> Pony of the Gears
>  by TheFoxern
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1: A Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	She let out a heavy sigh as she looked, yet again, at the empty spot between books on the shelf. “I just don't understand where it could have gone,” she said, as she began to pace back and forth once again, hooves hitting the wooden floor a little harder than they had been earlier. Across the room, a purple bundle of blankets shifted at the noise. Her purple eyes scanned the nearby books, hoping that it could perhaps be tucked behind other books, but nothing seemed out of place. “Spiiiiiiike!” she called and looked to the purple bundle.

A loud groan came from the bundle as the purple, green frilled head of Spike, popped out from the blankets and stared at the light purple pony. He took the time to stare at her dark violet mane and tail, with a streak of pink and purple. “Yes, Twilight?” The contempt in his voice rang clear, as he'd much rather be asleep. His eyes wandered up to the window, which shone bright with the sun of a late morning.

“Have you seen my copy of Mundane Magical Marvels?” she asked desperately, taking several steps towards him.

He groaned and retreated under the blanket. “For the billionth time, Twilight, no.” It had been a question she had asked him many times since she had noticed the book had been missing three days ago.

She frowned at the purple lump and turned away quickly. “Maybe it's over here,” she said and moved over to a table, which had two books on it, both of which were open. 

“Maybe someone checked it out?” Spike suggested for the dozenth time. “This is a library after all.” It had been the first thing he could think of and he had been saying it since she first mentioned that the book was gone. “I mean really, it makes-” the words caught in his mouth as his cheeks puffed up and he let out a belch of green flames. The flames swirled slightly and then took the form of a scroll.

“A letter from the Princess?” She trotted quickly over to Spike, her horn glowing again, as well as the scroll. The scroll unfurled and Twilight began to read aloud. “My dearest, most faithful student, Twilight... Please, come to Canterlot at your earliest convenience.” She looked towards Spike. “She wants us to come to Canterlot? What for do you think?”

“How should I know?” Spike said as he pulled himself out from the blankets and scratched at his stomach. “So we're going to Canterlot then?”

“Of course!” Twilight said, trotting to the door. Her horn glowed again and the door opened. “We should head out right-” she halted as she saw a white earth pony with gold armor on the other side of it. “It...seems the Princess wants us to come right away as well...”

“That is correct, Twilight, please come. The train is already waiting for your arrival,” he said as he took off at a trotting pace.

They headed down the road towards the train station. Spike sat on Twilight’s back and looked back, watching as the library fell into the distance. “We seem to be in quite a hurry...” He looked at Twilight.

“I think the letter was a bit more of a warning that our escort is here,” Twilight said, looking back at Spike, who looked ahead. She followed his gaze to the train station. “Thank you?” Twilight said to the pony, who bowed his head to her, before moving quickly to the head of the train. Twilight moved up into the car they had been left at, noting that it was near the front of the train and empty. “Is this first class?” she asked as she hopped up and laid down on one of the seats. 

Spike looked out the window and gave a slight shrug. “I guess. I mean, it's roomy.” He seemed quite unsure of it though. “But it may just be a nice car.” A loud whistle from the front of the train and a slight jerk as the train gathered speed.

She smiled and looked out the window with Spike, watching Ponyville disappear into the  distance. “I wonder what the Princess wants us for. She didn't sound in much of a hurry to get us to Canterlot, but she sent escorts... Maybe some sort of emergency?”

Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head. “How should I know? I don't know anymore than you, Twi...” He curled up on the cushion across from Twilight and closed his eyes. 

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “But why...” She stared out at the window, watching the scenery rush past. “And we seem to be going a tad fast...” She sighed softly, putting her chin on the windowsill. Spike merely grunted in response, as he fell back asleep.

The ride took only a few minutes to Twilight's surprise. It was shorter than she could ever remember it being. The whistle blew again and she nudged Spike gently. He groaned in response and rolled over. “What is it now?”

Twilight looked at him and pointed her hoof towards the window. “We're here.”

Spike blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Already?” He got down and yawned. “How long was I asleep?”

Twilight shook her head as she exited the car. “It didn't take long at all. They were in quite a hurry.” She looked over at the front of the train. She could see a group of ponies around a rather large griffon, in a blue jacket and a blue round hat that had the word 'CONDUCTOR' written on it. There seemed to be quite an argument going. She noticed one of the ponies was her escort and seemed to be on the side of the Conductor griffon.

Another gold armored white pony came up to them and bowed his head to Twilight. “This way, Twilight Sparkle.” He quickly turned and walked off down the road towards the palace, giving her a tiny window to follow.

Spike leaped up onto Twilight's back and she followed after the guard, looking back at Spike as she did. Spike gave a shrug to her, preempting her question. She turned back to the guard. “What's going on?”

The guard looked back at her and gave her a slight smile. “No need to worry. There's nothing wrong. Princess Celestia just wants to talk with you. The matter is just quite important and merely needed to be resolved today, as soon as possible.”

“Oh.” They came up to a large metal grating at the side of the palace and the guard pressed a large button beside it. She remained silent as she heard the soft clinking and the gentle hiss of steam from somewhere in the wall. Then the lift came down and the metal grate slid aside. The three of them entered and the grate shut gently as the guard pressed another button on the inside, which was quite a high floor. There was a soft thud and another hiss of steam before the lift began rising once again. When it stopped again, they were in quite a large hallway.

She looked around the hall at the arches, she remembered this hallway quite well. There was a meeting hall up ahead that Celestia had let her use on a couple occasions to practice. Suddenly the memory of lighting most of the furniture on fire and how bad the room had smelled afterwards came to mind. She shook her head, trying to forget about that moment once again. Hopefully the smell had gone by now.

The thought suddenly dawned on her that that was where they were heading. There was nothing else down this hallway that could not have been reached faster by some other route. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard loud voices. One of the voices was Celestia, who was saying, "There is no need to shout.” Spike stood up on Twilight's back and put a hand to his ear, trying to hear better.

“I'm sorry, Celestia.” The voice she could not recognize sounded odd, definitely a stallion and he sounded quite stressed. “But we had an agreement, and I would have hoped you would have come through with your part, since I've done mine.” 

“Please, Copper. Have patience.” Celestia sounded quite cheerful at the whole situation. “You have done me a great deal while in my service and I am extremely pleased with the results. But I ask that you have patience.” 

“Who's that talking with the princess, do you think?” Spike said, looking at Twilight.

Twilight looked at Spike and shrugged as she rounded the last corner before the door, and standing in front of it, looking in, was a dark violet pony, with a starry mane flowing behind her. Her wings were tucked against her body, her horn almost pressed into the door. “Princess Luna?” 

Luna jumped at the noise and turned to look at her. Spike waved his arm to her, smiling. “Ah, Twilight, Spike. We are glad to see you.” She took a final glance into the room as she spoke again. “Please excuse us.” She quickly turned and trotted off down the hallway.

Twilight blinked in confusion as she watched Luna disappear around a corner. “I am sorry, Celestia...” There was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door, where the conversation was being held. It drew both Twilight and Spike's attention from the disappearing Luna. “I will have more patience.”

The guard knocked on the door with with his hoof, which caused it to open slightly more. “Ah, it looks like you will not have to be patient for any longer,” Celestia said, smiling as the door opened more. “Come in, Twilight and Spike.”

Twilight hesitated and then slowly moved into the large room. There was a long table in the center of the room and behind it sat Princess Celestia. She looked as poised as always, looking at Twilight with a large smile on her face. Her crown sitting atop her multicolored, flowing mane seemed slightly tilted. Twilight bowed to her. “So good to see you Princess.” Spike bowed as well, from atop Twilight's back.

Sitting across from Celestia and slightly off to their right, sat a gray blue colored pony wrapped in a large copper colored cloak. His mane was short and messy and matched the same color as his cloak. Upon his forehead were two clear lenses surrounded with black metal casing, attached together with a small chain between and a black leather band around his head connecting it all. “My dear Twilight and Spike. I'd like to introduce you to Copper Feather.” Copper looked back and nodded to Twilight before looking back at Celestia. He seemed tired, worn out. In truth, he could barely keep upright, but he was determined not to collapse. Yet.

“Ah...uhm...nice to meet you, Copper Feather. My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike,” she said as she gestured to Spike, looking to Celestia again, then back at Copper. She had never seen him before, or at least could not remember ever seeing him. 

Celestia's eyes never left Twilight. “I am sorry for rushing you out here on such short notice, Twilight. But I could not think of anypony better for helping Copper adjust to life in Ponyville.”

Twilight gave Celestia a confused look, but Copper spoke before she had a chance to. “Ponyville? I will not be staying in Canterlot?” His tone was of surprise and slight annoyance.

Celestia looked towards Copper and shook her head. “I'm afraid not, Copper.” Copper looked as though he were about to say something further, but the look Celestia gave him silenced him immediately. “Please, Copper. I have my reasons.”

Copper sighed and closed his eyes. He shook his head slightly. “All right. Ponyville then...” He was too tired at this point to put up a fight. Any place was better than none. “I hope there is a proper building,” he said with a slight sarcastic tone.

Celestia nodded. “Oh yes. Your new home has been built, despite some...slight delays with the building collapsing during construction.” He arched his brow at her. “Don't worry, the building is sound and no one was hurt.”

He nodded slightly. “All right... It's fine.” He took a deep breath and looked back at Twilight. He slowly got to his hooves. He felt exhausted, but he knew he could rest soon enough. “I trust my things will be delivered as soon as possible...” He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them once again when he wobbled slightly. He shook his head back and forth a few times.

“Of course. I hope that it's alright with you, Twilight,” Celestia said, looking at Twilight now. “I'm sure he won’t cause you too much trouble.” She smiled at her.

Twilight nodded and bowed to Celestia. “Of course Princess Celestia.” She straightened up and gave the Princess a large smile.

“Now then...off you go.” She made a slight shooing gesture with a hoof. “I'm sure we'll be in contact, Copper.”

He bowed to her, looking down at the floor. “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” and he said no more, turning away from her. The look on his face gave the impression of somepony who wanted to get far away, before they said something wrong. He paused by Twilight and looked at her. “Shall we be off then?” He gave her a weak smile as he began walking out of the room.

Twilight nodded and followed him. Now that she was this close she could get a good look at him. His eyes were copper, just as his mane, though they were lighter. Something about them seemed to shine, with what it was hard to tell, but there was a lot more to this pony than could ever be seen. Across the bridge of his muzzle between his eyes was a slight scar, where the fur did not grow back. His right leg was similarly scarred, three long scars that started up near the middle of his leg and dragged down to his hoof. His cloak was was covered in blotches of something black and the end was torn and frayed. Her head began to bubble with questions, but she felt it would have to wait.

“How far is Ponyville?” he asked, glancing at her cutie mark, noting the large pink star and the five white stars around it.

Spike looked at him and answered for Twilight. “Not far, half an hour by train.”

He looked at Spike and took a deep breath as he looked back down the hallway. “Good...very good...” But for him, the trip seemed far too long. Down the hallway, down the lift, then the train to Ponyville and then the walk from there to a large tree. It all took far too long for his liking. He blamed it on his exhaustion the entire time and it was almost noon when they arrived. 

“I'll walk you to your house.” She gestured to the large tree that they had been dropped off in front of, which had been turned into a building. “This is the library, where I'll be for most of the day and tomorrow. Once you've gotten some rest I can show you around.” He simply nodded, looking at the building. He wished that it was his house and he could sleep. Twilight looked at him and then to Spike. “Spike? Why don't you go on and wait inside. I won’t be long.”

Spike nodded and hopped off of her back. “Alright then. I can catch up on some sleep while you're gone.”

Twilight frowned slightly. “I wont be gone that long.” Spike gave a shrug as he walked inside. She shook her head and began walking down the road. Copper followed after her and was thankful that it was a short walk. He saw a few ponies out of the corner of his eyes, but paid them no mind. He had only one focus at this point. “Well, here we are.” She came to a stop at a building which seemed to be in the center of fairly large empty area.

He looked at it for a moment and pushed the door open. It was quite empty, but there was a warm feeling that started to come over him. He had a home and it was his home and that made it a good home. “Thank you,” he said, staring at the empty room. 

Twilight smiled a bit. “Uhm...you're welcome. I'll...see you...”

“Tomorrow,” he said as he stepped in slowly, marveling at the entire place. It was not large, by all sense it was quite small. But it was his and that was all that mattered.

Twilight nodded. “Tomorrow. Goodnight?” She closed the door and took a step back. “That was all rather odd...” She began walking back to the library. “I hope he'll be up for answering some questions tomorrow. I might have to make a list...”

Copper stepped into the center of the room. There was a staircase against the right side and an arch like doorway at the back that lead into a kitchen. There was no furniture, or anything. A few windows were the only sources of light. He took a deep breath of the place; it smelled like freshly cut wood. He looked at the floor as he slowly made his way to the stairs; there he knew he'd find a bed, waiting for him. When he reached the top, he found a small landing with a door. He opened the door, which opened into a bedroom. To his right on the wall next to the door, was an open door, leading into a closet and at the far right of the room was another open door, leading into a bathroom, where he could see a decent sized tub.

In the center of the room against the far wall, was a large red bed, underneath a large window. His legs wobbled as he headed towards it. It took all of the strength he had left to crawl up onto it. And as his consciousness slowly escaped him, he realized, he was happy. For the first time in a very long time, he was happy. He hoped the feeling would last forever. But deep down inside, he knew that it wouldn't.

~
Evening came and left. Night soon followed and morning was close behind. It was not until afternoon was trying to decide if it should make its appearance, did the copper bundle of cloth atop the large red bed begin to stir. Slowly a hoof began to find its way out of the tangled cloth, followed soon by the head of a copper maned pony. 

Copper took a deep breath as he slowly stretched out his limbs. “When was the last time I slept that well...” he mumbled to himself as he worked his way to the edge of the bed. He attempted to move off the bed, but as soon as he put weight on his legs, they quickly collapsed under him and the floor rushed up and met him with a thud. “Owch...”

He slowly slid completely off the bed and onto the floor, which caused his cloak to become tangled around his legs once again. He grumbled as he untangled himself and slowly stood up. His legs felt unsure of their own ability to hold his weight, but he was determined to get on with his day. The walk to the door helped him to shake the lazy feeling from his legs and the slow walk down the stairs solidified the normal feeling in them once more. 

He looked out at the empty room as he descended the stairs, pausing several steps before the bottom. “Is this really mine?” he wondered aloud, staring at it. He could see the potential of every corner, every inch of the place.

He could not bring himself to leave the spot, simply feeling that he could stare forever at the room. He was unsure how long he stood there, seconds, minutes, or hours, but it was a knock at the door that brought him back. A jolt of slight panic went through him as he stared at the door, thinking for a moment that the true owner of the house had just come home, or worse.

He shook his head and headed towards the door. “Must be Twilight...” he mumbled to himself, she was the only one who knew he was there. What he found upon opening the door, however, was not Twilight. A pink pony stood there instead, her blue eyes staring at him and a large grin on her face. Her hair drew his attention immediately. It was a striking magenta, with the texture of cotton candy. 

Then words began spilling out of her. “Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and Twilight told me this morning when I went to see her that you were new in town and since she was new in town once I knew that she knew that you must be lonely because you don't know anypony and that's just not right so I came over to make you not lonely!” She practically seemed to vibrate on the spot.

Copper stood, staring at her. He blinked several times, before he finally managed to form a sentence. “I'm...Copper Feather...”

She hopped in the spot, turning in mid air and hopping off. “Come with me! There's so much to see and so many ponies!” He hesitated before taking a step out to follow her. Turning and closing the door, he turned back to see Pinkie standing directly in front of him once again. “C'mon slowpoke!” She bounded off again.

A smile came to his face as he trotted after her. She was so full of energy that he could tell that today would be a good day. It seemed any day with this pony was one filled with fun and he needed that. He needed some fun. Her cutie mark caught his eyes, three balloons, two blue ones and a yellow one in the middle, slightly higher then the other two. “Balloons,” he said, looking at her and then around. They were walking through a marketplace in the center of town. Several ponies were around, talking and laughing as they bought groceries and other items. He saw a stall selling vegetables and it reminded him that he had not eaten. But he did not have any bits on him. He sighed, he would have to wait for his possessions to arrive. He looked back ahead to find Pinkie was gone. He stopped where he was and blinked in confusion. 

“Whatcha lookin' for?” a voice said from beside him and he turned to see Pinkie, squinting her eyes and looking into the distance. She had quite the serious face on, which caused him to laugh. She looked at him, grinning again. “Where should we go? Oh! I know! Follow me!” She bounded off again and Copper followed after her.

He kept an eye on her this time. “Where are we going?” Now that he guess she had a place in mind, he thought he might as well ask.

“To see Twilight, of course,” Pinkie said, hopping backwards as she talked to him.

He realized quite quickly that this was not the way to the library, but he guessed that she may not be there. “And where is she?”

Pinkie grinned at him. “I dunno.” He blinked at her in confusion. “But that's why we're going to find her!” She suddenly turned to the right, hopping off in a new direction. “I bet Dashie's seen her!”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “All right then, lead the way, Pinkie.” She lead him through the town, which seemed quite bigger than he had guessed. There were a lot of ponies living here; even though it looked like a small town at a glance, it was bustling. Nothing in comparison to Canterlot, he guessed, but it was still a comfortable sight. 

It only took a few minutes for Pinkie to find who she was looking for and stop. “Daaaaash!” She called out, still hopping on the spot. “Rainbow Daaaaash!”

“Rainbow Dash?” Copper said, staring up at the cloud that she was yelling at.

The head of a blue pegasus poked its head over the edge of the cloud with a large sigh. Her short rainbow mane was obviously what got her her name. “What is it Pinkie Pie?” She paused as she saw Copper and slowly she got up onto her feet on the cloud and flew down. “Who's this?”

“We're looking for Twilight!” Pinkie said, grinning at her. She looked at Copper. “And this is-”

Copper cut her off. “Copper Feather. Long time no see, Rainbow Dash.” He did not move, staring at her magenta eyes, searching for something.

“Oooohhh you two know each other?” Pinkie said, moving to stand just off from the center of their line of sight. 

Dash stared back at him for a painfully long time before he spoke again. “Yeah. From flight school.”

“Iiii gotta go,” Dash said before she jumped into the air and in seconds had flown out of sight.

Pinkie blinked slightly as she sat down, watching Dash leave. “She didn't tell us where Twilight was...” she said, heavily disappointed.

“I don't think she knew,” Copper said, sighing heavily. He stared at the ground a moment and then looked up at Pinkie Pie, who was staring at him. “Uhm...yes?”

“You were in flight school with Dash?” Her head cocked to one side as she moved forward, leaning towards him. “So that means you're a pegasus.”

He nodded slowly. “With copper feathers, hence my name,” he said, looking away from her and out at where Dash had disappeared to.

She moved closer to him, prodding at his cloak with his hoof. “Why do you walk so much then? You're slow on the ground, you should fly.”

He glanced at her and then stared up at the sky. “I can't fly,” he said and sighed. He shook his head to try. “Anyways...let's go find Twilight.”

Pinkie frowned at him. “What do you mean you can't fly. You just use your wings and flap!” She reared back onto her back legs and flailed her front legs up and down. “Like this!”

“Wing,” he said, staring at the ground. He hesitated and then he shifted and his cloak flopped over to one side, revealing a large wing on the left, the feathers starting at a matching color to his body but fading to copper at the tips. But on the opposite side, there was nothing but a stub, four inches long and badly scarred. It looked like his wing had been torn off. “Not wings.” His cutie mark was that of two brass gears, one small and very simple, a solid shape with a hole in the center, the other a bit larger above it and far more complex, with slight designs support struts rather than a solid body, its teeth meshed with the other.

“Oh,” Pinkie said sadly, her hooves returning to the ground and she sat down. “I...how did it happen?”

He shook his head. “It's a long story.” He looked at Pinkie Pie. She was staring at him. He sighed slightly and pulled his cloak back over himself. “It was back in flight school... There was a little race between me and this griffon... Gilda her name was.”

“Gilda? I met her. She's not very nice,” Pinkie said, her eyes never leaving Copper.

“No...she isn't and she wasn't...but...I don't even remember why we were racing...all I do remember is that... Well, I beat her, quite badly...and she attacked me... I don't remember the actual fight...though from what I heard it wasn't much of a fight at all...but, I woke up in the hospital, without my right wing.” He took in a deep breath and shook his head.

“That's...awful...” Her eyes swam slightly with tears.

Copper looked at her and gave a slight shrug. “That was a long time ago, though... Didn't even have my cutie mark. Anyways, can we please just go find Twilight now?” He looked at her, but she did not get up.

“Didn't Gilda get in trouble?” She asked, the tears still swimming in her eyes.

He looked at her and shook his head. “No one said they saw the fight... I couldn't even remember the fight myself, so they had no way of knowing who did it.” His eyes fell downward, he suspected she had several more questions, so he sat down. After a moment, he looked back up. Pinkie Pie looked incredibly sad and he smiled a bit. “Hey now. Come on.” He stood up. “I'm over it, I've had lots of time to recover and right now I just want to have some fun.”

She smiled a bit as she stood up as well. “Okey dokey.” She looked around and then up at where Rainbow Dash had been.

Copper followed her gaze up to the cloud. “Welp!” He looked at her. “She was no help. Who else could we ask?” 

Pinkie's face scrunched up a bit. “Hrm...oh!” She smiled and began hopping off in a  seemingly random direction. “Rarity! She might know!”

Copper laughed softly and followed after her. He knew he was fine with his loss of wing now. But coming to terms with it hadn't been easy. He shook his head, he didn't want to even think about bringing Pinkie Pie down once again from her happy hopping. He glanced back; it was weird seeing Rainbow Dash again, he wondered why she was here. His thoughts were interrupted, however, quite abruptly as he ran into a cart.

He tumbled and as he did his goggles slipped over his eyes. “What in tarnation has got you in such a hurry?” The accent was quite surprising to hear, though it had not been the first time he had heard it. He pushed his goggles back up onto his forehead and looked at her. The area around Appleloosa was the first thing that came to mind and the pony he saw seemed to fit that area correctly. Orange with blonde hair, tied into a ponytail. She stared at him with green eyes and he guessed it was the light brown stetson hat was what really reminded him of Appleloosa. “You alright sugar cube?”

“Ah.” He rolled over, realizing he was on his back, staring up at her. “Yes. Quite fine, thank you. Sorry. I was trying to follow-” he looked around. “That.” He pointed a hoof at Pinkie Pie.

“Ah. Pinkie Pie!” she called out and Pinkie looked back. “Think ya lost somethin'.” She pointed a hoof at Copper, who was sitting on the ground. 

Pinkie hopped back to him. “What's he doing on the ground and what happened to your cart?”

“He happened,” she said, still pointing a hoof at Copper. 

Pinkie looked at him, as he helped push the cart back up onto its wheels. “And I'm very sorry, I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going...”

“Ah, shoot. Ain’t nothin' broke, so no harm done.” The orange pony began to pick up the things that had fallen from her cart and Copper quickly joined her. Pinkie helped a little as well, by eating a few of the apples that fell.

“My name's Copper Feather. I'm new here in Ponyville,” he said, half way through cleaning up the mess. 

“My name's Applejack, pleased as apple pie to meet ya',” she said, shooting Pinkie Pie a look and she quickly started helping rather than eating. “So what ya'll doin' besides knockin' over carts?” She smiled at Copper.

“We're looking for Twilight,” Copper replied as he placed a group of apples into a basket on the cart. She seemed to have quite a bit of them and his hunger was suddenly apparent. The realization of not having eaten since early the previous day caused his stomach to growl in protest.

Applejack chuckled softly. “Well, I ain't seen her. Go ahead and help yerself to a few apples, Copper. Any new pony should get some free apples from Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Sweet Apple Acres? Is that close by?” He looked at Applejack and then back at where she had come from. There were a lot of trees far off in that direction beyond some sort of marketplace, but he could not see any apple trees.

“Oh yeah. I was just headin' back there now,” Applejack said, as Copper returned his gaze to her and then off in the direction she was heading. 

He could see a large farm house off in the distance and several apple trees in that direction. “Ah. I'll have to go and visit that then.” He smiled a bit and took one of the apples carefully, holding it in his hooves. How long has it been since he had eaten an apple? Too long he guessed, as he bit into it and the sweet taste filled his mouth and made him smile. “Now that's a good apple.” He regretted not having time while in Appleloosa to try one. 

“Glad ya like 'em. We're pretty famous 'round here for our apples,” Applejack said, stating it very much like a fact, rather than a sort of boast.

“Mhm! Bear wa besh awou,” Pinkie said with her mouth full of apples. She'd gone back to eating them, rather than picking them up. Copper laughed and ate the rest of his apple. Pinkie gobbled up a few more, before grinning at Applejack. “Thanks Applejack! We'll see ya around!” She then proceeded to bound off.

Copper chuckled softly. “Thanks for the apple, Applejack.” He followed after Pinkie Pie, feeling a lot better.

“Anytime Copper, have fun followin' Pinkie and good luck findin' Twilight!” Applejack called to him and he nodded, trying to catch Pinkie as she rounded another building. He decided this time, he would watch where he was going. 

Unfortunately, he was unable to keep track of where Pinkie was going and as he rounded the corner he found the street empty. He stopped immediately and looked left and right. “Pinkie?” His voice was a tad softer then he meant it to be and shook his head. “Great. Lost my guide...” 

He looked about and saw an interesting store. It was all sorts of bright colors, pinks and blues, golds and purples. There was a purple door at the front, with a large oval window on either side. Above the door was a painting of carousel pony of gold with a purple bridle. He could see somepony inside near the window and the idea got to him of asking if they had seen Pinkie.

He approached the door slowly, before he tapped his hoof on the door. The door swung open and as he went to ask if there had been sign of Pinkie, the words caught in his throat. In front of him was a lovely unicorn, pure white with a violet mane that swirled and curled itself in the end. She had a great smile on her face. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique,” she said with a slight accent that Copper didn't quite recognize. “Please, come in, come in. We've anything for anypony.” With that she turned quickly and headed back into the room.

Finding himself quickly, he headed in after her. “Actually, I was wondering-” but he didn't get anything more than that out before the pony cut him off and the door shut behind him softly. 

“Oh please, darling.” She turned to smile at him again and he saw the glow of her horn fade. “Rarity knows exactly what you need.” She crossed her hoof over her chest as she looked him up and down. “Now...first of all you must lose the drab cloak of yours.” She walked around him, lifting up a bit of the cloak. He tensed slightly, watching her. “It's beyond saving my dear and simply MUST go.” She turned and moved quickly towards drawers that began to open and spill out cloth as Rarity reached them. 

He hesitated, watching her. All his thoughts wandered to the lack of his wing and wondered what her reaction would be. With a deep breath, he pulled the cloak from himself, allowing it to rest on the floor. Once he had done that, the immediate thought of what he was doing popped into his head, he had been chasing Pinkie and surely now if she had come back to look for him, she wouldn't be able to find him. He turned towards the window and tried again. “I was actually following a pony just now, Pinkie. She was helping me to find Twilight Sparkle, who was going to-”

Again she cut him off. “Oh? Pinkie Pie is rather hard to keep track of... I'm surprised you managed to follow her anywhere...but that can wait.” She continued to fuss with fabric. Movement at the corner of the room drew his attention, a small white cat had come into the room. It paused as it saw him and stuck to the other side of the room, before laying on the cloth Rarity was fiddling with. “Opal, sweety... Mama needs that.” 

“Opal? That's a very interesting name for a cat.” He was gazing at Opal now, as she lay on fabric that Rarity simply moved away from, as if ignoring its existence for now.

“Oh yes, short for Opalescence.” Rarity smiled and moved to towards Opal. “And she's just mommie's little sweety.” She moved a hoof to pet Opal, who immediately hissed and she quickly backed away, chuckling nervously. “Ah...yes...” She shook her head and turned to Copper. 

She gasped loudly, just short of repressing a scream. His wing flexed slightly, realizing that he no longer had his cloak on. He looked at her, before sighing and looking towards the door again. “Yes. It's quite a sight, isn't it.”

It was then the door opened and the poofed mane of Pinkie, showed itself in the door. “Rarity? Have you seen- Oh! There you are, Copper.” She smiled at him, trotting over. “You found Rarity before I did!”

Copper smiled at her and nodded. “Appears that I have.” He took a deep breath. "Not sure how, since you went this direction before me."

Pinkie looked at Rarity, who was staring at Copper. “Have you seen Twi?” she said, hopping towards her a bit. 

Rarity blinked. “Huh, what? Oh. Uhm. No, I haven't. Have you checked the library?” She managed to turn her gaze from Copper and look at Pinkie.

Pinkie clapped her hooves together. “Of course!” She looked at Copper, who was watching her with a bemused smile. “We should have checked there first!” She dashed out the door and then a few seconds later, as Copper headed after her, her head popped back in. “C'mon slowpoke!”

He laughed softly, heading quickly after her. “I'm coming. Goodness, always such a hurry.” He turned at the door. “Goodday Miss Rarity.” He closed the door and then rushed after Pinkie, which was a bouncing pink pony quickly disappearing into the distance. 

He smiled as he chased after her, it was nice being in such a place. Not having to worry, no cares. He assumed that it was a sort of magic that Pinkie possessed. She could make anyone feel happy about anything.

He rounded a building, which opened into the market he had seen earlier. Then he realized two things. There were a lot of ponies, none of which were Pinkie and secondly, he was lost. He took a deep breath and sighed softly before heading towards the market. A nagging suspicion that everyone was staring at him was beginning to grow. He took in a sharp breath and came to a stop. A third realization had come up. The one about having left his cloak with Rarity. He closed his eyes and let out the breath slowly. No, it didn't matter anymore. Yes, he was missing a wing and it was time that he stopped caring that people saw. His eyes opened again and he managed to find his walk once again. They would have to deal with it just as he had. Although the whispering behind him was slightly annoying.
> 2: Questions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	He took a deep breath and continued to walk. Which way had it been? Had it been any way at all? He shook his head and tried to remember. He had only walked it the other day, but he was so tired, nothing here looked familiar. A library, how hard was it to find a library. A library in a tree. He didn't even know which way his home was, but around the next corner, he saw it. He sighed with relief, there was the large tree with what looked like a house built into it. 

He walked up to the door, knocked several times and then waited. It was almost three minutes when it opened and Spike stood on the other side. “Ah...Spike.”

Spike looked at him. “Copper.” He turned around and walked back in; from the look he had given him and the way he was walking, he was still trying to nap. “Come on in. Twilight should be back in a bit.”

Copper nodded, closing the door behind him. He looked around, it had been a while since he had been in a library and that one had been on fire... He shook his head, moving to one of the shelves and staring at the titles. Not reading them, just looking at them, seeing if anything registered as interesting. That was a skill he was quite proud of. Though he wasn't sure how he perfected it, he could simply look at words and pick out what was interesting, or important, or needed some sort of attention. It let his mind wander when he was supposed to be reading something. It helped him a lot back when he had been in school. He just looked over pages and had the answers when he needed them. The word Fire caught his attention and he stared at it. He shuddered.

“Hey, Copper,” Twilight said, coming in the door.

Copper spun around. “I didn't start it!” He snarled and then froze. So did Twilight, although her gaze was fixed to the stub. He cleared his throat and sat down. “Sorry. I was...” He waved a hoof vaguely. “Somewhere else.”

“It's...alright...” She was still staring at the stub.

He sighed and turned so she could look at it better. “It's old. Very old. Lost it back in flight school in a fight. Can't remember anything about the fight, just woke up in a hospital without my wing.”

Twilight finally moved her gaze away from the stub to his face. “Sorry...” she said after a pause.

“It's fine.” He turned back, looking at the book. Sky Fire was the title and he pulled it off the shelf.

Twilight moved over and sat a bit away from him as he opened the book, skimming over a few pages to see if was interesting. “If you don't mind...I have a few questions.”

Copper closed the book; it wasn't interesting. “Okay.” He put the book back on the shelf and turned to Twilight. “I might not be able to answer them all.”

She smiled at him. “That's alright. Just answer as many of them as you can.” She looked over at Spike. “Spike!” Spike got up and looked at her. “Can you please get the questions that I came up with last night?”

“Yeah yeah...” He walked up the stairs.

Twilight turned back to Copper and smiled a bit more. “Well I don't have to ask about the cloak anymore...or the scars.” Copper nodded. “But...what exactly did you do for the Princess?”

He looked at her and then shrugged. “This and that. Things that she wanted done but couldn't do herself, due to distance, or...that it required a little bit of underhandedness or-” He paused, looking at Twilight's expression. “Things that needed doing. Technically speaking, I'm a negotiator, but on paper I'm a diplomat.”

“Oohhh. So you're somepony who confers with others in order to reach a settlement or agreement.” She was still giving him the look. It wasn't a bad look, but it was one that said you chose your words poorly.

“Yes, you could put it that way...” he said, actually doing a pretty good job at ignoring the look.

“So the Princess would send you places to negotiate. What kind of places have you been?” Spike came back and held out a scroll to Twilight. “Thank you, Spike.” Her horn glowed and the scroll lifted and unfurled. It was quite long.

He cleared his throat, watching as Spike walked back over to his bed. “I think I've been everywhere...even if it was just passing through, if that counts. Some places I stayed longer, like Griflon...spent a long time there.”

Twilight blinked, her attention going back to him. “Griflon? That's over the sea.”

“Yeah and it's a long trip by flight or by sea. Though it's getting faster every couple months from what I heard...the griffons are working on a new type of ship, with engines that'll make the distance in a a few days, rather than a few weeks.”

Her brow wrinkled slightly. “Why would they want ships? Can't they just fly?”

“Oh sure.” He waved his hoof vaguely. “But you have to think of it all in trade.”

“Trade?”

“That's one of the things I was there for.” He looked at her, Spike was now under his blankets and no longer interested him. “See, Equestria is the absolute gem capital of the world. There's no other place with even a hundredth of the gems here. And the thing about gems, is everypony wants them.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “We had a run in with some...Diamond Dogs I think they were?” She looked thoughtful. 

“Oh I've met a few of them before.” She blinked at him. “They're not all bad, obsessive, yes, but give them a gem or two and they'll be your friend till you give them a gem to go away.” He chuckled softly, but Twilight did not. He coughed. “Anyways, I've worked with a few of them. Celestia had told me there had been an incident with some Diamond Dogs, but didn't go into details. Their ban has been...increased.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly. “Ban? They're banned?”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes. Banned. Because of their obsessive nature with shiny gems, they aren't allowed in Equestria. They'd tear the place apart looking for them. And they wouldn't be afraid to steal them.” He rubbed his hoof against his left leg. “And they're very strong.”

She looked at his leg, he had a far off look. “Been attacked by one?”

Shrugging, he looked at her. “A few. Some were attacked by me. But it doesn't matter. They're banned.”

“So you went there to negotiate for trade?” she asked, looking down her list, at what to ask later.

“Mhm. One of the easier jobs I've had. Only one person was really against it...but...he had a lot of influence.” He stood up, stretching his legs. It was odd to sit still for so long.

“Mhm...” she mumbled, staring at the list. “Why would anyone object to it?”

“I don't know...Lers was an odd pony...” He looked around at the books.

“Was?” she said, looking up at him. 

“Yes...was.”

~	
The sound of hooves on cobble beneath him. He had several blocks to go and only a few minutes to get there. A group of ponies up ahead forced him to run through an alley, startling a cat and a griffon who thought the alley was a good place to have his lunch. He decided it wasn't, now that the cat had run off with some of his sandwich and the rest was in the dirt. On the other street it took him a moment to get his bearings, before running off down another alley; he would have to cut through them to make it in time.

He turned in an alley, a wall ahead of him. “Dammit,” he said and leaped onto a garbage can, then up onto the top of the wall. The can had tipped as he jumped and he barely got his front legs over the top of the wall. He scrambled up and flopped over onto the ground on the other side. Less than a moment later he was at the end of the alley, looking at the street ahead and pushed up his hood.

Copper took deep breaths, leaning against the wall, trying to get his breath back. His large copper cloak draped over him. He shifted from his left side, to the right and back, getting a feel. “Good...nothing's loose...” He nodded his head downward quite forcefully and something that was resting on his head slid down over his face. His right hoof went up and adjusted it a bit. He looked down at puddle on the ground, the mask covered most of his face, at least all of the upper half. It was black, with clear lenses in the vague shape of an eagle’s face. Horsh had made it for him when he asked for a mask. Horsh was a good griffon, one of the few, he thought. He had wished it disguised his eyes. Everypony always remembered him for his eyes, but he could deny anything later. A masked pony is a masked pony. And during The Masquerade, every average pony, griffon or other, would have a mask.

He left the alley and followed the wall a ways. There was a guard a ways ahead of him, wearing the Griflon style of armor, all sleek and awkward. He walked slowly up to the earth brown earth pony at the gate. “Excuse me, do you see what's over there behind that gate?” Copper asked, giving the guard a slight smile.

The guard looked back through the gate. “You mean the Library?” Blang. 

Copper glanced around as the earth pony slumped against the gate. “Pathetic.” He pushed open the gate, stepping over the pony. “Lers needs better guards.” Another earth pony, this one a shade of blue, came charging at him. He stepped to the side and extended his wing. Blang. Metal glinted off the front of his wing as it retracted back under his cloak. He moved to the doors and lifted his left hoof up, it was covered in what looked like black cloth, with a metal ring around it and several different things attached to it. He turned his hoof slightly and swung it out, two small points extruding from either side. He pushed the door open slowly with his shoulder, staying pressed to the door as it opened. He swirled his left hoof around slowly which created a soft buzzing noise, which grew slightly louder the longer he did it.

Inside it was dark, but he could hear voices in the distance. Somewhere behind some door. His eyes scanned the room as he swirled his hoof around. Then there was a click and he began walking forward, walking in a way that didn't allow the two metal tips to touch the ground. Light came from under a door he headed towards, as well as the sound of voices escaping from underneath. “...on't think it's a good idea.” This was a female voice, Copper recognized it as Lady Evale. A griffon of high standings and the reason Copper was there now, instead of tomorrow.

“What can they possibly do?” This was Lers. Copper had only heard his voice once, but it was one that stuck in the mind. Annoying and nasally. 

“You don't understand...the Princess has sent her dog on you.” Copper frowned, he hated that nickname.

“Bah. That belligerent pony? I saw him the other day at the ball. That missing wing is an eyesore... He should just cut the other off and be done with it.” He arched a brow, standing outside the door. That had never occurred to him as an option. It wasn't a very good option, but it was there. And he didn't want it.

“That's a little harsh. I thought him quite charming.” He HAD spent a little too much time with her, he had to admit. But it was all in the gain of knowledge. He found out quite a lot. Including that she has a thing for ponies.

“Bah.” That was his favorite thing to say. It annoyed Copper to no end and he was pretty sure no one else liked it. “He seemed like a buffoon to me. Talking of uniting us with Equestria and opening up trades.” There was a pause. “No. There's enough ponies on this side of the ocean as it is.”

“And yet you have them as guards...” Copper muttered, as he shifted a bit and pulled out a small bag from under his cloak.

“I think we could do with more.” She would say that. “And the trade would benefit everyone. If you could just see it to sign the document and maybe give-”

“I said I will not!” There was a thump and Copper dropped the bag. But that was on purpose. He kicked it in front of the door. It was mushy, but when he pressed slightly, it turned solid and wedged the door shut. “And there is nothing you can say to me that will change my mind!”

Copper moved around to a hallway, just in time to see light spill out of a doorway. “If that is how you feel, then there is nothing else that I can say to you.” She nearly ran into Copper. “Ah.” She paused, looking at him. Of course, he thought as he looked at the pony mask on her face. “I see...so that's how it is?”

He nodded and then stepped around Lady Evale, a rather small griffon when all was said and done, but she held herself high and walked as somepony three feet taller than herself. He shut the door behind him and looked at Lers, who was staring at papers on a desk, which left his back to the door. Copper glanced around the library, so many books. At the back was a large window overlooking the grounds. He walked towards Lers, careful of the two prongs on his left hoof. “Bah! That fool of a Princess...she thinks that I'll just buckle cus she sends her dog.” He flung the papers off the desk and into the fire. Then he turned around.

“I am not fond of that name,” Copper said, only a few steps from Lers, who backed away, knocking over the table. “It's degrading.”

“Wa-wait! Please!” Lers said, moving to his left and running to the doors, which didn't open.

“No,” Copper said, moving between him and the only other door, the one he had come through. “You're out of chances and out of time. I only try so many times.”

Lers turned on him and pointed a shaking hoof at him. “S-stay away from me. I...I have money!”

“I don't want your blood money.” Lers grabbed a lamp and threw it at Copper. It hit him in the side as he tried to get out of the way and bounced off. Lers ran at him and tried to get past. Copper swung his left hoof and the prongs hit Lers in the chest.

The shocker that Copper carried could only charge enough to paralyze the average pony. Unfortunately, Lers was not your average pony and had a weak heart. He went rigid, his eyes wide, before he slumped to the floor. Copper stood up and patted out a bit of fire trying to catch on his cloak. He looked around, saw the shattered lamp and the oil everywhere. This place was going to go up and fast. Then his eyes found Lers, on the floor. He knew instantly that the pony was dead. “Damn it.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly; the fire had caught on the books and rose very quickly to the ceiling. “Damn it!” he exclaimed and stomped the ground, the prongs retracting.

He took deep breaths, looking around the room. “I...crap.” The fire was well out of control now. “I just wanted him to...damn it now I have to fix this...” He checked Lers quickly, he was not breathing and had no heartbeat. Panic was setting in. He needed that signature, but now he couldn't get it. He didn't care about Lers being dead; the pony was not nice. He made his money off the ponies that came to live this side of the ocean. He tied them up in red tape and debt. Most of the ponies didn’t have a single bit to their name. He had any pony who he thought was going to get under his hoof killed. Copper shook his head and looked around, most of the room was ablaze. He ran and jumped through the window, using his cloak and wing to shield himself from the glass.

~	
Copper sighed. “He died.” Twilight gave him a critical look. “It was an accident. One that actually turned out favorable in the end.” He shook his head. “I don't like it when part of my negotiation dies. It's never good...”

Twilight nodded slightly, deciding to not pursue the subject. “So.” He looked up at her. “What's your favorite food?”

Copper couldn't help it, he tried to hold back, but with a crack of a smile, he laughed. He laughed long and hard. It was the best feeling he had ever had. The best part was it was contagious. When somepony is that happy it's hard not to laugh along with them and feel good. After what felt about an hour Copper finally managed to calm down enough to give an answer. “I, heh, don't really have one. Heheh.”

Twilight was still smiling. “Oh? Well, what do you eat?”

“Mostly just, heh, grass and the occasional, heh, flower.” He cleared his throat in an attempt to get rid of the chuckles. It was so difficult to come down from that. What an absolutely normal question.

“No carrots? Apples?” Twilight prompted, looking at him.

He shook his head. “No. Heheh. I had an apple this morning for, heh, the first time in... Well...a very, very long time.” She tilted her head. “Ah. I...uh...heh...ran into Applejack.”

“Ooohhh. AJ.” She nodded knowingly. “Yeah, Sweet Apple Acres has some of the best apple and apple based products I've ever had.”

Copper took a deep breath and nodded. The giggles were gone now. “It was delicious. Pinkie Pie couldn't stop eating them...”

“Oh! You met Pinkie, too?” she said, looking down at her list and then back up at him, smiling.

He nodded, his mouth hurt from smiling so much. “Oh yes. She was...a ball of fun.” The most fun he'd had ever, as far as he was concerned. And that felt really pathetic to him. But he had never been after fun. It was always the job. The job and only the job. Had he even had any friends? “Hm?” 

He looked up at Twilight, she had said something. “I said, do you have any friends?”

“Not really.” He looked at the books on the shelves again. “Never had too much time and moved around too much.”

She nodded slowly and smiled a bit. “But you've already made friends here.”

He chuckled softly, which actually hurt. “Yeah. I believe I have.” He smiled, even though it hurt to do so. “Though I think I may have freaked Rarity out a bit...”

“Huh?” She blinked at him. “How so?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but rather than explain, spread out his wing a bit and wiggled the nub. “Not being all there I suppose.” 

She frowned slightly. “I'm sure it was just a bit of a shock... I know I've never seen an injury that bad...”

“Well, outside of Equestria, ponies like me aren't too terribly uncommon.” He sighed, shaking his head. “With griffons, dragons, diamond dogs and...well...not nice things... It's fairly common to see a pony who's injured.” He saw the expression change on her face and quickly added, “Though my extent is more rare. Usually scars and such...”

“Well...I'm sure she'll get used to it. Everypony will eventually.” She smiled at him. “After all, you're our newest resident.” She walked over to a table in the center of the room and put the scroll down on it. “I think that that's enough questions for now.” She walked over to Spike and nudged him gently. 

There was a grunt and Spike’s head poked out from under the blanket. “Yes?” He looked up at her blearily.

“We're heading out. I'll send Fluttershy by if I see her.” He retreated back under the blankets. She walked over to Copper. “He's not been feeling well lately...but, I think it's time that I show you around town, alright?”

He nodded. “Sounds good to me... Do you...think we could get something to eat? I've not got any bits at the moment, but I can pay you back when my things arrive.”

Twilight shakes her head. “Now now. As your official guide to Ponyville, it'll be my treat.” With that, she walked to the door, which opened ahead of her when her horn glowed.

Copper smiled and took a deep breath, heading after her. “All right. If you insist.”

~	
The first stop on Twilight's Ponyville Tour, as she started calling it, was after they went back to the library so she could make a list of places they were going to visit. But the first stop was, much to Copper's relief, a restaurant. Finest in Ponyville, Twilight had said. They sat at a table outside and Copper scanned over the menu, using his usual reading technique. “What would you recommend?” He said, not taking his eyes off the menu.

“Mmm...well I'm quite fond of the daffodil and daisy sandwich,” she said, looking at her own menu.

“That sounds good.” His stomach growled in response and he chuckled. “Very good indeed.”

Twilight smiled a bit as the waiter walked up to their table. He was a cream colored pony, with navy blue hair slicked back and two little pins of a mustache. A covered silver serving dish was his cutie mark. “Do you know what you'd like?”

She nodded and glanced at the menu once more. “Two daffodil and daisy sandwiches please.”

“Right away.” The waiter turned and walked off, Copper watched him go, quite interested in the pony wearing a bowtie. It had been a while since he had seen a bowtie on a pony. Not since the ball.

~	
He frowned at his reflection and once again adjusted his bowtie. “I don't like it, Horsh. It doesn't feel right...” The tux was a perfect fit, he knew, but at the same time, didn't feel like it fit properly at all.

“Oh come on Copper... I spent all day fitting it for you.” Copper looked at the reflection of the rather elderly griffon standing behind him. He had a tape measure draped over his neck. “And you have to dress for the occasion.” 

He scrunched up his face. “Doesn't mean I have to like it.” He sighed and shook his head. “But, rules are rules...”

Horsh patted him on the back. “Quite right. Now, we have a carriage outside, all ready to take The Grand Copper Feather, Equestrian Diplomat to the ball.”

He didn't like that title. He didn't like any title, to be honest. “I don't feel like a diplomat...and I'm not. I'm The Negotiator.” Except that one. That one he liked.

“Yes yes.” He steered Copper towards the door. “Now get going. You've a ball to attend and you need to hob nob with all those uppity ups.”

Copper nodded as headed out the door. “Right...and there's Lers to deal with...” Outside, there was a covered carriage. Copper wondered how much it had cost Horsh, but he knew he would get back far more then he paid. Then he spotted the two ponies at the front of the carriage and he could feel it deep down: pity. He shook his head and walked up to the carriage. One of the ponies moved quickly to open the door for him. “Thank you.” He looked at the pony and the feeling increased. The pony was brown, with a bandage over half of his face, covering his eye.

He did not speak to him, merely bowing his head down. Copper felt sorry for him as he got inside. It was nice, though he noted it was nicer on the outside than on the inside. The door closed behind him and he heard the pony take up his position. Red seats, which he found soft and comfortable. He flexed his wing outward, stretching it into the seat beside him. Staring at it, he moved it up and down slowly. 

It was never a good idea to have nothing to do. If you do that, then your mind wanders. For Copper that was especially not a good thing. He had a lot of bad memories. So he bided his time, watching his wing raise up and down slowly and thought of it as well as mechanical things. Oh how he adored mechanical things and clockwork. He had found he was quite good at them quite a long time ago and that's how he got his cutie mark. First pegasus that ever even showed interest in mechanics, to his findings.

But that was all right for him. He didn't even think of himself as a pegasus. It was easier to think of himself as an earth pony with a wing, and there were quite a few mechanic earth ponies. He had spoken with several of them and managed to learn from them. But it never seemed enough. He never had time to actually put forth what he had learned. Oh sure, he helped Horsh with the odd gadget now and then, but for the most part he just observed.

The carriage came to a stop and the door opened. Copper looked out at the mansion. If it did anything, in his opinion, it was loom. It was built to loom. Griffon mansions were built like that. Not on purpose as far as he could see, but out of want to be high. That put most of the structure quite high in the sky. Many griffon buildings were up there in the sky, flying on clouds. Copper marveled at the small airships that took those that couldn't fly to the land of clouds. He had stayed away from being up there; he was worried he would fall. Not quite afraid, but close to it.

The cobbles outside the carriage were an odd shape, in his opinion. Like some sort of oblong spiral. He looked at them as he walked forward and then up at the large, open, double doors. The doors were always big to allow griffons and ponies to fly in and out. But everypony was walking. There was a bit of a walk to the door and a few stragglers were ahead of Copper. The sun was setting and he imagined Princess Celestia using her power to cause it to rise over Equestria. The moon was already up, it was rare for a sunset to not have the moon already risen here.

He shook his head and came up to the doors, inside he could see a very, very large room. The entire place was packed full. There was a large griffon standing to the side, announcing those ahead of him. Copper didn't care the least who was there. This was his second to last chance to convince Lers to sign on with the trade route. “The Grand Copper Feather, Equestrian Diplomat.” The griffon announced and the sudden pressure of gazes caused Copper to hesitate. He looked out over the floor, almost everypony was staring at him. Then he spotted Lers, by the buffet and, ignoring the stares, headed towards him. 

The crowd parted ahead of him and probably closed behind him, judging by the whispering behind him. People whispering about him was always annoying and he knew what they were talking about. The tux had been made for a pegasus and therefore had slits in the back for the wings. Or in Copper’s case, a wing and a stub. Copper was so lost in thought, that he nearly walked into a griffon who had not moved out of his way. She gave him a smile, or as much a smile as one could do with a beak. “Ah, Copper. I am so pleased you could make it.”

Copper looked at her and then remembered who she was. He cleared his throat. “Good evening, Lady Evale.” He leaned slightly to the side to see if he could spot Lers, but it seemed he moved on.

“I see you making a head start to the buffet. Come, I shall accompany you.” She turned around and began walking towards the buffet.

“Damn it...” he breathed as he followed her. Lady Evale was on his side, he knew. But she could cause more problems then she solved if given the chance to force her opinion. “How are you this evening?” But he had to be polite. She held as much sway as Lers did.

“Oh I am more than fine tonight.” Copper ignored her for the most part, scanning for Lers. “I'm afraid he spotted you coming.”

“Damn.” He stood by the buffet, his back to it. “Do you think he will try and leave?”

“Oh I highly doubt that. A pony of Lers standings could not simply walk out on a ball of this magnitude a mere hour in.” She picked up a drink and offered it to Copper.

Who shook his head. “No, thank you... I need to stay focused.” He stood up straighter, he thought he caught a glimpse of Lers, but couldn't be sure.

“Ah yes...quite right.” To his surprise, she downed the drink in one go. “Come, I will assist you in your endeavor to speak with him.” 

He went to say something in response, but she was already on the move. It was amazing how she could move so quickly through the crowd, yet conversed with more ponies and griffons than Copper could keep up with. And she knew all of their names. All of them. He had trouble remembering names of day to day ponies and griffons. Yet there she was, a how are you mister such and such. Lovely to see you miss blah blah. How are the kids mister and miss whatever. She did this for an hour and then there was Lers, backed into a corner. He was talking with some pony, who looked miserable and then grateful at their approach. Lers however, glared at Copper. “I do not want to talk with you.”

Copper sighed and took in a deep breath. “Please Sir Lers, we need to discuss the matter at hoof.”

“I don't want to discuss anything with the likes of you.” For being such a thin and fairly elderly pony, Lers could stand quite tall.

“Did you at least look over the documents?” Copper insisted, from a bit of a distance. It never paid well to get too close to someone who wanted nothing to do with you.

“You mean that drivel of a contract? I honestly can't see how anyone in their right mind, present company excluded,” he said with a glance at Evale, “would ever sign such a thing.”

“Please Sir Lers.” It was difficult to keep one’s patience around such a pony. “It would benefit everypony if you would simply give the project your endorsement.” Lers gave him a look of disgust, but he continued. “Faster travel, better and safer established trading and all the jobs for everypo-”

“I said I will not!” Lers cut him off and stomped his hoof in the ground. Several patrons nearby turned to watch. “I will not give you my endorsement on anything. I would not stoop so low as to give someone such as yourself the time of day!” He moved off to the side, pushing aside a waiter who had been walking by. “You are nothing but a dog, sent off to try and cheat others out of their hard earned...” His face scrunched up with effort and then he stood up straight. “I pride myself on not dealing with ponies of your standing. And my opinion will not change. You...you're nothing but...” He paused, searching for a suitable insult. “Nothing but a cripple with ideas of grandeur.”

Copper ground his hooves into the ground, gritting his teeth. The hardest thing right now, was to not charge him and beat him to death. “The ignorance of that old fool will be the downfall of everything,” he said through grit teeth. Then he moved quickly, assisting the elderly waiter back into his feet.  

“Come,” Evale said, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. “I think you need that drink now.”

“I agree.”

~	
“Copper?”

He looked up, staring into Twilight's questioning face. “Hm? What?”

“He asked if you'd like anything to drink,” she said, gesturing a hoof at the water who was staring down his nose at him. 

“Ah. Sorry...” He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah...just some water.” The waiter nodded and walked back to the restaurant. 

“Are you alright Copper?” There was a thick tone of concern to her voice as she spoke. Copper simply nodded. “It's just, you keep seeming to zone out.”

He chuckled sightly and shrugged. “Just thinking.” He ground his hoof into the ground, staring down at the table and the sandwich in front of him. He was not a cripple. Earth ponies were not crippled. But he wasn't an earth pony.

She tilted her head slightly to one side. “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh just the last time I wore a bowtie.” He gestured vaguely at the waiter, who was at another table where a light yellow pony with an orange mane and green eyes sat. Her cutie mark was of three carrots. She seemed to be having a conversation with the waiter and Copper realized he was staring at them. 

He turned back to Twilight as she asked, “When was that?”

“Oh quite a long time ago, I think... I'm terrible at remembering when things happen...” He leaned down and took a bite of the sandwich. “This is really good.”

Twilight smiled a bit at him. “Why did you have to wear a bowtie?”

He had already eaten half of the sandwich, as she took her first bite. Goodness, he was hungry. “Oh I had to go to a ball,” and rather than wait for another question, he decided to continue as she ate. “It was being held by Lady Evale, a quite influential Griffon. Lers was attending it and I had to try and convince him to give his assistance. So I asked Lady Evale for an invitation, so I could try again. He was refusing to see me at that point... Unfortunately, he didn't agree.”

Now she was finished with half of her sandwich. “Is that when he...”

“Hm?” He blinked and then shook his head. “Oh no. He didn't die at the party. That was a few days later... He... Well I went to speak with him, he threw a lamp at me... There was a bit of a fight and... Well his heart gave out.”

