “Are you all right?” There was concern in her voice.

“I'm fine.”

“Liar,” she said, slightly frowning at him. That was twice he had been called that now. She was trying to tower over him, trying to intimidate him. He thought it cute.

“I'm fine.” He paused. “Now. There was a long time I wasn't, but I'm fine now,” he said as he smiled at her. But still she gave him that look. She glanced at his metal hoof. “It's to help me walk. Eventually I'll be able to walk again, maybe without a limp, but I couldn't without this.”

“So you're not fine,” she said as she sat down.

“I'm as fine as I've been in a while. Better now.” He couldn't help but smile at her.

“Chestnut seems to think otherwise,” she said as she folded her arms in front of her. That was a familiar stance.

He looked back at her, trying not to glare. “Does she now?”

There was an “eep” from the the bottom of the stairs. “Uhm...”

“Leave her out of this. You have a lot of explaining to do.” She was still giving him that look and trying to tower over him.

“You're trying to pick a fight and I'm just going to sit here, and think about how much I missed you,” he said with a smile as he sat down.

Now her look changed to a mixture of embarrassed and flustered. “You...”

“Yes, me,” he said, still smiling at her. If he could keep her flustered, she'd stop being angry, or get angrier. He was still trying to learn her little quirks. How she reacted to certain situations and reacted to him. It was different than anything he'd done before. “Me. I'm here.”

Her face scrunched slightly. “You are such...” She sighed, unfolding her arms now. Then she seemed to snap back to normal. “Either way...I'm glad you're here.”

That had not been something he had expected and it caused him to raise his guard further. She was trying to trip him up now. “Oh?” What is she playing at now? “And why would that be?”

Her face turned to a slightly malicious, yet soft grin. “Oh dear Copper...your love, of course.” Of course.

“I am sure you have plenty now. Things seem to have gone quite well for changelings...standing out in public. In Princess Celestia's spot no less,” he said as he shifted slightly to get more comfortable. He could feel the heat of the dozens of ponies in the room on his back, staring at them.

“Oh I must admit it does have its perks. Apparently I have admirers. Me,” she said as she grinned. “I can feel their adoration...it's quite satisfying. But none compare to you. All that compressed love...I barely sunk my teeth into it.”

Keep the subject off of him. “What does this treaty entail? You are temporarily in control while she is ill and your changelings are free to roam and live?” He was truly interested. Considering the amount of changelings he was fond of.

“Oh, this and that,” she said as she waved a hoof around vaguely. “Celestia seemed immensely concerned with all that Sombra had done while in control.” She referred to it as Sombra...that was interesting. A small detail that showed she truly didn't blame Celestia. “She's tormenting herself over it. Honestly, it's quite satisfying. Though it would have to be more her fault for me to feel truly pleased. I do hope you make Sombra suffer.”

She had confidence in him. “That Sombra is dead.” She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “The Sombra responsible for all of the atrocities, is dead. Dead and gone.”

“But you speak as though-” she stopped as she saw the many faces around. “Something for later, I suppose.” She sighed softly, shaking her head. “The secrets you keep from me, Copper...for shame...” She grinned.

The room recoiled. That was a look she saved for special occasions. He had been treated to it on occasion. “Careful with that.” He didn't so much as flinch. “We're in public.”

“Oh there it is,” she said as she moved towards him. “There's the playfulness that I like...there's the Copper I want.”

The weeks had changed her. Time ruling ponies had changed her. “That's it?”

She stopped, a confused look on her face. “That's what?”

“That's all you want?” he said as he looked back behind him at the room. There were maybe a hoof full of ponies that he didn't know. “You just want a plaything.” He had been a plaything before...not out of choice.

Brutality. That was what she was known for. Murderer. Ruthless. Heartless. Any sort of negative word could be used to describe her. But this was many years ago. Years before her true colors came to light. Before Copper.

Copper always hated balls. The crowded pressure and the feeling that he could not see any attackers coming. So he sat and he drank with Lady Evale. Ever since that day, the day Lers died, he had felt her to be something that he could talk to. Mostly to get away from Horsh. “I shtill don't shee why you blame yourshelf,” she said, smiling. She had had perhaps a bit too much. Or not enough, according to her. “Honeshtly everything'sh going fabuloushly.”

“Only because I'm here.” He had not had very much to drink. “When I leave, mark my words, things will be different.”

“Look around,” she swung her drink around, gesturing at the room. Copper was amazed she could do that and not spill any. Perhaps she was not as drunk as he thought she was. “Nopony here would dare. Not when you could sho eashily...come back.”

He had to admit it, she had a point. “Yeah...” He took another drink. Tomorrow he would head back to Canterlot. He wondered where Celestia would send him next? He missed seeing her light...

“Ah. Look. Here she ish. Late ash ushual.” Lady Evale chuckled as Copper watched the figure approach. The crowd parted well before her, but he noticed it did not close behind her. As if she left something behind...then he felt it. He felt the pressure, from clear across the room. She was hardly in the door...and yet here it was. Her presence pushing its way at him.

She was heading straight for them and gave Copper quite the smile when she had made her way there. Everything seemed to move slowly around her. Sound was softened. “Copper Feather. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Copper blinked. This was a griffon unlike he had ever seen. “I, am Madam Raven.” The shine of her black feathers, black beak, black claws...red eyes... Copper had only heard rumors of magical griffons.

“Ah...pleasure to meet you as well. Though I'm afraid I was not informed of you coming,” he said as he looked over at Lady Evale.

Lady Evale giggled. “Oh come now Copper. I have to keep shome shurprishes, yeah?”

“My dear Evale, you have had too much, I think.” As she spoke, the glass pulled from Lady Evale's claws and set down upon the table beside them.

Copper felt the words bubbling, that he had told her that and was about to say them, but something pushed them down. “So, Madam Raven, what has caused you to go through the trouble of looking for one such as I?”

“Oh come now Copper.” She took a seat down at the table, as Lady Evale simply stared at the drink, which was just out of reach. “The pony who practically single hoofedly removed any question to the proposed treaty? What kind of griffon would I be if I did not seek you out. I wanted to know what sort of pony could do such a thing.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I do not consider it single hoofedly.” But she waved vaguely, dismissing that thought. “Well then...what do you think? Am I what you thought?”

“Oh not at all,” she said with a slight laugh. That laugh would stick to Copper for the rest of his life, he knew it then. It was the kind of laugh that felt so odd to hear, so unique that no words could describe it. “Much, much more.”

That caused him to smile, though he did not know why. “How kind of you.”

“Well, it is such a sight to see a pony reach such a degree.” She put her elbows on the table and steepled her clawed fingers, looking over them at him. “I must admit, I share Evale's interest in ponies. Though for other reasons...”

Copper raised a brow, glancing at Lady Evale. He knew quite well her interest...though he had refused. That sort of thing didn't interest him. “What sort of interest?”

“All in good time,” she said as she leaned back. Copper watched as three drinks floated to the table. “Come now, join me.”

It was a pleasant night. Madam Raven was quite interested in the treaty and asked quite a lot of questions. Copper knew it backwards and forwards. It was all public knowledge, so there was no problem telling her anything.