Twilight frowned slightly, looking at him. He didn't like being dishonest with her, but he was worried that if he told her he was there to force him to sign and that he accidentally killed him... Well he was sure she wouldn't want to be friends with him. “He threw a lamp at you?”

Copper chuckled and nodded. “Mhm. And he burned down the building, too.”

She stopped, halfway to taking another bite of her sandwich. “The building burned down?”

“Yeah.” He took another bite and swallowed this time before speaking. “Griflon's National Library. He owned the building.” Twilight looked horrified. “Oh no one was hurt.” He paused, watching as her expression failed to change. “And most of the books survived.” He ventured. “Nothing rare, or too expensive.”

Twilight relaxed a bit. “Well, it's good that no boo- nopony was hurt...” She busied herself with eating.

He chuckled softly and finished his sandwich as the waiter arrived with two glasses of water, setting them both down on the table. “Thank you,” Copper said, picking up and downing half the glass in a single go. He was really thirsty as well. It would be odd getting used to eating and drinking regularly again. No more nibbling when he got the chance just to keep away the rumbles and the grumbles.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, well, Twilight ate. Copper drank. Four glasses of water by the time he was satisfied. With that, Twilight paid and they both got underway. “Let's see...” she mumbled, the scroll hovering in front of her. “We'll go see the mayor next.”

~	
Town hall was a circular building, which was quite interesting. At least Copper found this interesting, when he brought it up to Twilight, she gave him an odd look and felt a bit embarrassed for bringing it up. It didn't take long for them to actually get to see the mayor, who was busy with paperwork. “Miss Mayor? Do you think you have time to see us?”

“Oh! Twilight, come in. Of course I do. Who did you br-” her voice caught in her throat as she saw Copper.

Twilight frowned slightly. “It's all right, Twilight. I'm honestly used to it.” He gave a slight bow to the mayor, who was a light grayish amber color with a gray mane. “My name is Copper Feather.”

Sort of purply blue colored eyes behind half moon spectacles seemed to stare it him a moment, before she shook her head back and forth. “Sorry,” she said and cleared her throat, quickly adjusting the teal sort of pomf on the front of the white collar around her neck. “I am the mayor of Ponyville.”

“Copper is our newest resident, Miss Mayor,” Twilight said, smiling at the mayor.

“Oh?” she said, moving to her desk and sifting through papers. “Ah yes. Here we go... I got this letter from Princess Celestia a long time ago to prep for a somepony who would be coming here...”

Copper nodded. “Yes that would be me. And I must say, I'm enjoying Ponyville so far.” He glanced at her cutie mark, a scroll wrapped with a blue ribbon.

“That's good,” she said, turning to him and smiling at him. He had to give her one thing, she bounced back from surprise quite well.

Twilight nodded and looked at the scroll again. “All right then. Next is Sugarcube Corner. We'll see what's going on there with Mr. and Mrs. Cake and see if Pinkie is there.”

Copper smiled and followed her out of the Mayor’s office. The mayor relaxed in her seat as she watched them leave. “That's good. I'd like to see more of Pinkie.”
> 3: The Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sugarcube Corner was a very, very interesting building to Copper. It looked like a gingerbread house from some sort of story. The roof was brown and looked like melting chocolate, with frosted edging. There was a cupcake on top of a tower in the middle with three candles and gumdrops down the archway over the door. He smiled at the candy-cane pillars and gave the wooden sign with a cupcake on it an appreciative look. “This place looks fun.” He tried to see if he could see inside the pink tinted windows.

“I've always thought it...interesting,” Twilight said, looking at the little weathercock of a pony, which held a candy-cane.

“I like it.” He took a deep breath as he walked towards the door and Twilight followed after him. This made sense for the kind of place that Pinkie would live. He stopped at the door and looked over the side of the steps at the small garden beside it, full of pink flowers.

Twilight opened the door and Copper looked up as he heard the jingle of a bell. “Afternoon Mrs. Cake,” she said as she went in. 

Copper hesitated and then followed her in. The inside looked a lot like the outside, wonderful. It was what he would imagine the inside of a gingerbread house to look like. Plus, it smelled amazing. He found himself merely standing and taking deep breaths of the place. Mrs. Cake smiled at him. “Hello there. You must be the new pony Pinkie was talking about.” Mrs. Cake was a surprisingly light cerulean color, with a crimson mane with a lighter streak though it. 

He nodded and smiled at her. She didn't stare at the stub, nor did she freak out about it. Pinkie must have told her about it. Or maybe she just wasn't easily phased or...perhaps had seen worse? He knew he had. “My name's Copper Feather.”

“Very nice to meet you. Please, look around. As a new pony you can have one confection on the house.” Mrs. Cake moved from behind the counter and moved closer towards him, getting a better look at him. He saw that she had three cupcakes for her cutie mark and that she wore a yellow apron with pink frills over the shoulder. She looked over towards a passage way to the side and trotted towards it. “Mr. Cake is in the back baking a cake.” She paused. “I'll go see if he can come out and meet you.”

Copper nodded and looked around the place. “Goodness this is a lot...” He walked around, looking at cakes, candy and enjoying it all. Just being in this place. “This is a happy place, I could really get used to-” he paused as he saw a mane of orange sticking out from behind a display case. He moved around it, looking back behind it. He was met with the huge blue eyes of a tiny yellow unicorn. “Well now. Who are you?”

Twilight came around the other side of the table and smiled. “Oh that's Pumpkin Cake.” She looked around her. “Her brother should be somewhere around here... It's hard to separate the two of them."

Copper moved closer to the ground, getting to her level and gave her a smile. “I know that look.” She had an incredibly large smile and was flailing her hooves at him. “That is a happy look.” He laid down and she crawled over to him, sitting down, or more accurately flopping, in front of him, making soft bubbling noises. “You're not put off by my lack of wing...are you...” He reached out with his wing and she crawled up onto it. He smiled as he stood up, scooping her up as he did.

“Wow. Usually she's not too good with new ponies. You must be really good with foals,” Twilight said, smiling down at Pumpkin Cake.

“I dunno... Never really had much interaction with them.” He couldn't help smiling at the bright blue eyed face. “Never had to negotiate with one,” he said, chuckling and swaying slightly from side to side. 

“That would make sense...but I guess she just likes you. Usually it's...” She looked under the table beside the case. “Ah. Here he is.” She reached under and gently pulled the small colt out from under the table. “Usually it's Pound Cake who's super outgoing with ponies.” The little colt had a brown mane, with darker brown eyes and a light peach coat.

“Ah, you must be Copper,” said a voice behind Copper. 

He turned around to see a a tall stallion. And he immediately saw where Pumpkin got her colors from. He matched her for everything but his eyes, which where green. “Ah, yes. Mr. Cake I presume?”

Mr. Cake nodded and smiled down at Pumpkin. “I see you found my little girl.” He wore a large bowtie, which was orange with white stripes and a white apron with a hat. Copper found himself looking at the hat rather than at his face. It was like he was wearing some sort of candy on his head. Though he saw that his cutie mark was of three cakes; carrot cakes.

“I do hope you don't mind,” he said, looking at the little thing cupped in his wing.

Mr. Cake shook his head. “Oh no, of course not. It's good that she interacts with other ponies. She's oddly shy for her age. Usually she whines when someone she doesn't know tries to get too close.”

“Mmm... Well looks like I made a little friend, eh Pumpkin?” She made bubbling noises at him in response and waved her hooves at him.

“Just be careful. Little unicorns-”

“Have an overabundance of magic,” Copper said, still swaying back and forth, “Usually calms down when they hit a year old...”

He arched an eyebrow at him, as did Twilight. “I thought you said you didn't have much interaction with foals?”

“Oh I haven't. But even I've seen the aftereffects of a parent who didn't pay attention.” He stopped his swaying and looked at them. The looks they gave him made him feel he needed to explain. “Furniture stuck to walls, scorch marks...that sort of thing.” And that seemed to be the trigger, as Pumpkin's horn glowed and she floated gently up out of his wing.

She floated gently to Mr. Cake and orbited around him a bit. “Yes, well... Twilight says she'll probably be a pretty magical unicorn once she learns control.”

“Oh yes,” Twilight said, watching Pumpkin. “She's got such a smooth flow of magic at this stage, that it should be easy for her to use magic. I'm eager to see what her main focus will be.”

Copper wasn't paying attention anymore. He was busying himself with looking at the confections around. It wasn't good for his mental health to envy a little filly, just because she could fly. “I think I'd like a cupcake,” he said, eyeing a plate that looked quite fresh.

“Of course. Mrs. Cake always gives a free one to every new pony.” He walked over to the case that he was looking at. “Ah. One of Pinkie's cupcakes. Good choice.” 

They were amazing to look at, all frosting and sprinkles and swirls and chocolates and candies. He guessed that there was more frosting and bits added on top than actual cupcake. The question now, was which one. There were so many, the entire display case was full of them. But one caught his eye and to him it wasn't hard to figure out why. Out of all the cupcakes in the case, there was only one plain one. A brown cupcake, with pink frosting. It was the only one that he felt he would feel good about eating. “I'd like that one. The one with the pink frosting in the front.” That wasn’t very specific, as there were several ones in front with pink frosting.

Mr. Cake pulled out the tray and set it on top of the counter, smiling. “Ah. One of Pinkie's specials. Usually she gets a bit carried away with all the toppings, till she runs out.” Much to Mr. Cake’s surprise, Copper took the plain one. He looked at the tray, before putting it back on display. “Not that that's a bad thing. She makes a delicious cupcake.”

With that, they left. And it really was a delicious cupcake. He couldn't remember ever even having a cupcake before. Surely he had in the past, but he could not remember the taste, or the time, or if it was all just simply in his head. But it didn't matter. It would never have been this good.

The rest of the places seemed to blur together for Copper. He met more ponies than he could keep track of; most were put off at first by his lack of wing, but eventually it was hard to run into anypony who didn't know about it and was prepared for it. Word got around fast apparently and he only had to explain a few times. As for actual buildings they visited there was the school, a hospital, a bookstore, joke shop, bowling alley, costume shop, market place, day spa, clock tower- That got his attention. A clock tower. “Who runs the clock tower?” he asked as they walked up towards it. 

“Runs it? I don't think anyone runs the clock tower. I think Doctor Whooves comes and winds it up every now and then...” Twilight said, giving him a confused sort of look. 

He blinked, staring at her and then looking at the clock tower. “Well then, who makes the repairs?”

“I...don't know,” she said, looking at the clock tower as well. “I've never seen anypony go in or out of it...but it always seems to be running. I thought it was magic.”

“Hm...” Copper looked thoughtful a moment. “Perhaps...can we go inside?” He looked at her, trying his best to hold back the pleadingness of his voice. Which he managed for the most part.

“Oh I don't see why not,” she said with a smile as they got closer. 

They walked around the clock tower, before they found the door. Beside it was a crank, obviously for winding the large spring that kept the clock going. It was a small door, barely big enough for a pony to get into. Twilight knocked on it and they waited. “Probably no one inside...” Copper said and then tried the door. It was unlocked and dust practically poured out as it opened. 

They both coughed, waving away dust. “Goodness. I guess nopony runs it.”

Copper stuck his head inside and looked around. He was quicker to recover from the dust than Twilight and it didn't bother him other then the initial shock. “Hm...” he mumbled as he crawled in through the door and took a good look around. “Twilight, could you give me some light?”

“Oh. Sure.” She poked her head in and her horn glowed, lighting up the entire tower. Everything that didn't move was caked in a thick layer of dust. 

But it did move, creakily. At least most of it moved. “Wow...this place is a mess.” He brushed some dust off of a large gear that seemed to have fallen from somewhere above and had stuck into the floor. That was a tad disconcerting.

“Do...do you think it's safe to be in here?” Twilight said as she struggled through the small door.

“Probably not.” Something above him went TWANG. “Actually, most definitely not... When my tools get here I'll come back and fix all this up...”

“You know a lot about mechanics?” she asked, looking at him and then up at all of the slow moving parts.

“Mhm. It's my talent. I'm good with machines... Unfortunately I never really have much time to do anything...” He walked around the room slowly. “This would make a good workshop...once it got cleaned up...”

“It's so dusty...” Twilight said, coughing again as she brushed some dust off of something. “It looks like sand it's so thick...”

“Yeah...” Copper said, his mind beginning to wander. “Like a desert...”

~	
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Copper looked up from his work table at the tall gray horse with her teal mane. “I mean, really work.”

Copper looked at her rosy eyes and then shrugged, bending over the table again. “It has to... My shock glove doesn't work here... Too much sand gunks up the turbine. And no turbine, means no charge.”

The mare shifted her weight slightly from side to side. “I... I meant about the negotiation...” She looked back and forth around the room.

“You have to trust me, Safanad. This isn't the first negotiation I've been to.” He straightened the long hinged pole and there was a click. He tested it a moment, trying to bend it back, but it stayed outstretched. 

“I know Copper...but...” The shifting was starting to get on his nerves, he could feel it from where he sat on the carpet. Sand was a great transmitter for movement when it's under a carpet.

“Please. Just let me do my job and stop worrying.” He bent it again, but this time at a downward angle. There was another click and the rod bent again. “And stop fidgeting.”

She sat down, mostly in frustration. “You can't just treat me like a little girl...”

“You aren't the ruler yet...” he mumbled, as he pushed it back into its outstretched position and slid part of the contraption over his head. “And you may not be if your uncle has any say over it.”

“Amira says that I should be mindful of him and trust his judgment...” The sarcastic tone was quite thick in her voice. “Cus he's a good stallion and I should be grateful he didn't banish me.” She looked down at the ground. There was a pause. “Like he did to my mother.”

He hesitated, looking at her. He sighed softly and stretched his wing out. It fit and that was the important part. The straps wrapped around his chest and leg and it fit over his wing perfectly. He had measured it out quite a bit. With a slight flex downward, it clicked and bent, allowing his wing to fold. “There we go. Now I have some sort of defense that won’t get gunked up. Worst case is it gets stuck in the outward position.”

“Do you really think that you can do it?” She looked hopefully at him. “And let my mother come back?”

Again he hesitated. He needed to stop doing that. “That will be up to you when you are ruler. Princess Celestia wants you as the leader of Saddle Arabia, not your uncle. He is a thick headed fool and would have nothing to do with her.” He stood up and adjusted his weight slightly from side to side, checking to see what moved and what didn't. But everything seemed to work as it should.

“Why is she so keen on me?” The frown was emphasized by her tone. Or maybe her tone was emphasized by her frown. Either way, Copper could tell she was frowning without turning around.

“I couldn't say. I do not ask questions like that.” He pulled on his cloak, clasping it in front and nodding in satisfaction. “Right. I'm ready.” He turned to her and frowned slightly. She was crying.

“I don't know if I can do this...” She was staring at the ground and she was shaking.

He gulped, he didn't know how to deal with this. Mares where not his strong point, especially when they were emotionally compromised, at least when he had not been the cause of the emotional compromise. He wasn't proud of that. “You have to,” he said simply and he actually flinched when her head shot up.

“Says you!” she said, glaring at him. She was coming undone. “You and your damned princess!”

Copper decided to go for broke. “You will if you ever want to see your mother.” She made a slight choking sound. “Or to see any sort of justice against your father’s murderer.”

Her head sagged down again. He almost felt bad for that, but he needed her together. Or in pieces. That thought was worse and he shook his head. “You're right...” she mumbled as she got to her feet. He breathed out in relief.

“Come on... You need to get ready too.” He gave her a soft smile and she returned it slightly. “Can't overthrow a kingdom without the proper attire.”

~	
He blinked, Twilight was staring at him again and a cog had just struck the ground a few feet away. “I think we should be leaving,” she said, looking up into the cogs and gears. 

“Yeah. I'll come back with some safety equipment.” He stared up into the darkness as Twilight was first out of the tower. It was truly a mess, but at the same time, it had been a wonderful site. Familiar. Comfortable. And at the same time, needing. It needed him. Or, well, he needed it. He needed it to be there and to work on it. “Where to next?”

He crawled out, the sun stinging his eyes slightly, or maybe it was the dust. Either way, Twilight was waiting. “We'll stop by Fluttershy's and then we're going to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Oohhh. I'm looking forward to that. Maybe I can get a few more apples...” He took in a deep breath of the air, it was nice and fresh out here. It almost felt wrong.

The house, quite frankly, was not what he was expecting. He was not sure what he was actually expecting, but it was not this. From a distance, it looked like a steep hill with windows, but once you got over a hill, you saw that it was in fact a house. A house that looked like a hill. It appeared the roof was made of grass and bushes. But there was a nice path, with a quite natural looking bridge going over a large stream, or a small river. He could never work out what the difference was. Water was water. The place was scattered with birdhouses and holes everywhere. It was impossible to look anywhere and not see several of both.

He walked cautiously behind Twilight, looking at what appeared to have been a fence or railing at one point on the right side of the path, but was quite overgrown. He could hear the cluck of chickens somewhere off in the distance, but he couldn't see any other animals. “Oh I do hope she's in...”

She knocked on the door and it opened slightly, revealing a pony of a soft, pale gold coloring, with pale grayish rose mane and cyan eyes. “Oh... Hello Twilight.” Everything about this pony seemed to say ‘soft, gentle and kind.’

Copper waited for Twilight to introduce him. “Good afternoon Fluttershy. I was hoping that you could pop down to the library and check on Spike. I'm afraid that he's been ill.” He felt almost disappointed. 

“Oh poor Spike. Of course, I'll go right away.” She opened the door more and seemed for the first time to spot Copper. She froze. “Eep.” After a moment, she seemed to find her voice. “U-uhm... Hi...”

He did not know how to react, this was odd. He decided on no sudden movements and a softer voice than normal. “Hi.”

After a few moments of silence, Twilight slowly started to move away and Copper followed. Fluttershy remained standing in the doorway, wide-eyed. And that was it. They turned and left. That had to be one of the most timid ponies that he had ever met. “That went quite well. She didn't flee, or cower.”

Copper looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “You mean she used to be worse?”

“I...don't think worse is the appropriate word...” she said, looking back as Fluttershy moved about her garden slowly. “But better would be appropriate to describe her now. She's just a bit...” She waved a hoof vaguely. “Off. That's all.”

~	
The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was a pleasant one. They passed by the clock tower again and Copper made sure to close the door after checking nothing had gotten in. That place could be considered a death trap for some unsuspecting pony. As they walked, Copper suddenly became aware that he was surrounded by apple trees. Large, great apple trees. He couldn't help but marvel at them. They where far more impressive then the ones he had ever seen. “Magnificent.”

“Hm?” Twilight said, looking at him. Seemed her mind was wandering as well. “Oh, yeah it is pretty impressive. And it's just Applejack and Big Mac who collect all the apples.”

“Wow... Two ponies for this entire place?” He looked around, all he could see were trees. And trees behind them and them as well. Except ahead and behind. Ahead he could see a large red barn, with a purple roof. He smiled a bit as they got closer, and was sure to give the apple cart a wide berth, in case it had plans to hit him for revenge. But it didn't and he felt silly for thinking it. 

They were coming up on the barn and then suddenly something pink bounded around the corner. “There you are! Do you know how long everypony has been waiting? I mean jeez Louise. We were about to start without you.” She practically pushed Copper towards the barn.

“I...what? Started what without who?” He looked ahead, as the doors to the barn glowed and swung inward, revealing, much to his surprise, but definitely not the reader’s, a party. It had everything that he had ever thought a party should have. Tons of ponies, streamers, music, cake, which was a very large cake and balloons. So many balloons. He smiled as Pinkie's cutie mark suddenly made complete sense to him.

“Your party of course!” Pinkie exclaimed as she pushed him inside. “We've got games and candy and cake and more candy and balloons and more games and more candy!” 

Copper laughed and smiled around at everypony. So this is what it was like to have friends. Not just acquaintances who are seen once for a few days and then never see again. Or the ones who you think are your friends, but just act nice around you because you frighten them, or they want something from you. No. These were actual friends. There wasn't a pony here, he realized, that he wouldn't give anything for. Everypony seemed happy to see him and it felt genuine. None of them had just came for the party. They came because it was a party for him and they wanted him to feel welcomed. “Thank you,” he said, surprised to find himself trying not to cry. His eyes were swimming, but he blinked a few times and that got rid of that. “Thank you so much.”

Pinkie just smiled at him. “Everypony deserves a party.”

He laughed, nodding. “So, you mentioned games?”

~	
Copper had never played party games before, all the parties he had ever attended where for specific reasons and he never felt the urge to enjoy it. But now, he was at a party. A party for him. And he found out that he sucked at party games. Pin the tail on the pony ended with him jabbing it in the ponies eye. Bobbing for apples only got him soaking wet when he slipped into the barrel. He couldn't guess anything right in charade's and no one knew what he was doing when it was his turn. All in all, it was the best time of his life.

Then there was the cake. Pinkie had made it herself, which meant she was there when they were at Sugarcube Corner. He also found out that Twilight had been stalling him the entire day, so that Pinkie could set up the party. It was a seven level cake, one of the biggest he had seen. Not the biggest, but it felt like the biggest cake in the world. It sparkled and glistened with sprinkles and toppings. It was also the most delicious cake he had ever eaten and he was not ashamed to say it several times with every extra slice of cake he got.

Even Rarity was there. “Hello, Copper.”

He turned and quickly wiped cake from his mouth. “Oh. Hello Miss Rarity.” He couldn't help but smile. 

She had a slice of cake as well and it was hovering slightly off to her side. “I do hope you can forgive me for my reaction this morning...”

“Oh of course.” He looked out at the partygoers. “Everyone has that reaction.” His gaze turned back to her and he smiled. “Though it seems that that won’t be the case anymore around here.”

“I...took the liberty of making you a new cloak.” Her smile made Copper very slightly, though noticeably to him, uncomfortable. It wasn't every day you meet somepony of Rarity's beauty.

“Thank you, very much.” Part of him wanted another slice of cake. He swore he could probably live off of cake that good.

“I had it delivered to your home. I...was not sure if I would be attending, but I felt I had to apologize...” She had an almost pained expression on her face. 

He chuckled softly, smiling a bit more. “Honestly there was no need. I never really expect anyone to apologize. If I did, I'd hear nothing but them all day.”

She nodded slightly. “Yes...well...please stop by the Boutique if there's an alterations you would like for the cloak.” She smiled a bit.

“I'm sure it'll be perfect,” he said as he eyed the cake again. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I want another cake. Er...slice. Slice, of cake.”

She giggled softly and that sent a shiver down Copper’s spine. “Alright. See you around.” 

He watched her walk away and then quickly busied himself with getting another slice of cake. Then someone behind him cleared their throat. Copper turned around and his smile faltered a bit. He looked at her. “Hello Dash...” he said, quite surprised to find her there. He thought that perhaps he should feel some sort of anger, or resentment towards her. But he didn't. Not anymore, anyways. Not now that he was looking her in those cerise eyes under that rainbow mane and covered in that painfully familiar light cerulean. 

She flinched slightly, hearing him say her name. “Hi Copper...it's...been a while...huh.” 

He nodded. “Yeah...very long time.” He took a bite of his cake, glancing out at the rest of the party. “So you live here in Ponyville?”  

She looked down at her hooves, kicking slightly at the ground and nodded. “Yeah...I do. And yourself?” 

He nodded slightly. “Yes. Now I do.” 

After a moment of silence, she looked up at him. “Can we...uhm...talk?” 

There was a slight pause as he looked at her. “You mean more than we have currently?” He nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

She took in a deep breath. “Copper... I....” Her wings seemed to tuck tightly to her sides as she looked at his wing.

He looked at her, guessing at what she wanted to say. “I know, Dash.” He looked around the room again, anything to not look at her. “But you don't need to apologize.” 

Dash looked up, her eyes slightly red. “Yes I do!” She breathed slightly heavier. “I should have stopped her...." 

He gave a slight shrug. “I understand Dash. She was your friend...and no one expected her to go off like that.” He shook his head. “But...it doesn't matter. I saw her a few years ago and I forgave her.” 

She moved towards him, standing a bit taller and he saw the feathers on her wings ruffle slightly. “Why won’t you let me apologize to you...dammit Copper...” 

"All right, all right. Go ahead," he said, chuckled softly. 

Her head lowered. “I'm sorry...I didn't help you...I'm so...so sorry...” 

He looked at her and smiled. He extended his wing and nudged her slightly with it. "Like Gilda, I forgive you.”

She blinked at him, his words slowly registering. “How could you ever forgive her?" 

“It's a...” he paused. “Long story.”

~	
The rattle of the train was the only noise that he could hear. Well, that and his opponents breathing. Or was that his own? He couldn't tell at the moment. He had ran hard in order to have a chance of getting onto the train as it was leaving the station. There was a slight twinge of guilt for tossing the ticket puncher pony off the train, but he couldn't be bothered. Besides, the train wasn't moving that fast. He was sure he was all right.

But besides that, he had to worry about the griffon he had been chasing. “Just come out and hand it over,” he said; it was worth a shot. He could see the door to the next car, but it was closed and probably locked. The baggage he was hiding behind gave him a fairly good viewpoint of the rest of the room. “I can't promise you that you won’t get in trouble, but it'll go a lot easier on yourself if you just give up.” There was no answer at all. There was a slight jingling. Were they going through bags? “Right then. No second-” he dropped as a claw came around the corner of his hiding spot and embedded itself into a bag. Leaping up, shoulder first, he rammed into the griffon. Both tumbled to the floor.

“Dammit!” said the griffon. Copper heard the jingling as the tube rolled from wherever they had been hiding it. But Copper didn't let up, he kicked and stomped down, till the griffon stopped struggling. He hesitated and checked to make sure they were still breathing. “Bastard,” they said, spitting blood. 

Now his eyes were accustomed enough to the gloom to see the griffon clearly. “Gilda,” he said coldly, his eyes narrowing. Part of him wanted to continue the beating. Smash her face into the floor of the car. Rip her wing off. Break her leg. Break her beak. Break her. But he forced that down. He forced that down further and further. He moved quickly and picked up the small metal cylinder, tucking it into a pocket on the inside of his cloak and turned to Gilda.

“Who the hell-” she froze, seeing his face and her eyes narrowed. “Copper. So you didn't die.” She actually sounded genuinely surprised and Copper thought he could detect a bit of relief. “Ponies said I killed you...” She tried to get to her feet, or claws, or paws, or whatever. But couldn't.

“I wouldn't try and get up if I were you. I probably gave you a concussion and I know for a fact I dislocated your shoulder.” He tried to circle around her, but due to the sheer amount of bags, it forced him to get closer to her.

She slumped against a bag and closed her eyes. “Well that's one thing off my conscience...”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “You have a conscience now? Who'd you take that from?” He did not like how close he was being forced to get to her.

Her eyes snapped open and she glared at him. “Even I have one, jerk.”

“Name calling now? Tisk tisk. That's not a nice thing to do.” Her eyes closed again, he was almost past her now. “I'll tell you one thing, Gilda...”

She did not open her eyes. “And what's that...”

He stood in front of her, this was the closest he had to get to her. It was too close for him. “I pity you.”

Her eyes opened slightly, glaring at him. “You pity me? And what of you, huh? I knew that Celestia's dog was after me, but I had no idea it was you.” She sagged further into the bag, he had to admit from where he was standing, it looked comfortable. “You have no friends, no family, nothing. And you pity me...”

Copper could see the tears glinting off the light from the window of the next car. “Yes, I do. You maimed me and I have learned to live with it. I adapt. I moved on...but you're still the same...just another bully. But this time, you got bullied.”

He was hesitating again. Dammit he needed to stop doing that. Her eyes opened and she truly looked miserable. Now there was more than pity. He felt sorry for her. Memories of hearing about her family rose up from the past. “Jerk...” was all she managed to say.

Her father was the head of Birds of a Feather. They were a ruthless criminal organization and killed ponies and anyone else who got in their way. Of course, in their way meant anything from standing in front of them on the street, to trying to weasel out of a gambling debt, or even missing out on a ‘Protection’ payment. “For what ever it's worth to you...I do forgive you. Though I don't like you.” He walked away from her towards the next car. 

“For what it's worth...” she mumbled. “I'm sorry...” He stopped, looking back at her. “I lost everything after you vanished... The only one who would even speak to me was Dash... Now she won’t.”

He was about to say, 'Good for her,' but decided against it. She looked too miserable. Too pitiable. He almost hated himself for feeling bad for her, but he couldn't help it. Instead, he decided to try something different than hate. “I'm sorry to hear about your mother.” She closed her eyes tight and turned away from him. “Your father is a horrible thing. And you should get away from him and the Birds before he decides you're too much of a hassle, too.”

~	
“But it wasn't easy,” he said, sighing and shaking his head. “It took a long time and had to find out a lot of things before it.” He looked at Dash and smiled. “I learned a lot about myself during that time.”

She smiled a bit at him. “Well...if you can forgive her, than I won’t worry about you forgiving me.” He raised his wing in the air and she gave it a slight slap with her wing. “See ya around.”

He nodded, smiling. “Count on it.”

~	
The party ran for several hours, before anyone even started to consider leaving. Applejack showed up and showed off a few rope tricks. Copper had to admit he was impressed with the way she could use her tail like that. Pinkie was literally everywhere, or at least it seemed that way to him. It was like everywhere he looked, there she was, doing something with somepony. Eventually the crowd was really starting to disperse and it was just Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack and Mrs. Cake. All of whom, except Twilight, were either gathering up catering supplies, or cleaning up. Twilight was sitting at at table talking to...Fluttershy? 

He blinked, looking at Fluttershy. How long had she been at the party? She was sitting at a table by Twilight, eating a slice of cake. Applejack was helping Pinkie and Mrs. Cake clean up. Copper had been considering helping to clean, but decided to instead sit at the table. He sat in a way where he could see Fluttershy and she could see him, but if he or she leaned back, Twilight would be in the way. He thought this was polite way to say that she didn't have to interact with him, but the option was there. “Did you enjoy the party, Copper?” Twilight said with a smile.

“Oh without a doubt.” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Best time I've ever had, to be honest.”

He was aware of more than one pair of eyes looking at him, but he tried not to meet Fluttershy’s gaze as she peered around Twilight. “That's good. You'll definitely have to come to Pinkie's next party,” Twilight said.

“Next party?” He chuckled softly, looking at Twilight. “I'm not done with this one.”

“Hey Twi'? Can ya come help us get this stuff down offa the ceiling?” Copper looked back to see Applejack.

“Sure.” Twilight stood up and trotted over to Applejack. Copper heard a slight whimper as she left.

He turned slightly and looked at Fluttershy, who seemed to shrink slightly in her seat. “If you'd like, I'll leave,” he said, giving her a soft smile.

She said nothing and occupied her attention with her cake. Copper occupied himself with counting balloons. After he reached thirty seven, or thirty eight, he wasn't sure if he had counted that one already, she spoke. “Does it hurt?”

“Hm?” He looked back at her and she seemed to flinch under his gaze. “Does what hurt?”

That cake must have been the most interesting thing in existence with the way she stared at it. “Does your...” She paused, trying to find the right words.

“Oh, that,” he said and shook his head. “Not at all. It's never hurt, actually...I was on a lot of painkillers when I woke up, but I don't remember there being any real pain.”

“That's good.” Copper could tell with each sentence how her voice seemed to strengthen, gain some sort of resolve. Become more normal.

“It's intimidating, isn't it.” He looked away, as she finally looked at him. “Scars and a missing wing. I understand that it's hard to talk to me. I tend to take advantage of that and do as much talking as I can. Throws ponies off.” He glanced at her, she was staring at his wing. Not the missing one, the whole wing. “Sometimes...” He hesitated, but decided he might as well confide in someone. “I think of myself...not as a pegasus...but an earth pony, who was born with a wing.” He smiled at her. “That way, I'm not missing something. I've got extra.”

She returned the smile, though it looked quite fragile. “That sounds much better.” In his book, this was a success. He made another friend. 

Then a thought crept up on him. How many friends can I make before everything goes horribly wrong?
> 4: Star Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The walk home was quite enjoyable, Copper had to admit. Even though he was, to be honest, quite lost. He had tried to help out cleaning up the party, but Pinkie and Applejack had shooed him out, saying, “You're not allowed to clean up your own party." After an hour, he found himself staring up at the clock tower. The hands moved at the proper pace, which was good. He wondered how bad the clock actually was. After all, it was still working. Someone had to have maintained it, otherwise it would have stopped. You can't just keep winding it up and hope it's all fine. It needs care, someone who's willing to get inside and make sure things are in the proper place. 

“Copper?” He blinked and looked back at Fluttershy, who was standing a ways away from him, a concerned look on her face.

“Ah, evening Fluttershy.” His gaze was drawn back up to the clock tower, staring at it. The party had ended hours ago.

“Uhm...how long have you been out here?” She moved cautiously towards him and sat down a few hooves away. 

“A few hours.” It didn't feel right to lie to anypony anymore. Lying had been a second language to him at one point, now he hated even considering it.

“Why?” Her eyes did not leave him, though he did nothing but look at the tower.

“I was thinking...about the clock tower.” He looked at her and then at the tower. “It's in pretty bad shape.”

“It is?” She looked at the tower as well. “It's...always been there. I think it was one of the first buildings here in Ponyville...”

“That doesn't make sense.” She blinked and looked at him. “It couldn't be that old. It would have stopped. Broken down. Even the best clockwork can't run more than a few decades and it looks like it's been going for centuries. There's dust a whole hoof deep over everything.” He stood up so suddenly that Fluttershy flinched. “I have to know how it's still going.” He took a few steps forward and then stopped. He remembered the gloom inside. “Uhm...” He looked at Fluttershy. “Do you think I could borrow a lantern?”

~	
It was just as dusty inside as it had been. He wormed his way inside after the lantern, pushing it to one side as he did. It offered a lot of light, though he noted not as much as Twilight's horn had. And the shadows looked more menacing. “Alright...” he mumbled, moving into the room and looking around. Fluttershy was making her way inside. “Uhm...you might want to wait outside. It could be dangerous in here.”

“O-oh. O-okay...” she said and merely laid down. In the dust.

Copper looked at her and then sighed. “Okay, come on.” He moved over to her and pulled her in and up onto her hooves. 

She looked at him a moment and then kicked at the dust on the floor, coughing as it sprang up. “You weren't kidding about the dust....” 

“Mhm. It's gonna take a long time to clean this place up.” He picked up the lantern in his mouth and walked the edge of the room. “Keep to the walls...less chance of something falling on you...” He noticed she was staring at the large gear embedded in the floor. 

“Like...that...” She stared and simply whimpered.

“Yes. I think that was up there.” He gestured up into the dark with his wing. “I'm sure this place had several floors at one point...that's how most are designed. Most of them are designed like that...though I don't see anything up there...but it's very dark...” He paused at a pile of dust that was larger than the rest. “Aha.”

Fluttershy pulled her gaze from the gear, looking at him. “What? Did you find something?”

The lantern was set to the side, as he kicked dust away, coughing. He reached down and pulled a plank out from under the dust, setting it against the wall. “Well, this used to be where the staircase was...” He stared up into the gloom. “And I think I can see where it continues... Not all of it fell.” He shifted debris around a moment and was slightly startled when Fluttershy spoke behind him.

“What are you doing?” He looked back at her, she was utterly silent and had barely disturbed any dust. 

“Uhm...trying to see if I can get up to the stairs. Though it doesn't look like I will without rope...or a ladder.”

“I...uhm...” She kicked at the dust again, which made them both cough. “I could go get some rope...”

He smiled at her and nodded. “And maybe a broom or something?” he said, chuckling. “Might as well get this place a bit clean.” She nodded and quickly headed out the little door. He watched her go and figured out why she was so quiet. She had an odd way of moving when she was trying to move quickly. Most pegasus would simply fly, but she had this sort of skip step glide thing. It was faster than walking, slower than running and completely and utterly silent. He made a mental note of that.

His wing wasn't completely useless. He used it quite often when he was running. A hard flap could take the place of several steps, though it was usually too far off to one side. But it was good for making a corner and keeping speed. He gave his wing a few experimental flaps, which stirred up the dust and caused him another coughing fit. That gave him an idea and he began sweeping dust out of the door with his wing. It kind of disappointed him that he had not thought of it sooner. After about ten minutes, he had gotten a fair space cleared of dust. “Uhm... There's a big pile of dust out here...” came Fluttershy's voice.

“Oh.” He chuckled softly. “Sorry. Thought I'd get started without you.” There was a bit of shuffling and then a large bundle of rope was pushed in through the door, followed by another lantern. Then Fluttershy.

“I decided to grab another lantern while I was there...” she said softly, shifting it slightly. She gave him a slight smile, now the room was quite bright with two lights on either side of the room. 

“Good thinking,” he said, returning the smile. “Do you think you could fly up, with the rope?”

“U-uhm...” She kicked slightly out the ground and Copper felt a bit of delight that there was no dust to kick up. “I can't lift you...”

He blinked and shook his head. “Oh, there won’t be any need for that. I can climb a rope. Just kind of loop it around something sturdy and feed the other end down. So it kind of just goes up and over something.”

She nodded slightly. “Alright...” She took one end of the rope and flew up almost into the darkness, although it wasn't as dark up there now. Copper could see the staircase now. It looked like that part of the stairs had been very sturdy for some reason, he'd have to figure out why when he got up there.

He spent his time looping the other end of the rope and putting it around under his shoulders. When the other end came down far enough for him to reach, he called out, “Ok, Fluttershy. That's good. I can do it from here.” It had been a technique he had tried out once or twice. The first time he ended up hurting himself, but he had gotten it the second time. He started pulling the rope down, until he felt the pressure under his arms. Then it was all a matter of gripping the rope with a mixture of mouth and hooves and then flapping his wing to gain height. It took a long time and he was tired by the time he crawled up onto the bottom step which, much to his relief, did not break. 

Fluttershy was sitting on a small dust covered landing and smiled at him. She had gone down and gotten the other lantern while he had worked his way up. “That was...kinda funny,” she said, obviously trying not to laugh.

“Yeah, it's funny looking. But it gets me up here.” He undid the rope and laid it on the step, before moving up to the landing. “And it's easier going down.” Then he noticed why the stairs where so sturdy here. They were part of the mechanism. Or, well, more accurately they were built on top of a part of the mechanism. He knew instinctively that it was the turner for the spring. 

The both of them headed up the stairs, slowly and cautiously. Copper went first, he would feel better about a board snapping under his weight than hers. He also felt he could recover fast enough from it to not topple. “Wow...” Fluttershy breathed and Copper looked up. They were in the clock now. And Copper had to admit, it was impressive. Even as far as clocks go. It was elegantly simple and efficient. He had seen a few clock towers that simply used up space for the sake of taking it up. But it wasn’t the bare minimum either. Somepony had taken care to construct this. His mouth opened slightly to say something and then closed. “This is the inside of a clock?” she whispered, as if her voice would bring the whole thing to an end.

He shook his head slowly. “I've...I've never seen a clock this complex. This...this is more than a clock...” He moved out onto a large gear, which was large enough for him to stand on. He walked slowly in a circle to counteract the turning gear. “This is like...something I don't even understand...that happens to tell the time.” He peered into the gloom of the mechanisms, there were so many glinting pieces that he could not even begin to figure it out. He needed time and a lot more light.

“Should...should you be out there?” Fluttershy said, staying close to the wall and staring at him.

He hopped back over onto the stairs. “Probably not. But with what I've seen of this so far, I'm sure if a dozen ponies jumped up and down on it, it wouldn't do anything.” He began walking back up the stairs, a bit faster now. “And these are just the lower gears...” The farther they got up, the more there were. It got to the point where it was actually built around the stairs. Even into the wall. Then suddenly, there was almost nothing. “Here's the actual clock,” he said, walking over to it. The room was quite large and the inside of the clock faces were on each wall, each one having one slowly turning pole coming out from the center structure, which also turned slowly.

“Is all that down there...just for this?” Fluttershy asked as she moved towards it slowly. 

“No...” Copper said slowly, moving up to it as well. “I don't think so... I mean it's possible...but only someone insane, or a complete geni-” He froze. Fluttershy saw it, too. In the center, was a sparkling cog and below it a spring which unsprung and then tightened again in a seemingly infinite way.

“What's that?” Fluttershy asked, not taking her eyes off of it. “It's beautiful...and...”

“Hypnotic...” he said slowly and took a deep breath. “That's what's keeping the whole thing going. The spring unwinding essentially causes the gear to twist, which causes others to twist and thus the clock works.”

Fluttershy shook her head as she noticed the hands of the clock. “Oh no. I'm late.” She moved to the stairs.

“Ah, wait.” He moved to the face of a clock and pulled open a panel. “You can go this way.”

She nodded and flew out. She was not a very fast flier, Copper noted. But at least she could fly. He shook his head, trying to dislodge that thought. Envy was not something that he should ever allow himself to feel. Even if he couldn't help it, he'd try his best to.

He closed the little door and sighed, closing his eyes. “What is this place...” he said as he turned around, looking at the cog again. As he stared, it seemed to glint more and more. He moved and sat a few hooves away from it and merely watched it. It was made of some kind of gem, he came to realize the more he stared at it. But who would carve a gem into a cog and where did they get a gem big enough to carve that size of a cog? It wasn't a very big cog, maybe the size of his hoof, but the gem would need to be a lot bigger than that. And then what kind of gem was it? It was a coppery color and he'd not seen a gem of that color before.

He wasn't sure how long he stared, but he got really tired. It had been a long day and he laid down. The sound of ticking was comforting. He wanted to know what this place was for. Who built it. Why did they build it. His eyes eventually closed.

~	
His eyes snapped open, his heart was racing. He had fallen off the gear and was dangling over what felt a lot of space. To his right, he saw where the gears met and scrambled up, pounding his wings to get him up onto the gear, just before they met. His heart raced as he looked around. Gears were twisting and turning everywhere. “What...” He paused and then inhaled sharply. He was dreaming.

“Copper.” He spun around. And in front of him, was Luna.

He tried to calm his heart, it would not stop racing. “Princess,” he said and somehow couldn't keep the disdain from his voice. He hated dreams, it was so hard to be anything but yourself. “What do you want?”

Her expression looked almost hurt. “Copper...we merely wish to speak with you.”

“Yeah well you've had plenty of chances over a long time.” He turned around and walked to the end of the gear, looking over the edge.

“Please, Copper. If you will just listen...” She moved forward a few steps and a gear crashed down in front of her.

He turned around slowly, glaring at her. “Remember. My dream. My rules. I may not be able to hurt you, but I'm not going to allow you to get close to me.” Emotions. That's what he had to remember. You could do a lot in a dream if you control your emotions and he had a lot of them stored up. He sighed and shook his head. “But, fine. I'll hear what you have to say.”

She sat down and he did likewise, the gear melting away and mixing into the one they sat on. “We...” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “We are sorry,” she said, finding it quite lame.

“You tried to kill me. Several times.” He was staring at her, but he couldn't help feel sorry for her. Sighing and shaking his head, he continued. “I understand that you were...quite mad at the time.”

“We were furious...” Her gaze did not leave him and he could not help but feel slightly nervous under it. She was powerful after all. “But that did not give us the right to take it out on you.”

“No,” he said, looking at her. He still had nightmares about that night when Celestia had him visit her. It had not gone well and even with Celestia's powers protecting him, it still took him weeks to recover. Both physically and mentally. Mostly mentally.

“We are sorry...” She finally broke her gaze and Copper looked away as well. That gaze felt like it held you there. 

Now that he had a chance, things were finally taking shape. This was his mind, he realized. The ground was built entirely of mechanics. Slowly twisting flowers dotted the landscape, but mostly it was the large copper trees that dominated the land. He noted how now they seemed to grow copper colored apples. That made him smile. “I...have a question for you.” After all, it couldn't hurt to ask.

She looked at him, but he refused to return the gaze, else he be locked in it again. “We will answer if we can.”

“In Ponyville...there's a clock tower... I'm actually there now and...” He shook his head. “It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.”

She blinked, the sky was starting to take shape. Despite how bright everything was, it was midnight. “That thing is still there?”

He tore his gaze away from the stars and looked at her. “What do you mean still?”

“That...” She hesitated and then shook her head. “No, there's no harm in telling you... That was there before I and Celestia came to Equestria.”

“You mean before you took over?” he said, a little more harshly than he had intended. 

There was a slight hesitation. “Yes. Before we took over.”

“But that makes even less sense.” He stomped his hoof onto the gear and it shuddered. “That would make it well over a thousand years old...”

“Thousands we would guess. It was old when we arrived. Somepony...we do not remember his name, would go to it and wind it once a week.” Her eyes did not leave him.

He sighed, staring up at the sky again. “It's the most complicated thing I have ever seen... It has this...this gem cog-” He froze, the word echoed oddly as he said it.

“Gem cog?” She titled her head to the side. The words did not echo when she said them.

“Yes...” he said slowly after a slight pause. “I've seen gears, or parts made from gems, but they're usually very small. And this one... I've never seen a gem this color. It shines, as if it has some kind of internal light.”

“Could it be magic?” Her tone sounded oddly hopeful. 

Was she enjoying this conversation? “I...don't know. It could be possible. I'll have Twilight look at it once I get a new staircase in...”

“There was no staircase?” She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yes and no. There's most of a staircase, but the bit at the start is missing.” 

“But the rest of the stairs were intact? That sounds like it may have been on purpose...” She joined his gaze, to the sky filled with stars. And the moon with the figure of a the Mare emblazoned on it. She averted her gaze, looking at him.

“Sorry...” he said, staring at the moon. “It's how I always remember the moon...”

“It's...fine... It's hard to not find any pony who doesn't dream the moon like that...” Again she was staring at him. “We...we are truly sorry, Copper.”

He sighed and closed his eyes. “I know. I know you're sorry. And I'm sure if it could possibly make it better, you'd go on saying it forever and ever.” He smiled, the warmth of the party returning to him. “I am a forgiving pony. I forgave Gilda for taking my wing. I forgave Dash because she wanted me to... I forgave Lers for his ignorance. I forgave Safanad and  Amira for their betrayal... I forgave Tashara for her lack of trust in me... I forgave Jeta for accidentally popping my bubble... And I've forgiven Celestia for making my life ridiculous and difficult.” He looked at her and smiled. “And I forgive you too. You had lost your mind to that power and Celestia understood that.”

“We...we know she did...” The sigh seemed to warp the air around her. Dreams were so odd.

“She sent me to assess your mental health...” he said as he closed his eyes, there really wasn't anything to hide from anyone anymore. “She knew you were going to come back and asked me to see if I could find out what you were planning, if anything.”

She nodded slowly. “We know... She explained it to us...”

Copper stared at the stars for a long time and then stretched his wings. He blinked and looked to his right. There it was. His wing. Or wait... No...it wasn't his wing. It was a wing. “What is...” He looked at Luna.

“We hope that that gives you inspiration.”

~	
His eyes opened to a tapping, which he recognized as a hoof on glass. He looked over at one of the faces of the clock and there was Rainbow Dash. He went over and pulled open the little hatch in the face of the clock. “Yes?”

“We've been looking all over for you Copper. Stuff has been arriving all day for you at your house.” He blinked blearily at her. It was almost noon he saw, staring up at the clock face. “Come on.”

“I'll be right down!” he called and practically galloped down the stairs. The rope caught around his legs and he leaped into the open air. He caught rope in his hooves as he swung back. It gave his hooves a bit of a rope burn, but they slowed him down enough that he didn't hit the ground too hard. A little harder than he'd had liked though, his legs stung a little as he crawled out of the door and closed it behind him.

Dash was waiting for him. “What were you doing in there?” she asked, looking up at the tower.

“Uhh...sleeping,” he said, a tad sheepishly as they left. He trotted along the ground and she glided above him.

“Sleeping? Why were you sleeping in that musty old clock tower?” He was grateful that she knew the way back to his home. And he paid attention to the directions, so that he could get back to the clock tower.

“I was studying it and got tired. I-” he hesitated. “I couldn't remember where my house was.”

She looked at him and then laughed. “Well you'll get used to Ponyville eventually.” Ahead, he could see his home. And lots and lots of boxes, as well as several carts. 

He slowed down a bit, looking at the stuff. That was all his stuff? All of it? He had collected a lot of things over his life he had to admit, but he had not expected this much. Walking past boxes, all with many, many travel notices of places they had been. His hoof traveled over one and he smiled a bit. It was filled with things that Horsh had given him. Tools mostly. 

Twilight came around from behind a box. “Ah. There you are Copper,” she said, looking around at all the stuff. “You sure have a lot...”

He laughed softly and gave a shrug. “Honestly I didn't realize it. Just picked things up during my travels, ya know? Princess Celestia said I should send anything that I wanted to keep to her and she'd take care of it...” He spotted a large trunk and quickly moved over to it. It was devoid of any stickers. “Oh am I glad to see this.” He pushed the trunk open. It was full of what looked like pieces of mechanical...things. It looked like a mess.

“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked as she moved towards him, looking inside the mess of a box.

“Oh yes. I was just worried that Celestia would not send this stuff to me.” He lifted out an odd sort of hoof glove looking thing. It had several copper colored rings on it.

“What's that?” Looking closer at it.

“This is a shocker. It...well, when you have it on you sort of flick out the prongs and charge it by swinging it in a circle. Weights inside drive the rings around in circles and it stores up a charge.” He put it back into the box. “I plan to scrap it... What I'm looking for is... Aha!” He pulled out a large book.

“And you would...hit ponies with it?” She was staring at the shocker.

He blinked and then nodded slowly. “Ponies. Griffons. Diamond dogs... Even a dragon. It's not-” He hesitated. “It paralyzes a pony, griffon or diamond dog.” He closed the trunk and put the book on top of it. 

“And the dragon?” She moved to the side, unable to help herself when it came to books.

“It just pissed him off.” He laughed, opening the book at random. Every page was absolutely full of pictures and scrawled mouth-writing. She couldn't make out any of it, except the numbers. “It's in short hand. Kinda wouldn't make sense to anypony, unless you knew a lot of mechanical things.”

“Did...you write this?” she asked, looking up at him and down at the book again.

“Most of it,” he said as he turned pages quickly, trying to find a blank one. 

Twilight caught glimpses of many things. Clocks. Trains. Carts. Some sort of cannon. Different little things that she could only guess the use of. Then there was an odd looking ship. He paused at it and stared. “What's that?” she said, leaning to get a better look.

“Horsh was helping me with it. It's supposed to be a small airship. Capable of being flown by one or two ponies.” He shifted his wing slightly and shook his head. “It wasn't going to work. We couldn't figure out how to make it small enough. Best we could do was a five pony team. And it wasn't very fast, or maneuverable.”

He turned the page and there appeared to be a dozen pages ripped out. She looked at him. “What happened here?”

He paused before he pulled a pencil from the spine of the book. “Frustration mostly. Me and Horsh had a sort of...falling out... I wanted to make it smaller... He said five was good enough and that I should stop trying to be so selfish...” He sighed and closed his eyes. 

“Oh...” she mumbled, watching as he quickly wrote something down. All she could make out was the word dream, before the book shut.

“But that was a long time ago. Right now, I think it's time to get everything inside, before it rains or something...” He put the book back into the chest and began pushing it. 

“Oh I spoke with Dash this morning, there's no rain scheduled for today. Nice day, all day.” Her horn glowed and many of the boxes began to rise. “Here, I'll help out.” 

He chuckled and nodded. “Thank you. It would take forever by myself.”

“My pleasure,” she said and things began drifting inside. 

It took all day, as Copper had a lot of stuff and they found out rather quickly, not very much in the point of tables, counters, or shelves. They had to go out and purchase them. Now that he had his money, he felt good about paying for new things. He bought a sofa from Quills and Sofas, which was an odd, very odd, combination in his opinion. But he bought some quills as well, so he guessed that it was a smart business move. They got shelves and tables from some other stores and spent the rest of the day unpacking. It was nice to look back at all the things he had. All of it was his.

“What's this?” Twilight said, raising a large glass bubble, with odd looking coral in it. “Coral?”

“Ah.” He walked over to her, smiling a bit. “Got that when I was Aquis. Given to me by a seapony named Jeta.”

Twilight stared and her gaze slowly turned to him. “Seapony? Aquis? Aquis is that sunken city, isn’t it?”

“Continent.” Copper corrected, looking at the coral. “It was an entire continent that sunk. Not a very big one, but a continent none the less.”

“And you...went there?” The staring was starting to bother him now, it was odd to have her staring at him like that. “To Aquis?”

“Yeah. It was the first big job Princess Celestia sent me on. Before then it was nothing but little squabbles...but there was a sort of...civil war...or civil debate, going on in Aquis and she sent me there to try and calm things down... The coral actually glows quite bright in the dark. It's what they use as lights down there. Essentially, she gave me a lamp.”

Twilight's gaze slowly drew from Copper to the lamp. “What was it like down there?”

He gave a slight shrug. “It was interesting. Quite fun in fact. As long as you didn't mind all the Shoo Bee Doo...” 

“... Shoe bee do?” She set the lamp down on a table, it surprisingly, didn't roll. “What does a  shoe bee do?”

“No no. Shoo Bee Doo. It's a sort of...song I guess you could call it? It was amusing at first, but after a few days it started driving me mad...”

“What...did they look like?” She walked around the coral, as if it where possible to see a seapony inside. 

“Uh... Similar to ponies. Rather than front hooves though, they kind of have these...long flippers and at their waist it's sorta like their legs smoosh together and there's a large fin on the end. I suppose they're kinda hard to describe...but damn are they fast...”

“How fast are they?”

~	
“Excuse me could I just-” and another one gone. “Damn it. How am I supposed to negotiate anything when no one will talk to me...” He half walked, half swam down the road. The magic bubble around his head kinda distorted things at a distance, but for the most part he could see just fine. He had not brought anything but it with him, sure there were a few weights on his legs to keep him down here, but other than that, he had nothing. “Hrm...” He was testing out propulsion methods using his wing and so far they had been fairly successful in his opinion, if by successful he meant that he hadn't crashed into that many things. Sure he knocked over a lamp and some other things, but he was getting the hang of it.

But it was getting annoying how every single seapony swam away from him. He was sure that Celestia had sent some sort of message to them about sending him. So where was the seaponies to greet him? That's how it had been in the past when he came to negotiations. There was always somepony there to meet him and help him get where he was going. But here, everyone swam away. Until one swam into him. She spoke in a very bubbly voice, “Ah! I'm sorry.” He looked up at the teal seapony. She was all teal. Her mane was a lighter teal and her eyes were darker. “I...uhm...” She hesitated and moved side to side.

“I'm Copper Feather.” He hazarded. When she didn't swim away, he continued. “I was sent here by Princess Celestia to undersea- Er, oversee the negotiations.”

She blinked, looking at him. “You're the diplomat?” The sheer amount of shock in her voice almost hurt. “We have been looking all over for you!” She turned and began swimming, fairly slowly so that Copper could just barely keep up.

“Yes, cus there's some other pony down here with four legs...” he said, frowning at the seaponies back.

“I'm sorry, we got mixed up on the location of where you were being dropped down. Once you start getting close to the surface, everything just looks so...similar...” She stopped for a moment, staring blankly and then smiled. “My name's Jeta.”

“Well it's good that someone isn't running- er...swimming away from me.” He was trying to use his wing to catch up a bit more to her.

“Oh yeah that tends to happen... We're not used to ponies.” She turned a corner, quite sharply. 

He managed to use his wing like a rudder and made the turn and was fairly shocked at what he saw. It was a huge building, the biggest he'd seen so far in the city, on par with Celestia's castle. It was a palace, immense in size and far more intricate, with towers stretching off at odd angles, although they may simply be falling over. He quickly moved forward to try and catch up with Jeta. “Slow down please. I'm nowhere near as fast as you underwater.”

“Oh?” She looked back and did slow down. “Sorry. We're almost late.”

“Mhm,” he said, trying to move as fast as possible. It was very tiring. 

Then he started to hear something in the distance, coming from the palace. It started off quiet, but it got louder. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. He looked at Jeta, she was humming along. He heard something along the lines of, “Washed up on the rocks.” Followed by Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo.

They were all singing. All of them. “Uhm...so what is everypony singing?” he asked, hoping that he would not regret getting the answer.

“It's our song,” she snapped, slightly glaring at him.

He put up his hooves. “Okay okay. I was just asking, that's all...” She glared at him and then turned around, swimming towards the palace.

“There's nothing wrong with our song,” she said, suddenly quite defensively. 

“Okay. I didn't say anything bad about it... I just thought it was interesting how everypony is in harmony and knows the lines...” The music was coming from everywhere now.

“You and your...land ponies are always making fun of our song. Saying it's a bad song.” She seemed quite annoyed now. 

“I didn't say anything bad about it. I've never heard it before...” He was looking from side to side, there were suddenly a lot of seaponies. “Am I not allowed to find a new song interesting?”

She glared at him and then sighed slightly. “No...” None of the seaponies were paying him any attention now. “I guess you can...”

The meeting was, without a doubt, boring. There was a lot of talking about seapony rights, what to do about rising toxicity levels, the lack of suitable housing and the volcano. That got his attention. Apparently there was a volcano that had been erupting near the city. Though by near the city, they meant really, really far away. Their sense of distance was kind of odd. If they could swim to it in a few hours, it was close. And considering they swam faster than any pony he had ever seen run, or fly, a lot of things were close. 

And all the time, there was that song. Over and over again.

After about three hours, they finally addressed Copper. “And what are your ideas Mr. Feather? You have the floor.” The gray seapony was looking at him. 

Copper hesitated. “On which subject, if I may ask?” he said cautiously. It would not be wise to admit he had not been paying attention. 

“Why all of them. As the diplomat for Canterlot, you opinion is highly valued.” There was a slight sarcastic tone to the seaponies voice that annoyed Copper a bit.

“Well, I don't see any problems with the current state of the rights of seaponies. It sounds like you treat citizens quite fairly compared to other places.” There seemed to be a general murmur of agreement. “As for toxicity levels...has the cause been found as of yet?”

There was silence for almost a whole minute, before a seapony spoke. “I fail to see how that's any concern of yours-”

Jeta cut him off. “He has a point,” she said, slapping her fin down on the table. Copper had found out that she was a diplomat from one of the outer regions of Aquis. “I'm sure he's not the only pony who noticed that while you were discussing the matter, you failed to give cause.” She was also very emotional.

“Jeta, please calm down. There is no need to get so upset over-”

“There is more than enough need to be upset. Seaponies are getting sick and dying.” She slapped her fin down again. “What is the cause, councilor? Or do you not know?”

“We are...investigating still,” the councilor managed; it was hard to talk when Jeta gave that look. Copper made a note of that look, it could be useful.

“Meaning you don't know...” Copper placed his elbows on the table and placed his hooves together. “Or...you do know and you're afraid to admit it.” He took note at how many of them suddenly looked nervous.

“Do not make those groundless accusations in my chambers!” the councilor bellowed, or, more accurately bubbled. Copper noticed that seaponys’ speech tended to contain bubbles when they were excited or upset.

“Accusations? I'm merely pointing out the facts.” He stared straight at the councilor, daring him to protest. “You're either telling the truth, lying, or not giving all the facts.” He could feel every eye on him. “Which is it councilor?”

There was a heavy silence as Copper stared. “Who do you think you are to speak to him like that?” said a red and pink seapony. 

Copper shifted his gaze to her and the way she froze, told him that he had gotten the look right. “Rosmara please do not speak out of turn. The councilor gave me the floor and I have it until I relinquish it. As is the rule.”

And he held it for several minutes, daring the room to argue. In those minutes, not a single pony spoke. Not the councilor, not Rosmara or the seapony who had interjected earlier. Not even Jeta seemed to want to break the silence, though Copper felt it was more to see what the councilor would do, rather than a wish to remain quiet. “You may have the floor, councilor.” 

The room exhaled. “M-meeting adjourned...” he said quickly and then rushed from the room.

As did every other seapony. Except Jeta. “That was brilliant!” she exclaimed, grinning at him. “I'd never seen him so scared! Oh Copper, you are amazing.” She rushed up and hugged him, nuzzling her cheek against his.

Pop.

~	
“Fast enough, that Dash would have a hard time keeping up,” he said, still unpacking. The sun was going down when Twilight left. Everything was out of its box, except the things that were boxes, or supposed to be in them. Now it felt like home and it looked like a home. There were so many different items, each with its own story. Some stories intermingled of course, but all the items were unique. “And now...” He moved to a desk, beside him the coral orb sat. Smiling, he tapped gently on the glass and it began to glow brightly, filling the room with with light. And then, he made plans.
> 5: Feathers of Cloth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The mayor’s office was warm and more importantly, dry. Surprisingly, so was Copper. That was due to his new cloak. It was large, but not overly so and it was love at first sight. The color was the perfect shade of copper, the edges were embroidered with gears and cogs and it even had a gear brooch. But to say that it sacrificed function for form would be so far from the truth you couldn't see it with a telescope. It was warm and sturdy, unlike his old cloak. “Excuse me, Miss Mayor?” Copper said, poking his head into the office.

She looked up from her desk and smiled. “Ah, Copper. Please, come in. What brings you by on such a day?” 

“Actually I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said as he moved into the room. There was a sudden flash of lightning outside the window.

Moments passed, as both of them waited for the roll of thunder. “Those are pretty far off...” she said, looking out her window, it was raining quite hard. “What was it you wanted to talk about then?”

He moved towards the desk and took a seat on the other side. “It's actually about the clock tower.”

Her head tilted to one side. “The old clock tower? What about it?”

“Well, with your permission, I'd like to take over its maintenance.” He was trying not to fidget in his excitement. He had to stay calm and make sure that he had permission before he began changing things. 

“Maintenance? Goodness, is it that bad? No one has complained about it...” She leaned back slightly; if the day were clear, she could have seen the tower at this distance. 

“I don't know how bad it is, actually, but the dust inside is hoof-deep...” His eyes followed her gaze out the window, but he couldn't see the tower either.

“Really? Goodness...” She turned back to him. “So you took a look inside?”

He hesitated and then decided to stop beating around the bush. “To be completely honest, yes. And I have to say that it's far more than a clock. Yes it may be able to tell time but...but it seems more of an accidental kind of thing. What I really want is a chance to study it...and clean up and fix anything broken.”

She gave him a smile. “So this is for your own curiosity than?” Her smile was a bit more knowing than Copper would have liked. “Well, it is under the ownership of Ponyville... I suppose you could buy it.”

“Buy it?” he said, blinking at her. Apparently news of Copper’s apparent wealth had gotten around a bit.

“Oh yes. Of course, not for some ridiculous price. The average home in Ponyville is a few hundred bits, but since it is quite the fixer upper I'm sure just a hundred will do just fine.” There was a glint in her eye that gave him a feeling that she thought she was coming out on top with this one.

He smiled at her and opened his mouth to agree. Then he stopped. He refused to take advantage of the situation, since she was not in possession of all the facts. “I'm afraid, Mayor...” He sighed. “That it is worth far more than that. Judging from just the sheer amount of machinery in there, I would say at least eight hundred bits.” Her mouth fell open. “And at most a thousand.” She mouthed the words. “But since there is so much to do with it...my offer is nine hundred.”

“N-nine...nine...” Her mouth opened and closed several times. Lightning flashed again and the thunder was quick to follow. “Nine hundred...” she managed. “Nine hundred bits... I...I had no idea...”

But that was not including the gem cog. That was priceless. No one would be able to afford it. Nine hundred felt like the right amount for it all, since nopony would even hold any value of the tower at all. Except that...Doctor Whooves pony. “Then we have a deal?” he said happily, smiling at her.

She nodded vigorously. “Oh yes. N-nine hundred bits for the clock tower and all there in. I...I just...” She got up and began fumbling through drawers. “I'll just find the deed...”

“I'll be right back then with the money.” he said as he stood up and left the office. Outside the rain was pouring down from the sky, but his cloak was doing a more than adequate job. “Nine hundred bits...” he said slowly, staring at into the rain. “That's almost all the money I have till I get my first payment from Celestia...” He sighed softly and walked towards his home. It was worth it. He had saved all the money he could over his life and it had come out to over a thousand bits. It was a cushion he had kept, just in case.

~

But here he was now, dragging a large bag into the mayor’s office, just for a piece of paper. Of course, that piece of paper gave him something that he wanted, but still. “I...” It was obvious that she was at a loss for words. Copper didn't blame her.

“Nine hundred bits. I know cus I emptied eighteen bags and I kept fifty bits in each bag.” Just as he said that, part of a bag ripped and bits spilled out. “Damn, sorry. Uhm...do you need help counting it?”

She shook her head. “N-no. It's alright.” She took a deep breath and looked at him. “You...you can go.” The piece of paper in her hand said 'DEED' at the top of it. 

He read over it quickly and then tucked it into his cloak, which had several different sized pockets inside. He really had to thank Rarity when he got a chance. A quick stop off at his home, to put the deed away. The back of his book was as good a spot as any. Then it was off to Twilight's. This time, he had questions for her.

~	
“How are you feeling today Spike?” Twilight was sitting beside Spike, who was sitting in his basket. 

“Better,” he said, sounding a bit grumpy at the moment. “I don't even know how I got sick...”

“Mmm; I dunno. But thankfully I've got a few books on dragon illnesses and with Fluttershy's help, you're getting better.” She walked over to a table with a bowl of soup on it. It floated up and over to Spike. “Speaking of which, Fluttershy should be here soon...” 

There was a flash of lightning and Owlicious hooted in surprise, ruffling his feathers. “Great, more lightning? That's the second bolt in the past hour...” Spike said as he grabbed the bowl. “At least the soup is good,” he mumbled.

Twilight barely heard the knocking and her horn glowed as the door opened. Beyond was Fluttershy, draped in a soaked cloak and shivering. “Oh Fluttershy... Come in, quick.” 

Fluttershy moved in quickly, taking off her cloak. “I-I-I didn't r-realize i-it was raining th-this b-bad,” she said, shivering.

“I think I saw a spell for drying the other day...” Twilight moved quickly over to a table and after shifting a stack of books, produced one and opened it to the appropriate page. “Ah, here we go.” She put the book down and aimed her horn at Fluttershy. Another flash of lightning burst outside. Twilight jumped and there was a sound that could only be described as pwoof.

Fluttershy blinked and looked around. “What happened?”

“Uh...” Twilight quickly flipped through the book. “One sec...I can fix it...your mane just went a bit...poofy.”

Spike had his hand over his mouth, but snickers were escaping through his fingers. Twilight gave him a look, as Fluttershy stared owlishly. “What. I'm not laughing...a...a little soup went down the wrong way.” He coughed dramatically and patted his chest.

Twilight had laid down, pages of the book flipping over and over. “Darn it, where is it... I thought it was in this one...” Another book floated down and replaced the one that she had been skipping through. “The lightning threw me off a bit and I put a little too much into it...”

Fluttershy leaned from side to side. “What happened?” She looked around. “Can...can I have a mirror?”

“Nothing bad. Nothing that can't be fixed.” Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. Twilight looked up, then at Fluttershy and then back to the door. “Maybe just the wind...” she said doubtfully.

The door opened and Copper quickly made his way inside, closing the door behind him. “It is freaking pouring out there...” He turned around. “Hi Twilight, hi Spike, hi Pinkie Pie. Twilight I have-” he stopped and turned back to Fluttershy. “Oh. Fluttershy...” He hesitated. “Trying a new mane style?”

Fluttershy stared at Copper and then at Twilight. “Is...is it that bad?” 

“It isn't bad, per se...” Copper said as he removed his cloak. “It doesn't look bad. It's just...so very poofy.”

“I can fix it,” Twilight said as she started flipping through pages again. “I just put a little too much power into the drying spell.” 

Fluttershy sat down, staring at her poofed tail. “My tail…oh my…”

“Aaaanyways... I wanted to ask you something, Twilight.” Copper turned his attention from Fluttershy's floofed hair, to Twilight. 

“Uh-huh,” she said, still turning pages. She'd gone through two more books since Copper had gotten there.

“I wanted to know if you had ever heard of a gem cog.” There it was again, the slight echo to the words.

Twilight stopped. “A gem cog? Hm...” She looked up at the shelves and a book came floating down.

“What about gems?” Spike said, his head raising from his mostly eaten bowl of soup. 

She gave him a look and then turned her gaze to the book as it paused in front of her. Then she  moved on to lay in front of Copper. “That should be it.”

Copper nodded and opened the book. He could feel Fluttershy move closer to look at the book as well. “Pony of the Gears?” He read, staring at the title. He opened it and read the first page. “In the end, we're all just gears in the machine we call the world. -Gears.” 

Fluttershy leaned a bit closer, getting a better look at the page. “Do you know who that is?”

Copper shook his head. “No...it's probably a pen name of some kind...but...the book title looks very familiar... I...I've seen it before...a long time ago...” He closed his eyes, trying to think. Of course now that he needed for his mind to wander, he was firmly here.

He flipped through the pages. It was all in shorthand. This was when his speed reading came in handy, when reading over somepony else’s writing. “Can you read that?” Fluttershy asked, looking at Copper and then at the book.

“Oh yeah. It's what us mechanics call short hand. It fits a lot more meaning into a lot less space. Letters written in certain ways mean certain things, as well as groups of numbers and-” He froze. There it was, in its own chapter. The Gem Cog. “Not a gem cog...” he mumbled, as there was a slight echo, staring at the picture. “The Gem Cog...” This time the echo was far more serious, everypony, even Spike and Owlicious looked up. “The first one...the one that sparked every piece of technology we have.”

Fluttershy looked at the cog a moment and then at Copper. “Is...is that what we saw up in the clock tower?”

He nodded slowly. “I'm almost certain of it...” He skimmed over the pages. “And look here. It says The Gem Cog is a powerful magical artifact that keeps any machine it is put into functioning, without flaw, indefinitely.” For the first time in a long time, he was truly focusing on words. “Without flaw, indefinitely...” he repeated slowly. “Princess Luna said that the clock tower had been there even before her and Princess Celestia came to Equestria...”

Twilight looked up from her current book. “You spoke with Luna about the clock tower? When did you do that?”

Copper blinked at her. “You are aware she can go into dreams, yes?” She nodded slightly. “Well she wanted to talk to me the other night, about what isn't important, but I asked her about the tower...”

“And she said it had been there before they had come here?” Her attention was very moved away from books now, as she stared at the book in front of Copper.

“It makes a lot of sense. Trains and clocks were the most complex mechanical things for a very long time, it's only in the last hundred years or so that ponies have actually started progressing again...” Copper’s eyes did not leave the page. “I wonder what started that progress this time...”

Fluttershy was looking at the pages as well. “I can actually read these pages... Why is it not in short hand?”

“I suppose because he thought it was important to detail...” Copper hazarded, there was no true way of knowing why. “I honestly have no idea. One would have to ask this Gears pony...but judging by the age of this book, that's not possible... Here, look at this. ‘Simply being in possession of the cog, or even simply touching it can give a pony instant clarity of problems they have. This is merely rumor, but from my research I have surmised that it in fact helps the owner simply think more clearly.’ Interesting...”

“So it's like some sort of focusing thing?” Twilight was now in front of them, tilting her head to try and read the book.

“Twilight,” Copper said, glancing at Fluttershy, who was mesmerized by the book at the moment. “I think you need to work on one problem at a time.”

“Ah.” She looked at Fluttershy, who looked up from the book at her. Her hair seemed to sproing. Twilight tried not to crack a smile, as she quickly moved back to the pile of books. “I think I've found the right book at least...”

“That's good,” he said, as he started skimming through the rest of the book, looking for any other mention of the cog. “Well...at least we know what it is.” He sighed softly, turning back to the chapter on the cog. “The Gem Cog...” Again that damned echo.

“What...what is that?” Fluttershy asked, looking around the room. “Why does it echo?”

He looked at Twilight, who blinked. “It might be some magic having to do with the cog? Perhaps we're close enough to be within it's magical effect, whatever it is...”

Copper nodded slowly. “Yes...that could be it...” He paused as he thought. “I can't think of any other reason that it would do that...and it sure feels magical every time I say it...like a tingling sensation on my tongue.”

“Perhaps you shouldn't... Say it I mean.” Twilight's eyes were already locked on Copper when he lifted his head.

He blinked at her a few times. “All right... I mean, there's no need to say it...” The pages of the book were hard to not look at. “But why was it hidden like this? In a clock tower? I mean it's a great hiding place as long as you have somepony-” he paused, his brow wrinkling.

“What?” Fluttershy said, looking from the book, to Copper, then back.

“Twilight...you said that somepony named Doctor Whooves goes and winds the tower, right?” He stared blankly at the page, not really looking at it, but instead looking through it.

“Hm? Yeah. He's around town quite a lot, actually,” she said, looking at him. “Why?”

“Somepony has to be in on the secret,” he said slowly, his eyes focusing on the picture of the gear. “Otherwise... There's nothing to stop anyone from finding out...” Doctor Whooves...that was a familiar name. It hadn't registered at first, but now that he thought about more about it, it did. “Anyways...” He shook his head. “Thanks Twilight,” he said as he got to his feet. “Another question is, do you think you could help me make the door to the tower bigger? And fix the stairs?”

She blinked, looking at him. “I don't think we can do that... We'll have to go talk to the mayor...”

“Oh no,” he said, smiling at her. “I've already done that. I bought the clock tower.”

There was a long, drawn out silence. Copper could feel everyone taking in the words. But a flash and a roll of thunder brought everyone back around. “You bought the clock tower?” Twilight managed after a moment.

“Mhm.” Copper was still smiling. He knew now it was a good idea to go to the mayor first. Who knows how it would have went if Twilight had been there as well.

“How much did you buy it for?” she asked, she seemed to be having trouble focusing on him.

“Oh.” He glanced at Fluttershy, who was still in a stunned silence. “Uhm... Nine hundred bits,” he said, deciding that he may as well tell the truth.

Again there was silence, a long, drawn out silence. But it was Spike this time, rather than a bolt of lightning, that broke the silence. “That's...a lot of money.” He felt the need to point out the obvious. Somepony had to.

He paused and then nodded. “Yes...it is. But with the sheer amount of mechanical things in there, it's fairly close to the correct price.” He hesitated, everypony was looking at him again. “Of course that was before I knew what...it was...” His hoof kicked at the ground a bit, he actually felt bad. “So I didn't count it into the price...and I wouldn't have been able to afford it if I had even made a guess...”

“Well... I suppose that's alright... I'm sure Miss Mayor is more than happy with the price,” Twilight said, looking at Copper, but he was avoiding everypony’s gaze. 

Why did he feel so bad over this? The cog was priceless. No one could have bought it, not for what it was actually valued for. He cleared his throat and looked up. “But, anyways... If you would please help me out tomorrow, I would appreciate it very much.”

Twilight smiled at him and nodded. “Alright. I'll bring Applejack with me tomorrow. She's good at building, they seem to put up a new barn every few days...” There was a slight pause and then shook her head. “Anyways. She'll be a big help.”

Copper smiled and nodded as he stood up. “Thank you.” He moved back towards the door and put his cloak back on. “I'll...” He paused, looking at Fluttershy. “I'll see you tomorrow, Twilight.” He smiled a bit. “And Fluttershy. Don't be too worried about your mane. I'm sure Pinkie Pie would love it, but I'm sure Twilight will fix it.”

Fluttershy gave a slight smile and nodded. “See you tomorrow...” Twilight said, going back through the book.

With that, he headed back out into the rain. He took a deep breath. The air was cold and damp. Everything was sorted. Everything was planned out. Now it was just time to work. He had plans. This felt good; having plans. He could work to his heart’s content now and there was no one to tell him he had to stop and go somewhere an insurmountable amount of distance away and deal with someone else's problem. He was his own pony now and could do whatever he wanted.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Who was he kidding? This was just a break.

~	
The door to the workshop opened and Copper looked up from his book. “Evening Horsh...what's going on?”

“Letter for you,” Horsh said, walking towards him and putting a letter in his way.

He frowned slightly, there was a large C sealing the scroll closed. He couldn't help but sigh as he opened it and read. His frown deepened. “Damn.”

Horsh was going through things on the table, seeing what he had been working on. “What's happened?”

“Well, apparently...Lady Evale is starting to become a problem...” He put his head down on the table. “She's already signed...but Celestia is worried that she'll change her mind and back out, without some sort of further prompting...”

He frowned, as much as one can with a beak. “But the word is that she's all for the project. She's even been convincing others to join in and saved us a lot of time.”

“I know...” He sighed again as he stood up. He pushed his goggles up from his eyes. “But she wants me to go and speak with her again.” He picked up and tossed the scroll into the fireplace. It caught and went up unusually fast. But Copper knew that it wasn't normal paper. It was designed to burn faster and hotter than regular paper.

“So, you're heading out?” Horsh shifted things around as spoke.

Copper looked at him. “Yes.” Horsh was a good griffon and he got along well. He was his...well, partner as it were. He had not worked with many partners over his life, but he always enjoyed it when he did. It gave him time to do other things.

“Do you think you'll need the shocker?” He said, pulling the glove like device from under a table.

“Nah. I'll just take the wing.” He flexed his wing out and it snapped into place as metal glinted off the front. He smiled at it.

“You really ought to take that off occasionally... I mean, wearing it when you go out is one thing...but sleeping with it on? It can't be good for your wing...” This was not the first time Horsh had brought it up.

“Hey, I take it off when I bathe and when I'm traveling long distances,” Copper snapped, as he pulled his cloak on, folding his wing back up underneath it. It was starting to get on his nerves how often he brought it up.

“I know, but that's what, an hour a day at most. And a few days when you travel?” Horsh folded his arms in front of him, looking at Copper. “I'm just worried that it could be causing damage.”

“How could it cause damage? It's got some padding on the inside... It's almost to the point I don't even need that.” He adjusted his cloak and pulled up his hood. 

“That's what I mean... You're losing feeling in your wing. What if it broke?” He had an odd amount of concern for his well being, Copper thought.

“If it breaks, it breaks. Not like I'll even really notice.” That was a lie, he knew. He used his wing for a lot of things. Balance mostly, slowing down, speeding around corners... A lot of things.

“I'm just saying that you might be a bit too dependent on it.” Horsh was looking over the book now.

“You know what? Fine.” He undid the straps and flexed his wing, causing the whole thing to come off in a clatter. He put it up on the table. “I'll only wear it when I need to, if that'll make you feel better.”

“A bit,” he said, glancing up at him. The griffon was quite old and it had slightly worried Copper that he would not be able to pull his own weight. That Copper would have to do the job of two ponies, but Horsh had surprised him on that point. But he was still old and worried far too much.

But that was the end of that exchange. He moved out into the street and walked slowly down the cobbled streets. He couldn't understand why Horsh was so against him using things he had made. Like they were more trouble then they were worth. They were too handy to not use, though as he walked, he did notice his wing was feeling oddly better. It was about time to re-measure and build a new wing. But that took time he didn't have. The meeting with Lers was just a few days away and he was a tad worried that Lers would not sign.

He had to sign, there was pressure from everywhere and he was the only one to not have signed. Ponies and griffons Lers thought were his friends were turning against him. They all wanted him to sign it and Copper was confident he could convince him.

He froze at an intersection as he saw that across the street stood two tall griffons. Both were staring at him with quite unfriendly expressions. He turned off to the right. He had needed to go straight, but he had made a lot of enemies and it paid to avoid people giving that sort of look. There were two more ahead of him. “Thanks a lot, Horsh...” he mumbled, stopping. There were a few other ponies and griffons on the street. But those two stood out. Quickly and casually, he walked into the shop he was standing outside. It was the entrance to an apartment building. 

Running down the hall to the other side yielded a door that led into a back alley, but when the door shut behind him without him closing it, he cursed his luck. “Good afternoon, Mr. Feather.”

“Afternoon,” he replied, not turning around. Two of the griffons appeared at the other end of the alley. “So, who sent you then?”

“Our employer does not wish for you to know that,” the griffon said coldly and Copper risked a glance behind him. It was probably the biggest griffon he had ever seen. 

“Understandable...” he said slowly as he looked back ahead of him. There was a garbage can a few feet ahead of him. All he had to do was wait for the two at the edge of the alley to- ah. Here they come. “Most people are smart enough to know...” Just a few more seconds. “That your average thugs won’t be able to stop me.” He used his wing for leverage, hit the top of can, jumped again over the two other griffons, lost his footing, scrabbled a bit to regain his balance and then ran. It was not like him to run, so it caught them off guard. It probably wouldn't have worked if they had been expecting it, but thankfully they had been expecting a fight. 

He didn't even dare risk a glance behind him, in front of him was far too important. It wasn't too terribly far to Lady Evale's mansion and he just had to make it there. Then he'd have a better idea of who hired them. If they followed him in, it was someone not from around here. If they didn't, it was someone in the city. If they hesitated too long, it was Lady Evale.

He hoped that it was someone in the city. He clattered around a corner and nearly ran straight into the guard at the front of Lady Evale's estate. “Ah. Afternoon,” he said, breathing heavily. “I was wondering if Lady Evale was available?” Now he had the chance to look behind him, there was no one there. Had he lost them that easily?

“Ah. Copper Feather...her ladyship was expecting you...but you are early.” He opened the gate and Copper frowned at the gate. “Please, head on in.”

Copper eyed the guard with a bit of suspicion. This seemed a tad odd, but there was no real reason to suspect a trap, yet. He entered the building, looking around as he did. No reason to be suspicious, there seemed to be nopony around. That was almost disappointing. But what he did note, were voices off in a side room. “Please, I'm just trying to satiate my curiosity on the subject.” That was Lady Evale.

Copper moved slowly to the open door, not exactly stealthily, merely slowly. He did not want to interrupt and he needed to catch his breath. “And I'm just saying that it's a touchy subject. A lot of people strongly, very strongly, believe that it does not even exist. And asking about it can get you into trouble.”

He rounded the corner and stood in the doorway. This appeared to be a study of some kind, with large windows and a large desk. Behind it, sat Lady Evale and by the window, there was a pony. He was beige in color, with a brown mane. Copper stepped in and both of them turned to look at him. “I do hope I am not interrupting anything,” he said as he walked slowly around the room. 

“Ah, Copper.” Lady Evale smiled at him. “You are early.”

“So I understand...but being pressured into moving quickly tends to cause that.” He was looking at the other pony, who was putting things from the table into a bag. What caught his attention was the book.

“Copper, allow me to introduce you to Doctor Whooves. Doctor, this is Copper Feather.”

~	
He sat bolt upright at his work table. “That's it!” A cord snapped in front of him and lashed him across the face as he let go of what he’d been holding down. “Ow! Dammit!” His hoof went up to his face, rubbing the area. “Dammit...” he said again and sighed. “So I had met him before...” He focused on nothing for a moment, trying to bring up that image in his head once again. “The book...” He leaned back over his work. “I'm certain that that was Pony of the Gears... I knew I'd seen that book before...” The cord fought him a bit as he worked a new one into place, but now that it was hooked up, it stayed. He stared at it a moment and then nodded in satisfaction. “Now...”

He hooked the device on his back, then to his wing and threw his cloak over it. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find, that it was night. The rain had stopped and the stars glittered overhead. He set off at a slight trot. Height. He needed height, it'd be pointless to try it from the ground at this stage. This was, after all, the first test run.

He made good time to the clock tower and it didn't even take him that long to get up the rope. Though he was a bit tired, he knew that he could sleep later. There was lots of time to sleep now. When he reached the top of the tower, sunlight was filtering in through the clock faces. He blinked in the light as he moved out the window and onto the outer rim. He looked up at the clock, it was early in the morning. “I didn't sleep at all...” he mumbled, as he tucked the cloak back in through the door and closed it behind him.

He closed his eyes and shifted. It was heavy, but not uncomfortably so. He had made it as light as possible without sacrificing any strength. The awareness of a vast space in front of him was becoming more and more apparent as he moved slowly forward. How tall was the tower? Would this fall kill him? He shook his head, those thoughts were pointless and a waste of time. The edge was in front of him, his hooves hanging slightly over. “Copper!” Somepony called his name below and he opened his eyes and saw Twilight and Applejack below. “What are you doing?”

“Hopefully...” He took a deep breath and spread his wings. “Flying.” He leapt. 

It worked, for the most part. He did not plummet and he pounded his wings to gain height. It had been difficult to work out how to get the wing to work right, but with slight rigging to the other and using the stub as a sort of reverse joystick, it made it quite easy. He couldn't help but shout and yell as loud as he could. The feeling of wind was amazing. He had felt it before, on the front of airships, but that was nothing. Nothing compared to this. This was freedom. 

Unfortunately, there were still a lot of things to work out. Like the landing. There was a moment where he tried to slow to land and then something twisted and he plummeted. He blinked as he tried to get to his feet and untangle himself from the bush. “Oof...okay...landing is the next step...” Thankfully he hit a bush and not something more solid. “Damn...” The cloth was in tatters. “Right then. Mental note, the cloth is fragile...perhaps something a tad sturdier...wonder what Rarity has on hand...”

Twilight and Applejack came running around a bend in the road, as he tried to get the device out of the bush, it had tangled itself in there quite well. Twilight spoke first. “That was amazing Copper! What is that?” 

“Well, it was a wing...” he said, frowning at what was now a jumble of parts. It would take him a long time to repair all that.

“That was mighty impressive, sugarcube.” Applejack moved and helped pull it out of the bush. “Shame 'bout that landin'.”

He paused and then nodded. “Yeah...well, it's been a really, really long time since I've done any sort of landing.” He stretched a bit, trying to shake away the pain in his leg. 

“Fascinating.” Twilight was examining what remained of the wing. Many things, like rods and cords were twisted now and most of the cloth was shredded. “So how exactly do you use it?”

“Well...” He stretched out his other wing, which had a sort of light weight version of his metal wing. “Wires run from inside here, to the other wing to help stabilization and most of it is actually steered by...uhm...the stub.” 

“Why not just make it copy the other wing in its motions?” She was now examining the part on his wing, which was not so gently clamped on, but he had had so many knocks and blows to it that it was fairly numb.

“I wouldn't be able to turn then, or really gain height all that well. The wings need to be fairly independent from one another. There's a lot of different things that I've done... I've been trying to have them completely independent of one another. It'll allow for a lot more maneuverability.”

They were walking back to the clock tower now. “Well, shoot. Ya had us a might scared when ya jumped off the tower,” Applejack said, giving him a look.

He chuckled softly, trying not to limp. “Sorry. I honestly didn't expect an audience...but I was certain it was safe. At the very least, I would have simply glided down.” He looked at the battered remains of the wing and sighed. Once they got to the clock tower, he struggled to get it off. It was quite a battle as it was tangled with him. “Uh...can this pony get a bit of help? Seems it's stuck on from the crash...”

Both of them turned to look at him, he was on his side, his leg caught in part of the cloth that wasn't quite all the way torn through. They all laughed and Twilight's horn glowed. “There you go,” she said as Copper escaped from the mess.

Copper sighed. “Well I think this was a great first shot...and I can already think of improvements...” He smiled at them. “But first, we gotta get the job done on this tower.”

It took most of the day to finish the tower. First thing Twilight did was use a spell to increase the size of the door to five times its size. Next was the cleaning, which took a very long time. There was not just dust on the floor, but also lots of machinery. Some of it was ground into the floor and Twilight had to use magic to get it off. Copper convinced Twilight to leave the large cog that was stuck in the floor; it added something special to the place that he quite liked. 

Then there was the staircase, which took the longest. The wood that had been the stairs took a while to clear, even with magic. Then they had to go and get new timber, as well as nails and other things for the new staircase. Thankfully Applejack had plenty back at Sweet Apple Acres, but that was a long trip there and then a seemingly longer trip as they hauled everything back. 

With lunch breaks and the occasional pony coming and asking what was going on, it ended up taking the whole day. But everything was clean and built. “If you ever need help around the farm, AJ, don't hesitate to ask,” Copper said, sitting outside of the tower, looking inside at the staircase.

“Ah shoot. Ain't no problem helpin' out a friend,” she said, giving him a large smile.

“Still,” he said, returning the smile to her. “It'd be great to have a chance to help somepony out, rather than everyone just helping me.”

“Well, yer new 'round here. It's only natural ponies would be wantin' to help ya,” she said and crossed her legs, still smiling at him. “But I gatta get back to the farm. So I'll see ya 'round.”

He nodded. “All right, thanks again for your help.” She trotted off and Copper looked back inside. “Twilight?” He looked inside and saw her staring up into the mess of gears.

“Can...we go and see it?” she asked, her gaze not shifting.

“It?” he said, before realization managed to knock. “Oh. Yeah.” She stood up and the two of them headed up the stairs. “Don't touch anything though... I don't know what this thing does, yet.”

She nodded. “Of course. I will keep my hooves off.”

He chuckled softly and the climb seemed really quick for some reason. They hit the wrap of gears, which is what he decided to call the point where the staircase goes straight through the mechanism, a lot sooner than he had expected. Then they were at the top. “There. In the center of the actual clock.” He pointed a hoof at it.

“Wow...Fluttershy was right...it's...” Her voice seemed to fade as she stared.

“Hypnotic...” he said, giving her a soft nudge.

She shook herself and looked around at the inside of the clock. “It's so empty in here... What do you think is with all of the gears below?”

He shrugged and sat down. There had been very little dust up here for some reason. Copper blamed the cog. “I'm starting to think it's just...busy work.”

Her gaze turned to him for a moment. “Busy work? Why would a machine need busy work?”

Again he shrugged. “It just seems the most logical thing to me... You've got a powerful gear, that magically keeps a machine running forever, it's expected that it needs something big to power... Maybe it was just an experiment to see if it could run something this big.”

She looked at the cog again. “But...who would do that?”

His eyes narrowed slightly at the cog and he frowned. He had his suspicions, but there was no need to start pointing hooves. “I don't know. Someone who was a genius, though... I've never seen machinery this complex.”

“It must be the cog. I read the chapter on it.” She managed to pull her gaze away and look at him. “It-” 

He raised a hoof. “Yes, I know Twilight. I read it too... It helps you focus and gives you ideas.” But it wasn't the cog that gave him the idea for the wing, that was Luna. Or did she just claim credit? That didn't seem like her, but maybe she was influenced by it and merely thought it was her idea?

“Were you tempted?” she said, still looking at him.

“Tempted to what?” he said, staring at the cog. Why was it not effecting him as much as every other pony? 

“To use it...” she said, leaning closer, scrutinizing him. 

He did not like that look and he turned to face her. He opened his mouth to speak, but the lie that was forming stopped dead. “Yes,” he managed and looked back at it. “I was so tempted, I even put in a similar cog and built my wing around it.”

“I'm glad you didn't use it. Magic like this seems dangerous.” She suddenly started moving to the stairs. “I'm going to write the Princess about this and see what she has to say about it.”

“Yeah...” Copper said, staring at the cog. His thoughts were suddenly becoming clearer. “You do that...but...” She paused, looking back at him. He shook his head. “Never mind, I'm sure it's safe to tell her about it...”

She stared at him. “Do you have anyone you can send a letter to? Someone who might know?”

Doctor Whooves seemed like a good start, but there was no way of knowing where he was. Then a second person came to mind. “Yes,” he said hesitantly. “Horsh. A griffon friend of mine back in Griflon.”

“Maybe send a letter to him?” she suggested, slowly making her way to the stairs. 

“Yeah...” He looked up at the clock face. “Yeah. I think I will.”
> 6: Letters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dear Horsh,

I realize that it has been a long time and that you may not want to speak with me, or hear from me in any way. I'm sorry that our friendship, or partnership if that is a preferable word, ended in the way that it did. But I am willing to put that behind us. We both made mistakes, and you were right in telling me that I was being selfish. I should have gone through with our plans so far and helped you. But I didn't and I am sorry. I regret how we both acted.
But I had a dream Horsh. A magnificent dream, that inspired me beyond anything I have come to understand and I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give. I have included with this letter, two pieces of paper. The first is the first page of our airship design. My hopes are that you can see it in yourself to forgive me and this is the only true way I can think of truly apologizing. 
The other is a copy of my wing design. I know we had talked about it previously, designing a sort of glider to assist, but I believe I am close to having a perfectly functioning wing. It would mean a lot to me if you would look over and see what I could improve. First test flight was a success, though landing needs work.
Hope you are well,
Copper Feather

P.S. I came across a book in the library here, called Pony of the Gears. I was wondering if you know anything of its author? Gears to me sounds like a pen name, but I have been wrong before.

P.P.S. What are your thoughts on this Gem Cog that it mentions? It seems very intriguing to me, but something like that seems too good to be true. 






Dear Copper,

It is good to hear from you. I will admit that I made many mistakes as well and I did not treat you with the respect you deserved and am sorry. But I am glad to hear from you. Thank you for the ship designs, I had been unable to recreate them, but now that I have the page, we are making leaps and bounds in airship technology. All thanks to you.
As for these designs of a wing, I have to say I'm impressed. These are some of the most complex arrays I've ever seen, I'm not sure if I can be of any help at all to be honest. My eyesight is not what it used to be and your handwriting is so small and scribbly, I can't make heads or tails of most of it. But they look most impressive from what I can. 
I am quite familiar with the book and its contents. Most of it is mediocre stuff and I never looked much into it. But after I got a hold of a copy and read up on this Gem Cog, I have to say it sounds like some far fetched dream. But it is not the first time I have heard of it. I will ask around. 
But enough of this, how are you? What sort of things does Princess Celestia have you do now? I haven't heard any new news about you in some time and I was almost worried you were dead.
Sincerely,
Horsh





Dear Horsh,

I'm glad that you responded, I was worried that you wouldn't. And no, I am not dead. Got pretty close to it a few times, but not yet. And hopefully not for a very long time now. I've been retired. I don't know if Celestia is working on a new protégé, but I'm sure I'll be hearing from them if she does. I'm living in a place called Ponyville. It's very nice; quiet. 
I'm building Mark III of my wing now, unsure of what to call it. I was hoping that you might have some suggestions? And what about you? Your reply took a long time to arrive, I was starting to think that you were not going to reply. But I was happy when I received the letter.
One of the ponies here in Ponyville is actually one of Celestia's students. Her best as far as I can tell. She sent a letter to the Princess asking about The Gem Cog. Hopefully one of us can figure out something. 
Sincerely,
Copper





Dear Copper,
I'm glad to hear you’re finally free. It always felt wrong the way she ran you ragged. You're a pony who's seen far too much for your age. I'd wager you've seen far more than me and I nearly double your age. But it took a while due to recent events around here. Mail is being very slow since people have been shooting down airships. They're saying it's the work of some anti technology group.
As for your wing, I showed some of the others working in the factory and we came up with a few names:
Cool Wing
Annex
Copper Chopper (One of the new boys came up with this one)
Copper Wing
Cloth Wing
Flyer (I came up with this one, thought you might like the incorrect spelling)
Sky Higher
Travester (Pony named Travis begged for this one to be on the list)
I discarded most of the other names, as being too ridiculous. Also, what happened to Mark II?
But about the Gem Gear, I've been asking around and it seems there's quite a few people who know about it. Mostly it's just from the book, but I've talked to a few people that know a bit more than the book. Things about it being hard to look at if you don't know about machines. Oddly enough people have actually been coming to me now, asking questions. They're always so disappointed when I can't tell them anything they don't already know. I did have one strike of luck. One griffon, unsure how trustworthy he can be as he is not in the best mental state, said that it was dangerous. Apparently, he hardly speaks, but when I mentioned it, he snapped. He started screaming about it. “Never touch it. Never use it.” He kept screaming and there was something about the way he said it that really disturbed me. Have you found out anything? 
Sincerely,
Horsh





Dear Horsh,
Goodness. People are shooting down airships? What kind of ponies would do that? As for the name I've decided to go with Flyer. I'm already on Mark V, I just can't seem to get them to stay together past a few flights. I've taken to flying, when I can, with Rainbow Dash. She's taught me a lot of things that I'd forgotten with the time I spent grounded. Including how to land properly. Landing is hard to do right.
And about the cog, I haven't gotten anywhere. Celestia claims that she has no knowledge of it, but I honestly don't believe her. I can't be certain why I don't believe her, but I don't. Life here is pretty boring to tell you the truth, but it's a good kind of boring. A restful boring. I keep feeling like Celestia is going to pop up at any point and tell me where to go and what to do.
Your letters have been a real inspiration for me and I hope that sometime soon we can get together and have a chat. Why not come to Ponyville? It's a quiet place, I'm sure you could do with a vacation. Just don't use any airships.
Be safe,
Copper





Copper. 
Don't reply. Don't send anymore letters. I'm ok
Horsh




To Whom it May Concern
We regret to inform you, that the griffon known as Crispen Horsh has been found dead. You are receiving this letter as it was in his Last Will and Testaments that you be informed. We are sorry for your loss.
> 7: The Feeling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Those months that letters passed were good, quiet...peaceful. Everypony was getting used to Copper simply wandering. He did that when he was stuck, taking a walk to clear his head. He always found himself going to the clock tower. Ideas of putting a workshop in the bottom of the clock tower had been rejected when Celestia's letter had arrived, telling him that it was dangerous to be so close to the Gem Cog. She wasn’t telling him everything she knew, she told him to stay away from it for his own safety. Lying to Horsh was bad, but he couldn't tell him. Couldn't tell him anything really. Rainbow Dash had been a big help, teaching him the basics of flight. But the wing, or Flyer as he called it now, couldn't handle the stress. There was just something about it that kept going wrong and each time it was something different; either a gear, some part of the structure, or some important wire.

But nopony had seen Copper in a few days and Dash was starting to get worried. “I don't know Twilight...he's not missed hanging out, ever.”

“It is unlike him to not be where he says...” She frowned slightly and stood up. “Alright, let's go check on him.”

She nodded. “Right. He spends all day in his house, except when he's flying or taking a walk... I don't think he sleeps much.”

“Yeah I've noticed that,” Twilight said as they walked down the street. “But he drops everything when there's an opportunity to do something with another pony.”

“Pinkie said he didn't answer the door when she went to visit him,” Dash said, she was lazily flying beside Twilight. “She thought he was out with somepony, but everyone I talked to hasn't seen him in days.”

“That is odd...” They came up to the door of his house. The curtains were closed, blocking any light that would have shone from within. Twilight knocked loudly on the door. “Copper?” Dash was trying to see inside one of the windows. “Copper are you there?”

“I...think I see him in there,” Dash said, using her hooves to shield her eyes. “Yeah, I think that's him.” 

Twilight's horn glowed and the door swung open. The first thing that was noticeable was complete darkness. “Copper?” she said as her horn glowed and lit up the room. The entire place was trashed. There was blood in splotches around the room. And there, sitting on the floor, staring at the ground, was Copper. “Copper?” 

Her and Dash move slowly inside. “Hey...Copper?” Dash said and then they spotted what was on the ground.

“I got him killed...” Copper said softly, staring at the paper in front of him. Twilight could only make out 'To Whom it May Concern' on the top of the letter. “He started asking around about it and someone killed him.”

Something went crunch under Twilight's hoof and she looked down at the bits of his workshop all over the floor, though nothing seemed to be really broken. “Copper...” she said softly, moving towards him. He was shaking.

Dash moved slowly next to Twilight, both of them walking towards him. “C'mon Copper...what's up?”

“I got him killed...” he repeated, his eyes could not be torn away from the letter. “He was asking around about that stupid cog and someone killed him...”

Now Twilight could look at him better. His eyes were red and puffy, there was dry blood on his hooves and a fairly large puddle of it around him. The letter was stained red around the edges.  Twilight saw the words 'We regret to inform you-' but dried blood made it impossible to read the rest in this light at this distance. “Copper...” she tried again, hoping that his name would snap him out of it.

He finally managed to look up, staring blankly through Twilight as if she wasn't even there. Dash came and sat down next to him, looking at him. The floor was sticky with blood. “Copper...who's dead?”

His eyes slowly moved towards Dash and slowly focused on her. “Horsh...Horsh is dead...because of me...”

“Horsh?” Twilight moved to sit beside Dash, but decided against sitting when she felt how sticky it was. “The griffon you were sending letters to?”

He nodded slowly and his eyes returned to the letter. Twilight and Rainbow Dash read the letter, while Copper just kept staring right through it. “And you think that he was killed? Why?” Dash said, looking at him again.

“He was asking about the cog...and before this...I got that letter.” He pointed to a letter, which was stuck to the wall with blood.

Her horn glowed a bit brighter and the letter came unstuck before drifting over to her. Dash and her both read it and both frowned. “It does sound like he was in trouble...” Twilight said and then looked at Dash. “C'mon Copper...you need to get cleaned up...”

“And you need to eat...” Dash said as she stood up. “C'mon.” She touched Copper gently, but he didn't move for several moments. Then he nodded and stood up. “There we go,” she said, smiling.

He looked down at his hooves and the dry blood. He could not remember how many things he struck in his despair, but his hooves hurt. “Dash, you help him out and I'll clean this place up.”

Dash nodded and put her wing over Copper. “C'mon,” she said, as she started leading him towards the stairs. “Gotta get you cleaned up.” 

It was a sort of fight to get him up the stairs, though it wasn't his fault. He was woozy from blood loss and his front hooves hurt a lot. But they managed to get upstairs and into the bathroom.  He practically fell into the tub and Dash turned on the water, watching him carefully. She did not fill the bath, it would've all turned red with blood, but Copper did begin washing himself off. The water running off him turned red. It stung, but he hardly noticed it. He wasn’t badly injured, as nothing he struck had been sharp.

Dash pulled bandages out of a cupboard after a moment of searching. “Were you and Horsh close?” she asked, hating the silence that was filling the room once the water turned into mere background noise.

He hesitated. “I...I would like to think so... I've known him for a long time...and we worked together for a long time.” Though I don't know if we were friends as such, not in the way I see friendship now anyways.

She began helping him bandage his hooves. “I'm sorry... It's always hard to lose someone,” Dash said, as she washed her hooves off. They had a bit of blood on them.

“I've never lost anyone I cared about...” Copper said, adding internally, because I never cared like this about anypony, but now I do. Now I care about everypony I've met.

“That's good,” she said, sitting next to the tub.

“No...it isn't.” Copper leaned against the inside of the tub, away from Rainbow Dash, taking care to not get the bandages wet. “Before I came to Ponyville...I never cared about anypony but myself...there was no time...and worst of all...” His eyes closed slowly. “I didn't want to care.”

She crossed her hooves and placed them on the side of the tub, resting her head on them. “But you do now.”

“Yes... I care now...” He took deep breaths. “ And...and I don't know how I feel about that... I've never had friends...or at least I never thought of anypony as my friend. They were just...there...”

“But now it's different,” she said with a slight smile on her face.

“Yes...” He sighed, as his eyes opened and stared at the water. “Yes. Now it's different. Suddenly I find myself unable to not care. About everypony. About you, about Twilight. Pinkie Pie...Fluttershy...Rarity...” He paused. “Everypony.” He finished, realizing it would take too long to list them all. “Even ones I met a long time ago...I wonder how they are doing...what they're doing...where they are...” 

“Then find out? Send them letters.” Her smile widened a bit. “That's pretty obvious.”

He smiled a bit and nodded. “Yeah...I'll...do that.” The water felt good right now and the blood had come off, though it had stained a bit in a few places. 

Dash looked at him. “What's this cog thingy you were talking about?”

“Oh. It's...something in the clock tower...” There couldn't be too much harm in telling Dash, could there? She was his friend and he needed to talk. “It's...well it's a cog made of a gem. Or, well...from what we know it's a gem in the shape of a cog.”

“Hm. And you think Horsh got killed because he was asking too many questions about it?” She looked quite thoughtful. “Sounds like some bad ponies really want it. Or don't want ponies knowing about it...”

He nodded slightly. “I think he must have found out something else... Something that he really shouldn't have...and I want to know what it is.” He sat up straight and then his stomach growled, which was amplified by the tub. He cleared his throat. “But first...something to eat.”

~	
The train ride was going quite smoothly and the seats were quite comfortable, Copper mused. He had been on quite a few trains, but this was probably the nicest one for the amount it cost. And it cost very little. Beside him, Twilight was looking fidgety. Copper looked at her. “You didn't have to come,” he said, looking at her. The Flyer Mark V felt oddly comforting underneath his cloak. But he was a tad worried about using it as it had not been tested. 

“I can't just let you barge in on the Princess without warning,” Twilight said.

In her defense, that was a good thing, because that's what Copper would have done. “I merely want answers. She obviously knows things that she isn't telling us...and if all else fails, Luna will help me.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Dash said as she came back from the dining car, still chewing on something. She swallowed it before speaking again. “I mean, yeah Princess Luna is pretty strong, but Princess Celestia...”

“She's got a thousand years on her sister. I know,” Copper said calmly, looking out the window at the scenery sliding past. “But what I'm after is information. It won’t end in any kind of confrontation.” He paused. “I hope... I don't want to have to do anything too drastic...”

Twilight stared at him a moment, as Dash took her seat beside Twilight. “Like what?” Twilight asked. She was almost glaring at him.

“I know things, that's all. I'm not going to make threats,” he said, turning back and seeing Twilight's expression. “I am not a pony for making threats.”

“The train’s empty,” Dash said, looking the way she didn't come from. “Or at least, I haven't seen anypony on it.”

“Is that odd?” Copper said, looking around. They were the only ones in the car.

“That is pretty odd... And the one going the other way seemed very full...” Twilight got up from her seat. “I think I'm going to go see if I can find anypony on the train.”

“There's a few ponies in the dining car, but they work here.” Dash got settled in her seat as Twilight trotted towards the dining cart.

Something was bothering Copper. Some sort of basic instinct in him was saying something was wrong. “I don't like this...” he managed to say after a moment.

“Don't like what? Trains?” Dash had not been paying attention, staring out the window. 

He shook his head. “I just...feel like there's something wrong.” He had that feeling a lot. Maybe too much. That feeling practically drove him crazy. But it had not been wrong yet. 

~	
“You know not of which you speak, outsider!” The large black horse stood on the other end of the hall. A huge space filled with horses was between him and Copper. “You dare come in here and attempt to accuse me, Sirrah Al-Faras, King of Saddle Arabia, of murder?”

“Not only I,” Copper said. This was a big crowd and he had to speak loudly just to be heard over the wave of murmuring. “I have proof, that you, Sirrah Al-Faras murdered the late King Al Khamsa.” A worried expression passed over the black horse’s face, one that Copper could see clear from this side of the room. Somepony had better seen that or he was going to snap. Yesterday’s negotiations had gone so poorly, that Copper had chosen to change tactics. “Furthermore-”

“Be silent!” the King screamed, but the whispering had turned against him. “What proof do you speak of?”

“Your own flesh!” Copper yelled, pointing his hoof at him. The crowd parted several hooves in order to get out of the way, as if it would destroy everything in its path. Copper took this chance to approach. “Sirrah Al-Faras, you murdered him.”

“No!” he shouted back, but there was fear in his voice and everypony was backing away. “You have no proof! No evidence!”

“I have better than evidence. I have a witness! Who saw you murder the king, Sirrah Al-Faras. Your own flesh and blood.”

Behind him, he could feel Safanad walk closer to him. “You, Safanad? After I spared you, you dare commit such treachery?”

Everyone looked past him at Safanad. “Do not speak to her!” Copper screamed in rage. “You!” He pointed his hoof at the king, who visibly shrank. “You only kept her for your perverse ideas of incest!”

“How- How dare you!” There was no one beside him now, everyone was backing away from him. Their eyes were showing hate already. 

“You do not deny it!” Copper was now at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at him. Safanad was behind him. He could feel her fear. “You murdered her father. And threatened her mother if she did not remain silent!” Even Safanad looked at him in shock. 

“H-how did you...” Safanad spoke softly, unable to find words.

He looked back at her and gave her a soft smile. “It is what your mother told me.” He turned back to to the king, who shrank under that gaze. It was like seeing the sun for the first time. It hurt to look at, but it was impossible to turn away. “You disgust me.” He was no longer shouting, but his voice carried in the silence. “You murder her father, with intent of taking the kingdom and her.” The silence seemed to thicken. “Who will follow you?” The king looked around frantically. Even his guards were glaring at him. “Who will come to your aid?” He looked past him at Safanad. 

“You...you bastard!” The king charged him. But Copper had been waiting for him. He charged up the stairs and with a quick outstretch of his wing, the king’s legs buckled and snapped.

Copper stood a few steps down from the top, looking at the crumpled body of the late Sirrah Al-Faras. The light glittered off the metal on his wing and he tried to retract it, it didn't. “Damn it,” he said and sat down on the step. It took him a moment of fiddling with it before it finally bent. “Well, there goes my dramatic pose.” He sighed as headed down the stairs. He stopped in front of Safanad and knelt down. “I believe, the kingdom is yours, your majesty.” But something felt wrong.

“You killed the king.” His gaze snapped to the side, to see Amira moving out of the crowd. “He's murdered the king!” she shouted and suddenly the guards were everywhere. 

“I...I'm sorry...” Safanad said softly, looking down at the ground.

“Ah... I see how it is.” He stood up abruptly and several guards flinched. “One betrayal for another, eh?” He smiled softly, his mind racing. “Diplomatic immunity,” he called out, walking past Safanad. “Killing me, means war with Equestria.” The guards hesitated and then looked at Amira, who blinked. 

Then it was Safanad who smiled. “He is right. The only thing we can do, is banish him from Saddle Arabia.”

Copper thought, as he headed towards the large doors, this had been a plan. A large plan. But it didn't matter what their plan was. His job had been to put Safanad on the throne and he succeeded. Nothing he had said was a lie, not with her reaction. Or with how her mother had cried. Everypony was staring at him. It was obviously Amira's plan and Safanad had gone along with it. But he had grown on her and she wanted him to get away.

~	
That didn't feel the best example of it truly helping him. He would have to write a letter to Safanad and see how things were. “I'm sorry, what did you say Dash?” He looked at her.

“I said, that I think you're right. I don't like how things have been going lately...” she said, frowning at him. “It's weird when you do that. You get this far away look...” Her gaze slowly moved out the window.

“What do you mean?” Copper asked, as he watched Twilight come back with a worried look on her face.

“We're the only passengers on the train.” Then Copper noticed that her horn was glowing and there was a rolled up newspaper following her. “And this is why.”

She tossed the paper down. Copper read the headline. “'Manehatten attacked. Advanced airships bomb city!'?” He turned the pages quickly and his heart almost exploded. “Those are my designs!” he screamed, standing up in the seat. 

Twilight and Dash both blinked and then looked at each other. “Your designs?”

“Yes. Mine. The...the ones that Horsh had taken...and...” He laid down and closed his eyes, putting his hooves over his face. “And I sent him the most important page...I wanted to show him that I truly meant what I said and... Oh Celestia this is probably what he was killed over...the designs...” He pounded his hoof against the chair. “The cog be damned...”

“It says here...that ponies are fleeing major cities, in case they're attacked as well...” Dash read on, looking over the paper. “But Celestia is assuring ponies that it was an isolated incident, but if they are truly worried, Canterlot is the safest place.”

“But, then why are ponies leaving it?” Twilight said, looking over the page.

“Because it'll be the next place to be attacked,” Copper said, lifting his hooves from his face. “There's nothing between Canterlot and Manehatten besides Hollow Shades and they wouldn't be able to find that in the trees... Manehatten was a system test.” He stared at the picture of the airship. It was his design, or close enough that it was impossible to tell the difference. 

“A...a system test?” Dash sounded exhausted, staring at the paper. “They...they attacked Manehatten, to...test?”