Then she asked of his travels. Many of those he could not speak of, but he told her of the more harmless ones. Sometime throughout the night, it seemed the party ended. Overall, he had enjoyed the interaction. Madam Raven seemed pleasant, if not a little aloof. He matched her attitude with his own.

Finally the conversation turned to Copper's questions. “What sort of magic can you do?”

“Oh many different kinds,” she said with a smile. “Though my best is healing. I can heal most anything.”

His thoughts instantly went to his wing and his heart almost skipped a beat. “Healing, really? How good?”

“The best, I'm told. Though I'm afraid old wounds don't work.” She was apparently thinking the same thought. “It's only fresh wounds that work. Had I been there when your wing was removed, or when it was still-” she hesitated and took a drink. “Bleeding...I would have been able to grow another.”

“Fresh wounds...that's quite interesting...” He said and that was honest. It made sense that wounds would heal better when they were fresh, before they had time to try and heal naturally. “So I guess Lady Evale's idea for our meeting is not going to work.” Lady Evale had left quite a while ago.

“Ah, no. It was not her idea for our meeting,” she said, still smiling at him. There was something unnerving about that smile.

“It wasn't? So you merely wished to meet me?”

She shook her head slowly. “Oh no. It's much more than that.”

There was the feeling. The feeling of everything going wrong. Of the world falling apart. He had no weapon. He was defenseless. And she had magic. “And...” He swallowed. “What more could there be?”

She grinned at him. “I need a new plaything.”

When consciousness had returned, he felt pain. Cuffs that cut into his legs. All he had seen was her finger twitch and then he was out. “Blasted magic...”

“You asked me...” His eyes rose to look at Madam Raven. “What sort of interest I had in ponies...” She was quite close to him.

“I-” he winced at the pain in his legs. “I did...”

Her tongue ran along her beak and Copper couldn't help but notice it was black. “It is because I love how they taste.”

It took every ounce of will he could muster to bring himself back. Bring himself away from that. He found he was staring at the mural of Chrysalis being defeated. It looked nothing like her. “Oh Copper...you knew what this was when you accepted.”

He took in a deep breath. He had locked those memories far away, but apparently they had brought themselves back. “Yes, because I thought it was more.”

“Oh? Really?” She was smirking at him. He knew she was. “What more did you think it would be?”

“You needed me. But I had hoped that eventually, you would want me. Even when you no longer needed me.” As he spoke, his heart was racing. He had been running it through his head over and over again.

“Need, or want...doesn't matter,” she said softly. She was quite close to him now.

He turned slowly to look at her. Those large green eyes staring at him. “It matters to me.”

She laughed and looked around the room. “Don't you see, Copper? It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore. I'm in power. I'm in control. Do you think you could stop me?”

There was silence as he stared at her. “No. I couldn't.” Silence. She stared at him. “I couldn't if I wanted to. Not if I put every ounce of me into it. I could not try.”

Her grin grew wider. “You are the only one who could possibly stand a chance...and you say you could not?”

“I would not. I probably could, were the situation different. But I love you too much.”

There was hesitation, before she regained herself and laughed again. “Oh this is perfect...not even your love of Celestia could help you?”

“I adore her,” he said and he saw the twinge that hit her; that little flicker of jealousy. “I would do all I could for her. But I love you.”

She stared at him, her face impassive. Until it turned into a grin. “What game are you playing now?”

“No game.” Her grin faded. “I love you. Plain and simple. I may care for Celestia. But if given the choice...” His heart was beating harder and harder. “I would choose you over her.”

“I could take the kingdom,” she said as her grin returned. “You won’t do anything you could do stop me. Twilight could not stop me. Those other two are too far away...it's all mine now.”

“You could, but you won’t,” he said. He felt weak in front of her.

She looked down at him. “Why not?” She laughed.

“Because of me,” he said, his voice quite soft.

“Oh? Do you think so highly of yourself? Do you think that I think so highly of you? That I would simply not do something, because you...what, ask me not to?” She was smirking down at him.

“No.” He was staring back up at her. “You're not going to do it, because of me. Because I don't want you to. And you don't really want to.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly on him. “What makes you think I don't want to, hm?”

“Because you haven't. You could have, but you've not. You know, you knew, that I would not try to stop you...” It was so hard to talk and look at her, but he did not want to look away. “You've had so many opportunities...” He actually felt himself smile. “You've not done it, because of me. You know how I adore Celestia and you do not want to hurt me. Despite everything...despite all your words...and your lack of words...I know, that you love me.”

“Me? Love you?” she said, her smirk increasing. “What makes you think that?”

“I have to believe that you love me. Even though I can't explain it, I know you do.” It felt odd doing this in front of such an audience, but it was best to have an audience of more than just changelings.

“So you simply have the feeling that I love you. You want me to love you?” she said with a laugh. “Oh Copper, so naive...”

“No...I don't know for certain,” he said and then took a deep breath. “But I know how to find out.” It was now or never. He knew how to do it, but the question now, was it worth it? If he was wrong, he would lose her. If he was right, it could break her. But he had to know. No more guessing. No more assuming.

“And how, pray tell, are you going to find out?” Her smile was now a grin.

“By saying a few words.” His heart was beating so hard that he felt like it was going to burst from his chest. Or explode. It was almost deafening.

“What words?”

14: Inability to Relax

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“Will you marry me?” Four words, that would answer every question he had. Every last question. Cast away every last drop of doubt. The answer would all depend on how she responded. He sat and prepared himself for any inevitability. Yet her action still caught him off guard. He knew immediately that she had held back, but even so, as she knocked him to the floor, he felt as though she had broken his jaw.

He stared blankly at the stone floor. “You bastard,” she said and he heard the anger in her voice. “You can't just...ask that! You can't just ask me that! Where do you get the nerve? Who do you think you are?”

It was one of the responses that he had thought she might say. “I'm the one who loves you,” was all he could manage to respond. He could feel the pain in his chest. Was this what heartbreak was?

“You can't just...ask that!” she repeated. “I am a queen. You must have...tact. You cannot simply ask. Just...assume.” Something about her tone of voice seemed wrong for the harshness she was forcing. So he looked up at her, looked up and watched as the tears cascaded down her face. It was odd. He had never seen her cry before and quite frankly, had assumed she could not. Though she had mentioned that as a child, she wept. Wept for the flowers and her home as it withered. And yet, he could see the smile.

“I'm not known for being very romantic,” he said as he slowly got back up, rubbing his jaw. “I feel tact is something completely different.” He had never had any experience with true romance. Not before Chrysalis had come into his life. He had entertained the thought of it on occasion, but had not had much of a chance to employ any sort of romantic skill he might have. “It felt like now, or never. I had planned something more tactful...but I was worried I would have lost my nerve...”

“You?” she scoffed. “You? Lose your nerve? The great Copper Feather? How absurd.” He was ignoring the voices behind him, focused only on her. “You are such a liar.”

“Yes, I am a liar. But I'm your liar.” He somehow managed to smile despite the pain in his jaw. “I will always be your liar. And that is why I'm asking...will you marry me?”

“I don't see how I could say no at this point,” she said as her smile grew. “That would be very tactless. Almost to your extent.”

“Yes, but it is assumed no, until you say otherwise.” That caused her to pause. He had trapped her with words. He made it obvious that she would lose him if she said no, or said nothing.