Copper nodded slightly. “They wanted to make sure that everything worked...to make sure that they couldn't defend themselves... If they can take out Manehatten with ease, then Canterlot would be the next target.”

“You seem to know an awful lot about their plan.” Twilight's voice was a bit harsher than she probably would have liked.

He almost glared at her, almost. “I spent a lot of my time thinking like a bad pony...” He hesitated. “And I've done a lot of bad things. But I never designed those for weapons...” It was hard to not study and actually appreciate the design. “It was supposed to be for transport...supposed to be quick...to be-” he froze and placed his hooves on the paper, spreading it out. “No...” He pulled his goggles down and twisted the right one, the glass distorting his eye. He looked down at the paper. “That...” he said, pointing his hoof at what looked like a smudge.

“What?” both ponies said, leaning in to see what he was pointing at.

“A smudge?” Dash said, squinting to try and see something.

“No...that's an airship. A very, very big airship...” He untwisted his lens and pushed them back up. “It's...well it's called God. I...I can't believe that they actually got it flying...”

“God?” Twilight said, peering at the small blotch.

“It's hard to tell, but if it is not God, then it is an airship designed off of it...with the same shape I mean...” Copper was rubbing his eyes, he was tired. He had not slept in days, again.

“Or it could just be a smudge,” Dash said, looking at him. “Cus to me it looks like a smudge.”

He paused and then nodded slowly. “Yes...it could be a smudge...or some gunk that had been on the camera...but...” He paused again. “I have a feeling, all right? And when I get this feeling, it's never wrong.”

“Never?” Twilight said, looking up from the smudge.

Again he hesitated, trying to think. “No,” he said slowly. “Never. I can't remember any time that this feeling had been wrong, anyways...”

Twilight nodded. “Then that's good enough for me.” 

“Me too,” Dash said, giving him a smile. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

Copper remained motionless a moment and then shook his head. “I have no idea.”

There was silence, before Dash said, “That's a bit anticlimactic, isn't it?” Nervous laughter spread amongst them.

“Perhaps, but I'm not the pony with the plan anymore. I don't wanna be that pony anymore...” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No. We talk with Celestia. Find out what's going on and see if she'll tell us anything about the cog.”

It was a few more minutes before the train came to a stop in Canterlot station and the three of them were greeted by several guards, all of them heavily armored and armed. “What is your business?” said one of them, as he stepped forward.

“We've come to see the Princess,” Twilight said and most of the guards relaxed.

“Ah, Twilight Sparkle...  It is a relief to see you. Please, come this way.” They headed towards the inner castle.

But Copper was hesitant. This felt wrong. All wrong. What was going on here that gave him that feeling? He looked off into the distance, back towards Ponyville. His gaze traveled a little farther north, where Manehatten was and hopefully, still is. Suddenly he felt exposed. It was not much of a distance off the path from Manehatten to Canterlot to make a stop in Ponyville, was it? There was a feeling of dread. “If you don't mind, Mister Feather...” He looked, Twilight and Dash were gone and he was alone with a dozen or so armed guards. The guard removed his helmet. How many of them could Copper take out? Not all of them. How many would he need to take out to escape. Two? Three at most. “I want to say how much of an honor it is to meet you.”

Copper blinked, staring at the helmet-less guard. “Honor? To meet me?” Suddenly, part of him would have preferred to fight his way out of this. “I think you have the wrong pony...”

“Of course! You're Copper Feather. Celestia's right hoof. Where she could not go, she sent you.” The pony was grinning at him. “It is truly an honor. Your deeds are legendary.”

Blinking owlishly, he managed, “Deeds?”

“Oh yes. I know most of your exploits. Of course, Travis here knows every last thing you've done, dontcha boy?” The pony had pulled forward a very young looking pony. Certainly he could not be old enough to be here, could he?

“Well... Not even I know everything I've done,” Copper said slowly, unsure of how much was rumor and fact.

There seemed to be a shared laugh about the group of guards as they all began heading towards the castle. “I know it's tough to distinguish from the lies and the truths, but either way, you've done some very impressive things, Mister Feather.” There was suddenly a feeling in the pit of his stomach. “And it is regrettable that things went this way.”

Then everything went black.
> 8: Flight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The first thing he heard was loud, though far off. They were familiar. Engines, he guessed. That and the sound of rushing wind. He forced his eyes open; his head hurt and around him was the deck of a ship. He recognized it. This was the deck of God. “Ah, I see you are finally awake... So good of you to join the land of the conscious...” To his slight surprise, Lady Evale walked around from the side. “I must admit I am quite impressed with this.” In her claws was the Flyer Mark V. “Completely useless to me.” She tossed it to the side and something went twank, which made Copper flinch. “But impressive nonetheless.”

He tried to move, but he was chained to something. The bastards had chained him up, like that would stop him. But a thought popped into his head. “You killed Horsh.”

“Ah, it speaks,” she said, smirking at him. “Why, yes. I did.” She waved a clawed hand flippantly. “Not personally, of course. But I suppose I am the reason he is dead. Or I should say, that you are.” She tisked at him. “Too many questions, Copper. Too many.”

Copper cursed himself inside. It was the cog. Not the plans. “The plans...”

“Oh, they were put to good use.” She turned on the spot, splaying her arms. “All of this is thanks to you Copper. You and that wonderful brain of yours.” Her claws closed around large rolls of paper. “If only you were more cooperative...” She put up a hand. “No no. I already know that you would refuse any offer merely on principle.”

Damn it, she had a point. He would refuse her just to be difficult. “So you used my designs...”

“To improve God.” Her laugh was so annoying, it grated upon everything that Copper had left. “Oh yes. The God you knew was nothing compared to this beauty of a machine.” She sighed, in Copper’s opinion, overly dramatically. “But just imagine it Copper... Imagine it with The Gem Cog.” 

Copper glared at her. “How...”

“Oh do you honestly think that I don't know?” He knew how she knew of it, but how did she know he did? “I have known of it longer than you dear Copper. Much longer. I, and my associates have been seeking it for a very long time. Unfortunately we have met...resistance along the way. Al Khamsa and his brother Sirrah Al-Faras...” The sight of the late King's bodies planted themselves firmly in his head. “Lers...” Now the crumpled body of Lers, laying in a burning building. “The seaponies and their high council...and many others, my dear Copper... All of whom you have dealt with beautifully.” She clapped in an almost painfully mocking way. “Well done.”

His thoughts were racing now. “So you and Celestia...and...others...” he added, when seeing her face at the mention of Celestia. “Others who used me... Used me to shape everything...”

“Oh very good Copper... I did warn Celestia you were too smart for your own good. But it does you well in a pinch.” She walked past him, but he could still hear her behind him somewhere. “And here you are now... On the deck of God, about to watch us sweep away what little resistance there is left...” The smirk in her voice was quite apparent. “Starting with Ponyville and the retrieval of The Gem Cog. Oh Copper it will be glorious. We reach Ponyville in five hours.” He heard her walking away. “Sics, if he tries any attempt to escape...kill him.”

“Yes, Lady Evale.” Oh that was a speech he recognized. A Diamond Dog. Just great, those were tough. Tougher than griffons and definitely tougher than ponies. Sics walked into view, moving a ways away from Copper. He’s not dumb, but he is a sickly yellow color, Copper thought. “Lady Evale says if you try and escape, Imma kill you.” Than again, instinct is different from intelligence. 

“Yes, I heard,” he snapped, trying to think. Chains were hard. Not impossible, but he'd much prefer rope. Rope was easy compared to chains. “So, Sics is an interesting name...” Copper said; small talk would be a good distraction; buy himself time.

“I have five brothers,” Sics said, his eyes narrowing. “Don't try and trick me.”

“Trick you? Why ever would I do that? Goodness these chains are uncomfortable.” He shifted a bit, ah, yes. There was a padlock on the back. No chance of picking it. “So five brothers and your named Six.”

“Not six. Sics.” The large body sat down. “Lotsa ponies make that mistake. But not Diamond Dogs.”

“Ah, yes. I've worked with a few of them in the past.” He shrugged a shoulder, one of the chains slid slightly. That was the thing about chain, people instinctively didn't do it too tight. You could either do it too tight and crush whatever you were using it for, or have it a bit loose.

“I know,” Sics said, glaring at him.

That caused Copper to stop and look at him closely. “Have I...worked with you?”

Sics shook his head slowly, still glaring at him. “No. You hit me in the back with that shocky thing of yours.”

“Ah...” He wiggled slightly. “Sorry about that... Know why exactly I did it?”

He stood up. “Stop moving.”

Copper froze. “All right. Jeez, just trying to get comfortable... Chains may be all the rage where you come from, but they don't suit me.”

His head was starting to not hurt as much and his thoughts were coming together. “Are you making fun of me?” Sics’s hands clenched and unclenched.

“Me? Oh no of course not,” Copper said, leaning back against what he was chained to. There we go, he thought, now I can get out whenever I need to. “So why exactly are you working for Lady Evale and Celestia? I shocked you while following their orders...”

“Don't matter. All I know is they're gonna give me a lot of gems.” He grinned at Copper and he couldn't help but grimace in response; it was not attractive at all. “And I get to kill you, after we blast that little spec of a town off the map.”

That was it. Copper couldn't hold himself. “You idiot. Do you honestly think that they're going to give you anything but a swift kick off the ship? You'll be lucky to get off this ship with what you call that pathetic life of yours.”

“That's it.” Fists clenched, he approached. But Copper was ready for him and Sics wasn't expecting him to simply drop out of the chains and buck him in the stomach. It was a kick that would've made Applejack proud if she had seen it. He had helped her a bit gathering apples and found that bucking apples could be quite useful. And as Sics crumpled, he knew that was a good kick.

“Now then.” He ran towards the Flyer and quickly started putting it on. No time to make sure everything was perfect, a quick glance showed it would fly, or at least glide. He spun around as he heard Sics get to his feet.

“Stupid...little...pony...” One of his hands was holding his stomach and blood was coming out from his mouth. That had been a hard kick. Perhaps he had collapsed a lung? He charged at him, screaming some nondescript words. It didn't matter. Copper waited and then dropped onto his back. Hooves planted firmly on Sics chest, a slight roll back and push. The scream turned to one of panic as Sics plummeted.

Copper got back to his feet. “Right then.” He rolled his shoulders a bit, adjusting to the Flyer's weight. “No more mister nice pony.” He went into the first door that he found and ran. He needed to get somewhere. Where was he going? This was not God. He knew the layout of God enough to find his way around, but this was nothing like it. Not on the inside.

~	
“What is it, Horsh?” Copper said, staring up at the largest airship in the world. Or so he'd been told.

“This. Is God,” Horsh said, walking a few steps ahead of Copper. “It's where we do pretty much all the work on airships. It has hangers so big that freight ships can fit inside them.”

~	
He shook his head. Right, hangers. He needed to get to the hangers. That's where the ships would be. God was large and very slow. Copper could steal one of the ships, beat God to Ponyville and get everypony out.

Then get to the cog. He stopped for a moment and blinked. Where had that thought come from? It made sense. They were after the cog, so of course he needed to get to it before them as well. It was unimaginable something this big, being assisted by that. A pony could rule the world with this ship.

He stopped again as he opened a door and saw a huge cloth wing moving onto a downward stroke. He looked left and right. It was a walkway around the side of the ship. “Hangers will be in the back...” he muttered, as he tore off down the right side. The wings interested him quite a lot. That was how they made sure it was airborne. Usually ships used hot air to keep themselves up, but something this big needed extra help. Small things needed the help too. “Damn it.” They had taken his idea for a small ship, which used wings and propellers to keep itself airborne, rather than rely entirely on hot air.

Suddenly doors farther down swung inward and several Diamond Dogs rushed out. One pointed at him and shouted. Of course they would hire Diamond Dogs. They were easy to train and would do any job if you give them enough gems. There were too many to fight. He turned in time to see several Diamond Dogs running towards him. 

Pay more attention, Copper. He leaped over the railing. It was as he feared, the Flyer couldn't do more than glide. But at least he could steer it and the updraft from the wings of the ship helped him gain some height. There had been quite a few painful lessons about air currents over the last few months. He watched as the dogs met, glared at him a moment and then most of them dispersed, back into the ship. But a few followed him on the edge.

~	
“God is truly an engineering marvel Copper... No ship has ever come close to it...” Horsh said as he walked across a beam to one of the upper areas. 

Copper followed after him. “But...surely something this big can't possibly fly... It would take far too much air.”

“Ah, well, that's the thing Copper. It doesn't fly. Not anymore.” Horsh gave him a smile, but Copper frowned at him. “It doesn't fly, because it's broken. And no one alive knows how to fix it. We don't know how it flew, because it's thousands of years old and many of the outer parts have worn away.”

“What?” Copper looked down suddenly, the wood did not seem that old. “How is that possible?”

“Magic, of course. At least, the wood is magic. All the inner parts are not and they’re all rusted over, or completely disintegrated with time. Nothing salvageable at all and no way to even begin to figure out how to get it running.”

~	
Copper shook his head and collided with the ship. “Gah!” He scrambled up onto the railing and panted for breath. That could have been bad. The ship had changed course when he wasn't paying attention. He looked back to see the dogs far behind. The Flyer had to be folded back manually, which required gently pressing it against the ship. But once that was done, he took off running. He went in the first door he found and immediately headed down. 

Down and down and further down. He shoved open a door and ran straight into a railing. The pain from hitting the railing  was manageable, he had hardly slowed down to open the door. But as he looked down into the massive room, he saw something more painful than any of his cuts or bruises. He saw dozens of his ships. His ships. Ships he had designed. Every bolt, every nail, every gear and cog, every hoof of cloth. All his fault. He sagged against the railing of the catwalk, staring at the ships. There were hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. He slipped off the rail onto the floor. “What have I done... This is not what I wanted...” He took deep breaths and then heard a crash from the way he had came. “Right.” He stood and ran. “No time to feel sorry for myself right now... I've got a town to save.”

He leaped over the edge and landed on the cloth wing of one of the ships, which buckled and snapped under his weight. It took a moment to untangle himself from the debris, but then he ran to the next airship. It was empty. He looked around a moment, his mind racing. “Right, trap door underneath, lever to the side, which probably opens the trap door. The ship is suspended by ropes over the trap door and the rope can probably be lowered to allow retrieval of the ship...” He pushed the lever and the sudden snap of the trap door opening and the rush of air underneath almost made him lose his footing. Almost. He hopped aboard the ship and glanced around. “Right. Basic three man control scheme... One steering, one shifting gears and speed, one lookout or gunner.” He took a deep breath.

Above he heard someone scream. “He's taking an airship! Pilots! To your ships!”

That wasn't good, but he'd come this far already. Couldn't stop now. He stood on his hind hooves and there it was, the locking mechanism to the rope. “Here goes everything.” He hooked a leg around the joystick and punched the release. Weightlessness hit him and he floated up gently. He quickly kicked the lever to open the wings and hit the floor hard. “Owch.” He looked at the controls of speed and put it in full blast, before moving to the joystick. His eyes went wide as he realized he was pointed at the ground. “Why do these damn things always point down!” he screamed as he pulled back hard, only brushing a few trees. The pilot of God probably didn’t want to risk taking it too high this early. “I mean honestly. The joystick just starts pointing down on its own...” he muttered.

He couldn’t see Ponyville from this distance, so God wouldn’t be able to either; that was good. He was also going far faster than God, which was even better. It was easy to pilot one of these by yourself if you just needed to get from one place to another. But precision flying such as combat maneuvers and weather dodging would require at least one other pony. He looked back behind him and the dozen or so black dots in the distance made him wish he had anypony with him now. He held the lever in place with his back hoof as he reached and fiddled with controls. 

“C'mon...more speed...gotta get more... Oops.” There was a thunk and something fell. He looked over the side of the ship in time to see a rather large explosion on the ground. “Uh. Oops.” But that gave him an idea. He pulled that lever again, ignoring the explosions below. Eventually, they stopped and he moved back to the joystick. He was moving a lot faster now. Yet when he looked to the side, through the blurring speed of the wings he saw there was another ship, three Diamond Dogs on it, glaring at him. He immediately pulled back on the joystick and shot upwards. They followed.

It took a few close shaves before he realized that they were trying to ram him. Idiots, that would kill them all. But he was sure they didn't know that. They were just following orders for gems. Then he saw Sweet Apple Acres, or at least the groves of apple trees that made up most of it. Some of the other ships had collided with each other trying to get him and had gone up in a rather large explosion. All those bombs going off at once was quite the sight. Copper wondered if they looked a little bit like fireworks... Then he got clipped. His airship began tumbling, spinning and turning. And time seemed to slow down as he saw it. The tall structure of the clock tower suddenly loomed ahead of him. Instinct told him to jump. So he did.

He tumbled and spiraled through the air. The Flyer was useless now and he didn't dare try to extend it. 

At 1, the face of the clock tower shattered.

~
Copper forced his eyes open, he hurt and he could see a lot of blood on the floor. He slowly sat up, trying to ignore the burning feeling of glass. His eyes turned to the right, the Flyer was mangled. But he wasn't looking at it. He was looking past it. At the cog, which shined. Words echoed through his head. “Don't use it. It's dangerous.”

“No choice,” he said and limped slowly towards it. What was driving him now was the need to stop the ship. He had to stop it, at any cost. The cog was cold and the light inside went out immediately when Copper pulled it from the clock. He pulled a cog from the Flyer and pushed The Gem Cog into its place. The glow returned and the Flyer outstretched, snapping back together, cloth becoming whole again. He looked up at one of the non shattered faces, it was stopped at half past 1. “No time left.” He shot out of the hole, pounding his wings to gain speed. There was a distant speck above the horizon and that's what he was aiming at. Then the million bit question popped into his head. How do I stop it?

~	
Glass shattered as Copper came in through the window. There was a large griffon, behind a wheel. And behind him, Lady Evale. “Ah, Copper... I was wondering when-” she stopped, staring at him. “You didn't...”

“Oh yeah,” Copper said, a smirk on his face. “And I have to say, it works flawlessly.”

“Give it to me!” she screamed and lunged at him. But she was inexperienced at any kind of fighting, and Copper wasn't afraid to hit a lady. It only took one blow to put her down, but Copper gave her a second kick after that that sent her skidding across the floor. 

“Run,” Copper said to the griffon, who hesitated for a split second before fleeing. He moved over to the controls. It was just like God. In almost every way. Perfect.

~	
“So what exactly brought God down?” Copper said, staring at the controls. Something didn't seem right about them. 

“Pilot error I'm afraid. You see, even back when it was still in operation, they weren't aware of how it worked. I'm sure they assumed magic, but there's not an ounce of magic in the engines, just the wood holding it together.” Horsh said, moving beside him, looking at the controls. “You see how everything is now?”

“Yeah...” Copper said, he had been staring at it for five minutes. “I can see why it stopped working...”

“Overworked the engines, trying to gain height too fast...” He gestured to a panel of levers and switches. “See how all the engines are on full power? The system couldn't take that.” Horsh sighed, shaking his head. “If only I could have been alive to see it fly. I imagine that it was a sight to behold... A floating city...”

Copper was still frowning slightly. “How could something this big land? I don't see anything that would help it and I didn't see anything outside.”

“It didn't land.” Copper looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “It was completely independent. It sent down smaller ships to sell, trade and for general transport as far as we can gather. That's why it has so many engines. If one fails, the others can easily pick up the slack while it was being repaired.” His claws moved over the controls, which were all stuck in place with age. “A pilot is the master of the ship. A captain may give him orders... But the pilot can always decide to sink the ship.”

~	
Copper pulled back on the wheel and pushed every slider to full max. “What...are you doing...” Lady Evale was trying to get up, but struggling to. She had never been struck before.

“Sinking the ship,” he said calmly, as explosions started to rock the ship. 

“You... How dare you.” She finally managed to get to her feet. “It's taken decades to bring this as far as it came...and only weeks with your help...we will be able to do it again...” 

Copper turned and looked at her. “Do you really think that?”

There was hesitation. “Yes...with Celestia's backing and-”

“You think so highly of her, do you?” Copper said, smirking. “When she's nothing but a powerful Alicorn. That's all.” He moved away from the controls, as there was another explosion and the ship tilted slightly. “There are powers stronger then her. So she raises the sun... Before her, unicorns did that. It's nothing special. You are a fool.” He paused a moment. “I was a fool. A fool for thinking she actually acted in everypony’s best interest.” Staring ahead, he could see Ponyville. 

“You...ignorant little pest...” She coughed heavily, falling over again. “You...are nothing...compared to her.”

“Perhaps not.” He was staring at Ponyville. The feeling was growing inside him again. Something was wrong. “I took an oath, not to serve Celestia. But to serve Equestria. And she is bad for it. So I have to do my best to change that.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “The job never ends...” Then it dawned on him. “We're going to hit Ponyville.” He ran back to the controls.

“Just noticed that, did you?” She had leaned herself up against the wall, looking out ahead. “I honestly don't see what you like about it. It's just like any nowhere town...”

“Wrong. It's where I belong.” It was something that he had been feeling, but it sounded silly now that he said it aloud.

She laughed, which Copper expected. “Belong? You really are a fool,” she said, with her annoying giggle that Copper had come to hate. “How could you belong there? You're a killer, Copper. You've killed ponies, griffons, diamond dogs and only Celestia knows what else.”

“That doesn't mean-” Copper began, but she cut him off.

“Ponies like you don't get happy endings, Copper. They die.” Her look was one of triumph, in her opinion, she had won and there was nothing he could say to change it.

Copper stared blankly at Ponyville. It was so far away, yet so close. He couldn't veer off course now, there wasn't enough power left in the engines. Then her words finally sunk in and a mad grin spread across his face. “You're right.” He pushed the steering wheel forward, until it snapped off. The entire ship began tilting forward. “We do die. But I think I'll die a hero. A martyr. Down with Celestia,” he said and laughed. No, not laughed. He cackled. 

Lady Evale backed away from him; this was more terrifying than anything she had ever seen. “You...you plan to...”

“Crash the ship,” he said, laughing. “Oh yes. Run it right into the ground.” The room was tilting more now and soon it would be pointing straight down, if the ground was not there. “Down with Celestia and her tyranny!” he cackled again, using the control stand to keep himself up.

“You've gone completely insane!” Lady Evale said, before she fled out the shattered window.

There was a few moments of silence and then sobs. “Yes. I have,” he said, tears running down his face. “Mad. Completely and utterly mad for thinking I could just stop.” He reached back and pulled The Gem Cog out of the Flyer and looked at it as he felt the Flyer crumble. The thought of escape ran through his mind, but what would be the point? Honestly, what chance did he stand against Celestia? “I may be done with my job, but the job isn't done with me... Never done. There's always another job to do...” He slumped over the console, pressing his head against the cog. The ground was getting close. “There's always another job...” He looked up, staring ahead at the ground. “Always another job...” Realization dawned and his face turned into a cracked grin. “Well...” He felt an odd tingling in his hoof, before stomping it down as hard as he could. The Gem Cog shattered as he bellowed, “I quit!”

~	
The fall of the ship, later to be called The False God, was seen by many ponies. Everypony in Ponyville and several hundred more who had gone there escaping Canterlot. The first thing they saw were explosions in the sky and then some said something hit the clock tower. Then they saw the ship, slowly coming towards them. A few saw something suddenly fly from the tower at great speed, towards the ship. They all saw as the ship suddenly began rising into the air at enormous speed, explosions rang out and fires erupted all over the ship. Then it seemed to stop and begin a slow, gentle glide towards Ponyville. Panic filled everypony in the entire town and ponies began running. But as it all looked at its worse, the ship suddenly seemed to fall forward and slam into the ground, which rocked all of Ponyville, before the whole thing went up in a series of explosions.

It took weeks to explore the wreckage. There were no survivors found. Mostly diamond dogs and a few griffons, one of which was female. No bodies of ponies were found.

~	
“Are you sure we need him? I mean honestly... Look at him, he's done. Fairly dead.”

“I'm not going to simply let him stay here and burn. Not after all he's done for us. Now come on, use your power and at least try. We may need him. He may even get up...eventually. He's strong like that...”

“All right. But my magic isn't designed for this sort of stuff...”
> 9: Technically
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The first thing one sees when waking up usually is a good guess as to how well the day is going to go. Two large green eyes, with long slits staring at you, is not a situation that fills you with hope for the day. “Ah.” They pulled away, revealing a black shape, with a sort of wet mane, but mane was the wrong word. Something about her just looked off. The long, crooked horn on her head seemed very wrong. “Doctor.” She looked away, addressing someone off to the side. “Seems he's alive.” She did not sound too happy about this.

“Oh good.” Someone was beside him, but he couldn't seem to move. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he physically couldn't. “Don't worry Copper. Everything's alright now.”

Copper opened his mouth, but his mouth felt like he had been chewing chalk. Instead of words, he coughed and ended up curling in on himself. “Hmph.” The green eyed one moved around the bed Copper was laying in. She had long, insect wings with several holes. In fact she looked a lot like a pony shaped insect. Then he noticed her long fangs. “I'm still surprised it worked.”

“Where am I?” Copper managed to say. His throat hurt, his tongue hurt, his teeth hurt. In fact, now that he thought about it, everything hurt. A lot.

“Safe,” said the pony behind Copper and he tried to turn over to look at him, but he couldn't.

“Sort of,” said the green eyed one, staring disapprovingly at him. “Are you sure we need him? He really doesn't look that much.”

“Please, your majesty. He has done more than anypony yet.” It felt to Copper he had been challenged. He ignored the pain and sat up slowly. “Copper, it's all right. Don't move.”

“I'll move if I want,” Copper said and cleared his throat. His mouth tasted like burnt wood. That wasn't pleasant.

“Would you like a glass of water?” said the pony. It was, in fact, a pony. 

Copper recognized him instantly. “You're Doctor Whooves,” he said slowly, glaring at him.

“Ah.” Doctor Whooves seemed a bit caught off guard. “Yes, I am.”

He looked at the one he had called majesty. “And you're...Queen Chrysalis... I've seen pictures of you in Canterlot.” He coughed again and shook his head. “And yes...a glass of water sounds good...”

Queen Chrysalis was practically glaring at him. “It annoys me that they do such art of me.” She sat down and Copper looked at the holes in her hooves.

“Yes...they make you look far more monstrous,” Copper said before looking at Doctor Whooves. “But I suppose they want ponies to fear you.” 

“Yes well, they aren't very good,” she said, though she didn't sound very upset over it. 

“So we're in the badlands?” Copper guessed, staring at Doctor Whooves, watching him closely. He needed to be sure he wasn't a changeling, but he had no way of knowing how to tell.

There was a slight hesitation as he approached with a glass of water. “Yes... Froud Valley to be precise.” 

“In the center of my kingdom,” Chrysalis said, though she didn't sound happy about it. “And the only reason you're here is because I owed the Doctor a very big favor.”

“Well I hardly-” he turned to look at her and felt a slight crack. He froze, staring at her. “I...” He paused, trying to think. “I was dead.”

“Yes,” she said as she smiled. That was a ruthless smile, one of slight delight, but mostly of menace.

“Technically, yes. You were technically dead,” Doctor Whooves said, holding out the glass to him.

Copper took the glass with slight hesitation, though he did not look at it. He was still staring at Chrysalis. “Am I still dead?” he said as his gaze turned to the glass. He didn't feel dead. 

“Not...technically,” he said, glancing at Chrysalis. “Technically you're dead. And technically you're not.”

“Does...that make me some sort of zombie?” he said before taking a drink. He practically spat it out, coughing. It was disgusting, like even more burnt wood; all charcoal and ash. “That's awful,” he managed through coughs. Now he was sure he was in the badlands.

“No. Not a zombie. Just...technically not dead, yet dead,” Doctor Whooves said, patting him on the back.

“How can I be technically dead?” he said, taking deep breaths. The taste of burnt wood was still there, but it was hard to taste anything as his tongue had gone numb.

“Well, that's where it gets complicated. You're technically dead because you're not technically all the way alive. Not a zombie though, because you're not undead. You're still partially dead.”

He forced himself to drink more water. Badlands water may be the worst thing he had ever tasted, but it wasn't unhealthy to drink if you could get it down. “So I'm still dead...”

“Technically,” he corrected, with another glance at Chrysalis. “Though not so much as to be able to claim you’re dead...”

“But not enough to claim I'm alive either?” Copper said, putting the empty glass down. That was awful, but he couldn't taste the burnt wood anymore.

“Exactly,” he said smiling at him. “Technically dead, but technically alive. Not a zombie just...”

“Not all there,” Chrysalis said, she had been watching Doctor Whooves try to explain with an exasperated expression. “My magic isn't for this kind of thing and we couldn't get you all the way back.”

“But we got most of you and we're pretty sure that it's the part you need.” Doctor Whooves was smiling at him.

“You mean, the part you need.” He rubbed his face and then looked down at his hoof. The three scars were still there. That was an oddly comforting thought. 

“Ah...uhm...” He hesitated, trying to find words.

“Yes,” Chrysalis said and Copper looked at her. “The part that we need. It was a good job you did taking down the False God and it put their plans back a very, very long way, which is good for us.”

Things that Lady Evale said floated through his head. “So...” he said and then shifted a bit. His bones seemed to creak and crack. “How long have I been dead?”

“What? Why do you ask?” Doctor Whooves sounded as though he did not want to answer.

“How long,” Copper said and glared at him. The Doctor looked back and forth from him, to Chrysalis.

“Four years,” she said, a slight smile on her face. “Seems he can still do that look I've heard about.”

Copper sat quietly for a moment, staring at Chrysalis. He liked how she gave him straight answers, even if it were in an attempt to get to him. He would have to ask her questions, not Whooves. “Four years? I've been a corpse for four years?”

She nodded, smiling that ruthless smile. “Yup. Four whole years dead. The spell took a lot of prep time, lots of things needed to be done correctly and we couldn't rush anything.”

“And I'm sure you took a lot of convincing to do it... I bet that a lot of time was spent searching for somepony else to do it,” Copper said, before Doctor Whooves could agree with her.

“What?” Her expression turned to a mock form of shock. “I'm hurt you would say such a thing. The Doctor asked me personally to help you and I did.”

Copper paused, looking at her. There was a feeling in him, something that he couldn't seem to put words to. This was not the Queen Chrysalis he had read about- been told about. “...thank you,” he said finally and took a deep breath.

She blinked, her expression melting into confusion. “What?”

He moved out of the bed, slowly. He did his best to not fall over, which he found was not easy after four years as a corpse. “I said...thank you. Not many would have done that... Bring a pony back. Four days, four months, four years...it doesn't matter how long it took. You brought me back and for that, you have my thanks.” He bowed to her, as well as he could. 

Chrysalis backed away from him a bit, looking at Doctor Whooves, who could not help but smile. “I told you he's an interesting pony. I mean, he managed to stop me on several occasions. Flat out ruined my plans.” He sighed a bit, shaking his head.

“I am sorry,” he said as he walked slowly across the floor to the window. Four years. Dead for four years. They had preserved his body for four years. Or had the spell undone the rot of four years? That was something he did not want to think about. He had seen rotting bodies before and he did not want to imagine himself as one. 

“Not your fault, technically,” he said, watching him walk across the room. 

Chrysalis seemed to regain her composure. “You should be sorry. We could've stopped this whole thing and probably saved Manehattan.”

“Chrysalis,” Doctor Whooves said, glaring at her. “This is not the time, or the place to bring that up.”

“It's fine.” Outside the window Copper could see Froud Valley. Also known as the Dead Swamp. He'd been to the badlands before, but never in this deep. The Dead Swamp covered all of the southern half of the Badlands. It went from dry cracking dead land, into swamp. There had been no reason to go to the swamp, he had just gone in a little ways, but not out of choice. “It is my fault. My designs. My ideas.” He took a deep breath.

“Copper...” Doctor Whooves was walking slowly towards him. “We have to know...where is The Gem Cog?”

“Don't you know?” Copper said, looking back at him. The complete look of loss on Doctor Whooves face made Copper smile. “I smashed it.”

There was silence for a half a moment, before Chrysalis laughed. “Smashed it? Perfect!”

“No, that's bad!” He spun on her, glaring at her. “We may not have wanted them to possess The Gem Cog, but we needed it ourselves. We could have defended ourselves with it. A machine powered by it can't be effected by magic... Blast it...”

Chrysalis smiled at Whooves. “I thought you said it couldn't be destroyed. Nothing was powerful enough, no physical thing could even scratch it. But he simply smashed it.”

“Well...” Doctor Whooves glanced at Copper and then back at Chrysalis. “There are technically ways to do it. But none of them are easy and I don't know how he could have just...smashed it...”

They both looked at Copper and he shrugged. It was interesting to watch them argue for some reason. “I don't know. It shattered like it was made of glass...” He held up his hoof, staring at it. He felt so amused as he remembered the tingling feeling. “It was so easy. I just slammed my hoof down and it shattered.” He paused. “Like glass...”

“Maybe the machine weakened it...” Doctor Whooves said, staring at Copper's hoof as well. “It had been in that clock tower for thousands of years and that was making it impossible for anyone to find it... Maybe even it couldn't take that kind of stress...”

“It was working perfectly,” Copper said, taking a deep breath, even the air here was odd and unpleasant. “Up till I smashed it.”

Chrysalis could not seem to stop smiling at him. “Why did you smash it?” Doctor Whooves asked, staring at Copper. “Why would you do something like that?”

“It wasn't necessary.” He put his hooves on the frame and placed his head on top of them. “I lost it. I simply lost it.”

“That's not a good enough reason.”

Copper spun on him, staring him down. “Not good enough? No. Probably not.” He stalked forward, his gaze not leaving Doctor Whooves. “Not good. Not good at all, no. I did it, because it was needed. It needed to be destroyed. Don't use it, the old griffon had said, don't use it. I understood why. I understand why.” Doctor Whooves had to back away now, or risk Copper walking into him and then probably over him. “Unnatural. Unnecessary. What's the point of something that makes a device never stop? Where's the pleasure in finding things to improve with every repair?” He swung his hoof up, pointing it at the Doctor, who was against the wall now. “You have no right to say it was not to be destroyed. It had to be destroyed as soon as possible. Something like that...something like that...” His hoof wavered slightly in the air and he placed it firmly on the ground. “Something like that.” He took a deep, slow breath and turned from him, walking back to the window. He could feel himself cracking again and tried to hold the pieces together. “Something like that impedes progress, Doctor. Something like that dulls the senses. It is a dependent. It is...wrong.” 

There was silence for several seconds, before Chrysalis laughed. “I like him,” she said as she walked towards the door. “Definitely worth the effort of bringing back.” Her grin would have sent shivers down somepony’s spine who had not been expecting it.

Doctor Whooves cleared his throat, moving to the door as well. “Well, Copper... I'm sorry you feel that way about it, but it would have helped us quite a bit. Now, I need to see how you could have possibly destroyed it.” 

Chrysalis stopped and smiled slightly. “Oh? Leaving me now, Doctor? Leaving him in my care?”

There was a brief hesitation, before he nodded. “Yes. I have to. I trust that won’t be a problem...and that there won’t be any problems.”

She adopted that mock hurt look once again. “Problems? Oh no of course not, Doctor... Of course not.” There was a certain venom in her voice.

Copper noticed the bit of hesitation, as he watched Whooves try to weigh the consequences of staying verses going. “I will return as soon as I can.” Apparently it was worth going. Copper wondered how he was going to find out, but he must have some way to do it if he was even suggesting it.

“Oh I am sure you will,” Chrysalis said as she backed away from the door, more towards Copper. He had her interest now. Copper was unsure if that was a good thing or not.

Doctor Whooves looked at them both and then nodded. “I will be back.” Then he was out the door and gone. Copper wondered whether or not he would actually come back. He felt...broken. Again. He had gotten rid of that feeling, but now it was back and worse. It wasn't just his wing now, his very life was broken. While the pain in his body subsided, he could feel more of himself and he was truly broken. 

“Why do you look so sad?” came Chrysalis' voice from beside him and slightly upwards. She was quite a bit taller than him. Like Celestia...

He shivered and looked up at her. “Why do you think? I've been dead for four years. Word’s probably gotten around the world now. Everypony has probably already forgotten about me.”

“Oh I doubt that,” she said as she took a seat beside him, staring out at the swamplands. He looked up at her, arching a brow. “Celestia had a memorial put up to you in Canterlot and Ponyville. And a lot of other places have done so as well... Savior of all.” She swayed her hoof in a dramatic sweeping gesture. “Who brought down The False God single hoofedly. It was a good speech I hear. Gave you all the credit for everything.”

Copper ground his hoof into the ground, glaring out the window. “Despite everything...she could do that with a somber face, too... Just sit there and pretend to weep for me, despite practically killing me with her own hooves.”

“Yeah...” She nodded slightly and then looked down at him. “But she didn't.” She smirked. “You killed yourself. Just to be rid of her. Not many would go to such an extreme.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I suppose that not many would... It seemed the best way out. The best way to not have to listen to her lies ever again...the things I did for her...”

“Toppled empires. Slaughtered kings. Hacked butchers. Hunted down those that fled...” Copper looked up at her as she spoke, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Your record is impressive, I'll give you that.” She smiled at him and there was something about it that seemed genuine. “Now, if you can just work your magic one last time, we can win this.”

“Why are you helping?” It had been a question that had been bugging him since he was aware of who she was.

“Why?” She glared out the window. “Because I hate her.” Copper sat expectantly, looking up at her, waiting for her to continue. She sighed softly. “I don't expect you to understand...but then again, you probably will. We had an agreement. My changelings were allowed in Equestria, as long as they caused minimal harm. We posed as ponies from places far away, or those that had passed away, or even ponies that didn't exist. A good changeling can use pieces of ponies they've seen to shape themselves. They fed on the love of their friends and I fed on their love of me...”

She lapsed into silence and he felt the need to prompt her. “So what happened?”

Her fangs actually seemed to grow and she slammed her hoof on the ground. “She banished us all. No reason. No warning. She just started sending hit squads. Killing changelings that had done nothing but live. Murdering them. Slaughtering them.” She took a few deep, slow breaths. “And then...she sends the bodies back...” She grit her teeth and went quiet for a moment. She sighed, shaking her head. “So I amassed my army. I came up with a plan to take over Equestria. She wouldn't be able to stop me. Nor would her Elements of Harmony...but of course she knew what I was going to do. She goaded me into it. She forced my hoof, in order to completely banish all my kind from Equestria.”

“With Princess Cadencia and Shining Armor...” he said slowly, nodding. “I...thought it was odd that even though you feed on love... They beat you with love.”

“It's preposterous,” she said, slamming her hoof down again. “But it was not love for us. That's why it beat us. And it forced us completely out of Equestria...” 

Copper decided to let the silence fill the room and looked out the window again. Could he really take her word on what was happening? Could he take what Lady Evale said was true as well? Was Celestia really the one behind it all? He hated that it made sense. Copper had never seen her bad side, because he was so far on her good side. He did everything that was asked of him and more. Above and beyond any request. Got any job done. He got every job done. No failures, even if it wasn't the best outcome. But a feeling told him that he didn't have all the facts. “So you invaded Equestria...”

“I had to,” she snapped, glaring down at him. “My kind are dying. Dying, Copper, because of the lack of love. We starve without it. And I'm the only changeling that can feed off the love of other changelings, that's why I'm the queen.” 

Copper did not flinch under her gaze, despite the feeling it sent running down his spine. “You brought me back from the dead.”

She stared at him and then blinked. “Yes. We have been over that. And it was only because the Doctor asked me. And...I owed him a favor...”

“What kind of favor?” Copper couldn't help but be curious about her. There was something about her that held his interest.

There was slight hesitation and he was partially surprised over that. “The kind where you don't say no. No matter what.”

He nodded, staring up at her. He saw the slight flash of discomfort in her gaze, before she looked away. “I understand what it's like to owe that much to somepony.”

She spun around to face him, opened her mouth, but stopped when she saw his face. “I...have the feeling you do.” She slumped slightly, against the window and stared outside.

Then a thought struck him and he nodded slightly. “Right then.” He stood up and she looked at him. “I owe you,” he said and took a deep breath. “I owe you a lot. A lot more than my thanks. So, as long as I can still do anything, I'm going to try and do whatever I can, for you.”

The blank expression on her face gave Copper the feeling that maybe that wasn't the best thing for him to say. Then her expression shifted into amusement. “Oh? Well...I do suppose you owe me what life you have...” She examined him and Copper felt slightly uncomfortable under that gaze. “The first thing that you can do...” She licked her lips. “Is love me.”

He blinked and looked at her a moment before speaking. “Love you?”

“Feed me,” she said with a slight smirk. “There are less and less changelings every day as we slowly starve...and all we need is love.” She turned her body towards him.

“I...” He hesitated, looking around the room. Right now the window seemed a decent option, but she was was in the way. “I don't think I have all that much love to give.” Which was true. He was unsure if he had truly loved anyone. Maybe his parents, but he couldn't remember much about them. 

“Any love will do,” she said, moving slowly, very slowly, towards him. “Any at all...”

Again he hesitated, but he held his ground. She did not frighten him, but she did worry him a bit. “I...suppose I could try...”

Was she drooling slightly? Yes, she was. She also didn't seem to notice it, as she continued her approach. “Yes...please do.”

Love. How do you love somepony? What exactly were you supposed to do to love? Love had not been something that he had ever thought about. He stared at her as she got closer and closer. She looked desperate to him, but that was because she needed love to live. She was only a few hooves away from him. He could feel her breath coming out in slow streams. What was love? Some kind of emotion for some other pony, having feelings for them. Chrysalis was oddly attractive, he admitted to himself. He had never payed attention, but now he was forcing himself to. So were a lot of the ponies he'd met. He needed to care about her. Care about her, like when he saw that the ship was going to crash. All he could think of were the ponies he had met and how he cared for them. Oh how he cared. He loved them. He loved them all. And now he needed to love Chrysalis. “This...is difficult,” he said slowly.

She sat down in front of him and sighed slightly. “I know, it's hard to love something like me...but I can be anypony...anypony you want.”

He hesitated and then shook his head. “No... I have a feeling that wouldn't work...” He needed to care about Chrysalis. Did he care about her? If she were in trouble, would he rush to her, to help her? Yes, but that would be because he owed her. He needed to try his thought process from a different angle, what about if he didn't owe her? She was nice to him, she didn't like the Doctor, or at least didn't act like it and he liked that. He wasn't fond of the Doctor either. Would he save her, if given the chance? Even at the cost of his own life. … Yes.

She inhaled and smiled as her eyes closed. “Ah...there it is...the little faint twinge of love...”

Copper felt his face redden and she grinned at him. “Well...it's a start at least,” he managed to say, clearing his throat. His heart was racing now and he looked over towards the window. It looked as though it weren't an option now. That was good.

She leaned in and pressed her cheek against his. “It has been too long since I have felt love from a pony...not since I left Equestria.” She sighed softly.

She felt cold and Copper had to resist the urge to lean against her. This was such an odd feeling, actually letting one’s emotions have some sort of sway on you. And this particular emotion was trying to pour out. He had never let himself love, but now that he let a bit through, the dam was ready to burst. “I...” He backed away from her quickly, taking deep breaths. “I do believe that's enough...”

Her head tilted to the side slightly and she leaned towards him. “Oh come now...I can feel all that repressed love...you've held back so long...let yourself go for once.” The look she gave him was almost desperate. 

How much could he trust her? That look of need made his heart beat harder. Nopony had ever given him that look. He took several deep breaths, trying to slow his heart. “That won’t be a good idea...” That look would be the end of him.

“Please.” She moved slowly towards him. “All I want is your love...”

Chrysalis suddenly went rigid and sat up straight. “All right...” Doctor Whooves said as he came into the room and relief washed over Copper.

“Took you long enough...” Copper mumbled, still breathing quite heavily. But Chrysalis seemed completely back to normal. At least, as normal as she had been in his presence earlier anyways, with that look of contempt and distaste. 

“So I think I found out why you were able to break it...” He moved towards the two of them and looked at Copper and at Chrysalis. “What's been going on?”

“On?” Chrysalis said, arching an eyebrow at him. “What would make you think anything had been going on? Copper and I had merely been talking things over.”

Copper cleared his throat, straightening up a bit. “She was explaining why she had invaded Canterlot.” He took deep, slow breaths, his heart calming down. Sitting down also helped a lot. “Honestly I can see her reasoning behind it.” She gave him an odd look, but he was refusing internally to allow himself to look at her. “If it meant the survival of a species, that had not been harming anyone previously, I...well, I see why she did what she did.”

Doctor Whooves looked from one, then to the other, then back. “Yes...anyways. After some work, I found out why you could destroy it.”

“How did you find out?” Copper said, looking at him. He was curious, if only to avoid thinking of Chrysalis.

“It's...complicated. Maybe I'll explain it someday, but right now it's not important.” He ignored Copper’s questioning and perturbed look. “Anyways...there's a few different things that could have lead to it. Some of them are...well, unlikely.”

Copper moved towards the Doctor, which thankfully got him away from Chrysalis. “All right, so what kind of things?”

Chrysalis sniffed slightly, staring at Doctor Whooves. “Get on with it. Some of us have things to be doing.”

Again he looked from Copper to Chrysalis and back. “Right... So, stress could have been one of the things. After I explained the machine to him, he agreed that it might have been the cause and though the first conclusion, isn't the most likely.”

“Who?” Copper's eyes narrowed on him. He didn't like how the Doctor seemed to know so much about everything.

He hesitated a bit and looked at Copper before he answered, “Gears.”

There was silence as Copper stared at him, his eyes narrowing. “And...who is that?” Chrysalis said and Copper could tell she was feeling as though she was missing something quite important.

“He's the leading expert on The Gem Cog. He was there when it was first used, and the first one it affected.” He braced himself for the assault of questions.

But they did not come. Instead, it was just one. “So you have a way of speaking with ponies that are dead?”

Whooves gave him a look and nodded slowly before speaking. “Yes...” Copper nodded and gestured a hoof for him to continue. “Yes, well he said that that wasn't the best option. He...he said that it was most likely...you were the only pony who could destroy it.”

Copper arched an eyebrow at him. “Me? So no other pony could have done it even if they tried?”

“No. No other pony, griffon, or anything else. He said it was because...” He hesitated and then shook his head. Copper had the odd feeling he was trying to explain it all in such a way as to not give all the answers, but not lie in the process. “I think some explaining is needed first. When Gears touched the cog, it... He claims a bit of it forced itself into his head. It gave him clarity and understanding. He became what is apparently known as the Pony of the Gears. The book with the same title, is, in fact, his personal journal.”

“His journal...” Copper said slowly, his mind racing over the pages that he had looked over. It had been unlike any other sort of mechanical book he had read. “That would make sense...”

“Yes...well...according to him...the only one who could properly use the gear to it's full effect...and if needed, destroy it...would be a Pony of the Gears.”

There was silence, where Chrysalis' expression changed into one of amusement. “So than Copper is a Pony of the Gears.”

Doctor Whooves nodded. “Yes. There's no other explanation.”

“Well...all right,” Copper said after a pause. “But...what does that mean? So I'm a...Pony of the Gears. But what does that even mean?”

“I...don't know. Gears didn't know. He just knew that that was what he was. And that only a Pony of the Gears could destroy the cog. But...that's not all.” He sighed softly, looking at Chrysalis. “Not all hope is lost. Gears explained that once The Gem Cog was destroyed, The power within it would...shift.”

Chrysalis moved a bit closer to Copper, looking at him with interest. “Oh really? So he will find where this power shifted to?”

“It...sounds that way...” Copper said, glancing at Chrysalis. 

“Yes. You will. He wasn't sure exactly how it would work...but he theorized it is possible to wear down The Gem Cog, so it would need to be replaced,” the Doctor said, also glancing at Chrysalis. He wasn't sure how he felt about her interest in Copper. “I will need to find out more information. It will take some time.” There was a bit of a hesitation in his voice. 

Copper’s immediate thoughts were begging him not to leave. He wasn't sure if he could keep the dam held back. “How much time?”

“A few days,” he said slowly, watching as Copper's expression seemed to twitch. “In that time, you'll have to stay out of anywhere you've been. We can't have anyone recognizing you and getting that information back to Celestia.”

“Right... I'm still supposed to be dead.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Dead...” He shook his head, shaking out the thoughts.

“Technically. Technically dead. But technically alive. Remember that.” He moved slightly towards the door. “Remember that you are technically alive. And you can die.” That sounded a bit like a warning, but also a bit like a threat. 

“Good to know,” Chrysalis said, a smirk on her face. “Now...run along little Doctor.” She waved a hoof slightly at him. “I'm sure you have many, many ponies to see and speak with...”

Copper could feel her moving closer to him, without physically moving. “Right...” Doctor Whooves said, looking at him and then to her. “I will check in when I have more information...but in the mean time I suggest you rest.” He pointed a hoof at Copper. “And you.” His hoof moved to point at Chrysalis. Leave him alone and let him rest.”

“Me?” Chrysalis adorned her hurt expression, placing a hoof over her chest. “I'm hurt, Doctor. He is in bad shape and needs his rest.” She smiled, a ruthless smile. “And he'll get plenty of it, I assure you.”

He looked at Copper. “Will you be all right, Copper?”

There was a slight hesitation. He wanted to say no. Oh how he wanted to say no. Say 'no' and 'please take me with you. Don't leave me alone with her.' But he didn't. Instead, he said, “Yes. I...I think that I will be.”

“All right...” he said slowly and turned away. “If you're sure.”

Then he was gone again. He felt Chrysalis behind him before she draped herself over him. “Now...he's not here anymore...” Her legs wrapped around him slowly. “No more interruptions...no more distractions...” Her voice was so soft, warm, comforting. And she wasn't as cold now. It was probably the bit of love that she had fed off of him.

“Your majesty-”

“Please...” She pressed her cheek against the side of his head. “Chrysalis...please call me Chrysalis...” He could hear the smirk in her voice.

He swallowed and took a deep breath. She was so light. “Chrysalis...what...what exactly do you think you're doing?”

“Doing?” She said, nuzzling him. “I'm not doing anything... Well...” She rubbed her hoof over his chest. “Nothing bad...nothing...unwanted.”

It was so hard to not lean against her. To allow her to envelope him. To let the dam break and flood himself with it all. “What...makes you think...that I want this?”

“You are not complaining...” she said softly, her voice was driving him mad. “You would have complained, or asked me to stop...” Which was true, he had not protested at all. “All you need do, is ask and I will stop... I will stop and not ask again...all you need do is ask...”

He opened his mouth to protest. Just one word. All he needed was a word. Stop. No. Anything. But he couldn't. Not now. His eyes closed and he leaned against her. The dam was cracking and love was pouring from it. “I...can't say no...” he said, he could hear more than his own heartbeat now. He could hear hers. It was beating harder than even his.

“Then...” She held him tighter. “You...are mine...”

The dam burst. 
> 10: Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	To say that Chrysalis was a rough lover would not be the proper term. A more accurate description would be passionate. Very much so. Though as Copper awoke the next morning to see Chrysalis, he didn't feel a single ounce of regret. He yawned and moved slowly off the bed. Though he felt quite worn out, it was...enjoyably so. A stretch, a deep breath and a long walk was all he needed now. The stretch and breath were easy. He left the room quietly for the walk. He would admit that he probably shouldn't have slept with her, but she had asked him to; practically begged him to.

He sighed and admired the architecture. It was actually quite impressive, though in bad condition. The walls were made of stone and covered with crumbling tapestries and banners. The floor had a carpet going down the center. It was hard to tell what color it had been originally, but now it was simply a grimy sort of gray. It almost made him feel sad. He headed downwards, as he knew he had been quite high. There was nopony around at all that he saw, but he felt hallways empty ahead of him. Things were keeping away from him.

That was unfortunate. He would like company now, but he guessed that the changelings wanted nothing to do with him. Or maybe they wanted everything to do with him, but were afraid, or ordered to not. He wasn't sure. But either way, it was annoying. He wanted to speak with somepony, anypony, even if it was just a changeling. Just as he was thinking this, he turned a corner and almost ran into a griffon. “Good morning, Mr. Feather,” she said, looking at him. She was all shades of gray, with some parts darkening all the way to black and other parts lightening all the way to white. The spots around her eyes were white, while most of the feathers on her head were a dark gray, which lightened as it went further down, ending in a white where her feathers ended and her fur began. Her fur was in fact a shade of gray that darkened to black in her wings and where most griffons wore yellow on their beaks and front talons, hers were colored black.

“Uhm.” He hesitated, looking at her. Could changelings take the form of griffons? “Good morning...”

“My name is Ellis. I am the castle steward.” Her voice was soft and light, it reminded Copper oddly of clouds. “Is there anything that I can help you with?”

He hesitated again and then nodded. “Actually, yes... I was looking for a good place to stretch my legs.”

“We have an excellent garden,” Ellis said as she walked down a side passage. “This way.”

Copper hesitated before he followed after her. He wondered if it would be rude to ask her questions, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” That seemed a safe approach.

She shook her head slowly. “No.” The way she moved was odd, she seemed to almost drift down passageways, swaying from side to side as she did. 

“No you don't mind? Or no you do?” Copper wanted to be sure that he did not offend her, as now he was uncertain if he could make it back to the room. He felt a slight pang in his chest as he realized that he left Chrysalis up there alone.

A smile formed on her face and like the rest of her, it seemed soft. “I do not mind. I do not get to speak with others often.”

He nodded slowly, thinking of ways to phrase questions. “All right...well...why are you here at this castle? Are you a changeling?” Not as gentle as he would have liked to ask, but he wanted to know.

She shook her head slowly again. “No, I am not a changeling. The Doctor asked me a long time ago to come here. It is better than where I am from and I like it here very much.”

“I see...” He didn't in fact, but he did not want to offend her. This place must have it's good points somewhere and he supposed to some it was a great place. It wasn’t to his liking though. It was dark and dreary. “Why are things avoiding me?”

“Are they?” she asked, drifting slowly around a corner and looking back at him as she did. “I suppose because you belong to her majesty.”

He thought for a moment on this and then nodded slightly. “So I'm sort of...off limits?” She nodded. “Interesting...how long have you been here?”

She paused mid step and seemed to gather a thoughtful expression. “I'm not sure. I do not pay attention to time...here we are.” She pushed open a door.

He stepped out slowly onto the gravel path and stared around. It was interesting. It was also very large. He could see quite a number of statues overgrown with vines, some of which were slightly intact. And bushes that must have been topiary animals at one point, but had not been cared for for a long time. There was what was left of a gazebo and what he was fairly certain a start of a bridge over the pond. He guessed the rest of the bridge was somewhere in its murky depths. Overall, it was fitting. Beautiful would not be how Copper described the garden. But it wasn't ugly either. “Do you come out here often?” He turned around; the door was left open, but Ellis was gone.

He blinked, staring at the open door. “Every day.” He spun around to see Ellis quite a ways into the garden, looking into what could only be described as a pond, because it supposedly had water under the green muck at the surface. She moved abnormally quietly, despite the gravel.

“I see,” he said, walking slowly over the overgrown lawn. It paid to take it slow, as he avoided stepping on a number of things that would have been quite unpleasant, such as twigs, glass, bones and odd little insects. They were something like crickets and cockroaches mixed together. Copper couldn’t remember what they were called. The rest were things he wasn’t sure of and didn’t want to know. “Do the changelings bother you at all?”

She looked at him. “Should they?”

He blinked again and shook his head. “No. Just curious. Some ponies would find them uncomfortable to be around... But I can't speak from experience as they all avoid me.”

Her nod was slow; everything about her seemed slow and deliberate. “I think that you frighten them.”

“I thought you said it was because I...belonged to Chrysalis?” He was unsure what to think now. And he wasn't sure how he felt about belonging to anypony.