“Then my answer is yes.” Now his heart soared. It had almost broken mere moments ago, but now he felt invincible. “I will marry you.” Her expression, for the first time in a very long time, was soft. “Now...come. Sit beside me.” She grinned slightly as she wiped her face. “You make these ponies nervous and I like that.”

“As you wish,” he said with a bow. “My queen.” He moved and sat beside her, looking out over the ponies. It had not been the proposal he had had in mind...but he could not stop himself. The moment was too perfect. And he could not help but make a show of it. “You didn't have to hit me,” he said, rubbing his cheek again.

“Honestly I wasn't sure what else to do.” There was a smirk on her face. “Besides, you've had worse.”

“That's not the point...I'm lucky I still have teeth after a blow like that,” he said and she laughed. “Honestly. First Chestnut hits me and then you.” He cleared his throat and stared out at the room. “Anyone else wanna take a swing at me?” he asked, quite innocently. Chrysalis put a hoof over her mouth. “No? Then...” he waved a hoof in a shooing gesture. “Back to your little consort thingy. Do...diplomatic stuff, or whatever.” He noticed how none, or at least not a noticeable amount of them, had left.

Then he spotted Chestnut, who was staring at him. From this distance he could tell it was a look of shock and horror, though how much of either one he couldn't tell. And beside her...Twilight. He had forgotten she was around. How would she react to this? What words would she have for him? Then he noticed what was beside her. It was like a large fish tank on wheels. And inside it, was Jeta. The little seapony that he cared for most. “It seems they want your attention,” Chrysalis said in a soft, soothing tone.

“I...I will be right back,” he said as he made his way down the stairs. He purposefully avoided Chestnut and Twilight, going straight for Jeta. Out of the three of them, she was the only one who seemed happy.

She practically dragged him into the tank when she embraced him. “So she is who you choose?” she said softly, quietly.

Suddenly Copper felt he knew nothing of ponies. Nothing as he should. How had he never noticed? He returned her hug and took a deep breath. “Yes,” he said softly as he closed his eyes. “But you will always be dear to me, Jeta...” He cut himself some slack, as seaponies who he only vaguely knew would treat him with affection. It was just their way. They wanted the company of others and weren't afraid to express that want physically.

“Honestly I never stood a chance.” She was clinging quite tightly to him. “Not with an option such as her...”

Copper felt as though he was going to cry or should be crying, but that would be pointless. Jeta was dear to him, but he could not see her in the same light as he did Chrysalis. Or Celestia. “I do love you, Jeta,” he said softly and took another deep breath. “But not in...that way...” It felt so lame to say, but he couldn't help himself. This was new territory to him.

“I know and that's good enough.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I never expected you to, or even hoped that you did.” Then she sighed and loosened her grip.

But he did not, he held her close. “You are the greatest friend I have ever had, Jeta. My first friend. Even when I did not want them...I still...I still thought of you as a friend. My only one.” He had never admitted it, even to himself. He had had himself so convinced he had no friends and didn't need them. Yet there had still been that traitorous thought, long ago. Slowly he pulled away, looking at her.

She was crying. But she was smiling. “I will always be there when you need me.”

He nodded as he returned her smile. “I know...you've told me that.” He took a deep breath and then brushed away her tears with his non-metal hoof. Then he turned to Twilight and Chestnut. “Now then, I will listen to what you have to say, but know that nothing you say will change my mind.”

“Change your mind?” Twilight said, actually looking quite shocked. “Why would we do that?”

“I plan to do that,” Chestnut said, frowning at him.

Copper frowned slightly as he recalculated. “So Twilight is for and Chestnut is against?”

“I'm not against it,” she said hurriedly, glancing up at Chrysalis, who was watching them with interest. “I just...” She sighed, shaking her head. “This means a lot more than you could understand, Copper...”

“I know.” They all stared at him. “There is more to this than I know, or will know. But what I do know, is that I have done what I wanted. And she has agreed, quite to my surprise to be honest...”

“You thought she would say no?” Jeta said; somehow the tank seemed to move semi on its own.

“I was more afraid she would say nothing. A 'no' I could have handled. But if she had said nothing...” He took a deep breath and sat down. “It would have been worse. An answer either way is better than no answer, even if I don't like it.”

They all sat down, except for Jeta who continued to float. “So you plan to marry the changeling queen, Copper?” He looked over his shoulder and his mind raced through the many faces he had seen. But this griffon was not amongst any he had seen. “Forgive me, I am Sir Pedleston. Eagland ambassador.”

“Ah. The one who refused to see me when I was in Griflon,” Copper said as he stared at the griffon. He was obvious of higher class from the way he was dressed and the sheen of his feathers, but overall he looked quite average.

He cleared his throat. “Ah...well, yes. You see there were many complications, including those that the late Lady Evale was-”

“I'm well aware. Now, if you have a point, I recommend getting to it.” Copper wanted to return to Chrysalis's side.

Pedleston cleared his throat. “Ah, yes...well, I know you are a pony who likes others to get to the point, so I shall not beat around the bush. A number of us are wondering how serious this is?” He had the look of somepony who was expecting to get hit.

“Understandable. I know it was a tad unorthodox, but I assure you, that it is quite serious.”

Pedleston nodded slightly and took a deep breath. “Right then. Good day to you, Copper. Princess Twilight, Jeta and...friend,” he said as he turned and left.

That was a griffon Copper probably could get along with. He was worried and not afraid to get to the point. That was probably the best sort of ambassador as far as Copper was concerned. “Friend?” Chestnut said, frowning at the griffon's backside.

“Well, he doesn't know who you are. Or did not recognize you,” Copper said as he gestured vaguely.

“I'm the right hoof of Queen Chrysalis,” she said, frowning further. “She has appointed me as her diplomat.”

Copper blinked and looked at her. It explained why she had been in the room. “A lot has happened during the conversation with Celestia...what else has-”

A flipper came to rest on his shoulder. “I do not think you should keep the queen waiting any longer, Copper...”

He blinked and looked at Jeta. It was odd having her of all ponies to be the one to refocus him. “Right.” He looked up at Chrysalis and she smiled as he headed back up towards her. “I apologize for the wait.”

“No need. I had hoped you were going to stab him,” she said with an odd tone of disappointment. “Would have made things much more entertaining.”

His brow furrowed slightly. Apparently ponies had been telling her things. “Yes...well, that would have been rude. And bad for relations with Eagland.”

She nodded slowly. “True, true. May I see it?”

He paused before he extended the arm, twisted it slightly and- Shink.

“It is...impressive...” she said as she examined it. Copper watched as most of the room froze and stared.

“Quite sharp as well. I'm not sure exactly how crystalline metal is made, but it is incredibly sturdy. Best material in the world to make mechanics from, from what I've seen.” He watched how when he moved his arm, the crowd’s gaze followed it. Shnikt.

“Is the whole thing made from it?” she said as she lifted and twisted his arm slightly.

“Yes- why the sudden interest?” It was odd that she seemed to have random moments of interest in mechanics.

“It is impressive,” she said, looking at him with a slight smirk. “The things that could be done with this...can you imagine a pony covered in this? Armor mixed with mechanics...”

“It would be an unstoppable pony.” He was frowning at her. “If done right, not even magic could touch him.”

“Ah yes...that is how you beat him, isn't it? You circumnavigated his magical protection...” She was watching him out of the corner of her eyes, pretending to look at his leg.

“It is.” He did not mind what she was doing. Her interest was a comfort. It was something to think about other than what was happening. “But this can't do that. I designed this to help me walk and...well, I went overboard...”

She touched her horn tenderly to the crystal. “It was very dark magic...nothing of it remains but...it leaves marks that will be with you forever...”

“I've plenty of those,” he said with a smile. “Lots and lots. One more won’t hurt.”

“Mmm...that is true...” Her hoof ran slowly over the smooth surface. “Though I do think that it will make things awkward.” Her voice was soft and there was a smirk on her face.

He blinked, his brow wrinkling. “Awkward?” But her gaze continued and he swallowed. He knew that look. “Ah, well...uhm...maybe.” He looked back out at the crowd for something to do.

Corser was out of breath. He was actually out of breath. Not just panting, but breathing heavily. But so was Copper. Both their breaths steaming the air. “Control it,” Corser panted. “You're slipping.”

“You're the one whose slipping, old pony,” Copper said with a smirk. He wasn't winning, but he wasn't losing either. That had never happened. Unfortunately, the court yard would need extensive work after this.

There was another flash and the thunder clap deafened Copper for a moment, but Corser shouted over the din. “You think you stand a chance?” The bolt struck on either side of Copper as it split several feet in front of his hoof.

Copper had never seen this side of Corser. This was what happened when he let loose. The very ground around him was scorched with magic. There had not been a fight like this in recent history. Two unicorns of immense power facing off. Except one of them was a pegasus. The air split but it passed harmlessly over Corser. “You haven't put me down once!” Copper shouted.

“And you haven't come close!” Hoof met hoof. Copper's head ducked under a leg and he jumped backwards as the ground erupted in flames.

Of course, it had not started off this way. It had started with Copper asking to practice. He wanted to practice control of The Shattering. Twilight was good for learning and teaching. But Copper needed experience and over the last four hours, he'd gotten quite good at it. “Too slow!”

He'd learned The Shattering could only damage magical things. Even if Copper tried, he couldn't manage any damage to non-magical objects, even to fragile things. “Is this really necessary?” Twilight called, again. Honestly he could barely hear her over the roar of the crowd.

Another bolt split, then Copper had to move out of the way of the burst of flame. There was a delay between uses, as Copper could not use The Shattering in rapid succession. There was a sort of...charge up and he had spent all that he had built up since the fight with Madam Raven. It was the lightning bolts that he had to watch out for. Corser only knew a handful of spells, unlike Twilight. But the majority of those that he knew, were meant to hurt. Meant to kill. The lightning spell was the worst. The flame bomb was bad, but took too much time to actually go off. Those were the two he was best at. But both had drawbacks. “Ready to give up?” Corser said with a smirk.

“Perhaps we'll call it a draw,” Copper said, panting. He had felt tense, but now, he felt ready. Or as ready as he could be. He'd spent several days with Twilight and Jeta, studying. They could not find very much about The Shattering, but with a bit of trial and error and studying, they'd managed to learn a lot.

“Yeah...I can live with a draw.” There was a general ease of tension and as they shook hooves, the crowd cheered. It was the first time that he had looked at them but...well, apparently all of Canterlot was there. As well as any pony who could get there. And more were coming in.

In the distance, he felt he could see even Celestia watching. “Well...that was very informative...” Copper was limping slightly. Corser had damaged his new leg. With just his hoof. That would take him some time to fix.

“Quite.” He was rubbing his hoof into the dirt. “That thing hurts, by the way. Yet you don't rely on it. You almost got me a few times with a straight hoof,” he said as he shook his head.

Copper felt filthy, covered in mud and dirt. He was also singed in a few places. When it was clear Corser was getting serious, Copper had tasted for the first time his flame bomb. He'd never seen him do it. But it was easy to avoid when he figured out what to watch for. There was a stance to it and the air would get hot. Plus, there was a range to it. It could only go so far and it was a small burst. Corser had told him about it...a unicorn who focused it long enough could extend the range...and the blast...wipe out entire platoons. “I built it to be tough. And you've broken it.”

Corser chuckled softly, rubbing his hoof. “Well, I had to do something. I couldn't hit you, so I hit it. Slowed you down a bit and put the fight more in my favor.”

“Yes...I'll make note of that during my repairs.” The sun was already up. Luna had raised it. Or had Chrysalis? Copper wasn't sure who was doing what anymore.

“You cracked my tank,” Jeta said and without looking, Copper knew he was getting that look. He'd found out that the tank was a mixture of machinery and magic to allow Jeta to control where it went.

“Sorry,” he said as he looked around. Chrysalis was not there.

“She's busy.” Chestnut was beside him now. Copper didn't notice Corser leave, or her come up. “Wedding to plan for and all that.”

Copper chuckled softly, nodding. “Yes...I imagine she's quite excited.”

“Excited ain't the half of it!” There was a slight excited splashing as Jeta spoke. “She's also probably super busy with everything else. There's a lot going on, Copper.” He practically heard her fold her arms in a huff. “Not like you care anymore.”

Again he chuckled. “Of course I care. I'm just very busy with other things and it's not my job anymore.” He had learned that Jeta had risen quite far in seapony society. Partially because of her relationship with Copper. But she was now head of the council, which meant she could do whatever she wanted. Including go to Canterlot as the Aquis representative.

“So you say.” He could feel her eyes narrow at him.

“Yes, well...” He flinched slightly and looked off to his side. What had that been? Something out of the corner of his eye. He scanned for a moment. There were some ponies off doing something, selling things by the look of it. He was on edge, but he was sure that something had just happened.

“Are you all right?” His eyes refocused to somepony closer. Chestnut.

“Fine.” He looked ahead. He wanted to be near Chrysalis. She was the only thing, besides Celestia, that made him feel good. Everything else just made him feel...off. He shivered slightly. “I think, anyways.” There was something wrong, some sort of feeling. He hated the feeling, but it was that feeling. Something...somewhere...something was going wrong. “I don't know. I feel all...scrambled.”

They were all looking at him now. “That is not very comforting,” Chestnut said, partially glaring at him.

He sighed and stared at the ground, taking a few deep breaths. It was true. Celestia had explained that what his mother had done to him was odd. She had never seen magic like that. But it was not a bad thing. It had driven him mad for a time, but things were starting to calm down within his head. Nopony was sure what exactly had been done, but he trusted her. “Normally I would agree with you...but I'm getting better.”

He stood in the long court, staring at where there had been a hole caused by Pots not too long ago. It still felt wrong that there was no evidence of it. Nothing looked like it had ever been wrong. Echoes of the things Sombra had said bounced in his head. Once again he had been left alone. He hated being alone. Celestia, Luna and Chrysalis were running things. Or at least he assumed so. He felt like he was useless again. What could he do right now? What was there for him to do? Nopony would let him help and once he had repaired his leg, there was nothing for him to do.

So he wandered forward, looking at the stained glass windows. The one of him was still gone. He would have liked to take a better look at it. Truly appreciate it. It had been such a short lived discovery.

“What are you doing?”