“That is part of it...” She teased the surface of the pond with a claw, watching as it caused the entire surface to shift slightly. “But many of them have seen you in action...know of what you've done...and what you're capable of. Some of them are quite intelligent. They do not want to bother you.”

He thought a moment, remembering other times when ponies had avoided him because they knew who he was. He sighed. “Yeah...that makes sense...” His gaze traveled the length of the pond and noted the bubbles in certain places. “Are you afraid of me?”

She adorned her thoughtful expression for a moment and then shook her head. “No. You do not frighten me.”

“Good,” he said, smiling a bit. 

“You do worry me though.” He looked at her, tilting his head to the side. “The Doctor has high hopes for you. He believes that you can stop Celestia. Her majesty has taken a special interest in you, partially because the Doctor wants to use you, but mostly because you are so willing to love.” Her gaze turned from the pond, to him. “That worries me. Why would you allow such things?”

“Because I always have.” He looked out over the garden and took a deep breath. The air was stagnant and he partially regretted breathing it in. “I'm used to being used, for one thing or another. The first real choice I had made in my life for myself...was to end it.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Not really. I mean perhaps it was not the best decision, but I was done with listening to others. For me, it was always about others... I spent my life doing things for other ponies. I enjoyed a lot of it... Especially near the end. Having friends was great...truly it was.”

“You chose to make friends,” Ellis said. Her gaze would probably make some ponies uncomfortable, but Copper was used to those kinds of look.

“I...suppose I did... I guess I made quite a few of little decisions near the end for myself...” He nodded slightly. 

There were a few moments of silence, before Ellis spoke again. “What was it like?”

“Hm?” He looked over at her and blinked. “To die?” She nodded slowly. “It...well, to be honest I don't remember...it feels like...like I forgot. It was like I fell asleep and then woke up in that bed...”

She looked at him, a blank expression on her face. “Like falling asleep?”

“Yeah... I...feel like there might have been pain, but it's more like...the memory of pain, rather than actually having it...like I remember feeling a lot of pain, without actually having had it...then there was...” His face wrinkled up in thought.

Ellis waited a bit of time, before she felt the need to prompt. “There was what?”

He waved a hoof vaguely, shaking his head. “Something. I don't know... It's like a dream you can't remember, but you remember having... But it was...nice.”

Her head tilted to the side slightly. “Nice?”

“Yes.” He looked at her, her gaze was searching. “I'm afraid I can't say anymore about it... It may have been four years for everyone else...but for me it was like...blinking. I know a lot of time passed, but... I can't remember any of it.”

She sighed, looking back at the pond. “That is disappointing... I was wondering what would be next...what comes after death.”

He opened his mouth to say sorry, but figured he had no reason to. Instead, he said, “Well I don't think I want to do it again.”

Her gaze moved slowly to him once again and he could feel it hit him. If looks could kill, he'd be a smudge on grass about now. “Are you frightening Copper, dear Ellis?” Copper looked to see Chrysalis walking through the doorway.

Ellis did not look at her, still glaring at Copper. Who managed a slight smile. “No. She does not frighten me.” Her expression melted slightly, she could not keep the glare up. “I merely spoke wrongly, it seems. My apologies.” He bowed his head to her slightly. He wasn't sure what he had said wrong, but it apparently upset her. 

She seemed at a loss for a moment and then recovered. She turned away and walked back to the door. “Good afternoon your majesty. Copper. I will return to my tasks now.”

“Yes... You do that,” Chrysalis said and looked at Copper once she had gone. “I've never seen her feathers so ruffled. What did you say to her?”

“We were talking of death.” Copper said defensively, trying to not look at Chrysalis, but instead at the spot Ellis turned the corner, expecting her to come back around at any moment.

“Ah... That is a touchy subject with Ellis...” she said as she moved beside him and sat down. Things went crunch and squish as she walked.

“Noted,” he said with a sigh.

She looked at him and then out at the garden. “What is your opinion of my garden?”

“It looks-” he paused mid sentence and rethought what he was about to say. But he decided that he should probably be truthful. “Awful.” Though that didn't seem to cover it. “Horrid. On the verge of disgusting.”

Laughter was what met him, when he had expected some sort of comment. “Oh yes. Quite all that indeed. And more.” She took a deep breath of the air and let it out slowly. “It is what's become of the land. When I was younger this place was beautiful.”

His brow arched slightly. “This place? I suppose it's possible...but it looks like...” He paused, as he remembered who he was speaking to. “Like it's been untouched for a long time.”

“I'm afraid that when Celestia banished my changelings, soon after Luna, for some sort of reference of time, the land began to sour. Of course, I blame her.”

“Of course,” Copper said, nodding slightly. “I can see that it would be logical to assume that when they occur so close together.”

“It was the same day,” she said and kicked something into the pond. It went bloop.

“The same day?” He turned, looking up at her. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her expression. She looked miserable.

“Yes...she did not even give us time to leave. I merely got a letter from her, then reports of her slaughtering changelings...then of my kingdom beginning to rot. All in a day...”

It was still hard to picture the Celestia he knew doing such a thing. She had always been so understanding of everything. So calm. So patient. “I don't understand how she could do such a thing...”

She looked down at him and smiled slightly. “You believe me, yet still have internal conflict... I admit that it was out of character for her. We had been at peace before...” Her gaze moved back to the pond. “Everything had been going so well...then Luna had her little fit and became Nightmare Moon.”

Copper nodded slowly and sighed. “I know. I had dealings with her when she was Nightmare Moon... Celestia wanted me to check on her mental state, before she made her return to Equestria.”

“I can imagine that that went poorly,” she said, smirking down at him. But his expression made her change her mind and her face lost its humor. “More poorly than I can imagine, I guess?”

“Very...she nearly killed me.” He closed his eyes and shuddered. It had been quite brutal. “Because she was sealed, she had nothing but raw power to lash at me. She would hardly speak with me. She would not listen to me. All she had up there was hate and sorrow. More sorrow than hate. I felt her regret. It was suffocating.”

She put her leg around him and pulled him close to her. She was warm, very warm. “I'm sorry. I'm sure that it was not something you like to remember.”

“No...” He couldn't keep himself from leaning against her. “But it doesn't matter anymore...she has changed. I...” His mind suddenly changed gears and he blinked. “I wonder whose side she's on...”

“Her sister’s, of course,” Chrysalis said, waving a hoof flippantly. “Honestly I have no doubt.”

“I do.” She looked down at him. “Well, Luna went mad with power...but now she's a lot better, or so I've seen... What if Celestia went the same way? What if there had been a fight between the two of them for control and Luna had simply lost, because she was younger and weaker. What if Celestia had gone mad as well, but in a more controlled way. Some ponies are just good actors.”

Chrysalis looked down at him, her expression quite blank. “You'd have to discuss that with the Doctor...”

He sighed, closing his eyes. “I don't like him. The only reason he wanted to help me, is because I can help him.”

She shook her head. “No, that's not how he works.” Copper looked up at her. “He helps ponies, because that's what he does. If it helps him out as well, that just means he'll try even harder. And if it'll help even more ponies, to help one...he'll do everything he can. And even some things he can't.” She smiled down at him. “He's like you in that sense. Always another job to do and no excuse for failure.”

“I guess...but that doesn't mean I have to like him...” he said, folding his hoofs in front of him.

She laughed, smiling down at him. “Oh yes I suppose you don't.”

Silence fell, but it was the comfortable kind. The kind when nothing needs to be said, so nopony says anything. Then there was a faint idea trying to work its way into Copper’s head. It was fuzzy and felt odd. Like it was an idea coming from a long way off. “Luna...” he said after he managed to get some kind of mental grasp on it.

“Hm?” She looked down at him. “What about her?”

“I...” He hesitated. What about her indeed... He didn't like this foreign idea that was working its way into his head. “I need to talk with her.” He managed to get from the thought.

She raised an eyebrow, staring down at him. “Are you nuts? She's a direct link to Celestia. And that's the last pony we want to know you're alive.”

“Yeah...but...” He closed his eyes, trying to focus. “I have to..." He pressed a hoof to his forehead. "She could help us a lot. Enough that it would be worth the risk of talking with her and revealing myself to Celestia.”

There was a short silence as she worked this out. “You're absolutely sure? The Doctor won’t like this kind of plan...”

“Who cares what he thinks?” He moved away from her and turned to look up at her. “This is the best shot I've got.” He wasn’t sure what it was his best shot at, but it was.

“And...you can just...call her up, can you?” She had an amused expression on her face. It seemed that doing things the Doctor didn't like gave her quite a bit of satisfaction.

“Well...,aybe in a dream.” He sat down, thinking heavily now. “She'd find me eventually...better now, as soon as possible. It'll be better if I seek her out, rather than let her come across me...” He wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure at this point.

“So you think you can just call her up?” Chrysalis said again, standing up and stretching. 

He sighed and shrugged. “Worth a shot...”

She nodded and smiled. “Right then, come on.” She moved towards the door, with a purposeful stride. “Gotta get you to sleep then.”

“All right...but how exactly? I mean, it's the middle of the day and I don't think I can dream if you put me to sleep magically...”

The look on her face told Copper that he probably shouldn't have said that. “Oh my dear Copper... I have my ways...”

~
When his eyes opened and he saw the brass colored gear, he had to admit that she was right. She could wear a pony out like it was nothing in a few hours. Sure he'd be a bit sore when he woke up, but for now, it had worked. Or at least, it sort of worked. “So this is my mind...” Nothing moved and it seemed so much darker. Not a star was in the sky, nor a moon. Gears and cogs were cracked and springs were snapped. The whole scene made him feel sad. “Luna!” he called, looking around and walking to the other side of the gear. What exactly did she do during the day? Sleep most likely. Did she dream when that happened? “Luna, please!” He stopped and cleared his throat. That sounded a tad too desperate. “Damn it...” He sat down, sighing. “I'm just pathetic...”

“Copper?” He did not turn around immediately, but he could feel Luna land behind him. He turned around and she recoiled visibly. “Wh-what...”

“Sorry...” was all he could manage to say, nothing else seemed to fit.

“Copper...what...why are you here? You're...” She seemed more at a loss for words than him.

“Dead,” he said, nodding. “Technically,” he added. When she made no comment, he decided to continue. “Technically, I am dead. But...I am also technically alive. Just...not all here.”

She shuddered and nodded. “You...you look wretched...”

“Four years dead can do that to a pony,” he agreed and he realized he had not looked at himself since coming back. That was not something to look forward to. 

She stared at him with what Copper knew was concern. It was a tad heartbreaking to see her in such a state, especially when he was the cause. “But...how?”

“I...I can't tell you, yet...I...” He hesitated, staring at her. “I can't...I can't trust you.”

Her expression went blank and she blinked at him. “Can't trust me? Why?”

“Because,” he said and took a deep breath. Even though he didn't need to breathe here, it made him feel better. “You are Celestia's sister...”

Silence. Deep, harsh, dreadful silence. It felt like hours before Luna finally spoke. “So she did kill you.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “You knew?”

“I-I...I suspected,” she said, looking quite defensive now. “I mean...when Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash showed up demanding to speak with her and then started panicking when you seemed to vanish...I just... I feared the worst. And then the way she...she didn't even seem sad...in public she was...but in private she...”

“I'm sure she wasn't... I'm sure that not many were...nopony probably even remembers me, huh....” He sighed, shaking his head. 

She shook her head. “No. Everypony was miserable.” He blinked at her. “Celestia even set up a monument to you in Canterlot. You did save Equestria by destroying the False God...”

There was a short silence. “A monument? You mean a stupid statue? Damn it she knew I hated those...”

She nodded. “Yes... I thought it odd of her to do such a thing...but who am I to question her...” Her figure seemed to slump slightly, but when Copper moved towards her, she flinched and he stopped.

“Do I truly look that bad?” he said, looking at her. 

“You...you look like the Nightmare...” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “The Nightmare that...” She shuddered.

“That you tried to use to overthrow Celestia...” Copper finished and backed away. The Nightmare had been powerful and in Luna's sorrow, she had given herself to it. But it was too powerful for anypony. 

“And it almost succeeded...it was like watching it from somewhere far away...it was awful...” She stared down at the gear and then for the first time, looked around. She looked scared. “Oh Copper...you...”

“Yes,” he said, sighing and laying down on the gear. “I am broken...they could not bring me all back... I need someone who is powerful.”

Luna stared at him. “Like...Twilight Sparkle.”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. Twilight Sparkle. That's the reason I wanted to talk to you.” Was it? Where was this coming from? Twilight had not been on his mind at all, but could she really bring him back all the way? She was very powerful, so he guessed that she could...but this made sense. It was like part of him was giving him ideas. The part he didn't have.

“You think she can,” she glanced around and shuddered. “Fix you?”

“Yes.” Can she? “She can. And she's probably the only pony besides you, or Celestia that could.” He expected the question that came next.

“Then why can't I do it?” She moved towards him. “Let me help you Copper. I...I want to help.”

He shook his head. “No...you have the power to do it, but I can't go to Equestria...” Wait, why not? What was stopping him? “In this state, Celestia would know I was there...” That made a lot of sense. This whole internal dialogue without any communication to outer dialogue was confusing him. Something told him that he should have known that.

“And...I can't leave Equestria without something quite serious...” She sighed and put a hoof up to her head, rubbing it. “So we would have to figure out a way to get Twilight out of Equestria...”

“Mhm.” He felt it best to simply lay there. “Somewhere where she would be excited to go...” Aquis. “Like Aquis.”

“Aquis? There's some serious conflict of interests within the council there. No one there seems to be willing to negotiate with us. Celestia is becoming impatient.” She glanced around, the shadows here seemed so wrong. 

“Suggest she send Twilight. It will be a good experience with her and I'm sure that she can straighten things out.” He tried to smile, but it just didn't really work. “Give it a day or so... Get a message to Jeta...she'll help.”

“I...” She glanced around again. “Alright. That sounds good...”

“And please...don't tell Celestia I am here.” The pleading in his voice made him sound desperate, but she nodded and vanished. He stared at the spot where she had been. The whole place seemed so empty now.

“Oh how touching...” said a sleek voice from behind him. 

Copper did not move, staring ahead at the spot. He just had to remember, that he was safe and warm. Nothing could hurt him or touch him here unless he let it. “Nightmare...”

“Goodness. I have not seen a mind this cracked in a long time. What have you been up to?” A black swirl of smoke in the vague shape of a horse walked around, sitting in front of him where Luna had been.

“Tad problematic at the moment...seems any old trash can just slip in.” He decided to sit up and stare it down.

Two red eyes, or more accurately, lights, turned to face at him. “How rude. Here I come for a chat and I am treated so poorly? For shame, Copper.”

He sighed and rubbed his face. “My apologies, Nightmare. I have not been having the best of days...”

“Oh yes, I know.” Her voice took on a cheerful, yet still sleek, tone. “Dead four years and you get resurrected...” She waved a smoke hoof vaguely in the air. “That's what attracted me. So...oh so much dark magic...it was just too inviting. I'm surprised the Doctor even tried it. Just imagine...” She gathered a wistful look, or as wistful a look as a horse made of smoke can gather. “If I had just been a day earlier...it would have been the return of Nightmare to the world.”

“Sorry to disappoint...” He hesitated. “Does the Doctor just know everypony?”

“Oh he gets around. Even more than you do, surprisingly.” She seemed to slide towards him without leaving her sitting position. “But enough about him. Let's talk about you...and me?” She grinned at him. It looked like a mass of sharp pointed teeth clenched together.

“There is no you and me.”

“Oh but there can be...” She swirled around him, her face pausing in front of his. “You do not need to be fixed. I can fill the gaps...the cracks...the missing pieces...”

“No thank you.” It was best to not even look at her, so he stared past her.

“Come now...you want power, Copper. I have lots...it will be mutually beneficial. I can help you... I can take down Celestia... I have done it before...” 

The smoke would have choked him, but he stopped breathing. After all, he didn't need to. “You have nothing I want, Nightmare.”

She frowned at him and was suddenly in front of him again in a whipping of smoke. “Fine.” She grinned again at him. “But my offer is still standing. It will always be here for you Copper...like it always has been, my love.”

~
His eyes snapped open and he took a deep breath. It took a moment for him to realize where he was, but the warmth of a body pressed against him was quick to remind him. He sighed and closed his eyes again. Damn Nightmare. She had lost near all her power when Twilight and her friends had used the Elements of Harmony and had banished her back to the world of sleep. No one had accepted her offer, or perhaps he was the only pony she had offered? … No, that would not be her way. That didn't sound like something she would do. She had to make it to as many ponies as she could, that way she could find a way back. But now he was just making excuses.

He knew one thing, he didn't want anything to do with Nightmare. After all, it had been her that had tormented him for months.
> 11: Arguing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Food. That was what was on Copper’s mind as he walked the halls. He had hoped to find something, anything to eat or drink besides the local water. Hours earlier, when his stomach had growled at him, he had made attempts to wake Chrysalis. The only thing that managed to do was leave him with a sore side from where it made contact with the wall. Next time, he would not be gentle about it. But since he had already been out of the room due to this, he decided not to press his luck any further. So he had walked, or to be more accurate limped, down the halls. 

He turned a corner and to his amazement, saw a large group of ponies. They were milling about in the center of a large room, talking, with all sorts of colors, mane styles and cutie marks. Copper stared for several minutes, before one of them spotted him and pointed him out to the rest. Everything went silent. He cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you would know where I could possibly get some food?” There was a muttering between them and Copper sighed. “Pony food? Something that I could actually eat? And maybe something to drink?”

There was silence again for a moment, before one of the ponies leaned towards a female pegasus and said, “Go and fetch Ellis.” She nodded and flew off. 

Copper stood looking at the group, watching them with interest. They returned his gaze, though theirs was of suspicion and caution. He guessed that they all must be changelings who had taken on the form of ponies. After all, changelings all looked almost identical and it was easy for them to take any pony shape they had seen, or could think of apparently. Copper actually recognized a few of them. “I see some of you have been to Griflon...” he said slowly as he sat down. 

“And other places.” It was a female earth pony that spoke. She was a light chestnut brown all over: body, mane and eyes.

He nodded slightly. “Yes, as I can see. I recognize a few of you...or the ponies you look like anyways...” Some of them looked panicked and a couple changed the color, or shape of their manes in a lot of little bursts of green flame. Copper put up his hooves. “Please, it doesn't matter.”

“Yes it does,” said the chestnut brown one. “We are trying to not look like other ponies.”

Copper blinked. “Well good luck with that. There are only so many colors and ponies in all shapes and colors. I have met ponies clear across the world who look exactly the same.” There were a few gasps from behind the pony and the changelings began to talk amongst themselves at this. She was glaring at him. “I have walked down a street and passed multiple ponies of the exact same color.”

The discussion from before began to escalate into an argument at this. “Down...the same street...” she said, staring at him. Her expression had softened slightly, to become more thoughtful.

He nodded. “Oh yes. Usually there are little details that are different, eye shape, mane length, tail details...stripes...and type. Unicorn, pegasus, earth pony. Though those are a bit more of a major detail.” The argument was dying down a bit as they seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion. 

“I...see...” She looked at Copper, as if she could peel away the outer layers and expose him for what he was.

“What's your name?” he said, looking at her. He wasn't sure if changelings even had a name, but he had to ask. It was only polite and a good way to find out.

Though there was a bit of a hesitation and another argument that started up about names behind her, she finally spoke, “Chestnut.”

Copper smiled at her. “Glad to meet you Chestnut. I'm sure you know my name, but I am going to give it to you anyways. My name is Copper Feather.”

She nodded slowly, staring at him. “Yes. We all know who you are.”

“Another thought,” he said, addressing the whole group as he held up his right hoof, showing the scars. “Details like this. Scars. Spots. Stripes even. That sort of thing can really single a pony out and make them unique.”

“Yes well those are a bit more difficult.” She spun around to the group. “Will you knock it off? Try and at least act appropriately near him!”

He arched a brow at them and opened his mouth to speak. “Are you causing problems, Copper?” He looked to the side to see Ellis walking down the hallway. Well, more swaying down the hallway. But he knew it had to be Ellis from the way she spoke in that soft, light tone.

“Not problems, per se... Just, giving a few pointers?” He gave Ellis a smile, which she did not return. He quickly removed it and put in place an impassive look.

“It looks like you're causing problems,” she said as she watched the ponies arguing. A few had gotten a tad physical.

“Yes...well...with this evidence... I can see how you would think that...” He watched as Chestnut took out three ponies who were fighting, each with a single hoof. He made a mental note not to get on her bad side.

“So, you were looking for food?” Ellis said as she turned away. “This way. There is food in the castle, though probably not as extravagant as you're used to.”

He arched a brow at her. “Dear Ellis, I have eaten maggots and worms. And a dozen other things that were foul and I can't even describe. Even the local water is better than some of the things I have eaten.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I see...well then, this will be a feast. We get food shipments every few months...so we only get things that are meant to last.”

“Mhm.” He took a deep breath, the air was starting to grow on him and he didn't even cough anymore. “Well, at the very least, it'll be the best thing I've eaten in four years, besides dirt.” That comment caused him to pause. “Was I buried?”

“No. You were taken to special chambers once you arrived and partially frozen to keep you from rotting.” 

“Uh...good...” That had kind of worried him a bit. He had hoped that he hadn't and it was a slight comfort. Though being frozen was not. “So they froze my corpse...”

She nodded. “Yes. I am surprised Queen Chrysalis had not explained to you what happened. I would have thought she would love the look on your face.” She looked back at him and Copper immediately tried to look impassive.

“Yes...well...it was probably enough for the look that I had when I found I'd been dead for four years.” He sighed, shaking his head. “But...how exactly was it done?”

“That, I do not know. You would have to speak to Queen Chrysalis for it. I know some sort of dark Magic was used, but more than that I do not know.” She turned down a hallway that lead to a staircase going down.

“Dark...magic...” he said slowly, staring at her from the top of the stairs before following her. “That is some serious food for thought... Doctor Whooves must have been desperate if he resorted to Dark Magic.”

“Extremely,” she said, looking back at him. “And time will tell if it was worth it.”

His brow wrinkled slightly. “That's a tad harsh, Ellis... I was...kind of hoping that we could be friends.” She gave him a look that was far more harsh than her words. He sighed and shrugged. “All right...not friends then... It's just hard to not have friends anymore.”

“I can only imagine.” It was at this point Copper realized something. She was a lot like how he used to be. Purposefully distant. Calculating. Knew how to get a job done and didn’t want any friends. She was a bit ruder than him though; he at least acted friendly.

“So what exactly do you do around here?” It seemed like a harmless question.

But the way she faltered slightly and nearly took the last few steps in a tumble made him realize that it probably wasn't. She looked back at him and he put up his hooves. “I do a lot of things.”

“All right.” He guessed that would be the best answer he got out of her, at this point anyways. Then he looked around at the huge room they had just stepped into. The first word that hit him, was kitchen. The second was ginormous. Thoughts raced through his head. “Why...would changelings need a kitchen...” he mused, staring around.

“I don't know. Queen Chrysalis never told me. And I never asked.” Ellis set off down a row of ancient ovens. 

“How...” he hesitated and then sighed. “You're really not a questions type of griffon, hm?”

She looked at him, frowning slightly. “No. I'm not.” Her demeanor seemed to sour the more time Copper spent with her and talked with her. 

So he decided that he wouldn't speak with her unless she prompted him. He had dealt with ponies like this before. 

Odd... There should have been a flashback there, shouldn't there? He stopped, staring into nothingness. When had he dealt with ponies like her before? He couldn't remember. The fact was, he had not had a little flashback episode since he woke up. Nothing. Not even a flicker. He had gotten used to them in his down time. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember Aquis, or Jeta until he had mentioned them to Luna. His mind was in more pieces then he had even guessed. “Are you coming?” 

He looked up to see Ellis a ways away, glaring at him. “Ah. Sorry...” He trotted up. “I...” He hesitated. “I wasn't lost in thought. And that caused me to think.”

She stared blankly at him. “You weren't lost in thought...” she repeated, staring at him.

“No. It's...” He looked at her and remembered the type of griffon she was, then waved a hoof. “Not important. You wouldn't care.”

There was hesitation. Was she interested? “All right...” she said finally. 

He decided to see if he could push his luck a bit. “It's probably just something to do with the spell and me not all being back... Anyways. Where's the food?”

She stared blankly at him. “Not all back?”

Gotcha, that was easier than he thought it would have been. “Yup. The spell only brought part of me back. But Doctor Whooves said it was enough...” He sighed, shaking his head. “I know it's not. And I'm going to have some strict words with him tomorrow.”

“So you're not all alive?” Her interest obviously annoyed her, but she couldn't help it. It looked to Copper that she was fighting on whether to stare him down to make him shut up, or ask another question.

“Technically, as the Doctor put it...” Crud, now he was calling him the Doctor like other ponies did. How long had he been doing that? “He said technically I'm alive. But I'm technically still dead, because not all of me is here.”

The look she was giving him now was a bit uncomfortable. He looked around quickly for something else to look at and caught his reflection. “So you are some sort of undead?”

But her words were lost on him, as he moved towards the reflective surface, which was an oven that had been shined, recently. “Is...is that really me...” He looked, in a word, dead. His eyes were not copper, but completely black, the pupils red. His hair was matted and torn. Burned in many places and he could see his skin underneath in several places. The bone of his missing wing was showing again. Most of his feathers where burned away and bone was showing in that wing as well. He looked battered, beaten, bruised, burned, slashed, smashed and broken.

She looked at the reflection and then at him. “Yes.”

“I...” He tried to think of the word for it and then slumped to the ground. “I look absolutely awful... I mean, I never looked too good before, but now... I look like a chewtoy in a Diamond Dog nursery...”

“So you didn't always look like this?” She moved towards him, though was keeping a respectful distance.

He looked at her, trying not to glare at her. “Of course not.” He looked back at the reflection. “Now I see why Luna thought I looked like Nightmare. If I look this bad outside... I can't imagine how I look in my own head...” He took a deep breath and then slowly stood up. “All right... Food. Food will make me feel better.”

And in all honesty, it did. He didn't look good; so what? That would make things a bit difficult, but who cared? He was full now and the food was actually pretty good. Ellis had left him to it and he spent the entire day down in the kitchen exploring. It was ridiculously large; it would take an entire town just to staff it and it could probably feed an entire empire. After exploring for a bit, he went and found the exact center. And that's where he spent most of his day. It seemed completely unused. There, he curled up and let the misery take him.

~
The next day found Copper sitting beside the pond in the garden. He had not been able to find his room and so had slept in some hallway. But the garden had been easy to find for some reason; it was probably because it was outside and a lot of doors lead out to it. Copper was enjoying an oddly comforting breeze blowing through the garden when he heard somepony call to him from one of the doors. “Copper!” Doctor Whooves did not sound happy.

He looked back at him, giving him a blank expression. “What?”

“Don't 'what' me,” he said, practically stomping the whole distance to him. “What in Tartarus were you thinking?”

“The buck are you talking about?” Copper didn't really feel like he deserved to be yelled at right now.

“You...” Doctor Whooves seemed to collect himself a bit, though he continued to glare at Copper. “I told you to rest and not be recognized. And here I found out that you contacted Luna. Luna of all ponies! She is a direct link to Celestia!”

“She's my friend," Copper said bluntly, finally returning Doctor Whooves' glare. “And I trust her.”

“Oh? Is that so? Well then, what makes you think she hasn't already told Celestia?”

“Because I would have known.” The air seemed to heat up under the force of their glares. “I know Celestia-”

“You know nothing! What do you think she would do? Run down here to check if it's true? She's not stupid Copper.” 

He turned fully to face him. “No. She's not stupid. But she's cocky. She would have tried to contact me. She would have sent me a letter, trying to tell me everything's okay and I should come back.”

“Why in Tartarus did you need to speak with her?” 

“Because I needed to make sure. Make sure that she was still on my side. And it was worth letting Celestia know to find that out.”

“No it was not!” He stomped his hoof down and something made an unpleasant crunch. Doctor Whooves ignored it.

Copper stood up now. “It was for me! You have no right and no say in what I do, who I talk to, or where I go.” It was hard not to strike him.

“I have no right? You and your little plan could cost us everything!”

“It's cost us nothing. It's not my fault you couldn't handle things. That you had to bring me back from the dead with some sort of Dark Magic that's not even brought me all the way back and turned me into some undead monstrosity. What nerve you have. I chose to die. You had no right to bring me back!”

There was several seconds of silence, as Doctor Whooves stared at him. “Copper, I-”

“No. Buck you. I didn't ask to be brought back. I didn't want to be brought back. Back into a world where everyone puts everything on me. Where I can't get the rest I want, or the rest I deserve. I chose to let myself die, because I was sick of it. Sick of ponies like you!” He shoved Whooves hard, mostly to get him away from him. “Sick of ponies who can't just do things for themselves! Who need ponies like me to do the things they should do for themselves!” He took a few deep breaths. “But no. You brought me back. So we're going to do it my way, my way do you hear me? My way. Not yours. We're following my plan. Not yours.” He grit his teeth as a thought struck him. “Do you even have a plan?”

The Doctor was picking himself up after the shove with slow purpose. “No. I do not have a plan. But any that I was trying to come up with, you've already ruined...”

“Good!” Copper said and pushed passed him, moving back to the path. 

He glared at Copper. “You just have to have it your way, don't you.”

“My way works,” he snapped, looking back at him. “And obviously things didn't go your way. Otherwise I'd still be dead. Four years you had to try things and you just kept me as a backup plan. And don't even try to say it took that long for the spell. I know there is no magic that takes that long to take effect. Four damned years.”

“You have no idea what it's been like-”

“Oh? Don't I? I've seen tyrants, I've seen murderers, I've seen ponies being used and abused for no other reason but for the fact that they were there. No, you have no idea what it's been like. Not you. How many days have you spent among ponies? Tried to ease their worry? Tried to tell them that everything is okay, that things would turn out right. That you could bloody well fix things.”

“Every day,” Doctor Whooves said, glaring at him. Daring him to say anything otherwise. “I have spent every day trying to make things better. Trying to find ways to beat her. Yes, you were a backup plan. One that I had hoped to not use.” He took a deep breath. “So what's the first step in your plan?” The tone of his voice made the hairs on Copper’s neck raise up.

He grit his teeth to not scream at him again. “First step is already done. Now I just need to get to Aquis before Twilight.”

“What makes you think she'll be there?” Again with that tone, Copper had to grind his hooves into the gravel to keep from striking him again.

“Because I asked Luna to.”

His eyes narrowed at Copper. “What makes you think she's on our side?”

“Not our side,” Copper snapped and stood up a bit straighter. “My side. Not ours. Not yours. I am not on your side.”

“And what if you're wrong?”

“If I'm wrong, then things go back to how they had been for the last four years. Me dead and you failing.”

Copper saw him snap. He took a few steps towards him, before Chrysalis stepped in front of him. “Enough. Do you realize how hard it is to sleep with you two screaming?” She yawned, covering her mouth with her hoof, which wasn't very effective. She looked over at Copper. “Why'd you not come to bed last night?” she said in that sultry voice of hers.

But Copper was in no mood for it. “I did not want to.”

She frowned a bit, but the Doctor beat her to a response. “And why would you be so interested in his bed habits Chrysalis?”

Her gaze moved to him and she smirked. “Oh Doctor, surely you are not that naive.”

There was a few seconds of silence as he glared at Copper. “You have been...” He hesitated. “Feeding her?”

“Yes.” The look on his face made it all the more pleasurable to admit. 

“I... How could you be so foolish?” He stepped slightly to the side to get Chrysalis out from between them. “She is...she is just using you.”

Copper looked at him and then at her. “I know.” He looked back at Doctor Whooves. Chrysalis actually seemed surprised. “I am not an idiot. I know that the feeling isn't mutual, nor is it probably healthy. But...it is still nice to love somepony.” There was silence before he continued. “Besides. I am used to being used.” He stood up and turned away. “Now if you'll excuse me... I need to get to Aquis.”

“You can't be serious,” Whooves said, staring at him.

“Serious? Of course I am. I doubt somepony like you could understand it Whooves...but somepony like me takes what they can. Especially when they're the kind of pony I am.”

~
Havel Beach is quite a beautiful place. There are a few towns scattered along it and it hardly rains there. It stretches from the Havel River down to the Corter River and lots of ponies like to spend long days there. But what surprised Copper as he walked along the Havel River towards the beach was the seaponies. A lot had happened in four years apparently.

The river had dozens of them, talking with ponies on the land. There were even some sort of floating shops that moved a bit up and down river, run by seaponies. Copper wondered whether or not this had been his doing. But that wasn't important right now. The world looked a bit darker than he would have liked through his goggles. He had had to tint them to hide his eyes. Ponies would be frightened of them. He had been heartbroken to find that the cloak Rarity had made him had burned up, but they had somehow gotten his old cloak. It didn't feel as nice or as warm, but it hid him. 

Nopony paid him any attention, which was how he liked it. It annoyed him how good it felt to be walking the street like this. Back doing a job. If only he had been able to go alone. “So this is Havel?” He looked over at Chestnut, who was staring at everything wide eyed. 

He sighed a bit and nodded. “Yes. This is Havel. Of course, it wasn't this big last time I was here... It was just- Ah. There it is.” There was a building, almost right on the edge of the river just before the beach. 

“Seas Ponies?” She read the sign hanging over the door aloud. 

“Mhm. It's been here for a very long time. It was a bar and looks like it still is.” He looked around to make sure they were not being followed. But he was sure they weren't. That was almost a disappointment. He couldn't wait till ponies knew he was alive again. He couldn't wait to be all the way alive again.

“It sure looks old...” she said as she followed him up the stairs and onto the deck. Copper had explained that the buildings by the river and the beach had to by raised, in order to avoid flooding problems.

“It is.” He pushed open the door and peered around the gloomy interior. It was almost exactly like he had remembered it. The only difference was the pony behind the bar. He walked towards the bar, ignoring the ponies that watched him. He waited till the barpony looked up at him. 

“Afternoon, can I get you something?” he said, with an almost annoying cheerfulness. He was a brown color, with golden colored eyes and mane. 

Copper guessed his cutie mark was drink related, but he couldn’t tell from this side of the counter. “Yes...where's Coaster?”

The young pony blinked and he was indeed young. “Whacha want with the old pony?”

He smiled a bit at him. “I'm an old friend. Really old. I needed to ask him something.”

“I don't think I know you.” The voice was deep and came from at least a foot above Copper. He turned slowly to see the large, very large and fairly old, pony. He had golden eyes and mane, but the rest of his body was a grayed black. 

“Oh really?” Copper said with a slight grin. “Well then, how's all that money you're making off of my scuba helmet?”

The large pony stared at him for several seconds and then blinked. “Well blow me down! I thought you were dead!” 

They both laughed slightly. “Yes well...can't really talk about it yet and it'd be best if ponies still thought that I was. For now.”

“Aha. On one of those jobs, eh? Well...damn pony. What can I do for you?” He turned to the younger pony. “Chives, go and see how your mother is.”

Chives nodded and practically ran out of the room. “Your colt?”

Coaster nodded and laughed. “Damn right. By Celestia it has been a long time, hasn't it Copper? He ain't old enough to drink yet, but the colt's got more talent in him in his left hoof than I've got in my whole body.”

“Well, many fish could also make that claim,” Copper said with a smirk. 

There was a silence and then they both laughed. “Celestia it has been such a long time since anyone's had the nerve to make jokes at my expense. C'mon, let me buy you a drink.”

“Sorry Coaster, you know how it is. Work and all.”  He hesitated. “But I'll be sure to come and have a drink with you when I get the chance.”

Coaster nodded slowly. “All about the business...” He looked at Chestnut, as if seeing her for the first time. “And who is your lovely friend here?” He smirked and nudged Copper. “Finally get yerself a girl?”

Copper shook his head. “This is Chestnut, my current associate. Not out of choice,” he added, with a look at Coaster.

“Ah, babysitter, eh?” He laughed again and moved over behind the bar. “Well then, what can I do for you?”

“I need two sets of scuba gear. And if you know where she is, I need to speak with Jeta.” Copper moved to the side of the bar, glancing back around the room. Nopony was paying any attention. Again the feeling of disappointment.

“Oh? Well, you're in luck then. She's actually in town right now meeting some diplomat from Canterlot tomorrow.” Copper went rigid, his mind racing. He had not realized that they would send someone to meet her this far from Aquis. “Not good news I take it?” Coaster said frowning, guessing from his expression.

“Just...unexpected... Do you know where she is?” This could actually be a good thing.

“Oh she's over in the Under Pony. It's a seapony bar a ways up the river. You probably passed it on your way here.” He started to pour a drink. “You probably won’t have trouble getting in. They're starting to let other ponies in their places now. But things are pretty unstable right now...”

He nodded slowly, Chestnut was staring at the drink he had poured. “Yes... Thank you. Will I need anything to get under there?”

“Nah.” He pushed the drink to Chestnut. “On the house,” he said with a wink, before turning to Copper. “They've got an air bubble under there, with one of the stones we use with the scuba stuff. A big one. Just gotta hold your breath for a bit till you get in.” He chuckled softly.

Chestnut sniffed at the drink, nudging it gently. “What is this?”

“It's a trotch. On the rocks,” he said laughing. “Not much of a drinker?”

She shook her head slowly and then drank the whole thing in one go. Both Copper and Coaster exchanged glances. “Hm. Not bad,” she said, smacking her lips. 

Coaster opened his mouth to speak, but Copper cut him off. “Well I hate to ditch you so soon, but we'll catch up next time I'm by and have more time. Come on, Chestnut.” He pulled her gently towards the exit.

“But I want another trotch,” she said, looking longingly at the bottles on the shelf. 

“We can get you something at the Under Pony. Thanks again Coaster.” 

He laughed. “Anytime Co-” he stopped and cleared his throat. “Anytime. Come and see me again if you get the chance.”

That was a nice save, Copper had to admit. “I thought you couldn't eat or drink anything?”

“We can,” Chestnut said, there was only the tiniest hint of stumble in her steps. “We just don't gain sustenance from it.”

“But apparently you can get drunk,” he said as he looked up the street and began walking.

“I've never had alcohol before,” she said happily.

“I can tell from the way you downed that trotch. You're supposed to sip trotch. Not down it one go... Otherwise you can't enjoy it.” Copper was searching for something, but he wasn't sure what it would look like.

“Oh but I enjoyed that quite a lot.” She smiled at him. 

He sighed and shook his head. “If you're going to start drinking, you need to appreciate it. Especially a good trotch whisky.”

“If it means I get more, I'm all for it,” she said through a bit of giggling.

He sighed softly and then spotted the sign. “Ah. There it is.” Over the side of the river was a sign that said Under Pony, with an arrow pointing down into the river. He wasn't surprised he missed it, he hadn't been looking for it. “Now, c'mon. I'll buy you a drink.”

It was a quick swim down into the depths and then they were suddenly through a bubble. There at the bottom of the river, was a bar. It was much dimer than Seas Ponies, but that was mostly because it was lit by glowing coral. There was a few hooves deep of water filling the place and a lot of seaponies. Some of them looked at Copper and Chestnut as she made her way in behind him. “So...drink?” she said hopefully, looking around. 

He looked around and there, in a corner table, floated Jeta. She floated, staring at a drink which had probably been sitting there a while. He made his way slowly over to her, trying not to splash too much. A few hooves away from her, he couldn't help but smile. She hadn't changed at all, but that was to be expected of a species that ages so slowly. “Mind if we join you, Jeta?”

Jeta sighed and shook her head. “No...go ahead.” 

Copper moved over and sat down a seat away from her and Chestnut sat even further away. “Anything you would recommend?” he said, looking at the menu that was sitting on the table. “Try not to pick something too expensive Chestnut...” 

“I don't know... First time I've come here.” Jeta said, her gaze hadn’t moved from the glass since they had arrived. 

Copper moved over beside her and picked up her drink, taking a sip of it. “Yuck. How long have you been sitting here Jeta? The ice has all melted into your drink.” 

Her face scrunched in annoyance as she looked up at him. “Hey that's my drink. Who do- … You...” Her eyes widened and she lept at him, wrapping her flippers around him. “Copper!”

He put his arms around her, smiling. He could feel tears splashing onto his shoulder. “Hey now. What's up? Why are you so miserable?”

She pulled back, staring at him. “But wait...you're dead.” She suddenly looked panicked, frantically looking around the bar. A waiter came over to them. “You can see him right!?” She accidentally slapped Copper with her flipper.

The waiter hesitated, looking at Copper, who nodded slightly. “Yes Lady Jeta...” he said and cleared his throat. “What can I get you?”

“Trotch please!” Chestnut said with a grin.

Copper sighed softly and chuckled. “Make that two.” He looked at Jeta. “Actually, three.”

The waiter nodded. “Yes sir, three Trotch's.”

Copper nudged Jeta slightly, smiling at her. “Now come on, why are you so depressed? I haven't seen you this depressed since the day I had to leave Aquis.”

Her cheeks puffed up slightly and she smacked him across the shoulder. “You have a lot of nerve showing up now. Four years I thought you were dead. Do you know how much I cried?” She was crying now. “And then you just...show up out of nowhere, with some...drunk pony and ask me what's wrong?”

“It's a long story Jeta, but I was dead.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “I'm telling the truth.” He pushed up his goggles and back his hood at the same time. “I wouldn't lie to you.”

She gasped and covered her mouth with her flippers. It was a long stare, filled with a lot of tears, before she clung to him again. “Oh Copper... I'm so sorry...”

He smiled a bit as he put his arms around her again. “Hey now. It's all right. Now, surely you can't still be upset over me after four years. At least not this depressed. What's wrong?” He caught Chestnut's look and frowned at her. “Seaponies are very physical,” he said defensively, she put up her hooves.

“It's this whole diplomat thing...” she said with a sigh. “I just... I don't know how to treat a diplomat...you don't count...she and her friends are coming to tour Aquis and try and negotiate a more stable peace between Aquis and Equestria...and I'm supposed to be there for everything and make sure her stay is comfortable...and...and...” She started to sob.

“Oh come now, Twilight isn't that bad,” he said, smiling at her.

“You...you know her?” Her eyes widened, staring at him.

“Yeah. I'm the reason she's coming to Aquis at all.” Smack.

“Damn you Copper!” She sat down in a huff and Copper chuckled. “I have been panicking over this for days. And then the day before she arrives, you pop up and tell me that it's your fault? Gah!” She slumped over the table.

Copper rubbed her back gently. “Hey now. She doesn't know I'm here. And I didn't realize she'd bring her friends...” He glanced at Chestnut, who had, while he was distracted, drank all three trotch's and was swaying slightly. He sighed. “But what I need is for you to arrange a meeting between the two of us. Just the two of us. I need to talk with her.”

She looked up into his eyes and he saw her shudder as she looked away. “Why?”

“I...” He thought on how to word it. “I need her help to fix me.”

“Is that why you look so awful?” She said, looking down at her empty trotch glass and her frown deepened.

“Yes. I'm...broken. And she's the only one that can help me.” 

She looked up at him and took a deep breath. “All right. What can I do to help?”

He thought about it for a little bit and then smiled at her. “Everything.”
> 12: Under Sea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The room was dry considering how far below the water Copper was. Apparently a lot had happened since he had last been here. Who knows how long that had been? He couldn't remember anything about what it was like in fact. There was some vague notion of seaponies he'd met. Places he'd been. But whenever he tried to focus, it would escape him. Like trying to hold water in his hooves. The room was nice and comfortable. He just wished it was his.

He sat, staring blankly at the window, which shimmered. It was amazing that they had come up with bubbles that could withstand the pressure without magic. Of course, magic was still used quite a lot, but for more permanent places, it was cheaper to have one of these installed. They never popped to Copper’s understanding and actually took a lot of effort to break. He had prodded at it quite a bit when he had come inside, as the door had one as well. It was possible to pass through them, which made things even stranger. It felt like pushing through jello.

Right now, he was waiting. He hated waiting. The thing he wanted to do right now was not wait. Waiting was a chance to sleep and he didn't want to sleep. He was so very tired, but it would have to wait. Sleep was something he could not afford right now. It allowed her to get to him. As the nights passed he could feel her getting more and more under his skin. It got to the point where he had not slept in a few days. Not on purpose, like something was keeping him awake and pushing him to get up whenever he laid down. He heard the clop of hooves on the dry cobble behind him as someone crossed through the bubbled doorway. “Oh. Sorry, I thought this was my room...”

“It is, Twilight...” Copper said, not turning away from the window. 

“I...uhm...do I know you?” It was obviously Twilight, it sounded just like her. That voice simply made him feel better.

“Yes, you do. But it's...” He hesitated. “Been a long time.” He decided that was the best thing to say.

There was no sound for a a few seconds, as Twilight thought. “I...uhm...” He heard the slight pop from a magical bubble helmet. Copper knew that sound and had assumed she would have used one of those, rather than a stone.

He turned around and looked at her. “Four years to be-” He froze, staring at her. She was taller. Her horn was a tad longer and pointier. And she had wings. “I have completely lost my train of thought. Why are you an Alicorn?”

Her eyes widened. “Copper? Why are you alive?” 

His brow wrinkled slightly, that didn't sound too happy. “I asked you first,” he retorted.

“I think my question is a tad more pressing!” She had backed away quite a bit and it was all Copper could do to not move. 

No moving at all. But it was time to explain. And so he told her. About Doctor Whooves and his...associates, deciding not mention Chrysalis, or changelings.

She did not like what he had to say about Celestia. “So you're technically dead, but alive at the same time? And you think Princess Celestia is the reason you died?”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Yes, Twilight... I...I may have chosen to take my own life, but it was Celestia's fault for me being in that situation.” He raised a hoof. “And not because she sent me on some stupid job. She didn't do that. She helped in the building of the False God.”

“Which you have no proof of,” she said, staring at him. It was obvious that she was trying to glare at him, but it was hard to glare at someone you were happy to see. She took in a deep breath. “And I don't get why you would want Luna to suggest me to come to Aquis... I mean, I like it here and everypony is so friendly, but why?”

He looked at her and then closed his eyes. “Because I need your help. I...I am broken. On the inside and out. And you're the only one who I trust enough to help...”

“Copper I just... I don't know...you...” She sat down on the floor, staring at him. “I just can't believe that Celestia would do something like that.”

“Whether she did or not doesn't matter, Twilight... I'm not asking you to help her. I'm asking you to help me... I need your help Twilight. Otherwise... I...” His mind raced, he didn't want to say it.

Her gaze did not leave him. “Otherwise what?”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had to tell her. “Because otherwise I'll die. Or worse.”

“You'll die?” she said, her eyes seemed to be searching for something in his face.

“Yes.” He hesitated, his mind traveling once again to Nightmare. “Or worse.”

There was a few moments of silence, as Twilight thought. Copper did not say anything. It was her decision to make. But if she said no, he would kill himself before Nightmare could take over. She was winning. She was beating him. Even while he was awake he could feel what little strength he had to fight her ebbing away. “What do I need to do?” she said finally, much to his relief.

“You just need to...bring the rest of me back,” he said, realizing now how absurd that sounded. “I'm not entirely sure how it worked the first time...as I was...well I was dead. But...” He pulled a small tube from inside his cloak. From it, he pulled a scroll. “I have the spell...but...it's Dark Magic. Very Dark...” 

She moved towards him and the scroll glowed as it moved away from him and towards her, unfurling. “I...don't know if I could cast this...” she muttered, reading over the scroll.

“You don't have to cast it...just...finish it.” Again there was a part of him speaking from very far away. 

“It's not finished?” she said, glancing up at him.

He shrugged. “Obviously not, since all of me isn't back.”

“It might take a few hours for me to work out something...” she said, the scroll moving over to a table that Copper had already covered with blank scrolls, ink bottles, quills and every reference text he could find on Dark Magic.

“Take your time,” he said, taking a deep breath. “You've got lots of time,” he said smiling a bit. She did not answer, obviously completely enveloped now in studying the spell. Questions buzzed in his head. Where was every other pony? He cursed a bit mentally for how his introduction had been ruined by the distraction. But an Alicorn. That was weird. Though questions would have to wait. 

Instead, he sat by the window, staring outside. It was calm. Quiet. It was a good feeling. He could vaguely remember sitting in the library talking to somepony. But he couldn't remember who. He closed his eyes, trying to picture her. It was definitely a her. Yellow and pink were all that came to mind. That's all she was in his memory now. A pink and yellow blur. And there was a pink blur as well and it made him think of something sweet he once ate. It was delicious, but he couldn't remember the taste, or what it was. Just that it was delicious. This was torture. “Hey Twilight! You gotta come see the coral candy they-” In walked the pink blur, which immediately forced its way into Copper's mind.

How could he ever forget her? “Hi Pinkie,” he said, smiling at her.

Time seemed to slow down as he watched her seemingly lift off of the ground and then fly towards him. He was sure something went crunch when she hit him. “OhCelestiait'sCopper!Iamsosuperhappytoseeyou!Butyou'redead!Howareyouhere?” 

Words seemed to smack him in the face as it took him a bit to translate in his head what she had just said. “I...” He cleared his throat and put his arms around her. She was sobbing. “It's ok Pinkie. I'm not dead.” There was a slight pause. “Technically.”

She looked up at him, tears running down her face, but she was smiling. “Technically?”

“Uhm... Yes. Technically I am alive. But I'm also still a bit dead. Twilight is seeing if she can help,” he said with a gesture over at Twilight.

“But how are you aliiiiiiiiive?” She was shaking him slightly.

He couldn't help but laugh, it was good to see Pinkie. It hurt him inside to think he ever forgot her. “Magic,” he said simply, as he had a feeling any longer of an explanation would pass right over her head.

There was a bit of thought behind those eyes, before she smiled again. “Oh. Well, that makes sense.” Suddenly she jumped up. “Ohmygosh!Wehavetotelleveryponythatyou'realive!” She turned and Copper barely managed to hook a hoof.

“No no no.” She looked back at him with a questioning look. “Not yet. I...I don't want anypony to see me like...” He paused and then gestured to himself. “Like this.” Who were the other blurs in his memory? None of them seemed to have names. But he knew them. “I barely wanted Twilight to see me like this...”

Pinkie took a step back and looked him up and down. “You do look pretty bad...” She leaned in close, staring at his eyes. He blinked. “And your eyes are all...” She waved a hoof vaguely. “Inky.”

He smiled a bit and nodded. “Yes. I'm quite aware of that. Though I'm not sure why... Something to do with me still being technically dead probably.” Then he noticed the necklace around her neck. It took him a moment before he remembered what it was. It was a magical amulet that created bubble helmets with the stone when the wearer moved into water and kept them from floating up. The amulet focused the stones to repel water in a circular sort of area around the wearer’s head. He had only seen one like it once before; they were expensive because of the material in the necklace, the magic in it and the stone itself. Maybe that had changed...or Twilight and her friends were just that important. The scuba gear, as he called it, did the same thing as the magic in a way, with a sort of helmet using the stones for air and weights to keep a pony under water. 

She nodded and sat down. “But...you are here, yes?” Her face turned into a large smile. “Which is good. And everypony would be so happy to find out.”

“Pinkie.” He sighed softly, he had really hoped that only Twilight would see him like this. He didn't know how long it would take, but he had assumed he'd be alone for the most part. “I... I'm not myself. I'm only a part. I'm...broken.” He hated using that term, but it was the best way to describe it. “I don't want anypony seeing me like this.”

She frowned at him. “But they would all be happy. We could throw a big party and everything.”

An idea formed in his head. Or, more accurately, came flying at him from a fair distance and hit him in the back of the head. “Tell you what. You put together a party for tomorrow, I'm sure Twilight will have things sorted out by then.” He looked at Twilight, who nodded slowly; her scribbling had slowed quite a bit. “Good.” He smiled at Pinkie. “So you go get the party ready, but don't tell anyone who it's for. Ok?”

Her expression seemed a tad stressed as she tried not to explode. She sighed and nodded. “Alright.” She perked up again. “Secret surprise party tomorrow.”

“Promise?” he said, chuckling softly.

“Cross my heart,” which she did with a bit of exaggeration, “hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She placed her hoof apparently into her eye, smiling.

That was the best he could have gotten. “Good. No pony breaks a Pinkie Promise.”

She gave a serious nod and stood up. “Right. I've gotta get started!”

A thought struck him. “Cupcake...that's what it was...” He remembered instantly the taste. The texture. “Make sure...there are lots of cupcakes,” he said with a smile at her.

She grinned at him. “Of course! What's a party without cupcakes?” She ran from the room and then frantically floundered outside the door for a time before remembering there was water and then swam off to the side.

Copper laughed. How could he have ever forgotten her? Who else had he forgotten, who wasn't even a blur? Something told him it wasn't important right now, because he'd remember soon enough. He turned to Twilight and moved slightly closer to look at what she was doing. “How's it going?” he said after watching her for several minutes.

“Alright...” she said, pausing in her work. “It's not as complicated as I thought it was, which is disturbing.” She took in a deep breath. “It's very Dark Magic and what it does to the person you bring back...” Her head shook from side to side. “It's like...” She paused as she searched for the right words. “Like...smashing a vase...and then taking the big chunks and sticking them back together, but leaving the little parts alone.”

There was a short silence and then he nodded. “That...is an accurate way of describing how I feel...”

She turned to look at him, her eyes seemed to shine. “Copper. I don't know if I can do this... I mean, it's not as hard as I thought...but it's not going to be pleasant.”

He looked at her for a long time, just trying to remember things about her. “I...” His brow wrinkled slightly. “I don't want to make you do this Twilight... I'm not going to. I...it was selfish of me to try and get you to help... I knew it wouldn't be nice, but I just... I feel so...wretched. I...” He could feel his eyes watering. “I couldn't even remember Pinkie until I saw her. I couldn't remember her cupcakes. I can't remember anything about anything. I know things but I can't think...if...” He looked at her, she looked very concerned. “If there is any chance of something bad happening to anypony but me, than I'll just accept death.”

“I...it wouldn't be bad for anyone but you... I just... I don't know if I could put you through it...it could kill you.” She stared at him, again as if trying to find something.

“Good. If it's a matter of success or death, I'm more than willing to try.” He was almost surprised by the conviction in his voice. He had truly meant that. It was either try and have a chance of dying, or not try and die. There was no choice of not trying.

She took in a deep, slow breath. “Alright. If you're sure.” He only nodded, he couldn't trust himself to speak. She looked at her notes again and then turned to him, pointing her horn at him. “This is going to hurt. A lot.”

“Pain is not something I'm unfamiliar with.” However, as her horn glowed, it was without a doubt the most painful thing he had ever experienced. It was as if every hair on his body was being pulled so hard, that his skin was being pulled from his muscles. Worse than being flayed. Then everything went black.

But his eyes were still open. Or at least, he thought they were. The pain was suddenly gone and color rushed back. Well, not so much color as shapes of darkness. He was once again sitting on the gear. Everything looked worse. The trees were crumbling into black sand and there was already a thick layer of it covering everything.

So this was his nightmare. He stood up, feeling determined. Determined to do what, he didn't know. “This...uhm...is worse than I thought.”

He turned and blinked to see Twilight standing a ways away. She was so bright, it almost hurt to look at her. “It wasn't this bad last time I was here...” 

She jumped and looked at him, recoiling immediately. “C-Copper?”

There was a slight hesitation. “This is what I am inside,” he said, looking down at himself. He looked blackened and burned. It wasn't his imagination, he was crumbling into black sand as well. “What's left, anyways...”

“I-it looks l-like we aren't too late...” she said, trying not to look at him. But it was like a train wreck; it was impossible to look away, even when you saw them carting away the bodies.

“Maybe...” He stared up, the sky was dark. Nothing shined. “It feels too late...but I'm still here. So it can't be.” He moved to the end of the gear and out of the sand below rose a path, leading down to the black sand. “Good... I still have power here.” He took a deep breath and let it out. But not much, he added to himself as the edge of the path crumbled.