He tensed up, despite knowing whose voice it was. “Just...just thinking, Chrysalis...” He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

“You don't look well,” she said as she came up beside him.

He looked up at her and then shrugged slightly. “I don't feel too well. Something is bothering me and I don't know what...”

“Is it that feeling thing you keep mentioning?” She sat down beside him.

“Yes,” he said softly as he sat down. The worst part about the feeling is that it is vague. He used to be good at guessing what it was about, but this was just a vague feeling.

They sat in silence for quite a long time, as Copper simply stared at the large tarp that they had hung over the missing window. He had enjoyed the insanity when it was fresh, but now it was getting tiresome. It was still jumbling his thoughts and dulling his senses.

“What do you plan to do now?” The voice of Twilight broke him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her and then shrugged. “I'm not entirely sure. I have quite the advantage now that I have much more control...but I also know a lot more things than I did last time, so I'll head back to the Chrystal Empire and try again.”

Chrysalis put a leg around him and pulled him closer to her. He blinked and looked up at her. “You are going to leave me so soon?”

“I'm afraid I have to,” he said with a slight smile. “Save the world and all that...”

Twilight cleared her throat before speaking. “Yes, well you won’t be going alone this time, that's for sure. Not after after what happened last time.”

He chuckled softly and nodded. “Yes, I think that that would actually be best...I don't think it matters if they know the movements at this point.” He took a deep breath and leaned into Chrysalis. “I'm sure that everypony knows my goal is the Empire at this point.” His thoughts came to the voice. Now that he knew more about Sombra, more than he'd like, he was sure that it was him. Everything that Sombra didn't want. He had to be honest with himself; he would have been happy never finding out the truth. He looked at Twilight and wondered what she would do if she knew.

“And I think that's all right at this point,” a new voice said. Copper looked to the side and stared, quite surprised at who it was.

“Princess,” Twilight said, smiling. “Should you really be up?”

“I'm well enough to move about,” Celestia said with a large smile. She was looking at Copper and he felt that the smile was for him.

He felt Chrysalis hold him tighter. “I am glad that you are getting better so quickly, Princess,” he said and leaned further into Chrysalis.

“I see you two are getting along quite well,” she said as she moved towards them. He noticed that she walked much slower than normal, but that was understandable if what Doctor Hive said was true. She was recovering, but it would be a slow process and magic could not help, because of the magic that had caused it. It was just something that would take time.

“More than getting along.” He could hear the slight tone of resentment in Chrysalis's voice. It was no secret, apparently, that Copper had feelings towards Celestia. He was not sure who had said anything, but he frankly didn't care anymore. He had Chrysalis and that was all he wanted now.

Celestia laughed softly and sat down beside Twilight. “We are having the window redone,” she said, obviously seeing that Copper had been here looking at it.

“Oh?” Copper said as he again looked up at the tarp. “I wish I could have gotten a good look at it...those fleeting moments I had of it were simply not good enough.”

“You will see it when you come back,” she said, still smiling.

He had a feeling that he wouldn't. “Yeah. I'm looking forward to it.”

“I believe Corser is working on your travel once again. And I am glad that you will not be going alone.” She always knew so much. Copper found long ago that Celestia seemed to know things that nopony else could know.

“I'm glad of that as well. I'll be taking anypony who'll come with me at this point,” he said with a chuckle. “Which I have a feeling would be every single pony if they could.”

“Quite so. I know that even I would go if I could,” she said before she stood up once again. “But I'm afraid not everypony can go to the Crystal Empire.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It felt like Chrysalis was truly the only comfort he had now. But then there was the feeling. “I just wish that I could-”

“Ah, there you are, Copper.” The voice made him instantly sick and he turned to look. He saw the grinning beak of Madam Raven.

Of all ponies, Chrysalis beat him to the punch and the beam struck the wall behind Raven. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh dear me,” she said as she mockingly rubbed the place the beam had passed through her. “Such rudeness.” Copper could see the shimmer of her figure. She wasn't truly there, simply an image of her. “And here I go through all this trouble-”

“What do you want?” Copper said, moving towards the image. Getting between it and everypony.

“My my...I merely wanted to express my disappointment. Here I go through all the trouble of coming to the Crystal Empire, just to find you already left. Tisk tisk, Copper.” She was still smiling at him.

“You-” Copper stared at her, unable to complete his thoughts.

Now it was Twilight's turn to get in on it. “That's impossible. Shining Armor and Cadence are there, you couldn't-”

“Oh, them? They had no idea what was coming...” The sickly black tongue turned Copper's stomach as it ran across her beak. “I cannot wait to spend some quality time with them...”

There was a look of horror on Twilight's face, but Copper moved in front of her as well. “She's not done anything to them yet,” Copper said to her and then looked back at Raven. The biggest giveaway was that she wasn't covered in blood. “That's not her style. She'll let them sit for a few days before she...” He shuddered and took a deep breath.

“Oh you know me too well, dear Copper.” She moved towards him, but he stood his ground. She wasn't actually there. “And such confidence you have found...I assume this is in part to your new found power? It is quite impressive...but nothing to the power I now possess...”

Copper stared at her, despite not wanting to. He had to read her, figure things out. “Power...so you found Sombra.”

“Oh yes...I quite missed him. And though it took quite a lot of...mmm...convincing, I now know how the crystals work.” She was grinning.

That did not sound very good. “Really...”

“Oh yes. But, oh, look at me still talking.” She was standing very close to Copper now, looking down at him. “Why should I talk...when I could simply show you.”

They were there. In the Crystal Empire. It had happened in just a flash and now he was standing directly in front of the real Raven, in the main hall of the palace. “What just happened?” He heard Twilight say behind him. He risked a glance back towards her; she was shaking slightly and her horn wrapped in black crystals. So were Chrysalis's and Celestia's. She had brought them all here.

He felt claws run across his cheek and he turned to stare at Raven. “Oh you can't imagine the power that I have now...” She was not as she was. There was something different. Very different. It was in her eyes.

“I'm sorry.” He looked to his other side and there stood Sombra. “She is...she is persuasive.” It was not the Sombra he had expected, that was for sure. He looked sunken with the way that he seemed to slump where he stood. He was thin and quite ragged. “I...I couldn't-”

“Oh get a hold of yourself,” she said with a soft laugh. “Honestly, it's no wonder He decided to choose me instead of you. A few deaths and you become pathetic.”

“I just...this isn't what I wanted.” He was mumbling now and Copper noticed he was swaying slightly.

“Be quiet!” she snapped; obviously she didn't like how he was acting at all. “Some king you are.”

Copper had to get a hold of the situation. This was not King Sombra. “You brought him back...”

“Oh yes,” she said as she grinned at him. “Quite easy with this power.” She seemed to crackle with energy. “So much power, Copper...you could not even imagine...”

“So he told you how to control the crystals...” Copper couldn't move. He chose not to move. He had to stand and face her down. There was nowhere to go.

“Oh yes. Yes he did. And the power is so...exhilarating...” Again that black tongue ran across her beak. “And now, he and I will rule this world...it will be easy, once he snaps out of whatever he seems to be going through.”

Copper couldn't help but smile. “Oh? Did you not know?” He couldn't help himself.

Her head tilted to the side slightly. “Know? Know what, little Copper?”

“I killed King Sombra,” he said, glancing at the other Sombra, who winced slightly.

Her head tilted to the side. “Yes, I know that. But I brought him back. He was hiding out here in the empire,” she said, sounding slightly confused.

“Oh no. You brought back what he had left long ago. You see...Sombra pushed out what he didn't want a long time ago.” Copper could see Sombra slowly making his way towards a nearby doorway. “So you see, you did my job for me. You brought back everything that Sombra wasn't.”

“He is still Sombra,” she said with a smirk. “It does not matter if he is just parts of him.”

“You are a fool,” Copper said, staring her down. “You brought back everything Sombra didn't want. His fears. His sadness. His cowardice.”

Her eyes snapped to Sombra, who immediately bolted out the doorway. Shink.

She looked at him and then at the large blade. “Oh? So you have a new toy? What are you going to do? Stab me?”

“Yes.” Her smile immediately faltered as the blade pierced her chest.

She coughed and stumbled backwards, clutching at her chest. She coughed again, blood splattering the ground. But she laughed. “Oh...that...wasn't...nice...” she managed and Copper saw the black smoke surround her talons. “Not nice at all.” It was gone. Just like that the wound was gone.

Copper stared at her, trying to think. “That was...you shouldn't be able to heal from that...”

“Oh and normally you'd be correct...but I am not just Madam Raven,” she said as the grin returned to her face.

“No...”

She stood up straight and the room darkened immediately. “Oh yes...” She spread her arms out and everything seemed far worse than he had ever imagined. “I am the Other.”

15: What He Has Withstood

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The Other. Copper's heart was racing, pounding in his chest. It was deafening. “The Other?” He was panting softly, why was he panting? What was this sensation inside him? He was staring at that sick grin of hers. Madam Raven. Now she was the Other. He wondered what that even meant. But now, he couldn't help but smile. “Perfect,” he said softly.

“Oh?” Her head tilted to the side slightly. “I did not think that I would receive such a welcome from the great Copper Fea-guck.”

Copper slowly twisted the blade in her breast, before pulling it out and bringing it down upon her shoulder. “Yes! Perfect!” Stab, stab. “All I have to do is beat you now and this is over!” Hack, slash, stab. Black blood splattered Copper; it burned but he ignored it.

“You...really...think...” Copper stopped, his muscles going tight as Raven crackled with something of a mixture of black smoke and electricity as her wounds closed. “That...it...will be that easy?”

She was fine. Completely back to normal as though nothing had happened. As though Copper hadn't even grazed her. And the blood felt as though it burned him. “Damn...I was hoping that it would be...” He clenched his teeth, it felt like something was crushing his lungs.

“Tisk tisk Copper...” She dragged her claws slowly across his chest as he lifted into the air by his metal leg. “Such rudeness. You should bow before your new ruler.”

Copper let out a very dry chuckle. “Bow? You think it will let you rule? You do not know what the Other even is...”

“And you do?” Blood trickled down Copper's chest as she dug her claws into him.

He clenched his teeth, glaring down at her. “More than you. He's going to destroy everything.”

She laughed and withdrew her claws. “Oh please, Copper. What sort of desperation is this?”

“It's-”

“Silence,” the room boomed with the power in her voice and she smirked at him. “Speaking of desperation...” She ran her tongue over her beak, leaning in towards him. “How did you escape me? What desperate end did you go to? I was so sad...my buffet had run away.”

He shuddered and kicked, his hoof connected with her jaw. The magic that held him stopped and he fell to the ground. “Damn it...” He slowly pulled himself up, breathing heavily. That stench...that stench of her's made him sick.

“Mmm...shall we find out, Copper?” She dragged her claws across the floor.

Copper slowly looked at her. “What-”

Pain. That's all there was now. Nothing but pain and the smell of blood. His blood. It had bothered him so much at first, but now he couldn't even focus on it. He couldn't focus on anything except the floor in front of him and even the floor seemed to be losing him. “Oh dear Copper...” Madam Raven now had what was left of his attention. What was left of whatever it was that made up his consciousness. “Delicious as always.”

Pain. The pain of his ribcage forcing its way back to where it was supposed to be and his insides coming back. He didn't even cry out anymore. He couldn't. His voice had left already. He closed his eyes once that pain was over. He could hear that black tongue slurping the blood from her claws and the smacking of her beak.

“Mmm...such a mess...” Chains crawled over him, shackling him once again. Then the door opened and closed as she left. It no longer mattered how long it had been. It didn't matter. Nopony was coming for him. He had stopped keeping track of the days after two months. He had given up. It wasn't hard to keep track of the days, she always announced... “Dinner time, Copper...” He curled up. “Breakfast, Copper...” His eyes clenched shut. “Lunch time, Copper...” He gasped for breath as he regained his other lung. “I just feel like a little snack, Copper...”

A whimper escaped him. It was the only noise he could make anymore. The pain finally subsided as her magic made him whole again. He laid in his blood, breathing heavily as he stared at the wall. Why had no one come? He felt as though he were crying, but no tears came. He had cried so hard and for so long that first time, that he was still sobbing when she came again. Why? Why? Why?

Copper coughed and heaved, blood splattered the floor. His legs shook beneath him. Had he thrown up blood? Or was that coughing up blood? He couldn't tell. What he could tell, was that he was sobbing. She had put him back in that little hole. That slice of Tartarus. “Oh Celestia...” somepony said.

He looked up, seeing Twilight in the distance, shaking and sobbing. Celestia was crying as well, but she knew what he had gone through. But he had not told Chrysalis and tears ran down her face. “Did you like the little show?” He did his best to look at Raven. “So much power...I thought I'd treat them to a little sneak peak of what's in store for them,” she said as she grinned at him.

Again blood splattered the floor. She had made him relive that. Every detail of it... “You...”

“Oh but that's not the part I'm interested in, Copper...” Claws gripped him and he was raised once again into the air. “How did you get out?”

He tried to raise his arm. He had to stop her. Not again. He couldn't stop crying. He'd built up a lot of tears since then. No more. He couldn't speak. Never again.

He wheezed for breath as his lungs returned. She liked the lungs. And the liver, the heart, the meat from his legs, his tongue and his eyes. The magic was only enough to keep him alive, but barely. Especially when she ate all that she could. How many months had it been? Had it been a year since she had taken him? Was nopony asking where he was? Why had nopony come for him? Where was everypony? No one cared where he had gone, otherwise they would have found him by now.

No more. He stared at the floor a moment and struggled to lift his head. He let it fall. The healing magic was gone. It had done its job. The crack of his skull on the stone the third time made his vision blur and blood poured down his face. So close to freedom. He struggled to get higher, lifting himself up. But he stopped, staring at the pool of blood that covered the floor. His eyes wandered to the shackles around his legs and he stared at them. Blood soaked and rusted. He rubbed the blood from his forehead against his leg, letting the blood sink below the cuff.

He pulled hard. Then he pulled harder, with all his might. Every ounce of strength he had left. Something went pop and he slumped to the ground. He stared blearily at the shackle that was now a few hooves away. Again he smeared blood on his leg, soaking his leg in his own blood. He pulled and struggled, until it finally gave.