They set off down the path, which continued to rise out of the sand in front of them. “I don't know really what to do...we need to find the other bits of you, I think...the spell was vague. I wish I had had more time to research...but I'm glad I didn't spend too much time on figuring things out. You might not have lasted...”

“Probably not.” He kept looking around. Where was she? “Not without help,” he said, smiling to himself. 

Twilight walked ahead, the black sand seemed to reform under her hooves into gears once again. There was a shape of something to the right in the distance. A tower made of what looked to be copper. The black sand seemed to have not touched it. “That looks promising,” she said, as she turned towards it.

“Or it's a trap...” he mumbled, but followed her anyways. He felt weak, but she gave him strength. He could feel the immense magic she was putting into him. He did feel more stable. Whatever was going on, it felt like it was working. 

“Why would there be a trap inside your head?” she said, looking back at him and blinking. “You don't look so bad now.”

He looked down at himself and it was true. He was no longer crumbling into dust and some color was returning. “I...guess it's working?” He shook his head, it was too early to be that positive. “But...I'm...not the only thing in here currently...” He couldn't help but look around. Any second now. That was the perfect introduction.

But nothing happened. When he looked back at Twilight, even she seemed to be deflating from expectancy. “That was a tad...anticlimactic?” He only nodded in response. “But...what else is in here?”

There was only a slight hesitation, before he sighed. He had to tell her. “Nightmare.”

She froze, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. “A nightmare?”

“Not a... The. The Nightmare. You...” He hesitated again. “You fought her, sort of...when she had control of Luna...though she was calling herself Nightmare Moon at that time.” She turned slowly to face him entirely, but didn't speak. He guessed he should continue, “She thought it was...funny to call herself that... It probably made Luna feel more like she still had control...but she hardly had any.”

“You mean...” Twilight's brain was obviously moving quite fast now. “That Luna was being controlled by Nightmare?”

“Sort of... Nightmare...well, she feeds off of ponies. She needs a pony to inhabit as it were...and once she gains control, she starts to feed... In exchange you gain immense power...but lose control. Luna was so angry at Celestia that she gave in to Nightmare and tried to overthrow her.”

Her brow wrinkled slightly. “And she's here? In your head?”

“Yes.” Again he looked around. “It's her fault I'm in this bad of shape I'm guessing... I may not have been all that stable at first, but she's been pushing and...and eventually I'll break completely and she'll have control...”

“So that's the 'or worse' you were talking about earlier?” Now he had her doing it, staring around.

“Yes...but...she can't hurt you. She's not in your head, so she can't touch you. And...I'm not letting her out, though that's just making her fight harder.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

“Then we should go before she finds us,” Twilight said and headed off towards the tower at a trot.

“I'm surprised she hasn't already...” His mind was racing now with foreign thoughts again. “Probably too busy tearing this place apart...”

“Why did she come after you?” The tower was getting closer and Copper realized it was a clock tower. That seemed important, but he couldn't think why. He wondered if Twilight had noticed it as well.

“We have history,” he said and then sighed at her questioning look. “Celestia sent me to speak with Luna...when she was still imprisoned. She wanted to know how much a threat she would be.” He closed his eyes and shuddered. “It was months of...torture.”

Twilight's brow wrinkled, looking at him. “Months? Why didn't Celestia bring you back?”

Copper shrugged and looked up at the tower. “To teach me a lesson I guess? I had been...quite rude to her. She told me my job would be to go to the moon and assess her sister’s mental health...” He shuddered again. 

“And Nightmare Moon tortured you?” Twilight said, horrified.

“Not really physically...but mentally...yes.” He looked at her and gave another shrug. “Nightmare claims that she was...” His face scrunched up as he tried to remember. “Building a protégé? Someone to replace Luna if she failed.”

“And to do that she tortured you?” She stared at him, still very horrified at the thought.

He shrugged. “I guess. I guess it was to build up my strength or something... All I know is that it was awful...” Something on the ground around the tower shimmered. It was surrounded by a lake. He stared at it as they approached. “Wow...” It was completely untouched. The water glistened with a pale light. “So this...is what is left of me?” 

“It... It would appear so... I mean, it's like she can't get at this area...” 

He took a deep breath and walked towards the water. It burned when he touched it. “Ow...”

Twilight blinked and went up beside him. “What?” She reached out and touched the water. She did not recoil.

He plunged a hoof into the water. It burned for an instant, but when it died away and he withdrew it, it looked fine. The three scars seemed to glow faintly, but there was the natural gray blue. He dove in. He took deep breaths, letting the water fill him. It burned, but it felt good once the burn dissipated. He felt...immensely good in fact. “Well...one problem solved?” he said, bubbles coming from his mouth, but there was no need to breath.

She nodded and took in a breath. “Ah...I...I was worried that it was actual water...” she said as she looked around. It was bright down here.

“It is, I suppose...” He closed his eyes and thought. No memories had come to him. “Well, it's a good start...now I at least look alright...which means I won’t fall to her easily.” He could feel strength returning to him as well. 

“Do you think she knows?” Twilight said, looking up at the sky, it looked blue under the water.

“Yes,” he said as he walked towards the tower. He could feel its importance growing. “It has to be in there...” Even when he said it, part of him didn't believe it. He shook his head, no. It had to be in there. Whatever it was.

“Do you know what we're looking for, Copper?” Twilight asked as the tower came closer. They were only a few hooves underwater, but it felt like they were getting deeper. His strength was coming back to him noticeably now. Now he felt...well, like his old self. Confident that he could do anything. The door to the clock tower stood open, darkness within. Again Copper had the thought: trap.

“I have no idea. But it's in there... I can feel it...” Feel. Feeling. That feeling. That. Feeling. He stopped suddenly and Twilight walked into him. When had Twilight entered the water?

“Wh-what's wrong?” 

He swung around and planted his hoof firmly into Twilight's face. He leaped back as it exploded in black smoke. “Always trust the feeling. Always.” 

“Oh Copper...we were having so much-” Nightmare blinked, as well as she could, being just smoke. Then looked towards the tower. “Hey! Get back here! No interrupting my monologue!”

He was running full speed towards the door. He had been feeling a trap. He knew there was a trap. But it wasn't behind him or ahead of him, it was leading him. Leading him to the one place that it couldn't go on it's own. But it could follow. At the door, he stopped and turned around to face her. “You, are not allowed...in! My! Head!” And then he fell backwards through the doorway. He heard the door slam and Nightmare scream in rage. Or joy. It was hard to tell. But he was still falling.

Falling through water. Not just water. A sea. A sea of his consciousness. A sea of himself. He took a deep breath, letting it envelope him. Lights. Distant lights came on and he smiled. Memories flooded back. Dash. Flying through the air. Rarity. The comfort of a cloak. Horsh. A voice that was only trying to help. Fluttershy. Softness and kindness. Lady Evale. Harsh laughter. Applejack. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. He frowned slightly and then laughed. “Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo...” he said softly, letting his eyes close. 

~
His eyes opened to see Twilight, her horn still glowing. “Alright, you can stop now.”

Her head jerked up and she stared at him, before smiling. “Did it work?”

He looked down and patted himself softly, he felt a bit bruised, but all there. “I think so. How do I look?” He looked up at her.

Her smile widened a bit. “Besides exhausted?”

His smile widened more. “Yes, besides that.”

“Normal,” she said. She was crying and Copper noticed that she was shaking. “I...I could hear everything...but I...I couldn't do anything...”

He shrugged. “Well, it could have been worse.” His hoof hurt. His scars felt prickly and painful.  He could feel all of them. The one on his muzzle was the most annoying, but least painful.

“Yeah...” She slumped forward and Copper moved quickly to catch her, before she hit the floor. “Oof...sorry...that...took a lot out of me...”

“It's ok...you did a great job...and...I'm so thankful that I have a friend as good as you.” He helped her towards her bed. “But now, it's time to rest.” He wondered what time it was. Surely later than it felt.

“Yeah...rest sounds nice...” she said, slumping into the bed. Copper pushed sheets over her and then moved towards the door, where he had left his scuba gear wrapped in his cloak.

“Thank you Twilight,” he said, putting on the scuba gear. “Thank you so much.”

She smiled at him. “I'd say anytime...but...I don't know if I could do that again.”

The words again seemed to echo in his head. “And you won’t,” he said as he moved towards the notes. “And no one will, if I have anything to do about it.” He took the scrolls and books and then left. He did not bother putting them into the tube. Instead, he let the water smudge and ruin them. 

And as he walked, the papers slowly tore apart and mashed together in ways that no amount of anything, not even magic, could gather and repair them all. Or so he hoped.

~
“Why don't you sing anymore?” Copper said and Jeta jumped in her seat. She had been staring over the empty table that was the meeting room when Copper walked in.

“I...” She turned around and her eyes widened. “Copper! You're back to normal!” She hugged him again.

He chuckled softly and nodded. “Yes, I am.” He took a deep breath. “Now. Why don't you sing anymore? I haven't heard any singing since I arrived. I felt like something was missing but since I wasn't all there, I didn't know what.”

“Well...” She was still clinging to him, as if he would disappear the moment she let go. “It's just...” She sighed, closing her eyes. “No one's happy anymore. Things have been getting better, yeah...we do a lot more with the surface and seaponies are happy there...but down here we're all miserable.”

He sat down, which didn't seem to bother her and her clinging. “Why? Everypony I saw last time was having the time of their lives.”

“I don't know...” She sighed again, closing her eyes. “Things just...got so bad...especially in the last four years...Princess Celestia is forcing us to export everything from light coral, to lava rocks, to fish. It's become so rough down here for everyone.”

His brow wrinkled slightly as he thought. Oh how it was good to have all of his thoughts back. And the ideas that flooded him were all so good it was hard to choose. But one rose above all others and then he smiled. “I have an idea,” he said as he stood back up.

She blinked and tilted her head to the side. “What kind of idea?”

“The best kind of course.” He laughed as he headed out of the room, dragging her along with him. She was absolutely refusing to let go of him. “Do you know where Twilight's friends are?”

Her brow arched slightly. “Yes...” she said slowly, cautiously.

“Good. We need to talk to the pink one,” he said, smirking slightly. “Oh this will be most fun. Most fun indeed.”

It didn't take long for them to find the party room. It was huge. It was mostly drained, but there was a few good hooves of water inside, to allow for seaponies to assist. Jeta finally let go of Copper and he leaned against the wall by the door as Jeta stood just inside the doorway. He stayed in the hallway, staying out of sight. “What do I do?” she whispered to him.

He chuckled softly and nudged her. “Call out for Pinkie Pie. She'll pop up. And then just repeat what I say.”

She nodded hesitantly and entered the room. “Uhm...is Pinkie Pie in here?” she asked to the room in general. 

On cue, Pinkie Pie descended in a net made of streamers and a banner. “Yes?” she said, hanging upside down and grinning at Jeta.

“I...uhm...” She hesitated and glanced back.

Copper chuckled and Pinkie tilted her head to the side slightly. “There's been a change of plans...” he whispered. 

“Uhm...there's...been a change of plans,” Jeta said, clearing her throat. 

Pinkie could probably hear him and was just acting along, or she didn't. “Oh? What plans? Did we have plans?”

“What do you mean plans have changed? You're not moving us to a different room again are you?” This was Dash, Copper knew it.

“No...not a room change...just a change to the guest list...” Copper whispered, he hoped Dash wouldn't come over.

“No. Not a room change, just a change to the guest list...” Jeta glanced back, thoroughly confused. “What guest list?” she hissed back.

“We had a guest list?” That was Applejack. That accent was unmistakable. 

“I don't think so...” Pinkie said, scratching under her chin. “But I suppose we could make one?”

“No it would be too long...” Copper whispered, trying not to laugh.

“No, it would be too long,” Jeta repeated, staring straight ahead at Pinkie Pie now.

“Because, we're turning this into a party, for everypony,” Copper said and took a deep breath.

“Because...we're turning this into a party for everypony?” Jeta looked back at the door again. “Everypony?”

Copper heard Pinkie's intake of breath. “Youmeanasupermagicalfunhugegiganticpartyoffun?” She exclaimed.

“Yes,” Copper whispered, clenching his teeth to not laugh.

“Yes?” Jeta said hesitantly. 

“Woohoo!” Copper heard frantic splashing and knew Pinkie had turned and begun running around the room. He had no idea how she got down from the tangle of streamers. “C'mon girls! Time to give this party a major boost!”

~
Back in his own room, Copper laid down on the bed. He was hesitant to sleep, but he had to see what the damage was. He had to know what was still left to be fixed, if anything. His eyes closed the moment he laid his head down. But he couldn't get to sleep yet. He was too excited. A Pinkie Pie party was not something to be sneezed at. She always went over the top. And this time, she would go over the tippy top and make a splash under the sea. Oh Celestia he was tired. He was making puns inside his own head. It had felt like only a few days before he woke up that he had been to one. But it had been over four years. How many parties had he missed?

He opened his eyes, staring at black sand. He sighed softly as he stood up and then looked up. A smile burst upon his face as lights shone high and bright. A large moon, devoid of the Mare in the Moon, shone overhead. He closed his eyes as wind blew across the sand. But now he had the stars and the sky. He stretched his wing outward and swept away some of the sand. Through the gap in the sand shone the brass of a gear. “Right then.” He swept clean an area and then stared at it a moment. There, in the center of a gear, was a tiny sprout. Two brass leaves, extending off the tip of a metal rod.

He tapped the gear, creating a noise like that of a gong. That was enough lazing about. His mind needed to be at one hundred percent. There was a soft creaking noise, which grew louder. No more messing about. “So eager...” came a voice behind him.

Turning around was not what he wanted to do, but the gear was slowly turning and eventually it turned him towards Nightmare. He smiled at her. “Notice anything?” he said casually. He felt exhilarated. Nothing could topple him.

“You're...back to...normal...” Her voice was difficult to hear. She was severely weakened now.

But he shook his head. “No. Not that,” he said with a smirk and pointed at the sky. “That.”

Her eyes traveled upwards. “What...all I see are stars...and the-” Her voice seemed to catch in her throat, her eyes widening.

“Seems there's a vacancy... Welcome to your new prison.”
> 13: Reuniting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Politely clearing one’s throat is usually a generally approved way of waking someone up, as is a gentle shaking or even a knock at the door. A way that is generally frowned upon, but is most often used by those of a more childish mindset, is leaping onto the bed and jumping up and down. The first few moments of the one waking up are usually panic and then anger, unless they too are of a childish mindset. Unfortunately, Copper is not and this is the way he had just woken up. When he saw the pony who was doing the jumping, though, he could not be angry. “Hi Pinkie,” he said blearily, trying to focus on her. 

“C'monc'monc'monc'monc'monc'mon!Wakeup!Getup!Thepartyhasalreadystarted!Andit'salreadystartingtobeasuperawesomehappyfuntime!”

Again it took Copper several seconds to mentally add in the spaces and separate the words. He cleared his throat as he sat up. “Ah, yes...the party. Sorry, I was tired.”

She stared at him. “You're back to normal!” she declared, pointing a hoof at him.

He blinked and nodded. “Yup. Back to normal.” He took a deep breath; Pinkie had brought the smell of baked goods with her. There was a pause inside his head as he wondered how that was possible and then he realized it was her breath. “Been at the cupcakes already?”

“Yup! I spent all night making up a suuuuuper big batch of awesome cupcakesandcookiesandcakesandcandiesandcupcakes!” Pinkie was still jumping up and down on his bed, to the point he was having difficulty actually getting off of it. Somehow she always managed to jump on the other side of the bed in just the right way that made him roll back into the middle. “Jeta said that I should wait till the party was going before coming and getting you. She said you'd like the dramatics.”

He chuckled softly as he decided to simply roll off the bed and into the water. It was cold and he shot straight up and shook. He had forgotten that his room was not completely unflooded. “Yes, well...I enjoy that sort of thing. It...adds a little something. I'll have to make a fairly dramatic entrance as well... How's Twilight?”

“Oh she's good. I saw her at the buffet last time I checked,” she said with a grin. 

Jeta swam into the room, carrying a large box. “Ah good. Pinkie got you up.”

“It's not fair to sic her on a sleeping pony you know...it's borderline cruel,” he said as he chuckled. It was impossible for him to keep a straight face. “What's in the box?”

Jeta set the box down on the surface of the water and pushed it; it floated towards him. “Something for you to wear. It seems the white unicorn-”

“Rarity,” Pinkie interjected, with a grin.

“Yes, Rarity...has turned this into a bit more of a formal affair, since there's so many ponies. And it's really lifted everypony’s spirit.” She looked at Copper a second to gather the words. “Thank you.”

He shrugged and chuckled softly as he opened the box. “Anytime. It was just a-” his voice trailed off. “How...did you get this?” His eyes did not leave the contents of the box.

“After you died...we...well, there was a large group of us who...who went back...and we found it...just where it had snagged. It took a bit of repairing, but... I think it's good.” Jeta said, staring down at the water. “I...I know you said it wasn't worth it...and I should just leave it...but...it had calmed down...and...well...” Her voice trailed off.

“Whazzit?” Pinkie said and leaned over. “Oooohhh. Pretty bow!”

He smiled a bit as he lifted the bowtie from the box. It was copper in color and sparkled very softly. In the center was a dark red circular stone. “It's a bowtie, Pinkie...” His mind wandered back to the day when he stood with Horsh and he was fussing over the tie. “I see it has a new stone.” There was a white collar for the bowtie inside the box and Copper picked it up and began fixing it around his neck.

She nodded slowly. “Yes. The old one had came off...but when we found it...it just didn't look right without it.” 

“Red bubble stones are rare, I thought?” he said, before putting the bowtie on once again. It felt like forever since he had worn it. But now, he would always wear it. It was the only thing he had that Horsh had ever given him.

“They are,” Jeta said as she moved up to him and gently touched the red bubble stone. “But we felt it was worth it...it...it was hanging in the central meeting hall. I had thought of giving it to you earlier, but...it took some convincing to get it down.”

He nodded slowly and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Jeta,” he said, giving her a big smile. “This...this means a lot to me.”

Pinkie reached down and adjusted his bowtie a bit. “Right then, silly goose. You ready to make your entrance?”

“Yes,” he said, standing up straight. “The question is how...”

Jeta smiled at him and glanced at Pinkie. “Oh, don't worry. We have made plans.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really now? Well...then this will be quite interesting.” A smile crawled over his face as the three of them headed out of the room.

~
The room was dimly lit by the light Coral that Copper had brought with him. “Are you sure about this?” Jeta said as she swam up beside him, staring off into the distance at the large mountain looming in the distance. Smoke was billowing out from the top. 

“Not really...” Copper said cautiously. “But...if it's true, then it will be worth it.” It was only a few minutes of travel, but they had gone a great distance. Now that Copper had adjusted to life in Aquis for the most part, traveling around was less tiring and a lot faster. The singing still got to him. The words were burned into his head now.

“Do you think they'll miss us at the party?” she said, looking back at the city, whose lights could still be seen. They had taken out The Great Coral for this, which shone the brightest of any coral.

“I'd hardly call it a party,” Copper said and rubbed at his neck; the bowtie felt a bit too tight. “Honestly, it's more just a big group of ponies standing around and talking. That's more of a gathering or something. There's no-” he stopped, as he was about to say music, but it was hard to be anywhere around seaponies and not find some singing. He waved a hoof vaguely. “Cake,” he ventured. “It's all shrimp and...those disgusting fish eggs.”

“Caviar,” Jeta said, smiling slightly. “And they are pretty bad...but they want us to call it a party.”

“It's not a party. I have never been to a party. And that was not a party.” It was starting to bother him now. If that was a party, he didn't want to ever go to one again. Even the ball at Lady Evale's was better than this. But that was a long time ago. He wondered how long exactly it had been and realized he had missed something Jeta had said. “What?”

She looked at him. “I said, we should slow down. That way we don't run into anything when we get closer to the volcano.”

Copper did so, slowing down and began walking on the sea floor. “Run into what exactly?” he said, eyeing the volcano. He had seen volcanoes before, but never under water. That was a true sight to behold. It billowed smoke constantly. But the smoke was lit by lava from below and caused great shadows across the smoke. Or was it more of a sludge? Copper wasn't sure what happened when you mixed smoke with water. “The heat probably turns the water into steam...and so it would be smoke under water...I'm sorry, what?”

Her brow wrinkled as she stared at him. “If you're going to ask questions you should at least listen to the answer,” she said, folding her flippers.

He sighed softly and nodded. “Yes. Sorry. My mind was wandering.”

“Obviously.” She turned back to the volcano. “Mostly we need to watch out for vents. Places where the ground has split and sometimes jets steam. If you go too fast, you could swim over one as it jets and get cooked.”

“That is something to avoid...” Copper saw that there seemed to be a lot of places that shot out steam as they got closer. 

“Copper...” Jeta said, swimming closer to him. “Why are we doing this?”

Copper frowned, as he stared at the volcano. “You heard the Councilor... Since I prodded him to get going with his investigation, it's shown that most of the pollution is coming from the volcano's area.”

“But he also said that he was handling it personally...” she said frowning. 

“Yes, well, I don't trust him. At all.” He took a deep breath; the bubble around his head was a bit unnerving. He preferred his scuba gear, but he couldn't take that into such a fancy get together. So he had to get a hold of a bubble stone. Thankfully that had not been too hard. Apparently it was easy for a diplomat to get something like that. 

“But...I mean...do you think he's causing it or something?” It was a suspicion that had obviously been on her mind as well.

“If he's not the cause, he's not trying to solve it,” he said, taking another deep breath. The bubble made him want lots of air. Or maybe it was the feeling of water pressing against him that made him want to breath deeply. Either way he kept taking deep breaths.

“But what-”

“I don't know,” he said, sighing. “It's just a feeling, okay? And this feeling is always spot on. It hit me the moment he started talking about it.”

“And that's why we left the party so quickly?” They paused at a fissure in the ground that had a red light coming up from it.

“Yes,” Copper said as he leaned cautiously over it and peered down. “Hm...that's interesting.” 

“What?” Jeta joined him, looking over the edge as well and then frowned. “What is that? It's not lava.”

“And it's not even warm around here...always gotta trust the feeling.” He leaned a little farther, squinting into the light. “I think I can see a tunnel...”

“But...why would someone- Hey! Wait for me!” She swam down the fissure, following after Copper as he sank down. He came to a soft landing and kicked the floodlight that had been pointed upwards so that it shone down the tunnel. It led off a ways and then sharply turned to the right. The tunnel walls sparkled. “Are...are those...” she stammered softly.

It didn't just sparkle. “This is where they've been getting the bubble stones...” Each one created oddly shaped pockets of air. It was to the point where large sections of the wall were completely dry. 

“But...I thought there was some kinda shortage...” she said as she pushed at one of the stones. “It's stuck...”

He looked at her and then shook his head. “This rock is tough...” He started making his way down the tunnel. “I doubt you could shift it with your flippers...you need some...heavy...machinery...” His voice trailed off as he saw around the corner.

“What?” she said as she swam after him and froze as well when she saw it.

It was a large room, extremely large. But it was lit from bottom to top and in the center was a machine. A massive main structure at the center and from it eight long arms that had several joints, which made it capable of bending at many different angles. At the end of each arm, there was a large drill. The tunnel they had been traveling down had actually been one of the holes the machine had bored. “Octopus,” he said, frowning. Of course a seapony would name it something like that and probably asked for it to be designed like that. But who designed it? That would have to wait. “Come on.” He leaped off into the open water and began swimming towards where he guessed a control room would be. Looking up showed where the smoke was. And it wasn't smoke, it was sludge.

“This is where the pollution is coming from...” Jeta said sadly, staring at the black sludge as it rose out the top of the dead volcano.

Copper had to search a bit, but eventually found a door a little ways from where he had been looking. He forced it open. To his disappointment, it was empty aside from a large complicated-looking control panel, with many levers, buttons, dials and a few blinking lights. “Wow...” he said as he saw the controls, moving into the room. “This...what genius made this...”

Jeta came in behind him. “We have to destroy it,” she said, panic in her voice.

He looked at her and blinked. “Destroy it?” His mind raced and then he nodded, looking at the controls again. “Right...stop the pollution... Ponies’ lives are at stake.” He took a deep breath; he felt a pang of guilt for it, but he began working the levers. 

“What are you doing?” she said, as she heard engines turn and start. The sludge began pumping out even more. The Octopus had simply been idling.

“Destroying it,” he said simply. It was hard to work the controls, the machine wasn't designed to dig down.

“But...what are you doing?” Jeta looked out the door and down. Realization dawned. “Copper...you're not-”

“Oh yes. I am,” he said and pushed a lever forward. Everything jerked and rumbled. “What better way to ruin something hiding in a volcano, then an eruption?”

“But...but Copper, underwater eruptions aren't like they are above land...it...it's worse,” Jeta said, panic raising in her voice. “We might not get away.”

“Right. Let's get going then.” He pushed the lever forward until it snapped. They both swam; Jeta kept coming back to him and telling him to hurry up. “I can't swim as fast as you.” He panted, it was already getting hotter. He glanced back and down as they reached the tunnel that they had entered by. Bright light was coming up. 

Then everything shook. “Copper!” He could hardly hear Jeta over the crash of stone. When he opened his eyes, he went to swim forward, but something stopped him. 

His bowtie was snagged. “Damn thing!” he said and pulled and pulled, until it snapped. 

Jeta rushed to him. “Copper! Are you all right?”

Water. No air, just water. He thrust his head back into the bubble and gasped for air. “Damn. I forgot about that.” He looked at the bowtie and then bit off the small bubble stone. “Let's go,” he said, holding it in his teeth.

“But what about-”

He looked at the bowtie. He had told Jeta where he had gotten it and who had given it to him, but it didn't matter. “Leave it,” he said as he swam.

“But-”

“I said leave it! It's not worth getting crushed by a rock.”

~
He could barely see the volcano from here. It was going to be a grand entrance, without a doubt. And he knew Celestia would hear of it eventually. But she wouldn't be able to find him. Just know that he was alive. That made him feel a bit smug. He shook his head; it was not good that she would know. He sighed, watching the volcano gently smoke in the distance. Even after seven years, it hadn't calmed down. Or perhaps it had started up again recently? Who knew. It was just a vague dark line on the undersea horizon. “Are you ready, Copper?”

He turned to see Jeta peeking in through the curtain and nodded. “As ready as ever.” He took a deep breath, because some habits died hard.

“There's a lot of ponies down there. Apparently word of the party got around and...well the place is packed...” Jeta was nervous, he could tell.

“Good,” Copper said with a chuckle. The party had been moved to the grand hall, the biggest indoor place in Aquis and was apparently spilling outside and into adjoining rooms. 

She looked at him and then smiled. “You never used to laugh so much... I like it.”

“A couple days with Pinkie will do that to a pony,” he said, returning her smile. “But I do believe it is time to make my grand return.”

She nodded and disappeared behind the curtain. Right. Plan was, walk out and then walk the stairs down. It was ridiculous, he realized now. That was something Celestia would do. But he was challenging her, wasn't he? “Mares and Gentlecolts!” Jeta called out, her voice echoing around the hall. The place went silent. “It is my honor, to finally present the colt who all this is for and whom without, it would not have happened.” There was an eruption of flippers slapping together and hooves stomping and splashing on the ground.

“Right then...shock and awe.” He walked forward and pushed the curtain out of the way. It was a tad brighter than Copper had expected and it took a few seconds for his eyes to become accustomed to it. In those seconds, the noise died down abruptly and was full of gasps and shouts. “Evening everypony,” he said as he started to make his way down the stairs. Those at the bottom of the stairs started to move away, trying not to even be close to being in his way. “Now I know what you're all thinking...” he said, smiling. “But no. I'm not dead. Not anymore.” He could tell there was a lot trying to back away and a lot trying to rush forward. There were ponies and seaponies absolutely filling the room. Maybe this was a tad too much? Too late to stop now. “Yes, I was dead. But thanks to some very powerful unicorns,” he scanned for Twilight, but couldn't seem to find her, “I have been brought back. None too gently I might add.” He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around. “Any questions?” His smile seemed unable to contain itself. 

“Yeah. What took you so long?” Copper turned to see Pinkie making her way over the crowd. “We have been having lotsa super duper fun waiting for you!”

He smiled more and moved towards her, ponies moved out of his way. He blinked a bit. “All right, show’s over.” He made a shooing gesture with his hoof. “It's still a party. Get to partying.” That seemed enough to break whatever spell they were all under and conversations erupted. “Where's Twilight and the rest of the gang?”

“This way, c'mon!” She swam off back the direction she had come from. 

He jumped up and swam as well; ponies seemed fond of staying on the floor and seaponies were keen to join them, so a dozen hooves up was free and clear. Then he saw them. All of them and the smile he had grew even bigger. He landed in front of them, looking at them. What did you say at a time like this? Rarity was crying. So was Fluttershy. Even Applejack looked like she was on the verge of crying and when he looked at Dash, it looked as if she had almost started crying as well, her eyes swimming with tears. Twilight was crying as well, though not very much. What did you say at a time like this? “Sorry,” was all he could manage to say.

They all smiled at him. “An' what have ya got to be sorry fer?” Applejack said.

He closed his eyes and nodded. Part of him wanted to cry as well. But he was too happy for tears. Not even tears of joy. “Quite a lot,” he said with a smile. When he had opened his eyes again, they had all moved closer to him. “For how I left, for one. And showing up so randomly, with no explanation...”

“I'm pretty sure that was a fairly good explanation,” Rarity said, smiling. She was wearing an absolutely stunning dress. It was hard to describe what color it was exactly because it seemed to shift and shimmer in the light, but it went between greens and blues in a mind numbing way. It was designed to be worn underwater. Copper wondered how long she had taken to make it. “Quite the show. And I have to say that that bowtie suits you quite well.”

“Thank you.” He took a deep breath, looking around at them. “It...it is so good to see all of you...” My friends. The first ponies he actually thought of as friends. A little pathetic when he thought about it. More than a little in fact. Very pathetic. “How's everypony been?”

After a moment of discussion, it was agreed Applejack should start. “Well, the farm’s been doin' a whole lot better these few years. Everypony loves our apples, but ain't no new farms croppin' up anywhere and it seems the rest just can't keep their doggone doors open.”

Copper tilted his head to the side. “Why's that?”

“Dunno. Trees just ain't lastin' as long as they used ta. That's what I figure. Well, that and Sweet apple acres has the most fertile soil in all Equestria. I reckon it's the Zap Apples that does it.”

There was a short silence as Copper processed this. “Zap Apples?” he said after his thought. “I've never heard of them.”

The other ponies stared at him. “You ain't never hearda Zap Apples?”

He shook his head slowly. “No...but I've spent most of my life outside of Equestria and the last four years dead.” This caused a bit of silence. “I'm going to stop bringing that up...” he said and cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

“It's alright dear. It's just...odd to think about.” Rarity said, giving him a slight smile. It seemed a bit forced Copper thought.

“Well...” He looked at Applejack. “What's a Zap apple?”

So she told him. There were a few parts that seemed to him a bit far-fetched, though he wasn't one to disbelieve any of it. It seemed possible, just not likely. “And that's how we get Zap Apples, which we mostly make into Zap Apple jam! Yep, that jam kept us up and running back then. But now, everypony wants our apples from Los Pagasus all the way to Manehatten.”

Silence once again, as Copper stared blankly up at the sky. “Manehatten...how...uhm...what is it like there now?”

“Not as bad as you would think,” Rarity said as she stepped up beside Applejack. The other ponies had seemed to fall back a bit and allowed them to talk, but now they were all up once again. “Not many ponies were hurt; most of the damage was structural.”

“The airship was slow and ponies evacuated when it started bombing ships out in the harbor. That's where most of the deaths were. A few tried to fight back and the rest of the deaths were amongst those who stayed to fight,” Twilight said, giving him a concerned look. Everypony was giving him a concerned look.

It was his fault. “Well, that's good...” It wasn't a massacre. “And it's up and running again?” Only a few deaths. But a few to someone who was not there could be dozens. Especially in comparison to how many ponies lived in Manehatten.

Applejack nodded and gave him a weak smile. “Yeah. Pretty much everythin's been rebuilt. And there are a lot of new buildings.”

He nodded slowly and took a deep breath. “You'll have to invite me over next time Zap Apple season starts,” he said suddenly, smiling. “I'd love to help out and see it for myself.”

Everypony brightened up a bit. That's right Copper, put on a fake smile and pretend everything's all right. It is for the most part, anyways. “Well that'd be great! It was recently so, you'll hafta wait for the next time.”

He nodded again, taking another deep breath. “I'll look forward to it.” And he knew he would. Oh how he would look forward to it. It would not be normal, not for him, but it would be something to do with friends. Friends who wanted to be around him. 

Applejack smiled at him, a genuine smile that made Copper feel a lot better. There was a lot more discussion of the logistics of the sales of apples and apple based products. Copper listened to every word, keeping mental track of it all as if there would be a test later on. He wasn't sure how long had passed, but eventually Rarity came over and nudged Applejack slightly. “I'm sure Copper doesn't need to know every detail dear.”

She gave Rarity a look and then smiled. “Well, I'll hand the reigns over to Rarity then and go get some grub.” She turned and walked off through the crowd.

“No that's...I didn't mean...” Rarity stopped and looked at Copper. She straightened up a bit. “I suppose it's my turn then, yes?”

He chuckled softly and shrugged. “If you'd like. I'm not going to force anypony to talk to me.”

“Nonsense,” she said as she moved a bit closer and sat down. 

There was a moment of silence, which Copper felt the need to break first. “I'm sorry I lost your cloak...it...burned up, I'm afraid.”

She waved her hoof vaguely. “Oh don't worry about that dear. I can easily make another, better cloak. That one would be far out of fashion this year.” He chuckled softly and she arched her brow. “What's so funny?”

“Nothing,” he said shaking his head. “Just...never been concerned with fashion,” he paused, “Obviously.” The tattered cloak shifted in the currents; everypony moving about and all the seaponies swimming caused quite a few of them.

The nod she gave was slow and cautious. “Yes...well...you can't be blamed, after all you've been-” she stopped before settling on, “Gone, for four years. Fashion moves on a day to day basis and would be impossible to keep up with.”

All he could think of to do was nod in agreement. “I could see how that would make things difficult for a pony such as yourself.”

She blinked and then smiled. “For me my dear? Oh no. I,” she raised a hoof, placing it across her chest, “am one of the many reasons that it changes so often. I am one of the top fashion designers in all of Equestria.”

“I do not doubt it,” he said, smiling. It was easy to believe; even though there were probably bits of dirt with better knowledge of fashion than Copper, it was still so obvious. He remembered when he first saw the cloak. The feel of it. “Where did you find the time to design your dress?” He had to ask, it was starting to bug him.

She smiled even more. “Oh I stayed up late last night and put it together. Can't go to a party without dressing up.”

He chuckled softly and adjusted his bowtie absentmindedly. “Yes, I do believe I understand that.”

“Where did you get that wonderful bowtie?” she asked as she leaned forward, to look at it closer. “The stone is truly lovely. A bubble stone, yes?”

“Oh yes,” he said, nodding. “It's one of the rarer kinds. Dark ones are rare and red ones are rare and dark red ones are even more rare. The rarest ones are black.”

“Oh? Why is that?” she said, her head titling slightly to the side. 

A shiver ran through him. Please don't look at me like that, it sends shivers through me. “Mhm. They're said to also be very powerful. Once it reaches a certain depth of darkness, the bubble expands. There's one in the museum that can easily fit a hundred ponies in comfortably.”

“Goodness.” She looked down at the little necklace she wore around her neck and Copper noticed it for the first time. It shimmered as her dress, somewhere between blue and green. He smiled a bit; that must have been where she had gotten the inspiration for the dress. She reached over and adjusted his bowtie slightly. He was surprised he didn't flinch. “It looks very old...” she said as she fiddled with it.

“Oh it is. I...it...it had belonged to Horsh,” he said and cursed himself for that slightly sad tone he had slipped into. 

He took in a deep breath and sighed as her face turned to concern. “That was your griffon friend, yes? The one from Griflon?”

“Yes. It's the only thing he ever gave me... Besides advice. A lot of which I don't remember.” He stared slightly up above her and then smiled. “But, that was a very long time ago.”

“Not for you,” she said and his smile faltered. “For you it hasn't been that long at all... Are you going to be all right?”

“I'm always all right,” he said, taking another deep breath. “Eventually...” he added, it was something he felt needed to be there. It had to be said and he needed to be the one who said it. Eventually he would be all right. He was always all right eventually. Not even death had damaged him irreversibly. At least he hoped it had not. “But it is good to hear that things are going well for you.”

“Oh more than well, thank you,” she said with a smile. It faded slowly as she looked past Copper. “But I do believe Rainbow Dash wishes to have her turn now.”

He looked back at Dash, who was practically vibrating on the spot. “Yes,” she said, sounding as excited as she looked.

Rarity rolled her eyes and wandered back to the group. “Well Dash, how have things been with you?” Copper said as he turned to face her.

“Amazing!” she said, her wings flexing. “I'm a Wonderbolt!”

Copper blinked, it took a short moment for him to remember that that had pretty much been her entire life goal. “That's great,” he said with a smile. “Fantastic in fact.”

“I know! Though, technically I'm just a reserve...but I get called out to all the big events and the best part is I have my own Wonderbolt suit!” 

He looked at her, she wasn't wearing it right now. “Where is it?”

She sighed and gestured at the other ponies. “They said I shouldn't bring it. Said I'd draw too much attention. But why shouldn't I? I'm pretty awesome.”

“Pretty awesome,” Copper agreed, nodding and smiling. “Well that's great that you finally made it.” They talked quite a bit about events that she had been to, apparently she had been a Wonderbolt for a few years and seemed more to Copper their trump card rather than a reserve.

But eventually she stopped. “Well, I'm going to go see what sort of grub they have around here...”

“All right, Dash,” Copper said, chuckling. “I'm sure you'll find a lot of things to your liking, if they haven't changed their dishes too much since I was last here.”

She nodded and half flew half swam off. “See ya.”

He turned to the group of ponies. Er, not a group anymore, but a singular pony. “Where'd everyone wander off to Fluttershy?” Copper said as he made his way a bit closer to her. 

“Pinkie couldn't sit still this long...Twilight's off looking at architecture...Dash and Applejack are getting food...and I think Rarity is showing off her dress...” she said and he noticed how she did not look at him.

Sitting down he said, “Well...how have you been?”

“Fine...” she said, staring at the ground.

Copper guessed that would be the most he would try to get out of her and the most he probably could get out of her, right now anyways. For now, he was going to enjoy the companionable silence, or relative silence since the party was still going full swing. He had a lot to think about. Celestia probably knew by now, or maybe not. How long did it take to get to Canterlot from here? He had no idea what the travel time was by train. He had taken an airship most of the way and walked the last bit into town. But there was always a magical way of sending messages. Would Celestia send someone magical to watch over Twilight? Probably not. Twilight was her faithful student. Part of him wouldn't be surprised if she sent a letter to Celestia herself. But didn't she need Spike for that? “Where's Spike?” he said, looking around. Spike was not there as far as he could tell.

Fluttershy jumped slightly at the sudden question. “O-oh, Spike's still in Ponyville. He didn't want to come... Dragons don't do too well under water...”

“Mmm…not the species he is anyways... I know there are sea dragons a ways off from here...”

She looked at him for the first time since he arrived. “Sea dragons?”

He nodded slightly, smiling. It was easy to get Fluttershy to open up. All one had to do was talk about her interests. “Oh yes. They range from all shapes and sizes like regular dragons. Though their colors tend to be a bit more muted and they're not as shiny. They also don't breath fire. They spit out streams of boiling water.”

“Wow...and you've met some?” He had her full attention now.

Again he nodded slightly. “Oh yes. Just one though and he was a tad rough around the edges. Not a bad dragon, just a little hard to talk to.” He waved his hoof vaguely in a direction, which turned out to be west. “If you look west, for the thin line of black in the distance, that's the volcano he calls home.”

“He lives in a volcano?” she asked, leaning to look in the direction he was gesturing, but there was a wall in the way.

“Oh yes. They love the heat. At this depth a volcano is the only thing that can keep the temperature to the point that they like.”

“What was he like?”

So he told her.

~
There was a rumbling and Copper took a deep breath. He glanced at the necklace he was wearing, with its pale blue bubble stone. His eyes wandered to the large hole and the very soft glow coming from within. “Excuse me!” he called into the hole. “If you don't mind I'd like to have a word with you!” He did not dare go in; the water out here was almost to the point of unbearable already. He knew that in there, some parts would be so hot they would flash into steam.

There was a long silence before he saw the two blue eyes, the slits focusing on him. “What do you want?” The voice was not as harsh as he had expected it, but it rumbled slightly. It also sounded tired.

“Merely to talk,” Copper said, staring at those eyes. The problem now was to not back down. He could boil him alive with a breath.

There was a soft grinding noise and the eyes seemed to shift slightly. “Then talk.” In the gloom Copper could make out the shape of the dragon. It was huge.

He cleared his throat. “The seaponies don't mind you living here, in fact they quite like having you. But they would like to ask you not to eat them anymore. They are willing to set up an arrangement of fish deliveries, in exchange for not eating them.”

The eyes seemed a lot less harsh now. “I do not eat seaponies.”

Copper blinked, his mind back peddling quite a bit. That had been unexpected. “Ah. Terribly sorry.” He said hurriedly. “Ponies were going missing sort of around this area, coinciding with your arrival. Terribly sorry.” 

“I have seen a few of them wander by, but I do not eat them. I eat the shiny stones in my home, when I cannot get any fish.” Those eyes seemed to stare not at Copper, but at a space a few hooves behind his head.

But he was used to looks like this. “Again, sorry for the accusation.” Thoughts were racing through his head. One thought jumped to the front of the line. “Perhaps we could come to some sort of other agreement?”

There was another shift and the eyes lowered. It dawned on Copper that the dragon was making itself more comfortable. “What sort of agreement?”

“Fish, for the stones?” he said and took a deep breath. “The volcano that is your home is filled with precious stones that create pockets of air. To the seaponies these are very valuable. And they would be willing to trade quite a lot of fish for a handful of them.”

A thoughtful pause followed and the eyes disappeared for a moment. “Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement... I do like the taste of fish.”

~
“So he was nice?” Fluttershy said, tilting her head slightly.

“Oh I suppose so. He didn't boil me, so I would assume so,” he said chuckling softly. “It went a lot better than I could have hoped it to.”

“Do...you think that we...could go and visit him?” she asked and Copper could hear the hesitation in her voice. The sort that said, yes I want to go, but I'm also scared to go.

He gave her a bright smile. “Of course. I'm sure he'd be happy to see me again.” Or at least I hope he will be, he added to himself. 

The rest of the party went by and it was great. Copper had a lot of fun and a lot to eat. And maybe a bit too much to drink. Sometime after the party he found Chestnut passed out behind a table. He wondered if changelings could die from alcohol poisoning as he helped her to her room. Then he went on a search for his room. Why did he always have such a hard time finding where he was staying? Eventually he found his way to a balcony and decided that it was a good a place as any. 

He wrapped himself up in his cloak and went to sleep. Later he would have to admit it was the best sleep he had ever had, though the hangover and the taste left in his mouth the next morning, detracted from it a bit.
> 14: Assassination
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There are lots of things that can wake somepony, many of them are unpleasant. Many have been listed previously, but there was one that Copper didn't account for. An explosion is difficult to sleep through, especially when it is a few floors above the balcony that you decided was a suitable place to rest. Instincts were kind to Copper as they flung him inside before he was truly awake. Dust and rubble rained down slowly, but there was enough of it to remove the balcony he had been sleeping on.

He tried to focus, but his head felt as though it was splitting in half and his mouth was full of cotton. Then he ran. Most would run away from an explosion. Not Copper. He came up the stairs in seconds, turned the corner and barreled into the unicorn coming the other way. There was no hesitation there; instinct again. He saw the horn, the remnants of burnt fur, the look on the face of a job done and that was enough of an excuse for him. It took four hoof strikes before he stopped moving, it probably would've taken less but the water took away some of the force. He ran to the room and skidded to a stop at the door. As he thought, it was his room. He could tell because there was the box sitting in the corner and his scuba gear by the door. The bubble was gone and the whole room was full of rubble. The explosion was centered on the bed. He had seen enough explosions to be able to guess at their center, or near center. 

He rushed in, running on auto pilot and dived through the hole, immediately moving to the pile of rubble below and began shoving debris from the bed. Flipper. That's what he saw first and it made him dig faster, more frantically. It would have been worse if it had not been a seapony, he knew. But that didn't matter. It took a moment of struggle before he managed to free the seapony, who was choking and coughing for breath. A ceiling's worth of rubble and parts of a bed can make it hard to breath. “How badly are you hurt?” Copper said, quickly moving the seapony from the room.

“Not...too...badly...” was all that he got out of the seapony. That was good enough. 

He rushed back into the room and up the hole. The door was gone, not in the hallway. He made a quick mental note of that before rushing back out into the hallway. He saw a few seaponies attempting to help the gold armored unicorn. “Don't help him!” he shouted as he half ran half swam towards them. “He tried to kill me!” They all hurriedly backed away. He rolled the unicorn over onto his back, he coughed and spluttered blood. “Get downstairs, there's a seapony in the hall that needs attention.”

“What happened?” It was Jeta, that was both good and bad.

“Assassination attempt,” Copper said as he pressed his hooves down on the unicorn’s chest, pinning him. It was hard to resist the urge to beat him to death. “Courtesy of Celestia, I think.” News traveled very fast indeed. She had time to send an assassin. Something went click in his mind. “Or someone else...” He had to remind himself he had a lot of enemies. 

“What happened?” she said again, pushing him slightly off of the unicorn.

He would regret it later, but for now, he had to lie. Or at least not tell the whole truth. “He burst in the door and blew up my bed. I guess he thought I'd still be in it... But I wasn't in bed and I was out the window before the explosion.” That wasn't quite a lie, but it wasn't the truth.

“Are you alright?” she asked, looking at him now. 

“Yes,” he said, giving a curt nod. “But there's a seapony who was in the room below me, don't worry he's out of the rubble, but he's going to need some attention as soon as possible."

Suddenly Dash appeared in the hole. “The hay happened here?” she said looking around. “Everypony alright?”

“Seapony got beat up by debris and this guy,” Copper resisted the urge to kick and instead nudged, “is going to need looking after and then a serious talking to.”

She looked down at him and frowned. “Was he in the room? He looks like it...”

“Ah...no,” Copper said, clearing his throat. “Other than the burns, his appearance is my doing. I couldn't have him causing anymore explosions, so I had to make sure he was out.” There was a pause, in which Dash gave him a look. “He's not dead,” he said hurriedly, “just unconscious.”

“Right...” Dash moved closer to him, looking down at him. Copper looked closely at him as well, for the first time. His cutie mark was of an explosion. He was a faded black color all over, from burned fur most likely. “So what happened?”

He told her, again being careful of how he worded it. “I'm not sure who sent an assassin after me...” Though he had guesses, “But I've made a lot of enemies over my life...” He took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder. “Right then...” he murmured to himself. “Paranoia in full gear. Now that it's been proven that I can die...everyone and their bloody dogs are gonna try and kill me.” He straightened up a bit and shook himself.

“So things are going to get interesting, huh?” Dash said, standing beside him.

“Interesting?” He paused and then nodded. “Quite. I was a bit caught off guard...” He stopped and had to make sure that his mouth was not full of cotton, as it had been feeling. Dash gave him an odd look. “Sorry. I've got quite the hangover.”

She gave him a smile. “I kinda assumed. You drank quite a lot.”

“It's been a very long time since I've let myself go like that.” He started to walk down the hall, glancing at every door, watching for any signs of them about to be opened. It was odd that he could simply switch it on. He could be completely relaxed when it was off and wired at every joint when it was on. It had been why ponies had stopped sending assassins after him. No results. Some said he could not be killed.

“So what are your plans today?” she said conversationally, he could sense she was on edge as well. Someone had just tried to kill her friend. That's about as personal as somepony can make it.

“Well,” he stopped and Dash looked around when he did. Thoughts were bubbling in his head, fighting for attention. “I think... I'll take Fluttershy to see the seadragon.” That seemed a good plan; get away from large buildings, go somewhere he would be safer. “Care to come along?”

“I had planned to explore Aquis a bit, but with ponies trying to assassinate you, hanging out with you sounds more fun,” she said, practically grinning. 

He laughed and nodded. “Oh yes... I think I'll bring Chestnut as well, if she's not got too much of a hangover.”

“Who's Chestnut?” Dash said, arching a brow. 

He hesitated and then shrugged. “One of Doctor Whooves’s associates. She's supposed to be watching over me to make sure I don't do anything stupid, but unfortunately she discovered alcohol.”

Dash put a hoof over her mouth, trying to not laugh. “Oh. That doesn't sound good.” The hoof did no good as she began to laugh.

“Oh you don't know the half of it. She's been guzzling down everything she can.” He wondered if you could defeat changelings with alcohol, or if she was a fluke. That would need testing when he had time.

“She sounds a lot of fun. Think we should invite any other pony?” Dash said as she looked back behind them, there were a few seaponies following them. 

“Don't mind them. I don't have any seapony enemies.” He hesitated. “That are still alive.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Still alive?”

“Well...” He cleared his throat. “My enemies tend to wind up dead.” He put up his hooves defensively before she could speak. “Not by my doing. Most of the time. Usually it's their own fault. I tend to just...make them vulnerable, as it were. And other ponies tend to...finish them off.”

“I see,” she said, nodding slowly. It made a lot of sense. Yes, Copper had killed ponies, but he knew all of them. If not by name, then the look on their face as the light in their eyes died. Not including those aboard the False God.

He shuddered and took a deep breath. “Right then...where is everypony?”

“Down in the breakfast hall, waiting for me,” Dash said, as they started making their way down the stairs. “Are you worried about that unicorn?”

“No,” he said as he shook his head. “The seaponies will take care of him. They are...quite a thing when you harm one. Harming one, is harming them all. He's just lucky he didn't kill one of them.”

“So you're just leaving him to them?” She glanced back, though they were out of sight now.

“Like I said,” he gave a slight, humorless smile, “I just leave them vulnerable.”

~
Food was something that didn't rate very high on Copper's list of things that he wanted. He needed food of course, but he was very hesitant. Assassination was something that could be done in many ways. Who had sent the first one? When would another come up? He stared at the plate of food. Would somepony try poison? “I'm sorry?” He pulled his head up slightly, looking at Twilight, who was sitting across from him.

She frowned at him. “Who do you think would try to kill you?” she said once again.

Copper realized that the other ponies probably found it hard to talk to him sometimes. He got so lost in thought that it was hard to focus on anything else. “Not sure,” he said before he began to eat slowly. He trusted the seaponies. They were the only ones he truly did trust, besides his friends. “I've upset a lot of ponies. And griffons.” What he did not say was that he suspected Celestia for this particular one. He had heard of that unicorn before. Pop Pot. Whoever had sent him wanted him very dead, without a body to come back into. Which means they probably had some knowledge of the means that brought him back.

“Well, you ain't got nothin' ta worry about as long as we're all here,” Applejack said, as she gave him a slight nudge.

He smiled a bit. “Thanks. I really appreciate the help, though it's going to get a lot more dangerous in a hurry...been a long time since I had to really worry about assassins...” He sighed and continued eating. It was fish. A pony ate a lot of fish down here. It was a very plentiful food source. Thankfully it was cooked. Copper had never liked raw fish but he had come to enjoy the taste of cooked fish. Although it was more something to just eat and busy himself. The only other pony who was eating was Dash, who had left her breakfast in order to see what happened. 

“Is there anything I can get you, Copper?” Jeta said as she came into the room. She looked very worried.

“How's the seapony?” he asked, it was more important right now. His eyes were on Jeta, but he felt a lot of ponies and seaponies looking at him. No one had ever survived Pop Pot and word got around quickly. It was his understanding that Pop Pot had previously taken it as a professional courtesy to not come after Copper, since Copper had not come after him.

“He's fine,” she said as she moved a bit closer. He could tell that she was resisting the urge to hug him. “Pretty beat up, but he'll be fine.”

He smiled a bit and nodded. “Good...and Pop Pot?”

Her expression soured immediately. “He is locked up at the moment with a magical dampener over his horn. Still unconscious last I heard.”

“Good... I'll want to speak with him when I get back,” he said as he turned back to his food and continued eating.

“Back?” She blinked at him, staring in confusion. “Back from where?”

“To see the seadragon,” he said with a smile. “I told Fluttershy that we'd go and see him.”

She frowned at him. “Lord Fralg...” she said slowly, staring at Copper. “Does not like guests. We have a hard enough time dealing with him nowadays.”

He smiled a bit and sat up a bit straighter. “Perfect excuse for me to go and see him.”

“Are you sure?” she said, glancing over at Fluttershy. He knew what she was thinking, but knew she would not say it.

“Dash is coming with us. And I can more than handle myself,” he said as he stood up. There were things he wanted to say to her, but he knew he shouldn't. Things like, 'How did you let Pop Pot get all the way to my room?' But that would be in poor taste and honestly, not her fault at all. That was just himself trying to blame someone else. Why was he doing that? “I can do far more than handle myself, in fact,” he said with a large smile.

She smiled a bit back at him. “Yes...I know...you always get away with everything...”

In an attempt to keep something of himself and make sure that this was not her fault and to show that he didn't blame her at all, he hugged her. “I'm not gonna die again. Count on that.”

She hugged him back in return, a big smile on her face. “Thank you. For everything.”

He gave a slight shrug as he pulled away. “Just doing what I do.” 

With that, they left. Himself, Dash and Fluttershy, heading to the west. “It's...kinda creepy...” Dash said after a moment, looking around.

“Hm?” Copper looked at her. “What is?”

She gestured around vaguely. “The singing?”

He blinked, looking around and actually listening. And he heard it. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. It was hard not to laugh, but he did grin. “Oh it's just background to me. Spend a few months here and it'll either drive you mad, or you don't even notice it. Some ponies really don't like it, but the seaponies love it.” He took a deep breath, listening to it. It was impossible to make out the words, because only a few sang them. But the beat and the chorus were impossible to ignore now. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. “And it's grown on me.”

“I kind of like it...” Fluttershy mumbled, staring up blankly, watching seaponies in the distance.

“It's kinda creepy...not...bad. Just, weird,” she said, looking down alleyways and such. Copper only glanced down alley's and only certain ones. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. They would send experts. Experts would know which alleys would hide them properly. You can't just pick any old alley and wait. Windows were another thing that he had to worry about. But those were easier. Under this much water, you needed proper gear, which made you easier to spot. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. 

“Once we're out of the city we won’t hear it,” he said with a smile.

“I hope so...” Dash said, looking up at a group of seaponies swimming above them in the opposite direction. “Why do they have roads if they don’t use them? We don't have roads in Cloudsdale...”

“Because Aquis used to be a city above water.” They both looked at him, Dash arching her brow at him. Before they asked, he continued. “Long before Celestia's rule. Rumors actually say that this is where she was originally from, before she came to Equestria. No one knows why it sank, but the seaponies took up residence in it and are quite happy to keep the place looking good. Even if they don't use all of it.” He glanced through a doorway, into a large room. “A lot of these buildings are empty...” Seaponies tended to clump together in large groups, so there were many houses empty and then random ones speckled about that were crammed full. His mind wandered to the seapony in the room below his and he wondered why he had been alone.

“-rget that Celestia wasn't always in Equestria...” Dash said, her eyes shining towards the sky. Copper had managed to bring himself out of thought mid sentence. “It's weird to think of Equestria without her...”

“I don't know. I think that it makes a lot of sense. I mean, you know the history and all. It used to just be powerful unicorns that made the sun rise.” His mind needed to stay here, focus on what was going on. He couldn't let his guard down.

Unfortunately, they were quite far out of the city and still nothing had happened. Dash gave a sigh, before saying, “I had hoped that this would be a bit more exciting...” There seemed to be quite a bit of disappointment in her voice.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Glad to hear you're so concerned about my safety.” He shook his head, chuckling.

“That's not what I meant,” she protested. 

But Copper knew where the statement was coming from. She was on edge. She was nervous and she was probably scared or excited. “I know, Dash. But the thing about assassins, the good ones wait for the right opportunity. Unless they have a deadline, then they make situations right.”

There was a few moments of silence, before she spoke again. “You know a lot about assassinations...”

He nodded slightly, looking at her. He knew what was coming and his mind was shuffling in how to correctly answer it. “Of course.”

“Have...” She hesitated, trying to figure out how to word things herself. “Have you ever been an assassin?”

Copper shook his head. “No. I may have killed ponies...but it was usually out of self defense, or an accident... I've never been given a job to kill somepony.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “And I would not have taken them if I had.”

Fluttershy, who had been silent, finally spoke up, “How...how many ponies have you killed?” Her voice was so soft and quiet.

It made Copper’s heart sink. “Twelve. Twelve whose deaths I consider my fault. Who I personally killed...” He sighed again, closing his eyes before continuing, “I hate it.” But it was necessary. “I hate it when anyone has to die for any reason.” Excluding a few. “No pony deserves death.” Some deserve worse. “And no pony has any right to take the life of any other.” Especially me. He frowned and shook his head. His thoughts were jumbling themselves up and words were springing to the front of the line. This had not been the first time it had happened, but it was still annoying.

Fluttershy looked at him and gave him the impression that she knew all the words he had left unsaid. But it also showed something that he had not entirely expected. There was a hint of admiration. Or maybe it was pity. More likely pity. “But you never set out to kill anypony.” That was not a question, but it gave the feeling that it needed to be confirmed.

“Never,” he said, giving a slight nod. “Threaten, harm, harass, pester and all around badger many, but never kill.” He gave a slight smile, but Fluttershy just seemed puzzled.

Dash saw the humor in it and smiled in return. “Well glad we got that out there... I was starting to worry with the way you avoided the assassination so easily... I thought that only an assassin could be that good. I mean, there wasn't a scratch on you. And the room was pretty much gone.”

He nodded slowly and stared ahead. The mountain was getting closer and billowed black smoke. “That would be true. But it would also be true of someone who has hunted down assassins. And avoided them for most of his life.” He could make out details. Like the massive hole in the front.

Dash and Fluttershy followed his gaze to the large hole. “Do you think he'll take kindly to us coming?” Fluttershy said, looking nervously at Copper.

“I'm...not sure...but either way, I think that I should probably do the talking...” He smiled a bit and turned to Dash. “And remember, he's a friend. At least at the moment. Safest place around is probably right here. Though we won’t be able to go in...”

She frowned a bit. “Why not? Is he not going to let us?”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Oh I'm sure he would. But you'd get cooked before you made it in too far. It is an active volcano. And he likes it hot.” It was very, very hot already.

“What's his name?” Fluttershy said. 

Copper smiled and gestured for them to stop. “JonSong!” he called out. The capital S was somehow obvious in the pronunciation, though it was difficult to say why. The cave itself was still a ways away, but Copper didn't want to get any closer. Getting boiled was not on his list of things to do. “JonSong! I was wondering if we might have a word?”

In the distance, there was a grumbling and a rumbling. The rumbling was a bit more intimidating than the grumbling. “That is a very familiar voice...” The tone suggested sleepiness, as though the owner was just waking up. Slowly, a large, very large, scaled head poked out from a nearby hole that was quite well hidden. “But surely you could not have returned from the dead.” JonSong's scales shimmered amazingly, ranging from blues and greens in tint and shine from the gems embedded in his scales. But it was the two large blue eyes that drew one's attention.

“Oh but I have JonSong. And I felt it only prudent to come and give you the good news myself.” He gave the dragon a large smile, as Fluttershy cowered behind a rock and even Dash looked sheepish under that gaze. “After all, you are my friend.”

The dragon arched his brow, before speaking slowly. “Friend? Mmmm I suppose so. But as I understood it...you never liked having friends...” More of the dragon was pulling itself out of the hole, which was widening as he did.

“Death changes a pony,” Copper replied with a bigger smile. “But all that is a long and honestly rather dull story in my opinion, though others would say differently... What has been the goings on with a dragon such as yourself?”

A large, very large, and clawed, hand came up and scratched across the dragons chest in a lazy fashion. “Nothing.”

“Just the way you like it,” Copper said and took another deep breath. The air in the bubble smelled a bit of brimstone. 

For the first time since appearing, the dragon actually smiled slightly. “Very much so,” he said and seemed to give up on getting his lower half out from the hole and settled down.

“I'm glad to hear it,” he said. And he was. He truly was glad that JonSong actually seemed happy to see him. He knew that many would not. “But I do not have business for you today.”

Again the dragons brow arches. “Really? That is quite unlike you,” then he smirked before continuing. “Than this is for pleasure?” There was a way that the dragon said that that made everyone quite uncomfortable, Copper included.

Copper shook off the feeling with a soft chuckle, and shook his head, “Oh I suppose you could put it that way. Mostly curiosity. In point of fact, this ponies cur- Where's Fluttershy?” He had gone to gesture at her, but she was gone. 

The dragon looked around and then leaned over. “You mean this little thing?”

Fluttershy squealed in surprised and dashed back from behind her rock and rocketed behind Copper and Dash. “Sorry. She's very shy around new...well, new anything really,” Copper said, looking back at Fluttershy. “Come on... You wanted to see him...”

“Changed my mind,” she squeaked.

Copper chuckled again and looked at JonSong before speaking again. “Sorry.”

JonSong waved a hand vaguely. “Oh it's not a problem. I'm surprised she made it this far. Most do not make it even out of the city when they hear of me and want a visit. Some sort of rumor that I boil tourists alive, or some other such nonsense.”

He couldn't help but smirk. “Oh and I'm sure you would have no idea how that rumor got started, hm?”

He laughed. He actually laughed. It was a rumbling laugh that made the water feel actually a bit warmer. “Oh Copper. You know as well as I do, that I started it. Who better to come up with rumors, than the one that they were about?” Copper nodded knowingly. 

“Wait... You make up rumors about you?” Dash said, as she looked from JonSong, to Copper and then back. 

“Of course,” JonSong said, tapping the side of his nose with a claw in a conspiratorial manner. Copper wondered where he had learned that gesture, but JonSong was far older than Copper. “I like my privacy and constant visitors get on my nerves.”

“And no one wants to get on a dragon’s nerves,” Copper agreed, though he was hard pressed to stifle a chuckle. 

“Quite,” he said with a smirk.

That seemed to be it. Copper made sure that Fluttershy did not want to say anything to him and she just shook her head frantically, mumbling about this or that. Well, there was no way he was going to force her. “Thank you for your time JonSong. I'll send you a message later and you can give me more information on what's going on around here.”

The dragons brow arched, before he said, “You planning on using me as some sort of informant?”

Copper smiled at him. “Oh of course not. That would be disrespectful. I just would be very appreciative if you would be so kind as to tell me things that you find out and give me information.” His smile widened as JonSong smiled as well. He had not been sure that he was his friend before, but it seemed that he really was. 

“Oh I see. Just give information, eh?” His eyes seemed to glint. “Should be easy enough. People do tend to babble in front of me...but what sort of things do you want I should listen for?”

He thought on this and then gave a shrug. “Honestly I don't know. But I'm sure that you'll know it when you hear it.”

JonSong looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then nodded. “Yes. I'm sure I will. Especially when it concerns you.”

After some goodbyes and JonSong giving a half hearted attempt at a conversation with Fluttershy, which made no progress, they had left. That was odd, she had seemed so excited until actually seeing him. He had mentioned that he was huge, hadn't he? He was sure of it. Perhaps it was his eyes. Those eyes had stunned many into silence or gibbering. But it was good to know he had JonSong on his side.

~
The walk back was quite calm and peaceful. It was also quiet, except the Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo. That seemed to make everything simply feel better. It was surprising how much simple words could make him feel better, even if they were fairly nonsense and he couldn't make out any of the other words. But that didn't matter. The seaponies had many, many songs, but they all had the same chorus. Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo.

“What are you going to do to him?” Dash asked, staring at Copper as though she were almost daring him to say something over the line.

“I'm not going to do anything to him,” he said slowly. They had been talking about Pop Pot, who Copper was going to go and see. “Well...I'm going to talk at him, if that's anything.”

Dash stared at him and then nodded. Apparently satisfied with that kind of answer. “But...” Her brow wrinkled slightly and she looked away. “Why? I mean, he tried to kill you.”

“Yes well...” He paused, for some reason he wasn't even the tiniest bit upset over it. Perhaps it was because he had done such an awful job at it. He hadn't even checked to make sure he was in the room at the time. But that wouldn't feel right to say, so instead he said, “Well, he was hired to do it. I can't blame a pony for just trying to do his job.” Even if I wanted to. “I should be angry with the person who hired him.” Never blame the one doing the job. “Otherwise it wouldn't be fair.” And I would have a lot to answer to. He shook his head, again those secondary thoughts. It would get to the point that he wouldn't be able to tell what he actually said and what he just thought at this rate.

“I...guess that makes sense...” she said, though she sounded doubtful. 

“Well...why don't you two go off and see what Twilight and everypony is doing? I'd like the conversation to be private," he said with a smile at the both of them.

Dash gave him a look and he gave her a wider smile. “Alright...if you're sure...”

His smile widened a bit more. “Of course I'm sure. It's something I have to do. But I'm not gonna hurt him, that you can be sure of.” He turned his smile to Fluttershy, who returned it meekly. “He just needs a stern talking to.” He couldn't help but chuckle.

“Right,” Dash said and nodded to Fluttershy. “Come on, Fluttershy. Let's go see what everypony's doing.” 

With that, they left Copper. Then he was alone with his thoughts. Lots of thoughts. It was surprisingly good to see JonSong. Something about something that big being so kind and friendly made one feel better. But now, he had to go and speak with Pop Pot. But what would he say was the question. There seemed to be a lot of seaponies milling about as he half walked, half swam towards the end of the main hall. He knew that would be a way down into the dungeons. It seemed like every castle, no matter how old, or how new, had dungeons of some kind. Though a lot of them were converted into other things, or changed in some way or another to be a bit more cozy.

But these were proper dungeons. Dark. Very dark. They would probably be dank as well, if they were not filled with water. Though it seemed as though they really tried to give it a dank feeling. Which they succeeded. Seaponies were odd like that, trying to make the place feel like it should. Although ahead there was a lot of light and he could see the backs of seaponies. He heard some snippet of a conversation. “-ust throw him out. See how fast he can swim.”

“That would be cruel...” Some seapony said in response, “I say we just execute him.”

“I think not.” They all looked back at him. There was immediate shuffling and they all got out of his way. All except Jeta, who was standing in front of the door, blocking entrance. The door behind her was closed.

“Copper...” she said slowly and the relief in her voice was unmistakable.

“Alright. Everypony out,” he said, looking around. Nopony moved. “Did I stutter? Get out.” There was an immediate rush as every seapony did their best to flee, which was mildly hindered by the fact that they had to get around Copper in order to do so.

Eventually it had all cleared and only Jeta was left. “Thank you...” she said, breathing heavily. “They...they wanted to kill him.”

“Yes, I gathered that.” He moved towards her. 

She tensed up, her flippers baring his entrance as well. “You're not-”

“No,” he said simply and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I'm not going to kill him. Or hurt him. I just want to talk to him.”

“But he tried to kill you,” she protested staring at him.

He waved his hoof vaguely. “So have a lot of ponies. But I don't hold that against them personally, unless they do it out of personal reasons. I'm annoyed that somepony got hurt because of me... By the way, how is he?”

“Fine. Bit bruised, but he's up and about now,” she said as she began relaxing. 

He wondered if she would actually try to stop him if he had said otherwise. Probably. That's the kind of pony she was. She would not let someone else be hurt if she could stop it. “Good...I'll want to speak with him after Pop Pot.” He hesitated, looking behind her at the door. “Do...you know why he was alone in that room?”

Her face scrunched up slightly in thought. “No...” she said after a pause. “I had not thought about it until now...but that is quite odd now that I think about it...”

“Yes...” he said, still staring at the door. “Has he," he emphasized the word he to convey the new target, "Said anything? Asked for anything?”

She shook her head as she moved to the side. “No...he's just been sitting there quietly.”

He nodded slowly and then looked at her. “I need to speak with him alone,” he said and then held up a hoof as she was about to protest. “Please. I need to speak with him alone and he is the only one that is to hear what I have to say.”

There was a few seconds of hesitation, but then she finally nodded. “Alright...I trust you know what you're doing...”

With that, she left. He watched her go and made sure she was a good distance, before opening the door. And there was Pop Pot. Sitting on the floor at the back of the room, staring at the ground. He looked up as Copper entered and grinned as he spoke. “Sae ye'v come tae see me? Ah honestly didnae expect it.”
> 15: Pop Pot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Pop Pot. It was a name to be feared. Much as Copper's name had become, though for very, very different reasons. As Copper was somepony who could fix problems by talking things out, or maybe getting into a slight scuffle, Pop Pot was different. Pop Pot was, in all senses of the term, a killer. Of course, he had his own personal rules. No females, usually. No children. That gave him quite a bit of respect among other killers and many ponies, Copper included. But he had never seen Pop Pot before and looking at him now, really looking at him, he was almost as he had pictured him. Just a tad more wiry and he did not expect so many burns. What caught him most off guard were those eyes. Those deceptively pleasant golden eyes. “Ur ye gonnae say somethin'? Ur jist staur at me aw day?” The accent was thick and Copper only had vague recollection of hearing it before.

“I'm thinking,” Copper said, his eyes not leaving Pop Pot's.

“Thinkin' ay whit? Whit yoo're gonnae dae tae me?” His face melted into something of a smirk.

“No. Thinking of what to say to you.” Even the smirk was pleasant. As if this were all some kind of misunderstanding and that he was his friend.

“Ah, that's a lot harder Ah hink. Ah ken Ah wooldnae ken whit tae say tae somepony fa jist tried tae kill me,” he said as he nodded appreciatively. 

“Yes, you would simply make them go...pop,” Copper tried to keep his tone from getting nasty and mostly managed it.

“Och aye. It makes things sae much easier. Skips aw th' arguin'.” That smirk was something that could almost be infuriating. 

But Copper had to stay calm, at least for now. “I suppose that it could end a lot of trouble...but I find myself in quite a conundrum at the moment...”

He arched a brow at him and Copper noticed the wince. “Whit kin'?” he said, with his smile coming back.

“The kind of trying to figure out what to say to you. I don't want to do anything to you-”

“Nae yer style.”

“Yes. Not my style. I do not beat up someone who is defenseless...but you did try to kill me.” Copper sat down; he wondered what kind of life Pop Pot had had that made him become this way.

“Woods it be alrecht if Ah started us aff oan talkin'?” he said with a larger smile. Copper almost envied him for the joy that all this must be bringing him. He gestured a hoof to tell him to continue. “Weel, believe it ur nae, Ah was quite upsit tae hear yoo'd croaked.”

Copper arched a brow at him. “Why?”

“Aye hud a lot ay respect fur ye an' yer words. Ye got problems solved wi' words, whaur others hud failed. Gotta respect a pony wha can dae 'at.”

Copper's brow rose further. “Yet you tried to kill me.”

He waved a hoof dismissively, before speaking again, “Misunderstandin'. Ah thooght ye whaur some impostur. Yoo'd bin deid fur fower years, an' Ah thooght some dunce hud got it in their min' 'at they coods be ye. 'At dornt sit reit wi' me.”

His face became contemplative as he worked out what he had said. “So, you took it upon yourself to kill my impostor?”

“Nah. Somepony hired me fur 'at. Aot a braw discoont thocht,” he said with a grin. “But Ah ainae gonna e'en try an' tak' oan Copper. Ye didne e'en gie a scart oan ye, an' 'at was mah best shot.”

There was a moment’s hesitation, before Copper spoke. “Yes... Well, I have avoided many assassination attempts in my past...”

“Ah ken. Ah seen th' ponies who've tried. Disrespectful wark in mah opinion,” he said as his head tilted to the side slightly. “Figured it whit yoo're gonnae say tae me yit?”

He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. After hearing that, I think I do.” He looked at Pop Pot, trying to see if he could read anything off the pony’s face. But he was impossible. After all, he was an expert. He had stared down many ponies in court rooms and gotten off free. “I am not going to ask you who hired you.”

“Ah thenk ye fur 'at. Ah woods hate tae hae tae refuse tae teel ye.”

“Yes... I kind of assumed that. But I think first, I have to ask...why the gold armor?” It had been bugging him. He had thought it had been one of Celestia's guards, or something. 

“A scooby, an' a disguise.”

“A scooby...” Copper said slowly, staring at him as his mind searched for old slang words he had heard. “A clue?”

Pop Pot's grin widened, as he nodded. “Aye.”

He thought for a few seconds and then nodded. “Thank you. Though the clue was unnecessary. I already know who hired you.”

“Och aam sure ye dae. Ye gart a bonnie powerful enemy thaur.” It was odd the way that Pop Pot's head wavered as he spoke.

“Yes, I'm aware...” He sighed softly and stared down at the ground, then looked back up at Pop Pot. He watched as his smile slowly faded as he stared him down. Finally, he spoke again, “Are you going to try and kill me again? I know there's no such thing as a failed job for you... You always get the pony you're after.”

He shook his head from side to side, almost frantically, saying, “Nae. Ah took th' job coz Ah thooght ye whaur somepony else. Ah am nae gonnae tango wi' Th' Copper. Ye awreddy proved ye coods tak' me in a fair barnie, Ah dornt want tae e'en try an shan a body.”

Again he had to pause to search his memory for a translation. “Shan a body... Unfair fight.”

His grin snapped back, as he nodded. “Yoo're bonnie guid at understandin' me. Most ponies cannae fin' a lick ay sense in whit Ah say.”

“Yes... Well, I have practice,” Copper said, staring at the floor. His mind was racing now. Pop Pot was no longer a threat. The pony may be a killer, but from what he knew of him, he was not a liar. He had stood in front of juries and told the truth. Yes I killed that pony. No I am not sorry. And somehow it worked, as if no one believed him.

“Och aye Ah ken. Ye spent quite a lang time in mah homelain.” He got an odd, far away look in his eyes before he continued, “Sometimes Ah wish Ah coods gang back thaur... See th' rollin' fields... An' th' shepherds wi' their flocks...”

“But they'd hang you,” Copper said with a slight smile. He had a great many places he'd like to go back to, but he would not be welcome.

“Aye...” He smiled a bit at Copper. “That's somethin' we hae in common.”

~
Darkness sometimes gets so thick that it gets its own texture. Its own feel. So dark that you can actually feel it, to the point where it was almost suffocating. But it wasn't all that bad. In fact, Copper found it almost soothing. Of course, the cold seemed to dull the pain of the bruises and even though the hay he was laying on did not smell pleasant, it was soft. Now if only he could find sleep. His mind fell back, trying to recount the days events. Where exactly had it gone wrong?

He had arrived early in the morning and was greeted by a rather sullen looking pony. Gray all over, but had the air of one who believed their purpose was important and planned to carry out their job. He was built quite large. “Morning,” he had said to him and...did he smile? He couldn't remember. Probably.

To which the pony had replied, after quite a long pause, “Yes I suppose it is morning.” Well, technically that's not what he said. What he actually said was, “Och aye Ah suppose it is morn.” But his mind sort of filled in the gaps and changed words around to become something more accustomed. He had spent weeks in Trotland and the accent had finally broken to him and he could follow the slang quite easily.

“Are you Mr. MacFlour?” Copper said, looking at him. Ponies had made it quite clear that it was flour, not flower. Any hint that you say flower, could get you a burst ower th' heed.

“Aye,” he said as he turned around. Copper was to follow him. That's probably when the day went bad. It had been Mr. MacFlour, but he honestly didn't know anything about the pony. Of course, now he knew that he was a criminal and that most of Trotland was run by some sort of criminal organization of some kind, which he had gotten on the bad side of apparently. 

Mr. MacFlour had brought him to see the Boss. Deserving of the capital letter, Copper decided. Whether that was the pony’s name or not, he didn't know. Didn't rightly matter at the moment anyways. The Boss had wanted to see him because he had convinced quite a few ponies to side with Celestia in new trade agreements. He didn't know that Boss was the opposition. The thought dawned on him that that is what he had been doing a lot of lately. Opening trade agreements. 

It had taken quite a long time to get to Boss and his mansion, though castle would be more of the proper term. Long enough, that when he finally entered the large room and saw the large built pony behind the desk, he said, “Afternoon.”

“Ah, Copper. I'm glad that you could come and see me on such short notice.” Again Copper’s internal translator was running on automatic. He rather liked it. “I do hope Mr. MacFlour was not rough.”

That had aroused his suspicions quite a bit. “Should he have been?” he said, glancing back at the empty space where Mr. MacFlour had been.

That had been another mistake, one that he should not have made. He took his eyes off Boss. His instincts had him lean slightly, which softened the blow a bit. Still hurt a lot and knocked him several hooves across the room and sliding into the wall. “You've been sticking your nose in where it don't belong,” was what he said as Copper slowly got back to his feet. 

He glanced down at the front hooves which had hit him. They had metal on them, much like a horseshoe but one that covered the entire hoof. “That...was a bit uncalled for...” he managed, as he watched Boss come towards him.

“You've been pulling my business. You've got a lot more coming to you.” For somepony so large and with the metal hooves, he moved quietly. This was someone who knew how to fight.

The next blow would have left Copper short a few teeth, but instead, it forced Boss to look for a carpenter to fix the wall. Copper was accustomed to fighting, too. A return hoof to Boss' muzzle sent him sprawling backwards and Copper moved quickly away, circling the edge of the room. “So you planned to take it out on me? That's hardly fair.” He watched as he got back up, annoyingly quickly. A good fighter, strong, quiet and tough. Not a good combination with the fact that he was the leader and probably smart. 

“Life ain't fair,” he said as he circled. Or, tried to. Copper had planted his back to a wall and wasn't about to circle around. A wall was a good thing to have at your back sometimes. Especially in the middle of someone else's castle.

“I know. But we're both grown adults and I think that we could solve our problems with something other than hooves,” he said as he watched Boss pace back and fourth. After a brief thought, he crouched slightly as another blow came at him and hit the wall. “No I suppose not.” He placed a blow to the knee of the leg that had slammed the wall beside him. Then a second to his muzzle again. 

Again he sent him sprawling and to a slight satisfaction it took him a bit longer to get up. “I see ya got some skills.”

“Don't live as long as I have, making as many enemies as I have, without them.” He thought that had been a good line, but then Boss had called in his lackeys and several ponies had come in.

He sighed as he curled up more on the hay. One or two he could take, three was difficult and he usually ran from four or more. But there had been nowhere to go and he had gotten the hay beaten out of him. Then the Trotland Guard had shown up and arrested him. Him. Copper Feather. He was a diplomat. No one arrests a diplomat. This was going to make things very difficult for Boss. Would have been better politically to simply kill him.

Hopefully that was a thought that Boss didn't have. It would be easy to say that there was some kind of accident, a train wreck or something. His eyes closed slowly and he took a deep breath. He had been down here for quite a while now he guessed. There was no way for him to keep track of time down here, but he assumed that it was the next day.

The sudden light would have hurt if his eyes had been open, but thankfully they had been closed and all he saw was the red glare. “Gie up,” somepony said and he slowly opened his eyes as he stood up. It was a Trotland Guard. A unicorn, whose horn was glowing. He wasn't sure if it was one of the ones from the other day, but he didn't look happy to see him.

“Ya know it's a tad dark down here,” Copper said, it was worth the jab in the ribs to make some sort of joke of it. He knew a few ribs were broken. So was his wing and judging by the limp, his leg as well. Or maybe it was just sprained. Either way, he had quite a long time of healing ahead of him, unless Celestia herself was going to use healing magic on him again. “So where are we going?”

“Haud yer weesht, an' donner,” the guard said, giving him another jab.

Shut up and get going. “Hod what?” Copper said and abruptly started moving so that the third jab missed.

He was jabbed again, but it felt worth it as he was lead up towards the stairs at the end of the hall, it wasn't long before the went into a large room, where he saw a lot of guards. At least two dozen. Most of them were chatting, or sitting at desks and filling out paperwork. The room fell silent as he walked up the stairs and stared around the room. There was a harsh feeling in the air and it was all directed at Copper. Copper glared around the room, matching every stare and intensifying it. Most looked away in a hurry, though a few managed to hold it for a moment. “Gie gonnae,” the guard said and jabbed him again. 

He spun and pinned the guard to the wall with one hoof. “Prod me again and I'll beat the living hay out of you.” His voice was soft, though harsh. He was tired and angry and in a hay of a lot of pain. Copper had had enough of this. “You may not care about the fact that I am a diplomat, but I swear to Celestia, I will see every last one of you hang if I even think you're going to prod me again.”

The look of panic flew across the unicorn's face and Copper let him go. “Alrecht, sorry...” he mumbled and then cleared his throat. “If ye coods please heed upstairs...” 

Copper nodded and took a deep breath, feeling something crack as he did. He winced and limped up the stairs. At the top there was an open door. “Come in Copper.” Behind a desk at the other end of the room, was a pony with a dark brown, with a black mane. He stared at Copper as he entered, with pale green eyes. “Ah am th' commander ay Trotland guard. Mah nam is Arthur Guard.”

“What can I do for you, Commander?” Copper said as he took a careful seat on a cushion on the other side of the desk. 

“Aam nae sure if ye ken hoo things wark aroond here-”

“I am finding out,” Copper said, frowning at him. “You let criminals run the country.” 

There was a few seconds of silence, before he spoke. “Yes...weel, things coods be a lot waur.”

“I'm sure it could...but that doesn't change the fact I was nearly beaten to death,” he said as he took another deep breath, which caused another crack and a wince as he put his leg loosely around his chest.

There was a few more seconds of silence, as the Commander stared at him. “Th' most Ah can dae, is gie ye it ay haur,” he said slowly, rubbing his face slightly.

“Out... Yes. You mean you're going to kick me out?” Copper's eyes did not leave his, though the Commander seemed to want to look at everything but Copper.

“Tae be blunt, aye. We cannae hae ye runnin' aroond Trotland, upsettin' th' Boss.” He sighed softly and moved some papers around on his desk.

Copper was about to protest, but part of him reminded him that he was in no shape to argue. “Fine.”

~
“Quite... Boss doesn't like either of us,” Copper said, as he stared at Pop Pot. “So... Pop Pot...”

“Mah friends, thocht Ah hae huir uv a few, caa me Pots. An' if Ah consider anyain aroond haur a mukker, it's ye,” Pots said with a grin.

He hesitated. “All right... Pots.” Pots’ grin spread further and Copper cleared his throat before he continued. “What are your plans now? Now that you're not going to kill me.”

He waved a hoof dismissively in the air and for the first time, Copper noticed a bracelet. It was a small chain, with several little things attached to it. “As suin as aw thes is sorted it, Ah'll be oan mah way.”

“I'm afraid that it's more complicated than that,” Copper said and watched as Pots grin slowly faded. “You hurt a seapony. In the room below mine, there was a seapony who you injured.”

His grin faded slowly. “A seapony in th' room bellaw? Ah checked 'at room, an' thaur was nopony in it.”

“Well...you must have not seen him. But...down here, causing injury to a seapony is quite an offense. They tend to drown ponies who do.”

For the first time, he actually looked shocked and frowned at him. “Droon ponies? But 'at was an accident. Wa was he e'en doon thaur?”

He shook his head. “I don't know... It's so unusual for them to be alone... I will need to go and speak with him after this...but, for now...I'm not going to let them drown you.” You're too useful. “I'm sure Jeta will understand.” I have a plan now.

The grin snapped back and he nodded at Copper. “Thenk ye. Aam sure yoo've awreddy thooght ay mony ways fur me tae repay ye.”

Copper smiled slightly as he stood up, saying, “Oh I've thought of a few. But now, I think I have a seapony to go and speak with...” He turned and moved out of the door.

“Ah'll be seein' ye,” Pots said as Copper left and closed the door.

Copper looked at Jeta, who was floating a respectable distance away from the door. He didn't know if she had been listening, but he really didn't care too terribly much. “No one is to enter this room and he is not allowed to leave,” Copper said, as he moved beside her. “He is not going to be drowned... Now...I'd like to speak with the seapony who was in the room below mine.”

Jeta nodded and smiled slightly. “Yes... He's in the medical wing.”

He nodded and headed down the hallway. When he realized that she was following him, he stopped and said, “I don't need an escort. I know where it is, Jeta.” He managed to give a bit of a smile. “I'll be fine. Right now, I'm more worried about Pots... I know how protective and aggressive seaponies can be.”

She hesitated, staring at him before she spoke, “I'm worried about you...Why do you want to spare a pony that tried to kill you?”

He made a quick explanation of what Pots had said and added to the end, “And I believe him. Pots isn't really a pony to lie...” He gave Jeta a soft nudge, smiling at her. 

Though she frowned at him. “I still don't like it...” she said, staring back at the door. “He's not a good pony...”

Copper straightened up a bit. “Nether am I.” With that, he turned and left. She did not follow and he was glad of that. He wasn't a nice pony. He was a pony that got things done, even at the cost of lives. Albeit not that many lives, and he had done his best to not kill, or even hurt when he could, but there was no way he could say otherwise. He was not a nice pony.

He passed a few seaponies on his way to the medical wing, which was near the front half of the castle. Castle Aquis. It was what was written on signs and tapestries. But it never felt like a castle to him. It was too alive with bodies moving about. This felt more like a town, that went upwards. Why was he thinking like this all of a sudden? He stared about as he entered what was known as the medical wing. Surprisingly, it was aired in. A few hooves of water gave seaponies freedom of movement, but there was air here. It had not been like this the last time he had been here.

~
Bright light can be just as darkness, with its own sort of texture, but it is nothing to fear. Though Copper would have honestly preferred the dark with how he felt at that moment. How long had he been out? He had left Trotland by ship. There had been a storm and now he was waking up in what felt like a hospital room. One filled with water. Slight panic jolted him all the way awake and up into a sitting position. But logic came back in quickly. He was wearing a bubble stone. Then he hurt and slunk back into the comfort of the bed.

In the distance, seeming to float through the window was the Shoo-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo of seaponies. That was a comforting thought. He knew he was safe now. All he had to do now was wait for someone to come and check on him. Moving wasn't an option, judging by the feeling of dull pain that coursed through his body. Thoughts drifted through his mind. Then one stuck. He was almost done. Just a few more jobs. Just a few more she had said. A trip to Appleoosa. Then Griflon was next to deal with somepony called Lers and then a few more that Celestia wouldn't tell him about. A few more years and he'd be done. He had done his best in Trotland. There wasn't even a hint on the outside that some sort of underground criminal organization that ran the whole place. 

A seapony floated into the room lazily, wearing a nurse’s white smock and hat. “Excuse me...” he said softly, his voice coming out far more hoarse than he expected.

She froze and stared at him. “Y-you're awake!” she exclaimed and before Copper could reply all that was left in the room was him and a bunch of bubbles.

“That was weird...” he mumbled as he got more comfortable on the bed. By what he heard, there was a lot of commotion going on. What kind of room was this? It didn't look like a recovery room. He'd been in those before and they weren't this stuffy. They were stuffy, but this room almost gave new meaning to the word. Several more seaponies moved in quickly and one pony wearing a bubble stone which he recognized. “Dr. Hive... What's going on?” It was easy to recognize him. He was, for one, completely white and wore spectacles that looked far too tiny for anypony to actually see anything through clearly.

The seaponies were starting to move the bed out of the room. He was vaguely aware of many other beds in the room. “I... Can only assume that you're confused,” Dr. Hive said, as he followed closely behind the bed. “You see, Copper... How do I... Explain this...”

“By getting to the damned point,” Copper managed to say, staring at him.

Dr. Hive cleared his throat. “You have been in a coma for three months, two... Weeks and four days.” That shut Copper up, much to the obvious pleasure of Dr. Hive. “Your ship capsized in a storm and you... Were found drifting, unconscious, by seaponies. They always swim closer to the surface during storms, as you... Well know.”

Copper managed to find his voice again. “A coma...” It wasn't much, but at least he managed something more than a wide eyed stare.

He nodded. “Oh yes. One that... We... Were quite sure you... Wouldn't come out of. Letters are already being sent out of your awakening. I... am sure Jeta... Will be here... Within an hour.” That speech impediment of his would drive somepony crazy someday, Copper was sure of it. Pausing every time before words that started with W and after his I's. Copper was sure he did it on purpose.

“What...did Celestia say about this?” Copper said. His voice felt so far away and was difficult to bring forth.

“She... Was quite worried. Unfortunately it... Was too dangerous to move you, as you… Were badly beaten. And I do not mean by the storm,” he said as he adjusted his glasses. “I...know hoof marks... When I...see them. Apparently Celestia has had some serious... Words with those in Trotland.”

“But what did she say about me being in a coma?”

“She... Was very upset and actually had plans to come down here herself next month... When she had some time to leave the kingdom,” he explained as though to a child. “I...am bothered by the fact that she thought it so unimportant.”

Copper shook his head and regretted it immediately as pain surged down through his body. “No... It's to be expected. She doesn't have time to travel the kingdom, let alone leave it,” he said softly, mostly to reassure himself. “I am surprised that she would have even considered coming down here for me...” 

~
Copper realized that there was a seapony beside him, waiting respectfully for him to be given his attention. “Yes?” Copper said, looking at the seapony.

This seemed to catch him off guard. That was not something that was supposed to be said in this situation. “Uhm... Can I help you?” the seapony managed, looking at him.

He blinked. “Oh, yes. Sorry... I'm looking for the seapony that was injured last night in the explosion.”

“Ah. Tont... Yes, well visiting hours-” the words faltered under Copper's gaze and seemed to beat the hay out of the tongue on their way back down. “Of course,” he managed after almost ten whole seconds. “This way.” 

Copper almost struggled to keep up with the seapony, who led him to a door, gestured at it and then quickly swam away. He hesitated at it. There had also not been doors the last time he had been here.

~
It had been almost ten minutes before Jeta burst through the doorway and she would have probably tackled Copper if Dr. Hive had not been there to restrain her. “Please, Miss Jeta. He is still severely injured and should be moved as little as possible.”

After a moment, Jeta calmed down. “Who did it to you?” she said, in an accusing way that was toned to inflect that it was Copper’s fault he was in such a shape.

It was. That was obvious, but he had hoped that she would have been a bit more comforting and less accusatory. “Honestly it doesn't matter.” And I'm fairly certain I may have killed a few of them. “I'm not going back there anytime soon.” Again he sank into the bed more. Everything ached, although the pain was not as bad as it had been before.

“Doesn't matter?” she said, pulling from Dr. Hive and rushing to the bed side. Copper wished he could sink further into the bed. Sometimes he forgot that he learned that gaze from her and this was an unwanted reminder. “You almost died!”

“But I didn't,” he said soothingly and smiling slightly at her. “And I feel a lot better.” His gaze went past her to Dr. Hive as he left the room. He wasn't sure how he felt about such a large hole for a door.

~
Now he missed the hole. It would have made it easier than it was going to be. He didn't bother to knock, but opened the door slowly instead. Inside was a seapony, who he immediately recognized as the one who had been under the rubble. He was heavily bandaged, including one over his left eye as far as he could tell from this angle. Copper was unsure what to say to the golden seapony, who was staring peacefully out the window. So he opted for safe ground. “How do you feel?”

The pony turned to look at him and Copper noticed that it was not just his eye that was bandaged, but most of the left face. Somehow he managed a smile. “Oh much better. Dr. Hive says that I'll be able to leave in a week, but I have to do my best to stay in bed until then,” he explained as he watched Copper close the door, move to a chair beside the bed and sit down on it. The seapony opened his mouth to say something, but Copper cut him off.

“Stop,” Copper said as he held up a hoof, continuing, “Do not thank me. Please. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I don't want your thanks, for something that was my fault.” 

The seapony’s smile widened a bit. “All right...” he said, as he turned back to look out the window. “I won’t say it. But you have it whether you want it or not.”

Copper couldn't stop himself from smiling. “Okay, I can accept that. As long as I don't have to hear it.” He took a deep breath, looking at him. “What is your name?”

Slowly he turned to look at him. There was a slight pause before he spoke. “Tont.”

Copper looked at him before smiling. He had heard the nurse seapony, or whatever they called themselves, mention his name, but it was polite to ask. “Well, Tont. I'm Copper Feather. Whether you know it or not.”

Tont smiled at him. “Oh I know who you are,” he said and his gaze turned once again out the window. “No seapony doesn't.”

“Yes...” Copper said, nodding slowly. “I'm aware of my odd fame around here...”

“You're the reason we have Lord Fralg protecting our waters. No one wants to bother us anymore with him around.” His voice was awfully low. Calm. Perhaps a little drowsy. 

It was odd hearing JonSong referred to as Lord Fralg. He knew that it was technically his name. JonSong Fralg. But the title of lord seemed a bit unsettling. Copper wondered if he was the only pony to still call him JonSong. “Yes, I hear he does do a lot of good...”

Silence fell after that. Minutes ticked by as Copper joined Tont in staring out the window. Copper was just about to leave when Tont spoke again. “What is to happen to the pony who tried to kill you?”

Copper hesitated, before speaking, “I don't know.” That was the truth. He would try to get him out of here alive, but that may prove difficult.

“I hope he's all right...” Copper stared at him for several seconds, trying to work out what kind of pony Tont was. He was kind, soft spoken, probably quite easy going. Probably didn't have too stressful of a job. “I don't want him drowned...”

“I think that's the most important thing,” Copper said, smiling. “No one will drown him, as long as you don't want him to be drowned.”

He nodded slowly in response. “After all...it was an accident...”

Realization started to dawn on Copper as to the reason he even came to visit Tont. To satisfy his curiosity. “What were you doing all alone in that room?”

Tont did not respond, remaining quiet as he stared out of the window. Copper refused to move to another topic and merely waited. Finally Tont said, “Would it change anything if I answered?”

Copper looked at him and then sighed. “No. I was just curious.” That felt like a lame excuse for asking what apparently was a hard question. He had not expected that. “I'm sorry for asking.”

He turned to him and smiled. “It's fine, Mr. Feather. If you really want to know...I did not go in alone and I am...saddened that I was alone...but it is also a good thing. Because no one else was hurt.”

Copper’s mind went back to the pile of rubble that he dug through. The bed had been buried, but Tont had not been on it. He had been on the floor beside it. That probably saved him. Not as much rubble there. And it was also the reason Pots never saw anypony in the room. “I am still sorry for asking. It was none of my business. And it still is not.”

“It's fine,” he said again and turned back to the window.

What had happened? Copper was even more curious, though he knew ponies. Seaponies especially. Seaponies were easier because they were a lot simpler. But this seapony had hidden depths and Copper didn't have the heart to try and dig into them. “I'll leave you to get your rest,” he said as he stood up and headed towards the door.

“Thank you for visiting,” Tont said, smiling at him. Copper realized that despite everything, the seapony was truly happy. For some reason that he could not even begin to guess at, Tont was happy.

Copper gave him a nod and then left the room, closing the door behind him. He leaned heavily against the wall, taking deep breaths. Something was nagging at him, something bad. Then, an annoyingly familiar voice came up behind him, “I... See you are here, Copper. Could you please tell me... Why you are harassing my patients?”

Copper turned to look at Dr. Hive. He almost glared, but then he saw his face. He looked so much older and tired. But worst of all, he seemed a mashed together ball of emotions. Sadness, grief, anger, depression and many others. “I am not harassing anypony. I merely came to make sure Tont was all right...”

“You could have... Waited until visiting hours. There are rules you know.” He pushed the spectacles back up, they seemed a bit larger than Copper remembered. “I... Would think you of all ponies... Would know the importance of rules and how... We all have to hold to them.”

“Yes,” Copper said simply as he walked back down the hallway towards the exit. That damned speech impediment was going to drive him absolutely mad.
> 16: Back in the Badlands
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Copper stared down at the mess on the floor and then around the room. Slowly he took in everything. Glasses were everywhere, as were bottles. “Have you been in here all day?” There was a grumble from the mass of blankets on the bed in the center, which seemed devoid of any debris. He sighed, shaking his head. “I did tell you to take it easy...”

“I...eel like I'm dying...” a voice mumbled from beneath the covers. “I want to diiieee...”

“It's called a hangover.” Copper moved towards the bed, being careful not to step on, or in, anything. Apparently changelings couldn't die from alcohol poisoning, otherwise Chestnut would be dead about ten times over. “Ya know, someone tried to kill me.” But maybe she hadn't been drinking alone.

There was a grumbling from under the blankets and Chestnut’s head popped out. Or well, Copper assumed it had to be Chestnut’s, as he didn't know any other changelings in the area. “Why?”

“Not sure,” he said as he moved beside the bed. “You're out of shape, by the way. Not sure if you can tell...” She was staring at, or through, him, her eyes wide. It was difficult for Copper to tell which. “What?” he said finally, when he could not take the staring.

“You...” she said, seeming to falter in her search for words.

“Me?” There was a few seconds of thought, then he chuckled and nodded. “Yes. Back to normal. No more technically dead for me.” Her silence lead him to believe that was not enough, so he continued, “That was the point of coming here, remember?” All that she managed was a slight nod. He sighed. “Honestly, that was the whole point of this.” Though now there is a new point to it. “I can think far clearer,” I can't stop my mind from racing, “and things are starting to make sense.” Though not enough.

“R-right... I just...” She stared at him, then cleared her throat and closed her eyes. “My head is killing me...”

He chuckled softly, “I did tell you to take it easy, didn't I?” He looked out the window a before moving over to it and looking out. 

“Does this happen every time?” She groaned and shook her head. The blur went from black, to brown, as she was once again Chestnut.

“No. Only when you drink too much. Some ponies build up immunities to it though, or I should say a tolerance. While others find it worth the headache.” Something was coming. He could feel it. “Now come. We have to get outta here.”

“Why?” she said as she crawled out of the bed and into the mess on the floor.

There was a slight hesitation as Copper made his way towards the door. “Just...a feeling,” he said as he glanced both ways down the hall, which was empty. “First...we have a stop to make...”

The dungeons felt just the same as they walked down them, Chestnut constantly muttering things like, “Oh my head...” and “Never again...”

Copper couldn't help finding it amusing. But everything seemed amusing to him right now. He felt like he was floating along. Well, technically he was, but that wasn't what he truly meant. He turned a corner to see Jeta leaning against the wall, staring at the one opposite. The door at the end of the hall was still closed. “Everything all right, Jeta?”

“Mm?” She tilted her head to look at him and Copper knew immediately something was wrong. “Oh everything's fine. The wall is just...” Her gaze traveled back to where she had been staring, “So interesting...”

He rushed to her quickly and stared at her. It took a few seconds to find a clue, but there was a small puncture wound in her neck. “Watch her,” he said and rushed to the door. Copper wasn't an idiot and knew that he couldn't force the door, but he pressed his ear to it. 

“You failed,” somepony said after a pause. 

“Nae Ah didne,” Pots snapped, “Ah took th' job fur th' someain impersonatin' Copper. Since nae a body was actually daein' 'at, there's nae job.” Copper tried the door and to his surprise it was unlocked. He stopped, leaving it open a fraction. He could see the bubble film in front of the door, saying that it was still full of air and dry. That was both good and bad.

He rushed back to Jeta. “Jeta. What's the release word?”

“Mmm?” She looked at him, or rather, through him. 

“The release word. For Pots,” Copper insisted, trying to remain calm, but that was becoming difficult. He needed Pots alive. 

But the blank look that she was giving caused him a bit of worry. “Pop Pot go boom,” she said with a giggle, before she slumped to the side.

“Well she's useless,” Chestnut said, leaning heavily against the wall. 

“You aren't being very helpful yourself,” he snapped at her and shook Jeta gently, “Jeta... Come on. Jeta. Please... What is the release word?”

She giggled again and mumbled, “Boom goes the pot...”

“Jeta...come on. We're looking for a word starting with J.” He lifted her up so that he could look at her. It had to start with J, as that was the way you cast the spell. Beginning letter of the so called guard, who would be the only one who knows the word, unless they tell somepony.

“Jeta start with J,” she said with a grin.

He frowned and let her go. “Fine, we'll do this the hard way.” Jeta slumped once again to the floor, as Copper made his way quickly to the door. He kicked it as hard as he could, which was bad for the pony standing off to the side of it. He saw two other ponies, one was Pots and the other was- Jet. Blue with a bright gold mane sticking out from under his helmet. He was a failed Wonderbolt, who joined Celestia's guard when they kicked him out of the Wonderbolt Academy. For excessive brutality, if Copper remembered correctly. Beating a pony to near death, so they couldn't beat him in the next days race kind of thing. But that wasn't why Copper hated him.

“Ah Copper. I was wondering when-” Copper was not going to hear a lecture, not now, not by this brute of a pegasus. And the hoof he got to the throat would shut anypony up. But that wasn't near enough to take him out, just put Jet down. Copper went to slam both hooves down on him, but Jet rolled away, coughing heavily. “Damn,” he wheezed, holding his throat as he backed away. “No mercy, eh?”

“Not for you,” Copper growled and gave the door another hard kick. The noise of somepony being crunched between a door and a wall was very unpleasant. “Or any friend of yours.”

“Oh please, like that pathetic excuse for a unicorn was my friend,” he said, regaining some composure. Copper looked at Pots, who appeared to be unconscious. Or dead. He hoped it was the former. “I'm like you. No friends. Things are easier that way.”

“I have friends, Jet. More friends than I know,” Copper said, taking deep breaths. There was a lot of blood in the air and on the floor. Jet was splattered quite a lot. They really had worked Pots over. He really hoped that he wasn't dead.

Jet laughed, smirking as he spoke. “You? Friends? Copper the dog?” Copper's eyes narrowed. “Oh I do love how much you hate that little nickname...” He rushed at Copper. He swung a hoof towards Copper's face, but it instead connected with hoof. Copper struck back, but Jet leaned back with ease. “Whose dog are you now, Copper?” Copper made a sweep for his back legs, as Jet flapped his wings, gaining elevation above the swipe. He rolled to the side as all four of Jet's hooves clattered on the floor where he had been. “Whose dog?”

Copper wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Besides that, he needed to watch him. Jet was a competent fighter, one that Copper had gone up against a few times. Every time had been a struggle and now Jet had years on him. Years that Copper was sure he spent beating ponies into the dirt. Jet was the kind of pony Pots wasn't. The ruthless one. Not just a killer, but murderer without rules and a shiny helmet to do it under. A dodge to the side put Jet closer to the doorway. But Jet wasn't stupid; he knew Copper would be on him easily if he tried to run. Copper blocked another blow and kicked at Jet's stomach, which he blocked in turn. “You're biding your time...” Copper said, breathing heavily.

But so was Jet. “Whatever do you mean, dog?”

“You're...not fighting seriously... I know there's more on the way...” His mind was racing again, there was that twinge of the feeling. And the smirk on Jet's face confirmed his suspicion. Another swipe at Jet, with a block of his kick. 

“It's no fun fighting you,” Jet said as he struck out again, but Copper knocked his hoof out of the way. “You're so serious.” Copper ducked as he swung at him again and he shouldered into Jet, planting him into the door. There was quite the unpleasant crunch. He staggered backwards, holding his stomach. Jet had gotten in a hit. “No smiles. C'mon. Where's the dog who was out to teach me a lesson, hm?” He smirked at him and shifted over slightly. “The one who beat me into the dirt, just to see if I would do it again. What happened to Corser's protégé? C'mon. Show me what you've got. We ain't on the same side anymore.”

Copper was out of breath. That blow had knocked the wind out of him. He coughed and gasped as he backed away.

“You're pathetic. What happened to all your fight? Your drive?” His face melted into a smirk. “You know...when I'm done with you, I think I'll kill your little friends in the hallway, too,” his wings shifted as he spoke, extending down to touch the ground.

Copper took a deep breath and let instinct take over. He felt that he had noticed something, something that was important, but it wasn't registering. Something needed to be done now. So he ran at him. Jet continued to smirk and swung at him. He was surprised when it connected and even more surprised when Copper didn't slow down in the slightest. He barreled into him and knocked them both out into the hallway. Of course, as the bubble formed around Jet, Copper realized what his subconscious had noticed. When he struck him in the throat, he had cracked the stone. They weren’t the toughest things and can be broken if one tried. As water filled the bubble through cracks and Jet's eyes widened as he took in a breath of water, Copper continued to push. He struck Jet in the stomach, forcing the last bit of air out of his lungs. “I am no one's dog,” he spat, shoving him away. Jet struggled for a few seconds as he tried to get towards a room with air. But with no air in his lungs and nothing but water to inhale it wasn't long before he lost consciousness.

“Well...that was a tad brutal,” Chestnut said, watching as Copper swam quickly back into the room. He pulled the door to the side and watched as the unicorn slumped to the floor. With the way he writhed and groaned, Copper assumed he would live. Though the coughing up blood also told him not for long.

“Chestnut. Can you turn into a seapony?” he said as he moved to Pots. He was alive. 

She gave him a look, one which he ignored. “Yes. I suppose if I have to,” she said reluctantly. 

“I need your bubble stone. We're taking Pots with us.” He was already dragging Pots over to the door.

“Didn't you say he tried to kill you?” she said as she transformed into Jeta and handed over the bubble stone and necklace.

Copper hesitated as he saw her and was about to ask her to change, but that would work better. “Yes. But it's complicated. We need to get him out of here and we need to get out of here.”

She nodded as she watched Copper put the necklace on Pots and drag him out of the room. Once out, it was a lot easier to move. “First seapony we see, you need to tell them there are ponies down here who need medical attention.” He stared at Jet, before pushing him into a side cell, which was full of water and closing it. “Hopefully they don't find him and try to revive him.” Jet needed to die, there was no other way. For the things he had done, this kind of death was being kind. Copper wished there was some other way, but if Jet was left alive, he would do nothing but interfere and eventually he would kill Copper. He knew that he only won this time because of luck.

Copper moved to the wall across from the giggling and mumbling Jeta on the floor. He wrote on the little clipboard by Pot’s cell, 'Will explain later. Sorry. -Copper'

“She is not going to be happy,” Chestnut said, looking over his shoulder at the little note.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No. I can't imagine she will be. Especially because I won’t be saying goodbye...again.”

Then they left. They had a plan in case of the need of a quick get away and it was time to use it. It was simple and all it consisted of was a fishing boat with just changelings aboard. Simple, but effective. Copper even saw one of Celestia's ship off in the distance as they left. He wondered whether she would actually be on it or not. 

“Can I see that?” he asked a changeling beside him, who was looking through a spyglass. He was a gray blue, with a white mane and a gold streak. He had a strap from shoulder to waist, with a leather holster for his spyglass. A gold star was his cutie mark. Copper stared at his eyes. Apparently, he couldn't decide on a color, so he went with all of them. Two colors showed at once, each eye on a different spectrum and they changed slowly through shades. “What's your name?” Copper said as he accepted the proffered spyglass.

He tilted his head to the side. “I...don't have a name.”

Copper hesitated, before looking through the spyglass. “What do you mean you don't have a name? I thought all of you changelings had names. Like Chestnut.”

“Well...” He shifted uncomfortably. “We usually don't get names anymore... A name is a big thing. It's special...and now that we're no longer in Equestria few of us have names, especially us younger ones.”

The ship was too far off now to make out anypony on board. But he could see they had stopped and were probably making their way down. “So why don't you have a name?” he said as he turned back. Those eyes were hypnotic, to say the least.

“Because it's special. We can't just choose a name.” Copper offered the spyglass back to him, which he accepted with an odd sort of carefulness, as if now the item was some holy artifact.

“Well...” Copper looked out at the ocean and took a deep breath. “I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll call you Spyglass.”

“Spyglass?” he said slowly, staring out at the ocean with Copper. 

“Yeah. It feels fitting,” he said with a slight chuckle. “And besides that, I need something to call you. Since Chestnut is still out of commission from her hangover...”

“She said she got hit over the head,” Spyglass said as he turned to look at Copper. “What's a hangover?”

“It's from drinking too much alcohol,” he said with another chuckle.

“Alcohol...” he said slowly, deep in thought for a moment. “That's some kinda drink thing, isn't it?”

Copper nodded. “Oh yes,” he said, trying not to laugh at this point. “Not very good to have too much of though, you end up very sick and feel like you've been hit over the head with a building.”

“That doesn't sound fun...”

“Oh it can be, if you do it right,” he said chuckling.

~
It took a bit over a day to be back in the Badlands. Everything looked just as dried out and horrible as ever. But to Copper, it looked oddly wonderful. He felt now that he was truly alive. The air didn't even bother him anymore when he breathed normally, but he still couldn't take in too deep of a breath without coughing. He stared out at the cracked desert, which made up the northern part of the badlands. The swamplands to the south could not be seen, but it still affected the air. There was quite a lot of changelings to greet them. “This seems a bit excessive,” Copper said as he looked out at the few dozen changelings, with only a few of them actually looking like ponies.

“Queen Chrysalis does not like that you have brought a guest,” one changeling who was walking through the group towards Copper said. 

“Yes, well...I am sure Chrysalis will agree with me on my decisions,” Copper looked back as Pots came slowly out, with the help of Chestnut and Spyglass. “And you are not going to stop me.”

The changeling quickly backed away under his gaze. “Calm down Copper,” Chestnut said as they came up beside him. “I can understand Queen Chrysalis' point of view. Pop Pot is not someone she would want in her country.”

Copper took a deep breath, but stopped himself before he inhaled too deeply. “Yes, well. As anypony could see that he's in no shape to do anything. And his magic is sealed at the moment. So he is no harm at all right now.” He adjusted his bowtie absentmindedly and looked towards the slowly retreating changeling. “I will speak with Chrysalis when we get back to the castle.”

They walked slowly through the changelings, which now began to wander off as they realized they were there for no reason. Some of them were actually a bit annoyed that they were pulled from other things they were doing. “I think you make the Queen nervous...” Chestnut said as they helped Pots into the carriage.

“Probably,” Copper said as he climbed into the carriage behind them. Spyglass stared back at the ship, obviously having quite deep thoughts. Copper hesitated a moment, looking at him. He needed allies. Ponies he trusted, even a little. But most of all, he wanted friends. “Are you going to come with us?” 

Spyglass blinked and looked back at him. But it was Chestnut who spoke. “Why would he come with us?”

Copper gave a shrug. “Not many changelings talk to me. He's one of the few that does. And honestly, I can't take the way that they were avoiding me.” He sat down in the back of the carriage. “I'm sick of being alone.” That seemed to be the final word from Copper. His mind was already elsewhere and he was tired. Some days were simply more tiring than others.

~
Copper awoke in the middle of a conversation between, upon him opening his eyes to find out, Chestnut and Spyglass. “-ven't been going well as of late... Celestia has redoubled her efforts to exterminate changelings since news of Copper's return...” Spyglass was saying, staring down at the floor.

Chestnut sighed, she was staring out the window. “So obviously she knows that the Queen is helping him...”

“Obviously,” Copper said with a yawn and a stretch. He noted how both of them sat on the other side of the carriage with Pots between them, even though there was enough room on Copper's side, even with him laying down. He wasn't sure where exactly to file that information. Either under respect, courtesy, or fear.

“Yes,” Spyglass continued. “It's just a good thing that there are very few changelings in places Celestia has control.” 