That's right...who needs them. He struggled slowly to get back up. Who needs those damned ponies. I'll do it myself. He pushed the door open. He wasn't surprised to find it unlocked. Why lock up the pantry, when your food is so secure... He dragged himself out into the hall. His leg was dislocated, but that wasn't about to stop him. The resolve to live, that's all he needed now.

It took several minutes and several falls, before he got to another door and pushed it open. Heat. There was immediate heat and a bright sun, but he didn't care. He pulled himself out into the sun, hot sand under his hooves. The sand was interesting. The sand was a clue.

Where am I? He continued forward, looking for any sort of thing that would be of use to him. A loud noise caused him to look behind him at what he had come out of. An airship. One of the biggest he had ever seen and it was taking off. That was unfortunate when he realized where he was standing, because he saw the large propeller in front of him. He knew this type, it used compressed steam to give it an immense boost in power in a matter of seconds. He scrambled to try and get out of the way but hardly made it a few steps before the force of an outlet engine hit him and sent him flying almost half a kilometer; skipping a few times across the dunes. He was lucky to not have died; the softness of the sand had saved him, though the force of the blast and the trip had broken several ribs and a leg. He tried to stand up and slumped into the sand. Make that two legs. Both his back legs and his left was dislocated.

But this was nothing. He looked around for some sort of structure as he dragged himself forward. They had to have been here for a reason...for something...there has to be something...

“Heeeey!” somepony called out. It took him several seconds before he could actually see the figure coming towards him. “What in tarnation are ya-” the figure froze. It ran towards him, kicking up sand. “Fry mah hide! Ester! Brin' th' wagon on over hyar!” she called out. It was obviously some female pony. “Th' hay happened to ya? Ya weren't on that air ship thingy was you?”

He looked at her for a while and then shook his head. But when he tried to speak, he coughed instead and blood splattered the sand. She was holding something over him, shielding him from the sun. A minute later he was being hoisted up onto something by several ponies and vaguely aware of lots of talking as he lost consciousness.

When he regained it, he was surrounded by at least five ponies. “Yer awake,” one of the ponies said, leaning over him, before turning away. “Ma, he's awake!” Then he turned back with a smile. “Now don't ya be movin' none.”

It wasn't like he could move if he wanted to at this point, as he was covered in bandages and splints. “Water...” he managed. He had not eaten or drank anything since she took him. There was no need for her to feed him when it was just magic keeping him alive. But the magic that was sustaining him was fading. A straw was put to his mouth and he drank slowly. Very slowly. He knew not to drink too much, or eat too much.

A pony entered through a flap. Now Copper looked around, figuring from what he saw and what was said earlier, that it must be a large covered wagon. “Ya gave us all quite a fright. We wasn't sure if ya'd make it.”

He remained quiet, looking at her as he drank slowly. When he felt that he should at least express some sort of gratitude, he said, “Thank you.”

“What was you doin' out there darlin'?” She moved and sat down beside him.

Copper closed his eyes a moment, his brow wrinkling as he thought. Not of why he was out there, but of what to actually tell them. “I...don't remember...” he said slowly.

“Well that ain't good,” she said as she placed a hoof against his forehead. “What's yer name than? You remember that?”

“Copper,” he said and hoped that they had not heard of him.

“Hm...well, Copper, where ya be from?”

“Canterlot...”

She whistled and he struggled to get the straw once again. “Well now...ya be an awful long way from home.”

“Where is this?” he said, giving up on getting the straw. But one of the other ponies helped him out and he began to drink again.

“This be tha outskirts of Equestria. Abouts 'round the Macintosh Hills.”

That explained the sand. They must have been close to the San Palomino Desert. What were they doing out there? “Thank you...” he said again and closed his eyes.

“Well, I 'spose we'll hafta see what we can do 'bout gettin' ya home,” she said and Copper could hear the smile in her voice.

“Ah. So you got lucky.” He hit the ground, with enough force to bounce.

All that pain had come back and it took a moment for him to actually be able to move his legs again, forcing them to remember that they were not broken. “Damn...” he said, swaying slightly now that he was standing. He had worked so hard to bury all the memories of that time. Bury them deep. He had been in that little room for almost ten months, being used as her 'buffet' pony. He looked up and glared at her.

“Oh? And what's this sudden fire in your eyes now, hm?” She smirked at him, standing tall in front of him.

He had remembered something. He survived because he didn't give up. Survived because there were others that came to help him. “I'm still alive.”

“Tisk. Not for long.” He hit the wall and was then dragged roughly across the floor a moment before slammed into another wall. Lifted up and then dropped in front of her. “I'm going to kill you, Copper...”

She licked her beak and Copper swung upward, slicing her tongue off. “I am sick of that thing.” She recoiled, holding her beak shut as black blood splattered to the ground.

“Little bastard,” she said once her tongue had regrown. But she was smirking as she approached. “I have been told not to play with my food...” Copper felt himself lock up, he couldn't move. “But I just can't help it...” Her claws clenched around his throat and she lifted him once more from the ground. He swung, but the blade stopped short. “Enough of that.” The blade retracted with a shink.

“I'm quite done with being stabbed,” she said as she squeezed tighter. “Now let's just see...” Her freshly grown tongue licked the blood from her beak. “How hard...I have to squeeze...to crush your wind pipe...” Little lights popped in front of Copper's eyes. He couldn't move. Eventually everything went white and then it went black.

He could feel the metal he was laying on and he sighed. “This again?” He looked down at the brass gear he was on and slowly got up. “Honestly this is getting old...I pass out and then miraculously something helps me-” he stopped as he saw what was around him. Black sand as far as the eye could see, under a starless dark sky. “Oh...” he said softly. “So I'm dead...”

NOT EXACTLY, came an all too familiar voice.

“Ah...so you must be this world’s Death,” Copper could feel that he did not want to look around to find the speaker.

YES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, NO.

Copper frowned slightly and then sighed. “All right then...could you explain? And what do you mean not exactly?”

YOU ARE NOT DEAD. THIS IS A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE.

“All right...” he said slowly. “Now how about the other part? And is there a possibility of you not using that voice?”

YES, “but you will not like the alternative.” Copper went rigid; his eyes went wide as they began to flood with tears. Slowly, he turned and looked down at the bright blue eyes of the bloodied filly beside him. Copper could see nothing of color of her coat, or mane, it was simply red and soaked in blood. Her blood and the blood of those around her. “I am your Death,” she said, her voice so soft...so sweet. “Your greatest regret in life. Your inability to save one little filly.”

Tears streamed down his face as he sat down, unable to look away. “I...b-but...I...couldn't...” he blubbered.

“You could not save me,” she said with a slight nod. “But you tried so hard and did all you could. You picked me out of the rubble and promised to get me out.”

“I couldn't do it...if I had gone faster...” He couldn't bring himself to even try to look away.

“You went as fast as you could. I was dead soon after you began to carry me. It is far different to see a war first hoof, is it not, Mr. Pony?”

“I...I didn't want war...” He grit his teeth. “But it happened anyways...I tried...”

“Yes...and you carried my body for so long, only to find me dead.”

Words echoed in his head of that time. His own words. We made it little filly. He had been so happy. Little Filly? “I'm so sorry...I couldn't save you...”