“Who's against Celestia?” Copper said, sitting up. He had an annoying crick in his neck now. These seats were not very comfortable.

“Well, no one...” Spyglass glanced at Copper and then at Chestnut.

“No one's against Celestia, Copper,” she said, looking at Spyglass a moment and then at Copper. “Well, except Queen Chrysalis...but there are just some that don't let her rule them. Even though she still kind of does. Trotland is really the only safe place outside the Badlands for changelings nowadays... Though I plan on talking with the Queen about Aquis, as it seems a good place. Though flippers are difficult to get the hang of at first...”

Copper looked towards Spyglass and chuckled softly as he noticed the change of cutie mark. “Glad you decided to come along, Spyglass?”

He only glanced at Copper, before looking at the floor. “I'm worried the Queen won’t like it...”

He shrugged and stretched again. That crick was annoying and rubbing it was barely doing anything for it. “Well, you're essential to my plans.” Spyglass looked up and stared at him. As did Chestnut. 

“He's part of your plans?” Chestnut said, almost sounding annoyed.

“Yes. As are you, Chestnut.” He had been running plans through his head while he slept. Even with Nightmare's criticism, he was sure he had a good one now.

“And what if I don't want to be part of your so called plans?” She folded her arms in front of her, staring at her.

“Well that would be unfortunate,” Copper said, looking out the window. “I'd have to find some other pony to get my notes.”

She blinked. “Notes?”

He looked at her and smiled. “Yes. My notes, that I left in Ponyville. I need them and my tools, if I'm to get anything further out of my plans.”

“You...you want me to go to Equestria?” She looked rigid now. 

“Yes,” Copper said, nodding. “I need somepony to get them and you seem like the most competent. But if you don't want to... Well, I guess I could ask Ellis...”

Chestnut gave a sarcastic hah. “She would never leave the castle.”

“Hm... Well...” He leaned against the back of the carriage. This was a more comfortable position for his neck. “Who would you suggest? I mean, since you don't want to.” Copper felt he was really starting to get a feel for Chestnut and how she viewed others.

“I never said that,” she snapped, frowning at him.

“Oh?” He looked at her, a smile on his face. “So, you will go then?”

Her face scrunched a bit as she thought about this. “What's my part?” Spyglass said, leaning slightly forward. Copper could practically feel him brimming.

“I...” He cleared his throat, chuckling softly. “Well, you're going to deliver letters for me. I need somepony who is not a known association with me-” he raised a hoof at Chestnut, who was about to speak, “changeling or not. I need someone who no one has seen me around. And you're going to be in Ponyville, so you can't do it.”

“Deliver letters?” he said, tilting his head to the side slightly. 

Copper nodded. “Yes. And bring their replies back to me. It's more important than it sounds.” He was quite aware at how unimportant it sounded. Delivering a letter was a fairly simple task. But there was things Copper needed to know, like Pot’s release word.

Spyglass nodded, smiling slightly. It was the first time that Copper had notice him smile. “Alright. I'll do my best.”

He gave him a big smile, “I know you'll do wonderfully.” He turned his attention back out the window. “And look at that...we're almost there.”

The road through the swamp was unmistakable. For one, the carriage slowed quite a lot and made a lot of twists and turns as it made its way through the only solid strip of land that went all the way to the castle. Chrysalis had made sure that there was only one way. But Copper was more interested in the transition from barren wasteland to swamp. It was quite abrupt. It went from rock hard ground to squishy swamp in a few hooves. That wasn't natural. That had been done intentionally. And the more Copper thought about it, the more that Chrysalis's remark that Celestia did it seemed true. She sent Jet after him. Or after Pots. Or maybe both.

~
“Get up, Copper.” He looked up at the pony who was speaking. Those gray eyes could stare through you. “Do you think somepony is just going to stop because you're on the ground?” The striking white of his mane in the twilight was off set by the inky black blue of his coat. “Get. Up.” The horn on his head shone as soft lights shifted their position in the air.

Copper managed to struggle to his feet, staring the pony down. “I'm not beaten yet, Corser...”

“Really?” He was too fast and Copper found himself on the ground again. “Because with the way you're laying there, I thought you pretty damned beaten.” It wasn't a fair fight. Both of them knew that. No pony had ever beaten Corser in a fight. He was powerful. But anypony would be when they had lived a thousand times and died just as many. It was no wonder he was the captain of the Night Guard. The only pony who could possibly stand a chance would be Shining Armor, captain of the Day Guard.

But once again, Copper got up, staring him down again. “I can still get up.” He tensed, but there was no strike this time.

“And that's probably your best skill,” he said as he circled around him slowly. “Not giving up. It's a good thing to have, but it might get you killed. There's more to a fight then taking a hit, to getting up afterwards, to... Well, the whole thing in general. The only reason you should take a hit, is to hit. The only reason you should be hit, is because you hit. Anyone that hits you, hit them back. It doesn't matter if it takes years for the chance.” Copper jumped back as Corser made another swing at him. “Your instincts are well refined. Use them. But don't let them control you. You have a brain. Use your brain.” 

Copper had thought, before meeting Corser, that he knew how to fight. He'd been in a lot of fights and he’d come out on top each time. But watching Corser fight was ridiculous. Yes, he was fast, but that wasn't what made it so difficult. There was nothing wasted. Corser could fight for hours, against dozens of opponents and not get tired. 

“Always leave an exit for your opponent,” Corser continued. He had been lecturing Copper for an hour now. But he had asked for this. “Somepony with a way out, won’t fight as hard. If they can easily get away, they'll take it when they start to lose.” This time Copper struck at him, but all he hit was hoof. And then got the other hoof to the face. “If you're stronger than your opponent, block. If you’re faster, dodge. But the difference needs to be less than a hoof. Watch them, study them. Somepony will give away all of their fighting experience in the way they stand.” His horn shone again and the lights moved. 

Copper managed to get to his hooves once again. “So...somepony like you...” He stared a moment at Corser. “Would be impossible to beat...”

He gave a shrug in response. “I have experience. Thousands of lives worth of it. Such was my curse.” There was a sudden crash and a day guard came soaring through a window, followed by a grinning Jet. 

“That the best you got? Not so smug now are ya you little-” he stopped and stared at Corser and then at Copper. “Terribly sorry to interruption your little...whatever you were doing. This pony-”

“I don't care, Jet,” Corser snapped. He walked deliberately over to the other guard. Copper could not see who it was, but he could see the smug look on Jet's face. 

Jet looked at Copper. “What? You want a piece of me?” How somepony could look so smug was a mystery to Copper. “C'mon than. Me and you, dog.”

Copper ground his hoof into the ground. “We're on the same side. We shouldn't fight.”

He laughed, a harsh, brutal sound. Copper noticed out of the corner of his eye how even Corser tensed.  “Like sides have anything to do with it. You're just afraid I'll beat the hay out of you.”

Again Copper looked at Corser and was about to speak, but got a hoof to the side of the head instead. For a moment everything started to go black, but Copper pushed that away and stared at Jet. Had he really just hit him, without reason? What sort of pony would do that? Whatever sort Jet was, apparently. “What the buck is wrong with you?” Copper managed to say, staring at him.

“C'mon. Try and hit me. I'll give you a free shot,” Jet said, smirking at him.

That was such an obvious lie, there was no way he would give him a free shot. But striking him, just like that. He needed to be taught a lesson. “Go ahead, Copper. Let's see what you've learned,” Corser said. He fought the urge to look at him. What kind of pony was Corser?

~
Copper blinked and stood up. Apparently they had arrived. He hesitated just a moment before exiting the carriage. He looked at Pots, who seemed to have regained enough consciousness to be able to look around. He gave Copper a depressingly sad smile. Copper stepped out and there was a large woosh of green flame in front of him. When it had gone, Chrysalis stood before him, glaring down at him. “Ah, Chrysalis. We need to talk.”

“Never mind that,” she snapped, looking back at Pots, who was staring up at the castle. “The hay did you bring him for?”

“That's what we need to talk about,” Copper said and walked past her as he continued speaking. “I have worked out a plan and he is part of it. A big part of it in fact. Where's the Doctor?”

Chrysalis had no choice but to follow him. That was what Copper was trying to get her to do. Keep her away from Pots until she knows why he's here. “I don't know. He comes and goes without a word most of the time. I've no idea where he goes.”

That was a lie, but Copper was going to let it slide. Doctor Whooves probably asked her not to tell him where he went. That was fine, for now. “That's unfortunate, I need to speak with him as soon as possible. The plan needs him as well.”

“Oh, so now he's part of your plan?”

Copper looked at her. “As are you.”

There was a moment of hesitation, before she said, “And what if I won’t be part of your little plan?”

He sighed and rubbed his neck. “Well, then I'll have to find somepony else. I'm sure any changeling could do it, technically...”

She blinked at him. “You need a changeling specifically?”

“Well, specifically I need you,” he said, as they walked through the main door. “But I think I might be able to make it work with just Chestnut and Spyglass...” Why was it so easy to get somepony to go along with something, when you start talking about who you could replace them with?

She glared down at him. “Why do you need a changeling?”

He stopped and stared back, watching Chestnut and Spyglass help Pots down the path. “Someone has to replace Celestia.”
> 17: Revelation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“What do you mean, not technically?” Copper said, glaring at Doctor Whooves. Even Chrysalis was struck silent. And in such a small little room that had been magically sealed, with just the three of them, silence had a serious job here. And it was an expert. It had taken Copper a moment to get used to it, but when Whooves had started talking, that was the least of his worries.

“Well...I mean...you know. Technically she is, but at the same time not.” He was fumbling for words. It's one thing to practice an explanation in one’s head and a complete other to do it under the type of gaze Copper gave him. 

“But-” he stopped, took a deep breath and closed his eyes a moment. His thoughts had been jumbled up and needed a quick sorting through. “What do you mean, that she's not technically Celestia? You can't just come in here, say that and expect everypony to just...understand.”

Again there was a moment of silence and Copper wished that Chrysalis would speak. Say anything. Anything at all. “It's...not easy to explain. But technically-”

“I swear if you say technically one more damn time, I am going to beat the ever living hay out of you, stuff it back in and do it again.” The words spilled from Copper with almost painful force. The air in the room tingled.

“I-” he hesitated and then cleared his throat. “All right. To be completely honest, I'm not sure.” Copper slumped back against the wall, his eyes still closed. “All I know is that it is Celestia, but she's like...not in control... Or something. Or...well, she is, but not completely?” He stared blankly at Copper, who opened his eyes and looked back.

“So what you're saying...is we're dealing with something more powerful than Celestia? Something that can practically subdue her and take control?”

There was a slight hesitation, but then he nodded, “Yes. I think that's a reasonable explanation.”

“How long?”

Both of them jumped slightly at the sound of Chrysalis' voice. “How long what?” Whooves said, staring at her. 

“How long has this...whatever it is, how long has it been in control?” For the first time since Copper had heard her, this was the first time she did not sound above. Did not sound as if everypony was beneath her. For the first time, she sounded...heartbroken seemed the best word for it.

“I...I'm not sure...but...” Again he hesitated, but the look Copper gave him, drove him to continue. “Probably around Luna's rebellion.”


“So over a thousand years ago,” Copper said and rubbed his face. The last few days had been going so well.

~
“What do you mean, replace Celestia?” Chrysalis said, staring at him. 

“We can't have her just vanish, now can we?” Copper looked at her and gave her a slight smile. “Things will go even smoother if we simply replace her. If we do it right, only a few ponies will know about it and we won’t cause major problems.” He started walking again.

“But... What...” She hesitated, frowning at him as she followed him. “How exactly are we going to do this?”

He was wondering where he was walking to, but when they came out into the garden, that was fine. “Well, we're going to use Pop Pot.”

“You're going to kill Celestia?” Chrysalis had to admit that this was a fairly impressive idea. She liked the fact that it would put her into far more power.

Which Copper knew, which is why he wanted her to do it. “Not me. Pop Pots. And if we do it right, nopony will know and we might actually get away with it.”

“No more hunted changelings...” she mumbled, staring off into the garden. Copper could practically see her mind racing with ideas. “We could get things back to the way that they were...but make them better for changelings.”

“Don't get ahead of yourself,” he said, looking at her. He was trying to determine if this was indeed a good plan. He would have to talk with Whooves and see if he had come up with anything. “There's a lot of work to be done. And I need Spyglass and Chestnut to help me.”

“Yeah...sure...” The far away look in her eyes, told Copper that he at least had her convinced. 

He took a few steps away from her, touching her gently with his hoof before he went back into the castle. “That's step one,” he murmured. “Now for step two.”

Copper found Spyglass and Chestnut helping Pots through the main hall. “Well?” Spyglass said and Copper could practically taste the dread in his tone.

“Well what? I said I would handle her. She's agreed,” he said, giving them both a smile.

But Chestnut looked skeptical. “Really,” she said, staring at him, “just like that? She just...agreed?”

“Once I explained things to her, yes.” He moved closer to Pots, taking a better look at him. He was looking a bit better, but the blank, sleepy look on his face told him that it would take a while for him to recover. Pots was not like Copper in a fighting sense. Pots had probably never been struck before, let alone beaten. He just had to hope that Pots could recover from this. “And as soon as we get Pots settled in, I'll tell you two a bit more of what I need you to do.”

~
Copper put his leg up, covering his eyes. “So everything she's done from then on, has actually been something else pretending to be her?”

“Well...” Doctor Whooves hesitated, “Yes. Probably,” a slight pause, “Most likely.”

“So than it wasn't Celestia, who did this to my kingdom? Or called for the murder of countless changelings?” Chrysalis stared Whooves, who shook his head slowly.

Copper placed his head down on the table. “Well, this doesn't change my plans,” Copper said and both looked at him.

“But...can you really kill Celestia now? Knowing this?” Chrysalis said, staring at him.

Doctor Whooves gave him a look and some unsaid words passed between them. “We'll have to see,” he finally said aloud.

“That's the main plan,” Copper agreed with a nod. “If it's powerful enough to take control of Celestia and hold it for this long, we can't risk anything.”

“I've beaten her before,” she said, sitting up a bit straighter.

“Yes,” Copper agreed, with another nod. “But that was when you were quite charged up on power and I don't think it was taking you seriously. You caught it off guard...and that's what we need to do.”

~
Spyglass shifted slightly, it was the first time he had worn a coat and he was doing his best to keep the tan hat on his head. “There,” Copper said with a smile. “You look like a genuine mailpony now. And with this patch, it shows that you're delivering important documents.” He gave the patch on the coat a slight tap. “Should get you through any place and ponies won’t bother you as long as you look like you're in a hurry.”

“Am I in a hurry?” he said as he shifted again. Even with the mail bag only holding a few letters, it still felt uncomfortable. But as long as he had his spyglass on the other side, everything would be all right.

“Not really, no,” Copper said chuckling. “You do have a long way to go. Now, your first stop is Havel Beach, going to Seas Pony. Ask for Coaster. Say you have an important letter for him. He'll help you get to Jeta, which is the second letter. Then comes the hardest letter...” He looked around; nopony was anywhere around, but Copper was still hesitant about this. “The third letter needs to go to Corser. In Canterlot.”

Spyglass went rigid and stared blankly past Copper. “Canterlot...” he said slowly, his eyes going unfocused, “I...” There was a few moments of silence, before he swallowed and nodded. “Right. Canterlot. And nopony but those who the letters are addressed to are allowed to read them.”

“Not just read. Not even see them. Nopony is allowed to even see the letters besides those they are addressed to. If anypony says that they will deliver it to them, you must refuse. Say you have explicit instructions to deliver it to them personally.” Copper felt a bit of a knot forming in his stomach. He would much prefer to go himself and have these conversations in person, rather than in letters. But this had to be done. There was no way he could get into Equestria, she would know immediately. Or at least, he had to assume that she would.

“Right... Personally,” he said, taking a deep breath and nodding. 

~
“But this does change a few things,” Whooves said, taking a seat back at the table. “It changes how we go about things a little.”

Copper looked at him. “I don't see how. Does it know that we know it's not Celestia?”

There was a moment of hesitation and the word 'technically' seemed to float in the air, before he simply shook his head and said, “No I do not believe that it does...”

“Then there's nothing to change. It will continue to act like Celestia, because it thinks that we don't know otherwise.” He glanced at Chrysalis, who was remaining silent, before continuing. “We have to act as though we don't know and treat the situation as though it were Celestia.” He gave the Doctor a look to silence his next sentence. “And if it begins to stop acting like Celestia, then we will adapt. Simply knowing ahead of time gives us a very large advantage. We must treat it as Celestia, but be prepared for something else.”

The Doctor nodded slowly. “Yes...I suppose you have a point there...”

~
“I still don't think it's very practical,” said Ellis as she eyed the parts on the table and the rough drawings beside them. “Honestly it seems a tad...bulky.”

“Well, to deliver the kind of voltage I'm planning, it needs to be a bit bigger than my previous design,” Copper said with a slight tone of annoyance. He had asked for help and Ellis seemed so eager to help, but so far, all she had done was criticize. He wouldn't mind so much if it was helpful criticism, but Ellis had a way of pointing things out that Copper could do nothing about.

She flipped over a few pages. “I thought you sent Chestnut after your notes. How did you get these?”

“I have the basic design of the Shocker memorized. I rebuilt the darn thing so many times that it just stuck...” Copper was having difficulty connecting two parts. “Could you hold this down for me?”

Ellis suddenly seemed to want to help again and practically rushed over to assist. “So it breaks easily?”

Copper hesitated and then gave a slight shrug. “Kind of. More of it wears itself down quickly. It would be too expensive to buy parts that could last a long time, as even those would wear out. It was always just easier to use it a few times, then cannibalize it for the next one. Some parts held out for a long time, but...” Something went click and Copper gestured that Ellis could let go. “Overall, I've rebuilt it dozens of times.”

“Sounds like you need a better design,” she said, as she went back over to the papers and parts. 

“Yes well, I hope that I don't. This should be the last time that I need this to do anything...” Hopefully it would be the last.

“Why do these look so different?” she said as she glanced between two papers. “Basic design is the same, but...ah, this one has a different...delivery system?”

He looked at her, he was actually fairly impressed. “Yes. In the previous models, I was using two prongs to deliver the shock. One prong was the receiver, where the energy wants to go, while the other was where it comes out.”

“How does this one deliver the shock than?” The piece of paper she held was the new design. He had spent two days on it, working and reworking it.

“It's a bit more complicated, but essentially it delivers all the stored energy directly into whatever it hits. It's a bit more dangerous, as it'll be the first thing that it touches that receives the shock. But it allows for a much higher store of energy and faster delivery.”

~
“Why would it do this?” Chrysalis said, staring at the table. It was obvious she had been thinking quite hard and was finally willing to voice her thoughts.

Whooves and Copper both looked at her, but it was Copper who spoke. “I think it was because you were a threat. Or it thought of you as a threat...”

“So that's the reason my kingdom is in ruins and it slaughtered my people...just because it thought I was a threat?” She stared at Copper. She looked miserable at this point and Copper found himself trying to think of how to make things better.

He managed a soft smile. “Well, considering what we're planning, I'd say that it was kind of right.”

~
“Are you sure this is the best way to learn of the Gem Cog?” Chrysalis said, staring down at Copper. He had watched her change slightly while he was here. But he couldn't tell if it was actually happening, or if it was just his imagination.

“I don't know anyone else to talk with. The letter Doctor Whooves sent me made it seem oddly important I find out more...and...well... I know it's a risk, but I need to know.”

She gave him a harsh look and then turned away. “Fine. Have it your way.” And with that, she left.

He sighed and laid back; her changing must be his imagination. His eyes slowly closed and when they opened again, he saw the familiar coppery landscape, with its clockwork trees and large gears, slowly turning.

His eyes wandered over the familiar landscape as the gear he stood upon slowly ascended. The air felt good here, even if it was just in his own head. It had a slightly greasy and metallic taste to it. His eyes climbed upwards and he stared at the moon. The shape shifted to turn its gaze at him. “Back so soon?” Nightmare said, grinning at him.

In this state, she was just a shadow on the face of the moon, but Copper still did not trust her. She had not tried to escape. “Why are you biding your time? What are you waiting for?”

Her grin increased further, spanning the width of the moon. “Why would I do that? You so willingly keep me so close.” The sound of her voice sent shivers down Copper's spine. “I can wait for as long as I need... Eventually you will break...and then you will be mine.”

There was a few seconds of silence as Copper thought of this. It made sense, but he didn't like that. Someday he would have to find a way to be rid of her, but there were other matters at hand. “What do you know of the Gem Cog?”

The grin spun slowly as she rotated oddly on the surface. “What of it I know? A lot more than you... It is ancient. You silly ponies think you can control it...”

“So it has some sort of will of its own then...” Copper mused, staring past her and at the stars. The more he thought of it, the more he realized that she allowed him to capture her. If she had truly fought, he would have lost. And probably died. 

“Perhaps,” she said, her eyes shining down at him. “I would say more it has a plan. Much like yours, which I find quite interesting... Kill Celestia. I tried that, twice and the best I could do was imprison her.” She did something, which Copper could only guess was licking her lips. “But you have so many other plans... Ones that I cannot see...”

“Nor will you see, until they come to light. Now, tell me more of the Gem Cog.” He wondered if she could read his thoughts, or simply skim, or she could simply hear the things he said. How could he hope to keep her trapped here if she decided that she didn't want to be here? 

“Mmm...” She retracted and he could see now her whole form, floating lazily against the moon's surface. “I don't see why I should,” she said, smirking. “But feel free to ask.”

Copper had to remember not to get angry with her, she would use that against him. “All right... We'll start simple... When I destroyed the Gem Cog-”

She laughed and it echoed throughout his dream. Things clattered and tinkled below Copper. “Destroyed it? Goodness. You think that you can destroy the Gem Cog? You really don't know anything about it.”

He was almost surprised at how calm he was managing to stay. “Okay... So when I broke it...what exactly happened? Whooves thinks that I will find it again because I'm the Pony of the Gears.”

“Tsk.” She turned over and away from him. “I'm not going to speak to you if you bring him up. Blasted pony.”

There was small hesitation before Copper spoke again. “All right. So I'm the Pony of the Gears...and-”

“Again your ignorance shows,” she said with a grin at him. “You claim the title, without knowledge of it. Long ago, before the Gem Cog was as you knew it, the title was The Pony of Gears,” she mused, as if not really talking to him anymore. “Oh such days those were...when I had true power... Mmm how I miss it...”

Copper stared down at the ground a moment. He knew that Nightmare was ancient, but he was not sure how. “Which existed first? You, or the cog?”

“Oh me of course.” Her attention moved back to him. “I witnessed its creation... But that was when I covered the land. I was every shadow, every creek of a branch, every snap of a twig... Oh what glorious days, when fear truly meant something and could not so easily be gotten rid of...”

Her tone of voice made Copper feel a bit on edge. It was soft and sultry. “Who, or what, made it?”

Again she focused onto him. “Oh I don't know what his name was... I never bothered with names. But oh what power he had... That was back when power meant control. Not many understand that nowadays...” She unfocused once again, but returned to him after a few seconds. “The Cog is a powerful thing. It cannot be destroyed. It cannot be made again. It cannot be controlled. And it cannot be stopped.” The cackle she let loose filled Copper from top to bottom. 

“It's...intelligent?” Copper said, his mind was racing. He needed to ask questions while she was still in an answering mood.

“Intelligent?” She laughed and the world shook. “No. Not as you understand intelligence. It thinks, yes. It knows things, yes. But it is emotionless. It has a plan that has been laid and will do whatever it takes to fulfill it. You think you destroyed the Gem Cog? That was merely its vessel at the time. You merely set it loose to find something else. It drove you to that decision. It wanted to be released. It made you break it.”

He could feel her reaching out to him, but he shut her out. “Why?”

“You are so ready to be controlled,” she murmured, but it echoed in Copper's head. “You have spent so much of your life obeying. You cannot deny it.”

“I said, why...” It was difficult to speak now. 

She grinned at him and he felt her pull away. “How should I know? I know not what it plans.”

It was starting to feel stuffy, but he needed to know more. “Do you know where it is?”

Her grin grew and that was all the answer Copper needed. “When you find out, it will be too late.”

~
“You are completely sure of this, Whooves?” Copper was still not convinced. He knew there were more powerful things than Celestia, such as Nightmare in her prime, or some other sort of beings that Copper had come across.

“I am completely sure,” Whooves said, staring straight at Copper.

“Where did you get this information?” 

“I-” he hesitated, looking at Copper and then took a deep breath. “An extremely reliable source.”

“And you trust this source?”

Another slight hesitation. “Completely.”

Copper frowned at him. What was with that look that he was giving him? This would need further investigating later. “What proof does your source have?”

“I have nothing but his word. But it is the word of someone I trust completely and would trust them with my life.”

“Which is what you're doing...” Copper said with a sigh and then shrugged slightly. “Whatever. It still does not change the fact that she, or it, needs to be stopped. She needs to be stopped.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. Copper noticed how he did not cough, or seem affected by the air. That was oddly interesting. “Yes. And though I am not fond of your plan I...I am confident it will succeed.”

Copper looked at Chrysalis. She was staring at the table, her brow slightly wrinkled. In the past few months, he had learned a lot about her. Her mannerisms, the way she spoke, what she actually meant when she said something, her sleeping patterns... He shook his head and rubbed his face. “This is a lot to take in...”

He hadn't meant that to be aimed at Chrysalis, but she took it as though it was. “There are worse things. It is...almost comforting that it has not been Celestia.” 

It was odd how quickly she accepted Doctor Whooves’ source. But she probably knew a lot more about him than Copper. He had to force down the random slight pang of jealousy. “So we move on with our plans, then.”

~
“Do you know how bloody hard these damned pieces of paper were to get?” Chestnut said, throwing a bag down in front of Copper. 

He looked down at the large bag that landed in his breakfast. “Uhm... Good to see you Chestnut? Good morning Chestnut? How was your trip Chestnut?”

“Don't even start with me,” she said, waving a hoof at him. “It was damn hard to get out of that place...”

“Did Celestia send guards?” Copper said, blinking.

“No!” She stomped around a bit. “Your friends wouldn't let me leave! It was party this and friendship that and come see this!” Copper could not help it. His fork clattered onto his plate and he laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. It wasn't until Chestnut had hit him for the seventh or eighth time that he managed to calm down enough to stop. “It's not funny!”

“Oh come now. They just wanted to make sure you had a pleasant visit.”

“I mean seriously. They weren't even phased when they found out I was a changeling!” She was stomping back and forth again. 

“How'd that happen?”

“I-” Suddenly she looked very flustered. “I got drunk. And it was kind of a joke, everyone was trying to mimic Twilight, so I...well, I turned into her and started ranting about books and stuff... They thought it was hilarious. Pinkie gave me a ribbon, saying I had won.”

Copper bit down slightly on his hoof to keep himself from laughing. “Well, it sounds like you had fun.”

She sighed, and turned away from him. “Well...I suppose...maybe a bit. But I mean, it was annoying. They wouldn't leave me alone and kept asking questions about you and how you were and where.” She sighed slightly, shaking her head and Copper couldn't help but notice the small pink ribbon in her hair. “I had to ask Twilight to get your stuff though, your house is under some pretty serious guard.”

He nodded slowly. “That's why I wanted you to seek Twilight out first, I knew she would help you.”

“Her reply letter is in the bag as well, by the way,” she said as she made her way around the table to another seat away from him.

“Ah. Thank you.” He moved the bag to the side. It could wait for a while. First, there was breakfast. He wasn't terribly fond of the food around here, but it wasn't as bad as some of the things he had eaten. Ellis needed regular food, though it was more on the red side of food. But there were things that Copper had found were edible and didn't taste too bad. He had no idea what they were and had no intention of asking, but Ellis assured him that ponies could eat them.

“You have weird friends,” Chestnut said after a while.

“Yes...” Copper said with a smile. “But...they're my friends.”

~
“It would seem that that's the best option...” Whooves agreed, looking at Copper. He did not like his gaze being so watchful. What was he watching for? One does not give that gaze to another unless waiting for something. “Did you find out more about the Gem Cog?”

A shiver ran down his spine, that was odd. “I...did. Nothing of use, but things that are interesting...”

Doctor Whooves stared at him and glanced at Chrysalis. “How exactly did you obtain your information?”

Copper narrowed his eyes at him and was about to retort with some sort of refusal, but honestly he saw no point. “Nightmare. She was purposefully not helpful. She gave me enough information to annoy me, without giving me anything that I needed.”

He nodded slowly. “That sounds quite like her.” 

There was an odd moment when they shared a sigh. “But she did give you information?” Chrysalis said, looking at him. 

“Yes. You had shown no interest. Nor had you asked,” Copper said in preparation to her next statement. 

She frowned at him. It was actually more of a scowl, but Copper could tell the difference between when she was scowling and merely frowning, but attempting to scowl. He was starting to think that he was perhaps spending too much time with her, but she was always so eager to simply be with him that it was hard not to want her there.

~
“And so this will make you fly?” Chrysalis asked, unfolding the large cloth. 

“It will help me fly, yes,” he said, trying to fit two gears together. The Flyer Mark 7 was what he was working on, as he had come up with something before he could start constructing 6. It was such a drastic change, it was easier to simply restart rather than change things. He had cut the amount of parts in half and cut the weight as well.

“How do you come up with such things?” She leaned over him, looking down at the parts in front of him.

“I...” He paused. There was no answer. “I don't know...” Perhaps it had something to do with being the Pony of the Gears? Since he had become aware of the title, things seemed to come easier to his mind. Or was it just a coincidence that things were working out? Maybe being dead changed the way his mind worked, or when he came all the way back. He thought about the Shocker and how easily the design had come to him. There was no trial and error. But there were several revisions. Just when he thought he was done, he would come up with some new idea that would simplify something, or make something work better. 

“Interesting...” He couldn't help but shiver as she whispered in his ear. She had taken such an interest in his work since Chestnut had returned with his designs. The Shocker had held no interest to her, because it would be easy to do with magic. But when he explained that magic would have difficulty stopping it, she got interested. “And you will control it with...this?” she said, prodding the base of his stub gently.

He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. The way I'm building it, it will act as a true wing of sorts. Though it will not be as precise, I won’t be able to say...half extend the wing. Or have it twist in an odd way.”

“So you won’t be preforming aerial acrobatics for me? Shame.” 

He could hear the smirk in her voice. She was so much kinder to him when they were alone. Almost gentler. There was definitely a joking tone to her insults, at the very least. “Yes, well...sorry to disappoint you,” he said as he slid a rod into place. Next would be cutting the cloth and sewing it mostly in place. 

Chrysalis remained quiet for a moment, content in silently watching him. Her question caught Copper quite off guard. “Why do you want to fly?”

Copper stopped mid cut. That had been a question that not many had asked him. “You have flown before, yes?”

She looked at him, arching a brow. “Of course.”

“What would you do if you suddenly lost that?” He looked up at her, pushing his goggles up. “Wouldn't you do whatever it took to get that back?”

~
Copper leaned against the wall outside of the room. With his eyes closed, he felt almost as if the world made sense. Like things could be better. As if everything was going to work out perfectly and nothing would go wrong. But the instant he opened them again and saw Chrysalis standing a few hooves away, looking down at him...he knew it wouldn't.

“So what are you going to do today?” Chrysalis said and the softness in her voice told Copper that Whooves was well away already.

“I need to talk to Pots. See if he is ready to go, or if he has a feeling of when that'll be.” With that said he made his way down the hallway. He was in no hurry. 

Chrysalis followed him. “I do not like the fact that you released him the moment Spyglass handed you the letter. He is a threat to my kingdom.”

“As far as a killer goes, I trust Pots. He won’t do anything, because he has standards.” He looked up at Chrysalis and smirked. “Somepony'd have to pay him quite a lot for him to take out a whole kingdom. I don't think there's enough bits in all of Equestria, Trotland, Eagland, or-” he hesitated  and shook his head. “Well, not Aquis, they have more money than anyone else. But I can't see seaponies hiring a killer.”

“Chestnut has asked for me to send changelings to Aquis. She says it would be a...” she thought a bit, her brow wrinkling slightly, “As she put it...magnificent opportunity to once again leave the Badlands.”

“And it would,” he agreed, nodding his head. “The seaponies would happily welcome your kind, with the knowledge of the truth or not.”

“You have spent a lot of time there?”

“I think I've been in Aquis longer than anywhere, not including Equestria... I spent a long time in recovery there, after leaving Trotland.”

Copper opened the door they had been heading to and the first thing he saw was an empty bed. He moved into the room slowly and saw Pots standing by the window, staring out. “A bit time ye got haur,” Pots said with a grin, turning to Copper. “Bin waitin' aw day.”

“I take it that means that you're ready?”

“Ready as Ah will ever be.”

He turned to Chrysalis and gave her a smile. “Well then. It's time to start the plan I think. Go find Doctor Whooves, please? I think I know where I can find Spyglass and Chestnut.”
> 18: Good Intentions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“What am I doing?” It was a valid question, but unfortunately the obvious answer was not what he wanted to hear. “What will this even accomplish? Who will this better... Who will this worsen...” Thoughts were running wild now and Copper couldn't get himself to calm down. “What am I doing? Toppling a regime that has most of its citizens living happy lives? What am I about to destroy...” He leaned heavily against the window. It was raining heavily. That had taken a bit of work, but strings were pulled and eventually it happened. As far as he knew, it had never rained this hard in Canterlot.

It was odd to be back there and so secretively. What would she do to cover up his death, a second time, if he were to come out into the open? What atrocities would she- no, it... He had to remember it. Not she. Though it didn't really matter what he thought of it. It had to be stopped. “Would things be better if I fail?” He wished that he knew what plans it had. What if it was working for the better? Sacrifices must be made for the good of all...but...that kind of thinking always ends badly. Even if it has good intentions, murder is not the appropriate way to go about doing things. 

“Remember Manehatten,” came a voice from the other side of the room and he looked vaguely in the direction of the Doctor. “It destroyed a city just to test its new weapon. A city that it ruled.”

“How long have you been sitting there?”

He hesitated. “Long enough. I understand your worry, but things are only good for ponies in Equestria and that's probably because it doesn't want any resistance inside.”

“Weil tis tae late fur that,” Pots said as he came into the room. 

“Does nopony understand the concept of wanting to be left alone?” Copper said with a sigh. “I mean honestly...I asked to be left alone.”

“Cannae dae that. Nae this claise tae th' finish,” Pots moved closer to him and looked past him out the window. “We need ye concentratit, Copper. Ye cannae be doubting yersel' nou o' a' times.”

“Pop Pots is right. Everypony needs to stay focused. We can't go against it without full focus.” It almost annoyed Copper as Whooves spoke.

Copper stared out the window a moment and then sighed before getting up. “All right. Let's do this. Is Chrysalis ready?” She was the most important piece in Copper's chess game. He had thought of the whole thing as a chess game over the past few days, as that was what he had been playing a lot the past few days to kill time. The Doctor was the only one who could truly beat him, but he had not won every match. It just made sense in his head to think of it as a chess game. Chrysalis was the Queen. It was fitting. 

“I think so, though she is not happy about it.” The Doctor was the black Bishop. He would be the edge Copper needs if Pots couldn't do it.

“Guid. Tis tae cramped in 'ere. It'll be crakin' tae blaw something up.” He supposed that Pots was a Rook. Straightforward.

He nodded to them both as he headed out of the small room that had been his room for the past week. “I am quite annoyed at this, I'll have you know,” Chrysalis said when seeing Copper. She had the appearance of Chestnut, who was a pony now associated with Copper. From the papers Copper had been reading, people were calling Copper some kind of renegade of sorts. The non-Equestrian papers said that he was fighting against Celestia and local papers said he's fighting for her. Either way, Copper could now go anywhere and ponies would clamber over one another to help him- barring those that knew the truth.

“I know. But Chestnut disguising herself as me and is heading to Trotland. It's the best cover possible. And-” he paused and looked around. “Where's Spyglass?”

She waved a hoof vaguely in the air. “Somewhere. He's really taken to this whole...mail delivery thing.”

“Well it does give us a very good cover and lots of information, as well as food and shelter,” the Doctor said as he hefted a bag over himself. Copper found himself thinking more of him as the Doctor, rather than Doctor Whooves. Apparently that was what most ponies referred to him as and he had become an invaluable asset. He knew more ponies than Copper did, which he had thought impossible. And it always seemed that he knew everypony that he did and longer than he had, too.

“Yes...and it is quite close to the castle,” Copper said before taking a deep breath and walking towards the door. “We will have to do this without Spyglass then. It's probably better that he's not here, now that I think about it...” Just another pawn that I don't have to worry about. They all looked at him and watched as he pulled his new cloak over him. It was another of Rarity's and he was quite happy to be able to wear it. It still felt as though people were looking at his lack of wing, rather than at him. That annoyed him. But he wasn't sure if he was annoyed more at the fact that was what he thought, or that he wasn't actually sure if that was the case.

“I thought he was important to your plan?” the Doctor said as he came up beside Copper, beating him to the door.

“And he has been. He was very important. But we can work without him...if what Corser told us was true, he'd...” Copper hesitated, trying to find the right words.

“He'd get in the way,” Chrysalis said, standing behind Copper.

There was a few seconds of silence, before Copper spoke, “I would have worded it a little less harshly. He is a crucial asset,” and a good friend, “but the four of us is all that's needed.” He pulled his hood over his head and added with a slight smirk, “And if I could get away with it, it'd be just me and the Doctor.”

She scoffed, getting her own cloak on. “As if your plan could work without me.”

“'N' dinnae be forgetting aboot me. Yi''ll need me as weil,” Pots added and Copper could just make out the grin under his cloak. Copper had noticed the slight change to his accent when they entered Equestria, but as of yet had refused to address it. He sounded as though he were from a different part of Trotland, more towards the middle if Copper had to guess.

But that didn't matter and Copper merely nodded in response, before turning to the Doctor. “Let's go,” he said as he grabbed a bag beside the door. It had been packed since they had gotten there and Copper had fussed over it at least once a day.

“Yes. Let's.”

~
The streets of Canterlot were deserted. Sunrise was a few hours away and if the plan went accordingly, Celestia would be asleep and Luna would not rouse her. He had realized how much he was depending on other ponies. Luna to not tell Celestia. Corser to not arrest them. Pots to not double cross them. Chrysalis to not take things too far. And the Doctor, to follow Copper's instructions.

But there was no sudden appearance of guards when they came to the side of the castle and there was Corser, standing quite nonchalantly in front of the door. “Finally,” he said with a sigh of relief. 

“Is everything set up?” Copper said, glancing at his group quickly making note of the Queen, the Bishop and the Rook. And now he had the Knight.

Corser rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yes. Clear shot straight to the main room, where Celestia will come across you and your little band, rather than Luna.”

“And our guest?” He had to make a conscious effort to ignore the stares from everypony.

“Yes, all fine,” he said with a glance around. He knew Copper well enough that he would not risk telling everypony the whole plan and was fine with being left out of the loop for the majority himself.

“Good...” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then it begins...”

Corser nodded as he opened the door and hurried them inside. He closed it behind them, gave a quick nod to them before trotting off down a side passage. The Knight goes to join the white Bishop.

“What guest?” Chrysalis snapped once she was sure he was out of earshot.

“Somepony who needs to see this happen,” and can be relied on to assist if needed.

“Tis Copper. A'm sure he's git a langer list o' backup script then maist ponies hae oan a monthly to-do list,” Pots said giving Copper a slight nudge and another grin. “If it whaur onypony else a'd be offended.”

Copper smiled a bit. “We can't discuss this here. Let's go,” he said as he trotted down the hallway. In his head, he was counting hallways. When he got to seven, he stopped and handed the Doctor the bag. “This is it.”

The Doctor took the bag and nodded. “Alright- dang this thing is heavy...”

“I didn't have time to make it any lighter,” Copper said with a slight chuckle. “But it won’t matter.” He glanced at Chrysalis, who was frowning, and Pots, who was grinning.

He nodded in response. “Right then... I'll see you all later then,” and with that he trotted down the hall. Copper waited a moment and then continued forward. 

“You are an annoying pony to go up against,” Chrysalis mumbled; with her hood pulled down Copper could not catch her expression. “So many plans all at once...”

“Usually it's not this many...but I've never had this much riding on success...” He slowed down as they came out into the center of the large pillared room. Canterlot's grand hall. It was more impressive then Copper could remember it being. Large stain-glass windows lining the hall, telling the history of Equestria. That's where he hesitated. That's where he saw it. There, was him. It was him in his moment of 'glory' as he pushed the helm down. As he forced the False God into a plummet that saved countless ponies and cost him his own life. He pulled his hood back to look better at it. Why had nopony mentioned this? He had seen the statue of himself in the gardens and it paled in comparison. This was an acceptable way to be remembered. No words. No cold gray stone. Nothing but sheer color showing the pain and effort of his sacrifice.

“Do you like it?” And it all came crashing down as he heard that voice. The voice he had dreaded most in his life, since he was sent upon his first job. “I believe that it captures you quite well... Not like that statue. But, statues of heroes are popular.”

Copper turned to look at her and found her sitting at the end of the hallway where one would expect the ruler to be. There, looking as she had always done, with that kind smile on her face. Suddenly he was faced with the greatest opponent he could ever imagine. One that could beat him endlessly and never bat an eye. Somepony who could not be stopped. Himself. “Why?” was all he could manage.

“Why what, my dear Copper?” The look of puzzlement on her face caused his stomach to knot in several hundred different ways.

“Why did you do it?” He was taking deep breaths, trying to focus. She was- It was not truly Celestia. It was not her. It was not her. It was not her.

The look of puzzlement increased. “Why did I do what, Copper?” It is not her. “You're not making much sense...” It is not her. “Perhaps you need to lay down for a bit...” It is not her. “You look like you have had quite a hard time.”

There was no way it was her. “How could you kill so many ponies. Just to test a stupid weapon? Why did Manehatten have to burn!?” For the first time he could remember, he was truly angry. The thoughts of regret and doubt pushed aside by pure rage.

Her face turned to one of concern. “What in Equestria are you talking about? Manehatten was a terrible loss... One that I have done my best to undo.”

“You could have stopped it!” He shoved his hoof accusingly at her. Only now did he realize, now that he had stopped, that he had been moving towards her.

“I tried, Copper. But even my power-”

“Shut up!” He could feel his eyes burning. “It would have been so easy! I have seen you do things insurmountably more powerful than merely taking down one airship!” He could feel Chrysalis and Pots coming up to his side. Pots was practically shaking beside him. Copper thought it might be fear, but no. Not Pots. He was excited. How often do you get the chance to assassinate someone like Celestia?

“Copper... There was nothing I could do. They were shielded from my-”

“No they were not,” Copper said, his confidence raising further. “You forget that I was on that ship for quite a while. There were no unicorns on that ship. And no shield.” He took a deep breath, almost missing the slight flicker on its face. “They would not have needed one. You were the only alicorn who would dare go up against it... You also forget that I was taken by your guards. Your damn guards.” This flicker was obvious, it was enough to show he was getting to her. “I suppose you didn't bother remembering those details too closely, since everypony who was close enough to see that was killed.” He felt out of breath at this point and awaited her rebuttal.

“How did you come back? Not in all my records did I find any way to bring you back...” Her tone had not changed, she was still holding that concerned tone. 

But Copper was done listening to that. She had not been quick enough to cover herself. “I have friends. Many friends now, who helped me. I am no unicorn, so I don't know what exactly went into it...”

Her gaze turned to Pots, who despite a hood, could not hide the fact that he was indeed a unicorn. “Him?”

Copper smirked. “Oh I'm afraid not him. Though he is a friend of mine...” He couldn't help himself, even though he tried not to, the line seemed to spring from his mouth. “Allow me to introduce him. Celestia?” He smiled at Pots and nodded. “Meet Pots.”

At the point he ended the word meet, Pots fired. It was quite an impressive thing to be seen from this side. There was the draw of energy, the feeling as if time itself were slowing down and then a force which caused Copper to slide a few hooves away and Pots's hood to be blown back. Even as the word Pots had left his mouth, the beam was already heading at Celestia. And he watched, as it curved around Celestia in a wide ark and blew away most of the left corner. She grinned and for the first time, Copper saw it. The madness of whatever it was that gripped her. “Nice to meet you Pots. I've heard so much about you. But this doesn't concern you,” and with that Pots hit the wall at the other end of the hall with enough force to knock a hole into it.

Copper turned, looking at the hole that had been where Pots went through. Thus toppled the rook. “Pots...” He wanted to go and check on him, but knew he couldn't. He turned back to Celestia, who seemed to have regained her composure.

“Copper...hanging around with murderers? That is unlike you...” She had adopted some sort of mock scolding tone. “And this changeling you have taken to... What was her name? Hazelnut? Some sort of brown nut...”

“Her name is Chestnut-”

“And I'm not her!” There was a green flash, followed immediately by the beam. Celestia set her footing and locked beams for the second time with Chrysalis. 

For a moment Celestia looked concerned, but regained the upper hand quite slowly. The Power of Celestia’s beam increased rapidly, until Chrysalis toppled backwards in a large flash. “Ah, Chrysalis... I would have killed you the first time if you had not caught me off guard... I had not expected such power...” She walked slowly down towards them. Copper stepped between them.

The Queen has fallen. “What did you expect her to do? You've been butchering changelings without reason...”

“Without reason? Copper, they're a parasite. They feed off of the love of others.” She stopped walking, staring at him. “Have you honestly fallen for her, Copper?” She twitched. He could see something happening, but was unsure of what. “You are her source of power...and though abundant, it is not enough. Nothing on this world could stop my power.” Again that grin lit up her face. “You saw to that when you destroyed the gear.”

“The Gem Cog?” Copper said, slightly caught off guard.

“Yes you idiot. With that I could have ruled everything while sitting so comfortably from here... But I simply could not find it. And my attempt to wring the information from Nightmare led to her fleeing into my so called sister.”

“Stop acting like you're Celestia,” Copper said, deciding to call an end to the charade. “You are not Celestia.”

She stared blankly at him. “I don't see why it would matter if I was or not. That didn't stop you from attempting to murder me. Which you have failed at twice now...” She continued to move closer to him and Copper had no choice but to back away. What could he hope to do against it? “Who cares if I'm not Celestia. Who cares if I destroyed Manehatten and countless other cities. In fact, I have some new underwater toys I think I'll plan on testing on Aquis next...”

“No!”

“No?” She leaned down towards Copper. “How are you going to stop me? What other plans do you have, Copper. Hm? What have you left?”

“Me.” They both looked to see Corser coming from a side hallway.

“Oh Corser... I had wondered how he got inside with no fuss...but I should have expected that from you. You have always hated me,” she said as she straightened up, grinning. “But no matter. You are easily dealt with.” There was a flash and Corser flinched, but nothing happened.

“He isn't alone,” Twilight said as she came out from behind Corser.

“Ah, Twilight. My...my most faithful student...” She moved towards them, stumbling slightly. But Twilight shifted slightly behind Corser. Celestia stopped. “So you heard...” There was a flash and Copper was sent skidding across the floor. “I worked so hard on this one... She was your replacement, Copper...”

He struggled slightly to get back to his feet. “Yeah... I...I heard...”

“So this is your plan. Turn everypony against me... Let them all gang up on me and watch as my empire crumbles. Quite the plan...” She stood over him, glaring down at him. “Clever.” He coughed and her hoof connected with his ribs, sending him sliding against the wall. “And to think... I had thought killing you was a bad idea. I guess I just didn't kill you enough.” Her hoof connected again and again. “You and your damned plans! Now I have to kill you, Corser and Twilight. Thankfully it'll be easy enough to just blame Pots. See? I can come up with plans too!”

“Mine's not done...” he mumbled into the floor, through the pain. That stopped the kicking.

“Oh how you lie Copper. You won’t have time to come up with some new plan. Twilight and Corser will be of no help to you.” Copper looked in time to see the hallway where Twilight and Corser were crumble. Whatever it had done to Copper had hit them as well. White Bishop and Knight, taken. Slowly he managed to get to his feet, using the wall to help. “But my you are tough... I suppose getting beaten so many times has toughened you up so much.”

“You just don't understand...” he said, coughing.

“Then explain it to me,” she said as she leaned in close. “Explain to me this little plan... How you're planning to beat me...”

He looked at her and smiled. “I'm a Pawn.”

She stared blankly at him. “What?”

“It's chess... You don't win the game without sacrificing a few pawns... But...if you you do it correctly...you can expose the king...”

“And I do believe this, is checkmate,” said the Doctor.

~
“So you're expecting Pots to fail?” Doctor Whooves said, staring at Copper.

“I'm actually hoping on it... Look.” He flattened a large piece of paper out on the table. “I've been working on this from memory, so it's a bit sketchy but you get the general idea. When we get in, you're going to take this-” he heaved a large bag onto the table, "and head to this point here. I'll teach you how to put it on and charge it... Then all you have to do is wait for an opening and hit her with the discharge.”

He looked into the bag. “Will it kill her?”

Copper hesitated and shook his head. “No... I...I can't go through with it, all right? Evil or not...we can't just kill her. We need her to confess to the things she's done. This will knock her out cold or at least paralyze her for an extended period of time. It'll also give her third degree burns on the entry point, so just try not to hit her in the chest, as it could fry an internal organ...”

Whooves looked at him. “When's the last time you slept, Copper?”

There was a brief hesitation. “Last week? I think? I don't know... I just-”

“Copper. Stop. You need sleep. I...I have news.”

He looked at him. “What kind of news?”

“News that will make you glad that you're thinking of a non-lethal way to end this...”

~
The Charged Gauntlet, as Copper had called it, was quite impressive. It was a tad bulky and the battery pack on the back could use a few more straps to make traveling with it long distances even feasible. But it was necessary to get the appropriate amount of charge and had taken Copper weeks to perfect. And when it went off, it meant business. The large flash, the crack of thunder, and the taste of electricity in the air made one feel lightning had struck. “Oh crap! It's hot!” The Doctor scrambled to get the Charged Gauntlet off.

“Sorry... I'll make note to get some kinda heat protection... Where did it-” he paused as he looked over. She had gone quite a distance from them from the shock, and laid motionless aside from the slow raise of her chest from the breaths she desperately took in.

They both moved slowly towards her, and Copper unceremoniously prodded her with his hoof. “Well... She's alive...”

“Probably not going to be happy when she wakes up...” the Doctor said with a smile. “But hopefully we can figure out whatever is inside her and get it out...”

“Yeah that would-” a pulse sent both of them flying back. Copper hit a pillar and glanced off, sliding across the floor. The Doctor continued back, smashing through a window.

“That...hurt...” It rose slowly, rigidly. But not under physical power. It floated up, unable to move limbs. “You honestly think that that could stop me? Me? King Sombra!?” That's when Copper saw it. The silhouette of King Sombra, encasing Celestia. “I have done so much in a mere thousand years...”

“I... How...” Copper struggled to get up, staring up at translucent red eyes. 

“How what? I have transcended a physical body. I had long ago when I was destroyed by Celestia and Luna upon their arrival in Equestria. They toppled my kingdom, but I am not so easily defeated. She hid my Crystal Empire from me and I have not been able to reclaim it as of yet. But with technology like this...” A ghostly hoof floated upwards, the Charged Gauntlet raising from where the Doctor had dropped it. “This will be more then enough...”

Copper coughed, starring up at King Sombra. This was impossible. “But...” 

King Sombra looked at him and smiled slightly. “Oh Copper, you were always so useful. But I could not allow you to roam freely, especially after discovering the Gem Cog. But once again, you solve all my problems...” He looked wistfully at the device. “Such power...and no magical protection I had could stop it. It's so perfect...”

Copper slumped to the floor. It was getting harder and harder to move and he was sure he was losing consciousness. His vision was fuzzing and slowly darkening. “Damn...”

“Don't worry Copper. Once I've dealt with your...friends...I will take care of you.”

~
His eyes opened and suddenly all the pain was gone. He stood up quickly, only to find himself in the land of gears. “Damn it!” he screamed and slammed his hooves down on the gear.

“My goodness. King Sombra...who could have predicted that.” Nightmare was grinning down at him.

He paused and glared up at her. “You knew.” It was not a question. “You knew it was King Sombra...that...” He shook his head.

“Come now... He is weakened.” Copper felt the pull of the moon increase immensely. “I can beat him. It would be so easy... Just give me one chance. You will rise and he will fall...”

It was a tempting offer. The most tempting it had ever been. Would Nightmare be worse than King Sombra? That was a very tough decision, one that he didn't feel like he should make. Copper stared into the distance. From here he could see the clock tower, the area around it shimmering from the water. “Could it be that simple?” he mumbled and then, he flew. 

He made the distance in moments, Nightmare following him the entire time. “Oh come now. You will not find anything that can help you in there. I am here... I can do it... I can save you all...”

The little door was right where he knew it would be and he pushed it open, going inside. “Empty...” he muttered and slumped to the floor. It would never be that easy. It never had been, why should it be now?

“Why do you seek the Gem Cog?” Copper’s eyes snapped open, he hadn't even realized he closed them. He looked around, but the voice seemed to come from everywhere. “Why do you seek the Gem Cog?”

“I...” He hesitated, remembering something Nightmare had said. “I seek a way to save the life of my friends.”

“And what of your own life?”

He shook his head. “I sacrificed that already... No pony I have ever heard of has gotten a chance to do it twice.”

“We are aware.”

“We?” Again Copper looked around.

“We were The Pony of Gears.”

Copper slowly stood up once again, he suddenly felt tired, weak. “I don't understand that title...”

“It is not a title.”

“Then what is it?” 

There was no answer for what felt like minutes. “It is you.”

“I don't understand...” Copper said as he sat down. It was odd talking to an empty room, but it was not the weirdest thing he'd done.

“We do not expect you to. Nopony knows anymore.”

“Can...you tell me?” Copper tried to hold the hopeful tone from his voice, but failed miserably.

There was again a silence. “Before the Gem Cog... The Pony of Gears, or Pony of the Gears as it is now called, which we believe is more fitting, was one part of a whole. It was us, we who were built to serve. Built to help. Built to hurt. We were a machine. A machine with life.”

“I am not...a machine,” he said, feeling the need to slightly defend himself.

“No... But you are of machines. They speak to you, though you do not listen, you hear. You hear those machines that wish to be built. The ones that were broken. Unfinished. Merely paper in a drawer. You are the Pony of the Gears That Turn.”

“I...I want to save my friends,” he said as he tried to regain focus. Time was different in his head, but he was sure that this all must be happening fast.

“Then save them.” There was a bright flash and there, in the center of the room, sat the Gem Cog. He stared at it for several moments, before placing both hooves on it and pressing it into the floor.

~
His eyes opened and the pain rushed back. He could hear faintly inside his head a scream of rage from Nightmare and felt her leave. Even in pain, he felt invigorated. This was it. Everything made sense now. He had been where the power had shifted. He stood up surprisingly easy and looked at King Sombra, who was attempting to get the Charged Gauntlet to work. He walked towards him slowly. “It won’t work. It only has enough power for one shot. Slight drawback.”

“Ah... So you are still alive,” King Sombra turned and froze. 

“Yes. I am alive.” He felt the glow, the tingling of power. The sheer might of it all flooding him to the point he felt he would burst. He walked slowly towards him, his gaze locking King Sombra in that spot, not allowing him to move. “It is one thing to hurt me...but I will not allow you to hurt my friends.” He swung with all his force, hitting the shade of King Sombra. He forced every ounce of the power he had into him; it needed to be over. Copper could not do anymore, as King Sombra shattered into a shower of sparkling little gems. Laying in the middle was Celestia, who looked much smaller then she had before and seemed to be having trouble breathing. He laid down beside her, watching the gems turn to dust. “A dog to the end...loyal to it's master.”