“I had no chance. There was no saving me.” He had heard her crying, screaming for help. He wasn't even sure what happened. He was in the middle of negotiations and then everything went black. When he woke up, the city was in ruins. He was battered and bruised, but even then...even then he could do nothing. The city had erupted in war.

“You were...I couldn't leave you...even though I knew...” He sat there, shaking. “If I could just have gotten you out...gotten you to somepony who could do something...”

“I was dead, Mr. Pony. You knew it. I didn't know what death was, but I knew pain.” She gently touched his leg; he could feel the heat of the blood. “But nothing to the pain you know.”

“Physical pain is nothing...it's...it's this pain I can't take...” He was surprised he could keep talking.

“You could not take it,” her voice was even softer now. “Most ponies would have shut down, given up.”

“I did give up,” he mumbled.

“No. You kept living. But you couldn't keep going the path you were on. You demanded Celestia retire you now, ahead of schedule. She asked again and again that you tell her why and you refused for the longest time...but when you finally told her, she retired you immediately.”

I couldn't save her! echoed in his head. It had been the first time he had ever yelled at Celestia. “I couldn't do it anymore.” He took deep breaths. Her voice was soothing.

“But you did do it. You continued, because you wanted to save those still alive. And you've done such a good job.”

“I've...I've still killed...so many...”

“And saved so many more,” she said. Her touch was so soft. So comforting. “You brought the death of those who would kill others. You know that. Every death has been necessary to save ponies. But not all of it was your fault alone.”

He stared into those blue eyes and took a deep breath. “But I am the one who took their lives away.”

“You have suffered enough and punished yourself even more for those deaths. No, it does not make it all right, but death happens to everypony. Some later and some sooner.” She smiled slightly at him.

“Death is cruel...” he muttered.

“Yes, it is. But those who have died, while they are gone from us, will always be with us and will be with us again.” She had moved closer to him and leaned against his leg.

“I...I wish that I could have done something...” he said softly, staring at her blood soaked mane.

“You can do something now.” She looked up at him and those bright blue eyes caught his attention again. “You're the only one who can stop the Other now.”

“I...” He sagged slightly on the spot. “I don't know how...she is...so powerful. I can't...I can't even use The Shattering. There's no time...everything just...happens...”

She smiled at him, such a sweet smile. “You will find a way. You always do. That's what you told me.”

“Told you?”

“When you died. I am your Death. When you killed yourself, you came to me and we talked. And when I told you that they wanted to bring you back and that it was your choice to come back, you told me that you would find a way. A way to fix everything. And so you waited. You spent those four years with me.”

“I...I had a choice?” he said softly.

She nodded, smiling still. “You always have a choice, Mr. Pony. You knew what had to be done. The work that you needed to do. All the struggle it would take. And before you left, you begged me to make you forget. Forget about our time together.” She looked downward. “You could not be distracted by thoughts of a little filly. You've helped yourself so much more than you realize.”

“I will not forget this time,” he said and held her. She was so small and felt so fragile.

She giggled softly as she hugged him. “There's a lot you still need to do.”

He took deep breaths and closed his eyes for the first time. “I know. But I do not want to go back...not yet.”

“You have time,” she said softly. “Though not much here...”

“I am so sorry...”

“It's all right Mr. Pony. I'm just happy you survived.” He looked down at her. “Do you know what my regret was?”

He shook his head slowly. “No...”

“You,” she said as she placed a hoof onto his cheek. “You were my biggest regret. Not knowing if you made it out.”

A smile crept onto his face. “And...what was your next biggest regret?”

She smiled wider. “That I never got a puppy.”

He laughed softly, nodding. “I'll...I'll remember that.

“The next time I see you, I want you to be happy,” she said, with a slightly stern tone. “And it better not be anytime soon.”

He took a deep breath as he looked off into the distance. “I can't promise that. But I will try.”

“Try hard.”

He smiled a bit. “I...” He was unable to look away from her again, especially when she looked up at him. “I never...found out what your name was...”

She smiled at him. “I can't tell you something you don't already know, Mr. Pony.”

He nodded slowly and sighed. “I figured as much...but I had to try...to see if I could do...anything...something...”

There were several moments of silence before she spoke again. “You have withstood so much.”

He had been enjoying simply looking at those eyes. “I...it has not been easy.”

She shook her head. “No. It has not. You have gone through so much...but it took all of that to get you to this point.”

“Everything I have gone through...” He was starting to realize that she was simply a voice for thoughts that he couldn't manage to think. “I-” he hesitated as a thought came up into his head and he sighed. “And I have Nightmare to thank that I made it this far...”

“She broke you.”

“But she did so in a way that made me stronger...made it so that I could withstand this sort of emotional trauma...and come back from it...because I have to...” He ground his hoof into the ground, gritting his teeth. He hated to admit it, but he would have broken long ago if it had not been for Nightmare. “But...how do I win?”

“I cannot tell you,” she said as she leaned more against him.

“You know what happens?” He said as he opened his eyes.

“I know what could happen. I am your Death, therefore I am Death. I know all. I know all that was, all that will be, what could be and what would be. You will find a way, because that is what you do. And if you don't, everypony will die.”

“I don't know what to do...” he said as he clenched his eyes closed.

“You will. You always figure it out, Mr. Pony. You've helped ponies and in turn they've helped you. It all comes full circle, Mr. Pony. You need to help yourself. You have done nothing but help yourself, more than you realize.”

He kept his eyes closed, trying to think. More than I realize, he thought. I always figure it out in the end. But I get help so often... Then it occurred to him; what he had to do.

His eyes snapped open. “Oh good, you're awake, I-”

Shnikt. The magic around his leg shattered and he sliced off her arm. He hit the ground as she screamed and took several steps back. He got back up with slow, deliberate motions. That was what he was fighting for, he had to remember that. He was fighting to save ponies. “Again with the hand...” she grumbled as she flexed her newly grown hand.

Copper looked at where the hand he had cut off had been. It evaporated into black smoke as he stared at it. He was tired and he was still crying. He took a deep breath, as he stared her down. “Raven...Other...it doesn't matter anymore.”

She arched a brow, smirking at him. “Oh? And why is that?”

“It doesn't matter...because the outcome is the same.” He looked up at her and took a deep breath. “It doesn't change the fact that I have to beat you.”

She smirked at him and stood in front of him. “Oh? And you think that you can?”

“Yes.” He buried the blade into her chest once again, gritting his teeth as he did.

“Urk...oh Copper...you think that you can beat me...by just...stabbing me?” She grabbed hold of his arm, but he continued to push. She stared at him as she was forced backwards.

“No.” It had taken all that he could muster, but he had done it. After all, if he had done it once, what was stopping him from doing it again? He rushed forward and tackled her through the rift he had made.

They had gone through and he panted softly as he looked down at the hard dirt under his hooves. He looked back through the large crack in the air at Twilight, Celestia and Chrysalis, all of whom stared at him. He took a deep breath and called out, “I'm sor-”

Snap.

Crossed Gears

by TheFoxern

1: Aftermath

2: Fields of Snow

3: A New Nightmare

4: Meeting of Minds

5: Empire

6: Legality of Clockwork

7: Land of Ice

8: Shatter

9: Everything is Fine

10: An Explanation

11: High Skies

12: Pair O' Docs

13: Discussions

14: Inability to Relax

15: What He Has Withstood

16: Epilogue